Second Chance~
'I shall exact your avenge'
The cool placid voice of Ai was the last thing the victim heard before going into hysteria at the weight of her simple words.
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!"
"Ai, what's wrong?"
Enma Ai opened her eyes to see the same wooden structure she has been living in for the past 400 years of her existence. From the corner of her eyes, she sees the silhouette of her grandmother still weaving, endlessly, in a never-ending cycle just like her usual routine.
"Nothing grandma" she replied, as always when asked. Rubbing her eyes she stopped when she see a little boy, around her age, staring at her in close proximity.
'Se-Senta…'
Her mind immediately recognized the image when she realized it was just her. Just another illusion. A trick played by the repetitive thoughts revolving around him these days. Blinking, the boy vanished leaving her wondering beneath the calm façade.
'What is wrong with me?'
"Have you come back to kill me again!? NO! I won't let you do it the second time! DISAPPEAR!"
"Stop it Miss!"
"You shouldn't let your emotions get the best of you, ojou!"
"You will be sent to hell if you continue doing this!"
"I don't care! I DON'T CARE!" The pain and hatred she kept came tumbling down as she stared at the descendant of him, staring at her with such fear it made her want to laugh.
You see this Sentarou?! This is your fault all of it. Had you only gather some courage and save me back there I wouldn't be here killing two innocent lives, no..no not innocent since they have your blood you abominable creature!
A sudden image of her and Sentarou playing by the waterfall flashed and all she wanted to do is curl up and cry but no. Now is not the time for drama and such. She has a job to do and even if it takes eternal suffering for her she wouldn't change it for so rare of opportunity as this.
"I will make you disappear!" A glowing black orb was released from her hand towards the two quivering in fear humans.
"RUN!" Ren shouted as the Wanyuudo-carriage landed and took the impact. Debris and dirt flies and a heavy smoke enclosed the area. The sound of rushing water as it hits the ground was the only thing heard as the polluted air slowly dispersed revealing soot covered Ren, Hone-Onna, and Wanyuudo.
"Miss, stop this-"
Ai's trained eye saw two figures running from a distance towards the waterfall. With a flick of her wrist she sent two black auras flying towards them, nearing them with every second left…
BOOM!
Shibata Hajime and Tsugumi were quickly sent flying down down to a more than 20 feet height of the waterfall.
"I shall exact your revenge" Angry tears cascaded down Ai's cheeks as a burst of lightning hits the tree on her back. A blinding white light follows before returning to normal and when it does Enma Ai was nowhere to be seen. A spider with three eyes now resides silently on the half-burnt tree.
Ai wakes up to the cold hard wooden boat she always used when delivering victims to hell. That is when she was still the Hell Girl. Now she was sure she would go back to where she truly belong. To Hell.
"You let your emotions rule your actions. I cannot trust you to do your job anymore" A deep, dark voice reverberated out of no where but she does not come close as to flinch. She knew that voice anywhere.
The King of Hell.
Ai clench her teeth in frustration, "No, not yet, I still have to-"
"Silence!"
Any retort nor response she had planned to say immediately died down her throat as she realized not for the first time the power of whom she was talking to.
"You have broken the first and foremost rule. You do realize the graveness of your mistake" the voice continued, "For that your punishment is not going back to hell"
The world literally stops in sync with the heartbeat of Ai in her own little world. Not going back to hell?
Before she even had the time to open her mouth, the King of Hell once again beats her to it.
"You will be sent back to the time you had been born to that village. To relieve those painful memories you go through. To learn the weight of your actions."
Ai felt like dying. She never felt so scared, so shocked in her whole life than she is at the moment. She felt like cursing, killing this King of Hell who seems like finding joy in tormenting her. Had it been not enough? Is 400 years of serving for him not enough to compensate for burning her village? It's not her fault right? All she wanted to do was to live peacefully but what does those filthy villagers did to her? And Sentarou…no she did not even want to get to that. A thousand spears raining down on her cannot even compare to the pain she was feeling at the current thought of him.
Why?
A swirling black vortex appeared and before she even had the time to beg for forgiveness she was immediately sucked inside, not until hearing the King of Hell's last words for her.
"From now on, you hold your fate"
Is it possible to hear a smile on a simple sentence? If so then why does she feel now like there was more to this punishment than she first thought?
More importantly,
What does the King of Hell thinking sending her to her past to reminisce the painful memories only to be told that she now controls her fate?