Hello again! Summer Break has officially started and I am now officially in High School ^^ Thank you for reading as always!

Disclaimer: Axis Powers: Hetalia does not belong to me.

Miyako-Owari

She was ignoring him.

The Korean knew his mind should be set on Sakura, but Miss Gorgeous-whose name turned out to be Natalya-kept her head of silky blond waves turned away. And although it was obvious that she didn't want to talk or answer any questions, his persistence by nature forced his mouth open.

"Sakura likes ice cream. You know, at first I had to force her into eating it because she thought it would be too cold, da-ze. But then you and your pretty face came along and-" Immediately she turned, a razor sharp glare piercing his smile.

Lips were pressed together, deep in thought as they once again walked in silence. Sakura had led them to an ice cream parlor, once again. The girl stood on her toes as she eyed the flashing flat screens that hung from the colorful ceiling, sliding into new menus of sundaes, sorbets, and other frozen treats.

"You want anything, da-ze?"
"No." His smile only grew wider as he arched his eyebrows, inching towards her.

"Oh, come on! It suits you perfectly! Cold, good eye candy, and tasty!" Slyly, he placed his hand on her shoulder.
Her hand reached up and grasped his wrist, twisting it roughly in an inhuman angle.

He winced slightly, gritting his teeth while keeping a pained grin as Sakura looked behind her.

"What-"
"Oh, it's nothing! Just hurry and order, we're just playing a fun game, da-ze!" The Belorussian smirked at his term, ice blue eyes clashing with dark brown.

What an interesting game this would be.

She had always been attractive. Even from her youth, all the boys of common and noble rank would gather round in a circle, averting their shy gaze and offering childish gifts of stuffed animals and hand-plucked flowers with cheeks glowing red.

The agent hadn't been so heartless as a child, and her heart was touched more easily because of her childlike naiveté. She accepted the gifts, showing them both to Kat and Vanya once she arrived home. Soon her baby blue bedroom was entranced by a collision of multiple scents of flowers, and her jewelry box replaced one after another with a larger size. What more could a little girl want?
Well, the only difference between the little boys back then and the one today was that they were definitely not as assertive.

And innocent.

Natalya had thought better of him before, and perhaps she did consider him innocent to be taking care of a crying little girl. Now that they were assigned as partners for an assignment, nothing even seemed professional. The emphasis for this was definitely the privacy of personal space, which was seemingly non-existent in this boy's vocabulary.

At least he knew better than to use his left hand. His right hand still touched various parts of her body, from her leg to her hand. Oh, how wrong he was to even think about feeling her hand.

By the end of the day, he would be invalid in both hands.

"Natalya-San, are you from Russia?" The child sat on the cushioned iron chair, nibbling on what was left of her chocolate ice cream.

"You may as well say I am. The country of my birth was Belarus, as was my father's."

"I see." A silence fell over both females as she plopped the remainder of the cone into her mouth.

"Where is Yong Soo-San?"

"He went to use the restroom." Maybe she would get lucky and he would harass some innocent young lady, leading him straight to jail-

"And I'm back! Did anyone miss me, da-ze?" Rolling her eyes, she stood and walked to the exit.

"Hey! You're supposed to wait for the little mistress-"

"Will it be alright if we go to Ginza, Natalya-San?" Sakura was already halfway towards where Natalya stood, wrapping her white cardigan around her small frame.

"Of course not." Natalya said gently, opening the glass door. He clenched his fists, running towards the exit.

"You're supposed to wait for me, da-"

Some customers winced as his face collided with glass.

The Belorussian smirked briefly before leading her young charge away.

The morning rays of sunlight entered through the tall windows of the room.

She stirred in the canopied bed, dark brown locks of hair sprayed on her shoulders as eyelids fluttered open.

Somewhat weary from the endeavors of last night, a slightly pained sigh erupted from her lips. There was a dull pain in her hips and head , mouth closing in pain. Recalling last night was a...very different story.

His warm breath was soft against her messy locks, bringing a smile back to her lips as his arm hugged her closer possessively. Drowsily he buried his face in her hair, taking in the sweet scent of peony, of his beloved. Playfully her head turned, half-closed eyes waiting for her husband's wake.

Slender fingers absent-mindedly stroked his pale cheek in a loving caress, index finger outlining his lips.

At that moment it was his turn to slowly wake, eyelids barely opened to reveal the amethyst she loved so much.

Her head swarm into a dreamlike state as he kissed the finger, closing his eyes for a brief second then opening again, the hand that held her towards him bringing her head closer.

Ivan was her soul, her heart, her mind.

"My little peony..." His hot breath melded with her own as their lips finally touched.

"Teacher! Like, stop daydreaming!" Yao blinked, ears vibrating as the wind blew violently against her.

A helicopter landed right before them.

The Chinese woman was disappointed in two ways: one, how she had forgotten that it was time for work and her mind had drifted off. Two, how she had been missing Vanya all this time...

No! Not now. Later at night she would have to video chat...

"It's good to see you, Yao." In an instant she recognized him, who stepped down from the helicopter.

"Kiku!" This had to remain strictly professional. Later she could talk to him about everything that's happened, but now they weren't old friends. Now, they were master and servant.

The shy boy she once knew wore a serene, silent expression on his face. Coal eyes that were easily roused into tears were now serious, alert and attentive. He had grown into such a man!
"Like, you could've called or something." Xiang crossed his arms and frowned.

"Life has not been very generous; I apologize." He bowed. The Cantonese teen scoffed.

"Xiang! Be more polite!"

"Whatever."

"There is business I must attend to." Kiku walked past him swiftly, without even a glance. Yao followed his steady pace, sending a warning glare in the boy's direction as they entered the elevator.

Now it was only them, him with his back turned to the wall and staring blankly ahead.

"How have things been?" She asked softly.

"Things have been quite well. The business has been increasing rapidly in sales and we've established more buildings in several countries." The tone of his voice was kept at a monotone and dull level. Oh well, at least he was more confident in what he was doing...

"You are married now?"

"I am. Why, you didn't expect me to?" She smiled slyly.

"You are and were a good woman." Facing her, he scrutinized the jewel on the ring.

"Strange...I believe I have seen this brand somewhere."

"Always the observant one, Kiku! Do you know what it is?"

"An antique...back when Miyako used to attend auctions, this was on display along with several items from Russia during the early 20th century . He could have been there."
"That sounds very like him. He's always been proud of his heritage." Kiku said nothing as he continued to examine the jewel.

"What is his name?"

"Ivan. Ivan Braginski! You may have heard of his company, the one based in New York." She said proudly.

"I have indeed heard of him." Inside, he grinned manically.

I have heard of him very well.

"And I hear that you have a girlfriend! I met her yesterday evening. A pretty thing she is!" Outside, he curved his lips in the slightest.

"I do."
"Be careful, young ones these days can be very mindless when it comes to love! Not saying that Mei isn't, but, it's better to be safe than sorry." Smiling sincerely, she stepped aside as the doors opened.

"No need to worry, Yao. I love her very much." He walked out of the elevator.

Is there truly a limit to how many lies one can say before being found out?

Mei wasn't interested into any things like politics and business, so for the most part she didn't attend Kiku's board meetings and everything. His scary-looking older brother, Homare, kept her out of sight from there anyway.

Most of the time at the corporation's building, she wandered from floor to floor. No one troubled her because they knew of her status, and Kiku Honda was something to be feared. She didn't really believe that line, because she never saw him lose his temper, yell, and all those other things.

Mei believed that he was relatively harmless.

Until now.

In Ginza there was a shooting. Terrified people gathered in a crowd around the taped mark of the incident, where a dead man in a plain business suit lifelessly lay. Police were pushing the crowd of camera flashes away as a news van parked nearby.

What no one knew was that seconds after the shooting, Pochi had discovered a letter that had fallen from the man's jacket pocket.

Mei now hid in a dark alley a few yards away from any camera men and police, hands shaking as she carefully opened the letter. Pochi wagged his tail as he patiently sat next to her feet.

My, Braginski-San, you didn't believe I spoke English? Here is your proof. Your lovely peony is safe here in Shinjuku as long as those shipments of 'jewels' and 'iron' go through without any strings attached. After all, that incident in Manhattan with the 'fireworks' in your warehouse don't have to stop coming.
However, if you do not meet our little deal, I can assure you that a flower looks the prettiest when rotting.

And yes, my very own plum blossom could never look more beautiful. Why, if all goes well I should send you a picture of her! Red is such a lovely color on her.

Best wishes,

Kiku Honda.

She dropped the letter, covering her mouth as her golden brown orbs widened in horror.

Didn't he love her anymore?

Didn't all that happened before, all the times he had kissed her and told her sweet words matter anymore?

"P-pochi...let's go..." The dog stood as she held his leash once again, leading him and herself away from the alley.

She bit her lip. Maybe there was a good reason for this. Maybe he really loved her, but there were complications. Maybe, just maybe-

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" A policeman pointed his pistol against her throat. She slinked back against the wall of the building she was pressed against, Pochi barking in protest.

"Young lady, you are under arrest for murder."

Pochi darted off into the distance, bloodied letter in his mouth as he crossed a busy intersection.

His master was wrong. Horribly wrong.

As a puppy, the young master hadn't spoken much and acted very innocent and naive. But now that he grew up, he was killing people by the dozens, breaking laws, and manipulating everyone around him.

He had to give the letter to someone. But who?

Suddenly he remembered the pretty lady who Mei had been talking to.

Yes, Yao! That was her name! But maybe it was too dangerous to give it to her. Didn't Mei mention earlier that she was with Kiku? So, the next best thing would be Mei's bored looking friend, Xiang.

Little white paws padded against the sidewalk as he headed to Shinjuku.

Pochi had to leave his young mistress behind as she was taken to the police station. At times like this, he wished he could speak their language and spill whatever was happening and that she was in danger. But this was the best an animal could do.

I left you all off on a cliffhanger...I love Pochi, he's so cute ^^

Thank you for reading! Please review!