"All that's left is for you to decide," Ai concluded.

The 14 year old school girl before her only stared at the darkened straw doll, the embodiment of torment and hatred, and the key to retribution, and the key to certain damnation.

Glancing at her slightly wrinkled school uniform and the essentially unnoticeable traces tear stains on the collar of her shirt, lapels of her blazer, and small spots on the tops of her loafers, Ai could read it all: a girl, deserted by the love of her young life years ago, at the point that great sorrow, and all misfortune it brought, converted to hatred of desolation. Pity.

Ai turned about and was about to leave the darkened room, when the girl, Ayako, drew a quick-drawn sincere question.

"Enma-san!"

Ai turned about without a single expression and lent the girl her ears for the moment, something she'd never done. Ayako was shocked and scared. Was she too familiar

"J-Jigoku...S-Shoujo..."

Ai's eyebrow raised.

"Have you been in love?"

Ai gasped slightly as her memory cannoned her back centuries to her memories of her childhood friend Sentaro. Her fists clenched.

"Once. Long ago," she responded, "centuries ago. Never again." The last sentence came put ever so slightly with more emotion revealed in the raspiness of her tone.

"Ah...I see," Ayako replied. She was in hope for advice or at least some relatability to the raven haired taker of souls.

Ai's fists closed even tighter. "Love is a dreadful, truly evil bond. It does nothing, but cause harm. I truly can feel your pain."

With that she disappeared into the darkness outside Ayako's door.

"The miss has been getting really touchy on the subject of love," Wanyuudo remarked.

"If you had been through what she had, wouldn't you?" Onna replied.

"I'm just observing, it's these topics that really crack her heart. And we can remember what happened last it was shattered.."

"Perhaps..." Onna replied.

"We've been summoned home by the miss," Wanyuudo added.

The pair returned to the house overlooking the placid lake and ever-setting sun, covered by a crimson sky.

Ai had yet to return.

Passed midnight, the streets and harbor of the naval and maritime city of Kure were quiet. Wind calmly passed between the buildings and down the streets, rustling trees as it flowed on its merry way. The waters calmly crashed onto beaches, against piers, and against the hulls of moored and dormant destroyers and submarines:warships of the maritime self defense force.

Ayako and the source of her grievance lived in this seaside city all their lives, and it was here where the consignment would occur. All that remained was the untying of the red thread. Ai gave it four days, these cases around love could take a good bit of time to cook.

But that was for a later time.

It was these times of solitude when Ai was truly herself. Sure she had much of it in the underworld, either sitting or laying down within the home she shared with her grandmother, or wading in the nearby pond, however experiencing this time up in the human domain was even further appreciated with her.

There was only one sign of life in direct sight and it was the drunken pace of a lone sailor, a third class petty officer of the maritime self defense force on his way home. He had his own grievances haunting him, and Ai could definitely see it.

"Hurry on home, little girl," he managed before hiccuping, "it's not safe for a pretty face such as yours at night."

He was a heartbroken victim, sad real possible consequence of being away for long periods of time. Pity. She watched him until he collapsed on the nearby bus bench and out for the night before continuing on her stroll by the water.

Love. She hated it and despised it, but couldn't define it. It had been too long and she could no longer relate to it, define it, or at least know the sensation. What was love? What did it feel like?

Her pondering took her quite the distance. Tracing the waterside she now found herself in a residential area opposite the naval yard. The yellow yard lights and gentle humming of large cranes and winches now a faint distant noise. She was now alone.

Love?

Her heart ached at the thought. Ai could feel a tear forming in her eye. She did remember this. It hurt.

Softly, tears flowed down her cheeks and dripped to the sea.

"Umm? Excuse me," a voice sounded,"are you okay?"

Ai gasped and wiped the water from her face, quickly returning to emotionless self composure. She turned around and there stood a lone boy. He was 15, donned a school uniform of different origin than Ayako's, and had a pleasant warm smile.

"Kazuma Yoshida," Ai instinctively stated.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, heheh, that's me," Kazuma affirmed. "And you are?"

"I am Ai Enma," she answered.

"Ah, same name as the circulating legend," Kazuma remarked.

Ai realized she shouldn't have used her actual name...curse these foul emotions.

"But there's no way that's you, it's impossible."

Ai sighed. Then she wondered. People normally feared the name or respected it with divine status. The boy had no clue of what she was and what she was capable of, what would it be like on the normal side of things.

"Yes, it would be impossible. She's just a rumor. Besides, if that were the case, you'd be on a boat to hell now wouldn't you be?" Ai remarked at an awkward attempt at sarcasm. Normally humans would chuckle a little at this point.

"Boat? I always though you'd walk through those gates," Kazuma said a bit confused, "how do you know you go by boat?"

Ai was taken aback. "Um, it's in every edition of mythology...if you paid attention in any literature class..." she slyly said, pulling together a suitable answer.

"Ah..you're probably right," Kazuma laughed.

This- He was the source of Ayako's grievance? What of him? He didn't appear to be poor of spirit. She wondered what could be the reason of Ayako's grief from this boy? Ai was curious. She couldn't read anything off him just by appearance. He seemed well kept.

Kazuma took position beside Ai leaning on the same railing looking over the harbor. His arm briefly brushed against hers as the wind blew by. He could feel the coldness of her skin.

"Gods above, you are cold. And why wouldn't you be? The port can be cold at night don't you know?" Kazuma, draped his school blazer over Ai's shoulders. As usual she seemed indifferent.

"Isn't this a gesture reserved for a girl one admire?" Ai questioned.

"Well, it's perceived that way, and yes it is true. But in the cold, a gentleman always offers his coat to a lady," Kazuma explained.

"I understand," Ai replied.

She took in the warmth of the moment, literally. She never particularly felt cold, even in the coldest of winters when the temperature was well below zero, but she could never recall a moment feeling this warm before either, particularly in the back, chest, and shoulders.

"Really, you must have been freezing, your cheeks are red!" Kazuma laughed.

"Ah?" Ai felt around her cheek areas, and yes remarkably they were warm. "I suppose I was," she said lacking the normal embarrassed outburst of a human girl's reaction. She was lacked the knowledge of such occasion.

For the next ten, twenty minutes, Ai and Kazuma stood there, looking over the ocean blankly. Just taking in the sights, smell, sounds, and feeling, of the moment. the only action taking place was of a Kongo-class guided missile destroyer departing the port for Yokosuka.

Realizing she had been out quite long, Ai finally left the railing, and began walking towards an alley opposite the street.

"Going home?" Kazuma called out.

Ai paused at this statement and turned to face him. "Yes, I must return home for the evening. I am away far too late." Which meant so was he. Was he cheating on Ayako? Was he partaking in illicit activity? Despite his appearance.

"You're probably right, I was volunteering late hours at the local supply warehouse for the navy," he said. This explained the faint smell of brass, food trace, and medical supplies Ai had noticed, and not a single trace of a lie. Even at this hour he was giving his time to a good cause. "You know, you have a very formal form of speaking," Kazuma noted.

"It is just how I have been for the longest of times," Ai responded. "Farewell until next time..."

"Wait!"

Ai paused.

"Will I see you again? Tomorrow?"

"Perhaps," Ai said.

She continued and disappeared to the shadows of the alley. Kazuma under realization ran after her. "Wait, where could I find you?" He looked around the alley both ways at the T, but couldn't see her anywhere.

Man, she is fast.

Ai sat perched upon a distant ledge observing the young boy further. He stood to enjoy the scenery for a while longer before continuing home. After he had left, Ai then returned home.

She wondered why Onna and Wanyuudo gave her an odd appearance as she passed them at the doorstep.

"Miss," Wanyuudo acknowledged.

It was only as she sat down, and let her legs submerge into the pond from the small pier, that she had realized, she had forgoten to return Kazuma's jacket.

"Nice jacket," Onna remarked.

Wanyuudo lightly jabbed her at this and shot her a look of disapproval.

"I found it on the street, and tried it on out of curiousity," Ai said.

The two shrugged it off as another small sentiment of the Miss's and left her to her own doing.

Ai stared at the ripples in the water, thinking of Kazuma Yoshida, wondering just what it was he could be up to right now.

Kazuma, layed down on his bed by the window, looking up at his ceiling. The only illumination in the room was of the moonlight reflecting off the water.

Ai Enma... She was peculiar, quirky, odd...she was cute...

I wonder what she's up to now. I want to see her again...