He stood at the front doorstep, his hands clenched together in tight, balled fists. The sun was gleaming high in the sky, and not a single cloud was in sight. He hoped that this was a sign that the heavens were supporting his decision today.

Shakily, he raised his hand towards the wooden door. When did simply knocking become such a straining task? Perhaps he should think this over and come back another time... but that wouldn't be right, would it? He would be... what did Alfred call it again? "Chickening out?"

Taking in a deep breath, he managed to give a few knocks before pulling his hand back to his side. He could feel the beating in his chest grow faster and faster as the sound of footsteps from the other side grew nearer. Thoughts of turning back and running away plagued his mind, but he knew he must not. He put off doing this for that last few decades, and it was high time he came right out and said it. His pride didn't matter at the moment... it had been that thing that caused him so much trouble in the first place, to himself and to others around him...

The sound of a doorknob clicking open brought him out of his thoughts. His eyes widened and he bit his lower lip as he looked straight up at the door. It gave a slight creak as it slowly opened, revealing a rather haggard-looking Yong Soo at the other side.

"... Honda?" he said in surprise. He appeared to be tired, and his eyes showed that he had not been sleeping properly in the last few days. The Japanese man understood why... with the tensions of the North and South growing, Yong Soo had a reason to be worried.

"Good morning, Yong Soo." Kiku greeted, politely bowing his head as he did so. "I hope I did not interrupt you, I just need a moment to tell you something."

Why couldn't he just out-rightly say it? All he had to do was say these two words, turn around, then leave... why did it suddenly become too difficult?

Yong Soo gave a slight grin that seemed to show he was at ease, but when Kiku saw how his eyes kept on flitting from side to side, he knew this ease was only a facade. In fact, Yong Soo's entire act seemed to be a facade recently... his smiles and laughter never seemed as genuine as they were before the day Kiku came and hurt his younger brother...

But he can't dwell on it now. Kiku was here to fix it, wasn't he?

"Sure, what is it?" the Korean asked. "Did you come to tell me you acknowledge that I'm the older brother now? Or is it something else?"

The other Asian groaned inwardly. No matter what, Yong Soo's "older brother" claims would never stop being annoying, along with his claims over his 'breasts'... But, he would hold in that irritation today, just for Yong Soo's sake.

He let out a heavy sigh as he looked up, brown eyes meeting brown eyes. His hands were beginning to shake again, and part of him wanted to just suddenly say it was nothing...

"I..." he began. Yong Soo's smile fell a bit, and Kiku could see some impatience in his eyes...

"Well?"

Taking in a deep breath once more, he closed his eyes and bowed his head and, in a quiet voice, said,

"I'm sorry."

The world seemed to have frozen at that very second. Yong Soo was smiling no longer when the Japanese man looked up... he was staring at him, not out of anger or shock, just staring at him with a blankness that was so uncharacteristic of him, it disturbed Kiku greatly.

They both stood together in silence for a long time. Kiku didn't know. He just wanted to leave, now that he said what he needed to say. Yet his feet were planted firmly to the ground, as if he was waiting for something.

What was he waiting for? Forgiveness? He didn't deserve it... he had gone out and betrayed the people closest to him. It wasn't just Yong Soo that suffered- his Asia family had been torn apart because of his own doings. Even Yao had suffered greatly... Kiku felt a stab in his heart when he thought of him. The person who had taught and raised him, who had even gone out to call him his "younger brother"... and he repayed him by literally stabbing him on the back. And it was all done for the sake of Japan.

Honda Kiku felt horrible.

After a few more minutes, Yong Soo let out a sigh. It was tired sigh, the sort of sigh that came with living for hundreds of years. Kiku could relate. He had expected that sort of reaction.

What he didn't expect was for two arms to suddenly wrap themselves around him.

He almost let out a yelp in surprise as Yong Soo pulled him into a hug. The warmth of their two bodies so close together brought him back to the days when they were still younger, when they didn't both feel a prejudice to the other... back to the days when Yao still smiled at them and called them his younger siblings... back to the days when Yong Soo's laughter was really laughter, the light and airy sort and not the heavy and forced ones he would give these days...

Back to the days when they were still a family.

Then as quickly as the hug came, it ended. Kiku pulled himself away from his younger brother. Yong Soo was still staring at him, but there was a new lightness in his eyes that hadn't been there for a long time.

Kiku tried to pull his composure back together. Then he bowed and said,

"I should be leaving now."

Minutes ago, he had been so eager to leave. But now that he was turning away from the Korean, Kiku found it difficult to pull his two legs forward... it was as if there was some magnetic force that wanted him to stay. But he said what he needed to say, didn't he? So he had no reason to stick around any longer...

"Honda!"

And the Japanese man stopped for a moment. What did Yong Soo have to say now?

"Come back soon, okay?" he said. "There's some things we need to talk about... like my ownership over your breasts, for one!" and he let out a laugh as he said this.

Kiku only smiled and nodded.

"Yes. Yes I will."

Then he went on his way home.

Later, he would sit on his bed and remember what had occurred today. He would cry then, finally letting out the tears he had held from his younger brother.

The next day, he wouldn't be there to visit the Shinto Shrine. He would, instead, be visiting the rest of his Asian neighbor's homes, giving the apology that he hoped would be easier to say.

Because if Alfred of all people could come up to him and apologize for the bombings, why couldn't Kiku apologize for what he himself did?

Yong Soo closed the door in front of him, then leaned on it as his smile faded. He thought about what Kiku had just said to him seconds ago... were they really sincere? Did Kiku really mean those words? Was he really sorry?

He looked at the phone beside him. He felt the strangest urge to call his northern brother at the moment, to tell him he wished to make peace with him... but the moment his hand was a mere inches from the phone, he couldn't go on.

Yong Soo dropped his hand. He stood still for a moment before moving from his position to wherever his feet would take him.

He would call the north eventually. There were many things to think over, especially given their current relationship right now... but he wanted to be at peace with the north, wanted to be one Korea again, just like in the old days when the two were almost never apart...

He would make that call.

One day.

Ahaha... I'm sorry for the crappy writing. I really am. I just wanted to get this all out of my head before it affects my exams... XD

So yeah, it's based on the current news. Apparently, some time ago in the beginning of August, America apologized for the atomic bombings and even sent a representative to visit the shrine. I'm not sure if this news is accurate and I'm pretty sure the Americans have apologized before, but reading the news pretty much touched me. Then days ago, I heard Japan was apologizing for occupation in WWII, and that really hit me hard, because it was about time the Japanese apologized to them! ^^; Then yesterday, I read the the Japanese cabinet shunned a visit to the Shinto Shrine, where WWII kamikaze pilots were buried I believed, and then apologized to the rest of Asia for WWII. On the same page, the South was offering unification to the North, despite the harsh tensions the two are experiencing right now. Will we have peace in Asia at last?

Anyway, I'm sorry that they might be a little OOC. But to me, it seemed the easiest way to make them in character was to make them say random phrases in their own languages and have Yong Soo spout out "da ze!" every now and then, and I didn't want that. I wanted to avoid that. So... yeah, sorry.

Please review!