Just a oneshot that I've thought up a while ago, This contains Polarshipping. It will also switch between the English and Japanese names based on the theory that Joey and Serenity were originally from the United States.
Their names will be switched from time to time. Lynn Jacobs/Wheeler will be sometimes called Rin Kawai, Serenity as Shizuka and Joey as Katsuya or Jonouchi depending on who they are being addressed by.
Also this is a separate story from "Coming Clean" and "Coming Home", it's something I thought up completely.
Enjoy:)
There were times where Joey had faced law enforcement and the courts for as long as he can remember. From his delinquency in Middle school while he was still part of Hirutani's gang, getting arrested for fights and stealing and his duel with Johnson in Kaiba's virtual world in a court room.
Those cases didn't matter to him, he learnt from those mistakes and it got him to clean up his act, and his duel made him rise against the system, it still made him chuckle that he took down the man who was once Gozaburo's lawyer. But this time things were different, he was in court again, but not for a crime he committed or anything he did, this was something he never thought could happen.
He was in court once again, but this time he wasn't the one in trouble. This time it was the one person Joey never thought in his wildest dreams would be standing before a judge for a crime.
It was his mother.
Joey couldn't believe it, he always thought it would be his dad that would be standing in front of a judge for getting into bar fights, or if his gambling debt wasn't paid since Joey disowned him and stopped helping his dad when he left him two years ago when he was sixteen. The fact it was his mother, the woman who worked full time as a nurse in America while taking care of her sick daughter, was being charged for a crime still boggled his mind.
It all started when he got a phone call from Professor Hawkins number from America, Joey was half asleep and was grodgy while Mai slept peacefully beside him. But when he heard his sister sobbing on the other line, he immediately woke up and became fearful that something happened to her, he started asking her if she was alright or if she was hurt.
When Serenity started speaking, Joey felt his blood boil when she said, "Mom...she..! She was arrested!"
Joey and their mother, Lynn Jacobs, had a strained relationship even before she and Serenity left. He was a bit rambunctious as a little boy and their mother didn't like Joey taking Serenity to unknown places when they were young, even if it was to get away from her and their father fighting. The only reason he was civil with her is because of Serenity, she was ill and was the target for their father's rages due to the medical bills from her doctors visits, making her a burden in their father's eyes and while he was furious his mom left him and took away his sister, he was at least glad she was safe and away from their dad.
Joey was hoping Serenity would at least be happy as she was free from the abuse, and after getting her eye surgery she would be able to live freely and see the world as she always wanted.
However, what Serenity told Joey on the phone made him made his blood run cold. Serenity revealed that she found out days ago that her eye surgery wasn't three million dollars as she thought when Domino city hospital contacted them in the US about the actual cost, and the hospital was now under investigation for medical bill fraud.
Apparently, their mother paled when she heard about it and Serenity thought that the hospital scammed them, and if it was true they would have to pay the mother and daughter half of what was paid for the actual cost of her eye operation.
But things turned upside down quickly, when not even two days after the phone call, the police arrived at their door and handcuffed Lynn, who began to shout at them and demanded they unhand her. When Serenity demanded why they were arresting her mother, what they told her horrified the sixteen year old girl.
The police revealed to her that their mother pocketed the rest of the money Joey gave them for the operation without the hospital nor Joey's knowledge, causing the Domino hospital the get accused of bill fraud in the first place. Serenity nearly lost her balance when they showed her the copy of her mother's account and the cost of the operation, her mother tried pleading with Serenity that it was all a mistake and that she'd never lie about anything like this as the police escorted her to the cruiser to jail.
Serenity found herself being taken by CPS as there were no family members they could turn to take care of her. Luckily Professor Hawkins was visiting a friend at the center and when he saw her, he immediately recognized her from Joey's stories and he went over to talk to the distressed girl.
Before long, after a long talk with CPS and legal paperwork, Arthur became Serenity's temporary guardian and when they got to his home, she immediately called Joey to tell him what have happened.
Mai woke up to the sound of Joey punching the wall, the frustration he felt for his sister nearly being put in the system and the fact that his mother stole the rest of the prize money was overwhelming. Why did she do it? Was she in that much trouble financially that she took the money without telling Joey? And the fact that the hospital and the doctors and nurses at the hospital who saved his sister are now in trouble with the law because of her?
Joey felt dizzy from all the thoughts that rushed into his head.
He started to calm down when Mai held him and Serenity telling him that Arthur was going to fly her to Domino city as their mother was being extradited to Japan to stand trial for her crimes.
A week later, Serenity arrived with Arthur and Rebecca at the airport and Joey gave her the biggest hug he's ever given her, telling her everything will be okay as she sobbed in her brother's arms, and Joey thanked Arthur for taking in Serenity so she didn't have to go into foster care.
She stayed with them at their apartment, then the next day Joey received a call from a lawyer saying that their mother's trial was the next week and asked if they can question the siblings in regards to their mother's actions.
Serenity and Joey were nervous, but they agreed to meet them. They went to the lawyers office where they were asked simple questions about their relationship with their mother and if they found anything off with her and if they knew about the cost of the operation beforehand.
When Joey explained that when he called the hospital to talk about the cost of surgery, he heard a woman's voice saying it was three million and that's why he entered the Duelist kingdom tournament to win the prize money, he assumed she was the nurse that worked there. Then it was Serenity's turn, she teared up a bit but she gave the lawyer a copy of her mother's bank information along with Domino hospital's bill for her eye operation.
After talking a bit more, the lawyer thanked them and said they would call them if something comes up, along with some condolences for their current situation.
Now the siblings were in court sitting beside one another. Serenity tried to stop herself from crying but it was difficult as her mom was possibly going to be charged for fraud, she is still in shock that she took the rest of the prize money from Joey, while Joey had mixed feelings about what was happening, and how he currently feels about his mother at the moment.
Many things were running through his head.
"I can't believe this is happening! Serenity's operation was never three million bucks, and Ma pocketed the rest without saying anything!? But how? when I called the hospital the lady on the other line said the surgery was three million dollars! How is that possible, was it a mistake? I didn't think Ma would do this! I heard of hospitals scamming their patients, but this is ridiculous!"
Joey turned his head to see his little sister wiping her eyes, Joey frowned. He was heartbroken for her and it made him more angry at his mother, his eyes hardened.
"And what's worse, Serenity almost paid the price for it. If the professor haven't came by the CPS building that day and took Serenity in, she'd be in the system right now and we could have lost her! Ma better have a good reason for what she did! She caused a shit show that not only got the hospital in trouble, we almost lost Serenity to the state!"
"Big brother?"
Joey came out of his thoughts as he heard Serenity speak. He looked at the young girl, who looked up at him with worry, "Are you okay? You seem out of it."
Joey smiled and patted her head, "Don't worry about me, sis, I'm fine. I'm just confused about all of this, it's insane."
Serenity nodded with her now frowning, "I feel the same way...I never thought of mom being in trouble with anything. She was always working and never seemed to be capable of something like that, but the bank statement from mom's account was equal to the cost of the money you won for my surgery. I really don't know what to believe anymore."
"Neither do I."
The court doors opened, and the Wheeler siblings looked behind them and saw a lawyer walking in, and their mother walking behind. Their mother was dressed in a light brown dress suit, her hair was curled as usual, but her eyes were tired looking with a tinge of fear, she looked at the front seats and her eyes widened in relief seeing her daughter.
As she and her lawyer were reaching the front, their mother quickly went to Serenity, tears in her eyes and smiled as she took her daughter's cheek in her hand.
"Oh Serenity! Thank goodness you're alright!" She sobbingly exclaimed.
Serenity smiled at her and took her hand, "I'm okay, mom, don't worry about me."
Her mother wiped her eyes and looked at her in concern, "How did you get here? I thought you were taken by CPS back in the States?"
Joey spoke up, "A friend of mine met her at the building she was at, he talked to his friends to help give him temporary custody of Serenity till this is resolved," Joey explained and looked at his mother with hardened eyes but only his mother noticed.
Lynn noticed this and stiffened a bit.
Before the older woman could say something to her son, the bailiff entered the room and Lynn's lawyer motions her to come to her seat.
Serenity and Joey were motioned to stand up when the judge appeared in court, along with their mother, her lawyer and another man beside them, who Joey assumes to be the prosecutor.
"All rise for the honorable judge Junichiro Nakamura!" announced the bailiff.
A man in his late forties entered the court room and went up to the bench and sat down, he looks at everyone before motioning them to sit.
"You may all be seated!" he spoke with authority, he took the papers in his hands, completely astounded, he cleared his throat and continued, "Now I've gotten a brief reading about this case, and I admit that this is quite peculiar. From what I've read in these files she was once a citizen in Japan, correct?" the judge asked the lawyer.
The lawyer stood up, "Yes your honor, my client, Lynn Jacobs, was born and raised in America, but moved to Japan with her children and ex husband while they were still married as he is a Japanese citizen. She moved back to her home country with her daughter after she divorced him and hasn't returned until her daughter needed an operation for a serious illness, and until she was extradited for this trial."
"I see," Judge Nakamura pondered, "Since she used to live in this country, does she have a name that is in the records that we can address her as during the trial?"
"Yes she does, your honor. When she lived in Japan she changed her name to Jonouchi Rin when she was still married to Jonouchi Jo-Dan. Then after she divorced him and came to Japan with her daughter for medical treatment, she changed her name to Kawai Rin."
"I see," the judge eyed the woman, "are you comfortable with this?" he asked her.
Lynn nodded quickly, "Yes your honor, you may address me as Kawai Rin for the trial."
Judge Nakamura nodded, "Very well. Now let's begin."
Joey and Serenity braced themselves.
"Ms Kawai, you have been accused of stealing almost three million dollars that your son had won from a tournament that was meant to pay for your daughter's surgery, and in turn Domino city hospital, where your daughter received her surgery, was under investigation for Medical fraud saying that her surgery was three million dollars, when in actuality it costed two thousand dollars. How do you plead?" the judge asked.
"Not guilty!" Lynn spoke.
Judge Nakamura studied her for a bit, then allowed the court to proceed.
The prosecutor stood up, "Your honor, as you know Medical fraud is the worst crime that a hospital can commit. Lying about the cost of a treatment that could save the life or the quality of life of the patient is not only unforgivable as a health care provider, but it can also have devastating consequences financially as the patient would then be stuck with a large debt after just recovering from an illness."
"But that isn't the case at all, your honor. Not only did we get the statement from the doctors and nurses from Domino city hospital stating that they stuck to their Hypocratic oath's fiercely and proved their innocence, we also have proof that Ms. Kawai's daughter, Kawai Shizuka, operation was two thousand dollars which was paid for by Ms. Kawai's eldest son, Jonouchi Katsuya, when he won three million dollars from a competition, and they never once told them otherwise."
The prosecutor pointed at Rin, who had an insulted expression, "But when her son paid the three million dollars for her daughter's eye operation, other doctors began to question why he paid so much when eye surgeries are never that expensive, and it caused an inquiry at the hospital where the doctor that performed Kawai Shizuka's operation and nurses were questioned and were at risk of getting fired and arrested. When it was discovered that Kawai Rin had almost the exact amount of money that her son paid the hospital in her bank account in America, it proved that she not only took the remaining money without the hospital or her son knowing, but she also allowed the hospital to take the fall for the outrageous cost of a surgery without speaking up to correct it."
"Due to this, Ms. Kawai is to be charged with International fraud for almost causing the only hospital in Domino city to be closed down when many people need medical treatment, but for also nearly ruining the lives of the doctors and nurses that helped her daughter get well for her dishonesty while having the money in her possession without permission from the hospital or her son."
When the prosecutor finished, Joey looked at his mother, who looked like she was sweating but kept a calm composure. He wasn't sure what to think of the prosecutor for what he said about his mother, while half of him wanted to speak up for her, the other half agreed with what he said.
His mother's lawyer got up, "Your honor, with all due respect, my client had no idea that the rest of the prize money wasn't to be touched. She thought that the rest of the money was for her and her daughter as a good gesture from her son, had she'd known the consequences that would rise from it she would never have done so in the first place. She wants to make amends and make an apology to the hospital, and to prove that she didn't commit fraud intentionally!"
Judge Nakamura looked at the lawyer and Rin, her eyes filled with pleading.
Meanwhile, Serenity was nervous and clung to Joey's arm, with Joey holding her hand.
The judge fixes his glasses and proceeds to start asking his question, "Ms. Kawai, tell us why you came to Japan with your daughter?"
Lynn cleared her throat, "I came here because the hospital in Japan had the best equipment that could help my daughter with her illness. America was too expensive to have her treated there as she spent most of her life in the hospital, while I worked as a nurse working night shifts."
"And what disease did your daughter have?"
Lynn had a sad look on her face, "My daughter had bad eyesight since she was born. I wasn't sure what was causing it, but it was only a year ago that we found out that the cause of her bad eyesight was Retinoblastoma."
Serenity looked down with sad eyes as she remembered her dark days in the hospital, and when she received the news of what her illness was. Judge Nakamura looked at the young girl with sympathy.
"And what is Retinoblastoma?" the judge asked curiously.
Lynn spoke, with her voice becoming raspy as she teared up, "...It's a rare form of cancer that develops in the eyes. My daughter was a rare case to be diagnosed with it when she was fifteen since that kind of cancer is often found in babies and very young children, and it's genetic most of the time. But it didn't run in either my family or my ex-husband's side...it was the worst day of our lives when they told us."
"They said if my daughter didn't get an operation to destroy the tumor in her left eye while it's still small, not only would she have gone blind completely...the tumor would have eventually spread to her brain, and was told that within the next six months or a year...she wouldn't survive."
Joey felt his blood run cold as he also started remembering the day he was told of his sister's condition, the fear came back of the time he thought he was going to lose his baby sister forever and held Serenity close.
"And did they tell you about the cost of the surgery that would help your daughter?" Judge Nakamura continued.
Lynn nodded, "They told me that it would be expensive, I wasn't really told the actual cost, but I was already in some financial trouble paying for my daughter's hospital stay in America, and as a nurse I don't really make much money to afford such a surgery, especially when they told me that there could be risks that it might not work and it might cost my daughter her life in the process."
"And how did you get the three million dollars to pay for the operation that saved your daughter's sight and her life?"
"...My son found out when Shizuka sent him a video tape saying that the time had come. He entered a tournament and won a three million dollar prize and used the money to pay for Shizuka's surgery...when I learnt he got that much, I thought it was a miracle. With the money getting the surgery my daughter needed, and the fact there was so much left over...I thought it was a kind gesture from Katsuya."
"And is Katsuya here today to verify this?"
Lynn pointed at Joey, making him flustered, "He is," Lynn looked at her son with sad eyes while clasping her hands together, "I'm so sorry, son, I shouldn't have taken the money without asking you and caused this mess. I hope you can forgive for this!"
Joey wasn't sure what to say, he felt like he was caught in the middle. He still had some negative feelings for her due to the past with her, but she was still his mom.
The prosecutor stood up for his turn.
"Ms. Kawai, you said that the operation for your daughter's eyesight was expensive and weren't told the precise amount that needed to be paid, correct?" he asked her.
"That's correct." she answered.
"And why was that? Did the hospital staff dance around the exact cost? And when your son won the three million dollars for your daughter's surgery, why didn't you discuss with him about having the money when most of it already paid for your daughter's operation instead of taking it all without telling him or inform the hospital about taking the rest of it?"
"I was sure that they already knew, and since my son got the money for my daughter, I thought it was all for her and I've been putting it away for when she starts college and when she decides to get married and start a family, she would have money to buy a house." Lynn explained.
The prosecutor looked at Lynn suspiciously, "So is that why on the day of your daughter's operation, you left Domino city hospital without informing your son of your plans for the prize money?"
Lynn froze, and the judge eyed the prosecutor in surprise, while Joey and Serenity were stunned.
Joey started to remember the day of Serenity's operation as she was wheeled away, but couldn't find his mother anywhere since that morning when he got Serenity to come out of the room.
But during and after the surgery, his mother was nowhere to be found.
"Wait a minute, that's right! Ma disappeared without a trace that day! I asked a nurse asking where she was and she told me that Ma left and to keep Serenity for a bit, I thought it was strange that she did that when her daughter was getting a risky surgery."
Serenity looked at Joey and whispered, "Joey, mom left during my surgery without saying anything? You said that she went home because work called her?"
And Joey remembered that he lied to his sister about their mother's whereabouts. With her leaving without a word, he didn't want Serenity to panic or be worried, so he made the excuse to keep her calm.
He looked at Serenity apologetically, "I'm sorry, sis, I didn't want you to worry."
Serenity, both disappointed and understanding, looked at her mother, who was starting to look pale like she did the day they were told about the hospital being under investigation.
Lynn blinked and tried to speak, "I..I was called into work when I left the hospital."
The prosecutor continued, "You were called into work in America on the day of your daughter's very risky operation that had a slim chance of saving her sight and possibly lead to her death? And you never told your son, but instead a nurse to be the messenger to him or even had them let your daughter know that you'll be gone?"
"I spoke with a nurse who was there on the day of the surgery, after your daughter was wheeled into the operating room, you quickly left the hospital without speaking to anyone."
"It was an emergency." Lynn spoke with her tone getting more serious.
Lynn's lawyer got up, "Objection!"
"Overruled!" Judge Nakamura ordered, he was now questioning the older woman's motives.
The prsecutor looked at Lynn with a hard look," What kind of emergency?"
Lynn, fumbling her fingers, looked down and spoke, "It...it was just something at the hospital I worked at back home."
"...That's a lie." the prosecutor spoke.
Lynn looked up in shock, "What!? You're saying I'm lying!?"
Her lawyer got up, "Your honor!" he exclaimed.
"What is this about, Mr. Yamashina?" Judge Nakamura asked sternly.
The prosecutor, Mr. Yamashina, went to his desk to retrieve some papers, Joey and Serenity looked on in surprise. Joey had a bad feeling something was about to happen.
"Your honor, I spoke with the American embassy members in regards to Ms. Kawai and her situation. They got into contact with the hospital she worked at, and they told them that she was terminated about a year ago."
Joey's blood ran cold while Serenity's eyes shot open. Lynn was frozen in shock while her lawyer was exclaiming in the back until the judge banged on the desk.
"ORDER!" he shouted, he looked at the prosecutor, "Mr. Yamashina, how is this related to this case?"
"It has everything to do with this case, she was fired from the hospital she worked at in Brooklyn months before her daughter's surgery due to conflict with the other nurses, and according to the records here, she also broke doctor patient confidentiality by revealing a patients illness to family members the patient had issues with. Due to the loss of her job and being unable to find a new job at any other hospital, she started running out of money."
Lynn stood up, "It's no true!"
Mr. Yamashina gave her a frosty look, "Not according to these files, and I also got phone records on the day of your daughter's operation and you disappearing. You made a call to your bank in the states stating you wanted to make a deposit of over two million and seventy-five dollars into your bank account, but not for an account for your daughter's education or her future. They also called the bank to confirm this."
Serenity began to shake and had a look of horror on her face as she heard Mr. Yamashina revealing her mother's secret.
"Mom got fired from the hospital!?" Serenity spoke in her head, "How could she do that to those people? And she left when I was in surgery and didn't stay to see that it worked and if I was okay!? And what's worse is that the accusations were right! She stole from big brother and didn't leave him any money for him after helping me!" Serenity started to feel enraged.
She lied to her and Joey!
Joey clenched his fists and gritted his teeth from what he heard. He tried his hardest to not to hit something.
"Ma lied to me! She left Serenity on the most terrifying day of her life in risky surgery and pocketed the rest of the money I won! That's one of the worst things she's ever done!"
continued, "And that's not all I found out."
Lynn's lawyer spoke out, "Objection! Your honor I wasn't aware of this!"
Judge Nakamura looked at Lynn's lawyer and started to glare at him, "You mean to tell me that you never did a background check on your client that the prosecutor could use against her? Given what Mr. Yamashina has told us, I don't think that there's anyway you can defend your client with the information he has."
The lawyer was taken back by that statement, now nervous about what was to come. Lynn was glaring daggers at her lawyer for his fatal flaws.
"And there's more...Ms. Kawai, you said you were divorced, correct?"
Lynn blinked, "Yes? I got divorced almost eight years ago."
"And why did you get divorced?" Mr. Yamashina asked.
Lynn looked down as the bitter memories of her ex husband, Jo-Dan Jonouchi, came into her mind.
"...He started drinking and gambling away our money, and when my daughter was born and we learnt of her eye problems, he started to get violent. He became abusive and cruel to me and I was afraid he would harm Shizuka as he blamed her for our financial difficulties. But what does this have to do with the trial?" Lynn asked.
The judge looked at Mr. Yamashina in confusion, "What are you getting at with that information, Mr. Yamashina?"
Serenity was confused while Joey was even more puzzled.
"When your children told the office about their history and the day you and your daughter left, my office started digging deeper into it. We looked into any family court documents pertaining you and your ex husband, and we found something very disturbing."
Lynn's lawyer started to get aggravated, "What are going on about!? She said her ex husband was abusive and she left! This case is about fraud not domestic violence!"
Mr. Yamashina looked at Lynn's lawyer with a glare, "According to what my team found...there are no records of Kawai Rin or Jonouchi Jo-Dan being divorced."
Joey felt his stomach drop when he heard those words, while Serenity's eyes widened in disbelief. Lynn's lawyer was dumfounded and the judge was surprised himself.
"What are you saying?" The judge asked.
Mr. Yamashina looked at the Wheeler siblings, he had an apologetic look on his face for what he was about to say.
"What I'm saying your honor, is that Kawai Rin is still legally married to Jonouchi Jo-Dan."
Joey and Serenity froze on their seats, they couldn't believe what they were hearing.
Lynn had a look of horror on her face, when she looked at her children she saw their shocked expressions, her daughter started to pale while Joey's temper was starting to rise.
"Oh no!" Lynn whispered.
Lynn's lawyer, panicking at this fact, rose up, "OBJECTION! Your honor this has nothing to do with this trial!"
The judge was silent, until he gave the lawyer a cold stare, "On the contrary, this changes everything!" he looked down at Lynn, "Ms. Kawai, what is the meaning of this!?"
Lynn felt her heart race going, "No! I left him, I ended our marriage years ago!"
Mr. Yamashina raised his eyebrow, "Yes you did leave him, but you never filed for divorce to make it official. There wasn't even a record of you and Jo-Dan getting a Kyogi-Rikon. Do you care to explain yourself on this?"
Lynn felt herself shaking, while the judge continued his cold gaze, "Answer his question, Ms. Kawai!"
Lynn began to stutter, looking around with pleading eyes, her lawyer couldn't believe it either and looked at his client with a defeated look.
"...Tell them, Ma." Joey spoke up.
Serenity, the lawyer, prosecutor, the judge and Lynn looked at Joey.
Lynn was surprised, but wanted to diffuse the situation, "Joseph, listen I-"
Serenity became startled as Joey rose from his seat and looked at Lynn with rage. His eyes turning red and barring his teeth.
"TELL THE TRUTH,MA! DID YOU DIVORCE DAD OR NOT!? THE PROSECUTOR ALREADY PROVED YOU STOLE THE REST OF THE MONEY FROM ME AND YOU WILLINGLY ABANDONED SERENITY ON THE DAY OR HER OPERATION! YOU CAN'T LIE YOUR WAY OUT OF THIS! NOW SPILL IT!" Joey roared.
Serenity quickly grabbed his arm, "Big brother, calm down or you'll get in trouble!" she pleaded.
As Joey gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, he sat down.
Judge Nakamura looked at Lynn again, "Ms. Kawai, did you or did you not file for divorce?"
Lynn was silent for a moment, until she said in a defeated tone, "...No, I didn't file for divorce."
Serenity gasped in horror, while Lynn's lawyer looked down in defeat.
Mr. Yamashina continued, "Why didn't you file for divorce?"
It was at that moment, Lynn confessed, "We were so poor! Jo-Dan constantly gambled our money away or was buying alcohol! And top of Serenity's illness, we were getting deeper into debt! I was done with our relationship but we didn't have the money for a divorce, not even for a Kyogi Rikon! And I was afraid that he would get so drunk that he would get violent and harm me and Serenity! You must understand I wanted to protect myself and my daughter! I had no choice but to run!"
"We may still be married legally, but I no longer see that brute as my husband!"
A cold silence swept over the court room, Joey didn't know what to say to this, and Serenity was on the verge of tears.
Mr. Yamashina spoke, "Then that means you admit to the crime of kidnapping and child abandonment."
"What!?" Lynn exclaimed in shock.
The judge tilted his head, "Kidnapping and abandonment?"
"Since Ms. Kawai never filed for divorce, that means there was never a child custody agreement. Meaning when she left all those years ago, she kidnapped her daughter while abandoning her son with an unstable parent, which is a very serious crime in Japan." Mr. Yamashina proclaimed.
Serenity's mouth went wide open. the revelation began to make her feel sick, while Joey's eyes went wide, his mind went blank while he started to feel more anger, he also felt despair.
Lynn's lawyer's jaw dropped as he stood up, "Your honor! This is ridiculous!"
Judge Nakamura banged his gavel to silence the man, "Enough! What's ridiculous here Is what she's done!" he looked down on Lynn again, "Ms. Kawai! This is not looking good for you in the slightest. What do you have to say for yourself!?"
Lynn finally snapped and stood up, "What do I have to say for myself!? I was foolish enough to marry a man who said he'd give me a happy life, despite being a man from a different country just barely scraping by! I married him and had two children with him, and he'd promise that while I was studying to become a nurse, he would help pay my tuition!"
"But that never happened! I had to work multiple jobs to pay for school while Jo-Dan began to drink more and more and our daughter's doctors appointments became more expensive. I had no money or opportunities being with him. Is it so wrong for me to leave an abusive relationship and protect my child!? Sure what I did is considered illegal, but my life and Serenity's hung in the balance! After that I had to work hours upon hours to make sure there was food in our mouths and help my daughter's medical treatment!"
"But then Shizuka was foolish enough to send Katsuya a video saying the time came for her to go blind, she almost got us caught when he entered the tournament, so I had to scare him away when he made that call, and I-"
Lynn quickly covered her mouth when she realized what she said. But the damage was done as her children looked at her in shock.
Even the judge and Mr. Yamashina, who kept his cool for the whole trial, was stunned at what he heard.
The older woman paled.
"What did you say, Ms. Kawai?" Mr. Yamashina asked.
Lynn sat back in her seat and began to stutter, "It's-it's nothing!" she quickly replied.
"Ms. Kawai!" Judge Nakamura voice boomed, "answer him! What call were you ranting about!?"
"...I know what the call was, your honor." Joey spoke.
The judge, lawyer, Mr. Yamashina and Lynn turned their attention to Joey, who stood up. His eyes were red from anger as he glared at Lynn.
Judge Nakamura, while normally wouldn't tolerate anyone disrupting the court, looked at Joey and saw the pain he was in.
"...Do you know what call she was talking about, Mr. Jonouchi?" the judge asked the young man.
"...When I entered duelist kingdom, I made a call to the hospital to let them know I was gonna pay for my sister's eye operation. I heard a woman on the other line, who claims to be a nurse, saying that the eye operation will cost about a few million dollars, when I asked for her name, she quickly hung up...but now I think I know who that woman was." Joey explained, his voice becoming raspy.
The judge eyed him, "Mr. Jonouchi...do you believe that the nurse that you called on that day was your mother?"
Joey looked up and nodded, "Yes your honor, I do. As my mother spoke, I started to recognize her voice like I heard over the phone when I made that call that day, especially when she got irritated."
Serenity started to burst into tears, Lynn became concerned and tried to speak to her, "Serenity! Please honey it isn't what it looks like!" she tried to comfort her daughter.
Only for her daughter look up with not only tears in her eyes, but immense anger that Lynn had never seen before.
"SHUT UP, MOM! STOP LYING AND TELL THE TRUTH! WHERE WERE YOU WHEN JOEY MADE THE CALL!?" Serenity shouted as more tears fell down her cheeks, "WHO WAS THE NURSE THAT TOLD HIM THAT MY SURGERY WAS MILLIONS OF DOLLARS WHEN IT WAS TWO THOUSAND!?"
Never had Serenity yelled at her mother this way, even when she was a little girl when she was upset. Lynn couldn't believe this was happening.
"Answer your daughter's question, Ms. Kawai!" Judge Nakamura ordered.
Lynn was shaking, but spoke quietly, "...When I found out Shizuka sent Katsuya that video tape, I was afraid that if he came back into our lives, he'd find out the truth about me not divorcing his father and leaving him due to the lack of money," the older woman looked up in panic, "I was afraid that he'd tell the authorities and I would go to prison and lose my daughter for good! I only said it was millions of dollars to scare him away! I didn't think he'd get that money!"
"But when he did, and it was three million dollars...I couldn't just resist it! I've struggled with money and paying for Shizuka's hospital bills, and him giving us the three million dollars just like that, I saw it as my opportunity to pay off my debts, and not having to worry about having a job anymore because I was now set for life! I know I should have stayed for my daughter's surgery, but I wanted to make sure that money went to us!"
Lynn's expression became desperate as she looked at her daughter, "Don't you see Serenity!? I was using the money for you, with your eyesight saved the world is your oyster! Joseph wasn't going to do that! You always wanted your big brother to stand by you! But it was your mother who got us out that damp apartment and into a beautiful house in the suburbs and had you go to private school to elevate your education so you'd go to the best college and have an amazing career, and not struggle to pay for school and live in poverty like I did!"
Serenity became horrified the more her mother spoke loudly, her voice breaking.
"You'd also have an opportunity to meet a successful man to marry and not end up with a fraud like your father who gave me false promises! I wanted you to have a family with a great man who'd give you everything, and have your children go to the best schools so they'd become successful and end the cycle of poverty and abuse in our family!"
Tears began to violently spill all over Lynn's cheeks.
"I did all of this for you, Serenity! All of this!"
A banging sound was heard in the court room, Judge Nakamura was furious.
"ORDER IN MY COURTROOM! Ms. Kawai, that is enough!"
Lynn was breathing heavily, while her lawyer pinched the bridge of his nose in defeat. Lynn's outburst has officially costed him this case.
Mr. Yamashina narrowed his eyes at the withered woman, "Your honor, I think Ms. Kawai has said enough."
Judge Nakamura, infuriated, fixed his glasses, "Agreed!" he looked down at Lynn, "Ms. Kawai, your actions in this courtroom, and what you've said was absolutely appalling! It's bad enough that you stole the money underneath the hospital and your sons noses, but what you've just confessed in front of everyone has changed this case completely! And the consequences you're about to face will much more severe!"
Lynn was taken back and was confused, "What do you mean?"
The judge had a frosty look on his face, "Not only did you confess to stealing the money and put Domino city hospital in jeopardy for fraud and stole from your own child, you also confessed to kidnapping your daughter while abandoning your eldest son with a man who you knew was abusive, thus putting him in grave danger!"
"And to make matters worse, you lied about being divorced and knowingly committed a crime against your children, then years later you lied once again but this time it was your daughter who you put at risk! You lied about the cost of her surgery to drive your son away out of fear he'll find out the truth, and time was running out for your daughter to save her eyesight and her life from a deadly disease that was quickly spreading, and you sent your son on a wild goose chase when your daughter's surgery could have been paid by then with Japan's healthcare system!"
"And on the day of your daughter's surgery, that was already risky and could have failed, you left the hospital and country without informing the hospital staff or your son while taking the money that you had no permission to take!"
"Your lies about the surgery cost not only put Domino city hospital's doctors and nurses under investigation and almost costed them their jobs, I even heard that when you were arrested back in America, your daughter was taken in by the child services of your country, where she could have been placed in a foster home had not a friend of your son came in and took her in! So you ended up endangering your daughter twice!"
Lynn was speechless, her mouth was dry as she couldn't find any words. She looked to her lawyer for help, but he turned his head away from her in disgust and disappointment.
When she looked at her children, hoping they'd defend her, she saw Joey's eyes were red again, while her daughter refused to look at her.
Judge Nakurma looked ahead, "I have now reached my verdict!" he looks at Lynn while pointing the gavel at her, as if he was pointing a sword ready to take her to the chopping block.
"Kawai Rin, I find you guilty of international fraud for stealing the money from Japan to America, as well as Medical fraud for lying about the cost of surgery while pretending to be a nurse at Domino city hospital, which almost ruined the establishment!"
"And with what I've learned here today, I also find you guilty of child abandonment and endangerment of your son, Jonouchi Katsuya, for leaving him with an unstable and unfit parent when he was a child, as well as stealing the millions of dollars he won for your daughter's operation! And for kidnapping your daughter and endangering her by lying about her surgery cost, as well as abandoning her in the hospital without notice, which will be seen as another count for child abandonment!"
"And I will make sure that this part gets to a family court judge here so they'll do further investigation!"
Lynn's face turned white, her olive eyes widened in horror as he banged his gavel. As two policemen came to take her, she stood up and looked to her lawyer for help, but he took his suit case and left.
She saw Joey and Serenity stand up, ready to leave. She got away from the policemen to go to Serenity.
"Serenity! Please, this was a misunderstanding, I never wanted to-"
"CRACK!"
Everyone was stunned into silence as Serenity struck her mother across the face. Even Joey was surprised to see this from his little sister, who was usually timid and quiet.
Lynn held her cheek and starred at Serenity with wide eyes as Serenity gave her a terrifying glare.
"How dare you lie me and Joey like this!? For years I thought you were forced to leave Joey behind with dad due to the custody law when we left! But you never divorced dad and kidnapped me and left Joey behind when he could have came with us! This makes you worse than him! At least with dad he was drunk when he did inexcusable actions, but you knew better and did nothing!"
"You left Joey behind knowing full well was dad was capable of, and every day I lived in fear that dad would seriously hurt Joey, or he would get into a drunken rage one night and kill him! And now its come out that all this time, Joey never had to be left with him and that you just decided to leave him with dad anyways! And you had the nerve to steal the rest of the money he won for my eye operation while lying to him and everyone, including me, about the real cost and caused this mess!"
"And on that same day you took the money, you abandoned me at the hospital without so much as a word and I thought you and Joey had made up and wanted a better relationship, I thought we would be a family again! Joey risked everything to help us, and never said a bad thing about you and this is how you repay him!?"
Lynn, recovering from shock, became angry, "How can you strike me and talk to me!? Everything I've done was for you! Your father hated you because of something you couldn't control and I had to get you away from him to protect you! I've done what I was supposed to do as your mother!"
"What about Joey!?" Serenity retorted, silencing her mother, "You didn't think he needed a mother to love and protect him!? Why do I get to be protected and he doesn't!? He went through so much pain over the years because of you leaving him in that place and that man, and this just makes you even more disgusting than dad is because you knew better and could have done something!"
"And you pretended to be a nurse and lied to big brother about the cost of my operation to scare him away! But he entered Duelist kingdom despite being new to the game and risked everything so he can get the money and save me, while I lived in fear of the day I would go blind and that I was going to die eventually because we didn't have the money like you said! The fact that he never had to do that and you could have had my operation paid for by then is sickening! You put me and Joey through emotional turmoil for nothing!"
Serenity continued, "And now it all makes sense...the night before my surgery when I told you he was coming, and you looked shocked that he would show up...were you hoping he didn't show up? So he wouldn't find out what you did?"
Lynn began to clench her fists, when the policemen tried to grab her, she shoved them away.
"You should never have sent Joseph that tape! You shouldn't have contacted him and told him! I told you that we were better off and we were finally safe! I wanted to forget your father, and Joseph was on his way to becoming exactly like him and I didn't want his influence to corrupt you when you were already sick!"
"And I knew if Joseph came back into our lives, he would destroy everything if he found out that I never divorced your father and just took you! He and your father were supposed to be ghosts of a horrible past! And you brought it upon us Serenity! This all happened because you just couldn't be away from your big brother! I was going to pay for the operation by then but you got Joseph involved and that's why I didn't pay it because it was too late to retract Joseph's involevement! So you put yourself at risk of going blind and dying for putting faith in that boy!"
Joey stood in between the two of them.
Joey glared at his mother and barred his teeth, "That's enough! Don't you dare blame Serenity for this! This all started when you left dad without filing for divorce and kidnapped my little sister and abandoned me! We thought you and pops were divorced, so you could have gotten away with it cause we didn't know! Not that it makes this any better!"
"You didn't get caught until you lied about the cost of Serenity's surgery, and not only started this shit show with the hospital getting in trouble, you put my little sister in danger of going blind by lying to me and her when you could have paid for Serenity's eye operation sooner! Then you went behind my back and stole the rest of the money and left Serenity behind when her surgery was risky and could have failed! And because of what you did Serenity almost got taken away by CPS when you got busted for fraud! And you did all of this just so I would stay out of your lives!? You hated me that much Ma!?"
Lynn glared back at him, "Serenity needed more attention because of her illness...and you have always been rebellious ever since you were a little boy! You took your sister to places without me knowing when she was frail, I couldn't trust you to not get Serenity into trouble someday, especially when I learnt of what happened when she was with you at that other tournament you participated in!"
"Our family was already in chaos because of your father's drinking and gambling, I couldn't let it continue with you influencing Serenity and how you always took your father's side in our fights! You made your choice when you did that Joseph, your father always came before me, I couldn't risk you putting him before Serenity if things got violent! Besides her illness, that's the main reason why I took her and left you!"
Joey snapped, "Don't even, ma! I took Serenity out to places to get her away from you and dad's fighting, and when he was drunk as a skunk so he wouldn't throw beer bottles at us! You were never home often when we were kids so I had to make sure Serenity was protected! And the reason why I often took his side as a kid is because dad wasn't the only one to blame for the family falling apart! You were awful to dad at times and even took part in berating him instead of having him get help for his drinking! You blamed him for everything and did nothing to help solve his drinking and gambling, and you even hit him at times to! Don't think I didn't notice just because I was a kid! You and Pop's were both in the wrong for how you treated each other and putting me and Serenity through a shitty childhood!"
"Dad may have been a violent drunk with a gambling problem, but you were a coward who blamed everyone else for your problems and when things got tough, you run away and you'll lie so you won't face your problems! Even if you end up hurting everyone! You may have been a victim of dad's abuse, but it will never excuse the bad shit you did that made things worse for your marriage and our family!"
Joey took a step further, towering his mother in pure rage.
"And I would never choose him over Serenity! If he tried to touch her I would be in prison for murder! And you have no right to tell me that since you put your pride and greed over mine and Serenity's wellbeing's. You knew dad was beating me but you still left me to rot there as foreign kid from Brooklyn with no family besides him!"
Lynn was speechless, but was soon brought out of her shock when the policemen took her by each arm. She began to struggle.
"Let go of me! Let me go!" Lynn shouted.
"Struggling will only make things worse for you, Ms. Kawai," Mr. Yamashina warned.
Lynn whipped her head back, "You can't arrest me! I'm a American citizen, I have rights!"
"Correction, you did have rights, rights that will be challenged when it's decided how you'll be dealt with."
Lynn blinked, while Joey and Serenity looked at Mr. Yamashina in confusion.
"What do you mean by that, Mr. Yamashina?" Serenity asked.
Mr. Yamashina looked at the Wheeler siblings, "Since your mother has committed many crimes in between Japan and America, she will be held in a facility until it's decided whether she goes and serve her time in either prison in this country or America by the decision of the office of international affairs."
Lynn paled again, with Mr. Yamashina looking back at Lynn, "I hope for your sake that you don't end up serving your sentence in Japan, Ms. Kawai, kidnapping and child abandonment carry a heavy sentence, and with the charge of fraud on top of it, it will be even worse for you."
"Why is that!?" Lynn exclaimed.
Mr. Yamashina looked at Lynn in the eyes, his tone of voice even more serious.
"Because with each of crimes you've committed over the years added together, five years from kidnapping your daughter to another country and three years from abandoning your children, you can end up serving eighteen years in a Japanese prison, plus ten years of hard labor for fraud."
Lynn nearly collapsed, while Joey and Serenity were stunned.
"Ei-eighteen years!? By the time I get out I'll be an old woman! And hard labor!? That's practically slavery!" Lynn panicked, "I can't go to prison in this country! Please, I'm begging you!"
"That's not up to this court to decide, Ms. Kawai!" Judge Nakamura, who heard the family spat, "As Mr. Yamashina said, the office of International affairs will decide where you serve your time."
Fear rose in Lynn's eyes, then Joey started to speak.
"Your honor...do you think I can request a custody arrangement for my sister?"
Lynn and Serenity turned their heads to Joey, "What!?" Lynn spoke.
"Big brother?" Serenity said puzzled.
Judge Nakamura looked at Joey is curiosity, "Custody?"
Joey continued, "Since my mother is going to prison, my sister will need a new guardian to stay with. I want to know how I can file for custody of Shizuka."
Lynn's eyes widened in disbelief, "What! No I forbid it! You're not taking Serenity!"
"Yes I am!" Joey snapped, "You kidnapped Serenity when you left back then and you put her in danger because of your lies! She almost lost her eyesight and could have died had you not lied to keep me away, and she almost went into the foster care system when you were arrested for stealing! Would you rather she be tossed around to different families and constantly switching schools that would effect her grades till she's eighteen!? Would you rather she be all alone with no one to care for her!?"
"You don't have the money to care for Serenity! And we've just moved into a house where she's attending the best Private school where she's excelling in her classes, and when she graduates she can go to the best colleges! To uproot her life there when she's finally thriving after recovering from her illness would be catastrophic! And you have a criminal past, there's no way a family court judge would allow you to raise Serenity!" Lynn spat.
Joey went silent. Damn, she was right! He and Mai are living paycheck to paycheck from dueling tournaments and their apartment is barely big enough for Serenity to live in.
And his criminal record can be a problem to. He might have to ask Arthur to take Serenity completely if the worse case scenario comes.
"...Actually he does!" Serenity spoke up, "the money you stole from him that he won in Duelist kingdom! It was three million dollars and your bank said you had about over two million dollars left over, minus the two thousand that paid for my surgery!"
"And I don't need a Private school to go to a good college, I can go to a regular school and apply for a scholarship if I wanted!"
Joey looked at Serenity in realization, "Hey yeah that's right!" his cold gaze returned to his mother, "not only am I going to file for custody, I'm taking back the money you stole from me so that I can get a house for me and Serenity, and I'll put the other half of the money into a fund for her when she goes off to college!"
Lynn couldn't believe what she was hearing, Judge Nakamura listened to Joey's convictions and looked at Serenity.
"Ms. Kawai, are you sure you want to live with you older brother if he goes for custody? Your mother said his criminal record could pose as a problem as it would be taken into account." he asked.
Serenity nodded, "Yes, your honor. I've wanted to be with my brother again for such a long time since we were separated when we were little. And Joey may have made mistakes in the past, I can tell you that he is the kindest person and greatest big brother I could ever ask for, he's saved my eyesight and gave me the courage to live my life to the fullest and always protected me. I trust him whole heartedly that he would take care of me till I'm old enough to be on my own."
"Also, I'm changing my surname back to Jonouchi."
Lynn was stunned by her daughter's word, and also looked hurt, "...It's always been like this with you."
"You've always wanted Joseph, it was always Joseph you wanted instead of me! I've raised you and kept you safe but you'd always wanted your older brother over me! Why!?"
Serenity looked at her mother with a disappointed look, "Because Joey was always there for me, mom! You were always gone when I needed you the most! While I understood you had to work most days, but I always found myself alone and you sheltered me from the world, and had no idea how to navigate it! Joey took me places when we were young so we have fun, and after my surgery and I went to the Battle city finals to watch him duel, it gave me confidence to go out in the world and do what I've wanted."
"Joey is a good brother and son, and you hated him too much to see that! And after what you've done to us, you have no right to criticize him for anything, and you can forget that you ever had daughter! From now on, Joey's the only family I have!"
Lynn didn't know what to say, her daughter telling her this was causing a wave a sorrow in her body. She didn't even know the handcuffs were being put on her.
The judge nodded, "Very well. I'll get in contact with the family court judge about this case and see if I can help you with the custody arrangement. And I'll make sure that the money your mother took goes into your bank account with the help of the finance department."
Joey and Serenity bowed in respect to the judge, "Thank you, your honor!"
And the siblings turned their back on their mother, who was screaming and pleading for them to come back as she was being dragged away.
When they got into the car, Serenity started wailing with Joey holding her close as he allowed his tears to flow.
"Oh Joey!" Serenity cried, "I'm so sorry that you suffered like this! It's bad enough that dad hurt you and you had to sacrifice your childhood to survive, but for mom to lie to you and steal from you...I can't believe I didn't see the signs sooner!"
Joey shook his head, "Don't be Serenity, we were all fooled. The fact that mom lied about the divorce, the cost of your eye operation, us being apart, that was ma's doing, and what ever happens to her now, she brought it upon herself."
Joey gritted his teeth at the memories of his mother, and how her smiling face at him on the day of the operation was a lie. Everything she did behind his back without him knowing, and Serenity's too and how they ended up suffering by her actions more than their dad's.
While Joey doesn't excuse it, he now understands why his father started to drink in the first place.
Serenity continued crying and wiped her eyes and looked at her brother.
"What do we do now?"
"...I have an idea."
Serenity looked up in curiosity, "Huh?"
Joey starts the car and they drive off.
Serenity was wide eyed when she saw the beach. It's been eight years since she's been here, before their mother took her away.
The sun was still in the sky and the ocean was still crystal clear as ever.
"Oh Joey! It's as beautiful as the last time I was here!" she exclaimed in delight.
"And it's still cold!" Joey responded.
Serenity blinked as she looked at her brother, who was sitting in the sand after taking off his jacket from court and rolling up his pants and sleeves. When the water hit him, he immediately yelped from the cold temperature and quickly crawled out of the water, causing Serenity to giggle.
"Just like last time!" Serenity thought to herself.
Joey breathed heavily with a smile as he laid in the sand.
The sun began to set, and Joey and Serenity spend the day building the largest sand castle they've ever built.
"The day started off bad, but the end of it is great!" Joey exclaimed.
Serenity smiled and nodded, "It did!" then she frowned, "but it's still so overwhelming."
"All this time we could have been together doing things like this, but mom kept us apart on purpose. Not to protect me from dad, but the fact the she didn't want you near me, and now that dad's not around and mom's going to prison, whether in America or here in Japan, I still feel lost on what to do next."
"We've been lied to our whole lives, and I don't know who to trust at this point...will we ever be okay, Joey?"
Joey was silent for a moment, but then looked up, "We will be, sis."
"It' going to be rough road ahead of us, but I was thinking that maybe we should go to therapy."
Serenity was surprised, she never expect Joey to say something like that, "Really? Therapy?"
Joey looks at Serenity with a hint of seriousness, "We've been through a lot of crap because of our parents, Serenity. Not only from dad's alcoholism and gambling, and him hurting us, but also because of what ma did. She lied about the divorce and took you away while leaving me behind, and she manipulated us with the cost of the operation to keep us apart,and she tried to gaslight you thinking it was your fault she's going to jail because of the tape."
"I don't want us to repeat ma and pop's mistakes, and be better people and a healthier family. If we speak to a therapist we can unpack the trauma we've experienced and help ourselves heal."
Serenity blinked, but nodded, "You're right. After what we've learned and what we went through, I want to break the cycle. I don't want to lie to anyone in the way mom did..."
"...And not just that, Serenity." Joey spoke.
Serenity looked up.
Joey looked at Serenity, "...I'm planning to ask Mai to marry me."
Serenity's eyes went wide and lit up, she began to squeal, "Oh Joey! That's wonderful! I'm so happy for you!"
Joey smiled and nodded, "Yeah," then he continued, "I was unsure for a while. But with what happened in court, with ma being exposed and remembering what happened with dad, it was a kick in the ass for me to finally go to therapy. Someday Mai and I might have kids, and I don't want to repeat their actions onto them and have the cycle continue in our family...not that I think I would be a bad dad at least."
Serenity became sad and looked down, "I can see why...there were times mom did gaslight me to get me to do what she wanted. I always got the best grades to keep her happy, and she always praised me to other people but never spoke of you, and she didn't want me going out, even more so when I got my eye operation. I always thought she was overprotective of me because I was always ill...but maybe she saw me as an extension of herself?"
"...If I become a mother, I don't ever want to do to my children what mom did. I want to be better and make the Wheeler, or Jonouchi, family better than what mom and dad made it to be."
Joey tilted his head, "So what are you saying, Serenity?"
Serenity looked at him and nodded with determination, "I'll go to therapy with you. I want us to heal so our family can heal,for us and the next generation of Wheelers slash Jonouchi's."
Joey smiled, then Serenity brings out her pinky finger, "Let's promise to never leave each other's side again, and become a better, happier and healthier family!"
Joey smiles and brings out his pinky and wraps it around hers, "Pinky swear, for our sake and the sake of our future families, we'll be better spouses and parents, aunt, uncle and even grandparents!"
"Hell! We can bring them all here for a holiday as a get together!"
Serenity laughed as she and Joey talk about his wedding plans with Mai, which place to find a therapist, and what their future may hold.
The end