The Truths of Love: Chapter fifteen

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. Never have, never will, so please don't sue me.

A/N: Hey guys. Sorry the last chapter was so short and took so long to get posted. Hopefully this one won't be short or take too long to post. But with school and the butt load of homework I get each night, you just never know. Anyways, thank you for all your support. I hope you enjoy this chapter of it; only a few more to go! Thanks again; I love you all!

"You may be seated," Judge Luna Tomokazu said in a clear voice. "Let the case of Tsukino versus LaClare commence."

And with a bang of the gavel, the case began.

"Ms. Tsukino, let's begin by you telling me what happened a month and two weeks ago," she said.

Usagi nodded, and taking a deep breath, looked to Mamoru for support.

Mamoru smiled softly, encouraging her to begin.

"Well," Usagi began, her voice trembling slightly, "it began back in July. I had gone to work one day when I saw him. I was attracted to him," she turned red here, and looked down at the table top.

"Ms. Tsukino, please continue," Luna said.

Usagi nodded and went on.

"We got together soon after we met, and for awhile, everything was fine. He was kind and sweet, loving and caring. I don't know what happened, what made him change. But one day.... he hit me. We had gone out to dinner, and when we came home, he hit me," she whispered.

"Usagi, what led up to him hitting you?" Luna asked.

Usagi sighed.

"At first, before he ever hit me, he told me things that... that I didn't think much of at the time. That my friends didn't want or need me, and that I was fat. All kinds of things like that. And when I went to Mamoru to ask him if he knew if Matt had ever done like that to anyone before, Matt somehow found out about it. He hit me because I'd gone to Mamoru... he said something about how I didn't like the way he was treating me, so I'd gone to someone to make it stop. And then he... he..." Usagi's voice trailed off.

It had been so long since it had happened, and she'd thought she'd shed all the tears. Apparently she hadn't. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she took a deep breath.

"He kicked me to the floor, and continued to kick and hit me," she went on quietly, averting her eyes from the judges. "Then... then he picked me up and brought me to the bedroom, where he... he raped me," she finished. "The moment he fell asleep that night, I got up and dressed as fast as I could, and I left. I just kept running until I couldn't run anymore, and when I was finally too tired to run, I just crawled under a bush and fell asleep. That's how Mamoru found me. He took me home and cared for me ever since."

Luna's eyes turned to Mamoru.

"I take it you are Mamoru?" She asked.

Mamoru nodded slightly.

"I'm Mamoru Chiba, your honor," he confirmed.

"Mr. Chiba, tell me what happened when you found her."

"I found her under a bush in Tokyo Park. She was whimpering and unconscious when I found her, so I picked her up. She had been missing for a week, and no one, not her friends nor I, had any idea of where she was. So when I found her, I was worried. I took her home and when I realized her clothes where soaked, as they should have been; it was pouring rain; I went to take them off. Your honor, she was completely covered with bruises. The first thing I did was take pictures... of the bruises, I mean. Then I set about treating them. I've been working at a hospital for awhile, so I knew what to do."

Luna nodded.

"Do you have the pictures with you, Mr. Chiba?" She asked.

"I do," Mamoru replied, pulling out the pictures from the breast pocket of his jacket.

"Good. Artemis, can you please take the pictures and bring them to me?"

The bailiff, Artemis, walked over and held out his hand, which Mamoru promptly put the pictures into. Turning, Artemis walked over to the judge's stand, handing the pictures to Luna, who took out a small pair of glasses and put them on.

Her nose wrinkled slightly in disgust as she looked at the pictures.

"This is terrible," she said.

Mamoru nodded his head.

"Yes, your honor, it is. They were completely covering her body, as I said, and it took me awhile to dress them all. Anyways, I did that, and for the next few days, she stayed with me, recovering."

Luna nodded slightly and turned her penetrating gaze back on Usagi.

"You said there were more incidents after that. Tell me about them."

Usagi risked a glance over at Matt, who had so far been silent. Her eyes widened slightly as she took in the smirk on his face, the crazed look in his eyes, and the way he was standing. Gulping, she looked back at the judge.

"One night, Mamoru took me out for dinner with my friends. We had a great time that night; everything went well. We were out for a few hours, and then finally we went home. When we got there, the place had been trashed. The furniture had been overturned, pillows slashed with a knife and feathers strewn all over the place. All the rooms had been trashed. In the bedroom, though, there was red paint on the walls. All it said was 'I'm watching you.' I made Mamoru promise not to call the police; I told him we'd clean up the place and forget any of it had ever happened. And so we began to clean up. And then... then I found the picture."

Usagi's eyes clouded with tears.

"My parents and brother were killed in a plane accident a month before I met Matt. I had told him about that when we were first getting to know each other, and he's comforted me, helped me get over it. The picture I had with me at Mamoru's house was a picture of me with my family. But... he had gotten to it and... and..." Usagi stopped, covering her mouth.

"Usagi, do you have the picture with you?" Luna asked.

Usagi nodded and pulled it out.

"Artemis?"

Again Artemis walked over to Usagi and Mamoru, and Usagi handed him the picture in the frame. Artemis visibly recoiled as he looked down at it, and his mouth set in a line, he brought it to Luna.

Luna's eyes widened fractionally at the sight of what had been done to the picture. Setting it down, she motioned for Usagi to go on.

"At that point, Mamoru told me about a phone call he'd received earlier that day. Matt had called, and apparently threatened both me and Mamoru. Mamoru wouldn't tell me what he said, but he said that both of us had been threatened. Mamoru called the police," Usagi continued. "And they called to say that they'd caught Matt. So Mamoru went to work, and everything was fine. This was a Friday, and Mamoru works only half days on Friday's. So anyway, it's was about half an hour before he usually got home and the door opened. It was Matt; he'd escaped. He came over to me and hit me three more times, telling me that it was because I'd called the police on him, and for several other reasons. Finally he knocked me off the couch and I hit my head on the corner of the end table, causing a gash in my head that would later make me go unconscious. Matt was about to rape me again when Mamoru came in... I think he got off work earlier than usual, but I'm not quite certain. Once Mamoru was there, I blacked out. I do know that he got Matt of me, though, but that's about all."

Luna nodded slightly.

"Mamoru, what exactly was it that was said on the phone?" Luna inquired.

Mamoru hesitated for a moment, turning to look at Usagi. The words were still imprinted in his mind; they always would be. But right now, he couldn't say them. Usagi was being put through too much at the moment, and this would send her over the edge.

"Your honor, if you will allow me, I will write it down. But I can't say this right now. I'm very sorry, but it's much too gruesome."

Luna's eyes narrowed at the nerve of this man, but as she looked over at the girl, who was shaking slightly as she stood, her eyes softened and she nodded.

"Alright. Do that, then."

Mamoru nodded and pulling out a pen, he quickly wrote the conversation on a napkin he had in his pocket. Scribbling quickly, and keeping the sheet away from Usagi's prying eyes, he finished the words and handed the napkin to Artemis.

Artemis glanced at the napkin and read it, his face showing disdain, and he shot a dirty look at Matt.

Handing the napkin to Luna, he stood back, crossing his arms across his chest. Luna quickly read the napkin, and her face blanched slightly. Nodding her understanding of why he wouldn't say it in front of Usagi, she then turned back to the girl.

"How long were you in the hospital for?" she asked.

Usagi turned to Mamoru.

"She was in a coma for about a day and a half. They wouldn't let her leave for another day after that, so in total about two and a half days."

"Do you have the doctor's reports, Ms. Tsukino?" Luna asked.

Usagi nodded and pulled them out of the briefcase she had, amidst the small chuckles from the audience and even from Luna. Usagi turned a bright shade of red and shot a glare at Minako, who shrugged her shoulders and mouthed an apology.

Sighing, Usagi took out the reports and handed them to Artemis, who took them to Luna.

Luna read over them once more, and nodded once.

"Alright. What you said seems to be about right, Mr. Chiba, about two and a half days. Now, did anything else happen?"

Usagi and Mamoru both shook their heads, and Luna nodded slightly.

"Alright," she said turning to Matt, a look of loathing on her face. "Let's hear your side of the story."

Matt smiled slightly, turning the look on his face slightly maniacal.

"Like Usagi said, we met at her office. We got together after awhile, and things went well. But she was such an angel. Too much of one, and she was such a tease with it, too. I wanted her to be normal; because how can you love an angel? I wanted to make her mine for good. So... I took her. And it's not like she didn't want it. She'd been asking for it for a long time. Maybe not with words, but with actions. So I made her mortal, like everyone else."

Matt's words were causing everyone to cringe back, but he was so far gone he didn't notice it at all. His face turned sad as he continued.

"My angel ran away from me, though. I couldn't find her anywhere, and when I called Mamoru to ask if he'd seen her, he lied to me and said no. When I found out that he had seen her, and not only seen her, but was keeping her for himself, it made me angry. We had a little confrontation in a park one day. Mamoru didn't like what I had to say and he hit me."

Matt paused and looked around, his face calm, making him look somewhat normal.

"After that day, I planned on how to get her back. I called Mamoru again and told him I wanted my angel back. He refused, so I decided to scare him a little bit. I went to the apartment and had a little... party."

Here he grinned at the memory, the furniture being overturned, the feel of ripping through the pillows, the way the paint had dripped down as he'd put his message in the bedroom. And best of all, what he had done to Usagi's picture. Which brought him to the thought of the plane; but he wasn't about to admit to the part he'd had in that, so he pushed that thought from his mind and returned to the present.

"So, I left a little note for the both of them, and left."

He turned to Usagi, his eyes sad.

"I told you not to call the police on me, angel," he said softly. "So I broke out and decided to remind you of that little fact. I only wanted you to be normal like everyone else, Usagi. That's all," he said. "Anyways, I never meant to put you in the hospital. If only you hadn't moved..." Matt shrugged.

"After that, I was taken by the police again, and brought here today. That's my story."

There was silence in the court room for a little over a minute, and then all at once everyone began talking. Makoto, Minako, Ami and Rei leapt to their feet, shouting at Matt, cursing him. Other people were doing the same thing, some calling out profanities and others calling out comforting things to Usagi and Mamoru.

Finally Luna raised her gavel and banged it down three times.

"Silence!" she bellowed at the top of her lungs.

Instantly the court room fell silent, though everyone in the room was twitching slightly at what Matt had just said. All of them wanted to see him found guilty and put away, and most likely he would be.

"Mr. LaClare, do you deny what was said that you did?" Luna asked coldly.

Matt shrugged.

"I told you what happened. I just wanted Usagi to be normal, like everyone else. How is that a crime? I just brought her down to earth. And rape is such a strong word... I just made her mine is all."

"Mr. LaClare, do you deny what was said or not?" Luna asked again, this time the ice in her voice evident.

Matt smirked. "No, I don't."

Again, pandemonium took hold of the court room, and even Luna sat there in shock for a minute before once more raising her gavel and banging it hard against the table.

"Silence! Silence in the court!" She yelled, but to no avail.

Matt sat back, folding his arms across his chest, smirking at what he'd caused.

'Way to go, Matt buddy,' a sarcastic voice in his mind said. 'Now you've done it. You'll be put away for sure now. Back into that cold, dark cell, with no one there to stay with you, no one to sympathize with you. Oh, yes, you did really well.'

Matt's face suddenly changed into a look of horror.

"No," he murmured. "No, that can't be right."

'Oh, but it is,' the voice in his mind went on. 'And you have no one to blame but yourself. Way to go, buddy. Really, just fabulous.'

Matt shook his head, trying to clear the voice from his head.

Finally, after five minutes, the court room finally settled down.

Luna sighed, wiping sweat from her brow.

"There will be a fifteen minute intermission as the jury and I decide what to do now. Artemis, I'm sorry, but you have to stay here and make sure that he doesn't leave."

Artemis nodded his head, his silvery hair shining slightly.

Luna stood up, as did the seven jury members who had sat silent and unnoticed through out the entire case, and they filed out of the room, leaving the room silent. As soon as they were out, however, the crowd in the room erupted into conversation once more.

People had to restrain themselves form leaping at Matt and wringing his neck, to keep from running to Usagi to comfort the girl, who was crying openly now.

Minako, Makoto, Ami and Rei walked to the wall, and Mamoru nodded to Artemis, letting him know that these four were Usagi's friends, and thus allowed to talk to her. Still Artemis hesitated, knowing he wasn't supposed to let anyone in. Finally, though, he made his decision and let the four in.

"Five minutes," he said quietly. "You have five minutes."

The girls flashed him a thankful smile and hurried over to Usagi, taking her in their arms in a group hug.

"Don't worry Usagi; he's going to be put away now. He didn't deny what he did; he's as good as gone."

"But for how long?" Usagi muttered, brushing tears away. "As soon as he gets out, he's going to come after me. And what if they don't put him away? What if they didn't believe me? What if they side with him?"

Rei scoffed.

"Do you really think that's going to happen, Usagi? The guy is a basket case! He's not safe to be out on the streets. Look at him!"

Usagi turned to look, and her mouth nearly fell open.

Matt was standing with his arms wrapped around him, shaking his head and muttering fiercely to himself. Indeed, he did look pathetic. But just then, he stopped shaking and looked up, catching Usagi's eyes. The look in his eyes froze Usagi to the core. His eyes were crazed, yes, but underneath was a deep, shimmering pain, and an even deeper look of loss and... dare she say it... fear.

Usagi bit her lip. She'd known the side of Matt that no one else had; he hadn't always been so cruel. She didn't know what had changed him, but it had to be something big. And this... he didn't deserve all this. He looked like a child right now, lost and confused.

Breaking away from the girls, she steeled her resolve and slowly walked over to Matt.

Matt looked up at her, the pain obvious in his eyes.

"Matt," Usagi whispered softly. "I'm sorry. I can't say that I'm sorry for bringing you here... you hurt me badly. But I am sorry for you. I don't know what happened to you, or what made you change. But I'm sorry you did. Whatever happened hurt you badly... I wish you hadn't changed, Matt. I wish you had stayed the way you were when I met you."

"Usagi," Matt muttered, his eyes wild. "I'm sorry. I just wanted you to be mine. To be as human as I am. You are such an angel, and all I wanted was for you to be human. It's all I wanted."

With that, he sunk back into himself, and Usagi lightly touched his shoulder, before walking back over to her side of the room.

As she'd spoken with Matt, the whole room had fallen silent, and she didn't realize it for a few moments until she looked up and found everyone staring at her. She looked down as a tear dripped down her face.

Finally, the door to the court room opened, and the jury members and Luna walked back into the room. The jury took their seat at their table once more, and Luna went to the front of the room.

"Matt LaClare, you have been found guilt of abuse, rape and vandalism. You are hereby sentenced to fifteen years of prison."

Luna raised her gavel to bang down for a final time.

"This case is--"

At that moment, the door to the courtroom burst open and a short, balding man rushed into the room, waving something in the air.

"Wait!" He called out, panting for breath and leaning against one of the benches in the room to catch his breath.

Luna looked up, a frown marring her features.

"Who are you, and what do you think you are doing, interrupting my court case?" She demanded.

"My apologies, your honor. I'm Detective Dylan Bayes. And I believe that I have something here that will put Mr. LaClare into prison for a lot longer than you have in mind."