Ymir had already eliminated at least seven titans, her agile, sharp-toothed titan form jumping from one titan to the other.
"That titan.. it's from that day...", you heard Reiner say disturbed. You didn't have time to ask what he meant by that as a titan colliding with the tower made the whole thing shake. Crista who was leaning far over the edge already, concerned for Ymir, tumbled forwards.
"Crista!", you gasped and reached out for her, grabbing a hold of the back of her shirt with your injured hand.
"Argh, I can't hold her like this", you shrieked as the action sent acute pain shooting up your arm. Reiner quickly grabbed her leg and you let go, cowering in your position as you held your arm protectively against yourself, as if it would help make the pain go away for some reason.
"Thanks Y/N, Reiner", Crista said, her relieved sigh quickly turned into whimpers. "Ow, it hurts! Reiner, my leg!", she whined in pain, her upper body still over the edge. Connie quickly went over to her side, holding onto her while scolding Reiner.
"Reiner, you're holding on to tightly! Stop it, let go!", he said frantic. You noticed Reiner had the same facial expression as he had the day he nearly choked you to death.
'What is it that can possibly trigger him to the point where he hurts his friends this way?!'
"Reiner! You're doing it again!", you said harshly, your eyes pleading him to stop. The expression suddenly disappeared and got replaced with a face of wonder and confusion. He quickly let go, Connie helping Crista back to safety.
"S-sorry", he said, looking just as confused and horrified as when he snapped out of it last time.
"No don't worry about it, you saved me", Crista managed to say after collecting herself.
"Crista... Did you know?", Reiner then asked her, referring to Ymir's titan-situation.
"I had no idea... I was always so close to her too. How could this be?", she asked herself distressed.
"Do you guys think she knew about it?", Connie asked unsure. "Like take Eren for instance. He didn't know until it happened to him in Trost. But it seems to me like she was aware of it all along the way she acted just now".
'Shit, he's got a point there... She seemed like she knew what she was doing'
"Are you saying she might be an enemy of humanity?", Crista asked him sad.
"I'm saying that's one hell of a power to hide", Connie simply answered, eyeing Ymir's every move down below.
"What could be her goal I wonder..", Bertholdt said quietly from your right.
Ymir have had the upper hand up until this point, however, a titan managed to grab a hold of her arm and dragged her down from the walls of the tower. The other titans surrounding her were quick to attack, making her unable to get away.
"Ymir!", Crista screamed in terror. No matter how you felt about her hiding this from you, the sight of her being attacked like this was gruesome. Ymir manager to grab a hold of the wall, trying to hoist herself up and away from the crowd, a titan holding her ankle was the only thing keeping her down. As it tugged on her, Ymir almost pulled out two bricks from the tower while holding on tight. It seemed like she noticed this and let go, falling back down to the titans.
"What happened? Is she worried about the tower falling?", you wondered as Ymir continued fighting of the titans to the best of her abilities.
"She has to be", Crista said determined. "If she wanted to, she could have used her powers to get herself back to safety, yet she chooses to stay here and fight for us".
"She's risking her life to protect us", you declared quietly. As Ymir got more and more overwhelmed by the large amount of titans left, a look of determination dominated Crista's expression. She got up to stand by the very edge of the tower.
"Don't you die, Ymir! Not in a place like this!", she yelled, wobbling a bit, making you and Connie grab a hold of her legs and waist on each side. "Don't pretend you're good, you idiot! You wanna go out in a blaze of glory? Are you stupid?!", she continued yelling, pushing and moving trying to break away from you and Connie's hold as she passionately spoke.
"It's too late for you to try and get into heaven! Live for yourself goddammit!". Ymir seemed to be listening intently as she struggled in the titan's grasps. "If you're gonna die protecting this tower, forget about it! TEAR IT DOWN!", she screamed. You and Connie grabbed an even firmer hold of her, giving each other shocked and puzzled looks. This is the first time in the three years you have known her that she's ever acted like this.
Ymir took her words to heart as she started pulling out huge stone bricks to throw at the titans. She pulled them out in a straight line as she half-circled around the entire tower, hitting the titans every time. The sudden lack of support send the tower tumbling forwards, towards the titan crowd.
"H-hey! She's actually tearing it down!", Reiner exclaimed stressed, holding on the best he could on the ground. Crista was still standing by the edge, it was a miracle she hadn't tipped over yet, especially now that the whole tower moved.
"Keep it up Ymir!", Crista cheered on, her arms up in the air. You and Connie grabbed a hold of her again, at the same time trying to keep yourselves steady. You were really testing your arm here. Pulsating pain shot through it as you held on for dear life. Ymir suddenly jumped up right in front of you, her huge titan face staring you all down.
"Want live...? Grab me!", she managed to hoarsely tell you and you wasted no time climbing up onto her hair, gripping it firmly. She jumped away before the tower came crashing down on the titan hoard. The force of the impact send you all flying, hitting the ground with a thud. At least you didn't get crushed by the stones though.
You all sat upright, too many thoughts in your minds preventing any words from being said. It seems like the stones weren't enough to kill all the titans though as a couple of them started to cave their way out of the sea of stone debris.
"Titans again?", Crista said tired and scared.
"Hey ugly! Go and finish the job!", Connie yelled at her. Ymir quickly turned around and charged at the nearest titan. She managed to bite the nape, but got grabbed a second after by another titan that had resurfaced. It smacked her head against a big boulder. She now laid limp, the boulder covered in blood.
"Ymir!", Crista exclaimed. Your eyes widened. Behind Ymir at least seven titans had resurfaced.
"This looks bad.. very very bad", Connie said to himself frantic. You watched horrified as they all started eating and clawing at her.
"No... she can't be eaten.. she can't-", Crista stuttered quietly, suddenly starting to run towards her.
"Hey Crista! It's not safe!", you desperately called out, but she didn't listen.
"Hey! Ymir wait!", she yelled as she stumbled her way forwards. "I still want to talk to you! I still haven't told you my real name!". As she ran a titan unexpectedly showed itself from behind a vast pile of stone. You and the others had long started running after her, but there was no way you could reach her in time. You screamed out for her, preparing your psyche for watching another one dear to your heart get eaten right in front of you.
*Whizz*
The sound was like music to your ears. You watched as the titan collapsed, the figure too quick for you to see who it was. This fact was enough to let you know who killed it.
"Mikasa!", Connie exclaimed in awe. You had never felt so relieved in your whole life it felt like. This heavy feeling you had felt on your shoulders the last day cleared up a bit, and you felt like you were able to breathe properly again.
"Crista. Everyone, get back", she said, turning around. "We've got this, leave the rest to us!", she declared as at least fifteen scouts came into your line of sight, all of them aiming in at the titans surrounding Ymir. You beamed up at her, then noticing a well known figure to your right, preparing to attack a titan.
'Eren'
He charged in, managing to cut the nape perfectly.
"I did it! My first kill!", he exclaimed happy, grinning from ear to ear. You couldn't help but laugh in bliss, proud and happy for him at the same time. You jumped up and down as you cheered.
"Yes Eren! I knew you would get your chance!", you yelled at him. He noticed you and smiled at your encouraging words. It wasn't long though, before his wires intertwined, sending him clumsily tumbling down to the ground.
"You moron! I told you to stay back, Eren!", one of Hange's team members yelled while passing him.
"Right! I'm sorry!", Eren replied flustered. You ran straight to him, the other's following you.
"Eren!", you and Connie yelled. You threw yourself on him, the relieved feeling of seeing the familiar faces of your close friends taking a hold of you.
"Good god Y/N, you look like a mess! What happened!", he said wide eyed as he looked from your ripped dress to the large red stain, finally letting his eyes rest on your arm, the blood soaking through the fabric at this point.
"Oh you know. Just almost got my arm chomped off. Just a normal day at the job", you said sarcastically. He didn't laugh. Quite the contrary, he looked disturbed. You cursed your tendencies to joke in serious situations concerning yourself and your health.
'There is a time and place Y/N, my god'
"Are you okay?", he asked worried, gently taking a hold of it to look at it closer. He didn't dare remove the blood-soaked cloth. You winced a little, the adrenalin currently in the process of leaving your body, making the feeling of pain more prominent.
"Yeah, it hurts but it'll heal sometime. Reiner is the one to thank for me not being one-armed right now. Used his own arm to replace mine and everything", you explained sheepishly, giving Reiner an appreciative look.
"Damn Reiner, you really are a tough one! If there even were any before, there are no doubts left in my mind about that!", Eren said awestruck. You and Connie nodded.
~
The rest of the titans were quickly cleared out, Ymir now out of her titan form, laying weak and injured against the stone with Hange by her side. You all joined them, Crista kneeling down beside Ymir. The news of Ymir being a titan took them by complete surprise and naturally so. There was never an indication that she possessed those powers, though you could say the same thing about Eren and Annie... Annie!
'What happened in Stohess? Is she really the Female Titan?'
You really wanted to ask them, but their focus was elsewhere now, so you decided it was best if you waited until you got out of here.
"Ymir...", Crista said carefully. Ymir opened her eyes slightly, much to the relief of the rest of you. "My real name is Historia", she then proceeded to say, and you remembered Crista screaming about Ymir not even knowing her real name yet earlier. Ymir looked at her intently, before smiling a little smile and closing her eyes.
'Real name? Why would she even use a fake name to begin with?... Historia, huh... That's gonna take some time to get used to'
~
Hange had decided it was best if you all rested and regained some energy at the top of Wall Rose close by before you made your way back. Then there was also the fact that there may be a breach in the wall, which was their task to seal, so you couldn't go back just yet.
All of you who didn't have gear were hoisted up by little wooden boards attached to wires. Your arm was really starting to bother you and you could barely move it at this point without it hurting. Armin helped you up over the edge as he saw you struggle, Eren doing the same for Reiner, seeing his arm was injured as well.
"Thank you Armin", you smiled at him gratefully. He helped you over to a safer spot where you could rest and draped his cloak tightly over you. It was raining just the tiniest bit and your clothes had seen better days.
"Here, I don't want you to catch a cold on top of everything", he said thoughtfully as you smiled at him.
'Armin really is the sweetest'
In the background you could hear Crist- Historia, talking to Hange, vouching for Ymir's innocence and allegiance to humanity. Hange, being the reasonable person she is, reassured her that regardless of Ymir's past judgement, the information she holds is a treasure for humanity and that she hopes Ymir will be cooperative.
"Armin?". He looked back at you. "What happened in Stohess?", you asked him, not able to wait any longer. He sighed and seemed disappointed. That's when he informed you that Annie in fact is the female titan, and that despite their best efforts, she managed to capsulate herself in some sort of crystal that they can't break through.
'Must be the same kind that she used on her neck. Oruo's blades didn't stand a chance!'
He then went on to tell you about the titan face inside of the wall that got revealed after Annie tried climbing it.
"What?! A titan in the wall!", you exclaimed shocked. You could swear in these last twenty four hours, so much new stuff had been revealed. It was exhausting just to think about.
"Yes, keep it down a bit. I don't know how low-key we have to be about it around the others yet", he said in a low voice. You took a breath and nodded.
"Hange found out that the crystal from Annie and the stone from the wall was very similar. We suspect the walls might be rows of crystalized titans. This pastor, Nick, insisted in us covering the face so the sun doesn't hit it. I guess that was wise enough since the sun could activate it. But we knew he was hiding something, so we took him with us for further questioning. He revealed that Crista, or Historia, may know something that can help us. Now we just have to figure out what that is", he finished explaining.
"Oh...", you simply said, however your thought were running a million miles an hour. "Armin, why is everything so weird right now", you asked him sincere, not able to sit alone with your confusion and worry. He shrugged and gave you a sympathetic look.
"Honestly, that's what I'm wondering about too. There has been a lot of new revelations the last couple of days... Much to figure out...".
"Damn, it hurts", you could hear Reiner mutter to himself.
'I hope we can get our hands on some first aid kits soon. It seems that both me and reiner aren't doing too good as is'
"You okay reiner?", Eren asked him, but Reiner just shook his head.
"Not by a longshot. That was the second time I almost got eaten! Armin, do you remember when I almost got crushed by that titan's hand?", he confessed and asked Armin frustrated.
"Oh, yeah... back then at the expedition", Armin remembered. The two of you walked over to them.
"I've nearly died twice. At this rate I'll be dead before I know it!", he continued beating himself up. "I picked this path on my own, but being a soldier is rough".
You looked at him sad, confused as to why he was rambling on about this. You looked over at Eren and Armin, both looking at him with rather suspicious looks. You furrowed your brows at them.
'Sure Reiner is acting weird, but isn't that natural after nearly dying? At least for Reiner it is'
"Though, until we plug up this wall, there is no point in whining about it", he finished saying.
"Yeah... You two have been driven far enough away from your hometown", Eren agreed, walking a couple of steps away from them. Reiner suddenly seemed shocked. Like he had just remembered something.
"He's right Reiner!", Bertholdt suddenly exclaimed. "Our hometown! Let's return!", he then said, his arms lifted out to each side and a big smile on his face.
'Okay, that's even weirder than Reiner. This isn't like Bertholdt at all'
"Isn't it about time we return? Compared to all the trouble we've been through, what we have left to do is nothing!", he continued, crouching down in front of Reiner. You nervously looked up at Armin, both him and Eren following their conversation intently.
'What is it they know that I don't?'
"That's right! We're so close, it's just another few steps till the end", Reiner agreed with a hopeful smile.
"What are you guys talking about?", Eren asked them, and you were happy he did because you sure was curious as hell.
"Oh, nothing. We're just looking forward to retake Wall Maria and return home", Bertholdt said with a nervous smile. You heard people gathering behind you and turned to look.
"Sasha!", you exclaimed happy, running over to her. She had just helped Connie up. Her face lit up once she saw you, and she welcomed you with open arms once you reached her.
"Oh, I'm so glad you are safe!", you said, nuzzling your face into her shoulder.
"Me too Y/N. I came here because I had to relay a message from Erwin over to Hange here. The others are on their way to Trost as we speak", she informed you as she knew you would ask about the rest of your friends.
"So Marco and Jean...", you started, needing a verbal confirmation to calm your worried mind.
"Yes, they are alright", she giggled, pulling away from the hug. That's when she noticed your arm. "Oh my god Y/N, what the hell happened?!", she exclaimed with wide eyes. The cloth was completely red now and you suspected the wound to look as bad as it seemed without the cloth on.
"I nearly got it bitten off, but it's fine. Or not fine, it really hurts, but there is no broken bones or anything. Just a really bad flesh wound", you quickly informed her. "We have to wait till we get back to get a hold of some proper bandages and medical attention, so I'm just hanging in there", you added with a positive but nervous tone. She opened her mouth to say something but got interrupted by Hange as she noticed Hannes and two other Garrison soldiers down below you.
He quickly made his way up, not even properly over the edge of the top when he broke the news.
"There is no hole in the wall! We spent all night looking for it, but we didn't find anything. There is no breach or hole of any kind", he informed you, much to everyone else's surprise. You were already prepared for that conclusion after both your team and Nanaba's said they didn't see anything. It still made you incredibly nervous getting that suspicion confirmed though.
'How the fuck did the titans get in here then?'
Eren quickly helped him up.
"We didn't see any titans on the way either", he added, Hange deep in thought.
"If there is no hole in the wall, so be it", Hange said as she turned to face you all. "For now, we're falling back to Trost District!", she decided, everyone dispersing to get things ready to leave. You were now standing with Hannes together with Armin, Mikasa and Eren.
"No matter what you guys do, don't let your guard down. We're going back ahead of you", he said, referring to his squad. You gave him a smile and nodded as he leaped over the edge.
"What could this mean...", Armin started speculating out loud, as he does. You, Mikasa and Sasha followed him, Eren staying as Reiner and Bertholdt called for him. The wind got stronger, and you pulled Armin's cloak tighter around you.
"I can't wait to take a warm shower and go to sleep tonight", you said dreamily to Sasha, and she giggled.
"Yeah, I get what you mean! I'm so hungry I could die! I haven't eaten since breakfast yesterday! Can you believe it?!", she exclaimed almost in disbelief. You joined in on her shocked expression.
"I think that's the longest amount of time you have ever gone without food since the day I met you, and knowing you probably even the longest amount of time in your life", you said sarcastically.
"Yeah, you're not wrong! I'm just so full of surprises, I even shock myself sometimes", she said jokingly as you giggled.
You barely even noticed Mikasa had stopped, the sound of Bertholdt's frantic voice in the background. You couldn't really tell what they were actually saying, but it seemed important. You stopped, holding onto your arm in a manner that indicated it was hurting, which in all honesty it really was, but you just needed an excuse to stop.
"Y/N are you okay?", Sasha asked worried again.
"Yeah, just need a minute", you said, making a grimace.
"Hey! We're leaving!", Armin called out for all of you. You turned to look at Reiner and Bertholdt. Something felt off. You tried really hard to hear what they said but you could only make out so much of what they were saying, let alone make sense of it.
'Did they just say armoured titan? Why is that a subject right now?'
Reiner seemed distressed by something Eren said. As Eren turned around Reiner spoke up and you could actually hear him now.
"I see... I've been here too long for my own good. It's been three long years, surrounded by nothing but idiots", he said to himself, and your brows furrowed.
'Idiots?'
You noticed everyone else had stopped moving, Mikasa had her hand resting on her blade, which only made you even more stressed out.
"We were just kids... We didn't know anything. If only I never knew that there were people like this... I-I wouldn't have become such a half-assed piece of shit!", he exclaimed distraught. Okay, now you were really stressed, your left arm inching closer to Sasha's blade holster. You didn't know why your instinct right now was to reach for a blade.
"It's too late now, I don't know what's right anymore"; he said, taking off his bandage, revealing an almost fully healed arm. You gasped. That shouldn't be possible.. unless...
"The only choice for me now is to face the consequences for my actions! And as a warrior I must fulfil my duty to the bitter end!".
"Reiner! Are we doing it right now?! Right here?!", Bertholdt exclaimed stressed, and your eyes widened at the sight of the remainder of Reiner's wound disappearing with a cloud of steam.
"Yes! We settle this right here!", Reiner yelled back, starting to move towards Eren. Mikasa was there in a blink of an eye stabbing Reiner with one blade through both his arm, leaving it there, before moving on to cut Bertholdt's throat. Sasha grabbed a hold of your healthy arm, pulling you backwards as you didn't even realise you had started walking towards them, unarmed.
"Eren! Run!", Mikasa screamed as she pointed her blade at Bertholdt, Reiner pushing her off the wall. Luckily, she had her gear on.
"Eren! Get away from there!", you heard Armin yell from behind you as the trampling sound of a whole crowd of people running became stronger. You watched with wide eyes as yellow lightning stripes surrounded the two, just like they do when Eren transforms.
"N-no", you said, running towards Eren despite Sasha trying to keep you away.
'It can't be them, please! Please, please, please, please!'
Tears filled your eyes to the brim as you concentrated on Eren's figure.
'Please don't say they were right there all along... The reason for all the pain I have ever felt in my life was those who I called my brothers... my friends...'
You felt a familiar force blow you backwards accompanied by a strong golden flash as they both completed their transformation at the same time. You felt yourself fly through the air, and it was like everything was in slow-motion. As you smacked and rolled against the stone you fumbled with your hands to find something to grasp onto. You recognized the feeling of the tracks used to move cannons around under your fingers and clutched onto it with all your might. You finally opened your eyes, the powerful gust had decreased into a strong wind. You saw the Colossal Titan's hand reach over you, grabbing a hold of Ymir who still laid unconscious.
"Y-ymir", you stuttered out as you pushed yourself up in a standing position. That's when you saw him, the Armoured Titan in all his 'glory', and in his hand was Eren. Your brows furrowed, the feeling of betrayal and disgust taking a sickening hold of you and you lost sight of anything else. You ran forward, pushing and forcing your body to move against the strong wind. As you passed Armin, you grabbed one of his blades from his holster. You didn't even have any handle to connect the blade to, but for now a singular blade was all you needed.
"Y/N?!", Armin exclaimed as he noticed what you did. You didn't budge, glaring at Reiner the same way he glared at you that day during training. Reiner looked at you too, the same way he did five years ago, and you were sure your stare was near glowing like his as well, with the amount of resentment and malice you felt for him right now. You continued running forwards, straight at him, ignoring your friend's cries for you to stop. It was not like you to rush into something without a plan, but right now you had nothing. No plan at all, you just let your legs lead you to him, fuelled by your hatred.
As you closed in, Reiner suddenly stepped over the edge, fleeing down the side of the wall with Eren still in his hand.
"COWARD!", you shrieked. You ran to the edge and fell to your knees as you looked down at him. "REINER YOU FUCKING COWARD! HOW DARE YOU!". You let your tears fall as you screamed your throat sore. You felt a pair of hands wrap around your waist as they pulled you back to the others. You didn't struggle or fight back as you felt completely emotionally drained after everything that had happened the last day.
'When will we ever get a rest?'
____________________________________
A/N:
It's all revealed! Reiner and Bertholdt were the titans all along! How will Marco react when the others gets word of what just happened on wall Rose? Stay tuned:)
Hope you enjoyed this chapter!
~Jen