II
TO YOU, A NAIVE GIRL
You weren't sure why, but Armin just seemed to attract trouble to him on the daily. Despite the fact he would mind his business - the town's bullies would naturally gravitate toward him. Was it because he was an easy target? It wasn't as if Armin fought back, but at the same time, he never ran away. He would cry, but it seemed eventually that same reaction had the bullies tired of him. Not to mention they'd always run away when you approached. So then... Why did they insist on picking on Armin of all people?
He'd always say that he hadn't lost since he hadn't run away - and that refusing to give them what they wanted was the best way to go about it. You weren't sure how much you agreed with that - if you even agreed at all. There were better ways to go about it, he didn't have to get himself beaten to prove a point.
Yet you found yourself respecting that aspect of Armin. He was terrified, but he never ran away. Though that didn't stop you from chastising him for his recklessness as you'd drag him away from the three. It was two years of it - Armin accepting beatings before they got tired of him, or you showed up and knocked them onto their asses. He would always apologize for making you worry and having to help him out, he was embarrassed about it. But he'd never say it, he didn't want you to think it went unappreciated.
Today was one of those days, that's what you assumed as you found a brunette boy peaking at the blonde from behind the building he sat by. It was weird, you weren't even sure Armin even realized he was here. But you had, quickly you made your way toward the two.
"Who are you?" It was a sudden question, one that had the boy turning slowly to look at you. "You're not trying to start a problem with Armin, are you?" He wore a red scarf, paired with a brown shirt and sweater. It was a weird thing to wear - it wasn't cold out. At least not yet. But that wasn't what caught your eye. It was his eyes, teal and shiny, just dulled with boredom. Even though you'd never seen him before, you found yourself recognizing him.
The sound of your voice caught Armin's attention, making him turn his head faster than the brunette had to look at you. "[Firstname].." He blinked, then shifted his attention toward the boy next to you. "Who are you?"
"Why do you let yourself get hit like that?" He completely ignored the question the two of you had asked him, instead opting to ask his question.
Getting onto his feet, Armin answered. "If I run away and let them know that they hurt me.. Then they'll win." He sniffled, wiping his tears away with his sleeve. "So if I don't run away, I won't lose."
The boy's stare lingered for a moment, unlike you - he found himself agreeing with that wreckless mindset. "I'm Eren." He finally introduced himself, and just like that, the sense of familiarity came back to you. Despite the fact you had never spoken to him before or seen him on the street - let alone even know about him - you felt as if you knew who he was.
"You're [Firstname], right?" He asked, looking toward you with the same bored eyes. For a second, you wanted to ask how he knew - thinking that you might've actually met him once more and simply forgot, but he answered your unasked question. "You guys said each other's names earlier," He turned toward your friend. "So then you're Armin?"
"Yeah..." You both answered his separate questions at the same time.
You weren't quite sure how, but the boy ended up inserting himself into the time you and Armin would hang out. It wasn't much of a problem, seeing as the two of you enjoyed his company. You even found that the two of you were similar in a way - yet vastly different in the same regard. When it came to fights, you found yourself steering away from them, not wanting to get involved unless completely necessary - when it came to that, you could put up a good fight. Yet Eren actively sought and chased a fight, though he would usually be the one beaten in a fight. Well, it wasn't a good example of the varying similarities, but it was the easiest to explain.
It seemed the more of you there were, the less those bullies would come and bully Armin.
Though whenever the time came where they did, Eren would always be the first to arrive - you just so happened to be right behind him.
"Yeah! You better run!" Eren would shake his fist, chasing after them before they left his field of view. Whenever he would turn back, he would have a proud smile on his face. "They're so scared of me!" He would boast, crossing his arms. While Armin didn't have the heart to tell him he wasn't freightning -;you'd say it for him as you helped him off the floor.
"You and I both know they're not scared of you." you sighed, letting Armin use your arm as support as he got himself onto his feet. "They start running once the two of us are together."
"That's not true! Didn't you see the look on their faces when I showed up!?" He defended himself, clearly angry at your words as you avoided his gaze.
"... They looked pretty annoyed." You mumbled under your breath, the smile on your face a result of your amusement.
"What'd you say!?"
Armin looked from you then to Eren. "You're hearing things, Eren." You couldn't tell if he was saving your skin or helping Eren avoid a serious blow to his ego - but you wouldn't worry over that too much. Still, Armin giggled under his breath, giving Eren a quick thanks even though he wasn't the one making those boys run away.
When you weren't with them, you were by your mother. Caring for her as best as a nine-year-old could, it had been that way for a while. For the past four years - she'd been like this since you met Armin. Apparently, according to your father, your grandmother was the same. Suffering from some strange sickness for thirteen years before she had passed away. Although you were young, you were fearful that it would pass to you someday. Those fears went away when you sat outside with your mother, looking up at the moon she would rave about.
You would turn to look at your mother, her face fond of the idea of space, what was beyond the sky and sun. But never was she found of the thought of going outside the walls, they were vastly different places people would want to go, sure... But why didn't she want to go beyond the walls and see some sort of... Giant fields of ice? Armin always loved to talk about that, space just seemed like... A farfetched idea.
Yet he seemed to act like it wasn't unreasonable, that visiting the moon and seeing the stars was something realistic. You were just a kid, what did you know that she wouldn't? So you'd keep your mouth shut, watching your mother fawn over the moon with such a happy look on her face. You were almost jealous of the moon, it made your mother so happy, she was never happy to see you. To her, you were just some caretaker, not her child. So that's why you would help her outside, sit her down in a chair and listen to her. In hopes that maybe it would make her happy to have you.
....It never did.
Though you figured the sky was beautiful, so you'd indulge in it whenever you found yourself with nothing to do. Even as it got dark during the late hours of the night, you'd sneak outside and watch the sky. There was no one to tell you what to do or to usher you back into the house. Being free to do what you want to be felt great, but you always felt so lonely. Your mother was weak and sick, but she could still speak and see... So why was it that she would never spare you a second glance, or say a single 'thanks'? You figured it was just selfishness that made you feel that way, that made you feel obligated to have a good mother.
That thought made you miss something you never had before.
With so much freedom, it was often you'd find yourself leaving the house when your mother was asleep - sometimes she'd be out for days. You could only hope for the best as you left her a cup of water and a meal on her bedside table.
With little regard for right and wrong, you'd sneak gate separating Wall Maria and Shiganshina - just to see what could've possibly been on the other side.
Aside from the treacherous amount of grass you found, you encountered a few sheds along the way, following a dirt path that aligned with the fields of wheat and grass beside it. As for who would ever want to live so far from others, you weren't quite sure. It had already taken you at least a few hours to make it this far to the East, who would ever want to walk this far to make it home? While the idea of seeing something new originally seemed like the best idea since bread was made, walking for so long without water or food made it your worst idea.
You wished Armin could've tagged along, who would've love to see the miles on miles of grass in his own weird way. But if he had gotten caught sneaking past the gates without an adult, he would've gotten in big trouble. In fact, as to how you would get back in with your fatigue before sundown, you weren't so sure.
You'd definitely seen a few new things, like beautifully colored trees and bushes, animals you'd never even would've made up in your mind scurrying along the long fields of nothingness. The fact that most of them had been eating the grass almost had you trying it out to satiate your own hunger.
You were a damned idiot, you wouldn't be able to make it back home before night came. You'd be lucky if you even got there tomorrow. With your combined thirst and hunger, you settled with plopping yourself beside a moderate sized tree, letting the shade block you from the merciless sun you'd been walking beneath for hours.
"I'm so dumb." You groaned, lowering your head as you sulked over your own idiocy. Curiosity kills the cat as the old people said, and with the sound of rustling leaves and bushes were caught in your ear, you were sure that was about to come true.
If you just stayed silent and snuck away, you could use the sudden adrenaline in your veins to help you get a quarter of the way home. Though, you were to slow on the uptake, instead coming face to face with a girl as you got onto your feet.
It took a few seconds for a startled scream to escape her mouth - causing you to do the same in return. A few more yells were exchanged before you settled down.
"Who are you!?" You asked. She looked familiar - despite the fact you only just seen her now - and her features weren't ones you've seen on any passing face before. And you just so happened to see her outside of Shiganshina.
So then why was it you felt you knew her?
"Who are you?!" She asked back, never before had she seen another kid her age so near her house. Any less on the other edge of the forest. "Are you lost?" Her stiff posture loosened slightly as she backed away from you.
You slowly nodded, "I am.." You mumbled, blinking sheepishly. "I'm from Shiganshina."
The girl blinked, Shinganshina was quite far from here. It seems you got here on foot, aswell. Without any adults around, either, or if you had come with someone else - they weren't here now.
"W-what? Why are you all the way out here?"
You didn't get to answer her question before someone else called out to the black-haired girl. "Mikasa! Don't go off wandering so far!" A feminine voice warned, nearing the young girl. While you weren't able to see who it was due to the fact that you were hidden from them behind the tree you stood by - you saw the pale hand land on the girls shoulder. "Please be more careful..."
The girl - Mikasa, looked over at her mother. "Mom..." Her gaze turned back toward you, the taller lady turning her head and leaning foward to see what caught her daughters attention.
The lady blinked, processing the sight in front of her before she stepped out from behind the tree and into your full view. "Where's your family?" She asked with concern, her face soft and worried.
Mikasa was quiet before she looked back at her mother. "She's lost," she answered for you. "She came from Shiganshina."
"Shiganshina? All by yourself?" The mother asked, taking in your figure. Clearly fit to fall, sweat forming at your brow and breath struggling to even itself out. "That's quite far away..."
"I... Was searching for herbs to help m-my sick mother." You lied, lowering your head in shame. You didn't want to give her the full truth - that you simply ran away from responsibilities that everybody had and got yourself lost outside of the walls just because you wanted to explore.
You worried for your mother, you truly did... But there weren't any sort of secret herbs that could help her. At least not that you were aware of - Mr. Yaeger never brought up anything as such before, he was the smartest man you'd known, so if even he couldn't help your mother, you weren't sure what you could do. Just a big glorified lie to justify your selfishness, that was all.
"Herbs...?" She repeated back, confused. "Who told you this?" She asked, quirking a brow at your disheartened figure. "What's your name?"
"My friends told me about it." Another lie to save yourself. "I'm [Firstname]."
You felt bad about all the lies you told the Ackermans - the family of three were kindhearted people, although initially shy, Mikasa was eager to talk to you. Smiling as you sat down with the three of them after they offered you dinner, it wasn't anything like the food you would make or buy from the city... It was delicious, even though you were telling yourself to ask for seconds - you stayed silent - your nerves got the best of you. So you instead sat, answering any questions they had.
The girl spoke to you about lots of things, having someone her age to talk to wasn't something she ever thought of wanting, but it was something she appreciated once it came around. You were seven years old when you met her - happy and smiling.
She invited you outside to pick a few berries from the surronding bushes around her house, telling you the difference between ripe ones - rotten ones, and inedible ones. Never something you thought you'd ever need to learn - but a useful skill that would come in handy somehow... Someday.
Pass a few hours and came by a carriage, their conscience as parents wouldn't allow them to let a lone child walk back home when the trip was hours - so they paid for your fee, telling you to be more careful and to not run off.
You thanked them various times from their kindness, three people who were simply strangers just a few hours prior had treated you as their child more than your own mother. It almost made you want to stay, but you wouldn't let your selfishness get in the way of someone in need. Besides, nobody would just take in a child like that? So you left the Ackerman family just like that.
You were still seven years old when you saw her again - Eren had introduced her to you and Armin - though introductions weren't necessary. Not when you knew who she was.
"Mikasa, this is Armin." Eren pointed at the blonde first, who offered a smile and a wave. He was curious as to where she came from - seeing as she and Eren looked nothing alike - and nothing about having a new step-sister was never mentioned prior to that day.
"And this is..." Eren shifted in finger to you - ready introduce you to her aswell, but Mikasa beat him to it. "[Firstname]..."
Well, she had the same face and name as the girl you knew - yet she was different. An obvious difference at that. Seeing as she was by herself without her mother and father with such a drastic change in character - you didn't ask what happened.
"Mikasa... I was thinking about you the other day." You smiled at her.
Although she was different, you could still see the girl she once was despite the cold face.
It was obvious in the way she smiled at you - such a small smile, yet geniune. "I was hoping I'd get to see you."
"You guys know eachother?" Eren asked, quirking a brow as he looked between the two of you. Even with ahimarriage, it took he and his father a few hours to get there. And what happened after they got there - well, it didn't matter. The point was, "When and how'd you get past the gate?" He was almost jealous that you made it past all by yourself, that you had the freedom to - his mother would never let him do such a thing.
"It was a few months ago... I got past because I know how to stay quiet." It was a direct prod to Erens loudmouth - you never knew him smarte the smat type - but he wasn't dumb, either. You could tell he knew what you meant due to the reddening of his face.
"What are you trying to say!?" He asked, stepping closer to you.
You sighed, placing your hands over your ears for dramatization. "There you go again.. So loud."
He went silent for a moment, face red in embarrassment as he scowled - you had a hobby of poking fun at the boy - and he fell for it each time.
He was quite the brat when he was younger.
"Hold on... A few months ago?" Armim repeated youd response, bringing a fist up to his hand to think.
"So then... Those berries we shared.... You didn't by them?" He asked, his eyes were shiny. "You really made it past the wall!? By yourself?" Now his tone was laced in concern.
"Yeah. I went pretty far, that's how I met Mikasa."
Armin hummed in response, he didn't know what to be more impressed about - your lack of concern for safety - or that you really had snuck past the walls.
Well, there were a lot of things he found impressive of you when he was younger.
Two years had passed since then, the four of you officially becoming a group of close friends. The things you'd together would vary - sometimes you'd find yourself helping Eren and Mikasa out with chores - or sitting with Armin by the same ledge you first met him, listening to him as he'd speak about that illegal book of his.
Other times, you'd spend your time with Mikasa - trying your best to make her smile as the two of you would make your way up a hill and sit at the shaded top.
When it wasn't with the others, you were with Eren. Talking to him about 'what ifs' or 'which one would you choose', because you always found his answers the most interesting.
You spent a lot of time with your friends, but that never meant you strayed away from your mother. Ever since you met the Ackermans, you didn't want to leave your mother behind again. Her sickness got worse, but Mr. Yaeger never yielded any results with his care.
He was a good man, you knew that. So you wouldn't blame him for it. No matter how much you wanted your mother back in good health.
It was one night that you sat out by yourself, your mother back in bed as you looked up at the moon. You found that over time - the moon began to remind you of your mother. You weren't sure why.
"[Firstname], what are you doing out so late?" Your head jerked up at the sudden voice, looking up to see your father loom over you. He was tired, even in the dark, you could see his eyebags.
Your jaw slacked as you stood, "Papa! You're home!" You gawked, the look on your face going from shocked to joyful in a second. "I missed you!"
He offered you a smile, the moon was blocked from your view, instead of lighting him up to make his features clearer as he brought his hand up to pat your head. "I missed you too, sweetheart. Though it feels like I saw you just yesterday." He let out a breathy laugh, stroking your head before turning his head toward the door.
"It's a little late for you to be up, don't you think?" He asked, giving his head one last pat before retracting his hand, looking back down at you. You were looking up at him with a smile, "But you just got home! Can't we do something fun?" You asked.
Your father sweatdropped, a sheepish smile forming on his face. "That can wait for tomorrow, can't it? I'm exhausted." You obliged with the nod of your head, following him silently into the house as he settled his things onto the table - the single cup on the table rattling at the sudden weight added. "How's mom been treating you?" His voice was quiet, turning to look at you as you slowly shut the door behind you. But he didn't seem to be looking at you - but behind you.
"... We look at the moon." You blinked, there wasn't much else to say about it, anyway. "She's still sick, she can't do a lot."
Your father looked disheartened, clenching his jaw. "Are you happy?" He asked, his eyebrows creased. In his absence, you'd grown up so much.
"I have some friends, they make me happy." You smiled, looking toward the floor. "You make me happy too, papa. You need to sleep now so we wake up early!" You ushered in a hushed voice, inching toward your room.
"Right, you better wake up early, sweetheart." He chuckled, not turning to look at him as you walked down the hallway. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight, papa." You spoke back quietly not turning back to look at him. "Love you!"
He said it back ever so quietly, you hadn't even been able to hear it. If you took just a moment to look back, you could have the look of terror on his face. But even if you had, you wouldn't have understood why he was fearful. Or of what.
. . .
True to his word, your father had taken the day to spend time with you. Your mother had greeted him farewell with a hug - but she didn't want to tag along. You figured she must've gotten lonely, but she never said she was.
You didn't dwell on it to much as your father led you by the hand down the street, it reminded you of all those children you had been jealous of before - and it seemed like such a distant memory at that point of your life. Living in the moment with your father was all that counted to you, sitting on the steps in the middle of the city as you would speak to your father with a big smile was worth all the time he was away.
The treats he bought you were well worth it too, it erased the thought that somebody out there inside the interior walls was eating some sort of gourmet clas meal - you enjoyed the simple loaf of sweet bread in your hand.
Though, what unsettled you was the far off look on your fathers face. Although he listened to every word you spoke - he had been spacing off. Thinking about something else, the way his leg bounced making his anxiousness clear.
You stopped your talking - catching your fathers attention as he turned to you. "Was that the end of your story? That was a sudden stop." His voice was gentle, smiling up at you as looked down at him with worried eyes.
"... No. Sorry, papa. You're just acting weird." You mumbled blatantly, calling him out for his weird behavior. He let out a breathy laugh - hoping to convince you it was just him being weird and nothing else, but you knew better than that.
He was silent again, his hand went up to cover his face. The cold sweat forming at his hairline a dead giveaway of his anxiousness. Well, it was beginning to look more like guilt than anxiety.
"Papa....?"
His expression seemed to fall deeper in what emotion he felt, the grip on his forehead became stronger. While originally this day out was fun, you we're just... Weirded out now. Your father wasn't home often, but every time he was you had fun with him, but now....
"Where are your friends right now?" He asked, voice quiet. He couldn't bring himself to look up at you.
".. I dunno. Why, did you want to meet them?"
Your father shook his head immediately upon your question - he reacted too fast to it, it seemed like he was anticipating it.
"They make you happy, don't they?" He asked, finally looking up, not at you, but behind you, at the big clock that could tell the time.
"Yes-"
"Then you should find them." He had cut you off so quickly, that that you were barely able to get a single word out.
He hadn't been this way before, never had he made it a hobby to interrupt. "But... Today is-"
"I know." His jaw clenched, his free hand joining the other on his forehead. "I'm sorry, I know you were looking forward to this."
'Today is supposed to be a me and you day,' thats what you wanted to say. Had he really known thats what you meant?
"I'll take care of your mother from now on, okay? You're free to do what you want."
So then, he got fired. That was your conclusion, he got fired and he was guilty about it because that's the only thing that helped his wife and daughter survive.
"You should share that bread with your friends, I'm sure they'd love it." You looked down at the bag of loaves in your hand, he had bought a lot. At least enough for eight people or so - depending on how many portions people ate.
Your father finally moved his hands from his face, one settling on his knee and the other on the floor as he stood up. In a second, he brought you into his arms for a hug.
"Stay safe, sweetheart." It was a quick hug, yet firm and strong. "Love you."
'Stay safe', it wasn't like there was any danger in Shiganshina, not even on your lone walks and strolls had anything happened.
You turned your body to look at your father begin to walk away - you bid him farwell with a "I love you too" before he was out of sight.
And conveniently, the people your father told you to look for came in behind you after seconds of silence.
"Oh, [Firstname]!" It was Armin who called out for you first, waving his hand so you were sure to see him approach - Eren and Mikasa followed close behind, Mikasa offering you a wave while Eren simply greeted you by being there.
"We we're looking for you, we went to visit your house, but you weren't there." He was speaking as he walked, settling a few steps away from you. "Your mother answered, though! Said you'd be around here." His smile was so genuine, yet you stared back at him in confusion - like he made some sort of joke you didn't understand.
"My mom answered...? How did she look?" You asked, quirking a brow.
"Well, she had the same colored hair as you -"
You shook your head, interuppting his moment of misunderstanding. "I meant health wise, did she look fit to be standing?"
Armin blinked, thinking back on the moment your mother answered the door - she seemed happy and smiley, her skin was clear and free of any flaw - you never told him about your mothers sickness, "yeah, she looked fine to me.." The confusion in his tone told you all you needed to know.
But you didn't know what to think.
"That's good." You offered them a smile, "So... What did you guys need me for?"
"Armin insisted we find you, he said it wasn't right if we hung out without you." Eren spoke, Mikasa, confirming his words with the nod of her head - or maybe because she agreed with Armin.
"Eren agreed, too." Mikasa was quiet as she said it - but you heard it clearly.
It was nice to see how much you meant to your friends - they meant as much to you.
You looked back down to look at the bag of bread in your hands, "Oh! That reminds me, my dad bought these for me... For us." You brought your arms out to offer it to them. Armin's face gave away what he was feeling, clearly excited - "This is..." he took a step closer to take a good look at the bread. "The same type you gave me when we met, isn't it?"
You nodded. As always, sweet bread was some rare delicacy people were hardly able to get their hands on. With the high price and speed at which they went out of stock - it was a miracle your father happened to return the day before they restocked. He was wealthy enough - not enough to be moved to the inner walls of Sina - as far as you were aware, but he had money to be on the wealthier side of Shiganshina.
"It is." You nodded, reaching your arm into the bag to grab one - offering it to him.
He couldn't hide the excitement on his face as he brought his hand up to accept the offer. "Thank you! Can I really have it..?"
"Not like I'd take it back from your hand." You smile, your hand digging back into the bag to grab another one - you offered it toward Mikasa.
Her usually stoic face was replaced by a small smile as she accepted it. "Thank you..." She inspected the piece of bread in her hand. "I've never had something like this before." She confessed, causing Armin to step close to her.
"They're the best thing I've ever had!" He blurted, definitely catching the girls attention. She stared at him with a ludicrous look before bringing the bread up to her lips to take a bite. You paid attention to her expression for a second more - she looked happy, the bread must've been good.
Finally, you dug your hand into the bag once more, grabbing the final one to offer it to Eren - he stared at you with expectance as you looked up. "This ones for you, don't eat them too fast." You smiled, offering it to him.
"Thanks!" He smiled, gently taking it from your hand.
Seeing the smiles on their faces and crumbs on their cheeks almost made you forget about how weird your father was acting earlier.
"Oh wow, this is pretty good!" Eren exclaimed - a bit too loudly for anybody's liking, but they were too happy over their bread to tell him to quiet down.
"Isn't it? I almost forgot how good they are.." Armin continuously took small bites of his bread in an attempt to save it for just a little longer.
You managed to tear your sight away from the three of them to look down into the bag. It wasn't near empty - there were at least five left. But with the lack of three, you were able to see something a the bottom. A color that didn't match the bread - or the bag. So you dug your hand deep into the bag, reaching for the bottom to see it was.
"Thank you again, it's delicious." Mikasa suddenly spoke, looking up at you - but she fell quiet as she saw you dig whatever it was out of the bag. A simple small pouch-colored tan, she saw the ludicrous look on your face as you opened it to see what was inside.
Money.
You figured your father must've left it there by accident - and although there were definitely things you'd want to buy with it, your conscience told you to return it.
Feeling eyes on you, you looked up. "Sorry, Mikasa. We're you saying something?" You asked, staring back at her as she watched you.
"I just wanted to thank you."
"For the bread? No problem..." You found yourself growing sheepish under her gaze.
She nodded, "Yeah, the bread..."
"These walls have been undamaged for centuries, but that doesn't mean we're safe in here forever." Your attention quickly went toward Armin, who stood at the top of the stairs.
For some reason, you felt as if you heard those words before. And you felt that they made you take a step or two back.
Not a moment later - for the first time in over a hundred years of safety inside this pig pen - a giant hand rose to grip onto the top of the wall. For a moment, you assumed some titan just had a huge hand - seeing as you've never seen a titan before, it was just left to your imagination.
Yet as the top of that titan's head peaked above, with its small eyes and skinned face - you found yourself experiencing deja vu. Though you have never seen this before - and if you had, you surely would've remembered it. Or maybe, it was just in some crazy nightmare you were recalling. And your worst fears were just manifesting right in front of your eyes.
And just as fast as the titan appeared, the gate separating humanity and titans was destroyed by one kick. Years of feeling safe and cozy inside the walls were gone as just like that - and for a moment you could've convinced yourself that the ginormous titan came at Armin's call. A big coincidence he'd mentioned the safety of the walls before it was destroyed.
The strong wind that picked up as a result of the wall falling snapped out of whatever trance you were in, suddenly becoming all too aware of your surroundings. Yells and cries, more specifically the sound of your friends' voices.
"Mikasa! My mom... We need to get my mom!" Eren yelled out, quick on his feet as he began to run toward the direction of his house. Without a second thought, the girl ran behind him.
"E-eren!" Armin called out to him, stretching his arm out as if he would be able to reach either him or Mikasa.
Erens first thought as the wall fell was his mother - and your first thought was... Well, you weren't sure what to think. Despite the horrific sight in front of you, you couldn't form a coherent thought in your mind that made you move. You were stuck in place even as titans crouched to fit through the hole made in the gate.
A few of them were already inside, grabbing at a few of the poor citizens that were scattered about at the front. That could've been the end of it - it was already the end for the unlucky people inside Shiganshina, but there was another kick at the wall. This time, it was bigger, allowing for taller titans to fit through. As if the medium-sized and small ones weren't enough.
The stronger gust of wind had you finally moving, turning to your right to see Armin, full of fear and stuck in place, shaking. The sudden turn of events - from how happy you were to this terrific scene was something straight out of fiction. Such quick twists like these only happen in books.
Well, seeing what was happening in front of you now, it supposedly wasn't the case.
"Armin!" You yelled despite being right next to him, placing a firm hand on his shoulder to get him to snap out of it. "Go find your grandpa," you started, attention moving back toward the gate. There was still time to get away. "get out of here and I'll meet back up with you! I need to find my parents!" Your gaze turned back to him - it was true what people said about eyes revealing someone's true emotions. He was terrified, so terrified it almost looked like he aged a couple of years.
"B-but- you-," He was still stuck in place, and you took that as your cue to grab both of his shoulders, pulling him along with you.
"You'll be okay!" You were quick on your feet, setting Armin on the right track straight home - but he didn't move, instead, he looked back at you.
"What about you!?" He asked, voice loud and shaky.
You weren't sure why - but you figured acting tough at that moment was the best option. Although you were just as terrified as him, being hesitant wouldn't get him to move.
"I'll be fine!" You didn't slow yourself to say more than that - your voice would crack under the pressure you felt.
At that, you left him with a tap on the shoulder, signaling for him to move. And he finally did, although he wasn't much of a runner, his adrenaline would carry him all the way home, you were sure.
You turned yourself around, setting for the track home. It was behind the plaza and little time had passed since the gate was destroyed, so you hoped there wouldn't be any titans that made it through so quickly. You cut through a few alleyways and bushes in attempts to get there as fast as possible, you managed to make it there quick, the bag of goodies in your hands that you completely forgot you were holding was held close to you. Your grip was strong as your house came into view, it was intact - a condition so perfect you could've thought you were just seeing things seconds prior, but the screams around you and the feeling of the ground rumbling underneath you kept you away from delusions like that.
Your original plan was to run into your house - to warn your father about the events that just played out as if he hadn't heard it all - but just before you slammed the door to your house open, you turned your head to your left.
You weren't sure why you turned your head, the idea of what could've stopped you in the tracks of your urgency so suddenly was not something you were sure of.
You called out for your dad, the woman beside him - your mother, in full health and completely fine was running past him. Neither of them waited for a second for you, they didn't take the time to turn back and drag you along with them. They instead settled for their continuous running - you were fast to follow after, calling out for both of them. You didn't take the time to question why your sickly mother was in perfect condition, or why they were running away from you - you were desperate to reach them.
"Stay back! Don't follow us, [Firstname]!" Your father warned you - causing your steps to falter, but you kept trailing behind them. Never had your father raised his voice at you, never had he pushed you away, so why now was he desperate to get rid of you?
You called out for him again, completely ignoring his words.
He ignored you too, allowing for your mother to grip onto his arm to drag him along. The only thing that got you to stop was the sudden shadow that covered you, your initial thought was a titan that managed to reach you. But that thought was quick to cease as the sight you had of your parents was blocked. You wanted to go around it, to reach your parents quickly despite their game of chase - but that hope was a small one.
Not only had your sight of them been blocked by that boulder, but they'd also been completely crushed by it.
Your eyes widened at the realization, your mouth falling open to scream - to call out for them for the hundredth time that day, but nothing came out. The look of terror on your face was enough to convey what you were feeling - you didn't need to yell for anybody to realize that.