Lookie guys I'm back! Sorry for the really long wait. This chapter gave me a hard time and then there was life...Not exactly an excuse, but ya...So here ya go!

"If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together... there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart... I'll always be with you."

~ A.A. Milne (Winnie the Pooh)

The room was silent. No one moved. No one made any attempt to speak. Germany knew this would happen. It was the only outcome he could think of happening. After all, he did just tell the people closest to him that he was the same nation that they knew all those years ago, that they thought dead. Yet here he was. Alive. Very much alive. He sighed.

"I know dis is hard do believe, bud id is de druth." That was all it took. The room seemed to burst to life. Everyone talking all at once. Shouting, crying, it was a mass of voices. Germany eye twitched in irritation. This was not going to help Italy. "Shud up!" The room fell quiet. Germany too in a breath to calm himself.

"Why bring this up now?" Blue eyes locked on to Romano, who had been freed from his Spanish prison in the commotion. "Why bring this up!? What good does it do us!?" Romano was quiet for a moment. His head slowly rose up, fire glowing bright in his eyes. "You. You're the reason he's like this! You're the reason!" Romano lunged at Germany. Spain stood to shocked to move as the feisty Italian punched Germany in the jaw, seething in anger.

Germany made no attempt to dodge or block the blow. He just stood and took it, believing with every cell of his body that he deserved it. That Romano was right. He was the reason. He felt it in his heart.

"Ja." Germany's voice cracked with that one word. Romano looked up at him, angry tears gathering in his eyes. " I am de reason. I broke a promise." Sky blue eyes, full of fear, guilt, and sorrow locked onto hazel ones. "I know I am. Bud I also know dat I may be de only one who can fix dis." Germany took a small breath. "Bitte Romano. Led me fix vhat I have broken."

Romano stood there quietly searching every bit of Germany's eyes for any trace of lies, deceit. He found none. Not that he expected it. Germany cared about Italy. He knew this already. But if Germany was really Holy Rome, well then, there wasn't a doubt in his mind that the man before him cared for his brother. Heck, loved is probably the better word.

South Italy huffed and took a step back. "Fine. I'll let you try." He pointed a finger at the taller man. "But if you screw it up, I'm going to be the one you have to worry about. Got it, Potato Bastard?" Germany couldn't help but smile.
"Ja. I god id." Romano just huffed and returned to Spain's side.

Prussia grinned. "So, Vest." Germany turned to him. "Before ve ged side dracked vith de whole you being Holy Rome ding. Ve may vant do see aboud a plan for Idaly." Leave to Prussia to be the mood breaker, but he did have a point.

"As much as I vould like do ask a few quesdions of Gilbert, bud, und I can'd believe I am saying dis, ve do need do come up vith a plan." All eyes moved over to Austria. Prussia snickered at the Austrian's obvious discomfort with what he just said. Germany just nodded. He had spent the entire time on the drive here thinking of just that. Now it was time to get second opinions and put said plan into action. He only hopped that Italy was willing to listen.

~*~*Time Skip*~*~

The group stood outside Italy's home in Venice. That gotten there as fast as they could have, worry and hope fueling the each member of the odd little group. Germany stood looking up at the house. His best friend was in there. The same friend he had hurt far more than anyone could have possibly known. The blond haired man tentatively took a step forward, butterflies beginning their nervous flight inside his stomach. He could feel the presence of the others behind him. They would wait until he came back out to get them, but for now he was on his own.

As each step brought him closer to the house, a feeling of dread began to creep up his spine. Something was off. He stopped as the front door opened. Russia walked calmly out of the building, a small triumphant smile on his face. He looked at each person standing in the driveway, smiling wider as his violet eyes met with a certain brunette's.
"You vill be happy to know that you no longer need to vorry about that annoying brother of yous." Germany's heart began to beat faster as Russia's words sunk in. No. No. Italy was alright. He was alright. He was– BOOM!

Germany automatically raised a hand to cover his face as the explosions continued. His heart dropping at every one. His stomach turning to lead. He could hear Romano shouting out in Italian. He could hear Hungry's cries. Italy was in there. His Italy was in there. One foot found it way in front of the other. Then his other foot fallowed suit. Before anyone had the chance to notice Germany was running full speed into the raging fire.

"Italien! Italien!" He fought his way through collapsing room after room. "Damn it! Felicano! Feli!" Then he heard it. A small cough. A quiet cry of pain. To his left. Towards the study. Germany picked up the pace as he dodged flames and debris. "Hold on Feli! I'm coming!" He reached the door. He tried the door knob. It was locked. Ludwig nearly growled in frustration, before taking a step back and charging at the wooden annoyance keeping him from his Italy. The door busted from the frame, hanging limply on its hinges. Germany immediately searched the room for his precious friend. Finding him bleeding out on the floor behind the desk, several gun shot wounds to the chest.

"Feli! Feli!" Germany quickly knelt down and pulled Italy into his arms, tears beginning to blur his vision. "Id's going do be alrighd now." He brushed a few locks of auburn hair from Italy's rapidly paling face. "I came back. Italien, I came home." Hazey amber eyes looked up at him.

"Ludwig?" One of Italy's hands reached up and stroked his face. Germany gripped his best friends hand.

"Ja. Id's me. Italy, Feliciano, I'm so sorry. I made you vait for so long." Italy stared at him through half lidded eyes confused. What does he mean 'made you wait'? Germany never made him wait for anything. Germany looked away. "I have something to tell you Feli. Id's aboud someding dat Bruder dold me dis morning. Someding I ended up remembering." He paused. Not quite sure how to continue. "Id vas a girl. I remembered a girl. She vas young. Only a child. She vore a green maids uniform. She dold me dat ve vere allowed do spend de day playing dogether. She, she kept calling me," He paused again, voice breaking slightly."She kept calling me 'Santa Roma.' Over and over again." Germany felt Italy's hand clench into a fist. His eyes wide, tears slowly falling down his face.

"No. No!" Italy's voice cracked as he tried to pull his hand away from Germany.

"Bitte Italien. I never god do say dis do you, bud I'm going do say id do you now." Germany Leaned down so Italy could look him in the eyes. "No matter how many years pass, I like you most in the world." He whispered. His eyes locking with amber ones. Italy chocked back a sob and raised his other hand, uncleching his fist.

"Santa Roma..." He smiled. It was a real smile. Germany, chocked back a sob of his own. He had made his Italy smile again. Truly smile. "Santa Roma is Germany" His voice was so low that Germany could barely hear it. "You came home, but I didn't notice. I, I.." Tears flowed free from Italy's eyes.

Germany smiled at him. "Id's alrighd now. Id's going do be alrighd now. I'm going do ged you oud of here. Den ve can ead sveeds dogether. Okay?" Italy nodded, his smile not leaving his face.

Germany made quick work of picking his injured love up. Trying to be as careful as he could, though cries of pain still escaped Italy. Germany stood facing the door. The fire had all but closed that route out off. Germany gently laid Italy down on the desk. He needed to make another way out. He glanced behind him. The window was large and the study was on the first floor of the house. Grabbing the desk chair, Germany set to knocking as much glass out of the window as he could. He could just begin to hear the faint sounds of fire engines and the shouting of his brother and friends. Once he deemed the window safe to go through he picked Italy back up.

"I'm going to jump out of the vindow and get you to safety." Italy was very pale now. He had lost to much blood. Germany placed a foot on the window seal and pushed off of the floor with the other. He propelled them out of the window frame and land as gently as he could on the grass below. He didn't waste a moment before sprinting to where he had left the others.

As soon as he had reached the others he gently set Italy down and attempted to stop the bleeding. Every ounce of training running through his head and hands. Deep inside though, he knew it wasn't going to help. Feli had lost to much blood. Tears began to slide down his face as his attempts to save the person he loved failed.

"Nein! Feli! Nein!" Italy raised a shaky hand to brush the tears from his loves face. A peaceful, happy smile gracing his lips. Germany cried harder as the hand began to fall back to the ground. "Nein! Nein. Italy you can'd leave! I only jusd god you back!" But it was to late. The light in Italy's eyes had faded and taken the beating of his heart with it.

Prussia wanted to cry as well. He had just lost a friend, but his brother...Germany had on;y just gained something much more back only to lose it. The silver haired man knelt down next to his brother, pulling him into a hug, and letting the younger one cling to him as he cried. Romano had felt the moment Feliciano had passed. He felt the weight of being the representation of Italy. The only personification. He let his knees give out and fell to the ground. When Spain knelt down next to him, Romano hugged him, crying into his chest. Spain let his own tears fall as he tried to comfort Romano. Hungry had long since dropped her frying pan and had taken to sobbing into Austria's chest, as the aristocratic nation to let his tears fall. The world had lost a precious soul. A broken soul who had just gotten the chance to heal.

~*~*Time Skip, Several Days*~*~

The funeral had been nice. Austria played music. Many of the Nation who knew Italy chose to ignore the recent change they had witnessed and say something they had remembered about the bright, bubbly man they had known, for to the world, that had been the true Italy, even if Italy hadn't been able to see it.

When it was all over, only a handful of nations were left, but one by one they left until only a single nation remained. Germany knelt down in front of the grave. He placed a box of sweets in front of the headstone.

"Forgive me Feli. I should have saved you. Dis is all my fauld. But I vill do my besd do live how you vould have vanded me do. Ich leibe dich, Italien." Germany said, wiping some of his tears away. He stood and left, knowing that as long as he kept Italy's memory alive, his friend was never that far away.

Translations:

Bitte – Sorry (German)

Nein – No (German)

Ja – Yes (German)

Italien – Italy (German)

Santa Roma – Holy Roman (Italian)

Names:

You know them by now

Okay! SO there it is the last chapter of 'What Lies Beneath'! *cowers behind large overturned table* Please don't kill me! There will either be an epilogue or a squeal not quite sure yet on which...But ya, no kills! *still hiding*