Title: One Small Favour
Major Characters: Apollo J, C. Terran

WARNING: This story completely spoils the ending to Dual Destinies/GS5/AA5 so please read at your own discretion.

The killer was behind bars now, but he couldn't feel happy about it. Sure, his colleague was saved from a guilty verdict, but he wasn't the one who saved him. It was his mentor that did. He didn't help to reach the verdict at all, especially because he even accused her of murdering his friend. His best friend. His only friend.

Apollo Justice never had the normal life of an average child. His father died when he was barely a year old and his mother left him soon afterwards because of his grandfather's disapproval of the child from his daughter's first marriage. He only had the bracelet around his left wrist as a reminder of his mother. Of course, he never knew who his mother really was and to this day, he still has no idea why his mother abandoned him. He tried to research his origins but to no avail. The orphanage where he lived had no record of who his biological parents really were. Countless DNA tests and sifting through many legal files let to nowhere. He even tried to ask Phoenix Wright if he knew. Phoenix was glad he wasn't wearing his bracelet at the moment and was polishing it instead because he knew. He had to lie to his subordinate because he wasn't ready to learn about his past.

That's how he met Clay Terran. Clay had always seem to be out of reach, per say. When Apollo went to middle school, he was put into the same class as Clay was. Clay always seemed to make everyone smile with his presence. It was something about him that made him enjoyable to be around. He was always that person to be around when you're down. Maybe it was his happy-go-lucky attitude or maybe it was his radiant smile. Who knows for sure? He was always a mystery to Apollo.

Apollo was about to leave school one day when he heard a faint sound. He thought his tired mind was deceiving him, so he shook it off. He kept walking and realized the noise was getting louder as he kept walking. Now he wasn't so sure if it was real or not. He decided to investigate where the noise was coming from. As he got closer, the noise started to fade. Soon enough, he heard a shout.

"NO APOLLO! DON'T GET ANY CLOSER!" was the shout.

There was no mistaking it. The voice belonged to Clay Terran and he was...

Crying?

Ignoring Clay's demands, Apollo slowly approached the sorrowful boy and put his arm around his shoulders.

"Apollo…" was Clay's response before he continued to sob and make a mess of himself. "I… I don't know… What I'm going to do anymore!"

Apollo sympathized for the boy, though he has no idea what's going on with his life. "What's wrong, Clay?"

"My… My mother… She… She's…" his voice kept getting quieter as he spoke. "...Dead."

He felt his pain. After all, his mother's gone too. She could be dead for all he knew.

"It's okay! I don't have a mother either!" he reassured Clay with a large and cheeky smile. "I know how you feel!"

Clay stopped crying and looked to his would-be friend. "Really?"

"Of course!" Apollo grinned. "My name's Apollo Justice and I am fine!" he shouted. "Now you try!"

"My name is Clay Terran…" Clay began quietly. "AND I AM FINE!" he finished off. Clay then flashed a large smile at Apollo and the two started laughing.

It was the beginning of a friendship that would last.

Apollo smiled at the fond memory. He still can't believe he became friends with someone like that. He was pretending to enjoy the bowl of Eldoon's Noodles that Phoenix had to (unwillingly) buy, thanks to the 'persuasion' from a certain rookie attorney and rival prosecutor. He was quieter than anyone else and Phoenix took notice, but quickly dismissed the thought that he was hurting on the inside.

"Come on, Apollo! We're almost there!" Clay shouted as he kept running down the road.

Apollo never had a really good level of stamina compared to his friend, Clay Terran. He could only blame himself for that. Clay had to keep training his body if he wanted to be accepted as an astronaut, fit to travel to the moon. It was Clay's dream, after all.

It seemed like it was only yesterday that Apollo became friends with Clay, even though, it's been actually a year since they became close. Clay was Apollo's one and only friend in his childhood. Apollo never liked to get close to people because every time they talked to him, his bracelet would squeeze around his poor, small wrist. Fearing that the bracelet was a sign that told him that people were no good, he distanced himself from the rest of the world. He felt secluded because of his bracelet. He never learned why his bracelet did what it does, so he thought it would be for the best to leave everyone alone.

Until he met Clay Terran.

Clay was different. Apollo's bracelet never reacted to him whenever they talked. Not once. It never happened. Apollo was able to trust him because of it.

They spent their lunch periods and after school, talking about their dreams. Apollo wants to become the greatest defense attorney in the country and Clay wanting to finally travel to the moon and beyond. No matter how many times they talk about it, the conversation will never get old.

"Apollo! Come on! We're here!" came the call from a few miles away.

Apollo ran to catch up and almost passed out from loss of breath when he caught up with Clay.

"Man Apollo! You're weak! You should have taken P.E. class because you're horribly out of shape!" came the remark from Clay.

"Oh gee, I didn't know that…" Apollo muttered from under his breath.

Where on Earth were they anyways? Apollo was about to ask when he looked up and saw a really huge building in front of them. Clay couldn't hold in his excitement as he decided to run into the building.

"Clay! Wait up!" Apollo called out to his friend who completely ignored him and burst through the entrance of the building.

Some old guy was rolling around on a segway when Apollo got to the lobby of the building to yell at Clay for running off.

"Enemy aliens! Quickly seal all exits and catch them at all costs!" was the random shouting coming from the old guy.

Many of the workers in the building looked at the old man and shrugged it off and continued to do what they were suppose to do.

"Can it, old man! They're not enemy aliens!" can the voice of someone wearing an orange suit around the premises. He approached Apollo and Clay. "Sorry about Old Man Yuri here. He's not used to people coming into the building to see the museum." He stuck out his hand and with a silly grin, said "I'm Solomon Starbuck and I'm an astronaut here at GYAXA!"

'Has it really been that long since that happened?' Apollo thought to himself as he and the others walked back to the Wright Anything Agency. He's been more quiet than Pearl was the whole time.

Athena picked up on something from Apollo's heart. She was about to ask him what was wrong when he said "You guys go ahead. I have something I need to do." before running off in the opposite direction.

"What's wrong with Polly, Daddy?" Trucy turned up and asked her 'father'.

Phoenix shrugged. "Let's leave him alone for now."

Apollo decided to run to People Park because that was the only place left for him to go. Clay was to be put to rest the following day, so he couldn't really go the cemetery to see him. He ran to the park's river and he just sat there and stared at his own reflection. He was in a deep thought about what happened today in court.

"Why… Why didn't the phantom kill me instead...? At least I was able to become a lawyer… Why did Clay have to die… Why...?" he muttered to himself.

He couldn't control it anymore. His body and mind just both shut off at the same time and all he did was cry. He wanted Clay's dream to be fulfilled. He blamed himself for his death.

Apollo felt like it was all his fault that Clay wasn't able to fulfill his dream to go into space.

He couldn't take it anymore. He just couldn't take the stress anymore.

Athena got worried and decided to go out and search for Apollo after everyone returned to the Agency. Her eye quickly turned in shock as she ran towards the river in People Park. She saw something red floating in the river and she assumed it was blood. She found a body alright.

"APOLLO!" she shouted as she jumped into the water to haul the lifeless body out the water.

"Oh no!" was the mechanical voice response from Widget.

She had quick reflexes, so she called for an ambulance. He was out cold and she was panicking and wondering if he was dead or something. She tried to search for a pulse and she breathed a sigh of relief when she found the faint beat of his heart.

Apollo's heart beat slowly and Athena's ears picked up on it. She could hear a faint whisper of "It's all my fault. It's all my fault." from his heart.

She was about to go more in depth, but the paramedics were pretty quick as well. She decided to call everyone at the Agency before jumping into the ambulance along with Apollo.

"Mr. Justice will be fine, physically." the doctor told everyone in Apollo's room. "I believe it's mental fatigue that lead to him falling into the river and drown without him noticing. You should take him to a psychologist once he wakes up."

"Doctor! You're wanted in the Debriefing Room!" came the order from a nurse.

"Excuse me, I have to prep for an emergency surgery." he said as he excused himself from the room.

"Thank goodness you found him, Athena." Phoenix said to his rookie subordinate.

"Mr. Forehead will be alright, right Mr. Nick?" Pearl asked.

"Yeah. He's going to be fine. Don't worry, Pearls."

"Come to think of it, the doctor said we should take him to a psychologist after he wakes up." Athena recalled. "I should run a scan on him once he does."

"No…" came the voice from behind her. "Don't… Run that scan…"

"Apollo!" Athena said in shock.

"Polly!" was the response from Trucy.

"Could you… leave me alone for a bit… I'm asking for a lot but-" Apollo was cut off.

"Alright. We understand." Phoenix replied. He ushered everyone out.

"Wait." Apollo called out. They turned around to look at him. "Pearl, could you stay behind?"

She didn't speak and she walked towards him. Phoenix forced everyone else out of the room.

"So that's what I want you to do. I know it's a lot to ask of you, but could you?" Apollo finally said.

"I've never tried to channel a male person before, but I guess there's a first time for everything!" she replied, determined.

She got onto the open floor of Apollo's hospital room and began to clear her mind. She concentrated really hard and began to mutter a chant. Apollo waited nervously and to his surprise, Pearl began to change in size. Her delicate and feminine form changed into a more muscular and masculine form.

"Apollo…" was the rough and low voice that was way too familiar to him.

"C-Clay!" Apollo exclaimed.

"Apollo, you know it was not your fault that I died." Clay replied with a smirk.

"But Clay!" he couldn't control his emotions. "It's my fault that you died! It's my fault that you never got to fulfill your dreams of travelling into space! It's my fault that I let your killer roam around like that! It's all my fault, Clay!" the tears flowed out of his eyes in anger.

Clay moved closer to Apollo and put his arms around him.

"Apollo," he began. "Remember back in middle school when you helped me get past my mother's death?"

Apollo could only respond by nodding.

"Well, now I'm going to help you get over my death!" he said as he grinned.

"Clay…"

Clay stood up and he got ready to shout. Apollo still looked down at his hands.

"I'M CLAY TERRAN AND I AM FINE!" he bellowed out.

"Clay, seriously…" Apollo replied meekly at his channeled friend.

"I'm not leaving until you say it, Apollo Justice!"

Clay never used Apollo's last name ever. Apollo didn't even tell Clay what his last name was.

"Clay-"

"I'M CLAY TERRAN AND I AM FINE!"

"Clay-"

"I'M CLAY TERRAN AND I AM FINE!"

"CLAY!"

Clay wouldn't listen to Apollo's meaningless cries. Apollo gave in.

"MY NAME'S APOLLO JUSTICE," Apollo began. "AND I AM FINE!" he finished.

A nurse came into the room. "What's going on in here, Mr. Justice?!" she demanded.

Clay and Apollo looked at each other and began to laugh. It's been so long since they both laughed like that.

"Clay… Thank you." Apollo told his friend.

"For what?" was his friend's reply.

"For helping me move on."

"Aw, Pollo…" he replied with a cheeky grin. "I'm just glad you found my killer! Now I can finally rest without having to worry!" He looked at the clock on the wall. "I guess it's time for me to go."

"You can't be serious, Clay!"

"The little girl channeling me won't last much longer, Pollo! I have to!"

Apollo looked heartbroken. He was about to break down again until his mind came up with something. "Wait!" he blurted out.

"Want something else, Pollo?" Clay asked.

"I promise…" Apollo began. "I promise I'll make your dream come true! Somehow!"

Clay smiled as his spirit began to disappear.

"Thank you." were the words that escaped his mouth before the frail and child-like form came back.

Pearl felt weak and she fell on top of Apollo's covers.

Apollo reached and stroked Pearl's head.

"Thank you, Pearl." he whispered to himself.

"Daddy, should we go inside Polly's room now?" Trucy asked Phoenix.

"Nah. Let him rest. Let's go back to the Agency." he replied to his daughter.

"Oh right! Trucy! You were going to show me your new magic trick with those knives of your's!" Athena remembered. "Let's geht!"