lost ~completed~

chapter 5

Ludwig continued to yell Feliciano's name even after he left the room. After a few minutes his yell was barley a whisper from straining his voice for so long. He wished he had some water to soothe his throat but he wouldn't get his water bucket until the evening. He slumped against the pole, his breathing coming out as short wheezes.

He could understand that Feliciano could be mad at him but he couldn't imagine him being mad at Japan. Japan was so even tempered and had defended the Italian when people called him names.

Ludwig didn't know what Feliciano had done to Kiku and he couldn't see the extent of his injuries except for the dried blood on his face and neck. Without proper attention, the scratches would certainly become infected. There was no doubt in Ludwig's mind that he wouldn't receive medical attention unless they left the building. Feliciano only just kept him alive by giving him food once every two days and a small pale of murky water at the end of every day. The scratches on Ludwig were inflamed and throbbing, screaming at Ludwig to get them taken care of. The only think Feliciano did about them was agitate them even further by his weekly beatings. It had occurred to Ludwig that Kiku must be here because Ludwig missed a meeting. It's been about a few weeks since he arrived in his private hell so he must have missed a meeting sometime between then.

Kiku groaned softly, his voice echoing in the small room and snapping Ludwig from his thoughts. His bowed head glancing up weakly, blinking his dull eyes.

"Kiku ?" Ludwig said. He was surprised at how much his own voice cracked and how weak he sounded. Kiku's usually emotionless eyes looked even deader.

"Ludwig-san ?" Kiku asked, his voice thick in confusion. He groaned. "W...what happened ?"

"Feliciano kidnapped you." Ludwig said softly. Kiku's eyebrows furrowed, his mouth forming a small 'o'. After a few moments, Kiku nodded. Ludwig knew Kiku was awkward in situations like this. Kiku didn't have many friends and Feliciano had always been kind to him. He knew how Kiku felt like he had been stabbed in the back. It was painful and hurt more then any real wound.

"Ah. I remember now." Kiku said quietly. "I went to his house to see if you or Feliciano were there since you both missed the meeting today and he invited me inside for tea. He then hit me in the head with the water boiler." Kiku winced as his back rubbed against the pole.

"What's wrong?" Ludwig asked, worried that maybe he was hurt more. Kiku winced again.

"He left the boiling water inside the boiler when he hit me with it and it burned my skin." Kiku said. Ludwig winced. His body already hurt enough without having burns to aggravate it. He felt his heart wrench in pain at the thought of Feliciano doing something so horrible just because he had been ignored.

"You said Vargas-san did this ?" Kiku asked shifting slowly against the pole.

Ludwig nodded. "Yes he did this." In the dark, Ludwig could see Kiku's stunned expression. Kiku's shaky breathing echoed in the room, sounding more ghostly then human. In any normal circumstances, Ludwig would have been nervous at the sound but he was too weary to feel anything other then the sharp guilt that replaced his dead feeling whenever he looked at Feliciano or Kiku.

"But why ? I would not imagine Feliciano-san doing something like this." Kiku said in disbelief. Ludwig winced, knowing the feeling of betrayal all too well. The hurt in Kiku's voice was like a thorn in his heart.

"Feliciano is mad at us for making fun of him." Ludwig explained, not having the energy to explain further. His voice was flat, already a shadow of his normal bellowing voice.

"S...so he puts us in a cell? Ludwig-san, you look horrible. How could he do this to us ?" Japan asked, his voice rising. The Japanese man never got mad unless it had to do with money. "He's pushing everyone away! He's not going to be able to get out of this situation unharmed." Ludwig winced. He never felt so depressed in his long existence, even through any of the World Wars. He knew Feliciano wouldn't stop at this point. He had gotten a taste of revenge and, judging by the look in his eyes, wanted more.