#narumayo

Phoenix finally came to with the feeling of cold metal behind him and his body burning in pain. He blinked as his eyes adjusted to the light from an old hanging lamp shining directly down on him. He tried to move, but realized all too quickly that his hands were tied behind his back, wrapped in rope around some sort of steel beam. He looked down at himself. His clothes were torn and damaged, and from what he could see of his skin, it was badly cut and bruised all over.

“W… What?” Phoenix muttered. “F-fuck…”

“Did you have a nice rest?” a low voice asked him.

“What… where am I?” Phoenix cried. “W-who are you? What’s going on?!”

“Relax,” the voice said. “You’re not in danger. Yet.”

“Look, I don’t want any trouble,” Phoenix said. “If this is a hostage situation, I’ll have you know that there are people that’ll notice I’m missing. They’ll come looking for me. And then they’ll look for you.”

The voice chuckled. “What a charming threat. Do you know why you’re here, Phoenix Wright?”

“I don’t, actually,” Phoenix said. “If I made you or… your boss or someone else upset, I really didn’t-”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” the voice interrupted. “You haven’t upset me. Or anyone else, for that matter. Rather…”

The voice paused for a moment.

“You can give me something I want, Phoenix Wright,” the voice said eventually. “Something I want very badly. My freedom.”

Phoenix frowned but said nothing.

“I’ve been accused of a crime, you see,” the voice continued. “A rather heinous one at that. Since you’ll be my lawyer, I want to be upfront and honest with you. I did do it. I’d do it again. I’d do it a thousand times over. But… nobody wants to go to jail. I figured you of all people would be able to understand that. And subsequently, understand my situation.”

“What are you asking?” Phoenix asked.

“What do you think? I want you to defend me,” the voice said. “…You’re a household name, Phoenix Wright. I’m sure you can figure something out. Isn’t that what you do?”

“I don’t defend criminals,” Phoenix said. “I pursue the truth. And if the truth is that you did… whatever it is you did, then there’s no point in me taking your side.”

“Haven’t you defended a guilty party before?” the voice asked. “What makes this so different?”

“The Engarde case? That trial doesn’t count,” Phoenix said. “I… technically never defended Engarde. That was years ago, and the real murderer was found anyway. Why do you mention it?”

“You had to make a decision then, between your loved one and your pursuit of justice,” the voice said. “But you never did make a decision, did you? You didn’t need to. The decisive evidence came just at the right time, I remember. Tell me, what would your decision have been? What matters to you more, your passion or your friends?”

“I don’t need to choose one over the other,” Phoenix huffed. “Both of them matter to me.”

The voice sighed. “I figured as much. A pity… I wasn’t looking to attack you so late at night, but if you give me no other choice…”

Phoenix recoiled in fear, the cuts and bruises on his body starting to burn again.

“Please!” Phoenix cried. “Don’t… don’t hurt me. Please…”

“I’ll give you time to think about it,” the voice said. “But don’t take too long. Who knows if you’ll die of starvation or dehydration first. If you don’t go mad from being alone in the dark, that is.”

The voice went quiet and the light above Phoenix was turned off, plunging the entire room into darkness. Phoenix heard steps recede upwards, then heard a door open and close.

“No, no, wait!” Phoenix begged. “Please! Let me out! Let me go! PLEASE!”

No response. He was alone.

“Damn it,” Phoenix hissed. A tear started to prick in his eye. He blinked it away.

The silence was deafening and the room was pitch black. Phoenix couldn’t see a thing in the darkness, and if his captor was in the room above him, they were doing a great job of keeping completely quiet. There were no signs of life other than his own heavy breathing and the pounding of his heart in his ears.

Phoenix shifted where he sat, trying to stop the rope that bound him from digging into his skin. He hissed and suddenly was all too aware of the searing pain in his flesh.

It was a cruel sort of irony that it was so dark that Phoenix couldn’t even see the damage done to his body. He only got a glimpse of his injuries for a moment while the lights were on, but just because he couldn’t see them didn’t mean he couldn’t feel them. It was cool and drafty against certain parts of his skin, making him assume those were the places in which his suit had been torn. The air stung in his wounds, making him groan softly in pain. His body was burning, crying, screaming at him. He shook his head to try to stop thinking of the pain and his ears rang for a moment. He surely wasn’t a doctor, but he could only assume that wasn’t a good sign.

He wriggled his hands around in hopes of being able to maneuver himself to undo his binds, but he had no luck. No matter which way he twisted, shimmied and squirmed, nothing worked. Whoever had captured him knew their way with knots. Worse still, every time he moved in place, his injuries only felt more and more severe. He eventually gave up, the damage on his body too intense to keep trying. It felt like he was dragged through a dirt road behind a truck and then dipped in boiling acid. Everything hurt.

Tears started to form in his eyes again, and he bit his lip in an attempt to force them away. But this time, even as he strained, he couldn’t stop them from sliding down his cheeks and onto the floor.

He couldn’t stop thinking about his family. His friends. Trucy. Maya. Apollo. Athena. Ema. Was Trucy okay? Where was she now? Was Apollo watching over her? How long would it take for them to notice he was gone? Hopefully not long, but the last time they saw him, he had told everyone that he would be out for a little while…

He couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to anyone at the agency. His captor could hurt him all they wanted… they could beat him, cut him, burn him. But if anything happened to his friends- and worst of all, if anything happened to Trucy- Phoenix didn’t know if he’d ever forgive himself. And he didn’t know if he’d ever stop trying to find the culprit until he knew they were convicted.

Phoenix quickly came to realize a few things. Firstly, being conscious in a hostage situation was clearly a terrible fate. He was consumed with worry and with fear, his mind racing with what-ifs. It sickened him to not be able to know what was happening in the outside world. What time was it? Had Trucy eaten dinner? Had Apollo and Athena gone home for the night? Was Ema still awake? Were Maya and Pearl okay? How would he know if anything happened to them when they were so far away?

Secondly, he realized that he had a way healthier lifestyle in terms of eating and drinking regularly than he initially thought. It wasn’t long before Phoenix started to get thirsty, and hunger followed soon after. Yet his captor remained absent. No noise from above, no visits into the basement, no nothing. Phoenix was left alone with nothing but his thoughts, his pain and his general discomfort to keep him company. And what sorry company they were.

Phoenix had no clue what time it was, but he finally decided to try and ignore his hunger and his searing wounds and fall asleep to pass the time. When he closed his eyes, it was like nothing in the room had changed. It was the same pitch darkness that he had started to grow accustomed to. He finally managed to doze off a little bit, worst-case scenarios dancing around in his mind all the while.

Phoenix was woken up to the sound of the door opening and someone coming down towards him. The lamp above him was suddenly switched on and he squinted in the sudden brightness.

“Wakey-wakey,” his captor sing-songed. “Have you been convinced yet?”

“Convinced to what?” Phoenix asked.

“Convinced to defend me,” his captor replied. “Surely a sensible man like you would know by now which decision is best. It seems pretty obvious to me.”

“...I’m still deciding,” Phoenix muttered.

“What was that?” his captor asked.

“I said I’m still deciding!” Phoenix said. “I’ll get back to you.”

“...You’re sure?” his captor said. “I can let you go… if you make the right choice. I won’t come back down here again today. Even if you cry and beg in pain, I won’t come back.”

“I’ll decide by tomorrow,” Phoenix said.

“Another day in darkness, with no food or drink?” his captor asked. “Maybe you aren’t as sensible as I thought. If I was a bit more of a fool, I’d say you’re too much work, too stubborn to crack. But I am no fool. You seem to be, however. A shame.”

The lights flicked off again and the footsteps left once more. The door above Phoenix opened and shut again.

Phoenix sighed and leaned his head back. Sleeping in a seated position surely was not good for his back, and he felt his muscles strain even as he barely moved.

He wondered if he’d have to stay there in the basement, rotting forever. He said he’d make a decision by the next day, but he didn’t know what to do quite yet. Trying to escape on his own was completely futile. If he denied his captor’s request, he’d probably be beaten into submission. If he accepted, he could maybe attempt to escape, but if his captor was worth their salt, Phoenix knew he’d be under watchful eyes at any moment. Even if he exposed them in court and got them arrested, who knew who would go after him after that. For every friend Phoenix had, he had five enemies, it seemed.

The pain from his injuries had not subsided, nor had his hunger or thirst. In fact, all three seemed to worsen with time. Phoenix didn’t want to think about the pain any longer, so he forced himself back to sleep. It was a miracle he could drift off at all.

Phoenix wasn’t asleep for long when he was abruptly woken up by a loud crash coming from above him. A thump, some shouting, a gunshot. Some more crashing. Another gunshot. A scream, a thud, and suddenly, the door to the basement being violently rammed. It was like someone was kicking it in.

Finally, he heard the door break.

“He’s gotta be down here!” A familiar voice cried.

“Help!” Phoenix cried weakly. “I’m here! I’m down here!”

Phoenix heard people scrambling down the stairs and suddenly the light flicked on.

The first person he saw was Maya. She was then followed by Athena and Apollo.

“Mr. Wright!” Athena cried. “We found you! Mein Gott, we actually found you!”

“Nick!” Maya cried. “A-Apollo, he’s tied up, can you-”

“I’m on it,” Apollo said. He scurried around behind Phoenix and started to undo the rope that bound his hands.

“Where’s Trucy?” Phoenix asked. “Is she okay?”

“She’s fine,” Maya said. “She’s back at the agency with Pearly. Gumshoe and Edgeworth and Ema are upstairs with some police officers.”

“H-How did you guys find me?” Phoenix asked.

“Never mind that,” Maya said. “We’ll tell you on the way home.”

“Stay still Mr. Wright,” Apollo said. “I’ve almost got it.”

“What about my captor?” Phoenix asked.

“He tried to shoot at us, but missed both times,” Athena said. “The cops tased him and captured him, no doubt he’s already on his way to jail.”

Suddenly, Phoenix’s hands didn’t feel so stiff anymore.

“There!” Apollo said. “You’re free!”

Phoenix slowly placed his hands on the ground in front of him and shifted himself up to stand. He rose to his feet gradually, but stumbled. Maya caught him in her arms.

“Nick!” Maya cried. “Be careful!”

“S-Sorry,” Phoenix said.

“How long were you down here?” Athena asked.

“A day or two?” Phoenix said. “But it felt like a week.”

Maya helped prop Phoenix back up on his feet. She looked at him for a moment, before rushing in to hug him tightly.

“Whatever you did to get kidnapped, NEVER do it again!” Maya said.

“Ack, Maya!” Phoenix hissed. “My injuries!”

Maya yelped and jumped off Phoenix.

“Sorry, sorry!” Maya said. “Let’s get home and I’ll fix you up, okay?”

Phoenix nodded. “I like that idea.”

The group hurried upstairs and were greeted by Gumshoe, Edgeworth, and a few members of the LAPD. Ema escorted them to a police cab and drove them all home to the agency, where Trucy and Phoenix both broke into sobs upon reuniting. Everyone was relieved to have him home. Maya then pulled him aside into his office to tend to his wounds.

“Do I have to take off my clothes?” Phoenix asked, blushing a little.

“I can’t reach your injuries otherwise,” Maya said. “Let me clean you up before we take you to the hospital.”

Phoenix obeyed and stripped to his boxers. He sat in his office chair as Maya knelt beneath him, making him feel like a child at the pediatrician.

“You got beaten up pretty bad, Nick,” Maya tutted as she got out some antibacterial wipes. “Hold your breath, this’ll sting.”

Phoenix hissed as she cleaned up his wounds, wiping up the blood and dirt that was all over his body.

“You’ll need a new suit after this,” Maya added. “Yours is really torn up.”

Phoenix grumbled. “Do you know how much those suits cost?”

“OW!” Phoenix suddenly cried.

“Stop fidgeting!” Maya said. “You’re making this worse!”

Phoenix sat rigidly as Maya continued to clean his wounds. Eventually, after using up nearly an entire box of wipes, she seemed satisfied with her work.

“Let me get you something comfortable to put on, and Athena can drive you to the hospital,” Maya said. “Stay put, okay?”

Phoenix nodded as Maya hurried away, and he was thankful yet again that his apartment with Trucy was just above the agency.

Maya quickly returned with a t-shirt and some sweatpants from Phoenix’s closet. She handed them to him and he turned away from her to put them on.

When he turned to face Maya, she hugged him again, only with less force this time. It didn’t hurt as much, so Phoenix wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back.

“You scared the shit out of me, Nick,” Maya said. “Don’t tell Pearly I used that word. But it’s true. I was terrified.”

Phoenix chuckled. “I wasn’t really scared. As long as you guys were safe, that’s all I cared about.”

Maya pulled away from the hug and suddenly placed a quick kiss on Phoenix’s cheek. Phoenix could feel his face turn pink.

“I like that your first thought is to worry about us,” Maya said, averting her eyes. “But please, worry about yourself sometimes, okay?”

Phoenix smiled slightly. “Okay. I promise you, I will.”

Maya then opened Phoenix’s office door and shoved him out of it.

“Go!” she called. “Athena, take him to the hospital!”

“Aye-aye, cap’n!” Athena said, saluting. “Come on, Mr. Wright!”

“And Nick?” Maya said.

Phoenix turned to look at her. “Yeah?”

“Don’t you dare get kidnapped again!” she said.

Phoenix laughed. “I’ll do my best!”