Chapter 9: How Dare You Destroy My Marriage?!

The news that she was freed from her marriage to Sai was a shock to Ino, to say the least, but this caused her to be conflicted. Yes, Asahi did free her from the marriage to an evil man, but this was a case that should have been her own decision. But it was too late now. In fact, Ino had the thoughts of another man in her mind.

"I appreciate you coming here on such short notice, Princess Barbie," said Ino as she laid down on her back. "But why must Emperor Asahi make a personal decision that I have to make? Sai is my husband and I must remain at his side until I make the decision to separate from him."

"Because we want what best for you, Ino," replied Princess Barbie, sitting next to Ino on the bed. "Is there anyone else that loves you for who you are?"

"Yes," she replied, turning towards Barbie while sighing heavily. "Shikamaru Nara, my friend and a man who has been infatuated with me for quite some time. Sometimes I wonder whether or not I made the right decision by marrying Sai instead of him. But it seems that it was all for nothing now."

Barbie assessed the situation and got up to process her thoughts. This was already proven to be a difficult challenge for the Princess of Love. She had been in many situations before of this nature, but this was something completely different, to say the least.

"Well, no love spell can force you to love Shikamaru," Barbie said after briefly pacing back and forth. "You need to decide for yourself whether or not that the path you've chosen is the right one. You must remember, Ino, think what goes through Sai's mind when you are around him, what he really thinks of you, and whether or not he truly loves you. Think about that as you sleep tonight."

Ino took in what she heard from Barbie and spent the next few moments looking up at the ceiling of her guest bedroom. She had to strongly consider whether or not it was necessary to have married let alone love a man who was nothing more than a sadist and who swore loyalty to a man that didn't care about the people he governed.

"I will say that it won't be easy for me, Princess Barbie," said Ino. "How did you go through the process with Prince Ken?"

"It's a long story," she chuckled, turning around slightly. "But it is really a story that is a happy one, Ino. You can find your own happy story, and that is why I am here to help you: to find your own happy story. Now got to sleep. We will start your healing process in the morning."

Ino smiled and watched with tired eyes as Barbie left the room and gently shut the door behind her. As much as she wanted to start her life over, she was still technically married to Sai, but not for much longer.

At that moment, Emperor Asahi, flanked by Hiroshi Chiba and Noah Kawamoto, walked down towards the dungeons and holding the paper that annulled the marriage of Sai and Ino Yamanaka, approached the prison cell that held Sasuke and Sai. The sounds of boos and jeers came from the captured Konohagakure officials for their displeasure towards the man that had ended their reign.

"SILENCE!" bellowed Asahi in his Royal Imperial voice, quieting the angry people before turning his attention towards Sai. "I have news for you, Sai."

"What do you mean news, cur?" he snarled, getting up from his sitting spot and going over towards the bars. "What is that you hold in your hand?"

"It's a scroll declaring Ino as a free woman," he said. "The woman who you have tried to kill for wanting to get away from you."

Sai's eyes narrowed as he became cross at this.

"What are you talking about?!" he cried. "Let me see what has been said on the paper!"

Honoring his request, Asahi unfolded the scroll and plastered it on the bars. Sai carefully read the annulment and he felt growing more and more furious by the sounds of deep angry breaths forming in his chest. But Asahi didn't care how this man was feeling. As far as he was concerned, Sai was getting what he deserved.

"You selfish, corrupting, greedy tyrant!" he said angrily with his voice rising in fury. "How dare you destroy my marriage?!"

"It's over, Sai Yamanaka," Asahi said quietly, not being fazed by the furious man whose marriage was destroyed. "Ino is no longer married to you and she is free from the nightmare that you put her in."

"I put her in a nightmare?!" he cried, spitting Asahi in the face. "Excuse?! She chose to be put in the nightmare that she was in when she turned her attention to that loser Shikamaru! So how dare you accuse me of something that she caused?! Answer me!"

"You just answered your own question, Yamanaka," answered Asahi, remaining steadfast. "Just as you all sealed your own fate by the actions you have caused. As of right now, you are all hereby stripped of your ranks and titles. You are all charged as war criminals. All of you will be put on trial for your actions tomorrow morning!"

"That doesn't excuse you for what you did to my marriage, Yoshida!" shouted Sai, with the flapping of his mouth continuing to produce spit that hit Asahi in the face. "I swear that when I get out of this, I will personally have you charged for kidnapping and..."

But before he could finish his sentence, Asahi activated a spell that closed his mouth tight and all Sai could do was make muffled noises as he loudly protested treatment that he, his boss, and their comrades were receiving.

"I am the ruler of Azura," said Asahi firmly, with his eyes locked on the prisoners. "And you will have to do much better than that if you want me to be removed from power. Let's go."

Turning to Hiroshi and Noah, Asahi left the prisoners alone and completely exhausted, returned to his chambers and immediately went right to sleep after all that had happened.

Meanwhile, Manfred von Karma was leaving Kimon City when he saw Phoenix Wright looking down on him from a tall building.

"So that's the man who will be prosecuting my clients," he thought to himself."Well, I will say this: may be the best lawyer win."

Manfred didn't know how the trial was going to go, but he knew that this was a fight that he was not going to win and that his clients were all going to pay for their crimes in some way: either being executed after the trial or wasting their lives to rot away to a prison realm in the Astral Chaos.

Only time would tell how everything was going to go.