Tales of Sore: The Keeper of the Kasai-Tamashii

Sore was sitting at the edge of her bed staring out the window towards the direction where her father came back home after work. She impatiently looked back at the clock to check the time. It was two o' clock. Still five hours remained until his return. She sighed heavily, wishing time would just pass a lot quicker. She stared at the doll her grandpa had gifted her yesterday on her seventh birthday. Every year Sore waited for her birthday just to receive the beautiful presents her father would give her. Last year he gave her a necklace which had belonged to her mother. From that day on, Sore had never taken it off. This year her father had said that she would have to wait an extra day to receive her present.

“Hey, want to go outside and play hopscotch?”

She turned around and saw her cousin Hyuosuke standing at her doorway.

“Yeah sure,” she replied, hoping this would pass the time.

“I’ll go call Akira,” Sore said, once they were outside.

“What? No way!” exclaimed Hyuosuke. “She’s annoying,” he grumbled.

“Fine. Go get her,” murmured Hyuosuke, when he saw the look of anger in Sore’s eyes.

They played hopscotch until late noon, until all three of them were out of breath.

Sore was in her room when she heard footsteps approaching.

“Marbles! I am home.” She heard her father’s deep calm voice.

She sprinted towards him with a huge smile.

“I brought you your present. But close your eyes and give me your hands.”

She did.

“Now open them.”

In her hands laid a small wooden box. She opened it up and saw a small wooden scalpel, a pair of thongs, and small scissors. It was a medical kit that her father had made her.

“Once you are old enough I’ll get you a real one. But for now, let’s work with this so that you do not actually cut yourself,” her father said smiling.

She hugged her father tightly. “Thanks dad! I love it,” she said gleaming with happiness.

When Sore had told her family that she wanted to become a medical student once she grows up, her Grandpa shrugged it off, saying that women don’t go into such fields, and stay at home to make food. But her father supported her, saying that he was so proud to hear her say that. She stared at the box knowing that now she wanted to become a medical student to make her father proud.

Sore opened her eyes. She was lying in her bed. She felt a throbbing pain in her head. She lay there for a moment trying to remember what had happened when it hit her. She slowly got up.

“Oh, good you’re awake.” It was Akira sitting on a chair beside her bed. She smiled faintly at Sore. Sore nodded.

“May I come in?” It was her grandpa staring at her from the doorway.

Akira got up and gave Sore a hug before leaving. “I’ll come back in the morning. Until then try to eat and get some sleep,” she whispered in Sore’s ear.

Eito came and sat in the chair Akira emptied.

A deadly silence filled the room. They could hear each other’s heart beats. Neither of them knowing what to say to the other.

“I wish I could’ve protected him. I always prayed for him to live longer than—" Eito broke into tears and so did Sore. She got up and hugged him and felt his weak, shaking hands embracing her. They sat there holding each other.

“Grandpa, the arrangements have been made for the funeral service tomorrow.” It was Hyuosuke. He looked tired and nothing like his usual cheerful self. Sore could tell that he had been crying too by staring at those swollen red eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she whimpered, remembering how she scratched his arm when he tore her away from her father’s body.

He nodded and smiled. “Don’t be.”

Daiki had been a father to Hyuosuke also. His father had died before he was even born. The only father figure he had seen was Daiki. Losing him had affected Hyuosuke the same way as it has to Sore.

“You two should get some sleep. The service starts at ten o'clock,” said Grandpa as he got up.

Sore found herself laying in her father’s bed at night. His room still smelled like him. There, laying on his bed, Sore cried herself to sleep.

Akira made her way up towards the mountain, where the Mansions for the Chosen ones were. She was wearing a black dress for the funeral. She looked up at the sky. A blanket of dark gray clouds filled the sky. Sore loved the rain, she thought. Whenever it rained she would stay outside soaking in it, until the last drop had poured. Akira reached the house that said FUJIO (Sore’s family name). She passed the garden and saw Hyasouke sitting on the porch swing. She went towards him and sat beside him. She tried to find the words to say to him when she finally asked, “Did you get some sleep last night?”

Hyuosuke nodded, “Yeah, a little.”

His eyes were still puffy and red. “It’s good that you came. Sore still hasn’t got up. She is sleeping in Uncle’s room.”

“I’ll go see her. Hyuosuke, I’m sorry about uncle Daiki,” she said, and gave him a hug.

“Thank you, Akira,” he said, hugging her back.

Sore woke up to the rumbling of the clouds. She looked outside the window. It was dark, but the clock showed half past seven. She stayed on the bed staring at the ceiling until she heard Akira’s voice.

“Sore. Are you awake?”

Sore got up. “Yeah.”

Akira was standing at the edge of the bed holding a black dress.

“I’ll get dressed,” she said, taking the dress from Akira’s hands.

They reached the cathedral for the prayers and then to the graveyard to bury her father.

People came to pay their respects to Eito, Sore and Hyuosuke.

The elders of the village approached them, with Kaneto in the front. He was the same age as Eito and had always conflicted with his ideas. The whole village knew that Kaneto always wanted his family to have the Kasai Tamashii, but it went to the Fujio’s.

“I’m sorry about your son, Eito. Daiki was a good boy,” he said, while patting Eito on the back. “When you’re done with the funeral, hopefully by evening, come to the temple for the meeting. I think it would be better for us to decide it today.”

“Decide what?” asked Eito

“About the next keeper of the Tamashii of course. I think now we all agree that it shouldn’t be a Fujio. As hard as it seems to believe but your men aren’t strong enough,” said Kaneto, in a matter of fact tone while giving a side glance to Hyuosuke. “I know this is not the right time to say this, but we believe it would be better to hand it over to another, perhaps a more capable family,” he completed his sentence.

“How dare you talk about my family like that?!” Sore burst, “the men you call weak had been guarding the whole village and this good for nothing Tamashii. My father died because of this. My uncles died because of this, and yet Grandpa never blamed any of you for forcing the Tamashii upon our family. And we know by weak you mean he has no sons left to pass it onto,” tears ran down her cheek as she yelled.

“Sore that’s enough.” Eito said in a gentle tone.

“I wish this Tamashii had never cursed our family.” sore said, through gritted teeth and ran towards her home where she knew could cry her heart out in her father’s room.

Sore woke up with a jerk. She had fell asleep on her father’s bed again. She laid there when suddenly she felt her stomach rumble. She hadn’t eaten a proper meal since her father’s death. She got up and made her way up to the kitchen. The light in the kitchen was on, and she could hear someone talking. She went closer. It was her Grandpa talking to Hyuosuke.

“Kaneto has somehow managed to persuade all the others on his side. They all agree that the Tamashii should be passed on to another family on the next full moon.”

“Then maybe you should listen to them.”

Eito turned around to see Sore standing on the doorway.

“You know I cannot Sore.”

“Of course you can, but you do not want to”.

“Well what do you suggest that we do now, Grandpa?” asked Hyuosuke.

“I have a plan though. I am not sure if it will work. I have decided to go find Hachiro. I shared this with the rest of the council and they have agreed to it.”

A dead silence filled the room.

“What?” Sore and Hyuosuke replied together.

Hachiro was their uncle and Eito’s youngest son. He had run away from the village when he was 17 years old because he did not like the passing of the Tamashii in their family. Daiki had told Sore and Hyuosuke about him once, but his name wasn’t spoken much in their house. Sore sometimes liked to wonder that she and her uncle Hachiro were alike for hating Tamashii.

“I don’t want to bother either of you to go through this, but I’m afraid if I leave you two behind I don’t know what the elders will do to you if I am not able to make it back. Even Itaru agrees with Kaneto. I’m not sure if I can trust him with you two.”

Itaru was Eito’s best friend. He had been there for him and stood with him through thick and thin.

“When do we leave then, Grandpa?” asked Hyuosuke.

“Tomorrow.”

Sore tried to sleep but thoughts kept ruling her mind. What will the elders do if they were not able to bring Uncle Hachiro back? Will they force the Tamashii out of her Grandpa? Will they kill them for being the keepers of the Tamashii. Her heart began to race, she was terrified. She felt a dire urge to cling to her father more than ever. She needed him to be near her, to hold her in his arms and hear his soft calm voice telling her that everything will be okay. Instead it was just herself and her scary thoughts and the darkness that surrounded her.

“Do you think this plan will be executed properly?” asked the first man.

It was dark, and the only source of light was a single candle on the table that stood between them, upon which laid a chess board.

“Of course, I do. I have sent Kagetaka,” said the other man in a deep husky voice.

“I hired the best spy who happens to be an excellent assassin too. He would have left their land even before the death body hits the ground,” he continued, while scratching his chin. “Oh, and checkmate,” he said with a crooked smile.

“Tsk, damn you and your chess skills. Well when should we announce the good news to the elders then?”

“As soon as Kagetaka returns. After this I’m sure the elders will give us the importance and respect we deserve."