They finally listened. FINALLY. It's DONE.

Title: 'Til There is Nothing, Nothing Left
Author: Spinny Roses
Fandom: Phoenix Wright: Justice for All
Rating: R
Warnings: Yuri (Franziska/Adrian)
Spoilers: Through case 2-4
Disclaimer: Don't own. Title and lyric snippet from "Castle Down" by Emilie Autumn

If I had another place to go
Would you break me, is it that you know
I have no choice but to rebuild again
I'm tied so hard I can't remember when
I last walked free upon these feet of mine
But I'll draw the line
There will come a time
When I am stronger
Your words won't hurt any longer

She woke up with fire in her shoulder. For a few, frightening seconds, she stared up at the somewhat unfamiliar ceiling, unable to move. She was certain - she had been shot, again, and that feeling... that was the blood running down her arm. No one would be there this time, no one to drag her off her foolish feet and take her foolishly down to the foolish clinic filled with fools that would only foolishly declare her unable to return to court-!

A hand reached out, almost hesitantly reaching for her right shoulder. With a small (pathetic) cry, she lashed out, her other hand reaching for her strangely absent whip. When her hand hit the other, strangely familiar one, a surprised female voice echoed her cry. "Ah! Franziska, calm down! Wake up, it's okay..."

She turned her head, now recognizing the situation she was in. "Adrian," she said, her voice rough with sleep. "Why are you still here? Do you not have work?"

"It's Saturday," Adrian told her, reaching out again to brush back sweaty (disgusting) hair. "You woke me up. Franziska, what's wrong? Is it...?"

Slowly, the younger woman sat up, almost expecting her shoulder to respond with agony. It had been months, and the hole had closed over with a layer of scar tissue. But she still imagined she could feel the piece of hot lead still in her shoulder, the warm blood spilling over her hands and ruining her perfect outfit... Franziska took a soft, shuddering breath, turning to place her feet on the ground. "It is nothing," she muttered, easily sliding her feet into the slippers without looking.

"Franziska von Karma, what is wrong?" Adrian repeated, this time in heavily accented German.

Her pronunciation was atrocious, Franziska reflected. Even Miles had a better grasp of the vowels when he first started speaking her native tongue. She looked over her shoulder, straight at the intense worry sitting on Adrian's face. After a very long moment, she shook her head. "It was a bad dream, Adrian," she said instead, standing. "I... apologize for waking you. You can go back to sleep."

Adrian stood with a soft rustle, her hiss at the cold floor amazingly loud in the small room. "I-" She sighed, not bothering to follow up the broken sentence. "I'll make breakfast. You have a case, right?"

Franziska made an affirmative sound. Ever since the first... time they had made plans to eat together and Franziska had come to a cold dinner and a distraught Adrian, the older woman made completely sure to know if there was a case she was currently preparing. Her shoulder throbbed slightly as she recalled that, a minor distraction as she pulled out her outfit and underthings.

She had never liked to be nude for very long. Something about it had always seemed ungainly, awkward. Even while taking off her nightgown for her morning shower, she never seemed to move the same without the sweep of fabric over her skin. So, even though the damp was never good for her clothing, she took her outfit into the bathroom with her, hanging it up on the edge of the towel rack.

Though she wasn't fond of being naked, the feel of the water cascading over her body made up for it. It pounded across her skin, the warmth filling her sleep-chilled limbs and energizing her for the new day. The next time she was between cases, she would have to take Adrian to the pool. It was one of the few sports she enjoyed - moving her limbs in perfect harmony to propel herself through the water.

Her soapy hands hesitated as she finished cleaning the rest of her body, fingers near her shoulder. She lightly traced the scar, then ducked under the spray of the water again, furiously putting the thought of the imperfection out of her head. She craned her head to the perfect degree for the liquid to wash over her face, letting the heat run over her nose.

Inadequate.

Her right hand tightened into a fist.

A foolish indulgence.

Manfred von Karma's voice echoed in her ears, her upper left arm suddenly cold. Her hand clutched at the chilled spot, her fingers not even covering the strips of ice on her flesh. With savage motions, she cut the water, stopping the flow of luxurious warmth. Quickly, Franziska dried off, her heart pounding quickly in her ears.

"A foolish indulgence," she whispered, clicking the top to her shampoo shut.

---

The defense attorney... Franziska spun around, and kicked hard off the wall. He had been an idiot, a foolish fool that foolishly thought he could get his fool client an acquittal. He kept coming up with the stupidest reasons as for why his client couldn't be there... and none of them could even be slightly possible. Saying that another could have been there when only one face was caught on camera, with no way the tape was altered... she mentally snarled to herself, speeding up the motions of her arms. With a deep breath, she dove under, watching the upcoming wall through the distortion of water until her lungs burned, driving her back to the surface with a gasp.

Clapping broke her thoughts, away from the uncontrolled exit from her swim. Adrian was sitting on the edge of the pool, feet submerged in the water. Slowly, she slid into the water, the skirt sewn onto the edge of her bikini bottoms floating around her. "I didn't know you could swim like that," she said, awed. The water sloshed around the blue fabric of the halter top, and Franziska blinked, turning her head away from the curves under the top.

"It is nothing," she grumbled, fixing the strap of her one-piece. "The ending strokes could have been much more controlled, as well as-"

"Franziska!" Adrian was half laughing, half scolding. "You did a great job. I've never seen someone move so... so..." She shook her head. "All I can do is dog paddle! That was..." Her left hand reached out, and Franziska moved away, the water splashing around her body as she moved violently.

She muttered something akin to "Let's eat," shifting the strap on her shoulder as she went. Adrian's stricken look did not bother her, nor the way she would normally link their hands casually while ordering a small meal was absent.

---

"Is there something wrong?"

Franziska rolled over, looking at the back of Adrian's head. After a few moments, rejecting imperfect and inadequate responses, she finally said "It is nothing, Adrian. It has simply been a rough trial."

The sheets shifted slightly. "No... Franziska, you've been snappish all day, not letting me... what is it?" She shifted slightly, uncomfortable. "Maybe... maybe it was a mistake, me coming to live-"

"Don't be ridiculous," she interrupted. "One bad day does not make a mistake." Adrian shifted onto her back, looking over at Franziska. "It was only a rough trial," she repeated. "Sleep, Adrian. Don't worry about it."

With a mere turning of lips, Adrian reached out, stroking the back of her hand. "Do you have a case in the morning?"

"Nothing that will be a problem," she assured the blonde, turning her hand to take Adrian's.

---

Adrian was very, very good with her hands, Franziska thought hazily. Amazingly good. She arched her neck, humming softly as those firm hands dug into her skin, loosening the tense muscles under. The hand moved to her shoulders, thumbs rubbing into her skin through the fabric. A soft kiss was placed against her ear, making her smile slightly. Adrian slid her hand down her arms, and gently wrapped around her waist.

"That was a great trial, Franziska," she said softly, stroking her stomach. "You were so fierce, so... in charge. It was..." She laughed slightly, nosing Franziska's ear. "Kind of hot," she confessed.

"Was it?" Franziska asked, amused. She turned slightly, looking at the woman's slightly embarrassed face.

"Well..." Adrian propped her chin on Franziska's shoulder, her left hand coming up to cup her right shoulder. Suddenly uncomfortable, she stood, shrugging off Adrian's arms. "... Franziska, I've... I know what's there. Why are you so hesitant in showing me?"

"..." Without thinking, she placed her gloved hand over her right shoulder. "It's more than-" Franziska shook her head. "It doesn't concern you, Adrian."

There was silence, then the sound of Adrian moving away. "I don't understand why you say that, Franziska. It does. I..." Adrian started to the door, moving into her field of vision. Her lashes were spiky, clumped together and soaked. "Never mind, I guess. I... Dinner will be ready in a little bit."

A foolish indulgence.

The sound of her father's voice thundering in her ears made her teeth clench, and she watched the elder woman leave the room with her head lowered.

---

Her normally immaculate room was an utter mess. In the center of the chaos was a suitcase, half full of clothing too frivolous for her to wear. Adrian's clothing. Franziska swallowed, watching as the other woman added another pair of her jeans to the pile. "What do you think you are doing?" she asked sharply.

Adrian folded some of her clothing carefully. "I think I... really made a mistake, Franziska. I got out of jail, moved to Germany, living with you... I think we did this too fast. I have a job lined up in America - I'll come visit." She smiled slightly to herself. "Franziska... I won't leave Germany forever. I love you."

"Fool," she choked out. "A foolish sentiment spoken by a fool to a fool about a foolish indulgence. You-" She broke off as Adrian walked over, touching her cheek.

"You're still holding too much back," she said softly. "And maybe I'm a fool... but I'm a fool that loves you." Gently, she kissed her. "Don't forget that."

Franziska's hands clenched on Adrian's arms, dimly registering the warmth under her fingertips. "Why?" She shook her head. "I couldn't keep you from going to jail; I even was unable to prosecute in that trial. This shoulder is even imperfect. I can't understand you-"

Adrian shook her head. "Don't you get it?" She kissed her again, longer. "It's not Manfred von Karma's daughter I love. It's not even the fearsome young prosecutor. It's you." She ghosted her hands across Franziska's sides. "The woman that promised me that Matt would be convicted - and he was. The woman that gave me a number to call if anything went wrong... please tell me you see now."

Her hands moved to her vest, gently undoing the buttons. "What are you-" Adrian pushed the cloth off her shoulders, causing her to shy away. "No, don't." Don't see-" Gently, she slipped her hands into Franziska's blouse, cupping her breasts. Her breath rushed out in a soft sigh as Adrian slipped the buttons free, baring her bra. Just as gentle, the woman lifted her breasts free, passing a thumb over the nipples.

"It's Franziska I fell in love with," she murmured. "Who, in my eyes..." Adrian kissed her way down her neck, passing the tip of her tongue across her collarbone. "...is absolutely..." With slow hands and gentle lips, she moved the shirt off her shoulder and kissed the scar. "...perfect." She moved her head back up to capture the young woman's lips, then pulled back. "Franziska?"

Franziska looked at her, not comprehending the worried tone until Adrian brushed the back of her hand across her check, coming away with wet knuckles. She raised her own hand, touching the tears. She felt utterly ridiculous, crying with her breasts hanging out like that. Adrian pulled her close, holding her firmly as she murmured comforting nonsense.

Perfect. How... foolish. And yet, she couldn't stop crying.

---

That was very, very intense. Your descriptions are amazing, your part about Franziska and her mentions of foolish indulgence and not liking being naked were right on spot. I also love your (italics) descriptions - they were very Von Karma.

It was incredibly sweet and wonderful to read. Many kudos and now I shall have to stalk your things. :D

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GLEE.

I really, really liked this.

You captured their characters extremely well :D

In-depth review to come later when I'm more sound of mine, but I thought this was fantastic.


AND HOT.


Seriously I would love to see some more of these two from you :)

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Flailage! I'm just getting my feet wet in this pairing (actually, plunging headfirst into it might be a better term, though I've yet to produce scores and scores of fanartses), so I am totally eating up any little tidbit of fiction of them I can find. Metaphors!

Okay but seriously, as others have said, the characterizations were very accurate, and this is perfect. Just the right length, just a little snapshot of their relationship, with the familiar "franziska is a spazz but adrian loves her anyway" flavor. Lovelove. For some reason I'm amused that Franziska is an adept swimmer. It's always kind of occurred to me that she should have at least one hobby or talent other than prosecuting (even if nobody else ever hears or knows about it), this seems fitting.

Anyway, nice work! :D Thank you for sating my inner fangirl.

Thank you, both all of you! I will probably write more Franziska/Adrian; I love their dynamic, and I adore the characters themselves. Plus, exploring how Franziska puts the shadow of her father behind her... bwahahah.

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No, I really do love how you managed to tell a great story in a very succinct length.

Some of us don't have that gift. :P

I am honestly and truly impressed.

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I tend to write short snippets. While I can write longer stories (a Wild Arms 3 fic named "Pleading Groping Hands/Bleeding in the Sand" and a Fullmetal Alchemist fic named "And Return to Nothing" come to mind), I prefer a swift gut punch er moment in time. Ahem.

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That was my intent. I originally wrote "Perfection" as a short little counterpart to Lerayl/Raelle's magnificent "Clemency," only mine focused on Franziska instead of Adrian.

then I just HAD to write a sequel. >.<

Will you be writing more sequel-ish stuff or random drabbles? :D

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I don't know. My brain's been poking at Tori Amos's "Crucify," more specifically this part:

I've been looking for a savior in these dirty streets
Looking for a savior beneath these dirty sheets

So depending on how the girls play along, it might be anything from a sequel with Franziska working through her daddy issues to random smut. I hope not smut; I have a hard time concentrating when it concerns two hot women.

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Smut is good >:D

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Oh, that is true. It's just tough. And considering how long it took for me to get these two to actually play nice...

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Oh, I totally agree with you. They only cooperated with ME after I spent 80 pages setting up the romance. >.< and even so I STILL couldn't do a short little smutfic without it being ass the first time around.

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I just had an idea to combine the two. I'm about to get off break and go back to helping stupid customers.

Yep, that figures.

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Well if you ever want to bounce plot ideas for these lovely girls off one another, I'm game. :)

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