Possession 9: The Destiny of Memory

                Well, it starts a bit before the accident, I guess. My dad, Kazuki, worked for this big… firm thing. He still does, but he was different back then. He was around more often, at least, even though his job kept him on the go. We had a big house with everything we could ever need. I was six, so I didn’t really need anything… but he spent a lot of money on my mother.

                Mom’s name was Sakura. She was… angelic… there’s no other word for it. She was devoted to me and dad and always put us before her. She cared for everyone, actually. I can’t remember her too clearly now, but I’ll never forget that… or her voice… I can’t even describe it…

                Dad had been away for a month. In America, actually. We never did know what he had to do. It happened while we were headed on the way to the airport. It was a dark night… raining. A storm… I could hear the thunder… I was scared, but the idea that mom was there was enough.

                It… I don’t know exactly what happened. The news said that there was a truck transporting logs to a lumber yard… The straps broke, or something, and they spilled onto the highway… The thunder hid the sound… We couldn’t see anything… then… then the lightning flashed, and there they were…

                They were in the road… no way to avoid them… Mom hit the brakes and swerved to the side, but the log was rolling towards us… It hit the car and flipped us… it shouldn’t have happened, but… But either our car was too light or the lumber truck was going to fast… I don’t know…

                The car was completely flipped over… but the road was slick, and we were spinning…slammed through a guardrail... down the slope of the road… The side of our car slammed into a tree and we finally stopped… finally…

                I don’t know what had happened, or where I was… all I remember is my mom leaning over me, cradling me… Protecting me… I could have sworn she was bathed in light, but they later told me that it was the flashlight of a rescuer... A gap in my memory, or whatever, between the time of the accident and the time I was pulled out…

                My dad took it hard. He fell into a slump and stopped going to work, stopped leaving the house… we nearly starved… He just couldn’t believe mom was gone… I was too young to realize she was never coming back, so I was fine. But then… the hallucinations started…

                I don’t remember exactly what I saw. I know I saw my mom a lot… talked to her, sometimes… I saw other people too… Heard their voices… I talked with all of them, to try and help them… mom would always smile at me, and I knew what I was doing was good…

                A year went by, I think, before dad got back on his feet. He was lucky to get his job back… and when he found out about me, he sent me to therapy… He also came to the shrine, but I guess he heard something he didn’t want to hear… Ever since, we never did any rituals or religious practices.

                I spent three years with that psychologist. He helped me through the hallucinations, taught me how to ignore them. They were never really there, so why should I bother with them? I was still in shock from the accident and seeing things was how I dealt with it. Soon I was alright again, and the hallucinations faded.

                I still see the therapist every six months. He helps me through my ‘depression’, or whatever. I’m pretty sure he thinks I’m suicidal, which is stupid. I get picked on a lot… okay, well, picked on isn’t the word… more like beat up. Yeah. I get into fights a lot and always loose. My therapist tells me I need to fight back and defend myself, or something like that.

But that’s all. That’s it. That’s my story.

Tenshi rubbed at his eyes. “See? I’m just a nutcase who gets bullied a lot.  No big deal.”

Rei sat in a stunned silence. She never knew any of this, of course, and found that his story tugged at her heart. She felt sorry for him.

Tobias smiled softly. “Thank you, Tenshi. And now, I will add to your story with a little explanation of my own.” He adjusted his glasses. “You see, your father did come to see me some time ago. He was very spiritual back then and believed you were being haunted. I did my own investigation and found nothing of the sort. There were no spirits coming to you. In fact, you were going to the spirits.”

Tenshi blinked at the priest. Rei look up as well. “What are you saying?” She asked.

“Ever since the accident, Tenshi has been in almost perfect sync with the spirit world. He has the ability to see and interact with the nonliving, much like a priest, or a shaman. Such ability takes years for even the most trained spiritualists to accomplish. You might say that the accident awakened his inner talent.”

“That’s impossible,” Tenshi said. “I haven’t had those hallucinations in years. If I could see those people, then where are they now?”

“Your therapy has shut your mind to the other realm,” Tobias responded calmly. “You cannot interact with spirits because you believe they do not exist. We see only what we want to see, after all.”

“The night I died,” Rei began suddenly. “Tenshi heard me… but he saw the Hell Hound, and tried to drive it off. Of course he had the Sight! I should have seen it before!”

I did not try to ‘drive it off’, Tenshi thought bitterly. I fell on my ass and prayed for a miracle.

“But if his mind was closed up until then,” Rei continued, “how could he suddenly see the Hound?”

Tobias smiled. “Ah, my lady doth see the problem.” The priest stood up and began to walk along the room, sweeping his eyes over the various religious artifacts. “Our lives are governed by a higher purpose. All religions believe this to be so. We are born with a specific purpose in mind, yet the path we choose and whether or not we reach our potential is completely up to us.

“It seems to me that your paths were destined to cross, Saishi-san, Lady Kodama. Although I don’t know what purpose this is for, I believe it to be true. The gods do, in fact, desire you two to be together. That’s why I cannot separate you with my spell.”

Tenshi felt his heart sink. “I don’t believe in fate,” he mumbled.

Rei stood, shooting the boy a glance. “It appears we have no choice in the matter. But Master Priest,” she said, regarding Tobias, “what do we do now? I must hunt down Tenma, but I cannot get Tenshi involved more than he already is. What do you suggest we do?”

Tobias turned and looked at Tenshi, raising his brows in amusement. “I think you should learn to fight.”

“No way,” Tenshi growled. “I’m not fighting anyone. Especially some demon freak mass murderer. My mom’s gone, and it nearly broke my dad. If I die, he’ll lose it completely. No way will I do it.”

“Your dedication to your family is a strong weapon, Tenshi,” Tobias said with a smile. “If you wish to protect your father, then you must fight. If Tenma is in this city, gathering followers, that means he wants something. As you said, he is a mass murderer. When he has his goal, what will stop him from killing you and your father? Will you let that happen because you refuse to fight when you had the chance?”

Tenshi lowered his head. Well… when he puts it that way, it does make some sense… “But… I can’t fight,” he pressed. “If I did, I wouldn’t be beaten up as much. And I don’t know how to use a sword, or whatever that thing is that Rei uses.”

“Bokuto,” Rei supplied.

“And every time she ‘borrows’ my body, I go into some kinda la-la land where I’m on the acid trip from Hell. Even with all this, you expect me to fight?”

“Yep,” Tobias said with a nod. “I think you should start practicing.”

Tenshi felt faint.

Tobias opened a drawer and pulled out a silver necklace. A medallion hung from it, no bigger than an American nickel. A symbol was carved on its surface. “Here, Tenshi. Take this. As long as it is worn, you will have a stronger bond with the physical world. It will take some practice to assume a spirit form similar to Lady Kodama’s, but it will prevent you from fully entering the Astral Plane.”

Tenshi took the gift and stared at it. With a reluctant sigh, he unclasped it and slid it around his neck. For some reason, when he re-clasped it, it felt like someone had just locked him in a jail cell. He groaned.

“That’s all I can do for now,” Tobias said with a sigh. “However, please feel free to come back any time you need advice or a place to train. It gets lonely up here.”

Rei smiled as she stood and bowed deeply. “Thank you for all your help, Master Priest.”

Tobias inclined his head and smiled. “A pleasure, Lady Kodama.”

“Thanks,” Tenshi muttered as he bowed. I think I’m in deeper than I was when I came in…

Tobias led the way through the maze of halls that made up the Kakidashi shrine. Rei walked alongside him and the two were deep in conversation. Tenshi had no clue what they were going on about so he naturally tuned out and withdrew to his own thoughts.

See ghosts? Nah. They were only hallucinations, that’s all. I never really saw anything. It was all just post-traumatic stress disorder. I think that’s what they call it.

A single memory crossed his troubled mind. One he had lost deep within himself for a long time. It was the night after the accident, when he was in the hospital. His dad was asleep on a nearby chair. Tenshi was supposed to be asleep too, but something had woken him up.

The lights in his room had shut off. He had felt scared since nearly all children were afraid of the dark. A single light had floated into his room, almost like a leaf drifting and dancing on the breeze. This light settled beside him and filled him with warmth and courage. It had then expanded, taking the form of his mother.

She was as beautiful as she had ever been, dressed in a pure, untainted white dress that seemed to float and dance around her. Her whole body was surrounded by light, and her blue eyes were filled with love as they gazed beneath honey brown locks of hair. Slowly, a hand had reached out over him, gently caressing his cheek, wiping away any and all fear the six year old Tenshi had felt.

You came into this world without crying, she had told him in a voice that was no voice at all, but a song carried on the unfelt breeze. Ever since, I always knew you were destined for great things, my little angel, my darling Tenshi. Wherever you decide to go, whatever you decide to do with the time the great God has given you, know that I will always watch over you. I will always love you. My dearest baby boy.

She had smiled, and Tenshi had smiled back. She then stepped back as the light around her grew, stretching out on either side of her like great luminescent wings. Tenshi watched, the light strong yet bearable. Slowly, she had faded out, and was gone. The lights of the room had turned on shortly after.

And then the memory was gone, but not forgotten. Tenshi had stopped walking and was aware that tears were sliding down his cheeks. That was no hallucination, he told himself. That was real... She was there, and I heard her… He clenched his fists. Mom…

A hand was gently placed on his shoulder. Tenshi was startled and looked up, half expecting his mother to be there. Instead, it was Rei, a gentle expression on her face.

“You know I can’t force you to do anything, Tenshi. If you still want me gone, I will do my best to stay away, though I cannot sever out connection. I won’t drag you into this fight. Are you sure you’re up for this?”

Tenshi thought of the bullies at school, always picking on him because he was different.

He thought of Kai who had stood by his side as far back as he could remember.

He thought of his father, who was never there, yet always worth fighting for.

He thought of his mother, who he carried in his heart everywhere he went.

Tenshi wiped away his tears and smiled. “Yeah. I’m up for it. He needs to be stopped. I won’t let him repeat what he did to your clan.”

Rei smiled broadly and hugged him tightly, though Tenshi couldn’t feel anything but the faintest tingle. “Oh, thank you! I swear I will protect you and never let anything happen to your father! I swear on the name of my clan!”

Tenshi couldn’t help but return the smile. Even though Rei was just a spirit, he thought he could almost feel her embrace. Tobias watched at the end of the hall, a smile on his serene face. Tenshi let out a sigh, half defeated, half excited.

This is for you, mom.