And we end the Christmas arc today~!

/= [DAY 100] =/

Li Xiao looked around and blinked. Somehow, he was able to win this rival battle and win the love of his life without being observed or horribly mauled. Instead, he found himself walking with Charice clinging onto his arm and leaning on him like he was a life preserver. He liked it…it was just strange in terms of her.

"Are you all right over there?" He chuckled.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She answered with a laugh. "Your arm losing any feeling any time soon?"

"No, not really. I'm used to it." Li Xiao stared at his arm. "Besides, that's my left arm. I'm right-handed."

"Yeah, I guess that's true."

It was then that Charice started stroking his arm, much to his embarrassment. But he had to admit that…well, he kinda liked it. After a few minutes she paused, her fingers tightening over something. Li Xiao could only watch as she slid the sleeve down and stared at the strange scar that was there.

"…when was this…?" She looked up.

"A war…long time ago…" He answered. "I don't remember what it was or who it was against…I only remember that it gave me that…"

"Oh…wow…" Charice looked back at the scar. "It's really light though…the war must've been a long time ago…"

"It was…when I was a child…actually." Li Xiao chuckled. "I guess that's why I don't remember."

"All right…" She smiled. "I won't ask for any more details."

"Thanks…but you don't have to think like that, really…"

"Hey, it's war scars. Here, I'll show you mine."

Li Xiao watched as she backed up from him and pulled down her left sleeve, revealing a rather obvious scar all over her forearm. He stepped over in shock and found himself tracing a long finger down through the mark, thick enough to state that this wasn't just an ordinary sword.

"Who gave you this?"

"…it was Antonio. When he seized my land." Her answer was rather blunt. "It was the only time I openly fought him. He ripped my arm almost completely open. I couldn't use it until 200 years later."

"…my god."

"In fact, he used the same axe he uses today."

"…and you're…OK with it?"

"He's apologized to me about it. Multiple times, actually. And I can use the arm perfectly fine now." She waved it around. "So what's the point of complaining once the wounds have fully healed?"

"Your brother doesn't think like that, you know."

"I know, and I can't blame him. He's never seen the nice side of Antonio, even when he was ruling over us."

"And…you did?"

"Multiple times, actually. Most of them actually involved whenever he was reading something about Lovino back at his home. He seemed so loving whenever he was reading a letter from him…he would remind me of the fathers I would see with their children when I walked down the streets of my city…" She laughed. "I dunno. After seeing the similarity it was hard trying to be mad at him."

"…were you mad at him at all?" Li Xiao stated. "I mean, overall, you had good reason to."

"…I was…once. Even when I saw the good side of him I still couldn't bring myself to forgive him." She sat down. "Until one moment."

"One?"

"It was after we succeeded in gaining our independence from Spain. He came into the house to hide for a few seconds so that he could flee without being found by my brother again." She rubbed her chin. "He didn't seem to realize that I was there, and we ended up just staring at each other for a few minutes…"

/= [FLASHBACK] =/

How in the world…? How in the world did a child beat him in a war when he was the seasoned fighter? How did something this stupid happen to him…?

Antonio spat curses to himself as he ran through the streets, covered in his bloody battle robes. He knew that if he stopped anywhere, the natives would be quick to take him down. He had to hide somewhere…somewhere where no one was going to find him…somewhere that was quiet…

Before he knew it, he had thrown himself into a house and slammed the door behind him. His breath was ragged…it was painful to him…he couldn't do it anymore…he had to go home…he slammed his back onto the wall and slid to the ground, seeing the bloodstains all over the door. It was horrible. He had to return to the shore soon before he found him…

And that's when he saw her.

When he looked up, he saw a young girl staring back at him, standing in the middle of the hallway and making no move to attack him. He wasn't an idiot. He knew who this girl was. It was the Philippines…Philia, the Pearl of the Orient Sea. And despite the fact that she was cringing at the blood on his frame, she wasn't doing anything else.

"…what? What do you want?"

She said nothing, no facial expressions at all. Instead, she dug into her pockets and threw something at him. It was only then that he realized that it was a roll of bandages. Slowly he got up and started to head forward, toward his room, perhaps to barricade himself until he could leave. Oddly enough, she glided out of the way for him.

Once he painfully got back to his room, he addressed the wounds quickly. The smaller ones could wait. He had to leave now. He would most certainly know where he was, and he had no time to waste. He switched his clothes and left all his weapons behind. They were of no use to him now that the battle had been over. He had to leave soon…before…

He turned around and saw that Philia was at the door, holding a letter in her hand and still making no move to attack him. Antonio was hesitant, but soon he decided that he was going to take the letter in her hands. He opened it carefully and saw familiar scraggles of handwriting that made his hand shiver.

"You have someone back home, don't you?"

He looked up and saw that she was serious in asking.

"Someone that depends on you."

He looked down.

"He would be taken over a thousand times over without me."

She didn't say anything before backing up.

"Take the back door. The path is covered with trees, but you'll get to the coast faster than if you take the main road."

He stared at her.

"I'm not luring you in a trap. I'm the only one who knows the path."

"…why are you helping me?"

"I don't know."

Antonio stared at this girl before slowly approaching her and then going toward the back door. He looked back only once, seeing that she wasn't following him, and then continued down the hallway to freedom.

"Lovino…" He mumbled. "I'm coming."

/= [END FLASHBACK] =/

"Wow…I never knew." He rubbed the back of his head. "I mean, I had an idea but…"

"Well, I knew that it would be stupid of my brother to take down a man who in turn was protecting someone the same way Rizal was to me. Besides, he looked helpless and scared for once…it was almost as if he had lost all his intimidation once Rizal had won the battle…"

"And you forgave him then?"

"No. But I was beginning to." She turned her head. "Once I got my own government, I learned just how it ran and how me and kuya were along for the ride. Then I figured that it was just our leaders that made us who we are…sure, he might've enjoyed it once before, but he clearly doesn't now."

"…complete forgiveness." Li Xiao folded his arms. "I'm…I'm still surprised that there are people out there that can do that."

"Because I live day-to-day. Living like that usually doesn't bring up grudges like that." Charice smiled. "Besides, I can't blame a nation for what their leaders decide, right? A leader is just one man. A country is a million. I like to think of all of us as just a visual of the millions of people that we watch over."

"So when you see me, you just see a whole bunch of Chinese families?"

"No. I see Li Xiao Chun, who just happens to be that visual." She laughed. "Though I have to admit that you have to be the cutest Chinese boy I've ever seen in my life."

She chirped forward and dropped a peck on his cheek, instantly making his face bloom a bright red. He tried not to flinch (he was touched, actually), but when she saw the reaction he had, she couldn't help but laugh out loud and point at him.

"Aww…you're a tsundere!"

"H-hey! Don't use Kiku's phrases on me, aru!" Li Xiao realized that he used that word.

"I guess it's something that Arthur rubs off on his colonies!" She rubbed her chin. "Hm…maybe I should take a look at Alfred…"

"Oh shoot…"

"So I see the battle has been won."

They both turned their heads to see Kiku walking toward them, obviously seeing that they had just admitted how much they liked each other. He stopped just a few feet away from them before turning to Li Xiao.

"Congratulations, Li Xiao. I hold no regrets." He bowed. "I have done my best."

"I have done my best as well." Li Xiao bowed as well. "And I'll try not to rub it in your face."

"Well, that will be hard, won't it?" Kiku turned to Charice. "So, how was your Christmas?"

"…wait…you liked me too?"

"Yes. Both of us were trying to be subtle in our approach so as not to intimidate you…and scare Rizal of course, but that is beside the point…"

"…you're straight?"

Li Xiao slapped his face. What a way for Charice to pop the moment. Now it's starting to sound more like he won because of a technicality, not because she actually truly liked him.

"Hai." Kiku blinked. "Are you…trying to say something?"

"Yeah. Well…not that I wouldn't not like Li Xiao if I knew that. It's just that…well, you're so…womanly." She laughed. "I mean, I found a doujinshi with you and Greece in it-"

"What?" Li Xiao's face flushed red. "You read stuff like that about your friends?"

"Oh yeah, of course I do! I mean, I write them as well!" She laughed. "Though I usually just write Doitsu-ki and Feli-chan-"

"Don't want to know…"

"…do you have that doujinshi with you right now, Charice?"

"Hah? Oh yeah, I have it right here."

"Can I have a look?"

"Sure."

"…are you serious, Kiku?"

"A true man of honor has a true sense of who he is and will not be intimidated by what others think of him." Kiku opened the doujinshi. "Hm…who wrote this?"

"I'm not sure. It's anonymous."

"Interesting…" Kiku flipped through the pages. "Well…it's pretty accurate…"

It was then that Li Xiao got a semi-fear of Kiku.

/=+=/

Bwahahahahaha…yeah, I'm in school, so updating is going to be a bitch.