A/N: I am keeping check on the dates and chronology of everything. If you believe something to be completely out of order and I have made a mistake, then let me know. I will double check and moved my chapters around until it is back in order.

Thank you for all the support! You guys are great :D and Prussian awesome!

"You're back!" The young blond boy jumped down off the tree stump he had been perched on, his black robes billowing out behind him as he ran through the grass and over the cobble roads to the approaching teenager.

Prussia held his arms out, stopping in his tracks and dropping down onto his knees to be at level with the oncoming empire.

Holy Rome catapulted himself into his older brother's arms, wrapping his smaller ones tightly around the albino's neck. "I was hoping you would be back soon."

"I promised, did I not?" Prussia straightened up, lifting the boy off the ground and spinning around in a circle, his coat flowing out around him. "And you know I would not break such a promise to my favorite little brother."

"Your only little brother." Holy Rome said with a smile.

Prussia only shrugged and gave him one last squeeze before kneeling and dropping him back down onto his feet. "What have you been doing? Not spying on that little Italy girl again, are you?"

Pudgy cheeks reddened and the older chuckled knowingly.

The topic was dropped, as Prussia knew he would not get much of an answer out of his brother for a while. Instead, he began walking. A smaller, still smooth hand wormed its way into his bigger, rough hand and held on tightly. Light footsteps followed his heavier ones across the stone, headed for the tree line.

A peaceful silence followed the brothers, something Prussia had not gotten any of for a while. Now he basked in it, feeling the heat of the sun coming down on his face and the light noon breeze. With a small inclination of his head, the Prussian glanced down at the child.

Sky blue eyes, eyes that matched their father's, stared ahead into the trees, curiously searching. His face was calm, happy. Happy to be back in the presence of his older brother. Because to the child, he was not the devil. He was not evil. He was a human being, and he was Holy Rome's idol.

"I missed you." Holy Rome's voice carried up quietly.

Prussia could not help the smile that spread across his pale face just from those three small words. "I missed you, too."

"It is more fun when you are around." Holy Rome told him, lifting his head to peer up at the albino. "And I feel more confident. As though… I have someone to help me when I fall."

Never become too close to anyone. You can not depend on them forever and when they are gone, it will only hurt more if you were in a strong relationship.

Those words, spoken by Germania himself, ran through Prussia's mind as he and his brother stepped into the trees. He was never surprised that his father lived by such words; he was always a solitary man. But did he really need to apply such a rule to his life? Holy Rome was really the only strong relationship he had with anyone. He admitted to being good friends with France, but that was still not as strong.

"Well, I will always be here to help you back up." Prussia assured him. However, when Holy Rome smiled up at him, the Prussian sighed and frowned a tiny bit. "But… But you will have to learn how to pick yourself back up every time, too. One day, I will not be able to help you."

"But you will still be around, right?"

"I…" He did not want to give him false hope. "I will not… One day, I will be gone completely. And you will be on your own. But it will be okay, because you will be strong and able to take care of yourself." Prussia reached over with his other hand and ruffled the boy's hair, uncovered by his black hat for once. "You will not need me."

Holy Rome's face fell a bit, his mood clearly dampened. "But, I will need you. You are my big brother, you are important."

"I know…" Prussia forced a smile on his face and came to a stop, leaning back against the nearest tree.

Holy Rome was looking up at him, a frown in place and wide eyes questioning. He released his brother's hand, swinging his arms backwards and clasping his hands together behind his back. "What is going to happen, in the years to come?"

"No one can tell the future accurately."

"I thought you knew everything." The frown was suddenly replaced with a small smirk.

The Prussian chuckled, running his fingers through his silvery hair. "I do… Just not the future."

"Then that is not everything, brother."

Another laugh passed through the Prussian's lips and he shook his head a bit, casting his eyes down to the boy. "I can predict, that you will become powerful and great. You have a lot of potential, little brother. So do not worry about the future, and do not dwell on the past. Focus on today, okay?"

"Okay." Holy Rome agreed with a smile and firm nod. "You know… You are the best older brother ever."

Words were running a mile a minute through Prussia's head. Words that his father had drilled into him. Words he did not want to believe.

Holy Rome thought the world of Prussia. And he loved him for who he was, rather than feared him for what he looked like. Holy Rome was something that Prussia looked forward to coming home to every journey.

From the child, Prussia had really learned what unconditional love meant. What it felt like to have someone who would always be there and love back. Having a little brother to Prussia was one of the best things that had happened to him and he was grateful for it every day.

Alliances were good, companionship could fall through, and enemies were hard to be rid of. But the love of a brother lasted forever.