Lost. Chapter 24.

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry about not posting in a while. Had a 600 point project to do that took me nearly two months to complete. I got really far behind in my writing and I only had chapter 23 prewritten and I like to be three chapters ahead of time so I can make sure there are no gaps. Plus it helps me edit better since I'm my own beta. ^_^ So if it sucks it's my fault. I'm much too impatient for a beta. Wow. That sounded pretty nerdy, eh? Lol.

Sparkling angel I believed
You are my savior in my time of need
Blinded by faith, I couldn't hear
All the whispers, the warnings so clear.

I see the angels, I'll lead them to your door
There's no escape now, no mercy no more
No remorse 'cause I still remember
The smile when you tore me apart.

You took my heart, deceived me right from the start
You showed me dreams, I wished they turn into real
You broke the promise and made me realize
It was all just a lie.

Sparkling angel, I couldn't see
Your dark intentions, your feelings for me
Fallen angel, tell me why
What is the reason, the thorn in your eye?

I see the angels, I'll lead them to your door
There's no escape now, no mercy no more
No remorse 'cause I still remember
The smile when you tore me apart.

You took my heart, deceived me right from the start
You showed me dreams, I wished they turn into real
You broke the promise and made me realize
It was all just a lie.

Could have been forever
Now we have reached the end.

This world may have failed you
It doesn't give you a reason why
You could have chosen a different path in life
The smile when you tore me apart.

You took my heart, deceived me right from the start
You showed me dreams, I wished they turn into real
You broke the promise and made me realize
It was all just a lie.

Could have been forever
Now we have reached the end.

Angels by Within Temptation

Disclaimer: Hikari does not own or claim to own Hetalia!

Prussia's POV

It took a while to pull Yao off of Ivan's mangled body. Gilbert just observed through much of it all as if he wasn't actually apart of them. It was still a huge shock to him considering how much misery the dead man caused him. Spain's news still ran through his head and he couldn't help but feel uneasy.

Kiku and Mei finally managed to pull Yao off of Ivan. The Chinese man had not stopped sobbing.

"No! Please, don't leave me, aru!" he sobbed over and over, possibly thinking that if he said it enough Ivan would come back to life. It was still a shock to them all that a country could die. Two of their strongest allies had been killed as if they were toothpicks even though Alfred's death had been more heroic.

Gilbert snorted at the irony. Alfred finally became a hero like he always talked about but he wasn't there to see it. Ivan had just merely been a target, an obstacle to their enemy, a play toy. His task, whatever it had been, had been fulfilled and Feliciano allowed the Baltics to kill him, just as he let Romano 'kill' Antonio.

The albino wondered what Francis' purpose was. Mattie hadn't killed him so he must have a bigger purpose. Possibly to torture Arthur more but maybe he had some secret meaning.

Gilbert looked out the window to where the sky was starting to turn orange, and pink near the horizon, "Yo, we need to get moving. It's getting late."

He had to admit he was nervous flying a plane. He had done it plenty of times by himself and was known for doing insane and risky stunts but he was not use to being responsible for others' lives or wellbeing. He was a screw up on many things but his screw ups never affected anyone but himself until now.

Elizabetha must have noticed his unusual behavior for she quietly approached him and put a hand on his shoulder, "You nervous about the plane?" she asked quietly, her voice uncharacteristically soft.

Gilbert sighed. "Ja. It's so not awesome." he admitted.

Elizabetha's mouth curved with amusement, "Don't be worried. I've seen you fly a plane and your one bad ass pilot. Trust me, you'll be just fine."

"Liz, I've never had to deal with being responsible for other passengers in a plane. If I mess up and you or West or anyone else gets hurt because of it..." Gilbert let his sentence hang.

Elizabetha's soft lips pressed against his for a brief second. "It's not awesome for you to stress out about something so mature like this. I want you to be immature like you usually are."

"Liz, this war has changed all of us. I can't act stupid like I use to." Gilbert spoke in a low voice. Elizabetha brushed some of his dirty white hair.

"I know, Gil," she sighed, "But we can't let this control us. We have to take charge or else we'll be at their mercy." Elizabetha whispered.

"Liz, we're already at their mercy!" Gilbert said, his voice getting louder. "We're running away from them; waving a white flag and retreating to the hills with our tails between our legs! How can we take control of a situation that we have no hope of grasping?"

"Don't tell me that there is no hope, Gilbert! As long as there is still breath in our chests, there is always hope. Things may seem down now but what goes up always has to come down. Feliciano won't be all high and mighty for long so don't you dare tell me there's no hope." Elizabetha retorted.

Gilberts scarlet eyes flashed with anger. He hated to be challenged in front of other people. "Listen here woman! He might fall someday but how many lives will it cost? Alfred and Ivan are already dead! Francis was kidnapped and the only reason why Antonio is still alive is because Romano is still our ally. So what hope is there if it is inevitable for someone to die or get hurt?" Gilbert yelled, getting closer to her red face.

"What happened to you?" Elizabetha said quietly. She looked at him with disgust. "You used to be the strongest one here. Now you let yourself be reduced to...to a man with no hope; broken and alone."

Gilbert's eye twitched in anger. "Like I said, this war has changed everyone. Maybe I've changed too much for us to be together." he spat, his voice cold and emotionless.

"Maybe we've both changed too much." Elizabetha retorted with equal coolness. Gilbert stuck his nose in the air defiantly.

"Fine then." he grumbled. Turning sharply on his heels, he stomped out of the now quiet room, not even noticing how everyone was watching him.

Ludwig quickly followed after his brother. His leg had healed quickly and he now could walk without help though he did have a slight limp. He cursed under his breath at the ever growing gap between him and his brother. He called out to him, a sudden fear that he would lose him settling over him though he knew it was foolish.

Hearing Ludwig call his name, Gilbert turned around, a grin fixed on his features. "Hey West! What's up?" he asked as if nothing had happen. Ludwig knew that his brother loved Elizabetha and he knew he was stress and worried, both of them emotions he wasn't use to showing to anyone.

"What's going on, East?" Ludwig asked, his mouth creased into a flat line.

"You didn't hear? We're going to America and I'm going to fly the plane." he said. His voice was smooth, or at least as smooth as his rough voice could be.

"I meant back there, Bruder. You don't honestly believe that you and Elizabetha can't stay together, do you?" Ludwig asked.

Gilbert's eye brows furrowed; a sigh escaping his lips. "I believe it, Ludwig. She just can't accept how awesome I am." he said.

"East, she's just worried about you. You aren't acting like you." Ludwig carefully said. He knew he was treading into dangerous territory with his brother now. He felt like he didn't even know him now; he wasn't acting at all like his regular self. Normally, he would have been grinning that silly grin of his and claiming how awesome he was. He seemed like a hollow shell of his normal self.

"This war has changed something in all of us. You know that better than anyone, Ludwig." Gilbert whispered his voice softer. He clamped his hand over Ludwig's shoulder. "If I acted like an idiot and you got hurt because I couldn't stop Feliciano then I would never forgive myself. You're the only one I have Ludwig; I can't lose you. Ever."

"That's not true. You don't realize it but you have Elizabetha. She cares about you." Ludwig sighed, trying to find a way to make his brother understand. "You two are perfect for each other. You're both stubborn and you're both insane, crazy and yet some of the most sincere people I've ever met."

A smile graced Gilbert's features but it was gone in a flash, replaced by a look of misery. One that would forever be branded into Ludwig's cornea, "Maybe we're too much the same. No one in their right mind would want to be with me."

His hand dropped off Ludwig's shoulder and fell to his side. He turned away from Ludwig and retreated outside, looking even more miserable than before Ludwig got to him.

Ludwig was about to go after him but stopped. He would just make it worse; Gilbert needed time to cool down and think. Ludwig sighed in defeat and returned back upstairs to help Arthur carry Ivan downstairs.

Gilbert waited by the car as they buried Ivan. He could hear Yao's grief filled howls as they lowered the Russians body into the ground. His mind was a jumbled mess and more than ever he wanted a beer. He didn't know where any alcohol stores were and he probably shouldn't drink before flying so he decided to go with a Monster. He would need the energy to stay up for the entire flight.

Gilbert turned his back to the group, occasionally feeling eyes burning into the back of his head. He ignored easily, staring off into the mountains and wondering how everything would play out.

As far as he could see it, it was a lose-lose situation. Either they won the war and got rid of Italy which would destroy Ludwig more or Feliciano would succeed. That was very unlikely. All previous attempts of taking over the world were unsuccessful; it was doubtful that it would be successful now.

After what seems like a while, the others returned. Yao's sobs had turned to whimpers. Kiku and Mei walked on both sides of him, each having a hand on his shoulder or hand.

"Come on; I don't want to fly too much in the dark." Gilbert told them in a monotone voice. His heart felt frozen ever since his fight with Elizabetha. He no longer felt certain emotions. He only felt anger or worry and he was certainly both. Elizabetha's eyes were narrowed as she walked past with excessive shake to her hips as if to be snooty.

"Shut up, Gil. Stop always being worried about you for once and see how everyone else is hurting." Elizabetha hissed in an icy tone. Her words, though false, still stung. He kept his face straight; not going to give her the satisfaction of knowing how much her words hurt him. He only snorted and turned away from her, walking to the other car. He could feel her eyes burning into the back of his head, chilling him to the core.

He got behind the wheel of the other car and waited as Ludwig, Arthur and Antonio got in the car. Gilbert sighed. In the past raid, they had lost nine people. It was hard to believe that Mattie would do anything wrong so maybe this war did change everyone.

As soon as everyone was inside the car, Gilbert quickly sped off, burning some rubber as a result of his anger. The brief moment of burnt tire made him feel powerful but then he remembered what position he was in and felt even more depressed. He made sure to stop by the department store for some food, energy drinks and some beer for later. The three of them carried the bags to the car and quickly loaded them into the car.

"Gilbert where are we even going?" Ludwig asked after a long, awkward silence. Everyone else was looking at the beautiful Italian country as the scenery rolled past. Only it didn't seem so beautiful anymore. It only reminded them of the cute little Italian that was trying to kill everyone.

"I'm going to a buddies place. He has big bucks and owns a plane we might be able to use." Gilbert explained, turning to look at his brother. The car started drifting to the other side of the lane.

"GILBERT! Eyes on the road! Eyes on the road!" Ludwig exclaimed. Gilbert sharply turned the wheel, returning the car to its proper lane just in time to avoid getting hit head on by another car. Everyone let out the breath they had been holding and breathed easier.

"Ok, so what if he won't let us use this plane?" Ludwig asked, slightly annoyed at how his brother was never prepared or possessed a backup plan.

"Please, West, we go way back! There ain't no way in hell that he won't let us use it!" Gilbert smirked. Ludwig sighed and leaned his head back up against the cool glass.

"Whatever you say, Bruder, whatever you say."

(Time skip. Still Gilbert's point of view.)

Just as Gilbert had predicted, his buddy let him borrow his plane no questions asked. He was not exaggerating in the slightest about having a lot of money. The man owned a huge house, many expensive cars, a huge plot of land, and a few casinos in addition to his planes. How Gilbert came to know a man like that in Italy was strange.

When Gilbert returned to the car after talking, he noticed the second car had parked behind his car. He noticed Elizabetha sitting up near the front beside Roderick and snorted to himself. He knew she would get over him quickly but he didn't expect it to be that quick.

"I'm just too awesome for her." he told himself to lessen the pain in his heart though it didn't change anything. He got back inside his car and sped off to where the planes were kept. The sky was perfect weather for flying albeit the darkness but the sky was clear and the breeze was gently. He parked the car and everyone got out. His group waited as the other car pulled up and everyone got out.

Gilbert helped everyone load into the plane. The plane had just enough room for everyone to be comfortable. He ran over standard procedure before getting in his seat in the control room. Ludwig had decided to sit with him in the front seat area.

"I'll be right back, West." Gilbert told him. He quickly went back to the passenger area where everyone was chatting amongst themself. He called their attention. "We're going to be on a pretty long trip here so sit down, get comfortable. You guys all know the drill so just don't bother me."

"Like we'd want to!" Elizabetha snapped from her seat near the back of the passenger area. Scarlet eyes narrowed angrily as he glared at the Hungarian sitting beside the Austrian. Gilbert didn't want to admit it but seeing them sitting so close together made his heart burn with jealousy.

"Excuse me?" Gilbert asked, more from disbelief than anything. It stung a little that Elizabetha would say something to him like that in front of everyone else.

"You heard me jack-ass!" Elizabetha snapped. She glared at Gilbert challengingly and folded her arms over her chest with a look of defiance.

"Oh? Well aren't you a good friend?" Gilbert retorted. He could almost feel the tension suffocating the air.

"What goes around comes around!" Elizabetha snapped back. Gilbert rolled his eyes and let out a loud sigh.

"Oh my god; what the hell did I even do?" he asked, throwing his hands into the air dramatically.

"I don't have to tell you, you selfish bastard!" Elizabetha turned her head away, tipping her nose in the air. Gilbert snorted.

"Sure, I'm the selfish bastard!" he said sarcastically. "You're the one who is cheating on me!"

He hadn't meant to say it; he didn't even know he had been thinking it until the words flew out of his mouth before he could catch them. He recoiled only slightly but didn't back down.

"What? I'm not cheating on you!" Elizabetha snapped, her eyes boring into his and a flame with anger. It was a look that Prussia used to love about her. No girl he had ever known had possessed the fire and defiance that Elizabetha had. Now it only caused him to get hot with anger.

"Then how come you've been so buddy- buddy with four-eyes? I'm not dumb, Liz; I can see." Gilbert snapped.

"No you can't, Gilbert. There's nothing going in between us! You think you can see what's going on? Well you can't! Your blind, Gilbert, to everything!" Elizabetha yelled. What was followed was not another retort. Instead, there was only silence. No one dared to breath or break the silent. All eyes were trained on Gilbert's whose jaw had dropped with shock. When he finally gathered his wits, he just shook his head as he turned around.

"Let's just hope I don't crash the plane then." Gilbert said uncharacteristically quiet as he walked away. He fell into his seat heavily with an exasperated sigh.

"Bruder?" Ludwig asked in a concerned voice. Gilbert smirked and looked up.

"Yeah West?" he asked, grinning over at him in a mask of fake confidence.

"I heard," Ludwig told him silently, "I'm sorry."

"Hey; it's fine. I'm awesome and she's the one being an ass!" Gilbert smirked, chuckling at his own comment.

"East..."

"Not now West. I gotta get this baby in the air." Gilbert grinned. He reached in his bag and pulled out a Monster. He cracked it open, drinking in the intoxicating fumes before taking a chug. He set it back down and started the plane.

About an hour later, Gilbert had downed three monsters and was practically dancing in his seat.

"Bruder, just go to the bathroom already. I'll take over for you." Ludwig sighed impatiently. Gilbert reluctantly agreed and let Ludwig have control of the plane. He got up and started unzipping his pants even before he got into the bathroom.

He returned shortly, feeling much relieved. "Ahhh! That feels so good. Those damn things go right through me!" Gilbert returned to his spot, adjusting himself and got comfortable.

A switch flashed red, the light casting shadows across the two brother's faces. Both looked at it confused.

"Hey West, can you go back and check on everyone?" Gilbert asked, moving around and checking other buttons and switches. Ludwig nodded silently, getting up from his seat. "Be careful." Gilbert said to him as his brother went to the back of the plane.

Now in complete silence, Gilbert listened carefully with acute hearing. The red light cast more eerie shadows across the control area, only adding to the serious atmosphere. Ever so faintly, Gilbert could hear a slight noise as if something was near the plane. It grew in volume until Gilbert realized with anguish that it was another plane.

In a fury, he flipped on his speaker and adjusted more switches and buttons as he spoke into the headset, "Everyone get in your seats and fasten your seat belts. Get ready for a bumpy ride."

The Prussia skillfully kept a look out through the dark sky. The plane was pretty good so it probably wouldn't be able to move as fast as a smaller plane like the ones he used to fly so he would be at a disadvantage.

A deafening silence filled his ears. He scarcely dared to breathe; not wanting to taint the silence with any noise. He could hear the usual noises of a plane as well as a faint hiss or whistle, steadily growing louder. There was a flashing on a monitor just before he saw the very faint shape of something speeding towards the front of the plane.

Giving a hard yank, Gilbert sharply turned the point of the plane down. The plane jolted from the sudden and sharp movement but remained in air. Gilbert held his breath, his heart thumping wildly in his chest.

This couldn't be happening! He wouldn't be as worried if it had been just him in a small fighter plane but he was in control of a bigger plane with all of his friends in it. If anything happened to them, he would never be able to forgive himself. Each of their lives added a weight to his shoulders, forcing him to assume his sole role of pilot.

There was a loud noise near the top of the plane as well as the noise from the flashing lights. Gilbert struggled to control the plane and judging by the controls, something had ripped off one of the top panels of the plane. He realized with dread that the plane was going down when the altitude meter started shrinking at an alarming rate. He tried to keep the nose of the plane up to slow their fall as he switched on his headset.

"The plane is going down! Stay calm and hold on to something but be prepared to leave as soon as you can!" Gilbert shouted into his speaker above all the noise of the controls and the air ripping past the plane.

He heard shouts of alarm from the back where all the others were. Gilbert shuttered, the sound being branded into the back of his mind. He didn't want to be responsible for any of their deaths. Their faces flashed before his eyes; Ludwig, Elizabetha, Roderick, Arthur, Yao, Kiku, and Mei.

His hands were pure white from gripping the control. The altitude level declined quickly but time seemed to slow by. Every foot seemed like a million life times; every inch a minute. He could hear his own panicked breathing reverberating through his skull.

He had told everyone not to panic while he had so easily let himself be gripped by fear. He tried his best to keep the plane up so that maybe everyone on the plane would be able to watch the sun rise. Closer and closer the plane approached the dark torrent of ocean water, miles and miles deep. He didn't want to think about how deep that was and that maybe they'd become the next Titanic. Gilbert sent a quick prayer up to God, begging him to listen and to carry them to safety.

The plane slammed to a stop as it hit the water.

A/N: Yuss! This chapter was really fun to write! If you haven't had a Monster yet, you need to. The bluish purple one is the best. They're the best tasting drink you'll ever had not to mention how it makes you happy (even though you get really depressed after it wears off). I'm going on about it; sorry. DX. Still on a Monster high from after school today. I've been waiting for this chapter as well. I'm starting to think this might now be anywhere from 50-60 chapters long. If that's the case it's not even half over and I think I've been working on it for six months now. Or at least planning it. Thank you for all the reviews. I never would have expected them all. You guys are really awesome. Please keep sending them in! I read every one at least twice! Please please please, give me a suggestion on my writing. The more I read my writing and read others the more pissed I get that mine isn't better. Any suggestion will be loved! Lol. XD Thanks and love ya all!