Title: These Wounds Can Heal ((If I think of a better title, I'll change it))
Author: Me, of course!
Genre: Drama and Romance
Status: Completed... unless I choose to add stuff
Pairing: Iris and Phoenix
Summery: It's after the events of GS 4; Phoenix now has time to remember (and mourn for) his past. Suddenly, though, she comes back. Can love really heal all wounds?


I was going to start a Manfred fanfic, except I'm currently working a creative project where the main character's name just happens to have to be Manfred It's giving me wonderful ideas for it, but I didn't want to confuse myself between stories and I also wanted to write a fanfic in between. This won't be that long, but I decided that I might as well have some fun.

This will have major spoilers for GS3 and somewhat major for GS4

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Chapter One: Scars Newly Opened

"Polly! What are you doing!?" Trucy yelled huffly. Apollo gripped his pen tighter as he tried to quickly complete his thoughts before the memories slipped away.
"What do you think? I'm writing about my last case!" Apollo groaned. It had been a month after the big trial with Vera and Kristoph Gavin. So much seemed to change after that case. Phoenix grew more solemn than Apollo thought was possible and Trucy became more demanding of his time; like an annoying sister.

Trucy put her fists on her hips and huffed. What's her problem? Ever since Mr. Wright became more depressed, she's become more vexing! Apollo thought. Maybe it would be good to ask her about it.
"Trucy, what's wrong? You've been acting strangely lately," Apollo asked as he stopped writing for the moment. Trucy suddenly looked downcast; her eyes stared at her feet and her eyes looked so forlorn.
"Something's wrong with Daddy, and he won't tell me. I-I don't know how to help him," Trucy whispered. Apollo furrowed his eyebrows. If Trucy thought something was wrong with Phoenix... then something truly was wrong.



Phoenix grasped and reread each letter with tight scrutiny. There were three in all; one was from Maya, another from Bikini, and the last from Edgeworth. All of them were practically illegible because the tear stains that blotted out the ink. Each letter held the incriminating words that Phoenix did not want to believe.

I'm sorry, Nick, but none of us at Kurain Village have seen her ever since her parole...

Mr. Wright, Iris packed her things a couple of days after she was released and left; said something about "redemption" and "not deserving of forgiveness"...

There are no files about Iris on the Prosecution Office Database that are of any value. She simply disappeared, Wright...

"Why, Iris?" Phoenix whispered. "I told you... I told you that I held no anger towards you..." He wiped his red, bloodshot eyes with a wet tissue and threw the letters towards his nightstand near his bed. All three letters missed and fluttered to the ground. Nick didn't care and closed his eyes, rubbing his temples with his fingers. Iris had gotten out a little earlier from jail for good behavior; however, the timing couldn't have been any worse. Two days prior, Nick lost his badge and hid himself in his office with Trucy as his only company. He did not think how Iris would take that to mean. Phoenix realized that by hiding himself in his misery, he made it seem like he didn't want to see Iris again. Actually it was the exact opposite; Nick had hoped to see Iris come waltzing through the doors, ready to console and give him hope. Alas, Iris was a gentle woman; she did not want to seek him if it looked like he didn't want to be found.
Still, even after he realized that Iris wasn't coming back, he tried any and every way to contact her. He sent letters to Maya, Bikini, and even Edgeworth; hoping for some good news. But there were none to be found.

Phoenix tried to contact her for two or three years, but gave up when the most devestating news reached his home in a newspaper. Nick picked up the cut-out news article that was on his nightstand.

Mysterious girl reported by witnesses to have jumped into Cerulean River... described with black hair with braided edges and an acolyte uniform...presumed dead by police... body never found... determined to have been suicide...

A witness had accidentally taken a picture of the woman before and during her fateful jump. There was no doubt in Phoenix's mind; it was Iris.

Why!? I never intended to harm you... I didn't want to blame you for anything... Phoenix thought somberly. His hands shook as he stared at the article. His dear Iris was such a delicate flower... he never realized the pain he had put her through. And now, the pain that he was in...

Maya tried to contact Phoenix after the news came out. Phoenix at first wouldn't answer, but after a year, finally started speaking to her. Whenever Maya tried to change to subject to Iris, Nick would cut her off and demand to never speak about her. Maya tried very hard to get him to talk about her, but her efforts were futile. She then sent a letter to tell him her extremely important news when she couldn't speak them over the phone.

I believe Iris may still be alive! It's impossible to channel her!

Phoenix would hear nothing of this hopeful wishing.

Besides, if she isn't contacting me, she might as well be dead. Phoenix had written back, bitterly.

However, when Apollo finally came into his life, Phoenix was able to put the past behind him again. But now, with everything finally finished, the past came back at him at full force.

I wanted you by my side... but now my heart feels like it can't heal again



"Well, do you know what's plaguing Mr. Wright so much?" Apollo asked. Trucy shook her head dejectedly. Apollo patted her shoulder reassuringly.
"I wouldn't worry too much, Trucy. I'm sure he's just trying to figure out what to do with his life," Apollo reassured.
"I'm not so sure, Polly. Daddy... he doesn't necessarily leave the house anymore. He always just locks himself up in his room and stays there. When he comes out, his face is all red... like he's been crying," Trucy explained. She looked like she was about to cry as well. Apollo felt a pang of sudden sorrow at seeing Trucy this way. He couldn't explain it; just seeing her be so sad made him want to cry, too.
Suddenly, the phone rang. Apollo got up from his chair to answer it.

"Wright Anything Agency. How can I help you?" Apollo said automatically. He'd stop caring how rediculous the name was; if it was a client, he was sure to listen.
"Is... Fe—Mr. Wright available?" a lady with a very soft, somber voice answered. A shiver went down his spine as he realized the similarity between this woman's voice and Vera's voice. Apollo shook away the sudden thoughts in his head.
"May I ask who's calling?" Apollo regained his composure and asked. There was hesitation on the other end. Apollo wondered if he said something wrong.
"Tell him... it's the Deceiver," the soft voice replied. Apollo raised an eyebrow in bewilderment. The Deceiver...?
"One moment, please," Apollo answered and put the receiver on hold. His face still held a look of puzzlement.
"Who is it, Polly?" Trucy whispered. Apollo started to go towards Phoenix's room.
"She called herself, 'The Deceiver'," Apollo answered. He knocked on Phoenix's door.



"Someone's on the phone for you, Mr. Wright. She called herself 'The Deceiver'?" Apollo called. Nick put the papers away and wiped his eyes away from remaining tears. He barely understood what his apprentice said, something about a call. Normally, he'd ask Apollo to say that he was unavailable, but he realized he needed to get out of his room sometime. He calmly and wordlessly opened his door to a slightly shocked Apollo and walked towards the phone.

"Mr. Wright here," Phoenix said, almost robotically.
"Feenie..." the voice interrupted herself by sobbing. Phoenix stood there, a look of sudden shock across his face.

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Like I said, this will only be a few chapters. Oh, and I have absolutely no idea where this is going; this was more of an experiment than anything else, so bear with me! I missed writing something so I decided to write this. Hopefully this fanfic is still worth a read!

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Last edited by Caelestis on Sat May 24, 2008 2:10 am, edited 1 time in total.

Ah, wow! I wasn't gonna read the whole thing at first, but it completely captivated me! And that's saying a lot since I'm not really a NickXIris-shipper. Great job!!

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And you were worried you couldn't write a Nick/Iris fic. You are off to a great start. The story captures the reader's attention to draw him/her in immediately and you seem to have the characters down well so far. Not much more to say except I hope to see more in the near future.

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Last edited by Mia_Fey on Sat May 17, 2008 4:53 am, edited 1 time in total.

Ah! I'm amazed! This is the first Feenris fic I've read in a while, and I'm hooked! I must have more! :3

This Feenris fic is Xero Wright-approved!

I was so shocked when I saw the news clipping about Iris... D:

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So sweet! It's no mean feat to activate my tearducts and that you've done. Nice work. Aside from a little cosmetic editing, I can think of no way to improve this work. If it's at all convenient for you, please keep going.

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Yes, you are now being hypnotized into forever reading! Bwahahah!
That was creepy; anyways, I'm glad that I got you to read this. And I'm glad you enjoyed it



Heh heh. I'm glad you think so. I think getting the characters down this time will be slightly easier than the last characters I "shipped".



Hehe! I'm glad you're enjoying it! Does this fanfic get a seal of your approval?



OMG, I'm making people cry again! Well, if you don't mind, I'm taking that as a wonderful compliment Yeah, I'm not writing as well right now; so excuse the awkward sentences. I will say, however, that if you speak them in your mind, it will make a lot more sense. I haven't had much time to really comb through and fix the weird wording. Thanks for putting up with it!

I think I'll write the next chapter...

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It couldn't be. She wasn't supposed to be... alive... But Phoenix had to find out; he couldn't give up this chance to find out.

"...Iris?" he asked quietly. The sobbing on the other line subsided for a moment, even though every time the person tried speaking, her voice ended up cracking.
"I... that's not what I should be called, anymore... I couldn't take it anymore. I promised to never lie to you again after... that time, but yet..." Iris's sobs started to come back again. Phoenix's heart tore in two. Hearing her cry was a horrible sound; the worst part was that there was nothing he could do with the distance between them.

Distance...

"Iris, where are you?" Phoenix suddenly asked. "Are you nearby?"
"...Y-yes," Iris sniffed a little.
"Please, come to the office," Phoenix begged, a tear nonchalantly escaping from his eye. "Please." There seemed to be a silent mutual consent that ran between them; both hung up the phone at the same time.

She's back...
Should I be angry that she lied to me?
Or happy that she's alive?



Iris's hand shook as she hung up the pay phone. She looked around in slight embarrassment, hoping no one saw her break down. Iris was lucky; nobody saw her.

There... I told him the truth...
I suppose a part of me was hoping he'd want to hear the truth.
But yet, will he still accept me?

Iris put her new black hat over her head, hoping it would hide her crimson eyes. She wore a simple brown cloak over her even more simple clothing. After she jumped into the river, she knew her acolyte clothes would be too suspicious in the open. Iris had thrown them out years ago, a permanent seperation between herself and Hazakura Temple.

Then again, surviving the jump into the river hadn't originally been her intention. It wasn't exactly a thought-out decision to jump in the first place. Iris was tired of running away from Feenie; tired of living her life without him yet believing he would never want her back. After her parole, she felt shut-out from his life. It wasn't until weeks later that she discovered the terrible news; that he lost his badge. Being an attorney meant everything to him, Iris realized. But at that point, she felt that she and Feenie were too far away to close the distance again. Iris continued to run away; she felt "inadequete" to face him.

That's when the river showed up. During the years prior, Iris had finally found a job working at a convenience store; the pay was nothing to be proud of and neither was the work, but she needed some form of income. Suddenly, however, she lost everything; she had to be laid off from her job and there were no job openings. Iris realized she didn't have enough to survive. Panic and fear took over her emotions

It was at that point that her will to survive seemed to reach a sudden low point. She had no family that would be willing to take her in and Phoenix probably would never forgive her for continuing to run away.

So she jumped; she felt like she had nothing to lose.
However, as she hit the water, a panic, an instinct, something seized her and forced her to come out of the water. The currents were fast; all the witnesses that had seen Iris jump did not see her come out of the water again. Iris remembered laying on the grass, wondering why she was still looking up at the night sky and not... wherever she intended to go.
Iris tried to jump again, but she couldn't even get into the water.

A weakness...? Am I too weak-willed to commit suicide...?
Or too strong-willed...?

Iris decided that she was either too scared to die or there was something else holding her back. Either way, she knew she'd have to disappear; so she escaped from the media eye and from then on became known as Siri Thornhawke to her employers. She was able to get a job at a childcare center and raised money to go to a small community college to study childcare and minor nursing. Iris hoped to work as a helping nurse for children and such at the local hospital, but the schooling was going to be rather difficult.

Finally, Iris thought her life was under control; she was slightly higher up in status at the childcare center and was on her third year of schooling. However, when she read the newspaper delivered to her apartment a couple of months prior, she discovered a name she thought she would never see again.

Phoenix Wright, chairman of the new Jurist System, brings success!

Iris tossed and turned in her bed for a month until she finally decided to call him. Her college was closed for the month for summer and it was a week before she would have to help host the summer events for the children at the childcare center. With her schedule finally opened, Iris carefully took the train to Los Angelas from her smaller town that was about an hour away from the city. Once she arrived into the bustling city, she walked to a payphone, since she didn't carry a cell phone anymore. Iris wasn't sure what to expect when she called him; somehow, she thought he would have forgotten all about her.

But maybe she was wrong...

Iris hugged her brown cloak closer to her skin to protect herself from the oncoming rain. She had already memorized the directions to Phoenix's new "Wright Anything Agency". She did not know what exactly this agency did, but she had heard about the new defense attorney that Phoenix was apparently mentoring. So far, the new attorney hadn't lost a case yet and was involved in the big case that convicted another famous defense attorney Kristoph Gavin, who apparently was nothing more than a cold-hearted killer. Even her smaller town knew the Gavin name.

I can't believe he's been fighting against him this whole time... Iris sighed in thought. Suddenly, a small, yet apprehensive smile began to crack at the corners of her mouth. At least his law skills aren't being tarnished...

Iris stood in front of the agency's doors with great hesitation. She closed her eyes against the pattering of the rain and raised her fist to knock on the wooden doors. Three knocks were all it took.
The door suddenly opened and Iris found herself pulled from the rain outside and into a warm embrace. Iris would have recognized the broad chest and shoulders and the rounded chin that was resting on her shoulder from anywhere: Feenie, her precious Feenie.

But is he really still mine?

Iris was not certain, but she thought she heard Phoenix whisper, "Why...? Why...?" over and over again...

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Yeah, well, I know this isn't my best. I really love this pairing, but I don't have many ideas, so you're going to have to bear with me on this one! Thanks for the support, anyhow!

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Last edited by Caelestis on Fri May 23, 2008 11:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Yay! This story is really good! ^^ Keep up the PWNsome work!

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Once again, a wonderful chapter! You're inspiring me to continue on my Feenris fic... and it's something I've been wanting to do for a while. But enough about that! :D

Sure, I can give you a seal... but I don't have a picture/sprite of it. XD Please, continue! :3

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Ah, yet another masterpiece. This is giving me some inspiration for a possible narrated fic somewhere in the future. Believe it or not, you are going somewhere I have not yet gone before. My own work in this domain has been in the form of correspondence, so...my hat's off to you. If it's any comfort, I haven't been all-out bawling--that isn't my style--but each chapter so far has brought a fond tear to my eye. That includes this one. Incidentallly, I find slow progress entirely understandable. Take however much time you need. I'll be eagerly reading each update as it appears.

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Awww. What with all the angst? :(

I saw this in the section and I went, "ZOMG FEENRIS!". I mean, I know it's drama(er...right?), but we need a little more happy time here. No emo-ing! It's unhealthy! >_<;

I love the turning out of the events where Feenie still thinks about Iris, and she still thinks about him *siiiiigh* But it's so strange to hear Feenie just deciding to lament about the loss of Iris sometime after the Jurist System's implementation. Though listening to Iris torn between seeing him again and being ashamed to show herself to him really says "her". Haha XD

More fluff, less emonia PLEASE!!!!

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Hey hey now, it's not emo. With what happened in Apollo Justice and no word of who's there, I wouldn't be surprised if all of this became canon.

And look at the end of the chapter. Maybe some fluff will happen in Chapter 3? Even if not, it's Feenris, and it's good.

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Yeah, I wouldn't be suprised to see some fluffy soon.

I like where this is going, but there is one part in particular that bugged me:


This is very out of character. Iris would never, ever think a "cold-hearted killer" would be a good match for her sister. She never thought of Dahlia that way despite the horrible things she did and always pitied her for the lousy hand life dealt her.

Other than that, this is good. Looking forward to what comes next.

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Very good in my opinion, looking forward to hearing more of your work on this.

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Nice work! I echo Franzise's critic about Iris's thoughts towards Dahlia, but other then that I really like the latest installment (Angst can be fun <_<. Besides, I sense fluff on the horizon which is always best when following angst. ). Keep it up!

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Sorry guys, I haven't had time for an update, but I think all of your wonderful comments deserve a few words from me, so here it goes!



Hehe, thanks! I'm glad you enjoy it! I'll hopefully keep going with the PWNing...



Ooh, I'm glad I'm giving inspiration! Thank you for the compliment! Oh, and don't worry about the seal



"Masterpiece"? I think you praise me too highly. But thank you!
Well, I'm hoping the direction I'm taking this is somewhat well-done. And I'm glad I haven't made you bawling... but it's nice to know I'm making this story seem—er what's the word?—empathetic or sincere(?). I'm glad you're patient; you're going to have to be with me!


Lol, I did say it was a month after, so hopefully that explains it a little more. I usually do some emo stuff before getting to the "fluff" so bear with me! Fluff will happen in the next chapter, but I want to make it good, so you'll have to be a wee bit patient, lol.



Sorry, I attempted to have Iris do sarcasm, but since she's very unlike that, it didn't quite go. You'll have to forgive me on that I also attempted a joke on the fact that that pairing is kinda popular, but again, that obviously didn't fly. Hm, give me a second to think of a more suitible line... Anyway, I'm glad you enjoy it.



Aw, thanks! I'll try my best!



Yeah, sorry bout that! Looks like I haven't quite gotten out of Fran's mind yet! lol. And yes, I try to have fluff follow angst; to me, that type of thing is highly romantic, so first angst... then fluff!

Again, I'll update when I have more time. Hm... I believe Friday night is going to be the best night. I'll be very shocked if I find time before then. School's been awfully busy *groan* Thanks for the patience! I hope the next chapter will be worthwhile!

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exellent work

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Why thank you! I'm glad you like it! I've tried


Not that I don't totally love this pairing, but I'm running out of ideas and want to get on with another complicated writing project. So enjoy! Hopefully this’ll be enough fluff, so please excuse the bad writing I tend to do emoish-fluff, so hopefully this’ll pass!

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“Apollo, why do we have to wait here?” Trucy whispered, trying to hear what was going from the other side of the door. She and Apollo were currently holed up in her room.
“According to Mr. Wright, he needed to have a “private conversation” with whoever was on the phone earlier. Just be glad that he let us stay in your room instead of going out there,” Apollo explained, pointing to Trucy’s window which showed the rough storm that was outside.
“I just hope everything’s okay…” Trucy said worriedly.



Iris felt herself being blindly carried somewhere. She suddenly realized that as she had been pulled from outside, she had shut her eyes against the fluorescent lighting and the water in her eyes wasn’t from the rain.

When Iris felt that Phoenix had stopped walking, she decided to open her eyes and step out. If the mood already wasn’t so somber, she probably would have giggled at the sight of all the magic tricks and the mess in the room. It was amazing that the couch she and Phoenix were near was actually clean. As she looked around, she felt Phoenix suddenly grasp her hands; she looked up towards him.

His eyes were looking at her with a strange, kind look that she didn’t expect. Iris had seen those eyes so many times before: when they first started going out at college; when she saw him the first time that he had gone to Hazakura Temple; and whenever he’d visit her at the Detention Center. After all these years, Iris had come to miss those eyes, but she felt like perhaps she didn’t deserve to see them again. Now that she was, however, Iris couldn’t help a tear from being released from her eyes and rolling down her cheek, realizing the gift he had unwittingly given her. The salty tear’s path, however, was halted by Phoenix’s finger as he brushed it away. Wordlessly, both of them seated themselves, their hands never letting go of each other.

Please Iris… don’t let go ever again…
Only you know how to heal me.

“Iris…” Phoenix began; the problem was that he wasn’t sure what to say. As he paced back in forth in his office, he had all of his questions that he wanted to ask her prepared ahead of time.

Why did you run away?
Why did you never answer me?
Why did you try to commit suicide?

However, as he was rehearsing how he would ask his questions, all of his thoughts disappeared the moment she knocked on the door. As he glanced at her, all alone and miserable in the rain, he didn’t want to see her so gloomy; so he pulled her out of the shadows and into the light. Even as he tried to remember what he wanted to ask, all his mind could make out were Why’s.

“…I’m glad you came, Iris,” Phoenix managed to say. Iris was looking down with her eyes closed, not wanting to look up at him.

How could you be glad?
I thought I made you miserable…

“You still call me Iris, yet I’ve been nothing but lies this whole time. I wasn’t even trying to lie to you… and yet, that’s what has happened,” Iris murmured. She shut her eyes tightly, not wanting to see Phoenix’s reaction. The only reason Iris kept holding onto his hands was because Phoenix was clenching very tightly and was not about to let go, and because Iris didn’t want to let go, either. This feeling, this touch… it had its own special comfort.

Iris suddenly opened her eyes when she felt Phoenix let go of her left hand; he gently touched the tip of her chin and turned it to face him.

“Your name and this moment with you isn’t a lie,” Phoenix whispered; his words made Iris hesitate for a moment. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, he kissed her lips with a soft tenderness that Iris only remembered in her deepest memories. She felt his hand slide from her chin to her shoulder and slowly down her arm to her left hand, grasping it ever so tightly once again. Iris felt all of her fears and regrets melt away as she held onto the kiss…

When they released from the kiss, Iris saw Phoenix’s bright, now-more-cheerful eyes. It just didn’t make sense.

“I don’t understand; even though I’ve caused you pain, you’re so joyful right now,” Iris pondered. Phoenix only smiled.
“Don’t you realize that you fill me with such joy?” Phoenix answered. Iris’s breath caught and she had to swallow the lump in her throat to attempt at speaking again.
“I thought I had done something wrong; I thought that you didn’t want to see me again. So I left… but as I went on, I realized that I couldn’t bear to go on without you. Suddenly, one day, my life had been torn to pieces. I-I thought I had to end it…” Iris said forlornly, explaining what had happened to her all those years ago. Phoenix became concerned and lightly pushed her head nearer to his shoulder, letting go of her left and again and placing his free arm around her shoulders. Hearing her speak of the past years’ events was difficult for him; while he was in his own melancholy, she was trying to fight other kinds of oppression.
“Is that when you jumped into the river?” Phoenix asked with slight apprehension. Iris nodded sadly in response.
“But I couldn’t end it… something forced me to resurface,” she clarified. Iris closed her eyes to try to remember. She couldn’t exactly recollect the feeling she had felt; it was a mix of hope, optimism… and love.
“’Something forced you to resurface’?” Phoenix repeated quizzically. Iris was still trying to remember how she felt; she thought she finally understood.
“I believe it was something to do… with you,” Iris answered. “Even thought I was trying to suppress the emotion, I still loved you and… I didn’t want to let you go.” She felt another round of tears beginning to be created. Phoenix squeezed her hand.
“I’m very glad that you didn’t give up,” Phoenix began. “I had received evidence from Maya that you were still alive… but I felt like there was no way I could believe something so wonderful was actually reality.” Iris glanced up at him with a kind of hopeful and content look. “I felt like I couldn’t face you after I lost my badge. So I hid in this office in my depression; when I realized my mistake, it was too late,” Phoenix ended. Iris bit her lip and rubbed his hand.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you were going through so much trouble,” Iris apologized sincerely. Phoenix sighed softly and looked down at the floor.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you were going through so much pain,” he answered. Iris looked up at Phoenix.
“I’ve forgiven you, Feenie, but,” she paused for a second before continuing, “can you forgive me?” Instead of answering, Phoenix used the arm that was currently around her shoulders in a protective manner and turning her by the shoulders so that he could embrace and kiss her again. At one point, Phoenix released and whispered, “Yes.” That’s when Iris decided to be more assertive and kissed him again. He was caught off-guard, but pleased nevertheless.

My heart… is being sewn together with stronger string…

After they parted once again, Iris held a kind of hopeful look in her eyes.
“Thank you for giving me another chance, Feenie. I promise to never let go again,” she said softly. Phoenix, with his contagious and charming grin, leaned closer to whisper in her ear.
“No; thank you for teaching me that these wounds on my heart… can heal.”

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Well, for now, that’ll be the end. If I ever get anymore ideas, I’ll keep writing. But otherwise, this is the end of this story; it was meant to be something for me to work on while I thought of ideas for another up-coming fanfic. I hope you guys enjoyed it, even though it probably wasn’t the best quality. I tried! But helpful criticism is appreciated!

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who care it is very good

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That was very sweet. It had a nice balance between angst and romantic fluff plus a nice happy ending (My tastes are so very sappy, but at least I know it :P). Certainly if you think up more ideas, I would love to see more added to this story, but you did end it well enough that more isn't strictly necessary. Great work! You did a lovely job with it.

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Agreed. I would love it if you found a way to extend this piece, but if you don't, this is a good ending. Again, great work. It passes with flying colors.

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...brilliant. we want more! XD

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Wow. Y'know, I usually hate sappy stories and whatnot, and it takes a lot to get me hooked onto one. And you did just that! I LOVED how this story turned out, and how Phoenix wasn't the only one who needed healing; they both needed each other the whole time! Sweetness!
((Actually, it might be that I hate them because I suck at writing them... But that's a different story! ))

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It was a good read. You are definitely capable of writing good stories. I found myself a tad close to tears (a rarity for me) at times during my first read of it. I tend to have this view of most romance stories as very surface-level, so something that delves into the characters' minds, such as this story, usually leaves me impressed. Having re-read the story, I will now give a proper review.

Oneshot?
Despite the chapters, this story read like a oneshot to me--probably because I read it after it had been finished. All three chapters took place around the same time, albeit dotted with flashbacks. There are plenty of stories like that, though. It just read that way to me because I'm used to chapter stories having each chapter take place anywhere from a few days to a few months--or even years--apart from the other chapters.

Criticism
You seem to be telling the story from the perspective of certain characters, so I was caught off-guard from time to time when you called Phoenix Nick. Also, please take special care to avoid spelling errors. Though I don't know if this applies to everyone, catching a spelling error usually blasts me out of the story and back to reality. Also, you might want to make it easier for readers to tell when a character is remembering something. With the first time, I had trouble realizing it was only a flashback and not part of the "present."

Characters
You did a good job with the characters' personalities, though. Not for one second did I think "Iris would never do that" or "that does not sound like Phoenix." In a story that delves into people's stronger emotions (e. g. love, anger), it is extremely important to make sure the people involved stay in character, and you did just that.

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Aw, thanks for the compliment. That means a lot coming from someone like you. And yes, I love delving into their minds. I may not always do it well, but I try.



Yeah, I wasn't sure about where I was going with this story. Basically, each chapter was whenever I had more complete ideas.



Sorry, I always call Phoenix 'Nick' because it's shorter to type; I also usually associate nicknames as something more personal to a person. So, when I use Phoenix's nickname, it's usually because I'm about to write more about his personal feelings about a situation. Obviously, this isn't the only reason.
I'll try to go through spelling errors better. I usually try to type my fanfics on Word than copy and paste (since Word usually catches the errors). I'll be sure to keep that in mind ;)
Was that too confusing? Hm, let's see... I guess I should try to make it more obvious about what time frame I'm writing about. Thanks for letting me know.



Heh heh, looks like I did better with characterization here than with my first one. I'm glad to hear that.

Thanks for the critique! I enjoy writing, despite my numerous issues I have while writing, so it helps to have someone who kindly helps critique my work. Most of all, thanks for being nice about it, despite the fact that my tastes may not quite match yours

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Great job. Especially the ending. I probably said this before, but I'm not a big fan of Nick/Iris.......But I was able to enjoy the story fully even so. ^^ Awesomeness.

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Wow, i liked it (despite not being a Phoenix/Iris shipper) it was very romantic and sweet and i loved how they both had something to appologize for rather than just Iris.

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Brilliant story. It almost makes me regret killing Iris off in my first (and only) fanfic.(for more details see a fall and a rise by...er...me)

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Wow. I suppose I am a slight PhoenixXIris fan, simply becuase they seem like the only logical pairing that could ever show up in the series. But, this was simply amazinf. Iris was very in character. The only criticism is about Phoenix. Phoenix during his lawyer days might've cried or done something like that, but Hobohodo seems very in control most of the time, and when the time comes, very patient and calculating. It just seemed slightly off to me that Phoenix be portrayed as actually weak and crying and awkward. It seemed that in GS4, Phoenix could handle any situation without blundering- he would handle efficiently without mistakes, if the need arose. Or maybe it's just my perception of "Phoenix is invincible". Probably is. Feel free to attack me

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Every chapter pushes me to cry more and more, this is so touching!

Man, how did this resurface!? Heh, nice to know that people still have found a small interest in this. Eh, perhaps one day I will write another chapter... until then...



Oh, I understand what you're saying, and I'm not going to attack you. That would be immature. My only defense is that some people use that 'calculating mind' etc. as a mask, or cover. We don't have proof of what Phoenix really is inside; he could have been desensitized by all the events, but who's to say that there's not a little part inside that's still sensitive? Especially since we're talking about Iris here. You're free to think what you want, but that's just what I believe.



Aw, thank you! Why am I making people cry all the time!? I still find it funny that when I started my first fanfic, no one responded at first. Then, when I started reaching the climax, people started crying a river!

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That's because it's so good! It's very emotional! You are an awesome writer!

Oh god. This one came close to... , but i'm not that type (i think)
Especially when i listened to this song while reading chapter 3 (try it )

I'd definitely like to see an expansion on this one. All the way up to "the conclusion " (you know what i mean) ;)

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I loved this fic a lot. I love the whole drama and emotion in the fic.

Beautiful work. <3