Disclaimer: I dont own any of the characters of Ace Attorney or the upcoming Ace attorney chronicles, the rights to both belong to Capcom.
Birth of a Phoenix
A stinging anguish tore away at Ryū's heart as he heavily lumbered through the hallway emptily.
He didn't even feel as though he were completely in control as the grief of his most recent loss had set in like a ton of bricks. He was grieving, hungry, fatigued, listless as a cold, hollow feeling had taken over while an unfathomably large dread had swept through his entire body.
He was, for the moment, an empty husk of his former self.
It was as though he were a puppet on a string.
The tears kept cascading down his cheeks without any signs of stopping, the only thing was that nobody exactly noticed because his hat was hanging so low that it hid his expression from any passers by as he continued to make his way through the hospital corridors with every stride he made feeling like he was only moving an inch toward his destination.
He could only think one thing as a voice echoed over and over again in his mind:
(Raven's dead...my granddaughter is dead...Raven's dead...my granddaughter is dead...)
Pain rippled through his entire being but he hardly cared; he hadn't even felt this bad when he first thought that his best friend and partner Kazuma had died, this pain was far worse by comparison. Not to mention that, due to the fact that he was not only unfamiliar with the layout of this hospital but also so grief-stricken that he was wandering aimlessly, he soon found himself in an entirely different area of the hospital.
At first he was unsure of where he was.
The hospital corridors and hallways were like labyrinths, he felt like he was stuck in some twisted maze.
But he started to get an idea of where he wandered when he heard a sound that momentarily snapped him out of his haze of painful memories and got him to focus on the noises that were growing from a faint murmur to a thunderous roar.
High pitched crying...?
He wondered if he had accidentally wandered into the maternity ward nursery?
To be honest, he had almost completely forgotten about the great grandchild he never got to meet until now...
His granddaughter -Raven's child.
His wondering came to an abrupt stop as he noticed that he was walking passed a large glass wall and froze when he spared a single sideways glance into it. He froze completely for what felt like an eternity before his curiosity got the better of him and to peer into the glass in order to have a closer look, alas he saw that not only was one of the babies were screaming it's head off but there was nobody remedy this, no nurses or anything.
The old Nipponese attorney felt his heart quiver when he laid his eyes on the little boy who was bundled up in a blanket and was squirming quite a bit in his hospital bassinet. It was after peering even closer into the clipboard with the child's surname "Wright".
Ryū's eyes widened and his grief-heavy, bleary mind started to race.
Was this baby who he thought it was?
Was this child really related to him?
Could this child really be his great grandchild?
The retired attorney scanned the area to see if there was any nurse or doctor around he could inform of the situation but there was almost nobody around. There were no doctors or nurses around to be seen and, judging by how the corridors and hallways were quite dark with the exception of the odd bright light shining down, he had arrived to the conclusion that it was quite late and nobody was around.
He had decided to ignore the churning in his empty gut for a bit longer.
The attorney had decided to take it upon himself and do something since it broke his heart to see the child bawling so loud so he slipped into the glass chamber.
He snuck in before he proceeded to weave through and pass by lots and lots of cribs and bassinets, crossing and budging through each individual crib but being careful not to bump any of them with his hip or foot or something. The babies already in the nursery were either sleeping, cooing idly at nothing or just crying but not screaming like the little one he was trying to find. This room was already noisy enough without the added complication of a ward filled with high-pitched wails filled with anguish. Just the thought of setting off a loud chorus of sirenian cries from a bunch of infants made his skin crawl. He was surprised at how dexterous he was considering how old he was, he prayed that his poor back wouldn't be twisted into a pretzel after this.
It didn't take long for him to find the small baby he sought out, still shrieking like it was the end of the world.
Ryūnosuke's jaw practically dropped to the floor when he saw how the boy had taken a lot after him and his side of the family. The child's brows were wiry, he had the familial spiky hair that was also very similar to his mother's, he had tan skin and both this boy and the old man staring at him looked so much alike that it was uncanny.
Ryu found his breath being taken away and his heart melted a bit.
"With a volume like that, small one, you would probably have an almighty objection when you shout in a courtroom." He joked gently, more to himself though.
He frowned as his attempts at levity failed.
The newborn just kept howling like no tomorrow.
He found the sight increasingly difficult to watch.
This baby didn't have anyone around to hold him. His mother had just passed away, he had been left all on his own, he had probably been bawling his head off the entire time and he was probably scared and had no idea what was happening.
Poor little thing, all alone.
Breaking through the heartbreak, a warmth surged through the old former attorney's body, and he felt surprised. How could she look at this small and helpless child and feel nothing but sadness? This was his great grandson, the one who had just lost his mother, the one would fight through this pain, and Ryūnosuke promised right then and there that he would be right beside him the entire time.
He pulled up a stool and sat down right next to the crib before he reached down into said crib and took the squirming bundle into his arms.
He bounced the sobbing babe up and down in a steady yet slow rhythm, the babe started to ease with its shrieking wails and mewls and had started to quieten down the instant he had acclimated properly in the older man's arms. Ryū didn't hesitate in bringing the newborn close to his chest right near his heart so he could not only feel the warmth of his body heat but also be lulled to sleep by his heartbeat.
He didn't have Raven's heartbeat, the same heartbeat that the boy was used to in the womb, he knew this, but he thought it would be close enough.
"There, there, there...I'm here. Shhhhh..." He shushed soothingly.
Ryūnosuke felt the little boy squirm in his arms a bit but seemed to stop fidgeting when the latter felt and heard the former's heartbeat softly palpate in his tiny ear. A quiet snuffle escaped from the boy's nostrils as he settled down and lay his tiny head against his great grandfather's chest, oblivious to the fact that the person holding him was quietly marvelling him.
Ryū felt his heart explode in his chest as a huge smile spread across his lips.
He had held babies before, more specifically his own and then his only grandchild, but there was something special about holding his great grandson. To hold a child like this felt rather unnatural when he held his firstborn son all those years ago, but it was one of the happiest times of his life until Susato, himself and his family had to go into hiding just after the First World War began.
He didn't reflect on those times fondly so he decided to focus on what was happening here and now.
He didn't know how but it was as if this boy had healed a bit of his heart within seconds.
Besides, it's not as though a lot of people could say that they get to meet or hold their great grandchildren...
It felt as though his heart had been broken into a million pieces, but still, in this child, he now had this renewed hope that he could grin and bare it.
Ryū felt that familiar tickle behind his eyes but it wasn't out of sadness this time, this new batch of tears were from how sweet and innocent this sweet, sweet child was; this tiny little boy was the only family he had left. Fate must have kept him alive for so long so he could raise this tiny little boy, this little boy who was all alone in this world and needed someone to love and care for him.
He knew where his energies and his focus needed to be, and that was in supporting his beautiful, soft, perfect baby great grandson.
The tiny infant closed his eyes, satisfied, and soon fell asleep in he is grandfather's loving embrace. Ryūnosuke felt a bittersweet tear roll down his check as he listened to the contented sleep-snuffling of the baby. He was a heavy sleeper as well but he couldn't imagine that he would have been as deep in the deep dark chasm of sleep as this child was.
The ex lawyer felt a tad jealous, actually, as he wished that sleep would be as deep for him as it was during his youth.
This tiny boy clearly needed him.
"Woah! You even managed to inherit our families strange, spiky hair...somehow I knew you would."
Ryū sniffed as the tears started to ooze out of his eyes and roll down his cheeks. It didn't take long to notice them and, in an act of slight frustration, he raised an arm to furiously scrub those tears away with his sleeve. He clenched his teeth and heaved strong breaths in and out to try and calm himself while not noticing that the boy laying in his arms had been stirred a little from his snooze.
"Bwaaaah?" The baby cooed in confusion as his teeny tiny eyelids flitted open, revealing a pair of deep ocean blue pools.
Ryūnosuke gasped softly when he noticed he'd roused the baby from his temporary snooze.
"O-Oh. Sorry about awaking you, I'm just...just still in a bit of pain, little one. L-L-Losing someone you love does that to you. Hopefully you won't have to learn that too soon."
The old man felt sheepish as his voice quivered due to the pain remaining in his heart, he found it difficult to try and push his pain out of his mind but he didn't want to startle the other babies around or the one he was currently holding, so he tried to ignore the anguish for the time being.
He whipped the tears off his face and swallowed a marble-sized lump that had formed in his throat.
He decided to change the subject in hopes to distract mostly himself.
"You know something? You need a name." Ryū cast his view skywards and pondered "Hmmm...I remember your..." He paused for a moment as he swallowed the pain like a bitter pill "...your m-m-mother told me how she intended to name you something unique and, from the fires of strength I see in your ocean blue eyes, I think I have just the perfect name for you."
The old man looked back down at his grandson and deftly tickled his chin, earning a coo that could have easily been interpreted as a giggle of delight.
Ryū couldn't hold back a warm chuckle at the adorable sound.
"How does the name Phoenix sound?"
He started to truly think about everything, how he was going to be put in a bad situation.
Because of how old he was, he suspected that people might be a bit reluctant to let him raise a newborn child all by himself. But it wasn't like there were any other family members that he could go to, not to mention that the child's father had practically ran and vanished off the face of the earth the instant he knew he was the dad of this child so there was no way to find him.
Ryū had to have a word with those social services people...
This boy's mother was unable to care for him anymore and, since both himself and little Phoenix only had each other now, the old retired attorney-at-law felt a fire ignite and burn inside his heart as he felt his spirit harden. A new determination was imbued within him, sparking into a flame inside his soul.
For all those hard times he faced during those years of standing behind a court bench, he had learned to smile through them all.
A hint of a smile blossomed on his lips.
He knew what he had to do.
It took some time for him to gather the motivation to leave little Phoenix's side and then find the hospital cafeteria.
He still felt as though an old wound in his heart had been torn right open once again for the billionth time in his life, but he felt just a little bit better after his stomach was more fuller than before. Meeting his great grandson also helped with getting that wound to scab over —he knew it would never completely heal because he knew all too well that loss wasn't a thing that one could easily get over.
It was when he returned to the maternity wing of the hospital that he was greeted by a middle aged woman who had led him to a more quiet room for a private conversation.
She had her wispy chestnut brown hair tied into a bun. She had a rather aged face, plus she wore a (admittedly) knitted red and brown cardigan with a matching skirt that both had a woolly cheque pattern embroidered all over.
"...I am so sorry for your loss, Mr Naruhodo." Said the woman as she adjusted her glasses over the bridge of her pointed nose. "I am from social services and I've come to discuss options with you about the child of Raven Wright."
Throughout the entire conversation, Ryū felt his heart drop into his stomach.
Nevertheless he swallowed his fear and stood tall.
"Thanks for the condolences, Madame, but I don't know what options you are talking about..."
That was a blatant lie. He knew exactly what this woman was trying to talk to him about but he wanted to play dumb just encase he was mistaken. He would not allow for his very last remaining family member to just be snatched away from him, not when he had just lost someone else he cherished. He would fight anyone who would dare try (not physically of course, he didn't want to get arrested).
The woman's frown curled a bit as she stared Ryūnosuke dead in the eye.
"The options I am referring are where the child is given to someone in the foster care system and, as this boy has no relatives besides you, we can try setting him up in a foster program or we can send him to an orphanage-"
"No."
The social worker was caught completely off-guard after hearing the old lawyer object.
"Huh?"
"I said no. I am the only family that this boy has left and I refuse to abandon him. I volunteer to raise him as my own."
The woman gave a disbelieving huff of breath as she tried to change his mind.
"B-But a man your age is not fit to raise such a young child! Maybe you should just let a more capable family raise-"
"I will NOT repeat myself, Madame!"
His outburst rendered the woman silent.
A lengthy and uncomfortable silence brewed between the two.
The woman looked as though she were sucking a lemon, her eyes were wide in their sockets and she was as stiff as a stone while Ryū's face was a mask of pure rage; this was until he closed his eyes and breathed to recompose himself and he started to speak again with a much gentler tone of voice.
"I might be old but I vow to protect and defend this child for as long as my heart beats in my chest. I used to be a lawyer so I know the law inside and out like the back of my hand and, since I am the child's next of kin, I am fairly certain that I can take guardianship of this infant."
"But-"
Ryū raised a hand, effectively cutting the woman off once more.
"Yes, I'm Nipponese. Yes, I am 116 years old. Yes, I seem like a feeble old man...but family matters more to me than anything else. I failed to protect my wife, my sons, my daughter, my friends and now my granddaughter! I refuse to make the same mistake with my great grandson."
Ryūnosuke gave the woman a dead-eyed, cold stare.
He had not been so serious for a very long time.
"He needs me."
Yet another long silence was shared between the two, neither saying a word for several moments —Ryū stared at the social worker and the social worker glared at him for what felt like a long, long time; it was like a stand off to see who would snap and speak first...the only thing that made any sort of sound was the rather loud and monotonous "tick-tock" of the clock on the wall.
Eventually the silence was finally shattered.
The woman hung her head and gave a hesitant sigh.
"Alright...Alright, I shall give in and give you a chance."
Ryūnosuke's glare softened but the woman's glare remained rock hard.
Neither of them wanted to start a scrimmage in a hospital, especially not one that could be taken to court.
The social worker lady pulled out a random clipboard and startled flicking through the pages and started to scribble down some things on her notes, having a somewhat indignant expression as her posture was as stiff as a wall made from rock.
The ancestral attorney-at-law just listened to her without moving an inch yet his mind was racing a mild a minute once more for what felt like the thousandth time today.
"Now. For the first few months, social services shall be visiting you and you will eventually need to go to court to get the adoption legalised. If we find you struggling or incapable of raising this child in anyway then not only shall he be taken away but we will put you in assisted living. Do you understand?"
Ryū picked up the hint of white hot frustration in the woman's voice and he didn't like the thinly veiled threat at the end but he knew that this was the best he was going to get and he didn't exactly want to make an enemy out of these people, no matter how much he might have wanted to.
He gave a respectful bow of his head and nodded.
"Yes, Madame. I understand completely."
Then she stormed off.
After the woman had left, Ryū sighed and hung his head.
He felt as though a huge weight was being lifted from his chest after gravity was trying to squish it wards. He wondered if this was it was like to have someone confront another? He placed a hand on his chest to calm his racing heartbeat and he closed his eyes in an effort to do the very same thing.
"Excuse me, Mr Naruhodo?"
The ancestral attorney's pear pricked up when he heard someone call his name, a woman with a lithe yet kind-hearted voice, so he turned around and saw a nurse walking towards him with a familiar bundle cradled in her arms. She smiled warmly at the old man.
"I have a little someone who missed you."
Ryūnosuke's confused frown turned into a warm smile as he held out his arms to accept the bundle and felt a certain happiness spread throughout his body. He frowned a bit in confusion when he looked down and saw baby Phoenix reaching upwards. The retired attorney-at-law quirked a brow in a mix of perplexity and confusion. What was Phoenix reaching for? There wasn't anything interesting on the ceiling.
It was clearly something above them but there wasn't anything on the ceiling except for the light, but he doubted that that's what the baby was reaching for.
That was when he gazed up at his own head to remember that he was still wearing his cap and his frown shifted into a smirk as he looked back down at his great grandson whom was still trying to get his cap. He should have known that the infant was intrigued by his headwear but he found it amusing all the same.
"Ohhh...you want my hat." He said in realisation "Sorry, Phoenix, but this hat is too big for you right now."
The response he got was a confused cooing sound which was quickly followed by upset-sounding whimpers and sniffles. The spiky-haired bundle gurgled as he continued to flex his little fingers whilst waving his podgy little hands around in the air, his ocean blue eyes barely opened.
He started to rock him in his arms softly, speaking with a hushed tone.
"Come now, son. None of that."
Ryū smiled gently as Phoenix's barely-opened eyes started to close and he started to settle down into a deep sleep. Just like before, he rested an ear right up against the old man's chest and listened to his calming heartbeat to lull him to a gentle snooze.
"I'm sorry that I couldn't protect your mother, son, but I promise that I shall raise you to the best of my abilities; you may have to be patient with this old man, though, because it's been a long time since I have looked after a child."
Ryū couldn't help but let out a pained chuckle as he smiled sadly down at the small sleeping face of his baby great grandson.
He cleared his throat to smooth the thickness in his voice.
"I want to give you a good life, my little fire bird. Whether you want to follow in my footsteps as an attorney or follow in your mother's as an artist or walk down whatever path takes your fancy, I'll support and guide you..."
He hugged his great grandson closer and hugged him to his shoulder, his eyes softening.
"All we have is each other now and I'll support you all the way."
A/N: Here's the next chapter of "Birth of a Phoenix" and we see Ryūnosuke begin to bond with little Phoenix. Next chapter is the epilogue and I hope you guys enjoy it.
I also hope you like the cover, I made it myself.
You guys are awesome and I hope you have a good morning/day/night.
-Chloemcg