The Sound of Madness

  Gilbert screamed, breaking the sound of gunshots and the haze of war.

  "BRUDER!"

   Ludwig grunted, staring helplessly at the bullet aimed at his heart. Instinctively, Gilbert flew forward and pushed him away, but not in time. Ludwig breathed in sharply as the bullet wound through his stomach. "Danke...bruder..." he coughed. "It just missed it's mark." Gilbert stared. "bruder...WEST! WESTEN! NEIN!" Ludwig coughed up blood, crashing to the ground. "I'll be...-HACK- fine-! FIGHT -HACK- UNTIL W-WE WIN-!"

  Gilbert shook his head, disbelief washing over his face. "Nein! Bruder, we fight together or we die together...there is no other way!" He brought his brother into his arms and sat down, tuning out the war.

  Ludwig hacked. Gilbert flinched as his face became covered in blood from a round of coughs. Ludwig's hand lifted itself weakly to grasp his bruder's face, and gilbert's hand folded over it.

  "Bruder...this...this war...this is the sound of madness."

  "FICK! BRUDER! Shut up! Bitte...bitte...we'll save you...you're a nation, you can't die..not from this!" Gilbert sobbed.

---

Ludwig woke up in a dimly lit hospital room, months later. He gasped and threw the oxygen mask off and glanced around. A slight weight slipped off his shoulder when he flew upwards, causing him to look down at his bed. Gilbert stared at him unbelievably, a scar traveling down his face and bandages on his body.

  "Bruder...you woke up...?"

  "Ja...bruder...what is..." ludwig traced the scar with his caloused hands.

  "That?" Gilbert grinned his trademark shit-eating grin. "I fought off the hordes of soldiers carrying you to safety. No need to thank me, I'm just that awesome."

  Ludwig stared, amused, at Gilbert. Really. That insufferable...wonderful...brother of his...

  Gilbert yelped as Ludwig's arms folded around him. Sobs sounded in his ears and he smiled.

  "We were born as one entity, weren't we? We fight together, we die together. I wasn't dying, so you were living." Gilbert shrugged.

  "Bruder...you amaze me." Ludwig laughed.

  ---