Matching the Color of Blue: Prologue

[crosshime]

Disclaimer: I do not own Konjiki No Gash Bell! (Zatch Bell!), Professor Layton, and Ace Attorney

Fandom: Konjiki No Gash Bell! (Zatch Bell!), Professor Layton, and Ace Attorney

Rating: T

AU Setting: NWOS (Professor Layton and the New World of Steam)

Note: {Why I am fanwriting this crossAU early}

Summary: Experiencing a tragic lost of a loved one four years ago, nineteen year old Suzume Mizuno has lost her faith in her purpose for living. One day, she discovered a location prior to her father’s disappearance and traveled to Steam Bison, America to search for her father, finally regaining a new purpose. Upon arriving in Steam Bison, Suzume becomes a target of two known crime organizations and hesitating to accept the help of a fourteen year old boy named Luke Triton and her mentor, Professor Hershel Layton.

Prologue

That night, nineteen-year-old Suzume Mizuno was in deep thought.

She has gone straight to her part-time job after university. She noticed there was a black car following her. Suzume sighed, annoyed with the idea of having bodyguards. It was no surprise for Suzume. Her maternal grandfather, Shigeru Miyama, was an influential elder man who actually gave a damn about her well-being.

Ever since Suzume was a child, her grandfather cheerfully gushed about her being his heiress one day. Now, she was older and thought about it, and it was such a foolish idea for her grandfather to even think of.

Suzume has no plans to maintain her grandfather's business. People expected her to become like her parents, Tetsuya and Takara Mizuno. Her maternal grandmother, Fumiko Miyama, was the only relative who supported Suzume's dream job.

Suzume was alienated from her paternal grandparents, Kaito and Emi Mizuno, and relatives. From what she had heard about them, they never liked her or her mother. They had disapproved of her father marrying her mother because of her grandfather's business.

"Disgraceful. That girl looks like her mother. The Miyama genes are disgustingly strong, surpassing our Mizuno genes. Hmph."

Suzume recalled Emi's hurtful words the day she and her parents visited her and Kaito. Suzume hasn't returned to the Mizuno household since then.

It wasn't Suzume's fault that she was naturally born with maroon-colored hair and burgundy-colored eyes. Just like how her mother was born with the same hair and eye colors as her grandmother, and so on in the Miyama family tree.

Her natural hair and eye color were rare for a Japanese person.

Suzume wished she hadn't been born Japanese. Living in Japanese society was too harsh, overexpecting, and stressful for her. She did not want to be a clone of her parents and grandparents. She wanted to be her own person with her own goals.

Suzume arrived at her night job, a hostess cafe. Easy money from grown men, thanks to her exotic physical features. The hostess club was actually one of the businesses owned by her grandfather. No surprise there. No wonder the customers were too afraid to harass her and her coworkers.

She would rather work at a different hostess club that wasn't owned by her grandfather. That way, she would actually be earning her own income. Her paychecks have been coming from her grandfather's wealth, and Suzume did not want to rely on her family's wealth.

"Suzume!" Mariko Nakamura called out to her cheerfully when Suzume entered the hostess club. "How are things, girl?"

Mariko was Suzume's childhood and best friend. They attended the same elementary and middle schools. They've kept in contact after attending different high schools and universities.

"Could have been better," Suzume told Mariko vacantly.

"I know," Mariko said, saddened. Her eyes showed empathy. "Have you been seeking therapy?"

"Yes." Suzume has gone to the locker room to change into her work dress.

Ever since Suzume experienced a tragic loss four years ago, she has changed into a different person. She had became more distant, feeling purposeless, and empty. As she suffered from emotional numbness, her crush on Kiyomaro Takamine, a middle school classmate, faded for a while. However, in her second year of high school, she suddenly confessed her long-held feelings to him.

And Suzume was very surprised when Kiyomaro reciprocated her feelings. They began dating for a year and a half. Suzume was happy, but deep down, she was still feeling dead. She can never forget the most important person in her life, who was taken from her long ago.

Suzume did not want to lose Kiyomaro, Mariko, or anyone else she knew.

When Kiyomaro informed Suzume that he would be studying abroad in Brazil after high school, an optimistic feeling clicked within her. Suzume should have felt sad and depressed, but instead, suddenly, she felt free for the first time.

From her crush on Kiyomaro and her reliance on him and Mariko.

The old, clumsy, ditzy, and bratty Suzume would beg Kiyomaro to stay and study at the same university as her, but the new Suzume just smiled at him happily. After her high school graduation, she ended her relationship with Kiyomaro on good terms.

-

It has been a while since Suzume heard from her father.

Tetsuya usually replied to her letters straight away, no matter how busy he was with his job. Her mother has always told Suzume her father was okay, but Suzume has a gut feeling he wasn't. Tetsuya was in an overseas police-related case. It was related to a most-wanted Japanese criminal hiding in a foreign country.

Suzume has known about her father's job; he was a high-ranking and respectable police detective. It was thanks to him that Suzume admired policewomen when she was a child and attempted to help a small child search for her parents, but she and the child ended up lost in the next town.

Kiyomaro and Mariko were the only ones who knew she was related to Tetsuya Mizuno. It was because Suzume did not want to scare away potential acquaintances and friends. It was bad enough that she had indirectly scared away some people the moment they knew her grandfather's actual job.

Suzume arrived at her apartment. She lived alone, and of course, her grandfather was paying the rent for her. She went into her bedroom closet and took out a Pear-Chan theme container pencil case. She sat on her bed and opened the case. She searched for the last letter she received from her father.

It was a postcard. Tetsuya's handwriting was written in the back. There was a picture in the front. It was a picture of an unusual city. She could see smoke coming from a building's steam chimney. The postcard was sent four months ago.

Now, Suzume thought about it. What the hell was her father doing in that kind of city? It was so strange-looking. Suzume's eyes caught the city name on the postmark.

"Steam Bison, Massachusetts, United States?" Suzume asked herself in surprise. "What the heck is my father doing in America?"

Suzume understood the reason; the criminal her father had been pursuing was hiding in America. She knew what she had to do. She finally found a purpose for the first time in her life.

She will be entering her summer break in two months.

It was time for Suzume to plan ahead; gathering her savings, a visa, and a passport.

Suzume decided to spend her summer break searching for her missing father in Steam Bison. She was determined to bring her father back home without reliance on Kiyomaro, Mariko, her grandparents, or her mother.

And should she struggle to do it alone, be it. She will NOT become a burden to anyone again.

-

"Steam Bison, you say?" An older, wise man spoke to Suzume. "You gotta have lots of cash to go to such a unique city in America, girl. I heard their steam-powered shit even surpassed London's and Tokyo's technology. Are you sure ya want to go to Steam Bison alone?"

"Can you stop being so damn nosy and take my money?" Suzume was so annoyed with the man for underestimating her survival skills. " You do have a good idea who my grandfather is."

"Yep. I've worked for that old fuck for years, girlie, even before you were born."

The man was an info broker named Daichi Abeno. He has worked for Shigeru as his spy and informant. He was familiar with Steam Bison, visiting the American city a few times.

"Yeah, yeah. So, you better NOT snitch me out. I've paid you enough to keep you from talking."

"And I am surprised you've taken the difficult and honest way to earn a visa, girlie."

"I would rather NOT rely on easy and shady ways to get what I need." Suzume frowned at him. "That's your job, asshole."

"Ooooh. I am so scared of you." Daichi spoofed. "Anyway, get outta here before a nosy fuck snitches us to the cops. Be careful in Steam Bison, girlie."

Suzume did not respond. She sneaked out of the dark alley.

-

The day had finally come. It was her first day of summer break. Mariko was the only person Suzume had informed about her purpose during summer break. Of course, Suzume did not say where she'd be.

"Be careful, Suzume. Enjoy your time, soul-searching. Don't forget to write me."

Suzume was in a long line for the steam-powered blimp, recalling Mariko's words. She smiled bitterly at the sky. It was a shame. Really. Suzume wanted to take Mariko with her, but she promised herself she wouldn't rely on anyone this time.

'I'm sorry, Mariko, mother, grandfather, grandmother, and Takamine. I can't rely on you anymore. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I will bring father back home safe.'

Her eyes flashed fiercely and determinedly as it was her turn to enter the blimp.

'I will make things right.'

Soon, she was inside the blimp, flying away from her hometown and country, Mochinoki City, Japan.

-

Notes:

-Takara is Suzume's unnamed mother in the Gash Bell canon.


-Tetsuya (Suzume's father), Daichi, Shigeru, Fumiko, Kaito and Emi are OCs.

-Suzume's tragic loss, family, and backstory is vagued for now. The identity of this person and the details of Suzume's family and what happened in Suzume's past will be revealed later on in the crossfic. And no, the tragic loss isn't Kiyomaro obviously.