[IC] - All the World's a Game

The Inventory

"Okay.", Isaac said as he turned his attention back to the movie.

It had been the first time in a long time since he watched a movie. Usually, he was busy working on suits and various tools for NASA, and when he did have free time, he usually spent it alone in his garage, working on various other suits and tools.

Ancient City

---

Flandre stared at the coins Komachi gave her, and shoved them back at the giver.

"After that, I don't know if I can have fun anymore."

Flandre disappeared into the dark corners of the city.

Komachi watched as Flandre walked off.

Then, she threw a fit.

"DAMMIT, WHY DO THOSE DAMN KING HAVE TO BE SUCH DAMN GEEZERS, SHE'S STILL A FREAKIN' KID!"

She calmed down.

"*sigh* Alright... let's go."



She reappeared beside John.

"Come on, John, I've not all day, I want some sake, but I won't be able to until you're done with your testimony, so get your shit on the boat." She said, now obviously cranky.

Near Helicopter - Youkai Mountain - Gensokyo

John could see that Kmachi was upset, leading him to the assumption that the trial was not going well. John did as he was told and sat in the boat, waiting to be taken to the trial.

"How is the trial going?", John asked Komachi in a slightly concerned, serious tone.

"Meh, going great, just saw a kid cry. Let's go."



King 1: So this is the famous John I've heard so much about?

King 5: Well then, I hope to hear some good testimony from you.

King 3: As you might not know, resurrection is highly illegal, and the yama had neglected to stop this nor clean up after it, neglecting her duties as a yama altogether. Your say in this?

Higan

John was surprised to be suddenly transported right into the witness booth, but he quickly turned his attention over to the Ten Kings.

"What do you mean by 'clean up'? Why is it illegal?", John asked the Ten Kings.

King 5: It's a long story, but the short of it is that we cannot afford to have panic on our hands.

King 8: The job of a yama is very serious, and one slip-up could cost.

King 3: Of course, you, being a soldier, understand the weight of an important job. Your job now is to decide whether or not the yama will pay for her negligence.

Higan

John did not like to be underinformed, but from what he could tell, resurrecting people was illegal and would cause panic. Shikieiki was in trouble for not stopping them, but in John's eyes, she did nothing morally wrong. Before John would say anything on the matter, John decided to ask a few questions, just to understand the gravity of the situation. Not only that, he would also be able to figure out why Yukari was acting so strangely earlier.

"Before I start, you should know that as a soldier, I do not like to make decisions without being informed about the situation. At the very least, can you answer me these questions before I start? I need to know about the gravity of the situation. What do you mean by 'cleaning up the mess'? What will happen to the perpetrators? And finally, what happened here when Yukari testified?", John calmly asked The Ten Kings.

Akihita: she was shamefully exiled from the court.

She stepped out from the shadow.



Akihita: I'm here to keep the peace, and she badly disrupted it.

King 4: and as far as clean up, we mean that the necromancers are to be started and the resurrected are to be put back to rest.

Higan

John kept silent for a moment, carefully considering the possible outcomes to what could possibly happen. How John saw it, this was now a battle of wits. The Ten Kings had no idea what they were doing at this point. John loved Yukari and cared about Yuuka and the others, but from an objective point of view, he knew how important they were to Gensokyo. Without them, Gensokyo would fall apart. They all gave John so much. The very least John could do was convince the Ten Kings that they deserved to live, and that Shikieiki deserved to keep her job.

"Before I start, know that I am going to be completely honest with you, even if it strikes you as offensive. I only thing I ask is that you promise to carefully consider every word I say.", John said to The Ten Kings before starting.

"You may already know this, but I am close to the resurrected on a personal level, some closer than others. I'll be honest, if Flandre and Seija didn't resurrect them, then I would have. The resurrected gave their very lives to ensure that every one of us could live to see another day. To me, they deserve a second chance to live. Not only that, I love one of them, and I would have literally gone through Heaven and Hell to bring them back. I'll admit, it's selfish of me, but I would have done everything in my power to have brought them back."

"That being said, I can not allow any of that to cloud my judgement at this point in time. Right now, you want me to decide whether or not Shikieiki deserves to be replaced. With that, I can only ask one question. Where were you when the Devourer attacked Earth? In fact, where were you when the Devourer attacked world after world, destroying billions, trillions of lives that were under your watch? Do you want to know where Shikieiki was? She fought alongside us against the Devourer, to ensure that billions of people could have a chance to live, while you were here... From what I gather, the Yama's job is to judge souls and to ensure that nobody is resurrected. In my line of work, I follow protocol to the letter, but even I know that sometimes, protocol has to be broken to do what is right. Not what is legally right, but what is morally right. You see, Yukari, Yuuka, Ran, Aya, and Meiling, in some form or another, keep Gensokyo balanced. Without them, Gensokyo would be thrown into chaos and panic, the very same chaos and panic you're trying to prevent. They serve too great a purpose to keep them dead. Given a few years without them, there would no longer be a Gensokyo for you to watch after. In the end, it would have been highly neglectful to have kept them dead. Are you stating that Shikieiki should have just forced them to remain dead and watch as thousands of people killed each other? It would have been legally right, but not morally right. That's neglect."

"Do I think Shikieiki neglected her duties? No, I don't think she neglected her duties as The Yama, I'd say she went above and beyond the call of duty. She left her court to protect the innocent. She let us revive the fallen to ensure that the innocent would not have to be subjected to a pointless war. She broke the law to do what was right. I ask again, where were you guys when the Devourer killed and subjugated trillions of innocent people?... I would be so bold as to say she should be rewarded for going above and beyond the call of duty. Every other higher being I have met has either tried to subjugate the lesser folk, or have been sitting on the sidelines, watching as we are slaughtered, refusing to intervene and stop the violence... So far, Shikieiki is the only higher being that has truly deserved and has earned by utmost respect."

"You may be trying to enforce the law, but what about justice? Are you really going to punish Shikieiki for doing what was morally right, even though it went against the law? What you fail to realize is that the law and morals are two completely different things. The law can be changed by those in power to suit what is acceptable at the time, or to fit their own desires, but morals never change... I know how you guys work. You divide everything into black and white. If I had to judge Shikieiki at this point, I would say that she falls in the white. She fought for peace and secured future peace. Does she really deserve to be punished?", John said to the Ten Kings.

"As for the 'Necromancers, they may have resurrected the fallen, but they should not be punished. They did not know of the consequences and did it for us. I can not allow them to risk their freedom for our sake. They may be centuries old, but in the end, they are still children. Not only that, but they ensured that Gensokyo had its primary power-holders back, preventing the chaos and panic you were trying to prevent. If Yukari, Yuuka, and the others were dead, then everyone would fight for the vacant seat of power. The 'necromancers' may not have realized it, but they just saved Gensokyo from a meaningless civil war. Do they deserve to be punished for preventing a war? I don't think so."

"Now, before I leave, I want you to consider every word I just said. Really think about what you are about to do to some of Humanity's greatest heroes.", John finished, waiting for their reply.