Yes, the long awaited update after so many months of waiting. I'm not going to try to make excuses for why this is so incredibly late. I just hope it's up to everyone's expectations.
Enjoy.
When Shizuru left I lingered a little while longer. I had worked it out with my manager at the coffee shop to take the afternoon off and Anberlin and Alyssa wouldn't get out of school for a few more hours. I had nowhere else to go. So, I decided to take another look of the courthouse.
Sticking my hands in my pockets, I walked down a lonely hall first, glancing from left to right and reading all of the different cases taking place. One was a dispute between a husband and wife, another a murder case. The pattern went like this for all of the signs I read and after the fifth or so sign, I had to turn back, unable to read any more.
It was a puzzling thing, all of the crimes that people had committed. What was it that made people turn to such drastic measures that destroyed their lives? Did they wish for misery that much or did they just not think they had any other choice?
I considered the divorce case and wondered what had happened to the couple that they would resort to such a drastic move. Did the husband abuse the wife or vice versa? Were they simply not getting along or did one commit an infidelity? I didn't know the answer, but at one point both of those people were in love. They had found each other and had married. They were probably happy, but for some reason that happiness didn't last long.
Stopping in midstride in the middle of the hall, I drew a sigh. Was it just possible that happiness didn't exist, or that it was so fleeting and rare a thing it was only given to those who deserved it? I thought the latter part was true. I had had happiness at one point, but it slipped through my fingers and I had no way to get it back.
And in that moment I vowed that if I were ever lucky enough to find it again, I would cherish and hold onto that happiness for as long as I could. If ever a tender thing like love touched my heart, I would work my hardest to keep it, and not give up like the poor fools that emerged from the divorce court case. The woman was smug, grinning like a cat that had eaten a bird, while the man, a sorry soul with his shoulders slumped, drifted away in the other direction. I watched him as he slunk away, the weight of the world upon his shoulders. No, I would never be like that.
Walking a little further, a harsh yelling caught my attention from another room. Glancing at the sign, it was the murder case. Bangs and the sound of punches made me tense up, wondering what was going on. Me and the many lawyers and bystanders around me waited anxiously as the doors suddenly swung open and two beefy cops drug out an equally beefy, tattooed man into the hallway. The cops were struggling to get the man under control, the handcuffs barely able to restrain him.
Taking a step back to give a wide berth, I examined the tattooed criminal thoroughly. He indeed was beefy with thick rippling muscles the size of anacondas. If he punched a building, I bet it would fall down without a second's hesitation. Every inch of him was smothered in tattoos, very little natural skin showing, and each tattoo was a symbol of death and destruction, markings of evil that left me shivering. Yet the one tattoo I recognized clearly was the crystalline blue teardrop beneath his left eye – the mark of a killer.
His narrow eyes flicked around wildly and settled upon me and I froze, my feet sticking to the ground as if the soles of my shoes had melted. I couldn't move a muscle or even think straight. All I could do was look into those soulless eyes that would enjoy nothing more than to see me dead upon the floor.
More officers flooded the hallway and surrounded the tattooed man, taking hold of him and doing all they could to keep him under control as they shuffled in large group towards the exit. The man was yelling, screaming, and throwing curses at all in his path.
It was only after they had left did I feel like I could move again. Never before had I looked into a demon's face and it scared the life out of me.
Running feet pounded away at the floor along with a set of squeaking wheels. A team of paramedics rushed towards the room with the utmost haste, disappearing behind the doors and everyone in the hall swarmed in to take a better look, myself included.
It was difficult to see what had happened with so many bodies, but it was obvious someone had gotten hurt badly. The medics worked fast and they raised a body upon the gurney. It was difficult to see clearly what they were doing, but the one thing I could make out was the distinct dark sight, and coppery smell, of blood.
"Move out of the way!" a boisterous blonde officer called. She emerged from within the courtroom, waving her hand about to banish people from the door to make way for the medics. "This is a crime scene."
"Officer Armitage," I called, suddenly recognizing her voice (not that I could ever forget it). Officer Haruka Armitage had been one of the police that helped me get my life on track when I left Nao.
Haruka glanced over her shoulder. "What're you doing here, Kuga?" she asked, blonde brows crunched together. "I thought your court days were over."
"As much as I'd like them to be, no," I replied.
Drawing up to her side, I watched carefully as the medics rushed a man bleeding heavily from the chest into the hallway. Bloody gauze was pooled on his chest while a breathing mask was fit around his nose and mouth. His skin was deathly pale and I knew he wasn't going to make it. Death was too strong on him.
"What happened?" I asked. My eyes never left the helpless man even as he disappeared around a corner.
Sighing heavily, Haruka placed her hands upon her hips. "We were in the middle of a trial and all of a sudden the accused decided to pull a fast one," she explained. "Jackass thought he could silence the defendant for good."
A frown creased my lips. "Thought he could murder someone else huh? I read the sign outside the door," I explained before Haruka could question me.
"He probably wanted to go out with a bang, and he did. One of my officers got too close and he grabbed his gun. Bullets were flying everywhere. We were lucky only one person was hurt." Haruka shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. "If this guy gets anything but the death penalty I'll stick the needle in myself."
Her attitude shifted and Haruka turned fully to me, eyes as hard as ever. "Why are you here? Last time I checked you cleaned up your act."
Quickly, I gave Haruka the run down of what had happened with my court case. I explained my mother's intentions to take my sisters away and Shizuru's sudden appearance.
Haruka whirled on me at the mention of Shizuru, her violet eyes bearing into mine. "Bubezuke was here?!" she seethed, drops of spit flecking my cheeks. "Why would let someone like her be your lawyer? Are you stilled hopped up on that Mary Blane or something?"
Taking a step back, I wiped my face with the back of my sleeve. "You mean Mary Jane," I corrected. "She was the only one I could find at such short notice and she seems pretty good." I raised a brow. "Why? Is there something I should be worried about?"
The blonde had a tight frown on her face, making her seem harsher than she normally was. "I wouldn't recommend someone like her," she explained. "Don't get me wrong, Bubezuke is a shark, but it's never a good idea to get close to someone like her." Her eyes gazed into mine purposefully. "Mark my words, Kuga. Keep everything strictly business."
I matched her frown in return. Shizuru seemed like a very good person who cared about helping me – she even offered her services for free! There was no reason for me not to trust her, but I heeded Officer Armitage's advice. Everything between Shizuru and me would be strictly business.
"Alright, I'll take your word for it," I said with a nod. "Do you think it'd be best if I just got another lawyer?"
Pursing her lips, Haruka cradled her chin between her thumb and the knuckle of her pointer finger, thinking. "Mmm . . . I would say yes, but you'd never find another like Bubezuke. She's tough, especially in family court involving children. In all my years as a bailiff, I've never seen another chew the court up and spit them out." She shook her head. "No, you're better off having her on your side."
My sprits soared with the information. If Shizuru was the bulldog Haruka said she was then perhaps I stood a chance against my mother and her bogus allegations. I could keep my sisters.
"Great. I don't want to go through the hassle of explaining my case to another bloodsucking lawyer anyhow."
Haruka nodded. "That's it. Just keep holding on and you'll beat that old hag mother of yours," she grinned, "if she can even be called a mother. You know if she left you alone when you were still a minor, she could have been charged with child indignant and negligee."
Blinking, I quirked a brow. "I think you mean endangerment and negligence." I sometimes wondered about Haruka and what went on her mind . . . if she even had much of a mind. "But thanks. Makes me feel so much better that I missed the chance to incarcerate my own mom." Even though she deserved it, I found it a little hard to picture her behind bars.
"It all happened in the past and there's nothing you can do to change it now," she stated matter-of-factly. "All you can do now is take it as it comes and be prepared to deal with it."
With a heavy sigh, she turned back to the courtroom where detectives and other officers were bys taking photographs and collecting witness testimonies. Haruka stretched her back and cracked her knuckles.
"You better get out of here, Kuga. I have a long night of work ahead of me and I don't need you getting in the way."
Without so much as a goodbye, she entered back into the room to talk with her officers about the crime and the best options to deal with it. All of them were tense and stressed, two things that I had come to expect from such a serious job as being a cop. It was amazing Officer Armitage was able to function as well as she could. Even though I considered myself tough, I would never have another night's sleep if I was witness to a brazen murder like this.
Turning on my heel, I headed back down the hall and away from the courtroom, the deadly scent of blood lingering in my nostrils.
The courthouse no longer held anything for me, so I ventured out into the street. It was a little warmer and I shrugged off the jacket around my shoulders, tossing it over my shoulder as I walked. The sun was shining brightly and it couldn't have been any later than two o'clock. I would need to go home soon to meet Anberlin and Alyssa and with a pocket swollen with change, I could afford to order some pizza for dinner.
Stepping down the street, I glanced up just in time to see a figure pass me by and for a moment time went in slow motion. A flash of striking red hair caught my eye first and it was as if I were transported back in time when I would hang out on street corners, pockets full of money and powder, and do the business of the streets.
My heart thundered in my chest and I swallowed hard, watching as Nao continued on her way with purpose, unheeding of my presence as if she hadn't seen me at all. I was half-expecting her to suddenly turn around and bury a bullet in my back, but as she kept walking I calmed down. That had been too close a call.
Nao continued down the street and turned a corner into an alleyway. From across the street, two boys Anberlin's age hurried across the way towards the alley. I didn't need to take a closer look to know what was going on. Nao was always looking for more members to join her side, the younger the better. They could be easily trained, she had said, and more loyal.
I had been one of those young ones she had tricked into coming under her wing. While she did give me everything I could ever want (money, clothes, good food, a place to crash when I didn't feel like going home) my will wasn't my own. I had to answer every beck and call Nao cast out and I had to do it her way, no exceptions. I was no better than a dog and those boys would be no different. I only hoped one or both of them would wise up and run while they still could, otherwise they would never be the same again. Some were lucky and got away from that life, but Nao was always on the lookout for them with the point of her gun. Even when you were free of that life, you could never find peace.
The boys emerged from the alleyway more than a little roughed up. Their clothes were ripped in some places and bruises condensed on their skins. One of them had even lost a tooth. I shook my head. They had gone through with it after all, there was no mistaking the initiation marks.
The taller of the boys reached out his hand and a new figure emerged halfway from the alleyway. The hood was drawn over the face for me to get a good look, but I could tell the person was female. She had a few curt words with the boys before shoving a couple small plastic bags into their hands. In return, the boys offered up a few bills before retreating back to the other street.
My blood boiled. Nao had sunk too far, giving narcotics to lost teenage kids who were only looking for a friend. She was a predator preying on the innocence of young kids, turning them into monsters that belonged only in nightmares.
"One day," I muttered. Nao and the hooded girl emerged from the alleyway to continue down the street, grinning like kings that ha conquered another kingdom. "One day, Nao, you're going to get yours. And I'll be there to witness it."
Sometimes the shortest tales have the biggest impacts.
Well, that was fun chapter. I thought it would be a good idea if Natsuki faced a little bit of her past again to test if she truly moved on or felt some lingering loyalty to Nao. And what's this?! Who was the hooded girl? Dun dun duuuunn!
Next chapter will pick back up with Natsuki and Shizuru and hopefully the sparks will fly to kindle a small flame of love~
Twice by Little Dragon (Natsuki and Nao theme)
Twice I turn my back on you
I fell flat on my face but didn't loose
Tell me where would I go
Tell me what led you on I'd love to know
Was it the blue night
Gone fragile
Was it both men
In wonder steady gone under
Was it the light ways
So frightening
Was it two wills
One mirror holding us dearer now
Thought I had an answer once
But your random ways swept me along
Colossal signs so I got lost
With so many lovers singing soft
Was it the blue night
Gone fragile
Was it both men
In wonder steady gone under
Was it the light ways
So frightening
Was it two wills
One mirror holding us dearer now
