Taiwan shivered, staring wistfully out the window. It was the 25th of December, 1941 - Christmas Day - and she was all alone, as usual.

Not that she minded too much. She had gotten far too used to Japan leaving, going out on military expeditions and leaving her here. Without someone to watch over her in the meantime, you might wonder why she did not simply run away. The truth was, Taiwan couldn't bear to leave him here. He was so cold now, so perhaps, if given a chance, she'd be able to bring back her old friend. Besides, she knew escape was futile - he would only bring her back again, away from S. Korea, and Teacher (China), and the others.

"Merry...Christmas..." she mumbled softly, leaning against the wall. Another lonely Christmas, without being surrounded by family and friends. Taiwan could almost cry, but she didn't. All her tears had been used up, and besides - she was used to this.

Still, her heart ached to think of all her friends back home, probably having a grand celebration right now, perfectly fine without her.

"S. Korea would be running around, playing in the snow," she smiled slightly, thinking of the happy-go-lucky Asian. "Teacher would be yelling at him, freezing from the cold...Japan would have made tea for us, steaming hot cups to drink...and, Hong...Kong.." she choked, squeezing her eyes shut.

What was this feeling? Whenever she thought of him nowadays, her heart filled up with a sense of joy, and her cheeks began feeling warm. Taiwan thought - knew - she had felt this way before, but after being apart for so long, she didn't remember what it was called. Nonetheless, she knew that it was strong, the strongest emotion she'd ever felt. If only she could find out what it was again...

Sighing heavily, she lay her head on the wooden table before her, closing her eyes.

It only felt like a minute before her eyes fluttered open, taking in the surrounding noise.

Raptaptap A small knock was heard from the front of the house, coming from outside. Curiously, Taiwan lifted her head off the table, gazing up at the door before her.

"Japan?" She called, standing up. "I-is that you?"

Raptaptap the knock started again.

"Ja..pan?" She tilted her head, confused. Who else would visit her besides him? But if it was indeed him, then he shouldn't have to knock, should he?

Approaching the door, she squeezed her eyes shut, touching the cold wood of the door panel. Slowly, she pushed it to the side, opening the door a crack. Opening one eye, she tried peeking around the side, sliding the door further. To her surprise, the door suddenly slid all the way to the left, opening fully. A figure clad in red greeted her, standing in stone silence at the doorway.

Blinking in the light, she squinted, trying to make out the identity of the unexpected guest. His appearance was that of a stranger, but she had a feeling that despite all that, she really did know him. Realization struck not a minute later, and she hesitantly ventured a low: "Hong...Kong?"

Instead of responding, the figure swaggered forward, wobbling unsteadily. Without any warning at all, he immediately toppled, falling on-top of her.

"Ah-Agghhh!" She yelped, backing away. She shifted his loose form until he was resting against her shoulder, arms hanging limply at her sides.

Grunting, she swayed to and fro, carrying him towards the back of the house. Dropping him almost unceremoniously onto the tatami bed, she crumpled along the sides, panting heavily. After she had caught her breath, she raised her head slightly, peering up over the side of the Japanese-style bed.

He was definitely Hong Kong, all right. His hair was a dark brown, long and swept over, with huge snarls from poor care. His duangua was wrinkled and dirty, faintly smelling of thyme. The sash around his waist was torn, his pants full of rips and tears. The bandages wrapped around his lower legs were also scratched, some areas stained with a light brown-which, upon further inspection, were most likely dried blood.

Pushing herself up, she peered over the unconscious body of her old friend. Tilting her head, her eyes traced over the curves and angles of his jawline, moving down to his Adam's apple and the open collar of his garment. While she observed him, the pieces of hair tucked behind her hair came loose, falling across his face. Wrinkling his nose, his facial features scrunched up by the sudden ticklish sensation. Fluttering his eyes open, he gazed up at the worried face of Taiwan.

"He-hello, Taiwan." he greeted her, the corners of his mouth turning up in a smile.

Blinking again in surprise, Taiwan yelped, moving away quickly. A light blush coated her face, and she instantly drew her hands to her face in alarm.

"W-what's wrong?" He asked, pushing himself up off the bed.

"N-nothing!" She answered quickly, waving him away. What was wrong with her?

"Oh. Oh...kay." he yawned, stretching his limbs. "H-hungry..." he muttered a second later, falling back across the bed.

"Huh?" Taiwan sat up. "Are you hungry? We don't have much in terms of food here, but I'm sure I could whip up some dumplings for you."

Hong Kong smiled again, looking up at her sleepily. "T-that would be great, thanks."

Sighing in relief, she turned away, heading back to the kitchen. This was such a surprise. Not necessarily a bad one, either-she wasn't entirely thrilled at the prospect of staying home alone today, and it would be wonderful to share it with, at least one person...

The dumplings were ready fairly quickly, and Taiwan carefully carried the tray of steaming treats back to Hong Kong. Sitting on the side of the bed, she set the tray down, taking a small dumpling for herself.

Taking two for himself, he graciously bit into one, chewing thoughtfully. Eyeing him closely, she was relieved as he grinned, clearly enjoying the taste of her snack.

"Mm!" He said, biting into his second dumpling. "These are delicious."

Taiwan laughed gently, nodding her head. "Xiexie! Thank you! I haven't made these in a while, so I was worried if they would turn out okay."

"Well, they turned out good to me," he replied, taking another handful.

Turning to face him, she frowned, observing the small scratches on the other side of his face. His lip also had a slight cut, causing him to wince at every other bite.

"Are you okay?" She asked, biting her own lip. "I could treat your wounds, if you don't-"

"I'm fine." He retorted quickly.

"But.." she said. "I mean, you're obviously hurt so-"

"I'm fine, trust me." He said again.

"Still, I have to treat that-" she reached out, trying to touch him.

"I said, I'm fine!" He snapped, glaring at her and grabbing onto her extended hand. In the process he had pulled himself up, his face wavering in front of hers, only separated by a few inches.

Taiwan opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. He was so close. So close. She could reach out and just-

A hot blush came across her cheeks, and she closed her eyes tightly. Faintly, she thought she heard someone calling her name, but she dismissed it.

"My..wrist..." she finally spoke out. "It hurts."

Opening her eyes, she saw Hong Kong let go of her wrist, his hand dropping to the bedside.

"...Sorry." he mumbled, swaying slightly. He hoped she didn't notice the pink tinge in his cheeks.

When his hand reached up suddenly, Taiwan cringed, bracing for impact. A minute later she looked up, and felt him tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear. He stayed like that for a minute, gazing deep in her eyes, before falling back onto the bed, sighing loudly. After a moments silence, she whispered:

"...Thank you. For being here this Christmas."

Hong Kong turned his head to look back up at her. "You're welcome, I suppose. It wasn't my choice to come here, but I'm glad you're here, at least." He coughed uncomfortably, turning back to the side.

Taiwan smiled gently, taking his hand in hers. "Merry Christmas, Hong Kong."

"Merry Christmas, Taiwan." He looked back at her, grinning.

Taiwan closed her eyes, laying her head back. She was finally at peace. She knew it wouldn't last forever-the war was still going on, anyways. But for the meantime, being here with him, she forgot all her troubles and had a wonderful Christmas. During the next few years, they managed to stay in touch in Japan's house, until they parted again after the world war was finally over.

It wasn't until after he returned to England that she realized what that mysterious feeling was.

It was love.

She loved Hong Kong.

She loved him, and again, he was already gone.