Chapter 20
12 Hours Earlier
Kagami sat in his bunk staring out the window. It had been a few days since most of the regiment had left for the interior. Despite that, most of the new recruits from the 104th were left behind. While most of the superiors left, Section Commander Mike and his team remained with the recruits. While he did not question it at first, the fact that only they were ones left behind began to puzzle him.
All Kagami could think about was the meeting they had discussing the identity of the Female Titan. It was highly likely that they had captured Annie by now, but he could not say for sure. There had also been the possibility that she was not, but even Kagami was having trouble believing that was the case.
He let out a breath and stood up from the bed. He had to clear his head and think straight. There were still a lot of unknowns that needed answers, and he wanted to focus on that. He moved towards his bag and sifted through it until he found what he was looking for, a necklace. He had not worn since the events at Trost. The memory of Tatsuya only brought pain. He clutched it tightly before deciding to put it on.
Then there was a knock at his door. He sighed and sat back down on his bed.
"It's open."
The door opened and in entered Aemilia. Kagami rose an eyebrow, this was the first time he had seen her since the expedition. It was also the first time he saw her in civilian attire. She quietly closed the door and rested against it.
"Still sulking in here, huh?"
"I'm not sulking. Just thinking," Kagami answered.
"You seem to do that a lot," Aemilia said. She removed herself form the door and sat in a chair across from Kagami.
Kagami watched her closely. There was something about her that still felt off to him, but what it was he could not place it.
"You know, it's impolite to stare. Especially towards a lady," she said playfully.
Kagami rolled his eyes and turned his attention towards the window. "Did you ever end up telling our superiors what I told you?"
Aemilia shook her head. "Nope. Never found the chance to. But I think they got the message."
Kagami rose an eyebrow and turned towards her. Her expression was strange. It was as if she knew more than even he did. While it was true that the higher ups of the regiment were aware of the situation, he was sure that most of the new recruits were kept in the dark.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Well, most now know the true objective of that expedition was, so there's no point in saying anything now."
"I guess that's true," Kagami mused as his gaze shifted to the ground.
He remembered the conversation he had with Jean and Armin in the trees. Jean had asked them about the mission's true objective, which had been unknown until that point. Kagami had figured it out while he fought Annie, but seeing the realization come to Jean made the secrecy of the mission all the more dangerous to him.
"By the way," Aemilia began to say.
Kagami looked up and saw Aemilia tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear and her eyes were looking towards the floor as well. He could also see the red beginning to form there as well.
"I haven't had a chance to say this, but thanks for saving me during the expedition," Aemilia said sheepishly.
"I don't recall saving you," Kagami said raising an eyebrow.
"But you did. If you hadn't kept that titan distracted then I'm sure I would've died." Her eyes moving up to meet his.
When the two locked stares, Kagami's eyes slowly widened in realization. He had never considered what he did as saving her. Everything had happened so fast that he had simply told to run.
"In a way, I guess I did. Don't want anymore regrets than I already have," Kagami replied.
"Regrets?"
Kagami waved a dismissive hand. "Nothing you need to worry about."
There was a period of silence between the two. Kagami's red eyes stared into her blue ones. He noticed a hint of grey close to pupil, while she noticed a darker shade of red. She then began to inch closer to him, while he stood still. He could see the red begin to envelop her face as she moved closer. The two were then face to face. She shifted her head to side and closed her eyes as she moved closer. Kagami could feel the heat coming off her as she moved closer.
He was pulled in by the moment and closed his eyes as he moved closer to her. Before anything could happen, his eyes shot open and he pulled away. Aemilia opened her eyes and moved back slightly, now embarrassment had over taken her.
"Sorry. I don't know what came over me."
"It's not your fault. I just…" Kagami trailed off.
"'Just' what?"
Kagami tired to find a response, but he was coming up with nothing. He had never been in that kind of situation before. He could see the disappointment in her eyes and he felt bad in not being able to meet her there.
"I'm just not ready for that," Kagami said finally.
"I see. I got ahead of myself," Aemilia said taking a few steps back.
"Let's just go see the others and try to forget about what just happened."
"I think that's for the best."
Kagami stood up and walked to the door. He had to turn away from her because of his own blush that was forming. He had to get control of his emotions before seeing the others. He did not want assumptions and rumors to go flying. He took a look back towards Aemilia. She was hiding her embarrassed face. He took in a breath and released it before finally opening the door.
—
When Kagami and Aemilia arrived at the mess hall, he was not surprised by the sight. The hall was populated by just the recruits from the 104th. Bertolt and Reiner were playing chess, while the others were more concerned with Albrecht and some girl. He could hear Ymir's condescending laugh and Christa scolding her right after. He had a pretty good idea of what they were talking about.
He tried to be silent and avoid the stares from others, but Ymir had caught sight of him as she turned her head. He could see the snarky smile form on her face as she caught sight of him and Aemilia. He already knew what she was going to say.
"Well, well. Looks like we got another who needed a girl to stop being secluded."
All eyes turned towards Kagami, which caused him to shift under the pressure. While he was not affected by the comment and stares, it was obvious that Aemilia was. As she kept her gaze firmly on the floor.
"Who knew Taiga of all people had game? I knew Albrecht had a bit, but you, now that's impressive."
Kagami rolled his eyes and turned towards her. "Can it, Ymir. Whatever it is you're thinking about did not happen."
Ymir rose an eyebrow slyly. "Oh, and what do you think I meant."
"You don't have be so mean to him too," Christa said.
However, the way she said it caught Kagami's attention. There was something about her tone of voice that was different compared to when she said something similar when Ymir was teasing Albrecht. He pushed the thought aside as it was something that did not concern him.
As he passed by Reiner and Bertolt, he caught a glimpse at their chess game. With just that glance he noticed how Bertolt was on the defensive, trying everything he could to keep his king alive. Reiner was playing aggressively as he moved his pieces forwards without hesitation. Bertolt then made the move that sealed his defeat.
"You just lost Bertolt," Kagami said.
"Huh?" Bertolt looked between both Kagami and the broad trying to see where he went wrong.
"He's right," Reiner said as he picked up the bishop. "That's checkmate." He placed the piece down.
Bertolt's eyes widened in realization at the mistake. He groaned and face palmed.
"You're pretty sharp, Taiga. Where did you learn to play, being a homeless orphan and all?" Renier asked.
"The old man that took me in taught me. Wanna go a few rounds?" Kagami asked.
Reiner nodded, turned back to the broad, and began to set up the pieces. Bertolt moved a bit to the side to let Kagami sit. Next to Reiner, Sasha groaned in boredom and put her head on the table.
Just as quickly as she put her head down, she shot straight up. Those around her were startled by her sudden movement. Even Kagami jolted a bit in surprise.
"Guys, I hear footsteps!"
At first everyone was silent. Her sudden outburst caught everyone by surprise that no one could respond. At first Kagami thought she had finally lost it and was talking nonsense. The likelihood of titans in Wall Rose was next to none.
"Are you trying to tell us titans are here?" Reiner asked voicing what others were likely thinking. "That'd only be possible if Wall Rose was breached."
That made everyone shudder. The thought of titans breaking through Wall Rose was the worst case scenario. Memories of what happened in Trost flooded in everyone's minds. Kagami could barely make out Christa squeak of fear from the silence.
Kagami released a breath in order to calm his nerves. "Looks like Sasha's finally lost it, guys."
His comment garnered a few laughs, but it did not alleviate the mood. However, at the back of Kagami's mind, the worst case scenario was already playing. If there was a chance that she was right, then everything was just going to get worse.
"Look, I'm not pulling your leg here!" Sasha said, throwing her hands into the air. "I hear something!"
Before anyone could respond, Nanaba, Mike's direct subordinate, appeared on the windowsill. Despite hiding it well, Kagami could tell she only had bad news. She opened the window so everything she had to say could be heard clearly.
"Is everyone here?"
"What is it, Nanaba?" Christa asked, he voice laced with fear.
"We've got company. About 500 miles south and closing. Titans, headed this way."
With that, she confirmed everyone's fears. The mood in the room immediately shifted. The fear and dread could be felt like a thick fog. For some, it took everything they had to keep themselves composed.
"No time to suit up with your ODM rigs. Grab your packs and get to your horse. Evacuate every home and settlement in the area. Get to it," she ordered.
"Hold on, from the South?" Connie muttered.
Kagami had overheard the conversation he had had with Sasha about his home being to the south of their location. That only made the mood worse. In front of him, Reiner turned to Bertolt with a distressed face.
"Do we know if the wall's been breached?" he asked him.
Kagami rose eyebrow. There was something in the way he said that caused him to question it. Reiner had said as if he knew something like this was going to happen. The look on his face also was a cause for Kagami to question his words.
He thought back to not being able to tell Reiner who he thought the Female Titan was. He could not trust him because Kagami had sensed the something was off about him. Jean telling him that it was nonsense caused for him to waver in his belief of that. However, he pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the situation at hand.
Nanaba told them to hurry up before leaving the windowsill. Everyone scrambled out of the mess hall and towards the stables. Some were faster than others as panic set in for some, while others were taken in by the frenzy of movement.
Kagami managed to push his was through the door and out towards the stables. He grabbed his horse's saddle and quickly secured it on the horse. He could feel the tension and panic of his horse as well.
Even the horses are being affected by all this. Everything is happening way too fast.
Once everyone was on their horse, they took little time to depart from the base. They had to get distance form the titans as fast as they could. When they got a fair bit away from the base, Mike began to relay his orders.
"The second the titans reach the woods, we'll split up into four teams. Recruits and soldiers alike in each unit. When I give the signal we'll scatter in different direction simultaneously. Get the word out to civilians. Do not engage the enemy!" He turned towards those riding behind him. "Which one of you is most familiar with the area?"
Sasha raised her hand. "Me, sir. My home's just to the north of here! I know this region like the back of my hand. Connie, too." She turned to the shorter soldier. "Go on, tell him!"
However, Connie still had the distressed look on his face. He was pale and sweat caked his forehead. His eyes seemed to barely blink.
"My village is to the south, where the titans are coming from."
That caused for a chill to go down everyone's spines. Now everyone knew why Connie was so distressed. His home was likely where the titans first struck.
"I can lead you to near by settlements, just let me go home after. Please." The desperation in his eyes was evident, even for those who could not see him.
"Granted. Guide the southern team, then go to your village," Mike said.
Reiner was quick to join in, basing it as he had decided to help get home beforehand. He turned to Bertolt asking him if he was going to join too. He agreed as well.
For Kagami, there was again something about Reiner's tone that did not make sense. Now there was Bertolt, whose distressed look compared to Connie's. Despite wanted to figure things out, he did not have the time for it.
"They've reached the woods! The enemy is on top of us!" A soldier called out.
Everyone looked back to see titans, just as tall as the trees, getting ever closer. Now it felt real. Seeing the gargantuan creatures lumbering towards you was a different from just hearing they were close.
Memories of Trost flooded in Kagami. All the titans he had killed and all the people they had eaten were at the forefront of his mind. He wished he had gear so he could fight, but luck would not have it. He turned his attention forwards. As the saying went: "out of sight, out of mind."
"Scatter, now!" Mike called out.
The teams began to separate in the designated directions. He was directed to go west with Christa and Ymir under Nanaba's command. He spared a glance towards Aemilia, who was going with the eastern team. They locked eyes and she mouthed 'good luck' as she turned towards the east.
However, before they could fully separate, the titans noticed where they were and began to sprint towards them. Just seeing titans was bone chilling enough, but seeing them running towards you was something else all together.
Mike separated from the group and charged towards the titans, intent on getting their attention. He ordered Gelgar to take charge of the southern team before riding towards the titans, leaving the stunned group of soldiers behind. Some wanted to assist him, but Gelgar was quick to come to the Section Commander's defense, stating that his skills were just beneath Captain's Levi and Tetsuya.
With the titans's attention on solely Mike, the soldiers were able to fully disperse and go in their designated directions. Kagami spared a glance towards the base they were just at he could make out Mike already engaging the titans. He let out a breath and turned his attention forwards. As he did, something a great distance away caught his attention. It was a small speck amongst the tree trunks. However, he did not have long to figure out what it was as it disappeared within the tree line.
—-
By sundown the team heading west had just about raised the alarm for every village in the region. Kagami did not expect it to take only a few hours, but by the look of how much day light they had left, it probably did take as long as it was expected.
"Keep your wits about you. We still got one more village," Nanaba said.
Kagami looked forwards to see another village coming into view. This one was nestled in a small forest. The trees provided natural shade for the people and having a small lake nearby was a bonus. Kagami assumed the people living there were lucky as their village was the ideal place to live.
Then sadness flooded him. This would be another home that would be decimated by the titans. If everyone managed to escape, the village would become part of the foliage that protected it.
"Isn't this…" the scout beside Nanaba began.
"Yeah. This is Tetsuya's home," Nanaba said.
The three recruits looked between each other. This was the home of one of their superiors. Between Christa and Kagami there was an unspoken agreement to get everyone out; even Ymir was on board.
"If we do this, we'll definitely be on the Captain's good side," Ymir said.
The two senior officers chuckled. "It'll take a bit more than saving the people of his hometown to get on Tetsuya's good side," Nanaba said looking back.
Despite the dire situation, the laughter between the soldiers helped keep things calm. Also the fact that titans had yet to be spotted helped greatly.
When they arrived to the town, they quick to spread the word. Some people were in disbelief and called the Scouts liars. Kagami could not blame them. Soldiers bursting through their home telling them evacuate, would be cause for confusion. However, as they kept repeating it, it slowly began to sink in that it really was the truth. That's when panic began to set in for the people.
The group separated cover more ground in the village. They had to make sure everyone was on a horse and gone. Kgami found an old man slowly walking back to his home, however, he was in no particular hurry.
It's always the stubborn old people. Kagami tugged the reins on his horse and trotted to the old man.
"Sir, you need to evacuate. Titans have been spotted in Wall Rose."
The old man turned to him. His face was first frustration, but it changed to anger when he saw the soldier.
"You're just saying that to get us out of our homes and loot 'em later. I've seen damn Orientals like you stealing from hard workin' folks like us," the old man said.
Kagami ignored the last part. He had to get through to the old man.
"I'm not lying. I would not lie about something like this."
"Gregory, listen to the soldier," a voice said.
The two turned to see a man in his late-forties walking towards them. Kagami's eyes widened as he saw that the man was Oriental, like him. The old man shifted a bit in discomfort, but listened.
"He ain't no soldier. Just at the way he's dressed."
"It just means he did not have time to put on his uniform. Things must be very dire in this case," the man said.
The old man walked to continue arguing, but something stopped him. Kagami wondered how someone who looked at him in disgust could look at someone just like him with just a small amount of respect.
"Fine. I'm trusting you, Nobuhiko. Not this 'soldier,'" the old man said.
The old man then shuffled into his home and closed the door behind him. The man, Nobuhiko, turned to Kagami with a kind smile on his face.
"Sorry about him. He's lived here the longest and doesn't trust outsiders that well."
"He trusted you," Kagami said.
"And it took time," Nobuhiko said. He let out a sigh and put a hand on Kagami's horse's neck. "You should ride along. There isn't another village in this area left."
Kagami nodded and grabbed the reins.
"You're a Scout, right?"
Kagami nodded. "Are you-" "Tell my son to take care. And that we're proud of him."
Kagami nodded again. There was nothing left to say. He cracked the reins and the horse propelled itself forwards. He looked back and saw Nobuhiko waving. Kagami cracked a small smile before turning forwards again. He was definitely Captain Tetsuya's father. More than just looking similar, he was comfortable to be around; similar to the captain.
He pushed those thoughts aside. He had to remain on task and that was to regroup with the others. Luckily that did not take long as they were all exiting the village at the same moment. Once everyone was accounted for, they continued forwards.
While it was still sundown, the sky was beginning to darken. It would not be long until the night sky consumed them. That brought its own uncertainties. Kagami ran through scenarios in his head. The first was that they had yet to see any titans. If what happened at Trost and Shinganshina were to be a metric, they should have encountered at least a few by now. There was the chance that the hole in Wall Rose was small and not a lot of titans could get through at once. But knowing how cruel the world was, that was unlikely.
Kagami was broken from his thoughts when he heard Nanaba saying they were going to begin heading south. That shot up red flags in Kagami's mind. South was where the titans were coming from and without equipment him, Ymir and Christa would be defenseless. Ymir was quick to point that out.
"What's the point? You just said there aren't any villages to the south from here."
"We've raised the alarm for everyone in the region. Now we pinpoint the breach. The idea is to ride west until we do," Nanaba replied.
Ymir rose an eyebrow. "Seriously? You know we three don't have out gear, right? What're we supposed to do about titans? The south'll be crawling with them. If we can't fight, might as well feed us to them. Why not let Christa and I withdraw from the front?"
Kagami rolled his eyes. "Thanks for leaving me out of it. It's nice to know you care."
Ymir turned to Kagami. "Pretty that scowl of yours could kill a titan, so you'd be just fine."
"Ymir!" Christa began to say.
"Negative. When we find where they're coming in, I'll need someone to relay it to HQ," Nanaba said.
"Then let me and Christa withdraw. You'll only need Taiga," Ymir argued.
"And how are you going to fight titans if you encounter them? Can your scowl kill them?" Kagami jabbed.
"Why I outta…"
"Cut it out, the both of you. I get that you're scared, but like it or not, that's part of the job," Nanaba interjected.
With that, there was a silence among the group. Kagami knew better than to argue against his superior, and while he knew Ymir was not one to follow the rules, he did not expect her to outright voice her opinions. However, he had to admit she had point. It was evident only one or two people would be required to relay the information of where the breach was, but there was still the possibility that titans could slow down the information's arrival. He felt that the hard part would be relaying the information rather than acquiring it.
Kagami was broken from his thoughts when Christa began to argue with Ymir.
"Ymir, look, I'm aware of what I've gotten myself into."
Ymir turned to the blonde, but did not say anything.
"You know no one made me join the Scouts and you know it. I…I chose it for myself."
There was something in her voice that caught Kagami's attention. Despite her expression matching her words, her tone did not. It felt as if it was not really her who made that decision. He glanced towards Ymir, who seemed to pick up on it as well.
"I know it's a different story in your case-" "You think I signed up for this because of you?"
Kagami wanted to add his own opinions, but decided it was best to stay out of it. This was between them, as he was sure that Christa was Ymir's only friend. Part of him wished he was not present to listen.
"What other reason do you have for being here?" Christa voice came out as a whimper. "You tried talking me into joining the Military Police 'til you were basically out of breath. You bowed out so I'd be eligible."
Now it makes sense. Could've sworn I scored a bit higher than Christa, Kagami thought.
"Don't try to deny it. I wasn't good enough to make the top ten on my own. Ask anybody." She shifted her gaze towards Kagami. "Hell, just ask Taiga. He's better than me in terms of skill."
Ymir turned to the redhead, a scowl on her face. All Kagami could manage was a shrug. While he had had his opinions, he still felt it was better to keep them to himself for now.
"I have no idea why you did it, but… Why? Why do that for me?"
Her question did not receive a response from Ymir. Based on Christa's question and Ymir's lack of response, something clicked in the blonde girl. Her face turned downcast and she turned away from Ymir.
"It's because of my family, isn't it?"
Kagami rose an eyebrow. This was the first time he had her mention something like that. While he never hung around her often, the times he did not once was he family mentioned. Based on her expression and words, it was likely that she came from some form of status.
"Sure. Why not?"
Kagami turned to Ymir, surprised that she had said anything.
"Relax. Don't worry about it so much. Take my word for it. I'm only looking out for number one."
Wow, spoken like a thief, Kagami thought.
"Really? That's a relief."
Kagami turned towards Christa and saw the smile on her face. While he could not see Ymir's reaction, he could assume it was similar to his.
"Not where I thought this conversation was going," Kagami said aloud.
Ymir turned to him, yet another scowl on her face.
"You know it's rude to eavesdrop on a conversation!"
"You're right next to me! How am I supposed to not listen? Plus, I was mentioned, you expect me to ignore my name being said?"
"Yes."
Kagami groaned and faced forwards. He did not have the energy to bicker with Ymir. Mainly because he knew she would win. She could out talk almost anyone.
—
The group continued to ride along the wall, trying to find the hole. However, that soon became impossible as the sky was quickly darkening. As the sky shifted from a bright red-orange to blue and black, the group lit torches. They still had some light, but it was better to be prepared. As the sun's light faded, all that was left was the group engulfed in darkness. That's when the tension became thicker.
It was dark. Clouds covered the moon, so the only light they had came from the torches. The illumination they gave was minimal, they could barely see in front of them, much less around them. It was as if the darkness cloaked the death that surrounded them.
"Hey, Taiga," Christa eeked out.
Kagami almost jumped out of his skin. The silence had made even the small of sounds frightening and Christa speaking almost gave him a heart attack.
"Jeez. Almost gave me a heart attack," Taiga complained. His voice low to try not to draw attention.
"Sorry, but the silence is getting me way too nervous," Christa said.
He could see the fear written all over her face. Even if he put up a good facade, he too was feeling scared. There were so many unknowns right now and the darkness did not help.
"Anyway, what's on your mind? Maybe talking will keep us from feeling nervous," Kagami said.
Christa nodded meekly. "I wanted to ask you about that girl you were with. Back at the base."
Kagami rose an eyebrow. While he had expected the question if they were still at that base, but in the moment they were in, it felt odd. "Aemilia? What about her?"
"Isn't that the girl who you said you didn't trust?"
Kagami let out a breath. He had said it. It was such a long time ago he had almost forgotten. In the back of his mind, something would keep reminding him about what he had seen. It was what made him realize Annie was the Female Titan.
"Well, almost dying together puts things in perspective," Kagami answered.
"But the way you two entered the mess hall, it was as if…" Christa's voice trailed off, causing for Kagami to raise an eyebrow.
"'As if' what?"
Christa fidgeted with the reins trying to formulate an answer. Kagami could see how uncomfortable she was getting with the way the conversation was going. Why? He was not sure.
"It looked like you two had gotten really close."
"Cut the chatter," Nanaba called out.
The two recruits went silent and turned their attention forwards. The tension in the air returned as the darkness enclosed again. In the distance a light shined. From that light, several other emerged. The tension among the group ramped up as the light got closer.
That tension almost dissipated when the two sources of light met. The group of soldiers, the ones led by Nanaba and Gelgar, looked at each other, both in relief and surprise. Almost everyone from the base had found each other. However, there was a tense silence among them. If they had found each other, then that meant neither of them had likely found the hole.
"I take it you followed the wall here?" Gelgar asked.
"That's right. I assume you found the breach?" Nanaba asked.
"What?"
"We didn't see any irregularities on the western route. Surely, you must've seen something to the east?" Nanaba asked, the desperation in her voice rising.
"No, the wall's perfectly intact. All we found was the team that originally went east," Gelgar answered. He, too, had desperation in his voice.
A tense silence formed between everyone present. The fact that none of them could find anything was alarming to say the least.
"Maybe we just overlooked it," Lynne said. However, it was obvious that she did not entirely believe what she was saying.
"Impossible. A hole big enough for titans to get through is not easy to miss," Henning replied.
"Then we have to make another pass," Gelgar said.
"Of course, but the horses are exhausted and so are we. If only we had more light," Nanaba answered.
As if one cue, the clouds parted and moonlight enveloped everyone. Never had anyone been so thankful that it was a full moon. The light illuminated everything around them, allowing them to see the trees that surrounded them.
"Lucky break," Kagami mumbled.
"What's that?" Gelgar asked.
Everyone turned to where he was looking and off in the distance there was an old castle. Relief washed over everyone as the sight of somewhere to rest gave them a bit of hope.
"Definitely a lucky break," Kagami said.
AN: And we're back! Sorry for the long hiatus, but life got in the way. With this chapter we begin to really get into this arc. This was something I was looking forward to writing since I began plotting this story out. For this chapter I wanted to solely focus on the group of soldiers warning the towns of the breach. Now, as to why Kagami is with them and was not at Stohess since he was part of the group the figured out Annie's identity will be explained. I had always wanted Kagami to be part of this group, but him helping in the discovery was a relatively new addition.
Now to address the possible elephant in the room and that is Kuroko's father appearing. I know that canonically Mikasa is the last Oriental behind the walls, but since I already broke that rule with the KnB characters I decided to play around a bit. Kuroko's parents are not gonna be a big part of the story, they'll show up here and there, but I wanted them to at least be introduced. Don't worry the amount of Orientals living within the walls is still low. At present there are 12 confirmed (not including Mikasa). As of right now, I have no plans on introducing more. I want to keep the number low to match canon to a certain extent.
With all that out of the way, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for the next one. If you're enjoying feel free to follow, favorite, and/or review. Also, follow me on twitter. I post story updates and other stuff there. See you next time!