Sorrow & Mercy: a Great Ace Attorney AU

Sombre Indignation

For fifty days, Susato held tightly to the memory of her friends' smiles, their voices, their longing to see her return, and used it as a shield to hold the terror at bay. Yet dread had overtaken her repeatedly. Lying on her small bunk, she had thought again and again about when she had wished Genshin was alive and sitting with her instead of Yujin. Guilt, sharp and stinging. She did her best not to dwell on those thoughts during her lonely voyage home. But they were nearly impossible to resist.

And then, at long last, the ship pulled into the harbour in Japan. And there he was. Her father. Awaiting her on the dock.

Susato rushed towards Yujin and threw her arms around him. He hugged her back tightly.

"I was so worried!" Susato sobbed. "I am so glad you're well again!"

"I'm sorry, Susato. I needed you home right away," Yujin said.

Something stilled in Susato. She pulled back and stared up into her father's face. "What...What do you mean?"

"Forgive me for worrying you," Yujin said.

"You mean...You weren't ill?" Susato said slowly.

"No. I'm as well as always," Yujin said with a smile.

Susato blinked quickly. She backed up, staring into her father's face in disbelief. "You...You told me you were ill. I thought...I thought I was going to lose you the same way I lost Genshin-sama..."

Yujin's smile fell away, realisation dawning on his face.

The wind blew between them. It smelled liked decaying blossoms.

***

Despite her anger and hurt, Susato quietly slipped back into her life in Japan. She cooked and cleaned and kept herself busy as best as she could. Knowing her father was entirely safe and well, she yearned to return to Britain right away. But she would have to wait for the right moment, as it was clear her father needed her for the time being. For some mysterious reason, he kept insisting that it was necessary for him to summon her home like that, but Susato could not fathom why. She wondered if it had to do with Kazuma's passing, or if it was something else entirely. Yujin was deeply grieved over Kazuma's loss, and yearned for her company to help him through his sorrow. But if that was the reason he had summoned her home, why had he not just admitted openly that he wished for her to mourn with him for a time? There were no easy answers, and Yujin was evasive whenever Susato tried to ask about his intentions.

So she dealt in silence with her anger and her nightmares of the past and her pain to return to London. Not that it had been the same. But she had a promise to keep. And she would not let anything interfere with another promise.

***

Susato was at Yumei University, straightening up Yujin's office while he gave one of his lectures, as she had many times in the past. Just as she was finishing with one of the drawers in the desk, it suddenly stuck. Susato frowned. A piece of paper at the back was folded strangely, and appeared to be tucked into the bottom of the drawer. Susato pried at it, but it was terribly stuck. The paper began to tear as she braced her hand against the bottom of the drawer. She paused. The drawer beneath her hand felt wrong. She tapped it lightly with her knuckles. The way the sound moved...it seemed as though it was hollow.

Susato ran her fingers along the edge and found a small hidden lock. Spurred on by this mystery, she began to sift through all the drawers again, until she found a tiny key hidden within a puzzle box. Once she had solved how to open it, she pressed the key into the lock. Click. And then she was lifting away the false bottom of the drawer. Susato pulled the paper to safety. Froze.