A Match Made in Neo-Olde Tokyo

Chapter 1: Meeting Fey-dono

Simon Blackquill was perfectly happy—or at least happier then he'd been a few months earlier, when he was scheduled to die—and if his list of friends was dismally small, at least they were good friends. He certainly didn't need to socialize, no matter how often Athena and Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth encouraged him to make more friends. He wouldn't even have dropped by the Wright Anything Agency if Athena wasn't on that short list, and when he learned she was out investigating a case with Justice-dono, his first inclination was to take his leave.

But Wright-dono sounded so awkward when he asked him if he would like to come in, the urge to accept was irresistible. The lawyer's horrified look when he did so was worth it.

He sat down on the couch in silence.

"Well…"

He remained silent, but inwardly snickered. Although Wright-dono was the one who proved him innocent, he looked as though he expected to be cut into pieces at any moment.

"H-how are you adjusting to life out of prison?"

"I much prefer it," Simon said.

"Yeah… I imagine you would." Wright-dono scratched the back of his head and stared at him. "Uh… are you settled in, now?"

"Yes."

"Do you always have to be so serious?" He cringed as though he regretted the question.

"Hmph." Simon leaned forward. "Your lack of perception is as great as ever, Wright-dono. In fact, Taka and I just returned from a trip."

"Oh!" Relief washed over his face. "Where did you go?"

"Away."

The lawyer slumped.

Simon couldn't help it, he burst into laughter and smacked the couch cushion. Then he stood. Tormenting Wright-dono was only amusing for a short time. Such a pity Justice-dono wasn't around.

"Please give Athena my regards."

"Of course, any time."

He opened the door , but his progress was barred by a huge box that had apparently been deposited on the Agency's doorstep during their conversation. "It seems you have a package, Wright-dono."

"What the—" The lawyer joined him at the door and stared at the box, mouth open. "What is that? I didn't order—oh no."

"Is there a problem?"

He groaned. "Oh, there's just this kid visiting me. I bet she ordered this… probably charged it to my credit card, too."

Simon smirked. "It does not surprise me in the least that you show such lack of care when it comes to who has access to your finances."

Wright-dono ignored the jab. "MAYA!"

A door opened and a young woman stepped out. A magatama hung around her neck, and she wore a short, purple kimono. Her long black hair was tied up in a topknot and decorated with purple beads. When she saw the package, a huge grin spread across her face.

"It came!" She ran to the door and pulled the package inside. "Oh wow, I bet you can't wait, Nick!"

Wright-dono cleared his throat. "Maya, don't be rude, we have a guest. This is Prosecutor Simon Blackquill."

"Oh!" She folded her hands and bowed her head. "I'm pleased to meet you."

"This is Maya Fey, my assistant and Master of Kurain Village."

Simon's eyes widened and he bowed. "It is an honor to meet you, Fey-sama."

He could almost hear Wright-dono's jaw drop.

As for the Master of Kurain, her arms were rigid and her eyes were wide. "Oh, um, you can just call me Maya, Mr. Blackquill." She tilted her head and gave him a rather impish smile. "Or if you really want to, you can call me Mystic Maya, like Pearly does!"

He cleared his throat and regarded her with more uncertainty than he did most people. Though the Kurain Channeling Technique had a shadow cast over it, he'd never fully accepted the rumors that it was a fraud—and even if it was, the Fey clan was to be respected and honored nevertheless. What a fool he was for never realizing who young Fey-dono was. To think the girl he'd more or less disregarded and the lawyer he so mocked were close enough to the Master that she referred to them as "Pearly" and "Nick" was staggering.

"You do me great honor, Mystic Maya."

Wright-dono's slack-jawed expression suggested he didn't quite understand what was going on. "Uh… Maya…"

"Oh, right!" She knelt by the package. "I have to take this back to Kurain Village, okay?"

"Why didn't you just have it shipped there?"

She looked aghast. "And risk someone else opening it by mistake?" She wrapped her arms around the box.

Appalled that Wright-dono would require the Master of Kurain to carry such a large package, Simon hurried forward. "Allow me to help."

"Don't encourage her, Pros—"

"Silence, Wright-dono!" He hefted the box into his arms. It was heavy, though not quite as heavy as its size suggested it might be.

"Wright-dono, Nick?"

"He addresses everyone that way…"

"Oh!" She folded her hands again and beamed. "Then you can call me Fey-dono!"

"Maya…"

"You continue to honor me, Fey-dono," Simon said. "I vow I will see this safely to Kurain Village. It must be something of great importance."

She nodded. "You can say that again! It's the Special Edition Boxed Set Steel Samurai and Pink Princess Deluxe Collection!"

Seven years of keeping his emotions a secret were all that kept him from dropping the box on his foot.

Wright-dono stared at her. "Maya, you already have all the episodes, and all the movies, too."

She balled her hands into fists. "But not the special features and interviews. And the boxed set also comes with figurines and signed photographs."

"Wouldn't it have been easier to just ask Mr. Powers for an autograph next time you saw him?"

"Oh, Nick, you're missing the whole point!"

Simon couldn't breathe. Either he'd misheard, or the Master of Kurain Village was a fan of the Steel Samurai. Not only that, but she and Wright-dono apparently knew Will Powers.

She turned to him. "Come on, Mr. Blackquill! Thanks for carrying that for me!"

With difficulty, he regained the ability to speak. "Farewell, Wright-dono."

"Err, good-bye. Maya, are you going to be gone long?"

"Nope, just long enough to make sure this gets safely home!"

She all but bounced out of the agency. Simon followed at a slower pace. His mind churned furiously. Ever since Aura made fun of him when he was a teenager for watching a kids' show, he didn't admit to anyone that he was a fan of the Steel Samurai. The years in prison made him even less willing to make it known that the sinister Twisted Samurai enjoyed something so light. Even his suspicion that the Chief Prosecutor was a fan couldn't get him to broach the subject.

But the woman in front of him had to be around his age, and she proclaimed her love of the show openly. And although he hated to admit it even to himself, the rapid rate of his heartbeat as he thought about what he held in his arms made it clear that he hadn't outgrown his own love of the series one little bit.

"Fey-dono?"

She turned to face him and began walking backwards, with only the occasional glance over her shoulder. "Yes?"

"May I…" He cleared his throat. If only he could speak with the same confidence he had in court. "May I impose upon you to borrow one of these DVDs in the future?"

She stopped and her jaw dropped. "Are—are you a fan of the Steel Samurai and the Pink Princess?"

"I… have a friend who would love to see them."

Coward.

"Ooh, you should watch, too, Mr. Blackquill." She clapped her hands together and cocked her head. "In fact, instead of me going all the way to Kurain and then coming back, maybe you could hang onto them for me, just for a little while?"

He tried not to sound too eager. "Certainly, Fey-dono."

"Great! Can we go to your place right now? I mean, I want to open it, at least! And maybe we can even put a disk in and check it out?"

"Very well. It's this way." He took the lead and smirked. "Aura would be quite aggravated if she knew her DVD player will be used for the children's shows she so mocks."

"Ooh, who's Aura?"

The implication in her tone made him laugh. "My sister."

"Oh. Will she be there today?"

"No, she is currently in the clink."

"Huh? You mean she's in jail?"

"Aura… A few months ago, she took some people hostage—"

"Oh, now I know who you are. Nick and Pearly told me all about you."

"Did they, now?" A sideways glance showed him Fey-dono looked quite excited about the whole thing.

"Yes, from what I understand, you faced off against a ghost in the courtroom while it exploded!"

"That's…an interesting perspective…"

Her smile was almost a smirk. "And I'm not going to say Nick referred to you as 'the freaky prosecutor in handcuffs,' or anything…"

"I'm certain he did not. After all, Wright-dono prefers his head to remain attached to his body."

"Geez, violent much, Mr. Blackquill?"

But she said it with a laugh, so while he wouldn't be winning any medals for his social demeanor, at least he hadn't offended the Master of Kurain.

As they turned down the street that would take them to Aura's house, he glanced over at her again. "Is the younger Fey-dono your sister?"

"Pearly? No, she's my cousin. I have an older sister, but"—she drooped—"she was murdered."

"Fey-dono! You have my sympathies. I did not intend to upset you."

She straightened. "In a family of spirit mediums, it's not as bad as it sounds. I can see Mia whenever Pearly channels her."

"I…see."

Even with his belief in the Fey clan, it was still a shock to hear someone speak so casually about channeling the dead.

"So does Nick ever talk about me?" she asked with another smirk.

"Wright-dono and I are not close enough friends for me to have heard many stories. However, come to think of it, would you perchance be his 'special someone' your cousin often references?"

She giggled. "Oh, she never gives up, does she? Me and Nick are just friends, but she's convinced we have feelings for each other." Her levity faded. "Pearly's family was… unhappy. She just wants to see her friends in loving, lasting relationships."

"I understand," he said, but he furrowed his brow.

So, even the girl had tragedy in her past. Sometimes it seemed everyone he knew was broken.

"Mr. Blackquill? Is there a reason you look like a storm cloud?"

He shook his head. "Apologies, Fey-dono. Your comment about your cousin merely made me reflect on all the darkness in our lives."

"Come on, lighten up—we're going to watch the Steel Samurai, after all."

He snorted, but led her the final distance up to Aura's house. With great care, he set down the package, found his keys, and opened the door.

Fey-dono bounded in ahead of him, and as soon as he was inside, she shouted, "Let's open it let's open it let's open it!"

"Calm yourself." He carried the box into the living room and set it down in front of the television. Both it and the DVD player were dusty from lack of use, but at least the remote controls were right beside them. "Stand back."

She took a step back, although she looked curious.

He sized up the package, then flicked his finger. His strike neatly sliced through the packing tape.

Fey-dono's mouth was hanging open again. "Wow, that was so cool!"

He smirked.

She dropped to the ground beside the package and pulled it open. "Oooh…"

The disks were bundled together within boxes crafted to resemble the Steel Samurai and the Pink Princess. Bubble wrap surrounded the figurines. A thin cardboard case rested on top, and he assumed the autographed photos were within it.

"You're going to watch an episode with me, right, Mr. Blackquill?"

"If that is your preference."

Thank goodness she didn't have Athena's power, because his heart was almost certainly screaming, YES, put the bloody disk in the machine already!

"Wow, this is a lot easier than convincing Nick to watch."

Wright-dono's lack of taste was no great shock.

"Say…" She rested her hand on the side of her face as if in deep thought. "You know what would go really well with the Steel Samurai?"

"What?"

"Burgers!"

"…What?"

She grinned. "Come on, you wouldn't deny the Master of Kurain Village a burger, would you?"

"Hmph. Such psychological manipulation is quite unfair, Fey-dono."

"Aw…"

"Unless, of course, I am the one who is doing it. In which case it is absolutely acceptable."

"Hey!"

He smirked again.

She balled her hands into fists. "You're still going to order burgers, right? There's a great place near here that delivers. Do you have a piece of paper? I'll write down the number."

Without a word, he located a notepad and handed it over. She scribbled down a phone number, returned it to him, and bounded back to the box of DVDs. She pulled out the Steel Samurai case and opened it up.

"Fey-dono, you are going to provide more specific directions than simply 'order burgers,' are you not?"

She blinked. "Oh. Well, I'd like mine with everything on them. Uh… maybe you should get three for each of us!" In a lower voice, she added, "Now that I'm the Master, I have to show a little more restraint, you know?"

Restraint apparently meant something different to her than to the majority of the population.

"I do not think I will be having burgers." At her crestfallen expression, he said, "At least, not three."

"Better order your three just in case," she said. "You never know when you might change your mind. And if you really don't want them, I'll eat them!"

If someone had told him his afternoon would include ordering six hamburgers to eat with the Master of Kurain Village while watching the Steel Samurai, he would have laughed and instructed them to report to the nearest asylum.

The call went well, although the boy at the burger joint drew in breath audibly when told he was to deliver the order to Simon Blackquill. In retrospect, perhaps he should have said Maya Fey and left them to wonder about the deepness of "her" voice.

The Steel Samurai theme blasted out from the living room. It didn't sound right, though. The core melody was there, but its tempo was different and it was an octave lower.

"Oh wow, this is so weird!" Fey-dono knelt beside the box, her gaze fixed on the screen, which displayed an unfamiliar opening sequence.

"What is it?"

"This is the unaired original pilot episode. It was released for the first time in this collection, so I've never seen it before." She jumped to her feet. "What, who's that?"

A burly man glared at the screen. His eyes glowed green and his black cape flowed behind him in the wind.

"That's the Sinful Shogun," Simon said before he could catch himself. "He was the original villain seen in the pilot, but the character wasn't well-received, so he was replaced by the Evil Magistrate by the time the first episode aired."

Fey-dono stared at him.

"Or, um, so I've heard."

"Wow, Mr. Blackquill, you might know more about the Steel Samurai than even I do!" Her voice took on a more playful tone. "Probably that friend of yours told you about it, huh?"

He cleared his throat and decided it was best to say nothing. He sat on the couch.

She got up and bounced onto the cushion beside him.

In general, people gave him a good deal of personal space, so he was unused to anyone but Athena and Taka sitting so close to him. It would be rude to edge away, but—

The Steel Samurai appeared on the screen, and he forgot all about Fey-dono's uncomfortable closeness.

Suddenly, he was back in time. Back before his years in prison, before he met Metis and Athena, before he even became a prosecutor. Back to when he was just a quiet kid who dreamed of chivalry and noble ideals, who never suspected what he'd become in later years.

Beside him, Fey-dono whooped and cheered the Steel Samurai on, and he suppressed a smile.

For all he was a twenty-eight year old ex-convict with a terrifying reputation, she made him feel like they were two kids watching TV after school.

Ding-dong!

"That must be the burgers!"

"I'll go see," he said.

The Steel Samurai marched to the town square and stood face-to-face with his enemy.

Simon hesitated.

"Oh!" Fey-dono grabbed the remote. "I'll pause it for you, so you don't miss a minute."

He cleared his throat and hurried to the door. He paid the terrified delivery boy, resisted the urge to make a crack about lopping off heads if the food wasn't to his liking, and took the burgers back to his guest.

Eagerness shone in her eyes, and she grabbed her three. He shook his head and went to the kitchen for a plate, aware that his hamburgers might be gone by the time he returned.

However, they still sat waiting for him on the couch, and he placed one on his plate as he took his seat beside Fey-dono. The other two remained on the couch between them, both as a buffer to prevent the invasion of his personal space, and as a reminder that he didn't necessarily want them.

She unpaused the DVD and started on her second burger.

Despite his misgivings, the hamburger tasted decent. Not his preferred choice of food, but good enough for what it was.

By the time the pilot ended, Fey-dono's burgers were gone, and her hungry gaze was fixed on the two between them.

He nudged them closer to her. "I have no desire to eat these, I assure you."

"Okay!" She took them and hesitated. "Does that mean I should take them with me?"

"Hmph. Despite my reputation, I am not in the habit of throwing guests out into the street."

If he was honest with himself, he was a little surprised at his own feelings. Given Fey-dono was going to leave the DVDs with him anyway, there was no practical reason to want her company…except it was enjoyable to watch with her.

His tiny list of friends might have just increased by one.

She beamed and folded her hands. "Should we watch the first episode, then?"

"Of course."

And so they did.

Partway through episode 3, Simon realized he was relaxed, which didn't often happen. And he might have accidentally uttered a tiny cheer along with Fey-dono, although he would deny it if anyone asked. Children's show or not, the Steel Samurai was the sort of harmless fun that still brought a smile to his face with its tales of good versus evil.

And not only did Fey-dono think it was natural for an adult prosecutor to love the show, but she didn't seem the least bit afraid of him, even when he lost his composure near the start of the fourth episode and snarled a vicious threat at the on-screen baddies.

Just as the end credits rolled, the theme song began to play—except it sounded much tinnier and somehow closer than was normal.

"Oh!" Fey-dono stood up and pulled out a cell phone from within her kimono. It was responsible for the delightful ringtone. "Pause it for me, will you?"

He did so, and she took a few steps away as she answered the phone. "Hello?"

Wright-dono's voice was audible. "Maya? Where are you? I thought you said you were coming back as soon as you got the package to Kurain Village."

"Oops." She tossed a sheepish grin toward Simon. "Sorry about that, Nick. I kinda got distracted watching the Steel Samurai with Mr. Blackquill."

"You're seriously bothering him with that stuff?"

"I don't know," she said, "he doesn't seem to mind."

"Prosecutor Blackquill is a real samurai, so I'm sure he doesn't—"

The phone dropped to the ground.

"Maya?"

She stared at Simon, her eyes huge and her mouth wide open. "You're a WHAT?!"

Author's note: Yes, I'm back with another rare pairing. I hope you all have as much fun reading this story as I had writing it.

(I also couldn't resist a nod to a certain person I know, who said, "Away" when asked where he'd gone on vacation.)

My friend Stein999 on Deviantart drew this wonderful cover art. Be sure to check it out to see it at its full size.