#because i was trying to filter persona fics (i am once again asking why its so hard to find smut-less fics)

[the-gayest-sky-kid]

u ever get like accidentally mildly invested in a crack ship

[hamki]

New fic coming your way

 it’s been like 20938 years but-

I wrote some Shiann/suzumaki/whatever their ship name is at the moment. These two deserve to be girlfriends.

Title: Her Miracle Word Count: 3,769 words Fandom: Persona 5 Contains spoilers about the first dungeon and parts of Ann’s social link.

Also available here on AO3

PI  PI PI PI~

Something buzzed harshly against a girl's bed. The girl groaned into her pillow and lazily searched around her blankets with a hand to find the object. Once her fingers contacted cold metal, she brought it up to her face and clicked a button. The light that emitted from her phone blinded her with the following:

7:30 AM

1 NEW MESSAGE FROM: SUZUI SHIHO

MESSAGE PREVIEW: "Good morning, Ann."

Ann smiled, still half asleep, and slid the notification to reply.

"Good morning, Shiho."

Send.

Shiho is typing...

"Sorry to message you so early. Did I wake you up?"

"No, not at all! What's up?"

"Well, I was thinking..."

...

Shiho is typing...

...

Shiho is typing...

Ann watched the notification pop up and down. She waited until Shiho was able to gather her words together. Finally, a new message appeared.

"Do you have any free time today? I have another rehab session... I want you to be there with me."

Ann didn't even bother checking her calendar.

"Of course! What time should I be there?"

Shiho sent her the details. Ann scheduled an alarm for herself before finally sitting up and stretching.

 A few hours later, Ann arrived at the hospital. The receptionist was already quite familiar with the light blonde girl, and greeted her warmly. Ann flashed a smile back as she signed her name for visiting and headed for the elevator. As the metal box made its slow ascent, Ann pulled out her phone. She'd forgotten to cancel her photoshoot appointment earlier that was supposed to be scheduled around this time. She simply typed a short "Sorry, I can't make it today. Have Mika fill in for me."

The elevator doors opened with a soft ding. Ann stepped out onto the hospital floor. Despite the halls winding around itself like a maze, Ann had already made herself familiar with the floor. In fact, Ann had been here so many times, even the other patients and nurses recognized her. When Ann had made her first visit here, she'd expected that the atmosphere would have been dark and heavy due to the fact that this was the mental facility for those who desired the same fate as Shiho. But surprisingly, Ann had found it to have a warm sense of hope to it. It felt like a place where new beginnings were born.

After greeting a few patients who passed her by, she arrived at the room where Shiho resided. She gently rapped on the door.

"Shiho? It's me." Ann announced. She listened closely for the other girl's soft reply.

"Come in."

Ann quietly slid the door open and closed it behind her as she stepped inside. Her eyes immediately darted for the girl sitting up on the hospital bed. It was strange, almost serene, even, seeing Shiho not in uniform. Shiho was wearing her hair down while a pair of reading glasses rested upon the bridge of her nose, along with a gentle smile that was reserved for Ann and only Ann. With the large windows that filtered plenty of sunlight inside, it was almost as if Ann had walked into the room of an angel. The blonde girl took a seat at Shiho's bedside.

"You're here early." Shiho laughed.

"I couldn't wait to see my favorite volleyball player after all!" Ann giggled back. "So? How's the hospital treatment been?"

"About the same. The nurses here are always really nice."  Shiho replied. "The food still kind of sucks, though."

Ann laughed and nodded. "I'm not surprised. Tell you what though, when they give you the 'ok' to let you out of here, I'll take you somewhere nice. My treat."

"Will it be a date, then?" Shiho asked innocently.

"W-well..! Um...o-only if you want it to be." Ann stuttered. She waved her hands in front of her as if dismissing a misunderstanding.  "I mean I don't mind if it were to be a date. In fact it would be great if it was a date! O-only if you wanted it to be though, I don't want to impose anything on you or-"

"It's a date, then." Shiho giggled. She held out her pinky to the other girl. "Promise?" Ann stopped herself in her stupor and hurriedly returned the gesture.

"Yeah, I promise." They smiled at each other in understanding.

"Thank you, Ann."

"What are you thanking me for?" The blonde girl laughed.

"Everything."  Shiho responded quickly. Ann was taken aback at the sudden reply and gazed at her in curiosity. The girl in the hospital bed calmly returned her gaze, silent. Without a word, Shiho removed the book on her lap, placing it on the table beside her along with her reading glasses. "My rehab session doesn't start until a while. Until then, would you like to go to the courtyard? I'm feeling a little stuffy in here."

Ann nodded. "O-oh, yeah, that sounds great. The weather outside is actually pretty nice today."

"That's good to hear." Shiho responded. She reached over to the space between the table and her bed to pull out a folded wheelchair.

"Oh! Let me help you with that." Ann offered. Shiho shook her head.

"Ah, no, it's fine. I'm used to it by now. I can just lift myself out using my arms. Besides, I'm a little heavy so---eep!"

Ann was most certainly not in the mood to accept Shiho's excuses today. She'd already scooped Shiho up into a princess carry and gently lowered her onto the chair.

"How was that?" Ann grinned widely.

"Wow Ann...Have you always been this strong?"

"Hey! What are you trying to say?" Ann gasped. Shiho giggled into her hand.

"No, nothing. It's just that I remember when we used to arm wrestle and you'd always lose within the first 5 seconds. Maybe if we did it again, you'd last longer." Shiho teased.

"Is that a challenge I'm hearing?" Ann said playfully.

"...Maybe." Shiho replied. "Oh right, I need to let my nurse know that I'll be outside before we go. Can you take me to her?"

Ann pumped her fist with a wide grin plastered on her face. "Leave it to me!"

 The hospital courtyard was spacious. There were plenty of large tree to provide shade if the weather was too hot, and plenty of grass to lie on if one so desired. It was almost like a small park. Two girls sat next to each other; one on a bench under a tree, and one on a wheelchair. They were drinking some lemonade together that the blonde girl had bought them from the vending machine. Uncarbonated, of course.

Shiho inhaled deeply and let out a breath. "The air out here is so nice." She commented. "Sometimes I feel like I'm suffocating inside the hospital room."

"Well, on the bright side, they said they you would be able to leave soon if your rehab all goes accordingly, right?" Ann asked as she placed her drink down on the bench.

"Right. In fact, they were saying that I'm progressing faster than they expected, so if I'm going at the pace I've been going at all this while, I might even be able to leave early." Shiho answered.

"That's amazing, Shiho!" Ann shouted.

"Actually, Ann...That's why I wanted you to come today." Shiho said softly. Ann tilted her head to the side.

"Shiho...?"

"I wanted you to see...just how strong I've grown now. The first day they put me on rehab, I wasn't even able to reach the halfway mark. But now, I think I can do it….No, I'm sure that I can. I'll show you that I can be strong too, Ann...!" Shiho turned towards the girl beside her.

 "Shiho..." Ann looked into Shiho's eyes. There was a light there that she'd never seen before. It was a bright light. A light that marked a new beginning for that girl. A light that burned with such fierce determination, Ann couldn't look away.

"When I said Thank You earlier...I meant it. All this time, you've been my reason for everything. I've been trying to get stronger because you were there. Because you were strong." Shiho reached over and took Ann's hand into hers. Ann shook her head.

"No...I'm not strong. I couldn't do anything when you needed my help the most. How is that supposed to represent strength...?" Ann looked down at her feet.

"That's not true!" Shiho shouted. Ann looked up at her, eyes wide. It was the first time she'd heard Shiho raise her voice like that. "Ann. You were the one who protected me, right? You were willing to sacrifice your own comfort for my sake. People made fun of you and looked down on you because they all thought you were with that...that man. And yet, you still did it anyways and you pushed through it. All so that I could have a place on the volleyball team." Shiho furrowed her brows. "Not only that...you did something else to protect me, didn't you?"

"....What do you mean?" Ann asked hesitantly.

"Ann, you're a Phantom Thief, aren't you?" Shiho whispered. Ann shot up from her seat, eyes wide.

"How did you-!?"

"Shh!" Shiho hushed. "There are a lot of surveillance cameras here." Ann quickly clasped her hands around her mouth. "But...I knew it. I'm honestly relieved to hear that you're one of them." She smiled to herself.

"But still, Shiho...How did you find out?" Ann questioned. Shiho frowned and shook her head.

"I...can't really explain it myself. The thought just came to me one day. I'd heard about what happened with that calling card, and for some reason, when I thought about who it could have been, your face was the one that always popped up in my head. I'd told myself that I owe the Phantom Thieves my life because they protected me by changing that man's heart. And I think my mind must have associated the word 'protection' with you." Shiho looked up at Ann, who still seemed to be a bit in shock. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone. It'll be our little secret. That way, I can tell myself that I have a secret superhero who watches over me." Shiho laughed.

A secret superhero. In her mind, Ann had wanted to call herself this too, but ever since that high school detective had raised his concerns about the Phantom Thieves false sense of justice, she wasn't sure. Now, hearing Shiho calling her her superhero...it was all she needed to convince herself that changing people's hearts to help others in need wasn't bad.

"I've been meaning to tell you this for a while, Ann, but...I'm also sorry."

"Sorry? Sorry for what?"

"During that time, when I was standing on that ledge, I wasn't thinking about anyone else but me. All that was going through my mind was that I couldn't live in this world anymore…! That I didn't belong, and I needed to escape. Somewhere far away where no one could touch me again. I wasn't thinking about how you would have felt if I'd actually died from that fall. I was selfish."

"T-That's not true...!"

"Not only that...I was weak, too." Shiho continued. "I let people push me around whenever they felt like. I couldn't speak up for myself, and I let...that man convince me that I was worthless. Disposable."

"Shiho...stop. That wasn't your fault! None of it was! It was all because of that sick bastard!" Ann yelled. A few heads were turned, but they went back to their business. "Please, don't blame yourself. I can't stand it..." Tears began to well up in the corners of Ann's eyes.

"It's alright. I've decided already." Shiho reached out to take hold of the other girl's hands once more. "I had to have a lot of therapy here to help me get through my trauma, and it helped me sort out my thoughts. The scars that man has left on me...they won't ever go away, no matter how hard I try. The despair that I felt...I won't ever be able to forget how it burned into my head. But I've decided that I won't live in that past. Instead, I've set my sights on the future. From now on, I want to practice to become a professional volleyball player. Then, when I become good enough and get on Japan's Olympic team...I can show everyone that my past doesn't define who I am. That someone who was a weakling like me can become strong too, but still remain kind at heart. What do you think, Ann? Will you support me...?" Shiho looked up at the crying girl, a small smile dancing on her lips.

"Of course I will! I'll always support you, Shiho. No matter what." Ann tried her best to keep her sobs in. Shiho couldn't help but laugh. She took Ann's wrists and pulled her down gently, motioning her to kneel down. Ann willingly complied. Shiho then reached out and patted Ann's head.

"There, there." Shiho whispered. "It's alright. Please, don't cry, Ann." Shiho cupped the blonde girl’s cheeks with her hands, wiping away the tears that flowed out of her eyes. "I'm sorry for making you cry.” She apologized. “I didn't mean to. Come on, cheer up a bit! You’re a model, aren’t you? You’ll get wrinkles...and...looking at you cry makes me want to cry too..." Shiho pressed her forehead against Ann's.

The familiar warmth comforted her. It made her feel safe. It was warmth that made her never want to let go. She was everything to her.

"Excuse me, Suzui-san?" A sweet voice called out. Shiho recognized the voice and reluctantly parted with Ann, while Ann quickly stood up and wiped away the rest of her tears with her sleeve.

"Ah, over here!" Shiho responded with a wave.

"Oh, there you are. Your rehab session is about to start soon. Let's go back to get you prepared." The woman who approached them was kind of short with ginger hair tied up in a sidetail, and her eyes shone blue with a warm light. It was Shiho's nurse.

"Thank you, Kousaka-san. Ann and I will be right there." The woman nodded and left.

"It's time, Ann." Shiho said. Ann nodded firmly, smiling again once she dried her tears.

"Right. I'll be there with you."

 Back in the hospital, Ann waited patiently nearby the rehab room. Shiho had to talk to some doctors first in another room, before heading inside. The same ginger-haired woman came out of the room and walked towards Ann with a clipboard in her hand.

"I'm glad you're here, Takamaki-chan." The woman said. "Shiho has been really looking forward to today. If she manages to reach all the way from one end of the bars to the other, it'll be a major milestone for her. Since you're here, I'm sure she'll be able to do it."

"Y-yeah!" Ann replied. "I'm really looking forward to watching her do it myself. She's come so far ever since..." She faded off.

"Ah, yes. She's talked to me personally about a little of those events. She doesn't like bringing it up though, no surprise there. I wouldn't either. Rather, she loves talking about you more." The nurse smiled and laughed.

"M-me?" Ann pointed at herself.

"Yes, you. You're just about the only thing Shiho will talk about nowadays, but I definitely don't blame her." The nurse grinned inwardly. Ann felt her face heat up, despite the chilling temperature the hospital AC was set at.

"S-so, what does she say about me?" Ann inquired.

"Oh my, if I were to tell you that, we'd be here all night." The older woman laughed heartily. "But, one thing I would tell you though..." She fell silent and looked down at her feet. Her held her clipboard a little closer to herself as her brows furrowed together.

"Takamaki-san, I'm sure you're already aware of this, but Shiho...The doctors thought Shiho would never wake up. They were certain that she would remain in a comatose state until she died.” The nurse looked up again back at Ann with her usual smile. “But somehow, she did wake up, and now she's almost able to walk on her own two feet again despite the damage to her spinal chord. It's nothing short of a miracle. When the topic came up while I was talking to her, all she did was laugh and smile. She said to me that when she was in her coma, she heard your voice speaking to her, and because of that, she wanted to wake up as soon as she could to see you again. She went on to say that if her waking up was considered a miracle, that must mean that you're her miracle."

Ann listened closely as the nurse explained.

"Takamaki-san. I know as a professional I shouldn't be saying this, but...Shiho...that girl...she really loves you. You're her light at the end of the tunnel." The nurse paused.

"Please don't break her heart."

Suddenly, the door to the room where Shiho and the doctors were talking swung open. Shiho appeared first, with her hair tied up in a ponytail again. A female doctor with short red hair pushed her along, while another doctor emerged from the room.

"We're ready to start. Please head on inside." One of them ushered.

Shiho was pushed along to one end of the parallel bars. Ann stood by on the outside of the bars.

"We can start whenever you're ready." Said the red haired doctor. Shiho nodded. She first gripped the smooth metal bars with her hands, then slowly began to rise to her feet. When she was sure she was steady enough, she stepped off the wheelchair pedals and onto the solid floor. She looked ahead. No matter what, she was going to reach the end today.

 Shiho took a deep breath and stepped forward.

 She started off at a good pace. She was advancing step by step, and Ann was with her the entire way. Ann was chanting for her, internally, of course. She didn't want to distract Shiho from this.

Go, Shiho!

You can do it!

I believe in you!

...Ann hoped that if her bond with Shiho was really so strong that Shiho could figure out that she was a Phantom Thief by pure intuition, then Shiho would hear her encouragement in her mind as well.

"Suzui-san, you've reached the halfway mark. Please keep it up." One of the doctors informed.

"Do your best, Shiho!" Ann added. Shiho smiled and thanked them.

Although Shiho's progress throughout the first half appeared to be seamless, her breathing gradually became more labored as she continued on each step. Sweat began to form on her forehead, and her steps became more staggered. Shiho was certainly approaching the end, but as Ann noticed the looks the doctors were giving each other, she too became concerned.

"Are you alright?" Ann whispered as she placed her hand on Shiho's.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Shiho answered. "I'm just getting a bit tired. I can make it though." Shiho assured them before taking another step. She winced as her heel touched the floor.

"Suzui-san, it's alright if you can't make it to the end today. We can always try again next time. You've already made remarkable progress." The red haired doctor said.

"No, I can do it!" Shiho shook her head in refusal and picked her leg up, but failed to take another step. She inhaled sharply.

"Suzui-san, it'd be best if we stopped here. At this rate, you might injure yourself if you force yourself anymore."

"I...I have to make it to the end! I'm only a few steps away...Please..." The doctors exchanged a worried look and conceded to the girl's wishes.

However, as she inched her next foot forward, a hand slipped from the metal bar, causing her to lose her grip and collapse.

"Shiho!" Ann cried. She quickly knelt down along with the nurse and doctors. Shiho's breathing was shaky, and her hands were trembling.

"Suzui-san, please, you shouldn't continue anymore. You may end up reversing the progress you've done so far..."

"But...I have to show Ann! I promised myself...that I would show her how far I've come. I'm not giving up!" Despite her ragged breathing, she lifted herself up again using her arms and steadied herself on her feet again. She took another deep breath.

Ann wanted to help. She wished that she could walk for her. She could feel herself beginning to cry again, just like the first time she had seen Shiho try and walk herself across these bars in pain. But Ann held back the tears. Instead, she walked over to the end of the bars.

"Shiho. Focus on me. You're almost there." She placed a hand over her heart, showing Shiho her support.

"Ann..." Shiho smiled. She steeled herself one more time, and marched forward. This time, her steps began to steady out. She kept her gaze on Shiho while she willed her legs to move forwards. Little by little, she began to close the distance between herself and Ann.

"Come on! Just a few more steps!" Ann cheered. "Come here, Shiho!" She spread her arms out. The other girl laughed.

"I'm coming!" Just one foot after the other.

5 more...

5 more steps seemed like 500. Shiho's legs felt like they had been filled with liquid lead.

4 more...

The tears Ann had tried to hold back began breaking through, streaming down cheeks.

3 more...

Shiho had blurred everything out now. The only thing in sight was her most important person.

Her miracle.

2 more...

Ann shouted another cheer for the girl.

The last step...

Shiho stumbled forwards. Ann caught her with her arms in an embrace, and began to sob into her shoulder.

"You did it! Shiho, you did it!" Ann cried.

"Did you see me, Ann!? I walked across the whole thing!"

"Yes! Yes I did!! I'm so happy...You were so strong."

"Yeah...Now...I can finally say that I'm stronger. Just like you...Ann..." Shiho pulled on Ann's clothes, closing the distance between their lips. Ann yelped, but once she had realized what was going on, she closed her eyes and held the girl in her arms tighter than she ever had before.

The nurse, as well as the two doctors, smiled at each other and left the room to give the two girls a moment by themselves.