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Franziska had never really seen romance before. She'd never known her own mother, and her father had never shown the slightest inclination towards love of any sort, but especially not the romantic kind. She had always turned to him for help in all things, mimicked his voice, his movements, following in his footsteps from a tender age–but this was one thing she couldn't learn from him, even if he was still standing over her shoulder. Come to think of it, she wasn't sure she'd ever seen him so much as glance at a woman, let alone fall head over heels for one. Which was, of course, her current predicament.
It was an absolutely foolish predicament to be in; one she'd never expected herself to tumble into like any lovestruck teenager. At first, she'd been sure she was sick, or maybe going insane, which were ideas almost as egregious as the one that she had a 'crush' of some kind. From the first moment she'd seen this Maya Fey, after all, she'd thought of nothing else but crushing her and her pathetic counselor Phoenix Wright under her heel before moving on to bigger and better things. She'd been nothing more than any old defendant: a murderer trying to squirm out of her grasp.
Her mind had been solely focused on the facts of the case: she paid no mind to the sweet-faced girl sitting in the defendants' chair, to her bright, pleading eyes as Phoenix Wright fought for his life in the courtroom. She certainly hadn't noticed the swish of her robes, brilliantly lilac and mauve, around her ankles as she left the courtroom a free woman, hadn't stared at her cheery smile as she hugged her small cousin, hadn't heard, admired rather, her lovely voice as she thanked Phoenix Wright for his help and chattered excitedly about the case, and she certainly hadn't swiped a picture from evidence to tuck safely into the corner of her bathroom mirror.
Now she stared directly into that mirror, one gloved hand gripping the edge of the sink while the other was held out so she could extend her pointer finger familiarly.
"You are a von Karma," she spat, wagging her finger at herself, "And von Karmas are not attracted to defendants in a murder trial, whether or not they were found guilty. Von Karmas do not," she rolled her eyes, "Develop 'feelings.' Is that clear?"
The slightly glazed look in her eyes said that it was very much not clear.
I.
The best way to solve a problem was to face it head on. That's what she did in trials, and what she did when porcupine-headed lawyers sassed her in court. Stare the problem in the eyes and beat it into submission. It had rarely failed her before.
"Good morning, Ms. Fey."
It was simple. She would ask Maya Fey out on a date, and when she was rejected, her feelings would vanish instantly and it would be over. That would be the end of this embarrassing fatal attraction.
Maya looked up in shock, face slightly pink. "Um...hi, hello, prosecutor...If you're looking for Nick, he's, um, not crying in the bathroom!"
The next thing to do was to hit her with some 'banter.' Or so she'd heard.
"Phoenix Wright? I'd expect him to be crying after the foolish show he put up in court today. Truly an embarrassment to the establishment of the bar itself!"
Maya's face fell. "He did his best! Things will turn around tomorrow! They always do." She crossed her arms and hit Franziska with an absolutely pitiful frown. "You don't have to be mean, you know!"
Franziska felt heat rising up her neck. That hadn't worked at all!
Her hand twitched reflexively at her waist, but she wasn't going to ruin this interaction further by taking her whip out. Instead, she contemplated excusing herself, thought better of it, reconsidered, and finally just did an 180-degree turn and walked straight out of the courthouse, face burning.
She swore under her breath for a long few seconds, then looked up to see the delightfully dopey face of one of the precinct's detectives.
"We're going back to the crime scene to investigate further," she ordered. "Alert Detective Gumshoe."
"Miss, this is my lunch break–"
She almost gave a sigh of relief. Finally, an excuse to threaten someone.
"Foolish fool! You will respect the orders of a high prosecutor or the only thing you'll eat today is this whip!" She gave a tiny crack to really hammer the point in.
"Yes, prosecutor, right away!" he scurried off like a ferret, and she felt her composure return. Nothing like a familiar routine to help you shake off the unusual.
She turned around and felt her shame and embarrassment rush back full force as she made eye contact with Maya Fey across the steps of the courthouse, standing there with Phoenix Wright and her little cousin. The glare on that face could have crumbled mountains.
Her mind was filled with "Who cares what they think?" and "You don't answer to them!" and "Why is she even prettier when she's angry!?" and she found herself making another speedy exit. And for the next two days she put significant effort into avoiding looking at Maya Fey.
II.
The incident at the courthouse forced Franziska to acknowledge that she didn't know what she was doing. Of course, she'd never cared to learn until Maya Fey crashed into her perfectly arranged life, so she was at a blank. She'd read fiction before, lots of it, with the occasional romance between the hero and heroine, but they were marred with sappy love confessions and batting eyelashes and other disgusting things. Nothing suitable for a von Karma. Or so she'd hoped.
Her father had never been affectionate towards her, let alone any potential paramour, and he'd likely never fallen victim to this strange, all-consuming feeling, this horror show she was currently trapped in. Were he here, he would surely mock her and provide no advice.
For once she turned away from her father's aging visage, which seemed to sit at the back of her mind always, and she looked, painfully, at the stack of romance books from the library.
The books may have given her some interesting ideas, but they served another purpose: an excuse to go to the library on a day she knew, thanks to a bit of snooping, was also the weekly children's reading hour, or some such nonsense. She'd instructed Gumshoe to slip a flyer, which included the fact that they were serving hamburgers, under Phoenix Wright's office door. With any luck (not really luck, but von Karma skill), Maya would take her cousin (Pearl, was it?) to the library and Franziska could 'accidentally' run into her while returning the books. The idea, of course, came from one of them. It was foolproof.
Franziska checked her watch anxiously. It was almost five minutes past noon, she'd been standing awkwardly by the book return for half an hour, and Maya Fey was nowhere in sight.
"Foolish, foolish idea, foolish foo–" She spun around and choked back a curse as she came face-to-face with said object of her unfortunate affections.
She's late! Wait, don't say that! That's crazy!
"What are you doing here?"
It seemed like a rude question, until Franziska realized it had come from her mouth.
God damn it.
"Prosecutor von Karma, um, hi! We're here for the burgers."
Pearl elbowed her.
"Ouch! And the Safari Reading Hour. Are you here for that as well?"
Franziska's mouth started working again before her brain did. "No, of course not, I'm not a child."
Surprisingly, Maya didn't look upset–in fact, she was smirking slightly as she stared at the books in Franziska's hands. Oh, why hadn't she held the books' spines to her chest!
"Ooh, Confessions of a Teenage Samurai, Romance and Turnabout, Shot Through the Heart... those are great books! You know, if you like samurai romances, I have all the best movies on DVD. You can borrow them sometime!"
Franziska had disliked the books, but she really liked the brilliant smile on Maya's face, even as Pearl tugged her insistently towards the gathering crowd of kids. "Whoops, gotta go, bye!" And she vanished into a sea of screaming children.
Franziska dropped the books into the return bin unceremoniously before she bit down on her hand and screamed.
III.
The next opportunity to see Maya Fey was one she never would have considered, had it not practically fallen into her lap. She was reviewing a stack of case files in the courthouse library when she saw one of the detectives running nervously through the aisles, clutching an old leather briefcase.
"You!" she called, pushing the files aside so she could pose with a hand under her chin, "Detective! Come here."
He gave an audible gulp and hurried over, still lugging the briefcase. "Prosecutor von Karma, how may I be of assistance?"
"I was curious as to why you're running about like a decapitated hen. Explain yourself."
"Oh, um..." He held up the case, which she now saw to be rather tattered and adorned with a blue keychain. "I found this by one of the bookshelves. It belongs to Mr. Wright, ma'am, if this tag is tellin' the truth, but he must've left already, 'cause I can't find him anywhere."
Franziska's eyes lit up, although she restrained herself from gracing him with a smile. "This briefcase belongs to Phoenix Wright, and he has already vacated the premises?"
"That's about it, yeah. I guess we'll have to shoot him a call–"
"Nonsense!" Franziska stood up, quickly organizing her files into a neat stack. "Take these back to my office, detective, and I'll return Phoenix Wright's property."
"Oh, ma'am, that doesn't seem like a job for the likes of–"
She cracked her whip so that it grazed his trench coat, and he gave a high-pitched shriek.
"Yes, Prosecutor!" he yanked the files out of her hands, dumped the briefcase, and ran off as if pursued by a ravenous tiger. Franziska smirked as she took the briefcase.
"Wright and Co. Law Offices, do the crime but not the time! How may I direct your call?"
Franziska blushed in spite of herself just hearing Maya's voice, although beneath the lilting tone she thought she could hear Phoenix Wright yelling about something. There was a muffling sound, as if Maya was covering the other end of the receiver, and Franziska could just make out a hushed, "Why can't I answer the phone like that? It's funny!"
"Hello, this is Prosecutor Franziska von Karma," she said, and heard Maya give a half-choke, half-cough sound, "I'm calling to inform Phoenix Wright that he left his briefcase at the courthouse."
She heard Maya cover the receiver once again, and just as ineffectively. "Nick! You said you had everything together for tomorrow!"
Then there was a garbled scream of rage, or something, before Maya returned to her secretary tone.
"Thanks so much for calling! We'll be right by to–"
"That is not necessary," Franziska tapped her foot, staring up at the afternoon sun, "I have it with me right now. I'm outside the office as we speak. Would you care to 'buzz me in.'"
Maya gave another choked cough. "Huh!? Oh, uh, I mean, great! Thank you! Of course! Give me just a second!" She heard a quick scuffle before the door buzzer sounded, and Franziska let herself in.
The Wright and Co. Law Office lobby wasn't much to look at, just a worn-down set of furniture and an odd wooden statue gathering dust in the corner. Whatever else there was, Franziska hadn't a clue; all her attention was focused on the woman waiting for her, staring gratefully down at the briefcase.
"Thank you so much! Nick would have really missed this in the morning, heh..." She smirked as she took it from her. "This has, like, sensitive case files in it. You didn't peak, right?"
Franziska feigned a scandalized gasp. "Why, of course not, Ms. Fey! When I finally defeat Phoenix Wright in combat, it will not be by using such dirty tricks."
Maya wrinkled her nose, as if she was about to bring up some of the 'dirty tricks' Franziska had tried in the past but then thought better of it.
"You know, you really didn't have to bring this over personally." She had a strange look on her face; one Franziska couldn't puzzle out. "It was very...nice...of you."
Franziska took a deep breath. She had to be careful about this: not come on too strongly, but still say something that would betray why she'd really gone out of her way to bring her rival his lost property.
"It was my pleasure, Ms. Fey. I can do nice things, you know." She braced herself, resisting the urge to give in to the familiar nervous habit of grabbing her sleeve and instead letting it fall confidently to her hip. "And, well...I didn't come here just...to be nice to Phoenix Wright."
Maya glanced at the briefcase, eyes widening. "You didn't, like...booby trap this thing, right? It isn't full of venomous snakes or something?"
Franziska felt all the blood rush to her face. "What!? No, of course not! Why would you–that is outrageous!"
The worst part was that it wasn't, and Franziska cringed visibly as she realized how suspicious the whole thing really seemed: her, a highly competitive prosecutor, delivering her courtroom rival his briefcase personally, without even calling to tell him. What the hell was wrong with her?
Maya opened her mouth, maybe to double down with the accusations, maybe to apologize, but which one Franziska never found out. She once again found herself storming off without another word, hands shaking at her sides and her face a brilliant red of anger and humiliation.
The situation was hopeless.
+1
Maya Fey had been kidnapped.
She'd been in disbelief when she'd heard it. The Maya Fey who'd seamlessly dodged two murder charges and a variety of dangerous situations, that unbreakable force of nature that she was, that beaming smile in a rapidly collapsing dark tunnel, gone. Snatched from everyone she loved, from everyone who loved her.
Franziska had better things to focus on, of course–building the murder case against Matt Engarde, and then her fury as she sat bedridden with her whipping arm in a sling while her brother took over her case. But when the pain had started to fade, and she had nothing left to think of, that dark tunnel seemed to swallow her whole.
It was too much–Miles Edgeworth back from the dead, the sheer audacity of someone shooting her in broad daylight, and then watching Phoenix Wright and little Pearl Fey shamble about half-dead, asking Miles what was wrong with them over the phone while she sat in the waiting room of the clinic, and him whispering that someone had been kidnapped and was being held for ransom–Wright's assistant, Maya Fey. You've met her, haven't you?
Franziska felt a different kind of pain, less visceral, more numb, settle in her chest. Still different from what she'd felt when she'd thought Miles was dead–after all, she'd always refused to believe he was really gone, and wasn't just having a jaunt off in Europe somewhere–this was dull, dead pain, a sort of shadow that cloaked her vision and made time stand still.
And then she got another call, and in a blur, she was screaming at Gumshoe over the phone before she burst into the courtroom with evidence in hand and watched as Phoenix Wright lost his first case but gained something that meant a lot more. His perfect record was expunged, but he didn't care, all he did was dash from the room and wait until she returned, safe, hungry but unharmed, tired and hyper with excitement all at once, and Franziska felt her world collapsing and her head was throbbing and–
"Mystic Mayaaaaaa!" Pearl sobbed, throwing her arms around her and crying into her dress, and Maya picked her up and spun her around, murmuring sweet words Franziska couldn't make out across the room.
Her heart fluttered painfully.
"Miles Edgeworth," she said, grabbing him with her good arm, and he quirked an eyebrow. "I need you to shoot me, and this time, make sure it's done correctly."
"What are you on about?" He followed her field of vision, and his eyes narrowed slightly. "Surely you aren't–don't you dislike–"
"I'm supposed to dislike her," she hissed, face reddening, "But I do not, and my affection has reached the point where I deserve to be put out of my misery."
"Oh, you are speaking of Maya Fey?"
"Of course I'm talking about Maya Fey, who on earth did you–" she glanced across the room again to see Phoenix Wright, who was now squeezing Maya so tightly she looked ready to pop. "Miles Edgeworth, how dare you believe I was attracted to Phoenix Wright! Foolish fool! I am a von Karma, and while I may have fallen to great lows, I still have taste."
"You haven't– oh never mind. You're hopeless."
"I am hopeless," she groaned, scrubbing her hand over her face. "I'm ashamed to even consider asking you for advice, Miles Edgeworth, but I've sunken further than I ever thought possible, and you're all I have left."
"Charming. You're so kind."
"What would you do if you had..." she shuddered, "Feelings for someone that you couldn't get rid of, no matter how hard you tried? How do I deal with this...affection?"
"What would I do?" Miles rolled his eyes. "I would probably tell them to screw off and wait until fate brought us back together again? Perhaps I would vanish until I'd taught myself how to get a grip?"
Franziska's eyes widened. "Miles Edgeworth! Explain yourself immediately."
"I'm just saying I'm not the person to talk to about this."
"Helpful as always, little brother. You shouldn't have come back."
"And yet, here I am, and you will never be rid of me again."
Her right arm was currently a useless, bandaged lump, so her whip remained at her side. Instead, she sneered at him, took one last look at Maya Fey, and left as quickly as possible.
She hadn't a clue why she'd come here, why she'd looked at the text from Miles on her cell and decided it was a good idea to order one of the precinct's cars to take her to the Gatewater Hotel, why she'd stepped into the grand ballroom at all. But there she was, awkward and anxious and lonely, a trifecta of unholy emotions she'd once thought purged from her mind.
It was a beautiful place, all ornate decorations and gold filigree, but everything felt dull in comparison to seeing the group crowding around a banquet table, laughing and talking uproariously. Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth were discussing something in hushed tones, Gumshoe was playing patty cake with Pearl Fey, and Maya... oh, Maya was as radiant as ever: she'd changed into fresh robes and was currently inhaling the largest burger Franziska had ever seen. Her lips curled into a victorious smile as she swallowed the last bite, giving a laugh that traveled across the room just to make Franziska's heart beat faster.
And then there was Franziska: awkward, anxious, and lonely indeed, completely out of place in this room full of happy victors. Everyone seemed to have won something–justice, freedom, friendship– and who was she, the sole loser, to interrupt it all? Who was she to come and demand attention when she deserved none? What gave her the right to share in the merriment?
The thoughts made her throat ache with unshed tears. She couldn't think of anything more shameful than being caught like this, so she fell into the all-too-familiar habit of leaving, realizing with painful resolve that she'd never see any of these people again.
She'd been sure she'd made a successful getaway until she looked up to see Miles standing over her, a look of almost fatherly disapproval on his face.
"Where are you going, Franziska?"
She bit her lip, trying to shove away the nervousness. She was a von Karma, for god's sake!
"How did you know I was here?"
"Oh, thank god, she's here. Wait up, Franziska."
She'd turned away, certain the conversation was finished, already late boarding her flight. "What are you talking about?"
"I am only doing this because I believe it will help you, and because your arm is in a sling and you cannot whip me. Consider this my apology in advance."
Franziska had never turned around so fast in her life. "Miles Edgeworth, I will rip you limb from–"
"Ms. von Karma! Wait!"
Oh god, her eyes were still wet from crying, and her face was probably puffy and red. She was a physical and emotional mess, her hands shaking, her head still pounding, and she was really going to survive a shooting just to die from embarrassment in the middle of an airport.
"When I said I hated you, Miles Edgeworth, I never meant it as much as I do right now."
"I'm sure you will thank me later." He turned away and started for the exit before she could throttle him.
"What are you doing here, Maya Fey?" She quickly wiped her face with her sleeve, knowing it was a futile endeavor.
"I realize that we barely even know each other," she's out of breath, like she just ran across the airport to talk to her, and Franziska felt her heart skip a beat, "But we really need to discuss this!"
"Oh, what did my foolish little brother tell you? He never tires of ruining my life. He's been doing so since the day we met."
"He said...he said the funniest thing, and I had to ask you, I had to know, or I was actually going to explode from the wondering! He...he said that you had a crush on me."
Her heart lurched in her chest.
"Foolishly foolish fool with a fool's head on his foolish shoulders–"
"See, exactly, I said that was impossible, and it made absolutely no sense at all, I mean come on."
"What...what about it is impossible, Maya Fey?"
She blinked owlishly. "Um. I mean...It's just crazy. You and me together?" She shrugged, a slight grimace gracing her face, and Franziska saw red.
This was what she'd wanted all along, a rejection so that she could move on, but nothing changed. The feelings were still there, the light-headedness, the way her entire body burned and shivered at the same time. But now bundled up with it all was a hollow pain, an emptiness that made her heart ache. "Foolish, I am a fool, it was foolish of me to speak with you, foolish not to leave you where you stand, foolish to hope that my feelings could be requited..."
"What!?" Maya's jaw dropped to the floor.
"'What?' What do you mean 'what?' Explain yourself!"
"Hold on a second." She was breathing heavily, and then she jabbed a finger straight into Franziska's chest. "You're telling me...you do have a crush on me?"
"Yes! Now you've heard it twice, what does it change?"
"No, nonononooo," she started to move her hands about wildly, like it would somehow calm her raging thoughts. "Edgeworth said you had a crush on me, and I didn't believe him, because in what world could someone like you... and a person like me–"
"What, Maya Fey? What is so impossible, so insane, about me being attracted to you?" She was suddenly struck with the urge to shake Maya by the shoulders but settled for letting her hand creep up a few inches closer to hers. "What is so crazy? Do you see me as some sort of cold, unfeeling being with no affection towards anyone at all? Or do you have such a low self-image that you think I, a complete failure, are too good for you?"
"I need to sit down." Maya plopped down next to Franziska and gave her a wide-eyed stare, and Franziska reluctantly took a seat as well. "So, what you're saying is... you have feelings for me?"
"For the love of god, yes, Maya Fey!" Her face was surely the color of a tomato at this point. "I've been trying to communicate it in every way I can think of for weeks, but I'm as foolish at this game as I am in court! I was anxiously awaiting a rejection so I could tamp this affection down once and for all!"
"Franziska–" and didn't her heart just flutter at the sound of that lilting voice saying her name, "Why would I reject you?"
"Some people have said I am condescending, rude, unfair, cold-blooded, and sadistic. I did prosecute your murder trial. I am, altogether, unlovable."
"It's awful that you think that," she said softly, "No one is unlovable. And this whole thing is crazy, because you know what my first thought was when I was led into the courtroom."
"Oh? What was it?"
"Well, I told Nick that it was something along the lines of 'she's my age and already a prosecutor, that's crazy!" Franziska felt pride tug at her chest, the urge to preen and bask in the praise she hadn't known she'd craved. "But, but! My real first thought was, 'Holy shit, she's super hot and so out of my league,' and yet here we are!"
"What–oh, screw it." Franziska grabbed her hands with her good arm and leaned in, slightly. "I'd like very much to kiss you, but I'm afraid I–" she looked away, shaking, "I wouldn't know how."
"You're in luck! I know exactly what I'm doing." She leaned in just a little too fast and slammed her forehead into Franziska's nose.
"Ack! I thought you said you knew how?"
"Sorry! It seemed so easy in 'Confessions of a Teenage Samurai!' Just, give me a second to catch my breath." She closed her eyes for a second, then used a hand to cup Franziska's face, fingers brushing across her jaw. She tilted her head down slightly, then brought the other hand up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Franziska shivered.
"Is that better?" she sounded nervous, as if she hasn't just performed the only bit of physical affection Franziska could ever remember receiving.
"Yes," she said quietly, tamping down the shame at how nice it was to be touched, held, treated like something worth having. This woman would surely be the death of her.
Maya nodded, reassured, and leaned in slower this time, pressing soft lips to Franziska's own, and her brain short circuited. This made the wonder of Maya holding her face feel like zilch, like the smallest taste of paradise before the gates truly opened. And maybe it was the romance books or maybe it was animal instinct, but the kiss felt easy after a moment, a natural talent, as Maya pulled her closer to deepen the embrace. It was more than nice–it was everything she didn't know she'd wanted since the day she saw Maya walk into the courtroom.
Maya sighed softly when she pulled away, and Franziska's heart melted further. "Are you still leaving?"
"I suppose I am," Franziska glanced behind her; the flight was almost finished boarding. "But I'll come back. I just need some...time. To figure things out."
"I'll be here." She looked around. "Well, not here, exactly, in the airport, I'll probably be with Nick or in Kurain Village, but if you just call me beforehand, I can bring a sign–"
Franziska didn't think, she simply kissed Maya on the cheek and stood up, grabbing her luggage and turning around. She took a few steps before glancing over her shoulder, just to catch another glance at that smiling face.
"Goodbye, Maya Fey. We will meet again."
"So formal," Maya rolled her eyes, giggling. "But yeah! We definitely will! Have a safe trip!"
And when Franziska finally took her seat on the plane, she peeked out the window and pretended Maya could see her waving goodbye.