Secret Meeting [North and South Korea][Finished]

[North Korea]

He still wasn't quite sure why he was doing this.

When had negotiating ever helped them in the past? They had literally tried this over and over again, each time resulting in virtually no progress. What progress could possibly be made between two terribly stubborn brothers on the verge of war? What were the chances that one of them was going to "give" and agree with something...anything...that the other had to suggest? What meeting would they ever have that didn't end in harsh tirades or even a gun to one or the other's head? It seemed like a hopeless cause, but Sang Kyu had said he could be reasonable. Just what was his definition of reasonable? Not causing this meeting to end in a blood bath...but that was about as far as his definition extended.

So here he was, following the fence along the DMZ in the dark. It was far from any towns or villages, leaving only the faint afterglow of the now-past sunset and the light of the stars and moon to guide his way. The area was remote; the only sign of civilization was the fence itself and a North Korean watch tower about three-fourths of a mile down the length of the fence, and even then, the guard there had been sent to run a little errand conveniently around the time North had planned to arrive at this meeting spot. No one but him and his twin were supposed to know about this, after all.

Creeping quietly through the underbrush, North carefully picked his way across a particularly overgrown stretch of land. A few times his pant leg got caught in the brambles and he had to reach down to pull it loose, as quietly as possible. That really did nothing to help his mood.

Why did I agree to this? He hissed mentally, shaking his leg loose of another bramble. My stupid traitor of a brother...of all people...

He didn't want to have this meeting. He just didn't. He was sick of accusations, of sanctions, of...everything. More than anything Sang Kyu just wanted to go home and hide away somewhere again so that he didn't have to see his brother's face, but no. That'd be like backing down from a direct challenge. If anything, he should be wanting this meeting. Wanting it so that he could show that none of those accusations or sanctions bothered him; that they really did nothing but provoke him, and if all those pompous fools over at the United Nations wanted to continue throwing this stuff at him, they were asking for more trouble than what they even suspected North Korea could deal out.

Finally, he arrived in the designated spot: just to the west of a specific marker sign along the border. The one he'd just passed read simply, "Military Demarcation Line," in Korean and Chinese, though the nearly identical sign on South's side would have English instead of Chinese. He made his way about a hundred meters farther down the line before stopping.

Now in position, he was a bit unsure of what to do. Should he hide? He felt awkward just standing there in the dark, and there was always the chance that this could turn into an ambush. He'd come in military wear, armed to the teeth - as usual - just in case, but he still didn't feel safe just standing there in the open. Then again, hiding made him feel cowardly, and he didn't want to accidentally spook South and get shot. Although... he thought in the back of his mind...The brat deserves a good scare.

Settling on staying where he was, he folded his arms across his chest peevishly as he waited, scanning what he could see of the area through the dark, listening intently for anything out of place among the softly whispering night wind and chirping crickets.

[South Korea]

A few weeks had passed since he had infiltrated the DMZ yet still unknown to Lee, Yong had been sending encoded messages to the North. Sang surely would've been able to notice his handywork. It was a long shot but it was worth a try. Though he had been reluctant, Yong had read through the investigation reports Lee had given him. Sure enough the remnants of a torpedo had been found, the markings etched within 'very' familiar.

He had to see his brother, he didn't want to believe he was involved, if anything if it was just the will of his boss alone, if he could just admit that much. He didn't want to fight with his brother if it wasn't his will at all. He felt they needed to talk, they needed to clarify. If anything they just needed to see each other again. At least this was what he felt.

You could only imagine his surprise when he had recieved the coded message. His twin had replied to him. He had agreed to meet with him and sent him some coordinates.

Yong couldn't help but feel a bit anxious. His twin had been silent for so long and now he had recieved a reply from him. Yet there was still a thought in the back of his mind, a horrible thought, but again Yong was not a complete fool.

It could be an ambush.

There was always the possibility and it was this thought that caused him to dress in dark fatigues and don some weaponry. His trusty Daewoo k2 rifle, strapped to his back, it's weight and familiarity a welcome feeling. A simple combat knife strapped to his thigh for quick access. Yong was very skilled in martial combat, his body itself a weapon, but it was still a bit comforting to have the blade at the ready, prepared for anything.

He slipped out into the night and made his way to the DMZ. Spending many a night watching the area, he knew it like the back of his hand and found it easy to treck among the walls and brush. Dodging and weaving through shadows. He made it past the Southern watch points with ease, knowing every nook and cranny. It was when he ducked near the Northern side it got a bit more tricky. Trying to cross the paralell this day and age was a deffinate deathwish for anything, not just opposing forces. The bullets here had no discrimination.

As he drew closer to the designated meeting spot, Yong's unease seemed to grow. He had thought it over and over in his head what he wanted to say to his twin, but as the time drew near he was finding himself more at a loss. Would he be to angry to have a civil discussion with him? He had wasted no time in abrogating the non-agression pact. Was he hoping to catch Yong off his guard? Or was he truely sincere about wanting to talk?

Well there was only one way to find out and as he neared the meeting spot, Yong made out the faint outline of a person in the darkness. He ducked down low along the wall and made his way towards the figure cautiously, hand resting on the hilt of his knife as he drew in closer.

His eyes adjusted to the haze from the moon and managed to make out the unmistakeable figure of his twin. He slowly drew up to his full height but continued forward at a slow pace. When he finally came within ear shot he spoke to him in a low tone so as not to alert any other stragglers to his presence.

"hyeongje" (brother) he stepped into view so as not to startle his twin "nan dangsin-i waseo gyeoljeong-eul naelyeossseubnida gippeoyo." (I'm glad you've decided to come)

[North Korea]

About fifteen minutes after his arrival, he began to hear soft sounds in the underbrush that didn’t quite fit with the steady sway of the plants in the breeze. His thoughts instantly leapt to that of an ambush…Those sounds could be just one of many people getting into position after all, but no…no… Surely it was just an animal, yes? Plenty of night creatures would be wandering around at this hour. But what if it wasn’t and he foolishly forced himself into believing it was? What if—

Stop it…stop…you’re being stupid. It’s probably just Yong Soo. He should be here soon anyway… He tried to reassure himself. Unconsciously, his right hand drifted down to the gun in the holster at his waist. He was so used to the gun being there, reaching for it whenever the slightest of unusual sounds passed his ears was almost instinctual. Even if he was just walking down the street dressed casually, he always had a small handgun with him, tucked out of sight underneath his jacket. Just in case…

The wind picked up a bit just then, dashing any hopes of him locating whatever was making noise, the faint sounds now disguised by the wind. Straightening up, he quickly ran a hand through his dark hair. This had been a stupid idea. Either of the two brothers could’ve easily set up a trap for the other. They’d both agreed to come alone after all, but what could the other do supposing his twin showed up with some friends whilst he showed up alone?

Sure, it would’ve been smarter, or at the very least, safer, to bring someone else along and have them hide out in the brush in case something went wrong. Why hadn’t North just done that? What was he supposed to do if his twin found this a nice opportunity to set up an ambush?

But he realized it was because he was just too stubborn. Sang Kyu simply didn’t want anyone else’s help. He never had, and probably never would. If he couldn’t handle his twin on his own, how could he be expected to handle the rest of the world? That would be like admitting he wasn’t strong enough to do it on his own, and he certainly had a thing about admitting weakness. And truly, he didn’t want to be here either. Guessing he was about to get more questions fired at him about the Cheonan, why would he? He was sick of that talk, but backing out would’ve been like admitting defeat as well.

Refolding his arms across his chest, he rocked back and forth on his feet slightly. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness a while ago, so he continued scanning the area, particularly the south, for anything that seemed out of place. A minute or so later, the wind died down and the night was again silent except for the chirping of crickets. Uncrossing his arms, a hand went down to rest on the handle of his gun casually, and he watched a spot in front of him with dark eyes. He thought he’d heard something, but he couldn’t be sure.

His suspicions were confirmed though, when he heard his brother’s voice. "hyeongje, nan dangsin-i waseo gyeoljeong-eul naelyeossseubnida gippeoyo."

Glancing in the direction of the voice, he could see his brother come into view. North twitched ever so slightly before pondering what to say in response. Glad he’d decided to come? His pride wouldn’t have allowed him not to.

“Ah, hyeongje…Ye, na yeogiiss-eo,” (Ah, Brother…Yes, I’m here) he greeted him quietly. “Nollassna?” (Surprised?) One corner of his mouth curled up into a faint smirk before he quickly regained his nonchalant look. “Well, what do you want?”

[South Korea]

Yong paused as he heard his brother reply to him. Though he wasn't going to admit it, he was glad to hear his brother's voice. It had been so long since he had seen his twin and just the sight of him left a slight ache in his chest. His body relaxed, hand sliding from the knife hilt to hang at his side.

“Nollassna?” (Surprised?)

"Yes to be honest..." Yong sighed softly, looking down at the ground a few brief moments trying to collect his thoughts. "After the Abrogation I figured we wouldn't be seeing eachother for quite awhile, I mean..." he paused, his thoughts abandoning him. Here he was, face to face with his brother once again and he was at a loss for words, very unusual for the outspoken Nation.

“Well, what do you want?”

Yong sighed, holding up his hands as if a peace offering. He met his brothers gaze, a small frown on his lips "Glad to see you too Sang Kyu" Yong paused, no this was not the way to go about it and Yong scolded himself for using the sarcasm. It was a delicate situation and had to be handled in turn, even though he wasn't one to go at things lightly, his meeting here tonight was crucial and he knew he would have to play his cards right.

He lowered his hands slowly, he took a moment to study his brother. He was nearly a mirror image of himself, but he was thinner and smaller. Yong's prosperity had granted him a healthy lifestyle, he was taller, more muscular, more filled out and an all around healthier color and in truth it hurt to see his twin this way. It had seemed only yesterday that they were huddled together, trying to find comfort in each others arms as Kiku and the Emporer held them prisoner as their lands were snatched from them. They had been so happy once, all he had needed was his twin, but now it all seemed like a ghost, fading away leaving a meloncholy feel in its wake. Haunted by feelings he just couldn't let go.

"Sang Kyu..." he began taking a small step closer to his brother "I want to know where you stand in all of this. I want to know where your heart truely is. If these are your own actions or the will of your leader. I know you know what I'm speaking of. Please Sang," his hands balled into fists, "Tell me you're not a part of all this."

Yong stopped, holding his brothers gaze with his own, the brown eyes gleaming in the moonlight. He must've sounded pitiful to his brother, but he didn't care. All of his brothers pushed him away, was ashamed of him, turned their backs, walked away, but he would always be there, the fool, grasping at strings that would just break in his hands. He could never give up on his blood, no matter how much it hurt. He could never turn away like them. He wasn't 'strong' enough. He waited for his brothers answer, his heart beat thundering in his ears. His mouth seemed dry all of a sudden. Yet he held his gaze, trying to nerve himself for the reply he might recieve. Whether good or bad he had to know.

[North Korea]

Still considering how he was supposed to feel about this whole situation, he was only mildly surprised when South held up his hands in mock surrender. Mock surrender. Oh yes, this meeting was going splendidly already! It was curious how such a small, seemingly harmless gesture could throw the past back in his face.

"Glad to see you too Sang Kyu."

He twitched slightly at the sarcastic comment. His brother really hadn’t changed all that much; seemingly still trying to downplay the seriousness of a rather dark situation. Nice to see that Yong Soo would like to stand here and play around when he himself had come here expecting to do business. Maybe his brother had expected to have some sort of heart-to-heart conversation with him – they really hadn’t seen each other in a while, and Kyu had to admit that seeing his twin again was something he was unsure how to feel about. Was he supposed to feel happy? He didn’t. While he did miss the days they’d spent as brothers, it seemed like a long lost dream that was never coming back, and he felt it was a waste of his time to put energy toward something that wasn’t going to happen.

He just scoffed at the comment. “*Kuh. Glad. Right.”

North couldn’t be sure if his brother had actually meant it genuinely or sarcastically. Or both. But he wasn’t in the mood to stand here and try to figure it out. If Yong Soo was being serious, good for him. If he was being sarcastic, then that sort of attitude was meant to spite him. Lovely.

“Sang Kyu…”

His brother took a step closer, but Kyu stood his ground, glaring faintly through the darkness. He wasn’t going to move…

But the next words caught him off guard.

"I want to know where you stand in all of this. I want to know where your heart truely is. If these are your own actions or the will of your leader. I know you know what I'm speaking of. Please Sang."


At that point, he couldn’t have been more thankful for the darkness, all too aware of the expression of surprise that had slid across his face at that moment. What was his brother doing throwing such personal questions out so soon? They’d barely been here two minutes, and already Kyu was having the question of where his heart lies thrown at him. He finally realized that stupid expression was still on his face and was quick to hide it, hoping Yong Soo wouldn’t have been able to see it through the dark.

"Tell me you're not a part of all this."

How was he supposed to respond to that? Once he got over the initial anger of being asked such a question in the first place, he was suddenly at a loss of what to say. This wasn’t a question he could lie about. Were these his own actions or his leader’s? That was laughable! If it had all been his superior’s actions, would he be standing here scowling right now? If it was all his leader, then wouldn’t he have expressed at least some happiness at seeing his brother again? Lying was pointless. All the body language was there; what difference did words make? Was South seriously still in denial about all this? If hearing it straight from North was the only way that Yong was going to believe that he was truly mad at him, then Kyu was going to be brutally honest. There were no doubts that way.

He was silent for a moment and stared his brother in the face as he considered how to word this.

“If I told you it was all my leader, I would be lying,” he said simply. Better to just be totally honest. “And I won’t tell you I’m not a part of this either. That would also be a lie, yes? I’m not going to lie to you just to tell you what you want to hear. That’s stupid. It’s stupid that you still try to convince yourself that I'm not a part of this. Realize that if I told you what you wanted to hear, it wouldn’t change anything. Wake up for once.”

The edge his voice took on in the last few words surprised even him. His heart was racing now. It had hurt to say those words, but he wasn’t going to deny the obvious. He missed Yong Soo. He truly did, but he wasn’t going to stand here and act like he’d never done things he’d spent weeks planning, knowing full and well exactly what he was doing. Oftentimes he didn't have a reason for his individual actions; but when it came right down to it, down to why he tried to terrorize his brother, he did. He was upset, and he wanted South to know it.

((*More of a verbal tick than anything. As far as I know, it doesn’t mean anything in Korean. It’s just his expression of mild disgust/annoyance.))

[South Korea]

((RATING THIS pg-16 due to language and such and it's probably going to get worse))

“If I told you it was all my leader, I would be lying, and I won’t tell you I’m not a part of this either. That would also be a lie, yes? I’m not going to lie to you just to tell you what you want to hear. That’s stupid. It’s stupid that you still try to convince yourself that I'm not a part of this.

Yong stared at his brother, his face blank of whatever emotion he was feeling. The color had seemed to drain from his face looking ever more pale in the moonlight. His once vivid gaze seemed empty and cold. Fists clenched at his sides as his body seemed to tense as the words hit him.

"Realize that if I told you what you wanted to hear, it wouldn’t change anything. Wake up for once.”

Something in him snapped. Perhaps the tone of his brothers voice or the lack of remorse in his brother's stone gaze. His eyes narrowed in an angry glare as he closed the distance between them, drawing his arm back swiftly and thrusting his fist into his brother's jaw.

" Nom! (korean: bastard!) That was for the Cheonan!" Yong swung his arm out to the side, his face burning hot with the anger that took over him "Those men didn't deserve to die! Not like that! How could you?! After all that work?! After the Inter-Summit?! Or were all your talks of peace just more bullshit to hide your 'true' agenda?!" he demanded, his brown eyes fierce, "How could you do that Sang?! Just cause you were all butt hurt over the sanctions? What did you expect playing with nuclear weapons so close to their borders? That the others would just let you get away with your boasts of becoming 'a nuclear power'? That I would just sit on my thumbs and do nothing while you made your threats!? Well you've deffinately got our attention now Sang. You're all alone in this big bad world, not even Aniki or Braginski are on your side anymore."

He stood his full height, fists still clenched, drowning in anger at the grievance his brother had made.

"Trying to convince myself you weren't involved was not stupidity Sang. It's love and compassion, things you seem to lack! How is it stupidity to want to believe my brother, my twin for Godsakes, couldn't possibly be for terrorizing my people, no our people! We are still Korean Sang! No matter what path we choose our blood is still the same!"

He glowered at his brother, his gaze cold as ice, his chest heaved, adrenaline pumping through his body. Yong hadn't felt this angry in so long, he had always been good at keeping under control, twisting the world to be how he saw it. But he couldn't mask this cold reality. Couldn't cover this pain with smiles and charm. He stood his ground however, though his heart ached at striking his twin, his mind was adament. This wasn't something he could just push aside and laugh over.

[North Korea]

He saw as something changed in the air around his brother, Sang Kyu’s eye catching the glare that suddenly slid over Yong Soo’s face and the start of a movement as he began to step in to close the distance between them. At the first twitch of movement, North tensed, sensing the hostility in the move and reflexively jerking in the opposite direction, though he was too slow to step away.

His head snapped to the side as his brother’s fist made contact with his jaw, pain instantly exploding on that side of his face. A little grunt of pain escaped his throat at the blow, and he stumbled a few steps to the side as he tried to reorient himself, his head now spinning. Instinctively, he began to bring a hand up to touch the area, but quickly stopped himself. No, he wouldn’t show that kind of weakness. As soon as he became aware of the movement, he clenched his hand in a fist about halfway up to his face – near his shoulder instead – and shifted his icy gaze to his brother as the fist drifted down to his side.

" Nom! (korean: bastard!) That was for the Cheonan! Those men didn't deserve to die! Not like that! How could you?!

He broke eye contact for a moment to wipe some blood away from the side of his mouth with his sleeve. There it was again; that stupid boat. Always about the stupid boat…He glanced at the blood on his sleeve and for a moment an expression of vague irritation showed on his face.

"How could you do that Sang?! Just cause you were all butt hurt over the sanctions? What did you expect playing with nuclear weapons so close to their borders? That the others would just let you get away with your boasts of becoming 'a nuclear power'? That I would just sit on my thumbs and do nothing while you made your threats!? Well you've deffinately got our attention now Sang. You're all alone in this big bad world, not even Aniki or Braginski are on your side anymore."

‘Butt hurt?!’ Initially that made him angrier than anything said thus far. It was some sort of modern slang he wasn’t used to, but he definitely got the idea. In Kyu’s mind, he was rightfully upset over those sanctions! America and Russia got to play around with nuclear weapons back in the day! They got to have nuclear subs and warships! And then he got a bunch of sanctions slapped on him for testing something? He could barely do anything anymore; his economy was in shambles, and he couldn’t do a thing about it. No! Of course he wasn't going to let them know that bothered him! No! Of course he wasn’t going to stop testing! If he stopped, they’d just take the opportunity to invade! He wasn’t going to hand over his defenses just like that! Didn’t he have a right to defend himself? What did they not understand about that? Just because he wanted to defend himself his economy and people had to suffer? And the fools over at the United Nations thought they were doing some sort of good by slapping sanctions on him? It did nothing but piss him off more!

"Trying to convince myself you weren't involved was not stupidity Sang. It's love and compassion, things you seem to lack! How is it stupidity to want to believe my brother, my twin for Godsakes, couldn't possibly be for terrorizing my people, no our people![/b] We are still Korean Sang! No matter what path we choose our blood is still the same!" [/color]

Somehow, those last few words got to him. Behind the throbbing pain in his jaw, he could feel his face burning with anger, his dark eyes narrowing as he glared up at his taller brother dangerously. Sang Kyu was at least two or three inches shorter than his twin, but he wasn’t going to let that stop him from getting a point across. In one quick movement, he lunged forward, took the front of Yong’s shirt in both hands, and yanked him down to eye level, their faces just inches from each other’s.

“Listen. To. Me.” he growled, punctuating each word harshly as he stared his brother in the eyes. “You want to keep your stupid boats afloat, keep them farther away. It really is. Just. That. Simple. You bring them too close and you literally are ‘in troubled waters.’ Don’t do things you know won’t end well.” He jerked on the shirt a bit more, pulling him slightly closer before continuing in as soft a voice as he could manage considering his current outrage. “The sanctions are pointless. You can go tell the idiots over at the United Nations that I don’t care. Go tell them to stop being such an annoyance. Tell them to mind their own business and stop acting like they can control me. I don’t care about their sanctions.”

He refused to break eye contact. It’d been a long time since they’d seen each other, and at this rate it’d probably be a long time before they saw each other again. He wasn’t sure if he was trying to burn the image of his brother’s face into his own mind or if he was trying to burn his into South’s, but he held his brother’s gaze steadily.

“I don’t need Russia. He ditched me a long time ago, just like you did,” his voice shook slightly. “I don’t need him, and I don’t need you. China still cares, but I don’t need him either. I. Don’t. Need. Anyone. I don’t want anyone else’s pathetic help.”

He felt the corner of his eye twitch slightly with his anger. His grip tightened on his brother’s shirt as he tried to tower over him even though they were on the same level now.

“Stop talking like there’s nothing wrong between us! We’ve come too far. We’re too different now. You say we’re both Korean, but we have the lovely pleasure of ‘South’ or ‘North’ slapped in front of it. You say our blood is the same, but that didn’t stop us back then…!”

Kyu trailed off, suddenly unable to think of what else to say once he'd brought up their old war, his mind becoming clouded with the jumbled thoughts and the rage that were beginning to crowd it. With the throbbing pain in his jaw also invading his thoughts, he began to notice how hard he would clench his teeth together every time he paused. Relaxing the tension slightly, he took a shaky breath, the front of South’s shirt still firmly in his grip as he stared him down.

[South Korea]

The Korean's body tensed as his brother grabbed his shirt. He stumbled slightly as he was yanked to Sang's eye level, but caught himself quickly. He met his twin's gaze, mouth twisted into a frown as he heard his brother's words.

“You want to keep your stupid boats afloat, keep them farther away. It really is. Just. That. Simple. You bring them too close and you literally are ‘in troubled waters.’ Don’t do things you know won’t end well.”

Yong Soo glared angrily at his brother, how DARE he try to pin it as HIS fault! Yeah they may have been close but they shared a damn border, right next to each other. There was no malice from the Cheonan whatsoever. This was nothing but a severe greivance against him and if it were meant to provoke him, knowing his brother, it certanly had! His jaw clenched and he gripped the arms that held him, his cold gaze unwavering. He was briefly reminded of the massacres during the Forgotten War, despite his anger did he really have the right to be so angry at his brother? He had killed mercilessly, soiled his hands in as much blood as his twin, but this to him was still a serious grievance, especially after their Inter-Korean Summit, their goals to peace and possible reunification, which was now dust in the wind thanks to his twin's actions. His people would never allow him to join his brother again, not after all this.

“The sanctions are pointless. You can go tell the idiots over at the United Nations that I don’t care. Go tell them to stop being such an annoyance. Tell them to mind their own business and stop acting like they can control me. I don’t care about their sanctions.”

Yong continued to hold his gaze, his twin's tirade just making his anger grow even more. He should've expected no more or less from his twin. He was as stubborn as he was, perhaps even more so. He held his tongue for the moment however, letting his brother continue his rant.

“I don’t need Russia. He ditched me a long time ago, just like you did! I don’t need him, and I don’t need you. China still cares, but I don’t need him either. I. Don’t. Need. Anyone. I don’t want anyone else’s pathetic help.”

Yong felt a pang in his chest, but still said nothing. Words were just that...words, but they still had a strike as bad as a snake.

“Stop talking like there’s nothing wrong between us! We’ve come too far. We’re too different now. You say we’re both Korean, but we have the lovely pleasure of ‘South’ or ‘North’ slapped in front of it. You say our blood is the same, but that didn’t stop us back then…!”

That did it. Yong had enough listening to his brother's stupid tirade. He plucked the hands from his shirt and pushed his brother back with his palm against the smaller man's shoulder.

"If I remember correctly my dear brother," he snapped, his eyes tinged with fury "You were the one that crossed the border! I just wanted to do things my way, but you just couldn't take no for an answer. You're right, we have changed, but that doesn't mean our blood has. Names are shit Sang. Just stupid titles, they don't change the person you are. North, South it doesn't make a God damned difference! I didn't ditch you either, you just refused to come with me as I refused you. I have ALWAYS been there Sang! " he pointed in the direction of his side of the paralell, "Staring at this stupid border yearning for my other half. Night after night because I still love you, because you are my twin, and it kills me that I can't be with you!"

He clenched his fists at his sides, taking a deep breath and releasing it, trying to soothe his anger somewhat as he continued.

"You don't want help, that's fine, but you can tell the UN yourself to mind their own business, since you have no problem telling them to fuck off anyway! I wanted to avoid all these threats and unnecessary killings but, " his gaze darkened dangerously, a look he hadn't had since Vietnam. "If you ever terrorize my people like that again you will regret it Sang, I swear."

[North Korea]

Not at all surprised as Yong Soo forcibly removed his hands from his shirt, he made very little attempt to resist as he was shoved back, instead catching himself after a step to keep from stumbling. He shouldn’t make it look like he cared enough to fight back. Struggling to keep his hold would make it look like he wasn’t in control, and that would look like a weakness. His eyes met his brother’s and he glared up at his enraged face.

"If I remember correctly my dear brother, you were the one that crossed the border! I just wanted to do things my way, but you just couldn't take no for an answer.”

Of course I was the one to cross…Of course I wouldn’t take no for an answer… Sang Kyu thought, silently scowling up at his taller twin. Your way was stupid… It all made perfect sense in his mind. Yong Soo had wanted a democracy. Sang Kyu had wanted communism. A unified Korea mattered to them both, but they couldn’t agree. So how do you solve the problem? Well, two governments solved the latter, but with separate governments, clearly nothing was happening to solve the first. It had been looking unlikely that communist movements in the South were going to do much, so how would you solve the problem of unification? By force, obviously. North would convince his brother that his way was truly better afterwards. He just had to get him to try it…

"You're right, we have changed, but that doesn't mean our blood has. Names are shit Sang. Just stupid titles, they don't change the person you are. North, South it doesn't make a God damned difference! I didn't ditch you either, you just refused to come with me as I refused you. I have ALWAYS been there Sang!"

There were so many things he wanted to say, but he couldn’t find a place to jump in. No, our blood hasn’t changed. Yes, it does make a difference. Can’t you see? No, you left the day— …His gaze followed to where his brother was pointing.

"Staring at this stupid border yearning for my other half. Night after night because I still love you, because you are my twin, and it kills me that I can't be with you!"

Kyu kept his eyes on the DMZ, refusing to look at his brother, a little pang springing up in his chest. Did Yong Soo honestly think he didn’t care either? Did he think there weren’t days that North didn’t stand at the DMZ, wondering what it would’ve been like if there hadn’t been a stupid Demilitarized Zone? What it would’ve been like without a 38th parallel? Or a Cold war? Or a Korean War? How things would be if they could get along for five minutes? Did his brother think that he didn’t want to be with him either? It hurt so much to think about, but he feared, above all else, losing Yong Soo for good.

"You don't want help, that's fine, but you can tell the UN yourself to mind their own business, since you have no problem telling them to fuck off anyway!

He brought his gaze back up to meet South’s, his eyes cold.

"I wanted to avoid all these threats and unnecessary killings but, if you ever terrorize my people like that again you will regret it Sang, I swear."

Their eyes locked, and he held his twin’s unquestionably threatening expression. There were few times Sang Kyu had seen him look like that. One of them was now; the rest had been back in the Korean War. Faltering slightly in his thoughts, he quickly regained his composure and matched the look.

“If I never regretted it before…” he began slowly, choosing his next words carefully, “…What makes you think I’d regret it now?” He paused for a moment, his gaze unwavering. “Honestly, Brother... If we’ve fought a whole war over this, do you seriously think one little threat is going to scare me away?” He paused again and actually caught himself putting on the beginnings of a cold smile. “Oh, how laughable, that is! I’m not going away. A few words aren’t going to turn me around and make me give up everything I’ve worked for. I’m not going to pretend things never happened when they did. But you know what..?"

He reached down to his belt, whipped out the map he’d used to find his way through the tangled backwoods on the Northern side of the border, unfolded it, and held it up so his brother could see. It was topographic map, with the hills clearly outlined and their elevations given in various colors. Trails were marked, some of them true, manmade trails while the others were simply dotted lines drawn in to show where a smaller, informal foot trail could possibly exist. A few blue squiggles snaked across the page to show small streams. Watchtowers were shown as a little house symbol. Both North and South Korea were labeled clearly in bold Hangul characters, and running between the two names like a scar on the page, was a dark, jagged red line with 한반도 비무장지대- Korean Demilitarized Zone- scrawled across it. The slight smirk that had been on Sang Kyu’s face had vanished.

“I want that stupid border gone too.”

Never taking his eyes from Yong Soo, he shoved the ends of the map together in messy, not-quite folds and threw it down between the two of them, the edges sticking out at jagged, mismatched angles.

“Anything else?” he sneered, glowering at Yong Soo through the shadows. “Or do you have some other useless folly to throw at me yet?”

[South Korea]

“If I never regretted it before…What makes you think I’d regret it now? Honestly, Brother... If we’ve fought a whole war over this, do you seriously think one little threat is going to scare me away?”

Yong continued to hold his gaze, not willing to back down, his brown eyes remained dark and dangerous, tinged with dark thoughts of war and violence. Yong was no stranger to violence and had no qualms firing his rifle or breaking bones with his bare hands.

“Oh, how laughable, that is! I’m not going away. A few words aren’t going to turn me around and make me give up everything I’ve worked for. I’m not going to pretend things never happened when they did. But you know what..?"

Yong was a bout to reply but paused as his brother inquired him, giving him a chance to think over his brother's words. In a way it was no different than how he felt. He wasn't willing to give up all he had worked so hard for either. Both were adament on keeping their governments, neither willing to give, and as Yong was beginning to realize...and fear, Unification seemed nearly impossible to him now. He blinked as Sang pulled out the map, showing it to him. He frowned as he looked it over, noting the harsh red mark that stood for the DMZ his brother was pointing too.

“I want that stupid border gone too.”

The words hit him and he blinked in shock at his brother. Perhaps all he had thought was wrong after all. Perhaps Sang still did care, if only in his own strange or awkward way. His gaze softened then as he watched Sang toss the map to their feet, feeling the anger drain from his body, falling away from him like that map on the ground. His brown eyes once again became vivid and penetrating as he held his twin's gaze.

“Anything else? Or do you have some other useless folly to throw at me yet?”

Yong Soo felt the hint of a smirk touch his mouth and he took a few steps forward, closing the distance between him and his brother once more, but instead of an attack, the taller twin gently urged him back against the wall, sliding an arm on either side of the smaller man, leaning in close, keeping his brother a captive between him and the wall. He gently rested his forhead against his brothers, his dark eyes captivating as he held Sang's gaze.

"As a matter of fact Sang" Yong Soo was so close his face was mere breaths from Sang's " I do have something else to say" he slid his thumb over his twin's cheek, his mere image, it was almost disturbing as much as...thrilling to him. " *dangsin-eul salanghabnida. That will never change. No matter what happens after tonight I don't want you to forget that." he continues to caress his twin's cheek as he draws a more sombre expression " I'm not going to lie to you Sang. I'm afraid what will happen to us. Afraid of what they'll make me do and afraid the next time we meet it will be as enemies..." a soft sigh escapes his lips "I know I'm not perfect and I know I've hurt you and maybe someday I can be brave enough to ask you to forgive me." he holds his brother's gaze a moment more. "*dangsin-eun nae banjjog-ui chin-aehaneun hyeongje..."

OOC:
*dangsin-eul salanghabnida - I love you
*dangsin-eun nae banjjog-ui chin-aehaneun hyeongje - You are my better half dear brother

Daaaaaaaaw :3

[North Korea]

Sang Kyu had simply expected his brother to make some smart remark about what he had to say not being “folly.” Instead, he caught sight of a slight smirk crossing his twin’s face. What was he smiling at? You weren’t supposed to smile at that… So when Yong Soo took the first step forward, he tensed, his thoughts immediately flying to what to do if this turned out to be an attack. Sang Kyu held his ground for the first and second steps, watching his brother closely. By the third, he’d taken a small step back, but by this point it didn’t look like Yong Soo’s actions were hostile. Just…strange.

He started to resist when his brother began guiding him backwards, but quickly stopped himself. No, if he resisted, that meant he was afraid didn’t it? That he couldn’t handle the situation? What a despicable show of weakness… he thought, disgusted by the small slip up, and he allowed himself to be pushed back, though his eyes never left Yong Soo’s face for a second as he tried to read the strange expression there, his own face questioning.

His back pressed into the wall, and he tensed again, his face returning to an expression of seriousness and suspicion as Yong placed an arm on either side of him, holding him captive there. Eyes narrowed, he stared up at Yong Soo. “What do you think you’re do--?” he started to ask, flinching slightly when he felt their foreheads touch, unsure what to make of the odd gesture. Their eyes met, just inches from each other now.

"As a matter of fact Sang, I do have something else to say."

Yong Soo’s hand started to come up, and Sang Kyu’s own hand hovered readily near the gun at his waist as he carefully watched the unexpected motion. His heart was beating uncomfortably fast now, not quite racing, but still reflecting his bewilderment at his brother’s actions.

The warmth of Yong Soo’s hand on his cheek was so foreign it made him shudder slightly, twitching away from the action faintly before eventually relaxing and hesitantly allowing his twin to continue this strange show of affection. It’d been so long since he’d had this sort of physical contact with someone – even something so small. The warmth felt…strangely comforting, actually.

" Dangsin-eul salanghabnida. That will never change. No matter what happens after tonight I don't want you to forget that."

Sang Kyu had dropped his gaze to a spot on the ground as he listened and was glaring at it half-heartedly, not wanting to meet his brother’s eyes now. He instead focused on the warmth on his cheek. At least his brother had chosen to caress the side he hadn’t punched earlier…

"I'm not going to lie to you Sang. I'm afraid what will happen to us. Afraid of what they'll make me do and afraid the next time we meet it will be as enemies...I know I'm not perfect and I know I've hurt you and maybe someday I can be brave enough to ask you to forgive me."

Kyu simply listened quietly, waiting for his brother to finish, his previous anger fading to solemnity with every word.

“Dangsin-eun nae banjjog-ui chin-aehaneun hyeongje..."

For a moment, he continued to stare at the ground in silence. He really did want this…He did want all the tension and violence to stop…He wanted to be one Korea again…But he stopped himself. Not yet… If he gave in now to these words, to this affection…he would never be able to complete the task at hand. He wouldn’t be able to do what it took to bring his brother back, especially if that meant war. This should be the end result – what he got after everything was said and done. If that meant he had to wait, he’d wait. If anything, this should become his drive.

After a moment of hesitation, he reached up slowly and gently took Yong Soo’s hand from his cheek, fidgeting somewhat against the wall as he looked for a way out.

“St…stop that cuddly stuff,” he said, keeping his voice down, his tone shifting to one of mild, grumpy annoyance as his face returned to its usual stern expression. “It’s dumb. I said no folly. And I’m still mad at you.”

[South Korea]

Yong didn't even try to mask the hurt on his face as his brother promptly pushed his hand away. He searched his twin's gaze as if he could find some answer deep within them.

“St…stop that cuddly stuff. It’s dumb. I said no folly. And I’m still mad at you."

A small frown touched Yong's lips as he peered at his brother. It had all been a waste, reunited and nothing gained from it. For once he felt helpless. Things had truely changed between them and not necesarily for the better. But family was still important to Yong and no matter what happened, no matter what hurtful things were said, what despicable actions were taken, Yong would never stop loving his twin. He was still a part of him and in his mind his better part. "Fair enough..."

"*chin-aehaneun hyeongje josim..." he had leaned in to murmur softly into his brother's ear before affectionately pressing his lips agains his cheek "*laibeu ... dasi hanbeon naleulbogo sal"

And with that he took a step back, taking a moment to peer into his brothers eyes once more, his own glinted with the sincerity of his words. He then turned and sighed as he glanced up at the moon overhead that would light the way back to Seoul. He gave a wave of his hand over his shoulder as he then began to make his way off into the night. All that he could do now was pray, Pray to God he would be merciful and not pit him against his brother in the battlefield. He never wanted his brother to see that dark side of him again, the bloodthirsty killer free of remourse. He hoped they would never have to see another Civil War.

OOC:
*chin-aehaneun hyeongje josim - Be careful my dear brother

*laibeu ... dasi hanbeon naleulbogo sal - Live...live to see me once again

I figure this would be a good place to end it. I'll let you close out the thread. I must say it is such a delight to thread with you and I enjoyed this very much! I'll drop you a pm for further threads we can do. I was thinking their seperation when they go off with America and Russia (and we can get them involved too) Tell me what ya think!

[North Korea]

"Fair enough..."

Yong Soo’s acceptance of Kyu denying his affection troubled him a bit. The hurt in his brother’s eyes was apparent, and though Sang Kyu was doing his best to cover it up, he was somewhat disappointed that Yong Soo had complied so quickly, having expected at least a little more resistance. As if reluctantly accepting this, however, he gave a small huff under his breath.

The North Korean shifted uncomfortably against the wall as Yong Soo leaned in again, his brother now murmuring in his ear, “Chin-aehaneun hyeongje josim..." and pressing a soft kiss against his cheek. If not for the darkness, the faint expression of longing on Sang Kyu’s face would’ve been visible. “Laibeu ... dasi hanbeon naleulbogo sal."

“Nae geogjeong-eunhaji masibsio,” he muttered discontentedly, glaring at the ground once more as he waited for his brother to step away, and re-crossing his arms over his chest once he had.

He pushed away from the wall and straighted up a bit, giving a slight nod as his brother waved over his shoulder. From there, he watched silently as Yong Soo disappeared into the shadows of the night. The North Korean lingered at the DMZ for a moment, staring in the direction his brother had vanished and suddenly feeling a bit empty, though he quickly shoved the feeling away. The last thing he needed right now was emotions getting in the way. No, emotion was a silly thing like that…the cause of so many things, good and bad. He and his brother were too different now. No point wishing for things that would never be. Curse his brother for making him want it...

Unconsciously, he reached up and touched the side of his jaw that his twin had punched earlier. It was sore by now, but he wasn’t concerned about it. He was still staring off at the Southern side of the border.

“Uliga hyeongnim-eul dasi mannal ttaekkaji.”



((OOC:
Nae geogjeong-eunhaji masibsio. = Don’t worry about me.
Uliga hyeongnim-eul dasi mannal ttaekkaji. = Until we meet again, dear brother.

Yes! It's been quite a delight threading with you as well. I think the Separation sounds like an interesting idea, so we could talk about it over PM or in the Korean War plotting thread if we wanted to get American and Russia in on it too. It's been a pleasure!))