ciaoooo! ^^
i am just back. i swear, i opened the door of my house something like twenty minutes ago ._.
anywho! 8500 views! 179 reviews! 45 faves, 51 follows! thank you so much! i LOVE you so much! (i'll reply as soon as i can to your reviews, i swear. now im hitting the sack, im exhausted)
i recommend listening to these songs while reading this chapter(well if you want to) : Ghost River, Planet Hell, Dead To The World (all by Nightwish. yup i know, titles not so inspiring, but hey)
ah, more author rant at the end of the chapter. so sit back und ENJOY ze awesome chapter!
They kept looking for Feliciano and Gilbert, riding in the jeep. They heard some series of thunders, one after another, which was a little peculiar to say the least, mostly because the storm had stopped.
Ludwig frowned, gripping the wheel more tightly in his fists. Where the hell were they…?
Alfred's voice stopped his train of thoughts. "Dude, watch out…!"
"Vha-" too late, he saw a shadow jump towards them at full speed, and before Ludwig could steer away, it landed on the roof of the car, creating a huge dent. They heard a distorted snarl, and two pairs of claws ripped through the roof.
"Get oooouuuut!" Alfred yelled, opening the door and launching himself outside, swiftly followed by Ludwig and Kiku.
A Human Nightmare was clawing at their roof, baring its fangs and its light blue eyes glowing menacingly. Ludwig felt slightly guilty shooting through them, knowing that if Feliciano had been there, he would have returned human… but they didn't have time for that.
The Human Nightmare fell on its back, beside the car, two dark holes now instead of his eyes.
"Dude, that was awesome!" Alfred wanted to high-five, marvelling at the German's accuracy. However, he let his arm fall again when Ludwig walked past him, completely ignoring him.
Kiku glanced worriedly at the German. "Ludwig-san, they… they probably heard those shots. They will come and get us."
The blond sighed, putting the gun in its holster again. He didn't need to ask who 'they' were. "Ja, most probably. Escaping is futile… they'd follow our scents and find us anyway. Better prepare ourselves, then, right?" Kiku swallowed, a single sweat drop rolling down his forehead, as he nodded. "Hai. But, Ludwig-san, you miss your hammer."
"I got one now! Catch!" Alfred said, pulling up a piece of concrete attached to an iron bar of some sort, and then throwing it at the German.
Ludwig caught it, and then almost let it fall. The makeshift hammer was heavy as hell! But it would do. He quickly recovered the weapon, adjusting to its weight, and then scanned his two companions. A metal bat, a katana, a concrete hammer. Alfred had a rifle stripped to his back, Kiku had two small guns on each hip, as did Ludwig.
Those wouldn't last long, because no one thought of bringing more ammo. They only had the shots that were already loaded, and Ludwig knew he had some more bullets in his pockets, but that obviously wasn't enough. He gripped the iron bar of his hammer tightly.
"Should we do the back-to-back thingy?" Alfred proposed, visibly uneasy and nervous. Well, who wouldn't be? Kiku's stoic mask was shattered, the Japanese man frowning and nibbling at its lower lip every now and then, while nervously fiddling with the hilt of his sword. Ludwig wondered how he was looking right now. He felt a little detached from the world, as if his body was moving on its own, doing automatic movements he had learned with routine. And so felt his words too.
"Ja. For once, you show some brains, Jones."
His thoughts were all revolving around Gilbert and Feliciano. Where were they? Why did Gilbert kidnap the boy? And what were they doing right now? He dearly hoped they hadn't done anything to Feliciano, because otherwise… they'd be doomed for sure.
"Ludwig! Ya there dude?" Alfred snapped his fingers in front of his eyes, and Ludwig blinked, returning to reality. "W…wha…?"
"Dude, don't start spacing out on us! They're here…!"
Ludwig blinked some more, forcing himself to concentrate on matters at hand, and then looked around him. Nightmares were watching them, from behind rocks, perched on the not-so-tall-anymore-tops of collapsed buildings, from holes in the ground… A dozen different shades of glowing eyes were carefully eyeing them.
And they were hungry.
They started drawing nearer, slowly. The trio was trapped in a circle, all backs to each other, and was unsure whether to move or not. If they started shooting, the monsters would all attack at once…but then again, if some Nightmare started moving abruptly, it would be the first to be shot.
So both sides were eyeing the enemy (or food) carefully not to make any harsh move, slowly circling.
Ludwig counted quickly. Twenty three Nightmares against three humans. Five newbies, three Animal Nightmares and one Human. They were obviously outnumbered.
One Animal Nightmare suddenly couldn't restrain itself anymore, and after a roar, charged towards Alfred, mouth open wide, framed by pitch-black jaws. The American reacted quickly, though, and shot him with the rifle, right through its left eye.
"Boom, headshot!" he shouted, almost fist-pumping the air in excitement. "Hell yeah! Come and get us, you freaks!"
The Nightmares all glanced at each other, before turning on the humans again.
"Oh shit."
"You never shut up, do you, Jones?" Ludwig commented acidly, before the Nightmares charged.
Ludwig got lucky. He had to deal only with the newbies, and got rid of them pretty quickly, first with one of his guns. When the shots finished he tossed the weapon to the ground, and he started attacking with his hammer.
Alfred and Kiku had to deal, however, with the biggest of the pack, including the remaining two Animal Nightmares. The back-to-back strategy worked for some time, but the triangle was broken when Ludwig got tackled and head-butted by the only Human Nightmare. Kiku and Alfred couldn't even move a finger to help their friend, and simply hoped for the best, while pressing their backs against each other.
Ludwig grunted as he hit the concrete with his knees and elbows, skin peeling off. He quickly got on his feet, however, and faced the Human Nightmare. Its deep golden eyes were glowing menacingly, and two horns sprouted from the sides of his forehead. Probably the reason in the first place why it had head-butted the German, instead of lashing out with its claws. Fortunately, however, Ludwig had not been hit by those dreadfully pointy and, most of all, infecting objects.
Ludwig tightened the grip on the hammer, and gritted his teeth. "Come on, ugly."
The Nightmare seemed to take that personally, and snarled angrily as it started attacking with its four clawed hands. The German had a hard time trying to evade or block them, and gasped as the monster managed to hit his weapon so hard it flew out of his hands.
Ludwig stepped back, his shoulders hitting a wall. He grimaced, knowing he would not have time to extract the other gun from his hip. The Nightmare seemed pretty delighted of its prey's vulnerability and fear, so halted one second, savouring the moment before striking.
Ludwig flared his nostrils, afraid. Would this be his end? By a Nightmare's claws? He surely had been expecting better.
The Nightmare flexed one of its claws, and charged.
"Ludwig-san!" Kiku managed to yell, before having to turn away to fend off another Nightmare's assault.
Then, suddenly, a cry echoed through the concrete mayhem.
"NEIN! Halt!"
All movements stopped abruptly, Nightmares equally stunned as the humans. Kiku had his katana raised to fend off one Nightmare's jaws, and Alfred had stopped a swing with his bat in mid-air. The Human Nightmare's claw was centimetres from Ludwig's throat, but had halted as well.
A RED had jumped in the middle of the battle, its head lowered to face the ground. But even so, the colour of the armour and of the hair made the RED immediately recognizable. Ludwig winced.
Gilbert raised his head, revealing wide open and horrified eyes. He was panting. "He…he's…"
He repeated that word several times, his face still as stunned as it could ever be. The Nightmares didn't look all too pleased, however.
"He's…he's…!"
Ludwig swallowed thickly, frozen like everybody else. What was happening? Had he…recognized him…? He observed his older brother. He looked exactly like more than a year ago… That Prussian blue outfit exposed under the lack of white armour, the clawed hands and feet, and, of course, the dreadful white skull mask, covering the left side of his face. And even more, his voice…had become awfully distorted.
"…Gilbert…?" he dared to ask.
The albino flinched, and was suddenly struck by something that looked like a heavy headache or migraine. He stepped back, grimacing and covering his face, still repeating that word. "He's…"
All the Nightmares were eyeing him closely, wondering what would happen next.
The RED's shoulders hunched over, one hand still covering his face. There was a pause of some dreadful silent moments. "He's…!"
Then, a grin could be seen, slowly forming itself and stretching on the albino's face. Gilbert raised his head, shoulders still hunched, and the hand fell. The Nightmares suddenly almost all looked like they were smiling, as well.
Gilbert's now glowing ruby red eyes were glinting with madness, a lopsided grin marring his otherwise handsome features.
"…He's mine."
"…Who are you?" the Icelander repeated again, looking marvelled at Feliciano.
"…I'm a guy who got lost…?" Feliciano said, unsure and still panting a little.
"Ahyah! You just cured Matthew! How did you do that?!" Yao pressed on.
The Italian did not know what to say to the two people towering over him. "I-I…I…" he fidgeted with his hands nervously.
"…Yao, Emil! Stop that…!" The soft voice came from behind the two, who sidestepped, for once actually hearing Matthew. Matthew (not Alfred, Feliciano had to remind himself) was standing, now, looking completely recovered even if a bit pale, and a little pissed off. "…You shouldn't ask that kind of questions…!"
"But Matt, this random guy just cured you from Nightmare infection! Of course I want to know how he did that!" Emil retorted.
Matthew completely ignored him, and stepped beside Feliciano, offering his hand.
Feliciano smiled, a little reassured, took the hand and stood up. "Grazie!" As he got on his feet, he wobbled a little, still a bit drained.
"…No, thank you…!" Matthew smiled, and the Italian had to strain to hear his voice. Boy, the guy talked softly…!
Yao and Emil were watching the scene, stunned. "I am not believing this! You're not even going to ask him, aru?!" Yao said, his voice going up in pitch.
Emil was pacing up and down the small sheltered place. "And I'm definitely not buying the excuse that he got lost! What were you doing here?"
The Italian felt trapped. "I…it's true that I'm lost… but I know a place where you could shelter with the others I live with!" he offered, changing the subject. He really didn't feel like explaining it all. It almost looked like it was going to rain again, too.
That definitely got their attention. "Shelter?" Emil asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Ah-huh!" Feliciano nodded, smiling. "We are many! We're, like, more than ten!"
Now it was Matthew's turn to be surprised. "…Really? More than ten survivors together…?"
"Sì!" Feliciano said, enthusiastic that they weren't asking those uncomfortable questions anymore. "There's me, and then Ludwig and Arthur, and then Romano, Bella, Francis, Tino, Berwald, Mathias, Lukas, Kiku and Alfred…!"
Those last three names gained three gasps.
Yao's eyes looked like they were moments from popping out of his skull, as he gripped Feliciano's shoulders tightly. "Are you sure there's a man named Kiku, aru?! Kiku Honda?!"
All colour drained from Emil's face, becoming paler even than Feliciano or Matthew, while he whispered "…Lukas…?"
Finally, Matthew was beaming, a wide but still timid smile on his face. "…Alfred…!" he sighed, happy.
Yao was still gripping the Italian's small shoulders. "Are you sure!?" he repeated, looking awfully serious. "Yes…!" Feliciano answered, breathless. Suddenly, he got a warm feeling in his stomach again.
Emil blinked, noticing something behind them. "Guys…" he whispered.
"Ahyah! I'm so happy right now, aru!" Yao hugged the Italian, swinging him around in a circle, completely ignoring the Icelander. Matthew's gaze was absent as well, while he leaned onto the side of the tank.
"Guys…" Emil repeated, but he was still ignored by everybody except Feliciano, who had also felt something was wrong. In fact, he was feeling the presence of…
"Guys! Nightmare!" Emil exclaimed, tugging Matthew's elbow and pushing Yao and Feliciano against the tank, while he grabbed the rifle with his free hand.
Indeed, with their backs pressed against the cold side of the vehicle, they heard a distorted snarl.
"Skít!"
"Ahyah!"
"…Maple…"
"Ve…!"
The four of them stood motionless, their breathing heavy and their heart in their throats. They didn't hear anything anymore, and nothing happened for the next few moments.
"…You think it's gone…?" Matthew asked tentatively.
His question was soon answered as a newbie Nightmare landed heavily on the boulder in front of them, towering over them and roaring.
"GET IN THE TANK!" Emil shouted, pointing his rifle at the newbie and shooting. He succeeded hitting one weak spot, which exploded like an enormous blossoming green flower, before the Nightmare fell.
Yao and Feliciano helped Matthew up, and as soon as the Chinese man opened the lid, they jumped inside. Emil was the last one to get in, and before closing the lid, he glanced around. Three Nightmares were nearing them, not newbies but also not really evolved yet. They could get out of this alive. He closed the lid, and was inside the dark and spacious tank.
"Ow! Watch it, aru! That was my foot! And who's on my back?"
"…Sorry…"
"Ve…! It's dark and scary in here! Ow, my hair!"
"Whoops, sorry aru."
"…Somebody's butt is in my face…"
Emil sighed. It was like dealing with a bunch of kids. "Everybody shut up!"
The trio fell silent.
"Right." Emil felt around a bit with one hand, and after finding a switch, he pressed it. Lights turned on, revealing the insides of the tank and a Chinese, a Canadian and an Italian tangled together in a hopeless heap. Feliciano's butt was pressed on Matthew's face, the Canadian in turn was sitting on Yao's back, who was lying at the bottom of the pile and pulling Feliciano's hair. Emil facepalmed. It looked ridiculous, to say the least.
"Let's get moving, people! There are three Nightmares out there! Yao and Matthew, get to the cannons!" The Icelander said, sitting in the place where he could start the tank up and ride. As on cue, a bang echoed through the metal insides of the vehicle, and the tank shuddered a little.
After a bit of squirming and wiggling, the three men untangled themselves, and Yao and Matthew stood up. "Yessir!"
Feliciano glanced around, and then pointed at himself. "…And what about me…?"
Emil turned the tank on, the motor roaring. "You guide us through the city, and bring us to that place you told us about!"
Feliciano blinked, suddenly remembering something. What had happened to the RED? He still felt him somewhere in the city… and what had happened to Ludwig? The last thing he remembered was getting outside of the Rock with him…! Had he perchance been following him, or the RED? Suddenly he felt worried. He needed to know…!
Emil opened a small lid so the Italian could look outside. Yao and Matthew pointed the cannon, and fired. BOOM. Feliciano thought his eardrums had exploded, but then they all heard the distorted shriek of the struck Nightmare.
"One down, two to go, aru."
Feliciano peeked outside. The storm had started again, it was raining once more, and he distinctively felt the RED was somewhere in front of them, not too far away.
"Where to, Feliciano Vargas?" Emil asked, one eyebrow raised.
The Italian swallowed, before pointing into one direction. "…Straight ahead."
Ludwig did not know how to react. Hell, he didn't even have time to react. Gilbert dashed forward, shoving aside the Human Nightmare, boring his claws deep into his shoulder and slamming him against the wall. Ludwig cried out in pain, and reached out to the claw with both hands. The almost magic-like block shattered, everyone started moving again, Kiku and Alfred attacking the Nightmares and vice versa. Ludwig looked down at the face of his brother, panting.
His face was the one of a madman, grinning wickedly and barely restraining himself from laughing.
"Bruder…!"
Gilbert stopped grinning, and buried the clawed hand even deeper, twisting it. "…Bruder, huh?" he spat, smirking again as he heard Ludwig groan in pain. Suddenly, he extracted the claws from the shoulder, blood staining the white talons.
Ludwig fell on his knees, gripping his left shoulder.
"What kind of bruder are you, anyway?"the RED said, looking down in pity. "You're not even able to take care of yourself, let alone of your own brother."
Ludwig's head snapped up, and he gritted his teeth. "Stop saying bullshit." He snarled.
Gilbert was about to reply, but was interrupted by a cry. "Ludwig, catch!" Both Germans looked sideways, noticing a hammer flying towards them. Gilbert stepped back, but Ludwig stood up as fast as he could and caught the hammer with one hand, this time not letting it fall. He gripped the iron bar with two hands, ignoring the pain in his shoulder, and took a battle stance in front of his brother. Alfred grinned, satisfied of himself, before he turned around to deal with another Nightmare.
It started raining again, water pouring down on them and wind blowing. The storm had returned, somehow. The two brothers were in a clear circle, surrounded by the fighting Nightmares. Not one of them wanted to mess with the RED or his prey.
Gilbert took a bored pose, however looking amused. "Ach, so you are going to fight back. Fair enough! You won't last even a minute against the awesome me!"
Ludwig bared his teeth, eyes narrowing under blond bangs. His hair wasn't slicked back anymore, because of the rain and the fight. "We'll see about that, bruder."
The RED did not look amused anymore. "You have no right to call me that, Ludwig." He hissed the last word, before raising an outstretched claw. Ludwig briefly wondered why, but then saw the albino narrow his eyes in concentration, and heard thunder rumble above his head.
Blue eyes widened in realisation, before jumping to the right. A lightning bolt struck right where he had been standing moments earlier, blackening the concrete. Thunder crash almost shattered Ludwig's eardrums. Ah, so that was his brother's RED ability, then. Lightning. And they were standing in the middle of a storm again. Perfect, just fucking perfect.
Gilbert laughed like a madman, looking at the dark sky with arms raised as if he was receiving applause from an audience. "Kesesesesese! Ah, Ludwig! You surprise me! You dodged my awesome surprise attack!"
Ludwig scrambled up as fast as he could, and faced his brother again, who was still laughing. "Stop laughing like a fool, you dummkopf!" he shouted, before swinging the hammer at him.
He hit Gilbert's right armoured shoulder, and the albino was sent flying. He landed on his feet, however, on top of a destroyed and half-sunken-in-a-hole-in-the-concrete bus. He was grinning again, as he raised both hands to the dark and stormy sky.
"Kneel! Kneel before my awesomeness!" he shouted, rainwater running down his face, before two lightning bolts fell from the sky, aiming for Ludwig. Luckily, the blond had noticed that, so he jumped aside in time, dodging the lethal strikes. It went like that for some minutes, Gilbert perched on top of the destroyed vehicle and laughing, and Ludwig jumping around and zigzagging to dodge the lightning. Meanwhile, the blond was thinking. He had noticed it took three or, actually, four seconds of concentration for the albino, before lightning would strike. Lukas had had more immediate control over his ability because apparently, he could perform magic. Gilbert needed, so to say, four seconds to 'reload'.
Ludwig let the hammer go, and reached for his gun. He had only one bullet left. He ran again, and lightning struck the place he had been standing on moments earlier. He started counting, as he trained the gun on the albino.
Four.
Gilbert's hand was raised yet again, to call upon another bolt, and he was still grinning like a fool. Ludwig's eyes narrowed as he took aim.
Three. Two.
His shoulder was hurting like hell, making the gun shake in his hands. He probably wouldn't even hit the target…
One.
He pulled the trigger, and the bullet struck Gilbert's left not armoured shoulder. "Ack!" he whirled around, and fell from the bus. The lightning he had called upon came crashing down, but not concentrated on one spot like the others had been. Instead, it split like an upside-down branch of a tree, and struck three Nightmares, one of which was fighting Kiku.
The Japanese looked up surprised as the Nightmare fell, electrocuted and fried, to the ground. He saw Ludwig was still standing, and the albino was scrambling up, clutching his shoulder. Kiku scanned the battlefield, and felt almost relieved. From twenty-three Nightmares, the number had dropped to six. They probably could survive this…! However, to knock the RED down… He looked at the albino again. They needed to use that gasoline tank, like Mathias had done with Lukas.
"Alfred-kun!" he called out to the American, who was currently fighting a pink Nightmare, some meters away. The back-to-back formation had been shattered long before.
"I'm kinda busy, ya know?!" Alfred retorted, clubbing the Nightmare's head with the bat.
Kiku sliced the weak spot of another Nightmare as he neared the American. "We need to get the gasoline tank from the jeep…!"
Alfred looked up, after jabbing a weak spot with the bat, and after the pink Nightmare fell, toppled to its side. "Oh yeah! That's right, that tank!" He exclaimed, brushing the wet bangs from his forehead. They were both soaking wet from head to toe because of the downpour. "But dude, how can we even-Watch out!" He pushed them both aside, as another Nightmare tried to lash out to them. The claws ripped Kiku's sleeve, but otherwise did no harm. "We will discuss later how! Now we need to get that tank!"
The American nodded, and sprinted to the jeep, followed by Kiku. Other Nightmares were joining the party, they needed to escape. Kiku furiously wiped his forehead from the wet hair, and then realized something. Earlier, they couldn't escape because it would have been futile, the Nightmares could smell pretty good. But in this storm, with the rain pouring like that…their scents would wash away completely…!
"Alfred-kun! We have to run!"
The American looked up, holding the gasoline tank in one hand. "Huh?"
"Just follow me!" Kiku pulled the American in one of the collapsed buildings, and of course the Nightmares started chasing them.
Meanwhile, Ludwig panted, and saw the two leaving. He needed to buy them time. "Hey, bruder!" he called out. The albino emerged from behind the destroyed bus, grimacing and clutching his bleeding shoulder. "Oh my, what's this?!" he exclaimed, pointing at the wounded shoulder. "We now have the same wound in the same place? Does this mean we are brothers again?"
He hunched his shoulders, like a cat ready to strike. "Like hell. I'm more awesome than that. I do not need a brother. Oh, but you lost the privilege of that title more than a year ago. Well then, I do not need YOU!" he jumped, and flexed his claws, lashing out at the blond.
Ludwig was barely able to dodge. "Stop that, bruder!" he repeated the word, because it got a reaction out of the albino. But, to say the truth, he didn't want to hurt him. However, he had to defend himself, right? He hit the RED with the hammer, striking the abdomen, but he did not budge. Instead, Gilbert struck back.
"Du. Binst. Nicht. Meine. BRUDER!" the albino yelled, underlining each word with a clawed attack, eventually slicing the hammer's bar in two.
Ludwig let the now useless weapon fall to the ground, and stepped back, his shoulders hitting a wall yet again. He had no weapon, he was defenceless. Gilbert was mere steps from him, still with that lopsided grin, eyes ablaze with madness and…something else Ludwig couldn't quite place.
He glanced behind the RED, and saw Kiku and Alfred, through the rain, in the opening of a collapsed building. They were desperately trying to make a Molotov-like bomb out of the gasoline tank, but they wouldn't make it in time.
"I will end you now." Gilbert panted, raising a claw to the sky, and thunder rumbled angrily. Was Ludwig imagining things, or did he see tears, and not rain, streaking down the albino's cheeks? "I'll pick my teeth with your bones. Auf wiedersehen…bruder."
Suddenly, they heard a loud BOOM, and the ground at Gilbert's feet literally exploded. He was sent flying, and hit the wall of a crumbled building. "Argghhh!" He then fell down, landing unconscious and with sprawled limbs.
Ludwig looked to his left, and saw a tank coming nearer. A tank. A freaking tank. And a big one, for that matter.
The tank had two cannons, and they were shooting down the remaining Nightmares. The ones who were fast enough fled, but still the tank made many victims. Finally, the caterpillar wheels halted in front of the blond, who hadn't moved from his frozen position. The tank's lid opened, and Ludwig saw a very familiar head and curl popping out of the vehicle.
"…Feliciano?!"
"VE! Ludwig! Are you okay?!" Feliciano asked worriedly while climbing down the tank, but then stumbled and fell face-first to the ground. "Ow!"
Ludwig was overwhelmed with relief. Not only was Gilbert knocked out, but Feliciano was unharmed and well! And that also meant… his brother was going to be okay. Again, he felt so immensely relieved…! He had imagined tons of different endings and deaths for the Italian, most probably by Gilbert's or another RED's hands…!
He helped the Italian up, and hugged him. "Oh Gott, you're okay…!"
"… You were worried…?" Feliciano asked, not believing his ears and eyes. Ludwig had been worried about him…? He felt happy. That meant he cared!
However when the German released the hug, Feliciano saw his wounds. "Ve! Ludwig, you're hurt!" he turned to face the tank. "Yao!"
A jet black haired head popped out of the tank. "Hey, is this one of the guys you said you were sheltering with, aru?"
Feliciano nodded, happy. "Sì, but he's hurt…! Do you still have bandages?"
A voice echoed from inside the tank. "YAO! Get out or stay inside, I don't really care, but do not hold that damn lid open! The rain is pouring in!"
Ludwig blinked, and stared confusedly at Feliciano. "How…Who…What…?" he stammered.
Feliciano smiled. "Hahaha, only 'Where' and 'When' are missing!" he chirped. The German glared, and the Italian pouted. "V-ve…! I'll tell you later, can't we get to the Rock first…?"
Suddenly, Alfred and Kiku appeared. "Dude, Feli! You're alright! We were worried!" The American took the Italian in a bone-shattering hug, and Feliciano yelped. "A-A-Alfred?! Kiku? What are you doing here?"
Kiku smiled too. "You are well, Feliciano-kun. I am very relieved. We just followed and helped Ludwig find you."
Yao, still holding the lid open (much to Emil's dismay) suddenly looked like he had seen a ghost. "Kiku…?" he whispered.
The Japanese looked up, and saw Yao looking down at him in disbelief. Kiku's poker face shattered, as surprise and stupor were painted on his features. "…Oniisan…?"
Yao didn't answer, and jumped from the inside of the tank, landing with one swift motion, long hair in a ponytail almost floating behind him. He straightened his spine, and then tackle-hugged the Japanese. "Kikuuu! You're really alive, aru!"
The two of them fell in the mud, hugging each other and laughing, happy.
Alfred released Feliciano, just so he could laugh and smile at the Japanese. "That's awesome, dude! You found your bro!"
The American however froze as he heard another voice, calling out his name. "…Alfred…?"
Slowly, painfully and dramatically so, Alfred turned his head around to look at the source of the voice. Sure enough, his twin brother was looking at him from the top of the tank.
The American moved so fast he was only a brown-yellow blur. He jumped onto the caterpillars, then on top of the tank, and then onto his brother, the both of them falling inside.
"…Eeeeeeh…?!"
"What the hell?!" Emil probably had been hit by the two twins falling.
"Bro! Oh, Mattie! You're here! You're ok! You're alive! You're alive! Oh, thank God…!" they all heard sobs echoing in the metal shell. "…You're alive…!"
"…I missed you too, Alfred…"
Feliciano was beaming with joy. Everyone was so happy! And they had all found their relatives! He turned to look at Ludwig, and saw him standing near Gilbert's unconscious body.
He neared him, and tugged the German's sleeve. Ludwig blinked, and looked sideways at Feliciano. The Italian smiled, before kneeling. "Ve, don't worry Ludwig! Your fratello will soon be as good as new…!"
Before Ludwig could stop him, he put the hand on Gilbert's chest. The hand started to glow brightly and the chest armour cracked. A black liquid oozed out of the crack, which was absorbed by the palm of the brunette's hand. Feliciano started panting, as the warm and all too familiar feeling seeped into his hand, and he really did his best not to faint.
However, he had already been drained by curing Matthew earlier. Gilbert's RED infection proved to be too much, as Feliciano fell yet again unconscious. The last thing he saw before falling into the darkness was Ludwig's face, and his mouth moving, saying words he could not hear.
The Sentient Nightmare toppled the black rook at the feet of the white queen and knight. He started chuckling softly to himself. But then the low chuckle escalated quickly into loud laughter that echoed throughout the chamber.
"Perfect, Feliciano…! Just perfect…"
Why does this not feel as good as i imagined it? ;_; well, hopefully you like it!
ah, ze awesome prussia is back...!
i wonder what ivan's plotting...? tee hee heeeee
i've also made three drawings, but i am too tired to upload them now. i need some sleep...
BTW i already wrote next chapter, but i don't know if i'll upload tomorrow(ergo:friday). i feel like being evil... mwahaha!
...but maybe not...
until next chapter! ;D
Nein! Halt! : (german) No! Stop!
Grazie : (italian) thank you
Skít : (icelandic) shit!
Du. Binst. Nicht. Meine. Bruder! : (german) You. Are. Not. My. Brother!
Auf wiedersehen : (german) goodbye
Oniisan : (japanese) brother (im not sure about this...)