Warnings for secondhand account of pretty brutal torture and rape, based loosely on real events (but if you've read the fic so far you knew that). China didn't go down easy, so also warning for injuries to other characters who, to be honest, thoroughly deserve worse. Should also warn that I'm portraying the nations as not having entirely normal human views of the aforementioned; they've seen too much violence to particularly care about it, they don't resent each other for war crimes because they know their own humans have done bad things as well, as Japan said in the first chapter they have enough humans to not usually mind about losing a few, and it's almost impossible for humans to subdue a nation so they haven't usually been on the receiving end and can usually get up within hours when they are killed so they don't care. The Nanking safe zone was in fact set up by a German even though they were supposed to be on Japan's side - Google has further details.

Realised after I posted the last chapter that I mixed up the timeline - "speaking bitterness" didn't come out for a while after this. Oh well, will go back and rewrite later.

"Well, you know how it started, even if you weren't there. You've seen cities fall. Human bosses made me come here, said they wanted me safe. It's funny, but even after all this I still don't regret going back. Even one of my people's lives saved would be enough to make it ... well, 'worth it' probably isn't the right term, but you know what I mean."

Japan nodded.

"I got a pretty decent number of yours. They'll probably be reported 'missing' - nobody on either side will believe one soldier took out so many." China smirked, and Japan smiled weakly. Even from the opposing side, he had to admire his brother's skill. "I brought a lot of my people to the safe zone. Not nearly enough, but some. You might want to talk to Germany about the safe zone, one of his men set it up. I guess I owe him one. Had to put some others out of their misery, but I don't want to think about that. Anyway, I was weak from blood loss and I wasn't high enough on battle rage to kill the pain. I slept a few times, and just fainted a few more. Forgot to eat or drink. I should have tried to keep my facial hair growing, maybe then I'd just have been shot."

Nations' bodies, lasting milennia and regenerating most direct damage, run on what could loosely be termed magic. Food and sleep are more habit than actual need, and their hair and nails only grow if they remember that they should.

"I stopped in an empty house to redo my bandages. Got found. Even in the state I was, I could have taken any two mortals. Pity there were five. Tried to shoot, forgot my gun was empty. One of them got my gun hand between the wall and his rifle butt, smashed the bones. I told them they could do what they wanted with me if they stopped hurting my daughters. I don't think any of them understood Chinese."

By "daughters", of course, he meant the women of the city. A nation's relationship with their humans is an odd thing, with no entirely accurate human analogue, but this term was close enough.

"My Japanese is a bit rusty, but I picked up what they were saying. Said I was the prettiest they'd found even if I was wearing my brother's uniform, asked if he'd run off and left me there. Huh, they had no idea."

Japan shifted uncomfortably.

"I punched one of them, broke his nose, and he slammed my other wrist against the doorframe until it broke too. He got his tongue in my mouth. I think I bit it out. Hope I did. I definitely hurt him, because they got me in the face next. Cracked my jaw and knocked out my front teeth. Said I was tough for a girl. I managed to speak, told him I speak Japanese and that I'm not a girl. They just laughed. I tried to kick, but they caught my foot and I ended up on my back. They stomped on my leg till one of the bones broke, and pulled my other leg up and shoved a knife between my ankle bones into the wall. Pissed myself. Couldn't help it. My vision was fading in and out. Someone else was screaming outside, I begged to be allowed to help them, as if I could have done anything."

He stayed quiet for a long time, until Japan wondered if he'd fallen asleep and reached to put the pipe out before it caused a fire. China opened his eyes, swatted Japan's hand away, and resumed talking, staring dully into the distance.

"One of them knelt over me and said that since I understood him he might as well warn me that if I looked away he'd cut my eyelids off. Then he cut my pants open. I thought they'd been mocking me when they called me a girl, but they actually did seem surprised. Must have been the chest binding fooled them. They laughed again. One of them said something about 'looks close enough'. And ... and ..." The words caught in China's throat. "Yeah."

Japan wasn't an innocent in this area by any means. He hadn't committed rape himself, but not because of any strong feelings on its morality so much as he'd never really felt like it. He simply didn't usually need to make a show of power over his enemies, and if he did, there were cleaner ways. He'd always seen it in an almost abstract way, as just something humans did. It may not particularly appeal to him, but then his people did plenty of things which baffled him, like not being able to walk directly between islands. He had, however, knowingly handed prisoners over to those who would, and watched with only mild disgust on occasion, thinking no more of it than a mortal would think of seeing dogs mate. China had done the same. Several nations had. It was just another mortal thing to them. Now, looking at the mess it had left of his brother, guilt gnawed at his gut so hard he was sure he'd vomit.

"It was weird, really. I didn't think it should be this bad. And next to the broken bones it didn't exactly hurt all that much. But ... I just wanted to die. And I didn't care if I came back or not."

All three were quiet for a long time, all watching the smoke from China's pipe and Dragon's breath swirl about the ceiling. Japan broke the silence. "What happened after that?"

"They got suspicious because I hadn't died yet. My bandages were soaking through. They pulled them open, and they saw how deep the cut was. All I remember then is a lot of shouting about demons, and that was when they shot me. I think I felt one digging around in my wound before I blacked out. Might have been trying to take my heart as a prize, I don't know. When I woke up, Dragon had brought me back to his place. Can't face my humans yet. Nobody's going to come looking here."

Japan drew a knife from its hiding place inside his clothes and looked at the blade, trying to look his reflection in the eye. When he spoke again, his voice was harsh and flat.

"They have signed their death warrants."

China and Dragon looked at him, shocked. It was an incredibly difficult thing for a nation to intentionally bring harm to their own people, and it was almost unheard of for them to try.

"I can do nothing for your people, that's up to them. We know the rules. We're at war, I shouldn't even really be talking to you now. But I swear to you, brother, the ones who touched you personally will beg for as much mercy as they showed you. Shall I bring you their corpses? Or shall I drag them here in chains? However long it takes, whichever of us wins this war, whatever our mortals think, I swear I will not let this lie." Japan ran his finger along the knife edge, leaving a thick line of red, and tucked the handle into China's hand. "One day we'll hold blades wet with someone else's blood. Together."

"You'd let your own people die for me? I thought you hated me."

"If it would make this not have happened, I'd bring you my emperor's head on a platter. I don't much like you, but you're still my brother, and you never deserved this."

Dragon smirked. "That's my boys."

Japan gave him a strange look. "I thought dragons didn't do revenge."

"Doesn't mean I have to stop you."

Next chapter is not a revenge scene. Stay tuned.