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Description
Franziska looked out the window of the ambulance as the windows of local buildings gave proof to how bad the storm had been. Despite the clouds that still hung threateningly in the sky, people had begun to emerge from their hideouts. She sighed as she looked at Phoenix's unconscious form, she had never told him, had she? How she loved him back. She bit her lip, how could she tell him? Without him either being crazy by the pain killers, or without him sighing and taking back what he'd said. She shivered weakly as the medics sat nearby, their eyes trained on her. Not because she was injured, but because she was found with a man who had been shot. She closed her eyes and quietly tried to settle her thoughts, only to have them fly out of her control and in that moment the one unbelievable truth exposed itself. She was desperately in love with Phoenix Wright.

As they unloaded Phoenix off the back on the ambulance, Franziska walked quietly behind. Feeling as if she were in a funeral march, she began to fight back the painful tears that threatened to overwhelm her, she stayed sitting near Phoenix in his room until the nurses finally accepted she'd be staying there. Phoenix was still out of it, and Franziska could hardly keep herself from sobbing until the pressure broke her.

      She had to leave, before Miles decided to look in the hospital for her and find her in this condition. Slowly she stood and walked over to Phoenix's bedside; she leaned over and kissed his forehead before whispering quietly, "Ich liebe dich, Phoenix Wright."  She then stood up and, while trying to keep her composure she walked out the door to go back to her home on the other side of town.
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The snow had already begun to melt, slowly but surely. True, it wasn't going to be melted for a small while, but it was almost all anyone could talk about. The snow storm had wiped out most of the area, causing massive land slides and the edge of the ocean itself froze over. At least, that's what the radio warnings were telling Franziska. As she the car pulled into the driveway she felt her heart skip, Edgeworth's car was in front of the garage. This meeting would not end well.

She quietly climbed out of her car and shut the door, emphasizing each step on the concrete. Keeping at a slow pace, knowing very well what lay at the end of the pavement. She opened the door into the house and sighed, before placing her whip on a small table next to the door. Miles Edgeworth sat in the doorway to the foyer; his eyes had an almost evil quality to them. He sighed darkly and stood silently, treading over to the stairwell so she couldn't run.

             "You know, I can't help but wonder what happened in that courthouse when you and Phoenix were alone." His voice was soft, but held a deep horrifying chill to it.

"You and everyone else," Franziska countered. "Just because my father adopted you into our family doesn't give you the right or the ability to lord over me and my personal life." She went to go up the stairs, only to be grabbed by her arm.

                Edgeworth looked into her eyes, "Franziska, you need to tell me what happened."

       "Why? Why on earth should I tell you anything, it's my business and mine alone. After all, the American Law states that I have a freedom of speech, if I want to tell you something I can tell you. If I want to stay quiet on the matter, I can." She pulled away from him and ran up the stairs, Edgeworth grabbed her arm pulling back her sleeves only enough for him to notice the rope burns.

     "Franziska, what are those on your wrists?"

    Franziska froze and stared at her arms, "It's not what you think--" Edgeworth swiftly cut her off.

    "Did he do that to you!?" He yelled

     "No, he didn't, he stopped it from being any worse!" Edgeworth could see Franziska was not backing down without a fight, and snarled in disgust before walking away.

     "I don't even know why you protect him, he's a self-righteous bastard who doesn't give a damn about anyone else!" he yelled as he disappeared into the kitchen.

     "You're worse than he is!" she snapped back as she quietly walked up the stairs to her room. Her thoughts jumbled in anger, she flicked on the lights in her room and the snarl she'd been holding back was let out. Her belongings had been packed up and only her dresser and bed had anything still out on them, her bed held old sheets. Obviously the ones she liked had been packed, and her dresser held pictures from her college years.

        The college, she remembered, was where she had actually had friends. She didn't have to bribe anyone to fit in, and no one yelled at her if she moved slightly out of line. They laughed together at how ridiculous their lives were. They were always there when they needed to be.

      Franziska sighed and collapsed on her bed, the top sheet kicked up dust, making her sniffle, she hated allergies. She snarled again. This was her punishment, her punishment for lying, then again her whole life was a lie; after all, she was a Prosecutor. She should be proud. However, all she felt was the terrible chill in her heart that said, 'this isn't right.'

     She fought back the tears and turned over onto her back. She got up; she locked her door and walked over to the nearest box that held clothes. She ripped it open and packed as many as she could into a duffle bug. She didn't dare make a noise as she did so, her anger rising with each handful of clothing she haphazardly stuffed into the bag. Her mothers and fathers' voices echoed loudly in her mind, telling her to fold the clothes. Her anger pushed the voices away, and another one replaced it. 'You're twenty years old Franziska, you need to stop walking in someone else's shoes and start your own path.'

     She froze. She didn't even breathe, the duffle bag fell from her hands and she fell to her knees. This is what she was reduced to, running away like a schoolchild, wandering the city until se could find some decent place to stay. She shook her head and looked closely and angrily at the duffle bag. Some of its contents were half spilled on the floor.

    She stood up, picked up the duffle bag again and stuffed the clothes that'd been hanging out back in. She then walked to her closet where an old cloak hung, dusty and unused. She hung it around her shoulders and walked to the door, she looked one last time around her room before switching off the light and walking as quietly as she could down the stairs.

     She stopped at the entryway, on one side of the door was the table with her keys, the other table held her whip, "Going somewhere?"

     "That'd be none of your business, Miles Edgeworth."

     "I could make it my business. You've probably wondered why half of your things were packed away."

     "Yes I have actually, and I'd suggest explaining yourself." She didn't see the smile steadily growing on Edgeworth's face.

     "It's because you're going back to Germany, I've told the press you wish to extend your skills in prosecution."

      " What's the real reason?" Franziska asked, knowing the 'education' talk was a lie.

     "You remember what your 'papa' said? When you were five? You were promised to someone. Even with him gone, I expect you to honor his wishes. You'll be back here by 10 pm, and you will not be late. We'll be leaving as soon as you get back."

        Franziska fought back the anger and hatred that threatened to overcome her and merely nodded, Edgeworth left the room and without a second thought she grabbed her keys and walked for the front door, she froze however with her hand on the door knob. She glanced back at the whip and snarled, terrifying thoughts of her past resurfaced and without another thought she opened the door and ran outside, disappearing into the quickly falling night.

     She drove through the city, her mind in a haze of disorder. She absentmindedly parked in a parallel parking zone and got out of the car, she grabbed the duffle bag and walked into the building.
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     The door Franziska stood in front of, 'Phoenix Wright: Attorney at Law' the plaque read in a simple black font on a cheap bronze backing, pasted to the glass. How stupid was it that she feared what lay behind that door? Was it simply nerves, or was it realization that this whole thing was a mistake? She slowly reached out and grabbed the handle, but instead of cold heartless metal, the knob was well worn. Not only by sunlight, but by usage. Despite the dark freezing hour, the small metal was still warm. She turned the knob and, slowly but surely, opened the door.

      "Hello?" she called out, afraid of whom would answer, but only the still silence greeted her. She flicked on a light and closed the door behind her. The rooms were all empty, devoid of any sign of life. The main entranceway was clean enough, a small vase bursting with flowers sat on a small table, with a stack of magazines and articles down on a lower shelf.

     The kitchen area, however, was trashed, an empty pizza box lay on the counter, and the rest of the countertop was littered with plates and cups and various utensils. Somehow all the plates and utensils seemed to have  been wiped clean.

     Franziska winced upon looking inside the first bedroom. Obviously this was Mayas room, it was bright, pink, and above all, it was messy. Articles of clothing lay scattered about the room as if a miniature tornado had thrown them around.  Despite the bright cheerfulness the room seemed to toss out, it had an air of seriousness. As if it had once been an office.

     The second bedroom held a much more adult air about it. It was also littered with small artifacts from the Kurain village. This was most likely Pearl's room. The air of seriousness was masking, as if hiding whatever lay inside. Franziska didn't dare enter; after all, the young girl still had a nasty grudge on her.

    Franziska stared quietly, the last room was gentle, soft even. Normal bedding, normal everything. The only thing that stuck out was how clean it was. No clothing stuck out of the dresser drawers. No stray hanger waiting for a lost coat. No sign at all of any misuse. Maybe Phoenix was tired of the unsightly mess in Maya's room?

     Carefully placing her bag in the corner, Franziska didn't dare touch the bed, or anything else. She felt safe here, in this clean little room, why should she mess it up for her own gain? She sighed as she lay her head on her bag, though darkness was barely falling, exhaustion pressed down on her, and sleep soon enclosed her in a tight little bubble.
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     Franziska awoke with a start. Rain was pouring heavily outside and lightning and thunder accompanied it. She sighed painfully and looked around, her first thought was the power had gone out, and this being a residential neighborhood, there would be no back-up power.

     Lightning flashed by the window, lighting the room for a split second. She could've screamed, shadows were thrown along the wall haphazardly, small and large shadowy demons were seen reaching for Franziska's hand. She grabbed the cloak and ran out the door, gasping in fear.

     She ran with importance down the street, although she was scared, she did very well at masking it. She stopped at the corner near the hospital and sighed gently, listening to the rain pound mercilessly against her cloak. She bowed her head as the cars passed waiting for the crossing sign to change. The second it did she ran across the intersection as fast as her feet would allow. But she slowed down the second she got near the hospital doors.

     She slowly entered the hospital, but she didn't dare take off her cloak. No one looked at her, no one even noticed her enter the room where Phoenix Wright was. She sighed gently and closed the door behind her waiting for him to wake up.

     Her talk with Phoenix had been successful; she'd been able to tell him the truth. Not the whole truth, but at least he knew where she was and what was going on. She could only pray that nothing would happen to him in the next few weeks.

     She walked down the street carefully, always glancing over her back. Yet, every time she looked, only darkness greeted her. Fear clutched at the very center of her mind, she walked into Phoenix's room without thinking, turned off the lights and lay down, using her bag as a pillow.
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     The darkness was blinding, but coupled with the strange house she was in, it was mortifying. No light, not even street lights or lightning, just pure, pitch black. Franziska felt blind. Like only her heart was leading her. She could feel the painful burning of fire behind her but in front of her, only a small path. Almost invisible, it blended with the dark, and swirled lightly around it, as if trying to comfort the scared prosecutor, but no comfort came to her.

      She sat up and opened her eyes; the darkness was broken only by a lone street lamp outside the window.  Ice was building on the small window's edges.  Franziska shivered, she hated it here. She hated everything about it. The world she was in felt so alien, it was breaking apart her carefully constructed mask. Her fear, her pain, all unraveled for the world to see. Nothing to hold her back when a mistake was about to be made, no one to tell her no, no one to guide her.

      She sighed gently and got up, she'd been feeling this for a small while now, and it terrified her, to the point of screaming. She walked down the hall, fighting back the dangerously slipping tears that threatened to spill over. She flicked on the light to the kitchen, after processing the damage she had cleaned it up till it was spotless, now that she looked at it, it felt even emptier than the other rooms.  She sighed and grabbed her cloak. Maybe a walk would clear her mind?

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      She stood in front of the hospital doors, her knees shaking. She felt like a thief on her first run. What was she thinking? She wasn't safe here, she was sure Edgeworth had sent a search party after her. And yet in the soft glow of the hospital lights she felt safe. She felt as if she could not be touched. She shook her head to help bring her back to her senses; she then turned on her heel and ran.

      Franziska walked into the apartment again, her head spinning wildly in a whirlwind of emotions. She looked quietly to her left and stared, how had she missed the entertainment area? She flicked on the light, which buzzed haphazardly above the small room. A 26" television sat in the corner, and a small DVD player lay on top of it.  Small piles of DVDs were scattered across the floor, each pile looked like it was about to collapse. She walked over a looked at some of the DVDs, most were labeled with names of famous movies and had 'Maya' written across them in bold black lettering.
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       A few DVDs, however, looked like custom made DVDs.  Many labeled with random things like 'Snow is evil', 'Maya loves rain', and 'Pearl hates wind'. Franziska smiled at these titles and began sifting through the custom DVDs, she froze however when her eyes landed on one labeled 'Wright vs. Edgeworth: Courtroom 3'. She carefully placed the DVDs she'd been skimming through on the floor and picked it up, another DVD lay beneath it labeled 'Wright vs. von Karma: Courtroom 1'.  She knew Courtroom 1 all too well. It was where the trial against Matt Engarde had happened. It was also where she had been tied up. She shook her head to drive away the last memory of it.

         Franziska bit her lip, almost in fear. Yes, her father had sold her out, but would he really dirty his hands with someone else's blood over something as small as a penalty? With a shaky hand she turned on the DVD player and placed the DVD inside, she turned on the TV and pressed play on the DVD player. She then watched as her fathers last trial unfolded.

          As each scream of 'Objection!' that came from the small screen fell into Franziska's ears, she began believing her father less and less; and Phoenix more and more. Then finally, when the metal detector reacted to his right shoulder, she sighed. If it was in relief or acceptance, she didn't know. All she did know was, this was her father's legacy, brought down by a rookie attorney and burned alive for all to see. Just as the final verdict was handed down, Franziska felt her eyes grow heavy, turned off the TV and DVD player, walked to Phoenix's room and collapsed to the floor where her bag was. Sleep came as quickly as ever, burying her in the truth hidden behind the horrible, deadly lies her father had lay before her in a path of nothing more than pain and deceit.
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        It had been days since she had begun living in Phoenix's current residence, but it felt like an eternity had passed since those horrifying times in the courthouse. It became a ritual, Franziska would awaken, praying she wouldn't be caught, she watched every step she took, knowing her whip had been left at home. She'd begun wearing the clothes in the duffle bag; at least they were outfits that hid her identity better than the shabby old cloak she'd once been using.  Needles to say she worried about what to do about her living conditions and how to deal with Edgeworth. She had not taken into account that Pearl fey would find her here.

        When Pearl had found out about Franziska hiding in Phoenix's flat she seemed rather miffed at first, but when Franziska was finally able to tell her all that had happened and how her judgment had been clouded by her determination to live up to the Von Karma name, things seemed a little less tense than before, though Pearl was still a little on edge about Franziska living there in general.

         Franziska sighed; she'd been living here in Phoenix's apartment for too long. Even though it'd barely been a week, she knew she had to face Edgeworth sooner or later. Since she had left her home a city-wide search had started. The police had been covering every alleyway, every cubicle, and every condominium. It'd been going on for about two days when Franziska had seen herself on local news for being spotted walking towards the hospital in the cloak; it was then that she had changed her wardrobe.
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         Franziska walked quietly out of the building, the snow had melted considerably, but ice layered every sidewalk, street and even the buildings themselves had thin layers of ice buildup. She shivered as the cold permeated her skin and practically encased her bones. She continued walking, unaware of the people around her, but alert of any lurking danger.

         The hospital was busy as ever with victims of landslides, collapsing structures that had been weakened by the storm and many dying of hunger, fatigue, and thirst, it was no wonder. The hospital staff was fully occupied, tending to patients as they rushed in by the fistful, many with nasty looking injuries and many complaining of their weariness. Franziska did her best to ignore them all, both patient and doctor.

         She snuck into Phoenix's room with a worried air about her. She felt so uneasy about this sneaking around, it just wasn't her style. She turned around and choked back a gasp, Phoenix was gone, no trace was left that he had even occupied the room, the bed was made and ready for a new occupant and all of his clothes and things were missing.

         Franziska did her best not to let her panic show as she emerged from the room and approached the nurse's desk, the nurse sitting behind the barrier seemed tired, as though trying to recover from a long all-nighter or work.

         "Excuse me?" Franziska asked in a way she hoped sounded different than how she normally sounded, "I'm looking for a friend of mine I heard was here and his name is Phoenix Wright." The nurse nodded and quietly began looking through the computer's data.

     "It says here a Mr. Phoenix Wright was released this morning ma'am." The nurse said with an air that said she didn't really care about the matter.

      Franziska hid her relief as she responded curtly, "Thank you."

     Franziska walked quietly from the hospital; her heart pounding weakly. She slid slightly on the ice with each step as she hurried to his Office. Each step felt more and more slippery than the last. When she finally reached the door she had to hold on to the handle desperately for balance.
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    The room itself was quiet, despite having more than one person in it. Phoenix lay across the couch; asleep, dark circles lay under his eyes. He looked as though he hadn't slept well in the past few night of hospitalization. In fact, he looked more tired than when they had first taken him in.

     Franziska sat down nearby, hoping not to wake him. Despite how quiet she'd been however, his eyes slowly opened.

     "Hello." He said gently, obviously trying not to startle her. It didn't work. In her shock she'd almost fallen from the chair, much to Phoenix's amusement. He smiled as she got up and dusted herself off. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

     "I wasn't scared, Phoenix Wright, you simply caught me off guard." She replied.

     "There's a difference?" He quipped light heartedly. Franziska rolled her eyes as he asked, "So what happened, I thought we agreed that you only call me Phoenix from now on?"

     "I'm so used to calling you by your full name that it's hard for me to talk to you in a casual way." She glared as he laughed.

       "I thought you'd be used to talking on a first name basis since we were talking like that back in the courthouse." She smiled sadly at him.

    "I'm afraid calling you by your full name after a few years can't be changed by a few days of 'first name basis'." Phoenix frowned at this, he'd been hoping for Franziska to lighten up, but she was as guarded as ever.

    "Did Edgeworth get another lead to your whereabouts?"

    "Not yet, there have been some times when I was spotted but other than that, no one knows." Phoenix nodded.

"Then we need to sort this out." He said gently.
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     The next few days did not bode well, more and more reports flooded in, not only of casualties but of rumors. The rumors had simply said 'Find Phoenix Wright and you'll find Franziska von Karma.' Needless to say the city-wide man-hunt grew after reports of rewards began spreading. This made the whole ordeal much harder to deal with than Phoenix had expected.

     Franziska sat on the couch, her head leaning against the wall behind her, Phoenix sat at his desk, papers scattered across the surface in a manner that bespoke anger and frustration. The two of them had been up all through the night looking up things that would help Franziska get Edgeworth out of her hair. But unfortunately, no solution to the problem presented itself.

       After a small while both Phoenix and Franziska finally came to the conclusion that the only way out was for Franziska to either turn herself in (which neither of them were very enthused about) or for her to move to another town (it had taken Phoenix days to convince Franziska that'd she'd be safe in doing so).

     Franziska sighed, tossing another file onto the desk. Phoenix glared at the piling paperwork. Neither could voice their opinions, words didn't seem enough to describe it. All that could be done was the reading of different papers and the exchange of ideas.
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    Franziska glared at the house she had once called home. It looked a lot darker and more evil than nice now that she thought about it. Ivy had taken over the wall, and due to the winter storms' chill, the leaves were dead giving an unsightly, almost haunted look to the magnificent building.  Where large lush rose bushes had once lined the path to the door only decaying bushes devoid of leaves remained. The grass had turned a sickly brown and a few of the shingle had been ripped from their housing and strewn across the lawn.

     "To think I liked living here," she whispered more to herself than to Phoenix who sat in the passenger side of the car glaring darkly at the house.

      "To think I wondered who lived here." He retorted slyly, "Only now does the house reflect the person living inside." He watched as Franziska bit her lower lip and nodded.

      They both got out of the car and walked up the icy pathway, cautious of the thorn bushes that had once held rose blossoms. The house looked more decayed than ever up close, but it was not surprising after the storm had left the stranded. Franziska drew her breath painfully as Phoenix, weary and unnerved, knocked twice with the doors once golden/ bronze knocker.

Description
Franziska looked out the window of the ambulance as the windows of local buildings gave proof to how bad the storm had been. Despite the clouds that still hung threateningly in the sky, people had begun to emerge from their hideouts. She sighed as she looked at Phoenix's unconscious form, she had never told him, had she? How she loved him back. She bit her lip, how could she tell him? Without him either being crazy by the pain killers, or without him sighing and taking back what he'd said. She shivered weakly as the medics sat nearby, their eyes trained on her. Not because she was injured, but because she was found with a man who had been shot. She closed her eyes and quietly tried to settle her thoughts, only to have them fly out of her control and in that moment the one unbelievable truth exposed itself. She was desperately in love with Phoenix Wright.

As they unloaded Phoenix off the back on the ambulance, Franziska walked quietly behind. Feeling as if she were in a funeral march, she began to fight back the painful tears that threatened to overwhelm her, she stayed sitting near Phoenix in his room until the nurses finally accepted she'd be staying there. Phoenix was still out of it, and Franziska could hardly keep herself from sobbing until the pressure broke her.

      She had to leave, before Miles decided to look in the hospital for her and find her in this condition. Slowly she stood and walked over to Phoenix's bedside; she leaned over and kissed his forehead before whispering quietly, "Ich liebe dich, Phoenix Wright."  She then stood up and, while trying to keep her composure she walked out the door to go back to her home on the other side of town.
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The snow had already begun to melt, slowly but surely. True, it wasn't going to be melted for a small while, but it was almost all anyone could talk about. The snow storm had wiped out most of the area, causing massive land slides and the edge of the ocean itself froze over. At least, that's what the radio warnings were telling Franziska. As she the car pulled into the driveway she felt her heart skip, Edgeworth's car was in front of the garage. This meeting would not end well.

She quietly climbed out of her car and shut the door, emphasizing each step on the concrete. Keeping at a slow pace, knowing very well what lay at the end of the pavement. She opened the door into the house and sighed, before placing her whip on a small table next to the door. Miles Edgeworth sat in the doorway to the foyer; his eyes had an almost evil quality to them. He sighed darkly and stood silently, treading over to the stairwell so she couldn't run.

             "You know, I can't help but wonder what happened in that courthouse when you and Phoenix were alone." His voice was soft, but held a deep horrifying chill to it.

"You and everyone else," Franziska countered. "Just because my father adopted you into our family doesn't give you the right or the ability to lord over me and my personal life." She went to go up the stairs, only to be grabbed by her arm.

                Edgeworth looked into her eyes, "Franziska, you need to tell me what happened."

       "Why? Why on earth should I tell you anything, it's my business and mine alone. After all, the American Law states that I have a freedom of speech, if I want to tell you something I can tell you. If I want to stay quiet on the matter, I can." She pulled away from him and ran up the stairs, Edgeworth grabbed her arm pulling back her sleeves only enough for him to notice the rope burns.

     "Franziska, what are those on your wrists?"

    Franziska froze and stared at her arms, "It's not what you think--" Edgeworth swiftly cut her off.

    "Did he do that to you!?" He yelled

     "No, he didn't, he stopped it from being any worse!" Edgeworth could see Franziska was not backing down without a fight, and snarled in disgust before walking away.

     "I don't even know why you protect him, he's a self-righteous bastard who doesn't give a damn about anyone else!" he yelled as he disappeared into the kitchen.

     "You're worse than he is!" she snapped back as she quietly walked up the stairs to her room. Her thoughts jumbled in anger, she flicked on the lights in her room and the snarl she'd been holding back was let out. Her belongings had been packed up and only her dresser and bed had anything still out on them, her bed held old sheets. Obviously the ones she liked had been packed, and her dresser held pictures from her college years.

        The college, she remembered, was where she had actually had friends. She didn't have to bribe anyone to fit in, and no one yelled at her if she moved slightly out of line. They laughed together at how ridiculous their lives were. They were always there when they needed to be.

      Franziska sighed and collapsed on her bed, the top sheet kicked up dust, making her sniffle, she hated allergies. She snarled again. This was her punishment, her punishment for lying, then again her whole life was a lie; after all, she was a Prosecutor. She should be proud. However, all she felt was the terrible chill in her heart that said, 'this isn't right.'

     She fought back the tears and turned over onto her back. She got up; she locked her door and walked over to the nearest box that held clothes. She ripped it open and packed as many as she could into a duffle bug. She didn't dare make a noise as she did so, her anger rising with each handful of clothing she haphazardly stuffed into the bag. Her mothers and fathers' voices echoed loudly in her mind, telling her to fold the clothes. Her anger pushed the voices away, and another one replaced it. 'You're twenty years old Franziska, you need to stop walking in someone else's shoes and start your own path.'

     She froze. She didn't even breathe, the duffle bag fell from her hands and she fell to her knees. This is what she was reduced to, running away like a schoolchild, wandering the city until se could find some decent place to stay. She shook her head and looked closely and angrily at the duffle bag. Some of its contents were half spilled on the floor.

    She stood up, picked up the duffle bag again and stuffed the clothes that'd been hanging out back in. She then walked to her closet where an old cloak hung, dusty and unused. She hung it around her shoulders and walked to the door, she looked one last time around her room before switching off the light and walking as quietly as she could down the stairs.

     She stopped at the entryway, on one side of the door was the table with her keys, the other table held her whip, "Going somewhere?"

     "That'd be none of your business, Miles Edgeworth."

     "I could make it my business. You've probably wondered why half of your things were packed away."

     "Yes I have actually, and I'd suggest explaining yourself." She didn't see the smile steadily growing on Edgeworth's face.

     "It's because you're going back to Germany, I've told the press you wish to extend your skills in prosecution."

      " What's the real reason?" Franziska asked, knowing the 'education' talk was a lie.

     "You remember what your 'papa' said? When you were five? You were promised to someone. Even with him gone, I expect you to honor his wishes. You'll be back here by 10 pm, and you will not be late. We'll be leaving as soon as you get back."

        Franziska fought back the anger and hatred that threatened to overcome her and merely nodded, Edgeworth left the room and without a second thought she grabbed her keys and walked for the front door, she froze however with her hand on the door knob. She glanced back at the whip and snarled, terrifying thoughts of her past resurfaced and without another thought she opened the door and ran outside, disappearing into the quickly falling night.

     She drove through the city, her mind in a haze of disorder. She absentmindedly parked in a parallel parking zone and got out of the car, she grabbed the duffle bag and walked into the building.
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     The door Franziska stood in front of, 'Phoenix Wright: Attorney at Law' the plaque read in a simple black font on a cheap bronze backing, pasted to the glass. How stupid was it that she feared what lay behind that door? Was it simply nerves, or was it realization that this whole thing was a mistake? She slowly reached out and grabbed the handle, but instead of cold heartless metal, the knob was well worn. Not only by sunlight, but by usage. Despite the dark freezing hour, the small metal was still warm. She turned the knob and, slowly but surely, opened the door.

      "Hello?" she called out, afraid of whom would answer, but only the still silence greeted her. She flicked on a light and closed the door behind her. The rooms were all empty, devoid of any sign of life. The main entranceway was clean enough, a small vase bursting with flowers sat on a small table, with a stack of magazines and articles down on a lower shelf.

     The kitchen area, however, was trashed, an empty pizza box lay on the counter, and the rest of the countertop was littered with plates and cups and various utensils. Somehow all the plates and utensils seemed to have  been wiped clean.

     Franziska winced upon looking inside the first bedroom. Obviously this was Mayas room, it was bright, pink, and above all, it was messy. Articles of clothing lay scattered about the room as if a miniature tornado had thrown them around.  Despite the bright cheerfulness the room seemed to toss out, it had an air of seriousness. As if it had once been an office.

     The second bedroom held a much more adult air about it. It was also littered with small artifacts from the Kurain village. This was most likely Pearl's room. The air of seriousness was masking, as if hiding whatever lay inside. Franziska didn't dare enter; after all, the young girl still had a nasty grudge on her.

    Franziska stared quietly, the last room was gentle, soft even. Normal bedding, normal everything. The only thing that stuck out was how clean it was. No clothing stuck out of the dresser drawers. No stray hanger waiting for a lost coat. No sign at all of any misuse. Maybe Phoenix was tired of the unsightly mess in Maya's room?

     Carefully placing her bag in the corner, Franziska didn't dare touch the bed, or anything else. She felt safe here, in this clean little room, why should she mess it up for her own gain? She sighed as she lay her head on her bag, though darkness was barely falling, exhaustion pressed down on her, and sleep soon enclosed her in a tight little bubble.
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     Franziska awoke with a start. Rain was pouring heavily outside and lightning and thunder accompanied it. She sighed painfully and looked around, her first thought was the power had gone out, and this being a residential neighborhood, there would be no back-up power.

     Lightning flashed by the window, lighting the room for a split second. She could've screamed, shadows were thrown along the wall haphazardly, small and large shadowy demons were seen reaching for Franziska's hand. She grabbed the cloak and ran out the door, gasping in fear.

     She ran with importance down the street, although she was scared, she did very well at masking it. She stopped at the corner near the hospital and sighed gently, listening to the rain pound mercilessly against her cloak. She bowed her head as the cars passed waiting for the crossing sign to change. The second it did she ran across the intersection as fast as her feet would allow. But she slowed down the second she got near the hospital doors.

     She slowly entered the hospital, but she didn't dare take off her cloak. No one looked at her, no one even noticed her enter the room where Phoenix Wright was. She sighed gently and closed the door behind her waiting for him to wake up.

     Her talk with Phoenix had been successful; she'd been able to tell him the truth. Not the whole truth, but at least he knew where she was and what was going on. She could only pray that nothing would happen to him in the next few weeks.

     She walked down the street carefully, always glancing over her back. Yet, every time she looked, only darkness greeted her. Fear clutched at the very center of her mind, she walked into Phoenix's room without thinking, turned off the lights and lay down, using her bag as a pillow.
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     The darkness was blinding, but coupled with the strange house she was in, it was mortifying. No light, not even street lights or lightning, just pure, pitch black. Franziska felt blind. Like only her heart was leading her. She could feel the painful burning of fire behind her but in front of her, only a small path. Almost invisible, it blended with the dark, and swirled lightly around it, as if trying to comfort the scared prosecutor, but no comfort came to her.

      She sat up and opened her eyes; the darkness was broken only by a lone street lamp outside the window.  Ice was building on the small window's edges.  Franziska shivered, she hated it here. She hated everything about it. The world she was in felt so alien, it was breaking apart her carefully constructed mask. Her fear, her pain, all unraveled for the world to see. Nothing to hold her back when a mistake was about to be made, no one to tell her no, no one to guide her.

      She sighed gently and got up, she'd been feeling this for a small while now, and it terrified her, to the point of screaming. She walked down the hall, fighting back the dangerously slipping tears that threatened to spill over. She flicked on the light to the kitchen, after processing the damage she had cleaned it up till it was spotless, now that she looked at it, it felt even emptier than the other rooms.  She sighed and grabbed her cloak. Maybe a walk would clear her mind?

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      She stood in front of the hospital doors, her knees shaking. She felt like a thief on her first run. What was she thinking? She wasn't safe here, she was sure Edgeworth had sent a search party after her. And yet in the soft glow of the hospital lights she felt safe. She felt as if she could not be touched. She shook her head to help bring her back to her senses; she then turned on her heel and ran.

      Franziska walked into the apartment again, her head spinning wildly in a whirlwind of emotions. She looked quietly to her left and stared, how had she missed the entertainment area? She flicked on the light, which buzzed haphazardly above the small room. A 26" television sat in the corner, and a small DVD player lay on top of it.  Small piles of DVDs were scattered across the floor, each pile looked like it was about to collapse. She walked over a looked at some of the DVDs, most were labeled with names of famous movies and had 'Maya' written across them in bold black lettering.
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       A few DVDs, however, looked like custom made DVDs.  Many labeled with random things like 'Snow is evil', 'Maya loves rain', and 'Pearl hates wind'. Franziska smiled at these titles and began sifting through the custom DVDs, she froze however when her eyes landed on one labeled 'Wright vs. Edgeworth: Courtroom 3'. She carefully placed the DVDs she'd been skimming through on the floor and picked it up, another DVD lay beneath it labeled 'Wright vs. von Karma: Courtroom 1'.  She knew Courtroom 1 all too well. It was where the trial against Matt Engarde had happened. It was also where she had been tied up. She shook her head to drive away the last memory of it.

         Franziska bit her lip, almost in fear. Yes, her father had sold her out, but would he really dirty his hands with someone else's blood over something as small as a penalty? With a shaky hand she turned on the DVD player and placed the DVD inside, she turned on the TV and pressed play on the DVD player. She then watched as her fathers last trial unfolded.

          As each scream of 'Objection!' that came from the small screen fell into Franziska's ears, she began believing her father less and less; and Phoenix more and more. Then finally, when the metal detector reacted to his right shoulder, she sighed. If it was in relief or acceptance, she didn't know. All she did know was, this was her father's legacy, brought down by a rookie attorney and burned alive for all to see. Just as the final verdict was handed down, Franziska felt her eyes grow heavy, turned off the TV and DVD player, walked to Phoenix's room and collapsed to the floor where her bag was. Sleep came as quickly as ever, burying her in the truth hidden behind the horrible, deadly lies her father had lay before her in a path of nothing more than pain and deceit.
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        It had been days since she had begun living in Phoenix's current residence, but it felt like an eternity had passed since those horrifying times in the courthouse. It became a ritual, Franziska would awaken, praying she wouldn't be caught, she watched every step she took, knowing her whip had been left at home. She'd begun wearing the clothes in the duffle bag; at least they were outfits that hid her identity better than the shabby old cloak she'd once been using.  Needles to say she worried about what to do about her living conditions and how to deal with Edgeworth. She had not taken into account that Pearl fey would find her here.

        When Pearl had found out about Franziska hiding in Phoenix's flat she seemed rather miffed at first, but when Franziska was finally able to tell her all that had happened and how her judgment had been clouded by her determination to live up to the Von Karma name, things seemed a little less tense than before, though Pearl was still a little on edge about Franziska living there in general.

         Franziska sighed; she'd been living here in Phoenix's apartment for too long. Even though it'd barely been a week, she knew she had to face Edgeworth sooner or later. Since she had left her home a city-wide search had started. The police had been covering every alleyway, every cubicle, and every condominium. It'd been going on for about two days when Franziska had seen herself on local news for being spotted walking towards the hospital in the cloak; it was then that she had changed her wardrobe.
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         Franziska walked quietly out of the building, the snow had melted considerably, but ice layered every sidewalk, street and even the buildings themselves had thin layers of ice buildup. She shivered as the cold permeated her skin and practically encased her bones. She continued walking, unaware of the people around her, but alert of any lurking danger.

         The hospital was busy as ever with victims of landslides, collapsing structures that had been weakened by the storm and many dying of hunger, fatigue, and thirst, it was no wonder. The hospital staff was fully occupied, tending to patients as they rushed in by the fistful, many with nasty looking injuries and many complaining of their weariness. Franziska did her best to ignore them all, both patient and doctor.

         She snuck into Phoenix's room with a worried air about her. She felt so uneasy about this sneaking around, it just wasn't her style. She turned around and choked back a gasp, Phoenix was gone, no trace was left that he had even occupied the room, the bed was made and ready for a new occupant and all of his clothes and things were missing.

         Franziska did her best not to let her panic show as she emerged from the room and approached the nurse's desk, the nurse sitting behind the barrier seemed tired, as though trying to recover from a long all-nighter or work.

         "Excuse me?" Franziska asked in a way she hoped sounded different than how she normally sounded, "I'm looking for a friend of mine I heard was here and his name is Phoenix Wright." The nurse nodded and quietly began looking through the computer's data.

     "It says here a Mr. Phoenix Wright was released this morning ma'am." The nurse said with an air that said she didn't really care about the matter.

      Franziska hid her relief as she responded curtly, "Thank you."

     Franziska walked quietly from the hospital; her heart pounding weakly. She slid slightly on the ice with each step as she hurried to his Office. Each step felt more and more slippery than the last. When she finally reached the door she had to hold on to the handle desperately for balance.
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    The room itself was quiet, despite having more than one person in it. Phoenix lay across the couch; asleep, dark circles lay under his eyes. He looked as though he hadn't slept well in the past few night of hospitalization. In fact, he looked more tired than when they had first taken him in.

     Franziska sat down nearby, hoping not to wake him. Despite how quiet she'd been however, his eyes slowly opened.

     "Hello." He said gently, obviously trying not to startle her. It didn't work. In her shock she'd almost fallen from the chair, much to Phoenix's amusement. He smiled as she got up and dusted herself off. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

     "I wasn't scared, Phoenix Wright, you simply caught me off guard." She replied.

     "There's a difference?" He quipped light heartedly. Franziska rolled her eyes as he asked, "So what happened, I thought we agreed that you only call me Phoenix from now on?"

     "I'm so used to calling you by your full name that it's hard for me to talk to you in a casual way." She glared as he laughed.

       "I thought you'd be used to talking on a first name basis since we were talking like that back in the courthouse." She smiled sadly at him.

    "I'm afraid calling you by your full name after a few years can't be changed by a few days of 'first name basis'." Phoenix frowned at this, he'd been hoping for Franziska to lighten up, but she was as guarded as ever.

    "Did Edgeworth get another lead to your whereabouts?"

    "Not yet, there have been some times when I was spotted but other than that, no one knows." Phoenix nodded.

"Then we need to sort this out." He said gently.
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     The next few days did not bode well, more and more reports flooded in, not only of casualties but of rumors. The rumors had simply said 'Find Phoenix Wright and you'll find Franziska von Karma.' Needless to say the city-wide man-hunt grew after reports of rewards began spreading. This made the whole ordeal much harder to deal with than Phoenix had expected.

     Franziska sat on the couch, her head leaning against the wall behind her, Phoenix sat at his desk, papers scattered across the surface in a manner that bespoke anger and frustration. The two of them had been up all through the night looking up things that would help Franziska get Edgeworth out of her hair. But unfortunately, no solution to the problem presented itself.

       After a small while both Phoenix and Franziska finally came to the conclusion that the only way out was for Franziska to either turn herself in (which neither of them were very enthused about) or for her to move to another town (it had taken Phoenix days to convince Franziska that'd she'd be safe in doing so).

     Franziska sighed, tossing another file onto the desk. Phoenix glared at the piling paperwork. Neither could voice their opinions, words didn't seem enough to describe it. All that could be done was the reading of different papers and the exchange of ideas.
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    Franziska glared at the house she had once called home. It looked a lot darker and more evil than nice now that she thought about it. Ivy had taken over the wall, and due to the winter storms' chill, the leaves were dead giving an unsightly, almost haunted look to the magnificent building.  Where large lush rose bushes had once lined the path to the door only decaying bushes devoid of leaves remained. The grass had turned a sickly brown and a few of the shingle had been ripped from their housing and strewn across the lawn.

     "To think I liked living here," she whispered more to herself than to Phoenix who sat in the passenger side of the car glaring darkly at the house.

      "To think I wondered who lived here." He retorted slyly, "Only now does the house reflect the person living inside." He watched as Franziska bit her lower lip and nodded.

      They both got out of the car and walked up the icy pathway, cautious of the thorn bushes that had once held rose blossoms. The house looked more decayed than ever up close, but it was not surprising after the storm had left the stranded. Franziska drew her breath painfully as Phoenix, weary and unnerved, knocked twice with the doors once golden/ bronze knocker.