Summary: There was a strange woman named China who took me in and raised me as her little brother. I, however, always saw her as my mother. She's done everything for me, so it is only fair to do something for her in return.
Warnings: Not a Nyotalia fic. Young!Japan 1st person POV. A Mother's Day tribute (yes, yes, I know it's long past Mother's Day. This is only a repost from my old account).
Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya
.. | Okaa-san | ..
There was this strange woman that always visited me. She had a delicate porcelain face framed with dark brown hair that was always pulled back into a loose ponytail. Her eyes were a gleaming brown and she had a flatter chest compared to the other females I rarely saw.
"Ni hao! I'm China, aru. If there's something you don't know, just ask me," the woman had greeted when she and I met for the first time. Back then, I gave her a polite but blunt face.
"Hello, China-san, upon where the sun sets. I am Japan," I had answered. She told me I was rude. I didn't really understand why. I really did like this woman, just as I liked how the sunsets at home painted the horizon with reds, yellows, and oranges.
Still, the woman was strange. China had given me one last look and scooped me up into her arms. Arms that were lithe, yet strong. She took me into her home, obligated to take care of a new nation such as I. From then on she raised me as her "little brother," but I always saw her as my mother.
oooooooooo
I liked drawing. When I wandered around the fields and a cute little creature crossed my path, I would find something to draw with and something to draw on. If the sakuras started blooming during the rise of spring, I would run into the house and grab paper and ink. Art was my way of connecting with the butterflies, sun, and trees. I loved the things in nature, and I always hoped that they loved me too.
"Japan! I have something for you, aru!" China called to me one day. I reluctantly dropped the scrap of paper I was drawing on and followed her voice to the edge of the pond in the backyard. China was tracing her finger along the koi that glided across the waters, her reflection bordered by pink lotuses. She turned around when she heard my footsteps.
"What is it, China-san?" I asked. I spied her left hand that seemed to be hiding something behind her back. She grinned.
"I've noticed that you've been drawing a lot, aru," China said. I nodded slowly as China whipped her hand around and revealed a small sketch pad. It was stacked with dozens of clean, off-white sheets and topped by a cover decorated with night scenery. My dark eyes widened. The thought of drawing on such delicate, untouched paper seemed to ascend me into bliss. I hesitantly held out my hands as China slid it from her palms to mine. For moments I stood there, staring at the sketch pad as China stared at me. "… Well?" she asked. I suddenly snapped my head up to meet her gaze.
"A-Arigato, China-san! You've done so much for me!" I thanked, bowing my head and accidentally dropping my sketch pad as I did. China chuckled as I hurriedly bent over to pick it up. I never forgot that whimsical chuckle. I would make sure that I would repay it someday.
oooooooooo
I've heard that there were other people besides me and China. "Westerners," China called them. I tilted my head when she told me. All this time I thought there were only the two of us, alone in our own little world hidden behind bamboo grass and under sakura blossoms.
"Ah, those Westerners are so troublesome, aru! There's a reason I closed them off before. Too bad I have to go back tomorrow, aru…" China complained when she came home from wherever she went. I never went outside the borders of our home. I was too scared. I wanted to run away from the world and live only with China by my side. I ran up to China and gave a heartfelt hug, the way children do, not wanting let go. I didn't want her to go back to a place that made her unhappy.
China smiled down at me. "Ahaha, did you miss me, aru?" she asked. I nodded solemnly. "I see. Well, what did you draw today, aru?" I reluctantly let go and ran to get my sketch pad lying next to the pond. I held it up high for China to see, always proud of my creations yet too modest to say so. "Oh, you drew the koi. It looks very pretty, aru," she complimented. I gave her a small smile.
Afterwards, China walked into the kitchen to start dinner and I followed suit. "China-san, what are the Westerners like?" I asked. She gathered some fresh herbs from the small indoor garden and some spices from the cabinets, thinking of an answer as she did.
"Oh, well, they're quite obnoxious, aru. They can be ungrateful at times. And very arrogant. They're too modern and think they can do whatever they want," China explained. I cringed at the thought of China going to the place run by people like them.
"They must be very scary and bad," I said quietly. China glanced at me.
"Well, I guess they're not all too bad, aru. They have things I want, and I give things they want," China said. I shook my head.
"But that is all for business and trade. They must not be very nice as people... But I suppose all people are nice in some way, right, China-san?" I said.
China pondered for a moment. "Hmm… Well, they celebrate many things, if that counts, aru. They pay attention and give their "respects" to some of the daily things in their life, no matter how insignificant. So I've seen, anyway."
After dinner, I retreated into my room. Lying on my bed and staring at the ceiling, I started to wonder about Westerners and their way of life. They must have been good people. China wasn't so ignorant as to go to the place of the Westerners so blindly.
I started worrying about the culture of the Westerners so much that it started to eat at my mind. I decided to scavenge for all the books and scrolls I could find about Westerners in China's library. They were an odd people. They had the oddest food, the oddest clothes, and the oddest manners. I couldn't peel my eyes away from the books. It was as if I was reading about them just so I could dislike them.
Hidden in the corner of the pile of books that had started to accumulate, a thin baby blue book came to my attention. It was trying to hide itself, as if hiding away a truth with it. I snatched the book and read the title. "European Holidays" was printed in fake gold across the top in large, gaudy letters. Well, they celebrate many things, if that counts... I attempted to open to the Table of Contents. The cover seemed to weigh as much as a heavy rock, and my fingers didn't want to lift it. But curiosity overpowered everything and pressured my fingers into hastily flipping to a random page in the book. I suddenly took in a surge of breath.
"Mother's Day, May 9th," I read out loud. My eyes prowled through the article until my lamp ran out of its blazing fire and not even the fading moonlight could illuminate my room. But it didn't matter anymore.
I finally knew how to repay China.
oooooooooo
Spring air filled my lungs as I waited patiently for China to come home. I smelled of the flowers that decorated my soft hair as I fiddled with the box in my tiny hands. I set my eyes on the horizon, painted with the same reds, yellows, and oranges that reminded me of China. A soon-setting sun was about to be clouded by the coming night, and I had an uncomfortable feeling that China wouldn't come.
Suddenly a voice called out, "JAPAN, ARUUU!" I swerved around towards the familiar sound.
"China-san..." I whispered and was abruptly scooped into her arms. The box tumbled out of my hands and I made a mad reach for it, only to fail.
"Japan, I missed you, aru!" China said, swinging me in her arms. It seemed like she was being over-optimistic to feign her stress. She finally stopped and noticed the box that was a few centimeters away from being crushed under her foot. "What's this, aru?" she asked as she put me down. I waddled over to the box and tenderly brushed the dirt off.
"Um... It's for you," I said shyly, offering China the box. She looked at it, head cocked to one side in a questioning manner as I waited patiently for her to open it. She slipped off the crimson bow that kept the box from falling apart. As it did, three things came out: a sakura blossom I was so fond of drawing; an origami dragon made of paper from the sketch pad China had given me; and a painting of me, China, and the koi in the backyard. All of the presents represented the little memories China and I had together.
"Why thank you, aru! You're always so creative," she said, hugging me lightly as if this was just a regular day. However, it happened to be one of the most special days of the year.
"China-san... Would you hate me if I was celebrating a western holiday?" I asked. China gave me another quizzical look.
"Well, I don't really approve of—"
"It's not that I want to become like the Westerners, but you said that they respect many things through celebration."
"Um, yes, aru. But that doesn't mean—"
"Happy Mother's Day..."
"Mother's Day? Is that one of the Westerners'—"
"I love you, Okaa-san."
"— holidays? Wait... O-Okaa-san?"
China looked at me, bewildered. I stared back, unsure why she was giving me such a look. She then started to giggle and pulled me into a loving hug.
"Little Japan, I am a man, aru!"
"... A-AH?"
"Thank you for the gifts though, aru!"
She – no, he— ruffled my hair playfully as I quickly took note of this new discovery in my sketch pad. A large red blush invaded my cheeks and China commented about how cute I looked. I couldn't take that comment the same way anymore.
Westerners weren't very good people. They made everything too confusing.