Disclaimer: You didn't get it, did you?
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"Here. Ri Ben." The press of warmth against the little boy's back was sudden; the bow of the er hu would have clattered to the floor, had his mentor's hands been less steady; but instead, Yao had Kiku's hands in his, and China directed the younger nation's hands to stop shaking. The er hu was again laid in its place, and Yao led his hand so that the bow drew across the threads with a light insistence; the pathway across the hairs was so sure, and the first sound it coaxed forth furled into the air.
Japan blinked, as did Yao, pleased with the sound.
"Gently."
Japan's hands slackened, and he received no look in reply, just the non-stopping melody. Yao held him in silence, brushing the threads lovingly. Kiku closed his eyes, enjoying the hum of it. The er hu was truly a beautiful instrument. It moaned softly beneath Yao's touch, and Kiku's heart ached at the sound.
Then China touched his hands and Kiku understood; he took up the bow himself, and the music breathed.
Peace.
Kiku had lived his last few days like this; learning from this strange man who called himself the Middle Kingdom; for a people of such aloofness, Yao was openly affectionate, very much happy. Japan could not help but like it, the beaming of his western neighbor; beautiful culture, beautiful words...Yao was like a woman, but so strong a woman he was but a graceful man. Kiku had seen his swordplay; such strength was natural to China.
And Kiku could not help but sigh, as he let these tones sooth him; this soaring contraption Yao called er hu.
Lost in its depths, he murmured, "To be like you..."
Realizing what he had just said, Japan opened his eyes. Self-control!
The music stopped.
Yao shifted, and Kiku, daring not to tremble, looked down, waiting for a word, or two. He received silence, heavy, awkward.
He grit his teeth. For shame, losing himself and revealing a such a soft desire—
So now, it was a desire!—half-hearted, but still desire. Kiku was young, but he knew already that he could not show that awe with stranger China, beyond respect—
When Yao spoke again, the smile was clear in his voice.
"Well, then," he said, gently. "If you are so eager..." a touch of pride sparked in his voice "...I, Zhong Guo, will teach you..." A shift; those tears...Japan turned his head around and upwards. And so they were!—those little trickles leaking from Yao's eyes...
Japan blinked, for he had never seen the man cry; he had spent the past few days with this man who was open, always smiled, but never cried. It made him feel vaguely uncomfortable.
"Aiyaa...," Yao murmured. "Ri Ben...you are so talented...I will teach you much." Tiny Japan found himself being lifted; he was then on Yao's lap, and staring upwards, silent, at the man's joyful tears. "You can be my brother," Yao whispered happily. "I've never had another nation as my brother, Ri Ben." He set the er hu and its bow in Japan's grip. Then he held the boy, eyes glowing. "Ni ke yi dang wo didi."
Japan blushed, not understanding everything, but enough to know what Yao wanted.
Should he feel honored?
But no matter, then; Yao took up the bow once more, with Japan, and the little boy sighed, for he so loved the music...the drawn-out tones, dragging, dragging mountain air. If he so wished for him to be his brother...
Learning more from this "Zhong Guo" would indeed be something...
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PT: Just a thought, listening to a Yao version of the Spinning Song, and maybe with a touch of influence from reading about Benjamin Franklin's armonica. And its sound...dear Gott...th—that is one creepy instrument, the armonica –shot- I kind of like the image of Yao holding chibi!Japan and teaching him to play the er hu... And I might add that Japan and China...we Asians are a cold bunch, but from my studies in Japanese I still think the Japanese are colder xD A classmate joked that they have germophobia –shot- But onto the historical significance here, I think Japan would have learned eagerly from China...seeing as how...well, even the Japanese WRITING SYSTEMS are taken from Chinese!—all three of them! One is even kanji itself! (Despite having an amount of kanji that we Chinese don't really use...) So yeah. Influence, y'know?