Its been four hours since the verdict was handed down for Maya. It was a long and stressful trial, but everything turned out okay. The crew payed Armando a visit at the detention center; Both had a lot to say, Phoenix thanking Armando for helping him against Dahlia in the trial. He would have been convinced Maya was dead if it weren't for Godot. Sometimes I can be such an idiot, he thought to himself.

Even if I saw Mia's first trial, I never thought about that statement. Phoenix owed it to everyone, for helping him with the trial. Phoenix was thinking about that trial as he walked back to his own apartment from the staircase with Maya, and Pearl. He was relieved Maya was safe, where would he be without her? He owed her the most of anyone with most cases, she saved him so many times, as he saved her many times, he realized this time and time again, but it never seemed to be enough.

"Ahhh..." Maya sighed with relief as she lay over both ends of the couch.

"Glad that's over?"

"You bet." Maya replied.

"I'm so happy you two are together!" Pearl exclaimed. Phoenix chuckled and Maya sighed.

"I'll prepare dinner." Phoenix said.

"Can I play with the toys?" Pearl asked eagerly.

"Sure Pearls." Phoenix said as he undone his red tie and took his blue coat off. Pearls then ran off to his bed room, where there was a box filled with the little bit of childhood he had. While setting the oven, he began to think again to the trial, and about the situation back then. He remembered Dahlia asking 'Mystic Maya... She's your girlfriend, isn't she?'... Until now, me and Maya never actually got in that kind of relationship... I love Maya, but does she love me?... He leaned back to the counter, thinking back.

She is his best friend, and she has always been there for him. When he was first to have a case without Mia, he defended Maya from being accused of murdering Mia, her own sister. She also stayed by his side when he was accused himself of murdering Mia. She had covered for him when Von Karma assaulted them for the key evidence to winning the trial, thus Von Karma dropped another key evidence, possibly more important. She channeled Mia when he needed her most.

Phoenix had thought of past events, as he set the pizza in the oven. He then walked into the living room; "Maya, can you scoot your legs?" Maya bent her knees, and lay to her side.

Phoenix then took the remote, and gestured it to Maya, for her to grab it. She took it, and surfed the channels for something worthwhile.

"What do you really think about being the next Kurain Master, after whats happened?"

"Uuuggghh... I don't care about it. I just want to be with you, and Pearly."

"I still find it hard what happened... I'm sorry about your mother."

"That's okay Nick. I... I wish I knew before. Remember what I said about that picture of her?"

"Yeah. I remember what you said." Before we were disconnected from the burning bridge, and before she started her training. We looked at a poster; If the crest wasn't there then Maya would never have know how her mother looked, she had said.

"Its was too long, since I saw her as a child." There was a silence in the room, besides the TV playing commercials. I have to change the subject.

"I'm really relieved Godot protected you. I'm glad he was there that night."

"Why... Why was he there that night?"

"I think it had something to do with that newspaper with Iris on the cover, she resembles Dahlia, and he may have wondered why she was alive since she was to be executed a while ago. He was with Mia in her first trial, where Dahlia was almost found to be the culprit."

"M-mia knew her?"

"Yeah, Dahlia was the one behind the problems of Mia's first two trials. She was crooked, and used me; Mia had her receive the death penalty." After Phoenix saying this Maya pondered.

"Wow... is that why she came for revenge?"

"Yeah, she was such a spoiled brat."

"What about Iris? She was disguised as Dahlia dating you some of the time, wasn't she?"

"She was a good friend, but looking back, we were just silly."

"Only a good friend? You mean she wasn't that s-special or anything?" Maya said, stricken with curiosity. Phoenix didn't respond, not sure how it would affect Mayas opinion on him.

"Iris wanted to protect her sister Dahlia, right?" She asked.

"I think so, she probably didn't know what her sister actually did.

"I dunno, but are you guys going to get back together?" After Mayas last statement, she quickly added on: "With I-Iris, Nick."

"I don't really know; I guess we could see her in the detention center some time." Phoenix said, not changing his expression. What does Maya think, would she care if me and Iris got close? Would she be envious?

Pearl then exclaimed "Nick! Maya! How could you forget? You... You have each other..." Phoenix and Maya switched they're gaze to Pearl, who was behind them. Somehow Pearl overheard them from the other room. Phoenix smirked, "Don't worry Pearls, Iris is just a friend right now, and were gonna visit her soon."

"Oh... really?" Pearl asked.

"Yeah." Maya replied.

"Okay, shes just a friend now... Sorry for intruding on your privacy!" She walked off into Phoenix's room. There was a silence, for a while, the two were watching commercials until they seen what show was playing.

"Nick."

"Yes?"

"... Can I.. stay with you for the week? What I mean is, I want to just spend time away from home. I don't want to go back for a while."

"That's okay Maya, you don't have to go back right away. I don't mind you being around here, or Pearls."

"Thanks Nick."

A commercial was playing: It starts with a woman in a shower, fog excluded explicit details, her pressed against the wall. A man walks out of the curtains, from a side view, then out of the bathroom. He uses a deodorant, the woman walks out hugging him smiling, and smelling his hair.

"Weird."

"They do that to get attention." Phoenix replied.

"They were acting that way because they were in a relationship, right?"

"That would make sense."

A show came on, it showed a vast jungle; A monkey with a waterfall in the background. After the session came to its end in half an hour, credits played; Maya turned off the TV and lay facing the couch. "Your going to sleep?" Phoenix asked.

"Yeah."

"Pizza is or almost done now."

"That would be nice; But I think I'll sleep. Maybe later."

"Huh?"

"Sorry Nick, leave me some. I need... to be alone. I'm tired."

"This is a first." Phoenix said, but there was no response. And so the confused Phoenix walked to the kitchen, the pizza was well done. He brought it out, and searched for a slicer. Its nice to know Maya prefers being with him. What goes on in her head? I wish I knew how she felt. It would be good to try and cheer her up once she has slept.

8:47 PM

Phoenix brought a plate of pizza, three slices. He heated it up to give off a cent, and he turned on the TV. In half a minute Maya woke up. "Is that pizza?"

"Yeah, I brought some over for both of us."

"... Your still hungry?"

"A little." Phoenix said, with a poker face. Maya began eating the slice, but did so slowly, unusual. Is she that tired she is actually taking time to eat her food? Phoenix took notice that a lame comedy show was on, and changed the channel.

"Maybe there's something on the news?" Phoenix said.

"... Like a new client?" Maya said, strangely eager.

Phoenix turned to Maya and said with a tired smile: "We don't need to do any more cases for a while, Maya."

"Oh..."

There was nothing new, but the trial was on the news; Many witnessed the power of the Kurain apparently, and Maya was listed as a 'strange religious figure.'

"S-strange?" Maya responded immediately. Then a single witness was speaking: "Yeah it was so weird, she made the lights go off... Then some weird demon came out of her screaming! When the lights were back on... The girl looked different!"

"What? Didn't he listen through the trial. How come they don't reveal what other witnesses said?" Phoenix himself responded.

"What the heck!?"

"That concludes the report, back to you Jake." That was all that had shown of the trial surprisingly. Phoenix turned off the TV, Maya didn't look happy.

"They... didn't believe the other witnesses..." Phoenix said with disappointment.

"After all that." Maya responded; She was looking down.

"Nick... I don't know if I can be the next Master."

"This has been too much for you, you didn't need this." Phoenix said this, trying to consent with her. Maya looked up to his eyes, and asked him.

"... Yeah. Why can't it be a happy ending, like that one case with Engarde?"

"I don't know, at least this case wasn't as bad as that one." After a certain silence, Maya brightened up and spoke.

"Nick! We should have another night like that!"

That night, they had a nonrefundable night at the Gatewater Hotel, thanks to Pearl believing it to be a good honeymoon for them.

"I want that just as bad as you do. But we don't have the money to stay at a hotel." She confidently replied with:

"I-I wasn't talking about that part!... I... meant you and me, talking, drinking... You told me so many cool things."

That night, I was so tired; I had to stay up to keep an eye on Maya so nothing extreme happened. I was drinking too, it was a good night for both of us.

"I would like to have a night like that again."

"Why don't we? We can right here, right now."

"Uh... We'd be missing some things."

"That-s okay! We can still do most of those things, right? Your not gonna say I can't drink, are you?" Maya asked.

"No, as long as your in my sight. The thing is, not all liquor is as strong as what you drank at the hotel."

"That's OK; I... I want you to talk about yourself. It makes me feel better."
With that, we both got up and went over to the kitchen. How could I make this night any where close to embarrassingly good as that night? Phoenix thought to himself. That night, the two got real close, secrets were revealed.

Notice: I wanted to fix a couple small mistakes, and also, thanks for reading the first chapter. I plan on typing more, weekly; The next chapter is about what happened that night after the En Garde case. If you think this is too slow or too plain, write a review telling me why. Otherwise if you think this is actually kinda cool, write a review anyways.