It's me again! Thank you for all your wonderful reviews!
About this chapter: It's long, long, long. I'm pretty happy about how it turned out, although it seems pretty wordy...a few characters will be introduced in this.
Homare-Aizu

Daisuke-Osaka

Many thanks to my wonderful Beta!

Disclaimer: Axis Powers Hetalia does not belong to me.

Hong Kong was spectacular at night. Everyone, local or tourist, always said that. Well, if one saw the rainbow of lights reflected atop the still waters of Victoria Harbor, they would probably agree.

Xiang, being a local, knew this well. He wasn't just any local. His mother was the legendary actress Gang Liu, famous for her dramatic personality (naturally) and her beauty. Even though he was her illegitimate son, Liu still loved him like any mother would and spoiled him because of their immense wealth. With her assets, Liu bought a luxurious penthouse located in the heart of Kowloon, four stories tall and mostly made of glass, giving most of the rooms ceiling-high windows. She wasted no money in the grandeur, including wide flat screen televisions, Persian rugs, chandeliers, and of course, game systems for her darling son.

It wasn't that he didn't enjoy life here. Xiang didn't mind at all having grown as a wealthy child, being used to delicious food prepared by fine chefs and private plane rides to exotic locations, including his mother's private island, which they visited annually every summer. He was an adventurous young man who constantly sought entertainment in the not-so-safe way. Whenever she was away, he pulled out the speedboat and skipped through the splashing waves of the harbor, wearing Oakley sunglasses while listening to Yong Soo's new hit single on his ipod.

Yong Soo was as famous and as filthy rich of a teenager as he was. Instead of the entertainment industry, his family's roots began at the political stage. Being born the younger twin, not as much was expected between him and his brother. When he was thirteen, a fierce quarrel broke out between his mother and his father's family, during the succession of another politician, whose position was not in the South's government but in the North's. His mother's family desperately wanted to play it safe and remain in their original country, but his father's had strong connections with the deceased politician's family and were told that no one could fill in the role better than a member of Yong Soo's family. After a marriage between their families, Yong Soo's older brother would indeed become the next major politician of North Korea. By then, a lot more was expected from the boy. They should have known better than to mess with an independent spirit such as his, for he was also very talented in art, voice, and even appearance. Still, his parents didn't want to risk losing their origins in the South's politics, so nothing could be done to change the boy's future.

Yong Soo despised it. So what if he was rich and talented? He still would be controlled by his parents...from the schools he attended, to sometimes what he would wear every day. He and Xiang met on the internet during their first year of high school, and luckily enough were both enrolled in the same school. The two maintained a strong friendship, as close as brothers. Yong Soo even mentioned that he was more of a brother than his own ever was.
By the end of their first year, Yong Soo's parents decided that he would transfer. Not to just any school, though. To a foreign one-a boarding school. He had many friends before, but this just crossed the line. Xiang was his best friend.
Instead of obeying his parents and returning to his apartment that night, he spent the night at Xiang's place. There, he decided that he would run away. Back in middle school, he met a famous theatrical agent back in Seoul. Now, he was ready to take up his offer, having grown and his voice mostly developed. After a quick exchange of fake contacts and real ones, he left.

Xiang hadn't seen him since.

In a way, he thought of him as lucky. Away from his parents, not being told what to do. He didn't really have a right to complain about Liu controlling his future, since she already gave him her word that he was free to do as he pleased. Xiang loved Hong Kong, but as much as he did, he was aware of the world around him and what there was to do. He had seen quite a few countries, and visited quite a few cities. It all wasn't enough to satisfy his thrill. From an early age, he learned kung fu, and wanted to use it desperately. As an avid fan of Jackie Chan, he used it whenever he could (which often frightened his proud but terrified mother; he mangled a mugger's arm when he was eight, and the man had a KNIFE).

"Master Xiang, a letter has arrived for you." The loyal middle-aged butler, Bao-Zhang, announced gravely as he entered the modern parlor.
"Did Mom arrive in Nepal yet?" Slender fingers tore the side of the envelope. His lips upturned when he saw a tinge of red on his index finger.
"Madam Liu arrived safely, young master." With a polite bow, he left the room.

Xiang cursed beneath his breath and stomped to the bathroom. She kept the bandages in the drawer to the left...his hand scrambled for the small square box that he knew was always put to the left of the wipes...ah ha! Found it.

Victoriously, he tightened his grip around the small square box. He dropped it on the marble base of the bathroom sink, and twisted the handles of the sink water. Grimacing, he washed the small cut. When all was done he brushed off the remaining water off with the white hand towel.

After a few more minutes he successfully had a bandage placed across his finger.

Sighing in exasperation, he marched back to the living room, and slowly removed the paper from the envelope.
Brown eyes widened in silent surprise as he read the contents of the letter.

It was from a company in Tokyo, called Honda International. Xiang never really paid much attention to business; it was all boring news to him. The word 'International' must mean that it was a major corporation, and he could guess that much.

They had heard of his skill in kung fu and how many awards and medals he had won in the past. They wanted him to work for them , acting as a bodyguard from the Yakuza.

Wait, what?
Now the Yakuza, he had heard of. The powerful Japanese mafia. But why him? He hadn't even entered the world championships or anything, and although he hated to admit it, there was a variety of different people that were above his skill that would be better qualified for a job as such.

Oh, right.

He wanted to get out of here, didn't he?
That would explain why they would choose him, Gang Xiang, the son of the actress Gang Liu, who lived in the lap of luxury. It wasn't just because of his talent in physical ability. It was because that he was desperate to get some action in his life, and to what extent he would do to have it.

He smirked.
These people, whoever they were, knew their facts well.

The smirk turned into a frown at a sudden thought that crossed his mind.

But how...

"Kikkun left?" A wave of disappointment struck through the girl's heart. Daisuke smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, Mei. But he had work to do. It's really...no, super important." He spoke to her like she was still a little girl. Didn't they all treat her that way.

"Just tell me what he's doing!" He and his cousin, Homare, who was standing patiently at the edge of the staircase, locked their eyes. No matter what she did, even if she sent him to the emergency room, the information was not to be spoken of. The daughter of an important government official didn't need to be caught in a web of events that she couldn't stand. What exactly was Kiku thinking, falling in love with a girl this useless?
"It's boring. Really boring, like a history book with dates of events and what people did." Daisuke returned his gaze to the pouting Taiwanese.

Inside her head, Mei was infuriated. So now he wanted her to visualize?

"If it's what's keeping me from seeing him I'm obligated to know!" Gah, she just kept getting smarter! Homare caught his cousin's plea for help and quickly marched to where the two stood.

"Ah, please. It's really nothing to worry about. Just a little venture here and there, but it's just extra money that we want to save for later. The stocks are even well nowadays, and even if we fail to gain anything, we don't need it. Isn't that right, Daisuke?" Play along, his stern eyes commanded.

"Right!" The volcano was ready to burst.

"KIKKUN WANTS TO SEE ME, I KNOW IT!" The shorter man grimaced. She was beginning to get violent, as more people began to stare in their direction. Homare, on the contrary, kept his blank, businesslike expression despite the fire in Mei's golden brown eyes.

"Kiku needs you to stay out of things that will only cause both of you trouble." She stiffened. His voice seemed to have dropped a level colder and his face more frightening.

"It is true that he is busy. That's why he needs you to stay out of this. He cares for you, doesn't he? That's why he wants you out of his business life. Because he wants to keep you safe. People are always trying to cripple a corporate powerhouse in one way or another. And it isn't always by tossing lies about executives towards the public. Do you understand?" Mei was relieved to hear that his voice had become softer, though it kept its coolness.

"I do now." She smiled softly. The heads of listening employees turned, and they returned to their work.

"I am sorry for the inconvenience I brought." Bowing, her hands clutched the handle of the peach handbag she carried.

"Oh, don't apologize! If my girlfriend had been busy, I would've-" Homare frowned, stopping the younger man from finishing his sentence.

Meanwhile, the chief executive of Honda International stood in front of the tall glass window, gazing upon the bustling streets of Shinjuku. Void, dark brown eyes followed a black limousine, which paused right in front of the building. A small figure clad in multiple shades of pink, followed by a tiny white ball of fluff (which he later identified as his dog, Pochi) scurried into the car. Once the door closed, it drove off, his gaze glued until it was out of sight.

"There, she is gone. I expect that you are content now, Ly-San?" A young woman donned in a plain black business suit sat in a leather chair. Her lips were pressed into a thin line as he turned around.

"If you go too far with her, I swear that this deal is off. You know how much power I hold in my family. We could easily say no, and none of our assets would be dramatically changed, even with your contribution." He smiled. One would easily fall into the trap, thinking that it was a genuine, serene, and friendly smile. Kim didn't. She knew this man, this family, and how much influence it created in the crime world of East Asia.

She knew his smiles were never genuine.

"Mei-Chan will be fine, you'll see. And I am already well aware of what the Ly family can handle, providing all those soldiers in the Vietnam War. Wasn't that when you met Kirkland's son?" She hissed, almond brown eyes crossed and stood. Her actions brought another smile, but a shade darker.

"I know everything about you, Ly-San. I have...plans, but even with all you can do nothing will be shifted even an inch. Contrary to what you may think, your role in this game is very insignificant." Sitting back down, Kim's anger cooled down.

"Then I suppose, from how you treat her, Mei must seem like a vital pawn." Kiku sighed.

"Of course. She is a very vital pawn, but has the mind of a child. It serves as both an advantage and as a disadvantage. We are in lucky, because it is mostly a positive factor in our terms. A child will often stumble and cry, wanting to act like an adult. But with proper guidance, can hold much potential." He moved a shoji piece on the board.
Kim uncrossed her leg and took a closer look at the board game.

"Uncanny. I don't believe that the rules permit you to do those things." She mumbled.

"Rules are meant to be broken, Ly-San. You should know that. That is, after all, the code of the criminal underworld."

Yao stretched in her first class seat, almost knocking over the cup of tea. The time was 2:30 A.M., and she hadn't had much sleep the night before. It had only been a few minutes since the plane took off from the John F. Kennedy Airport, and about half an hour since she left their apartment. She looked out the circular window, at the deep blue darkness of the early morning hours.
The blue reminded her of detergent, which one of Kiku's maid had accidentally spilled on his newly washed teddy bear. Because the teddy bear was a present from Arthur Kirkland (the one who was now in charge of a major British business that had a building back home in Manhattan) and among the child's favorite toys, he held a silent grudge on the maid. She was certainly guilty whenever the boy looked at her with disdain, and offered him a piece of dango she had specially made for him a few days later.

Being such a small boy, and wanting to get rid of the young lady's face once and for all, he convinced his mother that the dango was poisoned. The Chinese woman smiled, remembering the times when they were both young. Yao begged him not to say it, but he was headstrong and almost fired the maid had Pochi not eaten it, proving the dango to be just fine.

"You are smiling again." The cold, accented voice of the Belorussian woman put a stop to her train of thoughts. Yao turned, meeting Natalya's distant gaze which fell upon a novel in Cyrillic.

"Is there something wrong with that?" She did not answer.

Frowning, she took out her iPhone and began answering a text from Ivan. Rolling her eyes, she couldn't help but smile at his how childishly worried he was. And only an hour and thirty minutes had passed since she left!
Thumbs pressing rapidly on the screen, a sudden coldness came upon her shoulder. Glancing to her right, her suspicion proved to be incorrect as Natalya's expression hadn't changed from before, icy blue eyes as hard as ever.

It wasn't that she disliked her. From the start, Natalya had always been distant towards her, sometimes even hostile. Of course Vanya wasn't around when she acted this way. Yao understood people all had their different tastes, and some preferred it to be away from the rest of the crowd. But something about Natalya was...off. It was clear that her declaration of friendship, even sisterhood, was not returned by her husband's younger sister.

Enough time has passed by. If our relationship continues to go on like this, in a time of danger, it will eventually bring one of us down. Even though she doesn't look like she wants to say anything about the subject, it doesn't have to be her who starts breaking the ice between us.

Taking a deep breath, Yao placed her phone back in the pocket of her coat, and closed her eyes.

"Natalya, I don't know what I did to make you hate me." Her subordinate flipped a page, eyes becoming even more distant at the Chinese woman's words. They weren't harsh, nor were they cautious. They were curious words, and Natalya knew she had a right to know why her behavior towards her was so.

"You have the better side of the ending." She raised an eyebrow.

"Huh?"
"We're not too different, Yao. We were once both princesses in a fairytale. We both had pretty dresses and large houses, with parents who cared for us and a world that seemingly loved us. We both found out that it was all a display put especially for us, who were both so young and fell for every single thing that was said. It's not like we had a reason not to. After all, everything that was said about us always made us happy, one way or another." Yao slowly started to comprehend her story.

"The Braginski family...from what I heard, you were once high class, right?"

"Once. It was a family of five, with two parents , Katyusha as the older sister, and Vanya as the older brother. Katyusha was far too cowardly and annoying that I rarely ever played with her, despite the fact that we were the same gender. Vanya, on the other hand, was like the sun. Our estate was in St. Petersburg, and it was often cold with short summers. He was like my summer, that lasted forever. I wanted him to be happy and forever my own." Her voice began to drift off, as if she was in a dream. Yao swore she caught a glimpse of a smile on the blood red lips. Even though her hands held the book open, she probably wasn't even reading.

"And it went on that way. Every day was a fairytale. For me, at least. Vanya and I would chase each other across the blanket of snow that covered the lawn, or played board games when it was too cold. At night Mother would read stories to all three of us, and on special occasions read to us until we all fell asleep." The ghost of a smile disappeared.

"One day, Vanya and I were in a middle of a game of tag, and I was running to the other end of the main hall. I collided with what I thought was a guest, and I apologized. I was near to tears, because I knew Mother would always tell me not to get in the way of guests, who were usually other men or women who had connections with our family. But it wasn't. It was him, who I had been so curious about. It was my father, Vladislav Braginski." Yao rarely heard about his father. Vanya put it off, saying that he didn't know much about him because he was a constantly busy man.

"He looked just like me, for I was told that I was a very pretty girl and admired myself in my bedroom mirror often. I hated that. He wasn't like Vanya, at all. I should've known better, since Vanya resembled Mother in every way. But he was horrible. I thought of him well at first, standing straight with a bright smile and holding up my arms, expecting to be carried up in the air. Instead, he frowned deeply, as if he didn't approve of the sight in front of him, a sight that he himself created. My smile fell as he walked away, without even saying a word. And I hated that. I hated it so much. I was shallow, Yao. I believed that there was nothing wrong about me, that I was a perfect little girl who everyone loved and smiled at. I believed that everyone would love me. And when he-he, who was supposed to smile back-turned away with disgust, I didn't know what to do."
"I began to hate myself. Even though everyone still continued calling me beautiful and my mother kept showering love on me, I still hated myself. Admiration was my fatal flaw. Just when I thought that he was the only one who would reject me, I met him. My grandfather, Sergei 'Winter' Braginski. When I first heard his name, I thought that it was silly and wondered why on earth someone could be named as ridiculously as that. When I met him face to face, that's when I learned. When I learned that his gaze alone felt like a purga. And from that alone, I knew that he couldn't care less about who I was, family or not." Her grip on her navy blue skirt tightened as she connected the words she was about to say in her mind.

"It was a few months when I decided to myself that mistakes could be made, and surely that both of them were just having a rough moment. I was sure that they were going to apologize, and that because of their busy lives they couldn't find the time to see me. I overheard my mother speaking to one of the servants that they would both be arriving later that evening, and I was ecstatic. I put on my favorite dress, taffeta in light pink and blue, and rolled my hair into a French bun. it was around eight o'clock at night when I got tired of waiting in my bedroom, as I stroked the hair of my porcelain doll. Vanya sat next to me, reading a book-Alice in Wonderland-and was laughing at the part about the Cheshire Cat. Katyusha, who had been assigned to look after us, was knitting a scarf-a shade darker than the one she made for Vanya's fourth birthday-which she said would be mine. I grew impatient enough to get up from my bed, went against my sister's wishes, and went to see what was taking so long. I encouraged Vanya to come with me, which convinced Katyusha to follow. As I came closer and closer to the main hall, I smelled something terrible. The smell grew to be more of a menace by the time we actually came to the center of the main hall, and I realized-in a horror-that it was smoke. It was the horrible reality that the estate was on fire, as Katyusha had reported after taking a quick look past the kitchen. What really struck me was that the fire didn't start in the kitchen...I never knew where it started."
"For a while, my vision was black. When I awoke, my head ached, and Katuysha was sobbing loudly and on her knees. Vanya looked as if he was about to cry too, but he held it back. I asked what had been happening, and she said that our estate burned down...and our mother was dead. I didn't cry. I completely thought of myself being an idiot for thinking about forgiving them, who Katyusha said were alive." Natalya took a deep breath and shut the book.

"Do you understand now, Yao? Despite the fact that you've lost your mother, hate your father, and lost all your assets of once being a high class citizen, you still have him. I had him. Then, when you and your pretty little figure passed by, he couldn't resist falling in love with you. And I'm sure it all went the same for you. Why would you even join an organization as troublesome as this? You'd actually risk your chances of living a happy life, of being truly content with who you are, and what you do?" Natalya's eyes were raging blue fire as she spat words of what she had been holding in all this time. Yao felt sympathy for her. After all she had said, it was no wonder why she was so bitter. Even then, what she had said couldn't clear out one last thing.

"What about you? Why would you join something like this? I'm sure Vanya doesn't want to see his baby sister hurt. And you would only make him unhappy if you do." The Belorussian woman's eyes softened from fiery to pools of water, as a small, sadistic smile came across her plump lips.

"I've said so much. That answer is simple: Because everything I once was , and I once had, is gone. I am not his darling little sister anymore. I am a monster who took the lives of many. And while he lives his life with you, I am just a shadow on the wall. Because of you...I am nothing anymore. And if I am nothing anymore," Her sadistic smile became wider.

"I wish to die." Before Yao could protest, Natalya turned on her heel and left the appalled woman alone.

Thank you for reading! Please review!