"Are you sure you're okay? I mean I'm glad you're not holed up in your room anymore, but I didn't think you'd recover this quick." Romano's arms were crossed when he looked at me.
I had finally decided to come out of my room. Even better, I was actually planning to leave the house. I tried my best to look as normal as possible so that Romano didn't have to worry about me anymore.
"I'm not completely over it," I admitted. "I don't think I ever will, but I just want to pay Austria a visit. Hungary's probably with him, so I want to thank her properly for coming over."
"All right…just be careful, okay? I don't want you to do anything stupid," he said.
I went over and kissed my fratello on his cheeks. He didn't like it when I did this, but he didn't want to reject me today. He just put a pout on his face.
The sun was shining brightly, but I didn't notice. The daisies were in bloom, but I didn't care. The pasta I ate this morning had no taste. All I thought about was putting one foot in front of the next all the way to Austria's house.
"Italy? I'm so happy! Did you come to visit me?" Hungary was the one to open the door. As I thought, she was at Austria's house. I posted a fake smile on my face and nodded.
"Well, come in! I'll make a snack for us! Be sure to tell Austria you're here!" She invited me into the house and made her way to the kitchen.
I found Austria sitting at the piano where he usual was. His song was a bit sadder than usual. A sadder nocturne than what he usually played. I stopped and listened by the doorway for a bit. Austria must have been suffering like me as well. He didn't move or say anything to acknowledge me being here, but I'm positive he knew. He was completely lost in his own way of mourning.
I tried my best not to disturb him as I slipped into the hallway. I made my way to a room I was all to familiar with. This was the room Austria would lock me in whenever I had done something bad. I probably knew it better than anyone.
I crouched over by the corner. It had been years since I had been in here, but it was exactly the same. I removed the panel. Holy Rome helped me find a way from here. We wanted to be together every waking moment. He was part of the reason I got into trouble so often. We had worked together to make a tunnel through the walls so I could go outside and be with him. It was god to know it was still there.
We hadn't made it very big, so it was a bit of a tight fit. I hadn't been eating very much, so I managed to squeeze through.
I would have to be quick. Hungary would be looking for me any minute now. I unstrapped the cold metal from my leg to make it easier to run.
I hid behind the bushes. I had Austria in my sights. The window in the piano room exposed him. I took a deep breath. I still had a chance to back out of this. Did I really want to do this? I thought of my brother. I wanted him to be happy, didn't I? I could do this. If it was for Romano, I could do this. I gripped the biting metal in my hands. I lined it up, aiming for Austria's head.
Mr. Austria finished up the song he was playing. He had been suffering so much after the loss of Germany. It wasn't hard to see why. It's always hard to lose a family member. I think Germany had reminded him of Holy Roman Empire a bit.
"Mr. Austria, Italy came to visit us. Would you like to join us for a snack?" I had the tray with the tea balanced carefully in my hands. I had prepared an assortment of cookies and cheeses as well. Quite a few of them were Mr. Austria's favorites.
He turned to me. "I suppose I will join you," he said as composed as ever. I wondered what he really was feeling inside. I had been with him so long that I could tell that his peaceful appearance was strained by the sadness inside.
The peace was interrupted by the sound of a gun shot. The window crashed, and the glass flew everywhere. At the time I thought of how troublesome that would be to clean up.
I dropped the tray I was holding. Fragments of china mingled with the glass. My shoes became damp from the hot tea. I didn't care. It didn't matter anymore.
Austria was slumped over the piano that he loved so much. Red blood stained the ebony and ivory keys. I didn't want to believe what was a happening. I looked out to where the window was supposed to be. I couldn't see anything.
My feet carried me to Austria's side. Maybe, I wouldn't be to late. I was probably assuming the worst. Austria would be fine.
However, my fears were confirmed. Through all the matted blood on his head, I could see one neat hole on the side.
I let out a scream. Austria's precious blood was pooling onto the floor. I held hid head close to my chest. The blood was ruining my dress. I wanted to throw up. Why? Who would want to do this to Mr. Austria? I loved him. I loved him so much.
"Hungary? What the matter? I heard something weird." I could hear Italy's voice from the hallway.
"NO! Italy, don't come in here!" I screamed, but it was too late. Italy was frozen at the doorway. His eyes were wide as he tried to assess the situation. He had been doing so much better. I didn't want him to see something like that. His face was just wide and expressionless. His face became whiter, and he fell to his knees. I let go of Austria and went over to Italy. I wrapped my arms around him as I joined him on the floor. The blood on my clothes stained his.
"We'll be alright," I tried to convince myself. "We'll be fine."