Mikasa had never felt like this. Shock couldn't cover it her heart literally felt nothing, no warmth, no beat. Armin was weeping and clutching her pants, begging her to forgive him.
"What for?" Mikasa asked
Armin was confused even in his state, I just told her Eren is dead and it's my fault.
"Mi-Mikasa, Eren is dead."
"No he isn't"
"Mik…"
Armin sentence was cut short but Mikasa backhand smashing into his face. Armin felt like his jaw had come off as he flew backwards into the building.
Armin stared through his tears at Mikasa's face, seeing her hand still raised she stood there like a statue she didn't move and neither did anyone else.
"He isn't dead," she said in a monotone so devoid of emotion chills were sent through the heart of every recruit present, "Eren can't die."
Armin looked around and saw everyone dubious looks and his tears returned in full force, Eren so strong and resolute was everyone's rock in their fight for survival, his do or die attitude had even brought Jean around. No one could believe he was dead.
"T-Thomas got taken out by an abnormal" Armin began to everyone's shock.
"Eren was so mad, he just rushed in and we all followed, we weren't thinking and then…"
Armin's words got stuck in his throat, his face still burning. Suddenly he felt a warm hand on his arm, turning he saw Annie, the last person in the universe who he thought would provide comfort. Despite her eyes saying she was disturbed her presence meant he had to continue.
"The abnormal turned on Eren suddenly and took him down."
Everyone gasped and Jean whispered "No."
"We were ready to attack it from all four sides when we were ambushed by two other titans."
"I managed to dodge but everyone else was eaten, then I wasn't paying attention and a titan grabbed me and ate me…"
The recruit who had collected Armin from the rooftop remembered him being covered in slime and whispered "Oh god."
"How did you escape?" Bertolt asked.
Everyone saw Armin's eyes go wide as he fell to his knees and the sobs racked every inch of his body.
"Eren was still alive." Armin choked out.
"Hey Armin" Jean came over and put his hand on his shoulder, "its okay you don't need to saw anymore."
"Yes he does" Mikasa said coldly.
"Hey back off Mikasa" Jean yelled angrily, "the kids been through the fucking ringer and you're treating him like a criminal."
"Where is Eren!?" Mikasa screamed.
It was an emotional scream, it was something you heard about it books when someone can yell but it's so icy and cold that it haunts people just by hearing it.
"H-he pulled me out," Armin cried, "threw me onto the nearby roof and then he reached out to me and…"
Mikasa shoving Jean and Annie aside grabbing Armin collar hauling him to his feet screaming "You're lying!"
"Eren isn't dead, he can't be dead, he isn't dead."
Mikasa's armour chipped away and her cheeks had tinged red, her eyes were shiny with tears.
"Armin why are you lying to me?" Mikasa croaked as she slowly let him back down to his feet.
Armin slowly took her hands away from and pressed is forehead against hers.
"I'm so sorry Mikasa" Armin cried, "Please don't hate me."
Mikasa pulled Armin into a hug and cried into his shoulder, her heart was breaking into a thousand pieces, everything she pushed away was caving in on her. Eren was her everything, her shoulder, her back, her blade, her heart. The world went so grey without Eren in it.
Pulling back she used Eren's scarf to wipe away the tears and put back the face of composure for the rest.
While Mikasa and Armin were having their moment Jean had gone and leaned against a chimney, staring off into the distance at the building where their gas refills were.
"Hey" says Connie, "you thinking about how to get there without becoming titan chow."
"Yeah" replied Jean, "but everyone one of them involved that Suicidal Bastard giving some rousing speech to encourage us to go kill ourselves."
Jeans stared at his feet saying this, he felt sad, something he never though he would over the death of one Eren Jaeger.
"Yeah" said Connie also looking down, "never thought someone like him could just go and die like that."
"I get that, it's just so hard to believe you know?"
"Yeah Jean I get you."
Mikasa had gone to the edge of roof with Armin in tow, neither of them had tears anymore just a look of determination, Jean saw their eyes and couldn't help but smile thinking about calling them mini-Jaegers.
"Hey Connie get ready we're leaving."
"On your six Jean."
"Okay everyone we're moving out" Mikasa yelled at the top of her lungs, "I'm strong, stronger than any of you."
"I will carve the way through the titan's front ranks, Annie, Reiner, Bertolt take the left flank.
"Jean, you, Connie and Marco take the right flank.
"On it!" came the resounding cry.
"Everyone else follow Armin and I, keep tight and keep watch!"
"Yes ma'am!"
"MOVE OUT!"
Mikasa leapt from the roof, activating her gear and flying forward ahead of everyone else, the wind in her face helped ease the ache in her chest. She would live for him, live up to him, make the man she would have followed into hell proud.
"Mikasa's out of gas" Armin shouted.
"Dammit" came the reply from Jean.
"Jean keep the flank alive, I'll go with Armin" said Connie.
"Be careful."
Connie leapt across to Armin and the two diverted over the left flank to give Reiner the centre position.
Mikasa had crashed and twisted her ankle, making her limp which meant when that a titan came around and boxed her in she knew she was helpless to escape. Clutching the remains of her blade she though "Don't worry Eren, you won't be lonely for long."
Although her sentiments were cut short when a cable tripped the titan and Connie slashed in killed it cleanly as his 8th position ranking was made clear.
"Armin nice trip" Connie shouted gleefully at Armin.
"Back at you with those perfect cuts."
The two fist bumped at their teamwork and then set too swapping out Armin's tanks with Mikasa's.
"W-What are you doing Armin." Mikasa stammered, "I'm not going to leave you behind.
"Don't be silly Mikasa." Armin chastised, "Connie's going to help me get there and you're a better fighter which means you need to be more mobile."
Mikasa sighed in relief, Armin strategist personality must have kicked in on his way over to get her.
"Okay all set" said Armin.
"Let's do this!" they all said in unison.
Jean crashed through the windows of the supply building and tumbled into a heap, his eyes betraying the horror he felt at what he had done. Reiner hadn't been able to make the call so Jean had stepped in, taking command over the recruits and forcing them to abandon their teammate being eaten because it would distract the titan's long enough to give them a chance to get by.
Jean felt the bile in his throat and even dry retched a little thinking about how he could have been such a monster.
Looking around as the other crashed through various windows he saw only about half had made it.
"Damn it."
Jean's blood went from ice cold to boiling point when he saw two officers huddled under a table, crying. Two adults, from the supply team hiding while all the new recruits were out their dying because they ran out of gas.
"YOU FUCKING C*NTS!" Jean screamed.
He had one of them down with a punch and dragged the other to her feet within a second, his blade sprung into his hand.
"YOU FUCKERS!" Jean couldn't stop screaming, "YOU LEFT US OUT THERE TO DIE!"
"YOU HID IN HERE WHILE WE DIED YOU FUCKING COCKSUCKERS!"
Jean vaguely knew someone was pulling him back.
"Jean cool off we have more important things to w…"
"HIT THE DECK" yelled Reiner.
Jean and his back warmers slapped to the ground in an instant dodging the debris caused by titan's faced smashing into the building, the two supply officers were torn to shreds.
Seconds later Mikasa, Armin and Connie crashed through another window, rolling across the ground and coming to a stop just beside where Reiner had hit the ground.
"So nice of you to join us" said Reiner his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Bite me" retorted Mikasa.
All of recruits turned to face the two titans jamming their heads into the building.
"Retreat into the building" shouted Jean, "it will buy us some time."
Everyone ran as fast as they could into the central area of the building, Mikasa looked behind and watched the face drop away from the gap, "they must be looking for another way in" she thought.
Author's Note: I often thought throughout the anime/manga Mikasa's character should have a bit more soul. Yeah you can be cold and heartless at times but if you're reason for living dies you're not going to shrug it off. There will be disbelief, anger and anguish then a cool off in which you realise you need to keep a level head. Although when she found him alive in the titan was pretty damn heart-warming. Hope you're still enjoying yourselves. Peace. C.C.