Dangerous Lines | Yuzuru Hanyu

54. Trial

Being in her late twenties, Yaeko was lucky enough to be completely clueless about how trials worked.

She had heard about them through the years on the organization but never really fully invested time in understanding any of it.

Her husband, on the contrary, was very familiar with them.

Kiyoshi had been in that very same position so many times that one could almost expect him to be relaxed.

And he was.

Unlike every other person being judged on that day, Kiyoshi was relaxed, a smirk on his face, as if he knew something that no one else did.

Yaeko would only see it when she entered the courtroom.

By her side, in his obvious disguise was the father of her baby, cautiously looking around with anticipation.

Every member of the Yakuza present in that room seemed to freeze when she entered. They were all very aware of her influence in the case and didn't just hate her, it was clear that they all wanted to shred her to pieces.

A small touch on her back gave her the reassurance she needed to look confident, crossing the room and sitting in her assigned place until it was time to testify.

If anything, Yaeko was hyper-aware of her surroundings, looking for every threat imaginable.

Yuzuru couldn't sit by her side as she would have liked, it would be too obvious. It didn't mean he disappeared. The skater just found a seat in the back of the room and glared at anyone who even dared to stare at his woman.

Yes, because he couldn't care less that she was still married to that asshole on paper, it didn't mean a single thing.

Kiyoshi didn't seem phased by any of it, choosing to look at her in the eyes for a good few minutes, staring her down as if trying to intimidate her.

Well, he could try all he wanted but she didn't just care about herself now, there were other priorities and it meant that she needed to bring him down to assure her baby's safety, no matter how much he tried to scare her.

Once it finally started, Yae found herself drifting away, too tired to even listen to everything going on and just accepting the awareness of her role there. 

They presented the case in detail, explaining every part of the investigation and showing the proof that came along with it. Everything seemed solid as expected of the Japanese Court System.

This was a country with a very high conviction rate, no case would be judged without some assurance that things would go well.

Yaeko was only fully aware of what was going on once her name was called to the stand.

She had been fairly calm until then, more out of it than anything else. Once she was in the center of attention, everything was far different.

She shook a bit as Agent Miura helped her stand and gave her a few reassuring words. The prosecution lawyer smiled at her and guided her into the stand as she vowed to tell the truth.

It was time.

After the initial nervousness, the lawyer just helped her with easy questions, guiding her speech with ease, and making everything a bit easier to handle.

Through it all, Yae only told herself not to touch her stomach, to try and make it less obvious. Her pregnancy was the one thing she didn't want public.

She recalled years of crime, making sure to describe everything as detailed as she could remember.

When it came to the prosecution side, Yaeko had to admit that testifying had been easy and maybe if she had really thought about it, everything seemed way too easy.

Then, it came the defense side.

Yaeko was very familiar with the man in front of her. As the main Yakuza lawyer, his presence in her husband's home had been constant. This man knew about far more crimes than she ever would and more than anyone else, he knew how guilty they were of the accusations.

Still, his cold stare only showed her that there would be no mercy.

"Takayama-san, we meet again."

"Please call me Yaeko, I don't want to be associated with the Takayama name."

The bastard had the guts to laugh.

"I don't recall a divorce process being initiated for that request to be relevant."

"Objection" the prosecutor quickly acted "This is far beyond the point, your honor. Yaeko-san should be addressed as she asks."

"Let's all be civil." the judge quickly said with a glare at the defense lawyer who had the guts to wink at Yaeko. He was trying to make her nervous and was succeeding.

"Certainly... Moving on... I would like to ask the witness something I consider relevant" the man started, a tiny knowing smile on his face. "Yaeko-san, you've been married into this family for years, you watched all of the things you spoke about today, bore witness to these said crimes, and yet... only now you're speaking up."

"Objection... what's the point?"

Yae was glad that the prosecutor wasn't allowing much BS. Agent Miura had assured her that he was one of the best in the country and it certainly showed.

The whole thing didn't seem to be enough as the judge told the defense lawyer to just hurry up with whatever he wanted to ask. All of the bureaucracy on the court was almost ridiculous but it was still a part of the process that everyone told her to trust

"I think it's relevant for this court to understand the motivations behind coming out now. What are your true hidden reasons for speaking up now, Miss Yaeko? Maybe something... or rather... someone... influenced that decision. I would like to know who this was and why."