[WARNING: NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART!!!]
[translations will be at the end of the story]

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Outside it was quiet only the breeze made a sound with the slight rustling of the trees, whose leaves fell as if the trees themselves were crying. Dark clouds threatened to bring rain, or snow since it was terribly cold this time of year, and a strange hush seemed to have fallen over the world.
Allen sat in a chair in Matt's cabin home, staring blankly ahead, while clinging to an old, worn, red plaid blanket. He didn't think he'd ever felt like this. So in need. So depressed. So....lost. Why can't it be me? He doesn't deserve this... He looked down at the occupant of the bed in front of him, where his brother laid near unmoving save for the weak rise and fall of his chest. With tears threatening to fall Allen gripped the blanket tighter, "Matt....please don't leave me..."
Matt's eyes fluttered open and he turned his head, strands of hair falling into his face, to look at Allen, "you'll have to go on without me mon frere..."
"Never! I- I'll just starve myself or somethin'!"
"Al, no you can't do that!"
"Yes I can!"
"No you can't!"
".........What do you expect me to do when you're gone?..."
"...........Just take care of yourself.....please."
Allen leaned closer to Matt, wanting to be as close to his presence as he dared, "...how will I remember? ... If you're not here to remind me?" he half joked, unable to bear the situation.
Matt sighed, "..........I promised I'd always be here for you, but I failed. I'm sorry."
Allen openly shed his tears, "no, ya didn't fail me! If anythin' I failed you... I'm a terrible brothah."
Matt wiped the tears off Allen's cheeks with the sleeve of his shirt, "Allen, that's not true. You didn't fail me."
Allen didn't bother to tug away like usual. Instead more tears fell, "I let this happen..." he replied solemnly.
Matt let his arm fall, "don't blame yourself Al."
Allen hugged him, "how can I not?"
Allen felt his brother hug him back lightly, almost weakly, "It's not your fault."
Allen near sobbed. He tried to reason, with himself or Matt even he couldn't tell, "I-I coulda done somethin'! .... I- I should've .... I-...." He hugged his brother tightly, though carefully, as though if he let go he'd blow away with the wind. How could I let this happen? Why couldn't it have been me!? I deserve this, not him.... Allen knew all the wishing and hoping in the world wasn't going to bring his brother back, but he'd hold on to what he had until it was all gone. Tears pricked at Matt's own eyes, "it's okay Allen. It's all going to be okay." Okay? How would it be okay!? No, nothing was ever going to be okay.... Allen shook his head, unable to speak. An indescribable sadness had welled up inside him. He'd have nothing left if Matt was gone. He looked up at Matt, whose eyes were drooping.

Matt felt very tired. But he had to hold on. He had to. for Allen.

"Wait! No! Please, don't leave me.... not like this... You were supposed to go out fightin', not cooped up on some bed..." Though Allen couldn't bear the thought of losing his brother at all. They'd been through so much together. From rolling around in the mud as kids to fighting alongside each other in war. Sure they yelled at each other and fought sometimes, but they didn't really mean it. They truly did care for one another, just had a hard time showing it.

Matt looked at his brother sadly. He didn't want to leave him and he was going to keep fighting until his last breath just to stay as long as possible. I wish I could stay too Al, I hate to see you in such pain.... He shuddered in a breath as Allen cried on his shoulder. Please don't blame yourself.

Allen leaned up and wiped his face with his sleeve, then voiced his thoughts aloud, "why couldn't it have been me? you don't deserve this...."

Matt's eyesight began darkening, "Allen, I'm your brother I'm supposed to look out for you so when I-......well I just want you to take care of yourself okay. Can you do that?"

Allen tried to swallow the lump in his throat, "I- yeah, sure I can bro...... je t'aime mon frere...."[1] he tried to ease his brother's worries and perhaps make him smile by using one of his native tongues, though that was a hollow hope.

Matt let a small smile appear on his face, "je t'aime aussi mon frere."[2]

Allen again wiped his face on his sleeve. He then grabbed Matt's hand in his own, "Je vais vous manquer..."[3]
Matt spoke quietly, "je voudrais ne pas avoir a vous laisser...."[4]
Allen gripped Matt's hand tighter and nearly choked on his words, "que veux-tu dire? Vous ne partez pas moi, tu seras toujours ici. Tu es trop têtu pour s'en aller."[5]
Matt let out a soft chuckle at Allen's words, "je t'aime. N'oublie jamais cela."[6]
Allen couldn't hold back a small sob and took a shaky breath before replying, "never. love ya too bro..." He'd lost the concentration to speak French, thus was forced back to English. Matt closed his eyes and his breathing slowed til it came to a stop and he went limp. Allen paused and looked at his brother, "Matt?" He shook Matt's shoulder, "Matt!?" Unable to form words Allen leaned over on his brother's shoulder and cried like he'd never done in his life before.
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Allen sat on a stump overlooking a valley down below the mountain he'd taken near permanent residence on. He refused to come down. Not for Oliver. Not for François. Not for anyone nor anything. He looked over to his right where a small stone laid on the ground next to a worn out red plaid shirt. It'd been rough having to tell Oliver and François that Matt had died. Oliver had locked himself in his room for days and wouldn't come out for nothing, all the while bawling his eyes out. It took quite a bit of coaxing to get him to come out, but he was on his way to getting past the grief now. François on the other hand, well he showed next to no signs of grieving. But Allen knew he was, he'd heard him having nightmares. though he wouldn't tell a soul about them.
Allen himself, he'd taken to living in Matt's old cabin, walking up to his gravestone on the mountain where Matt used to venture off to for years at a time. He never knew it, well Allen suspected he would now, but he'd been followed once. Though Allen had never interfered and had left soon after, he'd never told his brother about the event. there were a lot of things he'd never told his brother. Like just how much he meant to him, how much he admired him and looked up to him, how much he wished he could've taken Matt's place. But then he guessed he wouldn't want that in reality, because he wouldn't want Matt to have to suffer as he was right now.
Oh how he missed his brother. he'd kept his promise to take care of himself, as it was Matt's dying words. Well, for the most part anyway. Allen swore that sometimes, when he was alone in that old cabin at night, that he could hear his brother speaking to him and see glimpses of him throughout the house. See Matt, what'd I tell ya, too stubborn to leave...
The cold wind ripped Allen from his thoughts and with a sigh he stood, retrieved the old shirt, and walked off back to the cabin. The cabin where he'd sit out the rest of his days. Alone, as old Kumakuro had died shortly after his master, from grief. But he didn't mind, he was just waiting for the day he got to see and hold Matt once again.
The cold wind blew through the barren treetops, the only sound to be heard over the crunching of boots on snow.

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[these are more or less literal translations...]
1) I love you my brother.
2) I love you too my brother.
3) I'll miss you.
4) I wish I didn't have to leave you.
5) what do you mean? you're not leaving me, you'll always be here. You're too stubborn to go away.
6) I love you. Never forget that.