Ladies and Gemtlemen of the Jury, PART Four by Adrian Chinisetea@aol.com When I origonally sent this in on May 7, 1999, it was my sixteenth birthday and my friends were allready here. So Ineglicted to add author's notes. Sorry that the end's taken so long, but I've had a busy summer! So read, and enjoy! _____ "Serena wake up." She groans, mutters "Five more minutes, momma, please." and promptly rolls over. I don?t see how Luna puts up with her. "SERANA! Get up!" "Groan. But it?s so EARLY!" "We have to be at the courthouse in less an hour!" "Why?" "LITA?S TRIAL!" She immeadatly flies out of bed and runs towards the shower. "WHY DIDN?T YOU WAKE ME UP?" "Sigh. I TRIED!" "Oh, don?t worry Amy. She?ll be ready on time. Watch." Sure enough, In less than an hour I?m walking out the door with a very polished looking hurricane Serena. "Come on Ames! We have to go save Lita!" Sometimes, she truly amazes me. *** I take a deep breath and close my eye. Today is the day. It?s all or nothing now. I look up as Scott walk into my small cell. "Lita, are you all right?" "Yes, I?m fine." "Good. Serena and the others just got here. Are you nervous?" "I a little." "That?s understandable." "Personally I don?t understand. I?ve faced dozens of monsters and stared death in the face countless times. Why should I be nervous now?" "I really don?t know." "Well, let?s go. I want to get this over with." We walk down the long halls and passed closed doors, coming at last to the court room. I am so relieved to see my friends sitting right behind me. I?m going to need all the help I can get. They whisper words of encouragement as I battle the butterflies in my stomach. The bailiff walks into the courtroom and the talking and the talking died a sudden death." "All rise for the honorable Judge Grahm" I stand and watch as he walks to his chair. "You may be seated. Lita Kino, you are charged with the assault on Mina Anio. How do you plead?" "Not Guilty, your Honor." "Would the Prosecution please present their opening statements?" I look to the table where Portia Beck, DA stands and replies with an enthusitac ?yes?. This is my life we?re talking about, how can she be so looking forward to ruining it? This woman needs some serious pscyothatapy! She walks to the front of the room. "Most honorable Judge, most respected Jury, I want to talk with you today about an atrocity that occurred in our peaceful town just weeks ago. On the night of June 16, nineteen year old Mina Anio was brutally attacked in a dark alleyway... *** Why are all prosecutors so long winded? She?s said in about a thousand different ways "Lita attacked Mina, so punish her as badly as you can." Even the judge is getting tiered of this, I can tell by the way that he?s wiping his glasses. It has been over an hour after all. Finally she seems to be drawing this speech to a close. "I will show you how she committed this horrific crime, it is up to you to decide her fate. Thank you." The Judge sits up, replaces his glasses and looks at me. "Would the Defense please present their opening statements." Now, it?s my turn. "Honorable Judge Grahm, Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, I wan to talk with you about my client. Nineteen year old Lita Kino, a kind girl with decent grades, friends, a future. She likes to cook and dreams of opening a restaurant. Now, My client is a normal girl in most respects but there is a significant difference between her and others her age. Lita has a secret. During the course of this Trial you will learn that secret. It will explain to you what truly happened on that night. I hope that you will understand, and I pray that you will set this girl free. I thank you." The Judge and Jury shoot me looks of appreciation, Lita smiles in thanks, and Portia looks stunned. I only have one thing to say to my esteemed colleague. KISS- Keep it Simple, Stupid! The Judge calls for the first witness, and Mrs. Beck calls Sergeant Don Murphy to the stand. He takes the customary oaths and sits down. "Sergeant, could you please tell me what happened on the June 16?" "I was on patrol that night, and at about two o?clock I received a call from the dispatcher." "What did it say?" " That a girl had been found injured in the alley behind Papa Gumbo?s. *" "What happened when you arrived there?" "The victim was laying on the ground unconscious with a severe head injury. The two girls who had found her were with her." "Then what?" "The Ambulance arrived and took them to the hospital. Then I looked for any evidence of an attack." "Did you find any?" "Yes. The weapon, a stainless steel pipe about two feet long was lying at the end of the alley, near a fire escape. There was blood on one end which DNA testing showed to be Mina Anio?s. On the other end were several fingerprints later matched to those of the defendant." "I would like to enter the pipe as people?s exhibit A." Portia presents the pipe, which is in a plastic bag, to the Judge. "Where there any witnesses?" "Yes, Mrs. Bryn Harell." Thank you. That is all. "Mr. Alexander, would you care to cross examine the witness?" I smile reassuringly at Lita and walk to the witness stand. "Sergeant, did you find anything... unusual at the crime scene?" "What do you mean by ?unusual??" "Oh, burns, strange marks, ect." "Actually yes." "Objection Your Honor!" I look over at Portia, exasperated. "On What Grounds?" Judge Grahm asks. "Relevance." "Your honor, Relevance will be shown shortly. "Overruled. Continue Mr. Alexander." I look at Murphy. There was evidence of a fire, with embers still glowing. There was also some ice on the ground, only beginning to melt. There were also several scorches on the walls and ground." "Could any of them be explained?" "No." "Did you hear anything Strange?" "Yes. There was a loud clap of thunder just after I arrived. It was odd because There were no clouds in the sky, and it wasn?t warm enough to be the heat." "Thank you, that is all." The sergeant and I take our seats as Portia calls her next witness. "Mrs. Bryn Harell." Once again the oaths are taken and the questioning begins. "What happened on the night in question?" "I woke up at about two o?clock." "Why?" "I heard shouts in the Alley." Then what?" I looked out the window and saw that poor child laying on the ground, another girl was kneeling over her. She looked up, threw something and then began to run away." "And?" I called the police." "What did this girl look like?" "Tall, slim, dark hair in a ponytail..." Lita self-consciously brushes back her hair. "...Wearing a miniskirt, I think. It was dark, I can?t be sure." "Can you identify her?" "I can try. But it was dark, Like I said." "Is she in this room?" "Yes." "Where?" "There." She points directly at Lita. "Thank you." I walk up to cross examine the witness. "Mrs. Harell, can you see all the alley from where you were standing?" "No." "Did you see my client attack Miss Anio?" "No." "Did you also hear the thunder?" "Yes, but I don?t see..." "Is there anything else you saw?" She thinks for a moment. "No, that?s about all." "Thank you. That?s all." And so it proceeds, through witnesses that say basically the same things. Eventually The Judge calls an hour recess for Lunch. Afterwards, though.... that?s when this really starts. *** *AN: I got this restaurant name from a fanfic I read, I think by Alicia, but I?m not sure. If it?s yours, I give you credit! *** "Lita!" I turn too see Serena running to me, the others close behind. "Lita, how?s it going?" "Tense." "Tell me about it." "You ready for your startling revelation, Serena?" Scott asks. "Yup." A grumble from my stomach causes everyone to laugh. It feels good. "Hey, What?s for Lunch?" Raye digs through a basket and hands me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. "We miss you Lita!" She says as she hands it to me. I bite into it and sigh. "No wonder you guys have lost weight." *** We return to the court room and sit, stand as the judge enters and sit again. Scott stands before the court. "I would like to call my first witness." "Yes." "Would Miss. Serena Tuskino please come to the stand." Darien squeezes my hand and Mom gives me a reassuring glance. Here goes everything. I walk to where the bailiff is standing and take the oath, mentally adding "In the name of the Moon" at the end. Then I take my seat. Scott stands before me. "Serena, how do you know Lita?" "She is one of my best friends." "How close are you?" "Closer than sisters." I try to keep the tremble out of my voice. "Why is it that you are so close?" "When you regularly trust your life to a person, you usually get to be pretty good friends." "Objection!" "Yes?" "What is THAT supposed to mean?" "Overruled! Continue Mr. Alexander." "Thank you. Serena, could you please explain the last statement?" "I often have to depend on Lita to cover my back, or I will get killed." "And why is your life so routinely threatened?" "We are the Sailor Scouts." The courtroom is imeadatlly in an uproar. The prosecutor?s cry of "OBJECTION!" is drowned by the murmur of the crowd. The Judge bangs his gavel, calling "ORDER, ORDER!" The only calmness in the room is where my friends and family are sitting. Eventually Judge Grahm regains control. "NOW, what?s your objection?" Portia stands, opens and closes her mouth twice and finally calls out "But that?s IMPOSSIBLE!" "Can this young lady prove her claim?" the Judge asks Scott. "Yes." "Then your objection is overruled. Continue Scott." "Thank you Your Honor. Serena, will you prove to this court that you are indeed Sailor Moon?" "Yes. May I please come out of this box? There isn?t really enough room here, and I don?t want to break anything." "Your Honor?" "Fine with me." I walk down and stand with my brooch held high above my head. "MOON CRYSTAL POWER TRANSFORM!" When the lights die away I am left standing before the court in my fuku. There is absolute silence as I return to my seat. "Mrs. Tuskino, could you please tell me how long you have been Sailor Moon." "I have fought for six years, although I only became Sailor Moon when I was fourteen." "Please explain the history of the Sailor Scouts, and what happened that night. "Ten thousand years ago, there was a great civilization that spanned all the planets. It was known as the Silver Millennium... ... we chased the youma down, and Lita used a new attack to turn it to dust. When we got back to the alley, It was filled with patrol cars. The next day, Lita was arrested at the hospital just after Mina woke up." "Thank you. No further questions your Honor." I watch as he returns to his seat and the prosecutor steps forward. She looks rather shaken. "Mrs. Tuskino, you honestly believe that you were a princess in a former life." "Yes." "And your Mother sent you to this time after you died." "Yes." "What gave her this power?" "The Silver Crystal." "What is this Crystal? What does it do?" "The Crystal is an artifact of the Royal Moon Family. I don?t know how it was made. It draws its power from the life-force of the user." "What does that mean?" "It uses my energy. If I use the full power of the Crystal, it kills me. It drains all my strength, until I am too week to even keep my heart beating." "And yet you claim to use this Crystal on a regular basis. How is that?" "I have only once been forced to use the Crystal?s Power to that extent. Normally I am weakened no worse than if I had a bad night?s sleep. As time passes, my energy returns." "You say that you were once forced to use the Crystal?s full power. Yet you are alive. How?" "After Metallia was destroyed I collapsed. I was in a lot of pain, physical and emotional. I remember staring at the stars and wishing I could be a normal girl, and then there was this sense of peace. I felt like I was floating. A voice said "My Princess, your wish will be granted." I think it was Pluto. Then I woke up in my bed, and it was the same day I first became Sailor Moon. I didn?t remember anything that had happened. It was as if that year had never existed at all. Later my memories of that time returned." "I see. No more questions." I walk back to my seat and sigh as I sit down. Thank heavens that?s over. *** Scott stands once again. "I call Mina Anio to the stand." I walk up and take my oaths, then sit in the seat Serena just left. "Miss. Anio, are you also a Sailor Scout?" "Yes." "Which one?" "Venus." "Could you show us?" I walk to the front of the courtroom and stand before the bench. "VENUS STAR POWER, TRANSFORM!" "Thank you Venus. Now, see that chair in the aisle? The empty one by the doors." "Yes." "Please destroy it." "Objection!" "Now what?" "Relevance?" "Oh shut your mouth and watch. Overruled." I reach out for the power of my planet. "Venus Love Chain, ENCIRCLE!" The glowing chain of hearts turns the chair into a smoldering pile of wood. "Thank you. Please be seated again." "Now Venus, what happened the night you were injured?" "I got too close to the yoma and it hit me with the pipe." "Are you angry?" "No. Hazard of the job." "Do you have any suspicion that Lita hit you?" "No. It was defiantly the yoma." "Thank you. That?s all." He sits down. Portia stands. "No questions your Honor." "You are dismissed." *** "I call Amy Mizuno to the stand." I walk to the desk and take my oaths. "Miss Mizuno, before you sit please tell us which scout you are. "I am Mercury." "Please show us." I nod and reach for the sky. "MERCURY STAR POWER TRANSFORM!" "Thank you. Now, please destroy the chair over there." "Shine Aqua ILLUSION!" The waters rush at the chair, drenching and destroying it from the sheer force of the water as it crashes against it. "Thank you Amy." "No problem." "Now, how are you able to do that?" "The Aqua Illusion?" "Yes?" "Simple. I begin to channel the kinetic energies of the planet Mercury, envision the enemy, then shout the mantra. That causes the water vapours in the air to cosmiclly shift, and thanks to the theory of Multipying Fractorials under extreem pressure, they begin to change atomicly, causing..." "uh, Amy? Could you please explain that so we can understand?" oops. he he. "It?s magic." Thanks. You were there when the ambulance arrived, correct?" "Correct." "Where were the others?" "Raye was with me, Mina was injured, Serena and Lita chased after the youma." "That?s all Amy." He returns to his seat. The prosecutor looks up. "No Questions" I return to my friends. *** "Raye Hino, please come to the stand." I approach the bench and take my oaths. "Raye," Scott asks "Which Scout are you?" "I am Mars." "Your honor, we will need the assistance of Mercury." "Fine." Amy walks to the front and stands beside me. "Please transform and show us your powers." "MARS STAR POWER TRANSFORM!" Mars Celestial Fire SURROUND!" The chair bursts into flame. As planned, Amy steps forward. "Mercury ice bubbles FREEZE!" In a cloud of steam, the fire is extinguished. "Thank you Mercury." Amy returns to her seat. "Now Mars, what happened on the night Venus was injured?" "The yoma attacked at about one thirty. I sensed it and woke up. We then attacked, chasing it to the alley before Mina was injured and it was destroyed." "How did you sense it?" "I?m physic. It?s part of my abilities as Mars." "That?s all." The prosecutor sighs dejectedly. "No questions." *** "I would like to call my last witness to the stand." "Yes?" "Would Lita Kino please come forward." I walk up and take the oath. "Lita, you are Jupiter correct?" "Yes I am." "Please transform." "JUPITER STAR POWER, TRANSFORM!" "You saw when Mina was injured?" "Yes." "Then what did you do?" "I pulled her to safety. With us out of the way, Raye and Amy were able to disarm the youma." "Yes, go on." "I used my glove as a bandage, to try and stop the bleeding. The youma started to escape, and I was furious that it had dared to harm Mina. She is like a sister to me." "Family is very important to you, isn?t it Lita?" "Yes." "Why?" "My parents died when I was ten." "And now this monster nearly took away your sister." "Yes." "So, what did you do?" "I threw the pipe at it. But I missed. It was getting away, and I couldn?t let that happen. Nobody else was going to suffer. I chased it, until we came to the top of the apartment building. Then I used a new attack to destroy it." "Will you please show us?" "Yes." I raise my arms above me. "Jupiter Supreme Thunderhead, STRIKE!" A deafing clap of thunder fills the room, and the doors of the courtroom turn to ruble. The chair is dust. "Sorry, I don?t have as much control over that one yet." "No problem. Is that what caused the thunderclap that the people heard?" "Yes sir." "No more questions." The prosecutor walks up to me. There is a renewed glint in her eye. "If you used your glove as a bandage, why does it look like new?" "I can show you. Here." I pull off my glove and hand it to her. "Destroy it" She takes a pair of scissors and shreds it. "Hold on to that tight now." In a flash of green light, I am back in my normal clothes. "What THE?" My glove has, as expected, disappeared. I transform again, and it appears as allways. "How did that happen?" "I don?t know. But whenever we transform, are fukus are brand new. So when I powered down that night, that glove disappeared forever." Mrs. Beck sighs. "No further questions." *** "..I trust you to make the correct decision. Thank you." Portia walks dejectedly to her seat, closing arguments finally finished. I watch as Scott walks once again to the front of the courtroom. "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, today you have seen the evidence against Miss. Kino. You have heard numerous witnesses telling how she could have attacked Mina. But you have also heard the truth. Mina was not attacked by anyone his court could punish, but by a monster from another dimension. It was not an act of senseless violence, but a battle between good and evil. Lita is not an criminal, but a hero. Without these girls risking their lives, we would all be dead several times over. Please, don?t punish Lita for doing her duty. Don?t ruin her life because of this. I leave her fate in your hands." He returns to the table as the judge addresses the jury. I watch as they file out, going to decide my future. *** "WHAT IS TAKING SO LONG??" "Serena, it?s only been half an hour." "THAT?S HALF AN HOUR TOO LONG!!" "Serena, calm down. The jury has to deliberate." "ABOUT WHAT?" "The facts." "Lita?s innocent, what other facts are there?" "They still have to think about what Portia said." "WHY?" "Because!" "BECAUSE WHY?" "Just Because. Now CALM DOWN!" "BUT..." "If you don?t calm down the judge will make us leave." "BUT..." "I give up. Darien, can YOU calm her down?" "When she?s in a mood like THAT? I think not." "HEY!" "Quiet, they?re comming back!" "Have you reached a verdict?" "Yes your Honor." "Please hand it to me." Judge Grahm reads the slip of paper, and hands it back to the head juror. "Please read your verdict to the court." "We find the defendant, Lita Kino..." We all hold our breaths. It seems like time stops. .... .... .... .... "...Not Guilty." Instantlly, Lita is tackeled by four extremly happy girls." "LITA!! You?re FREE!!!! You can come Back!!" "Yes, but I can?t help wondering what price we paid. Was it worth it?" "Of COURSE it was worth it! Victory party at my house! NOW!! C?mon! Let?s get out of here!" *** I feel the wind blow softly against my face as we walk out the courthouse doors. Free. I?m Free. I can go home. "Miss Kino, Would you answer a few questions for me?" The lone reporter who was covering my case asks hopefully. "Sure. What do you want to know?" "Do you like being Jupiter?" "Yes. Very much." "Do you ever wish that you didn?t have this burden?" "No. I don?t want an icky dull normal life. Anything else?" "Yes. Who is he?" He point over my sholder to where Darien is standing. "That is Prince Endymon, better known as Tuxeido Mask." "Why didn?t he testify?" "He wasn?t at the battle that night?" "Why?" "I was in Chiba, and couldn?t make it back in time." "Well, thank you very much." "You are very welcome. Now, Serena, what are you going to feed us at this victory party?" "ME feed? Lita, you?re free, you cook. You don?t WANT what we would make you!" "Well, THAT?S a big surprise. No wonder you went through so much to free me, you misssed my food. I feel so loved." "You ARE so loved. Now, let?s go eat!" Some things will never change. *** I rush into my classroom and collapse into my desk, exactly fifteen minutes after the tardy bell. "SERENA USAGI TUSKINO, WHY ARE YOU LATE?!" "I?m Sorry Mrs. Haruna,..." I pant "...But I didn?t get much sleep last night and I didn?t hear my alarm." "And WHY where you out so late?" "I was fighting." "What?" "I was fighting a youma." " Serena, I?ve had the dubious pleasure of having you in my class for three different years, and I have NEVER heard such a lame excuse." "Huh? Where have you been for the past week?" "Why do you ask that?" "You didn?t hear the news?" "Robert took me camping. What news?" Molly jumps to my rescue. "Miss Haruna, Serena is Saila Moon. All the news papa?s have been talkin about it! It?s so excitin!" She looks at me again. "You? But you can?t even pass my tests. You never do your homework, You fall asleep in class..." She slowly stops talking. "Dear Lord, that?s it. How can you learn if you never sleep!" "THANK YOU GOD, SHE FINALLY UNDERSTANDS!!!!!!" I shout "he he, did I say that out loud?" "Uhh, yes." "Sorry." "That?s ok." "Serena, just how late were you out?" "Well, I woke up at one thirty, it took about an hour to finish off the yoma, then we had to take care of the victims, and Mars was injured so I used the Crystal to heal her. Then the reporters were on us, so we had to answer questions for forever. I finally got home at four forty five, and had exactly one hour fifteen minutes of sleep before I was supposed to get ready for class. But I slept for two hours, woke up ten minutes before the bell, and Darien gave me a ride." "And here you are." "Yup." "Interesting. But you still can?t sleep throughout class." Sigh. I knew this was too good to be true. "Now for current events. Would Lita please go first?" "Yes Miss Hauna." I watch as my friend walks to the front of the class. She shoots me a saucy grin. "My article is about something that concernes me personally. The title is ?Happily Ever After?" She didn?t go there, did she? Tell me she didn?t go there. "The newfound Princess Serenity, better known as Serena Tuskino... She did go there. Lita my friend, you are dead. "...recentlly anounced her engagement...." "OOOOOOHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, Sa-RE-na!" the class moans. "... to her long time love, the Prince Endymon. AKA Darien Chiba." "That?s SOOOOOOOO ro-MAN-tic!" Mother, please help me. "Her Mother was quoted as saying ?I covenced her father to finally let them be. After all, this relatiopnship has been going on for quite some time.?" On second thought, mother don?t help me. "Her friend Amy only said ?It?s ABOUT time!" "AMY! YOU SAID WHAT?" "I said that it?s about time. Don?t you agree?" "Of COURSE I agree! But did you have to tell that to the press?" "Well, wait till you hear what Lita said." "WHAT DID LITA SAY?!" "Lita Kino, recentally aquitted of assult charges, only commented as to the nature of the ring. ?It?s GORGOUS! I wish I had a guy who Loved ME that much!?" I jam my left hand under my notebook. "Now, what effects will this marrige have on the royalty without a kindom? Raye Hino, who repudatlly has psycic powers that coincide with her Martian abilities, only hinted that the monarchs may someday rule a kingdom after all.?" "Now, would Serena be so kind as to come up here and show off what she?s been waiting for all these years?" No Way. "Yes, Serena, please come up." "No thank you." "I?ll discount that tardy." "No" "I?ll let you take a nap." Well... "No." "I?ll give you extra Credit." "No." "A one hundred test grade. That would pull you up to passing." Dad did say I couldn?t get married untill I was passing. "OH, ALL RIGHT!" I march angrally to the front of the class. "SEE?" A collective gasp echos through the room. I look again at the ring on my finger. It is rather beautiful. A single diamond, not too gaudy or large, surrounded with sky blue saphires. (They match your eyes, he said) Set in gold, cresent moons and roses intertwined along the band. Ok, so mabye I overeacted. "Why, Serena, you?re blushing!" "THAT?S IT! Lita, just you WAIT untill the next training session!" She swallows nervouslly. "he he, I was, ah, only kidding you know." "Yeah. But I?m still gonna kill you." *** "Amy, Telephone." "I?ll be right there Mrs. Tuskino." I carfully close my advanced coledge level hirgher physics, honors, textbook and dig through some of Serena?s clothes before finding the phone. "Hello?" "Hello Amy." "Mom?" "You left some things last week. When do you want them back? "I..." "I?ll drop them of wherever your?e staying ." "I can come get them.." "No." "But Mom," "I?ll be there at noon tomorrow." -click- I sit in the empty room with the dialtone ringing in my ear. ~~~~~~~ Well, it's almost done now. Just the epolouge left!!! --Adrian I DON'T OWN IT, I MADE NO MONEY, SO DON'T SUE! =P