As the four waited for Kizae to come back around, Sojin's mind wandered to the squad leader. Turning to glance at Armin, he could tell that the blonde boy was also anxious about Eren's whereabouts. However, the threat of having the captive escape again kept him glued to the spot. Sojin, who knew he would be of little help in watching the boy, decided he would offer to look for Eren.
"Shouldn't one of us look for Eren? What if he got injured! I'll go search for him since I won't be of much use here anyway," the youngest boy stated, beginning to depart from the group.
"I'll go with you," came Jean's voice from behind, causing Sojin to wince. He turned around to object, but then held his tongue. Perhaps this would be a good time to clear things up between the two. He didn't want to leave Jean without an answer, especially now that he himself had received closure from Eren.
"I think that'd be good…in case we run into any more titans," Sojin replied, smiling at Jean. The older boy did not return the smile, but walked forwards to join Sojin.
"Find him and come straight back here," Armin stated, Christa nodding her agreement. Sojin made a thumbs up, then began walking back the way he had come, Jean a pace behind. After a few moments of walking in silence — Sojin wanted to make sure they were out of earshot — he slowed his pace down, walking next to Jean. Although he managed to hold his composure on the outside, internally he was shaking with nervousness, unaware that the other boy already knew about his situation with Eren. How could he break Jean's heart after all he had done for him?
"So…" he began, pausing for a moment in thought. The guilt was almost overwhelming. Jean was such a good person and the fact that Sojin would have accepted his confession had Eren not been there only made matters worse. For a moment, the boy considered telling Eren that he had lost interest and instead accept Jean's love. He shook the thought, knowing it was a bit too late for that.
"I'm sorry that we haven't had a chance to talk till now," Sojin continued, glancing up at Jean. The older boy shook his head.
"It's not your fault titans keep attacking us," he replied. Sojin couldn't tell if he was imagining it, but he thought he could sense a hint of sarcasm in the comment. Ignoring it, he continued on.
"I appreciate that you like me! Er, I'm flattered, actually! It's just that…" Sojin paused again, unsure whether to tell Jean about Eren or keep it a secret. However, Jean stepped in before the younger boy could decide.
"You like Eren. I know," he stated, still playing cool. Sojin stopped walking, surprised that Jean already knew about the situation. Getting a hold of himself, he ran forward to catch up to Jean.
"H-how did you know already?!" he asked, his face flushing in embarrassment. Jean's stoic expression finally shifted as he broke into a smirk.
"It's just that obvious," he replied, not wanting to confess to eavesdropping the night before. Sojin stared at the ground to hide his red face. What else was there to say if Jean already knew? Telling the older boy that he still liked him as well as Eren would only make the pain worse for Jean. Sojin let out a sigh before looking up at his companion.
"Well, this won't get in the way of our friendship, right? You're my best friend on the Corps," the younger boy said, still feeling guilty. He was surprised as Jean's arm rested around his shoulders.
"You think a little thing like this will stop me from defending you? Have some faith, Sojin!" Jean replied playfully, messing up the younger boy's hair. Sojin let out a laugh, surprised that Jean was taking everything so well, but relieved nonetheless. The pair continued on for what seemed like an eternity, chatting about all sorts of topics until another voice broke into their conversation.
"Oi, Sojin!" came Eren's voice. Both of the searching boys looked to where the call had come from to find the squad leader hanging helplessly midway down a tree trunk.
"Are you okay?!" Sojin exclaimed, running towards his crush's location.
"I'm fine! My equipment just broke so I've been stuck here…" the brown-haired boy replied, pointing to his gear. "Come help me down!"
Sojin nodded, lifting himself up the tree with his own gear as Jean watched with folded arms. The medic wrapped his arms around Eren firmly then ordered the older boy to release his gear from the tree. Eren obeyed, placing his full weight on Sojin. The black-haired boy shuttered a bit under the weight, almost dropping the leader. Steeling his grip around Eren, he slowly lowered the duo to the forest floor, shaking out his arms after releasing the squad leader.
"Glad you're alright, captain," Jean said, approaching and patting Eren on the shoulder. "Try not to let our captive escape again, though."
Eren glared at the last comment, but nodded his head. Sojin wedged himself between the two, then pulled them forwards.
"Let's hurry back! Armin and Christa are probably getting tired of watching that kid," he exclaimed.
Armin pulled the knot tight enough to keep the captive from moving, standing back up and examining his work. Kizae struggled under the rope bonds now holding him to a tree stump, throwing out angry curses every now and then.
"You're not going to escape this time!" Armin exclaimed, shooting the boy a glare before turning to Christa.
"What are we gonna do with him?" he asked in a lowered volume. "There's no way he's going to give us any information and if we set him free he'll just come after us again."
Christa nodded in agreement. "I'm not sure…I wish we could at least make a deal where we set him free and he leaves us alone, but….I don't think that will happen."
"Ah! That's it! Christa, you haven't met him yet, right?" Armin asked, snapping his fingers. "Why don't you have a go at talking to him! Just be your naturally sweet self and maybe he'll calm down a bit."
The blonde girl looked from Armin to the still struggling boy, a look of apprehension spreading across her face. To Armin's surprise, she steeled herself and nodded her agreement. Turning away from her companion, she approached the black-haired boy, maintaining a welcoming smile on her face.
"Er…I'm sorry. These bonds are really uncomfortable, right?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.
"No, they're so comfortable," he spat back sarcastically. Christa remained impartial, continuing on.
"Then, what's your name? I'm Christa!" she said, hesitating for a moment before adding to her statement. "Look, I just want to help you out! Some of the boys on our squad can be really rough and I don't want you to end up injured. At least work with me a little, alright?"
The captive seemed ready to call her bluff, but surprisingly gave in, still scowling. "I'm Kizae," he replied reluctantly, finally stopping his squirming. Christa nodded her head happily and waved at the boy.
"Ah, Kizae? That's a great name. I know we're not on good terms right now, but would you consider working with us, Kizae?" she asked, staring into his eyes. The boy looked to the side, breaking the eye contact before replying.
"Not until my mission is complete," he replied. Christa was ecstatic that he hadn't declined the offer all together. Was this tactic actually working? Gaining heart, the blonde girl pressed on.
"Mission? What mission? Maybe we can help you complete it!" she replied, pumping her fist excitedly. "We're happy to help a person in need! Even if they attacked us already."
Kizae scoffed at the girl's response, not planning to make ties so easily.
"I'm basically an assassin for hire. If I told you my mission I'd have to kill all of you and I'm sure you wouldn't want that," he replied, a wicked grin spreading across his face. Christa frowned a bit, pointing at the rope containing the boy.
"Kill us? But…you're the captive right now. If anything, Jean and Eren will kill you once they get back here! I wish I was lying, but those two aren't as merciful as Armin and I," she replied, a bit less friendly this time.
Kizae let out a curse before falling silent for a moment, seemingly pondering his options. Christa almost felt a bit sorry for him. For a kid no more than nineteen, he was in a very stressful situation at the moment. She could sense the fear emanating from the boy's body.
"I…even if I told you my mission, it wouldn't help any of us. Trust me," he replied, making eye contact with the girl and grinding his teeth together nervously.
Christa shook her head before taking a step closer to the captive.
"Look, you can at least just tell me. I promise I won't tell any of the boys! I'll even make Armin go further away!" she said, pointing towards the blonde boy. Kizae remained silent for a few moments, looking Christa over.
"Fine. I'll tell you, but if you tell any of them, I swear you'll be put at the top of my hitlist," he replied, defeatedly. He nodded towards Armin. "Make him go away so he doesn't hear."
Christa's face lit up as she hurried over to Armin and explained the situation.
"Alright, I'll back off a little, but I'm still watching to make sure he doesn't pull anything," Armin stated, taking a few steps back to a range out of earshot. Christa smiled at him before hurrying back to Kizae.
"Okay, he's out of earshot! It's safe to tell me now," she said with a reassuring nod.
Kizae let out a sigh, looking down at his feet before turning his attention back to the girl.
"Isn't it obvious? My mission…is to kill that Sojin kid!" he stated as Christa's smile dropped from her face. "Are you gonna help me with it?"
The blonde girl took a step back in surprise, before regathering herself.
"S-Sojin? Why?! He's just a medic!" she exclaimed, moving closer to the captive once again. Kizae shrugged.
"I don't know myself. I told you, I just get jobs and do them. No questions asked," he stated. Christa shook her head in annoyance.
"You kill people without even knowing why?!" she exclaimed, a hint of anger in her voice.
"I've gotta support myself somehow," he replied, unfazed by Christa's reaction.
"There are better ways to do that! Get a job, ask a friend….anything besides killing people! Enough humans die without infighting!" she shot back, not falling for such a lame excuse. She let out a sigh, trying to calm herself down. "Well, you were right. I can't help you with that mission."
She paused for a moment, staring the boy in the eye. "However, if you change that mission I can offer you all the support you need," she stated. "We can give you housing, food, and even spending money. I promise it's a life better than killing."
Kizae scoffed, laughing at the girl's offer. "If it's not bad enough knowing that my clients will kill me when I betray them, it's ever worse waiting for you guys to stab me in the back."
Christa shook her head. "We won't betray you! We'll defend you from these 'clients' and look after you as one of us. You've seen how powerful our squad is. We defeated you twice, right?"
Kizae rolled his eyes. "You want me to trust you? Then untie me right now."
Christa hesitated, shooting a look back at Armin. The blonde boy was staring into the forest, probably waiting for the return of the others. She turned her attention back in front of her. Without a word, she raised her sword and sliced through the rope, the bonds falling limply to the floor. Kizae remained still for a moment, unaware of the fact that he was now free. Finally realizing the fact, the boy stared at Christa with wide eyes.
"Are you crazy?" he asked, beginning to run to his right with a laugh.
"I'd wait if I were you," Christa replied, cooly. "The next time Eren and Jean find you, they'll definitely kill you. And trust me, they'll find you."
Kizae froze in place, slowly turning back to face the blonde girl and glaring daggers.
"You can see that I keep my word," she said, pointing to the cut rope. The boy hesitated for a moment before giving in and walking back to the girl.
"Fine…I'll cooperate for now," he replied, crossing his arms.
"That's good! Don't try anything funny….Eren and Jean will chop you down in the blink of an eye. I won't even have time to defend you," Christa replied. "Well…welcome to the team."