Disclaimer: Fanfiction based on characters created by Takehiko Inoue in Slam Dunk and Hiroshi Watanabe in Jigoku Shoujo.


Chapter I: Destiny

"My name is Ai Enma"
Hanamichi stared at the little girl with old-fashioned long hair and humongous maroon eyes dressed in a schoolgirl uniform.
"Hell Girl!?"
"Yes, I am the Hell Girl."

A chill ran down Hanamichi's spine as he realised that since he did not access her Hotline to Hell website, it could only mean one thing.
"You came cos someone wanted revenge on me"
In cold sweat, he stared wildly at the weird but still sweet as cherry pie little girl who stared back unblinkingly.
"Yes."

Hanamichi started to shake and tremble but after a while, anger took over and he felt very calm. He knew he had to accept the inevitable and descend to hell with her but he wanted to know who did it. Who was the person who hated him so much as to deliver such terrible vengence on him.
"It was Oda," said Ai reading his mind. "The ace player from Takezato"
"Oda? But why? I thought we became friends after I helped him solve some problem he had with his girlfriend, Yuko"
"Let me show you why," Ai said in her usual monotone.

All of a sudden Hanamichi felt himself being pulled into a cosmic whirlpool and just as he thought he was going to be pull apart, he found himself standing on the beach. There was a howling tidal wind from the sea and the waves kept crashing onto the greyish sand. He saw Yuko standing with her back towards him and in front of her was Oda with his face contorted yelling at her.

"Why do you still want to break up with me? I thought everything was fine between us after the match with Kainan last year. Now my ankle is all healed and I am ready now. This year we go to Interhigh for sure"
Yuko didn't answered but Hanamichi could see from her heaving shoulders that she was crying. He wanted to tell Oda to stop harassing her but he found he couldn't move or speak. He was just a ghostly spectator.

"Stop crying, damn you!" cried Oda and he raised his arm, pulled it back and was about to bring his back hand across her face. Yuko cowered and raised her hands to cover her face. Hanamichi gritted his teeth but was helpless to do anything. Fortunately, Oda changed his mind and lowered his arm.
"Fine, don't think that you are that hard to replace. There are plenty of pretty girls who like basketball players in Kanagawa. But I am not like Sakuragi who chases after anyone in a skirt, I wanted to stay faithful to you"
By now Hanamichi was so angry he could feel his blood boiling.

"Do you want to go back to Sakuragi now that he is a basketball player? Is that why you are breaking up with me"
"NO ODA!" Yuko finally screamed out in frustration. "It's not about Sakuragi. You know very well why I want to break up with you"
Then she turned around and ran down the beach. Sakuragi was shocked because she had a black eye and her jaw looked bruised.

Oda glared murderously as Yuko's figure grew smaller and smaller. He muttered furiously, "Just you wait, Sakuragi. Don't think you can come between Yuko and me, and get away with it. I will have my vengeance on you."

Hanamichi felt himself being sucked into the cosmic whirlpool again. In a trice, he was back on his futon looking at the Hell Girl.
"But that's so unfair. I didn't do anything to Oda. He just assumed it was me who took Yuko away from him"
"That is correct," agreed Ai. "He was in denial that Yuko could not stand being abused by him anymore and left him. So he had to find a scrapegoat"
"Guess it was just my bad luck that the scrapegoat is me. Is hell very frightening? No, don't tell me. But I should be able to bear it cos I am the tensai. After all, I had just been through rehab and hell can't be anymore painful that that."

Amazingly he heard a girlish chuckle. Ai was actually smiling. It was more astonishing than seeing Rukawa smiled during Interhigh!
"Sakuragi Hanamichi," said Hell Girl after her face went back to her normal expressionless look. "Since you are not actually destined to die yet and I had made a mistake by answering Oda's call, I will give you a second chance"
Hanamichi's heart leapt in joy, "You mean you are not taking me to hell"
"Not yet. I will extend the deadline until your birthday which is in three days' time. Within those three days, you must perform a task for me. Fail and you will be taken to hell on the stroke of midnight on March 31st"
"Sound fair enough, so what is the task"
"You have to get Rukawa Kaede to say 'I love you' and he has to say it to you with all his heart"
"WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Take this," said Ai and thrust a straw doll into Hanamichi's hand. "It will disappear only if Rukawa is sincere about his feelings towards you. This is to prevent you from forcing him to say the words just to save you"
"Wait a minute, Hell Girl! This is an impossible task even for a tensai like me. How can I get Rukawa to say those words to me"
"You have to make him fall in love with you in three days"
"Why Rukawa? Why can't it be Haruko"
"Haruko is not destined to fall in love with you"
"Well, neither is Rukawa. You know he hates me and I hate him. How about if I get him to say 'I hate you' to me with all his heart?"

But Ai just said sternly, "Remember you only have three days." Then she disappeared. Hanamichi stared down at the straw doll in his hand thinking she might as well take him to hell now.