[Fanfic] Tatemae 5/5
Title: Tatemae | FF.net
Characters: America and Japan
Rating: PG
Warnings: Human names and, in this chapter only, minor violence
Summary: Two nations meeting is always full of tense and awkward moments. So how did one of the longest lasting friendships start, fall, and rebuild? (This story connects to my other story The Darkness Within Me, but is not needed to understand the full story.)
This chapter: The end.
"Kiku!"
The cherry blossoms were gone, it was all gone. Only the fire and ash remained. And blood; so much blood and flesh. Kiku sat on top of his hill, the branches of the burned tree from long ago in tattered remains around him, or were those bodies? Kiku couldn't tell anymore. His eyes were so clouded from the smoke and bombs and death.
He looked over slowly to see the blonde bobbing up to the hill. It was Alfred, but he wasn't smiling and he wasn't holding a bento. He wasn't in a suit and he didn't come to talk. He came to kill.
Kiku started to stand up, but the pain in his side hit him so hard he was forced to sit. He clutched his right side only to see that it had been split open again; the sudden movement reopening his wound.
Panting harshly, Kiku glared up at the Western nation. "Why are you here?"
"Your boss has given up," Alfred replied. He stopped a short distance away from Kiku. He wasn't angry. No, he was far from angry. "You've lost and the war's over."
Kiku knew that his boss had given up hours ago. It was what drove him to this hill. After all his hard work, all the work of his people, they had just given up so easily.
"That's all you have to say?" Kiku asked. "After you burned and killed thousands of my people?"
"…And what did you say to my warning, Kiku?" Alfred's eyes flashed betrayal, but still his mournful expression remained on his face. He was only looking at Kiku, not the death around him. "You stabbed me in the back, Kiku."
Kiku had always wanted to see it, from the very start. The pain behind those glasses in those eyes that were always shinning. He didn't hate the shine, but he wanted them to change. Just once, like before on the hill years ago. There was that brief moment when Alfred's expression showed what he was inside. He was scared and hurt and alone. But then, so was Kiku at the moment. He had been beaten so badly he didn't even know what was his anymore. At the moment, Alfred had a part of his foot as his own.
Was it worth it? Kiku thought. He thought of how many years the fighting had gone on, the starving, the lies, the fears, and the pride wounded so horribly he didn't know if his people would ever recover. He didn't feel he could recover from his humiliation. But still, he had seen it.
Alfred might be scared and alone and lost from whatever pains he didn't share with the rest of the world, but that didn't stop him from changing like he did. Kiku mentally pushed that vision from his mind; those red eyes. He would not remember the creature that Alfred, the man standing before him, had turned into.
So was it worth it? Kiku thought. To see his honne and not his tatamae…?
The men were silent; knowing that anything more said between them would get them nowhere.
Kiku dropped his head. "You've won… Are you happy?"
"No…" Alfred fell to his knees. He didn't care that his naval uniform would be dirtied by the blood and ash around him. "I didn't want this, Kiku… You were…my best friend… That's why… I'm going to help you."
"What?" Kiku blinked. The ash was growing wet from tears. He looked up. "What did you say?"
A hand had been extended to Kiku. Alfred was smiling, but still so sad and regretful. "Please, Kiku. Let me help you. I didn't want to hurt you or kill anyone here. You know how much I care for you."
"Is this something from your people?" Kiku asked warily. He eyed the hand seeing that his hands were slightly burned, the same as his own.
"No," Alfred shook his head. "They're still celebrating… This is what I want. What do you want?"
Kiku looked from the hand to Alfred.
"Kiku!"
The door opened and Kiku looked up at Alfred. "Welcome back. Did you buy everything you wanted?"
"Yup! I love your convenience stores, dude." Alfred came into Kiku's house, kicking off his shoes. "They're so close and have everything! It's so convenient!"
"I see…" Kiku smiled slightly, heading back inside. He sat down at his kotatsu, his legs and feet enjoying the warmth under the table. "Pochi," he called lightly, patting his lap.
The white fluff ball in the corner reacted to the name called and happily joined Kiku. He curled up into his lap, falling into a warm sleep.
Alfred came into the room as well, taking up his own spot on the opposite side of Kiku. He picked up a video game controller. "You ready to rock and roll?"
Kiku picked up his own controller. The video game was currently on pause. He smiled slightly over at Alfred, but not before he pulled out some pizza chips from the store bag Alfred had dropped on the table. "You haven't beaten me in the last six rounds. What makes you think you'll win this time?"
"Because I'm going to use Jiggleypuff this time and everyone knows that her final attack is a beast of a move," Alfred laughed, shoving a Pocky stick in his mouth. "If I can beat Francis with that little puff, I can beat you."
"Not if I use Lucario," Kiku teased.
"Well don't use Pit again, you cheating bastard."
Kiku smiled, enjoying this moment as much as their silent times together. He unpaused the game, mumbling, "Of course not, Alfred."
Hoshiko2's cents: And that's it for this side story. If you'd like to read more of my stories, please visit my FF.net homepage and see.
There will be another side story to The Darkness Within Me and will focus on Russia from when he was a child to present.
Oh, and a side note. For those who don't understand a few cultural words. Tatemae means the outward feelings people show. It's almost like a mask someone will put on and is generally seen in Japanese people to be polite to strangers. Honne is one's true feelings, how you would be with friends. The fact that America, after all these years, still had up Tatemae to Japan really set him off. But then again, was Japan any better?
Also, my reference to Japan's foot is Okinawa. It stayed a territory of America until Regan's presidential reign where Japan demanded it back.
Hope you enjoyed my fanfic! Thanks for reading and reviewing!
~hoshiko