Prologue
It had been 36 hours since he was released from the hospital. He had been taken to his home- no, former home- to retrieve his most treasured belongings. With no immediate family, he was going to have to live in an orphanage, with other children like himself.
As he packed, he felt hollow. He cried no tears, he convinced himself that he was done crying... for now. He needed to be strong, to make sure he died for more than nothing.
Picking up a pair of glasses, his glasses, he felt a strong emotion well up inside him. Wrapping them neatly in a piece of cloth and storing it carefully in his bag, he swore silently to himself that he would get down to the bottom of this mess. He would find the sorry bastard who killed his father and he would have his revenge.
A single tear stained his cheek as he tucked the last of his precious memories, a father-son photo in a silver frame and his favorite novel, into his bad, a single tear stained his cheek as his said his final goodbyes to the place he once called home.
Arriving at the orphanage, he noticed that it was nothing like how they were depicted in the movies. It was strangely ironic, how this quant building that seemed to be brimming with energy housed some of the saddest specimens, young children, homeless, each with their own sad story of how they ended up in this place. If anything, he thought,this place reminds me of a schoolhouse. He chuckled grimly to himself, the escort looking at him with sad eyes as they opened the large wooden doors to reveal a spacious room with beige walls. Hesitantly, he took a step inside, looking around with an emotionless expression on his face.
Just then, a boy ran across to room, his slightly orange hair sticking straight up, waving something around in his hand teasingly as he reached the other side of the room.
"C'mon, Nick! If you want it back, you're gonna have to catch up!" the boy chuckled.
Just then, a boy with jet black hair that seemed to have been blown into jagged spikes by a strong wind came staggering and panting into the room.
"L-Larry..." he managed to start between pants, "G-give it... back..."
"Not 'til you catch up!" the boy known as Larry taunted.
The other boy was about to say something else when took notice of the other presences in the room. He turned to the boy standing in the front doorway, who was still watching curiously.
"H-Hi..." he said, finally beginning to catch his breath, "who are you?"
Larry looked and frowned, not quite pleased with the sudden diversion of his friend's attention. Then he noticed the man with the boy and nodded, smiling, "Hi, Mr. Grossberg! Is he new?"
Grossberg sighed and gave a sad smile, "Sadly, yes... I'm giving him the tour of the place before I find a room for him to stay in-"
"OH! OH! CAN HE STAY WITH ME AND NICK? No offense, Nick you can be a bit of a downer sometimes..."
"HEY!"
Mr. Grossberg tbought it over for a moment, then turned to Nick, "Is this alright with you, my boy?"
He shrugged, "Sure, I guess... I don't mind. The more the merrier!"
This is the strangest orphanage i've ever seen, thought the original boy.
"Then it's settled!" Mr. Grossberg huffed, clearing his throat in a very characteristic manner, "When the tour is done, I will show you to their room!"
Nick walked towards them, "Well, hi roomy!" he smiled, holding out his right hand while he rubbed the back of his neck nervously with the other, "My name's Phoenix Wright! That kid over there's my friend Larry Butz."
"Hi!" Larry chipped.
"So what's you name?" Nick continued.
The boy smiled for the first time in weeks, taking the other boy's outstretched hand, "Edgeworth. Miles Edgeworth."
Shaking his hand, the boy called Phoenix smiled, his clear blue eyes shining, showing off past the unique accent of his eyebrows - he was the strangest person to look at, but it all seemed oddly fitting on this boy.
"It's nice to meet you, Miles, I can tell we're gonna be great friends!"
Miles smiled again, and as the other boy said goodbye and left to chase Larry for his stolen item once more, he couldn't help but think the same.