Ascendant

Li didn't miss how twitchy his friend had become in the last couple days or that Yao wasn't his usual, bossy - if not cheerful - self. Peeling out a piece of pomelo, the teenager bit into it taking the time to enjoy the flavor as he leaned back in his chair. Once he did so, he could see Yong Soo sitting in front of his family's small television (blocking the majority of the screen, he might add), absorbing the news as it was spouted from the speakers. Searching out Yao, he saw him leaning on the glass door of the balcony, watching the streets below.

The Hong Kong native didn't want to admit himself, but was beginning to get nervous himself; after all, those were a worrisome number of soldiers walking on the streets. They hadn't had any riots lately, so he didn't quite understand; but then again, Li rarely understood the strange extremes his country took when it came to protests, riots and large gatherings for any unsanctioned or unpopular reason.

Turning away from the window, the Chinese man turned to his brother; "What is the news saying aru?"

"Stupid stuff big brother," the teenager muttered. "Like there's a dangerous super on the loose."

Li gulped. He was a super. But no one would have believed his mother's ravings...right? And certainly not someone with enough clout to bring in this many soldiers. Unless she got a high-ranking official for a client. The teen was uncomfortable with it, but despite all his mother's ill choices, she was still quite pretty when she put on her make-up and nice clothes. Li got really jittery then. Putting aside his snack, he briefly wondered if he couldn't do something to change his appearance; like cut his hair or pluck his eyebrows.

"Oww! Mummy!"

"Quit squirming! If you want the other children to stop making fun of you, you have to pluck these caterpillars!"

"Stop! Can't I just grow out my bangs instead?"

"...that's a good idea Li."

Rubbing at his forehead, the teenager actually kind of missed his mom. For a moment anyway. And he also decided he so wasn't touching his hair or eyebrows.

"I think we'll go visit Mei's restaurant for a few days," Yao suddenly announced.

Yong Soo's head snapped away from the television and to his brother. "She hates you."

The man chuckled into his hand. "Usually," he agreed. "But she's also hates this." And Yao jutted his thumb at the window, craning his head so he was nearly tipping from his chair and into the counter behind him, Li saw a few of the soldiers talking outside the Chinese man's eatery. They were probably waiting for it to open.

"Let's get going then!" His friend tried to enthuse, but Yong Soo's voice sounded just as brittle as the Hong Kong native felt emotionally.

Nodding, Yao said to them; "I'll go put the closed sign up and you kids start packing."

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"Picked up another stray?" The young woman - who really couldn't be more than eighteen or nineteen - sniffed at the sight of them.

Yao for his part, only grinned faintly and told her; "You saw the news, I'm sure."

She twisted the dishtowel in her hands and then with an aggravated sigh, yelled something about cutting onions smaller at a young man who jumped and then waved them out of the small restaurant. Walking outside, she lead them to a door on the side of the building and explained most likely for Li's benefit, "I have neighbor that lives across from my apartment. She's pretty cool, but she's also old and nosy; so you better be careful if there's anything special about you." And with the final warning that was the narrowing of her eyes, she let them into the small home.

It was messier than Yao's, and stuffed animals were placed on some shelves and tabletops, but otherwise, it reminded the Hong Kong native a lot of Yao's home. He wondered if she'd been one of the kids he'd picked up over the years.

Setting their stuff down, Yong Soo's brother asked; "How have you been Mei?"

"Fine," she answered in a clipped tone. "You know the drill, don't go near my room and you three can sleep in the spare room." She squinted her eyes at Li, "Or I suppose one of you can sleep here on the couch." And she slapped the soft fabric with a quick hand. "So do the boys have homework or are they going to join you in helping me out downstairs?"

Yao sighed. "I had to pull them out of school, so yes they have a bit of studying to do."

"Alright," she grumbled and then with a wave of her hand, she and Yao had gone. Leaving Li and Yong Soo to do schoolwork in the vaguely foreign environment. Taking up a spot on the clothes-littered couch, Li didn't notice at first that his friend was meddling in the kitchen until he came back hold two cups of tea.

"For us!" His friend grinned; "You know they invented green tea in Korea," he boasted.

The Hong Kong native snorted. "Yeah right," he smirked. "Hey Yong Soo, is this Mei girl like your sister?"

Digging out his homework, the other nodded. "You could say that," he agreed. "But you see, they - Yao and Mei - kind of had a falling out a couple years back because she's a supporter of super rights and wants to show everyone that she is while Yao...he wants to work quietly." With a troubled gaze, Yong soo asked in an achingly quiet voice. "You don't hate supers do you?"

"What about you?" Li demanded first. "Do you feel the same way as Yao and Mei?"

His friend nodded. Taking a breath, the Hong Kong native cast his eyes away and admitted; "I'm actually a super."

"What?"

Li snapped his fingers causing a little flame to come to life. "Yeah." And with another snap, the flame was gone.

Scooting closer on the couch, Yong Soo gripped his wrist. "I had a super twin," he murmured; "He could do little things - like make a flower bloom or have a tree branch grow into a star-shape; one day, a neighbor saw him do it and..." he bit his lip. Li knew what happened. Wiping away some tears, his friend laughed. "Suffice to say, I'm the only one of my family who got away and I traveled a long fucking way to get to China. I was lucky that Yao was the one to pick me up, you know? There was this other guy who had been telling me how he'd "take care of me" if I came with him and "worked" for him and his clients." Bitterly, Yong Soo looked away. "Yao explained it to me a few years ago, he wanted to make me into a prostitute."

The teenager didn't think he had the words to sufficiently tell his friend how awful all that was. So instead, he squeezed his hand and muttered sympathetically "That sucks."

Yong Soo gave a little laugh. "Doesn't it?" He replied. "I'm lucky Yao picked me up when he did."

"You are," Li agreed.

So, Hong Kong has told his new family about his powers and you've gotten a little more insight on the country's feelings about supers! Let me know what you think of Yong Soo in this chapter and Hong Kong too, alright?

To reviewer, Summer Leigh Wind, as always you are the best of the best!

Characters:

Yao-China

Yong Soo-Korea

Li-Hong Kong

Mei-Taiwan

Thanks for reading everyone and please review!

P.S. If you haven't, please vote on the poll I have on my page!