~I Know How You Feel~
Biography:
Name: Sohma Tami of the Sohma Clan in Konoha
Age: 10; 12; 15
Hair Color: Red-brown
Eye Color: Brown-blue
Birthday: October 2nd
Kekkei-Genkai: Tamashii Senkensha
Stage One: Empathy (The ability to feel what others do)
Stage Two: Telepathy (The ability to hear and see the thoughts of others)
Stage Three: Premonition (The ability to foresee events)
Stage Four: Mind Manipulation (The ability to control another's body and functions [ex. Can make the victim blind, deaf, etc.])
Stage Five: Soul Destruction (The ability to destroy the soul of another and leave the body as an empty shell)
Family History: The Sohma Clan is an elite clan composed of shinobi with psychic abilities. They have worked for the Konoha police force for generations and have developed a firm reliance on their ally, the Uchiha Clan. The Sohma Clan is mostly composed of people trained for assassination. Tami is the only daughter of Sohma Takai, the family's leader, and is also the only female to ever inherit the kekkei-genkai, the Tamashii Senkensha (Soul Seer). Because of her ability, her father trains her harder than her siblings.
Yes, this is the story of my life. For better or worse, I have faced many hardships and have overcome numerous obstacles. But enough explaining – I'm sure you would much prefer listening to the actual happenings, hm?
-Sohma Tami
Section One – Age 10
I utter another cry of pain as I go slamming head-first into the hard grass plain that is our training area. My stomach and head pound in agony and I struggle to sit upright.
"Get up," a low voice behind me growls. Impatience lay thick in those words and I hasten to follow its command. I stand shakily and bow.
"S-sorry Otou-san."
"Focus, you slacker. You have to concentrate. Control those unruly thoughts of yours."
"I'm trying!" I cry, putting a hand to my side. I think I have some fractured ribs; I'll try to have a doctor look at it later. He walks up to me and strikes me across the face, knocking me to the ground again.
"Who the hell do you think you are? Haven't I taught you to not talk back to me?" I scramble to my knees and lean forward, letting my hands touch the ground in a bow.
"I'm sorry Otou-san. Please forgive me."
"As well you should be sorry. Stand." I hurry to my feet, bringing tears to my eyes. "Clear your mind." I nod and close my eyes. The first amount of training given to those with the Tamashii Senkensha is to teach them to close their minds to others with the same power. It teaches discipline of the emotions and makes it more difficult to probe. However, it has a tendency to turn the users into impassive, cold people. "Now." We race at each other, and my father starts attacking me. I dodge as many as possible, as to save my fairly injured body. My father doesn't take the time to take me to the hospital on accounts of fractured ribs or broken bones, so I try to avoid injuries at all costs. My left arm is already in pain from a parry earlier, and thus my dominant arm is disabled (yes, I'm left-handed). He hits me in the neck and I stagger back, clutching the spot. It's hard to breathe, and my air is coming in wheezes. He glares at me. "You mind wasn't closed!" He must have gotten a thought out of me.
"I'm sorry, Otou-san!" I cry desperately. He rolls his dark brown eyes in abhorrence.
"You're pathetic. And to think YOU had to be your mother's last child." I feel a deep stab of guilt. My mother had, in fact, passed away during child-birth, and my father had wanted another boy. He already has four boys, and they're his pride and joy. They're hard-headed, fierce, assertive little boys who love to fight amongst each other and they love making fun of me. I don't really understand why they hate me. I figure it's not an actual hate – they just follow our father's example.
At first my father thought it would be nice having a girl, since it had been prophesied that there would be a female, and a prodigy, but he came to belittle my abilities. Truth is, I work best when I'm calm. I spend a lot of my time meditating and I keep several stress-relieving things in my bedroom. The rest of my family, though, derives its power from hateful emotions – anger, spite, annoyance. And since they're brought up that way, they expect me to function the same way. I guess it's because of our gender difference that it isn't similar. But since I don't connect with the Tamashii Senkensha in the same way as they do, they think I'm an imbecile and a failure.
"I'm done with you. Fetch me your brothers." Ah yes, my other occupation – errand girl of the house. I hurry off, leaving my father in silence in the practice yard. I find my brothers in the indoor practice room, which is used for kendo and training when the weather's wet. They're wrestling when I walk in, and my second eldest brother, Goku, notices me first.
"Well well, if it isn't Tami-chan." My other brothers stop and look to the doorway.
"Well hi there, errand girl. Got news for us?" Kai asks with a smirk. My brothers, Kai, Goku, Fushen, and Bo, are all a year apart, and Bo is three years my elder. Kai's the oldest, being sixteen, and Bo is thirteen. I grit my teeth in anger before saying,
"Otou-san would like to see you all in the courtyard." My emotional control wouldn't be so unruly if the people I live with weren't so unbearable.
"Getting a little pissed off, slave girl?" Fushen asks. The third eldest, Fushen has unbelievable flexibility and is coiled in my other brothers much like a snake.
"I'm no one's SLAVE, Fushen," I reply and turn to walk out.
"Get your ass back here, Tami-chan! We're not done with you yet!" he yells and I hear them scramble to their feet. I break into a sprint, heading for my bedroom. I've booby-trapped my bedroom against my brothers, to protect myself when I'm meditating, and it's one of the only places I feel safe. I'm ten feet shy of my door when Bo, the smallest and lightest besides me, springs forward and grabs me about the knees. I fall to the floor hard and Fushen and Goku pin my arms. Kai stands over me, his feet straddling my abdomen. He kicks me hard in the side and I stifle a cry of agony. My sides are already tender from my training.
"Haven't we told you not to run from us?" he asks, bending forward and grabbing my face so I look at him. I glare at him and he strikes me hard across the face. "Haven't we?"
"No, I don't recall that you have," I lie, smirking. I'm surprised with myself – I rarely talk back to my brothers. It's most likely it's because I haven't been meditating, and when you're in a house with five very temperamental men and you're empathic, it's hard NOT to pick up on their emotions. He hits me again and I grit my teeth against the pain. I taste blood and spit it onto the floor. They all laugh and release me. I scramble to my feet and stand farther from them.
"You're lucky we're so nice, Tami-chan," Bo says, pinching my arm hard.
"Ow!" I exclaim, pulling on my arm out of reflex. Bo giggles.
"What're you boys doing?" We all look to the end of the hall and see our father standing there, watching the scene.
"Nothing, Otou-san!" they say innocently. He nods and beckons for them to follow him. They get off me, Fushen kicking me hard on his way by, making me fall. Once they're gone I get up and walk into my room. I lock it and set up one of the traps above my door.
The interior of my room is simple, but cozy. In fact, the simplicity of it is what MAKES it cozy. My bed has a plain black bedspread with white sheets, and pillows to match. I have a black rug in the middle of my floor, which is made of a slightly fuzzy black material. A wooden dresser and black and white curtains complete my ensemble of furniture. I have a set of weights, a chain sickle, and an assortment of stress-relieving things underneath my bed. I train or meditate at night, when I'm having trouble sleeping. I also practice my kekkei-genkai then – no one to bother me and plenty of test subjects. I'm getting pretty far into my level of emotional sight, too. I'm to the point where I can sense strong emotions without having to touch a person – a superior achievement for someone of my age. My brothers haven't gotten to this level, I know – they would have gloated about it. Sometimes I wonder if they have the Tamashii Senkensha at all.
I lie on my bed and stare at my ceiling, getting lost in my own personal thoughts for awhile, which I usually do. I do this sometimes if I don't feel like or have the time to meditate, and it works as a good substitute. At eight thirty, five hours later, I get out of bed and head for the kitchen. As always, the boys are gracious enough to leave their dirty dishes in the sink for me to wash for them. I sigh and get to work. I'm done in half an hour, so I cook myself something light and eat. After cleaning up my own mess I head to Goku and Kai's room. They're sound asleep and don't even start when I walk in. I silently walk across their floor, having memorized every creaky board in the room. I go to Kai first and, using the most sensitive of touches, put the fore and middle fingers of both hands on his temples. Right away I feel angry, which is now nothing new. It's the same emotions every time; aggravation, anger, pride, and today I feel a twisted sense of joy, which I presume comes from a victory against one of the other boys.
Goku, however, is feeling different today. He's grieving for some reason. If I possessed stage two of my "sight" I'd be able to see into his dreams and find out why he feels this way. Other than his misery I feel anger, as always, but it's directed towards something other than our brothers. After I practice a little more on my sleeping siblings, I leave and return to the solitude of my room.
I wake up early, as usual, to make breakfast for everyone. I've been doing this since I was six years old. Halfway through they all walk in, rubbing their eyes and quarreling, as is their morning routine. I set the table and serve everyone while they talk and argue. Once they're done, my father stands and clears his throat.
"Alright boys, I think it's high time you four were introduced to the real world. Today I'm going to take you with me to work and you'll be able to see how important our clan is to our glorious country. I also want you to meet my closest friend, Uchiha Fugaku. He has two sons that are around your ages and I'm sure you would all get along just fine." They all look excited and Bo asks,
"When do we leave?" My father looks at the clock.
"I'd say thirty minutes from now. You'd better go get ready, all of you." They nod and scamper out of the kitchen. I pick up all the plates and bring them to the sink. I wash them silently, absorbed in my own thoughts, and I jump when my father addresses me. "Girl." I look at him.
"Y-yes Sir?"
"While we're out of the house, I expect you to stay here. You are not to leave the house under ANY circumstances. Understand?"
"Yes Sir," I say quietly. It's the same every time – they leave the house and I stay here, like a good girl. My father seems to prefer me to remain in solitude.
"Good. If you wish to train, do it inside."
"When should I expect you back?" I ask.
"Most likely about five thirty. Start making dinner at around five."
"Yes Sir," I reply, turning my attention back to my chore. He leaves the room to find my brothers and I'm left alone in the kitchen. I don't feel disappointed or left out because I scarcely get to leave. I don't know anyone outside of the family because I'm never allowed out. This house is like a prison to me, and every day is the same. I'm stuck in a boundless cycle, and there's no way out. My father and brothers are like chains, binding me to my position in life, resilient and smothering.
I complete my task and head to my bedroom for much-needed meditation. However, Bo stops me. Bo is but three years my elder and seems to be lacking in wits and charm. However, what he lacks in those he makes up for in cruelty. He grins at me.
"Jealous, Tami-chan?"
"Of what?" I reply coolly, my face emotionally void.
"We get to go with Otou-san to work, and you don't. You'll be stuck in the house all day long while we're out having fun."
"And? That just means I'll have more time to train than you four." He sneers.
"Yeah, and you need it, don't you, you pathetic excuse for a Sohma?" I bite back a retort and simply say,
"I could use it, yes." He smirks.
"But don't think you'll get ahead of us, Tami-chan. We might even be able to meet those boys Otou-san mentioned earlier. The Uchiha boys. We could learn something from them."
"Good for you," I say sulkily and shift to the side, attempting to get around him. However, he grabs my arm and shoves me to the floor. I land on my side and sit upright, glaring at him. He returns it.
"You should learn some manners, Tami-chan. One of these days, you'll get yourself killed."
"Perhaps so," I reply acidly. He moves to kick me, but I grab his ankle, holding it a mere six inches from my face. He looks taken aback at my reaction and is surprised by how strong I am. I grip his ankle hard and return my gaze to him, having been distracted by his attack. "Are you done acting like an idiot?" He yanks his ankle out of my grip and instead tackles me. He pins me to the floor and starts trying to hit me, but I kick him off of me, rolling out of his reach and standing up. He races at me again and I sink my fist into his stomach. Saliva drips from his mouth and onto the floor and his breath leaves him in a gust. He sinks to his knees wheezing and I back up. After a minute or two he stands again, clutching his stomach. He points at me and mutters,
"You're gonna regret that." I chuckle.
"Sure I will," I reply sarcastically. With that he turns and walks away. I walk to my room and lock the door behind me. I sigh heavily. What am I thinking? Bo will tell the others and they'll be after my head. And if Otou-san finds out…I sigh again and sit down on my bed, crossing my legs and resting my hands lightly on them. My eyes shut lightly, my eyelashes barely skimming my skin. I need to meditate.
It's four-nineteen when I open my eyes again. I stand and stretch, feeling much calmer and focused than I did hours ago. The others still aren't home yet, as I don't feel any emotions. I walk to the front of the house and watch out the window for awhile. After a few minutes I hear a knock on the door and go to answer it. I look through the hole in the door and see it's my uncle Naoaki. He knocks again and I answer the door. He looks down at me with his usual blank face.
"Hello Tami-chan. Where's Takai?"
"He's at work. He took my brothers with him today, and they'll be back in about an hour," I reply, closing the door once he's inside. He takes a look around.
"I see."
"You're more than welcome to stay until they get home, Oji-san," I say.
"No, I'd better not stay long. You know how your aunt gets when I'm away for too long. She gets suspicious." I nod. "Just tell Takai that I'd like to talk to him, alright?"
"Y-yes Sir," I say, bowing respectfully. My uncle's a rather nice person and treats me with a respect that no one else does. He pats me on the head and walks out. I lock the door back up and look at the clock. It's four forty-two. I decide to make yakisoba and yakitori for dinner, seeing as it's one of Otou-san's favorites. I pull out a pot, a handful of skewers, and all the ingredients I need.
It takes me fifty minutes to cook everything and I keep an eye on the clock as I work. The others are going to be home any minute now. I pull the yakitori out of the oven, which I used instead of grilling them, and set them on a wide plate, which I place on the table. I then set the bowls of yakisoba on the table and finish setting out utensils and drinks. I'm just about to sit down when I hear the front door slam open and loud footsteps in the front hall. Waves of anger hit me one after another and I wonder what possibly could have happened. They walk in one by one and take their places around the table, looking irate and volatile. Our father isn't among them.
"W-what happened?" I ask, looking around at all of them. Goku sighs and says,
"Otou-san's pissed. We all are. Today was…well…"
"It was a total fucking disaster! Otou-san's friend is a complete bastard!" Kai says, slamming his fist down on the table, shaking everything.
"How so?" I inquire.
"He barely seemed interested at all! It was as if we weren't even there half the time! He just talked about you! You and Itachi-san!"
"Who's Itachi-san?"
"Fugaku-san's elder son," Fushen says, draining his cup of tea. "Apparently, Itachi-san's a genius. He's only thirteen years old and already he's a Jonin." My jaw drops a little. A Jonin? At only thirteen? He's the same age as Bo. I feel a little jealousy come from them and know they must envy Itachi-san's abilities. Anyone would.
"D-doesn't he have another son?" I ask.
"Fugaku-san doesn't mention him often. Apparently he's not as skilled as his brother." I nod, knowing how it feels to be in second-place to your siblings.
"And Fugaku-san wouldn't shut up about him!" Bo shouts. "It was always 'Itachi this' and 'Itachi that'! How the hell are we supposed to compete with someone like that?"
"And he kept mentioning you!" Kai says accusingly, glaring at me like it's MY fault.
"W-why would he do that?" I ask, pouring Fushen more tea.
"Hell if I know! Maybe he thinks you and Itachi-san are two of a kind – geniuses." He rolls his eyes. "If only he knew!" Our father walks in then, looking tired and cranky as well. The room goes very quiet and the tension in the room is nearly tangible. I sit down and we eat, staring downwards at our individual places.
"H…how was your day, Otou-san?" I ask softly. I know it's a ridiculous question, but I'm at a loss of what else to say. The others shoot me incredulous looks, as if saying, "Are you crazy?"
"Hmph," is my father's monosyllable reply. Dinner goes on without interruption afterwards and after everyone's through they scurry out of the room. Soon the only people that remain are myself and my father, who is sitting at the table and sipping his sake slowly. I start on the dinner dishes and after ten minutes of silence, my father speaks, interrupting my train of thought the same way he had earlier today.
"Girl." I stop my work and turn to him once more.
"Sir?"
"Fugaku requested that I bring you to visit him tomorrow afternoon. You are to be prepared to leave at no later than half-past twelve SHARP. Do you understand me?"
"Yes Sir," I reply.
"And put some make up on over all those cuts and bruises on your arms, neck, and face." With that he stands and begins to make his way out of the kitchen.
"Oh, Otou-san." He pauses, not turning to face me. "Oji-san stopped by earlier today and said he wants to see you." He nods and walks out. I finish up with the kitchen and head to bed, looking forward to a good night's sleep.