A/N: Gonna place this update for Sacrificial Ritual, this shot will be long, not as long as Chinmoku, just about two or three parts long. Chinmoku is still being written sorry...?
Replies:@LeNosferatu - Oh yes! I finally got you!
*happily celebrating* I finally got you! But I'm still not done with my revenge!
Lol, you read everything posted in this thread it seems though, I can't blame if your head isn't functioning after reading all the crap in this thread.
Yep! Good luck to us in May.
Be patient for KinjiAi please...
Lol, I saw you repost it.
I won't be responsible, you're the one who looked at it after all.....not my fault~
@altoids - At least she does, and she isn't gonna run from it. o wo) Eh? Why attack me? Is it that bad to make them suffer? I mean....surely karomuwi-san likes it when I make them suffer.......ehh, is it really that bad that you want to attack me? D:
Of course I know you won't like blood, unless your a vampire. ;3
I think their being exaggerated over the Death Verdict thing, if Black were to ever kill someone, she would have been held back along with Geki.
Team Hormone was just exaggerating, rather, everyone is.
Please be patient, at least I'm not digging a big hole on yours! D:
I hope you dig up a coffin instead. ;3
It wasn't intentional. (ou o *looks away*
Normally in a sacrifice, there is a certain amount that's given in sacrifices, it can be one, two or at least about ten, but not a whole pact of villagers dude.......
The number of sacrifice that is needed here is something that I'm hiding, I won't tell you guys yet. The purpose for the sacrifice........is a secret. ;3 Can't answer those questions dude, that will spoil the story itself. </3
@bochang - One hour? OAO It just takes one hour to read everything in this thread? I'm shocked. llllorz I'm not a genius writer, I'm a failure.
I'm glad though that you see something and feel something after reading it.
You think they'll die? Or rather, both of them dying? I think its the influence of the one-shot you wrote in your thread. =w=lll
But mah, that could happen, maybe.....~
S'lright, come back again when your brain is functioning properly. :3
@anzai48 - I finally did! Now I only need to get my revenge on you and my life is perfect~
I'm already dead you know, I'm a ghost, haunting this thread~
Lol, so its getting exciting because its dark and tragic? Why do I have so many sadists in my thread? I see like five of you guys you know.
Just read through the story, you'll know the pairing.......won't spoil it, and I won't place it either.
Thank you to those who gave me their thanks and commented. Let's get this update on, I won't say anything any further but enjoy!
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Sacrificial Ritual
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Part I
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Dark and ominous, that was how a secret is in reality, whether little or big, a secret could become harmful, just based on what was being kept away from prying eyes and ears. It’s only natural in human nature to hide, to have this sort of secrecy between each other, it wasn’t for the lack of trust, but basically, secrets were made to hide the impurities or the faults that lay bare in the open.
It was normal to hide secrets, it was normal to keep away things that you don’t want to people to know, but there always lies a couple or so more of the consequences that would often rear its head in the aftermath, yet we still keep things hidden.
It’s not because of the lack of trust, but because of the moral that you’ll loss, not only that, the things that are often hidden in the darkness are usually secrets that were often too heavy or too deep to be known, secrets like that aren’t to be taken lightly, as they often have misfortune and disaster embedded.
Just what kind of secrets are they though?
There were various types of answers for that kind of secrets, and those answers come with great quantity and unbelievable contents, any ordinary person would shrug away from something as that though, but some try to pry further even though it’s needless, even though the attention is unwanted.
Some secrets were intended to be buried six feet or more below the ground, but secrets were often passed down to other people in order to keep the tradition going, just like that of the ritual in a certain village.
This certain ritual had been there, almost just a few years after the village was established. It was ritual that many feared and disliked, but it was undeniably a process of which would keep them safe, a process that appeases and soothes the pain and torment of the spirits that lay dormant and hidden away inside the village.
It was a sacrificial ritual, a ritual of offering a life in order to atone the sins of others and to please the deities.
It was a cruel process, something which should be needless, something which wasn’t supposed to be necessary, but it became a part of the village, in a rather shady way.
Not many would want to talk about it, often shying away from the conversation concerning the ritual because it was forbidden to talk of it, as it was not normally supposed to be discussed due to the ritual being often bound towards the malicious and tormented spirits in the abyss that lies deep under the village. Not only that, the ritual itself was a deed done only at times of nearing calamity and mayhem, it was used to oppress the evil and keep the gates of hell from opening and releasing the spirits from its prisons.
Yet even though with its good cause, it was hard to stomach, it was hard to make a sacrifice, to take away a life and give as an offering. It was a gruesome process that the villagers themselves could not stomach but they fought against their wills and wishes to fight back this only way, even if they suffered the consequences afterwards, even if they knew that they would be the ones to be partly blamed, they had no choice.
There were no other options but to make a sacrifice.
It was cruel and disheartening, but there was no other way.
This year, it was to happen once more, the ritual of sacrifice, but the sacrifice was not just a randomly chosen person from inside the village; there was a special selection for it as the process itself was sacred and dangerous.
The sacrifice themselves were special; they were born as a gift, a blessing, entwined with heaven themselves and yet the most sickening of it was that of the process of how the sacrificial ritual would undergo as the entitled people to undermine this process wasn’t just for one person alone. Moreover, being the ones chosen to do the deed was utmost heartbreakingly painful, learning that fact was hard, in a guilt-stricken way.
Yet no one can deny it.
No one can go against it.
Not even the chosen ones can escape this process and neither can the villagers nor the village can escape this accursed process. This year, this process was again to be done, that was inevitable, yet necessary in order to redeem the previous failed attempt of the sacred sacrificial ritual from last year’s attempt…
The darkness itself was foreshadowing, unknown to the villagers, nor to the head-chief, as the night grew cold and silent, almost distant and dormant, yet beautiful and ethereal.
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Warm and humid, that was how the climate was that afternoon. The sun lit up the skies and shined throughout the day, shining like the ever-brilliant star it had always been, gracing the lands and plants with its warmth and light. It was a beautiful afternoon with a perfect weather; everyone was out of their houses, doing their tasks, people scattered all over the places, working or making distant noises of joy and clattering as the day went on.
The children themselves played in the streets happily; running after one another in a game of tag and on the other side of the town plaza, there was a small group of girls in kimonos, just near the riverbanks. The group of teenage girls idly talked in leisure silence with smiles creeping into their faces as they giggled and whispered of secrets and gossips, a normal occurrence that frequently happens every now and then.
Everything was peaceful and calm; it was perfect almost in that village, yet it was still undeniable that it was a village that is tainted in deep crimson blood, a village where a deep dark secret lies, only which will lay at rest in the aftermath of the process.
Everyone was aware of it, yet they try to heed no attention to it, knowing that if they bothered even to think of it, it would just loom forever in their minds, haunting them even as they rest into oblivion. Forgetting the ritual itself was a hard task and a problem, much less, if you were the one who was in-charge of dealing with the whole process up to the initial performance.
‘If only this ritual did not exist…’ The middle-aged man sighed and frowned, sadness welling in his eyes as he stared at the happy scenery in front of him with his arms crossed in front of his chest. The man wore a completely tired expression, bags forming under his eyes as he held the scripture in his hands, scanning the whole area with deep sadness and fear.
This year was the most dreadful time again, the year of which they would attempt to do the sacred ritual. Although the middle-aged man did not want to proceed in to doing it again, it was necessary as last year’s attempt had failed rather bitterly, causing the abyss to rumble with small tremors and quakes.
The man knew that they were in trouble if they did not proceed, but the thought haunts him as he had watched the ritual unfold in front of him for many years of succession. To witness another one in the making was something that would leave him restless for many months to come, especially after witnessing his own daughters going through the ritual themselves.
“I wish we could just think of another way and stop this…”
“I also wished for that …but I’m afraid that we have to proceed yet again with the ritual.” A voice from behind the middle-aged man said, softly and calmly, but with a hint of sadness and dread in his voice, startling the chief from his lonesome thoughts. The head chief turned his head to his side and peeked from over his shoulder before nodding, acknowledging the other man’s presence before he turned back to look in front.
“It’s a bitter fact to be honest, but I wished that we could have done something better than just sacrificing. I don’t want to see any more people going through the same procedures as what my own daughters have endured. It would be far too much to push another set of people into the task.” A sigh in exasperation escaping from the chief’s lips while his shoulders slumped, using a nearby wooden pillar as a support, he leaned onto it and closed his eyes, massaging his temple as he felt his head aching.
“…Akimoto-sama, but we have no more other options left, nor would time wait for us any further…” The other man said, his voice becoming quieter, almost a whisper even as he said the remaining words while clenching his hands into tight fists. The eldest of the two noticed the other man’s trembling fists and mere looked away, nodding curtly, yet stiffly before he gazed into the distance, looking blankly at the beautiful landscape of their village with emotionless eyes.
“I know that we don’t have any other options, but I wonder…”
“Why is it that you can speak oh so lightly of going further and doing the ritual Yuusuke-san?” The chief asked, arching a brow up as he glanced at the younger man, watching him from the corner of his eyes while the man simply shook his head and bowed his head down before he whispering is reply:
“Do I seem to speak of it that lightly? I’m sorry if I do, but I myself find it hard to be honest Akimoto-sama…I don’t want to sacrifice anyone to keep this village safe, but if we don’t do this now, what will happen to us? The very thought of it just scares me, Chief.”
“Believe me Yuusuke-san, everyone, even the other family heads have been dreading for these, but are you alright with this? You are the head priest of the shrine after all…are you still able to stomach this?” The head village chief, Akimoto asked, sending the young priest a worried look as he watch the man bit his bottom lip and ran his hand through his hair, gazing at the floor with pain evident in his eyes.
“I’ll be fine, don’t worry Akimoto-sama, what matters most for me is everyone’s sake.”
“Very chivalrous as always…aren’t we Yuusuke-san? However, do not over exhaust yourself and rest as much as possible. It would do you no good to harm your own health.” The chief cracked a smile, forcibly letting out a boisterous chuckle as he pushed himself off the pillar, walking towards the young priest before patting his shoulder, showing evident support at the startled man.
The priest merely blinked in surprise, his mouth gaping a bit before he immediately snapped out of his stupor, smiling at the head chief, answering back shortly afterwards, “Yes Chief, thank you for your concern, I’ll do just as you say.”
“Good to know then.”
“Ah… But before I forget…have you talked to the Takahashis and Maedas about these matters?” The chief asked with a certain tone of authority and seriousness. It made the priest purse his lips into a tight line as he merely nodded, rubbing his arms as he kept himself calm. The priest glanced away, staring at a distance, or more preferably, at the koi pond just near them before he replied:
“I have, and I also received their collected information, the only thing that we are bound to do now is to simply inform the new sacrifices and arrange all the other routines before the ritual itself…”
“I see, I’ll leave it to you to inform the new participants then…or would you like me to ask Oshima-san instead to break the news for you, since you’ve been doing the announcement yourself for as long as I have known.” The head chief graciously offered, watching as the priest expression morphed into an unreadable expression, as it held no emotion at all, not even in his dark obsidian eyes. Akimoto raised a brow, seeing the priest looking almost hesitant for a second before it immediately disappeared as if it had never appeared at all, smiling at him kindly, yet almost forced and stiff.
“It’s fine. I can do it myself, Akimoto-sama.”
“…Yuusuke-san, don’t force yourself, your daughters will be worried about you.”
“I’m fine, really. I need to do this job because this is what a head priest does.” The priest sighed once more, shrugging his shoulders. The chief shook his head and furrowed his brows, a frown marring his face.
“Be it duty or not, I don’t want you to get traumatized. It would be hard for me if anything were to happen to you as the guilt in my heart is already far too large.”
“My apologies and condolence Chief, I know you still haven’t moved on after Sayaka-sama’s death and Sae-sama’s sudden disappearance, and yet I’ve come and placed another burden in your shoulders.” The young priest looked down, ashamed; closing his eyes as he let the chief’s words sink into his mind, he knew what exactly was it that the head chief wanted to say to him, and he felt grief and pain flood his senses as he remembered the failed ritual from last year’s attempt. The memory itself never left his mind.
“It’s alright. It’s my job to see everything through, but frankly, I wished I showed my appreciation and love more to my own daughters, I’ve regretted not being with them and choosing my work over them.” Akimoto mumbled, a small bitter smile forming on his face as he continued to talk, “I’ve learned from that lesson, that’s why I don’t want that to happen to you. So please, think of your family more before your job Yuusuke-san. You’ll never know how long they’ll be around.”
Yuusuke smiled almost guiltily as he stared at the wooden floor, fumbling the hem of his sleeves as he realized just how very true and cruel the older man’s words were.
The young priest merely watched the chief turn his attention away from him and back into the distant gardens as the two of them let silence wander back in the middle of their presence, barely whispering a hushed reply in a meek voice, something which carried an air of depression and hopelessness.
“Yes…Chief, I know…”
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Empty and silent, with only footsteps echoing throughout the hallway, a beautiful young girl in red kimono walked passed a room, entering it almost briskly, looking around before turning back again and entering another room with a small frown on her face.
The girl had a beautiful face, soft porcelain skin, expressive obsidian black eyes; her bangs were cut neatly in a straight cut and her silky hair was jet black, straight and long, just like a princess’ and it flowed just past her shoulders. The kimono itself leveled the young teen’s beauty as it covered and framed the young one’s figure in red soft clothes, patterned with cherry blossom petals. Overall, the raven was no doubt beautiful and angelic, even as a scowl dominated the young girl’s face, almost cutely even.
She looked frustrated, and a bit annoyed, both her hands on her hips as she pouted cutely. She had been looking around the house for quite a long time, seeking her beloved sisters in order to catch them as they had played a little game, whilst while their parents were away due to their jobs.
It was momentarily fun when it had started, but when the game lasted for more than a few minutes, much to her distaste, she could not help but feel a sudden pang of loneliness and irritation as the house turned silent, almost deafening to the ears. She could not even see anyone insight, not even a sliver of anyone’s shadow as she searched the entire house for her sisters and it bothered her, something which worried her immensely.
She started searching frantically then after, going over all the places she had went through and checked every small places, calling out her sisters names as she did so, but to her own immense disappointment and growing worry, no one answered back, and no one was still insight.
The girl paced back and forth in the open hallway, a hand over her mouth, biting her nails as she tried hard to fight the urge to panic and run out of the house. This was not exactly the first time that it happened anyways, but it still left her feeling anxious.
“Where could they be…? Did they leave the house?”
“But I didn’t hear the entrance door open though…” She mumbled to herself, panting as she tried to regain her breathing pattern whilst lost in the depths of her thoughts while her feet carried her towards their traditional garden, walking past over the small built-in bridge above a large koi pond as she looked around her surroundings, hoping to get a glimpse of someone’s figure.
“Where are they?” She clicked her tongue, slumping her shoulders as she sat done on a small rock, slightly exhausted from the walking and searching she had been doing for the past few minutes. The raven pouted glumly while maintaining the scowl on her face, using her hands to cradle her chin.
“They must have left me alone in this house huh…?” The young raven puffed her cheeks and sighed, muttering the words in dejection, the thought itself was strong and left her feeling depressed and rejected, her two other sisters were close to one another after all, they were mostly together, ever since their youngest sister was born.
Her other sister would often dote on her, placing much more attention to the youngest sibling, that it made the raven envious of the attention that their sibling was getting, but even though she did want to protest against it, what was she to do anyways? It was not that she could just ask for everyone to have their attention on her, that would be too selfish of her, and as the eldest sister, she had the biggest responsibility, she had to be mature, she had to do her job, as a part of the heiress of the Kashiwagi clan.
It did not mean that she didn’t have the right to get jealous over something as petty as that though, seeing as how her family had been noticing her lesser and lesser. She would not protest over that, knowing that her parents were busy with their jobs in the village and that her younger sister was busy taking care of their youngest sibling. She would not let her selfishness get the best of her, even though sometimes she wished she could have her way.
The young raven stared at the fishes on the pond in mild interest while she kept her hand busy by toying with her raven locks, pondering over her thoughts, failing to sense the presence from behind her as it silently crept close to her.
A hand slowly reached up to the unsuspecting raven and tapped her shoulder, almost suddenly, causing the raven to jerk up from her seat and squeal, her eyes wide and mouth open wide as she jumped up and down comically, screaming.
The raven kept hopping away from the rock and was about to hide when she heard a familiar voice enter her ears. The soft giggling made the raven’s heart instantly at ease, taking away the worry and sadness, as well as the fear.
A small smile crept on her lips, almost faintly before it disappeared, hidden under a scowl as she instantly turned around to look at the perpetrator, angrily pouting at the sight of her younger twin, standing just a few meters behind her, giggling at her with tears leaking from the corner of her brown eyes.
“Mou! Don’t surprise me like that…!” She puffed her cheeks, gazing at her younger twin as she wiped the small beads of tears off the corner of her eyes before grinning.
“Sorry…you looked quite sad there for a moment, I thought I needed to do something to ease your mood Nee-san.”
“So surprising me is your solution? I would have started running away if I hadn’t known that it was you…” The eldest twin sighed, placing a palm on her cheek with an undoubting glare casted upon her younger twin, whom merely shrugged and smiled innocently.
“I’m sorry, it worked though didn’t it? Also…”
“You looked extremely cute when startled though Nee-san.” The youngest twin said in between giggling while she placed a dainty hand over her mouth, covering her lips as she chuckled at the ever-changing expression of her elder sister that amused her to no end.
The raven merely gazed at her sister, dumbfounded with her words while a small red tint made its way up to her cheeks and gave it a rosy flush. The older girl immediately looked away and gazed at the tree instead as she hid her embarrassment, as well as her flushed cheeks from her younger twin’s sight.
“I…I won’t let you off that easily! Besides, you and Jurina made me worried you know, I thought you two disappeared…”
“A-Ah…”
“I’m sorry Nee-san…we didn’t mean to make you worried. We were just hiding upstairs though, and when you searched up, me and Jurina hid in the closets before changing positions once you left……erm.” The younger raven explained, her voice growing weaker and weaker when she saw her sister’s brows twitching and her glare intensifying.
“Rena…Where’s Jurina?” The raven asked coldly without meaning to, making her sister let out a small yelp, shivering as her older sister’s expression, scaring her to the point that she was trembling slightly. She looked away, fidgeting under the raven’s pressuring gaze as she answered meekly, “…U-Up stairs…sleeping.”
“I see…” The eldest of the two nodded before turning around with her arms crossed, her back facing the younger girl’s face, making Rena uncomfortable.
Had she gone too far? She pondered on that small thought in her head. She had never seen the older girl act this way to her after all, maybe she had went far as to play a bit and fool her sister, but they were playing after all…
Rena barely even ever had the chance nor time to play with her sister as the older girl would often be busy with some tasks, and even if Yuki was free, Rena herself had her hands full with their youngest sister, Jurina, whom was currently eight years old, ten years younger than both of her and Yuki.
It was her task to take care of their younger sibling, considering the fact that both of their parents were out and working. Sometimes she wished she had more time to spend with her other half as they had done before when they were little.
Although they did talk from time to time, it rarely ever happened and the interval of the conversation would often be either after days or after a week before she has another conversation with Yuki. It was sad, considering how her connection with the older girl was slowly fading and rusting.
It was hard, not being able to talk to her just as hard as it was to approach the older girl, her twin sister, Yuki, when she looked so far away, so unattainable and distant from her.
It was like having been presented a rare beautiful flower yet being unable to touch it; that was how her sister made Rena feel. Although they were twins, there was a big difference between her and Yuki, it was something that always disturbed her, yet she could not place a finger on what exactly that difference was, still, it left a nagging feeling in her heart somehow.
Rena fidgeted uncomfortably as the silence grew between them, unwanted and unneeded as it felt suffocating; it made her anxious around the older raven more with the ever-present silence.
The younger twin took a deep breath in, finding the courage to muster to call the other raven’s attention, even though she stuttered her words out, “U-Umm…Yuki nee-san?”
“Hmm? What is it?” The older twin asked nonchalantly, gazing at their traditional Japanese bonsai garden in mild interest.
“Are you…angry?” The younger twin said nervously, taking a quick glance at her sister before looking down into her hands as she fiddled her fingers. The older girl perked a brow up and frowned, uncrossing her arms and turning around, gazing at her other half, only making Rena fidget more under Yuki’s intense gaze.
“Angry? What makes you—oh wait…” Yuki asked in confusion, only to cut herself off immediately after she realized something. The older girl let out a small giggle before a small smile formed on her lips; she reached up and placed a hand on top of her younger twin’s head, lightly patting her head, making Rena look up and blush at the sudden intimate gesture.
“No, I’m not angry.”
“Did I scare you? I was just getting back at you though.” A soft chuckle escaped from Yuki’s lips as she waved her hand in dismissal. Rena puffed her cheeks after hearing the older girl’s statement; she swiftly averted her eyes, staring at her feet rather than at her twin sister while she replied in a hushed voice, “You did…”
“I thought you were mad since you looked so distant. I was worried…that you might have hated me all of a sudden.” Rena mumbled the words out, her cheeks going redder as she finished her statement while she fiddled with her fingers, a habit she often does when she was nervous or anxious.
“Ah…”
“I’m sorry, I was just thinking of something…” Yuki scratched the back of her head.
“Why do you think that I would hate you though, when I don’t have any reason to hold anything against you?” Yuki asked.
“Besides that, I could never hate you. You are far too precious to me,” The raven said while she smiled softly, Yuki’s hands left Rena’s head to cup her cheeks, caressing her flushed red cheeks in a soothing circular motion while she gazed into her sister’s doubtful brown orbs.
“I love you,” Yuki murmured, muttering the words as if it was the most natural thing she could ever say.
The older girl closed her eyes and leaned forward, placing a soft kiss on Rena’s forehead before wrapping her arms around her sister’s slim waist, embracing her, something which Yuki had not done since in a long while, something which she missed tremendously. It left a nostalgic feeling to her, having her sister in her arms, just like this, it made her heart warm and fuzzy.
Yuki sighed in content, pressing her forehead onto her sister’s own, their faces only a few inches apart as she continued, “both you and Jurina are important to me. There’s no way I’ll ever hate you two.”
“So please wipe that frown off your face for me and lighten up, you look better with a smile. I’ll spend more time with you today as much as possible. Just smile for me, please?” Yuki pleaded, opening her eyes slowly as she looked into her sister’s eyes, using her best puppy-dog expression while she pouted. Rena giggled at her older sister, giving the older twin her best smile that it made Yuki’s earlier pout disappear and instead, form into a large genuine smile.
“I’d like that… It’s been a long time since we spent some time with one another after all. I’d like to stay like this and talk with you more.” Rena mumbled, leaning into Yuki’s embrace, feeling her sister’s warmth even through her kimono.
Yuki merely hummed out a reply, hugging back as she enjoyed her sister’s company before they enter back into the house and talked, anything and everything that they could talk about. It did not matter what topic they talked about, just as long as they were able to spend some time with each other, everything was fine.
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End of Part I
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A/N: I hope you enjoyed this a bit, this is just the first part, there will still be around two or three more parts...I think. Anyways, see you guys around, gotta do Chinmoku. >w<lll
Forgive me for any errors, I have yet to find a time to review for any errors, I'll go through it again and correct everything by tomorrow. It's actually 11:25pm here to be honest. >w<llll