[TW: Mentions and descriptions of violence and blood. Please be aware before reading.]
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|Year 850|
The year of familiar tragedy.
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"DAMN YOU, YOU TRAITORS!" Eren ferociously bit into his hand. Lightning struck down from the sky, and the sheer force of his transformation incinerated Reiner's left Titan-hand. Screaming out after he'd fully emerged inside of his Titan, Eren slammed his fist into Reiner's face, crashing his back into the wall and free-falling to the ground below.
Why did it have to be them? How could they?Before he could even lift his arms in preparation for a quick defense, the Armored Titan – Reiner – had sent him flying with a single punch to his jaw.
His two previous punches hadn't made a single dent on Reiner's skin. Instead, all it did was rip the skin off of Eren's knuckles as he tried to fight back to no avail.
You shit. You big piece of shit. And here you wouldn't shut up about a soldier's duty, But, now wasn't the time to mourn the friendship they had lost or the bonds that had been broken, now was the time to fight.
During close combat training, were you always holding back on me? Eren's body twitched as he tried to regain control of his limbs, willing them to heal faster so he could jump back into trying to beat Reiner senseless. You're so strong it's ridiculous. I can't even move an inch of my body.
I always thought you were a stand-up guy, Every time he thought of Reiner, it was always in an honorable light. Responsible, smart, and well spoken, there wasn't any large flaw about him. He took on the role of being everyone's shoulder to lean on without thinking of himself, and he fit comfortably in the role of 'big brother'. It was almost laughable, how well he played his part. Someone who remained calm, regardless of the situation, putting your comrades in front of yourself. To think, at one time, I wished to be as strong as you one day.
Hey, Reiner, Eren's eyes refocused as he finally felt himself regain control of his healing limbs. I don't know what kind of face you're making right now, but you guys–you guys are the worst pieces of shit, He could only grow angier as he thought back to the unfiltered horror he felt watching the Colossal Titan – watching Bertolt – kick down the gate into Shiganshina, allowing the world's most feared predators to rampage his home, causing the death of his mother. I bet in the history of mankind, nobody's done anything as terrible as you. Slowly, his body began to rise off of the ground, his fingers flexing as he regained his footing.
I will erase you. You shouldn't be allowed to exist anymore.
What the hell were you thinking? Just remembering you and your self-righteous face makes me sick! His back tightened as he stood up, steam emitting from his face. It makes me want to vomit! You big damn pest! It's time to exterminate you!
He roared as he stood up straight. Despite his face not being entirely healed, the push of his impatience due to his rage had him swinging prematurely. Right as his left hand went in for the punch, he was struck by a counter attack from Reiner. His feet left the ground below him, his whole body soaring backwards from the force of the punch.
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"Damn it!" Eren harshly slammed his fist into the dirt as he panted. "What's the point of even trying to win if you're so much stronger than me?!"
"Do you want to give up?" Her cloak swayed gently back and forth. The glow from the moon with the added light coming from the torches that lined the castle casted shadows over her face and exposed arms.
"Huh?" Eren's eyebrows scrunched in irritation. He tightened his fists, sitting up as he finally calmed his breathing. "Of course not!"
"Then figure something else out." She was always so blunt with her words. He could almost confuse her 'advice' with an order. But, maybe it was an order. An order to be smarter. To strategize and think before moving. Better yet, to think while moving.
"You're running at me head on and it's not working." Eren coughed slightly as he stood back on his feet, wiping the palms of his hands on his pants.
"I'm fighting you the way I know how." He knew it was bad to snap at his training partner, especially if that training partner was Faith herself, but he never liked losing, and his mouth always moved before his mind could catch up. "S–"
"You'd rather lose in your comfort zone." She interrupted his half-assed apology. It was more to clear his conscience than oozing with sincerity anyways. Of course, he respected her greatly, he had for quite a while—but god, if it didn't piss him off to lose to her so many times.
"That's not–"
"Do you think there's only one way to fight?" He was interrupted again. She stepped forward, her head tilting slightly as she looked at him. Though, it felt like more of a death glare as Eren took a cautionary step back. "Or do you think that you can't change your fighting style because running at someone is the immediate, impupsive, reaction that you've always followed?"
"No." He looked down, his fists still tightly clenched at his sides. Suddenly, another pair of regiment boots were in front of him. Before he could fully look up, his legs were kicked out from under him.
He was on his knees before he could blink or try to formulate a better answer. He was only able to let out a short grunt when his right arm was forcefully pulled across his body as Faith wrapped her legs around his chest. In a movement too quick to fully process before it was over, his head and right arm were trapped in between her legs and he was losing air as she tensed her muscles and dragged him closer.
"If you're not thinking, you shouldn't be fighting," Eren heaved for air as he looked up. He could feel the sharp ripples of her stomach muscle through his right tricep as it laid across her abdomen. Slowly, a tingling feeling began to creep up from his fingertips the longer she held him, and the tingling only grew to feel like a thousand tiny bee stings the longer his arm remained suffocated. He could only try in vain to escape by using his legs to push him forward aimlessly, but her hold only strengthened. "The way you know how to fight won't always be the way to win." He gasped, his lungs finally allowed more air as Faith rolled him onto his back and walked away from his wheezing body.
"The only way to get comfortable with other styles is to use them." Her back faced him as she lifted up the edge of her cloak to pick out the petals of red carnations that had stuck to the bottom.
"What if I don't get it right?" Eren shook his right arm, willing the tingling sensation to go away as his left hand rubbed at his sore neck. Her profile caught in the torch light as she turned over her right shoulder.
"What do you think I'm here for?"
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Why am I thinking of you right now?
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"Just wait, you can't waste any more of your blades." Kira and Mikasa landed on the ground, a safe distance away from the fight. Mikasa was glaring at her broken blades, ready to try another ineffective attack at Reiner's tough skin.
"Eren!" Above them, hung over the side of the wall, Hange led Armin and Squad One. They all could only watch as Eren's Titan-form struggled to stand up straight. "Don't do it! You can't win in a slugfest! Run this way!"
"Eren!" Ignoring Mikasa as she grew more desperate to retrieve the boy inside his Titan, Kira watched intently as his eyes glowed a vibrant green. The same shade of green that showed his boiling anger, signifying the emotion that would fail to strengthen his attacks.
His head steamed as it regenerated the left side of his face. He let out a piercing bellow as his fingers flexed impatiently, a trait that Kira noticed bled into his Titan-form. Though, just like they trained, the way this was currently playing out was not working in Eren's favor. If no one could figure out how to cut through Braun's skin, all they could do was watch Eren get pummeled.
As she'd thought, Eren went for the obvious right hook to the jaw, roaring loudly as he did so. Reiner didn't lift his left arm to block the hit, clearly he didn't need to as Eren's previous strikes hadn't left a scratch. Instead, he chose to quickly counter with a punch of his own. Kira glanced at Mikasa. Sure, the girl had skill, but with the way she had continuously jumped in to try and grab Eren with no regard for herself or the repercussions of having the transformed Armored Titan after the small number of Scouts that were present, someone was going to get killed.
As Kira already knew, she was too selfish for that person to be herself. That's why she couldn't be trusted to jump in whenever the inevitable time came, and Mikasa's life was at risk from her impulsive actions.
Kira looked back to the fight when she didn't hear another resounding crack from Eren's face being bashed in. Rather, he ducked under Reiner's incoming punch, circling his arms over his opponent's throat and back, scooping Braun's legs out from under him, and tackling him to the ground.
Her eyes widened slightly as the Titans slid backwards with the force of Eren's throw. It was the first move he'd thought of when Kira said punching wasn't always enough. It couldn't be used more than once in a fight since, after one usage, the opponent would be on alert for a repeat. However, if timed right, it was always effective.
"Don't," Kira's arm swung in front of Mikasa as Eren sat up on Reiner's stomach, only for Braun to forcefully shove him sideways to try to regain the offensive. She noticed how Eren didn't immediately let out a roar when he was being 'overpowered' by his enemy's strength. "He's thinking."
Her left eyebrow raised as Eren swung his back to the ground, wrapping his legs around Reiner's upper half, locking his right arm and throat between his thighs. Pushing his knees closer together and pulling Braun's hand farther away from his body, Eren was able to crack the hardened skin of Reiner's shoulder with the force of his grappling hold.
Physically, Reiner's Titan was stronger. He proved so as he strenuously pulled Eren's right leg away from his neck, using the heavier weight of his body to try to stand to his feet. Thinking quickly, Eren twisted Reiner's right arm in his grasp, moving his right leg to hook under Braun's left arm as his left leg locked around his left shoulder. Roaring once more, now with power rather than mindless anger, Eren used his opponent's heavier weight against him as he shoved Reiner's face into the ground.
"Go." Kira said as she and Mikasa ran towards the wall, feeling the ground shake and rumble beneath their feet as Eren shifted to sit above his enemy.
With his eyes glowing green once again, Eren yelled out as he ripped Reiner's right arm off of his body and tossed it away from him. Braun growled as he forced Eren off of him with a heavy shove, staring at his steaming forearm as it slowly regenerated.
"He did it!" Mikasa exclaimed, clearly shocked. Armin landed behind them, jogging forward to get a better look at Eren's Titan.
"Eren! Can you hear me?!" In reply, the Titan turned his head with his fists still raised, looking down at the three of them. "Run away! Get closer to the wall!" Kira kept her eyes on the healing Titan as he remained kneeled to the ground. "Their goal is to kidnap you and take you away! We've gotta escape and prevent that from happening!"
"But, Armin," Mikasa countered. "Reiner isn't going to let us go that easy!"
Kira had analyzed armor for years, and she'd seen the evolution of sleeker designs first-hand. Full body-suits were effective against many attacks, both long and short range. However, to balance, they were heavy, better suited for soldiers with a larger body mass, and they restricted swift and fast movements.
"We're going to back the wall," Kira told both Cadets as she turned around. They both looked hesitant, obviously not pleased about letting Reiner have another shot at beating their friend. Kira watched Eren, his breathing normal and his form was strong with a proper stance. "He's fighting, isn't he?"
The other two turned around, and all three of them retreated back to Hange, Moblit, and the rest of Squad One. On instinct, Kira turned around in the air as a looming shadow towered over her. She made eye contact with blueish-green pupils as Eren walked behind her, Mikasa, and Armin while they retreated to the wall.
"Nice, Eren!" Keiji encouraged. "Good call!"
"He's in control again." Mikasa noted.
"Yeah," Armin agreed. "But, like you were saying, it'll be almost impossible to escape Reiner."
The Armored Titan rose to his feet. His eyes were glowing a fierce yellow, and his face, shoulder, and forearm were still healing from being cracked by constriction. Kira watched him as he took a few steps forward, and the way his body flexed around the hardened plates that covered his entire form.
"Listen up, Eren," Hange dropped down from the wall and landed on Eren's right shoulder. "If you're gonna escape, we've got to find a way to halt Reiner and buy you some time!" Eren turned his head to look at the Section Commander that stood on his arm. "Can you break his leg with another one of those joint locks? Our blades don't seem to work on him, so use your head and figure out the best course of action!" Kira clicked her tongue when she heard Hange's shocked stutter of a gasp as Eren nodded to her in his Titan-form.
"It's not a question of 'can he?' anymore," Kira dropped down next to Hange on Eren's shoulder. "We all saw you overpower him once," She looked into the eyes of his Titan, ignoring Hange's quiet mumbling as they got over the excitement of being acknowledged by a Titan. "Do it again." Unlike Hange, it was almost unnerving to see something so large send her a nod, but she simply turned away and reattached herself to the wall.
"We're counting on you!" Hange shouted as they followed, leaving Eren to face Reiner in his attack stance once again.
Kira changed her own focus to the other Titan as he released more steam from his mouth. His arm still hadn't regrown, and the cracks were still present on his jaw and shoulder, but he stepped forward regardless. Her eyes watched attentively as he picked up his pace. With three extra steps, she watched the hardened skin behind his calves break off from his legs as he sprinted at Eren.
"He's fast!" Mikasa said as she, Kira, Armin, and Squad One jumped away from the wall as Reiner came towards them at full speed. Eren was quickly cornered as Braun used the force of his body to slam him against the wall.
With barely time to recover, Eren moved his head to the side as Reiner tried to punch him with his left arm. Fortunately, with his other arm gone and struggling to regrow as quickly as Eren's do, only having one arm meant a longer window to react between each punch sent Eren's way.
Working rapidly, Eren wrapped his left leg around the back of Reiner's right. His right leg pushed back against his shoulder as Eren tried to knock him backwards. Since his weight was much more than Eren's, Reiner didn't falter or stop his punches while Eren failed to knock him down.
"Don't stay on the ground! Eren!" Armin shouted.
"Stand up!" Mikasa added.
Kira doubted he could hear the two over the sounds of Reiner's heavy punches, but he acted anyway. Swiftly, he moved his right leg lower down Reiner's stomach. He kicked his leg in the opposite direction, successfully getting Reiner to fall while he rose to his feet and pressed himself to the wall.
"Shit, when did he move so quickly?!" Vyler asked.
"Are we useless up here?!" Keiji yelled.
"No," Kira stated, turning to Hange in the air. "He wouldn't move ably if he was fully covered," She pointed the blade in her right hand down to the back of his legs. "He had to lose the hardened skin there to allow him to move freely enough to run. Similarly with full body armor, if the hardened skin were to completely cover him, he wouldn't be able to bend at his joints."
"Right," Hange nodded firmly. "Where is he at his most vulnerable?"
Kira looked back down. Reiner charged at Eren again, his left leg extending fully as he pushed himself with all of his might in order to be sure to catch Eren off guard. Surely, now that they knew, they could all aim at the small divots between each plate of hardened armor. However, the only person Kira was sure could complete the task and come out alive was herself, and the injured Captain back in Stohess. Maybe Mikasa could, but without having time to train with her, her skills were only known to Kira by ear.
"Ackerman," She watched Eren take the tackle head-on. He circled his legs around Braun's waist, locking his neck in a tight hold as his back hit the ground. Eren wasn't panicking. He was still thinking, but they had to work fast. "We're taking out his legs. Aim at the back of the knees."
"Right!" Mikasa agreed.
Kira latched her hooks onto the wall with Mikasa following behind. Twisting her body, she used her feet to propel herself downwards, using her gas to accelerate her speed as she raised her blades. Lowering her swords, she crossed behind Mikasa as she cleanly sliced the back of Reiner's left knee while Mikasa followed shortly after with his right.
Both of them landed on a far tree while Braun's legs gave out from being cut open. With the extra advantage, Eren was able to hurriedly readjust his grip and pull with even more force as he swung his back to the ground. Kira heard the large exhale of steam as Reiner's upper back and nape cracked open under Eren's unwavering grasp.
"You've got this!"
"Go for it, Eren!"
"Pull the traitor outta there!" Encouragement was yelled by the soldiers of Armin and Squad One as shards from the Armored Titan's neck flew into the air. With the continued pressure of Eren clutching Reiner by the neck, the blood that spewed out of his opened wounds was evidence of Braun's slow defeat.
"Stop," Kira felt the pulses of anxiety emanate from the girl beside her. Mikasa was adjusting her grip on her blades every half-a-second, and her chin moved slowly back and forth as she gritted her teeth. "Moving irrationally will only cause trouble."
Kira cracked her knuckles as the girl didn't respond. If anything, her twitching only increased as the Armored Titan growled with his teeth bared as his hands dug into the ground. Slowly, his upper body pushed forward as his legs extended, and he and Eren slid forward.
Kira recognized the action. Before a target was about to be suffocated from a choke hold, like many things before death, a last burst of adrenaline would pump their blood and boost their stamina for up to an hour. With what she had trained for, the rush would never last her target longer than a few seconds once they realized someone was present. Though, a rush depended on the situation and whoever was carrying out the finishing blow. In Eren's case, Reiner's rush had the potential to last longer since his skin was naturally tougher to break, giving him a longer window before his actual life was on the line.
To Kira's confusion, the Titan stopped all movements after moving only a few meters. Next to her, it seemed as though the closer Eren was to them, the more likely Mikasa was to jump out and try to take him away before he could finish the job.
If she steps out there, she dies. More specifically, because Kira doesn't care about others, if Mikasa were to run out there, Kira would let her pay the price of her choice.
Ironically, this whole situation was just as much her fault as it was Reiner and Bertolt. For whatever reason, they had come to capture her as well. However, with Eren being a Titan-shifter, and Kira's fighting capabilities and ties with the Scouts, they had to take priority with Eren. How did he not know that? If he knew there were titan-shifters being sent to the walls, he had to know there would be more within them. Maybe, because he knew they'd have to come to the Scouts, he'd hope Kira would have changed.
Maybe he thought she'd be different after all the years that had passed. That he could threaten the lives of the regiment soldiers and she would care. Maybe he thought she would follow Erwin's orders when worse came to worst, and make sure Eren was saved. That, if push came to shove, she really would follow Levi's order of keeping everyone alive, even if it meant she had to die. He thought that she would save someone else in the face of danger. He thought that she would have given them her name and shown them her face after one year instead of six.
Maybe, after all these years, he thought that she could be trustworthy.
He was finally wrong.
Kira looked up before he roared, before Reiner called for backup from his partner on top of the wall. Now, it made sense as to why he stopped moving, even though he hadn't started the true last rush for his life. She watched as Mikasa looked up, too, just after Reiner finally let out his call. She watched Mikasa's eyes widen as she realized what would happen. She watched Mikasa press onto her triggers, shooting her hooks onto a tree behind Eren as the Colossal Titan began to tip over.
Did she care? Could she care?
"Fortunately, when you're strong, you can choose to leave everyone behind, or fall into the pack like a loyal dog."
His mouth was open wide as he fell, face-first to the ground. Even from her safe distance, Kira could feel the hot steam almost as clearly as she could see it following him down. There was no way Mikasa had time to carve Eren out of his Titan without a direct extraction from his nape, and move in time to dodge the Colossal Titan above her, all while staying conscious through the heat of the steam. It was impossible.
What would happen to the soldiers on the wall? To Hange? Moblit? Would they be crushed by falling debris? Or the Titan's massive, flailing limbs? Maybe the steam was hot enough to burn them alive. Maybe, after today, they would never see each other again. Maybe, Kira could sit in the safety of a tree as she watched them all die.
Again.
Did she care the first time?
Her eyes widened as she pressed onto her triggers, swinging her body forward with the extra push of her gas.
Maybe, if he didn't sit with her while she ate. If he didn't compliment her cooking. If he didn't play a game with no punishments. If they let her cloak get cut instead of their arm. Maybe, if he didn't pour her tea and sit with her while she drew a few hours passed lights out. If he didn't give her a personalized vocal warm-up sheet. If she hadn't shown her around on the first day. Maybe, if he hadn't shouted to defend her when he could've – should've – thrown her to their pursuers. If that squad didn't all turn around whenever her hood fell, placing it over her head for her when she didn't notice. Maybe, if she wasn't so much like the woman she lost so long ago.
Maybe then she wouldn't have cared.
"The outcome of that choice is what makes you strong."
Weak.
Weak is what she is when she releases her blades. She threw them at the wires Mikasa had attached to the tree, splitting them in half to cut off the girl's momentum. Weak is what she is when she pushes more of her gas as she kicks the girl in the chest, sending her flying away from where she could've been.
Weak, pathetic, disgraceful, pitiful, disgusting.
Every word she'd used multiple times to describe the people that surrounded her when she decided to stay in the Scout regiment.
Weak, pathetic, disgraceful, pitiful, disgusting.
All the words that everyone in The Academy, even herself, would think if they saw her. If they saw what she'd done, kicking another out of the way of harm.
To them, she could still be all of those things; and maybe she was.
"Faith!" She looked up, Hange and Moblit screaming at her to move, knowing full-well she couldn't.
Yes, she could still be every one of those things.
But, to them–to them, she was good.
To them, she was trustworthy.
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Next Up: Chapter Twenty - Distant Thoughts
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Note: I really liked this chapter, especially with some growth from Kira at the end. Chapters are gonna get a little longer now as we hit some important feelings and plot points from multiple characters.
Hopefully you felt the same, and enjoyed! See ya!