Chapter Text
Another day, another lesson with a Phantom Thief on the proper usage of martial weaponry and the history thereof. Even from the get-go, Byleth can tell that Ann’s case will be unique. But, she’s enthusiastic enough about the lesson, so Byleth hopes things will progress smoothly.
“Admittedly, Takamaki-san… the whip isn’t the most effective or conventional weapon to use. If your target is armored, shielded, or particularly dextrous in their movements, a whip won’t be of much use. And even then, accuracy can’t come at the cost of power -- a whip won’t do much more than sting a little unless you hit dead-on with just the right amount of force.” Byleth begins her lecture, twirling a long leather whip as though it were a gymnastic feather. Ann sits on the floor, covered head to toe in protective gear and goggles. “But, depending on the whip’s components, you can do some real damage -- cut through clothes, leave nasty bruises, break bones, and more. Luckily for you, I happen to have experience using them. Out of all your friends, you’ll probably be getting the lessons with the most experience behind them.”
“Oh, goodie! Here I thought Ryuji would be getting that.”
“I’ve got something different for him, actually. But for now, focus on this. For the first lesson, I’m simply going to teach you to effectively crack a whip. It’s a fundamental in the correct amount of force to use, and the sound itself is intimidating enough to cow your weaker enemies into opting against combat entirely.”
“You think I could use it to train the boys to stop staring at me?”
Byleth considers the possibility. “It’s not the worst idea. Sometimes it seems like anything less won’t teach them that lesson.” Then, she puts more distance between her and Ann. “Now, the lesson. This is the simplest part, but everything from here on out is simply a variation of some sort.” She raises the whip up, then brings it down with a considerable crack. “Just swing up, make a right angle with your arm -- fist up toward the sky -- as the whip arcs over your shoulder. When the tip is just about at the ground behind you, bring your arm back down. Easy as that.”
Byleth is thankful the entire school is closed today, not to mention that the gym is soundproofed to not let too much noise escape. She can pin that on the school’s location being in Tokyo and Kobayakawa agreeing to help cut down on the city’s noise pollution. Her and Ann are the only two people there, and the lesson is going to be considerably noisy.
She hands the whip to Ann, then steps back a good eight feet or so to let her work.
“You really have to stand that far away? You’re making me nervous, Sensei.”
“Protective gear or not, a whip is more unpredictable than a sword or an axe. Trust me, I learned the hard way.”
Ann concedes with laughter, but obeys. Her first few attempts aren’t awful -- her experience in the Metaverse has already given her a leg up on the layman trying to use a whip -- but there’s still room for improvement.
“Almost. You’re swinging too early. But you’re using a perfect amount of force. Don’t change that at all.”
She nods, determined, then gets back to swinging.
…
Rather than leave immediately after their lesson, Ann and Byleth choose to enjoy their solitude, the entirety of Shujin Academy as their playground. They wander from floor to floor, breathing in how the school exists while free of the deadlines and chaos of curriculum. Their voices and footsteps echo in the empty hallways as a testament to the seclusion.
“Wow, it’s almost eerie without anyone here…” Ann turns each corner half expecting to see crowds of faces hurrying from one place to the next.
“Reminds me of Garreg Mach. This was the average atmosphere there. Just breathe it in. Appreciate this moment.”
And for a moment, they do. Ann’s gaze follows each plank of wood on the floor, tracing the imperfections with her mind’s eye. For a moment, nothing exists outside of this point in time, this place in the universe. It’s calming.
But Ann’s expression changes when it reaches Byleth once more, like she’s trying to use her eyes as windows to the soul, to draw conclusions about who Byleth is, or was, or might be.
“You look like you have a question, Takamaki-san.” Her words jolt Ann from her tunnel vision, drawing a soft gasp.
When she’s back on Earth, Ann laughs. She adjusts her hair -- still not back as she wants it after their lesson -- and asks, “I know you hear this so often, but… Did you fall in love back at Garreg Mach? Did you have anyone special?”
“I did, yes.” She seems to shock Ann with her unusual honesty. “It didn’t work out.”
“Do you mind if I ask why?”
“If you were anybody else, I wouldn’t have even told you that much.” The two of them find themselves in the courtyard, then take a seat next to the vending machines just outside the door. “Our relationship was in its fledgling stages before I lapsed into a coma. Then, when I finally woke up five years later… things were completely different. We didn’t see eye to eye.”
“I’m sorry, Sensei, I didn’t mean to dig up sad memories.”
Byleth quickly dismisses her worries. “It’s okay. We’re back to being friends, at least. We keep in touch, despite the distance.”
“I’m glad that you’ve patched things up, at least!” Ann is quick to turn back to her chipper self. “What was that like? Waking up five years later?”
“You’re unusually curious today, I see.” Ann opens her mouth to apologize, but Byleth stops her before she can say sorry yet again. “It’s okay. I’m unusually open today.” Byleth gets up from her seat, then finds her place in front of a vending machine, surveying her options in much the same way royalty might choose between a cloak. “I mean, I missed out on five years of technological development, five years of geopolitical advancement, five years of--”
“Not that part, actually. Just.. waking up. How long did it take to be fully conscious? How long did it take to walk again?”
“Huh, that’s not the part people tend to ask about.” Byleth is pleasantly surprised. She makes her drink selection on the machine in front of her, then retrieves it from the receptacle on the side. “I was lucky. After five years, the doctors were expecting much worse when I came to. Not to say it wasn’t still awful… it was awful. It took me a week to wake up entirely. I don’t even remember all of it, just bits and pieces. I was in a room, and I opened my eyes, and there was nothing but blazing, white-hot light surrounding me. I heard sounds, voices, but it was too muddled to find the words. Then, I went back under again.” Byleth makes another selection in the vending machine, then tosses the orange bottle to Ann. “Different parts of my body woke up, piece by piece. First, I only knew I existed, and that there was a ‘me’ to know I was there. Then my consciousness remembered my body. Even if I couldn’t entirely see, I could feel. I felt my arm and knew that if something was there and that if it was something I could feel, then that must mean I wasn’t just a floating orb of consciousness in the ether, that I had a form. Then, when I could finally see and hear, I realized that there were other things I couldn’t feel, which means there must be things that weren’t me. It was that, over and over. Putting myself back together, piece by piece.”
“You definitely weren’t kidding. That’s… that’s awful.”
Byleth turns to meet Ann’s gaze, only to find her eyes locked on one unremarkable spot in the grass of the courtyard. “Do you need me to stop?”
“No. I need to hear this.”
Byleth knows precisely why she does. “I didn’t even know who I was for a week afterward. I’d lost a lot of weight and a lot of my motor functions. I had no next of kin for them to notify, so I was alone for the first few days. Some of my students were the first to come see me when I woke up. There aren’t any words to describe what it feels like to look at a stranger’s face, to know that you know them deeply, to know that they hold a spot in your heart, but to not know why .” Byleth hesitates. This will be the hardest for Ann to hear. “Physical rehab was one of the most painful experiences of my life. It took me almost a month just to be able to walk again. I wasn’t able to write for… God, for months after that. But my doctors were amazed by my progress. They told me they’d never seen someone fight as much as I did to get her life back. I was lucky to eventually get back to everything I was before. They attributed it to my physical fitness beforehand, but I know it was more a miracle than anything.”
When Byleth finally realizes she’s been staring at the same spot on the wall for the past five minutes, she turns to Ann. Tears are welling up in her eyes about as quickly as she can brush them aside.
“But I know your friend will fight just as hard as I did.”
“How did you…?” She finally looks back at Byleth. Even now, she tries to hide her grief.
“I was told about her before I got this job.”
Ann’s tears slow as she grips her gym shorts. “I need to train for her, just as hard as she’s working. In every way I can.”
Byleth sets a hand on Ann’s shoulder. “More than anything, you just need to be there for her. That’s what brought me back to myself and made me want to fight.” She grips Ann’s arm, gentle. “You should tell me about her. Shiho Suzui, right?”
“She used to be pretty outgoing, actually. In fact, she was usually the one who protected me from bullies. There were boys in middle school who would twist my hair and make fun of me because I didn’t fit in, and she would chase them off in a huff.” She thumbs at some spotless point on her forearm, nothing to signify it but a memory. “She would even kiss my scrapes. Other kids made fun of her for it, but she never seemed to care. She’d help me up and we’d get right back to whatever trouble it was we were getting up to.”
“Those are the kinds of friends to hold onto, Takamaki-san.” Byleth stands, then helps Ann up. “It’s getting late. We can’t stay here for much longer.”
“You’re right, Sensei…” Ann rises, then wipes the last of her tears off with a giggle. “This one got a bit heavier than we thought, huh… I’ll try to keep our next lesson more lighthearted.”
“You have my full permission to use that whip to scare the boys out of ogling you.”
“I might just have to try it! Anything would help at this point, honestly.”
Despite the weighty tones of their conversations, they laugh and smile all the way to Station Square.