October 25 - November 1, 1936
Red Ink
The beginning of winter had begun to take its toll on nature, and all of the trees had completely shed their leaves and the grass had all died by now, leaving the Italian countryside bare and ugly looking, in Lovino's opinion.
Ever since that day long ago, he had become even more cross. Grandpa Roma had been beyond furious. Lovino could never remember seeing him so upset. He had constantly warned the two of them that if they abused their power or planned an attack without a good, solid reason, they were screamed. Feli had done just that.
Lovino gripped the basket of laundry in his hands tighter, until his knuckles turned white.
"Are you alright?" asked Antonio, suddenly appearing in the garden.
Lovino jumped, spilling all of the clothes into the mud.
"Fuck," he muttered, looking at the mess he'd made.
"Don't worry, I'll help!" Antonio exclaimed, kneeling to pick up everything.
Antonio had stayed with them for a while before finding his own place in the village. He had stated that he would be staying in Italy for a while to help Grandpa Roma with the business that needed to be attended to. They tried to shelter Lovino from all of the talk of battle and war, but he knew exactly what was going on. Grandpa Roma had been extremely opposed to the route of government Feliciano had decided to inflict upon the population, but since he'd agreed that when they were legal adults they could run however they so choose, he stayed out.
It was sad, actually. Lovino would watch Grandpa Roma's eyes during the meetings. A part of him wished he had stepped in to avoid anything happening, another part of him was proud that his grandson had finally grown up.
"Are you staying for dinner again?" Lovino asked, then regretting it. The question made it sound like an invitation.
"Not tonight," Antonio said, putting the last piece of clothing back in the basket. "I have to stay at my place. Boring paperwork."
"Alright," he said, walking away, leaving Antonio alone in the garden.
On the other side, where he couldn't be seen, he sat against the wall, head leaning back, and breathed in deeply. Lovino didn't really know what he was thinking.
"Lovino, where are you?"
"I'm right here!" he yelled back to his grandfather. "I'll be in, just give me a second!"
Picking up the laundry basket, he shook his head. There was nothing that could be done to erase the mistakes of his brother, but something could be done to fix them. That was all they had to focus on.
Nobody had seen Feliciano in months. He had simply disappeared off the face of the planet, or so it seemed. Grandpa Roma bet that he was somewhere with the army, that they had brainwashed him into this. Lovino knew better. Feliciano had just gotten so sick of what he was and decided to do something to distinguish who he was.
The first thing he noticed was that the fire needed to be relit.
The rest of the room slowly came into detail.
Shades of maroon, olive, and brown filled tapestries and strangely embroidered furniture. Each dimly lit oil lamp gave it a strange aura, something mysterious that clung to the air.
Feliciano and Ludwig waited for the others that were supposed to arrive any second now.
Ludwig had only briefly explained to his ally, reluctant though he was to the term, about what was going on.
Apparently, the Nazis movement had picked up on other attacks over Asia. Japanese forces had begun to invade areas around Manchuria. With the Ethiopian annexation from new-formed Fascist Italy, it would be dumb not to meet together and discuss their goals and see what common ground they found.
Fascist Italy. Feliciano felt proud to have started a new movement, a new chapter in their history. Something that would start Italy down the path of success. After years of taking crap from others, of putting up with being told he'd amount to nothing, Feli was finally doing something.
Kiku felt the same way, and it showed. Every time he walked into a room, he had a cruel sort of air around him, always grinning at inopportune moments.
The double doors swung open. Feli put down the vase he was inspecting, and Ludwig turned around.
The man was not what Ludwig had expected. He had been thinking of someone burly, with muscle, strong and capable enough to pull of a military attack single-handedly. Instead, he was rather skinny. Dressed in an all-white uniform with golden embellishment and tassels on the sleeves, and strictly cut jet black hair with front bangs that made him look very strict and put-together.
"You would be Lieutenant Ludwig Beilshmidt then, I presume? And Private Feliciano Vargas?"
Ludwig walked up to greet him with a firm handshake which he responded to daintily, barely holding down and instead bowing afterwards. "Yes then. You called me here? I'm rather busy."
Feliciano narrowed his eyes, taking in everything he did. Usually Feli had no problem noting what people were feeling as if they were an open book, but this Kiku figure was a bit harder. He kept his face hardened, emotionless.
"How was the journey?" asked Feli carefully, smiling sweetly directly at Kiku.
He cleared his throat uncomfortably, eyes darting around. "Just fine."
There, that was his weakness.
Ludwig began to speak. "We have heard of your movements on the Manchuria district, and were formally-"
"We'll pass," Feliciano interrupted.
Ludwig nearly choked on air. "Since when were you in charge of anything? I haven't even pitched the idea yet!"
"We'll pass on our offer. It's over, done. Not interested any more."
"Not interested?" Ludwig roared. "How are you so damn sure we're not fucking interested? I swear to god, you are like a child! This is war!"
Kiku's eyes widened jut the slightest, grinning underneath his breath. "War? I see what you're getting at."
He took a few steps over to look out the window. "I'm not interested in having allies. This is my bone to pick with China and Russia-san. Not yours."
"Just think for a second," Ludwig said, having calmed himself down. "You have an extremely capable military. Mine is feared throughout. His country has extreme political pull and influence which will come in handy when and if we were to form a pact."
"We're not interested," Feli said again, his voice dropping down to a near whisper.
Nobody spoke, just looking at him, lost. Feliciano continued. "It took me a second, but I understand you. You have no interest in war, you just want revenge. It's pathetic," he spat out.
Kiku smiled faintly. "Excuse me if I'm wrong, but isn't it a bit pompous of you to judge a person when you've barely spoken to them?"
"I don't take risks when it comes to war. I create them."
He clapped his hands once, staring straight at Feli's amber eyes burning into him.
"Then let's create a little risk."
Feli laughed coldly, keeping his eyes locked with Kiku's. "I'm alright, thanks for asking. I, unlike you, create a little risk every single day. I don't wait until war. If you wait, you'll regret it. They won't see you as a threat."
Ludwig chuckled. "Feliciano, you have a valid point, but nobody views Italy as much of a threat."
"That's their mistake," he said softly, "which will then be their downfall."
"You made an annexation, not a declaration of war. Not the biggest risk you could take."
"It is!" Feli said, beginning to get frustrated. He punched the wall with one closed fist, his tiny body mustering up all of the strength it could. "They are expecting me to get mad! To attack without reason! The world views me as a child, and I've had enough! Anyone stupid enough to call me a child will have the death of them for sure! No exceptions!"
"You can't just go killing people who tease you," Ludwig pointed out.
"No I cannot, but I sure as hell can make them pay."
Ludwig let out a barking laugh.
Feliciano snapped his head around, narrowing his eyes. "Laugh as much as you want. I can't stop you. Just remember, tough guys like you, they keep silent not because they can't scream, but because they can."
"I'm confused."
"You should be."
Feli dragged a finger daintily across the furniture, taking one slow step at a time closer to Ludwig. He grinned, brushing off his jacket and pulling down his necktie to whisper something in his ear.
"I will make you love me. Then I will throw you away."