Japan's ears burned as she listened to what North had to say to her.
(I will not put that here, because no. Use y'all powerful imagination ;))
In a flash she scooted behind North and knocked him out, tired of listening what he had to say and what he had done.
Without wasting any time, she ran towards South and bent over his unconscious body.
A large group of North Korean soldiers surrounded them, Japan also showing signs of weakness, they didn't bother to bring much equipment for assault and tried to drag North away to safety.
In a second, South and Japan quickly got their guns are started shooting at the soldiers. It had all been a decoy. Of course, the injuries were not fake, but countries have stronger bodies that humans. It wasn't possible for them to fall unconscious because of a gunshot wound, at least, not common.
The soldiers were caught by surprise and didn't have time to comprehend what was happening when South and Japan released a flurry of attacks. All dead, easy.
"Way to go." South said as he and Japan high-fived. Despite the battle around them, they felt quite proud.
But when Japan turned around to check on North, four enemy soldiers had already quickly taken him away.
"Fuck!" She cursed. "He got away."
South grew wary. "It's okay.. I think. There are plenty of more chances and battles to come."
Japan glared to the border. "At least now that their leader is gone, the North Korean certianly have no direction to the battle. Look- you are winning!"
Indeed, the North Koreans were so dependent on the country that they didn't know what to do. Taking advantage of this situation, the South Koreans easily pushed them out. In an hour or so, they managed to completely win the battle.
The soldiers cheered in sheer exhaustion and happiness.
"You're side did it!" Japan cheered.
"No." South said, smiling. "We did it."
"Was that supposed to be a mock communist joke?" Japan asked, tilting her head.
South laughed. "No, no. It's weird how ideologies can twist such simple words."
Japan broke into a wide grin as she realised that they had actually won the battle. She couldn't wait to get back home.
"Er, I think we might have to get treated for these." South said, gesturing to their cuts and gunshot wounds. "I can't even walk properly right now."
"Oh! Yes we do." Japan said. "I'll help you walk, I don't think you want to hop all the way."
The way they were talking about wounds so casually was surprising to the other soldiers. They dismissed it as how countryhumans are stronger than humans, so they don't feel pain. Although the real reason was that since the countries had gone through many things, they were practically used to it now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Dammit!" North yelled angrily and punched the table, making Ryanggang flinch.
"North, North it's okay. There are plenty more battles to come." Ryanggang said, trying to calm him down.
North turned his head to Ryanggang and immediately he regretted his words.
"You're words mean nothing." North spat. "If we want to win this, we do it quick."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
South walked around the hospital. It was crowded with thousands of soldiers laying down on the beds, and nurses running around trying to treat them all.
His own ankle indeed had a cast on it, and his shoulder was bandaged from the gunshot wound, but he was still able to move his arm freely with limited pain. His legs were bandaged as well, along with parts of his face.
He didn't worry too much about his injuries. He had to see how his men were faring. And besides, countryhumans heal much quicker than humans.
"Hello." A voice came from behind him.
"You know it takes much more than that to scare me right?" South laughed lightly, turning around.
Japan had a sling on her arm, since she had broken it while fighting North. Along with South, she also had bandages on her face and body.
"You look a mess." Japan chuckled.
"You say so as if you don't look like it as well." South laughed.
"We won't need these soon." He said, gesturing to the various bandages and his cast. "They should be gone in about four days or so. Perks of being a country." He smiled.
"Yes. We can't afford to have these in battle." Japan replied.
"Furthermore, thank you for saving me. I thought I was dead when North struck me down." South added. "You're smart to get the message that I was still indeed conscious and ready to fight."
Japan laughed lightly. "Don't flatter me. It was merely what I thought I had to do."
"Well I think I owe you one when I go to your country. If there's a battle, I will come to you're aid." South said.
"Thank you. I appreciate it." Japan said, bowing and walking away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tick. Tick. Tick.
South covered his ears with his pillow while groaning. It was 2 in the morning and he couldn't sleep with that damn clock constantly ticking.
Finally, he got up and took out the batteries from the clock. Instantly, the ticking stopped.
'Finally.' He thought.
But now that he got up, he felt like he couldn't sleep anymore. He truthfully didn't think it was the clock that had kept him awake. Too much had happened for him to sleep peacefully.
Japan still had one more day for her trip until she had to go back to her country.
South shook his head, wondering why he was even thinking about that. It was pretty random for him to start thinking about things that wasn't as important in war times.
He caught a glimpse of a black case that was leaning on the wall. He took it out.
'My violin.. Since the war started I never really got the chance to play it.' He looked out the window.
He grabbed a jacket and went out. Immediately, the early morning breeze blew on his face, making him shiver. The moon was still out, and it shined as it lit up the dark sky.
As he took the bow and violin, he couldn't help but feel nostalgic for the times where war wasn't happening. It reminded him of when he would simply play it in his room, waiting for the day of unification.
As he started to play a melody, the leaves on the trees gently shook from the sound. It was calming for him. Simply playing the violin could sum up all of his emotions into a song. You can make any tune, whether it was fast, slow, sad, happy, it would always turn out good.
As he played, he closed his eyes and poured all he was feeling into music. Anger, despair, sadness, determination, all of it. His body began to relax as he released a deep sigh, letting his tears fall. He didn't have to hold it in anymore, he could do whatever he wanted in the peace of this forest.
...
Japan's POV:
I watched as South played the beautiful instrument. He seemed so relaxed, but I could tell that he was still holding some things in. When he started to cry, I saw that he had been holding himself in for so long.
He and his people fought so hard to be what they were now. No one gave them credit. From being under my stupid past's selfish control, being torn apart from family, to war, to a pile of rubble and to the miracle of the Han river. No one fully understands how much struggle they had gone through to be recognized, and yet people still ignore the hardships they faced.
Except me. I saw it all unfold before my eyes. I care more for him than America does. To be honest, none of us really like him, only to a certain point. There is a difference between being close allies and being close friends.
...
South's POV:
I stopped playing when I heard something rustling. I quickly wiped my eyes and grabbed my weapon.
"Who's there." I glare, scanning the area for a possible attack.
"I seem to have a habit of stumbling into you when I'm not supposed to." Japan emerged from the trees, a bit embarrassed.
I turn bright red at the thought of her seeing me so vulnerable. "How long have you been here?" I ask.
"Long enough. You're music is beautiful, by the way." She said.
"Thank you." I am still embarrassed from crying right in front of her, so I stay quiet. The atmosphere is awkward, with the only sound being the leaves rustling in the wind.
"It's not something to be ashamed of, you know." Japan said quietly. We both know what she was talking about.
"It's not something that I should be doing." I say, glancing at the violin laying on the ground. My hands itch to pick it up, but I scratch my hands, trying to stop the longing. "We need to appear strong to the public, or else our country will go into a panicked state."
"That may be true, but we should all have time to just sit down and think sometimes. Crying is human nature, even in countryhumans." She said.
I wonder about her words. I don't want to continue talking about it, so I change the subject. "Why are you here?" I ask.
"Couldn't sleep." Japan said, shaking her head. "I figured I could go out for once without getting stares from everyone or people trying to take pictures of me."
"It's the same with me. I feel like although I'm exhausted, the thoughts running through my head are too strong to allow me to sleep." I say, rubbing my eyes.
"South, you don't need to worry. One day, what needs to happen will happen. Fate is not in you're control, and karma will always come back to you, whether good or bad." Japan says.
...
The two talk for a long while, enjoying each other's company. Eventually, they fall asleep, lying down on the soft grass of the isolated forest.
Author's not:
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA SORRY FOR TAKING 6 DAYS OMFG
I'm on break now hopefully I will post more often