Pretty Little Poison
Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I affiliated with Ace Attorney or Capcom. This story is just for fun.
Rated M for: Lemon, strong language, very dark/potentially triggering themes [specifically violence/murder] and minor character death.
A/N: I admit, I had to stop writing this at one point because I had an anxiety attack. The minor character that died in this story is actually one of my favorites in the Ace Attorney games.
I'm weird. Ignore me.
Monday, April 15th – 10:49 a.m.
Ema Skye's Residence
"Are you sure about this?"
Ema stood in view of her full length mirror, nervously observing her simple, knee length black dress and matching high heels. The majority of the fading bruises on her neck was covered by a thick, black choker that Klavier had gifted her upon his arrival. It surprisingly suited the remainder of her attire. Klavier's gaze locked with her reflection as he stood behind her, finishing styling her hair. "Blaming yourself is unnecessary, lieb."
She winced. "But… he's your brother."
"Kristoph's destruction was what led to his demise. Had he succeeded with his plan..." He placed Ema's flat brush on her dresser and wrapped his arms around her waist, with his chin resting on her shoulder. "I would have died along with you."
Her freshly manicured nails traced the digits of his masculine hands. She leaned her head against his and closed her eyes; at times, she believed that she was handling Kristoph's death worse than he was. His final words would forever echo in her mind: My sweetest revenge is Klavier's suffering. The corner of her mouth twitched into a subtle smile. "I'll never let him suffer."
Klavier lowered his eyebrows. "What?"
With his hold sliding to her hips, she turned and brushed his cheek with the knuckles of her fingers before tenderly kissing him. After all that Kristoph had tried to destroy their lives, the younger brother still arranged a proper burial. Yes, it was true. She really had it all wrong about Klavier. She was no longer afraid to admit this. "I love you," she whispered.
"Oh, Fraulein," he chuckled. "I love you, too."
She picked up her purse from the bed and followed him outside of her home, where she paused to lock her door. When Ema turned to walk to the car, she saw Klavier with his hand extended, waiting for hers. "You're hopeless," she smiled as her fingers intertwined with his.
They traveled to the small church Klavier had chosen, located about ten miles away; this setting had been tradition for the Gavin family's services for many generations, regardless of religious views. His ancestors had believed that by presenting the deceased in the church, the spirit would have a chance to repent before their final judgement. Though many of the ceremonies took place in Germany, Klavier had opted for the burial to occur on the land in which the two of them remembered.
The sports car's tires crunched quietly against the rocks as they parked beside the only other vehicle on the property; a plain, black van that belonged to the funeral home. Ema's eyebrows lowered, suspiciously scanning their surroundings. "Where is everyone?"
"It's a family tradition to have a private viewing before the service," his reply was quiet after he turned off the ignition and removed his keys. With his hardened stare towards the steering wheel, they sat in silence for a few moments. Ema kept her hands folded onto her thighs and too, remained quiet, double-checking the parking lot for any others. Perhaps they arrived before the other members of Klavier's family. Finally, he allowed himself out of the car and walked to the other side to open Ema's door for her. Her lips twisted into a warm smile. A gentleman, even at a funeral.
"Thank you," he whispered.
"For what?"
He opened the large, ornate door to the church and allowed her inside first. "For coming with me today, despite the circumstances. You have the courage of a lion, Fraulein. I love that about you."
"I couldn't let you come alone."
The two shared a long gaze towards one another and looked forward.
The sanctuary was well lit and possessed a welcoming atmosphere, with fluorescent fixtures hanging from the ceiling in a neat row, and the natural light shining through the lines of windows, brightening the white paint on the walls. The two dozen wooden pews, visibly aged but well cared for, created a wide path before them that led to the altar and podium. Obstructing the full view of the altar, vertically aligned in front of the wooden pews stood a bier holding a steel-blue casket, adorned with beautiful, bold blue carnations and baby's breath. The lid was open.
Ema's arm automatically wrapped around Klavier's, who placed his thumbs in his belt loops, and they slowly strolled down the aisle. Neither of them could take their eyes off of the nearing casket; Ema was almost afraid to see her attacker's body, knowing the circumstances. It mattered not how many times the younger brother had tried to convince her of her innocence, or how many reminders that she would have been the murdered. She ended Kristoph Gavin's life.
She paused at the first row of the pews and allowed Klavier to walk to him first. Pausing, taking in the sight of his dead brother, he rubbed a hand over his face. His expression was unreadable, though his eyes spoke with sorrow. Not the first sound could be heard in the silent sanctuary, though Ema feared Klavier could hear her deafening heartbeat.
He had murmured something in the German language, though Ema was unable to interpret. Tears welled in her eyes and she tried to blink them away, watching Klavier's face darken with his grief. He spoke more of this foreign language, but it seemed like he was talking to himself. "Are you proud?" The homicide detective blinked, finally able to hear an English sentence. She cautiously put one foot in front of the other and slowly turned her gaze to the man in the casket. Her breathing ceased.
Dressed in an all-white suit, similar to the one he was wearing when they met, it appeared as though he was only sleeping, due to wake up at any moment. Even in death, the resemblance between the two brothers was striking. She resisted a reaction to the intense terror that ripped through her body, just at the sight of him.
"You never did learn, did you, dear brother?" Klavier whispered to him.
A single tear seeped from his eye and down the flawless skin of his cheek. Finally, his fingers embraced the adorned rim of the casket and he lowered his head. This was Ema's cue to inch forward and offer a consoling hand to his shoulder. "I'm sorry..." She squeaked.
"Don't be," he straightened and his face came into view. "He would have murdered me in your place, had he received the opportunity." He turned to her, with more tears escaping from his eyes. "That was his plan from the beginning. Your attacks were nothing personal towards you."
"But why?"
He half chuckled, half choked on a cry. "He never did handle rejection well."
Ema's confusion grew, but she said nothing. An elder man emerged quietly, presumably the funeral home worker, and he walked down the large path to approach them. She had taken this opportunity to sit in the front row so he could speak with Klavier.
She painfully watched the prosecutor listen to the man. How could he possibly love her the same after what she did? All she could think of was the guilt. How she should have never entertained Kristoph's offer. Though, a man with apparent wealth, he was capable of ending their lives by other means. Her gaze trailed to Kristoph and she winced. This could have been prevented.
One by one, mourners trickled into the sanctuary and offered their condolences to Klavier before filling the pews. Several had acknowledged Ema, though she could not determine if they knew who she was. Eventually, she saw Klavier growing weary, as though he was growing tired of speaking with people. To their great surprise, Phoenix Wright appeared to shake Klavier's hand. She had noticed, though, that he seemed suddenly uncomfortable by speaking with the defense attorney. Miles Edgeworth, too, took Klavier's hand and offered sincere condolences. Trucy, and Apollo, visibly stricken with grief, hugged him and sobbed.
"How are you holding up?"
"Hmm?" Ema looked forward and saw Phoenix crouched in front of her. "Oh… I guess not very well." She paused, with her face twisting with her emotion. Phoenix took her into a hug.
"You and Prosecutor Gavin are welcome at my office any time you need me," he murmured into her shoulder. She nodded, permitting a little slip of her cries. Not from mourning, but for Klavier's pain that she caused.
The service was officiated by a younger man, who spoke few words, mostly of Kristoph's accomplishments in life and his former respect from peers. At Klavier's request, no scripture was quoted, as he knew that this did not align with Kristoph's beliefs. The two could hear Trucy's quiet cries and Apollo blowing his nose and Ema raised an eyebrow. They seemed to be the only two visibly upset about Kristoph's passing.
When Klavier and Ema left the church, they were met by security guards standing on the steps, and police officers creating a line at the opening of the driveway to block the screaming fans and paparazzi on the opposite side of the street, attempting to catch a glimpse of the former rock star. Ema's anger brewed. Do others not have any shame? She wrapped a protective arm around him.
"It's all right," Klavier chuckled. "They follow me everywhere I go in this city."
They drove to the cemetery nearby, where they gathered around the grave site to bid farewell by tossing flowers onto the casket as it was lowered. Ema could not bring herself to participate, though. She honestly wished he was rotting in hell. Eventually, she had noticed Klavier did not toss a flower, either. Rather, he had waited for the crowd to begin dispersing before he reached his gloved hand into his pocket and pull out the same perfume that Kristoph had gifted Ema.
"What the hell? How?" She gasped.
"I had this piece of evidence released to me after the case was dismissed," he smiled victoriously as he gently tossed it into the grave with the casket. The bottle shattered and spilled, soaking the scattered carnations nearby. When he wrapped his arm around Ema's waist, his smile faded. "I will miss who you used to be, big brother."