Disclaimer: I don't own Hell Girl. Period.

"It's said life's encounters are governed by fate. Within the tangled threads of destiny, cursed flowers bloom, pitiful and frail, lost in their anger, their sorrow, their tears. Beyond the midnight's veil lies the revenge you could not exact…alone."

Conditional Love

Jade had a happy life. Both her parents and her older brother were very accepting of her sexuality. When she first came out of the closet, she expected the worst, only to hear four comforting words: "We saw it coming." She has a girlfriend named Anna, whose parents were also accepting. Jade and Anna were open about their love, even in school. Half of the school didn't even care, they even had GSA. The prejudiced stares meant nothing to them.

Jade's mother and father were soon killed by a drunk driver who also died in the accident and had to go live with her busy but very caring older brother Seth. Anna and her parents gave Jade a shoulder to cry on. When Jade and Anna were eating at a restaurant Seth worked at, a teenage boy about their age mocked their sexuality until Anna stood up for both of them telling him off. That was only the tip of the ice berg compared to what happened afterwards. Their school's principal suffered a stroke and couldn't be able to continue his job.

So they had to hire a new principal who was a conservative widower. He canceled GSA and enrolled his son in that school. The principal's son happened to be the same boy who mocked Jade and Anna. This boy was named Mike Wellington. He started to beat up Jade, threaten her to cut off contact with Anna, be his "girlfriend", and not tell any authority figure, not even her brother. She did tell the principal, but he was unwilling to help, he said "just suck it up". He told her that this was to "straighten her out". He also told her that she should act like a "real woman" (i.e. act passive, not wear pants or stand up for herself). If she broke any of those "rules", she would be beaten enough to have to go to the hospital. He also forced her to quote Bible verses and then make fun of her quoting them as it is supposed to "hurt her eyes". She longed to go back to her happy life, but she doesn't think it would be possible.

Jade walked to school. Thank God it's Friday, she thought to herself. To her, weekends were sanctuary. Those were the only days he did not see her. Once she got to school, Mike was waiting for her impatiently.

"You're late." He snarled.

"I sent you a text that I was running late." She said. A couple of boys were walking by and greeting Mike and Jade.

"How are you two little lovebirds?" one of them asked.

Lovebirds? She did not love him one bit. He was a guy who is a homophobic male chauvinist. She wanted him gone, out of her life, but that was physically impossible.

"We're golden." Mike said.

When class started, Anna sat next to Jade.

"What's happened to you Jade? Why do you have bruises? We barely even speak to each other anymore. first you stopped wanting to take pictures of us kissing, then you want to hide your sexuality, and then stop talking to me." She asked, concerned. Of course Jade had to lie to not risk bullying or beating from Mike when it was already going to be bad enough.

"I have a lot going on lately, plus I'm a klutz." Jade answered.

"Klutz my ass!" Anna said apparently not buying it.

"I can't tell you." Jade said.

She finally calmed down. "Look, I'm sorry, since you usually do nothing on the weekends but talk let's go to a party and hang out can you tell me then?" Jade sighed. "Okay" she said. School got over with.

Mike walked to Jade "We have a date tomorrow." Jade resisted the urge to faint. Luckily it was the same party that Anna had planned to go to. He was still unaware she was still talking to Anna. "Now, time for your straightening out." Mike said as he was punching and kicking her and making her quote a bible verse that he thought was against homosexuality. Jade walked home.

"How was school?" Seth greeted.

"Good." Jade said.

"What's with the bruises?" He asked noticing the bruises.

"I've been klutzy lately." Jade answered.

"You gotta stop being klutzy."

"I'll try." she said going up to her room, waiting for Saturday to begin.