Usagi Tsukino Ace Attorney

Part 5: Turnabout Crossover (2; Investigation)

Usagi and Rei stared in bewilderment as Akane was taken away by the police, unsure as to what was going on. They looked at the girl's assembled family members, who didn't seem too surprised by these turn of events. They looked uneasy, yes, but not surprised.

"So, uh," Rei began, nervously, "what was that about? And don't tell me you don't know anything, because it's obvious that you do."

Soun sighed. "It was a few days ago. They found a young man's body in the grounds of Furinkan High School. His name was Tatewaki Kuno, and he was an acquaintance of Akane's. For some reason, they made her, my youngest daughter, the key suspect."

"They had said," Nabiki said dryly, "that they had lacked evidence, and so she wasn't arrested for some time." She smirked. "I guess time ran out for her. They must've found some evidence to connect her to the crime."

Usagi stared down. She hadn't known the young girl very long, or very well, but she had seemed nice enough. The blonde was sure that Akane was innocent. And if not...well, she'll deal with that if it comes to that. Right now, though, there was someone being accused of a crime, and that meant only thing to Usagi.

She had to help.

She leaned forward, slamming her hands on the table. "Don't you worry, Tendo-san, I'll make sure your daughter is proven innocent!"

"Wha-?" Sound replied.

"What are you talking about?" Nabiki asked. "Just where do you get of making claims like that.

(Usagi presented Attorney's Badge)

"I am a defence attorney!" She proclaimed. "I hereby accept Akane Tendo as my client!"

They all stared at her, making Usagi very uncomfortable. "What?"

"What are you talking about?" Soun asked her, confused by her outburst.

"I think she's saying she's a lawyer." Nabiki explained. "I think she wants to defend Akane in court, make it so that she's proven innocent."

"YOU'LL DO THAT FOR MY DAUGHTER!?" Soun cried, leaping up at the blinde and hugging her, waterfall-tears falling from his eyes. "THANK YOU SO MUCH!"

"Um, th-thanks." She said, pushing the apparently insane man away form her. "Now, could you tell me the particulars of the case?"

"I'm sorry." The older man said, slumping. "I don't really know anything."

"The detective might know." Rei offered. "Plus, there might be clues at the crime scene."

"RIGHT!" Usagi exclaimed, and then smiled nervously. "Um...where's the crime scene exactly?"

Everyone face faulted.

As they were walking towards the crime scene, Rei discussed something with Usagi.

"I think the Tendos may be hiding something."

Usagi looked at her in puzzlement. "What do you mean, Rei-chan? I didn't see anything suspicious about any of them."

"Look, I'm not sure myself, but..." Rei presented a magatama. "This is a family treasure, a gift we had gotten from overseas relatives. Whoever holds this has the power to see when someone is lying. It's very ahrd to miss when it occurs too. However, I was born with this power, and thus I don't need this trinket."

"Then why bring it."

Rei gave her lover a serious look. "I brought his along because I thought you might need it. It might come in handy in your new profession. Just hold it on your person, and you'll see what I saw."

"There were plenty of times were tricked by yoma and stuff..."

"It doesn't work on yoma."

"Oh." Usagi took the magatama out of Rei's hands. "I'll take it then. Like you said, it might come in handy. However....I will not use it in court."

Rei blinked. "Why not?"

"Because that would be unfair, and I don't want to use dirty tactics. At least, not in the courtroom."

Rei nodded in semi-understanding, and they continued on their way.

----------------

They had finally arrived at Furinkan High. All the students milled about, moving towards the school building, most at least pausing to have a look at the cordoned off area. Usagi and Rei moved towards this area, eliciting many curious stares from several students.

One of the officers at the site stepped forward to halt them, and they realised it was the man who had arrested Akane, Detective Dick Gumshoe.

"Hey pal!" He shouted. "No-one's allowed in this area! See this yellow tape? That means this area is off limits to anyone not authorised! So get going and get back to class!"

"Uh...We're not students here." USagi said, rubbing her index finger on her cheek, smiling nervously.

"Then why are ya here then?" The detective asked, doing some weird little....thing with his eyebrows. (Those who play the games know what I'm talking about)

Usagi presented Letter of Request. "I was hired by Akane Tendo's family to defend her, that's why!"

"Ah!" Gumshoe exclaimed, realising what was going on.

"And, as we both know, as part of my job as an attorney, I must investigate the crime with which my client has been charged, and that includes this area you cordoned off!"

Gumshoe sighed, slumping defeat. "Alright, you win pal. I can't really argue with that. But I'm warning you!" Suddenly, his expression became more serious, more intimidating. "I'll know when you're trying one of your damn Lawyery tricks, and don't even think about messin' with the crime scene!" He moved aside, lifting up the tape. He glared at them suspiciously, as they walked into the scene of the crime. Again, students continued to stare at them.

They carefully examined the area, though there wasn't much to look at. Most it was covered in blue tarp, the body already having been removed. However, Usagi noticed something in the ground. It appeared to be some sort of indentation on the ground....as if something had been dragged across it. But it was only a small mark, like about the length of a third of her finger. However, it seemed really suspicious to the blonde, so she entered it into the Court Record. She sighed, finding nothing else of worth, and the two of them exited the area.

The blonde turned to Gumshoe, hoping to maybe get some answers out of him.

"Excuse," she began, "but I was wondering if you could tell us anything about the crime?"

Gumshoe turned his head to the side. "Sorry, but I do not wish to divulge any information to a lousy attorney. I ain't gonna sing here, pal."

Usagi began tearing up. "But....But I just want to know....I don't anything about what's going....you...you...meanie!"

Gumshoe's expression softened, and he started laughing good naturedly. "Aw, don't worry your cute little face about it pal! Ok, just this once, I'll give you a hand."

"Really!?" Usagi asked, instantly cheering up.

"Ok here goes: the victim's name was Tatewaki Kuno. He was a student at the school, and by all accounts he wasn't very well liked, not even by his own family. He was also apparently mentally unbalanced and....well, some claim that he was an 'idiot'. Apparently he had some sorta crush on the suspect, which had for some reason made her violent towards him in the past. We think that they had another of these 'altercations', and it escalated to the point where she ended up killing him. And that's all I'm gonna tell you pal!"

Usagi grinned, bowing in thanks. "Thank you very much, Gumshoe-san. Now i understand a little more about the case."

The man smiled back. "It' my pleasure to help out such a pretty young lady, even if she is a tricky attorney."

"Hey, is that an insult!?" Rei cried out.

A little to the side, someone watched the discussion going on between the detective and the two girls.

Ukyo Kuonji frowned. She wasn't sure who these girls were, but she would bet anything that they were here to steal her Ranchan. She wasn't about to let a couple of lousy hussies steal her Ranchan, not now that everything was going working out so well for her. She would have to take care of them shortly.

Usagi and Rei walked back towards the Tendo dojo, hoping to find some more information there. At the very least, they could probably find out more about the victim and their client.

Suddenly, something leapt from above, and they managed to dodge the bladed weapon came down towards them. Upon closer inspection, the weapon appeared to be one of those giant spatula things, commonly used when making pizza or okonomiyaki. Their attacker appeared to be a man (at least, they thought it was a man) wearing the Furinkan boy's uniform, and had long black hair.

"WHY'D YOU DO, YOU FREAK!?" Rei yelled at the assailant. "WHAT HAVE WE DONE TO YOU THAT'D MAKE YOU ATTACK US!? ARE YOU CRAZY!?"

The...person glared at them. "Don't act like you don't know. I know you're yet more fiancées chasing after MY Ranchan. Well, you can't have him! He's mine! End of story!"

Usagi was confused. "Who's Ranchan? Someone we should know?"

"Ranma Saotome? Greatest martial artist ever? The man I'll one day marry? RING ANY BELLS!?"

The blonde shook her head. "Nope, never heard of him. Actually, we're more concerned with a young girl known as Akane Tendo. You know her?"

Ukyo flinched, earning a raised eyebrow by the other girls.

"So, you do know something." Rei stated.

Ukyo sighed, relenting. "Yeah, I do. She is my number one rival, after all."

"How so?"

"She and Ranma were very close, though acted like they hated each other, but it was obvious they really cared about each other. They even almost got married once."

USagi nodded. "I see. So, she was your rival in love, right? Wait, I thought you said that you were Ranma's one and only."

Again, Ukyo flinched. "It's....a bit more complicated than that, you see..."

"In what way?" Rei asked.

"Well, he's father made a lot of...very stupid deals. A lot of those led to Ranma gaining quite a few fiancées, including admittedly myself."

"But you're a guy!" Usagi cried in shock. "I din't think his father would allow a boy to marry another boy!"

"Do I look like a guy!?" Ukyo shouted, enraged.

".......Well, yeah." The blonde replied, rubbing the back of her head.

Ukyo growled. "Well, I'm not! I'm 100% female!"

"Oh, so you're a crossdresser." Rei said matter-of-factly.

"It's....again, it's complicated."

Usgai nodded. "It's okay, it doesn't matter. We're getting side-tracked here. You do know that Akane has been accused of a crime, right?"

Ukyo nodded. "Yeah, murdering that idiot. If you ask me, good riddance, he was a crazy, annoying idiot. And now that she's out of the way, that means I'll finally have a chance at Ranchan."

"HOLD IT!" Usagi shouted. "How dare you!? This is another human being we're talking about; you can't just say that he deserved to die, no matter how annoying, crazy or idiotic he might've been! That's just not right! Besides, we don't know for sure if Akane is the guilty party here!"

Ukyo smirked. "It has to be her. Everything checks out, the crime scene, his wounds, plus she has a motive. You see, Akane has a temper problem, and she often attacks people without good reason, all because they made her mad. Just ask Ranchan; he was on the receiving end of her anger quite a few times."

USagi nodded. "Alright, then."

"What!?" The crossdresser stared, wide-eyed. "What do you mean?"

"We'll just have to talk to Ranma Saotome, then we can understand a little more about this 'motive'. I haven't seen the body myself, and I doubt they'll let me, but I'll find out in court. However, this motive you mention is quite important. So, where does Ranma Saotome live?"

Ukyo flinched. "H-he's not here, if that's what you're asking. He.....he moved away with his family ages ago."

Suddenly, the moment the girl said that, chains suddenly materialised around Ukyo, all connected to a giant lock, floating in front of her.

"Wh-what is that!?" Usagi shouted.

Ukyo stared in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"She can't see it." Rei whispered in the blonde's ear. "Only we can. Me, because of my heritage, and you because of the magatama. That is called a Psyche-Lock, and it only appears when someone has a secret they wish to hide. Whatever is going on with this Ranma person, it's something she wants to keep hidden."

USagi nodded. "It could be important then, all the more reason we need to reveal this 'secret'."

Rei nodded back. "Yes, but it's not that easy. In order to break that Lock, you first need to touch magatama, talk to her, and then use something that could shatter the Lock and get her talking."

"Do we have anything like that?"

Rei shook her head. "No, but we can probably find something if we look around a bit. We should go looking around, then come back when we have something."

"Right." Usagi turned back to the bewildered chef. "Could we continue our discussion later? We have to go find some evidence to use in our client's trial, but we'll come back if we have anything else to ask."

"Fine." The girl sighed. "You can find me at my restaurant, 'Ucchan's'. I make a mean okonomiyaki, if I do say so myself."

Usagi's eyes lit up at the mention of food. "Really? That would be divine, right Rei?" She turned to her lover, who slumped in defeat.

"Yeah sure, just don't make me spend too much on you, odango-atama."

"YAY!" Usagi embraced the other girl and kissed her on the lips, causing Ukyo to stare, shocked. She ahd no idea the two girls were....like that.

Rei and Usagi bid their farewells, and continued on their way to the Tendo dojo. Ukyo was glad they had gone; she didn't fell right lying to people, especially not about Ranma. But, it was for the good of everyone.

--------------

The two girls had returned to the dojo, and announced they would be staying the night (Usagi and Rei's families were of course informed). Kasumi led them upstairs and showed them the guest room in which they would be staying.

"It's seems pretty...spacious." Rei remarked, noting that the room was pretty empty. "Has anyone else ever stayed here."

Kasumi shook her head. "No, we haven't had any guests here before."

Again, Usagi and Rei saw a Psyche-Lock appear in front of the older girl. They idly wondered what it could mean. Curious, they examined the room. Usagi found a patch of strange hair, and Rei found a slipper/shoe in a nearby cupboard. (I think there's a cupboard or something of that sort in the room)

(Strange hair and shoe added to Court Record)

Usagi turned back to Kasumi, touching the magatama. Once again, the Psyche –Lock appeared before her, blocking the truth. Usagi knew what she ahd do now, but she hoped that her hunch was correct.

"Kasumi-san, you said before that no-one has used this room before, correct?"

"H-hai...." Kasumi replied, looking away.

Usagi nodded. "However, I have found something that disproves your claim!" Usagi cried, presenting the strange hair. "Now, tell me, who does this hair belong to? It's black and white, and I'm sure that your father has no grey hairs, let alone enough white hair to make this big splotch!"

"Eek!" Kasumi gasped, then gulped nervously. "T-that doesn't prove anything. Maybe my father has been dying his hair, or something. Or maybe it's from an animal that sneaked inside."

The blonde nodded. "Perhaps, but I have evidence that someone has indeed been inside this room!" Usagi presented the shoe. "Who does this shoe belong to!?"

"That could belong to anyone. Maybe Father or maybe my sisters dropped it."

"That's odd. I mean, I'm sure someone would've noticed a missing shoe. However, there is something else about this shoe that bothers me."

Kasumi sweated. "W-what would that be?"

Usagi smirked. "Why, it's far too large for you or your sisters to wear! Also, it's far too small to fit your father's foot. Meaning: this belongs to someone else, someone else who had stayed at this house, in this room. Someone we have yet to meet!"

"AAAAAAH!" Kasumi cried, the Psyche-Lock shattering. She stared up at the blonde, her face looking pale and timid. "How....how did you figure it out?"

USagi grinned sheepishly. "Honestly, I was just guessing."

Kasumi nodded. "Still, you were right. We did have previous tenants staying here. They had lived with us for quite some time."

"Who were they?" Rei asked.

"A boy and....his father. Their names were Ranma and Genma Saotome, respectively."

Usagi and Rei jumped, startled. "Ranma Saotome lived HERE!?"

Kasumi cocked her head in puzzlement. "You sound shocked. Why?"

"We spoke to...someone else earlier." Rei answered. "They claimed that Ranma Saotome was...well, that he was close to our client, Akane. It just surprising that they were....well, that close."

Kasumi shook her head. "It's not that. It's...more complicated than that. You must understand, Ranma, and a lot of people connected to him, don't have what many consider normal lives. Ranma was pretty much forced to stay here by his father, who can be...very troublesome. So, it didn't really have anything to do with them liking each other. In fact, they hated each other, at first. But, it soon became obvious that, despite everything, they cared about each other."

Usagi closed her eyes in concentration, trying to understand everything the older girl said. "So...they were close, eventually. So, where's Ranma now? I mean, you'd think he'd be there for someone he cared about, wouldn't you?"

Kasumi looked downwards. "Well, actually....we don't know where he is at the moment. He disappeared a few days ago, after Akane was accused of....the crime."

"Y-you mean he ran away!?" Usagi gasped, horrified. "Just when Akane needed him most!? That bastard!"

Rei placed her hands on the blonde's shoulders, placating. "We don't know if that's the reason why. He could have left for some other reason: besides, what does it matter? He's not important to this case: Akane's innocence is."

Usagi shook her head. "I dunno. It's just; we met two people, and theyw ere both keeping secrets about one person: Ranma. What if it's connected to our case?"

"Maybe, but how?"

"I dunno, but I'm gonna find out." She turned to Kasumi. "Kasumi, can I ahve a look around your sister's room? I might eb able to find something to help our case."

Kasumi looked a little confused, but nodded.

She led the two girls to another room, identified by a duck shaped plaque reading 'Akane'. They entered the room, and noted nothing too unusual about it. It just seemed to be a normal young girl's room.

"Let's have a look around." Usagi suggested, earning a nod from Rei.

USagi peered around, noting nothing too significant. She noticed something peeking out from underneath the pillow of Akane's bed, and checked it out. She found a small box. A look inside revealed a lock of black hair, tied up in a braid (or pigtail).

(Pigtail added to the Court Record)

Usagi noticed that Akane's dresser table had a drawer that was slightly open. She pulled it open, revealing a letter. It had labelled on the front 'to R from A'. She wasn't sure what it meant, but it could useful.

(Mysterious letter added to the Court Record)

Finally, she looked underneath the bed, finding an arm bracer. Of course, she didn't really know what it was, but Rei did.

(Bracer added to Court Record)

Usagi presented her evidence to Kasumi. "So, any ideas on these?"

Kasumi put her finger to her lip. "Well, I'm not sure about the letter, but those other two items are familiar. Ranma wore two bracers on his arms, though I'm not really sure why. As for that box, well, Ranma wore his hair in a pigtail. Does that help?"

Usagi nodded. "it does, thanks Kasumi-san."

"Ranma again." Rei noted. "Usagi, I think you're right. He disappeared when Akane was accused of murder, and now we find two items belonging to him in Akane's room. It just seems like too much of a coincidence."

Usagi nodded. "It's possible, but I'm not willing to make too much of an assumption, not until we find out what Ukyo's hiding."

Ukyo sat behind the counter of her restaurant. She knew that those two girls would be stopping by; she just had to wait for them. Hopefully, she could get them to stop their snooping.

And, as if by magic, Usagi and Rei walked into the restaurant, moving towards the young chef.

"So, you're still around here, huh?" Ukyo said dryly. "Let me guess, you wanna talk to me some more."

Usagi nodded. "Please, I just wanna ask you some more about Ranma: namely, what happened to him? I think you know something."

"I-I told you, he's gone with his family." Ukyo denied. "I don't know any more than that."

(Psyche-Lock appears, and Usagi presents magatama.)

"I don't buy that. You know more than then you're letting on. But, I wonder why?"

Ukyo shook her head. "I...I don't know what you're talking about."

The blonde shook her head. "I think you do. And I think I can prove it, too!" (Usagi presents Kasumi Tendo's Profile.) "Now, you said that Ranma had left with his family, however, Kasumi Tendo told me that she had no idea where he had gone!"

"So?" Ukyo said, though the nervous look on her face didn't really sell it.

"She also told me something very intersesting.... That he had been living with the Tendos!"

"Urk!"

Usagi nodded. "Strange. I would've thought he would've told people he had been so close to where he was going. Especially if he had lived in the same building as them!"

"Gah! That....you can't prove anything! I told you....he left. I...don't know where he is either."

"That doesn't change the fact that you lied! Now, I want to know why!"

Ukyo growled, gritting her teeth. "What makes you think I lied? I...I just thought..."

"You said, clearly 'he left with his family'! You sounded so sure, as if you knew exactly what had happened! Now, you're not sure!? That's a lie if ever I saw one!" Usagi smirked "However, I think I know why!"

"W-what!?" The chef gasped, her expression growing worried.

(Usagi presented Mysterious Letter) "This letter was found in Akane's room! She was going to send a letter to Ranma! Indicating that she knew his whereabouts; however, you had seemed so sure that you two were going to be together! Now, if he ahd liked you so much, why has he not told you his whereabouts!"

(Psyche-Lock shatters) Ukyo slumped in defeat, a sad, pathetic look upon her features. "I admit it. He didn't go anywhere with his parents. But....I...I didn't lie. I know where he is. I....I just can't tell you. However, he did not run away. He's just....I can't tell you. I promised. But, I can say this with all certainty....Akane did not kill that idiot."

"I would've thought you'd be one of her accusers." Usagi said. "I mean, you were rivals. One less person in your way, you know."

Ukyo shook her head. "Maybe, if things were different, but they're not. I just...didn't trust you, but, if you're really willing to help her, I'll....give you this. I'm not sure whether or not it's helpful, but it was found near the crime scene, so it might come in handy."

(Hair strand added to Court Record)

(Strange residue added to Court Record)

(Yen bill added to Court Record)

Usagi raised an eyebrow. "Money? What was that doing at the crime scene?"

Ukyo shook her head. "Don't ask me. Maybe someone dropped it and forgot?"

Rei shook her head. "They had to be pretty spacey to have dropped a whole bill, particularly one worth 10,000 yen."

"That is a bit much to just lose and forget...." Ukyo admitted.

Usagi narrowed her eyes. "especially one with a drop of blood on it."

Ukyo nodded. "I noticed that too, hence why I thought it was suspicious."

"Why did you lie? Not about Ranma, but about being happy that Akane was 'out of the picture'." Rei placed her hand on her cheek, slightly confused.

"That was kinda a half truth." Ukyo said, blushing. "I...I knew she was innocent, but it would've looked a little too suspicious if I tried to defend her. I...I didn't want to be accused as an accomplice, or even as the murderer. Plus.....I made a promise."

"To who?" Usagi asked.

"To Akane." Ukyo replied. "And that's all I'll say."

A new Psyche-Lock appeared, different from the ones Usagi had seen. It was smaller, and was black in colour, rather than bright red.

"You can't break this one." Rei whispered to the blonde. "This is a secret so important to her, nothing can break it. Let's take what we got and deal with the trial tomorrow. It's getting a little late."

Usagi nodded reluctantly, turning back to Ukyo. "Thank you, Kuonji-san, for your assistance."

Ukyo smiled. "No problem. Just....save Akane, alright?"

Usagi nodded. "Of course."

They left the restaurant, leaving the chef to herself. She hoped they could do the impossible.

"Looks like someone is going to defend Akane in court tomorrow."

"Who?"

"Some hotshot attorney. This will be her first case, though."

"Good, that means they won't be too much of a threat."

"What if they prove...troublesome!?"

"Don't worry about it. I hired an excellent Prosecutor. They'll ensure that Akane Tendo gets the guilty verdict. And don't worry, they're very discreet. Our involvement will be kept strictly confidential. However, if they do betray us, you know what to do...."

"Of course."

Court Record:

Attorney's badge: Usagi's attorney's badge, proving her identity as an attorney. It's a little sticky, because she dropped it in ice cream.

Letter of Request: Signed by Soun Tendo, requesting that Usagi Tsukino represent Akane Tendo as her defence attorney.

Marks in the ground: Found near Tatewaki Kuno's body. Probably made by something be dragged along or dug into the earth. Not very deep or long.

Strange hair: Found in guest room of Tendo dojo. Black and white, maybe an older person?

Shoe: Found in guest room. Too large for a young woman, too small for an adult man. Ranma's?

Pigtail: Lock of hair in a box, found in Akane's room. What's it doing there, and whose hair is it?

Mysterious Letter: Signed 'to R from A'. Akane was probably going to send it to Ranma. Does she know his whereabouts?

Hair strand: What's with all the hair everywhere!? This is, like, the third piece of evidence that's hair. Can't really tell its colour; too small.

Strange residue: received from Ukyo Kuonji. Not sure what it is. Is it a powder? A liquid? What is it!?

Yen bill: 10,000 yen. Has a spot of blood on it. Maybe if I cleaned it up a little, I could use it?

Magatama: Magical object received from Rei. Allows me to see Psyche-Locks, but I will only use it to find evidence, and not in court. That'd be cheating.

This is probably the longest chapter I have written for any story yet. That's why it took so long to get down.

I was lacking a little inspiration in regards to the evidence found and whatnot, but I knew I wanted to have Psyche-Locks in here. I like those things (though I like the Perceive System more). Also, I hope I did certain characters well enough (mainly, I hope that Gumshoe's not too out of character). Also, I am aware that they didn't visit Akane yet. I just didn't get around to it, and I'll bet it never occurred to our heroines, either. So yeah, that's my explanation.

I hope you liked this part, and that it wasn't too boring or tedious. If there are any problems, please tell me so that I can at least improve in future.

Hope you enjoyed it, and please comment!