Limits of Perfection

Chapter 7:

Imperfection

Author's note: Okay…you know the drill. I don't own Phoenix Wright games or characters…and if I did, I'd be swimming in my own pool of money (which would be shaped like a dollar bill!)

To all my reviewers and readers!

alchemical: I shall!

Lu Vox: Thank you! And you're welcome! I try my best to keep the characters in character...

Sorry for not updating as usually as I normally do! Prom is a very, very busy time!

AND NOW...TO THE STORY!!

It was bliss...

That was the only phrase Miles Edgeworth could use as he attempted to describe how he was feeling after he had kissed Franziska. He came down off of his high, and opened his eyes, to see her looking back at him. As he opened his mouth to speak, there was a sound unlike any other...that he really did not want to hear at this particular moment...it was Phoenix's voice.

"Miles! Hey Miles! Open up!" Phoenix pounded on the door to Miles' apartment, while his all-too-chipper voice floated through to the living room. The sound of the voice of the cheerful defense attorney made Miles groan. He forced himself off of the couch and made his way to the door. Phoenix wasn't sure, but as Miles opened the door, he could have sworn that the silver-haired prosecutor was looking slightly irritated. "Miles! I tried to call you after you left the building, to make sure you were okay, but you left your phone in the elevator." At this, Phoenix thrust the phone into Miles' hands. Edgeworth tossed the phone aside, still wordlessly blocking the doorway. "Anyway, I figured you probably needee someone to tak to." Phoenix continued. "You know, about Franziska and all, so I-" "So you decided to be so gracious as to listen to me pour my emotions out?" Miles asked sarcastically, folding his arms over his chest and cocking his head to the side. "Well...you know I don't listen very well at all-" "That's the truth." Miles muttered with a bitter laugh. Phoenix chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. "...heh...uhm...so anyways, I brought someone you can talk to." The defense lawyer turned around as though to motion to someone, but there was no one behind him. While he had his back turned towards Miles, the silver-haired prosecutor snatched off a note on Phoenix's suit jacket. He shook his head as he scanned the quick note, which had been stuck there by none other than Maya, he figured, since it detailed her running to a hamburger joint for a bite to eat. "I believe your little "counselor" has ditched you for food." Edgeworth stated, handing Phoenix the note as the spiky-haired man turned around. Just as he said that, though, he ate his words. Maya came running up to Phoenix, a burger in one hand and a drink in the other...and when she saw Miles, she almost dropped them. "Oh! Mr. Edgeworth!" Maya exclaimed, handing the items to Phoenix. "I'm sorry about Ms. von Karma. Phoenix told me everything that you told him, and I suggested that I come over to make sure you're all right. I mean, it must be very difficult to live here with someone who doesn't even remember you, right? I know I would just go crazy..." By this time, Maya had somehow managed to push a very stubborn and protesting Edgeworth out of the doorway and down the long hallway to the room where Franziska slept, and then shut the door. Phoenix chuckled and shook his head as he watched Maya and the now extremely irritated prosecutor before the door slammed shut. It was about this time that the spiky-haired man turned very slowly to his left, after feeling as though someone was watching him. He jumped about several feet when he saw Franziska von Karma, standing there looking at him with a blank, but still very deadly, stare. Contempt radiated from her. Phoenix swallowed hard as he stood there in the doorway, the von Karma heir not but five feet from him. He wondered how she could have such a horrible memory loss, when she looked at him the same way she always did...with hatred and disgust.

"Well...that crazy lady over there said that I should leave that part of my testimony out..." the witness stated in a shamed tone of voice. "OBJECTION! Ms. von Karma is making sure that crucial evidence is not given to us by making the witness change their testimony!" Phoenix shouted, slamming his hands down. There was a roar of voices in court, as Franziska backed up, holding herself, with a look of complete horror on her face. She didn't think that the witness would actually pin it on her... At this point, she looked up and saw Phoenix's triumphant face looking directly at her. Normally, at this point, she would gain her composure and sweet-talk the judge...but not this time. She...she just didn't know what it was, but it was a horrible feeling, rising in the pit of her stomach. Guilt? No...the only guilty were those that Franziska put behind bars. "ORDER! ORDER! O-R-D-E-R!!" the old judge shouted, banging his gavel rather hard. "MS. VON KARMA!" His tone of voice almost made Franziska jump out of her skin. She had never heard a judge talk like that to her. Normally they were very submissive and did anything she wanted them to do. Then again, normally by this time, she would be subduing the old judge. "Ms. von Karma! I want to know the meaning of this IMMEDIATELY!" Franziska swallowed hard, and she straightened up slightly. "I...I merely thought that the evidence was so trivial...and I did not wish to waste Your Honor's time-" "That is MY decision, Ms. von Karma!" The judge snapped. "I will dismiss this...but only this ONCE! If you EVER try and pull a stunt like that again, Ms. von Karma, I will throw you OUT OF THIS COURT!" His words struck her like a fatal blow. She backed away slightly and looked at Phoenix, who was still standing there with a smug smile on his face. It was at this point that Franziska's look of horror turned to that of rage.

Phoenix Wright had just succeeded in humiliating her...and she would NEVER forget it.
She was now...imperfect...

Franziska's eyes narrowed. She wasn't sure where this memory had come from...but she knew it had not been a dream that she had remembered. The emotions that came along with this scene, were too real for her to even imagine the intensity of them. And now she was standing across from the man who had humiliated her...this...this imperfect man, with all of his visible flaws...

And as her mind delved deeper, pieces of her scattered memory began to fit together to make one large picture...to make up Franziska von Karma...

When Franziska's hand slowly reached for the whip that was normally on her right side, Phoenix took that as his cue and shot past her, down the hallway and into the room where Maya and Miles were talking in. As the door slammed shut, Franziska's glare hardened towards the room as she realized she did not have her whip with her.

Whip...?

It was at this very precise moment that Franziska von Karma found herself with a flood of memories that had at one time eluded her. That man...with the spiky hair...was Phoenix Wright. Her hand clenched into a fist at the thought of how many times he had bested her in court. And...he normally had two companions with him...that Maya...the one who liked burgers...and the little girl, Pearl? Yes, Franziska concluded, that had to be her name. She found the both of them to be rather annoying...they were always so cheerful and determined all the time. And how could she forget that sniveling detective...? Scruffy...that's what she called him...he was of rather good use to her...she rather enjoyed seeing the terror on his face when she "paged" him. And of course, Miles! How could she forget him?

...
...I...
...I don't remember...

It was...agonizing to her...to not remember anything about this man...the one who, moments ago had left a tingling feeling on her lips...the one who made her feel as though she was important to him in some sort of fashion...he took care of her like a doting brother or-

...!
No...
Are we...RELATED?!

Franziska clapped her hand over her mouth as she was caught in the torrential downpour of thoughts. She began pacing back and forth wildly, biting down on her lip as she struggled for some sort of memory that would pull her out of this haze and clear things up for her. Surely...this was some sort of misunderstanding...right?

They were in the von Karma's massive library. Hidden among rows and rows of shelves of books...they sat on the floor, one of her hands grasping one edge of the book...and one of his hands grabbing the other edge. He was reading aloud, and once he would finish a page, it would be her turn to flip it so he could continue reading. She remembered how his voice was fluid...how it just flowed with the words and made them sound less boring. She rarely fell asleep in her younger years, studying, when he read to her.

"The Court has previously recognized that "for the determination of sentence, justice generally requires consideration of more than the particular acts by which the crime was committed and that there be taken into account the circumstances of the offense together with the character and propensities of the offender." Consideration of both the offender and the offense in order to arrive at a just and appropriate sentence has been viewed as a progressive and humanizing development. While the prevailing practice of individualizing sentencing determinations generally reflects simply enlightened policy rather than a constitutional imperative, we believe that in capital cases the fundamental respect for humanity underlying the Eight Amendment, - ...Oh, turn the page, will you, Franziska? Thanks, big sister... - ...requires consideration of the character and record of the individual offender and the circumstances of the particular offense as a constitutionally indispensable part of the process of inflicting the penalty of death."

After he would read a chapter to her, she would always look up at him, and smile widely. "Little brother...I have no doubt that you will be perfect, just like Father always wants us to be..." she murmured encouragingly. "And you Franziska?" Miles questioned, taking the book and looking at her. "...I...I will be perfect too! Of course I will! You are foolish to think that I wouldn't be!" Franziska exclaimed with wide eyes, scrambling to put up her internal defensive walls. Miles looked at her for a moment, scrutinizing her. He ran a hand through his hair finally and stood up, placing the book on a shelf. "...I believe you, Big Sister." he replied calmly.

Franziska took several steps back until her back was against one of the walls. Her head was swimming and she felt rather dizzy. Not letting this stop her, she managed to straggle over to the closet, where she found an assortment of Miles' coats. She slipped one on and ran as fast as she could out the door, as storm clouds began to roll in from the east, covering up the sun and creating a dreary atmosphere.

The door closed behind Franziska with a loud slam, which was drowned out by the sound of thunder rumbling.

A.N: I got this idea while I was typing up this chapter and trying to explain Franziska and Miles' relationship to my mother, who was reading over my shoulder. She looked at me and said: "So...they're related?!" o.0