Archive of Our Own ^beta

It was the belief of Asougi Kazuma that he had the cutest partner in the world, Naruhodou Ryuunosuke. Take what happened a few days ago to be an example of this. Whilst Kazuma was spending time with his best friend, Naruhodou made an offer to him, one that he ended up accepting.

“Hey, Asougi?

“Yes, Naruhodou?”

"Remember that case I worked on with my cousin that I told you about? The steel samurai case? The defendant — Will Powers — invited Phoenix, Maya, and I to go to this big fancy award event or something at the Gatewater Hotel. Phoenix is planning on asking him for an extra ticket so that we can take Pearls too, but I was wondering if you wanted to go too, partner?" 

Kazuma laughed at that, since although people did like to refer to him as a modern day samurai due to his katana Karuma, he wasn't interested in any of the samurai shows that they were airing (mainly because they were targeted towards kids). However, never being one to turn down time with his partner, he gladly accepted. Besides, he'd get to meet the defendant from three cases Naruhodou had been a part of (Ms. Fey counting for two of those cases) — so he felt intrigued.

Naruhodou gave him the tickets and Kazuma prepared himself for this… kids choice award. There was a big chance that it would be boring, but if that was the case he could just talk with Naruhodou, that was always entertaining. Susato helped him get ready against his will, (he loved her, don’t get him wrong, but this event didn’t seem as important as she made it out to be. Also, she was much too trigger happy with the tossing ever since she learned it a couple of months ago).

Which is how he made it to where he is now, in the middle of this fancy hotel with Naruhodou and the other people invited. 

He had dressed up a bit nicer than usual for this event, wearing a gray pair of dress pants, with a gray waistcoat over a white dress shirt, and some black dress shoes. Originally he planned on wearing something more casual — yet he changed his mind after being threatened with a Susato toss. Naruhodou was dressed a bit more casual than him and was wearing a white dress shirt, with a pair of black dress pants, along with a pair of sneakers? 

Kazuma felt legally obligated to tease him for that. Maybe he should take a picture to show Susato too. It depends on whether or not he wants to watch Naruhodou soar through the air at her hands.

But maybe he should be rather grateful that Naruhodou isn't dressed in something fancier, because that way he wouldn't have to sit here panicking over how goddamn good Naruhodou looks. God, he was an idiot for falling in love with his best friend. A sentiment that he had grown to repeat to himself many times recently.

Naruhodou's cousin, a man by the name of Phoenix Wright, (and oh, the stories he's heard about this man have been quite numerous), was wearing this quite tacky blue suit. He was sure that if Susato was here, she'd hate it. Kazuma hates it. Naruhodou certainly wasn’t kidding when he said that Mr. Wright had no sense of style. But it's not his suit, and he’ll never own a suit like that. Thank god. 

And there were also the two girls, Maya and Pearl fey. They both were wearing kimonos with a rather large necklace and a lot of pearls. Naruhodou has told him in the past about how the two of them are supposedly spirit mediums — and when Kazuma tried to pry more into the validity of their profession, Naruhodou just looked exasperated and quickly changed the subject. 

All in all, it all felt a little too imposing for an awards show for a bunch of kids shows. At least, in his opinion. Surely they didn’t need some tacky hotel just to see some wacky hijinks?

Eventually they met Will Powers and went to see the awards show. Both Maya and Mr. Powers seemed incredibly invested, but the rest of them only seemed confused. Except for Pearl Fey, who seemed curious about what was going on as she tugged on ‘Mystic Maya’s’ kimono to ask about what was going on.

After the show ended and the Nickel Samurai won, they got escorted away to eat. And when the time came to eat, he could see Naruhodou's eyes widen at the amount of food on the table, and Kazuma couldn't help but laugh at the way his posture changed. Although he couldn't help the fuzzy feeling bubbling up in his stomach at seeing his partner's excitement over the food. It was cute no, he’s not allowed to think that. 

That resulted in him feeling pissed off just a moment later, because feelings are annoying as fuck — especially romantic ones.

They all engaged in a bit of small talk as they all ate, with the others reminiscing on events that Kazuma himself wasn't personally a witness to. Though Naruhodou would occasionally comment on something to him; usually with a little giggle. Whether it be about the conversation the others were having, or something else entirely.  

This time when Naruhodou grabbed his arm to get his attention (which made his heart flutter, damn it), he pointed at a man across the room.

"Hey, Asougi — look at that bellboy!"

"Naruhodou, hasn't anyone ever told you that it's rude to point at a stranger?"

"Oh… sorry. But, do you think there's something off about him?" Naruhodou asked with this adorable frown that made Kazuma kinda sorta really want to kiss him. Wait, no, he needs to focus on what Naruhodou's saying right now.

"No, Naruhodou, I hadn't noticed anything off with the man — hasn't anyone ever told you that it's rude to imply that there's something off with a person?" 

"Right… sorry. But are you sure that you don't notice anything off about him?"

"As I've already said, I haven't noticed anything off with him."

"Really? Not even the stitches going down the middle of the man's face?"

"The what. " Whipping his head towards the man and now blatantly staring, Kazuma finally noticed that Naruhodou was indeed right, and that there were stitches running down the center of the man's face.

"You're right, I hadn't noticed that before. Well, leave it to my partner's amazing skills to catch something like that!" Kazuma grinned, feeling genuine pride in his chest at Naruhodou's catch.

"You'd have to be blind to miss it, Asougi."  Ok, wow, maybe he should just take his compliment back if his partner's going to act so ungrateful about it. Rude.

"Regardless, what difference does it make if he has stitches on his face or not? Surely it isn't relevant in some way, is it?" 

Naruhodou frowned at that, resting his hand on his chin as if deep in thought. "Well, it's not something you see often, right? Stitches normally aren't THAT visible. I wonder what happened — maybe he was in some freak accident or something?"

"Naruhodou, hasn't anyone ever told you that it's rude to question whether or not a stranger's been in a freak accident before?"

"....No actually, they haven't." Naruhodou looked exasperated. Kazuma was sure that he looked exasperated too.

"It's common sense, Naruhodou." Naruhodou spluttered at that, and Kazuma couldn't help but let out a loud laugh.

"Just — eat your food, Asougi. You've barely touched it," Naruhodou was pouting again.

"The last I checked it was a little too hot." Not really. He was just much more interested in admiring his best friend to actually try eating it.

"Oh, well, maybe it's cooled down now? Or maybe you should try blowing on it to cool it down?" 

"Oh?" Asougi smirked, seeing an opportunity and immediately seizing it. "Well maybe you should blow it for me, partner."

Someone suddenly choked, and both Naruhodou and Asougi got startled. They looked up to see Maya Fey choking on her food. Mr. Wright immediately started patting her back as she let out a choked laugh, looking up at Asougi with tears in her eyes.

Ah, so she got it.

It seems as if she wasn't the only one to get it though, as Phoenix Wright shot him a look from across the table that clearly meant 'not in front of the child.'

And Asougi shot him a look back that clearly meant 'but making a joke about your cousin blowing me is ok otherwise?'

Once they made sure Maya wasn't going to get harmed (and Asougi ate some of his food, with Naruhodou not so subtly threatening him into doing so), they decided to make their way to the lobby for the post-ceremony stage show. 

But they quickly found out that something was very, very wrong here.

"We are asking for everyone's cooperation at this time. So please stay where you are. ...This is a special request from the police."

Hearing that the cops were involved in whatever was going on was enough to make everyone panic. Kazuma's hand instinctively moved to where Karuma was usually strapped to him — but he was harshly reminded that he wasn't allowed to take a huge sword to a conference for a couple of children's shows (how surprising).

"The police? What do you think happened?" Naruhodou looked worried, and Asougi instinctively moved towards him as if to protect him. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if anything happened to Naruhodou.

Mr. Powers offered to go check for them, but someone interrupted them. 

It turns out that that someone was a... very interesting old woman.

At first, when Naruhodou muttered 'oh god it's Oldbag' under his breath, Asougi thought that he was insulting the woman. But soon remembered that she too was involved in the case at global studios, and that was her actual name. He also found out that she was much more annoying than Naruhodou made her out to be.

After an agonizing amount of time, they finally got away from her. 

But, once they made it to the Viola Hall, someone approached them.

"Excuse me. Are you by chance, Mr. Naruhodou Ryuunosuke?" 

"Oh, uh, yes!" Naruhodou immediately stiffened, and his eyes widened. 

Asougi couldn't blame him, that man came out of nowhere. …That bellboy who has stitches on his face.

Hm. 

Interesting.

"You have a phone call waiting for you at the front desk."

"A phone call? Why wouldn't someone just call him on his phone?" Asougi squinted at the waiter 

"I am not privy to the details or Mr. Naruhodou's personal life, so unfortunately I am unable to provide you with an answer as to that."

"Haaaaaaaaaaah." Asougi turned around to look at Naruhodou, who was smiling sheepishly while rubbing the back of his neck.

"What is it, partner?"

"I, uh, forgot my phone at home…' Oh. Of course he did. "So, it's probably something important if someone called the hotel for me instead of just waiting until I eventually pick up? I should go pick it up." 

"Right this way, Mr. Naruhodou." The bellboy led Naruhodou away, 

None of them had any time to dwell on that, seeing as the two Feys immediately jumped on Mr. Wright — making him wheeze.

But he complied with their request to go look somewhere else, and they ended up in a hallway that was filled with flowers. The actor's rooms.

After the detective there (Detective Gumshoe. From what he's heard about him from the stories Naruhodou tells, he's a detective with a big heart — though he might not always be the smartest), accidentally let it slip that there had been a murder. And after a bit of prying it turns out that Juan Corrida — the Jammin' Ninja — had been killed.

Now he was regretting letting Naruhodou wander off on his own… Well, not exactly on his own, he was with that waiter. Hopefully he'd be a little safer like that. But considering that they've already arrested someone, maybe they ended up getting the right person? 

When they got back to the hotel lobby they informed Mr. Powers of what happened, and he looked freaked out. Which is understandable. Maya Fey immediately claims that there was no way Mr. Engarde did it — and Pearl Fey was quick to agree while pulling back her sleeve, for some reason making Mr. Wright look a bit nervous.

Mr. Powers gave Mr. Wright something he got from the bellboy, but Kazuma found that he had more important things to focus on, like the fact that his partner isn't here yet.

"Why hasn't Naruhodou returned? Do you think he went to the Viola Hall instead?" Kazuma frowned, once again instinctively putting his hand on the area where he normally has Karuma. He was starting to get a bit worried here. 

Though of course Naruhodou could have just gotten lost — his memory isn't the best, so it isn't out of the question.

"Maybe? It is a little weird that he hasn't gotten back. Let's just stay here a bit more just in case he's taking his sweet time getting here. If he doesn't show up we'll go look for him." Kazuma reluctantly agreed with Mr. Wright's suggestion. He couldn't help but feel as if something was wrong though. Very, very wrong.

They chatted with Mr. Powers for a bit, and in all of that time Naruhodou still hadn't shown up, and Kazuma was now convinced that something was amiss.

The second that Mr. Wright was done talking to Mr. Powers, Kazuma butted in. 

"Naruhodou hasn't come back yet. We need to go look for him." 

Mr. Wright looked around the lobby, as if confirming that what Kazuma said was accurate, and once he found that he couldn't see Naruhodou, he frowned. 

He agreed that they needed to go looking, and Kazuma was about to bolt, but a ring cut them off.

"W-what is it Mr. Nick?"

"Yeah, Nick, why's your phone have such a weird ringtone!? I thought I changed it to the Steel Samurai theme for you months ago!" Maya puffed up and stomped her foot on the ground.

"G-guys, it's not my phone. It's this transceiver I got."

Oh. So that's what it was — Kazuma couldn't tell.

"Well, what are you waiting for, Nick? Answer it!" Both of the Feys looked on with intrigue, and Mr. Powers himself also looked interested.

Kazuma was just annoyed. They had better things to be doing. He impatiently tapped his foot against the ground, waiting for the others to finish. Honestly, if they took too long he might just leave and check for Naruhodou himself.

Mr. Wright picked up the transceiver, answering with a tentative "Y-Yes, hello? Wright here…"

"Is this Mr. Phoenix Wright, the attorney?" The voice on the other end of the line crackled, and it sounded as if they were using a voice changer. That immediately got Kazuma's attention, and he approached the group, listening in with interest.

Why would someone need to use a voice changer unless they had something to hide?

"And you are...!?" 

"You don't need to know who I am. I think you have other things to be concerning yourself with... Such as…" A bit of shuffling could be heard from the other person, and a weird beeping noise.

The next thing they heard made Kazuma's blood run cold, and he immediately wished that he had Karuma.

"Ph-Phoenix! It's the be— MM!" 

A beep. "Now, now, we can't reveal too much information, can we?" It seems as if the fucker put the voice changer back on.

"Naruhodou!?" Kazuma leaned forward as his breathing quickened. He felt sick.

"Mr. Ryuu!"

"NARUHODOU!?" Both of the Feys looked incredibly shocked, with Pearl clutching onto her cousin's arm.

"Ryuu...Ryuunosuke...?" 

"So, Mr. Wright. Wouldn't you agree that the more important issue is the fate of the boy?" They were taunting them. Whoever this was was taunting them.  

Kazuma felt rooted to the spot. Just unable to do anything but stare in despair at the transceiver clutched in Mr. Wright's hands. It was obvious what was going on here.

"Naruhodou! Where are you!? Are you hurt!?" They were good questions, but there was no way that the person would let him answer them. Kazuma could feel frustrated tears well up in his eyes, and he gritted his teeth as he glared.

"Come now. Don't fall apart on me yet. Now that I have your attention, Mr. Attorney, I have a modest proposal for you. If you do what I require, then I will return to you your valuable "item" unharmed. ...What is this called again in your fancy lawyer terms?"

A sinking feeling. Kazuma already knew what this was, but hearing the bastard say it made him feel even more sick than before. 

It was a miracle that he wasn't spilling his guts all over the hotel lobby right now.

"..."Kidnapping for ransom"..."

"Yes, that's it. This is a kidnapping." Mr. Wright's breath hitched, and Kazuma took his opportunity to lunge forward and violently rip the transceiver out of Mr. Wright's hands, who seemed currently unresponsive.

Ignoring the wailing of Pearl, Kazuma immediately interrogated the kidnapper.

"Who are you!? What are your demands!? What do you want with Ryuunosuke!? " 

"Now now, Mr. Asougi, I'm afraid that you may have to slow down there."

"What… how the fuck do you know my name!?" Kazuma was livid. More livid than he could even begin to imagine.

"I'm afraid that I can't answer that question. But, is Mr. Wright there? I need to discuss my…. terms with him."

"H-How much!? How much do you want!?" Mr. Wright grabbed the transceiver from him, which was quite an easy feat considering just how shaky his hands were.

"Very good, Mr. Attorney. I'm glad you  

also have such a good grasp of the situation" 

"Hurry up and state your condition! And then return Ryuunosuke—"

"Money is not what I seek."

" WHAT!? If you don't want money, why did you take Naruhodou!?" Maya huffed, and Pearl whimpered as she pressed herself closer against her, her tears making Maya's outfit much darker than normal.

"What I want is a certain verdict. I would like a complete acquittal." 

"...An acquittal?" Kazuma paused for a moment.

That's…that's really weird. To kidnap someone and demand for an acquittal from a lawyer is odd. If they need a lawyer, why wouldn't they just hire one like any normal person would?

"Complete acquittal!? Wh-What in the world have you done to need...!?"

"What the—!?" Ok, now that was even weirder. Why go out of your way to kidnap an innocent teenager in order to blackmail his cousin into getting a complete acquittal for someone else!? What on earth is this person thinking!?

"You are currently at the Gatewater Hotel, are you not? And I know that a murder has just taken place there." 

"Juan Corrida was killed, and the suspect is Matt Engarde…"

"You are, as expected, quite on top of things, Mr. Attorney. Now then. What I want is very simple. I want you to obtain a complete acquittal for Matt Engarde." He's here. The kidnapper is here in the hotel with them. Or, at the very least they were in the hotel until not too long ago. Otherwise there's virtually no way that they could know about the murder unless they have an accomplice. That could end up being a valuable clue.

"M-Matt Engarde? But why?"

"He did not kill anyone. I can attest to that. However…" There’s no way that the kidnapper wasn't in the hotel if they could attest to Mr. Engarde's innocence.

"H-However!? However what!?"

"However, someone is framing him for the murder. A very smart someone who is setting him up to take the fall…" And how does this person know that? It's all just so… questionable.

"You are, of course, at liberty to believe me or not. However, there is one thing you can take as fact. Right now, your very precious "item" is with me, in my possession."

A beep. And then, a voice.

"A-Asougi! Asougi, remember our conversa—"

"That's enough. You are going to be quite the troublesome one indeed."

Kazuma's heart lurched, Naruhodou was calling out to him specifically. And he wanted him to remember their conversation? But….which one? What does it mean?

"Ryuunosuke!" Mr. Wright sounded scared. He was too.

"You have two days. Of course, tonight, he will be in questioning with the police. But the trial is in two days. At that trial, you will win a not guilty verdict. Remember, you only have one chance. One chance, Mr. Wright." Mr. Wright gasped, and Kazuma recoiled in shock.

"Are you crazy!? That's insane!" Kazuma snapped. It was almost as if the kidnapper wanted them to fail.

"O-One...!? Y-You expect me to get a not guilty in one trial day"

"Yes, exactly. You've done it before, haven't you? Which means that you should be able to do it again, correct? I don't believe I was wrong in choosing you, so don't let me down."

"Aagh!"

"Oh, yes, that's right. Now that I am playing the role of the kidnapper, I can't pass up this chance to say, "And don't even think about callin' the cops!" ...Hmm, not great, but you get the idea."

"D-Dammit! Who... Who the hell are you!?" Kazuma wanted to know too. He wanted to know just who kidnapped the love of his life his best friend. 

"Alright, I'll tell you that much. My name is... ...de Killer."

The next few hours seemed to go by in a blur. Mr. Wright ended up telling the detective from before about their situation, and they ended up searching around a bit for clues as to what happened to Naruhodou. Kazuma suggested that they talk to the bellboy with the stitches down his face since he was the one to take Naruhodou away to answer a "phone call". Considering that that phone call was obviously bullshit and a way to get Naruhodou away from them, he was currently the only person they know of who could possibly know something about what happened. After endless searching, they couldn't find any sign of the bellboy. So they had to give up.

When Kazuma returned to the Mikotoba household, he felt exhausted. He was ready to just pass out in bed. But, when he actually laid down in his bed, he found that he couldn't sleep. There were too many anxious thoughts about Naruhodou's state rattling around in his skull, making it impossible for him to calm down.

He...he doesn't know what he'd do if Naruhodou doesn't make it out alive. Naruhodou was his oldest friend, the two of them having met as children.

Naruhodou was his best friend, his partner, his pride and joy . Kazuma doesn't know if he'd even be able to survive losing him too… especially before he could tell him about his feelings….

Well, it seems as if no matter what, they'd have to get Engarde a not guilty verdict.

Engarde is sketchy as hell, and Kazuma doesn't trust him one bit. 

When Mr. Wright stupidly blurted out something about De Killer when Engarde paused, and he seemed to recognize the name.

Seeing as he immediately afterwards agreed to let them defend him, he definitely recognized the name. But why would he recognize the name of Naruhodou's kidnapper? Maybe they're close friends, and De Killer wanted to protect the other?

But, Mr. Wright kept on insisting that he's trustworthy, claiming that he doesn't have any locks — not that Kazuma had any idea what the fuck that means. 

So, he can't help but be confused.

They went back to the hotel to investigate, and after a thorough investigation they went to the criminal affairs department.

And nothing could've prepared Kazuma for the mess that it became.

It all started when they were talking to Detective Gumshoe and Ms. von Karma, somebody suddenly interrupted them, and that somebody ended up causing a lot of chaos.

"I would've won." Is that what you want to say?" Kazuma jumped at the sudden interruption, his hand flying to rest on Karuma. Ever since Naruhodou got kidnapped Kazuma found himself being much more jumpy than usual.

"...! Wh-Who!?" 

"That voice... E-Edgeworth!!"

Wait. Edgeworth? As in Miles Edgeworth? The prosecutor that Naruhodou helped Mr. Wright defend in court last year? The one that Naruhodou claimed had committed suicide? What.

"It's been a long time... Wright."

Kazuma recoiled in shock at the confirmation, Naruhodou told him that this guy was dead!

"Mr. Edgeworth! Where have you been!? I haven't seen you in months , and Nick here refused to tell me anything about you!" Maya looked happy to see him, and Pearl tugged on her sleeve, asking her for confirmation on the man's identity.

"What am I going to do with you...? Still blaming others when things go wrong? You haven't changed a bit, Franziska" Mr. Edgeworth immediately struck him as a smug guy, which was something that Naruhodou told him about.

Whatever Kazuma expected, he wasn't expecting to see a dead man walking. He also wasn't expecting to see Mr. Wright suddenly punch Mr. Edgeworth square in the nose, sending him recoiling backwards with a sickening crunch.

"NICK!?" Maya looked shocked, and quickly grabbed Mr. Wright's arm. 

"Mr. Nick! Why would you punch him!?" 

"Mr. Edgeworth! Sir! Are you ok!? What do you think you're doing, pal!?" Detective Gumshoe grabbed Mr. Edgeworth in an attempt to steady him, all the while glaring at Mr. Wright.

"You. You've been alive this whole. damn. time? AND YOU MADE ME THINK THAT YOU WERE DEAD ALL THIS TIME, EDGEWORTH!?" Kazuma could see Mr. Edgeworth wince from behind the blood stained hand pressed against his nose, desperate trying to stop the bleeding.

"Wright—"

"NO, EDGEWORTH — DON'T 'WRIGHT ME', WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN THIS PAST YEAR!?" 

"I've been in Europe, learning to become a be—" 

"SO YOU JUST LEFT A SUICIDE NOTE BEHIND AND FUCKED OFF TO ANOTHER CONTINENT, EDGEWORTH?"

"Mystic Maya, what does 'fu-ck' mean?"

"YOU COULDN'T HAVE CALLED TO LET ANY OF US KNOW THAT THAT SUICIDE NOTE WAS WHAT. JUST A JOKE? JUST A SILLY LITTLE PRANK TO MESS WITH THE PEOPLE WHO CARE ABOUT YOU?" 

"I'll explain later, Pearly." 

"Well, I did inform Detective Gumshoe of the fact that I was still alive, but —"

"SO YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT YOU COULD TELL GUMSHOE BUT YOU COULDN'T TELL ME? AND THAT YOU COULDN'T EVEN LET YOUR SISTER KNOW THAT YOU'RE ALIVE!?"

"Fool!" Ms. von Karma's whip cracked down on Mr. Wright and he yelped, bringing his arms up to protect himself.

Honestly? Kazuma was already getting tired of watching them all fight. Naruhodou is still being held hostage by a kidnapper who wants an acquittal for their client, they shouldn't have to waste time for this.

...Though he could understand why they were so upset — making people think that you've been dead for a year is pretty fucked up — Kazuma would never do that.

"I can deal with him myself — I don't need you to criticize him for me, you foolishly foolish fool!" She snapped her whip again, and Mr. Wright once again flinched. 

And once again Kazuma found this all tedious, they should really be focusing on Naruhodou.

"And you!" Ms. von Karma whipped around to glare at Mr. Edgeworth, who was being handed napkins by Detective Gumshoe. "You... How dare you show your face to me without a shred of shame upon it!? You've soiled the Von Karma name and dragged it through the mud. Run away with your tail between your legs like the ill-bred dog you are!" 

"Are you talking about the Von Karma family creed? "To be perfect in every way..." Then let's hear it, Franziska. How are things going? I hear you are having a rough time maintaining perfection in this country" ...Miles Edgeworth certainly had a death wish, that was the only reason Kazuma could think of that would explain him openly insulting someone wielding a whip like that.

"Y-You!"

"You seem to be getting crushed under the weight of it all. That's why I came back."

"Keep your assumptions to yourself! I... I haven't given in yet! I won't lose! This case is mine! I'll never hand it over to you! Never! Mr. Phoenix Wright! I will see you tomorrow... In court. It will be a clinical lesson on the meaning of "total victory"!" 

"We'll see how tomorrow goes, Ms. von Karma, but as the defense we can assure you that we won't go down without a fight. In fact, if it's up to us, this case will be over by tomorrow," Kazuma straightened up, looking at Ms. von Karma head on. Considering that Naruhodou's life is on the line, they have to get an acquittal tomorrow.

"You sound a little too confident considering that you're only the assistant for the foolish attorney." Franziska spat ag him; and Kazuma rested a hand on Karuma, feeling as if he was about to get whipped.

"Well, the truth surrounding this case seems to be quite obvious, so I'm sure that we'll have no problem striking down all of the prosecution's arguments." Maybe he's the one with the death wish.

Ms. von Karma seemed to certainly think so, as she immediately attempted to whip Kazuma.

On reflex, Kazuma drew Karuma in order to shield himself, and it worked relatively well.

A few people seemed startled by him suddenly drawing a Katana, but Ms. von Karma looked furious.

At least, until that fury was replaced by a smug smirk.

"Well, I see how it is. Until tomorrow, where I shall crush you in court and show you the true meaning of the von Karma name!" She cracked her whip again, but this time she hit Mr. Edgeworth, who yelped.

"Hmph. Still the same as she always was." Mr. Edgeworth looked on as Ms. von Karma walked off, and then turned to Mr. Wright. And in Kazuma's opinion, Mr. Wright looked like he really wanted to punch him yet again.

"It seems as if I must bid my farewell quicker than I originally intended. But, before I go, Wright, I have one thing I need to give you."

"What, are you going to give me back the one year of my life that I wasted mourning over someone who's alive, Edgeworth?" Phoenix scoffed, and Maya giggled.

"Get his ass, Nick!" 

"Mystic Maya...what does 'ass' mean?" 

"Oh, uh, I'll explain that later too — Pearly."

"...Your hatred of me is unnecessary, not to mention one sided." Edgeworth seemed more somber now, though the blood covering his face kinda ruined the image.

"I just wanted to give you this, Wright. I suspect that you'll need it for tomorrow's trial." Detective Gumshoe handed Mr. Wright a file on account of Edgeworth — who had both of his hands completely bloodied up. 

"A file? What is this, Edgeworth." 

"It's Celeste Inpax's suicide report. It's a two part suicide report, with the first part being about Ms. Inpax's suicide, and the second being about an attempted suicide." 

"An attempted suicide? Did Ms. Inpax have a failed suicide attempt before she was successful?" Kazuma asked, resting his hand on Karuma which was back in his sheath.

"No, the second part isn't about her attempted suicide. It's about a suicide attempt after Ms. Inpax killed herself."

"Get to the point, Edgeworth — whose is it?" 

"It's Ms. Adrian Andrews', Mr. Engarde's manager." Kazuma's eyebrows raised towards his hairline at that, a hand flinging up to his head. And he could hear Pearl let out a loud little gasp.

"Ms. Andrews?" Mr. Wright looked confused. It certainly wasn't something any of them were expecting.

"I don't have enough time to explain — I need to get to a doctor, I've lost quite a lot of blood after all — but the report goes into detail about Ms. Andrews' codependent nature, and how the grief of losing her mentor made her attempt to follow her to the grave."

That was quite the shock. Then again, it seems as if the day was full of shocks. One of them being the fact that none of the cops surrounding them had stepped in when Mr. Wright assaulted Mr. Edgeworth — but Kazuma digresses. Once Mr. Edgeworth bid them his farewell, leaving with Detective Gumshoe by his side, the 4 of them left criminal affairs. 

After talking to both Mr. Engarde and Ms. Andrews, (and getting into a fight with Ms. von Karma, of course), they went back to Wright & Co. law offices, and Kazuma felt exhausted both physically and mentally. 

It seems as if he wasn't the only one who was exhausted, as Pearl ended up falling asleep on Maya's shoulder. When Maya insisted that Mr. Wright should sit beside her so that she could fall asleep on his shoulder in turn, he protested. Causing Maya to say something about how 'Nicholas' should 'sleep with one eye open tonight'.

But the banter was abruptly crushed when the transceiver started beeping.

"Nicholas! The transceiver thingy!"

"Could you stop calling me Nicholas? My name's Phoenix — Hello!? This is the law office of Wright & Co!"

"...Mr. Attorney, you're not answering a phone." 

"De Killer," Kazuma couldn't help but hiss under his breath. His mortal enemy. His beloathed. 

"R-Ryuunosuke, where's Ryuunosuke!?" Mr. Wright sounded just as desperate as he felt.

"As I promised, I have not come within a few feet of him this whole time."

"Oh thank fuck ." Kazuma couldn't help but share Maya's sentiments.

"...Which is why, I suppose, he is absolutely famished."

"YOU HAVEN'T BEEN FEEDING HIM!?" 

"Wh-What!? Why wouldn't you feed him!?"

"Well, I promised not to go near him, didn't I? So I suggest you win a quick acquittal, my friend. At any cost. Wouldn't you agree?" Oh, oh this bitch is so lucky that he isn't close enough for Kazuma to fucking decapitate him. Because he'd do so in a heartbeat.

"Wait! Ryuunosuke! Let me hear him!" Kazuma jumped at the request, hoping that De Killer would accept the request.

"...Very well." There was a beep on the other end of the line, and a familiar voice came through.

"...H...Hello?…"

"Ryuunosuke! Is that you!?"

"Partner! Hang in there, Naruhodou — we'll get you back. We won't let anything happen to you." 

"A-Asougi, please, please remember what I said!" Naruhodou sounded so desperate that it hurt, what he wouldn't give to have him here with them, to be able to make sure that he's safe… but that's not the case.

There was a beep. And then silence. 

De Killer hung up.

Kazuma felt like crying.

"...Dammit…"

It all felt so hopeless at times.

"...Come on, kids. We should get home. There's nothing that we can do until the trial tomorrow." Mr. Wright cast a glance towards the Fey's on the couch — and surprisingly, Pearl Fey was still sleeping. 

"Alright, I'll wake her up to get her to the car, Nick."

"No need, I'll carry her there." Kazuma instantly offered. He has plenty of experience carrying a tired Susato-chan to her father's car, after all.

"You don't need to do that, Asougi. I can do it myself — it wouldn't be my first time carrying Pearls. And she's pretty light compared to Maya, so I can do it."

"Hey!"

"Nonsense, I'd be happy to do it, hahaha!" Kazuma grinned and went over to the couch, effortlessly picking Pearl up and holding her close to his chest. She clung onto him in her sleep like a Koala, and Kazuma could feel her breath against the side of his neck.

"I call shotgun!" Maya called as soon as they left the office, racing towards a car in the parking lot. 

"Maya, slow down!" Phoenix tsked as she reached the car, pumping a fist in the air.

She was very energetic considering her age… and the fact that the two of them were the same age. Weird.

"Asougi, since you're already carrying her, could you put her in her carseat in the back row, please? It's a bit easier that way."

Kazuma nodded. That was easy enough. "Of course, I'll put her in the car, buckle her up, and then be on my way."

"Be on your way?" 

"Well…yes? Of course? I have to get back to my own house after all." That should be obvious.

"Oh, I could just drive you to your home. I already know where you live because of Ryuunosuke, so it's no big deal." Mr. Wright shrugged.

"I wouldn't want to inconvenience you, Mr. Wright —"

"Oh, it's not an inconvenience, Asougi —"

"So I'm fine, thank you for the offer."

" Asougi, I think it'd be better for me to drive you home. Considering the current….situation, I think it'd be safer for me to ensure that you get home safely. If something happened to you that I could've prevented, Ryuunosuke would never forgive me."

"Oh...well, if it's not too much of a burden…" Kazuma trailed off. Man, Naruhodou really wasn't joking when he mentioned his cousin's paternal instincts, huh?

"Great! I knew that using your crush on Ryuunosuke would work." Mr. Wright sounded much too pleased to be saying that.

"Wha— I—" Kazuma uselessly spluttered while Mr. Wright laughed as they approached the car.

" Finally the old men get here! What took you so long!?" Maya pouted.

And now Mr. Wright was spluttering with him. Perfect.

"Maya I am only 25, I'm not that old!"

"And we're the same age, Ms. Fey!" 

Maya simply leaned her head back and cackled loudly. Honestly? Considering everything that's happened it's impressive that Pearl is still asleep.

"Get in the car, you little gremlin." Mr. Wright unlocked the car and Maya hopped inside, leaving Kazuma to open the door and try to navigate himself inside while holding Pearl.

Once inside the car, he buckled her into the car seat on the middle seat and quickly buckled himself in. 

"God, this car is so old, why did you do this to yourself, Nick?" 

"H-hey! I couldn't afford anything other than a used car! Besides, the three of you bullied me into getting a car immediately you bullied me into getting my license!" Maya laughed, though quieter than before, and the car started with everyone wearing their seatbelts.

Kazuma didn't really listen to the conversation going on in between the two at the front. He just stared out of the window and thought. Mainly about Naruhodou and how much he wanted him to be here.

When he got dropped off by Mr. Wright at the Mikotoba household he thanked him and quickly entered the household. He rushed to his room without saying much to the Mikotoba's, nor did he eat. It felt...wrong to eat right now, considering that his partner was currently being starved.  

The trial came and Kazuma felt nervous. At first when he showed up Mr. Wright looked a bit shocked, as if he wasn't expecting Kazuma to show up. But Kazuma did, and he demanded to be co-council, which Mr. Wright had no objections to. 

The short period before the trial was….hectic.

Maya Fey just… turned into someone else? No, not 'someone else' but her dead sister Mia Fey? What the fuck?

And de Killer called them to say that he had a surprise for them? Something tells him that whatever it is, it's not good. But he has no idea why he thinks that, no, not at all. 

Kazuma ended up carrying Pearl on his back because of how crowded it was at the defense bench. It seems as if it wasn't made for 4 people, shocker.

The two of them were awkwardly crushed in the middle of both Phoenix Wright and Mia Fey, who probably looked much more intimidating than him with the looks on their faces and, you know, the lack of an 8 year old clinging onto their backs?

"Court is now in session for the trial of Matt Engarde. Are the prosecution and defense ready? Oh! Mr. Wright, it seems as if the defense bench is quite….crowded today."

The complete opposite of the prosecution, Kazuma couldn't help but think as he glanced towards the empty prosecutors bench.

"Haha, ah, you could say that your Honor. But, the defense is ready, Your Honor."

That was when they got the horrifying news of the 'present' de Killer gave them. The shooting of Ms. von Karma.

This made the situation infinitely more stressful in Kazuma's opinion.

It was less stressful (but Kazuma's still sure that he's gone gray from it all) before she got shot because he was just under the assumption that this was someone who did something in a fit of desperation, but now that they've shot a prosecutor, he knows that they're more skilled than he first assumed.

The trial itself was also stressful beyond all hell because it all felt so wrong. Adrian Andrews being the culprit made so much sense… but in the end… seeing her reaction… Kazuma doesn't know what to do. Especially with Mr. Edgeworth at the end reacting…like that. It's all too much.

And now that the trial has been suspended without an acquittal, Kazuma feels weak in the knees.

But….but of course there's still hope.

"The condition was that we had to get a "not guilty" verdict. And so far, the kidnapper has kept his word and hasn't hurt Naruhodou. And he won't because Mr. Engarde hasn't been given a "guilty" sentence yet!" Neither Maya nor Pearl looked convinced at this, so Kazuma stepped in to try to help convince them.

"And it would be quite dumb of De Killer to kill Naruhodou considering that it's still possible for us to get him what he wants — the acquittal. So we're still in a situation where we can meet his demands. But if he were to harm Naruhodou, well, why would we continue to attempt to meet his demands? At least, that's the logic De Killer will most likely follow " Kazuma smirked, hoping that his words could calm the girls down at least a tiny bit — even if there's still a part of him that doubts his own words.

"Cheer up! We don't have time to stand around crying! We have to get going!" Mr. Wright seemed to be trying to lighten the mood...but...it wasn't working too well.

It was only when Mr. Gumshoe arrived, declaring that he plans on helping them, that the mood lightened.

They decided to visit Ms. von Karma in the hospital — Maya bringing a big bouquet of red roses to give to Ms. von Karma.

'What's with the roses, Maya?'

'Ooh, they're for Franzy!'

'F-Franzy!?'

'Yup! Do you think that she's gonna like them?'

'You're asking me if I think that the woman with the whip is going to like a nickname like that? Are you being serious right now?'

'...Ms. Fey, you do know that red roses are a very romantic symbol, right?'  

'Of course I know that! Just because I come from Kurain doesn't mean I'm uncultured!'

'Romantic!? Mystic Maya — I thought your special someone was Mr. Nick!'

'...Excuse me?'

'Wait, no —'

'Mr. Nick and Mystic Maya are special someone's! They're in love!'

'...Mr. Wright, does Ms. Fey mean to tell me that you're dating an 18 year old?'

'Wha — no! I'm not! Honestly — you can take your hand off of your katana, Asougi!'

'I'm literally a whole ass lesbian, you don't have to worry about it.'

So, needless to say, that was fun.

And now that they're at the Hotti Clinic Maya didn't hesitate in shoving the roses at Ms. von Karma, with Pearl glaring at her from behind Maya's back.

And Ms. von Karma, surprisingly, blushed at the gesture.

"These are for you, Franzy!" 

"...I can see that, Ms. Fey." 

"I hope you like them! Nick paid for them! Against his will, too!"

Mr. Edgeworth, who was watching Maya flirt with Ms. von Karma, used that as an excuse to look at Mr. Wright, who immediately looked the other way.

Considering what I know of the situation Mr. Wright has a right to be as petty as possible.

...Pun not intended.

But, once Ms. von Karma left, and they got to talking to Mr. Edgeworth, they found that he had some very important things to say.

"K-Kidnapped? What does the kidnapper want!?"

"An acquittal."

"... I see. I had no idea. ... I will prepare a rescue team as soon as possible, and resolve this by tomorrow." 

"A rescue team!? Are you serious — can you find him!?" Kazuma felt his pse race as he leaned forward, desperately hoping that what Mr. Edgeworth said was true, and that they can find a way to get Naruhodou back.

"Stop trying to console me, Edgeworth! I don't need your pity!" 

"Pity!?" If Mr. Edgeworth was just offering him empty words, well, Karuma would do the talking for him.

"Nick?

"Mr. Nick!"

"There's no way you can find him. We don't have even a single clue to go on. And we checked through as much of that damn hotel as we could get to!" Mr. Wright started gesturing with his hands, the gestures being stiff and curt.

"There's only one way to save her. I... I have to get an acquittal somehow! It's the only way." Mr. Wright set his jaw, but Kazuma couldn't help but notice Edgeworth's eyes darken at hearing that.

"... Wright. Listen, you need to know something. Juan Corrida was killed by Shelly de Killer. And the client who ordered the job... is Matt Engarde... Your own client."

"WHAT!?" Maya Fey looked shocked, and Pearl fey frowned in confusion, grabbing onto her cousin's robes. 

Mr. Wright blanched, and Kazuma found himself grabbing Karuma.

He could just be saying that because he's the prosecutor, so as the prosecution of course they're going to blame it on Engarde. But at the same time...it makes a bit of sense considering everything we know…

"Please, stop! ...I can't listen to you. I can't believe that." Mr. Wright looked, well, desperate was the only way Kazuma could think of describing it. 

"...I see." Mr. Edgeworth's voice came out completely monotone. "Well, if you want to continue your investigation, you will need this."

Mr. Edgeworth held something out at Mr. Wright, who glared at it.

"What is it?" Pearl looked at it with wide eyes, a finger just below her open mouth as she stood up on her tippie toes to get a better look at it. 

"The hotel right now is restricted to police personnel only, as we are looking for any clues that might lead us to Shelly de Killer. If you take this with you to the hotel, I'm sure they will let you enter."

"Yo, thanks Edgeworth!! C'mon Pearly, Nick, Asougi, let's go look for more clues!" Maya held up the letter of introduction with a wide grin.

"Ahem...In any case, I must attend to the preparations for Naruhodou’s's rescue team. We'll meet again, if anything should happen. Now if you'll excuse me." Edgeworth made his way out of the clinic, and as they were about to leave, Pearl made a very anxious query.

"Mr. Nick, Mystic Maya, Mr. A-so-gi? Do you... Do you think... Mr. Engarde hired an assassin...?" Pearl asked the three of them while biting her finger.

Maya frowned, getting down on a knee and grabbing Pearl's hands, swinging their joined hands around a bit, making Pearl slightly smile.

"Well, of course he's innocent, Pearly — he's our client! And as his defense we have to believe in him! Which is why we need to go back to the hotel to get some more clues!" Maya grinned at Pearl, whose smile got even bigger in turn.

"There’s no way he's guilty!" 

"Y-yeah… I guess you're right." As soon as Maya let go of Pearl's hands she started biting her right thumb again, and Maya grabbed her left hand in order to walk with her.

Out of instinct from years with Susato, and a desire to ensure that she stops biting her thumb, Kazuma stepped forward and grabbed her left hand. Making Pearl look up at him and frown, though it was quickly replaced by a bright grin.

They left the Hotti clinic and made their way over to the detention center, where they found out that Matt Engarde had something "important" to tell them.

.. ... Oh, Mr. Wright. So actually... I have a favor to ask of you. I have this cat named Shoe. I didn't put out a lot of food when I left the house, so he's probably pretty hungry. You think you could drop by my house and feed Shoe for me, dude? My house is just a little ways down from the hotel, alright?

Kazuma stared at the letter in frustration, and wanted nothing more than to burn it.

"Is he being serious? He's asking us to feed his cat!? We're his lawyers — not some fucking cat sitters!"

"Language, Asougi — Pearls is right there."

"Mr. Asogi, how could you say something so mean!! Th-This is terrible! Let's hurry! We have to feed his cat! I'm sure poor Shoe's stomach is growling by now!"

"But all of the investigation time we lose…"

"Well how about this, we split up!" You and Asougi go feed Shoe, and Pearly and I look for clues! I have my charged magatama on me, so we should be fine!" 

"What? Why do we have to be the ones to feed the cat — Mr. Wright's the lawyer here, and I want to solve this case!" 

"Ooh, I want to investigate with Mystic Maya!" Pearl Fey grinned and bounced up and down, pure joy radiating from her.

And, fuck, how was he supposed to say no to that?

So, they dropped Maya and Pearl off at the hotel to let the two of them run off and find whatever clues they could.

And afterwards they put the address Mr. Engarde gave them and went off to go fucking feed his cat.

Kazuma's always been more of a dog person, which some people would find concerning considering...things, but whatever.

And once they went inside of the fancy mansion, Kazuma was angered by what they found. A butler. This. guy. has. a fucking. butler. yet he makes them go feed his fucking cat like some idiots? Is he being serious?

Mr. Wright seemed much less furious than him about this, so Kazuma felt as if he had to make his disdain known.

"Mr. Doe, how long have you served at this residence...?"

"Well, sir, I would have to say... maybe about one year?" 

"But for some reason he sent us to feed his cat even though he has a butler for a whole year." Kazuma said in the most displeased voice he could muster. Actually…looking at the man… Kazuma feels as if he's seen him before. "Now, why do you think that Mr. Engarde would do that, Mr. Doe?" Kazuma rested his hand on Karuma.

"From what I know of master, his previous lowly servants have been quite flaky. So he probably just wanted to make sure that I actually did my job and fed Shoe." 

"So, have you been feeding Shoe?" Mr. Wright asked, and Mr. Doe nodded his head. 

"Oh, well, in that case we'll be making our leave — we have something important to get to." 

"Of course."

A ringtone rung out throughout the room, seemingly coming from Mr. Wright's phone.

Mr. Wright picked up the phone with a mumble of "what is it, Maya". And the two of them started walking towards the door.

Though, truthfully, Kazuma wasn't really focusing on what he was doing, more curious on why that butler was so familiar to him.

"No, Maya, not like that. When you present evidence it has to be more powerful, more like a Take That! not a take that, you know what I mean?"

The butler...why does his butler look so familiar? 

"Haha, yes, tell Pearls that she's doing amazing — but yours needs to be a bit stronger, Maya."

There isn't anything too special about the butler, nothing that really stands out.

Except for, of course, the stitches running down the center of his face.

"What? No, you don't need to present my badge every single time you say it — you're supposed to present the evidence."

Wait...stitches running down the center of his face?

"Really? Not even the stitches going down the middle of the man's face?"

"The what." Whipping his head towards the man and now blatantly staring, Kazuma finally noticed that Naruhodou was indeed right, and that there were stitches running down the center of the man's face.

"You're right, I hadn't noticed that before. Well, leave it to my partner's amazing skills to catch something like that!" Kazuma grinned, feeling genuine pride in his chest at Naruhodou's catch.

"You'd have to be blind to miss it, Asougi."

"Excuse me. Are you by chance, Mr. Naruhodou Ryuunosuke?" 

"Oh, uh, yes!" Naruhodou immediately stiffened, and his eyes widened. 

Asougi couldn't blame him, that man came out of nowhere. …That bellboy who has stitches on his face.

"You have a phone call waiting for you at the front desk."

"So, it's probably something important if someone called the hotel for me instead of just waiting until I eventually pick up? I should go pick it up." 

"Right this way, Mr. Naruhodou." The bellboy led Naruhodou away .

Oh my god.

"Maya, you have my evidence bag — if anything just prepare the evidence beforehand or ask Pearls to give it to you  if you want to look cool."

"Mr. Wright, I know where Naruhodou and de Killer are!" Kazuma yelled, startling Mr. Wright.

"Wha — Kazuma, you think you know where they are!?" 

"Yes! They're both right there in Mr. Engarde's mansion!!!! Come on, can't you see it!?" 

"...I don't see an assassin or my cousin outside of the house, no." Mr. Wright looked towards where Kazuma was pointing. 

Kazuma snarled, his hand flying to Karuma. "The butler! Don't you see! That butler is obviously de Killer — which means that Naruhodou's somewhere in the house too!" Kazuma was desperate to get Mr. Wright to believe him. He had no qualms about simply going in by himself.

"...Maya, I think that I'm going to have to hang up." Mr. Wright said just a second before he hung up. "Asougi, why do you think that Mr. Doe is de Killer?" 

"Well, first of all, the name — John Doe, is obviously fake, I mean, that's the name they use for someone when they don't know the identity of the person!"

"Wait...fake?" Mr. Wright looked genuinely bewildered at that, and Kazuma couldn't help the surge of annoyance that welled up in him.

"Obviously." 

"Are you sure? I've heard faker sounding names that have turned out to be legitimate names."

"Regardless, that's not the only reason I have for suspecting him! Do you remember 2 days ago when Naruhodou first got kidnapped?"

"Yes?"

"Do you remember what Naruhodou said?"

"No…? What did he say?"

"Ph-Phoenix! It's the be— MM!" 

"A-Asougi! Asougi, remember our conversa—"

"That's enough. You are going to be quite the troublesome one indeed."

"How much do you want to bet that he was about to say "bellboy"? And yesterday as well!"

"A-Asougi, please, please remember what I said!"

"Yeah...it did sound as if he could've been trying to say bellboy. But how could a conversation the two of you had be relevant?" Mr. Wright made a face painfully similar to Naruhodou, and Kazuma felt his heart ache.

"Surely you must have heard it? Naruhodou isn't exactly quiet — neither am I, and Maya Fey even ended up choking while listening in on us!" 

A spark of recognition lit up in Mr. Wright's eyes, but then he slumped over, staring at Kazuma as if he was the dumbest person he had ever seen.

"I don't understand how you asking for my cousin to blow you is relevant to his kidnapping."

"Oh? Well maybe you should blow it for me, partner."

"It's the conversation leading up to my joke that is relevant here, not the actual joke itself!" Kazuma spluttered as a blush rose to his face.

"Really? Well, what was the conversation, because all I could remember was that."

"Hey, Asougi — look at that bellboy!"

"Naruhodou, hasn't anyone ever told you that it's rude to point at a stranger?"

"Oh… sorry. But, do you think there's something off about him?" 

"No, Naruhodou, I hadn't noticed anything off with the man — hasn't anyone ever told you that it's rude to imply that there's something off with a person?" 

"Right… sorry. But are you sure that you don't notice anything off about him?"

"As I've already said, I haven't noticed anything off with him."

"Really? Not even the stitches going down the middle of the man's face?"

"Stitches...?"

"Yes! Exactly! That was the same waiter who came up to us and told us that Naruhodou had a phone call and disappeared after Naruhodou did! And who else happens to have stitches? Mr. Engarde's "butler" who — might I add — looks basically identical to the bellboy!"

Mr. Wright seemed to have finally gotten what he was trying to say as he looked at him. 

"Oh. Oh. Oh, the butler did it."

"That's what I've been saying!!!! The butler definitely did it! And now that we've acknowledged that, can we barge in there and kick his ass for it?"

"He's a fucking assassin, Asougi."

"Ok, so!? I have a sword — and we can't let him get away!" 

Mr. Wright hummed. "You've got a point. Ok, let's do it."

Kazuma grinned, and the two of the barged over to the front door.

"Fuck, it's locked." Kazuma jiggled the doorknob, but to no avail. When they first entered the house, it was unlocked. But it seems as if de Killer locked it when they left.

"...We can just knock, can't we?"

"Mr. Wright, he's an assassin, do you expect an assassin to willingly open the door?"

"You've got a point. I'm going to break the door down, stand back." 

Kazuma nodded and moved aside, getting out of the way so that Mr. Wright would be able to break down the door.

He took a couple of steps back, and Mr. Wright slammed into the door as hard as he could, breaking through it and making the house accessible to them. 

"Naruhodou!? Naruhodou, where are you!?" Kazuma drew his katana as soon as he entered the house, but he wasn't able to block — or even predict — the sudden blow to the head, immediately making him fall over.

A harsh ringing filled his ears, making him unable to hear anything, and his eyes hooded as his vision blurred. Though as he fell and ended up landing with his head turned to the side he could see Mr. Wright fall to the ground as well, with de Killer's shoes being visible to him as he walked by.

I'm...sorry...Ryuunosuke…I've failed you.

Kazuma felt his eyes close, with them being much too heavy to keep them open. But just before he passed out, he heard the bastard say something.

"Next time, try to be a bit more quiet." And with that, he fell unconscious.

It wasn't until he heard something new that he could open his eyes again. 

A bunch of footsteps. And voices. The most prominent one being of a man. A man who yelled "right!?" 

Why would he be yelling right? When Kazuma opened his eyes, with his vision blurry and his arm slightly obscuring his line of sight as it laid beside him, he could see a man cradling the head of someone else, pure agony written across his features.

"Wright, Wright — wake up , you're not allowed to leave me like this, Phoenix!" The man's voice hitched, and Kazuma could see people swarming the room. He could see the man put two fingers against the other man's neck, letting out a sob of relief after a few seconds.

" Goddamn it, SOMEBODY GET AN AMBULANCE HERE FOR THESE TWO RIGHT NOW. AND SEARCH THE ENTIRE HOUSE — I WANT INFORMATION ON WHERE DE KILLER RAN OFF TO WITH THE BOY — LEST YOUR SALARIES PAY FOR YOUR INCOMPETENCE." Mr. Edgeworth cried, and Kazuma could hear someone reply with a "yes sir!".

"AND SOMEONE CHECK ON MR. ASOUGI, HE'S BEEN ATTACKED TOO." With that, Mr. Edgeworth went back to staring at Mr. Wright's face, his eyes looking slightly more watery than before. And Kazuma couldn't help but notice the blood covering his hands — probably coming from out of Mr. Wright's head. 

It's ironic, isn't it? That this was the biggest display of emotion that he's seen from Mr. Edgeworth — the demon prosecutor — and it's over the man who broke his nose just yesterday… How ironic.

How was it that you described them, Naruhodou?

Star-crossed lovers?

Hah!

You were right about that.

Is that...is that what we are, partner? 

I...I hope not. I wouldn't want that to be the case.

...God, please tell me that I'll get to see you again.

...Even if it's for a second.

…Please.

Kazuma wasn't really in control for a while after that. It was people (a SWAT team, apparently) picking him up. Paramedics fretting over him. Doctors tutting over his condition. And Susato tossing him across the room.

"Ah!" Kazuma winced as he fell on the ground. That really isn't doing wonders for his head injury.

"Susato, be gentle, he's just sustained a substantial head injury — you don't want to injure him further, now do you?"

"But father , it's not my fault that Kazuma-sama's acting like such an idiot that I need to toss him!" Susato protested, putting her hands on her hips.

"Ugh, what did I do to deserve this?" Kazuma groaned as he stood up, causing Susato to pull out that notebook she started carrying around with her recently.

"You knowingly went into a house with an assassin in it and got yourself attacked!" Susato closed the book with a snap, tilting her chin upwards as she did.

"Wait, you know about de Killer? How?" Kazuma squinted at the two of them, and Professor Mikotoba smiled at him.

"Mr. Edgeworth told us about the situation. It seems as if you've gotten yourself into quite the pickle."

"Yes...poor Naruhodou-sama, kidnapped...he always seemed so nice whenever you brought him over." Susato started tearing up, with a few tears streaking down her face.

"Yes….it is quite terrible — which is why I need to get out of here as soon as possible to find out what the Fey's investigation uncovered!" Mikotoba frowned at him as Suatao tutted.

"So soon? Are you sure Kazuma-kun, you did get attacked not too long ago."

"I'm fine , besides, they're discharging me. Right now my priority should be Ryuunosuke, and getting an acquittal for Engarde so that bastard will let him go!" Kazuma gritted his teeth and threw his hand up in front of him into a fist.

If Susato or Mikotoba had anything to say about his use of Ryuunosuke instead of Naruhodou, they didn't have the chance to ask it as someone kicked open the door.

"Sup bitch, I'm here to save your ass with the info Pearly and I got." Maya Fey barged into the room, looking tired as hell with a large Starbucks drink in her hand — but still Maya Fey.

"Oh, uh, hello there." Professor Mikotoba looked surprised at the sudden intrusion, and Susato just stared at her with wide eyes.

"Oh, who's this, Kazuma — your family?"

"K-Kazuma!?" He couldn't help but splutter at the very casual use of his first name.

"Yes? That is your name, right?" 

"Yes, but—" Kazuma paused, the conversation already giving him a headache. "Just...whatever, where's Pearl Fey?" 

"Oh, Pearly? She fell asleep on Detective Gumshoe so we decided to let her sleep. It's 1am, afterall."

Almost as if confirming the time, Susato suddenly let out a large yawn, causing Mikotoba to place a hand on her shoulder. "You are quite right — it is very early in the morning, and Susato here has school in a few hours, so I really need to get her to sleep." Susato let out a mumble that sounded suspiciously like 'but father I'm 11', and Kazuma couldn't help but laugh. 

"Yes, that's right. It wouldn't be good to have Susato-chan tossing all of her teachers at school, would it?"

" Kazuma-sama, I wouldn't toss all of them." Susato huffed, and Kazuma laughed once again.

"Regardless, we need to go home now, Kazuma-kun. Will you be coming home with us?"

"I...I unfortunately can't say yes to that, Professor Mikotoba-san. Maya Fey here has information that I need to hear." Kazuma looked towards Maya, who was sitting on a chair by his hospital bed. 

"Hey." She put up a peace sign before quickly taking another sip of her drink.

"...I see. Well, please stay safe, Kazuma-kun. We don't want you to get into trouble again."

"Don't make me have to toss you again, Kazuma-sama!" Susato said before she charged at him, wrapping her arms around his back and making him wheeze on impact.

"Yes, yes, I'll try not to put you in that unfortunate situation again, Susato-chan." 

"Good!"

After the Mikotobas said their goodbyes, Kazuma turned to Maya, who was frowning down at her drink as she moved her straw around, trying to get more it seemed.

"So, why isn't Mr. Wright here as well? Isn't this info that he should hear too? He's the defense attorney, after all — not me." 

"Oh, Nick? Yeah I already told him all this shit. But once Mr. Edgeworth arrived I got kicked out of the room — they're probably fuckin making out right now or something — oh by the way can you throw this out for me?" Maya held out the cup to him, and Kazuma accepted it with a sigh.

Considering what I saw at Engarde's mansion...that assumption may not be so far fetched.

Kazuma quickly went to the nearest trash can and threw it away, and when he went back to where Maya was she was rifling through a brown bag.

"Ok, so, we learned a lot — but I'll just go over the very basics with you since we'll probably be going into more detail in the trial tomorrow." Kazuma nodded, and Maya continued.

"Well, first of all, Engarde's guilty. There's overwhelming evidence of his guilt, and he ended up fucking admitting it to us. So, that's that." 

"He admitted his guilt to you?" Kazuma hissed. Engarde being guilty didn't shock Kazuma in the slightest — it was the most logical conclusion to come to after learning that de Killer was hiding with Naruhodou in Engarde's home.

"Yup, we cornered him with all the evidence Mia Pearly and I found — and he was an asshole about it too! Did you know that his real personality is totally different from how he's been acting this whole time." 

"Oh, what a shock. The actor can act." Maya stuck her tongue out at him for that, but afterwards she continued.

"The first thing we found that was an overwhelming piece of evidence pointing to his proof was this big teddy bear in Juan Corrida's room!" Maya clapped her hands together, but Kazuma found himself being quite confused.

"...A teddy bear? How does a teddy bear point to his guilt?"

"It's not the teddy bear itself that was incriminating, it was the camera in its eye that was!"

"A camera!?"

"Yup! It turns out that Engarde was watching Corrida through a camera in the bear's eye like some sorta pervert! Mr. Edgeworth confirmed that the bear was bought by Mr. Engarde too — so there's no doubt here! And not to mention that it gives him a motive!" Maya looked pleased with herself — probably happy about everything that she found out with her family.

"What was his motive?" 

"That's….pretty fucked up not gonna lie. But remember Celeste Inpax? Yeah, it turns out that him and Corrida were kinda responsible for her death — and we think that Corrida had her suicide note, which he planned on revealing at the conference."

"That's…" 

"Fucked up? Yeah, for sure. But, anywho, since Engarde recorded the whole thing, he actually has footage of De Killer committing the murder, and planed on blackmailing him in case things has went wrong."

Kazuma blinked at her. "He was planning on blackmailing an assassin!?" 

"Yeah…" 

"That's...a lot. But, there's one thing I'm wondering — did you manage to convince Mr. Wright? He seemed so sure of Engarde's innocence, it's hard to believe that he'd be convinced if he didn't see everything up close first hand, like Engarde admitting to his guilt."

Maya grinned at that, bringing out a device and fiddling around with it. And suddenly a voice sounded out from the device.

"I thought if you didn't know, you, along with Mr. Lawyer dude would be able to do your jobs without feeling bad. Well, that's what I thought, anyway…"

"...So, you were the one to hire Shelly De Killer?"

"M-Mia! ...He really did it!"

"Hold on a sec, I'm gonna consult myself."

"You recorded the confession!?" Kazuma stared bug eyed at the recorder, and she grinned and turned it off.

"Yup! It was sis's idea, and it worked in convincing Nick of his guilt!" 

"That's...great…but…"

"But?"

"We still need to get an acquittal for him…"

"...Right." The atmosphere in the room sombered.

This would be a bit tricky from a moral standpoint. Because in order to get him off the hook, they'd probably need to pin the blame on someone else. Which means that they'd need to destroy an innocent person's life.

...But…if they fail…Ryuunosuke…

Things just got a lot more complicated.

Kazuma stepped into the defendant's lobby with a false confidence that didn't match the true anxiety he was feeling. This trial was going to be difficult.

They didn't want to do anything to put Naruhodou's life in danger, but at the same time their client is guilty.

How are they going to get out of this mess?

Kazuma could see Mr. Wright, Maya, and… uh… that's not Pearl. Oh it's probably Mia Fey, talking to Mr. Engarde. Well… now it made much more sense as to why Maya was clinging onto her.

But something was different about him, his fringe was pulled back and scratch marks were visible on Mr. Engarde's face — possibly made by Shoe?

Kazuma watched as Mr. Wright picked up the phone and yell "WILL YOU LEAVE ME ALONE!?", only to look apologetic a few moments later.

He quickly sprinted over there — ignoring the protests of the bailiffs — to go see what was going on.

"Mr. Wright!? What's happening." Mr. Wright looked at him and quickly took his phone away from his ear, putting it on speaker.

"Until the trial is over... until the verdict is handed down, we're going to do everything we can and find de Killer! If we can get Mr. Naruhodou out, then you can get Engarde the guilty verdict he deserves, pal!"

"So you've found a lead!?" Kazuma jumped.

"Did you not hear me say that we haven't gotten a lead a few moments ago, pal!?" 

"Agh—" Kazuma recoiled, a hand flying up to his head.

When the trial started the defense bench was even more crowded than the previous day — considering that Pearl was the one to channel Mia this time and not Maya.

The trial started off with Mr. Powers testifying on the witness stand, and his testimony was pretty damning for their client.

Which made sense considering that, well, Engarde was guilty.

The more that Mr. Wright fought for his innocence in the trial, the bigger Mr. Engarde's smirk grew.

That made Kazuma sick.

He didn’t care that this man was their client, he absolutely loathed the man. If it wasn't for him, Naruhodou wouldn't have been kidnapped.

And that, to him, is unforgivable.

When the first recess was called, Kazuma couldn't help but want to punch Engarde in the face.

"Hahaha... Oh, I knew it was a good idea to hold him hostage. Don't you agree, Mister Lawyer...? But I never thought in your desperation, you'd try to pin the guilt onto Adrian!" 

The fucker was laughing , as if this was funny.

When the trial started again, it was as refreshing as a spring breeze.

I can't fucking stand that guy…

After just managing to scrape by the rest of the trial by skin of their teeth, the next recess proved to be just as eventful as the last.

"We don't have time! Just spit it out!"

"R-right! We managed to find where de Killer moved to, but, it looks like we just missed them, sir. But de Killer left a few things behind by accident in his rush to get away."

"How did you manage to find that — I thought you said that you didn't have any new clues earlier on today!?" Kazuma demanded.

"After questioning the neighbors we found out that about half an hour before SWAT came they saw a car leaving the house — after some questioning, we found out that that car ended up being seen near the Berry Big Circus."

"Detective! Is any of it usable as evidence?"

"Ho ho ho. I thought you'd ask, pal! I've got the things he left with me right now and I'm on my way over!" Mr. Wright grinned at the news, and Kazuma himself couldn't hold back a grin at it.

"That's odd. Any items like that are usually sent to the crime lab first.." Mr. Edgeworth trailed off.

"We don't have time to wait for those guys, sir! When those guys weren't looking, I swiped the stuff and ran!" 

"You WHAT!? That's so cool, holy shit!!!" Maya looked absolutely delighted at this, while Edgeworth looked horrified.

"Ms. Fey, stealing evidence from a crime scene is not 'cool' — it's a crime!"

"Well... I'm not a detective anymore, so I had to... I'm really sorry, sir, but I've got to put the law on hold for now!"

"...Thank you, Detective." Kazuma sighed. It was all to find Ryuunosuke… 

He couldn't be more thankful.

"Aw, it was nothing, pal! With my hunk of junk car, I'd say I'll be there in about 20 minutes, sir! Don't worry! I'll be there! Wait for me!"

"A-Alright... Just get here in one piece."

"I'm on a mission and no one can stop me now, sir! No one! I'm pulling out all the stops and running every red light!"

….That doesn't sound very safe.

Suddenly, a horrible crashing noise came from the other end of the phone. Looking disturbed, Mr. Edgeworth quickly questioned Mr. Gumshoe.

"Hey! What's wrong!? Detective Gumshoe! Answer me!" 

"... No one can stop... I'm…"

…Silence. And then, a beep.

The call ended.

"Wh-What happened?" Mr. Wright stuttered out, and Mr. Edgeworth looked at the phone blankly.

"It sounded like he had an accident. I'm guessing his cell phone broke as well." Kazuma could feel his whole body tense at that.

No, no, god damn it!

"Oh, no, do you think he's ok!?" Maya frowned.

"Wh-What was he thinking?? We've got to hurry and call for help!"

"But we have no idea where he is. His cell phone is broken, and he wasn't driving a patrol car, so no radio either. Also... If we don't get to those items before they do, the police will take possession of them." Mr. Edgeworth's voice was once again flat, and Kazuma felt himself start shaking.

Just when we were starting to get some hope in this horrible situation….is there truly nothing we can do?

"No! We can't let that happen!" 

"Well, if there is a way we can find out where he is, then we stand a chance…" 

"There must be some way to track him down, right?" Kazuma hoped to god that there was, otherwise they were screwed.

If there was, they didn't get the chance to hear it as Mr. Edgeworth was whisked away by a bailiff for an urgent phone call.

They eventually found out what the urgent phone call was about, and it all started when a certain witness was called to testify.

But something was off here. Kazuma could tell as soon as Mr. Edgeworth started stuttering about an unusual witness.

"This witness is one who is perfectly fit to answer once and for all the question of, "Who was it that hired Shelly de Killer to commit murder"?"

"That's impossible!! Who in the...!? No such person exists who can answer that question with such certainty" 

"You're right, there's no way…" Just who would be privy to that information!? There could only be Shelly De Killer and Matt Engarde himself who could answer that. But there was no way that Engarde would admit his guilt in the courtroom, and it would obviously be impossible for De Killer to testify.

So just who was Mr. Edgeworth planning on calling to the stand?

"Y-Yes! Mr. Edgeworth! Who is this witness!?" The judge looked just as shocked as the rest of them. Except for Mr. Edgeworth, who was sweating bullets.

"It is... It's... um.."

"Yes!? Go on! Who is it!?"

"The man himself... Mr. Shelly de Killer."

...He's got to be fucking with us.

"Oh, Mr. de Killer. ... W-W-Waaaaait!! Shelly de Killer!? Um, you mean... The killer? Err... I mean the assassin?" The Judge looked horrified — and rightfully so.

"Yes... Your Honor."

…HE'S NOT FUCKING WITH US!?

Kazuma felt like he couldn't take this anymore. After the fucking nightmare these past few days have been due to that shit head, honestly? Kazuma might just fucking kill him the second he steps on the witness stand. Just one good swing using the Asougi family technique and there. The assassin's head is fucking gone.

Being so caught up in his homicidal thoughts, Kazuma didn't catch the part about how de Killer was going to take the stand "in a manner of speaking." 

So when he saw the radio on the witness stand, he was shocked.

"What…what the hell is this!?" 

"W-while the defense could phrase that in a less crude way, I must say that I agree with him, Prosecutor Edgeworth — what is going on here!? How can you remain so calm? And what is the meaning of this two-way radio...?"

"Actually, Your Honor, it was delivered to me just now... And it came with a condition. As long as we do not trace its source, Mr. de Killer will testify to this court." So that was what the phone call was about?

Honestly? Now Kazuma felt even more mad that he had been denied the opportunity to hurt the man.

Kazuma once again zoned out, that is, until he heard a certain voice.

"...'M…really tired…"

"Ryuunosuke!" Kazuma immediately yelled, placing a hand on Karuma and feeling as if he was ready to leap over the bench to get to the stand.

But Mia Fey put a hand on his shoulder as if to calm him down, and Kazuma realized what a bad idea that was.

Once His Honor started muttering about this all being a nightmare, Kazuma couldn't help but agree with him.

Cross examining de Killer just proved the theory that this was all just a very, very, very bad dream.

From him implying that he'd kill his clients for betraying his trust, asking the judge to die, telling Mr. Wright that he wouldn't live long if he let everything bother him so much, to him naming Adrian Andrews as his client.

"W-Witness!! That's not who you told me it was earlier!"

"Pray tell, what are you talking about, Mr. Prosecutor? I should think I know my own client, and it is Adrian Andrews."

"That… that fucking bastard's lying." Kazuma hissed, and Mia Fey glared at the witness stand alongside him.

"I'm sure in order to get an audience with this court, Mr. de Killer told him a different name... "Matt Engarde", perhaps."

After boldy lying to the court, de Killer had the audacity to just. Leave. And Kazuma was very conflicted about the whole situation.

When Ms. Andrews — who they know for certain is innocent — started begging on the stand, Kazuma felt Maya Fey tremble a bit, and when he looked at her he could see her tearing up and huddling closer to her sister, who wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer to her side.

It seemed as if this was the end. As if the case would end with a guilty man walking free, an innocent woman imprisoned, and Ryuunosuke back with them.

Kazuma's main priority was that last part.

But, that all changed when Mr. Wright spoke.

"I can't do it, Mia... I can't accept a not guilty." 

"Mr. Wright, what are you doing!? What about Ryuunosuke!?" What the hell!? If he refuses the verdict — de Killer could take it out on Naruhodou! What is he doing!?

"I know. But... But Matt Engarde is a killer; a murderer! I can't... I can't let him get away with this. I can't let someone else take the fall. If I let Ms. Andrews be convicted, then I am no better than Engarde. And even though I don't want to admit it, I have to face the fact that it is because of Edgeworth that I now know the real truth. He could've gotten Engarde convicted so many times over, but he never took a single one of those chances. If I take this verdict right now... I'd be betraying his trust."

"But…but if de Killer realizes that you're trying to get Engarde a guilty verdict, Ryuu's gonna pay for it!" Maya pressed even closer against her sister.

"Well...we'll have to find a way around that...somehow." 

Mr. Wright requested that they be allowed to cross-examine de Killer, and somehow they convinced His Honor to allow it.

De Killer testified saying that his trust was broken with his "client" because she tampered with the scene of the crime — Kazuma couldn't help but think that that excuse was quite flimsy.

This cross examination was even more chaotic than the last, with Mr. Wright asking how much de Killer's fee is, causing both de Killer and His Honor to believe that he was requesting a hit. 

But all that really mattered in the end was that they managed to find the contradiction.

The negative part of it all was that de Killer seemed to slowly be catching on to what they're up to, whichadr Kazuma worry for Ryuunosuke's safety.

The more testimony de Killer gave, the deeper he — and therefore they — dug the grave in which they laid in.

Until, finally, de Killer had enough.

"I... I'm sure I mentioned this before. How I hate traitors above all else! I think your cross-examination has clearly demonstrated something to me. You... You must wish to break your end of our agreement!"

"No! That's not…" 

"That's enough! If that is your intention, then there is only one thing for me to do!"

"Objection! De killer! The defense has not broken our agreement, so ending our agreement yourself at this time would be premature! And if you decide to break our agreement… I swear on the honor of the Asougi clan that I will make your life a living hell. "

"A-Asougi! Calm down!"

"I CAN'T CALM DOWN, MR. WRIGHT! If anything were to happen to Ryuunosuke! I…I…"

Kazuma didn't know what he'd do.

"I feel as if I'm missing some context here…But, defense — you must know that it is never appropriate to threaten a witness under any circumstances!" Kazuma couldn't care less. "But, Mr. Edgeworth, do you think there is a need for more testimony…?" 

...In a quite shocking turn of events, Mr. Edgeworth claimed that the prosecution rests.

Which meant that the trial would end there, and Mr. Andrews would be charged with murder.

But…Ryuunosuke…he'd...he'd be ok.

But, just before the trial could end — a voice rang out.

"Objection!" 

Ms. von Karma came in at the very last moment with the evidence Detective Gumshoe stole.

Thank. God.

And with that, they were given one last chance to end this trial properly while getting Ryuunosuke back to them. Back where he belongs.

"Do you know the contents of this tape?" Mr. Wright presented the tape to the radio.

"I was sternly told by my client to not watch it. So I have absolutely no idea."

Phoenix looked cocky as he straightened his back and put his hands on his hips, telling de Killer more about the tape.

"Me?"

"There was a video camera hidden at the crime scene. Your actions were being recorded."

"Wh-What!?"

"Is that true!? Mr. Wright!?"

"Who... Who was it that planted a camera...!?"

"Well, the only person who could have placed a camera at the scene of the crime... would be your "client" naturally."

There was complete silence from de Killer's end.

"Your "client" specified a place and time for you, isn't that right?"

"Y-Yes…"

"That was so they could film you."

"... I had no idea. ... Mr. Wright. Why would my client do such a thing?"

Mr. Wright just smirked, staring at the radio without saying anything.

"I would like to know why…"

"There is only one reason why your "client" would secretly film the crime scene. Your "client" once told my assistants something very interesting, and I'm sure that they'd love to share that information with the court."

"Ooh, ooh, yeah — here, let me play the recording for you!" Maya grinned, grabbing the brown bag off of the floor beside her and reaching into it, taking out the recording device from before.

"R-recording!?" Mr. Engarde harshly stood up from his seat — causing bailiffs to quickly make their way towards him —, the colour draining from his face.

"Yup! Here it is!" The biggest shit eating grin Kazuma had ever seen (which is quite a hard thing to top — Kazuma has looked in the mirror before, after all) spread across Maya's face as she pressed the play button, letting the recording play for the whole court to hear.

"But I'm no weakling. I don't believe anyone... least of all assassins."

"Oh, come now, girls. Assassins aren't above blackmail."

"Yes, that's where the video comes in. With that, I can keep him at bay, and even blackmail him if I want."

The whole courtroom was silence, as everyone was holding their breath.

Until His Honor spoke, that is.

"But that's… that's Mr. Engarde's voice on the recording! Defense, what are you doing — that's your client!" 

Mr. Wright ignored him, never once taking his eyes off of the radio.

"There, you heard it from the horse's mouth— your "client" didn't trust you at all. They were thinking of using this video to blackmail you! What do you have to say to that, Shelly de Killer!?"

It was silence, but then, a crackling voice.

"Gnnn...nnnngh... Ohoooooo! ... It looks like... It looks like I was being deceived from the very beginning…"

"Yes... By a natural... That is the kind of person they are. Your "client" is a person who only thinks and plots of how to use the people around them to protect themselves from any and all dangers that may arise. That is the true nature of your "client"."

"I have one question for the witness." Mr. Edgeworth butted in.

"Yes?"

"You told us one thing numerous times during your testimony. You said that you detest traitors most of all."

"Yes, that's right."

"But what if that traitor was your own client...? What would you do then!?" Mr. Edgeworth smirked, and Kazuma could feel his face contorting into a smirk too, already seeing where he was taking this.

"... That's obvious. I would break our contract in that case. And then... That client would become my next target. For the honor of the de Killer name, even if it takes an eternity... I would follow that person to the ends of the earth to exact my punishment."

"D-dude, what!?" Mr. Engarde's face lost all of it's colour, with his eyes wide, a cold sweat running down his face as he trembled.

...When de Killer announced that he'd be returning their "precious item" to them, Kazuma nearly collapsed in relief, using the defense stand to hold himself up — the other 3 quickly offering him support just a moment later.

We've done it...partner…

When they made it to the defendant lobby with the proper verdict being handed down and Ryuunosuke being kept alive…well…

It was the first time he felt as if he could properly breathe in days.

And when Edgeworth told him that they found Naruhodou and he was on his way there in a patrol car… Kazuma felt as if he could cry.

""I'll never set foot in another courtroom again"... I'm sure that's what she's saying by this action.." 

So, you mean to tell me that she's throwing a hissy fit? 

"But why!" Pearl huffed, pulling the enormous sleeve of Mr. Wright's suit jacket back. 

...He should probably take that back now that she's not channeling Mia anymore…

"That's not right! Franzy shouldn't just give up like that! ...Give me her whip — I'm gonna go talk to her." Maya ripped the whip out of Mr. Edgeworth's hands — making him yelp.

"M-Mystic Maya! ...Well, if Mystic Maya's gonna go find the mean lady — I'm gonna go find her too!" Aaaaand Pearl's run off as well.

"Well...I suppose they've got that sorted out for us." Mr. Edgeworth watched them run off with wide eyes.

"Yeah, I guess so. But Pearls ran off with my suit jacket..." Mr. Wright sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.

Kazuma had been a bit interested in their conversation up until now, but that concentration was swiftly broken.

"...A-Asougi…" 

And there, at the entrance to the defendant's lobby was Ryuunosuke. He looked extremely tired, with quite prominent eye bags contrasting upon his pale face. He seemed to be cold, as he was wrapping his arms around himself as he shivered. But right now what mattered was the fact that he was alive. 

And Kazuma could've sworn that the weak smile he gave them when they looked at him was the most stunning thing he's ever seen in his life.

"Ryuunosuke — partner!" Kazuma immediately sprinted across the room — desperate to get to Ryuunosuke and check that he's ok himself.

He stopped when he made it to him, panting slightly as he put his hands on his partner's shoulder.

"Ryuunosuke, are you ok? How are you feeling? Do you need anythi—"

Kazuma was cut off when Ryuunosuke collapsed onto him. He was about to freak out about his partner fainting, but Ryuunosuke wrapped his arms around his back; making it clear that he was awake.

"Asougi…you're...you're ok." And with that, Ryuunosuke started to sob.

Kazuma was taken aback, but he wrapped one arm around his partner's back, with the other carding through his hair, and let him cry.

Mr. Wright and Mr. Edgeworth managed to arrive at that moment, and Mr. Wright promptly freaked out.

"R-Ryuunosuke! Are you ok!? Asougi — why's he crying!?" Mr. Wright reached out and touched Ryuunosuke's shoulder, making Ryuunosuke turn his head towards him, resting it on Kazuma's chest.

"S-sorry...just relieved." Ryuunosuke managed to get out in between hiccups. And Mr. Wright smiled.

Suddenly, he engulfed the two of them in a hug, making Kazuma's eyes widen. "I'm so relieved that you're ok, Ryuunosuke." Mr

Wright let out a choked sob, and just like that Kazuma was surrounded by two crying people.

...In fact...Kazuma almost felt like crying himself…

Wait! No — I shouldn't cry, this isn't about me — it should be about Ryuunosuke!

But despite his internal protests, Kazuma started sobbing too.

...We must look like a mess.

After god knows how long of crying, Mr. Edgeworth cleared his throat to get their attention: making Mr. Wright jump.

"Well...now that that debacle is over, I'm assuming that Mr. Naruhodou's hungry?" As if on cue, Ryuunosuke's stomach rumbled, making Mr. Wright chuckle.

"Yeah...we should probably grab a burger or something on the way home."

"A burger , Wright? This boy has been starved for the past few days and you want to give him a burger ? That's simply unacceptable. There's a nice Italian restaurant nearby that we could go to...um...celebrate this victory." It seemed as if Mr. Edgeworth started getting self conscious, but continued to persist anyway. "It's a bit expensive, but that should be of no worry — it's my treat." 

"E-Edgeworth!? Are you sure?" 

"Of course I am, Wright. Do you really think that I'd say something that I don't mean?"

"Yeah. Something like "Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth chooses death" perhaps?" Edgeworth recoiled at that.

"I was wondering about that." Kazuma could hear Ryuunosuke mumble.

"R-regardless… the offer is there should you choose to accept it."

 Mr. Wright stepped back from the hug, looking at Ryuunosuke. "It's up to you, do you want to go to the place Edgeworth's talking about…?" 

Ryuunosuke nodded, but to Kazuma it seemed more as if he was nuzzling into him due to the fact that Ryuunosuke's head was still resting on his chest.

"A-as long as there's food I'm in...I'm really hungry...and thirsty." Kazuma looked around the room, seeing a vending machine nearby that had water in it.

"Do you want me to go get you some water, partner?"

Ryuunosuke seemed to ponder that for a moment, but then just held onto Kazuma tighter — making him think that the answer was no.

"Do you want me to go get it for you instead?" Ryuunosuke nodded his head at Mr. Wright's question, but before he could leave Mr. Edgeworth spoke up.

"In the meantime I'll go get my car to drive us there — I'll wait for you at the front of the courthouse.

"Wha—? Oh, no no no, it's ok, Edgeworth! Really, I have my own car so I can just drive myself and the kids there — so just give me the address and we'll meet you there."

"No, Wright, I insist — after what happened yesterday you must be exhausted, let me drive you there." Mr. Edgeworth stiffened a bit.

"...Well, fine. If you insist I guess." Mr. Wright looked away, his cheeks tinted a bit pink.

"Right...well, you should be able to recognize my car. It looks identical to my previous one from the Skye case — sans a dead body, of course." Mr. Wright raised an eyebrow at that, and Kazuma could see his partner wrinkle his nose.

"That ugly car…?" 

"I — what — no — it's not — just." Mr. Edgeworth spluttered, stomping off after a few seconds without giving a proper retort. 

Kazuma laughed loudly at that, Ryuunosuke giggling in his arms. And Mr. Wright came back with a cold water bottle in his hand, giving it to Ryuunosuke — who, in his haste to drink it, spilled some on himself. 

"Oh, I'm sorry, Kazuma, I got some on you!" Ryuunosuke looked at the big stain on the front of Kazuma's shirt, and he laughed.

"That's from your tears, not the water bottle."

"T-that's even worse!!" Ryuunosuke looked very apologetic, and Kazuma laughed once again.

But, at that moment, he finally caught on to what Ryuunosuke said. And, embarrassingly enough, he could feel himself blush.

"Wait, Ryuunosuke, did you call me Kazuma?" 

I didn't even notice at first because of how natural it sounded for my given name to be spoken with his voice.

"Um, yes? I-I'm sorry — is that a problem? You've been calling me Ryuunosuke so I thought…" 

"Of course it isn't a problem! We're partners afterall, aren't we?" Kazuma grinned at Ryuunosuke, and he felt thrilled when he got a grin in response.

"Uh, guys? Not that this isn't cute to watch and all — but I'm pretty sure Edgeworth's waiting for us." Mr. Wright butted into their cute moment, god damn it.

"A-ah, right, sorry." Ryuunosuke stepped away from him, looking much more anxious all of a sudden. 

They got into Mr. Edgeworth's car (  Ryuunosuke was right — it was quite hideous) and made their way to the restaurant, with Mr. Wright texting Maya the address.

Ryuunosuke leaned against him the whole car ride, trembling the whole time. Kazuma didn't mind his partner essentially using him as a stand, though. After that hell of a case… how could he mind?

They entered the restaurant to find that the Feys were already there.

“Mr. Ryuu!!!”

“YO, RYUUNOSUKE!!”

All of a sudden a small blur lunged at them, forcing Kazuma to hold onto his partner to keep him on his feet, he seemingly couldn’t do it himself.

“Mr. Ryuu! I-I was so scared!” Pearl’s little body wracked with sobs, and Ryuunosuke immediately hugged her back.

“It’s, ok, Pearl, I’m ok, there’s no need to cry…” Ryuunosuke rubbed Pearl's back in an effort to comfort her.

Maya quickly came over and covered Pearl’s ears as she sobbed. “Ryuu you just got fucking kidnapped, if you’re gonna lie at least do it convincingly!’”

“Ah...sorry?”

Maya laughed, and ended up hugging Ryuunosuke, Pearl, and him. So he was stuck in another group hug, great.

They were interrupted pretty quickly by a loud noise.

“FOOLS, we are in the middle of a restaurant and you foolishly foolish fools are crying? It’s shameful.” Ms. von Karma cracked her whip again.

After Mr. Edgeworth managed to calm Ms. von Karma down (not without getting whipped  himself, of course), they went to go get seated at a table. When they got to their table Ryuunosuke desperately dug into his food, barely even giving himself time to breathe.

Well, it was understandable considering what he'd just been through. Kazuma would probably act the same in his position. 

It was a fun meal though, Maya and Pearl refused to give the story of how they managed to drag Ms. von Karma along, and despite the many many threats to whip them, she didn't bring out the whip again.

All in all, it was a good way to end a few hellish days. 

And when they managed to make it back to Mr. Wright's car, Ryuunosuke fell asleep on his shoulder on their way to the Mikotoba household.

...Well...Kazuma did get only half an hour of sleep last night…

...And the coffee is wearing off…

...So it should be fine for him to fall asleep...right…?

Well, it doesn't fucking matter whether or not it was ok since he would've fallen asleep regardless, but whatever.

Someone was tugging on Ryuunosuke.

Instinctively Kazuma tightened his hold on him — even in his state half between falling back asleep and waking up he felt as if he had to protect his partner.

"Sorry, Asougi — but we're at Mikotoba's, so I'm gonna move Ryuunosuke to the front seat to keep an eye on him. You're going home anyway, so." 

Another tug on Ryuunosuke. Kazuma just held him tighter.

"Can you give him to me please, Asougi?"

"...No." Kazuma rested his chin on top of Ryuunosuke's head, determined to keep him there in his arms.

Yet another tug.

"Pretty please?" 

"No . "

"God damn it, Asougi." He sounded frustrated.

"...Is there a problem, Mr. Wright?" At this point Kazuma decided to open his eyes, watching Mikotoba walk to the car door, along with Susato, who was peering curiously at Ryuunosuke.

"Do you think he's ok, father?" She whispered, to which Mikotoba smiled.

"I'm sure he's doing better, Susato."

"Yeah...he's doing better, but someone won't let me have him." Mr. Wright looked towards Kazuma, who glared at him in turn.

"Oh...well, that is a problem." Mikotoba turned to look at him. "Kazuma-kun, could you plea—"

" No. " At this point Kazuma was honest to god getting annoyed that these two weren't getting the point.

"...Well, Ryuunosuke could always just stay the night at our place." Kazuma felt more awake at that, straightening his back, all the while trying to pull Ryuunosuke even closer to him. 

"I definitely think that Ryuunosuke should stay the night — don't you think he'd feel safer if he had someone watching him?" As if this request wasn't one made from his own selfish desire to watch over his partner and make sure that he's okay.

"Well… I was planning on watching over Ryuunosuke…" Mr. Wright looked anxiously at the two of them.

"There’s a guest bedroom that you could use if you want to check in on Ryuunosuke during the night, Mr. Wright."

"Oh, o-oh no, no, I couldn't impose on you like that."

"You wouldn't be imposing at all, I think this would be the best solution for everyone involved." Mikotoba smiled at Mr. Wright.

"...I guess…" Mr. Wright raked his hand through his spikes, not looking happy about it at all. "But, Kazuma, could you give me Ryuunosuke in that case? I'll need to carry him in the house since he's still sleeping."

"How many times do I have to repeat myself for you to get the point!? No." Kazuma glared once again at Mr. Wright, who shrunk back with his hands raised in a placating way. 

"Well what are you gonna do with him then, Kazuma-sama? Carry him to your room yourself?" Susato put her hands on her hips, and Kazuma smirked.

"That sounds like a lovely idea, Susato-chan — thank you for the suggestion." Kazuma reached over to unbuckle Ryuunosuke as Suato put her hand over her mouth in shock — clearly not expecting that reaction.

"Are you sure that's a good idea Asougi? You just woke up, and Ryuunosuke's not exactly what you'd call light."

"So?"

"...And you just injured your head only yesterday, Kazuma-kun."

" So ?" Mr. Wright and Mikotoba glanced at each other, giving Kazuma enough time to unbuckle himself too.

And then came the struggle of getting out of the car with Ryuunosuke.

It was definitely a struggle, and both Mr. Wright and Mikotoba offered to help him get Ryuunosuke out of the car — but he was much too stubborn to accept their help.

When he finally got out of the car, he held Ryuunosuke in a bridal carry, a proud grin spread across his face.

Of course, he was less prideful of his feat when he found Ryuunosuke looking up at him with tired eyes — but who cares?

Kazuma carried Ryuunosuke up to his room, with the other clutching the front of his shirt the whole time. And once they made it to his room Kazuma gently set Ryuunosuke down on the bed — making a beeline for the closet so that he could give Ryuunosuke a change of clothing.

"Asougi...? Do you mind if I take a shower? I feel gross…" Ryuunosuke yawned, rubbing his eye with one hand, and Kazuma nodded.

"Of course, partner. You remember where it is, right?" A nod. "Afterwards do you want to go to sleep? I personally plan to."

"Sleep…? Oh, yeah, sure." Ryuunosuke nodded his head.

"Alright. Then is it ok if I give you a pair of boxers and an old shirt to sleep in?" 

"H-huh!?" Ryuunosuke looked at him with wide eyes, and Kazuma found himself being quite confused.

"...Is there a problem, partner?"

"Oh...oh, n-no."

"...Okay…" Kazuma would have to pay attention to discern whether or not that was a lie.

Kazuma ended up giving Ryuunosuke the spare clothes to change in, the other graciously accepting them with a thanks as he ran off to go shower, and Kazuma decided to use the opportunity to change.

He was so grateful that Ryuunosuke was here with him now, and he could feel the tiredness seeping into his core. The events of the last few days were absolutely exhausting and terrifying, Kazuma never wished to go through something like that again.

To see Ryuunosuke in a position like that again… he doesn't know if he'd be able to handle it.

Ryuunosuke came back in the room a few minutes later, wearing the clothes that Kazuma had given him.

"Um...where do I put my clothes." 

"Ah, give those to me — I'll put them to be washed." 

"Oh! You don't have to —"

"It's alright, Ryuunosuke. I'd be glad to."

"Okay…" 

Kazuma disposed of Ryuunosuke's dirty clothes along with his, and he laid down on his bed. Leaving Ryuunosuke standing at the foot of his bed playing with his shirt.

"Partner? Are you ok with sharing the bed? If not I could grab the spare futon Mikotoba has.".

"T-that's not necessary, I'm fine with sharing the bed." Ryuunosuke still looked nervous though.

Kazuma smiled, and then he shuffled slightly to make more space for Ryuunosuke, who laid down on the bed beside him.

Kazuma couldn't help but notice a strange look on Ryuunosuke's face, as if he was contemplating something. 

A second later and suddenly Ryuunosuke's head was on his chest, a satisfied sigh coming from his partner as he curled into him.

"Ryuunosuke? You sure seem to like doing that a lot today, huh?" Kazuma laughed, and Ryuunosuke frowned up at him.

"Just...just shut up and let me do it, please." Ryuunosuke pouted a little, and Kazuma couldn't help but find it adorable.

"Aww, partner I never realized that you liked cuddling me so much — if I had known I would've gotten you a body pillow of me for your birth—" 

"God, let me listen to your heartbeat, asshole."

It was only at that moment that Kazuma realized something was wrong. Ryuunosuke started trembling, and his eyes filled with tears. There was… there was something more here...wasn't there?

"Ryuunosuke? What's wrong?" Kazuma brought a hand up his partner's arm, trying to provide him with some comfort.

"God, with everything I just...I just need to make sure, I need to check…" Ryuunosuke started shaking harder, tears now streaming down his face.

"I don't understand, Ryuunosuke. Check? Check what?" 

"I... I thought you were dead, Kazuma. " 

"You...you what? " Kazuma couldn't help the pure shock that ran through his body at those words. Kazuma sat up, resting his upper body against the wall to better support Ryuunosuke."

"It was...it was after de Killer moved me for the first time out of that wine cellar, as we were leaving I-I saw both you and Phoenix passed out on the floor…" 

"I, I could see that Phoenix was still alive because he was laying on his back, so I could see how his stomach was moving with his breathing. But you...Kazuma…"

"You were laying on your stomach, so I couldn't see if you were breathing. And…god you looked so pale… you looked like every. single. damn corpse I've ever seen — and that scared me, Kazuma!"

"There was so much going on, me being kidnapped, being so hungry that I was puking my guts everywhere while being so thirsty that I felt as if I would faint, and on top of that mourning my best friend after thinking that I saw his fucking corpse!"

"I only realized that you were alive when de Killer testified and I heard you call my name...but even then it was still hard to believe that you were alive, it was hard to put together the image of you lying lifelessly on the ground and your voice coming in through the radio. Even when I saw you in the defendant's lobby it was hard to believe… That is, until I heard your heartbeat. Definitive proof that you were alive."

"So...please...partner...just, let me…

"Of course." Kazuma couldn't help but think back to when Mr. Wright broke Mr. Edgeworth's nose, and to the thought he had.

...Though he could understand why they were so upset — making people think that you've been dead for a year is pretty fucked up — Kazuma would never do that.

Well, it wasn't for a year, and it was against his will, but he still accidentally led on Ryuunosuke to think that he was dead for about a day.

"I'm so sorry Ryuunosuke, I hadn't realized…"

"It's fine."

"These past few days haven't really been the best, have they?"

"N-not really what you'd call a fun time, no. But, at least it's over now, right?"

Kazuma grinned, fully agreeing with him.

It was a sudden farewell, and a grand turnabout that brought upon their reunion.

But, at least it's over now, and once again his partner was safe.