"So this is the creepy Hikawa Shrine. So where are the ghosts?" Steve asked.
"If you're good I'll summon a demon to follow you home." Kuri snapped.
"I knew there was something I liked about you." Steve responded offhandedly.
Kuri headed for the door and opened the partition. "Shoes off. And if you see my Grams, bow at the waist or you might wake up tomorrow morning underwater."
Darren took off his shoes and followed her inside. He had never seen a traditional Japanese temple before. It was eerily quiet, hard to picture anyone actually living here, though he could imagine ghosts hanging out here. It actually gave him the creeps.
Kuri walked over to what appeared to be an altar, clapped her hands twice and knelt, lighting incense. She then said a prayer in Japanese.
"So...what god are you praying to?" Steve knelt next to her.
Darren wasn't sure why Steve was acting so reverent and reserved all of a sudden, but he had a sneaking suspicion it was because Kuri happened to be very pretty.
"Goddess." Kuri corrected. "The goddess of Chaos."
"Wait why would you pray to a goddess who brings Chaos?" Darren asked.
"Darkness does not always equate to evil, and Light does not always equate to good." Kuri recited. "Chaos is the goddess who created the yokai. Creatures of supernatural intent misunderstood by humans."
"You mean monsters?" Steve said excitedly.
"Monsters...yes I guess you could indeed say that." Kuri said.
"Kuri!" Grams entered the receiving room. "You cannot just bring guests here. They are outsiders! Get them out of here! NOW!"
Kuri sighed and whispered. "Bow at the waist. Hurry!"
Darren and Steve obeyed, bowing at the waist.
"Don't look up, don't make eye contact. Back out, and only straighten when you are outside the temple walls." Kuri hissed.
The two boys did what she said, not sure why but terrified of the old woman wearing the kimono and waving bells at them.
"Grams they're gone." They heard her say.
Darren and Steve looked at each other and laughed, glad to have survived.
Xxx
"The full moon is a magical time when the veil between the known and unknown is thin, and can even be lifted. That is mysterious and wonderful, and I honor the fact that this world is made up of more things than my eyes can see. May the unseen protect and guide me. The full moon is also an excellent time to complete, or end, things. Tonight I ask that you may guide me, Nyx, and give me wisdom in whom to choose for my circle in these troubling times."
Kiana blew out her purple candle, then green, blue, red, and finally yellow, walking in a counterclockwise direction to do so.
She was surprised to hear a quiet breath and smell the scent of vampire behind her.
"Reveal yourself, vampire!" Kiana exclaimed, trying to keep her voice steady. "We are neutral with your kind!"
A man, with long blonde hair in a ponytail, and graceful features, fell to one knee and fisted across his chest. "Merry meet, Merry part, and Merry meet again, High Priestess of Nyx. I am Kurda."
"N-No—" Kiana stammered and slipped on candle wax, falling in a very un-graceful heap at the vampire's feet. "I'm just a fledgling. I'm Kiana Hikawa. I'm a High Priestess-in training. I got here a few weeks ago."
She laughed off her fall and helped the vampire to his feet. "I have to get going. Neferet is expecting me back at the House of Night."
Kurda caught her hand. "I want to talk with you some more. Meet me again tomorrow night."
"O-Ok."