(So, this is going to be quite a few chapters long. I own nothing, just the plot, and way I characterized the wonderful characters of Hetalia- which is owned by the amazing Himaruya Hidekazu, who I am not.
Human names are used to avoid confusion of characters- for Japan, the male is Honda Kiku and the female is Honda Sakura.
As far as I'm aware, Japanese put the last name before the first, and the honorific -chan is used after the names of close friends and relatives, especially female ones. Domo is an extremely polite way to say 'thank you' and domo arigato is slightly less polite. Moushiwake arimasen is a very formal way to say 'I'm sorry'
If I'm wrong, or have offended anyone, I'm sorry, I really don't mean to, and could you please correct me? Thank you for understanding)
You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them. ~Desmond Tutu
Japan slowly walked down the street, returning from a meeting with China. His breath formed sparkling clouds in the evening air, an ever-present reminder that winter was coming. The short Asian nation was knocked off-balance as something- no, someone- barreled into him, out of the blue. Kiku righted himself, staring at the flustered girl in front of him in surprise. Shining black hair in a neat chin-length bob with a pink flower over her left ear, she staggered back, trying to stay upright. His forehead creased a fraction when she lost her balance, tipping over to land on her rear. The girl sat still for a moment on the busy sidewalk, clearly stunned. With a small frown, she raised a hand to her head, as if to steady a spinning world.
"Where am I?" Again, she glances from side to side, shaking her head. "Alice-chan?" The area is fairly busy, and the passing people almost step on her as she tries to stand upright, still wobbly. Her way of moving is as if she were drunk, or had just gotten off a boat, and Kiku can't help but notice that she's not wearing shoes, and her kimono is loose, obi missing, revealing a slightly sheer white slip beneath it. Very informal- her attire is what he would expect from someone at home, relaxing.
"You are in Tokyo, are you alright?" Kiku offers her a hand, one she takes as he helps her up. The shorter girl's face had gone quite pale, and she seems to be breathing carefully, using the hand not gripping his to overlap the garment's edges in an attempt to preserve her modesty, he assumes. The slip really does leave a lot to the imagination, he can only make out a general female shape. His eyes go instead to this female's face, and what he sees are tightly closed lips and barely wide eyes. One might call her slight expression pained, if they were to look carefully enough. It's like what he does, Japan subconsciously notes- the nearly blank face like his own one that tends to get other countries annoyed with him.
"Tokyo?" Her expression morphs to slight panic, accompanied by her hand tightening on his. Something about her seems so... familiar, like a younger sister. It's triggering his older-brother instincts, the ones he hasn't felt full-force since his siblings went off on their own, years ago. Perhaps it's that she reminds him of Taiwan? There is the flower, and general pink scheme of her clothes that are similar to his younger sister, after all. However, the sense of familiarity may just be the fading light bathing everything in the barest of pink glows- not as strong as it could be, the lights of Tokyo outshine the sunset, after all- and playing tricks on his tired and stressed mind. China and he are currently not on the best of terms, and things had devolved into an argument.
"Hai, where do you expect to be?" Something told him to get her out of the crowd, so he turned, pulling the girl gently to the edge of the sidewalk, nearly stepping into a cluster of bushes. They're outside of a small shop, with closed curtains hiding the interior and showing off a window display- electronics. A small bed out front has hedges growing, as if to make it feel like they're not in a busy city. Albeit on the edge of one, but still in a busy city.
"The- The United Kingdom." She brings a hand to her mouth, and Kiku frowns ever so slightly. Was she upset, feeling bad, worried...? Hard to tell, even though usually he's got the mood down in an instant. Kiku opts for being a gentleman. It's usually a safe route.
"Are you feeling alright, miss...?" He stands straight, hands held semi-formally behind his back. She straightens, responding to his tone and bearing of authority. Absently noting details as always, he sees that she is shorter than him.
"Sakura." She takes a shaky breath, closing her eyes. "Honda Sakura. I apologize, mister...?" Kiku feels like someone has just punched him in the gut. Because he doesn't know any other Hondas. As far as he knows, he's the only one with that name. A moment passes, him trying to sort out his thoughts and get over the bottom dropping out of his stomach.
"Kiku. Honda Kiku." A sudden, strained silence (does she not know of any other Hondas as well?), broken only by her taking a very deep breath, brown eyes opening. "I wouldn't happen to know you from anywhere, would I?" Kiku tries to phrase it politely, instead of the (very American) 'Who the heck are you' that's forming in his head. Sakura looks even paler, if possible, cheeks tinging red, then another color. Green?
"I- I don't-" He doesn't know how to react when she breaks off and clenches a hand into a fist, pivoting on one foot to throw up into the bushes. Some sense of compassion surfaces, and he awkwardly pulls her hair from her face, trying to steady heaving shoulders. Sakura steps back after about a full minute, panting, face bright red to look down at her bare feet in shame.
"Moushiwake arimasen! I'm so sorry!" The poor thing can't keep the tears from her eyes, and Kiku can't help but feel sorry for her. She must be feeling horrid, and for this to happen, in front of a stranger, in public? Beyond humiliating. In that situation, he'd be wanting to slink away and die of embarrassment.
"Here, I'll take you back to my place, we can sort this out, hai?" He reaches out a hand, eyes dull and face emotionless as usual, but still somehow inviting. She takes a breath, as if composing herself, and takes it. Kiku notices she's standing a little straighter already
"Hai. Domo." Japanese, although he's not getting the feeling that she is one of his citizens.
"It is somewhat of a long walk, are you comfortable with a taxi instead?" He gently leads her to the edge of the street.
"Hai. Domo arigato."
"You don't need to keep thanking me." He waves a taxi down, opening the door for her. "It's no issue." Sakura looks skeptical as she climbs in, but closes her mouth, sitting silently the whole way back. Her body language suggests that she wishes to be as invisible as Canada is, rather than fully visible as she is.
Kiku pays the driver, guiding Sakura inside. It's a simple house, quiet and comfortably furnished. It's not Greece's cozy chaos or Germany's strict order that has the tendency to get ruined whenever Italy comes to visit- which is often. She lets him sit her down on a couch, eyes resting on a television that has a video game pause screen still up. He shuffles a controller aside, muting the game and staring down at her instead of sitting.
"First. Are you feeling ill?" She looks up with bright eyes, shaking her head calmly. All traces of ill feelings are gone from her face, replaced with curiosity, and a little fear.
"I apologize for that. I was very dizzy, that's my best guess." It's an avoidant answer, one he does not pursue. It's not worth the time and effort, and she appears to have his own habit of talking in ways that don't truly tell you what you want to know.
"Alright. Second, you say you should be in Great Britain? Why so, and how did you get here?" Kiku feels like this is an interrogation, and he is reminded of the World Wars.
"I was helping Alice with a- an experiment, and suddenly I was in the street, crashing into you. Apologies." Experiment? Sudden movement? Odd. Perhaps this is a case for England, at the rate this is turning out.
"You did not black out did you?" He stops, looking down at her. There's something in her features... As if they were closely related, he decides. Same general features, although Sakura is definitely more female.
"No, Alice-chan said something, my vision went white, and I opened my eyes here."
"May I ask what your relation to the country of Japan is?" It's an insane question, something he expects from Alfred, not Kiku. She frowns slightly.
"I work for their government." Oh no. He doesn't know her. He knows everyone who'd not straight out give their government job, and she is most positively a new face.
"What position? I do not believe we have ever interacted." He crosses his arms, face the epitome of blank politeness.
"It's high level." She looks like she's hiding a scowl, wanting to say something. The two face off, silent tension in the air.
"Then you are lying. I know all the high level officers and employees. Not necessarily well, but you are a stranger." He slides a phone from his pocket.
"Perhaps I should call? It's one thing to not want to say what you do, but quite another to lie." The small cat charm on the corner hits against his thumb- a gift from Heracles. The Greek had insisted the cat reminded him of Kiku, he remembers fondly, giving it a small flick.
"Tell them that their avatar is in a situation while you're at it."
The phone clatters to the floor. Kiku stares, mouth blatantly open.
"You?" He feels like he's been cast aside. She can't be. There's no way- because HE is still here.