Title: Forbidden Love
Rating: Last chapter it was PG-13, and now it's R. ^___^
Disclaimer: I do not own NightWalker.
Warning: Yaoi (CainxShido), Child Abuse.

Thank To The Reviewers
Abby-WCD:
  The only reason it happened so fast was because when you reviewed I already had the chapter written up and ready to post.  ^__^  Yup, there's a nice Cain...and everyone likes him.. O_O I wonder if I could do the same for Riho.... *thinks it over* Nah!
Darkmaster2:  ^__^ I'm glad!
Tia:  Hehe, I know.  I need to change my profile so it says 'I write kawaii angst!' -____-;;
RekiaReium: I do too...but, you know, Cain's weird. -___-;;
Lady-Silverkiss:  Yeah, I am gonna screw it up, but it'll have a happy ending! __ maybe...

//blah blah blah//= dream sequence

Chapter Nine
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//Shido sat on the floor, hunched into a ball as another kicked streaked across his back.  He bit his lip in an attempt to stop the cry from escaping his lips.  He hunched over when the feel of cold leather bit into his pale skin. Blood rolled down from the red welts.  Slowly, he began sobbing silently. 

Shido's step father stood over him, grinning sadistically.  He brought the belt down across Shido's back again, relishing the sound snap of cold leather against hot skin.  The laid a few more strokes across Shido's back before tossing the belt aside.

Reaching down, he grabbed a fist full of Shido's blood soaked lavender hair and snapped his head back.  "Next time I tell you to do something, you'll do it without question, got it?" He asked, looking down at Shido with angry eyes.

Shido nodded.  "Yes, Sir," he muttered. 

"Good boy," his step-father muttered before throwing him up against the wall.  "Now clean this mess up," he ordered before leaving the room.  Shido waited for him to leave before sobbing to himself.//


Shido shot up in bed, a cold sheen of sweat coated every inch of his skin.  He panted heavily, attempting to get his heart rate back under control.  He looked around the room, checking if it was safe out of sheer habit.  Finding no one, he sighed softly.

Tossing the comforter off him, Shido got out of bed.  Quietly, he made his way to the door and left the room.  He padded softly down the hall, down the stairs, and headed to Cain's study.  Shido had taken to spending his free time there reading.  Cain could always find him there when he needed him for something.

In the study, Shido picked up the book he had been reading, and sat on the couch.  Opening to that page he stopped at, he slowly found himself lost in the world of fantasy.  Man, Elves, Dragons...all of it was enough to make Shido loose his grip on reality.

Shido failed to notice Cain's entrance into the room.  He failed to notice Cain calling his name, or that he had come to sit down next to him.  When the book was finally taken from Shido's grasp, he looked up at the golden-haired man.

"How long have you been down here?" Cain asked him.

Shido shrugged.  "I don't know.  I couldn't sleep, so I decided to read."

Cain marked Shido's page and put it on the table.  "Why not?"

"Bad memories."

"Want to talk about it?"

"Not really," Shido muttered, resting his head on Cain's shoulder.  He never really talked to anyone, outside of Yayoi and Riho, about what happened at his home, and he didn't plan on telling Cain until he found out at the court hearing when he testified.

Cain wrapped his arms around Shido's shoulders.  "Are you nervous about tomorrow?"

Shido nodded.  "It's partly why I can't sleep." He answered.  "I don't want to go tomorrow."

"I know, but you have to," Cain said.  "You'd feel better if you got some sleep."

Shido sighed. "I can't sleep."

"You should try."

"I don't want too." Shido stated.  "If I do... I'll just relive the past all over again," he whispered into Cain's shoulder.

Cain pulled Shido against his chest.  "They can't hurt you anymore," he whispered reassuringly into Shido's ear.

"Not physically, but every time I close my eyes, I see him beating me again!" Shido buried his head into Cain's shoulder, crying softly.  "He use to laugh each time...and I can still hear it! I just want to all to go away!"  Shido held on tightly to Cain like he was his only lifeline.  The tears rolled freely down his face, wetting Cain's shirt even more. 

Cain rubbed Shido's back lovingly, wishing he could end Shido's pain.  He stood, pulling the clinging teen with him.  "Come on, you'll stay with me tonight," he whispered.  Shido nodded, sniffling softly.  Cain led the violet haired youth from his study.

                                                                                    ~*~*~*~*~*~

Shido sat in the half empty court room, his mother and step father at the defendants table with their lawyer.  They had gotten out on bail, but didn't know where he was staying, which he was happy for.  He found out that they went to Yayoi's and Riho's, only to have restraining orders issued against them.  He kept his head bowed, not wanting to meet his step-fathers murderous eyes.

The court proceedings for the day included Shido's account of what happened.  Shido was currently on the stand, testifying to what happened at his house whenever his father got angry.  At first, he was reluctant to speak, but when he saw Cain, who was nodding for him to start talking, he did.

"Now Shido, when your step-father would beat you, did your mother ever do anything to stop it?" The prosecutor asked.

Shido sighed. "No...she wouldn't."

"Thank you." With that, he sat down, and the defense attorney stood.

"Shido, did you have any chores around the house?" He asked.

"You mean besides everything?" Shido retorted, then sighed.  "Everything concerning the house was my chore."

"So, when you didn't do your chores, you were disciplined?"

"If you call that discipline."

The attorney sighed.  "Your honor, I ask your permission to treat this witness as hostile."

The judge waved. "Permission granted."

"Mr. Tatsuhiko, what happened if you didn't do as you were told?"

"I was beaten."

"Is that all?"

"Yes."

"Did you do what you were told afterwards?"

"Yes."

"So, other then when you didn't do your chores, they never laid a hand on you?"

"No.  My step-father would beat me for kicks to," Shido replied bitterly.

"Objection!" The defense attorney bellowed.

"Your honor, he asked and got an answer!" The prosecutor stated.

"Overruled," the judge said.

The defense attorney snorted.  "Shido, why didn't you tell anyone about what was happening?"

"I did.  I told my two friends."

"Why didn't they tell anyone?"

"I told them not too."

"Why not?  Wouldn't you want people to know and help you?"

"I didn't want help.  With the help from other people you also get their pity, and I didn't want that."

"So, for years you put up with this.  Could it be you didn't want to tell anyone because it's all a lie?"

"It's not a lie," Shido snapped.

"Then why now? And why does it seem like you're the only one with the problem? Your sister doesn't seem to have this problem."

"That's because she's spoiled rotten."

"So maybe you're doing this for attention?"

"No, I'm not!" Shido nearly shouted.

The attorney smiled softly.  "That's all your honor."

"The witness is excused," the judge stated.  Shido got out of the chair and walked calmly from the court room.  Cain got up and followed after him.