Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha and co…
"Blah blah" means Mrs. Higurashi is saying something outside of the flashback…kay?
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Chapter 10: The Jury Declines"So you say your husband pointed your dead daughter out to you, yes?"
"Yes…that is true."
"And he was sad, is that correct."
"No."
"Why do you think he was not sad?"
"Because…he did it."
"Higurashi-san, you must not be unreasonable. What proof--."
"His weapon." Mrs. Higurashi interrupted as she held up the knife. It was encased it dried blood, flaking off in places.
Mrs. Higurashi was then told to slide the evidence into a plastic bad, to be taken to a DNA lab and get tested.
"Now…what kind of grudge would your husband--?"
"Ex." Mrs. Higurashi said in a small voice.
"Yes, ex-husband. Why do you think he would wish to kill his own daughter, prey tell, Higurashi-san?"
Mrs. Higurashi stared down at the dark wooden table she was seated at. The courtroom was empty other than the people who needed to be there: Kagome, the attorney, the judge, a squad of policemen, Mr. and Mrs. Soup, the mayor for some reason.
"It happened a long time ago…no I don't remember the exact date…it happened on a snowy Christmas. My husband had always loved our children. He played with them, always, and loved the dearly. Rumiyo and him would always go on little trips and they would take Kagome tottering along behind them. We were a close family…" Mrs. Higurashi seemed to get choked up as she wiped her eyes with the tissue her attorney handed her.
The judge waited patiently as Mrs. Higurashi got herself under control.
"I'm sorry…"
"That's alright, now please proceed."
"Yes…anyway, it was a nice Christmas…but I knew something was wrong starting the night before. He had come home stumbling…"
**Flashback**
Mr. Higurashi stumbled inside the house, crashing into a small lamp table next to the door. It was 2:00 A.M and he was dead drunk.
Mrs. Higurashi padded down the stairs in her bathrobe, yawning. "Ah, you're home late. Welcome back--."
"Geoutta ma way!" he roughly pushed her aside.
"M-Mama?" the two oldest girls stood shivering next to one another at the top of the stairs.
"Wh-What is it, girls?" Mrs. Higurashi tried to regain her composure as she re-coiled a stray strand of hair.
"Souta's crying and…" Kagome winced as she heard the crash of wine glasses falling out of the cabinet.
"Mama…Papa's not well…is he?" The girls' said in unison.
Mrs. Higurashi ran her fingers through her hair. "No, Kagome, Rumiyo…he's not well…"
"Mama…I'm scared." Kagome clutched her mothers' furry robes as she stared off at the loud kitchen.
"Kagome…get your brother and keep him in your room. Try and keep him asleep as long as you can." She instructed her daughter.
"Hai, Mama…"
"I was terrified…I didn't know what was going to happen…"
She watched her daughter enter her baby brothers' room, come out later with him over her on her shoulder, and enter her room, closing the door with practiced quietness. The shuffle of clothing and bed sheets lightly wafted down the stairs and it was quiet up the stairs once again.
"Mama…what's going on?" Rumiyo asked casually. Well…as casual as a young girl like her could act. "He's gone mad…hasn't he…he's going to an asylum…isn't he."
"No…Rumiyo, no he's not insane…" Mrs. Higurashi put her hands on her oldest child's shoulders. "Rumiyo…you have to stay here…Mama's going in there…so stay out here until I call…alright? You understand?"
"Yes, mother, I'm not an illiterate little tart-cart riding-."
"Rumiyo! Do not make fun of the mentally challenged!" Mrs. Higurashi scolded.
"I had a mentally challenged brother…he died young…"
Mrs. Higurashi neared the kitchen and creaked the door open. After a while the loud bangs had lowered consistently and now she could hear the faint wailing of her youngest child, Souta.
She pushed the door wide open and stepped in, leaving the door slightly ajar as she stepped cautiously into the room. He was nowhere to be found.
"I thought he might've left through the window or something…Drunk people tend to do things like that…"
She stepped over a small pile of broken beer bottles as she walked around the wooden table. There he was, lying there without a care in the world, hiccupping and drinking a beer on his back.
"Uh…honey…what are you doing so loudly?"
"I wasn't able to speak correctly…fright I guess…"
He belched loudly and threw the empty beer bottle, hitting her leg. She winced but ignored the pain as she took a painful step forward. "Stop…you're frightening the children."
"Chil'rn? Whu chil'rn?" he mumbled as he stood, knocking the table over completely.
"Tell me what happened?" she pleaded as she got in his way of the door Rumiyo was standing just behind.
"No! Step side!" he bellowed angrily but belched once again, this time in her face.
"What happened?!" she yelled as she stood in his way again.
He stopped and seemed to finally acknowledge her relation to him. He squinted and seemed to come back to reality for a second. "I'm…so--." Before he could finish he fell backwards, out like a light and drunk for that matter.
"It seemed like he was him…but not…it was odd…."
The next morning he was normal once again, the young kids had forgotten almost completely about the events of the night before…
"But I hadn't. His motions were slow so I knew he had a hangover…but he was still the man I loved…at least on the outside. He acted very soft around Souta…bout my girls, Kagome and Rumiyo; he was indifferent to and gave them cold stares as well as me. It was like he was turning into some women hating man lover…"
Rumiyo, Kagome, and Mrs. Higurashi cornered him that day and held the wary man down into a chair. He was mad now, angry and flinging as he yelled obscenities to each girl.
"I guess my girls' are strong…because they were forced to mature much earlier then their time…"
He pushed them all off him, yelled a few more rude comments before slamming the door closed and locking himself in his room, like a young teenager.
*End Flashback*
"Thank you…Higurashi-san…" the judge blinked dumbly at a set of papers before him. "But your story doesn't prove anything other than that your husband was in a bad mood after a free night a the bar."
"A free night?! He was drunk like a depressed salary man! You don't understand! He had an alcoholic problem before…he had alcohol poisoning and they said if he didn't drink again he would act normally. It's an addiction that's hurting our family and I--!"
"Higurashi-san…please try and understand, all men need at least one day to cool off their jeans after a long day at the slave house." The judge stared down and the fuming woman. "Do you have anything else to say?"
"He was drunk to the point of murder! His hangover was ever worst! What if he was to lash out at my daughters?! He murdered his own daughter!! He should be thrown into jail!!"
The judge sighed as he turned toward the jury sitting in a separated part of the court. "And what do you say, members of the jury?"
*--*--*
"They declined!! I'll murder the government!!" Mrs. Higurashi yelled as she ripped up the papers her attorney had handed her before stealthily slithering away.
"Mama…we have to get him away. What should we do?" Kagome asked as she stared at the remaining sheet of paper her mother held in her hand. It was the DNA tests from earlier.
"Kill him! I'm not as gullible as he thinks!!"
"Mama…" Kagome stared at her hands in her lap. I can't believe the man I loved so much…my father…would kill his own daughter…of all the disgusting things I've seen this makes me want to puke.
"Kagome…I need to tell you something and you must take it as an adult. Are you listening?"
Kagome looked over at her mother who was focusing on the gravel underneath the park benches they sat under.
"Yeah…sure…anything, Mama."
"That man…Kagome…isn't your biological father…he's my boyfriend…"
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Damn am I bad!! Hee hee!! Let's see what happens?
I hope you liked this chapter…sorry bout the long wait. I was having a writer's block. I re-wrote this chapter 3 times before I liked where it was…so yeah…
Don't you hate that you can't post normal Author Notes anymore?? Those people just want chapters…what if you need to tell your people you're deleting the story or something important like that? I guess you could email each one…that's stupid though…
Anyway, enough of my rambling…
Next chapter:
Chapter 11: Goddamn Your Timing!