China – Yao 2p China – Xiao
Japan – Kiku

Yao sat up, staring around the room. It was dark and his clock read 6:00 am. Had the others already fought their counterparts? Had they even met them yet? Probably. Sighing, he got up, got dressed and padded down stairs quietly, as though there was someone else in his house he didn't want to disturb. There was no one.

He startled bustling round the kitchen, taking stuff out of cupboards for breakfast and then halting mid-way. Slowly, he put his hand down to the surface beneath the cupboard where a rogue knife from yesterday was left. Yao whipped round and lobbed it across the room. Xiao ducked and glared at the hilt as it waved slightly, burying itself deep in the door.

"That's not very nice" he said, taking it out and pointing it at him.

"How'd you get in?" Yao snapped.

"You left a window open" Xiao laughed, putting the knife on a surface and getting out his own. "And anyway, what were you expecting me to do? Knock on the door and politely ask to come in? That's not the way I work, you should at least have worked that out by now."

Yao hissed at him and bent down to reach into another cupboard and get out his wok., the ladle placed carefully inside. He should have left it out really, like he did the knife, but just forgot. Xiao eyed him warily from the other side of the table in the centre of the kitchen. There was a small amount of space on either side for someone to move round, but not nearly enough for a fight. At least, not one of the size that Xiao's chosen knife suggested it would be. He took a step round the corner of the table, only to have his step matched by Yao in the opposite direction.

"Please tell me you're not trying to avoid this?" Xiao sighed. "You're such a disappointment."

He glanced over at him and jumped over the table, swinging his butcher's knife at the same time. Yao blinked, standing still for a second before moving up his wok to defend himself. The knife hit the wok with such force Yao was surprised his wok didn't shatter. It was strong, but he didn't think it'd be able to hold off an attack of that force. He swiped his wok out from underneath the knife, only to hit thin air as Xiao stepped to one side.

For a second, neither moved, Yao stood, glaring at his counterpart who stayed completely still. Then, he leapt forwards and slashed at him. It caught Yao by surprise and he only just blocked it with his wok, not noticing the second knife until blood was trickling down his arm. He cursed and slammed his ladle forwards, hitting Xiao in the chest with it. His counterpart coughed and then went to stab him again, and again, each one missing or not hitting its mark.

Then he kicked him.

Yao stumbled backwards in the confined space, hitting the table. Xiao smirked and sliced open his side. Yao coughed blood, glared at his counterpart out of the corner of his eye and then swung his wok round, hitting him in the side of the head with it. Xiao crumpled to the floor, dropping his knife in the process. In one movement, Yao dropped his wok and ladle, scooped up the knife and sat on top of him. He paused.

"What're you waiting for?" Xiao laughed. "Are you going to kill me or what? Or are we having some last minute decisions here?"

Yao held the knife inches above his neck, not moving.

"What's up with you? A second ago you were ready to kill me given anything and now you... I don't even know" he grinned up at him in a psychopathic way. "It doesn't matter anyway. I'm not going to die."

Yao frowned. Xiao carried on grinning, and then started to glow. Lightly at first but then brighter and slowly start to vanish. "You won't recognise this. Your friend will. He's seen it all too well before. You've seen the impact it had on him, and now it's your turn."

"Kiku" Yao muttered and then stared. "No." He slammed the knife down as hard as he could, waiting for blood. Xiao frowned and stopped glowing, then blood sprayed everywhere.

"Wise choice old man" he hissed through a bubble of blood that spilled out of his mouth. "Very wise."

"I have people I need to protect" Yao stood up, collecting his wok and leaving the knife where it was. "I can't have some rogue personality running round in my head. That'd harm them all."

"Or just you." The light left Xiao's eyes.

Yao shook his head and bent down to pick up his ladle, then winced. "Damn it, I'm not healing." He placed a hand over the wound in his side, hoping it might speed up the process, and glared at the mess on the floor.

"What?" Panda padded in, stared around and then at Yao.

"It's a long story" Yao laughed.