The Chinese man looked up at the sound of his doorbell ringing. Giving a quick apology, Yao left the room and headed towards the front door. In the kitchen, the conversations that were going on between Alfred, Feliciano, Gilbert, and Hyung Soo came to an abrupt halt. Chairs began to scrape across the marble floor and they all stopped in the doorway, watching as Yao opened the front door.

"Vietnam?" Yao was confused as he held the door open wider so the others could see.

"What are you doing here?" The nation standing on the porch outside was drenched. It was raining behind her and the water pattered onto the ground quietly. The Chinese man couldn't see her face.

"Vietnam?" With a soft sob, she rushed forwards into Yao's arms. Vietnam began to cry. Surprised, Yao slowly wrapped his arms around her in return.

"V-Vietnam, what's wrong aru?" The others came closer and continued to watch.

"I-I'm sorry," she stuttered, "I-I'm so, so sorry…."

"Sorry? About what?" The Vietnamese girl wouldn't look at him and instead continued to mumble apologies as she rubbed her face into his chest. Yao looked over at the others. Alfred gave a nod.

"Come in," Yao sighed, "And let's get you cleaned up." Feliciano muttered something about getting her a towel before rushing upstairs. Yao made sure that she didn't drip too much onto the floor and quickly told Hyung and Gilbert to heat up some warm milk. The two made their way back to the kitchen and Alfred simply leaned against the wall quietly.

"Here it is," Feliciano said, giving the towel to Yao. The Chinese man nodded in thanks and proceeded to dry the girl. However, when she saw the towel, her tears started up again. The towel was pink with sakura blossoms decorating it. Yao saw this and sighed once more.

"Don't cry Mai Ly," he said, "Don't cry." He dried her hair with the towel as best as he could before doing the same for her face. Hyung came back with the milk and handed it to Yao, who then helped her drink it. Then, he led her into the kitchen.

Sitting her down at the table, he took the seat next to her and held her hands. The other members of the SIA Alliance also took seats at the table and watched curiously.

"You still have it." At this, Yao tilted his head.

"Have what aru?" Mai Ly stared down at the glass in her hands.

"My towel. You still have it." The tip of Yao's lips turned up sadly.

"It's yours, if you still want it," he said calmly. She sucked in a deep breath and shut her eyes tight. The two fell silent as Yao watched his younger sister.

"What are you doing here," Alfred asked softly, soothingly reaching over to her and patting her shoulder.

Then, she told them.

"I never thought that we would gain so many allies so quickly," Feliciano observed. Hyung and Mai LY were sparing together. The Korean was using two fans that his nation had created many centuries before, blocking the Vietnamese girl's paddle with its sharp edges. Her expression was determined as she continued with her attack. Yao was barking out orders to the two, telling them what to improve on as they fought.

"Neither did I," Alfred replied, adjusting his sunglasses, "This is rather interesting…."

Gilbert was off nearby, swinging his sword around at one of the training dummies. Feliciano smirked as the dummy's head flew off.

Yao had created a sort of underground dojo below his own home. It was only accessible by crawling into the fireplace, which he kept on. There was a keypad under one of the paintings just beside it. Once the password is given, the flames will turn off and allow entry.

It wasn't just a dojo though.

This place was also Yao's main base of operations. Both Feliciano and Alfred had their own under their own homes. Each also had a different layout. Yao's was like a maze, with many twisting hallways and secret passages. Alfred's was like a grid, however, the walls all looked the same. There were no signs on any of the walls directing where to go on either of theirs. The only one who had the pleasure of seeing Feliciano's base was the nation himself.

"I have a feeling though….." Feliciano looked over at his friend with a raised eyebrow.

"….. More will come," Alfred finished. His Italian friend grinned.

"Patience is key then." The American nodded in agreement before the two returned to watching the duel.