Authors note: Hey! Well, this is chapter four. Getting close to the end! :P Obviously, this doesn't have a happy ending between the couple - Miles wasn't in Apollo Justice. But yup. Please read, and please review! I need reviews! Be a good egg and hit the button at the bottom of the page :P Haha.

The Forged Turnabout
~Chapter Four~
R e v e a l i n g T h e T r u t h

Miles gripped the cool, hard object in his hand. He didn't know whether what he was going to do was going to be beneficial to him or not, but he needed to know the truth.

It was three weeks since that day that Phoenix had arrived home 'sick'. Since then, he had been moping around, forgetting to shave, and generally being miserable.

But what bothered Miles the most was the fact that Phoenix hadn't been to work.

Not once.

Usually, he would go to the 'Wright and Co Law Offices'. But now…he stayed at home.

All day.

Every day.

Miles hadn't questioned Phoenix about it – he was hoping that Phoenix would open up to him.

But he didn't.

So now, Miles was taking charge.

This nonsense had gone on long enough.

"Phoenix, love, I need to talk to you." Miles called out, placing himself on the bed.

"Coming." Phoenix's replied, his voice depressed.

Miles watched as the spiky haired man sat on the opposite end of the bed.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Phoenix…I know that you are hiding something from me. And I want to know what it is." Miles said, taking in a shaky breath.

Phoenix looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights.

"W-what do you mean?" he asked, faking stupidity.

"Don't give me that drivel. I'm not stupid." Miles growled.

He presented the green object he held in his hand.

Phoenix's magatama.

Phoenix exhaled sharply.

"Now, are you going to tell me the truth? Or am I going to have to drag it out of you?" Miles asked.

Phoenix remained silent, and avoided eye contact.

Right… Well, that was the last chance he had of opening up to me.

I'm going to have to force it out of him.

"Alright. Well, has this problem…got anything to do with our relationship…?" Miles asked.

"No." Phoenix answered.

When no 'Psycho-locks' appeared, Miles gave a small sigh of relief.

Well, at least this doesn't have anything to do with… us.

…Apart from the fact that he stubbornly refuses to tell me what is happening.

"Good. Has this got anything to do with your job?" Miles asked.

Phoenix flinched, and muttered something. Miles didn't need to know what he said, to notice the un-countable number of 'Psycho-locks' that appeared.

Christ. How many of these damn Psycho-locks are there?

I don't even have any evidence!

I suppose I will have to question him.

"Right…Has this 'problem' got anything to do with that case in which the defendant ran away?" Miles asked.

Phoenix sighed. "Yes, it does."

A few locks broke, but the number remaining was still un-countable.

"Is…Is there more to it than that? Is there more to it than the fact that your client ran away…?"

Again, Phoenix frowned. "Um, no…?"

Miles scowled. "Phoenix, please tell me the truth. I can tell that you are lying."

Phoenix nodded.

"Ok. I am going to state something which I have deduced… This 'problem' has caused you to stop going to work at the moment, correct?" Miles asked.

"Yes." Phoenix hung his head, knowing that Miles was going to find the truth.

Nothing could escape Miles.

…Why are there still so many locks?

This is worse than I thought…

"How many people know of this problem?" Miles asked.

"A-A lot." Phoenix admitted.

…Either he has told a lot of people, or it has been publicized…in the newspaper, perhaps…?

The newspaper which I haven't read in a while…

"Was this problem publicized in the newspaper?" Miles questioned.

"Yes." Phoenix mumbled.

"And have you been hiding said newspapers?" Miles asked.

"Yes."

Miles stood up abruptly.

Where could he have hidden them …?

"No! Miles please… Don't look for them…" Phoenix said desperately.

"No, Phoenix. I am sick of you keeping this a secret from me. I'm your boyfriend…I'm your lover. I need to know what is so serious that you won't tell me…" Miles snapped.

"Miles…I'll tell you." Phoenix said, frowning.

"Go then." Miles said, whirling back around. He sat back on the bed.

The truth will be revealed.

Phoenix inhaled sharply. "Um, well, you see, I'm, er, not quite sure how to put this…" he whimpered.

"Just spit it out." Miles advised, squaring his jaw.

"Um, ok. See, the thing is…I've been disbarred…"

"You've been disbarred…" Miles repeated dumbly, his mind whirring.

I'm not sure what I was expecting…but… It certainly wasn't this!

"Yeah." Phoenix scratched the back of his head.

"W-Why?" Miles asked, bewildered.

Surely they don't consider it his fault that the defendant ran away…

Do they?

Phoenix mumbled something incoherently.

Miles raised an eyebrow. "I beg your pardon?"

"Um, forged evidence…" Phoenix whispered.

He….What? No.

Is he saying that he…forged evidence?

No…He wouldn't stoop that low.

Miles, having forgotten about the magatama, suddenly realized that there was only one 'Psycho-lock' left.

He is still lying about something…

"Miles, please say something…" Phoenix begged, still whispering.

"I-You're lying, Phoenix." Miles said sharply. "Did you forge the evidence or not?"

"N-no…I didn't. Someone gave it to me – and I used it."

The last lock shattered.

The truth…

He used forged evidence, which someone gave him. The Judge, presumably, found out…and the consequence…He had been disbarred.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Miles asked sharply.

"I…" Phoenix looked ashamed. "I thought that maybe…maybe you wouldn't believe me when I said that I was set up. That maybe…you would think that I forged the evidence…"

Miles' heart sank.

He thought…

He doesn't trust me.

Phoenix gave Miles a sad smile. "I didn't think you would believe me." he repeated.

Anger boiled up inside of Miles, although, he didn't know why.

"You don't trust me to believe you?" Miles hollered, standing up.

Phoenix, too, stood up. "Miles, it's not that…Please, you have to understand that I was confused…it made sense to me not to tell you."

"You've been hiding this life-changing secret for three weeks!" Miles spat. "Don't you understand how that makes me feel?"

"I wanted to tell you, but I was scared…" Phoenix said desperately.

"When we moved in together, we promised to have a 'no-secrets-kept' relationship. Do you remember? You were the one who decided it!" Miles shouted.

"Yes, I remember. But…" Phoenix trailed off.

He made the decision not to trust me, so he needs to accept the consequences.

Miles took a deep breath, and willed himself to be calm.

"Look. It's not the fact that you didn't tell me… I'm angry because of why you thought you couldn't tell me. It really hurts, Wright. To know that I put complete faith in you, and you obviously don't feel the same way." he snarled.

Miles noticed that Phoenix winced at the last name usage.

He hurt me – I should be able to hurt him…

But…I don't want to.

"I've said I'm sorry!" Phoenix yelled.

"That doesn't change anything!" Miles, too, yelled. "Phoenix, this isn't just a little matter. It's not as though I'm over-reacting. This is a big matter. You decided that you wouldn't tell me something which has changed your life. How would you feel if the roles were reversed?"

"I, well, I'd be hurt…" Phoenix admitted.

"Words can't explain how empty this makes me." Miles snarled.

"What can I do to make it up to you?" Phoenix said. "…I'll do anything."

"…You can't do anything." Miles paused. "I think…I think maybe I made a mistake by letting you into my life."

Phoenix whimpered, and Miles strode out of the bedroom. He slammed the door as hard as he could, and locked himself in his office. He sat against a wall, a put his head in his hands.

It took him a few minutes to realize that tears were streaming uncontrollably down his face.

I'm not over-reacting…am I?

No. He didn't trust me with a secret so big that it changed his life.

…Both our lives.

And that can only mean one thing…

Miles took a deep breath. The decision he was going to make was going to be incredibly hard, but… It was what he thought was right.

He got up, and went over to his desk. He started writing.

'Dear Phoenix…'

One might say that Miles was running away from his problems, and, in a way, that was what he was he doing.

Once again, he was leaving.

And nothing was going to stop him.