Please send Arina Toshiki to Hell.
He stops, finger hovering over the mouse. One click. One click. One click of the mouse is all it takes to end this forever. One click is all that's necessary to be rid of her, of his tormentor.
Not him personally, mind you. His brother's.
His twin brother, who every day becomes more tired and despondent, more broken down inside whenever he hears a snide remark or receives a vicious glare from student and teacher alike. He doesn't deserve this, he did nothing wrong. It's all her. She did this. She's the one to blame.
She's the one who deserves to die.
One click.
One click.
It started off harmless, she'd been a regular of theirs since the Host Club first opened. She loved their 'brotherly love' routine, but it never occurred to either of them that she could have her eyes set on only one.
She was a pretty girl, in a quiet, gentle way. Her voice was soft and melodic, her eyes a beautiful hazel green; she once said they were her favorite feature. His brother thought she was pretty too, he'd said so after they figured out for themselves that she had a thing for him. For his part, his brother didn't really feel that way about her. They didn't really know each other well, after all. Outside of Club hours, she would never even approach him, even though they were in the same class and everything. She was shy, that much was evident. It was cute and even a bit endearing, but his brother didn't want that. He wanted a tough girl, one who wouldn't be afraid to speak her mind and who'd be able to walk right up to him and say, 'I like you.' Arina Toshiki simply wasn't that girl.
Then, almost as if she realized she could show affection without actually saying anything, she started sending gifts. The first one came a week or so after the initial revelation: a new skin for his brother's cell phone in his favorite color. His brother had met the gift with a smile. She hadn't delivered it directly, rather she left it inside his desk during lunchtime, accompanied by a note:
'For my dearest one.
AT.'
That was bold, for her at least. Including her initials outright stated that she was his 'secret admirer'. She even looked over her shoulder very non-subtly to make sure he got it and that he liked it. It was cute, and his brother really had liked the gift, he just wished she'd come out and tell him that she liked him already. His brother would never admit it, but he didn't want to just walk up to her and refuse her, it seemed so cruel. Neither of them thought she'd do it again, or that she'd start to do more. If they had… well, perhaps it wouldn't have come to this.
One click.
One click.
Her next present came two days later. This time, it was a fountain pen with his brother's name engraved on it. It was expensive looking, even for people as rich as they were. And it came again with that note.
'For my dearest one.'
Next came a new leather jacket imported from Italy. Then a diamond encrusted pencil box. Her gifts became more elaborate and extreme as time went on, and she always left them on his desk, in the exact same spot, with the exact same note.
'For my dearest one.'
One click.
One click.
One day, they came to class to find a set of keys on the desk, which they later discovered belonged to a Porsche parked outside with a large bow on the hood. That's when they both decided enough was enough.
The gifts weren't the only factor, it was also the way she constantly stared at his brother. In class, in the club, in the lunchroom, in the courtyard. Her eyes were always on him, her expression was always even. His brother was becoming afraid to even turn his head to the side, because she'd always be there with her hazel green eyes betraying no emotion save one:
Obsession.
The day his brother took her aside, he watched in the shadows. Arina had seemed thrilled at first. The object of her affections was talking to her, surely that meant he loved her too? His brother spoken in an apologetic tone, and her smile gradually diminished until it was completely gone, replaced by shock. She started talking, he couldn't make out her words, but he could hear her voice rise as she grabbed his brother by the collar and began to shake him. Her face had changed. The sweet, quiet girl was replaced by a mad, raving witch. her bizarre change in behavior struck a bit of fear in his brother, but he held his ground. He did not like her that way, he wanted her tostop sending him these gifts and stopstaring at him all the time.
Her teeth were bared, and he could see her chest rising and falling hard like an angry animal. She turned on her heel and walked away. His brother motioned like he was going to stop her, but quickly caught himself and backed off. It wouldn't have been so bad had she not stopped briefly and yelled something over her shoulder. When asked, his brother refused to divulge what she said, claiming she was just angry and hurt and would get over it. In truth, he hadn't really needed to ask what she'd said. Her scream was so loud, he'd heard it loud and clear, unlike the rest of the conversation. He would never tell his brother, but her words sent a chill down his spine, because despite what his brother said, something in his gut told him she'd been serious. That she'd make good on her words:
"You'll pay for this, you'll pay dearly."
One click.
One click.
For three days, she didn't bother them. No gifts appeared on his brother's desk, she didn't look at him one time, she hadn't set foot in the Host Club. It was enough to make both of them think it really was over. Life began to fall back into it's normal routine. They began to enjoy club activities again without the awkwardness derived from her presence. The only issue was that Arina's friends, who'd also been regulars of theirs, had stopped coming as well, and glared angrily at them every chance they got. It was a slight bother, but they didn't let it get to them. The girls were probably just being defensive of their friend. The two of them would do the same thing if someone they cared about had been hurt (never mind whether or not they deserved it).
On the fourth day, there were no club activities since Honey-senpai had a doctor's appointment. He waited in the courtyard with Haruhi for his brother to arrive from his last class. He did so ten minutes later… out of breath, his jacket loose, and his eyes full of fear, shock and disbelief.
Once he'd calmed his brother down, the boy had told them about how Arina cornered him in the empty classroom, pulling him down on top of her as she laid them on the teacher's desk. She'd forcefully kissed him and tried to remove his jacket. He managed to fight her off, and was sad to say that he'd had to smack her across the face during the scuffle. Haruhi had been furious, more than they thought she'd be. She demanded they go to the police immediately. This was assault and Arina needed to be reprimanded. They promised to do just that once they got home, which satisfied their female friend. But as they would soon discover, someone else had gotten to the cops first.
When they arrived home, they were greeted by several police cars. To their shock and anger, one of them contained a sobbing Arina, who pointed at his brother as soon as she saw him.
"That's him," she cried in a hysterical voice. "He's the one who did it!"
Before he knew what had happened, his brother had been dragged away by the police and Arina was flashing him a tiny, triumphant grin. That's when he knew, when he was 100 percent sure that behind the sweet and shy face of Arina Toshiki lay a monster bent on destroying his brother.
One click.
One click.
The next day, his brother was back. Arina had dropped the charges with the stipulation that his brother give her a sincere apology for what he'd done. His brother fought it, and clearly didn't like it, but he swallowed his pride because he had no evidence besides his word that could get him out of this. Not to mention the bruise on her cheek from where he'd hit her. Left to choose between an apology and jail, his brother chose the apology.
He himself later found out that someone had witnessed Arina's assault of his brother, and from their positioning, decided his brother had been the attacker and Arina the victim. Of course the girl wasted no time in going along with this, playing herself up as the weak, naïve little girl abused by a monster of a man. At least, that was his initial theory, before he discovered the identity of the caller. Her name was Misato Sawai, she was a regular at the Host Club.
And she was Arina's best friend.
One click.
One click.
After that, it hadn't been hard for him to figure out the truth, but by then it was too late. Already, people in school and out were whispering to each other about how 'that Hitachiin boy' tried to rape poor, innocent Arina Toshiki. Almost over night, one of the most popular students at Ouran Academy had become the most hated. Girls and boys alike would openly glare or shout insults at his brother, and him as well whenever he came to his brother's defense. Their visitors at the club had all but vanished, and for the first few days they'd simply sat alone at their table, drinking commoner's coffee and trying to ignore the hateful glares they got even here in their former sanctuary.
It all came to a head one day, when a girl they'd never even seen before approached them with anger in her eyes, and began a long stream of insults directed at his brother, who was by now too broken and depressed to do anything more than sit quietly and take it. He'd been furious, at Arina and at Misato and at this girl and at himself and even a bit at his brother for not standing up for himself, but he'd never admit that last one.
He'd been prepared to stand up and scream at the girl for the whole world to hear. How dare she? How dare she, a girl who'd never spoken a word to them, think she had the right to judge? How dare she try and hurt his brother more than he already had been? He'd never wanted to hit someone so badly in his entire life.
And he would've, he had no doubt about it. He'd simply been so angry, that he would've punched that girl in the face, perhaps pretending she was Arina, and he would've faced the consequences with a smile and no regrets. He'd been saved at the last minute by the timely arrival of a fellow host, whose hard eyes and enraged face shocked both of the twins. It wasn't so much the anger that amazed them, but whose face it was showing on.
"Enough," Tamaki Suoh's voice was low and very much unlike his own. "If that's how you're going to talk to him, leave now and don't ever come back."
The girl was shocked, her eyes pleaded with the King; clearly she was one of his customers. When he didn't falter, she'd quietly turned and walked away, making sure to send one final glare his brother's way before she left.
Tamaki had then immediately declared the Host Club closed for the evening, but not before making one final announcement.
"I hope you all heard that," he said. "I mean it in regards to all of you. Anyone who makes trouble for him makes trouble for the entire Host Club, and will not be allowed back here, ever."
The girls were surprised, to say the least. Hearing the cheerful idiot that was Tamaki Suoh speak so harshly to them was a shock for everyone, even Kyoya. When the girls left, Tamaki had sat down in front of them, a warm smile on his face.
"I won't let them bother you anymore," he said. "None of us will."
A quick glance around assured him that all their fellow hosts were in complete agreement. The seven of them had proven time and time again that they were more than just a club: when they'd feared Haruhi was about to be assaulted on physical exam day, and when Tamaki'd been almost married off by his Grandmother, the others had gone above and beyond to help them. More than anything else, they were a family and they'd protect each other from all adversary. Never before had the twins felt so cared for and loved outside their own household.
Unfortunately, it just wasn't enough.
One click.
One click.
The girls had stopped their glaring and insults, at least during club hours. During class, they still had to deal with the abuse. Haruhi tried to do something, but then she'd be targeted as well. She tried one day to tell off a particularly insulting girl whose boyfriend was nearby at the time. The boyfriend became enraged by how Haruhi spoke to his girlfriend and proceeded to beat the small girl senseless. In the midst of this, two things were revealed to the whole of Ouran High School.
The boyfriend at one point grabbed the front off Haruhi's shirt to pull her up. Misjudging his own strength, he pulled too hard and ripped part of her shirt clean off, revealing her bra for all the gathering crowd to see.
Thanks to technology, it was immediately traveling around the campus that Haruhi Fujioka was, in fact, a girl. Now people were torn between hating her for siding with the Hitachiins, and being angry at the boyfriend for attacking a girl.
The next revelation came a few hours later, and it was something not even the other Hosts had been aware of. They found out while sitting with the injured Haruhi in the nurse's office, wondering what was keeping their fearless leader, whom they'd assumed would be the first one there, crying over his so-called daughter just like he always did.
Eventually Tamaki did arrive… covered in blood, bruises and cuts, along with the boy that had attacked Haruhi, who was equally if not more beaten up.
As it turned out, Tamaki and Haruhi had been secretly seeing each other for several months now. They'd been planning on telling the others just before Arina's assault, but in the chaos, simply didn't feel it was the right time to bring it up.
When Tamaki heard about Haruhi being attacked, he'd been beyond furious. This time, there were no cameras around to stop him, and so he tracked down the boy who'd injured his girlfriend and attacked him. The other boy was a football player, and clearly the stronger of the two, but through the sheer force of anger fueled adrenaline, Tamaki had just barely won; even though his victory came with a bruised face, a broken nose and a fractured wrist.
Now, it wasn't just him and his brother and Haruhi. Tamaki's reputation had been tarnished as well. He came into school the next day covered in bandages and said only that his Grandmother knew about the fight, but refused to elaborate further. He did, however, hug Haruhi extremely tight the next time he saw her, and looked close to tears as he did so.
It was a chain reaction, gradually destroying all of them. And it was all because of Arina Toshiki.
One click.
One click.
It wasn't right, this wasn't suppose to happen. They'd stayed locked up for so long because this was what they'd been afraid of: being hurt and abused by a world that didn't understand them. Not even their friends in the Host Club could protect them from the cruelties brought on by Arina. His brother wasn't weak, but all the abuse, all the lies, all the pain had gotten to him, and he simply couldn't fight anymore. He was just so tired.
A week later, his brother was checked into the hospital. A group of boys from Arina's circle of friends decided now was the perfect time to stage their own attack. His brother had been beaten within an inch of his life. He'd tried to fight, but the boys overpowered him. His brother never had a chance against them.
He'd looked at his brother's face an hour later after rushing to the hospital. He looked worse than Tamaki or Haruhi had. Two black eyes, a million cuts and bruises, a shattered right arm, three teeth missing, so many more wounds he couldn't bear to describe.
"Don't worry," his brother had said. "This has to end soon, and it's not like we can do anything about it."
He was right.
One click.
One click.
Arina's father was a powerful politician, his influence was so vast, not even the Ootori family could do much against them without proper blackmail material (which Kyoya had been searching for in vain for quite some time). There was no evidence to back up the brothers' story. After all, how could a boy be sexually assaulted by a girl? Thatneverhappens.
It was all so hopeless. No one on Earth could help them... so why not try someone otherworldly?
He hadn't believed the Hell Correspondence website existed, a website one could only access at midnight that sent people to Hell? Ridiculous.
And yet here he was, midnight on the dot, his finger shaking as he held it steady over the mouse. He was nervous, yes, but not unsure. He knew he had to do this.
One click.
He had no other choice.
One click.
Arina Toshiki had destroyed their lives.
One click.
If it hadn't been for her, the school wouldn't have turned against them, Haruhi's secret wouldn't have been exposed, Tamaki wouldn't have lost his chance to win over his Grandmother, his brother wouldn't be in the hospital right now.
One click.
It was her fault.
One click.
She had done this.
One click.
His brother didn't deserve this Hell.
One click.
But she-
One click.
Arina Toshiki.
One click.
She deserved the real one.
One click.
Please send Arina Toshiki to Hell.
click
**
Ren Ichimoku is bored. He stands outside the Hitachiin mansion and watches through his projected eye as his Mistress gives the red headed boy the straw doll that is Wanyudo. The boy listens intently. He'd hesitated so long he almost wasted the whole minute he had and only hit send at the last possible second.
Now his Mistress stands before him, explaining the repercussions his decision would bring. Ren smirks a bit in amusement. The boy's face goes from scared, to excited, to confused, to fearful, as she made everything entirely clear to him. Both what he would get, and what shewould get out of the bargain.
Revenge for the boy, his soul for Hell. A fair trade, Ren supposes.
Ren closes his eye, cutting off his vision of the room and walks to where Hone Onna is waiting for him. The beautiful woman is smiling a bit, her hair in her face as always.
"So what do you think," she asks. "Will he do it?"
Ren glances back at the window. He can't see inside but knows his Mistress has left, and the boy is probably looking at the doll, wondering whether or not to pull the string and send his enemy to Hell. Ren's seen people like him countless times. They call the Hell Girl not for themselves, but for others. Mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers…
This boy is no different, and his eyes say it all. There's no doubt in Ren's mind.
"Definitely."
**
Finding Arina's number is easy. It was one of the first things Kyoya looked up when he began his investigation into her family history.
From there, it's simply a matter of sending a text and signing his brother's name, then he leaves the house alone and runs to the place where he is to meet her.
She is waiting when he arrives. Arina Toshiki.
He stops in front of her, and she smiles.
"I've been waiting for you," she says.
He nods his head.
"I know."
"I was so happy when I got your text," her voice is a bit shaky from happiness. "I didn't think you'd hold out this long what with all the abuse you and your friends are getting. I'm sorry about that by the way."
Hearing those words might have surprised him, and then he might have reconsidered what he was about do to. He wasn't a killer, and this decision, he knew, would forever weigh deeply on him for a number of reasons.
It's her tone, the way she speaks so casually, as if she were apologizing for breaking a borrowed pencil or something. He just barely controls his anger, he had to do this right.
"Is that so?" He asks calmly.
She nods with a sad smile.
"I didn't want to do it," she says. "But you left me no choice. You needed to be punished."
His mouth twitches a bit.
"You hurt me badly," she goes on. "I had to make you see that, and you had to understand that you can't fight me. We are soulmates, I've known it from the moment I first saw you. I just want you to see that, and love only me. I'm glad you've come to your senses. Otherwise, I'd have had to take the next step and disposed of your brother. He's a distraction and you don't need him anymore."
There's silence. He stares right at her, and doesn't even notice the girl with long straight black hair and emotionless blood red eyes watching the scene in the background. The doll is weighing down his back pocket, and he becomes more aware of it as her words make his hateful feelings grow.
"I have something for you," he can't take it anymore.
Her eyes light up, "You brought me a gift?"
He smiles, "Well, you've given me so many, it's only right that I return the favor."
He clutches the doll and fights the urge to vomit when she suddenly rushes forward and clings to him.
"I knew it," she says exurburantly. "I'm so happy!"
She looks into his eyes, they're filled with tears, and he can only think of how pure she really is. Just not the kind of pure most people think of.
"I love you," she says. "I love you so much."
She lets go, and he smiles wider as he pulls the doll from his pocket.
"It's a special present," He says, venom barely edging into his tone. "Only the best… for my dearest one."
He pulls out the doll. It's not very impressive, just a plain, black straw doll with no features and a red string tied around it's neck. Her smile fades a bit.
"It's… a doll?"
He shakes his head, "Not just a doll, it's a very specialdoll that'll take you right where you belong."
She starts a bit, his words and the edge he put to them startles her. Then she takes a good look at him, and her eyes narrow.
"Wait a minute," she says. "You're not Hikaru."
Kaoru grins, "No, but that's okay."
He grips the string between two fingers.
"Because I have his face, and I want that to be the last thing you ever see on this Earth."
He pulls the string. The unseen red-eyed girl disappears into thin air.
The string flies away from the doll, falling limply to the ground. By the time it hits, Arina Toshiki is gone, and Kaoru can almost hear the sound of her screams as Hell consumes her. He falls to this knees, dropping the doll which vanishes instantly. He is torn between laughing, crying and screaming, and instead just talks to himself.
"That's it," he hisses. "Now you'll pay. Now you'll pay forever, and now Hikaru is free."
The wind blows around him, blowing his hair in all different directions and a male voice rings out in his ears.
"Your grievance shall be avenged."
**
When it's over, Ren watches the boy leave. Kaoru Hitachiin is smiling, though his smile is both happy and sad. Ren knows that he's going to go and see his brother, there's no one else in the world he would probably want to see right now.
He doubts Kaoru will ever tell Hikaru about what he did, most of their clients never speak of it to anyone. And who'd believe them anyway?
Ren watches him go, and feels a jab of something in his stomach. He doesn't have a family, let alone a brother and so he will never know such a strong bond as theirs.
He can only watch, and experience the one human emotion he never has any trouble understanding.
Jealousy.
**
"Stop picking at it," Kaoru reprimands his older brother. "You'll get an infection."
"Since when did you become Mom?" Hikaru snorts and continues to mess with his bandaged cheek.
Kaoru sighs and rolls his eyes. Their room is very bright today from the sun, which fit's the younger twin's mood quite well. Hikaru came home from the hospital today, and his doctors all say he's recovering nicely.
Arina has been reported missing for two weeks now. A few days after the annoncement, Misato went to the police and confessed to helping Arina set up Hikaru, presenting an IM chat session from the night before as evidence. The theory was that Arina's sudden disapearance had frightened her into talking. This only served to make the situation more suspicous.
For there, the winds changed drastically in their favor. Girls would come in droves to beg Hikaru's forgiveness and give him Get Well Cards and flowers and chocolates and plushies and whatever else they could think of. The revelation, along with Arina's apparent run from justice, had struck a great blow to her family's reputation, and the records of under the table dealings with organized crime Kyoya had finally tracked down took care of the rest.
"How's Haruhi and the Boss?" Hikaru asks.
"Doing better," Kaoru responds with a slight nod. "They're happy they don't have to hide anymore, and I think his dad may have had a talk with his Grandmother, because he said everything's mostly alright with them."
Hikaru smiles, "So everyone's accepting of Haruhi? That's good."
"Kyoya-senpai even says she doesn't have to quit the Club since all the girls want to talk to her about Tamaki. Apparently they're the 'cutest couple in existence' now. Their words, not mine."
Hikaru laughs, and Kaoru's heart swells. He hasn't heard Hikaru laugh in months. He goes to fix his twins pillow as the latter rests his head and watches the birds go by.
"I have your homework here," Kaoru tell him. "Haruhi told me to let her know it you need help, she'll give you a hand."
Hikaru doesn't answer, and for a moment, this worries Kaoru. Until he sees the smile on his brother's face.
"Everyone's okay," he says. "Everything's going to be alright... I'm so glad."
Kaoru listens, and then he smiles and nods. Part of him wonders how his brother really feels about Arina's 'disappearance'. He wonders, but he'll never ask. This morning, and every morning since he pulled the string and sent Arina to Hell, he's stared in the mirror at the black mark on his chest, the mark of his covenant with the Hell Girl.
**
"Take this," her voice is strange, unearthly even. "If you truly wish to take revenge, untie this string, and I will ferry the soul of your tormentor straight into the depths of Hell. But know this, to curse someone is to dig a double grave, and you must fulfill your end of the bargain. If you pull that string, and send your tormentor to Hell, then when you die, your soul will also belong to Hell, and you will never know the joys of Heaven."
**
It had been a less difficult decision to make than it appeared. Hell for his brother's happiness? He could do that. The only thing that bothered him was that it meant they'd be eternally apart in the afterlife, but for now, he wouldn't let that get to him.
Because for now, his brother was safe, and his tormentor was gone, and their friends were happy and it was a beautiful day out, and they both had a happy, promisng future ahead of them.
Everything else could come as it pleased.
**
A row of candles.
Each of them burned bright, each of them bearing a name, each of them different lengths. A new one joins their ranks. The name written clearly in kanji.
KAORU HITACHIIN.
It sits in wait, growing a little bit shorter as each day goes by, until the day it will finally go out, and the other half of the bargain will be paid. The haunting voice of the Hell Girl is heard, she speaks to no one and yet to all.
"Your grievance shall be avenged."