Chapter III Love is Sacrifice
Disclaimer: If dreams really came true, I would have owned FOR a long time ago. Enjoy… or at least try to.
Mikagami reached for the cup of coffee, while ignoring the symptoms of a migraine. As usual, he was working overtime. His secretary, Kagaki Sashita, had left three hours ago. It was past twelve midnight and he had read 109 clippings, profiles, and backgrounds of different people, places and events relevant to the next case, which would be presented in three days. Once he got it over and done with, he would have a week's rest before the next batch of phone calls requesting for defense lawyers would roll in.
He looked around him. On extravagantly wallpapered ramparts of his spacious office hung certificates of distinguished accomplishments. A cabinet on one side displayed endless rows of plaques of recognition. The average person would conclude these things would secure happiness; but he hardly shot them a glance. He liked his job, yes, but most of the time he felt like an empty workaholic. He might as well have been a robot. The work was routine, the process monotonous, the hours strenuous.
Tokiya shut down his computer and proceeded to double check the separate file where he had segregated the most vital documents for the next case. His client, a man over 60 had been grating his nerves with incessant phone calls, badgering and cajoling about witness number one with flowery words that when stripped off, spelled out, "I can't afford to lose this case." If it were not for his innate capability to stay cool in spite of a desperate situation, he would have sliced his client in half.
What a comforting thought…
Now there was one thing he had to do. Keep his word. He reached for the phone and dialed Raiha's number, not flinching at the thought of the ungodly hour it was, for he doubted that Raiha slept at all anyway.
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"No offense, but Mikagami is a real jerk." Raiha told Fuuko the next day after a three-hour meeting with his lawyer. He tossed his coat on Fuuko's lap and started the engine. Raiha, usually suave and good looking as ever at the end of the day, looked ruffled and disheveled, like he had met a tornado instead of the defense lawyer.
Fuuko guffawed and poked him in the arm with a fist. "Watch it, he's contagious." she said as they drove away.
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"You just said no to a game of darts." Recca's jaw dropped disbelievingly. Slits of what was eyes bored through Mikagami, who continued to type furiously with a dose of ease that added another level to Recca's annoyance.
"Do you mind? You're in the way." Tokiya adjusted his eyeglasses and thumped away at the keyboard, oblivious to Recca's existence.
Recca lifted a brow. "What are you doing? You never let your cases interfere with our games."
Tokiya pushed the enter button and placed his hands on the sides of his armchair. "Raiha's case. I want to get it done and over with. It's becoming an interference."
Recca knew that if Yanagi were present, they would have shared a knowing smile.
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"Care to run that by me again?" Kurei interlocked the fingers of both hands and leaned his chin on them. He was having trouble reciprocating the fact that his right-hand man had just listed a first on his failure list.
Raiha flinched inwardly. With a flat tone, he blurted out, "He got away. I let him. There were things I just could not ignore." That was the closest to tactful as he could get.
A menacing edge crept into Kurei's tone. "Oh? And those demands are more important than your life?" He burst into an ironic laugh that sent chills running up and down Raiha's spine. "For three weeks, you had disappeared into oblivion. Today, you have the nerve to show up and tell me that you failed in your mission. You know what I do to those who disobey me. Looks like you have a lesson or two to learn about setting priorities."
Simply unforgivable. Kurei frowned at his right-hand man with all the contempt his face would permit. Granted, Raiha was always counted upon to perform a task, always the swiftest, always the most efficient. But something had gone wrong, and Kurei would not tolerate that. His men were assassins. Yet this particular favorite of his had turned into a spineless crustacean, and this was because of a certain girl.
"You will lose her soon, Raiha."
Kurei did not particularly care if his men flirted with girls, so long as they were objects, not obsessions; it was his men's performance that he was after. Uruha and lover did not belong to the same sentence.
Kurei sent his companion a thought-provoking smile. "I just remembered, our adversaries in Spain have a left us a big debt. You will collect. I must warn you, it might take time. I doubt you will be able to identify, track, and haul their pathetic carcasses here in merely a year. You might consider dropping everything in your hands for this special charge." His eyes spoke volumes about what would happen if he would challenge the emphasized term.
Raiha raised his eyes to level with the masked flame-caster's. "Done." He said simply, monotonously.
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"This way, sir." a green-haired girl flashed a toothy grin at the visitor and extended a hand in the direction of the opened door of Judge Tomoyoko's office.
Hamada Kiro returned the smile, though in a rather dour manner, and walked through the oak doors, clenching the briefcase tightly to his chest. It had cost him a fortune to hire a private investigator to research on the judge's background and he was again on the verge of paying a king's ransom to bribe the senile judge. Not that he feared it, anyway. He would simply flash the money in the old man's face and the judge would most likely cave in.
The judge's secretary gave him permission to enter after he informed her of his appointment and she buzzed at the intercom. Hamada fastidiously guarded his wealth. When Raiha was behind bars, he would no longer worry about some moron running after his hard-earned, sweat-induced money. Not to mention his precious life.
He gave a disturbing grin at the thought of getting back to his marijuana plantation in Columbia just in time for harvest.
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It was four days of no sleep, suffering the presence of Fuuko's boyfriend, watching their public display of affection (although very subtle, e.g. Raiha sliding an arm around Fuuko and pressing her close and Fuuko resting a hand on his knee), non-stop interrogation and research for Mikagami.
On the fifth day, he was completely burned out, physically and emotionally; yet a hundred and one percent confident they would win the case with no glitch at all. Only a fool without the aid of common sense would overlook Raiha's innocence.
For some strange reason, Raiha behind bars appealed to him, he still disliked the man. But he liked Fuuko enough not to say anything.
It was early morning when he got home, and he brewed himself a cup of coffee and checked his answering machine. There were 5 messages.
Message 1: Ganko, 5:00 p.m., 8/14
Hi!... (almost hear a grin at the other end.) How've you been doing? I was wondering if you had some books on Humanities? I kind of need them for my report. Arigato, and Fuuko-neechan who's beside me right now says hi. (series of giggles before she is evidently elbowed by someone else and the line is cut.)
Message 2: Kazuki, 6:30 p.m., 8/14
Sir, the signal's awful in this place. I just left Cape of Good Hope with the photos you asked for.
Message 3: Anonymous, 7:45 p.m., 8/14
Hey… (giggle, giggle) you're obviously not home (giggle, giggle, giggle). Wanna be phone pals?
Message 4: Recca, 8:05 p.m., 8/14
Konbanwa, Mikagami. Kagero's planning a little get-together tomorrow at dinner time. Could you pass the message to Fuuko if you see her? I know you see each other a lot these days.
Message 5: Fuuko, 5:00 a.m., 8/15
Tsk, tsk. Can't quit your vampire activities, I see. I'm dropping by to check on your on your eating habits.
It couldn't get more ambiguous than that. But if he knew Fuuko, she would probably show up...
The doorbell rang, and with a sigh, Mikagami dragged himself to the front door.
...with a bag of doughnuts or something.
Mikagami unlocked the front door and found Fuuko holding a bag of croissants and wearing a broad grin. "Hi, Mi-chan!" The grin left her face at the sight of him. "You look so... um, sleep-deprived."
His lips formed a thin line. "I'm not in the mood for any of your antics, Fuuko."
"Right..." Fuuko said in between spurts of laughter. "Change that line, Mi-chan. You've been quoting it since time immemorial. My ear drums are suffering from monotony." She pushed her way into his house before he could further protest. "Regardless, I know you're in the mood for coffee and croissants."
Mikagami cleared his throat as he followed Fuuko into his kitchen. The girl was already bustling around, finding the necessary breakfast utensils. He was genuinely surprised at how adept she was at finding her way through his kitchen.
He could recall mornings like this. She called it a "routine", he insisted on "disturbance".
As usual, she talked through the most part of the meal. She did not hold qualms about discussing the breadth of topics that crossed her mind. She told him about Recca's job, updated him on the latest meteorological findings and asked his advice on an impending project at work.
He would refrain from commenting unless absolutely necessary. He would answer her question with perfect conciseness and all the logic in the world. Sometimes they debated on an issue, sometimes he took her side. It would depend. This time he was forced to talk when she asked how he was doing. And she didn't mean work, she stated. She would not accept general statements. A big fan of blow-by-blow details, she would ask him to elaborate until such time that he was finding it easy to talk.
It would end with her biding him goodbye after he walked her to the door. As a gentleman, he always felt obligated to ask if she wanted a ride home. She would always say no and reasoned that she would jog or walk… "to aid digestion".
Then he would close the door and think of her until he had to go back to work.
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Mikagami had scheduled a meeting with Shinta Takamuyo who was Kiro Hamada's lawyer. He disliked the man at first sight. He emitted an arrogant aura, and was sipping a tobacco cigarette as if it were tea on a Sunday afternoon.
Shinta sneered as he scrutinized his opponent. He was not expecting the great Tokiya Mikagami to represent the murderer, he commented. Mikagami kept his cool as usual and tried to arrange a settlement, explaining that Hamada would be faced with possible future charges for illegal arm possession, and owning half a hectare of marijuana if he did not withdraw now. Shinta merely flicked an eyebrow and asked, "So, what's your point? What you know, you can never prove in a million years."
Tokiya coolly interlocked his fingers and leaned his chin on them. Hamada clearly forgot that he was Tokiya Mikagami, and he had not lost a case yet. He asked for the last time if Shinta's client would dismiss the case. Shinta vehemently refused.
Tokiya stood up to leave. "See you in court." were his last words.
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In room 8, the trial was about to commence. Raiha sat at the defense table, donning a look of impassivity that could rival his lawyer's. Mikagami, who was seated next to him switched off his cellular phone after speaking with someone.
"I don't even know why I put up with this." Raiha muttered, passing an irate look at Mikagami.
Tokiya wondered the same thing. It was silly, almost uproarious, to put an Uruha on the defense stand. Maybe it was their code of honor. Mikagami knew how fastidious Kurei's men were about honor and dignity and although he would not openly declare it, he understood and respected his client's decision to pursue the case.
Judge Tomoyoko, a friend of Mikagami, was presiding the case, and he flashed a look of genuine surprise in Tokiya's direction before taking his place on the bench. The clerk passed over a court calendar to the judge.
Shinta Takamuyo pulled himself to his full height on the appearance of the judge, and by the meaningful look Kiro Hamada shot at the judge from his seat, Tokiya was led to surmise something had transpired outside the court. He was not the only one who noticed the gesture, though. Raiha's eyes were narrowed as he interpreted the interaction.
The case of the People of the State of Japan vs. Raiha had began.
Shinta and Mikagami took turns questioning the jurors, and while Tokiya's was smooth, skillful and flawless, the other was reckless although intellectual, as if the procedure was insignificant.
The prosecutor, Tomoyuko, rose up for his statement. "There is no doubt that the defendant is guilty as accused. He committed murder. This was the scenario. Raiha had threatened my client's life when the victim, Kiro Hamada, entered the house. At that exact point in time, my client was struggling with Raiha over possession of a desert eagle. When the defendant claimed advantage, he simply pulled the trigger and killed the victim. He did it out of rage and lust, nothing else. That is cold-blooded murder, without the excuse of any feelings, done under the sheer pleasure of killing. You would determine the punishment of this crime. We are here for the simple reason that my client craves justice for the death of his friend. Later, we will present evidence that Raiha is responsible for killing Keita Arashi. Thank you."
Raiha clenched a fist under the bench. Mikagami gave him a look that communicated he had better keep his cool.
Tokiya stood up to address the jury and the court. A series of whispers circulated the room as the lawyer began his speech. "Ladies and gentlemen, listening to the attack on my client, pronouncing him guilty without verdict exhibits a perverted impression of the truth. To declare that my client is guilty of murder, or that he killed at all is no more than an ill-conceived claim. Attorney Tamayuko used the phrase "cold-blooded murder". Again, that is his own idea. We would all agree on a common view: Every man has the right to protect his own life. If my client had not done so, then there would be two, not one death to be recorded. Under the law of our state, the prosecution must prove that the act of killing was not performed in self-defense. That is all."
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Notes:
Raiha really doesn't have a last name, does he? Hehehehe….
People, I have never been in a courtroom scenario so forgive me if I failed miserably in concocting one.
A round of applause in pratz' direction, thanks for meticulously editing this chapter.
Chapter 3 was written…
1. To honor Flare-Chaa's request for me to update soon. Thanks for being appreciative of the pairing.
2. To atone for khy's lapse in study time and hope she will study this chapter. joke, joke, joke. Thank you for the great tips I was not conscious of. It helped a lot, the charge is murder now. Putting your political science knowledge to use I see… thanks for the encouragement. Hope we see the 6th chapter of BLT soon.
3. To reinforce damouse' love for mi-chan. Thank you so very much, I cherish your reviews and I assure you that when I get rich I'll buy you a laptop of your own so that you won't have to comply with the monotonous decrees of library rules.
4. for Kaze Yurei who I've missed lots ( Where've you been, girl?) and who trusts in the "I don't deserve you." statement. Hmm, I think I was aiming for the "you've-helped-me-in-a-big-way-i-don't-deserve-it" impression. J
5. for my ally, TETOT99 who still reads this despite my bias. I promise I'll deviate from pushing Raiha into the background.
6. To keep LadyPenquin in suspense. I hope you like this.
7. for Massao28 who has flattered me to bits. Mula sa kaibuturan ng aking puso, nagpapasalamat ako. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Guys, for the next update… expect the unexpected okay? Please review if you have the time.