2 chapters today :D

Chapter 9

-"We'll jump out and everyone tries to land in that area" Ivan screamed to them as they stood with their parachute and the ice cold wind tear in their clothes.

-"Are you sure about this?" Ludwig screams to him as he looks where he points. The Russian was pointing at an area on the ground which was completely normal but he needed to ask.

-"Of course, I'm Russian, I kno' everything about my country" he says and jumps out of the plain screaming "VOOOOOOODKAAAAAAAA"

After him Ludwig stepped aside and pushed one by one of his friends to jump. None of them were afraid to jump because they all knew how you did this. Just a couple of months ago when everything was normal their school had a day you could learn something special. He, Feliciano and the other ones took the parachute lesson for the day. Just before they went on the plain Ludwig had quick information if someone had forgotten. It all went just fine and Ludwig couldn't help it but feel a big worry in his stomach. When he was the only one left he suddenly stopped. In his head he could hear Feliciano's voice clearly, his lovely, happy voice just calling his name. Ludwig. He suddenly felt more worried than he ever did before and quickly before he lost his mind jumped out of the plane. I will save you!

As fast as he left the plane the wind gripped him and wanted to drift him away. Easily he felled and he pulled the parachute just in the right time, after all he was the best one at the parachute lesson. The other ones were packing the parachutes in to their bags and everyone's noses were already red of the freezing wind when he touched the ground. They didn't hear any kind of sound at all except the cold wind making the trees creak after the loud wind while they fell. No-one said anything but they all knew that this wasn't a place of mercy and a young Italian boy without any experience of being outside like this wouldn't survive for long.

-"Now where is the cottage?" Arthur said to break the deathly silence and the breaking hope.

-"Just follow me" Ivan said and they all started to walk in a trail after the one with the most experience. They couldn't see any sign that anyone had ever walked this way before. As further they walked into the forest of cold trees with not much leafs, the worries grew stronger inside Ludwig. The other ones were also worried but not just only for the sake of Feliciano, they were terrified that Ludwig would do something stupid if they found Feliciano… dead…

-"Why did it take such a long time for you to jump?" Francis suddenly said with an awkward laugh, "afraid of heights?"

-"Not really" the German said and looked away when Francis turned around to watch him, "I just remembered something"

-"What?" Kiku said happy to have something else to listen on then the creaking trees.

-"A memory of Feliciano… A dear memory" Ludwig started to say ignoring the burning of tears in his eyes, "our pinky promise a long time ago"

-"Is it too much to beg of you to tell us?" Arthur said curiously.

-"No it's fine" Ludwig said and smiled, "it was the second day after our time at Hetalia and people where still a bit afraid of me, some still are today. Anyway I was walking to school when I saw a bunch of boys standing in a circle laughing. They were blocking the way so I had no other choice so I walked up to them, still standing a couple of meters behind them, to look what they were looking at. In the center of the circle there was a boy. I recognized him from school. He was crying and one of the boys was holding his bag turning it upside down laughing. I couldn't stand that anyone was bulling someone so I got angry and broke in to the circle. 'What the hell are you doing?' I screamed to them. They got scared and tried to explain themselves and I couldn't just stand their lack of respect to other people so I screamed to them to leave this boy alone and never ever do anything to him again. Every one of them ran away terrified and the little boy suddenly started to scream stuff like 'Please don't hurt me', 'I'm a virgin, there's no fun killing a virgin' and 'you're a German right, I got family in Berlin'. I just looked at him and said 'I won't hurt you' and started to walk to school. The boy suddenly hugged my arm and I wasn't prepared at all, no-one really wants to hug me you know. He said 'I knew you were nice, I'm Feliciano and you?' looking up at me with the most…" Ludwig suddenly went silent but then continued with a shivering voice, "most brown and beautiful eyes ever. I didn't know what to say so I just muttered 'Ludwig, and you should learn how to protect yourself'. After school he ran up to me when I stood by my locker. 'Would you please teach me how to protect myself? I would like that, people are always mean to me, could you do that?' I was stunned that he came back and I was stunned how he made me smile with his smile so I just said yes. The days passed and every day after school we had training. I tried my best, yelled at him, but there weren't many changes with him. Then suddenly one day I woke up and he was I my bed. I got terrified and screamed to him wondering why he was in my bed. He just said that he doesn't like sleeping alone and his brother refused to let him sleep with him. 'Why do you think I would?' I asked him and he looked up on me with the brightest, saddest eyes, 'May I?'. I couldn't stand those eyes, can't even today, and that was the first time I found him there. Weeks passed and I helped him with everything and we trained every day. I can't help but agree now that we grew closer each day even though I were angry at him most of the time. He could call any time on a day, even on weekends, just screaming help and were he was. What he needed help with was just to tie his shoes and more ridiculous things. But I always came for his help. One day he didn't talk to me just like he was scared like everyone else was for me. Kiku, do you remember the letter you found a long time ago at my place? That was why he was so scared. Someone had said in school to him that I hated him. He had tried to explain himself the whole day but I couldn't get what he tried to say. Anyways I read the letter and it stood that Feliciano was afraid I hated him. He tried his best to ask but he was so afraid that I would hate him and get angry. But I just went to him. I found him on a rock outside his home. First he tried to say what I've already read but he just stuttered so I said: 'I don't… hate you'. He thought I've read his mind and said things like 'I'm happy' and 'Ah Ludwig can read minds!'. But Kiku had told me what to do, so I promised him, a pinky promise that we would always he friends. I've never seen as happy as he was there. But then, months later, he didn't come to the training which was the brightest moment of the day to me even though he never did what I told him but… That was truly the best time of my day and he… when he stopped to come, stopped to talk to me… I didn't know why I always was waiting by my phone waiting for him to call for help as he always have done since that day. He didn't call and after you guys came", he looked up and now was everyone looking at him with sad eyes," I thought that I had pulled myself together and started to work but I did that just to forget… it didn't really work…"

He went silent and everyone had tears held back inside their eyes.

-"We better find Feliciano" Francis says and Ludwig smiled grateful. Francis knew about that letter, Feliciano had called him that day and asked what he would do. He told him to just go and tell Ludwig about it and write it down so he wouldn't forget. That that letter was read and not told was new to him though.

-"We're here" Ivan suddenly said and stopped.

The cottage was small and completely made of wood. It had one chimney and two windows. But there was no smoke coming out of the chimney.

-"He will probably not be inside so we will leave our things here, Roderich you'll stay in there and make a fire while the rest of us will look for him" Ludwig said in a nervous voice.

-"We better not go alone so can we go in pairs?" Kiku asked when they stood outside ready to go.

-"Yes as long as everyone walking in different directions" Ludwig said but quickly added, "I'll go alone though"

-"Okay, well then Francis-san and Arthur-san will go that way and me and Ivan-san will go that way" the little Asian boy said and pointed in different directions.

-"Great and remember to say in the radio when you're heading back but first of all I hope you all remembered your radios" Ludwig said and turned around to the direction he would look for Feliciano.

They all went to their direction and started to search.

Ludwig slowly walked through the dry forest. The wind was ice cold and weak but he could feel in the air that later there's going to be a really strong storm. The skin on his face slowly started to get numb as further he walked without the sight of Feliciano. A stone slowly builds up in his stomach as further he walks and deep inside his heart he hoped that he would be the one finding Feliciano. He ran through the forest, looking behind each tree and shouting Feliciano's name. The training he did before this helped him to run so long without getting tired but soon he started to breathe heavy. Panic grew in his mind and the only thing that existed was the trees and the need to find him. Suddenly his radio beeped which made him scream. He shakes his head to get his mind to listen on what the radio wanted to say. When he had calmed down he noticed that the sky was slowly getting darker and the wind was colder.

-"Eh… How do you use this thing, anyways ehm… Japan and Russia-san is heading back" his radio suddenly said with the voice of Japan.

-"Roger, I'll keep on looking for a while, France and England you can head back to if you want to" he answers and looks up on the sky. They had agreed that they would use their country nicknames which they found out back in school. Everyone came from different countries and they thought that it was a good way of knowing whom they talk about without anyone else knowing. One of the great minds behind this was his dear Feliciano, or North Italy, shortly Italy.

-"Oh good" Arthur's voice said in the radio, "I'm getting sick of this wanker"

Ludwig ignored the fight over the radio between Arthur and Francis; they don't know how serious this is…

Suddenly Ludwig could see a huge shadow of something further forward in the growing darkness. He didn't notice it before when he concentrated on the tree which came up next to him. Carefully he walked to it and saw that it was a huge tree. Along all of the small trees this tree was surely outstanding in its ancient glory. The long branches were hanging down and the leaves on the branches created a natural little tent when they reached the ground. Just to see how it looks under the branches Ludwig slowly walked forward.

-"What's that" he slowly said to himself when he saw how something had messed up the leaves under one of the huge branches.

When he came closer his heart stopped. Under the branch was a body of a young boy.

-"Nein" Ludwig whispers as he sees the little piece of the boy's hair that' ve always fascinated Ludwig. How it always seem to make that curl even though it's raining and how weird he reacts when he touch it.

Without thinking he runs to Feliciano and grabs his lifeless body, holding him with his mouth on his cheek. The world seemed to stop when he couldn't feel the warmth of life against his cheek.

-"Nein" he whispers again but keeps on holding him, waiting for the breath. After what seemed to be an eternity he could feel his cheek getting warmer. And he started to run.