Do not own either Hetalia or the Sandman.

Edited and revised on March 2019

Death comes to all, even the nations.

XIXIXIXIX

In a field surrounded by the silence of the dead, a teen, a child really was laying on the ground. The ground soaked red as the boy slowly bleeds out.

Holy Rome weakly tries to move but felt so weak, he knew he was dying yet he did not want to, even as he continues to bleed.

He never got a chance to …

He painfully sighs, it did not matter anymore.

The young teen blinks away sweat and blood soaked tears to see a woman standing over him. At first glance she looks like a typical woman standing among the ruins. But he was a nation, a dying one, but one none the less, and he knew, she was the peaceful Death. The one that rarely comes. Death kneel closer, he could see her features, she is dressed in an elegant black dress with a silver looped cross around her neck. But her eyes! They are a warm dichromatic gold and for a moment he thought he saw three glowing rings surrounding her like a halo making her look like an angel, he blinks and the halo vanish from his fuzzy sight.

The women smiles warm and motherly and said, "Come little one."

HRE shook his head, "I have to see Italia..."

The next moment the women tenderly holds his cheeks and looks with a caring love.

HRE vaguely wonders how her cloths and gloves are still immaculate despite being in a bloody battlefield with dirt and grime.

She moves around and lifts his head into her lap, and brushes his hair lightly, "Do not worry child. Your nation will rise from the ashes."

HRE tilts his head up and looks at her.

The women smile sadly.

HRE then gave a shaky sigh, painfully nodded in submission.

Death place her hand on his shoulder and took the child into the peace of death.

Prussia walks unsteadily, limbs feeling like lead. Prussia overlooks his destination, the tomb of the Holy Roman Empire, for his older brother, Gerwig, although it is not so much a tomb and more like a unmarked graveyard for the last battle of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nations. For seldom does nations leave a body.

Shuddering sniffle, he kneels in the dirt in contemplative silence. He should have support him more despite France's power, despite his misgivings. Now he is dead; and with the imminent arrival of the yet not found Confederation of the Rhine; the guilt eats at him.

He pauses when he hears a sound. It sounds like singing. Eyes widening, he carefully follows the sound. It leads him away from the empty land until he saw an unusual looking sight.

There was a dying tree and under the tree there was a woman kneeling by a blot of bright colors. She was dressed in a simple black dress with a black shawl and a black umbrella by her side. She was stacking flowers at the base of the tree within the gnarling roots.

Prussia shudders for a moment despite his best effort. Prussia stood ready to leave. He does not recognizes her yet he does, he has met many times in battle and among the birth of Prussians, and he did not like her.

He stiffens at shock.

There next to her, nestled in the flowers was Holy Rome, his big brother.

But it was not right, he was younger, older than an infant but barely a child when Holy Rome was a teenager. Still his heart tells him to rescue the child and his soul is telling that he is family.

Prussia growls.

The next second, the woman was in his face, "For most humans, I only see them twice, once for when they are born and again for when they die. The curious thing about Nations is that they can do and live many times."

Prussia stood in stiff shock, those eyes; he knew why no nation dare approach her. All nations at one point would have seen her before in hospitals and battle fields, it was Death herself. Although, he thought that Death would come as a man as some of the others claimed.

Prussia manage to gasp out, "What are you here for?"

Death smiles, "A favor for my son. I have something to drop off."

For Prussia the words leave him gasping, he looks to the Holy Rome look alike.

Death smiles, "Ahh, while I am known for death, do not forget from the ashes, new life is born from my presence." She frowns; "I believe that child is currently called the Confederation of the Rhine. But someday he will be known by several names."

Prussia said softly, "I would name the child after my father, Germania."

Death look thoughtful, and then had an epiphany, "Someday the child will be known as Deutschland. But I suppose Germany would be a good English translation," she smiled coyly, "Someday he will be a great nation."

Prussia step back, still wary of the neutral entity.

Death shook her head and said, "No, be there for when your brother wakes."

Ever so fearful, he stood on Death other side. Death lean down and gave the sleeping boy a kiss in the forehead. Death vanished and a light consume the area. When the light cleared and the spots faded from Prussia's eyes, the tree was dead but the flowers surrounding the child looked vibrant in the stark contrast.

He brushed back the boy's hair. His features, while looking like that of Holy Rome was not hard with war and fading power that Holy Rome possesses. The child opens his blue eyes open.

Clear and innocent.

Prussia, with trembling arms, carefully picks the child up.

The child looks confused.

With a smile and tears in his eyes, Prussia told the child, "Hello, I am your brother."

XIXIXIXIX

This is inspired by some fanfics concerning the HRE is Germany theory. While those for and against the theory have merit on both sides I like it when writers leave it so you can only guess if Germany is HRE. I tried to leave it pretty ambiguous if Germany is HRE or is the successor/ reincarnation/ whatever because it more interesting that way. In this fic, Prussia's history started with the Teutonic Knights, so in this case, he would be younger than HRE. If the theory is valid, it would be pretty funny because that would mean that Germany would be both the younger and older brother of Prussia.