I finally got this thing done! Well, guys, this chapter concludes the 'Where Demons Hide' segment of this fic, but there will definitely be some more oneshots to come, and I'm planning a couple that will have Russia and Belarus in them, too, as they've been rather noticeably absent from this fic so far.

I've got some things to say at the end, but, for now, enjoy this chapter! :)

Estonia did not know how it happened, but he did know that, at some point, Ukraine managed to coax him to a chair. He was sitting at the table, a blanket round his shoulders, watching as she bustled around the kitchen. What exactly she was doing, he did not know, but watching her was a convenient distraction, and so, he continued to sit in silence, not questioning her movements.

He did not feel any malevolence toward her, but he did feel a deep and terrible fear that he would hurt her. He should not be here, not so close to her, but he could not help but want comfort, and Ukraine was a comforting presence, the comforting presence that Lithuania could no longer be, and would never be again.

And thinking of that, Estonia remembered that he had involved the poor, broken Lithuanian in this, that his older brother had probably reached his house by now, only to find him gone, only to see Latvia dead on the sofa. And Lithuania would know that he, Estonia, had murdered their innocent little brother, and had then fled like the criminal he was.

Some sound must have escaped him, his mental agony must have been made evident, for, suddenly, Ukraine was pushing a chair over to him, sitting down next to him. She grasped his hands, and he tried not to look at her, knowing that she would be in tears.

"Eduard…"

He made the mistake of looking into her eyes, just for an instant, and he saw a terrible depth of sadness in her tears.

"You're hurting too," he said quietly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come here."

"N-no, it's all right," Ukraine said, but her voice was trembling, and they both knew that it was not all right. "I don't mind, Eduard…"

"Well, I mind," he said. "I mind having you care for me, Katya. I don't need you to. I… I c-can…"

"No, you can't," she whispered, squeezing his hands gently. "If you could take care of yourself, Eduard, you wouldn't be here… Would you?"

"I was going to go to Finland," Estonia said desperately. He almost wished he had gone to Finland, because if he were there, he would not be watching Ukraine cry. But he would have quite likely been watching Finland cry if he had gone to him, and he could not involve the Finnish man. No one else needed to be involved in his madness, in this living hell into which he had dragged both himself and many of the people he loved.

"I was going to go to him," he repeated. "But I realized… He wouldn't understand, would he, Katya?"

Ukraine paused, seemingly unwilling to reply. But he saw the answer in her eyes.

"He would be frightened of me," Estonia whispered. "H-he would hate me…"

"No! No, he wouldn't!" Ukraine cried. She was still holding his hands, but she let go of the left one now, reaching up to stroke his hair.

"Eduard, I promise, Finland loves you. You're his friend."

"Yes, I am his friend. That is all I will ever be to him. A friend. Probably not even his best friend… I wonder, if someone asked, would he say that Sweden is his best friend? He certainly wouldn't say me, so he would probably say Sweden. I… I am so goddamn jealous of that man... He has Tino forever, if he wants him… I don't have anyone who will stay forever…"

"He would be completely appalled if he knew," Estonia said, glaring into Ukraine's eyes. "You… You're appalled with me too, aren't you, Katya?"

"No, Eduard," she said, her voice soft, quiet, soothing. "I'm just sad for you."

"Don't be!"

His voice had risen, and even he knew it. He could hear the desperation and anguish in his own voice, and he knew that Ukraine must have heard it too. She flinched, tensing, and, for a moment, he thought that she was going to run away from him. Then, she looked up at him again, and there was such terrible sadness in her eyes, a sadness that, he knew, could not possibly be completely directed at him. She should not care that much. No one should care that much, not for him, the useless, selfish madman. They had no reason to care that much. And he did not want them to.

"Don't feel bad for me," he repeated. "You don't need to be. I don't need your pity. I'm… I'm going to be o-okay…"

His voice broke, and he trailed off, trying not to cry.

"It will never be okay again. I told Latvia that, and I meant it. I… Will never be okay again."

"Oh, Eduard…" Ukraine murmured, tears in her eyes and a distraught agony in her voice. "You don't have to try to be so strong, you know. No one is that strong…"

"Toris was!" Estonia shrieked, leaping to his feet, and this time, Ukraine really did run from him, bolting from her chair to cower on the other side of the room.

"T-Toris was that strong…" Estonia sobbed, staring at Ukraine, and realizing, deep inside, that she would never again fully trust him, that no one would ever fully trust him again. But that realization was driven away by the agony of the knowledge that he and his older brother were both broken, that neither of them had been able to save the other, or even little Latvia.

"He was so s-strong… And then… I-it's all my fault… I should have saved him… C-could have… Maybe if I wasn't a coward, we could have g-gotten to him before Russia drove him this far… I c-could…"

He stared desperately at Ukraine, but he was not seeing her there at all. He saw his older brother, Lithuania, comforting him, taking care of him, loving him… Lithuania would not be able to do that for him again. The older boy was so broken, broken almost beyond recognition, and all Estonia knew was that he had failed to save both Lithuania and himself.

He remembered Lithuania's bravery and desperation… How unbreakable his brother had seemed, at the beginning, trying so hard to save them all, willing to sacrifice himself, and always smiling brightly despite the pain.

And he also remembered, agonizingly, the way Lithuania had burst into tears when Estonia had told him that they were leaving Russia. He remembered that Lithuania had seemed convinced that it was all a cruel joke. And he had realized then that Lithuania had given up on living. For they had always dreamed of their freedom, and then, when they had it again, Lithuania had given up all hope, having been twisted into the broken, tormented person that was a mere shell of the kind older brother Estonia could now only vaguely remember.

"He was so strong…" he repeated, numbly, and suddenly, the tears began to fall. He barely even thought of himself at that moment, for the only thing he could think was that he had involved Lithuania in a new cycle of agony, another cycle started by a madman.

Except, this time, the madman who had started the cycle was him. He, Estonia, had dragged his older brother back into the hell they had only just barely begun to recover from living in. He had done this by murdering Latvia.

"It's my fault."

He knew this to be true, for Lithuania would not have been driven this far had he, Estonia, not started all this. Lithuania's shattered mind and broken body were, as far as Estonia was concerned, something that he was heavily to blame for. He had forced his brother into the brunet Baltic's worst nightmare. He had made it so that Lithuania failed to protect the family he held so dear. He had unwittingly forced his brother to watch him and Latvia and everyone else fall apart. And that was Lithuania's worst nightmare, the thing that had driven him to this despair.

"Katya, go to Toris," he said, and his voice sounded like that of a child.

"Toris?" Ukraine echoed, sounding puzzled. "What's wrong with Toris, Eduard?"

"I told you, I called him," Estonia whispered, his voice still childish and frightened, "I called him; he's probably at my house… H-he won't be able to…"

Understanding dawned in Ukraine's eyes, and she nodded.

"Yes, Eduard, we'll go to Toris," she agreed, her voice soft and soothing, "Come on. The storm's blowing over a bit-we should be able to get there without too much trouble."

"I… I'm not going," Estonia choked out. "I can't."

Ukraine paused, staring at him in a questioning manner, and Estonia said nothing, waiting.

"I can't face him. He'll… I murdered Latvia. I did to Latvia the same things that Russia did to Lithuania… I can't possibly face him…"

"He will not blame you, Eduard," Ukraine said, and although her voice was quiet, it was louder than before, and Estonia realized that she had come back to him, was once again standing in front of him.

"He should," Estonia murmured, turning his face away from Ukraine. "He should hate me for what I've done. I… Ukraine, I murdered Latvia! I… He was screaming and begging me to stop, and I laughed… B-because I wanted him to die… I wanted him to see how I feel… I murdered my little brother… I d-don't deserve to live, so h-how can I face Toris now?"

"Because Lithuania will never blame you," Ukraine murmured. Estonia felt her stroking his hair again, and he wanted to pull away, but could not. He longed for her embrace, for the comfort she provided. He wished, in that moment, that Ukraine would stay with him forever, would love him and take care of him until the end of the world…

He had wished that Finland would do the same, once. And he knew, because he had experienced it with Finland, that no one would want to stay with him forever, even if nations could do such a thing. They would always choose someone else over him…

And they had every right to.

"But I blame myself," he choked out. "I… I can't be Lithuania, Katya. I tried, b-but I can't…"

"You don't have to be," Ukraine said. "No one expects you to be like him, Eduard. You are your own person. You don't have to be like him."

"But I want to be, and I can't…"

It was not just Lithuania's bravery he wanted, but the wonderful, sunshiny kindness that was Lithuania's very essence. He wanted to have that quality that made everyone-even the psychopaths of the world-love Lithuania.

He longed to be wanted like that. But he also knew, deep inside, that Lithuania's bravery and beautiful, wonderful kindness were the very things that had, in the end, led to his brother's destruction. But still he wanted to be treasured as Lithuania seemed to be. In a way, Estonia wanted to be the one told by a madman that he could never leave that insane person's side, because that would mean that someone wanted him.

"You don't have to be him to be wonderful," Ukraine said. "You are wonderful enough already, Eduard."

She smiled up at him, and he found himself thinking bitter, saddened thoughts.

"If this was a novel, then she would kiss me now. But she will never kiss me. She does not think of me that way. And neither did Finland. No one ever will."

She had said it herself, not long after the Soviet Union had broken up. She had come to him, to check on him, and during that visit, she had confirmed something that he had already suspected. She did not love him as anything more than a friend, or, perhaps, a child.

He did not want to be a child to her. He wanted to be more than even a friend. But the things he wanted most, Estonia knew, he could never have. Happiness had been denied to him. He had longed for freedom, but had achieved that freedom only to find that he could not escape the demons in his mind.

And he had longed for someone who would stay with him forever, would love him forever. But he could never have that. For Finland, first, and then, Ukraine, had said that they did not love him in that way. So he could never have that love which he desired. He would be, it seemed, alone forever, despite the friends he had. He knew they loved him, in the way that friends loved each other, but they could not be with him all the time, and not forever. And that was what he longed for. He longed for someone who would never leave him.

"Eduard? Are you…are you all right?"

He looked down at Ukraine, who was staring up at him with concern in her eyes. The concern of a friend, only, and not of someone who would stay forever.

And he was not all right. How could he be? He was broken, his mind was broken, and he would soon be all alone in a house that echoed of murder and blood. For the first time, Estonia felt overwhelming pity for Russia, left alone in his bloodstained mansion. After what he had done to Latvia in his home, he would never be able to escape the memory.

He nodded, though, and he saw the sadness in Ukraine's eyes spill over in the form of tears. She knew he was lying.

"Then, Eduard…" Ukraine murmured, stepping back and holding out her hand, "Will you let me take you home?"

He hesitated, picturing again how horrified and disappointed Lithuania would be. But he knew he would have to go home eventually, that he could not stay here with Ukraine. Ukraine would not be there for him forever. And so he should not allow himself to even think of it, as he surely would if he stayed here any longer.

Estonia took a deep breath, and reached for Ukraine's hand.

Lithuania lay alone, half-conscious, thinking foggily that Estonia was going to have to re-carpet his living room. Not only was Latvia's blood on the floor, but Lithuania's own as well. The brunet Baltic was curled up on the far end of the sofa from Latvia. Every so often, he would glance at the small boy, to see if he might be waking up yet. So far, there was no movement from Latvia, but at least the child's wounds had been bandaged. He would recover from the physical pain, but perhaps not from the psychological torture that must have been inflicted on him. Lithuania could only imagine how frightening it must be to be shot by one's own brother.

"Oh, Raivis…" Lithuania murmured faintly, watching the small boy as he lay alone, not breathing. "I'm so sorry."

He was exhausted. After he had cut his arm the first time, he had sobbed for a while, screaming and pleading with some higher being to please end the suffering that had been inflicted upon them.

And when he had stopped pleading with the deity that likely did not exist at all, he had gone to bandage his wrist. He could not die now… Not before he had tended to Latvia.

And so, he had bandaged his own wounds, and then, he had bandaged Latvia's. Now, he sat with the dead boy on the sofa, waiting. Waiting for what, he did not know. Death, he thought, although he knew that if he died now, Latvia would wake and find him lying still and cold, and he did not want the child to see him that way. Despite knowing that Latvia was no longer an innocent child, Lithuania still held onto the hope of protecting his youngest brother.

His gaze shifted to his own wrist. He had removed the bandage after he had finished tending to Latvia, and it was then that he had truly gone to work. He still held the knife in his hand, and tears ran down his face while crimson blood ran down his arm.

He had traced blood red spirals on his arm, looping, tangling threads of blood, and he sobbed quietly as he prepared to drive the knife into his arm again. It hurt, but he needed that hurt, and it was as much a punishment as it was a necessity. He needed that pain in order to show his pain, but he also needed to punish himself for failing to protect his little brothers, for allowing them to hurt each other irreparably.

He plunged the knife into his arm, deeper than he had meant to, and he cried out in agony and despair, wishing more than anything that he could reverse time, that he could save his brothers and, somehow, fully give up himself. He wished that he could turn the clock back, only to sacrifice himself for his brothers, to preserve their innocence.

"I want to go back!" he screamed, utter hopelessness overtaking him. "Please, let me go back! I want to save them… Just… Let me save them…"

There was no one to answer his cries. He was alone, and he did not want to be alone. He longed for the presence of someone, anyone, and so, he dropped the knife on the already bloodstained sofa, and reached out for Latvia. He picked the boy up, not even noticing that the boy's clothes were being stained by his blood, and not the child's own. He pulled Latvia over to him, cradling the child's head in his bleeding arms.

"I'm sorry, Raivis," he murmured. "I… I didn't try hard enough."

He bent his head, sobbing, his tears falling on Latvia's pale, still face. His entire body shook with sobs, and Lithuania cried as he had seldom cried before, the full extent of his pain manifest in his agonized wails.

Then, unexpectedly, there were footsteps at the door, and Lithuania had no time to conceal his bleeding wrists before Estonia and Ukraine were there, and Ukraine was at his side. Ukraine saw everything in an instant, and she bent to take Latvia from him. He held tighter to the boy, not wanting to let go, but then Estonia was there, and Lithuania's grip on Latvia loosened just enough that Ukraine managed to pry the child from his grasp.

"N-no!" Lithuania whimpered. "I want him to s-stay with me…"

"I'll stay with you," Estonia said quietly. "I'll stay with you, Toris. K-Katya's going to fix Raivis up and get all the blood off him…"

Estonia was crying, Lithuania realized, and he reached out feebly, trying to comfort the boy, only to see Estonia's eyes widen in shock.

"Toris… Y-your arms…"

He looked down, down at the blood staining his arms almost up to the elbow, and sighed quietly.

"It's fine, Eduard," he murmured. "I… I must be about to pass out by now…"

"No, Toris, no…" Estonia whispered, tears still running down his cheeks. "Please don't talk like that! P-please…"

"But I want to go to sleep," he said, his words sounding weak and feeble even to him. "And… I don't want to wake up again, Eduard…"

"You sound like a child," Estonia said, staring at him. "And… T-Toris… How…? Why…? Damn you, why do you care so much?!"

Lithuania flinched, Estonia's raised voice startling him. He saw the look in Estonia's eyes change to sadness and despair, and he knew that Estonia, too, blamed himself for what had happened to them all.

"You shouldn't… You don't have to protect everyone," Estonia told him. "That's not your job."

"Y-yes, it is."

Estonia did not understand. It was his job, it had to be. It was the only thing he could do…

"It has to be my job," he said. "I don't feel so useless, when…"

"You are not useless!" Estonia's voice was broken by sobs, but there was some sort of clear resolve in his eyes, a resolve that Lithuania did not quite understand.

"You are not useless," Estonia repeated, more quietly. "You… P-people love you, Toris… And you n-never hurt them… Not like me… Why can't you see how much everyone loves you? You're worth so much more than I'll ever be… Oh, Toris…"

Estonia seemed to collapse, falling to his knees, and Lithuania could not reach the boy to comfort him. He tried, but his hands were trembling and weak, and he could not seem to move them correctly.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm not… I'm not as wonderful as you think I am... I'm… I'm so tired… E-Eduard… I…"

He felt so lightheaded, so tired and weak, and his eyes began to close. So quietly that, perhaps, even Estonia did not hear him, he whispered one last sentence.

"I'm not the hero you think I am. I failed you. I'm sorry."

Estonia felt Lithuania lose consciousness, and he looked up at the older boy, to see with a touch of relief that his brother was still breathing, although his breaths were light.

"You'll always be a hero to me…" he murmured, sobbing. "You never hurt anyone, Toris, never. How can you possibly torment yourself like this when you have never done anything wrong? How?!"

"Eduard?"

Ukraine's voice. Estonia turned to her, his eyes still full of tears, a tremor still in his voice.

"H-he passed out. He's still breathing, but…"

"I'll take care of him," Ukraine promised, but Estonia saw uncertainty in her eyes, and he knew then that not even Ukraine knew how to fix Lithuania. There had been irreparable damage done, not only to Estonia's mind, but also to Lithuania's, and Estonia felt a cold, chilling dread as he considered that thought, the thought that his brave, kind older brother would be this broken forever.

"You should go to Latvia," Ukraine continued. "He's started breathing again. He'll wake up soon, so…"

"He'll be afraid of me," Estonia whispered. "He will hate me, Katya. He… I can't…"

"He is just like Lithuania," Ukraine said, reaching down and cupping Estonia's chin in her hand. "He is not capable of hate. Not toward you, at least. He will know that you did not mean it… He probably already knows. He knows you love him, Eduard."

"If they are both incapable of hate," Estonia said sadly, "Then they truly have no reason to call me brother. They are far too good to be my family."

"They call you their brother because that is what you are," Ukraine said. "Eduard, whether you like it or not, they are your family."

"And you will never be," Estonia added silently. "You will not love me and stay with me forever, Katya. It is not possible for me to have that, not from you or Tino or anyone else."

But she was right, he knew. Lithuania and Latvia were family. And even if his family hated him, he would stay with them. He would try to protect them. At the beginning of his insanity, he had made that promise to them, silent and unseen. And he still wanted to keep that promise, for it was an important one. He loved his brothers, and he would protect them if he could. And so he must go and face Latvia, whom he had murdered.

"I will go," he said, standing up. He paused for a moment, looking Ukraine in the eyes, and remembering bitterly that she could never be his. Then, he glanced at Lithuania, who was so still and pale, and felt an agonizing worry well up deep inside him at the sight of his unconscious brother.

"Don't let him die," he whispered, and turned away before Ukraine could reply. Lithuania must not be allowed to suffer the pain of death again. He had suffered that punishment far too many times already.

Ukraine had taken Latvia to Estonia's bedroom, and that was where he went, now. He paused before he opened the door, preparing himself for the inevitable fear that he would see exhibited by the little brother whom he loved more than anything in the world. And then he turned the handle.

Latvia lay alone on the bed, but from his position, curled up tightly into a ball, Estonia knew that Latvia had woken from his deathly sleep. As he watched, the tiny boy's eyes flickered open.

For a moment, the two boys watched each other silently. Then, uncertainly, Latvia spoke.

"H-hi, Eddy…"

There was a painfully obvious nervousness in the child's voice, and Estonia knew that it would be a long time before Latvia would trust him again. The boy had no reason to trust him, a murderer. He would not blame Latvia if the little boy never spoke to him again.

"Hello," he said, and Latvia sat up, a strange and unexpected concern evident in his violet eyes.

"Eddy, you're crying."

"Yeah," Estonia said. "It's…been... It's been an i-interesting night."

Latvia nodded, and Estonia noticed that the small boy was trembling.

"It was kind of scary," he said. "You know, a lot of my people have been s-shot before. I didn't realize how many."

Estonia nodded.

"I remember a lot of people who died by stabbing," he said quietly. "I was out for a while a-after…"

"That's right…" Latvia said slowly. "I forgot. L-Lithuania killed you that one time, didn't he?"

"Yes. I…" Estonia somehow could not bring himself to say it. What he had done to Latvia was simply too horrible, and the child was still so pitifully young… He did not want to speak of what he had done to this child.

"Eddy, I don't blame you," Latvia announced.

"You what?" Estonia asked, watching his little brother warily.

"I don't blame you," Latvia repeated, looking straight at Estonia. "I know it wasn't your fault. You… You didn't mean to hurt me, right, Eddy?"

"N-no… I did," Estonia murmured, waiting for the hatred to become manifest in Latvia's eyes. It did not come.

Latvia cocked his head, looking slightly confused.

"Why?" he asked. "D-did I do something wrong?"

Estonia felt the tears pricking at the corners of his eyes again, and tried to fight them back, not wanting to cry in front of the tiny, innocent Latvian, the child he had murdered and now had to explain his actions to.

"No, Lati. I… I thought…"

"Did you think I was Mr. Russia?" Latvia blurted. "Is that why you were so mad? Do I act like Mr. Russia, Eddy?!"

"No… No!" Estonia cried. The tears were spilling from his eyes, now, and he wanted nothing more than to embrace Latvia. But he stayed still, not daring to get close to the child for fear of hurting him.

"Then… Why?" Latvia whispered. "I don't understand…"

"I don't either," Estonia said, his voice very quiet, tears running down his face. "I don't know why I have to be like this, Lati. I… I'm sorry… I didn't ask for this."

"I know," Latvia said. "I know, Eddy, and I still know it's not your fault. I-is it even really Mr. Russia's?"

"I don't know," Estonia said. "I… I think he's probably… L-like me…"

"You're nicer than him," Latvia said. "A whole lot nicer."

The small boy smiled softly, and held out his hand to Estonia.

"Come here, Eddy. Please."

Estonia obeyed, moving slowly and carefully so as not to hurt his tiny brother.

"Sit with me!" Latvia chirped, patting the bed next to him. Estonia did not want to sit down. He wanted to run from the room. The lack of reproach in Latvia's every motion was simply too much to bear. He almost wanted to be hated, just so he could know that there was someone else who felt hatred as selfish as his own.

But he had to please Latvia, had to somehow atone for what he had done. And so he sat down next to his little brother.

Latvia reached up, his small, scarred hands stroking Estonia's face, wiping away the older Baltic's tears.

"Eddy, Eddy, don't cry," the boy whispered. "You're gonna be okay."

And hearing those words from Latvia, whom he had murdered, Estonia began to sob harder. And as he cried, broken and hurt and remorseful and wanting more than anything to reverse what he had done, to change what he had become, Latvia continued to wipe away his tears with one hand, stroking his hair with the other. Finally, the boy seemed to give up on helping Estonia stop crying, and simply put his arms around the bespectacled Baltic, rubbing Estonia's back soothingly.

"You're gonna be okay, Eddy," Latvia repeated. "I'll stay here with you, if you want. Until you get better, you know? Eddy, I'm not as much of a little kid as you think… I'll take care of you. Let me fix you, Eddy… I can fix you…"

"He sounds like Lithuania," Estonia thought. "He sounds just like Lithuania. He… Would he become like Lithuania for me? Would he want to, if he truly understood? I can't let him get too close… Not ever again. But… I need him… Oh, I need him so much. But he can't get too close… Never again can he get too close… He doesn't hate me yet, but he should, and in time he will…"

He heard footsteps in the hallway, and then, he heard Ukraine's voice.

"Eduard? I just wanted to tell you… Lithuania will be all right. He's sleeping right now, and he's all fixed up, all right?"

Estonia nodded, but did not turn to look at Ukraine. He did not want her to see him cry again.

"Thank you, Katya," he murmured, and then, he waited in silence until her footsteps retreated down the corridor, and then died out altogether. And then, he remained silent for a moment longer, his body shaking with sobs as he felt Latvia's fragile arms around him.

"Eddy," Latvia said, sounding serene and calm and so grown up, "I am going to fix you."

"You can't, Raivis," Estonia sobbed, "You can't. No one can."

"Maybe not," Latvia said, "But I don't want anybody to get hurt, Eddy… So I can try to fix you, can't I?"

Estonia drew a deep, shuddering breath.

"Yes, Raivis," he whispered, "You can try."

Whew, this chapter is almost as long as a "Written in Blood" chapter usually is! That's...really long.

So, lots of headcanons and stuff in here. I'll try to explain a couple things:

In this universe, Estonia did have romantic feelings for Finland in the past. I haven't thought about this one a lot, so I'm not completely sure what went down between them, or if Finland is even aware of Estonia's feelings... But it's pretty obvious to Estonia that Finland chose Sweden over him. Ukraine, on the other hand, sees Estonia as a sibling or a child, and wants to take care of him the way a mother would care for her child. Estonia has managed to figure this out as well, and knows that neither Finland nor Ukraine love him romantically. He, on the other hand, has had romantic feelings for both of them at different times in the past.

Also, I need to credit Hinotori-hime for her amazing insight on Lithuania's self-harming. A lot of the ideas behind why he's hurting himself are hers, and they're quite brilliant ideas, in my opinion. :)

Basically, as he pointed out to Russia in "Web of Delusions", Lithuania has been hurting so long that he is no longer capable of feeling anything besides pain. Without the pain, he most likely feels empty. And feeling empty, I know from personal experience, is a lot worse than feeling pain. Why, I do not know, but it is. So he is hurting himself so that he can feel something, even if it is a negative emotion. Also, Lithuania has been forcing himself to smile and pretend that he is all right for a very long time. The only time when it was okay to cry or scream was when Russia was hurting him. And now that Russia is no longer hurting him, he has to hurt himself in order to show his emotions.

I think all that made sense...?

I believe that's all for now, so I hope you've enjoyed! Also, thank you for all your wonderful reviews! :) Going by an average reviews per chapter ratio, this is my most popular story, so thank you all!