Disclaimer: Hetalia is the property of Himaruya Hidekaz and its other respected copyright owners. The plot for this fiction, however, belongs to me.
A/N: This story was inspired by the video Battle of Hetalia posted by そんぐ にこon YouTube.
Special thanks to Photosoph of Deviant Art for helping me proof read this chapter.
Destiny's End
by
Phoenix Hoshika
Chapter One
China sat in his house leisurely sipping the tapioca milkshake he had made. It was a holiday and one of few he was allowed to rest on. He was enjoying the view outside his window when a horrifying thought occurred to him. Did Korea have the same day off? China Nearly fell out of his seat from the sudden wave of anxiety that hit him. Sitting up he swept his arm across the desk he had his feet propped up on hastily knocking the papers on top of it away. He peered down at the calendar that was under those papers for a moment before sighing with relief. Putting his feet back up he resumed sipping his milkshake.
Somewhere in Northern Korea the night before...
He had done it again. Korea had snuck into one of the prison camps without either of his bosses knowing. Every hair on his body, except for the spirited curl on his head he had braided down, stood on end as he crept through the dark coal mine. Whenever he saw someone coming he'd hunch over and pretend to be working, praying no one would give him a second or even first glance. Perhaps the nation would have been less on edge if he didn't tower over everyone there when he stood up straight. Braiding down Jeongsin would mean nothing if his height gave him away, yet he regularly made the dangerous trek into such places. Slowly, carefully, he made his way through the tunnels until he found the one whom he was looking for. His heart lightened and a smile threatened to stretch across his face at seeing the man he had came to find, he had come to help escape. Unnoticed by the guards Korea tapped the man on his shoulder as he walked by. The man promptly followed him. By the time the guards noticed a worker was missing it was too late. The two men were running with all of their might toward the electrified fence that surrounded the camp. Korea set the pace and the shorter man had no problem keeping up. Their bare racing feet were not hampered by the frozen snow covered ground nor the strong gusts of wind that pelted them with large flakes of falling snow.
"Just a little further." Korea thought looking down at the watch around his wrist that until that point was hidden under a long dirty sleeve. He had planned the escape down to the millisecond. He knew when the power would go out and exactly how long he and his companion had to get through the barbed electric fence before it came back on. Stopping at the fence Korea parted the wires with his bare hands creating an opening for the man with him to crawl through.
"Hurry!" Korea said to the man who seemed a bit hesitant to go through the gap.
The crack of a gun being fired rang through the air. Korea watched in disbelief as the man beside him fell to his knees. He had seen it many many times before. Korea knew when a person was dead and when they weren't. The life of the man he had come to rescue had drained away before he hit the ground, but Korea refused to acknowledge it. He refused to belief it. There wasn't much time left. Korea grabbed the man's lifeless body and pulled it through the fence with him. The barbed wire ripped through the tattered and dirty shirt he wore tearing deep into his skin, but there was no time to pause or consider the pain. On the other side of the fence Korea hoisted the man's body around his shoulders and took off running as if his life depended on it because it sort of did.
The falling of the snow had become utterly blinding. Korea's pursuers had long since given up their chase. Exhausted he finally stopped running when his legs gave away under him. He called the name of the man he was carrying repeatedly, but no matter how loudly Korea called out to him the lifeless man did not answer. Why couldn't it have been him that were shot? As a nation he could have taken the fatal blow and survived. Korea looked down into the lifeless eyes of the one he held and began to cry. Closing the man's eyes Korea sobbed long and hard as he continued to hold the lifeless man in his arms. He had seen it many many times before, he had seen it en mass; lifeless bodies scattered here and there, piled on top of each other, shot to death, stabbed, mutilated. Perhaps if the man hadn't reminded him so much of her he could have taken the loss of yet another life with much greater ease. After all, many of the attempts he had made to help his people escape often ended in failure, but how long would so many continue to slip through his fingers?
The next day at China's house...
China sat at his desk leisurely drinking the tapioca milkshake he had made. Rest assured he wouldn't be seeing the hyper-active nation he shared a border with the ancient nation could breathe with ease. China fell backwards onto the floor out of the chair he was leaning back in when someone suddenly started banging on his front door.
"Bro, open up!" Korea called as he continued banging on China's door.
China cringed, but picked himself up off the floor, went to door, and opened it. "Aiyaah!" China exclaimed when he saw the state the Korean had come to his house in.
"Bro, I need to ask you a favor." Korea said in his usual upbeat tone, but China could tell from the condition he was in and expression on his face Korea was not in a happy mood.
"Ask me later. You're bleeding all over the place." China said ushering him in. He quickly took Korea into the bathroom.
"Bro, could you listen to me for a moment?" Korea insisted as China removed the tattered and dirty blood soaked clothing from his body.
"Let's get you cleaned up and take care of your wounds first." China said as he motioned for Korea to sit.
Offering no further protest Korea sat down and allowed China to bathe him and dress his wounds.
"There, all done." China said as he fastened the last bandage around Korea's chest.
"Bro, I really need your help with something." Korea said.
"Are you hungry? I have some left over dim sum." China said ignoring his statement.
"China listen!" Korea boomed rising to his feet.
"You don't have to yell." China said seeing he was no longer able to avoid the discussion he knew was coming.
"Bro, please. I really need you to talk to your boss for me."
"About what?" China asked hoping against hope it wasn't what he thought it was.
"You know what. I can't do this anymore without your help."
"If I ask do you know how much trouble I could get in?"
"Yes, I know but I'm desperate. Please bro. I can't stand seeing them suffer like this any longer!" Korea said as tears streamed from his face.
"It's pointless you know they'll just say no." China said feeling sympathy for the weeping nation.
"You have to at least try!" Korea said getting a hold of the tears coming from his face.
"In the last five thousand years I've been through many things. I've been divided and invaded more times than I can remember. I don't think there is anyone that understands how you are feeling right now more than I do. You've been around a while yourself, you know how things work. You just have to ride it out."
Korea couldn't take it any longer. Without a word he punched China in the face dropping him to the floor. Holding his jaw China looked up at Korea shocked. "I've always respected you, because yes you have been through a lot, but tell me has any part of your country ever been called "The End Of The World"? Has your country ever been so absolutely divided that death was the most likely outcome waiting for those trying to escape the part that has more prisons than actual cities? Have you ever been famous for having the most active land mines on the planet? The other nations want nothing to do with me half of the time and don't think I don't know that includes you as well. Despite how your bosses have been acting everyone still loves you. Until recently people barely knew I existed. Millions of my people die and the world forgets! You demand an apology from Japan's bosses and you get acknowledged. I demand one and I'm either ignored or called a whiner. One of my bosses wouldn't think twice about putting me in front of a firing squad and the other practically ignores me. I'm fed up with both of them!" Korea raged.
China stood up still holding his sore face. "I thought you liked your southern bosses' policies. You did fight for them after all."
Breathing heavily Korea seemed to calm down for a moment. "I do I believe in them with all my heart, but I want to express the pride I have for my northern side as well! North Korean women are hot!"
China hit the floor this time knocked over by Korea's words. "If you say so." China said wearily as he stood back up.
"Don't deny it!"
"I'm too old to care or pay attention to that sort of thing anymore." China responded.
"Let's see your internet history." Korea said walking over to China's computer."
China scurried over to the power cord and yanked it from the wall. "Stop trying to go through my private things!" China said breaking out into a cold sweat.
"What are you afraid I'm going to find?"
"Nothing, but what happened to that respect for elders you're always toting around?"
Sighing Korea backed off and sat back down on China's bed.
"These modern times are rough, but things will get better you'll see." China said trying to comfort his friend. Instead, for reasons unknown to him, his words had the opposite effect. China found himself on the floor spitting out a couple of teeth and a good amount of blood. "Are you crazy? Stop it before our bosses start fighting!"
"Who gives a shit about bosses anymore? In these modern times all they are doing is helping people hurt and kill each other without even worrying about actually having to look at one another." Walking back over to China's computer he rested his hand on the monitor. "The internet lets us communicate with people a world away but it also cuts us off from them. To hell with bosses." Korea said then spun around. "On second thought I don't need your help."
"What are you going to do?" China asked worried.
"I'm going to free my people myself!"
"You can't do that." China said standing up.
"Watch me." Korea said as he moved toward the door.
"Stop!" China said dashing in front of him. "We have to do what our bosses tell us to do. Unlike you I don't have a choice over which boss I get to follow. You need to be patient and give it time!"
"We're the countries not them! All they've done is make us fight one another, make our people hate one another, make our people hate themselves! I've had enough!"
"You aren't thinking straight. Listen, how about me and you go hang out at Canada's house for a while?" China offered hoping to calm the Korean's temper.
"Nice try, but I've made up my mind."
"I know how you feel, but I can't let you do this. You'll only make things worse for yourself!"
"Says who?" Korea shot back.
China was stumped. He couldn't remember why, but he knew a country trying to run itself would only bring about chaos and more suffering to its people than any will or invention of normal humans could put them through. "If you're planning to go through with this you'll have to go through me." China said taking a fighting stance.
"We both know I'm in way better shape than you. Are you sure you want do this?" Korea said taking a fighting stance of his own.
"You annoy me to no end. I can't stand being around you MORE than half the time, but you're my little brother. I can't let you do this to yourself."
"Fine, have it your way."
~ To be continued ~
A/N: Please see the documentary "Escaping North Korea" by BBC and the documentary video or book "Escaping Camp 14".
The her Korea refers to is Queen Min/Empress Myeongseong. My head cannon is that he had feelings toward her like a child would toward their mother. Her assassination was beyond wicked. The Chosunilbo's English website has published several short articles regarding the Queen's murder. Assassin's Grandson Speaks of Emotional Journey and The Sobering Truth of Empress Myeongseong's Killing are just two of the articles they have published.
IMPORTANT!
The next chapter really touches on some sensitive historical events. If certain things tend to really get to and upset you please skip that chapter so we all can remain friendly toward one another.