Turnabout Innocence

by the Legendary Armor

Chapter One: Stolen Justice

"I know that my face is only too familiar to your sleep..."

Sadness is small in the face of infatuation, and may even be driven to becoming obsolete when infatuation grows to love and loyalty.

Each moment, each action in court led to them being further impressed by and drawn to one another. The path to true justice let their hearts blaze fiercely and their voices ring pure and true. Observers often chattered about their relationship, wondering at the passion in their souls.

Too often, they thought of one another. Apollo's mild loneliness was erased when thinking of Klavier, and Klavier's depression receded greatly at the sight of the young defense attorney. Apollo could forget his lonely childhood, and the prosecutor could ease his own pain caused by Kristoph... They found they enjoyed their work, and looked forward to each trial more than the last. More often than not, they found themselves wanting; wanting more than just sly glances and curious words. It had gotten to the point where they were both ready to make a move... and both had decided that the conclusion of the current trial would be when they did.

Murmurs ran through the court as the witness, Vincent Solomon, continued his testimony. It was becoming apparent that most people in the room were beginning to doubt the truth of the young man's words against the defendant, Mira Decano. Contradicting evidence only complicated the matter, and the judge's patience finally ran out as he ordered further investigation and brought the day's case to an end.

The people began filing out noisily, mumbling among themselves about what they thought was going to happen and the like, and Trucy decided to go tell Phoenix all about the trial before helping her brother investigate. After mostly everyone had left, Klavier sidled over to Apollo, who was also about to leave. He took him gently by the arm, smiling warmly. "Tell me. Will you be ready for tomorrow, Herr Forehead?"

Smiling slightly, the attorney replied, "Yeah. I'm going to look around and try to find more information... and then win the trial." He secretly savored the feel of that warm, beautiful hand on his exposed skin.

"Perhaps more than just the trial, ja?" Winking, he shot the attorney a dazzling smile before casually strolling away, leaving the attorney to simmer in delighted thoughts.

He'd strolled outside, and found the parking lot behind the courthouse almost totally barren. Unlocking the chain on his bike, Apollo had just climbed on when a tall, shady man dressed in dark, loose clothing walked up to him.

"Hey," he called gruffly, "you the defense in that case? The Justice guy?" His voice was low and secretive, with a dangerous edge about it.

Momentarily startled, the brunette nodded, and the stranger continued. "Alright, cool. I'm Bryan. Let me just get right to the point. Listen, I live near the streets... I know Vincent and Mira pretty well. You want more info, I'll take you to where the deal started and show you the shit Mira was using." His eyes were dark and angry, and he seemed full of hatred. It disturbed Apollo, and for a moment, he could swear he felt his bracelet tighten on his wrist.

Cautiously, Apollo inquired, "Why are you helping me, then? Is it because of the witness?"

"Yeah. Vincent's my bro; we've been tight since we were kids on the street. He's always had my back, you know? Don't want Mira messing anything up." Sadness and anxiety twisted his expression. "Come on, man. You can't let this damn thing fall through. You gotta find the truth. I don't know if Mira started this, cause there was someone else... but I don't want my friend to take the rap."

Apollo nodded solemnly. He felt a twinge of fear and wonder, but pushed it away. He needed the truth, and he would do whatever it took to find it. If this guy was lying, it would only prove helpful to the attorney in the long run if he called him as a witness. "That's all I needed to hear. I'll follow you."

It was rather late as Klavier flipped the lights on in his office; he'd found a few leads over the last few hours, but nothing too interesting. Nonetheless, he wanted to make sure everything was in line for tomorrow. Besides... it would be a wonderful day, after the trial. He would use every ounce of charm and charisma he had when he spoke, and draw close to him... He shook his head with a smile as he mentally chided himself for daydreaming.

Plopping down in his wonderfully cozy swivel chair, he twirled in it a few times before putting his case files down in front of him. He thought about the case once more; Mira Decano, the defendant, was accused of shooting the victim, her sister, Lynn Decano. It took place in the slum streets, full of thugs and the poor. Vincent Solomon claimed to have witnessed the crime... It was then when something strange caught his eye.

A single piece of paper sat on the edge of his desk, terribly out of place. It was blank but for a bit of messy, scratchy handwriting in bright red ink. Picking it up, he read to himself, Find the innocent guilty, or justice dies. That was it--nothing else, not another word. It was certainly threatening enough.

"...How very cryptic," he muttered. Perhaps just a bullying note about the trial... I'll send it down to be analyzed, just in case. I can't take any chances.

Opening the case file, he pushed the note to the back of his mind, and carefully looked over the case information before heading home with a spring in his step. Yes, tomorrow was going to be a good day... he looked forward to seeing Apollo's reaction to his honeyed words.

People parted for him as Prosecutor Gavin walked into Lobby 2, where Apollo usually was before a trial began. He caught sight of the defendant, surrounded by guards... but there was no sign of the spiky haired youth. Shrugging it off as an oddity, he strolled to Lobby 1 instead, where the witness sat with yet more guards. Apollo and Trucy were still nowhere in sight. Perhaps I'm later than I thought? Or maybe he's in the court already, for some reason. He walked to the courtroom, and peered around. Only the judge and a few others sat in the room, preparing for the trial. He spied a detective speaking to the head of security, but decided not to interrupt them. It's just trivial worry, anyway. Despite his attempt at reassuring himself, confusion ebbed in on his once-positive thoughts, putting a damper on his rapidly souring mood. The guard at the courtroom door saw him, and waved him over quickly.

"Prosecutor Gavin? Is there something I can help you with?" The man seemed edgy, unnecessarily so. He frowned as the blond spoke.

"Why, yes. I can't seem to find the defense anywhere, and I need to speak with him before the trial starts. Do you know where he is?"

"Sir, if you're talking about Attorney Justice, he won't be taking the stand today. Defense Hursting will be taking his place." He grimaced to himself, and looked back at the prosecutor with sadness in his eyes.

"...Why?" the musician asked, a sliver of dread seeping into his heart.

"After the trial yesterday, Mr. Justice never returned to his office or his home. We received this envelope not long ago... the forensic team has already analyzed it, and a search and rescue team has been sent out." Handing a plain envelope to Klavier, the old man fiddled with his mustache nervously.

A bead of sweat trickled down Klavier's tanned face as he opened it and found a note within... a note written in an all-too-familiar handwriting. Find the innocent guilty, or justice loses to crime. Distress became plain on his features as he noticed small red smears on the otherwise clean paper. Peering into the envelope, he noticed something inside it, and shook the small folder out over his palm.

A tiny, familiar golden badge fell out... covered in brilliant red blood.

To be continued in Chapter Two