Author's note: Well this was a spur of the moment thing. I will actually be using Nyo! China in this shot because I just love her design. I am probably going to use her in the rest of my Hetalia stories. Don't get me wrong, I love the original China, but the female counterpart is just so much cuter! (Runs from China's wok)
Everything was perfect. Nearly half of Asia was on their knees, and Japan's power was at its fullest. Not to mention the alliance with the Axis made everything all the more perfect. Ludwig was rampaging through Europe, and he was doing just as well as Japan. Everything was perfect.
Well, not everything was exactly right. Japan tugged at his hair as he was sorting through battle tactics. He was really in need of a haircut, but every time he tried to cut it himself, it would look really bad. There was always the option of letting his new Axis friends give him the cut, but last time he asked Italy, the poor guy cut his finger and cried for nearly two hours.
"Ve, Japan! You want me to cut your hair?" Feliciano chirped happily.
"Um, yes," Kiku blushed, embarrassed that he had to ask someone else to do something so simple for him. "Please remember to cut it as straight as you can!"
"I will give you the best haircut ever!" Feliciano saluted.
As the Italian carefully snipped at the hair, a bird chirped rather loudly, startling him. Before Kiku could calm the squealing nation down, there was a louder scream that could have shattered the windows.
Kiku turned around to see that Feliciano was clutching his finger, eyes full of tears that were pouring onto his face, and rolling on the ground. Worried for his friend, Kiku jumped out of his chair and attempted to treat said friend, but there was no way to calm him down.
"Ludwig! Ludwig! Ludwig!" Feliciano called. "It hurts! I'm bleeding! I think I'm going to die!"
As if on cue, Ludwig kicked the door down and ran to Feliciano . He knelt by his ally's side and held his hand. "Now Feliciano , everything will be alright. Just show me your injury and I'll treat it for you."
Feliciano slowly unclutched his wounded hand and showed Ludwig his bleeding finger. Seeing the small lesion, Ludwig's face went from worried to angry in a split second. "You idiot! You had me panicking over a small paper cut?"
"But Ludwig it really hurts!"
Speaking of Ludwig, Kiku was definitely not asking that man for help.
"You need a haircut? I will be glad to give you one. I'll give you a style that will be fit for war!" Ludwig announced, tying a haircut bib around Japan's neck.
"Please try to cut it as straight as you can," Kiku reminded him.
"Of course! This will be perfectly straight!"
Kiku zoned out for a while, completely immersed in his book. Perhaps he could write a story of his own one day. After a few moments, Ludwig tapped his shoulder, an excited look upon his face.
"It is done! Walla!" Ludwig shouted, turning Kiku towards the mirror. To Kiku's horror, his hair was completely buzzed.
"What did you do!" Kiku shouted frantically. He quickly jumped off the seat and ran to his tent to look for a hat. While he was searching for something to cover the awful haircut, he could hear Ludwig and Feliciano talking outside. Ludwig did not sound happy.
"You see what I do for him? He asked for a haircut, I give him a great one, and he's not even appreciative! He did not even thank me!" Ludwig mumbled.
Feliciano gave his ally a blank look. "Ve, if it's such a great hairstyle, then why didn't you give it to yourself?"
"Are you kidding me? That would look ridiculous!"
Something that Kiku would never understand was why nobody could cut his hair right. When he was a child, he never had a bad haircut. Did his hair change as he grew up? Was that why people had such a hard time giving him a decent looking cut?
Frustrated, the Japanese man slammed his hand against the desk, gritting his teeth in an attempt to hold back his tears. It was not his hair that changed. It was the person cutting it. When he was young, Chun Yan would always be the one to cut his hair. She would cut it the way he wanted it, even if she did not agree with the way it looked.
The old Chinese house in the northern mountains always had a nice scent to the house. Whether it was the fragrance of the peonies in the garden or the aroma of the food, there was always a homey feel to it, even to strangers.
Chun Yan was gutting a fish for dinner that night. Kiku was the one that saw the fish, but not wanting him to fall into the water, she helped him catch it. As she was making preparations, there was a little nudge at her leg. She looked down to see her little brother, holding a bowl.
"Dinner is not ready yet, Kiku," Chun Yan laughed, ruffling his hair. "It will be ready soon. So please wait patiently. You can play with panda if you like."
Saddened that his message did not get through to her, Kiku walked away and tried searching for something else that could help convey his message. After searching for a few moments, Kiku nudged Chun Yan's leg again, this time holding a bowl with a knife in it.
"Kiku!" Chun Yan gasped, taking the knife out of the bowl. "Please don't play with such dangerous tools!"
Kiku rapidly shook his head and shook the bowl in front of her.
"I don't want you hurting yourself," Chun Yan replied.
Sighing, Kiku turned around. It looks like he would not be getting a haircut after all. Then, an idea popped into his head. He nudged his sister again, and put the bowl on his head. She raised an eye brow, and he held up his hands, mimicking a pair of scissors.
"You want me to cut your hair?" Chun Yan asked? Kiku nodded excitedly, happy that the charade was finally solved.
"I don't know," Chun Yan continued. "I was thinking about letting your hair grow out."
Hearing this made Kiku rather disappointed. He looked up at Chun Yan with a pouty face. Not wanting him to cry, Chun Yan smiled and took the bowl from him.
"I will cut your hair after dinner. And I will use this bowl as a guide. Would Kiku like that?"
Hearing that she would fulfill his request, Kiku smiled happily and ran off to play with the pandas.
Nobody could cut his hair like she did. But it is not like she would be willing to do anything for him now, no matter how simple the task. Ever since he broke away from her, his haircuts were never the same. It was funny how something as overlooked as hair could make such a fond memory.
Tugging at his hair again, Japan gave up organizing battle tactics and went to the bathroom. He put the bowl on his head and prepared for the worst. However, no matter how hard he tried to snip the hair, his fingers would not budge. Perhaps it was time for him to suck up his pride and go see his sister. After all, there was no way this haircut would turn out good
Gathering all the courage he had, Japan headed out, ready to find her. He knew she was not at her home, for she could not afford to go home in the condition she was in. Most likely, she was trying to save the remaining bits of her fallen capital.
His intuition was right. As he approached the falling Nanjing, he could see Chinese troops still on guard in an attempt to push the opposing Japanese out. It was nightfall, therefore there were less attacks and more defense. It would be easier to maneuver himself, but he would still need to avoid getting caught.
As Kiku was searching the city, doing his best to ignore the stench of dead bodies and trying not to falter between his duties when he saw the agony of the defeated people, someone kicked his side, knocking him down. Before he had a chance to counter, the person that kicked him stepped on his chest and pointed a gun at him. Unwilling to let himself be captured, Kiku grabbed the barrel of the gun, twisting it out of the person's hand, and shooting it at that person.
A higher pitched moan caught Kiku's attention, and he grabbed the person he shot and faced the person closer to himself in order to have a better look. To his happiness and dismay, it was his sister. She looked extremely weak, but still determined. He could not help but be impressed by her sheer will.
Seeing that it was her enemy who shot her, China pushed herself off the ground and attempted to punch him, only to have her hand caught. Right now, he truly was the stronger one.
"Nee-san, please. I am not hear to hurt you," Kiku begged. At first, her eyes were hard and unforgiving, but as soon as she got to look at his eyes, her glare softened.
"Kiku? Are you really Kiku?" Chun Yan weakly smiled, cupping her hand around Kiku's face.
Happy that she accepted him as a brother, he held her hand and kissed it. "Nee-san, we must get out of here before we are caught in a battle. I do not want to fight you."
The two agreed that they did not want to fight one another, and both silently darted in the streets. Chun Yan took Kiku into her current house. It definitely was not as nice as her permanent home. Her war house looked like an abandoned cottage.
"I am sorry for the mess," Chun Yan said, kicking some newspapers and letters off the mattress. She attempted push the peeling wallpaper back onto the walls, but to no avail. "Please be careful of the buckets in the middle of the floor. I did not have any time to fix the leaks."
Kiku tried to ignore how worn down the place was. "It's not a problem, Nee-san."
Just as always, the little brother could never lie to his older sister, especially if she cared for him like a mother. "I know you think this place is a dump. I don't blame you. It does not really suit me either. But what made you want to see me all of a sudden?"
"Well…my hair is getting rather long," Kiku began. "I know ever since I decided to be Japan I never came to see you, but my hair just never looked the same. No one can cut it the way Nee-san does."
Chun Yan continued to stare at Kiku blankly, making him nervous. Was she going to ask him to leave? He had to milk the time with her for as long as possible, so he continued to talk. "I know that a haircut is a really ridiculous reason to want to see someone, but I really liked it when Nee-san did it for me."
Seeing that she was still showing no reaction, Kiku gave up and fell to his knees. "All right, all right! I'm sorry! I'm sorry that I coldly rebelled from you. I'm sorry for attacking you like this without second thought! I'm sorry that I am Japan!"
Expecting some sort of pain, Kiku shut his eyes and prepared for the worst. To his surprise, it never came. Instead, he felt a bowl being placed on his head. Astonished, Kiku looked up to see his sister smiling at him.
"If you wanted a haircut all you had to do was ask," Chun Yan laughed, helping Kiku into a chair. "I told you this a long time ago. You may not remember, so I will tell you again: No matter what happens to China and Japan, Kiku will forever be my Kiku."
Kiku kept silent, but was relieved inside. She still loved him. "Tada!" Chun Yan removed the bowl and revealed the haircut Kiku was always proud of.
"Thank you so much, Nee-san!" Kiku bowed. "But, you did tell me that you thought the haircut was dorky. What do you suggest? But I still don't want to grow it out. And please don't buzz it either!"
Chun Yan looked thoughtful, but then grinned and sat Kiku back down. "Let's just make the cut a little less even."
When she turned the chair back towards the mirror, Kiku was delighted to see that it looked rather good. He never thought that the straight cut he was asking for would be overshadowed by an uneven cut. His bangs now had gaps between them, making his forehead look less wide. It also gave more light to his eyes rather than the "bottomless pit" looking eyes Feliciano had always made fun of him for. Somehow, a simple haircut did all that.
"Thank you so much, Nee-san," Kiku bowed as he was about to leave. Night could only last so long, and once day came, the fighting would continue. "Nee-san, please don't die."
"I'm four thousand years old," Chun Yan said boldly. "I will not be dying anytime soon. Kiku, please promise me that you won't die either."
"I do not intend to. No matter what happens, Nee-san will always be Nee-san?"
Chun Yan nodded as she saw her brother off. When he was out of sight, her smile disappeared and she backed into her house. As soon as the sun rises, he will no longer be her Kiku. Whatever Japan was planning to do, he would be using Kiku's face as he did it. China loaded her gun and sat at the window, waiting for daylight. China does not go down so easily, and will not lose to Japan.
Kiku picked up his battle plans that he left on the table. He looked out his window and saw a band of orange in the grey sky. Daytime was almost here, and when it comes, Chun Yan will no longer be his Nee-san. He was planning to make Nanjing crumble, and when it does, Chun Yan's face will crumble with it. Japan grabbed his katana and headed for the door. Japan is fierce and merciless. China will be conquered.
The sun did not take long to rise. As soon as it did, the sound of guns filled the air. With that, the screams of helpless civilians mixed in with it. China and Japan could only eye each other with disdain, disregarding the body shared with someone familiar.
Author's note: Haha you all know me. I love angst. I always thought the countries as people were separate from their country counterparts. Kinda like how we all have to put on a mask when at work. I thought that being countries was like a job to them, but when they turn that "country mode" on, it rids all personal feelings. Therefore, notice how I switched between the human names and country names. Sorry if that caused any confusion ^^; And sometimes it messed me up too...
Also, sorry that I keep writing one shots. I have a short attention span so multi-chapter stories are really hard for me. I can read them no problem, but writing it is a whole different story.
Lastly, yes I know I made fun of Japan's hair. At least it got better in the new animation. And he now has a soul. (takes out a shield and hides from Japan's katana)
Hope you enjoyed everyone!