The Tradition of Open House Welcomes

[Kiku Honda]

(Come to Japan's house for an open house party/meet-and-greet. (I highly doubt this was his idea) I have no problem with things getting random, yaoi, anything...because I'm strange like that XD)

Sighing, Kiku closed the door to his room, hoping to any god that would listen that whoever decided to heed the invitation he hadn't sent out would kindly not show up. Unfortunately, people usually couldn't pass up the parties, and other nations weren't an exception. Still, that didn't mean that he had to attend said party right? Of course, the idea of the host of the party not attending was improper, except that he wasn't exactly the host. Still, his bosses frantically had prepared his home, cleaning the already pristine floors and spending hours in the kitchen cooking an assortment of dishes. And then they had carted in several different types of drinks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic.

"I am staying here, and that is final." He declared, deciding that hiding beneath the covers of the futon would give everyone the idea he was in no mood to party. Perhaps he could politely excuse himself on the grounds of being sick? It wasn't uncommon for someone in his home to eat some bad raw fish. Surely the others would believe him if he told them that. Unfortunately, lying wasn't exactly polite, so he opted for hiding quietly instead.

[Alice Vargas]

A young Italian girl opened the door to a room that she assumed was Kiku's room. "Kiku, is big brother Feliciano here? He isn't with Germany or Prussia, so he's most likely here." She looked at the Japanese man hiding beneth the covers. "Did you eat something bad or something? 'Cuz i've got medicine for that. Headaches too! You are not going to hide in your room and read manga all night! Even though that does sound fun." She pulled the cover up to reveal his head. "Come on, Kiku!"

[Kiku Honda]

Kiku buried his face in his pillow at the sound of his door sliding open. No matter what his bosses threatened him with he would NOT go to that party! Besides, his bosses couldn't cut off his manga supply forever even if they tried. Still, the voice that called out his name was not a male's voice, but a female one he recognized.

"A-Alice-san..." He raised his head from the pillow just enough to be audible. "Ah, I do not believe that he has arrived yet actually." He wondered briefly how she expected him to know since he had not been out of his room, but he let it slide. "And thank you, but I am fine right--" His eyes widened as she pulled away his shield, and he shook it defiantly. No way was he going out there! "Thank you, but I am fine here..."

[Alice Vargas]

"No your not!" She picked up the covers and threw them across the room. "You should come to the party, it'll be fun! And if you won't i'll drag you out there! And I can, thanks to Monika's training!" She took one of Kiku's arms in her hand and pulled him on his feet. "Now get out there!" She pointed at the open door with her free hand. "NOW! And if you even think about coming back to your room and reading manga, you will regret it!" One of Kiku's bosses peeked out from behind the door. "By the way, I brought my cat."

[Kiku Honda]

His brown eyes widened in surprise as his covers went flying across the room. He often forgot how much more aggressive Alice was in comparison to her male counterpart. "B-but I would--" He gasped, excuse faltering on his lips as she lifted him bodily from his futon and pointed to his door in a way that would have made Germany proud. Normally, he would have simply gone to do whatever had been asked of him, then sneak back at a later time to do as he pleased. But Alice giving him an order was something entirely different. It wasn't that he couldn't stand up for himself, he knew that she was simply more stubborn. The addition of his boss peeking in and announcing that he had his cat did not help him in the slightest. It seemed that he would have to attend his party.

Sighing in defeat, he began to slowly walk towards the door. "Fine, I am going..." He passed his boss on the way out, noticing the relieved look on his face. Would he have been in trouble if Kiku had decided to stay? Still, it was his (and the other bosses) fault in the first place! "I will attend the party..." He made no promises to be social or to enjoy himself though, and he also did not mention that Alice could not entirely cut off his supply of manga since he kept them around his home. Well, at least he was going, if nothing else.

He made his way down the hallway, then turned into the main room where his bosses had placed all manner of food and drinks for his guests. Why couldn't they just understand that he would rather spend his time reading? This type of socializing always made him feel out of place, or worse, much older than he really was. "I apologize if I have kept anyone waiting..." He bowed, still feeling the need to be polite to his guests.

[Alice Vargas]

"Good boy!" She patted him on the head, not noticing that she still held his arm firmly. "Now can you help me find my kitty?" She looked around the room. "Maybe I left her in your room! Let's go!" She took off, dragging Kiku behind her, to rescue her darling little kitten. "She's not in here. Damn!" She left the room and started walking down a different hallway, with Kiku still in tow. "But anyway, thanks for listening to me! Not many people do, you know, because they think that i'm exactly like my fratello. That gets really annoying after a long time, let me tell you." She stopped as she saw one of kiku's bosses carrying her tiny kitten, Selene. "Oh! You found her!! Thank you so much!!" She squeeled as she held her 1-month-old kitten. "See, isn't she cute?" She asked as Kiku's boss walked down another hallway.

[Kiku Honda]

Kiku trailed after her, not even bothering to protest as she dragged him about his house. There was no arguing with Alice once she got it in her mind to do something. Finally, they found her cat, and he could only hope that she would release him so that he could go back to the main room to sulk. After all, he still didn't want to be at the party...even if he was being forced.

He stared at the kitten, finding her very cute. "Hai, she is...ah, m-may I pet her, Alice-san?" He asked her timidly. Unlike her brother, Alice could really (and very intentionally) hurt him if she tried. It wasn't like Feliciano wasn't strong...he just didn't show it as often as she did.

[Alice Vargas]

"Of course!" She handed the tiny kitten to Kiku. "She likes having her chin rubbed." She smiled at him as he looked at her precious little kitty. "I don't really let other people besides Lovino and Feliciano pet her, so I guess she's a little bit shy." She kept walking down a hallway that she didn't recognize. "I think that i'm lost." She still hadn't let go of him. Selene meowed. "Cute." She giggled. "Do you know where we are?" She couldn't hear a thing besides their breathing. Selene meowed again. "What's wrong kitty?" Selene jumped out of Kiku's grasp and took of down another hallway. "God Dammit! She'll find her way back eventually. She is a cat after all." She said with a sigh.


((Alone Time! ))

[Alice Vargas]

((Btw I would NEVER hurt you Kiku-chan!))

[Kiku Honda]

Kiku nodded as he stared at the kitty...Selene...and then rubbed very gently under her chin. Well, at least he wasn't at the party. He managed to smile, feeling better already. Kittens had that effect on a person...they just made your troubles melt away. He glanced up as she mentioned being lost, recognizing a back hallway of his home that he rarely used. It wound around the house though, so when Selene took off he smiled. "Not to worry...this hallway will lead her back to the party eventually."

Speaking of the party...they ought to be getting back to that, shouldn't they? And why really where they the only ones at the party. "Ah, Alice-san...are we the only two guests at this party?"

((Aww, alone tiiiime~ *shot* And no worries...Kiku's just shy. And it is said that Alice is tougher than her male counterpart, so while Kiku is a little put off by Feliciano's touchy-feely affections, he'd be a little intimidated by Alice's touchy-feely and slightly more assertive affections <333))

[Alice Vargas]

"Ummm....I don't know. I think so." She looked down the hallway. "I'm sorry for making you leave your room, Japan. It's just I was really excited about the party, you know? Feliciano doesn't let me go to very many, so when he said I could come I wanted to have fun with my friends, but then they said that they couldn't come. But I still had you to hang out with, then I find you hiding in your room." She looked at his brown eyes. "But there's another reason that i'm so happy that you listened to me. Ummmmm......I don't know how to say this." She blushed furiously. "Feliciano told me something to say but I don't think that it is rather appropriate. Caro mio ben, credi mi almen senza di te langui scilcor"

((IS THAT RIGHT?!?!?!? My friend is here right now and told me to write it))

[Kiku Honda]

Kiku nodded, feeling just a little guilty for having holed himself up in his room. He hadn't meant to make Alice upset over the matter, he simply wasn't the partying type. Now a nice, quiet day of reflection or a relaxing picnic were more his style, so to speak. "Ah, please do not worry about such things, Alice-san. I believe my boss would have forced me to come out of there eventually...and truthfully I am glad that it was you and not him. He usually threatens more than just my manga." He gave her a soft smile, indicating he was joking...even though his boss really did threaten more than just his manga.

Kiku blinked at her, genuinely confused. It didn't help when she started speaking in Italian. Even though he had spent plenty of time around Feliciano, they usually didn't speak Italian. "Ah...I am not quite sure I...understand." He noticed that her cheeks were red...was she blushing? He wondered what had suddenly come over her, blushing and speaking Italian. Had he said something to upset her?

((Aww, the Italian is sweet...and it brings back memories! I sang that song in Italian for my audition for my music scholarship! <3))

[Alice Vargas]

"I shouldn't have said that!" She screamed into her hands as she covered her madly blushing cheeks. "Ummm.. I guess that in Japanese it would be ummm....what was it? Suki desu?"

[Kiku Honda]

Kiku blinked in confusion at her exclamation, becoming worried when he noticed her cheeks growing red. Perhaps he really HAD said something wrong to upset her. He tried to think quickly over their conversation, hoping to find what he had said to make her so flustered so suddenly. Everything seemed normal until she started speaking in Italian. Perhaps that was it...what ever she had said had made her upset. Or was it not her words, but his reaction to her words?

"Ah, please forgive me for..." He trailed off as she spoke again, mind translating the Japanese instantly but simultaneously blanking on its meaning. How a mind could do such a thing to him, he would never be able to say. "S-sou desuka...?" He answered automatically, more of a reflex than an actual question to her declaration. "Ah, I see...Feliciana-san was...trying to say that she...likes me." He blinked at her stoically, waiting for her answer.

[Alice Vargas]

"Yes, That's what I was trying to say!"




//Short post is fail//

[Kiku Honda]

Kiku remained silent for a moment, trying to think of what exactly to say in response to this new development. Alice...liked him? He dropped his gaze for a moment, silently contemplating what he ought to say to her. Of course he liked her; she was a close ally of his and a friend like Feliciano. But she LIKED him...seemingly more than just as a friend. He had seen her at some World Meetings, though admittedly he had not spent as much time with her as he would have liked to get to know her better. He inwardly sighed; he didn't know nearly enough about her to make a judgement, but he did not wish to hurt her feelings either.

"Alice-san..." He started, already feeling the heat rising to his cheeks. "I am not quite sure how to respond to this. That is, I am not sure that I know Alice-san as well as I would like to know her." He paused a moment, gathering his thoughts before continuing. "Alice-san has been nothing but kind to me today, and it would be nice to get to know each other better."

[Lovino Vargas]

Last week, Romano had received an invitation from Japan. With only one look he had decided to stay home - he really didn’t know what he had to do at a party, and he also didn’t care - but when his younger brother and sister suddenly proclaimed they were going to Japan’s party, he changed his mind. He couldn’t let those two go all alone to that party; they were even more stupid then he was.
So there he was, trying to keep an eye on both of them. Feliciano was irritating the potato-bastard, and Alice was taking a drink from the bar. Lovino decided that watching Felciano frustrating macho-man was much more fun than glaring to his sister, so he looked, almost amused, to his fratellino, who was causing a vein throbbing on the German’s head. When the Aryan had told Feliciano for the third time to stop, his brother finally listened and took a glass of wine.
So Romano tried to find Alice again. But she was nowhere to bee seen. “Damn it!” Romano muttered, and jumped out of his chair. What the hell is she doing? He marched away through the crowd, trying to find his sorellina. But she wasn’t in this room. So he left it and walked down the hallway.
Suddenly he heard some voices; in one of them he recognized his sister. Relieved he walked towards the door. Then he noticed she was alone in the room. Alone, except for Japan.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing with my sister!” he shouted while he entered the room, without looking at the situation further. So when he noticed Japan wasn’t doing anything, he was rather confused. “Err, I mean... just stay away from her, understood? Bastard.” He grabbed Alice by her arm. “Come on, fratellina. Lets’a go away from here.”

[Kiku Honda]

Kiku nearly jumped at the sound of a very...VERY angry Italian. "R-Romano-kun...ah..." He wondered exactly how to explain to Lovino, even though in truth they hadn't been doing anything. Normally, the grumpy Italian was kind of friendly, though Kiku knew better than to bring up Germany or his siblings in front of him. The fact that he had been outright accused of doing anything improper upset him, but he did his best to hide it. Lovino simply did not know the situation, and his suspicions were confirmed moments later with the look of realization on the other's face. Did Lovino realize that his sister, Alice, seemed to like him?

By the way Lovino began to drag Alice from the room, Kiku could assume he did not. He simply stood quietly, not wanting to get himself, or Alice, in more trouble. He could try to explain things to Lovino later, perhaps when he was less likely to jump to conclusions. Until then, he had a party to host...whether he wanted to or not.

[Alice Vargas]

"Fratello..." Alice sighed as she effortlessly pulled her arm from Lovino's grasp, even though she almost punched him in the face while doing so. "You need to let me have a little more freedom! So, I was alone with Kiku, big deal! Your treating me like a child, and you probably always will. Do you even remember how old I am? Don't answer that!" She said quickly, realizing that her brother might come back with the whole "How old Italy is" answer. "I'm 16 and you need to start treating me like it!!" Alice looked at Kiku and blushed slightly. "Gomen ne! You know how fratello can be~ Vee~ Now I still need to find little Selene. Remember when she ran off earlier?" Alie snatched Kiku's arm and took off down a different hallway in one swift movement. "Let's go!!!"

[Kiku Honda]

Kiku smiled, inwardly surprised that she had used Japanese. He hard tried to teach all of his allies Japanese, but they all had seemed to prefer English (or French, a language shared between the two but not one he spoke very well), the common tongue (used by all of the nation representatives), or (when conversing in secret) code. Feliciano had complained that the Japanese language sounded 'cute but hard' when he had tried, and he took Ludwig's advice and quietly stopped trying to teach him. Personally, Kiku liked the Italian and German languages, and took every opportunity to learn them from his two allies.

He was once again caught off guard as she rather forcibly grabbed his arm and dragged him away down the hallway. He just managed an embarrassed apology over his shoulder to Lovino ("Please forgive me for this, Romano-kun!") before they whipped around the corner and out of sight of the rather irate Italian. He could only imagine the confrontation that awaited him in the future if the Italian ever caught up to them, and although he wanted to talk to Alice-san about it, she was far too intent on finding Selene. "Ah, Alice-san, please...slow down! We'll find her but please, you are squeezing my arm which is not entirely proper!"

[Alice Vargas]

"Vee~ Gomen ne, Kiku-chan! I wanted to put as much distance between us and Onii-san. Am I pronouncing it right?" She reliquished her grip on Kiku and slowed down to a normal pace. "But, anyway, yeah. Finding Selene was just an excuse....... and if we go back to the party? Lovi-nii has probably already told nii-san and L-kun.....so that's not a good idea.... Doitsu would kill you...........we could go back to your room and read manga~ but that would have defeated the whole purpose of getting you out of you room. Vee~ what should we do?" She looked at Kiku with bright, happy eyes.

[Kiku Honda]

Kiku pulled his arm back, rubbing it in order to get the feeling back into it. Alice had been gripping it rather tightly, and although he had been distracted by their hasty retreat he was still embarrassed about it. He was relieved when they stopped running, and again surprised by the Japanese spoken by Alice. "Ah, Alice-san speaks the language very well." When had she learned? Honestly, was there no end to the surprises that waited for him that day?

He kept his expression neutral, though inwardly he was frowning. Why was Alice suddenly so worried about what the others would think? Sure, Lovino had jumped to conclusions upon seeing them together, but Lovino did that with almost all of the nations. Kiku was a little hurt that his friend didn't entirely trust him to act properly, but he figured he was simply taking Lovino's overprotective nature too personally. Besides, it might have been Alice he was worried about, not Kiku. Still, he could not imagine Lovino STAYING angry with him, especially if he explained the situation to him. Lovino might go with his temper, but once he figured out what was going on he usually calmed down...somewhat.

And why was Alice worried about Feliciano? Sure Feliciano could be a bit clueless (putting it politely) but there weren't many things that could make the bubbly Italian unhappy (aside from sad things). He couldn't understand why Alice felt Feliciano would in some way be displeased with the two showing up at the party together, unless Ludwig's and his lessons on public decency had finally rubbed off on him. He highly doubted this was possible though; it had taken him YEARS to convince Feliciano that a flying hug was only an acceptable greeting in a manga or anime, and even then only if the two people became love interests or friends or partners in some way!

And then there was Ludwig. Ludwig, while angry and strict about rules, would never go so far as to KILL him. Well, that wasn't entirely true. If he hurt Feliciano or Alice in any way, then perhaps the man was capable of it (though he suspected Lovino would beat him to it). But he certainly wouldn't kill him for hanging out with Alice. No, Ludwig believed Kiku more responsible than that, leaving Feliciano in his care a few times when he absolutely had to travel alone, though admittedly he had spent most of those times either comforting Feliciano or letting him make pasta in his once-immaculate kitchen.

And then there was Alice-san. She was acting completely strange, which was making him uncomfortable. She had been acting strange ever since they had first gone on their hunt for Selene, but after running into Lovino her behavior only seemed to worsen. Truthfully, if she did not wish for him to arouse suspicion amongst their peers, dragging him off alone was really the last thing she should have done. However, he was too polite to point it out to her, instead choosing to try to come up with an answer to her question. Normally in his home, the host dictated what the guests were to do. In Western culture, it seemed the opposite was true. Since he had not appeared at his own party right away, it seemed that the Western nations that had attended were doing a fine enough job finding themselves things to do.

"Ano..." He began tentatively, choosing his words as carefully as he could. "I am not sure that avoiding the party is the best idea. If we are trying to avoid arousing suspicion, wouldn't avoiding the party make it worse, Alice-san?" He could only hope that she did not think he was avoiding spending time with her, but her behavior was simply becoming too uncomfortable. He prided himself on being able to read the atmosphere and assess the situation, but what he was discovering was that he would soon be dealing with emotions he personally found difficult to handle.

((Some notes, because I'm a dork XD

1. I think the Japanese tend to praise foreign speakers speaking their language to their faces...but that doesn't necessarily mean they are truly impressed with their language skills. I've heard that from a lot of friends who went to visit Japan that they were 'so impressed, but it kinda seemed like they weren't too'. Kiku isn't insulted by Alice speaking his language, but I tried to make it hard to tell whether he was actually impressed with it or just being polite (even I don't know which one he is, and I'm the one who wrote it!)

2. Himaruya-san mentioned that Kiku would call Lovino 'Romano-kun' because they would actually be rather close if they ever met in canon. Also, people in Southern Italy are extremely nice, contrary to Romano's character in the anime/manga. It's only because he's also supposed to kind of represent the Italian mob that he's got such a temper XD

3. Japanese isn't one of Italy's official foreign languages, but French is. French is also one of Germany's official foreign languages too, but I'd imagine if Germany ever learned Dutch/Flemish he'd have an easier time communicating with Japan than Italy. I know in one post I said they would speak the 'common tongue (which Himaruya also mentioned) or English, most likely (thank Britain for the lovely lessons in Queen's English). Sadly, I am not British...nor was I raised speaking or writing British English. So while Kiku might 'speak' it, I can't write it (except for the little things like 'colour' and 'flavour' and 'humour') or else I'll fail XD

4. The bit about the Japanese hosts setting down the schedule is something I found via research/talked to friends about. When they were guests in Japan, they had to abide by the rules of their host family, as well as do whatever they were asked to do chores wise. If the family wanted to go hiking, my friends went with them. The reverse is true in Western cultures...who are often asking their guests what THEY want to do. This can be rather overwhelming to someone who is used to the reverse, especially if they have NO IDEA what there even IS TO DO. So, Kiku's reluctance to tell Alice what to do and his confusion over the host/guest relations at the party comes from that.

5. The bit about the flying hug was totally made up...though it does seem like something an otaku would think (since glomps happen in animes/mangas frequently).

I admit, a lot of what I write into Kiku's personality comes from research or asking around to people who have actually visited, or who live in Japan...so if he seems almost aloof or almost like he's pushing Alice away, just remember he's not part of the whole touchy-feely culture like a lot of Western countries *coughlikeminecough* are. XD I also like to write in notes about my research/posts if I feel they are relevant...so sorry about the length to this ^^' I tend to take playing Japan pretty seriously (or my Japanese friends would kill me)))

[Alice Vargas]

"Oh, y-your right..." Alice looked down at her shoes and turned around. She started walking back towards where Lovino was, no doubt waiting for her. What's wrong with me?! She thought. She knew that she hadn't been acting like herself lately, probably because of her brothers growing emotions for that potato-bastard's sister, Monika. She walked in silence, not noticing her growing speed until it turned into sprinting. She stopped as she realized Kiku couldn't keep pace with her, and she was alone. Alone in a foreign house that she didn't know very well. She looked down the corridor. "Oh crap..." She said to herself. She opened a nearby door, only to see a lake with moon and stars reflecting off of it's calm surface. I'll wait here until someone finds me......... if I try to find a way out myself i'll just get myself even more lost. She sat down at the lake's edge and let her bare feetsoak in the cold water.

[Alice Vargas]

//Where ARE YOU?!?!?! You aren't even going to reply, are you, Kiku-chan?//

[Kiku Honda]

((Actually, I was going to reply and forgot that the last time my internet booted me and I lost my post x.x But if I ever disappear and forget about posting somewhere, just shoot me a PM. I always get e-mail notifications about those, and I usually rush to check things then ^^' I post on a few other sites so it's easy to lose track of the ones I've replied to or not...thank goodness for those notification e-mails! x.x))

[Sponsored content]