Chapter Text
"No- that's impossible!"
Manfred von Karma was now clutching his shoulder even more; his stony-purple eyes fearfully glaring at the two sets of eyes glaring at his with determination from the rivaling side of the court. One with blue and brown heterochromia, the other being dusty pink. Von Karma effortlessly keeps note of them. He'll be sure he won't forget them.
"I refuse this unwarranted search. You have no right!"
"OBJECTION!"
With such vigor his opponent, Phoenix Wright, masterfully swung his left hand towards Manfred; his pointing stance completely knocking the once feared prosecutor to the ground.
This, in turn, caused the wound in his right shoulder to act up. Manfred let out an agonizing scream.
Miles Edgeworth gasped. "That scream....that's the scream that's been burned in my memory since that day!" Angry tears have now surfaced from his eyes, "Manfred von Karma you're the reason why my father is dead! WHY MY LIFE HAS BEEN CURSED TO BE A LIVING HELL!"
Manfred scowls at his former pupil. He's too busy staring him down to notice the young spirit medium stomping towards him with a huge metal detector in tow. Obviously still feeling quite stung from the tazing he made her endure the day prior.
"Your life is a living Hell because of me?! Au contraire, Miles Edgeworth!"
Edgeworth...
*beep*
Manfred takes his cane as he struggles to get back up, eyes still focused on the poor excuse of a prosecutor he tried so hard to mold.
DAMN YOU, EDGEWORTH!
*beep beep*
"Oh please, do enlighten me then! How have I ruined your life?! Last I recall I was about 9 years old. Hell, I even idolized you and respected your authority up until now!" Miles now has his arms crossed, his right index finger furiously tapping. It's a habit he picked up from Manfred. He had to admit he felt some form of satisfaction when Miles had picked up his habits.
Habits that now thoroughly piss him off.
*beep beep beep*
"YOU AND YOUR FATHER ARE MY CURSE!" The cane Manfred had had hit the ground to emphasize the "curse."
Miles has now gone from exasperated to stunned. "My- my father.....?"
Phoenix looked over at Miles with pain and sympathy. It's been way too long since he's seen his old friend look so pained. He wants to go over to comfort Miles, to tell Manfred to go to Hell. However, Phoenix also knew that he has to let this play out. Manfred was about to explain his motive for all this and Maya was drawing closer to his shoulder. So, Phoenix just walks a little closer to Miles and puts a reassuring hand on his shoulder, only glaring at Manfred.
Miles recognizes this. He wants to shrug Wright off. But he's too focused on his old tutor to put in any effort to do so. He just stands there, breath shaken.
Manfred was enjoying this. Still scowling he continued, "Your father shamed me with a penalty on my record! AND YOU!" Now, Manfred's good arm was pointing at him quite accusingly. Maya was also getting closer, "YOU LEFT A SCAR ON MY SHOULDER THAT WOULD NEVER FADE!"
Closer
Manfred was so close to hitting the final nail in Gregory's coffin. "I... I'LL BURY YOU! I'LL BURY YOU WITH MY BARE HANDS! DEATH! DEATH!"
"NO!!!"
Phoenix instinctively jumped in front of Miles as von Karma started to lunge towards him.
The Judge slams down his gavel. "BAILIFF! RESTRAIN PROSECUTOR VON KARMA IMMEDIATELY!"
"UGH! NO!" Now somewhat restrained, Manfred von Karma stops in his tracks, cane still in hand.
*beepbeepbeepbeepbeep*
It wasn't until then he notices that the spirit medium had finally caught up to him. The erratic beeping making its way into being seared into his memory.
Maya now has a look of triumph on her face, another thing Manfred takes a mental picture of, "We finally got you now!"
Manfred closes his eyes and exhales; double-checking for his cane in hand, "Oh? Do you now?" If there's one thing Manfred always prided himself with besides his record, it was also with knowing how this country's system was. He relaxes his muscles, the bailiff's grip slightly loosening.
Just as planned.
*WHACK*
"AGGH," The bailiff collapsed to the ground, taking his knee into both his hands.
Pathetic. That's how it is.
He looks at Miles, who now had his back to the juror's seats, terrified eyes peering from behind Phoenix Wright. Manfred cocks a smile and tuts at them both. "You know I always find ways to find a perfect trial. I will do as is necessary to ensure a win. The case with your father is no exception. You both better watch your backs!"
With that, Manfred von Karma took off running thanks to the adrenaline he had built up. He definitely wouldn't have been able to do so otherwise. Everyone in the courtroom stood in shock just as Manfred had thought. The incompetence of the justice system was how he was always able to get away with his wins. It was also how he'd be able to lay low for a while. Only he knew where to hide away from the eyes of the law. A place they'd check, but never thoroughly.
And so he did. Manfred von Karma had escaped his sentence. This put dread through Miles's body. He couldn't move. He couldn't breathe properly. He couldn't even hear his acquittal.
The one thing he does notice was Wright. He wanted to speak but before he could he passes out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wright and Co. Law offices- 5:02pm
"Nick....what are we gonna do?" Maya's voice was barely a whisper. She sat on the arm of the couch in the office, her eyes barely focusing on Phoenix.
Phoenix was pacing back and forth. He had wanted to try to comfort Miles but was shooed away by the arriving paramedics. They had put him in the back of their vehicle, wrapping him in their weighted blanket as they questioned him. He managed to convince them to drop him off to the prosecutor's office unbeknownst to Phoenix. He and Maya had gotten done their questioning an hour prior. A full blown investigation was now underway for the whereabouts of Manfred von Karma.
"I...I don't know Maya....," his breathe hitches and he stops his pacing, looking at Maya. She was visibly shaking.
"May-"
"He's planning to kill you isn't he?! And then- then I'm going to lose you just as I lost Mia!" A sob broke out of her, choking on the lose you part. "We just became like a family! You're like a brother to me! And now, because you've become involved with the DL-6 incident; involved with my life you're gonna-"
Phoenix rushes over to her and pulls her into a protective hug. He does his best to comfort her, "Maya, I promise you that I will never leave you. I'll never let anything happen to you." At this point he tightens his grip on her, "Like you said, we're a family Maya. And I vow to make sure to not let myself get caught by any trap Manfred may set for me. You're my sister now. Whatever happens to me though, please know that nothing will be your fault." Phoenix makes sure Maya can see his eyes. She does.
"Ever!"
*hic* "Ni- Niiiiiiiiick" Her face is back to being buried in his shoulder, now full on breaking down. Phoenix goes back to embracing her.
They stay like that for 30 minutes.
After 20 more minutes, Phoenix lays Maya on the couch, his sister having cried herself to sleep. He pulls the blanket over her and kisses her forehead. "Goodnight, My-my...."
Phoenix then goes to the door and exits, locking the door behind him.
He absolutely needed to speak with Miles.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prosecutor's office- 7:05pm
Phoenix had peddled his bike to the Prosecutor's Office like he had been participating in a marathon. He was practically almost in a coughing fit by the time he had reached it.
"Ugh....oh I need to learn to bring wa- *inhale* water *cough* *wheeze* oh...."
After a few minutes of catching his breath and stretching, Phoenix finally made his way to the door of Edgeworth's office.
*knock knock* "Hey, Miles it's me! I- can we talk? I just wanna make sure everything is alright." However, despite the light still being on in the office, the only sound that greets Phoenix's ears was the buzzing of the hallway's lights.
"Miles? You in there?" He tries the doorknob and to his surprise it was still unlocked.
"What....?" Phoenix steps inside.
Empty. All except for some odd decorum and the only person in there now being Phoenix himself.
There's something that catches his eye though. A piece of paper that seems to have been written only a few hours ago considering the state of the ink. But that's not what had caught his eye. The first word that Phoenix had read made his blood run cold. He immediately snatches it up, hands trembling.
"Death... Miles Edgeworth chooses death... no no no nononono," Phoenix slams his hands on the desk, his surroundings now fading. The thought of his dear friend, the friend he's done everything to get here for having now killed himself, made Phoenix feel hollow.
"MIIIIIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLEEES!!!!!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
News and gossip are different in some ways. One you should take with a grain of salt, while the other you should take note of.
Both however, are also extremely similar. They both spread like wildfire. A wildfire that can even spread throughout the whole world. All the way from Japanifornia to Germany for instance. Only a fool would ignore one for the other in such an instance.
This instance is no different. As a matter of fact, this specific instance was so much more than an instance.
It was a huge fucking problem.
So much so, that a young prosecutor, one that had been born and raised here in Germany had decided to immediately charter a private jet to the states.
Why she so foolishly decided to let her foolish emotions get the better of her even she couldn't tell.
She felt foolish to even consider grouping news and gossip in the same category.
You damn foolish fool!
One trusty whip was equipped to her right hip. Her left hand was instinctively thumbing around it for comfort as her pale blue eyes looked out the window of her jet, her right hand tightly clutching a newspaper article. One that had burned into her mind.
You absolute foolishly foolish fool!
She grit her teeth as she reread the whole article in her mind, her now hardened gaze spacing out towards the clouds. The header that announced her father's disappearance, the next section that donned her foolish little brother's foolishly written foolish excuse for a suicide note.
How could you foolishly have done something so foolishly foolish, you foolish fucking fool!
But that wasn't the only thing to piss her off this much. It was the big title of the paper that was written quite boldly above the picture of her father. One that made her blood boil and her breathing to quicken.
"Rookie Defense Lawyer Phoenix Wright Becomes First Lawyer To Make Manfred von Karma Run For The High Hills"
The title is written in such poor taste. If it wasn't for the fact that this whole article was her lead she would've crumpled it up and thrown it at the next seat's window, imagining it breaking through the window in the most foolish unrealistic fashion.
She hates that the thought makes her snort.
It's because she is Manfred von Karma's daughter.
It's because she is feared throughout Germany as The Prodigy Prosecutor. Only 13 when she started, now 18.
She growls, "Phoenix Wright!"
It's because she is Franziska von Karma. The only thing she strives for in life is perfection. That is her family's creed. To do so otherwise would be like throwing your whole life away.
Just like Miles Edgeworth, the damn fool.
Franziska is now noticing her own reflection, her anger being visible to herself now.
I promised you, Papa. That I would not disappoint you. I will make you proud!
The airport landing is getting closer.
She looks at the picture of this so-called Phoenix Wright. Raising her brow at the absurd hairstyle of his. She immediately forces herself to stop being so amused by it.
Franziska didn't fly all the way to the states to point and laugh at one's hairstyle.
Though it would be a bonus.
She furiously shakes her head. No! She came here for one thing and one thing only.
Revenge
Franziska steps out of the jet, her luggage now set next to her. The sky had gone slightly golden now. A new day to start her new mission.
She exits the airport and scowls at the huge digital media so shamlessly upholstered on the big buildings. One particular picture further affirms her desire to start her war path.
"Phoenix Wright....pass auf!"