Chapter 7: The Court Case
Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha nor do I own the names mentioned later on.
A/N: Thanks for all those reviews (smiles happily). But anyhow, let's get to the point and move the story on. Enjoy!
"Where's Kagome?" Kikyo whispered to Sango across the table. She didn't want InuYasha to hear Kagome's name after what he'd gone through.
"How would I know? She just deserted us completely!" Sango hissed back, but she was, unfortunately loud enough for the sniffling hanyou to hear.
"I-I don't want to see her again! I'd…I'd rather redo college forty times over than hear that wench's name again!" InuYasha howled, and some people in the vicinity stared. Those who were recently in the same street InuYasha had broken down in simply rolled their eyes and continued on with whatever they were doing.
"Calm down, InuYasha. Kagome may act badly towards you, but on the inside, she's real nice," Kikyo attempted to stick up for her friend.
"Provided you get on her good side," Sango added, but she was quickly silenced by a death glare from Kikyo.
"Oh really?" InuYasha's sniffles had suddenly gone away to be suddenly replaced by a snappy mood. "Things would've gone easier for me if Kagome had been kinder!" The last part made Kikyo and Sango stare at the acrobat, making him uncomfortable.
"W-what?" the acrobat asked tentatively.
"You've never said Kagome's name out loud before," Sango said incredulously. "You've only referred to her as 'wench' or 'idiot' or something rude like that."
And all the hanyou could do was grunt and look away, silently cursing the noodle (A/N: Just in case you're wondering, my family sometimes we call people doing strange actions 'noodle') who had made him say Kagome's name out loud.
With Kagome
"Ooh, will you just LET ME GO!" Kagome screamed loudly at her capturer. They were in an alleyway, and Kagome was enjoying the experience of being tied up and immobilized much.
"Stop screaming, woman," the man chuckled. He had blue eyes but he had tied a cloth around his mouth. The man was wearing black clothing which showed off his powerful muscles. "Nobody will hear you from here."
"Well, there's a first time for everything, as you might already have heard," Kagome said between gritted teeth before hollering loudly, "SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!"
"Stupid woman, if I'd known that people could hear us from here, wouldn't I have put a gag on you?" the man snorted, and suddenly taking a bottle of purple liquid from a pocket that Kagome had never noticed before, stuck it in her face and sneered, "If you can't shut up, just tell me to put this poison in your mouth. I'll be glad enough to."
An abrupt noise of car doors slamming then reached Kagome and her capturer's ears, and the two turned to see three well-built policemen stalking casually up to them.
"Excuse me sir, but what are you doing with this damsel in distress?" one policeman said, and Kagome was half-relieved and half-disgusted at the same time; half-relieved because someone had discovered her capturer, and half-disgusted because she could see some nose hair protruding from the policeman's nose. She had expected her saviour to be like a knight on a horse, not a fat, balding potato with hair coming out of his nose.
"You see, sir, we are acting a scene out here," the man in black said with composure, but Kagome knew from the tone of the man's voice that he was both afraid and guilty, and another policeman seemed to have noticed that as well.
"And where are the camera men and all that funky stuff?" the third policeman asked suspiciously, too dim to notice Kagome's capturer's guilty tone of voice.
"They're, um…they seemed to have forgotten something, they wouldn't tell what, and they went back, leaving us. The two of us were getting ready," the man hurriedly gave an alibi before inwardly glaring at his captive to get him out of the mess. Unfortunately for the young man, Kagome got the wrong idea.
"Please sirs, don't listen to him. I was in that restaurant over there-"Kagome unsuccessfully attempted to point at the restaurant to the right of the alleyway, "when this 'gentleman'-"Kagome glared at the young man whose face had gone pale, "-kidnapped me and took me here."
"Well, men, that clears the case," the ugly revolting policeman said to his comrades. "I was thinking how strange it was when we heard some screaming coming from here."
At that moment, Kagome stuck her tongue out at her capturer, who was glaring at her. Her eyes seemed to say: "I told you that there was a first time for everything, and you JUST wouldn't believe me."
"Young man, you are officially arrested. Men, take him!" was all the short, squat policeman cried out before his two 'henchmen' grabbed the young man by the arms and frog-marched him to a flashy police car. When the trio had gone, Kagome's 'revolting saviour' untied her and said in a gruff voice, "You be careful, miss. There are lots of people out there who are desperate for money." Inwardly Kagome sweat-dropped; somehow she didn't think that the man had captured her for money. Her thoughts, however, were quickly pushed aside when the policeman told her to follow him to the police station.
The ride to the police station was a silent one, save for the occasional thanks Kagome stuttered out. She couldn't think of anything to say, and the policeman couldn't either.
At the police station Kagome immediately spotted her capturer now captured between a wooden chair and strong ropes. Gloating, Kagome took a seat next to the furious-looking man before staring nervously at the several policemen gathered around the table.
After explaining the whole ordeal, Kagome closed her mouth and twiddled her thumbs nervously, trying to keep her cool. Everyone in the room was silent until…
"Kagome-sama, I was so worried about you!" Kagome froze in place as she thought of the person saying those words.
"Hey Sango, what's been happening ever since I walked out on you guys?" Kagome cried, whipping her head around before adding silently, "I'm sorry about all that havoc, you tell InuYasha that."
"Ok," Sango smiled for a moment before frowning and leaning closer to her friend. "Where were you? Kikyo and I practically searched all over Hawaii for you, and why are you here?"
"Um, I'll tell you later. If you listen carefully then you might figure out for yourself what happened," Kagome whispered, hurriedly turning back to the impatient policemen and officers.
"Miss, we have already made our minds up," one policeman said rather coldly. Looking for the speaker's name on his uniform, Kagome soon saw the name 'Heero Yuy' before tuning back in to what the cold man was saying: "Is this okay with you?"
"I suppose so," Kagome shrugged carelessly and Sango stared, completely oblivious to the drooly stares of another policeman. Kagome, however, had noticed, and she read that policeman's label: Duo Maxwell.
"So anyhow, you may leave. We do, however, need for you to attend the court case for this man," an officer named Trowa Barton continued from where his comrade had left off. "It is going to be held this coming Saturday from 2-3pm, and please be punctual."
"I will," Kagome promised, standing up from her chair. She and Sango were about to leave when InuYasha and Kikyo rushed in. The acrobat looked sour; it seemed that Kikyo had persuaded him by force to accompany her to the police station.
"Kagome, why are you here?" Kikyo panted, fanning herself with her hand.
"Later, Kikyo," Kagome muttered, and Sango nodded in agreement.
Once outside the police station, Kagome filled everyone else in on what had happened. When she was finished, InuYasha spat, "You wench! If I'd known that you were always up to no good, then I would've gotten father to cancel the whole trip already! Look what you've done, dragging us into something that's none of our business!"
"Well, it's mine, and if one of you isn't my friend, then that person can go back to Tokyo!" Kagome hissed venomously. InuYasha was inwardly startled by this; was she saying that HE was her friend? He certainly didn't want to go back to Tokyo and return to the acrobat school with his annoying brother. But he didn't want Kagome around either.
"Well, since nobody's turning around and storming back to pack his things, let's go have something to eat," Kikyo said, emphasizing the word 'his'. She wanted very badly to make InuYasha feel bad about insulting her friend.
The rest of the day passed by silently between the four people, and the only time they talked was when they were buying something from a store. At the end of the day Kagome and InuYasha were nearly back to normal, but not normal enough to be on talking terms with each other again.
"…and I can't believe that I have to share a ROOM with that jerk," the high-school girl grumbled as she and InuYasha retired to their hotel suite for the night.
After getting into the 'single' bed with InuYasha, Kagome suddenly realized that she hadn't thought of her family all day. Feeling guilty, the high-school girl rolled over on the bed and sighed. Pushing her family out of her mind, Kagome fell asleep, dreaming about court cases and her family.
Thursday soon came, and if you went to the hotel InuYasha and Kagome were in and visited their floor, you would find two women creeping down the corridor-at 5:30
"Sango, be quiet!" Kikyo hissed as she and her room-mate crept down the corridor to Kagome's and InuYasha's room. "We're already quite lucky that you managed to steal Kagome's extra room key-we don't need you messing things up!"
"Okay, calm down," Sango half-whined half-whispered. "No need to get your knickers in a twist."
Grunting with both satisfaction and annoyance, Kikyo proceeded to advance towards her goal with Sango following right on her heels. When they finally reached the hotel room, Kikyo hurriedly flashed the card at the censor, wincing at the tiny beep. Sango, whose tension was building every second, yelped loudly and rushed away. Cursing, Kikyo bolted after her, afraid that Sango's acrobat peer would hear both noises.
After waiting for fifteen minutes, Kikyo and Sango hurriedly tip-toed back to their goal and flashed the card again. Covering Sango's mouth quickly if she made any noise, Kikyo stuck her head round the door. Nodding to her friend, both girls quietly edged round the open door and sauntered to where the other two were still snoozing away…
"GOTCHA!" two loud voices screamed in triumph, and in a flash, both high-school girl and performer were being 'clobbered' by a triumphant InuYasha and Kagome.
"How did you know…?" Sango asked when Kagome and InuYasha finally relented. She was rubbing her sore hand, which had been crushed by Kagome's body in the tackle.
"When both wench and I woke up from the racket you two were making outside, I wasn't fooled. Your scents were still pretty strong, so I stayed awake and waited for you two to sneak in. I even saw you steal Kagome's extra card-key, but I wanted to surprise you guys. Woman here couldn't fall back asleep, so we hatched a plan to ambush you fools," InuYasha reported triumphantly before realizing his big mistake.
"You actually WORKED with Kagome?" Kikyo asked, smirking. "Sango, you shouldn't doubt me ever again, I'm telling you!"
"Hmph, wench insisted on us getting together, and she kept pulling at my ears whenever I said no!" InuYasha defended himself and pointed an accusing finger at Kagome.
"What? I was just-wait, that doesn't make sense, because you don't HAVE ears!" Kagome contradicted. "By the way…why do you always wear a hat or nightcap around? You never let anybody see the top of your head!"
"Yeah, InuYasha…spill!" Kikyo prompted, prodding the hanyou in the arm.
"Sango, don't tell, or else..." InuYasha glared a death glare at Sango, and the woman gulped. Every time this guy said 'or else', he really meant it. She remembered the time Miroku had spilled the beans to her about InuYasha's secret. She later found out that the hanyou had beat his friend up and sent him out into the streets with only his underwear on.
Smiling at the memory, Sango absent-mindedly nodded her head and the acrobat leaned back on a bed leg with satisfaction as he readjusted his nightcap, careful not to let Kagome or Kikyo see his big secret.
"Oh, don't be so secretive!" Kagome pleaded. "I'd do ANYTHING just to find out your big secret!"
"Ok, if you're willing to do anything, then why don't you return home…then I'll tell you my big secret!" the hanyou said, grinning.
"InuYasha, you know perfectly well that Kagome can't go back to Tokyo unless you come along with her, and I know that you don't want to go back, Mister Demanding," Sango teased.
"Enough chat, I'm going back to bed. And why are you here at such an ungodly hour?" Kagome yawned suddenly, and InuYasha couldn't help catching the waves of sleepiness off the girl sitting beside him. Almost at the same time the pair fell back down on the bed, snoring audibly. Kikyo grinned and nudged Sango.
"Get the camera out."
Kagome had butterflies in her stomach. What if that man found a way of proving himself innocent? But criminals always made a mistake some way or another…Kagome shook her head. She was reading too many fantasy and detective books. Clearing her head of any random thoughts clogging her mind, Kagome yawned and took a nap the rest of the way to the place where the court case was to be held.
fast forward
Kagome, InuYasha, Kikyo and Sango walked timidly into a huge hall decorated with huge chandeliers and rows of benches, with at least one person on each one. In the very front stood a huge platform where the people involved could go up and say something (yes, including the judge. He was pulled into the matter, remember?). Dazzled by the scene, the four people suddenly felt like four grains of rice, possibly sand.
"Miss Kagome? Please take a seat with your friends," the same policeman Kagome had seen back at the police station, Trowa Barton, came forward. "We're glad you could come. The case starts in fifteen minutes." the man hardly looked the type to be glad about anything at all.
Smiling a little, Kagome hurriedly sat down in the nearest seat, which was the forty-fifth row from the front. The other three, unsure of what to do, followed their 'leader' and took the seats closest to her.
The wait turned the minutes to hours, for InuYasha had somehow managed to mess the whole area up in those fifteen minutes that passed by. First, he started off by angering a fat, balding man eating a bagel in front of him with a few smart remarks, which then lead to a big brawl and a few smashed chandeliers (InuYasha was nimble and light enough to cling onto every chandelier, but unfortunately his opponent was not). After that, he took the fat man's bagel and dumped it onto Kagome's capturer's lawyer, which just happened to be the obese twin of the first man. More chaos ensued, and in the end InuYasha came out breathless but safe and sound. The sad thing was, the acrobat did not have to pay a single penny for the wreck, for the other two men had caused it all. InuYasha then noticed something familiar about Kagome's capturer's eyes; they looked a lot like someone he knew back at home. He couldn't, however, tell for sure, since the man had a cloth round his mouth (but not exactly gagged). Shrugging the matter off, the hanyou grinned at his victims and took a seat.
So you could imagine the judge's expression when he came into the huge hall.
"I don't know you, I'm sorry," Kagome turned away from the teenager that had caused every single bad thing and sighed. How was she going to cope with someone of the sort?
After the mess had been cleared up and the two brothers had paid the huge fee, the judge cleared his throat and began. "Today we have all gathered around to decide on whether this man," the judge made a tiny gesture towards Kagome's rather befuddled capturer, "is innocent or guilty. May the Lord guide us through the whole trial and give us the right decision." Making a quick sign of the cross, the judge nodded at the congregation. "Mr. Lighter, I will give you the honour of starting."
The guilty man's lawyer stood up. "We should say this man is innocent because, according to the facts, he is…he is…" Mr. Lighter stumbled. It was obvious that he hadn't prepared himself well. Kagome caught her capturer shoot a dirty look at his lawyer.
"Well, in that case…Ms. Higurashi, you don't have to say anything. Please may we have the verdict?" the judge asked, a cool expression on his face.
A few moments silence, then…
"GUILTY!"
The triumphant roar of those who wanted the 'criminal' in jail was deafening. There were so many that believed in Kagome Higurashi that it was unbelievable. The reason why they chose Kagome was probably because they had recognized the acrobat that had caused most of the chaos before the case had started, and they probably knew how short the hanyou's temper was and that the Higurashi girl was staying with him. Nobody wanted to insult his 'girlfriend'.
As a few guards led the criminal away, Kagome suddenly saw a woman curse the man and rip off the cloth round his mouth in an attempt to show everyone who he was. And then InuYasha realized.
"Hey, that guy is innocent!" the hanyou yelled, jumping onto the stage and punching a guard in the face. Everyone gasped. It was evident that not one of them had ever witnessed somebody contradicting the verdict, which was like the final decision for every case. Kagome and Sango, who recognized the man as well, began defending the confused and flushing Koga.
back in Kagome's and InuYasha's hotel
"Koga, why did you pretend to capture me?" Kagome rubbed her eyebrow in frustration and stared at the second acrobat, who she and InuYasha were getting no answers from.
"Because-"the wolf youkai paused, thinking of some stupid answer that wouldn't not get his questioners anywhere.
But InuYasha, who had been trying his best to hold his patience, finally snapped. Grabbing the scared wolf youkai up, the hanyou roared, with spittle flying in Koga's face, "Tell us, or else-"
"Okay, okay," Koga paused for a moment before speaking. "Kikyo, Sango, Miroku and I want you two to get together. That's why three of us decided to come here and monitor you guys."
"WHAT!" Kagome and InuYasha just about exploded together. "So that's why Kikyo and Sango unexpectedly turned up on that plane!"
"And when is Miroku coming?" Kagome asked suspiciously, expecting Koga to hesitate.
To the girl's surprise, however, Koga did not sound apprehensive. "Oh, he's going to arrive in the Hawaii airport at 11:00pm this coming Friday," Koga shrugged, feeling more like a traitor every second.
"Well Koga, go tell your peers that they can rest well assured that we're a couple now," InuYasha smirked, draping his free lazy arm over Kagome, who pretended (when Koga wasn't looking) to vomit and make gagging noises. She was nearly caught in the process.
"Fine," freeing himself from InuYasha's grasp on his collar, Koga turned around and marched out of the room.
After the hanyou had made sure that his fellow wolf friend was out of earshot, he turned to Kagome and snarled, "Why did you have to nearly bust me? I was also helping you out, you know!"
Kagome rolled her eyes. "Yes, in a bad sense."
"H-hey!" InuYasha began shouting like an immature five year old. "If you think so, why don't you go along and tell the others that I really hate you and that Koga's message is wrong? You're nothing but someone who stops me from going back home!"
Now that really hit the spot.
"InuYasha," Kagome could feel her bottom lip tremble just a tiny bit. "I-I think it's only right that I should go back to Tokyo, so you can't stay here anymore."
And finally bursting into tears, Kagome stormed out the room, leaving a gawping hanyou with a cap on his head behind. He hadn't thought she was that sensitive.
with the others
"Koga, how could you?" Kikyo practically screamed. "We told you to come to Hawaii and make things seem like a surprise, but not THAT WAY!"
"Geez," Koga muttered under his breath. "You don't need to get your knickers in a twist."
"NO, you've got EVERYBODY'S knickers in a twist. And how will Miroku react if InuYasha and Kagome follow us to the airport or go there in advance? Huh? HUH?" Kikyo screamed even louder, this time in his ear.
"'Huh' what?" a rather hurt voice said. Whipping around, Kikyo saw a sad but confused looking Kagome advancing towards them.
"Oh nothing," Sango said rather hastily. "We were just talking about something. Why do you look so sorrowful, as if you were going back to Tokyo?" the performer added.
"Because I am," Kagome replied expressionlessly.
A/N: Whew! I'm sorry this took so long, but unless you didn't want 9 pages of hard work, then you can complain. I know that court cases don't usually work out the way I made it work out in this chapter, but I had to make the whole thing short and snappy. Please review!