Tip for my readers; do NOT research the Nanking Massacre if you plan on sleeping any time soon. Also, while Japan's human leaders are still being jackasses about it even now (though a fair number of people there do know about it and think Japan should apologise for it), I have difficulty picturing the non-dark!version of Kiku being that bad, hence this fic. I don't want to describe the massacre in too much detail for fear of coming across as fetishising it, but what happened to China personally is going to be described in some detail, so be warned. The reference to "Vietnam's girls beating China up" is about the Trung Rebellion, which was also extremely violent but significantly more fun to research - I do recommend you look that one up.

"He left the city on his humans' orders before it fell. He was staying with me when it happened. The first I knew was when he curled up in pain and blood soaked through his shirt. He told me Nanking was burning and his people needed him. I told him to stay here where it was safe, but he refused. He said he'd left it too long already and he shouldn't have left at all, and the next I knew was when I sensed that he needed help."

Japan's face remained still as he looked at the bed in which his brother's body lay, looking as tiny and pale as a broken porcelain doll, but his hands trembled, and he heard Dragon's words as if from far away.

"He was there for a week, with little food and water and less sleep, and kept going with wounds most nations couldn't withstand. He fought on alone, picking off your men here and there and helping as many of his people escape as he could, until he almost dropped. One mistake, that was all it took. He told me all he did was try to snatch some time to fix his bandages and reload his gun. He shouldn't have done it in that order. I found him in a burned-out house with six bullets and a bayonet in him. There was blood in his mouth and nails which wasn't his. He fought to the end."

Japan knelt beside the bed, looking at China's battered face. China was curled awkwardly on his side, propped up on pillows in order to keep him lying on as few of his injuries as possible. He was naked under the blanket, except for bandages. A human would have died, and for a nation he was healing abnormally slowly. His chest wound was still open, the bandages red and damp.

Japan rested a hand on China's forehead, feeling sticky heat. "He's feverish."

"No surprise, he has picked up about three different infections. I tried to keep his wounds clean, but with so many this severe ..." Dragon brushed China's hair out of his face. "I've been looking after him. I can't trust a human with him. I don't think I should go into detail, he can tell you more if he wants to when he wakes up. He's been sleeping a lot." Dragon paused, and added "He shouts your name in his sleep. That's why I went for you. I thought he'd seen you there."

At this, Japan felt his composure break. He rested his head on his arms and let the tears drip between his hands, onto his brother's bed. He felt Dragon's claw rest gently on his back.

"I-I want to apologise," Dragon said. "Dragons aren't even supposed to do revenge, really. I know the ones at your place aren't the same, but over here we're supposed to be agents of goodness and cosmic wisdom and all that. Load of bullshit, really, but we are usually pretty peaceful. We're sort of meant to leave violence to humans - ah, and humanoids. But I saw what happened, and ... I've worked with your brother for so long, and I couldn't love him more if I'd hatched him myself. I was angry. I didn't think."

"I understand," Japan said dully. "I think I'd have done the same."

China's eyes fluttered open. He rolled onto his back, gasping as he lay on his wounds, and gazed up at Dragon, unfocused. "Mm? Hi, boss."

"Hey, kid. Time to change your bandages, I think."

China's fingers brushed his bandages, coming away sticky. "Where'd all this blood come from? Can't be mine," he said with a delirious giggle. "I never lose. Don't listen to Vietnam, says her girls beat me up but she's a dirty liar. We don't like liars, do we? Or backstabbing little brothers." His pupils looked like pinpricks.

Japan looked at Dragon. "What have you been giving him?"

Dragon looked guilty. "Look, it was put him back on the opium or leave him in pain. He broke the habit once, he can do it again later - right now he needs it."

Japan would have responded, but China turned his head and saw him, and jerked away with a yell. "No, not you! Get him out, get him away from me!"

"Whoa, easy now, easy," Dragon whispered, grabbing China's arms to stop him rolling off the bed. "It's okay."

"No it's not," China sobbed. "Get him out. Please."

Japan stood, briskly rubbing a hand across his eyes. "I should be leaving anyway. Uh, tell me if- I mean when he starts to recover? I can make my own way back, I should leave you to watch him."

Dragon nodded, and Japan turned to leave with his brother's cry following him.

"Why weren't you there, brother? Why weren't you there to stop them?"