AN: Konichiwa minna! It's been a really long time since I wrote anything new and this came to me one day when I was waiting for my husband to leave the bank. Awesome, I know. This story is like nothing I've ever written, because I've only written for HYD up to now and I've always stayed in a straight line. That's not how my brain usually works. I'm very analytical… but saying all that I really liked this idea.

The characters might seem OOC but they aren't kids anymore. Things in their lives: events, growing up, college, work, etc. I think that these factors would have changed them. Taking that into consideration, I believe that this is the logical personal growth that these characters would face. So basically, I made them OOC because I like them better this way.

Anyway, this story jumps around a time line, but everything is clearly labeled. I wanted you to see that there is something going on in the present, but it's affected by stuff that's happened in the past. I didn't want it to be something that people were thinking about, so it's not integrated on purpose.

Last time on Defense Mechanism tabs will be placed on chapters that have "present day" sections only. Not every chapter's back story deals with what's currently going on. Some chapters are only for the past event's purposes. So sometimes you can forget what happened a couple of chapters ago.

I hope you like it, but if you don't let me know that too. If anything doesn't make sense tell me so I can clarify it for you because if you're wondering you can be sure someone else is out there wondering too. Thank you for reading.

There are some Japanese terms sprinkled throughout, but not much and I'm sure if you read fanfics you'll know them by heart.

Also this is labeled T for adult situations, profanity and violence.

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran HSHC because if I did that jackass Tamaki wouldn't have gotten the girl in the end. She'd have fallen in love with Kyouya and he would have broken her heart and she would have run to Mori and he would have beat Kyouya's ass and she would have been content living out her life in Mori's arms. Or maybe I'd have done something else because that's starting to sound kinda cheesy now too.

- Chapter 1: Prologue -

Present Day

"Objection!" She called out banging her hands on the table.

"Sustained." The judge turned a wary eye at the lawyer in front of her who looked aghast at the ruling. "Tread lightly, Mr. McCoy I'm listening carefully."

With a quick shake of his head, probably in disbelief that the judge could be so against his line of questioning, he continued. "So, Dr. Warner, were there any evident signs of a struggle or fluids on the victim."

"Objection."

"Overruled." The judge motioned for him to continue.

"There weren't any obvious signs of a struggle, but the body was covered in water as if her murderer had tried to wash her and in her vaginal cavity there were traces of semen."

"Dr. Warner, as a medical examiner, do you examine many murder victims?"

"Yes."

The medical examiner was rather young looking for the position. She couldn't have been more than forty, which was odd to see, because most of the M.E.s she'd ever seen were haggard looking old men.

"So, then it's safe to assume that you have, in your experience, seen cases where two or more laws were broken in the process of a murder."

"Objection, your honor, may we approach?"

The judge motioned for the two counselors to step forward. McCoy looked back at his second chair with a face of disinterest. The female lawyer there just shrugged.

"Your Honor, the people couldn't meet their burden for rape, so now they're dragging my clients name in the mud. Where I come from if you're not charging someone with a crime, you don't bring it up."

"She's right, Mr. McCoy, if you couldn't prove rape we have to proceed with the assumption that the sex was consensual. You want to imply rape find more evidence."

"It goes to motive, your honor."

"No, it goes to the prosecutor trying to get the M.E. to bring up DNA when he knows that it's already been thrown out."

"Ms. Fujioka, I'm aware of that, but Mr. McCoy here knows that if he tries to introduce the DNA evidence back into the trial, that will push my hand and I'll have to call a mistrial. Believe me," She looked at the other attorney, "he doesn't want me to do that because he'll be found in contempt of court and he'll spend the next week in jail."

She motioned for them to go back.

Mr. McCoy walked back to the witness box, smiled at the jury and then at Dr. Warner. "Doctor, what if anything did you find in the victims bloodstream?"

"The victim had a lethal amount of sodium pentothal in her bloodstream."

"What kind of compound is that?"

"It's a barbiturate, the same chemicals used for lethal injection."

"The body was found at 7am. What was the time of death again?"

"We put the time of death at somewhere near 5am."

"Doctor, were there any signs that the body had been moved?"

"No."

"Thank you." He looked over at Haruhi. "Your witness."

She looked over at her defendant and smiled reassuringly before getting up. "Doctor, you said that you found sodium pentothal in the victim's bloodstream, correct?"

"Yes."

"So then you found the needle puncture?" She looked at the jury expectantly.

"No, but there's only one way to administer the drug."

"Yes, but if the victim was killed at 5am and found at 7am, then the needle mark should still be fresh, right?"

"She could have been given the shot anywhere, sometimes needle marks are hard to find."

"Or, time could have healed it right? Doctor, can a dead body heal?"

"No."

"So the needle mark, though possibly "hide-able", wouldn't have healed?"

"No."

"But, could it have shrunk?"

"With enough time, maybe, but in two hours, not likely. I've only seen it happen during intense cold, it tightens up the skin."

"Doctor, how did you come at the time of death?"

"We check the temperature of the liver."

"Is there anyway that that can be tainted?"

"Like I said only in cases of intense cold or intense heat, but the room was warm, approximately 73 degrees."

"And the body couldn't have been moved?"

"Exactly."

"Doctor, how long have you been a medical examiner?"

"Objection." Mr. McCoy called from his seat.

The judge rolled her eyes. "Over ruled." She looked over at the witness. "Please answer."

"Fifteen years."

"And in that time, have you ever been wrong?" Haruhi started again.

"I've done the best of my ability in all the work that I've done. I check and recheck; I don't just shoot from the hip."

"I'm sorry; I never meant to be rude, but to err is human." The short brunette defended. "I'm just trying to get an understanding of your qualifications, because you have been a medical examiner for fifteen years." She walked back to her desk. "And out of that time, you're mostly sent to work special victim's cases haven't you?"

"Yes. When dispatch received the call they thought that the case was better suited for special victims."

"I understand, we all assume at times. Do you deal with many homicides?"

"There are plenty of homicides in special victims."

"I'm sure." Haruhi smiled politely. "But out of the cases you've worked in your fifteen years, do you know how many have been overturned on appeal?" She smiled to herself as she finally found the file she was looking for.

"No, I wouldn't keep track of that."

"No? Well, the states legal department does. More than 83% of the cases you've worked on; not that you were the sole reason of course, were overturned on appeal."

"Objection, is there a question in there?"

"You're right." Haruhi looked at the prosecutor with a mildly glib smirk. She returned the file and produced another one. "My mistake." She turned back to the witness and smiled. "Doctor, you said that the room temperature was 73 degrees, correct?"

"Yes."

"To your knowledge, did anyone adjust the thermostat?"

"No. It was my understanding that the scene had not been altered after the police had been contacted."

"Yes, but what about prior to the call?"

"No one changed the temperature. Someone would have mentioned it."

"Thank you Doctor Warner." She smiled at the judge on her way back to her seat. "I'm done, but I reserve the right to call her again at a later time."

The judge nodded to the witness telling her that she was excused. The tall blonde looked at her watch and called out for recess until the next day.

Haruhi started packing her things with a sigh.

"You seem to be asking a lot of loaded questions?" He pushed the glasses up the bridge of his nose. "What are you trying to prove?"

"Your innocence." She answered very dryly, like he should already know. "Kyouya-senpai, I'm trying to get you acquitted." She smiled despite the fact that she was glaring at him. "Just having you found innocent won't mean anything. You'll still be blacklisted and your competitors will make you out as a monster to your business partners, but if you're acquitted then it'll be written off as a mistake." She tried to stifle a yawn and stretch the muscles in her neck, she hadn't slept well. "I asked those questions because people tend to see science as indisputable. I had to poke holes in her if I want them to have doubt in her. The jury doesn't know what happened in that room and the prosecution can only give them a plausible version of events. So can I."

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