Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Liberty ❯ Drop Shot ( Chapter 1 )

Summary: [au] Taichi believes in justice and expects retribution for his deeds any day now. The hands of fate, however, see things a tad differently. [taito]

Liberty

By JDLei

.chapter.one; drop shot

The keys landed with a low clink on the mahogany desk breaking the silence that had ruled the room for so long. The flipping of a book's pages, the hurried footsteps of a desperate man, and a soft curse in a husky voice, respectively, quickly followed it. He was alone in the small study, the lack of light not aiding in his search for the small slip of paper.

A few tries later, after opening the last books he knew he had read through lately, his frown became more apparent. He took the few steps from the bookcase towards the desk and opened the locked drawer, inside only an unopened letter. He hesitated before picking it up and after a few seconds of thought placed it back on its original place.

He spared the room another glance before picking up the discarded keys. On his way out the room he noticed the slip of paper on a chair near the door. Sighing in relief, the letter out of his mind for the moment, the brunet headed outside.

The sky was still dark as he locked the door of his house, and made the small walk to his car. Briefcase on his right hand, the small note held loosely on his left, he surveyed the stillness of the neighbouring houses and half-smiled. In a few hours the street would be filled with the sound of laughing children and busy mothers and fathers, grannies and friends. Everyone gathered on the one day that was to be of rest, giving in to whatever they felt like doing.

He placed the briefcase on the passenger seat, the note on top of it, and turned the key. The car roared to life with a smoothness that he was proud of and he drove as effortlessly out the driveway and into the street.

He had acquired a new client a few months earlier with a case that was proving to be more time consuming than he initially thought. New matters and opinions were being constantly added and the unpredictability of his client was also another thing he had not taken into consideration. What had most of the time been a simple case of celebrity propaganda, a trial with hopes of attracting the audiences' interest, was now being turned into something that could further injure the life of his client.

He snorted as he took a left turn on the next intersection, as if the words `his client' could really describe the man he was defending. A man that until recently hadn't been more than another face in the music of the world. A man he was now starting to respect for his ideals. A man whose life was being held in a balance that was, with every passing second, acquiring another grain against his cause. A man that with his reputation, should he win, would help bring him up in his career.

He arrived the tall building where his office was located and entered the U-shaped entrance. He left his car in the hands of the guard, and entered through the electric doors. Only a few people were inside building, Sunday morning keeping most of its employees away, and he went to the upper floors through the private elevator. He took a quick glance at his watch and then up at the closed doors. The trial would continue at two o'clock in the afternoon; he had al morning to contact his next witness and it was imperative that he do so to ensure the trial's seeming end from coming. Something he was set on doing.

The day was only just beginning to break, the early rays of sun parting the clouds with its intention of rousing the sleeping world. It had been a while since he'd woken up after the sun had made its way up into the sky, and so the start of the day, the sun's greeting, was not an unusual thing for him to experience. But with the repetitiveness of such action, beautiful as he had once deemed it to be, it had now blended into the background. Faded along with every other tedious detail that life brought back to him.

As the elevator beeped the arrival to his floor, he took out his mobile phone and turned it on.

The day was only just beginning.

***

"I found it!"

Taichi turned to look at the person whose outburst had awakened him from his almost comatose state of looking for clues. His eyes held an almost desperate look in them; almost, for his mask was something he had spent most of his time perfecting.

"I found it." She repeated again, as the brown-haired lawyer stood up quickly from his desk and nearly ran to her. He looked at the screen she was pointing and read the rather fine print near the end of web site. It showed the name, electronic address, and mailing address of a certain bartender who had made himself scarce since the beginning of the trial.

His heart was pounding with the discovery, a distinct change in his attitude from earlier that morning, and he quickly told Eli - the law student who was in his charge - to contact that bartender immediately. She quickly went to do as he said, and it took him a few moments to regain his business composure.

There was giddiness in his self, something he was sure he hadn't experienced in his work before, and maybe before he graduated. It had to do with the fact that things were starting to turn his way. That maybe this wasn't such a lost cause and he could still turn the table and play a winning hand. That, above all, would be fantastic for him.

It was a very high-profile case, and as successful as he was among his peers it was still something he had never dealt with before. When it had first been given to him, he had nearly denied, the publicity that came with a case such as this one was enormous, even more so with someone as well known as the singing sensation that was Ryo Himitsu. But he had thought it through and deemed himself able to do this.

And now with this new witness, he was sure that his case was unbeatable. Well, not unbeatable, but damn near so. And it wasn't as if the jury wasn't already sympathetic to his case, some of the jury at least. No one wanted to see a talented person's potential go to waste because of the jealousy of another.

As Eli entered the room a few minutes later with the information he wanted at hand, it was only minutes later that he had managed an appointment with the bartender in question. He looked at his watch - 10am - and smiled. It would give him enough time to talk to the prospect witness and make it to the trial with time to spare.

The ride was not a short one, the witness - Henry Clarke, he reminded himself - living in the outer parts of the city. A place where the prices were cheaper but still managed to impress some people. He found it a nice place, but when one was accustomed to gold, you wouldn't be dazzled by tin.

Henry Clarke opened the door on the third ring and once he looked at his witness his opinion was set. Expecting an aloof young man, he was surprised to see a cheerful looking woman starting expectantly at him. She was wearing a loose summer dress, and her black hair was up in a bun.

"Henry Clarke?" he queried, even though he was almost sure that he was talking to her.

She nodded, her expression never changing. "That's me. Henrietta Clarke." She said before he could ask. "Would you like to come in?"

She quickly stepped away from the door, letting it open, and walked inside to a rather cosy living room. Taichi, without hesitation, the confusion at his witness's gender never making its way to the surface, entered the home. He saw her sit down on the armrest of a big white couch, and opted for a reclining chair in front.

"I'm Taichi Yagami and-", before he could continue, she interrupted him smiling.

"I know you're a lawyer, Mr. Yagami, and I know you want me to testify in the trial. But I'm afraid that's not going to be possible." She finished, shrugging.

"Not possible? What do you mean by that. I'm sure we can discuss-", he was once again interrupted, and a frown made it's way to his face.

"I'm forbidden to do so, actually. There's nothing I can do about it."

"Forbidden?" he said a bit sceptically. "By whom?"

She laughed at his question and said, "Well, I'm not allowed to say that either."

There was not much he could do about her denial to participate in the trial. She wasn't a prime witness, though her opinion was just as validated. If she didn't want to testify, he couldn't force her into it. This was something he didn't factor, why wouldn't she want to testify?

Trying to keep his business façade but failing, he asked, "Can't you give me a better reason. I don't see why you wouldn't want to."

She thought for a moment, and he could see that she was older than she first appeared. The energetic way he had first seen her melting into a person he could see knew more than she let on. He saw her stand up from her position in the armrest and sit properly on the couch.

"It would be good for you to lose this case. Good for Ryo as well." She added, though it sounded to him more like an afterthought.

"And let an innocent man be put to jail?" he burst before he could tell himself not to.

She smiled at him and shrugged. Henry looked at her watch and then up at him, and he noticed her eyes were a dark shade of green.

"If you want I can make some coffee, though it might make you late for the trial. But I'm afraid this is all I can do."

He opened his mouth to try and convince her, but she shook her head.

"Go on, Mr. Yagami. I'll be fine if I stay here. And you'll be better if I stay as well."

Next thing he knew, he found himself walking to his car, and by the time he was fully alert, the big stone building where the trial was taking place was already in full view.

***

Taichi prided himself in his ability to chose clients that were, in his opinion, worth fighting over. He couldn't deny that sometimes he chose some for the mere fact that his reputation would greatly improve from that victory, but they were never nameless people chosen on a whim.

It was with careful deliberation he studied every case before him, and to be taken so completely by surprise by this one was a blow, not only to his career self, but to his whole being. He had completely believed that was entering this case with a winning hand, and that had been his first mistake. The second one had been to trust so blindingly in someone he barely knew.

And those were only the first two in a long list of others.

As he flipped off the cap of another cold beer and gulped some of the harsh liquid he berated himself for the hundredth time since that afternoon. It had been with an almost harmonious dissonance the way his case had fallen apart so quickly - so simply. And there was not much he could do but stare as evidence against evidence was brought up, as well as testimonies that would put what little Ms. Clarke could've offered.

Ironic how only this morning he had contemplated how to savour his victory and was now wallowing in what he could only describe as-heck, he couldn't describe it. There was just an immense feeling of unworthiness coming from him.

The brunet swallowed the last of the bottle and grimaced, at this pace the two six-packs he had somehow acquired after his loss were going to be gone faster than the sun's arrival. He placed his head on the cold table, something entirely too big for a house that was only for him now, and groaned. Himitsu had lied to him and he had believed him. If the case had turned to his favour, if the balance had tipped to his side, he would've let a murderer out on the streets.

He shuddered and with clammy hands, picked up another bottle and flipped the cap off.

He felt like shit now, but he knew it was nothing to what he was going to feel later.

***

The constant ringing of his mobile phone woke him from his induced stupor, and he groggily stood up from his place near the sofa to turn it off. He didn't check to see whom it was, the only calls he received were business related anyway, and those were calls he was positive he did not want to answer to.

When he returned to the couch he thanked the heavens that aside from the gigantic headache he was now hosting, there was not a sign of the arrival of any emesis on the scene. Bully to whomever said losing only made you stronger. He was just about ready to give up. If he'd been so easily played just now, who was to say he hadn't in the past?

Who was to say he hadn't been played in the past?

How many others were walking now that he had freed, that he could've personally testified were innocent, were undeniably not? How many other criminals had he set free just to jot down another win in his record. How many?

He couldn't tell.

Shaken, he stood up from his position and started pacing around the house. It was a habit he had tried getting rid of when he was a teenager, one that always managed to return even after all the trouble and concentration he spent trying to stop it. The pacing always led him to places he didn't want to be, and he let himself be taken to the haven that was his study.

One of the smaller rooms in the house, it was still coated with the same paint he had so enthusiastically painted it when he had first moved in. Of course, at the time he had not been living alone in this house, he had not been so hardened by life, and he still had time to follow each soccer match of his team.

Painted dark blue on a more than rugged surface, the small graffiti-like inscriptions all over the walls were hard to spot at first sight. Once you knew they were there however, it opened a whole new world and there was no way you could see the room as you saw it before.

Taichi ignored the walls and walked directly towards his desk. He had flirted with opening the damn letter more times than he could count, but there was much apprehension in regards with its content and he wasn't up to being surprised. Not after such big a shock as he had received so recently.

He sat on his chair and opened the cabinet. Standard beige envelope with only his name on the front. First glace determined that the writer was female, no one else would place such importance in the twist of the T and the dots in the i's. Further inspection however showed that the singularities were unintentional and just part of the person's personality. Well, further inspection or previous knowledge, he wasn't sure.

How long had it been since he'd talked to his sister. Really talked to her. So long ago he couldn't even remember.

He looked at the backside of the envelope, toying with the idea of opening it and finally reading its contents, and sighed. Placing it back on the drawer and locking it he stood up. It was cowardice, which he knew, but he was afraid of what she had to say. Even if it had been written over a year ago. Leaving the study he went towards his room. A shower would be a good thing to begin with. If he was honest with himself, his odour was less than appealing.

***

He remembered his childhood home was always filled with all sorts of sweets. His parents had been rather lenient in that aspect, and he, as well as his younger sister, had greatly benefited from that. The sweets were also not country-restricted since his father travelled quite a lot due to his line of work and it was not unusual to have jelly-filled chocolates from places as far away as Colombia, to the traditional hard candies sold in the grocery store down the corner.

There was always food in the kitchen, and should he close his eyes, Taichi's first image of his mother would be one with an apron cooking anything that came to mind in said kitchen. She was always coming up with some rather interesting mixtures, and though more than fifty percent were inedible, it was really the thought that counted there. For actually eating them could prove to be lethal.

As he opened cabinet after cabinet to see nothing in its interior, those memories flooded back into his head. Memories of laugher and children and joy. Of old friends and family reunions. Things he had completely cut ties with once he started working with the prominent law firm that was Naora & Takechi; something that had worked rather well for him since he was almost on the verge of becoming another partner.

He frowned at both the lack of content and the unwanted memories of his childhood, and left the kitchen. After looking for the keys and finding them in the main table, he walked out of the house and headed towards his car. Halfway changing his mind he decided to walk towards the store, it was only a few blocks away. Besides, the fresh air would do him good.

The walk to the store was longer than he remembered it, but he had been pampered with the luxury of a car, so his views were slightly biased. It was filled with the usual Monday crew, people stocking up for the week, the noise all around him not helping with his headache, but serving as a nice -if painful- distraction.

He had only walked there to pick up necessities, and was now starting to regret his decision to leave the car at home, since he was feeling like buying anything he wanted. It had been a while since he had indulged himself that way. As it was, there was only a limited amount of bags he could carry back home, so he stuck with his previous decision.

The lines were rather long, and it took him almost half an hour to reach the cashier. He watched as item after item passed through the laser, and then lifted his gaze when the items started diminishing. His stare stopped on the woman in behind the register as he was hit with a sense of familiarity. From where did he-

"Henry?" he voiced a bit uncertainly.

The woman stopped her monotonous motion of passing the items and looked at him. He frowned, no, not Henry. This woman's eyes were a light blue. But the resemblance was striking. Her face however split into a smile that confused him at first, until she spoke.

"Mr. Yagami! How nice to see you again." She said cheerfully. As if sensing his next question -she had a habit of doing that- she chuckled but continued with her job.

"Contacts." She shrugged. "I like change."

"What are you doing here?" he asked bewildered. It was a feeling he didn't like, but she made him feel as if his footing was not on the ground, as if here were in the edge of a high cliff and one blow from her could push him down.

She looked at him oddly, before naming the cost of his buying. "I needed a job, couldn't keep working at the bar."

He opened his wallet, and taking out the correct amount said, "But you live so far away."

She tsked as the register opened and she entered the money in. "Distance is relative. What does the place where I live have to do with the place I chose to work in?"

"Comfort?" he guessed, though he was sure she was going to say no to that. True to his thinking, she shook her head.

"I have two things to tell you, Taichi. So listen closely. Life is like… music." At that she winked, but continued. "Embrace the music, you might like it." She handed him his bags and finished what she had to say "And, you're a handsome man, Mr. Yagami. But that doesn't give you the right to hold up the line." She said pointing to the rather irritated looking customers on the line behind him.

He took his bags, after looking at her dazedly for a few seconds, turned around and left. Embrace the music? What? Embrace life? He walked back home with those words in mind, not noticing that his headache had disappeared after speaking with the now blue-eyed youth.

***

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, and this is completely monetary profit-free.

(Interesting) Notes: The name of this chapter Drop Shot, actually serves a purpose. Yes, interesting no? For those who are in the dark, a drop shot in the world of tennis is a shot the barely drops over the net. It is most effective when your opponent is away from the net. In this case, things are happening around Taichi, and because he is far away from the net (any guesses as to what the net signifies?) he's not able to reach and return the ball in time. Resulting in a point for the opposite team.

Henrietta Clarke is the rather morphed form of the name of one an ex-professor of mine. He used to teach Literature, and always had something to say about everything that left you feeling as even more confused than before. I'm afraid poor Taichi is going to be subjected to worse from her than I ever was from him.

Naora & Takeshi is actually not a real law firm. At least, I don't believe it is. I took the last names from the credits of one Final Fantasy VII. They are the Art Director and one Executive Producer, respectively. You make of that what you will, but it will all come to play later on.

After Note: This was a rather Taichi-based chapter. And I'm sure it's going to be the last one. The others have several different point of views, and though Taichi can be thought of as the pivotal character, he is by far not the only one with a story to tell. The others have their say as well.