Who Gets Him? 1

"Hold up!  Time out!"

The Allied meeting was disrupted by the sudden outburst.  All members turned their attention to the youngest ally, who had suddenly taken an interest in the meeting.  The impulsive American was glaring through his glasses at the Russian he had interrupted.      

"Why should you get Japan?!"

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WARNING: This story contains "abridged history."  It is my own take on the occupation of Japan after WWII.  I do not claim that this is how the decision on who would occupy Japan was made.  This was born out of speculation that I had heard on the subject. It is only a Hetalia fan-fiction and is not meant to offend anyone or any nationality that may be mentioned within.  Please read my artist's comments for more information on this subject.  Thank you.   
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America breathed a sigh of relief as he took his seat at the table.  One more meeting.  Just one more meeting and then he was free!  The other Allies were taking their seats as well.  America took one last look his fellow soldiers before the meeting began.  A soft smile formed on his face as he watched the nations around him.  It was (as America imagined to himself) the smile of a noble hero in the midst of deep reflection.  Though America was counting down the seconds to the meeting's conclusion, at the same time, he knew that a tiny part of him would miss this crazy group.  The Allies had been through a lot in the past few years.  It had been tough going.  Not one of them had come out of this conflict unaffected.  But thanks to a little teamwork, they had triumphed.  The alliances they had formed out of necessity had seemed unlikely at the time, but in the end, they had all pulled together and won the war!

America was proud that he had played a part in restoring order to the world.  He had been only too glad fight the evil Axis Powers and right the wrongs that they had committed.  It was nothing, really.  Doing stuff like that was just what heroes do.  And now, thanks to him, the times of trouble were finally coming to close.  Soon he would be able to sit back and bask in the peace of the new, war-free world.  Hey, even heroes needed to take it easy once in a while!  Nope, he definitely wouldn't miss the group too much.  Getting to know the Allied members and serving as their fearless leader had been exciting and all, but America would honestly be glad when this last meeting was over.  After this meeting, he could finally go back home, where he could relax!  Where he could join in with his people and celebrate the end of the World War!  Where he could eat some real American home cooking!  Where he could have some good, old-fashioned, wholesome fun!    

…Where he could be himself.

It didn't matter how often America got out into the world.  He always felt the most at ease when he was inside his own boarders.  Don't misunderstand; the young man had always possessed a great sense of adventure.  Being in new places was exciting to him, but because he had grown up sheltered from the rest of the world, he was never completely sure about how he was supposed to act in places so different from what he was used to.  Interacting with the other nations outside of the comfort zone of his States could make America especially nervous.  

Most nations thought that America was annoying.  He talked too loud.  He acted too cocky.  He threw his weight around, and he bragged as if he was the best thing since sliced bread.  No one realized that America's showy attitude had its beginnings in the uneasy feelings of a novice nation.  His originally shy feelings had somehow shaped his now boisterous personality.  

Some people get loud and obnoxious when they don't want anyone to know that they are unsure of themselves.  America was like that.  Ever since he became independent, he had always worked hard to prove himself to the other established countries of the world.  Being his own nation had felt like joining an exclusive club.  To America, it had been like playing in the big leagues.  It had been so important to him that no other nation think little of him just because he was young and new at the whole country thing.  He had wanted all the other countries to think that he was big, important, and in control, so from the very beginning, he had acted like he was big, important, and in control—even though he had felt just the opposite.

It did not matter how America had really felt, though.  He always kept a desperate hold on his little act.  He felt that he did not have a choice, because there was something else he wanted to convey to the others that was even more important to him than making sure they all understood that he was a legitimate nation.  More than anything, America had wanted everyone to believe that he was able to take care of himself, by himself!  And if anyone ever wanted to challenge that, America wanted them to think that it would not, in any way shape or form, be an easy challenge!  He was independent now, and he never wanted to be under the thumb of any other nation ever again.   

But eventually, America's act had been good enough to fool even himself.  Soon, he had started feeling more sure of himself on the world stage.  Also, at some point, it had occurred to him that no matter how nervous he was on the inside, things always seemed to turn out alright for him.  Because his fears had then seemed unfounded, he eventually started worrying less and showing off more.  

The constant praise and adulation from his people sure didn't do anything to shrink his growing pride, either.  His people's idolized opinion of him had added some extra "umph" to his outward displays of arrogance.  The zealously patriotic citizens of America had helped him to believe that he was not only a valid nation; but the best nation.  He was sure that there was no other place in the whole world that could compare to him!  Why else had so many people forsaken their own lands to find a better life with him?  And if he had not been the best at his beginning, he wanted to become the best.  He had always wanted to become better than England and better than any other empire that there had ever been!  His people told that he was the greatest nation.  So much so, that he was sure this was a well-known and accepted fact around the world.  Everyone just knew that he was best of all.  If anyone claimed otherwise, America would try to shrug it off.  It was just obvious jealously.   

So that is way America got loud and obnoxious at times.  That is why he threw his weight around.  It had all come out of a survival instinct and an ego that was kept well-nourished with continual success and praise.  America was never intentionally rude, he was just acting on instinct and the propaganda of his people.  He had now gotten so used to his act, that he didn't always realize how annoying he was being.  He was also not always aware of how truly intimidating he could be to some of those around him.  He didn't know his own strength, sometimes.  

Yet, even though most of his act had become natural by now, he still got nervous whenever he was away from home.  That would probably never change.  America thought the rest of the world was awesome, he really did, but it was also…strange.  Sometimes very strange, when compared to the things he was used to.  Other lands were nice to visit, but it really is true what they say: "There is no place like home."  To America, there would never be a place quite like his native land.  Really, all nations felt that way about their own lands, but America was one young nation who would often get extremely uneasy when he was away from his "American way of life" for too long.  Of course, he did his best to never let it show.  If anyone ever put him on the spot in a way that made him feel more nervous, America would just put on his poker face and get louder and more obnoxious.  Unfortunately, that attitude never came across well.  

But it was almost over, now.  America was so glad that it was almost over!  He knew that once he returned home, he would be able to loosen up.  He would not have to pretend that he was always the perfect man with the perfect plan.  He would not feel like he had to prove himself to peers who were much, much, much, older and much, much, much more experienced in wars than he was.  But best of all, he would not have to feel like he had to put on a brave and cheerful act for the sake of his fellow Allies.  They had all lost so much in the war…much of it long before he even showed up.  America had figured that they needed someone to keep a positive attitude.  That was the least he could do for them.  

America couldn't help feeling a little guilty as he looked once more at the battered bodies and war weary faces of his teammates.  His one wound from Hawaii was so insignificant, compared to the injuries of the others.  And that's just comparing it to the injuries he could see.  He knew there had to be more hidden under their uniforms.  America wished that he could have come sooner.  He could have prevented so much of their pain, he just knew he could have, but his boss had not been eager to risk American lives by getting involved in another world war that wasn't their business.  No matter how much America loved a good fight, he knew the horror of war was never a fun thing to witness first hand.    

The war…

America shuddered as his mind suddenly turned to darker thoughts.  He tried not to think about it.  The blonde now concluded that maybe the best thing about going home would be that he could forget the war all together!  He preferred to forget about the bloody battles he had witnessed.  Luckily for him, that was not so difficult most of the time.  It was so easy to latch on to the innocence of his people when it came to things like this.  America's children were so sheltered.  Sure, his men had fought in this war, but the battle had been fought on foreign soil.  His citizens relaxing in their safe little homes could not comprehend the nightmare that so many other countries and their poor civilians had gone through.  Battles had been fought on the doorsteps of many innocent families.  The American might have been well aware of the war, but the vast majority had never actually experienced it.

Because of the blissful ignorance of the American public, victory had always seemed like an assured thing.  Their confident attitudes had kept America going whenever the battles had been really bad.  They had fuelled his spirits and kept him confident as well.  Fighting had been hard at times, but in the back of his mind, America could always here his people cheering him on.  All he had to do was lean on the voices of his people, and he was certain that everything would come out all right.  They were so optimistic.  They just knew that America could win this war.  America was the greatest.  America was the strongest.  America stood for what was right.  How could he lose?  He couldn't!  And you know why?  Because he was the good guy!  He was the hero, and the hero always wins!  So there!  

It had been comforting to America and his boys to know that back at home, everyone was thinking of them.  America, himself, could feel that everyone was doing their part.  They were all working together to support the Allies and to stick it to the Axis!  America was truly grateful for his citizens.  He hoped they would never have to go through what the citizens of England and France had had to endure.  It was hard for America to believe, but there were other countries still, who had it even worse than those two.  America would give anything to defend his people from that.  

Not to mention the horrors that America was recently learning about.  He kept getting reports about many unimaginable crimes committed against humanity during the war.  Just the thought of these unbelievable rumors made America shudder again.  Seriously, what had Germany been thinking?  What did those innocent people ever do to him?  Why would someone even start a hellish war like this?  Better yet, why would anyone else go along with the madness of it?  Yes, America just wanted to go home.  Home would be a place where things made sense!   

America leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling as the meeting was at last called to order.  Usually, America would have been the one to step up and take charge of the meetings, but not this time.  The young nation was tired; of the war and of boring meetings.  Let someone else lead the stupid meeting for once.  By the sound of it, England was going to handle things.  Good.  America was used to blocking out that old man.  This meeting wasn't a very important one, anyway.  With Japan's recent surrender, and the war in the Pacific over at last, this meeting was to discuss what would be done with the island nation.  Technically, all of that had already been decided.  Japan would be divided up between the allied members, much like Germany had been.  This meeting was just a formality, so America felt like he could zone out this one time.  

And so it began.  The British Nation started out by reviewing old business before moving on to the matter of Japan.  America found himself so tempted to cut in on England and tell him to forget that stuff.  Anything to hurry the meeting on!  He just wanted to get out of there!  He knew everyone else did, too.  

But the American didn't say a word.  Instead, he reached into his jacket and pulled out one of his burgers.  (America wasn't sure where his endless stash of burgers and junk-food came from, but he wasn't one to question a good thing)  He allowed England to conduct the meeting while he snacked on his favorite meal.  Normally, America would not have hesitated to speak his mind, but he was so intent on getting out of that room as soon as possible, that he didn't want to do or say anything that might delay his escape.  

Besides…he didn't like how everyone had been acting around him whenever he spoke, lately.    

America could still remember when he had first joined the war.  The meetings back then had always been insane!  No one agreed with anyone.  All of the Allied members were so different.  Plus, everyone had a special…well… "history" with one or more of the other group members.  Sometimes, it was just plain crazy to think that they really were all working together.  (If you could call it that)  America would admit now that the chaos of those meetings had been kind of fun in a way, but it really was a wonder that they had ever managed to get anything done!  America might have self-proclaimed himself to be the fearless leader of the group, but that had not changed anything.  He had still received just as much criticism and arguments from his "subordinates" as they always gave to each other.        

Now, everything was different.  When America spoke, everyone shut up.  They listened to him.  They did not argue.  They did not insult him.  In fact, they barely spoke at all.  When they did, they were very careful about how they worded their opinions.  
At first, America had thought that they had finally realized how cool he was.  He had felt like he was finally getting the respect he deserved as their heroic and fearless leader.  But he eventually figured out the truth.  He now knew that the change in his treatment was not because his allies appreciated him.

It was because they feared him.  

America did not like that.  He wanted to be respected, yes, but not out of fear.  He was the hero, right?  And the four others in that room, they were like his side-kicks!  They were his allies; brothers in arms!  Together with him, they were a team.  They didn't have to be afraid of him.  

America could vaguely hear England going on in the background.  Blah, blah, blah!  Why did England have to drag things on so long?!  America wished England would just get to the point of the meeting so they could go home, already!  He hoped no one would make things last even longer by arguing.  Arguing was kind of a tradition in the meetings, but with any luck, the other Allies would be too tired to argue.  He knew he was.  

Just then, America heard France interrupt England.  Great.  Now things were definitely going to slow down.  Oh, and now it sounded like France was teasing England about something.  (As usual)    Even better!  Those two were going to get into a fight that would hold up the entire meeting for who knows how long!  America groaned silently.  That rotten, French dope!  Couldn't he have gone one meeting without provoking his old British nemesis?  Still, America had to give France credit.  It was amazing that the guy still had the strength to push England's buttons after the Hell he had endured in the war.  

America took another mouthful of his burger and made himself comfortable.  Normally, he would join in the fun of the fight, or try to break it up, but he didn't make a move this time.  No matter how much he wanted to get out of the meeting, he didn't want to see the look of fear that might show up in their eyes if he tried to step in.  But the American knew that it was not really him they were afraid of.  

It was his bomb…the bomb that had taken out Japan….  

Japan had been the last of the Axis to surrender.  During the war, America's dominance against Japan in the Pacific had really kept him on an emotional high.  He had felt almost like a kid fighting the bad guys.  Plus, it had felt especially good to stick it to Japan.  America had never forgotten about Pearl Harbor.  After the war in Europe ended, America had known that it was Japan's turn to get his well-deserved pounding!  Even America could admit he got a little carried away in his enthusiasm, but he had not cared at the time.  In his mind, Japan was going down!  

Then, the bomb had been developed.  America had been excited about it, back then.  The weapon was ground breaking!  It had guaranteed victory in the Pacific.  But the bomb was an extreme measure, so America had given Japan a warning.  (A FAIR warning, by the way!  Which was more than what America felt he had gotten for the Pearl Harbor attack)  America had been so sure that Japan would surrender.  The crazy thing was…Japan didn't.  The refusal to cooperate had taken America by surprise.  It put him in a bad position, but the thing was, he had made a threat and he couldn't go back on it.  Japan had asked for it.  And besides, part of America had been dying to test the bomb on a real battlefield.    

After the success of the first bomb, America had figured surly Japan would surrender to keep it from happening again.  Yet once again, Japan had refused to surrender.  America had wondered how stupid Japan could be!  Still, America had to admire Japan for his stubbornness, at the very least.  What had Japan called it?  His warrior spirit?  America understood how Japan felt.  He would never want to surrender to the enemy, either.    
America had been reluctant to use the bomb again, but his boss had told him that he didn't have a choice.  Japan had always declared that he would never surrender.  Men were dying in this war.  They had to break Japan somehow.  So, America had used a second bomb on the resilient island.  Thankfully, that had done it.  Japan finally surrendered soon after the second attack.  

America had partied with everyone else when Japan had finally surrendered.  He had used it as a prime gloating moment.  He had never felt more like a Hero than he had on that day!  In the back of his mind, however, America was always wondering how Japan was doing.  Eventually, he had started hearing rumors.  Horror stories about the effects of the bombs had started to spread.  It was then that America had really started to feel guilt for what he had done.  He never let it show, but he had moments where he doubted himself.  Sure, he had won the war, but had he done it in the right way?  There were always casualties in war, but this was somehow different.  

Then, there was the silent accusation that he knew everyone was thinking: It wasn't an act of war, it was an act of revenge.  America had tried to convince himself so many times that it wasn't!  After all, he had warned Japan.  Japan was the one who wouldn't cooperate!  It was his fault.  He had brought the bombs on himself! 
 
But no matter what rational he uses, America's pesky conscience still bothered him.  The more he thought about it, he realized that he couldn't deny that he had gotten some pleasure out of the act.  He had to face it.  It had felt good to do something that he knew would really hurt Japan.  It had felt great, knowing that he could do something that would hurt Japan's people the way America's people had been hurt.  It had seemed only fair.  And Just!  Japan was getting what he deserved.  

Then, after more thought, America had realized that it was not as fair as he had first imagined.  America's harbor might have been the victim of a surprise attack, but at least the people that were attacked were mostly soldiers.  The people bombed in Japan were mostly citizens.  Families, who had done nothing wrong.  Plus, the bomb wasn't like anything used in Pearl Harbor.  It wasn't normal.  The affects were…too terrible to think about.  Some of the reports America heard sounded eerily familiar.  They made him think of other reports he had heard…from Germany.  America wondered if he was really no different from Germany?  He wasn't sure what to think anymore.  Were the bombs really necessary?  They had to be!  There was no other way to knock some sense into Japan and make him surrender!  

…Right?

America returned his attention to the meeting.  It sounded like things had worked themselves out between France and England, somehow.  England had moved on to the main point of the meeting.  (FINALLY)  Just when America thought that they might just breeze through the rest of the meeting, he heard Russia speak up.  

Oh Brother!  

America screamed on the inside.

What does the abominable snowman have to say that's important enough to hold up the meeting again?!  

England sounded miffed that he had been interrupted, but he let Russia talk.  After all, the Allies were afraid of Russia, too.  America understood why they felt that way, but he was not afraid of Russia.  In fact, America would have stood up to the giant right then and there, but decided to ignore Russia instead.  America knew that if he got into an argument with Russia, it might last all day and he really would never get out of that room.  

Just ignore him.  

America tried to instruct himself.

He never says much in meetings, anyway.                

America automatically started to daydream at this point.  His brain desperately wanted to find a "happy place" that would effectively cancel out Russia's voice.  Since the younger nation's thoughts had been on Japan earlier, America's mind was now beginning to wonder back to happier thoughts about his Asian rival.  America thought about his past with Japan.  It really wasn't too long ago that they had been friends.  America could remember a few of the times when he had hung out with Japan; enjoying a little tea together, for one thing.  Now, thanks to certain past "disagreements" with a certain European nation, America was not exactly a fan of tea, but he had been more than willing to have tea with Japan for diplomacy purposes.  His boss had told him to build good relations with the Japanese, after all.  And besides, America had figured that Japan's tea would probably be very different from England's tea, and America was always up for trying new things!  Well, Japan's tea had been different from England's alright.  In America's humble opinion, it was way worse than anything England had ever made him drink!  Still, he had to admit that the whole Japanese tea ceremony was very interesting.  It was probably one of the most complicated things America had ever experienced, but it was still kind of fun.  Everything about it was so different from any other tea or coffee break that America had sat through before.  Best of all, America could sit on the floor through the whole thing!  England would have never let him have a tea party on the floor!

Japanese food had been a real experience, too.  America remembered how he had quickly grown to love doing anything food-related in Japan.  America pretty much loved food in general, but a meal setting in Japan really was the good life, because it always involved more eating on the floor—and no shoes to boot!  It's tough to beat a meal like that!  

Remembering the meals with Japan made America think of Japan's difficult chopstick lessons.  America had to smile to himself about that.  It had taken him forever to master that delicate art!  It would have been impossible to count the number of times he had dropped bits of his food, or the number of times the chopsticks had slipped out of his hand.  As America reflected on the embarrassing event, he had to take a moment to marvel at the Asian nation's patience.  Anyone else probably would have lost their temper at the American's clumsy attempts and the huge mess he was making.  Anyone else probably would have given up as his instructor.  But somehow, Japan had been able to remain calm and gracious throughout the trying time.  

Now that he thought about it, America realized that Japan might have looked pretty exhausted after the ordeal.  America must have been too excited about his final accomplishment to notice, at the time.  It might not have seemed like much, but America could remember feeling so proud of himself for at least getting good enough to pick some food up (sometimes by angrily stabbing it with his chopsticks) and swiftly transfer it to his mouth before it fell.  It was just a good thing that it was acceptable in Japan to hold the bowels close to the face!  That little tip from Japan had helped America with his chopstick problem tremendously!  

As it turned out, there were a lot of things that America had found he could do during a Japanese meal that he could not do even in his own supposedly laid-back society!  He could slurp his noodles, for example!  He could drink straight from a bowel!  And he could eat some pretty exotic foods!  At first, the thought of eating something like octopus or squid had grossed America out, but it had not been long before he had realized that if he ate it, he would be able to brag to everyone back home about it later! Unfortunately, America could never claim that all Japanese food was too his liking, but he had to admit that the sushi was pretty good.  

There were so many other things that America could recall about his days with Japan.  The memories came flowing back to him.  He could remember Japan's personal tours of his country.  America always got an exciting rush from big cities, but had a special love for quiet country sides.  He had been a farm boy himself once.  Japan's peaceful land had been a joy to explore!  The countless mountains had been impressive, as well.  America had also loved looking at all the interesting little villages with the funny-looking houses.  Going to Japan had almost been like going to another world.  

But there was more.  America remembered the good times he had had partying at Japan's many festivals.  He remembered having a blast (much to Japan's embarrassment) riding in the rickshaws.  He remembered trying on Japanese clothes that were so much more comfortable than stiff suits!  He remembered taking outdoor baths with Japan in his hot springs.  

…Alright, he had to admit that the bath thing had been extremely awkward at first, but he had gotten used to it…sort of.  Still, awkwardness aside, the hot springs did feel amazing.     

America could also remember telling Japan all about the outside world and encouraging him to expand his own horizons.  He remembered eventually inviting Japan to his own home and proudly showing him around his many States.  Japan was nice enough, but he didn't know much about the modern world.  America had felt that there were a lot of things he could teach Japan.  Correcting some of the English that England had taught him was a start.  Someone would have to take Japan under their wing and explain to him the important words in the English language and the real meanings behind them.  For instance, someone had to tell Japan eventually that "biscuits" were actually "cookies" and so on.  Those had really been the good old days….          

Not surprisingly, America's happy thoughts were starting to make him feel not so happy.  America sighed.  How had things changed so much between him and Japan?  America had felt so betrayed when Japan had attacked Hawaii.  There had been no reason for that at all!  America had not been fighting in the war!  Plus, he had thought that Japan was his friend.  Sure, things had been tense between them at the time, but they had been in the middle of peace negotiations!  America had really felt stabbed in the back by his former Asian companion.  There had once been a time when America truly respected the island nation of Japan, but after that attack, America had lost any esteem that he had ever felt for the other.  

Maybe what he had heard from other visitors to Japan had been true all along.  Maybe the Japanese were all liars.  According to some, the Japanese never said what they meant, or meant what they said.  America had always dismissed those claims before.  They couldn't be true!  Just look at Japan's own personification!  …Ok, so yeah, Kiku never spoke in very…specific terms…and he had a habit of avoiding direct questions by giving vague, indirect answers…and he told half truths sometimes…but Japan had never told America a deliberate lie before!  America had always thought that Japan was just a complicated guy who had some weird quirks.  He had always been sure that he could trust him, despite all that.  Japan had always seemed to be mostly honest with him…or so America had thought.     

Could Japan had been deceiving America from the beginning?  Had Japan only been pretending to be America's friend to save face?  Were all of the fun times America had had with Japan just a deception?  In his heart of hearts, America did not want to believe it, but it sure seemed like that was the case.  

All of a sudden, America's mind recalled a certain incident from long ago.  He remembered how he had once brought along a little something extra on one of his trips to Japan.  Since the occult had been very popular at the time, America had brought a table turning game to show Japan.  Secretly, he had meant to use it to play a trick on Japan.  Back then, Japan had still been very ignorant when it came to many things about the world outside his boarders.  America had thought that it would be hilarious if he could take advantage of that and have a little innocent fun with him.  The plan had been to tell Japan that all they had to do to get answers about the future, would be to put their hands on the turning table and consult the spirit world.  America would then move his own hands one time for a "yes" answer and two times for "no," while pretending that he had no control over his own actions.  America had guessed that Japan would be just gullible enough to believe that the "spirits" would be responsible for the hand movements.

The plan had worked better than America had hoped!  Japan had bought the act hook, line, and sinker!  It was all America could do to keep himself from laughing at Japan's astonished face after the first question!  Then, America had been inspired to go even further with the prank.  He had encouraged Japan to ask anything at all; to ask about something he was secretly wondering about, or maybe there was a girl he had his eye on; anything!  America had been hoping that he could use this golden opportunity to coax some of Japan's juicy little secrets out of him.        

Japan had surprised America, though.  The island nation had looked put on the spot for a moment, but then, had suddenly gone into deep thought.  America remembered waiting in anticipation.  He had been on the edge of his seat waiting to see what secrets Japan would confide in him about.  But when Japan finally voiced his bottled up worries, it had not been the kind of exciting information America had been expecting.  America could still hear Japan's hesitant voice:

"Ever since you came, the environment and the people surrounding me have changed quite a bit.  Various things have happened one after another since opening up the country.  I think it's wonderful to get to know the people and culture of those countries that I only knew by name before.  But I'm still worried about whether I can get along well with those people.  So…could you have it tell me if I can get along well with others from now on?"

The request was a simple one, but it had seemed really important to Japan.  The quiet nation had spoken seriously about it, yet his voice had sounded as if he was uncomfortable speaking so honestly about his personal insecurities.  America thought that if Japan had been lying at that moment, then he must be the most talented liar in the world!  But why would he lie about something like that?  Japan had looked so convincingly torn up about those worries!  His troubled face was still a vivid image in America's mind.  He could see Japan's poor, worried expression as clear as day.  That face had touched America and made him forget about his stupid prank.  One look at that face, and America had known that this was something Japan was really concerned about.  It had looked like the stress over it had been bothering him for some time.

America could still hear Russia going on in the background.  Part of him was wondering why he was talking so long.  Maybe things had just seemed to be moving slower because America had been lost in deep thought.  America had a feeling that he should return his attention to the meeting, but his thoughts were still stubbornly fixed on Japan.  He just could not figure that guy out.  America continued to mull over the confusing nation in his head, while Russia's voice drifted in and out of focus.    

Going back to the table turning incident, America imagined that it must have taken a lot for Japan to open up like that.  He must have been truly desperate to know the answer to that question.  America had learned something new about Japan that day.  Before that incident, America had always assumed the reason for Japan's lack of interest in the rest of the world was either because Japan was stuck up or really old fashioned.  But when America had heard Japan's honest question, and seen his nervous all those years ago, America had realized that he could not have been more wrong.  

He had realized that Japan…was scared.    

America had been stunned.  He had never known.  For a brief moment, America had felt a connection with Japan's emotion.  He had been able to identify with Japan because he had felt the same way, himself.  Worried…scared…not sure if he would be able to make it as a real country among other countries.  Not sure if he could pull it all off and live a peaceful existence with the other nations of the world.  Yes, America knew that feeling.  

America had felt bad for Japan at that moment.  America had wanted to help him…    

…Wait...HUH?!

America abruptly snapped out of his daydream!  Something had caught his attention.  While he had been in his own world, the meeting had been continuing on without him.  Russia still had the floor.  The large, Slavic nation had been talking all through America's musings.  Everything had been going in one ear and out the other, until now.  It was like catching a glimpse of something out of the corner of your eye, only America had finally caught exactly what Russia was talking about out of the corner of his ear, if that's understandable…well, that's the way America would have described it.  Anyway, in the mist of America's daydream, his ears had started to halfway listen to the proposal Russia was making and all of a sudden it began to dawn on him what was taking place in front of him.  It was something important!  Something really important!  And it was all being decided without him!  

"Hold up!  Time out!"

The Allied meeting was disrupted by the sudden outburst.  All members turned their attention to the youngest ally, who had suddenly taken an interest in the meeting.  The impulsive American was glaring through his glasses at the Russian he had interrupted.      

"Why should you get Japan?!"