Testimony: Nar Yakushi

Day Three. "The Prosecution calls the Defendant to the stand." Nar rises from his position at the defense table, and is escorted to the stand by the bailiff. As he sits, he is sworn in, and the prosecutor approaches the stand. (https://youtu.be/AzT40NNJaAA?si=bTSAG5Q7IVUgsudd) "Mr. Yakushi. On the night of January 10th, you were involved in an altercation with six other men, is this correct?" Nar nods. "Yes sir." "Could you please elaborate on how this altercation took place, from your perspective?" Nar takes a deep breath, then begins. "I was on my way down Crown Boulevard to meet up my bandmates at the Rock n' Stop Diner, over on Canterlot Avenue. We'd just won a pretty big battle of the bands the day before, and had elected to spend the day doing our own things before we planned to meet up at the Rock n Stop at 8:10. On my way down the street, I heard my sister's voice coming from an alleyway. I thought I'd sneak up on her, and surprise her, but when I peeked into the alley, I saw her, our bandmate Scrappy, and my daughter surrounded by six men in hoodies, all of them holding weapons. I saw a fair amount of blood dripping down Asuka's right arm, and some sort of bolt stuck through her shoulder. There was one hoodied guy with a pretty big knife standing behind them, blocking the alley. So, I took out a metal baseball bat, and hit the guy in the side of the head to knock him out. I ran past my sister, and took a swing at the lead guy. I heard some shouting, then I heard my daughter scream, and I knew then, and there if I didn't fight those guys, they might hurt my family more than they already had. I started swinging my bat at any of the guys who got close, or tried to get past me, but I took a few blows, and cuts in the process. After I took a cut from a knife to my side, I just... Saw red, and my body started acting on instinct. It was either me, or them. I don't remember anything past that. I only remember coming to on the ground, in handcuffs." The Prosecutor does not allow for a pause, as Litigious did with Asuka. Instead, he launches directly into his next question. "When you swung your bat the first time, why did you aim for Mr. Fairway's head?"  "To knock him out quickly. I needed to make sure Asuka, Scrappy, and Cookie had an escape route. If I didn't take him out in one swing, I'd be out of position in case the others tried to attack, or grab the girls. I had to get him out of the way, and get between them, and the muggers as quick as possible." "Are you aware of the damage that can occur when the head is struck with force?" Nar gives a slow nod. "If he was the only attacker, I would have just tried to grapple him, but I didn't have that luxury. I had to knock him out quickly, and that was the quickest way I could think of in under a second." "And with the others, did you target any specific body parts during the altercation?" Nar shakes his head. "No sir. I just wanted to keep them away so the girls could run away." "And at any point, after the three women had fled, did you make any attempts to flee, yourself?" Nar gives a nod. "I did, but every time I tried, they'd try to surround me, or one would lunge at me to keep me in place. By the time I would possibly have had a chance to flee, I was acting purely on instinct, and I never saw the opportunity." "Do you feel any remorse for the damage you inflicted upon those men?" Litigious speaks up from his position at the defense table. "Objection, Leading, Your Honor!" From his bench, Judge Vindicant lets out a firm "Overruled." The courtroom is filled with silence. The prosecutor seems to pierce Nar with his icy gaze. After a moment, Nar finally responds in a fairly low tone. "No. They hurt my sister, and put my daughter's life in danger." This time, the Prosecutor lets the silence hang, but only for a few moments. "No further questions your honor." With this, the prosecutor returns to his seat, and Litigious stands to take his place. He wastes little time in beginning his cross-examination. "Mr. Yakushi, just before the altercation began, how did you feel?" "Well, before I heard Asuka's voice in the alley, I was pretty excited. I'd heard a lot of good things about the Rock 'n Stop, and was looking forward to eating there. When I heard Asuka's voice, I was feeling a little mischievous. I didn't know she was in danger at the time, and well, big brothers are going to tease their little sisters. Then, when I saw what was going on, I was shocked. Then I saw she was hurt, and that Cookie, and Scrappy were with her, and I feared for their safety, and lives. Then, I focused, came up with a plan, and put it into action." "And how did you feel during the altercation?" "I felt... Angry. Enraged, even. They hurt my sister. One of the people most important to me. When I heard my daughter scream... I got so enraged that anyone would dare to make her, my little, four year old daughter, fear for her life... I had to stop them." In the gallery, Asuka wraps Cookie in a tight hug, as she begins to heave quiet, gasping sobs. A wet patch slowly grows on her shirt as Cookie sobs into her chest. Litigious allows a moment's pause, before asking. "And after the altercation?" "I was worried. Worried for Asuka, and for Scrappy, and for Cookie. I was worried one of the muggers had got by me, and gone after them. When you told me they were safe when you met me in the detention center... Well, I've never felt more relieved in my life. Those 15 hours I spent, not knowing if they were okay, were the worst 18 hours of my life. Worse than anything I've experienced during my time as an Astral Highway explorer." Now, Asuka feels tears welling in her eyes. Beside her, Juno wraps an arm around her shoulder, and pulls her in close. "No further questions, your honor."