To Protect and To Serve

Chapter 22

The trial was held on a Tuesday. Erza was representing Natsu in court but the prosecutor Kagura Mikazuchi a straw feminist who had never lost a single case. She would no doubt prove to be a great challenge. The Judge was Makarov Dreyar, one of the most respected and honorable justices that had ever been known in the court system. While he found all crimes to be unacceptable, abuse was one that he found to be especially heinous and wouldn't be too lenient on. If Natsu was found guilty he would be screwed.

"Tell us Mr. Dragneel have you ever raised a hand to your wife before the incident?" Erza asked Natsu when he was on the stand. 

"No." Natsu answered.

"Has she ever raised a hand to you or physically harmed you?"

He hesitated before answering.

"Yes she has."

"And would you mind telling the court what reasons your wife had for physically harming you?"

"Sometimes she would do it when I made plans with my friends without her permission, sometimes when I gave our daughter a gift or treat when my wife didn't think she deserved it, but it was mostly when she thought I was cheating on her."

"And during all those times she was beating you, you never once fought back?"

"Not until she went after our daughter."

"Thank you Mr. Dragneel."

Erza sat down, allowing Kagura to rise up and ask her questions. 

"You say that before that night you never once raised a hand to your wife? Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Then how do you explain these." Kagura pulled out photographs of scars on Touka's back and legs.

"Objection!" Erza cried. "Those were from the accident. Not admissible."

"No your honor. I had a specialist examine her body, these were made years before the accident."

"I'll allow it." Makarov said.

"So Mr. Dragneel if you never raised a hand to your wife before that night where did these come from?"

Natsu looked at the photographs. Horror and disgust filled his eyes along with disbelief and shock.

"I didn't do this." He said. "I swear I didn't. When did you take these?"

"Yes or no is all I want. Did you do anything to her that would have left these scars?"

"No! This is crazy! What reason would I have for hurting my wife besides defending my child?!"

"What other reason? Interesting you mentioned that because that brings up our next question. Mr. Dragneel is it true that before you married your wife you were in a relationship with another woman? A Lucy Heartfilia?"

"Objection! What does this have do with anything?" Erza cried.

"Indeed Miss Mikazuchi." Makarov said. "How does this relate to the case at hand?"

"Believe me your honor, it plays a big part in motive." Kagura answered.

"What?" Natsu said.

"Mr. Dragneel is it true that you've been spending some time with your ex girlfriend?"

"Yes but I don't-"

"Why is that?"

"Well we were friends before we started dating. Now that we had gotten past our negative feelings for each other, we decided to renew our friendship."