A/N: I feel like a such boss for getting this done so fast /does a victory fist pump

I'm estimating about 2 or 3 more chapters left, including an epilogue. From here, I have everything pretty much planned out so expect quicker updates unless school kills me first. Please enjoy~

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia


A Song for the Silent

Taking One Step at a Time

"No." Both women stared at Roderich. "No." He repeated, louder this time..

Elizabeta's face fell. "But—"

"I said no!" He was almost shaking; in anger, in fear. It was all too much. It was too soon. Roderich wheeled himself around so that he was facing the door and so that he could not see the way they looked at him.

Elizabeta turned to Natalya. "Can you please give us a few minutes?" She asked. She knew that this wasn't going to be easy. Antonio had told her to expect a fight and she was prepared for one.

"I will be in the other room." Natalya said shortly before exiting the way she came.

"Roderich…" Elizabeta began.

"You had no right!" His back was still turned to her and she could see the slight trembles of his body.

"I know," She said softly, "But that's not going to stop me. I want to help you."

Roderich's laugh was dry and bitter and it pained her because this was the first time she had ever heard him laugh. It was not as she had expected.

"Help? Why would I want help? I don't need any help. I'm fine as I am."

"Why did you lie to me about not being able to walk?"

"I can't walk," Roderich said wryly, "can't you tell by the chair?"

"Why did you lie to Antonio?" No answer. "Do you know how much he cares for you? How much he worries about you? How much they all worry about you? And you lied to them…"

"It's my life, my problems. It's none of their concern." Roderich turned his head towards her and Elizabeta almost flinched at the icy glare. "And it's none of yours."

"It is now. It became my concern when you played for me. It became my concern when you invited me to your house. It became my concern when you gave me a reason to be happy again!" She didn't want to cry. She couldn't fight this battle with tears, so she struggled to keep them away. "For the past 3 years, I've been alone. Ludwig and Gilbert are all that I have and I don't even know if I'm ever going to see them again. It's been horrible. Having to wake up and realize that the apartment is empty and that it's been empty and that I have no idea if they will ever come back to it. The worst part is the guilt. I get to be here, safe, warm, fed, while they are God only knows where, suffering in some frozen pit! So yes, I know what it means to be alone and I know what it means to feel guilty." She stood behind Roderich and slowly, laid a hand on his shoulder. He flinched but did not move away.

"You don't have to feel guilty, Roderich."

"I'm not."

"You're only lying to yourself. Antonio doesn't know why you won't walk but I do. I know because you told me the truth." She moved so that she was in front of him and knelt down until they were eye level. He wouldn't look at her.

"Roderich." When he finally glanced up, she saw the sadness in his eyes and hoped that he saw it reflected in hers. "He would have wanted you to walk."

"You don't know that." He whispered. "I don't deserve—"

"Yes you do." She said forcefully. "He gave his life for you and you deserve anything you want. Living like this is an insult to him." She took his hands in her own. "Let me help you walk again."

"I don't know if I can."

"Bullshit." He raised an eyebrow at this. He had never heard her swear before. Elizabeta gave him a sly grin. "You can and you will."

"Why are you doing this?" Roderich asked.

"Because you've made me happy and now it's time I did the same for you."

Roderich sighed. "You're worse than Antonio. Both of you are horribly pushy sometimes. Don't you ever know when to give up?"

Elizabeta grinned widely. "Nope. Gilbert says I'm pigheaded."

"I would have to agree." Roderich sighed again. "I'm not going to make any promises to you. I was told by many doctors that I wouldn't be able to walk again. Dr. Haydn may say different, but I wouldn't put my faith in him."

"You'll never know until you try."

"And you think this woman will be able to help me? When Dr. Haydn suggested rehabilitation I don't think he meant learning ballet."

Elizabeta chuckled. "I don't think she's going to be teaching you ballet. I mean, I don't know what she has in mind, but I trust her."

"Who is she? That was most definitely not a German accent."

"She's from Russia. She and her brother and sister fled the country when the war started. They were trying to get to America but somehow they got separated. She ended up here a few years ago and opened this studio to raise money to find her siblings. She believes they're in America so that's where she aims to go."

"How did you two meet?"

"It was purely by accident. I come up here sometimes to shop when the stores back home don't have what I need. That day I wasn't looking where I was going are nearly knocked her over. At first glance she might appear somewhat…unfriendly—"

That's putting it lightly, Roderich thought.

"—but she really is a nice person and I guess we just clicked."

Roderich still wasn't convinced. "I worry about her qualifications."

"Apparently she was a member of one of Russia's most famous ballet companies. She has medals and certificates all over the studio. I'm confident in her ability."

"You're really not going to let me rest until I agree to this?"

Elizabeta shook her head. "Nope."

"And how much is all this going to cost?"

"Absolutely nothing. Natalya owes me a favor."

Roderich sighed once more. "Fine. Uh…" He looked down and she followed his gaze until she realized that she was still holding his hands. Blushing, she quickly stood back up.

"Um, I'll go let Natalya know that we're ready." She was so flustered that she bumped into the wall, mistaking it for the door. "Whoops! How silly of me." She said, laughing nervously.

"Please be careful." Roderich said. When she disappeared down the hall he sighed once more and leaned back in his chair. His heart was hammering wildly in his chest. Not just because of Elizabeta, but because he was terrified. Terrified of what would happen if he left his chair.


Roderich hadn't known what to expect but he learned quickly just want Natalya had in store for him.

Ballet was graceful and poised one moment, but dramatic and passionate another. Most importantly, it was very difficult. By the end of the first day, he was sweating profusely and he hadn't even left his chair.

"This," Natalya patted the wooden bar that was in front of the mirror. "will be your tool for success. "You will learn balance. You will learn how to move with the fluidity of a dancer. Ballet is not for the weak. It is very strong."

The first time Roderich stood, by himself, on his feet, he almost passed out from holding his breath. Years later he would still never be able to quite describe the feeling. It was like waking up from a 100 year sleep. A little confusing, a bit refreshing, but mostly, simply tiring. Elizabeta told him to stop apologizing after the 10th time she and Natalya had to catch him when he fell.

Elizabeta danced with them sometimes. Roderich guessed that she must have danced as a child. He already thought her beautiful but when she danced, she became almost ethereal.

"You dance very well." He told her after a month at the studio. She blushed. "It's just a hobby. I'm nothing compared to Natalya."

She was right of course. When Natalya danced she was like a lovely, terrible, perfect storm. But Elizabeta, if not as talented, was still amazing on her own.

"You are doing very well." Natalya said some weeks later. "Soon I will have you leave the bar."

"I do not actually have to dance, do I?" Roderich asked nervously. He was still unsteady on his feet, although he could feel himself growing stronger each day.

"But of course." Natalya's face was still as passive as ever when she said this but there was something…amused in her voice that caused Roderich to pale.

"Perhaps we should wait a little a longer to move on." Elizabeta said.

"No." Natalya said. "He is ready."

Roderich hoped very much that Antonio never decided to accompany them to the studio one day. He was sure that he would die from embarrassment if he was seen by anyone else. Natalya did not just teach him ballet, she taught him how to tango, how to waltz (Viennese Waltz of course). She taught him how to salsa, she taught him the Meringue, and then she taught him the Quickstep, which became his least favorite dance in the world.

Through dance, she taught him to walk again.

"She did that on purpose." Roderich said, wincing. Natalya had had him do the Quickstep twice, claiming the first time was 'sloppy'. "It was not sloppy."

"It was a little bit sloppy." Elizabeta teased. They stepped out of the dance studio into the afternoon sun. It was late summer and the sky was still a clear blue.

"Just how much longer do I have to put up with her?" Roderich asked as they made their way down the path. Sometimes, when he wasn't paying attention, Elizabeta would glance down at his feet. He had been walking for months now, but it was still something new and wonderful for her to see him on his own two legs. When he had taken his first steps, she had had to turn away so he wouldn't see her cry. Antonio had been less reserved in his emotion. The day Roderich had walked into the house, he had nearly knocked him over in excitement.

"Thank you." Antonio had whispered in her ear before she had left.

"It was my pleasure." She had whispered back.

Dr. Haydn had been barely able to believe it. "Ballet, you say?" He asked when he saw Roderich on his feet. "That's amazing. Perhaps I will have to recommend it to some of my patients."

Elizabeta had smiled softly and Roderich had only rolled his eyes.

"I don't understand why you two don't get along." Elizabeta said as they walked towards the train station. It was a quiet, hot afternoon. The only sound was the light tapping of Roderich's cane on the sidewalk. "You fight more than Gilbert and I…and that's saying something."

"Speaking of Gilbert," Roderich said, changing the subject, "have you heard anything from him or Ludwig yet?" He regretted this at once when he saw the way Elizabeta's face fell.

"No." She said. It had been over two months since the last letter and each day her worries grew. The country was not doing well in the war. Her happiness with Roderich was tainted by her fear that each day she opened the mailbox it would not be a letter she found, but a telegram instead. And no one wanted to receive a telegram.

"I think Antonio is trying something new for dinner tonight." Roderich said when Elizabeta had been quiet for too long.

"As long as there's pasta, I don't think Lovino will mind." She said, snapping out of her mood, happy for the quick change of topic.

Roderich frowned. "His complaints are completely uncalled for. He refuses to help make the meals but insists on making a fuss when they are not what he wants. It's quite irritating."

Elizabeta giggled. "Oh leave him alone. He's just a boy."

"That's always your excuse for him. You're much too lenient towards him and Feliciano."

"Well I'm sorry we all can't be grumpy aristocrats." She said teasingly.

"I am not a grumpy aristocrat," huffed Roderich.

She smiled because he very much was and she found it adorable. She didn't realize that she was staring until he turned to her and asked what was wrong.

"Sorry," she said blushing, "my mind was elsewhere." Her feelings had been erratic lately. Was she in love with Roderich? Or did she love him like she did Gilbert and Ludwig; like a brother? She had never been romantically in love, although she had seen people who were. Like Antonio.

Antonio was in love with Roderich.

It wasn't obvious and she would have never had noticed if Lovino hadn't told her a week earlier.

As usual, she had been helping with the chores. It was something she enjoyed even though she was a guest. That day they had been washing the windows. The weather outside had been hot and humid and they had been forced to roll up their sleeves and, for Lovino and Feliciano, roll up their pants. Antonio and Roderich had gone for a walk so it had just been the three of them at the house.

"This is so stupid. That bastard Antonio should be doing this." Lovino had said.

"Would you rather have gone on a walk with Roderich?" Elizabeta had asked. Lovino had shuddered.

"Hell no. Those daily walks are dumb."

"But they help Mr. Edelstein very much." Feliciano had piped up. "He seems much happier these days."

"And Antonio is just ecstatic." Lovino had muttered.

There was something about the way he had said it that had made Elizabeta ask, "What do you mean by that?"

"When Roderich's happy, Antonio is happy."

"So?"

"He cares a lot about how Roderich feels."

"I'm still not following."

Lovino had sighed. "He's crazy about him. Like really. Head over heels."

Oh…

"I would never have known."

"He's good at hiding it. But I've known him long enough to tell. It's kinda sad cause Roderich is so oblivious."

Elizabeta had scrubbed harder at the windows. There had been a particular spot that refused to go away. "Do you think he'll say anything?"

Lovino had shrugged. "I don't know. Probably not. Roderich spends so much time denying their marriage that I doubt he would want to have a 'real' one. Antonio is an idiot. There are a ton of other people he could have fallen in love with."

Elizabeta had given him a sly smile. "Such as?"

Lovino had turned bright red. "I-I don't know! And I don't care!" He had dropped his washcloth on the grass. "It's too hot! I'm done here." He had stomped back into the house, leaving Elizabeta to sort through her feelings.

If she was in love with Roderich, romantically, did that make Antonio her rival? She didn't like that at all. She considered Antonio a very good friend and did not want anything to taint their relationship.

But Antonio had known Roderich for much longer than she had. Roderich may have told her one of his secrets but Antonio probably knew so many more. And then there was the fact that legally, he was Roderich's wife…or husband. She was hardly any competition at all.

Outwardly, Roderich rarely showed any affection, and he had never been anything that could be described as 'romantic'. He treated her like a friend. A very good friend. And she was fine with that. Or at least she had been. Now she wasn't so sure.

Perhaps it was just a side effect of helping him learn to walk. Being involved in such a momentous event in someone's life was bound to result in strange feelings. In time it was possible that they would fade. Her heart clenched at the thought. She didn't want them to fade.

"Are you OK?"

"Huh?" She said, dumbly. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed that they had reached the train station. Roderich was looking down at her with concern.

"You seem very distracted today."

"I'm sorry."

Roderich gave her a small smile and she felt her heart flip happily. "I'm sure Gilbert and Ludwig are fine. In fact, I'm sure that there will be a letter waiting for you when you arrive home."

"Yes!" She said with more force than she intended. "I believe that too."

"The train is running a bit late today. Would you like something to drink while we wait? It's quite warm today."

"Yes please. Thank you!" Elizabeta breathed deeply when Roderich walked away. She needed to calm down. Now was not the time for such relationships. Maybe after the war ended, if it ever did, but not now. She would be patient.


When they arrived back at Roderich's house, Antonio was busy in the kitchen and the twins were nowhere to be found. Elizabeta's stomach growled at the delicious smells that filled the house. She was always hungry after they finished at the studio.

"It sounds like he's making a feast." Roderich said in response to noise from the kitchen.

"I wonder where Feliciano and Lovino are." Elizabeta said.

"Disregarding their chores as usual." Roderich said, frowning. "I'll go ask Antonio."

"He sent them into town for groceries." He said when he returned. "He should know better than that. Now they will be gone for hours."

"Let them have a little fun. Come play for me."

"Elizabeta, I'm tired."

"Just one song. Please?" He was powerless against her when she looked at him like that with those playful green eyes.

"One song. Which one?"

"The one you played when we first met." Elizabeta said as they walked to the music room.

"Haven't I played that for you enough?"

"It's my favorite."

They never made it to the music room. A large booming noise suddenly echoed through the house. It was not the sound of Antonio dropping plates in the kitchen but the sound of a bomb exploding.

Elizabeta was on the floor before she was even sure what was happening. There was another explosion and the windows shattered.

"We need to get out of here." She flinched at Roderich's voice in her ear seconds, minutes, hours later. She had forgotten he was there. She had forgotten everything except the horrible noises. She looked over at him to find that he was pale and shaking.

Of course, she thought, he's been through this before.

"We need to go somewhere safer. This room is too dangerous." He was right. They were in the parlor, surrounded by numerous stone busts and bookcases that could fall if another bomb hit.

She stood up slowly. Her head was spinning and she felt nauseous.

"Roderich! Elizabeta!" Antonio came running from the direction of the kitchen. He had a small cut on his forehead but besides that, was unharmed. "Are you both alright?"

"We're fine." Roderich said. "Just a little shaken up. What happened to you?"

"What?"

"You have a cut on your forehead." Elizabeta said.

"Really?" Antonio reached up to touch the cut. "I didn't notice. It must have happened when the frying pan fell on my head."

"You're such an idiot sometimes." Roderich said. "We need to move to a safer location in the house."

"What about Feliciano and Lovino?"

Just then the twins burst into the house. Neither was injured, although both were crying.

"We're going to die!" Lovino wailed. "They've left us and we're going to die!"

Antonio rushed over to him and tried to calm him down. "You're not going to die Lovino and who left us?"

Lovino hiccuped. "The gunners! Those fucking cowards ran away and now we're going to die!"

"Who are the gunners?" Elizabeta asked.

"This may be a small town but we are still susceptible to attack, as you see now, so we have a very informal self appointed militia. Our artillery is limited but one of the members was able to acquire, most likely through illegal means, a military antiaircraft gun. It is our major line of defense." Roderich said. "If what Lovino says is true, then we are unprotected."

"Feliciano, how many planes did you see out there?" Elizabeta asked.

Feliciano wiped away a tear. "T-two. But I couldn't be sure. I was trying to catch up with Lovino."

"Shut up!" Lovino yelled. "You were running 10x faster than I was!"

Ignoring the twins, Elizabeta turned to Roderich and Antonio. "Two planes will flatten this town. We have to do something."

They all fell to the floor as another bomb fell, closer this time, causing the walls of the house to shake fiercely.

"Do something?" Roderich said as they sat up. He had to yell over Feliciano and Lovino's screams. "What we need to do is get to safety."

"We can't leave the town unprotected. Someone has to get to that gun."

"When you say someone, who do you…" Roderich trailed off when he saw the look in Elizabeta's eyes. "No! Are you insane? It's suicide to go out there!"

"If I don't go, this town will be destroyed. I can't let that happen. I've spent these past years wishing I could fight alongside Gilbert and Ludwig and here's my chance to finally do something in this war."

"Roderich's right," Antonio said, "the gun is in the center of the town. Just getting there will be dangerous."

"And can you even fire a weapon such as that?" Roderich turned to the twins. "Will you two shut up!"

"To pass the time when Gilbert and Ludwig were gone, I read a lot of books about war and the army. There were many chapters about artillery." Elizabeta stood up. "If no one else is going to go, I will."

Roderich scrambled to his feet. It was painful to move so fast but he ignored it. "I won't let you."

Elizabeta gave him a sad smile. "You can't really stop me." Without another word she ran through the open door, which the twins in their distress had left wide open. She knew Roderich would never be able to catch her.

"Elizabeta!"

"I'll go after her!" Antonio started towards the door but Roderich grabbed his arm.

"No…I will." He said.

Antonio stared at him. "And you call me the idiot. You just spent the last few months learning how to walk again."

"I know that. Antonio there's something I need to tell you. I used to be a soldier and my life was saved when another soldier sacrificed himself for me. That's how I became crippled. It wasn't a car accident."

"Why are you telling me this now?"

"Because you needed to know. I've never fully recovered since that day and I'll tell you truth that right now all I want to do is run and hide, but I can't. I need to go after her."

"You don't have to prove yourself to anyone."

Roderich shook his head. "Yes I do. Myself. Watch Feliciano and Lovino. I'm going after her." He didn't bother to take his cane. It would be no help to him now.

"Roderich, wait! I—" Antonio was cut off as the sound of another explosion ripped through the house.

"I'll be back soon! I promise!" Before Antonio could say another word, Roderich was gone. He wanted to run after him but he didn't. He grabbed the twins, who were still crying on the floor, and ran to the safest room in the house, the music room.


Elizabeta fell to her knees as another bomb fell onto the small town. Now that she was outside she could feel the full impact of the explosion. In seconds she was covered with dust and debris. Everywhere she heard screaming and the sound of children crying. She did her best to block everything out and focus on her goal. Roderich had said the gun was at the center of the town and judging by her surroundings, she was halfway there. But before she could get to her feet she was thrown back by a bomb that landed only hundreds of meters away.

She had the wind completely knocked out of her and for a few seconds she blacked out. There was only pain and when she came to she realized that her hand had been cut by glass on the floor. The sight of so much blood startled her and she almost forgot her original goal. Then the sound of a child screaming reached her ears and she remembered. Quickly, she ripped a strip of linen from her dress and used it to bandage her hand. Unsteadily, she rose to her feet, gripping the brick wall of the empty grocery store for support.

"One step at a time." She said herself. She flattened herself against the wall as another bomb fell. "One step at a time."

She had barely gone half a block when she thought she heard someone screaming her name, but that was impossible.

"Elizabeta!" Her heart nearly stopped when she turned and saw Roderich limping towards her.

"No…"

"Elizabeta!" He was getting closer and she saw now that he was covered in debris and somehow his jacket had been ripped.

"Why are you here?" She screamed. "Go home!"

He stopped in front of her. His face was pained and he was breathing heavily. "I can't let you do this by yourself."

She brushed away the tears that had begun to fall. "I can't believe you would do something so stupid. How could you leave Antonio and the twins?"

"Antonio will take care of Feliciano and Lovino. I trust him." They both fell to the ground at the sound of another explosion. They didn't have much time left.

"Where is the gun?" She yelled.

He took her hand. "This way!" He led her through the ruined streets of the town. Elizabeta even saw a body and nearly threw up at the sight. Roderich pulled her quickly along. She wondered how he could move so fast. His face was a mask of pure determination. She knew that soldiers often suffered from trauma following battles. When he had been home, Gilbert had screamed when she had accidentally dropped a pot on the floor. He had claimed that it had caught him by surprise but she had seen the fear in his eyes and saw the way his hands shook.

But Roderich could not be stopped. They only paused to briefly seek shelter when another bomb fell, but then, as soon as it was clear, he kept going.

The gun was located in an alcove of a small building. It had been undamaged and Elizabeta saw that it was still fully loaded.

"Do you know how to use this type?" Roderich asked. He was becoming more and more unsettled. She could feel his hand trembling in her own.

She glanced back at the gun. "I've read about it before. It's a 3.7 cm FlaK 43 antiaircraft cannon. We're lucky that it's automatic."

She positioned herself behind the gun as Roderich crawled deeper in the alcove, his whole body shaking.

It felt strange to finally be touching a weapon. She had dreamt of doing so for so long. Quickly she remembered what she had read about this particular gun. It was effective against planes flying at 4200 meters and lower but could reach a maximum range of over 6,000 meters. It was small, but powerful. She moved the gun until she found the first plane. She couldn't tell what country it was from but it was coming straight at her. Without another moment's hesitation, she fired. She heard Roderich scream behind her but all her attention was focus in front of her. She didn't know how many rounds she fired until the plane finally exploded in a burst of orange and red flames.

She let out a victory cry. She had done it!

Her celebration was cut short as a rain of bullets was directed at the alcove. She fell to the floor and covered her hands as the second plane flew by. As soon as it was gone, she was once more behind the cannon, swinging it around to find the plane.

"Come on, you bastard. Come on." She hissed. She missed the plane twice. She knew she was low on ammo so the third time she didn't miss. The plane exploded as it swooped back down, crashing into the book store across the street. Everything shook at the impact and from the close proximity Elizabeta could feel the fire and smell the gasoline from the engine. And then there was long silence.

She turned to Roderich to find him staring at her in amazement. She held out a hand. "Let's go home."


The house was still standing when they got there. The door had been ripped off its hinges and there was a large hole in one of the walls, but besides that, there was little outside damage. Inside was another story.

The bookcases had fallen, there was glass and dust everywhere, and Elizabeta had a hard time finding something that wasn't broken.

Roderich's arm was slung across the back of her neck and she maneuvered the two of the around the mess.

"Antonio! Feliciano! Lovino!" She feared the worst until she heard the sound of footsteps.

Antonio burst into the room and launched himself at the both of them. The three of them collapsed to the floor in a heap. Roderich swore, Elizabeta laughed, and Antonio was grinning like an idiot.

"Never do that to me again." Antonio said.

"We promise." Elizabeta said.

Roderich groaned. "Now get off us."

Antonio helped them to their feet. "Where are the twins?" Elizabeta asked.

"They cried themselves to sleep." He said.

Roderich shook his head. "Those two…"

"How was she?" Antonio asked. "We could hear the guns from here."

Roderich turned to Elizabeta. She was bleeding from numerous cuts and her clothes were mostly likely permanently choked with dust but he thought that she was the most beautiful woman that he ever seen. "She was…she was amazing."

Elizabeta beamed.


For the first time, Elizabeta stayed the night. It was too dangerous for her to try and go home and it was doubtful that the trains would even be running. News of the bombing would have already spread, if the actually bombing had not been heard in neighboring towns.

Not wanting to be alone, she stayed in the music room with the twins, but she did not sleep. She laid on the floor listening to Lovino's soft snores and stared at the dark ceiling, seeing not it, but instead the fires from burning planes and charred bodies writhing in pain. She closed her eyes but the images were still there. They would always be there.


"Antonio," Roderich said softly. "I need to go back." They were seated in the ruined dining room in the only two undamaged chairs, smoking a cigarette that Antonio had found in the rubble. Roderich didn't smoke, but today seemed like the perfect day to start.

Antonio didn't need to ask where "back" was. "Somehow I knew you were going to say that." He passed the cigarette to Roderich.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. How are you going to tell Elizabeta?"

"I don't know." Roderich blew a cloud of smoke into the air. It hovered momentarily before dissolving into the air.


A/N: I loved writing this chapter because I love writing action sequences. Anyway, like I said at the top of the page, this is the beginning of the end. It's time to start wrapping this story up. Don't worry though, there are still a few more chapters left. Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me thus far!

-with love

dancer