It's A Secret

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By: Ryoko

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Track 01:09:00

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"There she is…" the oushi whispered, fighting his own body to keep away from her.

"Haru, don't." Yuki ordered softly, grabbing the boy's wrist tightly. " Please, just be patient."

"Haven't I been patient enough, yet?"

"No. Not yet. C'mon. You'll get to see her the whole session, so don't worry. Nothing's gonna happen to her. Come on. The others are waiting for us."

Growling to himself, the teenager followed him into the room, not letting his eyes leave the girl until he could see her no longer.

Sitting at one of the two tables in front of the judge's stand, the two boys snuck glances around the room. So many people were there…

Ayame, and Hatori at either side of them, Shigure, Kyou and Tohru behind them in the audiences' seats, and Momiji to the far left, sitting nervously next to Ayame.

Whispered started exchanging as Ashura's parents entered the room, with an attorney the court had appointed them.

Ashura followed the group obediently, her head bowed down so far that her hair hid her eyes, and the pace she sauntered at only added to her pathetic appearance.

*** An hour into the questioning…yawn…***

"Under the judge's request, next to the stand is the defendant's attorney himself, Hatori Sohma, also the physician that examined the child." An officer announced.

Hatori stood silently, handing a manila folder to the officer in charge, who handed it over to the judge.

"Mr. Sohma, please explain to the court what you FOUND on the child when she was first brought to you."

Another police officer set several transparencies up on an overhead projector, showing pictures of the scars, burns and newly healed cuts on the girl's body.

"Everything shown is what I found when I first saw her. After further investigation of the way that such marks were made, I came to the conclusion of the objects used to basically, mutilate, the child. I found that, in order to make such scars, a blade WAS used often, but further inspection proved me wrong."

Another photo was placed onto the screen; a close up picture of the scars on Ashura's shoulder blades.

"Several of the marks were made from very sharp fingernails and, on occasion, an anonymous sharp object. The child would be completely incapable of making such deep gashes with her own fingers, thus such marks had to be made one of the parents."

"What about the burn marks?" the judge asked, flipping through more transparencies and handing on over to an officer, who set it up on the projector.

"A lighter's work. Both parents are heavy smokers, so these marks also point in their direction, since the common smoker always carries a lighter with them."

"That's all the questions that I have for you, sir. You may be seated." The older man, the judge, looked up at Hatsuharu. "Next I would like to, again, question Hatsuharu Sohma."

Haru's head snapped up at his name. Hastily, he climbed out of his seat and moved to the stand, sitting, once again, behind the wooden podium.

"After hearing all that we already HAVE from you, Hatsuharu, I think it's only fair to say that you DO play a big role in this case. As such, would you please explain WHY you wish to keep this child in your care?"

"I just…" he looked down at the trembling fists resting on his knees. C'mon. It's a simple question. Just answer it. STOP HESITATING DAMN YOU! SPEAK! SAY SOMETHING! SPEAK!

"May I remind you that you are still under oath."

"I know sir." He felt his heart stop under all of the pressure. "I…I just…I want to protect her." He lifted his head again, looking at the child only feet before him. "I've become impossibly attached to her, and because of all of the pain I, MYSELF, went through as a child her age, I naturally want better for her. When I learned that she was abused the way she was, I couldn't help but want to free her from that pain that I once felt. She's suffering the same thing I did when I was her age, and that's something I don't want ANY child to have to go through." His consciousness was breaking up slowly; each and every nervous feeling was gradually both lifting and weighing down on him. Shut up. Don't let them know that. Please. Haru! Shut up! "I just want her to have a better life than the one she already HAS."

"She can have the same BETTER life with a new family in America, you know this Hatsuharu?"

He froze, not wanting to hear what he just did. "Yes, your honor."

***

He stumbled back to his seat, feeling even worse than when he'd went up there.

"I blew it." He whimpered inaudibly. Yuki reached over, taking his hand again, but not letting his eyes leave the stand as Ashura's mother walked up.

"That girl is suicidal. We did nothing to her, if anything we tried to get her to STOP hurting herself."

"Could you please explain what you mean, Mrs. Minamoto?"

"We're not bad parents. We're really not. Ashura constantly is hurting HERSELF to get attention. We give her all the attention we can, but it's just not enough for her. So, in order to get MORE attention, she scratches herself, cuts herself with her nails and any other sharp object she possibly can get her HANDS on, and throws FITS when she can't get her way. This situation has been blown way out of proportion. We were merely trying to HELP her, but cannot afford professional HELP for the child, so we have to take matters into our own hands."

You LIE. I watched you beat her! You're lying! "I object!" Hatsuharu yelled, standing so quickly that his chair fell over in the process. "I watched them-" "Objection denied! Sit DOWN Mr. Sohma." "I watched them beat her! I saw everything!" "Objection DENIED. Sit down." The judge repeated. "NO! Listen to me! Please! Ashura had nothing to do with the scars on her! It was all them!"

"Hatsuharu!" Hatori and Yuki reached up and pulled him down into the closest chair, trying to calm the fuming boy.

"Stop it! They need to hear-"

"Shh. Stop it Haru." Yuki whispered, covering the oushi's mouth with his hand. Yuki…! Giving him a few seconds, the nezumi released his hand from the boy's face, feeling Hatsuharu relax.

"Forgive me, Ashura." He hung his head down, stating emotionlessly to the girl.

"Please forgive the little scene. He didn't mean to." Hatori covered up his embarrassment with a blanket of lies.

***

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