A/N: I've been procrastinating on my NaNoWriMo entry so much that I eventually came up with this story in my head, so I decided to just let it out to keep the writing juices flowing.

This fic can be considered a prequel to my other fic, By Your Side. I really enjoyed writing this! I'd be glad to hear of any feedback. Thank you!

"Oh. My. Gosh."

"Wha—what is it, Maya?"

"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" I run quickly, not paying Nick any attention.

"Maya! Hey, wait up!"

"Not a chance, Nick!"

My feet function at their own accord, bringing me to my desired destination as quickly as possible. I cross over the sidewalk and open the glass doors to the DVD store. Shoving my way past a teenage redhead and some guy holding a comic book, I stride over to one of the shelves where, displayed in all of its shining glory, is my life.

"Maya, what the heck?!" Nick comes up behind me, panting.

"Niiiick, it's the DVD for the new Steel Samurai reboot!" I say to him. The world is bouncing. No—wait, I am bouncing.

"Oh. Uh, alright."

I take the sacred thing in my hands and trace my fingers delicately over the plastic covering. "Wow. It's like holding a piece of heaven in my hands…"

I could barely contain my excitement. The last several of the cases Nick and I worked on, together with that two month spirit medium training course I took made it impossible for me to catch the episodes of the Steel Samurai reboot. Unfortunately, Will Powers isn't the Steel Samurai anymore, and I've been hearing a lot of comments that the new guy wasn't as good, but hey. Steel Samurai is Steel Samurai and I will stick with it through thick and thin!

My thoughts go on and on and I barely even realize that I am raising my fist up in the air and holding the DVD against the ceiling lights. It rebounds beautifully on the case, making it seem like it really did come from heaven.

The backside of the case is turned towards me, and my eyes scan over the price tag. I shriek.

"Ahhh, Nick? Pay for this, will 'ya? Help an old friend out."

I pause, half expecting to hear a groan of protest from the cash strapped ace attorney, but instead I am met with only silence.

I turn to him. His face is blank and distant and he seems to be thinking really deeply about something. There is a distracted look in his eyes and it doesn't look like he even heard me.

"Heeeeeeeeeey! Earth to Nick! Snap out of it! Can't keep a gorgeous girl waiting, you know," I joke. He shakes his head abruptly.

"Ah, sorry. I was just… Fine." His hands shuffle over to his back pocket, where he keeps his wallet. I shoot him a skeptical look. He's not usually this quick to agree to buy me something. I wonder if there's something wrong?

But on the other hand, I get a free Steel Samurai DVD so, who cares?

-O-

When we get back to Wright & Co., Pearly greets us at the door.

"Mystic Maya! Mr. Nick! Did you enjoy your date?" She looks up at us with her big, cute eyes and I lean down to ruffle her hair a bit.

"What do you want for dinner, Pearly?"

"Pizza!"

I laugh lightly. Pearly has only just discovered the existence of pizza last week. She loves it like I love burgers.

"One Pearly's special pizza, coming right up!" I say, already holding the office phone in my hand and ready to make the call. Pearly bounces on her toes a few times before retreating to the sofa.

Nick has been awfully silent throughout this exchange. Now I really wonder what's up.

-O-

I ask him about it after dinner, once Pearly's been put to bed and everyone else is just about ready to hit the hay. Well, except for Nick, who still has a ton of paperwork to get to. Blech. Being a lawyer must be so boring. How did Sis even stand it?

"Hey, Nick?" I ask, looking at him typing away on his laptop. "Is something wrong? You seem a little off lately."

"Huh?" He barely even looks up at me when he speaks. "Nothing's wrong. Just go to bed."

I clench my fists. Three years of working with this idiot and he still insists on talking to me like I'm a child. It's really infuriating. "Can you just tell me what's on your mind? I'm your best friend. I have a right to know!" There! That ought to do it.

Nick slams his laptop shut and looks up at me. Straight at me. His eyes are deep and pondering. It's like he's staring straight into my soul. "Iris just got out of prison."

My stomach drops, and there's a distinct clenching feeling in my chest.

"Oh."

"Yeah…" He averts my gaze.

"What are you gonna do, then?" I say, trying to keep my voice from faltering.

"I-I don't know. I was thinking maybe I'd ask her to dinner or something. I really don't know. God, Maya, why am I even telling you all of this? This is really stupid."

I march over to his desk and slap a hand on his shoulder. "Phoenix Wright, you are a great man. You're an amazing attorney. You are the only person to break Manfred's, Franziska's, and Edgeworth's perfect win records! You've faced demon killers and demon prosecutors and demon debt collectors and you're telling me you can't ask a girl out on a date?!"

"Hey, knock it off! You're supposed to be raising my self esteem, not dragging it down to the depths of purgatory." He frowns, putting his chin in his hands and pouting in that slightly endearing way of his.

This is so not the time to get distracted, Maya.

I heave a dramatic sigh and give a smile. "I'm just being a good friend, Nick. Looking out for you, is all," I say, pressing a palm on my heart mockingly.

"Ugh."

I laugh, although it's not as hearty as I want it to be. So that's the reason why he's been so distracted all this time. Why didn't I figure it out sooner? It was obvious right from the start how much Nick likes Iris. And it's not like Iris is such a bad person anyway. Iris is nice and absolutely gorgeous and she's really into Nick. Also, they're the same age. They'd make a perfect couple.

I want to smile and cry at the same time. I really am stupid, thinking that Nick would return my feelings. He obviously just thinks of me as his little sister. That kid he was forced to pick up upon Sis's unfortunate death. I already decided long ago that it was impossible, but I do have to admit that there were times when I got my hopes high.

Still, if another girl were to have him, I should be glad that it's Iris. As long as she never hurts him again, then I should be happy for them.

I force a smile on my face and decide that I should spare the both of us from further humiliation, so I change the subject. "Hey, Nick. Where's my DVD?"

"Huh?" He looks confused, sweeps his eyes all over the room. "I think it's over on the couch."

I walk over to the couch and rifle through the pillows and cushions. "There's nothing here."

"I don't know. Check the kitchen."

I go to the kitchen and give it a once over. "Um, nope. Nothing."

Nick swears under his breath. I can hear him rifling through some of the objects on his desk. That is not a good sign.

"Nick?" I look at him desperately. "Please don't tell me you lost my Steel Samurai reboot DVD."

He stops his rifling and straightens up in his chair. "Ok. I won't."

For a few moments, we have an intense staring contest. I give him my sternest look, and he shoots me his courtroom look. You know, the non-sweatdroppy one.

He doesn't say anything, but the answer is written all over his face.

"Phoenix Wright," I slam my hands on his desk. "I hate you."

-O-

Two days after that night, Nick came home and announced that he's having dinner with Iris on the weekend. A day after that, he stressed out completely over which restaurant to take her to and what suit he should wear, to which I tauntingly replied that he only had one suit and there really wasn't much to choose from anyway. A day after that, Pearly found out and slapped him in the face. I didn't even try to scold her that time. A day after that, which is today, is the day of his and Iris's date.

I tell myself that I shouldn't care. What does it matter to me who Nick dates? It definitely isn't any of my business. This little crush that I always had on him is very unlikely to turn into something more anyway.

Still, I can't stop my insides from clenching and there's a deep hollowness in the pit of my stomach that makes me sick. I tried so hard to get him to notice me. I really did. I did everything I can to be a useful assistant and I trained really hard to become a spirit medium just to show him that I can do it; that I can be mature and powerful and that he can stop thinking of me as the little crying kid with an insatiable craving for burgers. And I thought, for a while, that I've been doing a pretty good job. Lately we've had times when I think we were on the borders of friendship. A quick hug here, a few hand holding there… And when I found out how he bravely tried to cross that burning bridge to save me, I really thought that there was something. And I was so glad and I felt like nothing could bring me down. The only thought repeating in my head was: Phoenix Wright cares about me.

I was a fool.

All that mumbo jumbo I had about growing up and becoming an adult was nothing. I'm still just a silly little crying kid after all.

"Maya, how do I look?"

Nick pops out of nowhere. He looks dashing as always. I give him a thumbs up.

"Thanks, by the way," he says while he ties his pink necktie.

"What for?"

"You were the one who convinced me to finally ask Iris out. What you said really got to me."

"Yeah, I really am awesome, aren't I?"

His hands pause on his tie and he's looking at me with the same soul-searching look again. It makes me squirm slightly.

"Yes," he says, nearly whispering. "You're the best."

I give him a toothy grin. "Good luck on your date," I say, despite all the protests my brain is making. "You're gonna be late."

He glances quickly at his watch and the way his eyes widen is almost comical. "Oh shoot, I gotta go!" He hastily finishes tying his tie and puts an arm around my shoulders. My heart makes a peculiar beat as he pulls me close and plants a quick kiss on the top of my head. "Thanks again, Maya!"

He is out of the door before I can even form a reply.

I am aware that my heart is now beating really fast and my blood feels like it's made of fire.

God, how long am I going to keep pining over that idiot?

-O-

I decide to go out for a walk. The nighttime air is strangely soothing, and it helps calm my nerves a little bit. I haven't felt this lonely in ages.

Here we go with the Maya Fey Pity Party again.

It's times like these when I really wish I could talk to Sis and ask her for advice, but she's gone to the other side now. Not that that's ever stopped the Fey clan from talking to someone before, but asking Pearl to channel her on a whim will make her ultra suspicious, and the last thing I want is for her to discover that I do, in fact, have feelings for Nick and they aren't returned. She would probably kill him.

This time, I let the tears roll down on my face. Crying makes me feel a little bit better, actually. It straightens out my thoughts and makes everything a bit less confusing.

I know what I have to do now.

I have a responsibility to my people. After the events of the past months, they are all looking up to me now as their next Master. I hardly think I'm ready, but it's never too late to start preparing for it.

That's right. I'm going back to Kurain. I'm going to become the Master of Kurain Channeling Technique. I'm going to train really hard and become the most powerful spirit medium there is. And then, once I've succeeded in doing that, I'll go back to Nick and show him what exactly I am capable of.

Master Maya. Hmmm. It has a nice ring to it, actually.

That could work.

When I arrive back at Wright & Co., Pearly is sitting on the couch, engrossed in some kids show on the television. In the background, I can hear some disgruntled noises and the sound of objects being moved around hastily.

"Pearly, what's going on?"

"Oh, Mystic Maya! Mr. Nick was looking for you."

"Nick's back?" There is a sound of something crashing on the ground, followed by a muffled swear. "I'll take that as a 'yes'."

Pearl giggles. "You should go see your special someone now."

"I thought he was on a date?"

She shrugs. "He came back here a while ago and he said the date didn't go well. He asked where you were and he's been in his office ever since."

I furrow my brows in confusion. What is going on?

My heartbeat quickens with every step that I get closer to his office door. I curse myself for being so easily affected by it.

Still, nothing could have prepared me for the sight I am met with when I open the door.

The room is in complete disarray, drawers opened and case files scattered everywhere. Some of the books from the shelves are missing from their places. My collection of Steel Samurai DVD's, which I kept on the bottom shelf in this office, is spread out on the floor.

Nick looks up at me from his sitting position on the floor, his legs sprawled out in front of him. He looks disheveled and completely distraught. There is something a bit like panic on his face when he sees me.

"Nick…" I say cautiously, "Care to explain what all this is?"

His grey eyes are wide and a faint blush appears on his cheeks. Okay, no one should be allowed to be that adorable.

"I'm sorry," he says quietly. "I really can't find your DVD anywhere."

This time, I am fairly sure that my heart just skipped a beat.

My gaze on him softens instantly and a huge smile sneaks on my face. I bite my lip to keep myself from laughing, but a few giggles still escape.

"What's so funny?"

"I found the DVD two days ago. It was in my purse all along," I say, still giggling. His face drops into an incredulous expression.

"Oh."

I can't help it. He looks absolutely adorable, sprawled out on the floor with the messiness of the office all around him. He did this for me. He's always done this for me.

My feet shuffle forward and I kneel down beside him. His eyes are fixed on me the entire time and I can feel my insides melting at the intensity of his gaze. I place my hands on the sides of his face and plant a kiss on his cheek. His nose. His forehead. His other cheek. I keep peppering his face with kisses until the giggles die down on my lips. He is quiet the whole time, and when I pull back, he is even redder than before.

Happiness swells up inside of me, and there's the familiar blossoming feeling of hope. And as I stand back up on my feet and leave the room, I can't break the huge, giddy smile that plastered itself on my face.

I may not be much now, but just you wait, Phoenix Wright. Wait a few more years and I'll have you wrapped around my little finger faster than you could say 'Objection!'.