General Sumihara Kaede, supreme commander of the People’s Republic Liberation Army, knew that her younger brother would soon be dead. Sumihara Hotaka had always been frail of constitution and not much stronger-looking in appearance, and while physical strength was not a prerequisite for leadership of the nation, a strong and iron will most definitely was. After the death of Dear Leader Choe Il-Jong, Hotaka had been catapulted into the position due to the stranglehold his father held over the Politburo of Marsh, and while there was no way that the boy would be able to fill the legendary Choe’s shoes, it was not necessary as long as old man Sumihara was alive and exerting his influence. And now the Sumihara patriarch was dead. Not of assassination, but of simple pneumonia gone unnoticed until it was too late for the antibiotics to help.
The funeral had been well-attended and the brigade of mourners comported themselves well, crying forcefully but not so much that their wails overshadowed the shrieking and emotionality of Choe’s funeral. The other generals and party leaders of the Politburo had also paid their politely tearful respects, trying not to grin at the fact that now the old Dragon had left this earth and they were free to seize control from that weak little brat they called “Dear Leader” only because to not do so was punishable by execution. Already, next to Choe Il-Jong’s coffin, deals were being struck and plans being made to get rid of Hotaka once and for all. It would be supremely easy – the hard part was dividing up the shares of power.
Kaede, on the other hand had little to fear herself. She had been the natural choice for supreme commander of the military, after all. In fact, she had been considered for head of state after the death of Choe, but her father would never have allowed it. The Dear Leader of Marsh must always, he sternly told her, be a strong and willful man. The philosophy of juche demanded that the leader be free of such middling concerns as pregnancy or periods or womanly emotionality. Kaede had hated her father for his old-fashioned sexism and bluster, but she did not hate him for wanting her brother to be Dear Leader. Her only concern was that when the old bastard died, Hotaka would have to quickly seize control or perish.
The day’s session of the Politburo had ended as one might expect. The party leaders and generals had drafted up their plans, and no one had even sought to get Hotaka’s acknowledgement or approval throughout the meeting. He was being purposefully ignored, and in their minds, he quite possibly didn’t exist anymore. If Choe Il-Jong had been subjected to such treatment, he would have pulled out his Tokarev and executed the rest of the Politburo right there, but Hotaka was not that sort of man. Hence, when he returned to his chambers, he shook like a leaf, and was drenched in sweat.
Kaede was already present, languidly resting in a chair in her beloved brother’s room and, of all things, knitting.
“Nii-nii, look what I made for you,” she said, showing him a half-scarf that she had begun a week ago. “Nii-nii” of course was a childish thing for a little sister to call her brother, but in the privacy of the Dear Leader’s personal chamber, she could say anything she wanted, especially with family. Hotaka bravely attempted to swallow his fear, and came up to her, gently taking the scarf.
“That’s wonderful, Kaede-chan,” he stammered. She flushed with pride.
“I’m glad you like it. I was kind of thinking that I’d make this one extra-long so we could, you know…wear it together,” she said, blushing a bit. “Ah, sorry, it’s kind of one of those things that looks great on paper but maybe doesn’t work out in real life!” she said, chuckling.
“Kaede-chan, I’d try it out with you, though,” said Hotaka, somewhat forgetting his troubles. She gently took the scarf back and continued to knit.
“They ignored you at the session today. Why did you not chide them? Why did you not discipline them for their temerity, nii-nii?” she asked, finally, amid the click-clack of her knitting. Hotaka’s face turned pale.
“I…I…I don’t know! I mean, if you felt that way, why didn’t you do something?” he asked.
“Because I’m not the Dear Leader, and you didn’t order me to, nii-nii. If I act alone, that undermines your authority, just as much as their ignoring you does,” said Kaede gently, setting the knitting aside. “If you had but said so, I would have gladly taken General Sung by the little hair he has left on his head, slammed it down on the table, and put a seven-six-two round in his brain,” she said, taking his quavering hand and kissing it. “I would have gladly boiled Commissar Ito alive as well, and sent Admiral Park on a trip to clear landmines in the demilitarized zone. Naked, of course,” she said, her breath tickling the back of his hand as she lingered there, enjoying his scent.
“But…but…I mean, those men are valuable! They have experience! I…I can’t just get rid of them! Then I will lose what support I have!” objected Hotaka.
“The Dear Leader is the only person this country needs. And I will of course be there for you, my darling,” she said, finally releasing his arm from her grasp. “Because you are the only man I need,” she said, smiling.
“I want to do right by the people, Kaede-chan. I want them to be happy. I want us to…to not waste all of our money on a fight that will never happen while they are forced to eat their own children to survive!” he said, grasping at his hair miserably.
“I know, nii-nii. And I agree with you, but you have to take control of those men or they will never listen to you,” she said, shaking her head. This only sent Hotaka into further distress.
“I never wanted this! You should have been the Dear Leader, not me! I can’t handle it! I’m too weak! They’re going to kill me, I know it. They’ll kill us both!” He burst into tears and collapsed in front of her, knees on the floor and his head resting in her lap and soaking her uniform pants with his tears.
“Nii-nii, as long as I’m alive, no one will ever hurt you, I promise that,” said Kaede, gently running her fingers through his silken hair. Her beloved weakling of a brother was baring his vulnerable soul to her, and taking comfort in her strength as well as her gentle embrace. Looking down at his head as she stroked it, she could not help but let out a genuine smile. For her, this was as close to pure bliss as was possible in life. By all logic she should have hated him for his lack of muster – after all, she respected strength above all else. But the bonds of sibling love defied logic at the same time. They were stronger than any carnal attraction she had ever felt for any man, and much longer-lasting.
“Kaede-chan, I’m afraid. I’m so damned afraid,” he sobbed. She gently took him by the face and lifted it till she was gazing benevolently and somewhat…obsessively down at him.
“I will deal with the Politburo, nii-nii. I will give them something else to worry about, and failing that, simply kill them all. No one touches my lovely onii-chan but me,” she said, before kissing him passionately on the lips.
The funeral had been well-attended and the brigade of mourners comported themselves well, crying forcefully but not so much that their wails overshadowed the shrieking and emotionality of Choe’s funeral. The other generals and party leaders of the Politburo had also paid their politely tearful respects, trying not to grin at the fact that now the old Dragon had left this earth and they were free to seize control from that weak little brat they called “Dear Leader” only because to not do so was punishable by execution. Already, next to Choe Il-Jong’s coffin, deals were being struck and plans being made to get rid of Hotaka once and for all. It would be supremely easy – the hard part was dividing up the shares of power.
Kaede, on the other hand had little to fear herself. She had been the natural choice for supreme commander of the military, after all. In fact, she had been considered for head of state after the death of Choe, but her father would never have allowed it. The Dear Leader of Marsh must always, he sternly told her, be a strong and willful man. The philosophy of juche demanded that the leader be free of such middling concerns as pregnancy or periods or womanly emotionality. Kaede had hated her father for his old-fashioned sexism and bluster, but she did not hate him for wanting her brother to be Dear Leader. Her only concern was that when the old bastard died, Hotaka would have to quickly seize control or perish.
The day’s session of the Politburo had ended as one might expect. The party leaders and generals had drafted up their plans, and no one had even sought to get Hotaka’s acknowledgement or approval throughout the meeting. He was being purposefully ignored, and in their minds, he quite possibly didn’t exist anymore. If Choe Il-Jong had been subjected to such treatment, he would have pulled out his Tokarev and executed the rest of the Politburo right there, but Hotaka was not that sort of man. Hence, when he returned to his chambers, he shook like a leaf, and was drenched in sweat.
Kaede was already present, languidly resting in a chair in her beloved brother’s room and, of all things, knitting.
“I’m glad you like it. I was kind of thinking that I’d make this one extra-long so we could, you know…wear it together,” she said, blushing a bit. “Ah, sorry, it’s kind of one of those things that looks great on paper but maybe doesn’t work out in real life!” she said, chuckling.
“Kaede-chan, I’d try it out with you, though,” said Hotaka, somewhat forgetting his troubles. She gently took the scarf back and continued to knit.
“They ignored you at the session today. Why did you not chide them? Why did you not discipline them for their temerity, nii-nii?” she asked, finally, amid the click-clack of her knitting. Hotaka’s face turned pale.
“I…I…I don’t know! I mean, if you felt that way, why didn’t you do something?” he asked.
“Because I’m not the Dear Leader, and you didn’t order me to, nii-nii. If I act alone, that undermines your authority, just as much as their ignoring you does,” said Kaede gently, setting the knitting aside. “If you had but said so, I would have gladly taken General Sung by the little hair he has left on his head, slammed it down on the table, and put a seven-six-two round in his brain,” she said, taking his quavering hand and kissing it. “I would have gladly boiled Commissar Ito alive as well, and sent Admiral Park on a trip to clear landmines in the demilitarized zone. Naked, of course,” she said, her breath tickling the back of his hand as she lingered there, enjoying his scent.
“But…but…I mean, those men are valuable! They have experience! I…I can’t just get rid of them! Then I will lose what support I have!” objected Hotaka.
“The Dear Leader is the only person this country needs. And I will of course be there for you, my darling,” she said, finally releasing his arm from her grasp. “Because you are the only man I need,” she said, smiling.
“I want to do right by the people, Kaede-chan. I want them to be happy. I want us to…to not waste all of our money on a fight that will never happen while they are forced to eat their own children to survive!” he said, grasping at his hair miserably.
“I know, nii-nii. And I agree with you, but you have to take control of those men or they will never listen to you,” she said, shaking her head. This only sent Hotaka into further distress.
“I never wanted this! You should have been the Dear Leader, not me! I can’t handle it! I’m too weak! They’re going to kill me, I know it. They’ll kill us both!” He burst into tears and collapsed in front of her, knees on the floor and his head resting in her lap and soaking her uniform pants with his tears.
“Nii-nii, as long as I’m alive, no one will ever hurt you, I promise that,” said Kaede, gently running her fingers through his silken hair. Her beloved weakling of a brother was baring his vulnerable soul to her, and taking comfort in her strength as well as her gentle embrace. Looking down at his head as she stroked it, she could not help but let out a genuine smile. For her, this was as close to pure bliss as was possible in life. By all logic she should have hated him for his lack of muster – after all, she respected strength above all else. But the bonds of sibling love defied logic at the same time. They were stronger than any carnal attraction she had ever felt for any man, and much longer-lasting.
“Kaede-chan, I’m afraid. I’m so damned afraid,” he sobbed. She gently took him by the face and lifted it till she was gazing benevolently and somewhat…obsessively down at him.
A few days later...