—Looking toward the night sky I saw a Japanese woman looking at me with love in her eyes. She had black hair and beautiful features. A moment later I saw glimpses of other people I had never known.
A woman with cyan hair and golden eyes, another with purple hair and a tiara, and a shorter woman with red hair and green eyes. They're gone in a moment, but a flash of light etching my mind with who they are.
A woman's voice echoes in my head.
"Soon you will know all of them, you are family."—
Over a month and no dreams or voices, I lost hope in finding out what it all meant. However I seemed to be able recall things I had never seen before. Like I had been given someone else's memories.
The next morning was the most challenging point of my life, totally changing the course of my life and the lives of others as well. Getting up to my usual routine, set out my clothes, shower and go to work. The shower was nothing close to usual. I entered the water, letting it run off the top of my head to gently clear my eyes of the morning blur. The blur cleared as I washed, but I thought my eyes were still playing tricks on me. I stepped back from the water to see through my hand, looking down my feet were no longer there. I quickly threw on some clothes as I soon disappeared totally from my apartment.
Opening my eyes very slowly, something was gently landing on my face. It was a cherry blossom. There were no cherry blossoms near my home but I couldn't have been any happier knowing I was still alive. But where was I? I sat up to find I was sitting on the top stair of the Masaki Shrine! Putting my hand in front of my face to see if I was fully there and I was, thanking whatever god or goddess brought me here. Turning to look down the long flight of stairs, I thought I was dreaming. I felt a hand on my shoulder. I swallowed hard, turned and saw the person I new as Yosho.
"Are you alright? Can I help you?"
I passed-out.
I awoke again, this time inside the shrine where Yosho was preparing some tea. I turned slowly.
"Where am I?"
"What is your name?"
"Greg Hannell."
"Well Greg, you are at the Masaki Shrine in Yokohama Japan, I am Katsuhito."
Without another word, the description of the area was coming from my mouth as he sat there surprised yet
motionless.
"How do you know all of this when I have never seen nor heard of you before?"
"I am not sure, for some reason I know of this place and the people here."
"There must be a reason why you have been summoned here, but why?"
I had the same questions he did. After having some tea, we sat at the front steps of the shrine office continuing our talk about me and my history - not really making any headway toward the questions we both had.
"Tenchi will be home from the fields soon, I would like you two to meet."
Katsuhito looked at me as if he knew something I didn't.
"Don't worry, you may stay here as long as you like."
We made our way down the large stone stairway, him helping me all the way. I had yet to regain all of my strength.
"Have you given the cave's key to Tenchi?"
"What?!"
He let go of me and I fell to the ground.
"Oh, I am sorry...are you alright? How did you know I planned to do that?"
I had very little memory accept for bits and pieces coming and going, but I simply replied,
"It will be alright, give it to him."
We finally made it down to the last steps, he stopped. I looked up and saw a figure coming toward us. My mind was racing as Tenchi bowed.
"Hi, I'm Tenchi Masaki. How are you?" I returned the gesture, "Hi, I'm Greg, pleased to meet you."
We let Tenchi in on the conversation we had in the shrine. By the time we were finished speaking, we where at the front door of the Masaki house. I closed my eyes and walked in. I felt the furniture, the table, the doors without opening my eyes. I also heard Tenchi say very quietly.
"This is a little weird grandpa, are you sure he's OK?"
I returned the comment by saying,
"It's OK, I am not having the easiest time with my new surroundings either."
We all laughed and had some more tea.
Dinner was on the minds of all as we waited for Nobuyuki to get home from work, I reached down trying to set my cup on the table but missed, my balance was not quite back yet and it broke. Going to Katsuhito I bowed and asked his forgiveness. Which was followed by a strong hug from him.
"Please sit down Greg and relax, I'll get us more tea. You will regain your balance in a couple of days."
Nobuyuki walked in the door cursing his employers for not knowing what they were doing. I knew I would scare him.
"Sweet Sake!"
He shouted as he saw me laying on the couch. Very carefully he asked,
"Who are you?"
"I am Greg Hannell, How are you?"
He seemed to forget about being so scared.
"I am No---," but Iinterrupted him - Nobuyuki.
He stared at me mouthing to himself "How did you know my name?"
He made his way up the stairs toward his room.
Dinner was served. Miso soup, rice, and salmon. It was a good thing I had changed my diet to Japanese food before I arrived here or I would be out of luck. (I wonder if Sasami is coming soon!) We all helped cleaning the dishes.
"Would you like to watch me practice tomorrow with grandfather?"
"Yes, I would thank you!"
"But for tonight you can sleep in my..."
"Thank you, but I can sleep right here on the couch. Its fine really."
"Well alright, I see you in the morning then. Good night."
"Good night Tenchi, sleep well."
Grandfather stayed in the living room looking outside.
"Grandfather?"
"Yes Greg?"
"You are very accepting, yet you are apprehensive as well. Would you like to talk?"
"I'm wondering how you knew about the key, and my decision to give it to Tenchi at the right time."
"I'm not sure I can answer all of your questions, but I can try. I feel as though I have been given someone else's memories, like seeing into a different world but that world then suddenly becomes real."
"I see. You have no idea where these memories have come from?"
"I remember images, a woman with beautiful facial features and black hair. And her voice, like she knew me."
"Greg look at this picture, does she remind you of someone?"
"Yes! That is the woman in my dreams! She told me I would know all of you."
"This picture is of Achika, Nobuyuki's past wife."
"Oh."
"This must mean something, but right now I'm not sure. I will head for the shrine now, don't forget about
training tomorrow."
Grandfather left the house leaving me behind with my thoughts.
"Why would Achika appear in my dreams? Well I guess I should get some sleep, who knows maybe I'll have another dream."
Laughing to myself I made myself comfortable on the couch, not thinking having another dream was possible and slowly drifted to sleep.
Somewhere in the night it happened. Only this time it was more real. Achika appeared repeating the same message along with the images of different women, but there was yet another. A woman with light blue hair and robes of white. She appeared out of sparkling air, smiled and said "Welcome home" then disappeared. The next morning I chose to speak with Katsuhito before practice in his private office.
"Grandfather, I had another dream last night."
"Really?"
"Yes, but it has gotten much more intense."
"How so?"
I described the new woman to grandfather and then sat for his reaction.
"Indeed you have been brought here for a reason, one we are not able to decipher yet. But in the meantime we shall take good care of you. You may go see how Tenchi is doing, I will be there shortly."
I bowed, turned and slid the door closed after me. Katsuhito sat thinking about something.
"Tsunami, what is the reason you have brought him here? And who is he...really?"
When grandfather exited the office, I brought myself to his side from the step I was sitting on.
We turned into a wooded area from the shrine where there was a training ground with stepping logs and a stick on a string for striking. I sat in sezia on the side of this training ground watching Tenchi begin to spar with grandfather. He was very good, grandfather had been teaching him well. I already knew this but it was cool to see! At the end of a session, grandfather asked me if I would be willing to help. Of course I was happy to, after all they had taken me in. Grandfather put me in the middle of this training ground and blindfolded me. I wasn't to keen on this seeing what I had been through the day before. I was supposed to protect the center of this training ground using a bokken without seeing. I concentrated and heard Tenchi's heart beating slowly at first, then faster. Tenchi was about to knock me unconscious when I raised my bokken and deflected the attack turned and spun it just under his knees. He fell, sweat dropping from his brow and scratching his head. Then I stilled, grandfather was around but I couldn't hear anything. I awoke with both of them looking down at me on the ground.
"What happened?"
"You have the same problem Tenchi has, lack of concentration."
I got up slowly. Tenchi gave me his hand.
"How did you do that? How did you know where I was?"
"I heard your heartbeat."
He looked at me then at grandfather, who nodded. This gave me some positive actions for the day, even if I didn't understand how or why.
We were finished for the day and on our way to the steps grandfather asked to speak to me and had Tenchi go ahead to the house.
"How did you know he was there? Have you had any training?" Then a long pause.
"Do you know who I really am?"
I tried my best to remember then I said "Jurai," but I didn't know what it meant. We continued down the steps and found Tenchi resting on the last, all three of us continued to the Masaki house. For the time being I called this home. The next day was a special one, I just knew things were going to happen and did they ever.
I was invited to watch Tenchi perform one of the rituals with his grandfather at the shrine, of which I warmly accepted. I stood behind grandfather and Nobuyuki while Tenchi made his way to the middle of the shrines large concrete foreground. Stopping, he turned and spoke to me.
"I know you have come to us for a reason, what I do not know. Yesterday you showed grandfather and I things we had never seen before. I now know there must be kindness throughout the universe because you have shown us nothing but. Until you find your way, I would be honored to accept you as my brother, Greg Masaki."
I was speechless. I dropped to my knees at the show of kindness and thanked all of them for their acceptance. As I rose from the ground, grandfather was in front of me looking into my eyes.
"Greg, I will take you under my wing as I have Tenchi, you have much to teach me as well."
We exchanged approving bows and parted.
Tenchi went on with his ritual as planned. I was beaming, I was so proud to be a part of this family. At the ending of the ritual, I received a vision of a space ship coming down from the sky.