SOOOOOORRRRRRRRYYYYYYYY! THIS WOULD HA-
Grimm: SHUT UP BEFORE YOU MAKE US ALL DEAF, YOU STUPID BITCH!
Me: Sorry. Anyway, this would ha-
Ulqui: No excuses. Be silent, and type. -death glare-
Me: -nods obediently-
Invisible?
Chapter 12: Trial Part 1
-Ulquiorra's POV-
I hated this feeling. No, that was an understatement. Loathed, detested, abhorred...I cannot even think of a word to correctly describe it. This emptiness, this numbness in which you have to muster up all your will to simply be able to think or move. Currently, I was reclined against the back of the cozy beige couch, ignoring the concerned bluenette hovering less than a foot behind me. Nel was at school, it being Monday.
"Hey, Ulqui, you ready for this?"
"Yes, thank you Grimmjow," I replied, trying not to lash out at the man who had given me so much without asking for anything in return.
"Good. It's time to go." Nodding, I followed him out the door and down to his truck, hopping in without a word.
As we drew closer and closer to the court house where I would have to bare my heart and soul to strangers when I told them my sob story, the numb feeling faded and was replaced by three others, two almost as unwelcome. Anger, anxiety, and remorse. Why such fury would be directed to the members of the jury, who were merely doing their civic duty, and why I would feel remorseful for putting my father, who had abused for years, in prison, was beyond me. At least the anxiety was logical.
"We're here, Ulquiorra."
"You don't have to come with, you know."
"Yeah, I know, but you're going to need someone there, and even if you didn't, I'm not letting you go in there alone. So come on," Grimmjow replied sharply, getting out of the car and slamming the door closed.
Momentarily stunned, I sat there gaping until my door was suddenly opened, startling me enough to close it. "Why are you always so surprised whenever I show you I care?"
"I apologize, I suppose I'm just not used being cared for," I answered. For the second time in less than five minutes, the bluenette surprised me, this time by grasping my hand in his, gently, making all of the previous emotions vanish and a strange happiness to emerge.
"That bastard is damn lucky I didn't get to him before the police," he murmured under his breath. Staring at his enraged, gorgeous blue eyes, I couldn't help but agree. I didn't want my Grimmjow to spend what would be a long period of time locked up in a cage. Squeezing his hand slightly, I allowed myself to smile and enjoy the moment. His eyes flashed to mine and held my gaze as he smiled in return; not his feral grin, a soft smile. "Let's get this over with. Hopefully before Nel gets out of school so we can all go and do something."
"Yeah."
We navigated our way through the crowded hall and eventually found the court room, where a white haired man in a black suit waited patiently. "Ah, hello. I'm Ukitake, and I will be working with you to imprison this criminal," he said with a kind smile.
"Schiffer. My companion is Jeagerjaques, and we'll appreciate it if we could finish this up as quickly as possible."
"I'll try my best? We haven't had a chance to meet before because...of what happened, so let's talk. We have an hour and I want to double check a few things, if that's all right?"
"Of course," I responded as we sat at the rectangular table to the right of the front of the room; he pulled a chair to the other side while Grimmjow and I took the ones we would be in for the next few hours.
"Now if there's any questions you don't want to answer, you don't have to, but the criminal's lawyer will ask these, and you'll probably have to answer them then," Ukitake informed, taking files out of his briefcase and spreading them out in front of them.
"I must ask that you stop treating me like a child. The "criminal"'s name is Derek Vistoni, he is my father, he abused me; cease desensitizing the situation. I will answer your questions," I told him bluntly, wincing at the tightening of Grimmjow's grip as his anger renewed itself. Ukitake's expression, on the other hand, almost had me burst out laughing. Chocolate brown eyes wide, jaw on the floor, tense...
"Oh...okay, then. First question: How old were you when he first hit you?" My hand will be going through excruciating pain today, I can tell.
"When I was five. It stopped for two years after I turned ten, but started up again after that," I replied, watching Ukitake calmly write while the my hand was, as I had predicting, going through an agonizing experience. Not that I wanted him to let go.
"What happened when you were ten?"
"He met someone, a woman named Kyra Tu Oderschvank, and temporarily changed himself for her. She is, or perhaps was, my little sister's mother."
"Oh, yes, I nearly forgot about her. You said 'perhaps was'? Do you think she may be dead?"
"She did not seem the type to leave her daughter."
"She most likely is dead. No one has seen or heard from her for the past six years, at least. Do you suspect your father?"
"No. He did love her, and would never cause her harm."
"You are certain?"
"Yes."
"Wait, what would make you think he wouldn't hurt her since he loved her? Didn't he hurt you?"
"He didn't love me. Of this, I am most definitely sure." The hand tightened even more, if that was possible.
"Th-"
"Don't. And stop giving me that pitying look."
"May I ask where Mr. Jeagerjaques comes into all of this?" he questioned then, changing the subject not-so-subtly.
"Support," Grimmjow growled, the first time he had made a sound since we entered this room.
"You're not a witness?"
"If I was, Derek would be dead. No question about it. He's fucking lucky that I didn't get to him first."
"Oh, I see," Ukitake responded, staring at Grimmjow cautiously.
"Next question?" I inquired, drawing his attention back to me.
"What else besides physical abuse?"
"Emotional abuse and neglect," the bluenette beside me answered.
"Emotional abuse?" I asked for clarification.
"Yes, and don't you dare try to deny it. You have the files I sent you, right," Grimmjow said, directing the last part to Ukitake.
"Yes."
"Files?" I questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Just the proof of neglect. I had a little talk with your bank," Grimmjow replied.
"All the bills were paid from your account, you bought groceries every two weeks with a card, and you probably bought everything else as well, with the withdrawals. I'm sorry, but I have to ask, how did you get all this money working one part-time job?"
"I sold items we no longer wanted online, shopped at the cheapest stores in existence, worked as many shifts as I could, and performed mundane chores for neighbors."
"That's it?"
"I used to fight on a bi-weekly basis, but I quit the week before I was hospitalized at the Kurosaki Clinic." My 'manager' was asking questions about the bruises he hadn't seen me get.
"Really?" Grimmjow questioned, stunned.
"I am not as helpless as I look."
"I saw the muscles," he said, nodding in agreement with a smirk.
"Ah. Why don't we leave the fighting part out if they ask?" Ukitake suggested with another smile. I nodded in agreement to this. "Let's move on to the next question then. When did the emotional abuse and neglect start? At the same time?"
"No, the emotional abuse I do not remember beginning, maybe that had always been there, and the neglect not until I was thirteen and started doing the formerly mentioned chores."
"What is the relationship between your father and sister like?"
"There is no relationship. The last time he said a word to her was when she was three, and that was for her to 'shut the hell up'." Even back when he did speak to her, it was rare enough to stand out in both our minds.
"Okay. That's all I wanted to double-check on. We definitely have enough evidence make Mr. Vistoni pay for his numerous mistakes."
That's all this time. -suffocates-
Ulqui: Calm down, Grimmjow. You're killing Stillenight.
Grimm:...-relaxes-
Me: -gasps in breaths- Wow, you're killing intent is like...scary.
Grimm: It's supposed to be.
Me: Anyway, you guys are the jury. I have opened a poll, so please use that. Reviewers, I love you! This story has FIFTY reviews! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! :) Please review again!
Starrk: -snore-
Me: Huh. Looks like Starrk's back.