"Father! the mail came, there's a letter here for you.  It's from America!"
Kasumi
exclaimed as she interrupted Soun's and Genma's game of Go.  

"From America?"  Soun quizzically replied. 

"Who do you know from America, Tendo-san?"  Nodoka asked from the living room.  

She had been mending a tear in one of Ranma's shirts.  A job that constantly 
needed to be done.  She sighed.  Ranma was probably off fighting somewhere right
now... getting more of his clothes torn.

"I don't know anyone from America..." Soun anwsered as he looked at the letter.

He looked at the return address and suddenly gasped.  "Saotome-kun!  This letter
is from Hitomi!"  

Genma jerked his head up and quickly scrambled around to where Soun was
sitting.  "Well, Tendo, what are you waiting for? Open it!"

"To think, Saotome, " Soun said as he opened the letter, "to hear from her
after all these years!"

"Who is Hitomi?"  Nodoka asked.

The two men ignored her as they concentrated on the letter.  

"Excuse me," Nadoka asked a little louder, "Who is Hitomi?"  

Soun and Genma looked at each other and then looked at Nodoka.  

"Well, " Genma began, "She is an old friend.  The three of us, Tendo, Hitomi,
and I grew up together."

"Yes, " Tendo continued, his eyes distant. "We used to do everything together.
All three us trained to be martial artists, but then Hitomi got married and
the two of us ended up with Master Happosai.  It was a very difficult break up
for all of us, but she was in love." 

Soun's last statement was almost bitter.  Genma's face reflected Soun's
feelings.    
Nodoka wanted to question them further but instead said, "I see. Well, what
does the letter say?"  

Soun had almost forgotten the letter while reliving the distant memories.
He open the letter while Genma looked over his shoulder.  

He glanced and Genma, then Nodoka, and decided to read the letter aloud.

	"Dearest Soun,

		It has been many years since we have been in contact
		with each other.  I am sorry that I have not written
		sooner, but I had lost track of you and Gen-chan after
		you went off to train with that weird old man. I just 
		recently found out where you were living and decided to
		write you; for three reasons.  1)  I wanted to renew
		a friendship with an old and dear friend.  2) I wanted
		to know if you were still keeping in touch with Gen-chan.
		Although I was able to find you, I still don't know what
		happened to him.  We, the three of us, had such wonderful 
		times, didn't we, Soun?  I plan to visit some time when
		I get the chance, I know my husband would like to see you
		as well.  Soun, I know my marriage, and to an American at 
		that, hurt you and Gen-chan deeply.  I am so sorry, I would
		never intentionally do anything to hurt either of you.  I 
		love the both you dearly, but I had to follow my heart.  I
		hope you have forgiven me.  The third and final reason that
		I am writing is that my son will be visiting Japan soon. I told
		him about you and have asked him to pay you a visit.  I think
		you would be proud of me, and him.  He has learned the art,
		although not from me.  I can proudly say that he is much more
		skilled than the three of us were at his age.  (I may be 
		a bit biased, but I am a mother, after all!)  His name is Ken,
		and I hope you welcome him, as you welcomed me so long ago.

						With love,
							
							Hitomi Masters  


Soun and Genma re-read the letter again, to themselves.  

"Well, " Soun said after a few moments, "She has a heir as well. All three
of our
dreams are complete."  

"SOME dreams, anyway."  Genma said as he noticed Ranma and Akane walking into
the house, arguing as usual.  

Soun looked pensive, "I wonder why she didn't teach here son herself?"

"Well, as good as she was as a martial artist, she was also a very traditional
woman.  That was one of the reasons that American fell in love with her."
Genma answered.

"Oh 'Gen-chan'?"  Nodoka interrupted.

Genma suddenly looked like a dear caught in the sight of headlights.

"Uh, yes dear?"  He replied weakly.

"Perhaps we should go upstairs, and you can tell more about this... Hitomi."

"Yes, dear."

Nodoka led Genma upstairs.  Soun watched them go and sighed.  He smiled
pleasantly
as he remembered a girl he had once call his companion, and friend.  He was
very eager to meet Hitomi's son.  He wondered what this Ken Masters would
be like.  

			************************

Ken stared out the window from his luxurious first-class seat as the plane
landed.
It had been many years since he had been in Japan.  He remembered the time, so
long ago when a similar plane landed at this airport.  He was not as
enthusiastic
a passenger back then, though.  He smiled at the memory.  God! What a
spoiled brat
he was!  

Ken liked to live a dangerous life as a child.  Not much had changed in that
respect.
Yet, he was also very disrespectful of others, and didn't really care how
his actions
effect his family and friends.  He never thought about the consequences of
anything.

His father was at his wits' end.  It looked like he was going to spend the rest
of his childhood at St. Martin's Military School for young men.  It was at this
point that his mother suggested sending him to Japan, to learn from an old 
martial arts master.  Ken remember how he cringed at the thought of living out
in the woods in some backward country, listening to an old man ramble on and
'teach' him how to fight.  How wrong he was.  

He had learned so much from his master, and of course from Ryu.  He owed his 
mother a great deal for leading him towards this path.  Things were looking good
for Ken, and many aspects of his life were settled, he was finally getting
married and he had won nearly every martial arts tournament in the North
American
continent.  There was only one thing left to do.
    
*Well, Ryu. It's been a long time.  We'll finally see who's the best.*

			*************************

well that's the teaser... should I keep going?

-anand  
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Anand Rao
anandr@earthlink.net

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=