Kyouka Akatsuki 

Abuse, dehumanization, suicide, extreme violence, incest, sexual assault

I'm Kyouka Akatsuki. A yakuza group called the Enma family made me work as their hitman, all 'cause of this obnoxious power I've had since I was little. My voice has the power to control people. And when I sing, it gets even stronger. It's like a curse.

I said they make me "work," but those guys don't see me as human. More like a convenient pet dog. Yeah... I'm a dog. I'm bound by chains, an invisible collar around my neck. If I could, I'd rip those chains off right now to be free. But I'm not allowed to...

Today, as usual, I went to "clean up" a man whose name and circumstances I didn't know.

"...Don't move."

With just a few words, I stopped his body from moving, as if petrifying him. The yakuza accompanying him finished him off with a bullet to the brain.

The power of words bound the body and mind, taking away a person's freedom. With my power, I had erased all kinds of strangers for the gang... But it was fine. I'd gotten used to killing.

"...How long do I have to keep doing this?"

When would I be free from this fucking hell?

When I was little, my mom and I lived together, just the two of us. Mom was always moving us to new places like she was afraid of something.

That's why I didn't have any friends. It was just Mom by my side. But I didn't mind.

Mom was kind, and raised me with every ounce of affection she could. We were poor, but we were content.

And...there's another reason I wasn't lonely. Ever since I can remember, I've felt the presence of someone else within me. That someone would tempt me to use a strange power that could control other people.

When I told Mom about it, she strictly warned me not to use that power in public. So I never listened to that voice's words...

I wanted to live a quiet life with Mom forever. That's why, even without her warning me, I naturally tried to avoid doing anything to stand out.

"Mom! Look, a train! Where's it going?"

"Must be far away. A city far, far away."

"Mmm... I wanna go to the far away city with you one day, Mom."

Mom and I held hands and watched the train together. That was the only time I was ever happy. It was a modest wish, but all I wanted was for those peaceful, happy days to keep going on.

But one day, that wish was taken from me in the blink of an eye.

A yakuza boss who said he was Mom's husband came and captured us.

I was abducted by the yakuza boss of the Enma family, who claimed to be my father, and I learned about my birth. I found out that I had half-brothers, that people with special powers sometimes appeared in Mom's lineage, and that the Enma family planned to use that power to escalate conflict and stand atop the yakuza world.

That was when I finally understood why Mom was always moving from place to place. It was all to escape the clutches of this very man, and protect me.

But when he threatened to kill Mom if I didn't listen, joining the Enma family was my only choice.

That marked the beginning of my days of hell.

It was like I lived in the Asura realm—becoming a slave to the boss, taking enemy lives, having my own life in danger. When I returned to the estate, instead of feeling at ease, all I got was more mental and physical anguish. The boss's sons—my half-brothers—were just as shitty as their father, and they took a liking to messing with me.

Only the second eldest treated me kindly, and even said he wanted me to call him brother...but that little bit of compassion just made my pain feel sharper still.

All that put me at ease were the brief phone calls to Mom I was allowed to make after finishing a job.

"I'm sorry, Kyouka... It's my fault."

Mom always cried and apologized over the phone. She was the one I really felt sorry for.

One day, Mom and I are gonna run away from here together!

Only dreaming of that day could protect my fragile heart.

Not a day went by that I didn't wish to run away with Mom...and finally, my wish was granted. One day, when I had finished my job, the second eldest ran up to me in a panic.

"Kyouka! Terrible news! It's my little brother...!"

According to his story, the third eldest son dropped dead on a trip overseas. On top of that, the luxury cruise ship he was on sank, so his body hadn't been recovered yet. The matter had caused an uproar throughout the entire Enma family, top to bottom.

"Kyouka, now's the time to run while Dad and his right-hand and all the rest are in chaos."

"...But what about you? Won't it be bad if they find out you let me escape?"

"I'll make a good excuse... Your mother's already waiting. I already arranged everything for you, so go, quickly!"

Looking back, he was the only one who treated me like a human being from the very beginning. I spoke a few words of gratitude for everything.

"...Thank you, brother."

"Bye, then. Kyouka... Take care!"

When I made it to the rendezvous point he told me about, I saw Mom there.

"Kyouka! Thank goodness... You made it."

"Mom... Come on, let's go! Let's run away as far as we can go!"

I took Mom's hand and began to run.

Mom and I headed to the station to take the train the second eldest prepared for us, but...

"...There they are! Kyouka and her mother! Get 'em!"

"The Enma family's already after us!? ...Mom, wait here!"

I performed a song beckoning the man with a gun pointed at us to die. He froze and turned the pistol on his ally!

"Hey! The hell're you doing!?"

They began to fire on each other, and shrieks flooded the area as people heard the gunfire.

"Come on, Mom. Let's run while we can!"

"Kyouka... Do you always do such terrible things? ...I'm sorry. It's all my fault."

"Mom... It's okay. Come on, let's go!"

After that, pursuers kept on coming after us. At first, I could wipe them all out, but there were just too many! My voice was reaching its limit, too. Eventually, Mom and I ended up cornered on top of a bridge.

No! The station would be right there if we could just pass through!

Just as I resolved to fight to the death, Mom smiled and said, "...That's enough. Thank you, Kyouka. I hope you find happiness... Goodbye."

...Mom concluded that her presence was only holding me back, and threw herself from the bridge.

"Mom! S-Stop!"

I tried to stop her using my power, but it was too late. Her body fell into the dark of night.

"Noooooo!"

Just then, a limited express train came along the tracks under the bridge, scattering Mom's body like puzzle pieces.

My vision went pitch-black...

Once I was alone, our pursuers in black suits caught me easily.

"Fucking bitch! Acting all high and mighty for a dog!"

The men in black suits beat me relentlessly, one after another. My clothes were torn and I bled from everywhere, but that was trivial compared to the pain of Mom's death.

"You're useless now. The least you can do is become fish food when you die."

When they got tired of assaulting me, they coiled me in rope, hauled me to the sea, and threw me away. My body sank into the cold, dark waters.

...I'm gonna die.

Just when I was about to give up on everything...

"...O cursed one... Daughter of my bloodline. Do you desire power? Revenge...? Have you regrets...?"

A familiar voice spoke from within me. It was the voice I had always ignored since I was little... That voice brought back all my rage!

I want power...to rip them all apart with my own hands!

"In exchange for your soul... Come down... Take my hand... You will arrive in hell..."

I laughed scornfully at the strange voice.

Hell? That's every day for me! ...Come on, give me power!"

"New...flesh and blood..."

In that moment, the devil descended into my body. I had nothing to lose in exchange...and so I was revived.

"I am a demon from hell. A demon shrouded in miasma, who sings songs of death. I'll bring every last one of them to hell!"

After I was revived at the bottom of the dark sea, I headed straight for the Enma family. When I did, there were some flies buzzing around me. But in the end, insects were just that. With the devil in my body, the power of my words grew even stronger than before. By casting a curse full of hatred, I could reap their lives without even controlling them. With just a word from me, the insects began to fire on each other and put an end to their own lives.

Then...

"K-Kyouka!? So this whole mess is your doing!"

"...Good evening, mister right-hand man. Would you kindly die for me?"

The second-in-command—the eldest brother—was one of the rotten masses of meat I would devour tonight.

"W-Wait! I'm sorry for everything I've done to you! I was just following Dad's orders! I'll never lay a hand on you... Please, just spare my life!"

The way he begged for his life was repulsive... Indeed, he had always been incompetent, hiding behind the boss's authority. He was a depraved, shameless man worth less than a crumpled tissue in a ditch.

"...Get lost. You human fucking garbage."

"Th-Thank you... Hehehe."

Nearly petrified with fright, he scrambled pitifully to the exit. He made it to the exit behind me by the skin of his teeth, and the next moment, he pointed the muzzle of a gun at me.

"Too soft, Kyouka! That's the big difference between me and my little brother. I love to break my promises...so you go ahead and die!"

At the sound of his voice, the black-suited men hiding in the shadows all rushed out at once.

"Too bad! Look what kindness gets you!"

I couldn't stop laughing at it all.

"Good. All this trash is nauseating... Don't move, rotten scum!"

My shout, loud enough to rupture the black suits' eardrums, sealed off their movements. I smashed in their heads with the mic in my hands. The second-in-command watched the scene, unable to move, his knees shaking from fear as his tears began to fall.

"Now it's just you left alive... Not for long!"

I kicked up into his crotch and swung the bloodstained mic down.

"Hmm, even scum is red on the inside, huh?"

...And so I guided the first person to hell.

After finishing off the second-in-command, I prowled the estate. There was at least one man whose flesh and bones I had to grind up with my own hands.

"Kyouka!? ...Thank goodness. You're all right! ...But your mother..."

"...Hurry and get out of here, brother."

It had been nothing more than a fleeting dream, but I was in his debt for arranging for me to escape with Mom.

"Brother, where's the boss?"

"Probably running far away to his hideout deep in the mountains."

No matter where he hid, he couldn't evade the nose of my unleashed demon. I'd pursue him later.

"Bye, then, brother. We probably won't meet again."

"So you're not doing anything to me? Even though I couldn't save you from your suffering here. You're kind, Kyouka. Such a noble young woman. Your heart stayed pure to the very end... That part of you is...so foolish, but so, so precious!"

He suddenly kissed me, forcing me to drink some kind of medicine. Then, I couldn't speak freely.

"My dear Kyouka. Oh, how I love you. The anguished face you make when you kill, your voice when you endure your brothers' torment... Seeing you, my beloved, contorted in pain is my finest delight!"

As he spoke deliriously, several large monitors appeared behind him. They showed recordings of all the humiliation I had been through so far.

"D-Damn...you...!"

"Heheh. Every one of those faces is so hot, don't you think? But of course the best of all was the face you made when your mother died... How should I say it... Well... It was so exciting that I nearly blacked out... Heh!"

My entire body seethed with rage at the evil man before me!

After silencing my voice, the second eldest approached me with a confident expression.

"My dear Kyouka... Oh, you poor thing. You're all worn down. I'll get you a new dress. Then, we'll live together. There are so many things I want you to do for me. Heheh, I'll love you, Kyouka... Until I've had my fill."

He traced his fingers across my face. The moment he came close to my lips again...was the end of the line!

I can't speak, so I'll make my voice resonate directly in his body!

I headbutted him as hard as I could, sending the vibrations of my curse straight into the bones of his face! He screamed from the pain of his broken nose.

"Gahhh!? Ow, aaaagh—!"

He had never been hurt before, so he completely lost all will to fight. I gestured for him to give me the antidote to heal my throat.

"Please, forgive me for this. You know I love you, don't you?"

With my voice restored thanks to the antidote, I took the red-hot poker next to the fireplace.

"...You said you liked faces contorted in pain? Then why don't you put on a good face yourself!?"

"Yeeeeeek!?"

I had chosen not to finish him off with my curse all at once and thrashed that wretch's body with the fire poker instead. He writhed in agony, and eventually stopped moving.

"Hmph... For the squeals of a pig, they weren't half bad. The thing is, I hate you."

I spat as the smell of burning flesh wafted through the room.

All that's left is the main course...

The second eldest said the boss had run away to his hideout in the mountains. Then there was a route he was surely taking. I ordered the black suits who still lived to get me a car. Then, blazing down the shortest route, I eventually caught up with the boss's black luxury car on the highway.

I ordered the black suits to ram their own car as hard as they could into the boss's luxury car. The two cars smashed into each other at over 100 kilometers per hour. The boss's car spun out of control, crashing headfirst into the highway barrier and eventually coming to a stop. The gasoline leaking from the engine combusted, lighting up the dark highway with a hellfire that would devour the heavens themselves.

The boss crawled out from the back seat and looked up at the flames, his consciousness hazy.

"Urgh... What the hell is going on!?"

A filthy man, clinging to life... But there would be no point otherwise. I approached him slowly.

"Next stop, Avici hell. This is the train bound for hell."

Adorned by blood and fire, the boss recoiled from me.

"Damn it, Kyouka! Did you forget everything I've done for you? And you think you can defy me!? Me, your father!"

"Father? ...Don't be ridiculous. The only parent I have is Mom! And she isn't here anymore. I've returned from hell and become a demon child!"

I struck him with a blow full of all my built-up malice.

"Blegh!"

"I'm tired of looking at your face, too! Go to hell!"

Affected by my words, he backed away, begging for his life. Unable to control his own body, he crossed over the guardrail meant to protect lives and fell headfirst over the bridge!

"Ky-Kyouka...! Whooooaaa—!?"

The boss's body was sucked into the damp darkness of night and fell to the tracks beneath the highway. Crushed against the ground, he was on the brink of despair when he was run over by a rapid-service train that happened to be passing through, instantly making his body burst open.

"Hmph. What disgusting fireworks. My eyes are gonna rot."

The boss, his right hand, and the other high-ranking sons who could have been his successors... With all of them gone, the Enma family was on the verge of dissolution. But they made a comeback just in time, because I took up the position of the new boss.

Technically, I was the boss's daughter by blood. It was enough to be qualified as his successor. Above all, I had provided a highly valued "service" to the Enma family. Some might find it strange that I chose to remain in that brutal Asura realm after avenging Mom's death with my own hands, even killing their boss... And I had avenged her. But the flames of my vengeance still burned bright.

It's all the yakuza's fault that Mom and I were forced into this awful destiny. They're parasites, encroaching on the everyday world. It's maggots like them who did this to me and Mom!

As long as the yakuza kept fighting, there would always be weak people tormented like me and Mom. And so the tragic samsara would repeat. Someone had to judge those shitheads and cast them into Naraka.

Attended once again by a crowd of men in black suits, I would go on fighting, judging the criminal underworld and the yakuza.

Until the day my own soul falls into hell.

As you might have noticed, this story is full of references to hell, specifically Naraka, the Buddhist depiction of hell. (Naraka is known in Japanese as jigoku or naraku). Souls do not stay in Naraka forever—rather, they are reborn there based on their accumulated karma and suffer for an incomprehensibly long time until their karma is used up and they can be reborn. Within Naraka there are a number of hells with varying punishments depending on one's sins, some of which are referenced in the story and episode titles:

• Shugou Jigoku, the Crushing hell, a place for those who have committed sexual crimes, theft, and murder. Sinners here are crushed between massive rocks, tormented by visions of beautiful people, and so on.

• Kyoukan Jigoku, the Screaming hell, for sinners who have committed the above as well as improper use of intoxicants. This hell is named for the cries of its denizens as they are burned and boiled alive.

• Abi/Mugen Jigoku, or "Avici hell," the Uninterrupted hell, the very worst of all the hells. Suffering here is said to be a thousand times worse than all the others, and it is so deep that a soul must fall for two thousand years to reach it. I'll spare you all the gory details, but there's a whole lot to read up on if you're curious!

While not one of the hells, Kyouka compares her experience to the Asura realm, one of six realms a soul can be reborn into. The Asura are demigods in constant conflict with each other and the gods, driven by negative emotions. In Japanese, the term can also refer generally to constant strife, but I chose to preserve it to keep with the Buddhist theming.

Jigoku-Itchome (Ep. 1 title) is a play on a number of Japanese train stations ending in -Itchome, meaning "first block."

The Enma family is named for Enma, also called Yama, the king of hell who punishes sinners.

Episode 5's title, Severed Thread of Hope, is likely referencing The Spider's Thread, a famous story by Ryunosuke Akutagawa in which the Buddha takes pity on a sinner who once spared a spider, and lowers a spider's thread into hell to save him. When the sinner realizes others are attempting to climb up after him, he fears that the thread will snap under the weight and screams to them that the thread belongs only to him. This selfish act is what causes the thread to snap, dooming them all. This story is also the namesake of Toa's song!