Based on old kink meme prompt. The requester asked for background story about Phoenix's parents, and the reason why he's afraid of heights.
Pardon my grammar mistakes, I'm not a native English speaker.
Phoenix Wright is a brave man. He was never afraid of the most psycho killers, lions, terrifying prosecutors like Von Karma, and ghosts. There is only one thing that he feared of: Heights. He was afraid of heights due to his dark past, which he did not want to remember for the rest of his life. But, unfortunately, today, the ill-fated memory reappears in his mind. The ill-fated memories that he had been buried for so many years, trying to forget that memory forever, the memories he hid from his daughter, his friends, and his students.
Today is Phoenix's birthday, so he invites Apollo, Athena, Trucy, Maya, Pearl, and Edgeworth to go to the amusement park to celebrate his birthday as well as to celebrate his success of catching The Phantom and prove that his disciples, Athena and Prosecutor Blackquill are innocent in Metis Cykes and Clay Terran's murder case. At 11 o'clock, all of them go the amusement park by riding Edgeworth's car. The trip was short. Arriving at the amusement park, Phoenix bought the tickets for all of them.
"Okay, I've bought the tickets for all of us. What do you want to ride?"
"I want to ride a roller coaster, Daddy!" said Trucy. Apollo, Athena, Edgeworth, and Maya nodded in agreement.
"All right, please all of you go up. I'll wait here while all of you riding the roller coaster," mumbled Phoenix.
"Hey! What do you mean by 'waiting', Nick? You bought us the tickets, you also have to ride the roller coaster with us!" Maya protested, accompanied by murmurs of agreement from Apollo, Athena, Trucy, Edgeworth, and Pearl.
Phoenix swallowed. "Yikes. Maya, you know I'm afraid of heights. I'll wait here."
"Boss, it's just a roller coaster, and it isn't high... You're gonna be okay, this is just a playground!" said Athena.
"It's still high for me, Athena," said Phoenix, feeling slightly annoyed. Edgeworth snorted.
"Come on, Wright. How come you're afraid to ride a roller coaster that is not so high? Come on, if we keep arguing here, we will not ride any rides."
Being constantly forced, Phoenix finally gave in and joins all of them to climb the roller coaster. Phoenix holds tightly to the front seat, his face was already green even before the roller coaster is turned on.
"Okay...Get ready, ladies and gentleman...1...2...3! Have fun!" Cried the park attendant, then lit the roller coaster. In an instant, there was the joyful laughter of the visitors who boarded the roller coaster. Pearl, Edgeworth, Maya, Apollo, Athena also burst out laughing and shouting delighted as the roller coaster starts to spin. But not with Phoenix. His face was very pale now, he felt he will vomit in a moment.
The speed of the roller coaster increases, and Phoenix inadvertently looks down. Phoenix felts his head was very dizzy. Suddenly the memory he did not want to remember again, came back to his mind.
"Don't you dare to touch him!"
"Move, idiot woman. He should be taught!"
"Step my dead body first!"
A terrible laughter echoed in Phoenix's head, making Phoenix squeeze his head and screamed with gasps. The roller coaster spun upward, then Phoenix closed his eyes.
"Run, Phoenix, run!"
"Don't hurt her, please don't...I beg you..."
"Yeaaaaaaaarrrrrggggggghhhhhhhhhhh!"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
"Boss! Bosss ! Are you okay?!" exclaimed Apollo, who was sitting next to him, and nudged him. Phoenix slowly opened his eyes. The roller coaster had stopped, some of the visitors looked at him curiously. Edgeworth, Maya, Athena, Trucy, and Pearl also looked at him with worried faces.
"Let's go down, boss," Apollo muttered and helped Phoenix out of the roller coaster. Cold sweat dripped on Phoenix's face, he was shivered and his body shook violently.
"Are you all right, Wright? Why are you screaming like that?" asked Edgeworth.
"Huh? Screaming? Who's screaming?" Phoenix answered in confusion.
"When you were in the roller coaster, you screamed something about 'don't hurt her' 'I beg you don't' repeatedly, Nick. Nick, what's wrong? Are you sick?" asked Maya.
"Huh? Huh? No, Maya. I am fine. Maybe I just fell asleep on a roller coaster and dreamed."
"I-I think we should just go home... You're so pale, Nick. How do you think, Mr. Edgeworth, Apollo, Athena, Trucy, Pearl?" asked Maya again.
"Yeah... I guess we should just go home. You seem want to throw up, Wright. Sorry for forcing you to ride on that roller coaster. Come on," muttered Edgeworth, then all of them walked to Edgeworth's car.
When he got home, Phoenix ran to the bathroom and locked the bathroom's door. Apollo, Athena, Trucy, Pearl, Maya, and Edgeworth gathered in the living room, worried about Phoenix's strange behavior at the amusement park.
"I think Mr. Wright hides something... I hear the fear and anger of his voice," murmured Athena.
"Or maybe he just is not healthy?" Continued Apollo. Edgeworth shook his head.
"I don't think so, Apollo. From the way he screamed ... as he remembered the trauma of the past he didn't want to remember."
"Did he ever tell you why he was afraid of heights, Mr. Edgeworth, Maya?" Asked Apollo again. Maya and Edgeworth shook their heads simultaneously.
"No. Nick never told me. Maybe he's just afraid of falling, right?"
"Hmmm. I think there's a good reason why he's afraid of heights. People are not afraid of something for no reason at all, Maya. For examples, like Mr. Edgeworth, fear of earthquakes and elevators due to DL-6 cases. In my opinion, Mr. Wright's fear of heights must have something to do with his past. Maybe his childhood trauma or related to his parents, like Mr. Edgeworth had experienced. Is that right, Mr. Edgeworth?" said Apollo as he turned his head to Edgeworth. Edgeworth nodded in agreement.
"Hey, I think you're right, Polly. Daddy hardly ever mentions his parents. I once asked when I can I meet my grandparents, then he just answered my grandmother is dead and he doesn't know where his grandfather is. He said he didn't even know what his parents looked like," said Trucy.
"Well, if I recalled the days when we were in school, I don't remember hearing Wright ever mentioned his parents. I also never even met his parents," continued Edgeworth.
"So? Then I guess we can ask him if he's calmed down. Wait a minute, I'll check if he's out of the shower," Maya murmured, got up from her chair, and walked to the bathroom.
While in front of the bathroom door, Maya heard a strange sound coming from the bathroom. Sounds like someone was crying. Maya's forehead creased. Nick was crying in the bathroom? Why is he crying just because ride a roller coaster? He must be hiding something. I am sure. Slowly Maya raised her hand, and knocked on the bathroom door.
"Nick? Nick? Are you okay? You spent a long time in the bathroom." Maya could hear Phoenix wiping his snot. The bathroom door burst opens. And she was right. Phoenix's eyes are red, indicating that he's been crying.
"Why are you so long in the bathroom, Nick?" asked Maya again. Phoenix smiles, but Maya does not have to be a detective or a lawyer to guess that his smile is fake and very forced.
"I'm sick, Maya. I vomited. Roller coaster was making me really dizzy, heh heh heh ..." Phoenix laughed, but there are no any cheerful tone in his voice. Maya knew very well that Phoenix was lying, but she did not say anything.
"Come on, Nick, we go to the living room. Apollo, Athena, Trucy, Edgeworth, Pearl, all gathered there, they are very worried about you," Maya said as she reached out her hands to guide Phoenix.
"Hey, boss. Are you okay? What are you doing in the bathroom?" asked Athena.
"I'm just throwing up, Athena. I'm okay, I'm just a little nauseated." Phoenix answered quietly.
"Your eyes are red, boss. Are you... Crying?" Asked Apollo as he looking suspiciously at Phoenix's face. Phoenix chuckled.
"Crying, me? Don't be silly, Apollo. Really, I'm fine."
"You have not told us why you scream like that when we ride the roller coaster, Nick. Actually what's the matter? Who is 'she?' Who is 'hurt?'
"I told you, it's nothing. I was just fall to sleep, that's all," mumbled Phoenix. Just as Phoenix finished speaking, Apollo's bracelet reacted. Apollo actually wanted to interrogate Phoenix immediately, but looking at Phoenix now, he decided it was better to interrogate Phoenix later.
"I think you're tired, Wright. Surely the trial had made you very tired. Sleep and lie down. Thanks for invite all of us to the amusement park. And happy birthday, Wright. Come on, Apollo, Athena, Pearl. I'll drive all of you home. Bye, Maya, Trucy."
"Bye, everyone! See you in the office! Be careful on the road!" said Trucy as she waving her hands off their departure.
"I think I'm tired. I want to sleep first. Good night, Maya, Trucy."
"Good night, Nick."
"Good night, Daddy."
Phoenix walked to his room, leaving Trucy and Maya alone. Both girls were worried about Phoenix, and were anxious to find out what Phoenix actually hid.
"Miss. Fey, I really want to know what Daddy is hiding. While Daddy slept, how about we sneak into his office and unload Daddy's drawer and desk?"
"Good idea, Trucy. Come on, I also want to know what's going on with Nick."
Trucy locked Phoenix's bedroom door from the outside, then stepped into Phoenix's workroom with Maya. Phoenix's workspace is very messy, papers and case files scattered everywhere. Trucy and Maya chuckled, shook their heads, then began tidying up the paper and the scattered case files. When Trucy was about to put the case file onto one of the shelves, she found a book placed inside red plastic.
"Miss. Fey! Look at this! What's this?" shouted Trucy as she pointing her finger at the book inside the red plastic. Maya shrugged her shoulders.
"Looks like a book to me. Your father's law book during law school, maybe?"
Trucy shook her head. "I don't think so. If this was his law book, Daddy would have put it in his room. Hmm, what exactly is this? I'll take a look." She unpacking the plastic and picked the book.
The book's color was blue velvet, in front the book, there are inscription: Belongs to Phoenix Wright. Given in 2003.
"Miss. Fey," Trucy said with a giggle, "I think this is Daddy's diary book!"
"Whoaaa... I never imagined Nick writing in diary... Ugh, just like a girl..."
"Let's open it, Miss. Fey!" Trucy exclaimed excitedly, then she opened pages by pages. Apparently Phoenix often wrote in this diary book in his 9-19 years old. The contents of his diary are actually nothing strange, even some of them are boring, like Phoenix's complaints about not being able to pass school's test, get an F for a gym lesson, until rejected by the girl that he likes. Until they opened December 2006 page.
HM-9. And I must surrender to be called the son of a murderer.
Trucy and Maya exchanged glances in confusion. Son of a murderer?
"Miss. Fey, what does this mean? What is HM-9? What does Daddy mean by 'the son of a murderer?' Did Daddy ever tell you?" Trucy asked confusedly. Maya shrugged and shook her head, as confused as Trucy. They both flipped the diary again, then, a very old photo fell to the floor.
Maya and Trucy took the photo. It turns out the photograph is a photograph of Phoenix who were still a child, it seems Phoenix is in his 9-10 years, and embraced by a man and woman. The face of the man and woman was very similar to Phoenix's face. Maya watched the photograph closer, and immediately frowned as she found small "fuck" writing next to the man's face in the photo.
"I think they're Daddy's parents, right, Miss. Fey? Hmm, Daddy said Daddy never knew his parents... But why he put this photo in his diary?"
"Yeah, I think so. Their faces are very similar. But why does Nick write 'fuck' in the photo of his father's face? Nick is not a man who likes to say swearing words," Maya murmured. "Trucy, we better keep this diary book before your dad awake. We'll find out what this HM-9 is... I have a feeling that this HM-9 has something to do with Nick's phobia against the heights." Trucy nodded in agreement, and put the diary back into its place.