Italics are Japan's memories. Please review, but no flames! I'm kind of new to fanfics^_^
Japan was on a plane.
It was the middle of World War II, and she was on her way to visit Germany. Not so much a casual visit, as Japan would prefer, or a war mission, as Germany would prefer. No, she needed advice. Not advice, not really, she had already done the deed she would've asked the hot-blooded nation about. No, she didn't need advice. She needed help.
Japan, for probably the first time in her long life, was truly scared it would come to an end. Sure, she had been concerned about her health or worried for her people, but never scared the she would die.
It had been about a week ago that she had begun to feel uneasy. She had considered consulting Germany, but for whatever reason, the fool in her had taken over and she had decided to take action, however rash, stupid, or impulsive it might be. It had been on December 7, 1941.
A small nation clad in a pink kimono walked up to a large house. Japan looked furious, a rather amusing expression on such a frail-looking girl. She knocked on the door, the pounds resonating through the street as the door shook on its hinges.
She had let emotions get the best of her, something she had never done and would try never to do again.
A young woman answered the door, wearing nothing but short shorts and a red and white bikini top.
Japan had no idea what this emotion inside of her really was, even, she had never felt such intensity come from inside of her before that day.
"Hey, Ja-" America tried to greet her friend, but was cut off by a sharp slap to the face. She fell to the floor, not from the strength of the blow, but from shock that it had come.
Her body had felt like it was moving of its own will-she didn't think, didn't focus, just acted on the adrenaline running through her body.
America spat out a tooth, blood dripping from her mouth.
Looking back, Japan regretting doing this to her friend. She didn't even know, really, that she had done it, her memories felt like she was watching someone else in her body. She saw, but couldn't control.
Japan started to talk, somewhere in between a furious whisper and the loudest yell she could manage.
"Why did you think you could stay out of this war? People-people are dying, you can't just sit here and stay neutral, you can't just act okay! Fight, America, aren't you always saying you're the hero? Heros don't sit off in the sidelines doing nothing!"
Japan wasn't sure why she wanted America to fight. It would most likely mean the end of the Axis.
Japan waited for America to get up and yell, hit her, even just look at her. The nation was still staring out the ground, another drop of blood and saliva mixing in with the tiny puddle on the floor. She held it in the palm of her hand, a pearly white tooth glinting in a pool of blood. Japan scowled, something anyone who knew her would run from if they could see it, because for Japan to show such ferocity meant something huge was happening and they probably wouldn't see the end of it. The black haired girl turned on her heel and walked off.
Japan wished now that her former friend had hit her, screamed, done anything except just sit there, deadly still and silent. If she had done something, anything, it would mean the worst of her anger was over. The Western country was impulsive like that, but not to do anything...this meant the girl known as Amelia to her country was saving her anger, bottling it up and it would come out in an explosion-a controlled one. Japan shivered as she realised with a sinking feeling just how literally that could apply. It was one of the few aspects she shared with America, they appeared frail or stupid but underneath the armor they put on, past the sheath of their swords, they both could be deadly. Japan had seen America in her war state before, and it was something that had taken down the British Army before the colony was two centuries old. She had no desire to see it again, but as the old Western phrase goes-hindsight is twenty-twenty.
OOO
The tomboyish nation opened the door before Japan had a chance to knock. She walked inside, still looking a bit confused even after days.
"Vhat did you do, Japan? You vere sounding scared on the phone."
A pearly white tooth glinting in a pool of blood.
"Japan?"
She fell to the ground, not from the strength of the blow, but from shock that it had come.
"JAPAN!" Germany grabbed the dazed nation by the shoulders. That caught her attention.
"Germany...I did something..." The small girl said, quivering.
"Did something like vhat?"
"I...I attacked America." Germany looked shocked.
"I thought she vould be staying neutral in this one."
"She would've...but I...slapped her. At her door. A tooth fell out."
"Vhat." Now it was Germany who was shocked. "You slapped her?"
"Yes."
"In zhe face?" Japan nodded.
"I'm scared, Germany. She didn't yell or scream or even look at me. She's saving her anger. What do we do?"
"Zhe only thing ve can. Ve train, and ve wait."
OOO
It was August 5th, 1945, and the incident had been all but forgotten. News had now reached all of the other countries, some of which were staying true to their word and going neutral, some of which were helping Japan, and some of which were undoubtly on helping America. Japan had fought, yes, but each day she was more scared than the last-whatever America was planning, it was huge and terrible. And with no knowledge of what that could be, the island nation had to try to prepare herself for anything America threw.
The only thing was, you never actually knew what she could throw, much less would throw. Even the baseball-bat wielding girl had ethical limits-Japan hoped.
She watched the clock tick midnight and change to from August 5th to 6th. She felt feverish and dizzy, which could only mean one thing: for the first time since that day in her doorway, she would see America again.
She went along her day, terrified yet relieved that her waiting was over, knowing she could die but thinking that it was better than waiting to forever. And she stepped inside a conference room for a meeting, she noticed it was empty even though she was late and she knew.
She knew America was behind the door and that Germany was right outside of it but she wasn't going to make a sound, not one call for help or pained squeak, not one little noise. She wasn't going to call for help in a fight she had instigated. She wouldn't, not even if she had time to.
As it turned out, she didn't. The moment America was on her she was flipped to the ground and lost her breath, but was otherwise uninjured. The blond girl put her foot on Japan's back. Japan waited for the next blow to come, but it didn't.
"Get up." She heard the words icy cold from her former friend's mouth. She did so, and was surprised when she wasn't struck right back down. "Why did you do that?" Japan gasped for a moment before answering. She knew what the real question was.
"I do not know." She said. "I do not know. I did not think, I did not think at all, I just did and I do not know." The words that came out of her mouth were not the words of a serene island nation, not the words of the Land of the Rising Sun. They were the words of someone who was scared for their life and truly regretted the cause. America didn't look satisfied, if anything, her expression turned even darker than Japan would have thought possible and she knew she had said the wrong thing, and it was wrong but it was true.
"I don't know isn't good enough. 2,400 innocent people were killed. 2,400 families had to go without a mother or father or aunt or uncle or sister or brother. Mothers lost their sons. Daughters lost their fathers. 2,400 broken homes, 2,400 minds marked with grief. 2,400 bodies to bury. 'I don't know' isn't good enough for 2,400 people to accept, Japan! So why? Give me one reason that will satisfy 2,400 grieving mothers! Give me just a single reason why 2,400 little sisters are wondering why their brothers won't come play with them! Give me one!" America was yelling by this point, tears streaming down her face, her arms around Japan's neck in an incomplete death grip she didn't seem to have the strength or will to finish. Germany was in the room but Japan knew that for the sake of her own people Prussia's sister couldn't get involved.
"There...there isn't one." Japan said, seeing stars.
"Damn right there isn't one, Japan. My government is stupid, and do you know what they did?" She didn't. "They locked them up." Japan's heart dropped as she realised who 'they' were. "Every single Asian-American. It didn't matter if they were Chinese, Korean, Japanese, they put them all in camps like we were Nazis." Japan was horrified and Germany openly flinched at the last piece. "You hurt your own people, Japan, my stupidity, but your actions." America kicked Japan in the back harder than Japan knew was possible. She knew her spine was just short of breaking and could feel blood dripping down her back, but managed to keep her footing because America had yelled as she kicked for her to stay standing. "Japan, you took the lives of 2,400 innocents that day and ruined 2,400 more." America hit her on the side of the head, again just below bone-breaking force, only the second time she had struck her in the anger-charged fight. Japan was sure that any normal human would be dead nine times over with a fraction of the force she was using. The brunette fell the the ground, nearly unconscious. "And I'm sorry to say I did the same." Japan's eyes snapped open at that last phrase but quickly shut again as she fell into darkness.
OOO
Japan woke up lying on her stomach in a stark white room. America was asleep, sitting in a chair at her side. Her head and back both throbbed to the slow beats of her heart, and she groaned. America snapped awake. The island nation flinched, not knowing what was to come, but America simply looked over her bandages with the expert skill of...of someone who put them there. Japan's eyes widened as she saw no one else in the room, not Germany, who would have stayed if she'd been allowed inside, and not Italy, who almost wouldn't have been stopped from breaking down the door. No Allies, no Axis, no neutral. Just America. She squeaked and the bandages on her back were peeled back, but relaxed some as a salve was applied. She couldn't believe America, who had been biding her time for four years, was the one healing her from the blows the huge nation herself had inflicted.
"I'll let the others in now that you woke up. Not everyone, they're commanding, but Germany is here and Italy, too." America said quietly. Japan could hear in her voice that there was a second reason the Allies weren't coming.
"Wait." She whispered. America stopped at the doorknob. "Why...why did...you heal me?" Japan asked, her voice barely audible.
"Oh, Japan." The girl said. "We're still friends. It might not seem like that, but that's how I want us to be. I fought you for two reasons only."
"Revenge...and..."
"Revenge and I wanted you to know who you were up against. Before you tried to pull me into a fight again, you deserved to know who you were pulling."
"How many died?" America and Japan both knew that the brunette wasn't asking about American casualties. Tears formed in the energetic girl's eyes.
"We got Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Two bombs. Around 200,000 people." America was expressionless when she said it. Japan was shocked again. What kind of bomb could do that?
What kind of monster could build it?
"It's funny..." America said in a way that implied what she was about to say wasn't funny at all. "They were afraid the Atom bombs would burn up the entire atmosphere and kill everyone in earth but those idiots used them anyway. I wanted normal bombs, Japan. I didn't even know what we were using until it was falling through the air. I did want casualties, Japan, I'm not denying that, but I didn't want them 100 times over. It'll take longer for you to forgive me than me to forgive you...maybe 100 times. I forgive you, Japan, even though you're not the one apologizing right now and it's probably not my place. But I do." America walked out of the room, letting in two nations, both of which looked like they wanted to rip America's head off her shoulders but settling for crowding either side of the bed. America had given the nation some painkillers right before she left, and Japan found herself yawning amidst the chatter of the other two Axis. She thought she could hear an English accent yelling something through the closed door-was England herself actually angry at her sister? For what, Japan didn't know, sleep clouding her brain.
"What happened?" She asked Germany. Germany thought she had been referring to the fight.
"America herself picked you up and carried you here. Zhe girl locked us out, it has been about three days."
"No...with...with the Allies." Japan was so tired now that she could barely get the words out.
"Oh. Zhem? Zhey're angry at her. Even England."
"Yeah, she didn't even-a notice when I tried-a to punch her!" Japan nodded and yawned, finally giving in to the darkness in the back of her minds. But right before she drifted off, she realised something.
"Jealous." She said. Italy and Germany stopped. "I was jealous that America was okay and we weren't." And with that, Japan drifted off to sleep again.