Yong-soo stared at himself in the mirror. He practiced smiling. He looked at himself in the right. He turned his face to the left. He looked like his normal self. But will he be able to survive the day like this? He wasn't sure. Yong-soo shrugged to himself, and left the bathroom. He walked back into the meeting room.
"Ah, took you long enough!" Alfred said cheerfully to Yong-soo. Yong-soo smiled to Alfred.
"I'm sorry, I have I missed much?" He asked politely. Alfred chuckled.
"All you missed is Belarus throwing a lit candle at Lithuania." Alfred answered back. Yong-soo laughed with him.
"I can't believe I missed that! I hope Estonia recorded it." And Yong-soo walked away. He sat in his seat, and took out his game. He just needed to stay like that for the rest of the day, then-
Yong-soo felt a hand on his shoulder and whipped around, smacking the hand away. His wild eyes landed on a shocked faced Kiku. Every eyes were on him. Yong-soo closed his eyes, and said quietly, "Don't. touch me." Yong-soo slowly opened his eyes, and gazed into Kiku's eyes hard. "Don't EVER touch me again." And he walked out of the room. He felt frustrated. Why couldn't he hold it in? Why couldn't he just be his usual self and-
Yong-soo looked around. Either he just turned color blind, or there was something strange going on, because suddenly, everything was grey. Different shades of grey, but still, everything was grey. Yong-soo looked back at the room. Everyone stood still. No one moved. Yong-soo panicked. What was happening? What was- His eyes landed on a shining orb of light. He felt something in him feel instantly calm. He wished to get closer to the warm, bright light. His mind went blank, he forgot what everything was happening. Right now, that orb, was all that mattered to him. He reached out his hand, and touched the orb gently. Like a wave of water from a drop landing in a giant sea, there seemed to be a wave of energy flowing from the orb to the air, making circles, getting wider and wider, and the light turned brighter and brighter, until Yong-soo could not see anything anymore.
When Yong-soo once again opened his eyes, He first noticed he could see colors again. The next thing he noticed, was that he was staring into Kiku's face. But he instantly realized something was different. Kiku wasn't in front of him. A Mirror was in front of him. Except, he didn't see his own reflection….Yong-soo looked down at himself, and found himself clothed in a white navy uniform Kiku used to wear all the time. Yong-soo jumped. He stared back at the mirror. He saw Kiku's face in a way he never saw before. It was twisted in panic, and fear. That, was his own face, he realized. He, was Kiku. There was a sound of a creak behind him, and he saw there was an open door behind him. He walked to it, and opened the door. There was a sound of angry voices in that door.
"Please, you do not understand, he may be just a country to you, but he is a BROTHER to me!" Yong-soo felt himself sucked in, and he knew he was in Kiku's body. Kiku's voice shrilled in the small room. There was another man. His eyes were cold and sharp. His dagger-like gaze and low, harsh voice made it feel like they were looking up at him.
"Right now, what he is to me, should be what he is to you. Right now, you will listen to ME. You are a country I rule. And you are not any country. You are Japan. You will succeed the world." The man told Kiku. Yong-soo could sense that Kiku felt fear, guilt, but mostly, shame. Yong-soo could feel Kiku's defiance lower. He always knew Kiku was too weak-spirited.
"But, boss, please….please listen to my plea just this once…." Kiku begged. The man frowned. His eyes were like sharp icicles, ready to pierce.
"You will realize when we conquer the world, no country will survive. There's no point in keeping them living longer. Cut all ties with them yourself. That way, it's easier when you kill them." He said cruelly. Yong-soo wanted to shut it off. To shut off that man's voice.
Yong-soo felt the same sucked-up feeling, and in a second, he was in a different place. Yong-soo could see Alfred, with a pained, hateful look.
"You…Kiku…I will pay you back for this!" Alfred cried out in anguish. Yong-soo felt Kiku's feelings of guilt calm down, squished down with 'duty' and 'responsibility'.
"Do try, America-san. I will get what I want." Yong-soo heard the harsh words leave Kiku's mouth. Yong-soo felt Kiku's heart feel pressured, and his throat feel stuffed. But Kiku, without any expression walked away. He heard Alfred's cry out in frustration. Right of them, was the burning land. Pearl Harbor.
What Yong-soo saw next, was something he never expected. It was raining. Kiku was standing in the rain without an umbrella in front of the gates of China hyung's house. Yong-soo saw Kiku holding his Katana. He could hear Kiku's complicated thoughts in his head.
'It's China. I can't possibly…'
'I have to…the people are depending on me….'
'I can never win this…'
'Then I can lose, and no one can blame me…'
'But if I fail….'
Fail…that word echoed in Kiku's head. Fail. That one word seemed to hypnotize Kiku. To bind him to a future he would regret. Kiku clutched to his katana tighter. He pushed open the doors. Inside, there was happy noises.
"China Hyung!"
"Yong-soo! Please, come here and help me aru!" Yong-soo felt Kiku choke up. Kiku stopped walking towards the house. He could see from the rice paper window the shadows of China and….himself, a younger self, cooking.
"China Hyung! Look! It'sa tiger!"
"It looks more like a snake, Yong-soo aru. Now, stop fooling around with the dough and make the buns with me aru." Yao lectured.
"Yes, sir!" Yong-soo's happy voice shouted. Kiku looked back down at his katana. Yong-soo screamed to Kiku,
"NO, STOP! DON'T DO IT!" Yong-soo had seen the times when Kiku stared at Yao's back, making a dark face. He obviously regretted it. But it was hopeless. This isn't something he could change. He could only watch. Kiku grabbed his katana, and pulled it off its sheath. Kiku held it tightly in his hands. Yong-soo could see Kiku's hands were shaking. The front door of the house opened, and Yao walked out of it. He just vaguely saw that it was Kiku, and said brightly,
"Hey, Kiku! We made dumplings! Hurry up and come here aru!" But when Yao's eyes landed on Kiku's sword, his face tuned pale. "…Kiku." Yao said in a warning voice. Kiku held the sword high, then swung it right across Yao's back-
NO!
Yong-soo pushed himself out of the place. Yong-soo could feel his whole body shake. But it wasn't over. He was still in Kiku. Kiku looked down on…Yong-soo. He was shorter then Kiku, but had the glare that showed all the hate, all the defiance in the world. Yong-soo could hear Kiku's thoughts, screaming-
'It's not my fault! I never wanted-'
'What happened with China, you weren't suppost to see-'
'If only you never tried to defy me…' But Yong-soo could tell Kiku knew it was all just excuses. If it was from the beginning, then maybe he could have stopped. It's too late now. Kiku struck Yong-soo.
"Lower lives don't look at the higher levels in the eye. Remember that." Kiku spat out. But it went all wrong. Kiku didn't want to strike him. But Yong-soo was defiantly glaring at Kiku. Kiku's hand was warm from the slap. Yong-soo's face was red. Why did it have to happen. He wanted to be a dependable older brother. Why had things turn out this way….
Kiku sat alone in the meeting room. The war was over he had lost. No one sat next to him. All eyes were on him. Everyone was glaring at him. The few who did not didn't meet him in the eyes. He was still healing from the damage of the nuclear bombs, and could not speak. He heard footsteps. Kiku turned his head, and saw Yong-soo. Yong-soo's eyes met with Kiku's. Yong-soo's eyes were blazing with hate. With anger. With…betrayal. Kiku had to look away. But Kiku could tell. Yong-soo thought his apologies weren't real. Alfred wordlessly glares at him. England gives him a disgusted look. France maintains the cheerful aura, but does not come over to him. He was all alone. He had lost what he had. He had everything. Why couldn't he see it?
Yong-soo felt tortured. Why couldn't he have the peace of thinking Kiku was being mean from his heart, so Yong-soo could hate him as he pleased? Why did this event have to come and show him Kiku wasn't evil, so he couldn't hate him? How could he hate Kiku, after this? But how could he NOT hate him, after how many people died because of him? But Yong-soo knew. He wasn't the only one hurt, and everyone else has moved on. Except for North Korea, everyday plotting for revenge, always having that heavy hate and feeling of betrayal in his heart. Did he want to be like North? But does he have the heart to move on?
Yong-soo blinked. He was in the meeting room again. All eyes were on him. Kiku's startled eyes looked at Yong-soo. Yong-soo stared back, and saw. Kiku's expressionless face. Yong-soo realized. Kiku now has a habit of hiding his strong emotions in his hard mask. And the one who most gave Kiku hate was, Yong-soo himself. Yong-soo could see in Kiku's eyes that Kiku was expecting Yong-soo to snap. To yell at him. To shower him in hate. Yong-soo could see that giving Kiku more and more hate would hurt him. But hurting Kiku's feelings will not give him the revenge he wanted. Yong-soo ran his fingers through his hair.
"Sorry Kiku. I kinda panicked. I was in the middle of killing the boss, you know?" Yong-soo said, waving his game. Kiku's face softened. Everyone went back to their own business. Kiku nodded, and walked away. "Hey Kiku!" Yong-soo yelled to him.
"Yes, Yong-soo?" Kiku answered.
"We…we should have more memories!" Yong-soo said. Kiku slowly nodded, and walked away. More happy memories. Happy memories to equal, or to even bury the bad memories. It's just a try. It couldn't hurt. That decision lifted away a great amount of weight off of Yong-soo. Yong-soo smiled, and thought,
'I wish North could feel a relief of the heavy feeling, someday.'
The naive forgives and forgets. The fool never forgives, neither forgets. The wise forgive, but never forget.- …I forgot.
This story would have been my 2nd one if I posted this chronologically. But now, it's my 8th one. Don't know if anyone would like my Serious!Yong-soo, but I wanted a part that actually made Kiku look good XD I know, it was kinda hard. Not that Kiku's not a good country *serious* But during WWII setting….it was kinda hard. Hope you liked?