Dro: It's that time again, guys! Enjoy the exciting and ominous conclusion to the Romano-kidnap mini-arc! And don't forget to drop Dro a review! Because Dro likes reviews, so review, okay?

Chapter Summary: Lovino, having gone through hell and back, waits for his inevitable end at Drovich's hands, only to be unwittingly saved by someone he wasn't expecting. Meanwhile, Feliciano leads the others to where Lovino is being held captive, where they get the shock of their lives.

Warnings: Violence/Torture

Disclaimer: Dro will never own APH.

Lovino whimpered out a shrill cry. He'd lost the ability to scream hours ago. Drovich was getting fed up with him now. The man was pacing back and forth, his boots scuffing against the concrete floor as he twirled the knife around. Another knife. His original one was buried in Lovino's shoulder. Every time he twitched, waves of pain flared from the wound. And if he said something that Drovich didn't like, the man would mentally twist the knife, causing Lovino so much pain that he couldn't understand why he hadn't passed out yet.

Dio, just get it over with! He was sure he'd either out pass out or die any moment now, and personally, he didn't care which one happened first at this point. His muscles were still twitching from the electric-like shocks that Drovich had shot through his system. His mouth was filled with blood that was steadily dripping down his chin. His throat was raw and his voice was hoarse. From screaming. Even if some miracle happened right now and something blasted Drovich to oblivion, Lovino was sure he'd still die. He would never be able to walk in this condition. He was completely resolved to die at this point, and he was sure it was going to happen soon.

Drovich was seething. Lovino had done everything the man said, every spell, every sort of energy transfer that the man knew. But nothing had worked. And Drovich knew why and had explained it to him. It wasn't really Drovich's magic anymore. Since Lovino was a natural compatible to some extent, the magic had…bonded with his body. Drovich was not a compatible. He drew his magic from a medium that came from another source altogether. As to what that source was, Drovich had been tight-lipped, but Lovino was sure it was some kind of huge clue that they needed to take these guys down. Now if only he wasn't on the verge death in a makeshift torture chamber.

He coughed up a glob of blood, and Drovich was suddenly in front of him, brutally backhanding him. "Don't you f'cking die on me yet, boy-yo. I will get my m'gic b'ck b'fore you die."

So he's planning on killing me no matter what, huh? Lovino's vision blurred for a few seconds. Please just get it over with then. I can't…I can't take this much longer. If he'd still had control of his body, he would've cried, but he felt numb. Whatever Drovich had done to him had just about fried his nervous system. He couldn't even hold his head up anymore. His body wouldn't listen to him.

Drovich growled. "How to rem've it?" He seemed to be angrily contemplating his various failures to reacquire his lost magic, but it didn't look like he could come up with a solution. Lovino would've smiled if he could have. This bastard wasn't going to his magic back. Lovino knew that. Drovich knew that. The magic was basically fused into Lovino's body, wasn't it? Drovich had lost it permanently. Depriving this bastard of what he wanted…that would be Lovino's last victory.

Drovich scowled and clenched his fists. Apparently, Lovino had more control of his body than he thought because he felt his lips tugging up in the corner and forming a bloody, chapped-lipped, arrogant grin. He saw the fire in Drovich's eyes and watched, peacefully resigned, as Drovich held up the knife. Finally…He let his eyes slip close.

He felt the force of the magic as it blew by him, and his eyes wrenched themselves open just in time to see Drovich hit the wall with a sickening crack. Lovino didn't how much cracked, but he was sure it was more than the concrete wall, which now sported a huge broken indentation. Drovich was on the ground, eyes wide, gasping. Lovino, terrified, slid his fatigued gaze over to the doorway. The doorway was now bare, splinters littering the ground where a massive oak door had once been. And the man standing in the doorway…

England?

Lovino could hear his heart pounding. What was going on? England had been kidnapped, right? He was supposed to be somewhere aboard one of their ships…in a prison somewhere! So how…how the hell is he here? Lovino watched, stunned beyond comprehension, as England marched forward, teleporting across the room until he stood in front of the fallen Drovich. Without even a single movement, England mentally pulled Drovich's body from the ground until he was floating vertically, boots barely brushing the concrete. Drovich cried out, and Lovino swallowed roughly as he witnessed the finger marks of an invisible hand indenting themselves into Drovich's neck.

Drovich struggled, grasping at his neck to no avail. Lovino watched as the man's consciousness started wavering, and his silently pleading eyes went unnoticed. England just scoffed.

"You fool. Did you honestly think you would get away with defying me?" He spat. "I have warned you time and time again, Drovich, that I am not one to be trifled with. You do not disobey me. Do you understand that?"

Drovich just kept choking, barely keeping a grasp on his consciousness.

"I should kill you right here, you know?"

A strangled gasp of terror broke free from Drovich's lips.

"What? You're going to cry about it now? You did this to yourself. I should just let you strangle to death. Maybe I will. Maybe I'll just let you hang there until you suffocate." He snorted. "But that would be cruel of me, wouldn't it?"

Drovich fell to the ground, gasping in air.

"You thought you were clever, didn't you? Trying to hide away where no one would think to look for you. Have forgotten that you use my magic, Drovich? Mine. And I always know where it is if I care to know. I tried to be kind at first. I sent Siphone and Lucaster to find you. But of course, they failed. And then I was really annoyed."

Drovich struggled to sit up. "I'm s'rry, L'rd Brit'nnia. Pl'se. Pl'se f'rgive me. I…" His cracked glasses fell off his face, pieces of the lenses embedded in his cheeks where England had mentally crushed them.

"Give me a reason."

Drovich's eyes widened. "What?"

"I said, give me a reason. To forgive you. To let you live. Out of the three of you, you are the weakest and the most foolish. Siphone is exceptionally strong, and Lucaster is a gifted strategist. When I first met you, I thought you had enough ambition to better yourself until you reached their level. But I see I was wrong. You are selfish and foolish and weak. So give me a reason to let you live, Drovich."

"I…" Drovich looked to shocked to speak.

"You have ten seconds, boy."

Drovich's lips quivered. "Pl'se…I pr'mise I'll n'ver defy you ag'n. Pl'se."

"That's not a valid reason."

Drovich swallowed, his eyes darting back and forth as he desperately tried to find the words he needed to keep his life.

But he didn't.

And the next thing Lovino knew, there was a cane in Drovich's chest. England drove it straight through his heart and pulled it back out a second later, watching, bored, as Drovich's body slumped over.

"Pathetic." He sneered.

Lovino stopped breathing. His body couldn't handle the shock. Who was this person? England had always been easily angered, but this…there was no way. And why was he implying that that the enemies were working for him? That couldn't be true. England couldn't possibly be behind all this…or could he? The realization struck him so hard he was sure his heart stopped beating. England had been the one to bring them to this dimension. Sure, France had claimed that the enemies had kidnapped England, but what if it had all been a ploy to keep his identity as their leader a secret?

The implications were disturbing. All this time…all this time England had been the one behind everything. Motherfucker. My fratello is in pain because of you. Gilbert lost his eye! Finland and Germany are dead! How dare you! How dare you! How could do this to your friends, you bastard! He would've screamed if his mouth had been working, but the only thing coming from between his lips was blood.

England finally seemed to notice his presence. His eyes quickly flicked over Lovino's form, indifferent. "Hm, so you're the one who took his power. Of all people, I'd never thought he'd lost it to an Italy." England chuckled. "God, he really was an imbecile." He paused for a moment, an eyebrow slowly shifting upward on his face. "Ah, but…you've split the power, haven't you? I can feel your link with another. Your brother?" England looked highly amused. "That's just…amazing! Who would've thought the Italy brothers would actually be compatible with magic?"

After getting a good laugh, he flicked his wrist. Lovino's bonds immediately fell to the floor, releasing him. But his body couldn't even sit up anymore. He began to tumble over and off the chair, but he stopped just before he hit the floor. Not by his own volition. England caught him with magic.

"Ah, but he really did a number on you, didn't he? You need training in order to use your magic effectively. I could give it to you, if you want." He smiled. "I feel like I've been making too many goodwill offers recently, but all of you are getting so interesting! I was sure this would be a boring venture when I first started working on it."

Boring. England had thought destroying their world would be boring? He'd bombed his own people! Lovino wanted to scream at him. He wanted to pound his face into the ground. He wanted to kill this bastard who'd dared to betray the world. Lovino floated gently down to the ground. England walked over to him and mumbled a "Hm." He crouched down and brushed a finger against Lovino's temple. Lovino gasped as an electric current ran through him. But where Drovich's magic had burned veins and singed nerves, England's magic was somehow cool and calming. Lovino could feel his wounds healing at a rapid rate.

After a few minutes, Lovino could feel his mobility returning. He was dead tired and weak, but his body was now back in one piece. His throat was still dry, but his mouth seemed to be back in working order. His muscles were still twitching, but his skin no longer burned. The current faded as England removed his hand.

"There. All good now? You should able to give me an answer, yes?"

"A—answer?" Lovino whispered. "You mean about joining you?"

"Of course."

"Hell no."

England raised both eyebrows, obviously surprised at Lovino's adamant rejection. Lovino prepared for a quick death, but England just started laughing.

"You've got spunk, kid. I thought you Italy brothers were nothing but weak cowards, but I see that my invasion has changed you for the better. Now I'm almost looking forward to fighting you. If you really intend to keep up this defiance, then you better be prepared for a vicious battle. When it comes time for us nations to fight each other in the end, I expect you to be a lot stronger." He winked. "I'm looking forward to a damn good battle to the death." With a curt bow and an conceited and deceptively kind smile, England took his leave. Just as he reached the doorway, he paused. "Oh, by the way, your friends are coming. I'm guessing your brother was able to track you here. They should be here in a few minutes to rescue you. I just thought it would be best to finish…my business first." His voice slipped into a dark tone for a fraction of a second. "Anyway, do tell everyone I said hi!" Then he was gone.

Feliciano could feel the magic teeming in this area. There were multiple signatures. His best guess was three, and that bothered him. Who else was here? It was a signature he didn't recognize. He tried to focus on where Lovino was in the building, but the best he could hone in on was the entire lower level. There was too much magic hanging around. It wasn't so much that there were three people here that almost made him want to turn around, but it was that third unknown person that had him shaking in his boots. He'd felt plenty magic by now, but this signature…it was…enormous…No, that wasn't the right word. Massive? Immense? No. Those were too small. It was something bigger than the largest amount he could come up with. As close to infinite as he could possibly imagine.

"Feliciano?" Alfred whispered. "Are you okay?"

"I…I think we might have a problem. There's another person there. Someone besides Drovich. Someone really powerful."

"How powerful is really powerful?" Gilbert shifted his position, itching to burst into the building and rescue Lovino. Who the hell knew what had been done to him? For all he knew, Lovino could've been…dismembered by now. He could've been maimed, burned, skinned alive. Gilbert had seen more than enough torture to know all the horrible things you could do to people and still keep them alive long enough to get answers out of them. They still weren't sure why Lovino had been kidnapped, but Feliciano was convinced it had to with Lovino's magic. He had gotten it from Drovich to begin with, so what if the enemies wanted it back? And just what were they willing to do to get it? And after they got it…would they…dispose of Lovino?

Gilbert didn't want to admit that the answer to that question was "probably."

"So powerful that I can barely fathom it." Feliciano had visibly paled.

"Are you serious?" Francis asked. He rubbed his back. He was still in pain from Lovino's attack on him earlier, though he was now willing to own up to it. He shouldn't have been that rude to Lovino. Just knowing that Lovino could very well be dead now didn't help him feel any better.

"Dead serious. I…I don't think we can beat…" He trailed off, eyes widening. "Gone." Feliciano's eyes filled with confusion. That couldn't be right. Drovich's signature had just…

"What?" Alfred asked.

"Drovich's magic signature just…vanished."

"So that's good, right?" Francis piped up.

"Either that or it's a trap because they've realized we're hiding in the woods right outside." Gilbert murmured.

"It doesn't matter. We have to try to get Lovino. Let's…" Alfred paused as Feliciano held up a shaking hand.

"No, you don't get it. It's not like his signature disappeared because he teleported away or something. It just…died out…"

"Wait, you mean like…Drovich is dead?" Gilbert furrowed his brows.

Feliciano nodded slowly.

"Okay, what the fuck is going on?" Gilbert ran a hand through his hair.

"I don't…know." Feliciano had no clue what was going on inside that building. He had to get in there, but that huge signature…He jumped as a pulse of magic zipped by, and he whipped around to face the direction it had gone.

"Feliciano?" Alfred's voice rose in concern.

"I thought…someone just…" He looked back at the old house. "He's gone." There was only one signature left in the house now. The impossibly massive one had just…he glanced back again…left?

"Who's gone? Lovino?" Gilbert swallowed.

Feliciano shook his head. "No, the other one. I don't…I don't know what's going on, but Lovino is alone in there now."

"Then let's go get him!" Alfred stood up.

Feliciano kept glancing back and forth, confused. Something felt…familiar about that magic. He shook his head. "Right. It's all clear. Let's go."

"Are you sure?" Francis asked, wringing his hands.

Feliciano nodded, knowing Francis felt immense guilt. "Don't worry. He's alive. I can feel it."

Francis sighed and rose. "Then let's go get him."

They entered through the front door, everyone following Feliciano as he led them down the stairs to the multi-room basement level where he knew his brother had been held. As soon as he hit the last step, he could sense Lovino's exact location. He picked up his pace, rushing down the hallway, his heart racing as he spotted a destroyed doorway and what looked like a…smear of blood. He crossed the threshold and immediately spotted his brother. He failed to breath.

Lovino was leaning against the wall, sitting nonchalantly and glancing out of the broken window. His clothing was in tatters, his white shirt now completely red. There was blood everywhere. In his hair, on his face, on his neck, legs, and arms. Feliciano almost screamed when Lovino didn't immediately move, and he released his pent up breathe when his fratello finally turned his head and took in Feliciano's presence.

Lovino's eyes held the most haunted expression he had ever seen.

Tense and anxious, he started walking closer to his brother. The others finally caught up to him, gasps filling the room as they took in Lovino's bloody form. Feliciano dropped down to his knees, gently brushing his hands against Lovino's face.

"F—fratello? What happened? Are you okay?"

Lovino didn't answer, just returned his gaze to the window. Except, it wasn't the window he was looking at, Feliciano realized. He was looking at something beneath the window. Something doused with shadows. Something human-shaped and unmoving and bloody.

Drovich.

"Oh my God." Alfred's whisper broke the silence.

Feliciano looked back at his brother, terror in his veins. "Lovino…did you…?"

Lovino's shook his head lethargically, his eyes still distant and disturbed.

Feliciano was afraid to ask. "Then…who did this…who…?

"He was angry." Lovino spoke so softly, Feliciano nearly missed his words.

"W—who was angry?"

"So angry." Lovino mumbled. "I just…I just don't understand…why would he do this to us?"

"Who, fratello? Who did what?'

Lovino's pained green eyes finally refocused, and he stared at Feliciano, his voice thick and still wavering in disbelief. "England."

"What?" America exclaimed. "What about England?"

Feliciano had no clue what was going on, but he certainly understood Lovino's message. "Are you saying that…that England did this to Drovich? That he was the other person here?"

Lovino nodded.

"But how could Angleterre possibly do this? There is no way he could have been that strong magic you sensed, Feliciano. Arthur is…"

Francis' words were cut off by a laugh. Lovino's laugh. Low. Hysterical. Dry. Dark. It sent chills down Feliciano's spine. "Fratello?"

"We were all idiots. All this time, we've been worrying about England, thinking he was their captive, thinking he'd been imprisoned somewhere."

"What are you saying, Lovino?" Alfred's voice had gone tight. What was Lovino saying? He couldn't be implying that…

"This entire time…" Lovino breathed, his eyes far away again. "He's been…"

"He's been what?" Alfred shouted.

Lovino's fatigued eyes landed on Alfred.

"He's their leader."

Dro: Uh-oh. This is going to cause some problems.

Next Chapter: Arthur struggles to wrap his head around his double's plans and is forced to deal with his growing fear over just what it is his double wants to do with him. Meanwhile, Alfred reels from Lovino's revelation about Arthur, and Francis gives him a shocking request.