Chapter Seven: Kindness and Japan

Fluttershy had been staying with Kiku for about a week and the meeting Kiku had was tomorrow. He kept his distance from her, as if he was afraid of getting too close. The pegasus was worried about her Japanese caretaker. She decided to talk to him about it.

"Erm... ?" Fluttershy asked him. Kiku looked up from what he had been doing to face the Spirit of Kindness.

"Hai, Fericity-san?" He asked her. Fluttershy played with the end of her sweater.

"I-I was wondering if you would be kind enough to show me around Japan," She stuttered. Kiku blinked once.

"O-Of course," Her caretaker answered. Fluttershy nodded.

"Okay then."

Japan was curious of his newfound "roommate". She spent a lot of her time outside and was shy around him and most likely any other human being. Felicity had once mentioned her friends, but when Japan tried to get her to talk more about them, she kept quiet, as if the girl was forbidden to speak about them. It was curious. It seemed like Felicity was very attached to those people. So why had she kept quiet about them?

Felicity walked beside him as of right now. As per her request, Japan showed her around his home. It was both the polite and kind thing to do.

The first place that had popped into Japan's mind was the sakura trees. He remembered how Felicity was admiring the ones outside of his home and thought she would like to see the real trees.

"Thank you for bringing me here, Mr. Honda," Felicity said quietly as the unusual pair walked along the stone path. "I've never seen real sakura trees when they're in bloom." Japan gave an unseen smile.

"Arigato," He responded. "I onry wish that the brooms wourd rast ronger." Felicity gave a curious look. "They onry broom for a short amount of time."

"That's sad," Felicity said, her hand stretched out. One of the falling blossoms fell into it. "I really wish my friends could be here to see this." Japan took his chance.

"If you do not mind me asking," He began, "but you seem very crose to your friends. Why don't you-"

"Because something happened," The girl said, cutting him off. "A horrible thing. My friends and I had to be sepreated. All of us were sent across the world...for our protection...and the protection of our country." Tears began to fall from Felicity's turquoise eyes. "I-I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that. I wasn't even suppose to." Japan's dull brown eyes glistened as he handed Felicity a handkerchief he kept with him. For the first time in a long time, Japan could feel another's pain.

"I understand, Fericity-san." The blonde blinked away the tears in her eyes.

"Really?" Japan nodded.

"Hai. I once had a friend. Back then I wasn't very sociabre with anyone. He herped me to see the worrd and open myserf to new things. But...then something happened. I tried to protect him from a danger that was going to befarr him. But the opposite happened and I ended up hurting him. My friend turned against me and rater hurt me as werr." Japan winced a bit as he thought of the burns America had given him long ago. It seemed like yesterday he had surrendered.

"What happened?" Felicity asked. "You were only trying to protect your friend, which in my eyes is very kind."

"We both rearized what we had done and my friend herped me to get werr again. He stirr does whenever I get hurt or need herp."

"I wish I could meet him." Felicity sighed. "He sounds like a very nice person."

Fluttershy caught another fallen blossom in her hands. Kiku's story had stopped her crying, and the pair had stopped walking and had taken a seat on a bench.

"I-If you want to meet him, he is one of the U.N. representatives,: Kiku told her. "I'm sure no one wourd mind if I brought you with me." Fluttershy's eyes glittered.

"Th-I mean Arigato, Mr. Honda," Fluttershy answered. Kiku smiled a little.

It was night now. Kiku and Fluttershy had returned to Kiku's home after Fluttershy's tour.

"That was wondeful, Mr. Honda," The pegasus said to the Japanese.

"Arigato. I had a wonderfur time as werr," Kiku said. Fluttershy smiled. Just then, something had caught her foot-an upturned root from one of the trees-and she squeaked. Something wrapped around her waist and stopped the girl before she fell. Fluttershy looked up to see Kiku, face as red as one of Applejack's apples, holding on to her. Her face went red with embarrassment.

"I-I'm sorry," Fluttershy stuttered as Kiku helped her to her feet. "I should have been looking where I was going. I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine, Fericity-san," Kiku stopped her, his face still red. "But your arm..." Fluttershy looked down at her sweater. A protruding branch had snagged the fabric and her skin. A thin, but long, cut was slowly leaking Fluttershy's golden blood on her left arm. Her hand immediately flew up to it.

"Accidents happen, I guess," She laughed.

"Ret me herp you mend it." Fluttershy followed Kiku into his home.

"Fericity-san," Japan said, "Prease ret me see it." The foreign girl shook her head violently. "It wirr get infected if I don't treat it."

"I'm sorry but I can't!" Felicity said rather loudly. "It's a matter of something I can't tell you!"

"Prease," Japan counteracted. "I don't want to see you in anymore pain." Reluctantly, Felicity took off her sweater. She was wearing a pale gray t-shirt underneath. The girl held out her arm. Japan almost thought he was seeing things. Felicity's blood wasn't red like humans, or personifications. It was gold. Pure gold. Like the gods did in the myths Greece told him. And above the cut, right on the outside of Felicity's upper left arm, was a tattoo of some sorts. It was of three pink butterflies, arranged in a triangle. Felicity covered it with her hand.

"I didn't want you to see that," She said, biting her lip. Japan took Felicity's hand off her arm and took the arm in his hands. Sterile white bandages were soon being tightened around the wound, but Japan's eyes were still glued to Felicity's tattoo.

"Can you please stop staring at it?" Felicity asked. "It's making me feel uncomfortable." Japan snapped out of his daze.

"Sōrī." Japan apologized. "It's just that-"

"My birthmark?" Japan nodded. "It's fine. Nearly everyone back home have marks like these. It's what we use to identify ourselves."

"That's strange." Japan said as Felicity pulled her sweater back on. "In the U.N. we use the frags of our nation to identify ourserves."

The rest of the night had been spent in silence. As Japan laid in his bed that night, he wondered about his roommate. What was she hiding? Or more importantly-what was she? Felicity was definitely not human. Then again...neither was he. Japan turned over and began to fall asleep. However, a loud crash woke him. Then, a female shriek. Japan knew there was only one other person there who it could have been.

He walked swiftly out of his room and straight to hers with the katana he kept by his bed in his hand. Japan put his empty hand on the door and opened it.

"Fericity-san," said the Nation, "Are you arr-" Japan stopped midsentence when he saw what was going on. A black cloaked figure was holding Felicity in his arms with his hand covering her mouth. The girl looked like she was scared out of her mind as tears slid down her face.

"Goddamn it," said the cloaked figure in a male voice, "Looks like we have company, don't we?" He put a hand on Felicity's face. The girl shuddered.

"What are you doing here?" Japan asked, "Reave her arone." The figure laughed.

"Sorry, well not really, but I need Miss Sunshine over here to complete a certain little task. Isn't that right, Sunshine?" Felicity squeaked in fear. Japan's expression changed into one no one had seen in a very long time.

"I warned you, and now I won't ask again. Reave Fericity-san arone."

"Or what?" Japan unseathed the blade. The figure threw the girl to the ground. "Come at me."

Japan's eyes narrowed as he swung at the figure. The man jumped out of the way. Japan turned, poised to attack again.

"They were right," said the figure. Japan raised an eyebrow.

"Who are you tarking about?" From underneath his hood, the figure smirked.

"Does the name 'Kuro Honda' ring a bell, Nihon?" Japan's eyes widened.

"Mr. Honda...?" said Felicity, "Do you know him?"

"Hai...I do..." answered Japan, "Unfortunatery." The figure laughed.

"You're lucky I have orders not to hurt you, Nihon." The man bowed, "Until we meet again...Nihon." He looked up with a smirk, and in a flurry of black feathers, the man disappeared. Japan stood in shock for a moment before Felicity spoke.

"Are you alright?" She asked. Japan turned around and nodded.

"I shourd be asking you that. He didn't hurt you, did he?" Felicity shook her head and wiped any trace of tears from her turquoise eyes.

"No, I'm just a little shaken up. Mr. Honda...what was that he called you?"Japan slid the sword back into it's sheath.

"Nihon," he said, "It means Japan in my language."

"Do you have any idea why he would call you that?" Japan hesitantly shook his head.

"Not at all."

After the two had calmed down from the excitement, Japan spoke again.

"He might come back for you," he said, "I think you shourd come to the meeting with me now."

"No, it's fine. You don't have to," Felicty said quickly. Japan shook his head.

"I don't want to see a friend get hurt again because of my actions." Both Nation and foreigner's eyes widened.

"I'm your...friend?" Japan nodded.

"You've been kind to me over the past few days. I consider you my friend. It's arright, is it?" Nodding, Felicity smiled. It was pretty cute to Japan.

"Yes, you're my friend, too..." replied Felicity, "Thank you for saving me...Kiku."

"Dōitashimashite...Fericity-chan."

A new friendship, forged of compassion, bonded between two souls. The Spirit of Kindness and the State of Japan are now connected.