All of the World
Li Syaoran
Kinomoto woke, her head groggy and pounding, outside in the dark. She was held at two sides and tightly bound and gagged. In front, Sato stood, clad in the Communist uniform next to an older-looking man. If she had not known he was a spy before, she would have known then. He was adjusting his collar in the dark, looking very tired. The first few sentences he said were muffled by the pounding in her head, but as she gathered her wits, she started making out what he was saying.
" Her brother and father are both top notch leaders for the Japs." Li was saying. " She might not look like much, but you don't see female Lieutenants in any army. Killing her would be synonymous to throwing away a weapon."
Terror bloomed in her bosom as she realized what he was saying. Using her as leverage…the damned bastard!
" A weapon for the Japs, as well as for us." Someone else was saying—not the older man, some younger-looking guy with a round head and a scar on his brow. " If she runs away she knows everything about us."
" Like what, how many men? What weapons we have?"
" Where we're located."
" We keep her tied up." Li gestured. " Someone could watch her, in shifts. Make sure she doesn't commit suicide and blow our chances of leverage." The man with the scar rolled his eyes at this. " Du, we kill her, we have nothing. Which is harmless, but listen, if the Kinomotos gather together to skewer us, we would just have to meet them head on. If we keep her alive, the Kinomotos would be extra careful."
The nerve! But Kinomoto could not help but marvel at how cunning Li was.
" Yeah, extra careful to sneak in spies."
" They're already sneaking in spies. We seriously lose nothing."
" Food? Water? We have to keep her alive. Alive as in, alive and breathing. Our comrades already live on minimal resources. We're going to divide it with this slut?"
Filthy wretches! Kinomoto cursed in her mind, but was too weak to make any motion. Li looked over to her and they made eye contact. To her fury, he did not acknowledge her.
" She's a woman." Said someone else. " They have tiny stomachs. Not to mention, she's gonna be lounging around in the cell all day. No need to give her a lot. Water every three days, food every week…"
Li scowled. " No. We treat her as a normal prisoner. Water every day and such. She's only one extra. The comrades won't weep over a crumb less each day. Not to mention, we want her well, if the Kinomotos are ever going to believe they would get her back."
" You mean to give her back to them?"
" Of course not." Li huffed. " I'm not stupid."
" Yeah? Well you're going soft."
Li took a swipe at the offender, who ducked just in time.
" I'll have you know," The young man spat vehemently, " There is no way in hell I would go soft on this bitch."
" You're going soft already." Someone pointed out. " Water everyday? Treat her as a normal prisoner?"
" That has nothing to do with being soft! We are Chinese! Withholding food and water is something a Japanese fiend would do!"
" He is right." Said the older man. " On all accounts. Keeping her alive comes as little cost to us, as well as treating her as a regular prisoner. We are fighting against the Japanese, gentlemen. We must also fight against what they represent. If there are any doubts to Comrade Li's hatred of the Japanese, I will personally vouch for him. His father was torn to pieces with a hook as he and his mother and sisters looked by. His mother died from exhaustion and his sisters committed suicide after being raped by the Japanese soldiers." He then added, good-naturedly, " Anyone who doubts Comrade Li's loyalties to the cause would have their intelligence sternly insulted. We have all suffered under their oppression. That is why we are here. However, there is more to battle and more to war than rage and hatred. We have to have strategy."
" As if the Japs have any sense of familial loyalties!"
" Oh, they might." Li shot back, still smoldering from the accusation that he was soft. " You should hear how she simpers and smiles whenever she thinks of her brother." Kinomoto jerked at this—the statement was like a blow to the chest. " Her 'Oni-san' is like, God on Earth."
" Oh, but they simper and smile while their relatives are safe and sound. As soon as they're in danger though, they abandon them."
Nani?! Kinomoto growled, but under the blanket of rage and indignation was the fear that Li's strategy would work—that her father and brother would fall into the trap these Communist bastards were laying out, all for the love of her. As if they would fall into these idiots' hands! The proud, Japanese part of her objected, but then the rational part of her mind pointed out, The Communists may be idiots, but this Comrade Li isn't.
" Well, if they do turn out to be completely soulless beings even to their own," Li sniffed, " We can just kill her then. Same waste of bullets, just a few mouthfuls of food and water, that's all. But trust me. When I was pretending to be half-Japanese, she treated me like you guys treat me. Garden walks and all." He sneered.
" You foul ingrate!" Kinomoto finally could not stand it anymore. " I treated you as a brother!"
" I don't make a habit of conversing with lowlives," Li turned to her, sneering even more. " But I must object to your last statement. You did not treat me as a brother. Had you truly treated me as a brother, you would have remembered that my mother was Chinese, and that my people included those women you sent your soldiers out for a day of rampage and rape!" And suddenly he was upon her, tall and terrible, and his hand grasped her chin in a crushing grip. " You are a filthy dog, and if I were you I'd keep my mouth shut, because I just extended your miserable existence by a few weeks, and filled with water and food to boot!"
He jerked her head to the side harshly enough to almost break her neck, his amber eyes smoldering with unrestrained hate. Then, for a good measure, he punched her in the nose.
" Fuck." He said, as he made himself step back, " That felt as good as cocking her on the head would've been."
" I had the pleasure of doing that." Said someone else, presumably the actual man who cocked her on the head.
" Do any more and you won't be able to stop, and neither would we." The older man rested his hand on the younger man's shoulder. " You've had it rough, Comrade Li. No more talking to her. She has nothing to say, but a snake's tongue can still provoke, as she's done already. The rest of you, none of you are to listen to her or to speak to her. Take her away. We'll be announcing the capture of Lt. Kinomoto to headquarters."
Nose bleeding and disoriented, Kinomoto looked at Li Syaoran, who had his back turned. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and every inch the Sato Masato she had known. Except he was not half-Japanese, nor did he love Japan, and his family was not killed by the Communists, but by the Japanese. He had shown his strength of mind in the last few minutes, and his strength of honor. She could not hate him, and she shook with self-loathing.
oO
Feng found Syaoran weeping angrily in his bunk. By the time Syaoran noticed he was no longer alone, it was too late.
" Dude, I'm sorry about earlier." Feng began lousily. " When I said you were going soft, I didn't mean that." He held out a handkerchief for the other man.
This time Syaoran was no longer just glaring because of how rude Feng had been.
" Hey," Feng grinned nervously, " Your nose is running."
With a scowl, Syaoran snatched the handkerchief from Feng and blew his nose on it. " You're a downright prick."
" Yeah, I know. But honest, I really didn't mean to say you were going soft on a Jap. I just meant you were going soft on a woman. I mean, she is a woman."
" I'm not that stupid, you moron."
" Yeah, I know you're not that stupid, but that whole honor code of yours. Although," Feng chuckled, " You sure landed a blow on her, despite your ' I'll never hit a woman' thing."
" She's not a woman. She's a bitch. A dog."
" Yeah, yeah. So, bros?" He held out his hand.
Syaoran punched lightly at Feng's palm with one fist while balling up the handkerchief with the other. " You mention this to anyone, I'll kick your ass."
" Pfft, who would believe me?" Feng grinned, as Syaoran wiped the remaining tears from his face. " Come on. Other comrades and I are really glad to have you back. We're planning on scrapping some beer and setting up a campfire to celebrate."
" Oh, so this is just an excuse to go drink, this whole ' I'm sorry' spiel?"
" Oh come on. You do need to get drunk."
" Fuck you."
" Sounds like you're the one who needs to get laid."
Syaoran aimed a few punches at him, though he was unable to wipe the smile growing on his face. Feng laughed as he dodged and blocked them, before heading to the door. " Come on. Let's go."
" Son of a bitch." Syaoran rolled his eyes as he put on his shoes.
oO
There was not even an interrogation. The laboratory had been entirely demolished, and that was her primary mission. She had failed, and in doing so, they really did not need her other than to target her brother and father. The men who watched her followed the orders—they did not heed her questions or demands, nor did they speak to her. Instead they sat outside her cell, playing poker and smoking. They did not even drink.
Miserable and frightened, Kinomoto tried to calm herself. If nothing else, she had to think of some way to get out of this god-forsaken hellhole. Unfortunately, Li had had thought of that too. Her wrists were firmly bound behind her, and all sharp objects removed. Does that man think of everything?
" Got to admire that Li Syaoran." Said one of the men watching her. " You could tell, he really wanted to slit her throat."
" Who wouldn't? Can't imagine how it was, up close and personal and having to act all that shit."
" Yeah."
" What's Old Shen up to? He said he wanted to talk to Li about something."
" Dunno."
" Gonna be interesting, the next few days."
" Yeah."
Kinomoto fell asleep at some point, heart heavy with indignation and terror. When she next woke, two new men were hovering over her, and before she could react, they had jerked her upright. Fear spiked in her when one of them reached for her collar and jerked it open.
" Get off me you wretch!" She screamed, only to get punched in the face by the other guard.
" Ha, speaks Chinese, does she?" Said the first, spitting a mouthful of phlegm. " Don't like it so much when it's happening to you, do ya? Sending off your scum to rape innocent women in Ningbo—ironic, isn't it, that you're about to get your own piece!"
Mind numb with terror, Kinomoto screamed as they tore at her clothes again. Unable to move her hands or feet, she yanked her head forwards and tried to bite them.
" Huh! Bitch bites like a dog!"
" Gag her with hay!" And they reached for a handful of hay and stuffed it harshly in her mouth.
Kinomoto twisted. Iie, iie, she would not be taken by these filthy beasts! Thrashing wildly, she head-butted, kicked, spitting out the foul hay as she did, but they were two full-grown men and tore open her coat and blouse and groped her breasts. Pretty soon they had undone her belt and slid their thick fingers beneath her underwear. She tried to knee them but they merely punched her in the face, disorienting her.
" What the fuck is going on here?"
The men turned around. " Yo, Li," Said one, " Just giving her what she gave us. You know what I mean?" The two laughed.
Li Syaoran stepped inside and scowled horribly. " What do you think you're doing?" He asked, his voice low and dangerous.
Kinomoto was breathing heavily, heart thudding so fast in her chest that she thought she would pass out. She did not hear their answer, but she did hear what Li said next.
" I can't believe this." He did sound disbelieving. " Are you a Chinese comrade or are you a filthy Jap?"
" What?" The two men released her then, uncertain.
" And for god's sake, put her clothes back on!"
Silence descended. Her clothes were in tatters.
" I can't believe this." Li said again. " Get her some clothes. All you people complain to me about how we have to give her stuff and you end up forcing us to give her more. Well? Go get her some clothes! I'll stay here."
Miserable and shivering in the night air, nearly naked as she was, Kinomoto sobbed wretchedly, trembling.
" Oh come." Li said to her, almost light-heartedly. " It isn't so bad. No worse than what you did to the women of Ningbo, at any rate. You didn't scream any louder than they did."
Kinomoto found herself unable to cry after that. A strange kind of amusement bubbled in her, and she started laughing instead, hysterically.
Li did not seem bothered. When the other two men entered, he merely stepped into the cell.
" Cut the ropes." He told the other men, who promptly did so.
All at once, Kinomoto realized that now was her chance. She put on the clothes as Li turned his back on her, ordering the men out.
" I will take this shift." He said. " Give me the ropes."
" Sir—"
" I said give me the ropes." Li repeated. " Or I'll take this to Shen. You're lucky I was just in time."
Kinomoto waited until the two men left the building before striking at Li—but Li had anticipated her move, again, and blocked. She lunged again, determined not to fail this time, but he matched her move, and within seconds had her pinned.
No words now—he tied her up quickly and did not speak of her escape attempt. He merely tossed her bodily onto the hay and walked out of the cell, locking it behind him. He drew out a book as he sat down at the table where the two men had previously been playing cards, and began reading.
" You don't have to keep me tied up," Kinomoto said after a moment, desperation making her rash.
Li did not answer her.
She sighed in frustration. " I'm already locked up in the cell. I can't get anywhere!"
He turned a page. His face was an impossibly cold mask. She could see no emotion in his expression.
" Oh come on!" She wailed. " These bonds are too tight!"
He had tuned her out though. After a few minutes he turned another page. He was not going to fall for any of her tricks, at all.
Kinomoto leaned back, the shock of the past few minutes finally wearing off in the silence. Her mind went over the past few minutes slower this time. She had nearly been raped…and Sato—iie, Li, had saved her.
Li Syaoran. The same Li Syaoran that had eluded her months ago, setting their own missiles at the Japanese troop. She had heard he was wily and dangerous. Would wonders never cease?
Still a noble warrior.
Not just noble though. Deviously intelligent. She looked upon his handsome face, lit only by the candle next to his book. A funny feeling of peace settled over her heart. She was going to die. She was probably going to cause the deaths of her brother and her father. But if they were all going to die, it is probably no shame that they would to this young fellow. In fact, to have met such a rival in her lifetime…
Well, she could accept that.