Note: This story is cowritten with Rayna Darkstorm. The story line is hers and the majority of the writting is my own. Enjoy, and please review this with something meaningful.
The first thing that Haruka noticed was the difference in the wind here. The wind was everywhere. Usually, even the most tightly sealed building couldn't keep the wind away. Here, it was completely still, without even the slightest of breezes. Haruka inhaled deeply of the cool, still air as she gazed upward to view the temple's outstanding eminence against the hazy background.
Haruka ascended the worn and cracked steps for an unclear amount of time, and then found herself inside of the edifice. A chain of statues came into dim view as she began to walk down the unlit corridor. Haruka ran her hand over the intricately chiseled marble formation of a horned beast. She let her hand sweep by a series of forms with tendrils for limbs. Her fingers at some point no longer met with statues and were adjusted to idly hang taping by her side.
Soundless footsteps padded down the hall as the half amused, half disbelieving woman aimlessly made her way through the temple. She noticed how the décor of the temple changed with each length of the hall. Large murals had been painted and engraved into the stone, the current depicting numerous male forms entangled in a frenzy of lust. Haruka pressed her fingertips against the grooves and admired the fine work without any revulsion that she may normally have felt. She passed several like murals, and then found herself before more large paintings of males and females in engaging in similar actions.
As Haruka proceeded through the temple, she noticed larger, more prominent forms that were ornately painted, adorned with gold and constructed with something more precious than marble. Wide wells were splayed before each, all containing a thin coating of scarlet residue. Haruka nodded, taking in the sudden metallic scent, and moved on.
The moment that Haruka exited the extravagant chamber, the environment of the temple assembled itself into what she recognized as the entrance hall. Haruka eyed the marble figurines and walked by more quickly without pausing to examine the strange icons. Without even exiting the room, Haruka was back in the chamber with the scent of blood in the air. Within mere moments, she was back in near the murals, and then in the chamber again, before a peculiar altar which she had not noticed before.
A somehow familiar creature's stony image loomed over Haruka, gazing at her with unseen eyes. Haruka looked up at it, fascinated by its bizarre, netherworld-like charm. Haruka managed to pull herself away from the altar. As she sidled backwards, something warm soft, and sticky pressed against her back. For a moment, Haruka did not seem to notice, but then she began to feel the same texture coiling around her body.
Haruka carefully prodded behind herself, but her hand touched nothing but cool stone. She turned around to face yet another statue in the likeness of a demon. Haruka quickly dismissed the oddities and continued to wander throughout the place. She entered room after room, repeating several, without any reason why, or acknowledgement of the feeling of being watched.
At some unknown time, Haruka ceased to notice the reoccurring scenery and reflected aloud.
"What kind of worship could be done in a place like this?" Haruka received no response from the spacious room. She sighed. "This must be a dream." Haruka remembered the scent that had lingered in the air not long before and the constricting force that had bound her. "This is too vivid," she decided.
Haruka continued to walk through the serene temple, silently debating whether she was in reality. Eventually, she stopped worrying and let herself relax amongst the grotesque furnishings. She seated herself on the warm stone floor and waited for either a sign, or her awakening. As she sat waiting, something entered her view, something horrifying. A deep, dry rasping accompanied by the sound of moist slithering continued to fill Haruka's head even after she sprang bolt upright in her own bed.
Michiru rolled over to find Haruka panting and tightly grasping the bedspread.
"Haruka, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing," Haruka curtly replied.
With no more words to say, Haruka laid back down and tried to forget what she had just experienced and attempted to arrive at a dreamless sleep.
