Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot
Warning: Historical events involved. However there may be historical inaccuracies as well. Some content about US x UK has been added to the fiction from this chapter on.
Hong Kong had never expected before that so many radical changes would happen to him in such a short period of time. He took off the scarlet chanson and put on a prim suit with black a bowtie. He picked up knife and fork although he was taught to use chopsticks since he was a kid. He had to eat fish & chips and scones as meals for there were no noodles, dumplings or meat buns any more. He started to speak British English with an elegant accent rather than his mother tongue. He decorated Christmas tree with Arthur each year and celebrated Christmas instead of Spring Festival, on which he used to get together with other siblings, talking and playing over a feast till the midnight. He was taken with Arthur, as the little brother of the UK, whenever the Briton attended important international meeting or meet other European countries.
To Arthur's surprise, Hong Kong did have no intension of resisting these earthshaking changes. The boy was fairly obedient to Arthur and always showed good manners even he was offended. From various aspects, ranging from style of conversation to diplomatic etiquette, he was a one hundred percent gentleman, which perfectly met the requirements of England. The only fly in the ointment was that Hong Kong showed some kind of frosty attitude towards everyone. He seldom expressed emotions directly nor did he like smiling or talking. Many a time, Arthur really wondered what was on the boy's mind, whether he was satisfied with living in England and whether he felt homesick or not.
In addition, Hong Kong firmly insisted to call Arthur "MR. KIRKLAND", rather than "BROTHER" as Arthur wished. He believed that appellation was only for one person, whose name was WANG YAO. At first Arthur guessed the boy still needed time to adapt to his new role, yet as time went by things remained the same.
Not until Arthur was conscious of what this action meant did he found himself almost choked by the bitterness of his melancholy. Every time he looked into the boy's empty eyes and only to find nothing, no delight, no sadness and no anger, disappointment soon occupied with Arthur's heart. He used to suppose Hong Kong could take Alfred's place and became his pride, but that dream proved to be visionary hope.
That blond boy always clung to the Briton, asking for a summer vacation or hiking while Hong Kong preferred keeping Arthur at arm's length if possible out of the so-called manners. Little Alfred was glad to spend one afternoon on chatting with Arthur over a cup of tea whereas Hong Kong would rather taste tea peacefully without saying too much. The American guy enjoyed hugging and kissing his brother before falling asleep, however Hong Kong inclined to bow in a gentlemanly way with a bland "Good night, Mr. Kirkland".
Bloody hell! What was wrong with that boy? Why couldn't he behave like a normal teenager, more outgoing, energetic and impetuous? None of other boys at his age would stay so calm and offish. Was it a fault from the beginning to rob China of him? A shiver ran down Arthur's spine.
One day, Arthur happened to see Hong Kong contemplating a little red handicraft made of satin cord, the boy completely overwhelmed by softness and contentment. A meaningful smile that Arthur seldom saw before outpoured from his shiny eyes. Hong Kong seemed to have buried himself in pinning for his motherland and didn't notice Arthur stepped into the room, sitting beside him.
"Boy, what's that? Looks like you quite like it." Arthur stroked Hong Kong's head fondly and asked. He failed to figure out why the boy cherished such a trinket so much.
Hong Kong immediately blushed like a peony though he wasn't that kind of bashful person. "Chinese knot. Just a souvenir from my hometown." He mumbled.
Arthur uttered a deep sigh. He should have perceived it earlier. Obviously the boy was pretty homesick for China. Arthur circled Hong Kong's shoulder with his arm, saying, "Let's buy some materials and make Chinese knots together, shall we? You taught me, whatever kind of Chinese knot is all right. I'm just curious about the handicraft…Well, to tell the truth, I only want you to be happy with me. Give me a smile, okay?"
Hong Kong bit his under lip, with corners of the mouth twitching. Seemingly reluctantly, he turned around and smiled at Arthur. England swore he had not seen such a stiff one ever before. "He hated me, just like Alfred." The Blond buried his head in hands with frustration. At that moment, Wang Yao's burning and resentful expression in his eyes somehow appeared, alongside with the smell of blood and powder, on Arthur's mind, throwing the Briton into deep discomposure.
Arthur would never know how many efforts Hong Kong had made to hide his real feelings and moods. When Hong Kong arrived in England, he was exceedingly curious about this new environment. Those magnificent castles, Gothic churches, modern factories captured his attention once, nevertheless he soon lost interests in them, since he found his attachment for China had took root in the Asian continent so deeply and firmly. Memories about native land, comprised of Chinese calligraphy, family reunion dinner, lovely baby panda and so forth, came flooding back. Incorrigible homesickness gradually nibbled and melted his heart. Unfortunately, the merciless reality was, by no means was he able to return, unless miracle happened.
"I have told you, from now on, England is your family. China has had nothing to do with you any longer. Understand?" Arthur explained patiently in a mild voice. Hong Kong frowned, at a loss for words. He knew it, but never imagined it would be such an agony to bear.
Confusion, anger, mourning, despair, all these negative emotions, at one time, surrounded Hong Kong all day and night. But the boy made a resolve not to give away any of his worries. He couldn't put up with himself if he ever showed the impression of weakness in front of England, the country which invaded his motherland and snatched him from family arbitrarily, though he knew it was, to a very large extent, due to England's boss's policy, not Arthur's.
He never shed a drop of tear or gave a sigh. He suppressed genuine feelings to the best of his ability and pretended to be quiet inside. He always maintained some distance from others so as to avoid being looked through. He tried quite hard to learn how to speak perfect English fluently. He forced himself to acquire all the unnecessary and overelaborate formalities Arthur taught, performing like a perfect gentleman. He didn't know exactly why he behaved like that, what he was looking forward to, where his future lay and whether it was a brilliant and bright one or not.
He was aware of his own puniness clearly. He had no strong military power, no great wealth, and no abundant natural resources. He was not even a country so he had to depend on others for living.
In all honesty, he did not really hate Arthur, because he believed if only he became a part of England, he might attain the access to mightiness, so that he could be independent one day. Alfred was an excellent example. But Hong Kong still kept dreaming of coming back home, getting reunion with other siblings again.
Slim though the possibility was, there was a faint ray of hope. If there were not for hope, the boy's heart would break. For so long a time, Hong Kong dwelled in the past and fed on memories. His yearn for native land had been rubbed into each tiny fragment of yesterday, evergreen and everlasting, even came the end of the world.
Arthur was extremely worried about Hong Kong. The Briton was strongly willing to probe the boy's mind and discover what he was thinking yet Hong Kong was such a genius at self-protection. It seemed only the Chinese named Wang Yao could open the boy's heart and looked through all the tricks Hong Kong played.
History continued to move on. The subtle balance between Arthur and Hong Kong was carefully kept by the two, till the day Wang Yao knocked at Arthur's door.
Finally I finished this chapter! Thanks for reading and reviewing!