Phoenix sat at his desk. He couldn’t concentrate. He squinted at the papers strewn around in front of him, rubbing his temples. They might as well have been written in Latin. He sighed and leaned back in his chair, his gaze moving lazily to the window across the room. The rain pelted mercilessly against the glass, blurring his view of the world beyond the office walls.

“So much for going for a walk to clear my head...” he thought to himself. He looked around the office, hoping something else would catch his attention and distract him from the paperwork he really didn’t feel like doing. There was something else he knew could distract him. Phoenix squeezed his eyes shut.

“No.” He thought sternly to himself. “She is the reason you can’t concentrate to begin with. Suck it up and get this work done. Focus Phoenix!” He looked at the page in front of him again. It was no use. Cleanly typed pages of text began to swirl around the page before his eyes. He blinked a few times. They weren't getting any clearer.

“Ugh.” He groaned. “I’m working too hard.” He slammed his pen down and took a deep breath. Ignoring the desperate pleas of his sensible subconscious, his attention turned to the other occupant of the office.

A pair of small feet hung lazily over the edge of the couch, their owner enjoying an afternoon nap.

“Maya...” he breathed. He wasn’t quite sure if he had said it out loud or in his head. Not that it mattered, he mused. She was fast asleep anyway. Phoenix couldn't really deny that his attitude to the young girl had changed since ‘that’ case.

He recalled at first how he had tried to deny everything, even to himself, like some childish defense mechanism. Just push it aside. She was Maya after all. ‘She’s Mia’s kid sister!’ he’d tried desperately to convince himself. But the truth was, that Maya was most definitely not a kid anymore. She was, in fact, a rather attractive young woman. Her soft facial features had become more defined, legs got longer and curves got...well...curvier. She was almost twenty now.

A few days after the Hazakurain trial had ended; he had received a visit from Edgeworth. Although brief, it would prove to be quite significant for Phoenix. Edgeworth was heading overseas for a few months and wanted to say goodbye to those he now considered ‘friends’. Strange behavior for Edgeworth, Phoenix had thought at the time. But then again, that case had changed them all in some way or another. He should have realized that he couldn't hide anything from Edgeworth - that guy didn't miss a beat.



Phoenix sat at his desk, half listening to Edgeworth’s European travel plans, but not really paying attention. Maya sat on the couch, silently stroking Pearl’s hair as she slept on her lap, still wearing that same faraway, vacant look on her face that had been her mask for the last two days. Staring at something, yet nothing at all. It didn’t take long for Edgeworth to realize Phoenix wasn’t really listening to him. He followed the defense attorney’s line of sight, and found what he was paying attention to, or rather, who. He stopped talking, a smirk creeping across his face. It took Phoenix another ten seconds or so to realize the lack of background noise. He turned to look at Edgeworth, noticing the man’s odd facial expression.

“...What?” Phoenix asked, maybe a little too defensively.

“I knew it.” Edgeworth said smugly.

“Knew what?” Phoenix asked.

Edgeworth laced his fingers together.

“I must say, I had my suspicions after the Engarde trial, but you pretty much confirmed them with what you did at Hazakura Temple.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Edgeworth.”

Edgeworth stared incredulously at Phoenix, trying to figure out whether the man was feigning ignorance, or whether he was really that stupid.

“You crossed a burning bridge, Wright. You crossed it for her.” Edgeworth said calmly.

Phoenix looked down at his desk, anywhere to avert his eyes from Edgeworth’s piercing gaze.

“Keep it down, will you?” Phoenix whispered, annoyance evident in his voice. Edgeworth shook his head.

“She doesn’t know?” he asked.

“No.” Phoenix responded.

“I can't say it was one of your finer moments, Wright. I don't know what you were expecting to achieve."

Phoenix's gaze remained firmly fixed on the desk in front of him. Edgeworth smiled sardonically, shaking his head again.

"Franziska is right. You are a fool.”

Phoenix stared at him, a little surprised at his friend's bluntness. Edgeworth cocked an eyebrow, daring Phoenix to respond with a reason, any reason, as to why he was not. Phoenix looked away again, leaning his elbows on his desk and his chin on his hands.

“I-It’s...it was nothing really. I don’t even know why I did it. It just happened. It’s not important.”

After a few moments of silence, Edgeworth decided there wasn't anything more to say. He stood and moved towards the office door. “Well, I still have much to take care of before my flight tomorrow. Take care, Wright. Miss Fey.” He finished, nodding curtly in her direction.

“Goodbye Mr Edgeworth!” she smiled. Phoenix watched her, that smile twisting his insides into uncomfortable knots. That wasn’t her real smile. Just the one she had been using the past few days to ensure everyone that she was ‘alright.’ He knew that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Phoenix stood up to see his visitor to the door. Half way through it, Edgeworth turned around to face him.

“Wright.” He said simply.

“Yes?” Phoenix responded.

“Love makes a man do foolish things.” He said, casting one last glance at Maya before turning and heading down the hallway. Phoenix closed the door with a soft click, sighing to himself.

“Nick...?”

Maya’s voice came from across the room. “What does he mean by that?"

Phoenix gulped.

"Do you think that maybe Mr Edgeworth has a girlfriend?” she wondered out loud, placing a finger on her chin, as she often did when deep in thought. Edgeworth’s cryptic nature had confused her more than once. Phoenix chuckled.

“I have no idea, Maya.” He lied.

No sooner had Edgeworth left; Phoenix looked at his watch, surprised by how late in the afternoon it already was.

“Maya, would you wake Pearl?” he asked, searching his desk for a particular file. “We only have 45 minutes before visiting hours are over for Iris. I promised her we would come see her today."

Maya nodded and gently shook the young girl.

“C’mon Pearly,” she whispered. “It’s time to go visit your sister.”

***

Phoenix sat across from Iris, not really knowing what to say. She seemed glad that everyone had come to visit. Iris mentioned that she had already had a few visitors, and that she hoped Sister Bikini would be back to see her again before the end of the week. She was clearly lonely. Phoenix felt sorry for her. Despite what she had done, prison was no place for someone as delicate as she was.

“Iris...I...uh...” Phoenix began. “I’m so sorry that you’re in here.”

“Don’t worry about me, Fee...err, Phoenix” she said, correcting herself, although Phoenix wasn’t sure why. “I made some mistakes, and now I have to learn from them.”

Phoenix gave her a sad smile. She was being brave.

“That doesn’t matter.” Phoenix said, switching easily into lawyer mode. “I’m going to see what I can do about appealing your sentence, or at the very least, have you placed under house arrest back at Hazakurain. I see no reason why you should have to remain in prison given the nature of your crime and the improbability of you re-offending.” He said, looking over the file he had brought with him. He put the file down, and looked up at Iris.

“Prison, well...it...it doesn’t suit you, Iris.” He finished.

Iris smiled. She was genuinely touched.

“You’d do that for me? Even after...even after...” she looked away, her eyes welling up with tears.

Phoenix felt like he wanted to hug her. Iris had that effect on everybody.

“What’s done is done, Iris.” He said softly, trying his best to console her. “We should all just do our best to move on with our lives. Forgive and forget.”

She smiled at him again. His forgiveness obviously meant a lot to her. Phoenix watched her, studying her face, her eyes. Now that he thought about it, it was somewhat possible to tell the difference between her and Dahlia. Her eyes held a sincerity that her sister’s did not, and her smile was far more honest than anything Dahlia could have managed.

But even so, when he looked at Iris, he still couldn’t help but see Dahlia’s sneering face in the back of his mind. He knew that wasn’t fair on Iris at all, but he couldn’t help feeling that way. He knew that somewhere, some tiny part of him would always be paranoid around her. Always wondering if Dahlia had somehow figured out a way to come back and haunt him. He wondered if things could have been different for them. What the future could have held, if Iris were an only child.

“Nothing.” He inwardly reminded himself. “If Iris were an only child, you never would have met her.” He had come to the conclusion a while ago that it was never meant to be.

Iris blushed and looked away, and Phoenix realised that he had been staring at her. Unfortunately, for him, this action was not lost on Pearl, who promptly slapped him, and gave him a piece of her mind.

“Honestly, Mr Nick.” She said disapprovingly. “How can you look at another woman like that? Mystic Maya is sitting right here! Shame on you.”

“Pearls, you don’t underst-“ Phoenix’s excuse was cut short by another slap from the unimpressed pint-sized medium.

“Pearly, please. That’s enough.”

Maya’s weak request caused Phoenix to turn around and look at her. She looked away before he could make eye contact.

“Way to go, Wright,” he thought to himself. “You just gave three women the wrong idea, all at once. That’s got to be some kind of record.”

Shaking off the embarrassment he felt, he turned his attention back to Iris.

“Like I said, I’ll look into an appeal for you, and I’ll be in touch as to where we head from here. I’ll be happy to represent you again, should the need arise.” He said formally. “In the meantime, if there is anything else I can help you with, you know where to contact me.”

He stood, signalling to Iris that he was preparing to leave.

“Thank you, Phoenix.” She said sincerely. “For everything... Thank you.”

He nodded in reply, picking up the file on the desk in front of him. Maya stood also, taking Pearl by the hand.

“Don’t worry,” Maya said, smiling at her cousin. “Nick will get you out of here. You can count on him. And I’ll bring Pearly back to visit you again soon.”

“Thank you, Maya.” Iris said with a small smile. “It’s nice to have some family again.”

***

The walk back to the office was a tense one. Pearls chatted constantly about anything and everything that was going on around her, but apart from answering Pearl’s questions, Maya spoke very little. Phoenix felt completely useless.

Soon, they reached the office, and Pearl wasted no time rushing inside. Phoenix grabbed Maya by the arm as she went to follow her young cousin, his action startling her. She turned around to face him, the protest on her lips falling silent when she saw the serious expression on his face.

“Maya.” He said grimly. “Are. You. Okay... And don’t lie to me.” It sounded like it was more a statement than a question. Her face was blank for a few moments, before changing magically into the same smile she had given Edgeworth only hours before.

“Seriously, Nick.” She said, freeing her arm from his grasp. “Why does everyone keep asking me that? I’m fine!”

She moved across the office, towards Pearl, who was currently making herself comfortable on the couch.

“You all need to lighten up!” she finished, a little too unconvincingly for Phoenix’s liking.

“Maya...” he said, his tone questioning. She smiled at him again.

He sighed, figuring she wasn’t ready to talk. He would wait.

“...Nevermind.” he finished, joining the pair on the couch and flicking on the TV. Maybe the Steel Samurai would be on...

The lights from the busy Gatewater Hotel streamed through Phoenix’s bedroom window, making the room considerably brighter than anything should be at that time of night. The flimsy curtains did little to filter out the harsh intrusion that the grand hotel inflicted on its unsuspecting neighbours once the sun went down. Phoenix groaned and pulled a pillow over his head. Normally, the lights from the Gatewater didn’t bother him at all. He had taken over the lease of this small loft apartment above the office after Mia had died – it was cheap and suited his needs, but right now he cursed that decision. Phoenix usually slept like a rock – Maya would joke that he could sleep through an earthquake, but tonight for some reason, sleep eluded him. He began to calculate in his mind just how much trouble he would get into if he snuck over to the Gatewater and cut the power. Surely if he woke Maya up, she would be up for such a crazy adventure...

Realising that it would be pretty unfair to wake Maya if she were asleep and also that he knew next to nothing about electrical work, Phoenix removed the pillow from his head and resumed staring at the ceiling. He'd counted the small cracks in the paint more times than he was willing to admit since going to bed a few hours ago. Pearl had fallen asleep quite early, and he and Maya hadn’t really moved from the couch since getting back from the detention centre that afternoon – save for answering the door when the pizza they had ordered arrived. Just like earlier, Maya really hadn’t seemed in the mood for talking, so she and Phoenix had spent the evening watching a couple of terrible action movies, silently enjoying each others company before heading off to bed around midnight. But here he was, hours later. Still awake. Even though his body screamed for sleep, his hyperactive brain had other ideas.

“Love makes a man do foolish things...”

Edgeworth's words echoed through his mind for the umpteenth time since his head hit the pillow. Phoenix frowned.

“Stupid Edgeworth. Where does he get off being so cool, whipping out lines like that and then disappearing off into the sunset. That doesn't happen in real life. It's like something out of a movie.” Phoenix muttered childishly to himself.

He thought about what he had just said for a moment before deciding that Edgeworth wasn't really a “real life” kind of guy, with his lavish lifestyle and pompous attitude. If he was trying to impart some wisdom on Phoenix, you could trust Edgeworth to do it in the most extravagant manner possible.

Eccentricities aside, it was clear to Phoenix that Edgeworth definitely had the idea firmly planted in his mind that he was harbouring romantic feelings toward his assistant. But that was preposterous. Wasn't it?

His thoughts again turned to Maya. He’d spent the last few hours trying to figure out exactly what she meant to him, and the answer was becoming much cloudier the more he tried to identify it. What was it that was so clear to Edgeworth that he couldn't work out himself?

He cared deeply for Maya – that was obvious enough, but love her? He wasn’t sure if he would call it love. So what if there may have been something different about the way he cared for her in comparison to the way he cared for his other friends, but he didn’t think he could say it was love, even if Edgeworth would. Love was a really strong word. A great, big, strong, looming, overbearing word.

Phoenix didn’t really have that much experience when it came to love, but he knew that the way he felt about Maya was different to the way he had felt about Dahlia (or Iris, now that he thought about it) – and he had always assumed he was in love with her. He remembered going out of his way to impress Dahlia, feeling giddy at the sight of her and wanting to tell everyone how he felt about her... Love in his mind was cute and sweet, full of enthusiastic declarations of love and gushing over your sweetheart. He didn’t feel the need to impress Maya, he knew she already thought highly of him. She certainly didn’t make him feel giddy either, in fact it was more the opposite. Maya made him feel confident in himself. With her by his side, he felt like there was no case he couldn’t turn on its head. He also noted that he wasn’t too eager to tell anybody that he was confused about how he felt at her, yet he had wanted to tell everyone he met about Dahlia.

He imagined making an exuberant confession of love to Maya, just as he had on a daily basis for Dahlia. He just couldn’t see himself doing that. Maya would probably react by looking at him as if he had grown an extra head before breaking into a fit of giggles. Everything seemed different to the way it had been with Dahlia, so therefore it must be something different at the source of it all. He had loved Dahlia, so that meant that whatever he felt for Maya couldn’t be love too...right?

Phoenix summed up his thoughts, as if preparing a closing statement for the court. He was right. He was sure of it. Problem solved.

“So there.” He thought to himself in a somewhat juvenile manner. This whole thought process seemed to be turning his inner monologue into a defensive twelve year old. He surmised that his investigation had proven that one Phoenix Wright was not in love with one Maya Fey.

“Take that, Edgeworth.” He mumbled.”So much for your crazy ideas, pal.” He silently added.

After a few more minutes of ceiling staring, Phoenix begrudgingly realised that sleep still hadn’t arrived and that his “investigation” had got him nowhere. While he may have convinced himself that he didn’t love Maya, at least not in a romantic sense, he still wasn’t any closer to figuring out what this strange feeling was that he felt for her.

He couldn’t deny that she was very pretty – anyone with eyes could see that. She also had a dazzling smile, and a great personality. She was so caring, the way she looked after him and Pearls, and there was that cute face she pulled when she had an idea...

Phoenix abruptly kneecapped his thought process.

“She’s my friend!” he sternly told himself. Again. “I’d never dream of crossing that line!”

He sighed. This train of thought was getting him nowhere. Two hours of staring at the ceiling and all he had done so far was figure out that he had some sort of unidentifiable attachment to Maya. He wondered why he was so protective of her. That seemed to be the one thing that rose to the surface when he thought about her. When it came to Maya Fey, Phoenix Wright was insanely, fiercely, protective. He couldn't even begin to entertain the idea of someone saying something bad about her. When she was in danger, he felt like his world was crumbling. He would do anything to make sure she was safe. Was it because that’s what Mia would have wanted?

“Why?” he thought. “Why do I feel this way? How does she do that to me?”

Not willing to torture himself thinking about it anymore, Phoenix rolled on to his side, the window now behind him. Instead, the bright red illumination of the digital clock stared him in the face.

3.54 it displayed, seemingly mocking his lack of sleep. He scowled at the clock. It flicked over yet another minute in response.

“Great.” He thought. “Now I’m engaging in a battle of wits with my alarm clock.”

He huffed and rolled on to his back once more, squeezing his eyes shut as tight as he could. He willed sleep to come.

Needless to say, it didn’t.

Phoenix however, wasn’t the only one lying awake that night. Just down the hall, a young spirit medium with the weight of the world on her shoulders cried silent tears into her pillow, although unlike her friend, romance was the very last thing on her mind.

I'm also a little concerned about writing Maya in the next few chapters too. We've never actually got to see Maya deal with the death of her mother, and since she's so upbeat 90% of the time in the game, she's going to be a little OOC too. I'll try my best though.

Maya plodded down the narrow hallway of Phoenix’s small apartment, yawning loudly and rubbing her eyes. It was just before lunch when she had finally dragged herself out of bed, her growling stomach forcing her to get up for something to eat. It had pretty much been the same story for the last week. Her sleeping had become so erratic lately and her body clock was all out of sync with the real world.

She couldn’t help it, sleep just didn’t happen as easily as it did before. The night time felt completely new to her, like she was facing it for the first time. She felt so alone, so afraid. The darkness led her mind into places that she did not want it to go. It meant remembering. It meant fear. It meant sorrow. Many hours were spent crying tears that never seemed to run out before her tired body fell asleep from sheer exhaustion, causing her to sleep well into the morning. Phoenix hadn’t mentioned the distinct change in Maya’s personality (and sleeping habits) and to be honest, she was glad. She really wasn’t ready to talk about it. She wasn’t exactly sure when she would be, either.

Maya wondered idly if Pearl was downstairs already. She shuffled into the kitchen, noticing a chair pulled up to the counter, along with the chaos that consisted of spilled cheerio’s and milk.

“Nick is bad, but not that messy...” she thought to herself figuring that Pearl must have already been up for some time. Maya assumed that Pearl would be sitting in front of the small TV in the office downstairs, some unknown cartoon keeping her completely captivated. She headed for the fridge to see if there was anything edible inside. The outside of the fridge was cluttered with all sorts of things stuck down by a strange mixture of magnets. A mess of photos, coupons and bills stared back at her, but a piece of paper in the top left corner caught her attention. She smiled upon recognizing Phoenix’s messy scrawl.

The phrase “FREE BURGERS” was written in huge letters across the top of the note. Maya giggled and continued to read.

“Sorry Maya, just wanted to make sure this note got your attention. Your cousin Andre rang early this morning to tell you he’ll be picking up Pearls around three and taking her home. I’ll probably be down at the detention centre most of the day. If you need anything, call my cell. – Nick.”

“Oh, shoot.” she thought sadly. She had completely forgotten about Pearl having to go home today. “It’s probably for the best...” she sighed to herself, dropping the note on the counter and heading down the stairs that led to the office.

Pearl was indeed exactly where Maya presumed she would be. Lying on the floor in front of the TV, chin in her hands. Her empty cereal bowl sat on the floor to her left, while a number of picture books were spread out across the floor to her right.

“God forbid we actually have a client come in to the office...” Maya thought to herself. “They’ll think we’re running some sort of day care centre.” She padded over to the couch and flopped down, surprising Pearl, who had been far too engrossed in the bear stealing picnic baskets to have heard her approach.

“Mystic Maya!” she cried happily, turning to smile at her cousin. “Good Morning!”

“Morning Pearly.” Maya responded. Pearl turned back to the television show she was watching.

“Did you sleep well?” Pearl asked, eyes not moving from the screen.

“Yeah, I guess I did.” Maya lied. There wasn’t any point telling Pearl otherwise.

“That’s good.” Pearl said cheerily. “Did you have any good dreams? I bet you dreamed about Mr Nick didn’t you, Mystic Maya?” she added cheekily, causing Maya to chuckle.

“No, Pearly. I did not dream about Nick.” Maya said, rolling her eyes.

“That’s a shame.” Pearl said nonchalantly, still engrossed in the cartoon she was watching.

After a few moments, the show ended, and Pearl sat up, turning her back to the TV and facing Maya.

“Where is Mr Nick, anyway?” Pearl asked. “He wasn’t here when I got up.”

“He’s down at the detention centre again.” Maya replied.

“With Sister Iris?”

“Yep.”

Maya sighed. Pearl eyed her suspiciously.

“Does that bother you, Mystic Maya?”

Maya felt herself get slightly flustered.

“What? No! If course not.” She protested. Pearl shrugged.

“Okay.” Pearl conceded, raising her eyebrows. “Well, it’s just that you said he’s at the detention centre “again” as if that bothered you, then you let out that big sigh when I asked about Sister Iris, and then when we were there the other day he was staring at...”

“Okay, Pearly. I get it.” Maya interrupted.”I’m not jealous, I’m just...tired. I’m tired that’s all. And I feel like I haven’t seen Nick for days.”

Although her claims of being tired were nothing more than a weak excuse, the rest of it was the truth. She really hadn’t seen Phoenix for more than a few hours in the last three days. Apparently the appeal on Iris’s sentence was going well and it seemed very likely she would be allowed to serve out the rest of her sentence back home at Hazakurain, under the care of Sister Bikini. Phoenix seemed obsessed with getting this done, and okay, maybe she was a little jealous. She would admit that to herself, but definitely not to Pearl.

“But that’s not important.” Maya said, changing the subject and grinning at the little girl. “We’ve only got a few hours before you have to go home, so how ‘bout we pack a picnic and head down to People Park?”

Pearl clapped her hands together excitedly, a huge smile spreading across her face.

“I’d love that, Mystic Maya!” Her face fell suddenly. “It’s a shame Mr Nick can’t come too.” She said, a hint of sadness in her voice.

“Doesn’t matter.” Maya said with a smile, standing up and helping her young cousin to her feet. “We’ll have a blast Pearly, just you and me. Go on and get yourself ready.”

“Do I really have to go home today, Mystic Maya?” Pearl asked sadly.

“I’m afraid so, Pearly.” Maya responded. “The elders want you to continue with your training, so you have to go home.”

“What about your training, Mystic Maya?”

Maya cringed. The million dollar question.

“Don’t worry about me Pearly, I’ll sort it out. Now hurry! Get your shoes!” she said as cheerily as she could. It appeared it was a good enough answer for Pearl, who scurried off with no further questions. Maya sighed. She really didn’t want to think about what Kurain held for her right now. She wondered what Phoenix was doing. Pearl was right about one thing.

“It would be better if Nick were coming Pearly. It really would.” She thought wistfully before heading back up the stairs to get ready herself.



The trip to the park seemed to be just what Maya needed. The sunshine lifted her spirits considerably and it warmed her heart to see Pearl so genuinely happy. They ate lunch together, fed the baby ducks and Maya had even pushed Pearl on the swing. She giggled and grinned, and Maya couldn’t believe that it had only been a week since that case ended. It felt like they were a world away, which made her happy. She was happiest when she could forget.

Satisfied with their day of fun in the sun, the girls began their short walk back to the office. They hadn’t got very far when Maya felt Pearl tugging gently on her hand. She looked down at the tiny girl, only to find her yawning and rubbing at her eyes.

“Mystic Maya, can you pick me up?” Pearl asked wearily. Maya smiled and lifted the girl into her arms. It was lucky that Pearl was so small for her age. That and they were only about a block from the office anyway. Maya shifted Pearl’s weight so she sat comfortably on her hip, and began walking again. A minute or so passed and Maya noticed that Pearl was fast asleep.

Finally back at the office building, Maya climbed the stairs that led to the Wright & Co Law Offices, only to find her cousin Andre leaning casually against the wall outside the door.

“You’re early.” She said to him, unlocking the door and heading inside the empty office.

“You’re late.” He responded, following her inside. Maya carefully positioned Pearl on the couch so as not to wake her.

“Nick told me three. It’s half past two.”

Andre decided to make himself comfortable by taking a seat on the edge of Phoenix’s desk. Maya cringed at her conceited cousin’s invasion of Phoenix’s space.

“Well, I told Mr Wright two o clock. He must have got it wrong.”

Maya rolled her eyes. Of all the people they would send to pick up Pearl, it had to be Andre Fey. Although she referred to Andre as a cousin, she wasn’t exactly sure how they were related at all. Second cousin...third cousin maybe? She wasn’t sure. But what she did know is that Andre was about as stuck up as they come. His family did have some connection to the Fey head family – she knew that much and Andre was just the type of person to milk it for all it was worth. Also, the fact that he was one of the only males permanently living in Kurain only helped inflate his ego to galactic proportions. Any girl who wasn’t a blood relative gushed over him like you wouldn’t believe. Maya conceded that while he was conventionally attractive it was his excessive self belief that made him repulsive in her eyes. His dark hair and eyes gave him a rather mysterious air, and the agricultural work that his family looked over in the village ensured he maintained his strong physique, but nonetheless, he was a huge jerk.

“Regardless, we are here now. You can take her.” Maya said flatly.

“Actually,” he began. “I have a message for you as well.”

Maya said nothing, deciding that staring at him impatiently would be more poignant. Andre smirked at her, examining his fingernails before speaking again.

“The Elders have requested that you return to Kurain also.”

Maya felt her heart sink in her chest.

“I can’t do that right now, Andre.” Maya said in the calmest voice she could manage. “I am needed here.”

“Don’t you think you are needed much more back in Kurain, Mystic Maya?” he said, placing a little too much emphasis on the word ‘Mystic’. “You do realise that you are the one responsible to make the arrangements for your mothers burial. Misty Fey is dead, and that makes you the master, which in turn means the duty falls to you.”

Maya closed her eyes, her brow furrowing as she registered the full impact of Andre’s insensitivity to her mothers passing.

“Get out Andre. Take Pearl and get out.” Maya said through gritted teeth.

Andre smirked again, and shook his head.

“Maya Fey.” He said incredulously. “I must say I am terribly disappointed in you. After everything you have been given, you still insist on leaving your duty and tradition behind to chase this ridiculous notion of law.”

Maya scowled at him, but it didn’t seem to faze him.

“Or...” he continued, crossing his arms. “Is it the lawyer that you are chasing?” he finished, raising an eyebrow.

“I thought I asked you to get out, Andre. Now leave.” Maya said again, her calm grasp on the situation slowly slipping away.

He glared at her then, his expression changing from one of smug self satisfaction to one of resentment.

“You bring shame to the Fey Family, Maya. Just like your sister. Just like your mother. You don’t deserve to be master.” He spat, before striding over to the couch and scooping up Pearl into his arms.

“Kurain is better off without the disgrace you bring it. Maybe you shouldn’t come back.”

Andre picked up the small backpack by the door that contained Pearls belongings and shot Maya one last icy stare before storming out, slamming the door behind him.

Maya remained frozen for a few moments, breathing unevenly. Andre’s bluntness had left her in some form of shock. Then it happened. Looking back she could have sworn that she felt herself break in that instant. Slowly, she sank to her knees on the floor. Small sobs began to shake her tiny frame as tear after tear trickled down her cheeks. It was all coming out. All the pain she felt...all the anguish. She sat there for a very long time, body hunched over, her hands balled into fists as the tears kept falling.

As the orange glow of the sunset filtered through the window across the room, loud sobs echoed heartbreakingly through the empty office and a broken woman sat all alone with her head in her hands.

Phoenix hung up the phone and leaned back in his chair, lacing his fingers behind his head. He felt pretty damn proud of himself. He had just received word that his appeal against Iris’s incarceration had been successful, and that she would be transferred back to Hazakurain by the end of the week. Thanks to his efforts, she would now get to serve out her sentence under the supervision of Sister Bikini. She was going to be ecstatic when she found out. He made a mental note to call her the moment the official paperwork had been signed.

He needed to tell Maya the good news. Glancing at the clock, he saw that it was a quarter past ten, and it appeared Maya was still in bed. He sighed. She had been sleeping a lot lately. He didn’t know whether it was best to wake her or let her sleep. Should he say something about the way she had been acting or should he just leave it alone? He frowned. She’d been through so much, and Phoenix knew he would be lying if he said he hadn't been going out of his mind worrying about her.

That was why he’d put so much effort into Iris’s appeal. It was a welcome distraction. If he kept his mind busy, then it was safe to bet that it wouldn’t drift to thoughts of Maya. He felt selfish for feeling that way, but his situation with Maya was just a little too confusing and time consuming to deal with right now. But if that alone wasn’t bad enough, Phoenix also felt at a complete loss for what to do or say around her as she dealt with the pain of her mother’s passing. The right words were difficult to locate. “I’m so sorry…” and “Everything is going to be fine...” sounded weak and stupid in his mind, and he knew that she needed her own space to help her deal with everything in whatever way she felt was best for her.

As far as he knew, Pearl had gone back to Kurain yesterday but Maya had already gone to bed by the time he got home last night, so he wasn’t completely sure. He hadn’t really seen Maya that much in the last week, and he did feel guilty about it. He may not be able to say the right things to make her feel better, but maybe having him around would be of some help to her. At least he hoped it was. Tapping his hands on his desk, he decided that he was going to wake her. Maya had already missed enough of this beautiful day. A nice lunch in celebration of his victory today would do her a world of good.

He jogged up the stairs and stopped outside her room, only to find a note stuck to the door.

“How did I miss that when I got up this morning?” he wondered. Snatching the note off the door, he read it to himself.

“Nick. Gone to library. Be back around lunch. Maybe. – Maya. PS. You owe me a free burger for getting my hopes up yesterday. HA HA!”

Phoenix stared at the note for a few minutes, not quite sure what to make of it. It was brief, but it definitely sounded like the old Maya. She’d been so despondent and withdrawn lately he found it hard to imagine her writing this letter at all. And why was she going to the library anyway?



It was indeed around lunch time when the door to the Wright & Co Law Office flung open and Maya Fey barreled through, the large stack of books she had in her arms plummeting to the floor with a crash.

“Oops.” She said sheepishly, giving Phoenix a small smile. Phoenix moved from his chair to help her pick up the books. Kneeling on the floor, he picked one up and examined the title.

“Channeling in the New Age...” he read aloud. He picked up another. “Great Mediums in History?” he read, shooting Maya a puzzled look. “What do you need all these for?”

Maya took the book he was holding from his hands, placing it atop the pile she had made.

“It’s important for me to continue my studies, Nick. Even if I’m not in Kurain.” She said simply. “Kurain Master is expected to know all about everything in these books. I don’t want to let anyone down...” She broke eye contact with Phoenix as she trailed off, looking down at the pile of books, an odd expression marring her features.

Phoenix stood, dusting off the knees of his pants, while Maya carried her large pile of reading material over to the other desk in the office, which he had given to her. As he watched her move across the room towards her desk, fear and panic washed over him the instant he realized he’d been not so innocently thinking about how short her skirt was. Maya placed the books down with a thud and turned around just in time to catch Phoenix with a ‘deer in headlights’ expression on his face. She tilted her head to the side and looked at him quizzically. Figuring out he had been busted, Phoenix cleared his throat and turned his attention to the window.

“So...” she began, ignoring his weirdness. “How have your last few days been, stranger? Any luck with your appeal?”

He turned back to her and grinned.

“Absolutely. Complete success.” He said, lifting his chin in a proud manner. “Would you expect anything less from the great Phoenix Wright?”

She laughed at his exaggerated opinion of himself.

”That’s fantastic, Nick. I’m so proud of you.” She gave him a big smile, a real one, he noted, and he couldn’t help but puff his chest out a little with pride. Maya must have noticed, because she giggled before speaking again.

“So, tell me about it. What’s happening?” she asked eagerly.

“Well,” he started, “The appeal against incarceration was approved, and they are allowing her to serve her sentence in Hazakurain.”

Phoenix recoiled inwardly as soon as the name of that place left his lips. “Stupid!” he thought to himself. “Just go on and blurt out the name of the place where she was attacked and her mother was killed...”

Surprisingly, the expression on Maya’s face didn’t change at all. It was like the word “Hazakurain” didn’t even register in the slightest.

“We should go visit.” She said, her smile not leaving her face. Phoenix made no effort to hide his baffled expression.

“What? A-Are you sure?” he stammered.

“Sure.” She said calmly. “Why not?”

“Because...err...because...umm...” Phoenix struggled to find the right words to say ‘It’s only been a week since you were brutally attacked and your mother was murdered there…’ without coming off as insensitive. There really weren’t any. Tact had never been his forte.

“I promised Iris that I would bring Pearl to see her again soon, and this seems like a perfect opportunity. A happy occasion. Don’t you think, Nick?” Maya interrupted, her expression seeking his approval.

“Uhh...Sure...” Phoenix agreed, bewildered.

“Great!” Maya said with a grin. “You make the arrangements with Sister Bikini, and I’ll phone Pearl. I know she’s only just gone back to Kurain, but surely the elders will allow her to make the trip, because she can train while she is there!”

Maya hurried over to the phone, picking up the receiver and dialing the number she had memorized, while Phoenix looked on, flabbergasted.

Maya just...she didn’t make any sense… Could it even be possible for her to get over an event of this magnitude, seemingly overnight? Phoenix really didn’t think so. But how else could he explain this sudden shift in her behavior? Maya looked like Maya, so she definitely wasn’t channeling anybody she shouldn’t have been. But still, it was like she was a completely different person to the Maya he had seen over the past few days.

Phoenix scratched his head as Maya hung up the phone.

“Pearly thinks it’s a great idea! Find out when Iris will be back in Hazakurain, and we’ll go right away. The sooner the better!” Maya chirped.

Phoenix frowned. She was way too happy. Not that he wouldn’t have been genuinely relieved if it was really the truth, but he really didn’t feel like it was. Something was off about Maya’s sunny demeanor. His thoughts however, were interrupted when Maya left his desk and headed towards him. She came to a halt in front of him and grabbed his tie, using it to pull his face down towards hers.

Phoenix gulped. He could feel his cheeks burning, and honestly hoped that it wasn’t physically visible. His brain was firing off all sorts of warning signals. What was she doing? Being in such close proximity to Maya was making him break out in a sweat. He stared at her. Her dark eyes sparkled mischievously. His heart was pounding in his ears. He wondered if she could hear it.

“You, sir…” she began, a playful smirk on her lips, “…owe me a burger.”

Then, without warning, she let go of his tie and pranced towards the door. Phoenix took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

“What the hell was that Wright?” he asked himself. He couldn’t believe that such a small action from Maya had rattled him so immensely. So much for his argument that Maya didn’t have that kind of effect on him. She’d just blown that logic clear out of the water.

“C’mon Nick!” she said impatiently, hand on her hip as she waited by the door. “I’m starving. Let’s go!”

Shaking off what remained of his hormone induced panic state; Phoenix decided quickly that a happy Maya was a good Maya, at least in the short term. He grabbed his jacket and joined the young spirit medium as she walked out the door, pulling it closed behind him. He would get to the bottom of her strange behavior and seemingly miraculous recovery later.

As for right now, he knew there was only one thing to do. He was buying this girl a burger!

*claps hands over eyes* Hush now, this is a T rated fic! There will be no boners until necessary smut is appropriately implied further down the track in the fic! HAHA! As for now we can assume that Phoenix has tremendous self control. LMAO.

Just as Phoenix knew she would be, Iris was absolutely overjoyed when he told her of their successful appeal. The arrangements for her transfer to Hazakurain were made immediately and even though it went against what he thought was the right thing to do, Phoenix made the arrangements for Maya, Pearl and himself to visit, leaving day after next. He had a bad feeling about their impromptu holiday, but he’d figured out a long time ago that he couldn’t say no to Maya. Even if he wasn’t entirely sure that the idea he was agreeing to was in her best interest.

Maya, however, seemed thrilled by the impending visit.

“Probably a little too thrilled.” Phoenix thought to himself, wondering whether it was safe to trust his gut or whether he was just being too suspicious of the girl. Maybe this was all a part of her grieving process? But if that was the case, she really hadn’t given too much time to the actual “grief” portion. He drummed his fingers on the arm of the couch.

“Maybe I should just leave it.” He thought. If you poke at something enough, it’s bound to bleed. Maybe he should stop poking. But what if something was really, really wrong?

“Ugh. I hate worrying.” He thought to himself, watching Maya from across the room. He was still trying his hardest to figure her out and he was willing to admit he had no clue what was going on. For all respective purposes, Maya seemed normal. It was like the incident at Hazakurain never even happened. She appeared to be getting up at regular hours again, she was back to laughing at his terrible attempts at jokes and had even returned to giving him a hard time about his own bad habits. But something… something wasn’t quite right.

She sat at her desk, poring over some huge, ancient looking book. She chewed thoughtfully on the end of her pen, every so often getting her “idea face” and scribbling something down in the notebook in front of her. She’d barely put those books down in the last few days. She was up before Phoenix, and went to bed after him. Looking at his watch, Phoenix saw that it was getting close to dinner. An idea began forming in his head. He knew exactly how to get her attention.

Getting up from the couch, he made his way over to Maya’s desk. He picked up the chair that sat on the opposite side to where she sat, turned it around backwards and straddled it casually. He leaned across the back of the chair and watched her work, smirking to himself. Surely she would get annoyed with him staring at her soon. He wondered how long it would take him to break her concentration. He chuckled to himself. He knew he was being childish, but he was bored. And Maya was no fun right now. If someone like Edgeworth had of walked in to the office at that moment, the sheer absurdity of their role reversal probably would have blown his mind.

About thirty seconds had passed, and Phoenix was slightly annoyed to discover that Maya hadn’t taken any notice of him at all.

“Maaaa-yaaaa…” he said, almost musically.

“Hmm?” she responded, not looking up from her book.

“It’s dinner time.” He continued in the same tone of voice.

“Mmm hmm.” She acknowledged.

“Aren’t you hungry?” he asked her.

“Mmm.” She said, still absorbed in her reading material. “Not really.” She answered.

Phoenix’s eyes widened. Maya…wasn’t…hungry? That just…it didn’t compute!

“Something is VERY wrong here.” Phoenix thought to himself. He would have to up the ante.

“We can get burgers… My treat…” he said in his best persuasive tone.

“Hmm.” Maya mumbled. “Maybe later.”

All Phoenix could do was stare at her. Did she really just say that? Eventually, Maya looked up from scribbling notes, finally looking at the dumbstruck man sitting across from her.

“Something wrong?” she asked him with a small smile. “You’re staring at me.”

Phoenix eyed her doubtfully.

“Since when are you not hungry?” he questioned, raising an eyebrow. She shrugged.

“Since right now. I’m kinda absorbed in my work.”

“That’s never stopped you before. Remember that time you asked me if we could get a court recess so you could eat?”

“I don’t remember that,” she said with a small frown.

“Figures. Selective memory.” Phoenix said grinning and rolling his eyes. “Whether you remember it or not, it did happen and it does prove my point that food is usually your number one priority.”

Phoenix stood, and motioned for her to do the same.

“So come on. Let’s go. Burgers await.”

Maya sighed and put her pen down. “I’m really busy right now Nick. I wanted to get through the next three chapters before bed. If I stick to my schedule I’ll get it done, but if I run off for burgers…” Maya said, trailing off.

Phoenix’s shoulders slumped as he let out an exaggerated groan.

“Fine…” he said, throwing his hands in the air with mock devastation. “We can both just starve.”

“I’m not really that hungry anyway, Nick.” Maya said.

“Well, I’ll starve then.” Phoenix said dramatically, heading back towards the couch.

“You can go get something.” Maya suggested.

“And be the sad guy at the burger joint eating his double beef all by his lonesome? No thanks.” Phoenix said, flopping down on the couch. He heard Maya giggle slightly, before once again, the faint scratches of her pen on paper travelled to his ears. He picked up the TV remote and switched it on.

“Mission: failure.” He thought dismally to himself as he flicked aimlessly through the channels.



*grumble*

Phoenix’s eyes snapped open.

*grumble*

He sat up, glancing downward to give his noisy stomach the evil eye and then looked over at the clock. 2.42. His stomach had apparently decided to stage an early morning protest at the previous night’s lack of dinner. He groaned. It felt like he had only just fallen asleep. However, he was happy to note that his sleeping patterns had shown slight improvements in the last few days. He ignored the fact that it was probably due to admitting to himself that he did at least find Maya kinda cute. Unfortunately though, he was still quite a ways off from the patented ‘Phoenix Wright impenetrable wall of slumber’.

Nothing much had happened after he had tried to get Maya to stop reading and go out with him to eat. He had ended up watching TV for most of the night before giving up on getting her to do anything other than read, admitting defeat and finally going to bed. But now, he was awake again and really needed to put something in his empty stomach.

Phoenix rolled ungracefully out of bed, leaving his bedroom and ambling down the hallway. He didn’t bother with a shirt. His pyjama pants were fine, and Maya would be asleep anyway. He yawned loudly as he approached the refrigerator, cringing at the bright light once he opened the door. He scanned the contents, eventually locating a pudding. Grabbing a spoon and quickly devouring the contents, he threw the tub in the bin and went to head back to his bedroom, but froze when he noticed light still coming from the office downstairs.

“You have got to be kidding me.” He thought, suddenly finding himself much more awake. “She couldn’t possibly be… she must have just forgotten to switch off the lamp.”

Phoenix took a few steps up the hallway, and quietly opened the door to Maya’s room. Her bed was empty and still made. Frowning, he turned around and headed down the stairs to the office.

“Doesn’t she realise she needs her sleep?” he grumbled to himself, annoyed. “She’s going to burn herself out if she keeps up these crazy habits.”

He prepared himself to give Maya a lecture about pushing herself too hard, but all his anger and annoyance seemed to melt away when he actually laid eyes on the young woman, fast asleep at her desk, pen still in hand.

With a small sigh he walked over to the desk and switched off the lamp. He gently removed the pen from Maya’s grip, making the decision then and there not to wake her. If he did, she would probably want to keep studying. With very little effort, he scooped the sleeping girl up into his arms. Maya was practically as light as a feather, even despite the fact that she was sleeping. He shifted her body so she was sitting comfortably, her head resting against his shoulder. As he carried her up the stairs, her head lolled forward slightly, her lips brushing over his neck. Phoenix felt a jolt of electricity run through him at the unexpected contact, but was thankful that his jerky movements didn’t wake her. He closed his eyes for a moment, took a deep breath for composure then continued on to her bedroom.

Ever so gently, he laid Maya down on her bed. She snuggled slightly into the pillow, but did not stir. Carefully, he undid the bulky magatama amulet she wore around her neck and placed it on the night stand. He picked up one of the large, round baubles she used to tie her hair. Surely it would be uncomfortable if she rolled over on to one of these during the night. He slid the ball down, until it was free of her hair, placing it on the night stand with the magatama and then repeat the process with the second one. He let the soft strands of her hair fall between his fingers.

“Soft.” He thought, almost in a dream like state. “Like silk.”

He stood there for a while, watching her sleep. Her face was peaceful. Without thinking, he reached out and gently ran his fingertips across her cheek. The little voice inside his head that usually panicked and said “What are you doing?” was seeming quieter and quieter. He knew he should go back to his own bedroom, but he just couldn’t will himself to move. He just wanted to stay there. He wanted to watch her sleep.

Suddenly, Maya rolled on to her side, her sudden movement snapping Phoenix back to reality. She was still very much asleep, but the scenario where he had to explain to Maya why he was standing over her, shirtless, watching her as she slept didn’t seem like it would be a fun exercise. He couldn’t think of any explanation that didn’t sound totally creepy. He picked up a blanket from the foot of her bed and covered her with it, and headed towards the door. He paused in the doorway, glancing back one last time at her sleeping form. He smiled pathetically and shook his head before heading back to his own room for the remainder of the night.

As he lay back down in his own bed, Phoenix decided it was in his best interest to stop thinking about his feelings for Maya. He was just going to go with the flow, no matter how uncharacteristic that might be. Being completely laid back… he knew he had it in him somewhere. He imagined himself in the future as a super suave, level headed lawyer who had all the answers. He chuckled lightly to himself. It sure beat the ‘fly by the seat of his pants’ ‘winging it in at the last moment’ kind of guy that the world had come to associate with Phoenix Wright.

If he didn’t think about these new feelings, didn’t analyse them with his usual vigour, then he wouldn’t have to deal with them. Deep down, he knew the truth, but until he admitted that truth, it didn’t exist.

“Moving on…” he thought to himself, already getting in the swing of his new method of denial.

What seemed to be a more pressing matter, anyway, was Maya’s inability to slow down with her training and studying. Phoenix decided that he needed to get to the bottom of it. He had to convince her that she was pushing herself way too hard. He had to get her to talk about her mother, about how she was feeling. He had no idea how, but he had to try. If she would listen to anyone at all, it would be him… right?



The next morning, Phoenix sat at the breakfast table, sipping at his coffee and reading the newspaper when Maya entered the kitchen, hair still tousled from sleep. She brought a hand to her mouth to stifle a yawn, pulling out a chair and sitting down.

"Morning." Phoenix said.

"Mhhmn. Morning." she replied, pouring herself a glass of orange juice.

"What time did you get to bed?" Phoenix asked her, lowering his paper. He knew full well what time she went to bed. And how she got there. But she didn't know that.

"I have no idea." she said, blearily. "I don't even remember going to bed."

Phoenix stifled his smirk.

"But I had the weirdest dream." she continued, a puzzled look on her face. "All I can remember is feeling like I was floating. And I swear I could smell pudding."

Phoenix almost spat out his coffee.

Phoenix leaned idly against the wooden railing, looking out over the winding way. It was late in the afternoon and the sun was beginning its daily descent, painting the scenery in pretty orange colours. Maya was very lucky to have grown up somewhere so beautiful, Phoenix thought to himself. He had been accustomed to cramped apartment conditions for pretty much his whole life. The space to run and play would have been wonderful as a child. It was probably why Maya found it so easy to retain that child-like quality of hers, and why Pearl was such a happy kid. It was so peaceful here.

Still, certain things reminded him of unpleasant situations. The incinerator in the corner made him think about the time Maya was accused of killing Dr Gray. The sacred urn on the stand just behind him made him think of the guilt he had felt for taking on Ron Delite’s case, considering he was accused of stealing that very object. Pearl didn’t understand…but Maya... Maya trusted him. Maybe that one wasn’t such an unpleasant memory after all.

He imagined Maya and Mia running down this very walkway as children, and a sad smile formed on his lips.

…Mia.

He couldn’t believe she had been gone almost three years now. It felt like only yesterday that she took him under her wing and taught him everything he knew about law, and life. He missed her terribly, but Phoenix was beginning to understand that everything had its reasons for happening. Mia was like his guardian angel. She led him down the path to the career he was meant to have and mentored him as he grew. After her death, she helped him in times of great need, always knowing exactly what to say to trigger Phoenix in to some form of decisive action. But the one thing Mia had brought to him that sat first and foremost in his mind was the most important thing he could think of right now.

Maya.

If Mia had lived, he didn’t doubt that he would have met Maya eventually, probably in passing. But the bond that began growing after Mia’s death likely would have never occurred. To him, she would still just be ‘Mia’s little sister’, instead of… whatever she was to him now.

Looking back, he found it funny how his life just seemed to tie together in to some neat little package. Dahlia, Iris, Mia, Maya, Pearl, Morgan, Misty… these women, all of the same blood, all had a profound effect on his life in one way or another. Why did it seem that wherever there was any trouble concerning the Fey females, that Phoenix Wright’s name would be attached somehow? As painful as it had been for all of them, that last case had made him feel like he was able to find closure on many aspects of his life. But letting go of Dahlia’s betrayal and even letting go of Mia as a means of support only emphasized the question mark hanging over Maya’s head. He had no intentions of ‘moving on’ from her. He couldn’t leave her behind, just as he had the others. He was kidding himself if he thought he could close the book on that chapter of his life. There was so much to still be written.

A small commotion and a squeal of delight caught Phoenix’s attention and he turned to face the noise just in time to see Pearl come dashing over, hugging him tightly around the legs.

“Mr. Nick!” she exclaimed excitedly. “I’m so happy to see you!”

Phoenix chuckled.

“I’m happy to see you too, Pearls. I’m real sorry I couldn’t see you off last week.” He said, patting the young girl gently on the head. She released him from her hug and grinned up at him.

“That’s okay Mr. Nick. Mystic Maya took me for a lovely picnic. We had a great time. Besides, I know you were doing your best to help Sister Iris. Mystic Maya told me so. She even said she wasn’t jealous either, but I don’t think she was telling the truth.” Pearl finished with a cheeky smile.

“Is that so, Pearls…?” Phoenix asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yep. I asked her.” Pearl said with a definitive nod. “It’s so romantic the way she misses you.”

Pearl clasped her hands together as she spoke, a dreamy look on her face. Phoenix laughed softly at the little girl and her fairytale delusions, but he couldn’t help but wonder if (or was that hope?) that there was some truth to her observations about Maya when he wasn’t around. He was about to ask her more when a male voice from behind him interrupted their conversation.

“Mystic Pearl. That’s hardly the refined manner in which we have been instructed to greet our guests here in Kurain. Dare I say that time away has done nothing for your manners.” The voice chided.

Pearl turned around to face the owner of the voice. Phoenix saw what looked to be a boy of about seventeen with dark hair and eyes and a rather sophisticated air. He held his head proudly and his posture was perfect. Phoenix was a little surprised. This was the first time he had actually encountered another male in Kurain. If he didn’t know better, he would have wondered if this boy was Pearls brother. His mannerisms reminded him very much of Morgan.

“Although,” he thought. “I guess it’s not completely impossible, given what we know about Morgan and her twins…” He looked down at Pearl and immediately felt bad for thinking those kinds of things about her mother. Morgan was guilty of many things, but that part of her life was none of his business anyway.

“Don’t be so stuffy, Andre!” Pearl said happily, obviously unaffected by his displeasure. “This isn’t a guest, it’s Mr. Nick!”

“Gee. Thanks Pearl.” Phoenix thought flatly.

The boy, Andre it appeared his name was, gave Phoenix a rather condescending once over, looking him and up and down. Phoenix felt slightly perturbed. This kid was a lot like Morgan indeed. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he had heard that name somewhere before.

“Phoenix Wright I presume,” he said dryly.

“Correct.” Phoenix said, extending his hand. “And you’re Andre…right?”

Andre glanced down at Phoenix’s hand but didn’t bother offering his in return. He looked Phoenix in the face, his expression impassive. Awkwardly, Phoenix dropped his hand.

“We have spoken before.” Andre said curtly.

Then Phoenix remembered. He had spoken to this kid last week the day Pearl had left.

“That’s right. You came to pick up Pearl last week.” Phoenix said.

Andre said nothing.

“Err…” Phoenix said, trying to think of something to say to break the suffocating silence that had appeared with Andre’s arrival. “Do you know how much longer Maya will be?” he asked.

Andre crossed his arms. “Mystic Maya is in a very important meeting with the Elders.” He stated. “I do not know the extent of, or the duration of their discussions, but I do expect it to be rather lengthy. Mystic Maya has missed a lot during her absence, which if you ask me, is hardly befitting of someone in her prestigious position.”

“Well I don’t believe I did ask you.” Phoenix thought to himself. He narrowed his eyes at the boy. Apart from passive-aggressively reminding Phoenix of Maya’s title or rather, his lack of attaching it to her name, Andre was also suggesting that Maya wasn’t good enough to be Kurain Master, even if it was in a very sly manner.

“However, I am glad she has returned and can begin to rectify the neglect she has shown her village.” Andre continued. Phoenix couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Excuse me?” Phoenix asked incredulously.

Andre stood defiant.

“You must understand, Mr. Wright, that the people of this village have had to make do without a proper leader for quite some time now. First we were abandoned by Mystic Misty and then Mystic Mia failed to fulfill her duties. You can understand how we are all rather anxious to see Mystic Maya fall into line as she should. Her association with you was a great worry to the Elders, as Kurain and ‘the law’ have a somewhat checkered past. Lawyers seem to have an uncanny knack of making our masters disappear.” Andre finished coldly.

Phoenix felt himself getting very angry. He looked down at Pearl, who seemed oblivious to what Andre was saying. Phoenix didn’t want her to hear him lose his temper.

“Pearls?” he asked the girl sweetly. “Can you do me a favor and go double check that you’ve packed everything? I wouldn’t want you to forget something important.”

“Good idea Mr. Nick!” Pearl said enthusiastically, before skipping off to re-check her luggage. Phoenix turned his attention back to Andre, glaring at him. Andre’s expression remained unchanged. Still as conceited as ever.

“Can you even hear yourself?” Phoenix snapped at him.

“Is it so wrong for me to take pride in my village? In my people?” Andre asked. “Someone around here has to make up for the sense of honor our master fails to provide.”

“You arrogant little…” Phoenix seethed.

“Mr. Wright…” Andre interrupted, smiling sardonically at Phoenix. “I care very little for what someone like you may think of me. It does not matter to me in the slightest whether you think I am right or wrong.”

“This isn’t about being right or wrong!” Phoenix argued. “You can’t treat Maya like she’s some sort of object. She’s a human being. You don’t own her!”

“Your concern for her is touching, Mr. Wright.” Andre said sarcastically. “But I am afraid you are wrong. Mystic Maya is bound by her obligation to this village. Kurain does, in fact, own her. She owes it to us, her people, to lead to the best of her ability. Thus far, she has failed us. By running around after you, I might add.” He paused, looking at Phoenix distastefully.

“Now that she is home, you’d best forget about her, Phoenix Wright. Maya Fey is not your concern.”

Phoenix clenched his fists at his sides, trying his best to remain calm.

“Don’t you understand that it’s been less than two weeks since her mother was murdered? Anyone can see she needs time to grieve!” Phoenix said angrily.

“She needs nothing of the sort.” Andre replied. “Her position demands strength, poise and composure. Such displays of weakness would be frowned upon by the Elders. Mystic Misty’s passing was indeed regrettable, but it has been many years since she abandoned her position as Master. Kurain does not have time to grieve for those that desert it.”

“You’re absolutely heartless.” Phoenix said. “It’s all about the prestigious title. You sound just like Morgan.”

Andre flinched ever so slightly at the mention of Morgan Fey and the miniscule action was not lost on Phoenix at all. Andre’s expression steeled further as he lifted his nose in the air haughtily.

“Mystic Morgan was an exemplary woman who cared greatly for her village. The only crime she is guilty of in my opinion is doing everything in her power to ensure the prosperous future of Kurain. She would have made a noble leader.”

Morgan? Noble? Exemplary? Was this kid high?

“Morgan tried to have Maya killed!” Phoenix cried.

“Sometimes, sacrifices are necessary.” Andre said emotionlessly.

The tiny shred of control that Phoenix had over himself disappeared the moment Andre uttered those words. He lunged towards him, grabbing roughly by the collar of his shirt. Phoenix stared at him, wild-eyed and breathing heavily. Andre seemed unaffected by his outburst, despite the fact he was being physically threatened. But his impassive expression only made Phoenix angrier.

“Morgan knew she was not fit to lead us.” Andre said quietly in an acidic tone.

Phoenix threw him to the floor.

“Get out of my sight.” Phoenix seethed, turning his back on the boy. He thought for a moment before speaking again.

“Your mother knew nothing of the compassion and integrity required of a true leader. Maya has that tenfold.”

Andre picked himself up off the ground and dusted off his clothes. He said nothing to deny Phoenix’s assumption of his parentage, which to Phoenix spoke volumes. His composure was steadily returning once he realized he had gained the upper hand. Phoenix turned around to face him once more.

“And also,” Phoenix said calmly. “Maya will not be staying. She is leaving with me again as soon as her meeting is over.”

Andre shot him a filthy look.

“She can’t run from her duty forever.” Andre snapped before turning and striding away.

Once Andre was out of sight, Phoenix allowed his shoulders to slump, letting out a huge exasperated sigh. So it appeared that Morgan had a son. He shook his head in disbelief. He assumed Maya had no idea. She would have been way too young to remember Andre being born. His mannerisms, features and complete loyalty to Morgan were more than enough to convince Phoenix that his theory was correct. He doubted that Andre had the murderous intent that Morgan herself harbored and had passed on to Dahlia, but his opinions on what was expected of a leader were still quite confronting and potentially damaging to someone as loyal as Maya. She would do anything to make people happy, even sacrificing herself just like Andre had believed was her duty.

Something clicked in Phoenix’s mind. Andre was the one who picked up Pearl last week… that was the exact day before Maya’s behavior changed. It made sense. Anger started to take over again. He must have filled her head with all that garbage, making her think that she wasn’t good enough. He was the cause of this!

“Oh, Maya.” Phoenix thought. “She would have been so fragile from the Hazakurain trial that she would have listened to every word he said.”

His heart lurched as he thought about how Maya must have felt, what had driven her to spend every free moment trying to become the person they expected her to be.

“How can they do this to her? Her own family?”

And he hadn’t been there for her. He felt awful. He was so busy trying to distract himself from his feelings for Maya that he hadn’t been there when she needed him. He didn’t want her to suffer anymore. He wanted to take her away from here. They could grab Pearl, leave Kurain and never look back. Maya didn’t deserve a life like this. He wouldn’t allow it.

A soft hand on his back made Phoenix jump. He spun around, relieved and happy to see that it was Maya standing behind him. She eyed him quizzically, noticing his brooding expression.

“You okay?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he said with a sigh. “I just had the pleasure of meeting Andre, that’s all.”

“Ugh.” Maya said, doing nothing to hide her displeasure at Phoenix’s mention of her cousin’s name. “What a stuck up jerk.”

“That works.” Phoenix agreed. “I can also think of a few other flattering words to describe him.”

Maya giggled at him.

“Don’t get me started,” she said with a smile. “Try growing up with him.”

She grinned then and grabbed Phoenix by the hand, dragging him towards the main house.

“But c’mon Nick!” she cried excitedly. “We’ve only got fifteen minutes to make it to the train station and we’ve still got to find Pearl and grab our luggage. If we miss this one there won’t be another train until tomorrow morning!”

“Wait, aren’t you going to tell me about your meeting?” Phoenix asked, stopping.

“Later!” she cried, dragging him off again. “No time! We gotta hurry!”

Phoenix allowed Maya to drag him off once more, but decided that once they were on that train, he was going to ask her about her meeting with the Elders and her encounter with Andre Fey.

Thankfully, the trio of travelers made it to the station with moments to spare. A kindly station guard found it in his heart to stall the departure of the train for a few seconds longer when he saw Phoenix with an armful of luggage and Maya with an armful of Pearl running towards him. Phoenix smiled and thanked him as they boarded the train. He tipped his hat in response and the train lurched into motion as the three of them made their way to their seats.

Phoenix sat closest to the window, with Maya next to him. Pearl settled herself on Maya’s lap, pulling out a picture book from her little back pack. Phoenix peered over at the title, hoping desperately that it wasn’t one of Elise Deauxnim’s books. They had been Pearl’s favorite. Pearl probably wouldn’t even realize, but Phoenix worried that something like that might strike a bit close to home for Maya right now. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that it wasn’t one of Misty’s books.

The sun had set a while ago, and the last traces of orange and purple filled the sky as an evening chill started to set in. He was glad Maya and Pearl had both thought to wear coats, otherwise they would have been freezing. The train stopped to allow new passengers to join, and a sweet looking elderly woman boarded their carriage. She took the seat directly facing Phoenix and Maya, nodding politely at Phoenix, before pulling out some knitting.

Phoenix leaned his back against the window, shifting his body slightly so he was half facing Maya and Pearl. He smiled as he watched Maya trying to teach Pearl how to sound out words. Maya was so patient with her. Pearl’s little face was a picture of concentration as she attempted to read the book in front of her. She frowned as the broken syllables came from her mouth, immediately looking up hopefully at Maya for some sort of indication that she was correct. Maya would either congratulate her on her answer, or gently sound the word out the correct way. More often than not, Pearl was getting the words right. Her reading was improving drastically. Maya spent a lot of time with her.

Phoenix was touched by the expression of pride on Maya’s face when she looked down at that little girl, trying her hardest with that book. Phoenix shared her feelings. The two of them had become her makeshift parents, in a way. Strangely enough, that really didn’t bother him. Their little family might look strange, but he knew he could depend on it.

It wasn’t long before Pearl started to yawn and rub at her eyes. She didn’t protest too much when Maya told her it was time to put the book away. She settled herself comfortably against Maya’s shoulder, and was asleep within minutes.

Phoenix watched Maya as she stared ahead peacefully. She didn’t look like she was thinking about anything in particular. He racked his brain for a way to broach the subject of Andre, and Maya’s meeting, without spoiling the peaceful mood that had surrounded them on the journey so far.

Maya turned, noticing Phoenix watching her. She must have been able to read the expression on his face, knowing somehow that a question she wouldn’t want to answer was seconds away from leaving his lips. Quickly, she thought of the first thing that came to mind.

“Nick, can you take Pearl for a minute? I need to use the bathroom.” She asked.

“We’re on a train, Maya.” He said, puzzled.

“Long distance trains always have bathrooms, Nick.” She said, matter-of-factly. “It’s bound to be up near the lunch car somewhere.”

Phoenix shrugged in agreement and helped Maya shift Pearl from her lap to his. He settled the girl comfortably, peering down at her angelic little face. Nothing would wake her right now.

“I’ll just be a few minutes.” Maya said, before heading towards the door that connected the carriages. Phoenix nodded as she left. The minutes ticked by. The steady movement of the train was almost lulling Phoenix to sleep. He stretched and yawned lightly, looking down at Pearl to make sure his movements hadn’t woken her. He glanced over at the elderly woman across from him. She was watching Pearl with a wistful smile. She looked up at Phoenix and smiled once she felt his eyes on her, putting her knitting down on her lap.

“I’m off to visit my granddaughter.” She said. Phoenix nodded politely and smiled. “Your little one looks just like my Abbey.” She finished, smiling sweetly at the sleeping girl.

“Oh no, she’s not…” Phoenix said, correcting the woman.

“Oh dear,” she said, bringing a hand to her heart in embarrassment. “I’m sorry, I just assumed… You look like such a lovely little family.”

Phoenix nodded understandingly.

“I guess we would appear that way.” He sighed. The woman smiled. The train pulled gently to a stop and the woman began gathering her things.

“Well, this is my stop.” She said, standing. “You have a safe trip, young man.”

“Thanks,” Phoenix said. “You too. I hope your granddaughter is well.”

The woman beamed. It was obvious that the little girl that Pearl had reminded her of was the light of her life.

“You take care of those two beautiful ladies.” She said with a wink. Phoenix chuckled. The woman turned and headed for the door.

“I plan to. You can count on that.” Phoenix thought to himself as the doors closed and the train began moving once more.



About ten minutes passed after the old woman had left when Maya returned, handing Phoenix a small bottle of juice as she sat down.

“I passed the lunch carriage on my way through.” She explained. “They were still open! Thought you might be thirsty.”

Phoenix opened the bottle and took a sip as Maya settled herself back in her seat. She reached down to the travel bag by her feet and took out a book and a notepad, flipping it open to a page she had bookmarked. Phoenix read the title.

‘The Principles of the Spirit Connection’.

He shot Maya a disapproving look.

“Oh, sorry Nick.” She said apologetically. “Did you want me to take Pearl off you? She can get pretty heavy after a while…”

Phoenix shook his head.

“Pearl is fine.” He said, slightly annoyed. “But are you going to study for the rest of the trip as well?”

Maya bit her lip. Phoenix’s glare made her nervous.

“You assume I’m studying, but I could just be reading it to pass the time, you know. I am interested in this stuff. It’s not all work.” She said quietly.

“If you were just reading, you wouldn’t be taking notes.” He said, motioning to the notepad that sat on her lap. “Besides, aren’t I entertaining enough to talk to? You need to pass the time with a book…” Phoenix finished huffily.

“Nick, I didn’t mean…” Maya trailed off.

“So you are studying then.” Phoenix stated.

Maya sighed. She didn’t have an answer that he would like. Her eyes pleaded with him to drop it, but he wasn’t going to this time.

“Maya, can I ask you something?”

“If I said no, you’d ask anyway, right?” she countered.

“Probably.” He agreed.

“Then go ahead.” Maya urged, dreading the questions that were coming.

“Did Andre say anything to you? When he came to pick up Pearl, I mean…” Phoenix asked, watching Maya’s expression carefully.

“What makes you think that?” she replied, a little too quickly.

“Well… He had a few rather interesting opinions on what was required of the Kurain Master that he chose to share with me today. I know you saw him last week… and the very next day you went to the library, borrowed out their entire spiritual section and haven’t stopped working since. Just putting two and two together…” he explained.

Maya looked away, finding something uninteresting to stare at on the floor.

“You know how I feel about him.” Maya said with a fake sounding laugh. She still wouldn’t look Phoenix in the eye. “Why would I care what he thinks?"

“Because everything he’s saying sounds just like what Morgan would say.”

The mention of her aunt’s name caught Maya by surprise and she snapped her head around to look at Phoenix.

“Come to think of it,” Phoenix continued, “doesn’t he remind you a lot of Morgan? In a lot of ways?”

Maya’s eyes widened as she realized what he was getting at.

“You don’t think…?” she gasped, bringing a hand to her lips in disbelief. “It couldn’t be…”

“Just a theory.” Phoenix said casually. “But that’s not important. We’re talking about you here. No changing the subject.”

Maya was silent once more. She chewed on her lip nervously.

“Damn!” Maya thought to herself. “So close to veering him off topic…”

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Phoenix said, more to himself than Maya. “I knew I should have punched him.”

“You nearly punched him?” Maya asked, surprised.

“I gave him a little shove.” Phoenix shrugged. “You can’t tell me he didn’t deserve it."

Maya nodded, absorbing the information. Phoenix wasn’t done with his questions yet.

“What happened in the meeting?”

Maya’s shoulders slumped.

“Nick, I really don’t want to talk about it.” She said softly, once again avoiding his gaze.

“Tough luck, kiddo.” Phoenix said resolutely. “We are.”

She turned to face him, exasperated.

“What do you want to hear, Nick? How is me telling you about it going to make me feel better. How is it going to change what they said?” she said seriously.

Phoenix remained stoic.

“It’s got to be a lot healthier than bottling everything up and convincing yourself that you are the problem and not their stupid ideals.” He said.

“Those ‘stupid ideals’ are my family traditions, Nick.” Maya argued.

“Well, they’re stupid family traditions.” He argued back. “Let me guess. The Elders told you that you weren’t doing a good enough job and that you had to come back to Kurain.”

Maya sighed with frustration. Phoenix was infuriating when he was right.

“And you,” he continued. “Listened to every word they said, apologized profusely and planned to work harder to please them.”

“My Magatama must sure come in handy…” Maya remarked off-handedly.

Phoenix scoffed lightly.

“You read like a book, Maya.” He said. “I wouldn’t even need to get it out.”

His expression softened and his tone of voice changed as he shook his head lightly.

“I’d never use the Magatama on you anyway, Maya.”

Maya wasn’t sure what it was, the tone of his voice, the expression on his face or the admission of trust, but that sentence sent shivers down her spine. She felt a blush creep across her cheeks and quickly looked away.

“You’re stronger than that, Maya. You’re letting yourself get pushed around. I know who you really are, and this version of you is… well… disappointing to see.”

“You don’t understand.” She whispered.

“Then help me understand.” He whispered back, urging her to meet his gaze.

She couldn’t.

“I can’t.” she said quietly.

Phoenix let out a large sigh, sounding irritated. Maya flinched at the sound. She said nothing as she looked down at her book, reluctantly closing it and putting it back in her bag.

“Happy?” she croaked, trying her best to hold back tears that were threatening to fall.

“No.” Phoenix said simply. “Are you?”

She looked away, knowing that she would indeed start to cry if she looked at his intense expression a moment longer. He looked away too, turning towards the window, staring out into the darkness as the train sped through.

“Not at all…” she thought to herself, sadly.

The rest of the trip was spent in silence.