Chapter 10

A/N: Wow, double digits. *sniffs* My baby's growing up. Ah~ I feel like a mother now. Ok then~ Now that I just said that, let's continue on with the story. Ohs, I'm extremely hyper as I'm starting out this chapter but I bet you I'll be really depressed when I'm done!

Sorry, this has only been edited once so it won't be as good as my regular chapters. Sorry.

Disclaimer: Hikari does not own Hetalia or any of its characters.

Angelofdarkness
Angelofdarkness
Don'tfollowyourcommand
ButIwillfightandIwillstand

Whendarknessfalls
Painisall
TheAngelofDarkness
willleavebehind
andIwillfight

The love is lost
beauty and light
have vanished from
garden of delight

The dreams are gone
midnight has come
the darkness is our new kingdom

Angel of darkness
Angel of darkness
The world is in your hand
But I will fight until the end

Hunt goes on
deep in the night
time to pray
down on your knees
you can't hide from the
eternal light
until my last
breath I will fight( I will fight...)

Now realize
the stars they die
darkness has
fallen in paradise

but we'll be strong
and we will fight
against the
creatures of the night

Angel of darkness
Angel of darkness
The world is in your hand
But I will fight until the end

LyricstoAngelofDarknessbyAlexC.

~*~*~

Arthur'sPOV

Arthur pressed the worn cloth to his nose. While it was ripped and stained with blood, the Brit loved it just the same. If he went past the metallic tang of blood he could still smell the familiar scent of hamburgers on the jackets fabric. Arthur held that jacket as if it was the most precious thing in the world. He shut his eyes tightly and let the Americans scent wreath around him. His laughter filled his ears and behind his dark eyelids Arthur could see his bright smile and shining blue eyes.

"Angleterre?" Francis said gently. His gently voice nudged him from his daydream. Reluctantly, Arthur opened his eyes. His visions of Alfred disappeared like mist in the suns rays. Emerald eyes met with cyan eyes causing him to wince. Francis' eyes were soft as he looked at the grieving Brit.

"We must go, Arthur. We don't want them to find us." Francis said. Arthur kept silent and just looked to the side to the forest. Somewhere back there was Alfred; lying bleeding and dead and alone on that field. If he ran fast enough, the Brit could reach him. He tried to move his feet but they were heavy as if they were stuck in concrete blocks.

FrancesPOV

Francis sighed and gently wrapped his now dirty fingers around Arthur's arm in a gentle, get firm, grasp.

Arthur trailed beside him the entire time. No one or sound had been uttered. He just stared ahead like a zombie; not quite dead but not quite living. Francis sighed. Those usually live green eyes that he had grown to love were now dull with a haunted look. Francis knew what exactly had been haunting him.

If only Francis had thought ahead to shield the Brits eyes when they ran past. Then he wouldn't have seen poor Alfred's torn and mutilated corpse. If only Francis hadn't let Alfred run ahead. The poor young country had only wanted to protect his friends and loved ones yet he had to pay his life to do so.

Suddenly, Francis felt very lucky to be alive. If Alfred hadn't run ahead and set off the mine, all of the countries might have been caught in the explosion. His heart wept to think that Alfred died for them when he might not have known he had ran straight into his death. Even worse, he could have known what he was running into and had acted normal anyway.

Looking back at Arthur, the Frenchman quickly scanned over him. His shoulders were slumped, his head staring straight ahead and his feet dragging sluggishly behind him; all of the Brits body language screamed defeat.

Francis might have under estimated Arthur's feelings for Alfred. He knew they both cared about each other but Alfred's constant teasing and Arthur's irritation for him made it uncertain to how much they cared for each other. He hadn't expected this kind of devotion from Arthur.

Arthur had never been good at showing his emotions. He could easily show irritation or anger but happiness and sadness were always boarded up by a wall. Sometimes a brick was removed and some of those forbidden emotions had leaked out but Arthur quickly rebuilt the wall to be even stronger than the last.

Francis could practically see the large towering wall of bricks looming high around Arthur; their strength guarding the Brit from any further pain and hiding his shattered heart and grief. It pained the Frenchman to think of his beloved Angleterre in so much pain. He wanted Arthur to be able to confide in him and let him in the wall; whether it be for Francis's own selfish desires for the Brit to love him as the Frenchman loved the Brit or if he truly wanted to help him Francis would argue to himself about that for decades.

Either way, Arthur couldn't stay in his zombie-like state forever. Francis needed to at least break a hole in the wall to let some of the emotion trapped inside get out. Arthur wouldn't survive long in his state. His feet were barely moving him through the woods. A gap was forming between the two and the other fleeing countries. Arthur hardly seemed to care if he got captured. He didn't seem to care about the World anymore. It was if the Brit had lost his will to live.

Francis kept his grip on Arthur's arm and tried to get him to run quicker. Every time he sped up, Arthur's feet would stumble over a root or branch and France would quickly yank him to his feet and continue running. The gap was getting wider; Francis' heart beat faster in desperation, not for himself but for Arthur. He wanted to see the Brits bright orbs again and he wanted him to regain his fighting spirit.

He was barely aware of the sounds around him. He could hear both of their labored breathing and the sound of leaves rustling or tree branches snapping under their feet. The canopy above shielded much of the suns sharp rays.

Winter was fast approaching; winds starting to pick up and the air getting a nip to it. Even though the sun was bright the weather had a mind of its own. The two stayed warm, their blood pulsing through their veins with each step.

The others seemed to notice the gap and slowed down until the gap was no more.

"Where are we even at anyway?" Ivan asked.

"Somewhere in Italy." Mei answered. He was panting from having run and carry an injured Kiku.

"Well, no duh! Where in Italy?" Gilbert snapped impatiently. Mei didn't seem to mind or notice his sharp tone.

"How should I know? We could be running southward for all I know, aru!" Yao said.

"Let's not worry about where we're running, da?" Ivan said sweetly. Both Gilbert and Yao sent him a look that clearly asked him if he was crazy.

"What?" Gilbert snapped.

"Shh!" Roderick chastised. "He's got a point. Let's just run for now. When we reach a town we can find a map and get a ride out of Italy." he said.

"Where do we go? We can't all just split up but we can't stay in Italy- meeting or no meeting." Elizabetha asked.

An idea suddenly sprouted in Francis' head. "Why don't you all stay with me!" he said. They all flashed a look at him, obviously suspecting something dirty. "What I mean is Feliciano would expect us to go to the closer countries like Switzerland or even Germany but he wouldn't think of you agreeing to go to France!"

The others thought in silence, weighing their options carefully. "Well, we need to get medical attention to Ludwig and Kiku right away, aru. We can worry about where we're going later." Yao said.

Coming to an agreement, silence, with an exception to Kiku and Ludwig's labored breathing and everyone's gasps, engulfed them.

Francis sighed, trying to think of a better idea. Russia, China, Japan, North America or England would be too far. Feliciano might expect them to go to Germany because of Ludwig, or Switzerland because of Vash's neutrality or even Spain because of his closeness to Romano.

That left them with Austria, France or maybe even Poland or Hungary if they wanted to go that far. Austria could be a possible choice. One would not expect Roderick to let them stay in his country. France would also be an unlikely choice because of Francis' perverted nature. Poland or Hungary would be too far as of now but could be a choice later on.

Francis thought deeper into which country to go to. He wanted to take Arthur to a safe, calm place so he could talk to him in private. He only snapped out of his thoughts momentarily when Arthur would trip and he would catch him and steady him so they could continue.

Finally, after what seemed like hours of running, the trees began to become scarce and the undergrowth thinned. Francis felt extra energy coarse through his legs at the prospect of going to a town.

"We're almost there Arthur! Just a little further!" Francis exclaimed. He received no reply from the Brit, though he didn't expect one.

Finally, they emerged from the trees and onto a road. Francis had never been so happy to see that black strip of blacktop before. He grinned like a giddy school girl and laughed in a high, airy voice.

"We made it! Look Arthur, we made it!" he exclaimed happily. Again, no reply. Arthur's silence didn't deter Francis' excitement. The group stopped to catch their breath quickly, walking slowly down the empty road looking for a sign. After about a mile, they came to a sign that read: "Matera- 5 miles north"

Excitement and relieve buzzed through the air. Everyone picked up their pace and hurried to the town. They finally saw the town and ran the rest of the way.

The town had been cut from a large, stone ravine. The century old buildings were large and had a very calm, Italian feel to it. Some of the buildings had been abandoned while others were remodeled and made into hotels.

They quickly located one of these hotels and rented as many rooms as they could afford. Ludwig- of course- had to stay with Gilbert and Kiku would stay with Mei. Yao would stay with Ivan and Francis would also have to share a room with Arthur and Vash would stay with Roderick. Elizabetha had to have her own room being the only girl not sharing a room.

They tiredly found their rooms and nearly collapsed from exhaustion into the soft beds. Francis and Arthur panted. There was two single beds in the room that had a yards gab between them. Francis turned his head, blowing up to move his now ratty blond hair off his dirt streaked face. His entire body felt dirty and sweaty but his feet ached too much to get up and into the shower. Besides that, he had no extra clothes to wear.

Glancing over at the Brit across the room, his heart went out to the man trying to deal with everything happening so bravely. He had just lost his lover and everything was going wrong. Yet, while he was shielding himself from the world, Francis knew that that was the only way to keep his rising emotions at bay.

The Brit was lying on his side with his back facing Francis. Francis would see his chest rising and falling to each now-gentle breath. He had pulled his knees towards his torso, his head tucked by his chest in- what Francis' guess- was him trying to smell the Amrricans scent through the blood.

Francis, being the country of love, couldn't let the person he cared about most go on suffering like this. Emotional pain was always harder to deal with physical pain since wounds almost always heal.

Rising to his feet, he only took a step and sat on the edge of Arthurs
Francis gently put a hand on Arthurs arm, near it's socket, and gently rubbed up and down in a soothing mannor. Arthurs body tensed slightly, expecting him to do something perverted.

Francis started to sing a song in his native tongue. His soft voice and gently touch relaxed Arthur. His body became less and less tense until his breathing was as soft as the tender words sung by the blue eyed man. Francis smiled and gently patted Arthur's arm.

"I know you don't want to talk now, which is fine; just please know that I'm here for you. I know what you're going through and it hurts. It hurts more then any other pain but the pain will ease over time and you'll be able to laugh at happy memories again." Francis said gently. He remembered a human he had been foolish enough to fall in love with. Of course, she had died and much too young but even if she had been old hadn't helped his grieving heart.

He paused, looking at Arthur who didn't appear to hear him. He sighed gently. "Just get some rest, Angleterre." he said.

Francis returned to his bed. Crawling underneath the covers, he was asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.


Prussia'sPOV

Carrying his bruder into the room, Gilbert gently laid him down in the bed. Ludwig winced lightly as each movement as he had when Ludwig had been running.

One look at Ludwig's bruised and bloody face made Gilberts stomach churn in anger. Ludwig-like himself- wasn't good at showing emotion. Certain emotions were easier then others but sentiments were not easy for either of them. They might not be close like other siblings but even Gilbert knew Ludwig possessed feelings for the small Italian. His time at that accursed building must have been more of a mental torture then physical.

Seeing Ludwig's broken and bleeding body, Gilbert decided he needed to take a bath. He went to the small bathroom and filled the tub with warm water. Gilbert tested the water with his hand to make sure it wouldn't be too hot or too cold.

He returned back to Ludwig and took off all his soiled clothes albeit his underwear. He gently picked Ludwig's thin form to him, surprised by how much more lighter he was and gently set him in the tub.

Ludwig instantly reacted to the warm water. He lolled his head to the side, a ghost of a smile crossing his features. Gilbert frowned and gently took Ludwig's chin in his hand and turned his face too look at his. Ludwig's face looked like a face of a person who was mugged. Ludwig had gotten beat up before, but never beaten and starved and never by a person he -dare he say it- loved.

Gilbert's blood boiled in his veins thinking of what Feliciano caused to poor Ludwig and Kiku. How dare he treat his bruder that way? How dare he take advantage of Ludwig's emotions?

Gilbert knew, perhaps better then anyone else that Ludwig appeared tough on the outside, much like Romano, but his was to hide his fragile feelings. He had made attachments before and only had his heart broken in the past. Gilbert feared that after this time Ludwig would shield himself from relationships even further.

Gilbert gently released Ludwig's chin and gently patted his uninjured cheek. He gently took a cloth that had been neatly folded beside the sink and used it to gently clean Ludwig's face of dirt and dried blood.

Cleaning Ludwig's face of all the grime, Gilbert was able to see the full extent of his injuries. He had many cuts and bruises on his face; particularly, a deep cut across his cheek and a black eyes. Gilbert noticed that a lot of his wounds are infected and would need medical attention as soon as possible.

Gilbert moved the cloth to Ludwig's neck and to his chest. His chest was almost covered in blue, black and deep purple bruises. Upon touching some of these bruises near a rib, Ludwig would wince. Gilbert tried to be as gentle as possible but Ludwig's skin was so brittle it was a difficult task, though not impossible.

Gilbert gently cleaned each of Ludwig's arms. Those arms that had once been strong and big were now thin and soft. Malnutrition and lack of movement had taken a toll on his body, especially his upper body. Gilbert gently rubbed the raw skin on Ludwig's wrists. The skin was so raw that it was still red and still bore the indentation of the rope.

Gilbert sighed. He gently rubbed the soft skin of Ludwig's legs, keeping them submerged in the cool water. Upon touching Ludwig's lower leg of his left leg, Ludwig let out a small whimper.

Gilbert was alarmed by this since Ludwig hardly ever showed if he was in pain. He set the cloth on the side of the touch and gently felt the knee and going lower towards the ankle, trying to find signs of an injury. He felt a slight difference on the bone beneath his fingertips just as Ludwig gasped. He stirred lightly alarming Gilbert further.

Gilbert released Ludwig's leg making a mental note of all the things he thought was wrong with his bruder.

Picking up his cloth again, he finished his task. After he cleaned his body of dirt and blood, he found a box of soup near to where he had found the cloths and gently lathered Ludwig's body that was above body with it, bring gentle in places he knew was sore.

That went smoothly since he had already cleaned his skin and checked for injuries. Next he found a small bottle of shampoo and conditioner mixed together. Squirting some into his hand, he gently messaged it into Ludwig's scalp.

He felt an irregular spot in his head and parted his blond hair until he found a rather large bump from where Ludwig was probably struck with something. Gilbert sighed and gently messaged the skin around it.

He used the cloth again to wash off his hair. Once he was sure his bruder was clean, he spread a towel on the floor and gently lifted Ludwig into it. Getting another towel, Gilbert sat behind Ludwig. Ludwig leaned his head back into Gilbert's chest. The peaceful look on the Germans face caused the Prussians mouth to curve in a smile.

Gilbert gently kissed his forehead and dried him off. He wrapped him in the towel and carried him into the bed. He settled him into the bed and adjusted the pillow under his head. Memories of long ago replayed in his mind of young Germany and of Holy Rome. Gilbert smiled fondly and chuckled.

He pulled the covers up to Ludwig's chin and gently ruffled his blond hair although being cautious of the bump. His gaze lingered on his brothers for a few more moments. Ludwig's eyelids flickered slightly.

Gilbert watched more intently and smiled. Ludwig opened his tired cyan eyes. They looked even more lifeless as though Feliciano had ripped away all his dignity.

"Yo~!" Gilbert said hoping to brighten the mood. Ludwig blinked confused and looked around.

"W-wha?" he said slowly. His voice was so low, Gilbert almost didn't hear it. Gilbert smiled encouragingly.

"You fought awesomely, bruder! Although the awesome me had to come in and save your arse!" Gilbert teased. Ludwig couldn't help but smile. It was a true real smile; not just a fake to make Gilbert happy or to make him stop worrying. Whether it was because of Gilbert's words or of the fact that he was now free, Gilbert didn't care.

"I-I'm out?" Ludwig asked in disbelief. His volume had increased and Gilbert could hear the relief in his voice.

"Ja, bruder. You're safe now." Gilbert smiled gently. With that statement Ludwig smiled broadly and started laughing lightly.

"Heh heh! I'm free! I'm finally free." he said in a gay (happy for all you people who always think sexually) manor. Gilbert smiled at his bruder's joy. Ludwig looked up at Gilbert turning serious again. "Where's Kiku?" he asked.

"Kiku is with Yao. He'll be just fine." Gilbert said. Ludwig nodded. He sighed and frowned.

"What's the matter? You and Kiku will heal and your free from whatever torture he," Gilbert spat the word like venom, "can't hurt you any more."

Ludwig's frown deepened. "Bruder?" he asked.

"Ja?" Gilbert asked.

"Promise me you won't hurt Feliciano?" Ludwig asked.

"Vas? After all he's done to hurt you and Kiku?" Gilbert asked outraged. Ludwig didn't flinch by his harsh tone.

"Ja. Promise me, please!" Ludwig said with more desperation. Despite everything that had happened be everything Feliciano had did, Ludwig still believed there was a way to get him back to normal. Gilbert knew Ludwig cared for Feliciano but he didn't know the extent.

"Ja." Gilbert said after a few moments. His tone wasn't his usual loud or obnoxious tone. It was gentler. "Ja, I promise." Gilbert said. Ludwig smiled in relief, closing his eyes tiredly.

"Danke!" Ludwig said. A sob escaped him. "Danke bruder."

Another sob escaped his throat and soon the dam broke. Having holding in all his emotions for as long as he did, he couldn't hold it in any more. He tilted his head down and sobbed louder.

Gilbert stood there awkwardly. He wanted to comfort his brother but he wasn't partial to hugs- it was too unmanly. Yet again, why did it matter to be manly when your usually strong bruder was crying in front of you?

Gilbert didn't hesitate after that. He gently leaned over and wrapped his arms around Ludwig's thin frame, staying cautious of the Germans wounds.

It tools few moments for Ludwig to respond. Unsteady of usually brushing his brother off, he instead wrapped his arms around the albino and leaned into his form.

"Shh." Gilbert cooed gently. He rubbed small circles into Ludwig's back. "Its alright." he murmured quietly in Ludwig's ear. He continued to repeat the phrase until he realized Ludwig had fallen asleep in his arms.

Smiling lightly, Gilbert laid him back into the bed and tucked him in again. He planted a gently kiss on Ludwig's forehead and smoothed his hair once.

"Guten nacht bruder." Gilbert said. "Sweet dreams." he said.


A/N: This one was a bit of a pain to write. My hand has pins and needles right now and I'm so FrUKing tired right now DX. BTW, I don't think I'll be able to update as much soon. My dog was put to sleep today so computer time for me might be a little slow. Any way, reviews! Review and I'll love you for eternity! 33 Arigato!