Avici

[Beoran]

OK, this is a story... that sprang out of my mind very randomly when I was thinking about some Buddhist ideas about the afterlife. I think this will be offensive to a few people, and displeasing to most. It's also not finished yet, but I think the set up is straightforward. But I have to unload my weirdness and I hope you'll tolerate it. So here we go.

Avici -- The worst that could happen to everyone.

I walked between the trees of Aokigahara. After looking around for a while, I found a tall, sturdy tree. It had many low branches so I could climb it easily. Once I was up about 10 meters, I carefully slid out onto a solid branch. I wound the rope around the branch a few times and tied it securely. Then I took care not to give the rope too much or too few slack, and made a noose. I put the noose around my neck. I thought my life was pointless. There was no one left for me to care for, no one to whom I meant something. And I had to pay for my sins.

Lilly had abandoned me, and lived far way in Scotland, married out by her parents to a man she did not love. She had abnegated herself so much that finally nothing of her was left, no one I could be a friend to. As for the others in Yamaku, they all forgot about me. I tried to live my life. I fought through college and got a job in a local newspaper.

I even met... him. I shall not mention his name, for it is nothing but sadness to me now. Yet at the time, I loved him. I trusted him. I gave myself to him, all of me. I gave him my promise and he gave his to me. But I was betrayed. I was angry, no more than angry, I became fury incarnate. I was enraged, vengeful... Blood splattered over me as I stabbed him and his girlfriend to death.

And that is why I condemned myself. Hanako condemned Hanako to death. I accepted my punishment and became my own executioner. No one would else have to carry this burden. It would all be over. Those were my thoughts when I sat on that branch. A final breath, and I jumped. The noose tightened around my throat, but the shock snapped my neck before I choked. Blackness enveloped me.

An intense burning pain enveloped my whole body. I jumped out of the stinky cesspool in which I was lying and opened my eyes. I was surrounded by a desolate landscape. The ground was covered with broken gray shards of stone. Equally gray rocks and boulders were spread around. Behind me was a smelly basin of burning goo. Here and here, flames and lava jetted out from holes in the floor. The air was hot and oppressive, but at the same time, every time the wind blew, it cut right trough me with the pain of a deep frost.

The sky was a solid black cloud, only lightened by flashes of lightening. I heard a loud boom of thunder, and at the same time, I was struck by the indescribable pain of a jolt going though my body. But still I stood. The rope should have been the end of me. Or the jolt. I had no idea what the place I had ended up in was. I looked around, but saw no one. Yet, suddenly I heard someone cackling a joyless smile.

"He he he, you won't get out of here so easily, newcomer." I heard a voice saying from behind a rock. "And looks like you're extra unlucky too... He he."

Suddenly he jumped out. His skin was reddish. His eyes wide and black. His teeth were sharp and big, and he had two horns on the front of his head. His chest was partially torn open and his heart was in plain sight. His body was covered with bruises. I say "he", because there was no mistaking that the gruesome figure in front of me was male. He was completely naked and his fearsome thing jutted around in front of him, studded with thorns.

"W-Who are you? And w-where is this? I thought I..." I said.
"You thought you died right? Well you did, and you were reborn here! As for me, just call me Hate, for that is what you will do. Hate me. I hereby welcome you to Avici!" he said and cackled a joyless smile again.
"A-avici!? B-but isn't that..." I said
"Yes! The worst of the nine hells!" Hate interrupted.
"I.... am ... in h-hell..." I sighed, and this time I was pierced by a terrible anger and sadness.

I started to understand what had happened to me. I had ignored the Buddhist teachings for most of my life, but it was clear then that at least some of it must have been true. My bad karma had taken me to this place. I was a murderer after all, and I had topped it off with an cowardly suicide. I had never even felt regret, just the desire to run away in death. But now I remembered those teachings all too well.

"You ... you must be a demon right? You came here to punish me? To torture me until my sins are paid for and I can finally be reborn as a human again?" I said.
"He he... you will come to wish that was the case. I said before, you are extra unlucky. Just look at yourself." Hate cackled.

I looked at my skin. The burns scars were still there, but horribly exaggerated. My skin had turned red. I was naked, but still wore a noose around my painful bruised throat. My body was covered with the same stab wounds I had inflicted on my victims. I bit my lip, and noticed that my teeth were long, and sharp. I felt my forehead, and the two horns there confirmed my suspicions. "I... I am a d-demon?" I said.

"Hehehe.. yes, you became just like me. You see, those with the worst karma are reborn in the worst shape in all of reality. That of a demon. Those who are reborn here to be punished are very lucky compared to us indeed." Hate said.

"W-what do you mean by that?" I said.
"The sinners who are here for punishment, will eventually die and leave here when their bad karma has been spent. However, we must punish them to make this happen. And as we punish the sinners, we harm them, so we bring even more bad karma onto ourselves. So for us, it is hopeless..." Hate said.
"Bu-but what if I refuse... to p-punish..." I retorted.
"If you refuse, then that too makes for bad karma for shirking your duties. And those in your care will stay here with you forever." Hate said.
"How... i-infernal..." I said.
"Hey, don't get me wrong. You will do horrible things to punish the sinners, but you will enjoy them. There's no hope for us, but you'll find it very amusing to give the sinners what they have coming to them, and with it, their chance to escape here." Hate said.
"So if you feel to bad about what you have to do, just remember it's good for them... in the end..." Hate grinned.
"S-still.. i-it sounds horrible..." I said.
"Well, too late now. You should have thought about that before you sinned in your previous life." Hate said.

Suddenly Hate sniffed the air and looked around.
"Ah! Smell that! There we have a new sinner already!" he said. I noticed something too... a sweet, sickly smell wafting on the air. It awoke in me a sudden feeling of craving, desire and hunger. Wordlessly Hate beckoned me and I followed him. We walked over the painful sharp shards for a few hundred meters, until be came to another pool much like the one from which I had come into this world. In this pool, the face of a young lady with red hair had popped above the surface. She looked like she was still sleeping, but I knew this face...

"Hey! I can feel it... you know her don't you!?" Hate said as he looked over the young lady.
"W-well yes, but how?" I asked.
"Demons are mind readers, you know. So the sinners can't hide anything from us. You'll see." he said.
"A-ah?" I was dumbfounded.
"Well, looks like you have your work cut out for you. I'll leave her up to you now. Have fun." he said, and made a pompous mock-bow to me. Then he made a huge leap backwards, and ran away.

I looked over to the young lady again, and sighed. Was this the one I had to punish? But why? Suddenly, she opened her eyes, and jumped up from the pool. She looked around, with distant eyes. I noticed that like on earth, she still didn't have any arms.

"Rin... I-I'm sorry... It looks like you l-life did not have a h-happy ending..." I said.

... to be continued?

[lolawesome]

Quite odd ... yet interesting. Please do continue. I would like to see who this man she loved is. Stating that Lilly was pretty much arranged to be married to a guy she didn't love by her parents, rules Hisao out.

*rubs chin*


edit: I mean, it rules Hisao out as the person that married Lilly. I'm wondering if Hisao was the cheating murdered ex-boyfriend. And now I'm wondering if he cheated on her with someone else from Yamaku

[nemz]

Nah, it's too ridiculous to be mad about. I just wonder if this will end up more gory than Doomish's stuff or not.

[Mirage_GSM]

Interesting. I didn't even know Bhudism had "hells" let alone so many. (There seem to be at least 16 of them.) Guess no religion can do without some kind of threat to punish bad behaviour, though so far I thought being reborn as a beetle would be enough deterrent...
I'm not sure why her boyfriend shouldn't have been Hisao. Lilly left and married someone else, so Hisao would definitely be an option. Though either her boyfriend or the girl he cheated with was probably an "enlightened being" otherwise Hanako wouldn't qualify for avici.
And I doubt this will get as gory as Doomish's fics, though I shudder at the thought of Doomish taking up the concept

[lolawesome]

I'm not sure why her boyfriend shouldn't have been Hisao. Lilly left and married someone else, so Hisao would definitely be an option.

the identify of her murdered cheating BF is still uncertain

[WolfStreak]

I'm not sure why her boyfriend shouldn't have been Hisao. Lilly left and married someone else, so Hisao would definitely be an option.

the identify of her murdered cheating BF is still uncertain

I know who did it...

I know who cheated on her!

It was...

Chester Cheeto

[Beoran]

Interesting. I didn't even know Bhudism had "hells" let alone so many. (There seem to be at least 16 of them.) Guess no religion can do without some kind of threat to punish bad behaviour, though so far I thought being reborn as a beetle would be enough deterrent...
I'm not sure why her boyfriend shouldn't have been Hisao. Lilly left and married someone else, so Hisao would definitely be an option. Though either her boyfriend or the girl he cheated with was probably an "enlightened being" otherwise Hanako wouldn't qualify for avici.
And I doubt this will get as gory as Doomish's fics, though I shudder at the thought of Doomish taking up the concept

Yes, it can get worse than being reborn as an animal. You could be reborn as a ghost or in one of the hells. And there are heavens too, but actually it's said it's better not being reborn here either since such worlds are too nice to be in, so you won't work as hard at becoming enlightened as if you were born in the human world.

Also, I'm taking a liberties with the Buddhist teachings, as I noted in the story "but it was clear then that at least some of it must have been true." For the sake of this story, I deem most general ideas correct but the details of which hells exist, how long they last, and what you need to qualify, who becomes a demon, etc are different. I should make this clear in the next part, since Rin's reason for being there is different and her problem is "smaller".

Ah well, this turns out to be a strange story I made up just to procrastinate and distract me. I'll go on with it in my own pace since there is some interest.

[Oddball]

Well, this was an entertaining oddity. It started a tad melodramatic and overly angsty, but it finished with a nice humorous cruelness to it.

[Frankyo]

Interesting fic. Hanako is best demon. Please continue.

[Mahorfeus]

Hanako Goes to Hell? A ridiculously depressing concept, but I think you've sold me on it.

Edit: Oh wait, it's a necro. Oops. How oddly appropriate.

[Mirage_GSM]

Interesting fic. Hanako is best demon. Please continue.

Haven't seen Beoran around in a long time. I don't think he visits the forums anymore...

[monkeywitha6pack]

Well it's certainly a interesting concept and good writing and I learned something new from it, I think that makes it a good story good job

[SpunkySix]

I was prepared to not like this at all, but it's very interesting.

I hope it continues, but I will NOT request that it does, because that would result in a dip in the deep fryer and that would make me a very sad Spunky.