A/N: I do not own Phoenix Wright or Miles Edgeworth; CAPCOM does. The plot, the ghost bride, her intended and the plot, however, do belong to me. :^) Also, I've always loved the Mind-Speech capabilities and Projecting of Valdemar Heralds in Mercedes Lackey's "Heralds of Valdemar" series and I have given Miles similar abilities; it's quite useful when you need to talk to someone and you don't want other "people"-loosely speaking-listening in. (I used it in "Dream Within A Dream" and I'm using it here, as well.)

Miles and Phoenix are visited by the ghost of a distraught bride who needs their help to find her missing fiance. Little do they know that another crime is about to be committed in connection with this case...
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Chapter 1 is up at last! :^) Sorry for the wait as well on this one! I entitled it "Weeping Willow" since it seemed to fit really well and then I found this little tidbit from an article on tree symbolism by Kathleen Karlsen, MA [The willow was also part of mourning pieces created in the 19th century (and earlier) by women to commemorate the death of a loved one. These pieces always included one or more mourners in dark dresses bent over a burial vault, tombstone or urn with a willow tree--a symbol of death, tears, mourning, and reflection. Perhaps this is the origin of the term "weeping willow."-Taken from "The Symbolism of Trees: Weeping Willows" by Kathleen Karlsen, MA] which I found very interesting. (Link in my profile.) I also added some willows to the exquisite scroll work on her red dress which I thought would fit in nicely with the roses and vines.

To give you an idea of what a Ghost Ceremony for two deceased people entails, here's some information taken directly from the Wikipedia article: In a ghost-marriage, many of the typical marriage rites are observed. However, since one or more parties is predeceased, they are otherwise represented, most often by effigies made of paper, bamboo, or cloth. For instance, a ghost-couple at their marriage feast, the bride and groom may be constructed of paper bodies over a bamboo frame with a papier-mâché head. On either side of them stands their respective paper servants, and the room contains many other paper effigies of products they would use in their home, such as a dressing table (complete with a mirror), a table and six stools, a money safe, a refrigerator, and trunks of paper clothes and cloth. After the marriage ceremony is complete, all of the paper belongings are burned to be sent to the spirit world to be used by the couple.
Some do use a priest or diviner while others do not.
[The following is taken from the Wikipedia article on the Chinese Ghost Ceremony and under the heading "Arranging a Ghost Marriage" concerning the ghost-bride's choice of a groom: the family is certain that the groom the ghost-bride has chosen will identify himself somehow. Typically, the family lays a red envelope (usually used for gifts of money) as bait in the middle of the road. They then take hiding, and when the envelope is picked up by a passer-by, they come out and announce his status of being the chosen bridegroom.]
[In my story, I had a priestly matchmaker arrange the Ghost Marriage for both Jia and Qui with the blessing of the two families involved.]

I used Chinese names I found on an Internet website for both the ghost bride and her fiance and the information on the Chinese Ghost Ceremony is taken from a Wikipedia entry with the link to the article in my profile if anyone would like to read more about the Chinese Ghost Ceremony. I only know that which I've researched online and have no other working knowledge on either Chinese names or the Chinese Ghost Ceremony save that. Any mistakes made are mine and I did take a little bit of poetic licence.

That being said, I hope that you will enjoy this chapter! :^)

Thank you to all my readers: those who have commented, read, reviewed, favourited/story alerted my stories and thanks also to those who have author alerted/favourite authored, as well! I appreciate it very much! I am glad that you are enjoying my stories and I hope that you will continue to enjoy them in the future! :)

Thanks to my beta, Midnight-hunter, for your excellent views and beta reading! I appreciate it very much! :)

Special thanks to my beloved husband, DezoPenguin, for his love and support, nagging (when necessary) and rekindling the fire within me to write! Love you, honey, and many thanks!

As always, comments and suggestions are welcomed and very much appreciated! :^)

Teen, AU/Supernatural/Suspense, Vampire!PxE

I saw Phoenix's eyebrow rise when he saw the dazzling smile on my face as I entered the room but he made no comment and I couldn't help but feeling meanly glad about it. I also noticed, to my satisfaction, a worried frown beginning to form on his face as I greeted our client, a young woman dressed in a beautiful red dress, exquisite scroll work of roses, willows and vines decorating the entire surface of the rich, scarlet fabric.

The effect was stunning when coupled with her milk-white skin, rosy red cheeks, deep brown eyes and raven-black, waist-length hair with a quiet smile gracing her delicate features. I could still make out a very faint trace of olive-toned skin which meant that she hadn't been deceased all that long. Had she been, her skin would have been a sickly, pasty greyish-white, like the vast majority of those who came to see us for help in the Afterlife.

"Welcome to the Wright & Edgeworth Law Office," I said smoothly, taking one of her limp hands and shaking it gently before releasing it to fall back down to her side, a blush rising in her cheeks. "My name is Miles Edgeworth and this"-I indicated Phoenix, who was standing quietly on my right and bowed his head slightly to her which she acknowledged with a gracious smile-"is my partner, Phoenix Wright. How may we help you, Ms...?"

"Jia," the woman replied melodiously, lifting her head to look at the both of us and bowing low. "Jia Tsen." She smiled faintly. "My family has lived in Los Angeles for six generations; we came over from Beijing."

I nodded, filing this away for future reference. "Indeed. Might I ask why it is that you have come seeking our assistance?"

She flushed, her hands knotting together. "I...I need you to help...me find someone..." Her cheeks burned scarlet with embarrassment. "Someone... very dear to me."

My eyebrow rose slightly over her emphasis on the word "very" in "very dear to me." Obviously, something was troubling her in regard to her special someone and I wondered why her face continued to turn even redder as the minutes passed. Clearly, something was amiss.

"Do you need us to find your special someone?" Phoenix piped up and, suppressing a muffled groan, I shot him a killing glare resisting the almost overwhelming urge to mentally swat him.

Phoenix, you idiot!

Jia's face fell, sorrow gracing her features as her thin shoulders shook with emotion. I could have killed Phoenix for his blunder but I happened to catch the remorseful look on his face before I had a chance to open my mouth and decided to let the matter drop. For now.

"Y-Yes, Mr. Wright," she said sadly, tears forming in the corners of her eyes and rolling silently down her cheeks like rain, "that is exactly what I would like you to do for me. You see, my husband-to-be was taken away and I don't know where he is, who took him or even why." She sighed brokenly, taking out a tattered linen handkerchief and dabbing her eyes with it. "We were to be married next week but...he..." She couldn't continue but I understood what she was trying to say and why she was so upset.

"I understand, Ms. Tsen," I said as kindly as I could since I wasn't very good at comforting people in times of sorrow although I did try my best to provide at least some measure of consolation. Phoenix was definitely my superior in this area. "What was-is-your intended husband's name?"

I inwardly cursed my insensitivity at mentioning the word "was"-past tense-instead of using is-present tense. I was worried that I had upset her more than she already was but she gave me a bright smile that said she didn't blame me at all. That was a relief after Phoenix's gaffe.

"Qui," Jia replied quietly, closing her eyes and linking her trembling fingers together, her face reflecting her sorrow as I jabbed Phoenix in the ribs, "Giang. His name is-was-Qui Giang...and"-she paused to take a deep breath- "he was... to be my... husband. We had been engaged in life but we both passed on before we had a chance to marry so our respective families decided to join us together in a Ghost Ceremony to give us both in death what we hadn't in life."

I nodded, leading her to the chair in front of my desk and encouraged her to sit down since it seemed that she was near to the point of collapse. She did, giving me a grateful look as she did so.

I sent Phoenix off to the kitchen to make some tea for ourselves and our guest which he promptly did, appearing a few minutes later with the silver tea tray balanced expertly on one hand, a piping hot teapot sitting serenely in the middle of three teacups, two silver cruets of cream and sugar with thee silver teaspoons arranged neatly on the right side.

Nodding my thanks to Phoenix, which he acknowledged with a lop-sided grin and a slow wink, he picked up the teapot and began filling the teacups while I turned and walked back to my desk, pulling out the chair and sitting down. Once I was settled comfortably and Phoenix had finished distributing the tea, I leaned forward, templing my fingers under my chin and gave our client my full attention while Phoenix settled himself on the corner of my desk, the teacup resting on his thigh with his right foot planted firmly on the floor.

"Please continue, Ms. Tsen."

She nodded quickly, taking a sip of the fragrant brew before setting it down on the saucer with a soft clink and taking a deep breath, her hands knotting together in her lap.

Both Phoenix and I waited for her to compose herself in silence, giving her a sympathetic look. I had a good idea of what was going on but, as of yet, I didn't have the entire story; it was clear that, whatever it was, it upset her greatly. It must have worked since I saw a slight smile began to tug at the corners of her mouth and, a few moments later, she began to speak.

"As I said, my husband-to-be, Mr. Giang, and I are...were...to be married next week. Both of our families agreed upon it and arranged it with the matchmaker. Everything was ready to go for next week and then... " She stopped, sitting quietly for a few moments and then lifted her head and looked at us, her pretty face wan and tired, her eyes red-rimmed. "Are either of you familiar with the Chinese Ghost Ceremony?"

Phoenix looked confused but I nodded in the affirmative.

"I've heard of it," I replied placidly, giving Phoenix's foot a sharp kick when he started to open his mouth, "although it appears that my partner has not. Would you mind explaining it to him?"

Phoenix flushed, his pale cheeks turning red with embarrassment as he snapped his mouth shut, giving me a dark look that I happily ignored.

Ms. Tsen nodded and spent the next fifteen minutes explaining precisely what the Ghost Ceremony was, how it was conducted between two deceased people, what it entailed, the rituals involved, its purpose and so on.

I could see Phoenix's eyes widening as the implications of the stealing of her intended's body-as I was already well aware of-began to sink in. Whoever had had the body taken knew exactly what they were doing and this was their intended purpose all along. It was clear to me, even at this early stage, that this was no mistake.

When she had finished speaking and fell silent once more, I looked over my templed fingers, my eyes narrowed. This was indeed a very serious situation since body-snatching in the Afterlife is, and always has been for obvious reasons, a very serious offence particularly if the said body was intended to be joined with either a living or deceased man or woman in a Ghost Ceremony.

The Judge isn't going to be happy once he hears this, I thought, rubbing my eyes tiredly, and that's the understatement of the millennium.

The Judge of the Afterlife, a rather amiable fellow all around, was passionate and as concerned with justice as his earth bound brethren and he made no bones about what he considered to be very serious infractions against the Afterlife's code one of which was body snatching. He considered it a crime against both the living, in particular the grieving relatives who's loved one's body has been taken away for who knows what malicious purposes and increasing their sorrows fourfold, and the dead who's remains were being treated with the utmost disrespect and callousness that the living thieves could inflict.

This was something that he would NOT tolerate and, if any body snatcher came before him who had died with this sin on his or her soul, he or she had the ultimate penalty brought down against them: annihilation. I had witnessed this sentence carried out once and it was a sight that I never wanted to see again; I can still remember the dying screams of the spirit as it literally burned away into ash but it took a very long time to do so and the spirit's suffering was terrible to see.

I shuddered as I pushed that memory back into the furthest recesses of my mind. When I was fully back in the present, I saw Ms. Tsen looking curiously at me.

"Is there something wrong, Mr. Edgeworth?" she asked, her brow creased in concern.

I smiled tightly. "I'm quite all right, Ms. Tsen," I said lightly, unlinking my fingers and waving my hand about in lazy circles. "I was just remembering something quite... unpleasant, that's all, from one of my previous cases."

That's putting it mildly, to say the least!

She nodded and thankfully left it at that. I didn't want to remember the scene that had played out in front of me as the Judge carried out the sentence of annihilation on the guilty body snatcher since it had given me plenty of nightmares in the nine months following the trial and execution.

After some time, I cleared my throat. I didn't really have to but the silence was becoming so oppressive that I felt I had to do something to break the heavy shroud that had settled on the three of us in our office.

"Ms. Tsen," I began as gently as I could, "I believe that some person or persons unknown have either stolen themselves or engaged in the services of a body snatcher to take Mr. Giang's body for a purpose as yet unknown."

Her hands flew to her mouth in horror. The look on her face was one of horrified disbelief, her pale skin turning even paler.

"That-that... cannot be!" she cried out, her hands trembling, her face pale with emotion, her eyes wide open and staring. She seemed to crumple in on herself as she pitched forward, Phoenix's quick action saving her from falling face first onto the floor.

She was trembling like a leaf as he gently helped her to sit up, her mouth working but no sound was emerging, her fingers clenching and unclenching. I could see that this possibility, anathema to both the dead and Undead alike, hadn't crossed her mind or, if it had, she had pushed it to the furthest recesses of her mind, such a thing being too horrible for someone so newly deceased to even begin to contemplate.

She is such a gentle creature, I mused thoughtfully as I watched Phoenix rubbing her ice cold hands gently, crooning soft words of comfort. Poor child... the possibility of such a terrible crime against the living and the dead seems not to have occurred to her.

I knew better.

I knew that in both the human world and the Underworld there were those who wouldn't hesitate, despite the grim warning of what fate befell body snatchers, to kidnap a body and hold it for ransom or some other diabolical purpose. I'd come across those kinds of people, both the living in my previous life and now the dead in my unlife, many times in my career as a prosecutor and the depths to which some people would sink never surprised me anymore but filled me with a deep sadness.

She'll learn the hard truth soon enough.

I sat in silence until Phoenix had managed to get Ms. Tsen calmed down, disturbed by the horrifyingly blank look that she now had as she stared at a point past my head behind me on the wall that I had my back toward.

Whatever it had been that she was expecting paled in comparison to this degradation; truthfully, I thought that her mind had been broken irreparably by the news but I needn't have worried since, after the first wave of emotion had passed, she slowly began to come back to herself, giving her head a hard shake as sanity once more began to come back into her eyes.

"Are you all right, Ms. Tsen?" I asked with concern, leaning forward.

She nodded, dabbing her eyes with the tattered linen handkerchief that she still held in her hand.

"I-I'm all right," she said rather shakily, "I—I just... hadn't... imagined the possibility to explain my fiance's disappearance would be... something... so... so..." Her voice trailed off, waving her hands in desperate circles in the air. "I... just... never thought that... that someone would... would do such a horrible thing!"

I nodded, giving her time to compose herself before I spoke again.

"Its definitely the most logical explanation I can think of for this case, given what we know of the wide-spread practice," I said primly, templing my fingers underneath my chin once again, my lips pressed into a thin, hard line. "It makes sense from what you've told us, at least."

Ms. Tsen clearly didn't like that but she couldn't argue with my logic. She opened her mouth and began to say something but promptly shut it again, her cheeks flushing as the full horror of what I was suggesting fully impressed itself in her mind.

She didn't say anything at all for many minutes and I put my hand on Phoenix's shoulder, shaking my head as I saw him start to rise to go over to comfort her and he sat down again, the corners of his mouth twitching.

::That was cruel, Miles,:: he chided me mentally, giving me a hard look, his brow furrowing. ::She's got enough problems as it is with her missing fiance and you just had to add to them.::

He was angry and I couldn't help but feel defensive. I didn't know what had upset him but I was going to find out.

My eyebrow rose. ::Maybe,:: I replied stiffly, tapping a quiet rhythm on the arm of my chair and trying to diffuse my slowly rising temper, ::but she had to know that there was more than one possible explanation for her fiance's disappearance. I still stand by what I said: someone either taking the body themselves or engaging the services of a body snatcher seems to be the most likely scenario to me at this point to explain her fiance's disappearance.::

He shook his head, clearly not convinced by my line of reasoning. ::I hope you're right or you've crushed that young lady for nothing.::

::Crushed?:: I chuckled nastily, lifting an eyebrow toward Ms. Tsen as she quietly came to terms in her own mind of the shocking assertion that someone had taken her fiance away deliberately, Phoenix's face flushing a dirty red as he all too clearly saw the point I was trying to make. After the initial shock wore off, she seemed to be taking it as well as one could expect. ::And exactly what is it that I've crushed? Explain that!::

I crooked an eyebrow in her direction. ::She looks perfectly fine to me... as well as one who has just received a nasty shock can.:: I gave him a disgusted look, crossing my arms over my chest. ::Honestly, Phoenix! What do we gain by lying to her?!:: It was a low blow and I knew it but I didn't care.

He turned pale for a moment and then his face started to turn red with anger. ::I didn't mean that!:: he flared back, his mouth twisting into a caricature of a smile, his fingers slowly clenching into fists at his side. ::I just meant that you should have been... more.. gentle breaking that to her, that's all!::

I rolled my eyes and then closed them, counting to sixty. Five times. Ms. Tsen looked up at us, her eyebrow raising as if in inquiry. I simply shook my head and smiled; she nodded and went back to her own private thoughts while Phoenix and I continued to argue mind to mind.

::That's your department, my dear Phoenix, not mine!:: I retorted, opening my eyes and uncrossing my arms, waving my hand in lazy circles in the air with a bored look on my face. ::You can handle it in any manner you choose so don't angry with me simply because I prefer a different method!:

He gave me a disgusted look. I was really enjoying this and he knew it. He hated it when he couldn't argue back, particularly because he knew that I was right. Sensitivity really wasn't my strong point and, truth be told, I preferred the straight and unvarnished truth to a gentle revealing any day.

Phoenix crossed his arms over his chest, giving me a dark look. ::You can really be a miserable bastard sometimes, Miles, you know that, don't you?!::

I gritted my teeth, my hands clenching into fists at my side. He really was in fine dudgeon this evening and he certainly wasn't doing my temper any favors by his obstinate stance. Since disemboweling him was out of the question, I'd have to deal with his pique in another, albeit straightforward, manner. If he was going to come out with a sweeping generalization on my parentage, then he'd better be prepared to explain the reason why as I had done nothing more than to tell her the plain truth. If she had trouble accepting it, then that was her concern, not mine.

My lips curved into an evil smile. Still, there are benefits to disemboweling...

::Look,:: I began, leaning over toward him, a little nettled when he leaned in the opposite direction. I sighed inwardly; he certainly wasn't going to make this easy for me and, in a way, I really didn't blame him. ::Which would you rather have: a soft an tactful revelation or the plain truth straight up with no beating around the bush?:: I hurried on as I saw him starting to open his mouth which I knew he was doing because he intended to argue the point. ::I know it seems like I'm being mean but I'm really not; I'm ultimately doing her a favor by being honest and straightforward right from the start. I won't sugar coat the truth, Phoenix, you know that...::

He sighed in resignation, his shoulders slumping. ::I know that, Miles, but-::

I shook my head. ::I think Ms. Tsen, once she stops and thinks about it, will be grateful that I told her the truth since it obviously wasn't a possibility that she had thought of.:: I leaned back in my chair, my face solemn. ::We owe her that much, Phoenix, and I think it would do much more harm than good if we aren't upfront with her to begin with.::

He nodded, a chagrined look beginning to spread over his face. He really hated to lose an argument. A few moments more of silence and his sheepish Mind-Voice came back into my mind. ::You're right, Miles, and I do apologize for calling you a bastard.:: He blushed with shame, looking at the floor. ::It was just my anger talking and I really didn't mean it.::

I smiled gently, untempling my fingers and lifting soft fingertips to stroke his cheek, a brilliant smile spreading over my face, his breath catching in wonder as my fingertips touched his skin. ::I know. You were just trying to do your best by the client and I appreciate the fact that you can tell me honestly how you feel, whether or not I agree with the stand you're taking on the particular issue we're in disagreement over.::

I knew that he was as passionate as I was about our clients whether we defended them or prosecuted perpetrators on their behalf and it was this passion, coupled with a strong sense of justice, that had first attracted me to him all those years ago. With a smile, he knew I forgave him. After all, I'm not one to hold a grudge after someone apologizes.

::Mind Speech can certainly be a boon sometimes,:: Phoenix said amiably and I smothered the laugh that threatened to burst from my lips since I didn't miss the "come hither" wiggle of his eyebrows. ::Particularly when you don't want someone else to "overhear" your conversation.::

I chuckled softly. ::Agreed, but we'd best keep this conversation until another time.:: I indicated Ms. Tsen sitting quietly in the chair, sipping her tea in silence. ::We do have a client, after all.::

Phoenix nodded and, with a jaunty "See you later," his Mind-Voice faded.

I sat up and Phoenix once more arranged himself on the edge of my desk, one foot hanging in space while the other one was firmly planted on the floor, waiting for Ms. Tsen to initiate conversation.

"Mr. Edgeworth," she began, looking up at us, her fingers clutching the china tea cup, "I do want to thank you for telling me the truth. I appreciate that more than you will ever know." I nodded while she blushed, looking down at the carpet for a few minutes before raising her head to look squarely at us, takling a deep breath. "I suppose the question I have is this: knowing what I've told you and knowing that the possibility exists that a malicious hand may be at work, is there any hope that you can help me to get him back so our Ghost Ceremony can take place next week?"

"We will do our very best to do so," I replied and I saw Phoenix nod in agreement. "We will do whatever it takes to try and find him in time for your Ghost Ceremony. However-" I lifted a cautionary hand over her squeal of joy - "there also is a possibility that we might never find him, we may never know who took him or why and it is entirely possible that he may be gone forever as we speak."

I linked my fingers together, looking at her over them. She grew very pale and swallowed hard, gulping down the remaining tea in one swallow. She looked very unhappy as she jerkily set the cup down onto its saucer, nodding mutely. Apparently the thought had been in her mind but she didn't want to face it. "All I can promise is that we will do whatever it takes to find him but it may be that that is impossible."

Tears sprang into her eyes, a strangled sob coming from between tightly pressed lips. Phoenix and I sat in silence, compassionate looks on both of our faces as she struggled to compose herself knowing, as we did, that hysterics wouldn't help us find her fiance any faster. Neither of us wanted to hurt her any more than she already was but she had to be kept abreast of the very real possibility that her fiance may be gone forever, perhaps destroyed by those who had taken his body in the first place.

My eyes narrowed as I considered this. It didn't seem likely-there was definitely a purpose behind this particular body snatching-but we had to acknowledge it as a very real possibility. I hoped, for Ms. Tsen's and Mr. Giang's sakes that this wasn't the case.

I couldn't help but wonder how this case would end as we saw Ms. Tsen to the door some time later, bidding her a good evening. She was pale but looked a little happier than she had when she'd first arrived at our office earlier the previous evening, inclining her head and thanked us for taking her case before she turned and began to walk away.

As we watched her make her way slowly down the sidewalk, I considered the situation. While this case was by no means hopeless, the likelihood of success was slim to remote, at best. At least she had a small sliver of hope that we would discover what happened to her fiance and, in the process, we would hopefully find his body, discover who it was that had taken him to begin with and why.

Hope can be such a fragile thing, I thought, biting my lip as I stared up into the overcast night sky. The stars seemed especially bright this evening for some reason and were shining brilliantly in their firmament like a beacon of hope. Yet, its amazing how a little can really go a long way. I sighed. I just hope, for all of our sakes, that we haven't bitten off more than we can chew.

As if he had sensed the direction that my thoughts were taking, I felt Phoenix's arm wrap around my shoulders, pulling me toward him and I smiled as he cradled my head on his shoulder, gently nuzzling my temple with his nose.

It really was uncanny just how he knew when I needed consolation although I shouldn't really have been all that surprised; I often think that he knows me better than I do.

I closed my eyes for a brief moment, enjoying the closeness and comfort of my beloved before I swiveled my eyes to look upward and he did the same, both of us enraptured by the celestial night show going on above our heads.

As we enjoyed the evening matinee, little did we know that a horrific scene would play itself out just a few miles away... and that the victim of this crime would be one of many connections to Jia's missing fiance.