I'm so sorry for not updating in a while! One of my New Year's resolutions was actually to update more, so I'll try harder to do that next time. :) Anyways, I hope this new chapter will make up for the long wait!

Russia's skin burned as if it was going to peel off, tingling and itching uncontrollably. His stomach heaved with nausea, and the woozy Russian felt sick every time he tried to move. His barely conscious mind, fogged with pain, could only focus on one thing: his grip on Lithuania's ankle.

Lithuania was the only thing keeping Russia from losing his sanity. The trembling nation was his anchor, his only comfort in this horrible torture, and Russia was never going to let this comfort go away, no matter what.

Pain shot through his outstretched arm, and the Russian screeched in agony. When will the pain stop? What did I ever do to deserve this? Tears pooled in his eyes and instantly irritated the burnt skin on his face, feeling as if Russia was being scorched over and over. He tightened his grip on Lithuania's ankle, trying not to cry. Even crying, which was usually a comfort, would hurt him.

Russia could do nothing but stare straight ahead, but even that was uncomfortable. His eyes wouldn't focus, so when two figures approached, they just looked like big blurs. Who were they? Would they help him? When the figures got closer, Russia could see that one was wearing a blue uniform and the other was wearing red.

The boy in red spoke with a trembling voice that sounded distant and echoey. "L-lithuania? A-are you okay?"

Russia's eyes widened. Lithuania? Why would that boy want to help Lithuania instead of me? The boy stepped closer, and Russia could see that he was one of his Baltics, Latvia.

A spasm of pain went through Russia's back and he yelled, eyes bulging. He involuntarily pulled Lithuania's leg closer to him. Lithuania stiffened and yelped, but Russia didn't notice. Lithuania doesn't need any help. He's helping me right now.

Now the other figure - Estonia, Russia deduced, even though he looked like just a smear of blue, warily approached the two nations. "Pask," Estonia muttered, voice distant and faint just like Latvia's was. Was there something wrong with Russia's ears?

The Estonian spoke again, voice quavering. "L-lithuania, what...what's Russia doing to you?" The blurry figure that was Latvia hid behind Estonia's legs.

Lithuania took a deep breath to speak. But by now, Russia had it all figured out. They want to take my Litva away from me!

He had to stop them. If Lithuania went away, no one would be there for him - he would be left to suffer alone!

Russia lifted up an arm. Hurts...so much pain...He could smell his own burnt skin. He retched and gagged, holding his breath so not to breathe in his own stench. With his whole body quivering with the effort, Russia reached for Lithuania's long hair that was within his reach, just...barely…

His fingers closed around the soft strands of Lithuania's hair, and he pulled hard until Lithuania's ear was at his mouth level...that is, nearly all the way down to the floor. Completely disregarding the frightened look on the Baltic nation's face, he whispered the only words that he knew would let him have his Litva all to himself.

"If Estonia and Latvia don't go away, I will kill you along with them."

Latvia had never been more exhausted in his life. He wasn't one for stressful situations, and the events of this evening had definitely taken a toll on his body. Any adrenaline that he had had earlier had worn off long ago, and Latvia now saw everything through a sleepy haze.

Blearily, Latvia followed Estonia over to where Russia was lying. For a moment, all he could see was Russia's injuries, which were worse than anything the Latvian had ever seen before. He felt sick.

Russia was barely moving, and his eyes were glazed and brimming with tears. Latvia suddenly felt a strange heaviness in his chest - sadness? Did he...feel sympathy for Russia?

No, Latvia reproached himself. Why would I ever feel bad for Russia? He was probably just tired.

Latvia looked over at Lithuania, forcing himself to ignore the Russian lying on the floor, but he definitely wasn't expecting Lithuania to look how he did. The Lithuanian looked, in a word, horrible. There was a stain on his shirt like he had vomited on himself, and he was shaking even more violently than Latvia ever had. Russia's hand clenched around his ankle.

Latvia shivered. "L-lithuania? A-are you okay?"

Lithuania didn't answer. But Estonia, who was staring fixedly at the two nations, walked nearer to take a closer look. "Pask," he said, looking concerned.

On the floor, Russia's other arm trembled and began to move upwards. Latvia's eyelids felt heavy, and he blinked repeatedly. Don't fall asleep, stay awake!

Estonia's face was drawn. He fiddled with his glasses. "L-lithuania, what...what's Russia doing to you?"

Russia looked panicked and furious, half-conscious as he was. His arm began to rise faster towards Lithuania's hair.

Oh no, oh no, oh no! Worst-case scenarios raced through Latvia's mind. He freaked out and ran to hide behind Estonia, shivering and shaking. What was Russia going to do?

Both Estonia and Latvia watched in stunned silence as Russia pulled Lithuania's head nearly all the way down to the floor. He murmured what sounded like threatening words into Lithuania's ear, and Lithuania's jaw dropped in shock.

Then, Lithuania straightened up and forced a smile onto his face. "I...just g-go away. I'm f-fine," he stammered, waving the Baltics away. Russia looked pleased.

Estonia narrowed his eyes. "D-damn, Lithuania, we all can see you're not f-fine!"

Lithuania's face was pale. "I-I am. Just...g-go." He knelt down and pretended to inspect the blisters on Russia's arm, but Latvia could see him trembling. Tears ran down the Lithuanian's face.

"L-lithuania-" Latvia began, but Estonia put an arm on his shoulder and steered him away.

"C-come on, Latvia, let's-" he hesitated. "Let's e-eat."

I know this is a really short chapter, but I just wanted to post this so you didn't have to wait any longer for me to update. :) Hopefully I'll be able to update again a lot faster, but I'm also writing another multi-chapter story, so I'm going to alternate between the two.

Translations:

Litva: Lithuania (Russian).

Pask: Sh*t (Estonian)

I hope everyone had a great New Year's, and reviews, follows, and favorites are greatly appreciated!