"Aniki! Where are you, Aniki?"
China stiffened, setting down his knife mid-slice upon hearing the angry tone in Korea's voice. Of course. It was that time of year again. He should've known better than to hope he'd be left alone this time. He sighed into his medical mask.
"In the kitchen, aru."
He turned in time to see Korea stomping through the door, hands on his hips. Japan followed close behind, irritation flashing in his eyes. They were both wearing masks.
"Seriously, Aniki, this is really old," Korea huffed, wildly shaking his head. A cloud of dust flew out of his hair and spread across the kitchen.
"Stop it, aru!" China cried, grabbing his chopping board and placing it out of range of the dust.
"It's your own fault!" Korea countered, pouting behind his mask. "Do something about that stupid dust already! D'you know how many of my people get sick during yellow dust season? And what happened to those trees I sent you to help with the reforestation?"
"Trees...?" China mumbled. Trees... oh. He rubbed his neck sheepishly. "They were all planted in Beijing, aru..."
Korea threw his hands up in frustration. Japan cleared his throat.
"China-san, my situation is not as serious as Korea's, but it's still troublesome. Please stop skirting the issue."
"Man, it wouldn't be so bad if you didn't keep kicking up all those pollutants, too!" Korea ranted, now pacing across the kitchen. China groaned and started rubbing his temples. "I mean, the dust itself is still annoying and people still get sick, but I'm used to the dust! Why do you have to make it worse? And for the love of Admiral Yi, take a freaking bath sometime! I swear, you smell worse than America!"
"Shut up, aru!" China yelled, stomping his foot for emphasis. "You don't exactly smell like a bed of roses either, Korea!"
"That's not entirely my fault, now is it?" Korea said, folding his arms across his chest.
It all degenerated from there. China jumped at Korea and a wrestling match ensued on the floor, both screaming hygiene insults. Japan was left to watch, eyes widened in mild shock.
A few seconds later, he pulled out his video camera.
A few notes:
1. Yellow dust season occurs in China, Korea, and Japan every year, usually between March and May. Dust from the deserts of northern China, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan are blown to the east, covering China, Korea, and Japan. Japan is not usually affected as badly as Korea, where it causes an average of $5 billion a year in damages. The problem has been exacerbated in the last decade or so-the pollution and desertification in China add harmful pollutants and even more dust. Sometimes the dust is blown as far as the western U.S. Over a million people a year get sick in Korea as a result of the dust (me being one of them).
2. Korea mentions that he's used to the dust-the earliest recorded mention of the dust in Korea was in 174 AD during the Silla dynasty. In China it's been recorded as early as 1150 BC.
3. "For the love of Admiral Yi": Dude, if you don't know this guy, Wiki him NOW. This dude is Bad. Ass. My headcanon says that he's pretty much Korea's hero forever. XD On another note, it is also my headcanon that Japan carries a camera with him wherever he goes, just in case.
4. "...Take a freaking bath sometime! I swear, you smell worse than America!": I was talking with a friend and she pointed out something interesting-China probably has some serious hygiene issues due to the pollution. This has now been adopted into my headcanon. XD America would reek as well, though, as Korea says, China smells worse since his carbon emissions are higher than America's.
5. In 2007, South Korea sent thousands of trees to China to aid in reforestation. Where did China plant them? Along roadsides. Way to go, China.
6. In regards to the title, 400 micrograms of dust per cubic meter of air is considered an unsafe level in Korea and they'll start sending out health advisories.