Work Text:
Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth sat at his desk, staring at his hands.
The leather of the neat kid gloves creaked as he folded them together.
He was trying very hard not to think about what was underneath the gloves.
What’s happening to me?
A knock at his door startled him out of his thoughts.
“Come in,” he called out.
The door opened to reveal Manfred von Karma standing behind it.
Edgeworth quickly got to his feet, hands at his sides.
“Sir.” Edgeworth swallowed. He hadn’t been expecting anyone for the rest of the day - certainly not him.
von Karma entered the office, wearing a scowl and a glare.
“I certainly hope you have an explanation for what transpired in court today.”
Edgeworth opened his mouth to reply, but von Karma held up a hand.
“No, of course you don’t. You already know that a performance of that caliber is unacceptable from a student of mine.”
Edgeworth bit back any retort he might have had.
von Karma sneered. “Barely out of law school, and already you seem determined to tarnish my name.”
Edgeworth hung his head.
“Don’t think I haven’t forgotten that fiasco with the Fawles trial last year.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I have made numerous sacrifices for you, in hopes that you might succeed. I expect efforts from you that might mach the level of kindness I have shown you over the years.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I hope that in the future, you will not disappoint me. Is that clear?”
Edgeworth nodded. His voice would not come.
von Karma nodded. “I’ll take my leave, then.” He walked out the door, shutting it firmly.
Edgeworth glanced down under his desk.
It had spread past his ankles since von Karma had come in.
Edgeworth wrapped his arms around himself, squeezing his shoulders tightly.
He’s right.
He glanced around his office, with its velvet curtains, ornate books and polished desk.
I don’t deserve any of this. I don’t deserve any of his kindness. It’s not like I’ll ever amount to anything.
And why should I?
After what I’ve done...
Edgeworth squeezed his eyes shut tightly. He could feel himself becoming short of breath.
I have to get out of here. I want to go somewhere far, far away.
He could feel it creeping up his arms now.
No one will miss me.
Edgeworth drew his shoulders closer together, as if trying to make himself small.
This is what I deserve.
He sank to his knees.
I should just...
He inhaled deeply.
dis ap p e a
---
Phoenix usually ate inside, but it was such a nice day today, that he couldn’t help but take his lunch out into the sunshine. It was rare to have a summer afternoon in LA that wasn’t unbearably hot. He’d found a quiet, secluded corner of People Park, where he now sat on a bench, in the shade of a large tree, enjoying the fresh air.
After eating the last bite of his sandwich, Phoenix glanced at his watch. He should start heading back soon. No sense in keeping the chief waiting.
Phoenix was halfway across the courtyard when he smacked into something hard, like the surface of a wall. It knocked him off his feet and sent him onto the ground.
He heard what sounded like a gasp, and the ruffling of feet across grass.
Phoenix glanced up. What had he bumped into? It had felt kind of like a person. Weird. Phoenix hadn’t seen anyone else around. Maybe they were still nearby?
Phoenix got to his feet, dusting himself off and checking for injuries. He glanced around.
“Hello?” he called out. “Is someone there? Sorry if I bumped into you.”
Silence.
“Hello?” he called out a second time.
Phoenix turned his head as the sound of a knock came from behind the tree in the center of the courtyard.
Hmm. Maybe they can’t speak?
“Um, okay. Did you need something?” Phoenix’s eyes widened. “Do you need help?”
Silence. No one came out from behind the tree.
“Knock once for yes, twice for no?”
After a pause, came a small knock.
Phoenix nodded. “Okay. I’ll do what I can. Can you come out?”
Two knocks.
Phoenix frowned. He walked over to the tree and glanced behind it.
No one was there.
“Um...where are you?”
Three raps came from the tree. The sound was right next to him.
Phoenix gazed up and down where someone should have been standing, as realization began to set in.
“Are you...invisible?”
There was a single, heavy, drawn-out knock.
Well, there’s no need to be sarcastic, thought Phoenix. It’s not exactly the first thing you’d think of.
Phoenix rubbed at his chin, weighing his options. They’d never covered this sort of thing in Law School. But he didn’t want to let this person down.
Finally, he nodded, decisively. “I’ll take you to Mia. She’ll know what to do.”
Phoenix hesitated a moment.
“Here, grab onto my wrist,” he said, extending an arm. “That way I won’t lose track of you.”
Phoenix held out his arm in the open air for a moment, when he felt slightly cold fingers clasp tightly around his wrist. He did his best not to flinch.
“Okay. Let’s go.” Phoenix set off to the sidewalk. “Don’t worry, it’s not far.”
---
Phoenix walked slower than he wanted, to ensure he didn’t lose his new companion. The hand held tight and fast to his arm.
A few blocks later, they arrived at a small office building.
“This is where I work,” Phoenix explained. “Well, not work - I’m still in law school. But I’m interning here for the summer.”
He pointed up to the wording over the door, reading Fey and Co. Law Offices.
The hand let go of Phoenix’s wrist. He could hear footsteps walking away.
“No, wait!” Phoenix reached out, but his hand fell on empty air. He called out anyway. “Don’t worry, Mia’s brilliant, and she’s super nice. If anyone can help you, it’s her.”
Phoenix sighed. “Please trust me, okay?”
He looked out into the crowd.
Phoenix frowned. There was no trace of them.
He was just about to turn around when he felt a grip squeezing his wrist again. This time Phoenix did gasp softly.
He turned, in what he hoped was the person’s direction, and smiled.
“Great. Thank you.”
---
Phoenix opened the door to the office to Mia, sitting at her desk. “I’m back, chief.”
“Hello, Phoenix.” Mia smiled, still focused on the papers in front of her. “How was your lunch?”
“Good. Eventful.”
“Eventful?”
Phoenix rubbed the back of his neck. “I, ah, found someone.”
Mia raised her head. “A new client?”
“Sort of.” Phoenix moved aside to let the person inside. “You can go on in.”
Mia stood up, looking in the doorway.
Her eyebrows knitted. “There’s no one there.”
“Yes, there is.”
Mia frowned. “Phoenix, if this is a joke, it’s -”
She paused at the sound of footsteps echoing on the wooden floor of the office. They carried across to the sofa, where one of the cushions sunk down, as if a weight was resting on it.
Phoenix looked at his boss, expectantly.
Mia drew in a breath, then let it out.
“Stay here, both of you. I need to make a phone call.” She quickly retreated into her office, closing the door.
Phoenix turned to the sofa, with a polite smile.
“Don’t worry. She tends to be single-minded when she’s faced with a problem. Not that you’re a problem!” Phoenix quickly corrected himself. “It’s just that you have a problem, and -”
He groaned, putting his face in his hands.
“Let’s start over.” Phoenix straightened, trying to look professional. “I’m Phoenix. Phoenix Wright. What’s your name?”
Silence.
“Can you speak?”
Two knocks sounded from the coffee table.
“No. Okay.”
Phoenix rubbed at his chin, thinking.
“You felt adult-sized when I bumped into you - unless you’re a teenager, though you don’t really seem to have the attitude of one.”
The indentation disappeared from the sofa. Phoenix heard footsteps coming towards him.
“And you haven’t tried to sneak up on me or anything, so you seem like a nice enough guy.”
Phoenix frowned.
“Wait. Are you a guy?”
He held up a finger. “Hold on.” Phoenix reached over to the desk and grabbed a few highlighters, laying them out on the surface.
“Here. You can pick up the blue one if you’re a man, and the pink if you’re a woman.” After a moment, he added a third one. “And the yellow one if you’re non-binary. We try to be all-inclusive here,” he added, with what he hoped was a confident smile.
The blue highlighter lifted up into the air, and then was carefully set down.
“Okay. Good to know. Oh, right!”
Phoenix pushed a piece of paper across the desk.
“What’s your name, by the way? You can write it down.”
The blue highlighter lifted again. The cap dropped, and the nub set against the paper. The highlighter moved, forming an M in elegant script, before stopping in midair, and being capped and dropped.
Phoenix frowned. “M?”
The highlighter stayed where it was.
“Okay, that’s fine,” Phoenix nodded. “I’ll just call you M, then.”
I hope he’s okay with that. I can’t exactly tell...
Mia’s voice carried from behind the office door. “Phoenix? Can you come in here a moment?”
Phoenix turned. “I’ll be right back.”
---
Phoenix stepped inside Mia’s office, feeling oddly reminded of being called to the principal’s office as a child.
He closed the door and sat down.
“Is everything, um, okay?”
Mia raised her head, slowly, from behind folded hands.
“I’ve never told you this, Phoenix,” she said, “but I come from a family of spirit mediums.”
Phoenix’s eyebrows raised. “Spirit mediums?” Of all things he’d expected the Chief to be associated with, it wasn’t that.
Mia nodded. “The women of the Fey family are born with a strong connection to the spirit world. The strongest of us are able to channel the spirits of the dead.”
Phoenix was, honestly, a little bit skeptical. But he trusted the Chief’s judgement.
He looked at her, curiously. “So then...can you...?”
Mia waved a hand. “That doesn’t matter. What’s important right now is our guest in the next room.”
Phoenix glanced at the closed door. “Do you think he’s a...a spirit?”
“I’m not sure.” Mia shook her head. “I was just on the phone with my little sister. I asked her to bring over a book from my village. It has some information that might help.”
I didn’t know she had a sister, thought Phoenix. I guess there’s a lot I don’t know about her yet.
“Tell me, Phoenix.”
Mia’s voice interrupted his thoughts. Her face was stern, but carefully neutral.
“Why did you bring him back here?”
Phoenix looked down at his hands.
“He said he needed help.”
“Help with what?”
“I don’t know.” Phoenix rubbed the back of his neck. “He can’t speak.”
Mia let out a clipped sigh. But then she smiled.
“You did the right thing.”
Phoenix, letting out a breath, smiled back.
---
The indentation in the sofa disappeared as Phoenix reentered the room.
“Mia says you can stay here for the night,” Phoenix said. “You can sleep on the sofa, and I’ll bring out some blankets for you.”
He moved over to Mia’s desk drawer.
“Hang on. I had an idea while I was in there...”
Mia had a drawer full of small toys, for the occasional client who came to the office with small children in tow. Maybe it was still in here...
There. Phoenix pulled out a plastic loop, with a small bell at the end.
“I don’t know if this will fit around your wrist,” Phoenix said, bringing it over to the sofa and holding it out, “But maybe you can wear it, so we can tell where you are?”
Phoenix relaxed his grip and as he felt the toy pulled away from him. It dangled in midair, ringing softly.
M flung the bell across the room.
Phoenix stared at the toy where it had landed on the floor, and then at the sofa where M had been sitting.
“Okay then,” he said softly. “I’ll...I’ll go get those blankets.”
It hit him, just as he was leaving for the night.
He doesn’t want to be seen.
---
Phoenix unlocked the office door the next morning, not quite sure what he would find there.
There was a blanket draped over the sofa with a huddled mass underneath it. It slowly fell away.
“Oh, good, you’re still here. Sorry if I woke you.”
The blanket lifted into the air and began folding itself up neatly.
If he is a spirit, thought Phoenix, he’s a very tidy one.
“The chief will be here soon. She’s picking up her little sister from the train station.”
Phoenix held up a paper bag.
“I brought us some breakfast. You can have some if you want.” If you eat, that is.
Phoenix set the bag down and sat at the chair across from the sofa.
“Listen,” he began, “I’m sorry if I offended you last night. I promise you, we are going to find the best way to help you.”
Phoenix opened the bag, pulling out a croissant.
A bagel lifted from out of the bag, closed around -
Phoenix’s eyes lit up, pausing in mid-chew.
“Hey! You have hands!”
Indeed, their was a free-floating hand holding the bagel. It almost dropped it in surprise. A second hand soon joined it in the air, seeing that it, too, was now visible.
Phoenix cleared his throat. “That’s, uh, that’s great!” Do ghosts have hands?
Phoenix was lifted out of his thoughts by the front door buzzer.
“Just a sec.” He darted out the door to the front entrance.
He opened the door, and Mia entered. She was followed by a younger girl in a yukata with long black hair, a suitcase, and a spring in her step.
“Good morning, Phoenix,” Mia smiled. “Hope we didn’t keep you waiting.”
Phoenix led them up the stairs and into the office. He noticed that some of the baked goods were gone. I guess he does eat, after all.
“Sweet, breakfast!” The girl skipped to the table, grabbing several pastries.
“Maya, we had breakfast at the train station.”
“Come on, Sis, have you ever known me to turn down free food?” The girl spoke through a mouth full of food.
Mia cleared her throat. “So, Maya. Were you able to get the book?”
The girl swallowed, nodding. “I had to sneak it past Aunt Morgan, but I got it!” The girl reached into the suitcase and pulled out a large, weathered looking book.
“Wonderful!” Mia took it from her gently. “Okay, I’m going to look this over. Phoenix, why don’t you make us some tea.”
“Sure, Chief.”
The girl turned towards Phoenix as Mia disappeared into her office. She held out a hand.
“Hi there. I’m Maya Fey, Mia’s little sister.”
Phoenix shook it. “I’m Phoenix. Phoenix Wright. I’m an intern here.”
“Nice to meet you, Phoenix!”
She looked over his shoulder, with a quizzical expression.
“And nice to meet you too, disembodied pair of hands.”
The hands in question balled into fists, and faded from view.
Maya let out a small gasp. “Oh, no, I didn’t mean that! I - I think they’re very nice hands!”
Phoenix rubbed at his forehead. “I’ll go make that tea.”
---
“Okay, all set.” Phoenix poured the pot’s contents into several cups.
“I poured one for you, too, M,” he called out into the room.
“Thanks.” Maya sat down, grabbing a cup and sipping from it.
“So...” Phoenix spoke up. “Where did you say you were from?”
“Kurain village. It’s a few hours from here by train.”
“Are you...a spirit medium, then?”
“Yeah! Well, I’m still in training. But I can do it, sure.”
She says it so casually, thought Phoenix.
“I’m actually training to take over as head of the family one day,” she continued.
“The head?”
Maya nodded. “Mia was supposed to inherit the title, but she left to study law, so I’m probably gonna do it instead.”
She folded her arms behind her head. “We still try to keep in contact. I don’t mind taking over, but I really miss her back home.” Her smile wavered as she spoke.
I wonder why Mia left? Phoenix thought. Knowing her, it must’ve been for a good reason.
Phoenix gave her a small smile. “You seem like a good sister. I bet she misses you a lot, too.”
Maya beamed.
Phoenix noticed a cup lift into the air. Steam drifted across the rim, as if from an unseen wind.
He noticed a pair of hands appear, wrapped around the cup. Phoenix smiled.
“Hey,” Maya whispered, leaning in. “If he drinks it, do you think we’ll get to see it go down inside him?”
Phoenix frowned. “Don’t be rude, Maya.”
---
Mia finally called the two of them back into the office, almost an hour later.
“Any luck?” asked Phoenix.
“I think so.” Mia tapped the surface of the book gently. “My Khurainese was never very good.”
“Well?”
Mia took in a breath.
“He’s not a ghost.”
I kind of figured, thought Phoenix, seeing as he eats and has hands.
“So what is he, then?” asked Maya.
“He’s an ordinary living person.” Mia opened the book in front of her, gently. The spine creaked as she spread it on the table.
“Mystic Ami wrote about people occasionally coming to visit her who had faded from sight. They were often very timid, and always seemed to carry intense sadness within them, to a point where they could not speak.”
“Mystic Ami?” Phoenix piped up.
“Our ancestor,” Maya explained. “She was the founder of our village, and the Kurain Channeling Technique.”
Mia read on. “It says that the condition seems to be a result of how they were treated by others. They felt useless and unwanted, and often came from situations where they did not feel safe.”
Phoenix’s hands tightened as he processed this.
“Are you saying he turned invisible...because he wanted to be?”
“That’s so sad.” Maya almost looked like she was about to cry.
Phoenix glanced down at his still-clenched hands.
“Is there a way to make him visible again?” he asked.
Mia turned the page. “It says to be patient, and listen, and they may find themselves again.”
Maya frowned. “Well, that’s not very helpful.”
Phoenix nodded thoughtfully. “If that’s what she says, then that’s where we’ll start.”
Mia raised her head. “Are you suggesting he stays here?”
“Where else is he going to go?”
Phoenix lowered his voice. “Don’t you think people are going to wonder about a pair of floating hands?”
Mia pursed her lips. Phoenix had the sense that she was trying to seem more stern than she actually felt.
“I suppose he can stay for a while, until he’s back to normal.”
“In that case,” Maya piped up, “Can I stay for a while, too?”
“Maya!”
“Come on!” she whined. “I haven’t been out of the village in so long! And it’s summer, so I won’t miss school.”
Mia sighed, rubbing her forehead.
“You’re not going to let me say no, are you?”
Maya punched the air.
---
Things began to settle into a routine in the office with M and Maya being there. Mia was adamant that they make themselves useful while they were there - organizing files, cleaning, doing research, answering phone calls (in Maya’s case, at least). Phoenix suddenly found his normal workload suddenly cut in half.
This particular afternoon, Phoenix found himself filling out paperwork when he found himself blanking on the particular formalities for tax law in the state of California.
He called over to the bookshelf, where M had been dusting.
“M, could you hand me that book? The big red one, from the shelf?”
As Phoenix turned around, he could see two black shoes, standing on tiptoe, against the bookshelf.
Phoenix gasped softly, before he could stop himself.
The feet shifted, as if turning. They gave a small jolt, and began moving backwards, unable to keep their balance. The feet bumped against the desk, knocking over a photo frame that had been on its surface. It fell to the ground.
“Sorry.” Phoenix moved towards the desk. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
The shoes jumped backward, fading back into nothing.
“It’s okay.” He held up the frame, tapping a finger against it. “It’s plastic, see?”
M gingerly took the photo from him and held it. Phoenix leaned over his shoulder, glancing at it.
“That’s me, when I was younger.” He pointed a finger to the picture. “That’s my friend Larry. I still see him around sometimes. And that’s...” he hesitated. “That’s Miles.”
Phoenix lowered his head, smiling sadly.
“He just left one day, all of the sudden. I never knew why. I sent him letters, but he never wrote back.”
He gave a slight shake of his head.
“He’s a lawyer now, too. A prosecutor. He’s actually the reason I started studying law.” Phoenix rubbed the back of his neck. “Long story.”
M kept holding the photo. After a good moment, he carefully set it back down on the desk. Slowly, he moved back over to the bookshelf.
Phoenix glanced after him.
The feet had come back.
---
Mia groaned, resting her head against the surface of her desk.
Phoenix glanced her way. “The Heiserman case again, chief?”
Mia nodded. “I swear, he’d better be paying double for my services. I barely have anything to work with for the upcoming trial.”
“I thought you said you found a note in the suspect’s things?” Maya piped up.
“I did,” Mia frowned, “but it’s in another language - German, I think.” She rubbed at her forehead. “I can’t read it, and I don’t know anyone who does. Seems like a dead end.”
Phoenix stole a glance at the wrinkled paper on her desk. He couldn’t make heads or tails of it.
The internet was still down, too. And Phoenix’s phone was too old to access it, either. Phoenix let out a groan in sympathy.
M’s feet slowly crept close to the desk. After a moment, he grabbed some paper and a pen, and began writing.
“M?” Phoenix walked over to him. “Did you need something?”
He glanced down at the paper. A string of sentences had been written next to it, in M’s elegant handwriting. There was also an arrow, drawn in the direction of the note.
Phoenix glanced at the note, and his eyes widened.
“M, is this...a translation?”
M knocked once on the desk.
“I didn’t know you spoke German!” Maya’s eyes widened. “That’s so cool!”
“It is,” Mia agreed, smiling warmly. “Thank you, M. You’ve been very helpful. I’m sure the client will be pleased, too.”
M folded his hands on top of each other.
There was a bit more space now, Phoenix noticed, visible at the ankles. The hems of M’s pants were visible.
Phoenix said nothing, but smiled.
---
It was almost six. Phoenix was about done for the day.
He reached his arms over his head, stretching.
“Want me to order us some dinner, M?” he called out to the room. “I’ve got a few takeout menus around here.”
From across the room, M’s hands extended to opposite sides, as if wrapping around something.
Phoenix frowned. “Are you cold?”
As in response, the hands rubbed up and down.
“Yeah, the temperature has been dropping lately, hasn’t it? Probably in for an early fall this year.”
Phoenix grabbed his briefcase from under his chair, rooting around in it.
“Ah! Here we go.”
From the bag, he produced a garish pink sweater with a big red heart on it.
“I keep it in my bag, in case it gets chilly.”
He handed it to M, who tugged it on. A slender, but broad-shouldered frame was visible beneath it, with hands sticking out the arm holes.
M grabbed a bit of the fabric, stretching it, as if examining it.
Phoenix’s mouth turned up in a smile. “Yeah, I know. But it is warm.”
He glanced away.
“My ex made it for me. Her name was Dahlia.”
M’s hand dropped at the name.
Phoenix shivered slightly at the memory.
“Our relationship, uh, didn’t end very well. She...wasn’t a very good person. But she’s in jail now. She can’t hurt anyone else again.”
“Good.”
Phoenix lifted his head.
M had spoken.
His voice was much deeper than Phoenix had expected, but still very soft and quiet.
Phoenix cleared his throat.
“Um...thanks.” He turned. “I’ll go get those menus.”
---
Mia and Maya were out for the day. Phoenix was only there to fill out a bit of paperwork and check in on M.
He popped into the office, glancing around.
The door to the side room where M had been staying was slightly ajar.
Phoenix poked his head in. M was nowhere to be found.
He could hear water running from the bathroom across the room. M must be in the shower.
No problem. He could wait.
Phoenix sat down on the cot. He felt something soft beneath him.
Quickly standing up, Phoenix felt around where he had been sitting. He could make out the shape of neatly folded clothes.
They felt...ruffly. Like silk.
But so thin.
No wonder he’d been cold earlier.
Hmm...
Phoenix began making plans to stop by the mall later that day. Hopefully his wallet would forgive him.
---
It was already dark by the time Phoenix got back to the office.
“M? I bought some extra clothes for you,” he called out. “I figured since my sweater fit you, you must be about my size.”
The door was closed. M must have gone to bed already.
Phoenix stepped forward quietly, planning to place the bag of clothes by the door.
He could hear shuffling within the room, and what sounding like faint whimpering.
“M?” Phoenix approached the door, opening it gingerly.
The blanket was jerking back and forth, violently, with the cot creaking underneath. M’s hands were gripping the pillow tightly.
Phoenix shut the door quietly, at a loss what to do.
M was a very private person, Phoenix knew. He didn’t want to seem intrusive.
He leaned towards the wall separating the two rooms, and knocked.
From the other room, Phoenix heard a gasp, and heavy breathing that slowly evened out.
He gently left the clothes by the door and quietly made his way towards the exit.
Halfway out the office, Phoenix heard what sounded like a stifled sob.
He closed the door, hoping he’d done the right thing.
---
The next morning, M came out of the room wearing the clothes Phoenix had picked out - a red turtleneck and a pair of black slacks.
“Do they fit okay?” Phoenix asked.
“They’re...serviceable.” M shrugged. “Thank you for the trouble.”
He turned to Mia and Maya. “Thank you for letting me stay.”
With the clothes, almost all of M was now visible - all except his head.
Phoenix was vaguely reminded of Hanukkah when he was a kid - a new little present every day.
---
M was sitting on the sofa, playing cards with Maya. His hands kept rising to his head, as if brushing something away.
“Something wrong?”
“My hair’s getting too long,” he muttered. “It keeps falling in my face.”
“Do you want some scissors to cut it?” asked Maya.
M snorted. “I think it would be a bad idea to take a sharp object to a face you couldn’t even see.”
“I have some hair clips if you want to use them,” called Mia from the office.
M considered it. “I...suppose that would be alright. But nothing too garish.”
Mia came back out of her office with a bobby pin. M picked up the barrette and slid it in. It hung in midair.
“Better?”
After a moment, the barrette bobbed up and down.
“Thank you.”
---
Phoenix was sitting on the fire escape, at the end of the day, watching the last traces of light sink into the distance.
The door opened slightly.
“Wright?”
“Hey,” Phoenix smiled. “You can come sit with me, if you want.”
M crept out, settling next to Phoenix with a sigh. He glanced upward.
“The nights are getting colder.”
Phoenix nodded. “Fall’ll be here soon.”
“Your internship ends in September, doesn’t it?” M asked. “Will you be going back to university?”
Phoenix glanced up at the sky. “I’m not sure yet. I wouldn’t mind staying, if the chief asked me. I like it here.”
He smiled.
“And I really do like having you around.”
M grabbed at his arm.
“Don’t worry,” Phoenix said, guessing at what M was thinking. “If I do leave, Mia won’t kick you out. I promise.”
Wherever M had come from, Phoenix imagined that he probably didn’t want to go back.
“How about you?” Phoenix asked. “Have you thought about what you’ll do, when you become fully visible again?”
M let out a sigh.
“You’re so certain that I will?”
Phoenix’s face fell.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s been over a month,” M pointed out. “If I was going to turn back to normal, don’t you think I would have by now?”
He’s blaming himself, Phoenix realized. But it couldn’t be his fault. He’d already recovered so much in so little time.
But he did have a point. Have we been doing this wrong?
“Well...at least you’re not as noticeable now,” Phoenix said, trying desperately to stay on the positive side. “You could probably go out in public now, if you want.”
M snorted. “Without a face?”
Phoenix shrugged. “You could wear a hoodie, or cover yourself with a scarf.”
“That would just look even more conspicuous.”
Phoenix decided to let the subject drop.
“Well, I really hope you do get your face back someday,” He smiled. “I’d love to finally see what you look like.”
M glanced down at his hands, folded in his lap.
“Thank you.”
---
“Phoenix, did you bring up the paper?” Mia called from her office.
“Got it right here.”
“You still get the newspaper?” Maya snorted. “You’re like a pair of old ladies.”
“It’s the most reliable source of information,” Mia shot back.
“And we can’t always pay the internet bill every month.” Phoenix added, opening to the front page.
The main story was about some politician, fighting a scandal. Phoenix ignored it. He skimmed through the headlines, like he always did.
Then he got to one that made his blood run cold.
“Nick?” Maya’s voice sounded far away to his ears. “What’s wrong? You’re white as a sheet.”
Phoenix’s grip slackened on the paper.
“Edgeworth’s missing.”
He crumpled to the sofa, sitting with his head in his hands, the paper falling to the floor.
“Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no.”
Maya stayed where she was, unsure of what to do.
After what felt like a long time, Phoenix felt a hand on his shoulder.
He looked up to M’s barrette looking down at him.
M hesitantly removed his hand.
“Don’t worry,” he murmured. “I’m - I’m sure there are people out looking for him.”
Phoenix wiped at his eyes.
He forced a small smile, nodding.
“Thanks, M.”
M nodded back, and went back to sorting through the rest of the mail.
---
Once Phoenix had calmed down enough, he began to read through the article proper.
Miles Edgeworth, up-and-coming prosecutor, had not been seen or heard from by anyone in almost two months.
Sources indicated that he had last been seen in his office, in discussion with his mentor, Manfred von Karma, who declined to comment.
von Karma? He could’ve sworn he’d heard that name dropped around in school. Phoenix grabbed his laptop and did a quick google search.
He, too, was a prosecuting attorney - an especially renowned one, even called a “god of prosecutors”. Judging by his photo, he didn’t look especially friendly, either. Phoenix silently hoped he’d never have to face him once he became an attorney.
He kept on reading. von Karma had never lost a case - in fact, the only blemish on his record of almost forty years was a single penalty, during a trial defended by one Gregory Edgeworth.
Phoenix’s fingers stilled on the keyboard. He stared at the name on the screen.
He double clicked on it.
Gregory Edgeworth, renowned defense attorney. Phoenix recognized him from the photo. He had met him once or twice, and Miles had spoken about him constantly. According to the article, he had been killed almost ten years ago, by one Yani Yogi, who had pled insanity and been let go. There was no other information in the article.
Edgeworth, his father, von Karma, the bailiff...how were they all connected?
If he could just find out...
Phoenix practically ran to Mia’s office.
--
“Chief!”
Mia looked up, startled by the door slamming open. “Phoenix?”
“Do you have any way of accessing police files?”
“What? Police files?” She stood up, walking over to him. “What are you talking about?”
Phoenix shook his head. “I know it’s a crazy thing to ask, but this is really important. There’s a thing, with Edgeworth’s father, and a murder trial, and - "
“Phoenix, slow down.”
“Please, I -” Phoenix took a deep breath, willing himself to calm down. “I just found out that Edgeworth’s father was murdered, and it was never really solved. I think if I could find out more about that case, I might be able to find him. Do you have any way I could do that?”
Phoenix saw Mia’s eyes widen a bit, but she remained impassive.
He hung his head.
“Please, Chief,” Phoenix’s hands clenched at his sides. “I...I need to know.”
Mia bit at her lip.
Finally, she nodded. She walked over to the door and closed it.
“What I’m about to tell you does not leave this room. Understand?”
Phoenix nodded.
Mia opened a drawer and pulled out a sizable file labeled DL-6.
“You’re not the only one who’s been looking into this case, Phoenix.”
Mia set the file on her desk, papers spilling out as she opened it. She began reading from the page at the top of the file.
“Gregory Edgeworth was found dead in an elevator from a bullet wound ten years ago. The only ones with him at the time were a court bailiff, Yani Yogi, and his son, Miles.”
'“Miles?” Oh, God.
Mia nodded. “A spirit medium was hired by the police to contact Gregory’s spirit and have him testify. The medium was believed to be a sham, and disappeared shortly after. The case was never fully solved.”
Mia paused, shutting her eyes. “That spirit medium was Misty Fey, my mother.”
Phoenix’s mouth dropped open. “Your mother?”
She looked up. “This is the reason I became a lawyer, Phoenix. I thought that if I could find out the truth about this case, I could find out what happened to her.”
So that’s why she left, Phoenix thought. I wonder if Maya knows.
“I’ve been gathering data about this case on my own for years.” She pushed the file towards Phoenix. “Everything I’ve been able to find is in here.”
We both turned to study law because of people related to this case, Phoenix realized, taking the file.
“So where do I start?”
“I’m afraid there aren’t a whole lot of leads.” Mia shook her head. “Yani Yogi disappeared after the verdict was handed out, and the trial’s original defense attorney has been hard to track down, too.”
“What about von Karma?”
Mia frowned. “Manfred von Karma? What about him?”
“He faced Gregory in court, the day he was killed.”
“You think he might have had something to do with it?”
“He does has a motive.”
Mia began to smile, with a glint of determination - and what looked very much like pride - in her eyes.
“Why don’t you show me what else you’ve found?”
---
M rose from the sofa to greet Phoenix as he came out of the room.
“Is something going on?”
Phoenix paused, wondering how much he could tell M.
“Mia was telling me about an unsolved case from several years ago. I’m going to try and look more into it.”
“An unsolved case?”
“Yeah. A murder case, one Edgeworth was involved in.”
M’s hands stilled at his sides.
Phoenix hated to put M’s problems to the side, but he couldn’t stand the thought of Edgeworth in danger.
“I think this might be important. I think it might help me find him.”
Phoenix glanced up at him.
“Will you help me?”
M was grasping at his arm, knuckles white.
“What’s wrong?”
M sucked in a breath.
“You said you’ve been following his career. You know what he’s like now.” M’s voice was quiet. “You still want to help him? Even after what he’s...become?”
M looked away, staring at the floor.
“What if you find him...and he’s not the person you thought he was?”
Phoenix felt his hackles raise, ready to snap at such a question, but then deflated. It was a fair thing to ask.
He let out a sigh, and sat down.
“Remember how I told you I became a lawyer because of him?”
M’s barrette bobbed in a nod.
“When I was in grade school, a student’s lunch money went missing one day. Everyone was convinced that I had done it, even the teacher. I felt so scared and alone...but then Edgeworth stood up for me, and defended me.”
M stayed silent, listening.
“After that, we were always together.” Phoenix smiled. “He was my best friend.”
Phoenix’s hand clenched against the chair.
“I know he wouldn’t do those things unless something was wrong. I’ve seen pictures of him. I know he’s not happy.”
He turned to M.
“He helped me, when I had no one else. So I’m going to do everything I can to help him.”
Phoenix reached out, placing a hand to M’s arm. He didn’t flinch away from it.
“Please...will you help me do that?”
M’s fingers were still clinging tightly to his arm.
“I’ll...I’ll do what I can.”
Phoenix beamed. “Thank you.”
---
M opened the door of the side room.
“Wright?” he called out. “There’s something I have to -”
He looked out. The only one in the room was Mia.
She looked up. “M? Did you need something?”
“Where’s Wright?”
“Phoenix went home for the day. I was just about to pack up myself.” Mia went to grab her coat. “I left some dinner out for you.”
M’s shoulders sagged.
“Is there something on your mind?”
“Why are you doing all of this?”
Mia stopped in her tracks.
“All of what?”
“This.” M gestured to the room, and himself. “You take in a stranger, one you can’t even see, and let him stay with no questions asked.”
Mia paused.
“We take on all sorts of clients here.”
“You have no way of knowing that I’ll pay you back.”
Mia shrugged. “We work pro bono. Wouldn’t be the first time.”
“Why?” he asked again.
“We’re defense attorneys. It’s our job to help people. Especially if they have nowhere else to turn.”
“You believe in your clients?” he asked coldly.
“Yes,” Mia said. “I do.”
M looked down at his feet.
“And Wright?”
“He’s not a lawyer just yet, but I think he does, too. But honestly?” Mia shrugged. “That’s just the kind of person he is.”
M folded his arms, shuffling on his feet.
“I suppose I should thank you, then.”
He turned to move.
“You’re welcome.”
She paused.
“...Edgeworth.”
He froze. Slowly, he turned to face her.
“How did you...?”
Mia smiled. “I had my suspicions, but once you started talking, it confirmed it.”
His shoulders sagged.
“Of course,” he said bitterly. “Of course you knew.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t say a word to anyone.” She smiled again, brushing her hair out of her face. “Client confidentiality.”
Edgeworth looked at his feet again.
“And you still let me stay?”
She shrugged. “Phoenix wanted you to.”
Her smile faded.
“Edgeworth,” she asked gently, “Why don’t you tell him?”
Edgeworth glanced away, grabbing at his arm.
“I...I can’t.” He shook his head. “I can’t let him see me...like this.”
“So you’d rather he didn’t see you at all?”
He turned away sharply.
“I am not having this conversation with you.” He began walking away. “Good night, Miss Fey.”
---
“Why did you call me back here, Phoenix?” Mia asked. “It’s late.”
“I know, but it’s important.” Phoenix was waving his hands as the two of them walked to the office door. He tapped the folder. “There was only one bullet found at the scene, but the police report says that the gun was fired twice. That’s got to mean something.”
Mia nodded thoughtfully. “Let’s just make it quick. Maya’s waiting for me at home.”
Phoenix opened the door and entered the dark office. He turned on a nearby table lamp.
“M?” he called out to the dimly lit office. “I think I’ve got something.”
The room was silent. Was M already asleep?
Phoenix continued. “I’ve been going over the file. There’s something I wanted to talk to you and the chief about.”
The door shut behind them, plunging the room into deeper darkness. There was a silhouette in front of the door, blocking Phoenix and Mia’s exit.
A deep, unfamiliar voice came from the darkness.
“You’ve been poking your nose in entirely the wrong places.”
Phoenix froze.
The figure stepped into the light, revealing the glaring face of Manfred von Karma.
“What..?” Mia whispered, starting to back away. “How -?"
“I have eyes everywhere, the police station included.” He stepped across the room, the sound of his cane clacking on the floor. “My sources directed me to this office.”
Phoenix kept close to Mia’s side. von Karma continued.
“You visited the station just yesterday, did you not? You requested to view the DL-6 file, along with my own.”
von Karma raised an eyebrow.
“Are you trying to link me to a crime, Miss Fey? Just the sort of underhanded trick I would expect from a filthy defense attorney.”
von Karma pulled something from behind his back. It sparked brightly in the darkness.
“I will not tolerate such an insult against me.”
He stepped forward, the taser held out in front of him. Mia, now backed against the wall, raised her arms over her head, shutting her eyes.
Phoenix jumped in front of her, spread out his arms, shielding Mia.
“You’re not going to touch her,” he said, unable to keep the tremor out of his voice.
von Karma frowned. “And just who are you?”
Phoenix stared directly into his eyes. “I’m an intern. My name is Phoenix Wright.”
“I don’t care what your name is,” von Karma sneered, sliding the dial on the taser upwards. “You’re in my way.”
“What’s going on?”
Phoenix turned his head. The door to the side room was now open, and M was standing there, frozen in place.
von Karma stared at him. Then he laughed, a low, cruel sound.
“What a surprise. I come looking for Mia Fey, and I find him instead.”
M’s hands clenched, shaking.
“It makes sense that I would find you here.” von Karma sneered, approaching M. “And here I thought you vanished of the face of the earth...though, it seems I wasn’t entirely wrong.”
The tips of M’s trembling fingers were becoming hard to see.
I can’t fight him, Phoenix thought. I have to distract him.
“It seems fate has led me here,” von Karma murmured. “Just like that day...”
“Manfred von Karma!”
von Karma turned at the sound of Phoenix’s voice.
Might as well get some answers out of him.
“Where were you after your final trial against Gregory Edgeworth?”
“What a pointless question,” von Karma scoffed, raising his hands in the air. “You think I had anything to do with this?”
“If you didn’t, then you have nothing to hide, right?”
After a moment, von Karma shrugged.
“Very well, then. After the trial, I gathered my things, and then I went home.”
“Did you take the elevator?” Phoenix asked.
“I tried to, but I ended up taking the stairs when I saw it was...otherwise occupied.”
“You didn’t try to open it?”
“I heard a gunshot and I left, fearing for my safety.”
“Just one?” Mia spoke up now. “The report said the gun was fired twice.”
“What does that matter?” von Karma shrugged. “The second bullet was never found.”
Phoenix paused.
“How...how did you know about that?”
von Karma frowned, clutching suddenly at his shoulder.
A sudden, wild, and terrible thought occurred to Phoenix.
“What if...” he said slowly. “...the second bullet shot you?”
“The bullet hole...”
M was speaking now, in a whisper.
“It was made from the outside. Your bad shoulder...”
M stood in place, still as the grave. Slowly, he raised his head to face von Karma.
“It was you.” His hands were balled into fists. “You were the one who shot him.”
von Karma grit his teeth, glancing at M, and then at Phoenix. Then he relaxed, and smiled once again.
“You have no evidence. No one’s going to believe you.” His smile faded. “Still, just to be sure...”
von Karma raised the setting on the taser as high as it would go. The sound of the electric pulse crackled in the air. He lunged for Phoenix and Mia.
Hesitantly, M took a step forward.
Then another.
Then he was practically running towards von Karma. He grabbed a small lamp from off the desk.
von Karma raised the taser, holding it like a knife ready to plunge.
“Get away from them!”
von Karma turned to M swinging the lamp directly at his head. It shattered upon impact, and von Karma crumpled to the ground.
The other three figures stayed still, all of them in shock.
Phoenix carefully crept over to von Karma’s prone form. He placed two fingers to the jugular, where he felt a pulse. Just knocked out.
He turned to M, who was panting with exertion.
Phoenix stared at him, wonderingly.
“M,” Phoenix murmured. “Were you...?”
Mia spoke up just then, interrupting him.
“I just called the police,” she said, cell phone in hand. “They’re on their way.”
---
After what seemed like an eternity, Phoenix managed to break away from police questioning outside, and return to the office.
“M?” Phoenix called out as he opened the door. “von Karma’s in jail now. Mia says he’s been charged for breaking and entry, and for attempted assault. She’s talking to them down at the precinct, and it looks like they’ve got enough evidence to look into charging him with Gregory’s murder, too.”
M was standing in the center of the room, his arms wrapped around himself, hands gripping his arms tightly.
“M?” Phoenix circled around to face him. “Are you okay?”
“It was him.” His voice was quiet, almost as soft as it had been when Phoenix had first heard him speak. “All this time, it was him.”
“M..”
He kept speaking, as if he hadn’t heard Phoenix at all.
“All those times he told me I was useless, that I was never good enough...It was never because of me. It was because of my father.”
Phoenix had his hands raised, as if to reach out to M, but kept them where they were, letting M continue.
“It wasn’t enough to kill him. He wanted me to suffer, too. To mold me into something my father would have hated.”
M’s shoulders rose and fell with heavy breaths. Tears began falling down unseen cheeks.
“I was just a child. I hadn’t done anything to him. And he took everything from me.”
M was bent over at the waist, curling tight into himself.
“All these years... the nightmares, the guilt, hating myself, second-guessing...”
He took in a deep, shuddering breath.
“IT WASN’T MY FAULT!”
Like glass being shattered, a shock of silver hair fell into view as M shouted. His bangs fell forward, obscuring his face.
Phoenix’s mouth fell open.
Slowly, M lifted his head, his hair falling to the side of his face. His eyes were red-rimmed from tears, but were still the same soft shade of grey as Phoenix remembered. They stared back at him.
Phoenix’s lip trembled.
“Miles.”
Miles’s hands lifted to touch his face, his own mouth falling open.
“I’m...” he whispered. “I’m back?”
And then Phoenix dove forward, pulling him into a tight hug.
“Yeah,” he whispered. “You’re back.”
Phoenix could feel himself smiling, even through his own tears.
“I knew it was you.”
Miles stayed frozen, his arms tensed in midair. He finally spoke, quietly, muffled against Phoenix’s chest.
“You...knew?”
“I had a hunch. But you weren’t ready to tell me yet, either way.”
Miles exhaled, relaxing in Phoenix’s hold.
“Why...why did I turn back now?” Miles met his gaze. “Was it because...you found out the truth?”
“I don’t think so,” Phoenix murmured. “I think it was more that you called him out on it.” He smiled again, going in for another hug. “You did it yourself.”
You’re stronger than you realize, Miles.
Slowly, Miles’s arms wrapped around Phoenix in turn.
---
Miles had been in his room for a while, conversing with someone on the phone in German.
They’d all been keeping a close eye on him all week - just because Miles was back to normal didn’t mean he wasn’t still hurting.
He wasn’t the only one. Phoenix could tell Mia was disappointed, having solved the case with still no trace of her mother. But she hid it well, for everyone’s sake. (She’d held on to her file, just in case.)
Finally, Miles stepped out.
“Who was that?” Phoenix asked.
“My sister.”
Phoenix’s eyes widened. “You have a sister?”
“She’s von Karma’s daughter,” Miles explained. “But she’s my sister.”
Phoenix didn’t quite understand, but nodded anyway. “What did she say to you?”
“She asked me when I would be coming back to Germany, to the von Karma estate.”
Of course. He wouldn’t need to stay here, now that he was visible again...
“What did you tell her?”
“I told her I wouldn’t be coming back.”
Phoenix raised his head, staring at him.
“You’re...not?”
Miles shook his head. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. I don’t want to go back there. Maybe someday, now that he’s gone...” Miles trailed off. “But not yet.”
He glanced up, his jaw steeled.
“Right now...I want to do as much good as I can with the path I’ve chosen. And I think I’ll be able to do that best surrounded by people I know I can trust.”
Miles walked over to the window, glancing out onto the city.
“I’m...I’m happy here. I...want to hold on to that happiness.”
He turned to Phoenix, as if only now remembering his presence.
“I want to stay visible.”
Phoenix’s face lit up with a smile that grew bigger and bigger.
“So... you’ll stay here?”
“Not in this office, no.” Miles glanced around. “I do have some standards.”
Phoenix snorted.
“But...I am looking to settle a permanent residence in Los Angeles, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“That’s great.” Phoenix shuffled on his feet. “I’m...I’m really happy for you.”
Miles paused for a moment, as if considering something.
“Wright.”
He strode across the room, closer to Phoenix.
“I wanted to say...”
He blinked heavily, meeting Phoenix’s eyes.
“Thank you...” He smiled. “Thank you for never giving up on me.”
Now it was Phoenix’s turn to look away. He started fidgeting with the edge of his shirt.
Miles frowned. “What is it?”
If you can be brave, then so can I.
Phoenix drew a breath.
“Would you...maybe...like to go get dinner sometime?”
Miles blinked. Then he gave a small smile.
“I...I think I would.”