DISCLAIMER: The copyrights to Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki is owned by AIC Inc. and Pioneer LDC respectively. The copyrights to Ranma 1/2 are owned by Rumiko Takahashi and Pioneer LDC respectively. This work of fiction is not created for commercial purposes and is done for fan entertainment only without profit.
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F A M I L Y R E U N I O N
PART 1: An Invitation from Ohkayama
By Michael "TheZorch" Haney
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A spring breeze drifted in through the open windows of the priest's quarters at the Masaki shrine sending the curtains into a lazy dance. The sounds of birds singing like a chorus to the praises of the beautiful weather did little to lift the burden on the heart of the one kneeling inside. The eldest Masaki, master of the ancient Masaki Shinto shrine, knelt at his table with a cup of fresh tea. His tear filled eyes looked again at the piece of paper in his hand. The weight of sorrow on the priest's heart was almost too much for him to bare. He sat the paper down, a Xerox copy of a death certificate from nearly ten years ago. His inquires eventually lead him to this point, when he received the mailing with the copy of the certificate inside he at first hoped that he found what he was looking for. But, alas, his search ended in terrible tragedy.
"Isuki, my darling," He old priest breathed stifling a sob. "Both of our precious little girls are now gone."
Three months later...
Tenchi Masaki had learned to expect certain things as ordinary in his household which wasn't entirely all that ordinary to begin with. One of those things he learned to expect came in the morning when he woke up. Sure enough, when he opened his eyes there was Ryoko hovering over his bed. In the beginning his reaction to her presence was always over reacted, but now things were different. He came to enjoy seeing the cyan haired women smiling down at him from above. After all, she was really cute, and she was in love with him and would never do anything to hurt him. Tenchi knew this very well, but he didn't take it for granted. He still wasn't very sure how he really felt about Ryoko or the other girls in the household. He did know that something inside of him has indeed changed.
"Good morning my Tenchi." Ryoko purred down at him.
Her smiled didn't change when Tenchi reached out, pulled her down, and hugged her tightly. Ryoko sighed with delight and managed a light blush when Tenchi kissed her on the cheek.
"Good morning Ryoko." He said with a smile. Ryoko loved the new more open Tenchi Masaki. This changed in him came after they all lived through a 'year of hell'. Those days, the days of the struggle with Lady Tokimi were over. "You look tired, you stayed up all night watching over me again, didn't you." He went on.
Ryoko nodded and tried to hide the fatigue in her face. Tenchi caressed her cheek, he felt a much closer connection to the girls now. In their darkest hour facing the dark forces of Tokimi the girls were prepared to sacrifice themselves so he could live. In that brief moment, a flicker of time, Tenchi suddenly understood just how much they all loved him. That was what gave him the strength to overcome the awesome power weighing down on top of him and vanquish it forever. Ever since that day their relationship with him would never be the same again. "You can sleep here," he told her as he eased her down next to him in the bed. "I'll have Sasami save you some breakfast." He went on. Ryoko snuggled up next to him and closed her eyes, in seconds she was fast asleep. Tenchi smiled down at her, kissed her cheek, and slowly climbed out of bed so as not to disturb her.
Aeka was waiting for him downstairs in the living room. The first Princess of Jurai flashed him a cordial smile and a polite bow. "Good morning Lord Tenchi." She greeted him happily. "Have you seen Miss Ryoko this morning?" she went on to ask. Tenchi was almost afraid to give her an answer, he knew what her reaction would be. Despite the new openness in their relationship certain things still set the two women off on one another. "She stayed up all night watching over me, so I let her go to sleep in my room." He told her truthfully.
Anger was written all over the princess' face when she headed for the stairs, but Tenchi reached out and stopped her. "Aeka, she didn't do anything if that is what you're worried about." He told her trying to calm her down.
"That rude woman has to learn to stop invading your privacy every time you turn around." Aeka pleaded. Tenchi put her arm around the princess' shoulder and walked her away from the stairs. "She's just concerned for me, like you are." He said. "If something ever does happen, between me and Ryoko, or you and me it will be a mutual decision." Tenchi went on. Aeka nodded and blushed a bit at what he said. "Could you ever one day?" she asked, her eyes looking into his as if trying to fathom the depths of his heart. Tenchi kissed her cheek and hugged her, another side effect of their new more open relationship.
"I care about all of you, asking me to pick a favorite seems so foreign to me somehow," he tried explaining. Aeka hugged him back, resting her head on his chest. "I would do anything for any of you, you're all so much more than family to me." Tenchi continued.
Sasami came in holding a basket of freshly baked biscuits. "Oh, Aeka could you help me set the table for breakfast?" she asked her sister. "Certainly, Sasami." Aeka replied cheerfully. Before she went off Tenchi took her hand and turned Aeka back around to face him. He kissed her on the forehead and hugged her one last time. "You and Ryoko are very special to me, I need you to understand that." He told her. Aeka tightened her embraced. "I love you Tenchi." She whispered, then kissed his cheek before going to the kitchen.
The entire Masaki family, except for one, was all gathered around the dinning room table. Another of Sasami's culinary masterpieces was spread out before them. This time it was a more Western style breakfast with fried eggs, sausage, bacon, fried potatoes, and biscuits. This was a rare treat for everyone since beef and pork were expensive in Japan and sales at the meat market were few and far between.
Katsuhito Masaki, the elder Masaki and master of the Masaki shrine sat quietly eating. The normally fearless former-first Prince of Jurai had to steel himself and gather his courage for what he had to announce today. It was time to tell the family, everything. At one point in the meal while everyone was talking and complimenting Sasami on her cook the old priest cleared his throat and the table fell silent. "I have a special announcement to make to everyone today, where is Ryoko?" he asked.
"She's sleeping in today, grandpa." Tenchi explained to him.
"Very well then, you'll have to tell her when she wakes up," Katsuhito went on. "What I have to say is for everyone to hear, but it is mostly intended for you Tenchi." Katsuhito began, and Tenchi nodded. "Tenchi, your mother had a sister, she was your aunt." The old man said quickly.
Tenchi nearly choked on a bit of food and downed his cup of orange fruit to clear it. "Why didn't you tell me this a long time ago?" Tenchi asked after recovering. The old man looked away. "Because I was shamed to speak of her." Katsuhito replied in a matter of fact tone. Tenchi looked at him with a bewildered expression. "She met a man named Genma Saotome, a student of a rather disreputable form of martial arts, and a rather uncouth sort of man." The old priest continued. "They dated behind my back for years until one day he proposed to her and they came to me to get my blessing. I refused and demanded she not see him again, we argued most of the night, then the next day I found a note from her saying they were eloping and I haven't seen her since. That was nearly eighteen years ago."
"That still doesn't explain why you wouldn't talk about her." Tenchi said in a scolding tone.
"In the letter she denounced me as her father and said that if I cannot accept the man she loves then she never wants to see me again." Katsuhito sighed, a small tear threatened to fall down his cheek.
"That's so sad." Said Mihoshi with a sniffle.
"For years it weighed upon on me like a terrible burden, I tried many times to try and locate her." Katsuhito went on. "And, until three months ago my search turned up nothing." He reached into his tunic and pulled out the copied death certificate, then handed it to Tenchi. "Grandpa, I don't know what to say, this is, is-" Tenchi stammered. "My worst fears made reality, I will never see her again, never get to tell her I'm sorry." The priest finished for him.
"She and Genma Saotome had a son named Ranma and the two now live in Fureinken with the family of Akane Tendo, Ranma's fiancé." Explained Katsuhito. "I have been exchanging letters with Mr. Saotome for three months now and I have invited him and his family to come and stay with us for a few weeks this summer so we can begin healing the wounds that separated us."
Everyone at the table winced at Mihoshi's piercing wail. "Its so sad and touching!" she sobbed spraying tears everywhere.
"Since we're going to have so many new houseguests I've drawn up plans to build a new addition onto the house." Said Noboyuki.
"Dad, you knew about this?" asked Tenchi in surprise.
"Your mother and I were dating a long time before your aunt and her boyfriend ran away with each other," Noboyuki admitted. "To get his permission to marry your mother, father made it clear that I wasn't to tell any children we might have about her sister."
"Brother, did this Mr. Saotome send a picture of his son or family perhaps?" asked Aeka. The priest nodded and pulled out a photo. Tenchi looked at it, Aeka leaned in close to get a closer look. The picture was of a teenaged boy not much older than Tenchi wearing a red traditional Japanese tunic and baggy pants. The garb looked sort of like those outfits martial artists wear in the movies. "This is a picture of your aunt." Katsuhito handed Tenchi another picture, this one of a very pretty young woman.
"My goodness, he's almost a spitting image of her." Aeka gasped.
Washu came around and looked at the pictures. "Interesting, so he's related to you, huh Yosho." She said coyly.
"My goodness, Washu is right, he is your grandson, brother," said Aeka excitedly. "Which means he too is a member of the Royal Family."
"Which is why I am asking now that our normal rules concerning outside visitors be 'relaxed'." Said Katsuhito putting enthuses on the word 'relaxed'. "Families do not hide secrets from one another."
"You want to, to tell them about Jurai!" shouted Tenchi in shock. The old priest nodded. "I must Tenchi, it is my own fault and stupid pride that brought me to this situation." Explained Katsuhito. "This is my only chance at redemption for the sorrow I caused my darling little girl." Tenchi calmed down and looked at the photo of Ranma Saotome again. There was someone else in the photo with the young man, a girl. She was much shorter than Ranma, had hair done in a style similar to Aeka's and was wearing a school uniform. "Would that be his fiancé?" asked Tenchi. Katsuhito nodded.
"She is very pretty." Commented Aeka.
"I wonder, since he came from the same genetic stock as Tenchi-" Washu began. Tenchi jumped up and turned on the diminutive genius. "No you are not going to experiment on him, do I make myself clear." He told her calmly but in rigid tone. The pink haired genius did say and word she just folded her arms and stared back at him in defiance.
"From what I have learned about Ranma through my correspondence with Genma Saotome is that he is a very gifted martial artist exhibiting incredible strength, speed, and almost super-human endurance." Said Katsuhito. Washu pursed her lips and scratched her chin. "Probably due to manifestations of his Jurai power no doubt." She reasoned, giving Tenchi a crooked smile. "Which is why I decided to tell him and his family of his true heritage, because if he does possess the Jurai power he must be properly train in how to control it safely." Katsuhito explained.
"I can relate to that." Tenchi admitted.
"Who will all be coming?" asked Sasami.
"Ranma, his father, Ranma's fiancé Akane Tendo, her father and two sisters Nabiki and Kasumi." Replied Katsuhito. "He also mentioned someone else, somebody named Happosai, but he would never go into detail about him for some reason."
"We're going to need a bigger dinner table." Commented Sasami.
"Already taken care of, by the time summer vacation gets here the new construction on the house will be done and the dinning room will be much bigger." Noboyuki chimed in happily.
"I think it will be great, I can tell already Ranma and I will get along just fine." Tenchi said cheerfully. "Yes, and Ranma and his sweetheart can have romantic walks by the lake at night." Aeka gushed, hugging Tenchi's arm lovingly. "They look like such a loving couple."
"RANMA YOU BAKA!" The high pitched screech carried through the Tendo house with the force of a hurricane. Ranma sat in his room at his desk looking over some homework papers and groaned. Akane must have found out he took the last of Kasumi's coconut cream pie, the one she hid in the back of the fridge for an after school snack. Of course, it was obvious she suspected him first over anyone else. In truth, Ranma and his father both shared the last of the pie, but one look at the enraged teenage girl made Genma decide that silence was truly golden.
Ranma winced at the sound of a fist pounding on his door. "WHERE IS MY PIE!" Aeka screamed. Knowing full well that he was going to get a savage thrashing the moment he opened the door, Ranma made the quick retreat out of the bedroom window and onto the roof.
"I should never have let dad talk me into eating that pie, oh man." He groaned as he sat cross legged on top of the house. It was then he noticed a sudden change in the atmosphere around him. The air seemed hotter somehow. He turned around and came face to face with Akane, her features breathed in the flames of her rage.
"Uh, hi Akane, were you calling me just now?" he said faking innocence.
"You know how much I love Kasumi's pies, and you went and ate the last of it." She growled. "There was enough for two, I might have been nice enough to let you have the other half, maybe." Ranma sighed, there was no force in the known universe that could calm an enraged Akane, almost. "I'm sorry, Akane." He said softly. "I won't do it again."
She looked at him surprised and blinked. "You're not going to try and deny it or yell back." She said. Ranma shook his head. "No, I ate the pie and I'm sorry, ok." He replied. She folded her arms, most of her anger spent now, and stalked off. Akane knew Ranma pretty well, or thought she knew him, but this sudden change in him was weird. He never actually apologized to her about anything, not on purpose anyway. Back on the roof Ranma did feel guilty for letting his Dad talk into it. He could feel a little bit of himself hurt inside to see Akane so angry, it was feeling at ached him right down to his heart. Ranma too a quick mental backwards step. Whoa, that can't be right, was I just thinking I actually like her! That can't be! No way!
Later that night everybody was gathered around the diner table to one of Kasumi's feasts. The eldest Tendo daughter sat next to her middle sister Nabiki with a broad smile on her face. She was always so happy to see everyone enjoy her cooking. It was fulfilling to her making everyone happy by doing what she did best. Genma was uncharacteristically in human form tonight sitting with long time friend Soun Tendo. Ranma studied his father, he could tell something was bothering the man, it was a gut feeling really. The big man sighed, sat down his chopsticks and cleared his throat.
"I have an announcement to make, its more for Ranma really, but it impacts all of us." Said Genma.
"I thought something was bothering you tonight." Said Ranma.
"What's the problem Saotome?" Soun asked with a questioning expression.
Genma looked into Ranma's eyes when he said what he needed to say. "Ranma your grandfather, on your mother's side, is alive." He said.
"What, but mom always told me he died a long time ago." Ranma said surprised. Looks of surprise traveled around the table.
"He didn't approve of us being together so we eloped," Genma explained. "He disowned her, but recently began looking for her because he felt guilty. The local municipality sent him a copy of her death certificate. Three months ago a lawyer he secured the services of contacted me that he was hired to locate us. He wants to mend the gulf between our families and make up for the wrong he did so many years ago."
Tears were already streaming down Soun's face. "What a sad story." Said Kasumi. "So, Mr. Saotome, who is this man?" asked Akane.
"His name is Katsuhito Masaki, and he is the master of the Masaki family Shinto shrine in Ohkayama." Answered Genma. "Oh, Ohkayama, I hear its beautiful around this time of year." Kasumi smiled.
"That pretty far away, so what does he want to do?" asked Ranma.
"He wants us to come and stay for the summer." Genma told him.
"Can we afford that?" asked Nabiki.
Genma reached into his gi and pulled out a checkbook. "I've been saving this up for a few years now, it should be more than enough for all of us to make the trip to Ohkayama." He said. "Besides, we won't be staying at a hotel, we'll be staying at Mr. Masaki's home." He fished something out of his gi and handed it over to Ranma. Akane and Nabiki leaned in to look. They were photos, one of them was of the Masaki home. "Wow, not too shabby." Nabiki commented. The next picture was of the ancient shrine during the fall with the cherry blossoms in full bloom. The next photo made the girls and Ranma do a double take, it was a group photo of a young man about Ranma's age with short cropped black hair. He was surrounded on all sides by a group of young girls, two of them looked like they were young children. Behind them stood a tall man with black hair and mustache, and next to him a stoic gray haired man wearing priest's robes.
"Is this him?" asked Ranma.
"Yes, and the young man is his grandson Tenchi, the son of his youngest daughter, and your cousin." Genma explained.
"Isn't Tenchi a girl's name?" Kasumi questioned.
"Its like Ranma, it's a name that can used for either boys or girls." Soun told her.
Akane cracked a crooked smile. "Now isn't that ironic, eh Ranma." She said coyly. He responded with wicked frown and low growl. "Who are these young women with him?" Nabiki asked. Genma pushed his glasses up on his nose. "Mr. Masaki didn't go into too much detail about only to say they are Tenchi's distant relations and even hinted at the idea that some of them are his suitors."
"He is sort of cute, don't you think so Akane?" asked Nabiki.
"He's alright." Akane waved.
"The little girl with the pony tails is a real cutie pie." Kasumi gushed looking at the photo.
"We'll all get to meet them in a few months when summer vacation rolls around." Genma told them.
Soun smiled warmly. "A nice trip like this is just what this family needs, eh Saotome." He said. "You're right Tendo, we haven't had a good outing since we got shipwrecked on Kuno's yacht last year." Replied Genma.
"You call that an outing." Akane scowled.
"I think it would be good to get away for the summer, no getting bugged by Shampoo, no Kuno sempei, and definitely no Ryoga." Ranma said cheerfully. "Now if there were no Ranma it would be perfect." Akane shot back with a smirk. Ranma balled his fist up at her and pulled up his sleeve. "Oh you are really asking for it." He growled. "Go ahead, make my day." Akane growled back holding her bokken at the ready.
Nabiki chuckled under her breath. "It must be love."
Outside, hidden beneath the back porch a short figure in ninja garb, a figured listened to the conversation of the people inside. The ninja with great stealth left the grounds of the Tendo Dojo and ran off to the home of his master; Tatawaki Kuno. From the top of the stairs a balding man, diminutive in appearance, listened to what was being said also and smiled with a wide Cheshire cat grin. Someone else heard the conversation also, and he kneeled down in the bushes scratching at his head underneath his yellow and black headband. Unseen by any of the others a lone, petite figure sat on the Tendo roof. She brushed back a lock of blue hair and folded her arms across her chest defiantly. Lastly, hidden behind a statuette stood a tall feminine form brandishing a huge spatula. She smirked and slowly sneaked her way out of the Tendo yard.
"Yeah, with none of those bozos around this will be a very relaxing vacation." Ranma smiled cheerfully.
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CONTINUED IN PART 2...
FAMILY REUNION - PART 2: Tenchi Meets Ranma
The Masaki family meets the Saotome and Tendo families at last. All seems nice and peaceful until Happosai decides to go on a rampage.
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F A M I L Y R E U N I O N
PART 1: An Invitation from Ohkayama
By Michael "TheZorch" Haney
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A spring breeze drifted in through the open windows of the priest's quarters at the Masaki shrine sending the curtains into a lazy dance. The sounds of birds singing like a chorus to the praises of the beautiful weather did little to lift the burden on the heart of the one kneeling inside. The eldest Masaki, master of the ancient Masaki Shinto shrine, knelt at his table with a cup of fresh tea. His tear filled eyes looked again at the piece of paper in his hand. The weight of sorrow on the priest's heart was almost too much for him to bare. He sat the paper down, a Xerox copy of a death certificate from nearly ten years ago. His inquires eventually lead him to this point, when he received the mailing with the copy of the certificate inside he at first hoped that he found what he was looking for. But, alas, his search ended in terrible tragedy.
"Isuki, my darling," He old priest breathed stifling a sob. "Both of our precious little girls are now gone."
Three months later...
Tenchi Masaki had learned to expect certain things as ordinary in his household which wasn't entirely all that ordinary to begin with. One of those things he learned to expect came in the morning when he woke up. Sure enough, when he opened his eyes there was Ryoko hovering over his bed. In the beginning his reaction to her presence was always over reacted, but now things were different. He came to enjoy seeing the cyan haired women smiling down at him from above. After all, she was really cute, and she was in love with him and would never do anything to hurt him. Tenchi knew this very well, but he didn't take it for granted. He still wasn't very sure how he really felt about Ryoko or the other girls in the household. He did know that something inside of him has indeed changed.
"Good morning my Tenchi." Ryoko purred down at him.
Her smiled didn't change when Tenchi reached out, pulled her down, and hugged her tightly. Ryoko sighed with delight and managed a light blush when Tenchi kissed her on the cheek.
"Good morning Ryoko." He said with a smile. Ryoko loved the new more open Tenchi Masaki. This changed in him came after they all lived through a 'year of hell'. Those days, the days of the struggle with Lady Tokimi were over. "You look tired, you stayed up all night watching over me again, didn't you." He went on.
Ryoko nodded and tried to hide the fatigue in her face. Tenchi caressed her cheek, he felt a much closer connection to the girls now. In their darkest hour facing the dark forces of Tokimi the girls were prepared to sacrifice themselves so he could live. In that brief moment, a flicker of time, Tenchi suddenly understood just how much they all loved him. That was what gave him the strength to overcome the awesome power weighing down on top of him and vanquish it forever. Ever since that day their relationship with him would never be the same again. "You can sleep here," he told her as he eased her down next to him in the bed. "I'll have Sasami save you some breakfast." He went on. Ryoko snuggled up next to him and closed her eyes, in seconds she was fast asleep. Tenchi smiled down at her, kissed her cheek, and slowly climbed out of bed so as not to disturb her.
Aeka was waiting for him downstairs in the living room. The first Princess of Jurai flashed him a cordial smile and a polite bow. "Good morning Lord Tenchi." She greeted him happily. "Have you seen Miss Ryoko this morning?" she went on to ask. Tenchi was almost afraid to give her an answer, he knew what her reaction would be. Despite the new openness in their relationship certain things still set the two women off on one another. "She stayed up all night watching over me, so I let her go to sleep in my room." He told her truthfully.
Anger was written all over the princess' face when she headed for the stairs, but Tenchi reached out and stopped her. "Aeka, she didn't do anything if that is what you're worried about." He told her trying to calm her down.
"That rude woman has to learn to stop invading your privacy every time you turn around." Aeka pleaded. Tenchi put her arm around the princess' shoulder and walked her away from the stairs. "She's just concerned for me, like you are." He said. "If something ever does happen, between me and Ryoko, or you and me it will be a mutual decision." Tenchi went on. Aeka nodded and blushed a bit at what he said. "Could you ever one day?" she asked, her eyes looking into his as if trying to fathom the depths of his heart. Tenchi kissed her cheek and hugged her, another side effect of their new more open relationship.
"I care about all of you, asking me to pick a favorite seems so foreign to me somehow," he tried explaining. Aeka hugged him back, resting her head on his chest. "I would do anything for any of you, you're all so much more than family to me." Tenchi continued.
Sasami came in holding a basket of freshly baked biscuits. "Oh, Aeka could you help me set the table for breakfast?" she asked her sister. "Certainly, Sasami." Aeka replied cheerfully. Before she went off Tenchi took her hand and turned Aeka back around to face him. He kissed her on the forehead and hugged her one last time. "You and Ryoko are very special to me, I need you to understand that." He told her. Aeka tightened her embraced. "I love you Tenchi." She whispered, then kissed his cheek before going to the kitchen.
The entire Masaki family, except for one, was all gathered around the dinning room table. Another of Sasami's culinary masterpieces was spread out before them. This time it was a more Western style breakfast with fried eggs, sausage, bacon, fried potatoes, and biscuits. This was a rare treat for everyone since beef and pork were expensive in Japan and sales at the meat market were few and far between.
Katsuhito Masaki, the elder Masaki and master of the Masaki shrine sat quietly eating. The normally fearless former-first Prince of Jurai had to steel himself and gather his courage for what he had to announce today. It was time to tell the family, everything. At one point in the meal while everyone was talking and complimenting Sasami on her cook the old priest cleared his throat and the table fell silent. "I have a special announcement to make to everyone today, where is Ryoko?" he asked.
"She's sleeping in today, grandpa." Tenchi explained to him.
"Very well then, you'll have to tell her when she wakes up," Katsuhito went on. "What I have to say is for everyone to hear, but it is mostly intended for you Tenchi." Katsuhito began, and Tenchi nodded. "Tenchi, your mother had a sister, she was your aunt." The old man said quickly.
Tenchi nearly choked on a bit of food and downed his cup of orange fruit to clear it. "Why didn't you tell me this a long time ago?" Tenchi asked after recovering. The old man looked away. "Because I was shamed to speak of her." Katsuhito replied in a matter of fact tone. Tenchi looked at him with a bewildered expression. "She met a man named Genma Saotome, a student of a rather disreputable form of martial arts, and a rather uncouth sort of man." The old priest continued. "They dated behind my back for years until one day he proposed to her and they came to me to get my blessing. I refused and demanded she not see him again, we argued most of the night, then the next day I found a note from her saying they were eloping and I haven't seen her since. That was nearly eighteen years ago."
"That still doesn't explain why you wouldn't talk about her." Tenchi said in a scolding tone.
"In the letter she denounced me as her father and said that if I cannot accept the man she loves then she never wants to see me again." Katsuhito sighed, a small tear threatened to fall down his cheek.
"That's so sad." Said Mihoshi with a sniffle.
"For years it weighed upon on me like a terrible burden, I tried many times to try and locate her." Katsuhito went on. "And, until three months ago my search turned up nothing." He reached into his tunic and pulled out the copied death certificate, then handed it to Tenchi. "Grandpa, I don't know what to say, this is, is-" Tenchi stammered. "My worst fears made reality, I will never see her again, never get to tell her I'm sorry." The priest finished for him.
"She and Genma Saotome had a son named Ranma and the two now live in Fureinken with the family of Akane Tendo, Ranma's fiancé." Explained Katsuhito. "I have been exchanging letters with Mr. Saotome for three months now and I have invited him and his family to come and stay with us for a few weeks this summer so we can begin healing the wounds that separated us."
Everyone at the table winced at Mihoshi's piercing wail. "Its so sad and touching!" she sobbed spraying tears everywhere.
"Since we're going to have so many new houseguests I've drawn up plans to build a new addition onto the house." Said Noboyuki.
"Dad, you knew about this?" asked Tenchi in surprise.
"Your mother and I were dating a long time before your aunt and her boyfriend ran away with each other," Noboyuki admitted. "To get his permission to marry your mother, father made it clear that I wasn't to tell any children we might have about her sister."
"Brother, did this Mr. Saotome send a picture of his son or family perhaps?" asked Aeka. The priest nodded and pulled out a photo. Tenchi looked at it, Aeka leaned in close to get a closer look. The picture was of a teenaged boy not much older than Tenchi wearing a red traditional Japanese tunic and baggy pants. The garb looked sort of like those outfits martial artists wear in the movies. "This is a picture of your aunt." Katsuhito handed Tenchi another picture, this one of a very pretty young woman.
"My goodness, he's almost a spitting image of her." Aeka gasped.
Washu came around and looked at the pictures. "Interesting, so he's related to you, huh Yosho." She said coyly.
"My goodness, Washu is right, he is your grandson, brother," said Aeka excitedly. "Which means he too is a member of the Royal Family."
"Which is why I am asking now that our normal rules concerning outside visitors be 'relaxed'." Said Katsuhito putting enthuses on the word 'relaxed'. "Families do not hide secrets from one another."
"You want to, to tell them about Jurai!" shouted Tenchi in shock. The old priest nodded. "I must Tenchi, it is my own fault and stupid pride that brought me to this situation." Explained Katsuhito. "This is my only chance at redemption for the sorrow I caused my darling little girl." Tenchi calmed down and looked at the photo of Ranma Saotome again. There was someone else in the photo with the young man, a girl. She was much shorter than Ranma, had hair done in a style similar to Aeka's and was wearing a school uniform. "Would that be his fiancé?" asked Tenchi. Katsuhito nodded.
"She is very pretty." Commented Aeka.
"I wonder, since he came from the same genetic stock as Tenchi-" Washu began. Tenchi jumped up and turned on the diminutive genius. "No you are not going to experiment on him, do I make myself clear." He told her calmly but in rigid tone. The pink haired genius did say and word she just folded her arms and stared back at him in defiance.
"From what I have learned about Ranma through my correspondence with Genma Saotome is that he is a very gifted martial artist exhibiting incredible strength, speed, and almost super-human endurance." Said Katsuhito. Washu pursed her lips and scratched her chin. "Probably due to manifestations of his Jurai power no doubt." She reasoned, giving Tenchi a crooked smile. "Which is why I decided to tell him and his family of his true heritage, because if he does possess the Jurai power he must be properly train in how to control it safely." Katsuhito explained.
"I can relate to that." Tenchi admitted.
"Who will all be coming?" asked Sasami.
"Ranma, his father, Ranma's fiancé Akane Tendo, her father and two sisters Nabiki and Kasumi." Replied Katsuhito. "He also mentioned someone else, somebody named Happosai, but he would never go into detail about him for some reason."
"We're going to need a bigger dinner table." Commented Sasami.
"Already taken care of, by the time summer vacation gets here the new construction on the house will be done and the dinning room will be much bigger." Noboyuki chimed in happily.
"I think it will be great, I can tell already Ranma and I will get along just fine." Tenchi said cheerfully. "Yes, and Ranma and his sweetheart can have romantic walks by the lake at night." Aeka gushed, hugging Tenchi's arm lovingly. "They look like such a loving couple."
"RANMA YOU BAKA!" The high pitched screech carried through the Tendo house with the force of a hurricane. Ranma sat in his room at his desk looking over some homework papers and groaned. Akane must have found out he took the last of Kasumi's coconut cream pie, the one she hid in the back of the fridge for an after school snack. Of course, it was obvious she suspected him first over anyone else. In truth, Ranma and his father both shared the last of the pie, but one look at the enraged teenage girl made Genma decide that silence was truly golden.
Ranma winced at the sound of a fist pounding on his door. "WHERE IS MY PIE!" Aeka screamed. Knowing full well that he was going to get a savage thrashing the moment he opened the door, Ranma made the quick retreat out of the bedroom window and onto the roof.
"I should never have let dad talk me into eating that pie, oh man." He groaned as he sat cross legged on top of the house. It was then he noticed a sudden change in the atmosphere around him. The air seemed hotter somehow. He turned around and came face to face with Akane, her features breathed in the flames of her rage.
"Uh, hi Akane, were you calling me just now?" he said faking innocence.
"You know how much I love Kasumi's pies, and you went and ate the last of it." She growled. "There was enough for two, I might have been nice enough to let you have the other half, maybe." Ranma sighed, there was no force in the known universe that could calm an enraged Akane, almost. "I'm sorry, Akane." He said softly. "I won't do it again."
She looked at him surprised and blinked. "You're not going to try and deny it or yell back." She said. Ranma shook his head. "No, I ate the pie and I'm sorry, ok." He replied. She folded her arms, most of her anger spent now, and stalked off. Akane knew Ranma pretty well, or thought she knew him, but this sudden change in him was weird. He never actually apologized to her about anything, not on purpose anyway. Back on the roof Ranma did feel guilty for letting his Dad talk into it. He could feel a little bit of himself hurt inside to see Akane so angry, it was feeling at ached him right down to his heart. Ranma too a quick mental backwards step. Whoa, that can't be right, was I just thinking I actually like her! That can't be! No way!
Later that night everybody was gathered around the diner table to one of Kasumi's feasts. The eldest Tendo daughter sat next to her middle sister Nabiki with a broad smile on her face. She was always so happy to see everyone enjoy her cooking. It was fulfilling to her making everyone happy by doing what she did best. Genma was uncharacteristically in human form tonight sitting with long time friend Soun Tendo. Ranma studied his father, he could tell something was bothering the man, it was a gut feeling really. The big man sighed, sat down his chopsticks and cleared his throat.
"I have an announcement to make, its more for Ranma really, but it impacts all of us." Said Genma.
"I thought something was bothering you tonight." Said Ranma.
"What's the problem Saotome?" Soun asked with a questioning expression.
Genma looked into Ranma's eyes when he said what he needed to say. "Ranma your grandfather, on your mother's side, is alive." He said.
"What, but mom always told me he died a long time ago." Ranma said surprised. Looks of surprise traveled around the table.
"He didn't approve of us being together so we eloped," Genma explained. "He disowned her, but recently began looking for her because he felt guilty. The local municipality sent him a copy of her death certificate. Three months ago a lawyer he secured the services of contacted me that he was hired to locate us. He wants to mend the gulf between our families and make up for the wrong he did so many years ago."
Tears were already streaming down Soun's face. "What a sad story." Said Kasumi. "So, Mr. Saotome, who is this man?" asked Akane.
"His name is Katsuhito Masaki, and he is the master of the Masaki family Shinto shrine in Ohkayama." Answered Genma. "Oh, Ohkayama, I hear its beautiful around this time of year." Kasumi smiled.
"That pretty far away, so what does he want to do?" asked Ranma.
"He wants us to come and stay for the summer." Genma told him.
"Can we afford that?" asked Nabiki.
Genma reached into his gi and pulled out a checkbook. "I've been saving this up for a few years now, it should be more than enough for all of us to make the trip to Ohkayama." He said. "Besides, we won't be staying at a hotel, we'll be staying at Mr. Masaki's home." He fished something out of his gi and handed it over to Ranma. Akane and Nabiki leaned in to look. They were photos, one of them was of the Masaki home. "Wow, not too shabby." Nabiki commented. The next picture was of the ancient shrine during the fall with the cherry blossoms in full bloom. The next photo made the girls and Ranma do a double take, it was a group photo of a young man about Ranma's age with short cropped black hair. He was surrounded on all sides by a group of young girls, two of them looked like they were young children. Behind them stood a tall man with black hair and mustache, and next to him a stoic gray haired man wearing priest's robes.
"Is this him?" asked Ranma.
"Yes, and the young man is his grandson Tenchi, the son of his youngest daughter, and your cousin." Genma explained.
"Isn't Tenchi a girl's name?" Kasumi questioned.
"Its like Ranma, it's a name that can used for either boys or girls." Soun told her.
Akane cracked a crooked smile. "Now isn't that ironic, eh Ranma." She said coyly. He responded with wicked frown and low growl. "Who are these young women with him?" Nabiki asked. Genma pushed his glasses up on his nose. "Mr. Masaki didn't go into too much detail about only to say they are Tenchi's distant relations and even hinted at the idea that some of them are his suitors."
"He is sort of cute, don't you think so Akane?" asked Nabiki.
"He's alright." Akane waved.
"The little girl with the pony tails is a real cutie pie." Kasumi gushed looking at the photo.
"We'll all get to meet them in a few months when summer vacation rolls around." Genma told them.
Soun smiled warmly. "A nice trip like this is just what this family needs, eh Saotome." He said. "You're right Tendo, we haven't had a good outing since we got shipwrecked on Kuno's yacht last year." Replied Genma.
"You call that an outing." Akane scowled.
"I think it would be good to get away for the summer, no getting bugged by Shampoo, no Kuno sempei, and definitely no Ryoga." Ranma said cheerfully. "Now if there were no Ranma it would be perfect." Akane shot back with a smirk. Ranma balled his fist up at her and pulled up his sleeve. "Oh you are really asking for it." He growled. "Go ahead, make my day." Akane growled back holding her bokken at the ready.
Nabiki chuckled under her breath. "It must be love."
Outside, hidden beneath the back porch a short figure in ninja garb, a figured listened to the conversation of the people inside. The ninja with great stealth left the grounds of the Tendo Dojo and ran off to the home of his master; Tatawaki Kuno. From the top of the stairs a balding man, diminutive in appearance, listened to what was being said also and smiled with a wide Cheshire cat grin. Someone else heard the conversation also, and he kneeled down in the bushes scratching at his head underneath his yellow and black headband. Unseen by any of the others a lone, petite figure sat on the Tendo roof. She brushed back a lock of blue hair and folded her arms across her chest defiantly. Lastly, hidden behind a statuette stood a tall feminine form brandishing a huge spatula. She smirked and slowly sneaked her way out of the Tendo yard.
"Yeah, with none of those bozos around this will be a very relaxing vacation." Ranma smiled cheerfully.
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CONTINUED IN PART 2...
FAMILY REUNION - PART 2: Tenchi Meets Ranma
The Masaki family meets the Saotome and Tendo families at last. All seems nice and peaceful until Happosai decides to go on a rampage.