Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia or any of its characters.

There will be violence, gore and mentions of death through-out this story – If there is anything else it will be added at the beginning of each chapter.

"The Future of Valhalla" – Chapter 8 – The Poison Within

"Again" Mathias chanted as Lukas wiped the sweat from his forehead, they had been at this for hours almost relentlessly. The smaller blonde walked to the target they had been using and removed his horn handled hunting knife from the top of the wood. "Why do we have to do this? You've seen I can handle this blade, there's no reason for me to show you more than this." Lukas raised an eyebrow as he sheathed the knife at his hip. Mathias twirled his axes in his hands, "We're doing this so you can improve, I don't want close guards that aren't on form" Mathias stopped the axes and stood in front of Lukas to block his path. Lukas looked up at Mathias, heavy lidded as he scowled "Who said that I would be joining your close guard?" Mathias smirked "Why ever wouldn't you?" Lukas stood straight faced "I need to find Emil. Get out of my way or you will really see what I can do with this" Lukas gripped his knife at his hip. Mathias chuckled throatily "You have something about you… I can't put my finger on it but whatever it is I like it" Mathias stood to the side letting Lukas pass, "I'll see you later, rest up. Don't want to be wearing you out on the first day"

Lukas rolled his eyes and strode past Mathias, his hand all the while gripped to the handle of his knife. Once out of sight of the wild haired leader Lukas slumped against the wall and let out a large sigh, his nerves were on edge being away from Emil for this length of time, this is the first time they had been apart for years. Thoughts of his little brother weighed heavy on his mind, he pushed himself up from the wall and forced his legs to walk on. Arriving at their little assigned hut in the rock, Lukas found it empty; Emil must still be with Peter. Lukas stood in the door way of the shack, waiting for his little brother to return from exploring this colony, this new home with his first friend. Lukas bit his nails, his mind soaked with worry, until happy squawks interrupted his thoughts. "Luuuukkkaaaass, Mama told us to come get you, it's eating time!" a Peter piped out as he was being carried on the shoulders of the Emil, the subject of Lukas' worry. Emil's smile told a thousand words, he was happy here, he felt safe, and he… didn't need Lukas to look after him anymore. Emil put Peter down and ruffled his hair "Lukas, there's food and things! Come on, we can go eat!" Emil took Lukas's hand and tugged him forwards, towards the communal kitchens "Stop sitting there with a sour look on your face."

Emil waved goodbye to Peter as he left to join Berwald and Tino, the young boy toddled off with a smile from ear to ear. Lukas however felt a dark pit growing in his stomach that was not put there from hunger. Lukas and Emil found seats after receiving their food portions from the colony kitchens, and sat and ate whilst Emil rambled about his day, though Lukas was silent, his mind ticking over once again. "And we went to central and Peter showed me some craters that are hollowed out, the bombs have been removed bu- Lukas… are you even listening to me? " Emil trailed into the question, waving his hand in front of Lukas' face. "Huh? Oh... Ja . Sounds like you had a great day Emil." Lukas said his voice slightly disheartened, though he tried to hide it, purely for his brother's sake. "How about you? I saw you leave with that Mathias guy, did you do anything cool? Isn't this place cool!" Emil asked Lukas before ripping a piece of bread and stuffing it in his mouth. Lukas shrugged and ate a spoonful of the thick root vegetable soup that was in front of him, "He wants me to join the personal guard" Lukas mumbled before putting another spoonful in his mouth. "See! This place is great!" Emil beamed before digging into the rest of his food.

The brothers finished their meal and left to their hut, passing Tino and Berwald on the way. "Did you have a good first day?" Tino asked with a smile on his face his arm around Berwald who had a sleepy Peter hanging off his leg. "mmn Dad can we go home now 'm sleepy" Berwald ruffled Peter's hair, "Aye, We'll be goin' up now." Berwald said. Emil nodded with a big grin on his face "I had a really great day!" Lukas rolled his eyes "Ja, it was ok I suppose" Tino smiled "See I knew you would be ok here, Emil since you're starting training soon if you want I can give you some lessons with the rifle" Emil's jaw hit the floor "Can I?!" He beamed "I… I mean, sure" he coughed a little and straightened his hair. Lukas watched on, the dark knot in his stomach twisted with every syllable. "Com' on we need to get Peter to bed, älskling" Berwald interrupted. They made their good nights and Emil positively bubbled over with excitement the rest of the way to the brother's hut to retire for the night.

Days continued; the same thing over and over, training for Emil begun and more and more the young teenager began to grow to love Valhalla, and the more and more the black knot in Lukas' stomach grew. Lukas trudged to the hut after a particularly tiresome day of training with Mathias, who insisted on training personally with him every day. He missed eating time and stewed by himself alone.

Lukas sat on the bed in his small room, his head rested against the wall. His fringe flopped into his face, he blew it out of his eyes and sighed, and his brother had come home from his day training and was sleeping soundly in the next room. His soft snores echoed through the rooms, the way in which he slept, so peaceful, carefree, almost mocked the turmoil that Lukas was in. Lukas' mind spilled over with anxious thoughts, like a poison invading his brain. He bit his nails to the quick, only stopping before his fingers bled. Removing his fingers from his mouth and pressed them against his temples massaging them slowly, he knew what he had to do, he hated himself for it but he saw no other option for him. His gut feeling about this place was set.

Lukas picked himself up and dragged himself into the living area; he searched through the supplies given to them for something that he could write with. Finding a few pieces of charcoal, and some linen he scribbled a rushed note. He packed his very few things, importantly his hunting knife and a few supplies for water and food. He couldn't face looking in on his brother once more, for fear his mind would change. The blond male slipped out of the hut quietly, the note clutched in his hand, he passed the dwelling of Tino and Berwald, and slipped the note under the door the best he could without smudging the writing on the linen. And with that, he made his way back through Valhalla, through the twists and turns of the cavern until he came to the block. Lukas avoided looking directly at the block guards as he approached, "I'm leaving, let me out" He said coldly clutching at the knife at his hip. The guard grunted and opened the block, looking at Lukas with narrow eyes. The daunting trek out of the maze in front of him, he heaved his supplies onto his back and set out on his journey. Alone.

The night sky was clear, the only sounds that were heard were the slow crunch of the ground under Lukas' feet and the wind that whipped his hair around his face and whistling through the sparse brush and rocks around him, echoing the whistles of the walls of the maze that he was trying his hardest to navigate, until he heard something strange. Crunch, crunch, shuffle, crunch. Lukas froze, his heartbeat pounded in his ears, his breathing slowed and he unsheathed the knife. Lukas quickly turned pulling the hunting knife to the throat of his would be attacker.

"I see you're happy to see me" a bright voice broke through the tension, a voice that belonged to Valhalla's leader, Mathias. Lukas pulled away quickly scowling at the mop of hair that raged wild in front of him "What do you think you're doing here?!" Lukas growled at the taller man. "Do you really think I'm going to let you walk out of here, you're leaving your brother, leaving a life that could be better for you than anything you could ever have out there! How do you think Emil will feel once he knows you're gone?" Mathias said raising an eyebrow as he questioned Lukas. "What do you care? How did you even know I had left?" Lukas frowned before turning and starting to walk once more.

"Berwald found your little shoddy letter, and the block guards came and found me and told me that you left." Mathias followed after him reaching for his arm, pulling Lukas to a stop. "You need to let go of me right now" Lukas growled once again. Mathias pulled Lukas in closer to him and held tighter, his hand tight around Lukas' wrist, sure enough to leave a mark. "No. I don't believe for one second that you would walk out on your responsibilities, your brother. Why are you leaving?" Mathias asked the smaller man secured in his arms. Lukas struggled a little as Mathias' hold tightened around him but soon enough he gave in and sunk a little, his hair covering his face, something Lukas was grateful for, his waterlogged eyes hidden from the other "I… He… He doesn't need me anymore" Lukas replied sounding defeated "He's better off here, without me. He can have a life I could never give him. I don't… belong here"

Mathias' grip slackened, feeling Lukas' body go slack. He shook his head "Lukas…. You're wrong, you belong wherever your brother is. He needs you. And you more than definitely need him." Mathias sighed, and brushed Lukas' hair behind his ear. "Here… this will help keep that out of your face." Mathias pulled a gold barrette out of his pocket and placed it in Lukas' hair pinning it away from his face. Lukas put a hand to the clip, feeling the cross shape in his hair, "I.. why are you doing this?" Lukas asked. Mathias rolled his eyes and picked Lukas up into his arms, his face morose as he heard the futile curses and the weak struggling from Lukas "I'm doing this for you and your brother. You deserve a better life Lukas." Soon the struggling stopped once Lukas realised they were moving, and in the opposite direction to the way he wanted. "Put me down you oaf, I have legs that are perfectly capable of carrying me" Lukas bellowed, though his body was too exhausted to make any damage come from his struggling. Mathias carried Lukas back through the block, and to the hut Lukas shared with Emil. Lukas groaned and grumbled the whole way to the hut, and did nothing but complain about being carried.

Mathias trod quietly through the hut so as not to wake the sleeping teenager in the next room. Placing the over tired small blond man in the bed that he assumed was Lukas'. "You didn't have to bring me all the way back here you know" Lukas said as he pulled the thin covers up to his face. Mathias left and retrieved a chair from another room and placed it down next to the bed and sat. "What do you think you're doing?" Lukas asked prying his eyes open slowly. "If you think I'm leaving you alone just so you can sneak out again? No chance" Lukas rolled his eyes and turned over "I don't need a baby sitter" he muttered. Mathias tried not to chuckle as he slouched into the seat, keeping a watchful eye over the soon sleeping form in front of him.

As the sun shone through the small cracks in the front of the hut, the light filtered across the walls, creeping into the rooms and danced across Emil's eyelids the light rousing the teenager from his slumber. Standing and cracking his back Emil made his way to his brother's room, intent on waking him to go for breakfast. Upon entering his brother's room he was not expecting to find the scene that was before him. Lukas draped over the bed, asleep, and soundly for a rare time, one of very few since Emil could remember, but an additional body, Mathias slept in the chair besides him, his arms folded and his head lolled to the side, a little drool over his shoulder. "Did I miss something? Or do I need to come back later?" Emil spoke as if to announce his presence in the room. Lukas groaned and turned to face his brother pulling the cover up over his face "Ugh GO Back to bed" He responded half asleep, before remembering last night. He jolted up and there before him was the leader, slowly opening his eyes as the sound of voices woke him "Why are you still here?!" Lukas snapped. The confused leader blinked, words escaping him for a moment. "I'll just… Leave you alone for a moment" Emil snickered as he left the room. "EMIL, it's not like THAT!" Lukas shouted after him his face tinged red as he tried to escape the confines of the sheets that encased him to the bed, causing him to trip over his own feet. He looked up at Mathias from the floor scowling up at him with daggers for eyes, "This is all your fault." Mathias chuckled and held up his hands in surrender, glad that he had managed to bring Lukas back, back to his new family.