Crack!

Another flurry of lightning rained down, shaking wet buildings and scaring wildlife. It had come in suddenly, the storm, thick black clouds and an angry atmosphere - not a soul would leave their houses in fear of being struck dead. Large, ice-cold droplets slammed against roofing, tore through leaves and branches of neighbouring plant life, creating a barrage of furious noises that pierced people's eardrums and frightened those who were still quite young.

Under normal circumstances, sure, it would have been inconvenient. However, as Apollo was finding out, at midnight, it was just downright evil - he had already tried crushing his head between two pillows, but the storm seemed to grow louder as a result.

The attorney sat up in his apartment, garbed in only boxers, frustrated. Gee, thanks, storm. It's not like I've been having trouble sleeping lately, or anything. He threw his covers off. Maybe the tenth drink of water's the charm...? Apollo stood up from his bed, far too awake for his liking, and dragged his feet across cheap carpeting and into his kitchen.

It was small, but seeing as it was a one-man apartment that was to be expected. He made his way to his cupboard, and in a rehearsed (yet heavy) movement a container was filled with liquid then sent sliding down his throat in less than five seconds. The attorney waited for the cool water to hit the bottom of his stomach, and once it did, he then waited for the hopeful narcolepsy that would occur as a result.

It didn't come.

Apollo sighed. He dumped the cup in the sink with no inclination towards cleaning it, trudged back into his bedroom and wriggled underneath the covers once more. It was with great anxiety that he closed his eyes once again, because he knew that even if he fell asleep, the nightmare would be waiting for him. And lo and behold, a mere half an hour later and Apollo was sweating and tossing.

The nightmare began the same way every time: with Clay Terran, his late best friend. It would be him and Clay alone, chatting on a hillside, the same conversation they had the last time Apollo saw him. The black-haired man would smile, and laugh, and throw an arm around him - his weight real, his smell, his presence. Then Clay would just evaporate, and the attorney would fall through the grassy hill and down into a fiery rapture. The heat was intense, the sweat poured down his back, his attire clung to him like melted plastic.

All the while, an intense, warped tune played, growing more distorted and increasingly louder in volume as the same scenes played out.

The nightmare ended the same way every time: with the Judge, a grotesque, enormous depiction of him. He held a titanic gavel over his head, aimed at Apollo who stood precariously on a cliff's edge.

'You've said quite enough, Mr Justice!' came the booming, terrifying voice. 'I will not allow you to continue down this path as an attorney! This shall be the end!'

Apollo could only shake in fear. 'B-but... B-but, it's not my fault, I'm only...'

The music grew vicious, and the gavel descended, dwarfing him in its shadow.

Apollo tried to run, he tried as hard as he could to escape, but something rooted him to the cliff. Or rather, someone.

'...what...' muttered Clay, arms locking the attorney down. '...what about...?'

The hammer hit. An ear-splitting crack. Apollo screamed...

...and awoke, panting. For several minutes, he sat up with his head in his hands, his breathing tired and ragged like he had just run a marathon. His hair flopped messily across his features and his blankets were strewn across the bedroom. Then, as if signalling the end of that night's ordeal, his alarm chimed.

Six-thirty.

Apollo just heaved one last breath of air and flopped onto his back, thoughts already travelling to his work. This is gonna be another, long day.

Trucy heard the office door click open - it didn't take her long to see who it was. 'Oh, good morning, Polly! You look...' She trailed off once she saw the bags underneath his eyelids and the enormous cup of coffee shaking in his hand. '...alive...?'

Apollo stepped inside and hung up his coat. 'Maybe.' He slurped the coffee methodically as he made his way to his office. 'I certainly don't feel like it.'

The magician wasn't perturbed in the slightest, following him with a slight bounce in her step. 'Have you been reading too much again?'

'Er, no,' said Apollo, taking a seat. 'It's just...' He placed the cup down and rubbed the last of the sleep out of his eyes. '...I haven't been able to sleep much. Bad dreams, nothing too lethal.'

Trucy crossed her arms and poked at a cheek. 'Well, if it's nightmares you're having, then you should talk to Daddy about them.' A grin. 'He had plenty of them when he was disbarred - really loud ones, too.'

I don't even want to try to think about what was going through Mr Wright's head during the Dark Age of the Law. Apollo started arranging his desk as he spoke. 'I don't think that's something to be smiling about, Truce. It actually kinda sounds tragic.'

'Really?' asked the magician with a frown. 'I always found them sort of scary, but then I started looking forward to the nightmares after a while.'

Apollo's voice stuttered as he choked. 'W-why's that?'

'Cause Daddy would always come into my room after. He'd tell me he loved me, and then would sit with me until I fell asleep again.'

The attorney didn't know what to think, so he just left the conversation in the air and changed the subject. '...right, anyway... Have you got school today, Truce?'

She shook her head. 'Pupil-free day. I'm not sure what happened, but apparently a couple of arsonists attacked the school during the night.'

'That's disappointing,' said Apollo with a frown. 'There's always a couple to ruin something for everyone else.'

Trucy nodded. 'Yeah, they must have really hated the school to burn it like that. Oh, speaking of burning, have you seen my magic panties? I haven't been able to find them since last night.'

No comment.

At that moment, Athena stuck her head through the doorway. 'Morning guys!'

They returned the greeting.

'Just letting you know,' said the redhead, 'I've got the second trial-day of my case this afternoon. So, I was wondering if...?'

Apollo held up his hands. 'If we could give you some privacy to work on your case? Of course. I'm sure Truce and I...'

'Sorry, Polly. But me and Jinxie are heading off to the fair that's in town.' She tipped her hat. 'Girl's day out, y'know?'

I'm more surprised that you got Jinxie to agree to it. She can barely handle stationary objects, let alone giant, moving, metal ones. He chuckled. 'That's alright. I suppose I could catch a movie or something.'

'By yourself...?' asked Athena, placing her hands on her hips.

'Talk about beta,' snarked Widget.

Apollo frowned as Athena covered up the device with an embarrassed smile. 'Er, what he meant to say was: enjoy yourself. I'll call you if I get stuck, yeah?'

'Sure...'

Both women left his office, one getting ready to go out and one getting ready to horde all the chocolate in the fridge to herself.

The male attorney, however, leaned back in his chair. "Call"... That reminds me. His eyes traced a torn-off piece of paper with a number scribbled on it. After mulling over it, he shrugged. I suppose I might call Miss Faraday now. The voice in the back of his mind kicked in, forcing him to look at the clock on the wall. But, suppose it's too early? It is only eight-thirty. Apollo stood up from his desk and made his way towards the kitchen. I'll wait 'till nine - any later and Athena will get antsy. I'm sure it'll be okay, besides, she's Edgeworth's protege. She'd have to be up at that time of day.

She wasn't. At exactly nine o'clock, Kay was lying face down with her rump sticking up in the air, snoring loudly. The woman was drooling, smiling with a large grin, and murmuring about ninjas and guitars, or something to that degree. In fact, the only reason she woke up within the next millennia was because her mobile had rattled itself off of her dining table, landed inside a bucket, and proceeded to recite the wonderful melody produced by throwing several bags of gravel into a washing machine.

Needless to say, she fell out of bed in a flash. She spent a few alarmed seconds trying to work out where the infernal racket was coming from. Then, as if on cue, the bucket tipped over and sent her phone sliding across the floorboards and bumping into her leg - she picked it up with a yawn.

'Yo.'

'Oh, I'm sorry Miss Faraday. Did... Did I wake you?'

Her eyes brightened a little as she recognised the voice. 'No you didn't, Mr Justice. I was, er...' She stood up from the floor. '...in the middle of a trial, that's all.'

'Isn't that worse?'

Kay face-palmed, more so to wake her brain up. 'Did I say "trial?" I meant sleeping.'

The voice on the other end sighed. 'Ah, good... No, wait, ah! I mean, I'm sorry for waking you.'

'That's alright.' A chuckle escaped her lips. 'I needed to wake up anyway - it's my only day off in a while, and I'd hate to spend it sleeping.'

Another sigh from the other end. '...oh, good. Anyway, I'm just calling to say thanks for yesterday. For the trial, I mean.'

He knows the best times for the sentimental stuff, huh? She remembered her conversation with Ema. I guess I kinda see what she means now - it's too early for this. 'It's fine, Mr Justice. I told you yesterday that you looked like you were in trouble, and I thought it was necessary to help you out.' She could almost see him shake his head in response.

'But, Miss Faraday, that recess was the main reason why I was able to win that case. I have some time today, isn't there anything I can do to repay you?'

Kay almost declined the offer, but a part of what he said piqued her interest. '"Some time today"...? Is it your day off?'

'More or less, we're not particularly busy at the moment.'

A plan began to formulate in her mind. 'What were you gonna do?'

His voice sounded slightly confused. 'Er, I was just gonna see a flick, or something like that. Why do you ask?'

'Just curious.' She started counting down in her mind. 'It's a funny coincidence, don'tcha think? You and me having the same day-'

'Hey, I just thought of something.'

Three seconds...sooner than I thought...

'What if you come along? We can talk about the trial, and I'll pay of course - it's the least I could do.'

Kay smiled, struggling to keep herself from laughing. I don't think he realised what he just said. Ah well, it'll be a good opportunity to learn about my rival. 'Sounds good to me. How about midday?'

'Perfect. I'll see you then.'

'You too, Mr Justice. You too...' She hung up, and then immediately dialled another number.

After a few rings, an ever-perturbed voice answered. 'Yes?'

'Hey, Ema. Guess what?'

The voice immediately became several tones lighter. 'Oh, hey Kay. Let me guess, you just received a letter from Apollo?'

'Nope, better.' She grinned, but then burst into a fit of giggles. 'He asked me out on a date.'

'...what?'

Apollo placed the phone back on the hook, content with himself. He leaned back into his office chair. There we are - consider that one of my many debts payed off. And I get a movie out of it, too. The attorney only just noticed Athena who had stopped outside of his office door, jaw slack in disbelief. 'Er, Athena...? What's wrong?'

'Did you just...'

Trucy stuck her head inside the room. '...ask Miss Faraday out on a date?'

Apollo cocked an eyebrow. 'What? No. All we're doing is spending our day off to go watch a movie together.' His face slowly descended. 'In which I'll be paying for the both of us.' And then turned into one of utter shock. He stood up from his desk, wide-eyed. 'Okay, that sounds incriminating, but-'

Trucy cut him off. 'Hooray!' She bear-hugged the lawyer. 'This is so exciting, Polly! Your very first date!'

'What the- It's not my first date!' He corrected himself. 'And it's not even a date.'

Athena wiped a fake tear from her eye. 'I'm so proud of you.'

'You done good, little man, you done good.'

'You guys...'

'Hey hey, nice one, Apollo.' Phoenix seemed to materialise from out-of-nowhere, jerking his hand into a thumbs-up and with a piece of toast in his mouth.

'Mr Wright, you too?'

The legendary attorney wasn't listening, he was too busy dialling a number into his phone whilst leaving the room - he turned the corner, listening to the dial tone with a bemused smile.

Eventually, the person on the other end answered. 'Miles Edgeworth, speaking.'

'You owe me twenty bucks.'

'...I refuse to accept this.'

Kay walked briskly, the cool winter air blowing her scarf behind her. Considering that this was more or less a first meeting with someone, she had opted to wear her usual, non-legal attire: a shirt with rolled-up sleeves and skirt, as a means to casualise the experience. She frowned - now that she thought about it, aside from doing up her hair into a high ponytail with a golden key slung through, it wasn't that different from her legal attire at all. What can I say? she reasoned with herself. I know my fashion identity. She turned the corner, and the movie cinema (which had been a crime scene a few days ago) came into view as she checked her phone. Okay, five minutes to twelve. Let's see if he passes the first test.

It wasn't long until she spotted Apollo standing outside the theatre, checking his watch.

Nice. He's punctual. She ticked an invisible box in her head. Check. Let's see what other good-rival traits he has. The raven-haired woman walked up behind him with habitually silent footsteps. 'Hey there, Mr Justi-'

'This isn't a date!' he blurted out, startled.

Kay blinked a few times with a confused look. Unpredictability... Check...

Apollo dusted himself down. 'Oh, er...' He cleared his throat. 'M-Miss Faraday, you scared me.'

She felt the start of a giggle in her stomach. 'I can see that. And, before we do anything else...' She smiled, wide. 'We're not here on business, so don't sweat the formalities. You can call me Kay, 'kay?'

The attorney sighed, some tension visibly leaving his shoulders. 'Well then, I suppose you can call me Apollo.'

'Right, you got it, so let's get this started. You probably have a lot of questions.'

He nodded. 'Sure, but not here. It'll be warmer inside.' He indicated to the entrance with a hand. 'After you.'

Kay obliged, stepping past him. Hmm, he's courteous, I'll have to take off a few points. She smiled inwardly. But I'll chuck them onto the "friend" pile...

Once they made their way inside the choosing of the film was instantaneous. Despite the pair's connection to the recent murder trial, they both wanted to see: "HAT - 3: Space Zombie Boogaloo," if only to witness Jet Slater in action.

As Kay put it: 'the title is amazing just by itself.'

And as Apollo replied: 'it really is a no-brainier, huh?'

The prosecutor frowned at the pun. Terrible jokes. Check.

A couple of minutes, two purchases of tickets, and many, many denials of their meeting in actuality being a date later, and Kay was already in the candy section of the cinema, scouring out chocolately and sugary sweets of all sizes and blowing a sizeable hole in Apollo's wallet.

The attorney could only let his pocket bleed. I pretty much asked for this, he thought. Though, I didn't actually think she'd take this much of an advantage of my offer.

'You were really good in court, yesterday,' said the prosecutor suddenly. 'The way you were able to work out the true crime...' She tossed him a bag of strawberries and cream. '...was awesome - I've only ever seen Mr Edgeworth pull something off like that.'

Apollo went red as he caught the packet. Well, redder than usual. 'Oh, thanks.' It's nice to be receiving a compliment for once. 'But, I'm not that good, I mean, Mr Wright has done far crazier things.'

Kay shot him a curious look. 'You're too modest - give yourself some credit from time to time.' She juggled several bars of chocolate in her arms as she made her way over to him. 'I'm telling you, as the prosecutor on the other side of that courtroom, that when you shut down Mr Edgeworth and made him say: "Nghooooh!"...' A couple of giggles forced themselves up from her throat. '...that it was the coolest thing I've seen in a while.'

Apollo shouldered the rest of the candy, his modesty bug firing up with a vengeance. 'Well, sure, if you think so... But you were great too. Your case almost shut ours down on multiple occasions. In fact, if it weren't for the pressure you maintained on us, I never would have been forced to think about the crime scene and how Mr Chuckpeck manipulated it.' His eyes lit up. 'It was thanks to you, Miss Fa- I mean, Kay.'

The raven-haired woman dissolved into childish glee. 'Aww, you're so sweet!' Then, as if Edgeworth cracked a belt in the back of her head, she quickly deadpanned. 'But I made a mistake - I should have checked his background better. I'll take you down a peg next time, just you wait.' And before Apollo could get another word in, the woman yanked him by the arm and dragged him over to the counter. 'Enough about work, though - it's our day off. I wanna see this film!'

After purchasing the candy, the two (well actually, Apollo,) dragged the bags of sweets into the theatre and took their places. Kay was already buzzing with excitement and clapped happily once the room fell into darkness - Apollo just nestled back into his chair, hand in a packet of lollies.

Gotta hand it to her, she knows her seating - the view's great from here.

However, as the trailers for upcoming releases were being displayed the prosecutor received a tap on the shoulder.

'Oi, lady, down in front.'

The attorney glanced upwards to Kay's unique hairstyle. I wonder if it's been an issue in the past?

She turned around to the complainer, putting on the best puppy dog eyes she could. 'Please...? There are plenty of other seats in the cinema to-'

'No.'

Knowing when to quit, Kay turned around again, grumbling as she took apart her meticulously crafted hair. Stupid guy. Who doesn't fall for...? Another thought hit her. Huh, I wonder if my rival is vulnerable to psychological manipulation? She started by making a big show of removing the key, along with the intricate tie, pulling them asunder and letting her thick, raven hair billow out across her shoulders and down her back, all in an attempt to gather Apollo's attention.

It worked - he stopped chewing and stared.

Kay hid a smirk beneath a sultry look as she messed up her hair. 'What's wrong, Mr Justice...?' She flashed him a half-lidded, longing stare and pursed her lips. 'Never had a woman let her hair down in front of you?'

The attorney's packet of lollies grew suddenly tighter in his hand. He swallowed, wide-eyed, turning slowly towards the screen - he had only one thing to say:

'I'm Apollo Justice, and I'm fine.'

Kay brushed the bangs out of her eyes with a cheeky grin. Check.

Once the movie had started, very little dialogue was exchanged between the two. Apollo chastised the film in his head, arguing that although Jet Slater played a very good villain, he doubted that the real-life Solomon Starbuck had turned into a giant, mutant, sun-powered zombie king which sought to destroy each and every citizen of Earth's liberty and freedom, and had to be thwarted by a crack-team of all-American astronautical mercenaries. He did, however, applaud the film on its creativity.

Kay just laughed at the horrendously over-the-top effects.

Two and a bit hours later, and the pair found themselves walking away from the cinema.

Kay slid the key back into her hair. 'Annnnnd, done. You don't have to walk me back to my apartment, it's alright.'

'Hey,' said Apollo shrugging, 'it's what...' He stopped dead, looking at the prosecutor. '...er, what are we?'

She laughed. 'I'd say very good acquaintances. But, I have a feeling we'll be seeing each other soon, so it'll probably change.' She crossed her arms, and on cue, her scarf started fluttering. 'Let's just keep it simple and say: friends.'

The attorney felt chuffed, impressed that today hadn't been as terrible as it could have been considering the nightmare he had had that morning - he simply nodded in response. 'You know what...? That sounds good to me.'

Unbeknownst to the pair, however, something terrible and grizzly was occurring across town.

A murder.

It was a murder more gruesome than either had encountered thus far.

Kay's feeling was right on the money - they would indeed be seeing each other again very soon.

Wanted to squeeze in a light-hearted chapter before speeding off into another case. Hope you guys enjoyed the fluff, and, if not, let me know why. As I always say, criticism/reviews are always welcome.

Speaking of which, thank you for the kind words, as well as favourites and follows. Genuinely, it's always exciting to hear what people have to say, whether it be good or bad. So, once again thank you for taking the time to write them, much appreciated.

I think that's it...for now... Have a good day!