Chapter One
Phoenix
Nick gulped. This was more nerve-wracking than anything he’d ever done before. He raised his hand and knocked twice. Oh god, he thought. Help!
‘Oh, hi Mr. Nick!’ said Pearl, opening the door.
‘Aah. Hi Pearls. Er, can I see, um, Maya?’ he asked sweating slightly. Oh god I’m nervous. Please let this work out.
‘Of course you can see Mystic Maya! I’ll go get her!’ said Pearl, grinning knowingly. She skipped off. ‘Mystic Maayaa!’ he could hear her calling. Calm down, Phoenix, he thought. It’s not that hard. It’s just Maya.
‘Come in!’ Pearl said. ‘She’s in the side room.’ Urk. I can’t do this. He walked along the Winding Way, towards the room.
‘Hi Nick! Welcome to Fey Manor!’ Maya was still the same old perky Maya. ‘Oh, er, ah, hi Maya…’ He looked around nervously. Well, he thought. Now or never.
‘Pearls, could you give us a second?’ he said. It was an instruction, not a request.
‘Alright,’ said Pearl, grinning again. She left the room, sliding the door shut behind her. An awkward silence fell. Oh no. I can’t say it.
‘…Um, Nick? What’s wrong? You look kind of… scared….’ Maya looked concerned. I cannot do this. No way. Just, no way. Ignoring his mind, Phoenix sat down next to Maya.
‘Maya.’ He said. ‘I have something to tell you.’ Maya went uncharacteristically silent and still.
‘I’ve wanted to tell you this for a long time…’ he swallowed. ‘I-I love… you.’ There. He thought. I said it. She looked down, still silent. Nick stood, and began pacing.
‘Well?!’ he asked angrily. She didn’t say a word. ‘Say something!’ he shouted.
Maya stood up. Her eyes were closed, as if she couldn’t bear to look at him. ‘M-Mr. Wright,’ she said. What? She never even calls me Phoenix! What’s with ‘Mr. Wright’ all of a sudden? ‘I-I must apologize. I c-cannot allow f-feelings to g-get in th-the way of m-my training.’ A single tear trickled down her cheek.
Chapter Two
Phoenix
Phoenix stared at her. He could feel himself growing cold all over. ‘Well. If that is how it is, then that is how it is,’ he said, calmly.
‘If you will excuse me, Miss Fey, I must leave now.’ His voice sounded normal, measured, while inside, a raging torrent of hurt and betrayal filled his heart.
He opened the door and left, closing it carefully behind him. He walked through Fey Manor with a perfectly even stride, out through Kurain Village, and into the train station just outside the village gates. He presented his ticket, and boarded the train. He felt like he was watching another person. He couldn’t be that calm. Maya rejected me. I confessed my feelings to her, and she rejected me. Why? His thoughts looped into one continuous thread. Why? Why? Why, why, WHY? His stop. He stood up, and got off, moving slowly, like he was dreaming. Why? He walked out of the station. The crowds around him were all laughing, smiling. Why? He walked back to the office, opened the door, and sat down at his desk. Why did she reject me? He slumped onto the desk, and fell asleep on top of a card lying there.
Phoenix was sitting in the office, filing some old case records, when a knock came at the door. He opened it, and, to his surprise, Franzsiska Von Karma was standing there.
‘When Miss Maya Fey was kidnapped, two years ago, there was one piece of evidence missing, correct?’ she asked. Straight to the point, as always.
‘What, no hello?’ asked Phoenix. ‘And, yes, one piece of evidence was missing. Why?’
‘I took it,’ she replied. ‘And I now have it here. I thought it was my duty to return it to you. After all, I am a Von Karma, therefore…’
‘ “You’re perfect.” I know,’ said Phoenix. Crack! She whipped him.
‘Yes. I am perfect. So, here is the final piece of evidence.’ She handed him a small card.
‘But isn’t this…’ he asked. ‘Ms. Von Karma?’ She had already left. He went back to staring at the card. It appeared to be one of Shelly DeKiller’s calling cards, except someone had drawn on it. The drawing was of… him?
And it was labeled ‘Nick’.
Phoenix’s eyes flew open.
Chapter Three
Maya
Maya stood, in total shock. Tears trickled silently down her cheeks. What have I done?! she thought. I just r-rejected N-Nick!
‘Mystic Maya?’ Pearl knocked at the door.
‘Yes, Pearly?’ she asked. Pearl walked in.
‘Mystic Maya! What’s wrong?!’
‘N-Nothing, P-Pearly…’ Maya said, tearfully. Pearl didn’t seem satisfied by this explanation.
‘Well, I saw Mister Nick, and he seemed sad, and now you’re sad too. Wait…’ she said, suspiciously. ‘You two didn’t have a fight… Did you?’
Maya started sobbing.
‘N-Niiiick!’ she cried. ‘Oh, Pearly! I think I just broke Nick’s heart!...’ Nick. Nick, I’m sorry…. Please, Nick… Come back…
She hunched over, and sobbed her heart out. Pearl hovered anxiously.
‘Mystic Maya? Please calm down. M-Mystic Maya? Mystic Maya!’ Poor Pearly. It’s a pity she had to be here for this, thought the rational side if Maya’s brain.
‘Ok, Mystic Maya. What happened?’ asked Pearl, when she thought Maya had calmed down enough to talk. ‘Well,’ snuffled Maya.
‘Nick came in, a-and he told m-me that he l-l-loved me, and I… I r-rejected him! I t-told him about the n-no having r-relationships during t-training rule!’ I am such an idiot! Nobody pays attention to that rule!
‘I didn’t know that was a rule!’ said Pearl, looking surprised.
‘Only for the m-masters. We c-can’t get d-distracted from our training.’ Pearl blinked.
‘But, don’t you love Mr. Nick?’ she asked.
‘Y-yes…’ said Maya. ‘I love him a lot…’ I do! I can’t believe I never noticed! I love Nick! ‘But I only just realized. And, now… It’s too laaaate!’
I love Nick. And he loves me. And I just stuffed it up. I can’t believe it. What am I going to do?!
Chapter Four
Phoenix
Nick’s eyes flew open. He lay still for a second, looking at the card underneath his head. Huh? What happened..? he thought. Then he remembered. The disastrous day, his confessing his feelings, her rejection, and finally… that strange dream. His phone started ringing. The Steel Samurai theme. Suddenly, Phoenix remembered. Maya dancing to the Steel Samurai theme; Her convincing him to make it his ringtone; The first case they worked on together; Watching the episodes with her; The poster she made him put up in the office; and then, the Nickel Samurai case.
Ignoring the insistent ringing of his phone, he got up. He grabbed the picture off the wall, and put it in the cupboard. Then he started searching his office. Anything vaguely Maya-esque he put in the cupboard. Anything which reminded him of her was just too painful to see on a daily basis. I can’t get rid of her from my life. But I don’t have to be reminded of her. He repeated that thought in his head, trying to convince himself it was true.
His phone rang again, and another surge of memories overtook him. The Pink Princess marathons he endured for her; Her dressing up as the Evil Magistrate for Halloween; The Steel Samurai ball he used in her defence in the Kurain Village case; Her buying him a Steel Samurai t-shirt for his birthday, and him wearing it, again for her.
He answered his phone. ‘Hello. Phoenix Wright, defence attorney.’
‘Oh, pal, am I glad to get you! I’ve been calling for hours.’ It was Detective Gumshoe.
‘Why? What happened?’ Phoenix was interested, despite himself.
‘It’s Maya. Maya Fey.’ Of all the things he had expected, Maya was the last thing he thought Gumshoe would call him about.
‘W-What about Ma- Miss Fey?’ asked Phoenix stiffly.
‘She’s been arrested again. For murder.’
Chapter Five
Phoenix
‘Whaaat!? Murder!?’ Nick couldn’t believe it. ‘Who? Who’s dead?’
‘Celie Fey. A member of the Fey family who lived in Kurain Village. She was killed yesterday afternoon. Around seven o’clock. I hate to say it pal, but it was almost certainly Maya.’ As usual, Gumshoe seemed positive the defendant was the murderer. Well, now what? Nick had a bit of a dilemma. Will she want me defending? Do I want to defend her? Can I defend her?
‘…So, anyway, the trial’s tomorrow. You should go talk to her about it, pal. She’s down at the detention center.’
‘Wait, what? Tomorrow? Who’s down at the detention center? What? Detective?’ Gumshoe had hung up. Well, guess I should go face the music, thought Phoenix, as he left for the detention center.
He walked into the visitor’s room. Maya sat there, behind the sheet of safety glass. The sight was chillingly familiar. Wow. If that is… familiar, what does that say about Maya? Nick thought. Tears trickled down her cheeks.
‘Niiick!’ she sobbed. ‘N-Nick… You came…’ Maya. Oh my god. It’s so good to see you.
‘What happened?’ he asked. Damn. It’s so hard to talk to her. I just want to ask. Why?
‘Well,’ she said. ‘After you… left, I was… confused, and me and Pearly were in the side room talking… Then… she left, to get some tea… and I waited for a while, but then… I heard a scream, outside, onto the Winding Way… Celie was there, lying on the ground… and… I went to try to help her up, but then I saw the blood… There was a knife sticking out of her chest, and I thought there would be fingerprints, so… I wrapped my sleeve around the handle, and tied to pull it out… then Pearly and Hana, Celie’s sister came around the corner… Hana freaked out. She raced off, and called the police. I suppose it did look bad. I was holding the knife, and covered in blood… Pearly started crying. I don’t know where she is now.’ Well, things just go from bad to worse for us. And our case.
‘Did you see anything else? Anything important?’ Nick asked.
‘Well, I did see one thing.’ ‘
What?!’
‘The sacred urn. It got broken,’ she said. Again. Why does it keep getting broken?
‘OK, thanks, M-Maya. I’ll go investigate the crime scene,’ he said. It was still hard to say ‘Maya’.
‘Oh, Nick!’ she said as he turned to go. ‘Could you find Pearly and tell her I’m not the murderer? Please?’
‘Alright. I’ll tell her,’ he said. If only for her peace of mind.
Well, back to Kurain Village I go, he thought to himself. Hopefully this visit will be better than the last one.
Chapter Six
Phoenix
Phoenix stepped off the train at the Kurain Station. He walked into the village, and up the manor steps. When he walked into the meditation room, however, he was stopped by Detective Gumshoe.
‘Hey, pal this is off limits to ev… oh. It’s you, pal.’ He looked down.
‘Well, go on through. The crime scene’s through there. We’ve finished examining it, so you can go in if you want.’
‘Detective?’ asked Phoenix. ‘Who’s prosecuting tomorrow?’
‘Oh, ah, I’m not sure, pal. I think it’s a new prosecutor.’ A new prosecutor, eh? Finally, some luck.
‘But, whoever he is, he’s gained a reputation as a genius. Everyone’s raving about him, pal,’ said Gumshoe. Or, not so much luck, Phoenix thought. Oh well. Even if she rejected me, I have to save Maya.
He walked onto the Winding Way. It was deserted. There was a bloodstain on the ground, and a tape marking out where Celie had fallen after she was stabbed. The urn was lying, in pieces on the ground. But… not next to its pedestal. The urn pieces were next to the body, on the opposite side to the pedestal where it usually lived… Interesting… thought Nick, adding the urn to the Court Record. He bent down, examining the knife which was lying next to the corpse. What was that Maya said? She wrapped her coat around the knife handle? Hmm… Better ask Detective Gumshoe. He added the knife to the Court Record too.
‘Now… Where’s Gumshoe?’ he said, out loud. Nick walked back to the meditation room, but he wasn’t there.
Hmm… Where would Pearl be? I need to talk to her, thought Phoenix. He walked back to the Winding Way, and then into the Side Room. Oh, look, he thought. That box is closed. It was open last time I was here… He stood for a moment, listening. Then he heard soft sobbing. Hmm? Where’s that coming from? Wait… Is it coming from that box? He opened the box to see…
‘Pearls!?’
Chapter Seven
Phoenix
‘Pearls? What are you doing in there?’ Pearl Fey was lying, curled up, in the bottom of the clothes box, sobbing.
‘Mr… Mr. Nick!’ She sat up and… slapped him?
‘What? Pearls? What was that for?’ She couldn’t have found out about… No.
‘That,’ *slap* ‘Is for Mystic Maya! And that,’ *slap* ‘Is for what you made Mystic Maya do! And that,’ *slap* ‘Is for the last member of my family! I’m all alone, Mr. Nick, and it’s your fault!’ She slapped him again for good measure.
‘Wait, what? What did I make Maya do? I don’t know what you’re talking about!’
‘Yes you do! You broke her heart, and that made her murder Celie, and now all my family are gone! Even Celie! She was the only other Fey who was really nice to m-me! And it’s YOUR FAULT!’ She jumped out of the box and ran off crying.
‘Wait! Pearls! It’s not… like… that..’ She ran off. Well, I need to prove to her that it wasn’t a) Me who broke her heart. and b) Maya wasn’t the murderer, thought Phoenix. Better start gathering evidence… he walked out onto the Winding Way. As he stepped outside he heard Detective Gumshoe humming to himself.
‘Oh, Detective Gumshoe? Could I ask you something?’ he said. ‘Were there any fingerprints on the murder weapon?’
‘Oh. No, there weren’t, pal.’
‘Well, thanks anyway,’ Nick said, as he walked into the meditation room.
‘Mr. Wright. Mr. Wriiight. MR PHOENIX WRIGHT!’ Phoenix suddenly became aware that someone was talking to him.
‘Hmm? What?’ he asked, looking around.
‘I have a message for you.’ The speaker was a thin girl who looked to be about 17 or 18 years old. She was clothed all in black, with short black hair, and a long black trench coat. Phoenix met her eyes and started. They were a bright, shining red. In one hand she held a long black katana.
‘The prosecution wishes to inform you that they are dismayed to hear of the accusations against Maya Fey and will be willing to assist you in any way possible. They are aware that she is not guilty, however they have no choice but to attempt to prove her guilt. If there is anything they can do to help, they are willing to do it. Shall we say they owe you and Ms. Fey a favor,’ she said.
‘Waitwaitwait. What?! Who are you? What’s going on!? Is the prosecution going to help… me?!’ Nick’s mind raced. He couldn’t think of any new prosecutors who owed him favors.
‘If you are Mr. Phoenix Wright the attorney, which you are, then yes. The prosecution has instructed the police department to assist you if you ask for anything. Now, if you’ll excuse me.’ She walked out the door and appeared to vanish into the shadows. Well, that was random, he thought. Maybe I should try to find Pearls…
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