A/N: Hey! It's been a while, hasn't it? ...Yeah. So, there's a chapter here! Actually, there's a couple new chapters...eheh. I've fallen behind on updating...but I intend to fix that! Enjoy!

Chapter Five

Competition: Lesson Five

November 2002

Upon reaching her fourth birthday, a lot of things changed for Franziska—and by extension, everyone else in the manor. The first big change was in her instruction: whereas before Fraulein Kirsch had been administering her basic education, now that Franziska was of school age, she would have private tutors like Miles. Some subjects she learned with her own tutors, alone in 'her' classroom—notably whatever she was learning during Miles's mathematics and logic, since she was too young to know much of the former and comprehend the arcane hypotheticals of the latter. Others, such as languages, she learned alongside Miles, since they were both beginning at the same level there.

In those lessons they shared, however, Miles was beginning to notice a distinct trend: all of their assignments seemed to be competitive in nature. Even things like tests, or assigned reading: whoever got the lowest grade or took the longest to read got extra work to do after lessons, while the 'winner' was simply instructed to continue practicing and begin reading ahead.

(Why do they want us to compete with each other so badly?) Miles wondered. No doubt, it kept them studying diligently—neither wanted to be the one stuck wasting their precious after-dinner free time on yet another assignment—but Miles had always been schooled in a cooperative environment. When he'd been in brick-and-mortar school, group projects had been encouraged or even sometimes mandatory (which was good, because Phoenix was eagerly helpful, but bad, because Larry was…not), following the theory that they could learn from each other as much as from their instructors.

The only topics they were allowed to collaborate on were English and German, each helping the other by sharing tips and knowledge of linguistic quirks that weren't in the textbooks, one native speaker to another.

Naturally, due to the disparity of age, Franziska more often than not was the one with extra work. She remained fiercely independent, refusing to allow Miles to help her get the work done. She came to visit him in his room less and less often, and when she did it was usually only briefly, and without her book. Even when she did ask him to read to her, she usually didn't manage to stay awake past the first page or so, and Miles had to wake her as soon as he noticed and send her back to her own bedroom. One time he had to half-carry her back to her room, following her drowsily muttered directions. To his horror, the route had led them right past Von Karma's study. He didn't even want to imagine his mentor's fury if he discovered either of them out of bed past lights-out.

More and more often, when Franziska came down to breakfast, Miles noticed the dark circles blooming under her eyes, the growing slump to her shoulders before Von Karma reprimanded her for poor posture and she forced herself to sit up straight. He'd caught her nodding off more than once at dinner, and had to nearly step on her foot under the table to wake her before her father noticed.

A few weeks of this was enough to convince Miles to swallow his pride. The next set of readings he dawdled over; the next test, he carefully circled a handful of answers he knew to be incorrect. True, now he was the one whose sleep schedule went through hell, and he felt sickened by the disappointed looks he received from the tutors, the tutors of which there were so many he could barely keep track of their names. But Franziska yawned less, lost the too-pale tinge to her cheeks, and began smiling again.

And really, Miles reflected, what sort of brother would he be if he wasn't willing to put up with a little discomfort for his sister's sake? Honestly, he didn't really mind—it wasn't as if he'd really slept since last December.

But Miles hadn't been careful enough. If the tutors frowned suspiciously over the sudden, oh-so-slight drop in his grades, Von Karma went well beyond that. One Saturday afternoon, towards the end of November, Miles was summoned to his mentor's study.

"What is this?" Von Karma demanded, setting Miles's latest grades on the desk before his charge.

"My grades, sir," Miles said quietly, numb fear prickling down his scalp and spine, stomach writhing and twisting into unpleasant knots.

"I can see that," Von Karma replied icily, frowning. "What I fail to see is why these grades are so very different from those which you have maintained since your arrival in February." Stern blue eyes fixed on him.

"The new topics are harder, sir," Miles lied feebly, staring down at his knees.

"Of course," Von Karma agreed, in a tone Phoenix would have described as not buyin' it. There was a long moment of silence, and then the legendary prosecutor sighed, crossing his arms and bowing his snowy head, eyes slipping closed. His hand clenched spasmodically at his sleeve as he spoke.

"The new topics are meant to be more difficult, and to increase in difficulty for each new subject you learn. This is the only way to master things." Uncrossing his arms, Von Karma brought a fist down on his desk, startling Miles.

"You must consistently overcome each challenge laid before you. With each obstacle behind you, you are stronger." The fist lifted slightly and came down again in emphasis. "You are better. You are more prepared to face the next fight. When you lose—no matter the reason—you surrender a measure of that strength, that superiority, that preparedness. And so when the next challenge arises, you fall once more." Von Karma stood and left the desk, crossing to the window and clasping his hands behind him. The aquiline set of his features was more pronounced than ever in profile, even from Miles's distance, for the boy dared not stand without permission.

He'd expected a reprimand, and he'd gotten one. But, for all he'd lived as a Von Karma for the last ten months, for all the memory of his father's voice was fading and being shunned away into the back of his mind, he'd always had the impression that the man's obsession with perfection was unreasonable, and that his expectations—no matter how real they were—were equally irrational. The words he had expected were a fierce tongue-lashing, reminding him of his place and duty as a Von Karma to seek perfection in all areas. Perhaps, though the incident in May had been the first and last time Von Karma had ever struck him, there would be pain to enforce his words. Instead, he got this. It made sense. It was almost inspiring.

"The way to overcome a loss, Edgeworth," Von Karma said crisply, still not looking at the boy, "is to break the cycle swiftly, early, and decisively. You cannot hesitate. You must do whatever is necessary to assure your next victory, and the best way is to return to the fight which bested you, face your enemy once again…and this time, you crush them before they've even a chance to fight back."

He glanced at Miles and for a moment, the boy thought he saw a flash of…something. Sorrow? Pain?

Guilt?

"Above all, when you have chosen the course by which you will absolve yourself of the stain of failure, you must hold to it." He looked away again, voice still cold and hard, but hushed, almost thoughtful. "Nothing must stay your hand, neither pity nor remorse; indeed, nor any such sort of foolish sentimentality. You can never stop until you have cleansed yourself of the last, vaguest vestiges of defeat."

Von Karma turned sharply away from the window, returning to his desk and picking up the grade sheet, thrusting it at Miles impatiently in one last, forceful reminder of this fifth lesson: avoid defeat at any cost.

"Do them over," he ordered. "Do them over, and do them right. I sincerely hope that both you and Franziska will both learn from this. You will each review this entire section as homework after dinner until Christmas break. Dismissed."

Lesson One: Kindness inspires loyalty.

Lesson Two: A Von Karma is perfection.

Lesson Three: Don't cross Von Karma.

Lesson Four: You can't trust others.

Lesson Five: Avoid defeat at any cost.

A/N: Gee, I wonder what Von Karma is talking about and feeling slightly guilty about and especially when he looks at Miles. It's a real mystery.

…Oh. Dear. God. I've started calling Edgeworth Miles even out-of-prose! Gah!