Once Upon A Long Ago Part Two
It came in the mail today. It was there, inside a clean brown envelope as always. Nothing written, nothing else in it. Except the transparent plastic. It had about three volumes of blood, maybe less. It was the only sign of hope they have as of now, as long as they would receive the same envelope with the same contents. They knew there was still time, they could still get him back. It's been three years since this all started, every month the same thing came. Every month, they tried every possible way to get him back.
Yesterday, Saiyuki told me the truth. ''We have a fifth brother.''
Amida Ping-Ping and Ananda Liu-Hsu, cousins originally but were set up to marry. They were happy with each other and loved each other enough. They were married immediately, everyone prepared for the event with great happiness. And a few weeks after they had married, Ping-Ping was pregnant with her first child and was born nine months after. That eldest son of their, Liu-Hsu's heir, was Saiyuki. A year later, another son was born, Genji. Two years later Takeshii, A year after - Nori and finally two years after that, their youngest and last son was born. This youngest son of theirs, was someone very dear to Ping-ping. She loved him so much and was protective over him the most. It wasn't that she loved her other sons any less. Their youngest was just the closest and most endeared to her.
They named him Uruki.
Now, Ananda Liu-Hsu was a good man -- to his family at least. Outside of it, he's not the type of guy you'd want yourself involved with (Saiyuki would've been the same if we weren't careful). He was a leader of a syndicate, really. And he ran a few ''underground businesses''. He was a respected and feared man. Of course, not everyone liked him really. Especially not his brother, who would've been the leader of the syndicate he was running if it weren't for Liu-Hsu. His brother, Lei-Hung -- was different from his older sibling. He wasn't good to his family, and he was a murdering, stealing, psychotic, greedy bastard. And not only did he WANT his brother's position, he also wanted his brother's WIFE.
Fun family, huh folks?
So... this is what he did, for years he acted as if he was his brother's best friend. He was his brother's doormat and second banana (Liu-Hsu saw through it of course) and as he did that, he organized his OWN syndicate. He gathered everyone who hated Liu-Hsu's guts because they themselves were jealous of his disposition -- he also created and had trained the best fighters and assassins to rise up against him one day.
And he called them... The Killers
A few years later (yes, he's that obssessed. He waited for SO long). Saiyuki was fifteen, Genji was fourteen, Takeshii was twelve, Nori was eleven and little Uruki was nine. Ping-Ping had gotten older of course (but she was more beautiful than ever), Liu-Hsu had grown more powerful and Lei-Hung had grown even MORE powerful than him. Which translates to BAD, really. Saiyuki knew that his uncle was always up to something though he didn't know what exactly. He always warned his father, but his father would only say to let whatever will happen, happen.
Liu-Hsu had to go out of town for he had to close a deal with another syndicate. This syndicate will join his own, which will make them even a more powerful force to deal with. Or at least that's what he thought. Saiyuki tried to warn him and told him he would go along, but Liu-Hsu advised against it. He said that he should stay and take care of his mother. Of course, it could've been that he refused to do anything for it was time to pass everything onto his eldest son. Or it could've been because he was confident that he would get his brother and come back.
Of course, he was wrong.
It was like a Julius Caesar thing. Though they went to the meeting place, though Liu-Hsu was prepared -- his own men armed. They lost. it was a massacre. He and his men were brutally murdered by the killers.
News spread back home. Ping-Ping was devastated. She would never stop grieving over her dead husband whom she loved so much. And when she found out that her brother ordered that she marry him or else there will be no future left for her and her sons who were still very young at the time. It became so clear, so very clear. He finally had what he wanted, his brother's position and power and most importantly, his brother's wife.
Ping-Ping knew she had no choice but to marry Lei-Hung to save her sons, for their sakes. When she agreed, this enraged Saiyuki. He was not angry at his mother, he was angry at the murdering bastard who set his father up and made it look like an accident. And so, he tried to raise his hand against his own father and got VERY far into beating him up. Lei-Hung was infuriated and he knew that Lei-Hsu's eldest son would get in his way.
So, that night -- he was going to have all Liu-Hsu's sons killed.
Ping-Ping found out about this plan and she, as the protective mother that she is, she would've rather lost her own life than watch her sons die in front of her. So that night, she had remembered that Liu-Hsu had a sister, who he had not been in very good terms with. She was part of the Bounty Organization and was one of the pillar stones of it as well. This sister's name was Tian-Min. She was the last hope her sons had against Lei-Hung and his plot to kill Saiyuki and his brothers. So, that very morning -- she had a servant girl accompany her to where Tian-Min had been living. It was far from where she was but she did not care. She went by carriage, by foot. She had gotten there, she begged and cried, telling Tian-Min the whole story. Tian-Min was surprised to have seen Ping-Ping after such a long time. But she was not cruel, ignoring the fact that she and her brother were not in good terms. She agreed to take the boys in. In the condition that they will be raised to be Bounty Hunters, for it was the only way they would survive under Tian-Min's care. Ping-Ping agreed. It hurt her that she knew she would never be able to see her sons again but she knew they were better off this way.
So, she went back home -- and that night, they would escape...
To Be Continued...
Yesterday, Saiyuki told me the truth. ''We have a fifth brother.''
Amida Ping-Ping and Ananda Liu-Hsu, cousins originally but were set up to marry. They were happy with each other and loved each other enough. They were married immediately, everyone prepared for the event with great happiness. And a few weeks after they had married, Ping-Ping was pregnant with her first child and was born nine months after. That eldest son of their, Liu-Hsu's heir, was Saiyuki. A year later, another son was born, Genji. Two years later Takeshii, A year after - Nori and finally two years after that, their youngest and last son was born. This youngest son of theirs, was someone very dear to Ping-ping. She loved him so much and was protective over him the most. It wasn't that she loved her other sons any less. Their youngest was just the closest and most endeared to her.
They named him Uruki.
Now, Ananda Liu-Hsu was a good man -- to his family at least. Outside of it, he's not the type of guy you'd want yourself involved with (Saiyuki would've been the same if we weren't careful). He was a leader of a syndicate, really. And he ran a few ''underground businesses''. He was a respected and feared man. Of course, not everyone liked him really. Especially not his brother, who would've been the leader of the syndicate he was running if it weren't for Liu-Hsu. His brother, Lei-Hung -- was different from his older sibling. He wasn't good to his family, and he was a murdering, stealing, psychotic, greedy bastard. And not only did he WANT his brother's position, he also wanted his brother's WIFE.
Fun family, huh folks?
So... this is what he did, for years he acted as if he was his brother's best friend. He was his brother's doormat and second banana (Liu-Hsu saw through it of course) and as he did that, he organized his OWN syndicate. He gathered everyone who hated Liu-Hsu's guts because they themselves were jealous of his disposition -- he also created and had trained the best fighters and assassins to rise up against him one day.
And he called them... The Killers
A few years later (yes, he's that obssessed. He waited for SO long). Saiyuki was fifteen, Genji was fourteen, Takeshii was twelve, Nori was eleven and little Uruki was nine. Ping-Ping had gotten older of course (but she was more beautiful than ever), Liu-Hsu had grown more powerful and Lei-Hung had grown even MORE powerful than him. Which translates to BAD, really. Saiyuki knew that his uncle was always up to something though he didn't know what exactly. He always warned his father, but his father would only say to let whatever will happen, happen.
Liu-Hsu had to go out of town for he had to close a deal with another syndicate. This syndicate will join his own, which will make them even a more powerful force to deal with. Or at least that's what he thought. Saiyuki tried to warn him and told him he would go along, but Liu-Hsu advised against it. He said that he should stay and take care of his mother. Of course, it could've been that he refused to do anything for it was time to pass everything onto his eldest son. Or it could've been because he was confident that he would get his brother and come back.
Of course, he was wrong.
It was like a Julius Caesar thing. Though they went to the meeting place, though Liu-Hsu was prepared -- his own men armed. They lost. it was a massacre. He and his men were brutally murdered by the killers.
News spread back home. Ping-Ping was devastated. She would never stop grieving over her dead husband whom she loved so much. And when she found out that her brother ordered that she marry him or else there will be no future left for her and her sons who were still very young at the time. It became so clear, so very clear. He finally had what he wanted, his brother's position and power and most importantly, his brother's wife.
Ping-Ping knew she had no choice but to marry Lei-Hung to save her sons, for their sakes. When she agreed, this enraged Saiyuki. He was not angry at his mother, he was angry at the murdering bastard who set his father up and made it look like an accident. And so, he tried to raise his hand against his own father and got VERY far into beating him up. Lei-Hung was infuriated and he knew that Lei-Hsu's eldest son would get in his way.
So, that night -- he was going to have all Liu-Hsu's sons killed.
Ping-Ping found out about this plan and she, as the protective mother that she is, she would've rather lost her own life than watch her sons die in front of her. So that night, she had remembered that Liu-Hsu had a sister, who he had not been in very good terms with. She was part of the Bounty Organization and was one of the pillar stones of it as well. This sister's name was Tian-Min. She was the last hope her sons had against Lei-Hung and his plot to kill Saiyuki and his brothers. So, that very morning -- she had a servant girl accompany her to where Tian-Min had been living. It was far from where she was but she did not care. She went by carriage, by foot. She had gotten there, she begged and cried, telling Tian-Min the whole story. Tian-Min was surprised to have seen Ping-Ping after such a long time. But she was not cruel, ignoring the fact that she and her brother were not in good terms. She agreed to take the boys in. In the condition that they will be raised to be Bounty Hunters, for it was the only way they would survive under Tian-Min's care. Ping-Ping agreed. It hurt her that she knew she would never be able to see her sons again but she knew they were better off this way.
So, she went back home -- and that night, they would escape...
To Be Continued...