How could it come to this? How could the greatest country in the world, the Hero himself, be reduced to such a pathetic pile? His hair was a mess, his glasses were crooked, and that glint of arrogance and pride had vanished from his eyes. He had no money. He had no military. The greatest country in the world had collapsed overnight. He didn't even wear his fancy Air Force One jacket anymore, because he had to sell it.
It was depressing, indeed, to see the Hero on his knees, knocking on England's door with a weak fist.
"England…! England, open up, please!" he wailed desperately. When England opened the door, he sounded annoyed at first.
"America, I told you countless time not to bother me—" And it was then he noticed his little brother's condition. His eyes widened in shock as America gribbed his pant legs, close to tears.
"England, you have to help me! Everything… everything is gone! I lost all my money, and China won't give me loans anymore! My military can't function anymore, and disease is starting to wipe out my people! You have to help me, please!" America stared at his brother in shock for a moment, then picked him up.
"…Come on. Let's go inside and talk about this over a cup of tea. I'll make… I'll make your old favorite." He offered a small smile.
America's eyes lit up when his brother offered help. He really had been iffy on whether England would even let him in or not, because of all the fighting and arguing they had done in their lifetime.
"R-Really? Thank you so much! Man, it's a relief to know that after all the times you've tried to kill me, called me names, and even spilled oil in my water, you still care!" America said. It was an odd compliment, but a compliment in some form nonetheless. England tried to keep smiling through this, though the sudden guilt hit him on the head like a falling brick. He said nothing in reply, and sat America down on a chair with a blanket over his shoulders while he went into the kitchen to make tea. When he returned, America took his cup gratefully and sipped at it timidly, as if rationing the drink.
"How is everyone else around you doing, America? Cuba, Mexico, Canada.. they've all got to have some kind of reaction to this," England asked him.
"Well… Mexico's always trying to come into my house, so not much has changed there. Cuba won't talk to me anymore, so I have no idea how he's doing. And Canada…" He thought for a moment. "Canada.. he's been staring out the window of his home towards me for a while now. It's creepy."
England frowned at this, but sighed gently. "Why don't we go back to your home? We need to make sure that no one tries to capture it." America nodded and stood up with his brother, and the two left for America's home.
At America's home, Canada was staring up at the house with some kind of deranged stare. He bent over and stuck his finger in the dirt.
"Nice and fertile…" he whispered. "Maybe now I can have some agriculture…" He turned to see America and England running up.
"Canada? What are you doing here?" America blinked in surprise, then smiled and set a hand on his other brother's shoulder. "Are you here to help me watch my house while I was out? Heh, thanks, man. Family really is looking out for me today, huh?"
"America… how would you react if someone took your land away from you?" Canada asked quietly. America thought for a moment.
"Well, I'd be really upset. I mean, I worked so hard to get my home the way it is. It's my pride and joy, really…" he answered. Canada smiled a little.
"England, why don't you go inside and make sure no one made their way inside before I got here?" he suggested. England hesitated before nodding slowly and walking inside, leaving the two brothers alone. They were silent for a while, until Canada spoke up again.
"I'll take it."
At first, America laughed. He thought Canada had made some sort of joke. When Canada didn't join him in laughing, he started to get scared.
"W-What? T-Take it…?" Canada nodded.
"It's a really nice place. I could make a lot of use out of it. I'll take it."
"Y-you… You can't be serious!" America gasped. The crazed smile on Canada's face told him otherwise. Canada set a hand on his younger brother's shoulder and looked him in the eye.
"You're coming with me, little brother.." Canada gripped America's shirt and pulled him down, dragging him away.
America's eyes widened in horror. "E-ENGLAND! ENGLAND, HELP ME!" he shouted desperately at the top of his lungs. England burst out the door and gasped in shock to see Canada dragging America away.
"Canada? What are you doing? What the bloody hell is going on here?" he shouted. He tried to run towards the two to help America, but a bulky arm stopped him.
"You really think you can save America, da?" Russia smiled down at England sweetly. "Canada is a lot stronger than you think. You really should have paid more attention to him, da." England tried to run around Russia, but he ended up only being pushed down to the ground. When he tried to run through Russia, he was only held back.
"AMERICA! I PROMISE I'LL SAVE YOU!" England shouted.
America stared at his brother in horror, and tears filled both men's eyes as America and Canada disappeared in the distance.