"No need to panic," sighed Kiyone, producing the notebook from one of her own pockets, and pointedly holding it up for Mihoshi to see. "Luckily, I found it on the floor by the door. It probably slipped out when you bent down to talk to Liam. Sorry I needed to get everyone all worked up, but I wanted you to see for yourself how much trouble a little thing like losing this could cause everyone. That's why, for the time being, I'm going to put this someplace safe, where I know it won't fall into the wrong hands."
Tenchi Muyo! Witch World
Episode 12: The Trial Begins
On Wednesday, Ginji did return to visit Ryoko inside her pocket universe.
"Hello, Ryoko," he said with his killer smile.
Ryoko sat on her floating cushion with her arms folded, and looked away from him. "Well, long time, no see."
Ginji obligingly stepped back into her field of vision, so that she didn't even need to turn her head to see him. But this time, he wasn't smiling any more.
"Yes, it has. Washu told me about how disappointed you were in me not being at your execution. I guess I can't blame you. If I was about to die...maybe I'd want my loved ones around. And, believe me, that thought did occur to me back then, too. I thought I could steel myself up for it. But, in the end, I just couldn't watch them do what they did to you. If that makes me a coward in your eyes, then, okay, I can live with that. But if that makes me anything other than your dad in your eyes, well, that I can't and won't live with."
Ryoko couldn't argue with the sincerity in his eyes. "Aww, don't be silly. Of course you're my dad. And it's because you're my dad that it hurt so much. We used to be so close when I was little. I could never understand why that ended when I became a teenager. I blamed you for a long time for being uncaring. Then I started to wonder if maybe I did something to drive you away. That's when I went through my self-blaming phase. Finally, I just stopped giving any kind of a damn."
Ginji nodded. "There comes a point where you just have to cut the apron strings. Part of growing up means letting go of your parents' hands and exploring the world on your own. Cool as I am, you deserved better than to have the old man hovering over you all the time, cramping your style, you know. I've known plenty of fathers that, if they had their way, would lock their daughters up and throw away the key, rather than let some boy steal her away. I vowed a long time ago not to be one of those, and so maybe I overdid it. Then again, maybe not. From where I'm standing, I think you turned out just fine."
"FINE?" said Ryoko. "I was out of control! I got myself captured and hanged! FINE?"
"Sure. Don't think for one moment that I wasn't out of control when I was your age. It just means that... well...that you are more like me than your mother."
"Hmph," said Ryoko. "You're still out of control. Otherwise, you'd still be married to her."
Ginji laughed. "Ha! You've got a point, there! I guess the moral of the story is that each one of us has to be who we are. Because if you're not, than who are you?"
Gingi and Ryoko spent the rest of the day getting reacquainted and remembering old times.
vvv
Things went mostly quietly for the rest of the week. By the time the day of the trial rolled around, Washu and Tsunami were both satisfied that they were as prepared as they were ever going to be.
An impressive-looking bus pulled up to the Masaki house on Sunday. The driver looked like an unpleasant ogre, but everyone piled aboard, including the Jurais next door.
The ride took them down some familiar roads, and then down some very unfamiliar ones. When the journey finally came to an end, Tenchi even had his doubts that they were still in Japan. An idea that was made spookier by the realization that the country was surrounded by water.
The courthouse looked like a huge lodge, nestled on a secluded mountain top, inside the clearing of a tall forest. It would have made a fine vacation destination, except taking a vacation was the farthest thing from everyone's mind. Some very serious business was about to be conducted inside.
Humans, witches, and beings of all sorts were milling about outside. Some looked like humanoids with lion-like faces, while others appeared to have popped out of various storybooks. There were elves, imps, dwarves, and leprechauns (and Liam was among that bunch). Assorted ogres, trolls, fairies, and things that Tenchi could not associate with a name, also dotted the landscape.
Washu proudly led the procession from the bus toward the courthouse. Many of the spectators here recognized who she was, as evidenced by how often Tenchi could hear her name being repeated by them. Quite a few of them even stepped forward to shake her hand and ask for her autograph. Ryoko, however, was not getting so warm a reception by anyone. Not that she seemed bothered by that in the least.
Sasami stepped out of the courthouse, and when she saw her parents, she ran toward them with her arms out. Tenchi picked her up and spun her around in the air before giving her a big hug.
Inside, there was a great hall that was done in a raw wood motif. There were seats for the spectators, and the judge's bench was up by the far wall. To the right of that was the jury box. Nobuyuki kissed Ayeka goodbye and headed off to it.
Directly in front of the judge's bench were two tables with chairs set up for the prosecution and the defense. At the prosecutor's table, a lone confident Ramia sat, smiling, as she watched Tsunami and Washu take their seats at defense.
As everyone was still finding their seats, Ramia decided to walk over and have a little chat with her opponents.
"Hello, Tsunami. Washu. I hope you two are prepared to give it your all, because I intend to show you no mercy, whatsoever. Especially not after that little moon stunt you pulled over on me. Good one, by the way."
"Oh, there's plenty more where that came from, I can assure you," said Washu. "Have no fear, Tsunami and I intend to make this case one for the history books, so if it's a fight you want, we'll see to it that you won't be disappointed."
No sooner did everyone get comfortable, when a lion-faced man cried out, "All rise for the Honorable Judge Azusa!"
An impressive looking bearded man in dark robes sat down at the bench, while everyone stood up.
"Please be seated," he said, and everyone sat back down, again. "I now call this trial to order. In the Case of the Witch Community versus Washu Hakubi, the charges are one count of willful disobedience against the Council of Elders, and one count of violating the peace treaty between the witch community and the human community. Defense, I must ask you now how do you plead, with regard to each charge?"
Tsunami stood up. "Your Honor, My client pleads 'not guilty' to both charges."
"So let it be entered," said the judge. "Ramia, as bringer of the charges, you may now make your opening remarks, if any."
Tsunami sat down, as Ramia rose as approached the bench.
"Thank you, Your Honor," she said. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, and honored guests. It was once in a courtroom much like this one, that one Ryoko Kobayashi, witch and daughter of the accused witch, Washu, was tried and convicted of multiple charges of using her powers in an extremely unacceptable manner against the human community. It was the decision of that court that Ryoko be hanged by the neck until dead. It was the decision of the Council, abiding by the peace treaty, that no witch interfere with the execution. When the sentence was carried out, it appeared to one and all to be properly carried out, and everyone had been led to believe that the matter was finally concluded. But, unfortunately, it was not. I intend to prove, beyond all reasonable doubt, that Washu indeed interfered with the decisions made, in the most insidious way that she could dream up in order to attempt to get away with it, and, in so doing, defied both the Council and the treaty. For this, she deserves nothing less than the harshest punishment that the law allows, given the enormity of her crime. That is all I have to say, Your Honor."
"Very well," said the judge, as Ramia returned to her seat. "Tsunami, as attorney for the accused, you may now make your opening remarks, if any."
"Thank you, Your Honor," smiled Tsunami. "Love the haircut, by the way."
Azusa blushed. "Why, thank you. You're the only one who noticed, all day."
Ramia's jaw dropped. But she said nothing.
Tsunami rose and went over to stand before the bench. "Thank you all for coming, despite the enormous inconvenience it must have been for so many of you. I can assure you that every attempt will be made to speed things along so that everyone may return to their lives as quickly as possible. I intend to prove, beyond the shadow of any doubt, that Ramia does not know what she's talking about, and is, in fact, behaving like a jerk. That's it, Your Honor."
"Very well," smiled the judge. As Tsunami went back to her seat, he looked to Ramia. "Prosecutor, you may begin presenting your case."
Ramia could have complained about the "jerk" thing, but she decided that drawing any more attention to her opponent's childishness would be counterproductive and unnecessary. The important thing was to win this case, and to do that in a professional manner. If Tsunami needed to compliment the judge on his hairstyle, that just proved how desperate she was to find a winning angle. Ramia was confident that she had the facts on her side, and that was all one truly needed in a court of law.
Ramia stood up. "Your Honor, I call, as my first witness, Ryoko Kobayashi to the stand."
There was a murmuring among the crowd as Ryoko got up and made her way to the stand. Sitting down when she reached it, she sneered at Ramia, who began to interrogate her.
"I don't understand," whispered Ayeka to Ginji, who sat beside her. "Aren't they going to swear her in?"
"There's no need in a witch court," explained Ginji. "The stand exerts a power over the witness that compels them to tell only the truth."
"I see," marveled Ayeka. If only humans had something like that...
"State your name, for the record," began Ramia.
"I am Ryoko Kobayashi. The one and only."
"By that, I presume, you mean that you are the genuine article," said Ramia. "You are not a robot or a puppet made in Ryoko's image."
"That's right."
"You are not a shape-shifter, clone, or projected illusion."
"You got it."
"You are the same Ryoko whom I had described earlier as being hanged until dead?"
"That was me, all right."
"AH HAH!" cried Ramia, pointing triumphantly at the witness. "I put it to you that you are very much alive! How do you explain that?"
"My mother reunited my spirit with my body and gave me a new lease on life," shrugged Ryoko. "I was reborn."
"Wasn't your body cremated not long after your execution?"
"It was."
"Then this cannot be your original body."
"Oh, I'm afraid it is. But since the technique is currently being patented but my mother, I am not at liberty to discuss it openly."
Ramia blinked. "So, what you're saying is, what your mother has done is discovered some new non-zombielike way of reanimating the dead?"
"You better believe it."
Ramia sighed. "All that we have established here, so far, is that you believe it. You might be naïve, brainwashed, or simply under a spell. No further questions, Your Honor."
"Does the defense have any questions for the witness?" asked the judge.
Tsunami rose. "Yes, Your Honor."
She approached the stand, speaking to Ryoko. "Since my opponent won't ask you this question, I will. Ryoko, did your mother ever confess to you any intent or desire to willfully disobey the Council or the Treaty?"
"No, never." answered Ryoko. "Until recently, I never knew why I was haunting our old house. Turns out, she was the one who cursed me to that fate."
Tsunami faced the jury. "Which, I must point out, ladies and gentlemen, was in no way a violation of the Council ruling or the Treaty. Ryoko was sentenced to death -- and the sentence was carried out, without any witch's intervention. As per our long standing custom, it was up to Ryoko's family to deal with her remains, both physical and spiritual, as they saw fit. Washu was entirely within her rights to cremate the body and to curse her soul to haunt the house indefinitely."
"No further questions, Your Honor," said Tsunami, returning to her seat beside Washu.
"You may step down," Azusa told Ryoko -- who stuck her tongue out at Ramia before returning to her seat among the visitors.
"Your Honor," said Ramia, "For my next witness, I'd like to call the demon, Ryo-Ohki."
"Me?" said Ryo-Ohki, wide-eyed and pointing to herself, while sitting up on Sasami's lap,
"Looks like it," Sasami told her. "Better go."
"Okay," said Ryo-Ohki, with uncertainty, hopping to the floor, then to the aisle, then down the aisle to the stand.
Due to Ryo-Ohki's size, the seat was adjusted in order to give everyone in the court a better view of her, as Ramia began.
"What is your relationship to the defendant?"
"Houseguest, I suppose," said Ryo-Ohki.
"Houseguest?" repeated Ramia. "Is that all? No closer relationship than that?"
"That pretty much sums it up."
"Wouldn't it be more accurate to say that your relationship is more like that of a witch and her familiar?"
"Maybe. But since I've never been either, I really can't say."
Ramia smiled. "What were you doing on the day that you first met me?"
"I was playing with Sasami in the back yard."
"Sasami would be the young human girl currently living in the Kobayashi house, correct?"
"Yes," said Ryo-Ohki. "The one you kidnapped that day."
Ramia's smile disappeared. "Placed in custody, pending this trial, which I was legally empowered to do, for your -- and everyone else's -- information. Please tell the court what you were doing just prior to my action."
"Well, I was..."
"Speak up! I want the jury and everyone else to clearly hear your testimony. I ask you again, what were you doing just prior to my action?"
"I was imitating Ryoko."
"By 'imitating' you mean you had assumed her form and her voice, as you are a member of a shape-changing species, and have this ability, correct?"
"Yes."
"Prior to that time, had Washu worked her unique magic, which brought Ryoko back to life?"
"Yes."
"Yet, you were specifically impersonating her ghost form, were you not?"
"Yes."
"To what end?"
"I-I wanted you to believe that she was still dead and haunting the property."
"So you were deliberately using your ability to mislead an official of the Council, and thereby act as an obstruction to justice?"
"Well, I don't know about that second part, but, yes, I was trying to fool you in order to protect my friend."
Ramia was now smiling, again. "No further questions, You Honor."
TO BE CONTINUED (Only one more episode left!)