Since a few people have asked, including a couple at school, I've decided to take up the task of recording our journeys and our matches as we travel across the world and play other teams. However, it'll be a daunting task, and I'm not quite sure I'll be able to accomplish it alone. As that is a lot of work, and there are a lot of cities to explore, both inside and out of the tennis courts. ^^; So if anyone is interested in helping in the task of recording the matches and/or our travel exploits, I'd greatly appreciate it. Because I already know that I have some obligations that may keep me from missing out on all of the matches and/or sight-seeing efforts. I'm sorry, but I do have my priorities when it comes to my family. Thanks to anyone who wishes to take over in those instances alone.

Speaking of my family, it seems that when our travels make our way back to my home country, I'll have a lot of work to do. Both me and Akaya shall be heading to my grandparents' place to start helping them pack for the move for at least one of the days. Like I said before, they won't be moving until we get back to Japan, but it's just them in that house, and they are old, with one of them fairly disabled. There's no way they can do it all by themselves. They need our help. So we will be going to help them. If anyone else is willing to help an old couple out in putting things in boxes, we'd appreciate it. They're good people, and Avozinha will cook a real Brazilian meal for anyone who comes out to help us. And trust me, she does damn good cooking! Better than you'll ever find in whatever hotel they try to put us in while we're there. Better than any restaurant you'll find too! Better than even Okaa-san's, and they don't get much better than her~!

Hope everyone back home is having a good New Year so far~! It's just turning midnight down here in Sao Paulo about an hour ago and we're trying to make it to Liberdade now to visit the shrine before we head back to my grandparents place to get some sleep before we have to start packing up and getting ready to head back home. We've been insanely busy since we got down here and it feels like we've been rushing all over the place. Almost like I was home again. So much for relaxing during our break. ^^; But it was for the best. My whole body still tingles from the gruesome workout that Mourao-sensei gave us this whole time, and I'm sure Akaya and Bunta are feeling it too still, maybe even worse than me. But we're more than ready for the tournament now, and we got a chance to check out and even play some of the guys that we believe are going to be on Brazil's team. Renji, did you get email I sent you with their stats? These guys are strong and we ended up pretty hard pressed by them. Of course, we didn't use all of our strength, but I'm sure they didn't use all of theirs either. I hope I get a chance to play those guys again in an official match and see what they're fully capable of.

( Time with family. )

Anyway~! We have a lot of souvenirs for everyone, so you all have something to look forward to when we get there~! See you guys soon! ^^

It's been decided. As soon as winter break starts, my family and Akaya will be on a plane going back to Brazil. We won't be coming back until the day after New Years. Which means I won't be back in town until January 3rd. ...So I won't be seeing any of you until it's time for the international tournament.

Figured I'd go ahead and let you all know, since I'll be leaving the day after class lets out for the break.


( Private )

[OOC: Um, yeah... He realized his "just pretending and putting up with it" plan isn't going to work so well this time. So he's going home to take care of some things that had already been hounding him for months now, hoping that'll help work things out.]

Noé's music class is going to be putting on a Christmas concert at his school next week on Thursday. It'll be the first big performance that he's been involved in. And not only that, apparently he had been doing so well in the class that his sensei is giving him a solo act~! So if anybody from Rikkai is interested in coming to watch, all of you are more than welcome to do so. I know he'd really appreciate it. And Minami~! He said he would really like it if you and Moto were able to come and watch also! Sengoku, too, if he's free!
He's been really nervous about it since he found out about his solo, and he's been practicing nonstop. Even right now, I can hear him singing from his room. ^^ He'll be fine, though. He's a natural when it comes to music and singing. He's only eight years old, but I've heard him belt out a melody that most adults can't do. Okaa-san has been saying it's possible that he may even end up getting a recording contract eventually with that kind of a voice, if he keeps at it. Which I'm sure he will. He might be kinda shy, but he loves to sing. So Okaa-san is thinking of talking about it with my aunt and looking into getting him involved in some sort of program that helps with voice coaching and getting him noticed by the right people. His teacher had been the one to suggest the idea to us, and I think it's a good idea. It's kinda hard to imagine the thought of my tiny little cousin becoming a famous artist, but it would be great if he was able to do something like that~! I'm really excited for him~!
So if anyone out there wants to hear the voice of the next big sensation, while he's still in his "raw talent" phase, please come see him~! You can hear for yourself just how good he is! ^^


And speaking of Christmas, that reminds me that I need to get on the ball and start shopping for gifts. I don't like trying to push my way through the mall during this time of year. At least not by myself. I'd normally go with my parents or Akaya, but they're among those that I still need to buy things for. So I need a shopping buddy or two. Anyone interested in coming with me?

Minami~! Sengoku~! Both of you! Thanks again for dropping by on Tuesday and having dinner with me and my family! I know Okaa-san is usually cheerful, but I don't think I've seen her that...giggly in quite a while. It's kinda strange seeing my mother behave that way. She looked more like some of the girls I go to school with than a grown woman with a family! ^^; But it was a good thing and having you both over made her day~! I think she needed it after all the worrying she's been going through lately with my grandfather. She's been under a lot of stress these days because of that. All of us have been, really. Though I'll admit it's times like these that just seeing Okaa-san smiling is enough to keep the rest of us from feeling down. But she's been doing a lot less smiling lately. So getting to see her that happy and wearing a big smile on her face for the rest of the night was wonderful~! ^^
...Though Sengoku, I probably should've warned you ahead of time about my mother and her overly affectionate ways. If I had thought to, you might've been able to avoid getting your face shoved into her... ...E-Erm, well...hopefully it'll make you feel better knowing she does that to everyone. Just ask Minami. She did the same to him when she first met him. Same thing with Moto. In fact, he almost got stuck there. >>;;

( Screened to Minami and Sengoku )

BTW, Minami, when is the next meeting for that cooking club Asuka-san started? I think...Okaa-san might be wanting to join them. >>; I'm still not quite sure if I should be glad or afraid that she made friends with your mother. And for some reason I keep sensing impending doom coming from the idea of her joining this cooking club. ><;


[OOC: In case you're wondering about what Jackal left unsaid, Sengoku got boobed to death. XD But Mama-san loooooves Sengoku now. She says Kiyotsu can visit anytime he wants~! Even if Ken-kyan isn't with him! Though she really would like it if he came along, too. Because this one visit definitely doesn't make up for all the time she's missed seeing him, young man! >:O *shakes a lecturing finger at him* She'll feed him bunches until he feels like he's about to bust! Because like all of Jackal's other friends, Kiyotsu is just too skinny! Mama-san will have to put some meat on those bones! Oh, and because she's the exceedingly talented cook that she is, Jackal's worried it's going to spark some jealousy and bickering among Minami's mother's friends because she can cook better than them. That's the impending doom he's sensing. >>;]

Hey, Minami~! I just got finished talking with my mother and she was wondering if you wanted to come over for dinner on Tuesday? If not that day, maybe one of these days this coming week? Because she was making a huge fuss over how you haven't dropped by in a while and she thinks you're doing it on purpose to avoid her. >>; I kept trying to tell her that you've been busy and that you were sick for a while, but I think she thinks I'm just trying to help you make up excuses now. T_T; Btw, sorry that she practically forced Asuka-san to come and bring you some of her home remedies when you were sick. ...And for your sake, I hope you didn't actually ingest any of them. >>;;;
So, um, make her happy and join us for dinner? ^^; Moto's invited also, since Noé would be happy to see him, I'm sure. And if Sengoku is free, he's welcome to come over also. The more, the merrier~! And Okaa-san likes cooking for big groups. ^^


[OOC: It was joked about a long time ago, but apparently Jackal's mother makes these god-awful home remedies that do more damage than good to people. It's completely up to Minami (and Sengoku, if he came across them as well) as to whether or not he fell victim to Mama-san's bad medicine or if he was smart enough to know something doesn't look right about the soupy sludges he was being given. Or hell, maybe she actually got things right this time and Minami had himself a miracle medicine on hand. XD
And for reference, The Mama-san Lexicon of Cutesy Nicknames for all those attending dinner: Jackal = Jachon (yeah, even her own son is a victim); Akaya = Aka-yon; Bunta = Bun-chan; Noé = Noetan; Minami = Ken-kyan; Moto = Motori (it's a play on his name and "kotori". Basically, she's calling him a little bird); aaannnddd Sengoku = Kiyotsu~♥]

Ah~ I haven't updated in a while. Busy schedule begets forgetfulness? ^^;
Either way, lots of things going on. Thankfully, all the tests and classwork is at least done with for a while, so I can focus on everything else. ^^ LIKE TENNIS~!! THE KANTOU TOURNAMENT HAS FINALLY STARTED!! :D I look forward to playing against everyone this year! Ah, I admit, I especially wanna play against Yamabuki. I want to play a match against Minami and Higashikata-kun~! You guys fight hard so we can meet up on the courts! ^^

And speaking of Minami, him and his little brother, Moto, came to visit me and my family last week. I think their mother is trying to outdo Okaa-san or something, because they brought a ton of food over with them. Half of it was sweets. Lots of cookies and cakes, so Noé was really happy, though he was on a sugar binge for the rest of the evening because of it. We had a really hard time trying to get him to go to sleep that night. T_T; ...But I think Okaa-san took the gift as a challenge and just ended up cooking a bunch more stuff to send back with Minami because of it. ...Why do I sense trouble starting from this? >>;

( Screened to Minami )


[OOC: Yeah, I know Rikkai ends up not actually playing against Yamabuki during the entire tournament. Which will end up actually disappointing Jackal quite a bit, because he really wants to play against the Jimmies~! Rikkai's winning of the tournament is going to feel so hollow to him because of that. But at least Yamabuki wins the consolation! So maybe they can play together then! He's hopeful~! :D Silly Jackal and his eternal bromance with Minami~! XD And for serious, Mama-san is totally going to go to war against Minami's mom for trying to one-up her with the food. She's competitive like that. >>;]

I apologize to anyone I've spoken to in the last couple of days. I've been a little off, I know. It's just that I've been kind of stressed out and upset with things involving my family.
Okaa-san is back home from her trip to see my grandparents in Brazil now. And a little less cheerful about things than she typically is as a result. It seems Avozinho is in worse condition than we originally thought. He forgets the things he is doing half of the time and he's now having to use a wheelchair because he's gotten too weak to move around on his own. The Alzheimer's is apparently developing faster than expected and because of that, we honestly don't know how much longer he'll be able to fight against it. We could be lucky and he'll still be around for years to come...or it could be a matter of months. We don't know. But finding this out has put a damper on pretty much all of our moods. And it's hitting Otou-san just as bad as it is Okaa-san. Avozinho has been like a surrogate father to him ever since his family disowned him for marrying Okaa-san. He's been a little short-tempered because of the news and snapping at me, Akaya, and Noé. He usually apologizes afterwards for it, but I can understand. It's troubling all of us.
( Thanks for the suggestion, Yagyuu. )

( Other problems )

So yeah. Sorry if I'm not acting like myself for a while. I'm just...upset. With things I can't fix. Everyone please put up with me while I'm dealing with this. Hopefully I'll be back to normal soon enough.


[OOC: WOES. Emo Jackal. D; But yeah, he's kinda emotional and snippy right now as you can see. Other characters are more than welcome to abuse that if they like, for it'll give my boy something to do if there's a bit of drama going on. ^^;
Oh! And Renjikins~! If you haven't noticed it yet, I sent the start of our log to your inbox! :3]

For everyone that picked a puppy, it looks like they're finally ready to go to their new homes. They're all fully weened now and can fend for themselves, so all of you can come and pick them up whenever you wish! ^^


In other news, my family has been a bit worried for the past week. We got news from my grandparents about something that has all of us a little unsettled right now. It seems Avozinho's health hasn't been fairing too well lately and he ended up having to stay the night in a hospital last Wednesday. Ever since his Alzheimer's was diagnosed, his health has slowly been declining. He doesn't move around as much as he used to and Avozinha has to help him in doing most things. Okaa-san's been beside herself with constant worry because of it. She started crying after we got the call from Avozinha that he was in the hospital. I don't think she slept at all that night either. And it feels like she hasn't been as cheerful as she normally is since then.
We're supposed to be giving them another call tonight. They should be just waking up right about now and Okaa-san wants to know how he faired over the weekend. If things haven't gotten any better, I think she might be taking a flight by herself to Brazil to be with them for a little while. So all us men in the family (human and canine) will have to fend for ourselves until she gets back. It'll feel strange without her here, but I know she needs to see them.

( That meme that's going around and some plans for the weekend )

Goku's puppies are getting bigger by the day. They're already running all over the house and trying to get into things. It's a handful sometimes, just trying to keep all of them out of trouble, but I can't say I mind it. They're cute and they make me laugh with some of the things they do. ^^ They've started trying to eat food now also, so we haven't had to feed them by bottle as much anymore. Pretty soon they'll be completely weened and able to look after themselves. And at that point...we'll have to find new homes for them. As much as I'd love to just keep them all here with us, we can't do that. We wouldn't be able afford taking care of Goku and all eight of his fully-grown pups and we don't have enough room for that many dogs.
Okaa-san said it was okay if Noé kept the puppy that he had grown attached to, the runt of the litter. Which he is apparently going to name Gohan. ...Get it? 'Cause his father is named Goku? Ehn, what can I say? The boy likes Dragonball Z. T_T; But the others we'll need to look for homes for them. Thankfully, Ibu-kun agreed to take one of them, so that's one less to worry about. And Hitomi-nee-san said something a while back about maybe taking one. Did you still want one, Nee-san?
But I've been thinking, I'd really like it if the puppies were all able to go to the homes of people I know. That way I know they would be in good hands, and Goku and Gohan would still have the chance to see their family. So I was wondering, does anyone want a puppy? I promise, they're really good dogs! They all inherited their father's 'good dog' gene! ^^


[OOC: Puppies~! Get your free puppies here~! And for a general idea of what the puppies look like, here, pictures. They're Lab/Afghan hound mixes, some are solid black like their daddy and others are a brown and black mix, and they all have that curly tail. ^^]

Since it's Easter today, me and my family ended up visiting a cathedral over in Naka-ku for Easter mass this morning. It may sound like a strange thing to most on my friends list except maybe anyone from St. Rudolph since they're used to being surrounded by that kind of environment. Christianity isn't exactly a common thing in Japan. But it is in Brazil, and Okaa-san herself is Catholic. She tries to visit a church on the major Christian holidays, like Christmas and today, and she also figured Noé would've liked to see a Japanese church. So we all agreed to go with her for the holy holiday's service too, since it sounded interesting and I like it when the bishop there tells the Easter story and because Okaa-san would've given us her disappointed look for a week if we didn't go. ( Akaya and Bunta were with us also. )

Ah, work and family has been keeping me pretty busy during this time off from class. It's been a bit of a trial trying to get both Noé and Akaya plus all the puppies situated here. But...it looks like everything has settled down finally. I'd been kinda worried there for a while as to whether everything would really be okay even though Akaya was away from that house, but it seems we'll be alright now. And...I feel I kind of need to thank someone for that. A few someones, I think. But it feels less honest saying it over a computer. I'll have to speak to them in person. Okaa-san says you should always thank someone if they do right by you. No matter who it is, no matter the reasons. And well....Okaa-san's always right. Even in her strangest moments, she's always right. ^^

( Work and travel )

It was a busy past few days for me and I'm now exhausted after everything. I wonder if this will become a regular feeling from now on. I hope not, because I'd rather not be dead tired by the end of each day, but considering the reasons why, I guess it's not a bad way to tire one's self out. ^^ Because yesterday was the day Noé ended up coming in on his flight over from Brazil! Me and my family woke up really early in the morning to go and pick him up at the airport since that's when he flight finally arrived. He'd had a long trip and he looked exhausted from it. I understood that all too well, since my family has made the same trip numerous times and it typically takes two days just to get from one point to the other. But at least I had my parents with me and was older than him, even on my first time making the trip. He was by himself the entire time. Though he did say that the "nice flight attendant ladies" helped him out a lot. Still, it was a long trip, and apparently he'd had to make a flight transfer in New York City and got a little lost trying to find his way in that airport. But even with problems like that, he still made it here in one piece, that's what matters. And he did it while having to look after a litter of puppies the entire way.

( Noé and the pups )

Ended up meeting up with Muromachi-kun Friday afternoon. He had given me the address to a capoeira dojo back before Christmas as a gift, but because I'd spent my winter vacation time in Brazil and then got caught up in work and school afterwards, I didn't have the spare time to really visit the place. But now that things have slowed down again at both work and school, I was finally able to take the time to check things out. Akaya and Bunta ended up coming with us also. I guess I've talked enough about it that they were curious to see what the big deal was all about. ^^; Though they weren't alone apparently. Oshitari came with Muromachi when he met up with us. The place turned out to be even better than I thought. It's small, but it had a very comfortable street feel to it that reminded me of my time in São Paulo. It seems the head sensei, Mestre Arriscada, just moved here from Brazil not too long ago and decided to set up shop when none of the other capoeira dojos ended up fitting his principles. Large dojos all too often forget their roots and forget that part of capoeira is all about personal expression. You try to drill set ideals into someone's head and put restraints on their movements, you lose the fun that comes with the battle. And the Mestre knew this, so he started his own place where these kinds of things can be remembered. It's still off to a slow start, and besides us, he's only got a few other students, but perhaps once word gets out about the things this little dojo and its students are capable of, maybe others will also start coming in. Whatever the case, it'll be fun. I'm looking forward to seeing what else I can learn by being there. And who knows? Maybe our dojo could end up winning in a tournament someday. ^^

( Making preparations at home )

Mama got on my case about getting suspended for fighting in school again. I mouthed off and said I didn't do anything wrong and that the fuckers all had it coming. She popped me good for talking back like that. You don't talk back to Mama unless you want to be smacked so hard it'll send you back to preschool. But I was telling her the truth! Like I keep trying to tell her, the teachers don't know shit! I could teach a class better than those punk ass losers and Mama knows it, too! But they think that just because they got the fucking teaching degree, that makes them the smart one and so they think they know what's best for me. They don't know a damn thing about what I fucking need! What I need is a fucking educator with brain who really knows what the hell they're doing. Not that I'm likely to find one in this damn school. But they don't wanna hear that from some student, so they give me a hard time. I ain't taking any of their bullshit, though, so I end up punching some fucking teacher when they keep trying to rub me the wrong way. And the other students ain't any better either. They know I'm hard and that I'm not some dedicated teacher's pet, so all kinds of stupid dumbasses come my way trying to start shit. But there ain't no gang member in that school who can take me. I don't get why Mama won't let me just drop out of the school. Then I wouldn't have to keep dealing with this shit.

And the next time that fucker, Kabaji, says something about Akaya again, I'm shanking him. I don't give a shit about what the bossman says. His ass is dead if he insults my boy. I ain't putting up with him messing with my baby just for his own shits and giggles. Akaya can't even fight back against him.

[OOC: Yay for the return of the Nice Guys Turned Into Complete Assholes gang. You know, I just realized how much I ♥ these guys, even though they're all AU personalities. XD It should also be noted that AU Mama-san is this tough-as-nails, no nonsense mother who rules her household with an iron fist. Though, oddly enough, she still adores both Akaya and Bunta. She thinks they're good for that foolish son of hers and will hopefully keep him out of causing too much trouble. ^^;]

Eh, kinda late in getting around to saying it though it looks like Akaya made mention of it but yeah, we're back from Brazil. ^^;
We had a ton of fun! And there's just something extra special about getting to spend the holidays with the family all together. We haven't been able to do that in years, so I'm all the more thankful that we were able to save up enough in time to go there and celebrate Christmas and the New Year with them. ^^ Sure, we had a bit of a bump in the beginning with Aunt Kimiko, but that didn't effect us for long. By the way, Akaya, remember me talking about Otou-san possibly getting a screeching call from her? Um, well, he got that screeching call. It looks like we might be paying for a bunch of puppies to be brought over here in a few months. >>;
( Good times in Brazil )

But now it's back to class as usual. ><; Ah well. At least I know that it won't be much longer before Akaya will be able to rejoin us here at the high school and on the team again. It's definitely not been the same without him here with us. Though, of course, everyone should realize that with him being back on the team again, we're going to end up kicking everyone's butts at Nationals. No offense or anything. We say "Always win Rikkaidai" for a reason, you know. ^^

[OOC: I imagine during the whole father issue, Jackal's dad probably went into "protective father" mode at some point and confronted both Akaya and Bunta separately to "have a talk" with them about his precious only son. XD He was probably looming in the shadows for added effect, also, in an effort to spook them. How effective that was is debatable, seeing as Papa-san is one of the most unintimidating people in the world unless he's seriously angry. >>; And yay for Rikkai pride~! They's gonna be scary again come April! :D]

We got to Brazil safe and sound, and since then we've been spending time getting caught up with family again and just wandering about the city. We'll be here here a few more days before we head up to Rio de Janeiro to gather with the rest of the family through Christmas. In the meantime, we'll just visit some places we didn't get a chance to see last time. And maybe get together with Mourão-sensei for a day. I wonder if he'd be interested in playing a match with me while I'm here. Ah, I'm sure he'll end up creaming me, because he is a former pro. ^^; But still, I want to show him all the work I've done and what all his training did for me through the years.

( Not-so-much fun with family )

We've been looking forward to it for a while now and we're now finally on our way back to Brazil again! ^^ We left the house this morning. Akaya and Bunta stayed the night at my house so we could all just leave from there and we got on the plane without too much trouble. Though getting them to allow Goku to come with us took more effort than it should have because his travel permit was missing some pointless information. Okaa-san raised cane about it though and they ended up dropping the issue so she would stop making a scene. I feel sorry for Otou-san. He looked pretty embarrassed by it. I kinda was too, but she did it for a good reason. ^^;

( Some plans for when we get there )

But there's plenty of other things to look forward to here, and I'll have all the people most important to me here to see it all with me. This'll definitely be a very fun and memorable winter (or summer, in Brazil's case) vacation and I can't imagine a better place to be for when Christmas comes around. ^^
I promise I'll bring back souvenirs for everyone! If there's something specific any of you want, let me know and I'll hunt for it while I'm here. And in the meantime, I hope everyone else has a good winter break! :D

Ah! Sumimasen, everyone! Thanks to spending extra time at work and being overloaded by school and life in general, I've been forgetful about my journal. ^^; But I'll try to keep a better eye on it from now on. Things have slowed down a bit, so it should be easier for me.

But it's been interesting! I think I can say now that with all the work me, Akaya, and Bunta have been doing, we've now got enough for the trip to Brazil during Christmas. Okaa-san and Otou-san won't have to worry about trying to come up with any of the money like they did last time. It made me feel guilty when we last visited, because I worried they were using money they shouldn't have been spending, just to make sure I was able to bring Bunta and Akaya with me. I don't want them doing that. And they can't afford to keep doing that just for us. So we'll help pay for the trips ourselves from now on. ^^

Muromachi-kun also ended up stopping by the pet store I work at a while ago. He was looking for ideas for pets for himself and a friend of his, so I gave him a tour of the place and pointed out all the different animals we had. I had remembered he had said he was looking for some more unique and exotic pets, and we happen to have rather large number of various critters that don't fall into the typical pet category. He was really fixated on the tarantulas for some reason. Especially this rather temperamental black one we got imported from Thailand. I don't like tarantulas in general, because they're creepy and not fun or cute like a dog or hamster, but that one in particular gives me a bad vibe. And it doesn't seem to like anyone that tries to get near it either. I hope whoever his friend is can handle something like that.
But while I was showing him everything, I also stopped by our ferret cage. Muromachi-kun seemed to like them even more. Or, one in particular that was black and white and had a bandit-like mask over its eyes. It was really cute and it seemed to like him also. ^^

And now it's time to go help Okaa-san with making her remedies. I've decided that if she's still going to make the awful things, I might as well at least know what's in them from now on. T__T;

[OOC: Yeah, I know he's way overdue to have his journal updated. But limited interaction with other Rikkai people and his general lack of interaction with others outside of his own team have left me with little to talk about with him. ^^; Seriously, because of stuff like this, I need some more excuses for him to talk with others, so it doesn't seem so random. >>; And I'm gonna assume Bunta ended up getting his own job also to help out with his boyfriends. Probably at some bakery or candy shop. Wait...nevermind. He might get fired if that happened, because he'd keep trying to eat the product. T__T;]