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gtanddragons · 2 months

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Scene from a fic I wrote that can be found under the keep reading for anyone interested in growing attorney's

I also wanted to say a big thank you to @gtanddragons , @hopemakesstuff , and @rosejenwrites309 for being kind enough to beta read this fic for me! Please check out their work as well since all three of them are extremely talented writers ^^

(Warning: The following fic has spoilers for some information that isn’t revealed until case 2-3 of the Great Ace Attorney Chronicles. So if you don’t want to be spoiled for the game I would highly recommend skipping this fic until you get to that part. However if you don’t care about spoilers/ have already played through the games I hope that you enjoy this fic!)

The journey to England had been a long one. It had only been two weeks since the ship had set sail from Japan and Kazuma was already exhausted.

His days consisted of long study sessions with Susato, combing through their British law textbooks to make sure they were prepared for anything the English prosecution might throw their way. Along with honing their conversational English for their extended stay in the country. Then there were his sporadic checkup meetings with Hosonaga, the detective turned bodyguard who was as diligent in his current escort mission as he was in his investigations. And finally there was his daily regimen with Karuma, his family's blade as he went about practicing his sword forms on the ship. This tight schedule, however, wasn’t too dissimilar from his routine back at Yuumei University before he graduated.

It was keeping Naruhodo's existence a secret alongside all of those activities that was wearing him down.

The three months of travel hadn’t seemed so long in his head when he had first convinced Naruhodo to stow away with him, as he was sure the time would fly by and they would all be in Britain before they knew it. Though now, as he had to constantly shove Naruhodo back into the wardrobe before Susato or Hosunaga could open the door, how he had to find new excuses to cut study sessions short so he wasn’t keeping his partner cooped up in the wardrobe all day long, how he had to discreetly sneak away with his food under Susato’s watchful eye during meal times. Each day seemed to stretch out longer than the last, as their secret was one mistake away from being exposed.

Then there was also the fact that his plan might be foiled due to their current food crisis.

As one would think, stealing an extra meal from a steamship swarming with people would be a trivial matter— the need to pack an extra three months’ worth of food seemed excessive to him back then. Though much to his and his partner’s misfortune, the shipmen here were a meticulous bunch. Each meal corresponded to a specific number of passengers on the ship that the ship-men took great care in tracking. Along with accosting any would-be thief or hungry passenger looking for seconds with a threatening glare.

And while Kazuma was confident he could best anyone here in combat, he didn’t want to risk the two of them getting kicked off the ship for starting a needless fight over an extra steak. Not after everything he’d done to get here.

So stealing was off the table for now.

Thus, the duo have been splitting their meals throughout their voyage, leaving them both achingly hungry and rather irritable these last few days.

“At least Naruhodo had one full meal tonight… even if it was roast chicken of all things,” Kazuma thinks hopefully as his eyes drift over to the wardrobe concealing his partner.

Tonight was supposed to be the night where he would explain it all to Naruhodo. His true reason for going to Britain and the task he was to carry out once he touched down on English soil. He knew that Naruhodo would understand his plight once he explained it to him. He’s always had a knack for seeing his true intentions.

But his mouth had betrayed him, clamming up before he could utter a proper word. Much like the speech competition all those months ago when they had first met, he was helpless in front of Naruhodo as he’d just stood there floundering for words that wouldn’t come.

And Naruhodo, the good friend that he was, sat patiently waiting for him to continue, while Kazuma struggled to condense the vast ocean of his life’s work down for him.

How his father, Genshin Asogi, had been slaughtered to appease the British government and the lawless court system that found him guilty of being some sadistic serial killer with no evidence nor proof.

How their own government, too cowardly to stand up for an innocent man, played along with the British court’s delusions and helped to bury him. Appeasing a nation that thought of them as nothing more than dim-witted savages they could exploit at every turn.

How he was going to be the reckoning for all the arrogant fools involved in that detestable scheme. How he was going to flay those bastards open in court, exposing the harsh truth for all to see, righting the wrongs done upon his father.

And how this event was why he was standing here today— how every decision and path he has taken since he’d glimpsed the truth of his father’s death had led him to be here on this ship sailing to Britain.

The inferno of emotions he’d been harboring for years scorched the back of his throat, begging for release. To be seen after all this time. However, he stood sturdy, fearing that once he forced this raging fire of emotion out into the open, it would burn away the façade of a man his friend thought he knew.

Still, much like the speech competition, he couldn’t hesitate on the podium forever as his partner began to doze off in his seat. Convincing Kazuma that this discussion could wait another day.

Tomorrow… he’ll definitely tell him tomorrow… Kazuma vowed— though the words rang a bit hollow even in his ears.

He had scooped up the dozing Naruhodo then. His partner, so out of it he barely even resisted as Kazuma moved him toward the wardrobe. He couldn’t help but chuckle a bit as he could hear Naruhodo softly snoring before he even shut the doors and sealed it closed.

As Kazuma moved toward his desk, the fire of emotion he’d felt when thinking about the past seemed to cloud his mind. Making each step he took feel heavy and unbalanced, as if the ground was shifting beneath him. It was as he reached his desk that a wave of heat that had been building up washed over him as he gripped the edges of the table to steady himself.

Perhaps Naruhodo was right, and he was getting too weak from the lack of food… He’ll need to see if Susato was willing to share her leftovers with him starting tomorrow. She’d already caught him “drooling over her meals” as she put it, so perhaps it won’t be too much of an ask.

Throwing himself down into the seat, he moved to grab his journal. Even if he was feeling odd, he should just chronicle the meager events of today and rest up. Though as he moved his pen to paper it all felt slightly… off.

The fountain pen gifted to him by Professor Mikotoba as a congratulatory gift for getting into this study tour felt wrong in his grasp. The usual thick width of the pen didn’t feel quite so wide, as his fingers wrapped around the pen more than he was used to. And despite his attempts to adjust his grip, it felt like the length of the pen was shorter than before, too, leaving him less room to hold it properly.

Kazuma let out a frustrated sigh as he set the pen down, trying to figure out what might be wrong with it. His foot began to jitter next to him as he stewed in his thoughts. Despite his best efforts to curb this habit, his legs never seemed content to stay still unless they were folded under him in a Seiza position. And from what Professor Mikotoba described from his study tour with his father, if he didn’t “sit properly” he’d be accosted by the public for not acting like a “gentleman” in public. Any deviation no matter how small will be looked at with scorn and mockery in their eyes. Even though sitting in a Seiza position was much better for one’s posture and concentration than letting them dangle uselessly off their high chairs.

Just another thing he had to give up for Britain, huh? Kazuma thought bitterly.

Suddenly, another wave of heat rolled over his body as he felt his knees bang against the bottom of the desk. With a yelp of pain he scrambled to push himself back.

Looking down, he was confused at the sight before him. Nothing seemed to be out of place with his desk that could have caused that incident. However, despite both of his feet being firmly planted flat on the floor, his knees bent up higher than the desk in front of him— which shouldn’t have been possible.

Has the desk gotten shorter? Or perhaps his legs had grown longer?

No, that was impossible. There was no way for the desk to have spontaneously shrunk or for him to have grown. There had to be another explanation he wasn’t seeing.

Before he could think about it any further, his legs were already guiding him toward the wardrobe. If his mind had decided to play tricks on him this late in the night, he knew that Naruhodo would be able to quickly dispel them.

But as he began to hook his fingernails under the sign sealing the wardrobe closed, a new flash of heat rushed through his body. He stumbled against the wardrobe in surprise as the heat spread through his body in bursts. Each wave left his skin feeling tingly and wrong. However, in spite of the uncomfortable situation, it was the feeling of wood sliding beneath his fingers as they inched outward before his eyes that was truly distressing.

Once the warmth in his body seemed to cool, he was shocked to see that he was now eye level with the top of the wardrobe. The roof of it was covered in a thick layer of dust that no one was ever supposed to see. A hesitant glance around the room revealed that he had to have been at least two and a half meters tall now.

Just what in the world was happening to him?!

Having to crouch down now, he quickly tore off the sign and forced open the wardrobe doors without a moment’s hesitation. Much to Kazuma’s relief, Ryuunosuke looked to be okay. The man was still sound asleep in the wardrobe, not having moved from when he saw him last, nor had he seemed to have undergone any physical changes.

Moving his hand over to his partner’s shoulder, Kazuma felt acutely aware of how his palm seemed to engulf Naruhodo’s entire shoulder as he began to gently shake him awake.

“Naruhodo, something strange is happening—I need your help getting to the bottom of this,” he said in a hushed whisper, expecting that to be enough to stir his partner awake. He waited a few moments for his friend to stir, but instead he remained silent and unmoving. If it wasn’t for the soft rise and fall of his chest, Kazuma would have thought him a corpse.

“Naruhodo, you need to get up,” he tried again as he put a bit more force behind his movements in the hopes of jolting him awake. Still he remained unresponsive.

“Naruhodo, wake up!” he said forcefully, shaking his partner to no response. He couldn’t have possibly been that tired, could he? He felt frustration begin to bloom in his chest as, despite his best attempts, Naruhodo refused to wake. Wishing to remain blissfully asleep rather than help his friend.

The heat suddenly struck him again with a vengeance, like a gunshot to the back he shot up in height again. His head smacked violently against the ceiling with a resounding bang as he toppled down to the floor.

As he tried to catch himself, his right hand pressed down on something plush before he heard the shattering of wood— his hand falling for only a moment before he was able to properly steady himself. Looking down, he saw the remains of the bed as the wooden frame seemed to have been demolished by his weight alone. Kazuma didn’t have time to dwell on that as he felt his legs unceremoniously knock down the remaining furniture in the room. His long limbs fighting for the shrinking space of the cabin.

As he tried to sit himself up— in an attempt to assess what was happening— he barely felt his shoulder shove against the wardrobe until he saw it beginning to fall from the corner of his eye. Kazuma reached out to catch it, surprising himself with how light it felt in his grasp. It was barely larger than his luggage bag now as he lifted it up to move to a safer location. Though, looking around the room, that didn’t seem to be an option as toppled-over furniture littered the floor that wasn’t already covered by his expanding legs. It felt like the only safe option left was to hold the wardrobe himself, which grew easier as the seconds ticked by.

Before he knew it, his legs pressed against the opposing wall as his back was flush against the wall behind him, and yet he still felt the familiar heat of growth warping his body. Too quickly his legs were forced to bend and his back forced to curl to keep himself contained in the shrinking room. He felt helpless in his own body as there was little he could do except keep Naruhodo safe from himself. The wood of the shrinking wardrobe creaked ominously against his fingers as he pressed it close to his chest.

And just as he felt he couldn’t grow another centimeter more, it finally stopped.

Kazuma didn’t dare breathe as he waited to see if the growth spurt was finally over. His heartbeat roared loud and furious in his chest. But with each moment that passed the inferno that had lit his body aflame died down till it was nothing more than cinders.

Taking a slow shaky breath out, he tried to assess the situation.

The tops of his bent knees brushed against the ceiling, forcing him onto the floor. Kazuma’s back was curled against the wall, leaving barely enough room for his head before he grazed the ceiling again. The wardrobe Naruhodo was asleep in was hugged protectively to his chest.

Checking the metal door, it seemed like he’d be lucky if he could stick his arm through the opening, so there was no chance of him squeezing out of the cabin as he was.

He was well and truly stuck.

Sighing, Kazuma thought back to Ryuunosuke's complaints on the first day of their voyage, of how suffocatingly tight it was squeezed into his suitcase. Kazuma had laughed it off, much to his partner's annoyance, stating he was just whining and that it probably wasn’t so bad. He would need to apologize to Naruhodo once he awoke.

Although, at least Ryunosuke knew that the discomfort was only temporary—that Kazuma wouldn’t cruelly leave him in that confined prison forever and he’d be let out eventually.

Closing his eyes, Kazuma could only hope that the impossible situation he’d found himself in was just as temporary …

#YEAAAA I forgot to check Tumblr sooner for this </3 but it’s so great to see the lovely fic and art again #always happy to help!!#still obsessed with how smooth the colors feel #also love getting to see things from Kazuma’s POV. poor guy + he is such a spitfire gjgkgk #aa g/t #friend content #the art corner #the writing corner

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