Written: 10/5-7/21
Published: 10/8/21
(Heyo, guys.)
"If you're here, what happened to the Azumabito ship?" Reiner asked frantically.
"They're fine. They're at the port." Annie told. "I had to sprint my butt off to even get here. Meeting with Porco was the only reason I got here. My energy was..." She coughed awkwardly. "Shot... To say the least."
"Kiyomi graciously dumped everything in the ocean and used all the things we could to get here on time!" Gabi told. "We need to repay her kindness!"
"Gabi..." Jean muttered.
"So..." Annie started. "How's Armi... No, how's Pieck? What's her status?"
"Armin was captured by the titans. His life may be in danger." Mikasa informed. "He should be somewhere near the tailbone. Annie... Help us."
The cold blonde girl averted gaze. "Your friends just love getting kidnapped, don't they?" She joked at the raven haired asian. "Of course. I'll get him back."
"What about Pieck?!" Gabi questioned worriedly.
"She's by the skull..." Reiner informed. "We tried to blow the nape up, but the Warhammer Titan is stopping us."
"Blow it up?!" Gabi exclaimed in shock. To think that was their plan... She thought to herself.
"We've wrapped explosives around the nape..." Reiner explained. "But we couldn't hit the trigger."
"Both." Levi spoke out of the blue. "We're doing both. One group will rescue Armin. We can use the Colossal Titan's explosion... The other will go after Eren and attack the nape simultaneously. We'll split into two teams... And do it simultaneously."
"Captain?"
"We're not in a place where we can be very concerned about Eren any longer..." Levi admitted. "No... We never were to begin with probably."
"But..." Mikasa muttered, still a little hesitant.
"BUT?!" Connie repeated in question. "But what?! We woulda died back there if not for this flying miracle we're on now!"
"Yeah..." Jean sighed. "Without having done a thing..."
"Jean..."
"There was a whole lot I wanted to tell that idiot, but... Ugh." Levi voiced his signature tch.
"I'm the same!" Connie assured. "I don't want to give on him! But... It's my fault Captain Levi can't even fight now! I doubt Y/n will be able to defend herself in her condition!"
Levi felt the grip on his hand tighten. He looked at her. She raised her head. "Don't leave me outta this!!" She croaked. Unfortunately, only Levi had heard her. It was simply too loud at the speed they were flying and the others were focused on other matters.
"What's more, we're up against the Founding Titan here!!" Connie reminded. "Do you really think we'd be able to go easy on it?!"
"Mikasa... We need to kill Eren." Jean said. He seemed very distraught. Not what was expected from how much he bickered with the hotheaded brunette.
"Mikasa! You can just focus on saving Armin." Annie said. "You don't need to think about anything else."
"When Eren's head went flying..." Gabi muttered. When the others looked at her, the young girl continued. "I shot Eren's head off with an anti-titan rifle right before he managed to touch Mister Zeke. When I did... Something jumped out of Eren's spine. It looked like a shining centipede or something."
"What? Gross." Annie cringed.
"That's the Founding Titan... No, if that's the true nature of the power of the titans, we might see it again if we decapitate him." Gabi deduced.
"Not yet!" Y/n shouted. Everyone looked towards her, surprised. They thought she would be out of commission for the rest of the battle. "We have to try my route! There is no doubt that it will at least occur given the correct circumstances! But you're right when we have to find Armin and Zeke. Unfortunately, I don't have the strength to carry it out right now... Maybe if we just wait a few minutes?" She wondered aloud lazily.
Everyone pondered the possibility of taking the female titan's route. "This is insane, but we should try it."
"Decapitating the titan head is what we're doing right now! If it works and reveals that centipede thing Gabi talked about, we can kill it." Hanji decided. "If not, we'll have to go with Y/n's method since we have no other option if that thing won't die. Blowing up the head of the Founding is our objective while Y/n gathers her strength for the moment!"
"Hope this works out well..." Moblit nervously whispered to himself.
"Porco, go back to the Founding!" Reiner told. The titan shifter obeyed the brawny male's command and began heading straight for the indicated destination. Numerous versions of the Warhammer Titan stood in defense, aiming their air attacks for the group. The titans released strings and pulled triggers, sending lethal arrows of the sort at the bird.
Porco easily evaded the attacks, dropping off Reiner and Jean. Reiner transformed as they fell to deal the the titans and assist Pieck. Annie, Mikasa, Gabi, Connie, Hanji, Moblit, Levi, and Y/n remained on the back of Porco as he circled around the Founding Titan.
The seven soldiers spotted an enormous figure near the top of the spine. It made Y/n's blood boil, along with Annie. "Even Bertholdt's being used as a puppet..." Annie hissed, speaking Y/n's mind as well. "Unforgivable."
"There!" Mikasa exclaimed, causing them to begin searching wherever Mikasa had kindly not pointed out. "That one! The pig... Or whatever that titan is!"
"Which one?!" The others asked frantically.
"That one!" Mikasa continued to explain vaguely. "Over there... That thing!"
"WHERE?!" The others yelled frustratedly.
"Which one of the nine titans would it be?!" Connie asked at an attempt to get Mikasa to narrow it down. It was a rough deed to accomplish.
"The cart..?" Mikasa wondered unsurely. "The Beast..? Maybe the Jaw." The others were heavily tempted to sigh and shake her by the shoulders.
"That doesn't help!!!" Everyone replied.
"Mikasa, you need to take this seriously!" Annie and Hanji scolded.
"Wha- I am!" The said girl retorted.
"Oh!" Connie exclaimed. Beneficially, Connie pointed in the general direction. "Only one is running away!"
Y/n narrowed her eyes at an attempt to gain a better look where the shaved head was pointing. Her eyes fell upon a titan with a strange animal head clinging onto one of the firm pieces of spine sticking up. "Isn't that an okapi?" She asked.
"Who knows..."
"We don't have those on Paradis..."
"I have no idea." Connie responded. "Nonetheless, let's go!"
"You hear that, Porco?" Y/n asked the titan.
The female captain assumed a confirmation when the bird-like figure turned and tilted a little. Connie, Annie, Hanji, and Mikasa stood up and leapt off. "Let's get Armin back!!" The Female Titan vessel then transformed.
Gabi revealed her anti-titan rifle. "I can provide cover with this anti-titan rifle!" She told.
"You won't kill any of these titans with that." Levi shot down.
Now that they had dropped off their daily cargo of blockheads and scumbags, Y/n began scanning the battlefield for an annoyingly vital ape. Both of the Ackermann siblings had reluctantly decided to postpone Zeke's gruesome and torturous killing.
Levi tched. Even if we did find him, I'd be a burden in this state. Tch. We've never bungled one of his orders, not even once. And yet, for some reason, his final order so far is that one that we just can't... Ugh. Our role may have ended there. We got the brats to the sea. If that was the extent of our role, tell me... When everyone devoted themselves, was that in order to trample on the hearts and lives of others? No... When we dreamed of a world without titans, I'm pretty sure that was an absurdly innocent and idealized world. Because if it wasn't, it won't have been worth what they devoted. Levi tested his reverse grip on the ODM device. "Erwin, we didn't pick you. We don't have regrets about that I believe. After all, you're probably still alive. It turns out entrusting the future to that kid with the same gaze as you was completely fine.
Y/n, in the midst of all the chaos, continued to try and locate Zeke Jaeger. If I can just find him... It may make all our lives better. Just find him! He's the key to stopping all of this! Agh... But if it in fact does not work in my theory... I'm sorry, Carla. Mr. Jaeger. I really will have to kill Eren. Is that the only way to achieve the world that me and my comrades have wished for since we were born? A life where we can live what the world calls normal lives. The we of today can live for the those of yesterday. I can imagine it clearly. I wake up with my husband and go to work and meet Levi. Maybe Levi's around when I wake up, too. I can't imagine his sorry butt going out and getting his own place. He'd take whatever free thing he could, abusing my kindness. Whatever, him and I will work together like we always have. We'll be running our own prosperous tea and cup shop. Of course, the others will stop in from time to time and we'll converse about the older days. Yeah... That's the life I will achieve once this is all over. For everyone. You all are watching, aren't you?
Through all the mayhem occurring on the back of the Founding Titan, the three realized the titans were assisting the group. Gabi gasped, "What's going on?! The titans are helping us?!"
"Seems that way." Levi confirmed.
"HEYY!!!" A disgusting voice hollered. They glared in the direction. An ugly blond man was morphed and conjoined with the spine. "HEYYYY!! OVER HEEERE!"
"What?" Gabi muttered confusedly.
"No way..." Levi gasped.
"The man's trying to commit suicide." Y/n growled.
"You wanted to meet me, didn't you, Levi?! Y/N?!" Zeke asked. "Can't say I wanted to do the same!!"
"Ugh... That disgusting ape..." Levi cringed. It was as if gazing upon Zeke gave him a stomachache. Y/n stood up and drew her blades.
"I'll take care of him, Big Bro." Y/n told.
"Tch. Don't mess up."
Y/n jumped off the bird. She prepped her blades in her reverse grip, drawing back. She sliced his body right off from the spine. The captain had sliced off his arms. Zeke only had his chest and head. The marching sounds of the Rumbling had faltered for a moment. Y/n caught the body of Zeke.
"Eh..? I'm not dead, Y/n-chan..." Zeke commented.
Y/n twisted her mouth in disgust. "You can be in about ten minutes... Possibly, just maybe, if you really do succeed in your use."
"Heh?"
Y/n jumped back on Porco when the male had circled around. Levi glared at Zeke the entire duration. Gabi refrained from pestering the esteemed blond.
BOOM
The four's heads turned to see the head of the Founding Titan exploding. Everyone but Reiner and Jean had returned onto Porco's back. Armin was void in order to prepare to blow up A large centipede emerged from the main body spine in an attempt to connect with the Founding Titan's lost head. Reiner swiftly grabbed the shiny life force and pinned it to the ground using a martial art technique. Y/n instructed Porco to fly near the spine to retrieve Jean. The younger Galliard brother followed the order.
"JEAN!" Connie yelled, gaining the horse's attention. "We need to get away quick! Armin's gonna blow those bones to pieces!"
"Wait! But Reiner!" Jean mentioned.
"The Armored Titan should be able to withstand the Colossal Titan's explosion." Pieck assured. "And even so, Reiner's prepared for the consequences. Letting this opportunity go would be an extreme waste."
Jean grit his teeth and anchored onto the flying Jaw Titan and reunited with the others. A certain blond jumped from the hands of Bertholdt with a clear injury and goal in mind.
"Thank you." The blond voiced. "Without all of your strength... We couldn't have been able to stop the Rumbling."
The others mounted on the bird watched as the blond transformed. The sound created an immense, booming crash. Y/n instructed Porco to land back to where the surviving Marleyeans awaited death.
Porco flapped the wings steadily and landed them safely away from the danger. "Look! The bones are disappearing."
"The Rumbling stopped..."
"Is Eren dead?" Jean wondered.
"Ugh!" Mikasa yelped. The younger Ackermann sibling grabbed her shoulder lightly, still having a firm grip on Zeke. "That can't be... The last thing I heard..." She mentioned Eren's last words to her- he hated her. "No way..."
Marleyeans began swarming the titan bird. Gabi jumped off Porco without hesitation when she realized her parents were still alive. Pieck and Annie did the same. When Colt and Falco's parents approached the young hotheaded girl, she frowned, striking worry in their hearts.
"Colt is still on Paradis Island. Falco is a pure titan, but he has not been killed yet..." Gabi informed dejectedly. "I'm sorry..." His parents hugged her anyway.
The Paradis inhabitants watched as the Marleyeans reunites with their family members. They stood on the cliff of the elevated ground. Y/n leaned her arm on Jean's shoulder for support. He had his arm on her opposite hip, also supporting her. Connie held Levi's arm around his shoulders assisting the older Ackermann sibling. "We have out regrets, but we stopped the Rumbling for sure."
"They all seem pretty flipping happy to me..." Y/n commented. "We can be that way too now, right?"
"Well..."
"Armin..." Mikasa muttered.
"Wha-"
Everyone turned to gaze at where the Founding, Armored, and Colossal Titan had been. The Colossal Titan, Armin, was emerging from a large ditch in the ground. Reiner in his titan form had arrows sticking out of his muscle. He was dormant for now.
"Reiner!!" Gabi exclaimed concernedly.
"He's okay..." Jean breathed.
"Guys!!" Y/n shouted, her blood ran cold. She pointed downwards. The shiny centipede was squirming and flailing all around on the ground. "That thing is still alive after all that!"
"Just what is that thing?!"
"What do we have to do to kill it?!"
"I don't know, but it's too dangerous to leave alive!" Hanji said.
"I'm not sure what else we can do..!" Moblit cried.
A bright light shone from beyond the ditch. Everyone sighed, but were not surprised in the slightest. "I knew you weren't going to die from that..." Jean spoke aloud. Eren, in the true Founding and Attack Titan form, stepped forth, looking quite frightening and menacing. Armin began marching towards him, prepared to brawl.
"He thinks he has to go out with a bang..." Y/n added.
"What should we do, though?" Connie asked.
"At the very least, I think we should prevent him and that shiny thing from coming in contact." Y/n said. "Thankfully, I think Armin will buy us some time.
"I agree!" Gabi voiced. "We don't know what's gonna happen! The Rumbling might start again..."
"We have to kill the centipede!" Connie said.
"It survived the explosion, we have to go after Eren." Levi said.
"Why must things end this way?" Mikasa frowned.
"Guys, give me the task of doing it. I will bring this guy with me." Y/n said, digging her nails into Zeke's shoulder. He grunted. "If what I hoped for fails, then I'll end it right there. But you don't have to worry about that. You guys just need to create an opening for me."
"Right."
Suddenly, their view was altered by a weird gas. They were all struck with confusion. "It smells funny." Y/n said.
Gabi leaned over the cliff and her eyes widened. "It's from that shiny thing!" She informed.
"Is it dead?" Mikasa asked.
"Blood gas??"
"No..." Connie dismissed. "It doesn't smell like a dead titan. This is... the same thing as Ragako..." He said horrifiedly. The shaved head was shaken from the new substance literally hanging in the air.
No way... Y/n stood there with Jean. Just when we...
The group froze. "Y/N! Mikasa! Pieck!!" Hanji shouted. "Get on Porco! You guys are getting out of here! Bring Zeke!" The female scientist quickly instructed.
"...Understood." Levi replied.
"What are you talking about?!" Pieck questioned.
"Ackermanns and shifters are an exception." Levi said. "You should know what to do." When Pieck was hesitant, Levi rushed her and grabbed his sister's hand roughly. "HURRY!"
Y/n pulled her hand out of her brother's grip. "No, Big Bro!" She yelled.
"COME ON, Y/N!" Levi yelled. "We don't have time for this!! It can happen at any moment!"
Y/n shook her head. "Not when-"
"Y/N!!" Connie, Jean, Hanji, and Moblit shouted over her, interrupting the h/c haired woman. The female captain paused. "Go." They pushed her into Levi who grabbed her torso and hauled her onto Porco.
"Let's go!" Levi told the Galliard brother. He took flight and quickly shrank in the sky.
Connie and Jean rested their hands on each other's shoulders. Hanji and Moblit just stood by each other, touching each other's arms.
"So... This is the end for us." Connie commented. He seemed somewhat fine with this outcome. After all, the immune saviors had escaped their lethal proximity and is going to save the world.
"They're leaving it to us." said Jean.
"That's the scouts' way." Hanji said. She joined beside Jean and Moblit rest his arm on her. The four watched as their friends escaped the lethal transformations.
"Do you remember, Jean?" Connie asked. "During our graduation..." Jean nodded in confirmation. "We ended up saving the world because of you."
Hanji noticed Moblit was tense. She patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, Moblit." She comforted. "Maybe, no, surely something will happen. After all, you can't die without at least asking her out. I told you that those few years ago, remember?"
Moblit chuckled shyly. "Seriously, at a time like this, Squad Leader." He laughed. "Well, you'll get to have a sample of being a titan."
"That's Commander to you, Moblit." The glasses brunette cleverly and teasingly retorted. "Still can't get get used to it."
"Guess not."
Y/n, Levi, Mikasa, and Pieck watched in sorrow as they distanced themselves from their friends more and more. Y/n and Levi patted each others shoulders to comfort each other. Neither of the two captains expected to lose their subordinates and comrades all in one go. It made their blood boil. They were going to finish this for sure now.
The countless loud explosions that originated from the elevated ground spoke for itself. The titan shifters and Ackermann members looked backwards to see an abundance of titans flailing on the ground and off the cliff. The titans that had fallen off began charging towards Reiner, the shiny centipede thing included. The Armored Titan pivot his feet, prepared to stand his ground against the battalion of pure titans.
Pieck jumped off the bird and transformed. Annie had done so as well out of rage and vengeance. The Cart and Female Titans gave aid to Reiner in restraining the centipede. Y/n looked ver to see Mikasa struggling. It seemed as if she had a grinding headache.
"Mikasa! Get your act together!" Levi yelled. "We're the only ones who can do this!"
"We still don't know where he is..!" Y/n exclaimed. Reiner, Pieck, and Annie were getting torn apart by the surrounding titans. The female captain turned to Zeke. "Oi! Do you know where he is?!"
"No..." The blonde replied. When the h/c haired woman was prepped to stab him out of disbelief, he shook his head. "No, I really don't know!"
"We can't waste time looking for him..."
Y/n and Levi had not noticed Mikasa drawing her precious red scarf from inside her shirt. "I can't..." She whispered. The strong asian wrapped it around her neck determinedly. "Eren is in the mouth." She told.
"Roger."
The three stood up Y/n's grip on Zeke was firm. Y/n stomped on the bird. "Thanks, Porco." She said before jumping off with the other two. The wind and steam blew on their sweaty faces. Eren had sent a blow at Armin's face. Armin slammed his hand onto Eren's head and maintained a firm grip on it. The three smaller human beings fell and landed on the steaming hands.
"Big Bro!" Y/n yelled.
"Yup!" He responded. Her awesome big brother sent a thunder spear into one of the teeth. The bone was bone away, creating an opening into the crucial mouth. Y/n, with her iron hold on Zeke, slipped into the opening.
Y/n inwardly cringed. She stood on the tongue of the titan. Disgusting. It was dark. Before her was a floating head connected to a spine. For some reason, it reminded Y/n of an eel. Y/n spared no time to run up to the head with a mop of dark brown hair. The head, no, Eren looked up at her. The expression on his face told her that he surrendered. He was prepared for what was to happen. Eren Jaeger was ready to die.
Instead of drawing back her arm to slice his head off, Y/n touched the top of his head. He looked surprised and confused. What? He had not seen this possibility all those years ago. Still expecting death, he looked up to see the last look in her eyes.
I don't want to die. I really don't... But if it means everyone... If it means she... can live the lives they want without worrying for the time, I am ready to accept death. I will protect you guys. I'll protect you, Y/n. Y/n... I'm happy I met you. That I knew you. I happen to cherish every memory I have with you. I love you. So... Finish it and kill me.
Y/n seemed to have known the last sentence he had thought to himself. The captain held up Zeke. The three touched each other. Upon blinking, the three were in the familiar dark field of sand. On the opposite side was the first Ymir. The stakes were high. However, in this realm, no time passed. They could be here forever discussing trivial. But Y/n Ackermann had not come all this way with all of the sacrifices to talk about life with a nice cup of tea. The younger Ackermann sibling had come to save the world.
"Let's talk."