Don't own Hardy Boys or Hell Girl.
Enjoy!
"Well, be careful."
-Fenton Hardy, The Hardy Boys, Undercover Brothers: Extreme Danger
-----------------
Joe didn't show up that evening, which only made Frank's tension worse. He pulled Kukiko out of the hiding place under his shirts in his bag, and said "You don't think…"
"We can't do anything about it, Frank. There's less than ten minutes until midnight, and your father is coming is less than five. We have to play this out."
"Is there a request, then?"
"Truthfully, there probably is. Joe has a habit of waiting with Mistress if she has a feeling a request is coming."
The brunette sighed, and mumbled "Thanks for the warning." He placed the purple doll back into the hiding place, and went out to the balcony. A few moments later, he heard his father enter the room, and sighed.
It was time for the show to begin.
It was exactly midnight, and he could feel the force pull him into the semi conscious state he had gotten use to. As Fenton opened the door, Frank's eyes already appeared unfocused, and the young brunette saw the land where the sun was never fully gone yet never fully present.
"'You want vengeance, don't you?'" he heard himself mumble, as his vision turned to a teenager who could have only been fourteen years old.
"Please, make her stop! She hurts us all, and now…"
His father was right beside him no, but Frank ignored his presence as he repeated Joe's words to the girl.
"'Was she really that horrible?'"
"Yes, yes! She stole my boyfriend! She stole everyone's significant other! And then she would twist them in such horrible ways with drugs and threats…"
"Joe."
"'Yes, mistress.'" The world seemed to grow larger as Joe changed into a pine green doll with a scarlet thread wrapped around his neck.
"This is for you. If you truly wish revenge, just untie the scarlet thread from its neck. By pulling the thread, you will bind us into a covenant. I will ferry the soul of your tormentor straight into the depths of Hell. However, once vengeance is served, you will then have to pay your end of the bargain."
"Huh?"
"There always has to be a price to pay. And so your soul will also belong to Hell."
"'There's no going back once you pull the thread. You will never go to Heaven and know the joys of it when you die. Instead, you will be in a world of pain and agony for eternity, never being able to escape.'"
"And now, the decision rests with you."
The place disappeared from Frank's sight, and he began to fall backwards, only to be caught by his father.
"Well?"
"The girl's name is Chika Sato. She goes to school around here…" Frank kept his eyes closed as he regained his balance. It was another strange gift that he had. He knew everything about the victim and the "client" right after the initial meeting. This gift had been questioned by the group, because unlike the connection he had with Joe (and the weak reasoning behind it), they could not find a reason for it.
"Good. We should be able to track her down then. But as for now…" Fenton turned to the doorway. "Get some sleep, son."
"I'll try Dad. I'll try."
--------------
Frank had barely laid down when he felt a swooping sensation in his stomach. He opened his eyes to find himself in the "sunset land" (that's what he uses to refer to the place where Ai and the servants lived) next to the giant tree. He slowly got up, and heard a groaning next to him.
"Kukiko, what's going on?" He looked at the girl, surprised that she was not in her doll form anymore.
"No clue. Mistress might have done it, but-" The brunette girl's eyes suddenly set their gaze forward, and Frank followed her example. In front of them stood a small blonde girl, probably no more than seven or eight years old.
"Who are you?" Frank asked.
The child's face mirrored Ai Enma's blank expression as she replied with "I'm the Unforgiving Witch."
Kukiko gasped. "You… Where's Mistress?"
"She's coming. I want to talk to you, Frank."
"Me?" Frank slowly got up. "Well… I'll be happy to talk to you if I knew who you were."
The girl looked at Ai's servant, who nodded as she began to stand. "The Unforgiving Witch is a being whose power is considered unrivaled to anyone of Earth. She's been here as long as the Greeks, making her older than Mistress."
Kukiko's gaze did not leave the child as she drew in a breath. "There are quite a few legends and myths about her origins and powers. If I remember correctly, she gained her powers because of her father, who wanted to be the strongest Athenian there was. Am I correct?"
The witch nodded, and Kukiko continued.
"They say she has made an agreement with Heaven and Hell. She would slay those who deserved to be damned and save those who are Heaven bound. In exchange, she would be allowed to keep the forbidden powers that her father forced upon her."
"But… why is she called the Unforgiving Witch?"
"Her temper." Frank turned and looked at the child as Kukiko revealed more. "She killed those who have hurt her, including her father, never showing a bit of mercy. Because of that, some of her enemies gave her that name, and it stuck throughout time."
"They don't deserve mercy," the child said softly, her blue eyes looking at both of them. "Now may I speak with you, Frank?"
"Uh, sure." Frank was cautious as he slowly walked to the girl. She already seemed like a powerful foe, but she had an aura of comfort surrounding her… familiar too…
"You cannot work for Hell Girl."
"Huh?"
The girl took a step, and she grabbed the air in front of her. The gesture seemed pointless, except as she pulled down on the invisible thing, the collar of the brunette boy's shirt was forced downward. Frank only looked at the girl for a second before noticing the mark on his chest.
It was not like the black covenant seal that the clients of Hell Correspondence wore. Instead, the mark was red and appeared to resemble a scroll.
"You're my servant, not Ai Enma's."
-------------
The day he was born, she knew he was something special.
He was born with abilities like her, but she knew that he could not show the powers just yet. So, she locked them up until she could determine he was ready. It was most likely after his death, but she knew it was for the best.
The second child was also like the first. His powers were easier to detain, but something had nagged her. A little voice in her told her he would be the first. So, she adjusted his seal. If he died, his powers would awaken automatically.
She had also talked to Ai Enma. She knew the fates wanted them to meet again, so she followed along.
At that meeting, she made a request. If the situation did arise (and her powers were very accurate, so more than likely the situation would), then Ai could borrow the younger boy. However, she wanted the brunette. The older child was almost a treasure to her, after she realized the beginnings of his true powers. He needed more assistance if he wanted to master his gifts.
It's been over a decade since that talk, but the agreement still stands: the Unforgiving Witch will have Frank.
------------
"But why did the seal break before Frank died?" Kukiko asked, her hostility gone. The witch had explained her purpose of coming, after almost half a century in hiding.
"He saw Joe, and Joe was dead." The child shrugged. "The seal wasn't perfect."
"And now, you want him back?"
"He saw it for himself. His time will end soon." She looked at the brunette in question.
"Why didn't you tell me before this whole mess?" Frank asked, almost hypnotized by her blue eyes.
"You weren't ready. But now you know the future and have accepted it." She gave a very small smile. "You're ready now."
Frank smiled back. "Thanks, I think. But…" He thought for a second, choosing his words carefully. "Why didn't you tell Joe?"
"Because he's different than you. He must grow more before I tell him everything." She looked at Kukiko. "Do not tell him anything that I have told either of you."
"Uh, yeah, sure."
"Frank, you can decide, you know." The child turned her gaze back on Frank. "Maybe you should decide what will happen to you."
Frank's eyes grew wide with surprise. Ten minutes ago, this girl tells him that he cannot work for Ai, and now she's letting him choose?
The witch must have seen his uneasiness because she said "I just want you to be happy."
The brunette boy nodded his head. "Just one last question before I answer you."
"Yes?"
"How long do I have?"
The girl pondered for a moment, before replying "It was originally three weeks." She held up three fingers on her right hand. "But the girl who just made the request tampered with it."
"Tampered?"
"She changed the strings of fate, or someone behind her. So now, you only have two days."
"What?!" Kukiko exclaimed. "How could that have happened?"
"Like I said, she tampered with fate." The witch looked at Frank straight in the eyes. "Well?"
Frank stared back. He didn't want to make this choice. All he had wanted was to stay home back in Bayport. He wanted his parents to stop fighting. He wanted to live out the rest of his life.
But what could he do now? His life has been shattered, and he was given two different chances. Maybe he could run away…
No. Frank knew he couldn't let this problem go away. In the end, there was still Gill to face and lives to save. He just had to choose how he would help.
If only the whole world wasn't watching him make his move.