Yo. Took me a while to update... sorry. I've been going through a period of serious heartbreak lately.
Homework sucks. At least I have Brawl now.
Mwahaha.
Thank you so much for your kind reviews!
Update: Oops, this is part of my last update. I accidentally posted two chapters last time, but that's all fixed. Sorry to those of you who were hoping for a new chapter... but I'm posting another one up, to make it up to you!Chapter 9
March 18
10:00 A.M.
Hospital
"Hmm?" Phoenix moaned groggily and stared at the magenta thing in his arms. "What the hell?…" His eyes felt like they were going to pop out of their sockets, what with all the pressure behind them. He instinctively snuggled closer to the warm, inviting thing in his grasp, lazily following its length to the source. "Oh, shit!"
"Good morning, Wright. Did you sleep well?" Edgeworth raised an eyebrow, removing his arm.
Phoenix's face grew extremely red.
"S-sorry about that, Edgeworth. I don't know what came over me."
"You were asleep. It's not your fault."
The two sat in silence for a while. "So... are you feeling better this morning?"
Phoenix rubbed his head and groaned.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. A nurse poked her head inside.
"Mr. Wright... you have a visitor."
"NIIIIIICK!" cried Maya as she bounded into the room and flung her arms around the bedridden defense attorney. Pearl followed a few seconds later, waving to Edgeworth and glancing around nervously. Ema looked between the two, then sat on the floor between them and started scribbling furiously in her notebook. Gumshoe and Larry wisely brought chairs in, and everyone seated themselves around the lone bed.
"Glad to see you're all right, pal," greeted Gumshoe. "We had to sneak past that grumpy nurse, because she would only let Maya in for now."
"Aww, how cute!" cooed Larry. "Edgey waited with him all night! My plan may have succeeded! I told you so!" He flapped his sleeve at them, grinning.
Phoenix and Edgeworth looked confused, while the others glared at Larry.
"You're going to give everything away!" hissed Maya. Larry grumbled a bit and slumped in his chair.
Pearl squirmed a bit on the uncomfortable plastic chair.
"Wow, it sure is dull here... didn't you two get bored?"
The two lawyers looked at each other, then glanced away, their faces red. Ema took note of this and wrote it in her notebook. She paused to examine various aspects of the room, occasionally jotting something down.
"I found a bottle cap outside," she declared, startling everyone. She held it up for them to see. "Look, isn't it shiny?"
"Uh...sure..." Phoenix offered, unsure how to reply.
Larry snatched the bottle cap and made it do a little dance while singing "That's Amore" in a deep, exaggerated voice. The others watched in a mixture of exasperation and amusement. Finally, when the musical number was done, Gumshoe suggested they play cards.
"With what?" Edgeworth asked.
"Uh... didn't think of that, pal," the detective admitted.
Ema grinned triumphantly and pulled a deck out of her bag.
"You should always be prepared," she stated, tossing it to Detective Gumshoe. "Name anything and I'll have it in my bag."
"Hot sauce!" Maya said. Ema put a bottle in her lap.
"Steel Samurai cards?" Pearl asked. She found herself in the middle of a huge pile of trading cards.
"Me!" grinned Phoenix. "Ha! Gotcha."
Ema opened the bag and put it on his head like a hat.
"Gotcha back, Mr. Wright," she smiled.
The nurse came in and shooed them out, snatching the bag off Phoenix's head and throwing it after them.
"Crabby lady," Ema commented.
"Acts like my ex-girlfriends after they broke up with me," agreed Larry.
"Your love life sucks, pal," interrupted Gumshoe.
Edgeworth and Phoenix heard Larry's protests all the way down the hall.
March 19
6:00 P.M.
Hospital
It was lonely without Edgeworth. He had left the previous night, claiming that he had work to do. Phoenix's head still hurt quite a bit, but the Tylenol helped. Now, at last, he was getting out of that stuffy place. Unfortunately, it wasn't in quite the way he had hoped.
"Okay, Mr. Wright. Come with me," Gumshoe said glumly. Phoenix followed him into his car. "Real sorry about this, pal. Being charged with murder again and all that. But the truth'll come out, pal. It always does."
"Yeah," Phoenix sighed, leaning against the seat as they drove to the Detention Center. "By the way..." he ventured, "who's prosecuting me?"
Gumshoe didn't answer.
"Gumshoe?"
No answer.
"You're not gonna like this, pal," he finally said.
Phoenix had a sneaking suspicion as to why he wouldn't like it.
"See, pal... it's Mr. Edgeworth. Hey, don't be angry with him. He didn't have a choice. They're making him do it. Don't worry, he'll find the real killer."
Phoenix clenched a fist, then relaxed. He didn't speak the rest of the way.
March 25
10:30 A.M.
Detention Center
Phoenix heard the footsteps of the guard long before he saw him. The guard was jingling his keys, which meant that he was about to be let out of his cell. Which meant he had a visitor.
He desperately hoped it would be Maya and Pearls, or Ema, or even Larry. Heck, even Gumshoe would be welcome, unlikely as it would be for him to get enough time to visit. However, he knew who it was, and he didn't want to see him right now. There was no choice, though, so he had to sit in that chair and stare through the bars into those soul-searching grey eyes.
"Wright."
"Good morning,Prosecutor."
Edgeworth winced.
"Wright, I didn't want to take this case. It wasn't my choice. But I'm the only one that is willing to see all sides. I will get you acquitted, and find the real killer."
"That's not your job. Your job is to give me the death penalty."
"My job is to find the truth!" Edgeworth exclaimed, standing up and banging his hands on the small ledge in front of him. "Just like yours, Wright. Have you found a defense attorney?"
Phoenix sneered.
"I haven't sunk so low as to not be able to defend myself. Don't talk to me like I'm a random hobo or something."
Edgeworth closed his eyes.
"I'm not trying to hurt you. I came to bring you what we've found so far." Phoenix leaned forward in his chair, his brow furrowing in intense concentration.
"Here's the autopsy report, which states that the victim was stabbed by a large knife. We have the knife in question in police custody, as well as a wrench that was discovered in the victim's right hand, shortly after you were taken away. We did not manage to take a photo of the crime scene, as you were rushed to the hospital. However, we found this while performing the autopsy." Edgeworth held up a skinny brown object. "It was clenched in the victim's left hand."
"What is it?" Phoenix asked, squinting at the stick-like thing.
"It's an earpiece to a pair of glasses." Edgeworth stared at Phoenix. "Wright. We have a witness saying that she saw you commit the crime."
"WHAT?! But... that's impossible!"
"You have to find the truth in your cross-examination, Wright." Edgeworth stood up. "I'll see you in court tomorrow."
March 26
9:00 A.M.
Defense Lobby
Phoenix Wright sighed and looked around the lobby, then bailiffs seeming to glare at him from underneath their navy blue caps. Why had nobody shown up for his trial? Maya was gone, Pearls was missing, and even Ema and Larry had mysteriously disappeared.
He mentally chastised himself for expecting people to be there.
'After all,' he thought ruefully, 'it's not like it's anything new, seeing me on trial for murder.' It was getting to be annoying, really. The glares of the crowd would now be directed towards him, and his memories of the other times were... not pleasing, to say the least. 'And I'm up against Edgeworth. This is not going to be pretty.'
The bailiff moved forward to grab his arms and take him into the courtroom.
March 26
9:15 A.M.
Courtroom No. 2
The crowd muttered amongst themselves as Miles Edgeworth primly strode to the prosecution's desk. Only one who knew him well could tell that he was a bit upset. His fist was clenched so tightly around his briefcase that the knuckles were turning white. His clenched lips and narrowed stare betrayed no obvious sign of distress, as this was his usual expression. His eyebrows twitched, and, setting his briefcase down, he grabbed one arm, looking down at the slim brown container that held every bit of evidence against Wright.
Oh, how he hated that briefcase. He looked up as Wright entered the room, head down, arms gripped tightly by the bailiff, who led him over to the defense's desk and, unlocking his handcuffs, glared at him before retreating. Wright winced and rubbed his newly numbed arms. He pulled his sleeve up, and Edgeworth was shocked to see dark purple bruises encircling the width of his forearm. The other arm had a similar mark. Wright said nothing, only raised an eyebrow at the heavily muscled bailiff. He rubbed his chafed wrists and pulled his sleeves back down.
The assembled crowd grew louder.
"Mommy, is that the bad man?"
"He killed her! I always knew that guy was shifty."
"Mommy! He's gonna kill me too, isn't he?"
"Look at him, thinking he's gonna get away with murder again."
"Mommy!"
"Don't worry, dear. Mr. Edgeworth will get him the death penalty, and you won't have to worry about him anymore."
Edgeworth's eyelid twitched.
"Mommy? Is Mr. Edgeworth the frilly man wearing the pink?"
Edgeworth leaned heavily against his forearm, his eyelid twitching faster. Phoenix smirked slightly. At least Edgeworth was predictable when he got angry.
The judge, a short, bald man with a flowing white beard, seated himself on his podium and banged his gavel. Everyone quieted down.
"Court is now in session for the trial of Mr. Phoenix Wright."
Edgeworth stood up straight.
"The prosecution is ready, Your Honor."
"The defense is ready, Your Honor."
The judge nodded.
"Very well. Mr. Edgeworth, your opening statement, please?"
Edgeworth took out a piece of paper.
"As you know, Mr. Wright is being charged with the murder of one Shannon Norima. The autopsy report states that the cause of death was loss of blood from a stab wound." He shrugged and shook his head, smirking. "The prosecution will eliminate any doubt that the killer is none other than the defendant."
The judge interrupted him.
"Do you have the murder weapon?"
"Of course, Your Honor." Edgeworth produced the bloody knife, causing the people in the gallery to wince. "Naturally, we have had the blood tested, and it is that of the victim."
"Hold it! Were there any fingerprints on this knife?"
Edgeworth chuckled.
"Let me finish, Wright. We tested for fingerprints as well, and they belonged to the defendant, namely, you."
The judge frowned.
Phoenix shuffled through the papers he had received earlier that morning. He found what he was looking for near the bottom of the pile.
"Mine... and one other person's."
The crowd muttered. Phoenix put his hands on his hips, giving Edgeworth his own version of the smirk.
Edgeworth looked at him in near-despair.
"Mr. Wright. Your observational skills once again remain in the 'three-year-old' level."
"I knew about the other fingerprints, even, being the skilled observer that I am," the judge added.
"You see, Wright? Even the judge knew about the other set of fingerprints, and who they belong to." Phoenix didn't miss the spark of humor that flashed in those eyes. "Try checking the Court Record once in a while."
Phoenix growled.
"Care to introduce the court to the owner of these fingerprints?"
"With pleasure," Edgeworth grinned. "She is, in fact, my decisive witness."
The crowd buzzed, astonished at this new development.