#akemi arc

[shslfacecards]

Gentileschi’s Judith [Akemi Arc P.9-FINAL]

Guilty.

The words rang through the courtroom like a gunshot. The silence that followed was so absolute and final that, for a moment, Akemi wondered if there was supposed to be some sort of punchline afterward.

But the punchline never came. In slow motion, Akemi watched as Jiro’s once smug expression slowly turned to one of pure shock and disbelief. He slowly turned to look Akemi straight in the eyes, a look filled with nothing but contempt and despair. For the first time in his life, Jiro Kuro had lost.

But....so had Akemi.

The news cameras covered it all, as Jiro Kuro was led out of the courthouse in handcuffs. His head was down, the officers covered him as best they could, but either way, the news would soon fill with the images of a broken man.

She was led out of the courtroom surrounded by flashing cameras, screaming paparazzi, journalists...

She didn’t say a single word. She didn’t look at them, she didn’t answer their questions, she didn’t acknowledge them in the slightest. Half of them were hardly even journalists-- she could tell that some of those in the crowd were deeply affected by the results of this case-- after all, they were employees of Jiro Kuro. His loss would ruin their careers, for a time. Regardless of the verdict, they were convinced that this had all been a sham.

They were convinced that Akemi Kuro had lied.

“You ruined him!”

“You bitch!”

“Lying just to save your ass!”

“She’s only after the riches! She doesn’t give a damn about family!”

Akemi kept her head held high, and the officers shielded her from most of the photos and angry crowd-goers. What they couldn’t shield her from was the large, metal water bottle that someone suddenly lobbed at her from somewhere in the crowd. Before she could think to dodge, it slammed her square in the nose and sent her stumbling.

She supposed some people were happy for this outcome. Those that took her side of the case. But those people were quiet about the victory. Those who were angry....they were much louder. The loudness would certainly have its ramifications....just as she knew it would.

She was ruined.

It was over.

......wasn’t it?

[shslfacecards]

Gentileschi’s Judith [Akemi Arc P.8]

The defense hearing came to retaliate against Akemi’s words with all the force of a hurricane. Naturally, Jiro had hired one of the best lawyers available. They countered every one of Akemi’s claims, citing her age, childhood imagination, forgetfulness...they blamed the sudden resurgence of this case as a ploy to gain control of the family fortune. They threw whatever they could at her, and....seemingly....the press ate it up.

Some stations of the media quoted the closing statements of Jiro Kuro above anything else.

“I love my niece as I would love my own daughter. I have only ever striven to protect her from the cruelties of the world, and I have fought to mold her into the thoughtful, intelligent young woman  she is today. I am saddened by these accusations, but I will not allow them to alter the way I think of her.”

Akemi sat in the courthouse, feeling the intense, pressing silence surrounding her. Days had passed-- days in which no decision had been reached, days in which Akemi didn’t dare to go to school, or to even leave her hotel room. Not until this was over.

And that time was nearing.

She stared straight at Jiro the entire time, not yielding, not even listening to all of the pointless jumble of legal terms that were being spoken. She didn’t care about any of that. She only cared about hearing one word: guilty. Preferably, not preceded by the word ‘not’.

[shslfacecards]

Gentileschi’s Judith [Akemi Arc P.7]

Anyone who followed the news would see the same story popping up in a number of places. The trial of Jiro Kuro was beginning soon, and the controversy surrounding it was astonishing. People fought about the legitimacy of Akemi’s testimony, claiming that she could easily be lying or remembering details wrong from so long ago, claiming that she could have an interest in her inheritance and swearing that a man such as Jiro Kuro could never be guilty of such a crime. Others insisted that Akemi was the victim, that she needed protection.

The media was divided, and no one could know the full truth of what happened. No one, that is, but Akemi Kuro and her uncle, Jiro Kuro. It seemed that, on the day of the trial, every news outlet had at least some small input to add to the matter. Speculation on who was telling the truth, discussion on the future of the Kuro art empire, the future of the Kuro family, and of course, speculation on the end results of the trial.

The day passed and the media filled with comments and pictures of the trial. Courtroom sketches depicting Akemi with newly blackened hair, sitting on the stands and delivering her testimony, flooded the televisions.

The news outlets showed snippets of her statement again and again. Naturally, everyone used different segments, but the same words could be heard no matter where they were reported.

“My uncle...if I dare call him that...conspired with a hired killer to plot the murder of my parents.........I know this because I was an intended victim. I heard the conversation from my hiding place...”

The most important details, however, came from the remainder of the questioning.

“I lived with him for the next years of my life. And he never missed an opportunity to show me how lucky I was that I had been hiding, and to remind me that my fragile life was clasped tightly in his hands. My room was filled with funeral flowers, as well as the flowers my parents often kept in the home, as a further way to control me. I could not step out of line, for fear of my life. I lied in my testimony as a child due to this fear, and....I cannot hope to undo the damages I have done, nor can I hope to repent for what I have failed to do.”

The words had been said. Now, all that remained was....the defense.

Then...the verdict.

Then the aftermath.

[shslfacecards]

Gentileschi’s Judith [Akemi Arc P.6]

It was late in the evening. Everything seemed still, quiet, surprisingly normal for a night in Hope’s Peak Academy.

Well, that is, until the police showed up. It was unannounced, fairly low-key, but it was clear they were on a mission. They walked purposefully down the hallway, arriving at the door of one of the students after a brief stop by the office.

The door of Akemi Kuro.

Surely a few students will have seen this. Akemi kept her head high, not looking at a single soul as the police led her down the hall, and out of the school without much of a word.

Just...where was she going? When would she be back?

[shslfacecards]

Gentileschi’s Judith [Akemi Arc P.5]

“Who really killed the Kuro family?”

It was becoming harder and harder to ignore the stories on the news. After all, when such a high-profile case reemerges after so many years-- and as more and more media outlets begin to ask questions, it’s definitely primed to become important news for a while.

Akemi could feel the eyes following her as she walked down the hallways of her school. It was a feeling she was used to-- at least, when she was speaking at events-- but in this context, it did nothing but make her feel ill. Even though no one had asked her anything yet...she knew they would. She knew they were morbidly curious-- they were all watching, after all, waiting for the drama to unfold.

All she could hear were the questions posed by the media:

“Did she lie on the stands?”

“Did she know the truth?”

“Was this about money?”

“Was she being honest?”

“Who really pulled the trigger? Was this about money? Power? What ever happened to her?”

Akemi quickened her pace, her expression gaining the slightest hint of a panic despite her efforts to conceal it. Without a word or glance at anyone else in the hallway, she reached her room and slammed the door behind her. She had to take what little solace she could--

--she knew they would be coming for her, soon enough.

[shslfacecards]

Gentileschi’s Judith [Akemi Arc P.1]

“Excuse me--”

Akemi turned around abruptly, meeting eyes with the stranger who had called out to her. She’d been enjoying one of her increasingly rare trips to the coffee shops when the man approached her. He seemed somewhat young, perhaps no older than 35, but what caught her immediate attention was the small recording device he’d failed to conceal. She met him with suspicious eyes, but kept herself from glaring just yet.

“What is it that you need?”

The man gave a quick, courteous bow, before extending a hand to her.

“My name is Akio Matsuda. I’m an independent journalist, and, I was really hoping I could get a quick word in with you, miss Kuro.”

Akemi pouted her lips in thought, wondering if she truly had the patience to deal with another interview, especially one that was entirely unwarranted and unplanned.

“What, pray tell, is the occasion for this interview. I have not published in some weeks now, so I hardly feel it is necessary to question me.”

The journalist grew sheepish for a moment, but quickly seemed to steel himself for whatever it was he was going to ask. The way he acted was more than enough to warrant some unease.

“Well, this is more to do with...well, you. There’s still people who are interested in your story, and the struggles you’ve faced with the Kuro art empire. Other journalists with bigger companies, from what I hear, have expressed some interest in talking about it, considering the time of year, but...I was hoping you could give me the honor of being able to ask-- just a few questions.”

Akemi didn’t like this one bit, but from the sounds of it she would be facing a number of other nosy people before long. Weighing her options carefully, she finally arrived to a conclusion.

“You may ask me four questions, and beyond that I will be taking my leave. I have a great deal of work to do, and cannot pause for a mere interview about my life.”

“Oh, of course--”

[shslfacecards]

Drip [Closed with shslgiantnerds]

That was a long and arduous process, one that took days, and one that Akemi would have much rather not dealt with. She wholeheartedly believed that nothing she did in this situation would change the final outcome, and transferring to a new hospital seemed a fruitless effort. Still, if it truly meant nothing then she supposed there was little harm in shutting Momiji up for all of a few days by doing this. It wasn’t as if she had the energy to refuse at present. 

Naturally, as she arrived at this new hospital, everything remained standard procedure. Charts were read, questions were asked, samples were taken, tests were run, and she was once again ushered into a drab room with horrid lighting and uncomfortable furniture. It was strange to be in here, knowing it was run by Momiji’s family, but it didn’t make her feel any safer. If anything, that simply made her irritatingly uncomfortable. She shouldn’t have been in the hospital this long...she should have been released or, well...

Within a few hours of her arrival, they had returned with the results of some of their tests, and explained what treatment options were available and were most recommended. Then, allowing her time to consider those options, she was once again left alone in the hospital room. At least there were no flowers this time. 

She sat back and waited, knowing that the usual time that Momiji would come to visit would be rather soon. She was consistent, Akemi could give her that much.