The Typical Fan-Fiction Disclaimer: I do not own Ace Attorney or any related characters or concepts, the Ace Attorney series is owned by Capcom, Shu Takumi, and various other parties and persons that have to do with the creation and/or publishing of the series. This is purely a fan work.

Alright, time to start something new! This is my first time writing for the Ace Attorney series, but I recently discovered and played through the collection of games. It quickly became one of my favorites and I couldn't resist giving writing for it a shot.

Notes:

-This fic contains major spoilers for all localized games in the series!

-This fic uses the localized versions of the character names, locations, and terms.

-Additional info, including info regarding the rating, pairings, and a full summary, is up on my profile page for those who want a clearer idea of where this will be going.

Anyway, first up is a short prologue:

Prologue: Summer Tragedy

The large banquet hall was filled from wall to wall with the sounds of voices and the tempting scents of wine and fine desserts. Dinner had just ended, and most of the guests had taken to occupying themselves with evening conversation and drink, along with the several fruit pies, well-decorated cakes, and rich pieces of fudge that had recently been brought out to the buffet table. It was extravagant – far beyond anything the dark-haired woman had experienced before.

Yet somehow she didn't think her flighty stomach would be able to hold anything else down.

She looked down again at the glass of red wine in her hands. She didn't want it, either – the tenseness of her muscles had fought away any remaining appetite. But…it'd been given to her by one of the hosts. It would be rude not to drink it and let it go to waste, wouldn't it? Forcing herself, she swallowed down a gulp of the grape juice, before taking another glance around.

There were so many voices that their tones and words were smudged and indistinguishable from one another, and it was almost impossible to find somewhere to stand without bumping in to someone. As it was, she was lingering near a corner, her palms and brow sweaty. And from somewhere near the back of the room, a violin melody started up, further smearing the noise in the atmosphere together with its high-pitched trill.

She felt dizzy, overwhelmed by the amount of activity around her.

She'd grown up in a place of relative silence, and she'd spent the last few years in a place that was quieter still. Perhaps she shouldn't have come to the party, after all.

At least, not alone. It was a shame that he hadn't been able to come with her, but he'd already made a prior commitment with his daughter, and she wasn't about to get in the way of that. True, this gathering was held by the company that she hoped to get hired for, but as she looked around, she couldn't find a single familiar face.

Heaving an uneven sigh, she made the decision to fight her way through the crowd and towards the flight of stairs leading to the next floor. She didn't want to leave – making an early exit would likely work against her when it came to getting the job, and she needed all the advantages that she could get considering her prison record – but at the same time, she couldn't stand that crowded, muggy room one second more.

She found herself feeling slightly…uneasy, as she pushed past the rest of the guests as discretely as she could. Was it really just the crowd?

Her muscles tense and her body on edge, she spared a few more glances around as she reached the stairway. Yet everything seemed fine. In fact, no one seemed to be paying her any attention at all, each guest far too involved in their own conversations and matters to bother giving any notice to her.

Her still sweaty fingers grasped around the swirling wine glass, she made her way up the carpeted steps. She was careful not to spill, knowing that the host would be angry if she left a stain on their expensive carpet. Everything about this house testified to the wealth of the company that'd thrown this party.

On the top of the stairs were the host's bedrooms and bathrooms. It'd already been nice enough of them to let guests have access to the area if they saw fit – all she wanted was a bit of air and a few moments of space…then she'd go back down and face the gathering once again.

Things instantly became quieter as she reached the second story, most of the noise from down below muted by the floor beneath her. It seemed this area was still empty. What a relief! She finally felt like she could breathe again.

Opening the door to what she figured was a bedroom, she headed inside, careful not to touch anything as she looked around. Sure enough, there was a patio at the far end of the room – she'd seen it from outside on the way in. The fresh breeze blowing in from its open door already felt refreshing against her damp skin.

She managed a slight smile for the first time in a while, quickly moving past the rest of the host's room and out onto the balcony.

The California summer air was still warm and muggy, even at this hour, but in comparison to the sweaty room below her, it was soft and crisp, as were the city lights below her. She still hadn't gotten used to living in Los Angeles yet…after all, she was still in her first month of freedom here. It couldn't be more different than the secluded home of her childhood, but there was something strangely beautiful and captivating about the city below her, too; she thought to herself as she leaned over the white balcony fence.

She felt her muscles start to relax again, honestly enjoying herself for the first time that evening. It was a comforting contentedness, the woman brushing away the dark hair that the light breeze was pushing in front of her face and swallowing down the last sip of her wine.

Then it happened, the glass dropping with a loud thud as it shattered against the patio floor.

She felt a sudden sharp, unexpected pain arise from somewhere in her throat, all at once stealing her breath from her. The woman gagged in shock, finding herself gasping for that same summer air as her heartbeat fluttered rapidly. She instinctively moved her hands to the pain in her neck, her fingers shaking in her fear and agony. But no matter what she did, the horrible sting only increased as it moved downwards, as if something was ripping its way down through her throat.

The woman could no longer catch her breath, the air refusing to find its way to her throat as she tasted the faint metallic tinge of blood. She wanted to cry out, but her voice wouldn't rise; her trembling form not cooperating with her will as she clung tightly to the patio rail.

What…was this? What was going on? She'd never felt anything like this before!

Her mind washed in fear, she barely heard the door to the host's bathroom open from somewhere nearby. She didn't bother turning to look, unable to focus on anything else as she fought for air.

But it was only a matter of moments until she felt something hit her heavily from behind, pushing down against her sweaty dress with unexpected force.

"It's been too long, hasn't it? A shame this will be our last meeting. …Goodbye, dear Iris."

A voice! Who's voice was it? …She didn't know. Amongst her pain and panic she'd hardly made out the words, but the voice sounded unfamiliar to her ears. Unfamiliar and frighteningly cold.

But she never got a look at the speaker's face.

The pressure against her back gave a rough, final push, and she all at once lost her grip on the patio railing, her trembling, damp fingers slipping off the white wood fence.

No!

She fell; tumbling face forwards as she flipped and careened through the dark city air. There was nothing to grab on to, and her lack of breath took away any ability she had to fight it. She let out a scream that was muffled by the pain in her throat…

And then she hit the alleyway below.

It was a hard, merciless thud, taking away any air and strength she had left.

Her consciousness started to fall away as she struggled to move her gaze upwards, to find a glance of the speaker. But they'd already left; the door to the patio above her now closed.

She didn't have time to comprehend anything else; she didn't even have time to shed tears as the black haze fighting against her vision also overtook her consciousness.

In the stillness of the alley below the patio, her spirit slipped away from her body, leaving her form motionless and silent.

And that leaves us with a rather tragic beginning... The meat of the story will begin in the first chapter, which was uploaded along with this prologue.