This is not supposed to be a romantic view of the two! Simply a moment between older nations. Thanks for reading!

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Yao had known him in a different era, a different time setting, where the man ran on pure wealth and power. He had definatley changed since that time. He had worn much less layers of clothing, no longer sporting his priceless diamond rings and elegant linen robes. Yao never had time to pick out fancy clothes, so his attire hadn't changed much since then. But he certainly changed his once beloved and unique sense of style. Instead of his usual extravagant apparel, he wore a long, faded olive coat, brown pants and a beige scarf, which was slightly similar to Ivan's.

Not that he noticed.

But there was something from the man's ensemble that stayed with him all these years.

The mask.

That mask had always fascinated Yao, though he we never say it aloud. It obscured his face from the rest of the nations, as if he were hiding something from the past he did not want anyone to know. But say this were true, certainly the Chinese man would know, wouldn't he? They were both around the same age when they first met, and since that day, he's always worn that white mask.

Why did it bother him so much? The man had no clue, but it had stayed in the back of his mind for so long.

Sometimes he wanted to ask him.

But that thought was usually pummeled over with possibly painful outcomes, both physically and verbally speaking. He knew for a fact the man could easily get violent when upset, cursing and shouting at anyone who crossed his path. Still, he always seemed rather friendly when not around Greece.

Perhaps someday, he'd find a way to properly ask the fellow without coming off as rude.

Someday.

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"So it's settled then, we shall discuss the final procedures tomorrow. It was a pleasure meeting you today, Mister Yao Wang."

The Chinese man smiled politely and shook hands with the other. "Same to you, Hassan. I'm glad things worked out the way they did."

"The trip here must have been exhausting, please consider staying in Egypt a few days. There are truly some beautiful sights here."

Yao laughed and nodded once, "I will most definatley have to stay. I find this country's culture very beautiful."

They exchanged one last smile before Yao headed outside into the doorway.

On his way out, however, he collided into a man almost brutally, knocking himself backwards and causing the other man to stumble.

"I'm so very sorry, aru!" He said nervously, clutching a trembling hand to his chest before getting up and identifying the man.

"S'alright, no ha'm done." Said the other man, extending his left hand out to Yao, wanting to pull him up.

He hesitated at first, still in shock and embarrassed of his actions, but eventually gently took the man's arm with his own. His grip was hard and steady; it made him stand him up with such a jolt.

"I'm truly sorry, I-" China stopped dead in his apology when he finally recognized the man.

Turkey.

He should have known who it was just by the accent in his voice, just by his faded olive coat, red fez hat and never ending beige scarf. He should have.

But it was the mask that made him glance twice.

"What, you gonna be admirin' me all day?" He said with a hearty laugh.

"N-no, I was j-just leaving aru." Yao only ended in that silly suffix when he was nervous or scared, and at the moment, he couldn't tell which of the two it was.

"Only kiddin'."

"..."

"Aye, wait a sec, you ain' from here are you?" Turkey questioned, leaning in to examine his physical features.

"I...w-w-well...aru?" He had never been in such an awkward situation before; having Turkey only inches from his face made him very, very uncomfortable.

And that damned, white mask was so close, he could pull it off in one quick swipe.

But sadly, Turkey slowly pulled back from him. "Yes, yes, I rememba' now. You are China, yes? You met with Gupta today eh?"

Gaining some composure, he nodded. Turkey grinned, "Knew it was you!"

"H-how?"

The Turk kept his wide grin and patted a hand over his shoulder. Yao looked over his and saw nothing out of the ordinary, just his hair tied in its usual ponytail.

"What?"

"Your hair."

"What about it?" His voice had now reached a much higher pitch, almost sounding somewhat annoyed.

"Only you wear it that long, no?"

He did make a point, a majority of the other nations cut their hair short, and even those who did grow it out a little could not compare to his long black locks. His face reddened at the fact as he looked down. "So, aru?"

"Oh, no no no!" Turkey waved his palms side to side vigorously, "Not a bad thing. It is you."

"Me?"

"Yes, yes," He began, letting a hand rest on Yao's opposite shoulder. "I think, this is what makes you China. And this..." He let a finger slide down the nose of his mask. "Makes me Turkey."

Normally Yao had something to say, a counter attack, a challenging response, a smart reply. Normally Yao would laugh at such logic and walk away.

Normally.

But again, Turkey had made another point. As far as he knew, he had the longest hair of all the other countries, and Turkey was the only to wear a mask. The more he thought about it, the more he realized he was right.

"Been nice chattin' with ya, but I gotta speak to Gupta the Great." He muttered with such sarcasm, even rolling his eyes for affect.

"Oh, well, it was a pleasure talking to you too, Turkey."

"Call me Sadiq. Sadiq Anan." He said, flashing him yet another smile. "And...you?"

"It's Yao." He replied, returning the same smile.

"Yao. What's that mean in China?"

"It means 'brightly shining'. My last name, Wang, means 'king'." He didn't need to tell him that last part, but he felt the urge to anyway.

"Brightly shining king, now that's a name! Fits ya." Sadiq said with a laugh, turning his back to leave.

He felt his cheeks redden again, but much less this time. It was a compliment he had never heard before, but suddenly grew fond of.

"Sadiq!" Yao called out.

The Turkish man didn't respond. Instead, he looked over his shoulder with an inquisitive look in his eyes.

"What does Sadiq mean?"

"It is Arabic!" Turkey echoed back. "It means friend!"

"Friend..." Yao trailed off, watching him walk into the room he was before.

He felt another grin tug at his lips as he ran a finger through his hair.

"I think that fits you too, aru."

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A/N: It came out a little longer than I had intended it to be, haha. I like the fact that they're two of the older nations! And I realize they probably have no history together. XD I just enjoyed writing it.