For Ten Thousand Years, 4/5
anonymous
January 28 2009, 02:14:39 UTC
“Rest assured -”
“Su,” Yong Jun interjected, entering through another door. “I’ll take care of this. His Majesty and His Highness are still alive and they need you. Go!”
Yong Su glanced to Kiku again, then to his brother, and fled.
Now it was Yong Jun’s turn to stare, not taking his eyes from him until the sounds of flight faded away with distance. “Get out.”
“What?”
“I know you heard me. I’ve seen the way you look at him.”
He’d tried to throw Kiku out before, after the failed coup, and yet here Kiku was now. “I believe you are mistaken. I have no such designs -”
“That was what France said.”
“I did not -”
“I knew his game, and I know yours. You won’t have him. You won’t use him. Get out!”
Kiku bowed and withdrew for the time being.
***
“Your brother said you got these ideas from Jones-san.”
“We did. We have a right to decide, and we decided -”
“Su-kun.”
“Don’t call me that. My brothers call me that.”
“You must understand that Jones-san and his president were speaking of elsewhere, of those who were ready.”
“Where did he say that?” Yong Su demanded. His childish refusal to open his eyes bordered on absurd. Kiku didn’t laugh. “Tell me where he said that.”
“He didn’t say it, in so many words. He showed it, by his agreement with me.”
“No.”
He snapped off the word immediately, but despite his closed eyes Kiku could see him realize how flimsy the denial was. The proof was in Alfred’s lack of action.
“Ah,” said Kiku, beginning to realize in turn, “Did you think perhaps that he would hear of unarmed crowds under attack -”
Yong Su made a small strangled noise.
“- and rush to the rescue?”
The same noise emerged from the back of his throat. Kiku’s grip tightened, thwarting his attempt to jerk his head away.
“He is aware you don’t need rescuing.”
“No.”
“I can’t say it was very wise of you. Either of you. I might even call it wasteful.”
Under his fingers, Kiku felt Yong Su’s face contort. “I didn’t want it to happen! Not that way! You’re the one who -”
“Shh.”
“Don’t tell me shh!”
However tall he was now Yong Su remained injured, remained weak, and by moving just before the other renewed his struggles in earnest, Kiku managed to pin him to the floor before he caused any damage. Yong Su writhed on his stomach underneath him and screamed as though he were being murdered.
***
“Let me go!”
“I don’t believe you’ve been to my house for a long time now. I’ve made improvements since then. I hope you will enjoy them.”
“I don’t care about your stupid house!” After the annexation was finalized it had taken some time to track down and subdue Yong Su, whose natural knowledge of his land had given him a temporary advantage. And now, when he was bound at wrists and ankles and further tied to a chair in a cabin of a ship about to leave harbor, he still refused to give up. “I don’t want it! I hate you! What’ve you done to Jun? Let me go!”
“What you want does not always coincide with what you need,” Kiku told him, turning away so that Yong Su would not see how this lesson also applied to him. He reminded himself of the lesson repeatedly as he went through his papers, listening as the shouts and the thump-thump of feet kicking against the chair legs slowly died down.
When the shouts started up again he picked up the bamboo rod in the corner and told them both as he applied it that this would work out for the best, in the end.
***
“This is for the best.” He thought his sight might be blurring. “You may not see it now, but it’s for the best.”
“No. No.”
But he had exhausted himself by now, lay still and unresisting, and Kiku, near-equally exhausted he thought, lay atop him and whispered, “You’ve grown so much already. There have been setbacks, regrettable setbacks, but all things considered, I’m proud of you.”
“If you’re so proud why don’t you -”
“Shh, shh. You know that I can’t do that. But things will be better now. I promise you. Things will be better.”
“No,” he said once more, audibly faltering now. Kiku rejoiced.
“Su,” Yong Jun interjected, entering through another door. “I’ll take care of this. His Majesty and His Highness are still alive and they need you. Go!”
Yong Su glanced to Kiku again, then to his brother, and fled.
Now it was Yong Jun’s turn to stare, not taking his eyes from him until the sounds of flight faded away with distance. “Get out.”
“What?”
“I know you heard me. I’ve seen the way you look at him.”
He’d tried to throw Kiku out before, after the failed coup, and yet here Kiku was now. “I believe you are mistaken. I have no such designs -”
“That was what France said.”
“I did not -”
“I knew his game, and I know yours. You won’t have him. You won’t use him. Get out!”
Kiku bowed and withdrew for the time being.
***
“Your brother said you got these ideas from Jones-san.”
“We did. We have a right to decide, and we decided -”
“Su-kun.”
“Don’t call me that. My brothers call me that.”
“You must understand that Jones-san and his president were speaking of elsewhere, of those who were ready.”
“Where did he say that?” Yong Su demanded. His childish refusal to open his eyes bordered on absurd. Kiku didn’t laugh. “Tell me where he said that.”
“He didn’t say it, in so many words. He showed it, by his agreement with me.”
“No.”
He snapped off the word immediately, but despite his closed eyes Kiku could see him realize how flimsy the denial was. The proof was in Alfred’s lack of action.
“Ah,” said Kiku, beginning to realize in turn, “Did you think perhaps that he would hear of unarmed crowds under attack -”
Yong Su made a small strangled noise.
“- and rush to the rescue?”
The same noise emerged from the back of his throat. Kiku’s grip tightened, thwarting his attempt to jerk his head away.
“He is aware you don’t need rescuing.”
“No.”
“I can’t say it was very wise of you. Either of you. I might even call it wasteful.”
Under his fingers, Kiku felt Yong Su’s face contort. “I didn’t want it to happen! Not that way! You’re the one who -”
“Shh.”
“Don’t tell me shh!”
However tall he was now Yong Su remained injured, remained weak, and by moving just before the other renewed his struggles in earnest, Kiku managed to pin him to the floor before he caused any damage. Yong Su writhed on his stomach underneath him and screamed as though he were being murdered.
***
“Let me go!”
“I don’t believe you’ve been to my house for a long time now. I’ve made improvements since then. I hope you will enjoy them.”
“I don’t care about your stupid house!” After the annexation was finalized it had taken some time to track down and subdue Yong Su, whose natural knowledge of his land had given him a temporary advantage. And now, when he was bound at wrists and ankles and further tied to a chair in a cabin of a ship about to leave harbor, he still refused to give up. “I don’t want it! I hate you! What’ve you done to Jun? Let me go!”
“What you want does not always coincide with what you need,” Kiku told him, turning away so that Yong Su would not see how this lesson also applied to him. He reminded himself of the lesson repeatedly as he went through his papers, listening as the shouts and the thump-thump of feet kicking against the chair legs slowly died down.
When the shouts started up again he picked up the bamboo rod in the corner and told them both as he applied it that this would work out for the best, in the end.
***
“This is for the best.” He thought his sight might be blurring. “You may not see it now, but it’s for the best.”
“No. No.”
But he had exhausted himself by now, lay still and unresisting, and Kiku, near-equally exhausted he thought, lay atop him and whispered, “You’ve grown so much already. There have been setbacks, regrettable setbacks, but all things considered, I’m proud of you.”
“If you’re so proud why don’t you -”
“Shh, shh. You know that I can’t do that. But things will be better now. I promise you. Things will be better.”
“No,” he said once more, audibly faltering now. Kiku rejoiced.
“Please, look at me.”
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