Lying on the slightly damp morning grass, she stared into the clouded sky above her. The white puffs of air slowly drifted along as the spring breeze pushed them across the open blue field. While her vision of the vast abyss that was above was slightly blocked by the tree that shadowed her being, she could still make out the shapes of the clouds that were blocked. Far up from where she was, the animals that could leave had taken flight, soaring across the area without any inconvenience. The birds sang their tune and left, never to be seen by the five-year-old ever again. The grass beneath her lightly tickled her skin, with some sharper edges pricking her arms, hands and legs – but she didn't mind. The comforting feeling of the ground under her body connected her to the nature below. The sun was still in the sky, radiating its heat onto the world. While it wasn't as harsh as the summer, it could possibly cook something if left out long enough. As she took a breath in, an aroma of fresh grass, lavender, bread and dirt had tickled her nose. 'Bread...' She thought, scrunching her eyebrows as she took a deeper sniff of the smell that came from the kitchen behind her.
"Kira! It's time to come back in!"
"Okay, Nana!"
Brushing off the dirt from her skirt, Kira dashed back into the brick house, curious about the scent she caught while she was lying in the sun. As she opened the door from the yard into the kitchen, fresh loaves of bread were kept in a basket in the centre of the table. Along with the bread was a bowl with steam floating out, 'Carrot stew...!' Kira thought, taking a seat behind the table.
"Thank you, Nana!" Kira smiled, as she grabbed the metal spoon, scooping out the soup to slurp up in one go.
"Eat well, my darling." Kira's grandmother, Rosa, said. As she sat adjacent to Kira, she also started to eat the dinner she made for the two of them.
Pausing, Kira took a munch out of the bun that was still floating along the thick orange stew. Humming in delight, Kira tapped her grandmother's arm, as she swung her legs jovially, "It's so good...!"
"Why thank you, Kira." Rosa grinned, scrunching her nose as Kira did the same. "Now, eat up, we'll be leaving early tomorrow."
"Okay."
It wasn't long before both of them had finished their filling dinner. For the five-year-old, Rosa's carrot stew with chicken and potato would always bring the child to bliss. It was one of her favourite meals her grandmother would make for her. Once she demolished her meal, she only could lie down after stuffing her mouth full of the soup. Similarly, Rosa was sitting on the other side of the double bed, reading.
"What does it look like outside the Walls?" Kira asked, catching a sight over her grandmother's shoulder of the book Rosa was reading to her.
"It's a beautiful vast land that doesn't seem to end. When people talk about the outside, they say it's dangerous. Mostly because of the Titans outside the wall." Rosa started, slowly closing the book while using her finger to bookmark her position. Sitting up, Rosa wrapped her arm around Kira to scoop her closer. "I used to think that too. But after going on many expeditions, I got to see many different things that you don't see here. While Titans still roam and the land doesn't change too much, it's outside this cage we're in."
"A cage?" Kira questioned, her childlike mind creating the imaginative images of the Walls looking like a cage.
"Well, that's how Kuklo describes the Walls as. Like how we're birds and the Walls are the cage." Rosa explained, "We're free to leave, but Titans force us to stay in the Walls. The 'cage' is safe, but we aren't free because of it."
While Kira took a small percentage of what Rosa said, a name she didn't seem to recognise had captured her attention, leading her to ask another question, "Who's Kuklo?"
"He's one of my close friends from the Survey Corps." Rosa simply said and left it at that, noticing Kira growing tired as the night carried on. "You can meet him if you want to join me tomorrow."
"I want to join...!" Kira muttered, feeling her eyes grow heavy as Rosa slowly rested the little girl's head on her pillow.
"Then let's head to bed." Rosa grinned, arranging Kira's thin brown hair on her face, placing a kiss on her granddaughter's forehead. "Sleep well, darling."
"Good night, Nana..." Kira yawned, slowly closing her eyes to rest.
"Sweet dreams, my lovely."
• • • • •
"Rosa! It's good to see you!" A loud and hearty voice came from above Kira. "Been a while since you've visited."
"You too, Kuklo!" As Rosa let go of her granddaughter's hand, she accepted Kuklo's hug, with a light giggle. While Kira stared up at the older man, she observed his prominent features. He had dark brown hair that spiked out in various directions – it was short and flowed from left to right. Across the bridge of his nose, a long length of his right eye and his left cheek to down his neck were scars. The most obvious scar was the one on his left eye, he couldn't even open it. "Where's Sharle?"
"She's back in the Industrial City for another business venture." Kuklo explained.
"Ah, that's unfortunate, I wanted to introduce you all to my granddaughter." Rosa gazed down, as her hand returned back to Kira, patting her head gently.
"Granddaughter? I didn't know you had a granddaughter!" Kuklo exclaimed, glancing down at the young girl who was attached to Rosa's left leg. Kneeling down, he gave Kira a warm smile, squeezing her cheeks. "You look just like your grandma, kiddo."
"Why don't you introduce yourself to Kuklo." Rosa suggested.
"I'm Kira...!" Kira shyly said. "It's nice to meet you."
"It's nice to meet you too, Kira." Kuklo said, ruffling her neat straight hair. "Let's get you two in. I have someone who wants to meet you, I think you'll get along with her."
Standing up, he led the two into his home, where, sitting on a chair, was a young girl with long, straight, blonde hair that shone in the light of the sun from the window. Leaning on the table she was sitting at; the girl was doodling on a piece of paper.
"Erina, we have visitors." Kuklo called out, as he made his way to the dining table the young girl, Erina, was sitting at. "Go and greet them."
"Okay..." Erina mumbled, jumping off her chair, approaching the two, "I'm Erina."
"It's been a while, hasn't it Erina?" Rosa exclaimed, crouching down, "The last time I saw you, you were this big!"
"Mhm...!" Erina nodded, a smile growing along her clear, porcelain skin. Using her arms, she started to mark out how tall she was at that moment, "I used to be this small, and now I'm this big!"
"Erina, why don't you take Kira upstairs to play? Rosa and I have a lot to talk about." Kuklo suggested, to which the girl obediently nodded.
"I'll take you to my room...!" Erina said, holding her hand out, which Kira took with a smile. Giggling as they ran, the two children went to Erina's small room. The wooden floorboards were covered in a couple of plush toys that were scattered around. Letting go of her new friend's hand, Erina crouched down to pick up her beloved plush bear. Presenting it towards Kira with a smile, she announced, "This is Mr. Snuffles!"
"Nice to meet you Mr. Snuffles." Kira politely said, shaking the hand of the bear that Erina had pushed out towards her.
"It's nice to meet you too, Kira." Erina muffled and lowered her voice the best she could to imitate the voice she imagined her bear to have. "Would you like to have some tea with me?"
"I would love to!" Kira exclaimed.
For hours they had played and messed around in Erina's room. From their small tea party, to shopping at a market, they did it all. While Kira had a few friends back in the Wall Rose district of Krolva, she didn't connect to the same level as she did with Erina. She enjoyed Erina's company over them all. Especially now that she had moved to live with her grandmother in Trost. But considering Kuklo, Erina and Sharle lived in Shiganshina, Kira figured it would be a long time before she would see Erina again. So, she had to make most of this first visit.
"Erina, has your grandpa been outside of the Walls?" Kira asked, fixated on finding out more about the outside after listening to her grandmother's stories.
"Mhm! He's been very far outside." Erina stated, carefully arranging her stuffed animals in a row on the floor.
"So cool!" Kira rejoiced, "I wanna go outside too."
"Same... But Papa Kuklo says it's dangerous." Erina warned, pouting. "Because of all the Titans..."
"It's okay...! I'll be stronger than the Titans!" Kira encouraged, determined. Bringing her two fists close to her, she cheered herself on, while Erina looked on with her eyes glistening from the light that peered into the room. "Then we can go outside together!"
• • • • •
With their trip to Shiganshina to visit Kuklo, Rosa and Kira had made another stop that was just as important. The district held many people Rosa knew – many of whom she grew up with. And the person they were heading to was never far from that. It was Rosa's mother. The faithful Garrison officer who guided the Scouting Legion whenever they left the Walls. The lady who brought luck upon the soldiers going in and out. Maria Carlstead.
"You know what they called me, dear?" Maria asked the young child, who shook her head. Maria melted at Kira's big hazel-green doe eyes, which beamed of curiosity. "They called me 'The Guardian Deity of Wall Maria'."
"Woah!" Kira squeaked, despite not knowing much of the words, she did find the entire nickname fascinating.
"They say that when soldiers would see me at the Wall, they were guaranteed to come back home." Maria explained the superstition, before remembering that Kira wouldn't fully understand much of it, "I protect the soldiers and welcome them back into the Walls."
While it was all superstition and purely coincidence, giving the Survey Corps faith when they go out on expeditions and missions was the most fulfilling to Maria. So, she would hold that title for the hopeful, making sure that Wall Maria was safe. But, as she aged, her health declined along with it and she was no longer able to stand by her usual post and survey the outside world. To which she misses: the view of the outside world, even though it was overrun by Titan. While she wasn't as brave enough as her late husband to join the Survey Corps, she was strong enough to look over the Walls as a Garrison Officer.
"The view from up there is magical. You can see so much from that outer wall." Maria said, "But it looked like it never ended. I hope, one day, they find something beyond the land."
"Beyond the land?" The girl questioned.
"A place far beyond from here." She explained, "Every now and again, your grandmother would go outside of the Walls with the Scouts to defeat Titans and explore the world."
"Mama Maria, can grandma take me to the 'cadet' thingie?" Kira asked, which earned a sigh from the great-grandmother. "I wanna do what you two do!"
Glancing back at her daughter, Maria merely shook her head with a smile. Seeing Kira so bright eyed and excited, Maria was unable to refuse. "Of course, you can."
"I wanna become the guard... 'dainty,' of the Walls!"
• • • • •
"Man, I'm beat..." Kuklo muttered as he sluggishly entered his and Cardina's shared office. As he approached the couch by the side of the room, he spotted the young girl mindlessly humming to herself as she swung her legs on Cardina's chair. "Hey Kira, whatcha doing?"
"Drawing...!" Kira stated, as she kept scribbling with the quill she took from the desk she was leant against. Making his way towards her, she went around behind, trying to get a peek at what she was doing.
"Really? What're you drawing?" Kuklo asked, as he peered over Kira to look at the abomination that was all over the parchment. While it was a jumble of scribbles, rips and blotches of ink, Kuklo tried his best to figure out what the kid was drawing. But even when he tilted his head at every degree, he couldn't seem to make out what it was.
"The outside!" She exclaimed, dropping the pen from her hand to pick up her monochrome drawing.
"The outside?"
"Mhm!" She nodded, turning around to give Kuklo her drawing. "Nana said it's very big with lots of trees, ponds and stuff."
"Well, it's a very nice drawing." He smiled, as he gratefully took her doodle. After observing her abstract drawing, he looked back down at Kira, whose eyes were glistening up at him after his compliment. "Say, Kira, do you want to see the outside world?"
"Yeah, I wanna do what you and Nana do!" She said, which warmed his heart. Crouching down to Kira's height on the chair, Kuklo ruffled her hair at her innocent curiosity. 'She really does have that Carlstead blood...' He thought, as she continued to babble on, "But Mama Maria said there's Titan's everywhere..."
"I could teach you some things if you want, so you can defeat those Titans?"
"Mhm! I wanna learn!"
Since Kira's agreement to teach, Kuklo has scooped her out of her seat and instantly dashed to the courtyard of the Scout's headquarters. Once setting her down, the excited Section Commander had started to show Kira the combat moves she had watched earlier. He went through the syllabus carefully, mostly because Kira's co-ordination was that of a five year old. But, with his support, Kira felt like she could do anything. With every punch and kick, Kira did it with everything she had.
"Yeah! Like that Kira!" Kuklo excitedly called out, watching the little girl flail her right arm forward, mimicking how Kuklo punched. "Now, again!"
"Aw...!" A girl from the Survey Corps cooed, as the dismissed bunch were making their way back to their dormitories. "I didn't think that our Section Commander was such a softie."
"That is Corporal Carlstead's granddaughter, so I'm not surprised." A male soldier said, shrugging with a half-smile, "But I could get used to this, hah!"
"C'mon Kira, another killer punch!" Kuklo exclaimed, encouraging the young girl to hit his palm harder than the last one. Throwing herself into it, Kira launched her right fist into his hand, hearing a loud slap as she made contact. Eyes sparkling, Kluklo clapped his hands together before swiftly getting onto his feet. "That's it kiddo! Next, I'll teach you how to hold blades—"
"Not so fast!" Cardina interrupted, swooping the girl into his arms to prevent Kuklo from even going near the child with sharp objects. "You can teach her when she's older."
'Maybe it isn't a good idea for Commander to teach her...' The observing cadets thought as they sighed at Kuklo's unbelievable suggestion.
• • • • •
Hand in hand, Kira and Rosa walked through the wooden porch towards a tall man with boisterous and curly, long blonde hair, who had his arms crossed as he observed the training cadets opposite. While Rosa was leading the two, Kira had her eyes on the ensemble in the sun. From what she could tell was that they were attacking each other with something wooden, then switching. But once they came to a halt, Kira stared up at the man who turned to greet them.
"Ah! Cardina, good to see you, anyways..."
Staring at the loud groans and thuds that were happening to her right, Kira kept a close eye at the fast moving cadets. Closest to her were a relatively tall teen, with slick back blonde hair, a very clean look compared to the other teen opposite. In the same uniform, the other had short brown hair with his sideburns shaved. He held a fake wooden knife, lunging towards his opponent, and within an instant, the blonde teen parried, grabbed a hold of the other teen's arm, sweeping his feet. On impact with the ground, he groaned and coughed up the air that was knocked out of him. As the scene unfolded, Kira's eyes widened at how the cadet moved. Slowly, she let go of Rosa's hand, slipping out from her grasp. Using what she remembered, she started to copy the blonde cadet's move. While it was mostly Kira flailing her arms and her legs in the air. It was big enough to catch the boy's attention.
'Hmm?' Erwin thought, as he noticed movement from the corner of his left eye. Craning his head as he helped Nile up from the floor, he noticed the young girl trying to punch, and replicate what he did to Nile. Letting out a light chuckle, the young girl saw his fixation on her. Instantly pausing, she waved, quite satisfied to grab the boy's attention. While Erwin sheepishly smiled, glancing back to where the Commandant was. Noticing him coming over, Erwin nodded before taking the wooden weapon out of Nile's hand to prepare for attack.
'So cool...!' She thought, as she continued to copy his movements again.
• • • • •
"I didn't think they'd bring a kid here." Nile murmured as he sat on the steps of their dorm's porch. The two watched as the little girl held onto the pinkie of Rosa's hand as they approached their Head Commandant, Antonius Mauer, who had then scooped the girl into his arms, joyfully.
"That's not just any kid though, that's Corporal Carlstead's granddaughter." Flagon exclaimed, lightly tapping Nile with the back of his hand, trying to emphasise the little girl's status. "But dang, that's the first time I've ever seen him smile."
"That's Corporal's granddaughter?" Erwin murmured, overhearing their conversation as he approached the two and leaned over the railing of the porch. "No wonder she kept copying us during combat training."
As they talked about the new appearance of the child, said girl had caught a glimpse of the boy she was copying. Seeing the teenage boy, she started to wave frantically as Antonius kept swaying. Wanting Antonius to stop swaying, Kira had started to tap the man on the shoulder, getting his attention. "What is it, Kira?"
"There...!" Kira mumbled, pointing behind the Commandant, causing him to turn to see what she was looking at.
"Oh, the cadets?" Antonius said, focusing on the three boys who were chatting. After noticing they were looking at them, Flagon had told them to 'act natural,' sheepishly waving at Kira who was waving at them again. Copying, Nile and Erwin had also waved as Kira kept waving and smiling happily at them. "What do you think of them? Weak aren't they?"
"Mhm...!" Kira agreed, giggling.
'Weak?!' The three unanimously thought, their mouths agape by the 5-year-old girl agreeing with their Commandant that they were weak. But they couldn't complain, she was a child at the end of the day. Flagon, who was flushed from embarrassment, stood up, crossing his arms, "There is no way I'm weak!"
"Don't be so harsh on them Kira! It's only been a year since they started training. Don't mind Kira, boys!" Rosa joked, knowing that the three boys were listening. Then, tickling Kira as she laughed. "They'll be great cadets; I know for sure."
"I don't know, Flagon..." Nile murmured, a smirk forming on his mouth thinking about the many jabs he could make at him. "Maybe she's right."
"Ain't no way she knows, she just met us!" Flagon rebutted.
"Flagon... You're talking about a child no older than five..." Erwin grinned, scratching the side of his cheek as Flagon started to sulk.
"Well...!" Flagon started, before calling out towards Kira, "Say, Corporal's granddaughter, who do you think is the strongest out of us three?"
Before answering, Kira turned to look at Antonius with a querying look and then towards Rosa, seeing if they could give any hints. But, from what she saw during their training, she pointed towards one of the three, "That one."
"Haha!" Nile heartily laughed, watching Flagon drop in defeat. "Unlucky, Flagon."
"Well, it's not like you got picked!" He retorted. "Even a child knows that Erwin is the golden boy."
Unable to formulate a response, Erwin just stared at the child, breaking into a chuckle. "It's an honour, Corporal's granddaughter!"
"Cadet Smith?" Antonius questioned, before turning around and whispering, "I think you'd be a strong cadet someday. You got that Carlstead blood in you, squirt!"
• • • • •
"Nana, I'm going to go to the toilet." Kira announced, tugging on her grandmother's sleeve.
Grabbing her attention, Rosa crouched down to Kira's height, "Do you want me to go with you?"
"No, it's okay." Kira refused, "I'm a big girl!"
"Are you sure?" Rosa asked, receiving a firm nod from the five-year-old. "Do you know where the toilet is?"
"Mhm! Uncle Cardina said it's over there!" Kira answered, turning to her left to point at the main training quarters.
"Alright, just be back quickly, okay lovely?"
"I will, Nana."
After placing a kiss on the girl's forehead, Rosa had let the young child wander back into the building, going through a hall she was familiar with. It took her a couple of minutes to find the nearest restroom, but she was able to find one of the training cadet's toilets. Once finished, she tried her best to climb onto the sink so she could wash her hands, as she wasn't tall enough to tip toe and reach the faucet. But with all her strength, she was able to get to the faucet to wash her hands. Jumping off, she brushed her hands onto her cardigan to dry her hands before pushing open the door of the toilet. As she left, the young girl was once again met with the daunting hallway that looked identical to the ones she had been through before.
She started to roam through the corridor, unable to figure out where she was. When turning to the right, she couldn't figure out where she was. While she knew she shouldn't panic, being lost in a big building like this wasn't something the child was comfortable with. 'I should've asked Nana to come with me!' Kira thought, as she started to sharply look around.
Walking again, Kira tried to trace her steps from before to at least reach the toilet she went to. But as she took another turn, she was met with a dead end, only a door on the opposite side of where she was going. Pouting, she turned and started to run around the hallways, her mind starting to spin with seeing no one she knew.
"Nana Rosa... Where are you?" Kira cried out, hoping her grandmother would appear as soon as she called. "Grandma!"
"You're Corporal's granddaughter, right? Did you get lost?" Erwin knelt down, asking the panicked little girl, who nodded. Not wanting to worry the child, he placed a gentle hand on her head, ruffling her hair to calm her, "Alright, let's get you back to your grandmother, shall we?"
While her grandmother wasn't the one who showed up, she was glad someone found her. "Okay..." Kira pouted, watching the young Erwin Smith stand up, grabbing the straps that were around his leg. Noticing this, he readjusted and took a hold of her hand instead, leading her through the many hallways of the main building. "Thank you, sir..."
"It's no problem, little one..." Erwin said with a bright smile towards Kira, which made her smile too. As they walked, Erwin remembered their previous encounter, "Do you think I'm the strongest out of Nile, Flagon and I?"
"When I was watching, I think so." Kira replied, which warmed the teenage boy's heart. "You won the fight against the other boy."
"Ah, right... When I took down Nile." Erwin thought back to the combat training where he first saw Kira and shook his head grinning. Seeing how enthusiastic she was, it got Erwin curious about how such a young girl could be so focused on watching people train to become soldiers. While it was a strange question to ask a five-year-old, it didn't hurt to ask, "Do you want to join the training corps?"
"Mhm!" Kira quickly responded, skipping while nodding her head ecstatically. "I wanna see the world like grandma and Mama Maria! And explore like Uncle Kuklo and Uncle Cardina did! I want to see the view that Mama Maria saw!"
"See the world, huh?" Erwin said, reminding him of one of his main purposes he started training. Sighing with a smile, he realised that the little girl and him had a similarity. "I want to do that too. Do you know which Regiment you want to go to?"
It was a no-brainer for both of them – Rosa, Kuklo and Cardina were in the Survey Corps and it was obvious they had a massive influence on the girl. And the Survey Corps' main purpose was to willingly go out there, kill Titans, and explore whatever was left of the world. "Scouts, like grandma. Which one are you gonna go to?"
"Me? I want to join the Survey Corps too." He said, which earned a thumbs up from the girl. Smiling to himself, he suggested, "Maybe when you join, I'll be your Captain or Squad Leader someday, if you still want to join the Survey Corps."
"I'll make sure I join the scouts!" Kira promised. Throughout their conversation, they were heading towards the exit of the Training Corps' Headquarters, and once they made it outside, Kira let go of Erwin's hand, pointing at him with a grin. "You'll be 'Squad Leader Erwin'!"
• • • • •
"Is that...?" Bertholdt started, squinting ahead at the figure ahead. Realising who he had seen, he snapped his head around to Reiner's Titan with hopeful eyes. "Reiner! They're here!"
As Reiner brought both Bertholdt and a resting, de-transformed Ymir over to the Titan on all fours with what seemed like two humans on top – his speed increased with his thrill. To the two young boys' knowledge, Zeke was patiently waiting for them to return and finally go home. And when they could clearly see him, Bertholdt couldn't contain his excitement, his face plastered in happiness and relief. Most importantly, they gained the most important force they needed to obtain Eren: Zeke.
"My boys...!" Kira muttered, as she started to scale down the Cart Titan and onto the barren soil of the destroyed and rotting Shiganshina District. The last time Kira had seen Reiner and Bertholdt was when they were around 12 years old, so seeing them so big was like watching two little brothers grow up. Even if she only spoke to them one time and only for a brief moment. She owed them a lot for when they first met.
"Is that Kira?! Reiner, it's Kira!" Bertholdt exclaimed, causing Reiner to halt and his upper body emerged from the nape of his Titan.
"What...?!" Reiner questioned, controlling his Titan's hands to crouch and place Bertholdt and Ymir down. After doing so, Reiner took his chance to get out, jumping down and landing onto the remaining stone pathing of the ghost district. "As in Kira – the one we saved – Kira?!"
"Mhm!" Bertholdt confirmed.
"So I was right about the monkey." Ymir quietly rejoiced, which didn't receive any answer back from either of the two boys who were transporting her. "I didn't know you had an entire team here to save your asses."
"You're so big now...!" Kira exclaimed, grabbing Reiner by the shoulders, looking up towards him. After earning a bashful response from Reiner, her eyes peeled onto Bertholdt, gaping at the sight she saw, moving towards the taller boy, she craned her neck upwards. Already knowing where this conversation was heading, Bertholdt sheepishly scratched the back of his neck with a smile, "Jeez, Bertholdt, you're so tall! What did they feed you?!"
"It's just genetics, hah...!" Bertholdt replied, with a slight laugh at Kira's deserving reaction. "But how have you been?"
"I've been well. I really owe it to you four for everything." Kira joked, in which Pieck shook her head to. "Had to deal with these two though."
"More like dealing with him." Pieck's Titan started to speak, which surprised Ymir, who watched the reunion. While her presence hadn't been acknowledged by the three in front of her, Ymir could feel their gazes pried onto her and watched her every move.
"It's been long, you two." Zeke said, ignoring the two girls' sneaky remarks, taking his time to climb down from Pieck's Titan. "A bit too long. So, is there any update on this mission?"
"While we didn't get the Coordinate... We've figured out who it is." Reiner stated, pointing towards the girl who was standing by Bertholdt. The trio who listened all had their faces distorted at the information Reiner was explaining. "We also found the person who ate Marcel, Ymir, here, has the Jaw Titan."
'Marcel got eaten? By her...?!' Kira's thoughts spiralled at the predicament. The person she was most excited to see was gone. The one who got her to safety was dead.
"Ymir, huh?" Kira raised her eyebrows, fixating her eyes onto the taller girl, "So, what is she doing here?"
"She's—"
"I've agreed to help these two." Ymir interrupted Reiner, hoping to bring their guards down a little. "And I already know what's gonna happen to me so there's no need to speak all cryptic."
"Right, good to know." Zeke nodded, before refocusing back on the two younger boys, "And Annie? I didn't see her with you."
"She got captured..." Bertholdt said, disappointed. "From what we were told... She's being tortured back there."
'Annie getting tortured...?' Zeke thought, as his eyebrows locked together at the absurd thought. There was no conceivable way someone of her calibre would be put through such a thing. She had the Female Titan's power after all – one nick and she would obliterate them.
"You heard she was being tortured?" Zeke emphasised his wording, staring down Bertholdt. The boy was terrified at the older Warrior's tone. Even he thought what he said was stupid by the way Zeke spoke. But Bertholdt merely nodded, more worried about the consequences from Zeke than Marley.
There was a slight collective sigh between the three older Warriors, who were caught up on the team and the mission dissolved to what it was now. It was the expected reaction from Reiner and Bertholdt, they even expected worse. But with every sacrifice they had, any current solution was enough to cover for it.
"It's getting late." Pieck stated, her Titan tilting her head towards the descending sun. "Should we head for the boat or set up camp here?"
"Let's set up camp." Zeke decided, looking towards the sunset, "Then we can head for the boat in the morning."
Routinely, the four Warriors headed for the storage compartment set on the back of Cart Titan, taking out the equipment Kira and Zeke used for previous nights. While it was mostly just pots, packaged food and a couple sleeping bags, it was enough for them to have something to eat for the night. While Kira set up a small campfire with as much fuel as she could find, Ymir settled down on the grass, watching the three boys catch up.
"What are you planning on now?" Kira asked, placing the pot full of water above the roaring campfire flame, bringing it to a boil.
"Now that we have Ymir, she's willing to be fed to Porco." Bertholdt explained, glancing towards Reiner and back towards Kira, "And we were planning on saving Annie..."
"Saving Annie?" Zeke asked, raising an eyebrow at both of the boys, "Didn't you say you knew who the Coordinate was?"
"We do, but no matter how much we try to convince him, he won't budge." Reiner rebutted, which earned a disapproving shake of his head from Zeke, "We've done everything we can to get him to follow us. But the Survey Corps just won't give up..."
"How do you expect to save Annie anyways? If she is being tortured." Zeke questioned, which put both of them under the fire. The silence that brewed after Zeke's interrogation had said more than what had come from the pair's mouth. They didn't know how to save her, despite knowing where she was being kept. They knew news about them would have probably spread like wildfire and there was no chance they could go back into Walls. There was no chance of saving Annie. "That's what I thought. Let's stay here and get the Coordinate."
"But if we get Annie, we'll be more prepared...!" Reiner retorted.
"Annie is out of the equation now." Zeke rebutted, but as Reiner was about to make another suggestion, Zeke already interrupted him, "And we cannot get more reinforcements. Could you imagine what Magath would say when he heard we lost the Female Titan? Could you imagine what the other nations would think knowing Marley is already down a Titan? If we don't get the Coordinate, Marley will be at risk."
"Zeke... I want to get Annie back first." Reiner said, standing up as he refused. Zeke, who stared at him, frowning, did the same.
"Then let's settle this."
"Kira." Pieck called out. Her Titan stood up, wandering towards Kira, who dropped all the things she was holding, moving towards Ymir.
"This is going to be quick." Kira said, grabbing Ymir by the arm and pulling her towards the Cart Titan.
"Hey...! What's this about?" Ymir retorted, snatching her arm back.
"You'll see. Now get on." Kira demanded, holding her hand out to help Ymir get on. While she was a little hesitant to follow Kira, the gaze on her eyes worried her more. So, she accepted it, climbing onto the Cart Titan. Bertholdt began running a couple of metres away, before being grabbed on the collar by Kira.
"Wha— Kira!" He exclaimed, looking up at the girl who swooped him onto the Cart Titan. As he sat next to her, he sheepishly smiled, "Thanks..."
"If I win, we do what I say." Zeke suggested, brushing off the dirt from his legs as he walked away from the two. "If you win, we go forward with your 'plan'."
"Deal." Reiner said, sheathing the knife out of his holster, cutting a slit into his left palm. He let the blood trickle down and a surge of light appeared, transforming into the Armoured Titan. On the other side, Zeke did the same, transforming into his large Beast Titan.
With his long arms, Zeke reached for a building that was covered in rubble from the broken wall. With the rubble, he crushed it into smaller pieces as he readied his arm for a throw. Reiner on the opposite side started to run, using his speed to try and get there before his swing. As Zeke let go of his projectile rocks, Reiner started to dodge the first wave of rocks, bricks and wood that flew in his direction. However, a slightly larger piece had struck his shoulder, throwing him off his path a little. But it didn't affect him too much. As he ran, he drew his left arm back, ready to punch Zeke right in the face. But as he put as much force into his punch, Zeke merely dodged out of the way. Even when Zeke parried out the way, Reiner shifted his weight and tackled towards him.
As he wrapped around the torso, Zeke pushed back just as much, shoving him back. With Reiner putting himself into a position as a rugby scrum, his head positioned under Zeke's right side, Zeke used his left arm and clawed into the armour around the left side of his face. With his right hand digging deep into the shoulder armour, pushing his body ever so slightly. With as much power as he would usually use to throw his deadly projectiles, he pulled his face armour out and pulled his body forward simultaneously. As he ripped off the armour of his face, Reiner stumbled backwards, his body feeling groggy. After shaking off the hardened armour, Zeke took his right hand punching the Titan, causing him to fall. While he prepared to see Reiner get back up. But seeing the armour that protected his nape start to crackle, he shook his head.
Over the other side, Pieck, Kira, Ymir and Bertholdt watched intently, anticipating who would win the bet. While they knew Reiner wouldn't be able to defeat Zeke, Bertholdt hoped he would. He didn't like the idea of leaving Annie behind.
"REINER!" Bertholdt yelled, jumping off the Cart Titan, running towards the collapsed Armoured Titan. Climbing up the back of its head, Reiner had released himself from the nape, sending out heaps of steam that caught Bertholdt off-guard. Carefully pulling him out, Zeke crouched down, looking down at the foolish young Warriors below him.
"I won. You boys can save Annie later." He stated, hoping to reason with the two who just wanted to head back with all of their comrades, "Don't you think that retrieving the Coordinate should be our top priority."
Releasing himself from his own Titan's nape, Zeke walked onto his Titan's shoulders, giving his glasses a good clean with a cloth he had in the back of his cargo pocket. "And all we have to do is wait here for them to come to us." He reasoned, placing his glances back on, sighing once again at Reiner and Bertholdt, "Pieck and I will stay with you two. Kira will take Ymir back to Marley, agreed?"
"Agreed..." They both muttered.
As Zeke walked down the arm of his Titan and down back onto the ground, he paced back to their small camp. "Let's rest up and head back to the ship tomorrow."
• • • • •
Back on the ship, Kira handed all the materials she had taken for the mission. Helping Pieck walk down the stairs of the ship, she took her to her assigned room to get her to rest. Especially now that she was possibly needed for the next fight against the Island. With her room being next to Pieck's, she changed out of her normal clothes and put on the Warrior uniform, now that her part of the mission was over. The weight of the white uniform was slightly relieving. But as she stared and ran her fingers at some of the marks from the harness, she would be lying if she didn't miss the feeling of the leather and the heaviness of the blade storages by her side.
After getting changed, she finally opened the metal door into the hallway. As she was going to be the one to look after Ymir, she walked past the other rooms to get back to the upper deck. But before she could move to the stairs, she paused just outside of Zeke's room. 'He's been in there for hours... What did Reiner say?' She thought, remembering the meeting they had that morning.
"Zeke...!" Kira called out, knocking on the metal door. Hearing no call back, she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, "Hey, Zeke? You okay?"
Again, no response. 'He usually answers right away...' She thought, as she knocked on the door again. "Zeke, I'm coming in!" She announced, but even before she could even open the door, the door had already swung open, revealing the man she was calling out to. His eyes were slightly sunken, vacantly staring back at her. Kira hadn't seen his face without his glasses for a while. It was a little surprising, but that meant something else to her.
"What happened?!" Kira carefully asked, as Zeke sat back down onto the bed. He dug his head into his hands, crinkling his eyes and knotting his eyebrows together, he was back into the position he was in as he ignored Kira's calls. Following in, Kira shut the door behind her, sitting beside him. Inching towards his back, she rubbed his back gently.
"Eren is my half-brother..." Zeke revealed.
From concern to confusion, Kira's mouth dropped, gawking at the information he just said, "Eren, as in Eren that I found?!"
"Mhm... He's the Coordinate as well." He continued.
"What?!" Kira exclaimed, her mouth falling open. 'The boy I helped transform had the Founding Titan?!' She thought, shaking her head, "I thought he only had the Attack..."
"I thought so too. But it turns out we didn't have all the information." Zeke said, as he finally brought his head up, darting his sorrowful look towards Kira. Grabbing her by the arms, he was trembling, "But my father lived! He got onto the Island and brainwashed Eren! We need to save him!"
"Zeke, calm down." Kira said, brushing both his hands off, bringing them into her own hands, squeezing them tightly, "You'll get him back when they come back to Shiganshina. Judging by what I remember, he doesn't even know how to use any other abilities or the Founder's ability, you will get your brother back, okay? We'll get him back."
"Right... There's no need to panic." Zeke shook off, letting go of Kira's hands to put his glasses back on. "As long as we get him, we'll get what we want."
"We will." Kira confirmed, with a firm nod. "Anyways, I head back tomorrow, so good luck."
"When I come home, tell me what happens."
"You got it, Chief."
• • • • •
"So, who're you?" Ymir spoke up, staring at the lady who was dressed in the same uniform she saw the other soldiers in. Receiving no reply from the lady staring at her, she continued with a scoff, "Not much of a talker, huh? Well, I assume you're a part of wherever those two idiots are from. Are you another Titan Shifter?"
"No. Stay quiet." Kira only said, staring at the freckled girl with no intention of continuing the conversation.
"Jeez, what a downer." Ymir continued, sighing and shifting her attention to the circular window behind her. As the island's coast slowly grew smaller, Ymir closed her eyes and turned back towards the woman opposite her. It was obvious to Kira that she had succumbed to her fate. And it was obvious she didn't want to. But she kept talking like she was just going on some small trip for a little while. "Don't act like I don't know what's going to happen to me... I know what's gonna happen. So, I might as well talk the rest of my life away."
Her words resonated with Kira more than it should have. Despite knowing that she had eaten Marcel, she knew it wasn't her choice – she didn't choose to become the Jaw Titan. Being able to sacrifice herself so shamelessly, she felt bad Ymir had to come to this end.
"I don't need your pity either." Ymir suddenly said, as if she could read Kira's mind. Rather, it was Ymir looking at Kira's expressive expression. But just like her, Kira could read the expression of longing very well. She had that expression for a long time.
As Ymir looked out the small window again, Kira dared to ask a question instead, "Do you have someone waiting for you?"
"That's none of your business." Ymir quietly snapped back, shifting back to face the other soldier, crossing her arms with a pout.
"I thought you'd like to talk your life away?" Kira poked at, knowing full well it would solicit a reaction.
Scoffing at Kira, she relaxed and leaned back against the cold steel, "I do."
"She must be very special to you..." Kira said, which caught Ymir's attention in that second, "Well... From what Reiner said, you wrote a very compelling letter."
"Ugh, that meathead can't even keep his mouth shut..." Ymir hissed to herself, once again assuming her closed off, arms crossed position. "But she is very special to me. And Reiner better send her that letter, or I'll kill him."
"I can make sure he sends it, if you want?" Kira suggested, knowing Reiner wouldn't break a promise, but was weary about his status being within the Walls. She was used to infiltrating the walls and disguising herself.
"If it means Historia gets the letter, then do whatever you want." Ymir shrugged. It was no longer in her hands, so she has to at least entrust someone with it. "But he owes me a favour anyways."
While the conversation on Historia's letter naturally stopped, the silence left Ymir to brew a question that she nearly forgot. Examining the soldier opposite her, she sat with her legs and arms crossed, staring her hazel-green eyes at the latter in front of her. What threw her off was the ODM gear that was nestled to Kira's left, along with neatly folded uniform to her right. It didn't seem right. It was possible that the warriors probably provided her with uniform and gear. Though the possibility of there being a spare tailored uniform that she could wear was low. But Ymir didn't know how long they had been on the Island for, so she couldn't assume many things. But curiosity got to her.
"Where'd you get the gear from?" Ymir asked, obviously hinting towards the objects that took up the bench Kira was sitting on. "Did those two get them for you?"
"They're mine." Kira truthfully said, leaving it at that.
'Hers?' Ymir thought, eyeing up the items again and smirking at her new absurd thought, "What? Are you saying that you're from the Walls?"
When hearing no verbal response and just a shrug, Ymir gawked at the fact she was probably right. Someone who survived outside the Walls was unheard of, and she barely survived outside because she was a Titan. It was impossible for a mere human to survive, so her absurd thought stayed an absurd thought. But, for Ymir, it didn't hurt for her to suggest it.
"You're from this Island, aren't you?" Ymir questioned, and ultimately assumed, knowing that she probably won't get an answer out of her captor.
Kira's eyes were dead set on Ymir, thinking it through whether to answer her or not. But knowing she won't have long left to live; Kira didn't mind Ymir knowing. Either way, her 'secret identity' wouldn't be revealed when Porco inherits the Jaw Titan – Porco was one of the first to hear about Kira. Focusing back on Ymir, she slightly nodded, "Is there a problem with that?"
"No..." Ymir stammered. In her mind, her jaw had fallen down the entire ocean as she could barely handle the thought that she had met someone who survived outside the Walls. Someone who is just a mere human without any Titan powers to protect them – just ODM gear a lot of luck. "Just surprising. That's all."
"This world is full of many surprises." Kira bluntly said.
"It is..."
As the ride to Marley was basked in silence, Ymir had tried to envision what Kira must have gone through to even end up across the ocean on Marley. It wasn't like she could build a boat or anything useful for such a journey across water. Her curiosity started to roam free as the ride continued.
"Wait..." Kira started, which interrupted Ymir's train of thought. "You ate Marcel, didn't you? So, you saw me in your memories, right?"
"Memories? The last thing I remembered after eating the kid was my life before." Ymir explained. "Reiner asked me the same thing, but I have no memories from this Marcel."
"I see." She accepted, slightly distraught on what she heard. Kira owed Marcel her life. But to find out that he died just after he got her out, he hoped the one that ate him had some sort of memory from Marcel. What happened to the boy was unfortunate.
'I really wanted to talk him...'