Chapter 1: I see dead relatives
I gasped for each breath as I raced down the sidewalk, lightning bolts raining down all around me. The rain was almost blinding, I heard never been more scared in my entire life. That's when the worst possible thing happened, I tripped and slammed onto the sidewalk. Gasping, I couldn't move; my body had let me down. That's when I saw the figure walking toward me, his image was bright and blinding. Then I heard his booming voice, and woke up screaming. I was covered in cold sweat. Looking around I realized I was in my bedroom, in my own bed. It had just been a dream.
My name is Tsumi Tanake and I just turned 22 a couple of months ago. I recently learned I was the child of a Greek God, and not just any small god. Hades, one of the "Big Three".
Growing up, at many times I believed I was going crazy, hearing the disembodied voices of the dead and worst yet, being able to bring them back like some sick zombie farmer! I think I had a pretty good reason to think I was going insane.
But more than anything I always wondered who my father was, and my mom Amaya Tanake always told me that he was dead. I always believed her.
I recall on my ninth birthday my mom gave me an orange birthday cake that resembled a Halloween pumpkin as part of my presents. It was pretty cool to say the least and after I blew out the candle, my mom asked me what I'd wished for. I looked at her dark brown eyes with my own black eyes and pushed my bangs out of the way and asked, "Haha, why don't we ever visit Oyaji's parents? That's what I wished for, to meet them." She looked away and simply put the cake down and walked to the kitchen.
I followed my mother into the kitchen and asked "Haha why can't we visit Oyaji's parents? It was my birthday wish." Her response was
"It was your father's wish that you never meet your grandfather, he said he was a bit of tyrant. But I know you've been snooping around so I'll tell you how your father and I met. How about that instead?" I gave a nod and she continued.
"I liked the old stories of the Yokai and Gods when I was younger and while visiting America for a school project on a different Country's paranormal side, my first stop on this paranormal tour was New Orleans, Louisiana. A very paranormal town. I was visiting some of those voodoo shops you hear about and when I entered the one that looked like it had dealt with a lot of death there stood your father, he was tall, pale, like he hadn't seen the sun for a long time. God those stunning black eyes just made me melt! We started dating after a couple days. Ooh did he love to spoil me with gifts from the supposed Underworld, riches that he told me haven't seen the light of day in centuries. We went on many dates usually at night, your father hated seeing the daytime sky for some reason but he always treated me like a queen, taking me to fancy New Orleans restaurants, always taking me on the biggest bayou boat there was, but after a couple months I was to come back to Japan and he came back from the doctors they said he had a life threatening disease and he whispered me a secret, one he told me I could never tell anyone until the time was right. Later on our last day together before your father died, we made such great passionate love that resulted in you. But that secret is still with me I haven't told anyone since and I won't till I think your old enough, Segare."
After hearing that story I looked at her and nodded, though in my heart I didn't believe a single word of it.
A couple years later I was turning 13 and as usual my mother got me my orange birthday cake and kept looking above my head as if something would appear there. "Haha, why are you staring above my head?" She looked at me and started crying, for reason I wouldn't understand until much later.
I kept looking around as Obaasan came over and gave me my yearly present of 5821 yen, as I thanked her, I could have sworn I saw the ghost of Ojiisan and he waved as I freaked out shoving Obaasan away and ran upstairs to my bedroom.
The next day I woke up feeling odd like I could do almost anything, I got up and walked outside on my way to school -which was close to where my house was- and as I walked past this supposed haunted place near the half way mark between my house and school, a ghost came up and spoke to me.
"Oh my highness could you please send me to the afterlife?" I looked at it like it was crazy.
"Your highness? I'm not a king or a prince or anything related to the Emperor, you crazy ghost." I said as I got to school and everybody looked at me like I was the newest piece of foreign exchange students that we have gotten. I sat next to this little skinny American boy by the name of Matt Jackson. Matt looked at me like I was crazy when I told him about the ghost that called me highness, he just looked away and concentrated on the math problem that was the board.
After school, I walked back the way I came and that same ghost was there.
"Please your highness please give me to King Enma." I looked at the ghost and groaned:
"I don't know how to get you there!" I yelled as I put my hand on the ghost surprised by the fact that I could even touch him and he was sent through the ground as I looked at my hand and ran away.
I stayed home after that little incident wondering how I was able to touch the ghost and send him to King Enma of the underworld. "How, how can I do that? I'm not King Enma or a Shinigami how could I do that?" I screamed going into the fetus position and rocked back and forth. Afterwards I told my mother and she screamed at me never to talk to anybody else about what I just did and I did just that I kept quiet but still was friends with that weird little American boy Matt Jackson until after highschool. Matt always seemed strange to me ever since my 13th birthday he's been acting like he was waiting for a sign from something below and above which weird me out and every time I walked behind him I could've sworn I saw a tail poke out sometimes from his pants.