One more chapter to go!
This explains some things, while other can be seen logically. I'll try to show the logic side next chapter...

I don't own the Hardy Boys or Hell Girl.
Enjoy!

Perhaps, it is time to die.

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The few seconds felt like hours as Fenton waited for the energy to hit him. He had already figured that it was too late to run. This was his only way to pay for his debts, too.

The blast never came.

Fenton forced his eyes opened. Gill had a look of shock plastered on his face, looking at the new enemy placed in front of him. Fenton stared at the new threat too.

"Frank?!"

Joe looked at his brother, with a different emotion seen his eyes. "So this is his true power…"

"What?" Fenton turned back to his oldest son, and was surprised to see a ball of flame enveloping his right hand. The other held a long scythe that reminded the PI of pictures of the Grim Reaper over the years.

"You dare try to cross my path, you idiotic boy?" Everyone turned and looked at Laura, who was standing up tall now. "You dare try to attack Ai Enma, who is my ally? And what's more, you dare attack my husband?!" A red, glowing symbol of a scroll inside of a sun and moon combined as one appeared at her feet.

"The Unforgiving Witch," Joe said to his father in a hushed tone. "It explains a whole lot about what's been up with us."

"Laura… Laura is the Unforgiving Witch?!" He tried to process the information, but it wouldn't work. His sweet wife had killed thousands of men?

If Laura had paid any attention to her husband's remark, she made no gesture to indicate so. Instead, she held her hand up into the air, and the beginnings of a ball of flame appeared. "As the legends say, I never forgive."

"NO!" Gill began to release a fury of attacks in the form of energy balls, but Frank managed to slice them all in half. "I will not lose this battle! I WILL NOT!"

"You just did, buddy." Frank pointed the scythe at Gill. An energy ball mirroring Gill's formed at the tip, and launched itself at the self proclaimed "Hell Boy." It hit him at the center of his chest, sending him flying into the wall behind him.

At that moment, two objects fell from an inside pocket from Gill's cape. Ai held up her hands, and they both floated towards her.

"Mistress!"

"You're okay!"

"Ichimokuren and Hone Onna!" Kukiko exclaimed. "Where's Wanyuudou?"

"He's the traitor!" the blue doll proclaimed as it went back to human form. "He got Gill out in the first place, and then tried to make us join his side!"

The woman, who had also resumed human form, shook her head. "When we refused, he trapped us in doll form!"

Joe looked startled. "How is that possible?"

A piercing laughter caught their attention, and they turned to watch Gill getting up, leaning on the wall for support. "You really think he's still a weak servant? Ha! You won't believe the power that he gained from the ritual!"

"Ritual?"

"Like I'm going to tell you which ritual it is!"

"Then go back to where you belong."

The last threat came from Laura, who held a giant fireball in her raised hand. "Go to Hell." She threw it like someone was tossing a baseball. It jumped over the whole set until it closed in on its target, when it finally descended.

The earth shattering scream Gill let out frightened Fenton, but not in the way anyone else might have thought. Instead of watching Gill being swallowed by the flames, he turned and faced his wife.

There were a few details that stood out for Fenton. First thing that he noticed was that she looked twenty years younger. Her whole aura had grown stronger through her transformation. Her lips had curled into a smirk as she watched the fire consume its prey.

Laura's eyes had changed the most. A simple glimpse into her eyes seemed to reveal another world.

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She had walked the world, been apart of many civilizations, and killed off so many people. But she had never been human for more than sixteen years of her life.

She wanted to be human and live one life as them. One, single life.

She had never thought that she would find love. Until that moment, she had seen men the way she had seen them thousands of years ago: troublemakers out for power. There were one or two exceptions, but they were very rare. But the second she met him, she knew that her opinion had to change.

She gave birth. Twice. She never had expected it to be so painful. She had remembered her extreme mood swings and times where almost every other word she had let out was a swear directed at her husband.

The pain was worth it in the end. The two boys were amazing. That's when she decided that she loved being human, even though the back of her mind lusted for blood to be spilled on the ground.

At that moment, she didn't care.

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"So you became human because you wanted to enjoy life?" Joe asked his mother, a look of confusion plastered across his face. The battle had ended quickly, and with a bit of power Laura had whisked them all away to the "sunset land" to talk.

Frank had instantly fallen asleep, his head in his mother's lap. Laura stroked his hair slowly, humming a random lullaby until she was positive he was asleep. Ai and her other three servants had gone into the house to talk about what to do with Wanyuudou, while Joe decided to stay out and find out exactly why his mother did what he did. Fenton sat next to his blonde son, wanting to find out the same answers.

"I've been killing for thousands of years. I thought it could be a break," Laura said softly, looking down at Frank. "If I knew that I would meet your father and get pregnant… well…"

"We wouldn't exist. Geez, thanks."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Fenton asked in a whispered voice.

"You never did believe in magic, Fenton. Besides, I wanted to stay hidden and enjoy life. Not being treated like some kind of royalty as the people in the past had." Laura sighed. "Maybe I would have gone to Heaven to join you guys when you died. But then all of this happened…"

"So now what?" Joe asked. "Where's Frank going?"

"I decided to stay in the land of the living. My job is not yet complete. Frank already agreed to stay with me." She looked up at Joe. "You can stay with Ai, or come with us. It doesn't matter."

"Are you kidding?! I'm gonna help you!" Joe stood up. "You're my mom!"

Laura rolled her eyes. "And parents always worry that their kids want nothing to do with them." She turned to Fenton. "And what about you?"

"Huh?"

"Both Frank and Joe are dead, Fenton. And before Gill whisked me away, I was in a car that was about to be hit."

"What?!"

"Car accidents aren't uncommon at this day and age. I had to 'die' anyways. Frank needs me." She looked down at the eldest son. "Besides… Things with us haven't been so great."

Fenton understood what Laura was saying. "Are we…"

"No, not breaking up. Just taking some time apart. Or, at least that was my plan."

"What do you mean?"

"I get it," Joe whispered. "She wants to ask if you're willing to live out the rest of your life before joining us. You know… die."

Fenton looked away from his family, not knowing how to respond. Was he willing to go through the rest of the pain of living before join his family in death? Could he deal with suffering for who knows how long…?

"What would you do if I try to live the rest of my life?"

"Track down Wanyuudou. I have a feeling that he gained a lot of power through whatever ritual he used."

"Okay…" Fenton turned to face Joe and Laura, not really wanting to let himself answer. "I'm going out of retirement. I'm going to help as many people as I can before I die."

"I knew you were going to say that." She sighed again. "What about when you do die?"

"This is turning into a rather pleasant conversation," Joe mumbled, not bothering to conceal his sarcasm.

"Huh…?" Frank stirred, and sat up. "What… What's going on?"

"Mom and Dad are having a lovely conversation about what to do when Dad dies."

Frank blinked a few times, absorbing the information. "You mean…"

"Yup."

"'Yup' what?" Fenton asked, a bit confused.

"As in, do you want to join us when you… kick the can," Frank said softly.

Fenton was silent as he thought over the offer. Would he want to join his family when he crosses that line? More importantly, did he want to become a figure of justice in a twisted way that was the reason for why he pursued Ai Enma in the first place?

"Think it over, Fenton. Just know, we'll be waiting." With a wave of her hand, Fenton began to grow tired. He allowed the darkness to claim him, only to find himself in the Shibata's household a few minutes later.

The PI got up, not knowing what else he had left to do. He passed a mirror, and paused when he realized there was a little mark on his chest.

He pulled the collar of the shirt down to get a better view. The symbol was red, and was a scroll inside a sun and moon combined in one circle.

The sign of the Unforgiving Witch.