madimpossibledreamer | Turnabout Histories: Turnabout Day

I was prompted to post this because of...Knight Rider Fanfiction, actually. I was reading one that was spontaneously and surprisingly turning into a court case drama, and the description of the helpful yet bumbling lawyer reminded me of Phoenix Wright, and I immediately went 'It's Phoenix! You're in safe hands!' Of course, the journey was a little wonky, and the ending...well, I won't spoil that.
To those who are anxiously awaiting more of The Joker Game (*coughlonelysoulscough*) more is coming eventually! (Mainly I'm posting this because I was reminded while reading earlier and because it's already been written. My muses actually hate me at the moment and might need some coaxing. /sighs)

Main Points:
Ace Attorney AU (this chapter is largely normal, by chapter 2 a HUGE divergence from canon is coming)
Chapter I
Summary: The world is a strange place. But then again, we've always known that. So, just an average day in the lives of Ace Attorney lawyers then.
Word Count: 1,736
Rating: K+

"WAAAAKKKEEEEE UPPPP!!!!"

The first thing intruding onto his state of sleep was the loud noise that could potentially be called screaming, if one was being polite about the matter. The second was an annoying amount of intrusive poking, at his side, no less. Then the light also invaded, and the sleeping man came to the obvious if unwanted conclusion that he could not go back to ignoring the world until a more reasonable hour. Especially when one inhabitant of said world was far too persistent for her own good.

He sat up, sighing. Obviously, he hadn't had enough sleep recently, considering that he'd been cradling his pillow like a young child would a stuffed animal. Perhaps even more mortifying was the slight amount of drool that had collected at the side of his mouth. When he started drooling, it was very obvious that he needed more sleep. "Maya, what..." He found he couldn't finish the sentence because of the yawn that overcame him.

"The Steel Samurai is real! They were doing a segment on it this morning! Apparently there's a lot of weird stuff going on!" Unless Maya had ingested a large amount pure sugar this morning for what could jokingly be called 'breakfast'-and he wouldn't put it past her to do so-he could find no other possible source for her hyper mood.

Another yawn escaped him as he attempted to focus bleary eyes on his assistant. "Maya, I thought I told you not to watch those programs anymore."

She was pouting now, puffing out her cheeks like a blowfish. He could tell without even looking as he fumbled around, attempting to find his watch and check the time. "But it was one of the major news channels! Not just some grungy tabloid!"

He considered asking whether Lotta Hart had been the witness in question, but decided against it. It would be pretty amazing if the Steel Samurai was, in fact, real, and Maya deserved to hold on to her sunny views of the world, after everything that had happened to her. Unfortunately, he could no longer believe heroes existed in the world.

"Anyway, we have to go to court today! So you can't spend all day laying here like a lump!" She was still hyper. Maya, I wasn't really planning to lay here all day, since we obviously have to appear to defend our client, but...you know what, never mind.

He finally managed to find the watch and squinted at it, attempting to read it. Eventually, he discovered the time-7.34 A.M. And groaned.

He'd been planning to sleep a little longer before getting ready for court, but Maya Fey wasn't about to let him.

She continued to talk until he pushed her weakly out of the room to get dressed. She probably wouldn't leave even if he started stripping, crazy woman that she was. She embarrassed him on a regular enough basis as it was. He reflected that the suit was getting a bit tattered, and that he'd have to buy a new one. Soon. When he wasn't spending all of his money feeding Maya's endless stomachs, that is.

Once done, it was time for the hunt for whatever food had survived his assistant. He managed to find the muffin he'd bought for his breakfast the day before, though it was a little squished. A little more investigation found that several bags of chocolate chips had mysteriously disappeared through the night, and likely provided the source of Maya's energetic reactions this morning. If only she could share a little...not of the chocolate chips. That would be a very strange breakfast. No, energy. He wouldn't mind having just enough of her energy to prevent himself from falling asleep and drooling on his case notes. On that note, he had yet to get a drink to go along with the muffin.

Somehow, it appeared that all of the coffee and tea in the house had gone missing as well. Sometimes, it was best not to contemplate Maya or anything she did.

Eventually, in an out of the corner cabinet, behind a bunch of bowls and a lucky cat figurine (what had Maya been doing when she'd been supposedly 'cleaning'...on the other hand, perhaps he was better off not knowing) he found a tin with just enough instant coffee to make a cup. With a grimace, he began heating water in a mug. It might be disgusting, but he didn't particularly want to fall asleep in the middle of a court case, either. Any amount of caffeine would help in such an instance.

"You're a grump this morning," Maya remarked after a while, noticing he was less voluble than usual.

"The investigation went on a while after you left," he admitted. He didn't feel the need to add that he'd been poring over documents until early in the morning, trying to find anything that might help him find the truth. Hopefully, that truth would coincide with a 'not guilty' verdict for his client, but after the Engarde trial he couldn't be too picky about such things.

Instantly, she was concerned. "I could..."

"No, thank you, Maya." He dumped the rest of the instant coffee into the cup and began to stir, mind returning to the case. It was certainly a tough one.

She was pouting again, but at least this time it was more playful than serious.

"Should I drive?" Maya asked, noticing once again how tired he was as he was gathering up his papers. "It'll definitely be faster than walking, and we'll probably be late if we take the bus."

He smiled and admitted it was probably for the best, though he did reserve a questioning eyebrow for the fact that she could drive. "Mia taught me," she admitted in a smaller voice. He didn't question further.

He'd half dozed off to the sound of Maya discussing Gumshoe as the obvious first witness animatedly. She moved on to the plot of Steel Samurai and complained about the fact that he'd changed his ringtone, and the whole thing was very soothing. At this point, she wasn't expecting answers, so it was all too easy to slip into the comforting blanket of sleep.

It started as usual, dreams of all those celebratory dinners, of Larry and the rest, smiling, eating good food, laughing, being among friends. He couldn't remember a happier time in his life. What that said about him, he wasn't sure, and he didn't particularly want to think about it.

All too soon, though, the good times were gone, and he was on top of the bridge, freezing, watching his best friend-no, the man he'd considered his best friend, but who was obviously too conceited and fargone to think that perhaps it could go both ways choose death, leap into the icy waters and let them swallow him. Not even allowing them the chance to find his body, to grieve properly and put their fears and sorrows to rest. Selfish bastard, he thought, not for the first time since that night. Even in the dream, he was crying, bitter, angry, painful tears, and his dream-self raised a hand to wipe the tears away. The most terrible thing about that man whose name he'd forbidden anyone from saying in his presence was that one terrible choice firmly solidified who the man had been, what he had stood for. Rather than try to improve, rather than try to become a better man, he'd chosen to give up, to end it all, to wound each and every person that man had known. Prickly as he was, there had been people who cared about him, but no. Only the ego, the record, the name had mattered. In the end, that man had been more of a Von Karma than birth and blood suggested. That man's very presence, touch, was poison. He was better off forgetting, and shouldn't have bared his soul by writing so many letters that were probably unread or laughed at in the first place. It was clear how much friendship was worth to both of them.

He startled awake, tears in his eyes, pain and guilt in his heart at his powerlessness to stop a disaster.

The feeling of danger had not subsided upon waking, though. "Pull over!" he yelped.

Maya glanced over with concern. "Are you sure you're okay?" She didn't listen.

"PULL OVER NOW." He wasn't sure what would happen if she didn't, but he most certainly did not want to find out. In emphasis, he tugged gently but insistently on her arm, not enough to break her concentration while driving or cause the car to spin out of control. Just enough to communicate the fact that it wasn't mere whim.

"Okay, okay..." Maya's response faded into a grumble as she slid the car easily into an empty parking place along the street. "Now, what's the big rush abo-"

CRUNCH. She was interrupted by something to the side, a large noise that made the entire vehicle shake a little. They both glanced to the side with wide eyes. Perhaps Maya had not been exaggerating greatly about the news program that morning, for Protota the supervillain stood where their car had been moments before, as if he'd just stepped from the pages of Chronon Rain. The concrete was smashed into pieces. It's due to the density, he remembered in a daze, but I all of a sudden don't remember why...they explained it but I don't think I was paying attention at the time...probably Maya put it on during a huge case or while I was half asleep or something...

The flash of peach spandex indicated that Chronorose had arrived to fight her nemesis...and that the world had suddenly become a much more insane place. That is, if it wasn't some sort of crazy dream.

He was barely able to widen his eyes and dive out of the vehicle before Protota snatched it up to throw at his foe. Hopefully Maya had gotten free.

It seemed he'd thrown himself out too enthusiastically. His haste had lent too much momentum to his fall, and his head hit against something hard. Instantly, his vision greyed out, and he felt dazed.

He could barely hear the scream and the rushing footsteps, barely feel the hand on his arm. He couldn't make out what she'd been yelling at him as he drifted away, but he could guess. His name.

Miles Edgeworth.