This particular chapter takes place before the first two chapters, right at the end of 3-5.

Not as lighthearted as the others were.


There was absolutely no way he still loved her after all these years. It'd be ridiculous if he did.

But after Gumshoe, Miles, Larry, Maya and Pearl left the detention center, she was greatly dismayed to discover that Phoenix had decided to stay behind and continue talking with Iris through the glass.

Simple - and partly hopeful - reasoning told her that the chances of him still loving her were slim at best. They'd been separated for five years until barely a week ago. The juvenile relationship they'd shared in college was a long-lost fantasy, a foolish, thoughtless, on-a-whim arrangement that would have never lasted if it weren't for that damned necklace around his neck. Franziska knew this. Yet she just couldn't ignore the unmistakable look of happiness on his face as he conversed with Iris, recalling their carefree days as a couple. Iris looked equally elated; she was smiling warmly and giggling as if she were speaking with someone she'd known her whole life. No awkward pauses, no misinterpretations or fears of what the other was about to say. They were perfectly comfortable with each other. Franziska suddenly felt a very strong urge to strangle someone with her whip.

She wasn't jealous. It'd be utterly foolish. Her? A renowned, accomplished prosecutor, a von Karma, getting upset over the foolish, insignificant whims of a pathetic fool of a defense attorney?

Unthinkable.

"…"

What did Iris see in him, anyway? He was a naïve, egocentric ass who ran around the city on wild goose chases, mindlessly believing in anyone fool enough to knock on his door and request his services.

And he was selfish. Crossing a burning bridge just to see if his friend was on the other side, not even thinking of anyone else…completely ignoring the deadly water beneath…what if he had died? What would she do then?

"…!"

Er…she meant…what would they do then? The whole group, with Miles, Maya, Gumshoe….

Franziska growled in frustration and sighed wearily. It was time she admitted it to herself. However hard (and often) she tried to deny it, for the past year, there was something about Phoenix Wright that her heart couldn't let go of. He had saved her, just as he had saved her younger brother, from the dark abyss that her father had prepared throughout his decades of prosecution, though she hadn't realized it at the time. Phoenix had taught her what it meant to be a prosecutor; hence, he had taught her what it meant to live. It wouldn't be an overstatement to say that she was a different person because of him. She felt it every time she walked through the courtroom doors. No longer was there a pure, searing determination to find every suspect convicted. There was no motivation, no benefit, no satisfaction in condemning a person to death. That part of her had died. Now, there was a different yearning in its place. The insatiable desire for truth. He'd given her that desire, implanted it in her, and it was something that she would never let go of for the rest of her life.

But there was still more to learn. She was still a student, eager to absorb as much teachings from him as she could, eager to nurture her newly acquired plant of justness. To her, he was an unending source of wisdom, of virtue, of inspiration. She was shaky on her own; she wanted more guidance. That's why she still needed him. He had to be there to show her the rest of the way, to pave her road of prosecution until she was ready to be on her own.

And it irritated her unendingly that Iris – this girl he had no real connection with, this person who did nothing but put his life in jeopardy, who had spent all these years living a peaceful life in the mountains – had the nerve to show herself again. As if nothing had happened.

Franziska hated Iris. She hated her for her uselessness, for her foolish, baseless affection for Phoenix Wright, and most of all, she hated her because he liked her, despite the way she had used him. What right had Iris to bask in his affection like this? It was unbearable.

Before she knew it, Franziska's cheeks were hot with anger. She scowled as she wiped a tear that had begun to well in her eye. Why was she torturing herself like this? Why was she lingering just to watch Phoenix, her Phoenix, enjoy himself with the woman she hated most in the world?

Then it hit her. It hit her like a hard punch to her gut and almost made her double over with guilt. Despite all that he had given her, she had never once returned the favor. Ever since the day she met him, she had done nothing except ridicule and express her hatred for him.

More tears welled up in her eyes as she fully absorbed the hopelessness of her situation. "I'm a fool…" she murmured as she buried her face in her arms.


After saying goodbye to Iris, Phoenix walked with Franziska to the bus station just a few blocks away from the Detention center. When they arrived, they stood side by side. It was already growing dark, but the sun was still casting pink-orange hues across the sky. Phoenix looked up and sighed happily.

"What a beautiful night." His voice still had a lighthearted edge to it. She could tell that his mind was still with Iris, despite that they were already outside.

She hmphed mockingly, despite how utterly despondent she was feeling. "The pinkish hue in the sky is not naturally occurring, you know," she told him, making sure to not sound like she had just been crying. "It is the result of the city's excessive amounts of pollution. A sign that the city is rotting away, destroying itself from within. I would hardly call it beautiful."

"I know that. But sometimes," his gaze, still resting on the buildings so, so far away, softened to the point where he no longer seemed to be looking at anything in particular. His gentle smile slowly faded away, and a thoughtful look took its place. Franziska thought he looked years older with that calm, contemplative expression. It startled her. "You have to ignore the harshness of reality, the unrelenting truth and logic of this world, and just focus on the beauty the world has to offer. Appreciate the fact that you're here, ready to experience it all, good or bad. That's all that matters."

She stared at his profile, which was now a dark shadow against the dim orange of the sky, slowly comprehending his words but not quite believing that he had spoken them at all. "I…" she stammered.

Phoenix suddenly blinked and chuckled nervously. "Sorry. That came out of nowhere, didn't it?" He gripped the back of his neck.

Franziska turned her head away and blushed. They stood silently for a few more seconds before Phoenix spoke up again.

"You know, I've never said anything like that with another person before," he reflected quietly, almost to himself. "Not even with Maya, or Iris."

Franziska's gaze shot back to his face. She looked at him with wide-eyed wonder. "R-really…?"

He smiled again, that same childishly bashful grin she was starting to love. "It's really weird, Franziska. When I'm with people, I usually can't find the right words to express myself, and I end up saying something sarcastic to cover it up. But whenever I'm with you, for some reason….I feel like you can really understand what I'm trying to say, so I feel that I can be honest. I can't really explain it." He paused suddenly and gave yet another nervous laugh. "But now that I think about it, you probably don't understand a word I'm saying right now, huh? I'm such a hypocrite."

"N-no, not at all," was all she could muster. She was absolutely dumbfounded. She felt like she was in a dream. Did he really think that way? Did she matter more to him than she thought she did? Before she could stop herself, her mouth started up and told him, ever so softly, "You're special to me, too."

She quickly covered up her mouth with her hand, but it was too late. He was already looking into her face. But then, to her even greater surprise, he didn't look confused or shocked. Instead, he smiled gently. "Thanks. You have no idea how much that means to me," he said softly.

She hadn't noticed it until that moment, but now that Phoenix was properly facing her, they were standing rather close to one another. Franziska was not used to being this close to someone else. She could see very clearly the deep blue in his eyes, the gentle curve of his lower lip, the slight tinge of pink on his cheeks….

The background behind him began to blur and swim. His eyes were focused, yet unreadable. He leaned in closer until their noses were close to touching. She could feel his faint breath on her lips. She closed her eyes, slowly opening her own mouth, finally ready to satisfy months and months of intense longing….

CREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

The huge city bus abruptly hissed to a halt along the sidewalk. Franziska opened her eyes and sprang back, blushing profusely and turning to scowl at the driver. Phoenix frowned and cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck again. The two of them stepped into the bus without any exchange of words.

When the bus pulled up in front of Phoenix's apartment building, Franziska was surprised to see his windows lit up from the inside. As she continued to look up she could make out the faint silhouette of a dancing Detective Gumshoe with Pearl sitting on his shoulders. They could hear muffled shouts of celebration even from outside.

"Looks like they started the party without us," Phoenix sighed as he led Franziska to his door, fumbling around his pockets for his keys. "That's the last time I give Maya my spare key…." By now the sky was pitch black save for some tiny stars. Franziska stood and stared at them for a moment, appreciating the cool darkness of the night.

"The stars are bright tonight," she half-whispered, almost forgetting that Phoenix was still standing next to her.

He turned and looked up as well. "They are, aren't they?" He snorted quietly. "Guess you were wrong."

"Huh?" She whirled around, giving him a look of incredulity. "What are you talking about?"

"You said the sky was pink because the city was polluted." He smirked at her. "But look. There's no way there's any pollution in the air. Look how clear the stars are."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes at his illogical statement. "A von Karma is never mistaken, Phoenix Wright," she teased. "Stars can still be seen even in a polluted city."

"Whatever you say," he laughed as wrapped his fingers around the doorknob. Instead of opening the door, however, he stopped. There was a soft yet unmistakable sound of a cork popping from upstairs, followed by a loud whoop that could have only belonged to Larry. "Actually…do you mind if we just stay out here and chat for a while…?"

She smiled back at him. "Not at all." She was pretty sure she could read his thoughts; Larry and alcohol? I'll pass on this one. Smirking and moving away from the door, they sat side by side on the stone steps of the building and for the next hour continued to bicker under the stars.


Urk…I didn't really like how this chapter turned out…it feels like too much stuff happened, and it reads kind of awkwardly…but I figured I'd better put something up before you all bury me under a mountain of tomatoes for the slow updates. xD It just goes to show; I stink at writing "serious" stories.

But please review (I don't care if they're not positive xD)! It lets me know if people are still actually reading my work. ^_^ *promises to make the next chapter better*