A/N: Whee!! I loove this story so muuuch! Hah! Okay, so about the set-up, there are four types of chapters: Lesson Plan, Exams, Reteachings, and Lessons. There will only be ONE Lesson Plan, as it corresponds to a Prologue. Reteachings are flashback chapters, or chapters that take place before the actual story. Lessons are regular chapters, normally flowing in chronological order. Exams are major events, such as the three original chapters in the Gothix universe. (Which I will re-write to include more character POVs and the like). For anyone new to the Gothix universe, you can check out my story "Desperation in Tune", where chapters 6, 8, and 10 are the inspiration for this story. THANKS!

Warnings: Self Injury, Suicide, Blood/Gore, Angst, Murder, Child Abuse, and Rape. The rating will change within the next few chapters.

Gothix, Lesson Plan: Trials and Lessons

Holding breath… Holding tight…

To the sanity that holds down

Footsteps echoed through the reverberant room, the bodies filling the room unforgiving in every step, punctuating them with a dull beat of a hundred tell-tale hearts.

Sleepless dreams from a sleepless night;

All comes down to this…

"Has the jury reached a verdict?"

A life, in the hands of twenty four strangers…

A clean-cut woman with an imposing face and short hair stepped up to the stand. "We have, your honor… We view the evidence circumstantial, and enough to cause reasonable doubt. Therefore, we the jury find the suspect not guilty on two accounts of murder one. We do, however, find the suspect guilty of two accounts of assault with intent to kill, assault with a deadly weapon, one account of resisting arrest, and three accounts of domestic abuse and violence."

The judge nodded, finishing the juror's sentence with a sharp bang of his gravel. "Bail is to be set at $300,000. Court adjourned."

Suddenly everything exploded. Media cameras went berserk, people screaming in protest. No one was quiet…

Save for the little boy in the front row. His face was pale as chalk; his eyes were as big as plates…

Then his father passed by, smirking as he was handcuffed.

'You will be next, little Yuui. I will come back for you,' the man mouthed, his head turning in smug satisfaction as he watched his little boy crumble because of his gaze alone.

"Why can't you see that he killed him?! Why can't you see that he killed Fai?! He hurt me and momma and my brother! Why are you doing this! He did it! Can't you tell!? Or is it just because he's older than I am?! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO US?!"

The little boy screamed and cried beating his fists against the wooden benches until his hands were bleeding from the force he exerted. What was left of the jury looked at him in pity, their eyes guilty and downcast.

The little boy's lawyer rushed forward, scooping him up into their arms.

"You'll be safe, we promise you," she murmured. "He won't come back for you… I promise."

-TWELVE YEARS LATER-

The little boy was all grown up now, standing in the hallway of that same courthouse, shaking.

"I can't do this," he groaned, slumping against the wall. "I can't do this. I can't do this… Oh, gods… help me!"

"Don't say that. You're strong enough to do it."

A pair of arms that weren't there before wrapped themselves tenderly around the boy's waist, cradling the ashen, broken body against his own.

"Oh, why did I delude myself…? The case was thrown out later because of reasonable doubt… The doubt I instilled! He won all those years ago… now… he's going to win again…"

"You have something you didn't have then."

"What? More scars? More trauma?" The boy scoffed.

"No. Me. And I'm testifying right alongside you. If they doubt you, I'll tear their freaking heads off…"

The boy laughed quietly… "Keep me safe."

"I promise."

The two men embraced tightly, fear and doubt overtaking every single breath. Doubt for the near future, for the delicacy of their conjoined mental state…

But there was one future that was undoubtedly sure… theirs… The small rings that sparkled on their mirrored fingers assured them of that.