New Author's Notes: In honor of the one year anniversary of the 'Confessions Trilogy', I'm performing a massive editing session on all three stories. As you know by now, I've already finished editing the first, and am now posting this one, and will eventually be getting to the third as well, time permitting. I'm immensely proud of all three of these stories, and am contemplating turning this into a yearly tradition so that they can always be improving. The only thing that hasn't changed are the original author's notes, which I didn't have the heart to part with. I hope you enjoy!
Though not described in detail, this story does deal with rape, so be forewarned if that sort of topic bothers you.
Original Author's Notes: I can't believe it! Over 300 reviews! Thank you all so much for your wonderful support. You have no idea how much it means to me. I promise to keep the chapters coming, and hopefully they will continue to entertain and not fall into the trap of becoming repetitive or boring.
I feel like I need to warn you all that this chapter, in the beginning, is very blunt when it comes to some of the question and answer dialogue regarding Kagome's rape. If certain topics bother you than consider yourself forewarned, and I sincerely apologize if this offends anyone. But since my father is a doctor I figured I could pretty accurately create answers for the doctor, and I want this to be as realistic as possible, keeping in mind the fact that in an actual courtroom the witness would not skirt the truth.
Other then that, I just hope you enjoy the chapter. Since I received so many comments, I'm going to respond to a few of you wonderful reviewers now, and maybe next time I'll respond to a few more, but don't count on it being too regular of an occurrence since I don't want everyone getting bored just reading review responses. Enjoy this chapter, and keep in mind that the next chapter is about the gang going out for a wedding party! Stay tuned!
FrameofMind: Thanks for the legal advice, I really appreciate it, and I may very well take you up on your offer in order to get more ideas for the court scenes. It is nice to know I have a resource. You also made some very legitimate points, and so I would like to respond to those to explain my reasoning. Kagome is, in this story anyway, eighteen, so it would not count as statutory rape. And as for Ms. White, I don't' need her being perfect all the time, and so I put that in there to show that she does slip up with the tongue every once in a while. But you're right…innocent until proven guilty always! Thanks for the review!
Miyu6: Don't worry, I have someone in mind for Ms. White. I have from the beginning, in fact…so never fear. And thanks for the long review. I really appreciate it.
Crow T R0bot: Actually, the updates will be slowing down dramatically in the next week because I'll be back in school. Believe it or not, we had four straight snow days in a row this week so yes, I've had a lot of time on my hands. And as for your other question about Jaken and Rin, I'm going to have it that they stay with Kaede and Shippou while the others are gone. I haven't explained that in detail yet, but I'm going to in the next few chapters.
Miko Sakura-sama: No, I haven't had this happen to anyone I know personally, but my father is an obstetrician (meaning he deals with women's health, delivering babies, etc.) and I have frequently heard stories about patients who are young and pregnant because they were stupid or, on a rare occasion, taken advantage of. Not necessarily raped in the way Kagome was, but still…it's never a good situation. We also have a lawyer as a family friend, and since I am somewhat interested in the study of law we talk a lot so I hear about her cases sometimes. And don't worry, that's not a personal question at all! If you have any more just let me know!
Title: The Realistic Happily Ever After
Author: dolphingirl0113
Chapter: Twelve
Rating: PG-13 (rated for violence, language, and implied sexual situations)
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.
"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you God?"
"I do."
"Then please be seated." The witness slowly sat down on what Kagome had come to call the hot seat, signaling the start of the second day of the trial.
Once again, she found herself trying to get comfortable on the wooden chair behind the prosecution's table, Ms. White at her side, and all her friends, family, and schoolmates behind her in silent support. Crossing her legs beneath the table, revealing a generous amount of her calf and lower thigh, she folded her hands neatly before her on the table and watched, with as much poise as she could muster, as Ms. White rose her feet to question the man sitting on the witness stand.
She walked with just as much confidence as ever, moving quickly to stand before the witness without any sort of ceremony as she sent the man a smile and a nod, signaling that she was ready to begin. Kagome felt like this direct approach gave off the feeling that Ms. White merely wanted to have a conversation, which was a useful technique when trying to soften or relax a potentially nervous witness. Whereas some lawyers purposefully tried to be the predator, Ms. White just wanted to be everyone's friend.
"Could you state your name for the record please?"
The man, who appeared to be middle-aged, his brown hair salted with gray, a fairy wide girth accenting his waistline, nodded, his eyes deep and gleaming with intelligence as he stared confidently out over the crowd before him, leaning into the microphone to answer the question and looking nothing like Hojo had the day before. "My name is Dr. William Brown."
"And what is your occupation, Dr. Brown?" Ms. White purposefully accented the title of doctor, wanting everyone to understand that this was a professional who knew what he was talking about.
"I'm an emergency room doctor at Tokyo General Hospital."
Nodding, Ms. White moved back slightly to make sure that the jury had a clear view of the witness. "And how long have you been practicing medicine?"
"Over twenty-five years," Dr. Brown replied with pride etched into his voice, leaning back to point to a golden circle pinned to his left breast pocket over his black sport coat. "I just got my pin a few months ago."
Ms. White smiled at that and beamed in his direction, like one professional congratulating another. "Very impressive." Her face turned serious once more. "So since you've been working for so long in your profession, would you say you've seen a wide variety of cases?"
"One could assume that to be true, yes. You never know what you might see when working in the E.R."
Nodding, Ms. White moved in for the kill. "That having been said, would you go so far as to say that you've seen several rape cases in your time at the hospital?"
Mr. Cromwell shot to his feet in protest. "Objection, your honor! She's leading the witness."
But the judge just shook his head and motioned for the man to sit down. "Overruled, Mr. Cromwell." He turned to the witness. "You may answer the question, Dr. Brown."
He nodded and turned back to face Ms.White. "It would be fair to say that I"ve seen many rape cases in the E.R., yes."
"And did you see my client," she pointed at Kagome for an instant, who straightened in her seat, "On the morning of January 4?"
Dr. Brown looked at Kagome for an instant before nodding his head in recognition. "Yes."
"What did she come to the E.R. for exactly?"
The doctor leaned back and took a deep breath before answering. "Miss Higurashi displayed horrible bruises and cuts on her arms, legs, and face, the most notable mark being a black eye on the left side of her face, along with other signs that pointed to her being the victim of a beating, such as disorientation and swelling to many parts of the body." He sounded like he might as well have been reading directly from his chart notes as he spoke.
Ms. White just nodded and pushed him to continue. "Was there anything else that you noticed while she was in your care doctor?"
This time Dr. Brown swallowed before speaking, nodding his head and looking a little less comfortable as he shot Kagome a sympathetic look. "It is routine practice for any woman who displays marks as severe as Miss Higurashi's to be tested with a rape kit. The attending nurse who performed the test found semen, as well as blood, on the inside of Miss Higurashi's thighs, along with more swelling and bruising."
The description was so vivid that Kagome found herself wincing and looking away, forcing her gaze to travel out the window on the far wall that boasted a lovely view of the mountains overlooking Tokyo. Not wanting to be pulled back into those dark memories, she tried desperately to imagine herself in those mountains, or anywhere else besides that horrible, stuffy courtroom where she was being forced to relive the worst night of her life.
Ms. White's face had become very grave as she continued, standing straight and tall with her arms at her sides as she looked the doctor straight in the eye. "And what do those results tell you, Dr. Brown?"
"They tell me that Kagome Higurashi was the victim of rape."
Smiling and nodding at the doctor to show her appreciation, the blonde lawyer glanced at the jury once before turning back around. "Thank you."
As she walked back to her seat, pulling the glasses from her face momentarily to pinch the bridge of her nose (the only visible sign that she was just as tired as everyone else), Mr. Cromwell rose to his feet and straightened his jacket, causing Kagome to tense as she wondered what the man would pull out of his hat this time to turn such a truthful testimony against her.
In all honesty, a small part of her shied away from the situation, not wanting to find out, but instead wishing for nothing more than her bed so she could hide under the covers.
Mr. Cromwell reached the witness stand, doing his usual ceremony of walking back and forth for a few seconds, before squaring off with Dr. Brown, who didn't look at all intimidated. They were two professionals of about the same age, after all; what did he have to fear?
"Tell me, Dr. Brown," he began at long last, "In your twenty-five years of service have you seen women before with bruises like those on Miss Higurashi that weren't the result of a beating?"
Dr. Brown cocked an eyebrow at that, looking like he thought it to be an absurd question. "I suppose so…but only in the case of an extreme accident."
"What kind of accident?"
He shrugged. "A tumble or a fall onto hard pavement could create the cuts, and any impact on a hard surface would certainly create bruises. But not all over the body, like was the case with…"
"So you're saying it's possible that Miss Higurashi merely fell while walking home?" Mr. Cromwell interrupted, to the obvious annoyance of the witness, who huffed indignantly and breathed in deeply to regain his patience.
"I didn't say that…"
"But you did say that someone could obtain similar bruises and cuts by taking a harsh tumble down, oh, let's say a set of concrete stairs?"
Dr. Brown glared at Mr. Cromwell. "It's possible."
"So I ask again…couldn't it be possible that Kagome Higurashi could have fallen while walking to school, obtaining the marks you saw?"
"I suppose it's possible…but very unlikely."
Mr. Cromwell looked amused at that point. "And why is that, Dr. Brown?"
"Because of the rape kit results."
"Ah yes…the rape kit. The all-knowing test that proves my client to be guilty." Now he just sounded sarcastic, and no one in the courtroom, not even the judge, seemed to like it, though no one said a word as Mr. Cromwell had not technically done anything wrong. He rocked back on his heels as he looked at Dr. Brown once more, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he did so. "Tell me…have you ever examined a woman who had consensual intercourse for the first time?"
The doctor hardened his gaze, but had to answer the question. "Yes; I've seen many young women who come to the E.R. after their first time looking for a doctor to administer a test for sexually transmitted diseases. Frequently tests for certain STDs require a vaginal examination."
"So you've seen what a girl can look like after her first time?"
"Yes."
"Then tell me…do some women bleed after their first time?"
"It is not uncommon for a small amount of bleeding to occur."
Mr. Cromwell leaned forward slightly, looking very arrogant and sure of himself. "A simple 'yes' or 'no' will suffice, doctor."
Dr. Brown looked like he was grinding his back molars together as he replied. "Yes."
"Could a woman bleed as much as you saw when examining Kagome Higurashi?"
He blew out a long, steady breath and raised an eyebrow as he did so, crossing his arms over his chest in the process. "I myself have never seen a case where a woman bleeds that much after consensual intercourse, even if it was her first time."
"But you have heard of it?"
"I have read in some medical textbooks that it is possible for a woman to bleed much more than normal after her first time."
Nodding, Mr. Cromwell looked steadily at the man before him for a moment in silence before looking towards the jury as he asked the next question. He even went so far as to step away from the witness stand and towards the jury's box. "So, based on what you've told me Dr. Brown, this whole matter could have simply been that Kagome Higurashi had consensual intercourse with my client and then, on her way home, tripped and had a rough tumble on the cement?
At that Dr. Brown ran several fingers through his graying hair and chuckled slightly, the sound very strained as he looked up. "That's a bit of a stretch, I think."
Mr. Cromwell had acquired a very harsh, unforgiving expression as he stilled his body. "Just answer the question, doctor."
With one final sigh, as though saying he gave up trying to argue, Dr. Brown nodded and replied. "However remote that scenario is, I suppose that yes, it could be a possibility to take into consideration when trying to discover what really happened to Miss Higurashi."
Clearly, that was the answer he had been hoping for, because Mr. Cromwell smiled kindly, his mask of cruelty fading as he nodded and turned to walk away. "Thank you."
As he walked back to his seat, Kagome felt her world crumbling around her, her heart sinking and her shoulders slumping forward. Mr. Cromwell had just managed to turn a testimony that was completely in her favor into a weapon for his use. Not only was such a reality infuriating, but it was also humiliating to contemplate that anyone in that courtroom might believe she would willingly give herself to a man such as Ted Wilkins.
Thinking it was over, Kagome was thus surprised when Ms. White quickly rose to her feet the moment her opponent sat down, glancing briefly at a few notes she had written on the yellow notepad by her briefcase before looking up once more at the judge. "Redirect, your honor?"
The judge met her gaze momentarily before nodding and motioning for her to step forward, allowing a glimmer of hope to return to what appeared to be a hopeless situation as Ms. White approached Dr. Brown once more with purpose written into every stride she took. "Dr. Brown, what was my client like the morning you saw her?"
He frowned at the memory. "The girl was very frightened and extremely nervous…almost to the point of being a flight risk if anyone left her alone. Normally I would have performed the rape test myself, but she was so terrified of having any man touch her that I decided to have one of the female nurses do it instead."
Nodding, Ms. White gave the jury a pointed glance before looking back at the witness with her hands placed thoughtfully under her chin. "And based on your extensive experience practicing medicine, would you say that is common behavior for a woman who has just had consensual intercourse for the first time?"
"No."
"But you just told Mr. Cromwell that you've seen women come in very afraid of having a sexually transmitted disease, doctor. How does this behavior implicate something else?"
It was the perfect question that set the stage for the perfect answer, and Kagome felt herself relax slightly as she realized that perhaps everything would be alright after all.
Dr. Brown purposefully met Kagome's eyes as he replied, causing her to blush slightly, though she forced herself to not look away as he answered the question. "The women who see me after consensual intercourse may be somewhat nervous and frightened at the prospect of having contracted a sexually transmitted disease, HIV naturally being the greatest fear, but I have never seen a woman who gives herself willingly to a man be so terrified of me. Miss Higurashi had a look of pure terror on her face as she was wheeled into the hospital and surrounded by unfamiliar faces." He blinked as though trying to shut out some painful fact. "There is no way she could have consented to intercourse and then looked like that after the fact."
He finished what he was saying, and Ms. White purposefully allowed his words to sink in before turning to the jury once, nodding, and smiling at the witness before her. "Thank you, Dr. Brown." She turned to the judge. "I have no further questions, your honor."
As Ms. White walked back to her seat, the judge looked over at Mr. Cromwell, asking him silently if he was finished, to which the lawyer nodded his head in response, before reaching for his gavel and looking out over the crowd of faces before him. "This court will recess until 2:30."
The gavel came down with a crack to accent his point, and everyone stood up to take a much needed break.
The courthouse cafeteria was crowded and noisy as lawyers, spectators, witnesses, police officers, and judges alike all tried to get lunch and eat before having to rush back to their assigned rooms at the appropriate time. It was as though all trials recessed for two hours at the exact same moment, because all the tables were full, and the lines were ridiculously long to pay for food that didn't even taste very good.
"I don't know how you can eat that," Miroku whined as he watched Inuyasha and Kouga down their cafeteria food as though it were the best-cooked meal in the world. The monk looked like he was going to be sick as he leaned away, his skin paler than it should have been as he sipped from a bottle of juice. Beside him Sango nodded her head in agreement as she picked suspiciously at what was supposed to be a bowl of tapioca pudding.
Seeing the looks on everyone's faces, Ms. White just laughed, the sound managing to lift the mood somewhat. "I warned you all that the cafeteria isn't very good when it comes to supplying the people with edible food." She sipped her coffee and grimaced at the flat taste, putting the Styrofoam cup back on the table, clearly not intending to drink any more. "I'm just glad I don't work here all the time, or else I think I'd die of malnutrition."
Luckily, Ms. White had managed to grab the largest table in the cafeteria, which mean they could all eat together rather than being forced to "mingle" with the people around them. But the setting reminded Kagome, unpleasantly, so much of school that she found she didn't care where she sat, wanting nothing more than to be gone. Still, the though that one never grew out of horrible food and noisy, crowded tables caused her to smirk.
She really hated irony.
Miroku moaned again as Inuyasha took Sango's plate and began eating her food, and even Kagome felt her gut clench at the sight. Really…how could he eat that willingly?
From where she sat, Mrs. Higurashi just smiled. "I think that so long as we stick to what is prepackaged, we should be alright," she commented politely, accenting her point by opening her fifth package of Tollhouse cookies. For once it seemed like she was willing to throw all healthy caution to the wind.
"I second that," Ms. White offered as she reached over and plucked one of the many packages from the pile sitting in the middle of the table. When it had become apparent that none of the food tasted good, Mrs. Higurashi had gone back and bought as many packages of cookies and chips as she could so that now everyone seemed to have forgotten about their trays, which Kouga and Inuyasha gladly put away for them anyway.
"So…who will the next witness be?" Sango asked tentatively as she bit off a small piece of a peanut butter cookie, looking at the piece of food as though it were an enemy she was trying to size up before taking action.
Everyone turned to Ms. White, who shrugged sheepishly. "I don't know," she replied truthfully as she popped a potato chip into her mouth. "Since Dr. Brown was my witness Bruce gets to call the next one." She paused before looking over at Kagome's mother. "Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if he calls on you, Mrs. Higurashi."
The older woman nearly dropped the cookie she was eating into her own stale cup of coffee, and turned with surprise to look at the blonde lawyer sitting across from her. "Me? Today? But why on earth would he do that? I don't think I could possibly offer a testimony as informative as Dr. Brown."
Ms. White shook her head and brushed the crumbs off her hands. "That's not the point. Bruce is most likely going to question someone who could give the jury a better idea of what Kagome is like at home and around her friends, so that people can get a better idea of what kind of person she is. Remember, his entire case is based around her personality."
"But why me?"
"Because it's too early to call on any of her schoolmates yet, so you're the next best choice. He used Hojo as a witness because he was the boy who was the last and first person to see her the night before and the morning after, but beyond that he's not quite ready to speak with any of the other kids at the school."
Kagome, who had been blankly staring off into space a moment earlier while sipping from her bottled water now started choking, and everyone looked at her with concern. Blushing, she wiped a few stray droplets off her lips before looking at Ms. White with wide eyes. "Did…did you say that Mr. Cromwell might call on one of my schoolmates to testify?"
Ms. White just blinked in confusion. "Yes…why?"
"Oh god, I'm doomed," she moaned, placing her head in her hands and expelling a long breath as she recalled all the times she had spoken with Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi about how Inuyasha was a two-timer with Kikyou. She also recalled once or twice agreeing to go out with Hojo simply to spite the infuriating hanyou, and how she had admitted to the girls what she was doing.
Everyone was staring at her now, including Kouga and Inuyasha, and Ms. White touched her arm. "Why would you say you're doomed, Kagome? Your friends all seem very nice to me."
"Nice yes…" Kagome sent the blonde a knowing look as she sighed again and leaned back, putting her hands in her lap. "But very talkative."
For a moment the two women stared silently at one another before Ms. White suddenly widened her eyes in understanding and nodded her head, returning once more to her potato chips as she spoke. "I see what you mean." She cocked her head in thought for a moment before smiling confidently again. "Well, never fear; I can turn anything Bruce says into mush…haven't I proven that to you already?"
Kagome nodded. "Yes, you have, and I thank you for that. You are doing a great job, and are clearly very good at what you do."
Ms. White smirked and raised an eyebrow. "I sense a 'but' coming."
Kagome blushed sheepishly and looked down at her water bottle, which she rolled between her hands absentmindedly. "It's just that, well…Mr. Cromwell always manages to take whatever you get out of a witness and turn it against me."
"Well of course he does," Ms. White replied as though that were obvious. "That's precisely what he's supposed to do, and if he didn't then he wouldn't have the reputation that he does for being so good. But I wouldn't worry about it if I were you." She winked. "The whole foundation of a case…the one factor that determines the verdict of guilty or innocent…is who asks the right questions. Nothing else matters, Kagome. Sure, evidence is important, but in cases like yours, where no one is disputing that he was in fact with you that night, what matters most is what you make the jury believe, and that means to win you have to ask the right questions." She raised her chin proudly. "And so far I think I have the upper hand in that department."
Kagome gazed at the woman out of the corner of her eye. "Are you sure about that?"
"Of course I'm sure. Yes, I'll admit that Bruce does manage to twist a lot of what the witnesses say into something entirely different, just like today when he forced Dr. Brown to admit that bleeding like you did could have happened in a non-rape situation." She cocked her head thoughtfully. "That was a pretty brilliant move, actually." She shook her head. "But that still isn't going to get him anywhere in the end. He knows he's going to lose, but he has to put on a good show so that he gets paid when this is all said and done."
In all honesty it all sounded too political and, frankly, cynical for Kagome, and so she just nodded and pulled a package of unopened cookies from the pile and placed it in her lap, staring at the smiling face on the front and wishing she could feel that happy and carefree for once.
The sudden sound of a hand connecting with skin caused her to blink and look up as several people walking by looked on as well, wondering what was going on. But once she saw what had happened, Kagome, along with everyone at the table (save for Ms. White who was unfamiliar with Miroku's lecherous tendencies), just rolled her eyes and looked away as Sango fumed, her handprint etched onto her husband's cheek.
"Hentai! I've told you before that just because we're married that doesn't give you free license to grope my butt whenever you feel like it!"
Miroku looked at her with his usual innocent expression, taking her hand in his. "But Sango please…this bench is so crowded, and I was bumped unexpectedly. I didn't mean to touch you there, honest. It just happened."
The demon exterminator rolled her eyes and looked away. "Give me a break, Miroku. If I believed that then I would be forced to believe that it's an accident every time your hand always managed to wander to either my chest or my backside."
At that the lecherous monk just smiled dreamily, clearing remembering all the times his hands had done just that, causing Sango to only slap him harder, everyone at the table wincing in sympathy for the monk. "Wipe that smile off your face! Do you have any idea how ridiculous you look?"
They continued to argue, but Kagome decided to tune them out. After all, it wasn't like she hadn't heard the argument before. Frankly, she'd heard it one too many times.
Turning back to face the table where the cookies remained, she heard a slurping noise and looked up in time to see Inuyasha finishing off his last cup of juice. He caught her eye and smiled as he set the empty cup down on the table with a proud thud. She smiled back.
Glancing down at the unopened cookies, the hanyou frowned and met her gaze again, this time seriously. "You know, you should really eat more then that, Kagome."
She glanced down at the package in her hands before setting it back on the table and shaking her head with a frown. "I just don't feel like eating at this point, Inuyasha."
"Keh," He crossed his arms, "You didn't feel like eating this morning at breakfast either, or last night during dinner. What are you trying to do, starve yourself? You need your strength for this, Kagome. It's not the time to be stupid."
She felt herself bristle at that, and gave him a sharp look. "I'm not being stupid, Inuyasha. I just said I'm not hungry right now. Last time I checked, it wasn't a crime to pass on eating when you aren't hungry."
"But you need to eat!"
"No, I don't," she ground out, trying to understand why he was being so pushy while at the same time feeling her temper slipping out of her control.
"Yes you do! You need to keep up your strength!"
"I am just fine!"
"But if you don't get enough nourishment you'll faint or something!"
"I know that! I've taken a few health classes, you know!"
They were starting to attract an audience beyond simply the friends at their individual table, but as usual the pair seemed oblivious as Inuyasha shot his own retort back. "I'm not going to just watch you become pale and weak because you were too stupid to do the right thing!"
"I'm not stupid!"
"Then eat something!"
"I don't want to!"
"I don't care!"
Kagome clenched her fist and rose to her feet, knocking over two cups in the process. "You can't tell me what to do!"
"Yes I can, I'm your mate!"
"Can not!"
"Can to!"
"Can not!"
"I can when you're being stupid!"
"SIT!" It all happened so quickly that no one quite understood what was going on, Kagome forgetting that they were in a public setting as she said the 'magic word'.
Inuyasha slammed through the wooden table and a horrendous noise, a combination of crashing dishes, cracking wood, and crushed aluminum cans, filled the air in an instant roar that was over almost before it had begun, silence filling the room to only be interrupted by the occasional crinkle of paper or surprised cough.
Kagome stood above the hanyou looking peeved, taking deep breaths to try and control her anger, and that was when Kouga started laughing uncontrollably, breaking the spell and causing her to realize just how much attention they had drawn to themselves, her cheeks turning cheery red as she had the desperate wish to sink into the floor, wondering how it must look to have her fiancé face first into a bowl of pudding while the table around him was completely broken.
"Kagome…?" Ms. White had her hands up before her as though she was trying to calm a raging animal, Mrs. Higurashi wide eyed as well, Sango's hand poised mid-air to slap Miroku again, the monk looking stunned, while Ayame was busy trying to get Kouga to shut up. "Are you alright?"
Desperately trying to fight her own embarrassment, along with the curious stares she was receiving from all directions, Kagome just laughed, hoping it sounded careless. "Of course I'm alright! Silly me, I guess I didn't realize that I had kicked the lever that collapses the table until it was too late. I'm sorry, Inuyasha…are you okay?"
In response the hanyou muttered something incoherent into the pudding, his fists clenched, and Kagome knew from past experience that whatever he'd said couldn't have been very good, meaning it was probably a blessing that the pudding had censored it. Blushing, she sat back down and found her still-unopened cookies very interesting.
"State your name for the record please."
"Mrs. Higurashi."
"And how are you related to Kagome Higurashi?"
"I am her mother."
Mr. Cromwell nodded and yet again began his insufferable routine of pacing back and forth, though Kagome tried to ignore him as she watched her mother carefully, also trying to ignore Inuyasha at the same time, who was still muttering (rather verbally) about the injustice that had taken place in the cafeteria.
"Mrs. Higurashi, how exactly would you describe you daughter?"
The older woman gave off one of her kind, motherly smiles, and despite where they were Kagome found herself relaxing under that gesture that had always managed to calm her. "Well she's very kind and considerate, and always has time for others if they need help."
"And would you say that Kagome has a lot of friends?"
"Oh yes; in fact quite a few of them are here to support her today, which I think proves how well she is liked by her peers."
She smiled again, but Mr. Cromwell clearly tried to ignore the gesture as he hastily moved back and forth a few more times before asking his next question. "Well if she has so many friends, then a few of them must be boys."
"That is correct."
He nodded. "Tell me, Mrs. Higurashi; does your daughter flirt very often with the boys she meets? Or even with the boys who are her friends?"
"Well, I suppose you'd have to tell me what you mean by flirting, Mr. Cromwell," the older woman replied in her best motherly tone, somewhat patronizing but as sweet as honey.
He looked slightly unnerved by this, but continued anyway. "I mean does your daughter, well, smile at boys a lot and want to be around them?"
Mrs. Higurashi shrugged her shoulders. "I suppose you could say that she is outgoing with the men in her life, yes…but not overly so. All young girls flirt, after all. Kagome would hardly be normal if she did not, and I would have cause to be concerned if that were the case."
Mr. Cromwell pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "Am I to take that as a yes, Mrs. Higurashi?"
"If that is the way you see it."
At that Ms. White chuckled softly, nodding before writing something on her notepad, and Kagome gave her a curious look as she leaned in to ask what was so funny. The blonde just shook her head with a smile. "Your mother is so good at giving vague answer that not even I am sure what she's saying at this point."
Kagome cocked an eyebrow. "And that's a good thing?"
"Oh, that's a very good thing." She winked. "At least, it's a good thing for us. She gets bonus points in my book."
At that Kagome felt herself beam with pride and pleasure, turning her attention back to watch as Mr. Cromwell continued to try and get answers from the woman on the witness stand with the same miniscule success each time.
"Mrs. Higurashi, are you acquainted with the young man named Hojo? The man who claimed yesterday in his testimony to be one of her best friends?"
"Oh yes," she exclaimed kindly, "I know him. He's a very nice boy."
"I'm sure he is," Mr. Cromwell humored her impatiently before continuing. "So I take it you know him pretty well?"
She nodded. "Kagome has been sick quite often these past few years, and Hojo has been kind enough to stop by and see how she is doing from time to time."
"And how long does he usually stay at your home when he makes these visits?"
Mrs. Higurashi shrugged her shoulders. "Oh, it depends really. When Kagome is extremely sick he just stops by and then leaves without even coming in, usually simply asking me to give her the message that he stopped by. But on days when she's feeling well enough to be up and around he will sometimes help her with the homework that she's missed."
At that Mr. Cromwell looked up as though an idea occurred to him. "So Hojo and Kagome are sometimes alone in her room?"
The woman pursed her lips. "What do you mean by alone, Mr. Cromwell?"
"I mean…are they sometimes in Kagome's room without anyone else around?"
"In the strict sense I suppose so, but Kagome always leaves her door open in case I need to ask her a question, and since our laundry room is upstairs I am frequently walking past her room and peeking in to see how she is doing." Mrs. Higurashi narrowed her eyes, looking, for once, like a protective mother and not just a cheerful woman. "So if you're wondering whether or not they do anything inappropriate together when no one is looking, the answer is no."
That seemed to cause Mr. Cromwell to deflate, and he backed away from her, realizing that he wouldn't get what he needed out of Mrs. Higurashi. He nodded and walked back to his chair without another word, and Ms. White simply stated in a voice that clearly showed how happy she was that she had no questions for the witness. And so Kagome's mother was allowed to step down.
Picking up his gavel, the judge sighed before speaking. "This court is adjourned until Monday at one o'clock," he announced solemnly, and with the crack of his gavel the second day in court was officially over, giving everyone a much-needed four day break.
