Phoenix Wright / Gyakuten Saiban, its settings and characters, are property of Capcom, and are being used here without permission.  This fic is R for now but that might change later.

 

 

Well Frogs

Chapter 3

 

 

 

You should know better than this, Naruhodou told himself.  He obliged the guards by removing his sweatshirt and, after some extra prompting, his hat.  They didn't trust his camera anymore, not that he would need it for this visit anyway.  You're not going to get any answers.  Has he been up front with you, ever?

 

But he was here anyway.  He was letting the prison guard lead him down a familiar hall, to a cell at the end of the row that he had seen a few times before.  He was fussing with his hat-matted hair as he tried to think of how to approach a conversation as impossible as this one.  "Hello, Garyuu."

 

Kirihito Garyuu glanced up as he finished buttoning his jacket.  He smiled.  "I've been expecting you."

 

*****

 

When Akane came in to the precinct the next morning she was a bit surprised to hear a familiar voice rising above the rest in cheerful laughter.  It wasn't unusual to find Kyouya there, especially as the center of attention.  However, his visits had been less frequent lately, and also more subdued.  It was both curious and encouraging to hear him in such good spirits today.

 

Akane spotted him near the first row of desks, chatting with another detective.  She hadn't run into him since the party last Friday, and the sight of him now caused her some pause.  Ever since that unexpected encounter in Kyouya's office, she hadn't been able to think about him for too long without becoming mysteriously embarrassed. 

 

It's not that I'm attracted to him, she told herself firmly, just watching him from a distance for now.  He's annoying.  And showy, and lazy, and a big, stupid tease.  Her shoulders grew slack.  It was easy to dismiss him that way in her mind, but somehow it was greatly dissatisfying.

 

Akane was still deciding on whether or not it would be prudent to speak with him when he glanced over suddenly, and they made eye contact.  With little more than a raise of his brow he turned back to his conversation.

 

Akane snorted quietly.  Fine, ignore me.  She pursed her lips and strode determinedly down the line of stations toward her own.  See if I care.

 

She didn't make it.  Kyouya didn't look like he was paying any attention until she passed behind him; then he turned, snagging her white lab coat.  She made a tiny noise of surprise as she was drawn back to him.

 

"Aww, Detective," Kyouya said with false distress.  "Were you gonna walk right by without even saying hello?"

 

Akane folded her arms.  She would have liked to cover her face, to make sure he wouldn't see her looking flustered, but it had to fend for itself.  Her nose scrunched in irritation.  "Hello, Prosecutor Garyuu."

 

"Hello, Detective."  Kyouya turned to better face her; instead of letting go of her coat he grabbed the other side with his free hand.  "It's good to see you this morning."

 

"And…you."  Akane tried to stand a little taller.  "Here to work?"

 

"I just thought I'd stop by to see how you guys are managing."

 

The detective behind Kyouya was giving Akane a funny look, and she felt a little stirring of apprehension.  Is he here to see me? she couldn't help but think, watching him for any indication of this being the case.  Why would he be?  Don't be stupid, Akane.  But we just finished a case, so there's no reason he should be here unless there's a new case, which I haven't heard about, so--

 

"We're fine," Akane told him.  She glanced down at his hands, which had begun to swing a little, tugging at her coat like a child pulling on its mother's sleeve.  She frowned.  "There aren't any big cases going on at the moment.  It's been pretty quiet."

 

"Good."  Kyouya began to alternate the little jerks of his hands, and the pull of the fabric against Akane's back made her turn just slightly back and forth with them.  "Quiet is good."

 

Akane finally shoved his hands off.  "Cut that out.  You didn't come here just to tease me, did you?"

 

"Tease you?" Kyouya echoed, as if taken aback.  He glanced away innocently.  "I'd never."

 

Akane rolled her eyes, but as she continued to watch him, she couldn't help the feeling that there was something…more, going on.  She suddenly remembered last Friday night, and the strange expression Kyouya had borne as he pulled away on his motorcycle.  I'm going to regret this.  "Hey, can I…"  She tried to speak with a bit more authority.  "Can I talk to you?  In private?"

 

Kyouya looked back to her, and this time she was sure she wasn't imagining the almost wariness in his eyes.  But then he grinned as he turned to the other detective, who was still watching their exchange with amusement.  "Hey.  Detective Houdzuki wants to talk to me.  In private."

 

"Hmm.  You'd better find out what she wants.  Privately."

 

"Yeah, you're right."

 

Akane was about ready to smack Kyouya by the time he faced her again.  "Okay," he said.  "Let's go talk.  In pri--"

 

"Just come on," Akane groaned.  She snatched his wrist and led him away from the desks.  The closest room where she could be sure they wouldn't be overheard was the interrogation room, and though it wasn't the most inconspicuous choice, she pulled him inside and closed the door behind her.

 

"Listen," she said seriously.  "We need to talk."

 

Kyouya leaned against the table at the center of the room, watching her with great interest.  "About?"

 

"Us."  She didn't like the way that word sounded when it applied to the two of them.  "I mean, you and me.  About…what happened."  This time there was nothing she could do to hide her blush.  "At your office."  When he opened his mouth to reply she quickly added, "And don't ask what, because you know what I mean."

 

Kyouya closed his mouth as if having to rethink his response a moment.  "All right," he agreed.  "Let's talk about how you kissed me."

 

Akane shook her head fiercely, and though she didn't mean it as denial, he teased her as if she had anyway.  "What, is that not it, either?" Kyouya chuckled.

 

"No, I mean…agh!"  Akane rubbed her face, took a step forward, and spoke her mind.  "I didn't mean to do that.  I just got carried away, because…because of the music."

 

"My music?"  Kyouya looked surprised, but his grin was back soon enough.  "They do say it soothes the savage beast."

 

Akane bristled.  "I am not a beast!" she protested.

 

Kyouya laughed, and for a moment the sound of it quelled her anger.  As much as she hated his teasing, she was almost relieved to hear it.  Although she knew she was probably making another mistake, she reached out to take his jacket, much the same way he had done to her earlier.

 

"I'm serious," Akane attempted in a softer tone.  "It's just…I'm worried about you."  His eyes thinned slightly, but she kept talking before he could interrupt.  "And that song, it felt like…you were trying to tell me something.  But I'm not musical or artsy, so I can't figure out things like that.  If you…"

 

She trailed off, suddenly feeling nervous from the blank look he was watching her with.  She swallowed hard and forced herself to finish.  It's not that I'm attracted to him, she told herself again, firmly.  I'm concerned.  That's it.  I know what he's doing, and I don't like it.  "You ignored my offer last time.  But if you ever want to talk…."

 

Kyouya reached up, cupping the side of her face with one broad hand.  The touch of his rough fingertips silenced Akane's voice and made her heart speed a bit behind her ribs.  He was leaning in.  This wasn't what she'd had in mind, but her body tensed all the same.  As if by instinct her eyelids drooped, and his breath on her cheek halted hers in her lungs.

 

Kyouya stopped short of kissing her.  There were still several inches between them when he sighed through his nose, and murmured, "You don't have to do this."

 

Akane blinked, confused.  When his hand lowered to her shoulder and urged her back, she obeyed without protest.  "What…?"

 

Kyouya nudged her hands off his jacket and slipped out from between her and the table.  "It's between him and me."  He started to leave.  "You don't have anything to feel guilty about."

 

Akane's cheeks flushed, but this time the little tremor that dove into her stomach wasn't excitement.  She whirled around.  "That has nothing to do with this!"  She felt humiliated, and angry--toyed with, even, when she was doing her best to be sincere.

 

Kyouya paused at the door.  "Think about it," he advised evenly.  "If you still want to talk, come by my place tonight after work."  He turned enough to see her.  "We'll talk then."

 

Akane shuddered, gripping the long strap of her leather satchel.  "Forget it!  I don't have anything to say to you, you big jerk!"

 

Kyouya smiled and let himself out.  "All right, then."

 

Akane glared at his back, but she was immobile for only a moment more before charging out of the interrogation room after him.  Her cheeks reddened all over again to see half the department scrambling away from the viewing window and back to their desks.  She could yell at them later.  For now she watched Kyouya's turned back as it moved away.  "Garyuu!"

 

Kyouya lifted a hand to wave, not pausing.  "Glad we had this chat, Detective!" he called back.

 

That ass.  Akane lowered her head, fighting hard to keep her conflicting emotions from showing in her face, now that everyone was watching her.  I'm just trying to help.  Who does he think he is?  With a scowl she turned to storm back to her desk.

 

*****

 

"Takita!  Where did you sneak off to?  Taki--oh!"  Koume's search of the house came to an end when she finally spotted Takita stretched out on the back porch.  "What are you doing down there?" she scolded, nudging his foot with her sandal.  "Aren't you supposed to be picking up your friend?  You told me it was this afternoon, didn't you?"

 

"Yeah, yeah."  Takita, rubbed lightly at his chest.  Though he would never admit it, it was still stinging faintly from the evening before.  It was bitterly unfair that a meeting with such a pretty, perfect girl could be spoiled by someone so idiotic.  "I'm waiting for Tsudzuo."

 

"Honestly, you ought to give your poor mother a little warning before you plan these things," Koume continued.  "Mr. Odoroki and his friends are, of course, welcome anytime.  But your father and I have plans tonight, so if you want them to stay for dinner, you'll have to get Mr. Akagami to pick you up something."

 

"I know, I know."

 

Koume frowned down at him.  Takita tried to avoid her gaze, because he knew that if she looked him in the eyes she would figure it out: that was the power moms had.  And she must have been getting better at it, because this time not even the eye contact was necessary.  "I heard that you ran into Yuuri Katagi yesterday."

 

Takita made a face at the name's very mention.  "Nothing happened."

 

"You ought to know better," Koume insisted.  "After everything you've been through already, the last man you ought to be around is that awful Katagi boy."

 

"I wasn't doing anything!" Takita said hotly.  "I was just there to see Mako."

 

"But you know that part of town is--"

 

Takita growled and pushed himself to his feet.  "They don't own the whole damn city," he grumbled.  "I can go where I want!"

 

He turned, anxious to get away from his mother's words, but he didn't get more than three steps before running smack into the broad figure of Tsudzuo Akagami.  The man steadied him with a hand on his shoulder.

 

"Don't worry, Ma'am," Tsudzuo told Koume evenly.  "I was nearby."

 

Koume sighed.  "Thank you, Mr. Akagami.  But Takita."  She stared him down crossly.  "You're going to have to be more careful yourself, too.  Mr. Akagami can't always be there to protect you."

 

"Yeah," Takita muttered.  He broke away from them both.  "I remember."

 

He stomped off, ignoring his mother's attempt to call him back.  This is supposed to be a good day, he thought bitterly as he headed for the front entrance to look for his sneakers.  Mako's coming over.  I don't want to worry about all this crap.

 

The sound of Tsudzuo's footsteps reached him a few minutes later, and Takita managed to replace his anger with a more subtle indignation.  "You ready to take me?" he asked without looking up.

 

"Yes."

 

"Good."  Takita straightened upright, and waited while Tsudzuo slipped into his shoes as well.  "So let's go."

 

Takita led the way outside to Tsudzuo's parked car, but when he grabbed for the passenger side door he found it was still locked.  "Hey, hit the thingie."

 

Tsudzuo came up behind him and stopped, making no move to do so.  When Takita finally turned around he found the man watching him very closely with serious eyes.  He sighed and slumped against the car.  "You gonna give me a lecture, too?" he muttered.

 

"No."  He handed Takita the car keys.  "Check the glove box."

 

It wasn't like Tsudzuo to withhold whatever point he was trying to make.  Takita accepted the keys hesitantly, and ground his teeth as he opened up the door and dropped inside.  "Why's everyone gotta be on my ass today?" he grumbled as he reached for the glove box as asked.  "I'm just trying to…."

 

Takita broke off quickly when he finally saw what Tsudzuo was getting at: nestled inside was one of the Kitaki handguns.  It caught him off guard, and he swallowed hard as some of the color drained from his face.  "What's this for…?"

 

Tsudzuo braced a hand against the open door and leaned down.  "Your parents have a dinner reservation tonight," he told Takita evenly.  "I made a reservation for us, too.  At the range."

 

"The…shooting range?"  Takita looked up to him cautiously.  "Come off it.  My old man'll never let me."

 

Tsudzuo blinked slowly.  "He doesn't have to know."

 

Takita's heart beat a little faster.  He had held a gun a few times before, but it had been a long time since he'd shot one.  He shut the glove box and shoved his hands into his jacket so Tsudzuo couldn't see how tense they were.  "You're gonna get in trouble if he finds out.  You know how it is now--we're not supposed to be running around with guns."  He snorted.  "We're clean."

 

"You need to be able to shoot," Tsudzuo told him.  His gravely voice was so low and serious that, even after knowing him for years, Takita still felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up.  "You need to protect yourself."

 

He's right.  Takita stared back at him, feeling foolish for the apprehension that was still eating at him.  And last year, I'd be halfway there already.  The thought that the events of the past months had changed him enough that Tsudzuo's invitation longer appealed to him was humbling.  "Tsudzuo…."

 

Tsudzuo crouched down, putting them at closer eye level.  "Your father is a good man," he went on.  "But he does not understand.  Not like you and I do."

 

He reached up, drawing down the zipper of the dark jacket he always wore.  By nudging the fabric aside he made visible the patches of scar tissue over his ribs, and two old marks by his right shoulder.  Takita had seen them before, but they seemed to take on a new meaning now.  "This is our way of life.  It's too late to ignore that now.  The Katagi are not any different.  They will always be our enemies."  Tsudzuo's voice lowered even deeper.  "I respect your father's decisions.  But I will never forgive the Katagi for what they did to you."

 

Takita stared back at him, awed and a little frightened by the intensity in Tsudzuo's thin eyes.  It reminded him that this was the way he had always wanted to be: unrelenting, and demanding of respect.  Tsudzuo had devoted his life to their family, had bled and sacrificed in their name.  Takita could now say that he had done the same, but he wasn't as strong as his father's trusted servant.  Not yet.

 

Takita took in a deep breath.  "Me neither."

 

*****

 

"I'm not going to waste your time with a lot of talk," Naruhodou said as he leaned against the bars.  He wasn't allowed in the cell anymore, which was fine with him.  "You already know why I'm here."

 

"I do," Kirihito confirmed.  He had his back to Naruhodou as they spoke, as he was busy brushing out his long hair.  "But why don't you say it anyway?  Then we can be certain not to mistake each other."

 

Naurhodou sighed.  "Fair enough."  There was no reason not to be direct now.  "I spoke with the Ministry of Justice.  They told me you confessed.  To everything."

 

"I did."

 

Naruhodou waited for more, but that seemed to be the entirety of Kirihito's response.  He suddenly felt a little guilty for the cryptic replies he'd given to others in the past.  "Will you tell me why?"

 

A simple "no" would end their conversation and render his trip here meaningless, so he might as well hear that answer first.  Fortunately, Kirihito was in a slightly less inconvenient mood.  "I don't see why I shouldn't," Kirihito replied easily.  "Why, you ask?  I think it's better this way."

 

"Better how?"  Naruhodou tried to keep his voice as calm and reasonable as Kirihito always seemed to be able to, but it had been seven years now.  This game was supposed to be over.  "They're not going to lighten your sentence."

 

Kirihito chuckled.  "No, of course not."  He began to twist his hair around into the spiral he always preferred.  "But I spoke with the Ministry of Justice, too.  They told me you could not regain your license to practice unless I told them the truth.  So I did."

 

"I'm still waiting for you to tell me why," Naruhodou said dryly.

 

"Because it was the last thing I could do.   My final act."

 

"Of apology?" Naruhodou asked, his tone doubtful.  "Or vengeance?"

 

Kirihito glanced at him over his shoulder with cold eyes.  "Which do you think?"

 

Naruhodou smirked bitterly.  "I suppose your plan is to wait until I've reclaimed my badge, and then you'll call the Ministry back with some 'new' information.  Maybe concerning that ace of spades we both know so well?  You need me to be a lawyer if you're going to ruin me again."

 

The humor returned to Kirihito's expression as he faced his long-time rival.  "Not at all," he assured.  "But it's all right.  You always did catch on…a little late."

 

"Enough," Naruhodou grunted.  "Are you going to tell me what you mean, or not?"

 

Kirihito finished fussing with his hair, and smiled thinly as a few short steps carried him to the bars that separated him from his visitor.  "There is no more vengeance to take," he told Naruhodou quietly.  "I cannot destroy you any more than I already have."  He slid his fingers around the bars, and when they tightened, the tendons on the back of his hand stretched against the scar that was there.  "You will never be a lawyer again.  I knew you would not appreciate that fact until I gave you the opportunity to try."

 

Naruhodou glared back at him, and though he should have known better by now than to let Kirihito get to him, his throat felt tight when he swallowed.  "You're still not answering my question."

 

"You asked why I confessed," Kirihito said.  "And I'm telling you: I did it for you.  The rest…you will come to realize on your own."

 

Naruhodou started to respond, growing frustrated, but he was interrupted by the voice of the guard watching them from a few feet away: "Mr. Garyuu, please step away from the bars."

 

Kirihito rolled his eyes to the side, for a moment looking honestly annoyed by the interference.  But then he sighed, and leaned back as instructed.  "Goodbye, Naruhodou," he murmured.  He peeled his hands from the iron.  "We ruined each other a long time ago.  Now I have done you a favor, and I hope that you will do one for me."  His voice lowered.  "Do not come back."

 

"Garyuu."  Naruhodou reached through the bars, trying to halt him, but by then Kirihito was already out of range.  "You still haven't told me anything!"

 

Kirihito turned away, taking a seat on the cot in the corner of his cell.  "Goodbye," he repeated.  "Don't come back."

 

Naruhodou drew away a step, though he hesitated for a long moment before turning his back.  He had known that coming here would leave him with more questions than answers, and in that respect he had not been mistaken.  But there was something in his gut he had not expected: a quiver of anxiety that was almost fear.  Some part of him may have already known what Kirihito meant.

 

"Goodbye," he muttered under his breath as he rejoined the guard.  It was over for Kirihito Garyuu.  But it was not yet over for him.

 

 

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