Hungary was helping Austria compose a new piece to play at his concert in a week.

Unfortunately, Prussia had come to visit his childhood friend and was making it extremely difficult for both Hungary and Austria to think. As usual, he was spouting his "Oh, I'm so awesome" crap. He was also ridiculing Hungary for hanging out with "this loser", as he called Austria.

Hungary reached her breaking point. "Would you shut up!" she roared. "Roderich and I need some peace and quiet, so go do something out of our way for awhile, okay?"

"Kesesesese. Look at the little lady in her girly maid's outfit! What are you gonna do if I don't leave? Hit me with a broomstick?" Gilbert jeered.

"Don't tempt my wrath," Hungary growled. She was about to show him what this "little lady" could do when the wall behind Austria's grand piano started cracking. The cracks spread and widened until… BOOM! The wall completely shattered into pieces and flew inward.

Hungary coughed and squinted through the dust. "Are you guys okay?" she called.

"Yes," Roderich responded. "How about you, Elizabeta?"

Prussia's answer was, "Of course I'm okay! A little implosion like that is nothing for the awesome me!"

"I'm okay," Hungary said. Then she spotted someone coming toward her through the cloud of dust. A tall figure in a long coat and a scarf. Russia! she realized with a jolt. "Get away from here!" She screamed to the other two. Then Ivan came upon her.

"Kolkolkol…" Russia's laugh sent chills up Elizabeta's spine. He cradled his pickaxe in the crook of his arm. "What do we have here? My first victim?" The laugh again. "Look at the horror in her eyes! Look how she trembles like a cornered puppy! Yes, I have missed that look."

He raised his pickaxe above his head. Hungary prayed to God that she would go to heaven after this horrible incident. And she waited for the end.

SWISH! The pickaxe whistled downwards, descending upon Hungary's head like an eagle swooping down on its prey.

SQUELCH!

Ivan's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't been expecting someone to sacrifice themselves for that girl. Kindness like that just didn't exist in his brain. He considered it foolishness.

Elizabeta opened her eyes slowly, not sure if she wanted to see what was in front of her. A drop of blood landed on her fair face. The blood was not hers.

"Are you… okay?" Prussia wheezed. He had been stabbed in the chest by the pickaxe, and blood was gushing in huge spurts out of his wound.

"Gilbert…" Hungary's voice broke off. Tears welled in her eyes.

"Who would've thought I'd end up dying to save you?" Gilbert managed a laugh, but blood leaked from his mouth. "My last awesome act…" He turned his head to look at Hungary. As he slid off the bloodied pickaxe, he whispered, "Elizabeta… I love you."

Hungary caught her fallen friend in her arms. "Gilbert… I…" She choked up. "I love you too."

"Really?" gasped Prussia with his dying breath. "I'm… glad to hear… that…" his eyes started closing.

Hungary's green eyes widened. "Gilbert, no!" she hollered at the top of her lungs. "Gilbert, don't leave me! I won't forgive you if you die on me!" Her panic changed to despair, and she was reduced to sobbing. "Gilbert… Gilbert… Gilbert…"

A hand reached up and touched her face. "Don't cry… Hungary…" Prussia rasped. "You're not pretty… when you cry…" Then the hand went limp and dropped dead.

"GILBERT!" Elizabeta felt so useless. She hadn't been able to save her childhood friend, despite all her strength. In the end, I'm the one who had to be saved, she realized. And Gilbert died because of that. She cradled Gilbert's dead body to her chest and everything else seemed to fade away. It was just her and the corpse. And an intangible blackness, a manifestation of her despair.

Ivan witnessed Hungary crying, and it made him feel giddy with happiness. Such a nice expression. He decided that he enjoyed that sadness even more than the thrill of the kill. He preyed on it and broke into laughter. "Kolkolkolkol…" Then he approached the heartbroken girl. Austria stepped in front of her. "Don't worry, I won't kill you," Ivan assured them. "I enjoy seeing that despair. So you are safe for now. The next time we meet, though? I cannot guarantee you will get out alive."

"You bastard!" Roderich yelled as Russia turned to go.

"Let him go," Hungary told him softly. "We need to bury Gilbert."

Austria relaxed, but his eyes never strayed from Ivan's back.

And Russia continued down his path of carnage.