Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfiction. Hope you have enjoyed the read so far.

Anyway, here is the next update so enjoy.

Chapter Cover: Maria seating by herself as her hair danced in the wind...

Chapter Twenty-One

Burden

Five years ago…

Maria always told me that we'll both known when it was time for me to become the next holder of the power. It was something she told me just the week before and yet when it had happened, I wasn't sure what I was expecting. Ever since I woke up that morning, there was an odd feeling in my gut almost like something was curling inside me but I simply ignored it completely wanting to get on my day with the two that had taken me in.

However, when I entered inside the living room finding Maria seating there and she looked straight into my eyes and it was like an understanding had taken place between us almost like we both knew what the other was thinking. It was a weird experience and it made my head hurt a little bit and the expression on Maria's face shifted from surprise to understanding and then a grim determination.

Giving me a brief nod, the young woman turned her attention toward her husband.

"Kyle can you prepare the carriage," she asked.

The man who was working on something in the kitchen turned his attention toward her, confusion appearing upon his features before something seems to click within his head. I noticed the fugitive glance he sent my way before nodding as well.

"Of course," he said.

Just like that, he left to do the work that had been assigned to him leaving both Maria and I in the room alone by ourselves. The woman turned her gaze toward me, her amber eyes seemingly seeing right through me as she stood up from where she was and came to stand in front of me before kneeling to my level.

She placed a hand upon my shoulder.

"You'll be fine," she told me like she could see the worries that were within me, "It was the same thing that had happened to me when I was younger…I may have been a little older than you were right now, but the feeling remained the same. All you have to do is trust me alright."

I nodded, despite the nervous feeling that was coming from within me.

"I…yes, of course," I told her.

The look upon Maria's face regained that grim determination from before.

"Is your resolve still as strong?" she asked.

I stared at her for a few moments before nodding.

"Yes," I said simply.

"Good," Maria answered.

The woman then stood up and took hold of my hand within her own. It was cold and clammy but the grip upon it was stronger than steel. We both made our way out of the room and into the small courtyard where Kyle was preparing the carriage. The man looked at the two of us.

"It's ready," he said, "Are you sure it's time to…"

"It's time Kyle," Maria said simply, "I can feel it."

The man nodded before helping the two of us climb on the cart and then he was driving us out unto the road. The sky was a dark gray this morning, promising a rainfall to come later in that day and there was a chill in the air as the wind blew. It was very familiar as I seated there beside Maria, her hand within my own and the deathly silence that fell upon us as the cart drove through the road and in no time at all it seems, we have reached the familiar area of where the shed where the Titan serum was hidden.

"Stay here Kyle," Maria said after the two of us had come down unto the ground.

The man seems surprised.

"What? Why?" he asked.

Maria glanced at him.

"What we are about to do is dangerous," she said, "The less people that are involved the better it can be. If you are there…"

Kyle stared at her, "Why are you talking like you're about to die."

Maria stayed silent for a moment before chuckling softly. She raised a hand and softly patted upon his cheek.

"Get that thought out of your head," she said, "I told you a long time ago, I will always come back."

"I'm just worried," Kyle told her, "You always refused me whenever you are going to do this. I'm just worried about you. I don't want to lose you you know. After Rose's death…"

Maria shook her head.

"Rose is not dead," she said.

Kyle looked at her in confusion but then Maria stared down toward me where I stood holding her hand. The two stared down toward me and I felt confused at their stares.

"Part of her is still here in Sarah," she said softly.

"Maria…," Kyle started.

"Just stay here," she said, "And I'll come back like always."

Kyle nodded.

"Fine, I'll stay," he said, "You best make sure you do return."

Maria smiled lightly at him before the two of us left him standing by the carriage. We walked in silence through the trees as Maria's attention remained fixed forward completely. There was a change in her that I could sense but I couldn't really understand it at all. I looked up toward the woman at my side, but she was looking straight ahead, probably didn't even realize that I was looking at her.

The two of us reached the shed and just like last time, she pulled out the slab of stone revealing the black bag as well as the strange serum that she had injected inside my spine all that time ago. I stared at the syringe she was working with and pulling out another vial from the bag. This one was unmarked, and it had a strange orange tint within it. The woman filled the syringe muttering slightly to herself.

"going to be fourteen meters…with some armors…," she said softly.

She then looked at me.

"Are you ready Sarah?" she asked.

"Are you going to stab me in the nape again?" I asked her.

A strange smile appeared upon her lips.

"Not really," she said, "Hold out your arm."

I blinked in confusion at the request but did what she asked, and she inserted the needle into my arm causing me to wince in pain and in that moment our eyes met and for the first time I was seeing tears running down her cheeks. There was this sadness along with guilt in her expression.

"I'm sorry Sarah," she said.

I blinked at the words before she injected the content of the liquid within my body. At once, a strange burning feeling overcame my body as I started to feel as if my inside had turned to lava burning me from within. Steam had started to rise around my body as I fell upon my knees. Panic was rushing through my form at what was happening, and I looked toward Maria, confusion still running through me, but she was standing right there, looking down at me tears rushing down her cheeks as she was looking down at me…

"Maria…," I whispered raising a hand toward her.

The pain became blinding as light filled my vision entirely….

When I next come to, I was lying upon the ground with steam rising everywhere. I was pulling myself up to my feet, my senses completely blurred out as I was slowly taking in everything around me. I was still in the forest and the steam was completely everywhere making me wonder exactly what was making it. I raised a hand toward my head which was hammering with pain like someone had taken a hammer and was hammering away without a care inside my skull.

I blinked glancing upward searching for Maria as my sight fell upon a large skeletal hand wrapped around a blood-soaked ground. The steam was slowly disappearing from where I was, and I can feel numb at the clothing that was soaked in blood was none other than Maria's but…more like half of her body…like it was savagely ripped apart… the blood completely soaking everything…

My gaze turned toward the large form that was beside me revealing the remains of a large skeletal head which was grinning at my direction, one of it's eyes was still there…molten amber…

The same shade as my own…

I stayed there frozen as horror and terror was pouring through my very form from where I was lying down and tears had started to roll down my cheeks as I realized that…

I kill…I…at….

I raised both my hand toward my head and screamed….

Present Day

I was snapped awake breathing heavily. My clothes stuck to my body as I suddenly seated up form where I was lying down on, completely at lost as to where I was. I can feel my hand automatically going to my lips before I stopped myself from biting down upon it. Closing my hand into a fist I placed it upon my lips calming myself down from the nightmare I was having.

No…not a nightmare…a memory.

A memory of the day when I received the power that I had now hidden beneath my skin, and how I finally realized the price paid to gain that power…

"Are you okay Sarah?"

The voice snapped me out my thoughts and it was only Krista. The blonde girl was already wearing her uniform. She had a concerned expression upon her features as she was observing me. I had thought that I was alone but it seems that I wasn't as alone I had first believed.

"Krista…you're still here?"

The blonde girl nodded.

"Yes," she said, "I heard you call out and I thought you were awake, but you suddenly sat up like you where in shock or something."

I stared at the girl, "I called out a name?"

"Yes," she said, "Maria you said I think…?"

"Is that so?" I murmured pulling myself out of bed, "I'm sorry if I frightened you, just old nightmares."

"I wasn't frightened," Krista smiled, "Just concerned."

Now that I was awake, I got out of bed and went to freshen up for the day and it wasn't long before I was now wearing my own uniform. Unlike the cadet jacket who had the crossed swords insignia, the jacket I wore now was the two wings of the Scouts Regiment upon it's back and it breast pocket. I pulled the jacket on and followed after Krista out in the corridor so that we could make our way toward the mess hall so we could go and eat breakfast to start the day.

"Hey Sarah, can I ask you something?"

I gave the shorter girl a glance.

"Sure, what is it?"

"Who is Maria?" Krista asked.

I let out a soft hum.

"She was my aunt," I answered her, "She died five years ago."

Krista instantly looked apologetic.

"Oh…I'm sorry," she said, "I didn't mean to bring up any unpleasant memories."

I let out a small chuckle before placing a hand upon her head. I gave her a soft smile and I can see her surprise as she was staring at me, almost like she expected me to be angry somehow about bringing her up.

"I made my peace with her long-ago Krista," I told her, "I…I'm sad that she is not around any longer, but I've got my own life to live and I'm sure she'd be proud of what I made from it."

Krista seems to be thinking for a moment before nodding.

"Okay," she said thought her smile seems slightly more genuine for some reason.

The two of us reached the mess hall and were instantly accosted by Ymir who was all over the shorter girl in seconds. Ymir and I have an odd relationship like we like to pretend the other doesn't exist. I don't know how it came to be exactly, but it seems that ever since I made friend with Krista somehow, the older girl was jealous… I don't really get it but the moment she had appeared, I discretely made my way away from them leaving Krista to deal with her.

Hey, she was doing it during the past three years of bootcamp, so she can probably deal with her much better than all of us here. Taking a quiet spot by myself I decided to simply have a small breakfast since I wasn't feeling all that much hungry to begin with. Tomorrow would be the big day of the Expedition and when we were going to go outside of the Walls and into Titan country.

We didn't have training for today since most of our superiors were resting for the big day. Most of our last day of training was done and we were now just waiting for the day to arrive so that we could accomplish the mission of retaking Wall Maria…thought, it makes me wonder how many of us are going to die before that happens?

I glanced up toward the room taking notice of Connie and Sasha and they were playing with their foods as always. Reiner and Berthold were with Jean and talking over a chessboard. Armin and Mikasa were nowhere to be found, probably going to spend some time with Eren before the mission starts and I couldn't help the small sigh escaping from my lips at that. Finishing my breakfast, I made my way out of the building.

It was a quiet day outside of the building with few Scouts hanging around in their gears. I didn't have my gears on since I didn't really need it today. Gaining an idea, I made my way back toward my room and decided to go and get my flute so that I could play some more. It probably wasn't going to do much but I wanted to at least play some music to pass the time and maybe it will sooth the worries that I had over the Expedition.

Seating at a corner, I decided to start playing softly letting the music be the one that guided my fingers. I didn't play as often as I wanted, but the song was more hopeful than the ones that I usually played and in no time at all, I was lost within the music completely letting my finger and my breath as well as my memory do the work for me as I continued to play the gentle tune with my flute. When I was done, I opened my eyes lowering the flute for a few moments thinking to myself before starting to play yet again this time a more somber yet, gentle song.

It was called Heartbeat and I had always enjoyed it since it seems like to me, like a song of something sad happening and yet, there was hope at the end of the tunnel. So I played that song to my heart's content a soft smile growing upon my lips as the memories of my friends flashed within my mind and when I was done I was started by the sudden applause I had gotten.

There was most of the 104th class standing there with large grin on their face thought Reiner looked like he was grinning from ear to ear as he was staring at me.

"Nice one Sarah," he laughed clapping lightly.

"W…What are you guys doing here?" I asked surprised.

"Well Bert heard the song when we stepped out," he said indicating his taller friend beside him, "And then Sasha recognize you playing so we decided to check it out."

"It was amazing," Krista said taking a seat beside me.

"Oy…Krista," Ymir pouted looking at the shorter girl.

"I heard around bootcamp that you played, I had no idea you were this good," Connie said.

"I thought I told you she was good," Sasha said frowning.

"You told me she was good, but not that she was that good," Connie argued.

I placed the flute upon my laps as my friends talked around me and I couldn't help the small smile that grew upon my lips looking at them all. I know that the Expedition is tomorrow, and I hoped with all my heart that we all made it back alive. I spent the rest of the afternoon with the gang and it wasn't until night had fallen that I came across Mikasa and Armin. The duo had been missing the entire day thought I didn't need to know where they have gone other than spending time with the third member of their trio.

Eren.

"How was Eren?"

Mikasa looked up at me in surprise at the question but as she met my eyes, she seems to calm down considerably.

"He seems…okay," she said, "Still get angry with me for worrying about him too much but other than that…"

She trailed off with a light shrug.

I looked up toward the sky where I was seating seeing the numerous stars that were visible now. It was oddly peaceful night given what we were going to experience tomorrow outside the Walls.

"You're not going to sleep yet?" Mikasa asked coming to stand beside my seated form.

"In a bit," I answered her.

The dark-haired girl took a seat beside me and the two of us continued to look up toward the stars together.

"Have you ever seen a sky this beautiful?" I asked her after a while my eyes still taking in the numerous little light that made the stars in the black above, "they are so many stars…made one feel so small compared to the rest of the world out there beyond the Walls."

A sideway glance showed me that Mikasa was also looking up toward the stars as well, her obsidian eyes reflecting the many stars that she was looking at, a soft gentle look upon her features. I returned my gaze toward the stars as well, feeling oddly relaxed now with her beside me.

"Then, you will look after yourself out there," Mikasa said drawing my eyes toward her, "So that we can look at the stars together again when we come back."

I swear my heart just skipped a beat at that. I stared at Mikasa my eyes wide with surprise.

"A lot of people I care about are no longer around," she said taking her scarf and hiding her nose within it, "Don't you go dying out there okay Sarah."

I couldn't help the small grin that grew upon my lips before I suddenly leaned against the other girl placing my head upon her shoulder. I feel her tense slightly at the sudden weight, but she didn't move at all which was a bonus for me. I smiled.

"Then we'll look at the stars together again," I told her raising a pinky toward her.

"Really?"

"C'mon, it's a promise between us friends," I told her, "We have to seal it with a pinky promise."

I could have sworn I heard a soft laugh coming from her, but she did as I asked as she linked her pinky with mine.

"Then, let's look at the stars together again," she said.

I gently squeezed her hand with my own.

"It's a promise."

A promise made between two friends...

Next Time: Female Titan

Jacques0 out.

R&R