Still don't own Hardy Boys or Hell Girl.

Enjoy!

"And now, the decision rests with you."

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Frank slowly descended down the stairs, wondering about the voices. Now that he knew for certain it wasn't one of the countless victims, he was determined to recollect the owners. But, it sounded easier than the actually task.

He heard his father attempting to speak with Hajime, and noted that his Japanese had improved a bit. It was still be a while before it came to the level his was, but it was better that nothing.

"Morning," he said warily as he entered the kitchen. Tsugumi smiled fondly at him, while the fathers talked uninterrupted about something that sounded like locations.

"What have they been talking about?" he asked the younger girl, slowly moving towards the table with rice and eggs.

"Your dad wants to know where Hell Girl has been. But she's been everywhere, so Hajime-chan has been trying to tell him about all the places we saw her."

"Oh." He said nothing more, and ate his breakfast in silence.

He was mentally going through the list of people he knew that spoke Japanese. It was diminished quickly. Except… Just maybe…

And then the vision came.

"Not now…" Frank mumbled. This time, he couldn't leave the room. They were all going to hear.

He just hoped Joe wouldn't mention his own name.

"'Mistress…'" he heard himself mumble. His vision switched to his brother's point of view, and the older Hardy son saw Ai.

Frank was sure the others were staring at him right now, but he couldn't focus. All he could see, hear and say was what he saw and heard in the scene.

"Have you located him yet?"

"'Not yet, but we have an idea of what his plans are. He's going to go after the actor. Should we try to stop him there?'"

"Yes."

"'Also, we believe that he might prevent us to enter the area until the exact time he plans for us.'"

"Do not worry. We will get him, and ferry him back to Hell."

The vision faded, and Frank could hear the voice of his father calling him. But he felt suddenly tired, and within seconds, his body had dropped into his father's arms, as his mind called him back to a peaceful sleep.

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"Joe…"

"What?"

"I was watching your brother, and he had a vision."

"So? He has them-"

"In front of you dad."

"Crap."

--------------

Frank slowly regained consciousness, and noted that he was back in his room, laying on the mat he had for a bed, turned away from what he was sure was his father's figure. He didn't want to get up, so he stayed under the covers, and closed his eyes…

"Frank."

Instinct told him to open his eyes, but he fought the impulse. The voice was calm and familiar…

"It's me, Kukiko. Remember? Don't open your eyes, your father's next to you, but just hear me out."

He nodded slowly, enough to go unnoticed by at the same time to show he understood.

"Well, your visions kinda blew it. Not your fault, considering since you're closer to Joe here than when you were at home. But… We figured with the time zones thing straightening out, you might have these visions more likely during day and night."

Joy…

"Joe has been swearing since he found out, by the way. Not a pretty thing. But the main thing is, Mistress says it's not something you can prevent. So, I guess you have to go with the flow. But Joe said try not to reveal his identity. We're going to be careful with the names, but if your dad asks, don't tell him anything."

He peeped open his eyes, and looked towards the small mirror leaning against the wall. He had meant to put it up, but had forgotten. Frank was glad for this, however, when he saw Kukiko's faint image. Her wavy, light brown hair had gone past her shoulders, and her hazel eyes stared back at him. They had long ago reached an understanding. It could have been because she had been another victim of the murderer his brother had faced.

Or, as Frank had told Joe, maybe it was because she had studied pyschology and he could have a decent conversation with her.

Either way, the two had become acquaintances, maybe even friends. It was not something that he would have expected when he worked on the original case, but then again, he had thought of his brother as truly dead.

"And you might want to drop the whole 'I'm asleep' act. It's been over three hours. See ya."

Three hours? Why had he been out so long? Usually, he was never tired when he received a vision; quite the opposite in fact. So why was this time different?

He pretended to slowly stir from slumber, and heard his father gasp in relief. He turned over, and met Fenton's face. "Dad?"

"Frank, why didn't you tell me?"

"You mean the visions?"

"You were hurt, you could possibly be in danger-"

"Dad, I'm okay. And I wanted to tell you, but… I needed to understand the visions for myself. It was nothing I could stop, so I let it be."

"Frank, I want you to tell me, who did you see? Do you think you know?"

"Hell Girl. Countless victims, and almost always Hell Girl."

-----------------

"Please, help me!"

-----------------

Why didn't he tell his father? Frank had questioned his motives over and over again until the darkness cloaked the sky. Fenton had a right to know about his son, even though Joe was technically dead.

Frank fingered the pile of papers near his sleeping area. When he was positive that he was the only one up, he slipped out from under the covers. The summer air had greeted him as he slid the glass door open, and the stars shone just as brightly as before. This time, Frank had the curtains closed, and pulled the door back almost to its original position.

He had a powerful flashlight in his pocket, about the size of a pen. He took it out, and clicked the button. An instant beam of light was produced, and he shone it on the papers that he had brought out with him.

The stories inscribed on the paper told of murders, with two unfortunate victims. The shooter had been found, but was already dead. His face contained a look of pure fear, as the reporter had noted repeatedly.

Two young teenagers, who had inspiring dreams, were dead on the scene. They had been on a train to a rural area, when the murderer had strike. Two simple shots, to the chest of each one. It was quick, but was damaging to the Hardys. Kukiko had lived as an orphan, and as far as Frank was concerned, no one gave much of a damn.

Frank remembered his parents agreeing to bury her body in America next to Joe's. The blonde had already contacted them enough to tell of his new friend. They thought it would only be fair to attempt to return the favor.

Frank had known that the world was cruel since he was a young child. But why did it have to do this? Why did it fling him into this issue, something that he had not wanted to deal with?

He had also realized two other things at a young age. One was that questions answered usually brought up more questions.

The other being that some questions are never answered.