≪ Is it just you and me in the wreckage of the world? … That must be so confusing for a little girl. ≫
Within the bamboo forests of China. something was rustling.
Something was rustling, and China had absolutely no idea what it was.
"Hello, aru?" He called, regretting it as soon as he'd heard his own voice. Of course the thing wouldn't understand him, would it?
He peered around silently, careful not to alarm the thing that was here.
Unfortunately, he didn't notice the quiet footsteps of the thing coming right behind him.
"Kon'nichiwa?"
"Ah!" China shouted as he jumped back and turned around, only to see a child staring up at him with unnaturally cold eyes.
"Aiyaa, no wonder there's not many people living here… this kid probably scared them all away, aru." He mused aloud to himself.
"I'm sorry?" The child asked, his head tilted in confusion.
"Nothing, aru!" China claimed before coming to a certain realisation. "Say… you must be a new nation, aren't you?"
The child merely nodded.
"Well, my name is Zhōngguó, aru! If there's any questions, then as your new honorary big brother, you could always ask me anything! Now, do you mind telling me your name, aru?"
"Hajimemashite, nation where the sun sets. I am Nihon, from where the sun rises."
"He doesn't seem to be the nicest kid either, aru…."
"What?"
"Nevermind!" He exclaimed, although the child looked a bit more suspicious this time.
"Just… comer with me alright?"
Extending his hand to him, the child hesitantly took hold of it, sending out ecstatic waves of pride throughout China's very being.
This was a mistake in itself, but of course, there would've been no way of knowing.
However, despite the child's constant refusal of being labeled as China's "little brother," everything actually went quite smoothly for the longest time. Though, there was a bit of a bump in the road.
"Why does he only create pictures, aru?" China asked himself one day whilst watching the other draw from afar. (He had a bad habit of hovering now.)
"Doesn't he know how to…?" His already quiet voice trailed off once he'd realised that the child had probably never once in his life written anything.
"Nihon?" He called, catching the child's attention. "Come here, I'd like to show you something, aru."
Placing a piece of paper on the table, he took out a pen and a small bottle of ink. Guiding the child's hand, he created two symbols on the paper.
日本
"This is your name, aru."
The child had swiftly learned many things after that.
...But first, he taught himself how to create his own letters. (Much to China's dismay.)
≪ And I know you're going to need me here with you … But I'm losing myself, and I'm afraid you're gonna lose me too. ≫
Today, China was going to teach something a bit different.
"Nihon," he began, brandishing a sword, "this here is a dadao, quite similar to what you'd call a katana. It is an extremely dangerous thing, and never should be placed within untrained hands. It can cut through clothes and deep into flesh. However, should you ever have to use any sort of weapon such as this, I want you to be able to do so properly. Now, take out your sword."
"Why would I need to do that?" Japan asked, unsheathing his katana.
"Because… well… Because, Nihon, you will need to protect yourself without me someday. A nation's existence isn't always a when, sometimes it's an if. Eventually, I won't be here. Understand, aru?"
"I… I guess so."
"Good. You must also never use this against anyone who does not mean harm. It is for self defense only, aru. Unless you want to be come some sort of tyrant, of course…"
"No, no, I won't! I understand!"
"Excellent. Now, let us start with your stance, aru…"
This new training went extremely well, despite only having done it for a few hours. Japan being such a fast learner had made it all the more easier. So much easier, in fact, that China had come up with an idea, one that Japan actually really didn't want to do.
"If you want to become better, then fight me, aru!"
"But I… I don't want to-"
"Don't worry, aru!" China reassured. "I'll be fine, promise."
China smiled as he spoke, but Japan couldn't seem to bring himself to smile back genuinely and only continued to stare down at the ground quietly. For some reason, he simply couldn't trust those words.
Fortunately, China didn't really seem to notice.
"Now, assume your stance!"
Almost as if someone else were forcing him to do this, Japan complied.
"Begin!"
For the first few minutes or so, the match seemed like it was already a stalemate, both nations going at it with the grace of practiced fighters. With China's millennia of knowledge and Japan simply being a swift learner, it almost appeared as if it was completely pointless.
Until China started winning and Japan started losing.
As if it were some sort of primal instinct that kicked in, Japan's skill suddenly increased tenfold. His normally cold eyes now held a spark of - what was that? Determination? Rage, even? Whatever it was, this emotion seemed like it wanted to kill. Taking advantage of China's stunned state, he came in close and with one sweep of the leg, had him on the ground, looking directly down the blade of his katana.
Both of them breathing heavily, they stayed like that for a few minutes, until China suddenly started staring at the other with a weird expression. It looked as if he were in awe. But that couldn't be possible, he should be angry! That wasn't supposed to happen, was it? Japan slowly lowered the weapon, becoming increasingly perplexed.
However, instead of a scowl, his brother's face broke in to a wide grin and he began to laugh.
"Huh?" Japan asked, growing more and more confused by the second. "Why are you-"
"I'm so proud of you!" China cried, pulling his little brother into a tight hug.
"Wh- Chuugoku! What are you doing?"
Ignoring Japan's words, he only squeezed him tighter.
"I knew you could do it."
Japan was about to protest again, but noticing the tears in the other man's eyes, he refrained from doing so, and simply let his body go lax.
For some reason, though, what he had done had actually felt… good.
The hug? Not so much.
≪ This magic keeps me alive, but it's making me crazy … And I need to save you, but who's going to save me? ≫
On one clear night, the two sat outside together, gazing up contentedly at the star-filled sky.
They sat in a comfortable quietness, nothing except for the soft chirping of crickets around them.
"So, Nihon," China said, breaking the silence between them, "do you ever wonder what you are going to do in the future, aru?"
Japan stayed silent for a moment, in quiet contemplation.
"In the future… I plan to become stronger. In time, the western powers, they are most likely going to invade this place eventually. I need to fight at any cost, if ever and whenever that time comes."
"Aiyaa, that's so complicated, aru… I honestly don't understand. Why don't you do something simpler, aru?"
Japan seemed troubled for a moment, a flicker of irritation showing quickly on his face, but his expression eventually softened. Although, he still didn't answer, leaving them both in a relatively comfortable silence as they returned to stargazing once again.
After a while, China pointed at the moon shining clearly in the sky.
"Look, Nihon!" He said, grinning brightly. "The rabbit on the moon is mixing medical herbs, aru."
Japan smiled too. "It's pounding rice cakes, isn't it?"
Japan wasn't heard from for a while after that.
≪ Please forgive me for whatever I do … ≫
"Chuugoku. What are you doing here?"
"I was worried about you, Nihon. I was wondering where you've been! Why haven't you-"
"That is not any of your business."
"Oh, I'm sorry, aru…."
"That is alright, I guess. However, since you have come all this way… I would assume that you would like to come in, yes? Wait here for a moment, please."
Then, Japan went inside for a while. So long, in fact, that China had begun to walk around aimlessly, finally getting bored and deciding to sit at the end of the stone path.
Careful footsteps lightly tapped on the ground, audible only if you were paying close attention.
However, China only sighed, bending over and drawing patterns in the ground with his finger, whilst… what was he doing, talking to himself?
Japan was a bit confused at first, as he almost always was, but he said nothing, only unsheathed his weapon.
China's neck was exposed, Japan's goal was clear, it was already over.
Automatically, he raised his katana.
"I just… really love that child, aru."
With an unconscious decision, he aimed lower.
Then, he took a step ahead and swung.
China gasped and fell over from the sudden pain shooting throughout his spine, rolling over only to see Japan staring down at him, his blade glistening in the moonlight as the end of it was positioned, ready to slice into his chest at any moment.
"N-Nihon, what are you-"
He cut himself off as he took notice of those same cold, dead eyes.
"Honto ni gomen ne."
What happened next wouldn't kill him, but the scars of broken promises would remain forever.
≪ When I don't remember you. ≫
「ｕｎｄｅｒｔｗｏｍｏｏｎｓ」
song - "remember you" by rebecca sugar
(ppl rlly need to stop claiming nations as their little brothers if they're not related it ends well)
basically China was like "ok Japan I'm gonna teach you how to do a thing but you can't use it against me aru" but then Japan said " how bout I do anyway? "
and you know how China has that scar on his back? well nOW YOU DO
and I just noticed how I keep changing a bunch of stuff that's already canon haha
x