Skeleton Flowers [Shingeki no Kyojin]

✾ Chapter 7 ✾

The reappearance of Eren through the gulps of death had been a miraculous occasion – although that was solely for his closest of friends. Armin was beside himself in tears as the guilt of his friend's sacrifice had lifted from his head, and Mikasa had cried for her childhood that she sought in Eren. Izanami had been relieved to see him, too, and had felt a strange knot in her chest unravel at the sight of him. But there were other concerns that Izanami needed to get her friends prepared for.

Within minutes of Eren's return, the news of what had happened spread rapidly in the form of misunderstanding through what remained of the soldiers. Izanami, along with Mikasa, Eren and Armin had been cornered to the edge of the inner wall, right by the water gate. Reiner, Bertholdt, Annie and Jean had been with them, but Izanami had requested for them to leave as soon as they could.

Every member of the Garrison stood in front of them, their blades raised in order to attack them at any moment. No matter what they tried to explain to the soldiers and to their Captain Kitz Woermann, nothing seemed to work in their favour. They demanded the immediate execution of Eren Jaeger and it did not help their case that Eren was currently unconscious – and threatening to kill everyone in his sleep.

Armin held Eren up on the ground, trying to wake him up to the best of his ability under the critical situation while Izanami and Mikasa stood with their own blades raised, which certainly did not ease the seriousness of the situation. Izanami knew that they could not be entirely complicit, either.

"Eren?" asked Armin urgently, shaking Eren slightly to get him out of his strange stupor. "Eren! Eren, can you move? Can you understand what I'm saying? Tell them everything you know. I'm sure they'll understand! Izanami, he's a little bit awake now!"

That was highly unlikely, given the state of fright and misunderstand that had spread through the Garrison, and with how mentally absent Eren was to the situation. So much so that the only thing that Eren could voice out was a questioning, "Armin?"

"Hear that? He said, 'I'll kill them all!'"

"Yes, I heard him. He's going to devour us,"

Upon such occasions, Izanami wondered if it was really this easy to get into the Garrison. It was like that for a reason – they did not bother much with intellect when it came to their soldiers. But that was the logical perspective of Izanami, who could not find the desire or the appeal of eating human flesh even if she were a Titan. These individuals were running off of their own strange imagination.

Slowly but sure, the reality of the situation began to settle upon Eren, too. He looked at Armin, who was holding him up, to the dozens of soldiers that surrounded them with their blades pointed at them, and to the two girls standing in front of the two boys to protect them from them. Eren stared at Izanami's back.

"Cadet Jaeger!" shouted Captain Kitz Woermann. "As well as Cadets Ackerman, Arlert and Minamoto... what you're doing right now is an act of treason! We may decide to kill you on the spot! If you attempt to lie to us, or make a single move, we will fire an HE Projectile at you immediately! We will not hesitate! Answer me at once! What are you?! Are you a man? Or a Titan?"

"I d-don't understand the question!" Eren called back to them, unsure where they were going with this or why they were accusing him of being a Titan of all things.

"Monster!" shouted Captain Woermann. "Try that again, and I'll blow you to pieces. It just takes an instant! You won't have time to reveal your true form!"

"True form?" repeated Eren, shocked but that only caused Captain Woermann to lose his patience and composure.

"Plenty of people saw you, as you emerged from within a Titan!" Captain Woermann pressed. "Humanity has permitted an unknown creature like you to infiltrate Wall Rose! Even if you are trainees given to us by the King, the safest course is to eliminate the risk immediately! My thinking is correct! The Armoured Titan that destroyed Wall Maria could appear at any minute. Right now, humanity is at risk of annihilation! Do you understand? We can't waste more time or troops on you! I will fire an HE Projectile at you without hesitation!"