Takashi inhaled deeply as the bright sun burned through his eyelids.
Slowly raising his body, he threw up his arms and stretched. He stared out
his bedroom window, looking at the giant tree that proudly stood within the
shrine he lived in. Rubbing his eyes as he turned to get out of bed,
something buzzed in his mind.
"...-Oh yeah, today's my birthday!"
Takashi quickly grabbed an outfit and went into his bathroom. When he reappeared, he was donned in a pair of jeans and a black shirt. He grabbed his favorite red jacket and raced downstairs, sliding down the rail.
"Whoa! Be careful!"
"-Look out!"
Takashi crashed down from the rail, landing on top of his uncle Souta. Oh crud, he was in trouble now. Souta lifted his head and gave a smug look at Takashi, who gave an embarrassed grin.
"Uh, hey Uncle Souta-what's up?"
"Well, I was a moment ago...but then a crazy maverick teenager, whose birthday is today, just so happened to land on me..."
Takashi laughed at his uncle's joke, then quickly got up from on top of him and offered him his hand.
"I'm sorry; I just felt a little cheerful since it was my birthday and I felt like having a slide."
"...Well, you're lucky I didn't have your present with me when you landed..."
Takashi smiled devilishly.
"Did I just get a possible hint? ...So it's not very durable..."
Souta laughed.
"Well, maybe it is, maybe it isn't...; you won't have to wait long to find out!"
"Where's Mom, anyway?"
"She's in the kitchen; I think she's making the cake for tonight..."
Takashi whipped around and raced to the kitchen. He skidded to a halt in front of his mother, who was by the stove mixing ingredients in a bowl, and gave her a hug from behind; throwing his face into the same raven hair he had gotten from her.
"Morning mom!"
"Oh, hi dear...; happy birthday!"
"Thank you; so what are you doing?"
"Just making your cake."
"I'm gonna grab some breakfast."
Takashi walked over to the cupboard, searching for something that would satisfy his appetite. He finally found it, grabbing a cup of instant ramen. His mother chuckled hard, which caught his attention.
"What's so funny, Mom?"
"Nothing Takashi...just thinking of how much you remind me of somebody."
Suddenly, there was a loud knock at the door.
"I'll get it!" said Takashi.
"Oh no! It might be your-"
But before she could stop him, Takashi set down the ramen and raced to the door. He bent over to the mail slot and said, "Who is it?"
"Delivery!"
Takashi realized that this could be his gift.
"Mom, you answer it!"
His mother dallied over to the door, and shooed Takashi away. After a brief conversation with the delivery man to be polite, she closed the door with a small package under her arm. She went off to the kitchen, and opened it to reveal...
A mummified Kappa's hand, obviously courtesy of her grandfather.
"Oooooh, dear."
"Is it here?!"
Kagome's grandfather shuffled into the kitchen to see if his gift for Takashi had arrived.
"Ah yes! The same gift I gave you on your fifteenth birthday! You do remember, right?"
Kagome sighed.
"Yes, I remember...and for some reason, I know I won't have to feed old Buyo tonight..." she said as she stared over at the geriatric cat lying in the corner of the kitchen.
"Um, not to be rude..."
Kagome and her grandfather turned to see Takashi with his hand over his eyes, standing in the doorway.
"...But I would like to have my ramen some time today..."
"Oh, don't worry about it Takashi! I'll cook it for you."
"Alright; I'll be upstairs studying for my history exam next week."
Souta popped his head in to make a witty retort.
"Okay, but what will you be doing today?"
"Verrrry funny Uncle Souta....-Hey, where's Grandma anyway?"
"Sorry Takashi; she had to go visit your great aunt. She has a broken leg and there's nobody to take care of her."
"Oh...alright."
With that, Takashi spun around and raced back up the stairs, opened the door to his bedroom and leapt onto his bed, reaching over the side to pick up his history textbook, which had been cast aside after falling asleep the night before. He licked his index finger, and began to thumb through the pages to find the current chapter he needed to study.
Rise of the Samurai: "Like a dark cloud blotting out the sun, a turbulent era of bloodshed and almost incessant warfare followed the golden Heian Age. Within the Imperial Court, gentile artistry and refinement were a continuing ideal, but all around brutal violence flourished and at times shattered the serenity of the court itself..."
Hmm...I wish we could learn a couple of legends from this time period. It looks like they were really creative...After all, from what I hear, most people thought there were demons around every corner!
Takashi laughed out loud at this thought. He may have thought they were interesting, but he certainly didn't believe they existed. It was impossible; if demons were really such powerful, dominant creatures, where were they today? Hiding away waiting for the opportune moment to strike and create Armageddon? Ha!
Takashi continued to study late into the day. By lunch, his mind was swimming with pictures of warlords and samurai fighting to the death on blood-stained battlefields. After he was positive that he had mastered everything for the test, he went outside to get some fresh air.
"Hi Great-Grandpa!" he called as he spotted his grandfather sweeping outside.
"Hello there, Takashi! Enjoying your birthday I hope?"
"Very much, thank you Grandpa," he replied as he walked up to him.
"I bet you can't wait for your gifts; wait until you see what I got you!"
"I'm sure it will be as unique as ever, Grandpa."
Takashi waved goodbye to his grandfather and let him continue to sweep. He approached the large tree that grew within the shrine. He sat under the shade of its enormous branches, breathing in deeply as a cool breeze floated past.
So...I'm fifteen. Mom always told me that fifteen was the best year of her life. I think she said she met my father when she was that age...I wonder how old he was?
"Takashi! Your grandmother left your present! Come and open it!"
"Alright, I'm coming Mother!"
Takashi ran inside, his mother handing him a small box. He gently opened it, revealing a small bicycle bell.
"Great! I've needed a new one! My old one's gotten rusty. Thanks mom; I'll have to thank Grandma on the phone later. I'm going to go attach it."
Takashi walked outside and grabbed his bike, pulling out a screwdriver he had grabbed beforehand and releasing the old bell. He packed it inside his pocket, and began to screw in the new one. When he finished, he gave the bell a test-ring.
"That sounds great; I think I'll go for a ride. -Grandpa? Tell mom I went off on my bike for a while, okay?"
"Certainly Takashi; have a good time!" His grandfather waved to him as he peddled down from the shrine and onto the street.
When it started to become dark outside, Takashi rode back home and parked his bike where it had been. He walked into the house, smelling the delicious aroma pouring out from the dining room.
"Hey, I think its oden..."
He walked into the dining room, -which was decorated for the occasion- and saw tonight's dinner laid out on the table
"Hehe! Oden! I knew it! The nose knows!"
"Takashi, you're home!"
Takashi's mother walked in behind him and hugged him.
"I hope you're hungry."
"Of course Mom; I haven't had anything to eat since this morning!"
Everybody entered the room, sitting down to begin the meal.
"Now before we eat, let's give Takashi his gifts."
Takashi's mother, uncle, and great-grandfather all pulled out their presents from under the table, setting them in front of Takashi.
"Thanks everybody. -Okay, this one is from...Uncle Souta!"
Souta smiled as Takashi opened the box. He chuckled at Takashi's expression of curiosity as he pulled out the gift.
"It's a book on ancient myths; cool! Thank you Uncle Souta!"
Souta leaned over to whisper to his sister.
"You're not going to believe what's mentioned in there..."
Kagome's eyes shot open, and she whispered harshly back. Takashi couldn't make out what she was saying, but he heard something about "bloodline" and "quarts".
"Now for my present!" bellowed his grandfather.
Takashi grabbed the package, and began to unwrap it.
Well, I better go grab Buyo, thought Kagome.
"What is it?" Takashi asked as he picked up the hand
"It's a mummified Kappa's hand! It brings good luck!" His grandfather was beaming with pride.
"Wow! This is awesome! I think I'll put it on my bookshelf!"
Kagome looked stunned. Guess I'm gonna have to feed that cat tonight after all...
"I guess this one is from Mom..."
Takashi opened the last present, to reveal a necklace made with purple and white beads. He smiled as he rolled the beads in his fingers.
"I made it myself. Your father used to have one like it; only it had a slightly different quality..."
Kagome chuckled to herself.
"It's beautiful, Mom; you did a wonderful job..."
Takashi pulled the necklace on over his head, and stared down at how it laid over his chest.
"Happy birthday sweetheart; I love you."
Kagome walked over and kissed her son on the cheek.
"I love you too Mom."
"Well, let's not dawdle! I'm starving!"
"Yeah, me too Uncle Souta; let's eat!"
The family dug in to their dinner, grateful for satisfaction to their hunger. Takashi raised his food to his mouth, but stopped as he suddenly felt cold. His skin felt like ice; and the room seemed to be getting dark. It was difficult to breathe...
Kagome stared in fear as her son froze with a look of agony on his face. She was terrified as she heard him breathe in raspy, short, struggled breaths.
"Takashi?!"
Suddenly, she let out a gasp when she thought his eyes flashed gold before he blinked. She screamed when they rolled back as he let out a grunt and fell on the table, violently shuddering.
"...-Oh yeah, today's my birthday!"
Takashi quickly grabbed an outfit and went into his bathroom. When he reappeared, he was donned in a pair of jeans and a black shirt. He grabbed his favorite red jacket and raced downstairs, sliding down the rail.
"Whoa! Be careful!"
"-Look out!"
Takashi crashed down from the rail, landing on top of his uncle Souta. Oh crud, he was in trouble now. Souta lifted his head and gave a smug look at Takashi, who gave an embarrassed grin.
"Uh, hey Uncle Souta-what's up?"
"Well, I was a moment ago...but then a crazy maverick teenager, whose birthday is today, just so happened to land on me..."
Takashi laughed at his uncle's joke, then quickly got up from on top of him and offered him his hand.
"I'm sorry; I just felt a little cheerful since it was my birthday and I felt like having a slide."
"...Well, you're lucky I didn't have your present with me when you landed..."
Takashi smiled devilishly.
"Did I just get a possible hint? ...So it's not very durable..."
Souta laughed.
"Well, maybe it is, maybe it isn't...; you won't have to wait long to find out!"
"Where's Mom, anyway?"
"She's in the kitchen; I think she's making the cake for tonight..."
Takashi whipped around and raced to the kitchen. He skidded to a halt in front of his mother, who was by the stove mixing ingredients in a bowl, and gave her a hug from behind; throwing his face into the same raven hair he had gotten from her.
"Morning mom!"
"Oh, hi dear...; happy birthday!"
"Thank you; so what are you doing?"
"Just making your cake."
"I'm gonna grab some breakfast."
Takashi walked over to the cupboard, searching for something that would satisfy his appetite. He finally found it, grabbing a cup of instant ramen. His mother chuckled hard, which caught his attention.
"What's so funny, Mom?"
"Nothing Takashi...just thinking of how much you remind me of somebody."
Suddenly, there was a loud knock at the door.
"I'll get it!" said Takashi.
"Oh no! It might be your-"
But before she could stop him, Takashi set down the ramen and raced to the door. He bent over to the mail slot and said, "Who is it?"
"Delivery!"
Takashi realized that this could be his gift.
"Mom, you answer it!"
His mother dallied over to the door, and shooed Takashi away. After a brief conversation with the delivery man to be polite, she closed the door with a small package under her arm. She went off to the kitchen, and opened it to reveal...
A mummified Kappa's hand, obviously courtesy of her grandfather.
"Oooooh, dear."
"Is it here?!"
Kagome's grandfather shuffled into the kitchen to see if his gift for Takashi had arrived.
"Ah yes! The same gift I gave you on your fifteenth birthday! You do remember, right?"
Kagome sighed.
"Yes, I remember...and for some reason, I know I won't have to feed old Buyo tonight..." she said as she stared over at the geriatric cat lying in the corner of the kitchen.
"Um, not to be rude..."
Kagome and her grandfather turned to see Takashi with his hand over his eyes, standing in the doorway.
"...But I would like to have my ramen some time today..."
"Oh, don't worry about it Takashi! I'll cook it for you."
"Alright; I'll be upstairs studying for my history exam next week."
Souta popped his head in to make a witty retort.
"Okay, but what will you be doing today?"
"Verrrry funny Uncle Souta....-Hey, where's Grandma anyway?"
"Sorry Takashi; she had to go visit your great aunt. She has a broken leg and there's nobody to take care of her."
"Oh...alright."
With that, Takashi spun around and raced back up the stairs, opened the door to his bedroom and leapt onto his bed, reaching over the side to pick up his history textbook, which had been cast aside after falling asleep the night before. He licked his index finger, and began to thumb through the pages to find the current chapter he needed to study.
Rise of the Samurai: "Like a dark cloud blotting out the sun, a turbulent era of bloodshed and almost incessant warfare followed the golden Heian Age. Within the Imperial Court, gentile artistry and refinement were a continuing ideal, but all around brutal violence flourished and at times shattered the serenity of the court itself..."
Hmm...I wish we could learn a couple of legends from this time period. It looks like they were really creative...After all, from what I hear, most people thought there were demons around every corner!
Takashi laughed out loud at this thought. He may have thought they were interesting, but he certainly didn't believe they existed. It was impossible; if demons were really such powerful, dominant creatures, where were they today? Hiding away waiting for the opportune moment to strike and create Armageddon? Ha!
Takashi continued to study late into the day. By lunch, his mind was swimming with pictures of warlords and samurai fighting to the death on blood-stained battlefields. After he was positive that he had mastered everything for the test, he went outside to get some fresh air.
"Hi Great-Grandpa!" he called as he spotted his grandfather sweeping outside.
"Hello there, Takashi! Enjoying your birthday I hope?"
"Very much, thank you Grandpa," he replied as he walked up to him.
"I bet you can't wait for your gifts; wait until you see what I got you!"
"I'm sure it will be as unique as ever, Grandpa."
Takashi waved goodbye to his grandfather and let him continue to sweep. He approached the large tree that grew within the shrine. He sat under the shade of its enormous branches, breathing in deeply as a cool breeze floated past.
So...I'm fifteen. Mom always told me that fifteen was the best year of her life. I think she said she met my father when she was that age...I wonder how old he was?
"Takashi! Your grandmother left your present! Come and open it!"
"Alright, I'm coming Mother!"
Takashi ran inside, his mother handing him a small box. He gently opened it, revealing a small bicycle bell.
"Great! I've needed a new one! My old one's gotten rusty. Thanks mom; I'll have to thank Grandma on the phone later. I'm going to go attach it."
Takashi walked outside and grabbed his bike, pulling out a screwdriver he had grabbed beforehand and releasing the old bell. He packed it inside his pocket, and began to screw in the new one. When he finished, he gave the bell a test-ring.
"That sounds great; I think I'll go for a ride. -Grandpa? Tell mom I went off on my bike for a while, okay?"
"Certainly Takashi; have a good time!" His grandfather waved to him as he peddled down from the shrine and onto the street.
When it started to become dark outside, Takashi rode back home and parked his bike where it had been. He walked into the house, smelling the delicious aroma pouring out from the dining room.
"Hey, I think its oden..."
He walked into the dining room, -which was decorated for the occasion- and saw tonight's dinner laid out on the table
"Hehe! Oden! I knew it! The nose knows!"
"Takashi, you're home!"
Takashi's mother walked in behind him and hugged him.
"I hope you're hungry."
"Of course Mom; I haven't had anything to eat since this morning!"
Everybody entered the room, sitting down to begin the meal.
"Now before we eat, let's give Takashi his gifts."
Takashi's mother, uncle, and great-grandfather all pulled out their presents from under the table, setting them in front of Takashi.
"Thanks everybody. -Okay, this one is from...Uncle Souta!"
Souta smiled as Takashi opened the box. He chuckled at Takashi's expression of curiosity as he pulled out the gift.
"It's a book on ancient myths; cool! Thank you Uncle Souta!"
Souta leaned over to whisper to his sister.
"You're not going to believe what's mentioned in there..."
Kagome's eyes shot open, and she whispered harshly back. Takashi couldn't make out what she was saying, but he heard something about "bloodline" and "quarts".
"Now for my present!" bellowed his grandfather.
Takashi grabbed the package, and began to unwrap it.
Well, I better go grab Buyo, thought Kagome.
"What is it?" Takashi asked as he picked up the hand
"It's a mummified Kappa's hand! It brings good luck!" His grandfather was beaming with pride.
"Wow! This is awesome! I think I'll put it on my bookshelf!"
Kagome looked stunned. Guess I'm gonna have to feed that cat tonight after all...
"I guess this one is from Mom..."
Takashi opened the last present, to reveal a necklace made with purple and white beads. He smiled as he rolled the beads in his fingers.
"I made it myself. Your father used to have one like it; only it had a slightly different quality..."
Kagome chuckled to herself.
"It's beautiful, Mom; you did a wonderful job..."
Takashi pulled the necklace on over his head, and stared down at how it laid over his chest.
"Happy birthday sweetheart; I love you."
Kagome walked over and kissed her son on the cheek.
"I love you too Mom."
"Well, let's not dawdle! I'm starving!"
"Yeah, me too Uncle Souta; let's eat!"
The family dug in to their dinner, grateful for satisfaction to their hunger. Takashi raised his food to his mouth, but stopped as he suddenly felt cold. His skin felt like ice; and the room seemed to be getting dark. It was difficult to breathe...
Kagome stared in fear as her son froze with a look of agony on his face. She was terrified as she heard him breathe in raspy, short, struggled breaths.
"Takashi?!"
Suddenly, she let out a gasp when she thought his eyes flashed gold before he blinked. She screamed when they rolled back as he let out a grunt and fell on the table, violently shuddering.