"So it's settled." Alfred growled out. It was startling to see him so serious.
Arthur, Francis, Mathew, and Ivan nodded. Everyone but Yao, who sat in absolute shock.
Alfred nodded, standing up. "This is where the war ends. I'll take a plane over tomorrow."
Arthur nodded. "I wish you luck, we just all better hope that this works."
For once, Francis didn't begin a fight with Arthur. "Agreed. Best of luck to you, America."
Ivan nodded, crossing his arms stubbornly, but words still sincere. "I'm not one to wish good upon the capitalist pig, but please, be careful Amerika."
Mathew remained silent, but nodded along with everyone's words. Worry flickered in his eyes, which quickly darted over to Yao.
Alfred made his way out of the room. Yao watched him go, mouth open and ready to object to this absurd notion of violence. But the words clumped in his throat.
"Tomorrow, we attack Nagasaki and Hiroshima."
Alfred's words echoed through the silent room, and everyone nodded again.
Yao wanted to object, to help Kiku. Kiku didn't deserve this, not him or his people!
But deep down, Yao knew that this was the right thing to do.
~~~~~~
Kiku and Xiao stumbled as the memory world seemed to shake for a moment, until they were in a new setting. They found themselves in the cockpit of a large plane, Alfred being the only one in it.
"Alfred? I thought these were Yao's memories?" Kiku asked.
"Maybe so far, but Oliver may have just sent us back to any memories that affected Yao at all." Xiao concluded, walking over to the window and looking down into the clouds.
Alfred gritted his teeth, watching as the city of Hiroshima came closer into view.
He flew his bomber closer to the ground, but remained in the camouflage of the clouds. Subconsciously, his feet tapped nervously.
Kiku Honda, his best friend, was about to suffer one of the worst pains that any nation could feel. And it would be because of Alfred.
Why did it have to be like this? Why couldn't they just end the war peacefully?
Oh right, because his people craved revenge of Japan. Revenge for Pearl Harbor, Midway, and hundreds of other battles during the Pacific War.
The entire world craved this moment.
Alfred felt tears prick his eyes, and he watched as the city grew closer and closer.
Kiku's eyes widened as he realized what this was. He took a step away from the window, eyes wide. He couldn't bear to see this again.
Alfred blinked hard, focusing again. He pulled over his radio, and spoke into it.
"Approaching Hiroshima, ready the bomb bay doors."
A moment of silence, and Alfred felt the B-25 jolt, with the loud sound of the bomb bay doors opening.
"Bombardier, ready the bomb. Prepare for release."
"Rodger." Came another voice through the radio. Alfred flew the plane down, closer to the city. He looked down into the streets, seeing people bustling around on a normal day.
Suddenly, he heard the loud sirens of the town erupt from below. He'd have to hurry.
Alfred wanted to just fly back home, without doing this. Unfortunately, he couldn't. This was for his country, for the world, and if he wanted to be the hero, he'd have to.
Why was being the hero so hard?
Suddenly, the bombardier's words came through the radio.
"Releasing bomb, closing bomb bay doors. Lift up."
A shudder of the plane, and suddenly it flew up, relieved of the heavy weight it once held. Alfred knew he couldn't look back. At least not now.
"I'm so sorry, Kiku." He whispered under his breath, wishing that the words could reach the unknowing Japanese man.
And unknown to the American, Kiku did hear those words. Xiao's eyes narrowed as he watched Kiku step away from the window. His maroon gaze drifted to Alfred.
The American pressed several buttons and with the pull of a lever, the plane's engines kicked into high gear. The plane shot off through the sky.
Suddenly a huge, defeaning BOOM sounded behind the plane, and the flying beast lurched sideways.
Alfred struggled to keep the plane level. He looked over his shoulder once he had the plane in control, just over the second left engine.
And what he saw made his chest clench.
Kiku whimpered, and Xiao looked down at him. He paused before looking up, seeing what Alfred had done. His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.
"Holy hell," he muttered to himself.
A huge plume of black and grey smoke erupted from the city, consuming it whole. It reached up to the clouds, like a mountain made of smoke.
"What have we done?"
The memory flashed, and darkness swept into their vision.
The memory came back, and Kiku and Xiao were now floating alongside Yao.
Yao knew that there was probably a faster way to make it to Hiroshima. But he didn't have time right now.
As soon as the meeting had concluded, Yao had made it back home as fast as he could. He'd gotten home, and ran straight outside.
Stopping at the small stable beside his house, he had quickly mounted his velvet-brown stallion named Dragon. He'd been riding all morning, only stopping to let Dragon catch a break.
Now he was nearing the outskirts of Hiroshima.
Suddenly the loud roar of a plane sounded overhead, Yao glanced up to see a bomber soaring past. One marked with the United States' Star.
He had been too late.
Yao gritted his teeth and turned to face in the direction of the city again just on time to see a huge eruption of smoke and fire.
Thank the lords that Yao had been on a slight hill and was able to see the upcoming wave of sound and heat.
"Aihya! Stop!" Yao screeched, jerking back on the reigns. Dragon halted immediately, and Yao could see the trees swaying violently to just ahead of them.
He leaped off of Dragon and lead him over behind a grove of large trees, praying to the gods that they would protect the two from the brunt of the wave.
Yao pressed Dragon up against the trees, standing on the other side of the stallion and holding his neck. Yao would be able to survive this, but he wasn't sure about Dragon.
Suddenly came the horrible wind of the explosion, the sound wave so loud that it shook the trees. Without a second to spare came a wave of excruciating heat, that blew the trees violently.
Yao struggled to keep his ground, feeling the wind whipping around him almost painfully.
Dragon whinnied in fear, but seemed to know not to move. Then came the sound of a tree's roots ripping out of the Earth, and Yao had just enough time to grab Dragon's reigns and leap out of the way of a giant falling tree.
The few seconds that the wave actually lasted felt like years, but finally it stopped.
Yao calmed down Dragon, anxiety spiking his heart rate, and pooling in his stomach like lead.
He mounted the horse again, and only then did he see the actual destruction.
Hiroshima, the once bustling city, was gone.
Blown to absolute pieces, ruined. It wasn't just torn down though, no.
Gone. Almost like it had never existed.
Yao's eyes widened in fear, and he snapped Dragon's reigns. "Go, Jai!"
Dragon leaped over several fallen trees and wove through broken smithereens of steel, wood, and other material.
Towards the city, until the path through the forest became more open to the total devastation.
The few remaining trees along the path dwindled out, leaving just a barren landscape of broken, heaped scrap material from buildings.
Yao searched desperately for Kiku, getting more and more worried.
Suddenly, through all the rubble, Yao spotted him.
Kiku stood, looking out at his land.
Yao quickly turned Dragon and stopped him several feet away from Kiku.
Dragon snorted and stepped back, as if he knew how bad the situation was. Kiku didn't even turn to see who had ridden up to him.
Yao stepped closer to Kiku, holding out a hand.
"Kiku?"
As if his words had been a magic trigger, Kiku fell.
He lurched forward, falling onto his hands and knees. His chest rose and fell with ragged breaths.
"Why?!" Kiku screeched, his eyes closed tightly. "God, it hurts, so bad!"
Yao stepped forward, holding out a hand for Kiku. He kneeled beside Kiku, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"My people! So many are dead, are dying! My beautiful land." Kiku sunk lower to the ground.
It grew silent, safe for Kiku's sobs, until another scream tore from his throat.
"God, they've got Nagasaki too!" Kiku completely collapsed, clutching his head. Yao wasn't sure what to do.
"It's my fault," Kiku whimpered out.
Finally Yao snapped out of his stupor. He leaned forward and pulled Kiku onto his lap.
"Shhh," he murmured softly, beginning to card his fingers through Kiku's raven black hair. "It's not your fault."
Yao knew that the end of the war was inevitable for one of the sides; and he knew for the sake of their people that it had to be the Axis who fell.
But he never imagined an end like this.
Kiku didn't seem to take any notice to his changed position, as he kept yelling and holding his head.
Yao felt tears in his eyes, but knew that he was in no place to cry. He didn't deserve to cry, after what poor Kiku was going through. His dear Kiku.
"It's not your fault, aru." Yao said again gently.
After several minutes of just yelling and crying, Kiku grew quiet. He was still awake, and Yao could feel his ragged breaths.
"Why do you keep coming back?" Kiku's quiet voice broke the somewhat of a silence that there was.
Yao's eyes softened. If he just closed his eyes, he could return to the warm memory of holding a little Kiku in his arms at his own house.
For a second, Yao could almost forget the destruction they sat in.
So instead of replying with a proper answer, Yao followed the sweet memory.
"I remember tears streaming down your face when I said 'I'll never let you go,'" Yao began to sing softly.
He felt Kiku tense, recognizing the song.
"When all those shadows almost killed your light,
I remember you said 'don't leave me here alone.'"
Yao looked down to see Kiku staring back up at him, pained expression and tear tracks still visible on his face. But his brown eyes held recognition.
"But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight."
Yao smiles softly, still holding back tears. Just like during the Opium Wars, when he had to remain strong for Kiku.
"Just close your eyes, the sun is going down.
You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now."
Yao looked back up, so Kiku couldn't see the conflict dancing in his eyes. Kiku has always been a master at picking out emotions.
"Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound."
Yao looked around at the destruction around them.
"Don't you dare look out your window, darling everything's on fire."
And somehow, it was like the lyrics had been made especially for Kiku.
"The war outside our door keeps raging on."
The war was finally over. Yao would've rejoiced, after all the heartbreak and violence his people and the world had been subjected to. But their victory had come at a cost that Kiku had been left to pay.
"Hold onto this lullaby, even when the music's gone, gone."
Yao knew the lyrics always stayed in his head. He'd never forget how close he and Kiku had been.
"Just close your eyes, the sun is going down.
You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now."
Had. Kiku hates Yao, and would probably despise him after this; Yao had done nothing to prevent this destruction.
"Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound."
Yao shook his head just slightly.
"Just close your eyes, you'll be alright.
Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound."
Finishing the lullaby, Yao looked down to Kiku. His eyes were shut, and his chest rose and fell evenly.
Yao took a deep breath, just now realizing how his hands were slightly trembling. He stood, picking Kiku up and cradling him to his chest as he carried him over to Dragon.
Laying Kiku over dragon, Yao took the horse's reigns.
He began to walk Dragon through the ruins of the city, to Kiku's house.
Kiku may hate him, but Yao would never stop caring for him. Yao would give everything in his power to keep Kiku safe.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After laying Kiku in his own bed, Yao started the journey back to his own.
Once home, Yao put Dragon back into his stall and gave him lots of food and refilled his water, leaving several tiny carrots as a treat for being so good.
Finally stepping inside, Yao fell onto his knees and allowed himself to cry.