Hey, this didn't take absolutely forever! Only a really long time! Go me!

So this is based on the Phoenix Wright games, and therefore so is its justice system. This means it's less like actual court than a TV show's depiction of it. I am aware of how it works (in the US, at least), so don't go yelling about how there's no jury or this was ridiculous.

Phoenix Wright used a crazy man's parrot as a witness. Checkmate.

Also end ANs have some important stuff, but it's fast.

Chapter 5: Phoenix Weiss: Fake Attorney

"Nooooo! Why are you doing this!?" Ruby cried out in horror.

"Calm down, you dolt. I'm just trying to help you keep up with your classes, and falling behind on assignments is unacceptable. Writing an essay isn't that bad!" the heiress snapped back. Yang and Blake watched the two in amusement from their bunks. "You've written plenty of them this year anyway."

"..."

Weiss's eyes narrowed. "You have written the essays the professors assigned, right?"

"Amuse me peasants!" The door swung open to reveal Nora standing with the rest of her team behind her. A very relieved Ruby went over to greet their visitors. "Hey guys, what's up?"

"You guys aren't going to believe this, but all classes are cancelled for today!" Nora yelled in excitement. A chorus of cheers went around the room with the exception of Weiss who was still glaring suspiciously at her partner.

"I am curious as to why the faculty decided not to hold classes today, though." Pyrrha wondered aloud.

Ozpin was in the middle of a critical research project he'd been investing quite some time in lately. Grimm were the embodiment of negative emotions, and if hunters could develop a method of destroying them without even needing to put themselves in harm's way it would go a long way to protecting humanity from their threat.

To this end he was testing whether or not he could cause Glynda Goodwitch to spontaneously combust out of pure rage.

"You lost the property rights to all our academic buildings in a game of online poker?" She said in an eerily calm voice.

"He called my bluff, but don't worry, I'll win them back! I just need some money to play. On an unrelated note, the checkmate virus in our system has changed you to an 'unpaid intern.' I like to think that guiding future generations is its own reward, don't you agree?"

"I'm sure they have a very good reason for it." Ren assured her. "This is Beacon, you don't get here by being foolish."

Ruby nodded. "Anyways, what do you guys wanna do with our day off?" Nora raised her hand and started jumping up and down exuberantly. "Is it stealing sloths from the zoo?" Nora shook her head. "Alright," RWBY's leader said happily, "what did you have in mind?"

"I made a mystery we can act out!" the valkyrie responded, pride evident in her voice. "Everyone's got their own roles, and they all have jobs to do."

Blake raised an eyebrow, mildly impressed. As a lover of books, she certainly appreciated the hard work that was put into creating a story. "When did you have the time to do this, Nora?"

"Oh, I just blew off some stupid essay and did this instead!"

Weiss started to shake with rage, so Yang cautiously laid her hands on the girl's shoulders to keep her from attacking Nora. "Well, let's get started. I want to see what she came up with."

Ten minutes later, everyone had read the sheet information they had, and the room had been re-arranged to look like a court. Near the window, the team's desk had been turned around to serve as the judge's seat, and a seat beside it was for the witnesses. The prosecution sat on Blake's bed, and the defense was on Weiss's. In the middle of the room four chairs had been set aside for the rest of the participants.

As for the story, Nora's friends were surprised to find that they were not acting as certain characters, but as themselves- though they all played certain roles. Blake would be the judge, while Weiss and Ren played the defense and prosecution attorneys respectively. Jaune, as few were surprised to learn, was the victim, and Ruby of all people was the primary suspect. Yang, Nora, and Pyrrha were various witnesses that would be called on during the trial.

"Everyone ready?" Nora asked; when she received nods, she continued. "Here's the case: Jaune and Ruby had been dating until recently, when Ruby found out that he cheated on her with Pyrrha."

"Jaune!" Ruby cried out, "How could you do that to me!?"

"I- I didn't! It's just made up, Ruby, we're not even dating. It's ridiculous, Nora even made it so Pyrrha likes me in this- it's not exactly realistic." The room turned to look at Pyrrha when they heard the sound of paper being ripped.

"Oops, silly Pyrrha," Nora said cheerfully, "you need to be more careful with your sheet. Don't worry, I have extras." Pyrrha quickly regained her composure and flashed the girl a smile.

"Thank you, Nora. How… clumsy of me." the spartan replied. 'I'm going to kill him one of these days.'

"Anyways," Nora said, "last night I came back to the dorm at six-thirty in the evening, and found Ruby standing over Jaune's unconscious body looking furious. When he woke up, he couldn't remember what had happened- all he could remember was the color red. Ruby is being charged with the attack on him, now it's up to the lawyers to do their jobs. In the end, Blake, you'll make a decision and convict someone."

"How do we know you won't use the fact that you made this to your advantage in the trial?" Blake asked her. "After all, you know everything about this."

"When Nora gets in character," Ren interrupted, "she gets really in character. She won't use any of her knowledge about it, I'm sure." Content in Ren's testimony, the faunus nodded.

"Alright, then! Let's get started." With that, Nora strolled back to her chair and plopped down in it.

Blake cleared her throat. "We are here today to determine the guilt of Ruby Rose in regards to the attack on Jaune Arc. Will prosecution attorney… Miles Rensworth?" She glanced up at Nora, "I'm not calling him that the whole time."

"Awww." Nora whined, "Will you at least use the name I made for Weiss?"

Blake scanned further down the page, and raised an eyebrow when she saw it. "Phoenix Weiss?"

The heiress cradled her head in her hands. "No, she will not be calling me that." she said in exasperation.

"Anyways," Blake continued "let's get started. I suppose it's pointless to ask, but how does the defendant plead?"

"Not guilty!" Ruby yelled. Weiss flicked her on the back of the head lightly. "Sorry, not guilty." she said more subdued. The judge nodded, then turned her gaze on Ren.

"Would you like to make your opening statement?"

Standing in the center of the room, Ren spoke calmly. "Jaune Arc was attacked in his dorm at around six-thirty in the afternoon. He'd been dating the defendant until a recent fight ended their relationship. Everything we know points to her. She was first, she is more than strong enough to have done this, she has a clear motive, and her clothes and hair are both red- that color being only thing the victim can remember from the attack."

"Thank you. Is the prosecution ready to call its first witness to the stand?" The ninja nodded.

"The prosecution calls Nora Valkyrie to the stand." The hammer-wielder skipped to the chair beside Blake and took her place. "Now, Mrs. Valkyrie, will you please recount the details of the events leading up to your discovery of the crime?"

"Sure thing, Mister Rensworth!" Several members of the group moaned. "Well, like I'd told everyone during sparring class, I had to do some weapon maintenance. I was down at the workshop most of the afternoon, but I headed back to the dorm around six o'clock. When I got there, I saw someone standing over Jaune. I couldn't even tell who they were at first since it had gotten so dark, so I was really surprised when I saw it was Ruby. She looked furious. She has to be the one who did it!"

Blake nodded when she was finished, clearly having listened to every word. 'She's taking this awfully seriously.' Weiss thought to herself. "Thank you, Miss Valkyrie. Would the defense like to cross-examine the witness?"

"Yes ma'am." Rising from the bed, the ivory-haired girl thought about what to say. On their little information sheet, it was mentioned that the last place all eight of them had been together was the sparring arena during Goodwitch's class. There wasn't really much to look into from her testimony… except…. "You seem certain that it was my client who attacked Jaune. What makes you so sure she didn't just arrive there before you and was upset he'd been hurt?"

"Well the two of them always watch a movie together Friday nights. When I was coming back, I saw the light from the TV through the window."

Weiss narrowed her eyes. "But the television was off when you arrived, wasn't it? Otherwise the room wouldn't have so dark. How do you know that it was in fact the television you saw as you approached the building?"

Nora thought back to what she'd seen at the time. It wasn't something important at the time, so the details were fuzzy. "I assumed it was the TV since the light was flickering, that means that the light source was moving- you know, like a video playing on a screen."

It wasn't what Weiss had hoped for, but that trivial detail still helped her. "So you can't prove it was them watching a movie. It could have been a light bulb flickering, which might explain why it might be turned off. That means we can't be sure Ruby was in there at all." It was a weak argument, she knew, but it was important to get every advantage she could. "No further questions, your honor."

Nora went back to her chair and sat down. Blake took a couple moments to think over what she had heard so far, she looked somewhat anxious for some reason. 'It's not like this is an actual trial. What's got her so worked up?'

"Does the defense have any witnesses it wishes to call to the stand?"

Checking her sheet, Weiss saw that she only had one witness on her side. What was worse, that witness was Yang. 'Great.' "The defense calls Yang Xiao Long to the stand."

Walking up to the make-shift stand, Yang faced the audience with a big smile. 'That's probably not a good sign.' Yang winked at Weiss. 'Yep, we're totally doomed.'

"Witness, please begin your testimony." Blake said dully, it seemed the need to use formal words -in place of, well, normal human speech- was starting to wear down her enjoyment of the role.

"Sure thing, Kitten." Blake let out a noise resembling a growl, which certainly didn't help her case. "Right, so I was heading to the library- don't laugh, Ruby, I was, really! Look, I was going there after doing some exercise at the gym since I had to get a book for one of my classes, and I saw Pyrrha heading toward the dorm. I know she was with Port going over something just before that, she had mentioned that when we were sparring together, so I figured she was just getting back from that."

"Your honor, this is pointless. While it's true we know Pyrrha went to see Port earlier, unless Miss Xiao Long's testimony provides some evidence to prove Ruby's innocence, then it's a waste of our time."

Yang shook her head, chuckling softly. "Not so fast, I was just about to get to that part. Thing is, this was right around six-fifteen. If she was heading to the dorm at that time, she would have reached Jaune before Nora ever got there- so why is it she wasn't around when we found out he'd been attacked?"

'Well, that certainly made my job easier.' Weiss thought to herself. "Yang, are you certain it was Pyrrha you saw?"

The blonde nodded. "I'm pretty sure; it was a little crowded, but her hair stands out a lot." Weiss's eyes widened. 'Red hair….'

"I call Pyrrha Nikos to the stand!" She shouted. It was so obvious, Nora was still the hyperactive girl they all knew, any "mystery" created by her wouldn't exactly be complex or thought-provoking. There were only two girls with red hair in this whole game, and there had to be a twist. Pyrrha made her way up to the desk and took a seat.

"Pyrrha Nikos, Yang says she spotted you heading toward the dorms shortly before the attack. Do you mind telling us what you were doing at the time?" Weiss smiled, this would be over quickly. Pyrrha couldn't last forever now that Weiss knew to press her. No matter how solid her alibi would be, Weiss knew-

"I don't remember."

"... Come again?"

"I said 'I don't remember,'" she growled out, "alright? I don't know where I was."

Weiss, along with most of the room, was speechless. Nora giggled slightly for a moment, but quickly returned to her calm facade. "You… don't remember?" the heiress repeated, dumbstruck. 'Of all the alibis she could have used… that's the testimonial equipment of saying your dog ate your homework.'

"Well I think I know where you were." Weiss said, recovering quickly, "You were the one who attacked Jaune, then ran off and left Ruby to take the blame!"

Pyrrha shook her head rapidly. "No! It wasn't me! Why would I have attacked him anyways? I had no reason to, he didn't do anything to me. He chose me over Ruby, why would I be mad?" Jaune tried to voice another complaint about his character's actions, but Nora slapped a hand over his mouth.

Loathe as she was to admit it, however, Weiss had to admit the invincible girl had a point. It was Ruby who'd been hurt, not Pyrrha. "Well, that's not necessarily true…." All eyes turned to Yang. "I mean, well, I heard Jaune talking about it after it happened. He said he was going to get back together with Ruby, not keep a relationship going with Pyrrha."

Pyrrha's eye twitched. 'Even in a fictional story, Jaune still doesn't end up with her- I wonder if that's just a fundamental law of the universe.' "Pyrrha Nikos, I believe you were the one who attacked Jaune Arc!"

"Wait, if you'd let me just tell you-" but Weiss would not let her get in another word, she needed to keep up her momentum before Pyrrha could make any sort of defense.

"You harbored feelings for him since the day you two met, but he never noticed. Then he starts going out with Ruby, just another insult to you, but he wasn't done yet. Finally he goes out with you, after all this time you finally get your shot; but then he abruptly breaks it off and picks Ruby. To be ignored so long, then finally get what you want only for it to be yanked away from you again- you must have been furious. He'd given you a view of what could have been, only to toss you aside."

Weiss started strolling around the room as she went on, not allowing Pyrrha to interrupt her at all. "You'd finally had it with him, and you needed to make him feel as bad as you did. You went to the room when you knew he'd be alone, and then you attacked him. You, a four-time champion, easily outmatched him, arguably a walking noodle. You then left the scene, and left him to be found by his friends."

"Ruby got there first, and was furious to see what had happened to him. Nora then arrived, and misinterpreting the situation, caught Ruby. When he woke up, all he remembered was red hair- something you and Ruby share- and you thought it was over. Unfortunately for you, it wasn't so simple, and your simple 'I don't remember' response won't be enough to get you out of this. What do you have to say about that?"

"Check the infirmary."

"What?" Weiss replied, her energy leaving her in an instant.

"This is what I was trying to tell you. I don't know what I was doing, but I ended up there somehow, and I came back to the dorm as soon as I got up. You can confirm that with the nurse. I didn't know what I did to get there, my memory's fuzzy, but if I'd thought you would accuse me as the culprit I'd have mentioned the rest of it sooner."

Weiss deflated like a popped balloon. Even if it was unlikely, however, there was still a chance this was just a stalling tactic on Pyrrha's part. The defense attorney could only hope that was the case.

Nora stood up. "Okay, we're going to have a break now. Ren and Weiss come see me, you each get some time to do investigations between sessions. Blake, dismiss everyone."

Blake, who'd been sitting on the edge of her seat, nodded her head. "Alright, court is now in recess." She sighed heavily and leaned back in her chair.

Yang walked up to her. "Uh, Blakey? You okay? You seem a little… tense."

"I just really don't want to mess up, Yang! What if I charge an innocent person? I don't want to get this wrong!"

"You do know this is still just a game, right?"

Tuning out from their conversation, Weiss went up to Nora. "Hello, Nora. I suppose I should ask how to confirm whether Pyrrha's telling the truth."

"Mhmm!" the valkyrie hummed cheerfully, "you've got enough time to look at one thing before court starts again. Would you like to speak with the nurses, the teachers, the crime scene, or one of the witnesses here?"

Weiss paused. She understood why it would be beneficial to visit the nurses, crime scene, or witnesses, but why were the teachers on that list? What could they know? 'All the same, I need to confirm where Pyrrha was.'

"Nurses it is, I suppose." She responded.

Her nightmare had come true. Pyrrha had been in a bed during the entire timeframe the attack could have occurred within. Her one suspect, and consequently way to protect Ruby, was a bust. She didn't know what Ren would have done with his time during the break, but she could only hope it didn't make things worse.

Pyrrha had been carried in by Professor Port, claiming that she'd passed out in the middle of her visit to his office. She remembered seeing that Pyrrha had mentioned planning to meet with him in the background information of the case, but it was more than that. She had a feeling that there was something she had been missing, something important, but she just couldn't figure out what it was.

Sitting down on her bed beside Ruby, Weiss looked across the room at Ren. The boy sat opposite her, his face completely impassive. It annoyed her that she couldn't get a read on him, but there wasn't much she could do about it- he could keep a calm face after winning the lottery.

A thumbs up from Nora, and Blake cleared her throat. "The court is now in session. It is now the prosecution's turn to call up a witness. Ren-"

"Miles Rensworth!"

"Ren, would you please continue?"

Ren rose from his place on the bed and spoke with what would have been a smug tone were he anyone else. "I call the defendant, Ruby Rose, to the stand."

Ruby's eye widened, and she turned to Weiss in concern. The heiress nodded, encouraging Ruby to stay calm. Nervously the huntress made her way to the front and waited to begin.

"In my attempts to uncover what could have happened to Pyrrha, I remembered that she was supposedly going to visit Professor Port to discuss an assignment. To this end, I visited him while the court was in recess, and he explained what had happened. He'd begun to explain the requirements, and she slumped over completely unconscious."

Pacing back and forth, he went on. "While I think it's clear he simply had the same effect on her as he does all his classes, he didn't know what was wrong with her. Just to be safe he took her directly to the infirmary, which is where she remained sleeping until after the attack."

Weiss stood up. "While that is certainly important information, why do you need Ruby up there? Why not Pyrrha?"

Ren's face momentarily twitched, it seemed almost like a flicker of… a smile? 'Oh no.'

"Because I do not have a question for her. I do have one for Miss Rose, however. While I'd been reading through the case, I noticed you'd said you planned to visit Doctor Oobleck; but the times didn't make sense. According to what you said before all of this, you'd be with him until long after Nora found you in the dorms."

Now a slight smirk evident on his face, Weiss's opponent went for the kill. "So when I saw that he was there with Port, I asked him why he cut his session short with you. Do you want to know what he said?"

Ruby laughed nervously. "Eheheh. Not really…."

"He said he had no idea what I was talking about. You never told him that you'd come by, and you certainly never showed up." Weiss's already fair skin went downright pale at this. Looking at Ruby in shock, her fears were not assuaged whatsoever by the apologetic shrug she received.

"So, Ruby, would you mind telling us where you really were and why you lied about it?"

"Okay, okay." she said with a sigh, "Obviously I wasn't really with Oobleck. The truth is I just needed to be alone. I knew Yang would want to talk to me and keep me company, and wouldn't be happy with the idea of me just being alone, but I needed some space. I lied and said I'd be with a teacher since she wouldn't come with me or tell me to blow it off, the I just went out to a quiet spot away from the dorm."

Looking Weiss in the eyes, she spoke with more confidence than before. "But I didn't hurt Jaune! I wasn't thinking about when I said I'd be done with Oobleck and just came back. When I got to our room, I saw JNPR's door was open slightly. It was dark inside, but I could see Jaune lying on the ground, and when I saw there was some blood, I was really angry- someone just attacked one of my friends, even if he did upset me! That's when Nora tackled me from behind, and you know the rest."

Ruby looked down at her lap, but Ren wasn't quite done. "Do you have anyone who could back your story up, did anyone see you on your walk?"

"I…" Ruby faltered, her tone giving away what her answer would be, "no, I don't think so. It was really empty out since it was late, and I don't think I saw anyone; that was kinda the point."

The prosecution attorney nodded to himself as if he'd expected that to be the case. "So you're telling us that you were upset with Jaune, went for a walk, and came back just after the attack? And you have nobody that can confirm your story? I'm sorry, but I think it's clear what happened."

Pointing at Ruby, he said, "Ruby was still upset with Jaune for what he did, so while everyone was away, she went to the dorm and attacked him. Unfortunately for her, before she could slip away Nora turned up and apprehended her. We have motive, opportunity, and we know you were at the scene of the crime. Unless you can give the court a better explanation of what could have happened, then I'd say there's no need to continue this."

'This is it. I've lost, there's no way I can protect Ruby from that. He's proven just about everything he needs to, and just to top it off he also showed Ruby lied to us at least once. She has no credibility, and I've got nothing to prove her innocence.' Weiss groaned. It had been going so well up until the break. Ruby seemed innocent, and she had been so sure it was Pyrrha! Why had she so foolish as to run with that theory so quickly?

'Wait….'

The Schnee gasped and shot to her feet. "Blake, er, your honor! I can prove Ruby is innocent!" All eyes in the room turned to her, muttering came from the witnesses, and Nora wore a poorly concealed smile behind her hand.

"Well then, by all means, go ahead!"

"I call Yang Xiao Long back up to the stand!"

After the blonde took her place in confusion, Weiss launched into her speech. "We all know Pyrrha wasn't even awake at the time of the attack, and I know Ruby couldn't have done it, so I needed to figure out who really could have done it. I was wondering why I was so sure it was Pyrrha, and that's when it came to me."

Turning to face Yang, Weiss went on. "It was your testimony. You had stated that you saw Pyrrha going towards the scene of the crime shortly before it occurred. In my panic, I almost forgot that was why I had accused her; but given some time to think, I realized what's really going on."

"And, uh… what would that be?" The blonde asked nervously.

"That you're the real culprit! Your testimony is directly contradictory of the facts, you couldn't have seen Pyrrha there because she was unconscious in the infirmary!" Weiss shouted triumphantly.

"W-well it was really crowded!" Yang protested, "I thought it was her, but maybe I just mistook someone else for Pyrrha!"

Weiss smirked and shook her head. "I find that hard to believe. As we heard in Ruby's account of where she was, it was very empty outside- she didn't see a single person. Nora's testimony reinforces this by having mentioned that it was already dark out, not many people would be walking around outside at the time."

The brawler seemed to be at a loss for words, her eyes were wide with panic. "But… but that doesn't make me the criminal! I wasn't even a suspect, why would I go up and lie if that could only get me in trouble!?"

"That's what I asked myself at first, but I thought back and realized something- you've been saving my case again and again. You gave us a motive for Pyrrha, you placed her at the scene of the crime, you called into question what she was doing. This whole time you've been trying to get her convicted, and it's obvious why- it's the same reason you attacked Jaune in the first place- Ruby."

"Your tendency to be an overprotective older sister are well-known. You probably didn't approve of Jaune dating her in the first place, and then he crossed the line and cheated on her. He and Pyrrha hurt your sister, so you were going to make them regret it."

Blake leaned forward. "Yes, about that- how did everything come together like this?"

"Easy. Yang's plan was simple: She was going to beat the crap of out Jaune, and let Pyrrha take the blame- two birds with one stone. Back in sparring class we'd all talked about where we'd be that evening. Yang knew when Jaune would be alone in his room, and that Pyrrha was supposed to be the first one to get back, so that's when she attacked. Her plan would have worked perfectly if it wasn't for two things she didn't see coming."

"Pyrrha would fall asleep while with Port, and Ruby would lie to her."

"In her mind, Pyrrha would arrive at the room first, and Ruby would have a solid alibi with Doctor Oobleck. Instead, however, Pyrrha was sent to the infirmary, and Ruby came back early- just in time to be caught by Nora."

"What about the red?" Blake asked, "Yang doesn't wear any, nor does she have red hair."

"True, but when she's angry her eyes turn red. It's a side effect of her semblance, and she was most certainly furious at the time." Facing away from Blake, Weiss proceeded with her argument. "This brings us back to the beginning of the case where Nora was so sure Jaune had been watching television with Ruby. When she got upstairs, though, it was off. It doesn't make sense that the attacker would have taken the time to turn it off, but Yang's semblance accounts for this. Her hair glows like fire, making the flickering, changing light that Nora saw from the ground."

"You're recklessly impulsive, incredibly defensive of your little sister, and let's not forget how quick you resort to violence. Your fighting style is all about using your fists, you're more than capable of punching through Jaune's impressive aura, and you certainly have reason enough to do so."

Yang looked around the dorm is desperation for some kind of defense. "You can't prove any of that, though! Okay, yes, I lied on the stand to protect my sister, but the rest of that's just a theory- you have no evidence actually incriminating me! How do you intend to actually back up any of what you've just said!?"

"I don't," Weiss replied with a victorious grin on her face, "I don't need to. You did all of this for your sister, and that's why you're going to confess. While I can't prove it was you who attacked Jaune, somebody's going to pay for that attack regardless. Pyrrha's already above suspicion, and the only one left who could have done this is Ruby."

"She was at the scene, she acted suspiciously, and she had plenty of reason to hurt him. If Blake doesn't find you guilty, it will be Ruby."

That was it. Weiss gambled it all. 'I just admitted that Ruby very well could be the culprit in front of everyone. If Yang doesn't confess, there's no coming back from this.'

A flurry of emotions crossed her face before she let out a big sigh and hung her head. "I did it. I was the one who assaulted Jaune. Ruby's innocent."

Blake smiled. "Well, I suppose in the face of a confession, I find the defendant, Ruby Rose, not guilty."

Yay, Weiss saved the day! And it was surprising how well they all stayed in character during the trail, wasn't it?

Yeah, anyways, there's an important announcement here that was in my last chapter of Hollow Fragments, so if you haven't read that, here are the parts that apply to this story:

Lots of reasons this was so late. Many can't be changed, but you can help by reviewing.

In the interest of keeping myself writing in general, I'll have to abandon my 2 story limit and alternating updates. I'll write what I want, when I want. Hopefully that keeps me going, and lets me get out some of the ideas that have been distracting me so much.

So yes. PLEASE REVIEW! That can make a world of difference, and they mean so much to me (especially those that are well thought out or share your opinions and theories). Follow, favorite, share this with people, whatever. Just know that the more I interact with you readers, the more I want to get back to writing.

You all have the patience of angels, thank you.