- Prologue -

It hurt.

It hurt so much more than any physical injury you had received in your life thus far.

The tears felt like acid as they streamed down your face. Your body felt cold, as if all the heat in the world had evaporated along with hot blood around you.

You stood there, staring at the man you cared for more than any other. The man who gave you hope, you would smile at you and tell you it would all be okay. The man who told you it was okay to dream. The only good thing left in this pitiful world.

You couldn't feel the sun as it beat down on the streets around you, as if all the nerves in your skin had gone numb. Slowly your feet took a step forward as you crouched your body to get closer to his. You remembered all the times he bent down to meet your eyes in the same way. Would he pout and turn his face away from yours as you had done to him so many times before?

Of course there was no way he would.

"Hey, Marco... When you said it'd be okay, did you really believe it?" You asked, not even sure if your voice was audible. The ringing in your ears wouldn't have let you hear it anyways. "Was it something you said for the sake of others? Or did you truly believe it from the bottom of your heart? I can't tell anymore."

You reached your hand out and touched his cheek, rubbing your numb fingertips slowly across in hopes of being able to feel the soft skin beneath it.

"Hey! _! What're you doing? We finally get to go back for the day so hurry up! You wanna be back by dinner at least, don't you?" A faint voice could be just barely heard in the back of your mind but you weren't able to process the words.

"Hey, Marco... if I said 'I'm cold' like I before, would you still warm me up? Are you even able to now? I don't know if this cold I feel is yours or mine. I can't tell anymore."

Your body shook a little as you trailed your fingers across his body, tangling your weak fingers between his soft black hair like you had done so many times before. Even if you were completely numb it was a feeling you knew so well that it didn't matter. The shaking became a little more violent as you finally collapsed onto your knees, beside him as your tears had started to dry up.

"Hey, Marco...-"

"Oi! What the hell are you spacing out for? Listen when people talk to you!" The ringing stopped as your senses came back to you all at once. You looked up, realizing that the shaking had been a superior officer trying to get your attention as he screamed at you to hurry up. "Listen, kid. I don't know what this guy was to you but everyone has a lot of mourning to do. For now let's just get back, okay? We can't have anyone not accounted for."

He grabbed your arm and lifted you to your feet, patting your head with an ever so faint smile that stung with the knowledge of the truth of a cruel world. He waited for you to slowly nod your head in response before beginning to walk forward again. You stared at his back as he launched himself onto a rooftop where other soldiers seemed to be in conversation.

"Hey, Marco..." You took another look at his body, avoiding his face and the horrors it would bring. "What do I do from here on? I seriously just can't tell anymore."

I do not own Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin.