"Eren! You're only allowed to do that if your life is in danger!", Petra exclaimed frantically. "You promised us!". Eren paused for a second, before readying his mouth to bite down hard.
"Eren!", you said stern. You had no idea if him turning into a titan would be the right call or not. You understood his motives for turning right this moment, but you had a gut feeling Levi knew something you guys didn't. You therefore felt compelled to avoid doing anything Levi didn't order first.
"You aren't wrong. If you want to do, do it", Levi said, his tone challenging. You felt as though he was testing him. Eren stared at Levi, who was still facing forward. "I can tell he's a real monster-". You let out a quiet little gasp.
'Why is he saying stuff like this'
"And it has nothing to do with his titan power. No matter what power you use to suppress him, no matter what cage you put him in, he will never submit to anyone", he continued, not moving an inch.
"Eren, the difference between your decision and ours is experience. But you don't have to rely on that... Choose", he paused a little. "Believe in yourself... Or believe in the Survey Corps and me. We can never know what the outcome will be, but I know I can count on myself and the companions I trust. So choose whichever decision you'll regret the least".
Eren dropped his hand for a second and looked behind us again. His hand slowly closed in on his mouth again.
"Eren...", Petra tried again. "Have faith. Have trust", she simply said, and you recalled the night the four of them bit their hand and asked for all of you to trust each other. Eren seemed to remember that too as he looked down at the visible scar from the bite on Petra's hand.
"Eren! You're taking too long! Decide!", Levi yelled out this time. You have never really heard him raise his voice like this. The soldier was closing in on the female titan. If Eren were to transform and save him from his fatal destiny it was now or never. Eren squeezed his eyes shut before lifting his head up high. Levi looked back at you for once.
"I'll go forward!", he screamed out determined.
"Let me go!", the soldier shrieked as he was caught in the titans grasp. She smeared him across a trunk and you wished you hadn't looked. Watching solders die like this was somehow worse than watching them get eaten. This felt vicious... intentional. She killed them knowing full well what she did. Mindless titans eat on instinct at least.
"I'm sorry", Eren said between gritted teeth. You could tell the guilt was eating him up from the inside.
The stomping became louder as the ground shook more violently. Looking behind you, you noticed her picking up the speed, bending down in a sprinting stance that sent her almost flying towards you.
"She is accelerating!", you yelled out, causing the rest to look as well.
"Go! We will outrun it!", Levi said with a strained voice as he pushed for his horse to run even faster.
"Come on Myosotis! Faster!", you told her as you tugged her reins. She picked up her pace to her absolute limit.
'I don't see how we can outrun her. The road before us is never ending, and she is right at our heels. We'll be stomped flat in no time'
You closed your eyes and thought about your friends, even digging deep into your memory to picture your parents, wanting them all to be the last thing on your mind before your downfall.
'I'm sorry guys... I'm sorry Marco. I was so sure I would see you again. So sure I would feel your embrace at least once more. So sure I would get to kiss you once we both safely returned back home'
The female titan was unbelievably close, you could feel it through the way the shaking increased.
"Fire!", you suddenly heard Erwin scream and you abruptly opened your eyes. A sudden sharp whizzing noise, one you recognised as the same sound that comes when you send out your wires from your gear, only intensified by a thousand, rung out. Looking behind you, you saw the titan now trapped and secured, pierced by hundreds of hooks and wires. She was unable to move. You all continued forward, relieved but shocked.
"Advance a bit farther, tether the horses, and switch to Maneuver Gear", Levi ordered. "You guys will be off on your own for a while. Eld, you are in charge", he then said as he stood up on his horse, looking back at all of you. "Once you're a good distance away from the titan, hide Eren. Y/N, you take my horse". Activating his gear, he went off towards the trap.
You quickly grabbed a hold of Levi's horse's reins while moving, tying it to the back of your saddle.
"Are they really going to take that titan alive?", Eren asked dumbfounded. Everyone looked at him with strange expressions, and you were now certain they had never experienced anything like this before. They were taken aback by this entire situation.
"W-well, Eren? See that?", Gunther finally broke the silence. "We caught that titan!".
"This is the power of the Survey Corps!", Oruo exclaimed. "Never underestimate us again you fool!". You rolled your eyes and smiled.
'Like he wasn't about to piss his pants three minutes ago'
Everyone had a renewed energy, Eren now smiling confidently. He had just seen his childhood hero's in action, confirming that they deserved his admiration.
~Marco POV~
"What is all that noise?! That is the second time we've heard that already!", Connie exclaimed, as the explosion-like sound made their way too us again from the midst of the forest. I was still very worried for Y/N's safety, this not soothing my anxiousness in any way.
The titans waiting for us below the trees was getting more and more impatient, some even trying to climb their way up. Luckily, their attempt didn't seem to be any successful, however it was still terrifying.
Mikasa seemed stressed ever since I told them about my suspicion as to where Eren and Y/N really was, but she didn't really let it show. She has always been good at keeping a calm exterior even if she was absolutely devastated, like when she thought Eren was dead in Trost.
A sudden scream rung out from the forest now, even louder and more excruciating than the explosions. We all covered our ears, our faces contorting into an expression of discomfort.
"Now what the fuck is this then!", Connie exclaimed, nearing his last straw. Not being told anything, then hearing all this did not do us any good, and people were starting to crack under the pressure. I took a deep breath.
'Y/N trust these people with her life and so will I. I just hope they have whatever plan they made behind our backs under control, because now it doesn't really seem like they do'
All the titans that has been reaching and aching to get us for the last few hours suddenly stopped. They started running and sprinting in towards the sound of the scream simultaneously.
"Wh-what?", I said dumbfounded, the words coming out airier than intended.
"What's up with them?! They're all running into the forest?", Jean exclaimed confused. "Why are they suddenly ignoring us?!". No one answered as we all stared after them in disbelief.
"Begin combat!", one of the squad-leaders yelled, breaking our trance.
"Wait!", Sasha called out to us as we prepared to follow them. "I recognize that kind of scream! That's the scream of a cornered animal that has nothing to lose! It has to be approached with upmost caution!", she said determined. We all nodded, trusting her hunter-instincts. She has proven more than once that they are always right.
We all quickly jumped down, following the frantic titans as we tried to put them down.
"They don't even notice us!", Armin yelled out. He was right. We were able to get really close without them even looking our way.
"Let's use that to our advantage and cut them down before they reach the others!", I yelled, managing to cut the nape of a 4 meter titan. That would be my third ever titan kill.
It didn't last long though before blue flares covered the skies. We were retreating.
~Normal POV~
You were now manoeuvring your way through the trees, following Eld as he moved behind them so Eren couldn't be spotted as easily. You wondered how they were doing back there with that titan. It had been a while since Levi left after all, and the scream you just heard made you nervous.
'Did they kill her? Are they okay?'
"Let's hurry back to the horses! Erwin has sent out the order to retreat!", Eld said as you all noticed the blue smoke signals.
As you moved Petra expressed her gratitude for the way you and Eren put your trust in them back there. Oruo of course had to shoot in some cocky remarks on your expense, but you didn't mind. This was just his way of expressing himself. Eld suddenly turned towards you all with a smirk.
"Oruo, Petra. You guys pissed your pants and cried on your first mission, cut these two some slack. They did great!", he said smugly, and gave the two of you a proud smile. You and Eren laughed as Petra screamed horrified.
"Don't say that! What if they stop respecting me?!", she yelled out.
"Oh, so it's true?", you exclaimed between your laugh, making Eren laugh more.
"It is. I didn't by the way", eld confirmed, still smug.
"Idiot! I've killed more titans than you!", Oruo exclaimed, like that had anything to do with anything.
"Kill count doesn't make a soldier", Eld told him, Oruo now excessively calling him an idiot. You looked around at all of them, your heart warm as you flew through the forest with your squad.
'These people really are special to me. I was unsure at the start by the way they treated Eren, but they have proven themselves on many occasions.'
You smiled at you started looking forward to tonight's tea.
"Petra! Does that mean you sprayed it everywhere while mid-air", Eren shamelessly asked, and you burst out laughing again, not able to control your now excessive snorting. What even is this conversation. Petra screamed horrifyed again.
"Hey guys! Does it look like we are on a picnic?!", Gunther interrupted before Petra could defend herself. "Stay focused, we are still in titan territory!", he yelled. He was the only one still solely focused on the mission. You all took a deep breath and got back into a proper formation. "I didn't piss my pants either by the way, Eren, Y/N...", he quietly added, and you giggled.
A green flare was suddenly fired from your right.
"Oh, I'm sure that's the signal from Captain Levi", Eld said as he thought about what to do next. "We'll rendezvous with the captain!", he then ordered. "Gunther, send up a flare to let him know where we are". Gunther did as he was told, and you continued moving towards the horses.
A little while after, a cloaked figure could be spotted to your left.
"Could that be Levi?", you asked the rest, your gut telling you something was wrong. Gunther examined the person before concluding.
"No, it's not! Who are you?!", he yelled out to them. Before anyone could react, the figure swiftly cut Gunther's torso with their blades. You watched as he suddenly hung limp, one of his wires still attached to a tree.
"G-Gunther!", Eren yelled out. "What?! Why?!". You didn't manage to say anything, your brain not being able to process what you just witnessed.
~Marco POV~
"If we're withdrawing, does that mean the mission succeeded?", Jean asked Armin as we all headed to regroups with the rest on our horses. They had filled the rest of us in on what they witnessed earlier today and what they believed Erwin's plan was all along.
'Capture an intelligent titan... Wait, could this have anything to do with them... Is she also a titan?!'
I felt my face go pale, suddenly feeling very unsafe. If it really is her, there is no way this could have succeeded. She's too strong. I wished and hoped with my entire being that Y/N was far away from her. No matter how strong Y/N is, I was worried it would be to no use.
"If so, then we may already know who was inside the female titan", Armin answered him.
"I'd like to see who it is... Hey, Marco, are you okay?", Jean asked, suddenly noticing my face. I could now feel exactly which expression I was making, and there is no surprise it worried him.
"Oh, uh- I.. Yeah, I'm just worried you know...", I lied, but only half-lied because I was actually worried. I just had a more specific reason to be worried than I could actually express out loud. Jean's expression softened a bit, and he patted my shoulder.
"She's fine. I know it! With her skills and the protection of the Levi squad, she has probably been even safer than us this whole time!", he assured me with a smile. Jean knew all about me and Y/N. He was the only one mature enough to talk to about it, so I found myself seeking out his advice and opinion more than Connie's. I love Connie as much as the rest, he is like one of my brothers, but I knew he would tease Y/N using whatever information I gave him of me and her's secret meet-ups. I returned the smile, however not really relaxing. My gut was telling me something else.
"Yeah... You're probably right", I ended up saying, not sure how to cover up my real reason for my worries if I kept this conversation going. I could feel two pairs of eyes on me from behind.
Armin continued explaining his theory of the spies and how they didn't actually obtain their desired goals with their attack on Trost. They didn't even break through the inner gate, choosing to halt their original plan, thus leading Armin to believe the revelation of Eren being a titan made him their new goal. He concluded saying that he believes the spy to be someone that saw Eren transform, causing everyone to gasp slightly in shock. They would never have thought it could be one of us. I didn't say anything even though I knew for a fact he was right, the intense feeling of their gazes not leaving my back.
~Normal POV~
"Eren, don't stop!", You yelled, as you yanked him away from Gunther. You had snapped out of your shocked state, your intense protective instinct now kicking in fully.
'Whoever you are, you'll not get him! I'll make sure of it!'
"But Gunther!-", he yelled out as he finally moved forward again without your help.
"I know! But it's too late!", you yelled sad, knowing the time for mourning had to come later. "This is not the time to lose focus, we have to keep moving!", you yelled in his face as he looked up at you dumbfounded. This went against his whole nature, you knew this. Inside of him he was fighting a battle between doing the most logical thing, which would be to get out of the line of danger, or doing what he personally wanted, which was taking the killer out right here, right now. "I Know this goes against everything you believe, but we have to keep you safe! Please cooperate", you pleaded.
The cloaked figure suddenly appeared almost right behind the two of you and you instinctively grabbed a hold of Eren's wrist and yanked him forwards in front of you, as he originally was lingering a bit behind you.
"Eld, where should we go?", Oruo asked him stressed, as he looked back at the two of you.
"There isn't time to reach the horses! Head for HQ as fast as you can!", Eld answered tense.
"Is it the female titan? Or is there more than one?", Oruo asked, as they looked back.
"Damn you... How dare you?!", Petra exclaimed hurt, turning herself around. "Come at me! I'll defeat you, even if it kills me!", she yelled out, much to the rest of you all's surprise.
The figure suddenly disappeared, and you had no way of spotting them. You and Eren placed yourself more in the middle of the formation now after Eld ordered it. All of you looked around alert, examining the forest's every move.
A flash of golden light, the same type as when Eren transforms, blinded you. The female titan revealed herself as she ran out of the light.
"I knew it! It's coming!", Eld yelled out. "The female titan!".
She ran straight at you, even quicker than before. Your heart beat faster at the sight of her again, remembering the way she had killed your comrades.
"Damn you! I'll defeat you this time!", Eren suddenly exclaimed, turning around, preparing to bite his hand.
"No!", Eld called out, stopping Eren dead in his tracks. "The three of us will kill the Female titan. Y/N! Take Eren with you and get him to safety! I am confident in your skills! I know you can protect him!", he ordered you. You looked at him distraught but quickly pulled yourself together, putting on a brave face.
"Yes sir!", you said determined, and grabbed Eren's wrist.
"NO! I'll fight too!", Eren said as he yanked his hand away from your strong hold.
"What? Do you doubt us again?", Oruo said unimpressed, keeping up his Levi impression.
"You're power is too risky Eren. Just trust in us, please. Do you find it that hard to trust us?", Petra asked him, her voice almost sounding hurt, and you could see their words slowly being processed in Eren's head.
"I believe my squad will be victorious!", Eren screamed out after internally debating his next move. "Good luck!". He quickly grabbed your wrist this time, making sure you kept up with his sudden increase of speed. The rest of the squad halted. Their faces content with his answer. You and Eren looked back at them as you moved forward.
With Eld distracting her, Oruo and Petra managed to blind each of her eyes. The female titan quickly covered her nape with her hands, and leaned up against a tree. Eld motioned for the others to cut her by her armpits. With the three of them cutting as much muscle as they could around her shoulders, her arms fell limp down her sides.
"They are doing it Eren! See?", you said happy, as you spectated. Eren looked proud. You could see he finally understood the importance of trust and companionship. The three of them weren't even talking, but every strike they did was perfectly synchronised with each other.
Eld went to strike at the nape, when the female titan suddenly got her sight back on her left eye, biting Eld in two by his torso. She spit him out, him now laying in two pieces on the ground. You whimpered, hurt.
"No! How could she regenerate her eyesight so fast?!", you croaked. Eren yelped as he abruptly turned around, heading straight towards them. Tears threatened to fill you eyes but you reminded yourself that grievance came later. You had to honour Eld's last wish from you.
"Eren, please", you tried reasoning, hurrying after him. You could see Petra quickly manoeuvring away from her as she was in her line of sight. The female titan upped her pace, sprinting faster than you have ever seen her move.
"Petra!", you shrieked. She would be crushed any second now.
"Petra we need to regroup!", you heard Oruo yell scared. "Petra now!!", he screamed as she was stomped on against a tree, crushing her in an upwards position.
It felt like the someone took all the air out of your lungs, the sadness making you let out tearless sobs. Eren screamed out in pain, while Oruo looked absolutely crushed. Petra meant a lot too him, everyone could sense that.
"DIE!", he screamed as he cut at the nape. His blades broke right off, and you could see something that looked like crystals forming on her neck.
'Can she harden her skin? How can we beat her if our blades can't penetrate?!'
She kicked Oruo hard, mid-air, sending him crashing limp into a tree. Eren cried out once again as we closed in on her. You took a deep breath, realizing your turn was up.
"Eren!" you said determined. "I have no idea how I'm going to kill her, but you have to go!". He looked at you like you had just said the stupidest thing he's ever heard.
"No! I'm not leaving you", he said appalled.
"Eren! All I know is that Eld's last wish was for me to keep you safe! Let me try at least, and honour what they sacrificed themselves for! Go!", you yelled, pushing him back. He made stuttering sounds, not sure what to do, but kept his distance a little as you charged towards her. You didn't know what to do, or if this was even the right call. She very well might wipe you out in one second... But you had to try.
"AAARGH!", you screamed as you braced yourself for impact. You cut at her achilles tendons, actually managing to cut deep enough into the right one, making her unable to stand for at least for a little bit. You swung yourself up, examining her neck.
'Shit, it's still crystalized... How do I go about this? Maybe I could try and cut at her regenerated eye? Her arms seem weak enough still...'
You went for it, scared as she looked straight at you. The way she looked at you made it seem like she actually recognized you. She abruptly moved and you thought you had reached the end of your days. Her right arm had regained enough strength for her to swat you like a fly, instantly killing you, however, that's not what happened.
Her hand smacked against your body hard, but not hard enough to kill you. As you flew through the air and hit a branch, you couldn't help but feel she was being gentle enough not to kill you on purpose. Even gentle enough to not pulverise every bone in your body. It hurt like hell though, your entire body aching as you laid limp on the branch.
"Y/N!", Eren screamed, sounding more hurt than ever. You wanted to answer him, but you didn't manage to move anything. You felt blood drip from your forehead, probably a gash from when you hit the rough bark of the tree. A golden light flashed, and you knew Eren must have transformed, your position preventing you from having a clear view of the fight. Your vision darkened a bit, though you were still conscious. You could hear everything that was going on, every scream of agony from Eren. The sound faded away as they seemed to move their fight away from the area.
It was quiet now, and you didn't like it one bit. Your mind always wandered uncontrollably when it was quiet, and you didn't want to relive any sad memories as it would add mental pain to the already excruciating physical pain you were currently experiencing. You didn't even want to think about anything happy right now, knowing it was far gone from your reach. You would die here... All alone. You whimpered involuntary, wanting to cry but not being able to.
*Whizz*
Your heart picked up its pace with the familiar sound.
'Someone's here!'
The sound suddenly stopped, and you could hear the sound of a pair of boots hitting the trunk of a tree. After a few second's, their voice called out for you.
"Y/N?! Are you here?!", Levi's voice rung out across the little area. He actually sounded frantic. You managed to muster enough strength to weakly call out for him.
"Levi...". The whizzing sound immediately commenced, coming closer to you. You tried moving you body, delighted to feel that you were finally regaining your movement in you arms and legs, but you couldn't really move them much though. Levi was suddenly in your line of sight as he landed on top of your branch. He looked distraught as he crouched down to your level.
"Where are you hurt?", he said, trying to collect himself as he examined the blood streaming down your face.
"A bit everywhere I think... I can't really feel my body yet, but it's getting there", you said with a powerless voice as you looked up at him. He tore off a piece of his cape and placed it against the gash on you forehead. His other hand was placed on the side of your face, his thumb even moving to caress you as you grimaced in pain. His face had his usual look plastered on in, but it was tainted by hurt and sadness, both from the state of you and after seeing the fate of his squad.
"Can you move enough to hold it yourself?", he asked after a little while of him trying to comfort you, motioning for the piece of cloth pressed against your gash. You weakly moved you arm enough to get a hold of it. "Do you know which way Eren went?", he then asked you and you pointed out the way you had heard their roars go. Levi hesitantly stood up, looking down at you the whole time.
"I'll go get him, stay put. Please don't die on me, I'll come back to get you! That is a promise", he informed you, looking at you intently for confirmation.
"Okay Levi, I trust you", you whispered with a smile. He looked sadder as he saw you smile, then hurried away to find Eren. You closed your eyes, feeling too exhausted to keep them open anymore.
'He'll come back.. They both will...'
________________________________
A/N:
This was a long one, but naturally so since it involves fighting, which is a hassle to write down into words hahah:)
Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Stay tuned for the next one to see how the end of the expedition will turn out:)
~Jen