Charles gaped for a moment. Opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water. He grew red despite himself, unsure of what exactly she just said and even less sure of how to respond.

"W-what… what was that?" He shifted his body towards her again, his hands falling to his sides.

Maya didn't want to look at him. "Oh, please don't make me say it again!" She sneaked a glance at Charles's expression and was dismayed to see how shocked he looked, the sting of her sudden betrayal written all over his face. Maya knew he was a nice boy and she cared for him deeply, but to be with him like this when her mind was constantly elsewhere was more painful than she could imagine. The guilt wracked her in fresh waves, over and over.

Turning to Charles, Maya saw his limp arms, his mouth slightly parted, and eyes glassy and washed over like a blank slate. He had lost his usual shine and now looked dull and severe. Attempting to comfort him and quell the guilt inside, Maya reached out a hand and placed it gently over one of his fallen ones. He pulled it away immediately.

"Charles, I'm sorry… believe me, it isn't you-!" Maya began, her throat clutching at her words.

The blonde suddenly looked down, his blank eyes closing in thought. He smiled then and began to laugh. A sad laugh mixed with fresh tears.

"It's that lawyer, huh?" Charles spoke aloud and Maya stiffened. He merely continued to grin. "I knew it… I knew it," Charles coughed, bringing his fingers up and brushing away at his wet cheeks. He was crying, he realized.

"This is embarrassing…" He whispered aloud. Maya was still struck silent, not sure how she could possibly comfort him. She was in the wrong, she knew. And yet, what was she supposed to do?

"Charles… I… you don't know what you mean to me still... I mean, without you…" Maya fidgeted, spitting out words she hoped sounded kind. She felt false for spouting sweet nothings she wished he would take to heart. Despite everything, Charles helped her out of her slump, he was there for her and he made her smile. How could she be the one to now take his smile away from him?

"Maya," He turned to her, eyes glistening, "you don't have to say anything. Nothing you say to me now can change how you feel."

"I-I…I just want you to understand! I'm not doing this because I don't care about you, it's just…"

"… You care about him more," Charles finished for her. He felt lame in that moment, a foolishness unlike anything he's ever felt washed over him. He wasted a lot of time in coming here and he wondered just how long ago was it that Maya stopped caring for him. An uncharacteristic and bitter anger rose within him and he stood, wanting to get away from the spirit medium, and away from this place.

"I should go," he said simply, walking with stiff limbs away from the sobbing Master of Kurain. Charles glanced at her, regret and pain gnawing at his insides to leave her in such a state. He remembered her smile and the way she laughed with him once upon a time. It felt like forever ago.

"C-Charles…" she whimpered, extending a shaking arm in his direction.

But he had already turned the corner and was out of sight.

...

Charles had taken the next train out of Kurain without so much as a farewell to the other spirit mediums. He had patted Pearl on the head on his way out, at least. Pearly was absolutely baffled and Charles was gone before she could rain upon him a long string of questioning.

Maya felt deeply alone after the confrontation. She thought she would feel exalted at being free of his burdensome and unwavering love… but who was she kidding? She hurt somebody who didn't deserve it in the slightest and she was paying for it. The way she felt about Nick was in the back of her mind at this moment, and memories of Charles ran rampant in her head.

Pearls appeared in Maya's doorway suddenly, huffing and clutching at her sweaty medium outfit. She held the side of the door and pointed in the direction she had just sprinted from. "Master Maya! What's the matter?! I just saw Charles-!" She gasped when she saw Maya's expression.

Running over to her dearest friend, Pearl grabbed at Maya's limp hands and squeezed with all her might. "I know I always talk about your destined "special someone" being Mr. Nick, but I liked Mr. Charles too! I'm sorry!" Pearl flopped into Maya's lap and began to sob, feeling as if Charles's departure was somehow her fault.

Maya became aware of her surroundings, breaking from her reverie, and placed a cool hand over Pearl's head. "Pearly, none of this is your fault… Charles and I just…" Maya choked on her words, "…didn't work out."

"But why, Master Maya?" Pearly implored, sitting up and gazing with innocent round eyes. Maya smiled down at her.

"Because he wasn't my "special someone."

...

Phoenix gripped the phone in his hand, almost painfully. Another poor conversation between him and Maya had transpired, another awkwardly ended note between them.

It frustrated him to no end. He felt he was being kind and thoughtful enough in a way that could bring things back to the way they were. He thought he was doing the right thing by giving her space and not demanding too much.

It had all spiraled out of control. He couldn't pinpoint when things went so sour and the unknown of it all caused him great stress. I'm a lawyer, dammit! I should be able to figure these things out.

His mind suddenly drifted to Iris and he felt a tad at peace. Something about her was soothing, like a friendly reminder of who he once was. He shivered at the thought but it was at the same time comforting, like a book once read as a child but one with an unhappy ending.

Phoenix enjoyed her company immensely and he liked the companionship especially now since Maya had been so absent. Though he felt a stab of guilt at that, not wanting to think of Iris as just a substitute for what he lost.

No, he thought, he honestly did care for the misfortune girl. Iris had led and been led down an unsteady path through her life, at times at his own expense. And yet, when he talked to her and listened to her sweet and unyielding voice, Phoenix felt he could forgive her anything. In a sense, he wanted to help her.

She didn't ask for your help, he groaned at himself inwardly. Shaking his head, he rubbed at his temples and continuously paced the room.

I miss her… his thoughts wandered again. Only this time, he knew he wasn't talking about Iris.

He stared up at the ceiling, mind replaying their past interactions over and over again, trying to see a glimmer of what was. He supposed they had drifted quite substantially and he berated himself for not doing anything to fix it sooner.

On the other hand, Phoenix reasoned, the two of them couldn't rely on each other forever. Wasn't it only natural that they drift apart? They were getting older, falling into their own lives and relationships. His heart beat rough against his chest at that and he stumbled, catching himself on his messy work desk. The pile of forgotten papers shook mockingly up at him and Nick looked away in shame.

I haven't been able to work lately… I can't take any jobs like this. Phoenix sighed, suddenly exhausted. He pulled himself into a chair and placed his head in his hands, a gesture all too familiar to him.

Days had passed before there was a sudden knock at his office door and Phoenix fought the urge to ignore it. The knock grew incessant and for a second, a certain spirit medium's face flashed through his mind.

Standing hesitantly, Phoenix straightened out his well-worn suit and marched to the door, swinging it open.

…

"Master Maya, where are you going? Your training continues in only a few days!" An elder spirit medium berated the young master, trying to keep up as Maya ducked her at every turn.

"I won't be gone long," Maya said, whipping about her room and tumbling out the door towards the village's exit. "That's plenty of time! I'll be back before you know it."

"I cannot permit you to leave!" The elder stood firmly in front of her, foot grounded to a halt. Maya simply walked around her and broke into a run.

She called over her shoulder, "tell Pearly I'll be right back!" The elder merely gasped in disbelief. The Master of the Kurain Channeling Technique had left the village.

Maya raced ahead, feeling better for the first time in weeks. She couldn't continue to mourn her own weaknesses or feel guilty for her mistakes. She wanted to make a change, even if that change meant destroying everything she had completely and utterly. It was better than this stagnant nothingness.

Her guilt over her breakup with Charles pulled at her heart even still and she prayed she could one day make it up to him. She realized that relationships are messy and someone is always going to get hurt. The idea plagued her and suddenly Maya was struck with the thought of never engaging in any sort of relationship again.

She shook her head, not wanting to be reminded of the utter guilt she had felt and the look she saw upon his face. It wasn't something she wanted to think about. Even though it had happened days before, the wound was fresh like a newly opened cut. She couldn't imagine how Charles felt and wondered briefly where he had returned to. There was still so much she didn't know about him.

Maya didn't want to think about much of anything as she ran towards the station. The burdening thought-process that always swam in her mind was what always destroyed her in the end. She thought too much, angered easily at herself, and often ended up doing more damage than good.

After speaking with Pearly briefly, Maya reached her own conclusions. She couldn't hope to solve anything by moping about. She couldn't continue to place blame where it didn't exist. She had hurt and been hurt and she knew exactly what that pain felt like. It felt like a suffocation inside her, like something begging to open up and breathe.

Maya knew what she had to do now, and yet not. A phone call wouldn't cut it, she had to be there in person to say what she needed to say. She felt that if she were to release this burden from inside her, maybe then she could finally feel free of pain and walk away easily, a weight off her shoulders.

It would be just like the olden days when she could turn around and find happiness in her freedom. A life and love separate from Phoenix Wright.

AN: Oh boy, it has been a long time. I apologize profusely to those who actually wanted me to update. School is tough… and I often found myself uninspired and unsure of where to take this story. I had ideas but none I was willing to manifest. You could say I was just lazy…

Anyway, I hope a year hiatus wasn't too much to turn you all away. And sorry this chapter focused so much on Charles. He wasn't a main character but I felt he played an important role in terms of relationships. People are gonna get hurt and sometimes you have to do the hurting. Poor guy.

But please review! And I beg your forgiveness for the long break… I hope people are still reading this! Until next time…