Unedited version~

Chapter 6

Kana, and the Crest of Heaven

 

” Please… not.. forget… restitu… so both…happy.”

The brown-haired little girl cried on her bed. Her cellphone was nearby—or next to her, to be exact. The screen glowed in blue for awhile, and then the blue light disappeared for a moment, before that blue light glowed again from the cellphone’s screen. That little girl didn’t even take a glance at her cellphone. She continued to shiver as she heard her cellphone’s vibrate.

BIIP… BIIP… BIIP…

The phone rang. Her cellphone to be exact. It doesn’t release a blue glow now, instead it releases red light from its screen. But that red light only shone for awhile, and just once, too. The girl realized that it’s an e-mail. She tried to settle her shivering body, as her hands grabbed her cellphone. Still with her little trembling body, she opened her cellphone.

Why didn’t you pick up my call?!

You can’t escape, you know that, Shiina?!

Tomorrow, after school, at the Beauty shop.

If you don’t come, then just get lost!

“ Aah… AAAAHH!!” that girl—Shiina, screamed. Her tears fell down from her cheek onto her bed. Her hands grabbed her ears tightly, as if they would be torn apart if she didn’t cover it immediately. Her chocolate eyes showed the sign of sadness and also fear. She punched her bed desperately, which made her cellphone fell down onto the cold floor. It didn’t break, because it fell down gently.

Shiina stopped for awhile. She looked at herself from a mirror just in front of her. She stopped crying. Now, her eyes focused into the mirror. She stood up slowly, and walked steadly to the mirror. She grabbed a small mirror in her right hand, and she uses her left hand to lift her hair up. As soon as she managed to lift her hair until her neck is completely uncovered, she put the small mirror in her right hand behind the neck, and from the wide mirror in front of her, she could see the reflection of something similar to tatoo at the back of her neck. It shows a couple of gentle and pretty wings. With a heart in the middle of the wings. The wings are white, yet there is a black area covering just a half of the heart.

“ N-no… Okaa…san… No…,” Shiina loosened her grabs, as she fell down onto the floor. Her small body continued to tremble as tears fell down from her swollen eyes. She has cried for many times recently, judging from her swollen eyes and her pale face.

o0o

“ You called me?” The red-haired girl suddenly turned around to see the owner of that gentle yet it seems hideous. There, the red-haired girl saw a little red-eyed girl with an uniform.

“ Jigoku… Shoujo…,” murmured the girl.

“ That’s right,” Ai answered.

“ Y-you… will grant my wish, right?” asked the girl again, her body started to tremble because of such a happy feeling inside her heart, because she perceived that she could get that person away from this world. Unconsciously, she smirked.

“ …Have you heard about the restitution?” asked Enma Ai.

“ Huh?” The girl’s expression changed. It’s obvious that she didn’t have any clue about the restitution.

“ You’ll have to go to Hell as well,” answered Ai shortly.

“ O-Ojou! Why, this time it seems…,” Honne-onna tried to stop her mistress. She saw that this time, the dialogue is different. But she didn’t get to finish her sentence, because Ai stared at her, as if asking her to stop.

“ I will… go to hell as well…?!” The girl smiled awkwardly, “ No way. It can’t be true. It’s impossible!”

“ But that’s the truth,” answered Ai, “ and besides I can’t accept this request.” She turned around.

“ W-wait for a second!” The girl tried to prevent Ai from leaving, “ I don’t get it. Why…?!” But Ai didn’t wait. As soon as she turned around, both Honne-onna and Ai started to vanish, leaving the angry girl behind.

Meanwhile, later on when they arrived back to their home, Honne-onna asked the same question again. “ Ojou, why did you–,” she asked.

“ Because it is a request that we can’t take,” Ai answered, “ and because the target is…”

o0o

“ Hm? Why’re you here, too?” asked Anju. She stood under a big tree, which is hard to be seen. In front of her, the Hell Girl, Ai stood up along with Honne-onna, Kikuri, and Yamawaro. It has been awhile since their last meeting.

“ Anjuu, it got some blacky spot in the heart–,” Russel popped out from the tree. Apparently he spied someone just before, along with Anju, the Heaven Girl. “ Oopsie,” Russel paused his sentence after he saw Ai and her team. He jumped from the tree.

“ Okay, that’s enough, Russel. Now you can go back,” answered Anju. Russel nodded and then he ran away. It looks like Anju and Ai have something to talk about. Yes, it’s about the reason behind their coincidental meeting.

“ I’m spying my girl, what about you?” asked Anju bluntly.

“ …I’m also spying her,” answered Ai.

“ …Shiina?” asked Anju, “ why?”

Ai looked at the road, where the red-haired girl stood up along with another girls—her friends it seems, while Shiina stood in front of them with bowed head. She didn’t dare to look at another person’s eyes—at least not anyone in front of her.

“ That red haired girl,” said Ai, “ –she wants to send Shiina to the Hell.”

“ What?” Anju was surprised, “ You know that it’s impossible now. She’s mine. She has made a contract with me.”

“ Yes, I know,” answered Ai.

“ That girl is kinda persistant,” added Honne-onna, “ Kana… wasn’t it? Ever since Ojou has refused her request, she’d try to access the Hotline to Hell every night.”

“ I see…,” Anju joined Ai, now both of them—no, all of them were looking at the girls, who went into a shop which sells some girly stuffs judging from the appearance.

“ Do it,” Kana smirked. She pointed to a necklace in front of her. Shiina trembled again. Although it’s not so hot, Shiina sweated. She didn’t want to do it. She didn’t want to pick that necklace. She didn’t want to shoplift. Because she knows the consequences…

“ Hurry up and do it!” scolded Kana with a low voice, because she didn’t want to be found out by the shopkeeper, “ or do you want to get bullied?!”

Shiina gulped.  She walked slowly, approaching the necklace. Her hands were trembling heavily as they grabbed a luxurious necklace. She picked it up in a second and put it inside her pocket, as she ran away quickly from that store, followed by the other girls.

“Hmph,” Kana picked the necklace from Shiina’s hands, “ very well… I’ll call you again soon, ‘kay?”

“ Aah…,” Shiina knelt down on the road.

Anju sighed, “ She did it again… It’s no good…”

“ What is not good?” asked Kikuri.

“ Well, I think I should have explained this…,” said Anju, “ see the tatoo or marking at her neck? Yes, it’s pretty small and the location is not exactly at the neck, it’s a bit into her back, too. Well, …That’s Heaven’s Crest. A heart between the small wings. It’s originally white. All pure white.”

“ But the heart’s a half black, that girl’s mark…,” added Yamawaro.

“ Yeah. This is how it works…,” Anju explained, “ every time you do bad things, it will turn black, a little by little. From the heart, and then the wings. If it’s already a half, then that girl can’t go to Heaven. Her soul will be wandering around the world. But if the heart and one wing has been turned out into black, her soul and her beloved one’s soul—which has been sent to the Heaven will be wandering in the world, unable to settle down somewhere. Not the Heaven, and not even the Hell. Their souls will be lost. But if it’s white…”

“ Both of them will go to Heaven, right?” asked Yamawaro.

“ That’s true. And every time you do good deeds, the black one will turn into white again, but this turning will be only a bit… It’s easier to make it all black rather than returning it to white or even trying to make it white. Well, it seems pretty simple but it’s hard to do,” answered Anju, “ the rest is up to that girl…”

o0o

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“ Why… why… why?!” Kana clicked the refresh button using her mouse again and again, yet it won’t change. She has no ability to access the Hotline to Hell anymore. It’s useless. She knows it, yet she still doesn’t want to admit the fact.

“ Kh! Damn!” She pushed herself from her PC. Her eyes are filled with hatred. She bit her own thumb while murmuring, “ Shiina…”

o0o

On the next day…

“ I’ve decided,” said Shiina to herself as she walked towards a certain place, “ I have to end all of this.” She stopped in front of a small path. There, she saw Kana and her gang. They have been waiting for her all this time.

“ Now, all you have to do is—,” Kana has started to think of a new game. She is bored with only shoplifting after all.

“ Why?” asked Shiina. Kana stopped talking. Her face showed a sign of surprise. She didn’t think that Shiina could have asked or even talk back on her.

“ You dare to speak back on me?!” asked Kana angrily.

“ I didn’t do anything to you. I didn’t do anything wrong to all of you,” Shiina clenched her sweaty hands. She gulped and inhaled, her eyes are full of determination. I will end everything here, for me and my mother, that’s all which matters in her mind right now. “ So why did you do all of these to me?!”

“ Huh?! You still don’t get it?!” Kana’s voice showed a hint of anger and hatred.

“ You didn’t know?!” one of Kana’s friend added, “ it’s because you tried to steal Hidaka, Kana’s boyfriend!”

“ No, that’s wrong!” denied Shiina, “ I’ve never had any thought of it and I won’t do it either!”

“ STOP LYING!” Kana shouted, “ I know that both of you are getting closer recently!”

“ Oh my, I told you again,” Shiina’s almost lost her patience, “ we’re just friends! If you don’t believe it, then ask him!”

“ WHAT?! YOU LITTLE—,” Kana raised her right hand upon Shiina. Shiina didn’t even move a bit.

“ Hit me. But I won’t do that kind of bad things anymore. Just hit me, do anything as you like. I won’t do bad things for sure!” Her eyes are looking deep inside Kana’s eyes. She didn’t try to not looking back at Kana as usual. Now, she has been trying to encourage herself.

“ …kh!” Kana seems upset. Not only Shiina, the one that she thought as her toy, denied her reason, she also has spoken back on her. Now she’s got guts to fight against her? Don’t be silly!

“ Kana, would you stop it already?” one of her friends asked, “ besides we think Shiina’s right. They don’t have that kind of relationship…”

“ W-WHAT?!” Kana screamed desperately.

“ Besides it’s not fun to bully her if she dares to speak back on us,” added another girl.

“ …,” Kana grinded her teeth, “ Fine then…” Now, all of them turned on another direction. They walked away, leaving Shiina who exhaled in relief. Before the girls were about to leave, Kana could still turned around just to glare at Shiina.

I did it…, said Shiina in her heart, now… I will try to do my best… Okaa-san no tame ni… (For my mother’s sake)… I won’t lose to them again!

 

To be continued…

Preview to the next chapter.

“ Huh? What’s with that weird appearance of yours, and that boy’s calling you ‘Hime’?! You’ve got to be kidding me!” the boy laughed on Kikuri.

“ Hmph, naniiii (what)?! What did ya say?!” Kikuri puffed her cheeks as she sulked at the boy around her age.