Ok, I absolutely love Hong Kong. He's one of my favorite characters, and as a whole, the nations of East Asia are just my favorites and I love them all and they need more stories devoted to them. So here's my third contribution to the collection of East Asia family fanfiction. I hope you enjoy.
Li Xiang , the representative of Hong Kong, sat in the window, staring out at the dreary rain that always seemed to be pouring down here in London. He sat in the bay window bench of the second story parlor of Arthur's home.
He was wearing english clothes, he was drinking english tea, he was, or at least had been, reading an english book.
Though he certainly looked the part, he didn't belong here.
"Leon?"
Li Xiang scowled, that wasn't his name, it was his english name, because naturally he'd had to get one of those too. Arthur just couldn't be bothered to learn how to pronounce his true name.
"What?" The teen snapped.
Arthur backed out of the room slightly, confused as to the boys short fuse lately.
"I've been wanting to speak with you." He continued, stepping inside and shutting the door behind him, no backing out now.
"Knock yourself out." Hong Kong replied dully, still gazing out the window with a faraway look in his eyes.
"Well, you've seemed very unhappy as of late." The brit began hesitantly.
Hong Kong lowered his gaze from the window to look at Arthur for a moment, looking incredulous, as if the reason he was so unhappy were obvious.
"And...well, I suppose I'm just concerned, is all."
Li Xiang just continued to stare out the window, not responding.
"Is there anything I can do? I mean, that would cheer you up?"
Arthur had been wishing to ask this for the past two weeks and had only now worked up the courage to face the teenagers spitfire temper.
Li Xiang sniggered, the noise sounded almost disappointed.
"Sure there is." He replied.
Arthur sat next to him for a few seconds, waiting for him to continue, but he did not.
"Like...?" Arthur prompted.
Li Xiang glared at him harshly.
"Calling me by my name would be a decent start."
"But I just did a few minutes ago!" Arthur exclaimed, confused.
Li Xiang bolted up abruptly, fisting his hands.
"Leon! I don't understand what's making you so upset!"
"You'd never understand." Li Xiang snapped back before he stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
Arthur stared after him.
"Bloody hell, what did I say?"
He wanted to shoot off his fireworks that night, but the rain just kept pouring down, preventing him from doing so.
So he locked himself in his third floor bedroom and sat in the window again, staring out into nothing, his headphones were on, but no music was playing, he was just wearing them so when Arthur knocked he could pretend he couldn't hear him for a justified reason and ignore him altogether.
There was a loud rapping on the door just then, for the fifteenth time that evening.
"LEON! I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME! OPEN THIS BLOODY DOOR RIGHT NOW!"
Li Xiang removed his headphones and let them dangle around his neck as he glanced skeptically back at the still firmly locked door.
"You don't scare me." He replied with a level voice.
"I WILL IN A MOMENT IF YOU DON'T UNLOCK THE DAMN DOOR!"
Li Xiang sighed, so much for a night left in peace.
He tossed his headphones onto his bed and unlocked the door, opening it to find a red faced brit standing in front of him.
"What?" He asked.
"You are really getting on my last nerve today, Leon. Now come on, we're going to dinner, and WHAT ARE YOU WEARING!?"
Li Xiang glanced down at his overly long sleeved red top, gold sash belt, baggy black pants, and white leg wraps.
"Clothes." He deadpanned, looking up again.
"We are not going in public with you dressed like that!" Arthur barked.
"I used to wear this all the time. They're my favorite colors, of course you wouldn't know that making me wear nothing but sweaters and suits."
The blade the edged Li Xiang 's voice as he tugged up the high collar around his neck with a snap of his wrists caused Arthur to sense the tension a little bit more.
"Alright, alright, I'm not saying it's a bad outfit, it just doesn't fit in out here." Arthur managed awkwardly.
"Yeah, and neither do I." Li Xiang snapped, golden eyes alight with fury.
Li Xiang slammed the door in Arthurs face and locked it.
"I don't get it! Why is he acting like this!" Arthur asked himself as he paced in front of France, who was reading a newspaper but actually listening to every word his visitor was saying.
"You have been forcing your culture and your ideals onto him for over a century. He's complaining about his name and wearing his old clothes to prove a point to you that no matter how hard you try, he's China's little brother, not yours."
Arthur groaned as Francis snapped his paper shut.
"Think about it this way, black sheep of Europe. You took Leon when he was physically, what? Ten?"
"That's right."
"And now he's grown to be sixteen, oui?"
"Yes, that's right." Arthur grumbled.
"Did it ever once cross your mind that the garcon might be homesick? He's not been back to his homeland once, not even for a visit."
Arthur stopped in his pacing when Francis said this.
"I suppose he might be...but what's this whole issue about me calling him by his name!?"
"Do you remember what China called him?"
"Li something...Zang...Sang..." Arthur struggled for the name.
"Li Xiang ?" Francis guessed.
"Oh, yes, that's it."
"Then that's his name. You gave him the name Leon, remember?"
"That is true..."
"If you truly care about Leon, about Li Xiang , that is. Than you should let him go somewhere he'd be truly happy." Francis suggested as he opened his paper again.
Arthur stared, wondering just when the frenchman had gotten so wise.
"You know, for a moment there, Francy pants, I actually thought you were intelligent."
"QUOI!?"
Thus, the discussion was all but forgotten, and the brawling began.
"Where are we going?" Li Xiang demanded as he sat in the back of the large long black car, the windows were covered with shades. England had them in all of his cars.
Li Xiang made to peek through the shades back Arthur slapped his hand away.
"It's a surprise, no peeking, understand?" He demanded.
Li Xiang rolled is eyes and pulled his headphones back over his head, scrunching down in his seat.
"Fine, then tell me why you didn't nearly maim me for coming out of the house wearing my old clothes. I though you said they didn't fit in around here?"
Arthur simply smiled.
"I figured you're old enough to decide how you want to dress and when."
Li Xiang was skeptic about that one, but nodded.
"Whatever."
Unbeknownst to him, Arthur had much larger surprise that expected up his sleeve.
Li Xiang was able to tell by the way the car was bumping that they were on a road that wasn't paved. Perhaps they were going into the woods? Why?
The Chinese boy shook his head and pressed the button on his MP3 that caused music to blast into his ears, drowning out it all.
The car rolled to a stop and Li Xiang made to get out, but Arthur stopped him.
"I'm going to go on ahead a little bit, you can get out here and walk if you'd like. I need to check...something...first, by then you'll have reached us, alright?"
Li Xiang groaned and reached for his mp3 player again.
"This had better with worth it." Was all he said as he exited the vehicle.
Arthur nodded to him. "I'm sure it will be."
He said before Li Xiang got out of the car and shut the door behind him.
Li Xiang stared in shock at the towering bamboo forest all around him, at the familiar stream cutting across the clearing he'd been dropped off in.
The red garbed teenager turned looked in the direction that Arthur's car had disappeared in.
Shaking his head slowly in disbelief and trying to still his trembling hands, he took off at a sprint. Li Xiang ran, letting his headphones bounce around his neck, listening to the birds singing, the creek babbling, and the sound of his shoes pushing off the dirt road. Li skidded a bit off his toe as he took a sharp left turn around the bend, not even considering the path to the right.
After all, he'd run down these roads before, a very, very, long time ago.
Arthur stood in front of the old oriental house, within the bamboo forest, and, after taking several deep breathes, he stepped around the edge of the car and walked forward. He knew that the instant Li Xiang realized where they were he'd be in an all out dash toward the house he was now only yards away from. He paced briskly up the walk, making to climb the porch steps.
Only to come face to face with China, who had been out in the gardens behind the house, and had heard the car door slam.
"You?" Yao hissed, stepping up to him, blocking him from coming any closer to his home.
"How are you, China?" The brit asked, trying to be polite.
"Why should you care, aru? Why should I even be speaking to you? Why should I even be tolerating you in my home, aru?" China demanded as he stalked up to the englishman.
Arthur raised his hands in a surrendering gesture.
"Easy, I don't want any trouble, Yao. I just came to talk."
"About what? Money? Power? Politics? War? I don't owe you anything, aru."
Arthur winced at the harshness in Yao's tone.
"None of the above. I came to talk about Leon."
The shorter mans eyes were instantly alight with fury.
"What have you done to him!? What have you done to my Li Xiang!? Answer me!" Yao demanded, raising a fist.
"Please, I've done nothing. I just wanted to tell you somethings. He's grown quite a lot, you know. His english is very good, as well, though I'm afraid he's developed a bit of a british accent when he speaks it. I think you'll like to hear that whenever I wake him up he starts off talking to me in Chinese without even realizing it. It takes him a few minutes to realize it, and I never point it out to him. I'd never want him to forget his native language. He likes loud music, and enjoys fireworks. He even once set the roof on fire with a firecracker. Bloody hell, did I wail him out for that one. Anyway, his music is so loud it makes the ceiling tremble beneath his bedroom. Even though he denies it when I catch him, I've seen him cooking himself food I know are your recipes. I wish I could do it, but..."
"Don't mangle my gourmet recipes with your horrible cooking, England, aru." Yao growled, he was still on defense.
"Why are you telling me all this? Showing me what I've missed with my little brother, aru? Well?"
Arthur shook his head. "I know it probably looks that way, but I just wanted to tell you."
"Why?" China repeated, eyes narrow, hands fisted beneath overly long sleeves.
Arthur smiled softly.
"So you know just what kind of trouble to expect from him." He said, before turning and walking away.
Yao stared after him, feeling as if the earth had just dropped away from his feet as Arthur got back into the car.
The car pulled away down the road and vanished, just in time for Li Xiang to come sprinting up the path.
Gasping for breath from sprinting such a distance, he leaned on his knees and took several heavy breaths.
Turning to look around, he found himself staring up the path at his oldest brother, standing there, frozen in shock. Framed as if in a picture with the age old house behind him, a flash back echoed through his mind of being a few feet shorter, and over a hundred years younger, one of his arms locked in a firm grasp as he watched Yao on his knees before that same house, screaming out to him before England had dragged him away.
"L-Li Xiang ?" Yao choked out.
Hong Kong straightened up and stood, chest heaving, heart hammering in his chest, and he looked at his brother, standing in front of his home.
He felt a hotness behind his eyes and soon realized that tears were blurring his vision.
"Gege!"
Li Xiang flung himself forward, feet pounding the beaten earth of the winding path, and into his brothers arms.
Yao didn't hesitate to return the embrace, gripping the youngest of his family tightly, struggling not to let tears well up come himself.
"I missed you." Li Xiang croaked.
"I missed you too, aru. We all did." Yao whispered back.
"All?" Li Xiang stepped back, his brother's hands still on his shoulders, and stared in confusion.
The last he'd seen his family, it had been torn apart by war and betrayal. Kiku had attacked and gone into isolation, Mei Mei was always fighting with Yao, Hyung Soo had become incredible defensive and retreated into himself, and Yong Soo was dragged away by Kiku after he came out of isolation.
Yao smiled softly, "All."
He repeated before taking Li Xiang 's hand and leading him around the the back deck.
"Who was it, Gege?" Mei Mei asked, she sat on the edge of the deck, a bowl of Kiku's food in her hands.
Kiku's head appeared though the doorway.
"Does anyone need anything else before I begin to clean up?" He asked.
"You sound like a housewife, da-ze!" Yong Soo cackled.
Hyung Soo slapped his twin in the back of the head.
"Don't be rude, idiot."
"You're so mean da-ze!"
Li Xiang couldn't believe what he was seeing. The last time his family had all been together, he'd barely been physically nine years old.
Mei Mei than realized someone was with her oldest brother.
"Gege, who's that?"
The brown haired nation stood, her pink and cream dress rippling as she set her food down on the deck.
She took a few steps toward him, then stopped and put a hand to her mouth in shock.
"X-Li Xiang ? Is that...you?"
Li Xiang knew he looked very different from the last time any of them had seen him, and he nodded slowly.
"It's me, Mei Mei." He said.
"YOU'RE HOME DA-ZE!"
Li Xiang was full body tackled by Yong Soo, nearly bringing Yao down with them as they tumbled in an untidy heap to the floor.
"It's you! Our littlest brother's home, da-ze!"
Yong Soo cried happily as he and Li Xiang both sat up.
Li Xiang felt someone ruffle his hair and looked up to see Hyung Soo standing there.
He gave him a small smile.
"Took you long enough." He said simply.
"Sorry to make you wait, North." Li Xiang said as Kiku came out of the kitchen, dusting off his hands, to see what all the commotion was about.
He saw Li Xiang and blinked twice, before walked over and giving him a simple pat on the head, seeing as Li Xiang was still sitting on the wooden deck being cuddled by Yong Soo.
"I am glad you were able to make it home." Kiku said.
Li Xiang stared at him.
"How in the hell are you even here? I was still here when you betrayed us."
Kiku winced at the reminder, and the slightly angry edge to his youngest brothers voice.
Hyung Soo rolled his head to one side, causing his braided ponytail to slip from his shoulder, only for him to replace it as he spoke.
"Long story, not really. He came out of isolation, and what we thought was him taking Yong Soo against his will was really just him trying to take someone as a middleman because he was too much of a wimp to face s himself." The nation grumbled.
"Gomenasai." Kiku said with a short bow.
Li Xiang could tell that he meant it, because he knew it took a lot to earn forgiveness from his oldest brother, Yao. Stories and grudges and long lost debates could all be revived later, he could remind Yong Soo of that long ago bet that meant he owed Li Xiang two weeks worth of his desert. He could dig up that old scrapbook he'd made and find all the embarrassing pictures of Hyung Soo when Mei Mei had insisted on giving his long hair pigtails. He could marvel over how amazing his two oldest brothers cooking was, he could talk to Mei Mei for hours about the games they used to play. Li Xiang knew he had years with which to do these things, and years with which create new memories with his family.
For now, Li Xiang was home, and with his mind still struggling to process the fact that any of this was even really happening, that wasn't just a dream, he did something completely unlike him.
He stood up, with Yong Soo dangling off of him, and hugged Kiku.
The japanese froze instantly, his personal space bubble was being torn to shreds as, albeit stiffly, he put his arms around his little brothers shoulders.
"I'm glad everyones home." Li Xiang murmured.
Kiku smiled softly.
"Hai. I as well."
Li Xiang stepped back from Kiku after a single long moment and looked around at his entire family, all gathered together, with him completing the set that, for hundreds of years since the day Japan had drawn his sword, he remained incomplete.
Li Xiang smiled, for the first time since he'd been a child, he was home.
I love writing stories about them, Hong Kong especially. Please check out my other stories for East Asia called 'All the trouble that your worth" and "No matter what!" Please note that in both of these I called Hong Kong by the human name Li under the false pretense that that was his human name. But I was wrong, so I switched to the correct one for this story. Unfortunately with all of my multi chaps and completes stories with him in them, though, he's gonna have to stay 'Li'. Well, thanks again for reading, and please review, let me know if you want me to do any more evolving the East Asia family!