Departure
Featuring: one-sided Hong Kong - England, the East Asian family
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Departure, departure
Oh how sad the word can be…
That was something his little sister Taiwan used to sing, whenever they had to stop playing among the bamboo shoots and come back home for dinner. It was also the song that Taiwan sang in tears as her brother was gathering up his little closet for the trip of his lifetime. It was what she sang when she held his little hands tight, refusing to let go.
Hong Kong simply shook off his little sister and walked away to the cargo that was waiting for him at the front gate. He put his mini luggage on the opposite seat and looked out the window to his weeping brother and sister.
He didn't feel sad when he saw them running after the moving cargo to the main street, when his sister tripped over and hit her face onto the hard road and his brother's sad eyes following the cargo as it turned a corner.
When he arrived at the new mansion, he was led to a Western blonde man. He looked at him with unreadable eyes for a moment before giving a smile.
"How does it feel like to depart from your family?"
He didn't feel anything. Should he have felt anything at all?
*******
Departure, departure
How sad the word can be…
A maid was singing the song when Hong Kong came across the kitchen for breakfast.
"You know that song too?"
She looked at him with honest brown eyes that sparkled with smiles.
"Yes, I do. It's such a sad song isn't it? Departure really is something sad. You know, I had to leave…"
It is?
"…and I've been serving here for many years…"
Why is everyone saying that it's such a sad thing? Certainly there's nothing big in leaving for a while..
"…and by the way, Sir England left early this morning."
Excuse me?
"…He always leaves for work early in the morning."
"Ah, no, he isn't leaving for the office, he's coming home, to his place in the West. Was it Erop…"
"Excuse me, but did you say that he left for his hometown?"
"Why yes, he and his officers left really early, when you were still asleep. Didn't he tell you anything last night..Hey, where are you going? What about breakfast?"
SLAM!
Pat pat pat pat pat pat
Huff huff huff huff huff
"Hey, isn't that Hong Kong? You got up so early today huh?"
"Where…is…England…"
"Oh, Sir England left really early this morning, said he's got some business back home so he had to leave right away."
"England…"
"England…"
"He didn't say anything to me…"
*******
Departure, departure
How sad the word can be…
"What's with the luggage?"
"Hong Kong, you scared me! You aren't asleep yet?"
"What's with the luggage?"
"Oh, I just got some work to do with Canada so I'm departing tomorrow, but I'll be back soon so it's pretty much nothing…Hey, what are you doing? Don't mess up my stuff, I've just spent time arranging it. Honestly, stop it Hong Kong, or I'll get mad. Geez, what's with you?"
"…me…"
"Did you say something Hong Kong?"
"…ring me…"
"What is it? Is there something wrong? Tell me, Hong Kong."
"You're ignoring me…"
"Haaaaa? Since when did I ignore you? I would never…"
"Last time you said you'd be back soon and you were gone for months. And the time before that, you just left a note saying that you'd be gone for a while, and you didn't return soon either. And the first time you left, you didn't even tell me!"
"…Hong Kong?"
"Why is it that you always have to leave? Why can't you just stay here?"
"Oh Hong Kong… Listen."
England stopped his in-process-of-arranging and walked over to a very frustrated and weeping Hong Kong. He picked the little one up and brought him over to the bed. He held the child close to himself as little hands clawed onto his front shirt.
"Hong Kong, I'm sorry for always having to leave you like this. I don't like it either, and I really want to stay here, such beautiful land, but being a big country means a lot of responsibilities and works and things to do, and I can't just entrust the job to anyone else either, just like how I can't entrust anyone else to take care of you. I'll try to finish the job off quickly and return, all right? Then I'll return and stay with you again…Hong Kong?"
England sighed. He slowly extracted the tiny fingers from his shirt and put a sleeping Hong Kong down on his bed, before going back to prepare the luggage.
He found an old photo at the end of the case.
"Geez, kids are the same everywhere aren't they?"
*******
Departure, departure
How sad the word can be…
"You've grown quite a lot ever since that time, haven't you?", was the first thing Japan told him when he suddenly burst into Hong Kong's place one morning.
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to claim you. From today onwards, you are my colony."
Half a century not seeing each other and Japan had finally gone nuts?
"I'm already England's."
"He lost. You belong to me now."
Huh?
"Don't make up things Japan. England doesn't lose."
He didn't, did he?
*******
After being claimed by Japan, Hong Kong started to acting strange.
He refused to take anything Japanese into his home, refusing to touch the Japanese food that was served for him. He locked himself inside his room all day, refusing to meet anyone else. He refused the opportunity to meet his brothers and sister again.
He refused to open up again to anyone.
Anyone else but him.
He told me that he had to leave again for work.
"When are you going to return?", I asked.
"Hmm, I don't know Hong Kong, I might leave for a long while. Things are a mess at home and I need to go clean it up. But I'll return as soon as possible, so don't worry, okay? You're a big boy now, you can take care of yourself for a while when I'm away can't you?"
"Only if you promise me you'll return."
"All right, I promise! That's a good boy."
"You'll starve yourself to death if you keep on rejecting food like that, brother."
Why should you care? Why should I care?
He broke his promise, why can't I just break mine as well?
Besides, why bother eating at all? Why bother living at all?
He, in the end, will not return, will he?
*******
Knock knock
Snap.
Knock knock
Snap snap.
Knock knock knock
Snap snap snap.
Knock knock knock
"Damn you Japan, can't you just leave it?"
The knocking stopped. Hong Kong shot a final dirty look at the door and closed his eyes.
Tears couldn't fall, since he'd used up all of them on the day of Japan's victory. Besides, what was the deal in crying by now? It'd been many years and all he could hear was the voice of Japan on the other side of the door, all he could smell was the yakiniku grilling from the kitchen, all he could see was the red-white flag flapping boringly from the window.
Just like now, when he could only feel the smell of something burnt, like the disgusting scones England used to make…
Wait, scones?
No way, Hong Kong shook his head. His nose had been playing tricks on him again, like the first few days after the arrival of Japan, when he could only smell fish and chips coming off from the kitchen. And his eyes only see blue, red and white on the flag post outside.
Like that certain British flag flapping happily right outside the window…
What?
Hong Kong widened his eyes in an instant. Outside of his dusty window, through the rough curtain, embed in the afternoon summer sky, was a colour of prideful blue flapping in the wind.
He shut his eyes close.
His eyes and nose had already betrayed him. "Tch.", he laughed bitterly, if only his ears decided to betray him too, then…
"Geez, after so many years not seeing each other, this is how you're welcoming me back?"
That. Was the last straw.
Creek.
"Finally, it's about time you get out of there Hong Kong. But look at yourself. What the hell had happened when I was gone? Can't I just leave you alone for a while, this little brat. Ohoh, did you miss me so much you didn't even think of taking care of yourself... Hey, what's wrong Hong Kong? Hello, Earth to Hong Kong! You're listening? Hey, are you all right? Say something."
Glomp.
Gentle pat on the head.
White knuckles trying to rip off the back of the coat.
Sob.
Maternal smile.
"Such a crybaby you are!"
*******
Departure, departure
Don't leave me again, departure
Don't leave this lonely land of the backwater world
Don't leave this lonely me on this lonely land
Don't leave, cos it's too sad to be apart
Don't leave, departure.
*******
England put down the paper onto his desk and sighed.
"Eventually, it comes down to this, huh?"
He turned off the light in his study, locked the room and tiptoed across the hallway. He stopped in front of a barely-closing door on the right.
He stood there, staring at the wooden door until he'd be sure that the door itself was already bored of staring at his troubled face. He let out the breathe he was holding, got hold of the door and gently pushed in it. England quietly reached the bed. He stared down at the sleeping figure on the bed, listened to his soft mumbling in his dream.
He suddenly felt like crying. It was suppose to be "eventually", was it not?
"Hey, you've grown to be quite a gentleman haven't you?",
"You know, when I first saw you at the doorstep a hundred years ago, all tiny and fragile, I thought: Ahh, this child, I'll definitely protect him, I'll raise him, take care of him, I won't make the same mistakes that I did before. But look at that emotionless handsome face, such troubled child. Looks like I really have to do my best this time. I won't ever let him become another America in the East, no way. Oh, this kid is not shy at all, he's looking at me with such raw curiosity in his eyes. That's it, I'm going to let this kid have the best life ever."
"It was rather hard to get closer to you, but I didn't do a bad job in befriending you, right? And times with you were really fun too, you were such a lovely child, just the one I was looking forward to."
"But then again, I've never been able to replace your real family, have I? You still had that sad look in your eyes once in a while, you still trembled uneasily when I hold you, you still turn away when I want to kiss you goodnight. I could give you everything I possess, but not the family that I don't have."
"It's already time for you to be back to your real family, with your brothers and sister. I'm sorry for keeping you trapped inside this cage I selfishly made, I'm sorry for ripping you away from your family when you were still so young. I was unable to grant my own greedy wish, to be with you. It is no longer important for me to be here."
"Tomorrow, China will come here and I will hand you back to him. You will be free to go home again, not this silly mansion that had restrained you for so many decades, but your home where you can be happy again. Tomorrow, I doubt I can bid you a proper farewell, I've never been so good with departures and stuff, it always saddens me to wave goodbye."
"Therefore, goodbye, Hong Kong."
Those were the words that he had planned to say. But in the end, all he could do was a a lingering touch on the dark-coloured head, a hand shutting his own mouth shut to prevent hiccups and sobbing and a messy "I'm sorry" hanging in the air.
*******
Even after England had left the room, the sobbing and hiccups wouldn't stop.
For Hong Kong was wide awake that night.
*******
Departure, departure
How sad the word can be
Departure, departure,
Don't leave me again, departure
It's too sad to be apart
Departure…
Japan thought that his brother was suffering from Stockholm's syndrome when he saw him grimaced and shed tears at the departing plane to England. The plane was already gone for hours and he still stood there, wordlessly, staring at the endless midnight sky.
Taiwan thought that her brother was suffering from Stockholm's syndrome when she saw an old picture of him and that man under a pillow in his room. The picture was all ruined with fingerprints and drops of water and Hong Kong was smiling happily in the photo.
Korea thought that his brother was suffering from Stockholm's syndrome when said brother refused to leave the Western-style mansion that he had been staying in for more than a century. He still stayed in that little room on the right of the hallway and when Korea came over to play, the study and a certain room next to it were always sealed and locked.
China thought that his brother was suffering from Stockholm's syndrome when he heard him singing that departure song of children while looking out to the horizon from the port. He would stand alone, dipped himself into the purple colour of late afternoon, looking afar to the line where water touched the sky while humming a simple tune under his breath.
Hong Kong knew that he had been suffering from Stockholm's syndrome for a long time. Ever since he set his eyes on the blonde man sipping up tea in the Western mansion.
It was just one thing, he didn't want to be cured.