Hell Girl:
Daddy's Little Girl
"Your name?"
"Nikki Sakaguchi."
"Is what he did to you so horrible?"
"Yes. He stole something I can never get back. He ruined my life! It's unforgivable!"
"Your wish?"
"Banish him to Hell for me. Please!"
"Your grievance shall be avenged."
Red rose petals scattered upon a tiled floor; candlelight illuminating gently under a faded fluorescent light bulb; the smell of lemon-scented perfume hovering in the air; bubbles breaching the sliver-lined bathtub; how perfect this was for him. Ryan Watashisho, an average, everyday working man in mid-eastern Tokyo for a law firm – hair gussied up at every opportunity, pattered business tie, collared undershirt, and very boring and unconventional – was also a very profitable family man. He loved his wife, Hayumi, and their dear child, Nikki, very much. However, being unable to support themselves financially was a burden that he openly took responsibility for. A lack of food, barely any clean clothes to wear, dry in Hayumi's savings account, he took full responsibility for these consequences; but he knew that, thankfully, their poverty stint was about to come to a foreseen conclusion. "Hayumi, you can come in now," he called into the dark hallway.
From the assumable end of the dark hallway that was the master bedroom, there came into a middle-aged woman in a plain white t-shirt and simple polka-dotted shorts, jet black hair hanging down her back, messy with split ends all over. A tear fell from her face that appeared cold and void of life or compassion. "Can't we do this some other way? This is so wrong?" she said, voice cracking somewhat. Hayumi was a woman who stuck stubbornly to moral values and principles. Part of a social service group that vowed to assist teens and children through various life struggles, her job was time-consuming, but heartwarming to lead these kids down the correct path. She could already tell that a new mission was about to bore itself to the surface.
"No, Hayumi. You know that we're suffering financially, and unless we get this rent paid, then we'll get thrown out in the streets. We'll have to home school Nikki, and I know that you don't want that," he argued. "I'm already working two jobs in order to provide, and I'm hardly making ends meet. They might fire me from one job because I'm slacking; and I have reason to. Trust me. This is the only way."
"But..."
"Don't argue with me, Hayumi! I have to do this. We have to do this."
Great. The "we" prefix again, she thought. Ryan was infamous for using the "we"prefix around the apartment. Every time that something had to be done as a team, like their marriage, he'd always insinuate that something was wrong and in order to repair, "we" had to do it. 'We have to do it together; we can't give up hope; we have to keep trying' and so on. If there was anything she had the opportunity to change about her workaholic husband, that we prefix would be the first on the list. What he was about to perform wasn't something that "they" had to do. He could do this alone if he wanted. How could he sink this low? She'd divorce him in the blink of an eye right now, but she was trapped in limbo between Ryan and Nikki. "Don't say that."
"Hayumi, what else am I supposed to do?"
She couldn't bring herself to answer that. In her mind, there were thousands, maybe even millions, of other things he could've done to earn money to pay the rent, but saying them would've probably either gotten her slapped or Ryan leaving her on the spot. Of course, she'd prefer the latter. Solemnly, she agreed with him and shed more tears from her aquamarine eyes. With enormous regret, she dropped her hand to the ground and lowered her head in shame.
Out of the shadows came a young pigtailed girl dressed in nothing but a yellow tank top and tapered socks. The radiance of her skin, clear and shiny, brought an strange aura about Ryan. A perfectly strapping, innocent seven-year-old prepubescent child standing there in front of him, open and available. Hayumi held her hands close to her chest, shivering like a dried leaf in the wind, in fear and unwavering anticipation of justice. Ryan stared blankly at her, knowing what he had to do, but somewhere deep inside this was wrong. How could he do this to his own daughter? This was worse than murder. Worse than larceny. There's no other way, he thought. He bottled up all his fears and regrets, mentally preparing himself. Straight ahead was the only way to go. Not backwards, not sideways, not even forward crookedly, but straight forward. Then he proceeded to remove his shirt, pants, and socks. In seconds, he was completely naked. He then picked up a video camera and leaned it against the lintel. Lucky for him, it was already recording.
Hayumi couldn't stand to watch this. Her entire soul shook violently. How he was touching her...moving around her...it was all so horrible! Right now, at this very moment in time, she hated the very fabric of her husband's being. The darkness around them engulfed her, chewed her up, and spat her out. Even if the sun was shining on her, she'd still feel incredibly cold, vacant like a dead spirit. Was this what their family was reduced to? She refused to accept that.
~5 years later, Yaomi Middle School~
"Okay, so if you take 24 and multiply it by 7, then divide it by 3½, what do you get?" a young, stalwart teacher asked his students.
"48!" a male student darted out from the back of the class, hand hovering over his neatly conditioned brown hair and pressed button-up shirt and tie.
"That's correct, Iiachi."
Iiachi Kakamodo was just one of many brilliant minds at Yaomi Charter Middle School. A charter school in the middle of Tokyo with one of the highest graduation rates in the area – the system purposely oversaturated the graduation term to make it seem more authentic that students are excelling towards higher education when they are really just advancing to the next grade level – only some of the brightest children were accepted through the school's authenticity process where the enrolling students, usually about five hundred at a time, had to take a test measuring their knowledge of basic Japanese culture. Iiachi was one of the Top 10 students with a final score of 98.6%. One of the people to surpass him was Nikki Sakaguchi, a young girl who enrolled about the same time he did. She was a genius, he wasn't ashamed to admit, but she acted very reticent during class and away from class. Maybe she was still new to the school, maybe she didn't like talking to the students. She usually sat in the back of the class or silently near the window. But whatever the reason, he hoped that she'd break out and engage in conversations.
Just then, the clock hit 12:00 and the bell rang in response. Students jumped from their seats and raced to the door. "All right, class! Don't forget about your homework. Remember: Pages 34-35, numbers 1-20. I want to see your work when you come back! Due tomorrow!" the teacher yelled over the stampede of students zooming through the door. He'd never seen students so eager to leave Math. He chuckled to himself a bit before returning to his cluttered workspace to grade last night's homework. Suddenly, there came the creak of a chair. He looked up and saw Nikki packing her belongings. "Nikki, you're still here?"
Embarrassed, she lowered her notebook. "I'm sorry, Mr. Mananko. I was just getting my stuff. I'm leaving now."
"No, stay. Besides, I'd like to speak with you."
Was she in trouble? If so, he had a good reason to speak with her. What he was probably going to say wouldn't surprise her in the slightest: "[insert student name], you're a very bright student. You used to do so well in this class. Now your grades are steadily declining. Would you mind telling me what's the problem?" She approached him with her notebook hugging her side. She prepared herself for a lecture.
"Nikki, you're a very bright student. You used to do so well in this class. Now your grades are steadily declining. Would you mind telling me what's the problem?" he asked.
Just as she thought. He always said that to every student who isn't doing good in his class. It was practically the only combination of words he used to express his concern with those students. What a means of consolation that was. If that was the case, she didn't at all feel better. "Well, Mr. Mananko, I...um...I've just been having some problems at home. I don't have to tell them to you, do I?" she assumed nervously.
"No, no," he chuckled. "You don't have to if you don't want. Those matters are confidential. I'm not a police officer who's going to violently interrogate you."
She forced a little smirk and a laugh.
"But I would just like to encourage you to resolve those problems that are hurting your grades. You're one of my best students, but you have to do better than you are now. I could allow you to redo last night's homework and give you full credit, but you'd have to do really well on tonight's homework. Understand?"
"I understand."
"Good. You go on to your next class, Nikki. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Thank you, Mr. Mananko," she bowed before grabbing the rest of her materials and exiting the classroom. She knew that he had positive intentions to making her feel better about herself, but he had no right to assume that she had something happening at home that was a direct result of her slipping grades. Just thinking about it made her spirit wane. Home. Uttering that word brought a cringing pain to her stomach. That was no home, but a lifeless prison. It unlocked memories of dreadful peculiarity that she just wished would go away forever. Just then, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped in shock and turned her head. "Oh. It's only you, Iiachi," she smiled.
"Yeah. Who else could it have been?" he joked.
She laughed a bit. Iiachi was one of the students she could trust her secrets with. He was a true friend who was always there for her. Even at night when she was walking home, he was right there on his bike, offering a ride. He was always available to talk to her about certain problems, but she couldn't find the courage to bring to him the real reason for her shyness. Either way, seeing his face made her feel a little better before she died again at the end of the day. "So, what do you think about that homework? Hard, right?"
"Meh, a little. How about you?"
"I'm no good with fractions."
"I can help if you want. You don't mind if I come over to your house after school today, do you? My mom isn't going to be home until seven, so I can drop by and help you."
Oh, no. Was what he really suggesting true? Did he really plan on coming over to her single story house and help with her homework? No! That would monopolize everything! A small smile appeared on her face, but inside she was trembling, fearing the worst was yet to come. "Oh, no. You don't have to do that. I'll be fine."
"No, really. I'd be glad to help you," he insisted. "I saw you were having trouble with yesterday's homework. You were rushing to get it done."
Nikki knew he was right. She was a total slacker. After the assignment was given, she didn't even bother to do it. She tried to go home and do it, but her father was the only one home at the time. It didn't even matter if he was good with working with calculators and estimating numbers. There was no way in hell that she would even go near that man. Her mom was out doing her usual with her Tokyo Children & Teen Assistance Service, or T.C.T.A.S. With no bed to sleep in that night, she slept on a park bench. Thankfully it was nice and warm out. Then, realizing she was nearly late for English, she dashed 12 blocks from the park to Yaomi Charter and struggled to complete her Math homework before Third Period. As usual, she didn't finish in time and her work was sloppy. What a day that was. It would help if she didn't have another one. She scratched her head and laughed in agreement. "Yeah, I was, wasn't I? Wouldn't want that to happen again. I guess you can come over if you want, Iiachi."
"Cool! I'll see you after school, Nikki," he said as he turned the opposite direction and ran off to his next class.
"Great..." She sealed her fate now. She should've thought about what she said before actually saying it. That was an official invitation to her house to assist with her homework. Plus, if she was unlucky enough, he'd get to meet her parents. How horrible it was that she was inviting her best, and probably only, friend just to be driven back out. She could at least rationalize and say that her mom was easy to get along with. A lovely lady with a heart of gold, she could practically sense the quality of people by looking at them. For a while, she suspected her mother of having hidden powers. If so, then she'd willfully accept Iiachi as a friend of the family. Her father, however...
Just then, the bell rang long and loud. "Oh, no! I can't be late!" she cried out. Her next class was just up the stairs, and she couldn't miss it. If she did, that darn Kimchi would mock her for being a slowpoke again. More ridicule was the last thing she needed.
On the school benches, Nikki sat patiently waiting for her mother. Hopefully, Iiachi forgot about the plan about coming over to her house. Ten minutes had already flown past, her mom hadn't shown up, and Iiachi was nowhere in sight. She heaved a sigh of comfort when she saw a black 1995 Convertible pull up slowly onto the curb. Hayumi waved to her through the tinted windshield. She responded just the same. As soon as she rose, eagerly anticipating the ride back to the house with no father, a voice erupted in the background calling her name. Iiachi...she groaned inside. This was an incredible coincidence. As soon as her mother arrives, Iiachi is right there, ready to go. He must have talked to her mom before she came here and set this up. No way this would just happen at the exact same moment in time. A set up! Had to have been. "Oh, hey, Iiachi."
"Sorry I'm late, Nikki," he said, panting as sweat dripped from his face. "I got here as fast as I could. I just had to do some things for a friend."
Really? Do some things for a friend? His face was dripping with sweat. His whole body was soaking wet. She could even see some sweat sliding from underneath his shirt. What was he doing? Trucking a forklift? He couldn't stop panting like some thirsty dog. What in the world were you doing, Iiachi?
"Whoo!" he exclaimed, sweeping his forehead clean of sweat. "Is that your mom?"
"Yeah, that's her in the window."
Iiachi saw clearly through the thick windshield Mrs. Sakaguchi. She looked very cheerful and bustling with life. Such youthful decorations about her person like a ponytail hung over her shoulder, clear managed skin tone, a graphic tee just barely showing a logo of a Japanese kanji. What a lovely personification of youthful parenthood. She appeared much livelier than most mothers who became slaves to their children; yet this woman looked like a very independent woman with nothing to hide. If that was Nikki's mom, he couldn't help but introduce himself. He budged Nikki aside and approached Hayumi. "Hi, Mrs. Sakaguchi. My name is Iiachi Kakamodo, a friend of your daughter and a student here at Yaomi Charter," he politely introduced himself. A bit over-the-top, he had to admit, but he was introducing himself to his best friend's mother, for goodness sake. Like the very first interview, it had to be done right the first time.
"Nice to meet you, Iiachi. I'm Hayumi Sakaguchi. I can see you met my daughter," she smiled. Looking out the passenger window, she could see Nikki slowly approaching the passenger seat with her head buried beneath her patterned folder of her favorite manga, Desu Desu Origami-sama! Otaku-Sensei!She chuckled a bit. "She's a little shy."
"I've noticed. She shy in her classes, too."
Nikki buried her head in her folder even deeper. What was he doing telling her mother all this information? So embarrassing! Oh, Iiachi... Just stop it!
"But I actually came to ask if it was all right if I could come over to your house so I could help Nikki with her homework. We're doing fractions this week and she really needs help with it. I was just wondering if I could come over. My mom won't mind because she doesn't get home until seven tonight and my dad is never home," he smirked.
Given the information that was presented to Hayumi, he was a really nice boy. She'd happily invite him over, but first she needed to check the time. Looking at her radio, the clock read in electric green, 3:25 PM. Ryan doesn't get home until about five or six on the dot. That should be plenty of time. She couldn't have a boy like this running into a filthy man like that. It'd probably hurt her more than it would Nikki. Perfect. Her mind made up, she happily obliged and said, "Of course you can! Hop in!"
"Yes!" he exclaimed before hopping into the back seat of their wonderfully bumpy vehicle. He was absolutely surprised that Nikki's mom was so happy-go-lucky. Her personality was so jumpy, so out there, so alive. Not at all like his mother. His mom was such a wet blanket, never allowing any friends in the house, always away when he needed her, always complaining about completely trivial things like the weather or if there wasn't any mail for her – things she couldn't exactly control. If he had the choice to select another mom, or even a foster mom, Mrs. Sakaguchi would be his definite first pick. "Oh, and I saw that shirt that you're wearing. What does that mean? I don't believe I've seen that before."
"Oh, this kanji? It's actually a collage of a thousand different kanji symbols and letters. Together, it makes up the kanji for Life. I thought it was very powerful and gave me something to believe in. I bought it from this thrift store that was selling cool discount shirts 75% off, so I went there and purchased one for me and another for Nikki. She hasn't worn hers yet but, you know, she really should."
"She's right, Nikki. You should wear that shirt. It stands for something."
Did he really need to say anything? Couldn't they just have a normal quiet drive back to the house? She wasn't going to get that any time soon. All she could do was listen to them rattle on about their days and what they like to do in their spare time: make origami, read books, eat pancit, jog in the warm sunlight; couldn't it all just come to a halt until they got to the house? Not even five minutes in the car and she already wanted to make the decision to walk home. At least then she'd get some quiet. Sure it may have taken at least a half an hour from the school, but silence was golden as she was told. So was walking. Good for her cardio, which she needed more of anyway. Two things that were easily more enjoyable than all this chatter between Iiachi and her mom.
Just then, they came across a single story house. A simple white house with a shingled roof, one garage and a large yard with freshly cut grass. "Home sweet home," Hayumi said. As she pulled into the driveway, she sighed in relief. No car in the driveway. Thank Christ. Once they pulled into the driveway, Nikki jumped from the backseat and ran onto the patio and stood anxiously at the front door. "All right, calm down, Nikki! Ha, ha, ha!" She pulled a single key from her back pocket, slid it into the keyhole, turned, and CLICK! the door creaked open. "We only keep one key around the house. For privacy reasons," she told Iiachi as she watched him exit the car.
"Oh, I understand. Don't want any intruders to come in and steal stuff. Perfectly understandable why you'd want to have one key," he smirked. He waved his finger at her and laughed heartily. "I like you, Mrs. Sakaguchi."
"Oh, please. Just call me Mrs. S," she insisted as she led Iiachi in. What she liked about their single story house was that while it may have appeared as an ordinary home on the outside, it was incredibly luxurious on the inside. Glossy linoleum floor, hardwood kitchen floors that always appeared waxed, potted plants and scented candles hovered mesmerizing scents that hit visitors as they stepped in, a beautiful upstairs with four different rooms of dazzling variety for each member of the family: one for Nikki, one for Ryan, one for herself, and one for both Ryan and herself. That room was probably going to be redone for the family dog. They didn't own one, but in the future – it didn't hurt to plan ahead. "This is our house. See how it looks so much different inside?"
"I see," Iiachi said, awestruck by the magnificence of this ravishing interior. "This is amazing, Mrs. S. How did you do all this?"
"My husband, Ryan, works as a consultant at a law firm. He makes quite a large sum every year. Thanks to him, we're living in this "faux mansion," I call it. We make all the annual payments on gas, electricity, heat, and water. It's because of him and I must say..." She nodded her head. If there was one thing she ever learned from the 14 years of matrimony with Ryan Watashisho is how to stretch the truth. What was spoken was merely a half-truth. He did wholly assist in paying the bills on time. On the other hand, the lion's share of the money he earned to bail them out of that crappy apartment was something that she, herself, will regret for the rest of her days on this Earth. That part she couldn't reveal to Iiachi. His little heart would be crushed. So would Nikki's.
"That's so cool. Hey, Nikki. How about we get started on that homework, huh?"
"Okay!" she giddily stated. She raced up the stairs to her room. Iiachi followed close behind. The door shut behind them.
"So young. So innocent." How could she live with herself? What kind of mom would sell herself short like that for her husband? She didn't deserve this wonderful house. She didn't deserve that old car that, even after ten years, still runs like a charm. She didn't even deserve Nikki. Her whole world crumbled around her, slipping through her fingers like water. She couldn't stand to face the world with her deceitful tongue. She went to the padded armchair by the mini fireplace and cried. What kind of mother am I?
Upon entering Nikki's room, Iiachi thought he had entered into a warped world of warm colors. Shades of red, orange, yellow were everywhere, and they didn't exactly contrast well with the innumerable anime posters plastered on the walls and even the ceilings. He couldn't dare fathom this. He watched the occasional anime every now and again, but this was unfathomable that she had so many posters that couldn't be counted. They probably could, but the counter would more than likely lose track after the fiftieth poster of overexaggerated facial expressions. Regaining focus on the main objective, he sat down by Nikki's side and scanned over the assigned work. Oh, this is nothing new, he concluded. "Okay. This should be no problem at all. This week we're doing fractions with like and unlike denominators. Let's get the first problem down on the paper: three-sevenths plus four-sevenths. Now you see how the denominators here are the same, right?"
"Right."
"That's a seven, and this is a seven. That means they're like. If they're like, then you can just keep them the same and add the numerators. The numerator is the top number of the fraction, so you just add...and...see?"
She jotted down what he stated with careful precision not to mess up this incredibly simple equation. "Okay, so keep the denominators the same...and...add the numerators...you get...seven-sevenths."
"Or one."
"That was easy! I could've done that without you, ya' know. All you had to do was trust me," she chuckled, nudging him playfully.
"Heh! So do you think you can handle the next one on your own?"
"Sure can." Iiachi left her alone to work on the next few fractions in the book. As he was admiring some of the strange, bizarre anime posters around him, there came the sound of a car passing through. He looked out the window and saw silver car pull into their driveway. He turned around and told her that he saw a silver car pull into their driveway. "What?" Upon hearing those words, she jumped from her bedside and peered out the window. It couldn't be. He was home early? No! She screamed in her head. Not now! Please God, not now! "Iiachi, you can't be here! You have to leave now!"
"What do you mean? I just got here, Nikki."
"No, you have to leave right now! Here, take the window!"
He didn't quite understand what she wanted from him. First she agrees for an invitation to her house to assist with her homework, now she's demanding him to leave? He was ultimately confused about what to do, so he just assumed that he'd listen to her. Following her lead, he climbed down the window and landed in the bushes. Thankfully the tulips cushioned his fall. As he was leaving, he noticed the man, whom he assumed was her father, approaching the front door. Instinctively, he called and waved, "Hello, Mr. Sakaguchi," before down the street, vanishing in the distance.
He waved back out of the sheer kindness he had for visitors. That is, if he was informed. "Strange..." Uncaring about associations with those he didn't know, he approached the door and knocked it several times in a robotic rhythm.
Hayumi jolted forward from her melancholy episode and looked at the wall clock. Four o' clock on the dot! He wasn't supposed to come home this early! He was supposed to be back some time around seven or eight! If that clock was fast, it needed to be adjusted immediately because there was no possible way that man could have gotten off of work so damn early. Nikki was upstairs with Iiachi doing homework, nothing else! What if he walked in and he suspected something worse? No! All tot horrible to take in at one time! Trying to stall would just anger him, and trying to reason with Ryan was like talking to a brick wall. She had to give in and let him in. She knew in her heart letting him in would be just like letting in the Devil into the house. She prayed that the Devil had a heart. Upon approaching the door, she swallowed down an ocean of saliva, wrapped her hand around the knob and turned it. There he was, standing at the foot of the door, briefcase in hand. "Ryan, dear...you're home early."
"Yeah, I know. Work closed early today. Workers went on strike because they felt that they weren't getting enough pay compared with the amount of time they spent on the job. Because of that, work ended early today."
"I see. So how was your day otherwise?"
"Not bad. The drive was nice and pleasant. I got to work about an hour ahead of schedule, so I just sat in my car and listened to the radio. I've been doing so well at my job that they might actually think about promoting me," he explained, loosening himself of his suit and his suitcase. He plopped on the second arm chair and sighed. "This whole week has been work, work, work. But I've gotta be honest with you, it's been paying off. Living in this beautiful house, putting our darling Nikki through an actual school, it's just so great. And we did it together, you and me."
"No, Ryan," she countered. "You did. Not us. You."
"I can't take all the credit, sweet Hayumi-kun. You helped, and you know you did. This was a team effort. The two of us. Oh, and let's not forget about Nikki. By the way, where is she?"
Oh, God! Did he know she was home? She was peeking her head out, listening to the whole conversation going on by those two, that swindler of a father trying to trade-off some of the blame of the past by placing it on his own family. How low! She couldn't stand him! Just the fact that he lived in the same house as them was sickening to the stomach. No matter what, he couldn't let him see her. She didn't want to remember. She took herself and hid behind the door to avoid being spotted. He was wondering where she was. Hopefully, mom would make up a lie that she was still in school, involved in some afterschool program like Drama Club or the Anime Club. Whatever the case, anything would have sufficed to have her father stay worlds away from her.
Hayumi couldn't live with herself if he so much as looked at Nikki the wrong way, so it would've been better to make up a fib. "She's not home yet. She's still at school. She's getting tutoring after school to assist with her homework. Her math isn't all that great, so she's staying after school to have the teachers help her."
"Math homework? Please," he scoffed. "She wants some help, she should just ask me. I know quite a few about punching in numbers. But, oh well. Those teachers know best, don't they? Well, I'm going to take a nap. Wake me up in about two hours so we can have dinner together as a family."
Dinner as a family? Has he completely lost every single shred of sanity in his brain? Was he purposely trying to drag their family deeper and deeper into a crater, the crater that he created five years ago? As she watched him climb up the stairs, she saw as he turned left towards his room. She sighed in relief as he didn't attempt to enter Nikki's room. That was the last thing she wanted. A pitch black void surrounded her world in black, just ready to swallow her along with it. There was nothing she could do at this point. If he insisted on having a family dinner, then it had to be done. There was virtually no escape plan for her this time around. With tears flowing from her face, she proceeded up the stairs herself and entered her daughter's room. There she saw her, balled up in the corner, crying endlessly. What a shameful mother she was. She wasn't anything but a whore. A filthy whore with her legs spread wide to receive Hell's punishment upon her dirty soul. She hated seeing her daughter's tears spill, but she enjoyed seeing hers. It showed her powerlessness, her weakness to a greater power that she hoped and prayed would bless them with a miracle that words could never, ever express. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen."
"Why...?" she blubbered. "Why is this happening to us? To me?"
"I don't know, sweetheart, but we'll make it out of this somehow. I promise with all my might, I'll find a way out of this torture," she broke. She fell on her knees and sobbed with Nikki. If God could allow them to cry forever, then tonight would be the greatest night of their lives.
(End of Part I)
