X/1999 Fan Fiction ❯ X Tales ❯ The Headless Maiden Part 2 ( Chapter 4 )

A/N: Here's the other half of the Headless Maiden. We've left out where they were about to summon a ghost. Let's see if it work..... or not. So enjoy reading.

Disclaimers: I do not own X characters or Washington Irving's, Legend of the Sleep Hollow.

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Sei lighted the candle and spread the sakura petals around it as he opened the book to recite the ritual before joining hands with the others. As he muttered, the atmosphere grew cold and the lights became dimmer. Chill wind entered the room as the assistants and guests looked around, trying to find any sign of the spirit. Candles around the table had been blown out as smoke swirled in every direction. Soon the essence of the smokes encircled around the people, as if the smokes were tiny fairies flying through. As the smokes came closer to the center candle, they entangled together to create a bigger form. The young boy and the onmyouji watched in awe as the smokes formed into a figure of a woman.

This was the moment Kamui had been waiting for. He was about to find out what his true destiny was, how to prevent his friend's fate, and why he was chosen to play this role. Unsure which spirits did Kamui wanted to contact, the dark onmyouji decided to pull Kamui's string. The ghostly figure turned its attention at Kamui and bent down. It raised its smoky figure as it stroked the young boy's cheek. Thought that his mother would form more clearly, the Seal's leader drawn closer to the figure to see her appearance. But as he drawn closer, the vapor began to fade.

"No. Mother, wait!" Kamui shouted. He couldn't believe his eyes of what happened. He was so close and his mother was about to disappear, never to figure out his purpose. The young boy pleaded his mother to stay, but Sei told him that they could only communicate the spirits by question. Once the spirit's essence was gone, the fragile boy saw back in his seat with a lost look in his face as Sei relit the candles. Angered of what had happened, Kamui shouted.

"Tooyayami-san, you said that we could summon the spirits with unfinished business, why is it that my mother disappeared like that?"

The host lit the last candle and replied, "I did, but it could be that your mother had already finished her business. Besides, if you try to question her about your problem, then I guess you have to figure it out on your own."

Didn't like the answer, Kamui crossed his arms and angst of what had happened. As Sei returned to his seat, he told everyone to hold hands to perform another séance to summon Subaru's spirit. After spending a year with his prey, Seishirou knew which spirits Subaru chose. The lights of the candles were blown out as smokes encircled the table again. When the smokes began to form, the onmyouji tightened his grips, hoping it might work. Once the ghostly figure transformed into a teenage girl, she turned to face Subaru and smiled. The onmyouji barely spoke, "Why, Hokuto? Why did you leave me?"

As he spoke those words, Subaru saw his sister waved her hand with her mouth moving with no audible. Unsure of what she had spoken, the onmyouji was about to question when he saw her changed into sakura petals. Those ghostly petals fluttered everywhere as they became smaller and faded. The young man was shock of what happened that he was unable to speak up. Sei adjusted his glasses before announced, "Well, that was quite surprised. Usually, spirits would just disappear, but never in my life would I ever see a spirit changed into an object before disappeared. I guess it's one of those rare moments and look, she had left us a note."

Hearing what the host said, Subaru turned his attention to the still photo. Everyone peered down to see what the spirit had written. On the still photo were two big, clear words written, `Hi, Subby-chan!' Kamui and the assistants were dumbfounded as Subaru glared at the note. The onmyouji would have been embarrassed, but he was upset that he too didn't get his answer. Sei chuckled.

"My, it seems that your spirit had a sense of perk. And Subby-chan? That's a really cute name for you."

The young man glared even more to the host than the note with a bit of annoyance. Knowing that his prey got annoyed, Sei smirked and looked at his watch. When he noticed it's late, he told everyone that the séance was over. Not happy of what had happened, Kamui decided to go home when one of Sei's assistants grabbed him.

"Where are you going?"

"Home."

"But that's in Tokyo! You can't go out at night, especially in Halloween. You don't want to run into the Headless Maiden."

"The what?"

"The Headless Maiden," Sei repeated. Everyone turned their attention as the host adjusted his glasses. He went up to Kamui and asked if he had heard the story before. The young boy shook his head. Sei smiled as he motioned the boy to sit down and listen to the story.

"The story of the Headless Maiden happened a long time ago. There was once a priestess lived in the shrine between Tokyo and Kyoto. Now this priestess was young and beautiful that every man worshipped her like a goddess. Though the priestess lived a wonderful life, she didn't know that her life would end so short. One night during Halloween, she had born a sword from her body. When she gave birth, her body had been torn to pieces. The next day, priests collected her bodies to give her a proper burial. As they picked up the sword along with the last piece, they found that her head wasn't there. They believed that someone had broken into the shrine and when he saw her beautiful head, he took her head with him. Afraid that her spirit would be restless without her head, the priests burned their shrine and never build another shrine again. So every night on Halloween, her spirit haunts the path between Tokyo and Kyoto, looking for her head. Whenever a person walks down that path, she wielded the sword around to claim his or her head. So if you walk down the path and you try to get rid of her, all you have to do is reach the city you tried to reach and she'll disappear. And that's the story of the Headless Maiden."

Believing that the stories were for children, Kamui still insisted that he should get home. Subaru invited the young boy to rest in the Sumeragi shrine, but the Head of Seal declined it. With no money to take a ride home and no phone to call Aoki to pick him up, Kamui decided to walk home.

It had been two hours of walking and there's no sight of Tokyo. Kamui angst of what had happened as he walked. He would have been in his room, being isolated from the world around him. But instead, he had been dragged to a séance, didn't get connection with his mother, and no ride to get home. As the young boy angst, he heard a noise. Wondering and annoyed, the Dragon of Heaven turned around. He saw nothing, but an empty road. The boy scoffed and continued to walk when he heard the same noise again. Already upset, Kamui turned around and yelled who's there. There was no one behind him. Pissed off, he turned around when he saw a ghostly figure in front of him.

The spirit was in a form of woman in a tattered priestess clothes. But what surprised him was there's no head attached. Stunned to see the Headless Maiden made Kamui tripped his foot to send him to the ground. The spirit brought her sword as she raised her blade above and-

"Hey!"

"What?" The Dark Kamui asked, annoyed.

"Dammit, Fuuma! What the hell are you doing? Are you telling a story or kill me?!"

There he was, lying on his bed with his back behind the bed head. The Angel stood on the Seal's bed with the Shikon Sword in his hands. Somehow, the blade had stabbed through the Dragon of Heaven's pillow. The Dragon of Earth pulled the sword out and gave his smaller Twin Star a sarcastic reply. "Why, I was just telling the story like I told you, Kamui."

"With the Shikon Sword stabbing through my heart?!"

Fuuma adjusted his sunglasses and smirked. "Well, let's just say I tried to reenact the story so you could feel how the character went through."

"How the hell would that help reenact the story if you kill me?"

"But it makes the story more interesting if you add some action in it?"

"And how would you know if you had a dead listener to hear it?"

Scowled of what Kamui said, the Dark Kamui put the Shikon Sword away as he took his seat. When the Seal adjusted his seat away from his Twin Star, the Angel replied. "You know Kamui; you really spoil the fun when things get interesting."

What the Dragon of Heaven did was give a glare as the Dragon of Earth chuckled and told his story.

As the spirit raised her sword to chop his head, Kamui raised his hand and sent a psychic energy toward her. When her essence scattered, the Seal got up and ran. Wondering if the spirit disappeared, the Dragon of Heaven turned his head to see. Behind him, he saw the Headless Maiden followed him, wielded the sword madly. Every mile, Kamui attacked the spirit with his power and yet, the spirit appeared to chop off his head.

As he ran, the Seal saw the glimpse of Tokyo. Remembering what Sei said, the young boy dashed as fast as he could. The spirit took out her good luck charms and flung it at the Dragon of Heaven only to be missed. When he set his foot in the city, Kamui turned around and smirked. But instead of disappeared, the Headless Maiden floated where she was with the sword in her hand. Angered that the spirit won't leave him, the Seal thrust his power at the spirit as the ghostly figure flung her sword at him.

The next day, all the Dragon of Heaven had search for the young boy. They tried the Diet Building, Clamp Campus, even the shrine of Monou. Yet, there's no sign of their leader. As they reached at the edge of Tokyo, they were shock of what they saw before gave up. They learned that they would never find Kamui where the sword was laid on the street.

"Well, do you think that this story is better than the other?" The Angel smirked.

"Maybe, but it still sucks."

"What do you mean by that?" Fuuma asked, surprised.

"I'm saying it's suck because not only it isn't scare, but you put me as a main character and I've found myself not able to beat a ghost? That's bullshit! I could easily beat it with one finger without Subaru's help."

The Dark Kamui narrowed his eyes in annoyance before replied. "Fine, I'll tell another story without making you looked weak, which you already are."

"Try not putting me in and also Subaru too, I'm getting sick and tired of hearing him in the story." The Angel grunted at his smaller Twin Star before telling another story.

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A/N: Oy, who would have thought that Kamui is sensitive about himself? Anyway, that's the end of Headless Maiden. I wonder what other story would 'Kamui' tell. Here's another hints to the next chapter: shrine, fire, and puppy love. I know, I know, what does puppy love got to do with the horror story? Well, I guess you have to wait and see. So thank you once again for reading this chapter.