Author's Notes: First of all, I'm noticing that this is giving me a helluva lot more writer's blocks than I'm used to having. Second, I'm glad that everyone likes the court case so far, and I'm happy that the general majority are not only giving me tips and support, but are finding it to be believable.

Thirdly, I realized JUST NOW that I've got a bit of a blooper in this story. Uh-oh, bloopers! Run awaaay! Yes, well, I realized I may have picked the wrong last name for Luxord. Because I just remembered that I think I gave Edea that last name, seeing as how in FFVIII, she was married to Cid Kramer. Oopies. Oh well - bloopers are always fun to discuss, right?

But really, it's so difficult to keep track of everyone, so I guess I just kinda lost my mind for a minute there. Ha ha! More than usual, I mean. But I found it again. I put what's left of it on a leash so that it doesn't wander off too far on its own.

To make up for the obscenely long wait on this chapter (you know, compared to every frickin' day), I should have the next one up sometime this evening. In the meantime, bang your heads against the tables for the cliffie. Or not. Wouldn't want your brains to get squished.

Chapter 54

"Trials of Testimony"

Sora's turn to give testimony was giving Riku the butterflies. He and the brunet exchanged brief glances of concern and support before Sora sat down in the witness stand, and Riku resisted the urge to bite down on a nail. He kept his eyes down again.

He's going to ruin everything. You'd better do something to save the person who gave you a roof over your head!

Riku grit his teeth behind pursed lips and pushed the Voice back, but it fought with a vengeance. Who took you in when no one else would? Not even that lame Marcus bastard kept you as long as Ansem did! Who gave you food on your plate and clothes on your back?

Who raped me and put me through hell for four years of my life? Riku countered, trying to argue with it when suppressing it didn't work.

That's YOUR own fault because you wouldn't listen to him! Like the time with the pink dress...

There was NO WAY I was wearing that to school!

But you were hurt for weeks, weren't you?

Unbeknownst to Riku, Ansem was watching this with a smile on his face. It was just his luck that Riku would choke up at a critical time like this. If he consented to everything he'd done to that boy, he would be out of jail for sure. Luxord would adore that, too, he was certain.

"You were with the Plaintiff when he ran away from Ansem's house, correct?"

"Yes, ma'am." Sora nodded his head.

"Where were you before that?"

"In Ansem's basement," Sora explained. "I was the one in charge of taking pictures. Tidus and Roxas were the lookouts."

"Did you see anything in Ansem's basement that would indicate he had abused Riku at any point in time?"

"Absolutely." Sora nodded again. "There was a whole bunch bondage equipment and sex toys. So much that it was kinda scary."

Lulu began to go back to where Riku was sitting and took up a stack of familiar-looking photographs. "If I may present to the court, my first piece of evidence, Exhibit A." Lulu approached the stand and placed them in front of Sora, who looked down at them. "Sora, these are the pictures you took of Ansem's basement. Correct?"

"Yeah. Those are it."

"Objection, Your Honor!" Luxord cried, standing up. "Those photos were taken without permission when the witness and his friends trespassed on Ansem's property. It can't possibly be liable evidence against the Defendant in this case! They weren't taken with a warrant! The witness doesn't even work with the authorities!"

"These photographs were developed under local police authorities who were hired to search for Riku and Sora when they were missing, Your Honor." Lulu said calmly, countering Luxord's argument.

"That doesn't make them legitimate evidence!"

Auron glared at Luxord with his squinting eyes. "Sit down, Mister Kramer, you are overruled. I'm allowing the use of these photographs as evidence against your client."

Luxord didn't look happy with that, and neither did Ansem. Sora wanted to grin and say something witty (or just smartassed), but he held back from it. This was a court room, after all.

Lulu resumed her questions towards Sora. "To resume, these are the photos you took of Ansem's basement?"

"Yes, ma'am." Sora replied. "And a few of them weren't very clean..."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, some of them still had Riku's blood on them."

"Are there any such items in these photographs that you could point out to the court?"

Sora picked up the photos and shuffled through them carefully. He finally came to one and pointed to it. Riku could see it even from where he was sitting, and looked away quickly, because it was the pink dress Ansem tried to make him wear that one time. His blood was still clearly on it. Ansem had never put it in the wash, but instead hung it for display—to remind Riku that it was the first and last time he would win against Ansem.

"This one. This is a dress with Riku's blood on it. It was probably meant for him to wear it."

Lulu nodded calmly and took the photos, briefly showing it to the Jury before putting them away. "Just one last question, Sora, and then we can move on." She folded her hands in front of her lap, gazing into Sora's oceanic eyes. She seemed to be displaying support and understanding. "When you were in Ansem's basement...did he do anything to try and harm you?"

Sora paused for a long time, fiddling with the hem of his shirt.

"Sora?"

"Yeah." The brunet licked his lips. "Yeah, he took a knife and he cut me." Sora traced a finger over his chest where the fading scar was hidden. "Right here."

"Anything else?"

Sora looked into the court audience and could see that his parents were watching with pleading looks on their faces. They were probably praying. There was something they didn't want to hear—but he had to say it, or else this case would be more difficult for Riku.

Steeling himself, Sora swallowed. "Yes," he said slowly, "He...he stuck his fingers in me, and he tried to rape me." He added quickly, "But Riku stopped him. That was when we ran away."

Lulu slowly walked up to the witness stand, and put her hands on the railing, nodding. She met her eyes with Sora, and Sora could see that she was telling him silently that she was proud for him to stand up like that.

"Thank you, Sora." She smiled. "I have no further questions."

Sora smiled back, briefly, and again looked at the faces of his parents. Both of them looked very pale, and his mother's head was bowed as if in prayer. He'd been right—they had been praying.

"Why did you take the photographs of Ansem's basement?" Luxord suddenly asked, startling Sora.

"Huh?"

"I asked you why you took photographs of the Defendant's home."

"Because I was trying to help Riku," Sora replied. "I've seen the damage Ansem's done to him. I didn't want him to stay in a house like that, with that man. He didn't deserve it."

Luxord blinked. "Damage? What kind of damage?"

"The scars on him," Sora replied. "Everywhere, all over his back and stomach. Whip scars, burn marks, knife cuts, you name it. Riku's covered in them."

"How would you know that Ansem had inflicted those wounds on him?"

Sora glared. "Because no one else would hurt Riku so badly. Besides, they didn't look self-inflicted to me."

"I would like to know when you saw these scars, Sora." Luxord said sternly. "Was it before or after you trespassed on Ansem's property?"

"Objection!"

"Overruled." Auron grunted, rubbing at his bad eye.

Sora bit his lip. He hated this guy! He wanted to snap at him that he'd seen Riku naked plenty of times. But, not only was this embarrassing, but it wasn't a very good response. He did think of a better one, though.

"Riku's mom stopped by the school counselor's office and called him down one time. I happened to be around looking for the counselor, and I was going to go into her office to see her, but I saw Riku and his mom were inside instead. He had his shirt off and he was showing his scars to his mother. That was a few days before I took the pictures." Sora shook his head. "I wasn't going to let Ansem do that again. I knew they had to be Ansem's damage, because Tidus had told me about Riku's abuse right around then."

Luxord grit his teeth silently. Very clever, you little shrew, he thought. Next griller, then.

"Then what about the dress? How do you know it was Riku's blood that was on it?"

Sora couldn't pull back the bubble of laughter that burst out of him, but he covered his mouth and swallowed the rest of it quickly before he answered, "I don't think Ansem would have come within a mile of wearing that dress! It was way too small for him, and way too girly, so he probably wanted Riku to wear it to play a part of one of his sick fantasies."

Luxord froze. He narrowed his eyes, leering, and turned. "I'm done here, Your Honor." He grumbled, sitting down with Ansem again.

Auron grunted and blinked his eyes a couple of times. "You can sit down, Sora." He said, turning to Lulu now. "Miss Sykes, the moment of truth for you. Has your client agreed to take to the stand and testify?"

Lulu looked down at Riku. He briefly met gazes with her before turning away.

"He has, in fact, Your Honor."

"Is your client aware that as the victim of this case, due to any personal reasons that may arise, he was not required to testify?"

"Yes, Your Honor."

"And that at any time, if a question by the Defense is deemed illegal, he doesn't have to answer?"

Luxord hissed, mentally.

"Yes, Your Honor, he is aware of this." Answered Lulu.

Auron gave a stern look to Luxord, as if in warning, and then he said, "Then I will allow the victim, Riku Lockheart, to testify in court."

Riku swallowed hard, and stood up, moving towards the stand and sitting down slowly. He clasped his hands tightly in his lap, and when he looked up, he could feel Ansem's eyes boring holes into him—which didn't help his nerves one bit. Lulu came up to him now, and put a reassuring hand on the railing.

"Riku, how old are you?" She asked. Riku gulped again. Age. That's not so bad, he thought.

"Seventeen."

"Meaning that under Alexandrian court law, you are being tried as a juvenile."

Riku's voice was getting shaky. Sora could hear it. "Yes," Riku nodded his head, "That's right."

Lulu drew back. "Riku, I have only one question for you. And I'll try to say this so as to be courteous." She folded her hands in front of her skirt again. After a pause, going over how she could say this, she asked carefully, "Did Ansem, at any time, harm you, or invade your body in any way, without your consent?"

Riku froze. Ansem was staring at him. Right as she'd asked that.

Lulu thought he'd lost her, so she rephrased. "Did Ansem rape you, Riku?"

All Riku could hear was his heart pounding in his chest, and that Voice, that DAMN VOICE. Ringing in his ears like mad, screaming at him so loud he couldn't understand it or himself. He swallowed again and his eyes cast down. He didn't know how long he'd been silent, but it had been far too long for the court.

"Riku?" Lulu asked.

Auron looked down from where he was sitting. "Son, you've taken an oath and agreed to testify. You have to answer your attorney's question."

Riku clenched his hands in his lap and kept his head down, shoulders scruched to his ears.

Sora bit his lip and watched with a creased brow, one hand over his mouth. Oh, God, Riku, don't flip out now! He pleaded. You can't freeze up now, this is your chance to prove that he's a guilty bastard! I know you can do this...come on...

Tidus wasn't praying as hard as Sora was. Oh, shit, he's choking. This is bad. This is very, very bad. Come on, Riku, you gotta bounce back!

Riku started shaking his head. Lulu clenched her hands. "Riku?"

"Riku, answer the question." Auron ordered. Riku finally drew in a breath.

"I can't." He croaked. Where they were sitting, Sora gasped behind his hand and shut his eyes, wincing, and Tidus grit his teeth. Ansem, however, was beaming like the sun.

"You have to, son." Auron said. "You agreed to testify."

Riku shook his head harder. "I can't," he repeated more firmly.

Auron crossed his arms and leaned over, covering the microphone at his desk. "Son," he said quietly, "If you don't answer the question, I'm going to have to charge you with criminal punishment against the court."

"I can't!" Riku finally shouted it, glaring at Auron. "I can't, dammit!"

Lulu rushed up and grabbed his arm, squeezing it, partially to try and calm him down. She looked up at Auron. "Your Honor, I formally request a short Recess."

Riku whirled around and his wide blue eyes stared at Lulu in shock.

"Now?" Auron blinked, rubbing his eye again.

"Yes, Your Honor."

Auron sighed, raising his gavel. "Very well, but short. I'll allow this court a ten-minute Recess. All must return and resume the case when Recess is over." He smacked the gavel down, and people rose up from their seats. Riku fought his way out of the witness box and was practically running, straight to where Sora was. Since the brunet was already standing by that point, he skipped any other steps and rushed him into a hug.

Sora huffed when Riku squeezed him in his arms.

"I can't do this," he muttered. Sora bit his lip.

"Yes you can!" He whispered back.

"No I can't!"

Sora sighed. "Is he okay?" Tidus asked. Roxas got up.

"You're shaking, man!"

Sora drew back and held Riku's hands, looking up into his eyes. "Riku? Riku, look at me." When he was fully seeing those caribbean orbs, he squeezed the palms he held in his own. "It's okay. You're going to be fine."

Riku shook his head. Sora began to lead him backwards. "Come on, let's go outside. We can talk you down before we come back in, okay?"

Sora saw Riku looking over to where Ansem had been sitting, and when he followed the gaze, realized that Ansem was grinning at them. He glared, and took Riku by his arm, starting to walk towards the doors.

"Don't think about him!" He insisted. "Come on. Tidus, Roxas, let's go. Riku's getting scared."

"I can't believe you froze up in the witness stand," Roxas muttered. Tidus elbowed him, glaring. Roxas gasped. "Er, I mean—like, you're gonna be fine."

"Smooth." Tidus hissed at him.

When the two looked over at Ansem, Ansem was still grinning. Both blonds glared at him, and turned their sides to him, holding up their arms like a barrier over Riku and Sora's faces, and walked with them out of the court room.