(A/N) Three reviews! I'm glad you guys like the story so far! * Derp Face * Now onwards with the chappy! BTW sorry for not updating in like... a year... orz
''Hey! Watch where you're going!''
''Er... Sorry?'' China looked down at the small girl he had bumped into by accident. Her black eyes stared up at him in defiance. Her hair was long and black, appearing to shimmer in the noon-day sun. Her eyes were bright like topazes, yet they were black as opal. She wore a simple grey kimono, adorned with swirl patterns. She wasn't very tall, and from what China could tell, only about eight years old. ''Um, why are you at the market alone, aru?'' He asked, bending down a little. ''I'm looking for someone.'' She answered simply, scowling. China couldn't help smiling at her arrogance. Somehow, she reminded him of a wolf, the constant defiance in her eyes and the way she kept glancing to the side, alert and ready. ''Who are you looking for? I might know them, aru.'' The little girl raised an eyebrow. ''I doubt you'd know my brother.'' The phrase came out more like a statement than a question.
''What's his name?''
''He doesn't have one. Neither do I.''
China was now extremely perplexed. ''No name?'' He asked again to make sure. The girl nodded. ''Well, my 'name' is actually Tokyo…'' She said uneasily. China's eyes widened in surprise. He had a faint inkling, but didn't want to act on it just yet. What if this little one is Kiku's sister? He thought. It could be possible, heck, they even lookedalike! The same straight black hair and eyes. ''What does your brother look like, aru?'' He asked. The girl thought for a while. Her cheeks puffed out and her eyes became thoughtful. ''Er... Short black hair, hazel eyes, very calm in composure and about my height, but a little taller.'' She listed out slowly, staring at China questionably, silently asking why the hell did he need all this information. China grinned. ''Well, then I know where he is, aru!''
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''I'm coming!'' Kiku yelled while hurrying to the door. He flung it open, receiving a surprised ''Ai ya!'' from China. ''Sorry...'' He mumbled to the older nation, looking down at his feet.
China smiled. "It's fine, aru. I was just a little surprised, that's all." He said. "But that's not important right now. Kiku, do you have a sister by any chance?" Kiku looked up, surprised. "Yes, I do, as a matter of fact. Tokyo. How did you-" He was cut off by a soft voice coming from beside China.
"Onii-san?"
Kiku's gaze snapped to where Tokyo was standing beside China, her small hands holding onto the fabric of his Qi pao. "N-nee-chan?" He yelped, bewildered, almost loosing his footing from suddenly stepping back too quickly. "How-" He was cut off by her small form smashing into him, hugging the living daylights out of him. "Yay! It really is Japan nii-san!" She said happily, with a small giggle at the end. "Whoa! Hey, Tokyo, good to have you back- Ow!" Kiku was struggling to breath as his sister was nearly crushing him. Younger sister, nonetheless.
China smiled in amusement as he watched the young one's tussle. Just then, he noticed a figure standing beside the stairs, a what-the-hell-is-going-on expression on his face. He sighed. "Well then, TianYu, I guess you really did arrive on time." Beijing grinned upon being spoken to. "Of course, teacher!" He said cheerily.
By now, Kiku and Tokyo had calmed down. Tokyo was holding onto Kiku's arm and grinning like an idiot, and Kiku still had a relatively shocked expression on his face. Beijing looked at him, one eyebrow cocked. "Hey Kiku, whose she?"
"Well, uh... It's... Kind of a long story..." Kiku stammered
China laughed, a pleasant, musical sound. "Don't worry Kiku, we all have time. Why don't you explain over a cup of tea?" He said, smiling softly at him. Kiku nodded slowly.
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It was over three years ago. I had just come into consciousness. As the small me looked around with empty eyes, scanning the whiteness he was floating in, he heard a voice. However, it was too faint for him to make out anything. Puzzled, the little boy looked around, his wide, black eyes scanning around for the source of it. Finally, his eyes found a figure, nestled in the brilliant light. He tried to move towards that darkness, but found that he could not even move his arms, much less his legs. The only part of his body he could move was head. Still, he struggled.
'Stay there'
The young boy stopped struggling. The voice had spoken again, this time louder than before. It still sounded a little garbled, though. As he turned his head to face the figure, the voice spoke again.
'I will give you the power to see either the past or the future, which do you choose?'
The young boy looked at the clump with puzzled eyes. Wasn't the answer already obvious? 'I would like to see the past. That way, I can understand what memories are. So I can become a kind person, not a strong person.' He replied.
Suddenly, the figure disappeared, and the boy began to float down steadily, until his feet hit solid ground. Unfortunately, as he could not move his legs, he promptly dropped down to the floor. Though, it seemed he could now move his arms. The floor was polished like a mirror, but strangely, he could not see his reflection in it. As he wondered about it, the figure appeared again, this time closer, and looking a like a human. Slowly, he began to speak again.
'Arms, breasts, ears, eyes, hearts, legs, mouths, and the holes in your nose, I will give you two of each, is that okay?'
The young boy thought it over for a moment. Finally, after a few seconds, he asked a favour. 'I'm fine with only one mouth. That is so I do not argue with myself, so I can only kiss one person.' He said. Not long after those words had left his mouth, he found himself standing up. Now the person, with a slightly displeased face, began to speak again, since he had to.
'The heart, which is the most important, I'll put one on each side of your chest, is that okay?'
The boy, yet again, asked a favour. 'I'm sorry, but as for me, I don't need the heart on my right side. Sorry for always selfish things.' He said. The person looked at him, surprised. Worried that he might have displeased him further, the boy tried to explain. 'That is so when I meet an important person, and I hold them, I will understand for the first time that two beats sound on both sides of our chest. The left is mine, the right is yours. The right is mine, the left is yours. So that when I am alone, there is something missing, so I do not live on by myself.'
The person nodded in understanding. Then he suddenly seemed to remember something.
'By the way, there's just one more thing. Should I add tears as an option? Even without it, there is no impediment, but some people don't add it, since it's a pain. What will you do?'
And then the boy asked for it, so he could become, so he may become, a kind person rather than a strong person, so he could understand what "importance" is.
'Oh, and as for the flavour of the tears, choose whatever flavour you like. There's sour, salty, hot, sweet,' as he spoke, different bottled spices popped out of thin air beside him, 'which one do you want?'
The boy smiled, and placed his finger on the one he wanted.
Suddenly, a splash of colour painted the room. The boy was now standing in a grassy plain, and a blue sky stretched out before him. He could see the person's face clearly now. He couldn't have been much older than sixteen. Long, black hair fell gracefully just past his shoulders, bangs framing honey brown eyes. A gentle smile was present on his face.
'Was everything granted the way you hoped?' He asked the boy, who looked up at him in awe. The young adolescent grasped the boy's tiny hands in his own. To his own surprise, the boy found himself crying. He lowered his head, afraid of showing weakness. 'Show me your face that is always crying.' The boy shook his head quickly, shutting his eyes tight. 'Well? Show me proudly!' At those words, he finally looked up, and was surprised to see that the adolescent was also crying. But he was smiling, and his body seemed to blur. Soon enough, he faded away completely, leaving the boy alone with his tears.
The boy wiped them away hastily, finding himself once again in that same room. A chair was in front of him, and the adolescent was sitting on it. He smiled at the boy, as though expecting something. The boy hesitated before speaking. 'Thank you very much. Sorry to have troubled you with so much,' he paused, 'may I ask just one more thing?' The adolescent nodded.
'Have we met somewhere before?'
(A/N) Because I am freaking tired right now I'll just upload this chapter as two separate parts... You guys might have to wait a while...