Chapter 403 - 384: Setting Intentions-III

The night was cold for Shun and Shin. After the great ruckus they did, the two were punished to stay outside of their room and had to kneel in front of the peach tree outside the Old Master's room. The old Master was infuriated, after dealing with them with his great scolding, he then punished them to kneel for eight hours and sleep outside.

Kei passed by the hallways, seeing the two instead of properly kneeling were playing with the soil in front of them, he coughed once. Thinking that it was their grandfather, both Shun and Shin's back quickly straightened. But when they found it was Kei, the twin slack their backs again.

"Don't stop kneeling," Kei warned and once again they pulled themselves to straight their back. Shun and Shin's had dropped even lower at the strict tone Kei had. Usually Kei would be on their side, although he would reprimand them when they did mistake, he would also helped them by cajoling the Old Master that they have learnt from their mistakes. Yet this time he didn't, which was also why their punishment stayed longer than ever.

Kei crossed his arm, sighing. By their expression, the twins seemed to have learnt from their mistakes. They were not exactly fool either and knows what to do not to get caught but what they did was beyond dangerous that Kei could never bring himself to agree to. "You two, have you learned from your mistakes yet?"

Shun looked at Shin, signaling with his eyes that as the older brother Shin had to be the one who answered the question. Shin didn't want to. He never saw Kei getting mad at them, and like a child, the two was afraid to be scolded even further by their oldest brother. With a hesitation, Shin replied, "...We did."

Kei looked at them again, kneeling in front of him, they have become smaller which reminded him of the past when he met the twins for the first time. At that time, it was not too far from their parent's death, "Then tell me what you did wrong."

Shin was suddenly at lost for his words, Shun had answers but was not exactly proud of his answer or had the confidence to speak out. Kei somewhere knew silence would be their reaction. Since childhood, the twins would apologize for their mistake quicker than the sound a wind could produce in a windy day. But unless they feel guilty of their mistake, they wouldn't even know what they were apologizing for, just like how it is now.

Kei sighed, the sound only startled the twins and as they expected, Kei began to reproach them again, "Entering to an enemy base is that last thing you should do. Especially you, Shin! You are the next person to take the Old Master's position. Will you be able to take his seat and every burden that comes along with the responsibility he has? Everything you do could influence your clan and others. Walking there without any appointment could also seen as instigating a war."

Shun stated quiet, after some thought, the younger one realized that if anything had gone wrong more than it did yesterday, their action could lead to a worse future. Before they went, the twins had prepared an alternative plan in case if they were caught while betting whether of not they could stretch the safe zone a little.

Shin's head was dropped lower, Kei took it as a good sign until the older one raised his head, "Even if I had the chance to return time until that day, I would still do the same! Kei, you should know more than me how screw and shrewd Akasaka Haruhi was. He had killed someone in front of us with an expression of delight, and you are telling me to stay quiet, waiting for him to attack Li Lian in China along with her husband?"

Kei sighed, convincing Shin was even difficult than bending a steel or slicing a mountain to half, "Trust me, in this world there are no one other than me or the Old Master who wish for this pact to never happen. We've tried ways! Ways so that our clan wouldn't be destroyed, so no one would be killed. But Shin, what you do is-"

"Wrong?" Shin pushed himself from the ground. Seeing his brother had stood up, Shun also did the same. "Kei, you know that more than anyone in this house, Li Lian wish for simple things! She wish for a family, a husband to love, and a child to have! She is finally happy and you want that to be robbed from her?"

Kei's patience was running thin, his finger was pressed deeper on his forehead as his head had been itching from the headache. He suddenly raised his voice, "We are here to prevent that, by going there what do you think you could do?! There is nothing!"

Since they were little, Kei has been a person with a strict face, however, the man never raised his voice, he only spoke in a strict manner but as far as yelling like he did now, and hearing his sudden outburst of yelling, Shin and Shun was surprised. 

Kei was also shocked by what he did, he didn't mean to shout at the, even if they were testing his patience. He was still but a servant in this clan while the twins are the people who would be the next master of the clan, what he did was wrong, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you two. I only want you to know that we are trying to do many thing about Akasaka's request and our hands are full of him. We just don't want you to be the one next targeted by them. Your lives are precious as the next head, and also my little brother."

Shun, on the other side, added with a whisper, "But you never told us anything."

Kei raised his hand and pulled both of the twin's shoulder to stand before him. Their heights were close to him only failing by a centimeter. "That is my fault but you two should know there are things that need to be kept confidential even for our trusted family members. But next time, if you ever plan things like this consult to me first."

Shin was still unwilling to agree, but he was scolded enough by Kei's raise of voice that his tone became slightly meeker like a child who had just been scolded by their mother

"Will you ever agree to our plan?"

"Based on how silly or not the plan is. Attempts like yesterday is a big no, don't ever try that again. And apologize to the Old Master. You know how he tends to get harsher when it is to protect you two. You are the only family that is left for him, he don't want to lose neither of you, and Li Lian."

"But will grandpa forgive us?" Shin questioned, he turned his face to look at the room. The doors in Maple house was made with grilled wooden frame and covered by a large sheet to cover the grills that was not too thin but not thick either. If anyone use light or candles inside the room, a faint shadow would emerge on the sheet, which let the people from outside to know whether a person was present in the room.

A pause settled between the interval until Kei replied, "He will. It isn't that he doesn't wasn't to forgive you two, but currently he is kept with a crucial business, it will take him long before he speak with you. I will remind him about you two tomorrow, and also you can stop kneeling starting today. I hope you two learn your lesson?"

"Yes," Shun answered promptly and Shin replied only after three second Shun had spoken. Kei trust that as long as Shun knew what is wrong, he would manage to stop his older brother from doing anything crazy, therefore he didn't press Shin's reluctant yes and left the place.

Shin and Shun quickly then left after seeing that Kei had went to the opposite corridor to their own perspective room. But not long after Kei had went, a shadow emerged on the hallway, making way toward the Old Master room. And the person was Kei himself.

He walked toward the door. After making sure there was no one near the door, he then entered the room and his eyes settled on the Old Master who was resting in a hospital bed, his hand was injected with tubes and he appeared to be in sleep.

Although the Old Master was more than seventy he was still full of energy, but now the man was only half of what he appeared before. His face was pale and his hand was noticeably thinner than before.

Kei pressed himself to the floor, next to the side of the bed and with a heavy sighed he whispered, "Please wake up, master."

.

A/N: Sorry for the very late update! I cannot access to my account for a reason, my other novels seemed to be updated because I've put the chapter using timer, but this one cannot! I was sweating cold sweat the whole hours TT It's still not fixed but I found a way. Sorry