X/1999 Fan Fiction ❯ X Tales ❯ The Fall of the Ise Shrine part 1 ( Chapter 5 )

A/N: Somehow, I think I would do the same as I did with the Headless Maiden, so here's part one of the story. I hope I could finish the second part of the story, that is if I'm not too busy with my school work. Oy... Well, enjoy the half story.

Disclaimer: I do not own the X characters or Edgar Allan Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher.

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"So you want a story without you and Subaru? Am I correct?" Fuuma questioned. Kamui nodded his head while crossing his arms, waiting for his Twin Star to tell another story. As the Angel scanned the room, he saw a picture frame on the dresser. Curious to know what it was, the Dark Kamui rose from his seat and picked up the frame. In it was a picture of Kamui at the school carnival with the Seals and his friend, Keiichi. Looking at the image of Arashi, Sorata, and Karen, the Dragon of Earth smirked. With the picture in his hand, Fuuma turned around to face Kamui and spoke.

"Are these your friends?"

Kamui raised his eyebrow at his Twin Star. Although he didn't felt friendship from the Seals liked he did with Fuuma, he did received their sympathies and their help to get him through. Unsure of what to say, the Dragon of Heaven kept his mouth silent. Taking his silent as a maybe, the Angel chuckled and placed the frame on the dresser. He walked his way to his smaller Twin Star and sat down beside him while taking a cigarette out. With one puff of a smoke, the Dark Kamui said. "I'm just curious if you know anyone who wants to die."

The young boy was stunned of what Fuuma said before going into deep thought. He knew the Seals wanted to protect the humanity, but he wasn't quite sure. The Dragon of Heaven knew that Sorata would die for the woman he loved, but not the type of person who wanted to end his life. Kamui also knew that Subaru was trying to kill Seishirou for his sister's death, but he had some doubts if Subaru wanted to end his life since the assassin was his love. Unable to figure out, Kamui turned his attention to his Twin Star, waiting of what the Angel tried to lead. When he saw the Seal's expression, the Dark Kamui smiled and shook his head. Finished smoking, he answered.

"The reason I'd asked you was that it's in the story I'm about to tell you, a story where one wanted to end life, no matter whether it is one or more. So listen carefully as I tell you the story called, `The Fall of the Shrine of Ise'."

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It was a cold autumn night as the wind blew in the deadly branches. Although the Ise Shrine was hidden, the plants and trees surrounded it were all dried and dead. Sitting on the perch was a woman who watched the blackness night where the new moon shined. She had long ebony hair which was tied in a ponytail. When she heard footsteps, she trained her brown eyes upon her visitor.

Stood before her was another woman. She had curly red hair with brown eyes as she gave out a smile. Both women wore their priestess clothing as the ebony headed woman stood up. The ebony headed woman turned her attention to her visitor and said. "Did you bring Arashi, Karen?"

"Yes"

"Did you place her in her room?"

"I did like you've told me, Tokiko."

"Very well then, prepare the guest room; we'll have visitors coming soon."

"Yes, Tokiko." Karen answered as she went back in the shrine. Tokiko turned her attention at the entrance of the shrine. She knew that danger had brought forth her visitors and there's nothing she could do from preventing it. If only she knew how to stop it. She didn't know how long the shrine would stay or how long would she and the other priestesses last. But what really matter to her was that she wanted everything to end.

"Are we there yet?"

Panting through the stepping stones was a young man. He had short black hair with small brown eyes. Right before him was a man. The man had brown hair as he looked back at the tired man with greens eyes behind the glasses. He answered that the young man didn't want to hear. "No, just a couple of stairs to climb ahead."

"Aw, man," the young man groaned. He didn't know what had happened. Ever since he met Arashi in Tokyo, he was head over heel on her. He swore that he would protect her with his life and what did he do? He went to the restroom and came back to see her kidnapped. It was a good thing he had a conversation with her to find out that she was a priestess of Ise or else he would go crazy without her.

Minutes had passed by as they reached the entrance of the shrine. When they looked around, they saw no one around, making this shrine looked deserted. After a few greetings to see if anyone was there, they didn't hear a reply back. Thinking that someone was in the shrine, they were about to enter when they heard a voice behind them. Turning around, they saw a priestess before them. The priestess let out a smile as she bowed to them.

"Greetings, Arisugawa Sorata and Aoki Seiichirou, to the Shrine of Ise. I am Magami Tokiko, Head of this shrine."

"What have you done to Nee-chan?" Sorata interrupted.

"Sorata, be quiet. We're guests here. Please excuse my friend, Sorata, he's haven't been himself lately."

"There's no need for apologize, Aoki-san. I'm sure your friend would know that she is safe in her room. Why don't you come inside and have something to eat, I'm sure that after a long walk of stair had made you hungry."

"Thank you, Magami-san." Aoki said as he and Sorata followed Tokiko into the shrine. Looking around, they noticed that the shrine was old and beyond disrepair. The paints on the columns were fading as tiles from the roof were missing. Each footstep they made met a creaking sound of the floor. Some walls had planks nailed to them while doors were covered with papers or cloths to cover it. When they enter the main hall, they saw a table set before them with food.

Feeling the growling of his stomach, the Mt. Toya priest sat down and ate, forgotten why he came here for. Aoki and Tokiko soon sat down when Karen entered, telling that their room had set. Astounded of what he heard, the reporter questioned Magami.

"Of course, we did. We've knew that you would arrive soon, so we set it up for you and your friend. Besides, it's nighttime so we don't want you wander off in the cold, dark day on your way home. So once you finish your dinner, Karen will take you to your room. And I apologize for our shrine, this building is beyond repair. So I advise you to stay in your room since some of the floor could easily break. If you need anything, just bang the gong and Karen or I will come. After all, you must be exhausted from your journey."

Remembered why he came, Sorata placed his chopsticks and bowl down and asked if he could see Arashi. Never wanted the young man to see Arashi, Tokiko answered that he couldn't because she's asleep. The young man gave a sad face when he heard it; Aoki tried his best cheering his young friend. After dinner, Karen showed them to their room where there was a draft in it. Karen bowed to the two men.

"I apologize for your room, but it's the only room available in this shrine."

"That's alright, we understand." Aoki forgiven as he and Sorata set up their futons. The red headed woman bowed again before leaving. The men changed their clothes and went to sleep. But after an hour or two, the young man had trouble sleeping. Unwanted to wake the reporter, the Mt, Toya priest decided to explore this ancient shrine. With a quick change and a lighted candle, Sorata left his room and walked down the hall of the shrine.

Every room he entered was tattered and broken while others were worse than the other. He saw the kitchen where the walls were covered in ashes and cinders. He saw the praying room where statues of Buddha were broken and smashed to pieces, even the bathroom where it seemed that it was never been clean before. Never liked it of what he had seen, the young man decided to go back to his room when he saw a door he never seen before. Curious of what's behind it, Sorata opened it.

Inside was nothing, but an empty room with black curtains across from him. Wondering what's behind the curtain, the priest entered the room to push the curtains beside. But once he pushed it, his candles went out. Unable to see it in the dark, Sorata decided to light it with his power when he felt something landed on his shoulder.

"Ah!" The young man screamed as he went behind the curtains and turned around. What he saw before him was another lighted candle as it relit his candle. When he looked up to see who it was, he gave out a big grin across his face.

"Nee-chan, you're okay! I thought those vultures did-"

"They didn't," Arashi said as she handed his candle back. When he took it, the priest looked around and gasped horrified. Placing around him were coffins with charms and incenses around it. Above each coffin were pictures of the deceases. Bewildered by the sight, Sorata finally spoke.

"Nee-chan, what is this place?"

"These are the resting ground of the deceases. Each and every one of them was the member of the Ise. Soon, I would join them."

"W-what do you mean?" Sorata stammered.

"My coffin awaits me." Arashi answered as she pointed. Sorata followed where she pointed and gasped. There laid before him was an empty coffin and above that coffin was a picture of Arashi. However, that wasn't the only thing Sorata saw. For right next to the coffin were two empty coffins with pictures of Tokiko and Karen. Shocking horrified, the priest turned to the young priestess and grabbed both her arms with a frightening look.

"Nee-chan, please tell me you're kidding?!"

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

"You can't seriously mean it?"

"Oh, yes we are." A voice cried. Both teens turned their attention to see the Head of the Ise. Behind her were Karen and Aoki, trying to see what was going on. Angered by this, Sorata stood in front of Arashi to protect her. Tokiko walked toward the teens with Karen behind her. When she came face to face with the young priest, she spoke.

"You should never come here, especially with Arashi. This place is forbidden to all guests and trespassers!"

"Hey, you didn't tell me not to go anywhere before and I can go anywhere with Nee-chan!"

"Karen, take Arashi to her room," Tokiko ordered as Karen obeyed. However, Sorata refused to move.

"No, I promised Nee-chan that I would protect her and I would die for her."

"But she's ill!"

"No, she is-"

"Let's go, Karen." Arashi interrupted as she walked pass the surprised priest. Karen smiled as she led her back to her room while the reporter moved aside. Once they're gone, Aoki looked around the place and asked the Head priestess what it was. Shaking her head with a long sigh, she explained that it's a resting burial for the deceases to rest.

"But why leave them here? Can't you bury them like most priests do?"

"I don't want the Earth to be contaminated."

"What do you mean, Magami-san?" The priestess stayed silent as she leaned herself against the empty coffin, unsure how to explain. Thinking that she didn't want to explain, the reporter went to his friend and helped him to leave when they heard her spoke.

"I didn't want the deceases to be buried because we are cursed. We've been cursed ever since the shrine was build. For years, our priest or priestess had committed crimes to no man could committed, had carried illness that no one could be infected. We the people of Ise are nothing, but monsters. Choose any crimes you want, choose any topics that make men worse than beasts. It doesn't matter whether it is incest, suicide, homicide, or necrophilia; we have committed it. That is why I'd decided that we won't take anyone to become priest or priestess in our shrine, nor let our people leave, especially Arashi."

"You're crazy!"

Tokiko turned her attention to the enraged priest and said, "I'm crazy? I've already told you that we, the Ise priestesses, are cursed. Perhaps a little history of our people will change your mind."

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A/N: (Shook her head) I apologizes for not trying to make it on time. I really wanted to finish it before or during Halloween. But with all the school work to accomplish, I'm afraid I have to cut one of my story out. It was suppose to be the revision of Stephen King's book, the Shining where the Dragon of Earth are staying in the cabin which was in the middle of the wood, staring Satsuki. However, I'm afraid I can't do it. Maybe in the future, but not now. Well, I hope you forgive me and I'll try my best to keep up the update instead of delaying the time.