A/N: Hello, lovelies! Long time no see. Unfortunately, as a college student that also works, it's very difficult to find time, motivation, and inspiration to write, so it has taken me far too long to update this story and even change it. Rest assured I have just about finished Chapter 13 and plan to update the story with a new chapter when I'm halfway through or done with Chapter 14.
Something that also held me back with this fan fiction is the fact that I first developed this before Legend of Korra was finished, and as it turns out, I really, really, really hate Legend of Korra. I couldn't stand the characters, the writings, the insane technological evolution and how the unique Eastern representation of various cultures became Westernized, or the numerous plots (and yes, I am aware that Nickelodeon was only greenlighting one season at a time, but there was still too much going on), and I was extremely upset with the ending. I wasn't sure how to incorporate spirits living in the human world and a dismantled Earth Kingdom monarchy into my story. In particular, the Earth Kingdom monarchy was always a major plot point that I didn't want to get rid of.
I have no intention of reading the ongoing LoK comic to figure out how the world will evolve following the cartoon's conclusion, so I've reworked some things to suit my narrative. I do want to stick to canon as closely as possible, but not everything will be the same. Basically, I have decided what has happened to the world between the end of LoK and Sarika's birth.
Another thing that I want to mention now (because it would be difficult to explain in the story) is that the current environment in Sarika's world is intended to be more 1950's-esque to match the technological explosion and 1920's aesthetic seen in LoK. However, things that were created in the Cold War, such as nuclear and atomic weapons, Internet, satellites, rockets, and space programs do not exist because of the lack of competitive incentive seen when the USSR was around (plus there's no need for other weapons of mass destruction when spirit energy can be used in such a way).
Lastly, the original antagonistic organization was going to be something of my own design, called the Scarlet Regime. However, I decided to incorporate the Red Lotus instead, but it's overall objectives have changed with the times and new leadership. I thought it would be easier to take an already established group and have them develop a new mission that matches what I intended the Scarlet Regime to be, and it will be explained why and how the Red Lotus changed in the story.
Whew, okay, I think that's everything. These reuploads are just a few tweaks to my writing and correcting mistakes, but I hope you will get excited for the next installment!
"For God's sake, I know he's late to UN meetings often, but late to the one he's hosting? Really." England shook his head, obviously displeased. The other nations who happened to listen in nodded their heads in agreement.
The nations of the world sat in the Salute State Guest Hall in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, some of them growing increasingly annoyed. The meeting was supposed to start half an hour ago, but one of the most important countries had not yet arrived. China had a bad habit of being tardy to conferences—after all, he personally stated he put food above even his nation duties—but when he was the host of a meeting, he went to great lengths to be early and make sure everything was in order the way he liked. He would ensure that the whole building was spotless, and get some of the best chefs around to prepare snacks and other refreshments.
"I wonder if anything happened," Japan mused, half to himself and voicing that nagging thought everyone had...or at least, the thoughts that some people had.
"Pfft, I'm sure he's fine! He probably just overslept again or something." America came striding over, breaking a conversation he was having with Canada. With a sparkling smile he said, "Who knows? Maybe he's finally realized a Communist government blows and he can't bear the shame of admitting it!" He laughed victoriously, as though he had just won a bet.
England put his elbow on the table and soundly smacked the palm of his hand on his forehead. "America, I don't think his government would collapse that quickly and without notice." He emphasized the last words, hoping that America would process the stupidity of his statement. Oh, where had he gone wrong?
"Duh, I know that! Do you even know what sarcasm is?" America gave him a bemused look. "But really though, Communism is stupid."
England ground his teeth together in annoyance, but said nothing.
"Hey, Taiwan's not here either!" someone piped up. America, England, and Japan turned to see Korea standing behind them, his arms crossed and pouting. He was tapping his foot impatiently and added, "I was going to hurry over to Langfang to see a play after the meeting, but if they don't get here soon, the meeting will have to run late! I already bought my ticket, and I am not missing out on something I already paid for!"
"Maybe you can contact him?" Liechtenstein suggested, sitting a few seats down the table.
"I already tried," Korea huffed. "I even called Taiwan! I mean, I know he's staying in his spring home in Hebei and all, but it's not that far from here!"
"And of all people, it would be China who would know how soon to leave the house so he could make it on time, even through the Beijing traffic," Japan said. "None of us were too particularly late, if I do recall."
England nodded and reached into his briefcase. "You're right. I'm going to try to call him and see if I can reach him." He dialed his mobile number and pressed the phone to his ear.
It rang four times, and then went to voicemail. Before the answering machine beeped, England said aloud, "Huh, that's odd. He always has his cell on him, and it's on." Then it beeped and, before England could talk into it, America snatched it from him and loudly declared, "Hey, China! Where are you? You're super late, and we can't start without you! Hurry up and get your old ass over here!"
"America!" England barked, dive bombing for his phone. America raised it out of reach, and England hammered the top of his head with his fist. More startled than hurt, America dropped his hand, and England quickly took back his phone.
Glaring at his former colony, he cleared his throat and said, "Sorry about that, China—America stole my phone. But anyway, you really are exceptionally late, even for you, so I just called to know of your whereabouts. Please call me or someone else back. If you are not here within fifteen minutes, we will begin the meeting without you." With that, he hung up.
"Oh, I do hope he is okay," Ukraine fretted, drumming her fingers on the desk nervously.
"I am sure he's alright. Surely he would tell me if something is wrong! Let me call his home phone," Russia chimed in, and pulled out his own cellular. He punched in the numbers and put it to his ear. His ever present smile wavered slightly, and turned into a slight pout when he did not answer that, either. "China? Hello? China? It's me, Russia," he called through the answering machine. "Anyone home? China, did you oversleep again? Hello?" He paused for a long moment, and for a few more moments after that, puncturing the silence with the occasional, "China, it's Russia. Please do pick up." After another minute or so, he gave up and ended the call.
"Okay, now I'm getting a little weirded out," America admitted.
"This is indeed odd. He usually wakes up very early, yes? And even though he sometimes forgets there's a meeting, he never forgets when one is in his own home." France strode over now, frowning slightly. "Maybe one of us should check on him?"
Austria, who was sitting next to England and listening in, shook his head. "No. If he's not here, then we will simply proceed without him. Taiwan as well. We can postpone issues relating to the two until tomorrow, when—hopefully—they will actually be here."
"I'll hold a vote," Germany decided, standing up from his position beside Austria. "Attention, everyone!" he boomed. Immediately the talking died down and everyone looked to him. "China and Taiwan are absent, as most of you are already aware. If they do not arrive within fifteen minutes, please raise your hand if you would like to start without them." Everybody looked at each other, and slowly the majority of hands went up. Germany nodded. "Alright, then. We'll begin soon enough, so I suggest everyone starts putting their notes together."
Obediently, nations began filing to their seats, opening up their bags and briefcases and folders and going over what they wanted to discuss. But there was a slight tension in the air, a gnawing nervousness for the welfare of the missing nations, and even America felt it. Before the conference started, Korea tried calling China again, both on his mobile and home phone. Once again, no response.
The fifteen minutes had passed, and the clock struck 12:45. With exchanges of wary glances between the countries gathered, America rose and began the meeting, wondering what China and Taiwan could possibly be up to.
"Alright, yeah, I'm freaked out now," Korea told Japan during the lunch break two hours later. When Japan looked at him curiously he explained, "I just tried calling China and Taiwan again. No answer from either of them."
"Hmm," Japan hummed, setting down his chopsticks onto his plate of tataki. He patted his mouth with a napkin and suggested, "Maybe afterwards we should go see China, since we at least know where he is. You remember the location of his Hebei house?"
"I do!" Suddenly Russia was there, with a smile, as always. "I would like to check on China as well. I do hope he is doing okay," he sang. Japan managed to repress a shudder. Knowing Russia, he only cared for his southern neighbor's well being because he wanted him for something, and not of out of simple kindness.
Korea glared up at him, but conceded. "Yeah, okay. Whatever. And I wanna find out what's up with Taiwan, too."
America stepped into the conversation, a half eaten hamburger in his hand. "Yeah, I'd like to know, too. To be honest, I'm a little more worried about her." Which, of course, made sense. America saw her as someone he needed to protect ever since her country rejected Communism, after all. He even once suggested she was like a little sister to him, a sentiment she was vehemently against, because to her, it made her sound weak.
"Then we are in agreement," Japan said, sending a sideways glance Russia's way, not wanting him to get involved. "After the meeting, we'll go to China's home, since it is closer. Hopefully Taiwan is with him, and we can kill two birds with one stone."
"Sounds good," Russia chirped, and turned to go finish his lunch.
Korea also began to walk away. "And hopefully I'm not late to that play. Because if I am, he owes me!"
Word spread of the plan to investigate China's and Taiwan's absences quickly. And soon, almost everyone wanted to be involved. The reasons varied greatly ("I really need to discuss this with China!" "I have nothing better to do." "If he/she's coming, then I am, too!"), but as the end of the first day of the world conference drew to a close, most everyone planned on checking in on China, too. Japan tried to insist so much commotion wasn't necessary—and it wasn't—but there was some unspoken vow between everyone present to discover why China and Taiwan were MIA.
That was why so many nations were now gathered outside China's spring house. Or rather, it was a mansion, to be more precise. And it was old. Very old. It looked more like a giant temple than somewhere to live, perfectly symmetrical with a hipped roof that had ends that swooped upward, golden pillars that supported it, a wraparound porch, and smaller houses attached on both sides of the center axis by long hallways.
America got out of his rental car and released a low whistle. "Nice place."
"China likes to spend spring in this rural area. Spring is when Beijing gets the most hectic, with the Lunar Festival and all," Hong Kong muttered. He, along with Macau, had decided to join the search party after they were both called by Korea and also knew nothing on China's or Taiwan's whereabouts. He pointed. "They must still be here." Indeed, inside the gate, on a large square of gravel that branched out from the path, sat his car.
"Well? Shall we proceed?" Austria insisted, tapping his foot irritably. He was one of the countries to come out of sheer boredom and no other way to spend his time. But it didn't seem to make him any more optimistic.
The various nations glanced at each other, before Korea stormed up the steps to the porch and pounded his fist on the double doors, calling excitedly for his Aniki.
"China! Get up, you lazy bum! If you don't hurry, we'll be late to the meeting!"
"Me? You're the one who spends forever and a day putting on makeup!"
"It's an important process to look professional and elegant! Quit doing your stupid dance and let's go!"
"Aiya! How dare you call Tai Chi a 'dance'! You of all countries should know how important it is to do morning Tai Chi to me and my people! It's an integral part of my culture!"
The bickering escalated into nonsensical shouting as the two Asian nations ran back and forth between the halls, scrambling to apply last minute accessories and gather important notes on economics and politics.
"Taiwan! Have you seen my briefcase?" China cried in exasperation as he tore up his bedroom. "All of my notes were in it! Did you take it?"
"Me? Of course not!" Taiwan cried back, putting on her earrings and looking into a hallway mirror. "It's not my fault that you're irresponsible with your things."
China ran out of his room just to glare at her. "Irresponsible? Me? You're the one who misplaced just about everything but your clothes and bed when you were young! If I hadn't cooked your food, you would have forgotten to eat! How dare you treat your teacher—your brother—with such disrespect!" He dove back into his room to search more.
"That was a long time ago, China," Taiwan countered. "At least I've grown out of that phase. For such an old man, you are still such a child!"
"Found it!" China left his room triumphantly, briefcase in hand. He wasted no time in pacing past Taiwan, saying, "Alright, if we leave right now, we can still be a little early, on time at the latest. And for the millionth time, I'm not old!"
"Are too! Ugh, I can't believe I'm stuck rooming with you for the next few days for the meeting!" Taiwan, done prepping herself, dashed past China, and they rushed for the front door. To save some money and time, she had decided to fly from her home and to China's a day before the meeting, and was now staying with him until the three day conference was over. It seemed like a good idea at the time—she hadn't seen him in awhile, and despite all her grievances towards him, she knew family was important. Also, those cramped hotel rooms, the polluted air, and the constantly bustling streets of Beijing drove her crazy. She much preferred the quiet of the countryside, or at least her own, nicer cities above China's.
She had forgotten how utterly annoying her teacher was.
China grabbed his key ring from the bowl on the table next to the doors. Taiwan ran outside as he muttered under his breath about his immature little sister while pulling on his shoes, wondering where he'd gone wrong.
He stepped out onto the porch and closed the door behind him, then locking it. He checked his watch as he fumbled for the car key. "Alright, it's a bit of a drive from here to Beijing, but if I move through Hebei fast we should be able to—what, what's wrong?"
He nearly ran into Taiwan before looking up. "What?" he repeated in surprise. He thought she would've already been in the car by now. When she did not respond he said, "Hello? Earth to Taiwan! Come on, we're going to be late!" He poked her back, noticing her rigidness.
His voice must have jarred her back to reality. Instead of acknowledging him, she let out a high pitched scream, which bordered on surprised and horrified. Then she darted forward, and China felt his heart seize in his chest. Just past her, lying face down on the gravel path, was a person coated in blood. Taiwan crouched down and rolled the person over, then placed her finger on their neck. When she looked up to China, her eyes were wild and scared. "She's alive! Teacher, please, help me!"
Now China snapped out of it. "She is?" he gasped. He, too, ran over and fell to his knees on her other side. Yes, she was breathing. The young girl before them breathed heavily, panted really, her puffs of air ragged and uneven. She was covered in blood—far too much for someone to survive. Yet, clearly, she lived. China tried to find the source, but the blood on her was old, and it was everywhere. He saw no obvious injury on her face or neck, but he couldn't tell if her clothes were ripped open and she was bleeding from her torso. He felt adrenaline roaring through him as he recalled horrible flashbacks. Fatally wounded, dismembered soldiers lying on a field decimated by mines and mortars, moaning in pain, crying for death, their glassy eyes staring an eternity into the sky….
"—cher? Teacher!" Taiwan shook his shoulders, and China realized he had zoned out again. "What do we do?" Tears of fear welled in her eyes. She was not used to gore and carnage, and for once she was not sure of herself. She was scared. He was scared. But he couldn't let her know that. Right now, this was probably the one time in a very long time she would turn to him for advice, from both past and in the future. And this young girl needed him, too.
China took a deep breath and straightened his back. He carried the weight of an entire nation and culture on his shoulders. He could handle this, too. He passed his keys to Taiwan. "Open the door," he murmured. He put one arm under the girl's knees and one under her upper body. With a small grunt, he lifted her up. "We're going to miss the meeting."
He wasted no time in going back into the house and he climbed up the steps, Taiwan close behind. "Open it," he told her, and for once, without objection she opened the door to the second guest room. He carried the girl inside and set her on the bed with a sigh. "Even with my great economy, I'm not as strong as I used to be…."
"What now? What now?" Taiwan exclaimed. "Should I call an ambulance? Or maybe we should take her to the hospital!"
"Wait a second," China said, looking down at the girl. He turned his head in curiosity, staring at her intently. "I don't…I don't think she's bleeding."
"What?" the other nation gasped.
"Look." He spread his hands over the girl. "All that blood is dark, it's…old. And I don't see a wound anywhere that's oozing. Here, help me get rid of her clothes."
She wore two robes, a deep green one over a yellow. The green one had long and large sleeves, and was cinched closed at the waist by a belt of pale green beads, hooked to a wooden square with a weird symbol carved into it. It was shaped like a trapezoid, but at the middle of the bottom side each end went up into the shape, and from those stemmed two lines in opposite directions. Above that was a swirl. China was not familiar with such a symbol, but he made a mental note of it. He felt it would be important. Attached to the wooden square were three purple strings that various colored beads and dyed, bright blue feathers hung from.
China unclasped one end of the belt from the other, which appeared to be glued to the back of the wood block. Why she would wear something of such poor, primitive craftsmanship was beyond him, but the thought quickly left him. Now there was just the yellow robe, more of a dress, really, that reached to her ankles and had shoulder length straps.
"I'll do this," Taiwan offered, stopping China from slipping the material off her shoulders. "You wait over there. I'll check for injuries."
"Okay." For once, there was no talking, no bickering as the two worked together. China obediently turned around to face the opposite wall as his little sister worked.
"I…there's nothing here. You were right. There's no wound," Taiwan said, puzzled. Yet she was relieved that the girl seemed to be fine, for lack of a better word. "She doesn't have a scratch on her. The blood's soaked through her clothes, but other than that…it's not hers. China, I—" She hesitated, a dreadful thought reaching her tongue. "What has she—I mean, how—?"
"I know what you mean to say." China turned at that moment, just as Taiwan put a blanket over the girl. She appeared to be a teenager, maybe between fourteen and seventeen. "I wonder what happened to her, too. I wonder who she must have killed."
"We don't know she killed anyone!" Taiwan exclaimed, horrified at the idea.
"Look at the blood on her, Taiwan! There's no way a person can survive losing that much!" China insisted, pointing at her.
"Shh! You'll wake her!"
"You actually care about her? Taiwan, she could be dangerous!"
"Or she could be in danger!"
"Then we should turn her over to the police!"
"China!" Taiwan stamped her foot in frustration, then took a deep breath. "China," she repeated, "I think we should wait until she wakes up and ask her what happened, and just go from there. I mean, I'll watch her, and even if she hurts me, it's not like she can kill me." She folded her arms, the way she did when she had decided something and refused to budge.
China sighed, knowing there was now nothing he could say or do to change her mind. "Alright, fine. But I'm watching her with you. I don't want you getting hurt."
"But the meeting—"
"—is three days long. We won't miss much." He sat at the edge of the bed, regarding his little sister. "I'm not budging, either."
For a long time, she said nothing. Then a small smile grew on her face and she said, "Alright. Thank you, Teacher."
"So this…she is why you did not come?" Japan managed to choke after a minute of stunned silence.
Taiwan nodded grimly, the other nations who couldn't fit into the room craning to see the girl. Taiwan had answered the door, and immediately told everyone to be quiet. She assured that she and China were alright, and that she wasn't surprised the countries had come. In fact, they had expected it. But she had fallen asleep in a chair while watching the girl and China refused to move, so he never answered his home phone or cell phone, because he had left that in his bedroom.
"I did manage to put some of my clothes on her," she explained, "and I took her glasses off for her. It's been hours, but she hasn't moved an inch. Sometimes you can't even tell she's breathing."
"And neither of you called the paramedics?" England said, tone hushed with shock.
Taiwan shook her head. "She was…she was totally covered in blood when we found her. You could barely see the colors of her clothes. I washed the blood off of her face, but…there was just so much. I can't get it out of her hair and the rest of her body without bathing her. And I want to know what happened, because despite being unconscious, there's nothing wrong with her."
"You mean, that blood wasn't hers?" Germany stammered, looking over at the clothes that were draped over another chair. They were drenched in dried blood, staining the material brown and red.
"No." Now China spoke up. He sat next to her, feeling her forehead. Her skin was fair, pearly almost, and beads of sweat dotted her face. But she breathed gently through pale pink lips, and seemed to be sleeping rather peacefully. He looked up at Germany. "She's completely fine. Not a cut, not a slash, not a bullet hole, not a bruise on her. Her pulse is fine, she's hydrated, her breathing is stable…I can't make heads or tails of it. Her breathing was a bit ragged at first, but it's evened out since."
"So you took in a girl covered in blood that's not hers and gave her a bed to sleep on? How stupid can you be!" France cried, looking as intrigued as he did frightened.
"Well, I wanted to contact the authorities, but Taiwan won't let me. Besides, the police of Hebei wouldn't really be cut out for something so strange. And I must confess, I'm curious as to what happened to her, too."
"Yeah, this is some FBI stuff," America muttered, the first time he spoke since he saw the girl.
"But you could be harboring a murderer!" England persisted, jabbing a finger in her direction.
China held up his hands and opened his mouth to speak, but Taiwan cut him off. "Believe me, England, I know. But I just…I feel like I need to protect her. Don't you? She could've seen something, been forced to do something…I'm not sure how to explain it, but I feel like she needs me. Needs us."
"Are you mad?" he barked. He turned on his heels and began to leave the room. "Either she killed someone or watched someone die, right in front of her. What she needs is to be sent to the authorities and locked up in a psychiatric ward! I'm calling the police."
"No, please, wait—!" Taiwan tried to stop him, but, out of all people, it was America who put his hand on his shoulder, halting him in his tracks.
"England…I think we should listen to her. This girl, she seems…I don't know, but I feel like I need to be watching over her, too."
"Have you gone daft?"
"No, I just—"
"Please! Lower your voices." Taiwan stepped between them before their bickering could escalate. She turned to England. "Look, if you don't want any part of this, then go back to your hotel. But I'm sticking around, and anyone else who wants to can."
England glared at her, then sighed in defeat. "I don't want any part of this, not at all. But if I'm right, and this turns out to be a total psychopath that tries to kill you all—well, you'll need someone to protect you."
"How reassuring," France sneered, rolling his eyes.
"Do you have a better idea?" England demanded.
The other man held up his hands. "No, I don't. For once I agree with you. She shouldn't be kept here. But, I suppose that if Taiwan won't let us move her…then we just have to wait it out."
"She doesn't look like a murderous psychopath to me." Now Italy chimed in, and he moved closer to the bed, hovering over her. There was a hint of fear in his voice, fear that England and France were right. But there was also a trace of optimism, one that was ever present with him. "She looks nice enough! Who knows, maybe she'll be our friend!"
"Of course you would think that," Germany muttered, pinching his nose in frustration. He also did not want her to stick around, but it seemed Italy did, and there was no way he'd be able to defend himself from her if she was a threat, so, he supposed, he was stuck sticking around in China's home.
Nobody heard him.