Sorrow & Mercy: a Great Ace Attorney AU

Sombre Indignation

In the depths of the drawer, she could see a pile of envelopes sitting on top of a thick stack of bound papers. Susato's breath stilled. She recognized the writing on the back of the first envelope as her own. She lifted it from the drawer, a hollow feeling throbbing in her fingertips. Yes, that was her writing. Barok's address was on the unopened envelope, and there was a series of stamps on the corner.

Susato set the letter on the ground numbly, then reached for the other nine envelopes stashed within the drawer. In her shock, her gaze slid past the manuscript slumbering beneath the letters, unheeding of the title stamped upon the first page—a title that would have opened up an onslaught of questions and sent her stumbling towards a terrible truth. But her comprehension skipped over it entirely, focused as she was on her letters.

"What are you doing? Get away from my desk!" Yujin said, and raced into the office.

Susato rose to her feet slowly, the envelopes clutched in her hands. A few of them spilled to the floor.

Yujin swerved past her and slammed the drawer shut.

"Did you read it? Did you? Susato!" he demanded.

"Father. What is the meaning of this?" Susato said, looking up at Yujin, her face filled with hurt.

"Oh...you found those, did you?" Yujin said. He sighed and tucked his hands into his sleeves. "Did you look at anything else in that drawer?"

"Father...why are these here?" Susato pressed.

"I'm sorry, Susato. I had no choice but to intercept them," he said.

"What? Father, how could you! For all those years, you were hiding my letters away?"

"I couldn't let you send them. If you did...there was no telling what would have been said," Yujin said.

"Do you think I spoke of Iris? I'm surprised you didn't tear them open and read them, yourself," Susato said, glaring.

"It wasn't just what you might say. It was what he might say as well," Yujin said.

"What are you talking about?" Susato demanded.

"I did it for your own good."

"You seem to do a lot 'for my good.' Yet all it does is hurt me."

"Just trust me on this."

"You always say that! But how am I supposed to trust you now, when you betrayed me like this!?"

"Maybe I should have thrown them away, but that felt too cruel. I just...I needed to make sure your letters never reached London. So I lied to you and hid them here. I even asked my friend at the post office not to send your letters and to give them back to me when you went on your own," Yujin said.

Susato stared at him, utterly at a loss for words. So many times her father had asked her if she had anything to send, saying he was about to go send his own letters. And she had entrusted them to him, never suspecting.

"I thought Lord van Zieks was ignoring me...that I had hurt him too greatly to ever get a reply. But I couldn't stop trying..." Susato said unsteadily.

"I have to admit, that surprised me. I thought all the silence would persuade you to let go of your feelings for that man," Yujin said. "Over time, I figured you would move on. But...you never did, did you?"

"You never got over my mother. Did you?" Susato snapped, fixing him with a pointed stare.

"No. I did not. I still haven't," Yujin said.

A flicker of guilt. Susato let out a breath, tried to quell the anger blazing in her chest. "I thought he was lying about never receiving the letters, out of his resentment towards me. But I see he was telling the truth. Like he always does. He truly is an honest man..."

"He resents you?" Yujin said, tone softening.

"Yes. I thought it was because of how I left. But he kept saying it wasn't...He's so cold now, Father. And...And I can't help but wonder if I could have helped him. If only I had never left. Or if only I had returned sooner..."

"You couldn't have. Trust me, Susato. I saw the man after Klint died. He was already a different person."

"You...saw him?" Susato said, her lowered stare rising sharply to Yujin's face. "Oh...Do you mean...at the hospital?"

Yujin blinked quickly, looking like he had just choked on something. Then he crossed his arms and nodded.

"But...even if he already was different, even back then...maybe if someone had been at his side, had stood by him during his loss...Oh, I wish I had never left," Susato said. She held the letters against her chest, bitterness gradually mounting up inside of her. "And I wish you had never interfered. Now I see why you said you had held me back so much in life. Will you ever let me truly choose my own path?"

"...I just wanted you to be safe. I couldn't take the risk."

"I don't understand."

"You don't need to, Susato. In fact, you not understanding is the point."

Susato gritted her teeth. "I am very tired of this, Father! I am going back to Britain. And you will not stop me. I made promises to Mr. Naruhodo and to Iris, and I intend to keep them! Besides, I lost too much...I will not abandon his dream!"

"You mean...Kazuma?" Yujin said quietly.

Susato nodded, a sudden catch in her throat.

"I miss him too, Susato. The news was...The news was very disturbing. I should have gone with you both. Maybe then it never would have happened..." Yujin said.

"I just can't stay here, Father. I need to go back. For his sake. And my own."

"...Alright. We can consider plans for your return. But not yet. There's something I know you will want to do. Something that will honour Kazuma's legacy. And save the life of someone dear to you."

"What...What's going on?" Susato said, horror creeping cold over her chest.

"It's your friend, Rei Membami. She was arrested...for murder."

"Murder!?" Susato gasped.

"I came here to find you and tell you that, but got a bit sidetracked. I'm sorry," Yujin said.

"Rei would never hurt anyone!" Susato said. "She's been my friend my whole life. I know she would never do this!"

"She's been accused of killing Jezaille Brett," Yujin said.

Susato flinched. "Jezaille Brett...is dead?" She lowered her chin, travelled down pathways of thought for a moment, considered the situation. "I know Dr. Wilson was Rei's mentor. They got along so well and she truly respected him. But Rei would never murder anyone. I believe in her!"

"Then, if you have your conviction...will you fight for your friend?" Yujin said.

"Yes! But...But how? I can't enter the courtroom. I'm a woman," Susato said.

"Well...perhaps we can find a way to conceal that..." Yujin mused.

Susato looked at him in confusion, her anger and hurt wavering beneath the need to save her friend. And her desperation to do something to atone for how she had violated the law.

"Whatever it takes, I'll help Rei!" Susato said.

She needed to fight. She needed to protect those she loved whenever she had the chance, no matter the risk.