AN: I'm finally updating, oh my gosh. I am so sorry for my lack of updating. I had to try to get myself motivated to write this. I know several people requested this song, and Kiku singing it.

Trying to work my way back up updating regularly and updating Black Nightmares.

Song is Demons by Imagine Dragons.

The meeting was going much smoother than last time… Everyone was mostly content to listen, and they only interrupted to make suggestions or little comments when necessary.

Kiku nearly smiled as he watched all of them, half listening to the presentation that was being given. All of this music, and communication that was going on… it was a good thing.

…now, if only he could convince himself to join in on that communication. There were things that he needed to say… things he had to apologize for. But with all of these nations, the thought was more than a little deterring. Especially when they may not react in the way he hoped.

This had to be how Alfred and Arthur felt in their little back and forth… Had Ivan's heart sped up like this when he had made the decision to get called out? Had Gilbert's mouth gotten dry when he thought about all of the hidden feelings he would reveal?

…they were so much braver than him, it seemed. But he wasn't about to allow himself to back out now. He was the Land of the Rising Sun, and he would not bow… even when it meant opening himself up.

Kiku glanced around the room until he spotted the clock. The meeting was drawing a close, and… well, this was surely something long overdue.

…he told himself that he wasn't going to do that today. It wasn't fair to those he wanted to talk to. They had been waiting long enough, he was sure, for this.

Hand slowly rising, Kiku looked to the head of the table. Alfred had been leading their conversation from the podium, though he- and the room- paused when they saw Kiku's hand. For the life of him, he couldn't hold the eye contact. "Could I..?"

Alfred nodded, understanding blossoming in his gaze. "Yeah, dude. Last ten minutes okay?"

He returned the nod in affirmation. "Hai…"

The younger nation's expression shifted a moment, becoming empathetic, and he sent him an encouraging smile before he restarted the conversation.

Kiku watched the other Asian nations in his peripherals, stomach tight. Leave it to Alfred to be the optimist…

The room was quiet. The nations all looked towards Kiku, there expressions full of curiosity. It was enough for him to get caught, but for the Japanese man to volunteer? That was something different entirely, and Kiku supposed they couldn't help but watch.

He cleared his throat softly, nearly fumbling with his phone as he set it on the conference table. Alfred nodded in his direction, giving him a thumbs up.

If only that helped his nerves…

The other Asian nations seemed more than intrigued, watching him a little more closely than the others. They listened, waiting for the music to begin. Unfortunately, there was next to no time before the lyrics began.

"When the days are cold, and the cards all fold, and the saints we see are all made of gold…" Kiku took a breath, aware that he probably looked even more uncomfortable than the first time. This song felt like a reach for him. His voice was always calm, but this track was… expressive, and deep, and vulnerable, and… and loud.

While Kiku wasn't a stranger to venting emotions, he was practically alien to doing so in front of others.

His fists clenched beneath the table as he tried to keep whatever calm remained in his expression. "When your dreams all fail, and the ones we hail are worst of all, and the blood runs still…"

It was obvious the other nations knew the song. That… wasn't necessarily his problem. Their reactions didn't matter as much as the ones he was singing for; the ones he was trying to get the message to.

The music began to pick up. He willed his voice to grow louder with it. "I wanna hide the truth, I wanna shelter you…" Ah yes, here came the part he related to. Despite himself, a bit of emotion leaked into his voice. "But with the beast inside, there's nowhere we can hide."

The more beastly side of him had already come out, of course. It had already taken over and been locked away. However, despite that, he found he had there was still so much he had yet to apologize for.

"No matter what we breed, we still are made of greed-" The voice overlaid in the recording, but he could swear he heard… Kiku's eyes flashed open and he turned to his right, only to find that Yong Soo was the one giving him a little backup. "This is my kingdom come, this is my kingdom come…"

A loud beat hit. The drum set picked up, and the volume rose. Kiku took a deep breath as this happened, pushing his way through the chorus. "When you feel my heat, look into my eyes-"It was hard enough for him to open his eyes at all so far because, well… "That's where my demons hide, that's where my demons hide." Yong Soo continued to give him backup, and it helped enough. "Don't get too close, its dark inside, it's where my demons hide, it's where my demons hide..."

The music suddenly died down, and Kiku breathed a sigh of relief. He risked a look towards the other Asian nations before he went on to the next verse. They looked… fairly surprised. A few, namely Mei and Yong Soo, seemed pleased- even proud- of him. Yao was only one he couldn't read. "When the curtains call, is the last of all, when the lights fade out all the sinners crawl…" He took a deep breath, and then-

"So they dug your grave in the masquerade..."

Kiku, along with most everyone else in the room, looked at Yao in surprise. The older nation had a faint smile gracing his lips. His expression had shifted, and… it reminded him of when he was younger; when they both spoke regularly and argued about what the rabbit in the moon was pounding.

"…will come calling out at the mess you've made…" He raised an eyebrow at the end of the line, motioning for Kiku to continue.

The Japanese man couldn't hid his smile this time, and eye contact was far less difficult than it had been moments ago. It felt like a weight that had been crushing his chest for years had just been removed. He reserved the next lines for the stubborn, wise old man he suddenly missed calling his older brother. "Don't wanna let you down, but I am hell bound. Though this is all for you, don't wanna hide the truth."

Yong Soo and Yao both added in for the chorus. The atmosphere in the room was gradually getting lighter, the other nations watching them with smiles of their own. "No matter what we breed, we still are made of greed. This is my kingdom come, this is my kingdom come…"

This time, as the music picked up, Kiku allowed himself to relax. When the beat hit, Hong Kong started emulating it. A few of the nations stopped to laugh at that, but they had to admit that the younger man was one hell of a beatboxer. "When you feel my heat, look into my eyes, it's where my demons hide, it's where my demons hide..! Don't get too close, its dark inside, it's where my demons hide, it's where my demons hide…"

They dropped out, and Kiku's voice continued, as calm and strong as it always was. "They say it's what you make, I say it's up to fate… its woven in my soul, I need to let you go." Yao caught his attention for a brief moment, and Kiku nodded. The two sang together, "Your eyes they shine do bright, I wanna save that light…"

His mind wandered for a moment, and for once the emotions in his expression were not guarded or hidden away. He couldn't believe he had waited this long to reconcile with his family. When he stopped to think about it, he couldn't believe how guilty he still felt; how hard it still was to pick of the pieces of the bonds he long left behind. "I can't escape this now, unless you show me how…!"

The others jumped in when the time came, and he was relieved that, somehow, he hadn't broken things with them so terribly as to never make it right.

And just like that, the song ended. The clapping started, sprouting from Alfred, Arthur, and the rest of the Asians. They knew just how hard it was to do something like this, to bring up a hard subject and open up yourself towards it.

Kiku paused the music, releasing the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.

Most of the nations had filed out the room, more than a few of whom had given him compliments. He was relieved to have the eyes off of him, but he had a feeling that someone would still need to speak with him. When he saw Yao walked towards him, Kiku knew he was right.

The man was quiet, though he didn't appear upset. He still held a similar expression to the one he had before.

"I…" Kiku tried to remain calm, but it was difficult when he had no idea what to say. "I don't think I can put all this into words."

Yao laughed softly, his expression softening. "I think you already did."

There was still some hesitation there. It wouldn't all go away at once. Kiku understood that. "…Duí bú qí."

A beat passed between them. Yao blinked in surprise, and seemed to stumble equally on his words. When he came out of his stupor a few moments later, he was smiling again. "…xié xie ni."

Kiku found himself smiling again. This was certainly a start.

AN: Dui bu qi(Chinese)=I'm sorry. (Can be used in both a light and hard context. In this case it is hard, and implies Kiku is asking for forgiveness.)

Xie xie ni(Chinese)= Thank you.

Thank you all so much for reading and sticking with me! I appreciate it immensely. Please let me know what you think.