DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SHINGEKI NO KYOJIN.
Date Uploaded: May 18, 2017- Thursday.
Note: Advanced apologies for the OOC's.
I am so sorry dear readers for breaking the update streak! The internet was down since yesterday and now I will just make up through double updates!
Hoorah! A double update as promised! This time, … things are about to get real messy so hang on tight! Because the coaster is just about to begin its second wave!
Read on!
CHAPTER EIGHT: DANCING TITAN'S RESOLVE II
"WHAT?!"
"Shh!"
Thomas shared the news to Jean about the arrest of Sasha and the other mebers of the 104th Squad. They surrendered peacefully though but still… they just got arrested for defending a titan shifter!
"Sasha's losing a LOT of her mind lately…" Jean muttered to himself.
"I think she's just repaying what she can to everyone." Thomas guessed. "I mean, she did almost titanized and everyone else were right by her side. Especially you though."
"Don't even start!"
"Sorry."
"So else got arrested? Is there any 104th member left?" Jean asked. He wasn't updated because he was assigned at the rear. Luckily, Thomas has good ears.
"Well, so far Krista, Ymir and Armin are missing. Reiner and Annie are still locked up." Thomas reported. Jean was surprised.
"Armin is missing? He's not assigned with Eren? Or Mikasa?" he wondered.
"He was. But I heard he separated himself from them. Ever since that time he wasn't seen by anyone. The MP and Garrison are rebuilding the wreckage that the Dancing Titan left behind."
The Dancing Titan is Ymir, just as Krista said… they could be together right now but if I'm wrong then Ymir is probably looking for Krista whose location is unknown.
As for Armin…
"Take me to Annie."
"Huh?"
"You heard me? Take me to her cell! I want to have a talk with her!" Jean tells his friend. Thomas was caught by surprise by this. "I know we're not allowed to see her but she's the best card we've got to play this right."
"What do you mean?"
"Right now the 104th Squad are being treated accomplices of the Dancing Titan. Sooner or later they will have us locked up again so it's best we start moving. With Annie being expert in infiltration and hiding, we can ask for her help about this."
"True. But will she cooperate? I heard she massacred Daz and the rest of his squad." Thomas tells Jean in case he wasn't aware.
"I don't believe in rumors." Jean muttered. "If there's one thing I've learned from Armin, it's about the truth coming out from the person being accused." Jean said and quickly geared up and headed to the door.
"But she could also be lying?" Thomas points out.
"Annie doesn't lie. She just chooses not to answer." Jean countered.
The reports arrived to the King and it wasn't pleasurable to him. At all.
"Eren Jaeger betrayed humanity! He brainwashed his comrades to side with him in this assault!" he accused. "I want the rest of the 104th Squad arrested this instant!"
"But your majesty! It could be that they know something that we don't!" Dot tries to say.
"Exactly! With them KNOWING MORE than we do! Then it makes them dangerous to us!" the King said."They chose not to tell us because they want to control us, they think they got the upperhand just because they have titan shifters but they're wrong!"
"What if something bigger than them or us, is happening right now?" Pixis tried to defend. Rico reported about a noble. A surviving noble.
And it was recently that the King ordered the MP to begin posting posters about the missing noble. Even Erwin knew of this and yet he was quiet. Furthermore… he was nowhere to be seen.
A conspiracy…
"The only thing happening right now, Commander Pixis, is that these brats are trying to make a fool of the government!"
"Your majesty!" a soldier quickly bows to him,, bearing news. "Commander Nile has returned with Commander Erwin."
"Send them in!"
Commanders of the Survey and the MP have arrived. Pixis stared intensely at Erwin for a moment before dropping it. He cannot have the King side with Erwin now.
"Any news regarding the recent continuous attacks of these shifters?" the King inquired. The two commanders bowed before telling him what they know.
"Erwin was right on the spot!" Nile says. "We investigated further on his accusations towards former Garrison team leader and Survey member, Rico Brzenska."
Pixis blood boiled.
"What about it?" Darius asked.
"Well, it's best that she tell us herself, don't you think?" Erwin says, a hidden smirk plastered across his face. It was meant for Pixis.
They gestured for the guards to open the door and there, the MP was dragging a certain person who was trembling and shivering. Pixis couldn't determine if it was the cold weather, the pain or simply fear.
Rico was covered in cuts and bruises, her right hand were missing a finger or two, her left arm had bandages all over it, her legs could barely walk, her right toe was even missing. Her clothes were covered in dry blood and ragged.
"The MP found her while they were investigating the area. No, that's wrong. She found them and surrendered herself." Erwin says.
"Erwin!"
"Quiet!" the King hushed them and glared at the said traitor. "Tell me… what do you know about the shifters? The attack? The noble?"
"Everything… I, set everything up."
Hearing it from her own mouth, Pixis was stunned. His eyes widening as he stared at his soldier. This confession… it's not real! He refuse to believe so!
"The trial will begin in a few hours! I want every member of the 104th Squad to be there!" the King ordered immediately. "And I want to hear your full confession, traitor!"
"Yes…"
Meanwhile, Jean and Thomas snuck in Annie's cell, seeing that she had her hands over her ears, her knees reaching to her chest while she was at the corner, as if hiding from someone.
Her crutch was right beside her, her injuries from the Colossal Titan, still not healing.
"Annie…" Jean called to her. "Annie."
He cautiously approached her while Thomas stayed outside to keep guard. The moment he made physical contact with Annie, her reflex action caused her to grab him by the hand and was about to break his arm.
"Whoa, whoa, hey wait!"
With uneven breathing, Annie stopped moving and stared at Jean. "Jean?"
"Okay, glad to know you can hear me." Jean said, nervously. "Can you let me go now?" Annie releases him and returned to hug herself. "I need your help."
"Everyone keeps on saying that.."
"I really do. And I don't want to use Armin's name for it so I said 'I' need your help."
"I can't help anyone…" she says. "…I don't know, which side I'm on."
"Of course you're on our side! You chose us, right?" or is that only what he thought? Was Annie not choosing them then? Was she confused? Does she regret it?
"I- I did but…"
"If this is about Bertholdt then don't feel this way." Jean didn't want to touch her again so he just kept talking. "I don't know what sort of relationship you have with him but crying about this matter will not solve anything!"
"Then how?!" Annie was the one who grabbed him instead, his jacket. "How will I solve this?!"
"Uh, erm, well…" he was caught off guard by her reaction. "You have to know what you're fighting for." He answered. "What are you fighting for, Annie?"
"I…"
"Because me, I'm fighting for a lot of things. My home, my family, my comrades, my friends… everyone. Once though I was fighting for vengeance… I was so angry after Marco died and when I discovered you were the Female Titan, I couldn't think."
"Do you… want to kill me?" Annie asked as she finally releases his jacket.
"I used to. But after Sasha told me everything you did… I didn't believe you were that kind of person. I believed the real Annie is the one that Armin always saw."
It was a relief that Annie had calmed down. But they have to hurry.
"I will help you in one condition, Jean."
"What is it?"
"Do not… trust me."
Meanwhile, in the streets, some MP's were doing their rounds. Searching for the Dancing Titan who escaped. Quickly and silently, the Dancing Titan hiding in the shadows grabbed one soldier.
"Aa—" Hitch was about to scream.
"Shoot me." The titan requested of her. Of course, it was the only course of action! Hitch hurried to load her gun and shoot the titan in the face.
The shot fired was definitely heard throughout the area. "Thank you." The titan gently placed her down and left. Leaving Hitch in a frightened state.
"Did you see anyone?!" Marlowe and the other MP's asked.
"I- I- y- yeah, I… it spoke!"
"What?"
"N- Nothing… I- I thought I saw someone…"
"Shh, don't start shooting at random stuff!"
Ymir, who got away, continued to roam around the city in her titan form, panting and stumbling here and there. For some reason the titan itself looked pale.
Until finally she arrived at the church. The church where she heard everything.
"Take another step towards it and I will tear you apart." Said the voice behind her. She turned around saw a group of soldiers—soldiers with guns.
"Are you… Kenny?" she asked.
"Wow, you know my name? Did he tell you about me? Or did you torture him?!" Kenny said. He sounded angry.
The titan only growled this time. Kenny smirked.
"A titan of your caliber is nothing compared to the ones we've killed." Kenny says and dashed towards her swiftly and cuts through the Dancing Titan's gut.
Around and around, the titan tried to chase him sluggishly but no matter what, Kenny was faster and always lands a fatal wound on her.
"Ah, this is getting boring. I thought titan shifters are supposed to be strong?" he says and for one last time landed a blow on the Dancing Titan until it fell on the ground with a weak breathing. "Oh well, I just need the shifter anyway. Not that lump of titan flesh."
Slowly, he approached the titan plunging his sword somewhere in the nape.
"I hope I don't hit you anywhere." He teased as he cut open a portion.
"No stop!" Krista yells.
"Ah, your highness, you've returned!"
"Please… please don't hurt her!" Krista begged. "Take me already and leave her and everyone else alone!"
"It doesn't work that way, you know? Your father needs a shifter. Your friend here practically gave herself up for you. Are you gonna waste that?" he teased. "Or… is it because you're not her?"
Armin gulped but finally removed the wig and stripped off his disguise.
"Let her go!" Armin yells.
"I guess you figured out negotiations doesn't work with me." Kenny said. "But I also won't give this shifter back until I'm done with her."
It was a reckless move but Armin launched at the enemy without a plan.
Kenny was about to give Armin a good cut in the neck but then the Dancing Titan blocked his swords and the titan was the one who got cut instead. Kenny jumps away from the titan and was surprised to later clash swords with Levi.
"Wow you people just keep on coming, don't you?" he says as he kept a safe distance from them.
"I knew Armin was planning something odd when he stole that wig. So I followed him." Levi said. "I didn't expect it at all to see you here, Kenny."
"Me neither, kid."
At the inner city, Eren and the others are all being escorted to the court room to be trialed. Mikasa wanted to bust Eren out of there but Eren refused to use force or else they'll be treated as real traitors. He believes that Levi will again pull some strings for them.
But upon arriving there, Eren was surprise to see Rico was there as well, in a wheelchair. Despite her current condition she was bound by ropes.
"She's… still alive." Eren muttered.
While the MP was assisting Sasha and everyone else to sit in the chairs, Erwin passed by Eren with a short message being whispered in his ear. "Do you believe she is a traitor of humanity?"
Before Eren could react, Erwin had already walked away.
The trial began and Darius asked for everyone to remain silent. And asked… "Sasha Blouse, member of the 104th Squad of the Survey Corps, why did you defend the Dancing Titan?"
"W- Well because this titan is on our side sir!" Sasha says.
"Do you know this titan's identity then?"
"Yes."
"But want to keep it secret from us, why?"
"Because the time is not right yet."
"Then when is the right time?" Darius was pressing on Sasha hard. If he were to continue with this intense questioning, Sasha would slip.
"I… the- the right time is…"
"Then what about the rest of the recruits who assisted Ms. Blouse in rebelling against the King's orders?" Darius continued to ask the rest of them. "Why did you help? Do you know of the shifter's true identity as well?"
None of them answered.
"Please, this is a courtroom. You are free to confess your crimes to save yourselves from trouble." Darius tells them.
Eren wanted to answer but what was he going to say that will help their case?
"What about you, Rico? Everyone's been saying you're the real Traitor of Humanity, how so? Will you confess your crimes?"
"I confess my sins to humanity." Rico uttered. "I wanted the survivor of the noble family to die before anyone else finds out. So I took great lengths to get close to her."
"Why?"
"Because—"
"I object!"
Everyone was shocked as they turned to the door where Jean and Annie were. Jean had his palm all over his face while Annie was scratching the back of her head.
"It's not a wedding, you idiot!" Jean shouts at her.
"I wasn't supposed to say it in front of everyone. You opened the door without warning!" Annie tells him.
"I told you I was gonna open it and you kept on saying it!" Jean shouts at her again.
"GUARDS! SEIZE THEM!"
Annie pushes Jean behind her, as she analyzed how many soldiers were there. She spots Eren and the others, sees the officials, Rico, everyone… "This'll get messy, get everyone out of here." She tells him.
Jean nodded and hurried to Eren and the others.
The small blonde dropped the crutch she's been holding and breaks it in half, plunging the sharp part to her arm.
"Have you forgotten that you are injected with the anti-titan drug?" Nile mocked her as he grabbed an MP to take a sword.
But in his surprise, sparks of electricity appeared around the small blonde. A grin forming in her face while the smirk on Nile's face faded.
"Have you forgotten who you're talking to?" Annie taunted. "…the one who infiltrated Trost… who led the titans to your walls…" the sweet grin in her face was getting wider and scarier, "who played with your little kingdom and made a fool out of yourselves…"
Nile was offended. Nile was angered. This person here… is it the real Annie?
While Annie was in the middle of transforming, Nile dashed towards her, aiming to cut her head off. There was no stopping him, this threat must die.
"…then let me remind you, Nile. The Female Titan did all that!" Annie finished as she watched Nile dash towards her.
Out of the smoke and the yellow sparks of electricity, appeared the Female Titan in its small form. Roaring at Nile, she caught him without effort and threw him to the side.
While Levi and Kenny were clashing swords, Armin ran to the titanized Ymir to see how she was doing. Armin quickly noticed that the titan, intead of being cold, was warm.
"What's… going on with you?" he asked, the titan growled weakly at him.
Kenny's men started attacking Armin and the Dancing Titan. The titan caught one of the soldier with its mouth, crushing his head before spitting him out towards the rest of them. Armin was alerted that they were attacking them.
He turned to them, raising his swords at them, being protective of the titan behind him.
I have to save her… but I'm not as skilled as Mikasa is… or as brave as Jean… I'm just… me.
"Armin.." the titan spoke.
D- Did this titan… just speak?
"Go—"
"Don't even start! Because I'm not gonna leave you! Just sit tight and I'll protect you!" Armin wasn't planning on running away. It was risky enough that he didn't tell anyone about his plan. And now he's gonna waste it by running away in the end? Not a chance. "I don't want to be the person who stays behind while everyone is fighting! I want to fight as well! I want to protect someone as well!"
While he was speaking, the titan poked him from behind.
"Idiot." The titan said. Armin looked back at the titan, seeing that somehow he can imagine if it were human, Ymir would be laughing at his speech. "Go inside." Ymir tells him.
Armin followed the titan's gaze, seeing that it was looking at the church.
Why?
He looked closely at the Dancing Titan's eyes now, seeing that it had the same glint as Eren's. Every time Eren was fired up about something, when he was aiming to finish something… his resolve… it was the same as the Dancing Titan now.
The blonde boy smiled at the titan. He understood her now.
"I got your back, Ymir." He tells her and ran towards the church.
The rest of the soldiers were about to run after him but then the Dancing Titan stood up and with one swing of its arm, shoved them all away. It roared at them and remained standing by the door, telling them that she won't let anyone pass.
Flashback:
Back in the training days… the 104th Squad was under training in the winter season. Krista was getting left behind but Ymir kept a close eye on her to make sure she doesn't get lost.
Krista later noticed that Daz wasn't around and none of them noticed. She went back for Daz without telling anyone but of course with Ymir keeping an eye on her, she followed her until later, the three of them were separated from everyone.
The gentle blonde was dragging Daz in the snow, going towards the finishing point.
"Come on! Come on Krista! You can do this!" Krista kept telling herself as she continued to walk sluggishly with Daz.
Ymir kept herself hidden in the trees, watching Krista.
When Krista falls, she gets back up again. She continues. Then she falls again, then gets back up then continues. It was annoying to watch, seeing that she didn't even make it far with what she's doing and she'll definitely die at this rate.
"Aren't you going to call for help instead?" Ymir asked her, finally revealing herself.
"Ymir? W- What are you doing here?"
"Why didn't you tell anyone you were going to look for Daz?" she continued to ask. Krista didn't answer and just continuned to pull and walk. "Is it because you want to come back a hero? Tell everyone you saved Daz by yourself?"
Krista stopped and turns to Ymir with a frightened look. "I- I don't know what—"
"—I'm talking about?" Ymir finished for her. "I don't know Krista but, isn't it a bit odd that you didn't tell anyone knowing you might die in this weather? Knowing that you don't even have the strength to save anyone? You'll both die."
"That's not true…"
"Krista Lenz died saving a comrade!" Ymir shouts. "She died a hero… is that what you want to hear? Is that what you want to happen?"
"Stop it Ymir!" she pushes Ymir weakly but Ymir didn't even budge a bit. "I… I don't want to die!"
"Then why do this? Huh? Is it because… you're not who you say you are? That you're actually a noble forced to join here to die?"
Slowly, Krista stepped away from Ymir, twice as frightened as before. "H- How did you…?"
'At last I found you.' Ymir thought.
"Why are you keeping it? Why are you doing as they say?" Ymir asked. "You can just tell everyone who you are. Are you afraid of them?"
"You don't understand what I'm going through! They killed my mother… my father told everyone he didn't knew me… everyone is dead… how do you expect me to tell everyone who I am?" it was the first time she expressed such anger and pain.
But Ymir knew exactly what she was going through. "I don't know anything about your past. But I know how it feels to be treated that way." With her words, Krista felt eased to be with her. "Want to play a game then? Between you and me?"
"A game?"
"Both of us holds a secret. Whoever reveals their secret first, loses." Ymir states the rules of the game. "And the loser will have to follow what the winner says."
"Deal!" Krista stretched her hand towards Ymir. Ymir gladly shook on it.
"Deal."
"But first… how do we reunite with the others?" she wondered. But then Ymir knocks her out.
End
Reloading their guns, they began to shoot. The titan ran towards them, with its speed, dodged most of their bullets but it was impossible not to get hit or grazed. And upon reaching them, she grabbed those soldiers closest to her.
They screamed and their comrades continued to shoot. Some of them ran towards the church.
BAM!
SQUASH!
SQUASH!
The Dancing Titan squashed anyone it could reach. Until later she fell on her knees because Kenny Ackerman slashed behind her knees.
"Don't be so full of yourself!" Kenny jumped from behind the titan and was about to cut the nape of the titan when Levi's 3DMG hooked at the shoulder of the titan and swings in front of Kenny to stop him.
"Not a chance!" Levi tells him and with enough strength, pushes Kenny away from the titan.
Kenny takes a jump backwards, landing on the bloody ground. "Come on kid, I gotta do my job." He says.
"So should I." Levi replied. He taps his foot on the titan's nape. "This titan shifter, is under my protection."
"Really now?"
"YMIR!" Krista screams from afar. The two men heard her and sees her running towards them.
"Ah the real your highness is here!" Kenny greets.
"Kenny? Captain Levi?" Krista was surprised to see them. But analyzing the situation, seeing the dead soldiers and the blood, the Dancing Titan on its knees and Levi standing by its shoulder… "What is going on here?"
"You're coming home. And your friend here is the best peace offering you could give your father." Kenny tells her.
"Just who exactly are you, Krista Lenz?" Levi asked.
"I… my real name is not Krista." She said and looked at the Dancing Titan in the eyes. "My real name… is Historia Reiss."
