Title: Soon { laaame title but w/e. }
Fandom: Axis Powers: Hetalia
Characters/Pairings: Taiwan (Mei), Hong Kong (Hong), China (Yao), England (Arthur)
Genre: A sad attempt at something fluffy and/or sad. Mainly srs bzns though.
Words: 3,420, or around that. Long because it's my special fic. ;A;
Warnings: Terrible writing, possibly inaccurate history, human names, probably OOC-ness?
Summary: The events that occurred when Hong Kong had to leave home, as well as what happened when he came back.
Author's Notes: I faaaail, don't I. Uh this fic, it's the one that will let me reach my 10k word goal for Nano. ^^ But I can't guarantee I did a good job… And I had to like, rewrite a bunch of it. Like 587638 times. 'cause I'm just that picky. Uh, just… try to enjoy it.

There's a small song reference in here, you get cookies if you can find it. :D I'll say what song it is at the end lol.
And the dates in between August 1839 and July 1997, they're all random dates.

( Written for Nano, posting from my LJ yeah. )

----------

August, 1839

Mei stared out the window in a daze, not exactly sure if this was happening or not. She couldn't really believe it, yet she played the memory over in her head again and again, wondering if she had dreamt it, half-hoping she had.

"Hey Hong, look~ A butterfly!"

He had given no response, except staring on as usual, nodding slowly. She noticed and huffed over, looking him in the eye.

"Oi, are you okay? You seem even quieter than usual, and it's weird."

He had sat there quietly before speaking up.

"Mei, I'm leaving."

She would have thought he was joking, but since he refused to look at her directly, she had a feeling he was serious. Even so, she didn't believe a word of it.

"Can I come?"

"Not… really, no."

"Why not?"

"I'm the only one leaving."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to stay with Arthur for a while."

"W-When will you be back?"

"Soon enough."

"You promise?"

"I do."

She hadn't taken it seriously when he told her; her train of thought at the time told her that it was only true if it really happened.

~~~
That had been several months ago. The dark-haired girl blinked several times, still not accepting that he was leaving. This was just a bad dream she would wake up from… eventually. Or they would actually be going out to eat instead of to the airport. Or they were going on a road trip. But he wasn't leaving. He couldn't be leaving. Kiku and Yong Soo had already gone; Hong was the only one she had left.

She peeked over again at Hong sitting beside her, staring out the window as well. Noticing his fingers tapping impatiently on his knee, she reached out and put her small hand over his.

"Are you scared or something?" she questioned.

He glanced at her, she stared right back. After some silence he turned away, again not wanting to meet her gaze.

"…No."

"A-are you sure?"

He nodded silently.

She sighed and turned her attention to the window again, but didn't let go of his hand the whole car ride. A part of her hoped they would never reach the airport somehow. But another part of her wanted to get there already, so this whole business could be done and over with. The sooner he could come back, the better.

---------

When they did arrive at the hectic airport, Mei's heart sank. So it really was happening. They pulled up to the curb, and then Arthur and Yao got out to unload the bags from the trunk. Mei didn't move, and neither did Hong. They sat silently side by side, hand in hand, until Yao started yelling.

"Aiyah, we don't have all day you two! Get going!"

She bit back her anger and released her grip on his hand, then got out as well, wrinkling her nose at the smell of… well, tourists and exhaust and gasoline. Arthur and Yao were talking animatedly about more things she didn't understand. Hong stood beside the luggage quietly, his only belongings being a backpack he had on, and a stuffed panda he held in one hand. Frowning, she made her way around the adults to him.

"So you really are leaving, huh Hong?" she said sadly.

He nodded, staring at the ground.

"Well, be sure to call a lot okay? And we can write letters, I'll send you some and you'll write me back… a-and, I can visit you. Or you can visit. It doesn't matter. Just don't forget me, o-okay?" she babbled on, hoping he wouldn't notice how watery her eyes were getting.

"Okay."

"You two wrap your goodbyes up, we're going to have to board soon." Arthur said, beginning to pick up some luggage and bringing it toward a check-in kiosk.

Mei nodded and pulled a pen out of Hong's backpack, before grabbing his free hand and scribbling on it. After was done, she handed him the pen. He glanced at his hand, then at her. She smiled, offering her own palm out.

"Write your new address down."

He did so without any word at all, and it somewhat worried her. Was he just going to wave goodbye and that was it? She felt… like she was the only one hurting. Did he really not care?

"Alright kid, time to go." Yao said to Hong, ruffling his hair before hugging him.

Mei turned to Arthur, tugging on his shirt.

"Hey, Mister Kirkland." When he looked down at her curiously, she continued. "Make sure you let Hong check the mail. I'm gonna send him stuff. He also likes dim sum, and he's not vegetarian, and be sure you make him go outside once and a while, he's kinda the type of person that doesn't go out much, and—"

The Englishman laughed and pat her head. She frowned, wondering why he was laughing. She was serious here; she didn't want this guy to make Hong's life bad or anything, and who knew Hong better than her?

"I'll keep all of that in mind, thank you." Arthur looked back to Yao, not noticing her frown. "So this is the only one you have now, hm? Energetic little girl."

"You don't know the half of it, aru." Yao said with a tired sigh.

"One more hug aru, then it's time to go." He said, taking the dark-haired boy's panda from him, before putting his hand on Hong's back and pushing him gently towards Mei.

"Oi, don't you know, Hong doesn't really like—"

Before she could finish, she felt his arms around her shoulders and his breath in her ear. Her mind froze, as did her own body, all but her face, which flushed red. She heard her heart pounding in her ears, but still she didn't move. She stood there holding her breath, taking in the warmth of his body, until he let her go slowly. She blinked, wondering if she had imagined what had just happened.

Hong retrieved his stuffed animal from Yao, then walked into the terminal with Arthur. Yao put his arm around his younger sister, waving sadly.

"…goodbye." She mumbled, catching a glimpse of Hong wipe his hand on his sleeve as he disappeared with Arthur into the crowd.

After seeing that, she finally cried the tears she had been holding back.

"H-he's going to forget m-me, isn't h-h-he…"

Yao bent down and picked her up with tears in his own eyes, and gently rubbed her back.

"He won't. He'll be back soon, just be patient." He said soothingly.

He laid her down in the backseat, and back towards home they went. She cried herself to sleep in the car, hoping 'soon' would come quickly.

February 1876

Mei was sprawled out on her bed, staring at the ceiling. It was just another lonely day full of nothing. Yao was always busy, working, doing business, whatever. Even if he was home, he'd be too tired to do anything, and she would just have to tend to him. Everything was better when she was alone. She could do what ever she wanted, she didn't have to listen to anybody. But… she was lonely.

Where are you right now? What are you doing?

Shortly after he had left, she felt realized how having him around affected her. He supported her; he was her friend, the one who could make her smile. She had heard nothing from him since he had left, and although she had even sent him several letters already, she received nothing in return. Then she remembered what she had seen at the airport—when he wiped his hand on his sleeve. That hand, had been the one she had written her address on. Maybe he really didn't care. She whimpered, feeling her chest hurt and stomach grow uneasy at the thought. Of course he didn't care. Why would he? She was just another person to him. He was probably having fun with his new family and friends, and she was already forgotten. She was nothing, just someone he once knew, and would never know again. She wondered why she even bothered in the first place. She thought there had been something special; turns out she was just imagining things.

Why can't things go back to the way they were?

Mei thought more and more, about so many things she could have done differently. Maybe if she had been better somehow, he wouldn't have had to leave. Maybe if she had been less demanding or quieter, she wouldn't be so lonesome. Her scattered thoughts crowded her head, and she broke down. She curled up under the sheets at an attempt to keep herself together. Though the house was empty, she tried to keep her soft sobbing as muffled as possible, fearing someone would hear how weak she was.

She cried until she heard Yao arrive back home, then escaped into the shower in hopes that he wouldn't see how red her eyes had gotten. This was how it happened all the time; he was always too tired to notice anything as slight as the pink tint to her eyes.

This is how they spent many of their days, and both never complained nor were content with it. Life was life, getting through it was all that mattered.

While she did tell herself that she shouldn't hope, that Hong had already forgotten them, she remembered the promise he made.

"Soon enough."

With that memory, she always made a half-hearted wish at night, trying to make herself believe he would come back.

Please let 'soon' come quickly.

November 1958

She had known he was coming to visit. She had waited for this day for what seemed like ages, but now that it was here, half of her wanted it to be over already, while another part of her never wanted it to end. He was only going to be here for about an hour, but even so… she was nervous.

Mei stood in her room, listening to the conversation between Yao and Hong. Yao would ask a question, and Hong would give his usual one-word answers. She smiled, glad that he didn't seem any different from what she remembered. She wrung her hands and twirled her hair, finding herself nervous to go out and greet him. Why she was, she didn't know. Yao had called her several times already, and she had given him the excuse that she was still getting ready. Sighing, she looked in the mirror one last time before exiting her room and starting down the hall. She had wasted enough of the little time he had, she couldn't waste any more.

Slowly arriving at the doorway to the dining room, she tried stepping quietly, not wanting to draw too much attention to herself. However, when she caught a glimpse of him, her heart pounded. She wanted to turn back right then and there, but there was no going back now. Someone would surely see her then. God, why was she so nervous? It was just Hong. Sure, his hair was a bit longer and he was a little taller, but that wasn't too different. She told herself to breathe, and walked in calmly. That calm didn't exactly stay when he stood up to greet her, and on automatic impulse, she hugged him.

She noticed he didn't return the hug, and let go, staring at the ground.

"H-hello." She said quietly, smiling, though trying to ignore the pain tugging at her chest. Maybe he was mad at her for not returning his hug when he had left…

They sat down next to one another, and Mei sighed quietly in relief. At least she didn't have to always look at his face this way. And if Yao kept him busy, he wouldn't have to look at her either.

"Aiyah, how long does it take to get ready, aru?" Yao said with a pinch of annoyance in his voice, not noticing her nervousness. "It's just Hong anyways."

…That was true. Why had she taken so much time preparing herself, emotionally and physically? The answer lurked somewhere in the back of her mind, but she didn't have time to think anymore. Before she could answer for herself, Hong said something that made her heart pound in her ears again.

"It's okay. She looks nice." He said in his monotone voice, patting her shoulder gingerly.

"Thanks." She replied, fiddling with her sleeves this time, trying to avoid looking him in the face. Her own face was probably flushed. "So Hong, how have you been doing?"

She went with the most basic question, while it was vague, she had to restrain from asking too many questions. And she didn't really know what else to ask either; her mind wasn't working all too well.

"Fine." He said flatly.

"That's good… are you learning anything interesting from Mister Kirkland?"

"I guess. Not much really."

"Is he nice to you? Feeding you right, giving you enough rest, things like that?"

"Yes. He even makes me go outside like you said."

Mei grinned, happy that Arthur had indeed remembered what she had told him. After some time, she gave up on asking him questions, already knowing he would answer with these emotionless short answers of his. Yao automatically piped in, asking and telling all kinds of things. She would laugh, and nod here and there. So he was okay. That's all she needed to know; lately she had be worrying more and more, and it was driving her insane. Knowing he was doing alright, she could rest somewhat easier now.

When he had to return again to the airport, she felt the same depression she had felt many times in the past. She was going to be lonely again. Yao looked like he was going to cry again.

Mei stood by idly as Yao and Hong said their goodbyes, rehearsing in her mind what she was going to say. Stepping forward when Yao was done, she tried hard not to cry again.

"It was nice seeing you again. We've missed you." She said softly, trying to smile. "I'm going to tell you the same thing. Don't forget about us, okay..?"

She swallowed, willing herself to stay calm.

He nodded slowly, understanding. She continued on, though embarrassed at hearing herself talk.

"W-when are you going to come home for r-real?" She sputtered, quickly wiping her eyes with her sleeve. She didn't care how noticeable it was anymore, she needed to know.

He reached forward and held her hand in his own, wanting to reassure her. He spoke quietly and gently, hoping to somehow console her.

"Soon."

This time when he turned away to go, she didn't lose her voice. She simply thought of her own wish again, not caring if he happened to turn and see the tears spilling down her cheeks. She sent him off with a wave and a sad smile.

"Please let 'soon' come quickly…"

She caught a glimpse of his lips moving as he got into the taxi, though she wasn't sure she heard him right, she calmed down somewhat, sighing contently.

"It will."

July 1997

This was it.

She wished all the time that this day would arrive, and here it was, descending upon her faster than she could handle. She needed to remember to breathe and stay calm, breathe and stay calm.

Mei had come to Yao's house for tonight, preparing dinner and getting things ready, while Yao had taken his car to go pick Hong up from the airport. At least she had some time alone to prepare herself. She sat at the table, thinking.

I wonder if he'll be any different. I hope he still likes the same food, otherwise, I'm—

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the front door opening and closing quietly, followed by footsteps. She froze, unsure what to do, and assumed the worst.

Ohmygoodness, what if it's a burglar or something, I don't want to die, I don't want to die, please God, let me live—…

"Mei?"

She recovered from her shocked state, and looked to see Hong standing there in the doorway, bags in hand. Her eyes widened as she stared at him. He was much taller now, his voice was deeper, and well… he didn't look so much like a kid anymore.

"Meeeiiii." He said again, drawing her name out. She shivered, not used to hearing this voice yet.

Breathe, stay calm…

"Geez, you scared me!" She breathed out, putting her hand over her heart to feel the rapid pulse.

Yes, he scared me. That's why it's so fast, I'll calm down, soon enough…

"Sorry." He said, setting his bag down on the floor off to the side. "I didn't think anyone was here."

"You could have still called out. Because someone was here. Me. And I thought you were a burglar or something too."

She leaned on the kitchen counter and took several deep breaths, trying to keep her heart rate under control. Trying, but not exactly succeeding, especially when he walked over and put an arm around her shoulders, supporting her. He was so much taller than her now, she noted. The top of her head was probably barely above his shoulders.

She didn't know what to do, so she stood there quietly until she controlled her breathing.

"What are you doing here? Yao left a while ago to go pick you up."

"I took a taxi. I thought I'd told him that."

"You thought?" She questioned.

He nodded.

She sighed, suddenly realizing how hot her face felt. As much as she wanted to remain calm, with him this close, she deemed it impossible. She didn't want any awkward silences in this situation, so she kept babbling, although never meeting his eyes.

"Well, you've changed. You're taller than me now, and your voice is different…"

"I say the same for you. Except for the taller part."

She smiled, then turned and hugged him.

"Welcome home." She said, not letting go. It had been so long…

"…Thanks." He replied, this time wrapping his arms around her and squeezing her tightly. "I'm missed you."

She felt like she would die of happiness right then and there. With her heart pounding so fast, she felt it would burst any moment now. She sighed happily, feeling happy and warm all over.

"I've missed you too. So much." She whispered back.

They stood there in each other's embrace, before she spoke up again.

"I have something I need to ask you."

"Hmm?"

She swallowed hard, already feeling the tears coming.

"Wh-why did you never write me back, or call me more often, or ever even email me, or…" Mei trailed off, trying hard to keep herself from sobbing right then and there. "…do you know… h-how lonely I was?"

"I… tried." He said sadly. "Arthur would only let me write or talk in English. I sent you things, but there's a chance Gogo might have them somewhere. You know he doesn't trust mail from anywhere that's not Asia."

"O-oh." She suddenly felt embarrassed for asking. "B-but, what about at the airport when you left, I saw you wiping my address off your hand…"

He chuckled, and she looked up at him with teary eyes, wondering what was so funny.

"I didn't need you to write it down. I memorized it."

"Wha-what?!" Her mouth hung open in disbelief. "You could have told me! I thought you didn't care..."

"You thought wrong." He said. Before she knew it, he had leaned down and kissed her forehead lovingly. She felt her face turn red.

"Y-y-y-you, wh-wha, wh-wh-why—" She couldn't get her words out right, so she settled on hugging him close again, hiding her face in his shirt.

"Doing s-something like that… is… isn't it only for o-one you l-l-like?" She squeaked on the last word, and shut her eyes tightly, not believing she had actually asked that.

"But I do like you. A lot. I always have." He confessed quietly.

Words couldn't express what she felt at that moment. Her whole body seemed to fill with a blissful warmth, and she cried. Though this time, she cried from joy instead of sadness.

"I… I like you too." She said, laughing through her tears. "More than you can imagine."

He gave her a small smile, and started wiping off her tear stained face with his own sleeves.

"I told you I'd be home soon."

----------- { E N D. }

Song I referenced was: You ~Vision in the Mirror~ by Yuzuki lol. From Higurashi no Naku Koro ni. The first two lines of the song translate to, "where are you, what are you doing?". I love the song, so I used it.

With this fic, I have overcome my 10k word goal for Nano~! Yay. My grand total comes up to... 13,109. Hooray.

Can you tell I got lazy towards the end? Well...I think I'm satisfied with this. Not totally elated, but I'm not gonna emo over it. =w=b Formatting might have been a tad weird; converting from MS Word to LJ is definitely notfun.

Now some sappy thank-yous~
- Special thank you to my flist. They all helped me out in one way or another.
- Thanks to readers/commenters/potential commenters for just being here. Hm, feedback is love, whether it be comments or critiques. :)