I am so sorry, you guys! We've been on vacation for about a month, and when I get back, I have all this stupid homework to do... it hasn't left me with a lot of free time. I got a baby rabbit, because my old one died a few weeks ago. Saved from being snake food... literally. I named her Melinda. She's always eating.

I am saving money for a new iPod. I am going to kill whoever stole my old one.

Without further ado...

Chapter 5

March 15

2:00 P.M.

Criminal Affairs Department

"Hey, pals!"

"Hi, Detective Gumshoe!" Maya smiled. "We were wondering if you could answer a few questions about something."

Gumshoe frowned.

"As long as the information isn't confidential, I guess that'd be okay," he replied, scratching his head.

"Great!"

They sat in some stiff, uncomfortable chairs nearby.

"The thing is..." Maya began, "we're worried about Mr. Edgeworth."

"What's wrong with Mr. Edgeworth?!" Gumshoe demanded, concerned about his friend.

"We... don't know," Maya admitted. "That's why we were wondering if you'd noticed anything strange about him lately."

Gumshoe frowned, deep in thought. Suddenly, his eyes flashed in remembrance, and he dashed off without a word. He returned, puffing, with a piece of paper clenched in his hand.

"Mr. Edgeworth gave me some papers to look over, and this was underneath them," he declared, offering the paper to Maya. As the three girls examined it, their eyes widened.

Light pencil strokes formed an exquisite portrait of a familiar defense attorney. Pearl nodded slightly, thinking. A slight grin played across Ema's face. Maya whirled around to face Gumshoe.

"Can we take this for a while?"

"Sure, pal, if it'll help Mr. Edgeworth! He's one heck of an artist, isn't he? I've seen some of his sketches before, but this is the first time he's done something that detailed, to my knowledge."

"Thanks, Detective! We'll let you know if we find anything!" That said, the three dashed off in the direction of Larry Butz's house.

March 15

2:00 P.M.

Wright & Co. Law Offices

Phoenix tapped a pen on his desk in a rhythmic fashion, brooding. A particular person was on his mind.

He and Miles Edgeworth had been friends since fourth grade. When he moved away, Phoenix sobbed for days.

'I've always been a bit of a crybaby,' he admitted to himself, smiling grimly.

Five years ago, as he was studying to become an actor, he had woken up to a startling article in the morning newspaper... about the "Demon Prosecutor" Miles Edgeworth, who had always dreamed of becoming a defense attorney. Phoenix desperately tried to contact him, but to no avail. Determined to reunite with his long-lost friend, he scrapped his acting ambitions and became a defense attorney, so that he would meet Miles in court. When he did, he was surprised how much Miles had changed, from a warm, compassionate young boy to a cold, calculating man. Even when Phoenix was accused as the killer, Miles told him that he would be getting "no special treatment." Phoenix had wondered if Miles wanted him dead, but now he knew that it was the pressure on him to win every case. Still, a twinge of pain shot through him every time he saw that face, determined to send him to jail, then execution.

After the Will Powers case, Miles had told him never to show his face in front of him again. He mentioned that since he had seen him again, he had been saddled with unnecessary feelings: unease and uncertainty. Phoenix wondered now what he had meant by that. What could Miles Edgeworth possibly have to be uneasy about?

Then, there was... that case.

He had defended Miles on charges of murder not once, but twice, successfully ridding Miles of the fear that he had killed his own father. Miles had told him not to get involved... he didn't want him finding out about DL-6.

'Why? Because he was ashamed, afraid that I would hold it against him?'

In the end, the man who was responsible for both murders was revealed: Manfred von Karma, Miles' foster guardian, and a prosecutor who his father had dared to defy. Miles had seemed cool and calm after the trial, but Phoenix knew that inside, he was screaming and crying and waiting for rejection.

'Although it was pretty funny to see him whooping on Maya's request,' grinned Phoenix.

Then, there was the case of Lana Skye, where the rumors about Miles Edgeworth were finally brought to light. The forged evidence claims led back to one man: Damon Gant, the former Chief of Police, who fed the "evidence" to Miles. After that case, Miles disappeared for a year, leaving a suicide note behind.

Phoenix had felt, to say the least, betrayed, angry, guilty, and overwhelmingly full of grief. After all he had done for Miles... because of the stupid perfect win record... it was his fault... his close friend... one of the only people he had left...

Every time someone asked him about Miles Edgeworth, his temper blew and he began yelling at them, the ones close to him, enough to make them back away in fear. How dare they bring back those painful memories... how dare they...

Then along came Franziska von Karma. The whip-wielding prosecutor, Miles' foster sister, had sharp eyes and an even sharper tongue. All who knew her lived in fear of her, save for her "little brother."

As Phoenix was engaged in a debate with her, a familiar voice rang throughout the room.

Several emotions jolted through Phoenix at the reappearance of Miles Edgeworth. Joy, relief, and fury rose to the top. He wanted to fling his arms around Miles and sob into his shoulder. Instead, rage flew out of his mouth, expressing many things that he didn't mean, such as "You should have stayed dead." He saw a flash of hurt in Miles' grey eyes, but that didn't stop him from offering to help.

'Why did I treat him that way? He's already been through so much...'

Much later, he found that Miles had left for much less shallow reasons that could hardly be explained. However, he had not changed in that he let Phoenix pay for the rather expensive dinner that was eaten after Maya's rescue.

Miles had always been extremely kind to Maya, starting after the case where they met. When she was arrested for objecting to his guilt, he had been extremely moved, to the extent that Gumshoe remarked "I saw his lip trembling." Later, he even posted her bail. A year later, after she was kidnapped, he immediately sent a rescue team to find her, then expressed relief to see her safe and sound.

Phoenix nearly started laughing and crying at the same time. The old Edgeworth was back.

But now...

Whenever he saw that dark grey hair, those expressive eyes, and that tall, muscular build... his heart seemed to skip a few beats before resuming, much faster than before.

He could come to only one logical conclusion. He was extremely glad to have his friend back.

'Oh, right!' snorted a little voice in his brain.

'What the hell?' Phoenix mentally retorted.

'You know what I'm talking about,' sneered the offending voice.

The truth was, Phoenix did, and he didn't like it.

'Okay, you know what? No. No. No. Goodbye.' With that, he shook his head and turned his attention to the phone, which had just started ringing.

"Wright and Co. Law Offices. Phoenix Wright speaking."

"Geez, Nick. You don't have to be so stuffy. You're turning into Edgey!"

"Hi, Larry," Phoenix sighed, lounging back in his chair. "What's up?"

"I'm bored," whined his long-time friend. "Come over, and bring Edgey. We can all hang out or something. Besides..." he whispered secretively, "I have fudge."

"You bake?" Phoenix inquired, incredulous.

"Of course I do!" Larry huffed. "You got a problem with that?"

"N-no," Phoenix sweated nervously. "I'll call Mi - Edgeworth. See you later." He hung up the phone, then dialed Edgeworth's office number. Surprisingly, he got no answer.

"Hmm. Maybe I'll try his home phone?" The phone rang a few times before he heard "Edgeworth speaking." The voice sounded hoarse and groggy.

"Edgeworth? What's up? You sound awful."

"What the hell do you want, Wright?" Edgeworth demanded.

"Ooh, Mr. Grumpy. Larry wanted to know if you could come over, but I guess that's out of the question. Now what's up?"

Edgeworth sighed.

"I fell asleep at work," he muttered, ignoring Phoenix's stunned silence, "because I had a fever. When I woke up, Ms. Skye was standing over me, lecturing me on my current uselessness at the office if I was going to be sick, as I was 'clearly unfit to complete my work.'" Edgeworth was clearly disgruntled. "So she made me go home. Are you done with your pointless questioning, Wright?"

Phoenix smiled. He knew that Edgeworth would be extremely unhappy about this missed day of work, and possibly more, if his fever continued.

"Okay. I hope you feel better. See you soon."

"Wait, what? Wright!" Phoenix hung up the phone and dialed Larry's number.

"Larry? Change of plans, we're playing doctor."

March 15

2:30 P.M.

Miles Edgeworth's House

Edgeworth stared incredulously at the company assembled on his doorstep. Well, it wasn't exactly a company, more like two more people than he needed to be around right now. A scowl crossed his features, and he crossed his arms impatiently.

"What are you two doing here?"

"Well, well, Mr. Sunshine today, aren't we?" Phoenix brushed past Edgeworth, grinning, as Larry followed him, carrying a foil-covered tray. Edgeworth growled in exasperation as Larry smirked at him.

"Nice robe, Edgey. Pink again? And are those... pink pajamas?" Edgeworth's brow furrowed, and his scowl deepened as Larry continued to ramble on. "So you do change out of the gay pink suit and those gay neck frills! I christen these," he declared dramatically, setting down the tray and putting his hands on Edgeworth's broad shoulders, "the gay pink robe and the gay pink pajamas!"

Edgeworth swatted Larry's hands away, irritated beyond all imagining.

"It's a magenta suit, and the "neck frills thing" is called a cravat. The robe is also magenta. The pajamas I'll concede, but it's a very light shade of pink."

"But it's still pink." He skipped off, singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."

Edgeworth threw a death glare at Larry, then stomped into the kitchen, where Phoenix was busying himself by boiling a pot of broth and throwing random vegetables in.

"I can cook too, you know," he stated, smiling at Edgeworth's dumbfounded look. Then, snickering, he handed Edgeworth a small box. "A get-well present." Edgeworth, curious, removed the lid as Larry began arranging his fudge on a platter. Inside was a dark blue, well-made hairbrush.

Edgeworth poked his head into the hallway to look in the mirror. He saw a tousled grey mess.

Phoenix continued to snicker as Edgeworth rewarded him with a glare, one eyelid twitching. He abruptly stopped as he ducked a flying cobalt object. "Hey, what the hell?! I spent a good chunk of my savings on that thing! It was at that one store you like so much!"

Edgeworth stopped glaring, considering this fact. The store in question carried items that were considerably expensive, and he was surprised that they even let Wright in, with his hooded jacket and faded jeans. Considering what Wright earned, he must have been telling the truth about his savings. Edgeworth silently walked over and retrieved the hairbrush, pondering.

"Why would you spend so much on me?" he asked, sharply glancing at Phoenix.

Phoenix shrugged.

"You're my friend. Why not?"

Edgeworth shifted uncomfortably, then retreated to the hall. He came back a minute later, each hair in its perfect place.

"...Thanks."

The smile on Phoenix's face seemed to light up the entire room.

Phoenix pushed a protesting Edgeworth ahead of him, as Larry followed, carrying soup and fudge.

"I'm not so weak that I need to stay in bed," he argued.

"Shut up, Miles," Phoenix replied cheerfully. "And don't give me that look," he added, as Edgeworth shot him a steely glare. "We're outside of a work situation, I can call you by your first name. And you can call me Phoenix. In fact, I'm making you. We're friends, right?"

"And you can call me Larry!" Larry interrupted.

"I already do," smirked Edgeworth. Larry began grumbling something about no respect.

As they entered Edgeworth's bedroom, Larry gasped exaggeratedly.

"Oh - my - God! It's not pink! What is this foreign 'beige' doing, infesting Edgey's room? Exterminator! We need an exterminator! The heterosexuality is blinding me! It buuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrnnnnsss!" His eyes wide, he set down the food and began running in circles, panicking.

"Shut the hell up, Larry," Miles growled, bending over the bed. For the first time, Phoenix noticed a rather large dog at the foot.

"Pesu, these are my moronic friends. Larry, Wr - Phoenix, this is my dog, Pesu."

Larry stopped panicking and started stroking Pesu, who licked his hand, then bounded up to Phoenix and promptly knocked him over, washing his face happily. Phoenix smiled and scratched the dog's ears. As he struggled to his feet, Larry was cracking up, and even Miles was smiling.

"He's a bit enthusiastic," he mentioned. Phoenix pointed to Miles, then the bed. "Fine," the prosecutor sighed, lifting the covers and settling himself comfortably under them. He removed his robe with some difficulty and hung it at the foot of his bed.

"I'm gonna go make some tea, Miles. I'll let Larry entertain you." He pulled a packet of tea leaves out of his jacket pocket and exited the room. Minutes later, he returned, carrying a steaming cup and seating himself next to the bed.

"Here. Isn't this your favorite?" he asked, handing the cup to his friend.

A strange calmness settled over Miles' features as he breathed in the familiar aroma.

"Yes. Thank you, Phoenix." He took a sip, then sat up straighter as Larry handed him the bowl of hot soup. "Spoon, Larry."

"Oh, right!" Larry leapt up and ran out. A few seconds later, a deafening crash was heard.

"Please tell me he did not just overturn my entire silverware drawer," Miles groaned, putting a hand to his aching forehead. Phoenix, concerned, moved Miles' hand away and replaced it with his own.

"You're burning up," Phoenix commented, eyes filled with worry. "I'm sorry. I wanted to give you some company, but I probably just made it worse..." He buried his hands in his hair. "Like I always do."

Seeing Phoenix like this pained Miles. He put a comforting hand on his shoulder, which Phoenix grasped tightly. Miles stiffened, then grew used to the feeling and gradually relaxed.

"No, it's fine. I'm... touched that you would worry so much about me, although it's entirely unnecessary. You left early to visit me, and that... means a lot to me."

Phoenix looked up warily, as Miles reeled slightly at what he had just said. He had surprised both of them with his comment, and he slowly realized that he had meant every word. He squeezed Phoenix's shoulder in reassurance, and Phoenix slowly squeezed his hand in return.

It was at this moment that Larry chose to barge in, halting as he took in the scene before him.

"Uh, sorry about interrupting. You guys go ahead."

"It's not like that, Larry," Phoenix sighed. He straightened in his seat and removed his hand from Miles'. Miles removed his hand as well, which felt cold from the sudden loss of body heat. A twinge of disappointment shot through him, for reasons unknown to him. "He was just being a good friend."

"If you say so." Larry rolled his eyes slightly and handed Miles the item he had retrieved. Miles glanced at it, then at Larry.

"This is a socket wrench."

"It - what?! It is?!" Larry scratched his head. "Uh-oh. Sorry. They both start with "s", though, so it's easy to get confused."

A silence greeted Larry as Phoenix and Miles exchanged an exasperated, but amused look.