For The Family
By Coco Gash Jirachi
Disclaimer: I don't own Hell Girl, or Sukisho
Claimer: I DO own Rose, Shinzo, Maya and Rin
Summary: AU. With a family to call their own, Ran and Sunao would do anything to keep things okay. However, this time around, the price to pay seems drastic to others' eyes. "Your grievance shall be avenged." Hell Girl crossover. One-shot. Surprise ending twist.
Hello, peoples! Well, this is my Hell Girl/Sukisho one-shot crossover. I thought it would be unique, since Hell Girl and Sukisho are two of my favorite animes. Sukisho is rather cute and all, but it gets twisted towards the end of the series. So I thought it would be cool to bring the two together.
Anywho, this also includes the OCs I created to be Sunao's blood family. I imagine Sunao to be the type of brother who would do anything for his sister and brothers, so that is how I will portray him. And of course, there is a surprise twist at the end, cuz I loved the Hell Girl episodes like that.
Anyways, enjoy!
"I'm sorry, Mama... I'm sorry..."
"Maya, sweetheart, please don't say that..."
Rose kissed her daughter on the forehead, brushing the hair out of her face. Maya looked up at her with sad eyes as her mother's hand rubbed her swelling stomach.
"I... I should never have fallen in love with him..." Maya said, closing her pink eyes and letting little tears fall from her eyes.
"Don't say that..." Rose said. "Love is love. It was nice while it lasted, wasn't it?"
"That all feels so much like a dream now..." Maya opened her eyes again. "But even if he wants nothing to do with them, I will raise the twins on my own."
"You're such a strong girl, Maya..."
Sunao leaned against the wall across from Maya's not-completely closed bedroom door. His eyes were closed halfway in a sad manner, his younger brother, Rin, asleep in his arms.
"Onee-chan..." he whispered.
Ai: "For The Family."
/I don't know what to do anymore, Kuu-chan.../
Sunao stared at his instant-messaging screen as he typed out his messages to his boyfriend as well as life-long friend, Sora Hashiba.
/Ryotarou won't return any of Maya-Onee-chan's phone calls. But when he does, he keeps on asking her if she got rid of them yet./
Sunao looked over at his triplet brother, Ran. Ran sat on Sunao's bed, staring at his bare feet as he wiggled his toes. It was a hot summer night; a night they were both away from their boyfriends, Sora and Yoru, whom were also brothers.
/And Maya keeps on blaming herself for what's happening to us. She thinks that everyone is ridiculing her behind her back, too./
/What should I do?/
After Sunao sent his last message, he brought his hands up to his face and wiped at his eyes.
A few moments passed before Sora's response came.
\Have you ever heard of the Hell Correspondence, Nao?\
Sunao's eyes widened and he gasped when he read the words.
"Hm?" Ran's nasally voice hummed as he looked over at Sunao at his desk. "What's wrong?"
Sunao shook as Ran headed to his desk.
"The Hell... Correspondence?..." he questioned as Ran leaned over his shoulder to read the message.
"Jeez..." Ran said, blinking. "You really do have a lot to assess from all of this, don't you Little Bro?"
Sunao didn't respond. He, Maya and Ran were triplets. Maya was the oldest, and then Ran was born, and then Sunao, making him their, technically, younger brother. Their younger brother, Rin, however was only an elementary school student. Maya and Sunao were identical, save Maya being a girl and Sunao a boy. The only difference Ran had from his two triplet siblings were that he had red eyes, not pink.
"Hell Correspondence?" Ran repeated off of the screen. "Huh... you never heard those rumors, did you Nao?"
"Why?" Sunao looked at him over his shoulder. "What is it?"
"Rumor has it that it's a website you can only access at midnight." Ran began. "And when you type in a person's name, the Hell Girl will appear and take revenge on them for you!~"
"St-stop that! You're making it up!" Sunao retorted, turning his head away in a huff as he looked back at his IM screen. He then gasped, and his eyes widened.
\You never heard the rumors? Supposedly, if you go to at midnight and type in a person's name, Hell Girl will appear and take revenge on them for you.\
Sunao turned his head and looked back at Ran. Ran gave him a slightly smug smile; his way of saying "I told you so."
\I heard it's kind of sketchy, though. I heard that if you use it, you wind up dead. But I did hear that some kids have gone missing, too.\
\Yoru-Nii-chan looked it up once at midnight, but nothing came up for him.\
"Scoot aside for a second," Ran said, leaning over Sunao's shoulder to the keyboard of his laptop.
/Ran here, Sora-kun. :P I actually heard that to access it, you need to have a thirst for revenge on someone. So that's probably why it didn't work when Yoru looked it up./
With a slight huff, Sunao began typing another message as soon as Ran sent the one he typed out.
/Sunao again, Kuu-chan. As for what Ran said, it probably didn't work because the website is totally fake./
\It's getting close to midnight now... maybe you could look it up?\
/No way in hell... if it is real, I don't wanna die./
\Good call. o.o Why didn't I think of it?\
\Yoru, here. :P That's because you're an idiot, Otouto-chan.\
\Sora again... -.- Well, promise me you won't do anything stupid, will you?\
/Who do you take me for, Kuu-chan? You? X3/
\): Aw, that's not nice...\
/Eh, I think I'll turn in for the night... I'm getting tired./
\Alright, Nao-kun. I'll see you at school tomorrow.\
/Alright, Kuu-chan. Good night. I love you./
\I love you, too, Nao-kun. Good night.\
With a sigh, Sunao closed his IM box and logged off of his Yahoo messenger. As he clicked his web page back up he glanced over at his computer clock. 11:59 PM.
"You wanna try it, don't you?" Ran asked.
"... No..." Sunao shook his head. "But... maybe I'll look it up to see if it exists."
"... You know..." Ran leaned against Sunao's shoulder. "Maybe Hell Girl is the only person who can help Maya-Onee-chan."
"Hell Girl doesn't exist," Sunao insisted as he typed in into the browser. As soon as the page loaded, he saw a screen that read Page Not Found.
"Eh?" Ran raised an eyebrow. "Aw, no way! I totally thought it would come up!" he whined. "What a total downer..."
However, as Sunao glanced at the computer clock again, it still read 11:59 PM. He waited a moment before refreshing the page, just a split second before it changed to 12:00 AM.
"Nao,"
The two brothers gasped in aw when they saw a black screen appear. A little flame appeared, then dissipated before the text I shall cleanse away thy bitterness appeared above a white text box. A send button was seen below the white text box.
"Oh my... oh my God..." Ran gasped. "The Hell Correspondence..."
Absent-mindedly, Sunao stared at the page, his eyes blank. After a moment, he then shook his head.
"No!" he exclaimed, closing the web page and pressing the shut down button on his laptop. "No! I promised Kuu-chan I wouldn't! I promised, I promised, I promised!"
"Holy crap..." Ran said. "Wow... that is far out..." His pupils had dilated to a small size. "Whoever runs this website must be a total dork with no life; only making it accessible at midnight... maybe it is a fake and the person running it is a crazed serial killer or a rapist or something."
"Let's go to bed," Sunao said, turning off his desk lamp. "You spending the night in with me?"
"Yeah; I'm in a cuddly mood." Ran purred, wrapping his arms around Sunao's neck as he stood up from his desk.
"If you take off your pants again, even as a joke, I'll scream to Mama for rape." Sunao responded as they made their way over to his bed.
"Aw, you're no fun..." Ran pouted. However, his arms came loose from Sunao's neck when he turned and looked out to the sliding door that led to the veranda.
"Huh?" Sunao turned around. "What's the matter?"
"... Nothing..." Ran shook his head. "Nothing... I just must be seeing things in my sleepiness... thought I saw someone out there..."
"Hm," Sunao raised an eyebrow. "You really need to lay off the caffeine late at night, you know?" he asked as he walked over to the glass door and pulled the curtains closed over it.
"Yeah... I guess you're right..." Ran responded, giving a little smile before he stretched his arms up into the air. "Up for snuggling?"
"So long as you don't grope me again."
"Aw, come on, you know I just do it affectionately."
Sunao sighed as he laid beneath his blankets, Ran laying beside him.
"I swear, sometimes you're like a bitch in heat." Sunao said as Ran wrapped his arms around him from behind.
"You know how much people love twincest, don't you?"
"We're two triplets, not twins."
"Same basic concept."
Sunao sighed, snuggling back into Ran's embrace.
"Oyasumi nasai." he said.
"Oyasumi, Nao-kun..." Ran whispered.
As they drifted off to sleep, Ai stared at them. Her crimson eyes watched from the small space left between the closed curtains.
Ding dong, ding dong!
Dong ding, dong ding!
"Ran - eh?"
Sunao blinked.
"Ran?"
Ran's arms were crossed across his desk, his head laid in them. His eyes were closed, his breaths light.
Sunao sighed; half-understanding, half-aggravated. Ran did have a tough time falling asleep the night before. They ticked it down to Ran's tendencies to consume sugar and caffeine, although Sunao couldn't help but wonder if he really had seen something outside on the veranda the night before.
No... Sunao thought, shaking his head once. No way.
"Sunao-sempai!"
Sunao looked at the door as Hiromu walked in, giving a friendly wave.
"Hey there!" Sunao greeted with a smile.
"What'cha up to after school today?" Hiromu asked, folding his hands behind his back.
"Trying to wake a certain someone up..." Sunao said, beginning to shake Ran's shoulder.
"Is Yoru-sempai still out sick?" Hiromu asked.
"Yeah; he's got a nasty cold and allergies, from what Sora told me." Sunao responded.
"Mmmmm..." Ran groaned. "Mama, I'm sleeping..."
"Baka..." Sunao scoffed, leaning down and shaking Ran's shoulders roughly. "Wake up! School's over!"
"Uhnn..." Ran picked his head up and blinked his half-open eyes.
"Fall asleep again?" Sora asked as he re-entered the classroom with his hands in his pockets.
"That was a long bathroom break." Sunao said.
"I'm lactose intolerant, remember?" Sora asked. "I forgot to bring in my lactate pills to take with lunch."
"Then why drink milk if it gives you indigestion, bloating, upset stomach, heart burn and diarrhea?" Sunao asked.
"... It was chocolate milk." Sora responded.
"You are an idiot; I love Yoru more than you." Ran said as he stretched before pushing his seat back. He blinked, looking over Sora's shoulder. "Who's that?"
"Who?" Sora asked. He then turned around and looked towards the door. "... Ran-chan, are you feeling alright?" he asked as he turned back around.
"You," Sunao began, poking Ran on the nose. "Need to lay off of the caffeine. It's starting to mess with your mind, mister."
"I mean it, Nao! I swear I saw somebody on the veranda!" Ran responded.
"I think our whole conversation on Hell Correspondence just made you a little paranoid..." Sunao said, messing Ran's hair as he shouldered his book bag.
"Hell Correspondence?" Hiromu blinked. "Why were you talking about that?"
"... The situation with Maya and Ryotarou..." Sunao responded. "I wanna do something to help Maya-Nee-chan, but... I dunno. Hell Girl seems to be a little drastic."
"I think that the fact we were able to access it last night should count for something though, Nao." Ran responded as he stood up.
"- You tried it?" Sora asked.
"I didn't use it! I wanted to see if it was real or not!" Sunao responded. "I think it's just ran by some troller with no life. Seriously; how can there only be a website accessed at midnight? Idiots call it paranormal, and people who can debunk things call it what it is; ran by someone with no life other than to run a website only at midnight. Besides, if Hell Girl did exist, she must get thousands of page views a night just so people can try to exact revenge."
"Haven't you heard about the mysterious disappearances, though, Nao?" Hiromu asked.
"Please; there is no way in hell that Hell Girl actually exists!" Sunao responded.
"Nao, stop PMSing. Let's just be adults and change the subject." Ran said.
"We'd better go anyways..." Sunao said. "We've got our shifts at the cafe today, remember?"
"I hate working..." Ran moaned. "I'm so damn tired... we haven't had a weekday afternoon off since all of this started."
"We need the money and you know it, Ran." Sunao said.
"I'd better get going," Hiromu said, heading towards the classroom door. "I've got a date tonight, and I need to find something to wear once I've got my homework done."
"Stop by the cafe some time later if you'd like," Sunao said. "Ran and I should be working late depending on the staff today."
"Working late?... Damn it..." Ran moaned.
"Come on..." Sunao said, taking one of Ran's hand into his, Sora's in the other. "Let's hit the vending machines and get you a soda. That'll wake you up."
"Make it a Monster or a Vault..." Ran moaned.
That night, Ran and Sunao collapsed onto the bed in Sunao's room. Their feet ached from wearing high-heeled shoes with their work uniforms - if you can call boys in Gothic-Lolita dresses "uniforms".
The cafe they worked at seemed to be ran by someone who shared the brain of Tamaki Suoh from one of their favorite animes, Ouran High School Host Club. He hired on Ran and Sunao because they were two triplets - "Good enough for twins, though!" he insisted - and took to redecorating the entire place every few months. This time it was Gothic-Lolita, forcing the two girly boys into dresses and twincest acts. Twincest acts weren't new to them.
"My... feet... are numb..." Ran mumbled.
"... Hum?..." Sunao responded. Somehow, his exhaustion seemed to make him drown out Ran's voice - a wonder itself. He seemed to be the only one who could simply turn off his hearing when Ran got too annoying and whining.
"... My numb... are... forget it..." Ran said.
"... Do you think... Hell Correspondence... will work for a second time?..." Sunao asked.
"... That's why you've been ignoring me and being spacey all night?... Hell Correspondence?..." Ran asked.
"... Hiromu told me something before he left the cafe earlier..." Sunao responded. "He said... 'Nao-kun... maybe checking Hell Correspondence out won't be such a bad idea...'"
"... But if we use it, we may end up dead..." Ran said.
"Please... a troller... no life..." Sunao responded.
As the clock read 12:00 AM, Sunao entered the website name into the browser. Surely enough, the same familiar screen from the night before came up.
"... Should we submit his name?" Sunao asked.
"... We could try it, I guess..." Ran responded.
Taking in a deep breath, Sunao then typed Ryotarou Tokumoru into the white space. Hesitantly, his hand moved the computer mouse to the submit button. Ran's hand came down on top of his, his index finger seated beside his.
Shaking, Sunao's eyes stared straight at the screen.
If you use it, you wind up dead...
Together, almost in sync, they lifted their tired hands off of the mouse. They shut down Sunao's laptop before retiring back to their comfortable bed.
Ai stood at their foot-board all through the night.
"Good morning, boys."
Sunao and Ran both held one hand, their free hands rubbing their sleepy eyes; like they were mirror-imaging one another. They blinked upon entering the kitchen. A few balloons were tied to the kitchen chairs, Rin seated at the table with a wide grin on his face as he ate his breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon. Maya was seated on one side of the table, her hands folded as she smiled at her two triplet brothers. Their mother, Rose, sat across the table from Maya. Yoru and Sora stood behind the table, Sora with a wide grin, Yoru with a small one.
"Happy birthday, little brothers." Maya said.
Blinking, Sunao and Ran turned their heads to one another.
"We forgot our own birthday, didn't we?" they asked to one anothers faces in unison.
"Daijobu; it gave us more of the upper-hand to plan our surprises. Miss Rose said it would be better that way." Yoru said. "If you had remembered it was your birthday, you would have been suspicious as to why I missed the past few days of school."
"Do I have reason to be suspicious?..." Ran questioned.
"Now you do." Sora replied.
"But that won't matter once you open this big box!" Yoru said, lifting up a box from his feet.
"Don't we usually have to wait to open presents, Mama?" Ran asked.
"I'm letting this one slide this time." Rose replied. "Tear open that paper, baby!"
Ran seemed all too eager to comply. He let go of Sunao's right hand and zipped over to Yoru, whom kept the box steady in his big strong arms - arms that Ran loved so - as Ran took off the lid of the box.
Not a moment later, a golden-furred puppy head popped out and began licking Ran on his cheeks. Immediately, this caused him to giggle before he took in a gasp of aw.
"A puppy!" Ran exclaimed as he lifted her out of the box and into his arms. She placed her paws on his shoulders, continuing to lick his face as one of his eyes squinted shut. "Yoru, she's adorable!"
With a worried expression written on his face, Sunao looked over at Rose.
"Mama, do you really think we can afford to take in a puppy with our current situation?" Sunao asked. "We already have the two beagles, Clover and Shiloh, plus the cat, Simon, Yoru gave Ran last year..."
"I think we can more than afford it, dearies." Rose responded, laying her chin in her hands. "Because I am the bearer of good news this morning."
"That's right." Maya said with a nod.
"What?" Sunao asked.
"I've been given a promotion at work." Rose responded. "And it includes a good pay raise! So now you boys won't need to work every single day after school. You can go back to working part time!"
"Whoa!"
Sunao and Ran approached Rose at the same time, both with a shocked yet excited expression on their faces.
"Mama, you're not joking right? No more full-time with the baka-head Tamaki-brained-man?" Sunao asked.
"No more eight straight hours in heels and a dress?" Ran asked.
"Or prancing around like the Hitachiin twins?" they asked.
"You'll only need to continue working part-time." Rose responded with a nod.
"Thank God! I can finally not walk around with blisters on my feet every day!"
"I can start getting blisters at night again!"
"Ran, shut up!"
"You two really hate that job, don't you?" Maya asked.
"Huh?..."
Sunao and Ran turned their attention over to Maya, who glanced down sadly. One of her hands was on her stomach, the other on the table.
"If you said something sooner, then, you wouldn't have needed to keep it..." she said. "You really shouldn't keep sacrificing yourselves for my sake..."
As tears began to burn Maya's eyes, she placed her hands over her face and stood up.
"Excuse me..." came her muffled whisper before she quickly walked out as fast as she could with her big belly.
Immediately, Sunao and Ran looked downwards.
"We really need to stop complaining around her..." they said in unison.
"Don't worry you two; that's just her hormones taking over her emotions." Rose responded. "It happens to everyone when they get pregnant. Even I wasn't oblivious to it; mood swings are bound to happen."
"EEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
As soon as Maya's scream registered in everyone's ears, they rushed for the direction it came from. When they found her, she was kneeling in front of the open front door with an open box in front of her. Her face was buried into her hands.
"Maya, what's wrong?" Sunao asked as he knelt beside her.
"It's... it's Ryotarou!" she responded, tears seeping through her fingers. "Look in the box..."
A little fearfully, Sunao pulled the box closer and tilted if off of its bottom, peeking inside. His eyes widened, and he couldn't hold back his scream as he let it go and covered his eyes.
Two, little dead, bloody fetuses.
Ryotarou Tokumoru was a powerful, powerful man. Decades ago, his grandfather began a business that has succeeded to present day. He had enough money and power to throw around to be able to do as he pleased. And the moment he first saw Maya Fujimori when she was just 15 years old and already a senior in high school, he knew she was meant to be his. She was down-to-earth and loving; the two things he never would be or could learn to be no matter how much money or power he threw around.
As soon as Maya graduated, he recruited her to work as his secretary while she looked around for college and gathered money. As soon as he made his move, she was swept under his spell helplessly; just like the countless other women he had done. Their first time was together on the couch in Ryotarou's very private and exclusive office, and like a fool, Maya was sure he loved her as much as she loved him.
A year later, when she was 16, Maya told him she was pregnant.
"Go down to the clinic; here's ten-thousand dollars." he said, handing her a wad of money.
Wide-eyed, Maya looked up at him.
"Ryotarou-kun, I'm pretty sure a doctor's appointment won't cost ten-thousand..." she responded.
"Eh, whatever is leftover you can keep."
Maya misunderstood him. So she went to the hospital, had an official check-up and an ultra-sound. Upon the visit, she figured out she was about two months along, and that the baby wasn't just one, it was two. Twins. When she came back to Ryotarou's office bearing this news and holding up an ultra-sound photo, confusion and anger entered the man's expression.
When he told Maya he had meant he wanted her to go to the abortion clinic, the color drained from her face. Quickly, her pupils shrank. Shaking, she grabbed her work bag and ran out, leaving the building and never going back. When she got home, she told her family, whom took the news as exciting. But when Rose asked her how Ryotarou reacted... Maya had to tell them that he had wished for her to "get rid of them".
Leaving her children home to celebrate among themselves, Rose set off to Ryotarou's building to confront him. She said she knew this news might be a shock, but he would be happy once he and Maya were married and were raising the twins.
Ryotarou acted like he didn't know her.
The next day, Maya had countless voice mails and text messages asking her, "Did you get rid of them yet?" By the time she was too far along to "get rid of them", she had to respond with "It's too late", but that didn't change his urgings.
Wanting to end this madness, Sunao called 911 to report Ryotarou. Long story short, his money and power came in handy when it came to cops. The tables almost turned on them when Sunao was almost arrested, but before they could approach him Yoru and Sora stepped up and posted an immediate bail. They may not have had a lot of power, but they did have a lot of money.
This would not be the end of their troubles with Ryotarou Tokumoru.
Rose had always been a lenient mother. She was also not dumb; she knew her three teenage children were sexually active. Maya showed it with her stomach, her boys with limping and small, unexplained bruises. The first time Sunao and Ran snuck out at night, she was waiting for them in their bedroom.
"Really, boys," she said with a stern look on her face and crossed arms.
Immediately, they looked down and began to apologize, hoping that the messiness of their clothes and hair wasn't apparent to her.
"Next time, leave a note that says you snuck out for the night, okay?" she said, smiling warmly.
That's what they had loved about her. Even when their father had died of a heart attack, she continued on to be strong as ever. As they cried into their hands, staring at their little memorial for him in their home, she wrapped her arms around all four of her children.
"You're all I've got left, angels..." she told them.
There were times where she was upset, but when they saw her smiling, they smiled, too. They were as close as a family could get. They shared everything and hid nothing from one another.
Their father, Shinzo Fujimori, was gone, but never forgotten. He acted as their guardian angel from Heaven now. They could almost feel his gentle, ruby red eyes watching over them as he had when they were children at play.
Together, Shinzo and Rose Fujimori would do anything for their children. And with one in Heaven, it was up to Rose to continue on doing anything for them.
"We can't let this happen again..."
Sunao's eyebrows were knitted together as he typed in into the browser.
"I could care less if we wind up dead at this point." Ran responded in agreement.
Sunao hit enter as the clock turned from 11:59 pm to 12:00 am. The little flame popped up on a screen of black, before I shall cleanse away thy bitterness appeared above the white text box with the submit button beneath it.
Taking in air from their noses, together Sunao and Ran began to type Ryotarou Tokumoru into the white text box. Next, they each laid a hand onto the computer mouse and hovered the arrow over the submit button. Closing their eyes tightly, their index fingers clicked down.
A moment later, their eyes opened to see the screen was completely black and that the arrow had turned into an hourglass. Then, the computer shut itself off.
"What?..." Sunao gasped. "No!" he tried to turn it back on, but the power button wouldn't start it back up again.
"That can't be it!" Ran exclaimed, tangling his hands into his hair. His eyes then widened. "... It didn't work... nothing happened..."
Hanging his head in defeat, Sunao nodded once.
"I guess... the Hell Correspondence... really was just a story after all..." Sunao admitted. "And we were dumb enough to believe it was real..."
"You were right..." Ran said. "It's ran by a troller who just hacked and crashed your computer..."
Before Sunao could respond, the computer finally turned back on and the sounds of beeps were heard. Relieved that the computer was okay, they picked up their respective cell phones and opened them up.
Simultaneously, their eyes widened. Red popped up on the cell phone screens, with black letters reading:
I have received your message.
Hell Girl
In shock, their phones were dropped from their hands, and they began to pant.
When a gentle knock was heard on their veranda door, they nearly screamed and clung onto one another.
"It's us!" called Yoru's voice.
Immediately, they settled down and their heads turned, eyes looking out the glass doors. Surely enough, Yoru and Sora were standing out there.
"Yoru..." Ran uttered.
They let go of each other and Sunao walked over to the doors, sliding one open.
"Are you two alright?" Sora asked as they stepped in, immediately embracing their respective partner. "You're acting a little weird..."
"Just... jumpy... after this morning..." Sunao responded.
"Did you forget we were coming tonight?" Yoru asked.
"Maybe a little..." Ran said.
"Are we sneaking out again?" Sunao asked.
"Of course," Yoru smirked. "You two haven't gotten your birthday night loving yet."
Quickly, Sunao scribbled down a note for their mother, telling her they snuck out with their boyfriends again, and they would be back by morning.
Sunao and Ran were home alone that Sunday. Their night before with Yoru and Sora had been well-needed and long-deserved, since it had been months since they were able to do more than just kissing and groping. Even if there had been time for them to make love, Sunao and Ran were just too tired.
But it wasn't about sex. Their relationships were deeper, more real than that.
Of course, around the time Maya told the family she was pregnant, they had to ask: "What if we get pregnant?"
Yoru and Sora promised they would always take care of their beloved boyfriends, and so they promised they would never leave them. They would do their best for not only them, but the child as well.
Ran was all too eager to have a baby of his own. That was why for his 17th birthday, Yoru gave him a puppy.
"For good practice." Yoru said.
That puppy now laid on the foot of Sunao's bed, where the two brothers slept closely together, bundled up warmly. Nana was her name, and she slept peacefully as the two boys slumbered after their long night.
Suddenly, Nana's ears lifted up before her head shot up. Standing, she jumped down from the bed and trotted over to the door. She sat down and began barking at it.
Almost immediately, the two boys opened their eyes and sat up.
"Nana, what is it?" Ran called tiredly.
Nana didn't relent. She continued barking at the door, and soon began to growl. As a result, her fur began to stick up.
Sunao and Ran stood up, approaching the door where Nana sat defensively.
"Nana, there's nobody there." Ran assured her as Sunao turned the knob.
However, the two boys soon found themselves collapsing onto their knees in grass. Nana sat in front of them, still growling protectively.
Upon picking their heads up, the pinkettes saw there was a peaceful, beautiful sunset all around them. To their right was a large, sparkling lake, a bit off in front of them there was a large tree with a big pool of shade beneath it, and scattered about was a garden of red spider lilies.
"Where... are we?..." Sunao questioned as they stood up. Instinctively, they held each others hand.
Soon, an old, bald man wearing a straw hat appeared before them. To his left appeared a woman dressed as a geisha. To his right appeared a teenage boy with his hair parted over his left eye. In front of them appeared a tiny, little young girl with big, almost bug-eyes that looked adorable.
"Who... are you?..." Sunao asked.
Nana continued to growl, barking madly at them.
"It is okay." the little girl, Kikuri, spoke.
With that, Nana stopped growling.
"Nana?" Ran questioned.
The four then parted. The old man, Wanyudou, and the teen boy, Ren, to one side. The geisha, Hone Onna, and Kikuri, to the other.
The wind blew as Ai stepped forwards, picking her head up.
"You've summoned me." she spoke. "My name is Ai Emna."
"... Ai..." Ran uttered.
Sunao's eyes widened.
"It... it's you..." Sunao said quietly. "Hell Girl..."
"You're... you're the person I've been seeing out on the veranda..." Ran said.
"Mistress has been taking a bit of interest in your case." Hone Onna said. "She's been waiting for you to access her website."
"Do you wish to seek revenge?" Ai asked.
A little hesitant, Sunao and Ran locked eyes for a moment. They saw the sadness reflected in one anothers eyes, and slowly turned back to the group. They each gave one, single nod.
"Your names?" Wanyudou asked.
"Ran..." Ran said.
"And Sunao..." Sunao said.
"Fujimori." they finished in unison.
"Your sister has been hurt, hasn't she?" Wanyudou went on.
Ran and Sunao looked down.
"More than that..." Sunao began. "She gave her heart to that monster, only to have him betray her and throw it back at her once he was done using her. We've done everything we can think of for her, but nothing is taking away the burden of him causing trouble for us. She can't take much more... and I would do anything in the world just to see her genuinely happy again."
"So would I..." Ran added.
"Your wish?" Hone Onna asked.
The brothers picked their heads up, looking at them with helpless eyes.
"Please... banish him to Hell... for her sake..." they pleaded.
That was all Ai needed to hear. Her eyes looked over at Wanyudou.
"Wanyudou." she said.
Bowing his head with one hand atop of his straw hat, Wanyudou's other hand threw his red scarf around his neck. With a twist of wind, he seemed to disappear, and where he stood a black straw doll with a red thread tied around its neck appeared. Ai bent over and picked it up, turning to the brothers again. Something in her eyes beckoned them in a way that told them to come closer, so a bit cautiously, still holding hands, they approached the group a little closer.
Once they were close enough, Ai held the straw doll out.
"This is for you." she said.
Staring at it for a moment, Sunao and Ran lifted up their free hands and grasped the doll together. The skin of their hands brushed against Ai's for a few seconds before she took her hands away, leaving her arms down at her sides again. With Nana at their heels as their protector, the two boys brought the doll a bit closer to them to look at it better.
"If you truly wish revenge, just untie the scarlet thread from his neck." Ai spoke. "Pulling the thread will bind whichever one of you decides to pull it into a covenant with me. I will ferry the soul of your tormentor straight into the depths of Hell."
"To Hell..." Sunao uttered, eying the string with his eyes wide. He picked his head up. "It's that simple?..."
After a moment of silence, Ran picked his head up and looked at Sunao.
"Let's do it, Nao." he said.
Sunao's face became determined, and he nodded. Looking back down, just as he was to let go of the doll and let Ran hold it so he could untie the thread, they were stopped.
"However..." Ai went on, catching their attention. Immediately, they looked back up to her, staring into her enchanting red eyes. A wind began to blow, waving everyone's clothes and hair around. "Once vengeance has been served, you will have to deliver your end of the bargain."
"... Our end?..." they asked in unison.
"There always has to be a price." Ai said. "And so, whichever one of you pulls the thread, when you die, your soul will also belong to Hell."
At this, they took in shocked gasps in unison. Their eyes narrowed in fright.
"But not until you die, of course." Ren said.
"You will never know the joys of Heaven..." Ai went on, despite Ren's comment. "Your soul will be left to wander through a world made of pain and agony... there to remain for all of eternity."
Not a moment later, blackness appeared around the two brothers. Flames shot up, blood dripping around them like they were in a thunderstorm. Pain racked through their bodies, and they soon began to scream.
"STOP! PLEASE, STOP!" Ran shrieked as demons appeared from nearly nowhere.
"STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Sunao cried.
"NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" they exclaimed helplessly.
They huddled closely together, tears streaking down their cheeks, eyes closed tightly as they were now sitting back on their bed in their bedroom. They clung onto each other tightly, their hands still grasping the straw doll. They breathed raggedly, cautiously opening their eyes again. They were shocked but relieved to see that they were back home, and that Nana was seated by the open glass doors of the veranda.
Then it occurred to them... they hadn't left the doors open.
Ran was the first to pick his head up, mesmerized to see Ai standing there, her long, black hair fluttering in the gentle breeze. Sunao soon picked his head up as well, still shaking as tears continued to fall down his face. The light of the sunset in the sky seemed to make Ai look all the more beautiful.
"And now..." she began. "The decision rests... with you."
And then she was gone with the wind.
Sunao and Ran looked back down, holding the straw doll up higher. Their eyes remained locked onto the thread...
Knock knock knock.
Their hearts jumped in their chests a bit from fright, and they quickly stashed the doll beneath one of the pillows before they sat down normally on Sunao's bed.
"C-come in." Ran called, being a little more coherent than Sunao was.
Rose opened the door, smiling at her two teenage sons brightly.
"Hello, babies. Did you rest well?" She then blinked when she saw the tears on Sunao's face, seeing him shaking. "Nao, deary, what's wrong?"
Sunao looked down.
"Nothing..." Sunao responded, his voice a little hoarse. "I just... had a nightmare..."
"Are you alright?" Rose asked.
"... Yes... I will be fine..."
"Jesus, Sunao... you don't look so good." Sora said.
All Sunao could do in response was give a tired moan. His and Ran's eyes were glazed over from lack of sleep, and there were dark circles around their eyes. They stared at the floor out of sheer tiredness.
"You don't look so good either, Ran." Yoru said, his voice filled with worry.
"We couldn't sleep very well last night..." Ran mumbled. "We kept on having nightmares..."
"You should have called us or texted us," Yoru said. "We would have come right over to comfort you and cuddle you to sleep."
Almost leaning forward as if to fall over, Sunao moaned again.
"Next time we know..." he said.
"Jeez," Gaku said from the classroom fish tank. He held a can of fish food in his hand, his head turned in their direction. "Those must have been some bad dreams."
"Terrible..." Ran responded as Sunao collapsed against Sora.
"Are you two okay enough to be here today?" Hiromu asked, raising his concerns from his spot next to Gaku.
"Kuu-chan, you make a good pillow for my face..." Sunao said, his words muffled.
"We'll be fine..." Ran responded. He picked his head up a bit, his eyes about halfway closed. "But... do you guys think you can come over after school today?"
"Yeah..." Sunao added as Sora pulled him up by the shoulders. "There's something we need to talk about."
"It has to wait until after school?" Yoru asked.
"Why not now?" Sora asked.
"It's too open an area..." Ran responded.
Plus... Sunao thought. We left the doll in my bedroom.
After a long, sleepless night, the two brothers knew it would be best for them to leave the doll at home. Thinking irrationally during the day with it in their possession would wind up with one of them just deciding to pull the thread, giving them a one-way ticket to Hell once they died. Leaving it at home was the best choice for them.
"Is it something about Maya again?" Yoru asked.
Ran and Sunao both grew quiet.
"... In a way..." Sunao began.
"... Yes..." Ran finished.
"Oh, my twitchy-witchy girl, I think you are so nice. I bring you bowls of porridge, I give you bowls of ice... cream."
Home for her lunch break from work, Rose decided to get some laundry done while she cooked frozen shrimp in the toaster oven. She set the rice cooker on, and then picked up a laundry basket and set to work finding dirty clothes in her childrens' bedrooms.
With Sunao's bedroom door left open for Nana to sleep on the bed, Rose entered the room without much difficulty. The sleepy puppy picked her head up, yawning once before sitting up and greeting Rose with a bark. She stood up, jumping off of the bed, trotting out the door to go find the beagles, Clover and Shiloh.
"Such a sweet pup," Rose cooed. "She feels right at home already."
She then began to pick up discarded socks and T-shirts from the floor. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something black sticking out from underneath one of Sunao's pillows. She blinked; the boys hadn't liked wearing black ever since their father died. Around the anniversary of his death was when they wore solid black, but otherwise, year-round they avoided the solid color completely.
"What could this be, then?" she questioned, setting the laundry basket down onto the bed before pulling the pillow up with one hand. With the doll in plain view, Rose raised an eyebrow. "... Nao doesn't know how to make wara ningyo... does he?..."
Rose picked the doll up, raising it to her eye level. Her eyes looked at the thread.
"... What is this for?..."
"Tadaima!"
Ran stepped inside after slipping his shoes off, waiting to hear a call back.
"Hello? Mama? Nee-chan? Rin-chan? Anybody home?" he called, walking in the direction of the kitchen.
The two Fujimoris plus their friends were greeted warmly by the three dogs and the cat, however there were no other living beings in the house it seemed. Ran returned shortly afterward, holding up a note from the fridge left by Rose.
"Mama went out shopping with Rin," Ran said. "And Maya is at her SAP meeting."
"What's a sap meeting?" Gaku asked.
"It stands for Single And Pregnant." Ran responded.
"Are you guys hungry?" Sunao asked. "I can make us a snack or something..."
"I can help!" Ran responded.
"Kitten..."
Yoru wrapped his arm around Ran, pulling him back to his chest.
"Sunao doesn't let you anywhere near the kitchen when he's trying to cook." Yoru said.
"Okay, what is up with you two?" Sora asked. "You've been acting weird all day..."
Sunao turned around, looking back at Ran. Ran looked at him as well, and after a moment they nodded.
"Let's... just do this now." Sunao said, heading into the living room. "Let's go up to my room."
Once they were up in Sunao's room, Ran closed the door behind them, as if cautious.
"Gaku, Matsuri," Ran began, his head hanging downwards. "Have you ever heard of the Hell Correspondence?"
"Just rumors." Matsuri responded. "I don't have the guts to see if it exists."
"Hell... Correspondence..." Gaku mused, rolling his head back to gaze up at the ceiling.
"You remember, right?" Hiromu asked. "That website you access at midnight so Hell Girl can take revenge on someone for you."
"Oh, dear God..." Sora shook his head in his hands. "Nao, what did you do? All the rumors I've heard about that damn website - 'If you use it, you wind up dead!' 'There've been some totally weird disappearances!' 'I heard this one girl in another class tried it out!'"
"I did try going on it once, but nothing came up for me." Yoru said.
"... Should we just show them, Nao?" Ran asked, looking over at Sunao. Sunao was seated on his bed, right beside his pillows. He picked his head up, glancing at Ran. Something in his eyes begged Ran to come sit next to him, so Ran did so.
Sunao turned and lifted up his pillow just enough for him to see beneath it. The straw doll was still seated where he had left it that morning, and he picked it up with his other hand before setting the pillow back down. He faced his body forwards again, holding the doll in his hands.
"... What is that? Some sort of voodoo doll?" Matsuri asked, leaning his face down closely to the doll.
"Hell Girl is real." Sunao and Ran said in unison.
"She appeared before us yesterday when we were home alone..." Ran said.
"... And she gave us this." Sunao finished.
Sora's eyes widened.
"... You accessed the website... didn't you?" Sora asked.
"At this point, what other choice would we have to get rid of Ryotarou?" Sunao asked, keeping his head ducked down. "He isn't just tormenting Maya now - it's effecting us all!"
"And now if we want to get rid of him forever, all we have to do..." Ran turned his eyes to the doll. "Is untie the red thread from that doll's neck, and Hell Girl will ferry him to Hell."
"... She exists..." Yoru sat down on the other side of Sunao's bed, his eyes narrow with surprise. "I've heard so many rumors about her, but... Hell Girl really exists?..."
"... It's that easy to get rid of him?" Sora asked. "Then... why haven't you untied it yet?"
"There's a catch to it..." Sunao said, tightening his grip around the doll.
"There always has to be a price. When you die, your soul will also belong to Hell."
Sunao and Ran picked their heads up, looking over at Hiromu. He stood at the glass doors, staring outside towards the sky.
"You will never know the joys of Heaven..." Hiromu went on. "Your soul will be left to wander through a world made of pain and agony... there to remain for all of eternity."
"... How did you know that?" Sunao whispered.
"... Because she ferried the soul of my tormentor straight into the depths of Hell when I untied the thread..." Hiromu responded. "Remember... the Science teacher who went missing back during our freshman year?..."
"Aizawa? Nagase-buchou's father?" Gaku asked.
"... The reason why I was in the hospital during that time was because I was one of the students he molested..." Hiromu said. "I had tried killing myself, but my parents were only just able to save me. I couldn't try it again... so when I heard about Hell Correspondence, I waited until midnight and accessed the website, and I typed in his name... and then I sent him to Hell the next day."
"... How could you have made that decision?..." Ran asked.
"My life would only continue on being Hell with him still alive..." Hiromu said. "I can live my life now, knowing he's getting what he deserves."
"But... Hiromu!" Gaku began, his eyes tearing. "You don't deserve to go to Hell! You should deserve to go to Heaven! I'll admit, Kai is happy his father is gone and no longer causing anybody pain... but... that's too big of a price to pay!"
"Gaku's right!" Sora said, raising his voice. "Nao, please, can't you just give the doll back to her? I don't want you to do anything stupid!"
"We haven't even had the state of mind to think this over properly!" Sunao said. "We're not doing anything at the moment! But if something else happens-"
"'Something else'?" Sora cut him off. "Nao, you and Ran can't go to Hell!"
"It won't be both of us..." Ran said. "Hell Girl said that whichever one of us unties the thread will be the one who will be sent to Hell when we die."
"You cannot do this!" Sora exclaimed. "If you did something that would wind up giving yourself a one-way ticket straight into Hell, I wouldn't be able to look at you without thinking 'I should have done something; at least he could still be in Heaven when we die!'"
Not a second later, Sunao stood up and flung his arms around Sora, burying his face into the elder's chest. The straw doll was stuck beneath his chin, and hiccuping sounds came up from this throat.
"Kuu-chan... I'm sorry..." he sobbed. "I just... I don't know what to do anymore! Ryotarou is too powerful a man to just tell no to! I'm at my wit's end..." His fingers held onto Sora's uniform jacket tightly. "I would do anything to help Maya! She's the only sister I've got! She's one of the only family we have left! I can't bear the thought of losing her, or her being in pain!"
"She's absolutely refusing help... even from Mama." Ran said. "She's too proud... but at the same time, she's so helpless..."
Sora wrapped his arms around Sunao tightly, rubbing his back before he turned his head to look at Hiromu.
"Hiromu-chan... how did you make the decision?" Sora asked.
Hiromu looked down at his chest, lifting his hand up to the top of his uniform jacket. He unzippered it, pulling his shirt down to reveal a small, black, flame-like mark on his chest. He saw it on the window from the slight reflection it gave off.
"I figured... if Aizawa had hurt me so badly, then there were others he had hurt, too." Hiromu said. "The world would be better off without him, and so to save myself and the others, I untied the thread."
"You didn't want to risk waiting too long for someone else to do it, did you?" Gaku asked. "Because he could have hurt more people if you hadn't."
Hiromu nodded, turning around, still holding his jacket and shirt down.
"When you enter the covenant with Hell Girl, you're given this mark on your chest." he said, looking at Ran. "And every time you look at it, you're reminded of the consequences you'll have to face for what you did."
"... Do you regret it?" Sora asked.
"... I..." Hiromu looked down. "... The thought of living a comfortable life without needing to worry about Aizawa... that is what keeps me on the bright side of my decision. And... who knows... maybe I won't be in Hell for all of eternity. I could be reborn eventually..." With that, he buttoned up his shirt and re-zipped his jacket.
"... This is something we really need time to think about..." Ran said as Sunao sniffled, unburying his face from Sora's chest. "It might be drastic, but in the long run, it's better than keeping Maya and the twins' lives in danger." He closed his eyes. "And Nao... if either one of us is going to pull the thread, it will have to be me."
"What?" Yoru gasped. "Kitten-"
"No." Ran said, staring into his palms. "Nao is my little brother... if it means going to Hell in his place when I die, I don't care..."
"I'm not as little as I seem..." Sunao mumbled, lightly glaring at Ran through his tears.
"You're still my brother." Ran said. "And I won't let you suffer like that. You're more shaken about the thought of Hell than I am."
Knock knock knock.
"Nao, Ran! I'm home!" Rose's voice called.
"Mama..." Sunao uttered, letting go of Sora and regaining his composure.
"Nao, quick! The doll!" Ran said in a hushed tone.
Sunao blinked, then looked back down into his hands. Surely enough, the doll was there. Quickly, he turned around and stashed it beneath his pillow.
"C-come in!" Sunao called back after wiping his face with his palms.
Rose opened the door, bearing a happy smile on her face.
"Hello, boys. Sorry I wasn't here when you got home from school. Maya should be home soon..." Rose's expression then showed worry on it.
"Is... something wrong, Mama?" Ran asked.
"Have you and Nao been feeling alright lately?" Rose asked.
"Yeah... we've been fine." Ran turned and looked at Sunao, whom nodded. He then looked back at Rose. "Why?"
"I don't know... you've just been acting a little strangely for the past few weeks." Rose responded. She then put on a happy face. "Don't worry; we can talk later. I won't drag you away from your friends right now..." She looked around the room. "How about you all come downstairs? Rin and I picked up a cake from the bakery on our way home. A snack could do us all some good."
"O-okay." Sunao nodded. "We'll be downstairs in a bit."
"Okay." Rose said with a smile before closing the door behind herself.
Once her footsteps faded and silence grew unbearable, Hiromu picked his head up.
"I think she knows something might be going on." the little blonde boy said.
"Mamas always know..." Sunao said.
"Mamas always know..." Sora nodded in agreement.
"Ran and Sunao Fujimori?"
The two pinkettes blinked, looking up at the lady who stood in front of them. The week had already gone by, and it was now Friday, meaning they were free to go home and relax for the weekend again.
"Excuse me?"
Yoru and Sora stepped in front of their respective boyfriend protectively.
"Who might you be?" Yoru asked.
"I was told to bring them to the hospital," she said. "It's about your sister, Maya."
Ran and Sunao's eyes widened, gasps stuck in their throats. Simultaneously, they dropped their book bags down from their shoulders.
"No..." Sunao uttered. All of a sudden he shook his head. "No! Maya!"
"Onee-chan!" Ran exclaimed.
They dropped down onto their knees right beside her hospital bed, Sunao burying his face into her shoulder, Ran grasping her hand.
"Onee-chan..." Ran uttered, stroking her pale, cold hand. He picked his head up, looking towards her face. "What happened?..."
"All I know is that she was attacked." the woman, now identified as a nurse, responded. "She was almost stabbed in her stomach, but she managed to escape with just a minor cut. If she wasn't so careful, the babies would have been killed."
"He did this..." Sunao uttered, his eyes narrowing in shock. "He did this to her..." He squeezed his eyes shut tightly.
"I know this must be tramatic right now..." the nurse spoke, laying a hand onto each of their shoulders, crouching down in-between them. "But, the doctors need to have one more look over her. She's close to her due date, so, she might wind up going into labor soon after she wakes up, as well."
The boys hesitantly gave a slow nod, standing up and turning around as the nurse headed to the door with them.
"You're welcome to wait right outside if you wish." she said as they picked up their bags. "I'll fetch you some chairs for waiting."
Slowly, they shook their heads again.
"Okay..." She offered them a sympathetic expression and politely bowed. "If you need anything from me, just ask for Nurse Tanaka at the nurse's station."
They remained silent as she turned and walked down the hallway. Slowly, their heads lifted up to look inside of the room where Maya lay quietly.
"... Where do you think Mama is?..." Ran asked, his voice hoarse.
Unable to hold back his sobs, Sunao flung his bag around his shoulders and took off down the hallway.
"Nao! What - where are you going?" Ran called.
"I'LL NEVER FORGIVE HIM FOR WHAT HE'S DONE TO MAYA-NEE-CHAN!" Sunao shouted, running in the direction of the stairs - not wanting to bother with the elevator.
"No..." Ran uttered. "The doll!"
At that, Sora and Yoru's eyes widened.
"Hell Girl..." Sora uttered. "We've gotta stop him!"
"Come on!" Yoru grasped Sora's hand and Ran's hand. "We've got no time to lose!"
And off they were, running after the hysterical Sunao.
Sunao didn't even bother to take his shoes off when he ran into the house, though the other three trailed behind him at a rather far pace. Soon, though, his loud running footsteps were heard going up the stairs, down the hallway to his bedroom.
"Nao!" Ran's voice shouted from the bottom of the steps as the three ran up.
Sunao opened his door, immediately running to the side of his bed and taking the doll from beneath the pillow. He then walked over to the glass doors, opening them and staring outside at the sky for a moment.
"Ryotarou..." he began, grasping the string with his thumb and index finger.
"NAO!" all three boys shouted once they reached the door.
"See you in Hell!" Sunao exclaimed before he jerked his hand back, untying the red thread from the black straw doll's neck in an instant.
Ran's eyes grew wide as a wind from outside ushered the doll, now threadless, out of Sunao's hand, waving his brother's hair and clothes around.
"Your grievance shall be avenged..." a deep voice echoed through the room.
Sunao stared out of the doors, panting, feeling a deep pang growing in his chest.
Tears gathered in Ran's eyes. He began to shake his head.
"No... no..." Ran lifted his hands up to his eyes. "Nao... you..."
Sunao brought his head down, unzippering his uniform jacket. He pulled his shirt down, glancing down at the black seal of the covenant. With his lips beginning to tremble, tears still streaming down his face, he looked out towards the sky again.
"Papa..." he began. "I know... that Mama said you're watching over me and everyone else in Heaven..." He looked downwards. "I love you... but... please... don't wait for me..."
"Nao..." Ran began sobbing into his hands, heaving them up from his gut. "I told you that if one of us was going to pull the string, it would be me! I..."
Ran ran over to Sunao, throwing his arms around him and sobbing into his chest.
"You don't deserve to go to Hell..." Ran uttered.
"Sunao Fujimori."
Immediately, all four boys picked their heads up. Ran turned around, his eyes widening as he and Sunao locked their eyes onto Ai.
"I have come here to let you know that your covenant with me is being canceled." Ai spoke.
Sunao's eyes widened.
"What?..." he uttered.
"Someone else accessed Hell Correspondence at midnight last night." Ai said. "And they typed in the same name you and Ran did; Ryotarou Tokumoru."
"But... but I just pulled the thread off of the doll and sent him to Hell." Sunao said.
"Yes. But the person who accessed Hell Correspondence last night pulled the thread on their doll just a second before you pulled the thread on yours." Ai said.
"So..." Ran's eyes began to glimmer. "Does that mean... Nao isn't going to Hell when he dies?"
"No. He will not." Ai responded. "Forgive me for the mark on your chest, but I cannot reverse that."
Sunao looked down at his chest again; the little black, flame-like mark was still branded onto his skin.
"... That's okay..." Sunao responded before picking his head up to look back at Ai. A very small smile was etched upon his face. "Thank you..."
"Yes." Ai responded. "Perhaps, some day, we will meet again, Ran and Sunao Fujimori."
"Believe me," Ran began. "We won't."
Ai then gave them a bow.
"Good bye, now." she said.
"Wait!"
Ai looked back at Sunao.
"Yes?" she asked.
"... The person... who is really sending Ryotarou to Hell..." Sunao began. "... What is their name?"
Ai remained silent for a moment. She then approached the two pinkette brothers.
"They told me to tell you this if you asked me that." Ai said. She then picked up her hands, laying one upon each of their faces. "Your grievance..." Her eyes slipped closed, as did the two boys' eyes. "Shall be avenged."
And then with a slight gust of wind from the glass doors, she was gone.
"I shall now ferry this vengeance to Hell..."
Sora, shaken in his spot, kept his tearing eyes locked onto Sunao.
"Nao..." His mouth twitched upwards into a smile. "You're saved!" He then ran over to his beloved boyfriend, embracing him tightly. Sunao's arms clung onto him tightly, and soon their lips met in an almost fiery passion. "Oh, thank God..." Sora uttered when they parted. "For a while there... I was so scared for you..."
Sunao closed his eyes tightly, sniffling as he nuzzled his face against Sora's.
"Never again..." Sunao whispered. "Never again..."
They pulled apart, and Sunao picked his hand up; the red thread was still in his grasp, as if woven between his index finger and middle finger. His eyes then drifted down to his chest again, where he let his head down to eye the black mark again.
"... Now every time I look at the mark on my chest, I'll be reminded of how I was saved from Hell."
"Ai, I've prepare your nagajuban."
"Yes, Grandma. Thank you."
Ai picked up the white underclothing and pulled it on over the wet, white clothes she already wore. She tied it at the waist before she picked up her kimono, eveloping herself in the black fabric with flowers printed upon it. She tied the sash at her waist, brushing the hair on the right side of her face over her shoulder.
The carriage with the fire-breathing face on the wheel appeared, Ai stepping inside, seating herself down as it whisked her off into the sky.
As it approached midnight, Ryotarou Tokumoru was still busy and wide-awake in his office. He worked his phone nearly restlessly, dialing and redialing and speed-dialing.
"Hello?"
"Finally." he growled. "I've been waiting for hours! Did you get them or not?"
"I-"
Ryotarou's eyes narrowed when the line went dead.
"Fuck!" he shouted, throwing the phone at the wall. He watched with delight how it shattered into pieces, sparks flying about. "What am I going to have to do, kill her and those damn things myself?"
When he turned to face out the big window behind his desk, he was surprised to find Maya there, her stomach flat as the day they had met.
"Maya..." he cooed in an agonizingly, fakely sweet and assuring tone. He opened his arms. "Baby, I knew you would see things my way."
"Of course." she spoke, spinning around once. After that, her body turned into a skeleton. Her clothes remained, as did her hair, and she began to walk towards Ryotarou. "Darling Ryotarou-kun, it's been so long~"
"Holy shit!" Ryotarou shouted, shoving her away when she approached him. She fell to the ground, the skeleton shattering, bones snapping apart from ligaments and joints. "What the hell is going on?"
One of the double-doors to his office opened, and in shot fire, burning everything around him.
"AAAAGGGGHHHH! WHAT THE FUUUUUCK?"
The flames dissippated everything around him, leaving nothing but black and blood. More women of only skeletons and hair came up around him, each one bent on digging their bone hands into his flesh.
Screams of pain came up Ryotarou's throat.
"Get off of me!"
When his eyes opened next, he was seated in a doctor's office, watching a woman in stirrups gripping sheets beneath her in pain. The doctor with her kept on saying the procedure would all be over soon. Soon, the doctor turned around with a bloody, hideous, bug-eyed baby in his hands.
"Daaaaaddyyyy..." the baby spoke, staring straight at Ryotarou. "Daaaaaaaddyyyyy..." The baby began to float in Ryotarou's direction, holding out its bloody, disfigured hands. "Daaaaddyyyy, want to play with me?"
"What the hell is this?" Ryotarou shouted.
"Daddy..." the baby spoke, reaching its arms out, as if wanting a hug.
Ryotarou swatted it away, watching it hit the wall and shatter into blood and bones.
"Ryotarou Tokumoru..."
Flames and darkness shot up around Ryotarou again, cuffs of fire holding his wrists and ankles where they were as Wanyudou, Ren, Hone Onna and Kikuri appeared before him.
"Would you like to confess to your sins against women, now?" Hone Onna asked, her skin turning transparent for a moment to show her bones to the man.
"What are you talking about?" Ryotarou snapped.
"The way you treat women is a tad bit old-fashioned, isn't it?" Wanyudou asked.
"Pressuring all of those women into having abortions before you fired and dumped them..." Ren said. "What a filthy man you are."
"If you had kept your hands and eyes off of Maya Fujimori, then you wouldn't need to be punished like this." Hone Onna asked.
"Well, will you confess for your sins?" Wanyudou asked.
"Why the hell should I confess to something so worthless?" Ryotarou shouted. "Women are only good for one thing: and that is sex! What else is there for a man to need from a woman? Love is retarded! All of those women who went lovesick over me deserved to be abandoned and childless! Women are pathetic, useless creatures!"
"Well," Ren grinned. "Did you hear that, Mistress?"
Not a moment later, Ai appeared before Ryotarou.
"Oh pitiful shadow lost in the darkness... bringing torment and pain to others. Oh damned soul wallowing in your sin..." Ai opened her eyes all the way. "Perhaps... it is time to die."
With the flick of her wrist, flowers from her kimono enveloped Ryotarou's vision, blackness overcoming him completely.
When Ryotarou opened his eyes, he realized he was laying in a wooden boat in the darkness. He sat up, seeing paper lanterns floating in the water. He then looked at the back of the boat, finding Ai standing there looking ahead of herself, rowing through the misty, dark waters.
"What the hell... where am I?" Ryotarou barked, lunging toward her. However, when he did, boney hands came up from the bottom of the boat. One each attached to his wrists and ankles, others digging into his flesh to make him bleed. This resulted in him screaming out into the darkness.
"This is vengeance..." Ai spoke. "So I am to ferry you to Hell."
"Oh, Maya... they're beautiful."
Sunao smiled as he held his newborn niece in his arms, hearing her coo as she grasped his index finger and sucked on it like it was a pacifier.
Maya smiled from her hospital bed, surrounded by baby pink and baby blue decorations to commemorate the birth day of her twins, a girl and a boy. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, her arms resting across her now empty stomach atop of her blankets. She was glowing with health and happiness.
"Aw..." Ran kissed his new nephew's forehead as he slumbered in his arms. "They're so little and chubby and cute..."
"Congradulations, Maya-chan." Yoru and Sora greeted as they walked through the door, bearing gift bags.
"Hey there... I wasn't expecting you two to stop by." Maya said, her voice tired.
"It isn't everyday you become an uncle for the first time." Yoru said.
Maya smiled. Her brothers and those two boys knew they had their true love, and it made her warm knowing they would be cared for by them for the rest of their lives.
"Onee-chan," Rin began from Rose's arms. "What are you going to name them?"
"Well," Maya smiled. "I already have a name picked out for the little boy. But first... Ran? Nao?"
"Hm?" They picked their heads up and looked over at their elder, triplet sister.
"I've been thinking this for a while..." Maya began. "And I want you to name the little girl."
They blinked once, each taking in a quiet gasp.
"You want us to name her?" they asked.
"Of course..." Maya began to gather happy tears in her eyes. "These past months have been the roughest ones of our lives, but it's all thanks to you two that we were able to get through it." A single tear dropped down each of her cheeks as her smile widened a bit. "And it would be my honor for you to name my little girl; my daughter; your niece."
Ran and Sunao looked at one another. After a moment, they blinked, looking out towards the window. Outside, seated on the tree, watching them, were Ai and Kikuri. Ai sat quietly, her red eyes locked onto them. It looked like she had a very small smile on, but they couldn't tell. Kikuri kicked her feet, smiling broadly at them. She mouthed words they couldn't hear, but they suspected it was "Congradulations."
Out of confusion, Yoru and Sora looked outside. They were only just able to keep themselves calm at the sight of the girl they had met the day before, knowing her now as Ai Emna, the Hell Girl. However, to go along with it, they spoke up.
"Nao?" Sora asked.
"Kitten?" Yoru added.
"Is something wrong?" Sora asked.
The two Fujimoris turned their heads away from the window, looking down at the baby in Sunao's arms.
"... No... we're fine..." Ran responded.
Maya's eyebrows raised out of concern.
"Are you sure?" she asked.
They nodded once more before looking back to one another. They smiled, as if they had spoken about this before. Like they had known Maya would ask this, and let them choose their niece's name. They looked back at Maya.
"Abriella." they said.
Maya smiled a smile broader than the one from before. A few more happy tears streaked down her face.
"That's beautiful..." she said. "Beautiful... and... perfect..."
Kikuri smiled from outside.
"She looks so happy again now, Ai-chan." she commented. "Now that she's smiling again, she's even glowing."
"That alone must be enough for them to be happy for the rest of their lives." Ai slipped her eyes closed for a moment. "Their grievance has been avenged."
When she opened her eyes again, she saw Sunao staring out the window; at her. Abriella, newly named, had opened her little pink, pearly eyes, giggling and cooing in his arms. The look in Sunao's eyes radiated off the words "Thank you."
Ai let out a smile; just enough for him to see.
"You are welcome." she spoke, though he couldn't hear it.
Sunao closed his eyes, a little smile on his face. He turned and walked to the side of Maya's hospital bed.
"It's such a beautiful day..." he said. "It must be a blessing for them."
"I couldn't have asked for anything else..." Maya smiled, taking Abriella into her arms. Ran then settled the little boy into her other arm, and she held both of her children and smiled at them. "Abriella..." She looked from her to the boy. "And Shinzo Junior..."
"Shinzo... after Papa?" Ran asked.
"Yes." Maya nodded. "Papa in Heaven... our guardian angel."
"They're so beautiful, Maya-chan." Sora said with a smile.
"I'm glad things turned out alright for them." Kikuri said.
"Yes." Ai responded.
"Mistress,"
Ai continued to watch the family through the window, even as Wanyudou, Hone Onna and Ren appeared.
"Why is it you keep watching them?" Wanyudou asked.
Ai remained silent.
"Perhaps it is pity?" Ren asked. "Those boys don't know who saved them. Even though they are right in front of their faces."
"One day, they will find out." Ai said. "When that time comes, they will be forever grateful."
"We should get back home, Mistress." Hone Onna said.
"Okay." Ai remained silent for a moment. She then slipped her eyes closed. She slipped them open after a short while. "Let's go."
Ran and Sunao wandered over to the window, leaning their elbows on the window sill, their chins upon their hands. As they looked out to Ai and her attendants, all five of the people in the tree seemed to smile in unison, holding up a single hand each to wave. Kikuri, however, wove her hand like a little kid as she continued kicking her feet in a child-like fashion. Soon after, they faded away.
"Thank you..." they whispered, just loud enough for only them to hear. "Hell Girl..."
After that weekend in early June, life improve significantly for the Fujimori family. After Ryotarou had been missing for weeks and pronounced dead, Maya was enherited to the fortune he held as compensation for him denying being the twins' father.
Soon after graduating, while beginning to plan their weddings to Yoru and Sora, Ran and Sunao were happy to find out they too would be expecting a child of their own as well. As a result, they planned on moving out of the house after their respective weddings just months away in the future. Maya congradualted them happily, happy to hear that her brothers would be well-cared for, with a happy life ahead of them.
Strongly, Maya put Ryotarou behind her completely, focusing on adoring her little twins to death. Rose took to being a grandmother very well, caring for them when they awoke at night to let Maya rest. Rin enjoyed having the babies around, as well.
Soon enough, summer passed and then autumn snuck up on them, bringing around the anniversary of the day Shinzo Fujimori passed away. Black plagued the house, worn on sleeves, but grieving seemed minimal. No longer was losing him painful; with the babies around, they seemed to be theraputic. Especially with Shinzo Junior, having been named after their beloved father who now resided in Heaven.
On the morning of his death anniversary, Sunao and Ran woke up feeling somehow like they were reborn, not sad. However, they pulled on their outfits of black, covering their swelling bellies. Sunao took a moment, once dressed, to stare at himself in the mirror. Lifting his hands up, he pulled down the collar of his turtleneck, revealing the little black flame-like marking on his chest.
"You're still wondering who saved you, aren't you?" Ran asked.
Sunao slipped his eyes closed. He nodded once before he opened them back up, eying his reflection.
"If I knew who they were, then... I would be more than happy to give them my thanks." Sunao said softly before he pulled his sweater back up, hiding the black mark like it were his most closely-guarded secret. He then turned around. "Let's go downstairs now... I want to pay my respects to Papa."
In the living room, they had set up a small table with a framed photograph of their father, with incense and candles that were both scented of cherry blossoms and vanilla. A pair of his gloves were laid on the table as well. Every time they felt the need of his presence, they would kneel in front of the table and pull the gloves over their hands, placing them on their chests; over their heart. Immediately, it would feel like he were there himself, and they would feel at ease.
Shinzo himself had been a twin. His elder twin brother had passed away when Maya, Ran and Sunao were young. He now resided in the Fujimori family plot in the cemetery, buried beside his twin brother.
On the day his twin died, Shinzo turned to Rose and told her something he truly wished for them.
"Rose, the last thing in the world I want is for our children to ever have to suffer." His ruby red eyes stared into her pink ones. "I will vow to this every day for the rest of my life. I will do anything for them... when the time comes, I will do anything for their children, too. I love them... and I refuse to let all that is evil in the world hurt them."
Rose took his hand and smiled, closing her eyes.
"I will do anything for them, as well..." Rose responded. "Whatever it takes to protect them, I vow I will do without a moment's hesitation."
On the morning of the day he died, Ran and Sunao walked quietly down the stairs so as not to wake up who might have still been asleep. However, they were surprised to see their mother, Rose, awake so early in the morning. Already, she was kneeling at their memorial for Shinzo.
Quietly, they watched her from the doorway of the living room.
When she picked her head up and opened her eyes, she placed her hands in her lap.
"I know... you must be a little disappointed in me." she began, staring at Shinzo's photographed face. "But... I've kept to our vow. I know you know what I did..."
Sunao's eyebrows twitched in confusion. What she had done?
"It was the only thing I could think of to save them..." Rose whispered, letting out little tears from her eyes. She opened her eyes, staring into Shinzo's ruby red eyes. "I love you, Shinzo. You are my heart, and the father of my children. I know that, without a doubt in my mind, you are resting in Heaven above now, watching over all of us. Myself, Maya and her babies, Ran and Sunao with their unborn children inside of them, our soon-to-be son-in-laws, and fragile little Rin."
Rose reached one of her hands out to stroke the glass of the frame; right upon Shinzo's peach-tanned cheek.
"I love you... and since I have gone so far to keep them happy and safe, I will continue to do so until I am old and gray." Rose said. "But, someday, on the day my life finally comes to an end... I have to face the consequences of what I did. I love you very much... but, please... on the day I die, don't wait for me at Heaven's gates. I will never be able to know Heaven's joys..."
"Mama."
Rose gasped and turned her head around, gazing back at Ran and Sunao. Their eyes were wide, shining with worry and what seemed to be wonder.
"It was you..." Sunao whispered. "You're the one who sent Ryotarou to Hell."
A little sadly, Rose nodded, turning around on her knees.
"I couldn't let you do that, Sunao." Rose said, pulling down the top of her shirt. Revealed on her chest was the same seal of the covenant Sunao bore, only her's was the real deal; she was a soul bound for Hell when she would die. "I heard you talking about the doll through the door of your room that day. It took a lot of courage for me to finally access the website when I saw you still had it."
"Mama..." Ran whispered, the tears gathering in his eyes beginning to burn. "You're... bound for Hell..."
"I would rather go to Hell for you rather than live on knowing that when you would die, you would wind up in Hell." Rose responded. "You're my children... you're all I've got left in this world. And I vowed to your father a long time ago that I would do anything for you..." She touched two of her fingers to her chest. "And I remain true to my word."
Sunao hung his head.
"You don't deserve to go to Hell..." he said. "Why couldn't it have been me?..."
Ran and Sunao approached their mother, kneeling down in front of her. Rose took them into her arms, holding them tightly.
"Babies... I love you. I love you very much." Rose said. "A mother is someone who will do anything for the sake of their children... but don't you worry about me. I know that Hell seems scary... but I have a feeling that no one who is good goes there forever. Some day, I will be reborn into a new life with a new chance for life. I believe this..."
Sunao pulled away, his eyes looking at the mark on her chest. He looked down towards his own chest, pulling down his turtleneck, revealing the mark on his chest to his mother.
"You only just narrowly achieved saving me from Hell..." Sunao uttered.
Rose wrapped her arms around Sunao tightly, petting the back of his hair.
"I would do it all over again if I had to..." Rose told him. "But... I think that right now, all we should concern ourselves with is that we know that Ryotarou is gone; he is where he belongs for all of eternity."
Sunao slipped his eyes closed, wrapping his arms back around his mother.
"All this time... my savior was right in front of my eyes. And you knew this in secret... up until today." Sunao whispered.
"I would do it all over again to save you if I had to." Rose repeated.
"Mama?..."
Rin stood in the doorway, his blanky in his hands, sleeves of his pajamas covering his hands. He rubbed at his mismatched eyes; the right of red, the left of pink.
"Is... Nii-chan hurting somewheres?..." Rin asked like the innocent little boy he was.
Rose and Sunao pulled apart, immediately able to pull up the tops of their respective shirts to cover the marks on their chests. Sunao stood and approached Rin, kneeling in front of him and patting the top of his pink hair with a smile.
"Don't worry... I'm okay." Sunao said, hoisting Rin up into his arms before he stood up. "You remember what day it is, right?"
"Yes, Nii-chan, I dos..." Rin responded, switching the hand that rubbed his eyes.
"Would you like to say a prayer for your papa in Heaven?" Rose asked.
"Okay. I's been practicings my prayer for Papa since lasts year." Rin responded, nodding his head once before popping his thumb into his mouth.
As Rose took Rin from Sunao's arms and sat down in front of the memorial, seating Rin in her lap, both Ran and Sunao kept their eyes locked onto her, even though she did not see. She had a feeling they were, though.
After a moment, they turned to one another, each with a hand on their stomachs. Still an instinct, they then held one anothers hand.
"Mama is the kind of mama I want to be for my children one day..." Sunao said.
"Me, too..." Ran nodded in agreement.
Within a darkness filled entirely by candles, a new flame ignited, further brightening the nothingness just a little further. A small bit of wax began melting off of the top of the candle, and it streaked down the side of the candle like a teardrop of wax.
"Your grievance... shall be avenged."
The name inscribed onto the candle in black writing was Rose Fujimori.
OWARI
Gash: FINALLY! AFTER ABOUT 2 MONTHS OF ON-AND-OFF UNSTEADY WORK ON THIS ONE-SHOT, IT IS FINALLY COMPLETE!
Aki: And in that time, have you worked on He's Having A Baby at all?
Gash: Let me explain myself, Aki... I wrote this to get the plot bunny for it out of my head! It is also to hold over my readers for He's Having A Baby. I apologize IMMENSELY for leaving such a long wait in-between updates! I'm working on it now, I just have had a lot on my plate to deal with... this week especially has been a bitch.
Zeon: You can read all about her daily statuses on her deviantArt journal. The link to her dA account is on her profile.
Gash: Yeah... I sorta stopped writing in my Gaia Online journal and switched my journal entries over to dA. I gotta update that in my profile sometime soon...
Skylar: And until her next He's Having A Baby update, please review this! Authoress has worked hard on this.
Gash: :/ Believe me, it wasn't easy work. Also, for those of you unfamiliar with Hell Girl, the character Kikuri doesn't appear until the second season Hell Girl: Two Mirrors. I have yet to see it in English, but I saw two episodes of Two Mirrors on my TV's AT&T Anime on Demand feature, and they were subbed in English. I figured it wouldn't make much of a difference, since the stories are episodic, and since I have already read up on Wikipedia what happens in the second and third seasons of Hell Girl. Kikuri... was just too adorable to NOT include.
Zeon: We also hope you liked the surprise twist-like ending to this.
Gash: :3 Indeed. I also hope that the OC family I've been using for Sunao didn't irritate you...
Skylar: So, once again...
Gash and Skylar: Review, please! :3
Zeon: Review or Hell Girl will ferry YOU to Hell.
Aki: ... What an original threat.
Zeon: I don't see you coming up with any.
(GASH-CHAN NOTE! For those of you wondering where Sunao's OC family of his mother, sister and younger brother came from, they originated in my Sukisho/GX crossover. Just to let you know! :3 Okay, bye now!)