Title: Farewell, Goodbye

Summary: "So, I have to wait decades to get punched in the face and hear the story behind my own death. That's so mean."

Disclaimer: Ace Attorney series belongs to Capcom

Pairing: None

Warning: Set post-GS5; Spoilers for GS5. Possible OoC-ness. Rated for slight language.

Farewell, Goodbye

"So even though the physical appearance changes, the body is still that of the one doing the channelling, right?"

"Yeah."

"Damn, that means I can't sock him."

"Yep. …Wait, what?"

Phoenix stared, wide-eyed, at Apollo, who was still quietly observing the girls as though he hadn't just spoken. The oldest attorney took in a deep breath and released it slowly as he turned back to glance at the girls, even as he kept an eye on his subordinate out of the corner of his eyes.

It had been about two months since the end of that faithful trial. They were still working on bringing the dark age of the law to an end and, fortunately, that was going well. Both Apollo and Athena had returned to the agency full-time (after being forced to take a mandatory two-week vacation by their boss to tie up any lose ends) and were taking up cases again (after talking it over with Phoenix this time). During these two months, Phoenix kept a close eye on both of his subordinates and, much to his relief, they were both back to normal, though they still had the occasional moments of silence and were sometimes lost in thought.

Earlier in the day, Maya and Pearl Fey had shown up at the Wright Anything Agency, the former having snuck out of her training for a day. After a quick chat with Phoenix (mostly spent grilling him on the Steel Samurai plots), the Feys had initiated a Steel Samurai marathon, and both Trucy and Athena were both all too happy to join in. Phoenix didn't object; Trucy could afford to put off her homework a little while and none of the attorneys had a case that day. The two males stayed at the back of the room, occasionally glancing over at the TV, but mostly reading up on old case files.

It was well into the second hour of the marathon before Phoenix noticed that Apollo hadn't flipped the case file he was reading for a while now, and was glancing at the girls with a faraway look in his eyes.

'…I didn't expect him to be over Clay's death yet, of course, but he's not seriously thinking what I think he's thinking… is he…?' Phoenix frowned. "Apollo…" He started carefully.

The red-clad attorney turned to him, a wistful smile on his lips. "I'm… fine now. It still hurts to think about him, but… I'm fine." Apollo said. "But at the same time, I have this feeling inside of me that I can't get rid of."

"And you believe that speaking to him will help?" Phoenix questioned.

Apollo smiled again, the same pained smile. "I just… need to say goodbye."

Phoenix couldn't say he didn't understand. Back then, when his mentor had died so suddenly, he couldn't help but feel like he had been left behind suddenly. The difference between him and Apollo was that he had Maya sticking by him. Maya, who was a spirit medium who could—and did—channel the spirit of his beloved mentor. By the time the Hazakura Temple case had come to an end, he had finally said goodbye to his Mia, and moved on to become a full-fledged attorney on his own.

'But this is different… Mia was my mentor. She taught me all that I know. Even if we were close, it's still not as close as that of Clay and Apollo. Clay was Apollo's best friend. They had grown up together, dreamt together and achieved together.' Phoenix thought. "Well, if you're sure…"

"I am." Apollo nodded firmly.

"Alright." Phoenix nodded back. "Maya?" He called.

The name had the entire group near the TV silencing. The Master of Kurain Channelling Technique bounced over with a smile on her lips, "Yeah?"

"Umm…" Phoenix mumbled unintelligently.

"Ms. Fey," Apollo spoke up, his voice soft, but firm. "…I'd like to request a channelling."

Maya turned to him, quietly observing the younger attorney for a few moments before breaking out into a wide smile. "Sure!" She chirped, clapping her hands together.

"J-Just… Just like that?" Apollo blinked.

"Uh-huh~" Maya nodded, still smiling brightly. "Now, I just need a photo and a name."

"You're doing it right now?!" Phoenix exclaimed.

"Are you sure, Polly?" Trucy asked from the couch. Beside her, Athena and Pearl shared the same look of concern. "I mean, Aunt Maya agreed, but that doesn't mean you have to do it right now…"

"I'm fine, Trucy." Apollo replied. Then, he blinked and shook his head, a strained smile tugging at his lips. "Well, I'm… almost fine." He murmured softly. "I need to do this, Trucy. I need to say goodbye. And then… then I'll really be fine." Apollo reached for his organiser and pulled out a photo of him and Clay, handing it over to Maya. "The man on the right. His name is Clay Terran, astronaut at the Cosmos Space Center."

Maya nodded as she memorized Clay's face and features. "Alright. Nick and everyone else, please leave the room."

"…Come on, girls." Phoenix called, ushering them out of the main office and into the reception room. Before closing the door, the eldest attorney glanced at Maya, calling out, "Holler if you need anything."

Maya smiled widely and nodded, understanding his unspoken concern. Finding a wider stretch of floor in the mess of the room, Maya settled down on the ground, instructing Apollo to do the same across her. "Now, Apollo, close your eyes and think of Clay. Think of his face, his appearance, his being. Concentrate."

Apollo did.

He thought of Clay. He thought of the messy black hair of his friend and that bandage he wore on the bridge of his nose. He thought of the bubbly personality of his best friend that drew people to him. He thought of them laying in the grass under the wide, starry skies, talking about their dreams. He thought of their simple, yet special catchphrase; the very same that got them through tough times. He thought of the last time he had seen his best friend, where they parted with matching grins. He thought of seeing his best friend's dead body, pale and white, and he thought about the funeral that was finally held after the end of seven year case.

"…Apollo."

The brunet swallowed thickly, aware of the tears pricking at the sides of his eyes as he slowly opened them. "C… Clay…" Apollo murmured, before breaking out into choked laughter. "You look ridiculous."

Clay glanced down at 'himself' and grimaced. "Well, it's not like I had a choice…" He huffed, almost pouting. "How are you, Apollo?"

"…not so fine." Apollo admitted. Heaving in a deep breath, he bellowed, Chords of Steel in action, "YOU SELFISH ASS OF A BEST FRIEND! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO ME?!"

(The door slammed opened, Phoenix and the others crowded at the door, but Apollo barely registered the movements in his current state of mind.)

"We were supposed to achieve our dreams together! Me a lawyer and you an astronaut! And don't you start on the 'but-I'm-already-astronaut' argument! Because even if that is true—was true, you had bigger dreams than that! You were supposed to go into space, dammit!" Apollo shouted, his voice cracking with every word. "Instead you got killed and left me behind just like that! You… you are an ass, Clay!"

Throughout the entire tirade, Clay had carefully kept a calm face, quietly listening to his best friend. When Apollo had finally stopped (for the time being, Clay was sure), he let an almost sheepish grin lift his lips. "So… Is this a bad time to mention that it wasn't my choice to die?"

Apollo glared, but it was clear that there was no heat behind it. "Ass." He grumbled. "You know the next time I see you, I'm going to sock you right?"

"Of course!" Clay laughed, and soon, Apollo broke out laughing too. "So, how's things going?"

"I found your killer, for one. There's a pretty long story behind it, but I'll save it until I get to sock you." Apollo answered.

"So, I have to wait decades to get punched in the face and hear the story behind my own death. That's so mean." Clay faked a sniffle.

Apollo merely rolled his eyes at his best friend's antics. "In other, happier news, Mr. Solomon is in space again. He did it." He grinned widely. "He's finally realising his dream… for you and himself both."

"Yeah. So, everything's settled then." Clay said.

"Yeah… Except you're not here." Apollo mumbled.

Clay finally got up then, crossing the short distance between them to sling an arm around Apollo's shoulders. "You'll be fine, Apollo. You're not alone anymore. You have Mr. Wright, Ms. Wright, Ms. Cykes, Prosecutor Gavin and so many more." Clay grinned. "Come on, Apollo. Didn't you say… what was that again?"

"In the most helpless of times is when a lawyer must force their biggest smiles." Apollo murmured.

"Yeah!" Clay nodded, smiling brightly. "You're Apollo Justice, and you're fine!" He nudged his best friend. "Go on."

Apollo took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. "I'M APOLLO JUSTICE AND I'M FINE!"

"I'M CLAY TERRAN, AND I'M FINE!"

The two best friends grinned widely at each other. "WE'RE FINE!"

Looking at each other's face, they soon broke out laughing once more. They laughed for a long time, knowing that they were both remembering about that incident in middle school. Even when their laughter slowly faded, their grins never did.

Clay pulled away from Apollo then, holding up and fist as he smiled warmly at his best friend. "Farewell, Apollo."

Apollo bumped their fists together as he replied, "Goodbye, Clay." Then he grinned despite the tears that were forming in the corners of his eyes once more. It didn't take more than a few moments for Clay's spirit to leave Maya's body. Apollo swallowed thickly as he choked out, "Ms. Fey… Thank you… Thank you so much…!"

His legs gave up on him then, and Apollo collapsed to the ground, sobbing harshly as he mourned for his dead best friend one last time, barely able to register the fact that he was being pulled into one giant group hug with him being in the middle of it all. What tears that he had yet to shed, Apollo let them all out, crying until the tears had ran dry, and he was a hiccupping mess.

Yet, even then, he smiled, because Apollo knew, as did everyone else, that he was fine now.

'Thank you, Clay. See you later.'

A/N: So I recently (finally) got a 3DS and Dual Destinies. I absolutely enjoyed it. It'd also awaken the Ace Attorney series plot bunnies, so I'm back to visit the fandom. As for this particular plot bunny, I've seen and read a few fics that deals with Apollo and channelling Clay's spirit. This is basically my take on it.

Thank you for reading as always! Ciao ciao~