This is a fanfic. BUY THE FUCKING MERCHANDISE!
Weiss sighed in a bit of relief when she had made it to her bedroom.
Her day had been absolutely exhausting. Not just physically, mentally as well. Her morning was booked with studies that she had to catch up on due to being distracted by various answers Akira had provided for her a few days ago.
The boy had just so happened to omit the fact that he could summon constructs known as Personas. Apparently, these grand figures were just a part of his soul, or so she understood from his explanation. There was no need to slay anything nor be part of the Schnee family since her bloodline has been the only ones to be able to have the ability to summon. That last part of the fact was partially relieving since she didn't want some twist like he was part Schnee or maybe it was time-travel with him somehow being her ancestor.
…Perhaps his bizarre thinking was rubbing off on her.
What was she at again before? Ah, yes, the morning being absolutely exhausting with her thoughts on Akira's tale. Not only did that take up a fair amount of her afternoon, she also had to through her physical exercises due to her desire of becoming a huntress.
Even during her mock fights, her instructor had been scolding the heiress for a while about the same issue repeatedly. There was something the heiress was missing in her fighting, but the adult refused to give a hint or answer. It irked the girl a lot. Weiss was doing everything she was taught to do. So what was it that she lacked?
Reaching over to the light switch that was next to her door, she flicked the device. But when she heard a click, the lights did not turn on.
Weiss frowned at this reaction. Grabbing the small switch, she moved the knob up and down repeatedly with no positive results. Hm, it looked like the bulb had burned out. She would search or call for Klein to have it replaced immediately. But it was late, and she just wanted to go to sleep. Perhaps the morning would suffice a lot more.
As she just managed to walk over to her bed, she froze when she heard someone speak.
"Tell me where that boy from the Juwels incident is and I'll let'cha live."
Hearing an incredibly nasally voice, Weiss brought her head around. She jolted at the sight of a single person standing across the room near the door. The figure was taller than her, wearing black pants with a dark-grey pullover-sweater. Covering their entire head was a face mask with a crude cut made for the eyes to see well enough yet conceal their identity. Their hands were behind their back, but they gave a rather intimidating presence.
Weiss stared in shock at the sight of the stranger who had just threatened her. Freezing for a couple of seconds, she then noticed that the figure didn't go for her yet. Taking advantage of their lack of initiation, she twisted her body around to grab her rapier that wielded Dust.
But when she looked at the table where she would put the case down for her weapon, it was gone.
"Lookin for this?" She turned back to face the stranger who held up a case which she recognized belonged to her and knew it held her weapon. They put it down softly but what came next was anything but. "I'm gonna ask ya one more time. Where. Is that boy?"
Seeing the figure start moving, Weiss first response was to retreat towards the bathroom. It was perhaps a place to buy her at least a bit of time to call for help and survive this encounter. But as soon as she ran towards the specific area in mind, she jiggled the knob and realized that it was locked. That stranger knew that she would have possibly gone to such a safe spot.
Turning her head around, she saw the figure getting closer. They were between her and the door to get back into the hallway. Eyeing to her side, she saw that there was her bed. It was the only other way that wasn't blocked. She didn't have any other choice.
Dashing over towards her bed, she was about to vault over the mattress when she suddenly tripped on her own legs. Releasing a small yelp, Weiss landed right on top of the soft surface. But as soon as she did, she knew that her escape was a failed attempt. Now this stranger was going to do who knows what to her!
…Only she didn't feel anything happen for the next couple of seconds.
"…That was pathetic, you know that?"
As soon as a new voice entered her ear, Weiss snapped her gaze off the mattress and right behind her. The feeling of panic that was inside of her grew into irritation and something more when she had a feeling of who the sound belonged to. The stranger may have their face covered, but their voice gave away their identity. "…Akira?" The white-haired female asked with an incredulous tone and narrowed eyes.
The figure stood still but nodded his head once to confirm her suspicions.
Huffing, she slapped her hands down and pushed herself off the bed. Weiss got up to her feet as fast as she could. Immediately finishing her action, she sucker-punched the boy right against his stomach as hard as she could. Satisfaction grew inside upon impact, but it was overshadowed by anger.
"Augh!" The masked-boy coughed in pain as he doubled over for about a second. Stepping away, he allowed some space between him and the heiress. Akira clutched his stomach at first. Looking back up, he spread his arms out in disbelief. "Now you hit me! Seriously?" He questioned.
"What is your damage?!" Weiss hissed back immediately, her hands in front of her and curled up, resisting the urge to strangle the male teenager. She then turned around and groaned while putting her hands up to her face.
Reaching up, Akira tore the cloth off his head. "Given that you were nearly taken away by a White Fang member, a little over a week ago, I thought perhaps a test of your abilities to defend yourself outside of your practice classes was in order." He explained himself. "It was." After the statement, the boy pointed at Weiss. "You have much to learn about the art of self-preservation and or instinct outside of your classes."
Weiss sighed while groaning. "Okay, if you ever do that again, I swear-"
"You'll what? Fall over again?" Akira cut the white-haired female off, folding his arms. "Look, from what I understand, the work huntsmen and huntresses do is dangerous. This danger also extends to their daily lives. You know this. Yet you insist on taking on such a crucial role in Remnant's society." He pointed again directly to the girl. "Last week, a terrorist nearly managed to kidnap you. How?" A quick pat on the wrist that was gesturing in her direction was followed by an answer. "You let him grab you without putting up a struggle."
The heiress rolled her eyes. "I was surprised at the appearance." She scoffed in her defense.
"Right, that's the perfect excuse to provide when lacking any form of defense, hmm?" Akira replied sarcastically immediately. A sigh escaped his lips. "We've only known each other for nearly half a month. But realizing that you were in danger was difficult for me. If…" He took a breath. "If anything happened to you with me around, I'm not sure if I would be able to forgive myself."
Her eyebrow twitched. "Okay, that is not how you express concern for someone you want to keep safe!" She stated clearly, walking straight up and in front of the male. Putting her hands up, she began shoving Akira towards the door of her room. She just wanted rest and this boy was preventing her from getting any! "Now get out!"
"Perhaps. But I can at least guarantee these will be a great asset in the future." Akira attempted to reassure the girl while moving along with the force she was applying to him. "Just remember that you should expect more guerilla style tests of your ability to fight back!" His tone was normal at first. But as soon as he was shoved out of the bedroom, he hastened his sentence and raised the volume a bit before Weiss slammed the door right behind him.
Turning around, Akira looked up and down at the door and released a small huff. "You have been warned." He said quietly before walking back towards his own room.
"Guess that didn't exactly work out as you expected, huh?"
Akira sighed, rubbing his head as it started to ache a bit. Closing his eyes, he took in some more air before turning around to see the "Phantom Thieves" scattered around behind him. Some were leaning on the walls while other were simply standing. Judging by the voice, "Ann" was the one who had spoken. Also, since all of the others were eyeing her, he made such a conclusion.
The black-haired boy narrowed his eyes in her direction with a scrunched-up face. "No, I sort of saw that coming." He answered, his hands behind his back while still staring at all the others in his vision. "Weiss isn't used to unorthodox methods."
The "Phantom Thieves" might have been feeling a little bit awkward by the gaze Akira was giving them as "Yusuke" decided to speak up. "Are you still trying to figure out what we are?" The "blue-haired boy" questioned, putting a hand to his chin. "You have that look on you face when thinking."
"He most likely is." "Makoto" added while crossing her arms. "I mean, you would be questioning your own sanity as well if you saw dead people."
"Well, why don't we help him figure it out then?" "Futaba" asked, her curiousness almost sounding a little bit mischievous. She smirked a bit. "Well, think about it. Our Personas are at his disposal. That happened because what I guess could be out souls aided him against Yaldabaoth."
"So that should mean we're ghosts, yeah?" "Ryuji" assumed.
"…Nah, too cliché." "Ann" dismissed 'Ryuji's" idea. "Plus, if that were the case, wouldn't we be able to be seen by others? I mean, if one can see ghosts, can't everyone? Like in some movies?" She looked down in thought. "But there are other films that make so only one person sees them…"
"I don't think this is that type of scenario, Lady Ann." "Morgana" replied, putting a hand to his chin. "Don't forget, there are two incredibly important factors that we are not considering at all at the moment."
All of the "Phantom Thieves" looked down towards the "cat". "What would those two things be then?" "Haru" asked in curiosity.
"Well, like what's happening right now for example." "Morgana" pointed out. "First, Joker's head is kind of hurting right now. As if it were being stressed out."
…Akira blinked at the statement. The "cat" … was getting somewhere.
"Second…" Akira seemed to lean in a bit closer to listen to the figures that may or may not be there in reality. "We're saying exactly everything that is on Joker's mind. Whatever he thinks, we speak." All of the "Phantom Thieves" immediately looked up towards the boy and startled him. "Plus, we constantly fade in and out whenever his mind would be extremely occupied with other things. Now why would that be the case?"
Sure, "Morgana" acted dumb. But then it started dawning on Akira. These were not the real Phantom Thieves. They weren't ghosts, spirits, or any sort of supernatural apparitions. It was purely considered to be science. The constant head injuries a few days ago. Aching head and he would see them. They would know what he was thinking while he would know what they would say.
When he figured it out, it did not bode very well with the boy.
Break
With her utensils tapping against the ceramic plate, Weiss finished her first meal of the day.
Breakfast was as good as usual. Well, it sort of was said without saying due to the status of her family after all. But this meal was a lot more quiet than usual as of late. Mainly due to the lack of noise. AS well as a lack of the source of noise.
Akira did not even arrive late to the table to eat. Odd, considering that the boy would be on time or late for a meal. But never even showing up in general was something Weiss would not expect… Or on seconds thought, it was a possibility. That potential event crossed her mind with him staying up all night reading for his first moments in Remnant.
"How was your meal, Miss Schnee?" Hearing an older man speak, Weiss turned her head and nodded politely towards her butler. "I hope it was to your satisfaction as usual?" Klein asked, reaching over to grab the plate in front of the heiress,
"Yes, it certainly was." The white-haired female nodded in thanks while wiping her mouth with the cotton napkin that had been provided. Just as the man was about to walk away, she decided to stop him for a question. "Klein?"
The man turned around and tilted his head a bit curiously. "Yes, Miss Schnee?"
Weiss opened her mouth at first, but then closed it soon after. That didn't affect the adult's attitude to her as he stood and waited. Looking down for a couple of seconds, she thought about what to say before she started to speak again. "Have you seen Akira this morning? I'm… slightly surprised that he didn't show up for breakfast today."
Klein slightly frowned in thought before looking up towards the ceiling. "Hmm…" He hummed before looking back down. "I do recall Mister Kurusu walking around the halls very early in the morning. Just when I had started my duties of the day. He was even muttering and mumbling to himself the entire time, as if he were having a conversation with someone. But unfortunately, I have only managed to catch a glimpse of him before he was gone from my sight."
The girl frowned at this information. But it eventually grew and became a neutral look on her face. "What in the world could he be doing?" She asked herself while placing a hand to his chin.
The butler looked down and nodded his head with closed eyes. "If you ask me," He then looked up to reveal that his eyes were red, and his face morphed into a bit of a grumpy glare. "He better not be up to any funny business if he knows what good for him."
Weiss noted the shift in Klein's personality suddenly, but she was used to it. It did slightly entertain and cheer her up a bit as a child. Such changes even fascinated her to this day in fact. "…Well…" She slowly said, remembering the events of last night. But she shook her head. "Never mind. It may be that he… just has a lot on his mind right now."
Blinking, Klein's pupils changed colors once more from red to pink. "Erm… if you don't mind me asking…" The man bashfully started. "What makes you think that?"
Weiss stayed quiet for a couple of moments to carefully think. "…Well…" She slowly said. "…Something happened last night that involved him having a lot on his mind." She didn't exactly want to say how Akira basically faked an attempt on her life in order to try and hone her instincts or self-defence skills. While Klein was her butler, she still had a bit of pride to maintain and did not want to be embarrassed. "I'm sure that he just needs some time to himself."
"…I see…" Klein looked down for a moment before bringing his face back up to show light-brown eyes. His features however showed some concern. "If that is what you think…" With those words, he nodded his head and walked off.
Sighing, Weiss raised a hand to rub her face. "What in the world is he up to?" She asked herself once again while standing up. Moving her legs, she directed herself out of the dining room and back towards her bedroom. There were a couple of things she had to grab to help her with her morning studies.
During her small amount of time to travel though, she started to think once again. Was Akira really okay at this point? She never thought the boy would go to such an extreme length in his way to help. While it did show how he was concerned for her, his methods were not the best no matter what the boy may claim.
Not only that, the lack of extra noise at the table was slightly disturbing to Weiss. She had almost forgotten that she was used to eating by herself since Akira would usually be with her at the table at the same time. Even without speaking, she had grown a bit accustomed to the sound of another fork tapping their own plate. Whitely hardly ate with her, so the company was… at least nice for a bit whenever the black-haired male was around.
…Where was she going with this again? Ah, yes, what Akira may be up to. Thinking back to what Klein had said, it came to her mind. Akira walking around her home while muttering to himself. The moving part would be expected. But where the boy was trying to go however was a completely different matter. Add in the fact of him muttering to himself constantly. Saying things to himself, that could be normal for anyone. Talking non-stop to oneself however was another thing.
Arriving to her room, she opened the door, took a step in, heard a snap, and yelped while being yanked into the air.
Break
"So, what's the next thing we're going to do?"
Tapping a pencil on a piece of paper, Akira sighed when he heard "Ryuji" asked a question. Inside of his room, the boy was sitting at the desk. In front of him was a small list of possible ideas that he could pull off in order to help Weiss. The many ideas were bound to increase, but Akira was running a bit dry at the moment when it came to various plans.
"There is no "we" in this." The boy muttered, using his free hand to rub his head. "None of you are actually here. You're just in my head." He then began to jot down another idea that came to mind.
"Ryuji" shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, I'm just seeing if I can help." The figure held their hands up. "Besides, it's not my fault that we're still on your mind. Face it, man, we're stuck with you one way or another."
…Wow. Akira never thought that his sub-conscious would be this snarky to himself.
"Why the hell would you put it like that?" "Ann" remarked, narrowing her eyes in "Ryuji's" direction. "We're dead. Akira blames himself for that. Now he's hallucinating about us, so this is not something to be joking around about!"
"Yeah, way to avoid the subject you two." Futaba drawled out while deadpanning with a flat gaze. "But since we're on the topic," Yup, his mind really knew how to mess with him. "What do you still think?" The "ginger" asked Akira.
Tapping a finger against the desk, Akira stared down while thinking with a combination of how to aid Weiss and to answer "Futaba's" question. "…How should I know?" He finally answered before writing down another method he could use.
"Really?" "Yusuke" asked, leaning against a nearby wall. "That's your answer?" The "blue-haired teenager" seemed to raise an eyebrow. Despite Akira knowing what the figure was doing, it didn't stop the living male to look up in the direction he felt the stare coming from. "You seemed to be absolutely certain that it was your fault a few days ago."
"Do you really not know?" "Haru" asked gently, leaning forward so her face would be right next to Akira. "I think it's still okay that you're at least thinking about the issue."
"Or do you not want to really answer because you're afraid of the result?" Makoto added, putting a hand against the desk Akira was using. The boy turned to face the "brunette" who currently had his attention. "Was it your fault or not? If yes, then you probably have a right to feel guilty. But if not, you still will feel ashamed of yourself."
Akira thought about arguing. But the words made him think. Since this was his sub-consciousness, this meant that everything he was hearing from the "Phantom Thieves" is really himself in a way. So in other words, he was currently arguing with himself at the moment. Really, he wanted to prove himself wrong over those words.
But deep down inside… that was how he felt…
Hearing his scroll beep snapped the boy out of his thoughts. Blinking in a startled manner, all of his "friends" disappeared before his eyes. Looking around carefully for a couple of seconds, Akira warily reaching over to grab his electronic before bringing his full attention to the screen. Seeing the notification, he observed that Weiss had sent him a text.
[My room. NOW!]
After reading, Akira immediately had a feeling he knew why the white-haired girl had sent him a rather demanding message. Scanning his surroundings, he sighed to himself before getting up to his feet. Walking out of his room, he easily navigated his way through the Schnee manor.
Reaching the door to Weiss' room, he pushed open the door. Originally, he would knock to at least be polite as well as it should be the common curtesy if the barrier were put up. But he had a feeling that Weiss wanted him in there as soon as possible.
Just as he had opened the door, Akira slid right through the opening and closed it behind him. Looking up a bit, he felt like he shouldn't say anything. Yet the boy decided to make a comment about the situation. "I got your text." He stated while walking around the heiress.
Weiss however was not amused as Akira's words. "You are a barbaric jerk." She scowled, arms crossed while her body was balled up. All the while she glared at the boy from the side of her eyes.
The heiress was inside of a rope trap made of cables instead of the former material. She never felt so humiliated in her entire life, even if this event was completely private and to be known only to the boy as well as her. Dangling in the air, all the cables formed a net and Weiss couldn't struggle unless she wanted to get tangled up in the mess.
Akira didn't bother adding how he could have it so that Weiss could be hanging upside down by her leg so whatever was underneath her skirt could be shown. "I did warn you about guerilla style tests." He replied in his defense, his back turned to the heiress while moving around so he wouldn't see what could potentially be shown.
"I thought you were joking!" Weiss snapped back, pushing down the hem of her skirt when she realized why Akira had his back towards her.
"Yes, Weiss, that's me, a joke machine." He deadpanned, finding the main cable holding up the net. Untying one end, the boy made sure to keep a firm grip as he gently lowered Weiss down onto the ground.
"How do you even know how to make a trap like this?" She had gotten back up to her feet and gestured down to the material that was right beneath her feet. "This is something one would do for scouts or something of such nature! Don't tell me you're a boy scout!"
"Hmm, she's really tearing into you." "Yusuke" commented from the side. Akira however, despite being a bit surprised, did not visibly acknowledge the words. "Maybe you should have left her strung up a little bit longer. Allow some time for her to vent inside of the cable confines."
"…Kind of out of character there, Yusuke." "Ann" noted in a bit of a disturbed tone.
"What character?" "Ryuji" asked with a raised eyebrow. "We are literally a part of Akira's head. Whatever he thinks, we say." The "blonde" gestured to the black-haired male before pointing towards the other "figures".
"I managed to make such a trap thanks to the power of the internet." Akira decided to answer Weiss' questioned by pulling out his scroll in order to ignore the scene going on in his brain, "Just a quick search on how to make rope traps and I had plans. I just needed rope or something similar, which is why I have all of those extension cables." He then showed her the website where he learned to make the trap.
Glaring at the boy with irritation, Weiss groaned while rubbing her eyes. "So, this is what you were up to when Klein saw you…" She sighed, scratching her face a bit. "Well, at least this answers why there was a lack of your presence during breakfast." Bringing her arms up, Weiss folded them and did not look at Akira happily. "You were up to shenanigans."
"Kind of a light term if you ask me." "Futaba" muttered to herself.
"I have also heard that you were talking to yourself for the entire time as well." Weiss continued, really grabbing Akira's attention. "I'm told that it was as if you were having a conversation with yourself." She watched the boy, trying to see if she could get a reaction. Her attempts were failing. "Is there something I should be concerned about?"
"Other than the fact that I'm still going to help you improve upon what I want to help you with?" Akira asked before quickly shaking his head. "Not really."
Weiss narrowed her eyes in his direction. Not because of his answer. Honestly, she sort of expected that kind of response from the boy. Akira was dead set on helping her with his own methods, one way or another. No, it was the speed of how he answered. A speed people use whenever trying to avoid a conversation.
"…Just get out of my room." Weiss sighed, deciding not to question it. She was already running on a tight schedule and this little trap of his cost her some time. "And you better not pull off anything like this again!" She pointed down to the trap to let the boy know what she was talking about. "Make sure to clean up after yourself as well! I'm not going to be the one to pick up after you and neither is Klein!"
Akira nodded his head only once. However, "No promises." He stated as he started gathering everything before walking out of the door.
Watching the boy leave as she was in disbelief, Weiss shook her head. She began to feel like the days to come were going to be stressful and annoying.
Break
What could be considered day two of Akira's surprise attacks almost flew over Weiss' head.
The only reason why she remembered it was when she fell for one of his traps. It was not even considered to be that smart to begin with, just being plain childish.
Standing under an open door, Weiss had her jaw dropped down as a plastic bucket was covering about half of her entire head. Nothing was inside of the container, but the small amount of stinging at the top of her head as well as surprise she felt irked her.
Taking the bucket off, she saw that there was a small note inside. Reaching in, she pulled out the piece of paper and unfolded it to see a message.
Imagine if I had filled it up with water… or something worse.
…She sarcastically thanked Akira mentally for the odd imaging he had now put in her head.
Looking to her side, Weiss did a double take when she saw Akira sitting down in a chair just staring at her with a book in his hand. Irritated, she threw the bucket at Akira before walking away.
Catching the item, Akira didn't say anything or really make any kind of indication of acknowledgement.
"…Huh…" "Morgana" voiced out suddenly, causing Akira to look down to the chair-arm to see the figure. "I expected a bit more of an… explosive reaction."
Break
Day three wasn't any better.
Weiss had just finished her combat practicing with her instructor. Her muscles ached a bit as she was being worked down to the bone with every class. Yes, there were breaks. But they didn't seem to do the white-haired girl any good.
Trudging through the halls, she was about to go around a corner. But she had a tiny feeling that she shouldn't go around there. But it was quickly gone as she hardly remembered it with each passing step.
Just before she could go any further, Akira stepped around holding a small cup of water. Without any hesitation, not to mention a straight face, he splashed Weiss in the face with the liquid.
Stunned at the sudden action, Weiss did not retaliate at all and it gave Akira the perfect time to slip away.
"Hey, dude," "Ryuji" caught Akira's attention. "Don't you think this is… I don't know… kind of getting out of hand?" The "blonde" asked. "I mean, is this stuff really considered necessary? That water part was kind of mean."
"…" Akira stayed silent for a moment, slowing his pace down until he stopped walking. "She's making progress." He insisted quietly to nobody but his own being.
He agreed with himself, but his mind argued that he was wrong.
Break
Staring down towards the floor, Weiss frowned on the fourth day.
She had a feeling dwell inside of her when she neared the dining room. Something had rung inside of her head to look down and not take another step forward.
Which now brought her to the present time of staring down at a trip-wire. Out of everything she had experienced for the past couple of days, a trip-wire of all things was sort of… cliché. Weiss knew something like this was coming, but it just seemed… like such an obvious thing for Akira to do.
What was he thinking?
Stepping over the wire, she rolled her eyes and moved forward.
Hearing a snap when her leg brushed against something, Weiss groaned when a net came falling and pinned her.
She did not expect a second trip-wire.
Seeing a pair of feet stand in front of her, Weiss did her best to try and look up. Rolling her eyes upwards, she saw that Akira was looking down towards her with his usual look and it irritated her more than ever. "You have five seconds to get this off of me." The girl threatened despite her positioning.
Akira raised an eyebrow, but at least helped her back up.
Break
On the fifth day, Weiss slowly looked up from her book in the library when she saw Akira walk in and sit himself down.
She made sure to keep a cautious eye on him this time. Most of his methods involved him being out of her line of sight. So, if he was here, she had to be careful of how she would have to leave. If that were not the case, Weiss was almost certain he was going to tackle her to the ground and want her to fight back.
But the longer she stared at the boy, the more her suspicions began to lower. Akira didn't make a single indication that he had his eye on her. The boy didn't even show any signs of preparations for attack. His entire body was relaxed, not a single muscle tensed now. That didn't stop Weiss from keeping her guard up though as she thought the boy was just waiting for her to make herself vulnerable.
Or perhaps he was waiting for her to fall for another trap.
Deciding to risk the latter rather than go through the former, Weiss got up off of her seat and began moving towards the door as fast as she could. Without looking back, something inside of her told her that Akira had gotten off his seat. Turning her head, that small voice was correct as the boy was standing up.
Weiss immediately began to move faster, making sure that she had distanced herself far enough from the boy so she would have space away from his running start. But as soon as she had reached the door, she felt something incredibly hard strike her back, painfully.
"…" Opening her mouth, she released a silent shout. Her hands curled up in anger as she brought them up. "…OW!" Weiss snapped her entire body around, glaring at Akira who was in a pose as if he had just thrown something. Looking down to the ground, she saw that Arsene's Cane was rolling on the ground at her feet. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!" She snatched the weapon and pointed it at Akira accusingly.
"Don't be cross, that could have been a knife." Akira stated in his defense, leaning from one leg to the next. His body stood up a bit straighter as if he were a teacher lecturing a student. "You do at least still remember the tests of your reflexes, yes?" He asked while pointing towards her.
"Because you're afraid of me getting hurt." Weiss scowled. "I remember!"
"You don't know or see it yet, but you are improving." Akira complimented, such words unfortunately being overshadowed by the white-haired female's annoyance. "Just now for example, you knew that I had gotten up to do something. You even kept an eye on me, scanning to see if I were going to physically attack you before you tried to leave earlier as well."
"Because of the experience that you've been putting me through for the past few days!" Weiss exclaimed back. "I've been having to be cautious of you in general, not because of your stupid tricks working!"
"You're angry, this is good." Akira then raise his hands and balled them up into fists. He then entered a crude boxing pose. Waving his hands around, the boy beckoned. "Come on. Come on!" There was a slight bit of manic insanity in his urging tone.
At this point, Weiss had to put her foot down on the situation. All of those other time were putting her on edge. But at least those events didn't cause her any great amount of physical pain. She growled a bit and pointed at Akira sharply.
"Okay, I don't know if you realized this by now. But the only one who had been hurting me lately, is you!"
With a huff, she left the library immediately.
Her words left Akira in a bit of a surprised state. He stayed silent, allowing the quiet surroundings to be emphasized on how he was the only one in the room. Slowly, his fists uncurled. Sluggishly, his shoulders fell. Limply, his shoulders sagged. Hunching over, Akira was stunned as her words played out in his mind.
That sentence… triggered something within the boy.
Break
That.
Stupid.
Fool.
Weiss kept those words as well as several other insults on Akira in her head as she was in the middle of combat practice. She knew that this was more of a time to focus, but she couldn't help it. That boy had gone too far with what he had done. She now considered kicking the boy out of her home just as her father had tried to do.
Ducking and dodging absent mindedly, she just continued to allow the frustration to build up inside of her. Never had she thought that the boy could get under her skin by this much. But the constant stunts he pulled off just went past a line Akira should have known had been set in the first place.
Feeling herself being knocked off her feet, she snapped out of her thoughts and cursed herself. Weiss knew that her teacher was a retired huntress, so the adult could probably see that the white-haired girl was distracted. The heiress hoped that her teacher wouldn't notice.
"…You seemed distracted this fight, Miss Schnee. Is everything all right?"
Just her luck. She didn't want them to know, but what was she expecting in the first place? "Yes, everything is fine." Weiss lied, fighting the urge to grind her teeth in front of the adult.
The adult frowned but then shrugged their shoulders. "If you insist." They decided to let it be as they helped Weiss back up to her feet. "But I must say, Miss Schnee, your skills have improved these past couple of days." Praise came from them with pride. "It's also good to see that you have finally realized what I thought you had been lacking."
Those words caused the teenager to give her instructor a puzzled look. "…Sorry, but I am not quite sure what you are referring to." Weiss said with confusion. "I was… distracted with other things for this spar." She admitted with a bit of shame while looking away.
"Ah, so things aren't going very well then." Weiss held her tongue due to the teacher's observation. "Nonetheless, that just probably proves that your abilities have become a bit better than you know."
Blinking, she looked up. "What do you mean by that?" Weiss asked.
The instructor smiled gently to her student. "Miss Schnee, it is good that you remain true to the form that I have taught you. But if you continue as so, your opponent will eventually figure out how you fight and will surprise you with many methods. Yes, you still sticking to your basic isn't bad but not very good either. But today you managed to avoid most of my advances that took advantage of certain weak points that you tended to expose in your style for the past few days when you would always be caught off guard by them. Distracted nonetheless! It was already good at first, but you already have displayed defensive instincts! Now all we must do is try and incorporate that talent into a flowing style that branches out from what you've learned."
Weiss just stared. She… never really considered that her just doing what she always did would be considered bad. Perhaps it was just a reflex to do whatever she was told and stick to it.
Looking at a watch, her teacher clapped her hands. "Well, it appears that our time together for the day is over." Strapping her weapon to her back, she was about to leave when it looked like something had crossed her mind. "Oh, you are going to try to be the leader of your team when you join an academy, correct?"
Breaking out of her thoughts, Weiss quickly collected herself, so she wouldn't stutter. "…Yes, I am."
"As a leader, you may want something like this as well." The adult explained. "In such a position, you may end up having to make decisions that will greatly affect your mission. While logic is a sound option, what if the odds are too close and yet the results are drastically different? That's when you have to just trust your instincts. And as I've said already, using your gut is a good thing to apply in combat as well."
With a single wave after finishing up, her instructor left the room.
…While Weiss did understand what her teacher was trying to explain, the girl thought it could have probably been done better. But the girl soon began to consider the adult's words. Also… maybe Akira's methods did work a bit… Although she should really make sure that the boy at least keep them to a moderate level, guerilla style or not.
…That's right… Akira…
…As a leader…
…Decisions that will greatly affect a mission…
…At this moment, Weiss then remembered what she had said to him and cringed a bit in guilt.
Break
Using his supposed last moments in Weiss' home, Akira did nothing but stay seated in the guest room that he had been staying in,
With an elbow propped up against the armrest of the chair in front of the desk, Akira leaned over to that side to use his hand to support his face. Eyes closed, Akira kept on taking deep breaths. Rubbing his forehead, the contact also spread to his eyes as he tried to calm himself down. But his eyes were shut so tight as if he were crying.
"…It's okay, I'm sure she didn't mean it." Akira heard "Haru's" voice. But the boy refused to open his eyes. He already knew what he would view and he didn't want to see "them". Not right now…
"…Akira…" "Futaba" whispered with concern.
"Saying my name… Is it really necessary?" Akira asked slowly, his head starting to hurt once again. "You're not real. You're not here. You're…" He inhaled for a few seconds, held his breath, then exhaled. There was no point in finishing that sentence since "they" already knew what he was going to say. He tapped his fingers against his head in an agitated manner.
"You never let words or things like these get to you." "Yusuke" pointed out. "So why this? Why this display? You never let everyone back in Tokyo bother your well-being a single bit."
"Because those weren't true. But this…" Akira trailed off. "…Maybe I do worse than good."
"…Dude… Come on…" "Ryuji" tried to console the teenager. "Okay, so maybe you went a little too far today. Doesn't mean you'll do that again any time soon." Akira did not respond, but he knew that the figment frowned. "…Was it because of her words reminding you of us?"
Akira's grip on his face tightened and tensed.
"It is, isn't it?" "Ann" asked then paused. "…Oh, Akira…"
"What happened to us…" "Morgana" said quietly and as gently as "he" could. "It wasn't your fault."
"EXACTLY!"
Akira slammed his fists right against the flat surface of the desk, banging the material hard. Opening his eyes with frustration, he whipped his head around to see all of the "Phantom Thieves" looking back at him with shock and pity. "I did everything right! We did everything right! You all died anyways!"
"Things like these, they happen!" "Morgana" protested back. "We knew the risks and possibilities yet went with you because we wanted to do the right thing! You already know this! We were up against a god!"
"And what about other gods then, HUH?!" Akira yelled back to the people that weren't in the room. "Why couldn't – why didn't they do anything?! If Yaldabaoth was real, wouldn't that mean other gods were?! Where were they?!" He questioned, getting the "Phantom Thieves" to fall silent. "We did so much good… You all had you're lives ahead of you…" Going quiet for a moment, he put his hands on top of the chair. "But this is how it turned out… This… was our reward… WELL IT'S NOT FAIR!"
Bring the chair up high, Akira then smashed the piece of furniture against the floor. The object shattered into many splinters due to the frustration building up in the boy and the "Phantom Thieves" disappeared.
Panting, Akira's eyes had eventually drifted down to his clothing. The front was being weighed down. Due to the spacing, the boy caught a glimpse of what were in the pockets of the tuxedo. That's right…
His guns were still there…
Hearing a knock, Akira was startled at the notion. Looking over towards the door, Akira tried to breath through his nose but then realized that it had been blocked up. Inhaling through his mouth Akira wiped his eyes and then nose when he realized that he had just begun crying. Staring at the barrier, he shuffled over towards the surface.
Sniffling and rubbing his face once more, he grabbed the knob and cracked the door open by a few inches. From the small opening, he saw a familiar white-haired heiress standing out in the hall. Realizing who it was, Akira immediately turned his head to the side and down to avoid eye contact. "Do you- do you – um – need something?" He swallowed before asking.
Just out of the corner of his eye however, he saw Weiss stare at him with a bit of shock. A few seconds of silence passed between them before she looked guilty. After that, she took in a deep breath. "…I'm sorry for what I said this afternoon." She apologized. "…It was a mistake… I just didn't realize why you were making such a big deal out of everything until recently…"
Akira tilted his head just a bit to look, but then immediately returned it back to the downward position.
"…You started something… and I-I'd like you to finish it." Weiss continued slowly. "…But I also want more. I want to be able to learn what you have to offer to help me." The heiress saw the boy's head twitch. "It's greedy of me to ask… But can you do it? Just… make sure that things don't get too out of hand like today." Bringing her hand out, she held Arsene's cane in his direction.
"…" Akira slowly turned his head so that just one of his eyes was visible to the female. "…We will need some more stuff then… Stuff that I doubt is inside of this household." He spoke the best he could, albeit a bit shakily and with a stuffed-up nose. Reaching his hand out, the boy accepted his weapon back.
Weiss nodded her head slowly, still looking a bit guilty. "We can go shopping tomorrow." She said as Akira began to retreat back into the room. But before Akira could fully close the door, she opened her mouth. "…I'm not sure if I should be saying this… but…" The girl went quiet for a moment. "About your friends… Does it have to do with you? …Does it not?" She shook her head slowly. "I really wish I could help you out more."
Akira stayed silent, having a feeling the girl would continue.
"But… you can use this to your advantage maybe." Weiss suggested quietly. "Why not try and help other people just as you did before? Don't let their deaths be in vain. You already showed this kind of display back with the Juwels family. So, is there any harm in using it as a motivation?"
Since Akira just stared at her with surprised, the heiress nodded her head before walking away.
Watching her leave for a couple of seconds, Akira shut the door. Walking to the center of the room, he took a couple of deep breaths to calm his nerves again. Looking down towards Arsene's Cane, his face began to lighten up by a fraction as if he realized something.
Bringing his face up, Akira walked toward the window and stared out towards the scenery that was provided thanks to the moonlight.
Break
Morning was the time Akira stood in the exact place his first moment in Remnant was.
Looking out towards Atlas, he eyed the grand Kingdom. But there was something else completely on his mind. Yes, the setting sort of reminded Akira a bit of Tokyo… But the difference between those two places were the people. Such people were the exact thoughts on Akira's mind.
A small breeze was felt as Akira stood staring. His hands were in his pockets, face scrunched up. Not in thought. It was as if he were attending a funeral. He supposed to himself that that was what he was kind of doing… maybe. Akira at least preferred to say that he was paying his respects to his fallen friends.
"…Akira Kurusu…" Akira didn't look to his side to see "Morgana" speak, but it was not out of frustration. He… felt different when compared to a couple of weeks ago. "When did you become such a cliché?" The "cat" asked with a joking snark.
"Ryuji" had to agree. "I know, right?"
"Standing over a grave, head heavy with dark thoughts…" "Ann" added.
"If this were a picture I would have to portray, I would have refused to draw it." "Yusuke" commented.
Still looking down, Akira inhaled. He hesitated for a second. That one second however felt like a very long time to him though. The boy focused on his words. "It occurred to me, last night, that I never really paid any of you any final respects since coming to Remnant… I thought now would be a good time to do so while waiting for Weiss."
"…That's good…" "Makoto" whispered.
"…We're sorry for letting you down, Akira…" "Futaba" apologized quietly.
"…None of you let me down." Akira replied, narrowing his eyes due to the light and the wind in his face. "What happened then… it may have to do with me… but I know that most of it was because of Yaldabaoth." He nodded his head slightly. "I understand that… and I'll make sure that I do whatever I can to make each of you proud." There was a small pause.
"I also came here today because… because I loved you all very much." Akira just managed to keep himself from choking, feeling his eyes hurt a bit due to them about to produce tears. "…And I wanted you to let each of you know that all of you will be missed…"
"…At me too someone is looking." "Haru" gently said, as if comforting the boy. "At me too someone is saying they're sleeping, they know nothing… Let them sleep on."
"Akira,"
Hearing his name being called, the boy looked up. Gazing over to his left, he saw nobody. Bring his head over to his right, not a single soul was in sight. Slowly, he turned his entire body around. In his sights, approaching him, Weiss was in a warm, white coat as she went closer. The white surrounding her almost had her blend in. Yet he could easily make out her body through the setting.
"There you are." The female breathed, the warm exhaling mixing with the cold air to create some sort of mist. "I've been looking for you." But when she arrived in front of the boy, she then realized where the two of them were standing. "…It's been a while since you last stood here…" Tilting her head, she held a concerned look. "Are… you going to be okay?"
Putting his hands behind his back, Akira stared directly into Weiss' eyes. "…I believe I may be." He said with a bit of relief in his breath as the corners of his mouth twitched.
"…That's good." Weiss said quietly as she nodded her head as well.
Bringing out one hand, Akira held it out in the direction of the driveway. "Well, shall we depart then?" He asked courteously.
Weiss didn't give an answer. But there was no need for such words as she turned around. The monochrome duo then immediately took strides at the same time towards their common destination.
But during their walk, Weiss had to ask. "…What exactly do we need anyways?"
Akira looked over. "Well, various items that I doubt will be sold in shops."
Weiss stopped for a moment, but the black-haired male continued walking. "…Wait," She then quickly had to catch up to the boy. "Then why are we heading out then?"
Break
"I still cannot believe that you've been in contact with that criminal for that entire time."
Sitting down at a table with a cup of tea in her hands, Weiss asked this question as Akira stood in front of the property of a café. The heiress was giving the boy an incredulous look. Akira meanwhile understood the gaze the girl gave him, as well as several odd eyes he would receive from passing civilians.
"Well, technically, yes." Akira answered, holding up a carboard sign. "But really, she hadn't contact me for that entire time either. I reached out to her last night, said I needed some stuff, and she agreed that her pricing as well as the fake ID could be paid off this way." With his right hand after the explanation, he used his four fingers and thumb to gesture to what had been written down. He also had turned so that Weiss could read the sign again.
HELP ME PAY OFF DEBT BY PUNCHING ME IN THE ARM
"But, if you ask me, this is sort of a steal." Akira continued as he turned back around to face the public. "At least she isn't charging me any money for this. Albeit at the cost of a sore limb for a few days. But beggars can't be choosers." He shrugged his shoulders.
Still standing in place, Akira saw a ginger-haired man in a white coat and most of his face covered to prevent the cold approach him. Looking down, the adult read the sign and raised an eyebrow. "…I don't get it." They said, looking back up to the boy.
"You don't have to." Akira answered back simply.
The man seemed to let out a small hum of nonchalance with a shrug before striking Akira's arm with their fist.
As the adult walked away, Akira only stood up straight against. But Weiss saw the small grimace on the boy's face. "Do you need ice yet?" She asked.
He shook his head. "Nah."
"…If you got the time correct, she's already an hour late." Weiss stated with a small frown. "I'm not sure how much more of this you can take."
Akira exhaled. "It's fine." He reassured the female. "I've been in situations where I've had to be in pain without any kind of medical aid for long periods of time."
A parent and a child passed by Akira. The parent ignored the teenager but the child looked over in interest. Stepping forward, the kid kicked Akira's arm rather than punch. Although it looked like the kick didn't bother him, the black-haired boy kicked the brat's back with the bottom of his shoes so it looked like the kid tripped.
Standing back in a neutral position, he saw the same ginger from earlier approach him. This he had to hold his hand up to. "Sorry, sorry, one go a day. Sorry." He informed the man.
The adult however gestured to his side. "What about my friend here?" He asked, pointing to a girl who was carrying a large box.
Looking over, Akira seemed to be slightly reluctant as he nodded his head. "Alright, come on." He said, just wanting to get it over with.
The girl then put the box down and fisted his arm hard. But after that, she pulled out a scroll and tapped it a couple of times.
Feeling a vibration, Akira patted himself down. Feeling his scroll, he pulled out the electronic after putting the sign under his arm. Unlocking the screen, he saw a single message.
[;3]
Feeling his sore arm being patted, Akira looked up to see the man to be the one who made the physical contact. "Pleasure doing business with you." The adult smirked before turning around.
Blinking, Akira looked down. Wait a moment… that height… despite looking different… Along with the sent text… "Neo?" He asked.
The girl only winked at him before walking away with her companion.
Looking around, Akira moved forward and bent down. Opening the box, he took a quick peek inside to see if the contents he needed were inside. Weiss meanwhile came up from behind Akira, trying to get a look as to what kind of stuff should will be exposed to in the future.
Just a second later, Akira closed the box while looking to his left and right. Grabbing the object, he lifted it up. "Right, come on then. Let's get back to your place." He tilted his head in the direction of the limo that they had taken before walking that exact way.
Weiss however was frozen for a moment before having to run and catch up with the boy. "Why did I mainly see handcuffs in that box?"
You know what they say about assume? It makes an ass out of you in front of me. You know who you are if you read the reviews.
Decent chapter is decent. There could have been parts that could be done better, but I'm not sure which ones and how. Apologies.
No flames please.