Byleth's chest hurt.
As soon as she woke up, she was reminded of the pain as it shot through her entire chest. She gasped, clutching at her chest, and she could hear the sound of footsteps running toward her.
"Kid! You okay?"
That was...her father. Byleth slowly opened her eyes, squinting because of the bright sunlight. Jeralt was above her, a worried look on his face as he stood beside Claude.
"I-It hurts," Was all Byleth managed to say. The smell of lemon in the air was nauseating for Byleth, a stench she couldn't escape as she laid there. It was so strong she could basically taste it. Where was she? The walls were all stained pure white, and aside from Claude and Jeralt was an IV pole. The...hospital?
"Teach, it's going to be okay," Claude said softly, holding her hand. Byleth could see the IV sticking out of her arm. "They...They're going to take a look at your heart."
"N-No," Byleth croaked, desperate to stop them. "Y-You can't l-let them...I-If t-they know, I-I'll b-become some sort of h-human experiment...I-I'll never make it o-out of a hospital..."
"But what if they find something, Kid?" Jeralt said. "What if they could save you, and find something we all can't?"
As if on cue, her chest ached once more. Byleth shook her head.
"They won't," Byleth knew it in her heart. Literally. "Besides, I want to...spend my time outside...I'd rather die free than...in a hospital."
"Good point, but you're not dying on my watch," Claude said. Byleth gave him a weak smile, slowly opening her eyes all the way. When she did, Claude's jaw suddenly dropped. "Teach...Your..."
"What?"
"Your eyes," Jeralt said, a look of shock on all of their faces. Byleth's free hand shot to her eyes, not that she could tell what was wrong with them as she felt her eyelids.
"What about them?!" Byleth almost didn't want to know as a sense of dread grew in her chest. How much worse was she going to get...?
"T...They're green."
"What!?"
Claude wordlessly pulled out his phone, flipping to the camera and holding it out for her. As Byleth blearily registered the makeshift mirror in front of her face, she gasped. As her vision focused, she could tell that her eyes were indeed...green. A bright, sea green.
"H-How?" Just that one word took all the breath out of Byleth. Tears prickled at her now green eyes. First it was her hair, now it was her eyes? What was next? Was it not enough that the consequence was dying, the illness had to defile her before she died, too?
If. If she died. Byleth could hear Claude's optimism screaming at her inside of her head. She wished she could agree, but right now...she was upset. She didn't know what awaited her, and this new travesty only upset her more.
"I-I don't know."
"Ah, Miss Eisner! You're awake."
It was the same doctor from before, the one with graying hair and glasses. Seeing him again made her tense up. Did he know, was that why they sent him again? Byleth was on the verge of tears. She was going to be locked away, studied, forced to deal with her changing physique while missing out on the few precious moments of life she possibly had...
Byleth just remained silent. The doctor sighed.
He knows, he knows, he knows-
"It seems like your condition is related to stress. It could be something heart related, as well. Your heartbeat is normal, but there's always the possibility. Do you want us to perform a scan?"
He...actually doesn't know?
"No, that's...that's not necessary," Byleth felt
herself sigh with relief. She had assumed the worst
much too early. "My...doctor says it's related to stress and anxiety. She says I need to stay in calm situations, and try not to panic."
"Well, easier said than done," Doctor...Hanneman chuckled. "How is your diet? Do you eat a lot of fatty stuff?"
"Not particularly."
"Alright, well, take it easy. It may be a good idea to keep her away from work," Hanneman said. "Anything that could cause her grief is a major risk factor."
"...Is there anything in particular that seems to create this...stress?" Claude asked, and Hanneman shrugged.
"From what I can see, it happens whenever something frightening happens or it's something she doesn't want to hear. Her heart can't seem to take the stress."
"I see."
After some more questions, Hanneman told her Byleth needed to stay at least another night. Once he left the room, Byleth let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding.
"I thought he knew. I thought I'd be locked up forever..."
"No, Teach. We're going to make you happy, and let you live, remember?" Claude said. "I'm going to stay the night here with you, okay?"
"I will, too," Jeralt agreed. Byleth wasn't about to protest about either of them staying; she needed the support right now. "We're going to find out why your eyes changed color, and we're going to solve this thing together. Promise."
Byleth nodded, but she was beginning to think she had an idea of why these blackouts kept happening...
And she hated the idea of giving in to her so called destiny.
so hypothetically once more, would you guys like to see 1st person POV or 3rd person (like usual) for this hypothetical book?
thanks for your totally hypothetical responses!!
YOU ARE READING
Race Against Time
Fanfiction"BYLETH, YOU'RE DYING." Those were the words Byleth Eisner had heard her entire life...but it had never rang true. She had always known that the doctors were wrong, that she was going to keep living, but the fear of death was constant. Born with a h...
