Ludwig panted as he raced through the trees. His feet stumbled over branches and underbrush and twigs reached out to snatch at his arms but he had to get to his allies ahead of him.

Gilbert's words echoed through his head. "Go ahead and get our allies. I'll stay here and hold Feliciano off." he whispered.

"What? No! With your leg, He'll kill you! Why don't you run ahead ?" Ludwig retorted. Gilbert smiled. Ludwig was shocked by his smile. It wasn't his usual smirk. It was a genuine warm, comforting smile.

"You said so yourself, my leg is an issue. I can't run, Ludwig. But that also means that Feliciano won't kill me." he said. Ludwig frowned. Gilbert did have a point.

So he left Gilbert behind. He ran as fast as his tired legs could take him. He had to get to the others quickly. He didn't think Feliciano would hurt Gilbert but there was always that chance. He wanted to get help for his brother as quick as he could so they could get him to safety and to a place where they could all rest.

He soon saw them come into his sight. They all looked exhausted. Trailing near the back was Elizaveta . Ludwig felt his legs move faster, adrenaline pumping through his veins.

"Liz!" he yelled. Liz froze instantly and turned around, her hair blowing around her face. Her wide green eyes seemed to glow from the shadows of her eyes.

"Ludwig!" she exclaimed. Fear visibly seized her when she noticed Gilbert wasn't by his side. Gilbert had also forced her to run ahead. Ludwig was strong enough to help him, any more would be a hindrance, "Where's Gilbert ?"

Ludwig stopped, breathing heavily from having to run so fast in order to catch up. He pointed behind him, "He's buying us time but he needs help. Feliciano found us and he's fighting him." Ludwig explained in a rapid voice. Elizaveta nodded and started running towards the direction where Gilbert was without a second thought.

Ludwig turned and followed after her, desperate to get back to his brother before it was too late. Rain drops began to fall from the sky. At first it was just a few drops here or there but the drops soon began to fall quicker. Ludwig and Elizaveta didn't seem to care. The rain drops went unnoticed as they ran towards their brother or lover.

As they neared, at first they didn't see anyone. Once they got close enough they could see a person lying on the ground with a long object protruding their stomach. Ludwig froze and vile rose in his throat. That was either Gilbert or Feliciano lying dead or dying in the field, in the rain, by themselves. The thought of one of them dying out on that field wrenched his heart.

As they neared even closer, they could see a pale silver mop on the persons head. Ludwig chocked out a sob. It was Gilbert. It was his older bruder that was lying in the field all alone. Feliciano really had killed him, and left him to die alone. Ludwig felt as though he was going to be sick. He didn't even care that tears were streaking down his cheeks. He didn't slow down until he reached his brothers side. He dropped down onto his knees, the water on the ground soaking his pants. He didn't care though; Gilbert was dying.

"Gil..." he whispered. He didn't know what to do. His hands trembled as he reached down. He carefully picked up Gilbert's body and rested it on his lap, cradling him close.

"Lud..." a hoarse voice croaked. Gilbert blinked his eyes open, squinting against the rain. Ludwig leaned over him, trying to shield him from the rain. A weak smile graced Gilbert's features.

Ludwig bit his lip to hold back more sobs as he looked at his brother. Even inches away from deaths grip, he was still trying to smile. Ludwig's eyes grazed over his body. Disheveled hair; colorless, almost transparent, skin; dull red eyes; dark, sunken eye sockets; chest weakly rising and falling; and, worst of all, the dark red stain around his stomach. Ludwig's hand trembled as he felt the sword, Feliciano's sword. He wanted to remove the foreign object from his brother's body, but he didn't want to cause him anymore pain.

"Just hang in there," Ludwig whispered softly, gently rocking him. Gilbert's body already felt so cold; as though death had already claimed him. Elizaveta must have thought the same thing for she crouched down opposite of Ludwig and spread her jacket over Gilbert as best as she could. Gilbert turned his head to look at her, a small smile gracing his features.

"We'll get you out of here." Elizaveta murmured, her voice choked with tears. Gilbert reached up and gently cupped her cheek. Elizaveta rested her hand over his and stroked his hand with her thumb.

"It's no use." Gilbert smiled weakly. He looked up at his lover, struggling to find the words to express what he needed to say, "I'm not a nation anymore."

Elizaveta looked confused, "I know that, Gil. What do you mean to say ?"

"I can't heal at the rate I used to. I'm a human now and..." he couldn't make himself finish. He didn't want to see that look in their eyes as he told them that there was no way he could survive this wound. It was too severe.

It took several moments for the information to sink into Elizaveta and Ludwig's head. Ludwig's chest tightened, and so did his grip on Gilbert. The Prussian turned his head towards his brother and smirked.

"It'll be alright though, Lud." Gilbert whispered. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to hold on longer. He wanted to make sure he said everything that he wanted to say. He didn't want to leave Ludwig to be alone in the world. He knew his words would have more weight on them now than they ever did before.

Ludwig shook his head, his salty tears mixing with the rain, "Nein!" he managed to get out, "D-Don't leave, bruder!"

Gilbert smiled sympathetically. He took Ludwig's hand with his free hand and squeezed it, "You know I wouldn't leave if I didn't have to," he whispered, "But you're strong and Feliciano is getting weak. I know you can win this."

Ludwig frowned and squeezed his hand gently. He didn't want to let his hand go. If he did, he thought as though he would lose Gilbert along with it. He wasn't ready to say goodbye yet. He would never be ready to say good bye to his brother. "What do you mean ? Feliciano has us cornered and unprepared!"

Gilbert smiled and shook his head, "No. That's what he just wants you to believe. He was different, Ludwig; he reminded me of the old Feliciano. He looked just as shocked as I felt when he...did this. He caught me and gently set me down. He didn't finish me off so I could talk to you and Elizaveta one last time, and that's why he's not attacking now." he sighed and closed his eyes again, drawing forth the last of his energy, "He apologized to me. Ludwig, you can get him back, I know you can and I want you to. The thought of you being alone when I'm gone kills me. I want you to have your friend back, and I know you want him back too."

Ludwig shook his head firmly, "No! Gilbert, look what he did to you! Look what he did to Kiku, and Alfred, and Ivan, and France. He is a monster and this can't go unpunished." Ludwig growled.

Gilbert frowned, "Lud, you can punish him and still be friends. Didn't he still want to be friends with you after WWII ? Didn't he want to stay with you when you were a monster? People change, Ludwig. You know this better than everyone; he didn't give up on you."

Ludwig closed his eyes tightly, so many different emotions rushing through his brain, so many thoughts clouding his mind. He just wanted things to go back to normal. He just wanted things to go back to the way they were, with Kiku and Ivan and Alfred and Gilbert being well. He wanted Feliciano to be his friend again, but he wasn't ready to forgive the Italian for what he did. At least not yet.

Gilbert sighed quietly, "You'll understand when this is all over..." he said. He turned to Elizaveta , his red eyes gazing at the woman he had fallen in love with, "Liz...Ich liebe dich. You're one crazy woman, but you're my crazy woman."

Elizaveta smiled bitterly, tears rushing from her love filled eyes. She caressed his cheek lovingly, wanting to make the moment last, knowing this would be their last moments together, "I love you too, Gil. You're a crazy bastard, but I love you."

Gilbert smiled, "You weren't perfect either." he teased. He grew serious again. He didn't like being so serious but he didn't have the strength to joke around anymore. He felt devoid of any energy, "I want you to be happy as well. There are a lot of good men out there who deserve your love. Find one of them and be happy...even though they won't be as awesome as me."

Elizaveta knew better than to argue, though she couldn't help but smile at his comment. They had argued so much in the past; in Gilbert's last moments, there was no time to argue. She wanted him to have peace of mind knowing she would be ok when he died. Gilbert blinked his red eye at her. She had never seen such a softness in them; such a loving look in his scarlet eye. It hurt her to see that look. It wasn't the Gilbert she knew. This Gilbert, lying as he was dying in his brother arms, was different then her Gilbert, even though it was her Gilbert.

An affectionate smile tugged at the corner of her lips. She bent down and gently pressed their lips together. They kissed softly for a few moments; both of them trying to enjoy the moment for as long as they could. They tried to convey all the love they felt for the other. She pulled away, gently taking his hand and bringing it to her lips. "I love you, Gil..." she whispered, her voice getting choked up.

"I love you too, Liz. So much..." he whispered. He turned his gaze to Ludwig. "I'll see you around, little bruder. Keep my lady safe, won't you ?" he asked.

Ludwig nodded stiffly, squeezing his brother's hand tightly. "Ja...I'll do that, Gil. Don't you worry."

Gilbert smiled and turned to rest back in his brother's arms. He sighed contently and closed his eyes. "Danke..." he whispered. He looked completely relaxed, like he didn't have a sword in his stomach... Almost as if he was just taking a nap instead of dying. "I'm coming, Fritz..."

All was silent for those moments. Elizaveta and Ludwig watched the albino man intently, barely able to hold in their sobs. They watched helplessly as his chest slowed until it finally stilled and his breath stopped along with it. It was only then that they allowed their sobs to break through.

"Gil?" Ludwig cried. He couldn't accept it. He didn't want to accept it. Gilbert was the last person he had. Sure, there was Elizaveta and Roderick, but he wasn't close to them like he had been close to Feliciano, Kiku and Gilbert. With the death of his brother, he felt truly alone in the world. He felt as though he had hit rock bottom; like he had no more will to fight.

He could hear Elizaveta sobbing. He thought of his last promise to Gilbert. He regrettably set Gilbert's body down. He moved so he was beside Elizaveta and wrapped his strong arms around her. She leaned her head into his shoulders and wrapped her arms around Ludwig's back, sobbing for the man she had lost. Both the German and the Hungarian cried together, not holding back their sorrow or their grief. They had both lost someone very important to them. They didn't care about concealing their grief.

Gilbert's death marked the end. It was the end, not only of Gilbert's life, but with their last threads of hesitancy. Feliciano had taken something very dear from them all. He had hurt everyone, in some shape or form. Feliciano had caused so much damage in such a short amount of time. It seemed like only a short bit ago, everything was fine. Ludwig and Feliciano and Kiku were best friends, Gilbert tried to annoy everyone and pestered his friends, Alfred, Arthur and Francis would argue together, Russia would unknowingly intimidate everyone and Yao would be drinking his tea peacefully. So much had changed since then it was almost hard to believe.

Ludwig struggled with Gilbert's words. His brother had been adamant about Ludwig learning to eventually forgive the Italian, but Feliciano had taken everyone he held dear from him. Gilbert did have a point though; Feliciano wanted to be friends with Ludwig, even though he had been a monster. He may have been forced to leave for the allies, but he had returned and never treated Ludwig any differently.

Ludwig didn't know what to do. He felt so helpless. He couldn't even save his own brother. He had watched helplessly as his brother's life ebbed away from him. He had watched helplessly as his guardian, his crazy, older brother, his drinking buddy, and his mentor died in his arms. He remembered all the things they did together; all the wars they fought, all the drinks they shared, all the hang overs they put up with and all the tough times they endured.

He remembered the day Fritz died. He had never seen his brother so emotional. That day, his brother shed a single tear and smiled bittersweet. He didn't leave Fritz's side until after he was buried, and even then he stayed by his grave often. His brother was loyal. He might goof off, but when it came to war, Gilbert was a good man to have as an ally.

Eventually, their cries subsided. Ludwig pulled away from Elizaveta and turned to Gilbert's soaked corpse. He winced at how weak and frail he was. Their situation had taken its toll on his fiery older brother. His body was frail, lacking in muscle that he had once had, his eye was covered in a dirty bandage from the explosion in the plane, his leg was still in a cast from the plane crushing his knee, and worst of all, the fatal wound in his stomach that was surrounded by a dark stain of scarlet; scarlet to match the color of his eyes.

Seeing his brother's body in this condition was painful. He had failed at keeping him safe. He had failed as a brother when his brother had never failed him. He heard a rustle of underbrush and spun around to see Roderick stepping into the clearing. Ludwig relaxed, seeing as it wasn't one of their enemies.

"Roderick..." he murmured quietly, just barely audible over the rain. The Austrians amethyst eyes fell on the Prussian and widened with horror. He froze at the sight of his friend so still. He stood still for a few moments before hesitantly walking forward.

"Gilbert..." he whispered quietly. He too dropped to his knees in front of the Prussian. The Prussian might have irritated him over the years but he had been his friend. Gilbert had always been there. Not having him in his life was going to be difficult to think about. It was nearly impossible.

He bowed his head over his friend's body and murmured a prayer quietly. The three stood there in silence for a few moments before they heard more noise through the underbrush. Roderick tensed, turning around to look through the brush. Ludwig and Elizaveta hesitantly rose to their feet, not wanting to leave Gilbert. Three pairs of eyes were glued to the dark trees in front of them.

"Who's there ?" Ludwig snapped angrily. He kept his eyes trained on the underbrush. He didn't have a good feeling. He knew Feliciano wasn't going to back down now. This was going to end tonight; Feliciano could achieve what he started the war for, or he could lose everything he had spent years planning. Ludwig had a sick feeling in his stomach and he didn't know why.

Lovino and Antonio burst through the trees. They were breathing heavily from running so fast for so long. They instantly found Ludwig, Elizaveta and Roderick. They hurried over to them. Antonio's eyes widened with shock to see his best friend dead. He stumbled to his knees by Gilbert's side and looked at his friend with a look of grief. If he had been sooner, he might have been able to save him. He began crying and bowed his head over him.

Lovino stopped in front of Ludwig. A look of sadness and regret filled his eyes as he heard his lover's sobs. "Feli..." he panted, breathless from running, "He's coming...he's come to fight. He wants to end it all."

Ludwig had expected as much. He nodded silently, not trusting his voice. Lovino continued, "Where are the others ? You'll need everyone you can get. Antonio and I will be joining you though, so you should have a little bit of an advantage. Plus, we have some extra weapons."

None of them had noticed the Northern Italian silently step into the clearing until his voice rang through the air. "Fratello ?" he exclaimed.

For a brief moment, Ludwig saw fear and dread fill Lovino's eyes. He spun around, facing his brother. "F -Feliciano!" he stammered.

Feliciano's eyes darkened dangerously. He took a menacing step forward. Despite the anger in his eyes, he could not completely cover the pain of his brother's betrayal in his eyes. "What are you doing? You're not betraying me are you ? Your own brother?"

Lovino was frozen in fear. He had felt a fraction of Feliciano's wrath but he knew what he was capable of. "I-I..." he stammered.

"How could you ? I thought you actually cared!" Feliciano snapped at his brother. He took another step closer. Lovino took a step back, despite how Feliciano was on the other side of the clearing. He bumped into Ludwig, but he didn't seem to care, "I helped you, Fratello! I took care of you when you were hurt, I helped you grow strong. I thought you actually cared about me, but you betray me? And to the one who hurt me the most, nonetheless! How could you ?"

Ludwig could see Gilbert's words becoming true. He could see the spots of Feliciano's rough outer exterior falling away, leaving his real emotions vulnerable. He felt hope for the first time in ages. Feliciano couldn't fight in this condition. He would surely mess up.

"Feliciano, let me explain..." Lovino began. Feliciano immediately cut him off.

"No! I gave you a chance. I gave you multiple chances! You've chosen your side. It's time you all faced your punishment!" he bellowed angrily.

Before anyone could say anything, Feliciano's allies began to step out of the clearing. One by one, they all showed up until they all stood across from Ludwig and his allies. They all were heavily armed with guns and knives. The most Ludwig had was a single knife in his pocket.

Feliciano smirked at them all, though his gaze rested on Ludwig. Ludwig could see the wild anger in his eyes. Lovino's betrayal had hurt him more than he let on. He knew he was vulnerable but he was determined to show he was stronger and that he would get his revenge.

A silence fell over them. It was the lull before a battle. Ludwig, and everyone else, knew that this battle would be a battle unlike any other. This war would end tonight; though no one knew who would succeed. No one knew if anyone else would be lost in the fight. No one knew whose blood would stain the ground.

Though Feliciano's side had better weapons and the element of surprise, Ludwig's side had a stronger alliance, and something Feliciano's side didn't have.

They had four guardian angels watching over them.