Hope you guys know that anything said here isn't realistic; I'm just as smart as the characters lol. If Itsuki is stupid, then just know that you are smarter than me. Hope this can be a redemption chapter after the last one…
Major timeskip again.
✦ ✦ ✦
A bang was heard.
BANG
"Hey, honey, did you drop something?" his mother's voice rang out in response.
"Mmm, no?" his father replied, confused.
"Amane, was it you?" his mother screamed, as Amane was in her bedroom.
BANG
"Nooo, it wasn't me, Mom!!!" Amane screamed down, slightly confused and shaken by the second bang.
Itsuki went slowly down the stairs. He looked at his parents, who were now standing up after previously sitting down.
"Guys, calm down. I think it's the door, although I'm shocked at why they would be banging this hard," Itsuki said.
"I'll open the door. You guys can chill and sit down," Itsuki suggested. He grabbed the handle of the door and turned it.
His parents had learned that his hearing was much better than any of theirs, so when he said, "it was the door," it was indeed the door. They visibly relaxed and sat back down on the couch.
Itsuki opened the door and saw policemen lined up, some with weapons, others in protective suits, and more.
"Tenrin Itsuki, you're under suspicion for a connection to multiple criminal activities. You are not under arrest, but you are required to follow us."
"I see. Alright."
The officer blinked. He was clearly expecting much more resistance from him.
"Before you come with us, do you understand your charges?" another officer said, intervening in their conversation.
"They are?" Itsuki asked.
"Murder, aggravated assault, grievous bodily harm, unlicensed quirk usage resulting in permanent injury, and vigilantism," the officer said.
Itsuki sighed, nodded, and accompanied them.
There was no use arguing or asking for his phone. A clear mind would be essential as of now. He had been in 'complications' with the law in his previous life, but most of the time, the jury and judge were rigged in his favor.
✦ ✦ ✦
His family arrived roughly forty minutes later. His mother was the first to come through; she had clearly been briefed over the phone and didn't have the most pleasant look on her face. Amane was fairly quiet and didn't utter a word, and his father seemed like a man who had just been hit by a migraine.
They were brought to a side room where the multiple charges and procedures were carefully explained to him and his family. Fast-tracked tribunal, given the current climate of the Hero and Villain world. A recent spike in criminal activity had pushed the justice system toward rapid processing for cases with sufficient evidence already on file. The trial would be held within twenty-four hours, and a lawyer would be provided to him.
"I don't need a lawyer," Itsuki said.
His mother looked at him with a serious face. "Itsuki, what are you say—"
"I'll represent myself," he replied.
"Itsuki… you're fourteen. You can't do that," his mother pleaded.
"Yes, I am aware of how old I am," Itsuki started but was cut off by his mother.
"You can't represent yourself in a murder trial."
"It's a tribunal, not a full criminal trial, and Japanese law allows self-representation in tribunal proceedings for defendants over thirteen with parental consent." He looked at his father.
"I just need your consent."
"You've already thought of what you are going to do," his father said.
"I have, and I'm sure I can win."
His father nodded. "Alright."
His mother gave his father a deadly smile that looked more threatening than friendly. It said a great deal about what was going to happen after Itsuki was gone.
They put him in a holding room overnight. It was a small room with a cot, a light that stayed on, and a camera in the corner. He lay on the cot, looked at the ceiling, and built his case from the ground up, argument by argument, anticipating every direction the prosecution could come from and preparing the counter before they arrived.
✦ ✦ ✦
His family had brought him a suit, he knew that the court cases and such things required things like this to happen so he was kind of glad he didn't have to wear something casual like he was before. After he had changed he was guided to the tribunal room.
The tribunal room was smaller than he expected.
A raised bench for the judge, a jury of eight on the left side, a gallery behind a low partition where his family sat.
His mother was upright and tense, Amane was beside her biting her teeth nervously, Itsuki nearly laughed at how she was almost more nervous than him, his father was right next to Amane, he had his arms crossed and he had a plain expression on his face.
On the other side of the gallery sat a group of people he didn't recognise.
The family of one of the men from the Hassaikai base. And beside them, a lawyer in a dark suit.
The judge entered.
The room visibly tensed.
The judge sat down and opened a file, looked at it briefly and then looked at Itsuki.
"Are you representing yourself?" she asked.
"Yes, Your Honour."
"And you thoroughly understand your charges?"
"Yes, Your Honour."
The prosecution lawyer stood.
His name was Hayama.
He was somewhere in his forties, a composed man who had clearly been in the business for many years. Then he opened his case.
"The defendant," Hayama said, "is fourteen years old and has, over the course of approximately three years, accumulated a *documented* history of quirk abuse usage, viglantism, unauthorized quirk usage, physical assault and more ."
"We will demonstrate that this dangerous pattern escalated, resulting in an incident at a private premises in which the defendant killed one individual, caused permanent physical injury to two others, and committed acts of violence that should create a criminal record."
"We will show that regardless of the context, the actions taken were anything but just and very much illegal!"
"The law does not grant any individual, regardless of their quirk the right to whether someone lives or dies."
He sat down, clearly happy with his speech.
The judge looked at Itsuki. "Does the defendant wish to make an opening statement?"
Itsuki stood.
"I'll keep it short," he said. "The prosecution has described a pattern of dangerous behaviour and an escalation to lethal violence."
"I intend to show that the pattern they've described is a selective reading of events."
"That the incident in question occurred in a context that fundamentally changes its legal character."
He placed his hand at his chest.
"Because this key witness has a personal stake in the result, their testimony requires the highest level of scrutiny."
"That's all."
He sat down in the same manner as Hayama, seemingly mocking him.
Hayama's expression didn't budge from the taunt, his face remained the same .
✦ ✦ ✦
The prosecution built its case in layers, as Itsuki had expected.
Itsuki taking down a villain with such a destructive quirk was in a previous police file(last chapter villain), it was a flag on his name. It was entered as evidence that Itsuki had the capability and willingness to engage in physical confrontation.
Hayama was careful with his words, describing Itsuki's actions as un-honourable as they could be, making it seem like an act of villainy rather than vigilantism.
But Hayama didn't just stop there, he remembered the alley incident from 2-3 years ago, showing that his repetitive engagement to danger was something that didn't come out of the blue but something that was present for years, he also suggested that Itsuki may have done more crimes that were not documented.
(A/N: In case you are wondering why I am narrating the speech, I'm too stupid to act like a lawyer, hopefully this suffices lol)
Hayame just didn't stop there, he proceeded to bring out his client the witness.
Itsuki sighed as he watched from his seat the Lawyer ramble.
His name was Koda Renji.
He was a compact man who looked roughly in his thirties and had a neutral expression on his face.
He took the stand and described, in measured and specific terms, what he claimed to have witnessed at the premises.
Itsuki at the scene.
The violence he had seen before getting knocked out.
(A/N: I'm going to explain what happened and why next chapter)
Hayama walked him through it methodically. The jury was paying close attention to the words of Hayama, she looked nearly convinced by him and his witness.
Two of them were looking at the wheel above his head, which had appeared quietly at the start of Koda's testimony and had not gone away.
When Hayama and Koda finished, the judge looked at Itsuki.
"The defendant may cross-examine."
Itsuki stood and walked to the front of the room.
He stood a few meters from the witness stand and looked at Koda Renji for a moment without saying anything.
"Mr Koda," he said. "What is your occupation? What do you work as?"
Koda glanced at Hayama as if looking for approval. "I work in logistics."
"Which company?"
"I'm currently between positions."
"Your previous employer," Itsuki said. "What was the name?"
"Rindo Logistics."
"Rindo Logistics was dissolved approximately fourteen months ago following a police investigation into its operations," Itsuki said.
"The investigation found evidence of illegal quirk substance distribution, unlicensed pharmaceutical handling, and connections to a criminal organisation operating under the name Shie Hassaikai."
A visible gasp erupted throughout the group.
"You were an employee at the time of collapse right?"
"I was unaware of any illegal—"
"You were present at the premises on the night in question," Itsuki continued.
"The premises which you have described as a private residence. Can you describe what activity was taking place at those premises that evening?"
"I was visiting a colleague—"
*CLICK*
His wheel spun.
Itsuki grabbed his tie and readjusted it.
"Mr Koda. The premises in question were a known operational site for Shie Hassaikai, a well known criminal organization by the police."
" This is documented in the same police records that the prosecution used to establish my history. I'd like the jury to note that those same records, which are already in evidence, contain a reference to the address."
He turned briefly to the jury.
"I'll direct you to page fourteen of the evidence file and then to the third paragraph."
Two jurors turned pages.
Hayama was on his feet immediately.
"Objection!"
"The defendant is presenting evidence not formally introduced—"
"The evidence is already in the file submitted by the prosecution," Itsuki said, looking at the judge.
"I'm directing the jury to material they already have."
The judge looked at the file and then at Hayama. "Overruled, please continue."
Itsuki turned back to Koda.
"You have two prior convictions," Itsuki said. "One for assault causing bodily harm in 2117. One for possession of unlicensed quirk-affecting substances in 2119. On both you were convicted."
*CLICK*
He pointed towards Koda.
"Mr Koda, you are not a grieving family member with no connection to criminal activity!"
"You are a former if not current associate of a criminal organisation testifying about an incident that occurred on that organization's premises."
"The jury should understand what you are and where you were standing when you saw what you say you saw."
Koda's previous neutral face had started to sweat profusely. .
"I have no further questions," Itsuki said, and returned to his seat.
✦ ✦ ✦
Hayama recalibrated at the break. When proceedings resumed he had pivoted, as Itsuki had expected, away from the witness and toward the pattern.
"The defence has done an effective job of characterising the witness," Hayama said, addressing the jury now more than the room.
"But I want to bring the focus back to what is not in dispute. The defendant was present at those premises."
The defendant used his quirk, lethally, against at least one person.This can only point to one thing, the defendant has been operating outside the law for years with no consequences!"
He turned toward Itsuki.
"The question is not whether the victims were good people. The question is whether any individual has the right to appoint themselves as the judge of justice based on their own judgment."
"And the answer, in a society governed by law, is no."
"Furthermore," he continued, "the tribunal has already seen evidence of this defendant's physical capability. A licensed pro hero was on the scene but was unable to engage a villain that this defendant neutralised in under five seconds."
"We are not talking about a child who stumbled into a dangerous situation. We are talking about someone with the physical capability of a pro hero and none of the accountability."
He sat down.
The judge looked at Itsuki. "Does the defendant wish to respond?"
Itsuki stood.
"Mr Hayama has made an argument about capability," he said. "He's suggested that because I have a powerful quirk, I represent a particular kind of danger that the law should address."
"I'd like to examine that argument for a moment."
He looked at the jury.
"If capability alone constitutes grounds for criminal liability, then every pro hero currently licensed in Japan is subject to the same standard." Endeavour, All Might etc.. Any hero whose quirk could cause lethal harm if applied without restraint."
"The law does not criminalise capability. It criminalises action taken outside lawful authority."
"On the night in question, I entered premises where I had reason to believe a child was being held against her will and subjected to ongoing harm. I did not enter to kill anyone."
"I entered because a child needed help and there was no hero present and no time to wait for one. What I encountered when I got inside is what drove what happened next. The prosecution has described my actions in the most unflattering terms available to them."
"I'll describe them differently: I stopped what was being done to that child. I used the force required to do that. I did not use more."
"Japanese law, specifically the amended hero intervention statute of 2118, states that any individual who acts to prevent ongoing harm to a minor in the absence of licensed hero response is afforded a lawful necessity defence for actions taken in the course of that intervention, provided those actions were proportionate to the threat present."
He looked at the judge. "I am invoking that statute. The threat present at those premises was documented, ongoing, and severe. I have the child as a witness to what was being done to her. The prosecution does not."
He went towards his seat, the room remained quiet as he did so.
Hayama leaned forward and said something to his junior beside him. The junior typed something quickly.
From the gallery, his father had not moved. His hands were still folded. His face was trying to remain neutral but his mouth was not obeying, a small smile was tugging on his face.
✦ ✦ ✦
The family's lawyer finally said something, she was a small woman with small but acute-looking eyes.
"The defendant mentioned a statute," she said.
"The statute states that the actions MUST be proportionate. Killing one individual and causing permanent injury to two others, including the removal of organs, is anything but proportionate response regardless of what was witnessed."
"A proportionate response is restraint and not mutilation, such acts are nothing more than straight torture."
"The defendant is composed and clearly intelligent," she continued.
"None of that changes what he did, the jury should not mistake a good argument for the truth."
The judge gave Itsuki the nod for a final response.
He stood up and spread his arms out.
*CLICK*
"The counsel has described what I did and called it disproportionate," he said.
"I won't refuse the description of events. What I'll say is this,"
He locked eyes with the jury.
"The person who suffered those injuries was, at the time, in the process of using his quirk to permanently injure… No deforming of a six year old child for the purpose of extracting and weaponising her quirk."
"I stopped it the only way available to me in the time available to me. The child is alive."
"She is no longer in that horrible place because of me."
"I'll leave the question of how proportional it was to the jury."
He sat down pleased with himself.
(A/N: Sorry for the lots of author notes but ya'll think he won, jury right here lol :)
Yes
No
✦ ✦ ✦
The jury took forty minutes.
Itsuki sat in the defendant's seat and looked at the middle distance towards his family. His mother was holding Amane's hand. Amane was gripping on tightly. His father was sitting still and not saying anything.
The jury returned.
"On the charge of murder — not guilty."
His mother exhaled in relief.
"On the charge of aggravated assault — not guilty."
"On the charge of grievous bodily harm — not guilty, on grounds of lawful necessity."
"On the charge of unlicensed quirk usage — guilty, with recommendation for minimum penalty given the circumstances, most likely two weeks of community service."
"You're free to go," she said.
✦ ✦ ✦
A/N: Hey, I know he would have to show the visible wounds of Eri and stuff and have much more viable proof but I just wanted a Lawyer Mahoraga chapter because it seemed fun to write. I been seeing them Mahoraga in Higurama's domain.
I didn't go law school nor do I take psychology lessons so if you did then I'm really sorry lol.
For some reason my sickness isn't getting any better so my writing is a bit shit but my creativity has been up (I think) so uhh yeah.
Ya'll know the goals:
300 - 1 extra chapter
600 - 2 extra chapters