AUTHOR'S NOTE_

Razor:

Here's a one-shot of some brotherly fluff between Japan and China that I think needs to stressed out more in the anime/webcomic. I wanted to type this up after reading the lyrics to China's Character song, Éméishān ni Ukabu Tsuki (峨眉山に浮かぶ月), which is basically about China saying how he wanted to hang out under the moon with "you" (I'm guessing "you" is Japan) again. It made me depressed and I wish that they'd make up somehow, so that's how this one-shot was born. The Chinese in this FanFic may or may not be wrong because I don't speak Mandarin that fluently or clearly and it's really rough, so tell me if I said something wrong. This also might not be historically accurate. P.S. The shoulder wound is said about that often, but I saw this comic strip of I think Korea tending to China's scar, but his shoulder was also bandaged, so I decided to include that in the story too.

Anyways, enjoy!

Note: I didn't draw the cover and I just grabbed it from the internet because it looked like it fit. If you drawn the picture and want it taken down, just PM me and I will.

I'M YOUR BROTHER, THAT'S WHY._ _

Japan remembered it was just like any other day. He was sitting outside on the porch waiting for China to finish making dinner and call him in. That night though, he had something in his hand. He didn't remember exactly why, though. China's head had popped out the window, calling him in. Normally he would blindly follow China in as listen to the older nation talk about something he didn't find particularly interesting. This time though, he took something he regretted so much.

Japan remembered China's face as the blade made contact with his shoulder and a frightful cry split the once, quiet air. He was angry at him, so angry, but he couldn't remember why. As if on cue, it started to rain. China had stumbled off the porch and into the mud, clutching his shoulder in agony. He fell in the mud, coughing out blood, shivering from the cold. Seeing the pathetic nation squirm in the rain, it just made him angrier, but he couldn't remember why.

He had sliced his back, a clean swipe. China had collapsed by then and Japan knew he was dying. Japan looked down his caretaker, the one who sacrificed so much for him. Why had he attacked him? China never did anything but try to help him. He gave Japan his identity. If China hadn't found him sitting blindly in the woods, he would have probably have died out

He had looked at the dying nation, choking and drowning in a pool of mud and blood, looking up at him with his glassy mud-colored that asked him why. He didn't know the answer, so naturally, Japan got angrier and was tempted to end the nation's life then and there, but he didn't. Seeing the older nation writhe in his own blood…it was just so miserable. China had pitifully managed to prop himself on his shoulders and he shot him a defeated look. He remembered dropping his Katana and running away, never to return, leaving his older brother to gag on blood and mud, in the dark cold rainy night.

He passed Taiwan, who was leading a sleepy Korea to bed. A young Hong Kong following blankly after her, dragging behind fake fire-crackers China had given him. He caught his sibling's eyes of confusion and soon, Japan had heard a cracked voice call out "Aniki! Aniki!" accompanied by frantic screaming and crying. He didn't remember why he was so angry, but he still was, at the time.

China didn't appear at the next world meeting. In fact, most of the Asian Countries were missing. Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong. They weren't there. Japan pretended not to know when the western nation inquired their absence of him. He wished he told them the truth, but he didn't. It was because he was still angry. So angry…

After a few more world meetings, China had appeared, with bandages clumsily wrapped along his back and shoulder. When the other countries asked why, China didn't tell them about what he did. The other countries asked why Japan was no longer living with him, but China simply answered that he was old enough to get his own independence.

They didn't know, but he did. He didn't want to correct him, because he was so angry, at that time.

They had ended up on the opposite sides of the battlefield, countless times. They had exchanged blows to each other, although he was sure that China had held back, that's how he defeated him, right? That's what his heart wanted to believe, that China still loved him like a brother, but he forced himself to believe that he had severed the bond between them a long time ago and China must have hated him.

But China never really told anyone else of his betrayal. Japan expected China to be bitter to him, to hate him, wishing that he had abandoned the small nation in the forest instead of picking him up and carrying him home…But, China was still so kind to him and acted like nothing ever happened between them. Sometimes he would sourly point out how Japan had hurt him when he left, but everyone would think it was just an emotional scar. No one ever thought that Japan had skewered his back beyond repair.

So some time after World War II, when all the tensions between the nations were somewhat stable, Japan invited China to his house for old time sake. China had accepted his invitation and he was to come over that same night. Japan had feverishly cleaned the house countless times and made sure that he had prepared dinner beforehand.

"晚上好[1], Japan, aru." China said with a smile on his face.

"Ah, you came…" stuttered Japan. He didn't really have a good conversation with his older brother since, so he was fairly unsure of what to do.

"Aiyaa, of course I came, aru!" China laughed. "You invited me, aru."

Japan quickly invited China in and they sat to have tea. After some extreme awkwardness, Japan decided to take China to his house's hot spring to soak for a while, hoping the steam would ease the tension between them. Unfortunately, he had almost forgotten about China's scar, so he made sure that his older brother went first, to avoid seeing the scars.

"China-san…" Japan started and China turned to wearily look at him. Then he said the one thing he wanted to tell his older brother for a long time. "I'm sorry."

"For what, aru?" China tilted his head, suddenly much more awake.

"Hurting you. Long time ago, do you remember?"

"Aiyaa! You still remember that, aru?" China's sat up to laugh a bit, but the way he was laughing, Japan knew it was a fake one. "那的时候完了, 日本[2], that was a long time ago, aru."

"But I hurt you, didn't I?"

Silence.

"I can't lie to you, aru. It did hurt." China started, resting his head back in the water. He closed his eyes. "It hurt so much, aru.."

Japan clutched his hand tighter as he held back tears. "Ah…I'm-"

"But I don't mind, now, aru."

"What?" Japan couldn't believe his ears. "You don't mean-"

"I guess it was only a matter of time, aru. Everyone grows up and I guess it was time for your independence too, aru. I should have given it to you, so it's not entirely your fault." China smiled happily at him. "In any other words, 没关系[3], Japan, aru. It's okay."

"Y-y-you forgive me even though I did such an unspeakable thing?"

"Japan, aru, I forgave you the day you left me to die in the rain."

Japan was speechless. He had expected China to attack verbally, make him feel bad, but here China forgave him. He looked at China, who merely smiled at him. Suddenly, he felt much more peaceful and free than he did. Such a long tension was solved by his brother's simple forgiven.

"Arigato, Onii-sama[4]."

"We should have had this conversation long time ago, aru." China said, his words dipped in melancholy.

"…Indeed, we should have.

They continued the conversation and Japan finally was able to laugh and smile without something binding his heart in strips of regret and agony. After a while, they stood up and got out of the bath and had dinner together. Soon, they were sitting on Japan's porch, looking up at the moon, arguing whether or not the rabbit on the moon was making mochi or grinding herbal medicine.

"I'm glad I got to sit under the moon with you again. I wanted to do this one more time before I was killed or something, aru."

Japan remained silent and fiddled with his fingers before he could muster up the courage to ask.

"I have something to ask you, Onii-sama."

"Hm?"

"When I attacked you, I was really angry. Something I couldn't understand was why you didn't move."

"What do you mean, aru?"

"I mean, you could have dodged my attacks. You saw them coming, but you just stood there and took it. Two times, when I cut you in the shoulder and when I cut you in the back. I knew you could dodge it, but when you didn't I was angry. I wanted you to dodge it." Japan said, remembering his fury and rage. Regret seeped into his heart again and tears began to well up in his eyes. "Why didn't you dodge it? You could have avoided having to endure such painful memories of me. You didn't tell the other countries and nations about this either…why?"

"Oh…" China said, blandly staring up at the moon, his mud-colored eyes staring off into the distance. After a moment of silence, he turned Japan. "I guess… I wanted to see if you would stop and understand what you were doing, aru. To see if you wanted to do the right thing."

"Why did you take the chance?" Japan grabbed China by the shoulders and started to yell into nation's face. "I was ready to kill you, China. To end your life, right then and there, you knew didn't you? You saw it in my eyes."

China smiled and kicked his feet that dangled off the side.

"I did know that." China said pushing Japan down and laughing. "But, you should already know the answer to that, aru."

China smiled and looked at the moon. Japan waited eagerly for his answer. Despite China saying that, he still had no clue. His elder brother then looked at him gave him a benevolent smile.

"Because I'm your brother, that's why."

FOOTNOTES_

[1] "Good evening" in Chinese

[2] Roughly translates to "That time is finished, Japan" in Chinese; Might have bad grammar or something of the sort eue

[3] Means "It's okay" in Chinese, usually said after someone says sorry to you

[4] Basically the same as "Onii-chan" (way to call older brother in Japanese), but more respectful by using "-sama" (used for teacher or something of the sort) instead of "-chan" (more closer); decided to use Onii-sama instead of Onii-chan because Japan isn't comfortable being around his elder brother yet.