Anonymous requested: A shrine AU? Like they all work in a shinto shrine,
Admin Notes: Shinto Shrines are so pretty! I absolutely love the Torii because of it's vivid colors. I'm not extremely familiar with the people's jobs or duties, though… other than maybe the Miko and the Kannushi. So. Uh. Let's just say I kind of have an idea for all of them. =n=; (It turned out to be longer than expect… keep reading in the undercut!) -Admin Hirahara
What started off as a simple mountain hike during a vacation near the sea soon turned into a disaster for the two high school girls wandering the forest. Yuu was convinced they took a wrong turn somewhere, but Maki insisted that they just had to stay on the path. The path, they realized, that lead no where. After it narrowed down to a tiny deer trail, it was apparent that they two were lost. There wasn't any reception, so neither could use their phones, and Yuu had a horrible fear that it was going to get dark soon.
"Let's just head down the hill…" She begged, "even if we don't return to the beach, we'll be out of the forest and at least be able to find ourselves."
"We can't do that!" Maki insisted. "What if the forest ends at the sea? With the tide coming in, it's dangerous!" The two were at a stalemate, unsure of what to do next. Maki, who was the more daring, decided to continue up the hill. Yuu had no choice but to follow because she didn't want to be separated.
"Maki, I'm worried!" Yuu exclaimed, as the trek became more and more fierce. Maki was still determined to go forward, though. Maybe we can reach the summit and tell where we're going… She thought to herself. When a clearing was finally seen, Maki made a dash, leaving Yuu behind just a little to check it out. All there was, however, was a very large tree, with a thick rope tied around it's trunk. The tree looked like it had grown around it's restraint, though, and Maki wondered how long it had been there. "Ah… a Shimenawa…" Yuu said, out of breath and panting. "There must have been a shrine around here."
"How old do you think it is?" Maki asked, touching a hand to the rope. Yuu attempted to stop her, but she was too late. Once Maki's hand made contact with the rope, it nearly shocked her back. They weren't kidding when they said it repels anything unpure…! Maki realized, pulling her hand away. "Ah! That really hurt!" She exclaimed, looking around. Only, to her surprise, Yuu wasn't there anymore. Neither, apparently, was the forest. Instead of the rotting trees and dying leaves, the place looked like it was in spring, blossoming and colorful.
The tree itself looked smaller, and the Shimenawa fit snug around it's trunk. It also was a colorful brown and didn't look like it was breaking apart. "Huh?" Maki wondered, realizing she was now more lost than before. "Yuu? Are you there?" But there was no one to answer her back. Further up the hill, she saw a bright red object that towered over a stone path. She hurried to it, realizing that it was a Torii. The steps, she also realized, hadn't been there before.
"Well… it couldn't hurt to check…" Maki decided, beginning the walk and passing under the red Torii. It was almost as if the sky was getting brighter as she approached a building, surprised that such a place was kept in such good shape. "There must be people around here." She concluded. She passed the Chouzuya, and felt a little guilty for not cleaning her hands at the water. As she approached, she thought she saw someone dressed in uniform standing there.
"Ah, hello." He smiled, his emerald eyes sparkling. Maki was slightly captivated by his gaze. "Oh, it would seem like you have burns on your hands." He pointed out, taking the hand that touched the tree into his own. "The holy water here might not be able to fix that. Perhaps you should stop by the Shamusho before you leave."
Maki didn't even realize that her hand was scorched. She drew it back quickly, nodding. "You're… a Negi, right?" She asked. "Why are you wearing a military uniform?"
"Our shrine is rather… special, you could say." The man answered, waving her off with a smile. "Well, if you want to see the kami, you'd better get going." Maki ran back to the path with that, unsure of what to do next. She had planned to ask him about how to get down from the mountain, but in all the commotion, she didn't get the chance to. She supposed, then, she'd better just go to the Administration Office like suggested. As she walked over, she passed by two Miko, who were hurrying over to the Ema wall.
"Ayako, you'll have to get ready for the Kagura Dance." Said the older. The younger nodded but stayed silent. The younger was dressed in an elegant kimono, while the older wore plain clothing. Again, it wasn't the regular attire for Miko, which left Maki in a bit of a confused state. As the two passed, the older one saw her, smiled, and gave a small wave. Ayako, the younger, also looked over, turned a little pink, and hurried a little faster.
With that, Maki decided just to keep walking towards the Shamusho. Once at the door of the simple office, she found herself greeted by a man with grey eyes, who was also in a uniform uncommon around shrines. Is the theme military? She wondered.
"Hello there," He smiled, or smirked. It was hard to tell. "Here to see our Kami? Too bad I won't be able to guide you." He waved as he exited. His title… Guuji? Maki thought to herself. He must have been off to do a purification of some sort. In any case, Maki stepped into the Shamusho, looking around a little bit aimlessly. It was a larger structure than she thought, but a slight coughing brought her attention to two people at the further end, another Guuji sitting at a desk and a Gonguuji next to him.
"Hm? A visitor?" The one standing (he was wearing a cape) questioned, coming closer. "Ah. How can we help you?" He asked, before spotting her hand. "Oh, I see. It's burned." He looked over to the tanner Guuji, as if asking if it was okay for him to leave.
"Might as well take her to the shessa and get Tanizaki to purify it." The man with crimson eyes said. "She must have touched our Shimenawa on accident."
"Oh, that makes sense." The icy eyed Gonguujii replied, leading Maki back out. "People are usually more careful than that. Ah, whatever." With that, he was walking Maki back across the pavilion and passed a board stuck with a few Emas. She eyed them curiously as she was whisked away. I want to become stronger. Was written on the only one she managed to read. "Some people like to offer their wishes here, but most of these are from our staff." The man explained. "Here we are."
The two stood in front of one of the three small axillary shrines, where someone was standing with his back turned to them. "Tanizaki, can you help us out with something?" The man turned, revealing violet eyes under his cap. He looked rather mean, but he didn't intimidate Maki at all. "She's got a burn from our Shimenawa."
"Hmph. Who's stupid enough to touch that…?" Maki heard him grumble as he walked over. He grabbed her hand without asking, looking at the burns. "Hm… I see." He dropped her hand back, turning around. "There's nothing I can really do for it, unfortunately. You might just want to let her go see the kami." The icy eyed man looked like he was going to object, but then thought better than to argue.
"I didn't think it was that bad…" He said, turning Maki on her heel and leading her out. "Sorry to have bothered you." Was he praying? Maki wondered. Before long, she was back on the main pavilion, spun so that she was facing the Honden. "If you came all the way here, it would be a shame if you don't at least look inside." He patted her on the back before walking over to the Kagura-den, probably to see what the two Miko were doing.
"This place is very strange." Maki concluded. "It's not like any of the other Shinto Shrines I've ever visited." As she approached the Tamagaki, she could sort of see the two pillars where the Komainus were supposed to be displayed. Instead, as she saw up close, there was nothing on them. "Huh?" She wondered. Why doesn't this shrine have it's guardian deities…? As if to answer her question, two people, one on each side, appeared from around the pillars, one wearing a half mask with an orange eye, and the other wearing the opposite half with a yellow eye.
"Hello," they said in unison, nearly startling Maki.
"Hah?" She asked, looking at their strange masks. They were sort of shaped like lion dogs, one in a frown and one in a smile. "Don't tell me… you two are the-"
"Yup!" Said the golden eyed one. "We're the Komainus who guard this Kami!" He did a sort of dramatic bow. The other just shrugged and half bowed himself.
"What strange masks…" Maki pointed out, wanting to get a closer look. It was almost as if the masks were equally as alive as the people wearing them.
"We're A-un." Said the amber eyed guard. "It's our job to make sure the people passing into the Tamagaki aren't evil spirits." The two looked over Maki, then looked back at each other. They then both did a sweeping gesture with one arm, welcoming Maki to go in further. As Maki walked passed them, she felt as if they were no longer standing behind her. As if to check, she peaked over her shoulder. Indeed, the two were gone. On the pillars, however, she swore that she saw two people standing.
The Tamagaki was also rather well kept, with it's beautiful wooden floors and spacious ceiling. "Wow…" She exclaimed in amazement. As she approached the center, in a glass case was a single object: a golden seal. Her anticipation was slightly hindered. "This… is the kami…?" She asked, expecting something more extravagant.
"That's Lord Enma's golden seal." came a voice from an unknown source. Maki scanned the room and located a man standing in the corner, who must have been watching her the whole time. "Our Kami is a little different than most Shinto Shrines, you could say."
"Yeah…" Maki said, giving it one more look. The man with azure eyes stepped closer to her, looking down at her palm.
"You've been burned." He pointed out.
"Everyone's been saying that." Maki responded, holding her hand out. "But I'm sure you just wanted to point it out or stare at it too, didn't you?" Instead, the man took her hand gently, and produced a bottle of water and some bandages.
"It's probably best that you came here, then." He said, beginning to pour the cold water onto her hand. Maki almost pulled back, but the man had her gripped firmly. It stun a little at first, but once the bandages were placed on, she didn't feel a thing. "There, it's patched up." He said. She looked at her wrapped hand, admiring the work.
"Oh, hey, you're like a real doctor." She praised. The man only tipped his hat in response. "You probably don't have time to stay and watch the Kagura Dance. After all, someone's waiting for you. Once you return, please head straight down the hill without looking back. You should find yourself home that way."
"Huh?" Maki thought, before suddenly remembering why she even went up the hill. "Oh my gosh! Yuu!" She said, hurrying off. She exited the Tamagaki with haste, passing the pillars, and down the stone steps. She didn't stop until she was passed the red Torii, in which she finally caught her breath and looked around for Yuu. Off in the distance, she could see a very large tree, and headed that way. There, she found the rope tired tree, and Yuu sleeping underneath it.
"Hey! Yuu!" Maki exclaimed, shaking her friend. Her eyes suddenly shot open, and the girl sprang up to hug her friend.
"Maki! Are you okay? You suddenly caused some sort of flash and… I must have passed out!" Maki looked over to the tree, wondering what had happened. She looked at her hand, and realized it was bandaged.
"Ah! Yuu!" She exclaimed, grabbing her friend's hand and leading her to the stone steps she had descended. Only, they weren't there anymore. Dead leaves covered the ground, and roots grew over the place. "Wha…?" She questioned, trying to find the Torii. Instead of the brilliant red, though, she found cracking wood and a blotched out sign. It can't be…! She realized, hurrying up the slope with Yuu in tow.
"What are you doing? Maki!" Yuu questioned, having no choice but to follow. Once they cleared the landing, Maki looked around for the Chouzuya. All she could see, though, was an abandoned Shinto shrine. The buildings were all collapsed and the ground was overgrown with plantation. "Oh… this is so sad…" Yuu noted, having been released from Maki and allowed to look around.
"This can't be…" Maki said, placing a hand on one of the broken pillars.
"This place must have been a shrine for a kami, but I guess eventually it was abandoned." Yuu said, wiping dust from her hands. Maki looked back at her bandaged hand, then decided to tell Maki exactly what happened. Yuu, however, didn't believe a word. "Oh, Maki, don't you remember? You burned yourself on a rock earlier today at the beach and we had to fix up your hand." When Maki couldn't remember that happening, Yuu just teased her. "You can't be having memory loss already!"
"I'm telling you, the shrine was here!" She said, hurrying to the Tamagaki. "In here, there used to be this golden seal and-"
"A golden seal for a kami?" Yuu laughed. "Where did you ever get such a silly idea!"
"But…!" Maki said, trying to tell Yuu about the uniformed Kannushi. Yuu only laughed further, saying how silly it was that shrine priests would be wearing military uniforms. In the end, Maki couldn't convince her of anything.
"Come on, Maki, let's just head down the hill already and find a road." Yuu insisted, pulling her away. The two passed back down the broken Torii, but this time, Maki thought that the path they stood on was wider than before. "Eh? I think I see a clearing down there!" Yuu said, hurrying down. "Come on Maki!" She exclaimed.
Maki took one more look behind her at the old Torii, trying to make out the name of the shrine. It was impossible, though. The sign was so rusted and damaged, She could only see one kanji. Goku it read. Maki gave up, chasing after Yuu down the steady decline. "Wait for me!" She called, finally catching up. The two girls ended up out of the forest sooner than they thought they would be, and eventually made it down onto a rocky bike road. From there, they were able to return to the beach, only to find out that not much time had passed at all.