Chapter 35: The Trial

My dreams were filled with Jani and how he came back for Shinra and I. To take me away from this demon hunting crap. We played games like we use to and Neeya came with me. Everything was perfect...

Untill I had to sneeze.

Waking up quickly I see no other than the purple cat.

"Kuma..!" She cried and I looked around. We were about to leave the train. Shinra was in his seat, eyes closed.

"How did you— mmff!"

Neeya was heavier than I thought and flew smack dab into my chest. I swear my bra just cut me! Owie... Looking down at the cat I wonder how she got here anyway. I would have thought she would be playing with Happy. I think she has a thing for him.

"Are you ready to depart?" Shinra asked in his deep barritone. Geez for a sixteen year old he had a voice like Onii-chan. It was smooth and dark, all buisness and no play. Nodding I pick up Neeya and walk alongside him.

My feet were still weak so my knees gave up on me when we had been walking for about half an hour. Shinra had caught me and asked what was wrong. Before I could explain, Neeya beat me to the punch.

"You see, Kuma was injured when she was at the tower. She senses with her feet sometimes to let her know if someone is sneaking up on her and that takes absorbing magical energy. She was caught standing on a giant lacrima and all that energy made her blind and lame. But now that she's recovering she can only walk for so long. This is probably the longest she's walked so far." Glaring at the cat I use a nearby lampost to stand back up. Seeing the question in his eyes I say a quick "Im fine." and blame it on the heels. Im not that weak I can handle myself.

"State your name, age, date of birth and place of current living."

"Kuma Scarlet. Age 14. Born June 20, X770. I am currently living in Magnolia in the apartment complex, Fairy Hills."

This was so nerve recking. Shinra had convinced the council to let me sit during the trial because of my state of being but I wanted to stand. No pain no gain.

Councilman Nigra was the leader of this. He stayed from the old council and became vice president of the new. Ive met him once or twice before when I was younger. Mom had brought me with her to sign paperwork an stuff to officially title me her child. He was a nice dark skinned man with a movie star smile.

He wasnt wearing that smile now.

"Miss Scarlet you do know the reason why we have summoned you here this afternoon?" He question and I say a quick "Yes, sir." "Then lets get started. First can you tell us how long you were in that tower?" Not missing a heartbeat I get ready for a verbal battle.

"Approximately six months." Nigra looks over papers and looks back down at me.

"And can you confirm that ex-councilman Seagrain or as you prefer, Jellal, was the soul reason for the tower being constructed?"

"No, sir."

The members looked at each other and back to me. "But Jellal was there the whole time!" Nodding I take off my heels to rub my feet. God there killing me. They still had a blackish hue to it. A council member gasped and I glanced up. She was staring at my foot. Putting it back down I rub the other one and start explaining.

"Jellal was possessed by Zeref at a young age. And I dont blame him for taking his hand. Being in that place, anybody would do anything for a lick of freedom. These scars-" I pulled up my shirt to show my back and my left arm "Is just like his possession. There are no escaping them once its inflicted. If we're going to play the blame game then let's play! I blame me for the tower. I stole the finishing blue prints, thats true. I blame Luka Wakamoto for suggesting the idea. I blame Zeref for creating this type of magic. And I blame you. Especially the council. You knew that tower was being constructed but you didnt do a damn thing about it! Do you know how many people died?! Including Jellal? It's true for a while I wanted to be the one who killed him but after I figured out he was forced to be a slave...there's no telling what his mind had to go through. Now I see why Mom wanted to help him."

"You can go on and say that you didnt have the proper regulations and all that crap about not being able to stop the construction but everyone in there right mind knows that that's. Complete. Bullshit. Luckily for me I only spent a short amount of time there. Some people spent years, there whole freakin' life, waiting for some type of peace! Where were you? Why did I have to make my friends go on without me because I was so sure I was going to die? Why was it that when I was free physically, I wasnt mentally? Why is it now that whenever I look into my Mom's eyes I see a slave?! Why cant we see the here and now?! Because that's not how the world works and we all hold grudges. Its life. So Im going to keep my grudge against you. Because I may have done some terribly fucked up things but that was to keep on to that small sliver of a chance that maybe life could get better."

Shaking my head I feel tears threaten to spill. It was like a dam cracking and gushing. Looking up defiantly I point at Nigra and give all of them the death glare. "But dont you dare sit here and blame a victim!"

They sit there quietly, and Im surprised that I said all of that. Im surprised I forgave Jellal that quickly. I was hell bent on killing him but...he was like me, in alot of ways. Because if there's one thing we can agree on its this: "He was right. There's no such thing as freedom. Buf there's one thing he forgot." And there was. Walking out of that courtroom, Shinra sighs and follows me.

I remembered I had friends on my side. Dennevah, Claire, Neeya, Koga, hell even Henran and Luka... as long as I had them I could love a life with no choices. He forgot that he had Mom, Milliana, Shô and Simon. Maybe Simon's teaching him that now, in Heaven. As long as he had the ones he loved to count on, he would have been alright.