Ancestral Palace (South Wing)

Sitting quietly in her ancient palace compound, Yeosin gazed expressionlessly out across the sprawling lands. Her palace sat on the shared border between north and south, split just like her sons' land. Yeosin split her time between the North Wing and the South Wing. The South Wing was bright and always bustling with staff and visitors. In fact, it was the only wing where visitors were usually allowed. The North Wing was far more private, only a select few gaining rights of admission. The two wings were separated by a winding wall and large, locked gate. From the Central Tower that stood at the heart of her palace, one could look over both wings. The North was always dark save for the precious few bobbing globes of lantern light.

Yeosin kept her emotions at bay. Absentmindedly, she rubbed her back. Stretching from the base of her neck to her mid-back was a vertical scar. Each letter was smooth and slightly raised. A scar that would never disappear. A scar she hid from the world beneath fine robes and long hair. A single name that, though branded on her back, left its imprint on her heart. No one would see it. No one would know except for the one person she wasn't sure she could forgive.

Shifting her gaze slightly the the south east, her far-reaching sight caught a glimpse of that man's home. How unfortunate that the view from this lovely wing was marred by that same home.

"What an unsightly blemish."

Japan looked at Yeosin-san's palace to the west. He wasn't welcome there - he hadn't been welcome there in some time.

There was a time when he used to be welcome there.

It would have been too easy to try and blame what had happened on his Emperor, but she wouldn't have accepted that kind of excuse, even if he were inclined to give it. He wasn't.

He quite honestly found both of her sons insufferable. Although he would never, ever tell her this - but he suspected that she knew. Something about her far-seeing gaze gave him the impression that she knew almost anything, that she could see through him.

He felt as though that gaze were piercing him now.

"You know, you should try to forgive him."
"It was the Emperor, you know."

Her advisors always gave excuses for that man. They always told her to move on. Her Southern son was trying to move forward. Her Northern son continued to harass the man. She was stuck in between, caught in a vicious storm of anger, hurt, and sadness. Deep down, she knew. War changes things, and countries could not disobey their leaders. Yet, somehow, that wasn't good enough for her.

She knew she should work to control her sons, reign them in, but where would the fun be in that? Her gaze narrowed. She could no longer take action herself, but her sons could. If she asked it of him, the North would gladly go to war for her.

"He is still your family."

She snarled. That's why it hurt so much. She turned from the window, but felt pain shoot down her spine. He was thinking about her. His gaze was focused and steady. She could feel the brand burning under his gaze. Suddenly, she was no longer sitting in her palace. She was dirty and worn. Her children were crying, but she couldn't stop him. Her mind screamed at her to do something, but her body would not listen. She was no longer in control. She could hear his voice, whispering that name with a cold hiss.

"Satsuei."

"Satsuei."

The name came into his mind, unbidden, as if spoken. Like from a long-lost memory.

"Satsuei is all you are now."

But who was speaking in the memory? The sound of it was both intimately familiar and unrecognizable. How could that possibly be?

"You aren't Korea."

The voice referred to Korea now? What was this voice from? If it was a memory, then when was it from? Why couldn't he remember? And why was it coming up now?

"You aren't Goryeo."

Was it because he was looking at her palace now?

"You aren't Yeosin."

Trying to think about it made his head hurt.

"Only Satsuei."

Then an image entered his mind. An image of Yeosin, on a bare floor, desolate. Her sons, crying. And and a black sleeve.

Japan blinked and reflexively backed away, nearly tripping over his own feet.

"What...just happened?" he asked to the empty air.

"My name is Yeosin! Goryeo will will not fall to the likes of you!" she growled, a small spark still alive in her eyes.

A cold chuckle.

"No, Goryeo has already fallen. I have taken it from you, and you can do nothing," he smirked. "Guards! Hold her in place."

Two soldiers moved forward, wrestling the weakened woman to the ground. Forced on her knees, Yeosin was held still, one guard on each side. Kiku walked around them until he stood directly behind her. Bending down, he swept her long hair away from her back, letting it fall forward, over her shoulder. His hand trailed down her exposed neck.

"Keep away from our mother!" her sons screamed, lunging at Japan.

Japan's guards easily restrained the boys as the nation looked on in cold amusement. Returning his gaze to the woman before him, he paused. His hand rested on the collar of her hanbok before yanking it down, revealing the soft white plain of her back. A finger lazily traced her spine.

"Keep your filthy hands off of me! I am not your pet nor your woman!" Yeosin snarled.

"I beg to differ," Kiku sneered, motioning for another guard to bring him the iron that was heating in the fire. "Your land, your children, your names. All of them belong to me, my dearest Satsuei."

"Eomeoni!"
"Eomma!"

She could hear her babies crying out for her. She could hear the land groan in protest. But the loudest of all were the screams and the cruel laughter.

The pounding of footsteps was all that alerted her to the presence of others. She could hear yelling. Her mind was foggy. Her back ached. Hands were shaking her, begging her to stop. Stop? How could she stop it when it was already over?

"Yeosin-nim! Yeosin-nim!"

How could she stop when she could hear her children screaming in pain? Did they think she didn't try to stop him? Did they think she wanted this, this insanity?

Her advisors averted their gazes, some closing their eyes and gritting their teeth. The one closest to her, the one shaking her, held her close to his body, tears in his eyes. There was nothing they could do, so they did nothing but let her be. Her eyes were wide, terror-filled, as she sat in the arms of her closest advisor, screaming her heart out. Screaming her throat raw. She couldn't think straight over the noise of the screams. She could barely breathe. All she could do was listen.

To the sobbing. To the laughter. To the screams.

Kiku was once again haunted by terrifying visions of Yeosin and her children. And himself. He understood now that it was himself.

He knew he had done some terrible things in his past, he wasn't stupid enough to not know that...but this...this...

It was no wonder that Yeosin hated him.

And the sudden rush of memories was giving him a headache.

The guard handed him the red-hot iron and he took it with a slight nod of his head.

"Satsuei. Satsuei. Satsuei." He repeated the name over and over, as he pressed the iron on her back, forming the characters of the word with the burn as he said it. She screamed. Perhaps she had tried to hold it back at first, but it was surely too much...

Japan fell to his knees. "Why is this happening to me?" he asked no one in particular again.

He couldn't go on like this.... And there were so many questions. What had caused him to do those things? Why had he forgotten? And why was he remembering now? And why was he remembering like this?

Who could he even talk to?

He looked up at the palace again.

Yeosin. She was the only one. But...would she talk to him? That seemed rather unlikely, didn't it? And it wasn't exactly a subject he wished to speak with her about, either. He'd been trying to avoid their troubles for so long....

It was worth a try. He summoned every bit of nerve he could, and went up to the palace where he was not welcome.

"Please allow me to see Yeosin-san!" he called out. "I need to speak with her! Please!"

"I need to speak with her! Please!"

An advisor quickly opened the gate, but would not let him pass. The man was nervous, that much was clear. No, he wasn't nervous. It was something else. Distress?

"Honda-nim. Why are you here? Now is not the best time. Perhaps you should come back another day. Yes, another day would be much more acceptable. Today is not a good day. Today...today..." the advisor rambled on.

He was about to close the gate when he heard the crashes begin. Glass and porcelain crumbling against unforgiving wood. Paintings and scrolls being shred to pieces. They had long ago learned to keep any important documents locked away where he insane rampages could not harm them.

"Today is not a good day, Honda-nim," the advisor looked near wits end.

Shouts and screams. Thundering of footsteps as guards were called to restrain her, their empress, while she teetered on the edge of past and present. More yelling as erratic footfalls echoed through the halls. They were coming closer. The advisor was torn between slamming the gate in Honda-nim's face and feeding him to the empress. He didn't have time to make a choice. Yeosin had made her way into the courtyard and collapsed in a sobbing heap. Her robes were a mess, a little torn and disheveled from the guards' failed attempts to keep her from entering the courtyard.

The advisor from before, the one who held her, ran to Yeosin. But he stopped short, rigid in horror. Somewhere in the chaotic tumult, Yeosin's hanbok and bandages had slipped. He ripped his gaze from her spine, and stared at the man still standing at the gate. Horror filled his face.

"Honda-nim."

Japan didn't have time to protest or make a case for seeing Yeosin.

The sight of her now left him agape. There was the brand, showing where her hanbok and bandages had slipped away. The brand from his latest nightmare-memory.

No way.... He swallowed thickly. He saw the horror fill the guard's face as his name was called once more.

"Yeosin-san?" he managed to get out, only barely. The sight of her now was...frightening. Ravaged and almost...feral? He wondered briefly if she would try to kill him.

And he wondered, ever so briefly, if he would let her.

---

Sorry this one was so short. A lot depends on what Yeosin actually does next, I think.

She heard her name. Her head snapped up, wild eyes searching for the source of that voice. Left. Right. Where? Her frantic movements stilled. Standing in the gateway to her palace was the man responsible for her madness.

"Honda-nim," her most favored advisor, Nambu Gisa, advanced.

"No!" Yeosin howled.

"Yeosin-nim. Hold her!" Nambu ordered.

Yeosin thrashed, cursing and shouting, as the guards tried to keep her from attacking the man at the gate. She eventually exhausted herself, collapsing into a crying mess again. She could feel herself slipping back and forth, in and out of control.

"You have already done all the damage I believe can be done for now, so you might as well enter the palace, Honda-nim," Nambu sighed before yelling at the loitering guards. "Find something to cover her with until we can re-wrap the bandages. Grab some fresh bandages from the closet in my office. Honda-nim, I need to tend to Yeosin-nim, but if you'd like, you may join us."

Nambu gathered the crying empress in his arms and led the way to his living quarters, gently setting her on a pile of cushions upon their arrival.

"Nambu...leave us be."

"Yeosin-nim, I do not think..." Nambu began.

"Get out!" Yeosin screamed, aware of how unreasonable it was to kick her advisor out of his own living quarters.

Nambu quietly left after shooting a warning glance to Japan. Yeosin looked up, a heated glare sent Japan's way. In a flurry of movement, she was at his throat. She gripped tighter, wanting nothing more than to snap his neck, but something inside her broke. Her hands slid from his throat to his chest. Her cries of anger turned into sobs, as she weakly beat at his chest.

"I hate you more than anything, but you are still my family. You have taken everything from me, but it seems you still want more. What more can you take, Honda Kiku? What more do you want?" Yeosin turned away, flopping to the ground. Her shoulders shook as her body was wracked with sobs and insane laughter. As her head fell forward, into her hands, her hair parted to reveal the name branded into her spine.

"My name is Yeosin. I am the empress of all Goryeo with everything to lose," she sobbed.
"I am Satsuei, only Satsuei. I have nothing left to give," she laughed.

"Satsuei or Yeosin...Satsuei and Yeosin...?" she sang between sobs and cackles.

---

Sorry if it's confusing. The point is, she's seriously loosing it at the moment, switching back and forth between past and present.

Why had her hand slipped from his throat? At that moment, Japan could think nothing more than that his life was in danger. But she stopped. She stopped and beat at his chest...and broke.

Or perhaps she had already broken. Long ago.

Japan let Yeosin beat on him...not that she was doing so hard...and listened quietly to her ravings. The brand revealed itself again, which momentarily flashed the visions back into his mind, and he blanched.

'Satsuei or Yeosin' she was repeating.

It hurt to see her like this. Was this something that happened today, as like with him? ...Or had she been like this all this time? It was horrible to think.

"You are Yeosin, Yeosin-san," he answered her. "You were always Yeosin."

He closed his eyes, the memories coming back and giving him another headache. He opened them again, to make them go away.

"I remembered...today I remembered," he told her. "I remembered about being that person...doing those things...I...I...I don't want to be that person, Yeosin-san!"

And then he did something he hadn't done in a long time - he cried.

Her mind was moving a mile a minute. Back and forth, back and forth. But somewhere in that jumble of confusion, she heard someone speaking. Yeosin, he told her. Your name is Yeosin. Always Yeosin. But this was the same voice that told her she was Satsuei, only Satsuei.

"Satsuei...Yeosin," her voice was cracking from overuse.

Crying. She could hear crying again. Why couldn't she make the crying stop? This was different, though. This crying was not that of her children. Slowly, she turned her head. Standing there was a man she knew well. She couldn't remember the last time she saw him cry. The haze of insanity lifted.

"Honda Kiku, why are you crying dongsaeng? Come, nuna will dry your tears," Yeosin beckoned the man to her. "Did you have a bad dream, Kiku? Do not worry, I will protect you from the bad dreams. I will protect you."

Reaching out, she hugged the man close to her, stroking his soft hair.

"Even if bad people try to hurt you, I will protect you."

But insanity began to take hold of her mind again. Her hands were at his throat again. She was smiling while crying.

"You can never go back to the way things were, Honda Kiku," a familiar voice said as the owner pulled his mistress from the boy's neck. "You know, some days are better than others. There will be weeks at a time when she is quite lucid and calm. Those are the days when Yeosin is her old self. Then there are the bad moments. They can be days, hours, weeks, or minutes. Sometimes she just cries. Other times, she screams and breaks things. The worst days are like today, days when she is caught in between. These are the days when her sanity crumbles a little bit more."

Nambu's whispered words barely carried across to the other man, but he knew Japan had heard him.

First, it was like before...long before. She was actually...comforting him. He was stunned into silence.

Then her hands were at his throat again, until she was pulled away. Japan's own hand went to his throat where hers had left.

"So she's been like this all this time?" he quietly asked the man who had spoken and looked up at him, face tear-stained. It was too horrible to think. No. No way...

In just the short period of time he'd been experiencing this...whatever it was...he'd felt like he was going crazy. He couldn't imagine what it must be like to...have been like this so long.

...Would he be like this forever now, too?

He collapsed to his knees. "I'm afraid I might be losing my sanity as well," he said.

---

Ugh, I hate it when all I can think of is a short reply after your nice long ones. ...At least it wasn't as short as that other one...

"No, she wasn't always like this. For a few years after her fall, before her sons officially took power and divided her land, she was at least sane. But after the split, her mind began to crack. Even so, the days when she is calm grow few and far between. I fear if something is not done, she will break completely," Nambu bowed his head.

Straightening, he faced the young man before him.

"You say you are losing your sanity, Honda-nim? I don't think you quite understand her situation. You, Honda-nim, have friends who will help you through your battles. Tell me, who does she have? Do you think America or England will come to her rescue? Do you think China or Russia will keep her from collapsing? Italy? Germany? Greece? She is not even a true country anymore, Honda-nim. Yeosin-nim has no one but us."

"Nam...bu..." the faint voice barely cut across the room.

"Yeosin-nim," Nambu was at her side in a flurry of robes.

"I think, perhaps, I will retire to the North Wing..." Yeosin said in a dazed voice.

"Absolutely not. That wing, it makes your...condition...worse," Nambu vehemently opposed.

"It calms me," she smiled.

"In this, I will not yield. Honda-nim, please stay with her while I prepare her room. Whatever happens, do not let her cross over to the North. No matter what," Nambu's eyes grew cold.

---

I kind of feel like my responses are just abnormally long. It's my stress relief, so I just tend to ramble on and on. ^_^;;

Japan's eyes dropped to the ground when the man brought up his position in comparison the Yeosin's. Him, a nation, being told such a thing by a mortal. He felt like he'd been slapped. But he understood that it had needed to be said. ...That was why it hurt so much.

But could he really go to those people for this? ...He didn't know. He supposed he could...but it wouldn't feel...right...telling them. This was something between Yeosin and himself.

...And not let her cross over to the North? What was he supposed to do? ...

"I'll do my best," he told the man quietly and seriously.

He looked over at Yeosin. What to do?

If he tried to talk to her...would he get through to her at all?

...Would talking to her just make her worse?

...Was it possible for her to get worse?

He didn't know.

He wish he knew...but he didn't.

---

Oh no! They're awesome! I love reading them. <3

Nambu left her alone with Kiku. Yeosin could tell Nambu's words hurt the boy, but he was right. Even if he didn't ask, America would always burst in and save the day. Russia might not do much, but she doubted he would leave the boy to rot in the gutter.

"Hee hee...Kiku-nim, let's play a game, shall we?" Yeosin giggled.

She could see her suggestion made him nervous. But how could she resist? The other her was telling her to go North.

"But Nambu-nim said we aren't allowed to play in the North," Yeosin frowned. "No. Nambu-nim said no! Why won't you listen?"

Yeosin was arguing with no one that Kiku-nim could see, but the verbal feud ended abruptly. She took off running, giggling like a madwoman. Through the winding maze, dodging the staff members who lunged to stop her. They knew this game well, but they'd be damned if she played it now. Not with him here. They didn't want their precious empress to be seen by that man when she was at her worst.

Right. Left. Through a passage in the wall. Exiting in the garden. Running faster and faster until she came to the gate separating the North from the South. Pausing only for a quick breath, she disabled the guards, easily passing through to the other side. She stopped only once, looking to see if Kiku was following. Grinning, she slowly backed into the darkness of the North.

"We'll hide. You seek. The only question is, who will you find first?"

Uh oh.

She was running, and he was running after her as fast as he could. But as much as she was bumping into people, so was he. And as fast as he was, so was she.

"Kuso!" Japan rarely used vulgar language, but this situation was so frustrating...

What did she mean by 'who will you find first' anyway?

And why was it so dark here?

Japan didn't like the North. As much as he wasn't welcome in the South, so much more so in the North. Just being here made him feel nervous.

The darkness closed in on him. Closed in on his vision. Closed in on his soul.

A voice said, "No, my dear, the question is: Who will find you?" It came from his mouth.

He shook his head and cleared his mind, raising his hand to his mouth. "Kuso..." he breathed through his fingers.

She could no longer hear him chasing after her. She was safe! She would never let him catch her again, never let him take hold of her again. The pitch black darkness soothed her frayed nerves, but it was the dark she should have feared the most. When there is nothing else for the eyes to see, they turn inward, staring deep into the soul, piercing the mind. Images rushed unbidden, playing across her vision as though they truly existed in that place. The crying. The screaming. The laughter, cruel and cold.

She was Satsuei once more.

"Eomma?" a soft voice cut through the voices in her head.

Her son, the North, came closer, clutching his mother in his vice-like grip. It had been so long since he had last seen her. That damned Nambu kept her from him. He knew why, though. Nambu's brother was the advisor of the North. The man corrupted his mother even more than her tortured memories. That man was the reason why his mother grew more and more twisted. He knew, it wasn't long before his mother lost it completely. He had to keep her from him. He had to protect his mother, unlike that day so many years ago...

"Honda Kiku has followed me North," she breathed.

He growled. That man? That man was the reason why she was like this in the first place! When he got his hands on Honda-nim, he was sure to rip the boy apart. But then, perhaps this Honda boy could be of some use. He, of all people, should be able to fix his mother, right? The only thing was, he had to make sure the one who met Honda Kiku in this darkness was his mother, Yeosin, not the crazed woman in his arms now. He had a feeling, this would be his mother's last descent, and Honda Kiku was the only one who could decide who survived the fall.

Whose hand would Honda Kiku reach for in the darkness? Who would he pull up from the brink of insanity? Who would he find first?

Yeosin or Satsuei?

The darkness had stalled him. The darkness of his mind had stalled him further. Between them both, he had completely lost her.

"Yeosin-san?" he called out tentatively. "Won't you come back to the South?"

As if she would go back just because he requested it. As if she would even respond to that. ...What a pathetic attempt...

But he really, really, didn't want to be up here.

More than that, he really didn't want to experience what he'd just experienced again, and had a feeling that being in the darkness of the North made it more likely...

It was hard enough finding Yeosin in the darkness without having to fight off his own mind.

Are you afraid of yourself, Kiku?

Yeosin broke away from her son and began to run once more. Maybe, she thought, she could outrun her. But it was so dark! Where was she going? She didn't even know anymore. As she ran down the hallway, it was as though she was running through two spaces. On her left, her past. Satsuei's past. On her right, Yeosin's life. But in reality, there was nothing there. Only darkness.

Why didn't she listen to Nambu? Why did she stray so easily?

Somewhere, far away, she thought she hear Kiku's voice, asking her to come back South. But it wasn't that simple.

There was a reason why the North Wing was off limits to most. This wing, it had a way of corrupting the mind, driving even the most sane to the brink. The North had important secrets here that no one wanted to let escape, so they built a maze, quite literally, of wood and tile. The North had hideous secrets that no one wanted to let others see, so they plunged the wing into darkness, the only source of light flickering weakly near the center of the maze. The North had secrets of such magnitude that they were careful not to let them flow out into the outside world, so they built higher walls and dug down deep.

"I must find Honda-nim..." Yeosin whispered into the darkness.

In the dark, the eyes turn inward to search the mind.
In a maze, the mind grows confused, panicked, and relies on the strength of the soul to guide it.
In a cage, the soul becomes trapped with no way out.

"We must get out!" Yeosin gasped.

Would you like to play a game? Winner takes all.

"No...Kiku? Kiku!?" Yeosin trembled because she knew what would happen. If she did not find Kiku, if they kept missing each other, they would both lose.

Who will win? Satsuei or Yeosin...Black Kiku or White?

"KIKU!?" Yeosin wanted the voice inside her head to stop.

What are you most afraid of, Yeosin?

"HONDA KIKU!" Yeosin half sobbed, half screamed.

Don't you want to play the game?

"I don't want to be you," Japan muttered to himself, despite the feeling that doing so was like admitting he had lost his mind. "Why did you suddenly appear again after all these years, anyway?"

You think I ever completely went away? Repressing things doesn't make them disappear, you know. Like your past. You can ignore it, but that doesn't make it go away.

He didn't respond. He concentrated on finding Yeosin in the darkness once more.

What's the matter? Cat got your tongue? ...Oh, no, that was Heracles. But, then, you pretend that didn't happen, either.

"Leave Heracles-san out of this. You don't know anything about that."

I don't? I told you, I've been here the entire time. You push things to the back of your mind. I, however, am in the back of your mind. I probably remember more than you do.

"Regardless, that doesn't have anything to do with this, so...don't talk about it," Japan responded, upset. Losing an argument to yourself had to be the bottom of the barrel as far as pathetic.

So are you so upset because he moved on? -Which you can't blame him for by the way.- Or are you afraid that he never cared for you in the first place?

"Shut up!" Japan said in a rare moment of anger. "I'm trying to find Yeosin-san! This is about Yeosin-san!"

Oh yes, Satsuei.

He thought he heard his name in the distance.

"Yeosin-san," he repeated, pointedly.

Are you sure you want to see her now? With me here?

He heard his name again. It was her calling it!

"I have to. I have to."

Then he called, "YEOSIN-SAN!"

---

Oh God, I went on such a mind tangent there. Sorry for that. Black!Kiku couldn't resist teasing him some. It just came out. fjlda'a;adfalfe;fe

"KIKU!" she was sobbing now, feeling her way down the hallway.

Who are you more afraid of? Kiku or Satsuei?

"Ki...ku is my family..." Yeosin hiccuped.

That man destroyed you. Ripped you apart from the inside and branded what was left on the outside!

"Stop it. Stop it!" Yeosin gasped.

She started running again. She thought she heard her name being called, but it was so faint. She didn't want to face this, any of this. Why couldn't she just curl up and die?

But you can! If you go to sleep, I can live for you...

"S...sleep? But what about K...kiku?" Yeosin slowed.

Why do you think he is chasing after you? He wants his Satsuei back.

"But he's calling for Yeosin...for me!" she began to tremble, knowing it was her mind trying to trick her into submission.

Is he? He always was a crafty fellow, wasn't he?

Yeosin couldn't take much more of these games. Her mind was already weak, and this wasn't helping. Kiku had changed. She watched him from her window, watched him grow and refine himself. She knew he was trying to change. The darkness inside of him was disappearing.

Then what are you afraid of?

Tears began to roll down her cheeks. Sliding down the wall, she struggled to keep the emotions at bay. Her chest heaved with silent sobs. Her scar burned. Biting her lip, she whimpered.

"I am afraid he will become the other him. I am afraid he will try and take away everything."

In the distance, she could hear him calling for her. He was getting closer, but she did not call out. Her heart screamed for him to save her, but her mind told her not to trust him. But if she couldn't trust him, who would she trust? Herself?

"Enough...I don't want to play this game. Leave me be..." her voice was weak.

Too late. The game is already under way...

Tock Tick. Tock Tick. The clock moves back with every click...

Tock Tick.

Tock Tick.

Tock Tick.

---

Uh oh! If Yeosin doesn't suck it up, she's going to revert back to Satsuei!

Japan ran in the direction of the voice he had heard. "Yeosin-san!" he called again.

Oh, it will be fun if we find her, won't it? I mean, she's already broken, but I, for one, still find fun in broken toys.

"I'm not going to hurt her," Japan said adamantly, reading through the lines. "Physically or mentally."

You could say you hurt her mentally just by being around.

That hurt, mostly because it was true. His presence obviously affected her. After all, it was him that...that...

His steps paused. A smile came over his face without his consent.

Yes, that's right. And nothing will change that. When she looks at you, she sees me. Just give up on her already.

His face dropped the smile. "No," he said firmly, moving once again.

Oh, why pretend to care so much? That's what got you into this trouble in the first place. It's kind of funny, you know, how you so adamantly keep saying you don't want to be me and blah blah blah, yet you keep going farther into this place, and you have to notice that it's making you worse.

Baka.

"I have to find Yeosin-san," Japan stipulated again. "And I'm not just pretending to care."

Aho. It's much easier to just let go. Life is so much simpler that way. You'll feel much better, trust me.

"I'm not giving up on myself, either."

He heard crying now as well. Was that Yeosin?

Japan went around a corner and saw her, just barely, in the darkness.

"Yeosin-san!"

"Tock tick. Tock tick. Tock tick. The clock moves back with every click. Tock tick Tock tick. Tock tick..." Yeosin's voice was raw from crying and screaming.

She had to try and stay in control. She had to resist! She was scared of Kiku, that much she couldn't deny. He had hurt her so badly! But she knew she couldn't let him find Satsuei. If Kiku met Satsuei, Black Kiku would most likely emerge. If Black Kiku emerged, her mind would break.

"Find me, Kiku...I'm right here, so why can't you find me?" Yeosin whimpered.

You want him to find you? He will break you.

"He used to look at me, stare even, but he never saw me. After he turned, he only saw an object to possess, someone to own..."

Yes, well, he did mark you as his own. Satsuei. "Taken." Such a fitting name to bestow upon you, who lost everything.

"Don't say that name. I am Yeosin. Always Yeosin. Why can't either of you see that? Why couldn't he see who I was? I was his sister! He was my brother, yet he still..."

He still took over your land, hurt your people, replaced your name with a name of his own.

Yeosin began to cry again. It hurt to remember, but she would have to face it all eventually. She was the an empress in her own right. She would not be controlled by this shadow of herself.

You? An empress? You are Satsuei, a possession. Only Satsuei. That brand on your back proves it. That is your name.

"No! I am Yeosin...or am I Satsuei?"

Yeosin was strong. She was a warrior. You are weak. You fell so easily. Yeosin had a united mind. You are split down the middle. Can you really say you are Yeosin? After Japan invaded, you never regained power. Can you really say you are still the same Yeosin as before?

"But my children have their names back. They have their culture back!"

But you do not. Satsuei, where has your name gone? The only name you have is branded down your spine.

"Tock tick. Tock tick. Tock tick." The words fell from her lips in a crazed voice, cracking from stress.

That boy doesn't recognize your two sons as separate countries. Just you. Just his Satsuei. Only HIS Satsuei.

"Tock tick...tock tick...tock tick..." came the voice strangled with emotion.

That's right. The clock is ticking, and your time is nearly up.

"Tock tick...who will you find, Honda Kiku...who will you find first...tock tick tock tick tock tick..."

---

To explain a bit, Yeosin means "Empress." I'm trying to make a play on words here and failing. It's a mind game between the empress and the taken. At least, that's what it's intended to be...*fails*

He heard her saying 'tock tick tock tick' repeatedly now. What was this about?

Her time running out, of course. ...And yours.

"Yeosin-san," he repeated, going up to her. "Yeosin-san!"

He tried to get a better look at her, to see what kind of shape she was in, her facial expression, anything. But the darkness was preventing him from seeing very much. Perhaps that was partially a blessing however, as that meant he couldn't see the...thing he didn't want to see if her hanbok was loose, which it probably still was.

Satsuei. The voice reminded him regardless.

"Yeosin-san," he repeated once more, right in front of her. He was a little afraid she would try to strangle him again.

---

I get it. You're really hard on yourself, you know that?

As for me...my brain stopped working. There's no other explaination as to why it would take me an hour to write this, when it wasn't even long like my last ones. *sighs*

She could hear him calling her. It was too dark to see him, but she could feel him. He was close. For once, she was glad it was dark. She wanted him to see her as she once was, but she didn't want him to see her like this. She knew her hanbok was still loose. Her face was tear streaked, eyes red and puffy. Most likely, she looked like a lost child. She didn't want to be weak in front of him. Never again.

"Yeosin-san"

Her name. He was calling her!

"Of course he's calling for you. Who would he call?"

Be quiet, you wretch. I mean he is calling me not you. Me...not...not that other me...

She knew he had called her by that name before. In fact, in the past few hours, he had called her that many times. But something was different about this time. This time, he was looking at her, despite the darkness. She could feel his gaze. This time, the way he called her was different. It was a bit unsure, as though afraid of what she would do, but it was confident as though this time, he knew exactly who he was calling.

And she grabbed onto him like a lifeline. She latched onto that name. If she didn't, who knew when she would have another chance. In her mind, the man she clung to was her brother. This voice calling her was not his voice. The name he called wasn't her name.

Yeosin is always Yeosin. Kiku is always Kiku. Family is always family.

She sniffed.

You found me, Kiku!

She smiled into the dark.

"He has returned your name, but it is already too late. Your time is up. Now the real game begins, Yeosin."

No! We've won! Go away!

"Did you think it would be that easy? That finding each other would be enough?"

A slow, cold laugh echoed in the darkness.

"Tell me Yeosin, can such a conflicted samurai pull an Empress from the Isle of Insanity?"

What?

"You mean you haven't realized it yet, Yeosin?" the broken woman laughed harder.

Stop laughing!

"You came too late, Chrysanthemum."

And somewhere, a bell began to chime.

"Your time is up. Now guess. Who is it you have found?"