America: Alfred F. Jones alias Lior Ezra

Germany: Ludwig Beilschmidt

Prussia: Gilbert Beilschmidt

South Italy: Lovino Vargas

Yami Ryo: These are corrections cause apparently I had the names wrong. 'Cept for Alfred, him I knew and I just have on there because I don't want anyone to forget his disguise.

Thinking of You

Ludwig sat in his hotel room, thinking quietly to himself as he did some paperwork for the next world meeting. The recent discovery of America's pacifism was...unusual to say the least. He would have never thought such a powerful nation so steeped in blood and war was so against violence, or was a doctor for that matter! He had no idea what to think of this new development. Although he knew it was not some recent whim the other nation had; it was so unusual for a powerful nation, or any nation really to be a true pacifist. Even neutral nations defended their people violently themselves, but to have it the opposite was a little unusual. Ludwig sighed as he looked at his papers, noticing he had gotten nothing done at all.

Ludwig got up and began to pace his hotel room as he continued thinking, ignoring the knocking that sounded at his door. As he continued to pace, his door burst open and his brother Gilbert and friend Italy ran into the room suddenly, causing him to pause in his pacing to glare at them.

"Why have you two felt the need to barge into my room?" Ludwig asked stoically, though his expression was one of exasperation.

"We were worried for you Ludwig, vee~." Feliciano cried, rushing over to him and hugging him around the middle.

"Ja Bruder! You've been acting really un-awesome since you went and tailed America." Gilbert told him loudly. "What happened with that anyway?"

Ludwig froze thoughtfully for a few moments.

"I am unsure of what I saw... More research will have to be done." Ludwig decided. Feliciano frowned.

"Vee~, I don't know Ludwig. Isn't it America's business what he does? I don't think you should pry." Feliciano protested worriedly.

"That may be, but what's going on has the potential to become dangerous." Ludwig replied evenly. Feliciano grinned.

"You're worried about America? That's so sweet, vee~!" Feliciano gushed happily, causing Gilbert to laugh boisterously.

"Y-you're worried about America? !" Gilbert teased, laughing so hard that tears gathered in his eyes. Ludwig scowled at his older brother and fought down a blush, determined not to give his brother the satisfaction of seeing him uncomfortable.

"You two may leave now." Ludwig told them, sighing in annoyance.

"Fine, fine. I have to go tell Francis and Antonio anyway." Gilbert replied, still laughing at him.

"Ve~ Okay Ludwig, but can I make a suggestion?" Feliciano asked sweetly; Ludwig gave him a suspicious look and nodded.

"Go talk to America. You're worried about him, so you should talk about it with him. Maybe he can help ease your worries, vee~." Feliciano suggested with a kind smile, but serious voice. Ludwig looked at Feliciano in surprise before nodding in agreement at the rather sound suggestion.

"I will take note of your suggestion." Ludwig promised seriously, causing Feliciano to grin happily.

"Yay! Bye Ludwig! Good luck with your crush, vee~!" Feliciano cried out, hugging Ludwig's middle tightly, giggling, and running off before Ludwig could retaliate. Ludwig glared after his friend, exasperated. Sighing, Ludwig decided to go out and find Alfred to talk with.

After looking around the hotel for a while and going out to find Alfred's car gone, Ludwig came to the conclusion that Alfred must be back at the clinic and got into his own car to go there himself. It did not take long for him to reach the clinic and see that Alfred's car was in fact just outside of the building. Ludwig took a breath, got out of the car and made his way inside the clinic. Walking inside, the first person he saw was a bubbly young lady chatting with a rather shy looking young man behind a glass reception area. She chattered excitedly and turned to beam at Ludwig the moment he stepped within three feet of the two.

"Hi! I'm Georgina! Are you hurt? Do you need a check up?" The woman spoke quickly, hardly taking a breath between her sentences and smiling so hard Ludwig wondered if her face hurt.

"...I am Ludwig...I am...a friend of Lior Ezra...I thought perhaps we could get lunch together..." Ludwig told them a little uncertainly. Georgina and the man behind the glass looked at him in disbelief for a few moments before their eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Really?" Georgina asked in disbelief. "I don't think Lior's ever mentioned a Ludwig, has he Mike?" Georgina turned to look at the man behind the glass. Mike gave an uncertain frown and shook his head.

"The only friend he's ever mentioned was his roommate Tony..." Mike replied uneasily, looking at Ludwig as though he might snap and kill them. Ludwig was surprised at the defensiveness the two displayed.

"It has been a while since we have last seen each other..." Ludwig replied, hoping that perhaps it would be a reasonable excuse. However, Georgina and Mike remained suspicious of him. Georgina was about to comment when Alfred stepped into the room from a door off to the side.

"Hey guys, I'm going to Micky D's you want-...Ludwig?" Alfred voiced, walking into the room and looking at Ludwig curiously.

"It has been a while since we have gotten lunch together...I thought perhaps we could do that today?" Ludwig offered, feeling slightly nervous for a reason he could not quite comprehend. Alfred smiled in amusement.

"Ludwig, we haven't gotten lunch together in years." Alfred told him with a light chuckle. Ludwig's facial expression did not change though, his cheeks flushed slightly.

"Wait! You really know this guy Lior?" Georgina demanded, flabbergasted. Alfred walked up to the three of them, smiling fondly.

"I do know him. He's an old friend of mine," Alfred told Georgina and Mike sincerely before turning to Ludwig. "I hope you don't mind fast food Ludwig; I only have half an hour to eat. Do you guys want anything while I'm out with Ludwig?" Georgina jumped up and down excitedly.

"I want a Big Mac!" Georgina shouted.

"I'll just have an Oreo McFlurry." Mike said much more calmly than Georgina. Alfred nodded at his two coworkers and turned to Ludwig.

"Shall we get going?" Alfred asked Ludwig. Ludwig nodded his consent and the two left the clinic together. Georgina turned to Mike immediately.

"Did you SEE that guy! ?" Georgina demanded angrily. Mike nodded, a concerned expression on his face. "He looked like a damn thug! There's no way that guy is good news!"

"Maybe we shouldn't judge by appearances Gina...I mean Lior does seem to know him well enough to go off somewhere alone with him..." Mike said uncertainly.

"Mike, you know that Lior is nice to everyone. We have to look out for him or he'll really get himself into trouble!" Georgina complained, worry thick in her voice. Mike sighed but nodded in agreement.

"We should tell Mallory." Georgina decided running off to find the other doctor. Mike opened his mouth and stood quickly to say something, but Georgina was already gone.

Alfred sat in the back of McDonald's with Ludwig, eating a few Big Mac's and waiting for Ludwig to tell him why he suddenly felt the urge to sit and have lunch with him.

"What did you need to know?" Alfred asked easily with a kind smile.

"I am simply curious. Why did you choose to become a pacifist?" Ludwig asked sincerely curious. Alfred chewed thoughtfully on his cheeseburger for a while before swallowing and speaking up.

"When I was still a colony I had a friend...They were human and I understood that they would die long before I would, I understood that. But my friend...Raynard...He was protecting me and he...He got hurt very badly and...I watched him die in agony...I just...I felt so helpless watching him writhe in pain like that and I wished I could have stopped his pain but I didn't know how to help him. Raynard died and I fell into a depression...One of the servants that I was always left with brought me to a doctor, believing I was ill and I told the doctor about what had happened. They asked me if I wanted to learn how to save lives. I became apprenticed to that doctor and he taught me how to save people...I just wanted to save people..." Alfred told him honestly, eyes shining with unshed tears. Ludwig nodded in understanding, eating his fries thoughtfully.

"I can understand your wish to save others...However you must have understood that you cannot save everyone." Ludwig replied gently.

"I know that I do. But I want to at least try to save as many people as I can." Alfred told him eyes shining with a determined light. Ludwig studied him for a moment before nodding.

"That is noble of you," He said softly. Alfred smiled softly and shrugged.

"So I have been told."

TBC...

Yami Ryo: Special thanks to my beta akuoni!