Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Defy and Comply ❯ Lesson 16: Courtblock Drama ( Chapter 16 )

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Defy and Comply

Lesson 16: Courtblock Drama

By: Revamp

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At the top of the school, the roof panel slid back and an antennae popped up fromt he dark abyss, pointed skyward. Sirens pierced through the skies, much like a warning system had gone off, paralyzing students in their tracks as fear and confusion raced through their hearts. Without warning, a dome jutted from the top of the school, the thick, painted walls slammed down around the school, encasing it in a dome. The walls slammed down with such force that it caused the ground to violently quake, knocking some of the students off of their feet. Dirt and debris sailed through the air as students ran around in chaos. Screams of terror filled the air as pandimonium ran rampant.

The quake resonated through the school, shaking the dorms. Tsukimi paused with her fishnets pulled up to one knee as the walls trembled around her. The bi-colored eyed girl observed things falling off of the wall, clattering to the ground. "What was that?" She wondered aloud as Kazoo bolted out of his chair.

"Oh no! What the shit?" The blue-haired teen looked absolutely horrified. He knew exactly what it was.

Pulling up her stocking, she turned to him with worry laced into her expression. "What's wrong?" A sickening feeling overcame her and part of her wasn't sure that she wanted to know.

"The dome fell down. We're trapped in here!" Kazoo shouted. He didn't think that it would have dropped so suddenly. This was far earlier than it had dropped down before and he at least thought he had another day before something happened. This wasn't according to his plans at all.

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Lamar stared at one of the fallen vases in Taiga's dorm before he leveled the yakuza with look of realization. "It's happening..." The tone of his voice was ominous, unlike any other he had used prior. It was as if he was being sent off to execution.

"Son of a bitch!" Taiga cursed and pulled back his curtains. Looking down, he saw a large group of students that were gathered in the front yard outside. Among the students stood Kiyomaru, who was talking to a group of girls who looked scared out of their minds, and one even had tears rolling down her reddened cheeks.

Sunoma stood on the steps, gazing at the falsely painted blue sky on the dome. Ice blue eyes narrowed. "The end is here. The nightmare is upon us."

Just then, Kraki ran down the steps to meet up with her. Panic and fear fought for dominance on his visage. "What's going on?! What happened?!"

Prasuna spoke up from beside of them, dressed in a plaid skirt and white undershirt that was buttoned to the bottom of her breasts, revealing the top of her designer, red-lace bra. A long tie hung loosely around her neck. The white-haired thespian placed her hands on her hips. "We're trapped in here! This can't be! That means-"

Before she could speak a word more, megaphones for a PA system popped out of all areas of the school, flipping out from panels along the walls and a large jumbotron turned on. Usually the jumbotron was used to make important announcements, or hold movie and film events, but today it's purpose was far more sinister.

On the screen was a picture of what looked like a courtroom, but there was no judge's podium. The walls were a golden color, adorned with long, blue satin curtains and the floor was of a light and dark blue checkered pattern. Pictures of Mr. Mandio hung around, decorating each wall as well as pictures of white lillies on a black background. It almost looked more like a creepy memorial than a courtroom. On one end, there were a couple of large, plush chairs with high backs that mimicked thrones. They were blue and gold in coloration with a stream of black pearls that lined them. In the middle of the courtroom, there was a round lower level where many small stands were. They had curved fronts and appeared to be fancy versions of a witness stand and they were all facing each other. It was very odd.

"Court is now in session! Will the following please report to the courtroom located behind the gymnasium-" A distorted voice came over the megaphone, projecting his demands out into the populous. The message also played inside of the school, for those who were not outside.

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"No..." Not this again. Kazoo didn't want to relive any more trials. While a part of him was prepared for it, a part of him didn't want to relive the horror of having to send someone to their death again. He would have much rather started off with having to kill the other students. His stomach felt as if it were free-falling and he grew nauseous.

"A trial?" Tsukimi pulled up her other stocking and looked at Kazoo with a serious extression. "This is their way of getting us to kill each other, isn't it? It's just like you said. The murder is going unsolved so they feel like there is a need for a trial. Whoever is guilty will be killed or almost killed so they can throw them to the dogs and get the others to attack them. It will make a weak link. Then whoever gets called into the courtroom must be the real killer. I wonder who all will go into that room..." Her expression was one of perplexity, but to Kazoo it was as if she was staring hungrily into his soul. "Who all are suspects....Whoever it is might have tried to kill me, too. Whoever did it killed Mishio...I hope they call me. I want to be there. I want to see who did it."

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Outside, students gathered around the jumbotron, they talked quietly among themselves as faint sobbing could be heard in the distance. All eyes were on the screen as those who were called into the courtroom stood at the podiums in the center. The students all looked around at each other.

Tsukimi's red and yellow eyes looked around at her classmates: Masato, Ame, Aoili, Prasuna, Gaz, Kraki, Sunoma, Zoen, Kiyomaru, Lamar, Taiga, Kokken and Kazoo. All eyes scanned around, noticing who all was there and observing the other's posture.

Aioli drew her hands to her chest with a look of fright and confusion. She felt very overwhelmed, and being in a court room, facing off against her classmates was terrifying. "Why are we here? What is this place?"

Prasuna put her hands on her hips and frowned sternly. "Could this be part of the killer's trap?" She was going to remain on guard. The thespian demanded to know what was going on.

"I don't want to be here," Lamar said lowly. This place brought back too many unwanted flashbacks, and the fact that he was standing at the very same podium that he had so many times before just made the feelings brewing inside of him all the more wretched.

Kokken was visibly trembling. She couldn't understand what was going on or why there was a trial being held. She wanted to cry. "I'm scared."

"Don't be. You're far from the reach of what will happen in here," Taiga's voice snapped the girl out of her panic as her head jerked towards the yakuza that stood beside of her in his podium. It gave her a sense of protection to know that they were beside of each other in the courtroom.

"Why are we here?" The girl asked, her eyes still glimmering with uncertainty and fear.

"You're gonna find out who killed those students," that had to be why they were there. If it wasn't, then Taiga could only guess that another killing had happened besides the ones they already knew about.

"As you all know, there have been a series of killings that have taken place here," their attention was averted to a man in a black suit and tie that sat upon one of the thrones. His legs were crossed casually and his arms rested on the arm rests, but the most peculiar thing about him was that his head was covered in a white execution hood that was usually placed on hanging victim's heads. It had two holes that only showed black and a roped around his neck closed off any way of pulling the hood from him. He continued his speech in a distorted voice, as if something electronic masked his identity. "As such, a culprit lies in this school. Before you all is a showcase of who may be to blame."

This erupted conversation between everyone. Their voiced became jumbled as they exchanged expressions of outrage, shock and fear. Aioli and Kokken cowed down scared out of their minds. They couldn't find the courage to say one thing about anything and in truth, they just wanted to go back to their dorms and live the life they were leading prior to this nightmare.

"As a result, we are going to have a trial. The first part of the trial will be a nonstop debate, where you all talk freely and hand out any information you may have for a conviction. You can contradict lies your fellow students think you are telling, as well as present evidence against other claims made. The final stage is a compiled story and conviction of the culprit. All in the trial must agree before the killer is exposed, or the killer must come out themself."

"Wait a moment," Prasuna interrupted, glancing around the room suspiciously. "Someone in this room is the killer?"

Aioli's golden eyes looked around at her classmates in disbelief. She couldn't fathom the fact that one of her classmates could be responsible for the death of so many students....Inori, Mishio...and maybe even Karaya. Then a nervous sensation washed over her. "Well, there are so many people. What if we guess wrong?"

"A method of punishment will be given. Regardless, your conviction dooms your classmate's fate and you deal with the ramifications of your actions," the hooded man raised his hand. "Let the nonstop debate begin!"

Sunoma started off the discussion. "What do we know about this case?"

Aioli continued to look around the courtroom. "Someone in here is the killer."

"Do we count suicide as a murder?" Prasuna threw her hands out. She didn't know whether or not to count Karaya's case as part of the conviction or not.

"It doesn't count unless they've been murdered," Zoen didn't want to think that they'd have to try and figure out what happened there. It was already ruled as a suicide, after all. That wasn't anyone's fault.

"There are multiple victims. We definitely are working with a serial killer," Prasuna had known that for a fact. Only a serial killer would have a pattern like that.

"They tried to kill Tsukimi," Lamar threw out another piece of evidence that might have been helpful.

"They did!?" Kokken was shocked by that. Who would want to kill Tsukimi? She had been completely unaware of that series of events.

"Yes, they tried to inject me with nutmeg," Tsukimi stated.

"Nutmeg?" Prasuna arched an eyebrow, folding her arms over her chest. That was a strange thing to inject someone with.

"It can be turned into a poison if you inject it into someone's blood," Kazoo educated everyone on the properties of the spice.

"That's terrible!" Kokken drew back with her hands to her mouth.

"Whoever found that information out must have experience working with the product." It would have seemed, to Ame that someone had done some research ahead of time, or they naturally had learned of such a thing on their own.

"Not many people know nutmeg's properties." That was something he knew himself. Lamar was unaware of the fact that it could be used as a poison. In fact, the only person he knew of that could have told him that right off the bat was Kazoo.

"That means it would have to be someone who has done shady business before," Sunoma's eyes shifted.

"What are you getting at?" Taiga sounded skeptical of the lolita's point. That sounded like she was trying to pin it on him or something.

"Didn't Yuunatsu die, too? He's a yakuza," Kokken remembered hearing it talked about around school. She didn't believe that Taiga could have done such a thing...not the Taiga that she knew.

"You can't just jump to conclusions just like that," the yakuza shot, not really wishing to be involved in any of that bullshit. They needed to get their heads on straight and not blame him for his current occupation.

"They did end their friendship," Lamar had thought that was pretty sudden, and he wasn't going to waste a moment's notice on bringing it up.

"Ending ties with a yakuza is never good. Of course, Yuunatsu was then killed in turn," Ame looked thoughtful before she leaned in with a look of intrigue. "Do you think it could be revenge?" She had asked that in all too interested of a voice.

"I think Yuunatsu tried to kill Tsukimi and failed," Prasuna pointed a finger into the air matter-of-factly. It made perfect sense to her. Yuunatsu wanted to end things without repercussion, and what better way to do that than to make sure Tsukimi wouldn't leak out any information he had told her about the yakuza?

"Sounds plausible," Kraki nodded, looking thoughtful on the subject.

"No it doesn't," Taiga argued. "You're pulling stuff out of your asses."

"Not exactly," Lamar countered his statement. "Remember, Yuunatsu ended his friendship with Tsukimi and the very next day she got sick." He found that odd, and even though he knew Taiga's feelings for him, he wasn't going to blindly defend him. This was one of the problems that he had with the whole situation.

"That still leaves a time lapse. Something could have happened there." From the point of the two ending their friendship to the time Tsukimi got sick there could have been time for something else to happen, at least to Zoen anyway. They shouldn't ignore the small elements of the case.

"This is so confusing. I don't feel like we're getting anywhere," Kokken spoke up. She was trying to take all of the evidence in, but it conflicted so much that she didn't know who to believe. Someone in this room was the killer. Someone in this room murdered Yuunatsu, Mishio, Inori and possibly made her friend Karaya want to kill herself...but who? Which one of her classmates could be so cold-hearted?

"Wait!" Everyone's sights were directed towards Kiyomaru. "Didn't Tsukimi state that when the mutual killing happened that she would have liked to kill Yuunatsu as an act of revenge?" That was what Taiga and Lamar had told him. He was certain of it.

"She also said that about Zoen," Lamar clarified his claim.

Tsukimi slammed her hands down on her podium and leaned forward with a look of outrage. "What!?! I was upset when I said that! I didn't mean it at all!" How could they just gang up on her and accuse her like that? She didn't kill anyone, and she definitely would never have killed her best friend!

"I think you did kill him then. If y'said it then y'dealt it," Masato held one hand out, his eyes shifted towards the punk-looking girl with accusation. It made sense, now that he thought about it. Tsukimi was very bitter over their breakup, and she disappeared that morning. Yuunatsu was with him at night, since the two of them dormed together, so it couldn't have happened at night.

"No!" Tsukimi shouted in defense.

"Explain this," Taiga decided to be the next one in line to grill her. "When we found you passed out, we brought you to our dorm but when we woke up you were gone that morning. We don't even know when you snuck out or how long you've been gone." That statement about getting breakfast could have just been a cover up for a far more nefarious deed. After all, when she found Yuunatsu he had been dead a while. Taiga had never been convinced that she was innocent, or that she just went and got breakfast.

"He's right. I was questioned on your whereabouts," Kiyomaru backed up the yakuza's claims.

"I went to get breakfast. I was trying to be nice," Tsukimi said through gritted teeth. Damned if she did and damned if she didn't. What in the hell was wrong with everyone? Did they really want to convict her that badly without proper evidence?

"Do you have an alibi? Can you prove that's where you went?" Ame asked politely, propping her lacey parisol over her shoulder with a small smile. The lolita always seemed like nothing ever phased her.

Just then, Aioli spoke up, raising her hand. "I can! I was with Kokken, too. We went to the cafeteria early because they were serving pork buns and I wanted to get some before the crowd came." The pork buns always went quickly, and knowing this, Aioli headed down to the cafeteria early. That's when she ran into Tsukimi, who was also standing in line.

"Yeah, we saw her get in line," Kokken agreed. When they entered the cafeteria, Tsukimi was just getting in line, and they stood behind her.

"I told you I wasn't laying," Tsukimi sighed.

"Whoever did it have to have had access to needles,"Kazoo finally mentioned that important piece of information.

"Mishio had needles, and sometimes she gave him injections. So, she had the skill to do it." Out of everyone Zoen knew, his ex girlfriend was good at giving shots because of the boy's medical conditions.

Tsukimi's black eyebrows furrowed in irritation. "The needles always stayed with Mishio. I never took any for myself." Why would she? She had no use for them at all.

"Maybe someone stole the needle from Mishio," Kraki looked thoughtful. That was the only other way someone could have gotten a hold of one, right?

"Coulda took it offa his body after he died," Masato brought up a good point.

"What if he or she had a medical condition? Then the needles would be at their fingertips," Ame stated another possibility as Lamar looked a little uneasy. It was only a matter of time before he'd be brought up and he felt time running thin.

"What if he had the needle himself?" Sunoma asked.

Masato turned to her. "Whaddya mean?"

"Could it be possible that Yuunatsu killed Mishi and Inori, then he went after Tsukimi, ending their friendship to get rid of a tie that would make him guilty, but then after he did it that he felt so bad he killed himself?" Maybe no one was to blame? Could he have committed suicide?

"That means none of us is the killer." That didn't make much sense to Kiyomaru. Why would they have a trial if it was just a suicide in the end?

"So, no one can get punished. We're all innocent," Kokken smiled. Thank goodness! She knew no one there would have killed anyone. They were all so kind to her. She couldn't imagine any of them being killers.

"I don't buy it. Someone has got to be the killer in here," Prasuna crossed her arms, looking around the room with stern suspicion.

"That depends; can we convict a dead man?" Ame didn't think suicide was out of the picture. Most killers who went on sprees ended up ending their own lives. How could this have been any different?

"We haven't given enough evidence," Taiga knew this trial was far from over.

"I say we ask," Masato replied. If there was an option that didn't result in the conviction of anyone in the room, he was all for it.

The blue-haired lolita turned to the hooded man who sat on the throne before them. "Excuse me; is it alright to ask you all a question?"

"You may," one of the hooded sentinels that stood beside of the throne said after looking to him comrades for compliant nods.

"Can we convict a person who has already died?" Aoili asked, her voice trembling a little.

"Convictions can only be made to living people," the man in the throne replied in a stern voice. By no means could they convict a dead person simply to get themselves out of a trial, if they thought that they were making up reasons to doubt the guilt of the true killer.

Zoen glanced back to all of the people in the room. "That means the killer is in this room."

Ame's eyes shifted, her ever-present, pleasant smile adorned her face. "So, which one of you did it?" She asked in an amused tone.

"We do not know that you did not do it," Kiyomaru pointed to the lolita in accusation. All he knew was that he didn't do it, and he didn't think Lamar or Taiga did it. That left a lot of them unaccounted for.

Ame's smile merely widened at his idiocy. "That's what makes the tension all the more exhilarating."

"Do you think this shit is a game?" Taiga barked at the diminutive girl, who simply replied in amusement.

"In a sick way, I suppose it is. A true gamble on human life."

"That means we have to prosecute someone in here," Gaz looked uneasy. He didn't like the idea of condeming someone to something based on the opinions of his classmates and nothing more. What if they convicted the wrong person?

"We don't have a choice," Masato closed his eyes. He didn't like it anymore than the others, but that didn't matter. They were going to have to convict someone if they wanted to get out of the trial from hell. The only question that remained was who was responsible?

"I hate this. Who are we to judge people? What if whoever we send off to get punished dies? What if we choose wrong? Man, this isn't our place." To Gaz, it wasn't right. This was the job of an executioner or prosecutor. It wasn't the job of a bunch of high school students.

Sunoma glanced to Lamar, who looked on as the others began to talk about morals and whether or not they agreed with the fact that they would have to condemn someone to brutality and even death. 'What do I do? I have a crucial piece of evidence that's damning but it points right to Lamar. He graduated from this school before and he knows the trials more than anyone...However, I don't truly believe he killed those students. It doesn't make sense that he would be trying to prevent this only to kill. This evidence might help the case, but in retrospect...I don't really have a choice.' Clenching her fists at her sides, the words flowed from her mouth reluctantly. "I know who else would have needles that could be accessed."

"You do?" Gaz whipped his head to the lolita, who stood across from him.

Sunoma pointed a finger at Lamar, who looked shocked that she would reveal such a thing. Horror riddled Kazoo's face and Taiga clenched a fist and closed his eyes, head pointed down.

'Why would you do that to me?' Lamar thought as beads of sweat surfaced on his face.

"Lamar does drugs. If someone took his needles, they could have tried to kill Tsukimi. Also, Tsukimi was in the room with he and Taiga," Sunoma figured that she might as well let them know what was going on. In this trial, they needed every piece of evidence they could get. As much as she hated outing them, there was no looking back.

Taiga's fist shook. "The needles were his. Sorry, Lamar," the yakuza's voice lowered. He hated this as much as anyone else who was in the trial, but he knew the stakes. Taiga wasn't about to be sent off to get punished. He had a goal to accomplish.

"But, it wasn't me. I spent the whole time trying to figure out who took my needles," Taiga at least knew that was true. Green eyes widened in shock. Why would Taiga go against him too?

"I thought drugs weren't allowed on campus. How did he get away with having them?" Ame wondered aloud.

"I ain't ever seen you before either," Masato commented. In fact, he wondered who exactly he was since the trial had started, and why he was even considered someone who was in his class. Lamar looked older than they all did. Was he held back or something?

"How did the needles get here?" Kokken asked.

"You're right," Gaze scratched his head, fingers weaving through dense, blue spikes. "I know a lot of students and I've never seen this guy before."

Taiga said nothing, but his expression looked as if his feelings waged war on it.

"He's...not truly a student here," Kiyomaru tried to bite back his words, but he couldn't. He didn't want to convict Lamar, but he didn't want to suffer, either. "In fact, he's already graduated." His tone turned into defeat as everyone cast their gaze at Lamar, who was now the focal point of their vision.

'That means that he knew what happened to the graduating class. If that's true, then he must have been the one helping us get the information we sought.' Kraki looked as if she had come a realization. The man that stood before them was their savior. He was the key to everything and he knew more than they could ever imagine.

"That's pretty fishy. You had the murder tools and y'graduated from here. Sounds like y'had a vendetta," Masato was a little suspicious. There was something about his story that didn't make any sense at all.

"Ya got me wrong, man. I admit I don't go to school here anymore, but I've been bustin' my balls tryin' to keep the dome from closin' so ya didn't have to kill each other." Now that the dome was already down, Lamar may as well come clean to his plans.

"We have to what?!" Gaz didn't know anything about any of that. What in the hell did he mean, so they didn't have to kill each other'?

"If that's true, then you lived. You're the guy who was the only survivor of the last graduation." It was all making sense to Kraki now. Lamar was the one Sunoma went to see. He was the one that supplied them with information and he was the one who was trying to save them. But why? Why would he come back and risk his life again for them?

Just then, Kazoo cleared his throat. "There's me, too."

"Stay on track or you all shall be presented with a timer." One of the distorted voices cut into their debate.

"We can talk about this later," Gaz just wanted this hell to be over. The quicker they were done with this trial, the better off his nerves would be.

"I think he did it," Prasuna pointed at Lamar. "He had the needles and the girl was in the room with him. That made her an easy target." It only made sense now. He could have injected Tsukimi while she was spending time with them. While she was unsure of the reasoning that he would do such a thing, the fact that he was an outsider was pretty damning.

"No...I didn't. She was already sick when I took her in," Lamar's psyche was cracking. His voice shook when he spoke and he looked panicked. He had found the girl fainted at the murder scene and took her back to his room. It wasn't him at all, but he couldn't convince them of that.

"I think you're missing a key factor," Kraki spoke up.

"You're right. Zoen broke up with Tsukimi the day before she fell ill. She noted that he was actin' funny. So what about him? Since Tsukimi wasn't needed anymore, he tried to kill her, then he killed Yuunatsu to get rid of any ties that might rat him out as a suspect. He probably stole Lamar's needles to try and pin the crime on him," Taiga had nearly forgotten about Zoen's involvement in the whole ordeal. He very well could have set Lamar up. He was the one who made Tsukimi feel that bad in the first place. Maybe she had reasons for saying that she wanted to kill him like she did.

"I was studying with Kraki, so I couldn't have done any of that," Zoen defended himself.

"I was studying with him. We were there for hours," Kraki defended his case.

"I still think Lamar did it. Think about it. He's the reason this is even happening. He started the rumors that when we graduate we would have to kill each other," Prasuna crossed her arms with a stern frown. The murders must have been caused by him, and killing them would have helped solidify his goals.

"We'll have to what?" Gaz was still confused at what they were all talking about and the situation in general. What was going on? What were they talking about? Killing each other? Where was this all coming from?

"Do not interrupt me!" Prasuna scolded the rock star, pointing to him in accusation as irritation was riddled onto her expression. "I am making a claim! Lamar probably used these rumors to make his way into the school where he began to kill students. This would make all of the rumors true. Some people will do anything to make their claims real. If he has realism behind his rumors then he could lead us up tp believing it was true. Don't you find it strange that everyone involved in the murders were members of the meetings we has regarding that very subject? He even killed the student council president!"

Kraki wasn't so sure about that. Something didn't make sense. "What about Karaya? How do you explain that?"

Gaz scratched his head, bewildered by all of the information that was flooding in. "I'm so confused...and freaked out. I didn't even know this was happening."

Tsukimi looked concerned as she turned her head towards the uneasy-looking graduate. "Did you really do that, Lamar?"

"She's fillin' your heads full of bullshit. It's not even true," Lamar defended himself through a shaky tone. He was shocked at how this was being turned around on him. Why would they do this? Why would Sunoma try to incriminate him like that? His heart raced as his body was overcome in a thin layer of sweat. This couldn't be happening again. He was the only student who graduated from Shinjinku to live through an execution and it was an event he didn't want to experience again.

"I do not believe Lamar would do that," Kiyomaru was quick to defend him. Why would someone who showed him so much compassion and pain do something like that? The moment that the two of them shared was real. There was no way that was fake. Someone who was so emotionally wrecked that they would turn to drugs and suicide out of guilt would never be as callous as to kill like that.

"I agree," Sunoma aided her friend. "Lamar had a diary of his prior accounts. When I read the book, those feelings were not those of a killer. They were those of someone who was traumatized and scared."

Traumatized and scared...that was exactly what he was; even now he looked ill with fear and uncertaintly.

"Lamar is trying to help us. He does not want us to feel as he feels," Kiyomaru continued to defend him. He wouldn't let them convict someone wrongfully, especially when that someone was their only key.

Zoen crossed his arms, glaring at Lamar with those beady eyes that peeked from his bandana. "We don't know that. It's probably lies."

"No, it's the truth. The graduating class was killed," Kazoo clarified Lamar's story.

"You're in cahoots with him," Zoen's vision shifted to the blue-haired graduate. Just who the hell were these two guys, anyway? No one else had criminal motives. They were all students at Shinjinku...except for the two of them. He'd never even seen them before. Like hell he was trusting them.

Kazoo drew back, panicked by his claims. "No! If you don't believe us then you can ask Taiga!" He pointed at the yakuza, who nodded in affirmation.

"Why would we ask Taiga? He's in our class." Aioli was confused at why she'd need Taiga's confirmation on students of a prior class. In fact, she wasn't so sure these guys even were students.

What was about to be said next threw the whole room into a shock so prominent that everyone fell into silence.

"I saw the last graduation," Taiga's voice sounded, and at that moment the faces of his peers lit up. The air was thick as all eyes were on him and the room was so silent that someone could drop a pin and it would have been heard with striking clarity.

"Why didn't you tell us that?" Prasuna asked a little unsurely. She was still in shock from his revelation.

"You did?" Kiyomaru questioned.

"I thought it would be funny to play a graduation prank on Raiga and I snuck in. After that I was trapped there. The only reason I'm alive is because Lamar saved me. When the graduation ended, they let me live because I wasn't technically in the graduating class." It was about time everyone was aware that the yakuza knew more than what he was letting on. It was about time that he slapped them all in the face verbally. This wasn't a game. This was reality and now they were playing roulette with someone's life.

"Holy shit! Is this really happening?" Gaz ran his hands through his hair and exclaimed. He was really freaked out. This felt like some kind of nightmare.

"There's nothing you can do. The dome is closed. This is the first round," Taiga's words struck fear through everyone's hearts.

Gaz trembled with fear and the fluids churned sickeningly in his stomach. Thrashing around, he gripped his spikes tightly and tears clung to the corners of his eyes. "I don't want to die!" His petrified voice rang out through the courtroom.

"I don't think Lamar is guilty. He saved Taiga's life." If Lamar was trying to kill everyone in their class, then why did he keep Taiga alive? Aioli didn't find that made any sense.

"He might be lying for him. Maybe he killed his own man," Zoen's chiseled features directed themselves at the yakuza, who was giving him a vicious glare in return.

Kokken was a little confused at why he'd say something like that. "Why would he kill his own man?" That didn't seem like him at all. Taiga cared a lot about everyone he was close to, and she thought he was really close to Yuunatsu. The two of them acted like brothers.

"Are you ignorant? Yakuza leaders make their men cut off their fingers. What's to stop him from an execution?" Yakuza were ruthless killers, mafia men of the highest caliber, and if they wanted someone dead, they damned sure found ways to get it done. Zoen knew this first hand.

Taiga slammed his hands down on the podium. A loud bang shot through the room. "How dare you question my integrity as a yakuza leader, you ignorant street punk. Yubizume is only performed when a member of the faction has dishonored me and it's used in serious cases. We of the yakuza keep our enemies close and our friends even closer. To cut off a finger hinders how one holds a sword and a man with no honor is unable to hold a sword. To be frank they don't deserve that privilege if they did something shitty enough to get their damned fingers cut off!" He was outraged that Zoen would imply that he just cut off people's fingers whenever the hell he felt like it. That gang leader acted like it was his favorite past time or something.

"That means you abide by the old samurai ways," Kokken thought that was a little old fashioned for this day and age, but some people were stuck in the past like that. On the flip side, it was nice to see that he had honor like that. Not many people did.

"If Yuunatsu had truly dishonored the Yamaguchi Faction, he would be missing all of his fingers before he died. One would think," Ame noted, twirling one of her curly ponytails around her finger lazily.

"He had all of them," Tsukimi knew that for certain.

"Yes he did, so shut your mouth before I jump over this podium and do it for you," Taiga threatened, holding up a fist to make his threat more clear to the gang member.

"Make your decision," the voice pressed them once more and the pressure from his words slammed down on the courtroom like a heavy anvil, weighing on each of the student's shoulders. They were getting impatient. If they didn't do something quickly, they would have a set time to convict someone.

Sunoma shot the class of people a dire expression. "We have to come up with a decision together."

"I don't even know where to start," Gaz was literally falling apart over the fact that they were going to have to kill someone. He couldn't get past that notion; much less convict someone in a trial. His mind just wasn't with the program.

"I think it was Lamar and Taiga and the blue-haired guy are his accomplices," Prasuna was adamant about her accusation.

"Are you serious?" Kazoo was exasperated. What made her think they were such horrible people? Honestly, it was beginning to annoy him.

"I didn't. I wouldn't kill anyone if I had a choice," Lamar wanted to shout but he tried so desperately to keep his composure. Rising illness bubbled in his stomach and he felt his body quake with anxiety. The walls felt as if they were closing in on him and he closed his eyes, gripping his dyed hair tightly as tears clung to his eyes.

It was happening again.

Visions of that trial infiltrated his senses and overtook him, throwing him back into a dark time he didn't want to remember.

The cold steel of cuffs and a metal collar burned into his skin as his back was straight as it slammed into a large, metal wheel. The force in which his body beat against the unforgiving surface beat the air out of him. The chains clattered and clinked as they pulled tight, securing him on the archaic device. Everyone watched with horror in their eyes. They could do nothing but stand there with shocked expressions as they began to spin around and around. Faster and faster the images got until they looked like motion blurs.

Tears clung to his eyes as his heart raced. His body was wild with fright and he dreaded what would happen when the device stopped. Lamar wanted to throw up right there, not from the motion sickness but from the anxiety his body felt. The feeling of facing your death was unlike any other sensation that anyone could feel. There was a certain sense of heightened fear, a certain rush of adrenaline that could never be replicated.

Just then, the wheel stopped, jerking him into an upright position, and before he could blink, a katana shot from the wall. Panic ran through him, with a wild look in his eyes, Lamar desperately tried to struggle against his binding but he could only watch as the sword pierced his chest, plunging through his flesh and exiting his back with a sickening pop.

Lamar had never felt such a pain before in his life and his scream of anguish was all that could be heard in the dead air of the execution room.

"No!" Lamar shouted, holding either side of his head as tears ran down his face. "I don't want to get punished again! I didn't even do anything last time! Oh man, this is retarded!"

Sunoma couldn't help but feel her heart drop. Seeing Lamar in this much pain reminded her of the day she read his diary entry. The anguish of his voice nearly made her want to cry in the trial. She could only imagine what was going through his head.

"You got punished last time?" Kokken was shocked. Was he trying to say that he lived through one of the deadly punishments?

"He did it then," Prasuna wasn't going to let her accusation go.

"You have the wrong guy!" Taiga defended Lamar. Like hell he was going to see his friend get executed.

"Stop defending him!" Prasuna argued, gritting her teeth together as her red, painted nails dug into the wood of the podium.

"I didn't do it! I swear! I do drugs because of the pain. How would you guys like it if ya were one of the few who lived? I even thought Kazoo was dead. I can't get executed!" Lamar shouted in a whirlwind of feelings as he continued to fall apart before the court composed of his peers.

Just then, it hit Kazoo.

The sword pierced Lamar's chest, and the sickening entry noise sounded through the execution room with such clarity he could still hear it amplified in his mind. That scream of untamed anguish haunted him. It made him feel sick, and even if Lamar tried to kill him, it was something that made him feel despair towards.

Closing his eyes and gritting his shark-like teeth, Kazoo balled his fists to both of his sides and spoke lowly. "I did it."

"What?" Tsukimi's irises shrunk to the size of pin pricks as she could literally feel her multi-colored hair stick out of her head. Her body jolted and she didn't want to believe what he said. There was no way, no way that Kazoo was right. He had to be joking.

"Why?" Lamar looked to him in utter disbelief. He couldn't believe that Kazoo was the killer. How could this be? Surely he was joking, right?

"What the hell did you just say?" Taiga barked, he was thoroughly pissed off. Why in the hell did Kazoo initiate the killings like that? Why did he kill Yuunatsu? He better have a good reason or he wasn't sure that he wasn't going to just beat his ass right where he stood.

"I killed Yuunatsu and I killed Mishio. The other two I had nothing to do with. Before you all get mad, or cry let me tell you why I did it. I killed Yuunatsu because I saw him poison Tsukimi. I wasn't sure if he killed the student council president but he was going around being suspicious. I thought he was up to no good. I'm sorry, Taiga. I know you'd defend your men but I think you needed to know that," Kazoo's voice was defeated as he turned to the yakuza, unsure of how he was going to take that news.

Clenching his fist, Taiga frowned heavily, disgusted by the reality of the situation. If Yuunatsu was alive, he was sure he would have cut off all of his fingers for that stupid shit. "I was talking to him in my dorm earlier when Lamar stepped out...I didn't even notice that he took Lamar's needles. How could I? Lamar lied to me about being on drugs."

"Yuunatsu injected Tsukimi with the needle when she left early in the morning. They bumped into each other in the hall. He made sure his food hit her shoulder then acted like he was going to clean it off. The needle was in his napkin," Kazoo disclosed what really happened between the two of them. He had seen the whole thing through the surveillance cameras located in the school's hallways.

Tsukimi looked down slowly, her body trembling with emotion. "So...it was him. I thought he just pinched me on accident, but he poisoned me..." Her voice trembled as tears ran down her face. One of her friends tried to kill her, and the other man that she trusted and had feelings for killed her best friend. "Why, Kazoo? Why did you kill Mishio?"

"I ran into him in the hall at night," Kazoo began to explain. "Usually, everyone is asleep but he saw me. We talked for a while and it turned out he knew about everything and he was hell bent on telling everyone and trying to out me. So I stabbed him and made sure he was dead."

Tsukimi was quiet, her long bangs shaded her eyes as she walked over to Kazoo's podium and grabbed his skirt by the collar, right before the second button that was done and pulled him forward. The blue-haired graduate nearly fell forward he was pulled so close to her. Yellow and red eyes stared at him, glassy through the tears that coated them. Her fists were nearly white they were clenched so tightly. Gritting her teeth, the girl shook and screwed her eyes shut as streams of fluid tricked from their corners. "You didn't have to kill him! I could have convinced him not to do it. He would have listened to me."

"I didn't know you when I did it. I was trying to keep everyone from panicking." At the time, it was a good idea. Kazoo knew that he didn't think it through. As soon as Mishio threatened to out him, he just acted and got rid of the problem. There was nothing he could do with the body that wouldn't get him found out. He had no choice but to leave it there.

"That's counterproductive," Aioli stated.

"He was disabled. He wasn't going to last. It's better than getting killed by someone else." As cruel as that may have been, Kazoo couldn't deny the cold, hard facts. Mishio relied on being in a wheel chair to get around. There was no way that Tsukimi could have protected him from being killed off easily.

Tsukimi shook him back and forth violently, her eyes filled with rage and sorrow. "How could you say that? You know I trusted you. I really liked you, Kazoo! You were my hero! You were my first kiss!" How could he have killed her best friend? On top of it all he just acted like it was perfectly okay to just say stuff about him like that. She wanted to punch him in the face, but she didn't have the strength to raise her hand.

"I'm really sorry, Tsukimi. I can't bring him back," Kazoo shut his eyes and frowned. He damned himself. He really damned himself hard for his mistake. He did what he thought was best at the time, but in retrospect, Kazoo knew that this would come back and bite him in the ass. Now, he wasn't even going to be able to pull through with graduation, nor would he be able to bring peace to the unrested soul of Izayoi. There was no bigger ass than he was.

"The killer verdict is that Kazoo Iefumi has revealed himself as the murderer. All of you must state one-by-one a plea of guilty or innocent. Say your verdicts aloud," the bag-headed man directed them as the students began to announce their convictions.

Aioli looked sad and uttered the world 'guilty', followed by Ame, who said it simply with complete apathy towards his situation, Prasuna stated the word simply, followed by Gaz who sighed, closing his eyes and uttering the word reluctantly. Kraki gave him a sympathetic look as she told him that he was guilty. Tsukimi's face was crestfallen as her voice cracked out the word 'guilty.' Sunoma and Zoen gave their verdicts, followed by Kiyomaru who turned away, unable to look at him. Kokken sadly let the word slip out; Lamar turned away and gave another reluctant verdict, followed by Taiga who tilted his head down.

"Let's get it over with," Kazoo closed his eyes and frowned as Tsukimi stepped away from him, weeping into her hands. The girl's sobs grew more and fainter as the sound of chain links, clinking through the air became more and more prominent.

The cold, hard metal pressed against his skin as a collar snapped into position and yanked him backwards. The engineer skidded across the floor, drug at high velocity before he was launched into the air. The pressure on his neck was nearly enough to snap it. His was weightless for a few moments before his back collided into hard metal, beating the breath from his body with such force that he had to gasp for air. Shackles clasped around his wrists as he was pinned to the same wheel that Lamar had been on.

The green-haired man watched on with a look of horror. Those familiar gears started to turn. Those sickening creaks resonated in his head as vivid images of his own execution played. Kazoo spun around and around as the wheel picked up velocity. For split second intervals, Lamar saw himself there. It was as if he was watching his own execution, and he knew what was to come.

Overcome with anxiety, his body shook and he felt light-headed. The room spun and sweat ran down his face. Nausea swam through his senses, and he felt the bile push itself from his stomach and lunge up his throat. He felt himself take sharp intakes of breath, nearly painful with each breath he took. Lamar couldn't take it anymore. He vomited onto the floor as Taiga scuffled out of the way only to return a few minutes later with a worried expression as he rubbed and patted the other male's back, trying to comfort him.

Kokken clung tightly to Aioli. She didn't want to see that guy die, not after what had been happening the entire time, with Karaya, Mishio and Inori...Tears hit her forehead and the smaller girl glanced up to see that her tan-skinned friend was also crying. She hugged her tighter as the two continued to weep together. More than anything, they needed the comfort of each other.

The other students watched, their eyes glued to the wheel as it spun around and around. Their bodies tensed up as they awaited the fate of Kazoo. The only sounds that could be heard in the room was the sound of the wheel spinning, Lamar's puking and Aioli and Kokken's sobbing.

Just then, the wheel came to a screeching halt. Kazoo's face lit up in horror as a blade flew from the wall, plunging itself deep into his chest. Blood ran down the back of the wheel and everything went black.

...To Be Continued