A/N: askljfklds this isn't dead, it's just seriously on the backburner, or else I'll fail my classes DX

I'm really sorry to announce, but… on the list of most manageable workloads, my school ranks verrrrrrry very low… Plus I am an engineer-in-training and taking lots of credits this year, so snail-paced updates… on the other hand, here is an update, I've JUST finished my first round of tests, and I finally, FINALLY have a copy of Ace Attorney 1!

And another important announcement, after this, people can skip my chatter/notes and jump to after the first line division. Except you, Ramblinkat, read the bottom lolol.
Okay, I have decided that I'm going to be alternating releases for a rewrite of arc 1 and new chapters for this current arc. For several reasons, one: I got stuck writing this chapter because it took me a while to make things work and I changed the setting halfway through (like I alwaysss do), two: I'm guilty of noob writing and cheating… the first arc was just so bad, and there's a specific key item that I need for the final confrontation of this arc, and I know where I can put it in the revised 1st arc to make it not come from nowhere…
SO. If anyone has any objections to this, or thinks I should do something like repost the entire 1st arc AFTER I finish writing the whole 1st arc/whole story, PLEASE TELL ME NOW. Right, major important stuff over, please enjoy the update :D

As a side note… You know, I can totally picture Ema being Kat Stratford from 10 Things I Hate About You. Anybody see that? XD
Another thing… I started watching Gankutsuou, which is this fantastic anime based off the Count of Monte Cristo. …I would not recommend it to anyone under 20, because it's sexually explicit X_X but I guess there's no harm in watching a short clip in English near the beginning, because frankly, I can now fully imagine Godot with the voice of the Count… *swoons* though if anyone watched Digimon 02, Oikawa has the same voice actor XD I bring this up because watching it inspired me for set up of the next arc… *sigh* so much to write, so little time…

GUYS, DID YOU SEE ACE ATTORNEY 5 NEWS?! OH MY FREAKING GOD. And with Phoenix in a waist coat, I can now safely not feel bad about writing a poor, and frankly long-time badly dressed character as a rich individual. And also, Capcom neglected to incorporate his wrinkles into his new 3D character model, so he looks just as young as ever… Y U do this to me, Capcom… I am a fan of too many 30+ year olds… JGL, Jay Chou, Gregory Peck, Cary Grant, etc… just yikes X_X

Ramblinkat: URGH I'm even later X_X yeah, ikr T_T I've been sitting on the idea ever since I began revising this arc. It just ties everything so nicely… in a messy way X_X I hope flashbacks aren't bad ^^' otherwise I'll try to tone down on them lol but it's kinda like what makes AA majestic in my mind; everything started brewing years and years ago, coming together to form one mind blowing final case O_O yeah, I was like "wtf, whyyy is she so moody DX". Lol, maybe it's not. I had it show up once or twice, and it relates to the game-verse. Once I rewrite arc 1, it'll make yet another appearance, haha. Thank you for your continued support X3 I hope I didn't lose you or anybody else with my unintentional hiatus… sorry sorry sorry…

Ema entered Court Room Three, standing with one foot inside and the other in the hallway as she looked skeptically around for the host she was appointed to meet. The interior of the club room was a flurry of activity, as numerous students strolled about and chattered about the various ornaments on display. Normally, she wouldn't be caught dead in a place like this. Ema didn't appreciate superficial people, like the ones who frequented the host club and the hosts providing 'light entertainment,' but then again, she knew that even the ones who seemed deep were probably only putting on a show.

Ema sniffed disdainfully. How was she going to be able to concentrate on homework if everyone was making so much noise? Ema thought that conventional host clubs were supposed to have furniture set up like in cafes, but she grumpily noted that there didn't seem to be anywhere to sit, adding on to her sour mood. And where was Mr. Edgeworth, anyway?

Eventually, the girl stepped fully into the room to venture inside and find Mr. Edgeworth. She already wanted to leave. Ema wandered in between the people and display cases, glancing about for a hint of gray.

"Hello there, Fraulein. I have yet to behold a beauty such as yours... Is this your first time in this enchanted court?" Klavier purred. He sidled up to Ema to greet her as she passed, just as he did with every new guest. As Prince of Hosts, it was his duty to welcome every girl into the club and make her feel special.

But not this time.

"Mm, it's my last time, too. Why don't you keep away from me, you creepy fop?" Ema scowled. Whoever this glimmerous weirdo was, she had no business with him, thankfully. Klavier squeaked almost inaudibly. Creepy fop?! Klavier froze in place, fading to the color of stone. Never, ever, had the Klavier Gavin been turned down by a girl. Women loved him, with all his charm and gentle sensitivity. This just wasn't happening!

Ema just passed him by, not giving a damn. She continued exploring, heading more towards the back of the court. Finally, she found Edgeworth, who briskly made his way to her side.

"Ah, Ema, there you are. I must apologize, we are currently holding the auction display, and the date slipped my mind. I would not have knowingly asked you here on a day like this," he apologized, giving her a subtle, wry smile. Ema decidedly returned a small frown.

"There isn't anywhere I can sit down to work, is there?" she asked in a business-like manner. The less she had to deal with annoyances, the better.

"There is, actually. Please come with me," he replied, turning around and heading still further back into the court. The club had small tables and chairs set up on the walkway available for patrons to rest at. The nearest auction items were some yards away, so there was a relative amount of restive atmosphere. Ema plonked onto a seat with a sigh of relief. Much better.

"Now… which questions did you need assistance with?" Edgeworth asked calmly.

"Oh, yeah, right here… I'm not sure how to get the number of moles in the diluted solution…" Ema replied, opening her notebook and pointing out the question.

Edgeworth glanced at the problem, which he was already familiar with, having finished the lab questions already. He explained it for her in a way that she'd be able to still figure out most of it for herself easily, after all, she wouldn't effectively learn anything if he simply told her how step by step.

"Ema… I must keep a presence on the display floor today, in case any guests ask after the items on auction. However, I will return and check up on you often," Edgeworth promised. Ema looked up in the middle of writing something down, barely sparing a glance for him.

"Whatever, just don't disappear on me, like that other time," she remarked in a dismissive manner. Edgeworth nodded, not missing the accusation. His throat felt dry, but he turned and got to work without another word. He deserved all of it, after all.

On his way across the floor, Edgeworth absently brushed by Klavier, who was still frozen in the middle of the room. Apparently this was his first time meeting Ema, or even any girl who shared her view of the male populace. Klavier had to have been standing there for several minutes by now, where he was discovered by Apollo, who had started to feel the slightest bit of concern after he realized that the head host had not moved for some time.

"Uh, Mr. Gavin… Mr. Gavin?" Apollo called, trying to wave in front of Klavier's eyes to snap him out of it. That earned him no response whatsoever. Apollo sighed, rolling up his shirt sleeves. "Hey, Mr. Gavin! Earth to Klavier!" Apollo tried once more, upping the volume on his so-called 'Chords of Steel.' Klavier still didn't respond, even to hearing his name, so Apollo just planted his hands on Klavier's shoulder, and shoved.

The petrified host teetered on his uneven footing, and toppled over heavily with a crash, like a pillar of stone.

"Gyah! Where am I?!" Klavier yelped, back in reality.

"You lost awareness for a while just because a girl didn't swoon over you," Apollo informed in an unamused way. Klavier put his hand to his head despairingly.

"Oh, ja… that was the very first time I have ever been turned down by a woman," he remarked emptily. Klavier rubbed his face, muttering incredulously, but then he snapped his fingers, looking smugger. "But it's fine. Do you know why, Herr Apollo?"

"…Because there's plenty more fish in the sea?" Apollo asked sardonically. Klavier looked puzzled.

"What fish? This has nothing to do with fish, Forehead," he insisted. "No, it's because I have you under my spell, my little Forehead. You admire my charms, don't you? Admit it, you were blushing the first time we met." Apollo flushed indignantly.

"That's because you were completely in my face, remember?" he steamed. "That was more from embarrassment than anything else!"

"But you liked that, didn't you? If you help me up, I'll give you a peck on your forehead," Klavier cooed, reaching his arms up and waggling his fingers expectantly. The young host spluttered and retreated to the corner of the room where he had decided to hang around, not really knowing enough about the items on auction to effectively help sell them.

"No, no, no, no, no," he squeaked. If his face got any redder than the school uniform, he'd probably pass out. Apollo darted behind a tall display case muttering, "He's just European," over and over under his breath.

In the other corner, Phoenix was wandering around the display cases as well. Honestly, he had forgotten to bring his copy of the records of the auction items, so he was trying his best to avoid questions for guests, because he wasn't experienced enough with valuable items and would be forced to bluff.

At the moment, he was staring at a deep blue cloth with kanji characters painted in elegant calligraphy on them. Frankly, Phoenix couldn't read a word of it. The cloth was fairly out of the way, so he spent time trying to guess what the words meant by comparing them to modern kanji he did know.

"I never thought I'd find a copy of '108 Ways to Save Money' at an auction for rich school kids." Phoenix whirled around in surprise to face the one who had just spoken.

"Mia…" he breathed, as if it were a sigh of relief. Mia Fey, Maya's older sister and Phoenix's old mentor, always seemed to appear at just the right moments. They had first met when he was in 7th grade and in danger of failing in math. Mia had been recommended to him as an in-school tutor, and she'd pulled him up from his rock bottom grades. They had become very close friends, and she was like his guardian angel, in a way.

"It's been such a long time, Mia. How's the university?" Phoenix asked excitedly, turning to face her. Mia had graduated high school last year, and they hadn't seen each other for the entire summer, so he had really missed her.

"Haha, I've never been busier, but it's a lot of fun, too, and I've met a lot of new people," she answered, smiling at him in her mysterious way. "Right now I'm on a short break, and I couldn't pass up the chance to visit you and my old high school. You know, I can't believe this is my first time at the host club. Sorry I wasn't able to visit you here last year, Phoenix." Mia said regretfully.

"Learn much about the law yet?" Phoenix asked curiously. As an only child, the only career option open to him was to take over his father's company, so it was interesting to him how Mia was paving her own path towards becoming a defense attorney, instead of becoming the master of the Kurain House.

"Yes, they jump straight into the material, and now I already have a six page paper to write about basic rights," Mia answered with a slight trace of complaint. "But it's important for me to know as much as possible in order to protect defendants in the future, so the faster they teach, the more I'll learn."

"Haha, I wish I could feel as passionate about my future. But, well… I guess having mine already decided for me by someone else makes it unexciting," Phoenix sighed. On the other hand, having a predetermined path provided a sense of safety. He couldn't imagine how much bravery it took for Mia to break away from hers, but he had no doubt that Mia would succeed with her fierce determination. Phoenix had to admit that he was a bit envious of that, in an admiring way.

"You can never be too sure about the future, Phoenix. That's my little piece of advice to you," Mia replied humorously. "So is there anything else of particular interest here? I had no idea the host club was really a museum."

"Ah, no, it's not really like this usually. Next week we'll have our annual auction. We raise money in order to fund the club independently from the school," he explained. At least he knew that much without having to make anything up.

"Alright, I'll look out for anything I like," Mia replied with amusement. The pair strolled among the display cases, peering inside them.

"You know, Phoenix, Maya keeps complaining lately that you're turning into an old man," Mia commented offhandedly. Phoenix's head whirled around to her in shock. Did Maya really think that of him? Really, he was only about a year older. It wasn't fair. "Something about how she has to drag your 'creaking joints' to go anywhere nowadays," Mia laughed.

"Oh, yeah, the other day she was really insistent on going to the Steel Samurai Festival, and I guess I should've known better than to say no, because we all know how obsessed she is with it," he laughed jokingly.

"But apparently it's the first request Maya's gotten you to accept in a while… Usually I get a lot more complaints from you about how Maya forced you into 'yet another hair-brained plot'," she said, smiling with mirth.

Had it… really been so noticeable? He hoped the sisters were both exaggerating. He hadn't meant to neglect Maya, he just didn't seem to have as much energy as of late…

"Ahaha, I guess I've just been so bogged down by homework and club activities lately. Math is admittedly a lot harder without your help, Mia," Phoenix explained. Hopefully Mia wouldn't realize that there was a specific person at club who was the source of all his troubles… But really, why did he even bother with the guy again? It wasn't as if his efforts were making any difference.

"Hmm… math is giving you trouble again? I wish I could be here to help you with that…" Mia asked, brushing her hair to the side as she looked at him. "Though I heard that my old rival from math team is a friend of yours in this host club. Why don't you try asking Miles Edgeworth for tutoring?" Phoenix nearly jumped out of his skin. Was it coincidence that Mia would mention the very person he didn't want to talk about while asking after his problems?

"I'll… think about it," he replied casually. "We're not really on the best of terms, though. You see, I'm carrying on your legacy in a way, because he's my rival too, in a hosting sense." He grinned cheekily. Mia pursed her lips with a frown.

"Is he bothering you? Why don't you try a bit of flattery? They say that opens many doors," she suggested playfully, though her advice didn't make that much sense to Phoenix.

"Well I've tried being friendly, he just keeps brushing me off," Phoenix grumbled. Anti-social jerk.

"Well, what did you say to him? Edgeworth really does come across as cold and ruthless, but he wouldn't just respond… impolitely for no reason," Mia questioned, infallibly believing that there must be a reason behind everything.

"I… well, maybe I pissed him off somehow, long ago…" he finally admitted with reluctance. "We knew each other before you met him back in junior high. We were… best friends before, even."

"Oh Phoenix, I'm so sorry…" Mia expressed, taking his hand comfortingly. "What do you think caused you two to part ways?"

"Mia, please… it's all in the past, and what's done is done. Let's just leave it alone," he smiled, trying to mask his pain.

I'm sorry I have to dredge up old memories, Mia thought regretfully, but I must get to the bottom of this so I can help you.

"Tell me," Mia commanded, glaring into his eyes. "I know this is what has been bothering you for all this time… why you were such a troubled kid through junior high."

"No, it's not- why would I be so hung up on losing a single friend?" Phoenix countered. "I was just not smart enough to keep up with my classmates, and that's why I wasn't exactly happy those years…"

"I'm not entirely convinced that losing his friendship was so insignificant… I remember, that Edgeworth's father died suddenly around that time, before we met in junior high. That must have been the start of Edgeworth shutting everyone out, wasn't it? And… you were probably hurt because he treated you as he did everyone else, even though you had been his best friend."

Phoenix averted his eyes completely.

"Mia… Please don't… Don't just put words in my mouth…" He sighed. "It's not like that at all. It's true, he pushed Larry and me away around the time he lost his father, but, I'm really bitter because I wasn't able to do a thing to help him."

Somewhere, there was the distant sound of shattering glass, followed by a string of curses in a foreign language. Phoenix found himself completely flustered by the jarring sound, already distracted after having admitted his deepest insecurity.

"Phoenix… listen to your heart. Whatever you do, don't give up on Edgeworth. If anyone can help him, it's you. People are most hurt by the ones who mean the most to them, so I don't believe your words are falling on deaf ears," Mia assured him with determination, and Phoenix felt more hopeful than he had in years.

"I- thanks, I feel a lot better now, now that I've finally let out my worry. I won't let him down this time, you can count on it," Phoenix answered spiritedly.

"Don't ever forget that I'm here to help you, either. This isn't a one-man battle. You have many friends who are ready to support you at any time," Mia reminded him. "In fact… that's why Maya has been so worried about you… because you were pushing people away from yourself, just like Edgeworth."

"Ah! I hadn't realized that was what I'd ended up doing," the host exclaimed in surprise. He felt a little sheepish about following Edgeworth into exactly the same scenario.

"Haha, come on, Pheonix," she laughed. They walked along in better spirits, feeling more confident about the future.

-AHC-

"You've wandered into the wrong territory, Trite. Make your way back home before the tiger loses his patience…" Phoenix inwardly groaned. Not him again. It was just his luck to have his mood ruined almost instantly. It seemed like he spent every day at the host club running into confrontations with one host or another.

"Truce. I'm just passing through with a guest," Phoenix said defensively. The white tiger smirked at him dangerously, hinting at indolent power with a flash of his teeth.

"Next time you can just leave the guests to professionals like me," he purred. Phoenix hissed involuntarily. He hated what a smarmy bastard the oldest host insisted on being. Just because he had about half a year of experience over Phoenix didn't make him superior.

Before he could retort, Godot was taking the hand of a skeptical Mia and showing her his steamiest grin. He loved making "his kittens" swoon, even if he tended to disappear on them often.

"Forgive me for not giving you the attention every little kitten deserves, I was a bit preoccupied giving the other host a few words of advice," he said, lightly placing a kiss on her hand. "Why don't you lose him and come with a man who really knows about the wonders being presented here today?"

"I'd appreciate if you didn't treat my friend like that, Mr…"

"Godot… Just Godot."

"Right. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to have a tour of this area," Mia replied. She looked at him with intrigue, but slipped her hand from his. Godot's grin fell. "I'd like for Phoenix to come along too, if you don't mind."

Godot inclined his head, regarding her wryly. "Well… at least you're loyal to someone, I'll give you that," he said to himself quietly.

"Have we… met before?" Mia asked hesitantly, narrowing her eyes troublingly.

"Once upon a time, in a past life, kitten," he smiled.

"Haha, maybe."

Phoenix had been trying to keep up with their exchange with a blank expression on his face, but he snapped to attention at that. Mia knew better than anyone what happened in the afterlife, so he decided right then and there to live as virtuously as possible, because he didn't want karma to get at him in the next life.

But the host quickly snapped out of his worries when he realized that Godot was steering Mia off in another direction without him. Hastily he shuffled over to catch up.

"Well, this old spear is rather wicked looking," Mia was commenting. She was rubbing her chin while examining this wooden staff with a curved bronze blade affixed to one end. It was decorated with a swirled wing pattern etched into the metal surface. Godot tipped his head back and regarded it with a smirk.

"This spear was once the extension of a fierce Zheng Fa warrior around 1000 BCE," he explained thoughtfully, before adding, "Don't even think about it. Wolf Boy snaps up every artifact we ever sell from Zheng Fa, probably to preserve the culture of his small home country. It's not worth the fight, ever." Phoenix sweatdropped. Half the hosts were definitely crazier than he was.

"I see…" Mia replied uncertainly. "Um, this looks interesting!" She quickly redirected the conversation to a tapestry depicting a phoenix fighting a tiger.

"That doesn't look familiar at all," she chuckled to Phoenix. He scowled at her. She may think Godot making fun of him was funny, but she should really try stepping in his shoes to see how she liked getting attacked every day for no reason.

"And what's this?" Mia asked, pointing to a little statuette on a marble mount. Godot lifted the piece out for her to see.

"This is a miniature of the Thinker Statue. It actually doubles as a clock," he explained smoothly and expertly, pushing down on the man's head. They waited for several seconds, but nothing seemed to change. "Funny, this clock supposedly says the time out loud when its switch is pressed. Guess it's broken. In any case, this clock is very rare, only two exist in the world."

"Only two? That's unusually exclusive," Phoenix remarked. Godot turned the clock over in his hands, thinking about it silently.

"Why are there only two? What's the story behind it?" Mia asked.

"Well, it's the curious story of two lovers. A once famous artist fashioned matching pairs of these clocks, giving one to the woman of his admirations to win her heart. And so they became lovers… but their happiness was not to last long. A short time later, the woman left suddenly on a trip without explanation. The artist suffered, not knowing why she had left. Eventually, she returned, but before she could reunite with the artist, she was stopped on the road by bandits and murdered."

"Somehow, the woman's clock went missing, and try as he might, the artist could not find it in her home or on her person. In agony, the artist eventually passed away, never knowing the truth."

"So what did happen? What if she had taken the clock with her and had it stolen by the bandits?" Mia demanded emphatically.

"Mm, that's the thing. No one knows. Some say that she had the clock to remind her of the artist, … and others say that she threw the clock away… but no one will ever find out now. They are all long dead, after all."

"Secrets may be buried with their owners, but anything can be found out if one knows how to ask properly."

"But not everyone will ask those crucial questions, will they?" Godot returned scathingly. It earned him a strange glance from Mia in a passing moment that was gone before it could be acknowledged. Mia looked down at the clock once more, as if scrutinizing its very essence.

"Were you perhaps interested in this clock, Miss?" Godot asked politely. Mia looked up at the man, where his eyes should have been.

"Ah, no, I was just thinking. Thank you for the fascinating back story, Mr. Godot, I'm afraid I must go home now," she replied formally, falsely apathetic, but her eyes were searching… always seeing beyond the obvious. "It was nice meeting you," she finished warmly, allowing herself to smile a little.

"Likewise. I hope we may meet again, Ms. Fey…" he replied in hushed tones as he drew away into the throng of guests, smiling impressionably as he went. Mia stared after the host, grin lingering in her memory like the lasting smile of a Cheshire Cat.

Phoenix blinked after them in surprise. People had better not tell him that Mia of all people had just fallen for Godot. She just wasn't the type of person to even really put up with Godot's type.

"Ph-Phoenix, I have to go home now… There's something I must find out…" she mumbled distractedly.

"Alright, Mia, you do what you have to," he replied, flashing her the cheesy grin he used whenever he wanted to cheer Maya up. "It was nice seeing you again. Don't forget to visit!" Mia smiled back.

"I won't, Phoenix," she replied affectionately, giving him a tight hug. Phoenix froze at that and blushed heavily. Being hugged by Mia was not something for the weak of mind.

"Take this. If anything happens, it will help you find the truth and guide you onto the right path again. The Magatama is an important Fey clan artifact, and some day it has to go to the next channeling master, so make sure you guard it in return," she said pointedly. Basically, if Phoenix lost it or the Magatama somehow didn't make it to Maya, then he'd be in deep trouble with the entire family, and some of the relatives could be downright scary. Mia smiled coyly at him again, satisfied that she'd scared him into safeguarding it enough. She turned away and walked off with a wave before the hapless host could gather his thoughts enough to say anything other than a dazed "bye".

After she had gone, Phoenix stared at his hand, clasping a strange glowing green stone. It almost seemed alive, humming with energy. He had seen this kind of amulet often enough. It was the same shape and size as the pendants worn by every member of the Fey Clan, carved into the shape of half of a Yin Yang symbol. However, this stone that Mia had just handed him was different. Closing his fingers over the Magatama again, he carefully slid it into his blazer pocket.

-AHC-

Finally, Ema was finished with her lab questions. She was still annoyed that Edgeworth had made her come work in an inconvenient place like this, but there was a bright side to it. Edgeworth had remembered to stop by her table every few minutes as he had promised, and because he had to keep leaving, it prevented Ema from having to deal with him the entire time, along with the unpleasant feelings that came with being in his presence.

She stuffed all of her books into her disorganized messenger bag and made to leave. Ema's intention was to go home right away, but she couldn't help but become curious about the items being sold. Not that she would buy anything when the money went to support flippant womanizers.

But wow, there was even antique technology for sale. Ema followed the line of the display cases, admiring the old telephones, clocks and strange geared mechanisms. Lost in her thoughts again, Ema failed to evade the other girl coming around the corner and bumped into her.

"Oh! …Why, Ema, what a surprise… I didn't think you were the type to frequent the host club," Ema froze. She knew she was moody most of the time, and that it wasn't a quality that won her a lot of friends. People tended to get nervous around her, particularly when she was eating or had anything in her hands, and for good reason; Ema had deadly good aim. But she didn't care what people thought of her. She preferred having peace and quiet over having to conform to social niceties any day.

"It's not like I'm here by choice," Ema grumbled in response to the other girl. "I was made to work with Mr. Edgeworth for a lab, and this is the only time he's available to help me with homework… I was just about to leave, in fact."

"Then you are very generous with your own time," Elaine, the tall girl remarked good naturedly. Ema scowled and muttered 'whatever'. The girl was just trying to make up for her image of politeness after being shocked by Ema's abrupt appearance and collision.

"So, Ema, is this your first time at the host club?" Great. She was trying to make conversation now. What a great way for Ema to spend her time, chatting emptily under social restrictions.

"…Yeah, this isn't really the kind of place I ever imagined myself being in," Ema answered rather forlornly. She looked away, staring at some old freaky cracked dolls that were in a display case off to the side to hide her glum expression. She never thought she'd end up spending time with Mr. Edgeworth under circumstances like this.

"Then you're not familiar with any of the hosts here, are you?" Ema shook her head. Elaine tipped her head to the side, thinking of stories she could interest Ema Skye with.

"Oh, did Elizabeth tell you about what we learned about Mr. Edgeworth the other day?" she asked, hitting on something juicy. Ema sighed. She wasn't really into gossip, and she really wanted to leave so she could catch Bill Nye the Science Guy on TV. The girl caught Ema's sigh and insisted, "Don't be like that, this only goes to prove that Miles Edgeworth is the host with the deepest character."

Ema raised her eyebrow as Elaine and her friends nodded in agreement.

"Deep character…? How so?" Elaine smiled, finally seeing Ema getting into their conversation.

"Rebecca, you were there too, so you should tell Ema the story," she insisted.

"Alright, then! Ema, have you heard about Mr. Edgeworth's reasons for becoming a host?" Rebecca asked, turning to the girl enthusiastically. Maybe Rebecca was into scandals or something.

"Huh. Is it because he wants to steal the hearts of girls and become the school heartthrob?" Ema sniffed resentfully.

"Um, no, it's actually something a lot different. A few days ago, the host club was holding a game where the rule was that everyone who loses has to answer questions truthfully, so Elizabeth and I took the opportunity to ask Mr. Edgeworth why he's here," Rebecca explained. Ema raised her eyebrow at that. Wasn't that just a simple game of truth or dare?

"And then this pained expression came over his noble features, like it was the greatest weight on his steadfast shoulders…" Rebecca declared dramatically. Every girl but Ema leaned closer in anticipation. "He said… 'I am here as an apology… because I broke the heart of a lady and hope to atone for my crime by serving the rest of womankind!'"

The girls gasped and one was even moved to tears by Rebecca's skillful, yet dramatized, reenactment of Edgeworth's confession. Ema's eyes were wide open.

"Is… is that all true…?" she rasped, her lip quivering. She looked away sharply.

"Ema… are you alright?" Elaine asked, moving forwards to place a comforting hand on Ema's shoulder. Ema shook it off.

"Wh-who could believe something like that?!" she demanded angrily. Unable to take it anymore, she turned on her heel and stormed off in the direction of the exit, ignoring the concerned calls of the girls she left behind.

Broke the heart of a lady? Atonement?! Surely he was faking his expression, hiding a smirk beneath his hand as he reeled in more girls with his fabricated story. Ema was outraged, hurt. What had she ever done to deserve having her feelings toyed with to this degree? Wasn't it enough after the first time?

Did he even mean her specifically? But, what if… What if it was true…?

Ema shook her head fiercely, perishing the thoughts of hope, letting them burn out in the clubroom as she left the threshold.

A/N: Uh, okay, this story is definitely set in Japan, same location as the Ouran Host Club, but to make my life easier, I'm only using idioms and names in English XP They ARE speaking Japanese, though. …*fail*

…loool if you didn't realize, I actually put in an attempt at what it might be like on the receiving end of a Magatama interrogation. Not going to throw physical evidence around, because that would be a little awkward, and I really hope it wasn't too rushed or anything… I did try to make a backwards reference to Trucy in that convo, because I think there's a line of ideas going from Diego Armando to Apollo, and Phoenix definitely teaches Trucy to think like him too (stepladder…)

Sorry if this was slow, trying to get back into the swing of things DX

Auction event, because wtf was supposed to happen with the vase Haruhi broke, anyway?! Shouldn't there have been more auction items or something? Bit of followup from me lol