lost ~completed~

chapter 24

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.

Elizaveta 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.

Elizaveta'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.

Elizaveta'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. Elizaveta 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." Elizaveta 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." Elizaveta 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.