I apologize for my many typing errors in the last chapter! I was typing it in a hurry since I was studying for finals. But now it's already my break, so I can fix it all up! ...And write the next chapter! :D
-drops of jelly
Standard Disclaimer Applies
FIVE
-English Guesthouse, Stockbridge, Hampshire-
April 3 10:00 AM
"Wright, do you even know what time it is now?" Miles crossed his arms, glaring at him.
"Yes. It's probably early morning at your place." Phoenix yawned.
"Exactly! So it would be about dawn at your place. How could you stay up that late to call me?"
"I didn't stay up late. I woke up from my sleep, Edgeworth." He scrambed for some files in his drawer.
Miles sighed.
"Edgeworth, how have you been over there? Have you found Franziska? Is she well?" Phoenix bent up the laptop screen to get a clearer view of his video call.
"Yes, I found her. She is suffering from amnesia, sadly. But I'm doing everything in my power the help her recover."
"How... unfortunate." Phoenix's face was quite disappointed.
"Hnn." Edgeworth followed.
"Listen. I have something important to tell you. I may have found the real reason why Franziska went to England. It wasn't for a vacation, nor was she trying to avoid you." Phoenix said, smiling.
"Avoid me?"
"Don't flatter yourself. I don't think she'd really fly to England to forget about you. She's smart enough to know she can't get her revenge on you that way." He chuckled.
"Thank you." He sarcastically remarked.
"Anyway, I did some research around her office." Phoenix took out some papers.
"... And how did you do that?" Edgeworth arched an eyebrow.
"I had some help." Phoenix whistled.
"I see..." Gumshoe's face popped into his head.
"This is what I found. I'm sending it over. While waiting, I'll tell you about it."
"Alright, shoot."
"She's been chasing after a group of fallen syndicates. Their group is called VICTORIA."
"Syndicates? What kind of business are they running?"
"They were known to perform illegal transactions on human trafficking- overseas workers to be precise and their operations were held in England. But business went bad for them since the English police have been on their tail for eighteen years and finally arrested them. Now, Franziska handled all the court proceedings to convict each and every member of the syndicate." Phoenix said.
"Where were these court proceedings held at?" Miles asked.
"VICTORIA's members were American, so all the members were tried here, at Los Angeles." Phoenix replied.
"I heard she's been working her head off. Ema said she's been taking case after case after case, without any rest. I wonder what's really wrong."
Gumshoe did say that before.
"There is one more member left to be tried... but this last member fled to England the day before Franziska left." Phoenix continued.
"So that is why..."
"And I'm pretty sure that last member fled after hearing the warnings of the other members, particularly about Franziska. And I don't think that last member would flee then sit in one place doing nothing. That last member could have done something to attempt to get rid of Franziska!" Phoenix deducted.
"...That plane crash..." Miles murmured.
"Bingo. Edgeworth, we may be onto something here. I can't be there to investigate, so knock yourself out and I'll do what I can from here."
"That crash site... It's must already be gone! The crime scene!" Miles panicked.
"Mr. Edgeworth! Don't you have something that can help you??!!" Maya nudged in to chat with him as well.
"Maya?"
"Mr. Edgeworth, I didn't give you Little Thief (Nusumi-chan) for nothing, right?" Kay nudged in too.
"Isn't it about 3 AM? Why aren't any of you in bed??" Miles was shocked.
"We didn't stay up late! We woke up from our sleep!" they both laughed in unison.
"So go ahead and recreate the crime scene. I taught you how to use Little Thief before didn't I?" Kay wagged her index finger.
"Yes... It was definitely a very complicated gadget, but I somehow got it." He grunted.
"Good. So input all of your new data. If in case you don't remember the crime scene anymore, Detective Skye tweaked Little Thief a bit so it could have a memory system. The memory system saves every crime scene recreated for the past three months. The system isn't perfect, but I'm sure that will do." Kay advised him.
"Thank you, Kay, Maya, Wright." Edgeworth was more determined than ever to get to the bottom of all this.
"Good luck. I hope you come back soon!" Kay smiled brightly.
"Yes, as soon as I finish things. So Wright, all of you... GO BACK TO BED!"
Miles_Edgeworth20 signed out
"Hey...!" Phoenix yawned.
"I guess he found out we really did stay up late." Maya laughed.
"It is quite obvious, with all the dark rings under our eyes." Kay commented.
"Eeeew! I can't have these!! They're for oooold people!" Maya tried to rub the dark rings off.
Phoenix cleared his throat.
PhoenixAlwayswRIGHT signed out
-House of Redwood, Hampshire-
April 3 10:50AM
*smack*
"WHY DID YOU NOT AT LEAST CALL OR INFORM ME?!"
"Eduard, please stop! You don't have to hurt Miles, he must have a reason!" Joy tried to hold back her son who was quite enraged.
"Please don't hurt him Eduard... It's my fault. I ran out on my own without telling you!" Franziska helped Miles up, as he fell onto the floor from the impact of that punch.
"Why won't you fight back then, if you have any excuses?... Huh?" Eduard taunted Miles.
"I give no excuses. It is my fault for not calling very late into the night when all of you must have already been asleep." He replied- without a tone of sarcasm. Joy couldn't help but stifle a giggle.
Eduard was about to backhand him, when Franziska stepped in between them.
Eduard immediately stayed his hand.
"Poppy..."
"I'm sorry but... please don't be mad anymore Eduard. Miles Edgeworth was nice enough to bring me back here safe and sound. He did nothing wrong."
"... Do whatever you see fit." He sulked and exited the living room.
They took their seats on the sofas and Joy went to get a bucket of ice.
"I knew he'd hit me." Edgeworth smirked as Franziska wiped the wound near his lip with a cold cloth.
"Then WHY did you let him hit you, fool!?!" she put too much pressure onto the wound.
"Aaaagghh!" he groaned.
"Hahaha, it seems that Miles won't be exempted from a lot of pain today." Joy handed Franziska some more ice.
"Hmph. Foolishly foolish fools shouldn't be foolish enough to let others hit them for no reason, after all, foolish fools should still have some of their foolish self-integrity."
Miles smiled as he stared at her deeply. Joy couldn't help but grin as well.
"It looks like someone is recovering, eh?" Joy chuckled.
"Apparently, not I." Miles turned his head away and clenched his jaw, motioning to touch the sore spot.
"Don't touch it, Miles Edgeworth!" Franziska stopped his hand, then continued to place the cold cloth onto the wound.
As they were all having fun, Eduard peered in to watch them from the upstairs. He felt sorry, but couldn't apologize. He still had his pride, and...
He was jealous.
"I'll go check on my son, alright?" Joy stood up.
As Joy stood up, Eduard immediately went back to his room.
"Thank you." Miles said.
"Hmph. Be grateful indeed, Miles Edgeworth." She smiled smugly.
"Anything for your happiness." He said that line he always said to her when they were children.
"............"
"Franziska... It's been quite a while since I stayed here. I might be going back to America soon." Miles said.
"Is that so?" she washed the cold cloth.
"My superior has given me four months, but I have other responsibilities. I intended to ignore them until I have found you."
She continued to place the cold cloth on his wound.
"Now that I have found you, I may be returning soon, as I am needed back in the prosecutor's office."
"I see." She plainly replied.
"I want to make sure you're... alright before I leave. Though I originally intended to leave with you, I thought that... maybe you're not ready... your heart may not be ready." He looked at her.
Franziska showed her frustrated face... The same frustrated face she showed at court when Phoenix outwits her.
"If you know I'm not ready, why are you telling me that you're leaving?!" she banged the sofa's arm.
"I can see that Joy and Eduard are very concerned for you, and you'll be with good hands until I come visit again. I know you will recover."
"Miles Edgeworth..." she continued to sob.
"Franziska... I'll come back when you're ready... alright? I'll fly immediately after you call." He cupped her cheek with his hand.
"Miles Edgeworth..." she could not find words.
"I'm going to return three days from now. I have already scheduled my flight in the early, early morning at 2."
"..........."
"Until then, take care alright?" he pat her head.
"............" she was really getting pissed at him.
He got up and left, after speaking a few words with Joy, and taking one last look at the stairway, in case Eduard comes out.
He didn't see Eduard, so he went straight for the door, and drove off.
Franziska was dazed, still sitting on the sofa with that wet cloth and bucket of ice.
"Well, wasn't he in too much of a hurry to leave?" Joy commented to comfort Franziska.
"...But he said he loved me... Why would he leave me?" a tear trickled down her cheek.
Joy's eyes softened.
"A tear... I really do love him... don't I?" her face didn't show any sad expression anymore. Her tears just fell.
Joy watched her in pain as Franziska struggled to stop her tears.
"...They won't stop... What's the matter with me? Why won't they stop? I'm no fool who would cry over Miles Edgeworth..."
Joy hugged her tightly.
"Why couldn't he stay? I can recover better if he stayed... I think so. Why wouldn't he stay?" Franziska was all alone thinking about what went wrong.
While Miles Edgeworth went over to the crash site to check once more if it was still there.
He decided to hide the truth from Franziska, and take on the responsibility of finishing it all himself.
If that was what nearly killed her, he didn't intend to let her near any evidence again.
She would be protected in that house. She would be happy. She can recover now without his help.
He thought those things.
If only he knew,
How wrong his trail of thought was.
He would be learning it the hard way.
O-o-O-o-O
To be continued
Thank you very much for reading! I'd love it if you'd drop a review!
-drops of jelly