[Fanfic] Tatemae 2/5
Title: Tatemae | FF.net
Author: Me
Character (s)/ Pairing (s): America and Japan
Rating: K/ PG
Warnings: Human names.
Summary: Thought I'd sprinkle in this little fanfic. It connects to my other story The Darkness Within Me. I planned on originally having it be a rather long one-shot, but changed my mind. It'll be in five parts.
Chapter 2- Trifles
Hoshiko2's cents: I realized I never put a disclaimer down for this small series. This is put down for the rest of this series. I do not own Hetalia (World Series or Axis Powers). That belongs to the brilliant Himaruya Hidekazu.
Please, feel free to leave me a review. I wrote this series while still in Japan and took to heart how my Japanese friends would speak and react to me.
"Kiku!"
The Asian man jumped slightly. He turned, staying seated, and watched as the blonde head bobbed up the hill towards him. This day, Kiku was in his dark green hakama and a light hanten over it whereas Alfred was still in a nice Western style suit, but of a different color and a different tie. Today he was much more of the blue hue; perfect to match his eyes. He was also carrying a bento as he hurried up the small hill.
Despite the slight chill, the cherry blossoms had already started blooming and a few wafted down into Kiku's hair. He turned to look back out at the port, ever growing each day. The nation was still in shock and awe that such a strange and radical ideal known as Western society had rapidly changed so much of his traditions. His people were quick to jump to everything new they could get their hands on.
"Kiku!" Alfred repeated. He stopped at the top of the hill, out of breathe, but a radiant smile still on his face. He was hardly without it and, for the relatively short time Kiku had known the man, he had never seen him frown. "Look! LOOK!"
Alfred shoved the bento in Kiku's face, almost hitting him in the jaw. Kiku stared down at the red box, uninterested.
"Yes, it's called a bento. Is that so strange?" Kiku asked simply. He watched as Alfred plopped down on the grass next to him. He winced slightly knowing that the freshly cleaned suit would now have grass stains on it.
Alfred had improved quickly with his Japanese and could speak it fluently now, but he still enjoyed slipping in English words. Kiku didn't mind, he found it endearing. "No, but it's exciting! It's my first bento! Come on, you must've been excited when you got your first bento!"
"Mr. America, it's been so long since I first even made a bento that I don't quite remember it," Kiku said. He took a sip from his green tea he had been enjoying during his small picnic; the small tea kettle sat by his side along with his own bento.
"You don't remember? Shoot, I remember when I first had a lunch in a lunch bag!" Alfred began to open his bento.
Kiku couldn't hold back the tiniest of smiles at Alfred's youthfulness. He found it was hard to when he remembered that while Alfred was powerful, he was still very young. "Yes, but you are hardly 100 years old now."
"Fiddlesticks," Alfred waved it off. He was far more excited about his contents. "Whoa! Look at all that fish! And that's all from today, right?"
Kiku nodded. "Yes, of course."
"Wow! This is great! Thanks for the meal!" Alfred had already started eating. Kiku was still impressed by how easily Alfred had picked up on his cultural differences such as using chopsticks, bowing, sitting in the proper style (even if it hurt his legs), and saying thanks before a meal.
While Alfred ate, there was a shared silence between the two. Kiku always enjoyed these moments the most as it was a rare occurrence with the younger nation. He closed his eyes, enjoying the sounds of the distant waves, the slight breeze, and even Alfred's munching next to him. He found himself realizing that Alfred's company was becoming more and more a normal part of his day, almost as if it were an extension of himself.
"Say, Kiku," Alfred started, startling Kiku from his thoughts. However, it was a welcome respite. "I'm really glad that things between us are so good even if your boss hates me."
"Don't say such things," Kiku said, looking to Alfred. "My Emperor does quite enjoy your company, as do my people."
"Well I don't see them as much as I see you." Alfred shrugged, brushing some of the rice from his lips. Kiku looked back out at the ocean. "So even if your people didn't like me as much, I wouldn't care because you like me."
Kiku hesitated a moment, hoping that Alfred would take back what he said. Oh how he hoped he would take it back. But he didn't and Kiku was forced to reply.
"What…do you mean?"
"I mean, I'm glad you made the decision to still like me despite what others say and want you to do."
Kiku was genuinely confused, but Alfred didn't seem to grasp this just from the look on the Asian's face. "I'm sorry, but I don't understand."
"We have our own feelings, right?" Alfred touched his chest over where his heart is. "Right here. We're like humans, but there are two differences; one being the voices in our head and the other being our unquestionable alliance to our people."
Kiku nodded. "I see."
"But we have our own feelings, our own voice, and we can choose to go, as ourselves, against what our people want, but still do as they ask."
"You're explanation is hard to understand," Kiku sighed. It was time to refill his tea cup.
"When I left Arthur, I left him because of my people," Alfred started. "As such, I haven't seen him since."
Kiku noted that Alfred had no sound of remorse in his tone. He chanced a look over and saw that Alfred's expression hadn't changed from that everlasting smile. Except for his eyes. They looked bluer, sadder.
"But me as a human, I want to see him again. I want to talk to him, spend some afternoons with him again, things like that." Alfred smiled over at Kiku. "Like I am with you. Not many people back home like the idea of me being so close and familiar with you, but I don't care. I'm doing my job while at the same time doing what I want."
Kiku frowned slightly. "But isn't that the same as defying them? We're not allowed such pleasantries."
"Who says?"
The two men made eye contact again. Kiku tried to look away, but he then understood something. Alfred had long ago mastered the art of hiding his true colors; tatemae. It was evident in how masterfully calm and collected he was at all times as well as how a smile constantly accompanied him wherever he went. But eyes always told the true story. Kiku was slightly relieved to know that not even the great United States of America could hide that.
"I don't…"
"Who says you can't do both? Why can't we have what we want and still do our job? We're just like humans." Alfred sounded so adamant about it that Kiku found himself slightly scared. He had never been presented with such a profound ideal.
He looked away quickly. "I don't understand. Please, let's change the topic."
Alfred sighed, exasperated, but looked out at the ocean. "All right."
~hoshiko
Author: Me
Character (s)/ Pairing (s): America and Japan
Rating: K/ PG
Warnings: Human names.
Summary: Thought I'd sprinkle in this little fanfic. It connects to my other story The Darkness Within Me. I planned on originally having it be a rather long one-shot, but changed my mind. It'll be in five parts.
Chapter 2- Trifles
Hoshiko2's cents: I realized I never put a disclaimer down for this small series. This is put down for the rest of this series. I do not own Hetalia (World Series or Axis Powers). That belongs to the brilliant Himaruya Hidekazu.
Please, feel free to leave me a review. I wrote this series while still in Japan and took to heart how my Japanese friends would speak and react to me.
"Kiku!"
The Asian man jumped slightly. He turned, staying seated, and watched as the blonde head bobbed up the hill towards him. This day, Kiku was in his dark green hakama and a light hanten over it whereas Alfred was still in a nice Western style suit, but of a different color and a different tie. Today he was much more of the blue hue; perfect to match his eyes. He was also carrying a bento as he hurried up the small hill.
Despite the slight chill, the cherry blossoms had already started blooming and a few wafted down into Kiku's hair. He turned to look back out at the port, ever growing each day. The nation was still in shock and awe that such a strange and radical ideal known as Western society had rapidly changed so much of his traditions. His people were quick to jump to everything new they could get their hands on.
"Kiku!" Alfred repeated. He stopped at the top of the hill, out of breathe, but a radiant smile still on his face. He was hardly without it and, for the relatively short time Kiku had known the man, he had never seen him frown. "Look! LOOK!"
Alfred shoved the bento in Kiku's face, almost hitting him in the jaw. Kiku stared down at the red box, uninterested.
"Yes, it's called a bento. Is that so strange?" Kiku asked simply. He watched as Alfred plopped down on the grass next to him. He winced slightly knowing that the freshly cleaned suit would now have grass stains on it.
Alfred had improved quickly with his Japanese and could speak it fluently now, but he still enjoyed slipping in English words. Kiku didn't mind, he found it endearing. "No, but it's exciting! It's my first bento! Come on, you must've been excited when you got your first bento!"
"Mr. America, it's been so long since I first even made a bento that I don't quite remember it," Kiku said. He took a sip from his green tea he had been enjoying during his small picnic; the small tea kettle sat by his side along with his own bento.
"You don't remember? Shoot, I remember when I first had a lunch in a lunch bag!" Alfred began to open his bento.
Kiku couldn't hold back the tiniest of smiles at Alfred's youthfulness. He found it was hard to when he remembered that while Alfred was powerful, he was still very young. "Yes, but you are hardly 100 years old now."
"Fiddlesticks," Alfred waved it off. He was far more excited about his contents. "Whoa! Look at all that fish! And that's all from today, right?"
Kiku nodded. "Yes, of course."
"Wow! This is great! Thanks for the meal!" Alfred had already started eating. Kiku was still impressed by how easily Alfred had picked up on his cultural differences such as using chopsticks, bowing, sitting in the proper style (even if it hurt his legs), and saying thanks before a meal.
While Alfred ate, there was a shared silence between the two. Kiku always enjoyed these moments the most as it was a rare occurrence with the younger nation. He closed his eyes, enjoying the sounds of the distant waves, the slight breeze, and even Alfred's munching next to him. He found himself realizing that Alfred's company was becoming more and more a normal part of his day, almost as if it were an extension of himself.
"Say, Kiku," Alfred started, startling Kiku from his thoughts. However, it was a welcome respite. "I'm really glad that things between us are so good even if your boss hates me."
"Don't say such things," Kiku said, looking to Alfred. "My Emperor does quite enjoy your company, as do my people."
"Well I don't see them as much as I see you." Alfred shrugged, brushing some of the rice from his lips. Kiku looked back out at the ocean. "So even if your people didn't like me as much, I wouldn't care because you like me."
Kiku hesitated a moment, hoping that Alfred would take back what he said. Oh how he hoped he would take it back. But he didn't and Kiku was forced to reply.
"What…do you mean?"
"I mean, I'm glad you made the decision to still like me despite what others say and want you to do."
Kiku was genuinely confused, but Alfred didn't seem to grasp this just from the look on the Asian's face. "I'm sorry, but I don't understand."
"We have our own feelings, right?" Alfred touched his chest over where his heart is. "Right here. We're like humans, but there are two differences; one being the voices in our head and the other being our unquestionable alliance to our people."
Kiku nodded. "I see."
"But we have our own feelings, our own voice, and we can choose to go, as ourselves, against what our people want, but still do as they ask."
"You're explanation is hard to understand," Kiku sighed. It was time to refill his tea cup.
"When I left Arthur, I left him because of my people," Alfred started. "As such, I haven't seen him since."
Kiku noted that Alfred had no sound of remorse in his tone. He chanced a look over and saw that Alfred's expression hadn't changed from that everlasting smile. Except for his eyes. They looked bluer, sadder.
"But me as a human, I want to see him again. I want to talk to him, spend some afternoons with him again, things like that." Alfred smiled over at Kiku. "Like I am with you. Not many people back home like the idea of me being so close and familiar with you, but I don't care. I'm doing my job while at the same time doing what I want."
Kiku frowned slightly. "But isn't that the same as defying them? We're not allowed such pleasantries."
"Who says?"
The two men made eye contact again. Kiku tried to look away, but he then understood something. Alfred had long ago mastered the art of hiding his true colors; tatemae. It was evident in how masterfully calm and collected he was at all times as well as how a smile constantly accompanied him wherever he went. But eyes always told the true story. Kiku was slightly relieved to know that not even the great United States of America could hide that.
"I don't…"
"Who says you can't do both? Why can't we have what we want and still do our job? We're just like humans." Alfred sounded so adamant about it that Kiku found himself slightly scared. He had never been presented with such a profound ideal.
He looked away quickly. "I don't understand. Please, let's change the topic."
Alfred sighed, exasperated, but looked out at the ocean. "All right."
~hoshiko