Eros and Psyche by Kristale

Part 1

An unusually cold wind rushed through the empty street of Edo, Japan. The cries of morning men and women were carried on this breeze. Whispers of a name that would soon be considered a sin to say. Mothers covered their children’s eyes and fathers glanced away. The unfortunate event that started it all was about to happen. The simple action that would ether brake or make a young maiden. All of the villagers were gathered at the side of a great mountain dressed all in white. The color of death.  Tears of sadness filled their eyes. All but one. A beautiful young maiden, was dressed in the most elegant bridle kimono any one had ever laid eyes on. It was one of a kind, with its elaborate pale blue flowers and interlocking tribal pattern and sheer blue veil that hid her gorgeous pail face.

They were here for her. The villagers’ tears were all for her. Today she would die to them and become a demon’s wife. There were no tears in her eyes. No look of shame, for she had done nothing wrong. She was being damned for being just as she was, and because the goddess of love, Inukimi, had grown tired of people always complementing the young maiden on her natural beauty and had demanded her to be wed to the most gruesome and ugliest thing that had ever walked the earth. The Mountain demon, Loki.  

Stories said that his looks alone could kill. So the maiden had been told that she would not be allowed to ever see his face. Her heart felt broken along with her will to live. She would never die with honor any ways so what did it matter that she saw her soon to be husband’s face? Sighing she walked forward with the upmost care to the shrine.

“Kagome!” Her family wailed as she slowly stepped up to her doom. Her sister and her ex-betroth were the only ones that had no tears in their eyes. If she hadn’t known better she would have said that they were happy that she would no longer be in their way. She knew that they had been lovers for some time even though Inuyasha had been betroth to her.

‘What a cruel life we lead,’ Kagome thought as she pushed them from her mind so she could concentrate on the path before her. The path that lead to her utter demise. When she reached to top of the stairs of the shrine she turned around to say one last silent good bye to the day world, and found that all of the towns’ people were already heading back to the village. Fighting back tears, she turned away from a cruel world and into the dank damp depth of the earth.

The Mountain Demon’s Layer

Into the belly of Gaia Kagome went with no torch to light the way. She felt as blind as the mole, but at least the mole knew his way around his home. Shuffling her feet and using the wall to guide her threw the sharp twist and turns of the long cave she eventually saw a light at the end of the tunnel. The long narrow cavern opened up into a large room that was lit by several torches that burned with an eerie blue flame.  Two more tunnels could be seen at the other end of the room. Bookshelves, tables, scrolls and cushions were placed here and there about the room. One couldn’t have really called the room messy, it was an organized mess.

A large table was to one side of the room with a tea pot and cup set out along with a plate and chopsticks. While at the other end was two more with scrolls laid out neatly on top of them.

‘Make yourself at home, my dear I will be with you tonight,’ A deep baritone voice sounded softly in her mind startling her.

“Where are you?” She asked as she turned around in a small circle trying to locate where the demon maybe.

‘Do not concern yourself, good night my bride I will come to you tonight like I said,’ Was the demon’s reply.

Kagome took a deep breath before she walked around the room and began organizing and picking up. She was certain that she would not be able to get to sleep tonight. Fighting back tears she tried to distract herself and soon found herself exploring the long caverens.

A.N. um.. this is for the Fairytale twist challenge sorry it's being broken into two parts but hey not enough time in the day right now. So please read and review. <3