TO SOME OF YOU WHO READ MY OTHER STORIES!

Like my previous and completed story, The Dragon's Journey Home, this story is pre typed, so don't worry, my focus will not be leaving my other current stories! Also, thanks for reading more than one of my stories, I really appreciate it!

Hello! So, recently I finished Hetalia, instantly the asian countries back my favorite characters, my mind stared spinning, and this is the product! I may be using the wrong name for Hong Kong, but since he has like three I think it's ok. And, IMPORTANT, I probably screwed up so bad with in means of historical accuracy, it's probably about as historically accurate as Columbus using Google Maps to find out where he was when he landed in North America. Plus, I know each of them call China something different, but I made them all call him the same thing in this for effect. Plus Plus, Germany is majorly OOC. So, hope you enjoy!

Everything snapped when Taiwan screamed.

The soldiers had swarmed over the ruined town of stone and wood, fires were filling the air with choking smoke. The eastern nations armies had withdrawn, without any order in the thick blackness hanging in the air, one by one they had fled.

Hong Kong, the youngest, was gone, and now the girl only had Korea to cling to.

"NII-SAN!" She screamed as China disappeared into the smoke of the fires, his wok clutched tightly in one hand, ponytail of hair whipping out behind him.

Hong Kong had been lost in the fight of getting here, he'd disappeared into the fires and China had forced them to keep on running. To get the two of them out with a strong hand on each of their shoulders. It was Allies versus Axis, but at the moment, it was more like the east asian nations versus Axis. The rest of the Allies were no where near, it was simply China, and the rest of his family, versus the might of the Axis powers.

Korea gasped as more Axis soldiers plunged over the wall they'd been partially sheltered behind, they leveled their guns, their orders had been to kill, and they certainly didn't want to face Germany if they disobeyed. Unfortunately, they didn't recognize Korea and Taiwan as nation, for while the order to kill humans had been final, they'd been told, without any argument, not to attack any nations. But, since they had no idea what Korea and Taiwan even looked like, they didn't realize their mistake.

"Mei, look out!" Korea demanded, pushing his sister behind him.

Taiwan felt tears fly from her eyes as they widened and hollowed, the droplets sparkled in the air as she heard the shots, as she felt Korea shudder, as she felt him slowly stumble forward.

She was surprised when, instead of Korea's death cry, she heard the clear sound of a sword singing through the air.

Korea took a shuddering breath.

"W-What..."

Taiwan couldn't take it, she spun and pushed her brother aside, seeing he wasn't covered in a patchwork of bullet wounds, that their was no more blood than what had already been there, seeping into his overly long white sleeves.

Taiwan gasped as she watched a blur of white and gold sail by and another solider fall, unconscious, but far from slain.

Korea gulped hard, he was trembling.

"W-Who is it!? Who's there!?" She demanded, putting up her hands in an offensive position.

Korea shook his head, he'd caught a glance of their savior, he'd just barely seen a ripple of black hair and a spark of fury in the light brown eyes.

"It can't be..." He whispered as he staggered to his feet from where he'd landed on his knees from Taiwan's shove in shock.

"No need for the alarms, Mei, Yong Soo."

They stared up, through the thickening smoke, to the top of the wall, where a figure in white and gold knelt in a pose of action. Katana unsheathed and at the ready.

Suddenly, with frightening speed, the sword wielder shot from the top of the wall, straight past them, and easily dispatched yet another German soldier. His boots skidded with a crunch across the gravelly ground as his whole body leaded sharply backwards to bring himself to a stop, his sword pointed downward as the mans limp form collapsed to the side.

He turned on them with a face free of any emotion. Totally expressionless.

"I thought Nii...China-san and myself taught you two far better than to just turn your backs in a war zone." He stated calmly as he set the tip of his sword to rest in the bloodstained dirt.

"J-Japan...?" Korea murmured.

The very same, he nodded slightly, a single bob of his head.

"Why? Why are you here now!?" Taiwan demanded.

Japan's eyes narrowed, "I remember what you spoke of when we were young. What all of us, as small children, promised. No matter what."

He said softly, then he turned as faced the direction that China had run off in and Hong Kong had been lost in, his cheeks reddened in the intense heat of the licking flames.

"W-Wait!"

Taiwan flung herself forward, seized Japan by the shoulder, and spun him around.

"Your an Axis! Why are you helping us!?" She asked, his voice shrill.

Japan's voice remained steady, his face calm, his eyes wide and unafraid.

"You heard what I said. I remember what we spoke of long ago. I will not be invading your family, though. No need to be scared."

As the nation turned to once again face the flames, Taiwan wrapped very firm hand around his wrist and forced him to face her yet again.

"You act as though you aren't a part of that family." She said.

Japan's eyes, for one brief second, flashed both of disbelief and of a buried pain.

"And you act as though that is true."

Taiwan's eyes were wide and horrified at his words.

"This is the first time in ages you and I have been face to face, speaking ourselves instead of through representatives. The last time a conversation between us happened, it was over the dinner table, on that same night."

Both knew what night he referred to, that night to had been filled with pouring rain, but later, it had been filled with even worse, with blood.

Japan pulled his arm away with an expression almost of hurt, but of course, it was barely a phantom image, and than his mask of calm slid back into place.

"Stay here. Stay safe. I've ordered my troops to cordon off this entire area. No one will bother you so long as you stay within, just watch for anyone coming out of the fires, and keep a close eye out for Li."

With that, for the third time, Korea and Taiwan watched, helpless to anything, as yet another brother disappeared into the deadly flame.

"KIKU-NII!"

Japan gritted his teeth as he heard them screaming his human name, calling him older brother with love and respect he didn't deserve.

He tightened his grip on his sword. For them, it was easy to forgive him. For them...but he knew the head of this unorthodox family would never accept him home. The nation recalled the look of shock on both his younger siblings faces when he'd mentioned how he still remembered that promise. That promise on that long ago rainy day...

Kiku's bored hands flipped the page of the book he was reading as the rain pounded down outside, when Mei came sprinting in with tears in her eyes.

The unprepared japanese boy was violently tackled, knocking the book out of his hands as he threw his arms around his little sister, sobs wracked her body.

"Mei...what is it? Whats wrong?
"Nii-san just got home! He's hurt! He's all wrapped up in bandages that are stained with blood, he's so tired, he didn't even say a word to us when we saw him! H-He..."

She hiccuped as Kiku ran his hands through her beautiful brown hair, trying desperately to calm her.

"It's because of that dumb war! That dumb, stupid war! Why does Nii-san always get hurt when he wasn't the one to declare it on anyone this time! It isn't fair! Why!?"

Japan sighed, wishing he was as wise as his thousands of years old brother.

"S-Sometimes it happens...sometimes people fight...and sometimes people die." Japan said awkwardly as Li and Yong Soo, Hong Kong and Korea, both entered the room. Kiku saw their tear stained faces, their reddened eyes.

They both huddled up to Japan as well and it became quite clear that, with Yao apparently unavailable due to his injuries, that the duty of eldest fell squarely upon Kiku.

"L-Like the book I was reading. In it the brothers fought, and one of them killed the other to claim the land." He stuttered.

"What!? But they're family!" Korea cried out in distress.

Japan sighed, "Yes, but family's fight. They'll hurt and sometimes even kill each other during the times of war."

"Thats awful! Sure, we fight, but we always stay together, we always make up sooner or later!" The white garbed boy exclaimed.

Taiwan sniffed, "That won't happen to us, right, Kiku-nii-san?"

Kiku blinked at the rare use of the honorific, but shrugged it off.

"No." He said firmly.

With Li hanging off his back, Yong Soo under one arm and Mei under the other, the only sister asked.

"We all promise we'll stay a family, right? We'll never hurt each other, no matter what."

Japan smiled, and pulled all of his siblings closer, breathing in the scent of Mei's hair and tightly holding a fistful of Yong Soo's clothes, feeling Hong Kong's arms wrapped tight around his neck, his breath tickling his skin.

"No matter what."

Japan skidded to a halt amid burning buildings, eyes watering against the smoke. That day, that dreadful day in the house, hiding from the pouring rain. That one time that China, no, Nii-san had come home and not even offered them so much as an illusion that he'd be ok. Japan had been willing to promise anything to make his little brothers and sister stop crying. He had, and he'd broken that oath so easily. He'd almost killed his brother, abandon his little siblings in their times of need, and hadn't so much has shared a single kind word with them in many years.

Kiku Honda wiped furiously at his eyes with the back of his sleeve, telling himself it was the smoke that was causing them to water, and continued to charge into the blackening village, struggling with the thoughts and emotions he'd never once had to deal with before.

So, what do you think? I hope you liked it, please favorite, follow, and please review! Thanks!