Onryou

怨霊 - "vengeful spirit"

Summary: Sometimes it's just a matter of saying the right thing. When dealing with The Dimensional Witch, one should word their wish very carefully.

In San Fransokyo, there was an empty lot nestled between two Victorian style houses. Depending on who you asked, though, there were people who would swear up and down that there was actually a Japanese house there. Rumors claimed it was a shop, but it was such an odd place for a store, too far from the shopping areas in the city.

Most people passed it without second thought.

Robert Callaghan was not one of those people.

It had been three months since Abigail had been lost to the portal. What was once a bright and colorful world now seemed dark and gray. A sharp and angry voice raged in his head, howling for justice. He had filed an arrest against Krei but the charges were dropped. "It was an accident," they said. The government covered it up, not wanting the disaster to leak to the public. Abigail was gone and that bastard still walked free. Krei needed to pay for his crimes.

"Do you have a wish?"

Robert snapped out of his dark thoughts, startled. Instantly he was aware that he was standing in front of a Japanese style house. "I… I'm sorry?" he said. How had he gotten here?

A woman with long dark hair stood before him. She wore a crimson red and black kimono, smoke curling from her black pipe. Her smile was wide and while she seemed unassuming, Robert had the feeling she was not someone who should be dealt with lightly.

"I didn't mean to intrude," Robert continued. "My feet seemed to have carried myself here."

"There are no coincidences in this world, only hitsuzen," the woman said. "You have a wish, do you not? This is a wish-fulfilling shop."

A wish? Robert's heart roared and screamed. A wish! Justice for Abigail! Revenge on Krei! He felt the cloak of anger settled on his shoulder as his heart hardened.

"I am Yuuko Ichihara," the woman introduced herself. She blew out a smoke ring. "I've been expecting you Robert Callaghan."

Robert followed her into the house. A set of twins ran around, opening the doors and escorting him into a room with a wooden table and two seats. Yuuko took a seat in one. She placed her elbows on the table, rested her chin on her folded hands. Her grin was wide, almost sadistic causing Robert to falter. What was he getting himself into?

"Take a seat," she instructed.

'Revenge of Abigail,' something dark and sinister whispered in his head. For Abigail. Robert took a seat.

"Tell me your wish," Yuuko instructed. Her expression melted into one of seriousness.

"I don't have much money," Robert started. He wrung his hands nervously. Hesitation held him back. That small voice that sounded like Abigail kept him from falling over the edge. That voice was growing weaker.

"I have no use for monetary wealth," Yuuko said with a wave of her hand. She took another deep breath from her pipe, blowing out a smoke butterfly. "I will take something of equal valve instead. Do be careful what you wish for, the price can be heavy."

For Abigail. Justice for Abigail. Stop Krei before anyone else got hurt. For Abigail.

"For my daughter, I want justice. There's a man whose life I want to ruin," Robert said. He thought about Abigail's smile, her laughter. He thought about how he would never see it again. He thought about Krei and his blasted shortcuts. Robert was aware that something dark was growing inside him: an ugly and dark monster that demanded blood, retribution. He wants his daughter back, but she's gone, gone, gone. Taking out Krei would be an acceptable replacement.

Was it his imagination or did something like disappointment flashed in the woman's eyes?

"I see. Is that your wish?" Yuuko asked. Her face was a mask of calm stoicism. It betrayed nothing of her thoughts and she offered no advice whether his wish was a good one.

"Yes." For Abigail.

Yuuko closed her eyes. "Maru," she instructed. "Get the white box on the third shelf in the storeroom please."

One of the twins scampered off, returning shortly with the box. Yuuko took it and placed it on the table. "This will allow you to fulfill your wish," she said. "In exchange I would like the picture of you and your daughter in your wallet."

A picture? That was the equivalent price? Robert wavered. It was the picture Abigail had taken just before she had been lost in the portal. It was the most recent picture he had of her. One of the few links he had left of her.

'Justice for Abigail. Krei must pay,' a dark voice hissed in his head.

Without another doubt, Robert handed the photograph over. Yuuko slid the box over to him. With trembling hands, he lifted the cover to find a white Kabuki mask with red markings. "A Kabuki mask?" Robert asked.

"It will help you in your quest," Yuuko said. She said no more.

Sensing their business was done, Robert accepted the mask and left. Two weeks later he met Hiro Hamada, Tadashi Hamada's younger brother. The microbots Hiro had created were astounding and the plan began to form in Robert's head. The missing piece. The microbots would allow Robert to fulfill his plans for Krei.

For Abigail.

xXxXx

A month later, Yuuko opened the newspaper one morning. Splashed across the headlines was 'Robert Callaghan Alive! Arrested for the Destruction of Downtown!'

"Such a shame," Yuuko said. A small bracelet with a sparrow on it dangled from her wrist. "If he had asked for what he truly wished for, instead of revenge, he might have had a happier ending." The death of a good man, the creation of a team of superheroes, the homecoming of lost daughter and a failed attempt on an arrogant businessman's life, all for the price of one relationship between a father and a daughter.

"I suppose that too is hitsuzen."

Onryou: Onryou are capable of causing harm in the world of the living, harming or killing enemies, or even causing natural disasters to exact vengeance to redress the wrongs it received while alive. Their motive is always the same: vengeance. Onryō are easily powerful enough to swiftly kill any person; however, they prefer letting the object of their hatred live a long life of torment and suffering, watching those he knows suffer and die.