Hopefully you guys liked the last one, even if I uploaded it somewhat at an abnormal hour of the night. I was just listening to some of the calmer AoT soundtracks and couldn't resist adding that ending with the Rain.Hopefully it didn't feel too out of place. Episode 10 was hard on me, and I knew Ymirs story beforehand. The music made me actually tear up for her, and I'm pretty sad knowin the season is coming to a close soon. Hopefully we don't have to wait another 4 years. Oh well, as usual drop a review. Let us begin.
Trost-Progress.
Annie and the others had regrouped with the rest of the cadets. Though there were a few who asked where James was, they accepted the alibi they came up with. Annie and her fellow shifters noticed alot of people were missing, including all of Eren's squad aside from Armin. They didn't want to ask what happened, though they knew the likeliest answer.
Armin himself was staring at the ground as if he didn't see anything, a look on his face of shock. Annie heard Connie trying to guess their next move, while Jean was explaining how those inside the armory had been overrun by Titans. None of them could leave, since they all had near empty tanks. Sasha was still trying to motivate people into fighting, though it seemed none would listen. Annie thought more about the girls actions, and where she fit in with James life.
She was the first to ask where James was, and though she accepted the answer easily enough, Annie felt bad that she had to lie to the one person he treated above all except her as family. But there was no telling if she knew about him, or anything about shifters. All evidence told her no, so she couldn't reveal him unless She were to ask James about it. She knew Sasha was one of the few people James acted truly open to, since he knew her for so long.
Annie remembered James telling her of how he had actually met the always hungry girl, and she'd been shocked. She then understood his actions in the first survival mission towards the wolves with what almost happened to her. Perhaps it had felt all too similar to him when it happened, that he had a stronger reaction.
Where he had simply saved Sasha by killing the wolf, James massacared the ones they met with such hatred, because he felt more personal with Annie than he did with Sasha. She understood how he viewed them, one as family, one as his love. His reason for fighting, he said before he transformed.
The feeling sent warmth through her grim and depressed mood, with all that was going on around them. She looked around for more familiar faces when spotted Marco has joined their trio. The usually chipper boy looked more crestfallen then she'd ever seen him, and heard him talking to himself. He stared at the sky with empty eyes, as if trying to see his fate there.
"It wasn't as if I wasn't prepared to die, I just...is my death going to be meaningless? Will it even matter?" The way he says it, so resigned, sends a wave of guilt through her. She feels Reiner and Bert tense next to her, and they seem to all have the same thought.
'Will all this be worth it in the end? If we succeed..If we save home, can we truly live with ourselves...can we live with the cost?'
Such troubling thoughts are brought to a halt as she sees Mikasa join the cadets. She seems to be looking around frantically for something, or more specifically Someone. She spots them and rushes over.
"Annie, I know it's selfish letting my personal feelings get in the way, with all of this, but have you seen Eren?" The girl pleads to her. 'Selfish? So it's selfish to think about those you care about more so than others? Isn't it natural? Especially if they don't know how you feel for them?' She thinks to herself. She shakes her head and replies.
"No, but Armin is over there. He was found alone, no one's seen the rest of his squad." She tells the asian girl. She sees Mikasa turn and go to Armin, asking if he's alright. The boy is still staring at nothing, sheer shock plastered all over his face. She watches as he begins to break down crying, before reciting the names of his squad.
"...Mina Carolina, Thomas Wagner, and...Eren Jaeger, fought valiantly and gave their lives!" he yells out before he breaks down apologizing over and over. The news disturbs the cadets and brings what nonexistent morale they had plummiting to the darkest abyss. She then watches in shock as Mikasa stands, saying she's going to continue to fight. Annie sees that though her face is blank and resigned, her eyes betray hurt on a much deeper level.
"I'm strong...stronger than all of you. Your all cowards, if your just going to sit here and do nothing to make their rdeaths mean something. I am a soldier, and I will live. The only way to live is to fight. I win, I live. If I lose, then I die. But I can at least say that I tried to live for them. If your not going to fight then stay out of my way!" ending her little speech she takes off directly at the armory.
Annie is then surprised to her Jean talking to himself, "I was expecting something a little more motivational, but I guess it'll have to do. Hey! Were we trained to sit by and let our comrades fight alone? I refuse to let that happen, I'm fighting, unless you are a coward, then stay out if my way!" He takes off after the determined avenger. Armin too rises and wipes his tears, before pulling his blades and following.
"Hmm never expected to hear that from him, I guess today's just full of surprises." He says to his squad. Annie and Bert agree, and they too draw their blades and charge the armory. As she leaves the rooftop Annie hears Sasha calling out to the rest who are still on the fence. "Hey what are you, a bunch of chickens? Our friends are out there, let's move out! We can do this, together!"
The words began to change from despair to determination among the cadets, and they raise their swords to give a fierce battle cry. The time was now, together they would secure their freedom, and they would have to fight for it. More run after them, trying to avoid Titans that block the path, but Mikasa cuts down any that get in her way.
Elsewhere James is busy breaking a 16 meters neck with a chokehold from the back. He hears gas and shouts coming loser towards him, and sees many of he cadets pass by a block away in the direction of the armory. 'So they finally got their spirit back, Good.' If any of them are surviving this, they have to fight. It was something he learned long ago, and it was solid advice that he found out Eren also lived by. 'Another similarity', it was turning out to be a day of surprises.
'Speaking of Eren, where is he? We were supposed to split up and meet at the armory if we couldn't find more titans to clear out first. So where is he?'
As he thinks this, he sees Mikasa run out of gas and crash into a building, before falling to the street below. 'Damn she seemed to be leading them. Looks like I have to get her before a titan does.' As he leaps onto a rooftop, he spots Eren very close to her position.
'Saving her huh? There might be hope for her feelings being returned yet.' Hopefully when he reveals himself, she'll still feel that way about him. 'Loneliness is managable, but being treated as a monster when you can't help but be born one is worse.' She better understand. Or I'll have a few choice words with her when I sneak back.
'I hope Annie's ok, I haven't seen her yet. Reiner and Bert are strong, but if they failed to keep her safe, no one would be safe from his wrath. Human or Titan.' He begins to make his way over anyways, just to be safe. 'Eren shouldn't have to know loss like me. And neither should his "sister" or mother either.'
Mikasa stared at her death as it approached with a hungry smile, that damn smile. She had no gas, a quarter left of her paring blade, and was cornered between two Titans, a 8 meter and a 15. From both sides they approached her, and she was ready to make her last stand when she was knocked forward on the ground, to see something she had only seen once long ago happen now.
A Titan attacked another titan.
The 8 meter was sent flying back by a vicious punch by the 15 meter. She saw it stand there for a moment, completely ignoring her. She saw it's lipless mouth open to growl at the other, it's green eyes blazing with anger. Letting loose a loud bellowing roar that made her cover her ears, she saw it run to the fallen Titan and begin stomping on it's neck. It did it with such savagery that Mikasa didn't notice Armin snatch her up and crash with her to the rooftops.
"Mikasa! Are you alright?" Before she could answer Connie landed by them and asked the same. Hearing Armin's voice tell him yes, Connie told them both "Then we better get the hell out of here. Crap, two 15-meter Titans!" He yelled out pointing to the one that saved Mikasa and another that had come closer.
"No...that's ones different" Mikasa told them.
They watched as the Rogue Titan bellowed a challenge to the other, which responded with a yell of it's own. The Rogue then took a fighting stance, and struck the other with enough force to dislocate and launch the head at the nearby church belltower. The steaming corpse tried to rise but was stopped when the Rogue stomped directly on the nape. The cadets were in shock, and Armin was about to speak when another Titan leapt from the rooftops to land near the Rogue. This Titan was bizzare, and familiar.
Weird snake like hair, a large agile and muscular form, and a predatory face that made him shiver. He heard Mikasa gasp next to him, and heard her tell them both "That's the one from home, the one that helped us escape! It kills other Titans!"
All three of them watch as the newcomer roars to the Rogue, but it isn't angry or challenging. If anything, it sounded as if they knew each other from the way they both turned to face the armory. Mikasa Connie and Armin saw the pair exchange a few more 'words' before they made their way towards it. They seemed to be planning on attacking the Titans there.
Mikasa saw Armin give her tanks enough gas to make it there hopefully, and she told him to let Connie carry him there. The trio stayed behind the pair of Rogue Titans, but close enough to use the path they cleared of Titans safely. At this rate they would reach the armory in a few minutes at most, unless any other surprises show up that aren't so friendly. Only time would tell, but the girl kept hope.
Isn't that the only way to suvive? To Hope, to fight?