Usagi Tsukino: Ace Attorney Chapter 6: Turnabout Crossover, Part 3, a Sailor Moon + Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Crossover fanfic

Usagi Tsukino: Ace Attorney

Part 6: Turnabout Crossover (2; Trial)

Usagi and Rei waited outside the courtroom, having been summoned for the trial of Akane Tendo. Beside them, Akane's family stood. Soun Tendo was bawling his eyes out, and Kasumi patted him on the shoulder comfortingly. Nabiki...looked indifferent.

Usagi looked up at Soun, grinning reassuringly. "Don't worry, Mr. Tendo, I'm sure Akane'll be okay. I'll try my very best to ensure that her innocence is proven."

Nabiki chuckled dryly. "And what if she's guilty? Ever think of that, hotshot?"

The blonde shrugged. "Don't worry, I believe in her innocence. And, as long as I have that, I'll fight hard."

Nabiki's eye twitched. "That's not what I asked, and you know it."

"Could everyone please get ready?" The bailiff shouted. "The trial is about to begin."

"Well," Rei sighed, "looks like it's show time. Let's get going, Usagi-chan."

Usagi nodded, her expression one of determination. "Right, Rei-chan."

They walked forward, ready to face whatever they were about to face.

The judge was an older woman, Atsuko Takeuchi. "Court is now in session. Are the Prosecution and the defence ready?"

Usagi nodded, with Rei standing by her side to offer advice. "The defence is ready, your honour."

"The prosecution is ready." Ami Mizuno stated, smirking casually.

Usagi gasped, bug-eyed. She wasn't expecting to face off against her friend so soon. "A-Ami-chan!?"

The blue-haired girl shrugged. "What's wrong, Usagi? You weren't expecting me to become a prosecutor? I did say I would face you again in court." She clicked her fingers. "Now, let's get the show on the road!"

'Something seems...different about Ami-chan.' Usagi thought. 'I wonder why she's acting so...oddly now?'

The Judge banged her gavel. "Then, if everyone is ready, we shall begin this trial. Prosecution, would you please state the exact nature of this crime?"

Ami nodded. "We are dealing with a very simple crime: murder. The victim was Tatewaki Kuno, a student who attended Furinkan high school, in Nerima. The cause of death was repeated blunt force trauma against several areas of his body, most specifically his torso, head and his right arm."

"And I understand we have a clear suspect?"

Once more Ami nodded. "Indeed we do. Another student, Akane Tendo, was arrested, since she and the victim had an antagonistic history." She held up a file. "Incidentally, before I forget, here's the autopsy report of the victim's body."

(Autopsy Report added to the Court Record)

The Judge raised an eyebrow. "Antagonistic history? By what, exactly, do you mean by that statement?"

"Simply that the defendant has known the victim, and has not been friendly towards him."

"HOLD IT!" Usagi shouted. "We can't go using that as a motive. We do not even know how far this 'antagonistic history' has gone!"

Ami sighed. "You're quite right, Tsukino-san, we can't go around pointing fingers. I am merely stating that Tendo-san has a connection to the victim, and the investigation has led to her being identified as a likely suspect. However, I agree that it might best to better understand the exact nature of this relationship between the victim and the defendant. I call my first witness: the officer in charge of the case's investigation, Detective Dick Gumshoe!"

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

Dick Gumshoe sat at the witness podium, doing the weird eyebrow thing.

"Witness," Ami began, "state your name and occupation."

"Detective Dick Gumshoe, and I am an officer placed in the Nerima Police Department, pal!"

Ami nodded. "Very good, Gumshoe-san. Straight and to the point. Now then, you know some important information about the crime, correct?"

"Well," the detective said, rubbing the back of his head, "I don't know if you can really say THAT, but I'll try my best."

-WITNESS TESTOMONY: MOTIVE FOR MURDER-

"Well, where should I start?" Gumshoe wondered aloud.

"Maybe why Akane was arrested in the first place?" Usagi asked. "Or maybe what her motive possibly could be?"

"Oh yeah! Well, you see, the victim had a few mental problems, and was under the impression that she liked him, but would only date him if he beat her in a fight. So, he starts to harass her, constantly challenging her to a fight. She does not like this however. I'm guessing one of these fights got out of control, and she ended up going overboard and killed him."

"Hold on!" Usagi shouted. "Isn't that a little bit of a stretch? I mean, it's not like you know for sure. After all, she is only a suspect; we don't actually know whether or not she's guilty!"

Ami shook her head, smirking. "Precisely why we're having this trial in the first place, to determine your client's guilt, Tsukino-san." She turned back to Gumshoe. "Detective, did you find anything suspicious at the scene?"

"No, nothing out of the ordinary at all."

"Why is it that Tendo-san has been apprehended as the key suspect?" Ami asked. "Merely having fights with the man doesn't mean she killed him."

Gumshoe smiled self-assuredly. "Well, while we didn't find anything at the crime scene, we did find a decisive piece of evidence somewhere else."

-END TESTIMONY-

Ami smirked. "Thank you Gumshoe-san, your help has been greatly appreciated." She turned to Usagi. "Well, Tsukino-kun, do you see anything at fault with his testimony, or can we move forward without anyone's time?"

Usagi glared. "Actually, I think it would be best to cross-examine the witness."

Ami shook her head, shrugging. "Very well then, if you must, then by all means, cross-examine the witness, but I doubt you'll see any changes in testimony."

"Very well, Tsukino-san." The Judge said. "You may begin your cross-examination."

"Alright."

-CROSS-EXAMINATION: MOTIVE FOR MURDER-

"Usagi," Rei said from beside the blonde, "are you sure? I didn't really see anything wrong with what that guy said."

"I know, Rei-chan, but I just have....a feeling." She turned to Detective Gumshoe. "Gumshoe-san, please restate your testimony please."

"Hey, pal!" The Detective cried. "I'm not some rookie, I know how it goes! But don't go thinkin' that you can trick me! I'm on the ball here! There's nothin' you can do to trip me up!"

"I wasn't going to do anything like that, sir; I just want to clarify the facts here."

"Alright." He sighed. "Well, you see, the victim had a few mental problems, and was under the impression that she liked him, but would only date him if he beat her in a fight."

"Why did he think that?" Usagi asked.

He shrugged. "Dunno, but it has been confirmed that he, and his family, have a history of mental instability."

"Meaning?"

"To be plain, they're crazy. Completely off-the-wall bonkers."

"Detective!" The Judge called, frowning. "Please be a little less frank in your testimony! You are a police officer, not some random person off the street!"

"Sorry, pal." He replied, slumping sadly.

"Please continue, Gumshoe-san." Usagi said.

"So, he starts to harass her, constantly challenging her to a fight. She does not like this however."

"What exactly do you mean by 'does not like'?"

Gumshoe looked serious. "Well, he set up a weird arrangement where he and all the boys at the school would rush her and try to beat her in a fight, and she responded by beating them senseless each day. In fact, she has sent so many people to the hospital frequently, the victim especially." He produced a file. "Here's a hospital record, as well as some comments from the attending staff."

(Hospital Record entered into Court Record)

Usagi grimaced. "So...she sent them all to the hospital? But, it was in self-defence, right?"

Gumshoe shook his head. "Sorry, but no. She would sometimes get really enraged and just lash out at people. Of course, the number's gone down recently, but that's only because the situation had changed. That didn't stop the victim from making several return trips to the hospital."

Usagi sighed. "So, what does this have to do with the case?"

"Well, I'm guessing one of these fights got out of control, and she ended up going overboard and killed him."

"Hold it! How frequently have these fights been going on?"

"Uh...pretty frequently?"

"If so, then isn't it odd that she would've, as you said, 'gone overboard'? Especially when you consider that she is a skilled martial artist. After all this time, her control would've been conditioned enough so that, even if she was extremely angry, she would control her strength a little so she wouldn't cause too much harm!"

"Uh...well...." Gumshoe looked a little worried.

"Hmph." Ami countered. "Now who's being circumstantial? Do you have anything that would prove this claim? Do you have evidence to support this idea that Akane would've controlled herself a little, even in rage?"

'Do I?' Usagi thought, then shook her head. "No, I do not." 'I should probably look elsewhere.'

"As I thought." Ami said, smirking. "Gumshoe-san, you may continue. Did you find anything....out of the ordinary at the crime scene?"

"We didn't find anything unusual at the crime scene. Not a thing."

"Objection!" Usagi proclaimed, presenting the Marks in the Ground."Do you know what these are?"

"Uh...look kidna like...I dunno...drag marks?" Gumshoe hazarded.

The blonde nodded. "Correct. These marks...were found at the crime scene, and indicate something was dragged along the ground!"

"Those marks could be from anything." Ami countered. "There's nothing to suggest that those marks are connected to the case at all. Besides, the police did a thorough sweep of the area, and found nothing."

Usagi smirked. "Did they look everywhere?"

"Of course we did!" Gumshoe said. "We were very careful not to screw up!"

"Even...underneath the body!?"

"Y...." Gumshoe blanked out, and then he did the eyebrow thing again. "Wait...no, we didn't. Why you ask?"

USagi pointed her finger right across the room at the detective, almost accusingly. "Because, that's where the marks were found: underneath the area where the victim's feet were!"

"WHAT!?" Ami yelled out in disbelief.

Gumshoe paled and gulped. "Oh no...There goes my paycheck..."

"Here is my theory." Usagi began calmly. "The victim, Mr. Kuno, was not killed at the 'crime scene'. He was killed elsewhere, and was then moved. Of course, he is a fairly large and heavy man, even if being handled by another man, so he was dragged across to the schoolyard and dropped off."

"An interesting theory, but flawed." Ami said, smirking. "Those marks you found are only a couple inches long at best. If he was dragged, a trail would've been left."

"Yeah, you're right." Usgai accepted. "However, it's likely that the killer noticed this and brushed away the trail, leaving behind only the couple inches covered by Kuno's feet!"

There was a faint murmuring in the courtroom.

"Order!" The Judge cried. "I will have order in this court!" She calmed down significantly. "Your theory does hold ground, and does make some sense. It is true we cannot prove it, it is also true that we cannot DISprove it. I accept this possibility!"

Ami growled, glaring at Usagi and Gumshoe. "Gumshoe...why weren't you more thorough?"

"It's not my fault!" Gumshoe said. "It never occurred to us that he was dragged from somewhere else!"

"Which brings up another question." The Judge said. "If he was dragged, then where was he originally? We also do not know whether the defendant is actually guilty of this crime."

Ami smirked. "Which brings me to something equally important. Earlier Gumshoe said that we had a piece of decisive evidence that lead to Akane Tendo's arrest. What that evidence is, of course...is a witness who saw the crime!"

The crowd gasped, and Usagi collapsed. Why didn't they mention this earlier?

"Bring in the next witness, then!" The Judge ordered.

The witness stood at the podium, a superior smirk on her face.

"Please state your name and occupation." The Judge requested.

"I am Kodachi Kuno, a student at St. Hebereke's and master of Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics."

"Kuno?" Ami wondered aloud. "Are you related to the victim, Tatewki Kuno?"

"Indeed I am." The young woman admitted. "Though I hate to admit it. He was an idiot, constantly chasing that commoner and the red-haired harlot and thinking he could defeat my Ranma-sama."

"So," Usagi said, "you're another one of Saotome-san's 'suitors'?"

The young woman turned her head huffily, turning her nose up in the air. "Please. They are merely deluded fools. Ranma-sama and I are meant to be."

Ami slammed her hand on her desk. "Enough! Just get on with your testimony! This business about Ranma Saotome is irrelevant! Just please state what you witnessed!"

Kodachi cringed in fright, but kept her cool demeanour. "Very well then, if only to allow that boorish commoner to meet her fate."

"Usagi," Rei whupsered from behind. "get ready."

"Yeah." The blonde replied, nodding.

-WITNESS TESTIMONY: WHAT I SAW-

"You must understand; I am not doing this merely because that hooligan is a hindrance to my attempts to win over Ranma-sama's heart."

Ami growled. "I assure you, we care very little about your personal quarrel, whatever it may be. We just want the truth, and whether or not the defendant killed your brother."

"Well, that's an easy question to answer. I saw it clear as day. She had lured my brother to the school, fought him, and killed him."

"How can you say that with such certainty?"

"Why, I was there. I was doing my daily exercises, in order to stay in shape for any challenges I'll have to face. On my way home, I noticed my brother with the brutish hooligan he holds such a strong flame for. He seemed very tired, and he could barely stand. She seemed to be holding him up, helping him stand."

"That doesn't sound like murder, or even attempted murder." Rei remarked. "In fact, it sound like Akane was being friendly towards him."

"I am not finished!" The young woman screeched. "She separated from him and he fell. She had to have killed him! I saw it!"

-END TESTIMONY-

Ami's eye twitched. "That's it?"

Kodachi nodded. "Correct. That is what I saw."

Usage snickered. "Not exactly the 'decisive testimony' we were led to expect, is it?"

"I'm going to have to have a word with that detective, later." Ami said to herself darkly.

"The defence may begin their cross-examination." The Judge stated. "Tsukino-san?"

"Uh, right, your honour."

-CROSS-EXAMINATION: WHAT I SAW-

"You must understand; I am not doing this merely because that hooligan is a hindrance to my attempts to win over Ranma-sama's heart."

"Ranma Saotome is not on trial here." Usagi confirmed. "And he has been missing for some time now. He is unconnected to this case apart from some ties with the victim and the defendant. That is all."

"I understand that. I am just stating for the record so that no-one misunderstands my intentions."

"what was your connetion to Saotome-san, anyway, jsut so we're clear?"

"Well, while he may ahve played hard to get, we were very much in love."

"HOLD IT!" They all turned, seeing Akane beside Usagi, since the witness' stand was taken. "That is a load of crap! I – Ranma never liked you! You were constantly forcing yourself on him and trying to coerce him with drugs!"

Ami frowned. "This discussion does not concern you. After all, you are the suspect."

Akane growled, but sat down. "Fine. Get on with it, then."

"I saw it clear as day. She had lured my brother to the school, fought him, and killed him."

"NO WAY!" Akane shouted again. "Ranma would never do that! He never fights to kill, especially against Kuno!"

Usagi sweat dropped. "Akane....she's talking about you."

Akane looked away in shame. "Oh...right....

Ami sighed. "Please, can we just move on? Sometime this century, perhaps? Now then, how can you be so sure?"

"HOLD IT!" Akane shouted once again. "Akane may be a tomboyish brute, but that doesn't give you the right to say that! And besides, she was...doing something else at the time. There was no way she was there!"

Usagi slumped onto her desk, a look of dismay upon her face. "Akane....why are you referring to yourself int he third person?"

"Uh...." The tomboy replied, sweating. "N-no reason...."

"Anyway..." Usagi said, getting back into gear, "Why was she holding him up? Seems kinda strange."

Kodachi shrugged. "How should I know? I am only stating what I saw."

Rei sighed ine xaseration. "Yeah, yeah. Still, it would've been nice if you had something more helpful to say..."

"Anyway," Ami interjected, "do go on so thta we can end this pointless line of questioning."

"She separated from him and he fell. She had to have killed him! I saw it!"

"She...let him fall?" USagi wondered, a finger on her chin. "That's...not saying you saw her actually kill him."

"Hence why her testimony is completely useless." Akane said, shaking her head, frowning in annoyance. "Bailiff, get this idiot out of here!"

"But..." Kodachi objected.

"SHUT UP!" Ami yelled. "Now, get rid of her so we can begin a new line of questioning, what we should ahve done from the beginning: A testimony from the suspect herself, Akane Tendo!"

"W-what!?" Usagi screeched in shock.

Akane stood at the witness stand, looking very apprehensive.

"State your name and occupation." Ami requested.

"Uh, R-Akane Tendo, student of Furinkan High school and heir of the Tendo school of indiscriminate grappling."

The Judge shook her ehad. "We'll just say say 'student' for now."

Ami nodded. "Now, Tendo-san, please state for the record where you were the time of the murder."

Akane nodded. "Right."

-WITNESS TESTIMONY: WHERE I WAS-

"I was home, training. Then Ukyo showed up, and said that she'd treat us to a free meal." Her mouth started watering slightly. "We gladly accepted, with myself, a - Ranma and his father following her."

"Ukyo?" Ami asked.

"She is a friend of Ranma's, and is one of the girls hoping to marry him someday. She owns an okonomiyaki restaurant."

"I see. Continue."

"Well, we went there, and ate and drank. And then Ryoga showed up and started a fight, almost destroying the whole place. And then Shampoo showed up and tried to get Ranma to leave with her, and so another fight started, this time with Ukyo and A-myself helping. And that stupid panda did nothing to help." She clenched her fist in anger.

"I...I think we'll find out more about this some other time." Usagi suggested.

"That's probably for the best." The Judge agreed. "Go on, Tendo-san."

"Afterwards, we all went home, bruised and exhausted, and very hungry again. We went home, took a bath, and got ready for bed. The next day, police came over, and then accused Akane of being a murderer. Like sh – I would've done that. I mean, we fought that guy heaps of times, why would we choose NOW to kill him?"

-END TESTIMONY-

Rei whispered into Usagi's ear. "She seems very...nervous. And did you notice how she kept messing up when she referred to herself? What's up with that?"

Usagi frowned. "I have a hunch. If I'm right, then this may change some aspects of this case, if only a little." She looked up at the Judge. "Your Honour, the defence would like to cross-examine the witness."

"The witness is your client. Is that wise, Tsukino-san?"

Usagi nodded, frowning in determination. "I think so. I think there were some details left that need filling out."

"Alright then, you may cross-examine the witness." The Judge said, banging her gavel.

-CROSS-EXAMINATION: WHERE I WAS-

"I was home, training. Then Ukyo showed up, and said that she'd treat us to a free meal. We gladly accepted, with myself, a - Ranma and his father following her."

"We had the distinct pleasure of meeting Ukyo and visiting her restaurant, actually."

"Really?" Akane said, getting excited. "What did ya think?"

"She was an...interesting person. How is your relationship with her?"

"Well, we are rivals." Akane admitted. "But, we've become a little friendlier, admittedly, but not by that much."

"Very well then. Just an observation. Please, continue."

The Judge gave her an annoyed glare. "Usagi, please don't waste the court's time with idle chit-chat, or you will be penalised."

Sagi gulped as Akane continued.

"This court is unfamiliar with those tow people. Care to elaborate?"

Akane nodded. "Shampoo is another fiancée, and Ryoga is jsut some guy that I-Ranma pissed off for now real reason." She sighed. "I swear, our lives are very complicated and stupid."

Usagi nodded. "It sure is growing problematic for our case, somewhat. Oh, and what do you mean by 'panda'?

"Um...it's like a nickname for P-er, Mr. Saotome. He's Ranma's father. His hair is weird, its black and white, like a pandas, so we just called him that and it stuck."

"Hmm. Carry on."

"You raise an excellent point. It would be kinda odd for you to just suddenly want to kill him after all this time, especially considering how many times you've fought him. I doubt you would lose control like that."

"You're absolutely right."

"However...I'm afraid to say this but..."

"What?" Akane asked, blinking.

"OBJECTION!" Usagi presented Akane Tendo's Profile. "Tell me, what is your name?"

"Uh, Akane Tendo, of course. I did say that just moments ago."

Usagi nodded. "True, you did say that...however! You have acted very nervously, and not just in your testimony! Everytime you talk about yourself or Ranma, you seem to be very confused and have an odd tendency to mix it up!"

Akane cringed, holding her hand close to her chest. "T-that's impossible! How could I do that?"

"How indeed? Unless...YOU ARE NOT AKANE TENDO!"

"What!?" Ami cried out.

"What is the meaning of this, Tsukino-san?" The Judge said.

Usagi folded her arms, smirking. "Simple. There's only one explanation for Akane's behaviour. She is an imposter! The real Akane Tendo has probably been gone for some time! And then someone took her place!"

"That's just stupid!" Akane protested. "W=why would I do such a thing!? If I'm not Akane, then who am I!?"

Usagi presented Ranma Saotome's Profile. "I don't know how it's possible, but I think that your true identity is that of Ranma Saotome, the missing houseguest of the Tendos!"

"Rediculous!" Ami countered. "Ranma Saotome is a man! Besides, how can you prove that claim, in any way? What makes you so sure that you're right?"

Usagi smirked, presenting the Pigtail and Bracers."These were found in your room. They belong to Ranma Saotome, do they not?"

Akane cringed again, looking away shamefully. "They're....They're momentos, things to remember him by since he left..."

"A good cover story, but I've had enough of your lies!" She pointed at her, presenting The Letter From R to A. "Let's see you lie now!"

Akane yelled, slamming her fists onto the stand.

Ami stared at her. "A letter? What does that have to do with anything?"

"I'll read it for all of you." Usagi said, opening it and reading the contents. "'Dear R, I hope you are well. I am sorry we were unable to work things out, but I suppose it can't be helped. Thanks to you, I was able to get away and find some peace. I am deeply sorry for all the trouble I've caused you. China is a nice place, and I am enjoying the sights and people I've come across. I hope that this all blows over soon so that I can come home. I miss you and my family terribly. – A.'"

"What does thta even mean?" Ami asked irritably.

"Simple. This item was found in Akane Tendos room. We had initially assumed that it was a letter that Akane was writing to Ranma, who we were led to believe had left Nerima. It's not very ahrd to make that assumption, isn't it?"

"You are right, those are very specific initials." The Judge commented. "Especially considering where it was found."

"However," the blonde continued, "that assumption has been disproven once the letter was read. Akane, after all, is not in China. Or so we were meant to believe. The truth is that she DID go there, and in ehr palce, Ranma took on her identity, why we can only guess." She turned to 'Akane'. "How am I doing so far?"

Akane gave a hollow smirk. "....Man, I always was a terrible liar. I couldn't even beat the Gambling King. You're correct, Tsukino-san. Akane is not here. Instead, I am here to take the fall." She looked up, an unfamiliar expression on her face. It seemed like she was different person entirely. "I'm Ranma Saotome. Sorry 'bout all this."

Ami stared in shock and disbelief, and the court descended into hushed murmurings. The Judge banged her gavel, calling for order.

Ranma stood before them, the dye in her having been washed out, revealing her bright red hair.

"Why did you do this?" The Judge asked her. "And how are you a woman? It says in the records you are a man. Was there some kind of clerical error?"

Ranma shook her head. "There's no mistake. Let's just say....you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"It's fine." Usagi said, shrugging. "You can tell us later. More importantly, why did you go to all this effort?"

"It was for Akane's sake. Everthing i had said in my testimony was the truth. The police barged in and accused Akane of muder, of killing that idiot Kuno, of all things. They let her go due to lack of evidence, but we were worried. We knew Akane was innocent, we jsut weren't able to prove it. So, I came up with a plan. I was able to have reconstructive surgery, and then I dyed my hair. I was dead ringer for Akane then. We scrounged up some money, and then sent her on a flight to China. Ukyo soon got wind of this, and began to help us. At first, it was so she could get at me, but then things...changed, and she wanted to genuinely help." She closed her eyes. "I am sorry. I just...wanted to save her, even if it meant I was punished in her place."

Usagi nodded. "It's fine. I am not condemning you. But, this does complicate matters a bit."

"Indeed." The Judge said. "We'll need to investigate the matter more closely. This day has gotten us no closer to solving this case, other than raising a small possibility that the victim was killed elsewhere. We have to finish this trial soon, so I'm extending this trial to tomorrow. We'll get someone onto apprehending the suspect and getting her back here, but in the meantime we'll ahve to ignore protocol and try and conclude the trial without the suspect. In that time, the prosecution, the defence and our investigative team will have to go search for more evidence. Is that clear?"

"Yes, your Honour."

"Then court is, for now, adjourned."

She banged her gavel, signalling the end of the trial. For now.

Man, was this a long on, and I had trouble finishing it, so ti took me a while longer than usual.

Yes, I had this twist planned all along. I hope that it doesn't seem too arbitrary or silly.

And I actually wanted to have someone else as this trial's prosecutor, btu I was stuck on ideas so I just decided to bring in Ami again. I hope this is okay with you all.

Also, I apologise for any OOC behaviour. The story, once again, required it.

I hope you enjoyed it, and please comment.