The departure date for Italy was looming closer and closer, and yet Ludwig still had not been by. Feliciano was beginning to worry. Was Ludwig even going to show up? And if he did, would it be in time to say good-bye? If Feliciano had to leave with his confession still sitting heavy on his shoulders, he didn't know what he would do.

Meanwhile, Berlin was changing. Nonno Roma was the first to notice, when he had gone to the market and found various shortages in food. Feliciano could see German soldiers and soldiers with strange armbands marching in perfect unison down the streets. But there was one thing that frightened Feliciano above everything else that was happening.

People were starting to disappear.

Feliciano didn't go outside much, so it took awhile for him to notice. On a day when Feliciano had been well enough to accompany his grandfather to the market, he had seen a friend of his, a young Lithuanian boy named Toris Laurinaitis, walking briskly as though he were searching for something.

"Buon giorno, Toris." Feliciano said, a concern frown crossing is face. "Is something the matter?"

"Ah… Good morning, Feliciano." Toris said distractedly. "Listen, you haven't seen Feliks around, have you?" The Lithuanian teenager's green eyes were bright with concern under his longer brown hair.

Feliciano shook his head, his frown deepening slightly. Feliks Łukasiewicz was an interesting character, and very hard to miss. He was a young teenaged boy who most people assumed was a girl. His tendencies to dress in women's clothing combined with his naturally feminine features (shoulder length blond hair, sparkling green eyes, and smooth fair skin) and a girlish personality to make him one of the most coveted "girls" in Berlin. But the pretty Polish boy only had eyes for Toris.

"No, I'm sorry, I can't say I have." Feliciano said fretfully. "But we'll keep an eye out for him. Right, Nonno?"

Nonno Roma was watching Toris with a rather sad expression, but it was quickly hidden away with a smile as he turned to his grandson. "That's right." He said reassuringly.

No one had ever found Feliks.

Now, Feliciano stared out the window in his room, not really seeing the scenery as he sat cross legged on his bed, when suddenly a smiling face was in front of him.

"Hey there, Feliciano!" Elizaveta said, sitting next to the Italian on the bed. "Do you feel like taking a walk to go visit Roderich with me?"

Those words sparked Feliciano's interest instantly, and he smiled brightly. "I do!" he said instantly. "But Nonno told me that I'm not allowed to go outside without him cause of the German soldiers and he's afraid I'll get hurt or something but I think I'd be fine."

Elizaveta's smile faltered for a second as she processed what Feliciano had said. Then her smile returned in full force. "Don't worry, Feli. No one is going to touch you if you're with me."

Feliciano had to laugh. Elizaveta had been the most feared person in Berlin until she finally got her temper under control. Now, she was sweet and nice, but not afraid to bash a few heads if the situation called for it. The young Hungarian woman had knocked Ludwig's older brother senseless more times then Gilbert cared to admit when they were younger.

"That wouldn't be fair to the Germans." He giggled breathily as the motion made his chest hurt.

"Exactly." Elizaveta said. "Now let's go."

Feliciano slid his shoes on and followed dutifully, their feet falling on the familiar path for Roderich's house.

They were in sight of the aristocrat's house when a storm a group of German soldiers shoved by them roughly, crashing into Feliciano, who surely would have fallen had Elizaveta not caught him.

"They're headed to Roderich's house…" Feliciano noted as he gathered his feet under him. He looked at Elizaveta to see her face drain of color. She ran towards the house, leaving Feliciano to follow at his own slower pace.

By the time Feliciano caught up, Elizaveta stood in horrified silence. The German soldiers were so close that Feliciano could read the band on their arms. Distantly, he wondered what SS stood for.

The SS officers knocked the door open, and Feliciano could hear the lovely notes of Chopin being played on Roderich's grand piano. Feliciano pulled the still frozen Elizaveta to the window and they peeked in. Roderich didn't even look up as the SS officers stormed his living room. He merely sat tranquilly at the piano, letting the beautiful melody reached their ears even through the window.

The SS officers stood, not taking action. They almost appeared to be captivated by the music. Finally, the smooth melody came to an end, and Roderich stood slowly, lifting his chin and making no protest as the SS officers grabbed him roughly and shoved him bodily from the room.

The two crouching at the window turned as Roderich was led past them, and he caught Feliciano's eye, looking sad when his gaze moved to Elizaveta. He was shoved into the waiting truck, and the officers drove him away.

"Eliza…?" Feliciano asked timidly as he turned to the woman by his side. "I-I don't understand. What's happening? Where did they take Roderich?"

Elizaveta wept into her hands, her long brown hair shielding her face. Carefully, Feliciano took her elbow and began to guide her back to his house, his mind buzzing with a mix of confusion and sadness and his heart thumping painfully.

Feliciano sat on a bench to catch his breath. The emotional and physical stress was making his pulse speed up and his chest feel kind of tight. He leaned over, trying to regulate his breathing, when Elizaveta returned to herself.

"Feliciano, are you alright?" she asked worriedly. Her face was blotchy and her eyes still shimmered, but she seemed much more in control now.

With a coughing gasp, Feliciano squeezed out a small "yes" to pacify Elizaveta, who obviously wasn't buying it. Feliciano let out a startled sound of surprise as he was lifted from his seat, and he was left with no choice but to scramble onto the strong Hungarian woman's back as she began to walk him home.

"Eliza, are you sure you're okay?" Feliciano asked quietly. He could feel her shaking slightly, heard her breath hitch and catch in her throat as she tried not to cry. He gasped quietly as a sharp pain tore through his chest.

The woman carrying him cleared her throat and looked back at Feliciano with puffy eyes. "I can't help Roderich anymore, but I can help you. I'll be okay, Feli, just worry about you."

Elizaveta's voice was calming, and Feliciano rested his chin on her shoulder and tried to concentrate on slowing his raspy and painful breaths. He was starting to feel a little bit dizzy, but they were almost home now.

"Lizzie, there you are! Roma's been waiting for you so we can discuss—Oh mi Dios is Feli okay?" Antonio's worried face hovered before Feliciano's eyes, and the Italian smiled weakly in welcome.

"I'll take him back to his room. You get Roma or Lovino." Elizaveta said, walking past the Spaniard and down the hall to Feliciano's room, depositing the frail redhead there as Nonno Roma came into the room, looking rather concerned.

"Elizaveta, what happened?" Nonno Roma asked as he reached for Feliciano's oxygen mask and helped the redhead put it on.

"Roma, they…" Elizaveta's resolve seemed to waver for a moment, and then whispered, "They got Roderich."

Nonno Roma's hands froze for a second, and then switched on the oxygen. Feliciano took as deep a breath as he was able, clearing his head, as his Nonno's face grew somber. The older man pulled Elizaveta close for a second and Feliciano, who was still weak and dizzy, reached out a hand to cover Elizaveta's.

"When?" Nonno Roma asked, coldly serious.

"When Feliciano and I were headed down to see him, they took him right in front of us." Elizaveta said, trembling. "The SS stormed his home and took him!"

Nonno Roma held the trembling young woman for a moment longer, and then stood her. "You should go home for the say." Nonno Roma said. Antonio can fill you in on the meeting tomorrow." He turned to look at Feliciano. "I'm going to walk Elizaveta home. If you need something, just call for Lovino, okay?"

"Okay, thanks, Nonno." Feliciano said voice raspy.

He let his eyes close for a moment, and wasn't even aware that he had drifted off into a doze until he heard what sounded like something hitting glass. Feliciano sat bolt upright, heart hammering and the oxygen mask still on his face. Startled honey eyes swept the room, until they came to rest on his window. Where there was a familiar head of slicked back blond hair and eyes bluer then the sky.

"Luddy!" Feliciano cried softly, yanking off the oxygen mask and scrambling off his bed. He reached the window just as Ludwig pushed it open and climbed in quietly.

Feliciano wrapped thin arms around Ludwig, holding him as tight as he could as Ludwig's arms encircled him to return the gesture. The Italian stretched up as far as he could on his tiptoes to bury his face into Ludwig's neck, feeling happy and complete once again, a brilliant smile crossing his face.

"You read the note, right?" Ludwig asked instantly, pulling back so he could look Feliciano in the eye.

"Yes I did, and now I'm confused because I have something to tell you too, only I'm kind of afraid too but I know I have to tell you before you leave because what if I never see you again? That would really be bad." Feliciano took a deep breath, ready to spill his secret. "But the truth is, I like you Luddy. I really like you, and I'd even say I love you."

Ludwig blinked, opened his mouth as though he were gong to say something, and then closed his mouth again. A second later he sighed softly. "Feliciano, you know that boys are not supposed to feel like that for each other, right?"

Instantly, Feliciano was sure he would be rejected, and his heart beat faster, and he felt like he was going to be ill. Ludwig pushed Feliciano down so he was sitting on his bed, looking quite concerned.

"That's not what I'm saying!" Ludwig said quickly. "I wanted to say that I feel the same way, Feliciano! Ich liebe dich!"

Feliciano blinked back tears and looked up into Ludwig's beautiful blue eyes, which shone with the truth of what he had just said. A huge smile spread across the Italian's face, and Ludwig was smiling a bit too. Slowly, so Feliciano didn't even notice at first, their faces were moving closer, closer. Their lips were maybe a millimeter apart when a sudden knock sounded at Feliciano's door, accompanied by the voice of Seraphino.

"Go!" Feliciano hissed, shoving at Ludwig's chest. The German nodded, crossing the room swiftly and quietly to exit via the still open window. He disappeared from sight as Seraphino came into the room.

"Why do you look so happy?" Seraphino said as he sat next to his older brother on the bed.

"I just am." Feliciano replied. "I'm just in a really good mood right now!" He punctuated his sentence with a characteristic giggle.

His mind returned to just a moment previous. Hearing those words, that long awaited confession that Feliciano was sure he would never get. And they had almost kissed! Feliciano had never kissed anyone before, other then greetings sometimes. But that was because he was Italian more then anything. He hoped Ludwig could come by again soon, and then, maybe, they could kiss for real. He could kiss the one he had loved for years.

"It's just a beautiful day today." Feliciano said to his younger brother, still smiling.