I cannot express how happy I am to finally finish this story. After almost two years of trying to do this, its finally done. I'm so grateful for everyone that stuck around this long, you guys are actually legends for putting up with my horrible upload schedule and I appreciate every review I receive. Without those encouragements, I probably would have abandoned this project a long time ago.
I'm probably going to take a break from uploading, but I do plan to do more stories in the future, maybe doing some Fairy Tail to take a break from AOT. I will more than likely do more AOT fanfics, maybe nothing as long as this though, more like one-shots or short stories.
Well, I hope you all enjoy the finale! I'd still appreciate any reviews you guys have for me, either over this chapter or the story in general, and with that note, ONTO THE FINAL CHAPTER OF PROJECT TITAN: SUBJECT ROGUE!
Chapter 23: Freedom (Finale)
"Eren?"
Mikasa rushed forward the last few feet to help her long lost brother to his feet. Her grip was a bit too tight for the boy's liking but he didn't protest. It'd been too long since they'd seen each other and if he wasn't so weak from the hours of water suspension and slightly dizzy from breathing through a small tube, he would have crushed her into a hug as well.
"Eren, it's really you…" came a soft, disbelieving voice. Eren smiled at Armin and chuckled.
"Yeah, it's really me," he said, trying not to lean too heavily on his sister, even if she could more than handle his weight. "I gotta admit, I'm pretty shocked to see you here so soon. Wraith got to the Survey Corp, then?"
"Yep, guy told us everything we needed," Reiner assured with a smirk. He stepped forward and slapped Eren on the back, nearly sending him to the ground. "Good to see your suicidal ass again. Nice hair, by the way, new fashion statement?"
The boy laughed and shook his head. He didn't realize how much he'd missed all of them, even Reiner's crap jokes were a breath of fresh air in the darkness he'd been living in.
"I see your sense of humor hasn't gotten any better," smirked Eren, good-naturedly.
Reiner laughed but was quickly shushed by the smaller blonde, who was growing more and more anxious by the second.
"We need to get out of here," he whispered, moving to the door.
"Gimme a minute to rest," huffed Eren, giving up on holding his own weight. "That tank is hell on the body. And I'm not letting Mikasa drag me around like a doll."
"Fine we'll wait a bit, but we'll have to hurry after that. Jean and the others should be waiting for us outside, and if they aren't we'll have to go help them."
"Jean?" Eren questioned the blonde, astonished. "Jean's here? What, did the Military Police decide to get involved for once?"
Reiner snorted. "Oh, you won't believe this, Jean actually joined the Survey Corps! He came along with us and a few other friends from our cadet days."
"You're right, I don't believe it," Eren deadpanned. There was no way in hell that pompous excuse for a soldier actually joined the one regiment he'd bad mouthed for an entire year while Eren was in training. He refused to believe that until he saw it for himself.
"Wait, you said you and the others from training are here?" Eren said, suddenly feeling dread. "Please tell me you mean along with the rest of the Corps, right?"
The three of them shuffled guiltily. Not sure how to tell him they'd gone on a rescue mission without the rest of their regiment. Eren groaned and hung his head, teeth clenched.
"Do you realize what's going to happen if we do manage to get out of here without them?" he ground out through his teeth. "Those bastards will hunt us down and drag us back or worse. At least if the Survey Corp saw how bad this place was, they could protect us—"
"I'll protect you, Eren," insisted Mikasa firmly. It was the one thing she'd always promise to do, and she had every intention of keeping it.
"And what about the other subjects? You can't save all of us by yourselves, trust me, I've tried," Eren grunted, cold anger coursing through him. "What'll happen when we do get to the Survey Corp? You think they'll believe us without proof of our treatment?"
"Eren, those subjects are proof enough," Armin stated, losing his timid demeanor for a moment. "Once they see the real victims of this project they'll help, I'm sure of it."
"Yeah, and even if they don't do it for you, they'll at least want to keep you around to help with the titans," Reiner argued. "They might treat you like weapons, but I can sure as hell say they'll treat you better than this place."
The brunette huffed and then sighed. Letting his anger roll off him like he'd trained himself to do so many times before. He learned a long time ago that blind rage wouldn't help in any situation. Armin noticed his sudden change and frowned.
"Fine, I guess it's too late now," he conceded, reluctantly. "What about the rest of the subjects? You have a plan to get them out?"
"How do you think we found you? We freed them first and they told us where you were. If everything goes right, they should all be outside by now," Armin explained.
Eren let out a sigh of relief. He'd be damned if he left this place without them, even if Mikasa or the others tried to fight him on it.
"I think I've got enough strength back," Eren said, standing a little taller. "Let get out of here."
The three soldiers were about to agree when a horrifying sound reached their ears from the entrance. Soft, feminine tsking resounded around the concrete room and forced four sets of eyes to swivel towards the source of the disapproving noise. The only woman that sent fearful shivers down Eren's spine sauntered into the room, a smirk on her deceptively lovely face, and a shotgun in her perfectly manicured hands.
"And here I thought I wouldn't have any more trouble from you, Rogue," sighed the dark-haired woman in mock disappointment, her lip pushed out in a pout. "You were playing such an excellent part, I was almost fooled into believing you'd agree with our cause. It would seem you're only one disappointment after another."
Eren glared at her, teeth grating. Every ounce of hatred he'd hidden away the past two years began to boil over when he saw her blocking their way. He spent so long trying to keep the other shifters safe and away from Violet's attention, did everything he could to make her believe his ruse as her lapdog was genuine, but now, facing her with freedom just on the other side of the door, he felt what little control he had left, what little humanity he had, slip away into the recesses of his mind. His eyes darkened and his face blanked. No one noticed his sudden coldness except for Armin, who had been weary of his best friend since they arrived, but he said nothing.
"You better get out of our way lady or I'm loading you up with lead," Reiner snarled, gun raised.
Violet smirked again and swiveled her own gun to point at Eren. "You fire that weapon and I shoot the one reason you came all this way for. It won't kill him obviously, but it could cause some serious brain damage if I aim right. Wouldn't want your friend to become a vegetable, now would you?"
Reiner froze at that, gun still poised over her heart. Violet took his moment of hesitation to slam the butt of her gun against his head and snatch up his weapon. The large boy stumbled and feel to one knee, conscious but dazed. Without missing a beat, Violet emptied the bullets and tossed to the gun into the corridor.
Mikasa made to move in front of her brother, but Eren hissed at her to stay put. She wasn't getting shot over him.
"Now that I have your attention, here is what's going to happen." Violet proclaimed, smugly. "You and the rest of your little group are going to surrender to me. My subjects are going back where they belong and maybe, if I'm feeling kind, I'll let you leave here with your lives. Sound reasonable?"
Mikasa growled under her breath. "We aren't leaving without Eren."
Violet sighed. "Oh, honey, that's not how this works. Rogue is the most valuable piece of our operation. Truthfully, we could easily kill the other subjects if it was deemed necessary. With the finished serum from Rogue's blood, we really have no need for the rejects. They were more for collateral against their leader than anything."
"You would throw away lives for no reason?" Armin asked, partially appalled but wanting to prolong their talk. His eye's darted around the room when he thought Violet wasn't looking, finding some way out of the mess they were in.
"They already have," snarled Eren, lip curled menacingly. "Jimmy didn't deserve what you did."
Violet snorted. "If I remember right, his death did serve a purpose in keeping you in line. He really wasn't useful for anything else with such a weak titan."
Eren reined in his sudden burst of white-hot rage, but just barely. If this bitch kept it up, he wouldn't be able to hold himself together. Needlessly launching himself at her would only injure himself and the others, no matter how badly he longed to.
"I really shouldn't be surprised by your betrayal," Violet sighed, wistfully. "Like father, like son, hm? Oh well, maybe losing your little friends will be enough to destroy your will…"
The second the gun shifted the two inches to Mikasa, Eren made his move. Shoving his sister out of the way, he bolted for the demoness standing in their way. That last threat snapped the already thin wire of his patience and he had enough. Enough of her smug voice, her idle threats, her blatant and inhuman lack of sympathy, her sociopathic manipulation. He was done with the experiments, done with the harsh punishments and mocking guards. He'd had enough of all of it, enough of this place, and enough of her.
Watching through a haze of red, Eren grabbed her gun and tossed it carelessly away from them. His vision tunneled to only his target, forgetting his friends completely. His face contorted in a snarl of beastly fury, eyes glowing bright with malicious intent. All traces of his humanity gone in an instant.
Eren gripped her arms with immense strength and flung her across the room, her light weight almost too easy to lift in his numbing madness.
She slammed into the metal tank and without a second to regain her bearings, she was forced to the ground and the loud squealing of the metal door behind her opening echoed through the room.
"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" she screamed, trying to struggle to her feet only to have strong arms snake under her and throw her back again. This time when she landed she felt cool metal underneath her instead of rough stone.
"Sorry, Ms. Drake," came a hollow, terrifyingly calm voice. When Violet lifted her head to the scene in front of her, she nearly whimpered in horror.
Standing at the entrance to the tank was Eren, her creation, her greatest accomplishment, with his head tilted and wide, dead eyes staring her down blankly. In his hands was a long, thick tube, with a breathing apparatus on one end while the other end hung loose, obviously broken.
Slowly, Violet stared around herself in increasing terror at the smooth metal walls. At the top of the tank where the breathing tube had been, there was nothing but a hole stuffed with plastic tubing, completely blocked up and unusable. With an animalistic cry of panic, Violet whipped around to where Eren stood, knowing full well she wouldn't be able to push her way out.
"N-Now, come Eren. Surely, you're not serious here?" she whispered, engaging her sugary sweet voice in an attempt at lulling the psychotic boy. "After everything I did for you? I fed you, and clothed you, and kept you healthy, did I not? I gave you everything I could…"
"Everything but our freedom," he hissed, savagely. "And the more you gave, the more you took away. You think barely giving us food and clothes was enough after you took our sanity and freedom? You think you deserve to live while we died every day in this damn hell?"
Violet tried to lunge for the exit, only for Eren's leg to swing out and kick her back. Her wheezed out and clutched her midsection when the air was knocked from her lungs. Staring back up at him, rage seething in her eyes, she gave another desperate attempt at negotiation.
"You can't do this to me! I made you powerful, I gave you strength!" she screeched, her once perfect hair falling into her anger-twisted face. "You were nothing before you came here! Nothing but a mindless soldier ready to die for his king! I made you who you are! I CREATED YOU, DAMMIT!"
Eren simply stared in cold contempt at the deranged woman crouched like a cornered animal in front of him. He held no pity, no sympathy for this wretched woman. This was the end, her end, and the end of this poor excuse for a project.
"You've been bad girl, Violet, and you know what happens to bad girls?" the brunette said softly. When she simple glowered at him, teeth clenched, violet eyes wide and feral.
"Punishment."
As the once powerful woman launched herself at the door, it was slammed shut in her face and locked. Eren reached over, face still visible in the small window, and pulled the lever. There was a groaning of pipes and loud splashing as water began to rapidly fill the tank. Violet stood and started furiously beating on the reinforced glass, anger quickly turning to overwhelming panic. Her screams were muffled and unrecognizable, her nails bleeding from scratching at the window. Eren only stood there, face shadowed and devoid of emotion.
None of his old friends attempted to stop him, despite the horror and disbelief churning their stomachs. While two of them had experience with killing humans, with Armin struggling to hold back his revulsion, this particular brand of cold vengeance was a new experience, and one they hoped not to repeat in the future. Mindless killing of people you've never met before was one thing, but watching a person slowly die, while doing nothing about it, somehow felt wrong, even if she more than deserved it.
Armin kept his focus on his friend while the tank filled and the screams became more frantic. He was weary and unsure when it came to Eren, not knowing whether it was really his best friend in there, the same one that longed to kill giant beasts and explore the world with him, or something else entirely. His friend had changed drastically that was certain, but hopefully he hadn't been completely lost to the monster inside him.
The brunette watched every moment of Violet's death. When the tank was completely filled, it was so dark inside but every now and again there was a flash of skin pounding against the glass and gurgled shrieks. After what felt like too short a time, the movement stopped and the room was silent.
Eren tilted his head for a moment, as if suspicious about the woman's death, but when nothing more happened, he nodded to himself and turned. Ignoring Armin's calculating look and Mikasa and Reiner's blank stares, he marched past them and out into the hall. They followed him without a word about what had just taken place. There wasn't anything to say.
When they reached the door to the entrance room, Eren paused when he heard snarling and the grotesque squelching sound of flesh being ripped apart. He was about to open the door, when he was stopped by a bulky arm.
"You sure it's safe?" Reiner asked, eyeing the door skeptically.
"I know that sound anywhere. Just stick behind me and don't make eye contact with him," Eren replied, shaking off Reiner's hand.
"Make eye contact with who?" Armin whispered, but no response came. Instead Eren shoved the door open and stepped into the blood drenched room.
A rumbling growl came from the crouched, gore soaked boy in the middle of the room. He made to pounce at them, causing the three soldiers to tense and pull out their forgotten swords, but a deep, bone-chilling rumble stopped them in their tracks.
Eren stooped before them and sent out another resonating growl that froze the boy across the room. His blue-green eyes were wild with dominance and anger, his lip curled in a snarl. He stalked forward, drowning out the slowly quieting growl of resistance from Razor, until finally, the white-haired boy lowered his head in submission and became silent.
Armin, Mikasa, and Reiner watched the entire battle for dominance in stunned silence. To them, Eren looked like the alpha wolf putting a pup back in his place, it was the look of an untamed animal, deadly and instinctual, and they all knew then. Eren wasn't Eren anymore, not like before that is. He'd grown darker and matured into something that was barely human. There were still glimpses of the boy they'd known, but they were now suppressed under the personality of the alpha in front of them.
Rogue stood then, after asserting his dominance over the weaker titan, and made to leave the room.
"You said they should all be out, right?" he asked over his shoulder.
"If everything went as planned then yes," Armin said, stepping over a piece of someone's arm with a shudder.
"Suppose it won't matter if their still down there or not, doubt the guards will be so willing to die stopping us when they find out their employer is floating in the tank," drawled Eren, completely unaffected by the gore around them. As far as he was concerned, they were free. Their shackles had been broken off and their warden overthrown and as long as Eren lived, he was going to ensure that freedom was never taken from them again.
They all finally left the facility, with Razor walking alongside Eren, hunched over and head still hung, and the other three trailing behind. When they reached the tree-line, Eren was tackled by a blur of brown hair, and nearly sent to him to the ground.
"You're okay!" sobbed Angel, her grip tightening around his neck. She pulled her face away from his chest and searched his face. "You are okay, right? Ms. Drake didn't get to you, did she?"
The brunette sighed and hugged her back. "I'm fine, Gwen, calm down. Violet won't be bothering us anymore."
"She dead then?" cackled Riah, sharpening her claws against a tree. "Oh, I really hope that bitch is dead!"
Eren's face darkened. "Yeah, she's dead."
The howls and shouts of victory rang through the air, startling the soldiers and causing a feral smile to pull at Rogue's lips, but the subjects were unconcerned. Without Violet, who was there to stop them? Not mention Razor's rampage had taken out most of the guards. There was no one to pull them back into that darkness again. No one to restrain, poke, and prod them; no one to taunt, tease, and torment them. The project was done and nothing anyone did would bring it back, bring them back.
After the hardships and torture and times where hope was almost completely lost, they were free. They were finally free.
Now, there were only a few loose ends to tie.
"Damn, Jaeger, is that you?" came the stunned voice of his old rival. When Eren turned his attention to the group of his ex-comrades, he couldn't stop the blast of nostalgia that shot through him at seeing all them together.
"He's more fucked up than we thought," Ymir snorted, earning a light, disapproving smack from Christa and warning growl from Mathias.
"Good to see you too, Ymir," Eren snorted, releasing Angel and stepping up to his old friends. His eyes travelled over their uniforms and insignias, a pang of envy jolted through him until his gaze landed on a certain two-toned hair boy and he chuckled. "And here I thought Reiner had to be joking when he said you joined the Survey Corps. Finally get some courage in that cowardly heart of yours?"
"Tch, whatever, Jaeger," grumbled Jean, arms crossed. "I did this for my own reason's, ass. Also, don't forget who came to rescue you and your army of freaks—."
"Jean!" Marco interrupted, trying to ease the situation and prevent said "freaks" from tearing his friend apart. "What he means to say, Eren, is he's happy you're alright. We all are."
"Exactly," piped Christa. "We missed you, you know."
The rest of them agreed vehemently, grinning and welcoming their friend back.
Eren's face softened. "Yeah, it's good to see you guys too."
The sound of gagging turned everyone's attention toward Kitty and Bones, the two of them making fake sounds of vomiting before Riah sneered at Eren.
"So, Jaeger-boy, now that the mushy stuff is outta the way, what now?"
"Yeah, it's not like any of us got a place to go, ya know?" Hannah added.
"You could come with us," Armin suggested. "Back to the Survey Corps, I mean, that's where you want to go, right Eren?"
Eren nodded. "I would prefer for us to join them. We could a huge asset to humanity in the right hands, but first, Gabriel?"
The boy stood and fixed his glasses, letting out a yawn as he replied, "Yeah, Rogue?"
"Think your lightening could start a fire?" Eren asked, ignoring the odd looks from the others.
Gabe smirked and stepped back into the clearing, already understanding what Eren wanted.
"And try not to fry us, will ya?" Lily muttered coldly. "I still get nightmares from that shit."
The lightening titan winced, trying not to relive those few torture sessions involving his strange ability and the other subjects.
"What's he doing?" Connie hissed, watching the taller boy walk closer to the facility.
"Tying up loose ends," replied Eren, his voice taking on that cold softness like flipping a switch. Armin frowned again, wary of the sudden change once again. It was like he was talking to his best friend one moment and the next he'd reverted to the blank stare and cruel demeanor of the alpha titan. There was an air of command and strength that his old friend had never been able to pull off before with his righteous fury and rousing speeches of freedom. It awed and unnerved the blonde and apparently the rest were in similar state of cautious amazement.
Without any warning, Gabriel lifted his hands in front of him, near his chest, and in the center, a ball of crackling energy formed between his hands, barely contained between his fingers. In the next instance, he tossed the ball forward and released it. They all watched in awe as the ball slammed into the building and sent waves of electrical currents and static across the surface of the already weak and crumbling stone. Ivy and creeping vines caught fire from the flash of heat and flames quickly licked over the dry plant life and crept into the open door of the facility.
"Send one inside, Gabe," Eren ordered from a safe distance away. The teen nodded and tossed out another ball of energy, sending it straight into the open door.
There was what sounded like an explosion, as the ball bounced around the enclosed space before releasing its energy down the halls and rooms, sending anything flammable up in flames.
"Hey, what if someone was still in there!?" Sasha screeched.
The barely heard response that followed had everyone whipping their heads around to stare at the small blonde child who had barely spoken since they escaped.
"Oh well…"
Riah blinked then, getting over her initial surprise of hearing Andy's flippant disregard of human life, before a wicked smile spread over her face and she tilted her head back and let out a burst of maniacal howling that could barely be considered laughter. Hannah was quick to join in with her, her tattoos stretching oddly with her mouth hung open wide in insane joy. Next came the soft giggling from Sophia, who couldn't see the flames but still felt the heat, and the breathy laughter from Dove. Even Lily, Andy, and Gabriel were chuckling under their breath. Mat sat on the ground, looking uninterested and sending hungry looks toward the appalled human soldiers.
The realization that they were actually free seemed to have sunk in at that moment. In the growing fire of the burning prison they'd been trapped in for years, the subjects let out their pent-up frustration and overwhelming joy in shouts, cheers, laughter, and even wild dancing. There was no worry over whether they were being hunted or followed. No fear of being dragged back into hell on Earth or paranoia of finding themselves back in those cells. No more crying and screaming, no more pain, no more exhausting trials or horrific test. It was all over. The monsters were dead and gone.
They were free.
"Are you sure you won't come with us?" Gwen whispered, face drawn in sorrow. Behind her, Riah was shifted into her quadrupedal titan, tail swishing irritably while the rest of the subjects climbed up, including a sullen and muzzled Mathias.
"Sorry, but I have to stay here," responded Eren, smiling softly. "It's just what I need to do."
It was nearly a week ago the facility was destroyed and the subjects freed. After their wild celebration, they had all been ushered onto the horses by Mikasa and rode off away from the fire before someone spotted the tower of smoke and investigated. They'd only made it halfway back before they were met by the Commander of the Survey Corp and a small group of soldiers, along with an exhausted and annoyed Wraith. Apparently their "sneaky" rescue attempt hadn't been all that quiet, and the second Wraith had spilled about where they'd gone, Erwin ordered a small group to accompany him in retrieving the cadets. They had, of course, been very surprised to see their recruits with several other teenagers, but after a lengthy explanation and more than enough complaining about the early hour of the day, the Commander instructed them to return to headquarters to rest. The next day they would discuss that best course of action going from there.
The discussion the next day had turned into an all-out argument over what to do with the subjects while the recruits were commanded to clean every inch of the castle as punishment, an order Captain Levi was all too willing to give out. The officers knew they couldn't effectively hide eleven experimental human-titans from the government or other military branches, especially when many of them were so mentally unstable. Erwin insisted they try to convince the General to leave them in their custody, a logical approach when dealing with military procedures, but Eren wasn't convinced and reminded the Commander of what almost happened the last time they left the decision of custody to that man. Eren couldn't take the risk of him or any of the others falling into the hands of the Military Police, who openly admitting what they would do should they have the subjects in custody. After a long, drawn out battle between the two leaders, Eren finally caved under Erwin's reasoning and a request for a private meeting among the military and government officials was sent off.
None of the subjects were allowed in the meeting, and Eren didn't have high hopes, but when the Commander returned with a barely-there grin on this face, his confidence in the future brightened.
According to Erwin, the Survey Corp had been granted custody of the subjects but on the condition that a trial expedition take place with all data being submitted to the General afterward, and they be tested mentally and emotionally first. This is what worried Eren, because although Erwin didn't say it, they would more than likely be putting Mathias down, something the teen didn't want to happen. Sure, the kid was a human-eating maniac, but he was learning to control himself, with Eren's and Gwen's guidance.
There was also the concern that a few others would not be saved as well, given their poor state of minds. This is what prompted the last-minute decision to leave the headquarters and ultimately the walls themselves. The subjects needed to be away from humans for a while and with their abilities, they weren't concerned about the titan's outside. Only one of them was opposed to the idea.
"Aw, come on, Jaeger, we neeeeeed you," whined Hannah from atop Riah's ashy hair.
"I would have thought you of all people would hate the idea of becoming another lapdog," Lily drawled, eyes narrowed suspiciously.
Eren shook his head, still smiling. "I know you guys wouldn't understand my reasoning, but this something I have to do. I made a promise and I'm going to keep it by helping the Survey Corp." His smile softened as he turned to his human friends, who had come to see the titan's off. They gave him reassuring smiles, except Jean, who had only been dragged out by Marco. "Besides, I think I'm more needed here, than with you guys. Can't let the human's fight by themselves, right?"
Tears started in the corner of Gwen's eyes, but she quickly wiped them away and smile brilliantly. "Well, good luck, then. I hope you fulfill that promise."
When Eren was about to reply, the angel suddenly ran forward and embraced him, not bothering to hold in her tears anymore. "We'll miss you, all of us. Stay safe, okay? No more of that suicidal stuff now, alright?"
The brunette smile and hugged her back, ignoring the look of jealously on his black-haired pseudo-sister. "Can't really promise that, but I'll try."
Gwen laughed and pulled away, eyes still glistening.
"Come on, Gwen, we gotta head out soon, the night patrols will be switching off in twenty minutes, and we need to be out of sight before then," Gabriel called, tying the last of their supplies to harness they'd created for Riah, much to her disgruntlement.
"O-oh, I'm coming up now!" Gwen called, giving one last grin to Eren. "If you ever need us, you know how to call, yeah?"
"Aw, is little Gweny so worried about her precious little crush," cooed Hannah, receiving a teasing purr from Riah along with a coy smirk.
"S-shut up!" snapped Gwen, stumbling in her attempt to climb up Riah's titan. Gabriel and Piers reached down to help her up, giving Eren sly grins over her shoulder as they did.
The brunette sighed and shook his head. He was definitely going to miss them, but that teasing was getting old fast.
"Didn't know there was something going on between you and that mousy girl, Jaeger," sneered Ymir, with a lecherous smile.
Eren took a deep, annoyed breath through his nose. And the teasing wasn't going to end it seems.
"Cut it out," Mikasa growled, growing uncomfortable with the conversation. "They need to get going, right?"
"Right, we got about fifteen minutes left," Gabriel said quickly, as Riah stood up and started trotting away, building her speed. "See ya around! Thanks again for everything!"
"Yeah thank you!" called Sophia, waving to them with Gwen's guidance. The rest of the subjects called their farewells while they still could.
"See ya guys! Good luck!" Eren called after them. Armin, Mikasa, and the rest of them gave their farewells as the animalistic titan faded among the tree-line and out of view.
A weight seemed to settle in Eren's chest as he watched them leave, as if he should have been with them, but he was needed here, with his family and friends. They wouldn't have been happy staying and Eren wouldn't have been happy leaving, so this was the best alternative. Besides, he highly doubted this was last he'd see of them in any case.
"Well, now that the freaks are gone, I'm going back to bed," Jean yawned, spinning around with his hands folded behind his head.
"What the hell did you say, horse-face?" growled Eren, not hesitating to get in Jean's face.
"I said, I'm going to bed now that the freak parade's out of here, got a problem with that, hothead?" Jean ground out through gritted teeth.
"Why you—"
"Would you two knock it off, already? I'm exhausted," huffed Ymir, steering Christa back down the stairs. "And I don't know about you guys, but we're not getting caught by the patrols because of your loud barking."
"Agreed," remarked Connie, following along.
"I guess those two will never change," chuckled Sasha, right behind Connie.
"Come on, Jean. We only have a few more minutes," Marco insisted, trying to pull his friend away from the impending fight.
"Tch, we'll finish this later, Jaeger," grumbled Jean, leaving with the rest of them.
Mikasa and Armin were about to follow as well, when they noticed Eren hadn't moved. Turning back, they saw him gazing at the trees where the others had left.
"Eren, you coming?" Armin asked hesitantly.
"Hm? Oh right," his friend said distantly, a small smile played across his features as he turned back and followed them.
"I've got a good feeling about this upcoming expedition," Eren remarked optimistically.
"That's the spirit, Eren" Armin said, holding open the door. "Who knows? Maybe we'll see them out there."
"Yeah, maybe…"
The three of them returned to their dorms, barely slipping past the night patrols, just in time to catch a few hours of sleep before their morning training. Eren laid in his bed.
He was going to miss his friends greatly, but maybe, if he worked hard enough, he would see them again one day, when they were all free from the tyranny of the titans.