Affinity

Chapter Twenty-Two : Forgotten Bonds

Diana sits on the window sill, letting one leg dangles over the staircase beside it. She leans her head against the glass, her breath fogging against the window as she watches the last of the rumbling line leaves the island, off to trample the rest of the world. She felt bad for the innocent lives that is about to die out there, but honestly, good riddance.

She couldn't sleep at all last night. The damn sound of the rumbling kept her awake, and then she was left staring at the dark ceiling with her thoughts.

She was worried about her two friends. She tell herself that they'd be alright, that Hange will help Levi get back on his feet, that they won't be gone for too long and they'll come back soon enough to fix this mess. That they won't leave her here alone. But her anxiety kept her thinking of the bad outcomes. She knew that when she turned her back on the river, Floch had sent two of his comrades to run after the two, despite her request. What if they found those two, and somehow managed to hurt them? Diana didn't have the guts to think beyond that.

The past few hours being under control of the Jaegerists have been hell. They never let their guard down when it comes to her, which is a clever move to be honest. But she had grown tired of being on watch all the time. She could literally see a couple of them looming from behind the corner, eyeing her like a hawk with their hands ready on their gun. Is this the freedom that they have been screaming about since the rumbling left?

And the misuse of the military's slogan? Diana wanted to scream and strangle every last one of them who shouted 'Dedicate your hearts!'. These people does not understand the depth of that sentence. What are they even dedicating their hearts for? To exterminating the rest of the world? To making their own world smaller in result? It took every being in her to not make even the slightest expression, what with all the careful attention being put on her.

Diana lifts her gaze at the sound of footsteps approaching from the staircase. Mikasa climbs the stairs with a distant look on her face, eyes glued to the floor while her hand strongly grips her red scarf. Diana felt bad for her, what with Eren's not around and Armin's gone to reason with Connie, she had been all alone. The two were alike in this situation, and Diana instantly found a soft spot for her.

"Mikasa," she greets, "How are you holding up?"

The black-haired woman lifts her gaze, seeming to just realise the presence of the blonde.

She drops her gaze back to the ground, hand coming up to rub an arm. "I'm fine... I think."

Putting on a warm smile on her face, Diana gets off the window sill and bring a hand up to the woman's shoulder.

"You haven't had anything to eat yet, have you? Come, they're serving pies. In honour of the island's long-deserved freedom."

Mikasa watches her superior air-quoting her last sentence, wondering if she should open up to her. She had been feeling empty ever since Eren uttered those four words to her, and even emptier now that Armin's gone. She knew that Diana's going through the same thing, what with two of her only friends left gone. Mikasa wonders if that's the reason why the blonde's been sticking out to her, now checking in her meals that she had been neglecting.

How ironic. She's always telling Eren off for skipping his meals, and now she's doing the same thing.

"I just want..." Mikasa whispers, her voice trembling as she tries to hold back her tears. "Eren back... Is that too much to ask?"

Sighing, the blonde woman took a few steps back before leaning her frame against the wall.

"I don't know what to tell you... I wish that things were back as they were, too," she says, once again throwing her gaze outside the window, watching the steams the rumbling titans had left behind. She exhales softly before turning her head back towards the woman in front of her.