Author's Comments: [Edit 7/6/10: I have decided to revise this story, and since it took me a year to even glance at this story, the amount of reviews will make me decide on if I continue.]
P.S. Attorneys aren't usually supposed to go out and investigate cases. (I think) That's the police's job. Jeez, the police never get any credit in animes and manga. lol. But in my story, that's an exception. Sakura can take on the role of a detective too! -thumbs up pose-
P.P.S. This is based off of the Phoenix Wright games.
ONE LAST NOTE! THIS IS IMPORTANT! If you want to skip the trial, go ahead, because it doesn't have Sasuke in it. The trial just shows how smart Sakura is. :) Sasuke makes his debut at towards the end of the chapter... in a NEWSPAPER. HAH.
Files of a Cherry Blossom.
BY: Siffy
File 1: Late fall, November 18.
7 years ago...
"NNGH! I forgot the papers at home!" A young woman of 18, with the short, abnormal colored hair of soft, pearly pink, rummaged through her bag (which looked like it was about to explode at the moment.)
"Oh no! It's never good for a lawyer to be late!" Although claiming that statement, she turned around 180 on her heels and sped off, dust replacing where she was standing before a nanosecond ago.
Reaching her apartment, she wrenched opened her door, and snatched the folder from her desk.
'Oh screw this!' sliding open the window, she jumped out, landing expertly and with ease on her high heels. She continued to run as fast as she could while ignoring the cold air.
20 minutes later...
"I won't make it! AHHHHHHH!" Tears forming in the corner of her emerald eyes. Comically, she burst through the heavy and huge doors of the courthouse. The whole entire court turned around and started at her. Calmly walking over to her stand, she acted as if nothing had happened.
"Thank GOD you're here! I want to know WHO the heck did that to my girlfriend!" Her client, Kiba Inuzuka, whispered.
The judge- a busty blonde - was surprised for a moment. Coughing to get everyone's attention, she said in a powerful, booming voice,
"The defense attorney's (finally) here. The court is now in session! Mind summing up the story, Detective?"
"Yes ma'am! Okay, so it goes like, a beautiful model was found in her hotel room stabbed with a knife clean through her heart. And apparently HE (jabs thumb at Kiba) was in the room exactly the estimated time of death. It's also probably him, because he has the spare key card to her room!"
"Okay Haruno. You will be given a blueprint of the hotel room just in case. Thank you Detective. Prosecutor Echiro, you may call your witness to the stand." "Yes ma'am."
An old man came out, around his 50s, and looked like he was ready to shoot Sakura down. He began speaking,
"I just came in, from a business trip and it was my first time in that hotel, right? Well I was in the main lobby, asking for a room, then all of a sudden, I hear that loud, annoying 'ding!' of the elevator once again, and out comes HIM- (points at Kiba) looking like he's seen a ghost or something. First, he walks all wobbly like, and then he runs out the front lobby doors looking all panic-y. I just shrug it off and go up the elevator to go to my room. Now, I happened to coincidentally be staying on the same floor as Yumi-chan. I happened to see a door wide open. I was passing by it and I glanced inside, only to find the famous and beautiful model- Yumi Mitsuragi lying on the floor with a pool of blood around her! I then only knew it was the guy who was walking all funny. I decided to call the police right away, gave them his description, and they arrested him. Man, I could feel the heat from the stove! Now I know how the police are picky with scene of crimes, so I didn't take a step inside! I waited outside the door the whole time until the police came."
"Okay, you have all that information down Haruno?" The judge asked. Sakura nodded.
"You may begin cross-examining the witness."
Sakura nodded and thought. She couldn't find any contradictions! Looks like she'll have to play the 'press the witness until you get some answers' game.
"You seem very familiar with the model Yumi. Calling her Yumi-chan. Care to explain why?" The witness flushed and stuttered.
"W-well, she IS famous a-and all, I see her on TV a-alot!"
"Hmmmmm... really?"
"Y-yeah! It's not like I stalk her or anything! Or like that she was eating salad for lunch-"
"WOAH THERE, BUDDY!" Sakura screamed. "How would you know that she was eating salad for lunch?"
"U-um-"
"OBJECTION!" The prosecutor yelled. "Haruno-san, it's very obvious models would be on diets."
'Che! He got me.'
Something clicked in Sakura's mind. The kitchen...
"OBJECTION! How... do YOU" Sakura pointed at the witness, "Know the stove was turned on? How do you know it was the STOVE and NOT the HEATER? CLEARLY the kitchen is NOT in the view from the doorway! The blueprint here proof!"
"She has a point..." The judge commented.
The audience erupted in low whispers.
SMACK! "ORDER!"
"Uh, well that's because, um... I heard it! The sizzling of something, something like a stove! A-and besides, the heaters in the apartments make a noise similar to the air conditioners!"
"Hold it! Why would you need a stove, when you don't need one to cook salad?"
"OBJECTION! Well, since the heater was broken, she obviously turned on the stove to warm up." Echiro said while tapping his information.
'How come no one told me the heater was broken? And HOW in the world DOES he get all that information?'
"Y-yeah! What he said!"
'Oh no, I'm fighting a losing battle. I'm pretty sure Kiba is innocent, but how do I prove it? ... Think Haruno, THINK! Are there anymore contradictions in his testimony? "Then all of a sudden, I hear that loud, annoying 'ding!' of the elevator once again." Wait. Again? That was the first time the elevator rang that day, right? But 'once again' means he's heard it before? But I thought...'
"Does the defense have anything more to say?" Sakura didn't hear the judge.
"Then the verdict is GUILT-"
"OBJECTION! Your Honor, if I may, I'd like to point out a fault in the witness's testimony." The judge nodded.
"Go ahead."
"His exact words were, '"I just came in, from a business trip and it was my first time in that hotel, right? Well I was in the main lobby, asking for a room, then all of a sudden, I hear that loud, annoying 'ding!' of the elevator once again"' That's a CLEAR fault your Honor! 'Once again' means that you've heard it before, ergo, it WASN'T your first time at that hotel! I'm probably making a big guess but, I think, that this is what happened: For some reason, he (points at witness) killed the victim, turned on the stove to delay the start of rigor mortis. Now you were some sort of stalker, so you know the victim had a boyfriend, which is Kiba. You somehow got the schedule of their meeting times, and waited in the lobby for him to come. As he walked in, you probably went up to the front desk and asked for a room key or something, and made sure it was on the same floor as the victim. He comes down, and panics. That's when you decide to go upstairs, and call the police."
"OBJECTION!" Echiro screamed, "please Haruno-san. Do not make false accusations!"
Sakura smirked. She was sure of her deduction. "Then, I bet there were a ton of witnesses who saw him waiting in the lobby."
The witness flinched and Echiro made an incoherent face.
"U-u-u-, I GIVE UP! Because of that DOG the love of my life has left me! She was only using me! Using me until someone with a more handsome face comes by and seduces him! I had no choice. No choice but to kill her and frame it on that MUTT! Heheh, yes Haruno-san. Your deduction is correct. I bet now, I'll be seeing myself in jail..."
"Verdict: Not guilty! You are going to make quite the reputation someday, Sakura." The judge announced.
"R-really? Nah, I think it was luck was on my side this time."
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU HARUNO!" Kiba screamed and jumped on top of Sakura. "For repayment, I'll try not to get into trouble from now on!"
"No, no. That' impossible. I still remember the saying from grade school: 'If something stinks, it's always the dog.'"(1) Kiba scratched his head and chuckled nervously.
"Say, then I'll treat you to lunch, ramen sound good?" Sakura nodded. "Let's get going!"
"MMM! That was de-li-cious! Thanks Kiba!"
"Haha! No, I should be thanking YOU! You proved me innocent when nobody believed me!" That statement triggered a memory in Sakura's mind. She shook it off.
"No, no. It's getting late, your mom's going to get worried, go, I'll see you later! Bye Kiba!" Kiba nodded and waved. He bounded off out of sight. After he was gone, Sakura walked slowly home.
"Proving you innocent when nobody believed you huh..."
...flashback...
"It was her!"
"Haruno did it!"
"Yeah! She's always so quiet and never talks, it gives off a sneaky feeling!"
"She also wasn't at P.E during the time of the crime!"
"She did it!"
"Yeah!"
"Yeah!"
"Haruno's a theif! Haruno's a theif! Haruno's a theif!"
Sakura felt tears threatening to fall from her eyes. She quickly wiped them away. No matter how much she tried to explain, her classmates wouldn't believe that she didn't take her classmate's money.
BAM! A blonde haired boy stood up on his desk. The popular Sasuke was sitting down next to him, feet propped up on a desk.
"I BELIEVE SAKURA-CHAN DIDN'T TAKE THE MONEY!"
Sakura-chan? Did she know him? Sakura didn't think she ever met him before.
"Oh yeah Uzumaki? How would YOU know? You're just a dumb kid who would do anything for attention!" Popular Rika Sato said. "It was obviously HER who took my money. AND my designer wallet. Right forehead?" She flicked Sakura's forehead. Sakura felt tears sting her eyes again.
"It was obviously not her who took the money." Sasuke said. "Because the evidence. It's true Haruno had the same exact necklace as the one at the scene of the crime. But it looks like someone stole it from her."
"But she was the only one who bumped into me! Sasuke-kun, don't you agree with me? Haruno TOOK MY MONEY!" Rika exclaimed.
"I'm an eye-witness! The reason why Sakura-chan was not at P.E was because she went to the bathroom for some... indigestion problems, but that's not the point! The point is, I saw her walk into the bathroom!" The blonde shouted on the top of his lungs.
"Wasn't there another time you weren't holding onto your 'precious' wallet?"
"Yes, but my friends wouldn't steal anything!" Out of the corner of her eye, Sakura saw one of Rika's 'clones' fidget. What was her name? Hina? Hinate? Oh yeah! It was Hinata!
"Well apparently, the one breaking a cold sweat over there is the real culprit." Sasuke pointed at Hinata. Hinata's eyes widened, and she fidgeted more.
"Hinata wouldn't do that, she's loyal to me! Now admit it Haruno, YOU TOOK MY WALLET, DIDN'T YOU?" Sakura shook her head.
"How dare you keep refusing!"
"... I DID IT, OKAY? I Only did it because you take OUR stuff without permission! Let's see how you would've felt!" Hinata blurted out. Everyone stared at her, because she usually was shy, untalkative, and stuttering.
"(GASP!) HINATA! How could you?" Hinata kept going on though.
"Instead, you have to torture this poor girl for something she didn't even do! I'll give the money back, and I'm leaving your group, you HAG!"
Everyone was silent. This was an awkward moment.
"WELL I WANT YOU OUT OF MY GROUP YOU WANNABE! NOBODY WANTS TO BE YOUR FRIEND ANYMORE, RIGHT?" The whole class nodded. Sakura, who had been crying silently this whole time, raised her hand.
"I-I (sniff) I'll b-be h-her (hiccup!) fr-fr-friend!" Hinata looked dumbfounded at her. Then she started to cry as well.
"I guess, EVERYONE will have to have an apology to make to Sakura-chan!" The loud blonde kid shouted. "MAKE A LINE!"
Those four kids have been inseparable ever since.
...end...
"Ahhh, I wonder where everyone is now... I bet Hinata-chan works at a pastry shop! Haha, and Naruto... probably a ramen connoisseur. Sasuke... I don't know about him, he could've been good at ANYTHING!"
Sakura unlocked her apartment door. When she went in, a blast of cold air met her. Uh oh, she didn't close the window that morning! Turning the heater on, she took a shower, got dressed, and headed for bed.
Late fall, November 19
7 years ago...
Every morning at 8 AM, Sakura's alarm clock would chirp, and every morning, she'd throw it at the wall. After getting up, she'd eat a simple breakfast of either cereal, eggs and bacon, or toast while reading the paper. She would get dressed in her business suit (consists of tightish black skirt that ends just above her knees, and a white blouse with a black tie.) And brush her hair. Heck, she might tie her hair up into an elegant twist for more of an impact. She'd wear her matching high heels, pick up her one strap full bag, and head toward her office. (Haruno and co. Law offices)
But this time, she read something that almost made her choke on her breakfast.
YOUNGEST PROSECUTOR EVER CARRIES ON WINNING STREAK
The Daily News.
Sasuke Uchiha, the youngest prosecutor at age 19, has never lost in court. He always declared guilty verdicts, and is now on the roll. He's gaining a lot of money and fame very quickly. Where did he learn such skills? Possibly his father, also a prosecuting attorney, nicknamed, 'The Oni'. (2) In the most recent case...
Sakura stopped reading. Sasuke? Uchiha? The kid from grade school who used to be one of her best friends? A PROSECUTOR?
Oh how she dreaded the day she would be facing him in court.
And that time, my friend, would be soon. Very soon.
A/N: SO HOW was that? I don't really know much about things in court, and I'm only still learning! (from those Phoenix Wright games haha)
Plus! Sorry if this was really boring. But at least review! ;) I'm counting on ya.
(1) Dog refers to Kiba's last name Inuzuka. Inu means dog in Japanese. (In case you didn't know)
(2) Oni means devil in Japanese. (I think.)