Chapter 8: Explicit Epitaph
Tasuki, Chichiri and Sora rested for the night at an old temple. As Tasuki and Chichiri were unpacking and setting up camp Sora was feeling a little ill. She lay her back against a tree and closed her eyes. Chichiri noticed her in a bit a pain and nudged Tasuki to come with his to see if she is ok.
"Sora.you ok?"
"What's wrong no da?" Sora placed her hands on her head and groaned.
"I don't know.my head just hurts." Tasuki tore a piece of his shirt and splashed some water from his water bottle and gave it to Sora. She gave him a thank you smile and placed it on her head.
"Are ya gonna be ok girlie?" Tasuki asked?
"Oh yeah I'll be just..ugh." Sora fainted. Tasuki and Chichiri caught her and rushed her into the old temple.
They laid her down in front of an old battered shrine. She was pale and sweating. She didn't look so good. Chichiri placed his hand on her forehead. "Ouch! She's burning up no da!"
"What do we do then!"
"What else can we do? We need to get something to help her sweat out the fever no da." Tasuki whipped of his coat and placed it on top of her. Chichiri did the same with his cloak. "I'm gonna go find some cool water from a stream somewhere no da."
"Yeah you do that. I'll watch Sora." Tasuki watched Sora closely and noticed no change. She only seemed to get worse. He lifted her up on his lap and placed the coats over them both. Perhaps his body heat could help her?
Mean while Sora was having nightmares. She saw her mother (in her past life) being raped and murdered. She saw her blood spilled in front of her eyes. She began to cry out in her state of unconscienceness. Tasuki began to freak out. "Sora. Sora! Snap out of it! Please!" He held her close and kept pleading for her to wake up. He looked at her face in distress. "Come on girl! Wake up!" Sora's eyes jetted open. She was silent for a moment and looked around.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOO MOTHER!!!!!!!" she screamed and wailed and jumped up and ran out of the shrine and out of the temple. Tasuki ran after her and constrained her. "Sora stop it! What is wrong!? Come on tell me!"
"PLEASE GET ME OUT OF HERE!" Tasuki placed her on his back and walked away from the site of the temple. Chichiri noticed then and ran their way.
"What happened no da?"
"She began to freak out." Sora's face was still stained with fear. She trembled on Tasuki's back. He himself shook because of her fear. Chichiri always had the power to make her talk. He took her off Tasuki's back and sat her on his lap. He dried a few tears with his shirt and pulled her hair back from her eyes. "Sora.what are you so afraid of?"
"Nonononononono." her words ran into one another. She couldn't get anything out.
"Please Sora. We need to know what scares you so we can help no da!" Tasuki placed his hand on her back to comfort her. She tried to stop breathing so heavily and tried once again.
"I know this place..my mother.I mean Kana's mother died here..I saw it."
Tasuki sighed under his breath, 'Oh dear god.'
"I think we should stay right here then no da."
"I think we should get the ^&*$ out of here! Do you wanna cause more pain to Sora?!"
"No. But what we are looking for is near by. We won't stay in the temple because it is too painful for her no da. We need her to remember these things ya know?"
"I don't like this one bit." Sora bit her lip and stopped shaking. She was still scared out of her wits. She though to herself, 'This shouldn't scare me. I didn't know the women. This is all in the past.but why does it hurt so much?'
"I'll do anything to get these memories over with. Just don't let me get near that temple again."
"Don't worry. You have nothing to be afraid of no da." Sora stood up with help from Tasuki. She still didn't feel so great from before. She asked to go for a stroll to cool her head but she couldn't go without Chichiri and Tasuki.
She walked a few steps ahead of them and noticed that the trail that they were on.looked odd.
"What's with this?" Tasuki announced. "One side of the path is all flowers and the otherside is all dead grass."
"That's strange no da!" All of a sudden the sky grew dark as they approached a clearing. There they found it.a lake with the water the color of blood. A spring near by turned dark as its liquid touched the lake. Sora looked anger as she saw it and then she crumbled to the ground. "It's in the water." She breathed out. She crawled to the edge of the water and touched its surface.
"I'm here." Tasuki walk over her.
"What in the hell are you talking about?" Sora crawled into the water and began to dig in the dirt. She began pulling things up. Tasuki was hesitant in getting in the water but he made it up to his knees ok. Sora sniffled back a few random tears and pulled up something covered in old water logged feathers and leaves. She pulled it out of the water. Tasuki helped her and they pulled it to the side.
"What is it?" Tasuki asked.
"It's a bundle of some sort no da."
"No.this is me." Sora pulled a few leaves from the top of the bundle. It then revealed a half-decayed corpse. Tasuki placed his hand over his mouth in shock and Chichiri took off his mask in respect. "It's me.this is me." Sora ignored the few tears falling from her cheeks. She touched the face of the corpse gently and whimpered. "This is what I would be now if I wasn't here now.wouldn't it. All I would be is a corpse?"
"No. This is just the remnants of someone from look ago. Just like a photo no da." She held up the corpse and gave it a gentle embrace. It was haunting.and sickening.
Tasuki, Chichiri and Sora rested for the night at an old temple. As Tasuki and Chichiri were unpacking and setting up camp Sora was feeling a little ill. She lay her back against a tree and closed her eyes. Chichiri noticed her in a bit a pain and nudged Tasuki to come with his to see if she is ok.
"Sora.you ok?"
"What's wrong no da?" Sora placed her hands on her head and groaned.
"I don't know.my head just hurts." Tasuki tore a piece of his shirt and splashed some water from his water bottle and gave it to Sora. She gave him a thank you smile and placed it on her head.
"Are ya gonna be ok girlie?" Tasuki asked?
"Oh yeah I'll be just..ugh." Sora fainted. Tasuki and Chichiri caught her and rushed her into the old temple.
They laid her down in front of an old battered shrine. She was pale and sweating. She didn't look so good. Chichiri placed his hand on her forehead. "Ouch! She's burning up no da!"
"What do we do then!"
"What else can we do? We need to get something to help her sweat out the fever no da." Tasuki whipped of his coat and placed it on top of her. Chichiri did the same with his cloak. "I'm gonna go find some cool water from a stream somewhere no da."
"Yeah you do that. I'll watch Sora." Tasuki watched Sora closely and noticed no change. She only seemed to get worse. He lifted her up on his lap and placed the coats over them both. Perhaps his body heat could help her?
Mean while Sora was having nightmares. She saw her mother (in her past life) being raped and murdered. She saw her blood spilled in front of her eyes. She began to cry out in her state of unconscienceness. Tasuki began to freak out. "Sora. Sora! Snap out of it! Please!" He held her close and kept pleading for her to wake up. He looked at her face in distress. "Come on girl! Wake up!" Sora's eyes jetted open. She was silent for a moment and looked around.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOO MOTHER!!!!!!!" she screamed and wailed and jumped up and ran out of the shrine and out of the temple. Tasuki ran after her and constrained her. "Sora stop it! What is wrong!? Come on tell me!"
"PLEASE GET ME OUT OF HERE!" Tasuki placed her on his back and walked away from the site of the temple. Chichiri noticed then and ran their way.
"What happened no da?"
"She began to freak out." Sora's face was still stained with fear. She trembled on Tasuki's back. He himself shook because of her fear. Chichiri always had the power to make her talk. He took her off Tasuki's back and sat her on his lap. He dried a few tears with his shirt and pulled her hair back from her eyes. "Sora.what are you so afraid of?"
"Nonononononono." her words ran into one another. She couldn't get anything out.
"Please Sora. We need to know what scares you so we can help no da!" Tasuki placed his hand on her back to comfort her. She tried to stop breathing so heavily and tried once again.
"I know this place..my mother.I mean Kana's mother died here..I saw it."
Tasuki sighed under his breath, 'Oh dear god.'
"I think we should stay right here then no da."
"I think we should get the ^&*$ out of here! Do you wanna cause more pain to Sora?!"
"No. But what we are looking for is near by. We won't stay in the temple because it is too painful for her no da. We need her to remember these things ya know?"
"I don't like this one bit." Sora bit her lip and stopped shaking. She was still scared out of her wits. She though to herself, 'This shouldn't scare me. I didn't know the women. This is all in the past.but why does it hurt so much?'
"I'll do anything to get these memories over with. Just don't let me get near that temple again."
"Don't worry. You have nothing to be afraid of no da." Sora stood up with help from Tasuki. She still didn't feel so great from before. She asked to go for a stroll to cool her head but she couldn't go without Chichiri and Tasuki.
She walked a few steps ahead of them and noticed that the trail that they were on.looked odd.
"What's with this?" Tasuki announced. "One side of the path is all flowers and the otherside is all dead grass."
"That's strange no da!" All of a sudden the sky grew dark as they approached a clearing. There they found it.a lake with the water the color of blood. A spring near by turned dark as its liquid touched the lake. Sora looked anger as she saw it and then she crumbled to the ground. "It's in the water." She breathed out. She crawled to the edge of the water and touched its surface.
"I'm here." Tasuki walk over her.
"What in the hell are you talking about?" Sora crawled into the water and began to dig in the dirt. She began pulling things up. Tasuki was hesitant in getting in the water but he made it up to his knees ok. Sora sniffled back a few random tears and pulled up something covered in old water logged feathers and leaves. She pulled it out of the water. Tasuki helped her and they pulled it to the side.
"What is it?" Tasuki asked.
"It's a bundle of some sort no da."
"No.this is me." Sora pulled a few leaves from the top of the bundle. It then revealed a half-decayed corpse. Tasuki placed his hand over his mouth in shock and Chichiri took off his mask in respect. "It's me.this is me." Sora ignored the few tears falling from her cheeks. She touched the face of the corpse gently and whimpered. "This is what I would be now if I wasn't here now.wouldn't it. All I would be is a corpse?"
"No. This is just the remnants of someone from look ago. Just like a photo no da." She held up the corpse and gave it a gentle embrace. It was haunting.and sickening.