Biting steel flashed like lightning, clashing against each other to make a brassy thunder roar. The air was dry and there wasn't a cloud in the sky, but Austria was soaking wet, covered from head to toe with slick liquid. It was raining Austrian blood. A maelstrom of death.

He spun around, searching desperately for an ounce of hope to keep him from surrendering mentally. His soldiers were being slaughtered before his very eyes, thrown mercilessly into the whirlpool of Prussian rage that tore them apart and spilled their blood. He tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword and gritted his teeth. The burning desire for revenge coursed through his nerves, making his heart pump so quickly he was certain it would leap from his chest.

He fought. He swung his sword and clashed against Prussian force. He could feel the strength and power behind their swords and he could feel himself weakening. But the sight of his dead men battered and broken on their own soil ignited a fire in him that urged him to fight on. But no matter how hard he battled or how strongly he defended himself from the sharp metal flying toward him, it did not stop his men from falling.

"You'd be better off surrendering."

Austria could still hear Prussia's words sting in his ears. He gritted his teeth and let out a yell before pushing the Prussian soldier back. Prussia's voice sent tremors down his spine. He will not give the nation the pleasure of victory, even if it killed Austria. If he was going to die, he was taking the Prussian with him.

Fight.

Defend.

Kill.

That was a soldier's only purpose.

Dying was not part of it.

"Why, what do we have here?"

Austria barely had time to lift his arm and block the blow before Prussia's sword could slice his face in half. The blade was a centimeter away from the tip of his nose, threatening to skin it off. Austria mustered all his strength and shoved the blade away, stepping back.

"Someone lost his way to the infirmary and ended up in the big boys' battlefield," Prussia said coldly. "Don't worry; you've got a hospital bed reserved just for you waiting there."

Austria didn't have time to retort. Prussia swung his sword at his head and it was by sheer luck that Mariazell was not spliced off as Austria quickly avoided the blow. He lunged toward Prussia, aiming for his heart, but his attack was swiftly parried.

Austria could see Prussia's snarky grin flash like the steel sword as the blade swiped at Austria's side, drawing blood. Austria forced back a yelp of pain as his uniform became bloodied.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Prussia said mockingly, dramatically putting a bloody hand to his mouth in feigned shock. "I accidentally got blood all over your luxurious coat! But those aren't too hard to get for snobby fops like you, are they?"

Prussia's words were as sharp as his swords, digging their nails into Austria's scalp and painfully clinging onto him. He raced to stab Prussia, but the other nation easily wounded Austria on his other side, almost identical to the previous one.

He was only playing around with Austria.

Austria was fighting, but he knew he was losing. The more Austria faltered, the more energetic Prussia became, his blows coming faster and stronger than the previous one. Prussia was beaming as he fought, almost laughing with mirth. This was his home field, his expertise, his calling.

"Come on, now, Austria," Prussia jeered before wounding Austria's leg. Austria stumbled, blood flowing freely from his knee. "Enough dancing. Why don't you try fighting for once?"

Austria bit back his tongue, knowing that any sign of anger would only satisfy Prussia even more. He staggered as he battled, his right leg barely able to support him.

"This is boring," Prussia sang. He wasn't even out of breath. "Let's kick this up a notch, shall we?"

Without warning, Prussia grabbed Austria's neck with one hand while the other blocked Austria's sword from slitting his own throat. Austria gasped for air, flailing under Prussia's grip as he swung his sword toward Prussia's torso. Prussia deftly blocked the sword with his blade, tightening his grip on Austria.

"I'm curious!" Prussia shouted, his burgundy eyes flashing mischievously. He knocked Austria's sword out of his hands. "What exactly happens to a nation if his head is cut off? Can they still 'not die?'" He brought his sword to Austria's neck. Suddenly, all signs of jollity slid off Prussia's face, now replaced with inexplicable anger. "Any bets, Austria?"

Austria took the moment to strike Prussia with his free hand in the chest, pushing himself out of Prussia's clutches. He stumbled back, relishing the taste of cold, free air in this throat before he felt slashing pain run through both legs. He was forced onto his all fours, his muscles and bones screaming in agony.

"You're wasting your time," Prussia hissed, standing before Austria. He used the toe of his boot to lift Austria's chin up to look at him in the eye. "You can't beat me. Nobody even cares if you win this war. They don't give a damn."

Prussia used the tip of his sword to unhook Austria's glasses off his face, deliberately cutting a thin line across Austria's temple. Austria could barely see anything without them. Now the entire world was just a colorful blur of black, red, and white.

"Hell, England doesn't even give a damn," Prussia said. "Who have you got left?"

"Hungary," Austria muttered.

Prussia froze. He grabbed Austria by the hair and wrenched him up. Austria winced as he felt blood stream down his face.

"Who did you say?" Prussia asked dangerously.

Austria refused to speak immediately, drawing out the silence just a little longer to irritate Prussia. "Hungary is my ally. She'll do anything to defeat you."

Crack. Austria's glasses shattered in Prussia's hands. Prussia let out a growl before knocking his fist against the top of Austria's head, sending him sprawling on the ground once more. Austria could feel the sword tickle his scalp. He was completely under Prussia's mercy.

"Well," Prussia said acidly, grinding his heel on Austria's spine. "Looks like I have myself a checkmate."

Austria felt his ankles and wrists bound with thick chains as a blindfold was forcefully wrapped over his eyes. Austria knew he had no chance of escape, but he struggled and flailed nonetheless, trying to fight back the binds. Panic spiked his mind as he was dragged onto his feet, his wounded knees threatening to give out under him.

"You're lying," Prussia said, his voice rising severely, "Don't lie to me about her. It doesn't mean anything. It doesn't. It never will."

Austria didn't need to be able to see to know that Prussia's grave countenance suddenly brightened into a grisly grin.

"Come on, then," Prussia said loudly. "Let's go show Old Fritz what a sorry excuse for an enemy you are."

…The heck did I get myself into?

I told myself I wouldn't write another longshot for Hetalia after that onslaught also known as 'Hello Hurricane.'

But then my sister convinced me otherwise. In fact, she was the one who provided me the prompt to write this story. She said, "What would happen to Prussia, Austria, and Hungary if Prussia kidnapped Austria?"

So here you go. In fact, this might not even be the only longshot you'll see from me. I have another Gakuen plot bunny nesting under the bed, but I don't know if I want to breed it yet.