Chapter 49: Bittersweet Reunion

Kagome comes into the school with Kaede by her side. As they walk through the hallway to get to their lockers, "Did you hear the news?" One student spoke quietly to one of his friends. "Hear what?" The friend asks. "Tsubaki got arrested." The boy whispers to him. "No way! What did she do to get arrested?" The friend is surprised to hear this. "All I found out about it is from the paper my mom was reading. She was reading a different part of the paper and I was about to spot the article from the other side." The student said in the same matter.

Kagome and Kaede didn't see this coming. "I would never expect Tsubaki to be arrested." Kagome comments to her cousin as she gathers her books in the locker. Kaede is staying silent throughout the time. "You ok? You've been quiet this morning." Kagome points out in concern. Kaede shakes her head. "No, nothing. I wish had the answer to your question, but I don't have it." Kaede responds as she gets her books from her locker. Kagome wouldn't be the suspicious one. But if it involves someone she knows, she'd be that way. She just doesn't want everyone else to notice the demeanor.

The two split to get to their classes. Kagome goes into her classroom to see Sango minding her own business. "Morning, Sango." Kagome greets to her friend. Sango looks up to see an expression she can't put her finger on. "You probably know by now." Sango doesn't greet back. "Know what?" Kagome asks as she sits in her seat by her. "The rumors about Tsubaki." Sango whispers to her. Kagome ahs at that. "I heard from a few kids so far. I'm not that surprised to be honest with you." She said casually to Sango as she gets her supplies out of her bag.

That's when the door opens up to allow one of the teachers to enter. "Ah, Kagome. Could you come with me for a minute?" Kagome nods as she puts her stuff back into her bag. "See ya later, then." Kagome smiles as she leaves the room with the teacher. As soon at they enter the office, Kagome is surprised to see Kaede in there already. "Was it something we did?" Kaede asks the teacher nervously. Kagome is asking herself the same thing in her head. "No. You're going to be picked up by your parents to go somewhere important that I have to respect that." The girls look at each other, not one of them could comment the upcoming event.

It doesn't take long until Miyuki and Ai enter the office. "Mrs. Higurashi." The teacher spoke first. "Thank you for doing this on such short notice." Ai spots the girls sitting on the bench. "We might as well get going." Miyuki spoke this time. The girls walk out of the office with the mothers behind them. As they get into the car Kagome speaks up first. "What's going on here, mom? Why are we leaving the school?" She doesn't get her answer for a while. Ever since they got into the car, the parents remained silent until they reached a building. "We're going to court." That was all Miyuki said to the girls. Before either of them could get out of the car, Ai locks the doors. "Not just yet. We're waiting for Mrs. Hitori to arrive." She explains to them.

A few minutes later, another car pulls up next to them. "That must be her." Ai unlocks the doors to let the girls to get out. The other car door opens the trunk that is carrying the mannequin. "Hey. Let's me help you." Kagome volunteers to carefully pull out the mannequin out of the trunk. "Thank you, sweetie. I managed to pull a few strings to get permission to bring in the mannequin into the building." Mrs. Hitori smiles as she and the others enter the building.

The women enter the assigned court room. Upon entering the room, a few other people are sitting in their positions of their jobs. "Hitori, do you have the mannequin with you?" A man asks her. Mrs. Hitori nods and tells Kagome to bring it to the man who is sitting at one of the tables. Kagome places the mannequin by him. "Thank you, Hitori, the locket." The man asks her for the locket. "Right here." Mrs. Hitori places the locket around the neck and positions her fingers and murmurs a chant to activate the spell. Miyuki, Ai, Kaede and Kagome witness the scene to see the locket pulsate and glows. Soon enough the mannequin begins to take the shape of Kikyo. None of the girls would ever expect this to happen. "Are you ready to begin?" Mrs. Hitori asks her quietly. Kikyo nods back to her. "Ready as I'll ever be." Kikyo smiles back.

About an hour later, the doors open up to reveal Tsubaki in an orange jumpsuit and hand cuffs on her wrists and ankles. From the looks of it, she's in rough shape from resisting arrest. Kagome and Kaede would never expect from what they heard from the students. "So, the rumors are true after all." Kagome comments the scene as Tsubaki sits at a table across the room from them. "Why didn't you tell us this?" Kaede asks Miyuki as they take their seats. "I believe that it was best you found out instead of telling you." Ai answers calmly. Soon enough a judge enters the room and takes his sit at the podium with his little mallet. "This court case is about to begin." He tells the room. "Tsubaki Niumi. You've been summoned to the killing of Kikyo Higurashi." He reads the charges of what the police officers who arrested her earlier that day.

Kikyo remains calm and composed, not to make a scene. Not just that, but also show herself to Tsubaki. "Kikyo Higurashi please step forward." The judge demands the woman to come to the seat by him. Tsubaki on the other hand is shocked beyond her expectation to see the girl she's accused of killing is right in front of her. "Kikyo please tell me what happened before you died." The judge gives permission. Kikyo nods, "I was about to head to a friend's house that night to discuss a few things in person because doing it over the phone isn't enough to get the task. As I drove in the rain, something hits my car. I've done everything I could to control the vehicle until it swerved into the ditch. I was hurt from head to toe. I was sent to the ER until I died a few hours later." Kikyo tells her side of the story.

Tsubaki is about to do an outburst, but her hands are cuffed behind her so she couldn't do much on her part. "And I believe that your stepsister Kaede has more information about the scene?" The judge asks Kikyo. "Yes. If you allow her to speak her part." Kikyo requests the judge. The judge nods. Kaede stood up from her seat. "Kaede. So far Kikyo is telling what happened before her death. Can you tell us what she was able to show you from your point of view?" Kaede nods.

"Yes, being the only relative close to her age, I was about to be shown from Kikyo for the cause of her death." Kaede begins. "From what I saw was at a front yard of someone's house, seeing the car being swerved to the ditch. I knew it was Kikyo's car. I was about to go over to the scene. However a voice stopped me to prevent and tampering of evidence. I turned about to see Tsubaki with a mocked look and she had something in her hands." Kaede told the judge about what Kikyo was able to provide from her dream the night before. "And what was it that she had in her hand?" The judge asks her. "It was rifle gun." Kaede confirms it to him.

"And do you have the evidence to prove it?" The lawyer sitting by Tsubaki asks her bluntly. Kaede is about to answer that question when Miyuki stands up to show the weapon Kaede spoke in a plastic bag and hands it over to the sheriff to give to the judge. A picture of the fingerprints on weapon matches the ones on the rifle. That enough is proof to the judge. "Very well. And there's the one thing to know is why Tsubaki killed Kikyo?" The judge asks Kaede. "It was because of jealousy." Kikyo spoke this time. Tsubaki is about to go berserk. "Why would I be jealous? I would never be jealous of you." That's all she could say.

"On the contrary, Tsubaki. I knew I was supposed to be a priestess, however I was forced to be that because of my father. I never had the freedom that I was supposed to be given while growing up. But when I met him, I knew for sure I had that opportunity. But you, of all people who think that it was your moment to end my life when I was on my way over to his house to discuss about something important." Kikyo stares at Tsubaki in the eye. That was more than enough to convince the judge about the case. "Due to the evidence that points out to Tsubaki's murder. I find her guilty of murder and leaving the scene of the accident. Her punishment is jail for the rest of her life." The judge gives his verdict as he smacks the mallet onto the spot of the podium.

Without wasting another second, Tsubaki cries out hysterically. As such she is being carried away from the room. Mrs. Hitori gestures the family to come to her and the mannequin. "Since you won the case. Are you ready to rest in peace?" Miyuki asks her first. "I will, be there is one more person I want to see before I go." Kikyo replies to her mother. "Ok, who?" Miyuki asks her curiously. Kikyo doesn't bring up the courage to give her answer. "I know who it is." Kagome figures out the missing person. "Would you?" Kagome could only ask her. Kikyo nods. "Sure." Kagome goes to the outside of the building since she's not allowed to use her cell phone in the courtroom. "Hey. It's me. I'm fine. Listen, I need you come to my house in the next hour. Can you do that? Oh, you'll see." She hangs up her phone and goes back into the building to meet with the family.