Chapter 5: True Love's Kiss

In which…well, I guess you know what happens next.

~o~

Lovino had been taking a nap when somebody knocked on the door. "Coming!" he shouted, annoyed that his sleep had been disturbed.

When he opened the door, a beautiful woman stood before him. She looked somewhat familiar, but Lovino's mind was too occupied to be noticing it.

"Ciao bella!" he said, sounding a lot more charming than usually the case, and completely forgetting the fact he was wearing a dress.

"Oh, stop it! I'm selling tomatoes, would you like some?" the woman asked innocently, batting her green eyes up at him.

It was official, Lovino was having an excellent day.

"I would like that very much! In fact, give me all of them!" the Italian kept grinning like an idiot. The woman happily handed over her basket to him.

"And this one is on the house." She handed him a perfect-looking tomato; big, round and a deep-red. Lovino's eyes went big as he examined the beauty in his hands.

"Thank you miss! In fact, would you like to come in for a drink? I just can't accept this gift without something in return!"

The woman shook her head and smiled.

"No need at all! I just ask of you to take a bite out of it, see if it tastes as good as it looks like."

Lovino couldn't say no to that offer. It was almost a shame to eat this perfect specimen, but refusing would be rude to the lady. So he opened his mouth and took a big bite out of the juicy flesh. "Delicious!" he wanted to say, but something got stuck in his throat. His eyes went wide with fear as he started choking.

"How is it dear?" the woman asked, an evil grin playing around her lips.

Lovino fell to his knees, hands over his throat. He soon lost consciousness, the tomato rolling over the floor.

Feliks in disguise laughed. "That's what you get for trying to take my throne!"

After this, he started heading back to the castle, a skip in his step. "I did it! Oh magic mirror, I'm coming home!" he said in a sing-song voice.

~o~

Upon arriving at the castle, a surprise awaited Feliks. Arthur, Toris and Elizabeta-in-the-mirror were all staring at him with quite an angry look. And then there was the most surprising thing of all. In front of them stood the Grandpa Rome.

"Roma, you're back!" Feliks cooed.

"…Who are you?" Rome asked confused, not recognizing him the way he looked now.

"That's your ex-husband!" Arthur whispered to him.

"Oh, so you're the one I'm supposed to be mad at right now?" he said, frowning.

"Mad?" Feliks asked innocently. Then he shook his head. "That aside, how come you're here? I thought you'd died, darling!"

"This guy over here brought me back for a little while," Rome said while pointing at Arthur. "He said something about you going after my grandson?"

Feliks paused, nervous sweat breaking out. Did they seriously tell on him? Not cool. Not only that, they'd made him sweat, and sweat was gross!

"I don't know what you're talk—"

"Silence!" Rome roared.

Feliks jumped. Rome didn't get angry easily, so this was serious.

"I'm sorry sir, but I just couldn't agree with your actions anymore," Elizabeta apologised quietly.

"When I heard who you were after, I knew who to call," Arthur added.

Toris said nothing. Even though he liked Lovino, he didn't want to betray his friend. Now, it was too late for regrets.

"You'll be punished for this!" Rome shouted.

"Kyaaaaaaaa!" Feliks shrieked.

~o~

The seven boys were astonished. Upon returning home, they had found the lifeless body of their guest. Not only was it unexpected, it was also unbelievable. Why? How? When? They had no answers. Feliciano and Kiku cried, the Japanese showing his feelings for the first time, Ivan for once didn't smile, Gilbert and Alfred went silent, and Francis just stood there blinking, not being able to comprehend.

"I think we should bury her," Matthew said, and for once they knew exactly who he was.

~o~

Antonio was exploring the forest. He had remembered seeing sunflowers in the middle of the forest on one of his expeditions, and had decided to go pick some for his lovely Lovino. He plucked the strings of his guitar, and tried to hum the song Lovino had sung the other time. Suddenly, he heard a noise. It sounded like…someone was crying.

The Spaniard entered the open space in the forest where the seven lived. He ignored the house and went around it, heading straight towards the crying. He arrived upon what looked like a burial. Seven children where gathered around a glass coffin, paying their last respects. Antonio slipped of the bull and quietly walked over to them, so as not to disturb them. It was then that he saw just who they were burying.

"No…" he whispered.

It couldn't be true. Ivan noticed his presence, but said nothing as Antonio walked over to the coffin.

"It's not true…"

The children stepped aside to let him through. It was clear he knew their guest, maybe more than they did.

"Lovino?" Antonio asked in a tiny voice.

Kiku laid a hand on his arm. The brunette looked down into his eyes.

"Gomenasai," Kiku said to him.

Antonio didn't answer. He was on the verge of crying. This was not real. It was just a dream or something. But as he looked at Kiku and felt the little hand on his elbow, his heart knew the truth.

"Can I…" he began, voice thick with tears. He swallowed and started over. "Can I kiss him? As a goodbye?"

The kids didn't exactly know who this "he" was, but they didn't want to argue with this stranger who clearly cared about Lovino.

"Go ahead," Matthew told him.

Antonio bent over the coffin and took off the lid. He looked at the face of the man he had loved for only a little over two days. But it was more than enough for his heart to feel like breaking.

Lovino looked so peaceful right now. Careful, as not to disturb his eternal slumber, Antonio brought his face closer to the man beneath him. He softly placed his lips upon the other's, forever etching the feeling of the touch into his memories. He sighed as he let go, tears spilling out of his eyes by now. He stood back up and tried to stop crying, but it was no use. One does not lose the love of his life on a daily basis.

The Spaniard was about to turn around and leave this place of sad memories, when he heard a soft sigh. Not believing his ears, he looked down. Colour was slowly returning to Lovino's face, and he took a shaky breath. Antonio stared at him, dumbfounded. Were his senses betraying him? Lovino slowly opened his eyes, revealing their brown loveliness. He looked up, furrowing his brow.

"…What are you doing here, you tomato bastard?" he asked, charming as ever.

"Lovino!" Antonio yelled at the top of his lungs, before bending over and roughly placing his lips upon the other's.

While the seven boys celebrated Lovino's return from the land of the dead, the Italian tried to push of his attacker.

"Can't breathe!" his muffled voice sounded, and Antonio quickly let go, only to be hit square in the face.

"What the fuck, did you just kiss me?!" Lovino shrieked, his face redder than the reddest tomato.

"I'm so happy you're alive!" Antonio shouted, ignoring the other's protests and pulling him in for a hug.

"Seriously, what are you talking about?" Lovino asked nervously, not sure if he should give in to the hug or be obstinate as always.

"You were dead!" Feliciano cried, relieved that Lovino was alive once again.

"That was awesome! How did you resurrect yourself?" Gilbert asked with glimmering eyes.

"You didn't see any ghosts down there, did you?" Alfred wanted to know, petrified by the possibility.

"C'est un miracle!" Francis exclaimed.

"Wonderful!" Ivan smiled.

"I'm glad to see that you are all right," Kiku said, bowing.

"Don't ever die again please!" Matthew shouted, being as loud as the others and nearly crushing his plushy.

"I…was dead?" Lovino asked.

"Yes, you were!" Antonio said, tears still rolling down his cheeks.

Lovino made a tsk-sound and ripped a piece of his dress. He leant forward and started cleaning the Spaniard's cheeks.

"What are you doing?" Antonio asked, blushing.

"What does it look like?" Lovino grumbled.

Antonio grinned widely, and Lovino felt his heart skip a beat. The smile was just as beautiful as he'd remembered. While his eyes were occupied, he didn't notice Antonio getting closer. Only when their noses where about to touch, did the Italian perceive the change in distance. He blinked several times, face heating up even more (if that was even possible).

"I love you," Antonio whispered, before pulling the other in for another kiss.

And this time, Lovino didn't fight back.