Chapter One :: Turnabout Revisited :: Part 1

Twelve seconds. That was all of the time it took for Nathaniel Price to find the solitary letter in his mailbox, check the return address, and hurl himself back up the stairs to his office as fast as he could. He panted as he slammed the door behind him, hands scrabbling for the letter opener he had in one of his desk drawers. This was the second letter in two weeks; they were getting pretty good at anticipating the mail system now.

He pushed the dull blade of the letter opener between the flap and the envelope body, shearing the folded membrane. The letter was free! He smoothed it out on his desk and began to read.

Dear Nate,

Can you believe it's already been three months? I just checked off the halfway mark on the calendar today. Then again, my English is degrading quickly, so maybe I can believe it. Despite the large number of letters I write to you and the others per week, I find myself slipping into Japanese characters occasionally. I cringe to think at what my spoken English has become. I used to be so proud of what I'd whittled my accent down to! Somehow, I think that bragging right is going to need to take a vacation as I remember what it's like to speak again.

That's not to say that I don't get to speak English. In fact, here at the Center, we have an English class. But, well, you remember what it was like when I first attended University. There's not much work on pronunciation here, so sometimes it's hard to understand what the others are saying. I have to remind myself that I started out like that as well. Speaking of foreign languages, I remember you said that you took some Cohdopian in college; when was this? It couldn't have been at USC, but I don't remember it at Berkeley either. Then again, when I failed the Prosecutor's Exam, we stopped talking about such things.

Of course I'm still involved in the legal system! In fact, I'm reading up on Japan's version of Civil Law right now. The idea that there could be up to six judges in attendance is a scary thought! Three are civilians, I guess. They're called Lay-judges; I remember reading about them in one of the International Law classes at Berkeley, but I want to see them in action. It's interesting, in my opinion.

I'm sure you'll get some better cases soon; I know you've been complaining that they haven't been very good lately. Then again, your competition is probably lacking. After all, they're not me.

Speaking of competition, I never heard what happened with Arielle Holcomb! I heard when I left that she was possibly facing some perjury charges for the Whitman case, but I don't know that I would have continued with that case; I can't think of any good examples of perjury during the trial. Then again, I don't really remember the trial all that well anyways. I can say with some relief that it's all kind of a blur.

Trucy asked me the other day whether they had magic tricks in rehab. Come to think of it, I've never seen anyone performing any. I suppose that there might be, but . . .

Oh, come on, Nate! Man up already! You know you like her; go for it! Honestly, this is just like Silvia all over again. As they say in America, grow a pair! Or, at least, I think that's the expression. I think Kim was the only one who ever said it consistently.

But seriously. If you like her, just ask her out to dinner. Honestly, you're as bad as Yoshiya, except that Yoshiya won't even tell me who it is he's crushing on. He keeps saying that I don't want to know, but that doesn't mean I don't want a name! So, if he tells you, pass the information along to me, alright?

Awaiting your next letter eagerly! 手紙を書いて下さい！

Kiria

Nathan chuckled, leaning back in his chair as he read over her letter for the second time. She was just as forceful in her letters as she was in real life, although her tone was much lighter. He supposed that might be because of the lack of stress; after all, as she had phrased it in an earlier letter, she was practically taking a 6-month vacation.

"Receive another letter?"

The voice at the doorway made him jump, and his head snapped up fast enough to make his neck hurt. "I didn't hear you open the door! Taking lessons from ninjas, Edgeworth?" he asked as soon as he'd found his voice again.

"Hardly. Everyone knows that you retreat into a state of perception on par with a hibernating bear the moment a new letter comes in. Of course, you also happened to slam your door so hard that I'm surprised the poor frame didn't warp from the abuse." Miles Edgeworth leaned against said frame, arms crossed over his chest casually. "Anything good?"

"Huh?"

"In the letter. Anything good?"

Nathan scanned over it again. "Not really. We've hit the halfway point; she seems excited to come home soon. She's also complaining about her English, but we all know that it'll be up to par in no time. It was just like packing before she left; there was no danger of not being done, but she still complained about it." He folded his hands, leaning forward on the large oak desk. "You wanna come into the office, or just stand at the doorway? I must say, the aloof posture works for you, even if it does look a bit like a brooding teenager."

Edgeworth glowered, moving inside of the office and closing the door behind him. "Are you up for a new case?" he asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Absolutely." He waited until Edgeworth had settled into the chair across from his desk before continuing. "But I will admit that I'm curious as to why you decided to come all the way over here to give me a case instead of having me come to your office like normal."

"Because you don't have to take this case," Edgeworth said carefully, speaking slowly for optimum comprehension. "I can get another attorney to do it if you'd like, but I wanted to see if you would take it first."

"What kind of case is this?" he asked, eyebrows furrowed.

The older man sat back in the chair. "As you know, when Wright was disbarred, his cases fell under review. We've managed to sort out most of them, between Franziska and I. I believe Payne has done a few, as well as Lana Skye. Unfortunately, there are a lot of them being tested in the next few days, and we're stretched thin between us. If you take this case, it is very important that he receives a Guilty verdict."

Nathan cocked an eyebrow. "Well, if he's guilty, he should receive one, right?"

"Yes. But you'll find out soon that just because something should happen doesn't mean that it does. But the reason why I'm asking if you want to take the case is because I know that you and Wright don't necessarily get along."

"I don't feel the need to trust a forger."

"I'm not saying that you have to. I'm just asking that should you decide to take this case, you remain unbiased. I can tell you right now that the Defendant is guilty. I prosecuted this case. He's guilty; you just need to prove it."

Nathan leaned even farther forward. "So, who is this defendant?"

"Are you taking the case?"

His gaze drifted down towards the letter on his desk. Kiria would never forgive him if he didn't. But could he put aside his personal bias in order to do it?

"Yeah, I'll take the case."

Edgeworth nodded, getting to his feet. "Good. The file's in my office; we can talk in there."

"So, I still fail to see the point of meeting me in my office earlier," Nathan mentioned as Edgeworth looked through the file cabinet.

"It was a gesture that put the power in your hands. I didn't want you feeling like I was forcing you to take this case." The older Prosecutor didn't even look up as he answered the question. With a sigh, he slid the drawer back, opening the one above it. "Must have been the year before," he mumbled to himself, chiding his memory.

Nathan folded his hands together, resting them on his stomach. "So, who is this guy? You said he was guilty, but you failed to say anything else."

A beat of silence fell between them before Edgeworth flopped a file down in front of Nathan. "Matt Engarde is the defendant. I don't know if you watched the case the first time around. It would have been almost three years ago now."

Nathan perused the folder, scanning the information with interest. "He looks familiar, but I don't remember the case. That still would have been pretty early in my law career."

"Matt Engarde was the Nickel Samurai back when the show was airing. He had begun in showbiz at a young age with a manager named Celeste Inpax. The two dated, and according to Matt's later manager, they were happy, but Engarde broke it off for some undisclosed reason. Soon afterwards, Inpax resigned from managing Engarde's career and moved on to his rival, Juan Corrida's. Corrida and Inpax also dated for a while, but Engarde revealed that Inpax was his former lover, and Corrida broke it off with her.

"Inpax, now miserable, committed suicide. There was no suicide note or last will. However, Corrida found the body, and Engarde assumed that because there was no note, that Corrida had hidden it. It made him nervous, what could have been written about him in Inpax's final words, and he set out to steal the note back.

"Corrida, on the other had, had forged a note. He had a Nickel Samurai costume made in order to imitate Matt during a major awards show. He was going to read the forged will as a confession, and Engarde's career would be over."

"This sounds like a soap opera," Nathan groaned.

"It gets better, believe me." Edgeworth steepled his fingers in front of his chest, leaning back in his chair. "Engarde hired a contract killer, Shelly de Killer, to kill Corrida and retrieve the forged note. Corrida ended up dead, and Engarde almost got out of the murder charge. And that is without even mentioning Adrian Andrews."

"Adrian Andrews?"

"Engarde's manager after Inpax left. Inpax was her mentor. She'd stayed on with Engarde after Inpax's death to exact her own revenge. I'm sure you'll speak with her sometime during the case. You may have even seen her around; I know that Franziska is fond of her."

Nathan looked back down at the file in his lap. "But how did Engarde get charged?"

"De Killer confessed to his client. It wasn't easy to get him to do it either. Apparently, assassins have a moral code on par with nuns."

Nathan cocked an eyebrow skeptically, but Edgeworth shrugged and shook his head, still remembering the lengths that the assassin had gone to in order to make it seem like Engarde hadn't been the culprit. "Okay . . . so this case seems pretty open-and-shut to me."

"If only it was that easy. Unfortunately, as you'll see, it's going to be hard to convict him again."

Nathan looked down at the file and then back at his mentor. "So, why aren't you taking this one again?"

Edgeworth picked up his pen. "Franziska and I are both doing cases that are more important at the moment, and while Franziska's case ends tomorrow, this is too important for her to attempt to do at the same time."

"So, who is it?" he asked pointedly.

The older Prosecutor sighed, his patience wearing thin with the countless questions. "I'm prosecuting Dahlia Hawthorne, who is dead. However, she committed many crimes before her death, and if she gets off innocent, well, someone's got to be guilty for those crimes. Franziska is prosecuting Morgan Fey."

"Any relation to Maya?"

"Unfortunately. Maya Fey is Morgan Fey's niece."

"Pearl's mother?" Nathan queried.

Edgeworth nodded. "The same."

"So you've got your hands full, huh?"

"Oh, I would say that you do as well, Price. Matt Engarde may not have committed the same crimes as Morgan Fey and Dahlia Hawthorne, but it's not going to be easy. We've already had one catastrophe happen."

"Redd White?" Nathan guessed, remembering the fuss made on the news. "Payne was the prosecutor, right?"

Edgeworth nodded. "He lost to Catherine Eldredge's younger sister, an attorney straight out of law school."

"Ouch."

"I don't believe anyone was pleased by his failure."

Nathan stood. "I'm going to get working on this, then. Good luck with your dead defendant."

"Don't get cocky, Price. Engarde is dangerous." There was a flicker of emotion that Nathan almost identified as concern, but it was gone as soon as it came.

He nodded. "Got it."

"A retrial?"

His visitor nodded. "Indeed. That fool Phoenix Wright was disbarred, so everyone is receiving a retrial. But I believe we can use this to our advantage."

Matt Engarde leaned back in the chair provided. "And let me guess, the prosecutor is just in love with everything Wright did? A Wright fan to the end?"

"Actually, no. Nathaniel Price, who is the attorney assigned to the case, has made statements against what Wright did. Another thing we can use to our advantage."

He swept his bangs to one side, letting them fall back in his eyes in the next moment. "And remind me, what am I supposed to do for you if you get me out of jail?"

The woman's mouth spread into a smile. "There's an attorney working with Wright who is meddling in everything my organization is trying to accomplish. She's out of the country for now, but that doesn't mean that we can't get working."

"And you want her taken out, right? But why talk to me? I had a contract killer take care of the guy I needed dead."

She shook her head. "You're merely a distraction. I need you to make some threatening moves towards their side so that we can move in and take her out ourselves."

"And what about this Prosecutor? He's not gonna take this lying down, is he?"

"He'll be disheartened by the loss. But he won't know what we're up to. He's good friends with the woman who is making trouble. But once she's gone, I believe he'll back down. He's not exactly the self-starter she is. He prefers to follow rather than lead, and we can deal with followers." She spread her hands in a gesture of full disclosure. "So, what do you think?"

Engarde's look was skeptical. "It would be stupid not to take such an offer."

She shrugged. "I thought so too."

"I'll do it."

"Good. I'll contact you with the next step. Good day, Mr. Engarde. It was a pleasure doing business with you." She shot him a charming smile, letting herself out of the room in the Detention Center.

"Good day indeed," he mused.

Dear Ms. Nomura,

I believe you were right in suggesting Price's eligibility for the Engarde case. I agree that the case will turn his feelings against Wright, but I'm not sure to what extent. After all, we both know by this point that he is quite stubborn. He doesn't always do what's best, although I don't know if that's out of a need to defy the rules or whether he just doesn't understand all of the consequences.

But, perhaps this is irrelevant.

I'm afraid that the case won't be as easy as I made it sound. The Defense Attorney on the case is the same woman who allowed Redd White to go free: Annabeth Eldredge. Even though she is fresh out of law school, there is talk that she forges evidence. Of course, until she is caught doing so, it will never be brought to trial, but the more she does it, the more she is likely to slip up.

Of course, this is also hearsay. She may be operating in the boundaries of the law. I have not faced her, but Franziska assures me that she is talented even without the use of evidence. It seems that she is quite skilled at manipulating the judge into agreeing with her. Her tactics do not sound much different from your own as a witness in the Whitman v. State of California case, although I'm quite aware that you would never attempt such a thing as the defense.

Of course, her sister operates in a similar way. Catherine, although she is quite a good attorney, does use her looks to manipulate both younger judges and witnesses if she needs to. Perhaps Annabeth learned this from her sister's trials.

This is not to say that I do not believe Price can handle it; I'm more than confident that he can do this. However, it won't be as easy as he'll think, and I can only hope that he doesn't underestimate Miss Eldredge in court tomorrow morning.

Franziska sends her regards. Also, Price mentioned that you believe your English is deteriorating? I believe those claims are unfounded. It seems excellent in our correspondence.

Most sincerely,

Miles Edgeworth.

Edgeworth sealed the envelope, checking his watch and running out to the postal box. It was going to be a tight schedule, but he managed to slip the letter into the box before the mail truck came by to take it it was a matter of keeping her informed as to the outcome of the case.

For her sake, he hoped Nathaniel Price took this case seriously.

A/N: So sorry that this is so late; things have been really wound up lately! Just this week, I did fifteen syntactic trees, a contrastive analysis between Japanese and English, and two short stories. It's been quite busy! So, my apologies for getting this out so late. It's a short chapter too. D: I'm sorry.

So, lots of questions opened up! Any guesses about what's going to happen so far? I love hearing from you guys! Oh, and if I got anything wrong from the Engarde case, do tell me; I meant to play through it before this case, but my copy is with a friend right now. D:

Oh, and speaking of my reviewers, the number of reviews the first chapter received was phenomenal! Thank you guys so much!

Comments ::

Zorua: Ah, yes, I remember you telling me that! I would think reviewing from your phone would be quite difficult! Of course, I have problems with phones. ._.;;

BlackWiddow: Ahahaha, I'm glad I'm not the only one who does that! I'm always on here to procrastinate. D:

Knightofdestiny: And your anticipation has probably worn off seeing how long I took to get this chapter out! Haha, my sincerest apologies.

FeytedintheTARDIS: What Trucy and Pearly talked about at the sleepover is all up to your imagination! I'm going to leave it up to the reader to imagine. Oh, and I'm sorry I haven't replied back to your PM yet; I promise, I read it! I'll get back to you within the next few days. I want to make sure I do this right, because it's such an honor to be asked!

Blaze: I feel like we need to be standing around with champagne like at the start of a new year! But I hope this chapter was up to your standards!

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