Title: Aftertaste
Author: Me
Rating: 13+
Genre: Angst, Drama
Status: (completed or not) In Progress
Pairing: (if applicable) Little bits of Edgeworth/Phoenix, Matt/Celeste, Matt/Juan, and Matt/Phoenix, but they're little bits and don't affect the plot at all.
Summary: Matt Engarde had broken out of jail and found a new life. But when someone from his past discovers him, could the murderer inside crawl into the open?


The world spun.

Colors faded to black and white, and red…

He remembered breaking out. Getting out of that hellhole, leaping to freedom. But, could running like a dog with its tail between its legs be considered ‘brave’ or ‘courageous’?

Back there, they said he was going to die. A dead man walking, they laughed, referring to his fate as humorous. Perhaps, to certain people, it truly was. And how ironic; the last thing he wanted to happen did in fact happen. He was stuck, with a choice to make.

Could Matt Engarde choose death honorably? Nothing he had done in his life had been for honor or nobility. Why should his own bereavement be different?

By breaking those cold black walls, he knew his fate then. He would spend the rest of his life running. Always looking over his shoulder, he could never find peace. For if Matt let his guard down for one second…one moment wasted without being safeguarded…

…deKiller would come for him. Of that, Matt was certain.

In choosing to be ‘free’…to taste the freedom outside the steel walls and his blank cell, he chose to live on the edge. Because of what he did, his sins…deKiller wouldn’t hold back, if he ever found him.

Making sure in his wild sprinting that he did not trip over a stray tree root, he calculated what to do next rapidly. He even had a few options to choose from. A ragged cliff with a waterfall seeping off it appeared in the straight path ahead of him. To the right appeared to be some sort of dark forest, and to the left showed the path to a city.

The city’s out. He thought angrily. His trial had acquired quite a bit of fame in the media, especially with the Nickel Samurai himself found guilty of murder.

All that remained were the right and straight paths – the forest or waterfall. The latter had a large drop below it, making survival chances low. On the other hand, the forest seemed like an endless maze; he wasn’t sure if he could even escape from it.

Matt didn’t have much time left. Taking his chances, he decided to take the forest route. But to his surprise, he was in such a hurry that his feet did not obey his brain’s order to halt and turn to the right. His feet leapt off the ledge by themselves, plummeting the criminal into gushing, fast-current water.

---

At first, Matt thought he would be dead. Or at least, severely injured. But that didn’t seem like the case. Upon giving himself a quick check, he came to the conclusion that no wounds even showed up on his body.

Standing up, he examined his surroundings. It must be night. He thought. I can’t see a thing.

Putting his trust into his own feet, which had betrayed him a few conscious moments earlier, he began to walk forward. His feet crushed the ground beneath him as he timidly stepped.

The next step, however, wasn’t so lucky. It missed its target – the ground – and Matt found himself once again falling forward. Instantly, he tried to balance himself on the foot pressed firmly onto the ground, but even it seemed unstable. And then finally, the standing foot felt like it was submerging into the path below.

Ever so slowly, Matt watched as the air around him grew sharp and stale; something he wasn’t good at dealing with. His legs and chest sunk deeper into a large hole his foot had created, and soon all that remained was his head. Even the tip of his body was sinking faster than he could think. Before he could even realize the magnitude of the situation, he disappeared into the darkness.

Once again, Matt found himself falling through space. This time, however, he clearly remembered hitting the ground. The force of the impact was enough to shatter his skeleton, making him wonder why he was still in one piece.

Shaking his now-throbbing head, he felt the strength return to his legs. Wait…his legs! They were still attached to him, feet and everything. Happily, he stood up, observing his surroundings.

Damn…the darkness won’t go away, will it? He asked himself, a little angry at the fact that he was blinded by the murky surroundings.

“Matt Engarde.”

A voice bellowed out, making Matt almost jump out of his skin. Initially, he believed he was hearing things. Clearing his mind, he called out, “Who’s there?”

When a reply didn’t come, he breathed a sigh of relief. In his sleep-deprived, maniac-depressive mood, at least he wasn’t hearing voices. At the very least, it was his conscience, he concluded. Yeah, right. My conscience has been dead for how many years now? He scoffed to himself.

“Matt Engarde.”

The second time the voice rang, Matt nearly had a heart attack. He clutched his head in his gloved hands, screwing his eyes shut in agony. The voice suddenly sounded so familiar; but who could it be…? It was loud but not extremely deep; echoing Matt’s soul through his ears.

“W…who’s there?” he squeaked, surprised at the sound of his own voice.

The voice continued. “You do not remember me? Hell, I was your rival since we were children.”

Trembling with sudden uncontrollable fear, he whimpered, “Juan Corrida…b-but…I thought you were dead!”

“I am dead. You killed me!”

“P-please spare me!” Matt couldn’t help but curse to himself, thinking about how pathetic he must have seemed to his late rival. This time, there was nowhere to run. Juan had all the power now.

Still, he was surprised when a lightning bolt or something didn’t strike him down on the spot. Creaking his eyes open, he perked his ears to hear if the spirit had answered.

“Engarde, since we were children, we fought. Why do you think that is? Because we constantly thought of each other as enemies? Because we were too foolish to realize our mistakes? Tell me, Matt, when did the fun of being able to beat each other stop?”

Matt swallowed hard. He was right; a few years up until Juan’s death, the contests they had with each other no longer became fun. They were simply malicious competitions in which one of them would try to beat the other until the point of breaking. Of course, Matt usually won, but that was beside the point.

“W…why are you here?” he dared to snarl into the dark.

A deep sigh boomed through the shadows. That’s weird…I didn’t know ghosts could sigh. Matt thought to himself, smirking slightly.

“It’s not too late.”

“What?” Matt cried out, shocked by his dead adversary’s words. “What’s not too late? What the hell are you talking about?!”

All of a sudden, the sinking feeling returned to the escaped criminal. He felt his ankles dissolve into the ground. Something was different, however. Dark arm-like objects shot out from the shadows and grasped onto him. The clutch they held on his body was overwhelming; they even began to drag the rest of him down.

Before Matt could even take another breath, he went under.

---

It was scorching. God, was it blisteringly hot. Matt felt like he was going to scream in agony if this continued.

And, just as soon as the burning came, coolness stopped it. Letting out a soft groan, his heavy eyes cracked open.

Pain shot through his body, causing panic to shoot through next. Suddenly very frightened, he wanted to move, to even budge his body.

His eyes coming into focus, he forced them to open more. Someone was looking down at him…was it Juan? Celeste? Who…?

“W…” He wanted to ask who the person was, but the words dried up before escaping his lips. His senses suddenly coming back to him, he was able to feel a sticky sensation next to where he lay. A familiar scent flooded into his nose, and upon realizing it, his eyes snapped open widely.

The scent set off a panic emotion in his mind; it was more intense than ever before. T…this is…! He didn’t even have the strength to scream; a tiny gasp leaked from his mouth.

The person in front of him became more clear. Her body shaped into solid curves and lines. Matt still couldn’t tell who it was. One of his fingers twitched without warning, and he was able to move that hand more freely. Bringing it up to his face, he almost cried out when his fingertips smoothed over deep slashes and scars.

And then he remembered. Everything on his face was his own fault, really. From the moment he gave himself the three scars across his right eye, his fate was sealed. Adding to the complete mess on his face, when he lost the trial where his own lawyer wouldn’t even defend him, he had torn through his face with only his fingernails in result of his bitter defeat, leaving many more never-healing slashes.

It was then that Matt first noticed the stain on his fingers. Trailing from the tips all the way down to his palm was a liquid he knew quite well. It was a beautiful yet painful crimson liquid.

Blood.

Instantly, his vocal chords returned, and he screamed as loud as his lungs allowed. This particular salty-tasting liquid had comforted him in the past, but at that moment it brought back the most painful of memories.

The one staring down at the man came into his focus. She appeared to be a young woman, and was dressed all over in purple clothes. Her brunette hair was tied up with a cute ribbon. Matt was sure he’d never seen her before.

“W…where am I?” he finally managed to squeak. The girl’s expressions softened, and her eyes glittered with warmth.

Pressing her gentle fingers onto his lips, she replied softly, “We found you washed up on the shore of the river. You are still wounded in many places, including your face. I am not sure if the marks will ever go away.”

Matt could not help but smirk then. “D…don’t worry about the marks on my face.” He scoffed. “What kind of place is this?”

Peering around from his spot on what felt like a bed, he seemed to be in some sort of a Japanese style home. Sliding doors were at the entrance to the room, and lanterns with various kanji on them floated down from the ceiling.

“The kanji…for ‘spirit’…and ‘medium’. This…this is a spirit medium village, isn’t it?” he had heard of mediums, mostly from Adrian. Come to think of it, that girl deKiller kidnapped wore the same kind of clothing…

The girl smiled warmly. “Good guess.” She replied. “This is the Taisetsu Village, a spirit medium training ground, if you will. Mediums come here to perfect their skills. My name is Rika. Hello, Mr…um…”

“Matt.” The wounded man replied, being careful not to give away his full name. Even mediums could watch tv sometimes, he guessed.

“Very well then, Mr. Matt. I have already spoken with the village Master. She has allowed you to stay as long as you wish.” Rika explained.

Matt blinked, finally realizing the state he was in. Damn it…so weak. He cursed himself. “It’s not like I can move. I’ll stay until I heal.” He sneered. Rika did not detect the mock in his voice, and grinned.

“Thank you, Mr. Matt! I’ll let you rest.” She stood up and briskly walked out of the room, slamming the sliding door behind her.

“Wait!” Matt called out, though he knew she was already gone. Running his bloodied fingers through his unkempt hair, he pondered what his choices for the future were. He could decide to stay here for quite a while, but who knows what those spirit mediums would do if they found out who he truly was? There was also the possibility of running away from here. But could he get far? His body was in no shape to survive without help; as much as he hated to admit it, Matt did require assistance.

I could just use these mediums’ trust to my advantage. He thought maliciously. No…I think I’ve learned my lesson about using people…pretty soon I’ll have the whole country after my head. In any case, using strangers is out from now on. I can never truly trust a person, but I guess not making them my puppet is a good start.

As he lied there, he could’ve sworn he heard a voice echo in his ear. It sounded like a ghostly wail of some sort. Matt shrugged it off arrogantly and found himself being more tired than he thought. Even after being unconscious for a long while (at least, it seemed that way to him), he desired rest more than anything in the world.

Before he drifted off, he concluded his decision. I’ll stay as long as I need to. I don’t know what I’ll need to stay for, or even if it’s for my sake or another’s, but I will not leave until the desire is satisfied.

---

Last edited by tsukixkumori on Tue Feb 05, 2008 8:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.

No one's interested in hearing about Matt's epic escape? ^^; Sorry to bump...I'm so impatient. Croik, if you want you can delete this post...

---

Oh, sorry.

Epic. On many scales. Is this a oneshot?

<3 Very good perspective, very good writing. You have potential :D

---

I'm loved! :''D No, it's not a oneshot. More like a twoshot, really. I'll have the last part up when I finish it.

Thank you so much for your comments.

---

I love your style and your topic.

I hope you write more in the future!

The second and final part! 8D I apologize for the emoness...m'kay? And don't say Matt was OOC. He's never been in this situation canonly, so you cannot say. :3


Matt Engarde stretched as he opened the sliding doors, seeing the sunlight glare into his eyes. It was so peaceful in Taisetsu Village, which was sort of a training camp for spirit mediums. He had grown so accustomed to their culture in the few short months he’d been with them.

His hair was no longer slicked back; it was allowed to hang down from his head, covering nearly all his face. Only his left eye was able to be seen, similar to his old style. The chocolate brown hair was somewhat evenly cut as well; the mediums cut their own hair, so they didn’t mind giving him a trim from time to time in addition.

Shading himself from the sun with his arm, Matt walked into the garden that was set in front of his temporary home. It had a beautiful fountain in the center with pools of different colored stones assorted in it. He didn’t know why, but it reminded him of his mansion; something like that used to be there. Shoe liked it, too.

Shoe…I wonder how he’s doing? Matt could not help but wonder. The kitten didn’t have anyone to take care of him now; did he just run away and fend for himself? The thought scared the man, but he couldn’t do anything about it now. Sorry, Shoe. He thought sadly, sighing to himself.

“Ah! Mr. Outorou!” The young girl named Rika cried, appearing at the edge of the garden waving.

Matt could not help but smile to himself. He asked the mediums to refer to him as ‘Shingo Outorou’ as a sort of personal way of getting rid of his past. At this rate, even if Adrian showed up she wouldn’t be able to recognize him.

“Rika, hi. How’s your training doing?” he asked with another smile. He didn’t really want to admit it, but compared to his past self, cold and ruthless, he was improving quite well. Rika was like a little sister to him; one he never wanted nor had.

The girl sweatdropped. “Well, so-so, I guess. But guess what? I convinced the master to let another medium from Kurain Village to come here! She’s going to teach me while she’s here! Mr. Outorou, isn’t this great?”

Matt shrugged. “Kurain Village? What the hell is that, anyway?”

Rika’s eyes widened. “You don’t know?! It’s a famous spirit channeling village! Mystic Misty and Mystic Maya are from there! Not to mention Mystic Pearl…”

As the girl was prattling along, Matt was pondering the names mentioned. Maya…why does that name sound so…familiar? I don’t remember meeting anyone with that name. So why…?

More than likely, this ‘Maya’ person was from his past. Rika’s statement had proven that no one in Taisetsu Village was named that. Shaking his head clear of any haunting thoughts, Matt focused his hearing back on the girl.

“She’ll be arriving today. Oh, I wonder who it is…!” Rika sighed dreamily.

“Whoever it is, make sure you stop drooling over them long enough to pay attention.” Matt joked, pressing on her head with his knuckles.

Rika nodded and skipped away happily. The man sighed again to himself, and sat down on the bamboo-tiled floor. It was so peaceful here. Too peaceful for someone like him.

“Mr. Engarde…”

Matt, upon hearing his voice, spun around. No one was supposed to call him by that name ever again…! So who…?

Stiffening, a shiver went up his spine. Not a soul was present where he was called from. “W…who the hell’s there?!” he hissed into the empty room.

“How…could you forget me? I find that awfully rude.”

“Y…you’re not real!” Matt cried, getting more desperate.

The voice pursued its mental chase on the scarred man. “But I am, Matt. You should believe in me, for I am real.”

Now holding his head and trembling, he screamed, “N…NOOOOOOOOO!” He stood up and ran the opposite way, shaking as his feet pounded into the ground.

Flashes of the past flew into his mind. He was in a similar situation before, wasn’t he? That’s right…running from the police, trying to get away from prison and his unavoidable fate…

It was all his fault.

Trying to break free of the psychological trap he was caught in, his heart pounded harder than he ever remembered. For once in his life, he thought he had control. He had jurisdiction over his own life.

It was then that Matt finally realized why he broke down. It wasn’t part of the stupid voices in his head or anything close to that. The reason his self-control collapsed was because he was trying to hide who he was. By changing his name and the way he looked, he was denying the world the criminal that deserved to be sentenced to eternal silence. His death was refuted from the world, which tore him up inside exactly like his nails tore through his own flesh many months ago.

While he was running, Matt of course didn’t realize where he was actually going in truth. Before he even had time to recover himself and his surroundings, something collided with his skull and he was thrust backwards by a force stronger than him at the time.

Rubbing his head and finally forced back to reality, he noticed what he had hit. A young man stood in front of him, rubbing his head as well. It wasn’t until Matt noticed his hairstyle that his heart almost stopped. Black hair uniquely spiked sat on top of a young man wearing a blue suit’s head. Next to him, a girl wearing a spirit medium outfit stood.

“Nick! You really need to watch where you’re going!” she cried angrily at the man.

He laughed nervously and approached Matt while holding out his hand. “Sorry about that. I’m Phoenix Wright. And you are?”

Matt reluctantly used Wright’s help to pull himself back onto his feet. “Uh…I’m Shingo. Shingo Outorou.”

The girl smiled. “Nice to meet you! My name is Maya Fey, or Mystic Maya as some of the mediums call me here. I don’t like the nickname, but you might know me as that.”

Scared half to death at the sight of the two people, he nodded. “N…nice to meet you too. What can I help you with?”

Maya grinned widely. “We’re hear to see Mystic Rika! Do you know her?”

“Y…yes, I do. She’s been expecting you.”

“Well, we would’ve gotten here sooner, but I had to practically pry Nick off of Mr. Edgeworth!” Maya teased, poking him with a sly look.

Phoenix’s face went bright pink. Matt had to bite his tongue to stop himself from laughing. He never would’ve guessed it. The defense and the prosecutor of his own trial, too…!

That’s over and done with. He reminded himself. “Well, let me take you to her, then.” He continued, walking forward and urging them to follow. After exchanging glances with each other, Phoenix and Maya trailed behind him.

“Say, Mr. Outorou, do we know you from somewhere? I just feel like we’ve met before…” Maya thought out loud, saying it more as a reflection than a question to him.

Nevertheless, he answered immediately, “N-no, I don’t believe we met, Ms. Maiya.” He pronounced her name wrong on purpose to make himself sound more clueless – an excellent way of deceiving people in the past.

“It’s Maya, and okay. We probably have never met; you just look so familiar.”

Phoenix shook his head. “Don’t worry, Mr. Outorou, she does this a lot.” He assured with a smirk.

Matt nervously laughed. “Y-yeah. Seems like it. Well, here’s Rika’s room. She should be in there.” He announced, letting them walk into her room.

“Ah! Mystic…Maya?!?!?” A screech of excitement came from the room. The scarred man smirked.

Walking along the path of the mediums’ homes, he thought deeply about the events that took place before running into his old lawyer. That voice sounded so familiar…could it be the same person from his dream when he first arrived there?

Juan…Corrida…

That man had been his arch-rival since day one. Everything in their lives had been about beating the other. Matt felt no different than Juan; he even hired an assassin after him. Still, as much as he hated the guy, he had come to respect him as an enemy. Truth be known, when deKiller succeeded in strangling him, Matt felt a little grief in knowing his constant challenges and number one challenger were gone.

But Matt didn’t believe in ghosts. At least, he never used to. He figured if ghosts really existed, Celeste’s would come back to haunt him for the rest of his life. And that didn’t happen, so why should he believe?

He had always been a selfish, arrogant man. Sometimes he wondered if it was right to break out of prison; to deny his fate. But then again, maybe there was something else he should have been focusing on…

Oh yeah…! Mr. Lawyer and his medium partner! Matt recalled. How bad was his luck? Having the lawyer who turned on him in his own trial show up when he was finally acquiring peace, it couldn’t get any worse.

His world suddenly seemed to blur; Matt found himself swaying back and forth. D…damn…what the hell is this? Why do I feel…?

His vision grew clouded, like a storm. The clouds in his foresight grew darker and darker until nothing more could be seen.

Matt’s body hit the ground with a thud.

---

Groaning, the scarred man opened his good eye. Looking around, he noticed that he was back in his room, lying on his bed. Maybe…with memories of the past, that was just a nightmare… Maybe Mr. Lawyer and that medium are just in my head…

A sudden thumping noise broke his thoughts. “Mr. Outorou? Are you alright?” A familiar voice sounded from above him, and Matt’s heart almost stopped when he saw the familiar blue-eyed man peering down at him.

“Mr. Wright…” he rasped, sitting straight up quickly. “Uh, sorry about that. I…guess I just lost my balance there.” He tried to laugh to himself, but his nerves were practically clawing at his insides.

The expression on the lawyer’s face hardened. “Mr. Outorou. Maya’s suspicions of you before were correct, weren’t they? We have met before.”

The ex-actor’s eyes widened in terror, but he refused to reply. Suddenly, Wright gasped in surprise. “What is it?” Matt asked, but the attorney was too busy murmuring something about some kind of locks to himself.

“Mr. Wright?” he asked, shaking a bit.

Phoenix’s eyes focused, and suddenly he looked extremely mature. “We have met before, and you know it. The question is, when…? Do you know that as well?”

Matt was determined to keep his identity hidden for as long as he could. “W…what the hell are you talking about? I think I would remember someone with a hairstyle like yours, y’know?” he tried to smile like nothing was wrong.

Damn. This was so much easier in the past. He growled to himself.

“Well, if you’re still persistent, I guess there’s nothing I can do. But I’ll have you know, who you are is slowly coming back to me… While you were unconscious, I noticed all those scars on your face. Wonder how you got those…maybe something bad happened in the past…?”

Shaking his head, Matt replied, “N…no! I was just…involved in an accident.”

“Are you sure it was an accident? Maybe…it was because of your fate.” Phoenix was so dangerously close to the truth.

“My f-fate?”

Matt didn’t understand. He remembered Wright being relatively calm even when his friend was kidnapped. And now he’s getting angry because he thinks he knows him? Or maybe…he already knows…? Matt Engarde would always be Matt Engarde, and no hairstyle or alias could change that.

And Phoenix Wright seemed to know this. He shook his head and his eyes seemed to shimmer with skepticism.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Outorou. I really am sorry I had to drag you into the open like this. But I can’t allow a criminal to get off without penalty. Don’t you agree, Mr. Outorou…? Or should I say…Mr. Engarde?”

Matt felt a rage burning in his heart. Everything was perfect, perfect…! Until Wright showed up, that is…

Was it really…perfect…?

Standing up, the man faced the lawyer with fury bubbling in his heart and gleaming in his eyes. His mouth did not allow him to speak any words, but his expression said all the necessary talk.

“I’m right, aren’t I?” Wright guessed it, and not a surprise at all. It was written all over Matt’s face, he was sure.

The furious man grabbed the collar of Wright’s suit, ready to strike his face with his fist. But something stopped him. It wasn’t the serious look on the attorney’s face, nor was because of the consequences.

Something just told Matt that punching Wright wouldn’t do any good. He let go and sighed, sitting back down on his bed.

“Well, guess you caught me, Mr. Lawyer.” He groaned, running his fingers over the scars covering his face.

“I’m sorry to have torn through your disguise like that.” Phoenix admitted.

Matt couldn’t help but chuckle a little. “You’ve done it before, so no worries.”

“Why are you here? I heard a while ago you broke out of jail, but no one ever found you. The police presumed you dead after jumping off a waterfall. But I guess you’re still alive. Mr. Engarde, what were you planning to do…?”

The scarred man looked up at Wright, straight in the eye. “I honestly don’t know. I was happy here, I think. I should have been, if nothing else. My name was different, I didn’t look the same…it was as if I was being reborn. And then you come in and ruin all of it.”

“Mr. Engarde, as a lawyer I do have to enforce the law, and that includes capturing criminals…”

“Oh, shut up. Your job is to defend your client. But you didn’t do that with me, did you? No, you failed in my trial.”

“T…that was because you were guilty!” Wright protested.

Shrugging, Matt continued, “Yes, but it was still your job to try everything you could. Of course I was guilty, and to blame for the whole mess. That doesn’t mean I still don’t have a bitter spot for you.”

Wright sighed and stood up. “I really can’t do anything, you’re right. I just wish, for once, you could care about someone other than yourself.”

I only have myself. Matt thought, but decided to keep silent.

“Do you even want to change?”

The question puzzled Matt. Did he? Could he?

“…yes.” He realized it then. Using others’ trust to manipulate them…it wasn’t right. Hell, it wasn’t really human. He had a good life with the spirit mediums, as far as escaped criminal lives go; he enjoyed the time of freedom. Yes, he was a human being too…he longed for freedom.

“I could help you, if you like. I’m…rather prone to picking up strays. Maya can attest to that.” The lawyer laughed.

Matt still didn’t understand. He had kidnapped this guy’s best friend, made him go against the nature of his job, caused him a mental struggle so deep he almost didn’t come back, and he laughed? It wasn’t even a spiteful laugh!

Is this guy…I wonder…worth trusting?

“…channel…” Matt’s words were quiet. He had trouble getting them out right.

Phoenix obviously didn’t hear him. “What?”

“We could…channel…Juan.” He repeated slowly, swallowing hard.

“You mean…the victim of your trial? The Jammin’ Ninja?”

It was the umpteenth time in the past few months that Matt was ashamed of the quality of his voice. “…yes.” He squeaked.

Still, Wright had to ask. “And tell him what exactly…? Do you wish to apologize?”

Matt snorted. “Please, I’m not completely different. I still have this foolish pride of mine, and I don’t plan on giving that up. I wish to simply chat with him…maybe tell him that I may regret what I did…”

The lawyer smirked, and the other man could tell what he was thinking in a heartbeat. He decided to keep his thoughts to himself yet again, though.

Just when all seemed peaceful, a familiar voice came into Matt’s hearing.

“Engarde…you haven’t forgotten, have you?”

He froze, causing Wright to look at him strangely. “Are you alright?” he dared to ask, but Matt was too haunted to really hear him. Flailing his head around wildly, he tried to see who was speaking. The blood rushed inside his veins, and his heart pounded loudly.

“W…who’s there!?” he demanded into the empty room.

“You have forgotten me. Do you really think you can be forgiven!?!”

Something knocked into Matt. His vision grew dark, and even though he knew it, he couldn’t stop himself from falling onto the ground. Pain shot through his body before he lost consciousness.

Why…is this happening?

---

……Juan?

The man whose face was sliced up opened his eyes. Even though he was used to passing out at that point, he was surprised to find he had not been returned to his bed. Instead, he was surrounded by white. Only white.

It finally occurred to him that he was in a hospital room. He wasn’t used to being in one of these, as he hadn’t been to a medical building since the first three scars on his right eye…

Shaking his head, he tried to collect his thoughts. He was talking with Wright, wasn’t he? So…how did he end up passing out again?

Snapping him back to reality, a figure walked into his room. Assuming it was Wright, he began by saying, “Wright…I guess I am prone to this kind of thing, but a hospital…? Too extreme.”

“It’s nice to see you again, Matt.”

The man found himself freezing again. Trembling, he looked up at the figure. It was a man with dusty brown hair. A strand of grass hung limply from his lips. Something about him wasn’t right, though; around his body was a creepy silver aura, and most of him was transparent.

“Y…you’re…!” Matt gasped, pointing towards the man, who nodded.

“Don’t just sit there shaking like a pansy. Come on, Engarde, where’s that arrogant attitude you always had? Or perhaps…are you going for the ‘refreshing like a spring breeze’ look again?”

The words wouldn’t escape his mouth; Matt was too frightened. “B…but you’re…dead…! I had…deKiller…you’re dead…”

“Matt, what’s with this act? You’re the one who wanted me here. So why are you so…scared of me?”

“Y…y…you’re…not real…get away from me!” Matt covered himself with the bed covers; a cowardly act, but he wasn’t himself.

The voice still echoed in his mind. “But Matt, it really is me. Juan Corrida, remember?”

“W…why are you so…content with seeing me?!” Matt dared to scream, trembling and biting his tongue.

There was a small pause. “Content? … What, did you think I came here to seek my unholy revenge or something? Oh boy, Matt…you need to get your head out of the gutter. First of all, I couldn’t be happier since I died, and I guess that was thanks to you. As soon as I left the world, I realized that you weren’t going to haunt me anymore, and that I was finally free. After that, I met up with Celeste and we are together at last. So, thanks for hiring that assassin on me, old pal.”

Matt detected some sort of sarcasm in the spirit’s voice, but he tried his best to disregard it. Coming out from the covers, he ultimately decided to face his past; and that meant Juan too.

“Juan…you say ‘I wanted you here’? What gave you that idea?” he dared to ask.

Juan blinked. “You said it yourself while you were sleeping. ‘Juan…I’m…sorry…’ I remember hearing.”

His face flushing with embarrassment, the scarred man realized how pathetic he must have seemed. “Well…they must have drugged me here. Yeah, that’s it. Where is everyone, anyway? I was talking to Wright…”

“Oh, he’s waiting for you.”

“Waiting for me? To do what? And another thing…remember the first time you ‘haunted’ me? You said ‘It’s not too late.’ What did that mean?”

Juan laughed. “You’ll see soon, Engarde. Now, don’t make Phoenix Wright wait any longer.”

Matt, at this point, was very confused. Before he had time to ask anymore questions, however, he opened his eyes again. Looking around, he noticed he was in the exact same room as before. Sure enough, Wright was sitting next to his bed.

“Why are you here…” he grumbled under his breath, so angry at the fact that his past enemy had helped him.

But the lawyer hadn’t heard him, or if he did he ignored the question. “You passed out…again. Do you do this often?”

“Of course not.” The man in the bed spat.

Wright nodded. “Well, you probably don’t remember it, but this time you coughed up blood and blacked out. I couldn’t just leave you there to die from blood loss, could I?”

“You could have.” Matt replied.

Sighing, the spiky-haired man replied, “You really don’t trust people, do you?”

“No one.”

“It’s a pity, really. You were loved by so many people, too. Your fans, Celeste, maybe even Adrian…”

Matt glared at Wright. “Shut the hell up. My past is over and done with.” That’s not true. His thoughts contradicted his words. Too bad Wright wasn’t a mind reader; otherwise he would yell “Objection!” at that point.

“Mind if I ask you a question?” Matt took his chances and asked, to which Wright nodded in answer. “Was anyone else here earlier?” I doubt it, but maybe…

“No one I know of.” The lawyer’s words set unease into his mind. Juan was here, but that was just a dream…wasn’t it? No one else could have seen the spirit, though…

Wait! Spirits don’t exist. I know that! I’ve always believed that. Damn it…I must have a fever. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be thinking such stupid and impossible thoughts…seeing such stupid and impossible things…

“Mr. Engarde, I was wondering. Do you still wish to channel Juan? Maybe you’re… frightened of him. The nurse told me that you were calling out his name in terror in your sleep…” Phoenix pressed, much like he used to when Matt was convicted.

“W…why would I be afraid of him? I mean, sure I led to the guy’s death, but…there’s no way I’d be scared of someone like him…”

“But you are, aren’t you? You’re afraid he’ll come back and haunt you. Mr. Engarde, isn’t that the truth!?”

Matt was stunned. He had underestimated this particular lawyer in the past, but he never thought he could be so…good.

He hit the nail right on the head.

The truth that Matt himself did not want to admit…Phoenix Wright had dragged it out.

“Y…yes…” All of the struggles he had suffered through in the past few months, they were spilling out in front of him, and in front of this attorney.

“And do you want to apologize?”

The broken man refused to answer, looking away.

“Mr. Engarde. I won’t be able to help you unless you tell me…”

Something inside Matt suddenly snapped like a cable. His eyes flared red and his clawed hands reached for the attorney’s neck. Clasping onto it tightly, he growled over Wright’s choking breaths, “Listen to me. I can see right through your little act; I’ve done it so many times I can practically smell the signs. You want to ‘help’ me, you say? No, all you want to do is get close to me…and then finally gain my trust. And when I least expect it…”

His grip tightened, and the spiky-haired man was desperate to breathe. His arms pounded into Matt, and his legs tried kicking him away. Unfortunately, Matt was stronger. Before he could succeed in strangling Wright, however, Matt felt his heart thump loudly. Blood gushed out of his mouth and he collapsed onto the ground in a coughing fit.

Instantly, Phoenix ran over and grasped his shoulders. “Mr. Engarde?!” he cried, obviously concerned.

In between his hacks, Matt screamed, “HOW CAN YOU STILL CARE?! I just tried to murder you, and you make sure I’m okay?! What the hell’s wrong with you!?” The floor was stained by the terrifying crimson liquid.

“Mr. Engarde…please, tell me what’s really wrong.” Phoenix still pressed.

Before he could control himself, tears surged out of Matt’s hateful eyes. “D…damn it……I hear these voices…they…haunt me…I wanted to channel Juan because…I thought it was him…but it’s not…it’s not him…”

Phoenix took off his blue coat and offered it to Matt. He reluctantly accepted it and sat back on the hospital bed.

“I hate myself…I’m so weak…crying…and breaking down like this…” he mumbled to himself.

“Why would you think that? You are human, after all. You have your limits.” Wright’s words rang in Matt’s ears.

He was human.

He had limits.

Those words warmed his heart and the desire to run away soon stopped. He shook himself and stared the lawyer right in the eyes. “Phoenix Wright, please get Maya. There’s someone else I want to channel.”

Without a word, Wright smiled and nodded, walking outside the room for a bit. Left alone to think for a brief moment, Matt self-consciously thought of what Wright had thought of him back there. Did he really mean what he said? Was it really okay for him to stop being so hateful and rely on others for a change?

Before he could think anymore, Maya’s cheerful voice brightened the sullen room. She appeared next to Matt’s bedside with a smile. “Mr. Engarde! Nick told me all about what happened. So, um…you want me to channel someone other than Juan?”

Slowly, Matt nodded his head. Swallowing hard, he spit out the word, “Celeste.”

Maya blinked in surprise, and Wright did the same. “Your old girlfriend? The one who hanged herself, right?”

“…yeah, that’s her. Please, Celeste Inpax. I…really need to speak with her.”

Shrugging, the spirit medium began the channeling. Ever so slowly, her body became shaped more like a woman’s – Celeste’s – and her face aged a few years. Once the transformation was complete, Maya’s eyes were not staring at him anymore. In her place, Celeste sat.

Glaring deep shades of blue at him, Celeste stood up, gritting her teeth furiously. “C…Celeste…” Matt whimpered, feeling much like he had when he first escaped from jail.

“…Matt. You actually remembered my name. Good job.” She patted his head, smiling.

Suddenly, Matt’s emotions yet again got the best of him. “C…Celeste! I…I’m sorry! I know it’s you haunting me, and for good reason. I defied my fate, and I’m sorry…I’m just not ready to die yet.”

Celeste blinked and slowly, her glaring icicles melted a bit. “Matt…this is who I remember. Refreshing like a spring breeze indeed…” she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his.

Shocked, he could only stand there. Once they broke apart, she smiled. “That’s the last one you’ll ever get. I love Juan.”

Matt, puzzled at her actions, nodded. “O…okay…um…but I thought you were angry…”

“Yes, I was. And part of me still is, too. But…you’ve certainly learned your lesson, it seems. Who knew that the prideful and selfish Matt Engarde could turn out like this? I didn’t expect it…but someone did, I know that.”

“Who?” Matt could not help but ask like a curious kitten.

Celeste grinned widely and began to disappear. “Juan, of course. He did say it wasn’t too late.”

A chill went through Matt’s body, and he watched Celeste turn back into Maya. He really couldn’t believe it. Spirits did exist. He had two living…well, nonliving…people to prove that to him.

Another thing that shocked him on that cold evening in the hospital was that even a person as ruthless as him could change. No one stays the same forever. Phoenix Wright smiled to him and nodded when Maya changed back.

He is worth trusting. Matt concluded, smiling purely for once in his life. No more doubt existed in his heart – only hope for the future.

Matt Engarde had lived through the aftertaste of an inner war. And he knew that from then on that things would be just a little bit brighter.

And hell, who knew? Maybe he could one day be actually refreshing like a spring breeze.

END

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Pretty, pretty good. The character development was.... good too I admit. I've always wanted to see and read a fan fiction of Matt's life afterwards 2-4.

Although.... the only parts I didn't like are that this ended kinda abruptly. And..

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Well...I can explain it somewhat. I guess it was announced on the news that Matt had escaped, and that he plummeted down a freaking waterfall. Most people wouldn't survive that, so deKiller must have assumed he was dead.

Sorry if it doesn't make sense. I tend to forget every single topic I focus on as I write. X3

Thank you for the comment, though. :"""D It makes me so happy. <3

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Wow, that was one good fic, I enjoyed reading it. The storyline is very interesting and you made the characters' behavior pretty much canon; I can't imagine Matt changing so much, though, and I wish mr. DeKiller actually appeared(not sure if this sentence has proper grammar) in the fanfiction. But still, you're a good writer and I would want to read more of your work.

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^/////^ Thank you so much. <3

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See my above comment, the priniple does not change.

Um, what?

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