Author's Note: So, chapter three is done! I'm happy with my pace, though I'm not sure how I like the actually chapters. I like them but then I'm always like "...should I have done this instead?" But in the end, I guess I'm content with the chapters. This chapter was interesting for me to do because the flashbacks were based on what the two witnesses saw. So, you get a feel for how it looks in a truly third person view.

Or at least, that's what it's supposed to do.

I would like to thank my beta, Umi, for being as wonderful as she is. She often motivates me and gives me inspiration. Thank you! (It helps that she cares as much about reviews as I do.)

Anyway, one of the characters is simply named "Udon-san" because I like saying that.

XD Reviewing would be lovely of you.

Awesome Beta's Note: Flashbacks are among my favorite things. Truthfully, it's because flashbacks often bring back drama or simply dramatic action, and there's nothing quite as good for me as seeing favorite characters go through hell and back; seeing them pushed well past their emotional limits makes me giggle hysterically and anticipate it more and more.

I'm a sadistic person. I know that. And I also know that if these characters could they'd damn me to hell for the rest of eternity. I just don't care.

So, that cloudy Friday that Tatsuki and Yuuto will always remember because the rain never fell is probably one of my favorite days. Ever. You'll see why.

Chrissy-chan worked really hard on this chapter, and I'm pretty sure I found all the mistakes. At least, I hope I did. But this also means that it'd mean a lot to both of us if you'd review. Even if it's to tell us we suck, though it would be nice if you'd tell us WHY you feel that way . . . Really, I mean, we want to know your thoughts. It's not going to help us at all if we don't know your thoughts.

So please, just, drop us a line. It'd take but a minute or two and yet it would mean the world.

Chapter Three;

-Trial; Court Room-

"Your Honor, I will prove with evidence that can't be denied that Oohira Tatsuki and Urushiyama Yuuto would not kill their friend. They cared about Oohira Kotarou too much to do that to him and I will prove that through witnesses that will tell you what happened, give you their alibis, and tell you their character. You'll hear that the murders between Kazuma Koutari and Oohira Kotarou are connected and they are. But not in the way you would think. Your Honor, I will prove my clients innocence." Ichigo was proud of himself that his voice didn't quiver and he didn't stutter. Sitting down, he looked over at Tatsuki and Yuuto to see that they were staring at the table before them, faces unreadable. Though, it looked like at any moment that Yuuto's lips would quirk into a smirk or smile.

Nikura's face relaxed into a thoughtful expression as he pulled another paper in front of him.

"Very well. We shall move on to the first witnesses, unless the council would like to take a five minute break?"

Mayata and Ichigo shared a look before they turned back to Nikura.

"We'll call the first witness, Your Honor."

"Very well, Prosecution, you may now call your first witness."

Mayata stood and gave a small cough to make sure her voice would be loud and clear.

"Prosecution calls Mataki Kaido to the stand."

A fairly young police officer in a three piece suit came up to the stand and swore that he would tell the truth. After sitting down, Mayata smiled at him.

"Good morning, Mataki-san. Could you tell us, for the sake of what these boys are capable of, what happened the Friday that Kazuma Koutari died?"

-That cloudy Friday that Tatsuki and Yuuto will never forget because the rain never fell-

Kaido was utterly bored as he drove around another corner. So far there was little to no disturbance. As he was coming upon one of the local schools, he noticed that two boys were charging full speed towards another. It was only them as all the other kids were still in their classes that morning. Parking his police car to the side, Kaido stepped out with a hand to his nightstick, in case there was any trouble.

The man really should have moved faster, because the two boys were upon the other, throwing punches. Kaido's footsteps faltered as he ran towards them, perhaps it was because of the chilling and inane laughter coming from the boy getting beat down. Or maybe it was the fact that the boy wasn't even fighting back.

He was actually….talking in between the punches.

"You deserved it, Tatsuki. All that pain, you deserved each moment of it."

Kaido managed to pull the taller boy off, though he was hardly struggling. As he pulled the boy back, he started yelling.

"You bastard! He was there to help and yet you- you…. How could you do that to him?"

"It was his fault." The boy's voice dropped to a whisper as it was getting harder to talk through the injuries that he was getting.

"Your friend deserved everything I gave to him."

And then, Kaido was pushed back as the tall boy rejoined in beating the one on the ground. Kaido quickly called for back up on his shoulder walkie as he tried once again to pull one of the boys off. However, his face quickly exploded in pain as an elbow met with his eye.

-Back to the Trial-

"…It took a little while for back up to arrive. They just wouldn't stop beating him down. Before we knew it an hour passed and there were more than ten of us pulling them away."

Mayata told the judge that was all the questions she had and she went to sit down at her table once again. Nikura called Ichigo for a cross-examination.

"You say they kept saying 'he', 'his' and 'your friend', correct?"

Kaido nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Could they have meant someone other than Tatsuki?"

"It's possible yes."

"Do you think they were talking about someone who was already dead?"

"Quite possibly."

"Thank you, that's all the questions I have."

Nikura smiled down at Kaido.

"You may step down, Mataki-san. Prosecution, you may call your next witness."

"I would like to call Udon Tenshi to the stand."

Udon turned out to be another police officer from the basic questions that Mayata asked him. His story pretty much followed Mataki's as he was one of the back up policemen that came to break up Tatsuki and Yuuto against Koutari. The questioning was quick and soon Ichigo found himself cross-examining Tenshi.

"Udon-san, you say that before you went as back up that you were assigned to where Oohira Kotarou was found, correct?"

"That is correct, sir."

"Did you see Oohira-san and Urushiyama-san over there at that site?"

-That cloudy Friday; crash site; before Koutari's death-

Tenshi sighed sadly as he went up to the paramedics. Another day and another kid dead. It was always a miserable day when he was assigned to a case like this. He didn't want to have to see the body but he knew that he had to. He was a professional and had to act it.

Sometimes, he really hated his job.

"He was dead when we fished him out." The driver of the ambulance said, weary from the day and events that were transpiring. Tenshi nodded and went to look at the body. The boy's skin was tinted blue, given that he died from drowning. His eyes were closed.

"We concluded that he must have been asleep when he died. Though, it would be rare since most people wake up when they feel themselves being suffocated and drowned when they sleep."

Tenshi knew what the paramedic was trying to say. That this boy was one of the lucky ones. He died painlessly. But he was dead, so how can that be luck?

"Wait, you can't go near there!" The shout made Tenshi turn around to see two boys walking slowly towards the dead boy on the stretcher. As Tenshi opened his mouth to tell the boys to back away, one of them caught a look at the dead boy and faltered.

"K-Kotarou?"

Oh, no, they know him…shit. Tenshi thought as he waved the other officer away. His comrade looked at him, puzzled, before he left.

"Do you two know him?" He asked in vain as the two boys ignored him. They drew to a stop as they reached the stretcher that the boy was on.

The taller of the two drew a quick breath and managed a shaky smile.

"H-hey, man, wake up. They say that the longer you sleep, the more your growth stunts. Y-you're already shorter than your girlfriend." It sounded so painful that Tenshi wasn't surprised to see tears starting up in the boy's eyes.

The other, shorter boy, stared on, his hands clenching and unclenching. Pursing his lips, he came up and shook the stretcher, nearly shouting.

"Get your ass up, Kotarou. This isn't the time to be playing." The boy's voice cracked near the end as if he knew he was saying something that the dead boy wouldn't do.

"Y-yeah, Kotarou. I mean, this isn't funny. If you're trying to get me back for all those times, then I gotta tell ya that this isn't cool."

The dead body just kept still.

End Chapter

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