There is a part in here where Sven and Eve are being questioned. So there isn't confusion, I wanted to explain their examinations were done separate, but I wrote them as "happening at the same time" so I didn't have to write out what would essentially be the same things twice.

Disclaimed: I do not own Black Cat or any of its characters.

"So, wait, explain to me again what's happening? And why the trial got postponed another week?" Sven asked, scratching his head in confusion as he tried to put the pieces together.

Creed was leaning over his cat with a small bag of ice, trying to get rid of the red marks Train had around his mouth due to the oxygen mask. The doctors said his golden love was breathing fine on his own and didn't need it any longer. While this was good news, it still did not mean his beloved would be waking up immediately. None of the medical staff could say for sure when he would wake up, but this was at least a step in the right direction.

And I'm trying to concentrate on the positive things now. That's what Train would do, and that's what he needs. I need to focus.

Another positive thing about his cat's situation was the doctors were able to determine through an EEG test that Train's brian was reactive to sounds around him. That meant his love could hear everything they were saying. However, it did not mean he would remember everything when he woke up. The test also made them hopeful he would wake up soon, but they could not make any promises or state any exact dates.

Again, Creed chose not to think about that. Instead, he continued to talk to his partner and tell him everything that was happening. He also made sure to tell Train he loved him and missed him every single day.

The silver man rolled his eyes at his friend's question, but did not stop what he was doing to his cat. The ice pack was working, the marks had started to go away after doing this every day for three days.

"I told you it's hard to explain. Since Mako, the defense's lawyer, used Edo's attack on Train at the police station as relevant to the shooting at the Goto house, Sephiria was able to argue that we should try the two cases together." Creed then began fusing with his love's hair, making sure not to brush it too much since he knew Train liked it messy.

Creed smiled at that thought. I like it messy too. But, I don't want his knots to get so bad that we need to cut it all off.

Sven nodded, seeming to understand a little more. "But… How did she do that? That sounds really tricky to pull off, especially since they sound like two unrelated events."

Creed nodded, but still did not turn his head. "Correct, it is tricky. The best way I can explain it is that Mako rang a bell that he now cannot unring. Essentially, we're starting the trial over. They needed to get a new jury and everything. Which means both sides need to state their case all over again."

Again, Sven nodded. "Yeah, that's a lot of work. I guess I'm just shocked and confused Ms. Arks was able to accomplish such a task in such a small amount of time."

The silver man smiled and caressed his cat's cheek. "Because she's amazing. Wait 'til you see her work."

Sven smiled and watched his friend's back for a few minutes before asking a question he and Eve had been wondering. "Creed… Are you going to be okay? As you said, they're starting all over. You need to relive the questioning you went through and…" He paused for another second, worried about asking this next part. "...You're going to have to watch the video of Train's attack. Do you think you can handle that?"

Creed kept his eyes on his love, memorizing every inch of his face, the curves of his jawline and cheekbones, the feel of his soft skin. His scratches, swelling, and bruises were pretty much healed up, and Creed was grateful to be able to see his partner's amazing face again. Even though he didn't think it was possible for him to ever forget anything about his cat, he knew that he would need to recall a mental image of his cat today to give him strength, so he made extra sure to study his beloved's beautiful features carefully. Everything Sven said was true, and it was all Creed had been thinking about.

He nodded firmly at Sven. "Yes. I can handle it."

Creed had been mentally preparing himself for today since the moment Sephiria called to give him the news. It was both good news and bad news, but again, Creed was going to look at the positive side. Postponing the trial allowed Sephiria more time to collect witnesses and evidence. It also gave Creed and everyone else more time to prepare what they would say in response to the defense's question. The best part was this gave more time for Train to wake up. If his beloved woke up and was able to testify, this whole thing would probably be over very quickly.

Even if he wakes up and his memory is intact, chances are he might not be physically able to testify right away.

This reminded him of the negative sides of starting over. Besides the fact that Creed would have to relive that day and see the video of his love being attacked, all the positives for them were also true to the defense. While Sephiria did not know everything they had planned, she did let Creed know he should prepare to see people from his past he may not want to see again. This scared the silver man that he might see Izo again, but his lawyer assured him that was extremely unlikely. Calling either him or his mother to the stand would be a bad move. If they were deemed to corrupt at the time to testify, she didn't see how that would have changed since then.

Not to mention they have both apparently been in and out of jail since then. Sounds like they just can't get their lives together.

On top of all that, part of the deal they made all those years ago was they would never have to be in the same room as Train or Creed again. This was something both he and his cat were more than happy to oblige. While it wasn't a restraining order, it was enough to assure they didn't have to see them again.

His heart sank when he thought of that, because it reminded him of something else.

"Sven, can you please check the halls again? I'm so sorry, I'm just-"

Sven put a hand up to stop him. "Don't apologize, I understand. Just text me if Eve gets here with Saya."

Creed nodded gratefully as Sven partolled the hallways. Eve went to pick up Saya from the airport. This was the other positive side of postponing the trial. It gave Saya enough time to plan a trip and buy a ticket to be a witness on Train and Creed's behalf. While he was excited to see her, his excitement was dulled with some news he received regarding Edo.

Apparently, because Creed had no legal rights to make calls for Train and their relationship was brought into question, Sephiria could not keep up the full extent of the restraining order against Edo. While it was still in place, the distance was severely lowered. Previously, it was three-hundred feet, but Edo's lawyer was able to reduce it to thirty feet.

They even tried to use their story of Train's fake relationship with the officer to get one for Creed against his beloved. Sephiria was able to stop that on the basis that they did not have enough evidence of Edo and Train's supposed relationship. What was worse was they were trying to get the restraining order dropped completely. Creed was beyond scared when he overheard Mako saying to Edo that he would fight to get his lover back.

Creed shivered at the memory. He wanted to punch the man in the face for that comment, but Sephiria was able to hold him back. The fact that Edo was playing the role of the innocent new lover and painting Creed was the jilted ex was infuriating. He played through the defense's fake story over and over and just could not make sense of it. The silver man did not know how they would be able to swing this story, especially if Train woke up. Their only shot then would be if Train lost his memory.

All of this was bad news, but the worst news was the hospital staff had brought it to Creed's attention that they saw Edo trying to enter the building. With the restraining order still in effect, it was now a short enough distance the officer could stand in the hallway and watch Train from afar. The only comfort that Creed had was he could not get close enough to touch his cat, but the idea of the older man was able to even stare at him was horrifying.

Since then, Eve and Sven had been taking shifts walking the halls of the hospital and checking outside. With Eve gone, that left Sven to do it by himself. This concerned Creed because it made it easier for the officer to get in. Not that Sven or any of the staff could stop him, he had every legal right to be there if he wanted, it was still good to have a heads up so they could close and lock the door. They were lucky the staff cared about Creed so much that they would do their best to have his back and keep the man away from them both.

Still, there isn't much they can do…

Creed frowned at his thought, but pushed it aside in favor of his cat. He smiled lovingly and gave Train a kiss on the forehead.

"I love you, Train…"

Sephiria would be there soon, as would Eve and Saya and they'd all be on their way to the trial together. Once that happened, Creed knew Train would be safe because Edo had to be there too. If he decided to skip and pay his cat a visit, he would be held in contempt, his restraining order would be reinstated to its original distance, and chances of his lawyer getting him cleared of all charges would be slim. It would do more harm than good for Edo to miss the trial.

Still, it hasn't stopped him from trying to stop by. Hopefully he didn't sneak in while Sven was getting dressed in the bathroom.

Thinking of that, Creed decided to do one last check over of himself. He gave his beloved a kiss on the lips, smiling happily that there was nothing in his way anymore, and turned on his heels to head to the bathroom. However, he stopped before he could even take a step forward. In fact, he took a step back closer to Train, putting his arms out a little as the man standing in the doorway smirked evilly at him.

"Mr. Diskence… You look ready for court today." Edo was smirking at him, but his eyes were trying to look behind him at the comatosed cat.

Creed growled at the man. "The order is still thirty feet… Are you sure you're at that limit?" To prove how serious he was, the silver man pulled out a tape measurer and held it in the arm threateningly.

Edo chuckled, but took a step back anyway. "Oh, I already made sure to check the distance. And no, I did not check it by actually stepping over to my kitten, don't panic."

Creed growled even louder this time at the pet name he gave Train. He chose not to question how he figured out the distance and simply gave him the deadliest look he could muster, hoping that would be enough to scare the officer away.

"What do you want?" Creed asked, not bothering to contain the anger in his voice.

Edo shrugged his shoulders and crossed his arms, leaning slightly to see if he could get a better view of Train. "Just came to see how you're taking care of my lover."

Creed practically spat his response at the man. "Stop with the lies. Train is not your lover."

Another chuckle escaped the older man's lips. "You just don't want to admit he's moved on from you. My kitten and I have been doing this dance since he joined the force. He was too afraid to tell you because he didn't know how you would react."

The silver man scoffed. "That's easy to say when Train is incapable of denying your claims. I never heard any complaints when he was laying with me in bed."

"As I said, he's scared of you. I knew everything that was happening with you both and was okay with it since we had a plan to free him from his hell." Edo's eyes did not meet Creed's, which is when the law student figured out he had found a way to see Train's sleeping form.

Creed leaned to block his view and kept his furious glare on him. "Keep your filthy eyes off him…"

Edo's smirk widened, clearly happy to be pushing Creed's buttons. "It won't be long until the truth comes out. And when it does, you'll never see him again…"

Creed couldn't help the frustrated sigh that left his lips. "This is so ridiculous. On what planet do you think you can get away with this? You know as soon as he wakes up what he's going to say. What do you expect to happen?"

"The bond we have is strong enough to overpower your obsessions, I'm not concerned." His voice sounded confident, which angered Creed even more.

"Do you really think saying it out loud will make it true? Do you think if you keep repeating your lies some demon will hear you and grant your sick wishes?" Creed hated how easy it was for the man to get under his skin. He knew he was giving Edo exactly what he wanted, but he couldn't help himself. The man was just so infuriating.

Edo shrugged his shoulders again. "I'm hoping my kitten will hear my voice and wake up. They say if someone in a coma hears voices of people they love, they might come to. Seeing as I haven't been allowed near him, it makes sense that he's still unconscious."

Creed chose not to respond to this. Instead, he took another step backwards and towards Train, trying to use his small frame to block as much of his beloved as he could. The silver student decided to try his best to not say anything at this point. There was no telling what the man's real intentions were, but he knew talking back was not going to help.

Seeing Creed wasn't going to respond, he continued his actions, hoping to push the silver man's buttons some more. "What was your favorite sound Heartnet made? I love his gasps. He just sounds so surprised to feel such immense pleasure…"

Creed felt a rage boiling inside of him that was about to explode. He actually felt himself taking a step forward, then stopped. The law student now realized what Edo was trying to do.

He's trying to provoke me into an attack. He wants me to "show my true colors", as Mako put it, so they have something more to work with.

He smiled at this thought. This meant they were struggling for a good defense. If Edo came here for the sole purpose of trying to push Creed into a violent outburst, that might actually be a good thing. As long as Creed didn't give the officer what he wanted, it looked like they might have the upper hand.

Creed smiled proudly at the man, feeling a confidence he had not felt since Train was awake. Instead of reacting combatively, he turned to face Train, giving him a big kiss on the lips while caressing his cat's cheek and hair. He made sure his motions were big enough to annoy the older man as much as he could. When he was done, he did not turn back to Edo, instead allowing his eyes to stay on his cat.

"I suggest you leave before our lawyer gets here. I'd hate to see you get in more trouble than you already are in." Creed chose not to respond to his previous comment, knowing that's what Edo wanted.

He heard the man grumble under his breath, then try a different tactic to set Creed off. "Heartnet is quite an impressive specimen, don't you think? I know you're going to miss him in your bed, but I can assure you he'll be kept warm in mine…"

Creed clenched his fist and held his breath. He knew if he didn't concentrate, he would explode. That was not an option right now, especially with his and Train's livelihood on the line.

"Office Edo, may I ask what you're doing here trying to intimidate my client's partner?"

The silver man didn't need to turn around to see who the voice belonged to. He smiled and pressed his face against Train's neck, taking in a deep sigh of relief as Sephiria stepped into the room and between him and Edo. Charlotte was there as well, since she was one of Sephiria's witnesses and the tall blonde wanted them to all arrive together. Creed knew he was safe at this point and decided to forget his negative feelings by indulging himself in his cat.

Edo scowled at the woman. "I have a right to be here. That's my lover laying on the bed there." He pointed at Train possessively, sparking another wave of anger through Creed that he had to push away.

"Mr. Heartnet is not property, officer, he is a human. You should not make such outrageous statements." Sephiria's voice was as serious as always, but this time with a hint of intimidation to accompany it.

Edo rolled his eyes and crossed his arms once more. "If I shouldn't make such statements, then that man over there shouldn't as well."

Charlotte took a bit of a defensive position and moved closer to Edo, just in case he tried to do something to Sephiria. Edo, being in law enforcement as well, noticed her stance and decided to take a step back. He wasn't so stupid as to get into a fight with a detective on the day of his trial.

This time it was Sephiria's turn to roll her eyes. "My client's partner has never claimed Mr. Heartnet belonged to him. He's claimed they are in a legitimate relationship with each other, not that Mr. Hearnet is his property."

The Officer did not respond to her statement. The lawyer had him trapped in a corner, and she was ready to go in for the kill.

"Officer Edo, I suggest you head to the courthouse. We will be leaving soon as well, and I'm shocked that you are not currently with your lawyer. That, plus being just barely within the rage of your restraining order puts you in a precarious situation. I can't imagine Mr. Mako is okay with this."

Seeing Edo did not move and insteading continuing to glance at Creed and Train, Sephiria looked at Charlotte. "Detective Miller, could you please escort Officer Edo out?"

The detective nodded and took a light hold of Edo's elbow. He ripped it out violently and scowled, but walked away with her nonetheless. A few moments later Sven came running into the room out of breath and sweating.

"Creed, I just heard he's here, but I didn't see him." He wiped his forehead and took a big breath of air.

"He just left, Mr. Vollfied. Just as we should be too. Where is Mrs. Vollfied and Ms. Minatsuki?"

Sven was clearly upset with himself, but checked his phone to answer the woman's questions nonetheless. "They just pulled up. We can head downstairs and meet them outside."

Sephiria nodded and headed out the door. "Mr. Diskence, Mr. Vollfied, let's go."

Sven stayed to wait for Creed and also spew a line of apologies. The silver man stopped him without looking at him, contenting himself with the peaceful face of his sleeping cat. It was amazing how much better he looked without the oxygen mask. At this point, Train looked like he was asleep, which Creed decided was better than his love looking like he was barely alive.

"Sven, don't apologize. I actually think it was good he was here." He could feel his green friend's confused face and continued. "Edo was able to give me a view of what they want from me. And now that I know, I can make sure they don't get it."

With another wistful smile at his cat, he kissed him lightly on the lips. "I'll be back soon, Love."

He turned and patted Sven's shoulder as they left the room, allowing his confidence to show in his walk.

They arrived at the same time as the defense, Creed making sure to avoid Edo's eyes as they stepped into the room and took their seats. He didn't have much time to reunite with Saya, but he was glad to have the woman there. The teal eyed girl held Creed's hand before they had to part and sit down. The gesture felt nice since he hadn't been able to feel the strength of his cat in so long.

She also made sure to sit behind him in the aisle since he now had to sit next to Sephiria. While there was not enough of a case to press charges against Creed, he was dragged into the case as well, since they were trying to accuse him of being the reason Clark shot Train. Because of this, he had to take a spot next to the lawyer and couldn't sit with his friends.

The jury was ushered in as the bailiff announced the arrival of the judge. They were lucky to keep the same judge as before, since she was already familiar with both cases. She also seemed like a fair and impartial judge, which is what they needed in order to see justice for his beloved.

They started off slow, both lawyers making their opening statements. Once they were done, the Gotos were called to recount the night of the shooting events. Their stories had not changed and Sephiria had even managed to track down a few neighbors who heard or saw some of what had happened. No one claimed to see Creed there other than Clark and Edo, who had their body cams turned off therefore were unable to prove their stories. At this point, it came down to the story of two seasoned officers, innocent bystanders, a pregnant woman, and her husband with a criminal record. The odds weren't really in their favor, but Creed was going to stay positive. Hopefully, if they could convince the jury they were dirty cops, they would get the upper hand.

Once they were all dismissed from the stand, Sven and Eve were called. The two of them were asked very basic questions about Train and Creed's relationship, which they answered very truthfully. The defense cross examined them, and weren't really able to get anywhere. Mako tried to catch them up on any small details that might poke holes into their stories, but they were strong witnesses. They had nothing but positive things to say about their two long term friends, and when any negative statements were made, they handled it very well.

"Mrs. Vollfied, is it true that you have seen Mr. Diskence show violent outbursts in regards to Mr. Heartnet?"

Eve thought about the question for only a second, then answered very firmly. "Creed has never reacted in a way that made me concerned for someone's well being."

"I feel like you're avoiding the question, Mr. Vollfied…" Mako's voice sounded annoyed as he rubbed his eyes.

Sven shrugged his shoulders and leaned back in his chair. "Like I said, Creed has never scared me. If he ever did anything I thought was dangerous, I wouldn't have had him as a groomsmen at my wedding."

Mako sighed in frustration as Eve stared at him innocently. "Are you saying that you have never seen Mr. Diskence display signs that could be akin to someone who has been deemed mentalyl unstable?"

"Creed has never made me feel unsafe. In fact, I feel safer when he is around. I know he would never let anything bad happen to me." She smiled happily, knowing she was not giving the lawyer what he wanted.

Make tried to jump on her statement. "So, are you insinuating that Mr. Diskence would hurt someone to 'keep his friends safe', as you put it?"

The young girl shook her head. "I said no such thing. We could go back and see what the record says, if you'd like." Eve looked over at the stenographer curiously, but Mako waved his hand in the air, signaling that was not necessary.

"Mr. Vollfied, is it true that Mr. Heartnet and Mr. Diskence started their relationship at your wedding?"

Sven thought about it, then responded confidently. "That was when a label was put on it. But we all knew they were together before that."

"How soon before that?" Mr. Mako was checking his notes as he gazed at the young girl.

"I would say about six months before that." Said answered sternly.

"And who initiated the relationship?"

"It just sort of happened." Eve and Sven had the same answer to this question.

"But isn't it true Creed had feelings for Train long before their relationship began?" Mako asked even though he already knew the answer.

"Yes." Again, they both answered the same way.

"And how did Train react to that?" Mako asked, trying to get more out of them.

"It took some getting used to for all of us, but once we did, it became normal." Sven said nonchalantly.

Mako nodded. "And, would you say Mr. Diskence was respectful of Mr. Hearnet's personal space?"

"That isn't a question I can answer because I don't know what boundaries they had set." Eve answered readily. "What I can say is Train would not have stayed friends with him during that time if he felt unsafe or uncomfortable."

"How certain are you that their relationship was real and Mr. Heartnet was not being forced into something he didn't want?" Mako tried to be more blunt with his tactics.

"Because I trust Train. He would never allow himself to be kept prisoner in a relationship." Eve responded firmly, knowing for the fact it was the truth.

"And you're positive Mr. Heartnet wanted to be with Mr. Diskence?" Mako asked Sven, hoping for a different response than his wife.

"Yes." The green haired man kept his answer short, not giving the lawyer a chance to pull anything more out of him.

"Alright, your honor, I have no further questions." Mako sounded frustrated, but not surprised. Chances were he expected those answers out of two of Creed and Train's closest friends, but was also hoping he could get them to slip up. Seeing they wouldn't he decided to move on.

Sephiria stood to call her next witness. "The prosecution would like to call Saya Minatsuki to the stand."

Saya smiled at Creed, gave his shoulder a squeeze as she stood to take her spot. After she was sworn in she sat straight, trying to make herself look as professional as possible.

"Please state your name for the court." Sephiria requested as she approached the woman at the bench.

"Saya Minatsuki."

"And what is your relationship to my client and his partner?"

Saya smiled widely. "They're my best buds!"

Sephiria nodded. "And how long have you known them?"

Saya tapped her index finger on her chin as she thought about the question. "I've known Train for about eighteen years and Creed for about five or six."

"So, you and Mr. Heartnet have known each other longer than anyone else in your friend group?" Sephiria asked.

The woman at the stand nodded. "Yes. We met at the park when we were five and we've been best friends since."

"So, it's safe to assume that you know my client very well?"

Saya nodded again. "Yes. We're pretty much the same person."

Sephiria laughed a little at this. "Yes, I've seen that through the interactions that we've had." She slowly paced the room, not looking at the young woman, but still addressing her. "How would you describe Mr. Heartnet's and Mr. Diskence's relationship?"

She smiled warmly and glanced at Creed quickly. "Very loving."

"Would you say it was healthy?"

Another nod. "One of the healthiest and happiest relationships I've ever seen." She looked at Sven and Eve and smiled apologetically. "Sorry, guys."

The married couple brushed away her comments and smiled in return.

"Have you ever seen Mr. Heartnet and Mr. Diskence fight?" Sephiria asked calmly.

Saya shook her head. "No. I've only ever seen them be nothing but happy with one another. In fact-" She looked at Creed again, directing this part at her silver friend. "-I've never seen Train happier than when he's with Creed."

Creed smiled and blushed, overjoyed to hear Saya say that to him. The rest of Sephiria's questions went pretty much along those lines. Saya was a credible witness because of how long she knew Train and how well she knew their relationship. She and Creed had gotten very close over the years and was the number one supporter of their relationship. She was also just such a happy-go-lucky positive girl that It was going to be hard to get anything negative out of her.

However, Mako was going to give it his best shot as he began his questioning rather quickly once Sephiria had stepped away.

"Ms. Minatsuki, you say that you've never seen Mr. Heartner and Mr. Diskence fight, is that correct?"

Saya was thrown off by his fast question, barely hearing him as he spoke. "Y-yes, that's correct."

He eyed her wearily. "Really? You've never seen them fight? I don't know about anyone else in his courtroom, but I've been married for twenty-one years and my wife and I have been in many fights." A few people in the room chuckled quietly, being able to relate to the man. "Ms. Minatsuki, are you in the relationship?"

Saya blinked, looking around the room then settling on Sephiria, who gestured for her to answer. "Yes. I have a girlfriend."

"Would you say you have a good relationship with her?"

"Yes." She answered quickly, still not sure where he was going with his line of questioning.

"Do you fight?" He asked as he eyed her above his reading glasses.

A slight pause, then she answered. "Yes…"

"But, you said you have a good relationship?" He asked curiously, as if Saya was lying before.

"We do. That doesn't mean we don't fight." She answered a bit defensively.

Mako smiled and nodded. "That's correct. Fighting is normal in relationships. In fact, I would argue that a couple who never fights is odd, wouldn't you agree, Ms. Minatsuki?"

Saya stared at him for a minute, then nodded reluctantly.

He smiled at her and took a few steps away. "From what I gathered through your examination from Ms. Arks, you spoke to Mr. Diskence about his feelings for Mr. Heartnet often, is that correct?"

Saya nodded, but didn't answer verbally, worried she would put her foot in her mouth again.

"How often did you talk to Mr. Heartnet about his feelings?"

Saya blinked, then opened and closed her mouth a few times before responding. The answer wasn't as simple as he was implying, so she wanted to be careful with her words. "No, but Train-"

"So, is it okay to assume that you didn't really know how Mr. Heartnet felt about his relationship with Mr. Diskence?"

"No, that's wrong." Saya said a bit harshly, getting tired of this man putting words in her mouth. "Train is not good at facing his emotions. It's been like that ever since his parents-"

She stopped herself, realizing she was stepping into sensitive territory. Mako nodded, knowing what she was going to say. "Yes, the murder of his parents. Very tragic. Probably caused a terrible trauma for an innocent child."

A controlled sniffle could be heard coming from Edo, which caused Creed to scowl. The officer was doing his best to put on the role of a heartbroken new lover and was apparently going so far as to pretend he cared about Train's past. Creed took a deep breath and calmed himself down. He couldn't show his negative emotions. That's what the defense wanted.

Mako paced the room. "That would cause negative consequences to one's emotional well being." He paused as he stood in front of the jury. "Ms. Minatsuki, you said Mr. Heartnet was your best friend, correct?"

Saya nodded, but said nothing. Even though he didn't see her, he knew what her response was and continued his train of thought. "Did you know that he was not living with his grandparents in high school?"

The girl blinked, shocked at the news as she looked at Creed. The silver man gave her an apologetic, sad look, but also trying to tell her through his eyes he would explain later. "No… I did not know that."

"So, it looks like you didn't know him that well, did you?" Again, she didn't respond, so Mako continued. "If you didn't know such a big detail in your best friend's life, how do you know that means he trusted you enough to tell you his true feelings?"

Saya opened her mouth, then closed it again, realizing that was not a question the lawyer really meant for her to answer.

"Is it true that you and Mr. Heartnet had a romantic relationship in high school?"

The girl blinked at him, then shook her head. "No. That is not true."

"I've spoken to many of your classmates who have stated they thought you and Mr. Heartnet were an item in high school. Why would they say that if it wasn't true?" He smiled, knowing he had her right where he wanted her.

Saya scowled a little. "They were mistaken. We never had a romantic relationship."

He turned from the jury to face her. "But didn't you want to?" He smiled again, seeing her squirm a little at the question. "You both had feelings for each other that Mr. Heartnet most likely avoided only because he had enough going on in his life. Is that correct?"

Saya didn't look at him and didn't answer. Unfortunately, that was enough of an answer for Mako and he continued to push.

"From what I've gathered, Mr. Heartnet was going through a lot in high school. While you both had feelings for each other, you respected Mr. Heartnet enough to give him space and not force a relationship on him. Mr. Diskence, however…" He gestured to the silver man sitting behind him. "...Did not respect Mr. Heartnet's space and forced his feelings on him. Mr. Diskence was selfish and forced a still very emotionally raw teen into accepting his intense desires. Is that correct?"

Saya gawked at him, then shook her head rapidly. "What?! No, that's not what happened!"

Mako smiled again. "Then tell us what happened."

The girl sighed deeply, still trying to be careful with what she said. "Creed told Train how he felt, but he never forced anything on Train. When Train did not return his feelings at first, Creed gave him space and they remained very close friends."

"Did you know that Mr. Diskence kissed Mr. Heartnet when he first confessed his feelings?"

Again, Saya was speechless, which was a hard task to accomplish for the normally overly talkative girl. However, that was the only response he needed from her to confirm her lack of knowledge of the event.

Mako turned to the judge. "Your honor, I would like to submit into evidence a video recording we have on Mr. Diskence forcing himself onto Mr. Heartnet in the library of their high school."

The judge nodded and permitted Mako to start a video he had prepared. Creed eyed Sephiria wearily. He tried to remain calm because she had warned him about this. While he was concerned how it would be viewed by the jury, his lawyer assured him once they saw the video of Train and Edo at the police station, this would be absolutely insignificant. There wasn't a way for her to dismiss the evidence either, this the defense's argument that Creed and Train's relationship was not legitimate. Her job was to disprove that.

Saya and the rest of the courtroom watched a video of Creed falling from the bookshelves and on top of Train. Creed felt sad and embarrassed as he watched his high school self lean forward and kiss his beloved. He hadn't seen Train's face at the time, but could now see how shocked and scared his cat looked. Creed hated himself in that moment and looked away when he saw himself going in for another kiss, which was stopped by a very flustered and bothered Train who left the library very quickly.

The courtroom was quiet as Mako turned the TV off and faced Saya again. "You say that you know Mr. Heartnet better than anyone else. Would you say that was a kiss Mr. Heartnet wanted?"

Saya looked away and shook her head, still not vocalizing her answer.

"Would you say Mr. Heartnet felt safe and comfortable with Mr. Diskence at that moment?"

Again, no response, but that was good enough for Mako as he smiled as he walked away. "No further questions, your honor."

Sephiria stood and walked towards Saya. "Your honor, I'd like to ask the witness a few more questions."

The judge nodded as Sephiria removed changed the video on the television to a more recent video of Train and Creed at a hospital.

"Ms. Minatsuki, you spoke to Mr. Diskence often while he was hospitalized, yes?"

Saya nodded, still feeling like she couldn't speak after that encounter.

"And you spoke to him after he and Mr. Heartnet had their real first kiss, correct?"

Another nod as Saya raised her eyes carefully to the female lawyer, hoping she was about to show them something good. Sephiria smiled and started the video. This was one of Train and Creed kissing tenderly at the hospital, when Creed had started the kiss to give an overly zealous nurse the correct impression of what their relationship was.

This video was much sweeter and loving. The silver man smiled blissfully at the scene, joyful to see how his love had responded back then. At the time, the feeling of his cat kissing him back was everything to him and now watching Train wrap his arms around him and deepen the kiss on his own was a relief. It was a reminder that his beloved had feelings for him that went beyond pity or friendship. This was when their relationship truly began, even if his love needed a little more time to figure out what he wanted.

When it ended, Saya beamed at Sephiria, happy to be leaving on a high note.

"Ms. Minatsuki, would you say that kiss was forced?"

She smiled. "Nope!"

"Who would you say escalated that kiss?" Sephiria asked, already knowing the answer to the question.

"It looks like Creed may have started it, but Train definitely took it to the next level." She couldn't get over how happy she was. She wasn't there for their first kiss, only heard about it from Creed and her other friends. It was such a joy to see it in person and know Train had enjoyed it. "In fact, it looked like Creed had to be one the to end it. Train definitely wanted that kiss."

Sephiria smiled. "Just a few more questions, Ms. Minatsuki then you can take your seat. Could you please confirm the date on his video as having happened just a few years ago?"

Saya squinted, then nodded her head. "Yes. This was the year we graduated high school and that was pretty much the exact time they began their relationship."

The lawyer nodded and walked away. "No further questions, your honor."

The judge dismissed Saya from the stand and she did so happily. She gave Mako a mocking smile, then gave Creed a genuine one. The silver man returned the gesture, his eyes swelling up with tears at the memory of his first real kiss with his cat. Saya was right, Train did take the kiss to the next level and Creed had been the one to end it. He had a feeling his beloved would have kept going if Creed didn't end it.

The silver man tried to give Sephiria a grateful look, but the woman was still all business as she looked through her notes and addressed the judge. There were a few more witnesses called that Sephiria had managed to find that were able to attest to his relationship with Train. Some of them were schoolmates Creed remembered from either high school or college. He was surprised by that since he didn't really have any friends from college. She even got some of his professors which was a wonderful experience for Creed. They all had nothing but great things to say about the silver student and the defense was unable to get anything negative out of them.

This was really clever of Sephiria. These are people that wouldn't gain anything by saying something negative or positive about me and Train, but also have nothing but great things to say. It's just amazing how she was able to find so many people that would have nothing but wonderful things to say about me.

All in all, Sephiria did a great job at making him look good and proving the legitimacy of his relationship with Train. Several of the Sephiria's witnesses Mako didn't even bother questioning, knowing there was nothing they would be able to get out of them.

However, by far his favorite witness to watch was Charlotte. She was a seasoned detective and was used to being on the stand. Sephiria and Charlotte had great chemistry, so everyone enjoyed watching the two of them go back and forth and she was able to provide great testimony of Creed and Train's relationship as well as the silver man's previous case. She saw first hand how much Train cared about Creed while he was hospitalized and she was there to witness the birth of their relationship.

This all changed once the defense got their hands on her.

"Detective Miller, is it true you were at the trial of Mr. Hearnet's parents?" Mako asked as he approached the bench.

"Yes." Charlotte responded firmly.

"How far into your career were you at that point?"

She pondered that for a minute, then responded. "It was before I became a detective. I was still a police officer at the time."

Mako looked at his notes then at the woman behind the bench. "Yes, from what I found it looked like you became a detective almost immediately after that. Is that correct?"

"Yes." Her answers were short and to the point.

"Do you think that had anything to do with the Heartnet case?" He raised a curious eyebrow at the woman.

Her demeanor did not change as she answered. "It was definitely a push in the right direction for me."

"I'll take that as a yes." Mako closed his notes and stepped closer to the bench. "So, it sounds like you knew Mr. Heartnet before the events of Mr. Diskence's attack, so you already have a soft spot for him, is that true?"

"I did not recognize Mr. Heartnet when I first saw him or was first assigned the case. It was only after speaking in length with him did I remember who he was." She kept her eyes on the lawyer, not trusting anything he said.

"Yes, but once you did remember it looks as though you threw even more of yourself in the case, is that true?"

Charlotte shook her head. "No. I give all my cases the same amount of attention."

Mako tapped his notes with a pen and took another step forward. "I spoke with the staff at the hospital Mr. Diskence was at and they said you were there quite often to check up on them. Are we really to believe you have so much spare time on your hands that you can check on two teenage boys as often as you did?"

The woman was quiet for a second, then responded confidently. "While you may not believe it is possible to dedicate yourself to your work that much, I assure you it's true. You can ask my captain or former victims I've worked with."

Mako waved a hand in the air to dismiss her offer. "That won't be necessary. However, is it safe to say you are a bit too biased to be a witness for the defendant?"

"No." The detective said quickly.

"How can you sound so confident? You are clearly very attached to Mr. Diskence and to Ms. Arks. Could you tell us what your relationship is to Ms. Arks?"

She scowled a little at him, and answered firmly. "We're old friends."

"Oh, is that what we're calling it now?" There were a few chuckles from the back. "How long have you known Ms. Arks?"

She continued her scowl. "About seven years."

"It looks like you've worked with her a lot, is that correct?" Charlotte nodded, but did not respond. "So, even if you are not biased towards Mr. Heartnet and Mr. Diskence, it is safe to say there is a bias to Ms. Arks?"

"Your honor, I object. The relationship between Ms. Miller and I are not on trial here." Sephiria stood from the desk to address the judge.

Mako spoke to the judge as well. "Your honor, my point is simple. Detective Miller should not be a credible witness because of her personal relationship and history to Mr. Heatnert, Mr. Diskence, and Ms. Arks. There is too much bias here for her to make a fair statement."

Now Charlotte was getting mad. "I've been in law enforcement long enough to know when to separate my personal emotions from the job."

"Really? Because it seems like you're getting angry just talking about it." Mako scowled at her as well now.

Charlotte was about to say something in return, but was interrupted by the judge's gavel.

"That's enough Mr. Mako, Detective Miller. I am inclined to agree with the defense and would like to ask you to step off the stand, detective. The jury will disregard the witness' testimony."

The woman scowled at Mako one more time who smirked confidently. She stood and walked away briskly, taking her seat again as Sephiria avoided her gaze. This was a shocking turn of events for them both. Someone who had been a credible witness now just had her entire testimony thrown out due to a technicality.

Creed frowned at both women and felt his anxiety rise. They were two people he admired most in the world and couldn't believe this man was able to reduce them to a biased relationship. It hurt to watch, but he needed to stay positive. He closed his eyes and imagined Train in his head, feeling himself calm down at the vision he smiled and opened his eyes again, ready for what would come next.

"I would like to call my next witness, your honor." She turned so she was addressing the entire court. "The prosecution would like to call Amy Tanaka to the stand."

Creed smiled as the woman stood and approached the bench. He also knew she would be testifying. There were other teachers from his high school that testified on his behalf as well, but Tanaka was probably the best teacher testimony they could get, since she saw Creed's feelings for Train from the first day of freshman year. The woman had both of them all four years for her history class, so she also knew both Train and Creed very well.

Tanaka took the stand with a very serious face, one Creed was not used to. She was normally a very kindhearted woman and he had never really seen another side to her. However, the silver man did not take it personally. He knew that's what they all needed to do.

Creed's former teacher was sworn in and sat behind the stand. She looked at Sephiria who had not approached the bench yet and spoke to her without making eye contact.

"Please state your name for the court."

"Amy Tanaka."

"Could you please state your relationship to Mr. Diskence and Mr. Heartnet?"

Tanaka crossed her legs and folded her hands on her knees. "They are both former students of mine."

"What did you teach them?" Sephiria still did not look at her, instead continued looking through her notes.

"History from ninth grade to twelfth grade."

"Oh wow, you taught them all four years of high school?" Sephiria asked with a small smile, finally looking at the woman.

The teacher nodded. "Yes."

Sephiria stepped closer. "Do you still teach?"

"Yes, I'm going on my tenth year."

Sephiria nodded. "Congratulations on that, it's a difficult career." Tanaka smiled, but did not respond. "So, would you say you know them both pretty well?"

Tanaka nodded. "Yes."

"And how would you describe their relationship?"

"Very close. I partnered them together their senior year for a final project and Mr. Diskence was actually able to help Mr. Heartnet raise his grade."

Sephiria nodded. "Could you explain what you mean by that?"

"Mr. Heartnet always struggled in school and after learning about his personal life today, I understand why. However, Mr. Diskence grades were always the best. He was sitting easily at the top of their class all four years, so I partnered him with Mr. Heartnet in hopes that he would give Train the push he needed." Tanaka looked at Creed and smiled. "It worked. I've never seen Train get such high grades. They made a great team."

Creed smiled at her in return, happy to hear her say that. The questions continued like that and Tanaka answered every one of them gracefully and truthfully. She was another witness that had nothing but great things to say about him and his beloved, so Creed decided to enjoy it until the defense began asking questions.

When Sephiria sat down, Mako stood and approached Tanaka quickly, much like he did Saya. His style seemed to be trying to catch the witnesses by surprise, and it worked almost every time.

"Ms. Tanaka, you said their relationship was close, correct?" Mako spoke fast, but Tanaka was still able to understand him.

"Yes." She answered again firmly, not wavering her response.

"But from what we've heard from previous witnesses, they only began friendship their senior year, correct?" Tanaka nodded hesitantly. "Then can you really attest to what their relationship was the other three years?"

Tanaka nodded again, this time more confidently. "Yes, as I said before, I had them all four years of high school."

"Yes, that's true, but it sounds like there wasn't a relationship between them to watch until their senior year, correct?" Another slow nod. "Ms. Tanaka, what level of history do you teach?"

She blinked and glanced at Sephiria and Creed quickly. "I teach some remedial classes along with the general education classes."

Mako nodded. "You and several of his professors for former teachers have attested to Mr. Diskence superior intelligence, is that correct?"

"...Yes, Creed was a very bright child and it sounds like he is still doing very well in school as an adult." She was watching him carefully, knowing what he had done to the other credible witnesses.

"Yes, it sounds like Mr. Diskence is very gifted." Mako stood in front of the jury, his back facing Tanaka as he spoke. "Don't you think the higher level courses would have provided more of a challenge for him?"

Tanaka was quiet for a minute before responding. "Creed would have done well in the high level courses, yes."

"So, why do you think such a smart young man would take lower level classes?" Mako already knew the answer, but wanted Tanaka to say it out loud.

She stared at his back, then hesitantly answered. "... Probably because he wanted to take the same classes as Train…"

Mako smiled and turned around. "Did you know about Mr. Diskence obsession with Mr. Heartnet before he had even confessed it?"

Tanaka again stared at him. "It wasn't an obsession. It was a crush."

The lawyer brushed her words away and stepped back towards her. "Call it what you like. How did you know? Did Mr. Diskence ever tell you?" She shook her head, so Mako pushed harder. "Then how did you know?"

The teacher was silent for a while, then looked at Creed apologetically and lowered her head. She understood what Mako was trying to do now, but there was nothing she could do to stop it. Tanaka knew she had to answer the question.

"Creed left a rose on Train's desk every day before class."

A few mumbles could be heard in the room that Mako ignored to continue his examination. "Every day? For four years?"

Tanaka nodded, but did not look at him.

"Why didn't you stop him?" Mako asked curiously.

Now the teacher looked at him, a bit annoyed. "Because it wasn't hurting anyone. It was a sweet gesture made by a young man who had an innocent crush on a classmate."

Mako rolled his eyes and leaned on the stand she was behind. "Innocent crush? You call a man who lowered his standards of education to stalk a young man and stake out his desk every day to leave a rose on it as innocent? Let me ask you this, if Mr. Heartnet was a woman, would you view Mr. Diskence's gestures as innocent?"

"Objection!" Sephiria shouted reflectively.

Mako and the judge looked at her, ready for her to state why she objected, but Sephiria found herself at a loss for words. "Ms. Arks, if you do not have a reason as to why you object, then I will ask you to have a seat and let Mr. Mako to continue."

She remained standing for a little longer, then finally sat. Mako smiled and turned back to the teacher. Tanaka stared at him, unable to speak, not sure how to respond to his question, then looked away quickly.

"...I can't say for sure how I would have reacted in the circumstances you described." Her voice was quiet and fast, but audible nonetheless.

Mako's smile never faded. "Yes, I guess that is hard to say for sure, but I think your answer speaks volumes. What some may view as an innocent crush, others may view has an obsessed stalker." He walked away from the teacher and waved his hand in the air. "No more questions, your honor."

The judge nodded and looked at Sephiria. "Your next witness, Ms. Arks?"

The lawyer was quiet, then stood strongly. "I'd like to call Mr. Diskence to the stand."

Creed took a deep breath and stood, but not before Saya could give his shoulder another squeeze. He smiled at the girl, then at his other friends who were trying to give him an encouraging look. Sephiria smiled kindly at him for a split second, then went back to business. The examination went very similarly to how it had gone before, which Creed had expected. Both lawyers were repeating their questioning for the new jury.

The biggest difference was Sephiria now had picture and video evidence of Train and Creed's relationships. She showed him and the jury several pictures and asked Creed to cite a date and describe the event they were at. This part the silver man actually enjoyed, since he got to relive fond memories he had with his cat. He could tell as he was speaking, his love for Train showed.

Convincing a room full of people how much he loved his cat was the easiest thing Creed had ever done. With each picture was a different memory, one that the law student was more than pleased to talk about. He knew his eyes were shining bright with adoration when he spoke about his beloved, and he knew his words were hitting the jurors on a deep level. There were several times Creed saw jurors smiling brightly or even choking up when he talked about how much he loved Train. Really, he didn't have to convince anyone of his devotion to Train. It was a matter of them believing Train's devotion to him.

When Sephiria finished Mako approached. Again, Creed expected more of the same except this time he was ready and could better control his emotions. He also did not have to be the one to pull out the pictures and videos since they were already shown. The lawyer also did not have any physical evidence to disprove his partnership with Train. All he had were words and theories, nothing of actual proof.

"Mr. Diskence, you've stated several times that you love Mr. Heartnet, yes?"

Creed nodded, but did not answer.

"How often did you tell him?" Mako stood in front of him, looking down at him knowingly.

Creed smiled happily. "Every day."

The law student could hear the jury's adoring response and his smile widened. However, Mako's smile did not fade, which worried him.

"How often did Mr. Heartnet tell you he loved you?"

Creed felt his blood go cold at the question. He was ready for everything today, including the video of his cat being attacked, but he was not ready for this.

Seeing Creed did not respond, the lawyer restated his question. "Did Mr. Heartnet ever tell you he loved you?"

Again, Creed was quiet. He could not look at anyone else except for the man standing in front of him. All his energy was going into controlling his emotions. He couldn't show any form of negative outbursts since that would only give the defense what they wanted. However, despite himself, a single tear left Creed's control and Mako smiled victoriously.

"I see. You have all these wonderful stories and amazing memories with Mr. Heartnet, but you never heard him say those three words everyone yearns to hear from their partner. That must have hurt, didn't it?"

Creed took a deep breath and kept his stare firm on the lawyer, but his mind created a picture of Train in his head, giving him the strength to not break down. Although his cat was not there with him physically, he knew Train was there with him spiritually. He couldn't explain it, but he could feel his love pushing him forward, telling him not to give up, to keep fighting and have hope.

"Train doesn't need to say it to make it true." Creed said finally, his voice strong and sure as he locked eyes with Mako.

"That's a nice story you tell yourself, isn't it?" Mako rolled his eyes and stepped away from the young man.

Creed shook his head. "It's not a story. Yes, I would love to hear Train say those three words, but I know Train. He is not a man of words, he is a man of actions. And these actions-" He gestured to the pictures laid out before him on the stand. "-Speak much louder than any words."

Mako ignored his statement in favor of his questions, pacing the room as he spoke to Creed.

"Well, you can tell yourself what you'd like, Mr. Diskence, but I think history will speak for itself." The silver man eyed him curiously, but continued his examination. "You're feelings for Mr. Heartnet are indeed very powerful. I don't think there's a single person in this room who did not feel touched by the power of your love for him."

Creed didn't respond, just braced himself for what would come next. "I would imagine with how long you loved him, it must have hurt to know he didn't know you existed for such a long time. Is that true?"

Again, no response, but Mako knew what Creed's silence meant. "Loving someone so deeply, so intensely for so long would drive anyone insane. I wouldn't you agree?"

Creed stared at the lawyer as he turned to face him. "Having such strong emotions for someone who won't even give you the time day could cause someone to fall off the edge and force something on them, right? Just like that kiss you forced on Mr. Heartnet in the library?"

Creed watched him a bit more intensely. "You're blowing that day out of proportion."

Mako smiled. "Am I really? Or was that foreshadowing the future of your relationship with Mr. Heartnet?" Creed did not answer, so the lawyer continued. "You have a history of violent and strange behavior, especially when it involved Mr. Heartnet. It is so far fetched to believe that you scared Mr. Heartnet to the point where he felt he had no choice but to give you what you wanted, so you wouldn't hurt him or anyone he actually cared about?"

Creed narrowed his eyes at Mako, not liking where this was going.

"Mr. Heartnet had a lot of admirers, is that true?"

"Yes." Creed answered quickly.

"Including yourself, how many people do you know of that have tried to start some kind of intimate relationship with with Mr. Heartnet?"

He mulled the words around in his head for a bit, then answered. "I would say at least four."

Mako held up all his fingers in one hand. "Five, I think you mean. You forgot Officer Edo."

Creed glared at the officer. "His intentions were not pure."

"So you claim. I would argue he was the first one that was actually strong enough to stand up to you and try to save Mr. Heartnet from your obsessive grasp."

Mako put up a hand before Sephiria could say something, signaling he withdrew his harsh statement. "Let me try again. Don't you think it's a little odd that Mr. Heartnet could have so many viable options available to him in a romantic partner, yet he chose to be with the one who he had ignored for most of his life?"

Creed glowered at him, but said nothing.

"Let's go down the list. "Kyoko Kirisaki, never had a shot, correct? Because you were alway in the way. You never allowed anyone else the room to even attempt at relationship with Mr. Heartnet."

"Kyoko had a boyfriend and Train had zero interest in her." Creed spoke loudly and confidently. No one in the room would deny that fact. There was way too much evidence to support it.

Mako nodded. "Then let's move on. Do you remember Oliver Jones?" Creed nodded slowly and the man continued. "We'll be speaking with him in more depth later to learn his story later, but isn't it true he also had feelings for Mr. Heartnet that could not be pursued because Mr. Heartnet was scared of setting you off?"

This time it was hard for Creed to contain his anger. Knowing that the nurse was going to come back and testify against them, but also the way the lawyer twisted the story to make it seem like Creed had made Train reject him for his own selfish wants.

"That's not what-"

"-Did Mr. Jones have feelings for Mr. Heartnet, yes or no?"

Creed stared at him, then nodded.

The lawyer continued, leaning on the stand in front of Creed to stare him down. "And then, there was Saya Minatsuki. Mr. Heartnet's best friend since he was five-years-old. If anyone had a chance with Mr. Heartnet, it was her, right?"

Again, no response as Creed used all of his strength to control his emotions.

"How does it make sense that his best friend did not know about his personal situation, but you, a man Mr. Heartnet barely knew, not only knew everything about him, but was also able to start an intimate relationship with him when she was not? How did she fail where you succeeded?"

It didn't matter what Creed said to that, so he kept his mouth shut. It was better to give him less to work with. The man was clearly on a certain path and the silver man had no chance of deterring him.

"You knew everything about Mr. Heartnet because you stalked him his entire life. You studied him to find out what his weaknesses were so you could exploit them and blackmail him into being with you. In high school, you used his home life as a way to worm your way into financially supporting him, forcing him to rely on you to keep a roof over his head."

"That's-" Creed tried to fight back, but Mako didn't give him a chance to rebuttal.

"You used his kind heart and care for his friends and people in general against him. You already had him on the rope by paying his rent for him, but you needed to make sure anyone he cared about would stay away. To do that, you secretly threatened him and frightened potential partners away until he finally caved in and gave you what you wanted. You were able to scare him so badly, that he convinced all of his friends that not only were you also their friend, but that he was happy to be with you."

The courtroom fell silent. Creed didn't know what to say. He didn't know how the man found out about him helping pay for Train's rent in high school. It was beyond him how he could not only obtain such information, but find a way to twist it and use it against him. He didn't know how Mako found out about the roses, about how long he had loved Train. While he knew everything the man said was not true, Creed had no proof. It was his word against a powerful lawyer's and he felt lost in his response.

Seeing he had broken Creed, Mako smiled and stepped away. "And then, Officer Edo stepped into the picture. He saw the quiet abuse happening to Mr. Heartnet and couldn't stand by and let it happen. He tried to save Officer Heartnet from your suffocating control, but you wouldn't give up and chased him down the night he finally decided to leave you, resulting in the tragic event that brings us here today."

The lawyer pointed to the pictures in front of Creed. "All these pictures prove is your utter obsession with Mr. Heartnet and his inability to free himself from your selfish hold."

Creed lowered his eyes to the pictures and felt a tear fall as he looked at them all. To have his memories with Train, his life with his cat, the love he felt for the man reduced to a simple obsession hurt beyond belief. He knew it wasn't true, but it was too painful to hear come from another person's mouth.

"It's not true…" Creed whispered, but Mako did not care as he walked away and back to his clients.

"Keep telling yourself that. No further questions."

Sephiria stood loudly, clearly angry at what she had just witnessed. "Your honor, I'd like to approach the witness again."

The judge looked confused, but gestured for her to move forward. Sephiria pulled up a video, one Creed had been mentally preparing himself to see.

"I was going to save this for Officer Edo's testimony, but seeing as Mr. Mako is insistent that Mr. Diskence treated my client so terribly and Officer Edo was an angel sent to save Mr. Heartnet from an abusive relationship, I think now is as good a time as any."

The woman hit play on the video and stepped away, allowing the video to speak for itself. Creed's eyes grew wide as he watched the scene. He watched as his cat struggled and called for help, he watched as Edo hit him repeatedly, bit him harshly, drawing blood as he laughed at Train's pain. Creed saw his beloved claw at him desperately, choking on a gag that was shoved in his mouth as tears swelled in his eyes. When he saw Edo grab and twist his love painfully in his most delicate area, Creed felt a rage grow in him that he had never felt before. Not even when he found Izo beating Train to a pulp all those years ago had he felt such a rage. Tears still fell from his face, but this time they weren't from sadness.

When the video ended, the silver man almost lost his cool and was about to stand abruptly to run at the officer, but he was beat to the anger outburst by Edo, who jumped from his chair quickly and pointed furiously at the screen showing his attack.

"THAT BITCH IT TAKING THAT VIDEO OUT OF CONTEXT! THAT'S HOW HEARTNET LIKES IT!"

The judge banged her gavel loudly and glared at the officer. "Sit down, officer!"

Edo slammed his hands on the table, Mako trying to calm him down as Clark avoided the whole scene, including the video that was being played.

"SHE HAS NO RIGHT PLAYING A PRIVATE MOMENT BETWEEN ME AND MY LOVER TO AN ENTIRE ROOM FULL OF STRANGERS!"

Sephiria looked at him strangely. "This is what we're here for, you should have been prepared to air out your dirty laundry."

The officer made a move towards Sephiria, making Clark and the bailiff jump him to restrain him. The judge called for order as Sephiria stood her ground bravely.

"OFFICER EDO, IF YOU DO NOT CONTROL YOURSELF I WILL HOLD YOU IN CONTEMPT!"

Finally, the man calmed down and Sephiria stared at him coolly. Once he was back in his seat, brushing off his lawyer and Clark's hands, he buried his head in his hands, refusing to look at anyone else in the room. The woman turned back to the jury, folding her arms behind her back as she addressed them.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, please ask yourselves: How does the video between my client and Officer Edo compare to the many videos and pictures between Mr. Heartnet and Mr. Diskence? Do you really think it's possible for someone to fake that level of happiness when they can clearly react-" She pointed to the screen that had a zoomed in image of Train's angry and scared face. "-In such a terrifying, desperate way?"

She turned to the judge. "No further questions, your honor."

As she stepped away, the judge stood to address the court. "At this time we will take a short recess for the defense to prepare their witnesses. We will reconvene in twenty minutes."

As banged her gavel and the room filled with voices. Creed was left sitting at the stand dumbfounded. He was grateful Edo had reacted before him, because he could have just blown the whole case. The silver man barely realized as Saya walked up to him, wrapping him in a tight hug and whispering soothing words into his ears. Sven and Eve stood in front of the stand as well, Tanaka behind them with a sad look on her face.

He couldn't hear or feel anything. The numbness from when his cat first fell into the coma returned. Creed couldn't shake the images of his cat struggling to breath under Edo's hand, his fingers digging into the older man's skin as he tried to escape from something he very obviously did not want. He felt a tear fall from his eye that was wiped away by Saya, which finally brought his attention to her.

She smiled kindly. "You did great, Creed."

He blinked at her. "Really? Because I feel like shit."

Saya nodded and helped him off the stand. "Yup! I don't think I would have been able to control myself if I was you. That was a hard video to watch."

The group fell quiet as they thought about that. While Creed's examination by the defense was hard to watch, that video was worse. The silver man knew they were going to have questions about Train's life in high school, but he wasn't ready to talk about it yet. He nodded at his friends and walked out of the courtroom with them. They all needed this break, knowing the worst was yet to come.

The break ended far too quickly for Creed. All his friends tried to get him to eat something, but he couldn't. The video of his beloved's attack kept playing in his head. He knew it was going to be hard to watch, but there was not enough time in eternity to prepare him for what he just saw and he felt sick.

Sephiria warned him that the worst was not over. It was the defense's turn to call witness and Creed didn't think it was possible to get any worse. He was soon proven wrong as the examination went under way.

There was an array of people from his school that he did not really remember. They all claimed to have seen Creed reacting violently at school, but overall the silver man didn't think their stories held much merritt. None of them really knew who Creed was, didn't share any classes with him, and also didn't spend any time with Train. In general, it was clear what the defense was trying to do with these witnesses, but their stories weren't exactly strong.

Creed was shocked when his former teacher Kenta was called to the stand. This was the teacher that had gotten him suspended all those years ago for throwing a trash can over Baldor's head. What was more surprising was they called Kenta to the stand, but not Baldor. Creed could only assume that for whatever reason, they couldn't find the moose. Either way it didn't matter. The story did not make Creed look good, but Sephiria stepped up and took control of the situation quickly.

"Mr. Kenta, did you know Mr. Diskence was being severely bullied by this student you are describing?"

Kenta eyed her wearily, then shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kenta, but I find that hard to believe. We've had several teachers and students up here that have testified to seeing my client being harassed by this particular student in the school on a daily basis. In fact, Mr. Fanghini had been suspended for violent behavior more often than my client, hadn't he?"

Kenta nodded quietly, refusing to look at the woman.

"To me, it sounds like Mr. Diskence had enough of his bullying and decided to finally take matters into his own hands since the school clearly was not going to do anything to help him."

Kenta mumbled something under his breath that Sephiria could not hear. "I'm sorry, Mr. Kenta, could you say that again a bit louder so the rest of the court could hear you?"

He sighed and repeated himself. "Diskence was a weird kid."

Sephiria looked at him sternly. "Being weird does not warrant bullying and harassment. Tell me, Mr. Kenta, do you still work at that school?"

"..No." He said irritated, understanding why she made a point to mention that.

The woman nodded. "That's right, you were let go to because of how poorly you handled students. Is that true?"

He nodded and Sephiria smiled and turned away from him. "No further questions."

It was good seeing how easily the woman was able to break down every witness like that. None of them ever even bothered to get to know Creed. They labeled him as weird and left it at that, but couldn't back up any of their claims to have seen him acting rashly.

The next set of witnesses was harder to watch. These were all people who worked in the police station and swore they saw a relationship forming between Train and Edo. What was worse was they all denied ever hearing Edo or Clark use derogatory terms towards Train. Creed knew they were all either lying or the officers had always made sure to do it when no one else was around.

The real gut puncher was to hear their captain testify that he thought there was something more between the two men than were willing to admit.

"Captain Kanon, is it against policy for two police officers to enter into a romantic relationship?"

The captain shook his head. "No. We don't recommend it, but there is no rule stating it can't happen."

Mako nodded his head and sat down. "No further questions."

The judge looked at Sephiria who was still sitting in her chair, writing a few things down. "Ms. Arks, would you like to cross examine?"

Sephiria nodded, but did not look up. "Captain Kanon, you say that Mr. Heartnet and Officer Edo were often paired in cases together. Why?"

"They worked well together. Several perps were brought in and locked up when they were partnered together."

Sephiria glanced at him quickly. "But didn't the entire station think Mr. Heartnet handled perps much too kindly?"

Kanon nodded. "Yes. That's another reason they were together often. I thought they balanced each other out. Heartnet kept Edo calm and Edo kept Heartner on his toes."

"So my client was Officer Edo's keeper?"

Kanon blinked then shook his head. "No. Edo can handle himself."

"Yes, a bit too well I would say." She stood and walked over to the captain. "I have here in my notes that Officer Edo was known for bringing in low grade crimes such as petty theft. However, I see here that Mr. Heartnet once brought in a man who was walking into a church with a loaded gun. Could you tell me what happened to that man?"

Kanon glared at her. "He was released."

"Why?" She asked quickly, not giving him a moment to think.

His glare remained painted on his face. "Technicalities."

"Is that code for money?" Sephiria pointed at a certain part of her notes and showed Kanon where she was referring to. "I see here his father made a huge donation to the station and the next day he was free. That seems like a big coincidence, don't you think?"

Kanon looked away from the notes and shrugged his shoulders. "That's all it is. A coincidence."

Sephiria returned his gesture and walked away. Her point was made. "Moving on, let's get back to Officer Edo and my client's supposed relationship. My understanding is Officer Edo requested to be partnered with Mr. Heartnet pretty much any time they were working the same shift, correct?"

Kanon nodded. "Correct."

"Did Mr. Heartnet ever request to be partnered with Officer Edo?"

The captain sat there and said nothing, then shook his head.

Sephiria nodded. "In fact, from what I see here, Mr. Heartnet often requested to not be partnered with Officer Edo. Is that true?"

Kanon sighed, then nodded. "Yes. But he never filed any complaints about Edo's supposed discriminatory comments."

The woman brushed his words aside. "Yes, yes, we've established that. However, from what I've heard from your employees it wasn't exactly a welcoming environment for Mr. Heartnet. I don't blame him for not feeling safe enough to file a complaint."

"If Officer Hearnet had a problem, then he should have said something to me. I would have looked into it." Kanon replied confidently.

Sephiria tilted her head curiously. "You're saying Mr. Heartnet never voiced any concerns? Even the night he was suspended?"

Kanon sighed and nodded. "Yes. He did voice a complaint that night. But he never filed any."

"The point isn't whether or not there was a paper trail, it's your knowledge that my client had concerns about how Officer Clark and Edo treated him?"

The captain nodded defeatedly, knowing there was no way around it.

"From the conversation that we've had, I think it is safe to assume that while Officer Edo requested to constantly be paired with Mr. Heartnet, my client made specific requests to not be paired with him. On top of that, even though there were not official complaints made, Mr. Heartnet did verballying complain about both officers currently on trial. Is that correct?"

A pause, then a nod from the officer. Sephiria turned to the judge. "No further questions your honor."

Next, Clark was called to the stand to recount the events of the night when Train was shot. It was exactly what Creed expected. He changed the story to sound more dramatic and added Creed in there during a time that made no sense. His story wasn't consistent, and the silver man hoped the jury would see that.

"Next thing I knew, Mr. Diskence was jumping on Officer Edo's back and clawing at his face. At that point, Officer Heartnet was trying to protect Officer Edo, but Mr. Diskence was beyond help. The man was hysterical and between him and Goto trying to escape, I had no choice but to shoot. Unfortunately, I missed and got Heartnet by mistake."

Mako nodded and patted the man's shoulder. "Thank you for sharing your story. I know it wasn't easy to share."

Creed rolled his eyes at the display. Clark didn't show any signs of remorse so giving him fake sympathy was idiotic. As Mako walked away, Sephiria approached quickly, question ready like a loaded gun.

"Officer Clark, I'm sorry, I'm going through all my notes and I can't seem to make sense of your story. What time are you claiming Mr. Diskence arrived?"

The man thought then responded. "Around ten."

Sephiria squinted at her notes, then showed them to Clark. "But, right here you said he got there at nine-thirty. Which is it?"

The officer rolled his eyes. "I didn't check my watch. I'm just guessing at the time."

The woman shrugged. "Sure wish we had some video footage. Tell me again why your body cams and the dash cam on the car were turned off?"

He glared at her. "Batteries were dead."

She blinked at him. "That seems strange. I thought you weren't allowed to start a patrol unless all cameras were fully charged."

Clark avoided her eyes. "We made a mistake. It happens."

"That's a very convenient mistake to make, don't you think?" Clark didn't answer so she continued. "And you were at the Goto house looking for drugs, correct?"

"Yes."

"Did you find any?"

Clark shook his head.

"Then why was Mr. Goto tazed?"

"He was trying to run."

Sephiria frowned. "I thought he was tazed for trying to help Mr. Diskence attack Officer Edo?"

Clark sighed. "Yes. That's right. Sorry, it's been a long couple of weeks."

"It has for all of us, Officer Clark, but at least we're able to keep our stories straight." She paced the room as Clark glared at her. "Remind me, what was Mr. Diskence wearing?"

"Black pajamas." He answered quickly, hoping his fast response would give him credibility back.

"And you said he arrived with a knife?"

Clark nodded.

"Where did he pull it from?" Sephiria asked as she stopped in front of him again.

"His pocket." Again, he answered quickly.

Sephiria chuckled. "I'm sorry, it's just an odd scene to picture. My client is by no means a large man. Seeing such a petite man approach two heavily armed, large police officers wearing pajamas and only carrying a knife is strangely humorous to me."

"Laugh all you want, it's true. He came running up screaming that Heartnet belonged to him and tried to stab Officer Edo."

Sephiria nodded. "Now, is this before or after he jumped on Officer Edo's back?"

Clark stopped and thought about it. "Before. No-After."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Which is it?"

He growled a little at the woman. "It was a crazy night. Once he showed up it was utter chaos. I don't remember much of what happened."

Sephiria rolled her eyes. "If you can't keep up with a little chaos, then I suggest you find a new career path." She paced the room again. "Officer Edo was unharmed, correct?"

Clark nodded.

"While I know Mr. Diskence isn't very large especially compared to you both, but how it is possible he couldn't get a single slice on Officer Edo while literally climbing on his back?"

The officer shrugged his shoulders. "Like you said. He's small. Edo was able to get him off real quick."

Sephiria stopped and stared him down. "You do realize the attacked that happened to Mr. Diskence in high school was with a man approximately the same size as you? And he was able to defend himself well enough then?"

Clark ignored her, so Sephiria continued. "I just don't see how it's possible to not even get one slice at point blank range. Again, I wish we had video evidence to help with this conundrum."

The questioning continued like for a while more. Sephiria completely took apart his entire story, leaving the jury to wonder what really happened that night. The best part was the Gotos' testimony matched perfectly to one another and never changed. Neither Edo nor Clark were able keep their story straight and they did not match at all. After a few more minutes, Clark was dismissed and Edo was called to testify.

His examination went very similarly to Clark's with the exception of more talk about his relationship with Train. Creed could barely contain his gagging as he described a fictional relationship. The officer even went as far as producing fake tears. Mako handed him tissues and told him he was sorry. The silver man growled next to Sephiria, which made the woman pat his shoulder reassuringly.

"Look at the jury, they're not buying it." Sephiria whispered to him with a knowing smirk.

Creed looked over at the jury who honestly seemed put off by the crying man. He sighed in relief then smiled back at her. Their reaction was the polar opposite of when Creed was on the stand.

"Love isn't something you can fake, Mr. Diskence." She squeezed his shoulder then returned to the pathetic scene unfolding in front of her.

"Last question, Officer Edo. Have you ever called Mr. Heartnet a derogatory word in terms of his sexual life?"

Edo shook his head violently. "No. I would never say something like that to him."

Mako smiled and gave him a kind smile. "No further questions."

Sephiria was on him faster than a lion on a gazelle. "Officer Edo, I have to say this sensitive side of you would have been much more helpful back when you had that outburst at seeing that video."

Edo scowled at her. "I was angry that you would show such a personal part of my relationship without the consent of my partner."

Creed had to stifle a growl when he called Train his partner. He felt Saya rub his back, which was helpful in calming him down.

"You knew this was happening today. You should have prepared yourself." Sephiria paced in front of him as she spoke, very much like a predator getting ready to eat its prey.

Edo scoffed and pointed at Creed. "I didn't see him react at all to the video."

Sephiria cocked an eyebrow. "Just because he didn't react angrily, doesn't mean he didn't react. You needed to be ushered out of here so quickly that you didn't get the chance to see the pain in this young man's eyes."

Edo rolled his eyes. "That sounds like a very calm reaction to me. If he really thought I was attacking someone he claimed was his lover, I would expect a bigger reaction."

"Which is it, Officer Edo? Is Mr. Diskence too calm and collected for your liking, or too violent and unpredictable like he was that night he attacked you with a knife?"

The officer bit his lip and cursed quietly, realizing he walked right into her trap. Sephiria looked at him coolly, her serious demeanor never changing as she continued to pace in front of him.

She proceeded to poke holes in his story the night of the shooting, much like she did with Clark. By the end of that line of questioning, Edo was left speechless and angry. He was clenching his fists tightly, biting his lip and grinding his teeth. Sephiria did not react to anything. The fact that she was so calm and collected only enraged him more. They moved on from the shooting and to his made up relationship with Train.

"Officer Edo, when did your relationship with Mr. Heartnet begin?" Sephiria asked as she checked her notes.

"April thirteenth."

"Huh…" Sephiria said, flipping through some pages. "So it didn't begin that day at the station?"

He shook his head. "No. That was when the sexual part began."

"Interesting…" She tapped her notes, the sound setting off the officer even more. "Did you know April thirteenth is Mr. Heartnet's birthday?"

Edo stopped himself from looking surprised and nodded his head. "Yes. That's why I took him out."

"Well, the reason I say that's interesting is that was the same day Mr. Diskence planned a surprise party for Mr. Heartnet that all his friends claimed to have attended."

Edo stared at her quietly, silently kicking himself for being so stupid. Instead of showing his frustrated signs, he scoffed and crossed his arms. "Of course he would get his friends to back him up. I assure you, Heartnet was with me that night."

"You see, I would believe that if it weren't for two things." She held up one finger as she made her first point. "One: Your lawyer has led the jury to believe that Mr. Diskence was keeping Mr. Heartnet hostage and essentially scared my client so much that he convinced his friends he was happy with Mr. Diskence. Why would they go along with a lie about a surprise birthday party if it didn't happen?"

Before Edo could respond, she continued.

"And two-" She held up two fingers. "We have eye witness accounts of the wait staff at the sushi restaurant they went to."

Mako stood. "Objection! Why were these witnesses not called?"

Sephiria answered. "If Mr. Mako checks his notes, he'll see they are on the witness list for tomorrow's trial."

The lawyer checked his notes then growled, sitting down and withdrawing his objection. Sephiria nodded and turned back to Edo.

"Could you please tell us where you took Mr. Heartnet on your first date?"

Edo would not look at her as he spoke. "We didn't go out. He came over later that night once he was done with his charade of a party with his fake lover."

Sephiria frowned. "But you just said you took him out."

Edo waved her words away. "It's just an expression."

"Another convenient truth we cannot prove or disprove. You and Officer Clark seem to be full of those." No response from the officer so the woman continued drilling him as hard as she could. "Since you are so embarrassed by the tape between you and Mr. Heartnet I won't play it again. Frankly, I've seen it enough for one lifetime myself."

Another quiet growl from Edo as she continued.

"This is what I'm having a hard time figuring out. You say what happened on the tape is what Mr. Heartnet likes. However, no matter what kind of BDSM you're into, I didn't see anything in that video that showed signs of pleasure from my client. And when I compare them to the videos and pictures of Mr. Heartnet and Mr. Diskence, they just seem… Off."

She paused and looked at Edo. "I guess I just can't understand how someone could be so unhappy with someone else, yet have endless pictures and videos showing how deliriously happy they are."

"It was all an act. Diskence forced Heartnet to record and take those. Diskence just wanted them for his sick pleasure."

Sephiria nodded. "I see. Just seems strange to me. I've been a lawyer for many abusive relationships that ended poorly, and I've never seen someone who was such a good actor. I think Mr. Heartnet might have picked the wrong career."

Edo tried to flip the script and laughed at her small joke. "I used to tell Heartnet that all the time when he vented to me."

Sephiria eyed him strangely. "I'm curious, why do you call him by his last name? For someone who is so involved with him personally, I just find it strange that you wouldn't call him by his first name."

The officer paused, no sure how to respond. "It's… Just our thing. All of us at the station call each other by our last names. It's a force of habit at this point."

"Really? That's what you're going with?" Sephiria sounded like she didn't believe him, but moved on anyway. "Did it hurt that Mr. Heartnet never wanted to be paired with you? Or him accusing you of calling him inflammatory names?"

Edo clenched his fists again, trying to control his rage. "No. He was doing that so Diskence wouldn't find out."

"How would Mr. Diskence find out if you were paired together?"

The officer rolled his eyes. "He stalked Heartnet. With everything else he was able to find out about my partner, we didn't put it past him to find that out."

"But then why did you keep requesting him? Wouldn't Mr. Diskence still find out and grow jealous?"

Edo didn't answer, which was the only answer Sephiria needed. "If you don't want to respond, that's fine. I think we all know what the answer is. I bet it must have hurt knowing he went home to Mr. Diskence every night. That they shared the same apartment, the same bed. That your lover would lay in the arms of another man every night. I can't say that wouldn't make me mad."

She could see the man's face growing red as she spoke and decided to push even harder.

"It also must have hurt knowing you couldn't protect Mr. Hearnet from such an abusive relationship. I mean, just look at Mr. Diskence."

Creed blushed a little as everyone looked at him. He knew he wasn't the strongest looking guy. It was the product of growing up in an abusive house. Creed had never received the proper nutrition and care, so he didn't fill out how an adult his age normally would. It didn't bother him because Train was with him despite that. In fact, he thought his cat enjoyed Creed's size, so he didn't make any efforts to really change it.

Sephiria smirked as Edo's face grew more red. His legs were shaking vigorously and his fists were clenched so tight she was beginning to wonder if he was going to draw blood. She kept pushing his buttons, knowing he was about ready to pop.

"Yeah, I guess I'd feel bad if I looked like you and couldn't protect the person I claim to love from someone who is half my size. Did you ever even try? Did you ever even think about approaching Mr. Diskence and taking matters into your own hands? I mean, you're a cop. You have the proper training and the proper resources. If anyone would be capable of saving Mr. Heartnet, it would be you."

Edo slammed his hand on the table and stood quickly. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ME, BITCH?!"

The courtroom erupted in gasps at his outburst and the judge called for order. Sephiria turned to look at Creed and winked, knowing she had caught her prey, now it was time to go for the kill. Once everyone was calmed down again, the tall blonde cleared her throat and straightened her suit jacket.

"Sorry if I've offended you, Officer Edo. I didn't think you were capable of such language."

The officer sat down and growled, once more seeing that he had fallen right into her trap. He took a deep breath and rubbed his legs with the palms of his hands. "I apologize to the court for the crash language. It's very difficult being here and knowing your lover is in a coma with only the company of his stalker. I can't even see him, your honor."

He tried to sound sympathetic, but Sephiria was waiting for this moment. "But, Officer Edo, I just saw you in the hospital this morning. You were standing outside Mr. Heartnet's room harassing Mr. Diskence."

More mumbles from the courtroom when the woman said this. Even Mako looked shocked. Edo glanced at his lawyer who looked furious, cursing once more to himself as he glared at Sephiria again. Once more, she was calm and collected, never letting her emotions show which only helped in pissing the officer off more.

"I just wanted to see him…" The statement was supposed to sound wistful, but instead sounded angry as he spoke through clenched teeth.

Sephiria nodded. "And you did. It was a good thing Detective Miller was there to keep you under control. I was beginning to worry what might happen if you weren't escorted out."

Edo's face was red again, his eyes daring the woman to keep going. "Afterall, you've already established that men half your size scares you, I can't imagine how a powerful woman makes you feel."

The officer stood and screamed more curses at her, trying to climb over the stand to attack her. The judge banged her gavel as the bailiff and some other officers jumped to restrain him. Sephiria smiled coolly at the scene unfolding before her, then addressed the jury one more time.

"It seems the defendant has confused you with who the unstable man in the room is." She pointed at Creed, who was sitting calmly and quietly in his seat. "Does this man really look that dangerous to you?"

Edo was still fuming, but stopped yelling.

Sephiria glanced at the officer one more time. "Or does the man spewing threats behind the witness stand look dangerous?" She walked away. "No further questions, your honor."

Court was adjourned for the day and would reconvene the following day. That would be the final day of the trial. They all left to head back to the hospital to see Train. Creed hadn't received any calls from the hospital, but he still wanted to get back quickly just in case his love woke up.

However, before he left he was shocked at a familiar man who approached him. He was very large and used to haunt Creed's nightmares with his constant bullying. But there was something different about his demeanor. Something that made Creed stop and have a conversation with him.

"Creed…" Baldor said quietly, bowing to him slightly.

Creed and his friends stared at the man, not sure what to say. Saya moved a little closer to her silver friend, just in case, but Creed wasn't going to back down.

"Baldor… What are you doing here?" Creed asked quietly.

He sighed and put his hands on his hips. "I… Wanted to apologize… For everything…"

Creed didn't respond. He couldn't, this was so out of character for his old bully that it was just impossible to comprehend.

Seeing the silver man wasn't going to respond, Baldor continued. "Listen, I know you probably don't want to hear it and I know this is the worst time for it, but it's part of my program and I also just really wanted to do it. After everything you and Train have been through, I feel like I owe it to you for more than one reason."

He spoke quickly, as if he didn't Creed would walk away and never hear him out again. Baldor looked at his friends, then at Creed. "Could we… Maybe speak in private."

Saya made a step forward, but was stopped by Creed. He smiled at her and gestured for her to step back. "I've got this, Saya."

All three of his friends blinked at him. Creed had made such strides since high school, but this was a different level especially without Train here to support him. Baldor had tormented him his entire life, and they couldn't believe he was willing to hear him out let alone do it on his own.

Despite this, Saya smiled and stepped away. "We'll be right over here if you need us."

Creed turned to talk to Baldor and Saya smiled. It was nice seeing how much her friend had grown and changed over the years.

The silver man folded his arms and looked up at Baldor. He was still much larger than Creed, but after everything he'd been through, he wasn't afraid of him anymore. "Go ahead. Talk."

Baldor sighed. "First of all, I wanted to know how Train was doing? I… Heard what happened and I just want to know that he's okay."

Creed cocked an eyebrow at him, confused at his concern. "He's stable, but he's in a coma. We're going back to him now in case he wakes up."

The larger man nodded. "I guess that's better than dying…" He paused, trying to think of his words carefully. "Creed… I'm really sorry for the way I treated you as kids. I have no excuse to give you. All I can say is life has humbled me, and I need to make amends for my terrible behavior."

Creed nodded, not sure if he was ready to accept the apology, but willing to hear him out. "Next, I wanted to let you know… The defense wants to call me as a witness."

This made the silver man mad, which Baldor saw and tried to calm him down. "I told them I wouldn't do it and they can't force me to. That actually brings up the next reason I wanted to talk to you."

The law student waited for his next words, unable to fight the curiosity in his eyes as he watched him.

"I would like to be a character witness for you and Train."

This made Creed gawk at him, not sure how to respond. He shook his head a few times, then found enough sense to form a sentence. "Why? What do you get out of that?"

"Nothing." Baldor said firmly. "But, I thought if your previous bully stepped forward and admitted how I got what I deserved that day you were suspended, it might help you out. It's the least I could do for you."

Creed stared at him for a few more minutes, before looking over at Sephiria. "That's our lawyer. You should go talk to her."

Baldor nodded as he glanced at her, then turned back to Creed. "You don't have to accept my apology. My guilt is not your responsibility. I only hope this helps."

Creed watched him approach Sephiria, but didn't know how the conversation went. Saya, Sven, and Eve were back to him, wondering how it went. The silver man brushed them off and walked to the door.

"I'll explain on the way. We need to get to Train."

Once at the hospital Creed rushed to his cat's side, hoping he was awake. Seeing he wasn't he sighed and sat heavily next to him. The rest of his friends were close behind. Saya, seeing Train for the first time, nearly started to cry. She stopped herself, knowing that wasn't going to help right now.

As they sat and told an unconscious Train about the trial, Creed's friends also asked him questions about some things Mako had said. Creed had to explain what had happened with Train in high school, knowing it might make his beloved mad, but also knowing they deserved the truth at this point. It wasn't worth hiding secrets anymore. He never made sure to apologize to Train before he told his cat's story.

Saya was running her fingers through Train's hair, frowning at his sleeping face. "I can't believe he went through all that without telling us…"

"I can. Train is stubborn and prideful. Of course he wouldn't tell us." Sven sounded a little angry, but also sad at the knowledge that one of his closest friends was struggling more than he was aware of.

Eve sighed heavily as she looked at Train. "He's lucky he had Creed. He seems to be the only one that can get through to him."

Creed shook his head. "Mako did have a point. I kind of forced my money on to him. He didn't want it nor did he ask for it. I just… gave it to him."

Saya huffed at her friend. "Yeah, because you knew Train wouldn't take any help. If it wasn't for you, he probably would have been homeless. You didn't do it with an ulterior motive. You just wanted to help him because you loved him."

Creed smiled longingly at his cat, kissing his hand gently. "I still do…"

They stayed by Train's side for a while, talking as much as they could about the case and past times, hoping something would wake up their stubborn friend. Saya even tried listing off things she knew annoyed the cat, but still nothing.

After a few hours, Sephiria showed up to have a conversation with them. However, when she stepped into the room, she was greeted with an extremely enthusiastic hug from Saya who was beaming brightly at her.

"Ms. Arks you're amazing! Creed told me how awesome you were, but I can't believe how much ass you kicked today!"

Sephiria looked at her awkwardly, then patted her head and pushed her away. "I'm just doing my job, Ms. Minatsuki."

Saya leapt in the air and gave her another hug. "Call me Saya! We're not in court anymore!"

She gave the young girl an awkward nod, pushed her off again, then addressed Creed. "Mr. Diskence, I know today was rough, but you did well. Just one more day and we'll be done."

Creed nodded and pulled a chair up for her to sit. "I figured you would want to go over what tomorrow will look like. I'm ready to talk."

His hand never let go of Train's as he and Sephiria spoke. His other friends left at one point to get food, Saya promising to bring back something yummy for Creed. Now that the trial was over, the silver man was grateful for the offer. It only just occurred to him he hadn't eaten at all today, and he needed something or else he felt like he would pass out.

As Sephiria laid out the plans and witnesses for tomorrow, Creed had to ask her something. "How did it go with Baldor?"

The lawyer nodded. "Yes, that man. I think he could be helpful. Having an ex-bully not only say he was wrong with the way he treated you, but also say you never fought back except that one time will be a great help to your character. We did a good job with that today, but the biggest problem is we still have nothing to disprove their claims. It all comes down to the word of cops against regular civilians and a criminal."

Creed nodded sadly. "I know…" He looked at his beloved sadly, caressing his cheek lovingly. "We need Train…"

I need Train…

Sephiria frowned. "Yes. If Train were to wake up and testify your relationship as true and Edo's as a lie, this would all be over with quickly. With him, he probably wouldn't even need anyone else to testify. We'd be done in a matter of hours."

The woman watched Creed as he held back tears, staring in agony at his partner. She stood and walked towards the door. "I'm going to get coffee. Take some time to disgust today and think about tomorrow. I'll be back soon."

Creed nodded but did not watch her leave. He kept staring at his beloved, rubbing his face and hair, once more hoping his stare would wake his cat up.

"It's so hard without you, Train…" Creed choked back a sob and cupped his love's cheek. "But I'm doing it… I'm surviving without you. But…"

He stopped again and sobbed loudly. "I wish you were here. If you were here we could be done and back to our normal lives. If you were here I would feel whole again. If you were here… We'd…"

Creed couldn't finish his sentence as he sobbed loudly again. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against Train's hoping he would feel some pressure back. The silver man sobbed again knowing that wouldn't happen, but still didn't want to pull away.

However, his ears perked when the beeping of the monitor changed slightly, its speed increasing just a little. Creed's heart leapt into his throat when he felt pressure being returned to his lips and he jolted away quickly. Train's golden eyes were shining brightly at him, his cheeky smile weak, but present as he squeezed Creed's hand lovingly.

"Train!" Creed shouted, wrapping his arms around his neck, only to pull away quickly when his cat let out a low, painful moan. "Sorry. You're awake?!"

"Yes… I am." He reached a weak hand up to his partner and caressed his cheek lazily, still regaining control of his muscles after waking up. "And there's something I've been waiting to tell you."

Tears were falling from Creed's eyes as he pressed his face further into Train's hand, his eyes never leaving his beloved's glorious golden ones.

Train smiled and Creed felt his heart fly. He never saw his cat smile at him like that before, but the next words Train spoke nearly made Creed collapse with joy.

"I love you, Creed."

Creed sobbed loudly, but out of joy this time He fell on top of his cat, still being careful to not hurt him. His wounds were mostly healed at this point, the biggest problem was his head that hit the concrete, but Creed wanted to be careful anyway. Train ran his hand against his partner's back, smiling happily at the man sobbing on his chest.

The silver man sat up. "Really, Train? Is this a dream? Do you really mean it?"

Train nodded and pulled Creed's face closer. "I love you, Creed Diskence."

Creed's whole body caught on fire when their lips met, unable to believe what was happening. Even if this was a dream he didn't care, he was going to enjoy every minute of it. He indulged himself in his Train for that moment, feeling the heat he had longed for so long, tasting his beautiful lips, letting his body, mind and soul be engulfed by his cat. If it turned out he died and this was heaven, so be it. Nothing mattered except his beloved and those three words he just heard him speak.

Clapping behind Creed brought his attention to the door. Their friends were standing there, Sven holding pizza boxes as they watched Train and Creed retunite, Saya and Eve clapping loudly. Creed laughed and sobbed again, falling back on Train's chest, not caring if he offended his friends by ignoring them. Train waved at them as they entered, but was soon met with an unwanted dog pile.

"Ah! Get off, it still hurts!" Train yelled, pushing everyone aside but Creed. Even if he wanted to, his partner was attached quite tightly, so he didn't think he could.

He smiled at the man, running his fingers through his hair lovingly when a thought occurred to him. "Hey, Creed? Where's that certificate?"

Creed looked at him confused. "What do you mean?"

Train flicked him on the forehead. "The marriage certificate. Where is it?"

Creed blinked, but grabbed the piece of paper and handed it to his beloved. Train took it, then snapped his fingers sluggishly at his partner. Seeing the silver man didn't understand the cat elaborated.

"A pen? Quick, before I pass out again."

Creed quickly handed his beloved a pen and watched in shock as his cat signed it, then showed it to his new husband.

More tears fell from Creed's eyes as he looked from the paper to his cat. "But-How-What-?"

"I heard everything, Creed. And I remember everything." Train laughed at his partner's dumbfounded look. "Now that it's official, you can make any calls you want about my physical state from now on. It was driving me insane hearing all that and not being able to say or do anything to give you control."

Still, Creed couldn't speak. He kept staring at Train as if he were an alien, but the cat could see the utter joy in his eyes. "What's wrong? Don't you want to kiss your new husband?"

Creed didn't need to be told twice as he launched himself forward at Train, their friends clapping again as they celebrated this very unconventional union. However, a clearing of the throat brought their attention to Sephiria, who was smirking deviously at the door.

"Good thing I was here to witness that. Otherwise we might have a problem." Creed was the only one not looking at her. He was too entranced with his new husband who was holding the paper up so Creed wouldn't rip it or get any tears on it by accident.

Sephiria took the form and signed the witness section of the paper. She then put it in her briefcase and nodded confidently at the cat.

"You said you heard everything?"

Train nodded as Creed clung to his neck.

"And you remember everything?"

The cat's face was serious this time, but he nodded again.

"Good. Then I don't need to fill you in. Let's get this bastard."