Hey guys, another chapter… BTW before we begin reading I just have a quick message. Do any of you like the Mikasa I made? In my personal opinion I may have not done so well with her compared to the original Mikasa Ackerman. In the cannon universe, she's bad to the bone, but looking at mine, she's not too badass. I hope this chapter will fix that in a way.
Anyway, responses:
Jeremy, I'm glad you like the new name, it'll be more important when we get to the next part of the story.
If You Give A Duck Chocolate, I will certainly keep up the good work.
Now don't forget to review. I NEED YOUR REVIEWS! I love having feedback, please REVIEW!
Chapter 24: A Light That Never Comes
Eren and Mikasa have been suffering in silence while Levi devises a plan to overthrow the Fort. The last refuge of Assassins in all the land of Yggdrasil. Even in all this time, the two lovers never left each other's sides. Eren makes the best he can to be sleeping on the floor, while his beloved takes the single cot. Their child is likely a month away from now, and she needs all the comfort she can have, even if he has to sacrifice his food rations. Eren can't imagine this, he's just about to lose it after all this thinking. His child is coming up close very soon, and they're stuck in this lonely prison cell. Of all the rotten luck in this world, why did they have to do it while Mikasa was pregnant? Again, like Eren said to Mikasa last week, and every day after that: It's a complicated world.
As for Mikasa's wellbeing, she's tired of crying for one thing, right now she'd rather just lay on the cot, and have a moment of self-loathing. On the inside, she's drastically beating herself up to the fact that she'll probably be raising her baby in this nightmare of a place. All because of a single man and his hate for Eren Jaeger. Levi Welson blames him for Petra's death, and they both have to suffer for it. If only there was some ray of hope in this time; for both Eren, Mikasa, and their child.
"Eren." Mikasa whispers to him.
"Huh." Eren hunches over to her.
"What do we do?"
Eren cannot answer that question in this time without being completely honest, but nevertheless, Eren must answer.
"We have to stick together." Eren kneels down over Mikasa's slouching self, and rubs her arm, "That's the best thing you and I can do right now. We got each other, no matter how bleak things will be, just remember I'm always here for you."
Mikasa nods with big opal eyes, and no tears come out, only more words, "Can I ask you a question?"
"Of course." Eren gladly prepares for Mikasa's wonder.
"All my life, I wanted to protect you. Ever since the day you saved me on that night. Seeing you so strong, and selfless has been such an inspiration to me, but I'm almost coming up short compared to you. I feel like I've been growing in your shadow all this time. I can't even feel a sense of strength without you being nearby…" Mikasa looks down on herself, watching dribbles of water drool down on the cold floor, "Do you think I'm weak?"
Eren's face is completely dumbstruck in confusion. He must be thinking of how lethargic she's feeling, and it's not good. She's not being the woman Eren loves.
"Mika, do you really not remember?" Eren blows her away with such a shocking answer. Her face is immediately stricken to what Eren's been paying attention to, "Mikasa, you've saved my life more times than I care to count; starting with the night we first met. You killed the man who had me strangled with your hidden blade. All those times I got into fights during our years of training with the Assassins. Remember? When I first met Jean? You were always there for me when I'd lose my temper. Of course what about the time you saved me from an entire army of Templars, right before Svyatoy was destroyed. Then when Farlan Church had me down on the floor." As her realization comes wrapping up in her mind, Eren can see it develop in her eyes. So for that, Eren keeps going on, "Mikasa you have always been there for me, just as much as I have been there for you. And no matter what happens to us, always know that you were never weak. You are the bravest woman I've ever known, and you always will be."
Mikasa refused to cry, and she's winning, but her eyes awe swelling up, so Eren just leans in and gives her a good peck on the cheek, still lying down on the cot, "You're the best you know that?" Mikasa said to Eren while creeping her hand into his.
Eren just smiles to his fiancé, and he lays his head down to rest. Right beside his beloved.
(Let's see what Levi's cooking.)
Off in the distant halls, Levi preps the next batch of Wunder. The Templars brainiacs have managed to reverse engineer the Wunder and make more of them, but there still isn't enough. About half a dozen has been made now, and that's enough for just six people. Levi wants a whole army by his side, just like him, indestructible warriors.
"Have faith Levi, Eren will have what's coming to him. You just have to be patient." Says the terrible angel of Petra who resides in Levi Welson's madness.
"I've been patient for far too long." Levi swipes away the papers from his desk, "That's it, I'm going to Fort Casey, and I'm gonna slaughter everyone in there, limb from limb!"
"That's my man. DO IT!" Levi's evil conscience tells him.
(I hope I absolved the Mikasa I made, she's tough, but I just don't show it as much as I show Eren. Now let's see how Armin, and Annie are doing)
Armin has been running the Fort while Eren and Mikasa were held prisoner. After pacing for hours on trying to break out his friends, Annie had to force him to eat his lunch; a big bowl of venison chili, and lemonade.
"Armin c'mon! Please eat." Annie begs to him.
As much as Armin wants to keep thinking of a plan to break them out, she's right. The more stress he goes under, the worse this situation will be. Annie's helping him, Armin has to take a break on this. Armin just scoops up the meaty deer chunks with his spoon while Annie accompanies him at the table. He's eating rather slowly but after a while he finally takes in some breath and exhales out his breath through his nose as he chews. Now that everyone is on the down low they can take in the swell silence. The only noise in the room is their chewing. After about a consistent amount of spoonful's, and Armin puts his utensil in the bowl, and hunches down in his seat in complete chillness.
"I'm glad you're doing better." Annie winks.
"Yeah me too…" Armin looks down to his empty bowl, and then an idea finally springs up, "Alright. Since we can't stop Levi, or save Eren and Mikasa any time soon, I think it'd be wise if we evacuate the fort."
Armin's proposal is a minor shock to Annie, but nothing too hard to handle. Good thing she didn't have any more chili in her mouth, she'd be choking right now.
"Really?" Annie squints.
"Yeah, Levi will come back, and he won't be so nice next time. I'm sure of it. We gotta get the wounded, and the sick out of here first. Flee into the woods, and maybe hide back in the ruins of Svyatoy." Armin's proposal isn't too bad the only awful part is that they're just cowering away from Levi, and leaving behind two well-known assassins; the mentor, and his fiancé.
"Do you really think that's a good idea?" Annie retorts, "We're assassins, not losers."
"Who said anything about losing?" Armin smiles back, "If we're going to leave this fort, then let's make it damn sure that the Templars don't get it back." Armin's plan is starting to turn more devious.
"You mean blow up the fort?" Annie asks the obvious.
"Exactly." He smiles with half of his mouth, "If we're lucky, we'll take a few dozen Templars with it."
"If we're lucky." Annie is liking the plan as she twirls the spoon in her empty bowl.
"Alright, I'll go tell everyone, you should get to packing."
Then Annie unexpectedly snatches Armin's shoulder for something else in mind, "No! I have a better idea for you; I'll go tell everyone, you start packing your gear. You're going back to the Capital City as a prisoner."
Armin looks to Annie with the most confusing face she ever laid her eyes on, and he's supposed to be the clever one. Before he can have the slightest chance to ask, Annie is already discussing the plan.
"Alright, here's how it works; you're going to stay behind after the evacuation, and when the Templars come back. If your gut feeling on this works, you'll be taken as prisoner, and when you do keep this in your mouth." Annie then removes a simple bobby pin out from her hair making it drop down to below her neck. Her hair isn't as long as Mikasa, but she still looks elegant. Armin almost lost his mind form seeing her like this, and she had to snap her fingers in front of his face so he can come back out of his mind.
"Armin! Put this in your mouth, right now."
Just before Armin could hide this pin beneath his tongue, a sudden knock on the door rings through their heads, and into their heads.
"C'mon in!" Armin shouts through the door.
None other than Hanji Zoe pops out through the door, "Armin, I have good news, and bad news."
"What is it? Bad news first." Annie adds in.
"Alright, our scouts informed us of Levi coming back, and he's bringing a small army."
"Alright, Hanji." Armin begins his new orders, "Send word to everyone to evacuate the Fort. Every village, and bureau we own. Abandon your posts, and flee back to Svyatoy. And what's the good news."
Hanji pulls out some papers, and documents, "I've been rummaging through Nick's papers, and after noticing a pattern in the papers, I found an encryption. Turns out Nick found a cure to the Wunder. He kept the formula hidden in bold lettering."
Armin's face shows complete excitement and relief, "Are you serious? Like an actual cure to Levi's powers?"
"Yes. Well, just the physical abilities, not the psychiatric parts. It's likely Levi will still be angry at Eren for killing Petra, but he won't be too powerful." Hanji wraps up the papers and stuffs them in her pockets. "I'm already working on the cure, if we're lucky I should have it done in a matter of days."
"Alright…" Armin's old plan on evacuating is still in motion so he stands back up out of his chair, "I still need you to send word on evacuating the fort, after that I'll let myself get captured by Levi. If we're lucky that'll give you time to develop the cure. Do you have all the ingredients?"
"I should have most of it, but I'll need a blood sample of anyone who doesn't have the Wunder in him."
"So just a blood sample from anyone?" Armin asks.
"Yes."
"Alright then." Armin then pulls out his hidden blade, and begins poking a hole in his finger, "Annie get something to put this in." Armin asks while his blood drips from the tip of his finger.
As Annie gets a tiny beaker from the shelf for Armin, Hanji prepares to send his orders on to evacuate.
"Alright, here's your blood sample." Armin hands Hanji the vial of blood.
"Good, I'll see to it the fort's empty." Hanji winks before leaving.
"Good. Annie hand me a napkin." Armin pleads to his bleeding finger.
(About 2 hours later.)
Every village, bureau, and the entire Fort has been successfully evacuated. All Assassins have fled, and the sick and wounded are safe.
Jean saw to it personally that Historia made it out as he took her carriage. Through the forest, Jean and Historia race through the thick trees as if they were running for their lives.
"Jean." Historia shouted to him still slumped on the wooden board like a bed.
"What is it?"
"Thanks… for everything. I love you. Always have" Historia says to her lover. She doesn't even look at him, she's still resting anyway.
Jean doesn't look back at all either, he has to stay focused on the horses, but he returns the favor, "I love you too."
They both smile behind each other's back. Then Historia begs the question on him, "Do you think we'll ever have children?"
Jean hitches in his breath after hearing that simple question, and he still keeps his pace on the horses. For a bit, Jean goes silent, but he eventually answers it to say the least, "I think so, eventually."
Historia smiles, and drifts off to sleep. She still has to rest off that leg. The one Levi shot, the other day. Jean still wishes he could've given that monster a piece of his mind, but after some thinking, he actually could've died from that man. No, he would've died.
Ymir, and Bertolt are currently Jean and Historia's escort to Svyatoy. Ymir, couldn't take her eyes off of her sisters self. Seeing her in that carriage almost made her cry, but there was no time for tears in her opinion, not yet.
"Hey Ymir." Bertolt shouts with the horses galloping muting the normal volume of voice.
"What is it?" Ymir barks back.
"In case I don't make it, I just want you to know… I always thought you were cute."
Ymir didn't even blush at all, but instead, she just nods to him with a small smile, "You know I always thought that with you too. It's a good thing you turned back to us. I would've killed you if you stayed with the Templars."
Bertolt is the blusher in this situation, he can't help it.
Connie, and Sasha are riding up on Ymir, Bertold, Jean and Historia. As they come closer to provide more security, Sasha begs the question, "What's going on here?"
"Nothing." Ymir shouts, "don't worry about it."
"Just keep up, okay." Jean shouts even louder with the ruckus this carriage is making.
With all the Assassins out of here, all but one stands guard in Fort Casey, Armin Arlert is ready to confront Levi. Armed with two scimitars, and his double barrel flintlock pistol, Armin is ready. As Levi makes his way into the open, and empty fort. He looks rather disappointed to see just him. Armin Arlert is all the company he's been given?
"Of all the Assassins. Of all the plans, and ideas you've had. You are the only one who stays to fight?" Levi smirks
"Yes… I want my friends back!" Armin demands pulling out a blade and his unique flintlock.
Levi just nods his head with a small smile he can conjure up, and comes down from his horse, "You can't beat me, boy."
"No wait!" Petra's angel comes down again for more impatience, "he's friends with Eren and Mikasa, I want him to suffer too. Just like Eren and Mikasa, they all must die, together."
"No, Armin." Levi hisses slightly, "Your coming with me, and I'll see to it that you suffer along with Eren and Mikasa."
Armin can't really believe it, Levi wants him prisoner, this is really going to work, and the bobby pin is still in his mouth right under his tongue. This could actually work, but Armin isn't taking any chances, not this easy.
"No I'm not, your going to die here and now!" Armin charges at full speed to Levi. Firing both his pellets at Levi, and no effect Levi is still standing. Armin still charges for him with his blade. All Levi has right now to defend himself with are his two hidden blades. Sadly, that's all he needs.
Armin begins swiping away at Levi, but his agility is too good. Armin exposes a critical part of his body, and Levi takes it and punctures to cripple him. The pain makes Armin drop his blade, so he pops out his own hidden blades. They both begin piercing towards each other, and they all keep missing like if it were some sparring matchup for fun. It's complete child's play for both of them it seems. As Levi grows tired of this charade, Levi wraps his arms around Armin's neck, and with the flick of his wrist knocks him out in a chokehold.
"Now then that's the final head to cut." Levi hauls Armin's hog tied hind over his blackened horse to haul him back to the Captial city.
