Otaku69: Apollo's getting out pretty soon, actually. -nod-

MorenoX25: No, Ema and Klavier aren't at the party. I was considering inviting Ema, but that sort of fell by the wayside for some reason, and I wanted Klavier and the Gavineers to perform there for a reunion concert, but I decided that Maya might not feel too kindly toward Klavier because of the fact he made Phoenix lose his badge, plus their lead guitarist is on death row (unless they got a replacement before the band broke up), so that didn't exactly happen. Sorry. :(

Bico: You have two very good guesses there. One of them is right. :)

sonicandlink: I was thinking that Edgeworth hiding under the table was sort of uncharacteristic, because you wouldn't think of him doing that, but at the same time, you could so totally picture him doing anything to get away from Oldbag and I just couldn't resist. XDD

Indochine Ramera: I think that, if Franziska understood the concept of truth, she'd be too proud to admit it. Plus, in Trials and Tribulations, she said she continued to extend her perfect win record. I think. -tries to remember-

BlueRaider: . . . I totally forgot to invite the judge. -smacks self in the head- Also, methinks you need to get more sleep. XD

Daidairo: Good catch. -fixes- Thanks for pointing that out. :)

And now, the reactions to Pearl's announcement:

Chapter 8

Memories

The whole room was silent as everyone stared at Pearl, shocked at the announcement. Phoenix, who was absolutely dumbstruck, could do nothing but stand there, his mouth open, and blink, Pearl's words repeating themselves over and over in his mind. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Maya muttering something under her breath, a pleading look on her face as she gazed at Pearl.

And then, Viola Hall absolutely erupted with applause and cries of, "Congratulations!" Phoenix thought he heard Larry yell, "Way to go, Nick!" and Edgeworth say, "About time, Wright."

Phoenix shook his head and, raising his hands in protest, said in a loud voice, "Maya and I are not getting married."

The applause and yells subsided instantly. Now, everyone's attention was focused on Phoenix. Most people looked confused, especially Trucy and Pearl, who were exchanging worried glances, wondering if their plan had backfired.

Just at that moment, the doors banged open, and Apollo staggered into the room, looking absolutely exhausted, his hair coming out of its spikes, his left foot stuck in a bucket. A rather incredulous-looking maid was standing in the hallway behind him, her hand on the doorknob of a broom closet, evidently having just let Apollo out.

Catching sight of Phoenix, Apollo cried to him, "Mr. Wright, Pearl and Trucy are going to–" It was then that he noticed the looks on the guests' faces, the microphone, and Pearl and Trucy, standing there, looking at him guiltily. "Never mind," he said, looking crestfallen as he shuffled backward a few steps, the bucket making a clanking sound with every step he took.

Phoenix looked at Trucy, one eyebrow raised. "Did you lock him in a broom closet?" he asked her sternly. She nodded, bowing her head. Letting out a sigh and deciding to let the matter drop for the moment, turned to the guests. "I'm sorry, there's been a misunderstanding. Maya and I, we're not getting married. We're not even dating."

"But, Mr. Nick–" Pearl began, then fell silent as Trucy poked her in the ribs.

"We love each other," Phoenix assured the people assembled, "but like brother and sister." Turning to Maya for support, he added, "Right, Ma–"

He stopped short when he saw Maya's face. She had been standing beside him all this time, listening to him without saying a word. Now he saw why; she had been watching him all this time, her eyes wide, pleading, and over bright. Even as he noticed this, two tears leaked from the corners of her eyes and down her cheeks, leaving behind tracks that shone in the lights overhead.

"Maya?" he asked, concerned. "Are you okay?"

She looked into his eyes for a heartbeat. Then she looked down at the floor, shaking her head and backing away a few steps before turning around and walking hurriedly away, brushing past Apollo and striding out into the hallway.

"Maya!" Phoenix called after her, feeling the bottom of his stomach disappear.

Pearl, looking worried, ran out after Maya, calling, "Mystic Maya! Mystic Maya! Come back!" Phoenix took a few steps after Pearl, but there was a sharp crack as something hit him across the face. He turned around; Franziska was standing nearby, holding her whip in her hand, glaring at him.

"Fool," she said to him, shaking her head.

"That was harsh, Wright," Edgeworth added, crossing his arms. "Very harsh."

Phoenix let out another sigh. "Listen, I don't have time for this. I need to go find Maya."

Before anyone else could fire criticism at him for his mistake, he turned and bolted for the corridor behind Viola Hall. Maya and Pearl had both disappeared, leaving him to run up and down hallways, yelling Maya's name. More than one guest popped their heads out their doors to see what the noise was about, and several threatened to call the front desk and have him thrown out, but he merely quickened his pace, just in case they did call the front desk and have Oldbag kick him out of the hotel.

Ten minutes later, as he was running past an elevator on the third floor, the doors opened and he hit Pearl as she stepped outside. Her eyes were red, and tears were pouring down her cheeks. He caught her by the wrist before she hit the ground and pulled her back up into a standing position, pulling her over toward the wall.

"I-I can't find her, M-Mr. Nick," Pearl told him, stammering in an effort to stop herself from sobbing. "I-I've looked in her room, in all the hallways, and the lobby. . ."

"I can't find her either, Pearls," Phoenix informed her softly, though his insides were twisted with guilt and worry. He couldn't help but remember the last time Maya had gone missing in this hotel, when she had been kidnapped by Shelly DeKiller. . .

Pearl gazed up at him silently. Then she let out a loud wail. "I'm sorry!" she cried. "I'm sorry, Mr. Nick! I don't deserve to–" Sobbing, she took a few steps away from him, but he was still holding her wrist. He gently pulled her toward him and gave her a comforting hug, at a loss of what else to do.

"It's okay, Pearl," he said, trying to calm her down. "It's okay. We'll find her."

Gradually, Pearl's sobs subsided into mere sniffles. Phoenix sat down and buried his face in his hands, trying to think of where Maya could be. She wasn't in the lobby, or in her room. He understood this; she would want to go somewhere where they wouldn't think to look for her, but where that was, he did not know.

And why had she gone running like that? he wondered. She agreed with me. She said we were never going to end up together. She would have said something, if she, well, felt that way, wouldn't she?

"Phoenix," a shockingly familiar voice, a voice he hadn't heard in a long time, interrupted his reverie. "It's been a long, long time."

Phoenix looked up; where Pearl had been standing mere seconds ago stood a completely different woman. She wore Pearl's clothes, though they did not fit very well, and her hair was set in the same style, but she was older, taller, with a longer face and a completely different aura to her.

"M-Mia?" Phoenix stammered, staring at her in shock. Here, standing in front of him, was his mentor, Mia Fey, Maya's older sister, who had been murdered nine years ago. Because of they Feys' ability to channel the spirits of the dead, however, Mia had been able to help him in cases back when he had been a defence attorney, but he hadn't been expecting Pearl to channel her now.

She smiled at him. "Yes, it's me," she said, sitting down next to him. "I didn't expect to see you here when she channeled me. I thought she wanted me to talk with Maya again."

"We, um, sort of lost her," Phoenix admitted, shame-faced.

Mia gave a start. "What?"

He explained about the reunion, Pearl's announcement, and Maya's disappearance. When he finished, Mia shook her head.

"Phoenix, remember when, at the end of Iris's murder trial, I told you that there was nothing more you could learn from me about law?" she asked him.

Phoenix nodded, not quite sure where this was going.

"It seems I still have a bit to teach you about life."

Ouch, he thought to himself.

Mia seemed to know what he was thinking, because she smiled a little. "You never realized that Maya might have loved you, did you?"

He was about to ask her, "How would you know? You died the day Maya and I met, and it's hardly as if you've seen us talk with each other very often," before thinking better of it. Mia again seemed to guess what he had been about to say, because she nodded in an understanding sort of way.

"Do you remember what I told you, seven years ago, during Iris's trial? Maya had left me a note after our mother was killed, explaining the situation of her near-death and asking what she should do." Phoenix nodded. "There was a bit more to the note, you see, that I didn't tell you about."

"Why not?" Phoenix interrupted curiously. Mia looked at him, shaking her head.

"In a minute," she told him. "Anyway, Maya, knowing that there was a possibility she could die, had written at the very end, 'If I don't make it out of this alive, tell Nick that I love him.' Since she survived, I decided she would probably tell you herself, so I neglected to mention it."

Phoenix stared at her. "Did she really say that?"

"Yes, or something very similar," Mia assured him.

He shook his head, not believing it. "You're lying," he replied. He reached into the pocket of his suit and gripped his Magatama, staring at her for the Psyche-Locks to appear. He was not quite sure why he brought the Magatama; he had seen it lying on his bedside table, and felt an urge to slip it into his pocket. Perhaps it was because it felt wrong, not to wear his suit without talking along the Magatama that had helped him so often when he had been a lawyer. No matter the reason he had brought it, he could see no Psyche-Locks. He let go of it and extracted his hand from his pocket, still staring at Mia.

"As you can see, I'm not lying, Phoenix," she told him, shifting her position slightly. "I find it odd, though, how you never caught on. By the sound of it, everyone at the reunion did, especially Pearl."

"Maya thought it was just a fantasy of Pearl's," Phoenix pointed out, not quite knowing why he continued to argue against Mia.

"Did she ever actually say that it was only just a fantasy?" Mia asked, raising an eyebrow. "Did she ever actually come out and say, 'I love you, but only like a brother'?"

Phoenix thought long and hard for a moment, his mind scrambling to remember such a time, but he came up short. "No," he admitted at last. "No, she never did." He stared at the opposite wall in silence, his mind racing as it tried to process what exactly was going on. So far, he could only make sense of four things.

Fact one: Pearl and Trucy had just announced that he and Maya were about to get married.

Fact two: Everyone except him seemed to have been expecting this.

Fact three: Pearl had been right all along. As far as Maya's feelings went, at least.

Fact four: He was so confused that he didn't know what to do.

"So, there's only one question, isn't there?" Mia said, breaking the silence. Phoenix gave a start and looked round at her, raising an eyebrow.

"What's that?" he asked, though he knew the answer even before she gave it.

"Do you love Maya back?"

Those six words made Phoenix want to run far, far away and hide. How was he supposed to answer that question, and so quickly? He stared at Mia beseechingly, who smiled a little bit.

"Think about it for a moment, Phoenix," Mia said softly, patting him on the knee.

Phoenix nodded, and as he closed his eyes, his mind was flooded with memories. . .

—February, Seven Years Ago—

Phoenix, Maya, and Pearl stepped inside a very bright, very pink restaurant, albeit grudgingly. Already, a small group, consisting of Edgeworth, Franziska, Gumshoe, and Larry had gathered at one of the tables, plates of food in front of them. Three chairs had been left for them, and they sat down, Pearl still sniffing and dabbing at her eyes with her sleeve. Phoenix couldn't feel more grateful to have a place to sit down; it had been a long, painful day, with a long, painful trial for all three of them, and he was absolutely exhausted.

"Hey, pal!" Gumshoe greeted them cheerfully. "You okay?"

Maya nodded. "We're great!" she said as enthusiastically as she could muster, though everyone present could hear the exhaustion in her voice.

At that moment, Maggey, wearing an orange maid uniform, entered the room via the double doors to the kitchen, carrying three menus. She set them down in front of Phoenix, Maya, and Pearl. "Welcome to Très Bien. Here's you're menus."

Phoenix accepted his, albeit reluctantly, and looked at the others' plates. Both Edgeworth and Franziska had barely touched their food, and Larry was staring at Maggey, absent-mindedly shoveling his food into his mouth while Gumshoe glared at him.

Pearl started flipping through her menu, her forehead wrinkled as she tried to read the French names of the plates aloud. "What's a gat-ee-o?" she asked no one in particular.

Edgeworth glanced over at her menu. "Gâteau is cake," he answered.

"Um, okay," Pearl said, flipping to another page. "What about. . . es-cor-gots?"

"Snails," Edgeworth replied instantly.

Pearl gasped. "They eat snails! The poor things!"

At that moment, Phoenix became aware of the fact that Franziska was staring at him, her hand twitching toward something beneath the table. Phoenix, wondering if she was considering drawing her whip, flinched instinctively. She gave him a look that clearly said, Fool, but said aloud, "May I speak with you for a moment, Mr. Phoenix Wright?"

Perplexed, Phoenix nodded. Franziska stood up and led the way to a corner of the room, out of earshot of the others.

"Mr. Phoenix Wright, I have something I believe you may want to see." She reached into her pocket and extracted a folded white card. "This," she said quietly, "is the fourth piece of evidence from a certain case a year ago. As the case has been solved, I decided this would be of more interest to you than to the police."

It took Phoenix a second to realize what Franziska was talking about. Then he remembered; the Shelly DeKiller case. Three pieces of evidence had been shown in court from DeKiller's hideout, but a fourth had gone missing mysteriously. Curiously, he accepted the card. Unfolding it, he froze, staring at it.

"This is DeKiller's calling card," he said at last.

Franziska's lip curled. "Very observant. But, as you can see, it is a bit. . . different than the others," she said, before returning to the table. Phoenix remained, still staring at the card. The telltale pink seashell that signified it had been left by Shelly DeKiller was there, plan as day, but someone had drawn a face using the shell as an outline. And it wasn't just anyone's face; it was his. The illustrator had even written "Nick" on the card.

Only two people called him Nick. Only one had ever had access to one of these cards. She had even said she'd drawn something, hadn't she. . .?

"Hey, Nick?"

Maya had left the table and snuck up behind him. Giving a start, he stuffed the card into his pocket quickly, wondering if she had seen it.

"What did you have just now?" she asked curiously, eyeing his pocket.

He opened his mouth to ask about the card, if it had been her drawing, but, for some reason, he lied and said, "Nothing important."

Maya raised an eyebrow. "If you say so. . . Anyway, let's go back with the others, okay?"

"Um. . . sure." Phoenix followed her back to the table, his hand still in his pocket, holding the card tightly, thinking, Tomorrow. I'll ask her about it. . . tomorrow.

—May, Seven Years Ago—

"Hey, Daddy, want to see a cool trick?"

Phoenix looked up from the advertising section of the newspaper he was reading to see Trucy standing in front of him, holding a pair of blue and pink woman's underwear. He didn't even blink at this; he was getting used to Trucy showing him such things at unexpected moments.

"Trucy, it's eleven thirty. Shouldn't you be asleep?" he asked her, rubbing his eyes. "You have school tomorrow."

Trucy looked at him with wide, sad eyes. "Please, Daddy?" she asked. "I've been staying up real late for the past couple of weeks working on it!"

Phoenix stared at her. "How late?"

"Um. . . two o'clock in the morning, I think," Trucy replied, biting her lower lip.

Letting out a sigh, Phoenix stood up. "How about you get some rest, and then show me in the morning?" he suggested, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Trucy looked up at him, her face concerned. "You should be getting some rest too, Daddy," she pointed out. "You've been staying up even later than me, sometimes."

Phoenix yawned. She has a point. . . he thought to himself. "I'll finish up here and go to bed after you go to back to your room."

Trucy nodded. "Okay!" She skipped off to her bedroom, underwear in hand. Phoenix, shaking his head with a smile on his face, went back to his newspaper, and scanned the rest of the ads.

Nothing, he thought, sighing, heading for the light switch. At that moment, the phone rang. Curious to see who would be calling so late, he picked up the phone and said, "Hey."

"Hi, Nick," replied Maya's voice. She sounded exhausted, even more than he was, and she spoke quickly, as if not wanting to be overheard. "The elders found out about me visiting you all those times."

"What?" Phoenix sat down on the sofa, completely forgetting his fatigue. "How'd they find out?"

"They got the truth out of Pearly last week," Maya said, sounding apologetic. "She can't lie, Nick, you know that."

"No, she can't," Phoenix admitted with a sigh. "So, how'd they take it?"

He could imagine Maya grimace at the memory. "Not well. You should have heard them. They kept going on and on about how it was my duty as the Master to 'restore faith in the Kurain Channeling Technique,' and, 'not to fraternize with criminals.'"

Phoenix winced.

"I know you're not a criminal," Maya reassured him quickly, correctly predicting his reaction to this piece of news. "Anyway, they've been keeping me busy with all sorts of chores. Besides training other mediums and channeling for clients, I've had to clean the manor from top to bottom, handle all the applications coming in from people interested in channeling, and go through every single training technique they can think of. And I thought Aunt Morgan was tough."

"And I was feeling sorry for myself," Phoenix said sympathetically.

"I haven't even gotten to the worst part," Maya replied, her voice suddenly growing hard. "I got into an argument with them this morning. I told them that I was the Master, not them, and I will visit whoever I want. And if I wasn't allowed to keeping talking to you, Pearly could take over as the Master."

Phoenix nodded. "Sounds like a reasonable – wait, what?"

Maya sounded angry as she continued, "So, I'm packing up right now. I'll be leaving tomorrow morning."

"What?!" Phoenix repeated, dumbfounded.

"Nick, are you deaf?" Maya asked, some of her anger wearing off. "I said I'm leaving–"

"No, no, I heard what you said," Phoenix assured her. "I just couldn't believe what you said. Maya, why are you giving this up?"

"Because I wouldn't put it past them to ban me from leaving Kurain if I stayed the Master and kept visiting you," Maya explained, as if this was obvious. "I also overheard them talking about getting a matchmaker, so I don't end up marrying you or something."

Phoenix shook his head wearily. "Listen, Maya – wait, what did you just say?"

Maya paused for a couple of seconds. At last, she said, "Um. . . they all think we're getting engaged, here in Kurain."

"Well, we're not, and we never will," Phoenix pointed out, rubbing his temple with one hand. He was in no condition to convince Maya to stay in Kurain Village at a quarter to midnight.

There was silence on the other end. Concerned, Phoenix said, "Maya? You still there?"

"Yeah," Maya replied softly. "Yeah, I'm still here."

Phoenix took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He wanted to convince her to stay, but the only argument he could think of was of a rather delicate nature, and he wasn't sure if it was a good idea to bring it up or not. Coming to a decision at last, he said, "Maya, Mr. Armando wasn't sentenced for manslaughter so you would give up being the Master a few months later. Your mother–" He stopped for a moment, wondering if she continue, and then finished quickly, as if this would dull the pain his words might cause, "Your mother didn't die for you so that Morgan would win and make Pearls the Master."

Maya didn't answer for a couple of seconds. Phoenix wondered if he had brought it too far with the mention of Maya's mother, Misty, the old Master. At last, she said, "I knew you would want me to stay. But, Nick–"

"Maya, listen. Stay in Kurain. Pearls needs you, and you need to stop worrying about me. You should be concentrating on restoring faith in the Kurain Channeling Technique."

"But you need Pearly and me!" Maya objected. "Remember that day last month, when we went out for lunch? I told you, you were always there for me when I needed it most. Why shouldn't I help you?"

Phoenix took a slow, deep breath. "Maya, I'm fine," he insisted. "I really am. Just. . . don't sneak away on the train again. You'll just. . . have to call and send letters or something," he finished, his voice reluctant. He looked forward to these visits from Maya, during the times when he would otherwise be alone, with no Trucy to distract him with new magic tricks for her shows. In a way, it felt as if nothing had really changed when Maya came; she still acted like herself and he temporarily forgot about the events of his final trial, something not even Trucy had managed to do.

Maya sighed wearily. "Okay," she said, her voice quiet. "Sorry, Nick."

"Don't be sorry," he told her, trying to stifle a yawn. "It's okay."

"I guess." Maya paused for a couple of seconds. Then, she added, albeit hesitantly, "Nick?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you tired?"

Phoenix nodded, realized Maya could see him, and said, "A little bit. Why?"

"Well, I was going to tell you something, but if you'd rather go to sleep. . ." Maya was sounding as if she was regretting mentioning it at all.

"A couple of minutes more won't hurt," Phoenix assured her. "So, what did you want to tell me?"

Maya took a deep breath, steeling herself. "Nick, there's something that I've been wanting to tell you for a while. I, um. . ." She stopped abruptly, then said, "Never mind. It doesn't matter. Bye, Nick."

Mystified, Phoenix replied, "Bye, Maya," and hung up the phone, feeling heavy-hearted.

At that moment, Trucy marched into the room, gazing at him indignantly. "Daddy! Your promised you would go to sleep!"

"Sorry, Trucy," Phoenix said, standing up and blinking sleepily. "Someone called."

The look of indignation on Trucy's face disappeared. "Was it Maya?" she asked hopefully. He nodded. "Is she coming here again?"

Phoenix shook his head. "No. She can't come for a while, Trucy."

Trucy looked upset. "Why?"

"She's not allowed," he replied quietly, "because of that trial."

Trucy grabbed Phoenix's hand. "It's okay, Daddy. I'll always be here," she said with a smile on her face. "It's going to be fine. You'll see."

Phoenix nodded. "Yeah," he said with very little conviction in his voice, and he allowed Trucy to lead him to his bedroom, lost in thought.

—January, Six Years Ago—

Phoenix followed an officer down the hallway of the detention centre, though he hardly needed someone to show him where to go. He didn't know how many times he had come in here to see clients when he had been attorney, only that he knew his way around the place fairly well. But today, he wasn't here to see a client; he was here to see a friend.

The officer opened a door on the left, and gestured into the room behind. Phoenix stepped by him to find himself in a room divided into two halves by a pane of glass. On his side of the glass was an uncomfortable-looking, straight-backed wooden chair; Phoenix took it wordlessly and glanced sideways at the officer.

"How long will she be?" he asked. The officer, a woman with short, dark brown hair, shrugged.

"About five minutes," she said, then left, shutting the door behind her. Phoenix, shaking his head, settled into a more comfortable position, and waited.

Five minutes later, the door on the other side of the glass divider opened. A young woman with long black hair was ushered inside by another officer, looking at Phoenix with a sad sort of smile on her face. She walked over to the chair on her side of the divider and sat down, her eyes never leaving Phoenix's. The officer took a position in the corner of the room and watched Phoenix suspiciously, recognizing him from past visits.

"Hi, Iris," he said softly, smiling back at her.

"Hello, Feenie," she replied. "I didn't expect to see you." She looked Phoenix up and down, biting her lower lip. "You haven't visited me since last April."

Phoenix knew why she was looking at him this way. The last time he had come here to visit her, he had been wearing his trademark blue suit, red tie, and yellow attorney's badge. Since he had lost his badge, however, he had taken to wearing hoodies, jeans, and a blue beanie that covered his spiky black hair. He had seen no point in continuing to wear his suit, which felt wrong to wear without his badge, but had kept it for nostalgia's sake, and in case the situation ever came up where he needed to wear one.

"I'm sorry," Phoenix apologized. "I've been busy."

"I know," Iris replied, still biting her lip. "I heard about that case."

Phoenix felt the bottom of his stomach drop away. "You don't think I did forge anything, do you?" he asked anxiously.

Iris smiled and shook her head. "No, Feenie. I know you didn't. You're too honest."

There was an awkward silence between them for a moment. Phoenix, deciding to break it, said, "I heard you're getting out soon."

"Next week," Iris confirmed, looking as if she would have preferred if the subject was avoided.

"Good," Phoenix replied with a smile. "Because, I was thinking, after you're released, we could go out for dinner or something."

Iris looked down at the floor. "Um, Feenie?"

"Yeah?"

She continued to look down at the floor as she said, "I've had a lot to think about here, and I've decided to go back to Hazakura Temple."

Phoenix stared at her, feeling as if she had just punched him in the gut. "Huh?"

"I'm not a full nun yet," Iris said, her voice quiet. "I wanted to take the vows, when I was eighteen, but Sister Bikini said to wait until I was older, just in case I fell in love and couldn't back out. I didn't think I ever would, but. . . then I met you, and I didn't want to take them."

"So, why are you taking them now?" Phoenix asked.

"I've committed many sins," Iris began, still not looking up, "and I need to repay all the people I've hurt. Sister Bikini, Valerie, Terry, Godot, Misty, Maya, Pearl, and. . ." Here she looked up into his face before finishing, "you, Feenie."

Phoenix continued to stare at her silently. Iris's eyes began to fill with tears. "I'm sorry, Feenie," she whispered. "I've hurt too many people. I can't keep doing it."

"It's okay," Phoenix lied, still feeling as if someone had punched him. "I suppose one of these vows is a vow of chastity, huh?"

Iris nodded. "I really am sorry," she whispered. "Really. But you have Maya, still."

"What?" Phoenix said, confused at the sudden mention of Maya.

"She's your girlfriend, isn't she?" Iris asked, biting her lip again. "You seem very attached to her.

"No, no," he reassured her, though for some reason, he could not muster the usual amount of conviction when he set someone straight on this matter. "It's not like that between us."

Iris looked confused. "But. . ." she began. The officer checked his watch at that moment and announced, "Time's up."

Phoenix let out a sigh. "I guess this is goodbye, then," he said awkwardly as Iris stood up.

She nodded, gazing into his eyes. "I love you, Feenie," she whispered.

"I love you too," Phoenix replied, watching her back away from the glass divider and follow the officer out into the hallway beyond. He sat there for a moment longer, staring longingly at the door she had just disappeared behind, then stood up and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

—Present Day—

"Phoenix?"

He came out of his reverie at the mention of his name, looking round to see Mia waving a hand in front of his face.

"Sorry," he apologized, getting to his feet. Mia stood up too, looking grave.

"So, I imagine you'll keep looking for Maya," she said, her voice expressionless.

He nodded, taking a deep, nervous breath. Mia smiled at him encouragingly and added, "I'd better return to the next world. Good luck, Phoenix."

"Bye, Mia," he said, a little sadly, watching as Mia walked in the direction of Viola Hall, looking completely out of place in the hotel corridor. When she turned the corner and disappeared from view, he headed for the elevator and pressed the button for the lobby, waiting for the doors to close and the elevator to descend.

He had an idea of where he might find Maya.

O_O Man, I wasn't expecting the chapter to be this long. I was expecting 3k. Guess it never hurts to over achieve, though. :)

I. . . really can't think of anything else to say, besides I'm really looking forward to the next chapter. It's going to be. . . interesting. 8D