One door opens, the same one closes

She shuddered at the thought of what she'd be made to do, her arms instinctively crossing over her chest. Her head turned slightly, stealing a glance at the pews. Of course, they were empty - she knew they were empty - but now in her mind's eye, there was a full congregation before her. A jury of her peers. Journalists, shogi players, her classmates... all sitting silently, soaking in her visage, waiting for her with rapt attention.

She turned back toward the altar, stepping behind it slowly, only the muffled sound of her footsteps daring to break the silence. The candles flickered with each breath she took. She faced the congregation, hoping to maintain some level of dignity before their hungry eyes. She raised her chin, swallowed, and tried to steady her trembling voice.

"I..." she began, voice faltering. She paused, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. "I stand before you all... now knowing the sting of defeat." How long had it been since she'd lost a match? Since she'd gone professional, she hadn't lost a single one.

The silence from the crowd coiled around her like a serpent, squeezing the air from her lungs.

She closed her eyes again, taking another breath. "In shogi, when a player makes a fatal mistake, it's called a blunder. Today... I made a major blunder, and now I've paid the ultimate price... Stripped of my pieces, my honor... and my clothes."

Her gaze turned to stare down at the altar before her, unable to meet the burning gaze of the crowd, as she dropped her arms to her sides, baring her chest to them. Her face aflame as her hands felt the bare skin of side of her thighs.

The moment her arms left her chest, the crowd awoke. The flash of the journalists' cameras began, and a wave a murmur erupted as the crowd judged her. Hushed whispers of disgust, laughter, and mockery filled the air.

"She brought this on herself."
"Some strategist she turned out to be."
"She's not even that good."
"For someone known as the 'Venus of Shogi.' I would have expected someone with more grace."
"Looks like she gambled her clothes and lost."
"Maybe she wanted to lose. Maybe this is who she really is. After all, she's never lost before."

Her lips quivered, and her knees felt weak, but she remained standing - accepting their judgments. She closed her eyes, "this is my punishment," she whispered. She hugged her side, covering nothing.

She heard laughter beside her and snapped her eyes open. "Your punishment? No, this is just the start," her opponent spoke.

Her breath caught, and she turned to him, her eyes wide. "W-what?"

"Remember," he spoke slowly, "I promised you a parade. Not just to expose you before this congregation, but the entire town. Every alley, every street, every home. Let them all see you for what you are."

A tremble rocked through her. She shook her head slightly, her lips parting to protest - but nothing came out. He stepped behind her, one hand on her arm and the other gently prodding her back, as he leaned his head over her shoulder, whispering a simple command in her ear. "March."

His voice was a low rumble, a whisper with a primal hungry edge. He didn't have to voice where he wanted her to go. His smoldering gaze said it all by locking onto the doors to the church past all of the onlookers. She swallowed hard, heart hammering away like it wanted to jump from her chest. "I... There's no way... I couldn't..." His gaze told her he wasn't asking. She felt a finger press into the small of her back, pushing her forward.

Each step away from the altar felt like a Herculean task. The pleading of her rational mind and her clothes trying to keep her tethered there like a shackle. Her feet whispered across the tile as she made her way down the center aisle, between the rows and rows of spectators, every eye on her. A sea of whispers and snickers surrounding her, relishing her situation.

As she neared the door, the real world returned to her senses in fragments. The faint rustle of trees outside, the creak of the door's hinges fighting against the wind, a muted glow of moonlight casting shadows through the stained glass windows. She'd made it to the door. Her hand hovered over the handle.

Why am I doing this, she asked herself. This is insane. She could stop this at any time. Her clothes were right behind her, and she was there in the safety of the church. Alone. No one was really there with her to **** her to do this.

Then his voice broke the silence once more. "Are you scared?" He asked in a sultry tone.

"Anyone would be..."

"Are you sure? Because I think we both remember I was ready to strip here earlier. When it was full. Do you think I was scared? You should know, you were watching me quite intently."

Hifumi swallowed hard. Just one step, she told herself. Just one step outside the door and no further.

She eased the door open. It let our a soft groan as it moved, until she had it all the way open. A cool gust of night air greeted her instantly, spreading goosebumps along her arms and legs. She shivered, hugging herself for a moment.

Hifumi bent slightly, careful and precise, and pulled off her knee high socks, wadding them into a tight ball before shoving it firmly between the heavy door frame and the ground. A makeshift door stopper. Not perfect, but it should be sufficient to keep the door propped open for a minute or two.

She took her first hesitant step forward, her bare foot kissing the cold ground before her. Then she took another and another, until she was on the cement walkway that led to the church's entrance. Her arms pressed tightly across her chest and her thighs pressed together, a slight but noticeable slickness between them, as she glanced around the deserted church grounds. Silence filled the air. No one was around. No voices or sounds, except the soft whisper of the wind through the trees. The only light source she could see was the gentle light of the moon and stars above.

The moonlight, pale and silver, bathed over her like a spotlight. She stood there, trembling, awash in that light in the middle of the pathway leading to the church. She dropped her arms from her chest, letting them cross over her stomach instead, and parted her legs some. She faced the street before the church and looked up into the sky above at the moon that washed over her. If any onlooker had seen her then, they might have thought they had seen an angel. Inside, her heart pounded like a war drum.

She let out a slow, shaky breath. "This is enough," she whispered to herself with a shudder. She needed to stop this here before she went too far and someone actually saw her. She looked down at herself, mind still reeling, trying to backtrack how she let things get this far.

Then, a sudden, powerful gust of wind burst through her, swirling her around her face and shoulders, dancing over her bare skin. A gasp escaped her, and she instinctively turned her face from the breeze, eyes closed tightly, her arms wrapping tightly around her frame as she huddled in on herself.

She heard a bump from the door being pushed against the wall hard. And then a distinct slam and click.

Her eyes snapped open as her blood ran cold. Her head twisted to look at the doorway behind her, hoping this was just another of her imaginings. The gust had pressed the door hard enough into the wall that her socks became unwedged. The door had slammed shut. She turned, heart in her throat and modesty forgotten, and she darted back to the door. She frantically grabbed and tugged at the handle. It didn't budge. She pulled harder, even going so far as to press one leg up on the wall beside her to try to get better leverage. The door rattled but didn't move. She was locked outside.

"No..." she whispered, a cold dread blooming in her chest. "No, no, no, no, no... this can't be happening."

She caught a glance through the stained glass beside the door, catching the soft flicker of candlelight inside. Her clothes. Her phone. Everything... It was all inside.

And she was standing outside, naked as the day she was born, bathed under moonlight with a locked door keeping her from cover.

The wind picked up again, brushing over her exposed skin like cold hands feeling all over her. The fantasy was gone now. This was reality. She looked toward the street instinctively.

If anyone came by at all, they'd see everything. The thought sunk in. Her back pressed into the doorframe as she slid down to the ground, her butt pressing against the rough cement. She pulled her legs in front of her, hugging her knees to her chest. Her breaths came in quick, shallow bursts, as she absorbed her situation, trying to figure out a solution.

The street was empty for now, but she knew better. It wouldn't stay that way forever.