"Just exactly how long are you going to keep me waiting, Kohler?"

Mathias gritted his teeth and made his face as blank as possible. "Sir, I just need more time-"

"More time?" The boss let out a loud, mirthless laugh. "Well unfortunately for you Kohler, time is a luxury you can't afford now."

Mathias' gulped and clenched his hands into fists at his side. "Sir, may I just ask, why the rush in getting the answers from Lu-" He bit his lip. He almost said it. He almost said his name. "The spy?" He quickly added.

The boss twitched a little but paused before replying, "Are you really that dumb, Kohler? Is it not obvious to you?" Mathias cringed at the stinging words but did not reply.

"We need the information that this spy has to offer because time itself is slipping away." The boss said. "And while time is running like water through our fingers, the Nordics are getting stronger." The boss' hand appeared on the chair's armrest. "They're planning something in that base of theirs. I just know it. And that is the reason why we need this information as soon as possible! Do you realize it now, Kohler?"

Mathias shifted his weight from foot to foot. "Kind of, sir..."

The boss scoffed. "Kind of. That is not an answer, Kohler. The importance of extracting information from the spy is to find out what exactly the Nordics are planning and to strike before they can put that plan to action. Act before they do. Do you understand, Kohler?"

Mathias set his mouth in a straight line. "Yes, sir."

"By using this information against them, we could save a lot of time. Save a lot of lives." He paused, "Do you see now the importance of this assignment I gave you, Kohler?"

"Yes, sir..."

the silence that followed was so long and heavy that Mathias could practically feel the weight of it on his shoulders. Finally, the boss said, "You better. Now, get back to work. And I don't want to see your face in here until you've got the information that I want, clear?"

"Yes, sir." Mathias bowed stiffly then quickly left without a word. The moment he was out, his tense shoulders relaxed and he lost his stiffness. However, a hand suddenly clamped on his shoulder and a voice said, "Still haven't got the information? What, have you been procrastinating?"

The Dane scowled at the German smirking at him. He brushed off Gilbert's hand from his shoulder. "You know, it's rude to eavesdrop on other people's conversations."

Gilbert's smirk widened. "Oh I wasn't eavesdropping. The boss allowed me to listen in." Mathias could feel a retort forming on his tongue but he suppressed it. Instead, he frowned then shrugged and turned around to leave. Now really wasn't the time to pick a fight with Gilbert. But just as he turned, he bumped into someone standing right behind him. Someone wearing a navy blue military uniform. Someone much taller than him.

Mathias blinked and quickly jumped back, realizing with a skipped heartbeat who he had just bumped into.

The man who stood in front of him had dark blond hair and cold blue eyes. A frown so deep that it could have looked like he was born with it was on his face and it was almost scary.

"W'tch wh're y're g'ing." He muttered with a thick accent Mathias couldn't quite place.

"B-Berwald..." Mathias said, tensing up again. He laughed nervously. "H-hey, welcome back, buddy! I-I didn't know you arrived from...wherever you went to." The Dane chuckled nervously again and scratched the back of his neck. Berwald stared coldly back at him before saying, "W'tch y'rself." Mathias blinked at him. "Huh...?" But the Swede had already strode past him and had entered the boss' office without even knocking.

Gilbert smirked. "You better get going back to work, Kohler. Don't want the big nasty boss scolding you again, right?"

Mathias scowled at him. "Shut up, Beilschmidt." He turned and walked off. Not toward the dungeon.

But towards the large double doors that led outside the camp.

Emil slung his bag over his shoulder and looked at himself in the mirror.

With the cloak and the gray clothes, he was sure to not draw too much attention to himself, as was his objective. He sighed and fiddled with the flap of his bag. He felt both nervous and excited about this.

Nervous because of what might happen when Tino or the boss found out that he was gone. Much more when they found out where he had gone. Emil couldn't even begin to imagine what they'd say, or what they'd do.

And excited because he was going to do this for his brother. He was going out there to rescue his brother. No one else was going to do it anyway, so why not him?

Sighing again, he slowly made for the door, feeling a slight heaviness in his heart. He then realized that the heaviness was because he was thinking of Kaoru. That boy...who knows what he was going to do when he finds out where Emil had gone.

His hand on the doorknob, Emil began to rethink his decision. Doing rash things like this wasn't going to go unpunished. The boss sure as hell wouldn't be happy about this and neither will anybody who was with the boss. But Emil could find no other way to rescue his brother.

Sighing again, Emil walked back to his bunk and rummaged under his bed before pulling out a small box. Opening it, he searched inside until he found a small pad of paper and a pen. Squinting so he could see what he was writing in the dark, he sat there scribbling a note. Finally, he folded up the paper and placed it on top of his pillow.

He looked around at the shadowy sleeping forms of the other recruits. They were so ignorant. So unaware of what awaited them when they would finally make it to the battlefield. The others always talked excitedly about the time when they would finally be allowed to fight for real. They would boast and even make bets on how many enemies they'd kill and were overall, quite enthusiastic and confident about everything.

But they didn't know.

They had no idea of the horrors that awaited them on the battlefield. Had absolutely no idea how it felt like to stand there surrounded by enemy soldiers and watching your other comrades die.

You never truly can know pain until you experience it.

Emil walked slowly and soundlessly to the door. He turned the knob and it swung open. The sounds of crickets chirping met his ears and a cool night breeze blew in. He looked up at the midnight sky and at the large pearly moon hanging high in the sky.

Then before he could regret it, he stepped out of the dorm and closed the door behind him.

Short update before I go to sleep ^^

I'm really sorry if this chapter sounds rushed or too fast and I'm sorry if I don't update that fast D:! But anyways, review please :3

~Anon~