Without Gel it ALL Falls Apart

Michiyo Ichimaru

Whoever told Trucy that when she needed something she didn't have for one of her magic tricks, she should improvise with whatever she could find was WRONG.

Apollo grumbled miserably, as he gathered his case files together. Even if Trucy thought it was the cutest thing in the world, he wasn't ready to forgive her yet. He had an hour until he had to go to court, and she had used the last of his hair gel towards making some sort of puzzle box. Without it, his hair was a shaggy, wind-blown mess.

He thought he might at least get a little sympathy from Mr. Wright, whom he knew had once put just as much time and effort into making his hair the spectacular spiky vision it was. Instead, he got, "What's up with the sex-hair today, Justice?" He smacked him and vowed never to ask Phoenix for pity EVER again.

Waiting anxiously to be called in for the start of the trial was proving to be more difficult than he had thought it would be. Apollo was trying with all his might not to acknowledge his defendant, who was batting her eyes at him so prettily. Finally, the bailiff motioned for him to go inside and he obliged happily, bolting past.

Whatever made him thought being in court would make anything any different was beyond him. Because he soon realized that he had walked right into an even bigger gathering with the hopes of escaping. How wrong he had been… Before he even got to his desk, the entire gallery was whispering and the judge had to shout to calm them down.

Apollo blushed terribly, mumbling about how ridiculous this all was, as he practically threw his case files down. He hoped after that things would be normal and that they could all move on and forget about his hair. But he had forgotten about the person who was most likely to harp on it… the one right across from him.

'Please god no, don't start…' Apollo begged, hoping that maybe the prosecutor who loved to pick on him all the time, might see that he had already been mocked enough and let it go. Not like he actually believed that this could happen. So when he hadn't heard anything from the prosecution, he dared to look up and see if he really wasn't going to say anything about it.

Klavier Gavin's eyes were focused intently on him. So intently that it made Apollo's blush darken. His mouth was slightly agape in complete and total shock. The Judge started banging his gavel again. If Apollo hadn't seen it, he wouldn't have believed it, but the sound made Prosecutor Gavin jump.

"If the prosecution is entirely finished ogling the defense…" the Judge said, clearing his throat, "Your opening statement, please?" Apollo expected this to snap the sense back into the prosecutor. Instead, he watched said prosecutor blush and fumble around with his papers to find a reference.

Apollo couldn't BELIEVE what he was seeing. This wasn't the nearly unshakable prosecutor he knew… he was… he was blushing like a school girl, and looking for papers to tell him about a case he probably knew like the back of his hand. What in the heck was going on, Apollo wondered, awe struck.

"The defendant, Mika Yorn…"

Apollo flinched. Now he was even reading wrong. Whatever was wrong with him, Apollo felt sorry for him, even after the already terrible morning he had. "OBJECTION! The prosecution is… well, Mika Yorn is the DECEASED, Mr. Gavin. My defendant is Vivian Cross…"

Prosecutor Gavin was looking at him funny again. The way he looked at him was starting to look almost predatory, and it was making Apollo's stomach do strange somersaults. "R-right…" he said, trance-like, making no move to continue. Apollo blinked, wishing that he would stop looking at him so… intensely.

The judge was happy to force him to continue. "Order! Yes, get your facts straight! This isn't like you, Mr. Gavin… I don't want any more mistakes now, do you hear me?" he ordered. Apollo couldn't imagine the judge following through with any real punishment, but it made him wonder what he would do if Gavin kept this up.

"Heh he he… you're right, your honor. Sorry… Um, the defendant Vivian Cross purposefully fed the deceased a meal that harbored the deadly food poisoning salmon-cello."

Apollo massaged his temples and sighed. "That's… salmonella, prosecutor." Klavier blinked at him and smiled weakly.

"Ah! So it is… seems my blood's gone elsewhere."

"YOU MEAN MIND!" Apollo shouted, his face now a solid crimson color. Right then he realized the one benefit to having his hair down… he could hide his face behind it.