Welcome to the thread! What thread? This one, of course.

Anyways. It's just a collection of fanfics. So far, I only have one. (I also have a fanfiction account, and there's a oneshot on there, but it's so horribly horrible that I'm not putting it on here. >> Go see for yourself, if you want.)

Fanfiction: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1837141/

Deviantart (There's no fanart on there at the moment, though): http://snowthewolf.deviantart.com/

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Chapter One: Spirits of the Rebirth

It was in the rushing October wind when she heard a sound.

It was just another Halloween... the third one she hadn't bothered to celebrate in her life. It wasn't like she could trick-or-treat, anyways; it was raining, and the blur of it made her feel like she was drowning.

She was near enough to a forest, so she ducked under one of the trees for shelter. Sighing in relief, she sunk down onto the ground, the long hooded raincoat being the only thing that kept her seat dry.

She blinked at a sudden noise, leaving as quickly as it came. By now, she'd have gotten used to the forest noises, wouldn't she? But she hadn't heard it again.

It drifted to her ears twice more before she decided to investigate.

The mood of Halloween didn't bother her. Even with her status, she had long forgotten the thrill of holidays and their mythology. The rain, which had started up so suddenly, didn't even pull a string of fear in her.

Or, at least, she had long learned how to hide what she felt.

The sound was so sweet...

It wasn't a sound, or a noise.

It was singing.

The voice grew louder as she neared, more tantalizing, like a siren song. But Maya didn't stop out of her fear; she pressed on, breaking into a trot, then a full-on run.

The spirit channeler froze as she came to a clearing. There was a long, tan body, with silver feathers at the end of its tail, and bat wings folded against its back.

A dragon.

It didn't seem to notice Maya, so she concealed herself in the bushes and listened, closing her eyes. The dragon's song went on, but it had no decipherable words, like it was speaking a sacred language.

The music slowly died down, and the rain faltered with it, leaving with the lovely sound. Maya opened her eyes to see what was going on, to be greeted by a dragon's face.

She was rooted to the spot.

The dragon cocked its head, with rabbit-like ears, only without insides. Its eyes were as silver as its tail feathers, and it had no nose, but its mouth was stretched in a small smile. It was a sad, knowing smile, like it was expecting her to come and listen to its song.

Like it knew what happened to Phoenix.

But before Maya could do anything, it turned around, giving her one last look before bounding off into the forest.

Wasn't she done with the hallucinations that came after Phoenix died?

--

It was Thanksgiving.

Forgin' Attorney cleared of all charges, thanks to the Demon Prosecutor, Miles Edgeworth!

Too bad the 'Forgin' Attorney' was dead already.

Too bad no one could channel him.

And too bad one knew why.

--

She almost didn't come Christmas Eve, but she couldn't help it.

Trucy and Pearl had told her they'd be fine.

She should leave them alone a little more.

They were growing up.

Maybe they didn't need her.

Maybe she needed them, though.

When did she get so dependent?

She should have learned her lesson.

Maya trotted through the forest, for she had decided to walk to Los Angeles when she was a couple hour's distance away. So she had gotten off the train...

She loved walks through the forest. It let her forget, if only for a while.

It always made her feel a bit better, anyways.

But with being alone long enough, you would feel alone. This is why she never took walks for too long, or in the winter... except for now.

Winters shouldn't make you feel like that anymore, she told herself. You should at least last for the walk before you start wailing. It's been three years already. Don't be weak.

She didn't want to be weak.

She had to be strong.

Where he no longer was.

So she walked on.

Until it started hailing.

Like bad luck summoned it upon her, a rain of ice started pouring down, at near-fatal sizes. The spirit channeler tried not to make a sound as she pulled the jacket's hood over her head, rushing under a tree that offered meager protection. She cuddled up to the tree, as if it could keep her warm and well.

An hour. It was both boring and horrifying. Would the hail ever stop? Would she starve here? She might as well bury herself in the snow now. Maybe he would be waiting for her... even if the fact that he couldn't be channeled most likely proved otherwise.

Ah, the suicide. Many a time had she thought of that, but she knew she could never bring herself to do it. It wasn't herself, her old or current self. She could never leave the two brown-haired girls alone.

Though she almost did it, by a bridge, struck with sorrow after the day he...

...

This is why she always kept herself busy. Rushing around, doing odd jobs, sorting things, being helpful.

She could never be Kurain Master, though. She could only channel Mia now, if only barely.

Busy. Being busy takes away your time to think. And she didn't want to think.

But now... she couldn't help herself.

The weakness leaked like her tears. She couldn't hold them back, and shudders began to rack her body for the first time in that year.

"M-Mia?"

"Maya? Are you okay?"

"D-did you s-see N-Nick?"

"No... why would I see him?"

"M-Mia... N-Nick... d-d... he's gone..."

"...w... wh... I... I haven't seen him..."

She slunk down, clothes catching on the bark, the snow swallowing her sobs.

This wasn't like her at all.

Not the old Maya, and not the current one.

However different they were.

She opened her eyes.

"You poor thing."

It was the dragon from two months before. The dragon from Halloween.

The hail halted.

--

Black wings, coal feathers, and the feeling of wind casting in the empty world.

Darkness. Black surroundings with even blacker plumes of energy circling inside the endless world. This was the one world that never failed to strike a chord of fear in him, even if only once, and even if the effect was small.

Something grabbed the feathers of his tail, yanking him into the outskirts of the spirit world.

Even he could not suppress a yelp as he crashed to the barren land, though the magic of that black world had done that to him numerous times before. Narrow-eyed spirits stared at him before identifying him, and quickly moving away.

That's right. Stay away, don't get killed.

Not that spirits could be killed. They could still fade, however...

And yet he wouldn't, for he was still searching for that thing, that very thing that he feared he was never meant to find.

Black wings, coal feathers, and the feeling of wind casting in the empty world...

--

"Ayeyeyeye! Hey! Stay here!" The (talking!) dragon refrained from pouncing on Maya as she began to run away. Maya stalled, then slowly turned toward the dragon out of fear of being eaten, only her bangs hiding how wide her eyes were.

"Aye..." The dragon dipped its head. "What an awkward entrance... indeed..."

The air between them was frigid as the forgotten ice.

The dragon frowned after a few moments of silence. "I know you don't know me, but can you guess why I'm here?"

Maya paused, heart hammering, and thinking that things could turn for the worst if she attempted to run. So much for the myths of Halloween not being true; perhaps this one had come back before Christmas just to haunt her. She shook her head after a few moments, slowly, then hastily.

"The leader of the spirits is worried about your thoughts."

Maya froze, then felt the rage boiling inside of her. Forgetting her fear of the dragon, she pointed her finger accusingly in a way she thought she would never do again. "What have you done with Phoenix!? Why can't we channel him!? Where are you keeping-"

"AYE! Shut up for a second!"

Maya snapped her jaw closed again, fear pulsing through her once again.

"You may be spunky, but you really changed a lot from what I've heard, haven't you," the dragon said evenly, then sighed. "Eh... the spirit leader must be really worried to have sent me here, even if you are a spirit channeler."

The said spirit channeler remained silent.

The dragon lowered her head, turning serious. "Anyways... Phoenix Wright was never meant to die, anyways. Many other important people have died because of that. Besides, we need to speak to him..."

"Wait," Maya said tremulously, after wincing at the sound of her friend's full name. "What do you mean by that? 'He was never meant to die'?"

The dragon gave a slow smile. "I shall show you."

--

Maya was too scared to accept the ride on the dragon's back, or regret rejecting it.

The dragon, proclaimed Friar, and the girl finally came to a small cemetery. The center of the graveyards showed a circular clearing, about the size of a tiny house, with small pebbles surrounding it. Parallel to each other, four groups of three stones were positioned, pointing diagonally at the sky, with an almost flawless white color.

It was sometime in the late night.

"I arranged it before I came looking for you," Friar explained.

Maya shuddered, not sure why she followed the dragon in the first place.

Oh, yeah.

She didn't want her head bitten off.

But what happened next freaked her out more than anything.

"Spirits of the rebirth," Friar called, voice booming in the deathly silence. Silence there was, but flickering lights began forming into indecipherable shapes at the edges of the pebble circle.

"Get behind me," the dragon hissed softly, and out of fear, Maya helplessly followed her instruction.

"We gather here to summon a shadow phoenix."

Shudders ran through the swirling figures, and Maya herself.

"Hopefully, it will not try to exterminate us all," Friar continued calmly, almost slyly. "Begin the song. You all know it."

Maya was surprised as the ever-changing figures began to hum the Carol of the Bells.

"This can only be performed at Christmas Eve," Friar explained in a whisper. "I was lucky to find you before it was too late."

Why does it matter if I'm here? Am I some sort of bait? Maya shuddered again.

Then, the dragon began to sing.

Voice like crystal in the air, the dragon's piercing voice rang through the silent cemetery, due to the magic in the air. All the shadows seemed to be slinking toward the center of the circle, dancing on the ground. Maya shuddered involuntarily every time a shadow passed under her, and found Friar doing the same, although the dragon still sang on.

The language she sang in seemed like the same she had sung at Halloween.

"Ringos fleetos, ringos fleetos, ringos fleetos..."

Friar's voice broke at one point. The shadows fizzled angrily on the ground, reaching toward Friar, hungry for the music. Maya froze in fear, but Friar began singing again, calming the blotchy shadows along with the spirit choir's help.

"Ringos fleetos, righlue soh srie, rive flar breyr, rive flar live..."

The shadows began to swirl, all collected at the center of the circular clearing. Like a funnel, they rolled counter-clockwise, like a portal...

Maya almost jumped when she began to actually understand the words of the song of rebirth.

"Flame, fire wings, flame, fire wings, flame, fire wings, flame, fire wings,

Flame, fire wings, shining so bright, come back to here, come back to life,

Come back to here, come back to life, come back to here, come back to life,

Too many lying, too many crying, too many dieing, too many dead,

Come on back to us, we need you right now..."

A bump began to rise from the collected shadows, and Maya was shaking in utter fear at the assumption that this was the shadow phoenix. Sure, she was a spirit channeler, or at least a former one, but when did she get thrust into a random world of dragons and phoenixes and living shadows? Those things were supposed to stay in the realm of after death.

Or were they here all along?

She had no time to think about how small she felt, or how afraid she was.

The phoenix was rising from the portal, seemingly unwillingly. Unexpectedly blue eyes glowed from the dark, and a spiky crest rose from its head, beak sharp as a razor. The head eventually showed its connection to a long neck, and then a bird's body. Sharply feathered wings were dripping with the shadows that it had come out from.

The phoenix finally was free from the portal.

It threw back its head and roared.

---

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This story is so good *w*
I can't wait for more XD

I like your writing style :3

That oneshot is good too :D It's not bad :<
I really like the storyline, there are still something that makes me curious though like how Phoenix die in the first place and is he literally a phoenix?

*excitedly waits for the next update*

Chapter Two: Christmas Presents

It wasn't exactly a roar.

More like a mix between a roar and a shriek.

Maya finally screamed as well, but quickly went silent as the phoenix slowly lowered its head. It showed no mouth on its beak, and its body seemed almost like it was a shadow itself.

"Greetings, Shadow Phoenix," Friar said, as if it were a name.

"I do not enjoy being called that," it growled.

"Okay, then greetings, phoenix," Friar snorted.

The phoenix snorted as well. "My name is not Phoenix."

"Then what is your name?"

The black phoenix paused; Maya noted that it was not opening its mouth when it spoke. "I do not know."

"Then I'll call you phoenix," Friar said evenly.

"Why am I here?" the phoenix demanded instantly, and its booming voice making Maya shrink down in her spot behind Friar.

"I have summoned you, to bring you back to life."

The phoenix froze, then spoke in a snarl in its suspicion. "Why?"

"There's no need to be mistrustful." When the phoenix still glared aggressively, Friar said quickly, "Or hostile."

"Hostile I am not," the phoenix said almost reluctantly, "if you are not as well."

"Not many dragons can summon things without a band of spirits," Friar explained. "These are good spirits, from the kingdom."

"Interesting," the phoenix said slowly, seeming to settle down. "But... why would I want to return to life?"

"You're seeking something, aren't you?" Friar pressed. "Don't you want to find it? There are many possibilities on this world. And, you won't change at all on Earth. Under these circumstances, we were forced to allow you to use your powers, as long as you thrive in secret... and..."

Maya frowned. Where did she take a part in this? Why was she here?

"...you will need a certain human to watch over you."

Oh.

Maya nearly squeaked as Friar moved aside to show the spirit channeler.

She stifled a scream as the phoenix lowered his head to study her.

This wasn't the old Maya or the current Maya. This was now the most frightened Maya on Earth.

But the phoenix seemed to pose (almost) no threat. A curl of red flame passed over its body; it now looked like a regular phoenix, only black and without flames covering its body. Its features were more defined, and its eyes almost looked human.

"I..." the phoenix stuttered ungracefully after studying Maya for a few moments. "I-I... never mind. I'll come to Earth. If this is the human, of course."

The gaze burning into Maya's back was certainly Friar's, begging her not to do anything that would make the phoenix change his mind. But Maya had to squeak, "Just like that?"

"Yes, just like that," the phoenix said, clearly irritated.

"Then the deal is done," Friar proclaimed.

The spirit choir were beginning to hum something now, something Maya didn't recognize. In fact, she wasn't entirely sure she was hearing it. It sounded like a lullaby... and it probably was, for she felt her legs give way under her.

"W... wait, I didn't know..." she began to protest.

"You got your phoenix back, didn't you?" Friar hissed into her ear. "Now all you have to do is find him."

"Th... that doesn't m-make any sense!" The sudden and unnatural drowsiness was slurring her words. "I-I don't think... you know what I meant by Phoenix..."

"You'll make sense of it soon enough," Friar snorted. "I know you probably hate me now..."

Maya frowned.

"...but, as corny as this sounds: you'll thank me for it later."

Yeah, it does sound corny.

"Just go to sleep now, all right?" Friar said soothingly, although her voice was in a rush. "You'll wake up, you'll have an adventure, and you'll know the truth, eventually..."

The dragon sounded very, very doubtful.

Before Maya succumbed, she took one last glance at the phoenix, which fell to the ground in sleep as her eyes closed.

She had dreams of happy memories.

--

Christmas morning came.

The two brunettes rushed out of their room together, squealing with rare joy as they collapsed beside the Christmas tree. With grins and merry eyes, they both started ripping their presents apart, sharing no worry for the collapsed girl in the cemetery, for they had no idea of her troubles.

Pearl and Trucy uncovered numerous presents for themselves- a snow-globe from Mystic Maria, a pair of matching golden necklaces from Sister Iris (which they immediately put on), and other typical Christmas gifts. The people of the Kurain Village were particularly generous to the children this year, and not because of Phoenix Wright's death still affecting them, but also because the year had been pretty swell as well.

The two were thrilled to find that Mystic Maya had gotten them each a bicycle.

As Trucy instructed Pearl how to ride on one, Sister Iris peered under the gigantic tree in the center of the village and called to them, for they had missed a present.

The box was small and blue, able to fit in Trucy's hand, with a classic purple ribbon that felt like silk.

To: Trucy and Pearl
From: Friar
This was very hard to write, with my hands, let alone wrap. The present was even harder to get. Enjoy!

After Trucy read it to Pearl, the recently turned 12-year-old's face contorted to an expression of confusion.

"But... there's no one in the village called Friar," Pearl said gradually.

"Huh?" Trucy cocked her head. "Are you sure? Maybe it's one of the girls that do most of the chores in the village? Or a mother?"

"No, I know everyone in the village..." Pearl trailed off, shaking her head slowly.

"I wonder what's inside?" Trucy asked after a few moment, staring at the beautifully wrapped box. She tugged at the ribbon thoughtfully, and it came a little loose.

"Well, let's see," Pearl smiled.

Trucy tugged the ribbon loose, holding the purple silk carefully, then pulled the lid off the box.

Inside was an ebony feather, perhaps the smallest of a gigantic bird.

--

Maya woke up with a mass of black feathers curled around her.

As her eyes opened, the phoenix's great head lifted slightly, then slowly moved in front of her; it was probably doing it slowly just to humor her. Maya stifled her shock as she stared.

The phoenix seemed a lot more inviting than the previous night; the fact that it was keeping Maya warm with its body heat only supported that fact. The crest (or crests, for there was one on each side of the head) of feathers were spiky, leading to a longish neck (it seemed a lot longer the last night), then ending at the body that was around the spirit channeler. The phoenix seemed to resemble a swan, in a way.

"Hello," it said gently, almost as if it were whispering.

Maya nearly fainted.

"I've been waiting for you to wake up," it continued, blinking softly. Compared to the beast that was in front of her the previous night, this creature seemed like a totally different... er... phoenix.

Its voice was familiar, yet different in a way Maya could not explain. It seemed to be speaking at a normal volume, although its beak never opened, like the last night.

"I understand that you must be shocked right now...?" It almost sounded questioning, and Maya realized that it- he- was probably as confused as she was.

"I'm Maya," she blurted.

"I do not have a name," the phoenix responded immediately.

"Oh... why not?" Maya questioned.

The phoenix's head turned away from Maya, so he was not looking at her. "I would rather not speak the reason to a stranger."

"S-sorry," she stuttered, then paused. "You know... would you mind being called, um, Phoenix?"

Both the idiocy of the name and the memories that it brought up made her want to change it right away, but before she could, the phoenix responded, "That would be nice."

There was a hint of a (nostalgic?) smile on his beak, which stopped Maya. She couldn't take it back now; she could anger the beast. "S-so, Ph-ph-phoenix..."

"Is something wrong?" he asked quickly, then quickly frowned, which seemed otherworldly since he had a beak for a mouth. "Ah, never mind... the fact that I'm here is all wrong. This is awkward."

"Yeah, it is, isn't it," Maya sighed.

"It almost feels like nothing happened," he continued, almost on a rant. "I still feel the same as I did before the summoning. Gothi behold, I might as well be unchanged. Perhaps the rebirthing was a ruse."

"Gothi?" Maya asked. "And... I thought phoenixes never die?"

"My, you are nosy, are you not?" The phoenix sighed, but Maya could feel that he was growing less tense. "Gothi is the first spirit to be born, and the first to fade- for I might as well tell you this, if you have to stay with me. And, true, phoenixes never die, unless a killing blow of powerful magic is dealt. I am not sure how I died."

"You aren't?" Maya blinked.

"Nevermind that," the phoenix said quickly. "It is my turn. Why are you so special that you would be chosen to be my defender, and who was the dragon that had summoned me?"

"Um, the first question, I'm not entirely sure. I think that it might have to do with me being a spirit channeler. And about the dragon, I'm not sure myself, but she said her name was Friar," Maya explained.

"Aye, Friar. She is part of the spirit council, no? And what is a spirit channeler?"

Not bothering to point out that he was asking more questions than his share, Maya's eyes went wide in surprise. "Spirit council? And, you don't know what a spirit channeler is?"

"I may not know many of the things that happen in the spirit world, as well as many others living there," he explained, "just as you may not know what's going on in your own world."

Maya shuddered; these words were true.

"The spirit council is a group of high-ranked spirits in the Spirit Kingdom," the phoenix mumbled. "Saying that you are a spirit channeler, it is quite surprising that you do not know of them, but the secrets of the afterlife are quite protected from the living, I guess. They help maintain many things in the world of the dead ones. Friar is the first Dreamwalker, a species of dragon that is able to walk into and create dreams, as the name suggests. I am surprised that she was sent to Earth just to summon me," the phoenix said thoughtfully. "I do wonder why."

"Me, too," Maya murmured.

"So, what is a spirit channeler?" the phoenix asked again.

"A spirit channeler channels spirits," Maya smiled. "I can basically summon a spirit to take over my body for a while. In that time, my body takes on the spirit's appearance."

"But isn't that dangerous?" The phoenix questioned.

"Sometimes, which is why we always have someone watching, since... um... a certain incident."

"Can you... 'channel' animals?"

"Um... I don't know. But I'd rather not try," Maya admitted.

"Why not?" The phoenix cocked his head.

Now almost completely at ease with the giant bird, Maya mocked, "Look who's nosy now."

The phoenix laughed. "I guess I am, at the moment."

"Anyways, we don't want to experiment those kinds of things, because it could mean death, or worse, if you know what I mean," Maya said, nodding as she explained. "I could lose my soul in some abyss."

She felt more like her old self than she did in ages.

"Are there others like you?" the phoenix questioned.

"Yes, where I live, in Kurain Village."

The phoenix froze for a few moments, blinking rapidly, then forced himself to relax again. "A-aye... may I go see?"

"What? The village?" It was Maya's turn to acted surprised. "Um, what if they, um, see you? They'd freak out..."

"Then I shall watch from the shadows," the phoenix mumbled.

Maya was confused for a moment, then it dawned on her. "Oh, yeah... you're a... yeah..."

"And, mind you, my flames are as red as any other phoenix's," the phoenix snorted, even if Maya wasn't even thinking about that in the least bit. He began to uncoil himself from around the girl, who quickly got on her feet again.

Soon the phoenix was at his full height; the same as the previous night, of course, and despite that the phoenix's personality was nicer than it seemed at first, the twenty-five-foot-tall mass of feathers was quite intimidating.

As if noticing her fear, he shrunk down to a slightly more comfortable 10-foot-tall mass of feathers.

Maya nearly fainted.

---

Dragons and Maya are a great combo for me. :)