It is a cool morning with a soft breeze in the great estate of China. Wang Yao, the nation of China-Tang himself, his little wards Kiku and Mei are having breakfast when the letter that changes everything arrives.

"Well?" The servant who has been bowing in front of him is quaking. "Well? Must I repeat myself?" There is a menacing tone in the man's voice and the servant stutters. "It...It is from Silla, my Lord."

"Why is Silla's king sending me a letter?" Yao continues eating his dumplings as Kiku and Mei silently kick each other on the shins under the table. Mei misses and hits Yao instead, who gives her a glare made of iron. "It..It was from Lady Silla." Oh.

Now all of them are staring at the letter from the Kingdom of Silla, the only survivor of the Three Kingdoms. Yao is handed a jeweled letter opener and he carefully opens his letter. As he reads, there is a look of surprise and betrayal, along with anger on his delicate features.

China glares at the letter he has received. "Lady Silla has given birth...to twins?" "Yes, my lord." Wang Yao stares at the neat chinese characters written by Silla, and hurls the letter out the window.

Seeing his older sibling upset, Kiku, who is Japan lifts an eyebrow. "Lady Silla is Lord Baekjae's sister, isn't she?" "Yes, she was." Mei-Taiwan corrects her sibling. There is a very long pause as they recall the fall of Gogueryeo and Baekjae.

China calms himself, then stands. "I will be leaving for Keomseung." "My lord..." "Prepare the ships." As the servant scurried away, muttering about masters doing anything they pleased, Yao glared at nothing in particular. He was the great Tang dynasty, but even he could not do anything about Silla.

The youngest of the Three Kingdoms and the only survivor, the girl had a way of making people want to protect her. She had been the shy one, while Baekjae had been the outgoing one; the beautiful lad had even made ties with Kiku. And there was Gogueryeo-the daring, fierce one. He knew that the two lads had been a part of Silla's foster family, but he had not hesitated in killing them. Silla had cried and cried, but she knew it was necessary and she had put aside her feelings. Now, though...Yao put a hand on his face. 'Please tell me that there is no father...'

Keomseung was peaceful, but there was anything but peace in the great house of Silla.

"Lord Yao! Please calm yourself."

One of Silla's maids tried to stop him. "Where is your lady?" "She is in her room." He roughly pushed the girl aside, and threw open the doors.

Silla lay on the bed, hair strewn out. Her eyes flickered, staring at him. "Why, you foolish girl?" She didn't answer him. "You should have told me."He shouted, despair clouding his gaze. "You would have killed them." She replied in that soft, melodious voice of hers. Them. Of course the girl was a mother, and yes, China would have forced her to give up her offspring. But still, it hurt not to be informed.

"The fath.." "Dead. You killed them." Again, the word them. Why was she even saying the word him in plural? Silla refused to answer. There was crying from the cradle next to her, and Silla picked up a bundle of silk. Her hands shook, and Yao could see how thin she was. Gone was the strong, beautiful girl radiating health. She was weary, his Silla. "Hush, don't cry, my son. You must be strong like your father." As she crooned to her son, Yao glared at the bundle. He was the reason Silla was weak, and Silla would fade because of him. The baby stopped crying, and the mother slowly arranged herself in a sitting position.

The boy stank of Gogueryeo. His cries sounded like the war cries the general had made during battle-yes, the lad had been a general. His hands were wrapped into fists. "I heard you had twins. Where is the other boy?" "Girl." She corrected him as the door opened. "My lady, your daughter..." "Give her to me." Yao cut into the talk, and Silla's maid quaked under his gaze. "My lady..." "Yes. You may give him the child." The maid handed him a second bundle.

The girl, was nothing like Gogueryeo for a change. She was not crying or kicking, and she looked peaceful, her eyes closed. The twins looked alike, but they differed in personality already. Just like Goguereo and Baekjae.

Silla sighed, and leaned on her pillow. "Yao-nim, please don't hate my children." So she knew. "They are sapping your strength." "They are not the reason I am weak." He knew about that, knew about the money the rich were squandering, knew that the poor were dying in Silla. Keomseung was the only place in Silla that showed no signs of upheaval. "What will become of your children?" He knew her answer. "I don't know." Her gaze was blank, staring at her son, now sleeping. "Silla, you must grow strong again. Think of your children." He tried to persuade her. "Yao-nim, I'm so tired. I...I can't try anymore."

Silla was weak, although he didn't want to believe it, the nation was crumbling. She was dying. He stared at Silla's boy as he made up his mind. "Your child, I will raise it." There was a long silence. "You?" "Is there another me in this room?" Yao hated the fact that the boy also belonged to two dead nations which he loathed, but this was Silla's child and also a new nation. There could be an exception.

"Give me the young lord." The nation nodded her head as she spoke. "You will take good care of them?" "Since when did I say anything about them?" It was either the boy or the girl. He would not take both. It was an insult to him, that he would have to raise a piece of his enemy as his ward, and it was insult to injury if he had to take two pieces.

Silla glared at him, suddenly stronger. "What of my daughter? Is she to die like me?" Yao's head ached. His heart itched, and he longed for home, where everyone respected him, where there was no demanding. "I will not accept both." His voice was firm. Silla looked as if she was slapped. Her voice quavered as she spoke. "I, as the mother of these children, ask that you take both, or you take none."

He almost screamed at her. He, the great Tang dynasty, lost his temper. "Are you in a position for bargaining with me?" The thousand year old nation shook her head. "No, Yao-nim." Her voice was sad. "Then don't ask things like that of me. Ridiculous, to think that I would raise that imbecile's children...Even one is too good for that hot-headed, blown up boy! Your children reek of Goguryeo and Baekjae!"

There was a long silence as tears fell from Silla's face. "Are you done?" She asked, her voice barely over a whisper. "Are you done insulting my children and their fathers?" Yao stuttered. "Silla, I..." The country of Silla rose to her feet, grabbed the pillow next to her, and hurled it with all her might at Yao-hitting him on the chest. The only problem-Yao was holding the infant that the nurse had passed to him.

The child awoke, and instantly started to bawl. "Oh, child, I...I'm so sorry...Umma is sorry..." Silla snatched the child from him as she comforted the girl, her tears mixing with the child's. Soon the infant calmed, and was laid next to her brother. Yao did nothing, for he was even regretting why he had come.

"They thought one of them would die." Silla speaks suddenly. He doesn't say anything. "Their fathers died. One of them had to fade." Her voice is almost calm, but Yao knows. Inside, Silla is tearing up.

"The girl-her temperature wouldn't go down." Now Lady Silla is shaking. "I tried everything, all of the medicines that I knew of, all of the doctors. They told me they were sorry." "And yet your daughter lives on." Yao took his chance. "Live? She barely survived. I cried, and cried and cried, and I did the only thing I could." "What did you do?"

The younger nation did not meet his eye. "What did you do?" Her eyes were wet. "I wanted to make sure...that she wouldn't have to die in pain..." Oh. Looking at Yao's face Silla only laughed. "It wasn't the first time I saw death." So she had tried to kill her child.

"And then?" "She...she...she pushed my hand away...with all the strength in that tiny body...and...she...she stared at me." Silla finished the sentence and buried her head in her lap. It reminded Yao of when Silla, the soft-hearted child had come to him with a problem she needed help with. "I'm a horrible mother." Yao patted her on the back, he had to. "There, there, she's very much alive."

"It's not that! No one will care for her when I die!" Silla whipped her tearful face out. "Silla-" "I tried to kill her. You don't want her. They-my countrymen believe women are useless. What will become of her?" Yao tried not to give her hope. "Silla, I cannot take two." "Then take none." The girl snapped at him.

"Insolent child!" "I have to be insolent. I am her mother. She deserves a life, just like her brother. It wasn't her fault that she was born a girl. Orabuni, what will happen to her when I die? She will be sold to some nobleman as if-as if she were livestock, or she will die!"

Yao's head was filled with thoughts.

Baekjae's horror when he saw Silla with Yao. 'Silla, get away from him! He will hurt you!' Even when he knew his sister had betrayed him, the sadness and worry in his eyes as he fell-beautiful Baekjae.

Goguryeo's snarl as red blood fell from his chest. 'How could you sell us? How could you do this to me when I...I...' And as he slumped on the floor, his limp hand reaching for Silla-fierce Goguryeo.

And now...

"She will die! How can I close my eyes in peace? Please, please, this is the last thing I ask of you." This nation who had feared, admired, worshipped him, and yet never loved him.

He felt his hand being touched. It was one of the children. The girl. Her tiny hand wrapped around his finger, her eyes cloudy but curious.

I am a busy man. I am an important nation. I cannot afford to take two more youngsters.

"No more groveling from you, Silla. I cannot take this behavior."

I will extend my kindness and take one.

"I am your friend and closest relative."

I cannot take the girl.

And I cannot lie.

"I will not lie to you."

Silla's eyes closed. She would submit. Oh, his sweet Silla. "My poor child." The nation whispered, and a fresh tear fell from her face.

I am China. I will not be moved.

"I will take Lee Ha Eung as my ward."

"Do as you wish."

Silla's voice was brittle now.

"You are heartless, China."

I am not heartless.

"You killed her fathers. You take care of Japan and Taiwan. And yet you cannot take care of my blood."

Japan and Taiwan... But I cannot...And yet I...I will suffer.

"FINE! DO IT YOUR WAY! I WILL TAKE BOTH!"

He had never yelled before.

"What?" Silla's expression was that of shock. "You are China. You do as you please." "I am doing as I please." Yao snapped as the maids around them quaked. "But...you.." "I have a conscience!"

Yao grabbed one of the servants. "You. You will prepare for my departure tomorrow. You will make sure that my wards have a comfortable journey. Are we clear?" "Y...yes..." The servant ran for it.

"I...Yao-nim..." "Silla, I am taking both of your children as you wished. And this is my final stand."

Leaving the flustered nation behind, he walked into the guest room that was prepared for him, and threw himself on the bed. Unchinalike behavior. Something more like that scoundrel Goguryeo would have done.

He wasn't doing this because he was generous. He wasn't taking Silla's children in because he cared for Silla. He wouldn't have minded caring for Silla, but the spawn of the two biggest fools in the world? No. Even if he cared for her. The real reason he was doing this-why he had changed his mind-it was so obvious.

These children would care more about him than Silla would have ever done. They would worship him, admire him, quake before him, and love him. It would be safer to have both children. What if one of the other countries took the girl? He didn't want competition for the Korean peninsula. Yes, they could say he was selfish. But he was the great China. He needed the Korean support, and that was how China returned with two children instead of coming alone.

Yes, I know China's supposed to be the warm big brother character. But I wanted to make him into a calculating character in here. No, I do not dislike China! It's so that I can show you how he warms, and gradually changes. Well, I did it. The first chapter of Kimchibun-CS. WOW. So I thank all of you who are reading!-Sincerly, 수화