Welcome to Chapter Six! (I honestly thought this story was going to be just a tumblr oneshot, but I just had so many ideas for it, XD.)

This installment gets darker than the previous ones. (Long story short, Elts has a nightmare of one of her tortures, though, luckily, Eduard is there to comfort her.)

Note: this has a graphic description of vivisection. (Please let me know if you think this story's rating should be bumped up to 'M'.)

Eduard isn't confident in his comforting abilities, but Elts is very appreciative of all his efforts.

Hopefully, they have good chemistry together (platonic, I mean).

*Hetalia does not belong to me. Elts and everyone from her universe does, however.*

Installment Six

After grabbing some assorted pajamas, Estonia made his way to the bathroom, where he quickly changed and brushed his teeth. He didn't want to keep Elts waiting for too long; he knew she was tired, but probably wasn't sleeping because she was waiting for him. Once he reentered his room, he realized his assumption was right.

"I'm sorry," Elts finally said, biting her lip. "I know you probably have work to do, and you don't want to be stuck babying me."

"Elts." The blond's voice was gentle, but firm. "I've said it before, and I'll say it again. It's no problem. For one thing, I'll be at home tomorrow, transferring files between various computers. I'm sure you can even help me with some of it." He undid the blankets on the unused side of the bed and laid down, turning so that he was facing his protégé. "And healing will take time. I know from personal experience. Just don't beat yourself up about it; it's not healthy. I know how much you're scared of being a failure, but believe me when I say that you're not."

Elts nodded, but Estonia wasn't sure if it was just a reflex or her actually agreeing with him. "I'll try," she murmured, her voice slurring with exhaustion. It looked like she was going to say something else, but thought better of it, instead closing her eyes and shifting positions.

This caused Estonia to get the perfect view of her scarred back, which still made his stomach churn. Sighing inwardly, he rested his glasses on his nightstand before turning off the lamp. Even though he barely did anything earlier that day, he was tired.

/

Elts was shivering. She was cold and naked and hungry, which only made the fact that she was being paraded around by a panel of scientists even worse. Before she could even take another step, something slammed into the back of her head, and her vision darkened.

When she woke, she noticed right away that she was restrained. Something also rested between the table she figured she was displayed on and her back, pushing her chest up.

"I'm glad you're awake." The voice of head scientist Danutė Vitkauskas snapped Elts from her daze. Your friend Liutas was our control for this experiment, meaning she got anesthetics. The same cannot be said for you, I'm afraid."

"Whuh?" Elts mouth would not form the proper words; she was still too groggy. And cold.

"We're going to see how your body reacts to a vivisection."

"Vivi…?" At the moments, Elts couldn't understand English. Her brain was too foggy; her head hurt too much.

Some of the fog disappeared when she felt something—a scalpel?—sink into the skin of her shoulder and smoothly move downward until it reached her sternum. The same was done to the other side, and by the time the two incisions met , she was fighting unconsciousness.

"Now don't go passing out on me yet; the procedure's barely begun." Vitkauskas pressed something against Elts' nose, which, when she breathed in, made her more awake and aware. But before she could say anything, the scientist dragged the scalpel downward, finishing the Y incision.

The Estonian screamed, futilely trying to escape the restraints. Blood spilled from the wounds and pooled at her sides, causing her hands to slip as she tried to grab the table. She thought the worst was over, but she was wrong. Her head spun and another set of screams tore from her throat as her skin was ripped from its place, peeled back, and pinned. She was sure that if the pain didn't kill her, blood loss would.

"My apologies," Vitkauskas said, though his voice sounded weird due to Elts' pain. "It just took more force than I thought to peel your skin. Those pesky breasts were in the way; it would have been easier if you were an 'Eedu' instead of an 'Elts'."

The words had no effect on Elts, who slipped in and out of consciousness. She assumed the same chemical that was used to wake her up before was used again, since she was brought back from her peaceful dark world to one filled with agony.

"Looks like your heart is beating more rapidly than Liutas'," Vitkauskas mused, turning to the other scientists. "Are you even taking notes? She passed out when we removed her ribs, but that was to be expected."

The researchers conversed amongst themselves, and Vitkauskas barked orders, but Elts was too far gone to understand what they were saying. However, she understood that several scientists were poking at her exposed organs when she felt sharp pain in various parts of her body.

More talking. Elts could hear them, but almost as though she was underwater. One phrase stood out from the others, since Vitkauskas was closest to her.

"We're done here."

Suddenly, there was a sharp, horrible burst in her heart. And then nothing.

With a scream, Elts woke and sat up, her breathing too fast to keep up with. Sobbing, she looked down, desperate to see if she was still cut open. Something's in the way! Why can't I see it? Frantic, she forced her hands to pull her nightgown over her head. The pain started to ebb when all she saw was a thin scar on her pale skin. No blood. No organs or bones. Shaking, she finally realized where she was, and the tears of agony turned to tears of relief. She wrapped her arms around herself and forced her breathing to regulate itself.

Suddenly, she felt warm, and realized that someone had embraced her, pulling her tightly to their chest. "Liene," she murmured. "Thank you." As soon as the words left her lips, however, she realized that her assumption was incorrect. The person currently holding her was too tall, not to mention male.

"Eduard…"

/

Estonia was pulled from his sleep when he heard Elts scream. Blinking the grogginess from his eyes, he sat up, grabbed his glasses, and turned on the lamp. He could see that the girl was in great distress; she was practically hyperventilating, and she kept pressing her hands against her chest. Suddenly, she grabbed the front of her nightgown and yanked it over her head. As soon as she was naked from the waist up, she stared at her chest, tracing a long scar before curling her arms around herself.

Not caring that she was shirtless, Estonia's arms shot out, embracing his protégé and pulling her to his chest.

"Liene… Thank you." Elts relaxed slightly, though her shoulders were still tense. However, she seemed to realize her error when she returned the embrace. "Eduard…"

"You're not there anymore, Elts. You're safe." He repeated the words as he weaved his hand through her hair and rubbed her back. He was disgusted by how thin she was; he could feel her bones jut out through her skin, but he didn't let go.

"They cut me open, Eduard." Elts' breath was hot against his neck. "They peeled my skin back, removed my ribs, and messed with my organs. I think they ended up stabbing my heart, and that's what killed me. Vivisection. That was the word. Since they didn't use anesthetics."

Estonia wanted to throw up. He thought he saw the worst of the scientists' work, but he was wrong. He saw a picture of Elts with her skin peeled back, but he assumed that she was knocked out for it.

"Elts." He said nothing besides that. He wasn't sure what he could say. The girl had been to hell and back, her body and mind ruined , dragged into some adults' attempt to play God. So he didn't speak, instead allowing his hands to convey his sympathy. He rubbed circles onto her back, being careful to avoid her scars.

He wasn't sure how long they stayed in this position, but it wasn't too long before Elts gently pulled him down until he was literally laying on top of her.

"Elts?"

"Feels safer this way," was her only explanation.

Used to Latvia and his particular sleeping preferences, Estonia merely nodded, placing his glasses back on the nightstand and turning off the lamp.

"Goodnight, Eduard. And thanks."

Shifting positions so that he wasn't crushing her, he brushed her hair away from her forehead. "Goodnight, Elts."

The extra warmth made his limbs relax, and he found himself falling asleep even faster than before.

/

And the plot thickens…

Poor Elts… She basically got the same treatment Latvia did when he was vivisected in TWL…

Also, in case anyone was wondering, Elts and her friends are sixteen. (I don't think I mentioned her age, in this. But she was taken to the lab when she was fifteen, and had her birthday there.)