Surprise, surprise

[edge_of_honor]

Characters: Miles Edgeworth and Hisoka Kurosaki
Content: Two old comrades touch base and inform the other about what's been going on in their corner of Reial
Setting: Upper deck of the Convoy; later on, Edgeworth's quarters
Time: After Hisoka and Souji land, before the drinking begins
Warnings: Possible mentions of traumatic events

Comments

[son_of_the_lake]

Hisoka's vivid imagination was feeding him images as quickly as Edgeworth's words struck his ears. He thought he knew the place, too. The airship docking facilites were in the lower part of the city, nearest the river. Several bridges spanned the Nihl, but the one nearest the docks was the largest, and the oldest. It was a stone bridge with a waist-high parapet. Hisoka, as a child, had sat on those stone walls and watched the foot and cart traffic crossing the bridge, or turned around and dangled his feet off the edge, watching the light sparkle off the deep green water. Also, he was in the habit of diving off and cleaving the river with hardly a splash

Smart move

[edge_of_honor]

Memories of the experience lurked and tugged at the edge of his mind. He sighed, and did his best to recount the experience.

"Bullets were useless against him," he began, his voice shaky.

It was late at night, and his gun lay abandoned on the bridge, empty and useless while Bradley loomed only a few steps ahead of him. Running was useless and a fight was hopeless. However, Edgeworth couldn't just give up. The cold autumn air bit against his skin as he drew his saber and awaited Bradley's strike.

"And he was faster than anyone I had ever seen-"

Moonlight shone against Bradley's sword as he charged forward. He was on him in an instant; Edgeworth barely had time to dodge his blows. One, two, three; they came at him faster than he could parry. One of his strikes sank into his flesh, and with a cry, Edgeworth's grip slacked as he stumbled backward. Another blow was all it took for him to lose it completely, and his blade clattered against the bridge as he hell towards the edge.His voice grew firmer the more he spoke, but he

heh

[son_of_the_lake]

Hisoka let Edgeworth's emotions wash through him. He did not resist the shivers that brought the images along...and the thoughts. The harsh black sky and the pale terrible moon watched expressionlessly while the pursuing figure ran him down (Edgeworth, not Hisoka) and there was the lightening flash of pain and the fingers dropping the sword and stumbling, reeling. Stone struck his hip and knee hard and he was tumbling over the brink, the black water whirling below. Hands grasping the hard, rough edge, hanging on for life. The shadowy face looming over, and suddenly a hammer blow and agony and the sight of his own left hand, its fingers strangely relaxed, delicately relinquishing its hold, tumbling past his eyes, and he following it downwards into the choking darkness of the icy water.

Hisoka's green eyes filled with a pulsing light as Edgeworth (the one in the room) grasped at his empty sleeve. But Hisoka sat quietly, and silently offered his strength to the man who struggled his way through the tale of these traumatic events.

Re: heh

[edge_of_honor]

Edgeworth didn't notice the eyes in Hisoka's eyes just yet. Still focused on the ground, he continued, "His sword came down, and-"

He let go of his arm and shook his head.

"I don't think I have to tell you what happened next. One thing does concern me, though: to carve straight through flesh and bone so easily is an incredible feat. It would take both an extraordinary weapon and an extraordinary amount of strength to do such a thing."

Edgeworth looked up and said, "That means that Bradley is no-"

He stopped mid-sentence, taken aback by the glow in Hisoka's eyes. Was it a trick of the light? Or was it something else entirely? He stared for a moment, entranced by the light, before he blinked and shook his head.

"...it means that Bradley is no ordinary admiral," he finished, his head tilted, with an edge of curiosity in his tone.

[son_of_the_lake]

Hisoka said, softly, "I could have done it. But my sword is basically a curved razorblade. Yes, it would take a lot of strength to hack through bone with one of your Ivonian straight-swords or even your sabers. But I'd be a lot more worried by the extrordinary speed. You were going to say he's not human? Maybe not."

He smiled slightly at the look in Edgeworth's eyes. Hisoka's eyes were still softly lambent.

[edge_of_honor]

For the moment, Edgeworth's mind wasn't on Bradley. Hisoka's eyes still had that soft, eerie glow to them. It had lasted far too long to be a mere illusion at this point. Not only that, but he was so ...serene now. The whole conversation had taken a turn for the surreal.

"Kurosaki," he started, feeling foolish all the while, "your eyes..."

[son_of_the_lake]

"Yes? What about them?" asked Hisoka.

[edge_of_honor]

"They're glowing," he said, his voice numb with disbelief.

[son_of_the_lake]

"Oh..." said Hisoka, "In my clan, we say we've got the Lake Eyes. That means I'm offering energy to somebody I care about."

[edge_of_honor]

Offering his energy...what sort of strange ability was this? Furthermore, why didn't he know about this sooner? Kurosaki used to be a part of his crew, damn it. It was his job to know these things

[son_of_the_lake]

"Don't worry about it, sir," said Hisoka. "You can't know what a person has never told you. And you don't have to accept. It's up to you."

[edge_of_honor]

In a way, the fact that he had a choice made it all the more worse. A part of him wanted to accept it and let it all wash over him. In fact, the mere act of yearning allowed more of the soft, green energy to seep inside. A second later, though, his heart froze up, and a strange sort of fear came over him. It wasn't the fear of some strange, mystical power. Instead, it was something far more mundane than that. While he had received great kindness over the past year, and even over these past few weeks, such raw compassion was still too strange and foreign to accept so suddenly.

"I'm sorry," he said, his words heavy. "But I'm afraid I can't accept this right now."

He ached as he spoke, as if he knew all ready the emptiness that would result. However, there was still a sense of gratitude that shone warmly underneath his more quarrelsome emotions.

[son_of_the_lake]

Hisoka nodded slowly. "I understand," he said. "You're the one who would know what you need to do right now. I wish I had been with you on that bridge. I feel that I should have been. But since I was not, I try to give what I can. The offer stands, if you change your mind. Did you want to say anything else about Admiral Bradley?"

[edge_of_honor]

With that, the energy began to fade, but not without some regret on Edgeworth's end. It still lingered, and for a moment, he was tempted to reach out to it and strengthen the bond once more. However, he decided against it. He made his choice all ready, and he wasn't one to change his mind so easily. Despite his staunch determination, though, a soft, subtle ache beat against his chest.

"That's all I can say about Bradley himself," he said. "However, he does have some powerful connections. In that week, I was due to transfer to the Gloriosa proper. If I was missing, people would have known. However, he was able to quickly find a replacement before anyone could become suspicious. What's more, it was effective enough that, if Bradley had been successful, that nobody would have been none the wiser. That leads me to believe that, whoever this impostor is, Bradley has known him for quite some time."

[son_of_the_lake]

Hisoka was feeling a loss, too - there is an emptiness where there is a gift ungiven. But at the same time, he was not unaware that Edgeworth was expressing a kind of gratitude for the offer. And that made a difference.

"Yes, I was wondering about your doppleganger," he said. "Does he just sound like you, or does he look like you, too?--he'd have to, if he was substituted for you before the transfer. Maybe he's a shape-changer." He folded his arms and a little crease appeared between his dark red eyebrows. "Admiral Bradley's a powerful man, or he wouldn't have risen to the position in the world that he holds. I'll bet he's got all sorts of resources."

Pause. Suddenly, he smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand. "Whoa!--I'd like to be a fly on the wall when he has his next converstaion with the shapeshifter!"

[edge_of_honor]

At that, Edgeworth gave a low, deep chuckle, and a dark sort of amusement edged in to replace the other, fading emotions.

"I'm afraid I can't promise you that," he said, "But certain people on the Amestris have been made aware of the truth behind their 'friend'. I'm sure that their investigations will be most fruitful."

Despite his bravado, however, there was a keen stab of worry. However, his statement wasn't entirely a bluff. If anyone could get to the bottom of Bradley and his machinations it was Wright. While he feared for the man's safety, and for that of his other companions aboard the Amestris, his belief in them outweighed any doubts he had.