Dinner was finished at the Tendo residence. Soun headed to his room for an
early night. He managed to keep his worries buried deep inside. He picked
up the small wooden box and opened it. His heart ached seeing a daughter he
hardly knew. "How could I do this to my family? It seemed like the right
thing to do at the time but instead I only hurt them more."
Soun thinks back to that fateful day. (Soun speaks to a shinigami) "It's a deal, you make it so my family won't starve and I'll give you the eldest of the twins my wife is carrying."
"It is settled then. I will be back in 3 years on this day to collect what is mine."
Soun felt sick to his stomach but did not have time to think about what he had just done. His wife cried out to him. "Soun, the babies are coming. Hurry please!"
Mrs. Tendo gave birth to two beautiful and healthy baby girls. Soun held one and his wife held the other. Soun declared that the one he was holding would be named Tendo Akane and the baby his wife was holding would be Tendo Kari. They both smiled as Kasumi and Nabiki sat next to their exhausted Mother and smiled at their new sisters.
Soun told the small girls to go out side and play in the garden to let their Mother rest. They complied without argument and Soun sat next to his wife. "Soun, what are we going to do? We have very little money to feed the two children we already have we will surely starve."
As she spoke those words a knock came to the front door. Soun placed Akane in her Mother's arms and went to the door. It was two young men asking about the Tendo training hall and wanting to train under Soun. They both gave him a small pouch of money and said they would be back the next day to begin training.
Soun smiled and quickly forgot about his deal with the shinigami. He rushed back to his wife and said they would not starve. He showed her the money and she was speechless.
The next day the two students came back and two more showed up. With the same request as the last two students to be trained by Soun. This kept happening until Soun was busy with classes and there was plenty of money to feed all the children. He soon forgot about the deal that was made and concentrated on the dojo.
Three years had past and the twins would be celebrating their third birthday. Soun sat talking to his wife and her sister when he heard a whisper from behind him. He walked over to the tree he heard it from and there was the shinigami ready to collect Kari's soul. Soun turned white, he had forgotten about the deal because of all the good fortune they had experienced. Soun told the shinigami he would retrieve the small child. Soun grabbed Lilly by the arm and pulled her to the front gate of the house. He picked up Kari and handed her to Lilly. "Lilly, please don't ask me to explain, you must take Kari and leave Japan. Get as far away from here as you can. I made a deal with a shinigami 3 years ago and he's here to take Kari. Please hurry. Don't take anything with you just take the girl and run as fast as you can.
Lilly took Kari and a small leather pouch filled with money and ran out of the gate. She ran as far as she could with Kari in her arms. She reached the train station and looked around. No one followed her. She started to think about what was happening. "This can't be for real. Soun would never do something so stupid as to sell his daughter's soul."
She began to think about how successful the dojo had gotten. How everything started to fall into place the very day her sister gave birth to the twins. "Oh no, he did. That idiot! Where am I supposed to take her? I can't stay in Japan."
Lilly boarded the train. She held the child who was upset yet did not cry. "Kari, you're such a good girl. Don't worry everything will be just fine."
Kari looked out the window of the train. She whispered, "Mommy?"
Tears ran down Lilly's cheeks. She had to find someplace safe to hide with Kari until this was all over. Lilly would go to see some friends who would know what to do.
Back at the Tendo dojo the shinigami was growing more and more angry. "Soun, we had a deal. I held up to my half now where is the child!"
"I, well, she must be around here somewhere." Soun kept pretending to look.
His wife came out to the garden to ask what he was doing. "Soun, who are you speaking to?"
She broke off her words when she saw the small shinigami. "Just who are you?" she asked.
"You know exactly what I am, I'm a shinigami and I've come to collect your daughter Kari. Soun promised her soul to me if I made it so that none of you would starve to death. I did just that and now I want her soul."
"Soun, you did what?"
Soun looked at his wife. The pain in her eyes was too much to bear. "Soun, where is Kari right now." She asked.
"She's not here. I sent her away." Soun looked at his wife than at the shinigami.
"YOU BROKE OUR DEAL? For your deceit I will take the soul of your other twin."
Akane was sitting on the ground coloring in a book. She did not notice the events taking place around her. Her Mother snatched her up away from the shinigami. "You will not take my daughter. You will not take any of my daughters. I want you to leave now!"
The shinigami's anger was continually growing. "I will not leave here without a soul. If you will not allow me to take one of your daughters I will take you." The shinigami approached the woman. It extended its arm and touched a finger to the middle of her chest.
"Her soul will be mine in a matter of days. For your ignorance of our contract I will be sure she suffers plenty in her last few days. I will be back for Kari; you can count on that Soun Tendo. I do not let an agreement be backed out of so easily." With that the shinigami disappeared.
Soun ran over to his wife. "Curse you Soun, curse you for what you have done to our family." She grabbed her chest and could feel the pain quickly growing inside her. She stumbled into the house and climbed into bed. The next three days she spent holding her daughters and telling them how much she loved them. The evening of the third day she fell asleep and did not wake up.
Soun feel asleep on his bed the picture of his two daughters on his chest his sleep was not peaceful that night.
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Kari sat on her bed bags littered all over from the shopping trip the day before. There were questions that still plagued her but she didn't ask her Mother because she didn't feel she could truly trust her. Kari tossed on some clothes and went down stairs to grab some breakfast.
She entered the kitchen and saw the two pictures on the table. "Why do I feel like I haven't gotten the whole story?" She picked up the photographs and slides them into her notebook. She heard her Mother moving around upstairs and in an attempt to avoid her she grabbed her bag and headed for school.
"Why would my Father give me up and not any of the other children? Why would my real Mother allow this?" Questions kept swirling around Kari's head and she didn't even realize she was right in front of her school now.
"KARI! Where have you been?" Yelled out her best friend Beth.
Kari looked up. "Oh, umm well you see. My Mom said I could take part in the exchange program and she wanted to spend time with me before I left."
Kari felt so guilty lying to her best friend. She couldn't talk about this yet, not with how she was feeling about all of this. If she couldn't answer questions of her own she surely wouldn't be able to answer her friend's.
Together they walked into the school. "Beth I need to go to the office before home room so I can drop off this form for the exchange program. I'll catch up with you in a little while."
Beth waved goodbye as they went their separate ways. Kari felt relieved for the time being. Confusion was coming in waves. She was so shocked yesterday she didn't think about the details that were not matching up in her Mother's story. "I'll find all the answers in Japan."
Kari entered the office and sat waiting for the principal to see her. He greeted her with a huge smile and asked her into his office. "Well Kari, what do I owe the pleasure of this visit this morning?"
Kari took out the form and handed it to him. "I am turning in my signed form for the exchange program."
"You're leaving us Kari? But you're one of the school's best students."
Kari blushed. "Well I really wanted to learn more about my heritage and I figured this would be the best way."
Her principal looked over the form. "Well Kari, we will miss you a great deal you will have to stay in touch with us here. The only thing left to do is to get your school assignment and the information on the family you will be staying with."
He stood up and went over to a file cabinet opened the drawer and pulled out a folder with exchange student information in it. "Let's see what we have here shall we?"
Kari suddenly got worried. Japan was a huge place, what if her assignment was nowhere near where her family lived. Her face grew white. She had not thought about this at all. Before it didn't matter but now it was vital to her plans. The principal looked at Kari. "Are you feeling ok? You don't look so good. Maybe I should call the school nurse."
Kari was frozen. What should she do? She opened her bag and out fell her notebook with the pictures in it. On the back of one of the pictures was a character. "Kari looked at it. Damn it I know what that is. Think stupid think." Kari kept trying to run through her conversation with her Mom from yesterday.
"NERIMA!" She hadn't realized she yelled that out. The principal dropped the phone.
"Kari? Are you ok?"
"Yes I'm fine."
The principal looked at her again straightening out his brow. "Here it is. You'll be going to Furinkan High School in Nerima Japan." He scratched his head. "How did you know about Nerima?"
Kari's eyes grew huge. "Umm you just said it a second ago didn't you?" Her principal looked at her and smiled.
"I must have."
He handed her the folder with the information in it and wrote her out a pass for homeroom. Kari grabbed the folder and bolted out the door. "How in the world?" She looked at the name. It was Nerima. It had to be the same place. If she wasn't confused before she was now for sure.
Kari stuffed the folder into her bag and ran to her homeroom. "Things couldn't get any stranger than this? Could they?"
Kari entered the class and handed the pass to her teacher. She took her seat and Beth whispered over to her. "Kari, you look as white as a ghost. Are you feeling ok, maybe you should go home."
Kari forced a smile. "No, I'm fine. I'm just really excited about this trip and all."
Beth looked concerned but she let the issue drop and went back to her studying.
Kari pulled out the folder. She didn't get the name of the family she would be staying with in Japan. She read over the papers. According to this she would be staying with a family who's daughter was going to Furinkan High School as well. The girl's name was Yoshiko Sayuri.
Kari finished looking over the papers. The flight information was left open so she could have the opportunity to leave a little earlier to get settled for school. Kari wanted to leave right now. She wanted to pack up her stuff and get on the plane. "Kari, the bell rang we have to get to Gym class." Beth poked her in the head.
The two walked to the Gym and changed out of their normal clothes. Kari lost herself in a game of softball and actually started to enjoy herself for the time being.
The school day was over and Kari was walking back to her house. She had a lot of stuff to do before she left. Kari broke into a sprint.
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Soun woke up screaming. "I'm sorry."
Kasumi knocked on her Father's door. "Father, can I come in are you ok?"
"Yes Kasumi I'm fine." Kasumi opened the door and walked over to her Father.
Soun took a stack of old envelopes out of the box next to his bed. He handed them to Kasumi. She looked at the front of them. Each one was addressed to Tendo Kari in the United States. "Father, why do you have these?"
"Kasumi, you were old enough to remember Kari. I knew that. I also knew you heard the conversation I had with your Mother before she passed away. I know you heard where Kari went to and I know you heard about the shinigami." Tears feel down Soun's face.
Kasumi also began to cry. "I've never told anyone where she was. I didn't want the shinigami to find her. I have tried very hard to be strong like Mother was."
"I know Kasumi, that is why I took the letters you wrote to her and hid them." Soun felt ashamed.
"Father, is this why you have been so upset the last few days? Is something wrong with Kari?" Kasumi just wanted her little sister to be back in their home and safe. She had kept this bottled in for so long that it all seemed like pretend. Almost like Kari never really existed at all.
"Kasumi, I don't know if Kari is ok. I haven't gotten word from your aunt in a very long time." Soun was so conflicted. He couldn't bring his daughter home; the shinigami would show up and demand her soul.
"Father, you should go back to bed. We will think of something in the morning."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------
Kari started packing her new clothes. Her host family would be expecting her to arrive in Japan soon. Kari didn't give anymore thought to the convenience of her being placed exactly where she wanted to be.
Everything would be sorted out soon. Or so she thought.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------
* Author's Notes * a shinigami is a soul collecting spirit of death. I took a little bit of liberty of their exact duties in this story. Yoshiko Sayuri - I had to give Sayuri a last name because I looked everywhere and couldn't find it. If anyone knows her real last name could you let me know? (Sayuri being one of Akane's friends at school)
Soun thinks back to that fateful day. (Soun speaks to a shinigami) "It's a deal, you make it so my family won't starve and I'll give you the eldest of the twins my wife is carrying."
"It is settled then. I will be back in 3 years on this day to collect what is mine."
Soun felt sick to his stomach but did not have time to think about what he had just done. His wife cried out to him. "Soun, the babies are coming. Hurry please!"
Mrs. Tendo gave birth to two beautiful and healthy baby girls. Soun held one and his wife held the other. Soun declared that the one he was holding would be named Tendo Akane and the baby his wife was holding would be Tendo Kari. They both smiled as Kasumi and Nabiki sat next to their exhausted Mother and smiled at their new sisters.
Soun told the small girls to go out side and play in the garden to let their Mother rest. They complied without argument and Soun sat next to his wife. "Soun, what are we going to do? We have very little money to feed the two children we already have we will surely starve."
As she spoke those words a knock came to the front door. Soun placed Akane in her Mother's arms and went to the door. It was two young men asking about the Tendo training hall and wanting to train under Soun. They both gave him a small pouch of money and said they would be back the next day to begin training.
Soun smiled and quickly forgot about his deal with the shinigami. He rushed back to his wife and said they would not starve. He showed her the money and she was speechless.
The next day the two students came back and two more showed up. With the same request as the last two students to be trained by Soun. This kept happening until Soun was busy with classes and there was plenty of money to feed all the children. He soon forgot about the deal that was made and concentrated on the dojo.
Three years had past and the twins would be celebrating their third birthday. Soun sat talking to his wife and her sister when he heard a whisper from behind him. He walked over to the tree he heard it from and there was the shinigami ready to collect Kari's soul. Soun turned white, he had forgotten about the deal because of all the good fortune they had experienced. Soun told the shinigami he would retrieve the small child. Soun grabbed Lilly by the arm and pulled her to the front gate of the house. He picked up Kari and handed her to Lilly. "Lilly, please don't ask me to explain, you must take Kari and leave Japan. Get as far away from here as you can. I made a deal with a shinigami 3 years ago and he's here to take Kari. Please hurry. Don't take anything with you just take the girl and run as fast as you can.
Lilly took Kari and a small leather pouch filled with money and ran out of the gate. She ran as far as she could with Kari in her arms. She reached the train station and looked around. No one followed her. She started to think about what was happening. "This can't be for real. Soun would never do something so stupid as to sell his daughter's soul."
She began to think about how successful the dojo had gotten. How everything started to fall into place the very day her sister gave birth to the twins. "Oh no, he did. That idiot! Where am I supposed to take her? I can't stay in Japan."
Lilly boarded the train. She held the child who was upset yet did not cry. "Kari, you're such a good girl. Don't worry everything will be just fine."
Kari looked out the window of the train. She whispered, "Mommy?"
Tears ran down Lilly's cheeks. She had to find someplace safe to hide with Kari until this was all over. Lilly would go to see some friends who would know what to do.
Back at the Tendo dojo the shinigami was growing more and more angry. "Soun, we had a deal. I held up to my half now where is the child!"
"I, well, she must be around here somewhere." Soun kept pretending to look.
His wife came out to the garden to ask what he was doing. "Soun, who are you speaking to?"
She broke off her words when she saw the small shinigami. "Just who are you?" she asked.
"You know exactly what I am, I'm a shinigami and I've come to collect your daughter Kari. Soun promised her soul to me if I made it so that none of you would starve to death. I did just that and now I want her soul."
"Soun, you did what?"
Soun looked at his wife. The pain in her eyes was too much to bear. "Soun, where is Kari right now." She asked.
"She's not here. I sent her away." Soun looked at his wife than at the shinigami.
"YOU BROKE OUR DEAL? For your deceit I will take the soul of your other twin."
Akane was sitting on the ground coloring in a book. She did not notice the events taking place around her. Her Mother snatched her up away from the shinigami. "You will not take my daughter. You will not take any of my daughters. I want you to leave now!"
The shinigami's anger was continually growing. "I will not leave here without a soul. If you will not allow me to take one of your daughters I will take you." The shinigami approached the woman. It extended its arm and touched a finger to the middle of her chest.
"Her soul will be mine in a matter of days. For your ignorance of our contract I will be sure she suffers plenty in her last few days. I will be back for Kari; you can count on that Soun Tendo. I do not let an agreement be backed out of so easily." With that the shinigami disappeared.
Soun ran over to his wife. "Curse you Soun, curse you for what you have done to our family." She grabbed her chest and could feel the pain quickly growing inside her. She stumbled into the house and climbed into bed. The next three days she spent holding her daughters and telling them how much she loved them. The evening of the third day she fell asleep and did not wake up.
Soun feel asleep on his bed the picture of his two daughters on his chest his sleep was not peaceful that night.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------
Kari sat on her bed bags littered all over from the shopping trip the day before. There were questions that still plagued her but she didn't ask her Mother because she didn't feel she could truly trust her. Kari tossed on some clothes and went down stairs to grab some breakfast.
She entered the kitchen and saw the two pictures on the table. "Why do I feel like I haven't gotten the whole story?" She picked up the photographs and slides them into her notebook. She heard her Mother moving around upstairs and in an attempt to avoid her she grabbed her bag and headed for school.
"Why would my Father give me up and not any of the other children? Why would my real Mother allow this?" Questions kept swirling around Kari's head and she didn't even realize she was right in front of her school now.
"KARI! Where have you been?" Yelled out her best friend Beth.
Kari looked up. "Oh, umm well you see. My Mom said I could take part in the exchange program and she wanted to spend time with me before I left."
Kari felt so guilty lying to her best friend. She couldn't talk about this yet, not with how she was feeling about all of this. If she couldn't answer questions of her own she surely wouldn't be able to answer her friend's.
Together they walked into the school. "Beth I need to go to the office before home room so I can drop off this form for the exchange program. I'll catch up with you in a little while."
Beth waved goodbye as they went their separate ways. Kari felt relieved for the time being. Confusion was coming in waves. She was so shocked yesterday she didn't think about the details that were not matching up in her Mother's story. "I'll find all the answers in Japan."
Kari entered the office and sat waiting for the principal to see her. He greeted her with a huge smile and asked her into his office. "Well Kari, what do I owe the pleasure of this visit this morning?"
Kari took out the form and handed it to him. "I am turning in my signed form for the exchange program."
"You're leaving us Kari? But you're one of the school's best students."
Kari blushed. "Well I really wanted to learn more about my heritage and I figured this would be the best way."
Her principal looked over the form. "Well Kari, we will miss you a great deal you will have to stay in touch with us here. The only thing left to do is to get your school assignment and the information on the family you will be staying with."
He stood up and went over to a file cabinet opened the drawer and pulled out a folder with exchange student information in it. "Let's see what we have here shall we?"
Kari suddenly got worried. Japan was a huge place, what if her assignment was nowhere near where her family lived. Her face grew white. She had not thought about this at all. Before it didn't matter but now it was vital to her plans. The principal looked at Kari. "Are you feeling ok? You don't look so good. Maybe I should call the school nurse."
Kari was frozen. What should she do? She opened her bag and out fell her notebook with the pictures in it. On the back of one of the pictures was a character. "Kari looked at it. Damn it I know what that is. Think stupid think." Kari kept trying to run through her conversation with her Mom from yesterday.
"NERIMA!" She hadn't realized she yelled that out. The principal dropped the phone.
"Kari? Are you ok?"
"Yes I'm fine."
The principal looked at her again straightening out his brow. "Here it is. You'll be going to Furinkan High School in Nerima Japan." He scratched his head. "How did you know about Nerima?"
Kari's eyes grew huge. "Umm you just said it a second ago didn't you?" Her principal looked at her and smiled.
"I must have."
He handed her the folder with the information in it and wrote her out a pass for homeroom. Kari grabbed the folder and bolted out the door. "How in the world?" She looked at the name. It was Nerima. It had to be the same place. If she wasn't confused before she was now for sure.
Kari stuffed the folder into her bag and ran to her homeroom. "Things couldn't get any stranger than this? Could they?"
Kari entered the class and handed the pass to her teacher. She took her seat and Beth whispered over to her. "Kari, you look as white as a ghost. Are you feeling ok, maybe you should go home."
Kari forced a smile. "No, I'm fine. I'm just really excited about this trip and all."
Beth looked concerned but she let the issue drop and went back to her studying.
Kari pulled out the folder. She didn't get the name of the family she would be staying with in Japan. She read over the papers. According to this she would be staying with a family who's daughter was going to Furinkan High School as well. The girl's name was Yoshiko Sayuri.
Kari finished looking over the papers. The flight information was left open so she could have the opportunity to leave a little earlier to get settled for school. Kari wanted to leave right now. She wanted to pack up her stuff and get on the plane. "Kari, the bell rang we have to get to Gym class." Beth poked her in the head.
The two walked to the Gym and changed out of their normal clothes. Kari lost herself in a game of softball and actually started to enjoy herself for the time being.
The school day was over and Kari was walking back to her house. She had a lot of stuff to do before she left. Kari broke into a sprint.
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Soun woke up screaming. "I'm sorry."
Kasumi knocked on her Father's door. "Father, can I come in are you ok?"
"Yes Kasumi I'm fine." Kasumi opened the door and walked over to her Father.
Soun took a stack of old envelopes out of the box next to his bed. He handed them to Kasumi. She looked at the front of them. Each one was addressed to Tendo Kari in the United States. "Father, why do you have these?"
"Kasumi, you were old enough to remember Kari. I knew that. I also knew you heard the conversation I had with your Mother before she passed away. I know you heard where Kari went to and I know you heard about the shinigami." Tears feel down Soun's face.
Kasumi also began to cry. "I've never told anyone where she was. I didn't want the shinigami to find her. I have tried very hard to be strong like Mother was."
"I know Kasumi, that is why I took the letters you wrote to her and hid them." Soun felt ashamed.
"Father, is this why you have been so upset the last few days? Is something wrong with Kari?" Kasumi just wanted her little sister to be back in their home and safe. She had kept this bottled in for so long that it all seemed like pretend. Almost like Kari never really existed at all.
"Kasumi, I don't know if Kari is ok. I haven't gotten word from your aunt in a very long time." Soun was so conflicted. He couldn't bring his daughter home; the shinigami would show up and demand her soul.
"Father, you should go back to bed. We will think of something in the morning."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------
Kari started packing her new clothes. Her host family would be expecting her to arrive in Japan soon. Kari didn't give anymore thought to the convenience of her being placed exactly where she wanted to be.
Everything would be sorted out soon. Or so she thought.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------
* Author's Notes * a shinigami is a soul collecting spirit of death. I took a little bit of liberty of their exact duties in this story. Yoshiko Sayuri - I had to give Sayuri a last name because I looked everywhere and couldn't find it. If anyone knows her real last name could you let me know? (Sayuri being one of Akane's friends at school)