Your Promise | Shingeki No Kyojin ;; Eren Jaeger |

Chapter Two

Rose

The tolling of bells echoes throughout the city, alerting the citizens that the scouts are approaching the gate. I gasp with excitement and unwrap my pinky from my mother's.

"They're back! I'm gonna go see them at the gate, are you coming?" I ask my mother.

She shakes her head in response. "No, I'll clean a little bit before Josef comes back. Be safe now, alright?"

I put on a white cardigan and look back at my mother, opening the door to leave. "I will!" I head towards the gate, filled with enthusiasm. On these days when the soldiers return, the gates are open to allow them re-entry. During these moments, I can get a glimpse of what the outside world looks like, a taste of something so sweet that I have yet to experience on my own.

As I turn the corner, I collide with another person and we both fall to the ground. "Are you alright?" The person asks.

I look to him as he already has gotten up, extending his hand out to me. His sea-green eyes are alluring, making my breath stop. The air suddenly becomes still, feeling as if time has stopped. I nod and take his hand as he helps me up. His touch feels warm and comforting, but his grip on my hand is strong when he pulls me up. "I'm sorry for running into you," I apologize and brush off my dress.

The boy shakes his head, also making his bangs move with him as well. "Don't worry about it, I was in a rush, it's my fault for not looking. Speaking of, did I accidentally leave Mikasa...?"

The bells chime once more, this time meaning that the soldiers are finally here. We both jump and become frantic. "I need to get going, but thanks again!" I call out to him as I continue running towards the gate.

He yells something in response as another girl approaches him. Although her hair is dark, it shines in the sun; she must be the one he left behind. While I run, I bring both of my hands to my face, smacking my cheeks. "Come on, Rose! Get it together! It's obviously your fault that you ran into him; you even let him help you up! You won't get anywhere like that!" I then recall the warmth of his hand. "Well, I mean he was just being helpful... There are times when I can accept help..."

Before my mental debate goes on any longer, I arrive at the gate. I attempt to get past everyone, poking my head through holes in the crowd to see the gate. However, when I finally get an opening, the gate is already shut. My craving for the sweetness that I wished for was taken away, leaving me hungry for more. Dejected, I avert my attention to the soldiers who returned, their numbers decreased from the last time I witnessed their presence. Bloodied, bandaged, and injured. They hang their heads low, weighed down by the immense feeling of defeat.

"But where's Josef...?"

I feel a tap on my shoulder from behind and swiftly turn around. My brother towers over me, grinning, although his eyes tell a different story. "Missed me?" He jokes and I punch him lightly.

"You scared me for a second! I didn't know where you were!" I exclaim and he laughs, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Sorry, Rose. I just wanted to surprise you," Josef replies. "How's mom?"

"She's fine, she's also waiting at home for us to come back so we should hurry,"

"Ah, alright. Then let's not keep her waiting for long. The captain knows that I won't return to HQ just yet since I live in this district so let's go,"

We start on our way back home when I then ask, "So how's the outside like?" I look up to him, holding onto my breath to hear about his adventure, like how father used to tell us, but Josef's violet eyes become dull, revealing the truth of his feelings.

"Honestly, I wish I could deliver good news about the outside, like how dad used to, but I can't bring myself to... What dad said, wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, Rose." He stops walking. "It's awful out there... I feel like a coward whenever I'm face to face with a Titan... I never know if I'll make it back alive from these missions."

"Josef..."

He lifts his head. "I want to tell you to stop and not become a scout... But I know what you'll say,"

"Honestly, I don't know if I'll be strong enough to beat the Titans, but I'll give it my all. I made a promise to dad and Raeger that I would." I clench my fist and gaze up to my brother with determination. He grins and sighs.

"If only I had that confidence, maybe I could better,"

Instantaneously, the light is drained from the daytime sky as a bolt of lightning strikes the outside of the wall, in front of the gate from the outside. Shrieks and confused shouts echo throughout the town, many falling to the ground by the impact, including me and my brother.

"What the hell was that?!" Josef exclaims. We both look up as a skinless hand grabs the top of the wall and a head emerges from the smoke. All the citizens become paralyzed in fear at the sight of the Titan and quickly scatter, attempting to escape, shoving past each other. In a split second, boulders from the wall fly through the air as the Titan kicked through, creating a breach in our town's defense. "I-It created a hole in the wall?!"

Debris flies overhead and crashes onto the buildings, causing catastrophic damage. Josef then grabs me by the shoulders and shouts in order to overpower the chaos of the town. "Listen to me, Rose. You have to retreat to Wall Maria, I'll meet you there once this is all over!" Ignoring his directions, I escape from his grasp and sprint in the direction of our home. "Rose, wait!!"

"Mom's still home! We need to get her!" I push past people to get home faster, passing by the bodies of citizens who were crushed by the debris from the wall. "Please, mom... You have to be okay! I can't lose you either!"

Once I reach my house, I freeze at the sight. Boulders crush the place I call home. I hurry over and search for my mother. "Mom! Where are you?" I call out. I crawl over the rubble and continue my search.

When I enter what still stands from my house, I spot my mother's bloodied hand coming out from underneath the giant boulder that lies on top. Her hand lies next to a clean bed sheet on the floor from the laundry she was folding before, the golden wedding band glistening in the sun. She never took it off, even after my dad's death, it was too much to bear for her but even now it shines bright. My legs give out and I fall to the ground. "MOTHER!!" Hot tears run down my face and blur my vision. "W-what about... O-our promise?" I stammer.

I hear footsteps behind me which then stop. "... Mother?" Josef's voice softly says. He makes his way over the wreckage and kneels beside me, staring at the hand in horror. "Is that you..." He stays silent as screams and thunderous footsteps of the invading Titans fill the city. In the midst of my cries, Josef picks me up and runs out of the house. "We... We have to go... There's nothing we can do now..."

His voice shakes in fear and I stare back at the remains of our house. The Titan that kicked the wall has disappeared, but smoke rises from the place where it once stood. I clench my teeth, anger, and remorse rising inside. "Mother... you don't deserve a fate like this... No one does! I'll fight for a way to bring you justice, I swear!"

• • •

Wow, what an improvement from what it used to be