Oh, boy... This is my first time publishing a fanfiction of mine. I'll admit, I'm a little nervous. Sorry if the characters are a little ooc. Please note that I don't own Hetalia. But if I did, Iggy and his lovely eyebrows would be MINE! ALL MINE! MWAHAHA! Ahem... Anyway, please enjoy!

Big Brother

I remember that day like it just happened yesterday. Denmark called me in for a meeting just before Germany invaded his country. It was in the middle of World War II, April 9th, 1941. It was cold in Denmark, as usual, but it lacked it's certain… somethingness. Of course, such a vibe could never match up to a country like mine! Still, it bothered me, like, a ton. The snow fell everywhere, and I don't think I saw a single window without frost on it. Usually, I really like snow. I remember days when Canada and I would build snowmen and have snowball fights, of which I always won, 'cuz I'm the Hero.

I walked into the room to meet him. It was freezing, like his heat cut off. Turns out, that was exactly why. Denmark was low on cash, ever since Germany took over. I couldn't believe what I was seeing when I walked into the room to meet with him and his little sister, Greenland.

His clothes were full of holes, and he looked exhausted. Greenland sat close to him, her condition not much better. I hadn't seen Greenland since she was only a chibi nation. Now she had grown so much, a few hundred years now. In normal human years, that measured up to somewhere around seventeen or eighteen. Still, she was so timid. She held onto Denmark's sleeve as I entered the room, halfway hiding behind him.

The room was cold and dark. It had a desolate feel about it. I took a seat across from Denmark at his desk. I tried to be cheerful, but even though I'm the Hero, I kinda failed at that. "Yo, Denmark, you wanted to see me?"

"America, I have a favor to ask…" He looked back at Greenland. "A big favor."

His voice was hoarse, like he was sick, and it lacked its usual volume. I smiled, trying to reassure them. "Anything, just name it."

He pushed a contract and a pen towards me. I looked up at him. "What's this?"

I noticed he looked sad, like he had to give up something really important to him. "As you know, my country has been taken over by German forces. I've lost nearly everything… and I can no longer care for and protect my little sister." I saw her take his hand and look away, like she was trying not to cry. "I can't risk her being taken by Germany too… I need you to defend her in my place. I need you to look after her and insure her safety."

I looked at Greenland, who avoided eye contact. I remembered she was always a quiet nation, always peaceful. She hated conflict, and I knew it would hurt her to leave her big brother behind. I looked down at the paper, then back at Denmark. "A Hero helps those in need… I'll do it."

Denmark smiled as he handed me the pen. "America… Thank you. You have no idea how much this means."

I smiled back as I signed the treaty stating that I would take full responsibility for defending Greenland. That's what a Hero would do, after all, protect the weak and infirm.

Denmark took the paper and stood, turning to Greenland. "Have you packed, love?"

She nodded as she looked up at him with moist eyes.

He reached up to her face and dried her eyes with a gloved hand. "Now, there's no need for tears. You and I will be together again soon, alright?"

She rushed into his embrace, clinging to him. "Big brother… I don't want to leave… I want to stay with you!"

I watched as he wrapped his arms around her and caressed her hair, resting his lips on her forehead. "I know… I don't want to do this, but… it's what's best." He pulled back and looked her in the eye, holding her firmly at the shoulders. "You've always been a good colony, and I know one day you'll grow up to be a strong country. But you can't do that under Germany's control, can you?"

Greenland shook her head, trying in vain to stop the tears from coming.

"No. America will take care of you. I'll come back for you, I promise."

Greenland ran her sleeve across her eyes and nodded with an attempt to look determined. "Ok…"

Denmark pulled her in for one last hug. He held her really tight, like he was afraid to let go. And I knew he was. Greenland had a much better relationship with her brother than I did with England. She loved her big brother, and she was afraid of what would happen to him, I knew that. And as the Hero, I vowed to keep her safe. I put a hand on her shoulder and smiled at her. She looked up at me like a helpless puppy. "Hey, I'll take care of you, ok?"

She sniffled and nodded, slowly releasing her grip on her brother. Denmark gave her hand one last reassuring squeeze as she took her bag and headed to my car. She took one last look over her shoulder as we got to the front door. "I love you… Big brother."

Denmark took in a shaky breath and I saw tears come to his eyes again. "I love you, too, little sister."

I helped her into the passenger side and put her bag in the trunk. She waved goodbye to Denmark as he watched us pull away. I did my best to focus on the road, but I couldn't stop thinking about how scared she was. Here she was, a lonely little colony, going to stay with a strange new country in a strange new place. Sure, she'd stayed with the other Nordics before, but she'd never been so far away from Denmark for so long. I knew she was scared. I smiled at her as we headed for the airport. "Hey, it's gonna be ok. After all, who better to take care of a Damsel in Distress than a Hero, right?"

She looked at the dashboard and nodded.

I glanced at her one more time, then looked straight ahead at the road. It would take some time for her to adjust. Her clothes were worn and old. First thing's first, I thought, I need to get her some new clothes. And something to eat. I wonder if she likes hamburgers…?

And so began my friendship with the little Danish colony known as Greenland.

We got home late that night. I took her upstairs to a spare room. "You can sleep here, ok? My room's right across the hall, in case you need me to rescue you or anything like that!"

Her only reply was a nod.

Another pang of sadness hit me in the chest. I watched as she sat on her bed with her bag next to her and looked out the window. It was raining outside. Of course, it usually rained around this time of year. Her eyes seemed fixated on the raindrops as they streaked down the glass. I wondered what she was thinking about. Her brother maybe? She was homesick, I knew that. I walked over and sat on the bed next to her. "Tell you what, when the rain clears up, I'll take you shopping for some new clothes, ok? That way, you'll be ready for when I give your intro at the next meeting." I grinned her way, trying to lighten the mood. "You'll be popular pretty fast when they all hear you're staying with a Hero!"

I saw the corner of her mouth twitch upward for a brief moment. It wasn't exactly a smile, but it was a start. For the time being, she was my little sister, and I had to take care of her. She needed someone strong and cool to look up to, and I would be that strong and cool someone. I was determined to be the best temporary big brother she ever had.

Well, there it is! Chapter 1. I hope to have chapter 2 uploaded soon. I hope you enjoyed reading it!