The path of least resistance was what Aqua chose.
Ruby did everything in her power to talk him out of it. She told him they had enough money for him to just go on the run. She told him she could take Akane to the hospital in his stead. She told him her career would potentially suffer damages if he were to do this. But no matter how much she tried to talk him out of his plan, he still turned himself in.
His body ached like an old man's, and his mind felt like a Vietnam veteran's. He was tired. Not tired in a suicidal sense anymore, but in a literal one instead. He needed a break, and being on the run would be the polar opposite of a break. So if he needed to go to jail to get this break, so be it.
Thus, there he was, existing — since you could barely call it living — inside a holding cell. Five days had passed since he was incarcerated, and apart from the different officers who brought his food, he hadn't seen anyone since then. In the last night he spent in freedom there was a 'massive solar storm'; at least that was what the government said. Due to this, it wasn't permitted for the inmates to have any visitors.
This changed today.
…
It was Akane, as well as Ruby and Miyako, who tried to visit him. Sadly, nothing in life could be simple; he had to pick which one of them he wanted to speak to. Off the bat, Miyako said she'd leave it to the other two; she obviously also wanted to see Aqua, but she knew her place. Who didn't know their places were Akane and Ruby. While neither of them said it outright, both wanted that hour in which they could speak to him.
After a bit of passive-aggressive banter between the two of them, Akane backed down and let Ruby be the first one to speak to Aqua. At least this was what Aqua interpreted into it as Ruby told him the events that led to her being here.
"Enough of this. How are they treating you in here, big bro?" Ruby looked around the already bleak-looking visitation room with a thick pane of glass in the middle. She could only imagine how Aqua's room would look like if this room was already so run down. "I can still try to get you out the illegitimate way."
"I appreciate it." Aqua smiled for the first time in days. More so because of the fact that he finally got to see another soul than because of her bad joke, though. "But please don't actually do that," he added so he could sleep that night without having to live with the constant fear of Ruby driving a bulldozer through his wall to get him out.
"I know, I know," Ruby groaned. "Just imagine the news, 'Magnificent idol "Ruby" breaks her brother out of jail.' That would be hilarious news. The hate pages would have a field day."
"Rightfully so. I wouldn't leave, either. I already told you I want to do this the proper way," Aqua responded, realizing that talking too much about breaking out of jail was probably not a good idea when everything they said was most definitely monitored.
Ruby's expression turned a bit downcast as he mentioned the legitimate way. "You know, Miyako and I… Honestly, it was just Miyako mostly. She looked into your case a bit more…"
"And? What about it?" Aqua asked.
Ruby sighed softly. "We had a few consultations with various lawyers, some of whom even worked with Ichigo Productions before, but all of them said that what you did was far beyond reason and that depending on a few things, they could very likely charge you with attempted murder."
Her words felt heavy.
"Attempted murder…" Aqua mumbled to himself, his eyes zoning out. He was now finally hit by the full force of it all. He knew that this was no joke even before, and he wouldn't call himself gullible either, but he genuinely thought that he would get a slap on the wrist — or at least less than the 15 years of prison time that could very likely come alongside the attempted murder.
"I-I'm sorry. I didn't want to break the news like that. God damnit, Miyako should've been the one to-" Ruby stuttered.
"It's okay," Aqua interrupted her panicked rant as he caught his own breath. "It is unexpected, but I'm sure the lawyer you found can do at least something… anything."
"Yeah… About that…" Ruby played with the hem of her shirt. "No matter how much money Miyako offers, no lawyer wants to take your case. All of them either wanted insane amounts of it, the kind that would've ruined Ichigo Productions, or downright refused."
The situation was almost funny. Ruby carried nothing but the clothes on her back with her as she walked into the visitation room 15 minutes ago. At least that was Aqua's first assumption, because he definitely couldn't have guessed how many bad news she would be smuggling beneath that skirt of hers.
"That's certainly not good either… Is there also any less gloomy news?" asked Aqua after processing most of it.
"Uhm…" Ruby looked around the room before she softly shook her head. "Not really."
"Then at least tell me that there isn't even more bad news," Aqua said.
Ruby thought again, just to also shake her head again. "Nope, that was also everything in that regard."
Aqua sighed audibly as he leaned back in the rock-solid chair he was given. Over the past few days he really had begun to wonder why everything in this place felt like it was made out of stone or iron. This wasn't a maximum-security prison where serial killers and other scum spent their days at. It was a holding space, made for people who might as well be innocent, so why treat them like they were guilty?
"I'm sorry," Aqua mumbled after both had fallen mum for a good minute.
"What for?" Ruby asked.
"For running off on you… and for hitting you. I understand if you don't-"
"It's okay," Ruby interrupted, "I totally get why you ran away, and to be honest, your slap didn't really hurt either…" After a moment Ruby's face turned pinkish at the implications she had just made. "Not that you're weak," she quickly added. "You totally showed that guy who's the boss. To be completely honest, you were really cool."
"Thanks," Aqua said. "But still, are you alright? I mean, the things that happened that night were definitely not for the weak."
Ruby's expression appeared unreadable for a moment, then she smiled. "In case you forgot, I am *THE* Ruby, and not some weakling. It takes more than that to bring me down… For example, your letter you left me… You didn't think I'd find it, right?"
"My letter?" Aqua asked.
"Don't play dumb. I'm talking about the letter you left in the back of the closet, talking about how you'd bring Ai back." Ruby pressured harder.
"Ai?" Aqua asked.
Ruby rolled her eyes dramatically at him. "You either own up to it or I will bring it with me and read it out loud until your ears bleed the next time I come to visit."
"No, no," Aqua said, "I know what letter you mean… But who is Ai?"
"Oh haha." Ruby acted out a dry laugh. "You really want to avoid this topic, huh? But it's okay, let's talk about something else the-"
"I'm being serious right now," Aqua interrupted.
Ruby rolled her eyes, this time even harder than the last. "Alright, if playing stupid games is what makes you happy, who am I to say no to this? Ai is our mother."
"Ruby, I am really not in the mood to play any games right now. Did you and Miyako have a dispute or something I should know?" Aqua asked, his voice filled with annoyance but also genuine confusion.
"No… I mean, Miyako is obviously also our mother…" Ruby's face looked perplexed. "You are acting so weird right now." Her voice was now completely freed of the earlier annoyance.
"I am acting weird?" This tipped Aqua over the edge. His annoyance turned into sharp anger. His eyes glared Ruby down like a snake preying on a mouse, while his voice sounded clinically cold. "I have a single hour of free time per day before I am thrown into some hole again, and you decide to waste this time by talking about some person you made up to spite Miyako?"
His words weren't particularly harsh; at least that was what he thought. However, for some reason he just couldn't explain himself; Ruby's expression shifted to match his stone-cold one. After glancing right at him for the entire time, unable to avert her eyes for more than a few moments, it now looked like she was staring right past him. Her tiny hands quivered while they held the landline phone that was used to make it so inmates and visitors could talk right up to her ear.
"I-I think I should go now," she mumbled before she put the phone down.
"Hey stop-" Aqua tried to intervene, but it was too late. Ruby was up and gone.
…
Back in his cell, he nearly broke his head trying to piece the puzzle together, but no matter how much he tried, it just felt like he had either lost a piece or perhaps someone intentionally stole said piece away from him.
This marked the beginning of the end of Aqua's peace in jail. The days before today, even though he spent them in permanent solitude, were sort of peaceful. However, from now on out, this place actually felt like a true prison.
…
"Hey? Are you even listening to me?" Akane pouted while knocking against the glass with the back of her hand.
It was a new day, and a new visitation time. Yesterday, before the fallout he had with Ruby, he planned on alternating between Ruby and Akane. However, after Ruby had stormed off like that, he felt like it was his obligation to have her see him a second day in a row. Even though this was his plan, it certainly wasn't hers. Ruby didn't even show up, so his initial alternating plan was put in place instead.
He had honestly somewhat dreaded this moment. He stabbed her after all. He almost killed her — actually not just almost, he did kill her. Would she be mad at this? He certainly would be. His entire jail stay leading up to this point, this question spun through his head. Now that the time to answer it had come, he was even more confused than before.
Even minutes after Akane had sat down, she didn't bring anything related to that night up. All she talked about was his lawsuit here, his lawsuit there. But if she didn't bring this topic up, then who was he to do so? So he stayed silent about it.
"Of course I am," Aqua replied.
"Oh, is that so? Then repeat what I just said." A smug expression drew over Akane's face.
"You told me that you could probably bring my sentence down to 3 years, with 5 more on probation if I'd 'let you handle things' — whatever that is even supposed to mean." Aqua responded without even having to think for a moment.
"You actually did listen…" Akane mumbled. "Great, now I feel dumb for doubting you… But will you let me handle things?"
Aqua sighed, "Akane… How much did you sleep the past few nights?"
"Uhm…" Akane played with a strain of her hair.
"I assume that means not at all… Sleep is important, especially in your age," Aqua lectured.
"But this is even more important. Also, don't act like you're that much older," Akane snapped back without raising her voice.
"I actually am that much older. Did you already forget?" Aqua tried to correct her. Now that the jig was up about his reincarnation with Akane anyway, it didn't really matter if he admitted to it.
"No, I haven't, but biologically you are an 18-year-old boy with another 35 years' worth of vague memories. I didn't forget it; it just didn't change anything for me."
"But don't you-"
"No, I don't think that it's weird…" Aqua was interrupted by Akane, who knew exactly what he wanted to ask. "If something like that would change the way I see you, then I never really saw you in the first place… And stop trying to change the subject!" she added, glaring down at the old pocket watch of her dad's, which she had just for this occasion cleaned and brought with her.
He had already expected that their meeting would be something like this before she walked in. But every last bit of doubt he had disappeared as soon as he had seen her. She actually carried a briefcase; it wasn't even just an accessory for the act; she had actual files and documents stored in it. She was also the only person he knew who still primarily wrote on a block instead of her notes app; it was almost like she was the reincarnated boomer instead of him. With the briefcase in hand, she looked — and acted — more like his lawyer than his friend. Apparently, she had also found the time to learn how to method act as a convincing lawyer over the past 6 days.
"How about we make a deal? I believe we should talk about what happened that night, you know what I mean… It's too much to be left unaddressed. After that I'll listen to as much legal talk as you want," Aqua proposed.
"Well, I would like to do that…" Akane took a short break from speaking. "But I can't. I don't remember a single thing that happened… It's like my mind was wiped clean."
Oh… So that's why she went straight to business instead of talking about what happened…
But wait…
Does that mean…?
This means she also forgot about the fact I stabbed her…
I promised myself that I would no longer have any secrets from her, but should I really tell her?
No shot.
This could seriously mess with her.
It could even ruin our relationship.
I don't want either of that.
I'm sorry, but ignorance is definitely bliss regarding this.
"Really?" Aqua asked. "This changes things. Explaining it all right now would take too long. I'll tell you everything once we have more time."
Akane shrugged her shoulders, already looking back down at her files. "I'm okay with that, Aqua."
Akane went back to business. It was perfect, like she had trained this in front of her mirror at home. She told him about the strategies they could use and the tricks she found on the internet and even hinted at ways that were neither ethical nor particularly legal.
As the time they had together neared its end, Aqua interrupted her after all. She really spoke like a waterfall, if he hadn't interrupted her, she probably would've talked until the guards had to drag her out of the room.
"Akane, before you leave, you need to do something for me."
"Of course, anything," she replied. "What is it?"
Aqua lowered his voice as he spoke, as if what he said was for nobody else's ears. Akane's face turned from seriousness to confusion to finally end up in shock.
"Of course I will do that for you," Akane mumbled. "And after I am done with that, I will come back and get you out of here, no matter what it takes."