"As if I'd give up!" - Speech

'Just do it already…' - Thoughts

"For him, it was easy." - Flashback / Emphasis

"Here we go, guys!" - Inhuman Speech

'Hah, ignorance.' - Inhuman thoughts

[Boost!] [Divide!] - SacredGear

*Kaboom!* *Kabam!* - Sound effects

-=Chapter 16: A Reunion of Three Friends=-

That Night

After everything had been settled, and he had been able to discuss with his brother, Kuroka and Yiko about what will be happening soon enough, Riven had then decided to end the discussion there, knowing four things.

One, Kuroka was probably already tired, so of course, after everything had been settled with, she would be returning to her cell room, napping away.

Two, Yiko was exhausted, due to trying to get used to living, when she had been… well, you know. Dead? And clearly, having lived in a situation where she doesn't have to worry about being controlled and told what to do and… well, you know that there's a lot of differences there.

Three, Aniki-san was still probably busy with a lot of other things, so he'd rather not disturb the man. He's already busy trying to manage the Underworld, so he may as well cut this discussion short.

And four… Riven really wants to go to sleep. He's already stayed up for too long, he thinks.

And so, after much time, he had then returned back to the mountains, standing on a cloud as he looked down on the forest—yes, that should be physically impossible, but the best explanation there is to this is…

Magic. Abracadabra.

That's it, to be honest.

Many tend to assume that there's some greater explanation behind this strange occurrence, but one must be mindful to remember that some things never require such a difficult explanation. It is always the simplest answer that should provide the happy ending, most of the times.

In any case, he stared down at the ground, a patch of browns and greens barely visible from here up high. And amidst the small-sized trees, there stood the mansion, white bricks and genuinely tall. There were still some lights on, so everyone must still be awake, he thinks.

He yawns.

"Man… I really can't wait to go to sleep after this. I honestly don't want to wake up," he said to himself as he scratched the back of his head.

"Not gonna' happen. You're still going to have to train everyone tomorrow, you know," giggled the dragoness in his soul in his response, getting a groan.

Without further delay, he warped into his room through a magic circle, a simple trick he had picked up after watching Grayfia do it almost all the time. Immediately spotting his bet, it was the first thing to do to sit on it and get a moment to catch his breath.

Before he had come here, however, he had actually spent a bit of time in his room back in Sirzechs's mansion—to which he insists that it is home to the boy just as much as it is his own—to write a letter about the case to be sent off to the head of the Underworld—Zekram Bael, the leaders of the Devil Elders.

And then, well, everything else was history.

Two days. Today was a Tuesday, so on Thursday, he'd put this case that had Kuroka as a criminal to its end. He hadn't informed his parents, his sisters, his friends… No one knew, except he himself, Sirzechs and Kuroka. And Yiko and Eve, he supposed.

Although, to be honest, he wasn't sure what was going to be the outcome of it all, but he may as well just go for it.

One thing for certain, it wasn't going to be right to just leave everyone else in the dark. They deserved to know, after all.

Sighing, he got off from his bed and left his room, already missing the warmth of the bed.

He was at the living area for only the briefest of moments before everyone's attention shifted to him, and the teenager was quite thankful that no one saw him jump.

"Riven, there you are," Yuri rose from her seat, looking at her son with concern. "Where have you been? None of us have seen you at all the entire day. You weren't even here to train the others this afternoon."

"A-Ah, mother…" He flinched when her hand made contact with his face. The smooth skin against his own was comforting, but he really didn't need something to, ehh… 'distract' him "Sorry about that… I had an urgent business to take care of. I was with Aniki-san the whole time."

"Sirzechs?" Rias perked up, walking to him before taking his hands. "Riven, where were you exactly?"

"That's… exactly why I came back. To tell you," he calmed her, gently prodding her hands off of his—distant memories of that night showed up, but he was quick to dismiss it, hoping that such a thing was just a spur of the moment and nothing more. "This… it's important. Very, very important. It's concerning Koneko."

"What?" The girl herself was busy sucking on a lollipop, but ultimately chose to set it aside. Judging by how serious her most favourite person in the world sounded, this must mean it was extremely important. "Yes, Riven?"

"I… I'd like to apologise, for not notifying you about this earlier," he spoke with a genuinely apologetic tone, giving a low bow that matched his words, much to her embarrassment.

"W-W-Wait, it's alright! I-I don't even know what it is!" She frantically waved her arms in front of her, sighing in relief when he finally stood back up.

"Koneko… No, Shirone," when he called her by her real name, looks of confusion were etched onto the faces of many, but those who did know who possessed the name, looked surprise. "I… met your sister today. She's been detained, isn't she?"

"Wait, how did you know about Koneko's sister?" The red-haired heiress looked a cross between surprised and confused. He couldn't decide whether she was one of them, so he decided both worked.

"Well, for one, we met a really long time ago," he responded with the most nonchalant tone ever, looking at the ceiling. "I remember almost getting myself killed, but then Kuroka had been there to save me. Then she and Shirone had watched over me in the meantime."

"Almost got killed?!" Paled Yuri, unable to believe him.

"Aah, it wasn't bad! I didn't die, so that's something, right?" Nervously chuckled her son before he continued. "Anyways, this Thursday, I'll be going to court—"

"WHAT?!" Everyone basically yelled at him, utterly in dubiety as they stared at him, eyes wide with horror.

What had he done wrong?! They knew for sure that he wasn't a bad person to begin with! He was a kind person who spent time helping others, never having committed crimes in his entire life! What had he—

"Guys, not in the way you think!" He cried out, instantly smacking everyone out of their thoughts. "I'm not guilty of anything! I'm still safe, I didn't do anything wrong, I'm innocent! Let me explain!"

His simple outburst, added with the comical manner of him basically trying to get them to stop, instilled in them the knowledge that there was nothing wrong. With that, a collective soprano of sighs.

"So, why are you going to court?" Satan was the first to ask. He trusted that his son had good intentions to do so. If this was a study trip, though, they could always make time for it after the Rating Game.

Then again, he could never really think of why someone would actually want to go to some boring place where people decided whether someone should either be sent to prison, hung to death or be freed for a study trip.

Even a horse barn sounded more interesting.

…Cut that thought. Horses were scary.

"Basically, I'm summoning the true culprit behind the two sisters' case and initiating a sort of agreement with him, so to speak," he explained getting looks of confusion from everyone there.

"What do you mean by that?" It was such simple words, but even Issei found himself unable to understand.

"I'm just going to make him confess. Or, if need be, I'll see to it that we can strike an official deal of sorts just so that Kuroka's name will be cleansed of the supposed 'wrong' that she's committed," the prince added, getting an understanding 'Oh!' from the brunette, before it turned into a shocked 'Eh?!'.

"Whoa, damn, that's something," gulped Freed, a look of surprise on his features. "I mean, you're going to be fighting for an S-ranked criminal. You know, just from that information alone is going to get attention from the entire Supernatural world."

"No kidding. It will gain much attention, and I have no doubts that you will be put into the spotlight almost immediately," nodded Kiba in agreement.

"R-Riven, a-are you sure about this..?" Weakly asked the girl with white hair.

"Don't worry too much. Nothing's going to happen, I know it. Besides, I'm going to do my full best to make sure absolutely nothing will go wrong. That, I swear on my name as the son of Satan," he raised an arm, pounding it to his chest, a look of pride on his face that truly showed just how certain and determined he felt…

Before dropping to both his knees, whining and clutching the part where he hit himself at.

"R-Riven!"

"S-Sorry..! I may have hit myself a bit harder that time…"

"D-Damn… My son's become a man..!" Sniffed the burning wolf with pride.

And such was the night.

That, despite the seemingly heavy situation that was revolving around his friend, that which her sister was now in jail, and that he would be fighting for her case.

In all truths, however, he had not been planning to take things lightly to begin with. He had a responsibility to uphold, as a friend. And to repay the deeds that which two sisters had saved him, after having found him in a forest, alone and almost dead.

But for now, as long as there was laughter, as long as everyone were happy, he was happy.

The Next Night

Let it be known that the 'Demonic Blueblood' is indeed the son of the great demon king Satan and an exorcist. A unique couple with unique personalities respectively.

He was many things. An achieved student, a passionate learner, a loving individual, and one who was always willing to help someone out.

But in a world where danger doesn't necessarily take form as a… let's say, a wooden splinter, or a car accident, there is also the possibility of the biotic components. People, or monsters, ready to kill and destroy. And what then?

Will humans merely let themselves be reduced to mere waste? Heavens, no! Such prideful things, they are. They will not let something stronger than them to stop them.

No. In fact, they would rise and become stronger.

Riven had taken this lesson to heart, having believed initially that he could have been a human from the very beginning, only to rethink that when he learnt that he does indeed have the blood of a demon pulsing through his veins.

And, well, if your dad's Satan himself, it would make sense that you are powerful too, yeah?

*Boom!*

Well, for someone like him, a life-threatening situation was going to be a cakewalk.

Riven ignited his father's blue fire, setting off a powerful explosion that decimated the creatures that, just earlier, had him surrounded—silently muttering an apology to the poor things that were engulfed in the chain of explosions.

Wolves of some kind, yet larger than usual. Their eyes gleamed red as they stared down their target, ready to rip him apart with their silver fangs.

Trusting his body, he leapt forwards, pulling out Ascalon and Gram before cleaving two wolves in half. He parried an attack meant for him from behind, ending its life with a swift kick to the neck. The snap that came afterwards only solidified the fact that it was dead.

He leapt backwards, casting thunder at them, perfected with help from Akeno—who says that you can't learn more? He watched it zip from his hands, blasting away the canines with a smooth flow and leaving them charred.

After everything was done, when all the wolves were either dead or had already fleed, he deactivated [Royal Arcana], sighing. That skirmish took a little longer than he initially thought it would be.

Just this morning, the training had gone just right. Everyone were improving, just as he expected. It seems that Gasper and Asia finally got the hang of the magics he's assigned them with. Rias was just the same as ever, except he had her try to focus on applying her Power of Destruction in close combat. Akeno's mastery over water and ice were spectacular, able to cast the strongest type of said magic affinities. Everyone else did splendidly, and he was happy with the results.

'Mother was right. They just needed time,' he smiled, looking up to the little moon up in the sky.

During this whole week, he had been wondering on what he should be doing.

Honestly, to be deciding on saving Kuroka was something that he himself never thought he would honestly do in his entire life, but he supposed things happen every now and then.

Really, though, to think the very same girl who had saved him many years ago, from dying at the hands of a random assassin, was now an S-rated criminal who had been convicted of such a label against her will. One that, to this day, he still remembers. Like fate deciding to mess up with the entire story somehow.

But really though, he was more focused on saving Kuroka now.

His family continued to call him powerful. But his desire to grow stronger only grew as his desire to protect his family and friends for as long as he drew breath as well. Or was it that he wanted to be an excellent leader for his peerage? Issei and Freed definitely seemed to look up to him, no matter the situation.

Then again, he never really wanted to have a peerage. His initial plans was to fight under his sister's banner, so yeah.

"Man, I can't believe I didn't see this coming…" Sighed the teenager as he fell back onto the grass, feeling soil against his head. "Gotta' admit, that's pretty bad of me, huh Eve?"

"Riven… Stop holding yourself responsible for what happened," Eve's voice rung from his cross-earring, a soft scolding. "You know no one blames you for what happened to Kuroka. You weren't even there to begin with!"

"Well, yeah, but…" He raised his legs into the air before guillotining it back down. "But I should have known, Eve!"

"Milord, you had left long before the incident even occurred. How were you supposed to know everything?" Snorted the dragon.

"But dang… I made a promise when I was still a kid to make sure that everyone around me is happy! And look at what I did! I messed up, damn it. I just…" Sighing, he lacked the words to put his thoughts into an understandable phrase. Sure, he already knew what he felt, but he just couldn't reach it.

"Listen, milord. There are some things you can't always be there to stop, you know. So what if you didn't know? They don't hate you for that, because it was none of your business," she could tell that the teenager was someone who liked to pry into other's businesses, mostly to help and nothing more.

"…True, it's not my business. Then again, if you want to help someone, you need to know stuff about them to begin with, am I right?" He asked back, getting nothing as a response.

Looking up to the midnight sky, it was hard not to notice the millions of stars littered everywhere on the black paper called the vast space. And was that Leo? He could barely make out Big Dipper in the sky.

Space… something of which he had dreamed of reaching out to when he was a child, but he knew that Earth was a more beautiful world to stay on.

He was more than happy to be here. Plus, there were things that he had to do. And really, he needs to fix things.

"…Hey Riven?" She called, sounding surprisingly scared. The tone was a little bit shaky, a change not most would notice, but her partner did.

"Yeah?" He ignored it for now.

"There's a… umm… Actually, never mind! Sorry for bothering you!" Tried as she might, but even she couldn't stop the lad whenever he got curious.

Something she had learnt so many years of living with her.

"Hey, hey, you can't just leave me hanging, you know! The suspense is killing me!" He cried out, wanting to know so very badly what was troubling her.

"Nngh… W-Well, it's something really small, to be honest, so you don't need to worry too much about it…" She replied.

"Eve, just tell me what's the problem. I'm willing to listen," his chuckle held with it a soft tone, soothing to her ears.

Chewing on her lips from within the cross-earring that lay rested against the grass due to his position, she pondered on whether she could honestly open up to him…

Only to tell herself that she could. That he was her lord—no, friend. Her partner, as he sometimes liked to refer to himself.

"Weeellll… It's just that, I had a nightmare a few nights ago," she admitted, getting a hum. Riven folded his arms behind his head, deciding to focus on her words. "It wasn't like anyone dying, to be honest. More like… like I lost a part of me."

It was hard to put it into words, knowing that she had made a vow not to reveal too much. But she knew where she could and could not say things, so she delved a bit more deeper into this.

"See, before I was a part of your soul, I was… actually another person. Not a human, I can tell you that much," she added the last part quickly. "I was something else. A… manmade thing, I think. And I remembered that there had been three parts of me."

"So one of them is your current self, and the other two is possibly the ones you say have been lost?" He asked, getting her to blink. He was surprisingly right, it seems, and it honestly surprised her.

"Y-Yeah. Adam and Eden, two other beings that were me. Or, other parts of me, I suppose," Eve sighed, realising that this was way too hard to verbally explain. "I remembered being put in a manmade world by my creator, and he had tried to kill everyone else in there. So I had to stop him, but… I guess, along the way, I came to develop feelings."

"In a manmade world… You came to love others, respect them, and you never became a lone wolf. Where your initial objective was to defeat your creator alone, it was the fact that you met all these people that you developed feelings, which prompted you to go out of your way to protect everyone," he voiced out her next words himself, getting her to gasp.

It was so easy to forget it. To forget the simple fact that he was a prince, the most intellectual person in this entire world.

Hidden behind the innocent smiles, the cheery gazes and clumsy movements, he was indeed a prince. You'd just have to look hard enough to notice it.

"Y-Yeah. You're right," she coughed into her talons, suddenly finding this to be pretty awkward. "My loved ones… I don't know what happened to them. I don't even know whether they made it out alive. I don't even know their names. But even then, I have no regrets. I now live here, with you, and I promised to serve you."

"I see…" It was so much to absorb. To understand, but he was fine with it. "A really long story, and I still feel that you're hiding way too much from me, but that's in your own rights. Now I want to know why you're telling me all this."

"Because I trust you, milord. I've never disclosed this to anyone else besides you, because I've seen you grow. Lived with you my entire life, and I know that you're the most trustworthy person there is," she hummed back. "Plus, I want you to know one more thing."

"Know what?" He quirked an eyebrow.

"I… don't regret things anymore. And as far as I know, my selves are gone, but I'm still breathing. I have a mission to uphold, just as they once did," there was the sound of longing in her voice, laced with admiration. "And that is to serve you, and help you towards your own ending."

"Hehe, then I'd better work hard to get the 'Good Ending' of this story," he chuckled, pushing himself off the ground. "Well then, I think we should get some shut eye. Plus, I'm going to need a sandwich."

"Haha, you and your need to eat, milord," she giggled.

And thus, the prince warped away, his mind clearer and Eve's heart much lighter. They found a confidant in each other, though they already knew that from the very beginning.

Somewhere Else, Beyond the Touches of Space and Time

"You have done well, Eve…" Snake smiled, laying his gigantic tail against a pillar, making sure not to rock it backwards. He casted a grin at his friend. "I'm surprised, though. To think that she ultimately chose to speak about this to the young lord."

"Indeed, it is. A pleasant surprise, however. Now their trust in one another is stronger," the man chuckled, the tomb at the centre of the room pulsating. "You must agree, it must have taken a lot of courage for her to do so. I mean, it's not easy to tell anyone that you came from another world, much less lived as a boy. Wait, did she say that last part?"

"I don't believe so. Well, it's simple to say that she has been reincarnated, then," he nodded, breathing fire into the air. Rather than smelling like fumes and combustion, it had the fresh scent of mint in it. "I do wonder why that has happened though. Do you know why?"

"Do you know the man who created the mechanical beings?" Drake this time, letting his leg rest on the other in a crossing way. He chuckled, delicately brushing his fingers along the throne's edges. "It's as he has said, 'Some things are best left forgotten, forever'."

And the man and dragon decided that it was the best answer.

Thursday—Court Skaði

It was 11.00 a.m. The single day he'd have the strength to free Kuroka from her prison. To set her free from the sin she had not committed—even then, he would never dare point fingers at Shirone either. To remove the blind debuff from the masses.

Okay, maybe he has been playing a bit too many games, but let's put that aside.

He had left the mansion they were staying at early, with everyone else joining him a moment later. Arriving at the court, it was a difficult task for every man and women there to avert their gaze from the prince.

He walked straight in, already fitting the role he was to play for the day. And in all honesty, when he came to Grayfia earlier that morning, asking for some advice and whatnot, he didn't expect her to suddenly go scared with worry.

Maybe he should've asked for the clothes before he told her that he was going to court.

Anyways, after making sure to explain everything properly to her, which finally got her to calm down—much to his appreciation—she had then decided to help him with his clothing.

Dressed in a black suit with a white shirt underneath and black pants, the red tie he wore was the only thing that was out of the ordinary. Black boots clacked against the floor as he strode across the room, the confident look on his face earning him points among those that saw him.

Although, it felt kinda' tight. And suffocating.

Off to the spectators' area did everyone go to. They couldn't help but worry, considering that he was going to do this alone. Even then, they decided to trust Riven on this. He was always one hell of a miracle worker. There would be no doubt he would be able to do it again.

And there, descending the stairs, was his brother himself, red-haired and everything, wearing a business suit that matched his appearance. Red exteriors with a white shirt, he opted to go with a cravat instead, giving him a sort of 'French look'. He came to Riven, hands pocketed in his blue pants.

"Aniki-san?" There was a brief moment of silence, before he spoke up once more, confused. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to assist you," he answered with a simple smile. "This may be your case, but I've seen my fair share of detective anime. The attorney always had an assistant, didn't they?"

"Hmm, true," he nodded in understanding. "But hey, thanks for me helping me out. I… don't think I would have been able to do this on my own."

"Of course, brother. Any time," he smiled back, now standing by the prince's side, awaiting the moment. "Plus, two things."

"What things?"

"Grayfia would have killed me if I didn't help you."

"Oh. And the second thing?"

"You're starting yourself off with a homicide trial right off the bat. Isn't that exactly like Phoenix Wright?"

"Hush, brother. We don't need to talk about that…"

Thirty Minutes Later

*Tuk. Tuk. Tuk.*

Walking to where the defendants were seated at, Kuroka could not help but feel nervous as she awaited the tapestries of fate to unveil, undoubtedly determining where her head lies.

Either on her shoulders, or off to the guillotine.

Riven had read on what sort of system the Underworld was using. They were using the 'bench trial' system which was much easier, if he had anything to say about it. It was where both prosecution and defence would face each other, wielding evidence to either make or break. Though he had read up on those lead by the jury, he found himself particularly in an advantage here, for some reason he himself doesn't know.

"The court is now in session," the judge spoke, his grey hairs ever at the ready, taking his seat. "For the trial of Miss Kuroka, the S-rated criminal of the Underworld."

Immediately as he said that, sneers and distrusting looks were sent towards her way, making her hang her head. The people wondered just why the wonderful prince was fighting for her.

"The prosecution is ready, Your Honor," the devil who was playing the role as prosecutor stood there, grey suit ready.

"The defense is ready, Your Honor," Riven answered right after.

Immediately, where the judge sat, the walls seemed to shift, before swivelling, revealing high resolution TV's, separate for each lawyers to use.

'Damn, this place is rich,' the prince whistled in his mind, honestly amazed that they got this for the court.

"Very well. Your opening statement, Mr. Dweilinder," the judge spoke.

"At once, Your Honor," he bowed, before beginning to speak up, as the picture of the master came to fill in his own TV. "The victim is Marko Freija, a forty-four-year-old human-devil halfbreed, who lived in the village close to the Underworld's borders," the picture shifted to his house and barn. "Years ago, he was found dead in his own house," the picture shifted once again, showing him sprawled on the floor, burnt from Shirone's senjutsu attack. "We have concluded that he had been murdered from the autopsy results and the state of the scene. Time of death is estimated to be around 7 to 8 p.m. The cause, a senjutsu attack. I may not be able to present evidence to the court, but the defendant is indeed possessing such power."

'Dear Maou, couldn't you have not taken everything from the anime..?' Riven sweat-dropped.

"Is what Mr. Dweilinder said true?" The old devil asked.

"…Yes," the girl knew her position well, and had to abide by its laws lest her execution comes to her faster.

"Accepted," he nodded. "However, we would like proof that she was there at the time. Do you have any?"

"Of course, Your Honor. The prosecution would like to call its key witness to the stand," Dweilinder voiced out, gaining several mutters of surprise from the crowd.

"Very well. Escort the witness to the stand," the old devil commanded.

In walked the witness of the 'crime scene', Fijar Kuroshima, who was really a burly man with a cold gaze, dead red eyes and running black hair.

"Hello," the witness greeted, giving a postured bow.

"Damn… He has a witness…" Riven held every urge he had just to bite his thumb.

"This certainly won't be easy, that much is certain," the red-haired Devil Maou nodded.

"Please state your name and occupation," the judge requested.

"I am Fijar Kuroshima. I dabble in the works of a humble apothecary," he greeted, sounding much too dignified to just be an apothecary, in Riven's head.

"Please tell the court what you saw on the day of the murder," he requested once more.

A nod from Fijar, and the prince in the room was more attentive than ever.

"As part of my business, I travel around the region, selling medicine that I have concocted at home. That day, I was about to sell my latest homemade medicine to the house owner, when I saw a black Nekomata hurriedly leaving the vicinity of the area," he recounted. "I was somewhat concerned, so I looked inside, wondering what was going on. And then, I found him. A man lying, close to the wall, dead. Of course, I was not prepared to go in at all, and thus had to contact the local police to secure the body."

'Hmm… Strange. He never mentioned the time… I'll get that from him afterwards,' the prince thought to himself.

"The defense may begin your cross-examination," the judge spoke once more.

"As you say," the prince nodded, placing his hand on his chin.

This was bad. Like, really bad. There was nothing wrong with the prosecutor's statement at all. He had personally taken the time to get the details from Yiko about everything, and there was no contradiction to make. Everything he said was top notch.

The only thing he could do was admit that it was Shirone who did it… but then she'd be the one put behind bars. He could get Yiko to act as witness, but he decided later.

Pouring every tactical advantage he had on the table, he only had a few cards to play. This was a risky gamble, one that would undoubtedly have his friends' lives teetering on the brink of life and death. And he was going to win it, no matter what.

First, the time.

"Mr. Kuroshima, I noticed that, during your statement, you had not spoken of the time," he pointed out. "I'd like to know what time it was when you discovered the body."

"Ah, yes, forgive me. It slipped my mind," he chuckled. "I was there around 4.50 p.m. When I called the police, they arrived an hour and ten minutes later, and determined his death to be two hours ago."

'So the autopsy was done on 6 p.m, huh?' He clicked his tongue in mild annoyance, a brief look of sympathy on Kuroka. She was in a bad position, and he wasn't helping at all.

"Riven," Sirzechs called, earning his brother's attention. "Here, you may want to use this."

Handing his brother the autopsy report, Riven briefed through the report. It was important to check it, in case there were details that could ultimately prove to be his trump card in this verbal war of evidence, testimony and verdicts.

Upon finishing, his eyes widened in surprise.

"A chance…" He muttered to himself, before raising his voice. "Your Honor, there is a mistake the witness has made!"

"Really? And which part of it?" He asked.

"What the prosecutor informed us of, is that the autopsy revealed his death to be around 7 to 8 p.m. However, this contradicts with the witness's statement, as he said that the death happened at four," he pointed out, a visible flinch from the witness.

"Well, witness? What is your statement?" The judge asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"A-Ahaha… I made a small error, I see. Although, I do not truly see what is so important about the time here," he smiled, earning a hum of thought from the prince. "Milord, you must be careful with your words, lest you fall into a mistake you cannot climb out of from."

Riven searched the autopsy report for something once more.

A clue! That was all he needed! Kuroka's life was on the line here, and he doesn't have the luxury to folly! He had to make this work!

"Hmm..?" His eyebrows raised, the prince gasped in shock at what he read. "No way…"

"Very well then. It seems that the defense has nothing more to offer," the judge huffed, lifting his mallet. "I deem the defendant—"

"Wait, wait! I found something! And this contradicts even with the supposedly guilty's words!" He cried out, earning collective gasps from the crowd and even the ones in play.

"O-Order! Order in the court!" He smacked his mallet on the pedestal until everyone was silent. He cleared his throat before speaking once more. "I do not understand what it is that you mean."

"I, uhh…" He gulped, realising that he may have accidentally let out a slip. "Okay… I'm going to do this. I'd like to call my secondary witness to the stand."

"Secondary?" The judge tilted his head.

"Yes, well…" He looked to Shirone, the latter shuddering in response. "Shirone, will you?"

"U-Uhh…" She blinked, still in shock. After it lifted, she left the spectators' area, now standing at the stage. Except, she was far too short, so Riven lifted her to sit on it. "…Thank you…"

"Yeah," he nodded, before speaking up, loud enough so that the whole court could hear him. "Shirone, I need you to open up to everyone here. Admit to the mistakes that you believed to have made."

"W-What the hell?!" Kuroka jumped from her seat, accidentally knocking the guard supervising her backwards. "Riven, what the hell?! I thought you'd promise to keep that a secret!"

"Indeed, I have. But there is a huge contradiction in everyone's statements," he answered, look of utter disbelief shot here and there—even Sirzechs was confused.

"Very well, if you say so," the judge nodded, before staring down at the little girl. "Witness, please state your name and occupation."

"K-Koneko Toujou, or Shirone, first year at Kuoh Academy…" She whimpered slightly.

"Very well. Your statement on the matter," he pushed on.

"Shirone, you need to trust me on this," Riven sounded pleading, as if he was begging for this one moment. "I know what to do. Just tell everyone. You're my ultimate trump card, and I need you."

"Y-You need me..?" She blinked back, taking it in another way that she blushed.

"Yes, I need you," he nodded, still not understanding why her reaction was that way. "So please, just admit everything to the court. I'll deal with the rest."

Sharing this brief moment together, she weighed the decisions. On one end, she could do as Riven told her to, and allow every bit of details out for the world to know. On the other, however, she could remain silent, which could ultimately result in her sister's loss.

But most of all, she feared losing his trust. As such, she decided to put her faith on him.

"The man that raised my sister and I… We served him as our master, and lived long years together. One day, he went mad, and would beat us up during the night," it felt so hard just to say this, but the warmth that emanated from Riven's hand unto hers was enough to spur her on. "And then, he brought in another Nekomata, Yiko. After that, a few days later, he… killed her. As such, I had to kill him, using my own powers. It wasn't my sister…"

Gasps from everywhere filled the room.

"Order! Order in the damn court, please!" The judge yelled, silencing the noise with his mallet. "So you are saying that you are the one guilty, and not your sister?"

"Y-Yes…" She nodded, hoping so much that Riven could turn the tables.

"I see. So it is clear then, that you are the true culprit behind this case," he sighed. "To think that you admitted yourself to the crime."

"Except it wasn't her crime at all," the prince suddenly spoke up, earning looks of surprise from everyone.

"And what do you mean by that, Lord Riven?" Even in the court, he found it pretty embarrassing of how he was being treated as royalty as usual.

"What we have heard today, is that the victim was killed by senjutsu, based on Mr. Dweilinder's words. This is solidified by Shirone, rather it is the shift of the blame," he voiced out. "However, there is a massive contradiction to this whole case. In fact, neither Shirone nor Kuroka are the ones guilty of their master's death. All of us just didn't see it."

"Wait, what?" Sirzechs himself blinked, feeling somewhat left out.

"I've skimmed through the autopsy report, and there is a huge difference between the cause of his death," he smiled, looking confident. Good, he thought. This could get the enemy to falter.

"T-There is no way! The cause was of burning! Senjutsu does exactly that!" Dweilinder retorted.

"Indeed. Then, if you say that," he pretended to look at the report in an amused way. "Why does it state that there were traces of magic there?"

Gasps, again.

"Order!" He yelled, tired of this gag happening over and over, though he wasn't against the mallet part—it was fun!

"As you see, senjutsu is a hereditary power, passed down those of Nekomata blood. It is exclusive only to that family line, unlike magic, which can be honed by all races," he informed. "As you all know, magic relies on mana to function. However, senjutsu does not act the same way, as it is simply a… life force, as you may. You don't need mana to activate senjutsu, so this is something that I had to bring up."

"Hmm. An interesting find," the judge nodded. "However, we still do not know who has caused the death of the victim."

"Well then, Your Honor, I only need to ask one last question from my witness," he smiled, turning to Shirone, who had a look of pure bafflement—understandable, as she had lived with the thought of having to have killed a man, when even she had mistaken herself all this while. "Alright, Shirone. I'd like to know, when you attacked him, when did you escape?"

"O-Oh, uhh…" She looked down, trying to remember. "I-I'm sorry. I don't remember."

"Don't worry, I still got this," he reassured her, much to her confusion. "Your Honor, now I wish to call upon my key witness to the stand. And this person is also tied to the case."

"You have a key witness?" The prosecutor blinked.

"Uhh, yeah. You know what they say, 'Always save the best for last', I guess?" He offered, getting murmurs of agreement from the crowd.

"I see. Very well, escort the witness to the stand," the judge called out.

And in came a familiar face for both the Nekomata sisters, whose eyes were threatening to bulge out of their sockets.

She stood there, at the stage, with Shirone and Fijar making space. Dressed in a blue gown, detailed with soft flower patterns that could barely be seen. The hem of the dress had golden embroidery. She wore glass slippers, almost making everyone mistake her for Cinderella.

"O-Oh my," the judge blinked, blushing for a soft while, before coughing into his fist. "Milady, your name and occupation, if you may."

"O-Oh? R-Right, sorry," she nodded, the stitching on her neck becoming visible now. "I am Yiko, a victim of my master, who is the supposed victim of this case. I am currently unemployed, though I did work part-time at a maid cafe."

"Don't tell me… Is it the one in Capital Lilith?" Riven asked, shakily groaning when he received a nod.

"Well, the place has such cute outfits! I couldn't hold myself back!" She giggled, before looking to the judge. "My master took me in when I was being chased by poachers. A few weeks after, he killed me. After that, I cannot say."

"U-Uhm, well, you say that he killed you, but you're definitely… how to put it? Alive, here," the judge pointed out, very shocked and very confused.

"Ah, yes, well," she gestured to Riven. "Lord Riven here had contacted my spirit through channeling, then revived me!"

"Huh?" Kuroka stood up. "Wait, he resurrected you?"

"It was pretty tiring, I admit that," he casted a look behind, soft gaze landing onto yellow orbs that had her face bloom in response. "But it was all worth it."

"I-I see…" She mumbled, amazed by that.

"In any case, I just need to know one thing, Ms. Yiko. What was the time when you were killed?" He asked.

"Oh, that. I was making tea for my master during the time, and it was…" She checked the clock, leering at it for a while.

"Yes..?" He pushed her.

"…I can't read clocks," she admitted, oblivious to how everyone in the room immediately fell down in a comical manner.

"Gosh darn it…" The judge sighed, picking himself up. "Okay, we'll need a digital clock. Does anyone have a digital clock?"

"Oh wait, now I remember!" Yiko smiled, earning attention from everyone. "It was around 4.50 in the afternoon!"

"My thoughts exactly," the prince grinned. "Based on what Mr. Kuroshima stated, it seems that he came upon the body at exactly that time. And when he called the police, they arrived at six. The true autopsy is between seven to eight. So I propose to you an idea, what if Mr. Kuroshima was there at six?"

"Ho? It sounds like you're trying to shift the blame to me," Fijar couldn't help but feel nervous on they inside. The look of absolute sureness from the prince scared him.

"Indeed, that is what my proposal is," he nodded. "You see, the report states once more, that they reached the crime scene only around 7.10 p.m. This is in between the timing of which it is reported of his death. If you were truly there at 4.50 p.m, it would take a whole two hours and twenty minutes for them to be there. I smell something fishy here."

"I don't…" Whispered Issei from where he sat in the crowd, getting a jab to his shoulder from Shirone.

"D-Damn it… It's no wonder you're a respected leader, milord…" He was fidgeting clearly now.

"Indeed. I don't plan to disappoint," he chuckled, before his seriousness came forth. "As such, the only reason you mentioned yourself being there at 4.50 p.m," at that, he pulled out a clock, before putting on the evidence table. "Is because the clock said so, didn't it? However, your mistake was the fact that the clock had already died, indicated by the fact that there were no batteries."

Okay, that last part he made up, but he couldn't really lie that it wasn't too bad. Then again, the look of fear that he got must have mean that what he said was indeed true.

"H-Hmph! And how can we be certain for sure that you had not tampered with the clock in the first place?" He asked, sounding like a challenge.

"Because dude, this clock is like a few years ago. Tell me how I'm supposed to do that in the first place," he sighed, being completely honest there. "Plus, I warped it home. If you don't believe me, you may run a scan over it, and will find no other fingerprints on it."

He looked to everyone in the room, all with shell-shocked looks and murmuring amongst one another. He saw no looks of challenging, and the prosecutor who was supposed to be backing Fijar looked like he wanted to run.

"In any case," his voice raised up, getting everyone's complete attention. "I have the complete story in my mind."

And in such a short time, it was just the two of them, staring down at each other with a look of malice, Fijar, and steady composure, Riven.

"So, it is either me presenting it to the court, or you could speak now," he offered, earning a look of maddening frustration from the supposed 'witness'.

"So, Mr. Kuroshima, is there anything that you wish to say?" The judge asked, eyebrow raised in curiosity.

The tables have been turned. The cards have been played well. For some reason, he could feel his [Royal Arcana] accumulate with power, much to his confusion.

"Go on, Fijar. Everyone are just dying to know," Riven chuckled, before his expression grew sombre. "And I'm sorry that I can't ascertain your true reason for doing this. I only discovered the reason why you did all of this just now. But I think I can put in a bit of light on this issue of yours."

He pulled out a letter, shocking Fijar.

"This letter. It was your mistake to put in your address from the very beginning," he placed the letter on the table of evidences with a sigh. "This letter's addressed to their master, who is named Mura Masakoto, based on what you wrote inside. In it, you had spoken of how you were planning to visit him, to 'end severed ties'."

He opened up the latter, revealing what was contained to the public eye.

"During my search over the place at the last minute, I stumbled upon this in a wooden box. It was heavily guarded, possessing many incantations to protect it from magic," he recounted, placing said box on the table. "What struck me as curious, was the fact that you had a daughter. You said you were going to 'end severed ties', which was obviously killing him."

Fijar said nothing, watching as the prince go on.

"R-Ridiculous! That box could have just been there only when you visited it!" Dweilinder scoffed.

"No, it's not it… When I was taken in, the box had already been there," Yiko interjected, nodding to Riven, who pulled out a picture, placing it on the table. It was one of her, the sisters, and their master.

And behind them, on the table, was a box.

"The reason why you travelled to Mura's house just to kill him, because he never paid his debt to you. You needed the money because you were using it to pay for your daughter's medical bill, and because you failed to do so, she…" He stopped himself there. No need to reopen healing wounds.

But he did pull out a death certificate, placing it on the table. It was accepted as evidence.

"Before you start saying that you do not know who the girl is," Riven interjected one final time. "Her surname is the same as yours. Kuroshima. I've checked up on reports of deaths all in the Underworld," he pulled out said report, listing multiple deaths that were hard to truly ascertain. He placed it on the table.

"…You truly went to so many lengths, hmm?" The witness smiled.

"Of course. The truth must be elucidated if justice is to exist," he answered back, finally staying his tongue.

This was it. The moment of truth. His testimony would define his success, or defeat.

"…Very well," he nodded, moving to the stand once more. This time, it was just as the prince expected—a look of peaceful defeat. "I am indeed… the one who killed their master."

"My word…" The judge blinked, unable to take in this shocking confession, as did the onlookers. Even Sirzechs couldn't understand how all of this played out. "Continue."

"…Their master, Mura Masakoto, was an old friend of mine. He was a genius, being a human-devil halfbreed, but he was someone who never paid his debts. This was no exception with me as well. Because he always borrowed without paying, I was quickly losing money. And as you know now, my daughter could not be cured, and passed sooner or later. I went to his house under the guise of an apothecary. I reached there at six. I was going to talk to him, until I realised that several girls were leaving the place in a hurried fashion. When I went in, I saw a dead body, as well as Mura himself, heavily injured. Feeling myself unable to take in the fact that he was going to die without paying me back, I killed him myself using fire magic, before taking his money from his safe," he recounted, a heavy sigh at the end.

The room fell silent for a dreadfully long time, with no sounds made after his confession. Not even the judge looked like he wanted to say something, for he was too shocked by the revelation to even say anything.

Riven, having been determined to save Kuroka from all of this, found himself visibly taken aback, given his look of surprise. He may as well have discovered all the facts, but hearing the entire story properly…

It was a painstakingly long minute—one that felt like a lifetime to the prince—before the judge made his decision.

*Smack!*

"Arrest the witness immediately!" The judge ordered as his mallet met the pedestal, and soon came in a wave of guards, arresting Fijar for his crime on the spot, cuffing him and taking him out of the court room, with the audience looking on in shock.

And as such, the battle was finally over.

'In the end, he was a victim too, huh..?' The prince frowned, feeling himself equally disappointed as he was happy.

Of course, he managed to set Kuroka free from her imprisonment, but now it meant that someone else were to take her place. Someone who only wanted to save his daughter, but had died long ago. And all of it because of the 'victim', who was the true perpetrator to all of this.

'I suppose nothing in this world is ever fair…' He sighed, watching Fijar accepting his fate far too easily.

"Well then, with that all over," the judge looked to the prince. "I must say, I am quite impressed. To think that this is your first ever case, and you've managed to identify the true culprit as well. Truly, none of us had seen it coming."

"Like I said before, I didn't plan to disappoint," Riven smiled, the view of Fijar forever gone, as he disappeared out of the room, carried by the guards. "But thank you, nonetheless."

"Well then, I shall hand down the verdict. Miss Kuroka is declared," he spoke up loud and clear. "Not guilty!"

Praises and cheers erupted from the crowd, resounding within the enclosed walls. A look at the sisters told him enough; they were happy. He was happy. And this was what he wanted. The guilt he felt long dissipated, he would forever keep it away from his heart, burnt to the ashes.

"As such, the court is adjourned," the judge decided, smacking his mallet against the pedestal for the day, one last time.

That Night

So Riven's won a case, that's something.

His family were impressed, his friends did not stop raining all the praise on him, and everyone else just couldn't help but feel amazed. He could not help from blushing, however, not so used to praises all the time.

As such, to celebrate his massive success, they had booked a fine-dining restaurant, all of it solely for him alone.

Because if they ever went back home, he'd be doing the cooking, and that wouldn't be fair! This was his time to relax!

"Man, Riven, you were so cool back there!" Issei laughed, chucking his glass of apple juice down his throat in one gulp. "I mean, it was like you were the judge or something! I couldn't tell what was true or whatnot, cause' you were making everything so cool!"

"A-Ahaha… It was a spur of the moment, I suppose," the star of tonight chuckled, embarrassed. "To be honest, I was really hoping for things to work out. Sure I looked sure, but to be honest, a small part of me thought that I was going to lose it."

"Well, you whooped his ass good in the end, mate!" The brunette snickered, earning himself a smack to his head from Rias. "Ow!"

"Language, Issei," she chided, before her gaze turned softer. "But he's right nonetheless. What you've done today was really amazing. Give yourself a little bit of credit, brother."

"Oh no, I could never. The only reason I succeeded in the first place was because the witness made a slip with his words. I doubt I could have actually gotten the jump on him by normal circumstances," he shrugged, drinking from his coffee, until he received a jab to his shoulder, gaining his attention.

"Dude, everything went well in the end, ya' know? Maybe you should get a job as an attorney?" Freed suggested with a sly glint in his eyes.

"No. Just, no," he deadpanned. "I am not going to do that ever again. I was getting goosebumps all over me, Freed. There's no way I could ever do that. And nothing in this world will make me decide otherwise."

"While that is what you say now, I can't help but feel as if you'd be able to pull it off once more in the future," Kiba, sipping from his glass of chilled sarsi, chuckled. "You truly are a worker of miracles."

"Of course. He's Riven after all," Rias winked at him, a seductive method that had him blushing immediately.

"A-Anyways!" He had to switch this fast, lest he get caught in a crossfire between the women here. And there were a lot of girls here. "So Kuroka, now that you're a free woman, what are your plans? Of course, if you don't have a place to stay at, you could always live with us for the time being until you've decided."

"True that. Apparently, Riven's adoptive parents renovated his house to have extra floors underground, and they were awesome!" The lecherous brunette joined in. "Heck, he even had a whole floor for bathing! A spa area! It's every man's paradise!"

"…Chance for you to peep on girls," Koneko interjected, earning a nervous chuckle from him.

"Wow, really? I'm so jealous, nya!" The black Nekomata giggled, looking to her saviour. "But God, I can't even… Riven, thank you. So many years, and we reunite with you saving me, just as I saved you when we first met. Such a strange twist, huh?"

"Huh, that does sound pretty coincidental, now that you mentioned it," he chuckled.

"But I doubt that's actually pure coincidence, nya. I'd rather say…" And she leaned in, capturing all attention unto herself—jealousy from both girls and Issei—as she whispered in his ear. "Destiny~..!"

"Ahaha!" He stood up, in one instant moment, rigid and stiff as any other rod. "I have to go! Nature calls!"

And off he walked away, movements equivalent to a mechanical being's, disappearing from the dining area and into the restroom.

"Haa… He really needs to practice with girls more…" Rias, ever the doting sister she is, sighed, before a twisted smile replaced her features, accompanying that sweet glare she gave.

"Man, and he gets all the ladies' attention in the end…" Issei slumped into his seat, blowing a raspberry in disappointment.

"Maybe it's just predestined..?" Gasper suggesting, earning a groan from the brunette. He looked to Koneko. "Did I say something wrong..?"

"Don't worry about him. He's just jealous," Koneko shook her head, a grin plastered on her face ever since they left the court.

"O-Okay…" A jealous Issei was a dangerous Issei indeed, but as long as the girls were here, he supposed nothing could go wrong. Plus, it wasn't like he'd do anything to his best friend and leader, after all.

It was some time later, after everyone had finished their meals, did they decide to leave the restaurant. Riven joined them on the way out, coming directly out of the restroom.

"So guys, I suppose that's that. Now I'm beat…" The prince sighed, looking to his once-was defendant with a smile. She was happy to be free, and he was too. "So Kuroka, what do you wanna' do now?"

"Hmm, I think I'll take up on your offer. Staying with you, I mean," she answered. "Besides, Shiro-chan is staying with you too, right? Then I want to stay over too!"

"Yeah, of course. I wouldn't mind," he nodded, ready to form a magic circle, until she tugged at his sleeve. "Hmm? What's up?"

"I… have a little request to ask of you…" Her laughter was, much to his surprise, soft. Shy, even. It could be compared to Shirone's usual demeanour. "O-Of course, you don't have to do it at all! It's just, I owe you for helping me and all, and—"

"Calm, Kuroka, calm," his words got through to her, effectively having her to cease her frantic outburst. "I don't even know what you're trying to say, so just tell me. I'll listen to your request, I promise."

"U-Umm, okay…" She nodded, averting her gaze from his eyes.

He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow wondering just what it is that she wanted from him, but he was willing to listen to her.

And that night… well, I suppose a cliffhanger would do.

A/N: God, writing all of that was scary and difficult. It was hard enough to make sense of the ways a courtroom functions. I swear, never again will I listen to my friend's request to write a courtroom scene.

I honestly don't even know what to say about it. Too weird? Too law-breaking? Makes no sense? I think it's more of the last part, because crime is not my best suit, I think. In the end, though, I could only hope that it was humorous. (OuO')

Welp, I'll see if I can improve that part next time in any future stories. But until then, have fun!