First Time Sharing

Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth stepped out of his car, which just so happened to be a very expensive-looking red sports car. A few grayish strands of hair, although he was still only in his mid-twenties, fell out of place to block his view when he inspected his surroundings. The place was packed with people, he noted. A check on his watch, a deep breath and he allowed himself to be swallowed by the crowd. Everyone had come for the festival. There was hardly any space to move between the colorful stalls. Pale pink cherry blossoms peaked up behind the big signs and flags; visible even out of reach of the warm glow of the lanterns and above the treetops the stars glistened brightly.

Edgeworth had never been too fond of crowds and now when he had to force his way through one he looked even bitterer than usual. Worse was that he would probably never find the ones who had invited him. They had already spent the whole afternoon at the festival.

How could anyone ever expect to find anyone here? That was the thought running through his mind.

"I knew this was a bad idea."

It was typical, all too typical, of Wright to come up with something completely without forethought, or any kind of sense for that matter. However, Edgeworth did not have to worry for long because he spotted the group almost at once. There stood the spiky-haired defense attorney Phoenix Wright himself, and next to him his younger friend and assistant Maya Fey, her long black hair swaying with every moment and her eyes lit up by excitement. Her hand was squeezed by her little cousin Pearl, who was staying loyally close, and it helped to keep the teen somewhat still. Next to Pearl, and in comparison to the little girl looking very alike a big burly bear, more than usual, stood Detective Dick Gumshoe lost in his own thoughts. Completing the circle was Larry Butz with his styled blond hair and self-conscious smile. He also happened to be the reason Edgeworth managed to single them out in the crowd in the first place. The attire Larry had picked out for the evening stood out even in this sea of colorful patterns people had chosen to wear.

When Edgeworth arrived Maya had already been wasting thirty minutes talking Phoenix into winning her a teddy bear. When the defense attorney's objections had run out, and most of the evening's budget been sacrificed, the bear had finally been put into Maya's hands, and the very same second been passed along to Pearl.

"After all the trouble I went through," Phoenix said and stared at his companion in disbelief.

"Oh, Nick, just look at Pearly. She's so happy. Don't ruin the mood now," Maya said, smiling broadly.

"Edgey!" Larry called out and the group's attention was diverted to the prosecutor emerging from the crowd, rather unwillingly when Larry started waving with both arms and chanting that darned nickname over and over.

"Hello," Edgeworth greeted them with a voice stiffer than his face. The others hurried to greet him back. Even Gumshoe woke up from his thoughts for a short moment to give Mr. Edgeworth the warmest welcome possible.

"Now Gina's the only one we're waiting for," Larry said and moved a little to the side to let Edgeworth into the circle they were forming. Edgeworth raised an eyebrow at the grinning Larry to make him aware of that this "Gina" was someone he had never mentioned before.

"She's my girlfriend," Larry explained, smiling from ear to ear. "She's a model."

Well, hardly a surprise. Larry's women were always on the arm candy side rather than the intellectual equal and trusted friend side and they were all the love of his life that he would never part from.

"She's late," Phoenix said, voice dripping with dislike and arms hanging at his sides. "She said she wouldn't be gone for long."

Before the discussion could get anywhere, and most likely lead to a heated argument between the three men, Maya interrupted.

"It's great to see all of you together like this," she said and knelt down in front of Pearl. "You see Pearly. These three used to be in the same class in grade school."

"Yup, everyone together." Butz nodded and pulled Phoenix and Edgeworth into a tight hug. "It's like we're celebrating our big reunion."

With Phoenix glancing uncertainly at Edgeworth, who had a very stern look on his face, and the grinning Larry in the middle they made quite the picture. Maya broke into laughter, Pearly joined in because it was Maya laughing and Gumshoe did too as not to be left out. Embarrassed and blushing Edgeworth broke free and brushed off his wine-colored suit.

"Now what's wrong? You're no fun as usual, Edgey," Larry said and scowled. Still with his arm around Phoenix, who was forced to swing along from side to side while Larry talked, he took a step forward and eyed the prosecutor from head to toe. "You didn't even drop that boring suit," Larry added as if it was a serious crime.

Edgeworth smirked in that matter-of-factly way only he could. He actually had considered "dropping" the suit but he had made it a habit to look presentable at all times. He was not used to this kind of festivities and the least thing he had wanted was to stand out. Of course formal wear was the obvious option. Even if it had ended up a contradiction to its purpose. Sadly, it seemed that "Larry logic" or "Wright logic" would have been of more help. Larry had probably done better than him. Even Maya and Pearl who always walked around in those eye-catching spirit medium outfits were dressed in flower-patterned yukatas. They looked so normal it felt oddly strange. In any case, that he had made a mistake in dress code was not something Miles Edgeworth would ever admit willingly.

"What I wear is none of your concern," he said, opening up his arms and shrugging. "Unlike your… do I dare call those clownish rags clothes? My suit happens to be fit for a number of occasions."

Larry looked down at his shrill orange and yellow attire and then up with tearful eyes at Edgeworth. "That was low!"

"Mr. Edgeworth," Maya cut in. "You can wear more casual clothes with us. Try to relax. I mean, next time I think you should try something purple. I think it'd suit you, and we'd match," she said and clasped her hands together.

More thankful than he could show for her instructions, which would be written down and followed precisely, Edgeworth nodded. Phoenix on the other hand shook his head at how easily the prosecutor took Maya's dim-witted suggestions seriously. Honestly. Purple? At least he would have a good laugh if Edgeworth showed up in purple. Then he noticed someone he recognized over at one of the stalls.

"Isn't that Maggey over there?" Phoenix said and Gumshoe snapped out of his thoughts as if somebody had just said "Von Karma."

"Where?" the detective asked, head moving in every possible direction for any sight of the young policewoman. Phoenix pointed and Gumshoe's whole face beamed when he caught sight of her adjusting her glasses, busy choosing between cotton candy and popcorn.

"Oh, yeah, who'd thought that… There she is… It's Maggey," Gumshoe blurted out and looked from the group to Maggey and back again. It did not take a cross-examination to know what he was thinking.

"Go talk to her," Edgeworth ordered and Gumshoe immediately straightened up.

"Yes, sir! If you say so Mr. Edgeworth."

Gumshoe did not waste any time to trot over to her.

Maya did not let her eyes linger on the detective because she had noticed a nearby stall offering goldfishes as prizes. Her eyes twinkled with delight while everything else in the world faded into darkness and became unimportant.

"Nick, I want a goldfish," she pleaded and tugged at the defense attorney's sleeve. Of course Phoenix did not miss a beat to object.

"No way! I won't have any money left and what about the teddy bear I got for you?" he said.

"You're losing money because you're bad at winning these games. You need some practice," Maya stated and tilted her head to the side, putting on her cutest face. "Please? We can name the bear Maya and the fish Nick."

"Mystic Maya," Pearl squealed and hugged the teddy bear she had been holding like an invaluable relic of the Fey clan. "Let's win a Mr. Nick! We must have a Mr. Nick too!"

"Why do I have to be the fish?" Phoenix muttered. "I feel a lot more like a big grizzly."

"No, you're the fish," both girls chimed.

"I wonder where Gina went," Larry mumbled, more to himself, checking his watch. "She said she wouldn't be gone for long and now we're all here. Well, 'cept for Gumshoe."

"He'll be back and I'm sure he'll find us. He's a detective after all," Maya said.

"I wouldn't count on it," Phoenix said under his breath.

"Judging from your usual dating habits Mr. Butz, might that be the lady in question?" Edgeworth asked as he in a subdued manner pointed towards a remarkably busty woman with remarkably styled hair who was remarkably busy flirting with one of the less remarkable stall owners. Everyone turned around and, indeed, it was the model twirling her hair and blowing kisses over at the shooting gallery.

"My little cupcake!" Larry cried, happily, obviously not getting what was going on.

"Looks like she's thinking of…uh… moving on," Phoenix remarked.

"No, no, my sweetie pie and I will be together forever and always," Larry said with all the faith in the world.

"She has obviously found herself a new love interest," Edgeworth said with arms folded and received a glare from Phoenix for being too hard on Larry. Stating the obvious like that could be a real shock to some people, like Butz.

"My little sugar darling strawberry pie would never do that," Larry retorted, this time sounding even more convinced. "Sweeeetie," he called out as he began to elbow his way through the crowd over to her. Edgeworth just had time to get a glimpse of the model's face twist into a scary grimace before he turned away from the spectacle. It was not interesting when you knew what was going to happen.

"Guess he won't be back for a while," Phoenix said and glanced at the remaining three people in front of him: Edgeworth, Maya and Pearl.

"Oh, he could just as well have worked at the hamburger stand as he was supposed to," Maya huffed. "Then everything would be the same except that we'd each have a Samurai Burger in our hands."

Larry had earlier been selling Samurai Dogs but had recently moved up to the much more worthy profession of selling Samurai Burgers. He had of course shared his relief with them that he would not have to sell burgers at the festival but could join them instead and have fun with Gina.

"I'm sure they got some kind of replacement for him," Phoenix said to calm Maya down.

"Really?" Maya said, her eyes twinkling again. "Buy one, Nick!"

"What about the fish?"

"I don't want sushi. I want a hamburger. A Samurai Burger!"

"No!"

"I'll buy her a burger."

The words had come as a surprise even to Edgeworth himself who had spoken them. Maya and Phoenix both stared at him, wondering if they had misheard somehow. Phoenix straightened up. The polite thing was to turn down the offer but be thankful, right?

"Yes! Thank you!" Maya cried just as Phoenix opened his mouth to speak. The girl was already skipping ahead. "Hurry!"

Edgeworth could still not believe what he just had said, or that he had said it, and followed the girl as if in trance.

"You don't have to be so formal and stiff all the time." Maya giggled when she noticed Edgeworth walking behind her like a robot. She jumped the whole way back to him and grabbed his arm.

"I'm starving," she said and smiled up at him.

When they walked away, arm in arm, Edgeworth could hear Pearl's voice.

"Mr. Nick, you can't just let him take your woman!"

For one reason or another, he felt taller. Even if it might not be good of him he was satisfied that Wright was left behind.

After queuing for fifteen minutes in a line of kids that could hardly reach up to the counter Edgeworth could finally hand Maya her Samurai Burger, which she immediately bit off a large chunk of.

"Fanksh," she managed to say with her mouth full while she linked arms with him again. He could feel his whole body freeze up. He did not know where they were supposed to go now. If they walked like this he would have to take the lead. The thought of going back did not cross his mind once.

"Let's go," she said, taking another bite and pulling him a step forward. Sternly, one step, two steps, he began to walk without knowing whereto and Maya paid no attention to where he was taking her either.

Suddenly a whistling sound made them look at the sky, which exploded in green and barely a second later pink. Maya gulped down the large bite she had taken from her burger. Her eyes widened at the colorful performance above them.

"Fireworks," she whispered.

It was as if time had stopped down on the ground. Everyone seemed to have forgotten about the festivities that had kept them occupied and instead tilted their heads up to look at the sky. Maya and Edgeworth stood silent side by side in the crowd, two persons among so many others, and watched the fireworks for several minutes. Each explosion was followed by a new one. Some made whistling sounds when reaching higher and higher, some fell like rain in glittering cascades, some sparkled and made crackling sounds but most were the usual kind, which simply spread over the sky to conquer its width in the mere seconds before it disappeared. Edgeworth was beginning to grow bored and glanced at Maya. The different colors were taking turns lighting up her face.

"I-it's amazing," she said in such awe that she could hardly get the words out. Fireworks were reflected in her dark eyes. Taking her words as an invitation to face her he looked deep into them and he could all of a sudden see how amazing the fireworks actually were.

"T-the colors, the sounds, all these people," Maya said so quickly that she stumbled over the words, unable to describe what she was feeling at this moment. All she could do was to fold her hands and look at they sky. At least she would have if the burger had not been in the way but she still let go of Edgeworth's arm. He suddenly felt very cold.

The prosecutor sighed quietly and closed his eyes. When he finally opened them again he had a half-eaten hamburger so close to his face that he could feel the salad touching his nose. In shock he made a small jump that made Maya giggle and he looked up from the burger to meet the playful eyes of the one guilty of sticking it in his face. She began to giggle again at his squinting eyes when he frowned at the hamburger in her hand.

"Take a bite," she urged him and waggled it a little, trying to contain her laughter when his gaze, and head, followed it.

"I think I'll pass," he said dryly. She held the burger in front of him for a while longer, looking past it and trying to look past his walls.

"You should invite me for tea sometime," she then said, for some reason, and shoved the hamburger into his mouth. He made a muffled sound as he tried to save it from falling out and to the dirty ground. Once it lay safely in his hand he swallowed the bite he had accidentally taken and managed to regain his usual strict expression. He did not give a reply but when she turned away to look at the fireworks' grand finale he nodded quietly to himself. Yes, he would invite her for tea sometime.

The End

(A/N)

I hope you enjoyed it. I am sure there are a quite a few mistakes in there and some parts feel a little wrong but I hope that did not ruin anything for you. Ha ha, I was really set on writing something romantic and when I finally reached that point in the story I had been writing about ¾ of it already.

I am quite sure everyone already knows this but I feel obliged to at least mention that a yukata can be described as a light summer kimono.

Wondering about the title? It is about Edgeworth and Maya sharing that hamburger of course (deep huh?). Anyways, I really hope you liked it.