I thought it would end up longer, but heres the final chapter! Enjoy!

The grove was still big enough to hide him, Kiku noted, he'd grown very much since he'd last hidden behind these green rods.

He was wearing his favorite blue kimono, it honestly hadn't crossed his mind that he was wearing it when he felt the desire to be somewhere safe. When that pounding dark piece in is heart starting twisting and rattling the bars of the cage that Kiku had done his very best to trap it in.

This was the first place that had come to mind.

Kiku wasn't quite sure why, at first, even though his very young childhood was a time that he could recall with perfect clarity.

He told China that it was fuzzy, that he didn't quite remember much before meeting Yao in the forests and moving in with him. When Yao told him the legends about the golden eyed man and the shadow, Kiku said he could not recall ever being involved in such a tale.

He lied.

The dark piece of his heart that moved when he spoke, he could remember it, it had never gone away, it had always been a part of him. There were still times when it completely took over, and his vision went completely red.

When he sent his older brother to the ground beaten and cut with that same purple sheathed sword.

Kiku swallowed hard as he darted across the rods to the opposite grove, praying Yao was not awake.

He peeked up, and was shocked to see his older brother sitting out on the deck, staring out into the green rods of bamboo.

Kiku pulled his head down and hid away behind the green.

It had never failed in concealing him before, and it didn't seem that today would be the first time.

"I'm so old my mind is playing tricks on me...trying to take me back to a time when everything was perfect..."

Kiku stiffened at the sound of that, what could he possibly mean?

A time when everything was perfect...when I first came to visit from the forest?

Kiku heard the door slam and stood up timidly, peering out to see that Yao had gone inside.

He walked out from behind the grove and moved toward the garden.

For but a moment, he felt like the little boy in the blue kimono again, staring down at a border that he'd built for himself.

Kiku looked back up at the house.

He must have gone in for the night.

Kiku convinced himself.

He took a single step forward, and the past reared its head once more.

This back porch had seen many happy days, playing in the sun with the pandas, napping in the mid afternoon, jumping in puddles after rainstorms, and looking up at the moon and the starry night sky that hung above him at that very moment.

It had also seen many arguments, not all of them were about what the rabbit on the moon was doing.

That spot, that exact place right in front of the back deck was where Yao had fallen. Kiku had come out of the house, and his brother had not turned to see who it was.

He trusted Kiku, and kept his back to him.

Kiku had repaid him by slashing across that back with his blade.

Kiku heard the heart wrenching scream echo in his mind, and looked down at the single foot firmly planted within the garden that held his childhood.

It didn't belong there anymore, what right was there for him to stand upon such precious ground?

Kiku's head snapped up when he heard a crashing noise.

His eyes locked with those bright golden orbs.

Yao's teapot smashed to the deck, and he stared out at the other nation with completely obvious shock.

Kiku couldn't help but wonder if he were simply misinterpreting the older's face of horror.

Yao was looking Kiku dead in the eyes, and Kiku wanted to break the gaze, but how could he? It was like those eyes trapped him, still fascinated him as they had thousands of years ago when he was child gazing out from behind the grove.

"Japan...what can I do for you? It's rather late for a meeting." Yao forced out stiffly.

Kiku swallowed hard.

"I..."

The dark piece twisted.

"I cannot..."

It spasmed.

"I didn't mean to intrude..."

It grew.

Kiku let out a heavy breath when he felt the shadow of his heart suddenly thrashing with such intensity. Was it the sight of Yao in such a familiar setting? Was it the sight of his former caretaker dressed in his old red robe instead of a military uniform? Was it this place, the garden he could recall looking out on in wonder?
Or was it something that was trying to force it's way out of him? Something the older was beyond accepting, and something Kiku did not have the right to attempt.

Kiku looked down at his hands and saw that they were trembling.

He looked back up to see that Yao was still staring deeply into his eyes.

"I'm sorry!"

Kiku forced out the words.

Silence followed.

A bitter, abject period of denial that hung thick in the air and caused a heat behind the younger nations eyes.

Because he was nothing but an emotionless facade, no one ever saw the frightening struggle beneath the surface between a timid, shy boy and a dark, looming shadow.

No one could ever know, or tell, that such a monstrous thing was caged within this small, weak body. Who would ever be able to see the fear contained in dark brown orbs most people found drab and without feeling? How could any possibly see the shivering, lonely, terrified boy hidden away behind faked, cold smiles and shifting glances?

Yao stepped off of the deck, snapping Kiku from the thoughts of his own inter conflict.

"The shadow returned?" He guessed.

Kiku fell onto his knees.

Yao knew.

Kiku had not spoken to Yao on the subject of the shadow for well over a thousand years. He had not seen any indication from Kiku about the hated thing for centuries. He had not shared so much as a single kind word with his chinese brother for decades.

But he had known in a heartbeat what was wrong.

Kiku hid his face in his hands.

"It never left." He murmured.

Yao stepped up to the edge of the garden, standing on his side of the invisible border drawn where the flowers met the bamboo.

"I have no reason to trust you." Yao spoke coldly.

Kiku didn't bother to protest against what was obviously the truth. Yao had trusted him, and Kiku had betrayed him and left him to die.

Kiku was still burying his face in his hands, when he felt something warm rest upon his shoulder.

The black haired nation lifted his head to see Yao bent on his haunches in front of him, a hand on his shoulder.

"I must be stupid for wanting to trust you anyway, aru."

Kiku's mouth fell open at some point during this sentence, and Yao moved forward onto his knees and wrapped his arms around him.

Kiku's own arms were pinned between them, but Kiku was already exhausted from the events of the night so far, and from running out here so late, that he fell into the embrace without a thought, fingers curling into the soft silky fabric of the robe.

It was far away, faded, yet beautifully familiar piece of a time that was perfect.

"I was thinking about the legend...about the golden eyed man and the shadow, aru." Yao whispered, not needing to speak any louder with Kiku's head resting on his shoulder.

"I remember when you were still very young, and you asked me what that shadow was."

Kiku didn't respond, he could remember that answer from so long ago in the cave he once called home. He doubted Yao could recall the same answer.

"I said that it was because you were a young, shifting nation, didn't I?"

Kiku pulled back slightly and looked at those golden orbs in disbelief.

Yao smiled wearily.

"I knew that you could remember back then. You just didn't want me to realize it, so you lied. Isn't that a bit childish?"

Kiku's face was still frozen in a mix of shock that this situation was actually occurring, pain from the thrashing of the darkness in his heart, and amazement that Yao could remember that time as vividly as he did.

"I was thinking about it recently...and I think I know what the shadow really is."

Yao pulled Kiku back into a hug.

"It is your loneliness. When you were younger you were alone for a very long time, as a result you lashed out at people who invaded what you called your safe place. It formed something inside of you, and since you had nothing else to call it, and no one to explain, you called it your shadow."

Yao sighed.

"You started to get lonely again when Hong Kong came. Of course we found him hundreds of years before he became to city he is now. He had a lot of issues, got sick often, and I spent a lot of time with him. You got jealous of that, but you are not a person who thinks in those ways, you didn't consciously feel jealous, I know you wanted the best for Li Xiang, just as I did. But, you had no better explanation, so you only viewed it as the shadow returning."

Yao rubbed soothing circles into Kiku's back and continued on.

"You have been alone for a long time again. You have friends, but none of them are close enough to you for you to feel like you can trust them with your secrets, aru. Trust them enough to allow them into your safe place...into the forest of green you hold inside your heart. Thats why you are here, isn't it? Because this forest is the only place on the planet where you feel truly safe."

Kiku shook his head softly, but before he could vocalize anything, Yao let out a breathy chuckle.

"Of course...I forgot. The house that's inside your safe forest. The garden of bright colors is what you called it. This is a safe place for you as well, aru."

Yao leaned back again and smiled in the way that reached his golden eyes.

"Would you like to come in?" Yao stood and offered his hand.

Kiku's own took it, the grip was a lifeline, holding him down and drowning out the shadows.

"I would."

Kiku was so busy struggling to halt his tears as Yao wrapped an arm around his shoulders that he didn't even notice that the shadow had once more withered and died away.

There ya go! What do you think? Was it ok? Well, please review and let me know what you think! Also give me ideas for any other East Asia angst to try my hand at! Just so you know, my headcannon Asian family is China, Japan, Taiwan, Korea Twins, and Hong Kong. The rest are cousins and I don't know enough about their characters to write them accurately! So once more, please review and thanks so much for reading!