Thank you everyone that has kept with me. I hope you are enjoying the story so far. For now I have finished Mori's past and the next several chapters will be focused on Mel. I more or less just tweaked and expanded upon the already existing character of Mori. Since Mel is my own invention, I feel the need to go a bit more in depth to develop her and the story. Hopefully this won't make anyone mad. I want to start with the background of her parents. I hope you guys like it and thank you for the support.
Kazuki Rajjin was a promising talent in Kendo. He breezed through lower tournaments and always found himself in the national rounds. In his late twenties, he took his childhood friend Akemi as his bride. They enjoyed a relatively comfortable life. Unfortunately, the one hitch was a terrible one. After enjoying a blissful marriage for a few years, they tried to have a child. They desperately wanted one, but it seemed Akemi had some fertility problems. Their tenth anniversary was spent in a fertility clinic being told the chances of them having a child were extremely low. To keep the sorrow at bay, the pair threw themselves into their work. Kazuki took the national championship every couple of years, along with accumulating many lower titles. Akemi occupied herself managing her husband's career. She acted as his agent, finding good tournaments. They pushed the thoughts of children from their mind.
It was such a wonderful surprise when Akemi found herself expecting. They found out the news after Kazuki successfully took nationals for the fourth time. He took a break from his career so that they could just enjoy the miracle that had been bestowed upon them. At age 39, Kazuki became the father of the beautiful baby girl they named Sumay. His wife Akemi was 36. When Sumay was four, he noticed her interest in the sport and began training her. He also decided to stay on only the local circuit. It didn't pay nearly as well, but he made more then enough to support his family. He also got the added bonus of getting to spend time with his girls, and personally train his daughter. She was a natural like him.
Sadly the wonderful times could not last. When Sumay was eight, Akemi perished. A building she had been in caught on fire, and she suffered third degree burns getting a little boy out. Her picture was in the paper and many newspapers jumped at the story. They bombarded the grieving family with questions. All Sumay could say was that she was sad to lose her mother, but proud that she had given her life to save another.
After the story lost interest, the family was left to mourn in peace. Noticing how withdrawn he was getting, Sumay forced her father to participate in a local tournament. It helped his fledging spirit. He picked up even more when she entered the novice's tournament and took first. Kendo became the salve that soothed her and her father's broken hearts. She took the lower leagues by storm, dominating the competition. Her achievements were easily overshadowed by her father. Still fueled by the pain of his loss, Kazuki pushed his way to the top. He took his first national title in nine years. He stunned the country when he remained undefeated the following year, then the next. The fervor that swept the enthusiasts only increased as he kept the title firmly in his grasp. His legendary status was cemented the moment his tenth national championship win was under his belt.
At this point, he decided it was time to retire. He loved the sport, but the lust for the spotlight was much faded. It was Sumay that came up with the idea of the dojo. People always asked for him as a tutor, and this was a way he could remain in the sport that he loved so much. Hence the Rajjin Dojo was born. He started out with about thirty students. He and Sumay were the only instructors. She had already made a fair name for herself and people gladly forked over money to be taught by them. It grew at an exponential rate. He went out and hand picked other instructors. As the students showed interest in more then just kendo, the dojo began to expand its training. Instructors were hired for several forms of martial arts. Before they knew it, the Rajjin Dojo was the most exclusive and sought after training facility in all of Japan.
At age twenty, Sumay won her first national title. She was defeated the following year and decided to take a breather. She resumed her position as a kendo instructor in the dojo. At intermittent years, she would enter regionals and nationals. A slew of regional titles fell in her lap. By twenty six she had three national titles. She was earning her own legendary status. But not all was perfect in the Rajjin world. Though very proud of his daughter, Kazuki was a little disappointed in her marriage status. It wasn't that he was anxious to marry her off; it just worried him that by twenty six she still had yet to have even a single boyfriend. She was a fine catch and many had expressed interest. Unfortunately, it seemed that all the men that passed through their world were unsuitable for one reason or another.
Itsuki Hideaki was an only child of a mixed race couple. His father was Japanese, his mother was Irish. Both were first generation American citizens. Both taught him customs and languages of their parent's home country, as well as things of their own home. When Itsuki was 5, he lost both parents in a fire. There was no family to take him, so he was put in a group home. There he met eight year old Max.
He had been so frightened by being moved to the home, he actually had trouble speaking english. His father had always preferred speaking Japanese at home, so Itsuki slipped back into the habit. None of the adults could speak it and many got frustrated. They talked about having him committed since he was talking gibberish. Max stepped forward and laughed at them. He told them it wasn't gibberish, it was Japanese. Max's fourth, and favorite, foster home had been run by an older Japanese woman. He picked up a bit from her. The culture fascinated him so much, when she died of a heart attack, he continued studying. He walked up to Itsuki. Told him hello and introduced himself. Itsuki asked what his surname was. Max explained that he had been in foster care most of his life. He joked that he had been moved around so many times that he gave up on the idea of having a last name. Itsuki gave a tiny smile at the joke. He was the only one in the house that could communicate, so became the de facto translator.
Itsuki was small for his age and painfully shy. He was a favorite target for some of the older kids. Max took the younger kid under his wing, "adopting" him. He protected him, and as it took months before Itsuki spoke a word of English, the only person Itsuki would talk to. They bonded quickly. The attachment was so strong, that the boys would not even consider being adopted or moved without the other. It was a beneficial bond, so the social worker handling the case decided it was for the good of both that they stay together. They grew up watching each other's back.
When Max turned eighteen, he applied to become the guardian of Itsuki. As it was unlikely he would be adopted at such an age, and it freed up a much needed bed, the courts allowed it. They went to the court house to finalize the paperwork, and Itsuki made the announcement that it was time Max had a last name. As they were to be related, they should share it. Itsuki laughed when Max made a comment about how weird a Japanese surname would be for him. After some thinking, Itsuki proposed a novel idea. His middle name was Phelim, his mother's maiden name. Max loved the sound and what it meant. So the day he become Itsuki's guardian, he also became Max Phelim.
Max went to college on academic scholarship. He worked part time at a gas station, and got Itsuki a job there when he turned sixteen. The two were rather frugal with their money. During down time they would talk about how their classes and lives were going. But the favorite topic was their biggest dreams. Max dreamed of starting up a company and just letting it erupt in the business world. Itsuki just dreamed of having a complete family once again. He loved Max like a brother, but it was a little lonely with it just being the two of them.
Part of his wish was granted when Max met Sophie the last year into his degree. Sophie was the daughter of a somewhat well to do French family. She had decided to go to America to study psychology. With a petite frame, long blond hair, and soft blue eyes, she garnered more than her share of attention. The two had a psychology class together. Itsuki was taking a few duel credit courses at the college, and she adored how protective and loving Max was to him. Especially when she found out how they had come to be "brothers". Her family was not exactly thrilled when they heard about Max. They cut her off financially and emotionally when they made the decision to marry. It hurt to have been given the cold shoulder, but things seemed to work out for the best. She became a big sister to Itsuki. Helping him deal with his shyness around girls, and consoling him when his heart was broken. Max graduated and took a random job. Itsuki rushed through college. Due to the difficulty of finances, Sophie chose to set aside her aspirations for the degree. Itsuki was on full scholarship, but her education would have to be paid for out of their own pocket. The boys had wanted her to, but she refused. The money they were setting aside was seed money for the business they would start after Itsuki graduated.
Almost the moment Itsuki had the diploma in hand, they pushed Max to quit his job. Nights of long talks had given them the direction to go. They created a game and launched it themselves. It was a hit, but the next two years were spent in a whirlwind of chaos. They jumped from meeting to meeting, pitch to pitch. Max charmed his way with investors and sales, while the other two finished the paperwork. It surprised him when they presented him with the paperwork that named the company M.P. Enterprise.
They took risky gambles and invested money in other businesses, but their luck held. At age thirty three for Max, thirty two for Sophie, and age thirty for Itsuki, they were partners in a near world famous empire.
Itsuki fidgeted with the napkin on the table. Sophie slapped his hand gently, still trying to break him of the nervous habit. He turned and gave her the most pitiful look. Her heart went out to the poor boy. He had the worst luck with women. Poor thing was so painfully shy that the only way he ever got dates were if they had been set up. A good many of these girls turned out to be gold diggers and users. Some just didn't want to bother getting past his outer shell. The second serious relationship he had in his life crumbled when he walked in on her in bed with another man. It had been three months, but he absolutely refused any more dates. He was tired of game playing and ulterior motives. He had admitted that being alone was preferable to continuing such a losing game. And that was why they had dragged him to Japan.
For the past few months Max and Sophie had been traveling to different countries, acquiring local celebrities to be a spokesman for the company. He had stayed behind to manage things. But the recent turn of events led Sophie to practically kidnap him on their next run. They were in talks with the Rajjins, a father-daughter combo that were legends in the kendo world. A face to face meeting was to take place, to discuss the matter with a more personal touch. Sophie pulled Itsuki along because both Rajjin's were going to be present. She had seen a picture of Sumay Rajjin and heard a good bit about how much of a sweetheart she was. She was also unmarried. Sophie didn't really thing anything would happen between the two, she just hoped showing such an amazing catch would change Itsuki's choice to just give up.
Hope you guys are liking this part of the story so far. See you next time.
