Part 1 ~*~ Chapter 9 ~*~ Preparations

It was late spring now with May flowers blooming about the area of Vienna, including the Edelstein mansion. More birds were flying in the air on this particular day, making the place seem more cheerful that ever before, and with the skies a light blue and clear of clouds, it seemed almost perfect.

Out in the gardens looking up at this breathless view was Feliciana, absentmindedly crafting a flower crown. Feliciana couldn't believe that she's been living in Austria for over two years; the longest she's ever been outside of her home in Italy. Now eleven years old, she was granted more freedom and finally had full access to the kitchen (to make pasta when needed of course), as well as full access to the library (which was blocked to her before because the head of the house was scared of her spilling her beloved pasta onto the well-organized prized books).

In her mind Roderich and Elizabeta (she finally lost the habit of calling them formally) had not aged at all, but she did notice Ludwig's changes. Just like her, he also got taller and bigger, becoming more built. He was a full 4 inches taller than her! She hoped that he wouldn't become too tall… she hated being smaller than everyone else.

While he was growing and becoming more mature, he was also starting to become… well... it was hard for her to put it into words. Feliciana didn't know what to even think of it! He would abruptly turn red a lot more often and his face would become as red as a lobster in just a few seconds practically every time they saw each other. Sometimes he even ran away when he saw her! And Feliciana was starting to get nervous, mainly fearing that he was getting sick.

A few days after realizing this was happening to him, Feliciana laid down on her bed, thinking hard about it one night. Curled up with her pillow while only wearing a white shirt and panties, she thought, "I hope he's not getting sick. When I asked Elizabeta, she just told me that he was bitten by a love bug. What if this bug is poisonous? He might not be able to enjoy pasta anymore! Or those yucky wursts! Or reading or painting…! That would be horrible!" Feliciana began to panic as she fidgeted in her bed, rolling around. She didn't want Ludwig to die!

The Italian rushed out of the room, tears falling freely from her face. Luckily for her, Ludwig's room was only a few hallways away. Feliciana sprinted down the hallway, arriving at his door at full speed and opening it with a loud BAM! And ran on top of the poor, unsuspecting boy, repeatedly calling out his name over and over while wailing.

Ludwig on the other hand, who had been asleep, awoke with a start and proceeded to try and analyze the situation, but with a hysterical Italian on top of him only made things difficult. Yet Feli did not see this, yelling for him to live and to not get killed by the love bug. It wasn't until he had gathered her into his arms in an attempt to calm her down did she stop talking and moving

"Feli… it's one o'clock in the morning. I'm not-" he gave a yawn before continuing. "going anywhere. I'm not dying from anything and… w-w-w-what are you w-wearing?"

"Ve~, that's good to know. I started thinking for a moment that you were going to die!" Ludwig promptly face palmed. Feliciana wiped her face, quickly getting rid of the tears that once flowed down her cheeks. "And it was very hot in my room~ I didn't want to wear anything uncomfortable!"

And there it was. That red tint on his face. She didn't put it together that the way she looked along with her on his lap made Ludwig very uncomfortable. Regardless of that she leaned forward to press her forehead against his, checking for a fever.

"Hmm~ you don't have a fever…"

Ludwig squirmed underneath her, trying to shove her away. Feli only cocked her head to the side in confusion. He sighed and looked away, telling her "Feli, go back to bed. I'm fine. Really."

She nodded, smiling. He was fine and okay! Everything was okay! Feli proceeded to get off of him when a clap of lightning and a roar of thunder struck outside. Feliciana grabbed ahold of Ludwig, shaking.

"T-T-Thunderstorm…!"

She was never able to handle them well, even as a young child. Lovina would usually sleep with her (claiming that she wasn't scared of it and just didn't want her sister to be afraid). The storms made her feel like she did something wrong and she's never been okay sleeping with them alone. Feliciana began to cry again. When a pair of decisive hands wrapped around her, she looked up, shocked. Ludwig placed her with him under his bed sheets, putting her head into his shoulder while he placed his hands on her back and the back of her head.

"Huh?"

"Y-You can stay h-here for a while i-if the storm is scaring you."

Feliciana smiled, wrapping her arms around him, trying to block out the thunderstorm outside. Ludwig rubbed his hand in small circles on her back, lightly whispering in her ear in German, making her very sleepy. Before she knew it, she couldn't hear the storm anymore and could only hear Ludwig's voice.

"Thank you… Ludwig…"

She blacked out, quickly falling into the hold of dreamland in Ludwig's arms.

When Ludwig woke up the next morning, he found Feliciana curled up to his side sleeping peacefully. It was 5:30 A.M. Ludwig always woke up at this precise time due to being an 'early to bed early to rise' type of person. He usually would get up and start to prepare for his schooling lessons and breakfast… but Ludwig decided just this once to stay in bed with the Italian for another 30 minutes. He smiled as he brought the young girl a bit closer to him.

Later in the afternoon, while Feliciana was doing her schooling with Elizabeta, Ludwig had gotten the mail and found a letter addressed to him from his brother, Gilbert. Gilbert would usually send one when he could, which was not very often, but it was always nice to hear from him (even if he did just rant how "awesome" he was. Did his brother not know any other word?). However, as Ludwig went back to his room and opened the letter, this was not the case as Ludwig began to read, sitting on his bed.

"Vash,"

Ludwig quickly looked up from the letter. He shouldn't be reading this. It wasn't meant for him. Obviously his brother messed up, as always… but even if he tried to he didn't know where this "Vash" lived or even who he was. Out of pure curiosity, the boy decided to read it. It had been a few months since he last heard from him and though Ludwig would normally not do this, he wanted to hear about his brother...

"Hey man! How's your totally-not-as-awesome-as-my-life going? Lilli's gonna be a real teenager soon, ain't she? Damn, I remember when I was that age. I was so awesome!"

Ludwig rolled his eyes, skipping over his brother's endearing childhood that he had decided to write.

"Anyway, West'll be 13 this year so I know how that goes."

His brother kept the old 'East and West' nicknames? Their parents made those nicknames because of how their personalities were; opposite of one another and yet connected. It'd been since their parents' deaths when he last called him that in person…

"Dammit, I can't keep hiding it from him anymore, Vash. But I can't see him until I find out who the fuck murdered our parents. If Ludwig knew… well that's be pretty unawesome.
So! Past the sob story shit, my old man's pa's still missing and I can't find him anywhere. Fuck, who am I kidding? That damn Mafia probably took him. I need to talk to you about some more equipment and I promise, I have the money this time so don't point that fuckin' gun at me when I come over! I'll meet you at your house in Swissy. We should have a party for my arrival! My ride just arrived, so I'll meet ya over there!

-The almighty Gilbert

P.S. Could you make some wurst? That'd be fuckin' awesome =D"

Ludwig put the letter down and into a dresser next to his bed, hiding it under the organized stack of notebooks. After shutting the drawer, he gazed up at the ceiling.

Their parents… großvater… mafia… so Gilbert had lied to him?

"It would appear so."

He had to. He was only 6 when his parents died, a few weeks before his birthday. Their parents had been involved with the mafia, Ludwig assumed. "They had to have been if großvater was taken."

Ever since about a year after their parents' deaths, he had accepted it, the fact that they were not here anymore. He had moved on from his parents' deaths... And yet on the other hand his parents were murdered. Did he want… revenge? Is that why Gilbert was out there? Revenge?

He needed to act quickly. Ludwig stood up, mind made up. He left his room, leaving behind the anger and sadness, only bringing with him a lump in his throat as he walked out.

After eating supper as usual, Ludwig made sure to act like everything was alright. Everything had been perfect. He acted just as he normally had, engaging in conversation and complementing Elizabeta on a fantastic dinner.

Later on in the night, he planned to leave the estate. Though he had already made his decision to do this, deep down inside he was a nervous wreck. But he quickly shook those thoughts aside. He needed to do this. Gathering his backpack and other items, he put on a dark outfit with his old black, long cape and hat to help blend into the night. He didn't know how long he'd be gone and wanted to take the necessary precautions by bringing the hat and cape in case of cold weather.

With the bag over his shoulder, he snuck out of the house through the porch and left from the backyard. The stars seemed to be guiding him this quiet night as the warm breeze engulfed him. He looked straight on ahead towards the dirt-path road that would lead him to the village and out of Austria. There was no turning back. He was going to go and-

"Ludwig?"

Fear entered his heart, freezing him on that very spot. No. There was no way she could be out here right now. There is no way she is out here with me, she can't be here!

Ludwig turned slowly, his eyes becoming wider as he saw what was behind him. Feliciana stood there, still in her green dress from earlier, with a look of surprise and sadness shown on her face. She was clutching her necklace close to her heart, the cross necklace he had given her. Ludwig feared for the worst. Seeing her face... but... he can't change his decision…

"What… what are you doing here?" His voice came out as a quiet, but harsh tone. He'd been discovered when he was so sure he had come out of here unsuspected.

The wind whipped up a little bit, rustling the trees surrounding the area. "I was still stargazing… I do it when I feel alone sometimes. Sometimes I have to sneak out because Roderich would scold me for doing such a thing and so late at night. But I saw a shadow, and I saw a familiar figure walking. At first I was scared, but I saw your hair from underneath your hat and I recognized the clothing. Ludwig, where are you going? Do you have to leave? Why?" Feli's voice started to become more frantic when he did not respond back, her eyes wide open. "Why?"

"Feli…" he could see her worried eyes shining from the soft glow of the full moon overhead. "I…" he made a fist with one hand, lightly shaking. "I need to go."

"Why? What's wrong with here?"

"Nothing's wrong with here, Feli. You, Roderich, and Elizabeta are all very kind-"

"Then why?"

"My brother." Ludwig said. "He needs me, Feli. More than he knows. I have an idea of where to go and that's why. I need to go, Feliciana." The Italian brought her head down. For a moment the last sentence he spoke hung heavily in the air. And for a moment, Ludwig thought, "I don't want to leave you like this…"

After a few short minutes, Ludwig began to talk again. "Hey, Feliciana?" She looked up, trying to hide her tears. With a shaky voice, she responded with a quiet "Yes?"

"I-In your culture, w-what do your people give… a-as a thank you? I-I want to thank you properly for the time we spent together." Damn the accursed blush and butterfly feeling!

"You… you kiss them, I think."

Bump-Bump

"A kiss… huh…"

Bump-Bump

Ludwig took a few strides and walked up to her, his hands grasping her shoulders lightly.

Bump-Bump

He brought his head closer; their lips only a few centimeters away. He could feel each breathe she gave. Tenderly, he whispered to her. "I've always loved you…" And before she could say anything in response, he closed the space between them, gently pressing his lips to hers. The fear of rejection flew quickly out of his mind. This…this was the moment he was waiting for. His heart beat sped up when she started to kiss back.

He brought her closer, just enjoying the feel of her soft lips against his and due to how close they were, he could feel her heart beat going just as fast as his…

It was only a simple kiss, but it was so much more than that as well. It was a warm hello and a cold goodbye. Slowly they pulled apart. Feliciana looked up to him, her eyes clearly telling her message.

Don't leave me.

"…Do you really mean that?" She asked.

"I'm not lying." Ludwig replied quickly and seriously.

Her face turned into a smile, her cheeks tinted pink. "I'm glad! Ve!" Ludwig smiled too.

"I'll… I'll be back. I don't know when, but I will. Gilbert needs me right now."

"Okay, I understand. Please stay safe!" He gave her a kiss on the forehead and turned, starting to walk out of the yard. "Don't get sick! Have a safe journey! Oh, I'll make lots of sweets when you come back!" She yelled. Ludwig paused for a moment and looked at her, getting one last glance.

"And…" Feli stopped waving frantically and brought her hand to her mouth, making an 'o' shape with her hands. "I love you too!"

Ludwig lightly blushed. He turned fully towards her and did the same, bringing his hands to his face.

"No matter how many years will pass, I'll love you the most!"

And before he could change his mind to stay with the girl of his dreams, he turned around and walked forward with a smile on his face. The journey ahead of him was going to be tough for someone young like him (and he knew it), but just the thought of returning to a loved one made it worth it.

*A/N: Hey~! It's been about a week! Things have been busy around here (family comes down tomorrow! :D). So you might have found this chapter kinda fluffy (yea it was -snicker snicker-) but think about this carefully. Does Ludwig want revenge? And he left Feli. Meaning that we shall begin the torture of Feli's sadness from him leaving, MUAHAHAHAHA.

Next chapter -spoil spoil- isn't going to be much different, but maybe a bit more... painful. Oh, and we get to introduce a new character! Yay! Need someone added into the mix to make this more fun. And after the next chapter, it won't be so fluffy anymore. Just warning you ahead of time.

Blah blah I don't own Hetalia, disclaimer and whatnot. You should know I don't own this! :P

Translations:

German: großvater - grandfather