Chapter Six: The Meeting of Family

There wasn't a car waiting for them but an old beat up truck. A big burly man climbed out and introduced himself. "I am Shin Takahashi. Welcome to Japan. Tomishiro called and told me what had happened and I knew you would be on Mr. Hiro's bus" he explained as he loaded their belongings in the back, "I am sorry, this is the biggest vehicle we have at the moment. The other one needs to be repaired. Some one is going to have to ride in the back." He lifted the last of the luggage into the back.

"I'll do it. Living on a ranch teaches you to be prepared for anything" Jackie said, jumping up into the back and sitting down on her duffle bag. She leaned her back against the cab. It was just a short ride up the road, so it wasn't bad at all. They entered a gate and stopped in front of the house. The three women grabbed their luggage, turned around and stood there in awe. "This is the ancestral home? It's more like a Japanese palace" Mina said as she looked upon the sprawling traditional house. "It is, sort of. Our family dates back to the era of the Samurai. To be precise, they were the Shoguns, Nobles of this area and in the Emperor's personal service. They were the protectors of the Royal Family" Mr. Takahashi stated, pride in his noble heritage sounding clearly in his voice. The three cousins had grown up with the knowledge of their rich heritage but this part of the family was immersed in it every day. Jackie was looking forward to living in a part of her history and learning as much as she could about it. Mr. Takahashi showed them to the room they would share. It was a bit dusty so they cleaned it up a bit and then put their things away. Mr. Takahashi then led them to the dojo where the rest of the family women were practicing. He introduced them to his four daughters and four nieces. "These are my daughters; Saiya, Mitsako, Kiki and Kaya. And these four are my nieces; Jen, Lin, Mai and Kirrin. Girls, these are your cousins from America; Jackie, Komiko and Mina" he said. They all shook hands except Kirrin. She had an air about her as if they were nothing to her but a nuisance. "Mr. Takahashi, I thought there were ten on a team?" Mina asked. "Yes but it is a minimum of ten members on a team to compete. We also need at least one back up participant in case someone fails their skills test, gets sick or gets hurt. And please, call me Uncle Shin, as we are family after all. I hear Mr. Takahashi and I expect to turn around and see my father standing there. Tomorrow will be your skills testing. For today, look around and get acquainted with the area" he said. The three women bowed to him first and then to the rest of the girls. As they went back to their room, Jackie said, "Well, we could go for a walk but I'm in the mood for a serious run. Maybe while we're out we could find a market and pick up fixings for dinner. It could be our way to say thank you." The other two nodded in agreement.

Even though it was chilly outside, considering it was the middle of November, Jackie was wearing her red Kanji sweatpants and a tank top. The other two were dressed similarly and nodded in agreement. "That sounds great. I'll go ask Uncle where the market is" Mina said. She returned a few minutes later. "Okay, it's just past the high school to the left, on the same side, three miles down from where Uncle picked us up." They grabbed a small backpack each and went out of the front of the house and did some stretching. Uncle was there watching them, he wanted to get an idea of their stamina and total fitness. "Uncle says we go to the corner, turn left and pass the high school. It will be on the next corner" Mina stated. They started by jogging out the gate, then picked up their speed until they were running at a good clip. "Where are they going father?" Saiya asked. "They are going to the market. They are going to make dinner for us tonight as a thank you" he responded as he watched them disappear out of sight. "They are going to run all the way there and back?" Mitsako asked. "Yes and it will give me an idea of their fitness levels" he replied, smiling.. "And when does Tomishiro return?" Saiya asked. "He's trying to get back here as soon as he can. He is having some difficulties with the one client. Oh, and pass it on, he doesn't want Jackie to know who he is just yet. They only know him as Tomishiro Ichibana, one of the sponsors and he wants to keep it that way for the time being. Don't let that Kirrin girl know about this either, there's something just not right with her." He smiled at what his son had said about his recent feelings for Jackie. Tomishiro had also told him about Jackie being badly hurt emotionally by a guy and was afraid to open her heart to love again. He also explained how he had seen signs that she was craving what he had to offer. Shin knew his son had it in him to unlock her heart once again.

Tomishiro was beyond frustrated with this one client. The man didn't know if he wanted the properties he was being shown or not. The first one was prime warehouse property on the docks or if he wanted the one that had access to the railway. Tomishiro was still trying to get in touch with an owner of a property that had both amenities but the owner was out of town on business. Tomishiro was hoping that his mother would get back real soon and take over on this deal. He wanted to get home as soon as he could. The incident at the airport was troubling him to the point of distraction. Jackie had been the sole intended target and he felt this wasn't over yet, not until after the competition four months away.

Jackie, Mina and Komiko found the market easily enough. "What are you planning to make?" Komiko asked. "I was thinking of Grandma's savory beef stew with steamed vegetables over rice. We would normally make it with venison but I couldn't find any deer meat so beef is a perfect substitute" Jackie said as she paid for the groceries. The bell sounded at the high school and they saw the students exiting all three schools at the same time. "Hey, I wonder if we will run into those boys we met from this morning"Komiko said. They notice some of the high school students were hanging around, waiting for younger siblings. As the three women came abreast of the bus stop, they heard Jackie's name being called out. They stopped and waited for the boys to catch up to them. The boys were accompanied by a group of other kids. "I told my friends that we met you on the bus this morning and they couldn't believe it" the oldest boy stated. The youngest one with the magazine was showing the picture to the others and pointing to Jackie's distinctive tattoos. "It is our pleasure to meet your friends as well. These are my cousins, Mina and Komiko" Jackie said, smiling at them. The kids all bowed to them. "What brings you here to Japan?" One of the teens asked. "We are here for the Inter-Clan Competition" Jackie told them. One girl was speechless and her mouth hung open. Another one asked," You're all so young. Did you graduate from high school yet?" All three women nodded. "Yes and I have been going to my local University since I was fifteen and have already earned several Degrees. I am still taking two more classes before I graduate but now I do independent studies and online classes. I will be graduating this upcoming May. Education is very important these days, so study hard and learn all you can" Jackie explained to them.