#asouryu

[yayneloveart]

Trials and Trimesters, Chapter 12

When they arrived at Baker Street, Susato wasted no time running to the building marked 221 and quickly but politely knocking on the door. The townhouse looked well kept, and whoever lived on the second floor looked to be fond of plants from how many they had sitting in their window boxes. They only had to wait a moment before the door was opened by a kindly looking older lady.

"Hello, how can I help you?" She greeted them.

"Hello, we're here to see Mr. Sholmes, please," Susato tried to hide her excitement, but failed.

"Come to see Mr. Sholmes? I can't promise that he is home, but I can see you in."

The lady led them inside the townhouse’s foyer and Ryunosuke immediately looked down at his feet.

"Kazuma, can you help me with my shoes?" Ryunosuke asked. "I can't take them off without sitting down."

"Westerners don't take off their shoes inside their homes," Kazuma informed him.

"... How strange…" He hadn't thought much about shoes at the boarding house, they didn't wear them in their own room, but inside a nice townhouse like this?

They must spend a lot of time cleaning their floors…

The lady, who Susato whispered was likely the landlady Mrs. Hudson from the short stories, led them up the stairs to the second floor. According to her, she was a woman with all the patience in the world with how long she rented to Mr. Sholmes and dealt with his antics.

"Mr. Sholmes, are you in?" Mrs. Hudson knocked on the second floor flat's door. "You have callers, a few young easterners."

"Hurley isn't home, but I can see them!" The strangely familiar voice of a young girl rang out from inside the flat. "You can let them inside, I'm just finishing a project."

Mrs. Hudson opened the door and let them enter. Susato was the first to enter, excitedly looking at all the odd items and contraptions lining the flat. Ryunosuke remembered Mr. Sholmes’s strange goggles and other devices he had with him on the Burya and it looked like he had a lot more where those came from. The flat toed the line between 'heavily decorated' and 'messy' with all the things sitting around it.

"I can't believe I'm standing in the same place as where the King of Bohemia hired Sholmes to retrieve his photo with Irene Adler…" Susato sighed.

"I hope the young lady here knows where he is," Kazuma said. "We're losing time with all this running around."

"This place smells awful," Ryunosuke complained. "There's a strange chemical smell in the air and it's making me nauseous."

"That would be from Hurley's part of the flat" a young girl with pink hair skipped into the room from what looked like a side room made into a kitchen. "No matter how long he's away or how much I air it out, the smell of his experiments still linger."

"Oh, I didn't mean…!" Ryunosuke suddenly felt very flustered. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say your home smells bad. I'm pregnant and it's making my sense of smell weird. I'm sure to normal people it smells very pleasant."

"Well, I'll make us some tea to bring in a good smell, and it should help with nausea." As quickly as she appeared, she disappeared back into her little kitchen.

"... does she look familiar to you?" Ryunosuke asked Kazuma.

"Yes, she was the young girl we briefly met at yesterday's trial," Kazuma confirmed. "I thought the design of her weapons looked familiar."

"Do any of the stories mention Sholmes living with a young girl?" Ryunosuke asked Susato, but she was too absorbed in admiring the items around the flat to hear him.

"The tea is ready!" The girl returned a few minutes later carrying a tray with a tea set and a freshly baked cake. "Come sit down and we can talk about your new case. I’ve never spoken to a Japanese lawyer before.”

The four of them sat around the metal chest that was being used as a table. The tea was poured and cake cut and passed around.

"Wow, this tea is amazing," Susato commented. "It's so fragrant and the taste so mellow."

"Thank you, I blend the leaves myself!" The girl beamed. “I’ve been working on a blend that can help alleviate fatigue. You must be exhausted after your long voyage here.”

"It does make me feel a lot better," Ryunosuke said between sips of tea and bites of cake. “Carrying a baby makes me tired, but I feel so refreshed.”

“Excuse my being forward,” Kazuma said, “But how do you know Mr. Sholmes? We met him on the Burya on our journey here but he never mentioned having a daughter.”

“Oh no!” the girl gasped. “Silly me, I never formally introduced myself. I’m Iris Wilson, and Hurley isn’t my father, we just live together.”

“Well, I am Kazuma Asogi, and I’m a lawyer from Japan here to study law.”

“And I am his judicial assistant, Susato Mikotoba,” Susato introduced herself.

“I’m Kazuma’s wife, Ryunosuke Asogi,” Ryunosuke said with a mouthful of cake.

“So we have Kazu, Susie, and Runo!” the girl clapped happily. “Nice to meet all of you!”

“Wait, did you say your last name is Wilson?” Susato suddenly asked. “I’ve read all of the ‘Adventures of Herlock Sholmes’ stories, but they’ve only mentioned a man named John Wilson.”

“Oh, that’s a bit of an alias,” Iris admitted. “I thought that people wouldn’t find stories about a great detective and a ten year old girl compelling, so I write them as if I’m a grown gentleman.”

“Wait, so you’re the author of the short stories?” Susato gawked. “And you’re only ten years old?”

“When I was ten years old I was still struggling to learn Kanji,” Ryunosuke remarked.

“You still struggle with Kanji,” Kazuma added.

“Let's talk more about your new case with Hurley and the Japanese man,” Iris changed the subject. “The case sounds very exciting, a stabbing where only one man was seen with the victim, but he says he didn't do it? It feels like quite the mystery.”

“How do you know all of that already?” Kazuma asked. “We only just met but you know we just arrived in London from Japan, that we’ve taken a recent case, and that it’s the case Mr. Sholmes is working with the Japanese defendant.”

“Oh, I was able to deduce all of that from just a few observations,” Iris smiled. “I can see that you just arrived in the country as I can see a boat ticket and passport in your jacket pocket,” she pointed at Kazuma’s pocket where the documents were poking out. “And from the type of sword you are carrying and your outfits, my best guess was that you came from Japan.”

“And I knew you’re working a case seeing as you are a lawyer, as I observed from meeting you the other day at the Old Bailey. Also, you each have a stamp on one hand that signifies a visitor to a prison, and it’s the type of stamp used for visiting foreign prisoners. Since you don’t look sad, I would suspect that you weren’t visiting a friend or relative, thus you must have been there to see a client.”

“And seeing as Mrs. Hudson said you were here to see Hurley, I figured that you were here about his current case. He helped arrest a Japanese man yesterday so it is only logical that you had gone to see him and are now here to ask Hurley some questions.”

The three of them sat in total silence as she explained her deductions. Even after she finished her speech, they still sat in awe of her, unsure of what to say.

“That…” Susato broke the silence, “That was amazing! And spot on!”

“I got everything right?” Iris clapped her hands happily.

“Down to the last detail,” Kazuma smiled at her. “I’m very impressed.”

“Thank you! I’ve learned a lot from Hurley.”

“So now that we’re speaking of the case,” Kazuma set his teacup aside, “Can I ask what you know about it?”

“Well, I can repeat what Hurley has told me so far.”

“That's a start.”

“Hurley had only just arrived at Paddington Station when the police arrived and they took him to the crime scene. They gave him the description of the man seen by the witnesses and the evidence left at the scene and he used them to find the man’s lodgings. They were very near the crime scene so they went directly there and they found the man hiding in his flat.”

“They only just arrested the man and the trial is tomorrow…” Kazuma sighed. “There's no time for us to investigate at all.”

“Hurley says there is a lot of crime in London,” Iris sighed with him. “The police have so much on their hands, they usually accuse the most suspicious looking person near the crime. And the courts are seeing so many cases they have to see them start and end quickly to handle them all.”

That sounds far from the ‘best judicial system in the world’.

For just a moment Kazuma looked despondent from hearing this, but quickly changed back to his lighthearted self before he made any comment on it.

“Thank you for talking with us today,” he smiled at Iris. “You’ve been very informative.”

“My pleasure, Kazu!”

“Could you tell us where Mr Sholmes might be? We would like to talk to him directly about the case.”

“I believe he is investigating the case a bit more. You’ll likely find him at the lodging house where your client was arrested.”

“Do you happen to know the address?”

“Well, the police are likely still investigating there. Have you met a detective named Gregson at all?”

“Yes, we are… acquainted with him.”

She stood up from her chair and went over to her desk, scribbling down a note before walking back and handing it to Kazuma. She also handed him a silver coin. “Give these to Gregsy and I’m sure he’ll tell you everything you need to know.”

“Thank you,” he said as he pocketed the items. “It makes sense you know him since you write those stories with him in it.”

“Good luck with your investigation!” Iris said as they stood to leave. “Please come back soon so we can have more tea and cake!”

“We’ll be sure to come back,” Susato bowed to her. “We can talk about how you write all those wonderful stories.”

And have more of that cake.

[rose022]

cutely breaks into your inbox

hi heres a silly ramble i thought you might be interested in

so in the tags of one of your bsd posts you mentioned you found it odd how dazai is called dazai (given name) and chuuya is called chuuya (family name) and it reminded me of how the great ace attorney fandom as a similar thing

basically the most common ship name for the ship between ryunosuke naruhodo and kazuma asogi is asouryu, which is the portmanteau of ryunosuke’s given name and kazuma’s family name, which is, something- i genuinely don’t know why its like this. my only guess is that it has something to do with the fact that because it took so long for this game to localized, a fan translation was created under the assumption it never would be officially translated, and that ship name was popularized then, somehow?? idk yhgbv

anyways uh, enjoy my ramblings!! idk why i did this tbh.. anyways uh.. play ace attorney-

hiiii thabk you for the silly rambling!! uh but as far as i know dazai is the family name and chuuya is his given name

but yes! its very interesting! i was also debating on bringing my ds to work today and couldve played aa but i brought flowers of bafoonery (sp?) instead cus im borrowing it from somone whos lesving like after new years vut after that i pinky promise ill play it!!!

[yayneloveart]

Trials and Trimesters, Chapter 12

When they arrived at Baker Street, Susato wasted no time running to the building marked 221 and quickly but politely knocking on the door. The townhouse looked well kept, and whoever lived on the second floor looked to be fond of plants from how many they had sitting in their window boxes. They only had to wait a moment before the door was opened by a kindly looking older lady.

"Hello, how can I help you?" She greeted them.

"Hello, we're here to see Mr. Sholmes, please," Susato tried to hide her excitement, but failed.

"Come to see Mr. Sholmes? I can't promise that he is home, but I can see you in."

The lady led them inside the townhouse’s foyer and Ryunosuke immediately looked down at his feet.

"Kazuma, can you help me with my shoes?" Ryunosuke asked. "I can't take them off without sitting down."

"Westerners don't take off their shoes inside their homes," Kazuma informed him.

"... How strange…" He hadn't thought much about shoes at the boarding house, they didn't wear them in their own room, but inside a nice townhouse like this?

They must spend a lot of time cleaning their floors…

The lady, who Susato whispered was likely the landlady Mrs. Hudson from the short stories, led them up the stairs to the second floor. According to her, she was a woman with all the patience in the world with how long she rented to Mr. Sholmes and dealt with his antics.

"Mr. Sholmes, are you in?" Mrs. Hudson knocked on the second floor flat's door. "You have callers, a few young easterners."

"Hurley isn't home, but I can see them!" The strangely familiar voice of a young girl rang out from inside the flat. "You can let them inside, I'm just finishing a project."

Mrs. Hudson opened the door and let them enter. Susato was the first to enter, excitedly looking at all the odd items and contraptions lining the flat. Ryunosuke remembered Mr. Sholmes’s strange goggles and other devices he had with him on the Burya and it looked like he had a lot more where those came from. The flat toed the line between 'heavily decorated' and 'messy' with all the things sitting around it.

"I can't believe I'm standing in the same place as where the King of Bohemia hired Sholmes to retrieve his photo with Irene Adler…" Susato sighed.

"I hope the young lady here knows where he is," Kazuma said. "We're losing time with all this running around."

"This place smells awful," Ryunosuke complained. "There's a strange chemical smell in the air and it's making me nauseous."

"That would be from Hurley's part of the flat" a young girl with pink hair skipped into the room from what looked like a side room made into a kitchen. "No matter how long he's away or how much I air it out, the smell of his experiments still linger."

"Oh, I didn't mean…!" Ryunosuke suddenly felt very flustered. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say your home smells bad. I'm pregnant and it's making my sense of smell weird. I'm sure to normal people it smells very pleasant."

"Well, I'll make us some tea to bring in a good smell, and it should help with nausea." As quickly as she appeared, she disappeared back into her little kitchen.

"... does she look familiar to you?" Ryunosuke asked Kazuma.

"Yes, she was the young girl we briefly met at yesterday's trial," Kazuma confirmed. "I thought the design of her weapons looked familiar."

"Do any of the stories mention Sholmes living with a young girl?" Ryunosuke asked Susato, but she was too absorbed in admiring the items around the flat to hear him.

"The tea is ready!" The girl returned a few minutes later carrying a tray with a tea set and a freshly baked cake. "Come sit down and we can talk about your new case. I’ve never spoken to a Japanese lawyer before.”

The four of them sat around the metal chest that was being used as a table. The tea was poured and cake cut and passed around.

"Wow, this tea is amazing," Susato commented. "It's so fragrant and the taste so mellow."

"Thank you, I blend the leaves myself!" The girl beamed. “I’ve been working on a blend that can help alleviate fatigue. You must be exhausted after your long voyage here.”

"It does make me feel a lot better," Ryunosuke said between sips of tea and bites of cake. “Carrying a baby makes me tired, but I feel so refreshed.”

“Excuse my being forward,” Kazuma said, “But how do you know Mr. Sholmes? We met him on the Burya on our journey here but he never mentioned having a daughter.”

“Oh no!” the girl gasped. “Silly me, I never formally introduced myself. I’m Iris Wilson, and Hurley isn’t my father, we just live together.”

“Well, I am Kazuma Asogi, and I’m a lawyer from Japan here to study law.”

“And I am his judicial assistant, Susato Mikotoba,” Susato introduced herself.

“I’m Kazuma’s wife, Ryunosuke Asogi,” Ryunosuke said with a mouthful of cake.

“So we have Kazu, Susie, and Runo!” the girl clapped happily. “Nice to meet all of you!”

“Wait, did you say your last name is Wilson?” Susato suddenly asked. “I’ve read all of the ‘Adventures of Herlock Sholmes’ stories, but they’ve only mentioned a man named John Wilson.”

“Oh, that’s a bit of an alias,” Iris admitted. “I thought that people wouldn’t find stories about a great detective and a ten year old girl compelling, so I write them as if I’m a grown gentleman.”

“Wait, so you’re the author of the short stories?” Susato gawked. “And you’re only ten years old?”

“When I was ten years old I was still struggling to learn Kanji,” Ryunosuke remarked.

“You still struggle with Kanji,” Kazuma added.

“Let's talk more about your new case with Hurley and the Japanese man,” Iris changed the subject. “The case sounds very exciting, a stabbing where only one man was seen with the victim, but he says he didn't do it? It feels like quite the mystery.”

“How do you know all of that already?” Kazuma asked. “We only just met but you know we just arrived in London from Japan, that we’ve taken a recent case, and that it’s the case Mr. Sholmes is working with the Japanese defendant.”

“Oh, I was able to deduce all of that from just a few observations,” Iris smiled. “I can see that you just arrived in the country as I can see a boat ticket and passport in your jacket pocket,” she pointed at Kazuma’s pocket where the documents were poking out. “And from the type of sword you are carrying and your outfits, my best guess was that you came from Japan.”

“And I knew you’re working a case seeing as you are a lawyer, as I observed from meeting you the other day at the Old Bailey. Also, you each have a stamp on one hand that signifies a visitor to a prison, and it’s the type of stamp used for visiting foreign prisoners. Since you don’t look sad, I would suspect that you weren’t visiting a friend or relative, thus you must have been there to see a client.”

“And seeing as Mrs. Hudson said you were here to see Hurley, I figured that you were here about his current case. He helped arrest a Japanese man yesterday so it is only logical that you had gone to see him and are now here to ask Hurley some questions.”

The three of them sat in total silence as she explained her deductions. Even after she finished her speech, they still sat in awe of her, unsure of what to say.

“That…” Susato broke the silence, “That was amazing! And spot on!”

“I got everything right?” Iris clapped her hands happily.

“Down to the last detail,” Kazuma smiled at her. “I’m very impressed.”

“Thank you! I’ve learned a lot from Hurley.”

“So now that we’re speaking of the case,” Kazuma set his teacup aside, “Can I ask what you know about it?”

“Well, I can repeat what Hurley has told me so far.”

“That's a start.”

“Hurley had only just arrived at Paddington Station when the police arrived and they took him to the crime scene. They gave him the description of the man seen by the witnesses and the evidence left at the scene and he used them to find the man’s lodgings. They were very near the crime scene so they went directly there and they found the man hiding in his flat.”

“They only just arrested the man and the trial is tomorrow…” Kazuma sighed. “There's no time for us to investigate at all.”

“Hurley says there is a lot of crime in London,” Iris sighed with him. “The police have so much on their hands, they usually accuse the most suspicious looking person near the crime. And the courts are seeing so many cases they have to see them start and end quickly to handle them all.”

That sounds far from the ‘best judicial system in the world’.

For just a moment Kazuma looked despondent from hearing this, but quickly changed back to his lighthearted self before he made any comment on it.

“Thank you for talking with us today,” he smiled at Iris. “You’ve been very informative.”

“My pleasure, Kazu!”

“Could you tell us where Mr Sholmes might be? We would like to talk to him directly about the case.”

“I believe he is investigating the case a bit more. You’ll likely find him at the lodging house where your client was arrested.”

“Do you happen to know the address?”

“Well, the police are likely still investigating there. Have you met a detective named Gregson at all?”

“Yes, we are… acquainted with him.”

She stood up from her chair and went over to her desk, scribbling down a note before walking back and handing it to Kazuma. She also handed him a silver coin. “Give these to Gregsy and I’m sure he’ll tell you everything you need to know.”

“Thank you,” he said as he pocketed the items. “It makes sense you know him since you write those stories with him in it.”

“Good luck with your investigation!” Iris said as they stood to leave. “Please come back soon so we can have more tea and cake!”

“We’ll be sure to come back,” Susato bowed to her. “We can talk about how you write all those wonderful stories.”

And have more of that cake.

[yayneloveart]

Trials and Trimesters, Chapter 11

If Ryunosuke had to give his opinion on British prisons versus Japanese prisons, he would say that the Japanese kind was preferable. While he did not enjoy his time being locked up after being accused of murder, it felt much nicer than being in a British prison. Everything was dank and dark and cold and very unpleasant.

They were led down to the cell block housing those with upcoming trials, passing many people behind bars in plain clothes and not any prison uniforms. Most were either sleeping on their stiff wood beds or cowering in the back of their cell. A very sad sight.

“Here is your client,” the guard told them. “Prisoner fifty-three, your legal representative is here to see you! Stop hiding and come out!”

“Watashi wa nekodesu ka?” an annoyed voice came from the back of the cell. The guard groaned and mumbled something about ‘foreign gibberish’ under his breath before walking away.

“Am I hearing things, or…?” Ryunosuke started to say.

“Is he speaking Japanese?” Susato finished for him.

“Sir?” Kazuma called out to the prisoner. “Can we speak-”

“Quiet!” a man walked out of the shadows at the back of the cell and approached the iron bars. He was short, fairly stooped, with wild eyes and equally wild hair. He shook in fear and was constantly looking around as if to catch something out of the corner of his eye. “They’re all around me… hiding… laughing… listening… right now!”

There was a pause as pregnant as Ryunosuke before they tried talking again.

“Sir, my name is Kazu-”

“You’ve come to curse me!” the man shouted at Kazuma. “You’re a ghost, aren’t you?! You’ve come to put a curse on me!”

“Excuse me," Susato addressed the madman, "do you happen to be Japanese?"

"Oh joy!" The man's demeanor immediately changed. "To hear my native spoken by a fellow Japanese, it's beyond my wildest dreams!"

The man began to dramatically cry with happiness, babbling about how grateful he was to their country for sending him a top tier lawyer.

This feels… strangely familiar…

Less than three months before, Ryunosuke had been in his own cell cowering in fear. He was curled up on the cell futon trying to process what had just happened to him. In only a few short hours, he had gone from enjoying coffee with his best friend and lover, to being accused of murder and arrested.

I wish mother was here…

"Ryunosuke?" The sound of Kazuma’s voice pulled him back to his harsh reality.

“Kazuma!” Ryunosuke jumped up and flung himself at the cell bars. “I didn’t do it, I swear!”

"I know, I know," Kazuma reassured him. "I know you would never kill anyone."

"I don't know what happened, I picked up a pistol from the floor and I heard a gunshot but not from the gun I was holding but no one else had one and the waiter saw me and pushed me into a pantry until the police got there and…"

"I read the report," Kazuma stopped him from continuing to ramble. Ryunosuke had started to tear up and was now sobbing out his words. "It looks bad on the surface, but I will find the truth of this case and prove your innocence."

"You… you will?" Ryunosuke wiped his eyes with his sleeves.

"Of course, I'm going to be your defense attorney."

Ryunosuke pushed his arms through the cell bars and pulled Kazuma into a hug. Kazuma hugged him back, and enjoyed it for as long as he could before the nearby guard forced them apart. "Limited contact only," he told them.

"I’m still scared,” Ryunosuke admitted once the guard walked away. “Everyone keeps calling me a killer  and a heartless murderer. It's like they know I'll be found guilty."

"We both know you’re not, and I’m going to show the world the truth,” Kazuma smiled at him. “I’m here for you. I’ll always be here for you.”

There were many things that Ryunosuke was thankful for that day. His lover was also a lawyer and believed his story. He was in a men's prison, versus a women's prison where Kazuma would not be allowed to enter. He did not yet know of his condition, which would have made the whole ordeal worse. Sadly, this prisoner did not seem to have as many things to be thankful for.

Current Ryunosuke shook himself out of his memories when he heard his name being repeated.

“Ryunosuke is an odd name for a woman,” the prisoner commented. “I think I’ve only met men named Ryunosuke.”

Out of everyone in London we could meet, we had to meet the one person who would know my name is masculine!

“Her parents expected a boy when she was born and kept the name anyway,” Kazuma calmly explained. “As I was saying, we are also here on a study tour and were told about your case.”

“And now you’re going to defend me, correct?” The man looked at them with pleading eyes.

“Mr. Natsume… I need time to put all the pieces together before I can make a promise like that…”

“You must have heard all the other lawyers talking about me then,” Natsume looked down dejectedly, his sad eyes watering. “They all say I’m a lost cause, a foreign nobody. I heard people call me hopeless, a lost cause, and some even said I wouldn’t understand what would be said at trial anyways. I’ve been branded as a killer and the trial hasn’t even started yet! And the poor girl isn’t even dead.”

“I can only imagine how it feels…” Kazuma gave Natsume some sympathy.

I can directly relate to him… all too well…

“Everyone here hates me. I’ve traveled across the world to study their history and literature only to be accosted and abused by everyone around me. My greatest wish would be to have a lawyer who can speak to me in my own native tongue.”

Kazuma took a long time to stare at the floor, calculating his next response.

“Give me some time… once I have a good look at the case then I’ll tell you if I will take it or not.”

“We feel that we must find some clues before committing to anything,” Susato added. “A thorough investigation will always give way to the truth!”

“Oh yes, please! Please, go find the proof that I am innocent! I will be waiting here for you, Mr Asogi Esquire!”

—

“So the woman just collapsed with no one else around them?” Ryunosuke asked as he was caught up on all the details he missed while daydreaming. They were riding in a carriage heading towards the East End where they would find the crime scene.

“That's how we understand it,” Kazuma nodded.

“But then how was he arrested if no one saw him?”

“According to him, the police brought in Mr. Sholmes to help,” Susato said. “He said he led the police right to him.”

“You mean, Mr. Herlock Sholmes?”

“I have a feeling that we’ll be seeing him again soon, and not for a casual visit,” Kazuma looked at the notes he had taken up to then. “I need to know exactly what evidence led him to Mr. Natsume. I can only hope that there's a flaw in his deduction, if Mr. Natsume is innocent, of course.”

“Do you not believe him?” Ryunosuke looked over at his husband. “He seemed very convincing to me. Much more believable than Mr. McGilded.”

“I can say he acted the part, but after yesterday's trial…” Kazuma looked down at his hands, “I feel like I can’t take a client’s word for their innocence. I need solid evidence.”

“I believe he’s innocent,” Ryunosuke said firmly. “The fear in his eyes looked real. I know that fear well.”

“I hope you’re right,” Kazuma took his hand and lightly squeezed it.

—

What began as a planned investigation became a wild goose chase as Gregson stonewalled them right at the crime scene. Despite Kazuma’s best efforts, the only information he was able to get out of the Detective was that there were witnesses to the crime, but they couldn't question them until the trial. This led them to discuss their next best step, which is when Susato took her chance.

“We can go see Mr. Sholmes at his home and ask him about the case. I’m sure he will tell us as much as he can about it!”

“Well, if we had his home address then we could do that…” Kazuma thought out loud.

“221B Baker Street! That's his address in the stories, I’m sure that it’s also his real address.”

“Is it safe to have your address be published like that?” Ryunosuke wondered.

[yayneloveart]

Trials and Trimesters, chapter 10

Ryunosuke wasn’t sure why he decided to walk into the shop when he should have been walking back to his accommodations, but he had done so anyway. It was likely the bright lights and shiny toys on display that caught his eye and made him make a detour to look around inside.

The store looked like it sold everything they would need soon. There were cradles and bassinets of all shapes and sizes, and clothes designed for multiple stages of life. Different types of toys were everywhere, from small silver rattles to stuffed animals to wood carved horses toddlers could pretend to ride. Everything was so beautiful, and expensive.

Ryunosuke picked up a frock meant for a newborn and admired how small it was. His stomach already felt so big and it was only going to get bigger, but he was amazed at how tiny the baby would be once they’re born. He imagined what his little one would look like, dressed in the white frock with a little white bonnet to go with it. He adored the image

“Already planning a wardrobe?” He jumped a bit when he heard Kazuma behind him. He turned to see that he had followed him inside and watched him browse the store.

“Just… getting some ideas…” He said as he put the frock back on display. As much as he would have loved to buy at least something for the baby, everything in this store was far out of their budget.

“I promise you that we’ll have plenty of toys and clothes by the time the baby comes,” Kazuma put his arm around Ryunosuke’s waist. “We’ll find them someplace a little…  less expensive.”

“Just looking at these things makes everything feel more… real. That one day we’ll have an actual baby to dress and feed and teach and care for.”

They walked out of the store together, rejoined by Susato after pulling her away from the intricately hand carved wood cradles she was admiring.

—

That day had started as a repeat of the day before. In the morning Kazuma and Co rose early and traveled to the Supreme Court to submit their report for their first trial.

"How did you sleep last night?" Susato made conversation as they waited for Lord Stronghart to meet them.

"Fairly well," Ryunosuke lied. Despite his efforts, he was still bothered by the events of the previous day and struggled to fall asleep. He knew Kazuma hadn't slept either. "After sharing a bed meant for one person I enjoyed the extra space we got."

"The large bed did feel luxurious compared to my steerage accommodations," Susato smiled. "The bill was not as high as I thought it would be."

That's because Kazuma didn't order extra room service for you.

That morning they were given itemized bills for each of their rooms. Kazuma had tried to hide theirs from Ryunosuke, but he managed to peek at it and almost passed out looking at the numbers.

"Ordering the hot bath cost that much?!" Ryunosuke gasped.

"I thought it would be good for you and the baby after such a stressful day," Kazuma calmly explained while tucking the bill into his jacket pocket.

"But… but…!"

"Let me spoil my wife, please."

Ryunosuke still felt guilty over it, but Kazuma was steadfast in doing whatever he wanted to in order to pamper him and their unborn child.

"Ah, good morning to you at this early hour," Lord Stronghart greeted them when he finally arrived.

"Good morning, Lord Stronghart," Kazuma greeted him. "We are here to submit our report on the outcome of our trial from yesterday."

"Yes, I heard it was quite the show. It must have been a very immersive experience.”

Ryunosuke immediately tuned them out, not wanting to listen to talk of the court case and its resolution. Despite being interested in finding the truth behind the crime, he wanted to follow his own advice and leave the rest of the investigation to Scotland Yard.

It was when Lord Stronghart mentioned the death of Mr. McGilded that Ryunosuke finally joined the conversation.

"What?! How?" He interjected.

"Immediately following the trial, the omnibus that was present in the courtroom caught fire," Stronghart explained. "After it was extinguished, a body was found in the ruins and it was identified as being Magnus McGuilded."

He… was burned alive?!

"Scotland Yard is still investigating his death, but I would like you to focus on the new case I mentioned."

Was it Fairplay? Was he so angry that McGilded was found innocent that he murdered him to get out of his debt? Was it one of those men I heard in the restroom? No, they were being paid by McGilded, they wouldn't have killed their employer. Unless they were working for Fairplay, then they may have been there to prepare the omnibus to be burned later…

Do I smell fish and chips?

Ryunosuke was pulled out of his thoughts by the smell of freshly fried food. He looked around Lord Stronghart to see a man standing a distance behind him. He was holding a newspaper packet of fish and chips and was slowly working his way through it.

… I wonder if it would be rude to ask for a bite?

Lord Stronghart excused himself, leaving them to talk to the man with the fried foods. Ryunosuke realized he had no idea what was going on after being in his own head for the whole conversation.

"Good morning sir, my name is-" Kazuma started to introduce himself to the man, but was immediately interrupted.

"Listen to me you young-!" The man started, then immediately stopped when he got a good look at Kazuma. His expression quickly turned from annoyance to shock, and stood there for a good minute with his mouth hanging open. He had been waving around his food as he yelled, but his arm was now frozen mid swing as if he was in a photograph.

It was almost like a repeat of Van Ziek's reaction the previous day.

I wonder if he would notice if I pinched one of his chips…

"As I was saying…" Kazuma started again, "my name is Kazuma Asogi. This is my judicial assistant Susato Mikotoba, and my wife Ryunosuke Asogi."

"Ah, um… ahem…" the man came back to his senses and composed himself. "I am Inspector Tobias Gregson of Scotland Yard. Lord Stronghart asked me to fill you in on the case."

"Did you say you're Inspector Gregson?" Susato asked excitedly. "As in, the Inspector Gregson of The Adventures of Herlock Sholmes?!"

She started to prattle on about the Sholmes short stories and how this man was a prominent character in the series. According to her, he and Sholmes were friendly rivals who had worked together to solve several cases. Ryunosuke couldn't care less about the stories, but he did think of the man who inspired it.

Sholmes said he wanted to see us once we arrived here, but we haven't seen or heard from him since we arrived in Dover.

He thought about the night he found himself in Sholmes’ cabin wardrobe, contemplating the implications of finding that damned earring in Kazuma’s jacket. The detective had spent time talking to him, comforting and helping him find the truth. He was the reason why he was able to stay with Kazuma and keep their baby. Ryunosuke felt a deep sense of gratitude towards the man, even though he still thought he was a complete weirdo.

“If we could please focus our attention back to the case at hand…” Kazuma tried to take control back over the conversation. “Can you tell us what happened, Inspector Gregson?”

“Not much to tell,” he said while casually munching on his lunch. “A young woman was walking along Briar road when she was attacked from behind and was stabbed. Thankfully it wasn’t fatal, but she's still in hospital and unconscious. A fairly simple case in my book.”

“Oh dear…” Susato sighed. “That means this case will be super complicated for us, won't it?”

“Well, it’s nothing we can’t handle,” Kazuma responded confidently. “The trial isn’t until tomorrow, so we can investigate the crime scene ourselves.”

“That won't help you, though,” Gregson shook his head. “The criminal is a hopeless case.”

“And what makes it so helpless?” Kazuma gave the Inspector a look of suspicion.

“The prosecutor assigned to this case is Lord Barok van Zieks.”

“No!” Ryunosuke gasped.

“So you do know of him. You should also know that in every trial where he's been the prosecutor, the accused suffered a painful fate.”

“But… we just won a case against him the other day,” Kazuma told him. “We stopped the accused from being sent to the gallows.”

“And right afterwards he died from being burned alive. I was there in the courthouse when the omnibus caught fire last night, I heard Magnus McGuilded screaming from inside the carriage. I helped recover what was left of him.”

Kazuma quickly pulled Susato and Ryunosuke close to him, immediately trying to comfort them after hearing that harrowing description. He didn’t have to see their pale faces to know that they were shocked and sickened by that mental image.

“Enough about that,” he said. “Where can I speak with the accused?”

“Ahem… sorry…” Gregson looked away for a moment in shame. “I only meant to say that even if the accused is found innocent, they don't live much longer after the trial. No one has been able to definitively link the deaths to van Zieks, but people still like to talk. As for the accused, he's in prison at the moment, inmate fifty three. Talk to the jailer and he’ll show you the way.”

“Thank you, Inspector.”

Gregson took his leave, making the three students the only people left inside the office. The silence was deafening.

“Are you really taking on another case so soon after… yesterday?” Susato asked Kazuma.

“I can’t let one trial keep me from doing what I set out to do,” he sighed. “Not everyone will be a Magnus McGilded, and today I have the chance to take a look at the case before I decide to do anything.”

“Then I will do my best to assist you.” Susato tried to look as confident as she could. 

“Can I make a small request?” Ryunosuke asked suddenly.

“What is it?” Kazuma looked at him thoughtfully.

“When we have the chance, can we stop for some fish and chips?”

[yayneloveart]

Trials and Trimesters, chapter 9

Ryunosuke let out a long, satisfied sigh. The winter chill that had taken hold of his hands and feet was now replaced with a pleasant heat that enveloped his whole body. He hadn't felt so good in a long time, and he owed it all to Kazuma.

Earlier that day, their plan to find housing involved Ryunosuke and Susato waiting on a bench with their luggage while Kazuma asked around for any empty rooms. They had the fortune of having a food cart parked nearby and were finally able to eat after several hours of traveling and arguing in court. Ryunosuke had quickly eaten his whole packet of chips and went back for another while Susato slowly worked through her own.

“Is there a lot on your mind?” Ryunosuke asked her after he returned with his second helping.

“Huh?” Susato took her eyes off the pavement and looked over at him. She hadn’t said anything in a while and looked like her mind was a million miles away.

“It’s been… an eventful day. Everyone has been worrying about me, so I wanted to know if you were alright."

"Oh…" Susato looked down at the chip she was squishing between her fingers. "I'm alright, it's Kazuma I'm thinking about. He always said that learning from the British justice system would make our own better, but I think today shook up that vision."

Ryunosuke slowly started to eat his second chip package as he spoke."He's been acting strange, even before the trial. I feel like now he's the one hiding something."

Susato looked back over at him. "I have that feeling too. The day before we reached Dover we had a talk and he was speaking very cryptically." 

'Having a baby be part of the journey is making me rethink a few things' were his exact words, but Ryunosuke doesn't need to know that.

"We promised each other we wouldn't  hide anything important between the two of us," Ryunosuke sighed. "Not that I think that he's hiding anything as life changing as a baby, but I still worry about him."

Susato watched as Ryunosuke spoke about his husband, his voice sounding genuinely concerned about his well being. "I'm glad he has you as a spouse," she told him. "Not a lot of people worry about him. He's so smart and confident, no one thinks to question how he's really doing."

“Oh… um…” he sputtered, not used to receiving such high praise. “The whole reason why our relationship works… or why we started it… is we have a lot of trust in each other. I trust him to take care of me when I need it, so I do the same for him. Right now, I know I need to trust that he has good reasons for not saying anything, and that one day he will tell me what's wrong."

—

A while later Kazuma returned with directions to a boarding house with a few empty rooms. "It's a little out of our budget, but we only need to stay for a day or two," he explained. The house was warm and well kept, and they were shown to their rooms which may have been on the small side but were nicely furnished with large beds. Dinner was brought to them and despite having just had a snack, Ryunosuke tore through his meal in very little time.

"Don't even think about making a comment,” Ryunosuke warned his partner when his plate was completely empty.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Kazuma smiled innocently.

Now much of the stress and tension built up over the course of the day was gone from Ryunosuke's body. He stretched and sighed happily, looking over at Kazuma and smiling lazily.

Much to Ryunosuke's delight, a hot bath was ready in their room soon after they finished dinner. He immediately stripped down and stepped into the tub for a long relaxing soak.

Now he was faced with the dilemma of either staying in a quickly cooling bath, or getting out and rushing to dry off before freezing. He watched as Kazuma changed into some night clothes and got ready for bed.

“I can just stay in here all night,” Ryunosuke said as he splashed a bit. “It's not that cold yet.”

“You’ll freeze before morning,” Kazuma reminded him.

“I’ll freeze if I step out of the tub.”

“You’ll be very uncomfortable sleeping in that tub.”

Ryunosuke finally decided that he wanted to sleep in a dry bed that night, and quickly climbed out of the tub and dried himself off before wrapping himself in a robe. Kazuma was sitting on the edge of the bed facing away from him, and he crawled up behind him and wrapped himself around his body to warm himself up.

“...Ryunosuke?” Kazuma got his attention.

“Hm?”

“Did… did I do the right thing today?” he asked hesitantly, not looking back at his partner.

Ryunosuke took a second to let the question sink in. “Yes, I think so.”

“I can’t stop thinking about it… I may have helped a murderer go free…”

“You said that everyone deserves a day in court,” Ryunosuke reminded him. He let him go from his chilly embrace and moved his hands to his shoulders, slowly kneading them through his robe. “And in the end, there wasn’t enough evidence to prove guilt beyond a doubt. That's a mistake Scotland Yard made.”

“It still doesn’t sit right with me… all that evidence just appearing in court… what you heard in the restroom…”

“I’m not sure what I heard,” Ryunosuke sighed as he moved to massage his back now, working the tight knots out of it. “And you were honest with the court when asked if it could have been fake or not. You didn’t hide anything or lie, you found the holes in the prosecution's case and presented them.”

“I wish I found more answers.”

“That's Scotland Yard’s job now. I hope someday we learn what really happened on that omnibus.”

Kazuma let out a shuddering sigh and fully relaxed. Ryunosuke kept rubbing his back and shoulders, doing his best to keep his spirits up.

“I feel like the truth is the hardest thing to find,” he said mournfully. “I came here looking for the truth and I feel today was a bad sign.”

“What truth are you looking for?”

“I came here to find my father.”

Father…

Kazuma never mentioned his parents before. Since the day they met, he never once said anything about them and Ryunosuke decided it was a topic not to ask about. He figured they were likely passed or estranged since they were not mentioned when they wrote their letters home about the baby.

“My father died here, in London,” he explained. “He came here to study law enforcement but got sick and died. That's the official story, but I have a feeling that it's not true.”

“I’m sorry…” Was all Ryunosuke could say.

“I have a photo…” Kazuma stood up and went to his suitcase, pulling out a book and slipping a picture out from between the pages. He sat back down on the bed and showed Ryunosuke.

“You look so adorable!” he gushed at the photo. A child Kazuma stood in front of a large house next to an adult man, assumedly his father. Kazuma did resemble him a bit, but not perfectly.

“That was the last time I saw him, I was seven,” he explained. “He was away for six years, then we got a call that he had died suddenly and that his possessions were being returned to us. My mother was overtaken with grief and died a year later. After that Professor Mikotoba took me in.”

“I’m…” he was at a total loss for words. “That's so…”

“I’ve thought a lot about how my child will be born in the city where my father died,” he continued. “I’m not sure how I feel about it.”

Ryunosuke kept looking at the photo, admiring his husband’s childhood image. “I hope the baby looks like you,” he tried to lighten the mood. “You were an adorable child.”

“I’m sure you were cute too.”

“I was always told that I had a great personality…”

They sat there for a moment to let the last few minutes sink in.

“Does Susato know?” Ryunosuke finally asked.

“Not the full story. She knows my parents died and that's why her father took me in, but she doesn’t know my father died here.”

“You should tell her… she worries about you.”

“I will… I wanted to tell you first, when I felt the moment was right.” He took the photo back and replaced it in his suitcase. “It’s late, we need to rest.”

“Just one more question…” Ryunosuke looked up at him. “If you don’t think he died of illness, how do you think he did die?”

Kazuma was silent for a long moment. “I’m not sure, but I'm going to find out the truth.”

Kazuma crawled under the covers with him and blew out the lamp next to their bed. This bed was large enough for them to spread out on their own sides, but Ryunosuke still felt the need to cuddle close to his husband. He slept best knowing that he was right there beside him, and he liked to think that Kazuma felt the same. He could feel the baby rolling over inside him, almost agreeing that they liked to be near both their parents.

Don’t worry, baby, mother and father will always be here for you.

[yayneloveart]

Trials and Trimesters, Chapter 8

It's just you and I, little one.

Ryunosuke sat outside the courtroom, his hands on his rounded belly as the baby kicked and rolled inside him. The baby's level of excitement tended to be inverse to the excitement going on outside the womb; they stayed still as could be in the active courtroom, but once Ryunosuke entered the quiet antechamber they began moving.

Earlier in the courtroom, everyone involved were causing a ruckus with accusations and rebuttals and threats and insults. Furst and Fairplay loudly defended their innocence, even after the blood on the skylight was revealed, and the jury debated over what this meant. Van Zieks repeated that the crime scene was tampered with, and McGilded acted like a totally innocent bystander in all of this.

Kazuma had taken a moment to turn back to check on Ryunosuke. He still looked exhausted, and the chaos around him only added more stress. Kazuma kneeled down and took one of his hands in his.

"Go to the antechamber and rest, the trial will not last much longer," he told him.

"But…" Ryunosuke started to say, "I promised I would be here with you…"

Kazuma shook his head. "If I knew this case would last this long and be this hard, I would have never asked you to be here with me. You've helped plenty today, now go and enjoy the quiet while we finish."

Ryunosuke did not object. Kazuma helped pull him to his feet and squeezed his hand in reassurance.

"Before I go…" Ryunosuke hesitated. "I need you to know something. I don't know if this is related to this case, but I overheard something when I left to use the restroom earlier."

"What is it?"

"I walked into the men's room by accident, and inside I heard some gentlemen talking. They were talking like they just did something they weren't supposed to do, and they were hired to do it. I only think it could be related because they said they were not seen because of some 'fog', and that they were hired by a very rich man to do it."

Kazuma did not respond, only looking away to think for a moment about what he just heard.

"I know this is bad for us, but I didn't want to keep this from you."

"No… I appreciate your honesty," was his response. "Truth is above all, even if it hurts us."

Kazuma let go of Ryunosuke's hand, signaling him to take his leave. Now outside the courtroom, he could still hear the shouting coming from the attorney's tables and jury and the stand, but he couldn't distinguish who was saying what.

You're lucky you don't have to worry about any of this, baby. My head hurts trying to figure out what's the truth and what's been tampered with.

From all the shouting one voice began to stand out. It was McGilded, sounding completely different now. Previously he kept up a cool and well versed persona, but that was now gone. He sounded angry, shouting something about the evidence and the lawyers and a few things Ryunosuke couldn’t make out. He stood to move closer to the door, listening closely to the voices talking on the other side.

“I cannot deny the possibility that this evidence could very well be fake…” He caught Kazuma saying. He sounded tired, no longer willing to appear unfazed by the chaos.

A loud shout was ripped from McGilded, silencing everyone else in the courtroom. “This trial… is over…” he started, moving into a rant about memories and recollections and what was present there and then. He made some unsavory comments about van Zieks and even threw a few towards his own counsel. He ended his ranting on the conclusion that whether or not the evidence was fake, the prosecution still had not presented any indisputable evidence of his guilt.

Kazuma said that too… that all their evidence was circumstantial. There is no way to prove his guilt or innocence beyond a reasonable doubt.

The judge seemed to agree to this sentiment, as he sounded like he was ready to rule in the case. Ryunosuke opened the door a crack and walked in just in time to hear Kazuma give his closing statement.

“Having been hired as the defendant’s lawyer in a last minute effort, I was not afforded the time to do any investigation prior to the trial,” Kazuma began. “I came into this trial completely blind to its circumstances and to whom my client is. I still went ahead and worked hard to find the truth under all the evidence and testimony. However, there wasn’t enough to establish a truth, a truth beyond reasonable doubt. As his counsel, I want to believe my client is totally innocent of these charges, and that he doesn’t deserve the punishment that comes with being found guilty of murder.”

“But I feel that despite my efforts, I only got as far as placing reasonable doubt on his guilt instead of total innocence. The idea of reasonable doubt can save an innocent man from an unfortunate situation, or set free a criminal who cleaned up after themselves. Whichever the case, it is found to be better that we let ten guilty men go free than let one innocent man suffer.”

Ryunosuke ignored everyone else speaking at that moment, moving to stand by Kazuma and taking his hand. He did not look up from where he was staring down at the court documents, but he curled his fingers around his partner's hand.

The judge announced his verdict, and a shower of confetti began to fall over them. Ryunosuke looked up to see fireworks exploding above them, somehow not igniting the confetti or setting the whole room on fire. He normally loved the sight of fireworks, but these ones felt wrong to him. There was no joy to be found in them.

—

The defendant’s antechamber was chilly from the window still being open a crack. When it was broken it could no longer close properly, and now let in some of the cold February air.

“My… heartfelt congratulations, Kazuma-sama,” Susato bowed to him. “This was your first victory on foreign soil.”

“And to you, Susato-kun,” Kazuma said with little real joy in his voice. “Thank you for your assistance.”

They fell to silence, not sure what else to say. They all shared the same feelings and thoughts on the matter, and there was no point in dwelling on what they couldn't change.

“I only wish we could know the truth…” Ryunosuke sighed. “I don't think I'll ever stop wondering what really happened in that omnibus…”

A comically loud growl coming from Ryunosuke’s stomach pulled them out of their dejection.

“Let's focus on finding food and shelter now,” Kazuma laughed. “I need to make sure my spouse and child are properly fed.”

"Aren't ya forgetting someting, lad?" They turned to see McGilded and the Lestrade girl standing behind them. "I still owe you a tousand guineas."

"That won't be necessary," Kazuma coldly waved him off.

"Are ya sure? Not everyone is as generous as me when it comes to paying their lawyer."

"I don't need your blood money."

McGilded was back to his lighthearted carefree self, just smiling at Kazuma's icy comment. "Well, let me give the wife a little someting, to buy your wean someting nice once it's born."

He flipped a coin to Ryunosuke, which hit him in the eye and almost hit the floor before he caught it. Before he knew it, McGilded was gone, having gone with a court officer back into the courtroom. Now they were left with the teenager, who didn’t seem too happy to be there. She pulled out her smoke grenade launcher and began to load it. Kazuma audibly groaned and rolled his eyes.

“Don’t move!” she told them, aiming the gun at them.

“Not that I enjoy being hit with smoke bombs…” Kazuma sighed, “But please refrain from firing that while my pregnant wife is in the room.”

"... yer a grown-up…"

"... an astute observation…"

"... and I 'ate all grown ups…"

"Spoken like someone let down by all the adults in her life…"

"Naughty, naughty! Running off like that!" Ryunosuke almost jumped out of his skin when he heard a child's voice right behind him. He turned to find a young girl in the antechamber with them, and she was looking right at Miss Lestrade. Something was familiar about the girl, but Ryunosuke couldn't think why. He's definitely never seen her before, he had only seen a handful of British people before leaving Japan, but something about her stirred a memory in the back of his mind.

"Oh, do you want to play? You won't beat me!" The girl cheerfully pulled out a gun larger than the one Lestrade was holding and aimed it straight at her.

"I don't think having a smoke grenade fight indoors is a wise idea," Kazuma tried to talk down the two young ladies with guns. "Now if I may ask, who are you, Miss?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm the inventor of that machine there," she smiled proudly. "Aren't normal smoke grenades so boring? I thought that maybe adding colors could make it more fun!"

… are all British completely insane?!

"I took my eye off of that for one second while changing omnibuses and she pinched it!"

Before they knew it, the little girl was dragging Lestrade out of the antechamber. They soon followed, not wanting to be caught up in any more courtroom antics that day.

---

Once outside, they followed a path set by Susato to find the best area for their lodgings, according to her research of London. Had they taken a moment to look back at the courthouse, they would have seen black smoke emerging from the broken window.

[yayneloveart]

Drawings from chapter 18 of Trials and Trimesters.

Do not compare your pregnant wife to a very large volcano

[yayneloveart]

Trials and Trimesters Chapter 7

Of all the things Ryunosuke imagined doing in London, he never imagined running out of a courtroom after watching a smoke bomb be set off.

Mr. McGilded had been talking in riddles about the supposed '5th passenger' sitting next to Mr. Mason. It was once he suggested that the passenger could be in the courtroom that the smoke began to fill the area and everything became chaos.

Before he could register what was happening, Ryunosuke felt a hand on his waist and was quickly pulled towards the exit.

"Cover your mouth and nose!" He heard Kazuma shout at him. He used his long kimono sleeve to cover his face and let Kazuma guide him out of the courtroom. Once they entered the defendants antechamber, he was pushed down onto a settee and Susato joined him a moment later, having been dragged out in Kazuma's other arm.

"We need to open these windows," Kazuma told the officers standing at the courtroom doors. He tried to swing them open but they were shut tight.

"They're locked, sir," one told him. "In case a defendant tries to escape- stop, you'll break the lock!"

Kazuma ignored the guard and forced the window open, the sound of a crack signaling that he had broken the lock. Cold February air filled the room and gave the occupants a chance to breathe.

"You'll have to pay for the damage!" The officer told him.

"Send the bill to my client," Kazuma shot back. He kneeled down next to Ryunosuke and took his hand. "Are you okay?"

"I'm…  fine…" Ryunosuke breathed deeply, feeling the fresh cold air fill his lungs.

"Susato-kun, how do you feel?" He looked over at his assistant.

"I'm okay," she was breathing deeply too.

"Are you okay, partner?" Ryunosuke looked down at Kazuma.

"I'm…" Kazuma started to cough into his sleeve. "I'm fine, I couldn't cover my face while running with you."

"You should think about yourself sometimes." Ryunosuke ran his hand through his partner's hair, then rubbed his back as he started coughing again.

"Did McGilded escape?" Kazuma looked around the room for his client, but there was no sign of the small man.

"He was taken to the prosecution's antechamber," one of the officers explained. "Van Zieks wanted a word with him."

Ryunosuke sat and waited while Kazuma and Susato talked to the officers. He was exhausted, after not being able to eat since visiting the dining car on the train and standing in the courtroom without any breaks, he was ready to nod off. He didn't realize that he was closing his eyes until Susato started talking to him.

"They found the source of the smoke," she explained. "It was a military grade smoke grenade."

"Who would set one of those off in a courtroom?" Ryunosuke asked.

"A teenage girl, apparently. Officers found her trying to flee the courtroom and she's now being questioned by Van Zieks."

"The trial is going to resume in a few minutes," Kazuma said as he returned. "Do you want to stay out here while we finish up? You look tired."

"I…" Ryunosuke weighed his options.

I'm so tired I could fall asleep sitting right here. But Kazuma asked me to be by his side in court. I don't think I could nap in the courtroom either, Kazuma said I've started snoring in my sleep. I'm still not totally sure if I believe him, though.

"Give me a moment," Ryunosuke sighed. "I need to use the bathroom. I'll rejoin you once I freshen up."

Kazuma and Susato returned to the courtroom and Ryunosuke found his way back to the restrooms. When he walked in, he already heard people talking, but he ignored them to focus on relieving himself. It wasn't until his stall was locked and he was sitting down that he realized that the voices were male.

Oh god, I'm so tired I forgot which restroom I'm supposed to be using.

"You sure no one saw us?" One of the men asked the other. 

"The smoke woz so fick I couldn't see me 'and in front of me own face," the other answered. "Of course no one saw us."

They must not have heard me come in over their talking...

"We gotta be sure, the boss will 'ave our necks if this don't work."

"'e's a clever bloke, 'e can make anyfin' 'appen wit all 'is money."

They… they can't be talking about Mr. McGilded, can they?

The men exited their stall and Ryunosuke lifted his feet to keep them from noticing him. When he was sure that they were long gone, he finished his business and rushed back to the courtroom. Inside, McGilded and a teenage girl were on the stand testifying about what she was doing on the omnibus.

"What did I miss?" He whispered to Susato.

"The girl is named Gina Lestrade," she explained. "She's a pickpocket and hid inside the cubby under the seat so she could rob the passengers. McGilded was sitting on that seat so she couldn't see anything, but she heard what happened."

"... okay," Ryunosuke sighed.

"Kazuma-sama managed to get you a crate to sit on. It's not much, but it's better than standing."

There was a wood crate sitting behind the defendants table, which Ryunosuke immediately sat on and sighed in relief. Trials were full of so much talking and debate and questions, it was so boring most of the time. The only reason why Ryunosuke didn't drift off to sleep was all the shouting between Kazuma and van Zieks. Kazuma kept questioning McGilded on why he didn't mention Miss Lestrade being in the carriage, and van Zieks would make a remark on either McGilded or Kazuma's character. Sitting down, he couldn't see the prosecution's table, but from the sound of it, van Zieks had tossed away his bottle of wine behind him and pulled out another with yet another 'Hallowed Chalice'.

He must keep a stash of them behind his table, I should have looked when I was next to him.

The sound of McGilded talking began to drone on and Ryunosuke felt his eyes grow heavy. He felt like he couldn't resist closing them for a second, but he was shocked into wakefulness as he heard the prosecutor's table be hit with a loud bang and 'OBJECTION!'. He quickly got to his feet to see what the commotion was about.

Apparently, van Zieks felt that hitting the table with his hands was beneath him, so he decided to hit it with his boot clad foot while still holding his full chalice.

"If the sight of my iron-clad Wellington offends… pray, forgive the discourtesy" he started. "This is really a consummate example of the one monumental flaw in British judicial practices. Where evidence and reasoning should be paramount... emotion rules the day."

The courtroom filled with chattering at his declaration, which the judge had to quell with his gavel. 

"The story of this young pickpocket being present in the omnibus that night is impossible," van Zieks explained. "When the carriage was searched after the murder, the storage bin she is claimed to be hiding in was found to be full of the drivers supplies."

"He's right, we saw them too," Susato whispered.

"There wouldn't have been room in there for her and the supplies. You can see for yourself."

Kazuma took the invitation and walked back to the omnibus. He climbed inside and opened the bin, then closed it again.

"Prosecution, you might want to see this," he called out to van Zieks.

The prosecution visibly sighed and walked to the omnibus. "I've seen the whole vehicle from top to bottom, if you think I missed-"

"The bin is empty," Kazuma told him.

"What?" He quickly climbed into the cabin and opened the bin, finding it completely void of any of the driver's supplies. "This better not be some cruel nipponese trick-"

"I don't have pockets big enough to hide everything that was in here," Kazuma argued. "I saw it was full when I searched for it the first time…"

They devolved into a quiet shouting match over how the supplies could have disappeared. It took Ryunosuke coming over to see what was happening to notice the blood stain on the floor of the cabin.

"Um… Kazuma…" he tried to get his attention, but he was too involved in telling van Zieks how he wasn't some eastern wizard who could disappear items at will. "Kazuma… partner…."

"Kazuma-sama!" Susato shouted over their arguing. They both looked over at her glaring at them. "If you would stop fighting, you would see another issue with the state of the omnibus." She pointed to the floor where the stain was.

They looked down and saw they were standing right on the large stain. Van Zieks jumped out of the cabin and returned to his table, pulling out the report on the omnibus. Kazuma took a minute to examine the floor.

"The report makes no mention of that stain," van Zieks announced. "The crime scene must have been tampered with."

Kazuma climbed out of the cabin and returned to his table, looking deep in thought. "The bin was full, I swear it…"

"That would be a very strange mistake to make," Susato said. "You very clearly looked inside and said you saw things in there."

But Susato and I never bothered to look too, so we can't corroborate that. 

"The… the stain is definately new too," Ryunosuke joined in. "I stayed standing outside, so I had a good view of the floor. I would have clearly remembered a blood stain being there and would have said something."

Van Zieks was now speaking to the jury and the judge, pushing to prevent anyone from finding a 'not guilty' verdict. This turn of events confused everyone in the court, and no one could figure out what was true or false.

Ryunosuke made the mistake of glancing over to McGilded. The man caught his glance and made eye contact, giving him a sly wink.

Ryunosuke felt like he was going to be sick.

[yayneloveart]

Trials and Trimesters Chapter 6

"I'm pregnant, don't ask me to do math," Ryunosuke sighed.

"It's basic arithmetic," Susato told him. "4 pence a passenger with 4 passengers is only 16 pence. He would have had to have 5 passengers to make 20 pence that night."

"I'll take your word for it." Along with memory problems, pregnancy had caused many other brain problems for Ryunosuke. Some of the odd things he had done recently had been: getting his right and left shoes mixed up, thinking he lost the key to their cabin door when it never had one, turning on the shower when he entered the bathroom to use the toilet, and thinking that 8 plus 8 was 19.

Kazuma proved that he had no issues using arithmetic when he pointed out that Juror 5 and Juror 2's reasons for their verdicts didn't make sense. The Guildmaster clearly stated that the fare for the bus should have been 4 pence, but the maid repeated how the fare for the 4 passengers added up to 20 pence. He cited that the extra 4 pence could have come from a 5th passenger, creating an issue that could only be solved with further testimony. "We cannot allow this trial to end before we explore this possibility," Kazuma concluded.

Juror 5 launched his fireball into the scales, tipping them further towards the ‘not guilty’ side. “Wait until I get my hands on you, Beppo!” he shouted as he did it.

“I will change my verdict as well,” Juror 2 announced. “It is only proper that we hear from the witnesses again.” She launched a fireball into the scales, tilting them even further towards ‘not guilty’.

“You did it, Kazuma-sama!” Susato cheered. “We can continue the trial!”

For the first time since he took the stand, Kazuma turned to look at Susato and Ryunosuke and smiled. For just a moment, he let himself look relieved, then went back to his stoic visage. They returned to the defense table and prepared for the next part of the trial.

"As you must be aware, the prosecution is not allowed to speak during the examination, which I honored with deathly silence," Van Zieks began, as he also poured some wine into a new ‘hallowed chalice’ he seemed to pull from nowhere. "I listened to the charade, and the defense's deceptive way with words."

Kazuma's hands clenched, but he did not utter a word. 

"No matter, there is nothing so hard to prove as a self-evident truth. Let us continue the battle, and bring forth the witnesses once more!"

"Kazuma," Ryunosuke whispered to him, "I think I found a clue in the ledger that will help us."

"What is it?" Kazuma watched Ryunosuke move to the table and pull the ledger open. He went down the list of names and pointed to one a few entries below the victim's.

"Isn't one of the witnesses named 'Fairplay'? If this is the same man, he has reason to want McGilded executed."

"That's brilliant, I never even noticed that," Kazuma smiled at him. "We could turn this whole trial around with this. I told you that you would make a brilliant lawyer."

Ryunosuke blushed a bit before stepping back. The witnesses had been led back to the stand and were ready to give more testimony.

"I, for one, was told I had to pay 5 pence for the bus," Fairplay immediately stated.

"Did you charge everyone 5 pence, Mr. Beppo?" Kazuma asked the driver.

"Y- Y- Y- yes…" the driver chattered. "I ch- ch- charged everyone the same fare, five pence."

"And thus, the phantom 5th passenger is killed with little question," Van Zieks announced. "Charging four passengers 5 pence each earns him 20 pence exactly."

"Oh no…" Ryunosuke whispered under his breath.

"We still have time," Susato whispered back. "The theory bought us time to hear more testimony."

"I tell you, I saw his blood soaked hands myself! There's no question about that!" Fairplay declared, dramatically waving his cane at the defense.

"'Blood soaked'?" Kazuma questioned, taking notes as he spoke.

"Well, I might be laying it on a little thick, but there was definitely blood on both his hands. They were covered in it."

"Mr. Fairplay, these are the gloves the defendant was wearing the night of the incident," Kazuma held up the gloves for everyone to see. "As everyone can see, only the right glove has any blood on it, and it's not a very sizable stain."

"I… uh…" Fairplay stammered out. The jury talked among themselves, discussing the reliability of the testimony.

"Your testimony is inconsistent, Mr. Fairplay," Kazuma said. "We have evidence that very little blood was on the defendant, but you're exaggerating the situation to make my client look guilty. Now, how can we be sure that you're telling the truth about seeing the stabbing at all?"

"Objection!" Van Zieks shouted. "The witness made a simple mistake, that does not mean his whole testimony is unreliable."

"Objection! The witness repeated several times that he saw both hands covered in blood," Kazuma rebuffed. "He has had time to reflect and correct himself, but he has not done that. He is deliberately trying to mislead the court!"

"And why would he do that?" Van Zieks fired back as he threw his new chalice into the candle holder behind him. A ball of flame erupted as the wine was ignited by the flames. "He has no reason to lie on the stand, the defense is trying to discredit a witness to deceive the jury."

"Except the witness has reason to lie, and I have evidence to prove it."

The court exploded into shouting as the jury and gallery reacted to Kazuma's statement. The judge had to use his gavel to bring the court back into order.

"Counsel," the judge addressed Kazuma, "please present the evidence that shows this witness has reason to lie."

"It is in Mr. McGilded's ledger," Kazuma announced. "He is listed as someone my client loaned a sizable amount of money to and his due date is coming very soon. Now I ask, what would happen to that debt if my client were to be found guilty?"

"The documentation with the ledger says that should the creditor become deceased…" the judge read, "that all debts would be annulled."

"So the witness would benefit from my client being found guilty," Kazuma summarized. "His testimony cannot be trusted and should be thrown out."

"Bring me that ledger," Van Zieks commanded. The bailiff moved to go to the defense's table, but he stopped him. "If I may request, I would like the defense's wife to bring me the evidence."

The court fell completely silent. All eyes went from Van Zieks over to Kazuma, waiting for any sort of response. Kazuma kept his face still, not giving any reaction at all. The same could not be said for Ryunosuke, who looked shocked and terrified at the request.

"Counsel…" the judge looked down at Van Zieks, "that's a rather… unusual request."

"The defense wishes to deny-"

"I can do it," Ryunosuke blurted out. Kazuma spun around to look at him and saw that despite looking scared, he seemed determined too.

“Are you sure?” Kazuma asked.

“I’ll be fine,” Ryunosuke said. “I want to see why he wants me to do this.”

“And if we see him try anything…” Susato posed as if she was ready to throw someone across the room. He pictured what it would look like to see Susato throw Van Zieks straight into the flaming scales. It made him smile.

Ryunosuke picked up the ledger and started to walk over to the prosecutors table. He kept his eyes and head down, avoiding all the staring he was getting from around the courtroom. He was so absorbed in ignoring everyone, he was surprised when he stepped on a piece of glass. He snapped out of his thoughts to see that the pieces of Van Zieks's two 'hallowed chalices' littered the floor around the prosecutors table along with a puddle of red wine. He was thankful that he had decided to keep wearing his sturdy leather school shoes. He walked slowly and gently through the glass to the table, now holding out the ledger for Van Zieks to take from him.

"Show me where the witness's name is listed," Van Zieks told him.

Ryunosuke opened the ledger and leaned over the table to set it infront of Van Zieks. He leaned further to turn the pages to the correct place.

"Was yours an arranged marriage?" Van Zieks whispered to Ryunosuke.

Ryunosuke jumped at the sudden question. He turned his head to look at Van Zieks, and his piercing gaze was even more intimidating up close. Van Zieks was leaning down to bring their faces closer together, letting him whisper without anyone else around them hearing. Ryunosuke could smell the wine on his breath.

"How well do you know your husband, and his family?"

"Um…" Ryunosuke started to shake with nervousness. "Th- th- the name is here, on this p- p- page," he pointed to where Mr. Fairplay's name was written. His hand was visibly shaking.

".... Thank you."

Ryunosuke bowed and quickly walked back over to the defense table. Kazuma's eyes had not left him since he walked away, and he only looked away once Ryunosuke was safely behind him.

“Did he say anything to you?” Susato whispered.

“He… asked if our marriage was arranged…” Ryunosuke told her. “I was so shocked, I didn’t answer.”

“That's… none of his business!” Susato clenched her fists tight.

Kazuma did not say anything. He stared straight at Van Zieks, his hand holding firmly to Karuma. Van Zieks stared back at him. Ryunosuke looked at the floor, seeing a trail of shoe prints leading from the wine puddle at the prosecutors table leading back to the defense. His stomach turned with how dark and red it was.

[yayneloveart]

I'm in a deep depression so heres some asoryu baby au.

[yayneloveart]

Trials and Trimesters, Chapter 5

It's already over? But we've hardly had any time to question the witnesses!

Before they knew what even happened, the jury had declared the defendant 'guilty'. Without giving Kazuma a chance to thoroughly question the driver, several jurors made up their minds, and Van Zieks drove the last nail into the coffin by revealing the defendants occupation.

Just because he's a loan shark doesn't mean he's a murderer…

"Wouldn't it be in his best interest that Mr. Mason stay alive?" Ryunosuke whispered to Kazuma. "He can't collect on his debt if he's dead."

"Some loan sharks will kill those who default on their loan to send a message to other clients," Kazuma explained. "But usually those murders are done more… discreetly."

This was a huge blow to Kazuma, who fought hard to convince the jury to give him more time, to hold their verdicts until he could cross examine the driver more thoroughly. They refused to listen, and they were left with one juror still undecided. Then, Van Zieks pulled out his trump card and won over the knitting grandmother. The gallery was going mad over this unexpected turn of events.

"Is there no way to appeal to the jury?" Kazuma had both hands on the table, his head hung low in defeat. The last time Ryunosuke saw him look so destitute was back during his own murder trial. That time they were saved when Susato barged into the courtroom with last minute evidence, but there's no chance of that happening here. All she could do now was flip through her law textbook, frantically looking for any kind of solution.

Just a little earlier, they had won some footing when the murder weapon was presented. Kazuma had taken a close look at the blade and sheath after Van Zieks had presented it and claimed that it belonged to the defendant.

"Do you have the provenance for the blade?" Kazuma asked as he looked at the single 'M' engraved on the handle.

"We… did not obtain one," Van Zieks answered. "There was not enough time given to find proof of ownership, we would have had to question every blade manufacturer in London to find the one who made this blade and who bought it. The prosecution felt that the circumstances alone gave ample enough proof of ownership."

Kazuma slammed his hand into the table. "So the prosecution is basing the ownership of the blade on a single initial! An initial the defendant shares with the victim!"

"Objection!" Van Zieks shouted back. "The blade is clearly too ornate for the penniless Mr. Mason to afford. Only a man such as Magnus McGilded could afford something so extravagant."

"Objection! You are still making assumptions without physical evidence. Without a provenance for the knife, we cannot assume that it belonged to the defendant."

That earned a hard glare from the prosecution and some hushed whispering from the jury. Ryunosuke looked over at Mr. McGilded and saw a sly smirk on his lips. The ball of anxiety inside him grew a little larger at the sight.

They had no idea that despite the small victory this gave them, only a few minutes later the jury would be totally won over with a little testimony and the truth of the defendants profession.

"There's a footnote here," Susato stopped flipping pages in her law book and found a passage. "'At this point, the defense has the right to demand a 'Summation Examination' of the jury'."

"Objection!" Van Zieks shouted. "When was that ancient text your holding published? It must be at least 50 years old, as no modern law book would even bother to mention it. No modern barrister would dare invoke it."

Kazuma ignored Van Zieks' objection and looked at the law book to read the full text. The text looked like a giant block of gibberish to Ryunosuke, so he used the time to glance at the debtor's ledger they were given earlier. It was already open to the page where Mr. Mason's name was listed with his loan amount and due date. Curiosity led him to read the other names on the page, looking down the list until he saw a familiar name.

'Fairplay'?

"I understand that invoking a 'summation examination' is no longer practised," Kazuma began once he finished reading, "but no one has yet to state that it was ever formally revoked. The defense asserts it's right to a summation examination, my lord!"

The wine glass, the 'hallowed chalice', in Van Zieks hand was suddenly crushed in his grip. Wine and glass shards showered down to the ground beside him. "This… is madness…" he growled.

You crushing your 'chalice' with your bare hand is the only madness in here...

"The defense's petition is perfectly valid," the judge announced. "The court will proceed with the summation examination."

The judge began to instruct the jury on how the examination is done while Kazuma and Susato strategized. From what Ryunosuke heard, it sounded like Kazuma would have to convince the jury to change their verdicts.

He's the most charming person I've met, but will that be enough to convince these people to change their minds?

---

"This man is clearly some form of eastern sorcerer, using magic to deceive us!" The foreman of the jury shouted to the other jurors.

"The only 'magic' I'm using is the magic of logic and evidence," Kazuma tried to keep a level head with the jurors. He had immediately seen a discrepancy in how jurors 3 and 6 understood the event and tried to show them the problem, and now he's being called an evil, foreign sorcerer.

"Tell me this, dark jinx!" The foreman called out to Kazuma. "How is this a problem? Maybe the man was stabbed twice, once seen by the rooftop passengers, and the second by the driver. There's no reason to call out the dandy and the old lady!"

"Except that's impossible," Kazuma took a calming breath. "The autopsy report only reported one stab wound on the victim. Something in the witnesses' testimonies has led the young man and lady to believe something that isn't true."

The courtroom filled with murmurs as the gallery and jurors talked among themselves.

"This young easterner sounds very confident."

"He's poking holes all over the prosecution's case."

"Did one of the witnesses really lie?"

"They should question the driver again!"

"Someone is trying to pull the wool over my eyes," Juror 6 frowned as she furiously knitted. "I may be old, but that doesnt mean I can be taken advantage of." She stopped knitting to raise her hand, bringing up a new ball of fire to launch into the scales. The flag behind her changed to white and she launched the flame, tilting the scales towards 'not guilty'.

"I concede," Juror 3 agreed. "I hate the rich, but I also hate being lied to." He changed his verdict as well, launching a new ball of fire onto the scales.

"We've changed two jurors' minds!" Susato clapped her hands. "We only need two more to keep the trial going!"

She looked over at Ryunosuke, but he was clearly not listening to her. He was staring off into space, his eyes focused on nothing in particular.

"Ryunosuke-san?" Susato reached out to touch his arm. "Are you okay?"

"The prosecutor has been staring at me since we approached the stand," he told her. "He's scaring me a little."

Susato looked over and saw that Van Zieks had his eyes trained on Ryunosuke. He wasn't glaring like the way he looked at Kazuma, but he did not look friendly at all.

"Maybe you should say something to Kazuma-sama…"

"I think he sees him too… his hand hasn't left Karuma since we took the stand."

He was right, Kazuma's hand had not left his sword the whole time he had been questioning the jurors.

“He won't get anywhere near you,” Susato promised. “If he tries, I will throw him across the courtroom!”

“I appreciate the sentiment, but maybe we can leave that to the bailiff…”

[yayneloveart]

Trials and Trimesters chapter 4

"Definitely a Kyonshi," Ryunosuke whispered to Susato. He couldn't see her expression as he stood behind her, but he could tell she was smirking from how she covered her mouth with her hand.

He was referring to the prosecutor standing across the room from them. The man stood unusually still with his cloak raised to cover most of his face. He reminded Ryunosuke of a Kyonshi, a legendary creature from back home which wore all black and had deathly white skin and hair. They were known for attacking people at night and sucking out their life force.

"In the name of Her Majesty the Queen, I hereby declare this court to be in session," the judge pounded his gavel. "We are here today to determine the guilt or innocence of Mr. Magnus McGilded. I now call upon the counsels for the prosecution and defense to declare their willingness to proceed."

"The prosecution is…" for the first time since they entered the courtroom, the prosecutor opened his eyes. The moment he looked at Kazuma, his eyes went wide and he fell silent. He stared at him, and he almost looked frightened at what he was seeing. To Ryunosuke, he looked like he had just seen a ghost materialize in the courtroom.

"Prosecutor Van Zieks?" The judge called out. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Y- yes, your honor," the man answered in a shaky voice. "Forgive my pause, I did not expect the counsel for the defense to be… Nipponese."

How is it that this is the second time I've been in court and both times a British person has acted suspicious of Japanese people…

"Counsel for the defense, you do appear to be… eastern. Do you speak English?" The judge asked them.

"Yes, fluently," Kazuma answered with confidence. "As for my preparedness, I have only just taken the case and have not had the time to learn of its details. Do forgive me for my ignorance."

Only Kazuma could make 'I have no idea what's going on' sound professional.

Ryunosuke stood near the gallery and could hear some of what the spectators were saying to each other. In their chatter, he found the word 'Reaper' being repeated.

This… this can't be that 'Reaper of the Bailey' those women were talking about, right?

The judge addressed Mr. McGilded next. Ryunosuke hardly heard what they were saying, being too distracted by the piercing stare of the prosecutor cutting into Kazuma. Kazuma acted unphased, ignoring the prosecutor as he and Susato discussed the details of the court procedure. They were discussing the function of the 'jury', a group of six random citizens who as a group decide the verdict. Ryunosuke had only heard of these terms in passing whenever he and Kazuma would study together.

"Prosecutor Van Zieks…" the judge turned his attention back to the opposing counsel. "It's been a number of years since you've been seen inside a courtroom. I thought you renounced your fame."

"I'm known as the Reaper of the Bailey, My Lord," Van Zieks responded. "Infamy rather than fame, I would say."

So he is the Reaper. It would be our luck that we would face off against a person with a nickname like that on our first day here.

At that moment, the prosecutor's eyes finally moved from Kazuma and landed right on Ryunosuke. He felt like the gaze was going to bore a hole into his head.

"I see the defense has decided that they need two assistants in order to defend his client." Van Zieks commented. "No amount of aid will help you win this case."

"I would be a fool to disregard the knowledge held by my judicial assistant," Kazuma cooly replied. "The other is my wife, and this being our first day in a new country and her being in a delicate condition, I insisted she stay near me."

"How… blessed you must feel."

Before Van Zieks could say anything else to belittle Kazuma and friends, the judge went ahead and began the trial in earnest. Thankfully, the prosecution's opening statement described the crime in detail. Their client was found alone in a locked carriage with a man who had been stabbed to death. An autopsy report and a photo of the crime scene was given to Kazuma, who immediately began to look over the details. Ryunosuke glanced over his shoulder to take a look at the evidence. The image of the victim slumped over in his seat with a bloody dagger in his stomach caused Ryunosuke's heart to stop a moment.

The next set of evidence did not ease his nerves. A pair of gloves was brought to them to examine as Van Zieks explained that they were worn by the defendant the night of the murder. Ryunosuke expected them to be drenched in blood, but there was only a bit on the right glove.

"This isn't as much evidence as they think it is," Kazuma commented.

"It's not?" Ryunosuke was surprised how calm Kazuma was staying.

"It's only a little more evidence than what the prosecution had against you," he explained. "You had been seen holding the supposed murder weapon and we were able to prove that wrong. They're going to need a lot more concrete proof before they can prove guilt beyond a doubt."

"Of course, I don't have any recollection of what happened to the poor man," McGilded explained to the judge after the evidence was examined. "Whenever I find myself in a carriage, the swaying tends to lull me into a deep sleep. I drifted off all alone inside the omnibus, and when I was woken up by a ruckus, I found the poor man on the floor bleeding from his belly."

"Hes claiming to have slept through the murder?" Ryunosuke almost scoffed.

"You slept through an attempted murder on Kazuma," Susato reminded him.

"You could hardly hear anything inside the wardrobe in the first place, and I've been sleeping like a rock since I've been pregnant."

"I couldn't leave the poor soul on the floor there," McGilded continued, "so I moved to sit him back up in his seat. I tried to see if I could stop the bleeding, but then I saw the man was already gone from this world."

"A decent reason for the blood being on his gloves," Kazuma noted.

"Now, the prosecution would like to call the witnesses to this heinous crime to the stand," Van Zieks announced. "On the night in question, there were two other passengers riding the omnibus, along with the driver, who were witnesses to the crime."

There were witnesses? But… how?

Kazuma took some notes while the witnesses were brought up to the stand. "Before we hear the testimony, I would like to ask a few questions about the crime scene," Kazuma told the judge.

"Oh right, you never had a chance to examine it," the judge responded. "What are your questions?"

"As a reminder, I only arrived in London this morning and there are many things I still have to learn. If the victim and defendant were alone in a locked carriage, how was it that there were multiple witnesses to the crime?"

"I’ve heard that your eastern island nation civilization is at least a century behind ours…” Van Zieks began. “But you are now in London, and you’re still ignorant of the structure of our omnibuses?”

“We only arrived early this morning, and have not had a chance to take a ride on one ourselves,” Kazuma calmly retorted. “Of the carriages I’ve seen so far, none look very different from the ones we have in our home country.”

London being special doesn’t give you the right to insult the rest of the world, and all other peoples. Ryunosuke frowned at the prosecutor.

“Then you will be happy to hear that I’ve arranged for the court to be able to see and examine the scene of the crime.” Van Zieks called to the bailiff, who opened the doors to the courtroom and with the help of several other officers, wheeled in the crime scene. It looked like every other enclosed carriage, with the exception of the bench seats on the roof, which were a new sight for Ryunosuke.

“As you can see, the omnibus has seating for eight passengers,” Van Zieks began to explain. “The victim and defendant were inside the carriage, and our two witnesses were seated on the roof with the driver. If you would observe…”

“May I take a moment to examine the omnibus myself?” Kazuma asked the judge.

“Oh, um, yes you may,” the judge was a bit startled.

Before Van Zieks could make any comments on being interrupted, Kazuma went to the omnibus and opened the door to the carriage and climbed inside. Susato and Ryunosuke were on his heels, watching him examine the scene. Almost immediately he looked straight up and saw a small skylight.

“I see, so this is how the witnesses saw inside the carriage,” he said as he then looked around the rest of the carriage. He found a blood stain from where the body sat inside and compared it to the photo of the victim.

“Look, there's a handle on that seat,” Ryunosuke pointed to the seat across from where Kazuma was looking. He turned around and saw what he was pointing to and opened the hidden storage compartment.

“These must be the tools and supplies used to maintain the carriage and horses,” Kazuma said. He then exited the carriage and walked around back to climb onto the roof. “Susato, would you enter the cabin and sit beside where the body was found?”

Wordlessly she climbed inside and sat on the seat next to the blood stain. On the roof, Kazuma walked around and sat on the seat where the witnesses had been, then down into the carriage. From his view outside the carriage, Ryunosuke did see that there was a clear view from the rooftop seating down into the carriage where the victim was found. Once he seemed satisfied, Kazuma climbed back down and they returned to the defendants table.

“I would like to thank the prosecution for allowing us the chance to thoroughly examine the crime scene,” Kazuma said. “I feel I have a clear enough grasp of the situation to now hear the testimony of our witnesses.”

[yayneloveart]

Trials and Trimesters, Chapter 3

"He's having you defend someone in a trial now?" Ryunosuke asked as they piled into the carriage. 

"He said he wants to give me 'hands on' experience," Kazuma explained as Susato gave instructions to the driver. The carriage lurched forward as the horse pulling them was spurred on by the driver, going much faster than the one in their previous ride.

"But… you haven't even seen a British trial, let alone participated," Susato pointed out. "Would it be ethical to have you defend someone?"

"The defendant has no defense, he's been turned down by every other defense attorney in the city. If I don’t do this, then he will be alone at trial.”

“What even is the charge?” Ryunosuke asked.

"Murder, according to Lord Stronghart."

"He expects you to gain 'hands on experience' by trying a murder case?!"

"I tried to refuse, but he insisted that if I didn't defend this man, he would automatically be found guilty."

There was no good response to that, so they spent the rest of the journey in silence as the carriage flew through the streets. Ice and potholes caused the carriage to shake and jump at every turn. In the distance they could see a domed roof with a gold statue come into view. As they drew closer, they could see that the statue was of a woman holding a scale and a sword. The driver pulled on the reins and the horse slowed to a stop right at the entrance. Susato passed a gold coin to the driver as she hopped out.

The three of them rushed inside to find a massive lobby with statues and art from the floor to ceiling, but they did not stop to admire any of it. Kazuma flagged down a clerk and began asking her about where their trial might be. As he did, Ryunosuke began to double over and he grabbed his stomach.

"Is something wrong, Ryunosuke-san?" Susato asked while placing a hand on his back.

"I'm going to be sick," he groaned. "That wild carriage ride flipped my stomach upside down."

"Kazuma-sama!" Susato called out to him. "Ryunosuke-san feels sick, we'll find you in the courtroom!"

She saw him nod in the distance and he ran off in the direction of the defendants antechamber. She took Ryunosuke's hand and quickly found a women's restroom, pushing him inside just in time for him to be sick in one of the stalls.

"I thought I was through with this," he quietly whined. "I never want to be sick again in my life."

"You only have around three months until the baby is born," Susato reminded him as she rubbed his back. "Once that is over then you'll be free of this."

"Three months is a very, very long time."

Ryunosuke used some of the tap water to rinse out his mouth and splashed some in his face. He looked in the mirror and saw he didn’t look much better than he felt, but he couldn’t do much about that.

“If you still don’t feel well, you can sit and rest in the antechamber while Kazuma-sama and I attend the trial,” Susato offered.

“I promised Kazuma I would be with him during his first trial in England,” Ryunosuke tried to make his mess of hair look a bit more presentable. “I’ll be okay, I promise.”

They made their way towards the defendants' antechamber, and inside they found Kazuma speaking with a very odd looking man. He was very short, possibly shorter than Susato, though his overly tall hat made up for it. His gaudy purple suit looked like it was made with the most expensive materials available, and he had several gold rings with large gems across his fingers. In his hand was a gold coin he was flashing at Kazuma.

“So yer a real lawyer, huh?” the odd man asked, his thick accent giving away that he was also a foreigner to the city.

“Yes, Lord Stronghart requested I act as your defense attorney,” Kazuma explained. “As I’ve been given little time to prepare, I need you to tell me everything you can about the case. I need to prepare a defense-”

“Oooh, lookie here, lad, I had no idea that those ‘others’ you mentioned before would be such beauties!” The man leaned over to look behind Kazuma as Susato and Ryunosuke entered the room.

“Ah, yes,” Kazuma turned to see them. “This is my judicial assistant Susato Mikotoba, and my wife Ryunosuke Asogi. And the man here is Magnus McGilded, the defendant of this case.”

They both bowed to greet Mr. McGilded, though it took more effort on Ryunosuke’s part, and McGilded bowed back.

“I hope it isn’t imprudent for me to comment on your wife’s lovely glow this fine morning,” McGilded smiled at them. “I’m sure you two feel very blessed with your family about to grow.”

Ryunosuke immediately felt his ‘bullshitter’ alarm go off in his head, as only a blind person would call his current haggard look a ‘lovely glow’. He already didn’t like the idea that Kazuma would be part of a trial where he had no time to prepare, but now his client was trying to gain favor with him by complimenting his spouse.

“We need to quickly craft a defense for you before we enter the courtroom,” Kazuma tried to turn his attention back to the situation at hand. “It would be imprudent of us if we started the trial without one.”

“Now dontcha worry about that, lad,” McGilded waved him off. “The trial will speak for itself, you just gotta pay attention to what people say and you’ll get the picture.”

“But-”

“You mentioned you only just got here, correct? That would mean all your worldly belongings are in those suitcases you left with the bailiff, I would tink. Looks like there's not a whole lot there for a baby, and they need plenty of tings. Prams and cradles and clothes and toys, the like.”

“Mr. McGilded-”

“A tousand guineas would set the babe up right for a good future here in London. Get me that acquittal and you’ll have that in your pocket tonight.”

Kazuma fell silent, staring at the old man like he was trying to read his mind. But the man’s face was unreadable, which did not sit well with any of the legal team, but they were out of time.

“The defendant and his cousnell are summoned!” the bailiff suddenly announced to the room. “Please make your way into the courtroom immediately!”

“Well, ‘tis time!” McGilded put his hands together. “Remember, a tousand in hand once I go free!”

McGilded walked into the courtroom, but Kazuma did not immediately follow.

“He’s… very strange,” Susato commented.

“Do you really want to go through with this?” Ryunosuke asked as he stroked his husband's arm.

“I have no choice, I can’t back down now,” Kazuma took a steady breath. “Everyone deserves a day in court, no matter the case. I will do what I can for him.”

Kazuma walked into the courtroom with the rest of the team close behind. Ryunosuke felt the strange feeling in his stomach grow stronger, slowly becoming a ball of anxiety and worry. He frowned, unhappy that this was happening inside him as his child was growing there as well.

[yayneloveart]

Trials and Trimesters, Chapter 2

Ryunosuke sat in Kazuma’s dorm room, nervously picking at the hem of his uniform jacket as he waited for his partner to return from his errand. This was the first evening they’ve been able to meet since Ryunosuke’s trial, since he discovered his ‘condition’.

Kazuma returned to his room carrying a box that smelled like a bakery. Ryunosuke felt a deep desire to tear it open and devour whatever was inside. His morning sickness had just started and made it hard for him to keep normal food down, and now he was getting cravings. He had a constant yearning for sweet things, and if he knew Kazuma well enough, he knew there was probably some Taiyaki in the box. It was their shared favorite baked good.

"Sorry to make you wait, I had a few things to get done tonight," Kazuma apologized. He set the box on the table and sat next to Ryunosuke on the floor. "I'm glad we could meet tonight, I've been wanting to talk for a while."

"Me too," Ryunosuke found it hard to look Kazuma in the eyes.

"I wanted to talk about… us," Kazuma started. "I want to be totally open and honest about how I feel."

Oh god, please don't break up with me. Please, I can't handle that, not right now.

"Ryunosuke, I really like you, and I don't want to go on this study tour without you. Please come with me, I want you to be there with me in England."

Ryunosuke didn't react for a moment, unsure of how to respond. Kazuma had invited him several times before, but his tone always made it sound like he was joking. Now he realized he was being serious. Kazuma didn't seem to react well to his silence and pulled back.

"I'm sorry, this is a lot for me to ask," he turned away. "I know that earning a degree is very important to you and I would never want to prevent-"

"Yes!" Ryunosuke blurted out. "Yes, I'll go to England with you!"

Kazuma turned back and smiled brightly at him. "Really? You will?"

"I'll take time off school, I'll earn my degree when we get back. I don't want to be without you," Ryunosuke looked up at him. "Kazuma, I…"

Kazuma pulled him into a tight hug. "Ryunosuke, I love you," he whispered in his ear.

Ryunosuke's breath hitched as he heard this. That was the first time Kazuma had ever told him that he loved him. He had said in the past that he liked him, and they even joked about marriage, but this was the first time that love had been brought up.

"I…" Ryunosuke choked. "I love you too, Kazuma." Tears began to well up in his eyes.

 ---

  This goddamned baby is turning me into a non stop peeing machine.

Ryunosuke had run back to the bathroom after waiting some more time for the Lord Chief Justice. He still hadn't arrived after an hour and he knew he had to relieve himself soon before introductions had to be made. This time the bathroom was void of gossiping employees, and he enjoyed the moment he could spend not standing.

This appointment better wrap up fast, if I don’t get a nap soon then I’m going to keel over.

As his luck would have it, once he returned to the office he saw that the Lord Chief Justice had arrived in his absence and was already talking to Kazuma.

You really had to come while I was gone so I could make an awkward entrance.

“I've seen pictures and drawings, but they didn’t do the city justice,” Kazuma was telling him. “Just the ride over here showed us so much splendor."

"Our capitol city is the jewel of our empire," the Lord Chief Justice said with pride. "Ah, I see our third guest has arrived."

Kazuma turned and saw Ryunosuke walking to them. "Yes, like I explained, some extenuating circumstances had us add a third passenger to our itinerary."

"A third and fourth," the man commented with a glance to the baby bump.

"This is my wife, Ryunosuke Asogi. Ryunosuke, this is Lord Chief Justice Mael Stronghart."

"A pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Asogi," Stronghart shook Ryunosuke's hand.

"Th- the honor is mine," he replied.

"I'm curious, why were we not alerted to these extra passengers? Not that we would have any problem with you bringing your wife along."

"Her inclusion had to remain clandestine for her protection," Kazuma recited their practiced story. "You see, her family did not approve of our relationship and we had to elope in secret. When the study tour was approved, we were afraid that her name being included on any public documentation would spur her family to forcefully take her back home. If you were to contact Supreme Court Judge Jigoku he will confirm my statement."

Wait, who will do what now?

"No need for that at the moment. Let us talk for a minute between the two of us, Mr. Asogi."

Stronghart led Kazuma further into his office, far enough away to keep Ryunosuke and Susato from hearing them.

"Did he say that Supreme Court Judge Jigoku knows that I'm here? And that I'm expecting?" Ryunosuke whispered to Susato.

"He told you that while we were still on the Burya" Susato whispered back. "Remember? When he posted the letter you wrote for your parents, he sent one to my dad too. He asked my dad to cover for you in case anyone questioned you being here."

"Ah… oh… I think I remember that…" Ryunosuke scratched his head. He had been becoming more forgetful as the pregnancy went on. This worried Kazuma enough that he went to the Burya's nurse to ask if it was anything serious.

"Baby make mother act very strange," the nurse explained. "She become emotional, irrational, and sometime forgetful. Will be worse when baby is soon to be born. Be patient with her."

They had come to call this behavior 'baby brain', and Ryunosuke liked to blame everything on it. Nevermind that he was already forgetful before, but now he had a solid excuse for losing things and forgetting something someone just told him.

I hope my letter arrived… Ryunosuke had written two letters to his parents, the first he sent right before he left for the trip. He assured them that he was going to be safe with Kazuma and that he would go back to school afterwards. He knew they would support him in whatever he chose to do, but… he still waited until the last minute to send it.

The second one he sent right after he told Kazuma the truth. He figured they deserved to know too, though he was a bit scared of how they would react. Not that they wouldn't like having a grandchild, even one out of wedlock, but they were already annoyed that they hadn't met Kazuma yet. Now they can't meet their grandchild until well after the birth, depending on the length of the study tour. He was terrified of what they'd do once he returned.

He was pulled from his thoughts when he felt Kazuma's hand grab his wrist and started pulling him out of the office. "We need to go now," he said hurriedly.

"What's going on?" Susato asked as she followed him.

"Stronghart is having me be the defense in a trial that starts in 30 minutes," Kazuma explained. "We need to get to the Old Bailey as fast as we can."

[yayneloveart]

I recently saw a chibi doodle of Ryu and Kazu but Ryu was upset and it made me upset, so I drew a happy chibi Ryu and Kazu

Pregnant Ryunosuke feels overwhelmed and his baby daddy Kazuma comes to the rescue with snacks and love

(from my Asoryu Baby au)