So, here's what I'm going to do...there are going to be three different endings on this story. I can't choose the favorite of either idea so they'll all be written. The next idea is that there will be another view than just Michiko's and Reiko's. Obviously, Kirie's. So the next endings will have her thoughts as well as the two sisters' stories. I hope that'll make sense. Kirie has first person and Reiko and Michiko have third. Easy?

Reiko believes that she is the next Shrine Maiden and is already on her way to the altar on which she'll die, the ghosts following her and pushing her to continue. Michiko chases after her sister in an attempt to stop her from doing what Kirie wants. Kirie tries to stop Michiko, but by doing so she'll have to release her hold on Reiko which is what she definitely doesn't want to do.


Chapter 5- Ending 1

Kirie

How I long to kill the other girl. Why don't I? Reiko already believes her to be gone, so she can die under that pretense. But Mafuyu, how stupid he is. Stalling me in every imaginable way, preventing me from completing my goal, our goal. He should want to leave, but still he refuses. He wants the two girls to go free and for me to go back to my duty. I won't...not now, it's so close...no matter what he and the other girl do...it'll be too late. My replacement is being purified at this very moment. What can they do to stop it? Nothing.

I have waited so long, so long for this girl to arrive; now she has. She'll fulfill the duty; I know that she will, it won't fail, not like mine. Then I can leave this terrible place. Anything else that happens after is not my concern. It would be Reiko's, the last Shrine Maiden. As for her sister...I'll make sure that the others prevent her from getting to the shrine.


Michiko

Michiko rubbed her head as she sat up against the wall. She was in the stairway that she had just seen Kirie. At this memory, Michiko stood up fast and hurried down the stairs. As she reached the bottom, she fell to her knees and tried not to throw up. Her vision was blurred and even a bit discolored, grayish, and she had a terrible knot in her stomach. Her hand flew up to her mouth and she tried to control her breathing. Thoughts of Reiko passed through her mind at lightning speed and she started to panic more. The ipod had clicked over again, the voice sounding as if it were on the other side of the door. Her eyes went to it and to her shock she saw a hand pass through the solid door as if it were water.

Michiko stood up quickly again, sending her head into another dizzying fit. The rest of the ghost came into her view and she saw that it was a man with horrifyingly long arms. She dodged his hand as he grasped at her ankles, where there could be faint ropes seen before they faded away. Michiko decided not to worry about that and thought that the best place to run to would be the small anteroom. She ran up the stairs, two at a time, with the ghastly man trailing inches behind her. As she reached the top she turned the corner quickly, the man rushing through the wall. Michiko opened the door and crawled quickly through. She slammed the small door behind her just as the man almost wrapped his hand around her ankle. To her great relief, the man couldn't or wouldn't go through the wall into the anteroom.

Michiko sat on the floor for a short while wondering how she could suddenly see the beings only a short while ago she could only hear. Her breathing slowly returned to normal and her dizziness had gone away too. She fixed her skirt absentmindedly and looked around the room for fear there would be a ghost behind her. The room looked exactly the same except for there being a gray twinge to everything. 'Your sister has no powers? …she can them, you can't…'

"Is that what Mafuyu meant?" she whispered to herself. "Reiko could see these things? Just like this? Damn, how?" Michiko pulled the earphones from her ears and hung them loosely on her neck. "What's the use of wearing these things if I can see them too?"

She reached in her bag, which she had forgotten in the room, and grabbed her water bottle. She drank very slowly and rested against the drawers, not wanting to be near any walls. 'Mafuyu, where'd that bastard get off to?' she thought. 'He should be here, helping me figure this out. I'm not leaving without Reiko. There's no way.'


Kirie

I can't believe what I've done! That girl, the sister, she can see the ghosts in this place too! Mafuyu...his distractions must have made me do it. No matter, she can't run from them forever. They can worry about her; I need to concentrate on Reiko. If she even forgets for a moment what she's doing, it'll be almost impossible to get her back.


Reiko

Reiko stared at the gaping hole in the moon shrine. Her thoughts went to the rusty ladder and she wondered if it was safe to climb down. 'I don't want to fall down that, I might break my neck.' She felt a nudge in her back and she turned around. One of the priests stood behind her and she could see that he was irritated. She knew that she was here for some reason, but she didn't know what the reason was. Her mind was foggy; all she could remember was wandering hopelessly around the mansion looking for…

"You need to continue the ritual," a voice whispered.

Reiko turned around and saw the ceremony master. She gasped as she looked at the mask and saw the woman's head he held by the hair.

"What?" she screamed. "Ritual? What the hell's…?"

"Reiko," someone muttered. "It's important for you to continue. Without you the Hell Gate will open. Do you remember?"

Reiko turned back around and saw a girl about her age in a pure white kimono and with long black hair. Their faces were similar. She backed away but was pushed lightly back by the priests.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Reiko whispered.

"Yes you do," the girl suddenly appeared by her side.

Reiko jumped and watched the girl carefully. The girl held out her hand and grabbed Reiko's wrist. A memory flashed in her head of a giant door crashing open and black smoke billowing out. For some reason, this memory made her realize that she had to hold the gate back. Her hand dropped to her side and she glanced at the hole before looking back at the girl.

"You have to be purified by the moon," she explained, pointing at another hole in the ceiling. "This will make sure that when you are sacrificed…you're pure." She faltered, but Reiko nodded in understanding. "So, you remember what you must do?"

"I have to die," Reiko said, emotionless. "Ropes…around my limbs…that'll close the Hell Gate and the Malice won't flow out."

The girl smiled and nodded. She pointed down at the hole and Reiko walked carefully to the edge. She turned around and grasped the bars tightly with some metal smearing onto her hands. Slowly, she climbed down without any thoughts that were her own. All she cared about was that the village needed her to die. When she reached the bottom, her feet stepped into puddles of water. Reiko smiled and her body moved to stand where the moon was positioned above her. 'It'll be over soon…' a voice whispered in her mind.


Kirie

She tried to resist her fate. That's surprising; I didn't think memories of her sister would come back to her, not until her life was almost torn out of her. I'll have to be more careful then. Who would have thought? Reiko, so close to insanity, would start to think about her terrible life? Huh. At least a few more hours...it'll be over soon.


Michiko

"It'll be over soon…"

Michiko looked up. The voice startled her slightly, but it made her remember that she had to get moving. She had no idea where her sister was and she would need as much time as she could to find her. She put her bag on her shoulder and turned the ipod to as loud as it could go so that she could hear it, even though the earphones were around her neck. Sighing as she stood up, she looked at both doors and wondered which would be better.

"Go through the one you came in."

Michiko looked around the whole room, but again, no one was there. She realized who the voice belonged to and slowly stopped panicking.

"Mafuyu, right? Where are you?"

"Upstairs. Reiko's in the moon shrine. You have to hurry to get her!"

"Why are you upstairs?" Michiko asked looking up and noticing a small square block in the wall above the small door.

"Why do you think?" Mafuyu asked irritably. "Trying to stop the ghosts and Kirie from attacking you. More the ghosts than Kirie…This isn't important! Reiko is in the moon shrine! Get down there."

Michiko was about to open the door when she remembered her first conversation with the man. 'Damn! That door's locked and Kirie broke the seal.' Hoping that Mafuyu was still upstairs she shouted at the ceiling.

"You told me that that door's locked! That Kirie broke the seal!"

Silence and then: "How could your sister have gone in there? She had to release the seal for her and with Kirie concentrating wholly on your sister; she had to have forgotten to seal it again. Now, will you go?"

Michiko sighed and wanted to yell at him. 'Oh well, I'll have time to yell at him when this is all done.' She went through the door and was surprised at how calm it was. Not wanting to see if that calm would end. She ran down the stairs and opened the door leading to the atrium. Grabbing inside the bag, Michiko took out a flashlight and turned it on. The outside was completely dark with the moon being the only natural source of light.

Michiko went down the three steps and ran to the shrine. She looked at the door and did see a plate hanging from the door, swinging in the slight breeze. A small tablet was broken in half and could be seen on the top step. Michiko pushed open the door and was half-surprised to see it empty. Only an elaborate shrine, which had slid back to reveal a hole in the ground, was in the bare room. Michiko leaned slightly over the hole and held her flashlight to see what was down there. She could see the bottom, but Reiko wasn't there.

She grabbed the ladder and went down it carefully, not wanting to fall clear off. As she reached the bottom water splashed. She turned behind her and saw a mummy with sacred ropes tied over it. Michiko looked at it, slightly interested but heard a door next to her slam.

"Reiko?" she asked loudly, figuring ghosts had no real use to open doors. "Reiko! Wait a minute!"

She ran to the door and pulled it open. As she stepped into the next area, she gasped in surprise.


Reiko

Reiko turned in surprise as she heard someone shout. She peered around the shadowy figures but couldn't see anyone who looked like they had spoken. Dismissing it, she turned back around, allowing the priests to guide her down the winding path. The ceremony master opened the door. Reiko could see a giant wheel, stained with years old blood, and smiled slightly. They all passed through and the rest of the people stayed behind, but the doors wouldn't close. The priests and the ceremony master turned and wondered why the door wouldn't close. The girl in the kimono came back, and Reiko seemed to be the only one who noticed her. As soon as she started to talk, her appearance changed and it became a woman with ropes around her limbs and with her hair blocking her face.

"What is happening?" she shouted. "Someone close the door! Reiko, get on the altar! Now!"

Reiko paused in confusion. Her mind started to become clearer and she tried to refuse what she was told, but her body moved on its own to the altar.

"REIKO!"

Reiko turned her head as she was about to lie on the altar.

Michiko ran through the ghosts, not caring about the ice cold feeling that she had with every step. She ran into the room and stared at Reiko.

"Don't do it! Please, Reiko, don't." she cried.

"Who…?" Reiko asked blankly.

"She's not important!" Kirie shouted. "Do what I told you! Lay on the altar!"

The ghosts finally closed the door and circled Michiko. She looked at them all warily, but still talked to her sister.

"Don't do this, Reiko. You're not supposed to die. Kirie," Michiko pointed at her. "She died a while back. All she wants is another sacrifice so that she can get out of this place."

Michiko felt a pain in the back of her neck and she fell to the ground on her hands and knees.

"Did you?" Reiko asked Kirie. When she didn't answer, Reiko thought about who the person was who was telling her not to die.

"Reiko, what about mom and dad? What's going to happen to them when you do this?" a pain in her neck made her gasp, but she continued to talk. "Don't…do it…come on…you're smarter than…this. You know what…she's doing to you…don't you? She's controlling you…you haven't been yourself…not since…" she stopped and tried to catch her breath.

The priests tied ropes to Reiko and she was forced onto the altar. No matter what Michiko said, it didn't even cross Reiko's mind. She couldn't even hear what she had said. Michiko tried to cry out but nothing would except weak gasps. Kirie stood over her and lifted her head.

"You'll see your sister die," she said with a laugh. "Think about all this time you spent on a worthless cause. There was nothing you could do, you failed."

Michiko tried to look away, but Kirie's hands were tightly held onto her cheeks. The ropes were starting to tighten around Reiko's limbs as the priests and the master moved the wheels. Reiko started to yell in pain and her pulse was starting to weaken. Michiko started to cry and cursed Kirie with every gasping breath. The five men stopped briefly and Reiko whispered faintly, but Michiko could still hear it.

"Michiko…I'm…sorry."

"NO!" Michiko was able to shout as the men gave one last turn.

The bones cracked and Reiko's legs arms and head were separated from her body. Blood splurted onto the wheel and some even reached Michiko. Kirie let go of the girl's face and left through the other door. The priests and the master untied the small knots from the four limbs; the head had rolled off from the ropes and was only a few feet from Michiko. The men followed Kirie through the same door, leaving Michiko alone with Reiko's broken body.


Kirie

It's done. The sacrifice was successfully performed and now, I can finally leave. Mafuyu has refused to leave, how hypocritically noble of him. He promised he would stay with me, forever but now he wants to stay and watch over Reiko. Despite that, I've succeeded. Himuro mansion is now just a terrible memory of the past.

The ropes will hold the gate closed, I have no doubt that they will. The ghosts rejoiced and all their souls have gone back to where they were years ago. I feel bad for bringing them back for this purpose, but at least it didn't fail like mine did. They won't be trapped here again.

As for Michiko, I have no remorse for her. She tried to prevent this and I still wish I had killed her. Now that I think about it, the pain she's suffering has to be worse than death. Serves her right. She never should have interfered.


Michiko

Michiko rested her head against the tree. She stood away from the other people at the bus stop. Her hair fluttered into her face and she was slightly amazed at how white her bangs were. Her disheveled clothes and bloodstained face and hands made everyone think that she had killed someone. She didn't care what they thought; she just wanted to get far away from Himuro mansion, far away from Japan, far away from anything that brought back memories of her sister. She looked at her and Reiko's bag and took out any money, food, and anything else that seemed important for her to take with her out of the country. Her shaky hands fell onto the books written by Ryozo Munakata. She took them out and threw them in the nearby trash. She also threw out the twin bags.

The bus rumbled down the street and slowly came to a stop. Michiko turned around to look at the forest one last time and thought about how Mafuyu had led her out of the mansion. She had cried and shouted, even broke a few things, but Mafuyu hadn't cared. He said that he would watch over Reiko and make sure that nothing like this would happen again. She didn't say or think of anything when she left; she only left a small letter by the ground in the atrium where she spent hours burying Reiko's body.

Here lies the body of Reiko Tetsuya. Last of the Miko of Himuro Mansion.

"Miss," the driver called, suspiciously. "Are you getting on?"

Michiko nodded, paid him and sat at the back, avoiding the watchful stares of the other riders. 'I must scare them,' she thought ruefully. She laughed quietly at this thought, so she wouldn't be heard. Michiko looked out the window as the bus sped away and she could have sworn she saw Reiko wave cheerfully to her before they turned the corner.

"Michiko, I'm sorry."


Well, part one's finished. Part two's going to be kinda sad too, but part three will be the happy ending.