First chapter! Yay~! This should be fun.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia: Axis Powers or anything associated with it. If I did, the characters wouldn't have such terrible accents. Well, maybe they would. ^^

"Big brother?"

Her timid voice was laden with worry as her older brother, Basch, staggered, putting a trembling hand on her shoulder for support.

"M'okay, Lili," he murmured absently, swallowing hard and trying to stave off the pain.

"Big brother, your hand is very warm..." She reached up and hooked her fingers around his wrist, staring up at him with wide eyes glittering with worry.

"S'alright..." He tried to stop his shaking, but the weakness was just too much to fight with.

His stomach went cold as he looked around and took note of where they were. Fading vestiges of smoke rising from a burning Swiss city could be seen between the dense branches of the trees above them, but only barely. The sun was setting, and he and Liechtenstein were in the middle of a damp forest, alone. Those... night things would soon be on the prowl... a twinge of guilt and a sharp pang of fear tightened his chest. Just the thought... He had to get Lili somewhere safe, before...

"Big—"

"C'mon, Lili," he said, taking a deep breath and squaring his shoulders. The comforting weight of a gun on his back shifted with him. "Those night creatures will be out before too long."

"B-but, you should sit down or—"

"I'm fine. Let's go."

He wrapped a hand around her forearm, desperately hoping she couldn't feel how badly he was shaking, and carefully, slowly led her deeper into the woods.

His anger flared whenever he thought about the situation. He'd worked so hard to maintain his neutrality, to create and maintain a protective barrier between himself and Lili and the rest of the world. Yet, when the apocalypse came, it hit quickly and ruthlessly, starting in Europe—most of his citizens died in the initial Occurrence, and the remaining few were struggling to survive, being picked off one by one. Basch had counted, and the number of Swiss alive was down to single digits. A growing emptiness ripped through his chest, threatening to overwhelm him completely with grief. He could feel the heartbeats of those left and knew they weren't to be of this Earth much longer, and his weakness seemed to multiply with every step.

"Th-they're dying..." he whispered hoarsely under his breath, pausing to gasp through the mounting ache in his chest.

"Hmm?"

Lili stopped and looked back at him, concern creasing her features. The way she worried about him brought a sad smile to his face, and he closed his eyes long enough to say a five-word prayer.

He fervently hoped the night creatures wouldn't come to the part of the forest that he'd brought her to.

"Big brother!"

Lili shrieked in fear as Basch's legs buckled underneath him.

"M'okay... Lili..." he just managed to mutter, his voice almost too breathy to understand.

There were cold hands on his face, hurriedly brushing back his hair and checking his temperature. A frigid breeze rushed over him, making him bristle and try to move away in vain. Cringing from the sharp pain growing in his chest, he took a shallow breath and closed his eyes.

"Big brother... what's wrong?" Her small, sweet voice was barely above a whisper. There was tenderness in her tone that Switzerland was sure he didn't deserve.

"The last of the s-survivors... are dying."

A sharp bolt of pain suddenly lanced through his chest, making him gasp. As he tried to take deep gulps of air, another wave of grief washed over him. One more gone. It wouldn't be long now.

Lili's eyes had widened at his last statement, but his sharp intake of breath had set her heart to pounding. What should she do? How could she—

"L-Lili, remember what I taught you?"

He cracked his eyes open just long enough to see her desperate, pleading expression, mouth quivering and green orbs glistening with yet-unshed tears.

"D-don't talk to strangers?"

"Right, what e-else?"

"Don't go out at night."

"Wild animals?"

"I shouldn't go n-near them." Her lessons were recited with conviction that she had lacked when Basch had tried so hard to pull her out of the clouds long enough to drill them into her head.

That seemed like so long ago...

"Mmn. Good." A small smirk found its way to his face, and a load felt like it had been lifted from his shoulders. At least she remembered that much. Hopefully it was enough...

"B-big brother... p-please don't g-go..."

His hand was grasped firmly by a smaller, quivering one, and he managed to open his eyes enough to see tears falling down Lili's cheeks unhindered. She looked so scared, so sorrowful...

So she knew what was happening, then.

She'd known all along, hadn't she?

White-hot pain pierced his heart, and he counted three more deaths as he doubled over, tears from the pain stinging behind his eyelids.

Distantly, he felt tiny arms being wrapped around his shoulders, the form they belonged to shuddering pitifully. Yet, there was a strength in Lili's embrace that he had never felt before, and somewhere in the back of his head, a tiny part of him was beaming with pride.

"I-I'm sorry, Lili."

He took one last look at her, breathing heavily through the yawning ache inside of him. Her short hair, hair that looked so much like his, yet looked much better on her, was disheveled and dirty, matted with twigs and brush. Her dress was ripped and stained with mud and... blood? He hoped not. Tear tracks were cutting through the dirt on her face, and her facial expression showed nothing less than heartbreak. How could he leave her here? She was so sweet... she didn't deserve to be left alone...

His eyes fell closed, too heavy with exhaustion and grief to hold themselves open any longer.

"I love you, big brother."

Lili's arms tightened around him, and he felt the cold in his chest give way to warmth.

"Love you too, Lili."

He tried to breathe deeply as his heart was seized by inescapable pain one more time, and as he counted the deaths of his final two citizens, he exhaled a final prayer.

"Lord, please, keep her safe."