Hometown

Chapter 36 - Birthmark

I dropped my hand as the battling Titans caught my attention. They were both heading towards the wall a bit further down from where I was positioned. I jumped off the wall and used my ODM gear to propel myself along the sides to get to them quicker.

I saw Eren chasing down Annie frantically, until he toppled her to the ground. Landing on top of the wall, the chaos ensued below. Eren smashed in Annie's face, and she made that ear-piercing Titan shriek that she had made the day before on our failed mission. She kicked Eren away, and bolted closer to the wall. She suddenly punctured the walls with her fingers and began climbing up.

The power of the Titans was cruel. It was an abomination. My heart pounded as she made her way closer and closer. Eren tried to drag her down, roaring madly. She kicked him off. Even the face of her Titan grew panicked. I could only wonder whether inside her nape if she was making the same face. Mikasa sped over, and I jumped down onto Annie's head. I gave her a knowing look.

"I'll protect those close to me. I see now that I was right in telling them." Annie's eyes widened. Mikasa cut across Annie's fingers, making her unable to hold onto the wall any further. "Annie..." I began again. "If only we could've been friends..." Mikasa stood on Annie's forehead alongside me.

"Annie... Fall." She said simply. We both zipped back as her body came crashing down. Eren immediately pinned her Titan body down and pummeled her. I could barely watch.

"I hate this..." I said to Mikasa as we both hung from the wall.

"What do you mean?" Mikasa asked suddenly.

"I hate this Titan power. It's made Eren into a murderer. It's made Annie into a traitor. It's made–" I stopped myself before I mentioned Reiner – How it's made him secretive and shut down. "It's made everything worse." Mikasa looked at me and looked back down the fight below. Eren ripped back the nape, and there Annie was below.

Tears. Tears fell from her eyes.

"She– She's crying..." I mumbled.

"Upset she's been caught." Mikasa said coldly.

"N-No... It's something more... You can see it... Those are tears from someone who's felt loss." My heart trembled with guilt. Mikasa looked at me, unsure. We both looked back down at a sudden flash of blue light. Mikasa rushed down to help, but Levi beat her to it.

Before I knew it, Eren was out of his Titan and both the Titan corpses decayed in a cloud of smoke. I came down from the wall as we all stared at Annie's crystalized casing. Jean pounded on it screaming at Annie. I drowned out the sounds and just stared at her frozen body. It felt like no one else was there, but rather it was me and her. Suddenly, I wished I had never mentioned a thing to the Captain. I wished instead I could have visited her and spoken to her, and told her I was truly on her side.

I loved my comrades, I truly did, but I loved Reiner more. I wanted to be with him and keep him safe. In return I knew he would do the same for me. I should've told Annie that I was with her. I would help her, Reiner, and Bertholdt if they ever needed it. I didn't know the full truth, but I didn't need to. My truth was my love and love can make you do crazy things.

"Y/N," Armin piped up. "If you don't mind me asking, what did you say to Annie when you landed on her before Mikasa came over?" He looked at me carefully, while the others did the same. Hange's eyes were on me, Jean's eyes, the Captain's eyes and Mikasa's.

"I told her she was a traitor and deserved what she had coming." I looked back at her crystalized casing.

"Except she had nothing coming except for this damned crystal." The Captain exclaimed. "Y/N, we sent some scouts from the 104th to our main headquarters just outside Stohess. I'd like you to join them there. We'll be seeing you soon." He walked away. I didn't mind, I wanted to be with Reiner. I wanted to tell him what I decided. I'd forever be on his side.