Haha.. Sorry for taking so long to update, I'm surprisingly busy, not that I'm complaining, as in its fun to have something to do. Anyway, I'm sorry for taking so long, but here's the next chapter ^.^
Ali-Kun: hmm, true but I have something… special planned for our countries hm?
Hetalia Kirkland: I know that feel bro, I get easily excited too
Hurricaneclaw: yay for non-hatred! ^.^
Kiku shook his head mournfully as the capital emblem disappeared from the sky. Feliciano was asking Ludwig why Natalia's face had shown up in the sky. Ludwig looked down at the worried Italian.
"It's nothing to concern yourself about, go to sleep," Ludwig got up, and walked over to Vash and Erika.
Feliciano sniffled, but stayed where he was. Kiku watched Ludwig discuss something in an undertone to Vash, Vash looked worried, but kept his cool in order to support his sister.
Erika was crying silently, tears rolling from her eyes. Vash turned away from Ludwig and stroked his sister's hair comfortingly. Ludwig sensed the mood, and left Vash to comfort his sister. Kiku visibly flinched as he moved to sit next to him. Ludwig sighed.
"Vat's up with you? You've been avoiding me since the day of the reaping," he asked. Kiku looked away, not wanting to talk. Ludwig tapped Kiku on the shoulder trying to get his attention. Kiku startled and jumped to his feet, raising his arms into a defensive position.
"D-don't touch me," Kiku stuttered, slowly lowering his hands. Ludwig blinked in surprise as Kiku stalked off to find a place to rest. Vash and Erika stared after him, then at Ludwig, who shrugged.
Kiku leaned against a tree, keeping the others just in sight. He slid down the tree until he was sitting. He wiped a hand across his face to find that he was sweating. He shivered and hugged his knees. He knew the others were watching him, but he didn't care. He shook his head, it was impolite to walk out during a conversation, but he was scared. He wanted to trust this man who called himself Ludwig, he wanted to talk to him, tell him how much he missed both Ludwig and Feliciano, but he couldn't.
Ludwig is dead… he reminded himself, the man sitting with the others couldn't be the real Ludwig, there was no way. But he was Ludwig; he had his face, his hair, his eyes, even his personality.
Ludwig is dead. He told himself forcefully. Kiku stared at the trees around him; it was so different here to his home. He caught sight of a bird; it looked a bit like a jay. He sighed mournfully, he missed home.
"Veh~ Kiku!" Feliciano plonked down besides Kiku, who startled slightly.
"Oh, hello Feliciano," he murmured, looking at the cheerful Italian, he hadn't changed.
"Ludwig isn't telling me something so I decided to ask you," Kiku blinked, had Feliciano discovered something about Ludwig?
"Why did Natalia's face show up in the sky?" Kiku stiffened and looked away, "I mean, that's where they show the faces of the tributes who have died right?"
Kiku looked at Feliciano, his silence answering the question. Feliciano blinked, then began to cry.
"B-but that can't be she's a…" Feliciano bawled, Kiku blinked back tears. It was true, he and Natalia never really spoke, and judging from Ivan's reaction every time she showed up at a world conference, Kiku guessed that was probably a good thing. But she was like him, like Feliciano, like all his friends, she hadn't deserved to die.
"I want to go home," sobbed Feliciano, "I want to go home and eat pasta, and talk to the pretty girls; I don't want to die here."
Kiku looked mournfully at his friend.
"I promise you won't die," he said firmly, "Ludwig…." Kiku took a deep breath.
"Ludwig and I will protect you, I promise."
Feliciano looked up hopefully.
"R-really, you mean it?" he asked.
"Yes," Feliciano smiled and hugged Kiku, much to the older man's discomfort.
"Thank you Kiku," Feliciano got up and walked back towards the others, and after a moment's hesitation, Kiku followed.
As Kiku lay down, he caught Ludwig looking at him. Kiku nodded, and rolled over. He was going to find out the truth.
########
Lovino glared as Elizabeth and Irunya vanished into the woods. Both he and Antonio were guarding the cornucopia. Elizabeth had taken Irunya to search for water. Antonio was still too weak to be of much help, so he merely watched the entrance to the cornucopia. Gilbert was still unconscious from his scuffle with Ivan. Ivan was also unconscious, weak and delirious from the tracker jacker stings which had cost his sister her life.
Lovino stared out into the woods and though about his brother.
He's probably with that potato bastard.
Lovino pouted, they had run off before Lovino had gotten a chance to ask Feliciano to join him.
"Lovino, Ivan's waking up," Antonio called from the cornucopia, Lovino muttered under his breath and began to head over to where Antonio was watching their Russian prisoner.
Ivan's violet eyes slowly blinked open; he stared confusedly at his surroundings, then at Antonio. Antonio glanced at Lovino nervously,
"Romano why are you here?" Lovino blinked when he realised Ivan had called him by his real name.
"And you too, why are you here Sp.."
"I- I'm supposed to be watching you." Lovino cut him off, his name could pass as a middle name, but Antonio's? Not so easy.
"Why are you watching me? Did I do something wrong, da?" Ivan furrowed brow and thought for a moment, then realization hit him.
"Where are my sisters? Irunya, Natalia?" He asked, panicked.
Antonio and Lovino exchanged a sad glance.
"Irunya is collecting water with Elizabeth," Antonio began, avoiding eye contact with Ivan.
"And Natalia?"
There was silence. Ivan waited impatiently for an answer.
"N-Natalia is…" began Antonio, "dead."
The silence seemed to echo Antonio's words.
'Dead, dead, dead'
Lovino looked sadly at the ground; Antonio glanced at the exit of the Cornucopia, and Ivan?
Ivan sat, staring at his feet with cold violet eyes. His childish face betrayed no emotion, but the sadness and anger emanated from him.
"I'm going to go back outside and guard the cornucopia," Lovino finally decided. Antonio nodded glumly.
"It was Panem," Ivan's voice stopped Lovino in his tracks, and he shivered.
"It was Panem who killed my sister," Lovino turned slowly, every part of his body cold with fear.
In his slumber, Gilbert shivered. Antonio dragged himself slowly away from the enraged Russian.
"Panem, killed her, this country killed her…." Ivan looked up with tired eyes, the terrifying aura emanating from him disappearing for the first time since Lovino had met him. He was no longer the powerful and terrifying creature he had always seemed to be. He was just a normal person, grief and guilt coursing through every fibre of his being. Then it was back, his power, his fear inducing aura now so strong that even Ludwig would have trembled before him.
"Panem is going to die," His voice was low and ominous, "I will tear this nation down piece by piece, even if it kills me."
Lovino backed up, desperately wanting to run away, but he couldn't, his body wouldn't respond.
"Panem will fall by my hands, PANEM WILL FALL"
Lovino snapped and ran, leaving the terrible sound far behind him; he disappeared off into the woods.
Kolkolkolkolkolkolkol
########
"veh~ Ludwig I'm thirsty, when can I get something to drink?" Feliciano whined, tugging on Ludwig's sleeve. Ludwig sighed and shook his head.
"We don't have any vater now, so you're going to have to vait." He replied bluntly, much to Feliciano's dismay.
"B-but if there's no water, how can I make pasta?" Feliciano began to cry and Ludwig started to get irritated.
"You blödel! Stop crying, it's a waste!" he yelled, causing Feliciano to cry even more.
"Sometimes, I wonder vhy I bother," Ludwig muttered to himself.
"Mister Ludwig," Erika called out, "Big bruder and Kiku are back."
Vash approached Ludwig.
"We haven't been able to find any water in the general vicinity, we're going to have to search further." he reported.
"Damn," Ludwig cursed, he had been hoping that they wouldn't have to move from this position. The forest here was dense, protecting them from the elements and any other tributes that wished them harm.
"If we're going to move, we'd better do it now, there is still plenty of daylight left," stated Vash, glancing up at the sky to check on the sun's position.
Ludwig nodded in agreement. He grabbed the two packs which contained the group's only supplies.
"Kiku, you go point, Vash and I will take the flanks, and Feliciano and Erika will walk in between us." Ludwig announced. Kiku narrowed his eyes briefly, but nodded, obviously uneasy about trusting Ludwig with his back. Ludwig shook his head and took up position beside Feliciano.
"Ve are going to cover fourteen kilometres in ground today, so keep up a good pace, or you will be left behind," Ludwig informed the group, "now, walk."
They all took off at a brisk pace, even Feliciano, excited at the prospect of food if they reached a lake. Ludwig felt a cold chill run down his spine, and he couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was about to happen. He glanced over at Feliciano, who was surprisingly keeping pace with the rest of the group. Kiku kept looking back over his shoulder at Ludwig, and Ludwig knew that Kiku still didn't trust him. There was a cry up ahead, and Ludwig paused, then slowly pulled out a knife from his pocket, Vash did the same. The cry sounded again, louder this time. Feliciano paled.
"I-it's Lovino," he stuttered. Ludwig's eyes widened in understanding.
"Kiku, guard Feliciano and Erika, Vash come with me, quickly!" he shouted, taking off in the direction of the cry.
A furry mass was hunched over a motionless figure on the ground. Ludwig hadn't heard a cannon fire, so he knew there was still hope. He launched himself at the beast, which grunted in surprise. Vash ran in, and stabbed the creature in the leg. It howled it pain, and lunged at Vash, knocking him to the ground. Ludwig threw his knife, and it hit the creature in the back. It snarled, and Vash took advantage of its confusion, stabbing it in the neck. It fell to the ground, dead. As soon as Ludwig saw it was dead, he ran over to Lovino.
He was a mess, long claw marks covered his body and his arm was bent at a sickening angle. Lovino stared up at Ludwig, eyes clouded with pain.
"F-feliciano…" he murmured, Ludwig understood.
"Feliciano, c-come here," Ludwig called, Feliciano came bounding through the trees, when he saw his brother on the ground he faltered.
"Lovino!" Feliciano rushed to his brother's side, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Damn… this fucking hurts…" mumbled Lovino when Feliciano kneeled down.
"Brother… Romano…" cried Feliciano.
"Don't, cry brother, this isn't… the last time you'll see me…" Feliciano blinked, confused.
Lovino managed a weak smile.
"I think… I finally understand," Lovino continued, though it obviously hurt for him to do so, "what it means to have… my people backing me…. Wanting me to live…" Lovino's breathing was unsteady, he coughed.
"B-brother please," said Feliciano.
"N-no I have to go now…" said Lovino, looking into his brothers eyes. He gave him a sly smile, "but I'll be back…"
Lovino's eyes closed, and his breathing stopped.
It took three seconds for the cannon to fire. Three seconds until Feliciano realised he held his brother's dead body in his arms.
"Lovino… no.." Feliciano's tears dripped onto Lovino's face, "not Lovino…"
Feliciano burst into tears.
"ROMANO!"
Nooo Romano! I feel like you guys are going to kill me, but this part has important plotness that does stuff that makes stuff happen, that makes a story. Anyway, please don't kill me!
Blödel: idiot, or something along those lines(german)