A/N:
Merciful Dwelling – Dax Johnson
"Okay you little masterchefs, let's clean up!" Kotori clapped her hands together as eight smiles widened. Their 'cooking' class had finished, and the photos of their play-dough pasta were already on camera.
Kotori always liked to have the children help in packing away so that Honoka didn't have to (that, and by some miracle, the three-year-olds were cleaner than the twenty-five-year-old coworker. Kotori hummed along with the children as they washed their bowls and put them on the rack to dry. When her eight little angels were done, Kotori allowed them to go to the reading room. She would let them go play with Honoka's eight, but the last time that happened, it was an explosion of screaming children, tiny arm wrestling and a very very rare trip to the dark, terrifying prison that was the naughty corner.
Kotori ushered the last of her eight into the reading room, but when she counted them, had a small heart attack upon realising there were only seven. She whirled around on her heel, and sighed with relief upon seeing the youngest child still at the sink.
"Maru-chan," Kotori put a hand on her heart, shuffling toward to address the smallest child of her group. The soft brown eyes flash with fear as Kotori knelt down.
"Don't worry, Maru-chan, you're not in trouble," Kotori read the girl's expression and smiled when the child visibly relaxed.
"I thought you would be the first to go to the reading room,"
The three-year-old shook her head, and pointed to the bowls. Her yellow jumper was too big for her, so her hands were covered but her fingers stuck out.
"Zura.."
"Oh, you wanted to make sure the bowls were done?" Kotori asked, and Hanamaru nodded.
"Zura."
"That's okay, good girl for checking," Kotori lightly pet the child on the head.
"Now let's head into the reading room, okay?" She straightened up and held out her hand for the infant. Hanamaru took it and allowed herself to be lead out by Kotori.
It was rare for Kotori to be anything but chipper, but when her fiancé was in a courthouse, no doubt filled with narrow-minded people, it was hard to maintain her smile. How Honoka was able to do it was a mystery, even throughout all the years of knowing her. Sure, there were times where Honoka would need a day to herself to feel down, but straight after, she'd be back to her regular self.
Kotori was not so consistent. She was so sporadic in her rare waves of sadness, but at least she had a strong front to keep them hidden behind her chipper facade. She took a deep breath in through her nose and widened her smile for the children she was about to read to.
Before she even set foot into the room, Kotori's phone rang. She quickly pulled it out of her pocket and recognized the number.
"Umi-chan?" She couldn't hide her worry as she answered the phone.
"Kotori, is everything okay?"
"I should be asking you that," Kotori leaned against the pastel blue wall.
"We're going okay, it's a recess now, and Nozomi just returned from outside with Hanayo. We need to ask you something, it's rather important."
"Oh, okay," Kotori immediately snapped into serious mode and straightened up.
"Over the last few weeks, have you received any calls that were just berating Nozomi?"
Kotori hummed in thought, and moved the phone away from her ear to talk to her eight,
"Kotori-ne is just going to be a minute," She smiled and then made a gesture for Honoka, who was outside, to just keep an eye on her eight while she went to the front desk of the centre.
"Not from memory, but I can go back through the messages and have a look," Kotori put the phone down again and played through all the messages left on the reception phone. It was just a few mothers saying they might be late to collect their children, one from Honoka when she was at the store to ask about which window cleaner to get, and one about the electrician who had to fix a light in the bathroom.
"There's nothing there, thank goodness," Kotori said once she picked up her mobile again and placed it against her ear. Umi hummed in thought,
"Okay, that's good, because if Tojo called you, he would have had to deal with me."
"Umi-chan, please do not murder Nozomi-chan's father," Kotori furrowed her brows, but Umi's voice dropped an octave.
"He has given us all a hard time and even called Rin's tattoo 'disgusting,' Kotori, I would not mind ending back up in court for the reason being his blood on my hands."
"Umi-chan, that's enough," Kotori's voice was curt as she scolded her fiancé for having such dark and murderous thoughts. She could feel the thick desire that hung like a haze around Umi through the phone.
"Umi-chan, relax. We're going to deal with him in a civil way," Nozomi's voice sounded from what Kotori imagined would be next to Umi.
"Kotori-chan, you said there were no calls or emails from him?" Nozomi addressed Kotori, who went onto the computer and scrolled through the inbox.
"No, there's nothing here," she said, a little sad.
"Was there anything from your mother?"
Kotori scrolled through the emails again, and responded with the same answer: nothing.
"Hmm, okay that's fine, we have other evidence to use," Nozomi muttered to herself, but then just thanked Kotori and was replaced with Umi's familiar voice.
"Are you okay, Kotori?"
Kotori turned around to sit on the desk slightly. She closed her eyes and sighed.
"I'm fine, but I'm worried about you, Umi-chan."
"Don't, we're doing well. Your mother just went to the stand and explained why she even started this whole thing and the judge is not impressed."
Kotori fell silent. She loved her mother, but she couldn't believe her reaction to her making an adult decision and going so far to threaten shutting down Nozomi's business, and Umi's job.
"Hey, please do not cry,"
"I wasn't going to but now look what you've done," Kotori's voice broke and tears started to swell up. Umi was her entire world, and the thought of her being put through such a stressful situation by the woman who raised her was a nightmare. A nightmare coming true.
"Kotori please, please stop crying," Umi pleaded into the phone, and Kotori didn't need to see Umi in front of her to know that the body piercer would be fiddling with her snakebite with her tongue.
"Please believe me when I say everything is going to be okay. We have strong evidence and there is nothing for you to worry about."
Kotori continued to let tears silently trickle down her face, like a melting ice sculpture.
"How about if you stop crying, I will not kill the bastard."
Kotori let out a snort of a giggle. Umi's sense of humour was warped and dry, but Kotori always appreciated it.
"Upon your honour, Umi-chan?"
The piecer chuckled.
"Upon my honour of the Sonoda household and as your fiancé."
Nitta had a notebook in her hand and was scribbling down notes while Umi finished up talking to Kotori. Nozmoi sat next to Nitta was her head on Eli's shoulder, who was next to Nozomi.
"This is a very last minute push, but I do believe we can truly win this case with the information we just received," Nitta grinned, circling something a few times.
"I wish Maki told me earlier that he called," Eli grumbled, rolling her foot around. Nozomi slapped her thigh.
"Don't move it, Elichi."
"But it itches," Eli whined, making Nozomi roll her eyes and lift her head off of the blonde's shoulder.
"Just leave it be, unless you want a distorted tattoo."
Eli fell silent, just as the doors to the courtroom opened again.
"Recess is over, we will continue with the case."
"Okay everyone, just remember what to do. Rin-san, you're going to be on the stand first," Nitta looked to the apprentice sitting on her left side holding Hanayo's hand. Rin paled, but Hanayo squeezed her hand tightly.
Running from the police after a night of graffiti was something Rin would much rather be doing than sitting in court. All eyes were on her, no doubt taking in her undercut, eyebrow piercing, stretched ears and her unbuttoned jacket.
"Hoshizora-san, how long have you been Tojo-san's apprentice?"
Rin knew Nitta was just doing her job, but she couldn't help but feel incredibly nervous. Her knees were shaking furiously, and her nails were digging into the palms of her hands.
"Three months," Rin spoke into the microphone, catching Hanayo's gaze like she had done for her.
"And you remember tattooing Tojo-san?"
"Yes, I do," Rin's voice was starting to shake from nerves. Nozomi tried to offer a smile for hope, but Rin ended up running a hand through her hair out of worry. Nitta also sent a calming look at the apprentice, but it didn't seem to do much except suggesting for Rin to elaborate.
"It was an hour until we had to close the store, and Nozomi-senpai presented me with the idea," Rin winced at her mistake of using her boss's first name, but just kept talking.
"She said that the first tattoo I do will be in an awkward area to make the rest of it seem a bit easier."
"Did it work?" Nitta rested against the stand, treating it like a conversation rather than an interview.
"Yes, I...I think...there was still pressure on me doing Kayo-uhm… Koizumi-san's tattoo, but I was able to maneuver the machine much easier," Rin felt more relaxed when Nitta was closer.
Tojo scoffed, and Owada scowled. Nitta ignored both of them and continued.
"You signed the form for Koizumi-san's tattoo, didn't you?"
"Yes, I did, and the form for Tojo-senpai's tattoo also has my signature," Rin looked over at Nozomi, who smiled back.
"Did you know the rules of being an apprentice?"
"I do know them I...just kinda forgot about them," Rin sheepishly scratched at the back of her head, and the judge let out a small sigh.
"Hoshizora-san, from what evidence has been presented today, I highly recommend learning the laws of tattooing by heart. Just so we do not have to go through this again,"
"Yes, your honour," Rin answered immediately and bowed her respect. The judge shuffled her papers and looked from Nitta to Owada.
"If that is all the interviewing for today, then I will proceed with making a verdict,"
Nitta quickly looked over at Nozomi, who nodded.
"Actually, your honour, I'd like to interview one last person," Nitta quickly but politely chimed. The judge raised an eyebrow, and Nitta turned to look at the male Tojo, who was silently staring at the wall.
"Tojo-san, will you please take the stand," Nitta faced the man, ignoring the worried look from Umi behind her.
Nozomi's entire childhood flashed before her eyes: reading in the garden, only to have her father carry her inside. Drawing in her room next to her mother, and the look of disappointment from her father as he watched on by the doorway. Coming home from school with her eyes full of tears upon being bullied, and not getting any reaction from her father as her mother rushed forward to hug her.
Moving to Italy after school was one of the best decisions Nozomi had ever made, and upon skyping with her parents to tell them about her newly started apprenticeship, the fury her father must have felt turned his face white. Losing her mother and not being allowed to grant her wishes because Tojo Osamu refused her to was something she couldn't live with.
But upon hearing that he had called Rin, her apprentice, her friend, practically the little sister she never had 'disgusting,' was the final nail in the coffin.
"How did you gain access to the document, Tojo-san?" Nitta asked as Nozomi seethed in a silent rage, doing her best to not let the cold wave of fear battle with the fumes inside of her.
"Minami-san works for me, and she sent me it. I got in touch with my lawyer and we went forward with the prosecution."
Nitta was trying her best to keep her smile present, and Eli grabbed the wooden railing so hard that her knuckles were turning white.
"Now you are my client's father, correct?"
"Yes," Tojo's voice was low and monotone as he stared down at Nozomi with disgust on his face. Nozomi's blood ran cold, and Umi placed a hand on her knee as a sign of comfort. Nitta sighed and her shoulders dropped. She looked at him furrowed brows.
"Why would you go out of your way to make your daughter, your own flesh and blood, suffer?"
White noise rung in everyone's ears. Tojo pursed his lips and scowled at Nitta.
"She broke the business law, and Minami was just telling me."
"So you did not turn down Minami-san showing you a document that is private to a business?"
"No."
Nitta blinked, then crossed her arms.
"Tojo-san, why did you try to shut down Lily White Body Art two years ago?"
Tojo went silent, and murmuring continued throughout the room. Minami's eyebrows flew into her hair as the man's knuckles turned white.
"Aren't we supposed to be addressing the issue of a document being unsi-"
"With all due respect, Tojo-san, we have established that it is no real issue that the document was unsigned," Nitta cut him off and did not break eye contact.
"You made bribes to the old business manager to shut down the studio, and even tried to forge a liquidation request."
Tojo wrinkled his nose as Nozomi silently thanked the receptionist at Nitta's office for digging out those files from the stack the had left in Nitta's office. A quick photo and email later, Nitta had then on her phone. Nitta started to pace with her hands behind her back.
"Why have you tried to shut down Lily White Body Art more than once?"
There was no answer, but Nitta kept firing away.
"Why did you call Bibi Flowers, a shop that has nothing to do with you to berate your daughter? Why did you call Hoshizora-san's tattoos 'disgusting?' Why do you go out of your way to make your daughter's life a living hell?"
"Nitta-san," the judge had a warning tone in her voice that made Nitta back down. Tojo looked over at Nozomi again and without batting an eyelid, said only one sentence.
"It does not matter what I do because in my eyes, she is not my daughter."
Umi shot to her feet, as did Rin. Nozomi had to yank them back into their seats as her eyes started to brim with tears. Eli also stood up, but Hanayo wrapped her hands around her waist and forced her to sit down too. Kussun's mouth dropped open as Nitta clenched her fists.
"So just because your daughter - by blood - did not choose to be like you, is the reason you have practically disowned her?"
"Nitta."
The judge shot the lawyer another look, then fixed her papers again.
"I have heard enough."