The third chapter of The Hit List is below this HQSC (Humorous Quick Summary of Chapter). But by all means look into it! ( =3 =)
Humorous Quick Summary of Chapter 2! By my good friend, FrauWolf! It's great to have a little humor before this story don't you think? Enjoy this humorous intercept of the Hit List Chapter 2.
RECAP in
3…
2…
1…
Let the randomness begin~
Italy: I'm so traumatized from the last chapter
Germany: That new maid girl is super-hot though
Italy: Ve~
Germany: Wanna be friends?
Italy: Sure, you're the only person here who isn't kind of a massive douche
Germany: When I grow up I want to murder people
Italy: Um, okay that's cool I guess…
Germany: Okay see you later
Roderich III: Okay, we're having a party so these maids are going to put you in dresses against your will. Have fun with that.
Italy: I've been so violated…
Germany: I'm going murder someone and pursue my dream job, yeah!
Italy: Ahhhhhhhh~!
Germany: What, my waifu!? No, now I have to murder everyone else!
Austria: This is better than cable
Let's get serious, I do not own Hetalia.
The Hitlist Chapter 3
Content warning: There will be gory and disturbing imagery in this chapter.
The woman gasped and staggered backwards, Ludwig's blade darting across her throat and leaving a thin cut. The woman, shocked by the child's speed, dropped her own weapons, and her hands grasped at the wound. Her eyes went wide in horror as blood began trickling through her fingers; she gasped for air and began coughing, trying to say something. In between her panicked breaths, she managed to choke out something that almost sounded like, "help."
But her eyes showed something different: a glare far colder, far more accusing. As she stumbled backwards and her gasping became more ragged, the woman glared at Ludwig in way that seemed to say what she could no longer articulate in words, begging the question, "Why did you do this? It wasn't supposed to go like this, but you betrayed us! You traitor, you monster, why?"
Ludwig had failed to kill her as cleanly as he had wished, and watched the woman stagger backwards through the church. Hitmen were trained to kill much more effectively than this, cutting the jugular vein in a way that would ensure that victim would bleed out rapidly, not that it would be instantaneous, nor would would it actually be "clean". Ludwig knew how it should have been done, and he realized that the woman had known how to do it too; they had gone through the exact same training, they were supposed to be comrades.
Ludwig was glad he hadn't ever learned the woman's name during training as he plunged his knife once more into her neck; this wound would bring her death much more swiftly. This seemed to be of little comfort to the woman, her hands moving to Ludwig's blade in a feeble and ultimately vain attempt to pull the weapon from her neck. Her hands met Ludwig's, and in shock he dropped the blade, the blood on the woman's hands staining his own. She fell to the ground, clutching the gaping wound as she shook in the throes of death on the sanctuary's floor. Blood, colored like a dark wine, spilled onto the floor; droplets splattering against Ludwig as he grabbed his knife from the woman's side as her convulsions ceased and she was left staring, wide eyes filled with horror and tears, blankly at the ceiling.
Feliciano shivered. Was this really Ludwig? Was this the same innocence person whom he had befriended in a short time ago? His stomach curled with knots and he covered his mouth with his hand to block the gasp that would eventually escape his lips.
Ludwig turned around to reach out his hand to the Italian. He looked like the same Ludwig that he had befriended. Same clear blue eyes, slightly messy blonde hair, and the shy-yet-stern look that fell naturally on his face. His hair and clothes was covered with dried grass and mud, but his face was clean because of his dark mask that once covered his face. He didn't know what to do yet he still reacted without thinking. Feliciano grabbed Ludwig's hand and followed him further in the church. The deeper in they walked the darker the halls began to be.
He looked back at Feliciano and signaled him to stay there. Before Feliciano could reach his hand to the rim of his cloak, he disappeared into the morbid darkness. The room had no door but bits of pieces of old glass and picture frames. His hands made its way together and he bend down on his knees. Ludwig committed one of the ultimate sins: murder. Ludwig is a good person; he did it to protect him right? Everything was intolerably quiet. The creaking outside the door and the soft breathing of his own was what filled his ears. He shook and prayed silently. This is the first time he has gotten scared of the dark. But he must remember, people are not scared of the dark, but what is hiding in it. He felt his body relax some, yet he still forced his body to stay up. What was Luddy doing? He had to stay up so that no one would catch him off guard. He can't fall asleep yet; not now. Drifting off to sleep is a way to escape the world, but it is also a way to bring you back to reality... His body ignored his silent pleas while his eyes became heavy. This is the first time today that he was finally able to sleep. He somehow felt safe, in an odd twisted way, that he was with Ludwig. His thoughts overflowed, somehow comforting him , allowing him to go into slumber.
The twist of the door knob grabbed his attention, so he quickly got up and watched the dark visual figure slowly turn into Ludwig. He got up and walked up to Ludwig to see that his hands drenched with warm crimson. In his right hand something was wrapped in the self made cloth bag that was tightly bandaged with care. He glanced over to Feliciano once more and guided him back inside of the newly cleansed sanctuary. Feliciano looked around the room. Everything looked the exact same way when he entered the church; how? But instead of the bright morning sun shining on the abandon pedestals, the room held an orange hue, making the aura relaxing and pleasant. Looking out one of the broken windows he realized that the sun was starting to set. Just how long had he been asleep?
Feliciano brought his attention to the bandaged object, and on cue, Ludwig began talking in his native tongue before stopping when he realized that Feliciano can't quite comprehend what he was saying. The only way for them to communicate was trying to interact with each other physically; just like a game of charades. Ludwig held out his hand out to Feliciano, hoping that 'she' would follow him. Feliciano was about to grab it until he has reached his senses. Ludwig's hand was rebuffed with a quick slap on his right cheek.
This baffled Ludwig. Hadn't he just saved her life, and almost certainly lost his country's trust. Couldn't 'she' realize how much unnecessary crap he had to deal with? Before he was able to verbally react back to Feliciano's action, he was stopped by a shaky yell.
"You killed in the Lord's house! How could you?" Feliciano stepped away, but was followed by the approaching blonde who was trying to gain 'her' trust again. His back finally met with the hard surface of the wooden wall, letting out a yelp, when Ludwig continued to reach for his unaccepting hand.
"Feliciano!" Ludwig swiftly grabbed 'her' shoulders and he gave 'her' a forceful shake. Feliciano had to realize that he was doing this for 'her'. "If only Feliciano would understand; if only she accepted how things were and trust me," Ludwig thought.
He had never sacrificed so much before: killing a Hitman inductee, betraying the country which he had only ever wanted to serve and protect. All for this one girl; the girl that he had only met just recently, the only one to make his heart flutter with the simplest actions. The one girl that reminded him how it felt like to be a kid again. But for her to despise him, made his insides hurt... Ludwig looked at Feliciano's face that was filled with horror, angst, and sadness. Tears fell dearily when 'she' dared to look up at him with 'her' big honey coated eyes.
His arms made its way around Feliciano's shoulders causing 'her' to flinch. But instead of the harsh shake like before, it was replaced with something different... something special: a hug. Feliciano intensity melted into his arms…
Feliciano didn't know what to do… he did know enough German to carry off a conversation with anyone, yet he felt like he had known him for years. Perhaps it was just a side-effect of being lonely, that he was so willing to become friends with Ludwig that he didn't think about the 'what ifs'. Feliciano gave in, gripped the outer cloth of his dark jacket, and then buried his face deep in chest. He already knew that this friendship would never work, but he wanted to enhance every moment of this feeling. Soft sobs escaped his lips, but he held most of it in so that no one including Ludwig, could hear. They stood like that for awhile, but they seem to not care; they were content…
The moonlight soon began to beam on them as Feliciano slept, propped against the wall leaning on Ludwig. Gentle cricket chirps and the sound of their hearts beating like a drum, was their lullaby. The church doors were locked and jammed shut, so Ludwig didn't worry much about anyone coming in unnoticed. He looked down at his collarbone and felt the heaviness of Feliciano's head there. Sighing, he looked at the ceiling which was painted with bright stars and cross designs that had people with a glowing halo around the surface of their head.
"Is this your God Feli? Can't they see us?" Ludwig forced a smile, "If they can, then why have they cursed us? You're so devoted, but can't you see that no one is there… It's just an imaginary idol"
He took his attention off of the wall art and he then glanced at the bandaged item that was underneath him. Ludwig has the perfect plan of escape for Feliciano, but he has to figure out a way to explain it to 'her' so that even a deaf person could understand.
CRUNCH
The blonde's heart skipped a beat when he heard feet walking on the crunchy grass outside the building. The sound echoed throughout the room, signaling him that the inductee was close. He expeditiously got up on his feet and tapped Feliciano repeatedly on his shoulder. Feliciano groggily looked at Ludwig, blinking his eyes multiple times to keep himself awake. He let out a yawn and gave Ludwig a questioned look of concern when Ludwig helped him up from his sleeping position.
"Wha-?" before Feliciano could say anything, Ludwig hushed him and placed a finger over his mouth, silently informing 'her' that 'she' must be quiet. The crunches continued to get louder and louder until it stopped at the door that was blocked off. A few twists of the door knob could be heard on the other side of the room, followed by a sigh of irritation.
Taking his chance, Ludwig grabbed Feliciano's wrist and quickly tip-toed to the back rooms, which led to multiple hallways. Ludwig walked into one of the hallways, making frequent stops on the corners with his knife in hand, ready to attack anyone who stands in their way. By this time of night, it was really dark. When they finally approached the final wooden door, it led to an upstairs attic. The room was very packed with old boxes and linen that was scattered about, leaving them with little to no space to squeeze through the tight spaces. Every step was heard when they moved their feet, causing the atmosphere to be somewhat unnerving. At times, Ludwig even had to pick up some of the boxes whenever they couldn't walk past any of them. They had to stay as far away from the doors and windows as possible so that no one would find them. After a half an hour of moving boxes and squeezing further into the ocean of boxes, they finally made it to the corner of the attic. There was barely enough room for both of them to sit down, but they somehow managed to.
The dark room was very quiet, and the only thing that was heard was the harsh beatings of their hearts. Feliciano and Ludwig held their knees together and sat up straight to avoid any boxes tumbling over. There position started to ache their backs the longer they had to hunch over, but instead of complaints, an eternal silence filled the room; they couldn't risk being heard by a hitman inductee.
Feliciano simply sat down, taking quick glances at the older boy beside him, while rubbing his ring on his right thumb. If he made it out alive he would have to repay him, somehow… Feliciano was unnoticably shaking and trembling, taking short breaths, reacting the opposite way than Ludwig. The blonde's expression was unreadable, but at times he would take quick glances at Feliciano.
There was a huge chance that they won't make it out alive, even if they came up with the perfect escape plan. Twiddling with his ring, Feliciano nudged Ludwig on the side to capture his attention. The blonde looked at Feliciano. His hair was matted down with dirt and his face was covered with beads of sweat. In comparison with him, the hems of his white dress was now painted dusty brown with light nonsymmetrical rips on the side. Feliciano boldly grabbed Ludwig's hand and leaned on his shoulder, letting out a soft sigh. Ludwig has saved him multiple times and he appreciates it and all, but knowing that he is risking everything for a person that he recently met, was bittersweet. He felt selfish. All he could do was say thank you. Even though "thank you" wouldn't be enough, it was the only thing he could do for the time being...
"Grazie, Ludwig"
Ludwig glanced at the top of Feliciano's head that was restfully sitting on his body. Recalling the term grazie, he finally remembered that it meant thank you. Ludwig blushed and faced away from Feliciano. The Italian made Ludwig's heart flutter when 'she' does the simplest things. It was true. It was true that he unconsciously became fond of 'her', even though he tries but fail to discreetly know his limits and his boundaries as a Hitman. But he can't seem to disown this unfamiliar feeling. It was a sickeningly wonderful feeling that was foreign to him, and it pained him that he had to like Feliciano, a hit man listee. It pains him that he doesn't understand Feliciano's language, so that he could alleviate 'her' sorrows that 'she' had to bare. Feliciano could've never had committed those crimes; it's not like 'her'. It pains him that he shows 'her' care and support, that will eventually kill them both. Yet he still disobey his common sense and leans on the smaller human, tightening his hand around Feliciano's.
"Es freut mich, Feliciano"
Es freut mich. Feliciano closed his eyes and allowed the phrase to repeat silently in head. Most of the German that he has heard throughout his stay at the estate was strong and thick sounding, but his German was so soft and delicate the way he said Es freut mich. The sentence was passionate, yet reluctant like he was regretting what he was saying to him.
"Feliciano." When Ludwig's warm hand unattached his own, he suddenly felt lonely. Feliciano followed Ludwig's motions as his hands made its way around the back of his neck, unhooking something. Once he loosen up the object he slowly began to pull it up, revealing a cross metallic necklace that was hidden beneath his cloak. Feliciano's eyes glittered with amazement and sat there with stupefaction, but hesitated when he turned to face him.
"Hier." He adjust the necklace to rest securely on Feliciano's collar bone. His fingers were trembling slightly, causing his fingers to brush lightly on the tiny hairs on his neck. Feliciano looked down the necklace and then snuck a glance to Ludwig to find him already looking at him. He forced himself to look away, hiding his blush in the shadows. Was Ludwig always this shy? He suppose so… Burying his face in his chest he wrapped his arms around his toned waist and began humming an unfamiliar tune for Ludwig. It sounded weary at first, but after a few momentary seconds the hum gotten lighter and softer. His soprano voice rung in Ludwig's ears as Feliciano started rocking his head to the melody. Feliciano made sure that his voice was low enough so that nobody besides Ludwig could hear the refreshing lullaby.
What they didn't know was that the dictator was watching them, silently judging whether or not he should sent his men to bomb them or capture them and executed them in the town square. The huge audience from this morning recently retired to their quarters, but once everyone returned the next morning, the show would be over. With one lift of this finger he ordered his men to capture the two children by dusk, when all the officials come back from their slumber. He looked back on the screen that was before him and zoomed into Ludwig's face.
"He clearly had the chance to kill the hit lister, but he chose not to. Ludwig has shamed his only family member, Gilbert…" he lit a cigar and breathed in before blowing it out in small rings.
The room was dimmed with barely any light source coming from outside or from lamps, beside from the huge screen that was hanging on the other side of the room. Smoke fogged the large room, but a large window had a small creak for releasing the fumes that collected over time. Carpets painted blood red, papers and books scattered all over the floor, and the German flag hanging proudly above the dictator's enormous desktop ,sent an unpleasant shiver down the visitor's spine.
"Son, I have called you in tonight to give you your first duty for our country. I believe you are trustworthy enough now not to screw up now like you normally do." Roderich III started to somewhat organize his paperwork, but stopped in deep thought.
After taking some consideration of his new decision he looked up to his son, head resting on the back palm of both hands and said, "As Roderich IV, you have finally reached of age that you must stop goofing off so much. You will be assigned to run the execution for these two revolts. That is why you are not allowed to play the piano or write music anymore, as it will be a huge distraction; we don't have time for that-"
"But father! Killing two children isn't the right thing to do! Why must you make our youth do the unfathomable; the unholy things?" Roderich IV slammed both hands on his father's desk and tried to continue but was slapped by his father in the face.. He fell down on the carpet and grunted in frustration, rubbing his bruised cheek.
"You ungrateful, piano loving bastard! This is for a greater Germany! A hundred and fifty years ago, our great leader Hitler tried, but failed to accomplish what we have now! I will not let two runts ruin what we have built!" he took a breather, huffing and puffing because the lack of breath he had left from shouting. He walked around his desk and gripped the collar of his son, yanking him up to his feet, toes occasionally touching the ground. The older man leaned forward to whisper in his son's ear.
"To make you happy, I will spare Ludwig and create a scandalistic story that will put all the blame on the hit lister." His father's voice sounded sickeningly horrid as he chuckled humorously. Pulling him closer, he started to tighten his grip around his collar, pulling him forward, slightly choking him. He could feel his father's untimely breath hit his face, smelling the smoke that he consumed earlier.
"And then when all things are done, I will bring together my most trusted doctors to perform on Ludwig. I shall brainwash him, just like his brother, and he shall become a killing machine…"
Roderich IV eyes widen when he heard this. He took a sideway glance at the screen behind him that showed Ludwig and the hit lister together. If you listen closely you could hear the soft lullaby that escaped the smaller child's lips, that was strictly meant for Ludwig. Ave Maria . He was humming Schubert's Ave Maria; a german hymn. Such an old song... a sigh flowed out of his mouth when his father let go of his white dress shirt, and it given him enough time to catch his breath.
Pray for us sinners,
Now, and at the hour of our death.
Remembering the song's lyrics, he gave the screen a dejected look of sorrow. The child that was humming it seemed like she already knew that she wouldn't make it out alive... He looked up to face his father in the eye, but once eye contact was made, his father looked the other way.
"You may take your leave now." He walked to his desk and sat down scribbling a fews notes, occasionally eyeing his son.
"Y-Yes father."
He rubbed his neck and got off of his knees making his way to the door. Roderich IV has to figure out how to save both of them, he can't bare the thought of staining his hands with their blood…
Author's note~
Thanks for reading this! My editors, FrauWolf and Lmaolevi, are great! They support me a lot.
I hope you have enjoyed this! FrauWolf made the death scene at the beginning of the chapter~
So thank you!
Thanks for supporting this story!~ Review if you want to!
Please read the warning at the bottom from my editors please.
Your Author,
~Animefreak~(6w6)
[ED/N - FrauWolf] Hello, this is FrauWolf, I would just like to thank everyone who has been reading this and especially those of you who have reviewing. My friend Animefreak557 does read those reviews and she really appreciates them, in fact she loves to complain to me about the people who PM her but don't review. We really do enjoy writing this story, unfortunately there may be some brief delays in the future regarding the later chapters due to personal engagements that I will refrain from talking about in detail because of privacy, but we should only be delayed for a few weeks if at all before getting back on track. There will be an issue with the editing however, as I do was some event going on for a large part of the week that will keep me from doing the editing, and I will be caught up in this until the beginning of March. Lmaolevi is helping us though, so I would like to her a whole bunch for pointing out the issues, even if her style of editing is much more "direct" and may be considered "meaner" than my own. I would also like to thank Lmaolevi's mother, who is an angry Bavarian and is the one who has been doing the German translations for us, and her translations are far better than what Animefreak557 has been getting off of Bing translate.
In news of the story itself, between chapters four and five there is going to be a rather large timeskip which is when the "main" story is going to take place. This was originally going to be the last chapter before the timeskip, but Animefreak557 ended up moving a good deal of this chapter over to chapter four after Lmaolevi and I noted that this chapter was becoming rather long. Also, if you noticed that the first four paragraphs of this chapter were written differently from the rest, it's because I was the one who wrote those. The original scene had the un-named woman just die immediately, but I realized that having your throat slit would not kill you immediately, just very quickly. When I pointed this out, Animefreak557's power was out and I volunteered to write that segment for her, and she told me to "go all out" on the death scene. After I was done she apparently cried from being traumatized by my writing and Lmaolevi's only comment was "gross." So sorry about that, but Animefreak557 asked me to do all of the death scenes that will be later, and I'm assuming/hoping that there will be a lot, because I'm a horrible and morbid person like that. I'm also going to be doing the summaries at the beginning of each chapter, which are going to be the funniest/least disturbing thing that I'll contribute to this story. I'm also the reason that there are two Roderichs, because I noticed that the original one was so different from the original Austria-tan, and suggested the theory of there being "two Austrias" with the son being the "real" Austria.
[ED/N - Lmaolevi] Well, I saw that a certain someone was doing an editors note so I decided to one as well so I felt, uh, included? Anyway, to sum it up, things are happening leading to delays in the chapters that are coming, so this is basically just a warning. (So you guys don't have to be worried about when she doesn't update the story like she usually does.) Supposedly my style of editing others is "mean" but whatever-I'm just that type of person, so, you just deal with it. Anyway, there's that. Just watch for the story to be updated; whenever that shall be. ಥ_ಥ
