"We've been through some crazy times, haven't we?" Eren asked his oldest friend. And indeed they had. From the easy going playful days of youth to the heart wrenching days of loss and even the dreadful times of killing titans, life had't been very kind to these two. They had been through it all, seeing as the two had always been there for each other. Even so it had taken the shorter blonde a long time to realize that he had been important to his two friends.

"I can remember when we were little and thought we knew the world outside the walls," he said, taking a deep breath and looking to the open horizon. It was beautiful, unlike anything the two could've imagined back then. All that open water, spreading miles upon miles out, was shimmering in the fading light of day.

Eren laughed, watching a seagull fly ahead. "We were so stupid back then," he said recalling all the outlandish things the two of them talked about. After all this time they had been able to see quite a lot of it, but this was the first time they'd actually been to the ocean shore. "But I guess passion bought out any sense we had," he said, pausing to watch the waves crash in on themselves.

The wind was soft, blowing the scent of salt water against Eren's face. He smiled softly, still remembering the days of their youth. This was a nice space to fondly think about those days, even if not all things in their past were so great. Regardless, it was nice to just watch the vanishing horizon as the sun began to go down.

He shook his head, laughing about their simple childhood days before Bertholdt and Reiner's plans had gone through. To think that such an easy going day had turned into such a nightmare caused by those two was still difficult. Those calm and happy times where the fear of titans was just a rumor between the three friends, a way to tell people to get back to work, were now nothing to either of them.

"We may have been passionate, but everybody else thought we were just idiots," he said, the small waves hitting his knees. "I guess they just accepted life as caged animals before they were even born," he said, gritting his teeth. "But you and I never did. Even though they called us names and tried to beat us up we never strayed from our goals... and here we are."

The sun was at the end of the horizon, cascading a deep orange across the sky as it began to go further down. Bright pinks and deep reds blended in, making the sky more beautiful than any painting could have made it. The contrast of the sun's light and the bright aqua of the water was more than they could have ever hoped for. It was so much more than that, though. It seemed to embody the spirit of their endeavors they had faced till then. The pain and beauty colliding as the sun hid itself from the world.

"Life changes so quickly..." the words were simple, yet the meaning deep. He scratched his neck, thinking over everything he wanted to say. "I knew that before all of this became a reality..." he paused, trying to hold himself together. "But when the wall was broken it became so much more obvious." Eren bit his lip, needing to stay strong for just a little longer. He couldn't break... not like this... not just yet.

"And watching so many friends and comrades die... it never got better," Eren explained, feeling his heart begin to ache a little. He corrected his posture, standing as tall as he could, hoping it would help him get through what he had to.

"You know I never would've gotten through it without you?" he asks, looking at the sand below his feet.

Armin didn't respond, and Eren didn't really expect him to. If Armin could have responded maybe he would've said something to calm Eren. Something like, "Same goes for you, Eren", or maybe, "I'm glad you could me there for me, too!", or maybe even, "I need you, Eren".

But Eren knew he couldn't say anything now and it was selfish to question him like he could. He took a deep breath and watched the sun continue to fall over the horizon, the wild and fiery landscape changing with each second. This whole situation was difficult, but at least he could clear his mind by just watching the waters.

"Ever since what happened I've been reading history books about how people used to live before the titans," he said, gripping the round item in his hands and looking out. "I thought maybe I'd be able to find something that would make you happy, even like this," he explained, smiling lightly as he spoke. "And I started reading about old burial techniques that our ancestors would use to bury those closest to them.

"You see, when a soldier dies we would normally just burn them all together to make sure no contamination would spread from the titans," he began. "But back then they would burn each body separately and give them to the families to do with them as they please. Sometimes they would put them in some case and keep it, and sometimes they would bury them," his body began to shake a little, overcome with some sort of sorrow he hadn't felt in a long time.

"And... and then I found out that some people would send the ashes off to sea," he said, clutching the urn in his hands. "A-and we promised we'd get to see it together, but we never did." With tears forming in his eyes he was desperately trying to not cry just yet. "Mikasa and I thought it was a good idea when I told her about it..."

He moved his hand to the cover on the small pot, removing it and dropping it into the water. It splashed water onto his legs, above where he had rolled up his pants. Even so he couldn't bring himself to care at the moment, letting himself stare for a long while into the urn and its contents.

Reaching in, he took off the small patch on top of his friend's ashes. It was the scouting legion patch that had been on the shoulder of his jacket, one that symbolized his dedication to both his friends and the world outside of the walls. Eren bit his lip, desperately trying to finish what he was doing. He lifted the patch out and turned it in his hands, observing the stitches and design. He tucked it into his pocket, wanting at least something to always remember his best friend with.

"Armin..." he said, looking into the small urn in his hands. "You are and will always be my best friend..." He feels tears begin to roll down his cheeks, making this the first time he had really cried since the death of his mother. Turning his head away he continues saying, "T-thank you for sticking with me through thick and thin... and I hope to meet you again someday."

With those final kind words he took the urn and threw the ashes into the air. The wind that had been so soft before carried them out along the horizon, leaving Eren to stand there. This was the first time he had truly felt alone in the world, and it hit him hard.

He placed the urn down in the water next to the cover, and brought himself into a tall posture. Holding in his tears for a moment he puffed up his chest, throat clenching and holding in a sob. He placed his right hand over his heart, fist in the perfect position, and did the same with his left on his back. His salute was strong, a near copy of the exact way that Armin had saluted to save him back then.

And so he stood there, unable to bring himself to move. The sun had now fallen below the end of the ocean, the sky beginning to turn a light purple as night began to descend. And Eren saluted there alone, the water at his feet beginning to turn cold.

Finally moving, he grabbed the urn and its cover from below the surface and put it back together. He had to make it back to HQ before anybody really noticed he had left. Not that anyone would care, seeing as they knew about his friendship with the now gone Armin. They knew Eren would be a bit absent for a while, both emotionally and physically (even more so than usual).

He turned, carrying the empty urn as he walked back to the shore. He put his boots back on there, not caring about the sand sticking to the bottom of his feet. Exhaustion had finally gotten to him as he looked back, the stars twinkling in the night about the darkening waters.

A smile brought itself to his face, clipping the urn onto the saddle of the horse he had taken here. Something inside him seemed at peace.

He wondered if Armin felt it too.