"I'm not taking the blame for this" was Annie's reaction to seeing Armin draped over Reiner's shoulder.
She moved ahead of them to take
the lead as she knew the way home better than either of them. They moved through the destruction in companionable silence as the titans devoured the masses in Wall Rose. Reiner could see blood covered wings on corpses. He cringed knowing they would never know freedom like the symbol promised.
When they reached wall Maria Bertholt stopped on the wall and Reiner followed suit.
"I could carry him for a while if you want." He offered to Reiner.
Reiner was skeptical. He knew Bertholt cared for Armin as well, and that he could trust his lifelong friend, but this was precious cargo. Maybe it was because Armin was the last reminder of his time in the military. Or maybe it was because Armin gave him hope for humankind. Whatever it was, he wanted to protect it with everything he had left in him.
But that didn't stop the pain in his shoulders.
"It's ok," Bertholt said with a small smile, "I wanted to save them to." He grabbed Armin from Reiner and placed him carefully over his left shoulder.
Of course. Reiner wasn't the only one feeling this way. They had all come to view the humans as more than just livestock. They all felt admiration at their bravery, and they all felt guilt for their deaths. He wasn't sure if these discoveries excited him or terrified him. If humankind was worth saving, on one hand they had made a terrible mistake in destroying them, but on the other hand it gave him hope that this life wasn't as terrible as he had been lead to believe.
When they made it to Wall Maria they all three stopped. Outside of the walls they couldn't effectively
use the Omni-Directional Mobility Gear, so they would have to use the most efficient means of travel.
"So who's carrying him?" Annie asked, clearly speaking about Armin.
"Sorry about this Annie, but I think you're the only one who can do it." Reiner apologized, looking down at Armin. "I'm afraid I would crush him, and Bertholt's much too hot." He gave Bertholt a pat on the back.
"I assumed that..." Annie mused, biting her thumb. What was Annie turned into a cloud of light and smoke. A large pink hand moved towards them and grabbed Armin gently. Reiner would have to trust her. While he didn't know Annie as well as he knew Bertholt, he knew she wouldn't harm Armin. Annie began to scale the wall, while Bertholt jumped and used his ring to cut his finger mid air. Reiner jumped and transformed as well and they began their journey towards the South.
It took them around two hours to reach their destination, and by that point they had reached their limit as titans, and reverted to their human states.
The boat was ready for them at the dock, and without a titan in sight they were ready to depart.
"We can take turns manning the ship, so we can have time to rest." Bertholt suggested.
"It has been a tiring day." Reiner mumbled, glancing down at Armin who had yet to wake up. He was beginning to get worried, but he wouldn't let that get in his way of their journey. He grabbed the ropes attached to the sails and began to adjust them to the winds.
Annie grabbed the rope from his hands, looking him directly in the eye, glaring."You rest first. See if you can't wake him up." She jerked her head towards Armin, not removing her piercing eyes from Reiner's.
He complied easily but warily. He was worried that her motives were not entirely pure, but be
was more worried about Armin so he pushed the thoughts from his mind. First he checked his temperature, which seemed a little high, so he ripped off a bit of his jacket and dipped it in the cold ocean, pressing it to Armin's forehead. That seemed to bring the fever down a little, so he decided to rest some. His eyes began to drift shut with exhaustion, so he defensively placed Armin behind him before dozing off.
A rough wave awoke him, and he looked up to see land. There were people waving their arms and jumping up and down and a dock jutting out with a few small boats gathered around it. He gave a light wave back to them.
They were home.