"Idiot."

There was no sympathy in Hong Kong's voice. There never was, really. Even with complements, he could make people feel bad. But that's just how he was – and sometimes it seemed that only Kowloon could look beyond that…even if Kowloon was the least grown up out of all his family...and the rest of the world's population.

"Yeah, yeah…" Kowloon lazily picked himself up, readjusting his olive green hat before going to fix the chair. "…you better have brought cake."

"I should have eaten it." The other smirked before going to place the fish bowl near the window and clean up the table the best he could. "One of these days your apartment is just going to collapse from weight."

Kowloon happily poked his brother's cheek, "Maybe. Maybe not." Hong Kong ignored him while he tossed the table's mess of papers to the corner where the rest of them layed, covered in dust and…was that bird waste?

"Ugh. This place is disgusting."

"So's your face."

Hong Kong sighed and flung a pack of candies at his brother's face. His only weakness against Kowloon was his temper, which Kowloon happily manipulated to make him look like even more of a fool. "You know, boss man's thinking about tearing this old place down."

"Aniki? What, forget I exist again?" Kowloon, despite his seemingly 'Amer-I-can' attitude, was often forgotten by the rest of the Asian family. No one even knew why he existed (not that they remembered long enough to think anything of it), as he was more of a city than an actual nation-state, but Hong Kong couldn't find much of a problem with it - Kowloon had enough personality to fill up the entire planet. "I'm serious, sho-te."

"Che," Kowloon stuck out his bottom lip, "He'll have to remember my name first."

Hong Kong sighed and began his rounds to bring at least some of the room together while his twin munched away at the solid sugar. He moved together old news deliveries and advertisements to the bin near the door. "t'was supposed to be for recycling…"

"So you really think he'll get rid of me?" The sun had began to set and Hong Kong could tell he was serious, "I mean, I don't take up that much space…and the crime rates aren't too high, you know?"

Hong Kong went over to clear off the stove before getting up his mini-steamer, "It isn't really about you, di-ge." You know your land is precious; no matter how productive - a shanty towns' a shanty town."

Kowloon grumbled and pulled his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them in a sort of childish fit. "We don't have Nintendos, so what?"

"Industrialization isn't important either. Ge ge has plans. And….you're in the way." The later sighed as he drowned out the last few words, sensing a rising temper in his twin.

"So what!" His fist hit the table and Hong Kong sighed, bringing over several bowls of food. "Here, eat. You haven't had home-cooked food in a while, I'm sure."

Kowloon refused to touch the collection of dishes, "He can't do that. Not without you saying so."

Sighing, Hong Kong reached across his brother to fix himself a bowl of rice and soy, "I can't just say 'no' forever,"

At that, the conversation ended. Hong Kong wasn't sure if he should have felt bad for what he had said, it seemed strange either way. It was true, and Kowloon knew it. In their world, nations didn't have individual rights. They were property, playing pieces for enterprise.

"Di-ge…"

"Just shut up." Kowloon grabbed a bowl of white rice and stood up, "Lest you have a family."

Hong Kong watched as Kowloon made his way out of the apartment, his bare footsteps resounding through the apartment even after he'd left. The elder of the brothers knew Kowloon would be on the roof. After all, it was where the both of them went when they needed to think; the highest elevation they could get to.

Sighing, Hong Kong pulled off his "mandarin" jacket and layed it to the side. His undershirt was already covered in a combination humid dust and sweat. Honestly, he couldn't see what 'big plans' his older brother had for this place. Tearing down the cardboard city would just open up a living hell-hole. Aside from the heat, the place rarely got rain. Here, his Aniki had nothing more than a desert and a lazy asshole to personify it.

"Ge ge," He pleaded, a nearly begging look pulling his older brother into relapse considering his decision.

"What I have decided, I have decided." China huffed as he held tight his crossed arms, coming off to Hong Kong as pouting more so than assuring his position on the matter. "I do not need to put in anymore concern on this matter. After all, do you really think I can change that much? If you want something done, go to that idiot opium father of yours. It is his police your friend's "community" is breaching: not my problem."

Hong Kong had to admit, his older brother's English had much improved since they had last spoken.

Nonetheless, he didn't have much of a choice. In less than five years, he would be returning to the now "People's Republic" - there had to be something his 'aniki' could do. "He's not my friend, Ge ge, He is mine - and your - brother."

China scowled and turned from his to-be colony, "Aiyah! You are only making up things now!"

"Ge ge...-"

"You do not even speak Mandarin! Don't start this with me, shǎ guā!"

Hong Kong looked up with a mildly surprised look, having never been cut off - nor so openly insulted - by his older brother before. Having realized what he had done, China sighed and put his hands up apologetically before switching over to his roughly kindergarten Cantonese, "don't be angry with me, as I have you."

"I didn't know you spoke my language." The "half-Brit" mumbled, having yet to recover from his elder's tantrum.

"You are forgetting who your real family is." China sighed and looked up to Hong Kong, "Even so, I am sorry...I cannot do anything for you now. If your owner does not agree then there is nothing anyone here can accomplish."

"You don't feel remorse for me nor my brother, so I do not need your supposed sympathy."

Before China could snap back at him for, "disrespecting your elders, aru", Hong Kong had stood up to leave. "When you are asked kill him, be still and know it is me you are throwing yourself against."

Yes, a quick update. Same day actually, sorry about that. Updates should not be expected this quickly. The next part is still a work in progress: I'm about 3/4 done, so it shouldn't be that long of a wait. Until then - I hate to beg, but please review! And thanks for reading!