Incorruption (A Hetalia Fanfic | Prequel to 'The Journey')

Chapter 1 -- Blood among the Cherry Blossoms

The year was 1712 and the world was quiet but bustling in it's own ways, building and evolving every day as it passed. While it was not young, it was not yet a world that couldn't keep changing or fall into the reality where it was unmoving.

Japan was a quiet country that kept to himself in this time, not speaking with most countries and being isolated from them due to his boss and partly because he was still unsure about what the world outside of his own country would do if he let them in. He mostly stayed in his room within his house, refusing to leave his room for the most part, wishing for his privacy but in his house he did have servants of sorts. Ones with samurai swords to protect the country they lived not only FOR but with. The entire estate of Japan's house was surrounded by guards of sorts, to best protect him while he was in this state.

Meanwhile the said nation in question was just sitting alone in his dimly lit room, staring up at the ceiling with a bit of a mournful look on his face that nobody would get to see. His otherwise neatly kept black hair was a little unkempt and messy, brown eyes almost seeming longing when they settled on the doors leading out to his back 'yard' of sorts. Indeed he was in splendid isolation but that didn't mean he was going to stay completely out of sight from the sun as people may seem to initially think. With that thought he pulled himself up from his futon and moved over to the sliding doors and pushed them open, letting the sunlight shine into the room and revealing the rather pretty green of the outside that made up his backyard. Lovely green grass, a cherry blossom tree in one corner  that was blowing soft pink petals among the green of the grass as well as the small pond that was centered in the middle of this. Small stepping stones lead the way up to the pond-side, and within were some koi fish swimming around peacefully. Simple but a place where he could keep to his thoughts and drink tea when he had a lot on his mind, and with everything going on, that was exactly what he needed.

A sigh escaped the asian nation's lips as he straightened his kimono and moved to sit on the edge of the 'balcony' that extended a little from his room, it being low enough that when he sat down, his feet could almost touch the grass and yet gave a little room on top of that.

"...Perhaps I should try making friends someday..." Japan mused softly before shaking his head and casting his gaze over to the koi pond. Lasting only a moment before he stepped down from the balcony and walking over to the koi pond, kneeling by it and extending a hand down to brush along the surface with his fingertips, absently watching the ripples it made on the once glassy surface. It was hard to have too many thoughts when you were out here, or perhaps it was just him, having this place just to his own. A splash then caught his attention, coming from one of the koi fish, diverting his attention to the place of the ripple and finding the fish swimming around strangely frantic.

That was odd.

He'd barely touched the water so it shouldn't cause them to get so riled up, should it?

Deep brown eyes then looked over to his room again, listening but all he could hear was the sounds of the wind as it blew a breeze through his yard, sweeping through the branches of the cherry blossom tree easily and causing a few more blossoms to fall. This was when he blinked a few times and headed back to his room, closing the sliding doors and taking time to listen again, but when all that met his ears was silence, and not even the faint conversations he could hear time to time from the guards that stood guard outside his door, it set him a little on edge. That was enough for the asian nation to move over to grab his sheathed katana from where it rested at his bedside, clutching it in one hand and quietly heading to the door of his room. He hesitated a little before he reached a hand out and opened it without a sound, looking around for the sight of his guards, which... he did find but not in the way he'd last seen them.

Deep red blood splattered the floor, wall and their clothes from a slit cut into each of their throats, a look of terror on their face from where they rested, slumped against the wall next to his door. Japan stiffened and started forwards, shutting the door behind him quietly and not enjoying that unnerving sensation that was slowly filling him up by the minute. It was too quiet in the hallway here; not even the sound of any footsteps or any life, making his brows draw together in a frown as he slowly started down it with his bare feet thankfully making no sound against the wooden floors as he walked. This wasn't right.

He should have heard someone approach or even the sound of his guards fighting back... unless... the look on the guards' faces said they barely even had a chance to react to what was happening before they got killed.

Fingers slowly wrapped around the cloth hilt of his katana and begun drawing it out as quietly as he could. No sooner as the blade left it's sheath with a soft 'click', the slight shift of clothing from somewhere behind him sounded just then, causing Japan to turn quickly on his heel and raise his blade up just in time to block an attack from a katana that surely would have cut his head clean off his shoulders. Yet that wasn't enough of a surprise in itself, but rather the one who stood behind the blade.

It was him.

Rather... it looked EXACTLY like him but his clothes were pitch black and his eyes were a sinister shade of red. This was a nightmare, wasn't it?

"...Konnichiwa, Japan."

The other spoke just like him, even using the same manner of speaking as he did, unnerving him even further.  "Who are you?" Japan spat out to the copy, voice cold and unhesitating. That only drew a slow, sinister smile from the lookalike, seeming so out of place on his face right then and not like something he would ever wear. "It should be obvious. You're smart, are you not?" The other spoke up so calmly, pushing on the blade with an unusual strength like his own, making him brace himself against the ground the best he could,  but the ground was not meant for such so it wasn't working entirely in his favor. "...then... why are you here? How did you get in... without me hearing you?" He pushed again, but this time, his double drew back his blade before moving in quickly to try and slash at him repeatedly, making Japan back up while blocking each and every one of those hits the best he could, filling the air with the sound of clashing metal and creating sparks from where their katanas met.

"I'm here to kill you. In your place I will make you the greatest country. You won't have to live in isolation anymore. The world will come to fear you." His double hissed out softly, eyes narrowed and never relenting on his slashes, trying to aim for vitals every chance he could get and not allowing any room for counterattacks. He really was serious... but... why? This was so surreal and he didn't understand as this was happening too fast for him to comprehend, backing up until he found himself between the other and a wall, frowning darkly and holding his blade before him. His chest heaved with breaths, not used to such a fierce onslaught, and yet his double was already holding the katana out as if he was going to go in for another attack. "...I do not wish to relinquish my control. This is my country and I will do with it as I please." Japan offered simply, seeming as if he gave up which pleased the other before that blade shot out toward his heart, but was deflected last second, landing in his left shoulder instead. Staining his kimono a deep, ugly red.

"...Not for much longer."

His double pulled the sword out, about to attack again to which Japan dodged and moved behind the other in a swift motion. "...You underestimate me." The other went to say something or even move, but that was when the sound of frantic guards' voices came down the hallway, causing the double of him to frown darkly before smiling in a rather odd way; like he might have done when pleased with something. "I see. This isn't the end of this." With that said, the red-eyed asian ran off swiftly, leaving Japan to stand in the hallway alone, blood trickling down his arm in the silence until the guards finally arrived while fretting and fussing over him, to which he waved off, not bothered by it on the outside when really it had his skin crawling somewhat. This odd version of him coming to kill him? Where did he come from...?

He didn't understand. Just what was going on in the outside world...?

(A/N: To those who don't know? This story is a prequel to the story 'The Journey' by Firegoddess1  :D Not any works of mine currently going on.)