Only In Dreams
Author's Note: In Dual Destinies, there's the pretty bad ending, the bad ending, and the awful ending. This one takes place in the awful ending.
When Athena woke up in the mornings, it never really felt like waking up.
It was as if she were stumbling through a drunken haze, trying so hard to forget everything that had happened that she barely remembered anything at all. So whenever she woke up, she had a routine.
My name is Athena Cykes. I'm female. I have orange hair and blue eyes. I'm eighteen.
I'm… not… alone…
Athena wasn't stupid – she knew she was lying to herself. Ever since the incident, Phoenix had visited her in prison, out of some obligation to her that she still didn't understand, but he never spoke to her, never acknowledged her existence. Not that she tried to get his attention, either. Some would say that both Athena and Phoenix "needed some time", but neither believed this was something that time would fix. No matter how many calls Phoenix got from Kurain Village, he never once picked up.
But every day, Athena still forced herself to live, not for anything left in life, but for others who would wish her to. Or, at least, that's what she tried to tell herself, to be the classic anime heroine.
Honestly, that wasn't really the reason she hadn't offed herself by now. It was because of the dreams.
Because in her dreams, everything was fine.
Perhaps they might be going to an amusement park. Phoenix would hold Trucy's hand whenever they were in crowds, no matter how much she resisted and told him that she was sixteen now and also, if he wanted, she could make all the roller coaster lines disappear. Maya and Pearl had insisted on coming as well, Maya dragging Phoenix (and, by association, Trucy) around the amusement park with one hand while Pearl just smiled. Athena's mother was there, perpetually grumpy Aura at her side, smiling and talking and laughing and bringing out the light inside each other that most people rarely saw. Even Prosecutor Edgeworth had chosen to attend, though he wasn't exactly loosening up.
Then there was Apollo, wearing a massive grin, with Clay on one side and Athena on the other. Every now and then, Apollo would dare to slip his hand in hers, though neither of them acknowledged it through their expressions. Clay's constant teasing really wasn't helpful when both of them were trying to avoid the ever-watchful eye of big brother Simon.
Simon… Simon who was free of his handcuffs, his hair shorter and his dark circles faded and gone. A tentative, slightly shy smile showed on his face, the one he'd had when he was younger and less burdened. Of course, the smile would instantly disappear once he saw them holding hands. He seemed to be entirely convinced that Athena shouldn't date anyone until the age of forty-seven.
Yes, it would be fun. They would all ride roller coasters, with acrophobic Phoenix whispering "objection" over and over again while Trucy laughed at Apollo's hair flapping all over the place on the coaster. Everyone would be laughing and smiling.
She hated herself for it, but Athena lived for her impossible nighttime fantasies.
What else did she have to live for? A life where her mother was dead? A life where Trucy was gone, where Clay was dead and Edgeworth had chosen death? Where execution hung over her head every day she woke?
A world where her boyfriend had given in to despair and ended his own life?
A world where Simon was… was…
Athena shook the thoughts out of her head. Just go to bed, Athena. Just go to bed.
So Athena lay down in her bed and closed her eyes, curling in the fetal position on her uncomfortable prison cot.
And as she drifted off to sleep, she smiled as the tears streamed down her face.