|A/N| Greetings and salutations, my beautiful readers!

This chapter wasn't easy, but I'm pretty proud of the end result. I had to change it a few times and then completely cut-out a few scenes that I wanted to use, but that's okay—I think the chapter gets its point across fairly well.

Anyway, I wish you all a fond adieu until next time! Enjoy this chapter.

Note: Numerous suicide attempts from our resident albino. Also, one made-up, unimportant character who is nothing more than a plot device.

February 16, 2016

Quedlinburg, Germany

"You should feel lucky that you didn't die."

Silence reined in the crisp, cold air, the only sound was of the snow crunching under Gilbert and Ludwig's feet. Gilbert had his lips pressed into a thin, straight line, refusing to give an immediate answer to his little brother's words. More minutes stretched between them and, as Gilbert fixed his satchel so that it rested more comfortably over his shoulder, he finally responded. "Yeah, I should've felt lucky the first time."

Bright blue eyes looked at the albino. Ludwig matched Gilbert's frown to a T, "Just the first time?" He pushed, stuffing his gloved hands deeper into his pockets. A slight pause, one that meant that Ludwig was collecting his thoughts. "I know why you hate this..." He said, trailing off as he looked over at his brother with a calm gaze.

"Why wouldn't you?" Gilbert spat, his voice snappy and bitter, as he kicked up a large chunk of snow. "You know everything, Lud."

"Not everything..." Was the only this Ludwig murmured in reply, moving his gaze to his feet. "We should get home. Miss Grün might be getting worried."

Shaking his head, Gilbert stopped walking. "Not yet...She wouldn't even care anyways." He replied, red eyes looking at the iced-over stream that ran through the street. "I need to see something." Shedding his coat, the albino dropped it into the snow and took a few slow steps towards the gated water, standing in front of it in thought. He could try, it would be hard to get back out if he did manage to survive it though...

Gilbert's hands were wrapped around gate's cold bars before he even knew what was happening, the sound of clattering metal telling him that he had climbed over the fence. Ludwig was shouting, his normally calm voice suddenly panicked, but the minimal breeze ruffling through Gilbert's hair sounded like a hurricane in his ears. "Let go..." His heartbeat almost thrummed, speaking from his chest.

Everything seemed to play in slow motion as he obeyed the request. His fingers left the metal as he fell forwards, barely being able to fit in the canal and almost banging his head on the other side. Ludwig was shrieking at him, but Gilbert felt like he was flying, cold air cocooning him. Really, the short-looking fall felt like it was taking hours, with the snowy stream approaching at a snail's pace.

He could almost feel the release. This would be it; this time it was going to be his end. What would the headline be? "Local Orphan Boy Falls Into River, Dead Instantly?" Would anyone, besides Ludwig of course, care that he was dead and gone and never coming back? Miss Grün would probably be overjoyed at the prospect of having one less mouth to feed and an easier way of getting Ludwig out of her care...

Maybe...maybe this was a bad idea...

Suddenly, both his flight and his thoughts were stopped with a painful jolt, but not by the ice mere inches away from his nose. No, another force was slowly tugging him upwards, away from his death. It shuddered and jerked, like a metal lift being held by only a rope, but it was making good progress. A horrified voice started prodding around inside of his head, making guilt absorb his thoughts as the quiet words clattered together and scattered around his conscious.

Idiot. Why would you even do that...? Why would you do any of this? The poison; the noose; the fire. Don't you understand that if I lost you, just because you're afraid of being a "freak," then I'd have no one left? How selfish can you be Gilbert?

Gilbert looked down at the ice-covered water, eyes flickering to the bars that were so close to his hand he could grab onto them. Whatever was holding him pulsed, clearly weakening its grip on his body. With only a second to think about what he wanted, Gilbert wrapped a hand around the bar, dangling as the force dissolved and left him with only his own muscle to keep him hanging there. Ludwig's face peered down at him, looking both horrified and amazed, his blue eyes wide as he held out a hand to the albino.

Accepting the help with ease, Gilbert scrambled back up and over the bars, frowning when he felt how shaky Ludwig's hands were. He didn't question it, though; the tremors were probably nothing more than a result of fear.

As soon as Gilbert was kneeling in the snow, grabbing his snow-dampened jacket and shaking it out, Ludwig spoke. "What happened? How...How did you do that?" He sounded breathless, like he had just ran a marathon, and his muscles were slack from too much exertion being put on them.

"No idea, but it wasn't me. Though, I think I have an idea of who it was." Gilbert pulled on his dark blue jacket, hugging it close to himself despite the cold coming from the fabric, as he stared at Ludwig with curious eyes. "Let's just go to the house. We'll talk about it later."

Ludwig nodded.

Dinner inside of the Quedlinburg Orphanage was always a quiet affair. No one really had anything to say to each other; Erika had gone all but mute after her brother Vash had been adopted, Raivis didn't speak German or anything other than his native Latvian, and the Beilschmidt brothers just liked to keep to themselves. Though, even if they wanted to talk, the caretaker of the four children made it clear she would prefer if they kept silent.

She really did live up to the idiotic and outdated motto of "Children are to be seen, not heard."

While Ludwig only seemed to dislike her, Gilbert loathed her with a seething passion. She practically muzzled him the first few weeks the two brothers had been there, giving him steely glares when she thought he wouldn't notice it. Contempt was all she felt for him. He knew that her hatred of him stemmed from him looking...different. White hair, red eyes, pale skin: Albinism, the affliction he had been born with and would die with.

Gilbert liked the way he looked, but Miss Grün was an old-fashioned woman who belonged in the 1800s. She saw him as a devil, not even daring to touch him, and that was something that was riskier than ever for both him and Ludwig now.

He couldn't die; not from snapping his neck or drowning or suffocation. Gilbert was immune to all of that, plus the other thirty-seven methods he and Ludwig had tried earlier in the week. Now, not only did his appearance mark him as a "devil," but he was surviving the impossible in such a way that could be labeled witchcraft. She would surely lock him away inside of some church and make sure he never escaped.

"So..." The whole table froze at the sudden noise, multiple pairs of eyes moving to their caretaker in sync. Miss Grün put down her spoon, immaculately folding her hands on her lap and straightening her already pole-like posture. She was focused on Raivis, who trembled under her narrowed gaze. Really, the poor Latvian teen trembled at everything. "A very nice couple came in today while all of you were out. They asked for a very quiet, very polite child."

Erika, Gilbert and Ludwig all focused on Raivis as well. The Latvian looked like he was having a panic attack. He was starch white, his odd purple-tinted eyes as round as pinwheels, as his breathing became labored. Everyone turned away, except for Miss Grün. Raivis really was frightened of her.

"And I, of course, recommended you, Raivis. They both speak perfect Latvian, so don't worry about that." Was that Gilbert's imagination, or was Miss Grün...smirking? It was small, barely there, but he could see that it wasn't a normal smile. He didn't have much time to dwell on it though, before the woman turned her attention back to everyone else at the table. "How about you three go up to your rooms while I finish telling Raivis about his new family."

It wasn't a question. It was a command.

Everyone rose, slowly, taking caution when moving to grab their plates. Miss Grün stopped them with a wave of her hand, sending them all off to their rooms with a similar motion. Gilbert and Ludwig spared Raivis a pitying look as they both walked up the stairs to their shared room, before exchanging their own glances at each other. Gilbert held up one finger on a hand, while the other displayed two.

Twelve o'clock. They would speak at twelve o'clock. That was the safest time; Miss Grün was asleep at that time, giving them until the sun rose to talk to each other.

And they had a lot to talk about.

Powers:

Gilbert Beilschmidt - Resurrection

Ludwig Beilschmidt - ? ? ?