Chapter 19 : Punishment
Mimi
I hate this situation so much. If I lie...well...I'd be lying!
And my parents already know the truth...they'd know I'm
lying...I'm not even sure if my parents told the lawyer what I
told them. If they did, then the lawyer will know I'm lying. But
I do feel sorry for Matt, I don't really want him to go to
jail...And I know the others, with an exception of maybe Joe,
don't want him to be sent away either. What the hell am I going
to do...!?
It's not fair, I never wanted to sue Yama....I really didn't. It
was all my parents'. They were enraged, they hated Yamato. I
wasn't really sure if they were sueing to put Matt away in an
ayslum, or for the money...or both? My thoughts raced.
Damnit....this is your fault you know, Yama...it's your
fault...you didn't have to...
I glanced at him, sitting there at the defendent's table. He was
staring straight at me. His eyes looked grey instead of blue. He
didn't look angry, he didn't look sad, he didn't look...anything.
He was just staring at me. It was creepy. What did he expect me
to do!? How would he react!? Would be react at all?
"Miss Mimi?" I snapped my head towards my parents'
lawyer, I noticed I was trembling. I saw my parents out of the
corner of my eye. They were glaring, wanting me just to speak the
truth. I looked at Tai. He was also glaring, angry, daring. Sora,
she looked scared, she looked at me. Her eyes tried to send
comfort. Koushirou's showed worry, extreme worry. Joe's were
somwhat teasing, I couldn't read them very well. Hikari's, simply
comfortable. Damn...what am I going to do...?
I looked at the lawyer again. Mr.Sweson I think was his name.
Some American guy. I'd always wanted to go to America...back to
the situation Mimi! Everyone was looking at me, the lawyers, the
audience...people.., the judge..a few dozen pairs of eyes.
Watching me. I was pretty sure I was sweating as well.
"W-We...were looking for Y-Yama..." I began, my voice
stuttered, I kept looking at my friends, family, and lawyer. All
of them waiting, what was I going to do?
Wasn't it enough that I was almost killed by a friend!? They're
making me do this too?! Don't they know how hard it is for me? I
could lie, and be lying to the court and the offical people...I
could tell the truth and be hated by my friends...what was I
//supposed// to do?! Ishida Yamato why did you do this to me?!
"And..?" the lawyer was beginning to grow impatient, I
could feel it.
"T-Tai-c-c-hi and Joe got i-into a f-f-fight a-a-nd..."
I could feel the Keeper of Courage's eyes burn though me. This
was it. The truth or a lie. My family or my friends. I could feel
tears starting to slip out of my eyes. This was too much
preassure for me to take. "a-and..." Goddamnit...I was
cornered, trapped, there was no way out of this....
I broke. I spilled it out. The truth. Why did the truth have to
be so horrible? It's best to tell the truth they say, then why
did I feel so awful?!? I told them everything, the fight between
Tai and Joe. The car. I started on the part where Yamato grabbed
me when I broke down some more. I was in tears. And raving.
"He didn't mean to do it! He was just angry! He wouldn't
have done it if he was thinking straight! It's not his
fault!"
I felt horrible and torn. I didn't want to believe that Yamato
was a murder, or a wannabe murderer...I really didn't. But..for
heaven's sake me had me pinned to a wall with a knife to my
throat! It was hard not to...I guess I just wasn't ready to
accept. But..there's always a but...what would have happened if
the police hadn't arrived? Would Matt really have gone through
with it? I won't ever know will I? It never happened.
The courtroom was silent now, except for my quieting sobs. I
think I heard someone else crying, I glanced up. Sora was as
well. "Do you feel like continuing, Miss Mimi?" the
lawyer asked, I noted annoyance in his voice. He didn't give a
shit, he was getting paid for this. I sucked it up the best I
could. I wanted to get this over with. Go home. Then cry some
more. "Y-yes."
I had no choice but to spill the truth now. To lie was futile, my
outburst had guarteeded that. I looked at Matt again. His
expression hasn't changed at all. I spoke quickly, a sob here and
there, I got it out as fast as I could. Yama's lawyer didn't say
or do much, just kinda stood there in disbelief. Some lawyer he
was. He was supposed to defend the defendant!
The room was still silent when I had finished. "That sounds
like an attempt murder to me." my parents' lawyer said. I
spazzed out at that point, too upset to pay attention I suppose.
I was allowed to go back to my seat. I went and sat with my
friends, I didn't feel like facing my parents.
Taichi had went somewhere, he wasn't ther any in the 'audience'
anymore. Probably left to go beat something. I was crying again,
I felt terrible. Yeah, I felt terrible for sending Yama to jail
when he tried to kill me. There's a joke in there somewhere.
Koushirou and Sora were trying to comfort me, and I ended up
falling asleep I guess, because the next thing I remember was
waking up at home.
I had a spliting headache. It hurt like hell, like most
headaches. I lay there in my room for a while, dazed and
confused. It was peaceful in my room. The window let in a lazy
breeze, the swirl of pink comforted me. I started to drift off
again when I realized that the trial had ended. What was Matt's
fate?
I bolted upright and stared at the wall, thinking wildly. I had
told them everything, it wouldn't be hard for them to draw a
conclusion and a punishment. There had been plenty evidence that
Yama was guilty. The knife, a handful of witnesses, and lots of
backup for it, Takeru's death mainly. Thinking of that made me
even more upset. Two old friends lost in about a week. Yamato and
Takeru. Maybe.
What had been Matt's punishment, I could easily ask. But I still
didn't feel like speaking with my parents. I grabbed the phone
and dialed Sora's house. It rang seven times before someone
picked up. "Sora!?" I was surprised to hear my voice,
it was shaky and uneven. I could tell Sora had been crying by the
sound of her voice. It cracked, "Mimi? Are you ok?" the
volume was a hoarse whisper. "I'm fine, I'm fine, what
happened?! What happened to Matt!?" I asked urgently.
There was a hesitation. That hesitation lasted what seemed like a
lifetime. I was clutching the phone to tightly I was sure my
knuckles were completely white. "S-Sora?!" I hissed, I
couldn't wait for an answer, hurry up! "Yama was sentenced
to 5 years in an ayslum 3 hours from here!!!" she screeched,
then burst into tears. I was in shock. I could feel my muscles
freeze up. "I'm sorry Mimi, I-I don't want to talk right
n-now, bye." she hang up.
The phone fell from my hands. I just blinked, as I blinked more
tears rolled out. Yamato would be sent away, and he would be gone
for 5 years. Why? Why did this have to happen? Why did Takeru
have to die? Why did Yama have to take it so hard? Why had I been
such a jerk? Why did he--no, he gave me a reason for trying to
kill me,..he did. Why did I have to tell the truth!? Why couldn't
everything be right again?!
I didn't want to think anymore, think of the endless questions
that rolled around in my head. Why did I deserve to live? Why did
TK deserve to die? Why did Matt deserve to be sent away? Why?
Why? Why? I let the tears flow again. My eyes were sore, but the
droplets escaped. I buried my face into my pillow and hoped these
tears could heal our wounds. But I knew they could not.
© Kiriska