"Nick? Niiick?"
A young lady walked into the vacant offices of the Wright Anything Agency, scanning the premises curiously. She had just come back to civilization after training in the mountains for so long and nobody's home. She crossed her arms and her eyes glinted mischievously, the way they always did when it came to tormenting the man she was waiting for.
'Ohoho, he is going to pay! Literally. For all the burgers he's gonna buy me!'
She smiled, reminiscing of times long past when they'd go and eat out after a long case. It was always a fight to the very bitter end with him. She walked around the office in the deafening silence, a small smile playing at the very corner of her mouth as wave after wave of nostalgia came rushing to her. But...
She stopped right in front of a small potted plant. She crouched down next to it and felt one of its emerald tinted leaves with her fingertips, feeling its glossy surface.
"Charley..."
She whispered softly as she stared at the plant. Her thoughts were then drawn to the past.
"Sis, why are you getting a potted plant?"
Maya asked curiously, placing her hand on her chin, lost in thought as they walked down the long aisles of the clearance store. Her sister smiled and looked at her,
"Well, when I was in law school my favorite professor gave me an old plant and told me to care for it and make sure it didn't die. At the time, I didn't know why he was doing something so out of the blue and I though the old coot was just dumping his trash on me but when I asked, he told me it was to inculcate the true essence of being a lawyer within me... So I decided to give it a go."
"And?" The young medium intoned expectantly, completely invested in this new story.
"For the next few years, I watered and cared for this little guy and even when it seemed it wasn't going to make it, I refused to give up on it and I kept it alive. On graduation day, I returned the plant, safe and sound to my professor and he smiled at me when I asked why he made me do this, he said, 'Belief is the strongest weapon in a lawyer's arsenal. Don't ever give up on your client, Mia. That's the best thing you can do for them.' And then, he gave me this."
She dug through her pants pockets and in the palm of her hand was a little seed. Maya stared at it for a little while.
"That was the seed the old plant had produced a looong time ago. And he decided to hand it over to me so that I could do the same for someone else."
Maya didn't say anything for a little while as they pushed along the little trolley, finally arriving at the section for pottery. And then she spoke, in a quiet voice filled with awe.
"That's... That's... SO COOL!"
She yelled to the point that some old lady gave her quite the stink eye. She rubbed the back of her head in embarassment as Mia raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms.
"S-S-sorry... But still, that's an amazing story, sis! Maaan, you get to meet some pretty interesting people huh?"
"Yep! But I bet you will too! Just as soon as you can look at me eye-to-eye."
Mia grinned at her little sister playfully looking down at her, their difference in stature proving to be quite obvious. Maya pouted and her hands curled into little fists as she stood on her tip toes barely able to reach her sister's shoulders.
"Aw c'mon sis! Low blow!"
"Fine, fine... Shoulder level, at least."
"... I...I really am short, aren't I?"
"Yes. Yes you are, Maya."
"Sis..."
Her voice grew quiet and serious, very unlike her usual cheery self and her older sister grew surprised as her eyes widened ever so slightly.
"Yes?"
"Could we...
Get some burgers?!"
Maya asked, gazing at her sister hopefully. Mia sighed and placed a hand on her forehead.
"Seriously? That's it? That's all you wanted to ask?"
"That's IT? Sis, burgers are never just 'IT.' they're more than that!"
Maya said, almost hurt with her sister's response.
"Haha, okay okay. I need a break anyway. It's been super hectic at the office since we just received a new recruit."
"Oh, really? Is he any good?"
"I don't know yet... He's ready to take some cases though so I guess I'll know soon."
Everything at that time to Maya seemed happy and hearty. She couldn't have asked for more and nothing seemed wrong but as she stared once more at the plant, rubbing the leaves between her fingers with knitted eyebrows, she remembered what had happened as...
That all changed.
"Sis? Siiis?"
The young medium walked slowly through the darkness that shrouded the vacant offices.
Blood.
The smell of blood filled the air as Maya's heart started beating faster than ever before. She started running into the main room and as she turned the doorknob and walked in...
There she lay. Mia Fey, her older sister. Her role model and the person that kept her alive all this time.
The person she loved most in this world.
She lay on the floor, unmoving.
"Sis...? Sis? SIS?!"
Maya stuttered, repeating those same words over and over again. She ran to her sister and sat beside her, holding her shoulders and shaking her.
"W-wake up... Wake up, sis... Please..PLEASE!"
Small, warm tears streamed down her cheeks as she looked at her face, her eyes were closed. 'You can't leave me... Not now...
Please...'
She thought desperately to herself, throwing herself onto her sister as she began to sob.
"N-no..."
It was here that another voice broke the crushing silence.
"CH-CHIEF!"
A deep, rumbling male voice shouted out loud as a young man with jet black, spiky hair ran toward her. Maya stared at him as he crouched down next to Mia. He looked at her and...
That look.
It seemed to bore through her skin... Just as he asked her a question, she answered numbly, unable to remember exactly what it was. Her eyes grew heavy and... She fainted.
In the next few days, she'd come to realise that the man with the spiky hair would save her life. More than once. And that... She wasn't alone. And she would never be alone. She would become accustomed to that loud voice of his and his weird tendency to point at people out of the blue. Everything would be... Happy again.
"M-Maya?!"
The same resolute voice rung out loud as Maya was shaken out of her thoughts abruptly. She felt indescribable joy flow within her as she got up from the floor with a smile on her face. She turned to face him and grinned widely as she waved.
"Hiya Nick!"
His eyes widened and for some reason, instead of smiling back, he knitted his eyebrows in concern as he drew nearer. His voice grew quieter as he looked at her.
"Maya... Were you... Crying?"
"H-huh?"
She placed a finger on her cheeks only to find warm streaks of water across her face. Unbeknownst to herself, she had cried.
"I guess so..."
"Are you okay now?"
"Yeah... I'm fine. But your wallet won't be."
"Wait what?"
Maya pulled him by his wrist and the two found their way outside.
"Aw cmon Maya! I just came i-"
"Doesn't matter! You made me wait, Nick! So now, you're gonna buy me some burgers!"
"M-Maya, the last time that happened, I ran out of cash."
"Okay so... Samurai dogs!"
"That's not the point."
"Carpe Diem, Nick! Seize the day!"
"M-Maya... Fi-fine..."
He heaved a good, long sigh and just as they were about to close the door, she caught him glancing at the same old potted plant and... A bittersweet smile played on his face.
_