Haunted
-
By Guardian795
Alright, a couple of notes from the last chapter. First, the ritual failed because of a couple of reasons, in case anyone was wondering. It failed because: Itsuki and Mutsuki loved each other more than anything else (neither one of them had any regret towards the other), and because Mutsuki (the one sacrificed) was not willing, but only did so for Yae and Sae.
Itsuki's hair turned white from shock. This has been known to happen, failure or not. Ryokan Kurosawa also has white hair, but it's unknown whether or not this is from old age or from shock of the ritual.
Okay, now, just for fun, I have the meaning to some names in this chapter:
Names
Yae - Multi-fold
Sae - Heavy Gossamer
Ryokan - Generous God (Hmm, how appropriate…)
Itsuki - Timber Moon (Also ironic, moon being silver and his hair being white…)
Mutsuki - Harmonious Moon (It also says that Mutsuki is a girl's name…heh…)
Chitose - A thousand years/A thousand opportunities (Also ironic, as you'll see later)
Akane - An orange-reddish color, like madder (Also ironic, seeing how Akane was mad at her sister for not wanting to kill)
Azami - Thistle, like the plant
Yoshitatsu - Virtuous Skill
"Kusabi" - Wedge
Seijiro Makabe - Purify/Cleanse Next Son (First Name) / Wall of Truth (Last Name)
I'll add the house names later, along with the next set of names. Now, as for the chapter: the next chapter will be the last before we move on to a more present day. This time, right now, is around 1860-1889. Just so no one is confused, especially because of the kimonos and such. This chapter will be confusing, because I don't want to give away what eventually happened, for all those who have not played the game, or for those of you who have only started.
There is to be some romance in this chapter, and a lot of sadness. Be warned.
Note to kickassangel: I will update with or without 4 reviews. Don't you worry!
§ § §
Chapter 5: The Kusabi
All God's Village was beautiful at night. The moon would gracefully light the beautiful trees lining the houses, especially the blossom tree at the Kurosawa house. Its brown branches would stretch out in the winter time like hands, wanting to pull people into the house. In the summer and spring, the blossoms were a natural decoration to the most powerful house in the village. The blossoms would beckon the villagers to the house, where Ryokan Kurosawa, or the master, would serve tea, and chat about things like the weather. He'd talk about his young girls, and how proud he was of them. But, now that it was fall once more, one by one, the blossoms died off and fell from the tree, like all of the twins that had died because of the village, because of the ritual.
Yae Kurosawa opened the door to the outside of her house, being so careful not to wake anyone, including her sister. She slipped out of the door and hurried across the wooden bridge. Once out of the vicinity of her home, she was able to breathe easier. Her father would be so angry at her…Sae would be so disappointed…
Yae shook her head and ran through the village, hurrying up the hill near the shrine. As she crossed the gate that led to Kureha Shrine, she stopped and looked up, as though someone was calling her from the shrine. She knew what it was – the cries of the twins long before, telling her to complete the ritual that would be so soon in coming. The ritual that would appease the pit, after Tachibana's failure. She hesitated a moment, then ran up the small hill to an old tree with a hole in it. She ducked inside of its mouth, feeling drawn to the lights inside.
Itsuki raised his head as he heard Yae run in. He had been kneeling on the soft earth, letting his mind wander to his dead brother, and the promise he had given. He stood quietly and turned to the panting Yae, who looked ready to drop from exhaustion. He moved closer to her and helped her to a stone, letting her sit.
"Itsuki…this is so dangerous! If I am caught, we will never see each other again before the ritual, and if you are caught, you may be killed!" she exclaimed.
"Death would be welcomed, Yae," he whispered. "It's been almost a year since he has gone, and still he haunts my very being!"
"Mutsuki was carried to heaven on the wings of a butterfly," she said quietly. "He is in…in a better place…" She choked on her words, feeling the tears rise. Her good friend, Mutsuki, the man she would have one day married, if given the chance, was gone. He may have been in a better place, but he was not with her, no matter what anyone said.
"And he would be here, as a butterfly, if it wasn't for me. Yae, I promised my brother that I would have you and Sae escape from this ritual. It was his wish not to let anything happen to you," Itsuki said solemnly, putting his arms around his dear friend. "Mutsuki is gone, but you and Sae will not suffer what we had to suffer through."
Yae hugged the white haired boy, comforting both him and her through this tragedy. "Itsuki…my father…he will surely find out!"
"No. We have kept this a secret for almost two years. He will not find out," the boy said angrily. "That horrible man…he will tell you that you must complete the ritual for him, but he has already damned himself to hell! He wears the blood of the innocents from ages and ages past, and he will soon wear the blood of his own children if we do not get you and Sae out of here!"
She nodded lightly. "Sae and I will be given the rope soon, Itsuki. When we run, how will we cut it?"
"I will cut it."
"What?! That is taboo!"
"Taboo has done nothing to me, and it cannot hurt me or Mutsuki now. It can't hurt you or Sae either, if you get out."
Yae nodded, resting her head on Itsuki's shoulder, a tear escaping her eye. It would soon be over, their friendship. Itsuki did not want to follow them out of the village, and he was her only friend, her last tie to the Tachibana family and the love she felt for both of them. The white haired boy put his arms around his friend and they both sat there in the tree, crying silent tears of their love and sadness, as they waited for an end to the pain.
§ § §
"Oh, Yae! The blossoms are dying!" It had been two weeks since Itsuki and Yae cried at the tree, and since, the blossoms on the tree outside of the Kurosawa House began to fall: two to five a day. This upset Sae greatly, because the blossoms were her favorite color, pink. Yae preferred the blossom tree in the cemetery, which had white petals. White…a symbol of innocence, purity…and death. White, the color of their kimonos now, so soon to the ritual.
Ryokan walked outside and spotted his daughters. The younger, Sae, was picking up one of the dead blossoms, and Yae was sitting quietly nearby. She couldn't go much further, for the red cord around her waist and Sae's was not long at all. Ryokan came to his two daughters. "Girls, there are visitors in the village."
Yae glanced up in alarm, but Sae looked happy. "Visitors? Oh, Papa, can they stay with us? We could treat them very well."
"Yes, Sae, they will be staying with us." Yae's eyes widened in horror. "Sae, Yae, go get ready. The villagers are sending our visitors to the house now." Yae and Sae bowed to their father and went inside. As they scrubbed their faces and hands, Sae smiled. "People visiting…can you believe it?!"
Yae only shook her head. She walked with Sae back outside, where they stood behind their father and waited for the two men to come closer after they closed the large doors to the house. One of them was much younger, maybe 18 or 19 years. The other was much older, around 30. The two men walked closer to Ryokan and the girls. The older man bowed. "My name is Seijiro Makabe, and this is my young assistant Ryozo Munakata. We have come to study this village."
"Of course, gentlemen," Ryokan said, bowing. Ryozo, the younger of the two, glanced over at the young teenage girls with black hair and almond eyes. Sae gave a slight smile, then bowed her head. Yae looked up at the young man. He reminded her of Itsuki, before his hair turned white. She gave him a frightened and anxious look, then bowed her head as well, beside her sister. As Yae glanced out of the corner of her eyes, she saw a blossom fall from the tree and land on Seijiro's shoulder.
"Come, Mr. Makabe and Mr. Munakata. We have rooms for you. Yae, Sae, show these gentlemen to their rooms. I need to speak with someone about the Kusabi…," Ryokan quietly said, walking past them. The young girls took the men to their rooms. Sae stood behind Yae as they watched the men look around.
"Yes," Seijiro said. "This will do nicely. Since we'll be in the main house of the village, we can learn about the ritual. The ritual that cannot be seen."
Yae gasped suddenly, hearing this. Ryozo turned around to her. Yae covered her mouth and meekly said. "Oh…I…I though I saw a mouse…" The young man nodded, and Yae blushed. His eyes were so soft towards her, like he had known her for many years. But then she thought of Itsuki and frowned.
"Ryozo, help me unpack. I'm going to take some pictures of the house later, and I don't want to have to do all of the unpacking afterwards," Seijiro said. The young man nodded and helped his teacher, while Yae and Sae bowed and skittered out of the room. Yae hurried with Sae into the village, to the Tachibana house. She banged on the door until Itsuki came out, who seemed terribly tired.
"Yae…?"
"Itsuki, two visitors are here!" The boy blanched.
"Where?" he immediately demanded, his voice soft, unbelieving.
"The Kurosawa house…my house…" she whispered. Itsuki's eyes grew narrow, hardening like icicles. He glanced behind Yae to Sae, who seemed confused. He returned his gaze to Yae, who seemed frightened; not just because of the new visitors, but because of Itsuki. He nodded slowly and retreated inside. The girls stood, frozen in confusion, before Itsuki came back with a piece of paper. "Yae…give this to the man. Do not show it to anyone else, and keep it hidden. Now, hurry. We shall speak later," he reassured her, then closed the door.
Sae glanced at her sister. "What did he mean, 'later'?" she asked. When her sister did not answer, "Yae?"
Yae glanced at her younger twin. "Let's go. You heard him." She took Sae's hand and ran back to their home, hoping that her father had not been to see the men yet.
§ § §
That night, it began to rain. At first, it was soft, pattering on the roofs of the houses in All God's Village. But soon, the rain turned into torrents of tears from the gods, and it nearly flooded the village. Yae had to slip and slide across the wet bridge to see Itsuki, who also was soaked. She hurried into the oak tree, coughing and sputtering from nearly drowning at the bridge. Itsuki walked over to her and put his hands on her arms. "Are you alright?" he softly asked. She gazed up at him. "I should be okay, in a minute or two."
Itsuki nodded, leading her over to the candles. As they sat down, he put a hand on hers. "Yae…these men…if they do not get out tonight, we cannot save them. I cannot stop your father, nor can I stop the priests. Did they take the note?"
"Yes," she replied, smiling. "They read it and understood."
"We can only hope…and pray…" he said quietly, but sounded relieved. Yae however, looked down sorrowfully. "We'll never make it…" she whispered. The white haired boy looked down at the girl. "What?" he asked. Yae did not answer. He leaned his head down towards her face, and found a small tear slowly making its way down her cheek. "Yae…"
"We'll have to go through the ritual…I'll have to kill her…"
At this, Itsuki's eyes widened in horror and he quickly grabbed her by the arms, roughly. "No!" he cried angrily. Yae's head snapped up, and she looked frightened at him. "You will not kill her!"
"Itsuki…you're hurting me…"
"I promised him, I promised, Yae!! You and Sae will escape! It won't ever happen again, EVER!" he shouted, shaking her with the anger he had felt for so long. Yae's eyes looked at his icy ones, as tears spilled over and dripped onto her already wet kimono. Itsuki finally calmed down enough to look at the young woman who he had hurt. She cried softly, partly from fear and hurt, but also from her sadness about the ritual.
"Yae…did I hurt you…?" he asked. She shook her head, but the crying continued. He put his arms around her and hugged her. "I'm so sorry…" he whispered in her ear. Yae rested her head on his chest, letting him hold her. She slowly wrapped her arms around his waist after a minute or two, smiling through her tears. Itsuki looked down at her and blushed. He had not felt these feelings since he and Mutsuki had been together with Yae and Sae. "Yae…Mutsuki…he loved you…" he said quietly.
"I know," she said softly. "I loved him too…but he's gone…"
Itsuki looked down at the girl, and seriously thought about his feelings. Had he been in love with Sae this whole time? Or…was it Yae he was in love with, but could never bring himself to take her from his brother?
Itsuki swallowed and gazed at the girl. "He is gone…" he affirmed. "But…I'm still here…" Yae looked up at him in surprise. Taking her chin gently with his hand, he lifted her head up, and leaned his down, until his lips touched hers. Yae gasped in surprise, but she soon returned the kiss. She tasted Mutsuki in Itsuki.
When they came apart, they looked at each other in surprise. "Itsuki…" she whispered.
"Yae…"
"What have we done?" He started back a bit, alarmed. "I have betrayed Mutsuki…" she said.
"No…" he replied, taking her hands. "Mutsuki is gone…he wanted you to be happy…"
"And you make me happy," she replied, smiling. He embraced her, letting her rest her head against his chest. They leaned back against the rocky wall, and waited for morning to come, not caring if anyone found them.
§ § §
The Malice coming from the X is getting stronger. I've searched, and there is no record of it getting this strong in the past. Recently, poor harvests and deaths have begun to increase. The time of repentance for Tachibana's failure to perform the ritual is drawing near.
Half of the Mourners were driven mad by the Malice and jumped into the X. We must prepare more Mourners, we'll use the sinners. If we don't do something, the X will overflow in a few years.
An Outsider visited with perfect timing. I'll use him for the Hidden Ceremony, and pacify the X. We must ensure he doesn't escape before that.
§ § §
Yae believed that Seijiro Makabe and Ryozo Munakata had left. They had not. Seijiro was debating on whether or not to leave, and Ryozo was seriously considering bolting for the door and running for his life. The older man sat at the foot of his bed and thought about this for a long time. He had been longing to see the Forbidden Ritual, the Hidden Ritual, for a long time, ever since he heard the rumors.
But Ryozo, his young charge…he could not endanger the young boy. He turned to Ryozo and handed him the paper Yae had hurriedly given to them. "Ryozo, I want you to take this and follow the map there. I want you to take your things and leave."
"But, Mr. Makabe…"
"Don't. I was put in charge of you, and I will not endanger you. If this is a hoax, I will bring back many pictures of the Hidden Ritual once I return. If this is not a trick, then you will be glad that you are alive," Seijiro said. The young man lowered his head.
"Mr. Makabe, I want to work with you…" Ryozo said pitifully.
"I admire your spirit, Munakata, but it is no use arguing. You will leave tonight."
Ryozo did leave that night. He escaped through the second exit from below the house, and got out before Ryokan came to their room. Seijiro was writing, trying to think of why Yae would push them to escape. Ryokan entered the room, followed by several priests. Seijiro stood and looked over at the old ceremony master. "Mr. Makabe, come with us. Where is the young Munakata?"
"I sent him home," the man said. "His mother was getting worried."
"Come with us," Ryokan said again. "Do not bring your things with you." Seijiro stood and did as he was told, following Ryokan as he took the man to a dimly lit room. Two priests grasped hold of Seijiro's arms roughly. "What is the meaning of this?!" The two priests half-dragged, half-pulled the man through two small double-doors in the middle of the room. Another priest walked before them, opening a small door at the bottom of a wooden cell. They through Seijiro in there, and shut the door. Ryokan and another priest locked the cell tightly with two keys. Seijiro stood up and came to the door. "Mr. Kurosawa, what is going on?!"
"A Kusabi is needed, Mr. Makabe. You are perfect for such a role. I hope you shall be comfortable until we return," Ryokan said, then left with his priests. Seijiro sat down, sighing. He looked around and spotted several books along the walls. He grabbed an empty one, and took out his spare brush, beginning to write.
Even if no one should read this…I know it must be told. I shall die in this place, I know I will. However, so this does not happen to anyone else, I shall try to warn people. Several of my notebooks are still around the village. I hope someone will find them, and read them. If not, I shall hope that Ryozo shall find them, and know what has happened to me…
-
The Ceremony Master, Mr. Kurosawa, gave me a very warm welcome. The village has no "chief". The Ceremony Master presides over the village. I wonder if this village was founded by people who wanted to preserve their sacred rituals and festivals?
Most notable among All God's folklore is the "gate to hell" lengend that has been passed down for years. It is an archetypal tale of a gate or hole that marks the border to the world of the dead, also called Hades, the underworld, or the netherworld.
It is a forbidden place that is feared and hated, but it is also worshipped as well. The idea of hell has been a core belief of humans since ancient times. This village supports the theory that the belief is universal.
The Forbidden Ritual regarding this "gate to hell" that takes place here is something no one is allowed to see or speak of. This strict taboo is probably the result of a ceremony concerning the border with hell coming closer to the living world.
Villagers lead a simple life. Deep in the mountains, they struggle to forage food for their daily meals. The village has little contact with the outside world. They continue to practice the ways of old, frozen in time.
Activity outside the cell is bustling. It seems that the Hidden Ceremony is very near. I hope Munakata made it out of this village.
If the "gate to hell" known as Hellish Abyss really does exist, I will be able to see it with my own eyes tomorrow. Even if I am to be thrown into it as sacrifice, I am at least happy that I can see this forbidden place at last.
§ § §
Two days later, Yae and Sae sat in the tea room, drinking, until they heard a noise outside their room. Yae got up and went to the door, opening it slightly, and gasping at what she saw. 10 priests, one on either side of Ryokan Kurosawa and Seijiro Makabe, walked down the hall, the two men in the middle following. Yae looked over at Sae, then took her hand and hurried down the hall, heading a different way, towards the back hall. Sae looked at her sister. "Yae…where are we going?" she called. Yae did not answer, only pulled harder on her sister's hand as she ran. She took her sister through the far hall, and into the sacred room. She hurried to the upper stairs, hiding there until the priests passed once more, heading downwards. Yae and Sae took the other path, following them until the other people reached the ritual site. Yae and Sae stood by the door, watching them. Together, the priests tied the man up and lifted him off the ground, suspending him in the air by ropes.
"The Kusabi must appease the X…" Ryokan said, pulling out his whip. A priest nearby held out Ryokan's katana, holding it aloft in his hands. Sae gasped and turned away as Ryokan began to slash Seijiro several times. The man's blood fell into a small basin at the bottom. Yae stared at the scene, never turning her eyes from it. Ryokan continued to torture the man, until he was near death, before stopping. The ropes were cut, and the priests carried the man downwards, to the X. Yae followed with Sae carefully. At the end of the passage, they stood before the room, as the Mourners brought the man to the pit. Yae looked over at Seijiro, upset that she could do nothing. The man smiled. "I have finally seen the Forbidden Ritual with my own eyes…" he whispered. "I will now be able to see the Abyss as well." The Mourners only dropped him in, and his body disappeared.
The X rumbled, but Ryokan nodded approvingly. "It was successful," he said, turning to leave. Sae grabbed Yae and pulled her away from the door, hurrying her older sister back to the upper surface.
Oh, Itsuki…You were right…Wewere all damned from the beginning...