Chapter 1

                                    

                                          
A/N: This fic is 80 chapters long. The SoA characters will come in shortly. I hope you enjoy this as much as I have writing it!
Ryu Tanaka and his wife Massika were quite the unusual pair. He was a Japanese national who was stationed in Cairo, Egypt to head the new office of his company. Massika was an Egyptian native who was already betrothed to another man when Ryu first met her. He noticed her one sunny afternoon when he was out shopping. He fell in love instantly and knew he had to have this woman for his own. The summer of 1975 was spent chasing Massika and trying to woo her from her betrothed. After many discussions with her parents, although they couldn't speak one another's language, he finally convinced her parents to let him marry their daughter. To his family's horror, he married Massika there in Cairo without them. His parents were wary of this woman whom he couldn't even communicate with but he had fallen hard for her and refused to let his family look down on her.
His company moved him from Cairo to Jacksonville, Florida in 1977 to open up another office there. The couple fell in love with the people and atmosphere of America so much they decided to go through the rigorous process of becoming legal US citizens. They wanted to keep their citizenship from their home countries as well knowing their families would most likely disown them both if they didn't. During the process of becoming US citizens, they had to learn to speak English. It was a blessing for them since they would then be able to properly communicate with one another. Ryu was working his way up the company ladder. He was making very good money so she didn't need to work. In 1978 they were blessed with twin boys. 
Each wanted their children to have a traditional name from their culture so they did something unusual. They gave each boy an "American" name followed by a Japanese middle name followed by an Egyptian middle name and then their last name. James Hideki Masuda was born first. His brother, Jonathon Denji Jabare was born three minutes later. The couple were overjoyed at their two sons even though multiples were rare on both sides of their families. Massika struggled, as all new moms would, at first with twin infants. Ryu did all he could when he was home to help his wife out. The weekends were his favorite time of the week because he had the time off and could spend real time with his family. The two boys were very smart and picked things up rather quickly. They were the first in their neighborhood to walk and talk for their age. 
The happy family were blessed in 1980 with triplet girls. Massika decided she wanted no more children after having two sets of multiples and winding up with five children. Ryu agreed knowing they now had quite the full household. As with their beloved boys, the girls received three names. The firstborn was named Remi Kaida Khepri, the middle child was named Elise Aika Chione, and the baby of the girls was named Ava Masumi Lateefah. Ryu took their camera, the best on the market at the time, and took as many photos of his wife with their newborns as he could. He was very proud of his children. Massika felt overwhelmed when she was released from the hospital with triplet newborns and a set of two-year old twins. 
Ryu offered to hire a nanny until the children got older. After much debate and discussion, they finally decided on hiring themselves a nanny. She arrived in the morning to make breakfast, do the laundry, clean the house, and help with the children as needed. She would make dinner and then go home. Ryu did his best to help with the children when he was home and loved playing with them. It made Massika smile to see her husband loving on and playing with their five children. The girls were just as bright as their brothers and caught onto things as quickly as they had. Before the children were in kindergarten, Massika had taught them their ABC's, basic colors, basic shapes, and numbers up to twenty. The parents were very proud of their children.
Although the household was full, the loving parents did all they could to encourage their children in whatever endeavors they chose to pursue. The two boys loved playing doctor and lawyer when they were playing together. James was always the lawyer and his brother Jonathan was the doctor. Sports were a big part of the two boys' lives as well. Their father loved taking them to baseball and football games. Remi was an unusual girl. She loved weapons from all cultures and time periods. It had fascinated her from her parents reading stories of knights fighting dragons and evil Queens with swords. Elise showed an interest in helping others and had a tendency to help her mother doctor her siblings. Her mother told her what an excellent nurse she'd make when she grew up which sparked her desire to become a nurse when she grew up. Ava was the shutter-bug of the family. There was nothing else she loved more than taking photos. Whether it be people, buildings, scenery, animals, it didn't matter to her.
Ryu and Massika each taught their children how to speak their native language so the children grew up being trilingual which often took their teachers and other students off guard. When the girls made it to pre-school, Massika decided it was time for her to have her own career. After much discussion with her husband, she decided to go to medical school and become a trauma surgeon. It was a strain on the household with her going to school but with the nanny still employed they made it through. Between Ryu's income and Massika's income, the family lived a very comfortable life. They took the children on fabulous vacations each year during the summer. One year they went to Hawaii. One year they went to England. One year they took a road trip and went to the Grand Canyon. Ryu wanted his children to have a good life and fond memories growing up.
They alternated which side of the family they spent the holidays with. One year they'd spend Thanksgiving in Japan and Christmas in Egypt and the next year it would be the opposite. They wanted their children to know both sides of their family and learn about their cultures. All five children loved getting to visit with each side of their family. Their family doted upon all five children despite Ryu's family not happy with how he'd married Massika without them there or having a say in his wedding. They had learned to like her over the years as they saw how loving the pair were towards one another. Ryu didn't care what his family thought of his wife. He loved her, she made him happy, and she was a fabulous mother to his children. That's all that mattered to him.
After James and Jonathan graduated high school, they immediately went to college in the fall. James went off to law school and Jonathan went off to medical school. It was the only thing either boy ever wanted to do in life. It made their parents proud especially when they received scholarships based on their academic records. Both were in the top of their class and had graduated with honors. Their sisters were also quite gifted in school and strove to be the best they could be. Ava continued to photograph everything which always amused her mother. It's what she wanted to go to college for. She wanted to learn everything she could about photography. Her parents were more than encouraging to her and her dreams. Elise decided she was going to go to college to become a nurse which really made her mother very happy. Remi wasn't sure what she wanted to go to school for. All she was interested in were various weapons and video games. After a long discussion with her parents, she opted to go to college to become a video game tester and designer.
The girls had finished college and were working in their chosen fields but were still living at home with their parents when Ryu's company moved him to a small town in Northern California called Charming. Massika applied for a job at the local hospital, St Thomas, after giving her two-week notice to her boss. Ryu would be the boss at the company and the building was already set up for him to take over. The girls weren't thrilled at moving from their childhood home but did as their parents wanted them too. The two boys were shocked to hear their parents were moving despite Ryu telling them it was because his company was having him move to handle a new office. Massika had everyone pack up their own rooms and mark specifically what room the box was going in. Ryu flew down to California so he could start house-hunting for the family knowing the girls would be living with them all during their college career unlike their boys who stayed on campus.
The moving process is always rough and none enjoyed it. The girls packed up their rooms as best as they could being sure to mark what was in the box and whose room it was going into. Once the bedrooms had been packed up, Massika had the girls help her pack up the kitchen. With all four working together, it didn't take long. Next they tackled the living room and then the bathrooms. Ryu hired movers to come and move all the furniture and boxes out of the house for them not wanting to strain his family any more than necessary. He sent pictures of the houses he found to his wife and got her opinion before he chose one they both liked. It was large, everyone would have their own bedrooms still, and they would all have their own bathrooms. It was perfect so he got on purchasing the house before heading back home to help with whatever remained of the packing and moving.

A/N: I promise the Sons of Anarchy will be making an appearance shortly!
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