Decline

"OI! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!" Prussia's voice rang through the seemingly endless battlefield, a panicky look in his eye as he looked for his little brother. "WHERE ARE YOU, DAMNIT!"

He heard the sound of rushed footsteps coming towards him. He turned to the two running men in tattered uniforms. "Any luck with the two of you?" He asked with desperation.

What was left of his determination dwindled when he saw the two shake their heads. "No sire, we haven't found him yet,"

The Prussian shook madly, and swore. He kicked the blood-stained dirt beneath him in frustration. This damned war…!

That damn bastard France… Starting the war, and putting his little brother in an even worse condition than he already was! He could have stayed and left the fighting to his men, but oh no, he just HAD to be stubborn and fought.

Fought until he couldn't feel anything but the pain…

'Damn it… I'm not getting anywhere with you, you bastard of a brother…' Prussia thought angrily, and stomped off, leaving the men to look for his brother by himself.

He was Prussia! He could find him no sweat, not with that white cape of his…

…Stained with blood, an ugly wound on his chest-

'No Prussia! He's not dead, he's fine! He wouldn't die as easily as the others… He's fine! Nothing to worry about…'

He ignored the countless dead bodies that he had passed in his rage, both of French and German men, never to return home.

"Yes, he's fine… nothing could kill this guy when it comes to-"

Prussia's train of thought broke when he heard a soft clang. Looking down, he saw that he had stepped on a bloodied sword. He snorted, and picked it up. He had to wonder why they still used swords when they had gun-power. So easier to kill with those bayonets, not exactly the best weapon but-

'Wait… if it's a sword… That guy would not let go of his sword…'

Prussia's ruby orbs widened in realization, and discarded the sword once again. His feet started moving subconsciously, taking him wherever it was that his gut had willed him to. If he was right, then he would be right…

…here

The empire's heart stopped. There, amidst the smoke of fired guns and the ground tainted with blood, was his little brother.

His breath was shaky with every step towards him. Was that his brother…?
He had looked barely noticeable! His uniform was almost completely burnt all over, and blood covered inch after inch of his body. His usually well-kept blonde hair now lay all over his forehead.

Worst of all, there was a big, red stain from where his stomach should be.

Once again shaking madly, Prussia kneeled in disbelief at the sight. Had France done this…?

Prussia hurriedly leaned over the boy's eft chest, breathing like a tired dog. 'Please Gott, oh please, let this boy have some heartbeat,'

A few tense seconds of no breathing passed.

Prussia's relief soared to incredible heights that day when he eventually felt the unsteady, but very real heartbeat that vibrated through his brother's left chest.

He was alive! His little brother was alive!

He was so happy that he couldn't help but hug the unconscious boy. Carefully like he was the most fragile thing in the world, but desperately like he was his lifeline.

Just enough to make him stop worrying- and hopefully the tears leaking out of his red eyes…

'See, Prussia? Nothing to be worried about…'

"And… done!" A white-haired man wiped his brow in exhaustion, staring proudly at his handiwork. Old Fritz had thought him a bit about medicine, so this should suffice.

It was now a few days after the Battle of Austerlitz, and Prussia had been allowed to return to his house before preparing for the next battle that was going to take place. It was not much time, not enough for him to be there for when his brother wakes up, but enough for him to tend to his wounds.

His brother was now laying in Prussia's spare bed, breathing steadily. It brought Prussia great relief to know that the boy's breathing rate had normalized. He was covered in bandages, with wounds that would heal by themselves.

He was a nation just like Prussia, but something had told the taller man that he might need it. Prussia was not sure if he liked what he thought what was going to come, but for now shook it off and focused.

Prussia took a seat next to his brother, and put his head on top of his entangled knuckles. He was sleeping peacefully… He just hoped that he would wake up soon.

Huh. Peaceful. That word had failed to describe his brother.

How could 'peaceful' describe someone so aggressive, so determined, so in love, and so loyal? No, no, that was certainly not Prussia's brother.

Chuckling emptily, he held his brother's pale hand. It was cold, but the warmth would come back soon. "You're not really that now, are you? No, you're too hung up on Italy to be that,"

He stared outside, where the sunny day mocked him and his brother's condition. "Right, Holy Roman Empire?"

"WHAT?!"

Prussia's few, glorious days of rest were over, and now it was back to this hectic war. Regrettably, he had to leave Holy Rome behind and sleeping. He had called Belgium to watch his brother until he came back, so he didn't need to worry. He would have opted to call Hungary instead, but…

There were two reasons. One, given the circumstances, half the continent was at war with France, and Hungary was fighting as well.

And two…

Well, maybe Belgium wouldn't need to look after anyone.

Right now, Prussia was gaping in shock and despair at the man in front of him. A man we would call today as Francis II, the Holy Roman Emperor.

The last one, after a millennium of existing.

Napoleon Bonaparte had formed the Confederation of The Rhine, officially destroying the Holy Roman Empire and ultimately gaining control of the German States. Francis II simply had no other reason to be an emperor- a ruler of a place that could no longer exist.

"It is regrettable, I know," Said Francis, eyes hiding any sort of true emotion. "But what choice did we have? The Rhine is formed, and I simply cannot deny the next ruler's orders."

"SCREW NAPOLEON, THS IS MY LITTLE BROTHER WE'RE TALKING ABOUT!" The Prussian screamed, agony filling his lungs instead of the air that should have been breathed instead.

"Abdicating the throne is as hard as it is for any ruler, Gilbert, but-"

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! YOU JUST DONE KILLED MY BROTHER!"

And with that, he left wordlessly, breaking down the grand oak doors as he ran back to his house.

Francis II sighed, and started walking back to his office. He had work that was needed to take care of, and a heartbroken Prussian was something he would not have liked to deal with.

But, what is this ugly feeling inside of him? He could only try his best to shake it off.

The doors to Prussia's house were torn off by the hinges as the owner himself ran straight in; making a beeline for the room Holy Roman Empire was in.

Frantic thoughts were running back and forth in his head. Was he alright? Was he okay? Could he still be alive by the time he reaches the room…?

He bit his bottom lip, hard enough to draw blood. A clenched fist made contact with the mahogany door separating the room from the rest of the world.

"Holy Rome!" He had shouted, expecting to find a fully lifeless blonde boy lying in the bed, not even taking the usual uneven breaths. He had expected to find his eyes shut, never to be open again.

When he stomped over to the bed, a huge wave of relief surged through him when he found his brother sleeping peacefully, still.

Managing a heavy sigh, he slumped onto the untouched bedside chair. Prussia ran a hand through his messy silver hair. Had he always been this panicky? Smiling tiredly, he shook his head. No, he wasn't always like this, he recalled. Prussia was always out there, fighting and beating the life out of all those who stood in his way.

Not even his little brother could stop him…

So why was it starting to now?

The albino man had not eft his brother's bedside since. Not even to go and apologize to the 'Holy Roman Emperor'. Why should he? He had nothing to apologize for! His brother might have been as good as dead… Screw the war- he had a comatose brother he needed to look after!

Holy Rome was still sleeping. It was as if not even a canon shot could make him stir in his sleep. It gave Prussia reassurance to know that he was at peace. Sure, this would not last, but still… Holy Rome deserved a break from all that fighting.

He shouldn't even be fighting, if one thought about it. Not in that body.

Prussia wondered sometimes why his brother was so weak. He may have conquered more than a few territories, but they were a tire to handle and manage. Now he could actually see why that aristocratic prick opted to take control. Obviously, this kid couldn't possibly handle his rowdy prizes. Someone like Austria HAD to step in.

But wait…

Lack of unity… Weren't they always fighting? And they were all part of him… a child…

Of course! Why hadn't he seen it earlier?

As the hours passed with Prussia sitting on the chair, watching the steady rise and fall of his brother's chest, the man's guilt ate him inside. Not a second that had succeeded passed without the guilt getting worse.

Growling and sorrowful, he held his brother's hand. "Ah… I was stupid. You always told me that Holy Rome. And I never listened."

"-taly…"

A sleeping Prussian was hard to wake- especially since he had been looking after an unconscious boy non-stop for days.

"N-no… Ita… ly,"

He would not be able to hear the soft whimpers of a war-ridden boy as he slept. The Prussian was too far inside his dreams to notice the stirs his brother made.

"S-stop that… Please…"

A young boy's nightmares could not reach him. Neither could his pleas for a maid.

"N-no… stop…!"

And finally, the boy's blue eyes snapped open, and sat upright, effectively knocking over Prussia. "Don't!"

The loud sound and sudden movement had forced Prussia to wake. Sleepily, he rubbed his red eyes, trying to make his vision come clear.

Blinking a few times, the albino rubbed his eyes once more before turning to the source of the disturbance.

His pupils dilated when he realized that he was looking at his brother, awake and very much alive. Joy filled him to the brim. He was awake…!

Prussia shook with excitement. "H-holy Rome… you're awake…"

But wait! Why did his brother look so troubled? And, he was shaking? His eyes were wide open with fear, anxiety, and worry. Just what had happened?

"Hey, b-bruder, are you alright-"

Before Prussia could even touch him, Holy Rome grabbed his shoulders, and shook him violently. Prussia could see the emotions running wild in Holy Rome's ocean blue stare. What-

"Where is Italy?!"

"Ita? What are you-"

"Tell me, where is Italy?! I need to get to her!" Prussia was happy, but very worried and confused at the same time. Exasperation could not be left out of his emotions.

"Bro, you need to lie down! You don't need to wor-"

"No, I need to see her now! And where is France?! What the hell, where even am I?!" His shaking was growing increasingly frantic as the seconds pass by. It scared Prussia a little.

"Calm down Holy Rome, Italy is-"

"I- I need to get back! Italy, I promised her-"

And finally, Prussia couldn't take it anymore, and grabbed Holy Rome's wrists. "Calm down! Italy isn't going anywhere! Aren't you glad that you're away from the chaos for once?!" He shouted in his face. "Don't you see that you need to rest, dammit?!"

"No! I promised that I would come back, she's probably waiting for me,"

'Mein Gott this boy is stubborn…' Prussia thought as he gritted his teeth. "Take your mind off of fighting for once!"

"I can't stop! I don't think this war is over yet, I should get back to the barracks! Where is Francis, I need to-"

"YOU CAN'T GO BACK! YOU WERE ABDICATED!"

Everything stopped once the words had left his mouth. Prussia immediately wanted to slap his mouth and himself. What had he done…?

The wild emotions in Holy Rome's eyes were replaced with paralyzing shock. Had he heard his brother right?

No, no, he's fooling around like he always does… T-that can't be true… No, he was too strong for that!

"No… you're lying…"

The sound of a piercing slap echoed across the room. Holy Rome's hand reached out to the part where it stung most.

"Goddammit, Holy Rome! I wouldn't lie about something this serious!" Prussia's eyes held a regrettable sort of fury in them, as if it was killing him to say all of these things. And it was- it was probably the worst he had ever been in his centuries-long lifetime.

Breathing deeply, Prussia lowered his hand. "Don't you remember anything…?"

"I… I…"

Several memories flowed into his mind, and stung his head where it would hurt most.

The sounds of guns…

His men were screaming one second… and the next…

Dropping to the ground with a soft plop…

Before being overrun by the horses at the speed of eagles…

And then- Napoleon…!

Shooting multiple men at once, killing without regret,

Before-

He couldn't take it anymore. He kneeled onto Prussia's wooden floor, with his head down and shaking hands pulling at his blonde locks.

"N-no… this can't be…" His words came out as broken, a sob threatening to escape his throat.

"Don't you see Holy Rome? You're done… It's eating me inside out to say this but you're over." Prussia says, his soul just as broken as Holy Rome's. The albino kneels down in front of the shaking boy.

"B-but…"

The sounds of laughter… sweet, sweet laughter that he so badly wanted to hear again rang in his ears, and images of a young nation in a maid dress invaded his mind.

"I-I promised…"

The warmth of her hand, and the innocent look in her brown doe eyes- the feelings went back to him as he thought of her.

All the way to the day they had to say goodbye.

"I promised her…" He chokes out.

Prussia tried his hardest not to sigh in exasperation. This boy…! His stubborn spirit was too much for anyone to handle. Why can't he just be content that he was still even alive after abdication?

To Prussia's dismay, it dawned upon him that he would never be able to understand his little brother's feelings.

So, he could do nothing but hold him in his arms and allow him to soak his shirt with salty tears.

The pale dawn had arrived, and they had not moved from their spot on the wooden floor.

When the time came that Holy Roman Empire an out of tears, energy, and resolve, Prussia set him back onto the bed.

He sighed. "Holy Rome, you have to understand." Sitting back on the chair, he rested his tired head onto his hands once more. "Some promises are meant to be broken. Italy would have to wait."

It honestly surprised him when Holy Rome didn't say another thing about Italy after he woke up again. But Prussia knows.

He knows that Holy Rome would not be forgetting about anything for some time.

THE END

Author's Note: I can't believe myself! Writing this *gestures to the whole crappy story* when there weren't enough updates to get my point across.

I guess some of you probably might have guessed, this took place after the end of the Third Coalition, when the throne to the Holy Roman Empire was abdicated. Next to this was the Confederation of the Rhine- German states under French rule.

Oh? I haven't been active for sometime? Oh contraire, I have been updating a few times just last week! WAS it last week? I don't know. Just check out the Ib and Cloe's Requiem sections, you'll find two of mine in there. The multi-chapter hiatus is still going on though.

Disclaimer: Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya-san.

Apology: I HAVE NOTHING AGAINST FRANCIS II. I SWEAR. IT'S JUST FOR THE PLOT.