WARNING: POSSIBLE TRIGGERS FOR SUICIDE

If you could be triggered by this, PLEASE do not read this chapter. If you're dying to know what happens, send a PM, and I would love to summarize for you what happens. Also know that Shikola and I are more than willing to talk if you need to, and that we're here!

Hold your hats, guys; this is a rough chapter.

Chapter Five :: The Lamentation

Maya stood in the bedroom of Mia's house, looking at Adrian's letter for a long time. Why couldn't she remember major events in Mia's life? Or her own life, for that matter? Other than their recent encounter, how did she not remember this Mr. Armando—who must be the Diego in Mia's letter, she realized—despite the fact that he and Mia had been together? Had Mia just omitted that fact?

Diego Armando . . . what had happened to him? The man she'd seen in the doll house had to have been him (though the visor was an interesting fashion statement, if nothing else). So he was stuck like she and Edgeworth (and Larry, but, well, that hadn't ended too well for Larry). Why? What did he have to do with any of this?

In any case, she now had a new number to call. She had high hopes for this one, seeing as Mia had led her straight to it. Maybe it was the number that would finally get her out! She flipped the phone open and dialed Adrian's number.

997-116-286

Everything faded quickly, the familiar tile floor of the hospital appearing in her vision first. Adrian must have worked at Kuromiya Hospital. The same hospital Diego Armando had been admitted to. Maybe he had more to do with things than she'd originally thought.

She looked around the room, trying to figure out exactly where in the hospital she was. There were rows of tables and chairs, lunch trays stacked on one side of the room. There was a TV and stand in the corner. This had to be the hospital cafeteria.

She gave a shudder. She hadn't really liked the hospital much the first time around. And, worse still, she didn't remember seeing a cafeteria sign her first time here, meaning that she was likely on the third floor.

There had been faces in the walls on the third floor.

She sat down in a chair. No way she was going out there.

A cell phone rang in the silence, reminding her of her priorities. Mia had sent her here. There had to be something here then. She was sure of it.

The sound came from the television cabinet. She opened it to find a blue cell phone this time. She flipped it open. "Hello?"

"I wanted to help. I tried to help her." Maya had only heard Adrian Andrews distraught a few times, but this seemed to be the worst of them all. The call ended, and Maya turned around only to be greeted by the woman in question. Maya gasped, but Adrian only turned around, glancing over her shoulder and going through the door.

Should she follow? Maya wasn't quite sure, but there didn't seem to be much she could do sitting around here, so she gritted her teeth and followed Nurse Adrian into the hallway.

The faces were absent, the only ghostly thing in the entire hallway walking down the hall slowly, glancing over her shoulder every few steps to check that Maya was following. The spirit medium let the door slam behind her, realizing what was about to happen a second too late.

The wind from the door blew the candle flame out.

How often had Aunt Morgan scolded her during her training? Candle flame goes out easily, "and it could become dangerous for the medium," Maya recited, feeling foolish. Now she was in the dark with a bunch of ghosts who probably wanted her dead for various reasons. Adrian glowed, and she didn't look like she was going to attack any time soon, so it only made sense to keep following her.

The hallway ended in a T, like the previous floors, and Adrian rounded a desk on the right side of the corner, phasing through the door. Maya opened the door, delighted when she was met with fluorescent lighting. Finally, power! Electricity! Apparently not every power line in the spirit world was down.

The room looked like an office, with a desk and computer in one corner and a stainless steel table with a whiteboard in the other. Adrian was almost transparent in the light, bent over a piece of paper on the table. One hand was pressed over her mouth and her shoulders shook. Maya approached, reaching one hand out instinctively to rest on the older woman's shoulder, but Adrian vanished suddenly, leaving the paper behind. Maya leaned over it and began to read.

Maya Fey was brought into the hospital today. Things seem very grim for everyone, but especially for little Pearl. She won't talk to anyone. I know Maya and Pearl are close, so this must be very hard for her. Still, she smiled a little when I brought her a cookie from the cafeteria, so I'm sure she must just be in shock after what happened.

More about Maya's supposed hospital visit, huh? She closed her eyes, trying to imagine why she couldn't remember the hospital at all, but abruptly gave up when no explanations came.

Still, of course Pearly would be upset after seeing her injured. It couldn't be too bad though, right?

Right?

The lights suddenly went out, bathing the room in the same darkness that the hallway was experiencing. Maya groaned. Time to find a light again, and quick.

Priority number one: Find a light.

Priority number two: Get out of here.

Priority number three: Make sure Pearly is okay.

Her hand fumbled in her pocket for the matches, but they weren't there. The man who had stolen the letter at Mia's house . . . she hadn't thought about the matches when she was checking her pockets then. Had he taken them?

She searched for the doorknob in the darkness, her hand finding it after some difficulty. She turned it, stopping abruptly when something played behind her. The Steel Samurai theme? She turned to see a mechanical Steel Samurai toy taking small steps towards the door, his entire body lit up. Talk about awesome. How did she not have one of those?

But wait. How was it playing?

She realized it a second too late. The toy died in its tracks, leaving Maya to try to salvage the batteries that must be powering it. She had to scrabble at the plastic to find the battery cover, exchanging the batteries with the ones in her flashlight. She flicked the "On" switch.

No luck. They were dead.

But now she had an idea. Noises meant either phones or batteries, both of which were good from her point of view. She didn't have to go into every single room: as long as she heard noise, she could enter for something she might need.

Her resolve renewed, she exited the room and walked towards the glowing stair sign, pressing her ear to the doors she passed in the hope she might hear something.

"Poor Maya Fey, presumed dead. You left her all alone, you know." The voice came from behind her, and Maya jumped, whirling back around to see Dahlia walking down the hall towards her. Like all of the ghosts, she seemed to glow as well, but there was something that didn't look dead about Dahlia. Perhaps it was that her words weren't slow and tortured like the others. Or maybe it was that where the others seemed to have blank, white eyes, Dahlia's gaze was sharp, her irises rimmed with a tiny sliver of red. "Everyone leaves her. Everyone always leaves her."

"What are you talking about?" Maya demanded, taking a step back. There was something different about Dahlia this time compared to the last. Last time, she had been weak, and she'd spoken to Maya with such compassion that the spirit medium had wanted her to stay. This time, their conversation had barely started, and Maya wanted out.

Dahlia gave her girlish giggle, tilting her head coyly. "You don't remember? Well, I suppose you wouldn't. Just like her."

"Just like who?"

Hands rose out of the ground suddenly, the hallway filled with groans of "Dahlia . . . our precious Dahlia." Before she could react, they grabbed her legs, forcing a scream from her mouth as they tried to pull her into the hole created in the tile. She fought, eventually freeing a leg so she could kick the rest away. She stumbled back, falling and scooting away from the hands as quickly as she could before getting to her feet again. Her vision flickered and went red, the effect of massive spiritual power being released. Dahlia walked towards her slowly, the disembodied hands gone. The power surrounding her was . . . enormous. If she touched Maya with even a single finger, Maya's soul would be obliterated completely.

But that was impossible! Dahlia hadn't had any spiritual power herself. Still, Maya turned and sprinted towards the stairs. The doors slammed shut in front of her, her body colliding against them, stunning her momentarily. She rattled the handles and threw her shoulder into the split, as Dahlia got closer and closer. She wasn't stopping—she was a mere foot from Maya, leaning forward, one lock of hair hovering an inch away from Maya's shoulder. The energy suddenly calmed, the tension in the entire room defusing instantly. "Not yet, Maya Fey," Dahlia said, her voice barely above a whisper. "You're going to see her jump."

The door flung open, and Maya careened downwards, falling down the stairs suddenly in front of her. Her back slammed against the wall, and once she wasn't seeing stars, she looked up to see that Dahlia was gone.

What had she meant? Who was she talking about?

Who was going to jump?

She brushed herself off, rubbing at her scraped up knees and elbows. If there was any question that what she had been experiencing wasn't real in some way, this was her wake up call.

This was real.

She needed to get out of here.

First things first. She needed a light. She wasn't about to face Dahlia in the dark again.

She took the stairs down to the second floor, listening in at the doorways. She could hear mumbling in Room 204, but when she entered, it was the strange blue light and her phone vibrated. She took it out and hit the record button.

"His hair is starting to turn white." That was Iris; Maya could tell from the last recording.

"The doctors say that's a good thing. His body is conserving energy to fight the poison." That was Mia. Despite her positive words, she sounded skeptical.

"Ah."

There was a silence, and Maya almost closed the phone, but then Mia spoke again. "Maya's coming tomorrow."

"I'll come see him tomorrow for you."

"I feel so bad for missing a day. I just don't want Maya to see him like this."

"You should take a day off anyways. You don't look like you're feeling so well lately."

"I'm fine." Mia's tone was clipped, and the recording stopped on that last tense exchange. They had to be talking about Diego Armando.

She couldn't even remember meeting him. The number of gaps emerging in her memory was alarming.

She exited the hospital room, continuing down the hall. As she got closer to the end of the hallway, she could hear something playing. It sounded like some talk-radio station.

A radio! The power was out here, so it had be running on battery power! She ran towards it, finding it in a chair.

It took her more time to find the battery slot, as she was going by feel, but eventually she tipped the batteries into her hand. A quick moment later and she was turning on her flashlight.

She had light again!

She turned to walk towards the stairs, relieved by her newfound ability to see, but Adrian was in the hallway already, paused in front of Room 202. "I wanted to help her," she said when Maya approached. She disappeared a second later, leaving Maya to enter the room. On the bed was a note just like the previous one in the office.

Pearl's mother is out on bail. It's the happiest I've seen Pearl since all of this started. Morgan even gave her a cell phone so that she could call whenever she wanted. She's going back to Kurain Village, but Pearl wants to stay here with Mr. Wright at least until Maya wakes up.

Maya is in a medically-induced coma. We're keeping her sedated until her brain activity regulates again, though the doctor seems a bit skeptical.

Aunt Morgan was out of jail? Talk about bad news. But it made Pearly happy, so perhaps it was good on some level.

There didn't seem to be much more in Room 202, so Maya exited, only to hear barking coming from the Operating Room. Missile jumped at her the minute she opened the door. "Miss Burgers!"

"Missile!" She picked him up so he could lick her face enthusiastically.

"You're back!" He stilled suddenly, looking at her with his head cocked. "Why are you back? Isn't it creepy in here?"

She put him down so she could take one of Adrian's notes from her pocket. She'd already seen enough to know what Adrian wanted her to do. "I'm looking for these."

"Ooh ooh! I'm good at looking! Pick me, pick me!" He interspersed barks with his pleas.

Maya nodded, not about to turn down the offer for company. "Let's look together!" Already she could see one of the notes on a cart behind him. "Found one!"

Pearl seems really happy to talk to Morgan. She does it a lot these days, which is nice. She was very quiet before, but now she's talking to everyone again. I've been teaching her how to send text messages too.

Maya is still sedated. The doctor is starting to worry about her brain activity.

"What does it say?" Missile asked, but Maya shook her head.

"Let's find the next one."

Adrian was walking into Room 204 when they exited the Operating Room, so they went there next, Missile scratching at the door and barking until Maya opened it. Adrian was once again gone (which seemed to disappoint the ghost dog), but there was another note on the bed.

Pearl broke the cell phone today. She threw it out the window, which seems very unlike her. Then again, ever since she broke it, she's been so upset that she won't leave Maya's side. I wonder what happened. I offered Pearl some time on the hospital phones, but the policy is only twenty minutes per night. She hasn't taken me up on the offer yet though, so she must still be angry about whatever happened.

Pearly didn't sound like she was doing so well in these notes. Then again, if the situation was reversed, Maya couldn't imagine that she would do well either. But what exactly had happened here? Pearl chucking something out a window? Why would she do something like that? And what had instigated it?

Missile whined and pawed at her leg. "Let me find one! I want to find one!"

Maya nodded, suppressing a chuckle at the dog's enthusiasm. "Next one is yours."

They left Room 204 and Missile went bounding down the hall before taking the stairs back up to the third floor. Maya thought of Dahlia, opening her mouth to protest before she realized that the stairs to the first floor were blocked off by a ton of junk in the stairwell. She pushed at a couch that had somehow ended up overturned, but it barely budged.

"Are you coming?" Missile yipped, padding down the steps towards her.

"When did this happen?" she asked, motioning towards the mass in front of her.

The dog cocked his head. "About the time I saw Mr. Ruffles leave!"

"Mr. Ruffles?" That could only be one person. "You mean Edgeworth?"

"Who's Edgeworth?"

"Um . . . Miles Edgeworth?" she tried, wondering if the Demon Prosecutor had even bothered to introduce himself to the dog.

"He has ruffles." Missile didn't seem to know much more than that.

"When did he leave?"

"After you left."

"How long ago was that?"

Missile blinked, and Maya realized she was trying to get a time out of a dog. Hell, she didn't even wear a watch; Missile wearing one was out of the question.

"Let's just go," she suggested, walking up the stairs to the third floor. "Where to?" she asked, but he was already bounding towards the cafeteria when she got to the top. "I was just in there! There isn't one—" She promptly shut up when she realized there was indeed a note sitting on the table. How had she missed it? She'd still had her candle at that point, so it wasn't like she was in the dark, and she had been in the cafeteria until Adrian had led her out.

"Aren't you going to pick it up?" Missile asked when she didn't move.

She nodded, stepping towards the note and beginning to read.

Pearl finally agreed to call her mother on the hospital phone, but Morgan hasn't answered. I tried calling her to tell her that Maya's condition is improving, but I had to leave a voicemail. Hopefully the phone lines are down or something—Pearl told me that cell service in Kurain Village is brand new, so perhaps some work is getting done. If she doesn't pick up in a few days, I'll have to write her a letter.

Pearl still won't say much to anyone. I hope it's just worry for her mother and cousin that's making her so quiet.

Maya put the note down, wondering what would happen if she called the number for Kurain Village. Her worry was starting to mount. Surely one phone call to Pearly wouldn't hurt anyone. She flipped the phone open, realizing that she didn't have a signal, and moving towards the window to find one.

The phone vibrated.

Maya pressed the Record button, wondering what she was about to hear.

"I don't think you're telling the truth!" A rare Mia moment—Maya could hear the frustration in her older sister's voice.

"Calm down, kitten." It was that man's voice—Diego Armando!

"How can you be so calm? She's lying to our faces!"

"I—I'm not lying." That was Dahlia at her worst—Mia had told her about the innocent facade their cousin adopted whenever she was in trouble. "I don't know why you won't believe me!"

"Because you're lying. But it's time to take a deep breathe. We've been arguing so long that my coffee's gone cold."

"Do you ever think of anything besides your coffee?" Mia asked.

"Of course. I'll be right back after I get a new cup. Play nice, kittens." There was the sound of a chair scraping against the floor, then a door opening and closing.

"Just come clean now, Dahlia."

"You can't save him, you know." Maya recognized that tone as the same airy voice she'd used when she'd told Maya, "You're going to see her jump."

"What are you talking about?"

A giggle. "You'll see. Now, back to my supposed guilt. Where's your proof?"

"You drove Terry Fowles to his death before he could reveal it!"

"And where's your proof of that?"

The door opened and closed again. "Now, where were we?" Diego asked.

"Mr. Armando, you don't look so well," Dahlia said sweetly.

"That's what happens when I don't get my allotted cups of coffee. I'm one behind." There was a pause, a gulp, and then the sound of ceramic being set on the table. "Again, let's get back to business. Calm down, kitten; I'm fi—" There was a sudden commotion, with lots of sounds. Ceramic shattering, the chair being pushed back, masculine-sounding groaning, and above all of it—

"DIEGO!" Mia screamed.

The recording cut off.

What had she just heard? Had Dahlia attacked him? Unlikely, considering their sizes. He would have been able to bat her off with ease. Had he attacked Dahlia? But he was the one telling Mia to calm down!

What was going on here?

Missile yipped, bringing her out of her revelations. "What's wrong?" she asked.

He barked again. "I hear someone!"

Maya opened the door a crack to see Adrian walking into a room across the hall. "Let's follow her," she said, walking after the nurse, Missile on her heels.

She led them into Room 301, the now-predictable note lying on the bedside table.

They've decided Maya's condition is stable enough to try to wake her from her coma. I had expected Pearl to be ecstatic about the news—everyone else was—but if anything, she seems more solemn than before. Mr. Wright told me she refused to go to the hospital to visit today. I'm hoping whatever is going on with the girl is going to get better soon.

Pearl wasn't happy? Had Maya done something to make Pearl angry at her? So angry that she wanted Maya dead?

Was that even possible?

Missile started barking, going through the door, and Maya ran after him, afraid to get left alone. The sound of a phone ringing echoed from down the hall, and together, they ran towards the office Adrian had led Maya to with the first note. The phone rang from inside of the office, and Missile went through the door without waiting for her to open it. Maya picked up the phone as soon as she could hear it, hoping to hear Pearl's voice from the desk phone.

"Open an ER! Patient's BP is dropping!"

"She's coding!"

"We need to get her warmed up ASAP!"

"She's losing too much blood! Hurry!"

"Status!"

"She's hypothermic. Broken ribs and a knife through her abdomen."

"How long?"

"An hour, at least. They found her at the top of Hazakura Mountain."

"ER Two. Go."

There wasn't much question as to who they were talking about, after the doctor's evaluation she had picked up the first time in the hospital. Maya pressed her hand to her stomach again, half-expecting to see a knife in it.

There was a flash of light, blinding her, but when she opened her eyes, Adrian was right in front of her, a business card on the table between them. Maya picked it up with trembling fingers.

Director Kuromiya — 997-447-619

What kind of business card was this? It was written in crayon, an almost-unrecognizable stethoscope drawn next to the number.

Still, it was a phone number. Maya pulled out her phone, patting Missile on the head. "I'll be back soon, so wait for me, okay?" The dog barked his agreement, and Maya dialed.

997-447-619.

Maya closed her eyes, and when she opened them, she was in an almost identical office, the only difference being that the Steel Samurai toy was gone. Adrian was already here, a note on the desk.

Maya's condition has worsened. The doctors can't bring her out of the coma yet, and no one is taking the news well, but Pearl seems to be taking it the worst. She's started visiting Maya again, but she hasn't stopped sobbing since she arrived hours ago. If I was right in my last note, I think I know why.

This has turned into such a tragedy.

Last note? Maya pulled out the most recent note, but there was no reason as to why Pearl might be crying. Had she missed a note somewhere?

A cell phone rang, and Maya quickly identified the source as one of the desk drawers. She pulled it open, and a ghost lunged out at her, knocking her back. "THIS IS MY HOSPITAL, I SWEAAAAAAAAAAAAR!" he was screaming, his hands twitching as he took hold of her shoulders. "IT'S MIIIIIIIIINE!"

Maya screeched, quickly punching him. He fell back, vanishing. His words, "it is, I swear," lingered in the air even after he left.

The door clicked and swung open slowly, and Maya grabbed the now-silent cell phone, checking for messages again and finding none, before exiting.

She recognized the first floor almost immediately. The evil vending machine was at the opposite corner, and the entrance to the hospital was on her right. The tiny waiting area was empty, and she sat down for a moment, one hand on her heart as she glanced upwards.

The fluorescent lights, innocuous until now, brought on memories. Loud voices echoed around her, speaking in medical jargon quicker than she could understand. Her gaze, blurred by something that wasn't quite tears, watching as lights went by, almost looking like the same light over and over as if she were stuck in a loop.

She had been here. She remembered this hospital somehow. She'd been semi-conscious as they'd rushed her to the ER, Nick in the ambulance with her, but she hadn't been able to see his expression clearly. Maybe it hadn't Nick at all but someone with similarly shaped hair and a blue suit.

No, she was certain it was him. She could remember him letting go of her hand and his voice as he whispered, "I'm so sorry, Maya," before she was wheeled into the hospital.

How had she forgotten this? And why couldn't she remember anything after this?

Had she . . . died?

Her cell phone rang, snapping her out of those thoughts. "Hello?" she said, answering it. She hadn't received a call on her cell phone since the school, if she remembered correctly.

"Um . . . hello."

"Edgeworth!" she said, surprised.

There was a pause. "Maya?" he finally asked.

"What are you calling for? Not that I didn't want you to call or anything, but, uh, how did you get this number?" She was so relieved to hear Edgeworth's voice that she was rambling, but she couldn't have cared less. He was still alive (or so she assumed), which meant that he could still help her.

And he could still get out.

He cleared his throat. "I was trying to transport back to the hospital. No matter; I have another number. I'm actually glad I got ahold of you."

"You are?" Edgeworth was happy to hear from her? And he was admitting it? Something wasn't quite right.

"Yes. Listen to me very carefully. The ghosts at Kuromiya Hospital are more dangerous than anywhere else I've been. I think that the hospital might be the origin point for all of this."

"Origin point?" Maya asked, confused.

"The place where everything converges. The hospital has to be the source of all of this."

"Source? What do you mean?"

"You remember Hazakura Temple, yes? Maya, after that, Pearl—AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Edgeworth gave out such a shrill shriek that Maya dropped the phone, diving for it a moment later. Her stomach dropped, and she fumbled around until she had the phone oriented correctly before pressing it to her ear.

"Edgeworth?" she asked.

The other line was silent.

She left it for a minute or two, hoping that Edgeworth would pick it up again and resume their conversation (hopefully also informing her that he had developed a fear of spiders or something equally harmless and that was what had caused him to flip out), but nothing changed.

Something could be killing Edgeworth this moment.

All because she had the phone he had tried to transport to.

She pressed a hand to her mouth, trying not to fall apart now. Had this all been her fault? Was she all alone now?

Was there no one left to help her?

"I wonder what's happening to him right now?" The sentence was completed with the familiar girlish giggle, and Maya shut the phone, turning towards the voice.

"I take it you know," she said cautiously.

Dahlia giggled again. "Maybe. Maybe not."

"What do you want, Dahlia?"

The ethereal beauty shrugged, a piece of hair falling over her shoulder delicately. "Do you know what's happened yet? Do you know about the tragedy?"

"You mean Hazakura Temple? Yes."

But Dahlia merely laughed. "Oh, Maya. You still don't get it, do you? You're running out of time."

"Running out of time to do what?" she demanded.

Hands emerged from the floor again, moaning the familiar, "our sweet Dahlia," but Maya knew what to do this time, turning and running down the hallway before one could grab her ankle.

"Tick tock," Dahlia said, suddenly appearing in front of the spirit medium. Once again, she flashed with massive spiritual energy, enough to make Maya's vision turn red. Maya screamed, throwing her body to one side in order to avoid the she-devil and continuing to run. "Tick tock. Tick. Tock."

At the final word, the butterflies that usually fluttered around Dahlia flamed, flying towards Maya like homing missiles. She ducked her head, throwing herself behind the counter of the nurse's station.

"Oh, Maya. Time. Is. Running. Out," Dahlia said softly. Maya could see her toned calves and butterfly-adorned shoes before they began to fade. They were almost completely gone when she heard the whispered words. "Tick tock."

Maya held her knees to her chest, trembling. What had just happened? What had Dahlia meant, the tragedy that had happened? What was she running out of time for?

The hair on the back of her neck prickled, and she felt like someone was watching her. She looked up to find Adrian in front of her, expression blank. There was a note on the table behind her, and Maya reached up, sliding it down to her level to read.

Pearl hasn't been at the hospital for the last few days. Mr. Wright says she isn't sleeping or eating, just crying. I tried contacting Morgan again, but to no avail, so I sent a letter to Kurain Village in the hopes that she might receive it. Unfortunately, when I contacted the Mystic Althea on Maya's Emergency Contact List, she told me that Morgan has been missing for several days now.

Maya's condition has begun to improve again, so the doctors are talking about waking her. Hopefully she has some light to shine upon everything that's happened.

Maya paused, her entire body feeling devoid of energy. Pearl wasn't visiting her? Of all people, she had expected Pearly to be the one to never leave her side. What had happened? And why?

She got to her feet, her knees feeling shaky, and froze. Across from her, sitting in a chair in the waiting area with her head bowed, was Dahlia. She was staring at her hands, the V-shaped braids extending from her widow's peak fully visible. Maya gasped, but Dahlia didn't react.

Now was not the time to find out why.

With exaggerated slowness, she crept around the corner of the desk, only relaxing when there was a wall between them. She sighed, closing her eyes in triumph, only to scream when she turned. Adrian was inches away, her miserable expression unchanged. Maya crowded back as the nurse turned and walked through a nearby door, tossing the standard glance over her shoulder at Maya.

"Haven't you heard of personal space," the spirit medium grumbled, shining the flashlight at the plate next to the door. "Consultation Room." The same room she had first arrived in. She opened the door, unsurprised to see the bleached floors and messy desk. Her medical records were gone though, and the thought of them made her stomach sink. Instead, where they had been, was a note. Maya held her breath, torn between wanting to read it and not wanting to know any more.

With a sigh, her fingers trembling, she held the flashlight over the paper and began to read.

I don't think that Pearl can take much more of this.

It's all my fault.

Nurse Cykes, Maya's nurse on the night shift, confided in me today what she had thought happened—well, now, what she knew had happened. She and Pearl had a therapy session last night; Nurse Cykes is good at that kind of stuff. Anyways, Pearl told her everything she knew, and Nurse Cykes thought it would be a good idea for me to know too. Inside, I knew we shouldn't have been talking about it in the hospital, but it didn't seem too bad, and then Pearl heard us talking, and now she's ignoring both of us. I know we shouldn't have, but I just wanted to help.

She's ignoring everyone. Now she sits by Maya's bedside silently.

I don't know what to do.

Pearl . . .

What had happened to Pearly? Something wasn't right; she hadn't had this many problems when Morgan was sent to jail. What was different about this time?

"I couldn't help her." Adrian's voice made her turn towards the door. The nurse's shoulders were slumped, one hand pressed against her chest. "I couldn't help her, not when she needed me most. I couldn't help her!" Her voice raised to a keening wail and she phased through the door, leaving Maya to run after her.

"Wait!"

Adrian was sprinting down the hall, her voice quiet but fervent as she said, "No, don't let me be too late!"

She turned the corner, jabbing at the elevator button and entering what looked like a closed door, Something hit the floor and jangled as she disappeared.

It was a key. Maya turned it, orienting the tag so she could read it. "Nurse's Station," it had etched on it.

There were only three possibilities as to where the key could unlock. Trying to ignore Dahlia, who still wasn't responding, she rounded the L-shaped desk, shining the flashlight on the plaque next to the door.

"Director 's Office."

Only two more floors to check then. She pulled out the cell phone, dialing Adrian's number.

997-116-286.

When she opened her eyes again, she was in the hallway of the second floor. Adrian's cell phone was on the floor next to her, and she picked it up, before walking to the room in the same location as the director's office, just a floor up.

Bingo. The Nurse's Station.

She tried to turn the knob only to find out that it was indeed locked. Carefully, she took the key from the pocket of her robe, inserting it into the lock and turning. The door opened and she sighed in relief, stepping into the office.

There was a note sitting exactly where she'd found Adrian's first note.

I think Pearl was the one who did this to Maya.

I don't know exactly what happened, or even why, but there are some things that don't quite add up. There are lacerations on Pearl's arms that match the ones on Maya's. There's also been this strange air about her lately, a strange look in her eye that I didn't recognize as guilt until I thought about Celeste the other day and looked at myself in the mirror.

She's carrying around some sort of guilt when it comes to Maya.

I hope that I'm wrong. But then again, after hearing a bit of Pearl's fight with Morgan over the phone the other day, well . . .

I'm pretty sure that I'm right.

This note had to have come before everything. This was Adrian's guess as to what had happened, the one she kept referring to in later notes. But . . . no.

Maya's legs suddenly gave out from under her, and she sank to the cold tile floor. Pearl Fey? Trying to attack her? That . . . that was impossible. Right?

It all came back in flashes. The knife, the slender hand holding it. The chocolate brown eyes staring at her, those eyes that she had thought were from the devil.

The devil had light brown hair. Sure, she'd tied it back into braids, but there was no question. As soon as the image came, it stayed, imprinting itself on the back of her eyelids.

Dahlia hadn't been the one holding the knife. Dahlia Hawthorne was dead. Someone had to have channeled her.

And there was only one person on that mountain that had light brown hair.

Pearl had channeled Dahlia.

Pearl had stabbed Maya. Broken her ribs. Left her huddling in the snow, eyes screwed shut as if it would warm her up.

The one behind everything . . . had been Pearl Fey.

The realization kicked her in the stomach. How could have this happened? Sure, Dahlia was obviously a vengeful spirit, but Pearl was a strong medium. She shouldn't have been able to do anything against Pearl's will.

Still, there was no question. Even though the cold, dispassionate stare and cruel smile curved on the assailant's lips hadn't been Pearl's, the body had been.

That explained everything.

Why she had sunk into such a depression. Why she had stopped visiting Maya at the hospital. Why what Athena had talked with Adrian about had upset her.

Despite knowing all of this, her heart ached for her cousin. There was no way that Pearl could have meant any of it. Maya was still alive, which meant that something inside of Pearl had rebelled. If it had been completely Dahlia, there likely would have been no body left to find.

The room was too small and too warm all of a sudden. Maya felt claustrophobic. She got to her feet, exiting the Nurse's Office after shoving the note in her pocket.

The elevator dinged, and Maya suddenly remembered that Adrian had been going up the elevator on the first floor. There was no way it was just stopping now though, was there?

She couldn't see anything, but she could hear the panicked breathing, and the "No, no, no! Hurry up!"

That was definitely Adrian.

Adrian had led her through the hospital, and if there was something she was so panicked at, it was likely worth knowing.

She had to go up to the third floor.

Maya sprinted down the hall. She was just taking the final step up to the third floor when she saw Adrian run into the Computer Lounge, whimpering the entire way. Throwing the door open, she saw Adrian huddled over the single computer that was on, her form dimmed by the artificial blue light the screen gave out. There were tear tracks down her pale face, and she was pushing her glasses up so she could wipe at her eyes.

"Adrian?" Maya asked, taking a tentative step forward.

"I'm too late," the nurse sobbed.

"Too late for what?" she asked, but Adrian was already fading away, and the only thing that lingered was the sound of her sobs.

There was a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as she rounded the table to look at the computer screen. On it was an open email from Pearl, a small paragraph in the body.

It's all my fault. I'm so sorry. For everything. I caused this entire situation, and now it's time for me to pay for what I've done.

Pay?

Pay for what she'd done?

Oh god, what had happened to—

The memory made her stumble, grabbing onto the desk for support as she remembered the conversation she'd had with Nick after she'd woken up in the hospital.

"You don't look so great," she'd croaked out, happy to see him nonetheless.

He really didn't. He was wearing a grey hoodie that he seemed to swim in, and the dark circles under his eyes almost looked like bruises. "Maya . . . I don't know how to say this."

"Say what? Honestly, you should look a lot happier than you do right now."

"It's Pearl."

She'd frozen immediately. He never called her Pearl. It was always Pearls; he'd teased once that he'd only call her Pearl when she was eighty-five years old and in a nursing home. "What happened?"

"She—" He broke off suddenly, and her heart thudded painfully in her chest.

"Just tell me what happened to her, Nick!"

He looked away, and his expression was more miserable than the one he'd been wearing the first time they'd met, where they had both stumbled upon Mia's dead body. "Maya, Pearl is dead. She jumped off of the roof of the law office."

"What?" A wave of nausea passed over her. "No, that can't be right. Not Pearly. No, this all has to be a joke, and it's not funny." She'd looked up at him, waiting for his expression to change, but it didn't; she just looked away, his face solemn. "No. No, I won't accept this! This didn't happen! Not Pearly, not her, she'd never do something like that."

Her voice had broken on the last phrase, and he'd finally looked up in concern. "Maya, you just woke up. You need to take it easy—"

"No! No, I won't—I can't—No." She finally broke down crying, and he'd sat down on the edge of her bed, hugging her gently to avoid injuring her further.

She sat down in a nearby chair, her eyes wide. Pearl had . . . jumped. She'd committed suicide.

No, not Pearly.

She fought to keep her head up, but everything came crashing down on her. She'd been the cause of everything. She hadn't been able to save Larry, despite the fact that he'd been relying on her. And then Edgeworth, who might be dead at this moment (actually, if she was being honest, he was probably dead) because she'd had the cell phone he'd tried to call. And what about Diego Armando, who she hadn't seen again, but she'd said she'd help him too, and then he'd disappeared. And Nick.

Everything, all of this . . .

Tears blurred her vision as she stared at the screen, still displaying those four simple sentences.

It's all my fault.

I'm so sorry.

For everything.

I caused this situation, and now it's time for me to pay for what I've done.

No, Pearly hadn't done anything. If she'd been stronger, if she'd thought faster, she could have prevented what Dahlia had done to her.

Then Pearl would still be alive.

So it wasn't Pearl's fault.

It was Maya's.

She sobbed into her hands. If only she'd been stronger, maybe none of this would have happened. Maybe they'd all be sitting around Nick's office a decade later, having burgers and talking about the random developments in their lives.

Like Pearl, Maya would have to pay for what she had done.

"She's waiting for you." The voice made her look up, and she realized that Dahlia was leaning against the doorframe. "She's not gone yet."

"What do you mean?"

"She hasn't jumped yet. She's in the waiting area of the hospital." There was something terribly wrong about the smile on Dahlia's lips, but in that moment, Maya couldn't have cared less. She opened her cell phone, dialing the phone on the first floor as fast as she could.

997-446-619.

She woke up in front of the waiting area, and when she opened her eyes, she could see the toe of Pearl's sandal in her peripheral vision. Immediately, she looked up, seeing Pearl sitting in the chairs where Dahlia had been sitting earlier, her head bowed exactly like her older sister had.

"Pearly!" Maya got to her feet, lunging towards the younger girl. "Pearly, please, you can't do this! It's not your fault, it's mine! Please don't do this!"

Pearl didn't react. Didn't even look up.

"Pearl!" she said sharply, tears beginning to fill her eyes again.

This time, Pearl stood, walking sluggishly towards the stairs.

"No! Pearly!" Maya shouted, her fingers extended towards her cousin. Her vision flashed red like it had with Dahlia though, and she retracted them quickly. If she was going to stop Pearl, she had to do it without touching her.

"We're not even in the right place," she mumbled to herself, trying to reassure herself that everything would be okay. She followed Pearl's slow pace as they walked up the stairs to the third floor, eventually ending up in front of Room 302. Pearl paused before the door opened on its own, wind gusting into their faces as light filtered in from the outside world.

"What?" Maya asked, stunned.

They were suddenly on the roof of the office building. The roof where the Wright and Co. Law Offices were.

No.

Pearl was inches away from the edge, the spiritual energy finally fading as she got closer and closer.

"Pearly!" Maya shouted, and Pearl finally looked back over her shoulder before taking the final step over the edge of the building.

"NO!" The breath caught in Maya's throat as she threw herself forward, trying to catch Pearl before she fell, her body somehow going through Pearl's. The moment before she fell, she felt oddly weightless, her hand still extended forward to stop her cousin, seeing a flash of light purple from Pearl's robe as she tumbled over the edge of the building.

As she fell into the darkness, Pearl's small body suddenly morphed into the graceful, lithe form of Dahlia. She gave a giggle, her hand locking onto Maya's wrist. "You're out of time," she whispered, a predatory smile on her face.

Maya screamed, suddenly unable to move her body. "PEARLY!" she shouted, wanting to squirm, to twist out of Dahlia's grip. "PEARLY! PLEASE, SOMEONE! ANYONE! HELP!"

Dahlia giggled again, disappearing just in time to avoid Maya's untimely collision with the ground.

A/N::

Shikola Krasno::

Ha! Welcome to the beginning of the end. . . of the middle! So glad you stuck around this long. Now do me a favor and don't hate us, okay? Naturally, this isn't the ending. In fact, next up is my epilogue, which will tie up the loose ends in the other reality (albeit not in a nice way). Buuuut it's not the final epilogue! That won't be for another long time (I swear, someday this story will end). But seriously, don't hate us.

Anywho, the chapter's pretty straight forward, as far as ghosts go. The weird hospital director that came out of nowhere is the weird guy who impersonates the hospital director in the game. Celeste, for those of you who are like me and can't figure out who that is, was Adrian's friend who committed suicide (ringing a few bells?). Those were about it. Sorry for the unfortunate end to this whole ordeal. Honestly, in the beginning we were just going to write a neat little story with a tough but sweet ending. But I just had to question if something like this could be doable aaand SPLAT, we killed Maya. Oops. Try not to cry too much, but you might feel a little miserable after finishing this and reading the epilogue. But don't forget to keep reading! If you quit now you really will hate us!

Melody Canta ::

Sob. I cried while writing this. And then contemplated throwing myself off the roof of my apartment building.

DO NOT STOP HERE. I can't imagine stopping here, honestly. We'll have the first epilogue up as soon as Shikola finishes looking over it; I'm hoping to have it up in the next 24 hours, but no promises. It's got some work that needs to be done. That being said, you won't see me for another few chapters, so I'll poke my head in for A/Ns like Shikola has been doing right now.

This chapter was a doozy, honestly, and I'll apologize for the seemingly boring nature of it. I tried to spice things up with Dahlia. I like Dahlia. c: I also like Missile. This story needs a lot more Missile in it. c: LOTS MORE MISSILE!

Just don't hate me, okay?

Reviews! (Whoever writes the chapter will answer the reviews; we talk about them. c:)

Aviantei :: Thank you, my dear! And thanks for the pointing out the typo; I'm definitely not as good of a beta as Shikola is, apparently. If the Maya/Godot thing made you cry, well . . . I'm sorry? This didn't get any happier. And yes, Dangan Ronpa! We just have to finish this story first . . . eventually . . .