Author's Note: I shall now remind you all that I'm a review whore. 8)

Title: Hetalia's Christmas Tree

The Christmas Tree Left Me Speechless

Never once in his life had Prussia not wished for a White Christmas. He had never planned on changing that, but now, more than ever, he wished that it would stop snowing.

No matter how hard he looked or how far his gaze went, he couldn't see anything beyond the never-ending, blinding blizzard. All around him, harsh winds blew, and massive clumps of snow splattered to the earth ungracefully. If he was lucky, he could catch a glimpse at the sky, but it hardly mattered because it was just as dark and clouded as the rest of the world was.

The rest of his world at least.

"You'll get used to the snow," came Russia's voice behind him. Prussia flinched as a large, gloved hand rested on his shoulder. He could feel the other slowly creep up and whisper in his ear, "At least...you better. I have lots of work for you to do."

Prussia swallowed the lump in his throat and tried to focus on staring out the window before him. "And if I refuse?"

He heard a soft, knowing giggle, making his hair stand on end. "You don't want to know, da," Russia murmured, licking the shell of the albino's ear. A shiver shot up Prussia's spine. "I would suggest that you get to work though. This mansion, this nation...will not run itself, da?"

Prussia blinked and turned around, red eyes wide as he stared at the large man. "Tonight is Christmas Eve," he said, trying to keep his composure. Mentally, he was shaking. He prayed to God that what he was thinking was not true. He prayed that Russia's next words would never leave his vodka-stained mouth.

But it was futile.

"We don't celebrate that here, Little Prussia."

Prussia's mouth hung open in a small "o." After a moment of staring at his master like such, he closed his mouth and reflexively swallowed, still trying to keep himself under control. He didn't want to believe Russia's words. He wanted to celebrate Christmas. He didn't need much. Just a little gift exchange, a prayer at a nearby church, and a bit of good cheer. He didn't even need a Christmas Tree, even if it was a Germanic tradition. To him, that wasn't a lot to ask.

But whether or not it was too much to ask was not the problem here. "Christmas does not exist in my union," Russia explained, cheerfully smiling. "Do you know why?"

Prussia shook his head, not wanting to know.

Russia smirked and opened his dark eyes, staring down at his property. "Nothing is above the state," he said, his voice coated with hurtful intent, "not even God. We have no religion here. The people only believe in me." He leaned forward and grasped the sides of Prussia's face, bringing him close so their foreheads were touching. His hot breath invaded the albino's mouth, the smell of vodka filling it. With their lips so close, he whispered, "In my Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, if you pray to God, you are praying to me. I am God."

Prussia jerked away and quickly backed up towards the window, the force of his back banging up against it so strong it almost cracked. He stared into Russia's eyes, seeing all the evil and all the hate within them. They swirled around ominously, the deep violent darkening to black. He made no move to grab Prussia again. Instead, he just smiled and hid his hands behind his back.

How could he say such a statement so easily? Prussia wondered. Nothing, no human, no animal, and no nation, was above God. That Prussia knew for a fact. "You are not God," he hissed, narrowing his eyes. "If you think you are, you're a fool. God is beyond us, even us as nations. No matter how large or how mighty an empire may be, it is never greater than God." Prussia said these words stubbornly and full of confidence, but what he really wanted was not to convince Russia. He was trying to remind of himself of what he thought he knew.

He was surprised when Russia didn't react right away. The large nation just continued smiling and said, "You'll see it my way soon enough, da. Everyone does. I'll have you praying to me in no time." He giggled a bit, loving the horrified expression on Prussia's face. "In the meantime," he continued, "you will not celebrate Christmas. No one will. You and my other toys are to work for the rest of tonight, all of tomorrow, and all the time for the rest of your time with me. And by that, I mean the rest of your lives as nations." His smile thinned into a mischievous line across his face, and he stepped forward so that he was standing right in front of Prussia. Trapped between the cold window and Russia, the albino couldn't move. The communist leaned down and touched his forehead to Prussia's once again, his now black eyes staring into Prussia's stunned red ones.

Prussia gulped audibly. "What are you-?"

"Or whenever you die."

The albino shook his head in surprise. "What?"

Russia's arms fell forward, and his palms leaned up against the glass of the windows, completing trapping Prussia. He smirked again and said, "You will work for me either for the rest of your life as a nation...or whenever you die, Gilbert, whenever you as a person fade away." A giggle. "Isn't that right, my little dissolved nobody?"

Prussia slapped Russia's hands away and grabbed him by the scarf. "I'm not going to die!" he shouted. "I don't give a damn if my own nation has been dissolved. I'm East Germany now! I have a new territory that belongs only to me!"

"Kol kol kol..."

It was only then that Prussia realized what he had done. He nearly threw Russia's scarf out of his hands as if the fabric had burned him and stared up at Russia again, waiting for the large man to react. He leaned up against the window, looking for a way out and simultaneously wishing the window would disappear so he could run away. But where would he run to? And how far? Guards were stationed around the mansion and around the borders of the Soviet Union. And if he did somehow get past the guards of the Soviet Union, he'd still run right into other communist countries, which would likely send him back.

Slowly, Prussia came to a realization, one he probably should have made when he had first come under Russia's rule earlier that year. He refused to let the tears building up in his eyes fall, especially in front of Russia. He was too proud for that, but he was not beyond admitting the truth.

He was trapped.

Prussia squeezed his eyes tightly shut, praying to whomever that this was just a dream.

Russia reached for his water pipe.

"STOP!"

Prussia's eyes snapped open, and he looked up beyond Russia to see Ukraine. She held her hands together up to her chest and looked at her brother with pleading eyes. If Russia was disturbed, he didn't show it.

"Yes, Sister?" he said, his voice showing no sign of malice.

Ukraine cleared her throat. "Please do not hurt him, Brother," she requested quietly. "With all due respect, Prussia did not directly challenge you. And I believe that we can pardon him for his beliefs, at least for now. Like he said, he is part of Germany now. The German people take Christmas very seriously."

Russia raised an eyebrow. "You are suggesting I should let him keep his religious beliefs, da?"

Ukraine shook her head. "Not at all. I am merely suggesting that we give him time to see things our way. He'll eventually get it, but this is his first full winter with us. He needs time to get used to things." She held her breath, wanting to believe her brother would agree.

And he did. "Fine, da. I will not punish him...this time." He put his water pipe away and headed for the door to the hallway. "But you will all still work tonight, tomorrow, and for the rest of your days here. And I will not permit anyone to celebrate Christmas." He grabbed the doorknob, flung the door open, walked into the hallway, and slammed the door shut. The harsh sound echoed in the room, sending an especially cold chill down Prussia's and Ukraine's spines.

Prussia looked at the girl, eyes wide. "You saved me."

Ukraine looked back at him and shook her head. "You're not safe. None of us are."

Another chill.

The blonde looked back to the door and sighed. "I'm going to put my coat on and go work. You should join me soon if you don't want to see the water pipe again."

"...Ukraine?"

"Yes?"

"I can't wait for the summer to return."

"...Neither can I."

That night, Prussia couldn't sleep. He often had a hard time sleeping now that he was living under Russia's rule. The fear of the unknown kept him awake at night, and if he did fall asleep, he had horrifying dreams of frozen wastelands and bears guzzling vodka. Whenever he awoke for whatever reason, his bedroom was often freezing beyond belief. That night was especially cold with harsh winds blowing against his bedroom window. Even though the curtains were raised, there was no light coming from the full moon. The room was completely dark.

Dark and cold.

"West..." Prussia whispered. He curled into a ball and hoisted the thin sheets up to his nose, futilely wishing they could warm him up. Staring at the wall he couldn't see, he let his eyes water. "Merry Christmas."

There was a knock on his door.

Sitting straight up in bed, Prussia gasped. He tried to make out the the door, but that was impossible with the lack of light. He didn't want to answer it though. He knew it was Russia, coming back to punish him for earlier.

But he also knew he would be punished even worse if he didn't answer it. Reluctantly, he got out of bed and walked to the door, his feet already so frozen he didn't care about the cold wood beneath him. He reached out and turned the knob, allowing a small amount of light to enter.

What he saw shocked him.

"Ukraine?"

"It's past midnight," the woman said quietly. She looked up at him and smiled. "Merry Christmas, Prussia." She held out her hands and presented the man with a tiny pot. Inside that pot was a tiny, nearly frozen stick with a single, almost dead leaf hanging at its side. Atop the little stick was a ribbon tied into a bow around paper folded into a star. In the hard, dry dirt surrounding the stick were three lit matches. Prussia held his hands up to the pot and felt something he had not felt since the summer.

Warmth.

Hope.

"It's beautiful," he whispered, taking the little pot. "Thank you."

"I don't care if we shouldn't have our own religious beliefs," Ukraine said. "You should at least have a Christmas tree.

"Thank you..."

"And this." Ukraine picked a cylinder wrapped in newspaper off the floor and handed it to Prussia. "Merry Christmas. I hope you like it." She smiled and silently ran down the hallway to her own room before anyone could discover her.

Prussia took the two gifts back into his room and shut the door. He placed the glowing tree on his bedside table and sat down on the cold, hard mattress of his bed. Quietly, he ripped the newspaper off the cylinder and held the gift up to the light of the matches. He gasped in shock.

A bottle of his favorite German beer.

On the verge of tears, Prussia got down onto the floor and placed his elbows on his mattress. He clasped his hands together and looked up. He took a long, deep breath before speaking.

"God, if You can hear me, I pray You'll bless those I love. Please bless West, Italy, Gilbird, and everyone else waiting for me back at home, even Austria and Hungary. Bless them with happiness and a Merry Christmas."

A pause and a gasp.

"But..most of all, please bless Ukraine, I pray. Amen."

The lights from the matches lasted throughout the entire night.

Prussia awoke with a start, gasping as light flooded his eyes. He sat up in bed, noticing the warm, white sheets wrapped around his pajama-clad body and the sunlight streaming into his bedroom. Next to him, Gilbird opened his little eyes and chirped, welcoming the new day. Prussia looked down at the chick and blinked, trying to focus his eyes.

Then came a knock at his door. "Brother, wake up," came Germany's voice. "It's Christmas Morning. There are presents wrapped in chick wrapping paper waiting for you under the tree."

Prussia hopped out of bed and opened his door quickly. His younger brother smiled a bit and said, "Good morning, Brother, Merry Christmas."

"West," Prussia gasped, "Merry Christmas."

Germany tilted his head. "What's wrong? Didn't sleep well?"

"West, what year is it?"

Germany raised an eyebrow. "It's 1990. This is our first Christmas together as a unified country."

"Oh," the albino murmured, "it's 1990..."

"Brother, are you okay?"

"I had...a weird dream."

"Oh." Germany glanced down at the floor and then back up to his older brother. "Well, I can make you breakfast, and then we can start opening presents to get your mind off whatever dream you had. Sound good?"

Slowly, Prussia nodded. "Yeah...West?"

"Hmm?"

"Do we have any fake flowers?"

Germany was a little confused as to why his brother would be asking for such a thing, but then he remembered that it was Prussia. Shrugging that thought off, he scratched the side of his head in concentration. "Um, yeah, I think there might be a few in the basement, but they're not Christmas flowers."

"Okay, that's fine," Prussia confirmed, nodding a little. "I'll get them later. Thanks, West." He looked up at his brother and grinned. "Right now, I want breakfast! Make me the best wurst you got. And I want a big mug of beer! And you better have gotten me something awesome!"

Gilbird chirped in agreement.

Later that morning, after all the presents had been opened and all the wrapping paper had been cleaned up, Prussia headed down into the basement and switched the light on. He rolled his eyes at his little brother's neatness, even in the basement of all places. Sighing, he walked to a pile of boxes that said "Craft Supplies" in big, black letters.

"Since when did West have arts and crafts time?" Prussia snickered, opening the box. He smiled at the contents, as there were a few fake flowers scattered among miscellaneous other things. He took the prettiest one from the bunch and closed the box. Satisfied, he turned the light off and headed upstairs to his room, where his chick waited next to a small box.

"Ready for a long trip, Gilbird?" he asked, sitting down on the carpeted floor and setting the decoration in the box. He closed the box up and tied a string around it long enough that Gilbird could carry it without a problem.

The little chick chirped and took the long string into his beak. Prussia smiled. "You know I would go there myself, but the Soviet Union hasn't been dissolved yet. Even though West and I are united now, if I go back, there's no telling what might happen. But you can come and go as you please. Do it for me, okay? When you get back, I'll give you some special treats." He pat the little chick on its head and picked him up in his hands. He then got up and opened the window, letting the refreshingly cool air into his room. Gilbird nodded at him and flew off.

"I'll be able to go back someday," Prussia whispered. "Just wait. One day, I will return for you."

Ukraine sat in her little home in Kiev, tired from the long day. She had declared herself independent a few months ago (and that nice boy...whatever his name was...had been nice enough to acknowledge her), but she still had ties to her brother and the Soviet Union. Going back and forth between the areas had taken a lot out of her.

"At least the trains were on time," she sighed happily as she hung her winter coat up in the closet. "At least there was that."

She was just about to go to her kitchen to brew some tea when she heard a pecking at her front window. She looked up and gasped. "Oh, you poor thing!" she cried, running to the window and opening it for the little bird. "Oh, you must be freezing! Come in, come in, I'll get you warmed up."

But the little bird didn't seem too interested in coming inside. It just set the box down on the window sill, chirped at Ukraine, and flew off. For a moment, the woman contemplated what had just happened but left that thought alone when she saw the box. She took it from the window sill and closed the window, shivering a bit at the cold air. Right there, she opened the box and happily gasped in surprise at the little flower. Even though it was fake, she still found it pretty. She took it out to admire it when she spotted a note at the bottom of the box. She set the flower down and took the note out to read.

I'll love you until this flower dies.

I promise I'll come back for you.

-Prussia

Ukraine smiled and held the note to her heart.

"Soon, Prussia," she whispered. "We'll be together soon."

END

Time for some historical notes. During the time of the USSR's existence, religion was more or less outlawed for the people. Atheism became the country's official religion. In the entire USSR population, only about 20% of the people admitted to having religious beliefs. The grand majority of churches were closed, and some of the ones that remained open became atheist museums. As far as the policy in East Germany goes, Russia, for the most part, tried to discourage the people from practicing any religion in any way. Lots of East Germans, therefore, would secretly meet in small church basements to worship. However, in general, the religion laws were more lax in East Germany than they were in the rest of the USSR.

Ukraine attempted to declare independence on July 16, 1990, with the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine. It stated that Ukraine was independent in the cases of democracy, politics, and economics. It also stated that it had priority over Russia's declaration that it had power over all territories involved with the USSR. This didn't go over so well, and Ukraine tried again with a new declaration in August of 1991. None of that really took effect until the USSR was dissolved in December of 1991. Canada was the first country to recognize Ukraine as independent. More on this in a later track!

And again, you guys probably already know this, but East and West Germany were officially unified on October 3, 1990.