Hey guys, I would just like to start off by saying sorry for being late with this one chapter. I have been kept busy by other things, but the next chapter should be around on Tuesday night. Thanks for reading this still, and if you want you can give a review on your personal thoughts about the story, thanks.

I didn't get any sleep. Phoenix thought. Last night was just a series of dreaded alternate ending for different cases. In one of them, he saw Maya on the burning bridge, he tried to run across, but this time, she fell onto the bedrock. He saw blood pour down below, where her body was. And he woke up, looking down to the doorway, where Maya and Pearl were sleeping in the other room in sleeping bags.

Shes ok, she should be. Otherwise, someone would be asking for help. Phoenix thought, worried about Maya. Phoenix tried to get back to sleep several times through out the night. He eventually fell asleep, and ended up waking up at 1:37 PM. After noticing how quiet it was, and the time on his clock he changed into a new suit and went out. He saw Maya was fine, and Pearl as well.

In some dark corner of his mind, he thought of them being stabbed and then the wounds being covered up. That's right, were late to the office. Phoenix thought. He quietly went and took a view to make sure there was no blood stains or any such thing. They are breathing, so they're fine then. He thought to himself. He thought about going to the office but thought it didn't matter, he needed a break from it.

He lay back against the couch in comfort and relief, and found himself quickly weary. He asked himself for the millionth time: Does Maya like me in that sort of way? Its hard to tell based on how it is between them. Maya joked about him and Iris the other day, why would she throw that idea out there unless she didn't think of Phoenix the same way he thought of her. Unless she actually wanted to see if he would make a nervous answer which would prove to her that he didn't actually care about Iris?

She didn't really smile all that much, after that joke, Phoenix re-noticed. There are factors proving she may like him. That's an idea! Phoenix thought. Hes proved before of his clients innocence and witnesses guilt. He could prove that she liked him through events between them. He first has to convince himself that she thinks of him in that sense, then figure out how he could bring it up with her.

Phoenix began to collect his thoughts through tracing himself back through the past. He sat up, bent his back but not his neck so much. Maya always teases him, and actually likes being with him. She always trusts him and helps him out, that's one thing. She seemed to care a lot when she met Adrian and she showed likeness toward him.

Somehow, Pearls has the idea that they are together; That must have originated somehow. Could Maya have said her actually thoughts and feelings to her? Phoenix realized, it was very likely, since Maya wasn't that good at keeping secrets. The explanation Maya gave for it a while back seemed vague, and not true. Pearls didn't really do that kind of thing with other people ever.

Hes saved her so many times really, but that's just an overrated way of believing. I'm not actually interesting to her, am I? Phoenix thought. Sometimes he is kinda of funny to her, but a funny guy isn't really someone that has a girl in his life. The clown Moe flashed in his head, and Phoenix felt a tinge of his old headaches. Phoenix was interesting though, at least in the court room.

He could flip a case upside down, he has done it before. Maya has never really gave a serious hint of her liking him, which is actually a serious problem. What if he revealed to her and she didn't respond the way he thought she would? Phoenix clapped his hand to his head, and said: "Give me a damn hint, please..."
"Hey Nick." When Phoenix heard this he became quickly alerted. It was Maya, she was bending her upper body down to watch him. "W-When d-did you wake up?" Phoenix asked.

"When you let out that loud sigh, you seemed angry." Maya said smiling.

"Just a little stress." Phoenix said, but then he continued before Maya could argue. "No, not a little. I care about you Maya." Phoenix said honestly.

"I don't really want you to go back to Kurain village, your my best friend... I know that you have to be the master and all but... It wont ever be the same for me without you." Phoenix said. Strangely, Maya cried but also laughed a little. "Its so weird, to hear you say that. Thanks Nick... I don't want to go back to the village, I don't want to be the master." Maya said. Neither had anything to say for a while, but looked sadly into each others eyes. "But I still have to do it, and besides, it would be horrible if I didn't." Maya said.

"Yeah, you do." Phoenix said, as he remembered the explanation last night. Later in the day, Phoenix brought Pearl back to the village, but left Maya back at home out of his selfishness. Phoenix and Pearl spoke with the elders, 'They know how this thing works.' Maya said earlier when he asked. "Hey, I'm here to talk about Mayas situation." Phoenix said.

"Hello, your name is Phoenix, yes?" Martin said.

"Yeah, you remembered?" Phoenix asked, since the last time they met was years ago and Maya said they would probably forget him after a while.
"Of course, we hear good things about you. You saved the future master time and time again." The second elder said.

"Thanks, I was hear to discuss something very important. You've probably heard, the old master was found dead recently, Misty Fey." Phoenix said.

"Sir! Do NOT talk that way." said the third elder.

"Huh? Oh! I'm sorry. Mystic Misty Fey was diseased recently." Phoenix said, correcting the unusual error.

"Yes, it is unfortunate, and a a burial will be held soon. I hope you and Mystic Maya will be attending, yes?" Said Martin.

"Yes, it is very important after all." Phoenix said, and then he asked: "I needed to know when this will be held." Phoenix said.

"Oh yes, it will be held on the 16th, of this month." The third elder spoke this time.

That's less than one week from now... "Thank you. This isn't all that I wanted to talk about, Maya- I mean Mystic Maya needs to know how long she has until she has to come back to the village, to become the master." Phoenix said.

"We've decided a time ago, that she cannot simply move on with life like this and become a new master right away. So she doesn't have to actually come back for two weeks. Mystic Maya couldn't simply become the master right after her loss." Martin said.

"Thank you, that was very helpful, actually." Phoenix said. Phoenix came back to share the news with Maya, but as he sat on the train he thought about what he would say, to tell her he liked her and wanted to be more as a friend.

1:25 PM

Maya was alone, in Phoenix's apartment; He had left allowing her to be in his apartment this time. He never did that before. Maya thought. Phoenix never left Maya or trusted her so much to be in his apartment by herself. Probably because Phoenix has a personal past that he didn't talk about. Iris,I never thought Phoenix could get a girlfriend. Maya thought to herself, it was somewhat funny.

At the same time, it was pestering her somewhere in her mind, discomforting to think Phoenix could have a girlfriend, and had some capability to be in relationships like that. Maya was bored and it had been a while since she had such privacy and comfort. It was too comfortable in fact, she lay on the couch and reached down herself.

1:29 PM

Phoenix opened the door, and walked in. He expected Maya to look his way but instead heard a loud moan of relief as he entered the room. What the fuck... I think... She didn't... Phoenix was actually smiling, but dashed that smile away for if Maya decided to look up at him from the couch. Phoenix walked over and saw Maya laying there, she seemed to be sleeping, but her breathing was heavy, her face was looking away.

The silence was broken: "Hey Maya."

"...Huh? Oh hi Nick." Maya said, she had a bead of sweat head down the right side of her head. "What was that about?" Phoenix said.

"What was what about?" Maya responded, acting like she didn't know a thing. Suddenly, five psych-locks appeared. "Maya I know your lying." Phoenix said.

"What how? I-I mean, why would I lie?" Maya replied.

"Your Magatama tells me that." Phoenix said. One of the locks shattered. "I'm not lying, you can't prove I'm lying." Maya responded differently.

"You are lying, because you felt embarrassed. You don't want me to find out what happened." Phoenix said as she was sitting on the couch.

"Well what happened?" Maya asked; Phoenix thought for several seconds. "Heh, nothing happened." Maya said.

"When I stepped in here, I heard a sound. A loud moan of relief." Phoenix said, and another lock shattered.

"I was yawning, that's all! It doesn't matter does it?" Maya said.

"I think it matters, since there are still some psych-locks around you." Phoenix said.

"Look, I was sleeping and I yawned when I heard you coming into the house." Maya said, then: "See, I wasn't doing anything."
"Nice try, but if you knew I was here, why didn't you greet me?" Phoenix said.

"I-I was tired, that's all. I wasn't doing anything else besides sleeping." Maya said.

"You were tired." Phoenix said, then Maya laughed and said: "Yeah." Silence followed, and Maya quickly got nervous. "You were tired, but you were tired of doing something."

"D-Doing w-what? That's impossible, I wasn't doing anything." Maya said, gripping.

"You were, because when I came over here you were breathing hard. It was obvious that you were doing something, since your body was shifting in place." At the end of this sentence Maya was standing there, her face was red. Another lock broke, then Phoenix said: "Maya, you were pleasing yourself on my couch." Phoenix said, hoping all the locks would break, but to no avail. "I was NOT, I was having a nightmare, and my heart was racing." Maya responded defensively.

"Maya, that doesn't make sense. You yawned- I mean moaned as I came in here, you liked it." Phoenix said.

"So what? I can't believe what a perv you are Nick, I wouldn't do that in your home." Maya said, then Phoenix said: "But you did."
"I told you, I was having a nightmare, I didn-"

"-You did masturbate, because you moaned in relief, now who does that after they had a nightmare?" Phoenix asked with a smile out of the humorous situation. The fourth lock broke, and Maya responded after several seconds. "So I was."

"You were masturbating on the couch." Phoenix said, why is there a lock there? Phoenix thought.

"Maya, you can't hide anything from me. You don't want me to know why you were doing it." Phoenix said.

"Nick... Stop! I was just bored, and I didn't have anything to do. This is embarrassing." Maya pleaded.

"Maya, you were thinking about someone." Phoenix said.
"Yeah, so w-what? Y-You don't know who it is." Maya said.

"Its me." Phoenix suddenly felt his cheeks turn pure red.

"I don't understand! Explain why I would use you to help myself." Maya said getting more and more red.

"Maya, you like me. You love me, don't you?"

"I... I hate you." Maya said, looking down. The final lock shattered, and she was bright like a tomato. Phoenix didn't know what to do, but he sat down at the other end of the couch. "I'm sorry Maya." Phoenix said, knowing he had made her feel complete humiliation. "I love you." Maya said, but she was still looking down, away from Phoenix.

"Your the best at that." Maya said, smirking as she did it.

"Maya, how long have you felt this way?" Phoenix asked, she said: "Its been a while, its not like it was this whole time. It just slipped in, because Pearly always threw of in together like that..."

Phoenix's heart was pounding, and his face was very red still. "I shouldn't have done that thing on your couch..." Maya said, she looked away immediately after saying that.

"...Maya, I feel like you and I are more than friends." Phoenix said, unknowing whether or not she would respond positively to that. Her breathing was heavy, and he continued with: "Maya, for a while I have thought that I loved you, and I feel that way now." Phoenix said.

Maya had a fast smile and tears going down her face, and she felt the need to spread her arms outward. They both hugged, they were happy and felt like staying together like that forever. After a while, Phoenix drew away, and looked Maya in the eyes, and then her lips, and then her eyes. "Maya, you never kissed before, have you?" Phoenix asked her.

"No. But that's okay." Maya closed her eyes and waited for him, he pressed his lips against hers. They pulled back after several seconds, and opened they're eyes, smiling. They were at a resolving point that felt amazing compared to the events that occurred the day before, and the feelings they had of losing each other. They had forgotten about that for now.