One Step

Trial

Trial
(Shion POV)
Rat hadn’t answered my question. Most people would feel unnerved with that big of a thing out there. But he was Rat. The kiss had told me what I wanted to know. He liked me like I liked him. I vowed that after this was over with I would get him to say it. It was only fair.
Currently we were in the back of a car. Rat sat beside me. I clutched his hand. We were on our way to the airport. Today I was going to face the people who killed my mom and best friend. Safu would have been encouraging me. She would have been rambling on giving me all these facts about testifying.
With him it was different. Watching his face I felt myself relax. His eyes never stayed still. They darted all over the place. When they fell to my face he would give me this little smirk. I smiled back. He was watching for anyone who was going to try and hurt me. I squeezed his hand.
The pressure was returned, yet his eyes focused outside the car window. We were nearing the airport now. I guess if anyone was going to kill me it would be before I got on the plane. The thought made my heart beat faster. I slide closer to Rat. The hand I was holding lifted. I slipped under his arm. He pulled me against his side.
The car came to a stop. Rat’s face lifted away. He had been smiling down at me. His mouth became a thin line. The arm wrapped around me tightened. His hand found mine. It gave my fingers a reassuring squeeze.
“Shion, if I asked you to do something would you?” His voice was low. The lips I was watching barely moved.
“Of course.” I said back. He flung his scarf off. Taking his hand away he wrapped the scarf around my head, covering my white locks. Bending over me his lips found mine.
“Trust me.” Those blue eyes pleaded with me. Nodding I tried to say something, anything. He smirked. “I will see you again, now stay down.” He shoved me to the floor of the car. Flipping the hood of his jacket over his head he stepped out. I gasped. It was only when I saw the agents come to either side of him that I understood what he was planning. He didn’t look back. My last sight of him was his back disappearing into the sliding doors of the airport.
The car moved again. I stayed on the floor where Rat had shoved me. Gripping the scarf with both hands. I buried my face into it. It smelled like him. Like the outside. Wild, free. I breathed it in. Letting the strength of the man I loved flow over me.
“You can sit up now, if you want.” A soft female voice said. I crawled back onto the car seat. The female agent turned to look at me. She had sliver gray eyes that reminded me of Rat for some reason. Her brown hair swooped over one side of her face. It was cut short on the other. She smiled. That reminded me of Rat too. I sighed.
“He’s my cousin.” She said with a slight smirk. “Rat.” She added when I didn’t say anything. “The only way he would agree with this plan was if I watched over you.” She studied my face. “You must have broken through that wall of his. I don’t think I know of anyone who ever has.” She turned back to the front of the car. “Guess I will just have to keep you alive so I can see just how far you’ve gotten.” She tossed a smirk over her shoulder at me. I grinned back. She laughed. I felt better with her there.
We drove about another twenty minutes to a small airport. There we boarded a small plan. It was a three hour flight to get me back to the city I had been born in. The city I had lived all my life in. The city where I had lost everything in. The city that somewhere held the boy I couldn’t wait to see.
The plane landed. I followed Sherra, Rat’s cousin to a waiting car. Her phone rang just before we got in. She closed the door remaining outside to take the call. I saw shock register on the side of her face that I could see. She turned her back fully to me. Something was wrong.
“Is he ok?” I asked when she got back in the car. She turned to me.
“He’s alive.” She confirmed it made me feel better. Turning I looked out the window. “What was the phone call about then? You looked surprised.” Silence greeted my question. Looking back I saw her and the driver exchange a glance. She hadn’t said that Rat was ok, only that he was alive.
“Tell him the truth. I think there is more between the two of them.” The driver said.
“I only know Rat is alive. He sent me a coded text. Only him and I  knows how to send and read the message. The agents escorting him are all dead.” She turned to look back at me. “That was the call.” She confirmed.
“I don’t know what this means but he said to tell you yes.” I waited but she didn’t go on. Yes? What did that mean? My heart began to race. Sweat coated my palms. They had Rat. I couldn’t testify.
“He said he made you a promise, to remind you not to forget.” I swallowed the growing lump in my throat. Then it hit me. Just what Rat was saying yes to. Boyfriend? I had asked him. He had only answered with a kiss. The smile spread over my face. He promised to see me again.
“Will you still testify?” the male driver asked.
“They said they would kill him if you did.” Sherra added.
“They don’t know my Rat.” I said. The smile turning sinister. I didn’t look at them. Out there beyond the darkness of the window Rat was waiting. I couldn’t save him. He would have to do that. He promised he would. I had to trust him.
We went to a hotel for the night. It was far away from the airport. I tossed and turned, not able to sleep without the boy in bed with me. As if he knew I was suffering worried about him, three small mice appeared. They scurried up to my pillow, chittering away at me.  At first I almost screamed trying to push them away. Then Sherra was there. She picked one up by the tail. Dangling it before her face.
“I know you, you’re one of his little pets.” She laughed placing it back onto the pillow.
“Sleep well little Shion, your Rat is looking out for you.” Smiling I closed my eyes.
The next thing I knew morning sunlight was streaming through the window. The male driver had just come back in with bags from a nearby fast food place. He tossed one to me. There was a breakfast sandwich and hash brown inside. He held out two cups to me. “Coffee?” he jiggled the one in his right hand. “Or juice?” he jiggled the one in his left hand. With a huge yawn I reached for the right. He laughed as he handed it over.
After eating breakfast getting a shower and putting on the suit they gave me, we were headed out to the court house. We drove for about an hour before reaching the large stone and brick building. The rats from the night before had scurried into my pockets. It seems I wasn’t meant to be left alone.
The place was packed as I was lead through the hallway. It felt like all eyes were on me. I moved through the crowd with my eyes straight ahead. My hands were stuffed into my pockets where the rats nestled around them. I was going to be strong. I would see him again. They lead me to a small room off of the main court hall. I was told I would wait here until they called me.
It seemed to take forever before I was told to come inside. I followed the man in the uniform into the court. They swore me in. I was escorted up to the bench. Sitting down in the large chair a man in a suit asked me to lower my hood. I did so. There was a gasp as the jury saw my face.
I knew what they were looking at. In that moment I felt the knife pierce my skin again. I felt the fear grip me. Sweating I tried to breathe. The shots rang out once more. The blood poured over the front of my mother’s blouse. Safu cried out telling me to run. The mirror in the hospital when I awoke showed me just what they all were seeing. I petted the mice in the pockets of my jacket.
“Please state your name.” A deep voice I opened my mouth but no sound came out. My mistake had been lifting my head up. There staring back at me where two of the men that had killed my mother and best friend. When I couldn’t talk I saw one smirk. He high fived the other under the table.
“My name is Nezumi.” A voice called out into the courtroom. Blinking back tears I saw him. He was by the door. He looked like he had been beaten pretty badly. His lip was bleeding, one eye was swollen shut. There were cuts and bruises all over his face. His jacket was missing. He wore a tattered lime green shirt that was covered in mud and blood. He gripped his shoulder where blood was oozing through his fingers. His other arm was down.
Stalking forward he dragged one leg behind him. Then I saw what else he was dragging, my mouth fell open. He was dragging a body. There was no sound as Rat moved down the  isle. He dragged the body right to the table where the other killers sat. Not sure how he managed it with his wounded arm, but he dropped the body onto the table.
“This man tried to kill me when he thought I was him.” He pointed to me. “He held me hostage until an hour ago when I managed to escape, beat him unconscious and get down here.” He said. The judge banged his little hammer.
“You are out of order.”  He yelled. I stood up.
“My name is Scott Jackson. Those three men killed my mother and best friend in an alley way behind a restaurant. They cut me, leaving this scar on my body. I only got away because a busboy came out to take care of the garbage.” Of course it wasn’t that simple. I had to tell every detail of that night. All the time Rat sat in front of me bleeding. As I was talking paramedics came in to tend to him. He refused to leave the room.
We had gone out to celebrate. Safu and I had gotten into the colleges we wanted. Mom had taken us to the movies then we went to our favorite restaurant. They had wanted dessert but I was impatient. I wanted to go home so that I could give Safu a present I had made for her. We decided to get dessert to go.
“We went out the alley because it was closer to the parking lot where we left our car.” I explained. “Mom was digging in her purse to find her keys when Safu grabbed my arm. I remember seeing a look of horror on her face.” I stopped.
“Would you like some water?” the man in front of me asked. I nodded. The man in uniform poured me a glass handing it over the banister to give me. I took a few sips.
“What did you see?” the man asked me. Taking a breath I went on.
“Those men…” I pointed to the two that were sitting at the table. The paramedics had taken the third one out. “And the third one, they were waving guns around scaring some people in a car. When we came out mom was talking. They heard her and turned around.” I sipped the water as my throat began to close.
“You’re doing fine.” A soft voice reached me. Looking up I saw Rat smiling at me. I smiled back then continued.
“The shot rang out. It was so loud. The one there in the  white shirt, he shot my mom right in the heart. There was so much blood. But the other two they grabbed Safu and I.” I shivered. Rat nodded to me.
“They were saying how we should have stayed for dessert. That they would have bbb been gone by then.” I stammered. “He..” I pointed to the big one. “Held Safu. He laughed as he pressed the knife to her throat. He told me to not close my eyes. I watched him cut her throat then toss her away.” Tears began to blur my vision. I blinked them back.
“It’s ok, go on.” Rat encouraged me softly.
“Then the three of them came at me. The big on cut my face. The other one he he, he um was cutting at my clothes and b b body.” I stuttered. My hand touched the scar on my throat. “They were going to kill me but the guy came out with the garbage. The dumpster door slammed down. It was so loud, the noise. They threw me to the ground and ran away.” I said.
There were more questions from both attorney’s I answered them all. How I woke up days later in the  hospital. How my throat had been slit too but the guy with the garbage had held his hand over the wound until the ambulance came. How I was told that I may never talk again due to the damage. It took months to heal.
I first wrote everything down when I was questioned in the hospital. Then when I was able to speak again I told them my story. When they found the guys I picked them out of the line up. Everything went on for so long. Whenever I got nervous or scared I looked over. Rat would be there smiling a little at me. I played with his scarf in my hands, or petted the mice in my pockets.
After the entire day of questions I was asked to step down. Rat got up and told them how they were attacked as soon as they got out of the airport on arriving here. He said how the agents were killed by the third man, along with some others. He told them how he got away in time. Once he was done we went back into the other room. It took the jury two more hours to decide.
While sitting in the room, Rat pulled me into his arms.
“You were so brave up there” He said hugging me tight. “If I had known what it was you were hiding for so long..” his voice trailed off. I felt a drop hit my hand. He wiped at the tears. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save them for you.” He tried to give me a smile. Cupping his face in my hands I kissed him.
“You saved me now.” I said. He laughed.
“Ask me again, please?” there was a slight begging note to his tone. I giggled.
“Will you be my boyfriend?” I asked looking up at him. He chuckled.
“Yes.” Our lips found each other then. The verdict came back it was guilty.