Author's Note: So today is Independence Day here in The Bahamas! I always release something on holidays even if it's just a local holiday so here's what I present to you! This is based on the song Home Again – Blackmore's Night, which I think is a pretty appropriate occasion (for the most part anyway).
~Home Again~
"It's... open." Bertholdt stood with his mouth agape, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of his stomach as he stared up at the imposing sight of the wall. He swallowed what felt like venom as it burned and dried his throat at the same time, oozing down painfully.
"Well it's not like they have the Titans to worry about anymore." Reiner commented somewhat dismally, trying with all his might not to swallow the poison sitting at the back of his throat. "As it is now, we're not even a threat to them anymore."
Reiner stepped towards the gate but when he felt a slight, barely detectable tug at his arm, he stopped.
"We can't." Bertholdt's voice cracked quietly. His head was low, his free hand fighting to do the job his eyes couldn't and keep the bitter, unwelcomed tears at bay. Salty drops fell onto the beaten leather of his boots, soaking through the scuffed material. He was choking on his own words. "We don't have the right to. If they see us, they'll... they'll-"
"They'll kill us on the spot?" Ymir spoke from her seat on the ground. By the whimper that escaped Bert's throat, she finished his sentence well.
Reiner turned towards her angrily. "Ymir! That line of thinking is-"
"You were fucking thinking it too!" Ymir barked. Reiner snarled but he didn't say a word. It was true, but he didn't want to admit it.
"Then what do you suppose we do then? Go back and hide? I'm tired of living like a fucking fugitive!"
"You think it's been a tea party for me!? We just shouldn't be deluding ourselves with any shit!"
"Guys... not now..." Bertholdt's weak voice rang between their arguing.
The two scoffed at each other but they both bit back their comments, for Bert's sake. In addition to all the shit they've all had to put up with since their failed abduction of Eren and grand escape from the scouts, Bertholdt has had to deal with Reiner and Ymir's constant bickering. It usually ended in violent clashes that the poor boy had the unfortunate duty of stopping. With every fight he broke up, another crack would show in his demeanor until eventually he began breaking down. Seeing the boy fall apart, the two tried their hardest not to get down the other's throat, but that usually ended up in failure.
Ymir rose from her spot and stood to her full height, dusting her torn-up pants and knocking off old clumps of dried mud in the process. "Whatever they throw at us let's just face it, I'd rather die than go back into hiding."
Reiner sounded an approving grunt while Bertholdt nodded, sniffing back the tears in determination.
They walked almost shoulder to shoulder, taking unsteady steps closer to the gate until they crossed under its stone archway. They had half expected to run into soldiers but apparently with the greatest threat to humanity having already been destroyed and the shifters suppressed, the humans obviously felt no need to worry.
Still, every step into town was harder than the last. The eerie quiet of the streets and the lack of human life would have been normal a year ago, but one would expect that a recently victorious nation would see no rest, even in the night. There was still a heavy feeling of hopelessness stagnated in the air, and a spirit of mourning continued to hang over every household. The buildings still completely intact could be counted on both hands easily. A few men and women laid against piles of rubble, looking in worse condition than the shifters, some obviously having lost their minds in addition to everything else taken during the struggle for humanity.
Bertholdt sank back wordlessly, one of the homeless men engaging him in an intense staring contest, the anger, hurt, fear, vengefulness, everything, clearly swirling in the man's eyes. It was not directed at Bertholdt specifically, it was obviously something he practiced at anyone that passed by, considering that he attempted to lock Reiner and Ymir into the same gaze, but the two ignored him.
"Ignore him Bert." Reiner ripped the boy's attention from the pitiable man.
Suddenly something dashed past the three in a gust of energetic wind. Five children ran giddily down the path in front of them, disappearing around the only lit corner in the dark town. The shifters had no clue of where they were heading, but they followed the hauntingly playful giggles that beckoned them toward the light.
As they approached the corner, a faint hum filled the glum atmosphere, like a melody being plucked on strings. People littered the fronts of shops and homes, drinking and cheering as the music came to life with tambourines and other instruments. The melody was wafting out of the only building in town with lights on, a small pub that was drawing people in like moths to a flame. There were crowds, very little compared to the actual population of the town, but still enough to make Ymir, Reiner, and Bertholdt lose each other when a sudden surge of human bodies swept them away in a sea of energy, separating the three and blending them into the midst of celebration.
Ymir and Reiner were somehow able to regroup at the doorway of the building but despite his height, Bertholdt was nowhere to be spotted.
The pub was bright. It took some time for their eyes to adjust to the sudden assault of light. The building looked like a star sitting in the middle of an empty night sky.
Inside was a fusion of celebrating. Mugs clashed against everything like a drunken rhythm. Laughter as well as arguing filled the room. Fights could be seen in just about every corner as intoxicated men tested their strength against each other or simply allowed their fists to fly.
At the center of all the confusion stood a small wooden stage, a group of musicians playing lowly as a young brunette girl made her way to the middle of platform. She wore a long elaborate dress that was colored with dull reds and yellows. It wasn't showy but it was no doubt beautiful and matched the girl well, down to her voice as she began to sing the words to the somber verse.
I've been many places, I've traveled round the world
Always on the search for something new.
But what does it matter, when all the roads I've crossed
Always seem to lead back to you?
Reiner and Ymir looked at each other, both sharing the same shocked expression on their face. They struggled to see the girl that carried such a familiar voice but it was hard to move among the bodies surrounding them. Soon their suspicions were confirmed when a whistle came from nearby. "You got this Sasha!"
Ymir's head snapped to her left. Not too far away from her, Connie sat at a table, banging and whistling cheers to his friend on the stage. Sasha's lips pulled up to a smile as she entered into the bridge, the drums creeping up behind her voice with the other instruments not too far behind.
Old familiar faces, everyone you meet
Following the ways of the land.
Cobblestones and lanterns lining every street
Calling me to come home again!
As she hit the chorus, the group behind her livened and the whole pub seemed to shuffle about around her. People launched from their chairs, most singing along, while others flew onto the dance floor. In the shuffling, the shifters found themselves being separated again.
Despite his mass, Reiner found himself being tossed about in the crowd like a rag doll. Alcohol was spilled on him, he had been tossed to the floor twice, and there was a pattern of people stepping on his toes. He suffered through all of it until he was eventually tossed to side, or at least pulled, and found himself seated at a table, a mug of beer being slammed onto the wood in front of him.
Inspecting the drink, he didn't bother looking around him until someone else joined him at the table, sitting right across from him, emerald eyes staring him down intently.
"Eren." Reiner breathed. He suspected that they'd run into each other eventually, he accepted that even before entering the gate, but Reiner didn't expect to be sitting face-to-face with the boy so soon. He was at a loss of what to say. "Eren, I... We-"
He was cut off mid-sentence when an entire mug of alcohol was poured over his head, drenching him in its foul stench. Thankfully he had closed his eyes in time to only feel a mild burning sensation. Looking up, he was met with a huge grin from Connie, Jean towering just over the boy's shoulder, an empty mug revealing the taller soldier to be the culprit.
Just as he opened his mouth, another alcohol shower covered him, Connie grabbing the mug that was set in front of Reiner from the table and emptying its contents all over the blond. Then, without giving him any reaction time, Eren doused him with water, a playful smirk tugging at the boy's lips.
Reiner didn't know what else to do, but when his former squadmates erupted in laughter, for some reason he ended up joining them.
In the background, Sasha's voice mellowed into the same somber tone it had for the first verse. Somehow it seemed that the tone of Sasha's voice controlled the movement of the crowd, everything simmering down as the music slowed.
Bertholdt tried his hardest to claw away from the crowd, but by the time he was able to free himself, he was in an alley, tucked away and hidden from any source of light. Even the moonlight was barely able to wash over the forgotten area. As the tall black-haired boy struggled to see anything in front of him, a shadow that crossed the alley caught his eye. It was a short figure and went by barely noticed. The person wasn't like everyone else and was moving away from the crowd and into the seclusion of the darkness.
For some reason, Berholdt found himself following the mysterious figure out of the alley and back into the darkness of the town, getting further and further away from the music and the guiding light of the pub. He tried to catch up, but the person's steps were quick but fluid. They avoided even the greatest obstructions with ease and made light of sharp turns. To Bertholdt, it looked almost like dancing.
He followed the figure to a dim light source, a flickering light like a candle sitting on the curb of the street. The person looked down at it for awhile, Bertholdt able to make out the fact that they were wearing a white hoodie over their head.
He approached the person cautiously, trying not to allow his judgement to be clouded. The height, the hoodie, even down to the way that they moved! But... it couldn't possibl-
Bertholdt's eyes doubled in size and his mouth dropped open as small hands tugged down the white hood, revealing a nest of blond hair pulled into a messy bun. He quickened his pace subconciously, the sound of his steps alerting the person of his presence. They turned their head, allowing a pair of icy blue eyes to set on him, a quick second of noticeable surprise flashing across them before returning to their usual mystery.
He approached the person before him wordlessly, unable to form a single thought in his head.
"Bertholdt?" her quiet voice snapped him out of whatever trance he was in.
"Yo-you're alive." It was more like he was trying to convince himself more than anything. Bertholdt reached out, half-expecting his hand to go straight through her and reveal this as the dream he thought it could only be. When his hand rested atop the soft blond hair and he felt the warmth beneath it, he nearly broke down. "Annie you're alive... You're okay."
She grabbed his hand and moved it off her head, placing it back to his side. "So are you.", she responded, pushing a blond strand behind her ear.
Before she realized what was happening, Annie felt herself being enveloped in warmth. Bertholdt's arms wrapped around her easily as he rested his face in her hair. In a matter of moments, he succumbed to fits of shivering, allowing himself to sob on her scalp.
"You're still as emotional as always." she breathed against his torso, bringing up her hands to grab onto the fabric on his back.
Meanwhile in the pub, the crowd was joining in cheerfully to another chorus of the song Sasha was performing. The men's voices roared as they sang the refrain "Oh it's good to be back home again!"
Sasha was enjoying herself on stage, spinning and dancing, feeding off the energy the audience was giving off.
Ymir had finally caught an understanding of the flow of the bodies around her and was making her way around the room in hopes of once again regrouping with Reiner. As much as she hated him, she felt slightly anxious moving around this place on her own. Somehow she found herself standing near the foot of the stage, an area she was hoping to avoid because of all the attention.
At one point, Ymir could have sworn Sasha spotted her, and may have even flashed a wink, but she quickly shook the idea from her head. If she had been spotted, this place would have definitely shut down and she would have been apprehended immediately or something. Whatever was to happen, it was not going to be positive.
Still, she marveled at the brunette on stage. Sasha was showing off her vocals well, despite the fact that right now she wasn't singing any words, only "ah's".
When she broke for the instrumental, Sasha bounced over to the front of the stage and leaned into the crowd in front of her. Just as Ymir tried to catch sight of what the girl was doing, Sasha came back up, pulling an anxious girl up on stage with her, the blonde almost tripping on the stage.
Ymir couldn't get her mouth to close as she stared up at the newest edition to the stage. Blonde hair was tied loosely by a green ribbon made of the same material as her long green and white dress. Historia was nervous, without a doubt.
Sasha smiled at the girl,then turned back toward the crowd, bringing the song back in.
La la la la la la,
La la la la la
Oh it's good to be back home again
The brunette then tapped the shorter girl's shoulder and stepped back, handing over the full attention of the audience. Historia swallowed. The next verse was hers. The crowds screams and cheers died down, everyone curious to hear her voice.
And when I got weary, I'd sit awhile and rest
Memories invading my mind.
All those things I treasured, the ones I loved the best
Were the things that I left behind.
Ymir felt like right now, someone was strumming some strings inside her the same way that the musician on stage was playing his instrument. The words struck a sour chord in her head. She left something very important to her behind.
As she got into the bridge, the crowd gave Historia the same kind of energy they were feeding Sasha. It served well to calm her nerves as she cracked a smile, unaware of Ymir's burning gaze. By the time she was in the chorus, she was almost, if not just as bubbly as Sasha was as the brunette joined her, singing.
Dancing in the moonlight,
Singing in the rain,
Oh it's good to be back home again!
Laughing in the sunlight,
Running down the lane,
Oh it's good to be back home again!
In all her excitement, Historia scanned over the crowds around her, a rare opportunity to see over the heads around her. Her eyes soon rested on a familiar head of messy brunette hair and she had forgotten she was on stage. Historia stepped slowly toward the steps on the side of the stage, stopping just at the edge of the top step.
Ymir may have been staring, but it took her a few seconds to realize that not only had she been spotted by the blonde and that the girl had also moved toward her. After a few more seconds, Ymir realized that she had somehow closed the small distance between herself and the steps while she was entranced.
Now the two stood barely a yard apart. Sasha kept the audience's attention continuing on the song, alothough she was also watching the reunion between the duo. When she realized that both girls were practically frozen in their place, Sasha gave Historia a shove in the right direction, literally.
Historia couldn't catch her footing and ended up tripping, an action that caused an immediate response in Ymir, reacting fast enough to catch the girl before she got hurt.
Ymir could barely hear Historia's thanks over the singing and cheering and decided that this was definitely not the most ideal place for them right now. Holding the shorter girl's hand, Ymir thought this was the best way for them to weave their way through the crowd, having already lost Reiner among these people.
She made her way over to one of the few less crowded areas in the pub, a corner that was barely receiving any light. It was perfect! Or so Ymir thought...
Dragging Historia all the way over there, it hadn't even occurred to her that maybe the blonde could be upset with her, angry at her, disappointed in her, in some way hurt by Ymir's actions on that day. It was only after she looked into those deep blue eyes of hers and lost any idea of what to say, if she ever had any. Historia's expression baffled her, it was absolutely unreadable.
Clumsily, Ymir attempted to explain herself. "Historia, I know I shouldn't be here... I have no right being here. After abandoning... well, humanity... and now that humanity's wo-"
The freckled brunette was silenced by Historia's lips pressing against her own, a slick tongue gliding over Ymir's bottom lip demanding entry, a demand that was readily met. In the background, the song concluded, the audience roaring and clapping as Sasha took her bow. For Ymir and Historia, it felt like the monstrous applause was for them, even though they knew better. It wasn't until the cheers and whistles died down that Ymir and Historia pulled away from each other.
Historia had a slightly smug expression on her face as she snaked her arms around Ymir's waist, never once breaking eye-contact. "It's about time you came home."
Ymir looked at the blonde in a daze as Historia grabbed her hand and dragged her back into the crowds, meeting Sasha near the stage. Sasha guided the two to a table where what was left of squad 104 sat, the guys already having got Reiner as drunk as they were. Ymir wasted no time in reaching the same stupor as the guys, despite all Historia's protest. Reiner was arm-wrestling Eren, Jean laying on the floor attempting to recover from when Reiner threw him over after nearly breaking his arm. Not too long after, a tall head of black-hair made its way through the pub door and Bertholdt found his way over to the group, Annie trailing not too far behind.
Ymir was treated with the same booze-baptism they gave Reiner, but the boys only used half a mug on Bertholdt and they opted not to try it at all with Annie. Even in their drunken state, they had some sense.
Somehow, the shifters became part of the celebrating crowd, the same as they used to be when they were all still trainees. This was home, no doubt about it, and there was nowhere else they'd rather be. It really is good to be back home again.
Author's Note: Couldn't get this idea out my head, glad I got this over with. Now to get back to work on my main story!