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]

"If you're sure," said Hisoka, with a straight face. He had felt that thump as Edgeworth sat down.

"You wanted to know about Muraki, I think? Well, that won't take long. When I was in Bydan, I was looking for people who had seen him with Karen Carpenter, the girl I saw him kill. I didn't find any, but I did find people who saw him a year later with a young man named Asato Tsuzuki, from Berum. He was one of the missing persons whom my father's contact in the Bydan Police Department came up with. When I met Muraki in the Bydan Forest, he described a beautiful man with black hair and violet eyes, whom he had kidnapped and brought to his underground laboratory in the woods. He didn't reveal the man's name. But nobody else of that description turned up in the system. I went back to the site of the burned-out lab, later. And I found this..."

Hisoka reached into his pocket and pulled out a small silver heart-shaped locket. He fingered it absently, and then offered it to Edgeworth. "Look at the surfaces," he said.

On one face, the name Ruka is inscribed. On the other side, Asato.

[edge_of_honor]

Edgeworth listened as attentively to Hisoka as he could, and while there was a latent, lingering anger and disgust towards Muraki on principle, his demeanor was neutral for the most part. His hand may have tensed ever so slightly when Hisoka mentioned the laboratory and its captive, but that was all. A cool head was as essential now as it ever was.

Then Hisoka gave him the locket. He glanced over it, back to front, and his stomach fell when he saw the name Asato. Edgeworth looked back up at him, and asked, "What does this mean, exactly?"

[son_of_the_lake]

Hisoka explained, "Ruka is Asato's sister. He had the locket made for her by a silversmith, as a gift, for their fourteenth birthday. They were twins, not identical, of course. But as close as identical twins often are. I don't know their whole story, but apparently he had a hard time getting from adolescence to adulthood. He was a summoner, and had other magical skills, and such people don't always have an easy time of it. Anyway, Ruka gave Asato the locket to keep, to remind him that whatever happened, there was one person in the world who loved him and would go on loving him, no matter what."

"I know this because she told me, in person. I found her in Berum, where she had returned to live after her brother's disappearance. She identified the locket. If you look at the edges, you'll notice that the surname, Tsuzuki, is also engraved around it, only it's in very light, serpentine letters, and you can't distinguish them from that twined leaf pattern unless you look closely."

Hisoka turned his eyes away, and then downwards. He clasped his hands loosely together, resting his forearms lightly on his knees. "There wasn't anything else she could have identified. The forensic expert who combed through the debris left in the destroyed lab found human remains, but..." Hisoka shook his head. "Well, anyway, the only reason the locket was not melted by the blaze was because at some point, Tsuzuki stuffed it in his shoe and kicked it behind a cabinet, before he summoned his magical ally. Even then, I had to clean a layer of burned leather and soot off it to determine what it was."

He looked up, and turned his face towards Edgeworth. There was a kind of triumph in his eyes, a bittersweet one, a long-awaited and never-hoped-for triumph. "The silversmith identified it as his work. And he remembered the customer very well." Pause. "My father overheard a part of what Muraki was describing to me, and he put it in writing, along with everything he knew or suspected about Muraki but didn't allow himself to know at the time Muraki was his physician. And I wrote up my deposition, too, of course. There is now a warrent for Muraki's arrest, if he ever sets foot in Bydan again. And the authorities say that if other Vohemaro cities agree, that warrent will be good for anywhere in Vohemar."

[edge_of_honor]

Edgeworth remained silent while Hisoka gave his explanation. After all, what could he say? It was best to wait patiently while he recounted the facts.

The tale was a solemn one. He glanced down at the locket when prompted, but not to confirm the name. Instead, it was a form of remembrance, a silent ode to a man he had never met but nonetheless came to an undeserved fate. When he looked up back up, though, his head heavy with alcohol and exhaustion, the first thing he noticed was Hisoka's intense gaze. It took him a moment to register what, exactly, that look meant, but he realized it soon enough. He felt the rush of victory alongside him, and with a weary smile on his face, said, "And he won't be able to bother anyone ever again."

[son_of_the_lake]

"Yes," said Hisoka, "although that's provided he actually surfaces in Vohemar." He was silent for a moment. "I think he disappeared in Antrim. Just never got back on the Amestris. So, unless his ghosts carried him off to hell, he's probably somewhere in Ivona at the moment. In case he's smart enough never to set foot west of the mountains again, I've been thinking of ways to get the Ivonian authorites to honor the warrent, as well. But that's for another day." He sighed, but it was not an unhappy sigh.

He turned to Edgeworth. "This is much, much more than I ever expected to achieve. Thank you, because as I said, you had a part in this. It's your justice, too."

He looked at Edgeworth for a moment, and then said, quietly, "I have a question I'd like to ask you."

[edge_of_honor]

Were his own circumstances not so dire, Edgeworth would have offered his assistance in an instant. As it stood, though, what little allies he still had contact with were busy with other matters. Perhaps, when things settled down, he could point him their way.

As for his "victory", though...well, Edgeworth wasn't so sure about that. As far as he was concerned, Hisoka was the one who deserved all the credit. He did, however, take comfort in the fact that justice had been done, if only in Vohemar. The smile crept back on his face, but faded once Hisoka spoke again. Edgeworth furrowed his brow and looked back up at him.

"What is it?"

[son_of_the_lake]

"Don't look so worried," said Hisoka, softly. He hadn't meant to drive the smile from the man's face. But then he couldn't think of any reason why Edgeworth shouldn't be worried, because he was about to ask a question that would likely have repercussions, whatever the answer, and Edgeworth was bound to be as aware of that as Hisoka was.

"I realize this is an awkward time to ask. I wouldn't normally bring up such a subject at a time like this. But we really have very little time. I'll be going back to Serenity in a few days, a few weeks at most, and I don't know when we'll see one another again."

He took a deep breath, and spoke (diving headfirst off Bydan's stone bridge):

"I want you. Do you want me? If the answer is no, than we need never speak of it again. You'll find I can deliver on that promise. And if you want to think about it, that's fine. I'll say no more about it tonight."

He sat still, his hand resting on his own knee, not more than a few inches from Edgeworth's. But he did not move his fingers. He had enough awareness to know that as much as he wanted to bridge the gap between them with a simple touch of his hand, a touch would not carry as much weight as his words.

[edge_of_honor]

Hisoka's words sent a catastrophic chain reaction through Edgeworth's psyche. Like a fuse overblown from too much input, the confession made something inside Edgeworth's brain fizzle and snap. Adrenaline rushed through his veins and a raw, noisy panic blared through his head like warning klaxons. The numb shock of disbelief forced his distress into an iron wall, and he stared at Hisoka, wide eyed and slack jawed while his emotions waged war with one another.

"How..." A million questions ran through his brain, and he managed to force out, "How long?"

[son_of_the_lake]

"I thought of it when we met at the Hanami Festival," said Hisoka, "but I...well, I've probably felt that way from the beginning. It's hard to say, though. It had a quiet start."

He spoke calmly, matter-of-factly, and in a low voice, realizing that there might be a slow explosion occuring beside him. If so, he didn't want to give it any more fuel than he already had.

[edge_of_honor]

Wait, since the beginning? Oh lord, that made it even worse. Since when did his life become a cheap romance novel?!

Edgeworth took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair. This was...unexpected, to say the least, but it was nothing to lose his composure over. He could handle this. They were both adults, ergo, they should be able to talk about this like adults.

He opened his mouth to speak. Nothing came out.

Edgeworth rested his hand back down on the mattress and glanced away, and thought on how absurd this all was. He should have taken Hisoka up on his earlier offer to continue the conversation later. Edgeworth doubted that this could ever have been easy to talk about, but some actual sleep couldn't have hurt.

"...this is very sudden," he said, his voice quiet, strained, but for the most part, calm.

[son_of_the_lake]

"Yes, and I apologize for that," said Hisoka. "I was afraid that if I waited, I would end up never speaking at all." He glanced sideways. "I didn't make it obvious, either, so I guess you couldn't have known."

[edge_of_honor]

A cold chill ran down Edgeworth's spine. Did Hisoka mean that he would lose his nerve? Or was it a reference to how dangerous both their lives had become?

Other than that concern, though, Edgeworth's nerves had calmed down from his earlier shock. He wasn't completely at ease, though. Tension lingered underneath his skin and buried itself deep in his muscles while his stomach churned with an unknown dread. However, this was all manageable, or at least moreso than earlier.

There was still one question on his mind, though. He furrowed his brow and, voice bewildered, asked, "Why?"

[son_of_the_lake]

Hisoka was silent for a moment. "I guess you can't see yourself from my point of view," he said, finally. "And I don't know how well I can explain it. But I'll try. First, I admire you. You know how to take action in the world - and I don't mean that I think it's easy for you - it isn't for anybody, I don't believe. But you have courage; you do what you think is worth doing, and if it has a cost, so be it. I find that compelling."

"Second, you've always been sensitive to me and my concerns in a way that is unusual. In fact, it's a little uncanny, but in a way that feels very right to me. It's a mystery, and...I don't think it's an entirely impersonal phenomenon, on your part. But I can't tell for sure; only you can."

"Third, you're attractive." He smiled. "In an odd sort of way. And by that I mean, you're a powerful, definite personality...and you seem to be almost all mind - oh, and emotion. I have no idea how you live in your body. But I'd like to find out."

[edge_of_honor]

Edgeworth's mouth went dry and his mouth parted ever so slightly. To hear those words was humbling, and he would have been left in awe if his mind didn't put up such a strong resistance to them. Surely Hisoka was giving him too much credit.

The last compliment, though, turned his face bright red. His eyes widened and he quickly averted his gaze, and his thoughts turned to one thing: how did he feel about the young man?

He had been protective, yes, but he felt the same way about many of his subordinates. After all, they were his responsibility. Plus, as much as he hated to admit it, it wasn't an automatic instinct when it came to Hisoka Kurosaki. Initially, he had felt suspicious of him, due to the shadowy circumstances that surrounded the Mary Rose.

However, Hisoka did prove himself in the end. Besides, he certainly wasn't the first person to overcome an unsavory, and possibly unearned, reputation, nor did his lineage make things any easier for him (so Edgeworth imagined, at least). In his mind, he needed his protection as much as anybody else on the crew.

...then again, that was a moot point after that paperwork debacle.

Well, first of all, someone should have taken care of that better and prevented Hisoka from falling beneath the cracks. Second, military or not, he still had several admirable traits. He was both competent and professional, and Edgeworth had always appreciated those who showed dedication to their work. However, he was also strong, passionate, and courageous in his own right. Most importantly, though, despite all the wrongs he had suffered his life, Hisoka's virtues remained untarnished. He did not lose himself to despair nor did he give himself to hatred and revenge. Instead he had stepped forward with strength and conviction in his spirit, and with his kindness still in tact.

It was a trait that Edgeworth envied.

Some of these traits, though, he didn't notice until Hanami, and he didn't experience them fully until now. His brow furrowed as he thought back on the holiday. Was Hisoka right? Was there something else to how readily he jumped to his aid?

...yes, but it wasn't what Hisoka had assumed. While Edgeworth had never suffered in the same way the other man did, he understood all too well the sting of injustice, as well as the doubts and pain that followed when a guilty man walked free.

"I've only given you what you deserved," he said quietly. "However..."

He sighed, and finished, "I can't give you this. Not now."

[son_of_the_lake]

Hisoka stood up, and stepped away from the bunk. For a moment, he remained facing away from Edgeworth, his eyes focused into the distance.

Then he turned around. The little smile was back on his face, but this time it was not the social smile, but the smile that was the shield of his heart. "All right. Thank you for hearing me out. And...for everything else. Good night, sir. And I hope you fare well, whatever happens."

The door clicked open and then shut. Hisoka's footsteps sounded in the passageway, quick, purposeful. And then vanishing.

Goodbye.

[edge_of_honor]

Edgeworth felt the mattress shift and looked up at Hisoka, only to see his back. Tension ran through the air like electricity and prickled his skin and settled in his bones. However, deep in his very core, he was steadied by a strong sense of resolve. Any other answer would have been false and brittle, no matter what his wants and desires may have been.

Then Hisoka turned around and smiled at him. Why did he have to smile at him? Edgeworth's chest tightened with guilt, and felt as if someone had slid a cold, sharp blade right between his ribs. However, before he could say anything, Hisoka had walked out.

His footsteps echoed through the hall and through his mind. Strange. Just a moment ago he had apologized for how small his quarters were, but now they seemed entirely too big.

He couldn't waste his thoughts on this, though. Not now. It was late, he was tired, and one could only guess what they needed to do tomorrow. Right now, he needed sleep. He stooped over to pull his boots off and stood up to undress, and after he had put his clothing away, he trudged over to his bed and forced himself onto the mattress.

There was still some warmth left. He ignored it and closed his eyes, with the hope that sleep would come soon.