Blood to bleed

A/N: Here you guys go! I truly do owe you faithful readers/reviewers/alerters/subscribers! P.S. Should I up the rating? I think so XD Also, is there any Cosplayers in the Central Texas area? Preferably Temple Texas?

Chapter 7: I can still remember the words and what they meant
WARNINGS: RAPE, CHILD ABUSE, GORE. IRELAND AND NORTHERN IRELAND

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This was taking forever. My family and I were currently sitting in the court for our trial, my uncle and cousins were glaring at us with such venom I was glad looks couldn't kill. They were each in an orange jumpsuit with numbers on the front, I couldn't help the smirk that danced across my lips. Our wounds were still very fresh and they all were documented and photographed. They had no hope in getting out innocent.

"Ivan Braginski, please step up to the stand." The judge ordered, I nodded and stepped onto it, after I swore to tell the truth I sat.

"Tell us of some of the abuse you and your siblings went through." The Prosecutor stated, I nodded again.

"My uncle would get angry for the littlest of things, even if we did not clean thoroughly. He would tie us down and burn us with coals from the fire or lock us in the cellar until we begged for food and water. On one occasion I was beaten so badly I couldn't move for two days. I'm not making this out to be some sob story, and I don't care if you believe me or not, but I just want my siblings to be safe and healthy. I don't want their futures to be whisked away from them so easily." I explained. He nodded.

"I have reports here that you were cut almost in half by a machete. Is that correct?"

"Da, sir. My brother, Toris, cut a log of wood sideways instead of vertical and my uncle became enraged and made to slash at him, but I jumped in the way." He nodded again and I could see some the women in the court wiped their eyes.

"I see, so what have the cousins done to you?" The prosecutor asked. I shrugged.

"They are to afraid to mess with me, but they have tortured my younger brothers." He scribbled something down and pushed up his glasses.

"Okay, have they assaulted any of your siblings?" He asked.

"Yes, they'd beat my brothers, Eduard and Raivis. Stealing his glasses and kicking him in the stomach when he was forced to crawl on the floor to look for them. I tried to make them stop but I was too weak. I failed as a brother, but I did what I could." I fail at protecting my loved ones, I wanted to add but didn't.

"You seem to have dark circles underneath your eyes, is it relevant to the case?" The man asked, I shook my head.

"I must attend the funeral of one of my closest friends. He was stabbed to the death for nothing. That is why I put in a request to take leave on Saturday, the funeral is on Sunday." The Judge nodded his head in sympathy. The wound was still very fresh and I had to keep my head down to hide my teary eyes.

I sighed, it was my first day at my uncle's and things weren't going well. He had gotten angry over dinner and had tipped over the table, screaming and slamming his hands into the wall. We all knew he had lost his job and taken to drinking but we didn't think it would have been this bad. I swallowed thickly as I heard thundering footsteps coming closer to our shared room. The door slammed open and he was standing there with a sick sadistic grin on his face.

"Oh Ivan~" He sang sweetly, but his eyes were demonic. I shuddered and backed up against the wall. Toris, Eduard, and Raivis were asleep on the bed, being to exhausted to move.

"Come here little cute nephew! I have something to show you~" I nearly cried in fear as he grabbed me and dragged me out of the room. I could faintly recognize the hallway since it was so dark, I heard the sound of a lock. Suddenly I was thrown into the wall, the lights flickered on and I took notice of my surroundings. It was cold and dingy, mold lined the walls and a single, dirty, bulb hung by it's chain to illuminate the chamber. Fearfully I noticed cuffs on the wall and different things that looked like they could hurt. I started to hyperventilate, scooting my back against the corner and hiding my face in my legs that I had pulled up to my chest.

"We can't have that now!" He laughed and grabbed my hands, without much effort he handcuffed me to the wall and I was suspended about a foot in the air. I flailed my legs but to no avail they didn't reach the ground.

"Please! Leave me alone!" I shouted, hoping someone would hear but I knew it wouldn't work. It was in the middle of the night and everyone feared my uncle.

Without saying anything, he pulled down my pants and entered me, I felt like I was being rubbed raw and I begged him to stop. After what felt like hours he did, he left without saying anything and I was hanging there. Feeling disgusting, used, and dirty. A sticky substance slid down my thighs, but I didn't cry, I was too exhausted. Faintly I felt something warm drip off my body, it wasn't like the other substance and when I looked down I noticed the red pooling beneath me. I rolled my head the other way and fell into a comforting darkness.

"You may step down." I nodded and went back to my seat, they soon called my siblings and they told all their stories about when we lived with them. I could see the horror on their faces, including the judge who fought to keep impassive.

I hadn't planned on telling them that much, even my family was shocked. Including Gilbert. I never told them, being to ashamed of myself. I had gotten tested and I was clean but just the whole memory made me feel like I was still chained in the cellar, bleeding and used. I shook it off and pointedly looked away from my family.

I felt like crying all over again, if Alfred knew, he wouldn't ever speak to me again. Maybe Arthur, but Alfred wouldn't want someone used and aged beyond their years.

"LIES!" My cousin barked, tears of anger sliding down his face.

"What?" the Judge asked, despite himself.

"MY FATHER LOVED ME YOU BASTARD! NOT YOU! HOW COULD HE EVER LOVE YOU? I AM THE ONLY ONE HE EVER TOUCHED THAT WAY THAT WASN'T MOTHER!" The boy screamed. I could only shake my head. He had brainwashed them, slept with them, and brainwashed them some more. We truly were a messed up family.

My sister burst into tears along with Raivis, while Toris and Eduard looked away. Natalia looked nonplussed and stared straight ahead, ignoring everyone there.

The Judge started to pound his gavel and told everyone to calm down, which none of us died, in the end he ended up dismissing us for the day with a promise of the verdict tomorrow, honoring my wish to leave before Saturday. I nodded gratefully, but I couldn't miss the look of pity on his face.

We made it back to the house and I immediately headed to my old room and sprawled onto the bed. I didn't know what to feel, my heart still ached. I began to wonder when it had thawed, vulnerable and there for the taking. I suppose Alfred had already taken it, before I even knew it was beating again. I sighed and ignored the voices downstairs. Katyusha and Gilbert were talking about today's events and it ended with Katyusha dissolving into tears of self contempt.

I got up and packed my bags for Saturday, wanting to leave more than anything else.

Arthur's POV

I sighed, to tell the truth I didn't want to become a murderer. Too late for that plan of action, I though dryly. Right now I was in the park (we had tons dotting the city, one in each province), a stone statue of King Arthur bearing down on me with Excalibur as I tiredly watched everyone pass by. Happy smiling faces, with their friends, family, and lovers. It made my stomach twist with contempt and jealousy, if it wasn't for something important I would have left already. I felt a tug at my sleeve and I quickly turned around.

Kiku bowed to me, albeit stiffly and he had a growing purplish welt on his cheek after I pistol-whipped him. I nodded and gestured for him to sit beside me on the fountain.

"I thought you and I were friends." I said gruffly from lack of sleep and too many cigarettes.

"We are, it's just...Things worked against my favor." He answered, I looked at him sideways, what in the bloody hell did he mean by that?

"Could you enlighten me."

"I wasn't the one that put a price on his head and you know it. Why would I do that? Alfred and I are friends." Kiku explained. I nodded, not showing that I thought it was utter bullshit.

"Ludwig...asked me about the Yakuza and my...ties to them. I thought he was joking but before I had realized my mistake he knew about Saiko and where to find him. I didn't realize it until that boy was stabbed."

"Would you stand by him if we went until a gang war?" I had to ask. Kiku gave me a quizzical stare and I could see that he was thinking. He slowly started to nod.

"Yes, even though I do not agree with his actions, I have people to protect and siding with Ludwig is the only way to make sure that they will be okay. I know you and your friends will not harm innocents, but Ludwig will do anything to achieve his goal." Kiku sighed, he gave me a weary look and stared at his shoes.

"I know it doesn't look like it but, I did all I could to keep Yao safe from harm." He admitted. Now that I thought about it, Yao was only jumped twice and Kiku was always there to supervise or intervene when he needed to.

"Then from now until this brewing war ends, I consider you my enemy. Although I won't aim to kill you since you had no direct involvement, I suggest that you leave before I beat you within an inch of your life. Now!" I stated in a normal tone until I screamed 'now'. Kiku bowed and ran off, out of the park, presumably to Ludwig's house to proclaim his news of war. We had decided last night that we would go to arms and show them not to mess with us. Antonio had adamantly refused, so it was Alfred, Francis, Alejandro, Fatima, me, and hopefully Ivan and his siblings.

I sighed and swished my fingers through the crystal blue water in the fountain, I had always made sure that this place was clean and admirable. It reminded me of home, and I also loved the King Arthur theme. I loved my name, being named after the legendary King of Albion was cool when I was little chap.

"Hey bro!" I looked up and saw my two twin brothers, Callum and Collin, walking towards me. Both had an Irish accent except Collin's had a twinge of my accent in his. Unlike Scotty whom had flaming red hair, the twins had light brown scruffy hair that drove our mum mad. They joked with each other a lot and were rarely seen serious.

"Hullo King!" Callum laughed and kneeled with his hand on his heart in front of me. Collin smacked him on the head.

"Your as sharp as beach ball, you are Cal! He isn't a king! He is but a mere damsel in distress!" He turned towards me now and struck the exact same pose as Callum but grasped my hand and kissed it.

"My fair lady, please excuse my clot pole of a twin and come with me! My mother always did tell me I was the good looking one of the two." Collin snickered and it was Callum's turn to hit his twin.

"A face that would drive cockroaches from the Fish n' chip shop you got there." He laughed. I felt a little better, those two could always make me laugh no matter what.

"I say, it is a bit hot out here? Don't you agree Collin." A sinister glint was present in Collin's eyes. I gulped, nothing good came out of that look.

"Why I do have to agree, Callum. Artie looks a bit hot under the collar as well." They both grinned simultaneously.

"Well, let's cool down then!" All three of us plunged into the fountain, narrowly missing Excalibur's blade. Instead of icy cool water, we had failed to notice that the fountain was stagnant and it was like being boiled alive!

All three of us jumped out and our pale skin mirrored that of a lobster.

"Stupid twats." They both grinned again. Both of them worked at the Fish n' Chips stand at the park, pretty much it was a decked out horse-trailer with fryers and a cooler. Despite their earlier comments the place was very tidy and clean, that's what they prided themselves on plus they made quite a bit of cash.

"Oh yeah, before we forget Col and I are saving up to lease a small space in town for the Fish n' Chips shop, we need help to set up and we're already taking out a loan for it. Should be done in a couple months I'm sure." Callum began.

"We just need you to tell everyone! We need costumers and we were hoping if you could distribute fliers sometimes?" Collin finessed, they always did that. I nodded.

"Okay, I will." The grinned and thanked me, then pushed me back into the fountain.

"C'mon kid, We'll grab Peter and we can go for some slushies." They both said with the brightest of smiles. I smiled to and nodded, we headed home and grabbed my little brother Peter. Before no time we made it to the slushie stand that Fatima's family had.

"Oh! Yo ho ho and a slushie we'll throw! We pillage and plunder like the Swedes in heat! Eat up brothers, your slushies and treats! We kidnap and ravage like Japanese with cabbage! Eat up my brothers your earwax bandage! Oh a slushies life for me!" The twins sang off key with slushies in their hands and feet on the table. We were at another place, having too much respect for Fatima and her family to act crazy there. People were clapping and laughing.

"That was bloody awful!" I laughed, they shrugged.

"That's why you haven't seen an Irish rapper!" Callum smirked.

"Yep, we're only good creative insults and cooking!" Collin laughed. Peter and I could only agree.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter...I wanted to lighten it up a bit at the end with the debut of the twins. I kinda modeled them after Fred and George, plus I think that's how they'll totally act! P.S. Chaos of Light and Dark: I didn't think you'd find me (We know each other, we go to the same school)