"He's guilty. I hope they throw the damn book at him!" Mika cried out to
Eiri as they occupied the apartment of his living room. Eiri pretended not
to be listening and looked away, puffing at his cigarette. Shuichi sit
closely beside him, paying attention to Mika's every word, but not throwing
in any of his own. "Did you know they let him out on parole for a few days?
What if he escapes and goes out on a killing spree?!"
Eiri rolled his eyes and let go an annoyed sigh. "Mika, I KNOW it's Seguchi's death that is bothering you, but can you kindly take it elsewhere? I'm sick of hearing about the same thing over and over again about Hiroshi and blah, blah. I can care less if he's innocent or guilty."
Mika flared her feminine glare at him. "Baka! You heartless bastard! After all Tohma had done for you, took you to New York because you were being teased, and this is how you speak of him!"
Eiri chuckled and lowered his head with a small smirk spread. "Did you also forget it was his fault that I was nearly raped and taken advantage of?"
"It was not his fault!" Mika cried, stomping her foot in paroxysm.
"I would have been just fine here in Tokyo. Those bastards that were picking on me only made me stronger as the days went on. Kept me here and I would have been crushing them all in no time."
Mika bit her trembling lip and flashed her dagger eyes his way. "I can't believe you Eiri! You're not grateful for anything, are you?! You're not even grateful for the life you were given!"
Eiri smiled back up at her, placing the cigarette back into his mouth. "Now I didn't say that, did I?"
Mika threw a glare to Shuichi next. "Fine, be a self-raucous asshole, at least Shuichi's on my side! Right?"
Shuichi had half hoped that they would leave him out of this. Eiri didn't even bother getting in with them as Mika anxiously awaited Shuichi's answer.
"Shuichi knows Hiro's guilty. He even confronted him about it. He even broke the friendship with him because of it."
Shuichi wasn't sure if Mika was bragging about it or if she was stating the facts.
"I don't know, Mika-san," Shuichi said, lowering his head. "I don't know what I believe. Hiro's been my best friend for years and he's been nothing but a kind brother to me."
"But he tried to force himself upon you a few times, right?" she asked anxiously.
"He just kissed me."
"See!" Mika cried out, making Shuichi flinch. "That redhead won't stop until he has exactly what he wants! I recalled Tohma coming home one night, talking about a fight they had! I'm up on that stand at his trial, I'm going to tell them just that!"
Shuichi could think long and hard for the rest of his life, but never had he heard Hiro talking about a fight with Tohma. The two barely talked, let alone brawl. Shuichi was more prone to fight with him than Hiro was.
Mika stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
"This is all none of my business," Eiri muttered, closing his eyes.
Shuichi sighed. "I don't know what to believe. I love Hiro, he's my best friend in the whole world, but I saw something in his eyes that didn't act so innocent. Hiro's eyes tell it all, but...I still can't bring myself to distrust in him fully."
"You got stuck on the stand too," Eiri said, making it come out more of a statement than a question.
Shuichi nodded. "Yes. You still have to come though, Yuki. Even if it is just only in the audience and you're not totally on his side, or anyone's at all. The more people Hiro had with him, the better he would be."
Eiri put out his cigarette. "I'll think about it. Who knows, maybe a novel will come from this. Reworded of course, but the idea seems too good to let go."
"YUUUKI!!" Shuichi whined, elbowing him. "You're using my friend's court case as a story idea?!"
Shuichi scrunched his face up at Eiri, but all Eiri could do was smirk. "Oh so now you're friends? I knew your distrust would seep away soon enough."
He stood up.
"I don't know what to believe."
"He's innocent," Eiri said, walking to the doorway leading to the hall.
Shuichi's eyes went wide. He froze. "Yuki? How do you know that? I'm surprised you would say something like that."
Eiri kept walking. "Don't get your hopes up, I'm just sick of you not knowing how to make up your mind. He's innocent, now let's go to bed."
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
"He's never been guiltier," Ukai Noriko said as she and Ryuichi drove back to his apartment after seeing K and his wife and son, whom had traveled to Japan after hearing about the news. "K feels the same way."
Ryuichi sat back into the seat and refused to vocalize anything. No doubt he was still mute from the rape, but never would admit it.
"They're going to need your opinion the day after tomorrow, Ryuichi. They're getting opinions from everyone that knows Tohma and Hiro well enough to have a say in it. I know Mika's not going to let this rest. I'm not going to either. You shouldn't waste this opportunity, Sakuma-san. The words came right out of Tachi's mouth. If you don't, the accomplice is going to walk. I want him to be just as dead as Aizawa-san."
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Hiro awoke the next morning at seven sharp by a bang on his front door. With a grumble, he unclipped himself from the still sleeping Suguru and walked to the door, rubbing his face and trying to release it free of any tiredness.
It turned out to be his parole officer with the morning paper.
"How's everything going on here?" he asked, removing his sunglasses. "Remember, tomorrow at eight a.m. sharp is the time of your case."
Hiro nodded and thanked him. He stepped back and shut the door, debating whether or not he wanted to read it. It was always the same story. Him! Throwing himself onto the couch with nothing better to do until Suguru awoke, he unrolled the paper and nearly fainted as soon as his mind registered the morning's front page. He stared at the picture with the roundest eyes possible and a sudden fall in his stomach.
"Oh my god," he breathed, reading the caption over and over again. He was so fixated on the sight before him, that he didn't even notice Suguru coming out to him in the slightest.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
Hiro yelped in shock, jumping a half a foot into the air. Suguru also flinched at his action.
"Sorry," Hiro said, sighing.
"What are you looking at? Is it about the case?"
Hiro shook his head and once again became dumbfounded at the sight before him.
"They got him."
Suguru frowned. "Who?"
Hiro handed Suguru the newspaper. Suguru became stuck on it as well, giving off an identical look.
"Tachi," Suguru said, sitting on the couch slowly.
"I guess the debate's been going on for a month and a half, ever since I was thrown away," Hiro said. "I had no idea..."
Suguru read the short caption aloud: "'Aizawa Tachi, 22, was convicted of murder and sentenced to the death penalty this morning at one after midnight..."
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Thank you everyone SOOOO much for reviewing the past few chapters! I honestly thought everyone had it with this fic because it's just so long and neverending. I STILL have no plans in stopping or where it will end, but please stay with me on this because to be honest, this is only the beginning.
Eiri rolled his eyes and let go an annoyed sigh. "Mika, I KNOW it's Seguchi's death that is bothering you, but can you kindly take it elsewhere? I'm sick of hearing about the same thing over and over again about Hiroshi and blah, blah. I can care less if he's innocent or guilty."
Mika flared her feminine glare at him. "Baka! You heartless bastard! After all Tohma had done for you, took you to New York because you were being teased, and this is how you speak of him!"
Eiri chuckled and lowered his head with a small smirk spread. "Did you also forget it was his fault that I was nearly raped and taken advantage of?"
"It was not his fault!" Mika cried, stomping her foot in paroxysm.
"I would have been just fine here in Tokyo. Those bastards that were picking on me only made me stronger as the days went on. Kept me here and I would have been crushing them all in no time."
Mika bit her trembling lip and flashed her dagger eyes his way. "I can't believe you Eiri! You're not grateful for anything, are you?! You're not even grateful for the life you were given!"
Eiri smiled back up at her, placing the cigarette back into his mouth. "Now I didn't say that, did I?"
Mika threw a glare to Shuichi next. "Fine, be a self-raucous asshole, at least Shuichi's on my side! Right?"
Shuichi had half hoped that they would leave him out of this. Eiri didn't even bother getting in with them as Mika anxiously awaited Shuichi's answer.
"Shuichi knows Hiro's guilty. He even confronted him about it. He even broke the friendship with him because of it."
Shuichi wasn't sure if Mika was bragging about it or if she was stating the facts.
"I don't know, Mika-san," Shuichi said, lowering his head. "I don't know what I believe. Hiro's been my best friend for years and he's been nothing but a kind brother to me."
"But he tried to force himself upon you a few times, right?" she asked anxiously.
"He just kissed me."
"See!" Mika cried out, making Shuichi flinch. "That redhead won't stop until he has exactly what he wants! I recalled Tohma coming home one night, talking about a fight they had! I'm up on that stand at his trial, I'm going to tell them just that!"
Shuichi could think long and hard for the rest of his life, but never had he heard Hiro talking about a fight with Tohma. The two barely talked, let alone brawl. Shuichi was more prone to fight with him than Hiro was.
Mika stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
"This is all none of my business," Eiri muttered, closing his eyes.
Shuichi sighed. "I don't know what to believe. I love Hiro, he's my best friend in the whole world, but I saw something in his eyes that didn't act so innocent. Hiro's eyes tell it all, but...I still can't bring myself to distrust in him fully."
"You got stuck on the stand too," Eiri said, making it come out more of a statement than a question.
Shuichi nodded. "Yes. You still have to come though, Yuki. Even if it is just only in the audience and you're not totally on his side, or anyone's at all. The more people Hiro had with him, the better he would be."
Eiri put out his cigarette. "I'll think about it. Who knows, maybe a novel will come from this. Reworded of course, but the idea seems too good to let go."
"YUUUKI!!" Shuichi whined, elbowing him. "You're using my friend's court case as a story idea?!"
Shuichi scrunched his face up at Eiri, but all Eiri could do was smirk. "Oh so now you're friends? I knew your distrust would seep away soon enough."
He stood up.
"I don't know what to believe."
"He's innocent," Eiri said, walking to the doorway leading to the hall.
Shuichi's eyes went wide. He froze. "Yuki? How do you know that? I'm surprised you would say something like that."
Eiri kept walking. "Don't get your hopes up, I'm just sick of you not knowing how to make up your mind. He's innocent, now let's go to bed."
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
"He's never been guiltier," Ukai Noriko said as she and Ryuichi drove back to his apartment after seeing K and his wife and son, whom had traveled to Japan after hearing about the news. "K feels the same way."
Ryuichi sat back into the seat and refused to vocalize anything. No doubt he was still mute from the rape, but never would admit it.
"They're going to need your opinion the day after tomorrow, Ryuichi. They're getting opinions from everyone that knows Tohma and Hiro well enough to have a say in it. I know Mika's not going to let this rest. I'm not going to either. You shouldn't waste this opportunity, Sakuma-san. The words came right out of Tachi's mouth. If you don't, the accomplice is going to walk. I want him to be just as dead as Aizawa-san."
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Hiro awoke the next morning at seven sharp by a bang on his front door. With a grumble, he unclipped himself from the still sleeping Suguru and walked to the door, rubbing his face and trying to release it free of any tiredness.
It turned out to be his parole officer with the morning paper.
"How's everything going on here?" he asked, removing his sunglasses. "Remember, tomorrow at eight a.m. sharp is the time of your case."
Hiro nodded and thanked him. He stepped back and shut the door, debating whether or not he wanted to read it. It was always the same story. Him! Throwing himself onto the couch with nothing better to do until Suguru awoke, he unrolled the paper and nearly fainted as soon as his mind registered the morning's front page. He stared at the picture with the roundest eyes possible and a sudden fall in his stomach.
"Oh my god," he breathed, reading the caption over and over again. He was so fixated on the sight before him, that he didn't even notice Suguru coming out to him in the slightest.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
Hiro yelped in shock, jumping a half a foot into the air. Suguru also flinched at his action.
"Sorry," Hiro said, sighing.
"What are you looking at? Is it about the case?"
Hiro shook his head and once again became dumbfounded at the sight before him.
"They got him."
Suguru frowned. "Who?"
Hiro handed Suguru the newspaper. Suguru became stuck on it as well, giving off an identical look.
"Tachi," Suguru said, sitting on the couch slowly.
"I guess the debate's been going on for a month and a half, ever since I was thrown away," Hiro said. "I had no idea..."
Suguru read the short caption aloud: "'Aizawa Tachi, 22, was convicted of murder and sentenced to the death penalty this morning at one after midnight..."
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Thank you everyone SOOOO much for reviewing the past few chapters! I honestly thought everyone had it with this fic because it's just so long and neverending. I STILL have no plans in stopping or where it will end, but please stay with me on this because to be honest, this is only the beginning.