Cowboy Bebop Fan Fiction ❯ Tenshi Trail: Shin Heart ❯ Vol. One, Chapter Five: Court Case ( Chapter 5 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Court Case
Jet was working on the ship's database when the outside screen flipped on. He looked up to see Ume standing outside waiting to come in. She seemed tense about something. Jet was both excited and concerned about his lover. He pushed the call button to talk to her.
“Ume,” he said. “What are you doing here? What's wrong?”
“Jet!” the sensei called out. “I need to talk to you right now!” Jet was surprised by her tone. Something was really wrong here. She rarely came to him upset like this. In fact, she and he had been happy ever since the death of her abusive mob prince husband. Jet took in a deep breath.
“Okay,” he said. “I'm letting you in now.”
“Thanks,” she said in a sad tone. Then, Jet hit the button to open the door. The door rose open on the outside and Ume walked into the Bebop. Jet walked down to the living room to meet her there. He found his girlfriend sitting in the couch waiting. Jet noticed her face. Ume looked so sick and pale. She was trembling all over. Her hands were tightly clasped together. The poor sensei looked like she would throw up at any second. Jet rushed over to her quickly.
“Ume!” he called. “What's wrong? What happened to you? Why do you look so sick like that?” His girlfriend looked up at him with heavy tears in her eyes.
“They're suing me for his death!” Ume cried out. Jet looked at her confused.
“What?!?” he asked. Ume swallowed hard before speaking again.
“Isamu's family is filing a wrongful death suit against me for their son's death!” she whimpered out. Jet was really stunned by this.
“But you weren't even there when he was murdered!” he yelled out.
“I know!” she said. “But they want to make someone pay for his death and I'm the nearest target that they have!” The sensei broke down crying again.
“Oh Jet!” she whimpered out. “I'm so scared! You know what the Isamu family is like! They'll eat me alive without any warning. I don't stand a chance against them! They have judges and different members of the jury in their back pocket. I'll be in debt to them for the rest of my life!” Ume sank her head down into her hands. “I'm ruined!” she cried out in her hands. “I'll be dead before I can get away from them and live my life in freedom!” Her tears increased even more. Jet sat down beside of her and held her close to him. Ume looked up at him with tears in her eyes.
“It's okay, Ume-chan!” he said aloud to her. “You have to fight against them sometime! Otherwise they'll keep coming at you with everything they got! You don't want that do you?” Ume kept staring at him. Her eyes were still filled with tears.
“But, Jet!” she cried out. “What if I'm not strong enough to fight back? What if I loose after the first round? Isamu's family will keep coming at me until they see me ruined! That's how they operate!” Jet hugged her closer to him. Ume was really shocked by the strong pressure of his body. “Wow!” she thought. “He has such a strong grip! He must really mean it with his love for me!” Jet lightly laid his head upon her chin.
“You won't know your own strength until you try to fight back,” he said. “But you matter what you do to try to change the outcome, I will be here by your side until the very end!” Something strange happened. Ume suddenly felt strong again. She felt like she could stand up on her own two feet once again. Jet's love had helped her survive throughout the summer. Jet's love even helped her build a life after her husband. Then a bit of anger sparked up into her soul. How dare Isamu's family come along and try to drag her back to the way things were before she met her new boyfriend! They had no right to force her to live in fear once again! If the Isamu could be happy with their lives, then why shouldn't she? Well, there was only one way to fix that! The sensei hugged her lover right back.
“You're right!” called to him aloud. “I will stand up and fight back! I can't keep running away from the Isamu clan. I will stand up and fight for myself for once! I am going to fight back to keep my happiness and go to trial for this case!” They lightly let go of each other and looked deep into each other's eyes.
“And I will with you every step of the way!” Jet called. His girlfriend smiled at him brightly. She looked a whole lot better now!
“Thank you, Jet!” she called to him. “I don't know what I do without you!”
“Well,” he said to her kindly. “I do what I can for you.”
“I know,” the sensei said to him. “I know you do.” Then, they shared a romantic kiss with each other on that resolution. Here began the long hard battle for Ume's freedom.
Fight for Your Freedom, Sensei