"Kill me."
Kiku's breath was labored, blood dripping from his arm where the bullet went through, immobilizing it. His face was bruised in various places, also stained by blood, as was his uniform. It was hard to tell whether the blood was Kiku's or of others. He was held down on his knees by two men, his wrists bound behind him.
"I said, kill me," he seethed, glaring up at the figure before him.
"I heard you got quite a few of my men singlehandedly," said Alfred, staring down at the Asian man before him who was covered in blood, ignoring his request. "And," he added. "With just a sword, I hear."
He flicked his eyes at a soldier behind Kiku, who promptly handed him the bloody sword. Alfred shook it, spraying blood on Kiku's face. Kiku turned away. "So this is the weapon that killed so many of my men."
Kiku scoffed, his face still to the side, trying to ignore all the metallic smell of blood all over him.
"You think this is funny…?" Alfred narrowed his eyes. "You ar--- What the fuck?!" He joined many others who were suddenly yelling and screaming.
There was a strong smell- smell of burning wood. The evening sky was lit up by the raging fire that was coming from the building Alfred's men raided only an hour ago.
Kiku smiled.
His breath hitched as he felt a strong jab into his stomach. "What the hell did you do…?" Alfred growled. Kiku was bent over, staring at the dirt ground, arms pulled back by men. He bit his lip as he felt Alfred's boot dig into his back with force. He felt his upper body being pushed down, as his arms were still held back. Alfred stomped on Kiku's spine again, causing his body to jolt.
Kiku smiled again, into the ground. "You are not getting anything from me." He heard wood snapping in the background, fire roaring. "Your men can sleep with my life."
"You bastard…," Alfred growled, kicking Kiku's side harshly. Kiku coughed as he felt his rib crack.
"Let go of him," Alfred commanded the soldiers holding Kiku down. They obeyed, pulling away, and turned around promptly to gape at the fire that had by then consumed the whole building. Kiku picked up his upper body, internally wincing.
Alfred walked around behind him and grabbed his hair, yanking it back.
"What to do with you?" he muttered into his ear. "Did you have something to say?" Kiku grimaced at the whispering into his ear. "You know… you should have just come talk to me instead of… doing all this… I can't even begin to count the casualties."
Kiku snarled, refusing to yield to the pull on his hair, attempting to keep himself as upright as possible. He felt the arm that had been shot beginning to numb, the wound still dripping blood.
"You really think," Kiku whispered, just loud enough for Alfred to hear above the commotion. "That you would have listened? Cared? All you care about is profit, America. How my citizens were doing was not of any concern to you."
Alfred contemplated the statement for a moment. He found it to be true. He kicked Kiku's back, just to show his irritation, listening with content at the cracking of a few ribs. Kiku clenched his teeth.
Alfred, still holding Kiku by his hair, walked around to face him.
"The main point isn't about that, Japan," he said, smiling. "The point is, you kidnapped Arthur. And he came back looking pretty bad. "
Kiku remained silent, blankly staring up at him.
"Don't you have anything to say?" Alfred was quickly losing his smile, not used to hiding his emotions. "You god damned half killed Arthur, and you have nothing to say?"
"….."
"You fucking----," he growled as he kicked Kiku in the gut with his boot. Kiku gritted his teeth, having felt the vibration go throughout his body. "And here I thought…" Alfred kicked again, almost in a ranting manner. "That he was…" Kick. "You were…" Kick. "AGH!" Alfred gave a final kick, more forceful than the others, out of irritation and desperation. At this, Kiku coughed out blood.
"Sir," a young man said, standing by the entrance of the tent. "The Captain of the enemy has been captured."
Arthur's head shot up from where he was cradling it, sitting limply on a chair.
"Are you serious?!" he stared straight at the man, eyes wide in disbelief.
The young soldier nodded. "I just thought… you'd like to know that… since he is responsible for your capture…" By the time he finished the sentence, Arthur was already out of the tent, heading to the person he knew would have been responsible for this. He began running between the tents put up in the field, ignoring the blazing heat coming from his back as some of his lash wounds reopened.
When he finally found the blond headed broad man he was looking for, he was ready to yell out to him, to demand to know where Kiku was.
He realized there was no need, very quickly.
Clutched in the hand of infuriated looking Alfred was the Asian man he was looking for, blood and bruises on his face, and splats of red everywhere. Arthur prayed that it was not all his.
He stared in horror for a moment as Alfred breathed something out between gritted teeth, his hand firmly around Kiku's throat, and Kiku smiled in response. That cold smile. That smile Arthur couldn't handle. He snapped back to his senses as soon as he realized that Alfred was now fully choking him.
"ALFRED!" he yelled, desperately. "ALFRED!"
Alfred whipped his head around at the voice. "Arthur!" his face turned to that of delight as he threw Kiku down to trot over to the Brit. Kiku collapsed on the dirt in a coughing fit, trying to keep the blood and air separated. He had heard Arthur's voice through the ringing in his ears, and he had smiled, this time genuinely. But now he was on the ground, trying to get through his violent coughing out of blood so he could breathe easier.
"Arthur! Are you alright now? I was so worried about you!" Alfred hugged Arthur, who winced at his reopened wounds being touched. Alfred was oblivious in his happiness. "I was so worried about you!" he repeated. "You wouldn't say a single thing!"
"I'm sorry, Alfred…," Arthur muttered. "It was just… stressful…"
"I understand! He…," Alfred glared back at the figure who was trying to pick himself up once again, trying to get away from the small pool of blood forming around him. "He'll get it. I promise you."
"Alfred- he-," Arthur began, but was cut off.
"I know you must feel conflicted, Arthur," Alfred said, staring into Arthur's emerald eyes. "But he needs to be punished for what he did."
"Alfred- no… Please…"
"I will shoot him right here, Arthur," Alfred growled. "That is how angry I am at him."
Arthur painstakingly pulled himself out of the larger man's embrace to run up to the smaller man when he realized how labored his breathing seemed to be, even from so far away.
"Arthur, no!"
Arthur pulled up the heavily breathing and bloody man into his arms. "What did he do… what did he do to you… Oh god…"
Kiku closed his eyes, allowing himself to bask in the warm for a few moments. He opened his eyes again, and pulled back slightly.
"Do you love me?" Kiku asked quietly.
Arthur stared at him for a moment, bewildered. He had never been so direct. "Yes…Yes, I do."
"If you love me, Arthur san," Kiku whispered into his ear, eyes clouded in pain.
"Kiku…?" Arthur began trying to untie the binding on Kiku's wrists while still embracing him.
"Kill me now."
Arthur froze.
