This story is getting too long for it's own good
So hopefully all subsequent chapters will be longer chapters which equal less chapters. I also feel like starting this story over, since the beginning is so weak. Please tell me if I should rewrite it or not.

November 12
8:25 AM
Apartment Complex
Edgeworth's Apartment

Edgeworth dressed quickly, feeling more uneasy as the minutes ticked by. The courtroom was about 15 minutes away, probably more because of rush hour traffic at this time of the morning. Fortunately he was an inherently tidy person: the reports and evidence were neatly filed away in his briefcase, which was sitting by the door. Unlike Wright, he thought with an almost mischievous smile. I'll bet he's like this every morning, except worse.

Still, he didn't feel good about this case. He would be convicting a girl of murdering her own father. Charges were being pressed by her stepfather. The girl's 18th birthday had occurred only in the past month. Had the crime occurred earlier, she would have escaped capital punishment.

He gritted his teeth as he hurried to the kitchen for a quick bite of breakfast. Somebody had to take the case, after all. But he felt so damned tired, and his limbs felt so achy and weak, he just wanted to go back to bed and sleep it all off.

When he reached the refrigerator he burst into a fit of coughing. Damn, damn, damn! Never thought the flu season would come so early this year. He took an apple from the fridge and was about to leave when a memory hit him.

"Oops! 5 minutes are almost up. I gotta get prepared. Mind if I have a drink?"

An mix of anger and incredulity flared immediately. Phoenix Wright!

"Wright, you bastard."

Nobody performed well when ill, and now he was going to lose another case, and all because of that defense attorney. Not to mention he was late, would probably get chewed out by Lana again, Franziska was mad at him, Maya was making fun of him…

He closed his eyes and regained his calm composure. He'd been hit with worse illnesses and situations before. Not to mention he had no right to be mad at any of those people. He hoped that it was just the virus that was making him crabby. For now he had to concentrate on getting to work, and planning out his case.

November 12
8:44 AM
Train Station
Platform 6

The train blew a long, shrill whistle. Maya, who was still at the bottom of two flights of stairs, panicked and started to run.

"Aww, nuts!" she moaned. "Why did I have to dawdle?" She clutched at the gifts that she was going to bring to Pearl. Searching for them had taken what seemed like hours. Pearl better like these…

"C'mon, c'mon, wait for me, please!" With superhuman effort she leapt the last four steps and dashed past bewildered people. To her utter horror her train was moving slowly. She was going to miss her train! The next one wouldn't come for half an hour. There was no way she could afford to miss it.

She leapt again, an amazing display of speed and distance, into the open door of the train. For a split second she thought she would fall into the tracks, but she grabbed wildly for the safety bar and managed to hang on. Thank God they hadn't closed the door. Her heart was pounding with the thrill of adrenaline and her knees trembled. She let out a long breath and leaned against the wall for support.

To her surprise she saw people standing around her, suitcases in hand, like they were about to get off. They were staring at her curiously. A conductor cocked his eyebrows.

"You know," he said slowly, "if you had waited just a moment longer, we would have stopped…"

November 12
10:00 AM
District Court
Courtroom #2

"This trial is now in session for the trial of Ms. Ina Sentz."

"The prosecution is ready, Your Honor," Edgeworth said, ignoring the burning in his throat.

"The defense is also ready, Your Honor," replied the woman across from him. Her long black hair fell loosely down her back and she was dressed in a standard business suit. She didn't seem ready at all. The woman was at least 25, but every expression broadcasted her immature heart. She was indifferently examining her fingernails, an expression of utter laziness cast over her face, her papers strewn messily over her desk. Her eyes were a different matter, though: they were staring coldly at him through narrowed lids. He glared back.

"Your opening statement please, Mr. Edgeworth," said the Judge.

"The prosecution seeks to prove the guilt of Ms. Ina Sentz for the murder of her father, Mr. Colman Sentz," he said. "All evidence points to this fact."

"Preposterous," came the prompt reply from the defense attorney across from him. "I, defense attorney Amanda Fan, will prove the defendant not guilty."

"The court acknowledges your request," the Judge said. "Mr. Edgeworth, you may call your first witness."

He called for Dick Gumshoe. The detective took the stand, looking a bit nervous.

"Your name and occupation, please…"

"I'm Dick Gumshoe, sir," he said, scratching his head. "I'm a detective down at the precinct, investigating this homicide."

"Now, if you would give a description of the case."

"Mr. Colman Sentz was found dead in his house at approximately 3:00 AM on November 10th. The autopsy report says he died anywhere from 11 PM to 2 AM the previous night. Cause of death was a single pistol shot in the neck."

"Hold it!" interrupted Amanda. "Why did you arrest Ina Sentz?"

"I'm getting there, pal," Gumshoe answered quickly. "The murder weapon was found in her bedroom the next day. Also, we have this piece of evidence…"

He took out a tape recorder. The courtroom gradually quieted as he pushed the play button.

"What… what are you doing?"

"Heh..heh..." A woman's voice.

"Put that gun away!"

"GRRAAAH!!"

"N…no…" Blood gurgled with every word. "Ina… why…"

A chill ran down Edgeworth's spine as he listened and he found himself struggling to keep his face calm.

"Mr. Sentz had just begun to record a song off the radio when he was murdered," said Gumshoe sadly. "But the only thing that ended up recorded was his death."

"This can hardly be decisive evidence!" Amanda shouted. "He does not specifically name Ina as the murderer."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," said Gumshoe. "I didn't say this was decisive evidence… we do have a decisive witness, however."

"Then, please call this witness," said the Judge.

"The prosecution calls Mr. Cullen…" Edgeworth suddenly stopped.

Franziska was in the stands, staring blankly at the defendant's chair where Ms. Ina Sentz was sitting. Her face had a stricken look on it. The expression was startlingly out of place. If it hadn't been for her distinct clothes he would never have recognized her.

What's up with her? he thought, almost frightened at the wild look in her eyes. She's been acting so strangely...

"Mr. Edgeworth?" The Judge was looking at him expectantly.

"Sorry, Your Honor," he said, looking away. He was beginning to have doubts about this trial. "The prosecution calls Mr. Cullen Hades to the stand…"

November 12
10:36 AM
Kurain Village
Fey Manor

"PEARLY!" shouted Maya. "I'M HERE, PEARLY!"

"M-mystic Maya!" came a faint voice. The sound of pattering feet grew louder, until Pearl suddenly threw herself out from the manor and tackled Maya, sending them both staggering across the porch.

"Pearly… ouch… where did you learn to glomp like that…?" Maya struggled out of Pearl's tight grasp, then dusted herself off and gave the girl a normal hug.

"What's a... glom-puh?" Pearl asked, her head tilted curiously.

"It's what you just did… oh, never mind. It's good to see you again!"

"Mystic Maya!" she bawled. "I've missed you so much!"

"B-but…" Maya stammered, "you just came to visit a few days ago…"

"You never come to visit Kurain anymore!" Pearl looked up at her with huge, solemn eyes. "The other trainees always wonder why the future Master never comes to teach…"

"Oh… well, how are they doing?"

"Mystic Sabrina is teaching them now… but she says she wishes you would come back…"

"Pearly…" she sighed. "I'm sorry, I just seem to be busier than usual… Anyway, Nick hasn't been feeling well lately, so…"

Pearl suddenly brightened. "What about Mr. Nick?" she asked. "Is he ill?"

"Yeah, looks like he has the flu or something…"

"Aww… and you've been taking care of him!" A delighted smile spread across her face. "It's so… sweet!"

"P-PEARLY!" Maya's cheeks flushed pink. "I-it's not like that!"

"Ooooh," she answered happily, "It's so perfect… you two…"

"A-anyway! I'm going to take him to the doctor's later."

"Can I come, Mystic Maya?"

"Only if you behave!" Maya planted her hands on her hips. "That means no teasing or embarrassing me or Nick."

"Oh, that's not very fun…" Pearl said, though she gave no sign of being affected by the scolding. The silly, starstruck smile was still on her lips. "Then, I'll leave Mystic Maya and Mr. Nick together like a good girl."

"N-n-no! No teasing, remember?"

"Ok, Mystic Maya, I'll try to remember… When do we go?"

"Well, Nick's appointment is at 2 PM, so we should go now. By the way, here's a present that I brought for you."

Pearl took the package eagerly and began to unwrap it.

"OH WOW!" she shouted, holding the gift in her hands. "It's… it's…"

"That's right, the limited edition Pink Princess doll that you've been wanting. See, she comes with all these accessories… and she can talk too!"

Pearl immediately jumped up and gave Maya another fierce hug. "Thank you so much, Mystic Maya!"

"You're… you're welcome…" Maya groaned. Pearl had grown a bit since the last time she had hung so excitedly from Maya's neck. "Now let's… get to the…train station… Urk, Pearly, you're choking me…"

"Sorry, Mystic Maya!" She unwrapped herself from Maya's neck, still clutching doll tightly against herself. "Let's go now!"

Maya yelped in surprise as Pearl grabbed her hand and started to run. By the time they reached the train station, both were out of breath and giddy with carefree laughter.