Chapter Twelve: Searing Rebirth (Part Four)

April 25 11:13 AM

District Court

Defendant Lobby No. 07

Xin and Ema walked out into the lobby together with a relieved look on their faces.

"Great job out there, Mr. Wright!" Ema whispered.

"We still have to keep my cover even now." Xin whispered. "Still call me Xin Eohp until we get back to my office, alright Ema?"

"Sure, Mr. Eohp!" Ema said gleefully.

"Wow, it's been a while since I've seen Ema so happy!" Xin thought. "I guess just being around me can bring her mood up."

Ema then walked away and Xin stood there. He then walked over to the bench to get some rest.

"And to think this is the same lobby Phoenix Wright was in when he was tried for murder..." Xin chuckled. "Phoenix Wright... what an amazing guy..."

And just as Xin had predicted, Edgeworth came out from behind a corner nearby, allegedly "just walking in".

Xin stood up as a sign of respect to Edgeworth. (He was almost temped to salute him.) "Hello, Mr. Edgeworth!" Xin exclaimed.

Edgeworth glanced at him and sighed. "Are you sure you are who you say you are?" he asked solemnly.

"What do you mean?" Xin asked.

"I mean, is your real name "Xin Eohp"?" Edgeworth asked as if in pain.

"Of course it is." Xin replied. He cut in before Edgeworth had a chance to ask. "Yes, I know that's it's an awkward name. It's just from my family's culture, that's all."

Edgeworth still couldn't find the right feeling. He just couldn't trust the man in front of him.

"What I would do to have Wright's magatama right now..." he muttered.

"What was that, sir?"

"Oh nothing." Edgeworth glanced at Xin once more. "You know, you remind me a lot of someone I know." he said.

"Who are you talking about?" Xin asked the prosecutor.

"You remind me of an old friend of mine... Phoenix Wright." Edgeworth replied with a smirk on his face.

"YOU WERE FRIENDS WITH PHOENIX WRIGHT???" Xin said, pretending to be surprised. It oddly worked.

"I'm sorry for suspecting you, Mr. Eohp, but your actions in court today... they were too perfect for a rookie attorney."

Xin just looked at him solemnly. "I wish I were an attorney..." Xin thought.

Edgeworth continued on. "Your methods were just like Phoenix's. The OBJECTION was captivating, you used high bluffs which yielded results, and you always had that confident look on your face." Edgeworth looked up at the attorney once more, expecting him to say something such as a confession, but nothing came, so Edgeworth continued on.

"I just thought that you were Wright in disguise." Edgeworth stated. Xin flinched at the statement, but let it go as Edgeworth continued.

"I heard of his protégé's... accident, and I figured that he would try to defend his daughter by pulling off some crazy stunt like stealing Apollo's badge and dressing up as an attorney or something." "You don't know just how right you are..." Xin thought.

" That's why I came to this trial; to face off Wright once more. This is why I was so disappointed when you were defending. I was furious when you were pulling off fast stunts like Wright would, so I thought that my idea was true. I was just angry because you wouldn't admit it." Edgeworth looked up at Xin with sorrowful eyes.

" I am very sorry for the inconvenience, Mr. Eohp. "

Edgeworth walked away.

"And three, two, one..."

"Mr. Edgeworth, wait!" Xin called out.

"Perfect. Just as I planned." Edgeworth turned back, still acting as if he were sad. "Yes, Mr. Eohp"

"I want to tell you something important." Xin declared.

Edgeworth turned on his heels and walked towards the attorney. Behind his back, he flipped on a tape recorder to record the results.

"What do you need to tell me?" Edgeworth asked.

"Well... see...." Xin started.

"Yes?"

"Umm... how do I put this... I'm positive Trucy didn't murder anyone."

Edgeworth looked at him, smiling, but then he quickly wiped it off his face.

"What do you mean Trucy didn't murder anyone?"

"I'm 200% positive she didn't murder anyone...."

"How do you know?"

"Well, it's because..."

"Yes?"

"It's because... I trust in my client."

Edgeworth was furious on the inside. He expected Xin to say something like "I'm her dad." or "I'm really Phoenix." or even "You were right to be suspicious." Instead of letting it all blow, he just sighed and let Xin continue.

"Mr. Wright is my idol, so I studied his works. I read up on all of his cases and learned off his techniques. When I found out that my office was just right beside his, I was overjoyed, so we became fast friends. He taught me one thing on the first day we met and that was to always trust in your client. That is why I believe in my client today."

Edgeworth looked up at the attorney he was now 70% positive was Phoenix. "Could I really be wrong?" he thought. "Are my suspicions incorrect? I mean, his stories make sense..."

"That's a lesson well-learned, Mr. Eohp, but that won't be enough to shake me off." Edgeworth turned on his heels once more and walked away to make a phone call to someone by the phone booth nearby.

Xin, on the other hand, just watched him, hoping that the seeds he had planted in Edgeworth's head would soon grow. He knew that Edgeworth was now having some doubts. He just needed to tend to his seeds of doubt and Xin would be in the clear.

He watched as Edgeworth dialled in a number, though after watching it, Xin just laughed. He knew that this would be the final seed that would sprout in Edgeworth's head and his task could go on without fail.

Phoenix's phone rang. Someone picked it up.

"Y'ello?"

"Phoenix, is that you?" Edgeworth asked.

"Of course it's me! Hey old bud!"

Edgeworth glanced from the phone booth to Xin, then scowled.

"Do you know about the attorney that's defending your daughter in court today?"

"Of course. Xin, right?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"Well, we're old buddies! You know his office is close to mine? I helped him out with some things and he insisted on repaying me back by defending my daughter in court. I trust him completely of course. I did mentor him!" Phoenix chuckled. "Say, who's prosecuting the case?"

"I am." Edgeworth replied gravely.

"Really? Wow, I wish I was there at the time." Phoenix chuckled. "But I have more important things to deal with."

"Why aren't at your daughter's trial, Wright?"

"Let's just say that what I'm doing right now is more beneficial than sitting back and watching the case unfold."

Edgeworth could see Phoenix winking on the other side of the receiver.

"Okay, I have to go, Wright."

"Wait. Edgeworth."

Edgeworth sighed.

"Yes Wright?"

"My daughter's innocent. I am her father, remember?"

Edgeworth just scowled. This was the type of thing he was hoping Xin would say two minutes ago.

"I'll come and visit you soon, Wright."

"Sure, Edgeworth. See you then."

Edgeworth hung up.

Ema hung up too.

"And that ends that." she said using the voice changer she had attached to Phoenix's phone.

"Isn't science wonderful?"

Edgeworth looked over at Xin who was laughing gleefully for some reason. He soon found out why. Apollo was right beside him after finally making it from the hospital. They were laughing at a joke one of them had just said.

Edgeworth walked over to the two.

Apollo was laughing hard. "...and the nurse was like, "OBJECTION!" and I was telling her that she was doing it wrong, so I..." Apollo stopped at the sight of Mr. Edgeworth. "Um, excuse me sir? Could we help you with anything?"

Xin just continued to laugh. "Oh, Mr. Justice. That's the prosecutor of Trucy's case, Mr. Edgeworth."

Apollo looked up in surprise. "Oh, I'm sorry Mr. Edgeworth." Apollo was near tears. "You are as bold as Mr. Wright described you. You even have the same cravat and suit he was talking about!" Apollo looked at Edgeworth with glee. Edgeworth just stepped back.

"Oh, I'm sorry for disturbing your conversation Mr. Eohp, Mr. Justice." he looked at both of them.

"No, it's fine-"

"Do you mind if I speak with Mr. Justice for a few minutes?"

Mr. Justice looked at him. "No we don't mind at all, right Mr. Eohp?"

"Yeah, that's right!"

Edgeworth took Apollo to the side. "Does your mentor, Phoenix Wright truly know that man?"

"Of course he does! I do too!"1

Edgeworth just looked to the side. "Is he really who he says he is?"

"Of course he is! Why wouldn't he be?"2

Edgeworth looked to Xin for a second. Then he looked back to Apollo and scowled.

"He just reminds me of someone."

"Same here..." Apollo started. 3

Next thing Edgeworth knew, everything was lit aflame. A giant explosion was heard through the courtroom and searing heat poured out of the courtroom. The earth began to rumble as the explosion caused an earthquake.

Apollo ran off and so did everyone else as the smoke continued to pour out of the courtroom. Edgeworth was paralyzed by the shaking ground. He was teetering on the edge of reality, fighting for consciousness.

As he felt like he was drifting, he realized someone was yelling at him.

"Miles... Miles...." a distant call cried.

"How did anyone other than the judge know him by his first name?" was Edgeworth's first thought.

Edgeworth was now on the ground after collapsing, fighting to get up. The building began to collapse as everything began to fall apart and cover up in smoke and flames. One person ran up to him as Edgeworth was barely conscious on the ground.

"Miles... don't give up...." the voice yelled, though to Edgeworth, it was a mere whisper. Edgeworth had very few time left as he thought that the voice yelling out to him lacked to steely tone in his voice. The voice was someone he recognised, someone he suspected but let it go at the last second. It was a friend that never gave up on anyone. It was a friend that would do anything for the benefit for others. It was a friend that was right now risking his own life to save his.

The man no longer had spiky hair going down. The gel had worn off after melting off from the sweat and heat. The spikes were finally back in their normal position. If you top that with the shirt, tie, and voice, Edgeworth definitely knew the person. It was at the tip of his tongue, but the fact that he was barely conscious was enough to not make him think clearly.

The man was now beside him. Edgeworth imagined him in his normal blue suit and the lack of gloves and casual jeans. It was a comforting thought. The man picked him Edgeworth up and threw him over his shoulder like firemen would do.

"It was be all right, Miles." the man said, trying to comfort him as tried to run out of the courtroom. That was barely a whisper. It was as if they were only mysterious words amongst the soft and gentle wind. Edgeworth finally collapsed on the man's shoulder as he uttered one final phrase amongst the flames surrounding them.

"Phoenix.... you came back."

A/N: Finally! That's over and done with! Okay, that may have sounded like a yaoi relationship, but like I have mentioned previously, a yaoi was not intended. That was just me trying to show the strong bond of FRIENDSHIP between Edgeworth and Wright.

Okay, that was also pretty messed up and you're probably wondering what the number were for. Well, it's just my way of labelling something so I can explain it.

1) "Of course he does! I do too!" Apollo was thinking that Edgeworth was asking if Phoenix knew the guy. Apollo was thinking, "Of course he does! Why else would he be defending his daughter." and "I knew him from the few seconds I was talking with him."

2) "Of course he is! Why wouldn't he be?" Apollo was thinking that Edgeworth was asking if Xin was a defense attorney. Well, of course he is! Apollo and Xin were just talking about how Xin defended Trucy rather well against Edgeworth, then what Apollo was doing in the hospital. Clearly, Apollo didn't realize his missing badge yet...

3) "Same here..." Apollo too realized that at that point, Xin did remind him of someone. If Edgeworth were able to tell him his suspicions, Apollo would have been trying to uncover the truth as well, but I wouldn't want that, now would I?

Okay, well, I guess that's all for now! (Wow, I'm tired. Typing up four chapters consecutively is HARD!)