Paradise Lost - (North and South Korea)

[South Korea]

Seoul 1919

He woke to pain. A throbbing ache that clung to a bruised and abused body. He stirred but gasped, it was to painful, to shaming. His eyes opened slowly to darkness, a cold dark room where he had been cast aside to dwell on the horrific events that had transpired mere hours before. Panic set in, his brow coated with a cold sweat as he turned his gaze from side to side, trying to acknowledge his surroundings, frantically praying that they were gone.

That he would be safe.

With a groan Yong Soo attempted to roll onto his stomach, ignoring his body's protests. Clothes matted with sweat and blood amonsgt other things clung to his body, the once soft and lovely fabric, ripped and defiled and hanging off of a shivering battered frame. He struggled to move but the pain stabbed at him like harsh rusted nails piercing delicate flesh. With pained whimpers and desparation the young nation managed to roll over onto his stomach, but as he tried to lift himself, his aching limbs gave out and he slumped to the floor, his dirtied cheek pressed to the straw mat under him. His mind quickly brought up memories of his prison, the house he and his twin were being held in, heavily guarded by Japanese soldiers. He would soon recognize this room as a sort of pantry area, dusty and rarely used, tossed aside like filth as he exactly felt at this moment.

"Sa...Sang Kyu" he rasped his brother's name, but he had no clue where his brother was, he shuddered as he attempted to lift himself again but lacked the strength. He slumped on the floor, palms stretched to the sides of his head, grasping the straw beneath his fingers tightly, teeth clenched to fight back sobs that were gathering in his throat. His cheeks tinged with warm liquid he soon recognized as tears, flowing freely from the wide brown eyes, eyes that had once held such innocence now long gone.

It had not always been this way, he had enjoyed a peaceful life with his twin, shut out from the outside world, naievete` at this point had seemed like such a blessing. All he knew were his family, Aniki, Kiku, Sang. All he ever truely needed. But the Westerners were advancing East, competing for influence, trade and exotic goods found amongst the Asian nations.

He had never dreamed his brother Kiku would've occupied his lands, demanding treaties, coercing his leaders to sign papers that took more and more rights from his people every day. Demanding the twins to sever ties with Aniki, turning their backs on their benefactor. Seperation from him had been devestating for Yong Soo and he was certain his brother was going through the same heartaches.

His bleeding fingers dug into the straw mat as those hellish memories returned to him, such a betrayel from someone he trusted, someone he had looked up to. Family had always been special to Yong Soo and to see Kiku turn on him in such a way, it was better to just rip the heart from his chest and hold it before his eyes. Frustration and the beginning torrents of Anger began to eat at him, mingling with the pain that already tortured his body. Kiku...bastard

The twins had already been in disarray by the removal of Heungseon Daewongun from the throne by their Empress. Things had taken a dramatic turn but their great Queen Min had finally been making progress picking up the pieces and demolishing Daewongun's resistance. Queen Min had been interested in modernizing her country, advancing Koreans for a prosperous future. The twins had favored their dearest Empress, but she had been murdered by those oni! His dearest Queen destroyed by the scheming hands of Kiku's generals.

A somewhat growl broke through his sobs as he pounded the ground with a bloody fist in anger. He was ashamed of his weakness, ashamed of the brutality laid upon him, ashamed that he could do nothing to stop the assault on his people who fought back for their independance. He knew some had escaped to China, rebuilding themselves, making an army to reclaim what had been lost, but even with that knowledge, Yong Soo did not find any real comfort in it. Kiku and his Emperor's Icy grip on them only grew tighter, almost leaving them without room to breathe.

Yong once again tried to lift himself but to no avail. A raspy scream broke his lips, a cry of pain and anger and hate all milled into one. "Sang!!!!" he called for his brother, he only hoped they had spared him the pain they had inflicted on him, that they had not cast him bloodied and broken as he in another cold, dark and dirty room.

"Sang Kyu!" he struggled to get up, his body screaming at him, but he refused to fall again as he pushed himself slowly into a sitting position.

Do what you want to me, but please spare my brother...

Yong prayed his brother had been spared. His absence from his side scared him to death, he couldn't bear it if he had lost his twin, if they had hurt his twin.

"S...Sang!" he crawled forward on all fours, reaching out into the darkness, seeking some sort of wall to lead him towards a door.

Please brother.....don't leave me...

OOC: Oh Gawd I am so sorry this took forever, I spent a lot of time looking up info and researching this period and thinking on it from SK's view was rather depressing :/ I also suffered a bit of writers block and rewrites (as well as trying not to be tooo graphic for the sake of readers) though I have rated this thread R for a reason. Again so so sorry for the delay NK and I hope this works for you to work with? Let me know if I missed anything or if something needs to be changed.

I put this in SK's section cause Seoul was still the main capital at the time and I figured they would be held there. They are being held in a lockdown house heavily guarded.

Mucho luv bro! <3 And to all future thread stalkers, Enjoy!

[North Korea]

The disorientation was what stuck in his head. Long after his struggle had ceased, long after his knees had given way, long after his defiance had been put down with a blow to the head. The disorientation stuck. And it stuck hard.

Sang Kyu couldn't even remember what he'd been fighting for anymore. He'd become so fed up with the Japanese hanging around the country -- around the house -- that even small things set him off. Of course, he usually gave what he got, so a small issue usually only elicited a small act of defiance from him. A glare. An annoying question. A refusal to speak when spoken to, if only for a moment. So what had it been this time? What right had been taken away from their people? How many had been killed this time? Had he and his brother been physically assaulted by the guards? Why would they have been attacked? Why would he have fought back? He couldn't remember, but whatever it was had left his body a wreck.

His head throbbed with a deep pain—the worst headache he was sure he’d ever felt, not to mention the wracking pain that was tormenting his whole body. Every muscle felt like it had been cramped and uncramped repeatedly—like flesh was trying to tear itself from bone. Every joint was painful to move. Every point on his body where a bone stuck out even the slightest felt like it’d been pounded into a concrete wall repeatedly, which, with the way he was feeling right now, he suspected it had.

With a groan, he fought through the pain to roll himself onto his stomach, shaking with the effort of doing so by the time he’d managed to turn himself over. His body didn’t want to go any further. It was telling him to quit; to give it a rest, at least for a while. But Sang Kyu wasn’t listening. Raising his head, he took a shaky breath and looked around, realizing for the first time that he could hardly see a thing through the darkness, his eyes having been squeezed shut against the pain before. He was torn between looking for a way out and letting himself be absorbed by that darkness for a while…just long enough to rest. He took a moment to wipe a bit of cold sweat and blood from his forehead, shaking with the effort it took just to do that much. He felt sick…he needed to just curl up somewhere…away from the blood and grime and ache…preferably next to his brother and just—

The familiar warmth of his twin was absent from his side.

“Yong…Soo…?” he gasped out, his voice hoarse. After a moment of silence, there was no answer.

His jaw clenched. So far Kiku had taken their lands, their rights, their Empress, their identities…

And now his brother.

Tears of desperation stung at his eyes. No…no, no… His mind repeated the words over and over until they became a frantic jumble. I won’t let you. I’m done. I won’t let you take any more from me. Sang Kyu thought, repeating the last sentence in his mind until it bordered on a deranged chant. I won’t let you take any more from me. I won’t let you take any more from me.

He gritted his teeth against the deep throb in his shoulder as he brought up an arm to wipe the tears from his eyes with a dirty sleeve. Kiku wouldn’t take any more from him. The Korean struggled against the pain and fatigue in his muscles to push himself off the floor into a kneeling position. Kiku wouldn’t take any more from him. Groping blindly through the darkness, his hand bumped something and set it clattering to the floor with a loud noise that hurt his ears and made his headache worse. Kiku wouldn’t take any more from him. A broom…he was in a broom closet. Taking the broom handle in his hand, he crawl painfully forward, feeling around blindly with his other hand until he found the nearest wall. From there, he felt along the wall for the indent he knew would be the door, and when he found it, he ran his hand up it until he found the doorknob. Hoping to some power above that it was unlocked, he leaned his weight against the door wearily, grunting softly in pain as he gave the knob a sharp turn…

Kiku wouldn’t take any more from him.

The door gave, and Sang Kyu gasped painfully as he hit the floor and the air forced its way out of his lungs. The hand holding the broom handle clenched as if his life depended on the stupid piece of wood that it held, and he brought it closer, considering all the ways he was going to use it to torture their captors if they’d harmed his brother. The hall was empty...for now. Panting, he pulled himself to his knees and gulped in air until he could muster up one painful, enraged cry.

“Yong Soo!”

[South Korea]

Yong struggled to crawl across the floor on hands and knees without toppling over and passing out from the pain that still raked his body like vicious claws of wildcats. With a shakey hand, Yong reached out to find a door, or if anything find something to help prop his body against. He cringed momentarily as his fingers brushed a wall and he felt the stickyness and dry crust of what must have at least been blood. What else he couldn't tell, but he probably was better off not knowing the rest anyway.

He pressed his palm against the cold wall, pulling his body up close so he could run his hand along it, searching for the door. He grunted in pain but did his best to steel his mind from the onslaught, refusing to relive the memories of why he was bombarded with such pain. It was over, he was alive, he was alone...

His body shivered with a dry, quiet sob as his frame pressed against the wall. He stopped a moment, gasping, trying to soothe his nerves enough despite the trauma to at least breathe properly.

"Oh Sang..." he felt the hot tears streak down his dry caked cheeks. Such horror he had seen, felt. He just wanted to cling to his brother and never let go, he just wanted someone familiar, someone safe and loving and warm. Someone who wouldn't hurt him, abuse him, tear his clothes, ravage his body, or beat him into submission.

He forced himself to move again, feeling along the cold wall till his aching fingers came upon a door, once he reached it he grasped the beams and pulled himself up to stand. He grit his teeth against the pain, pressing his brow against the wood, as he willed himself to stay upright. As he pulled away to open the door, he heard a voice outside and off a ways in the house.


“Yong Soo!”

Brother! He slid his hands along the frame finding the handle and pulling the door open, he stumbled back as light stung his eyes, he held an arm up to shield them as they adjusted to the light they hadn't gazed upon in sometime.

"SANG KYU!" he called his brother's name as he stumbled out into the hallway, falling against the opposite wall with a grunt, tears still streaming down his face, not only in shame but in happiness to hear his brother's voice. "Sang Kyu! Where are you? Brother please!!!!" he stumbled down the hall, palms holding himself up as he used the wall to guide him down towards the familiar voice.

[North Korea]

Sang Kyu had sunk down to the floor panting, breathless from calling out his brother’s name with everything he had. He clutched the broom handle like a lifeline and buried his face in the tattered fabric of his dirty sleeve, choking back a quiet sob as he waited for what seemed like an eternity (but was, in reality, just a few seconds) for an answer.

"SANG KYU!"

Brother! He heard his brother’s voice, and instantly lifted his head. A weary smile spread across his face. His brother was alive! And well enough to answer his call!

"Sang Kyu! Where are you? Brother please!!!!"

Slowly, he pulled himself to his knees, biting the inside of his cheek in an attempt to distract himself from the pain elsewhere. His brother was nearby! He had to reach him…hold him in his arms and take in the warmth and love of someone familiar. Tell him he loved him and he was sorry he couldn’t do more to protect him. Be with someone safe.

“Yong Soo…!” he cried, bracing the brush end of the broom on the floor and using the handle to pull himself to his feet with a little whimper of pain. “Yong Soo! I’m here!” His voice grew more excited and he began to make his way down the hall, leaning on the broom for support.

His shoulders ached as he progressed, the effort of holding himself up using the broom as something like a walking stick agitating the damage that had been done there. He paused several times, panting, and leaning against the wall as he tried to catch his breath, his chest heaving with the effort of pushing himself further when his body wanted to quit.

“Yong Soo!” he gasped out again, pausing momentarily and then continuing slowly, coming to a turn in the hallway and beginning to limp down it. He was sure he’d heard Yong Soo’s voice in that direction. ”Yong Soo! Are you over there?”

Please, Brother, please…answer… Sang Kyu thought. What if he’d just been hearing things, and he’d thought he’d heard his twin when in reality there had been no answer? What if he was just hearing what he wanted to hear, or even worse, hearing the people who had assaulted them and was currently heading right back towards them? His grip on the wooden broom handle tightened, his knuckles turning white. If that was in fact the case, he was going to try and beat his brother’s location out of them.

He came to the end of the hallway that went out into the living room and paused, poking his head out into the room cautiously to make sure there was no one there. His dark eyes scanned the room. It seemed to be okay…no Japanese guards appeared to be around. Sang Kyu limped forward and stumbled into the room rather ungracefully, falling to his knees on the rug, still clenching the wood of the broom handle in his hands. Answer, Brother, answer…

[South Korea]

“Yong Soo…! Yong Soo! I’m here!”

Yong grit his teeth and he continued to guide his way along the hallway towards his brother's voice. All his remaining strength he used to urge his legs to move, using the wall to keep himself upright. Pain was only an afterthought, all that mattered to him now was finding his brother.

“Yong Soo! Yong Soo! Are you over there?”

"Sang Kyu!" his voice was still hoarse, his throat sore but he didn't care. He had to reach Sang, he had to let him know he was alive. "Brother I'm here!"

He turned the corner and peered along another short hallway that led to an entryway. Yong Soo recognized it as the living room. He pressed on forward, stumbling but taking a moment to right himself before continuing on towards the larger room.

When he reached the entryway he grasped the beams for support as his dark eyes scanned the room, his body ached for a bed, threatening to colapse on him at any moment, but the desperation to be reunited with his Kin was enough to keep him going.

"Sang Kyu!" he cried as he spotted his twin on the rug towards the middle of the room. He went to move towards his twin but fell to his knees once the support of the wall was gone, he swiftly crawled towards his brother, tears once again threatening to fall as he stumbled amonsgt torn and bloodied clothing against his battered body.

"Brother..." and he was filling his brother's arms, the tears finally falling, a mixture of relief, fear and pain amongst other emotions overcame his shivering frame "uliga sal-a dongsaeng-iya! ulineun sal-aiss-eo!" (Korean:We're alive brother! We're alive! ) He sobbed against his brothers chest, fingers digging into the folds of his clothes. "naega dangsin-eul ilh-eobeolin jul al-assneunde" (I thought I had lost you)

[North Korea]

”Brother!” He felt hot tears of relief and sheer joy spilling over his cheeks when he saw Yong Soo enter the room. The broom was instantly forgotten as he cast it aside, holding out his arms instead to his brother, much like a small child might when wanting to be held, as he crawled towards him. Sang Kyu himself scooted forward a few times. Yong Soo just couldn’t get there fast enough, and Kyu was all too anxious to feel the love of his twin. As soon as his brother was close enough, he reached out and pulled him into his arms, instantly hugging him as close as he could.

"Uliga sal-a dongsaeng-iya! Ulineun sal-aiss-eo!" (Korean:We're alive brother! We're alive! )

He pulled his brother even closer upon feeling him shiver against him, his own body shuddering slightly just from the feel of another warm body next to his.

"Naega dangsin-eul ilh-eobeolin jul al-assneunde." (I thought I had lost you.)

“Nado al-a! Nado al-a! Naega neomu dangsin-eul ilh-eossdago saeng-gaghaessneunde!” (I know! I know! I’d thought I’d lost you too!) He cried, burying his face in Yong Soo’s blood-matted hair and sobbing into it, ignoring the smell of blood and sweat and who knows what else as he breathed in his brother’s scent – that wonderful, unexplainable, kimchi-filled scent that was simply Yong Soo. And he lingered there, just letting the emotion spill out as he cried, shaking, clinging to his twin as if he’d never let him go, until the feelings of fear and pain began to fade, replaced instead by the love and benevolence that was his brother. He felt boundless safety simply being back in his brother’s arms, the horrible images of their recent torment slipping away with every moment he was there with him. At that moment, he couldn’t have needed anything else in the world.

”Jeongmal mian haeyo… Jeongmal mian haeyo…” (I’m so sorry…I’m so sorry…) Sang Kyu mumbled into his twin’s hair, choking and sputtering on the words between sobs. “Ileon il-i il-eonaji mal-ass-eoya... Hajiman, museun il-i iss-eossneunji moleugess ileon il-i il-eonaji mal-ass-eoya…” (It shouldn’t have happened…I don’t know what happened, but it shouldn’t have happened.)

So overcome by the euphoria of seeing Yong Soo alive and being able to have him in his arms again, he’d almost forgotten the nature of their predicament. Tearing himself away from the elation he was feeling, he pulled back a little from Yong Soo, holding his brother firmly but pushing him away just enough that he could see his face.

”Where are you hurt, Soo?” he asked shakily, wiping a bit of dirt from his brother’s cheek. It wasn’t a very good question really. If Yong Soo had received the same kind of treatment he’d gotten, everything hurt. But if anything, he just wanted to know, if only so that he knew what to avoid brushing against, and what needed the most immediate treatment if they somehow managed to get their hands on medical supplies.

[South Korea]

“Nado al-a! Nado al-a! Naega neomu dangsin-eul ilh-eossdago saeng-gaghaessneunde!”

Yong Soo clung to his brother as if he were the only thing still keeping him alive. A soft gasp escaped his lips as his brother sobbed into his hair, his own body shuddered with his sobbing. He gripped his brothers clothes tighter, his knuckles white.

”Jeongmal mian haeyo… Jeongmal mian haeyo…”

"ijen kkeutnass-eo ..." (Korean: It's over now) He sniffled as he pulled back slightly to look into his brothers face. He reached up a shaky hand to trace his fingers over his brothers cheek. "naega dangsin-eul chaj-ass ..." (I've found you)

“Ileon il-i il-eonaji mal-ass-eoya... Hajiman, museun il-i iss-eossneunji moleugess ileon il-i il-eonaji mal-ass-eoya…”

"Shhh" he leaned in and nuzzles his brother's cheek as if he believed this small act of affection would help soothe him "ulineun ije anjeonhae." (We're safe for now)

He stiffened a bit in pain as his brother pushed him back a bit further. Yong watched him asses his condition quietly a moment, his lips pressed in a thin line. He knew he looked awful, he had been through Hell and back and felt even worse, but he felt a pang in his chest.joy that there was still someone in this world he could trust. He reached over and gripped his brothers arms, rubbing them gently as he held his gaze, the same as his.

”Where are you hurt, Soo?”

Sang wiped some of the dirt and grime from his tear stained face. Yong turned his head slightly, a soft hiss escaped his lips as his gaze turned downcast. Should he tell his twin what had really happened? How weak and pathetic he had been, how worthless and helpless? No, they had been though enough already.

"Everywhere..." he murmured looking back up at him with a somewhat solemn expression, "I don't think there's an inch of me that doesn't..." He shakes his head then, his face showing a sudden wave of determination. "We have to get out of here Sang! Before they come back! Before they...." He choked on his words then as another sob rose from his chest. He covered his mouth with his hand and as if to keep the offending sound from escaping. His gaze turned dark all of a sudden as they were once again glazed over with tears that threatened to fall.

"Why Sang? Why did Kiku do this? He's our brother! How could he hurt us...."he paused then, his grip on his brother tightening. Anger burned at him like Acid. "I'm going to hurt him Sang and kill all of them." he grit his teeth and turned his head, his heart seeming to thunder in his ears "I'm going to make them suffer like they have our people. I swear it...."

[North Korea]

"Everywhere...I don't think there's an inch of me that doesn't..."

Sang Kyu sighed, still eyeing his brother with a look of concern. ‘Everywhere’ was going to limit their mobility…for both of them. With the two of them in such pain, if the Japanese soldiers came back, they’d hardly stand a chance. Biting his lip, he gently returned the rubbing of his brother’s arms, being cautious about how much pressure his hands were applying. Suddenly Yong Soo shook his head and looked back at him with an expression of determination. Sang Kyu raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"We have to get out of here Sang! Before they come back! Before they...." Yong Soo seemed to choke on his words, bringing a hand to his mouth in an attempt to stifle the noise. Frowning, Sang Kyu pulled him ever so slightly closer, hoping his presence would help to comfort him some. “Shhhh, shhhh…” he murmured softly. “We will…we will…”

"Why Sang? Why did Kiku do this? He's our brother! How could he hurt us...." Yong Soo continued, his expression dark. Kyu felt his brother’s grip on him tighten slightly, and he winced a little, the soreness returning, but the little expression of pain was gone again in an instant. He was going to remain strong for his twin.

"I'm going to hurt him Sang and kill all of them. I'm going to make them suffer like they have our people. I swear it...."

Sang Kyu looked at him with an expression that mirrored his brother’s determination, eyes glinting with an icy hatred. “I agree…” he rasped lowly, his voice hoarse. “He’s not our brother…not anymore.” He glanced down at the floor, glaring daggers at it as if the image of Kiku would suddenly appear there. Vaguely, he imagined how much he would like to plunge one of the weapons into the Japanese man’s back…Backstab him—make him hurt and suffer—the way he’d done to the twins, to their people.

“Brothers don’t hurt brothers...” He muttered, still staring at the floor. “I will treat him now the same way I would treat any other enemy.”

Remembering the broom he’d dragged to the living room with him, he released one of his hands from his brother’s arm and reached for it, whimpering softly from the pain of reaching farther than his body wanted to go. Curling his fingers around its wooden handle, he pulled the stupid piece of wood towards him, gripping it tightly until his bloodstained knuckles were white. Right now, it was the closest thing they had to a weapon, and despite the childishness he felt from clinging to the thing like it was some kind of comfort object, he didn’t want to feel unarmed in a household that had become enemy territory. With the broom in one hand and the other still gripping his brother's arm, he looked at Yong Soo with a grave expression.

“As soon as I’m able…I’m going to drive every last one of those damn bastards from this house…” he said softly, his voice shaking. “You’re right…they should suffer. An eye for an eye. More than an eye for an eye.”


((Brothers don't hurt brothers...Oh, NK...how you are going to eat those words.))

[South Korea]

“I agree…He’s not our brother…not anymore. Brothers don’t hurt brothers...I will treat him now the same way I would treat any other enemy.”

Yong Soo peered up at his brother, examining the features identical to his own, reflecting the pain, anger and hatred they had for their 'brother' "We will Hyeong (brother), he's both our enemy..." he reached up a shakey hand to run fingers along his brother's cheek as if seeking a small comfort from touching his brother. He shifted as his brother reached for the broom, a questioning look in his brown eyes, yet he said nothing. His brother had his reasons and he really wasn't in a state to question.

“As soon as I’m able…I’m going to drive every last one of those damn bastards from this house…You’re right…they should suffer. An eye for an eye. More than an eye for an eye.”

Yong Soo nodded "Help me up Hyeong" the pair used eachother to get to their feet, Yong using Sang for support as he glanced around the room. "Let's head over to the kitchen. We need to patch up these wounds somehow..." Yong frowned however, no matter how much aid they could apply to eachother, they were damaged. Forever changed from their usual style of living. Yong felt a tinge in his gut, not pain but a yearning. A lust for vengeance against the ones that broke him. Not only did they feel the pain from their bodies, but the pain of their people. Their screams and cries for blood....

Yong snapped out of thought as he realized his brother was staring at him with concern. He just shook his head and began to lead the way to the kitchen area. Sang helped use the broom as support as they made their way slowly across the living room. Once they reached the wall of the hallway, Yong broke apart to use the wall for balance, leading the way towards the kitchen.

When they got there Yong began to slide open cupboards and pulling out whatever cloth he could find and began trying his best to tear them into strips. His brother would've likely caught a glimpse of the gashes across the young man's back. Skin covered in ugly purple bruises and dried blood that had trickled down his neck and legs. Yong found a few large bowls in the nearby cupboards and a water jug nearby. With a bit of strain he managed to fill the bowls with water.

Slowly the Korean peeled the soiled rags from his body and dropped them on the floor revealing the full extent of the damage done to him. Cuts and bruises covered his arms and back, scratches etched into the flesh of his chest and stomach where he had been pressed onto the floor. Dried blood that looked like veins flowed from neck to feet save for the areas it was smeared. He dipped some of the cloth into a bowl and began to wash the blood, dirt, and other disgusting things from his body. Bile almost came up in his throat as he cleaned up, disgusted with himself and this pathetic state he had been left to fester in.

"Wash up" he motions to the other bowl for his brother to use. "Then I'll bind your wounds. I think there might be some salves and herbs in the side pantry there." He points off towards a door to their left. "We can figure out what to do afterwards."

His gaze was cold, no matter how much he scrubbed he still felt soiled and the longer he continued to scrub, the darker and more menacing his gaze seemed to turn.

I'm going to fucking kill them all....

[North Korea]

A glower was plastered to Sang Kyu’s face, his eyes narrowed at an enemy that wasn’t even there and his jaw clenched just slightly, though the expression softened a bit when his brother reached out to run his fingers along his cheek. The gesture was just enough to remind him that yes, his brother was there, and there was no point in wasting precious energy on anger at an enemy that wasn’t present. His brother was nodding now. "Help me up Hyeong" Better to put that energy towards something like getting up.

Carefully, the two helped each other to their feet. Sang Kyu made a few small, quiet noises of pain in his throat while getting to his feet, his legs aching and his knees wanting to give out beneath him, but once up he was determined to stand strong. He tried to push the pain out of his mind and focus on something else. Focus on walking. Focus on Yong Soo. Hell, focus on the temperature of the room if it keeps the thought of pain away.

"Let's head over to the kitchen. We need to patch up these wounds somehow..."

Sang Kyu nodded, about to start towards the kitchen but hesitating when he noticed his brother begin to zone out. He looked at him questioningly, only to see him shake his head a moment later and begin to head towards the kitchen.

Leaning heavily on the broom handle, he offered himself to his brother for support, limping slowly but steadily across the living room. He wasn’t going to let a few injuries stop him, no. Focus on something else… He picked a spot on the wall and stared at it, glaring at it as if he was trying to bore a hole through it with his eyes. That became his target, and he hobbled towards it, holding the broom with one hand and his brother with the other. When they reached it, his brother broke away and began using the wall for support, and the two of them staggered the rest of the way to the kitchen.

When they got there, Kyu watched as his brother began searching the cupboards for cloth and anything else they could use to clean and dress their wounds. He leaned on the counter, propping the broom up against a wall so he wouldn’t have to trouble himself with holding onto it throughout the process. As he looked up, he noticed the discolored skin across his brother’s back that signaled bruising, as well as many other deep cuts and the rusty brown color of dried blood. He narrowed his eyes. Those damn Japs… The sight only spurred his enmity for their former brother further.

Yong Soo was busy pouring water from a jug into a few bowls when he snapped himself from his thoughts again. Sang Kyu shoved himself away from the counter and reached for one of the rags, soaking it thoroughly in one of the bowls and proceeding to wipe the dirt and grime from his face. With his face a bit clearer, he watched solemnly as Yong Soo began to strip his soiled clothes from his body, revealing the full extent of his injuries. It almost hurt more to see his brother this way than the physical injuries themselves.

"Wash up" He said, motioning to the bowl. "Then I'll bind your wounds. I think there might be some salves and herbs in the side pantry there." Sang Kyu looked where his brother was pointing. "We can figure out what to do afterwards."

Nodding quietly, he did the same, peeling the bloodied, sweat soaked clothes from his body and casting them onto the floor with a look of disgust. He had not fared much better than his twin. As he resoaked the rag in the bowl, he glanced at his bruised arms and wrists, dark marks flourishing where he’d been held down and had fought back, a few cuts where someone’s fingernails had dug into him. His shoulders were lacerated where he’d been shoved roughly into the floor. His back was littered with bruises and cuts, and his chest and stomach were bruised from being punched for his resistance. He scrubbed at the grime, wanting to wash as much of the blood away as he could. Dabbing at some of the deeper wounds gently, he scowled, some of his memory of the assault beginning to return as he remembered how some of the worse wounds had been inflicted.

When he felt he had removed as much of the filth as he could, he let the soaked, red-brown stained rag slop to the floor in an ungraceful heap before limping to the pantry his brother had pointed out earlier. Looking around, he managed to find a few small jars of different kinds of salve, each about half full or less, as well as a few different kinds of herbs that had been bundled together according to the different herbal remedies that could be made from them. Grabbing the jars as well as the bundles that would best be used for making disinfectants and painkillers, he made his way back to the counter and set the supplies there.

He looked over at his brother, noticing the dark look there. He hesitated, trying to choose his words carefully. “Brother…I know it hurts…mentally and physically and emotionally…and I want to smash their skulls in as much as you do…” he paused, his own words causing him to glower a bit at the thought of their captors. “…But I promise, our time will come. They will fall harder than we ever have, their sins paid for in their own blood and the blood of every man, woman, and child who ever supported them. Our wounds re-inflicted upon them tenfold. A river of their own blood replacing the one that currently runs with that of our own people. But right now, we can do nothing but ensure that we are well enough to fight when that time comes.” He frowned, his own gaze darkening some. "Show no weakness. We are far stronger than they are. They are cowardly, keeping us prisoner here and attacking in groups." He reached down shakily to retrieve one of the cleaner dropped shreds of fabric. “Turn around…” He said softly, holding up the rag. “Surely you couldn’t reach everything…”

[South Korea]

Yong frowned turning the dark gaze towards his brothers, the brown eyes somewhat menacing. "So what are you suggesting Sang? Waiting till they come back to finish what they started? Do you honestly think they're through with us? They want to break us Sang. They want us to suffer. Why give us time to recover when they can keep us so pathetically vulnerable as this!" He felt his anger once again bubbling to the surface, a hot wave that traveled through his body like a wild fire. He had never hated so venomously and yet he could almost feel the change. He wanted blood, he wanted to hurt them. He wanted them to scream, cry and fear; to experience everything he and his twin suffured tenfold.

He drops the soiled rag he had been scrubbing with to the floor and tried to push himself from the counter, but he stumbled, pain jolting up his legs and he winced as he fell back against the cupboard, gripping the door for support. Though he hated to admit it his brother was right, they couldn't fight in this condition. So what could they do? Surely this was far from over. They would be back. They would torment their bodies to the point where the thought of death would be so much sweeter. A release from the promise of torment and shame.

“Turn around…” Sang was speaking to him now. His brother understood. He was angry, he had to let the anger out, once he could vent, his mind would be able to comprehend a better course of action. “Surely you couldn’t reach everything…”

Yong peered at the floor a moment before stepping forward to grab onto the counter and show his back to his brother. He winced as his brother began to wash the cuts on his back, trying his best to withstand the pain that seemed to snake around his ribcage and down his spine. He could almost feel the cut and torn flesh and it sickened him even more. They were countries, they could heal physically but it still hurt like hell.

Mentally was another matter. Yong had always been a light hearted, energetic youth. Full of life and promise, but now he felt cold. Dark thoughts filled his mind, ones he could never even fathom thinking before. Ones that actually freightened him as they crossed his mind. He tried his best to push them to the back of his thoughts.

"Do you think he'll help them Sang?" he murmured before gasping as his brother rubbed a particular tender spot. His breath came out with a soft hiss but he tried his best to hold still. "The ones who fled. We turned away from him Sang. Will he be angry with us?" He of course spoke of China. Many of their people had fled the border and were supposedly gathering a resistance, but Kiku had made them abandon Yao. Shut him out. Would he still have the compassion to look over their people? He really wanted to believe so. Believe that he still cared for them and would help them face this ordeal.

[North Korea]

Sang Kyu gently dabbed at his brother’s wounds with the cloth, being as gentle as he possibly could. Some of them were deeper than others, and he narrowed his eyes, feeling his anger towards the Japanese grow as he began to imagine how some of the worse wounds may have been inflicted. How dare they do these things to Yong Soo! He caught himself becoming a little rougher with the rag as his thoughts darkened and quickly pulled his hand away, fearing he might be doing more harm than good.

He listened as his brother spoke. “I’m suggesting we stay strong and fix ourselves up so we’re not in such bad shape when they come back,” Sang Kyu replied, daring to begin dabbing at his brother’s back again. “They want to break us? So, we don’t let them,” he continued with a nod. He stopped for a moment when he seemed to touch one of the cuts a bit too hard, causing Yong Soo to wince and fidget some. Sang Kyu muttered a quiet apology.

“Appearing weak will only encourage them…” he growled softly as he wiped away the dirt and grime around one of the worse cuts. “They want to see us give up. Don’t give them that satisfaction.”

Some sort of childish defiance had been sparked in him recently. In the same way a child might do something simply because they’d been told not to, he now wanted to prove he was not weak, even as the Japanese soldiers tried to make him appear so. He wanted to piss them off. He wanted to frustrate them. He wanted to make his pain, which was currently their enjoyment, as boring as it could possibly be. He wanted to make their intrusion upon his country as un-enjoyable as possible. Hell, he wanted to drown each and every one of them in their own blood, but since he was in no shape to do so, being as inconveniently defiant for them as he could would have to do.

"Do you think he'll help them Sang?" Yong Soo was speaking again. Having been distracted by his own thoughts, Sang Kyu had unconsciously begun rubbing a bit too roughly, and pulled back when he heard his brother gasp at the pain. He muttered another sorry and listened, initially having been confused just who Yong Soo was referring to. "The ones who fled. We turned away from him Sang. Will he be angry with us?"

It was clear then that he was speaking of China. Who else would he be speaking of? Who else had they had a relationship so close with that it was only natural to wonder if he’d be angry with them? If he still cared for them?

Sang Kyu sighed tiredly, wiping away the last of the dried blood from his brother’s back and setting the dirtied rag off to the side as he reached for one of the jars of salve. “I cannot say for sure, Brother…” he answered quietly. He didn’t want to believe that Yao would ever abandon them. He’d always been their brother, their care taker; the one they had looked up to so much when they had been little. But it was, after all, he and Yong Soo who had turned away from Yao, and after what Kiku had done, he wasn’t sure who he could trust.

“I want to believe he will…I hope he will,” he said, opening the jar of salve. “I don’t think he would hold something Japan has done against us…but he has his own things to worry about as well.” He knew those words were far from comforting, but he was being honest. Would Yao want to worry himself over refugees when he had been pushed away by the Koreas?

Sighing heavily, Kyu dipped his fingers into the jar and pulled out a small dab of the salve. “This is going to sting…” he warned, before gently beginning to apply the ointment to his brother’s wounds.

[South Korea]

“This is going to sting…”


Yong Soo stiffened as the ointment touched his wounds, a soft hiss escaping his lips, but he grit his teeth and bared the pain. He tried his best to hold still as his brother tended him. He considered his twin's words and indeed it did make sense to him, but he was still angry; still vengeful.

However his body had been through Hell and back and there was no way he could exact his revenge in the state he was now. He gripped the countertop, trying his best not to cry out. He would be strong. He would endure.

I swear...I'll never be that weak again....ever....


When his brother finished he relaxed his grip on the countertop. He shuddered a bit as he felt his twins hands again, binding him up with the cloth he had torn. He sighs a bit, lifting his arms so that he can wrap the cloth around his body and tie it snugly. Despite it all the feel of fresh clean cloth was actually pleasent compared to the filthy rags he had sported earlier. He turns towards his brother, dipping a rag in the water.

"Your turn....I'll be as gentle as I can" as his brother turned around, Yong couldn't help but stare at the wounds on his brother's back. Anger and sorrow both touched him once more, he had pleaded with them not to harm his twin. He had sworn not to resist if they spared his brother but they had hurt him anyway and in the wake of seeing this...a little part of him seemed to die.

He reached out slowly and began to wash his twin's back, being as gentle as possible. Watching as the blood and dirt flowed away like dark red tears across battered flesh. He winced along with his brother when he reached sore tender spots but continued to clean, gently dabbing at his back with a dry cloth afterwards. He set the dirty rags aside and retrieved the Salve. "I'm going to apply the salve now. You ready?" Sang seemed to nod and slowly Yong began to rub the ointment onto his brothers wounds. He was much gentler than Sang was, he was certain to tend his brother with care, his touch gentle and reassuring all in one. He took his time, giving Sang time to adjust on the particuarily painful areas and when it was over he urged his brother to raise his arms so he could bind him up.

After he bound his brothers back he went to applying ointment to the wounds he could reach. His breath hitching at times when it stinged and bandaged his arms and legs. He handed the salve to Sang to finish himself up.

"We should rest, regain our strength" he spoke softly, yet agreeeing with his brother's earlier proposal. "Then we'll decide what to do. We can bar the door so at least we'll know when they come calling..." He averted his gaze, but waited for his brother to finish.

[North Korea]

Shying up a little as his brother winced, Sang Kyu pulled back a little to give Yong Soo a moment to adjust to the added, stinging pain on his wounds. The last thing he wanted to do was be too rough and actually end up making the wounds worse, so he lightened his touch a little as well, dabbing the ointment on the ragged wounds as softly as he could while still applying it effectively where it needed to go. When he’d finished slicking a thin lather onto all the wounds on his brother’s back, he reached for the strips of cloth on the counter.

Carefully, he wrapped the strips of cloth around his brother’s body, being sure to cover all the wounds. His main concern was getting the bandages tight enough that they wouldn’t slip off, but not so tight that they hurt any more than they had to. Hopefully, he’d bound the wounds so that they would apply pressure, but not enough to reinjure anything.

When he was done, he stepped back and allowed his brother to move around a bit to see if the bandages were on well. They appeared to be, and so he watched in silence as Yong Soo began to soak one of the rags in water.

"Your turn....I'll be as gentle as I can," he was saying. With a small frown, Sang Kyu turned around to face the counter and braced his arms against it. He stared at the surface of the countertop, idly looking for shapes in the texture of it as he listened to his brother preparing the rag behind him. Just as he’d found a shape that vaguely reminded him of a flower, he felt the sudden sensation of the cool cloth upon his back and flinched.

Wounds that the pain had dimmed from began to throb again as the cloth came into contact with them. Gradually, he did begin to feel a bit better, his skin freed from the grime and dried blood. He continued to stare at the countertop as his brother worked at the dried gunk gently, sparing the occasional glance at the floor as the rusty red of the blood and dirt puddled with water at his feet.

For a moment, he was left leaning against the counter as Yong Soo prepared the salve. "I'm going to apply the salve now. You ready?"

Nodding, he resumed staring at the counter, trying to find the flower shape he’d found early as a distraction from the pain. Though Yong Soo was being very gentle and delicate, it didn’t stop the fact that the salve still stung on the ragged flesh of his wounds. He could feel them throb every time the salve was applied to them, his breath hitching a few times as the stinging became so uncomfortable that he had to fight the urge to pull away. By the time he raised his arms and allowed his brother to bind his wounds though, the stinging had faded and given way to a cool, soothing sensation.

When Yong Soo stepped away to finish applying salve to himself, Sang Kyu moved around a little experimentally, bending over slightly and straightening back up a few times to make sure the bandages seemed to be on well. They fit snuggly, and once he was sure of this, he waited to be handed the salve again.

"We should rest, regain our strength. Then we'll decide what to do. We can bar the door so at least we'll know when they come calling...”

“Yes….yes, that is a good idea…” Kyu replied as he began to patch up some of his other wounds, applying salve and wrapping them the best he could. “We will need to find something we are able to move to barricade the door with…” he muttered, thinking aloud. “Something we can move without reinjuring ourselves, but that they would not be able to move from the other side easily. Maybe we could stack a bunch of small things…”

He finished wrapping the last of his wounds, tearing off the excess fabric from the strip he’d been using and cast it off to the side. His dark eyes flicked about, looking for something they might be able to use. Eventually they landed on a few large jars against the wall. One or two were filled with rice...the others with the fermenting ingredients of kimchi. He figured, if they could shove a few of them up against the door, they might have a few extra moments if the Japanese decided to return for them.


((afsdfsd Once again, sorry for the long wait. D:))

[South Korea]

“Yes….yes, that is a good idea…We will need to find something we are able to move to barricade the door with…Something we can move without re injuring ourselves, but that they would not be able to move from the other side easily. Maybe we could stack a bunch of small things…”


"Good and done. We'll need to pick a room and focus on it. " he glances down at himself "and maybe find some clothes...." he turns and makes his way to the door, hand out and pressed to the wall for support. "Give me a moment..."

The Korean turned into the hallway, letting the wall guide him down the hall to some of the back bedrooms. His body still protested at him for making it work in it's injured state, yet he felt a bit better than before when he first woke to the remnants of this nightmare. He stepped into one of the rooms and crossed over to one of the closets. He slid the door open and began to sift through the clothes. He managed to find a pair of hanboks but only bothered to grab the pants as he figured they would have to change their bandages later. He grabbed a few of the pillows from the bed nearby and tucked them under his arm as well. He made his way back to the kitchen and tossed his brother a pair, leaning against the wall and pulling his on up and over his hips, tying the tie snugly around his waist.

He noticed his brother had been looking over the jars against the wall. He made his way over and looked them over himself "I'm not sure how far we'll get with these so I guess the kitchen will have to do for now..." he sets the pillows down for the time being and positions himself behind one of the jars "Help me move this"

Despite the abuse their bodies had endured, the heart and spirit of their people, showed by the determined look on their ahoge's faces, gave them the small feat of strength to move the jars into position. The did their best to bar the entryways. Though they wouldn't be able to keep their enemies out, they could at least buy enough time to prepare and defend themselves should they choose to return.

Yong heard his stomach growl and sighed. They would need to eat as well to help regain their strength. He found a pot in one of the nearby cupboards and poured some water into it. With a few attempts he managed to get the stove started and set the water to boil. He managed to retrieve some of the rice and set aside for when the water was ready.

"I found some pillows to sleep on" he gestures to the pillows he left on the ground "It's not much but we'll manage...." he continued to boil the rice, his gaze still somewhat dark with a hint of maliciousness behind them. "Let's eat first, it will help us heal faster..." he dug some bowls and chopsticks out of the nearby cupboard and set them aside before dishing out the rice into them. He pours a cup of water and hands it and a bowl to his brother.