Attack on Titan: Bloodline – Chapter 5 (May 27, 2019)
A few weeks passed and Lorraine struggled through her training, scraping by with minimal improvement, only barely keeping up with the rest of the 104th Cadets. She wasn't as good as the others in ODM training and only just managed to get through her academic work, but the one thing she found herself seriously struggling with was hand-to-hand combat.
Lorraine felt her back collide with the ground once again. She groaned, annoyed, and sat up, rubbing her neck. Keith shouted, looming above her, "Ackerman! Get back up! I don't understand how you expect to be a soldier if you spend your days on the ground!" Lorraine snarled through her teeth at the old man, who turned away and announced, "If you maggots don't want to end up like her, I suggest you practice in your spare time! Class dismissed!" Mina leaned down.
"Ah, sorry about that. Here."
Lorraine took her outstretched hand and sighed as she stood up and grumbled, "It's fine. I just can't seem to grasp the whole hand-to-hand thing from person to person." Mina optimistically reminded her, "What about the other day, when you managed to pin down Krista-" Lorraine interrupted, annoyed, "Krista's, like, the only person here who's smaller and weaker than me. Besides, that Ymir girl was about ready to wipe the floor with me if I hadn't gotten out of there." Mina laughed softly and said with false confidence lacing her voice, "Don't worry about it, Lorraine. I'm sure you'll get it one of these days." Lorraine said under her breath, "Yeah. I hope so." Mina patted her back reassuringly and ran off to join Milius and Hannah. Lorraine was about to follow, but was stopped by a low voice behind her.
"Hey."
Lorraine turned to face Annie, who stood with her arms crossed, a cold look in her eyes. Lorraine's lips curled up into a timid smile and she asked, "Wh-what is it, Annie?" Annie said bluntly, "Change your stance. Move your right leg more behind you and your left more in front. Keep your legs hip-width apart and your hips facing your opponent. It will help to stabilize you." Lorraine gaped at Annie. She hadn't spoken to the blonde since their second night at Cadet Corps and, yet, here she was, giving her fighting tips. She asked, taken aback, "What do you mean?" Annie explained, looking boredly at her fingernails, "Look. You have been trying to use the stance they teach you, and while I can respect that, unfortunately, it's not a sturdy stance for someone of small stature. Don't get me wrong, it can be mastered, but it takes a lot more strength than you have right now." Lorraine's face dropped.
"Well, she's honest. I'll give her that."
Annie finally looked up at Lorraine and said, "Hit your stance." Lorraine asked, "What?" Annie repeated, "Hit your fighting stance." Lorraine did so, still unsure about Annie's commands. As she did, Annie stood behind her and raised her arms.
"Hold your arms high to guard your face."
She used her strong legs to move Lorraine's into a new position.
"Your legs need to be here."
She put her hands firmly on Lorraine's hips and turned them to face forward.
"Now," she said, shifting Lorraine's weight back and forth between her legs, "how do you feel?" Lorraine furrowed her brow and said, "Sturdy. Weird, but sturdy." Annie explained, "This is the technique my father developed. It's a different form of martial arts than they teach in the military, but from what I can gather, the higher-ups here don't really seem to care what form you use. They only care whether or not you can hold your own in battle." Lorraine looked back at her shakily. Annie smirked, turned around, leaving Lorraine standing alone. Lorraine's gaze followed Annie, watching as she walked away as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened.
"She's right. I mean, I've seen a few modifications go unpunished, including hers. I wonder if she might...?"
"Annie! Wait up!"
Lorraine jogged behind her to catch up and asked, her hands clasped at her chest shyly, "Teach me to fight, Annie." Annie's eyes widened. Lorraine smiled and said, "You're really experienced at hand-to-hand combat and you're really strong. I want to be a soldier, but it's like Keith said, I can't expect to be a soldier if I spend all my days on the ground." Annie looked into her amber eyes. She had a fire burning in her heart. Annie could very clearly see that she was determined. Annie thought to herself for a moment, then looked up at the clouds. She said under her breath, "I suppose there are worse ways to pass the time." Lorraine tilted her head to the side curiously.
"Alright. I will teach you. We can meet tomorrow evening, right after our academic lesson."
Lorraine grinned from ear to ear and nodded, exclaiming happily, "Oh, thank you, Annie! I look forward to it!" As Lorraine ran off towards the mess hall, Annie let out a very light sigh.
Lorraine trotted into the mess hall cheerfully and sat with Eren and Armin. She looked around and asked, "Where's Mikasa?" Armin responded, "She's back at the dormitories. She said she'll join us soon." Eren said, laughing aloud, "You look happy. What's going on, Lorraine?" Lorraine said, "Oh, um. Yeah. Annie agreed to start teaching me how to fight so that I don't get kicked out." She beamed and took a large mouthful of bread. Eren laughed again, "Annie? You mean the Ice Queen over there?" Lorraine swallowed her food and punched Eren in the shoulder.
"Ouch! What-"
"Yes, Eren, Annie agreed to teach me."
Eren rubbed his arm and said, "Wow. I'm just surprised that she didn't pummel you right then and there." Lorraine looked up at Eren and said in a stern tone, "You know, Eren, she's actually really nice when you get to talk to her. Sure, she's blunt, but she means well. You should learn not to judge people by their appearances." Eren shook his head. He said under his breath, "Whatever you say." He took another spoonful of his vegetable soup and sighed. Lorraine dipped her bread into her soup and took another bite. She looked up and found her eyes wandering to a few tables behind Eren, where she spotted Reiner, smiling and waving at her. She grinned and waved back, catching her friends' attention.
"Lorraine?"
She looked down at her soup bowl and said, "Reiner's waving at me." Eren let out a small, annoyed sound. Lorraine ignored Eren and continued eating.
The next morning, Lorraine stepped into the shower, yawning and rubbing her eyes. She looked down at her feet, which had blisters on them. She had bruises littering her skin and little scratches where she had crashed into a tree just a few days earlier. She sighed, lightly running her fingers over the biggest cut, which, thankfully, was healing. She yawned again, leaving behind the cuts and giving attention to her hair. She rubbed her scalp, rinsing out the sweat and dirt from the day before.
"God, being a soldier is painful. I hope things start looking up soon."
She turned the water off and shook her head, sending water into the moist, steamy air. She let out a long sigh and wrapped her towel tightly around her chest. She stepped out of her stall and returned to her clothing, which she had set on one of the benches in the shower room. She finished buttoning up her shirt, pulled her hair up into two low pigtails, leaving her bangs and some loose hairs out, and walked to the mess hall.
At the appointed time, Lorraine walked out into the courtyard, where Annie was sitting in the shade of one of the trees, her eyes closed and her arms folded. Lorraine cocked her head to the side and stealthily towards her. As she got closer, Annie said, "Lorraine. I almost wasn't sure you would actually show up." Lorraine stopped and said nervously, "Y-yeah, sorry. I was talking with Eren and Mikasa." Annie stood up and said, "It's fine. Ready to get started?" Lorraine smiled.
"Of course!"
The two girls walked out into the training yard, the chatter of Cadets in the distance and their footsteps being the only sounds heard through the yard. Annie turned to face her and said, placing her hands on her hips, "Alright. Let's get started with the basics. Do you remember the stance that I taught you yesterday?" Lorraine hesitantly said, "Yeah, I think so." She shifted her feet apart, left foot in front, lifting her arms up by her face. Annie nodded and said, "Very good. I want to start by solidifying your technique." Lorraine dropped her arms curiously. Annie said, "Take this to heart. A solid technique is the key to fighting and winning. Sure, you can throw punches willy-nilly and do all that fancy shit, but that's all an illusion. The real talent and power comes from having strong technique." Lorraine nodded.
"Very good. Now, strike me."
Annie shifted into her stance. She held her arms by her face and stood with her feet separated as Lorraine was. Lorraine lifted her arms and asked, "Now?" Annie nodded. Lorraine furrowed her brows and said, "A-alright." She took a breath and threw a hard punch at Annie's face. Annie grabbed her fist and swiftly twisted her arm. She felt a sharp pain in her shoulder and spun around. Annie bent her arm behind her, holding onto Lorraine's neck with her free arm. Lorraine let out a grunt of pain. Annie explained, letting go of Lorraine and allowing her to relax, "Your punches have very little power behind them and it's not because you're weak or because you're small. Now, hit that position once again. Lorraine grimaced a little, rubbing her shoulder, then turned back towards Annie, returning to her stance.
"Now, place your weight on the balls of your feet. By keeping your weight on your toes, as opposed to your whole foot or your heels, you will find yourself much more agile and able to dodge attacks."
Lorraine bit her lip and shifted her weight. She felt her calves working harder now. As she shifted her weight, Annie stood beside her. The blonde said, "Now shift your weight from your front foot to your back foot, keeping your weight in the balls of your feet." Lorraine did as she was told, feeling her weight transferring from her left foot to her right. Her legs were trembling just a little as she was not only tired from her previous lessons, but this was a new way of holding herself. Annie nodded silently. Lorraine said, "This is new. My legs aren't used to working this hard in a fighting stance." Annie said bluntly, "You thought this would be easy?" Lorraine shook her head, frantically waving her hands about, and said, "No, of course not! I just didn't think it would be all in the legs." Annie silently disregarded her comment and moved on with the lesson.
"Whenever you strike, you need to keep that feeling of being over your toes. Whether you're punching or kicking, you need to feel lightweight, but strong. If you are in your heels at all, that will slow your attacks down."
Lorraine took a deep breath. Annie continued, "This brings me to the actual attack. Whenever you strike, be it a punch or a kick, plant your feet into the ground. Feel like you're driving your feet down." Annie threw a punch into the air in front of her. She instructed, "Also, punches and kicks need to be strong on the way out, but quick to return. Every single time you strike, you give the enemy a chance to strike back. Your goal is to try and minimize that chance." Lorraine felt herself sweating. It was a lot of information to take in at once, but she was determined to get the hang of it. She watched as Annie demonstrated exactly what she meant, her punches and kicks being as quick as lightning.
"Is that all clear, Lorraine?"
Lorraine nodded and said, "I think so. A strong stance, lightweight, balls of my feet, strong attacks going out, quick coming back." Annie nodded, seeing that Lorraine truly understood most of it. She returned to her spot in front of Lorraine and took her stance. Lorraine mimicked her, remembering to place her weight forward on her toes.
"I will let you attack me. Whenever you're ready."
Lorraine took a sharp breath in and threw punches at Annie. Annie dodged her repeated attacks and blocked the ones that hit using her arms or her leg.
"Good. Remember, Lorraine, drive your feet into the ground with every strike. Light on your feet. Faster."
Lorraine attacked for several agonizingly long minutes before Annie stopped her.
"Okay, that was good."
Lorraine felt beads of sweat rolling down the sides of her face, dripping to the ground. Annie asked, "How did you feel?" Lorraine said, her heart still pounding in her chest, "I felt a bit better. What will this do for my actual fighting, though? I mean, it only helps with punching and kicking." Annie sighed, "Don't worry. You have time. As I said, you have to have a solid technique. It's not all about fancy maneuvers. Besides, he should see even the smallest improvements." Lorraine said, wiping a drop of sweat from her chin using her sleeve, "I understand." Annie said, raising her arms and shifting her feet, "Let's go again." Lorraine nodded and hit her fighting stance.
The sun sank lower into the sky as Lorraine and Annie went through the repetitions. By the time the dinner bell started to ring, Lorraine had fallen to her knees, panting and sweating. Annie reached down, offering her hand to Lorraine. Lorraine looked up, took her hand, and smiled brightly.
"Thanks."
Annie helped her up and suggested, "Come on. Let's go get dinner." Lorraine said cheerfully, still breathing heavily, "Sure. Annie. I'm very grateful for your help." Annie hummed in acknowledgement. Lorraine said as the two walked towards the mess hall, "Do you think we could practice after classes?" Annie thought for a moment and said with a small sigh, "Sure." Lorraine looked down at her feet and said, smiling, "Thank you, Annie. You're very kind."
"Kind...?" Annie wondered in silence.
Lorraine and Annie both got their trays and walked through the mess hall. Lorraine began to walk towards her usual table, but was taken aback by a familiar voice behind her. Reiner said heartily, "Lorraine. Oh, sorry. Are you going somewhere?" Lorraine looked up at the towering boy and said meekly, "W-well, I mean, I usually sit with my sister and my friends, is all." Reiner looked up at the ceiling and said, "Yeah, okay. Sorry to bother you. I was just going to ask if you wanted to, maybe, sit with us tonight?" Lorraine looked back at Eren, Armin, and Mikasa, then back at Reiner. She smiled sweetly and nodded.
"Sure. I'd love to."
Reiner grinned and said, "Great!" Lorraine and Reiner walked towards the table where Bertholdt and Annie were already seated, silently eating their dinner. Reiner announced loudly, "Hey, guys, make room. We have a guest tonight." Annie looked up at Lorraine boredly. Bertholdt shyly smiled and said kindly, "Oh, hello, Lorraine. What brings you over here?" Lorraine explained with a wink, "Well, Reiner just asked if I wanted to join you guys today. It's that simple." Reiner sat down and chuckled. Lorraine sat across from Reiner, next to Annie, and picked up her fork. She picked up some of her steamed vegetables and made sure to blow on them before putting them into her mouth. Bertholdt said, politely making small talk, "I, uh, I'm not sure if you've heard, but in the town market, there's this bakery. Reiner and I went a few days ago when we had a day off. The woman who works there makes an amazing apple pie." Reiner sighed deeply.
"Oh, man, that was great. Lorraine, you should go with us one of these days."
Lorraine grinned widely and nodded, saying happily, "Sure! I'd love to! Though I'm not fond of apple pie, I'm sure they've got some other good pastries." Reiner feigned shock, chuckling, and asked, "What? What's wrong with apple pie?" Lorraine shrugged and shook her head, saying with her mouth full, "I don't know. Just the combination of apples and the spices, I guess." Bertholdt smiled. Annie let out a light chuckle. Reiner laughed. Lorraine snapped playfully, "Oh, come on, why is that funny?" Reiner said cheerily, "No reason. It's just cute." Lorraine took another forkful of vegetables into her mouth, her cheeks pink with embarrassment.
That night, she pulled on her usual nightgown and sighed. Mikasa said sweetly, grabbing a hairbrush, "So, Lorraine, did you have a good day? You've been smiling ever since you got back from dinner." Lorraine sat on the bed in front of her sister and said, "Yeah, I did. Annie's a really great teacher and Reiner and Bertholdt are really nice, too." Mikasa sat on her knees behind Lorraine and ran the brush through her hair gently, detangling her silky, black hair. Lorraine said happily, "You should have seen what Annie taught me. She taught me how to attack faster and stronger and she said that she'd keep teaching me! I'll be at your level in no time!" Mikasa asked, "My level?" Lorraine responded, "Yeah. You're the best at everything. I want to be as good as you are." Mikasa put the brush on the bed next to her and said, "I see. Well, I promise I'll always be right there with you." Mikasa shifted and sat next to Lorraine.
"Mikasa?"
Mikasa looked up at the younger Ackerman. Lorraine threw her arms around Mikasa and said, "Thanks, Mika. You're the best big sister ever. I'm going to go to bed, now. I'm very tired. I love you." Mikasa returned the hug and said, "Alright, Lorraine. Good night. Sleep well." Lorraine climbed up to her top bunk and hunkered down under the covers, tucking her legs close to her body as the night air was a bit chilly that night. She closed her eyes and fell asleep with no hesitation.