So, this is my first fic- I'm not very good at writing multi-chapter stories, so this will probably be a series of drabble-y one shots, but we'll see.

Background Info: This takes place during the Muromachi period. Kiku is still angry over the attempted Mongol invasions, in which both Yao and Yong Soo took part, and has only just started talking to them again. As for Vietnam and Japan being best friends, that's purely non-historical and just for my amusement.

Vietnam: Lien Nhung Nguyen

Japan: Honda Kiku

China: Wang Yao

Korea: Im Yong Soo

8th October 1381

'How dare he- how dare he!' Lien Nhung Nguyen, better known as the personification of Vietnam, looked up in surprise as entered her living room. Her brother was sat cross-legged on the floor, trying to pry the lid off of a bottle of rice wine with his teeth. When she stepped in through the door he gave her an almighty stink-eye.

'What?' Asked Lien, entirely unsure of what was going on. She set down her bag, and sat opposite her brother, grabbing the bottle from his hands. 'Why are you in my house?'

'Because I'm your brother and you're stuck with me,' was the snippy reply, and Lien decided that enough was enough. She leant forward and grabbed her irritating little brother by the ear.

'Hoa cúc, you either tell me what's wrong, or you get your ass back to your place.'

For a long moment, Kiku held her gaze, eyes simmering with resentment before he gave a pitiful groan and put his face in his hands. Satisfied that he'd got the message, Lien let her brother go.

'Now, spill,' Lien ordered, pushing the rice wine behind her. Kiku didn't appear to be too drunk yet, and she wanted to keep it that way. 'What's the matter with you?'

Kiku gave a long, heavy sigh, and sent Lien the most pathetic look in his arsenal, doing a very good impression of a five-foot three-inch puppy. However, Lien knew her brother far too well to be taken in, and met his melting brown eyes with her own unimpressed gaze. Kiku's expression morphed into something that was very nearly a pout, and he sat back.

'I went to China,' he said, glaring at the wall, a blush beginning to appear on his cheekbones. Lien cast her gaze to the ceiling, because she had an idea of where this was going now. 'And we met in Beijing. He brought Korea along.'

A perfect storm. Lien didn't say this out loud though. Instead she waved her hand impatiently to get Kiku to continue. 'Go on, brat. What huge catastrophe befell you?'

Kiku glared at her. 'And everything was fine, actually. Nothing particularly bad happened.'

Lien didn't bother to hide it when she rolled her eyes. 'So I take it this has something to do with your very pathetic crush?' Kiku's spluttered indignantly. 'I'll take that as a yes. What did Yao do?'

'Yao did nothing,' muttered Kiku mutinously, and Lien gritted her teeth. Kiku's evasiveness was great for distracting politicians and confusing people, but it made trying to get basic information out of him like pulling teeth. Quite frankly, Lien lacked the patience to deal with it today- or ever, really. She made to grab his hair, and Kiku yelped and threw himself backwards. 'I'm sorry!'

'Then tell me what fucking happened!' Snapped Lien. Kiku glowered at her, and sat up again.

'I met Korea. Properly, this time. You know, since he was a kid.'

'You were still a kid too,' Lien helpfully reminded him, but Kiku ignored her.

'And he's- he's-' There seemed to be something that Kiku just couldn't bring himself to say. His blush was radiant. Lien groaned and facepalmed, because, oh yeah, she definitely saw where this was going. 'I still don't like him!'

'Uh huh. Sure, hoa cúc.' Said Lien flatly. 'I believe you.'

'I hate you,' growled Kiku, scowling. 'I don't know why I even vaguely like you.'

'Because I'm your sister and you're stuck me,' said Lien, because Kiku had learnt to be snarky from the best. 'So, you have a crush on Im Yong Soo? Is this instead of Yao, or alongside it?'

'Hate you,' Kiku repeated, scarlet, which was all the answer Lien needed.

Lien stared at her brother for a minute, at his furious glare, red face and arms so tightly crossed she wondered if he'd need help untangling them- and she burst out laughing. She flopped back against her floor, clutching her ribs and howling. Kiku scowled and poked her in the stomach.

'Oi- you're supposed to be sympathetic, witch,' he growled, snatching the rice wine again and glaring at her. 'This isn't funny! That damn Korean turns up, steals Yao, then has the gall to be attractive!'

It's getting quite difficult to breath properly now, but Lien doesn't care. It's moments like this, when Kiku drops the cool and indifferent façade, that she truly appreciates what a little dork he is. A short, scrawny, hopelessly adorable dork.

Finally, once she's done laughing and her stomach aches slightly, she turns back to Kiku, her eyes still swimming with tears. He's managed to get the lid off of the bottle, and had taken a long swig, and was wiping his mouth on the back of his sleeve. He was so much nicer once he dropped all the nonsense about propriety and honour, it was astounding.

Lien reached forward and ruffled Kiku's hair. Her younger brother huffed, but didn't stop her as she messed up his neat topknot. She did feel for him- really, she did. Yao was Kiku's strong and abiding passion, and had been since he'd finally grown to look like a thirteen-year-old and had become acquainted with his hormones. To add Im Yong Soo, who was, to put it gently, a loveable moron, to the mix- well.

Lien took the bottle from Kiku's grasp and took a long draught from it. This was going to be a headache, she could feel it.

Translations:

Hoa cúc: chrysanthemum

(And yes, I know Japan's 5'5" not 5'3". He hasn't finished growing yet.)