A Promise (An Attack on Titan Fanfic: Erwin Smith)

Farewells

In short, there really was no right or wrong answer in their fight; morally or realistically—it was either one or the other. The world was not nice enough to let them choose both, because they were not living in a fairy tale and everything wasn't all rainbows. Both Erwin and Isanna had their respective legitimate reasons, but the difference between them was that the blond was brave enough to make sacrifices.

Levi placed his spoon down with a light tinkle. "She's naive for thinking she can save everybody. People die; this is a shitty world we live in." With the way they were literally living in a hell where gigantic monsters were out to eat them, he thought Isanna should know better, especially since she was a soldier who had already experienced the cruelty of their world first-hand. 

"Hey," Hanji defended as she lifted a fork and threateningly pointed it at Levi, "I have a fork and I'm not afraid to use it. So don't talk about my girl like that."

"She's not yours."

"She's my best friend." She stuck out a tongue at him, only causing Levi to roll his eyes.

"Your best friend doesn't understand the gravity of our situation."

"I don't care—I'll take her side either way," Hanji scoffed, "you men are such a disappointment."

While the two were bickering back and forth, Mike's thoughts were preoccupied with Isanna and Erwin. There was no right or wrong answer in their fight; he had an inkling the both of them were already aware of this, but he just couldn't understand why Erwin had felt the need to be so harsh to both Isanna and Lauren, going as far as to tell her to abandon her when he above all people knew of the raven's attachment to the girl. It was like he was pushing her buttons deliberately. 

Plus, it wasn't like him to drag a fight, especially a fight with her, for this long. 

The blond glanced around the mess hall and noted the tension even among the soldiers, all shoulders slackened and a brooding silence surrounding the room.  

Gracious, who would've thought a fight between those two would leave such an impact to the rest of them.

•

Isanna gently tucked a snoozing Lauren into her arms with a contemplative frown, studying the girl's features. Her fever had thankfully subsided after a few days, and she was starting to move around more. 

She was currently sitting on the bed in her own room, alone with the quietude. Her soft gaze rested on Lauren's sleeping face as Isanna lifted a hand to push away some dark strands from her forehead. 

"You've become soft. I suppose this is because of Lauren?"

Clenching her jaw, the raven closed her eyes tightly and mentally shoved the memory away into the back of her mind. Erwin had told her to send the girl to an orphanage as soon as possible before their supposed recapture mission three months later, and he had been so cold about it too. 

What happened to you? Isanna mentally asked as she opened her eyes to stare at the toddler in her arms who was sleeping peacefully without a care in the world, without knowing anything.

"Lauren," she whispered, staring down at her with a sad smile, pushing a few of her short strands away so that she could get a clearer look of her face, "when you grow up, I want you.. to promise me something."

Isanna thought about herself, about her life as an orphan, about how she had wished for a family to be with to battle the sense of loneliness that haunted her back then.

"Be happy.. and don't let this world put you down no matter what."

She looked at the small wooden bedside table, feeling her chest clenching when she remembered that the red Salvia that had been given to her back then was left back at their headquarters in Wall Maria; no doubt it had already wilted.