Sorrow & Mercy: a Great Ace Attorney AU

To the Heart

Grief made time pass in abnormal fits and starts. Some hours felt so long, and others so short. Loneliness weighed heavily on Susato. Whenever she surfaced from her room at Baker Street, she did not know if she was going to walk into emptiness or too much noise.

Yujin was quiet but did not dismiss her presence. Sholmes either played violin or attempted to speak with her when she encountered him. But many times neither man was around, leaving Susato alone to mourn.

Then, one day, Susato woke up to herself and the need to reach out to one even more steeped in sorrow.

"I want to see Lord Barok van Zieks," Susato announced, standing beside her father as he ate toast on the couch.

Sholmes was slumped in his armchair, fiddling with some kind of invention. He shook it, saying nothing.

"No," Yujin said crisply and took another bite of his breakfast.

Susato drew in a steadying breath. "I am going to go call on him. I will be back later."

"No, you won't," Yujin said.

"It will be safe. Genshin-sama will be there."

"You cannot see him, Susato," Yujin said, standing.

"Why not?"

"It would be entirely unwise to go poking about the van Zieks manor," Sholmes said. "After all, I believe it is still considered a most grisly crime scene."

Susato felt a fierce, cold ache shoot through her at the words. But she would not let sorrow push her below the waters again. "I can only imagine how much pain he must be in. I will not abandon him."

"He won't be at home," Yujin said.

"What are...What do you mean? Did something happen?" Susato said, panic creeping into her throat, thick and cloying.

Yujin sighed and snatched up a newspaper that was on the couch. He tossed it down by Susato's feet.

Susato bent down and picked it up. There, on the front page was a giant headline:

LORD BAROK VAN ZIEKS ATTACKED! DAYS AFTER BROTHER'S MURDER!

A horrible nausea squeezed Susato's stomach. She gasped, her hands crinkling the paper.

"Lord van Zieks was attacked?" she said, her voice shooting up an octave.

"He's fine," Yujin said. "Genshin protected him."

"Then...Then why would he not be at home?" Susato said, looking up, eyes wide.

"I saw them at St. Synner's whilst I was working," Yujin said, crossing his arms. "He needed some bandaging up. Probably stayed the night to make sure he's not suffering any infections. Just happened last night. I'm surprised it's in the papers so soon."

"Last night? Where!?"

Yujin looked away. "In an alleyway. He was out for a walk with Genshin."

Susato frowned at the paper, a sharp sting in her eyes. "Then I must go see him at the hospital!"

"No. You will leave the man alone," Yujin said. "It's not safe around him. And Genshin wants you to stay here. Besides, if he wants to, he can come here to call on you."