The girl at the shrine

[Nate]

Before I begin, I will state that I have not written in ages. I have never been inspired to, since a fanfic of mine was destroyed in a hurricane a few years back. I fear I no longer have the gift to write anything decent, much less fanfiction (which is a touchy area anyway).

I am mostly an engineer, and am much better at math than writing anyway, so I realize my writing style is subpar, and as such, any criticism is greatly appreciated. I do not foresee my work becoming so popular that it would be MST'd, but if such were the case I give my full permission for anyone to do so.

Hopefully I will keep everyone IC. If you see an instance where you believe a character is acting OOC, please tell me about it and I will either defend my action or apologize and edit.

This fanfic contains language and violence, though nothing beyond what the original Fruits Basket had. Any Japanese terms used will be explained at the end.

This first chapter is short, I know...sorry. ^^;;

Oh yeah, and I know I suck at description. Sorry. ^^;;

The Girl at the Shrine

Kagami Mitsuki sat quietly in meditation at the shrine. It was the beginning of the school year, and soon enough the children would be swarming the shrine, looking for charms to help them in their school work and their love lives.
Mitsuki was a miko working at Kaiwaia Shrine, just outside of the high school of the same name. She had graduated two years ago, but had been unable to enter any colleges. She was currently trying to enter Yotsubodai Academy, but with little success. For this reason, she was considering becoming a full-time miko at the shrine.
Mitsuki was a 20 year old woman, fairly beautiful, but a bit of an outcast. She had bright red hair and red eyes, which made many people afraid of her. She dyed her hair black and wore contacts to make herself look normal. She had been raised as a miko her whole life, having been found by one of the shrine's kannushi as a small child, abandoned on the doorstep of the shrine. She was very quiet and reserved, and had very few friends outside the ones at the shrine.
While Mitsuki was meditating, one of the kannushi stepped in. "Kagami-chan," he said. "I do not mean to alarm you, but the kami have given me a vision."
"A vision?" Mitsuki asked, disturbed. "Of what?"
"It was not anything solid, but the message was clear. Something horrible will happen to one of us in this shrine. I am not sure what, but I suggest we stay on our guard."
"Agreed," Mitsuki said. "I shall check and make sure our shimenawa is in order." Mitsuki rose and stepped out of the shrine into the cool evening air. She walked around the outer grounds, ensuring that the ropes were tight and unbroken. "That should keep the evil spirits out," she said after she had ensured that everything was in good order.
"Ah, that reminds me, I need to go pick up a few things at the store," Mitsuki said. She rushed into her room and changed into a red t-shirt and blouse, and rushed down the main stairway of the shrine. She was running a bit too fast, though, and tripped over a crack and began to fall.
"Watch out!" a nearby guy yelled, and ran to catch her...and catch her he did, but he soon wished that he hadn't.
Holding her in his arms, Mitsuki began to tremble, and then collapsed to the ground. Two bumps appeared on her back, which sprouted into enormous wings. Her body became covered with fur and grew larger, ripping off her clothing. Her head then tore into three seperate parts, each of which howled in pain with an unearthly screech.
Now instead of a cute girl, there was a huge monstrous...thing in front of the young man. It was about ten feet tall, with the body of a lion...save the two five foot wings sprouting from its back. It had three heads...one of a lion, one of a dragon, and one of a goat. This was too much for him, and he couldn't take it...he ran off screaming "MONSTER!" at the top of his lungs.
"GYAAAAAAH!" Mitsuki screeched. All three heads spoke as one."WHAT IS THIS?! WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO ME?! KAMI...WHAT SIN IS IT I HAVE COMMITTED THAT I SHOULD BE CURSED SO?!" She began stomping down the street, cracking the pavement as she walked. She roared, spewing flames from each of her three heads. "I GIVE YOU MY LIFE IN SERVITUDE...I FOREGO MY OWN HAPPINESS...AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME, KAMI?!" She swiped one of her paws and knocked over a street lamp. "THEN I SHALL REPAY YOU...BY DESTROYING ALL YOU HAVE CREATED!!!"

* * *

Hatori sat at his desk, reading a medical journal, when he felt a sharp pain in his head. What is this that I sense? he thought to himself. It...feels like a kindred spirit? Another dragon? But that's absurd...that isn't possible. There's only one zodiac animal at a time. . .

* * *

Terms used:

kannushi: priest
miko: Shrine maiden, or priestess
shimenawa: specially knotted rope placed on the torii (main gate) or sometimes around rocks, trees or small islands to mark off the sacred place where the kami is present. The knots are thought to keep out evil spirits
kami: gods