Taichi, Michael, and Poromon waked up the stairs to get to Taichi's apartment. Michael had joined them earlier, when he found them almost leaving without him. He had been given the lowdown.

They walked in to see Mimi awake, watching the television. She wasn't focusing, though. Michael went up to her. Taichi walked into his room. He saw Jyou putting a rag on Miyako's tender wounds. She was sleeping. The leader of the group let Poromon out of the bag, who gave a horrified gasp. He hurriedly flapped over to her, waking her up.

"Poromon!" she said weakly but happily. She gave Taichi a thankful smile. The creature tried to hug her softly, but pulled away at the small 'owe' he heard.

"What happened?" he asked her, worry laced heavily in his sympathetic voice. She told him the whole story, tears seeping through her eyes. She then cried herself to sleep. Taichi was in deep thought. Why hadn't they ever done it to the older girls, or their son? Why did they choose only his Miyako? Was she that fun to hurt? His reverie was broken by the ringing of the door bell. He heard Mimi answer, and have a muffled conversation with the person at the door. She walked in the room, her face blank. She handed Taichi the piece of paper folded neatly in her hand.

"Court order," she stated, "we have a case against the Inoues."

+++

It had been two weeks since that night. Everyone was getting ready for what was on store for them. Miyako looked much better, except for that nasty cast on her arm. It was the morning of the whole ordeal, the one that could have changed their lives, for better or worse. The hoped it was better. Hikari was helping Miyako put her luscious lavender hair into a tight bun. Jyou was putting a business tie on Taichi, who looked very concerned. Mimi and Michael were on the couch, for they had finished long before everyone else. Nervousness was very thick in the air, almost to the point to where you could take a bite of it.

All too soon they were getting out of the two taxis and headed up the stairway to the court house.

Miyako was shocked to see all the other digidestined there. When she walked in, she saw Ken, Daisuke, Iori, Koushiro, Sora, Yamato, and Takeru sitting in the front. She was touched by the fact that they cared enough to come and see this all happen. Jyou, Hikari, Mimi, and Michael went to sit with them. Miyako and Taichi went up to the front, and sat in the defendants chair.

There was a stare down between Taichi and Mr. Inoue. The older man had an evil look that only the devil could make. Taichi decided it pointless, so he loosened his facial muscles and turned to smile at his Miyako. She smiled back, and cuddled into his arm.

"All rise blah, blah, blah," Miyako tuned out the beginning of the case. It then began.

"I would like to call miss Miyako Inoue to the stand," he lawyer rang into the room. The girl stood, with a reassuring squeeze from Taichi's warm hand. She slowly made her way up to the empty seat next to the judge. She sat quietly, and then was sworn to tell the truth, and all of that. She fought back the lump in her throat with a large swallow, letting everyone know that she actually was nervous.

"Why are you going against your parents today?" her lawyer asked.

"They have beaten me," she said firmly.

"Why is that? Have you ever done anything to deserve it?"

"I don't know, I don't see much according to them, I guess."

"When did this all start?"

"Just after the rest of my siblings left the house. That is when they hit me for the first time."

"Do you find anything wrong with trying to get away from them?"

"I do not."

"No further questions," he said, as he sat down. Their's stood, looking very smug.

"Tell me, child, about these beatings," he asked her in a statement, "maybe about one in particular?"

"Two weeks ago. They almost killed me, literally."

"Is that what you have this cast?"

"Yes, it is."

"Hadn't you been truant for a week and a half before that?"

"I had, because of prior beatings."

"I see. No further questions."

+++

It had been a very long morning. The trial was long and strenuous. Finally the jury came out, looking at Miyako sadly.

"We," the dark skinned woman said mournfully, "find that the defendant is to go to her parents, until she is eighteen."

"You have one hour with the defendant, then you will not be able to see her until she is eighteen," the judge proclaimed. Taichi looked at his Miyako, who looked like hell had washed over her. Her eyes were stained in red, and the tears were pouring from her eyes. Taichi embraced her for comfort. They walked out.

"Don't we get to spend time with her?" Ken asked Hikari. She looked at him.

"Let them be, they need all the time they can get, we only have a little while till we see her again. For him it could be like the rest of his life. He loves her, just let them be," she said. He nodded.

"I am so sorry, Miya-chan, we tried," he murmured into her hair, so only she could her him. She looked up at him and smiled softly.

"It's not your fault," she said, snuggling into his arms, "besides, I only have two weeks till I am eighteen, it won't be too long, right?" He nodded his head. They continued to walk around the courthouse that showed them betrayal for what seemed like only a few minutes. Taichi looked at his watch.

"Damnit! We only have ten minutes left," he said unhappily. She gazed at him mournfully. They gave the other one last kiss, making the fires of hell look cold. Tears began to run down her cheeks again. They parted, and she walked off with her parents sobbing.

+++


Inoue Miyako died at the age of eighteen, at the hands of her parents. Her sister, Mimoe, was the one to have found her body, in a pool of her own blood, on the kitchen floor. It was her eighteenth birthday, the last day she had to spend with them. Now no one will see her smile ever again.

+++

AAHHHH!!!!! Sad, isn't it? I don't know how the criminal justice system works in Japan, so I used a American courtroom scene. Well, Review!!!!!