Nina Cried Power ━━ Attack On Titan

06. A Piece of Home

CHAPTER SIX

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Year 850. Trost District

Nina cannot recall the last time she was so angry. Perhaps, that was because she was never angry before- she had no reason to be. The closest she came to that feeling was the annoyance that occurred to her with all the mishappenings in the world. Disappointment at people sometimes for being so daft. Pissed at her brother for ratting her out when he had sworn secrecy for the littlest things.

But she was never angry, never furious. She never found herself fuming over something so bad there were tears in her eyes. She was never red.

She fell on her knees, tears dropping down like rain. Her blonde hair shook adamantly- no, no, NO! He can't be dead. Please.

"Nina?" She heard Jean's voice call her, placing her hand on her shoulder. His hands were shaking. "Nina? What's wrong?"

What's wrong? Did he seriously have the audacity to ask her that? Her cousin was gone.

"Eren is dead." The blonde girl spat, grey eyes glaring at Jean. The ashy haired boy had no reason to be the recipient of her anger, Nina knew that. But she couldn't help it, she was so furious and Jean seemed like the perfect victim for her wrath. "He's gone!"

She pushed him by his shoulders, causing the ashy haired boy to stumble backwards. His golden eyes narrowed down to her, frustration crept on his face. "I get it! This is a war, Nina! People die!"

"Not Eren!" Nina screamed back, her voice cracking as more hot tears spilled from her worn out eyes. "I should have stopped him. I should have helped him when I could. Why'd I have to be so adamant, goddammit-"

"Hey!" Jean grabbed her hands away from her face when Nina started hitting her head with the blunt edge of her blade. "It's not your fault. Nina! Pull yourself together!"

"I didn't know you two were so close." Connie's voice perked up from the corner he was perched in, uncharacteristically quiet. Jean appeared to share the same doubt as he scrunched his sand-toned brows. "Yeah," He softly said in a voice that only Nina and Marco could hear. "I didn't know he meant that much to you."

Marco's fists clenched, he controlled his own tears from shedding. Just a few hours ago, her best friend was telling him about her Suicidal Maniac cousin who she wanted to protect at all costs. The brown haired boy had just found out about their relationship, and it broke before he could even witness the cousins reconciling.

"He was her cousin." Marco revealed in a tone loud enough for everyone to hear. He bit his lower lip to suppress a cry when Nina fell down again, shaking her head in disbelief.

Jean's golden eyes widened. "What?"

The freckled boy bobbed his head softly. "I just found out. Right before the Colossal Titan appeared."

Nina felt cold hands envelope hers. Armin held her hands close to his heart, a forlorn look on his face. Somehow, the blue in his eyes disappeared, they seemed empty. "I am so sorry, Nina! I didn't know, I'm sorry!" The blond boy sniffled between words. "It should have been me that died- not Eren! I- I couldn't do a thing. I'm worthless."

The blonde haired girl completely ignored his pleas, snatching her hands from his hold. Eren Jaeger was dead, and there was nothing Nina could do anymore. She failed to protect him. Eren, who was everdaring, who never cowered before fear, whose rage overpowered every other emotion he knew or felt. Eren, who distanced himself from her cousin because she didn't understand him- she never tried to because she was in her own mind half the time to care about anything else.