Chapter VII: Rile
~The mist is finally fading, the truth is here to stay...
With the slam of his gavel, the elderly judge concluded by issuing the final verdict.
"Due a lack of motive, the court concludes that this was merely sad consequence of over indulging in alcohol. Therefore, Taishou Akinari is sentenced to a maximum of one year in prison. Otherwise, he may choose to post bail and complete one year of manual labour for the Ninja Corps. With this, court is now adjourned."
Hushed muttering engulfed the silent courtroom. The crowd that had occupied the vast court dispersed, all drifting towards the exits. Many were still reflecting on the previous case, some even participating in heated debates. The general consensus was that the sentence was too light. However, the power wielded by the Konoha Council was formidable. No dared to voice a challenge.
Satisfied smirks were apparent on the faces of the smug defence attorneys. Their posture alone gave away the excitement they felt at receiving their salaries. The pair congratulated themselves profusely, ignorantly appreciating their skills. While they claimed to have successfully won the case, the majority of people felt the true victory belonged to the immense influence of Taishou Akinari's father.
The frustrated prosecutor, Noriko Yoshihiro banged her files on the table, attracting unwanted attention as she too made her exit. The novice lawyer carelessly loosened her grip on the case files as she hastily made her way towards her waiting clients.
For a brief moment they all stood together in silence, prolonging the devastating moment when she would finally have to reveal the truth.
"How did it go?" slowly asked Chouji – arguably the most competent of the three ninjas at handling bad news – defusing the uneasy tension.
"I almost had them," was the only reply the disappointed lawyer could muster. She kept her gaze focused on the paved ground below.
"So we lost." Ino looked up towards the sky, then took a shaky breath and swallowed. "That son of a bitch gets to walk free and we..."
"We knew this was going to happen," sharply cut across Shikamaru, exhaling smoke through his nostrils. "I told you this would happen. This result was inevitable."
"This is bullshit," cursed out Ino, loudly enough to draw the interest of the people who hurriedly walked around them. "This is not fair!"
"It's okay Ino," softly reassured Chouji, giving his female friend a comforting one armed hug, only to be interrupted by an irritated Shikamaru.
"Nothing in life is fair," lowly growled out Shikamaru, his breath tinged with smoke. He lightly flicked his used cigarette on the massive property, disregarding the no littering policy in place. "So grow up."
"He's been having a bad day," quickly whispered Chouji into the right ear of his fuming teammate, swiftly salvaging the situation. "Bear with me."
Shikamaru pulled out a wad of cash to pay the thwarted prosecutor who stood with her head bowed before him. The lawyer though surprised, refused to accept the payment. Desperately pushing back her sliding glasses, she only offered the three ninjas a grim smile in return.
"I don't want it," responded Noriko while shakily removing her glasses to wipe them clean. "I lost."
"You did your job properly," gruffly commended Shikamaru as he took hold of her hand and placed her payment upon it.
"Thank you but no thank you," stubbornly resisted the prosecuting lawyer, forcefully shoving the cash back into Shikamaru's pocket. "Maybe, when I actually do something useful about this case, I'll consider accepting this. Right now, it's just a symbol of my incompetency."
"Ms. Yoshihiro," tiredly began Chouji, trying to convince the young women to accept her fee.
"I'll keep you all informed if anything new pops up about this case and I expect all of you to do so as well," responded Noriko gathering herself together before heading back towards the main building. "It's almost time for my next case, but I am truly sorry about this case. I will try my hardest to make this up to you."
The lawyer retreated back into the court room leaving the three visibly tense ninjas to mull over their remaining options.
Out of the three, only Chouji seemed to be moderately calm and kept the fine truce between his differing teammates. Ino's agony was the most obvious on her face; while Shikamaru too was quietly miffed, despite his best attempt to hide it.
"So what do we do now?" unexpectedly asked Chouji to no one in particular.
"Accept your defeat, maybe?" mockingly answered Hiroto Akinari, none other than the father of the accused. "Seems like we meet again, in the most unlikely of circumstances Mr. Nara."
"Good morning to you too," lazily remarked Shikamaru, calmly trying to avoid a confrontation with the more experienced council member.
"It seems that you three are truly a nosy bunch," added on Hiroto through a tight lipped smile, in an effort to avoid the prying glances of those around him.
"It's in our blood," lightly retorted Chouji, keeping the situation under control.
"Blood...it is so much more than it seems," slyly countered the long time councillor, launching into his tirade. "Blood is what separates us "commoners" from the "ninja elite". It is blood that determines whether we are pure or dirt. Do you know how long I have resented the so-called superior blood that runs through your veins? Do you know how much I've struggled to hold my position over less experienced but ninja supported candidates? It disgusts me to see the respect that is given to cold blooded murderers; all the while the achievements of normal civilians go unnoticed. Ninjas and your filthy, stinking blood, you can all go die in a ditch and I wouldn't shed a damn tear."
"We protect the village, god damn it!" Yelled out Ino; righteous anger coating her voice. "We give our lives to safeguard all those who live here."
"And from who exactly do you protect us from?" icily hissed the elderly man, trying his best to get Ino to squirm. "Can't answer can you? Aren't you ashamed to admit that the sole purpose of your career is to protect us from other ninjas...people exactly like you?"
"Though it is ninja who fight," opportunely interrupted Shikamaru, earning him a cold glare from the elder. "It is not us who create wars. We are merely soldiers...pawns. Is it not the civilians who are too caught up in greed and lust, who push us so shamelessly into war? All the while, they cower behind our protection and throw criticisms in our face. What do think... councillor?"
Hiroto's eyes narrowed dangerously and the vein bulging on his neck became more apparent than before.
"Like father, like son...eh?" Spat out Hiroto taking a step backwards, away from the ninja unit. "Always have a way with words. But mark my words boy; you haven't seen the last of me yet. I'll show you exactly what I'm capable of."
"Who does he think he is? Does he think he's threatening? That we are scared of him?" quietly asked Ino, as her two teammates glared at the retreating form of the irritated council member. "What a complete nut bar..."
"A clever nut bar," responded Shikamaru while shutting his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose, all in an effort to prevent another headache. "He's going to make our lives living hell."
"Just watch him try," scathingly shot back Ino, glaring daggers into the back of Akinari senior.
"Ino please," kindly pleaded Chouji, bringing his female teammate's attention back to the matter at hand. "That's the last thing we need to do right now. What are we going to do about the little girl?"
"Suzume, we've got to help her," stated Ino, turning around to face both of her long-time friends.
"No shit," sarcastically retorted Shikamaru, sticking his cold hands into his pockets.
"Shikamaru this is serious stuff," chided Chouji, taking offense to Shikamaru's lack of commitment. "That Hiroto guy is off his rocker and if he finds out that his granddaughter has ninja blood in her, there is no telling what he'll do."
"What do you want me to do about it?" crossly snapped back Shikamaru, in no mood to be emotionally black mailed by his team.
"Adopt her." Ino's sudden statement cut Shikamaru's angry reply short. It momentarily stunned both of Ino's male comrades into complete silence.
"WHAT?" simultaneously questioned both Shikamaru and Chouji, once they had regained control their voices. Both men were staring at their lone female teammate as if she had completely lost her mind.
"Just temporarily," swiftly hurried on Ino, paying scarce attention to the reactions of her friends. "This will ensure her protection until we can find someone else from her mother's side to come in and adopt her."
"Ino that could take weeks, months even," argued Chouji, while Shikamaru hastily nodded in agreement. "And none of us are capable of raising children. In fact, the most capable one out of all of us is you."
"I know that, but my apartment rules are sort of strict," slowly responded Ino even as she mentally reviewed the conditions of her lease. "There can only be two ninjas per apartment and I doubt Sai is going to move out anytime soon."
"I can't either remember," warily pointed out Chouji, while images of his worn down, messy and often times, greasy apartment ran through Ino's mind. "I'm out of town for a mission for another three months at least."
Both teammates turned towards their only remaining option, the (so far) silent grouch.
"Hell no," hissed Shikamaru, unintentionally setting grins on the faces of the members on his team.
"Please Shikamaru," pleaded Ino, who was unashamedly using her infamous puppy dog eyes.
"Yeah, think of it as a way of getting back at the crazy councillor," encouraged Chouji, hoping to elicit a positive response from the grumpy leader.
"I have ways, this is not one of them," stubbornly resisted Shikamaru, kicking his cigarette butt away.
"It is only for a little while," inputted Ino as she valiantly tried to find a practical explanation as to why Shikamaru should adopt the sullen little girl.
"Yeah, besides it's not like you actually going to get any good missions," added on Chouji, trying his hand in reasoning with the defiant man before him. "The Council is still deciding on the Hokage's advisor position and you're a front runner. They are not going to let you out of their sight. Trust me, both Neji and Shino have already been served notice that they will not be allowed on any further missions outside the village until the process is over. Something about monitoring their communication skills..."
Shikamaru grumbled his disapproval, as his mind flashed back to the unopened letter on his dining table. The letter held the insignia of the current Hokage. In his hurry to reach the court house, he had left the all important letter untouched.
"Shit, so it wasn't just a stupid rumour," considered Shikamaru, faintly cringing at the thought. The frown on his face deepened considerably. "Getting stuck in a village with a psycho councillor who wants to take revenge, can this possibly get any worse?"
"Besides, you'll get to spend a lot of time researching on the backgrounds of the mother," continued on Chouji, oblivious to Shikamaru's inner turmoil. "You'll probably get the job done faster just because you want to get rid of the girl. I can guarantee you now that raising the girl will definitely not win you any votes from Akinari or his cronies on the Council."
"Wait, not becoming the advisor...that's perfect," inwardly planned Shikamaru, mulling over his remaining options. "The Council would leave me alone and I can bet that Akinari would probably drum up opposition against me if I raise the girl. Besides, it's not like the living arrangements are going to be permanent..."
"Shikamaru, oi Shikamaru," repeated Ino as she snapped her fingers in front of him to recover his concentration. "Are you spacing out on us?"
"No," sharply retorted Shikamaru running his right hand through his hair. "And fine, I'll do it."
"Seriously? That's great!" replied the synchronized pair, now openly congratulating each other on the success of their ill-conceived plan.
Instantly the smiles on their faces stretched wider as they linked arms, before engulfing Shikamaru in a small group hug. Shikamaru sighed when they eventually let him go, but it did little to dampen the enthusiasm of his team. Both Chouji and Ino were privately envisioning their lazy friend as a proper caregiver. That alone was enough to send them into spirals of laughter.
"Yeah, yeah whatever," nonchalantly shrugged off Shikamaru heading away from the massive court house. "You guys get the paperwork ready. I'm going to go home and clean it or something."
"Pff, you cleaning," jubilantly mocked Ino heading back towards the noisy court house. "I'd bet that you're just going to use that as an excuse to catch up on a nap."
"Life is too short to be spent being miserable," wisely remarked Shikamaru lifting one arm to signal goodbye to his friends. Within seconds, he disappeared from view.
"So says the king of slackers," dryly observed Chouji, though his words were engulfed by the chilly autumn winds. Quietly, he too turned around and followed Ino's lead.
...The illusions are finally passing, the lies have gone away~