So after reading through the first part again and considering what might happen in events further down the line with these two I decided to try and continue this story. I'm continuing in the 2nd person since that's how I wrote the first part and I've found it an interesting way to write. I hope you enjoy this and I will try to get the next part up as soon as I get the chance to write it xD.
Just an extra note this chapter contains spoilers for The Female Titan story arc. This will be the only part that specifically follows the events of the anime/manga.
You follow the others and although you're aware of everything around you, you keep your eyes focused on the blonde girl leading. Eren and Armin are talking amongst themselves and you see her turn to look over her shoulder at them and then you. When your eyes meet your heart skips a beat and you wage an internal battle to keep your expression neutral until she turns away. The sigh you release is barely audible and no-one seems to notice it.
Your orders are clear; escort the suspect to the given location under the guise of wanting to help Eren escape the trail. The plan was designed to minimalize potential casualties and damages by escorting her underground, where she would not be able to utilise her titan form or the 3D manoeuvring gear. If you can get her there you know that you have the skill and strength to subdue her, your fights together during your training years have shown you that much, but you know when the time comes your heart will falter.
You glance at Eren, the boy who has been by your side ever since that fateful day all those years ago, the boy who has begun to push you away so that he can stand on his own; a champion of humanity, who was now going to be condemned for something he couldn't have controlled. Was she the same? No. You've been though it in your head a hundred times since you returned from the 57th Expedition, she knew what she was doing and what the consequences would be… it doesn't make it hurt any less.
"Here." You hear Armin say as he rushes over the steps leading down under the city. Only now do you realise that you've been lost in your own thoughts this whole time and now the time has come. You brush past her as you follow the boys down but avoid looking at her, knowing that if you do you will break. When you don't hear a fourth set of footsteps behind you, you turn back and finally look up at her. You know now there is nothing you can do; now it's up to her.
"When did you start looking at me like that?" She has her eyes trained on you and you know that she can see through everything as they harden and she looks away. "Armin?"
You can't take your eyes off of her as you hear Armin and Eren plead for her to come down the steps. She looks at you again; those cold, hard eyes revealing nothing of the emotions the girl was feeling. Your eyes are a different story, you can feel them burn with the message you try to relay to the other girl; although you won't actually speak the words. Please, Annie, come with us, come with me. Please don't fight against us, don't make me take you down.
There's a flash of… something… in her eyes but it takes you a moment to recognise it; it's a look you've seen on her face when she'd train until she'd collapse, body unable to move any further. Determination.
You feel a sharp pain in your chest but choose to ignore it for now; it's not going to change anything now. You throw off your raincoat and draw your blades, she's made her decision and just like you turned away from her months ago she's turning away from you now. Your eyes lock once more and something inside you breaks, shifts and reforms leaving you feeling resolute about what you now have to do.
Her laughter bounces against the walls around you as you watch her hand move towards her mouth intent on biting down to allow the titan transformation. The flare in Armin's hand goes off and it's a matter of seconds before she's surrounded by members of the Scouting Legion, grabbing her arms and gagging her so she can't cause the wound that will allow her to escape.
A flash of the sun reflecting off of something in her hand and a defiant smile on her face are all the warning you need to grab Eren and Armin, dragging them as far into the tunnel as you can, before her finger can strike down onto the spike that had been enclosed within her ring.
The brightness of the flash would have blinded you if you hadn't closed your eyes as you were thrown down the remaining stairs and against the wall at the bottom.
"Mikasa? Are you ok?" Armin and Eren look at you concern evident on their faces.
"She made her decision." Your voice is barely a whisper but Eren still raises an eyebrow at the flat tone of your voice. You look up at him and for a second you wonder what would have happened if you had promised to follow her that night instead of him. A small shake of your head clears the thought and everything in you stills; now is not the time for lost promises and memories, you have a titan to take down.
As you and Armin run to the exits of the tunnel you hear Eren call to you one more time,
"Mikasa! Armin! How? How can you fight her? How?!"
The question stops you in your tracks and you turn to look at him over your shoulder. Face set in an expressionless mask, hiding the anger and pain that has been slowly building inside of you since you drew your blades on her.
"We don't have a choice." You pause. "The world is cruel."
You watch on helpless as the two titan forms battle against each other, leaving destruction in their wake; although you could have sworn that she's trying to draw the combat away from highly populated areas as she tries to make her way towards the wall. You know that she could have killed you only minutes ago, when you had engaged her to try and buy some time for Eren to transform, but she didn't and you're left wondering if you would have done the same if your roles were reversed.
After a while, you see her make a break for the wall and you launch yourself off the roof in pursuit. Now there is no time to think, if she gets over the wall then it's over; you'll never find out why she's fighting you and a small voice in your head tells you that if she escapes you will never see her again.
She's halfway up the way by the time you catch up to her. Without thinking you're blades slice cleanly through the fingers on her right hand and as you come back around to slice through the fingers of her left hand you briefly wonder why she hasn't just hardened her skin more to stop you. You land on her nose and stare into the giant ice blue eyes before you.
"Annie. Fall."
The words that leave your mouth sound cold and emotionless. As you feel her body begin to fall from beneath you, you shoot your wires into the wall so you don't fall too; never once looking away from the eyes that hold the same painfully sad look they had held the night you parted. A sharp pain strikes you deep in your chest when the large body hits the ground with a sickening crash, but you ignore it. You watch on from your perch on the wall and Eren's titan form rips into the nape of her neck and pulls the small, limp body out, a small sigh of relief escapes you when you realise she's still alive.
It happens so quickly that no-one has time to react. One second you can see her lying on the ground surrounded by your comrades, the next all you can see is thick clouds of steam surrounding her. You want to get back down and see what is going on but something keeps you from releasing your cables. As the steam dissipates you get a clear view of the huge yellow crystal that resides where her body lay and from the cries of anger and frustration you can tell that she's inside of it.
You finally move to return to the ground but something in the corner of your eye catches your attention. A portion of the wall, where her giant fingers had pierced during her climb, has broken away. Your body freezes as you recognise the form you see within and all thoughts of what is happening on the ground flee your mind. You are left staring into the face of a Colossal Titan.
Okay so this part doesn't differ much from the actual anime and I know Mikasa seems to be rather blasé about what's going on but I wanted to try and keep her as in character as possible.
So, what will happen next? Will they be able to get Annie out of her crystal? What will happen if they do? Stick around for the next part and you might find out xP.
Please do leave a review if you enjoyed this so far, it really helps to motivate me to get more written even with my crazy workloads!
