TITLE: Zenbu KANJI teru yo... (I feel it all...)

Pairing: YaoKiku (China-Japan)

Warnings: OOC-ness, slight citrus, shifting POVs, language (maybe), (failed) attempts at stuff like giddiness-inducing fluff, humor, and the like, AU. :D

Disclaimer: I don't own them. If I did, i wouldn't be writing in this segment now, would I?

A/N: Probably not a very original plot... Was inspired by a pic I happened to come across on the net (of China and Japan in what looked like a tutorial session). :9

: aaah, gomen for the OOC-ness. I am still in Hetalia ~Axis Powers~, not even close to Ginmaku or the World Series, so there are probably a lot of things that I got wrong, most especially in their personalities, I think.

: i didn't point out who's who here (seme or uke), but in case it helps for you to decide, i shall inform you that China is 3cm taller than Japan. :9

: this is an AU fic because the countries here will be PEOPLE, therefore i will be using their human names instead of their country names. and don't worry, i'm as weirded out by this idea as you are.

: about the title. it's an excerpt from the lyrics of Arashi's [ Happiness ]. (Arashi's my fave J-pop group of all time. :D anyway, i capitalized "Kanji" 'cuz, you know, this fic does have the Chinese language concerned, and "kanji" is what characters used in Japanese that are borrowed from the Chinese are called. so... yeah. i suck at titles. *hides*

: s'not a lemon. still haven't recovered from what I made Len & Kaito do in "Strangers?", so this will be void of such actions. If not completely, they will be quite subtle. :D

: oh yeah, i apologize in advance for any grammatical or spelling errors. I do my own beta-ing you see. :D

: again, i apologize for the predictability. YaoKiku, SUTAATO! \(^O^)/

[ Kiku POV ]

History class just ended, and any time now, Kaida-sensei will be entering for Chinese class. Don't ask me; I have absolutely no idea as to why a Japanese school would be teaching Chinese... except maybe because our Kanji are derived from Chinese characters, which probably explains everything.

When all the day's classes ends at 3:00pm, I gather my things. I can hear my classmates asking other classmates if they could head for karaoke, or to the newest cake shop just outside of the school gate. I don't get my hopes up; no one has ever invited me to such events, and there would be no reason for them to start doing so now.

I head for my locker just outside our classroom, and that's when a group of third years pass. I step back a little, watching them silently as they pass.

One of them catches my eye: a guy, about my height. Long brown hair, tied into a ponytail that hung on his shoulder. Expressive brown eyes. A panda-designed bag on his bag.

His head turns a bit to my direction and I quickly avert my gaze. It would be rude to be caught staring at someone, especially if he were about two or three years your senior.

When they have passed, I go to my locker and organize my things. With those brown eyes in mind, I head toward the front entrance and home.

[ Yao POV ]

"Yao! You're here!"

I cringed when my French co-worker called my first name. It felt so... intimate. And there was absolutely NO WAY I'd want to be in such terms with a romanticist who seriously thinks that all his plunders and mistakes are jokes from God. He chattered on and on, but I didn't hear a word. I've known Francis for years, and I have conditioned my ears to drain out anything he says, unless, of course, it is of any worth to me.

"Shut your trap, Fran," Arthur muttered - albeit a little too loud to be called a "mutter" - before turning to me and saying, "A Mrs. Honda called an hour ago. She wants a Chinese language tutor."

I nodded. "Did she mention a schedule, aru?"

"She said she'd call us back."

I nodded, before noticing that two certain people weren't around. "Where are Ivan and Alfred?"

"Alfred's out to buy another stock of hamburgers." Arthur grimaced, then continued. "Ivan's out to God knows where."

I've always wondered how the American can stand eating the same thing every day, 24/7, and not gain a single pound in weight. Probably an addiction. Or he's just used to it. The weight thing, I think his mouth can do enough exercising for his entire body.

I, on the other hand, despise it when my food all taste similar. It kind of ticks me off.

Well, as for Ivan... He just plain creeps me out. And pisses me off. Simultaneously.

"What's the address? I'll just head out and talk with her, aru."

"Who the heck are you talking about?"

"Mrs. Honda, aru."

"Oh." Arthur scribbled on a piece of paper then handed it to me. "Here."

I smiled and said my thanks before heading out.

[ Kiku POV ]

I stared long and hard at the strange, alien letters on the page before me, and soon my eyebrows were furrowing - just a tiny bit - but my mother always notices.

"Trouble with Chinese class again?" she asked, back turned to me as she washed the dishes. We had just finished dinner and I was occupying the dining table with my notes and books. I usually study here first before migrating to my room.

I grumbled a bit, which she interpreted correctly. "Kiku, I went looking for a tutor for you."

I dropped my pen.

"He's very good. He actually came while you were out doing the groceries."

I picked it up, and twirled it with my fingers. "I'm not against having a tutor, okaa-san, but you know how people usually respond to me..."

"Which is why I chose someone who seemed good with people. And it's one-on-one." She sighed. "You spend more time at home than with any of the students your age. It worries me."

I looked at her, and I could see that she was sincere; she always is. So I gave in - albeit reluctantly - and she smiled, saying, "He'll be here around 4pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, starting next week."

I retreated to my room not long after the conversation, and just a few minutes after lying down on my bed at 10:30pm, I found myself hoping that my tutor would be the brown-eyed senior I saw this afternoon.

[ Yao POV ]

I check my watch: 10 minutes to 4. I make my way towards the Honda residence. It isn't far, but it's a bit of a walk from the bus stop.

Mrs. Honda and I had talked last week, and along with the things related to my job, she told me about her son, who was to be my charge. Kiku, i think his name was.

"He isn't shy," she had told me. "It's just... He's introverted. He doesn't talk unless he thinks it's needed, and sometimes keeps his opinions to himself unless asked directly. It's often misinterpreted as being cold, but he's not. He's smart, though, so he won't be a burden."

This will probably be the first time I've ever handled someone like that. My last students, both Italians, were quite hard to tackle. Feliciano's world revolved around pasta, music and art, and Lovino was just plain rude. They were able to get the lessons, though (but after a looooooong suffering on my part).

Okay, this is it. I ring the bell, and I can hear someone answer from inside. The front door opens, and Mrs. Honda tells me to let myself in. I do.

"Kiku's upstairs, preparing his room," she says. "Is it all right with you?"

I nod, and she offers me a seat and a cup of tea. In a few minutes, there's a call from upstairs, and she tells me cheerfully, "Well? Let's go."

[ Kiku POV ]

I stand by the door of my room. Everything seemed to be in order. I called out and sat at the table on the floor, waiting.

I have to admit, I am quite... nervous. This is the first time okaa-san ever saw the need to hire tutor for me, so I don't exactly know how to act around one.

I hear the sound of padded feet on the wooden stairs just to the right of my room, and I brace myself, breathing deeply...

...and choking when I see okaa-san with the brown-eyed senior I had seen just last week.

He was... Beautiful. His brown eyes seemed to be sparkling. He was wearing a red Chinese outfit, the kind with the long-sleeved top that reached almost half-way down his thighs to his knees and with the pants that looked like those you use for martial arts. I had to force my eyes away from how his clothes hugged his figure.

"Kiku, this is Yao-kun."

"Nice to meet you, Honda-kun. My name is Wong Yao. You can call me whatever you'd like. I hope we get along." He smiled. My heart stopped.

I shifted to sit on my lower legs and bowed before saying, "Yoroshiku onegai shimasu," barely keeping my voice calm. He laughs. My brain threatens to shut down.

I just know that it's going to be a loooooong night.

[ Yao POV ]

When I entered ESTLTO (Exchange Students Turned Language Tutors Organization; name courtesy of our American member) headquarters (a.k.a. Alfred's home) I was slightly surprised to see that everyone was present today. "We're all here, aru!" I hurried to where my stuff for today's lesson with Kiku was placed, and checked them. "What's the occasion, aru?"

"You've been in an awfully good mood, Wong," Arthur said, the slyness and suspicion practically dripping in his voice. "Did you steal some poor sap's loot?"

I grimaced. "Uhm, no, aru."

"No! I bet he won an all-you-can-eat hamburger buffet!" Alfred piped in from across the room, munching at his burger (duh) while talking. Well, didja didja didja?"

Grimaced again. "Al, I'm not YOU, aru."

"I bet you got laid," Francis butted in. Needless to say, I gave him a good whack with the nearest steel object I could get my hands on (and oh, what a surprise! It was a frying pan. *smirks*).

"I think you helped a freshman with something," Ivan said cheerily.

"Something like that, but..."

He continued, his voice turned menacing, "And tore all the hope out by destroying the something you helped him with, slowly, cherishing every moment of it, treasuring the look of despair and sheer hopelessness on his face-"

I could swear my face turned an unhealthy shade of blue then (I mean, when was BLUE ever HEALTHY on a person's face?), before pushing the disturbing guesses to the back of my head.

"Nothing happened, aru," I said, quickly gathering my things after checking to see if I haven't missed anything. "I have to go to the Honda's, aru."

"Thanks for your hard work," Ivan said, his voice back to being light and innocent again. I swear that guy has a few screws loose, but at least he gets his jobs done.

With a nod, I clean up and head out the door.

[ Kiku POV ]

Yao-senpai has been my tutor for almost three weeks now.

And he's just what I expected him to be the day I saw him in the hallway: outgoing, open, cheerful, friendly... Everything I'm not. And everything I want to be.

Not that I'm jealous of him. No. Rather, I admire him. Very much. Maybe even to the point of liking him. Maybe even more. Maybe. Probably. Most likely.

I bury my face into my pillow. Yao-senpai will be arriving any time now. I am both nervous and very, VERY excited. Sessions with him are the best parts of every week. I never imagined that studying could ever be close to being enjoyable, no matter what the subject.

I heard the doorbell ring, and I knew that it was him. I could tell. He always rings it twice.

I rush to the stairs, and, with a smile, open the door to him. He comes in, and after taking out the snacks that okaa-san had prepared for us before heading out, we go to my room.

[ Yao POV ]

When I saw the disappointed look on Kiku's face, I knew what it meant. I had steadily grown fond of our time together as well, and when it ended... Well. It should be obvious that I would make the same face as him, too.

"I guess that ends our session for today, aru," I say, trying to keep my own disappointment out of my voice.

Kiku watched silently as I gathered my things, his deep, dark brown eyes slightly covered by the bangs of jet black hair. I could tell that he was thinking hard about something, though I have no idea what.

He was never easy to read. He just seemed to open up on his own somehow. Maybe all he really needed was to have someone who didn't have prejudices and was open-minded. And I guess I fit that criteria.

His cellphone vibrated on the table beside his bed. He stood and read it, his face brightening up considerably, before passing the phone for me to read. Well. Talk about timing.

Kiku, I'll be coming home later than I planned.

Is Yao-kun still there?

Please ask him if he could accompany you

for me. There's some leftovers from

lunch in the fridge.

"Is it all right?" he asked, voice soft. I nodded, and smiled, and he smiled back, and worked to reply to his mother's message.

[ Kiku POV ]

Okaa-san arrived about 30 minutes past 6pm, with groceries in one hand, and boxed food in the other. Yao-senpai and I helped her. She gave him a box of the cream puffs she brought home, and he smiled so brightly my eyes threatened to go blind.

He stayed a while longer to help us out with putting away the groceries before okaa-san decided that it was getting late.

I walked Yao-senpai to the nearest bus stop. We sit on the bench, waiting for the bus to come, only a few inches apart, and it somehow felt to me that time had stopped.

I checked my watch just as the minute hand moved forward, and sighed. Well, that certainly destroyed that feeling.

A few minutes later, I could hear the faint sound of wheels on pavement. The bus was coming. Yao-senpai seemed to notice as well. There was a look on his face; one I've never seen before.

Sadness? Not quite. It was more of a... disappointed kind of face. Yes. That's it.

And that's when my heartbeat suddenly sped up. I placed a fist over my chest, mentally telling it to calm itself down, but it wouldn't listen. It just kept on hammering and hammering and hammering...

"Kiku? You okay, aru?" I looked at his face, and the concern was real in those beautiful brown eyes. "Does your chest hurt, aru? Should I walk you home, aru?"

I shook my head, trying to ignore the heat spreading throughout my body just from hearing senpai call me by my first name. "I'm fine, Yao-senpai. Look, the bus is almost here."

He made a pained face, and I immediately regretted my words. "Well, I guess I should be going then," he said softly, that look back on his face again. My chest felt differently this time, like it was being squeezed and crushed.

The bus came to a halt in front of us, and Yao-senpai stood. It felt wierd, like I was never going to see him again if he ever got into that bus, but there wasn't a thing I could do...

So I did the only thing I thought of doing.

"Yao-senpai!" I called out, my voice louder than it has ever been.

He stopped, only a few more steps to the bus' door, and turned to look at me, mild surprise on his pretty face. I felt like backing down, but this was definitely a situation in which I MUST speak.

"I like you. A lot," I said, just loud enough for him to hear. The shock on his face became more evident. "Please consider my feelings." I looked at him, not listening to the urge to break eye contact and hide the blush that I'm sure was forming on my cheeks.

He stayed silent for a while, then his lips curved into a smile. "I'll keep contact with you. See you Thursday."

I smiled back, which turned to a full on grin when the meaning of his words dawned on me. I definitely have a chance. And that was enough to send me dancing, but I decided not to.

I watched as he went into the bus, and settled into a seat near the back, looking out the window and at me. He waved, and I waved back. The vehicle started and I watched as it disappeared into the horizon, a smile still on my face.

[ Yao POV ]

I plopped into bed the moment I stepped into my room, replaying the night's events in my head.

Tutorial with Kiku. Killing time 'til his mom got home. Him walking me to the bus stop. Kiku calling my name just before I stepped into the bus. His confession.

I felt blood rush to my cheeks, and it wouldn't take a genius to know that I was blushing.

After the day I became his tutor and had our first lesson, I felt... attracted to him. After that, he steadily occupied my thoughts. Soon, I had begun to think about the smallest details in his life, like what he was doing, or what kinds of shows he watched, or the music he listened to, or what he did in his spare time...

Having no experience in love or the like, I had searched my mind for any possible cause for such things to happen, eventually settling for "concern and caring", for lack of anything better.

When he confessed to me at that moment, everything made sense all of a sudden.

I liked him back just as much.

[ Kiku POV ]

We were dismissed early from class due to a faculty meeting today.

I checked my phone. Thursday, 3:24pm. No doubt about it.

Despite the amount of time I have left and my attempts to calm myself down, I am practically bouncing on my seat with anticipation. Or anxiety. Or both.

Yao-senpai would be giving me an answer today. At least, I think so. And based on his response, the odds were definitely in my favor.

I feel my face begin to heat up, and I can't sit still and wait. I buzz around my room like a fly on a sugar rush, searching for something to do... and settled for tearing out a page of my Writing class notebook (which doesn't have any lines) and sketching away.

Okaa-san told me that I was good with my hands, and I guess that I am, to a certain point. The image on the parchment began to form, and it wouldn't take a genius to figure out that I had drawn Yao-senpai.

I stared at my work, scrutinizing, checking, correcting, before holding it out before me.

It is my best work so far. I had pinned down the small details; which didn't surprise me, since some part of my mind already knew that I had been slowly memorizing everything I could about senpai.

Satisfied, I inserted it into the pages of the first notebook I could get my hands on, and dozed off into sleep with Yao-senpai in mind...

"Kiku. Kiku."

I opened my eyesand met those of okaa-san's. I glanced at the wall clock...

4:32! Shoot, I need to change, and get my room cleaned up, arrange things a bit before-

"Kiku. Wait," okaa-san says, and my train of thought stops. "Yao-kun won't be coming. He has a fever. A pretty high one. His mother just called."

My spirits sank. No way. I had been waiting eagerly for this day, for his answer, to see him, and-

No. Yao-senpai isn't feeling well. Now isn't the time to be worrying about his answer! How could I be so selfish?

"May I at least visit him?"

Okaa-san places a hand over mine and nods, "I'll call and ask Wong-san first."

As she placed the call, I searched for decent clothes, settled for a white shirt and jeans, and okaa-san came in again not long after, handing me a piece of paper. I looked at her with a questioning look as she handed it to me, and she winks and says, "She gave the OK. That's their address."

I know I must've smiled then, because okaa-san's smile broadened. "Arigatou gozaimasu."

"Dou ita," I hear her say before I zoom out the room and out of the house.

[ Yao POV ]

Even under the thick mass of comforters piled on top of me, I was shivering. Almost violently, even. Of all days I had to have a fever, it had to be TODAY.

I had practically promised Kiku that I'd give him an answer. It was indirect, I know, but he's a smart kid, so I'm sure he got me.

Somehow managing despite the frequent chattering of my teeth, I sighed. I would have to apologize to Kiku, and make it up to him somehow. But how does one make up for a postponed confession? I have no idea.

I looked at the clock on my wall, which read 4:57pm. There was no way I'd be able to go. This stupid fever seemed to have no intention of going down anytime soon.

I turned to look out the window just beside my bed, at the blue sky riddled with wispy white clouds, and just a few minutes later, there was a knock on my door. I answered, but even to me it sounded more like a croak than anything else.

The sound of the door opening reached my ears, and I, assuming that it was my mother, payed no mind to it.

When there was no sound, I turned my head to the direction of the door, and gasped when I saw Kiku there.

"Good day, senpai," he said, voice soft, reluctant. "Or not. Sorry. I should not have come when you're not feeling well."

I shook my hand, and surprised myself at how little effort it took.

He smiled at me. I felt my chest clench up, but definitely not in a painful way. It was more of the "i'm-so-happy-that-my-chest-feels-so-tight-and-i-wanna-scream-out" kind of clenching. I smiled back.

"I brought you some oranges," Kiku said. He placed a plastic bag on the short-legged table a short distance from my bed. "Okaa-san says they're good for fevers. Would you like some?"

I made an effort to throw off the blankets, which, to my surprise, worked. Sitting up was a bit harder, though. But Kiku was immediately at my side, holding out his hand.

I felt heat rush up to my face - it felt good compared to how cold I was feeling just a few minutes ago - and accepted his help. I used my other arm to hold myself up, and I was almost sitting when it gave out, and I collapsed back into bed, the back of my head colliding with my pillow...

...And Kiku right on top of me.

The closeness was a bit awkward, and I could tell he was a bit shocked, too, but I couldn't bring myself to push him off. And besides, being this close to him, I can look straight into his deep, dark brown eyes, and... Have they always been this attractive? And his full, pink lips, and his ebony black hair that framed his face perfectly, so smooth and silky-looking...

He scrambled off of me, and, realizing what I had just been thinking of, my whole body began to heat up. I was actually sweating, something the one-and-a-half foot mass of comforters had failed to do.

There was a silence about us, and I decided to break it. "Kiku, thank you for coming, aru. And for the oranges, aru." I tried to look for the right words. "And I want to tell you that I -"

"No! Not now, Yao-senpai," he said.

Needless to say, I was surprised. Hadn't he been looking forward to this? Isn't it what he came for?

As if reading my thoughts, he said softly, "Let's leave that for another date, senpai. Please. Just rest now. When you're well, you can say anything you want to say to me," and GRINNED.

And then, I knew, beyond any shadow of doubt, that I loved him.

[ Kiku POV ]

My eyes were looking at the board, seemingly paying attention to Kaida-sensei explain the construction of the sentence on the board, but I wasn't actually SEEING it.

Rather, my mind was looking back at yesterday's events. Although I had postponed Yao-senpai's answer, a part of me regretted it. I couldn't even wait 'til Tuesday. It's still half a week away.

Sensei announced the end of class not long after, and, as my usual routine goes, I gathered my things, sorting them out, and headed for the door to my locker. I pick out the books and other things I would need, close the door, and latch on the padlock.

That's when Yao-senpai and his fellow seniors decide to come by. He smiles as he sees me, and I smile back a little.

"You go on ahead, aru," he tells his friends, three of which are blond, the other had white-gray-ish hair. All of them were foreigners. He walks toward me.

One of them, the shortest blond with thick eyebrows, smirks, but doesn't say a word.

"Kiku! You heading home, aru?"

I turn my gaze towards him, and I nod. "Hai. Okaa-san wants me to be home early today."

He nods, ponders for a moment, then grabs my wrist, dragging me. He's stronger than he looks. "I'll only take a bit of your time, aru," he says, and pulls me up the stairs.

We're on the rooftop in a few minutes, and he's breathing a bit heavily.

"What is it, Yao-senpai?" Amazingly, my voice remains calm, though my heart's going its wild way again, trying to break my ribcage.

"Thank you for visiting yesterday. I think it helped a lot with my fever." He grins. I open my mouth to ask what he could POSSIBLY mean by that, but he stops me. "Now, I want to answer you. I don't think either of us can wait for it."

I nod dumbly.

He presses his lips against mine in a dry, chaste kiss. "I love you."

I knew that his answer would be in my favor, but to use the word "love"... Or a kiss for that matter. My jaw drops. Blood floods my face. I just I knew I made a weird sight.

He laughs. "Ah, yeah. Sorry. I didn't think 'like' would cover it. And the kiss..." He turns pink. "It was a bit-"

I recover quickly, and pull him into an embrace before he could finish. "I love you, too, Yao-senpai."

We stay like that for a while, just feeling him in my arms, feeling his hands around me, of each other's breathing, of his smell, and the softness of his hair, and I am unaware of how much time has passed until he says, "I thought you had to go home early."

"Ah! Gomen!" I abruptly let him go and pick up my bag, which I had dropped at some point. How do you expect me to remember anything other than things about senpai at moments like this anyway? "I guess I have to go now..."

He smiles, and says, "I'll call."

With the promise of still being able to hear senpai's voice, I smile back, wave and disappear through the door and toward home with a skip in my step.

My life was definitely looking up.

- OWARI -

Okay, that's it! :D

Sorry if it was a little unengaging (is there such a word? O_o). It was kind of hard to get into these guys' characters... (-_-")

And yeeeessss, I actually succeeded in keeping it FLUFFY! hohohohohoho! (^O^)

I hope I did a good job anyway, despite my lack of knowledge and everything else! *looks at readers expectantly* (*w*)

Oh yeah, the Kaida-sensei I mentioned. She's China's seiyuu. Ehehehe. .

Anyway, you guys know the drill! R&R, onegai shimasu! :D

P.S. I openly accept constructive criticism and compliments, but FLAMES will be promptly ignored, so making the effort to type them is a waste of energy you could've used for something more useful... like giving me or other writers constructive criticism and compliments. *grins*