(Disclaimer just in case: the curl thing does, to my mind, count as a non-penetrative variety of rape. Since Korea here is a panicked, not-particularly-articulate, effectively-fifteen-year-old boy in the year 1944, he probably wouldn't think it should be referred to with that term, even if he feels like it was. And I feel a little bad about using a silly fandom gag in a serious manner, but hey, what else is fanfic for? I think the whole "repeated horrible deaths" thing is probably upsetting him much more in this case, but I didn't want to come across as belittling actual sexual abuse.)

Much as he wanted to slaughter every one of the Japanese doctors and guards, China kept his head down on the walk to the basement. He couldn't attract attention until he'd got his brother. Amazingly, it worked; the few personnel he passed on the way were absorbed in their own business, talking quietly to each other or reading clipboards, and none bothered to examine his face too closely.

The basement room was locked, and the door was clearly designed with a nation's strength in mind. Luckily, it was designed to keep one in, not out. China searched for the alarm, and ripped out the wires, ignoring the electric shock; it stung, but it wasn't enough to kill him, and the burns healed up even as he watched. A few solid kicks ripped out the door hinges, and he was in. The room was dark.

"Korea? Korea!"

Korea was dangling from a hook in the ceiling, a thin rope cutting into his neck and heavy cuffs on his wrists and ankles. He wore a thin hospital gown, too short and wide for him, and China had to laugh at the idea of bothering to preserve a dead man's modesty. He was stick-thin, bones protruding, and his skin was grey. He had no visible wounds anywhere but his neck, but to a nation that didn't mean much. His mouth and nose were covered with duct tape; someone had been taking no chances. China jumped up, gripped the rope, locked his ankles around Korea's knees, and swung both their weight on the rope; the hook tore out of the ceiling and dumped them both on the floor. He loosened the noose and ripped off the tape, draped Korea's body over his left arm, and thumped him on the back until he started to cough.

The bruises on Korea's neck flushed darker as his blood started flowing. Tears rose in his eyes, and he sobbed "No, please, not again!"

"No, it's okay, little brother, it's me! It's China!"

"Ch-China?" Korea blinked as China snapped the chain of his handcuffs. "No way, I'm dreaming again ..."

"No, it's me, really!" China looked Korea in the face, tears starting to gather in both their eyes. "It's okay, you're going to be okay. Just sit still for a moment ..." He grabbed the chains around Korea's legs and pulled as hard as he could; the chain was designed to contain a severely weakened nation, and it gave way soon, the end snapping back and cutting China's arm. He barely noticed. He pulled Korea into a rib-crushing hug and kissed his hair.

"Big brother? It's really you?" Korea sobbed harder and hugged back. He didn't attempt to grope China, as he usually did; he wasn't in the mood after his ordeal. China was horrified to see that the Korean Spirit was missing, not merely lying flat as he'd thought but actually severed at the scalp, leaving a tiny scar. "I-I-I missed you s-so bad! I've b-been here so long! I thought we were never gonna get out, I thought I'd never see you again!"

"It's okay, I'm getting you out of here." China held up the rope. "Why did they do this to you?"

"We tried to escape too often. They figured keeping us dead till we were needed was easier than letting us sit around and plan to escape again. Actually it's better for us too. Better than sitting in the dark all the time."

"Wait, I know we have bigger problems, but who's 'we'?"

"Balhae and me. Though she likes to be called North now." Korea tapped the side of his head. "She's here, you know. She helped a lot. We used to take turns. Let the other get a break. I'd have just protected her, but she made me let her take a turn. I can't believe they'd do that to her, she's just a little girl! I don't know if it was being here that changed her or what, but she's so angry. She wasn't like this a thousand years ago. I don't blame her. We can hear our people screaming. All the time. I think they have a lot more of yours here, though. Some of America's too. I'm sorry I couldn't help them. I tried."

China let Korea ramble until he ran out of steam and started crying into his shoulder again. China felt his own tears falling. "I'm so sorry this happened! I should have got here sooner ..."

"It's okay, we learned a lot of fun new things. Did you know after a week without food our liver starts to look delicious? Though that might just be North, I can never tell with her." Korea giggled deliriously. "Oh, uh, that thing you said a few years ago? About r-r-... that thing we thought wasn't a big deal and you said it is a big deal? Yeah, I kinda think I get it now."

"Oh, oh please no, they didn't-"

"W-well, they ... used our curl. They didn't believe me when I told them what it did. Touched it till I-I-I ... Well. Nobody actually tried to stick their dicks in us, as far as I know, I think they saved that for the girls upstairs. But ..." He shuddered. "Feels like they might as well have done. They shoved so much else in us. Everywhere. Knives. Tubes. So many fucking needles." The last word trailed off into a sob.

China, lost for words, hugged his brother tighter.

Korea paused, and tilted his head as if listening. "Um, actually North tells me someone tried something when I was out. Said if we behaved he'd give us painkillers, but it didn't go very far before she stopped him. That was the day they started leaving us chained up. She didn't tell me because she didn't want to make me feel worse." He winced. "I did wonder why we didn't feel hungry later that day."

"Okay, let's skip past the part where you explain that and get right to getting us out of here."

"What? We can't just leave! They've got so many of our people here, they're hurting them, yours too!"

"I know, it's breaking my heart to leave them, but our priority is us. We'll be no help if we're captured again." China took off the stolen labcoat and helped Korea into it. Korea shivered and pulled the coat tight around himself; like the hospital gown, it was too short, but at least it was warmer and more concealing.

"So what's the plan?" Korea asked, winding the broken cuff chains around his hands and clenching his fists.

China plucked the scalpel from his trouser pocket, slunk to listen at the door, and turned back to face Korea. "We run for our lives, and we kill anyone who gets in the way."

As China left the room, Korea's curl twisted, and a raspy whisper issued from his mouth. "Yes, brothers. We'll win our freedom with our chains."

China, in the hallway, didn't hear it. "Okay, the hallway's clear," he called back. "C'mon."

Korea and Balhae scurried after him.

"And once we're out ..." China pushed his hair back behind his ears, and his face settled into a grim expression. "I'm going to murder our brother."