*yawn* it's pretty late so forgive me if this isnt the best Author's Notes. I worked pretty hard ont his chapter had to rewrte it twice because i accidently deleted the first... anyways hope you guys like it i'm pretty tired about to head off to bed. have fun...

Chapter 10: A Changing Journey

The sun shined high and bright in the mid-morning sky, bringing life to the coming day. Shimmering golden rays caressed her fair skin, a new life like the coming day radiating from within her petite frame. She smiled loving the warm feeling of the shimmering rays that hit her. The feeling of the cool passing wind that played with her ebony hair. The feeling of the earth as she walked with bare feet, the dirt as soft as a cloud and as smooth as silk.

Her small smile grew as she looked at the girl next to her. Caramel hair like her ebony one blowing in the wind, a smile like hers located on the soft face. Lips parted words as sweet as bubblegum escaping them. The younger's words like a breath of fresh air for her. As Maya walked listening intently to the Pearl's words her mind wandered, millions of thoughts coming to.

With every step she took the realization that she was getting closer to her goal came. Steps she had constantly taken each one as familiar as the next. Thoughts that had always crossed her mind returning once more. Each step and passing thought was in ways like a journey. Memories of the past resurfacing with each step. A journey, years ago she was reluctant to take, one she was scared and almost certain she would fail. Thinking back to those days, ones where fear and sadness seemed to control her every day of her life. The constant fear of failure running its destructive course through her fragile mind; a mind as fragile and precious as the youngest child.

That fear seemingly keeping her from the life she should have lived. Where fear was nothing more than a soft whisper in the wind, where precious memories overcame all the hurt, where family was a constant factor, where she smiled in joy not pain, where she was completely and utterly free.

That life a constant dream, she lived and kept alive when diamonds filled the skies. His dream, his wishes, his pleas becoming hers each night. Dreams, wishes, and pleas made for the love of a daughter. Over years silent pleas were made to the midnight sky and precious wishes were made to glimmering stars all in hope.

For as long as she could remember the world seemed to hate her, using her like she was nothing more than a pawn; a pawn in a game no one knew with unknown rules and uncertain goals. The world playing viciously with her mind, finding joy in toying with fragile emotions, loving to watch as she suffered. Indulging in her despair, her hurt, and her tears.

All through her life she had only one wish; to live her life as she pleased, as she saw fit. To no longer play in destiny's cruel game. A wish to be free, the simple wish of a second chance.

Maya looked back watching him in silence, memories of that night flashing through her mind like lightning. Each one sparking different emotions from within.

Of all the people in the world she would have never suspected him. Him of all people to make her laugh, to make her smile, the way he always had. She laughed silently at the irony of it all. The man who had saved her countless times, saving her once more. He'd never truly know how much it meant, that much she knew. He'd never truly know how precious that moment was to her, the memories it brought back, and the hope it gave her. That single dance in her mind as precious as the purest diamond, the silent wish he unknowingly fulfilled with it. A single dance changing her perspective of the world. A single dance changing who she was.

No longer would she have to hide behind a mask. Emotional scars could finally heal. Precious memories now able to stay, a hurtful past leaving for good. She could finally break down the walls guarding her heart. Push away the barriers protecting her petite frame.

She smiled wide as he glanced in her direction, watching as a friendly smile formed on his lips. She looked at him for a moment a soft "thank you" escaping her lips. Watching as he looked at her an eyebrow raised in confusion. He'd never know that much she knew. Maya chuckled shaking her head leaving Phoenix utterly confused.

She fell silent looking away from him, taking notice of the absence of bubblegum like words, finding herself looking towards the supposed source. "Pearly?" she whispered catching the younger's attention, "your pretty quiet something wrong?"

Pearl looked at her with sparkling innocent eyes "No Master Maya, I was just thinking..." Maya looked at her silently asking her to continue, "I like you better this way..." she looked at the younger, an eyebrow raised in confusion." Better like what, wearing a dress?" she said pointing to her ensemble, a simple light purple dress with a white lace trim.

The younger giggled shaking her head in reply, "No Master Maya, although you look pretty." Maya raised a finger to her lips thinking for a moment, "Is it my hair?" she asked tugging at her long ponytail. Maya listened as Pearl giggled once more shaking her head furiously. "No. I wasn't talking about that. I like you better this way you're... what's the word? I can't remember... How you act?"

Maya smiled, Pearl might have been twelve but she still acted as if she was nine. She looked at her giving Pearl a minute to think of the world before whispering the answer. "Personality, Sweetie. What you're thinking of is my personality... Wait what about it?" She asked wondering silently what it had to do with the younger's line of thinking.

"You smile a lot more, like in those pictures I saw. I hear you laugh the way Mystic Mia once told me. There's a skip in your step, the one Mystic Sheena misses. Your eyes sparkle the way Mr. Mark use to talk about. There's a new aura of life coming from you, one I remember the villagers say Master Misty talked highly of." Maya fell silent for a moment, slowly taking in the words spoken to her. "You're pretty observant aren't you?" Pearl only nodded before continuing, "You're just like the letter he wrote you describes... in every single way, it shows how different you are. I get to see that side of you a lot in the village. You're like two different people in Kurain and in the City. I guess it's just nice and shocking to see you as one person for once. I know Mystic Sheena, Mr. Mark, and the village will be surprised of your sudden change but I know they will welcome it... I know I always have." Pearl looked at her with sparkling eyes and a serene smile, an indication of her belief that the words she spoke were true.

Maya fell silent, looking back at Phoenix for a moment, Pearl's words causing a worry to overcome her face. "Do you think this is a bad idea?" she whispered.

Pearl looked at her in confusion and worry, the smile falling from her lips, following the older's eyesight. "Master Maya are you afraid ...to bring Mr. Nick to the village?" She whispered in a soft and sweet voice. Maya closed her eyes tightly, slightly biting her lower lip, only nodding her head too afraid to admit the truth. "Why?"

Only the silence of the wind filled the air between the two. An awkward almost nerve wracking silence. Maya's eyes focused ahead, millions of thoughts filling and running through her mind. She listened in silence to the rapid beating of her heart as fear ran through her veins, slowly infecting her entire body. Pearl afraid she had done something wrong looked away in shame, Maya's soft voice catching her attention.

"As much as Nick and I are best friends... I'm just scared... I look at him and for some reason I see forgiveness in his eyes, like he understands the reason for my pain. He's my best friend so maybe that's why. But, I've known him for six years living my life behind a mask too afraid to take it off. Nick's saved me time after time; he's always there for me. There when Mia was killed, when I was on trial the first and second time, there when I was kidnapped, even there after hakazuraia, never giving up on making me feel better no matter how much I push him away. Giving me space when I needed it, a shoulder to cry on when I couldn't take it, promising me he'd always be there when I doubted it. That night, at Edgeworth's party, he gave me something special, to you and everybody else it might seems like nothing but a dance, but to me it was so much more...To me that dance represented hope. He gave me a chance to be free and now that I am... I'm just scared of what he'll think... Of what they will think if I show the real me... The person I've always wanted to be, but was too afraid... The "mature and vulnerable" side of Maya Fey... The one only you've seen for the past three years... I'm just scared...of what he'll think... Of what they'll think... Scared of the future because he gave me a chance..." she whispered her voice fading away as fear crept into her body.

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Pearl only nodded in slight understanding, knowing how true the words rang in her ears. Silently allowing the Maya's grip to tighten, knowing it brought a sense of comfort to her.

To Pearl Maya was the symbol of strength, the survival of her life up till now proof. Maya had always been the strong one, putting the emotion of others before her own; letting people believe that she was okay to provide comfort to them, ignoring her own problems. Completely disregarding her own conflicting emotions that would only in Maya's mind cause more problems. Knowing that in her own mind the feelings of those around her were more important than her own feeling the happiness she could create through her silent lies. Pearl unlike many had witnessed this phenomenon first hand seeing it many times when Mystic Mia was alive, seeing it when Mr. Nick was on a case or had a troubling trial, seeing it especially after the Hazakura incident.

After Hazakura Pearl could remember a time where the doubt of how truly strong Maya really was feel upon her. Knowing in great sorrow there was a slight chance the older would not come back to the village. The pain Kurain caused her finally becoming too much for the older to handle, the troubles of the village finally too much: the separations it had created, the families it had broken, and the deaths it cause; all those problems causing a chance in how she saw Maya. The thought that Maya wasn't as strong as she seemed seeping into her mind. A doubt she never wanted to feel again.

The younger had watched over the course of three whole years as Maya matured, watching as she grew into more than just a symbol of pure strength against the odds. Yet as she looked at the woman, her eyes closed in deep though, hair blowing silently in the wind, she realized that Maya stood for something greater. She had grown into a woman of strength, of survival, of beauty, of compassion, and of wisdom all things she realized yet no one else knew of. It was a secret of sort a just for them, she knew how vulnerable the older felt acting in such a way. A way Pearl herself hadn't expected yet accepted and welcomed when it came.

In her young eyes Maya Fey would always be a pillar of strength, a pillar that once in a while needed support to stay strong. For as long as the two would be together Pearl was determined to provide that support, knowing how precious support truly was in the long run. Pearl smiled gripping her hand tighter around the older's admiring her in all her glory. Whispering to herself silently how truly strong she really was.

"We're here Master Maya." she whispered catching Maya's attention. The village finally in view over the horizon; the people and places she missed dearly finally in arms reach, only a simple walking distance away, a few short steps away from being home.

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"We're here Master Maya."

Maya opened her eyes Pearl's soft voice catching her attention, her fear dissipating into wind. She looked ahead, taking full notice of the small Japanese style village she called home, with a smile on her face. Pearl looked at her with sparkling eyes, silently asking to go ahead with them. She giggled releasing the younger's hand giving her a slight push with hers, "Go… I'll catch up…"

She smiled watching a twelve year old Pearl run off into the village giggling madly as she ran ahead, happy to be home. Maya sighed audibly taking a deep breath of the clean air before releasing it. She closed her eyes relishing in the feeling of the passing wind. Enjoying the warmth of the sun, that hit her skin.

She opened her eyes looking down at her bare feet, feeling the soft dirt, thinking back to steps it had taken to get her here, the steps of a journey she frequently took.

She looked back at Nick watching him laugh with Derek, an admiring look on his face.

Hopefully this journey was a change for her future.

Sorry if this is a corny chapter coffee can only keep you awake for so long... not like i'm godot who freaking runs on the stuff. anyways this chapter was mostly about change i put that little bit with Pearlbeacause i thought it was cute i thought it would help with maya's develpoment further into the story plus it was a nice way to show how she views maya as a person since she seems to know her better. if you didn't understand in the last chapter they were on a train ergo the "sudden jerk" that had woken Nick up they were on that train heading to kurian beacuse eventully maya needed to go back but it will be better explained in the next chapter which i will hopefully have up soon but as always school is very tiring.. so good night going to bed might be saturday but its almost midnight...so buenos noches a todos me voy a ir a dormir...