It was Wednesday when the short but blissful period of normalcy of Antonio's life was disturbed once again. The afternoon sun hung in the sky, bright and cheerful, as Antonio walked down the avenue where it had all begun at the close of the school day. Along the sides of the avenue, the branches of the cherry trees were now radiant shades of green as the budding leaves began to shyly emerge, and all that remained of the blossom of the month before were a few scattered petals across the flagstones.

Gilbert was by his side and the two were in lighthearted conversation about something Gilbert had discovered on the Internet the previous evening and had decided to blog about. It wasn't of any particular importance – Gilbert's interests rarely were – but Antonio relished the exchange; a diversion from thinking how different it was from how things had been on that black day. Now things were more or less back to how they should be, and for this, he was grateful. He wasn't entirely sure as to why he was so reflective today, as he walked down this avenue at least twice every day and it had never had this effect before, but there was something about the atmosphere today that just reminded him of Lovino, which in turn drew him into thinking about the Italian's last day here. His last few minutes, walking down past his classmates, without knowing that only short while separated him from the blue monstrosity that was-

"Toni!" Gilbert's hand appeared in front of his face and Antonio jumped, not realising until that moment that he'd been zoned out again. "You missed a load of my awesome commentary! I asked if you thought I should start updating my awesome blog more often than bi-weekly, and you totally blocked me! Not cool, bro."

Antonio laughed sheepishly. "Sorry, Gil. Didn't mean to."

"What's all up in your face anyways?" Gilbert asked, shrugging his bag back up his shoulders from where it had slipped and giving Antonio a quizzical look.

"Nothing," Antonio lied, knowing it was too complicated to go into what he'd really been thinking about it. It wasn't important, anyway, and besides, it would only raise questions again about his mental state and he was actually alright at this point. In fact, things were finally great.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" a new, deeper voice cut in abruptly. Antonio and Gilbert turned round simultaneously to see Ludwig standing behind them. His hair was slicked back as usual with gel, and he had to be the only student in the school whose tie was as perfect leaving as it was entering. As usual, a smiling Feliciano was trailing behind like a colourful shadow, but his expression was strangely subdued behind the smile.

"Not really," Antonio replied, shaking his head.

"Yeah you are, West!" Gilbert contradicted, waving his hands in front of his brother's face.

Ludwig frowned. "Ah, I see. Would you rather that we discuss this matter at a later point?"

"No, it's fine. Just go all up in my face and watch my awesome blog get ruined 'cos I can't get artist's ideas 'cos my little brother's got a bug up his butt. How I am supposed to explain that to the internet, I ask you? My legions of fans will be devastated." Gilbert pouted, but Ludwig was long since immune to the look, and continued regardless.

He cleared his throat briefly, before straightening his tie, and beginning. "As you may recall, I mentioned a problem with the current state of things back on Saturday. As the situation stood at the time, it was a bad moment to bring things up, and the matter was detained. However, I believe that it needs to be discussed sooner as opposed to later."

Gilbert gave his brother a blank look and spread his hands. "And in English?"

With a sigh, Ludwig replied, "We need to talk about the practicalities of Antonio maintaining a relationship in…such a way that it is."

"Oh, I'm fine with it, really," Antonio replied cheerfully, a few seconds before the impact of Ludwig's complicated sentences struck him. He froze, stopping just outside of the school gates, cars whooshing past just a few metres away and other students parting around them with no regard for the devastating impact that had just fallen. He felt as if he'd been caught in a bubble. "You think there's a problem?" It was more of a statement than a question, as Ludwig had pretty much confirmed what he'd just asked.

Ludwig nodded. "I do, yes. Don't get me wrong, I still do believe that this is real and not a result of a delusion or similar experience, but…it is mentally unhealthy."

"What?" Antonio exclaimed, caught between outrage and betrayal. "I thought you were fine with this! You said it yourself that Lovi's world had to be real!"

"Yes," Ludwig agreed, "but that is not the entirety of the matter. Mentally, this is not good for you. As proven earlier this month, you can be prone to wanting to live in a world which is not your own, more than is normal. Quite possibly, it will delude you from reality. It is also somewhat of a risk to your physical health. Speaking of which, you are not physically in this relationship. We watched you all night, and you never went anywhere. Whatever is going on is all in your mind, real or not. And that's not good for you."

Behind his back, Feliciano was still visible, but his face looked undeniably distraught despite the unnatural silence he was keeping. Antonio wanted to ask him if he was ok, but he was a bit busy fighting his own case at the moment, and he had a feeling that Feliciano was against Ludwig's argument as well.

"I'm happy, Lovi's happy, what's the problem?" Antonio was surprised at how hostile his voice was beginning to sound. All this arguing recently must really be getting to him. He didn't much like fighting, as a rule, but he'd be damned if he wasn't going to fight this. Recently, he'd just gone through too much just to give everything up now.

"Unfortunately, several things, as far as I can make out," Ludwig answered severely, yet still managing to look unsure at the same time. "

Antonio tried his best to frown, but it wasn't a natural look for him and it was hard to form, even when it was needed. To be honest, he felt more like he should be looking scared, or perhaps verging on the heartbroken, but he'd gotten far too much practise in on those particular emotions lately. His little personal bubble suddenly became airtight and began to constrict his breathing, yet somehow feeling like at the same time that it was about to pop and leave him exposed and vulnerable. It didn't help that Ludwig, meaning well or not, was poking at it repeatedly with a large and imprinting stick. "Ludwig-" he started hesitantly.

"Bonjour," a cheerful voice interrupted in a sing-song tone, and Francis' figure appeared to Gilbert's right, next to the pavement's edge. "If I'd have known that you were waiting for me, then I wouldn't have-" Francis abruptly caught sight of the numerous distressed faces and realised that he'd unanticipatedly wandered into a situation that wasn't as light-hearted as the comment he'd just injected into it. He grimaced and quickly backtracked. "Oh dear. What has got mes amis so down?"

"West's got a twig up his ass about Toni and Lovino again," Gilbert said irritably. "It's dead repetitive. He's worse than Berlitz with his little red bone – he won't let go. Tell him to shut up, would you? He won't listen to the awesome me."

"I have not 'got a twig up my ass', Gilbert," Ludwig corrected him through gritted teeth as his elder brother once again grated his nerves. "I just think that this isn't a good idea. I don't mean to play the bad guy, but someone has to be the voice of reason."

"You're just saying the same thing that you were the other day, pretty much," Gilbert retorted. "You're going in circles, and this record's getting old fast. Either play something else or shut it. We're fed up of reciting the same argument over again."

Ludwig sighed for the second, if not the third, time that afternoon, one hand extending to massage his aching temples. "I am repeating myself because no one is listening to what I am saying."

"Yeah, 'cos what you're saying is a complete and total load of bullshit." Gilbert's red eyes flashed, and Antonio could sense a fierce family brawl bubbling, ready to spill over the edge at any moment.

"Gilbert, calm down. People are beginning to stare," Ludwig pointed out, struggling to keep his voice calm in spite of his brother's deliberate attempt at infuriation. It was clear that he was tired and unsure of what he was saying, but determined enough not to back down. "I am only asking you to listen and consider what I am saying."

Gilbert scowled, his conflict-relishing side clearly unhappy with the placated situation. "Fine. But I don't see what's so wrong with the whole thing. As Toni said, they're happy, right?"

Shaking his head, Ludwig replied, "You're not listening, Gilbert. I did just explain this to you."

Gilbert shrugged. "'Explain' and 'make any sense at all' mean different things with you, West. For one thing, you said Toni could be in danger. What's up with that?"

"I was wondering about that, too," Antonio agreed. "Me and Lovi patched things up, and we're all fine."

"Relationships are fickle things," Ludwig disputed. "What happens if the two of you have a fight? Even if it was over nothing. Last time was just a misunderstanding, and Antonio nearly got badly injured If you end up hating each other, every night may end up being a potential death sentence. Whether Lovino means to harm you or not." With his sentence ending on this ominous note, he fixed Antonio with a serious look. It wasn't a hurtful look; there was only concern in the German's eyes, but it nonetheless sent a stabbing pain through Antonio's heart. Ludwig, well as his intentions may be, was trying to split Antonio and Lovino apart, and Antonio had only just recovered the jewel that he had lost. He didn't want to be removed from its sparkling light and hypnotic colours again.

He resorted instead to falling silent, wishing that the situation would just resolve itself. Though one thing in particular still stuck in his mind. Even though the question had been asked at least twice, Ludwig hadn't properly answered why he thought there was a problem even though everyone was happy. Antonio blinked abruptly as a thought struck him. Perhaps that was why Ludwig kept looking unsure while he was talking. Perhaps he didn't entirely believe in what he was saying. Antonio was fairly pleased by this; it proved Ludwig was a nice guy at heart – he just liked following the rules too much. It'd be nice if, just this once, the German was to bend the rules ever-so-slightly, and let this be as it was.

Aforementioned rule-loving German, meanwhile, was watching Antonio carefully, waiting for the response he didn't realise he wasn't getting, until Gilbert spoke up again.

"So, West, let's say for the moment that you're right. What now?" He looked at his brother quizzically, but there was a distinct note of challenge aflame in his ruby eyes.

Ludwig drew breath slowly. "Well, I would have assumed that was fairly obvious. In any scenario, the best way to prevent something happening, where possible, is to remove the source of the risk. So, like it or not, Antonio, it is probably for the best if you are to stop going there."

And just like that, Antonio's bubble popped, showering him with confusion and pain that jabbed at his mind, and shocked bitter little tears into the ducts of his eyes. But he didn't let them fall, not yet. He couldn't let them fall. It wasn't time to give up yet, even when he had no idea of what to do.

And then, in a lightbulb moment, a way out hit him. "I don't know how. Even Lovi doesn't know why I keep going there, and neither of us will know a way to stop me."

Gilbert hummed thoughtfully, mouth half-hiding a smirk. "He's right, you know, West. No matter how much of a problem you have with this, if there's no way to stop Antonio from visiting heaven in his dreams, then there's not a damn thing that anyone can do about it."

Before Ludwig could respond, the dam that Feliciano had set up irreparably burst and the younger Italian leapt forward, protesting loudly with his hands outstretched. "Fratello will be sad if Toni stops visiting! He's only just got better after Toni lost his note and told him he wasn't real. I don't want fratello to be sad!" Feliciano's voice cracked as his eyes welled with tears, and it was a look that even the most hardened negotiator couldn't ignore. From across the other side of the group, Gilbert looked like he was about to break down and hug him any second, his feet half pointing in Feliciano's direction even as he continued walking.

Ludwig sighed. "It is a difficult situation, but it is one that has to be faced. Lovino is dead, and at some point we must face this and cut the ties. Boundaries have been crossed here that have never been crossed before. Surely there must be some kind of rules that govern this other world that prevent living visitors. Otherwise there could be a sudden influx of people wishing to get to eternal happiness. Something must be there to prevent events like this, and we don't know the consequences of breaching it."

"It's a world we don't know," Antonio argued. "Anything could happen."

Francis, who had been silent for the most part of the conversation, caught Ludwig's eye and raised his hand cautiously. "I believe I have a theory about what is going on."

"Really?" Antonio and Ludwig spoke in unison, the former curious, the latter sceptical, before they exchanged wary looks and returned their attention to Francis, who nodded.

"Oui. As far as I can tell, heaven will adapt either to suit the mood of its inhabitant, or in a way to make them happy? When Lovino died, he was left without Antonio, and was lonely. So the world formed a connection between itself and here, so Antonio could visit." He sighed. "Love is so beautiful."

Ludwig frowned, clearly dubious with Francis' theory. "If that is the case, how come thousands of couples across the world haven't already experienced this phenomenon?"

Francis shrugged. "Perhaps they already have, but no one knows."

"I doubt it. One of them at least would have said something about it, or been featured on the news, et cetera, et cetera."

"Not necessarily," Francis replied. "Remember how you deemed Antonio mad when you first heard about it? Lucid dreaming? That is quite possibly what has happened, had this happened to anyone else. Friends, family and psychiatrists alike would have said they had just reacted badly to the loss of a loved one, and were having dreams of them as a result of the grief. They may have been referred to a mental hospital, or undergone counselling to help, or 'help', as it may be, until the dreams stopped. Others may have just kept it quiet completely." He shrugged again, as if to trivialise the surprising profoundness of what he'd just said. "That's my thoughts on it, anyway. I don't know how much is truth, and how much is pure speculation. Perhaps this is the first occurrence, perhaps not. We don't know."

There was a long, thoughtful silence among the five friends as they each digested Francis' words. By now they were far from the school and the street was bereft of cars, its silence accentuating the situation and pulling it into a long tense string.

Antonio wasn't entirely sure about the truth of what Francis was saying, but still didn't speak up, preferring instead to try bring his thoughts into some kind of order. Yes, it made sense, a lot more sense than a lot of things that had been said in the past week or so, but it just didn't tie up with what he'd been told earlier. A particular conversation with Lovino, right back when he'd first appeared, stuck in his mind. A conversation where Lovino had clearly said that Antonio was the first person to appear in heaven like this. If circumstances really were as simple as Francis had theorised, then surely Lovino or his grandfather would have heard about someone else in the same situation. There had to be something that someone's speculation was missing. Truth be told, however, everything was now just confusing Antonio further. He'd never been great at keeping several trains of thought on track at once, and now all the carriages had crashed into one another and wrecked the line.

Finally, Gilbert spoke up. "Franny. I reckon that either makes this make so much more sense, or is the biggest load of absolute bullshit that I've heard in ages. Either way, though, it's the longest speech that you've ever done that's not about sex in some way." His expression was partway between amusement, pride and scorn.

Francis smiled. "Despite what people tend to think of me, I do think of things other than sex occasionally, and love is oftentimes more beautiful. Sex is, after all, love in its purest physical form."

Ludwig cleared his throat quickly. "Moving the conversation back on track, the question now is how to stop Antonio from going to heaven. Whether it's wanted or not, it is probably the right thing to do. Now, counselling is obviously out. It's just too complicated to explain this entire situation to someone new, and it is highly unlikely that they will believe us anyway. So that means that we need to find another way."

"Don't!" Feliciano piped up again, and the other four jumped in unison. It was unlikely for Feliciano to disagree with Ludwig once, let alone twice in the same conversation, and even more unlikely for these to be the only things that he'd said. Obviously the possible outcomes of this were tearing him up inside, forcing him to choose between his lost brother, and his beloved boyfriend, and leaving him unsure and rendered speechless. Antonio didn't envy how the younger Italian was feeling. It must be completely awful.

"Feli…" Ludwig's uncertainty finally broke the surface and he looked at Feliciano with a twisted expression that Antonio couldn't decipher. "It really is the only way."

"We could let fratello and Toni be happy," Feliciano replied quietly, looking Ludwig straight in the eyes, the quiet words belying the hammer blows they wreaked. Feliciano was speaking with the quiet passion that his absent brother would have shown, albeit with fewer expletives, and the connection between them was still so strong and clear.

Ludwig paused, then sighed again. "You make it sound so simple, Feliciano," he said tiredly.

"Isn't it?" The simple question held a surprising poignancy.

"It'd be nice if it was," Ludwig admitted. "But I wouldn't think so. The dead are dead for a reason, and the whole reason there is an afterlife is to separate the two, or so I would philosophise. We really need to respect that."

"But that is the problem," Francis interrupted. "Philosophy, non? We don't know what's going on. Maybe there are consequences, maybe there aren't. Which way do we take it? Risk, or peace?"

Once again, silence dawned, but this time it was more of doubt and exasperation. No one knew what to do, and neither option looked to hold a decision. There were just too many variables and unknowns, and everything seemed to be spiralling continuously back on the same path and right back to where it had started. And, perhaps most importantly, no one particularly wanted to be the one to split Antonio and Lovino right after they'd gotten back to happiness. It was the sort of thing you'd feel guilty for years afterwards.

Gilbert was once again the one to break the silence, this time in the form of a vexed growl. "Ah, fuck it. This is confusing and just going in goddam circles again. The awesome me is bored of talking. Can't we just do something already?"

"We're trying to decide what to do, Gilbert. We don't know," Francis replied. "Ah, Dieu, this is frustrating."

"We don't need to do anything, though," Feliciano argued. "Fratello and Toni don't want to be sad and apart, so they don't have to be sad and apart. That's all there is to it."

Ludwig shook his head and replied a counter-argument, but Antonio quickly zoned out. By now, he was getting rather fed up. Nothing was happening apart from everyone's tempers getting stretched to breaking point, no one looked like they were ever going to back down and every time conversation got onto philosophy, it began to make his head spin. "Hey you guys," he suggested quietly. "How about we leave things for today before we get in a really big fight or something? It's not got to be done now. I could talk to Lovi about it and see what he says."

"Fratello will yell," Feliciano pointed out, rather stating the obvious.

Antonio shrugged. "Lovi does that anyway, I don't mind. And, well…he kinda has a reason to in this case. I wouldn't want to be told what I've just heard." He stopped himself from talking further, but the words still ran through his mind. Lovino had been through enough lately, and he really didn't deserve further aggravation. Especially seeing how you were supposed to be happy in heaven.

Ludwig sighed yet again out of exasperation. "I don't like leaving things unsolved, but fine. If anything, Lovino might know a way to prevent Antonio from going to heaven."

"In which case, he wouldn't tell Antonio it," Francis countered. "Why would he?"

"We're starting fighting again," Feliciano pouted. "I thought we were done with fighting."

Ludwig nodded. "Good idea. Let's just go back to our respective houses, have a think on what we're doing, and then come to a decision tomorrow, maybe."

"Finally," Gilbert sighed. "C'mon West. You can make me some food when we get home – the awesome me is starving."

"That's because you were too lazy to pack lunch this morning," Ludwig replied. "I'll see you guys later. Bye."

"Tshcüss!" Gilbert waved, pulling on Ludwig's sleeve as the two walked off.

"Oi, wait! I walk in that direction too!" Francis called after them, picking his pace up to a run. "Au reviour, Feli, Antoine!"

And suddenly the conflict was over and the remaining two were standing alone by the roadside. Curiously, Antonio's ears were ringing, and he wasn't entirely sure of what had just transpired. It all seemed a little unreal. Shockingly, devastatingly unreal.

"Ve~" Feliciano muttered quietly. "I should go, too."

Antonio smiled sadly. "Ok, Feli. I'll say hi to Lovi for you later."

Feliciano began to nod, but then abruptly stopped. "Ve~, Toni, will you do me a favour?"

"Sure, Feli. What is it?"

There was a short, nervous pause, before Feliciano replied, "Don't leave fratello, ok? I've never gone against Ludi like this before, but I really don't think he's right in this case."

Antonio gave Feliciano a bright wink that concealed his insecurity about the situation. "Don't worry, Feli. I wasn't intending to. I'd never intend to, or want to."

Feliciano's face lit up, and he launched himself at Antonio in a relieved hug. "Ve~. Grazie, Toni! Fratello will still be happy now."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Antonio agreed. "I'll see you tomorrow, ok? Hopefully we can keep things the way that they are."

Feliciano nodded. "Mmhmm. I don't want to choose between Ludi and fratello. That would be awful." He stepped back and waved as he walked. "Bye-bye, Toni! Tell fratello I said hi!"

"I will! Bye!" Antonio called back, before he turned around and started back towards his own house.

There were still several hours to go until he could legitimately go to bed, but he really needed them tonight – deciding how to tell Lovino without the Italian blowing up would be a tricky task indeed. He wasn't entirely looking forward to it, but he didn't have much choice, and Lovino deserved to know what the others were thinking.

Yet, strangely, Antonio wasn't scared now. If anything, he could feel the seeds of a plan beginning to sprout in his brain.

I'm not going to make excuses as to why this took as long as it did, as it really shouldn't have. To those of you who are still reading, your patience is much appreciated. :)
The next chapter will probably be the final one, and will go one of two ways, depending on which I end up preferring as I write.