The Crosses We Carry [Part IV / ???]
Argh been slacking so much in the last two days. *punts herself to get back into writing*
Basic premise for those who do not know: this fic is set the the world of theskytides, an AU panfandom RPG set in a steampunk line in which it is totally a fandom of its own. Miles Edgeworth (from the Ace Attorney series) and Hijikata Toshirou (from Gintama) happen to be the first mate / boatswain respectively in of one of the ships in the game. In this story, Hijikata has something of a... crush towards Edgeworth that he has never told anyone, though he is aware. Sequel to The Shadows We Bear, one month has passed since then, but all is not well as a new problem arises...
Parts: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII
THE CROSSES WE CARRY
TST!Shadowverse fic : Part IV
Thinking back now, sometimes it was hard to believe that already a whole month had passed ever since that incident. His own memories of that time were quite messed up and foggy (Souji had said that it was a natural thing that everyone experienced, still…), but Edgeworth remembered enough to have that whole thing have a lasting impression on him. More than just an impression, really-he could always feel the thing that was floating just right on the verge of his consciousness, the part of him that was once separated and now returned to him. The Shadow, it had been called… or rather, a Persona.
Not that I can still fully believe it, Edgeworth thought to himself there and then, pointedly ignoring the strange jab he received in return as he directed his attention towards the gang of teenagers who had assembled nearby. Nightfall had come, and midnight was soon to arrive; with Rise and Teddie’s (as the strange kid had introduced himself so) abilities-for a lack of a better term-they had arrived at where the supposedly had to wait for this… place to arrive. Or as much as a place could appear from a patch of barren land that was seemingly covered in a rather thick fog. As much as the man tried to trust the teenager, he really couldn’t help but feel sceptical about this whole thing.
“Are you certain we’re in the right location?” he went as he turned around to face his younger silver-haired counterpart.
Souji only smiled in that mysterious way of his and nodded. “Postive. Rise and Teddie have never been wrong.”
“…if you are so certain,” was all that Edgeworth could respond with as he turned back and looked up at the night sky. A full moon was shining down tonight-a full moon, very much like the full moon that had been shining down that one month ago…
A few days had passed since the whole incident had occurred. While things had settled down somewhat, rumours were still flying everywhere in regard to his disappearance-Edgeworth had heard many things, but he wasn’t going to just discredit them and say the truth. It wasn’t as if anyone would believe him anyway; even he couldn’t believe it himself, even though he had experienced it in whole. Everything was so fanatical and surreal; it was hard to believe it had all been real. The only real evidence of anything now was the constant tugging in the edges of his mind that had been going on since he had woken up to see Hijikata-battered, bruised and wholly exhausted-asleep on his bedside.
With the toil of everything, the past few nights had been blissful slumber for him, but for tonight somehow he couldn’t seem to fall asleep. Edgeworth supposed he couldn’t count on such peaceful sleep for so long… with nothing else to do though, all he could do was to head out to somewhere peaceful and maybe mull over the hectic events of the last week.
The full moon shone down onto the deck as Edgeworth stepped out into mild spring night air. It wasn’t particularly cold, but rather on the fine side of breezy. The wind caressed his face as the man walked towards the railing, light of the moon aiding much in his sight-and revealing an unexpected surprise as he neared his spot.
Hijikata Toshirou turned around at the sound of his approach, impassive blue eyes staring at him for a moment before he grunted and turned back. Edgeworth gave an unimpressed look towards the boatswain before he shook his head and stepped up to stop beside the man. It was probably a good thing that the wind was blowing away from him, since the samurai happened to be smoking there and then. He never really could bring himself to appreciate whatever people found attractive in those infamous ‘coffin nails’.
“You’re not sleeping,” Hijikata remarked blandly after a few moments, voice lacking its usual rough edge.
“I could say the same to you,” Edgeworth returned as he turned his head to look at the younger man. He hadn’t really since the man since that day-but now that he looked at him, even under the moonlight he could see the beginnings of dark circles and weary lines forming on his face. Apparently someone hadn’t been getting enough sleep.
If the man had realized that Edgeworth had seen what was on his face, Hijikata made no mention of it. All he did was to keep his expression neutral as he continued to glance out into the skies, blinking slowly as he exhaled out a cloud of cigarette smoke that was swiftly wisped away by the wind. “So, what brings you up here at this time of the night?”
“I couldn’t sleep,” was all that the man said in response, giving the other another glance. “You?”
Hijikata grunted. “Pretty much the same as you.”
Silence fell between the two once again after that, both men standing side by side as they gazed out into the endless skies all around them. The Victoria II was on a slow course bound towards Kropmork-Nahk, and it was going to be a while before they arrived at their destination. But until then… Edgeworth supposed he should make the most out of this time and rest up-at the very least, nobody was hounding him here and asking what had happened, possibly aside from von Karma; he hadn’t questioned him just yet, but the first mate supposed it was only going to be a matter of time before his mentor would approach him. All he could do before that happened was to prepare himself for what would most likely (and highly possibly) the worst.
Thinking about all of that, though, made him remember about the man beside him-the man who had somehow, went through all of that without anyone else knowing in order to rescue him for some reason he couldn’t comprehend. Hijikata was disagreeable, obnoxious, annoying, temperamental and just about everything bad that a man like him could be-but still in spite of that, he had went all the way in and rescued him from what was pretty close to the jaws of death itself. Even now, he still couldn’t wholly believe that it had happened… but he knew it did, and he really couldn’t deny it.
“…Hijikata?”
The boatswain sent a glance towards him at that, sounding very much like his usual disagreeable self. “What is it?”
“Thank you.”
“…” Hijikata’s face was an incomprehensible canvas as he looked back at him for a good minute or two before he blinked, snorting as he turned away once more. “Don’t say that.”
Edgeworth blinked back in return, mild irritation settling in-here he was, just trying to be nice and thanking him what he did, and that was all that he said? “I was just grateful for what you did,” he found himself half-snapping back in return. Honestly, just what was on this man’s mind? Even after the years they were working together, Edgeworth continued to find-with nothing but endless frustration-that he could never fully understand just how the boatswain thought.
There was a notable pause from the samurai then as he looked down, head bent low as he stared at the clouds below them (Edgeworth was distinctly reminded of the days where the same man before him would be in that position for entirely different reasons). His voice was oddly quiet as he spoke. “…I know.”
“…you know?” was all that he could say in response.
Hijikata sighed almost wearily, a strange sort of action coming from the man considering the situation. “I know.”
“-ey! Hey, mister! Are you listening to me?!”
Edgeworth blinked out from his thoughts (mentally berating himself from having drifted out like that so easily at such a moment like this), blinking a couple of times in surprise as he found himself being glared upon by the strange blond kid who was also currently waving a pair of… something right at his face.
“…my apologies,” the man managed out once he got most of the surprise out of his system, directing his attention away from the waving object to the rest of the teenagers. “Are we going to go in already?”
“Soon,” Souji responded as he checked his watch. “Just one more minute to midnight.”
“And before midnight comes, here!” the kid added on quickly, and before Edgeworth could comprehend anything else he felt a hand smacking right onto his face, jamming something right on the bridge of his nose and on his ears-the sensation wasn’t anything bad or strange, but it was quite weird once he got over the initial pain that came with the action.
What in the-he started, stopping when he opened his eyes and noticed that the foggy scenery around him from earlier had completely vanished, leaving his vision almost as clear as day. The man reached up to his face, blinking in surprise when he felt a pair of glasses now perched onto his nose. Curiously, he pulled them out, and immediately the fog reappeared before his eyes.
Souji immediately responded to the question forming in his cousin’s mind. “These glasses will help you see though the fog. I didn’t know Teddie would make one for you though.”
“Of course Teddie would!” the blonde boy returned with a notable hint of annoyance. “He’s sensei’s cousin after all! I even made sure it would match him!”
Match me? The man thought, looking down on the glasses in his hand in confusion-and immediately getting his answer as he frowned in displeasure at the hot pink frames that were glaring like not-too subtle headlights back at him. “…they’re pink.”
“Of course it’s pink; you’re wearing that same colour, you know,” Yosuke muttered from beside him, quickly shutting up after that as Edgeworth turned to direct an icy glare at him.
Teddie seemed to look rather sad there and then upon hearing those words. “Does sensei’s cousin not like it?”
“…” Edgeworth looked back at the boy with a fair amount of discomfort on his features. “…its fine. I appreciate your work… Teddie.”
Immediately then, the boy brightened up considerably, beaming happily with all smiles and sunshine as he giggled and turned to Souji. “Did you hear that sensei? Your cousin said that he liked it!”
The teenager smiled at that. “That’s nice to hear, Teddie.”
All Edgeworth could do was to sigh in exasperation-he supposed he could live with this until they were done; it wasn’t as if this was permanent anyway-and wore back the glasses. Just as soon as he did that, a sudden chill started to seep through his bones. It wasn’t the kind of chill that could be cured with a warm toasty fire or a rub; it was the kind of chill that went all the way into the very core of who it was, chilling him from the inside rather than out. It was a strange and hardly comforting feeling, and judging by the looks of everyone else Edgeworth could tell that they were all equally uncomfortable too.
Despite that, Souji’s voice was a constant calm as his voice rasped out in puffs of warm air. “Midnight’s come.”
Right after those two words were spoken, the air turned even chillier, and goosebumps started to form on his skin that couldn’t go down no matter how much Edgeworth tried to warm his skin back up. An unnatural breeze swept through the area, the wind making him shudder to the core as he blinked rapidly from the abruptly dry sensation in his eyes, trying to ignore the sound of his teeth chattering. It was getting colder and colder…
…and just when Edgeworth thought he couldn’t take the cold anymore, the wind died out just as suddenly as it had come and the chill turned to warmth-the same warmth that spread across his body now as the man opened his eyes to blink rapidly at the set of stairs that had seemed to just abruptly opened up from the earth. The light of the moon from above shone down, providing a fair amount of light that illuminated the stairs as it descended into the unknown darkness below.
“…alright, looks like it’s open,” Souji spoke as he glanced around the rest of his friends, a thoughtful look on his features as he debated on something before turning to Rise. “Rise, can you pinpoint the exact location of where Hijikata-san is?”
The girl shook her head in response. “Sorry, senpai, but that’s beyond me.”
A quiet sigh escaped him there, but Souji only nodded. “It’s alright, I was only just wondering.” Saying that, he turned back, giving his cousin a momentary glance before he looked at the rest of his friends and spoke. “Okay, we’re going to do this like usual-Miles is a Persona-user too, so we won’t need to worry too much this time. Yosuke, Teddie, you’re coming with me.”
“Got it, partner,” Yosuke responded with a smile, though Edgeworth couldn’t help but wonder just why he seemed to cringe whenever their eyes met.
The blonde boy on the other hand only grinned and twirled around with far too much cheer. “You can count on me, sensei!”
Souji smiled and nodded at both of them before turning to Rise once more. “Rise, you’ll work with Teddie as we go in to pinpoint out Hijikata-san’s location. The sooner we’re done with this, the better.”
Rise nodded again and smiled. “We’ll keep in touch, senpai.”
“Thank you,” Souji went and then directed his attention towards the rest of the group. “Kanji, Naoto-kun, Chie, Yukiko-you guys know what to do.”
The foursome nodded at that, and the one in the detective hat spoke up. “We’ll do our best, senpai.”
“Good to hear that,” he responded before looking back at Edgeworth and the other two, glancing at the three of them with a gleam of seriousness in his eyes which the man could easily recognize. “You all ready?”
“As ready as I can ever be,” Yosuke muttered back in return, smiling weakly as he raised up a fist. Souji smiled back and brought his own fist up to lightly punch against his friend’s.
Teddie bounced forward right after that, his sudden appearance from human to being in some sort of… bear suit (since when had he changed into that?) startling the officer as he seemingly sparkled and went on happily. “Teddie’s ready too!”
The smile from earlier remained on his face as Souji patted the bear on the head. “Good to know, Teddie,” he said as he turned his gaze towards him. “What about you, Miles?”
Edgeworth took a moment to cool himself with a deep breath, fingering the hilt of his rapier before nodding once. “There isn’t much else to do besides the obvious now, I suppose.”
“Alright, we’re going in now,” the silver-haired teen said with a strange sort of finality to his tone as he gave Teddie one final pat on the head before withdrawing to turn and face the entrance that stood before them. An ominous sort of presence seemed to emanate from what lay before them, a warning to those who so dared to enter what should be left unknown to everyone. Edgeworth could feel his resolve shaking just a bit, but the man steeled himself as he tightened the grip of his weapon. He couldn’t afford to turn back now, not at this sort of critical point in time. He did owe Hijikata for what he had done for him… now it was his turn to repay that favour.
Without even bothering to spare a glance behind him, Edgeworth followed after the three teenagers, allowing himself to enter the crushing darkness of what could most possibly be a new sort of hell that awaited him below, at the end of these stairs.
Basic premise for those who do not know: this fic is set the the world of theskytides, an AU panfandom RPG set in a steampunk line in which it is totally a fandom of its own. Miles Edgeworth (from the Ace Attorney series) and Hijikata Toshirou (from Gintama) happen to be the first mate / boatswain respectively in of one of the ships in the game. In this story, Hijikata has something of a... crush towards Edgeworth that he has never told anyone, though he is aware. Sequel to The Shadows We Bear, one month has passed since then, but all is not well as a new problem arises...
Parts: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII
THE CROSSES WE CARRY
TST!Shadowverse fic : Part IV
Thinking back now, sometimes it was hard to believe that already a whole month had passed ever since that incident. His own memories of that time were quite messed up and foggy (Souji had said that it was a natural thing that everyone experienced, still…), but Edgeworth remembered enough to have that whole thing have a lasting impression on him. More than just an impression, really-he could always feel the thing that was floating just right on the verge of his consciousness, the part of him that was once separated and now returned to him. The Shadow, it had been called… or rather, a Persona.
Not that I can still fully believe it, Edgeworth thought to himself there and then, pointedly ignoring the strange jab he received in return as he directed his attention towards the gang of teenagers who had assembled nearby. Nightfall had come, and midnight was soon to arrive; with Rise and Teddie’s (as the strange kid had introduced himself so) abilities-for a lack of a better term-they had arrived at where the supposedly had to wait for this… place to arrive. Or as much as a place could appear from a patch of barren land that was seemingly covered in a rather thick fog. As much as the man tried to trust the teenager, he really couldn’t help but feel sceptical about this whole thing.
“Are you certain we’re in the right location?” he went as he turned around to face his younger silver-haired counterpart.
Souji only smiled in that mysterious way of his and nodded. “Postive. Rise and Teddie have never been wrong.”
“…if you are so certain,” was all that Edgeworth could respond with as he turned back and looked up at the night sky. A full moon was shining down tonight-a full moon, very much like the full moon that had been shining down that one month ago…
A few days had passed since the whole incident had occurred. While things had settled down somewhat, rumours were still flying everywhere in regard to his disappearance-Edgeworth had heard many things, but he wasn’t going to just discredit them and say the truth. It wasn’t as if anyone would believe him anyway; even he couldn’t believe it himself, even though he had experienced it in whole. Everything was so fanatical and surreal; it was hard to believe it had all been real. The only real evidence of anything now was the constant tugging in the edges of his mind that had been going on since he had woken up to see Hijikata-battered, bruised and wholly exhausted-asleep on his bedside.
With the toil of everything, the past few nights had been blissful slumber for him, but for tonight somehow he couldn’t seem to fall asleep. Edgeworth supposed he couldn’t count on such peaceful sleep for so long… with nothing else to do though, all he could do was to head out to somewhere peaceful and maybe mull over the hectic events of the last week.
The full moon shone down onto the deck as Edgeworth stepped out into mild spring night air. It wasn’t particularly cold, but rather on the fine side of breezy. The wind caressed his face as the man walked towards the railing, light of the moon aiding much in his sight-and revealing an unexpected surprise as he neared his spot.
Hijikata Toshirou turned around at the sound of his approach, impassive blue eyes staring at him for a moment before he grunted and turned back. Edgeworth gave an unimpressed look towards the boatswain before he shook his head and stepped up to stop beside the man. It was probably a good thing that the wind was blowing away from him, since the samurai happened to be smoking there and then. He never really could bring himself to appreciate whatever people found attractive in those infamous ‘coffin nails’.
“You’re not sleeping,” Hijikata remarked blandly after a few moments, voice lacking its usual rough edge.
“I could say the same to you,” Edgeworth returned as he turned his head to look at the younger man. He hadn’t really since the man since that day-but now that he looked at him, even under the moonlight he could see the beginnings of dark circles and weary lines forming on his face. Apparently someone hadn’t been getting enough sleep.
If the man had realized that Edgeworth had seen what was on his face, Hijikata made no mention of it. All he did was to keep his expression neutral as he continued to glance out into the skies, blinking slowly as he exhaled out a cloud of cigarette smoke that was swiftly wisped away by the wind. “So, what brings you up here at this time of the night?”
“I couldn’t sleep,” was all that the man said in response, giving the other another glance. “You?”
Hijikata grunted. “Pretty much the same as you.”
Silence fell between the two once again after that, both men standing side by side as they gazed out into the endless skies all around them. The Victoria II was on a slow course bound towards Kropmork-Nahk, and it was going to be a while before they arrived at their destination. But until then… Edgeworth supposed he should make the most out of this time and rest up-at the very least, nobody was hounding him here and asking what had happened, possibly aside from von Karma; he hadn’t questioned him just yet, but the first mate supposed it was only going to be a matter of time before his mentor would approach him. All he could do before that happened was to prepare himself for what would most likely (and highly possibly) the worst.
Thinking about all of that, though, made him remember about the man beside him-the man who had somehow, went through all of that without anyone else knowing in order to rescue him for some reason he couldn’t comprehend. Hijikata was disagreeable, obnoxious, annoying, temperamental and just about everything bad that a man like him could be-but still in spite of that, he had went all the way in and rescued him from what was pretty close to the jaws of death itself. Even now, he still couldn’t wholly believe that it had happened… but he knew it did, and he really couldn’t deny it.
“…Hijikata?”
The boatswain sent a glance towards him at that, sounding very much like his usual disagreeable self. “What is it?”
“Thank you.”
“…” Hijikata’s face was an incomprehensible canvas as he looked back at him for a good minute or two before he blinked, snorting as he turned away once more. “Don’t say that.”
Edgeworth blinked back in return, mild irritation settling in-here he was, just trying to be nice and thanking him what he did, and that was all that he said? “I was just grateful for what you did,” he found himself half-snapping back in return. Honestly, just what was on this man’s mind? Even after the years they were working together, Edgeworth continued to find-with nothing but endless frustration-that he could never fully understand just how the boatswain thought.
There was a notable pause from the samurai then as he looked down, head bent low as he stared at the clouds below them (Edgeworth was distinctly reminded of the days where the same man before him would be in that position for entirely different reasons). His voice was oddly quiet as he spoke. “…I know.”
“…you know?” was all that he could say in response.
Hijikata sighed almost wearily, a strange sort of action coming from the man considering the situation. “I know.”
“-ey! Hey, mister! Are you listening to me?!”
Edgeworth blinked out from his thoughts (mentally berating himself from having drifted out like that so easily at such a moment like this), blinking a couple of times in surprise as he found himself being glared upon by the strange blond kid who was also currently waving a pair of… something right at his face.
“…my apologies,” the man managed out once he got most of the surprise out of his system, directing his attention away from the waving object to the rest of the teenagers. “Are we going to go in already?”
“Soon,” Souji responded as he checked his watch. “Just one more minute to midnight.”
“And before midnight comes, here!” the kid added on quickly, and before Edgeworth could comprehend anything else he felt a hand smacking right onto his face, jamming something right on the bridge of his nose and on his ears-the sensation wasn’t anything bad or strange, but it was quite weird once he got over the initial pain that came with the action.
What in the-he started, stopping when he opened his eyes and noticed that the foggy scenery around him from earlier had completely vanished, leaving his vision almost as clear as day. The man reached up to his face, blinking in surprise when he felt a pair of glasses now perched onto his nose. Curiously, he pulled them out, and immediately the fog reappeared before his eyes.
Souji immediately responded to the question forming in his cousin’s mind. “These glasses will help you see though the fog. I didn’t know Teddie would make one for you though.”
“Of course Teddie would!” the blonde boy returned with a notable hint of annoyance. “He’s sensei’s cousin after all! I even made sure it would match him!”
Match me? The man thought, looking down on the glasses in his hand in confusion-and immediately getting his answer as he frowned in displeasure at the hot pink frames that were glaring like not-too subtle headlights back at him. “…they’re pink.”
“Of course it’s pink; you’re wearing that same colour, you know,” Yosuke muttered from beside him, quickly shutting up after that as Edgeworth turned to direct an icy glare at him.
Teddie seemed to look rather sad there and then upon hearing those words. “Does sensei’s cousin not like it?”
“…” Edgeworth looked back at the boy with a fair amount of discomfort on his features. “…its fine. I appreciate your work… Teddie.”
Immediately then, the boy brightened up considerably, beaming happily with all smiles and sunshine as he giggled and turned to Souji. “Did you hear that sensei? Your cousin said that he liked it!”
The teenager smiled at that. “That’s nice to hear, Teddie.”
All Edgeworth could do was to sigh in exasperation-he supposed he could live with this until they were done; it wasn’t as if this was permanent anyway-and wore back the glasses. Just as soon as he did that, a sudden chill started to seep through his bones. It wasn’t the kind of chill that could be cured with a warm toasty fire or a rub; it was the kind of chill that went all the way into the very core of who it was, chilling him from the inside rather than out. It was a strange and hardly comforting feeling, and judging by the looks of everyone else Edgeworth could tell that they were all equally uncomfortable too.
Despite that, Souji’s voice was a constant calm as his voice rasped out in puffs of warm air. “Midnight’s come.”
Right after those two words were spoken, the air turned even chillier, and goosebumps started to form on his skin that couldn’t go down no matter how much Edgeworth tried to warm his skin back up. An unnatural breeze swept through the area, the wind making him shudder to the core as he blinked rapidly from the abruptly dry sensation in his eyes, trying to ignore the sound of his teeth chattering. It was getting colder and colder…
…and just when Edgeworth thought he couldn’t take the cold anymore, the wind died out just as suddenly as it had come and the chill turned to warmth-the same warmth that spread across his body now as the man opened his eyes to blink rapidly at the set of stairs that had seemed to just abruptly opened up from the earth. The light of the moon from above shone down, providing a fair amount of light that illuminated the stairs as it descended into the unknown darkness below.
“…alright, looks like it’s open,” Souji spoke as he glanced around the rest of his friends, a thoughtful look on his features as he debated on something before turning to Rise. “Rise, can you pinpoint the exact location of where Hijikata-san is?”
The girl shook her head in response. “Sorry, senpai, but that’s beyond me.”
A quiet sigh escaped him there, but Souji only nodded. “It’s alright, I was only just wondering.” Saying that, he turned back, giving his cousin a momentary glance before he looked at the rest of his friends and spoke. “Okay, we’re going to do this like usual-Miles is a Persona-user too, so we won’t need to worry too much this time. Yosuke, Teddie, you’re coming with me.”
“Got it, partner,” Yosuke responded with a smile, though Edgeworth couldn’t help but wonder just why he seemed to cringe whenever their eyes met.
The blonde boy on the other hand only grinned and twirled around with far too much cheer. “You can count on me, sensei!”
Souji smiled and nodded at both of them before turning to Rise once more. “Rise, you’ll work with Teddie as we go in to pinpoint out Hijikata-san’s location. The sooner we’re done with this, the better.”
Rise nodded again and smiled. “We’ll keep in touch, senpai.”
“Thank you,” Souji went and then directed his attention towards the rest of the group. “Kanji, Naoto-kun, Chie, Yukiko-you guys know what to do.”
The foursome nodded at that, and the one in the detective hat spoke up. “We’ll do our best, senpai.”
“Good to hear that,” he responded before looking back at Edgeworth and the other two, glancing at the three of them with a gleam of seriousness in his eyes which the man could easily recognize. “You all ready?”
“As ready as I can ever be,” Yosuke muttered back in return, smiling weakly as he raised up a fist. Souji smiled back and brought his own fist up to lightly punch against his friend’s.
Teddie bounced forward right after that, his sudden appearance from human to being in some sort of… bear suit (since when had he changed into that?) startling the officer as he seemingly sparkled and went on happily. “Teddie’s ready too!”
The smile from earlier remained on his face as Souji patted the bear on the head. “Good to know, Teddie,” he said as he turned his gaze towards him. “What about you, Miles?”
Edgeworth took a moment to cool himself with a deep breath, fingering the hilt of his rapier before nodding once. “There isn’t much else to do besides the obvious now, I suppose.”
“Alright, we’re going in now,” the silver-haired teen said with a strange sort of finality to his tone as he gave Teddie one final pat on the head before withdrawing to turn and face the entrance that stood before them. An ominous sort of presence seemed to emanate from what lay before them, a warning to those who so dared to enter what should be left unknown to everyone. Edgeworth could feel his resolve shaking just a bit, but the man steeled himself as he tightened the grip of his weapon. He couldn’t afford to turn back now, not at this sort of critical point in time. He did owe Hijikata for what he had done for him… now it was his turn to repay that favour.
Without even bothering to spare a glance behind him, Edgeworth followed after the three teenagers, allowing himself to enter the crushing darkness of what could most possibly be a new sort of hell that awaited him below, at the end of these stairs.