To be With you, One more Time

-Prologue-

"Uuh..."

A groan came from an orange haired girl's mouth. A stinging sensation creeping through her body, waking her up. The girl changed her position in hope to ease the pain, only to find that she was unable to do so. It seemed that someone had tied her body when she was still asleep.

To say that the orange haired girl was confused is probably an understatement. The girl knew well that she was a heavy sleeper. Yet, judging by how she woke up just now thanks to the creeping pain and not because of the very uncomfortable binding on her made her very puzzled.

Memory of last night is still clear in the girl's head. She still remembered that she finally had finished with her very last shrine maiden training yesterday night. It was harsh, but somehow she managed to overcome them for the past years. She was happy, she even thought last night that finally she could offering her servitude to the Gods.

So, why she found herself in this current condition?

The pain was slowly becoming unbearable as time passed, forcing the girl to open her eyelids despite her protesting body demanded her to keep them shut still.

A white flash suddenly entered her eyes, blinding her vision for a moment before she could feel the intensity slowly decreasing.

'What happened?' The orange haired girl wondered. Her red colored irises rolled around trying to recognize her surroundings.

There were two things that she realized. First, she noticed that she wore a white uchikake. Probably someone had changed her clothes while she still sleeping. She didn't know for what reason though. She also noticed that her arms and legs were indeed tied by some ropes to hinder her movement. But what made her more curious was something else: she saw some tribal looking tattoo on her body's revealed parts. There was probably more than that under the uchikake she currently wore, but what made her more surprised was the fact that said tribal tattoo emitted a faint reddish glow for every now and then.

The orange haired girl winced when the tattoo on her glowed once again. 'So it was this weird looking tatto that caused the pain huh?' The girl mumbled to herself befor focusing herself to another thing. She found that she was rested on a mound constructed of several blocks of rock. She also noticed that there were four small torches, each located at the corner of the mound where she was put and there was a large cave mouth just behind her.

She was on a ceremonial altar. She never saw the cave herself, but if her memory served her right, she knew it quite well. The cave was said to be the gate that connected her world to another completely different plane. The priestess who taught her told her once that the plane was the domain of Gods. None should came near this place unless a certain ritual must be held.

The puzzle pieces began falling into their place one by one to form a bigger picture in her mind, turning her expression into a dreadful look. The gears in her head rotated rapidly, leading her to a single conclusion.

If her guts and mind screaming her the truth...

She was most likely doomed.

Panic began consuming the orange haired girl as adrenaline rushed through her blood vessels. No, she couldn't die here just yet. Not when someone finally found her spiritual aptitude and taking her under their wings. Not when finally she could offer her servitude toward the Gods after those harsh and painful training. Not when she almost reached her dream: making her family proud.

'Not here! No!'

She began to struggle, trying to free her arms and legs from the rope that tied them. But it was futile. The rope had tied so tightly on her that it didn't even budge despite her struggling. But she didn't stop. It was not so like her if she gave up from a mere hindrance. The orange haired girl thought that she only need to try harder to free herself.

"You finally wake up, Chika?" A familiar voice rang in the orange haired girl's ears. She quickly shot her head towards the voice's source.

There, the girl named Chika saw a figure emerged from the stairs below to the altar where she was. The figure wore a traditional reiso with a purple hakama on it. It was difficult for the girl to identify who the one stood before her thanks to the traditional dog mask the figure wore.

"Are you okay?" the figure came closer to the girl. "It must be really hurt as a 'container' to be this close with this place." the figure said. There was actually a tone of concern in the figure's voice.

"T...Teacher?!" the girl wide-eyed, realizing who the figure actually was thanks to the voice. There was a mix of surprise and disbelief in her voice. It was actually the priestess who taught her everything. "What the meaning of this? Why am I here?"

"Please bear the pain a little bit more, Chika." The priestess replied. She came closer to the girl and stroke the girl's orange hair slowly. "The pain you feel will end soon as your soul is assimilated and become the part of our God. Those years of training I taught to you was preparation for this."

The words felt like stabbing icicles for the girl. Her teacher meant it from the very beginning. The girl shuddered as the sentence 'offering your servitude to the Gods' meaning hit her hard. All her hardwork, all her dream. Everything was actually a preparation to turn her into a human pillar, a sacrifice to the Gods of this land.

"No... This is not true..."

"Please tell me that you're joking..."

Tears began forming on the orange haired girl eyes. Despite that, the woman in front of her ignoring the girl's plea. It was like she waited for something.

As if answering to the woman, A deafening roar suddenly reverberated from the inside of the cave. Tremors could be feel spreading through the land. Slowly but surely, the tremors got more stronger as time went. Something approaching from inside the cave behind the altar.

"Please teacher, don't leave me alone here." more pleas coming from the girl. The orange haired girl noticed that the woman slowly retreating to the edge of the altar's platform near the stairs.

"You won't die, Chika. Rejoice! You will live forever as a part of our God for eternity." The priestess said.

The orange haired girl continued her plea, hoping that her teacher would save her from the impending doom. "No, please... Let me go! I don't want to be like this! I don't want to-"

"KYAAAAAAAAA" Another scream reverberating in the air before the orange haired girl could finish her sentence.

The girl turned herself to the source of the scream by reflex. She gritted her teeth in the process, forgetting that her arms and legs were still tied. But it felt like the pain was nothing when she looked at the source of the screaming. She could see two figures tied and limply hanged on the mouth cave. A pair of large yellowish orb glowed dimly behind them, shooting a piercing glare.

"They will be an example for others. A fine example so that there will be no one who dare to interfere with this holy ritual." The priestess commented flatly.

No one could tell how anguished the orange haired was when she realized who those hanged figures were: They were her best friends. Her fellow shrine maiden-in training just like her. They were there because they tried to save her when they realized the truth.

The orange haired girl struggled once again, though this time somehow she managed to untied herself. She quickly rushed herself, trying to approach her friends.

"CHIKA-CHAN DON'T COME HERE!"

Unfortunately, before she could come closer, a giant shadow loomed over her. The girl swore that she saw something gleaming coming from the edge of her eyes. Several miliseconds after that, she found herself flying in the air before her body landed hardly on the altar's stone floor headfirst.

"CHIKA-CHAN!"

"AHK-" She could feel a searing pain spread through her whole body. Her saliva started to taste like iron as red thick liquid starting to drip from her mouth. Her eyes shot a horrified look before the being that just threw her flying.

'Monster...'

It was the first word registered in the orange haired girl's mind when she saw it. The very being in front of her exuding a divine aura, a proof that it was indeed a God. But what was reflected on the girl's eyes said the otherwise.

Its pair of yellowish orbs giving a piercing glare.

Four legs armed with sharp claws.

Its mouth full of serrated fangs.

The very being in front of her took the appearance of a giant black wolf. It was so big that even the girl was sure that if the being would eat her, it would be able to swallow her body wholly.

'Foolish girl! How dare for a mere offering to try defying me?!' a voice, dripping with wrath rang in the girl's head.

'You'll be next after these two friend of yours!'

"...ko-cha."

"...o-chan."

A small mumbling, choked by blood. The girl felt like that her consciousness began to fade. Her body was too weak already as she kept losing more and more blood.

The giant black wolf slowly approached to where her friends were hanged. It slowly opened its giant mouth, showing its fangs towards the terrified hanged girls.

"I guess we messed up, huh?"

"Chika-chan, sorry..."

And then everything turned pitch black.

A/N: It has been some years since the last time I posted a new fic. To tell the truth this one was supposedly to be one of the piling unused idea in the shelf if not because Himizu-san encourage me to write this and saying that he'll help... yes, this is a collaboration work with Himizu-san.

Actually I'm pretty delighted with the first concept, and after hearing some of Himizu-san's suggestion, it went better. I won't say much for now until the first chapter is published, so, I hope this vague prologue is acceptable for now. Thank you for reading...