TO SOME OF YOU WHO READ MY OTHER STORIES!

Like my previous and completed story, The Dragon's Journey Home, this story is pre typed, so don't worry, my focus will not be leaving my other current stories! Also, thanks for reading more than one of my stories, I really appreciate it!

I figured China doesn't say 'aru' in his thoughts, or when he's ranting. So...hope you enjoy!

Why is it that I took all of them in anyway!?

China thought as he swept up the last of the glass into a pile before getting down onto his hands and knees to pick it all up.

I could have stopped with Japan, with Kiku, and only had the exploding stove and occasional spilled ink and rice and strange fondness of swords to deal with but nooo...

China grumbled to himself as he shoved all of the pots into the cabinet, having to throw all of his weight into it to slam the door shut.

I have to go and pick up the rest of these idiots. The hall is so wide how can you run right into a display pillar, Taiwan?

China's thoughts became more accusing as he struggled to push the ruined stove outside, he was stronger than any human his size, but it was still a stretch with no one to help him. As his feet skidded on the ground and he felt sweat beading his brow as he pushed, he continued his angry thoughts.

How is someone able to be causing rice to blow up anyway!? I'm not sure thats even possible but of course Japan found a way to manage it!

China pulled out the frier and steamer instead, and began to somehow prepare a delicious meal for five without a major heat source.

Naturally instead of going inside or just ignoring the kid, Korea had to pick a fight with him!

China set the four plates of steaming food and a drink each out onto the table, he wouldn't be able to eat now, he had to finish those scrolls while it was still light outside to avoid keeping the younger asian countries awake with any sort of light source.

How can you just draw all over the scrolls you saw me working late into the night to finish, Hong Kong!?

As China slammed his door, shutting himself up in his room to re-write the scrolls, all of his little siblings came downstairs in their nightclothes and entered the kitchen.

"Where's Nii-san?" Taiwan asked as she scrambled up into her chair.

All of them sat for a minute, not touching their food and waiting for the missing nation, finally, they got tired of patience and jumped down from their seats.

Everyone searched the room and kitchen for the eldest of the five but he wasn't found downstairs.

"He must be in his room." Hong Kong said shortly.

Korea frowned, "You don't think he's that mad at us, right? I mean, I know he just got home and had to deal with all of this, but he, can't be that mad, right?"

Taiwan shook her head, "I know some of us...ok all of us screwed up, but it can't be that bad, right?"

"I'll go see if he's ok." Japan said instantly, heading for the stairs.

"We're coming too!" Korea and Taiwan followed, and, after a regretful look at his still hot dumplings, Hong Kong followed as well.

They tiptoed up the stairs, holding their breath and shushing each other as they moved towards their big brothers room.

They all were silent as they leaned on the wall just outside, they were able to here their brother talking to himself as he copied what he could from his scribble covered scrolls. Thinking out loud was a bad habit they all seemed to have.

"These meetings are going to kill me, after the recent pummeling of my northern borders I swear it feels like I've got someone stabbing me in the back every time I step. Overinflation is becoming a major problem, and every single meeting my boss is ordering me about as if I were his slave! Now the prices are rising and my country is almost broke it's giving me a massive headache the second I get up in the morning. I swear...and when I get home I can't even relax than! All I want to do when I walk through the door is stuff my face and fall asleep but no! Taiwan knocks over a priceless antique porcelain vase, Japan blows up the kitchen, Korea get's into a fight and now I have to redo this entire scroll set, thanks to Hong Kong! All this before tomorrow! I'll barely get time to eat something much less sleep. Sometimes I wonder why I kept on picking up these kids when I could have easily wiped them off to be some other countries problem. Maybe it isn't to late for that yet..."

All four of them stood there, shocked.

"He's so stressed he's not even saying 'aru'." Korea pointed out.

"There's attacks on the northern border?" Japan whispered in terror as the foursome descended back to their dinner and settled back around the table, only to begin picking at their food.

"He said he might still give us to a different nation..." Taiwan continued, whimpering.

"Nii-san said he's in pain all the time..." Korea murmured, poking repeatedly at a dumpling on his plate.

"Theres no money, his boss is a mean bossy boss, he's exhausted by all his meetings, he never gets enough sleep." Japan sighed, they'd always known that their brother China had a tendency to pull quite a few all-nighters, but they'd never once imagined it to be this severe.

"Do you think he's always been hurt like this? He's always so bright and happy when he gets home. No matter what he plays with us all and cooks dinner and gets us all to bed. But he always acts like he'd full of energy, like nothing in the world could hurt him." Taiwan said.

"He fooled us into thinking that nothing could hurt him. But...he's been in constant pain this whole time?" Japan questioned, as if any of his younger brothers or sister could offer an answer.

"B-But...theres no way! When he let us ride on his back? When he would sit on the floor and play games with us for hours? When we'd all jump on top of him when he got home, so hard that we made him tumble onto the floor? When he would chase us through the bamboo forests or get us down when we got stuck in the cherry blossom tree? That whole time he felt like...like someone was stabbing him in the back with every step? He had a terrible headache? Yet he put on a smile, laughed, and bore it?"

"I think so..."

Everyone was in agreement on this.

Japan finally skewered a dumpling on the end of his chopstick and lifted it slowly off of the plate and into his mouth.

He swallowed and than spoke.

"We have to try to be more careful. Nii-san has a lot to deal with as is, we can't add to it. We need to be more careful, and we need to try and do more to help him so he doesn't exhaust himself more when he gets home."

Taiwan looked up, "Your right...I've got an idea! If he doesn't have time to make something to eat in the morning, than we'll just wake up early and make something for him to take with him!"

Japan nodded, "Hai, good idea."

Hong Kong spoke next. "I'm, like, really good at calligraphy, maybe if I find some of his work that he needs to copy, I can, like, do it for him."

Everyone stared, this was practically Hong Kong's first willing sentence of the day, and it was at the dinner table.

"Um...yeah, good idea! While Japan and Taiwan cook and Hong Kong draws I'll clean up so the house looks nice when Nii-san gets home!" Korea quickly submitted his roll in the plan.

"And for now lets all eat, study really hard, and go to sleep before Nii-san has to come in and make us!" Taiwan cried.

"Right!"

So the kids have a plan? We'll see how that goes, please favorite, follow, and review! Reviews make me want to update faster since this is a pre typed story and I can post anytime! Thanks for reading and please read next time!