The Meaning of Life Part 28
Sighing deeply, Duo sat down to rest his swelling feet in the secured lounge where he was joined by his support network. Heero smirked as he lightly squeezed his partner's shoulders and promised, "As soon as we get home, I'll start a warm bath so you can relax."
"That sounds like heaven right now," the neko said, the first signs of his fatigue really showing in the form of his tail and ears sagging a bit.
It had been an arduous first four hours at the start of the appeal. Fortunately, the worst of it was behind him. One more witness and then the closing arguments were all that were left before the Justices deliberated.
Whatever verdict was given after that, at least it would finally be over. Duo could rest in knowing that he had done everything in his power to fight for his rights.
At a restless round of kicking and punches within his abdomen, the braided teenager placed a hand over his active little ones and purred quietly; a trick he had picked up over his weeks of pregnancy.
Within seconds, the wiggling settled quite a bit at the comforting sound.
Giggling from where she stood nearby, Jena's tail swished lazily behind her as she leaned in and whispered to the swollen belly, "Easy there, little ones." Fully facing Duo, she pushed a stray blonde lock of hair behind her striped ear and asked kindly, "Is there anything that I can get you while we're waiting on lunch to get here?"
"Actually, some water would be nice right about now," the violet-eyed neko replied with a bright grin. "Thanks, Jena." Nodding, the blonde girl winked, turned and hurried out of the nearly packed room.
Just a couple of paces away, Andrew watched his girlfriend disappear before he slowly approached the expectant couple. Clearing his throat when his friends looked to him, the tall man began, "Duo, I... uh... you know... what you're doing in that courtroom..." Unable to really find the words, he rubbed the back of his head in frustration.
Quickly coming to the rescue, Solo comment on his 'brother's' behalf, "What he means to say is that it's pretty amazing. You're doing exactly what you plan on doing with your life in defending people. So, it's actually inspiring us more to keep working for what we want to do with our lives because if you can do it, so can we."
A smirk tugging his mouth, the blonde neko turned towards Andrew and patted his back. "Was that what you were going for, big guy?" he asked. Returning the grin, the taller neko nodded gratefully as his long black tail swayed behind him.
Nearby, Carson stepped beside the pregnant teenager. "More than even that, you're looking out for all of us by fighting for these rights as well," he stated. "Myself and Danny really wouldn't have a future without having the right to marry a human, since there are no other nekos out there. Our whole race is pretty much hanging on this appeal, and I know you realize that."
Moved by his friends' sentiment, Duo blinked back the threat of tears. Never before would he have ever dreamed of actually being considered an inspiration.
And just as Carson had said, he was more than aware what this case meant for all of them. Even as he thought of his own family as he fought for his rights, he had his fellow nekos in mind as well.
While nothing was done for recognition, it was a wonderful feeling to be appreciated.
"Thank you, guys," the braided neko managed in a voice slightly pinched by the swelling in his throat. Smiling, Heero rubbed his partner's back.
Jena returned with a large paper cup of water. Handing it over to the braided teenager, she and the others cleared away from the table when Howard, Danielle and Trent entered the room.
"Ok,' the old man opened as he sat across from the expectant parents, "anything you need to drill me on before I'm called to the stand?"
Finishing off his water with a couple of big gulps, Duo shook his head, "Not really. You'll just be wrapping up what Hilde discussed regarding the babies and how they're perfectly normal based off of the tests you've been running."
Subconsciously rubbing his moving belly, he sighed tiredly, "I just really want to hammer that point across to the Justices so that they'll be given the same rights that I have. They need to remember that whatever comes from this verdict affects the children as well."
Danielle folded her hands together and nodded, "Very good. That will be a nice way to finish before the closing arguments. Whatever you say at that time will just be the icing on the cake." Tilting her head, she smiled, "I have to hand it to you, Duo, you have been handling yourself brilliantly in there today."
"Couldn't have done better ourselves if we had been in your shoes," Trent complimented, matching his wife's grin. Folding his arms behind his head, he added, "You should be proud of yourself."
The neko shifted a little in his seat as he lowered his braided head, mumbling, "I made a big mistake bringing up the whole gay marriage issue during my opening statement." His hands reached for his braid to fidget with the end nervously.
Leaning forward, Danielle reassured, "You did fine. And it's actually a good thing that you called out the main problem some of the Justices have in siding with you. Even though Septum can now bring up the subject as often as he likes, everything is now out on the table. That is what you need to have happen in an appeal of this magnitude."
With his tail and ears perking, Duo's relief was clear as he met her cobalt gaze.
There was a very valid point in that. He never had held back any punches that he could have thrown. And it helped make the world aware that he was onto the real problem people had with his case.
Through that, the neko had also proved that whatever anyone else thought of his relationship with Heero no longer held weight with him.
In the end, he was more worried about the outcome of this hearing because of what it would mean for his children… the very reason for his filing an appeal in the first place.
As the lounge door opened to Trowa, Quatre and Wufei bearing a variety of bags, Heero broke through his lover's thoughts by kissing his temple. When their eyes met, he informed quietly, "Our lunch just arrived. Let's just relax and enjoy a break after our long morning."
Duo knew that the suggestion was meant especially for him to relax and enjoy the break before he overstressed himself. Smirking, he replied, "All right. I can take a hint." The artist chuckled quietly over his small victory.
* * * * * *
The courtroom was filled once again an hour later as court was about to resume. Opening his briefcase to remove his notepads and files, Duo looked up in time to watch a grinning, whistling Septum return to his own bench. At that pleased look on the prosecutor's face, the neko blinked his violet eyes in surprise.
It certainly was a far cry from the demeanor that Septum had before the recess.
Looking over his shoulder with a frown, Duo found Heero appearing just as confused over the man's odd behavior. Danielle and Trent were whispering amongst themselves, their own eyes trained on their long-time foe. The remainder of their support group of friends and family were equally reacting in their own ways.
Not knowing whether or not he should actually be worried over the whole display, the braided neko just shrugged along with his partner before he turned ahead once more to close his briefcase.
Moments later, the bailiff stepped into the room to call everyone to stand as the Justices returned to their podiums. Once the audience gathered was seated once more, Harris requested the defendant to call his next witness.
Rising back to his feet, Duo announced, "The defense calls Doctor Howard Ventei." In the back of the room, the doors opened to the old man as he walked with purpose for the witness stand.
As the scientist passed her, Noin slowly released the breath she was holding and whispered to her husband, "Let's hope the momentum keeps up for this last round." Zechs could only nod and squeeze her hand, he was so nervous.
Sworn in and name stated, Howard smiled to his dear friend and creation when the neko approached. "Mister Venti," the neko began in his cool, professional manner, "Could you please advise the court what you have come to find from your own tests and scans of the fetuses based on your scientific opinion?"
"Of course," the old man replied. Peering up specifically at the Justices, he informed, "Just like Mister Maxwell, here, other than the significant physical differences that the fetuses have with their tails and ears they really are no different from any other human."
Smirking, Duo nodded firmly, "Thank you." Mentally crossing his fingers, he hoped for the best with his surprise question and asked, "Now, as a scientist, could you please remind the court what the term endangered species means?"
Her hand writing clear off the edge of her pad, Susan sat up straight and sputtered, "W-what was that?"
Gasps and startled mutterings of words filled the air as the crowd reacted to the sudden shift of direction. The nekos in the audience all looked to one another with wide eyes, their ears perked in keen interest to where their friend was turning the case.
Heero and his parents' jaws went nearly slack from the air rushing out of their lungs. Hand on her chest, Noin met Zechs' wide-eyed stare as Danny blinked in confusion.
None, however, looked more surprised than those in the front of the room. Between the bailiffs, the female recorder, the Justices, Howard and Septum, it was difficult to tell who was more taken aback.
Finally coming out of his stupor, Harris reached his gavel for three hits and a shouted, "Order!" over the noise rising in the room. Slowly stilling, the crowd at large sat forward in their benches in full attention.
Clearing his throat, the white-haired man nodded to the defendant, "Would you please repeat the question, Mister Maxwell?" Howard looked just at expectant as everyone else at certainly never having expected the out-of-the-blue question.
With a small smile, the neko bowed his head and turned to face his witness again. "Mister Venti," he began, "Would you please remind the court of the scientific definition of an endangered species."
Shaking his head, the old man stammered, "W-well, the textbook definition of an endangered species is any animal, whether it be birds, fish, plant, or any other living organism threatened with extinction by man-made or natural changes in their environment."
Heero gasped softly, at suddenly realizing where Duo was going with this. At the same time, his parents also caught on and turned to each other with wide smiles. "Why didn't we think of this?" Danielle whispered. Her husband shook his head, too focused on watching and listening in on what was taking place before them.
Stepping right before the bench, Duo frowned, "Then, just by that textbook definition, I am one member of an endangered species as a neko wouldn't you agree?"
As Howard blinked his wide eyes, the braided teenager held his arm out to where his fellow cat-eared and tailed friends sat. "Do you know of any others like us out there in the world?" Solo, Cassie, Andrew, Jena and Carson looked around the room as many of the spectators began muttering to one another.
Face red, Septum slammed a hand down on his desk as he jumped to his feet shouting, "Objection! Where is the relevance in this, Your Honor?! We are discussing the defendant and the defendant alone! There should not be anyone else pulled into this decision!"
Justice Harris rubbed the bottom of his chin in deep thought as the murmurs in the room rose to a fevered pitch. "Sustained," he declared.
Both Duo and Septum gaped in surprise over the decision. Heero's fists clenched in tight fists over his lap in disappointment while the remainder of his support team reacted with their own frustration.
Raising a finger, the man warned the defendant, "Mister Maxwell, we do have specifics around this appeal. It does surround you and only you. Be very careful with your questions for your witness from here on out."
His ears and tail drooping the slightest bit, Duo nodded firmly to him, "Yes, Your Honor."
Lightly chewing on the inside of his cheek, Harris stated, "However... give myself and my fellow Justices a moment to discuss this matter." Heads nodded amongst the blacked-robed men and women at the podiums in agreement to the suggestion. Slowly, they rose to whisper amongst themselves.
Duo bit his bottom lip as he returned to his seat behind his desk. Septum, however, remained on his feet with his arms crossed as he watched the Justices continue their conversation.
Behind the neko, Danielle smirked as she leaned closely towards her 'son-in-law'. When the tall ears twitched back towards her, she told him quietly, "Well, my dear, you've pulled off a rare thing. You have actually stomped the Supreme Justices." Quietly humming to himself, Duo grinned as he subconsciously rubbed over his moving abdomen.
One-by-one, the judges returned to their podiums. The last to do so, Harris quieted the rumbling in the air from the audience by simply raising a hand.
Clearing his throat, he turned towards the defendant and informed, "We are all in agreement that you need to change the direction of your questioning from the course you were headed."
Not really expecting any less, Duo swallowed that bitter pill down roughly and nodded in understanding. Chuckling quietly, Septum returned to his own seat with a pleased smile.
Waving his hand against the building noise from the crowd, the moderator added, "That said, you have put a thought into our heads that has us intrigued. You will be able to, briefly mind you, incorporate this thought process of yours in your closing argument."
Instantly brightening at that, the neko blinked in surprise as Heero and those behind him were hardly able to hold back their excitement over the decision. Jaw hanging, Septum felt as though he had been punched in the gut in hearing those words. In the end, it was only a half-win for either side.
"Thank you, Your Honor," the braided teenager managed with a small grin when he was able to find his voice again.
Harris gave a curt nod and warned, "Just be sure that it is brief when we come to that." Gesturing with his head to the stand beside his podium, he said, "You may continue questioning your witness."
And Duo did have many more questions as he returned to his feet. However, peering over to the prosecution table, he recalled Septum's methods during the original hearing. An idea was in the Justices' heads now and he needed to be sure it stayed there by not focusing on anything else.
Smiling, he completely changed his original tactics once more and announced, "No further questions, Your Honor." That said, he sat back down as the room came to life once again.
Disbelief on his face, Trent whispered a stunned, "What?!" that was lost under the drone of voices around him. Looking to his wife and step-son, he questioned harshly, "What is he doing?" Heero and Danielle shook their heads with confusion on their own faces.
The only person in the room who knew exactly what the neko was doing was Septum. A rueful smirk tugged the prosecutor's lips as he watched the cat-eared boy. "Well played," he muttered to himself, ashamed to admit that he had given his opponent a look into his own methods.
Justice Harris and his fellow black-robed elite looked to be as surprised as the crowd. Finally, the moderator gripped his gavel for a couple of hits to bring peace to the courtroom. "Your cross, Mister Septum," he told the raven-haired man.
Needing to move in for the kill now, while there was an opening and before more thoughts of an 'extinct species' sank in, Septum was swift to stand and approach the bench.
"Let's just cut to the chase, Mister Venti," he opened. "As a scientist, can you foresee the defendant's condition as a way to genetically alter males wishing to become pregnant to do so?"
Duo's head shot up from his taking notes, violet eyes wide as and the people gathered gave their own stunned responses in cries and gasps of their own. Certainly no one expected that line of questioning to come about. Even most of the Justices seemed at a loss while they turned towards each other.
Paying no mind to the distractions around, Septum paced before the stand and pressed on, "As a scientist, you do doubt have been working on research to see what this development would mean for normal, everyday human males. Or it that a hasty assumption on my part?"
Howard's mouth opened and closed before he found his voice to answer, "W-well, of course I have been curious to see what it would mean. Duo willingly offered whatever samples he could that are stored and can be duplicated for such research for many years to come."
Right before his eyes, the braided neko could already see the unraveling of his case in knowing exactly where the prosecutor was heading. Propping his elbows on his table, he joined his hands together before his face when Howard turned his worried eyes on him.
The look on the old man's face said that he, too, knew the path he was being led down. And there was not a thing that could be done to stop it.
TBC...
Back to SkyLark's Fanfictions Page