A/N: So, to start of, here's a very short prologue, which happens before 'The Price of Pride'. If you want to know what Arthur's 'office' looks like to get a better picture of where this is going down, you can read it here - just add in the fanfiction site web address before this - /s/8897374/1/The-Price-of-Pride (it can also be found under My Stories)

I'll be describing it again at some point from Yao's POV, but I wanted to keep this as short as possible.

Anyway, hope you enjoy :)

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"I believe I made it clear our contract has now been terminated." He glared as he kicked back off his desk, swinging on his chair.
"Please." The fat balding man was on his knees. He was pathetic; there was no other word for it. Tears streamed down his podgy face, his bulbous nose red as he snorted back runny snot. His suit was falling apart, large round stains pooling out from his armpits, around his throat, and across his crotch. "Please, make another deal."

"You have nothing to offer me."

He raised his watery eyes. It was what Arthur thought a puppy would look like if its kind owner began to kick it for no reason. He sneered; he had no use for people such as this. "I-" he paused to give a gasping sob. "I have a son."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you do? And?"

"W-Would you accept him?"

"Age?"

"T-Two."

The nerve of some people. What use would a two-year-old soul be? It was too fresh, and had had no time to ripen and be worth anything.

"If I remember correctly, he is your only blood relative."

He nodded, his sausage-like fingers clamming together with hope.

Liar, Athur's instincts told him.

"And if I said yes…" His eyes lightened. Arthur couldn't believe he was doing this. "You would be willing to give him to me?"

He nodded fervently. "Of course. Anything."

Arthur sighed, reaching an arm back into the shadows, quickly pulling forth a blank contract. Rocking forward, he swiped a quill from his desk. He hated writing with the bloody things, but the humans seemed to like watching him write it out. Why couldn't they just be satisfied with a bloody printed form?

It took only minutes to draw up a contract that would transfer all rights of the son and his soul to Arthur... Well... To Arthur's business at least...

He would wait, let his soul mature before he took it. If he could take his spirit, which held the energy of all his past carnations, that would be a whole other story, but his master was a tight bastard when it came to these things, always insisting that he had to follow the rules and take only what he was allowed to take. Anyway, he thought, looking at the slobbering mess before him, the man must only have a few years left.

Even if he wasn't mature by the time he got him, he could still push the boy, making him achieve his maximum potential so he could get a better deal in the end.

He kept his face straight as he slid the contract, a fresh white quill and his dark-jewelled letter opener (a present from his teacher) towards the man.

All he really needed was a few drops of their blood splattered anywhere on the paper, but for some reason the humans felt more comfortable if they signed the contract on the dotted line. He didn't understand why, but the method of having them sign in blood made it far easier to convince them to sign over their souls, so he didn't complain.

"Thank you," he kept repeating every thirty seconds. The moron didn't even glance at the details before willingly slicing his finger open. He was so eager that he had made the cut too deep, and it would most likely need stitches.

Arthur closed his eyes, taking in the familiar smell of blood as the first drop of blood hit the paper, sealing the deal. He smirked, unseen by disgusting human sobbing before him. "You'll have everything you want within the next week."

"Thank you! Thank you so-"

"Leave!"

The man straightened, whimpering, and ran, his fat bottom waggling with joy as the decaying door slammed behind him.

Arthur sighed, cursing what some people might have called his kindness. How he was going to explain this one to his master, he had no idea. He just hoped that the son had a bright future planned for him.

Arthur - England

A/N: This fic is going to revolve mostly around Yao as he starts to discover more and more about his guardian, but will alternate between Yao and Arthur's POV. America, Prussia and Japan will also be recurring characters, and France, Canada, Russia, Scotland, Rome, Germania, Spain and Romano (thanks to RavenAndRobinLover for the suggestion for those last two) will appear at some point. I'll put in a list of who's who at the end of every chapter, just in case you forget

I'm planning on making this very long, with lots of tie off stories (I already have a Franada one planned that will pop up somewhere within the next 10 chapters and then will be made separate, taking on a life of it's own, as well as a Spamano one brewing - and you may have already read 'Just Another Day at the Office' (you'll see how that ties in later on in the story :P) with Prussia and Hungary) but hopefully that won't deter you.

A heads up - There is no planned romance between Yao and Arthur at this point. The only planned pairings so far are Franada and Spamano (and maybe USUK depending on how the story goes.)

(Thanks again to my beta reader, The Maid of Autumn :D )