CHAPTER TWO

WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SLIGHTLY DETAILED GORE.

Details? That was something that he had wished could be easily preventable.

Natasha, Ivan's sister, who was the nurse at the hospital where Feliciano's body had been taken to for an autopsy, had spilled the details to Gilbert, Ludwig's older brother, who of course, being the loud-mouth that he was , had to spill the information that Ludwig didn't really want to hear.

The only thing that really bothered Ludwig to the point of bothering is that Feliciano's corpse was so decomposed to the point where he wouldn't even be able to have an open-casket at his funeral. Ludwig would not get a last chance to see his friend ever again. The last sight he would ever see was a bruised Italian whimpering as he fled the house.

And all of the blame was being poured unto him.

Lovino called him a monster. Roderich and Elizaveta wouldn't even talk to him. Honda was bemused and remained quiet the entire time. Francis and Arthur agreed on the idea that Ludwig was the one to blame. And Alfred was the one who wanted Ludwig to be tried for manslaughter for Feliciano's suicide.

Apparently they had found Feliciano's body in the forest, where the reported gunshot came from. Though when they found him, ironically, what killed him wasn't the gunshot. The Italian had been too weak to hold the rifle properly, and when it went off, it had hit the tree that he had been leaning on. Despite the fact that the weapon had been found beside him, the most disturbing part about it… was the fact that the way that he took care of everything after that was by slitting his wrist. When they got there, the blood was drained from his body, maggots festering in the tormented flesh, worming through it, poking holes into the flimsy canvas that was his skin. Flesh decomposing, a sour smell lingered around the area where his cadaver was discovered, flies, birds… they picked and pulled at his body, though were shooed away by the men who were called to retrieve the corps. Those men were Toris, Feliks, and Ivan. They were called by the parent of a young boy named Peter, after their child had wandered off into the forest by himself and came back in hysterics and smelling of rancid meat.

So in the end, Feliciano's body was going to be cremated, the ashes being given to Lovino.

Ludwig had asked for some of the ashes, though Lovino refused. And Lovino had every right to. Why would he want to give someone his brother's ashes who treated so horribly that it made him want to kill himself?

Though, the day after his body was discovered, he found Ivan at his front door, holding the same, blank look that was constantly plastered to his face, his nose hidden by his casual scarf that he wore. He had simply handed him a note.

Goodbye. I'm waiting on the other side.