Kera had been having a rough day. Mom was away, and dad was nowhere to be found. His soup had been colder than normal, and the servants were too busy with something else to heat it back up for him! When it started snowing, the boy's normally upbeat mood had begun to wilt. The uncomfortable emotions he was having right now only served to make things worse. This was the end of the week! It was time when he didn't have those boring lessons! Mom and dad would take him out to do something fun like that time they visited the dogs Hiko had.
Instead all he could do was listen to the annoying quiet, waiting for something to happen. He'd pick up one of the books mom had gotten him, and wait for someone to notice how bored he was. Maybe Tokei would come by and tell him the fun stories about a samurai like his dad, because he was reading a book about them anyway. His stories were so much better than the boring pages, even if the pictures were really nice. As he reached the end of the book, something mom would be proud of, he put it into the shelf and pouted.
Where was everyone?! It wasn't fair that he couldn't do anything right now, and he was being reespons'bl, like mom kept saying he should! Why was it so boring? His eyes moved to the opened door in front of him, probably left like that by some one of the servants. A thought crossed his mind, and in seconds Kera was inside of the hallway, instead of his room. He moved forward, trying to see where mom and dad were. There were so many doors in his house, and some he hadn't even opened! He walked for minutes no, hours, trying to find somebody to play with.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, he heard someone. He plodded forward, coming into range of the voice. It was dad, he could recognize that from anywhere. Kera's pace slowed when he realized his father was yelling, but the thought of going back to his room, and being bored again, kept him moving. He walked to a big door, one mom always said was for the grown-ups only, that just happened to be opened just a little. He shuffled forward, until he could hear dad.
"-she know this is treason?!" Whatever that was, it sounded bad. Like something mom would take away desert for, or worse! Dad's face was scary. It looked like someone had taken his favorite toy, and thrown it in a blizzard. He continued to pace around a big table, trying his best not to look at something small in the middle.
"I would assume so, my lord. She had to sign her approval on the papers. If she didn't, she understands now. " Hey, Hiko's dad was here! He looked angry, too. Probably enough to make Hiko afraid to come over! If it wasn't because he was so bored, Kera might have left at that face, too! He turned to someone the boy couldn't quite see. "Your agent going rogue and trying to kill Manami instead of doing literally anything else to keep this from escalating made that very clear."
"He was meant to guard her, and act honorably. There was nothing else he could have done. Toishi's indulgence has once again come to bit-" The older man's voice was cut off by the sound of dad's fists slamming on the table.
"DO NOT CONTINUE TO NEEDLE ME WITH MY ONE MISTAKE, MIFUNE!" He screamed it at the third man. It took all Kera had not to make a noise at the yelling, but he was smart. They'd find him if he said something, and then he'd be back in his boring room… "I understand more than you'd know how foolish it was, but do not dare disparage what Manami and I had." Dad stressed that word with clenched teeth. He seemed almost sad when he said that. "This isn't about what has happened, it is about what we should do from here."
"So we return to the beginning." Hiko's dad nodded with a grimace. "I would still suggest that we take the most expedient course of action that I have always put forward, and end this farce before it truly begins. All it will take is one word, and it shall be done. You will not have to worry about this becoming more of a problem than it is."
"That you would suggest to murder a child because he chose a better future for himself is something I will not stand." The third man responded with a sharp tone. "What Tokei did was understandable in the purview of his mission though I am glad, on some level, that he failed. I will not be any party to such an act. He is innocent of all this. Manami was the one who made a conscious choice, rather than a kid who had no idea what he was doing."
"I will not have a hair on her head harmed. She can live with her own mistake, until she learns what she forsook for her foolish attachment to that boy." Dad looked like he wanted to spit on the floor. "And the child will be, if he is not already, a member of the ninja academy. Attacking him now would only start a war." Hiko's dad shook his head.
"I could make it look like an accident, a robbery gone wrong. I know it is distasteful, but Manami and your son are our enemies. It would risk a war, but anything is better than a guaranteed succession crisis if Prince Imagawa's bastard brother." Kera froze at that last word. He had a brother?! But Hiko and Tokei kept telling him that only the coolest people had brothers. That meant he was as cool as them, yes! He was almost shaking at the news, but he kept quiet, trying to listen in.
"No. Mifune is right. We can't afford a war right now, and the thought of hurting her still hurts. That does not mean, however, that she will not be punished." Dad moved to the end of the table, and picked up a quill. "As of now, Manami and Daisuke will be officially banished from the Kingdom. Should they enter while I still draw breath, they shall be treated as enemies of the state, and killed on sight. She chose her path, and now she will learn to live with it. Hiro, send it to her in Konohagkure." Dad said it like he did when Kera asked for a puppy. Whatever this was, it was serious business. He started to walk back, burning the words in his mind.
Brother. Dai-su-ke. Ko-no-ha-ga-ku-re.
If Hiko and Tokei didn't believe his claims about having a brother, then he'd find him! He walked away, the thought of their jealous faces as he revealed his secret sibling adding a skip to his step.
He wished some days were half as exciting as this!