Two months later, the court date had approached. Itachi's broken bones and fractures had healed along with his other minor injuries. The trial had been a big storm in the media since the police had found him at Kisame's house.
It hadn't gotten any better for him; only worse. They found every single thing wrong that he had ever done and brought it to the public's attention. It had gotten so bad that he had to drop all of his university classes and reenroll in online courses to escape being called a slut or a liar or whatever else people wanted to call him. Itachi had been called to testify his story at the trial, which meant he would be in the same room as Kisame. He would have to see the man who had caused so many night terrors.
Currently, Itachi was hunched down in the corner of his room. He was in the middle of a panic attack because he was supposed to leave to testify now. He heard a knock on his door, and Sasuke walked in. He ran over to Itachi and put his hand on his shoulder. "Nii-san, it will be okay. Breathe," Sasuke said.
Itachi looked in his brother's eyes and breathed deeply. Sasuke hugged him until he calmed down. "O-okay. Let's go," he whispered. He followed his brother to the car and his father drove to the court house. The entire ride was most quiet. Itachi kept fidgeting with his fingers. When they arrived, there were protestors with signs saying 'Free Kisame' and other similar sayings.
Fugaku and Sasuke helped to slip Itachi past them without much of a commotion. He was led to the court room where he sat quietly for him to be called up to the stand. Kisame was sitting at the defendant's table with an unconcerned look on his face. Finally, Itachi was called to the stand.
"Do you swear to tell the whole truth?" the judge asked.
"Yes," Itachi said. He averted his gaze away from Kisame, but he could still feel the man's gaze on him.
"Tell the court your name, and how old are you?" Kisame's lawyer said.
"My name is Itachi Uchiha, and I'm nineteen," he said.
The lady walked closer to him. "Just to make this clear, did you have a crush on my client?" she said.
"I-I did," Itachi said. "But-"
"Did you get into the car with him?" she continued.
Itachi swallowed nervously. "Yes," he said.
"And did you willingly come into his home?" she said.
"Yes," Itachi said.
The lawyer looked at the jury. "This is a simple case of a young man regretting that he slept with his professor. Kisame Hoshigaki did not rape or kidnap Itachi Uchiha," she said.
The prosecutor stood up as the lawyer took her seat. She walked up to Itachi. "Itachi, can you tell the court why you got into the car with the defendant?" she said.
"I helped him carry boxes to his car. He then offered to drive me home because it was raining," Itachi said.
"How did you happen to go to his home?" she said.
"He told me that he needed to drop things off before he took me home because he was going to the store afterwards," Itachi said.
"So, you did not go with him with the intent of having sex?" she said.
Itachi shook his head. "No, ma'am," he said.
"Can you please tell the court about the injuries you had?" she asked.
"I had two broken ankles, one broken wrist, three fractured ribs, and a fractured tibia," Itachi answered.
"And how did you come to gain these injuries?" she asked.
"After I tried to run, the professor dragged me back and beat me," Itachi said.
The prosecutor smiled reassuringly at him. "Itachi, did you ever consent to having sex with him?" she asked.
"No, I was held down or tied up every time," Itachi said.
She nodded at him. "Thank you, Itachi," she said. Itachi went and sat back down next to his father and brother. He wanted to just leave, but he needed to know how this ended. His heart practically stopped when Kisame was called to the stand and stared at him.
"Dr. Hoshigaki, can you explain the injuries found on Itachi Uchiha to the court?" the prosecutor asked.
"Of course. Look, while I admit I hit him when I lost my temper over my window being cracked, I never raped or kidnapped him. Yes, he told me he enjoyed rough sex which is why he was torn in the rectum," Kisame said.
Itachi's breath stopped in his throat at the lies. "You broke several of his bones and fractured his ribs and tibia. You're saying this was just a spat between lovers?" she said, looking unconvinced.
A few more questions went by, and after Kisame sat back down and both sides made their case, the jury stepped out to talk. All Itachi could think of was that Kisame was going to be found not guilty and would come after him. Fugaku rubbed his back and held his son close to him; he had a bad feeling that the man who had hurt his son so badly wasn't going to even see jail time.
It didn't take long for the jury to come back. "The jury finds the defendant, on the charges of rape and kidnapping, not guilty. On the charge of domestic violence, the jury finds the defendant guilty," one of the jurors said.
Itachi held back his tears as Kisame was only ordered to pay a fine, two years parole, and to take anger management courses due to his lack of criminal history. The younger man couldn't breath and had paled several shades as their eyes met. Fugaku stood to block his view of his son and left with Sasuke and Itachi.
When they were all in the car, none of them said anything. There was nothing to say. When they arrived back to their house, Itachi went directly back to his room and sobbed. He was terrified, and Kisame's threats were circling around his brain. He was going to take him, and this time, he just knew that no one would find him. He was only alone for a few minutes until Sasuke walked in and sat in the floor beside him.
"It'll be okay, nii-san," Sasuke said. He hugged his older brother.
Itachi shook his head. "H-he's going to find m-me. Everyone th-thinks I'm a s-slut and a l-liar." Sasuke let out a sigh.
"I don't. Mom and Dad don't. Kakashi doesn't," Sasuke said.
Itachi didn't say anything. He just let his brother sit beside him and calm him down. He eventually fell asleep; his head on his younger brother's shoulder. Fugaku knocked lightly before coming inside. He walked over and picked up his oldest son before placing him on his bed. Even if his son was considered an adult, Fugaku still seen him as his little boy.