YES FOLKS, I AM ALIVE.

This is a little oneshot I wrote one day to get my creativity juices flowing. Phoenix/Maya if you squint.

I own nothing.

Pearly, you know, Nick always used to say I was childish, He would laugh at every little silly thing I did, then go out to buy me burgers, no matter how empty his wallet was. I remember he would go to any risk just to protect me, I never thought he was just keeping me around for the sake of channeling Sis, I never did. Part of it was because I knew he would never do that, and the other because he was far too kind. Yes, Pearly, Nick was a very kind person.

I miss him.

Pearl, he won't even talk to me anymore. Ever since he lost his badge, he's been this withdrawn, emo guy who just shuts himself off from the world. When Mr Edgeworth or me do get him to talk, he just speaks to confusingly it's saddening. He's no longer the optimistic, cheerful, straight-to-the-point-down-to-Earth Nick I knew anymore. He's changed.

"Nick, why won't you talk to any of us anymore?"

I remember him looking at me with those once lively black eyes."Maya, I'm not fit to talk to 'any of you.'"

I remember frowning."Why not? You've saved all of us so many times –"

I remember seeing a ghost of a smile on his face. "Maya, that was only you."

I remember rolling my eyes at him. Like we used to."...Anyway. You've saved Larry's and Mr Edgeworth's butts, and you changed Ms Von Karma into a less…evil person. And me - !"

I remember his eyes darkening."Maya, PLEASE! I lost my badge, okay?"

I remember smiling at his stupidity."You lost it? Can't you just ask them to issue a new one?"

I remember him averting his gaze."No, not in that way, Maya. As in I really lost it. I'm not a lawyer anymore."

I remember my mouth forming a perfect 'O.' "…What?"

I remember hearing a hint of sadness in his tone."You heard me. Now we can't have such an important figure as the Kurain Master talking to forging, cheap scum like me, can we now?"

I remember.

Pearly, I want the old Nick back. The Nick my sister knew and adored. The nice one, the cheerful one, the kind one, the one who would always treat me to burgers. The Nick who would ruffle my hair and call me childish.

…Childish?

…Let's pretend, Pearly. Let's pretend Nick never lost his badge. Let's pretend he was still the Nick we both knew and loved. Let's pretend he wasn't this mean old grouch anymore. Let's go back to the times when we were all so happy; me, you, and Nick, and Mr Edgeworth and Ms Von Karma and Mr Gumshoe – let's go back to that time again. Let's go to the world of sadness and regret and what-could-have-beens. Let's pretend, Pearl, even if it hurts us. Even if it's childish.

We would go out to restaurants, all of us, and have fun, even if that food was horrible. We would go for picnics next to the river or parties Mr Edgeworth throws or something. We would go to the mall, or to the park, or Hawaii – Ms Von Karma told me she was thinking of taking us all out before Nick was – disbarred - we would go places just to have fun.

We would go to cases, all of us, and cheer Nick and Mr Edgeworth and Ms Von Karma on. You or me would be on that bench next to Nick, proud that we could be there, standing next to him, supporting him.

We're not doing that anymore. Supporting him, I mean. We all left him when he needed really needed us, and I wish I could just go to Nick and apologize for all of us.

Pearly, I saw Nick's name in the paper recently. It was about some apprentice of his winning some big case. Only that apprentice got all the glory – it just mentioned Nick's name in fleeting. I remember the times when Nick and I just won a case, and you were there, too – Nick would make headlines, and that made me happy. We were all so happy. I'm kind of happy for that apprentice of his – what was it? Artemis? – having such a wonderful mentor.

If he's mentoring lawyers, Pearly, does that mean he'll come back?

Maybe, Pearly, if we pretend long and hard and well enough, maybe, just maybe, the old Nick will come back to us. Maybe, in that wonderful, new world, or in the next life, we'll all still be friends. Maybe we won't even have to wait that long. Maybe if we pretend –

Because, Pearly, to the world I'm Maya Fey, Kurain Master – but I know that deep down, deep down, I'm still a child – Maya Fey, young, immature assistant to Ace Attorney Phoenix Wright. I know that deep down; I'm still the kid Nick knew me to be.

I'm a child.

And what do children do?

They pretend, of course.

THERE.

Have you guys seen Kenji? =D Looks interesting. But I wish they'd hurry up and make the new Apollo game, too...