The Bloom Titan (1/2)

CH.32: Rare Encounter

Eren gasps and starts giggling. He nudges Mikasa's side with his elbow. She nods briefly in response. "One, two, three, now!" Eren and Mikasa move their hands from behind their back revealing two items. In Mikasa's hands there was a cotton doll that looked alot like myself. In Erens hands was a book labled 'Outside'.

"Here, these are our presents to you." Eren says, nervously.

I smile gratefully. "Aw, thank you." I take the two objects out of their hands and inspect them with a wide smile. I look up at Mikasa. "Did you make this doll yourself?" I ask her.

She nods. "Yes I did, my mother taught me the technique when she was alive." Mikasa answers with a solemn expression, but I know it was painful for her to say.

"That's amazing! Your so talented." I praise her. I see a hint of pink dust her cheeks and she looks down at her feet.

"Thank you." She whispers under her breath.

"Eren, thank you for the book. I've been in need of a new book since I've read almost all of the books in the library at home." I say to him. He smiles brightly.

I gasp at remembering my backpack. I stand up and sit the presents on the chair neatly. I walk over to the door and pick up my bag. I scoot back over to the chair and kneel down infront of them. I take out two wrapped boxes, both the same size. I hand the boxes out to each of them and smile at them.

"Those are your presents from me. Open them." Erens eyes begin to light up and bubble with excitement. He viciously ripped the paper off the box and lifted the lid off. His jaw becomes slack as he lifts the item out. A Survey Corps cape was what he held in his hands. Eren squeals like a girl and flings the long cape over his shoulders and fastened the button at the front, securing it on his chest.

"E-Ezlyn, where'd you get this?!" Eren stammers, looking at me with confusion in his emerald eyes.

I smile to not cast any suspicion of me being a towns protector. "I found it in my fathers cupboard. Now, keep it safe. Okay?" Eren grins widely and starts running the room like a wild deer. I turn my attention to Mikasa whos watching Eren scamper round the dining table. "Mikasa," I say. Her dark hair swishes round as she turns to face me. I nod towards the present. "Open it." Her mouth slightly opens in realisation.

Her hands carefully unwrap the thin paper off the box and slide the lid off the top. She takes out a small bag that had a ribbon wrapped round the top. She slides the ribbon out it's knot and opens the bag.

She gasps and her eyes begin to glisten. She looks up at me with sadness and happiness in them. Mikasa takes out a small cotton patch with pattens embroidered into it. She holds it up.

"Where did you get this?" She asks, her voice soft and brittle.

I lean forward. "I found it somewhere secret." I lift my finger up to my lips.

She smiled understandingly and sat the patch back into the small bag and ties the ribbon back round the top. "Thank you." She says, wiping the salty tears from her eyes.

"No problem." I start putting my presents back into my backpack and Mikasa goes up the stairs; probably to put the patch somewhere safe in her room. Eren is still running round the room showing the cape off to Carla. I sit my bag next to the chair and stand up. I walk over to Carla, and stand next to her. She was preparing the goose that was cooked already and she sprinkled a few spices over the top.

"Do you need any help?" I ask her. She turns to me and smiles.

"No, I don't. But can you do me a favour and lay the table?" She says, rinsing her greasy hands under the water pump.

"Yeah, I can." I reply with a cheery voice, clapping my hands together. "Where-abouts are the knifes and forks?"  I ask.

She turns back round to the goose. "They are in the cupboard below the water basin, you'll find the plates in the same one." Carla informs me. "Eren you help too."

Eren huffs and walks over to the cupboard Carla told me to go in. He waves a hand for me to come over. I simply follow his lead and bend down to see what to grab. Eren takes a stack of plates and walks over to the table on wobbly legs. I chuckle at him trying to show off and grab the cutlery tray. I take it over to the table and sit it down on it. Now all I have to do is set the table...

END-OF-FLASHBACK-

I felt a heavy hand go down on my shoulder. I turned to see who it was and it was Eren. Out of breath and his face was bloodied.
"Ezlyn transform!" He screams at me. I turn to face the massive Titan that had Captain Hannes in its hands. Crap...

I whip the dagger out from under a rock and stab right through my hand, willing to transform. Eren continues to bite down on his hand as hard as he can. Blood was dripping from my new wound, but nothing was happening. I couldn't transform. Yesterday had drained me because of the fight with Annie.

The smiling Titan opens its' mouth up extremely wide and it was almost at a 90 degree angle. Placing Hannes right on the tip of its tongue.

"Shit, shit-shit-shit!" I scream, digging my fingers through the hole in the palm of my hand. The Titans jaw snaps shut, devouring Hannes's lower half. Blood flew everywhere, landing on my face and the flowers next to me.

I watch the light from his eyes fade away and close. The Titan chucks the rest of him in it's mouth and starts munching away on his body. I fall back onto my butt and place my hand over my mouth.

"I couldn't help. I'm... useless. A coward." I mutter to myself. I turn to my two friends and their eyes and mouth are wide open in shock. I notice tears pricking the edges of Erens eyes as he falls to his knees. He plants both of his hands on the ground in front of him, and stares at the grass for a while.

I hear a pain filled cry erupt from his throat. Those crys then turned into psychotic laughter; as if it was his coping mechanism, just like me. I felt like crying right now, seeing a boy in this state. But Marco's promise flooded my head.

"Eren..." Mikasa mutters, looking at Eren with worry.

"You idiot!" Eren cried out. "You haven't changed at all, damn it! You still can't een save a single person! You haven't changed one damn bit!" He lets out a blood-curdling scream, filled with so much pain and anger, describing his feelings entirely. I wanted to try calm him down and tell him that it was going to be alright, but I'd be lying. And it's near impossible to calm him down now.

"Mum..." Eren muttered. "I still... I still can't do anything." I stand up and start biting my hand as hard as I can.

"Eren. That's not true." Mikasa says softly. I glance over my shoulder to look at them. Mikasa was smiling gently, leanig towards Eren slightly. "Eren. I never... thanked you for everything you've done for me." Her eyes filled to the brim with crystal tears waiting to fall.

"You've always stayed by my side. Thank you." She smiles. "You taught me how to live. Thank you." She places a hand on her red scarf. "And... you wrapped this scarf around me. Thank you." A tear slips down her cheek and she starts leaning towards Eren, as if leaning into a kiss.

Eren sniffs and stands up, leaving Mikasa hanging. He stands up and turns to face Mikasa. "I'll wrap that thing around you as many times as you want. I'll keep doing it! As many times as it takes!" He turns to face me "We're gonna do it at the same time, with our power combined. Okay?"

I nod in response and our hands suddenly heal instantly. I ball my hand into a fist and Eren follows. The thing reaches it's hand out towards us, trying to grab us both.

We pull our fists back ready to punch the Titans hand as hard as we can. Eren lets a scream of effort escape his throat and I follow lead. We both punch the things hand but nothing happens.

A sudden bolt of lightning surges through my finger tips and thorn vines come flying out my hand and snakes up the Titans arm, then into it's eyes blinding it. It pulls its hand away. It felt as if a power inside me awakened.

Eren screams again and flings another punch. A Titan goes flying over our heads towards the smiling one and tackles it to the ground.

Is this our true power???