comprehend what it's saying. He glares at the small, glowing screen for one long moment, his face devoid of any emotion. Snapping his phone

shut and shoving it deep into his pocket, Kiku immediately goes to get his coat.

Within a matter of hours, he has arrived in Beijing. He folds his arms over his chest and prepares himself to begin searching for Him.

, while walking through the streets, does a double-take when he sees somebody AWFULLY FAMILIAR out of the corner of his eye-- And he is so

immediately panicked, he doesn't even realize as he tosses out an, "excuse me a minute," that HE'S LEAVING RUSSIA AND LITHUANIA ALONE as

he walks briskly over to him.

instantly spots the figure walking towards him, and meets him halfway.

((Um...what did that text say, anyway? I can't remember...))

((Um, it was essentially "Don't come to the festival, Russia will be there and it'll be bad," I think.))

((Ah, I thank ya' kindly))

uncrosses his arms and promptly crosses them again, telling himself it's not a defensive gesture. He juts his chin out and stares down his

nose at China. "I decided to come, anyway," he says coldly.

twitces his lip and speaks in a low hiss; it's hard to tell if he's trying to be secretive, or if he's just angry. "I asked you not to come

for a reason!"

sneers at him. "What reason would that be?"

growls, as he *knows* that Japan knows the answer to that, and he's in no mood to play this game. "I'm trying to do something *nice* for him

that depends on *his* good behavior, and if you're here--" And...it finally occurs to him that he didn't tell Japan that Lithuania would be

here. Just Russia. And suddenly, Japan's behavior doesn't seem so outrageous. (And *then* the realization that he left the other two alone

hits him...) He sighs and grabs Japan's hand (his grip surprisingly gentle, for the way he was just talking), and turns to lead him back to

the other two.

looks down at their joined hands in surprise. It takes a moment for him to move his feet and follow the other man. He trails after quietly,

not sure how to respond.

brings him back to the others, hoping to silently prove to Japan WHAT HE WAS DOING, and clears his throat. "We have more company," he says

in an attempt at cheerfulness, but also being stern enough to make it clear that THIS IS NOT A QUESTION, RUSSIA. While still a little

annoyed, ultimately he can't deny his relief that Japan came, and he imagines Lithuania will feel the same.

spots them approaching from some distance away. His hands clench into fists. What was *he* doing *here*? Surely Kitai had told him not to

come! But China's expression is adamant, and...Litva would not like it if they fought right now. So he forces a smile at Japan (though the

malice in his eyes makes it very clear what he really thinks) and says, with false enthusiasm, "How very nice of you to join us!"

experiences a moment of panic when China walks away into the crowd. Where was he going? Should he follow? He calms down when he spots him

again, and oh. Hm, when did Japan get here? He glances up at Russia and immediately recognizes that look. He freezes and it takes a second

for him to realize the look is directed at Japan. Relief washes over him but is promptly followed by guilt. He sheepishly waves as they

approach. "H-hello, Japan."

Russia a wide smile that doesn't quite manage to reach his eyes. "Yes...very nice, indeed," he says, leaning closer to China. He directs a

small bow towards Lithuania in response, though his eyes never leave the Russian.

tugs on Japan's hand a little, whether to signal that he's moving or in warning, he'll never know, as he ushers the others to move, as well.

"Come on, then," he announces, wedging himself and Japan right behind Lithuania to keep a distance between him and Russia that Lithuania

find acceptable. (He started trying to do this after their "talk," but now that there's the threat of distraction, he must be more diligent

about it.)

...He has the feeling he's going to be needing a drink soon...

walks stiffly behind them, his mad grin covering up the brewing rage under the surface. He fixes his stare at the back of Japan's head.

*Why is he here*? his thoughts scream. He has no right to be here! He was told not to come! (Completely disregarding the fact that he would

have done the exact same thing.)

((THAT WOULD BE...KINDA TERRIFYINGLY HILARIOUS XD))

((I KNOW, RIGHT?))

quietly watches the drama unfolding before him. He's thankful for the buffer between him and Russia, but he can't help thinking that it's a

little useless at this point. Either way, he's pretty content to be ignored for the time being.

swings his hands back and forth from within Yao's, making the movement only big enough to catch the eye of someone who was looking for it.

"So, show me all there is to see," he murmurs, looking over at Yao.

looks down momentarily at their hands when he feels them sway, but ultimately his reaction is a silly little smile (that he hopes Russia

can't see.) and he holds the other's hand a little tighter. But he blinks in slight confusion at his words; he's taken Kiku to Shàngyuánjié

many times before (whether he wanted to go or not), so he's already familiar with it... And then his mind goes to *alternative meanings*

and suddenly his face is BRIGHT RED. NOBODY CAN SEE HIM, RIGHT...? "Oh, look! That food looks good!" He suddenly makes a beeline for a

merchant's stall (still holding Kiku's hand, of course), grabbing the back of Lithuania's shirt to tug him in the right direction.

(The fact that they've already eaten would be lost on him even if he *wasn't* looking for a distraction.)

stops for a moment, confused by Yao's reaction. Before he can ask what's wrong, he's yanked towards...oh, food. "I suppose," he says, cock

ing his head to the side. "I haven't eaten, yet. Are you hungry, then?"

forces himself to unclench his fists and to look as calm as possible. Still, there's no disguising the malice still permeating the air

around him like an evil aura. Kitai is smiling though, and that makes it much better and much worse all at the same time. He follows with a

forced laugh. "I will come with you! I have not tried this yet, I think!"

stumbles from the sudden change in direction. "A-ah!" He rights himself as best he can with China hanging onto his shirt and looks to see

where they're going. More food? Well, it is a festival, and as Russia said, they haven't tried this yet. ...should he make conversation in

the meantime? Would that help anything or just make it worse? He supposes he could talk to Russia if that would keep him from the murderous

aura under control...

doesn't so much as stop to make sure everybody's accounted for as he gets his food--he passes a dish on to Japan, and then another, assuming

he realizes he's supposed to pass them on, and finally one more before he turns around with his own--along with a small glass of clear

liquid, and a smile forcibly plastered on his face.

takes the plate absently, not sparing it a glance. His gaze never once leaves China or Japan. "It looks delicious, Kitai!" he says sweetly.

"What is it?"

finally gets himself turned around the right direction, only to find a plate suddenly in front of him. He takes it and is about to ask what

it is, when Russia asks instead. It does look delicious, though he gets the distinct impression that's not why Russia said so. He should

probably start thinking of ways to distract him...

"Mantou!" He chirps, taking a (disturbingly) long drink before he even pays his food any notice. He pushes through the lot of them to find a

place to sit down, assuming he'll be followed. (He is not in the mood to babysit under these circumstances, though really, that's exactly

what he came into this expecting to do.)

looks back to sneer briefly at Russia before running up next to Yao and walking at his side. "It's been a while since I had your Mantou," he

said. The smile that didn't quite reach his face was evident in his voice. "I am looking foward to it."

takes a bite of one of the warm buns and blinks. "Ah, I remember these now! I ate them in your home once, I think, yes?" He doesn't add the,

"I found them lying around when you were out," bit of the recollection.