Headcannon: The real reason Germany pushes Italy so much during training is just in case something happens to Italy and Germany can't reach him.
Warnings: Possible triggers. Read at your own risk. This one is full of sadness.
Germany couldn't even process this guilt, this horrible feeling in his stomach. He wanted to double over and empty his stomach on the ground. Empty the lunch that he had made and enjoyed with his best friend, the country of Italy.
The blonde nation never cried, but now he was forced to. The sight before him was grotesque, depressing, enough to make any regular mortal go insane. Germany thought that he had seen it enough before that he didn't have to feel like this every time. But there in the middle of the shinning red field of dead men he did not know the name of, there lay one dead corpse that moved Germany greatly.
Italy Veneziano.
Germany had been late showing up for the battle. It was hard to move his troops across the dessert in order to get to Italy's. The had planned to take some of the countries down in Africa as part of the war. It was rumored that the Allies were advancing, but he wasn't sure.
Germany didn't have a strong Navy, which is how he had to transport his military power all the way to Africa. He didn't have much of an ocean to practice with, to keep all of his ships there.
Leaving the others behind him, he ran. He ran to the center of the field where his best friend lay with blood splattered all around him. He was dead Germany knew it.
A country with two halves would live forever until they were mortally wounded in battle. The other half would become the whole country. Romano would become all of Italy, and if Germany died, Prussia would become the full Reich of Germany.
He dropped to his knees, his breath becoming ragged and shallow. Tears overflowed from his eyes as he tried to hold back a sob.
He pushed Italy so hard to prevent this. To prevent losing a war. To present any of this! If only he had pushed harder, harder than he did before. Italy could have still been alive. He could have still been with him, laughing, smiling, enjoying life. But now he was gone.
Germany picked him up into his arms, holding him close to his chest. He was cold, and his eyes were marbled with death. He had seen so many people die, but he wasn't prepared for Italy's. He didn't deserve to go. Not like this. Not like this at all...
He wished he had been there for him. Maybe he would still be alive if Germany himself trained more.
He would always blame himself for Italy's death. It was his job to train the older country, and yet he didn't do it hard enough. He didn't push him to his very limit. He was over dramatic with his condition, so Germany often let him stop early. He didn't want to push him so hard he lost a friend. But he would have rather lost a friend than have his friend lose his life.