WARNING: SPOILERS!!! ~A Watty's 2019 Submission!

Saved for The Songstress

(For the record, I don't watch any shows on court, neither have I ever been to court, so i don't know exactly what goes on, but I'm giving my best shot based off an episode of Baby Daddy!)

"Oliver!" Oliver turned around, and saw Melody, Sam, and Grant running towards him, Phil, and the others. "There you are! We've been looking all over town for you!" Oliver turned to face them, confused.

"What's up?" Melody grabbed his hand and pulled him towards his house.

"I've got us into a court! We have to hurry! We're going to officially adopt you today if they let us!" That's right! Oliver had forgotten he wasn't fully adopted by Melody, Sam, and Grant! He had just assumed automatically that he would just go and live with them, that nothing needed to happen. But no, he had to go and speak in front of a court about being adopted by them.

Later...

"Alright, the court has gathered here today on the grounds of proclaiming the legal adoption of Oliver Radron Mason over to Melody Danielle Song, Samuel Robert Prince, and Grant Everett Prince." A police officer stated. Oliver sat in a chair with Melody, Sam, and Grant. They had wanted him to be out of the room, but he insisted on sitting with them.

He could see his Ni No Kuni friends sitting in the back of the courtroom, looking just as scared as he felt, while a man he didn't know sat on the other side.

"Mr. Fox." The man stood. "You are the official runner of Social Securities, being if Miss Song and the Princes lose this case, you will take Oliver into your custody in the system." The man, Mr. Fox nodded.

"Yes, ma'am." The judge nodded.

"Proceed. Tell, us why shouldn't Miss Song and the Princes be able to become Oliver's legal guardians?" Mr. Fox gave a small smile, and held up some files. Oliver could see Melody and Sam taking deep breaths, their faces red.

"Members of the jury, I give you the files and records of Melody Danielle Song, and Samuel Robert Prince. Let us start with Miss Song, shall we?" Melody gasped softly, and Mr. Fox reached into the file. "Miss Song, as someone who cares for children and wants them to have the best possible upbringing, Miss Song doesn't appear she can provide that."

"Miss Song, will you please come to the stand?" Melody stood up, shaking.

"Yes, your Honor." And she hurried to the stand, and Mr. Fox came up to her, waving her files.

"Miss Song, what happened to your father?" Her face was like a tomato.

"I was told by my mother that he was a military man, that he joined the army. I've never met him." The jury began whispering.

"And would you say that you grew up with a sufficient mother figure? A  single mom?" Melody nodded.

"Yes, sir. My mother worked as the chief of police in Rotom City, often with the mayor. But, she always made time for me everyday. Often, she called for a babysitter to watch me during the day, and we spent time over the weekend or in the evening." 

"So, you were well taken care of? No abuse, miscare, or abnormal behavior of any kind?" Melody glared at Mr. Fox.

"Sir, I loved my mother. She never missed an opportunity to tell me that she loved me, and always was there to sing me to bed." As Oliver listened to this, he wondered about Harmony. Did her mother have such a high position on Queen Khulan's council? She must have had, seeing as she was the Songstress. Did she used to sing Harmony to sleep and tell her that her father was in an army? Oliver wanted to ask her all these things, but he knew he would have to wait until later.

"You, loved, your mother? As in, past tense?" Mr. Fox raised his eyebrows.

"My mother was murdered by the masked murderer still going around." She told him, practically growling at him.

"If I may,  your honor?" Sam spoke up. "Our father was murdered by the same man, if that information is worth sharing." Mr. Fox turned to him, giving him a curious look.

"I'd like to call Mr. Prince to the stand." Melody stood up.

"Objection!" The judge banged her gable.

"Overruled! Mr. Prince, to the stand." Sam stood, and he and Melody switched places. 

"Mr. Prince, what about your mother? What was she like?" Mr. Fox asked, almost teasingly. 

"My mother died when Grant was two and I was six. She was a good woman, a government woman. She was ill." 

"Your files say you ran away when you were twelve, is this true?" Sam was silent for a moment, then answered.

"Guilty conscious, yes I ran." 

"And your father died that same day. What happened to your brother?" Sam stood to his feet, snarling at Mr. Fox.

"He went to the system, alright? Your stupid system." 

"Mr. Prince, sit down!" The judge demanded, and Sam reluctantly sat, and Mr. Fox continued.

"Mr. Prince, if your brother was in my system for, what, fourteen years, then why is he sitting there next to Miss Song when I never cleared him at eighteen?"

"I broke him out!" Sam bellowed, hot tears filling his eyes. "I met Melody in Rotom. We talked for a while, then she helped me break Grant out of the system and we ran." Mr. Fox turned to Grant.

"And Mr. Prince, you became ill on this run?" Grant stood up.

"Objection your honor, this has nothing to do with our case!" 

"Overruled! Proceed." Grant sighed, but nodded.

"I picked up pneumonia on our run, yes, but these two brought me medicine and healed me." 

"While on the run?" Mr. Fox asked. "You were able to buy medicine and go to the doctor while on the run? Must have been a hell of a inheritance! An inheritance, that I legally still hold onto for Grant Everett Prince!" Sam stood from the stand.

"That's our money!" An uproar rose in the crowd, and the judge banged on her gable.

"Order! I will have order in my court!" But Sam wasn't having it. Melody had to jump up and stop him from jumping at Mr. Fox.

Oliver knew he had to do something. Not only were they not going to be able to adopt him, his friends might end up going to jail! 

"Guys, can't we do something?" Esther asked the others in the back, but Harmony, Swaine, and Drippy all shook their head.

"Anything that Melody, Sam, and Grant say can and will be used against them, mun." Drippy explained to her. "So if these two try anything, it might mean disaster for Ollie-boy!" Esther sighed and leaned back against the wall, nervous. Then she got an idea.

"Wait a minute! We can't do anything, but Oliver can!" Then she ran up to Oliver and began to whisper in his ear. Oliver's eyes widened, then he stood up.

"Your honor! I'd like to call myself up to the stand!" Mr. Fox's eyes went wide.

"Objection, your honor! He's only a kid." The judge narrowed her eyes at him, then looked at Oliver.

"Proceed." Oliver nodded, and hurried to the stand, needing to stand because he couldn't reach the microphone.

"Your honor, I may not have known Melody, Sam, and Grant a long time, but I do know that they care." He told her, looking to, hopefully, his future guardians. "Melody and Sam told me the story of breaking out Grant, and it was because Sam wanted his little brother safely back with him. He cared about him. And I know, that if there comes a point that I'm in danger, in this world or the next, I can trust them to come and help me. Wherever I am." He smiled at Melody, Sam, and Grant, as well as Swaine and Harmony in the back. He had been referring to the other two when he said the next, knowing it to be true for both cases. 

The judge listened to this, as Oliver went into a deeper story. Some of it may have only been with Harmony and Swaine, leaving out many parts that may or may not make him sound crazy like the fights with the Nightmares and such, but it was all true. 

Finally, the judge banged her gable. "Alright, and the jury will decide the verdict." Oliver fell back into his chair as he, Melody, Sam, Grant, and Mr. Fox were all escorted out, Harmony, Swaine, Drippy, and Esther right behind them. 

As they stood in the hallway, waiting, Mr. Fox went over to Oliver. 

"You won't win, boy. There's too much behind those two that could get them thrown into prison so fast, the police won't even flutter an eyelash." Oliver narrowed his eyes at him.

"They'll win. You'll see." Mr. Fox sniffed disdainfully.

"Hmph. I don't put up with children who don't know their place. You'll be taught manners at the home, I'm sure." That was when Melody walked over and put her hand on Oliver's shoulder, glaring at Mr. Fox.

"Leave him alone. He's not your child." Mr. Fox raised an eyebrow.

"He's not your's either, Miss Song, and I wouldn't get used to calling him your's either. In fact," Mr Fox reached over and grabbed Oliver by the arm, pulling him over and putting his hand on Oliver's shoulder. "I would be packing for prison." Sam came over and pushed Mr. Fox off of Oliver, who stood closer to Melody.

"Stay away from him." growled. Mr. Fox brushed off his shirt, glaring at them.

"I could have you arrested for assault, sir! Don't you dare touch me!" 

"Then don't you dare touch Oliver." Grant told him, coming over and crossing his arms. Mr. Fox's face was red.

"I beg your pardon, Mr. Prince, but I am considered a government official! You dare hurt that boy-"

"Seems to me that the only person who's hurt Oliver is yourself, Mr. Fox." Melody told him coolly, inspecting the red marks on Oliver's arm and shoulder left by Mr. Fox. "So I suggest that you should stay away if you want to win the case." That was when the guard came out.

"The jury is ready to assign the verdict."