A/N: I'M ALIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE! Taking a break from drawing the story board for my assignment to type up the first chapter of Turnabout Hearts II.
First thing's first: the Wright Anything Agency does not appear in this story until near the end. That's because, at this point, they are doing other things (all stories on this account happen in the same universe for you new readers).
BUT, Phoenix is a huge part of Turnabout Hearts – Distance, which is the sequel to this one. AND there's another Ace Attorney canon character who plays a part of this story, even if it's mostly behind the scenes in this one. He was in the first Turnabout Hearts, but no one seemed to get it.
Alright, well, here we go! We're jumping right into the game!
…
Part One – Sleeping Hearts
Chapter One: Day One – Twilight Town
It was quieter than usual today in the Usual Spot. The five friends, Hayner, Pence, Olette, Aurora, and Roxas had all met up, as usual, but the only one talking was Hayner, who was ranting to Pence. Aurora and Olette shared the couch, listening to them, while Roxas was lost in his own thoughts, staring at his hands.
Overhead, the trains could be heard going back and forth on their tracks, as the permanently setting sun filtered through the slots in the roof.
"Man, doesn't that tick you off?" Hayner demanded.
"Yeah, that's just wrong," Pence agreed, crossing his arms.
"It's not like they have evidence or anything," Aurora said, frowning.
Olette nodded. "Seifer's gone too far this time," she said passionately.
Everyone turned to Roxas. As though sensing it, he looked up at the four and nodded.
With his own determined nod, Hayner jumped up from the thing he was sitting on and slowly walked forward as he talked. "I mean, it's true that stuff's been stolen around town. And we've got a score to settle with Seifer and everything. So, if he wants to think we did it, I can't really blame him. See, that's not what really bugs me," Hayner said off-handedly.
"Even if there's still no evidence that we were anywhere near any of the crime scenes," Aurora grumbled, crossing her own arms. Olette smiled sympathetically at her, putting a hand on her arm in a calming way.
Hayner shook his head, his voice getting even more fiery, "What really bugs me is that he's going around tellin' everybody that we're the thieves! Now the whole town and their mothers are treating us like the Klepto Club!" He stopped and whirled to face Roxas, who he was level with. "Have you ever been this ticked off before in your life?" he demanded, his gestures accentuated by his anger. "'Cause I haven't! Nuh-uh, NEVER!" Hayner looked forward again, punching his fist into his palm. "Now… what to do."
"Beating them up won't change the Town's opinion on us," Aurora said. "Even if it'll make you feel better."
Hayner turned and threw her a glare, but there was no real heat behind it. For her, at least.
Olette, on the other hand, turned and stared at Roxas, her green eyes boring into the side of his head. Roxas felt it and turned, meeting her eye for a moment, before looking forward again with a shrug.
"Uh, well…" His eyes flickered around in thought, before he got an idea and looked up again. "We could find the real thieves. That would set the record straight," he said. Aurora perked up at that.
"Like an investigation!" she said. Roxas nodded at her.
"Yeah."
"That does sound life fun!" Pence agreed, standing.
"What about Seifer?" Hayner demanded.
Roxas also stood. "First, we gotta clear out names. Once we find the real culprit, everyone will get off our backs," he said as Pence walked over to his bag, pulling out his camera. Aurora smiled, standing, a determined look on her face. Hayner growled in frustration.
"Oh, no!" Pence suddenly gasped. Everyone turned to him. He was holding his camera, a panicked look on his face. "They're gone! Our [ ] are gone!" The panicked look was replaced by confusion, and he put a hand to his throat, opening his mouth again as though trying to say something that just wouldn't come out. "Wha?"
"All our [ ], gone?" Hayner demanded, before looking surprised and putting his own hand to his throat, trying to say it as well.
"But how? It's not like we left those [ ] just laying around!" Aurora added, before her own hand jumped to her throat, her eyes wide. Olette gasped.
"You can't say -. Why not?" she asked.
"But you do understand what I'm saying, right?" Pence demanded. "Out - are gone!"
"Stolen…" Roxas had, putting a hand to his mouth thoughtfully. He clenched his hand into a fist, letting it drop down to his side again as he turned to his four friends. "And not just the [ ]. The word [ ]. They stole it, too!"
"That should be impossible!" Aurora gasped softly.
"What kind of thief is that?" Hayner demanded, crossing his arms. "Seifer could never have pulled that off."
"I don't think Seifer is the thief," Aurora said, crossing her own arms. "The evidence just doesn't add up."
"Yeah!" Roxas agreed with a nod.
"Alright, time for some recon," Hayner said, uncrossing his arms and holding his fists at his side. Hayner took off running, Pence, Olette, and Aurora following after. Roxas started to follow, when he suddenly felt dizzy.
"Huh?" he gasped as he stumbled, before collapsing.
He only blacked out for a few seconds before pushing himself up, back onto his feet with a groan, brushing his clothes off. "Huh?" he muttered, looking around in confusion. Aurora walked back into the usual spot, having been sent back to find him.
"Roxas," she said with a smile. "C'mon."
Roxas nodded and followed her out into town.
The group first decided to go to Market Street: Tram Commons. It was the biggest area in town, with the most shops. At the candy shop, the little old lady, the owner, admitted she didn't think Roxas would steal anything, and asked him to find her cat. Another shop owner said they didn't think Roxas would do such a thing, and another said that only Roxas would. Aurora frowned at notes she had taken during their investigation.
"It's not that they think we did it," Aurora finally said. "But that they think Roxas did it."
"But why me?" Roxas asked, looking at her.
"I don't know. Until we know everything that was stolen, there's no way to tell, either," Aurora replied, nibbling on the end of her pen.
Hayner growled in frustration. "This is just great! It doesn't make any sense!" he complained, causing the others to laugh.
Then they made the mistake of entering the Sandlot.
Three people were visible. Fuu, Rai, and Vivi. Fuu and Rai had their backs to the gang, but Vivi spotted them and jumped, pointing. The other two turned to face them.
"Thieves," Fuu said, pointing at them.
"Excuse me?" Aurora demanded, feeling personally insulted by that.
"That was low, y'know!" Rai added. Vivi simply grabbed his hat, pulling it down to cover his eyes.
"Oh yeah?" Hayner growled.
"Nice comeback there, blondie," a new voice said off to the side. The gang looked over to see Seifer walking over to them from one of the other Sandlot entrances.
"What'd you say?" Hayner demanded, only getting angrier. Seifer stopped walking and focused on Roxas, ignoring the rest.
"You can give us back the [ ] now," he said, not even seeming to notice the absence of the word. Aurora made another note in her book, frowning at how the evidence seemed to be stacking up against Roxas.
"Yeah! You're the only ones who would take it, y'know?" Rai added. Seifer began walking around them, pointing at Roxas.
"That was undeniable proof that we totally owned you lamers." He dropped his arm. "So, what did you do? Burn it?" He stopped in front of his hang. "Ha, not that we need some - to prove that you're losers," he added with a shrug.
"Replay!" Fuu said.
Seifer laughed. "Now you're talking!" he said, before he, Fuu, and Rai got into fighting stances, ready to fight.
Olette and Pence stepped back, but Roxas, Hayner, and Aurora got into their own stances, facing off against the three.
Seifer smirked. "I guess if you get on your knees and beg, MAYBE I'll let it slide," he said. Hayner growled slightly, while Aurora ground her teeth together. On the other hand, Roxas suddenly stood up straight and walked forward, moving so that he was right in front of Seifer. Hayner reached for him, and Aurora tried to grab his arm as he passed her. Neither worked.
Roxas took a deep breath, ignoring as Fuu and Rai started to laugh, and dropped to his knees. Seifer smirked, crossing his arms.
"Roxas!" Hayner yelled, sounding horrified. Aurora glanced back at Pence and Olette, seeing the same distress in their face.
Roxas smirked at the ground however, spotting exactly what he was hoping for. Right by Rai's left foot, was a Struggle Baton. He suddenly exploded from the ground, taking all three by surprise, and snatched it up, whirling to face them. Vivi, who was no fighter, darted backwards and away from the skirmish. Seifer growled and pulled his own baton out, waving for Rai and Fuu to back up and give them space.
As the four watched, it was like Roxas had suddenly taken a few levels in sword fighting. His stance was perfectly balanced, and he was a terror with the Struggle Baton. Seifer was good, but nowhere near as good as Roxas, who quickly handed him his butt on a silver platter.
Seifer finally dropped to his knees, dropping his Struggle Baton. Thinking this might be a trap, Roxas stayed in a ready position.
"Heh," Seifer muttered, looking away. Rai and Fuu were suddenly there, standing in front of him.
"Seifer's not feelin' so hot, y'know!" Rai said.
"Tournament decides!" Fuu added, talking about the Struggle Championship in a few days. Aurora grinned, while Hayner laughed at that. Pence stepped forward, bringing up his camera. Roxas turned to face his friends, and Pence managed to get a candid shot of him, before giving a thumbs up with a smile.
Suddenly, a silver blur whirled around the boy in red before taking off towards Tram Commons.
"Whoa!" Pence gasped, before looking at his hand. The camera was gone. The group looked towards the exit to see something silver, almost ghost like, moving further away from them.
"What was that?" Hayner asked, disbelief evident in his voice.
"The thief?" Olette asked. At those words, the five friends glanced at each other and ran forward, chasing after it. In Tram Commons, they lost it and decided to split up. Hayner and Pence searched the north side, Aurora and Olette searched the Tram garage, and Roxas searched the south.
By the time the girls met up with Hayner and Pence again, they realized that the thing was no longer in Tram Common's. Roxas was also gone, which only meant one thing.
Before they could move, however, Roxas was running over to them, carrying a small bundle in his hand.
"Come on, guys, let's get back to the Usual Spot," he huffed, leading the way. The others followed, worried about their friend.
…
Once they got back, and Roxas caught his breath, he handed the bundle to Aurora. The group gathered around, staring at what she was holding.
The first was a picture of Roxas, standing next to a shop keeper. "What's this?" Hayner asked.
"I was his first customer after he took over the shop," Roxas said. "So we took a picture together."
"It's a really nice photo," Olette said. Everyone turned to her, and Olette jumped. "Oh!" she gasped, putting a hand to her mouth.
"Hey! You just said 'photo'!" Pence said excitedly.
"As did you!" Aurora added brightly, earning a few chuckles.
"So, Roxas, tell us about the picture thief," Hayner demanded. Roxas frowned slightly, as though still trying to process what he saw. He shook his head.
"Not much to say. The pictures were just lying there," he said.
"Then how do we prove we weren't the ones who took 'em?" Hayner demanded. Aurora shook her head.
"I'll investigate a little more," she said with a smile, putting a hand on Roxas's shoulder. "And I'll have our names cleared in no time."
"Thanks," Roxas said with a smile.
Aurora nodded and flipped to the next picture, curious.
It was Roxas, with another shopkeeper. Hayner snickered.
"It's a GIRL…" he said.
"You look happy, Roxas," Olette said, laughter in her voice.
"Do not," Roxas countered with a small blush.
"So, like, anybody else notice that all the stolen pictures are of Roxas?" Pence asked.
"Oh!" Olette gasped. "So that's why everyone thought it was us."
"You mean Seifer didn't go around accusing us after all?" Hayner asked, sounding almost disappointed.
"Guess not. But he still deserved that thrashing Roxas gave him earlier," Aurora said with a grin, thinking back. The others smiled too, except Roxas. Instead, he turned to Pence.
"Are they really all of me?" he asked, sounding worried.
"Yep," Pence said, taking the stack from Aurora. He flipped to the next one. "See?"
It was of Roxas and the Candy Shop owner.
"Look," Olette said.
The next one was Seifer standing proudly over Roxas, who was lying on the ground behind him, just after a fight.
"Right? Every single one," Hayner added.
The next was their own picture, of the five of them standing in front of the gates of the Haunted Mansion. Roxas, Hayner, and Aurora stood in the back, Hayner's arms slung over those twos' shoulders, while Pence and Olette were crouched in front of them.
"Hey, wouldn't it be weird if the thief wanted to steal the real Roxas or something?" Aurora asked thoughtfully, a hand to her chin.
A worried look flashed across Roxas's face as everyone turned to look at him. Hayner decided to break the tension.
"C'mon, get serious," he said. "Why would anyone wanna steal a bonehead like Roxas?" he asked.
"Oh, thanks!" Roxas replied sarcastically, before the five burst out laughing. They stopped as the bells went off, turning to look in that direction.
"I'll be home soon, Olette. I'm gonna go clear our names," Aurora said, taking the pictures and heading out. Olette nodded after her, before waving at Roxas. She, Hayner, and Pence left as Roxas was still gathering his things.
...
Aurora Wright used to be an average girl. She had lived with her parents, went to school, came home, and would play video games. The most unique thing that had happened in her life was her older brother, Edym, going missing. Aurora had been very close to Edym. He was like her guardian, fiercely protective, while also her big teddy bear. He would play songs for her on his guitar – songs he wrote and needed to tweak, and songs he did covers of with his band that she loved.
But then he vanished without a trace.
Five years passed. Aurora's cousin, Phoenix Wright, regained his badge and showed her that many, many truths came out in court, so long as one was willing and strong enough to pursue it. He inspired her.
So, Aurora studied. She studied hard, and worked hard, and gained a scholarship into the most prestigious law school around, Themis Legal Academy. While attending, she stayed with Phoenix and interned at his law office, the Wright Anything Agency.
It was the first case she was to help Phoenix with that she met him. Riku. He was different. First of all, he wore a long black trench coat with a hood, and a blindfold.
But he was interesting. And fun to talk to. And from the first moment they met, Aurora and Riku's hearts connected.
It was Riku who taught Aurora about the Heartless and about different worlds. It was also Riku who taught her magic, and gave her the weapon she now used, a magical shield.
But then, Riku left. He had to find a way to wake up his best friend, Sora. And Aurora was okay. She was sad, but she had her memories of him, and the deep belief that they would meet again one day. So, she continued her life, getting top marks at Themis, and interning on different cases.
Until Organization XIII kidnapped her, and she met Roxas and Axel.
They held her for almost a year, having her go with Axel to search Castle Oblivion. They believed her ability would be the key.
Her ability. The ability to sense the balance of light and dark in a person's heart.
After so long as their prisoner, Roxas sprung her from The Castle That Never Was as he left, taking her to Twilight Town.
That was two days ago. Roxas had disappeared, and Aurora made more friends: Hayner, Pence, and Olette. They knew about everything that had happened to her so far, even if everyone else in Twilight Town thought of her as the lost, scared girl with no memory. She was staying with Olette and her parents, with nowhere to go, no way home, and no way to contact Riku or Phoenix.
She was even going to start school there, once the Summer vacation was over in a week.
Aurora was sad, but she accepted it as part of her life now.
She had just spent the day with those three, running around town, clashing with Seifer and 'Twilight Town's Disciplinary Committee' over some imagined 'rule breaking,' and otherwise having fun. The others decided to head home, but Aurora herself decided to go to the 'Haunted' Mansion.
She had found this place last night, and decided it'd be perfect for training with her magic and shield. No one would find her, since everyone seemed to avoid the place, and she could easily get over the gate and inside.
…
Aurora quickly glanced around, making sure no one was lurking nearby, before activating her shield.
"Water!" she called, holding her left hand down, fingers spread, palm facing the ground between her feet. A geyser sprang up under her feet, launching her into the air and over the gate. She closed her eyes with a small groan, her stomach doing a back flip at the height.
As she started to fall, she forced her eyes open. "Water!" she cried again. A bubble of water appeared a few inches from the ground, and she landed it in, breaking her fall. The bubble burst, and she landed on her butt in the grass, laughing.
She stood, shaking water and her wet hair out of her eyes, and jogged over to the door, pushing it open.
The smile on her lips died, however, when she saw a black robed figure going through one of the side doors, not noticing her. Her fight or flight response seized her, only for a moment, before she decided to follow him.
She slowly opened the door he had went through, seeing a library like room beyond. Half of the floor, however, was missing. The cloaked figure went over to the edge of the floor, on the far left of the room, and started going down what looked like a set of stairs. After a few minutes, he completely disappeared, and Aurora was forced to move into the room.
The stairs led down to a door. And beyond that door was a high-tech looking room, dark except for the light-blue glow of a bank of monitors. She crouched carefully in front of the door, watching what was happening.
A red robed figure sat at the computer monitors, his head and face completely swathed in bandages the same color as his clothes. The black cloaked figure walked up behind him.
Just as Black Coat stopped, Red Robe began to talk.
"Organization miscreants… They've found us."
"But… why would the Nobodies steal photographs?" Black Coat asked. Aurora's shoulders relaxed slightly. From the way they were talking, neither had anything to do with the Organization. In fact, it sounded like they were opposing them.
"Both are nothing but data to them," Red Robe said. "The fools could never tell the difference. We are running out of time. Naminé must make haste."
Aurora didn't understand most of it, but it sounded as though the conversation was over. Red Robe leaned forward, tapping on one of the keyboards in front of him, while Black Coat, stepped back, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.
Aurora carefully backed away from the door, unsure of their reaction if she were to make her presence known. So, instead, she decided to go back upstairs, and into one of the other room, the one with the smashed table, to practice her fighting.
She didn't know if she'd ever leave Twilight Town at this point, but she decided to make sure she'd be prepared if she ever did.
…
A/N: Tada! Aurora was right in her element with the investigation. And, per Ace Attorney logic of nothing being serious until you add a finger point, she was completely offended by Fuu in this chapter! Hehe, this is fun!