A.N. (May 2015): This story used to be known as "The Prosecutor's Path" and was originally intended as a multi-chapter story about Miles and Franziska in the aftermath of PW:T&T and about their childhood together. Though I might still write about those themes, the multi-chapter format no longer suits me. After so much time had passed, I considered deleting the story but was surprised to find it is in a way "self-sufficient" as it is. I made some minor editing (that will still hopefully enhance the experience) and gave the story and its two chapters more fitting names.
Disclaimer: the cover image is not mine. Source: . /~ "Sanctuary"
Part 1 : Icy Reunion
February 10
Inner Temple
Training Hall
* Click * click* click * click *
Two turns to the right, three to the left, one to the right…
She tugged on the lock but it remained shut.
Two turns to the right, three to the left, two to the right…
This time, she barely had to touch it before it fell down on the floor next to the three others locks she and Iris had already removed. She gave a little sigh of relief – just one more lock, only one and it would be over. She rubbed her swollen eyes, stifling a yawn, even though there was no one around to hear it. She reached for the Thermos bottle that Godot had abandoned there and took a gulp. That foolish fool of a coffee-addict.
"I figured that was the least I could do, filly, given that you're working for me…"
She had snapped at him for even daring to believe she might do something for him of all people, reminding him, while she was at it, that she was there for one reason only: to forward her perfect career. It hadn't had much of an effect on him though. Godot had merely smiled at her, that infuriating smile of his, before shoving the Thermos into her hands.
The coffee went down her throat, bringing her back to the reality of the freezing, deserted cavern. It had long since gotten cold, but she drank it all the same, counting on caffeine to keep her from dozing off.
The room suddenly twisted and spun and she had to brace herself against the wall to prevent herself from collapsing. She couldn't feel her legs anymore, numb from hours of kneeling on the stone floor of the temple. Suppressing a shiver, she brought her attention back to the gate and the last trick lock.
Her leather gloved hand, stiffened from the cold, fumbled with the magatama-shaped knob before she finally managed to seize it between her thumb and forefinger. She began to turn it, mumbling under her breath to keep herself awake.
"One to the right, one to the left, one to the right…"
Why had the police insisted that Sister Bikini undergo questioning again ?
"Two to the right, one to the left, one to the right…"
As annoying and talkative as the woman might be, she had been company.
"Three to the right, one to the left, one to the right…"
She had whipped Scruffy, threatened to cut his pay, and whipped him some more, but the detective had maintained that they needed the head nun back in the main hall.
"One to the right, two to the left, one to the right…"
She glanced longingly at the heap of mattresses and blankets by the wall, originally intended for the supervising nun to use.
"One to the right…"
Even the icy stones of the Inner Temple's floor looked inviting…
Three to the left… She blinked a couple of times but her vision blurred all the same. One to the… Her eyelids were so heavy, they felt like rocks.
"I hope we're not napping on the job… "said a wry voice behind her.
Her eyes flew open. She was slumped forward against the gate, her forehead resting against the metal bars. She turned her head toward the newcomer and, upon recognizing him, let out a growl of frustration.
"You !"
He raised an eyebrow.
"It's nice to see you too, Franziska," he said calmly.
"What do you want, Miles Edgeworth?"
"I thought you might like a helpful hand…" He smirked. "My mistake. I'll get straight to the point then – are you nearly done?"
"Yes," she answered dryly.
"Good."
She turned her back on him, her way to make him understand that she considered the conversation to be over. She gazed upon the sole lock, trying to force her sleep-deprived brain to remember the last combination she had tried. At the same time, she was straining her ears for footsteps, breathing, any noise that might indicate that he was leaving.
"You look terrible," said the voice near her left ear.
She gave a nervous start. He must have approached quietly, for he was now kneeling beside her, a little too close for her comfort. She realized with growing uneasiness that his face was inches from hers, his piercing eyes scrutinizing her features, taking in the ugly rings under her eyes, her wan complexion… Under normal circumstances, she would have punished him for his daring, but she had long since dropped her whip on the floor, somewhere she couldn't remember.
"So do you," she retorted, much too late. She was feeling too exhausted to be nasty.
"No, I'm serious. Have you even slept since yesterday?"
"That's none of your business," she snapped, all the while knowing she didn't sound convincing.
It wasn't in the nature of a von Karma to wallow in self-pity. However tired she might be, she still had a deadline to meet.
"You should at least let me help you," he argued.
She gave in out of weariness. It wasn't her who had asked for his help after all…
"Fine."
She quickly taught him the basics of the unlocking and together they tackled the remaining puzzle. They had been working for about an hour when he noticed that she was shaking.
"Your hands…"
She had been getting gradually worse over the minutes and the cold combined with the lack of sleep was slowly robbing her of her consciousness.
"You're trembling."
Her pride prompted her into denying it but her protests, made unintelligible by the chatter of her teeth, never got to him. She saw a blur of magenta move through the fog that suddenly blinded her. Then, blankets enveloped her… the warmth of someone else's arms… She was drifting away.
Date : ? ? ? Time : ? ? ?
Location : ? ? ?
She is being held in someone's arms. That person is tenderly cradling her against their chest, like she is something precious and fragile, someone worth to be loved and adored.
Her first thought is that she is a baby again, and that it is her mother that is there with her, whispering sweet nothings to her while rocking her to sleep… Then she suddenly remembers that she has never known her mother…
She is four years old, and her father has just given her the beating of her life… Some silly, childish lie she has told him, and she knows that she is a bad girl and that she deserves to be punished… So, she cries alone in the dark, and then he arrives, the orphan boy, the stranger they have taken in their home. And he consoles her. Tells her he loves her. He hugs her, when she has offered him nothing but contemptuous pity. Miles…
February 10
Inner Temple
Training Hall
The last remnant of the dream found her waking up with his name on her lips. The illusion immediately began to fade away, leaving her in a troubled state. She was shaken by the feelings the dream had brought up in her, feelings she would rather have forgotten. Her mind was atrociously blurry.
So much in fact, that she couldn't seem to remember where she was. She was lying on a bed that wasn't her own and she could feel a cool breeze on her face. Several blankets were tightly wrapped around her body, forming a warm cocoon that shielded her from the surrounding cold.
Suddenly it all came back to her – Hazakura Temple… the trick locks… She had passed out from exhaustion and him – Miles Edgeworth – had lain her down on this mattress. Carefully, she peeked through her lashes, only to find a pair of gray eyes looking back at her.
"You're finally awake."
She didn't answer but looked around the room. The door of the Inner Temple was open and the training hall was now bathed in bright sunlight. She suddenly sat up.
"The gate!"
"You've been sleeping for hours, " he explained. "I had all the time in the world to open it."
He didn't even try to hide the smugness in his voice, and Franziska immediately lost any urge she might have had to thank him. All that remained was the bitter taste of failure. The familiar taste of yet another defeat by his hand. But then, what had she expected? He was just being Miles Edgeworth. So full of himself, so… imperfect, and yet so effortless in surpassing her.
She bit back the sharp retort on the tip of her tongue. There were so many things she would have wanted to say to him. Too many pointless accusations…
Finally, she settled upon ignoring the obvious provocation. She just wouldn't give him the satisfaction.
"Where is Maya Fey?" she asked in a frosty voice.
"She wasn't in here."
For a brief lapse of time, she struggled not to let her surprise show but eventually failed.
"What do you mean, Miles Edgeworth, she wasn't in there?"
A twinge of worry for the girl's safety flashed across her mind but she quickly brushed it away. A von Karma ought to be cool and collected, in all circumstances.
"The Sacred Cavern was empty but for one person… And, it was no one else but the defendant."
February 10
Eagle Mountain
Franziska von Karma's bad mood had worsened a little more. Not only had she been denied the right to crush this defense attorney, but she had now been deprived of her role as leader of the investigation, by no one else but Mr. Miles Edgeworth himself.
In the time it had taken for her to regain consciousness, the investigation had been completed and Sister Iris, escorted by Detective Gumshoe, was already on her way to the district court. Franziska and Miles were left with nothing to do but drive back to Los Angeles.
On their walk down to the parking lot, that was located lower on the side of Eagle Mountain, they remained silent, both of them lost in their own, but similar, thoughts. She could tell exactly what was on his mind, for they were plagued with the same questions.
Why was the defendant(?) in the Sacred Cavern? Which one of the two women was the real Iris? What could be the place of hiding of Maya Fey?
They were turning the problem inside out, elaborating theories that they didn't share with the other.
They were now only a few yards above the snowy clearing that served as a car park and Franziska could already make out the dark shape of her Mercedes next to Miles's flashy red sports car. That was when it happened.
Franziska was walking down the steep path a few steps ahead of him. She had unconsciously quickened her pace, tempted by the prospect of warmth and comfort. Unfortunately, her carelessness caused her to slip on a patch of snow. She gave a frightened shriek as the ground disappeared from under her feet. She reached out, catching hold of a nearby bush, but the brittle branch snapped in her hand. She closed her eyes, preparing to smash into the rocky ground, some twenty feet below.
Suddenly he was on her. Strong arms caught her from behind, pulling her up and against his chest. The whole incident had lasted less than two seconds.
"Oh Gott…"
"I'll take that as a 'Thank you'," the familiar voice purred in her ear.