Month of Sorrow

Chapter 6 - Strings of Fate (part 1)

"The tour bus incident wasn't their fault!" Hong Kong retorted. "They had nothing to do with it, they weren't involved in it, and besides, Iceland, Charice said it's all in the past so it doesn't even matter now!"

Iceland took a breath to calm himself. "You know Yao's gonna be really pissed off at you if he finds out that you've been seeing Charice."

"I don't care," replied Hong Kong as he sat on the edge of the bed. "Teacher won't stop me from seeing her."

"He's totally going to disown you!"

Hong Kong felt his throat hurt slightly. "No, he won't. Teacher would never do that to me." He swallowed hard. "Just don't tell teacher about this, please."

"Of course I won't tell him," said Iceland, frowning. "It would totally kill him!"

Hong Kong could feel his heart getting heavy and his breathing became shaky, his head hazy with fury and stubbornness. Beyond this point, he really doesn't care if he snaps at his best friend or teacher. He is not going to let anyone bar him from seeing Philia any further. He's never going to let anyone bar him from seeing Philia any further. 

Though at the same time, he doesn't want to lose his best and only friend. His best friend that helped him keep his sanity from the verbal abuse he endured while under England's rule. His best and only friend he had during the Cod Wars in the mid-60's, when they met in the harbors of England when Hong Kong was only biologically eleven or twelve and when Iceland never aged.

"Li Xiao Chun?"

Both the boys turned their heads upon hearing Hong Kong's human name to see a middle-aged nurse who looked Middle Eastern standing midway through the doorway. Suddenly Hong Kong felt embarrassed for sitting up and about and he could feel his cheeks heat up. He took a glance at some familiar-looking beige clothing neatly folded in the nurse's arms. 

"I assume you are fit to go?"

"...Yes."

The nurse walked over to the teen city-state and put his neatly-folded clothes onto his hospital bed and his shoes to the floor. "Here are your clothes."

"Thank you."

The nurse smiled. "You're welcome."

"Aaaaaand I'll just be leaving now," said Iceland as he got up from his chair and walked past the bemused nurse. 

The Hispanic woman then smiled at Hong Kong. "I'll give you some privacy to change, hun." And she closed the door.

Hong Kong let out a sigh as he started untying his hospital gown slowly. I hope Ice is gonna be alright. He looked like he was about to cry.

The gown fell from his shoulder to his knees, revealing his thin-to-medium body of sculpted muscle underneath fair skin. He wears his tattoos dedicated to Touhou Project: the wings of Flandre Scarlet flowing up past his shoulder blades and to his shoulder, sprouting from a red magic circle and the crest of Flandre's weapon, Lævetein. The second is the Scroll of Sutra, the main item Byakuren Hijiri always has, wrapped around his waist and torso and ending at the top of his hips. The third and final tattoo is Yukari Yakumo's border.