Skeleton Flowers [Shingeki no Kyojin]

✾ Chapter 6 ✾

Humanity's Rage

That had been what Mikasa had told Izanami, what the girl had called that Titan – and as the two girls set off from there with Armin and Connie, a strange feeling pulled at Izanami's heart. Mikasa had called that Titan to be an embodiment of humanity's rage as she had watched a Titan slay another Titan. But that could not be further from what Izanami felt about it.

For Izanami could only see more and more similarity between that Titan and humanity itself. It was a morbid fear that set into her chest, the thought of a Titan killing another Titan like a human killed another human. It had displayed a level of humanity unmatched. It was sentiency of the most heinous kind.

Izanami stared at the Titan in the distance as it attacked and demolished its way through the other Titans, unreservedly and uncontrollably. She watched it turn and glance at them, and for a moment too long, she felt its glowing emerald eyes upon her. And she wondered, as her heartstrings squeezed onto each other –

No, this is Humanity's Curse.

That gaze felt cold on her skin, but Izanami forced herself to look away from it, rushing to follow the others. Mikasa was leading them, but Armin had to be dragged along by Connie. Izanami was still lost in the discomfort of her thoughts when the sound of Armin shouting brought her out of it.

"Wait!" exclaimed Armin, putting a stop to Izanami, Mikasa and Connie as they all turned to look at him in surprise. He took a deep breath. "Listen to me... I have a plan!"

"A plan?" asked Connie, astonished.

"You three will have to execute it, so you decide..." Armin said carefully, and Izanami felt like she was very well aware where it was going. "I know it's crazy, but could we use that Titan?"

Connie let out a sound of strangled shock upon this, but Izanami had known what Armin was thinking. He was thinking about survival, that was very human to do and here it was. It was very human, this plan of his. Izanami felt herself reel a little but kept her silence.

"It attacks other Titans..." Armin explained. "It isn't interested in us. Could we lead it to the supply area somehow? If it defeats the other Titans, everyone might be saved!"

"Lead it?!" Connie exclaimed. "How would we do that?"

"I think it's fighting instinctively," Armin pointed out. "The three of you will defeat the Titans near it. That should make it move to find more. It should head toward HQ,"

"We can't do something that dangerous on a hunch!" Connie told him.

"Maybe we should give it an attempt," Izanami found herself speaking before she realised it. "If we are able to execute this plan, we can resolve the HQ issue by destroying all the Titans concentrated there. Many lives have been lost already. Let us limit that,"

"That's right," Mikasa agreed, looking toward Izanami and nodding along with her. "If it works, we might be able to destroy all the Titans around HQ. It's worth a try,"

"Huh?" Connie asked as his head snapped between the two girls. "Are you serious?"

"Better to try something than to simply wait for death," Mikasa said. "Let's go with Armin's plan,"

"Fight the Titans with another Titan?" Connie asked.

"Yes, that's right," Armin replied.

"If we fail, they'll laugh at us..." Connie muttered, looking a bit shaken by the mere thought of it.

"But if we succeed, everyone will survive," Armin pointed out.

It was decided what they were going to do, and as Izanami felt soaring through the air, all of her thoughts were swept out of her from the tip of her hair. Mikasa went straight for a nearby Titan and Connie backed her up whilst carrying Armin on his back simultaneously.