A/N: Hey guys! Sorry that this chapter is so late! I've been very sick lately and was unable to work on it! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

.

Early March, 1942, Berlin, Germany

"Goddammit!" Ludwig shouted, pounding his fist on his desk. His pounding caused everyone in the room to jump, especially Feliciano, who didn't like loud noises. "I should have known!"

Feliciano slowly approached Ludwig's desk. "Is something wrong, Lieutenant?" he softly asked. He tried to hide the fact that his knees were shaking. There was no way he would acknowledge that he was even slightly afraid of an angry Ludwig.

Ludwig's face was burning red with rage. "That lying bastard!" he raged. His gaze then went to Feliciano. He was so filled with rage that the Italian's hair looked even more red than normal. "We're going to be leaving for Warsaw this evening. We have some unfinished business to take care of there."

"Unfinished business?" Feliciano asked, confused. "I don't understand what you mean." He studied Ludwig's expression for a moment. What could the man have to be so angry about?

"We overlooked a situation in Poland a couple years back," Ludwig stated through clenched teeth. "No I must go and correct my error."

"But I have to go, too?" Feliciano asked. He didn't see why he would have to go to Poland with Ludwig, if the Lieutenant was perfectly capable of handling it himself.

"You are one of my Majors, and I will need you for backup," Ludwig stiffly stated. "We have no idea of what this man is truly capable of if he can lie to a military official with no problems."

"Wait, someone lied to you? That's what this is about?" Feliciano asked.

"You weren't there," Ludwig snarled at him. "You wouldn't understand." He stood up from his desk and briskly walked to the door. "Come with me for briefing, Major Vargas."

Feliciano internally groaned but followed after his superior.

.

As the military vehicle plummeted along the rough terrain, Feliciano sighed. The car rocked back and forth constantly, almost making him feel as if he were at sea. He wanted the ride to just be over already, but he also knew that there was still a long way to go. Might as well just grin and bear it, even if he was nauseous.

"So tell me more about this Laurinaitis guy," Feliciano said to Ludwig. Though he had been told the story more than once, he couldn't understand what was so bad about the man being Jewish. Yes, the man had lied to the government, but that wasn't a good reason to take him away, right?

"He is the filthiest scum in the land," Ludwig growled out, as if the words left a bitter taste in his mouth. His facial expression was made of pure and absolute disgust. "Not only did he lie to a military official, but he is also a Jew being harbored by a filthy crossdresser!"

Feliciano didn't understand Ludwig's outrage, but he decided not to press any further, seeing how upset his superior officer was getting. "I see," he muttered. Personally, nothing was wrong with that statement, but that was just according to him. He had no problem with the way others lived their lives unless if it was harmful to others. All he wanted was for everyone to live in peace. That was the only reason he had joined the military.

Ludwig began softly grumbling to himself about the man they were going to apprehend, but Feliciano decided not to pay any attention. It was better to just let Ludwig grumble to himself than get involved. The German didn't want anyone to agree or disagree with him. He just wanted to rant, and Feliciano respected that.

The young Italian just let his thoughts on the matter wander inside of his head. He tried to contemplate how someone could be so terrible due to their religion or race or even what type of clothes they wore. It didn't make anyone any less of a person, so why did it matter what they did in their personal time? He just couldn't understand what supposedly made these people so bad. Yes, they lied, but so what? As far as Feliciano could see, they only lied so they could avoid a terrible fate. It didn't make sense to me why they would get such a terrible fate anyway.

His mind then began to think of other things. Was this Laurinaitis man in a relationship with the crossdresser? Feliciano hoped that wasn't the situation. He had heard rumors of homosexual men being taken away, but he wondered where they were taken to. Though his curiosity usually got the best of him in these kinds of situations, he wouldn't dare ask Ludwig what happened to those men.

Feliciano's mind then wandered to a dark place. If any of his fellow soldiers were to find out that he was a homosexual, what would happen to him? Would he be taken away as well? The thought of it sent shivers down his spine. A cold chill ran through his body.

"Are you cold, Major Vargas?" Ludwig asked, peering over at him.

"Not at all," Feliciano answered, folding his hands in his lap tightly.

"You're shivering," Ludwig flatly told him.

Feliciano stopped his trembling. "No I'm not."

Ludwig sighed deeply and just left it at that. He found no point in arguing with Feliciano over something so trivial. After all, he had much bigger things to worry about, like how to capture the three people he was after. If any of them were to escape, the mission would be a failure. He tried not to think about failing the mission.

While Ludwig thought about the mission, Feliciano was trapped inside his head with his own thoughts. He pondered what happened to the homosexual men who were taken away. If he were taken away like them, what would become of him? Would he live to tell the tale? His heart began to hammer in his chest as he struggled to calm down. He couldn't be thinking like that while on a mission. If he was even the slightest bit distracted, the people would surely escape, and that wouldn't look good on any of their parts. Why did war have to be so complicated?

.

The next morning, they pulled up outside of a decent-looking house in Warsaw, Poland. Feliciano couldn't believe that the people they were after would be living in such a nice place. He had personally expected a rundown apartment building or something like that, considering the way Ludwig had referred to these people as "scum" many times.

Feliciano's legs shook a little as he stepped out of the car. They hadn't stopped to stretch their legs, considering the matter was of utmost importance. He personally found that ridiculous as he stumbled a little, trying to get used to being on his feet again. At least his nausea was gone. Of that, he was thankful for.

"Alright, men," Ludwig said, addressing the two soldiers they had brought with them. "There are three men in this apartment upstairs, and we need to take them all. Not one of them can escape. Do you understand?"

"Sir!" the two men confirmed, saluting Ludwig.

"Now, follow after Major Vargas and myself," Ludwig stated. "And follow only the commands I give you, understood?"

"Yes, sir!" the men stated.

Ludwig turned to Feliciano. "Are you ready to go, Major Vargas?"

Feliciano jumped when addressed, but then he nodded. "Yes, Lieutenant Beilschmidt."

Ludwig began to ascend the staircase to the apartment, gesturing for Feliciano and the others to follow. When he reached the top, he knocked firmly on the door as Feliciano stood behind him with the other men coming up the stairs.

When the door opened up, Feliciano saw a woman standing there. She had long, blonde hair and the greenest eyes he had ever seen. She was honestly quite lovely.

"Good morning, gentlemen," she said, smiling at them. "What can I do for you?"

"You can cut the act, Łukasiewicz," Ludwig snarled at her. "Or should I say 'Feliks'?"

Feliciano's eyes widened as he saw the woman's face fall. His mind couldn't comprehend the fact that she was really a man. She looked so feminine! He prayed in his head that everyone would come quietly. He couldn't bear hurting someone.

"I don't understand what you mean," the blonde said, voice pitched high to sound like a woman's. "My name is Sara."

"Your mother was Sara, but you are Feliks," Ludwig corrected, narrowing his eyes at the blonde, who was beginning to shake with fear. "Now, where are the Jews you're harboring?"

"This isn't good!" he shouted out to the others in the house, his voice low like a man's. "They figured all of us out! They know!"

Ludwig grabbed Feliks and dragged him further into the apartment with him. Feliciano was finding it hard to keep up with them, as well as the other soldiers. Ludwig stopped when they reached the kitchen, where two young men sat at a table, terrified.

Feliciano's gaze fell upon the smaller one, who was trembling like a leaf in a windstorm. He instantly felt bad for him. He didn't look much older than thirteen. As for the other boy, he looked about Feliciano's age, which made the Italian feel a bit nauseous. He didn't want to hurt these boys. That was not his job!

"Don't think the three of you will escape," Ludwig snarled at the older boy. His tone of voice brought a cold shiver down Feliciano's spine. "We figured all of you out, you disgusting Jew." His attention suddenly snapped to Feliks. "And you. You're the worst of them, pretending to be a woman for two years…"

Feliks's voice suddenly broke out into the room, loud and pleading. "The back door, Toris! Run! Take Raivis and go! Go!" He began to struggle against the two soldiers who had suddenly grabbed his arms and began twisting them backwards in ways that couldn't be comfortable. "Toris, run! Take Raivis and run! Don't worry about me!" He cried out in pain as there was a loud snapping noise. "Run, Toris!" he shouted while being dragged toward the front door.

Feliciano felt sick. Was this what the military did? What had Feliks done wrong? He fought back a wave of nausea as Ludwig's commanding voice told him to go after the younger one. His mind focused once more on the task he was given and he took off with Ludwig after the two Jewish boys, though in his heart he felt it wasn't right.

.

"How the fucking hell did they get away?!" Ludwig shouted. "Scheisse!" He took his gloves off and threw them on the ground in a huff as Feliciano struggled to catch his breath beside him. Ludwig then regained his composure and picked up his gloves. "Come on, Feliciano. We need to get back to the others."

Feliciano was so surprised by hearing his first name come out of Ludwig's mouth that he stumbled a little. It had been so long since he had called him that. The name almost sounded odd when coming from Ludwig's mouth.

"You ran well today," Ludwig simply told him. "Even if we didn't catch the two Jews, you did well. I do not have one single negative thing to say about your performance today." He cast Feliciano a warm smile. "Thank you for your work today."

"Not a problem, Ludwig," Feliciano answered, nodding to him. "It's my duty, right?"

"Ja," Ludwig answered. "But still, danke."

Feliciano felt his chest swell with pride. He smiled a little to himself when he was sure Ludwig wasn't looking. Getting a compliment like that from Ludwig at such a stressful time felt really good to him. His smile grew larger and larger until it could barely fit on his face.

"Why are you smiling like that?" Ludwig asked.

"I don't really know," Feliciano answered. "I guess I'm glad that I still got praise after what happened."

"Yeah?" Ludwig asked. "Well don't expect praise from the higher-ups. They're going to be so angry when they find out that the Jews got away…"

"We will deal with that when the time comes," Feliciano stated. "I just want to say that you did well today too, Ludwig. No matter what our superior officers may say, you did your best, and that's what matters, right?"

Ludwig sighed. "If only that were the case. They're going to let us have it when we get back, so enjoy your sense of hearing while you can." He groaned. "It's times like this when I wish I didn't have to go back. I failed the mission, therefore, I failed my country."

"Don't think that," Feliciano said. "You didn't let anyone down."

"The superiors were counting on me, Feliciano!" Ludwig snapped, turning to him. He stopped walking. "I let them down!"

Feliciano stopped as well. "I forgot the part where the superiors were your entire country," he shot back. "Those Jews who escaped were only two people! They'll get over it! It wasn't our fault that they got away, okay? You sound ridiculous when you say that you let the whole fucking country down just by letting two harmless people get away!"

Ludwig looked like he wanted to say something else. It was obvious that he was fuming with anger. He kept his mouth shut, though. He knew Feliciano wouldn't understand what he was going through in his mind. They obviously weren't raised the same. He couldn't expect Feliciano to understand.

"We're leaving," Ludwig simply stated as he began walking back once more.

The Italian joined him in silence. He didn't understand why Ludwig was so tense. Who cared if it was a failed mission? At least they got one of them. All he could do now was hope that they wouldn't kill Feliks.

.

So they wouldn't argue and the tension would go away, Feliciano was assigned to the prisoner carriage by Ludwig. It was only Feliciano and Feliks in the carriage. Feliciano was lost in thought as Feliks slept against the wall.

As Feliciano looked closer at Feliks, all he could see was the bandage holding his arm in place. It made him nauseous to even remember when it got broken. Feliciano couldn't look at Feliks longer than three seconds without feeling sick.

Feliks began to stir and blinked his eyes open. He gasped out in pain when he moved his arm a little. His green eyes blinked tiredly. When he saw Feliciano, he gasped and cowered as best as he could without moving his arm.

"You don't need to be afraid of me," Feliciano stated in English. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Liar!" the blond spat at him, barring his teeth. "Look what the lot of you did to me!"

"Correction," Feliciano stated, "the soldiers did that to you. I had nothing to do with that."

Feliks's eyes widened in disbelief and horror. "I don't believe you. You're one of them." His eyes began to fill with tears. "Why should I believe you?"

"You've got me there," Feliciano sighed. "Look, you don't have to believe me if you don't want to, but I'm not lying to you. Honestly, I don't think you did anything wrong." His eyes widened when he realized how casual he was being with the prisoner and cleared his throat. "But you didn't hear that from me."

"What? You have a reputation to keep up or something?" Feliks scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Guess no one hears anything useful from you, huh?"

Feliciano clenched his fists but then remembered this man had every right to be upset with him. "Look, Feliks, I don't make the rules, I just have to enforce them."

"You don't have to do anything. You're just another military puppet who can't think for himself." Feliks groaned. "You military men are all the same." He frowned. "You ruin everything that is good and wonderful and turn it into a living hell for everyone but yourselves."

"That's not true," Feliciano argued. "We do it for the good of the world."

"Oh really?" Feliks shot back. "Then answer this question for me. Why are you killing off innocent people who did nothing wrong? Why are you killing the Jews, who just want to live in peace? Why are you killing the homosexual people just because they love someone their own sex?"

Feliciano felt a knot in his stomach. So when the people were sent to the camps, they were being killed there? He felt extremely uneasy at that revelation. "I'm not the one doing that," he simply told Feliks. "I'm not killing anyone."

"That's right," Feliks sarcastically responded. "You're just being a good little boy and leading the sheep to the slaughter."

Those words pierced into Feliciano's heart. Was that really what he was technically doing? The carriage started spinning around him. "That's not true," he tried to argue.

"Oh, but it is," Feliks snarled. "Or are you just blissfully unaware of what happens to your prisoners after you hand them over? You army men are all the same. You don't care what happens to anyone as long as you get to be seen as heroes in the end. Just know this, those of us who survive the camps will never see you as heroes. You'll all remain the shittiest people we've ever come across."

"I think that's enough talking," Feliciano stated.

"Or what?" Feliks asked. "You'll kill me? I'm already half there! Why don't you just finish the fucking job?!"

Feliciano clenched his fist. "Stop it!" he suddenly yelled. "Just stop it! I don't want to kill anyone!"

"Oh really?" Feliks asked. "Then why are you working for them?"

The Italian took a moment to calm down. Why was he working for them? "I just want peace once more," he finally answered.

"Well you're not going to get peace this way," Feliks scoffed. "The army will turn you into a killing machine before any of that happens."

Feliciano shook his head in disbelief. "That's not true. It's all lies. You can't be serious. I would never kill another person."

"But you're killing me by sending me over to the camp," Feliks replied.

"No, that's not true," Feliciano said. "I'm just following orders."

"Following hateful orders," Feliks snarled. "You may not realize that, but all you military people do is stir up hate until there's nothing left but that. You will never be a hero."

Feliciano sat and pondered Feliks's words. You will never be a hero. But wasn't that why he joined the military, to be a hero and to do what's right? A knot weighed heavily in his stomach. Was any of this right?