Sitting up, he thought again of Maya. He found himself doing this more and more over the course of the last year, ever since she had left. His hand strayed to the jacket pocket, feeling the frayed and tattered letter she had left him on that day. He knew the words in there were false, and he had caught up with her at the train station to tell her so. He had seen the look on her face when she had run for the door of the train as it was leaving, and a warm feeling suffused itself into his chest.
He thought he had left that all behind with Dahlia. After all of the betrayal and heartache he had gone through with her, he had sworn off love. Here was a different feeling, but almost like the coiling deep in his belly he got when he was with Dahlia. He rubbed his eyes and shook his head, dusting off the ruminations of half-asleep states.
She was gone, for now. She had said she would be back, and Phoenix found himself wishing that she were back already. He missed her. He knew that if he had asked her to stay at the train station, she would have. He had almost done it, too. He had opened his mouth to say, "Maya, please stay with me, you're not useless, I need you." It had come out as "Okay, I'll be waiting." He had kicked himself until he saw the look in her eyes and the smile on her face.
She had left with that promise held tight to her heart, and he had meant it. He was still waiting for her. She hadn't replied any of the times he knew that Gumshoe was taking one of his letters, but he had seen her face at the train station. He held onto that memory.
His eyes ached from too little sleep; he had been working long hours and sleepless nights to wear himself down enough to sleep. If he didn't, his thoughts spun with questions. What was she doing? How was she faring with her training? Had she grown up any? Had she changed? Would he recognize her?
His thoughts were interrupted this time not by the beeping of the alarm, but by the pounding of a fist on his door. He sat up, looking at the clock. 1:34 p.m. Well, he thought, at least I'm awake enough to turn in the reports to the courthouse later. Sighing mentally, he stood up and went to answer the pounding on his door.
"Mr. Phoenix Wright?" came the question.
"Y-yes?" He rubbed sleep from his eyes again and let the dripping wet man in. The man turned and extended a hand, only to shake Phoenix's briskly. Phoenix went into the small kitchenette of the office, where he kept spare towels. Handing the man a towel to dry himself off, Phoenix sat back down on the couch and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't believe we've been introduced…?"
"Dr. Turner Grey. Can you believe this weather we're having? That weather girl said we'd have a day of sunshine to break through it today! I distinctly heard her say it! I ought to tell her about the $1500 suit she ruined!" He pushed his glasses back up his nose, as they slid down his nose nearly to the tip.
"Well, it's just the weather…" Phoenix said, nonplussed. He had to wonder what he had gotten himself into now, with this crazy doctor ranting about the weather. He tuned out the rambling for a second, trying to defuzz his thoughts. His ears heard the word "Maya", however, and he snapped to attention.
"Maya?" he interrupted, suddenly hanging onto Grey's every word.
"Yes, she said she would only summon the nurse if you were present! Weren't you listening!?" Grey pushed his glasses up his nose again, irritated. "Don't you want to see her again!?"
Phoenix agreed to go immediately, and made arrangements with the courthouse for a gofer to stop by the office later and pick up the packet of documents for him. Grey was driving out there the very same day, but Phoenix had to run some errands and pack. As he folded his clothes and placed some suits in some hanging bags to keep them free from dust, he realized he was feeling more energy than he had in a long time. He was finally doing something, going to see Maya, and that made it better somehow. He was taking action, and it was making his spirits rise when he thought of seeing Maya again.
The day he boarded the train, Phoenix couldn't help but whistle as he jogged quickly to the train station. Normally, the defense lawyer ran a little behind when it came to appointments, but this time he showed up early. He was aboard the train while many were still disembarking. Settling down, he looked at the name of the town Grey had written down for him. Kurain village, hmm? He looked at the map that was posted above his seat.
With a sinking feeling in his stomach, he realized how close Maya had actually been. It was close to a two-hour train ride, but it was a lot closer than he thought it had been. He could have actually been there with her more often. He cursed himself for not asking her beforehand. He also realized that Gumshoe tended to get back within the same day, and it clicked even faster. He could have asked Gumshoe, too.
He slumped in his seat, feeling like a total ass. He should have made the effort. He should have offered to go with Gumshoe. Somehow, he could have made an attempt to see her. He was an idiot.
The train rolled merrily through the hilly country and passed by many small villages along the way. Phoenix didn't seem to notice, as he slumped farther in his seat, feeling more and more stupid as the miles rolled past. He wondered if this trip was just a way for Maya to check up on him and then yell at him for not visiting more often. The more he worried, the faster the train seemed to go, until it pulled up at the stop that signaled Kurain Village.
He looked down the road, at Kurain in the distance. Hefting his luggage with a heavy heart, he set off along the dusty country road that would down into the valley and the village itself.
As he neared the end of the path, he saw a little girl standing by a fence of a grand house. She didn't seem to notice his approach until he walked up and knelt beside her. Then she started and stared hard at him, as if trying to scrutinize something about him. He felt nervous, but cleared his throat anyway.
"Hello there…I'm—" he started to say, but as soon as he opened his mouth, she was gone, disappearing into the maze of huts in the village. Baffled, Phoenix stood again, looking around for her.
"Hey, wait, Pearly! Pearly!" came a cry from behind him, and he turned around to see Maya running down the main street of the village. She saw him standing at the edge of the village, and waved frantically. He felt his spirits rise as she ran to him. "Niiick!"
She collided into him with a whump, and threw her arms around his neck. He staggered, dropping his bags, but laughed at her enthusiasm and circled his arms around her. The hug was brief, but heartfelt, and he set her on her feet, drinking in the sight of her. She was a little taller now, having grown into her responsibilities as a spirit medium admirably.
They talked a little, Phoenix mentioning the short distance from the city to here. Maya laughed and waved it off, saying she might have exaggerated a bit. Phoenix felt better about that, at least, but said he wished he had known, or he would have visited more often. Maya shook her head, her face becoming serious.
"No. I'm determined to become the best spirit medium I can, on my own. And then I can be useful to you. And until I complete this summon and achieve that, I couldn't risk seeing you."
"Is that why you didn't reply to my letters?"
"Letters?" She looked confused.
"Yes, every time Detective Gumshoe would come out here, I'd send him with a letter. He said he liked your hospitality, and so he'd come on his day off. I must have sent at least one a month."
"I never got a letter," Maya said, her face scrunching up in thought. "I would have remembered."
Chalk one up for the forgetful detective Gumshoe, Phoenix thought dryly. He'd have to figure out what Gumshoe had done with over a year's worth of letters. He sighed.
"Oh, well, I'm sure it's fine," Maya said, returning to her perky self. "I have to get going now, the channeling is about to start. But after, we can grill up some juicy burgers and catch up, okay?"
Phoenix nodded. "I'd like that. Good luck, Maya."
Author's Note: Woo, two chapters in under a week, what fun! The next chapter will be labeled Aftermath, so that's your teaser for this time!
Lywinis