Chapter 22
What Lurks In The Dark
The castle was definitely old. Though, that was not what made everything so unnerving. The fact that they could not hear anything besides the sounds of their horses did. The atmosphere did not help in easing everyone's nerves. They were lucky that the moon was out, so they could actually see. Though that did not help ease anyone's tension either.
As they got closer to the old structure, they caught sight of a decrepit sign with barely legible words: Utgard Castle. Beneath it was another that said basically to keep out.
Passing through the dilapidated gate and getting abetter view of the castle made the dreary feeling grow. Chucks of brick were strewn about, with weeds growing out of every crevice they could find. Most of the smaller buildings surrounding the main tower had collapsed. Whatever the castle once looked like, it was far form it now.
Some asked how long the castle had been standing, while others asked what was the purpose for it. Connie said it was barely visible from his village, and that it was used to tell ghost stories.
Kagami was inclined to believe that. The castle definitely had a spooky vibe to it. Its appearance did it no favors as well.
"It's not my first choice, but it'll due for one night," Gelgar said as he dismounted.
Nanba looked towards the sky. "At least the moon is out." She then turned to the recruits. "Tie the horses in that stable and bring the packs into the main tower. Gather some water from the well if there's still a bucket. The rest of us will secure the area."
A tired 'yes, sir' escaped both the recruits and superiors. The group slowly ascended the tower, making sure it was safe; both structurally and free of anyone else. The superiors with gear kept one hand on their weapon and another with the torch aloft. The slowness of it all made even the most stoic weary.
When they reached the upper floors, things began to feel even more tense. Around the room were boxes and other supplies. A small, makeshift fire pit was at the center of the room. By the looks of it, it did not look recently burnt out.
Nanaba made everyone stop and with a hand gesture ordered Gelgar to check it out. He ran his blade through the grey ash, but it proved the initial guess; the fire was old.
"It's completely cold. The wood has no odor either. Whoever all this belonged too, hasn't come back in about a week," Gelagr said.
Everyone let out a relieved breath and made their way into the large room. Once everything was secure, Nanaba made another observation, which many had likely guessed.
"This all probably belonged to bandits. This is a good place to hide out."
"They must've been at it for some time to get all this stuff," Henning said as he looked around. "Either that, or they robbed someone very well off."
Kagami scoffed. "This deep into the wilderness, doubt it."
As he was once a thief, he knew, to certain extent, how bandits operated. Stealing someone well off meant keeping ones operation within the districts. Bandits in the wilderness usually preyed on the small villages in the vicinity. Though, that did not explain how much stuff was present.
"So, is it safe?" Christa asked.
Nannba nodded. "For tonight at least. The room is big enough for all of us. The windows and access to the roof gives us plenty of spots to keep watch."
"You're orders?" Henning asked.
"We'll take turns keeping watch. If we take hour and a half shifts that'll give everyone a chance to sleep. Lynne, you mind taking the first watch?"
Lynne nodded. "Leave it to me."
"What should we do?" Aemilia asked.
Nanaba turned to the recruits. She could see how tired and panicked all of them looked. Even the ones better at hiding it had signs.
"You're free to rest. But if you have the energy, help search for anything to eat or the like."
Some were quick to sit down to rest, while other sifted through the visible boxes.
"I think I saw a box in the floor below. I'll see if it's got anything," Kagami said turning around.
"I'll go with you," Aemilia said, walking up behind him.
"Sure."
As the two descended down the stairs, those left behind watched. While some did not really care too much, Ymir made a comment that made everyone want to listen.
"Those two sure are close. Begs the question if they'll get a bit frisky all alone," Ymir said with a sly laugh.
Their superiors chuckled, finding the comment amusing; if not a bit childish. While those of the 104th, listened a bit more closely, or added their own comments.
"They do seem comfortable around each other," Bertolt said. "Though, can't say there's more to it than that."
"C'mon, Bertolt. You saw the way she acted when she walked in with Taiga before. Something is definitely happening there," Connie said.
"Is it really our business?" Albrecht asked.
Ymir turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "Says the guy who's got a girl right next him."
Albrecht shifted uncomfortably as he took a few steps away from Elise, the girl he was standing next to. The gesture made Ymir laugh, while the others could barely hide their own amusement.
Christa made no comment, she just kept her eyes focused on the door. Part of her wanted to follow the two, but the other part wanted for them to have privacy. She brought her knees closer to her face and buried her face between them. Seeing Kagami with her had triggered something in her she was not expecting: a hint of jealousy. She did not know where that feeling was coming from, but it was there.
—-
Kagami and Aemilia quietly descended the stairs. For Kagami, it was bit strange to have her following him. Everyone knew he was more comfortable being alone, but she had insisted on joining him.
When the two reached the floor below, Kagami hoisted the torch he held higher. The room brightened up, allowing him to get a better view. He scanned the room, trying to find where he had seen the box. He then saw its outline and walked towards it. The light illuminated the corner and there were several more boxes. There was one with an odd shape, but Kagami decided to leave that one for last.
He gave the torch to Aemilia and knelt down to open the first box in front of him. He sifted through it in silence, trying to find anything edible. He had to assume bandits would have some kind of food lying around. He was positive that bandits would not go out of their way to hunt, but that was still a possibility.
"Hey, are we going to talk about what happened?" Aemilia asked, breaking the silence.
"What is there to talk about?" Kagami asked, not looking up.
Aemilia sighed and rubbed her shoulder. "You know, that I tried to kiss you."
Kagami stopped looking through the box for a moment. He let out a sigh before returning to it. "Key word, 'tried.' It didn't happen therefore, there is nothing to talk about."
"Well, that is true. But you seemed like you were going to go for it," Aemilia said.
Kagami stopped again, but this time pushed the box aside and opened the one next it. He had yet to formulate his answer and tried to keep his mind busy with something else. However, what she had said kept replaying in his brain. A part of him did try to do it. He was pulled in by the moment. His rational side had taken over, which made him stop. He still had the slight distrust in her, but after what they went through during the expedition he was no longer sure.
He let out a sigh. He still had to give her a response.
"Part of me did. But I stopped for a reason I can't really explain," Kagami replied.
Aemilia let her gaze fall to floor. Kagami could not see her, but he knew she felt disappointed.
"I think I understand. You have your heart set on someone else," Aemilia said.
That made Kagami come to a complete stop. In his life, love was the last thing on his mind. Growing up, he never had time for that. Training to become a soldier left even less time. Now that he was a Scout, all his time went to training and surviving. He knew about love. The bond he had shared with Tatsuya was that of sibling love. Romantic love was not something he had never thought about. He thought that the world they lived in did not allow for that.
He turned is head towards her. Her gaze still towards the floor. Kagami sighed and returned to the box.
"Look, love is something I've never thought about. Plus, love can get you killed; both in life and on the battlefield. So, I'm not too keen on that," Kagami said.
"But don't you want to die?" Aemilia asked.
"Yes, but I did not join the Scouts to make friends and strive to protect them. I'm here so that I can die quickly with my regrets."
"Then why didn't you just kill yourself?!" Aemilia asked, anger rising in her voice.
Kagami stood up and turned towards her. To her, his expression was blank. She could not even read his eyes. It was as if she was staring at a statue. She took a step back, slightly afraid of the Oriental.
"I tried. Wasn't a fan of the ways to go out," Kagami said. "Now, can we change the subject. This isn't something I want to keep talking about."
Kagami returned to the box before moving on to another one. He left Aemilia to her thoughts. She could draw her own conclusions on what he had to say. First it was love, then it became about his willingness to die. He never knew when that thought first crept into his head, but it had been there for a long time.
"Have you found anything?" Ameilia asked.
"I'm not sure. I can't read any of the labels. The words look backwards, or are too faded to read. There's also the possibility that it's another language," Kagami answered.
"Another language?"
"Yeah, like the one Captain Tetsuya talks in with his Lieutenant," Kagami replied.
"Can you read that language?"
Kagami shook his head. "Nope. The Captain has offered to teach me, but I've declined every time he asked. Don't have a reason to learn it."
"Have you checked that box?" Aemilia asked, pointing to the oddly shaped one.
"Was about to," Kagami said.
He pulled the box towards him, and the shape now became a bit familiar to him. Rather than being a cube, this box had more of a cylindrical shape. The bottom half of it was more rotund, while the top half was thinner and longer. Kagami rose an eyebrow. He wondered if it was what he thought it was. He carefully opened the box and his eyes widened and he gasped in surprise at the sight of it.
"What is that?" Aemilia asked.
Kagami turned towards her and she was surprised to see a happy smile on his face. She was so taken aback to see that kind of smile that she was almost sure that the person in front of her was no longer Kagami.
"You don't know what this is?" Kagami asked, surprise in his voice.
Aemilia shook her head.
"I'll tell you and all the others," Kagami said.
He grabbed the object the longer side and carefully took it out of the box. He carefully inspected it as he ran a hand across it.
"It's been forever since I've seen this."
"I don't get why you're so happy," Aemilia said.
"Sorry. I just had a wave of childhood memories. They're usually bad ones, but these are good."
Kagami attached a strap to the object and put it carefully over his shoulder. His happy smile was still there, which was still strange for Aemilia. The two went back up the stairs towards where the group was. Kagami was surprised to see it so quiet, but dismissed it. He was still a good mood.
"I found something," He announced as he walked through the door.
"Food?" Connie asked.
Kagami shook his head. "Not food, sorry."
"Then why are you so happy?" Ymir asked. "For that matter, you can be happy? Your scowl is actually gone."
"Because, I found this," Kagami said he held out what he had found.
He had expected to get a confused a reaction, but a quiet one was not it. Even the superiors were looking at him a bit confused.
"None of you know what this is?" Kagami asked.
Everyone shook their heads in response.
"Damn, I must've not had as shitty a childhood as I thought," Kagami mused aloud. "It's a guitar."
"Guitar?" Gelgar asked.
"Yeah, you make music with it," Kagami said. "When you hum something, that's music; or something close to it."
That seemed to bring about a bit of understanding from everyone. Kagami could still see a few confused expressions. He assumed he needed to give a quick tutorial.
"Can you play this guitar?" Henning asked.
Kagami nodded. "Basically, you just strum on the strings and put your fingers on the right positions to make sounds."
Kagami demonstrated, but quickly found the sound was not very good. Everyone's expressions of discomfort helped him clue in better.
"I need to tune it," Kagami said with a nervous chuckle. "Just give me a second."
He moved towards and empty corner around the fire and sat down. He then began to adjust the knobs at the top of the guitar to get them to sound right. He also gauged his adjustments by everyone's reactions. When he felt satisfied, he let out a breath. He strummed again and this time the sound came out much better.
"There, it's tuned."
"So what can you play?" Reiner asked.
"To be honest, I only learned one song. It's something my old man used to hum to get me to sleep when I was really young. One day I found a guitar and tried my best to recreate that song," Kagami asked.
"So, it's a lullaby," Nanaba said.
Kagami shrugged. "Basically. If the song helps you sleep, then it did its job."
"If you think it'll help," Albrecht said with a shrug.
Kagami nodded and prepared himself to play. It had been some time since he actually played a guitar, so his skills were likely rusty. He hoped he could do it on muscle memory. Before he started to play, Christa walked towards him. He looked up to ask what she wanted.
"Do you mind if I sit next to you?"
"Sure. I don't mind."
Christa nodded and sat down next to him. He noticed how she kept a bit of distance between them.
He turned back to everyone. They stared at him, their expressions urging him to play. Kagami took in a deep breath and released and strummed the first note. With that note, he quickly remembered what came after, then the whole song. He closed his eyes as he felt the song bring back memories.
As for everyone else, most were surprised that the Oriental could actually play. The notes he produced made everyone relax. Many could feel the tension melting away. It was as if the titans were no longer a threat and that where they were was completely safe. Some yawned as the song the song continued, sleep slowly taking over. The first to fall asleep was Connie, followed shortly by Bertolt. Aemilia was the last one to have sleep take them over. The rest fought off the feeling, but a yawn would still escape them.
It was a soft and slow melody. Something that was easy to hum along to even if one did not know the song beforehand. Those still awake watched as Kagami's fingers moved expertly to produce every note. They were all impressed.
When Kagami finished the song, he let out a breath. He opened his eyes and could feel the single tear that rolled down his cheek. The memories of the man who raised him had flooded into him as he played. It was memories he held on to, but at times would forget. He remembered that the old man had told him that music had that power. He silently thanked him and looked up.
"That was…very beautiful," Nanaba said.
"Thanks. Sorry if it didn't sound good. It's been some time since I last played."
"That was you being rusty? Didn't look that way to me," Albrecht replied.
Kagami looked around everyone. Most were still awake, while three had fallen asleep. He smiled since the song still had the same effect on a teen that it had on a young boy.
"It was meant to relax, right? I think it worked," Reiner said.
"Well, a song is nice and all, but it doesn't feed me," Ymir said, ruining the mood.
"Music can do a lot of things, that isn't one of them," Kagami replied.
"Well, I'm going to find some food," Ymir said standing up.
"There were some boxes where I found the guitar, but not sure if there's food," Kagami said.
"Thanks for tip," Ymir said.
"I'll go too. Maybe I can help," Reiner said following her.
Ymir did not say anything in response and the two disappeared down the stairs.
Kagami let out a breath and began to strum random notes. He doubted they could form a song, but having a guitar in his hands made him happy. He played the same song from before, a bit slower. Letting himself feel the notes as they were produced. For a moment, he thought he felt the old man's hand on his shoulder. However, when he looked to the side, he saw Christa was asleep on his shoulder. He felt his face heat up a bit. Memories of when they had fallen asleep together at Trost did not help in subduing the heat.
He set the guitar aside, and relaxed himself a bit. While eyes were not on him, he still felt a bit uncomfortable. He began to think about what Aemilia had said and silently thanked that she was asleep. If she had seen what was going on, she would have definitely gotten the wrong idea.
What a minute, Kagami thought.
He knew Ymir would scold him or give him a sour look, she did that with anyone who got too close to the tiny blonde. But that fact that Aemilia was the first to come into his mind made him pause.
Okay, this has got to be a coincidence of some kind, Kagami thought.
He was broken from his thoughts by the sound of someone chuckling. Kagami looked up to see Nanaba was looking towards him. She looked pretty amused by his predicament.
"Is something funny?" Kagami asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You're quite the lady killer," Nanaba answered.
"How so?" Kagami's eyebrow still raised.
Nanaba gave a dismissive wave, but still chuckled. "That doesn't matter. I actually have a question for you."
Kagami relaxed a bit, but still looked a bit uncomfortable. He was not a fan of being questioned. His time being interrogated by MPs left a lasting mental scare.
"I've read a bit of your cadet file. You were a homeless orphan until you joined the military, but you don't seem like the usual homeless type."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Kagami asked.
"You know how to read and write. Most kids like you tend to not be able to do either. You mentioned an old man taught you that song. Who was he?" Nanaba replied.
Kagami let out a breath. It had been so long since he last thought about the old man. He could barely remember what he looked like, and no longer remembered his name. Though, the happy memories he shared with the old man and Tatsuya were something he tended to look back fondly on.
"He was basically like a dad to me and me brother," Kagami began to say.
"Brother?"
"He wasn't my birth brother. He was another Oriental he was already raising."
Nanaba's eyes widened. "That's a lot to take on. Was he homeless as well?"
Kagami nodded. "He was. But that didn't matter too much to me. He taught me how to read, write, steal, and everything else an orphan kid needed to survive. He was the only one that wanted to raise two Oriental children. He protected us from a lot of stuff."
"It must've been nice to have such a caring father," Nanaba said.
Kagami turned to her and saw a distant look in her eye. He wondered what happened in her life for her to have such a look.
"It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. Many nights we went to sleep hungry. Despite my old man's optimism, we knew early on that life was going to be hard. It didn't help that he died when I was six."
She looked towards him with a saddened expression. "I assumed he was dead, but not that early."
"Tatsuya and I were left homeless and parentless. We quickly learned how to defend ourselves. Being Oriental is difficult enough, but being homeless and orphaned is a lot worse. He taught us how to fight, but we had to learn everything else. Stealing became essential."
"What happened to your brother?" Nanaba asked.
However, she quickly got her answer when she saw how Kagami's expression darkened.
"He's dead. Died in Trost. He joined the military before I did. Ended up joining the Garrison. I'm the only one left from our small family." Kagami chuckled. "If you could call it that."
"I think it is. In this world, happiness is hard to come by; especially in your situation. I'd hold onto those memories." Her gaze shifted towards the guitar at his side. "Keep playing that thing. It's obvious playing it made you happy."
Kagami laughed and put a hand on the guitar. His own gaze falling towards it. "I wish I could play more than one song."
Soon after, silence filled the room. Everyone was either trying to get some rest, or the anxiety of the whole situation kept them from sleeping. Some were better at hiding it, while others made it a bit too obvious. During the silence the only two sounds were the cracking fire and Albrecht rapidly tapping his foot. It was obvious that he was either losing his patience or the situation had gotten to him first.
Gelagr was the first to crack under Albrecht's tapping and urged the recruit to stop. However, his words did not seem to reach the teen. He tried again, but there was still no response. Kagami turned to him and saw that he was deep in thought. Part of him had hoped the song would have mellowed out everyone's apprehension, but it did not seem to take with Albrecht.
It took Elise to get his attention for him to stop. "Are you okay?"
Albrecht sighed. "I'm fine. Just thinking."
"You must have some loud thoughts," Kagami joked.
Albrecht rolled his eyes, but ignored the comment.
"Well, if you have to make so much noise, please do it elsewhere. You're ruining the mood," Gelgar said, holding up the bottle of alcohol he had.
Albrecht excused himself and went to join Ymir and Reiner, wherever they had gone. Though, from his expression, he did not seem too happy to have to be doing that.
When he exited, silence resumed. Though, the tension in the air had risen significantly. Kagami wondered for how long they had been in the castle. It had felt like hours, but there had yet to be the shift change for the look out. Kagami let out a sigh and put his hand on the guitar again. There was comforting warmth when he did. He wondered if he could bring it back to Trost when everything was done.
He then remembered the titans. They were still out there. How many? He had no idea. He realized that things were not going to get easier come morning. He would likely spent the next several weeks on missions to take out the titans that were spotted behind Wall Rose. He sighed and threw his head back.
"Reality sucks," he muttered.
At his side, Christa shifted in her sleep. Kagami had gotten used to the weight of her head on his shoulder and had forgotten she was there. When she did move, it caused him to straighten his own posture. The heat returning to his face.
However, whatever good mood there was, was quickly shattered when Lynne's hurried footsteps filled the room.
"Everyone, get up and get to the roof, now! We got multiple titans approaching the perimeter!"
Anyone who was asleep shot awake. While those who were sitting were immediately standing. Ymir and Reiner had returned as well. Kagami shot to his feet and prepared to follow everyone. The situation had just gotten a whole lot worse.
When they all reached the roof, the tower was surrounded by titans. The recruits were in utter disbelief at the sight. Everything they had been taught about the titans seemed to be wrong. The giants were not supposed to not be able to move at night. It made no sense as to why they were moving and intent on getting to them.
"Where the hell did they com from?" Gelgar asked.
"Not sure. One minute there was nothing, the next they just burst from the trees," Lynne explained.
The superiors began to argue amongst themselves, trying to figure out from where the titans appeared from. Whenever they came up with some even slightly plausible, another input was added. Eventually, Nanaba said that none of that mattered. The titans were here and surrounded them, so they had to deal with the problem at hand.
The panic then set in with the recruits. Most were wondering the same thing as their superiors and that was where the titans had come from. Albrecht managed to interject into the conversation, though he was the last one to arrive.
"We just have to hold out until sunrise."
"How? There's only four of us with gear. How are we supposed do anything?" Aemilia said, panic rising in her voice.
"I don't know. We just have to hold this castle until then. This place won't be our graves. Sure as hell won't be mine," Albrecht said.
Kagami's mind was moving a mile a minute. So many things had happened in such a short amount of time that he barely had time to process it all. Despite his own feelings, what Albrecht had said had merit. He did not want an old castle to be where he goes out.
"Listen up, recruits," Nanaba interjected. "This goes without saying, but do not leave this castle. Barricade the doors to keep the titans out. Leave the fighting to us. Let the ODM gear do what it was made to do." Nanaba punctuated her sentence by drawing her blades.
"How're we going to do that?" Henning asked.
"Take out the tall ones first," Nanaba said as she walked towards the edge. "Only take out one or two in order to preserve gas and blades. We have the high ground, so long the tower stays standing."
When she reached the edge, she hopped onto the stone and turned to her squadmates. They all drew their blades and followed her lead.
"Attack!"
With that, the four Scouts jumped into battle.
"You just had to come bother us, huh? You could've at least waited until I had some damn booze!" Gelgar shouted as he slashed at a titan.
The recruits watched as their superiors began to slash away at the titans. Gelgar and Nanaba went to work quickly on one of the taller ones. Gelgar seemed to distract it as the titan reached to grab him, but he slashed at its fingers, severing all of them. Nanaba then swooped in and slashed at its nape, killing it. The titan crashed to the ground and landed on several smaller titans. One tried to escape from the larger titan's corpse, but Lynne was there to stop it. However, she had been too late. The door had been pried from its hinges.
She first reported it to Nanaba before moving to the top of the tower. It would be up to the recruits to keep titans from ascending the tower.
"They've already kicked in the front door. We need to keep them confined to the lowest level possible. Barricade the doors with anything you can find. Only come back up here as a last resort, got it?"
"Yes, ma'am."
She could see the distress in all of them. It was more than likely that this would be where they all met their end. She turned back towards the forest and saw several more titans emerging from it. She sighed and turned back towards the recruits.
"Devote everything to the cause, right?"
"Got it!"
The group was quick to descend, but the panic had already overtaken any other emotion they could be feeling. There was still that sense of self-preservation roaring within them. Even Kagami, who normally kept his emotions pretty well hidden, could feel that panicked yet determined look come to his face.
"A few hours? It only took a few minutes for them to get inside," Aemilia whined.
"It's the hand we've been dealt. Nothing we can do about it now," Kagami replied.
When they reached the floor beneath the roof, they began to look for anything that could work as a barricade. Reiner, however, grabbed a torch and began to descend towards the lower floors. Everyone looked at each other for a moment before following him.
"I'm going to see how far they've made it up. You guys find something to board up the entrance. Grab anything that isn't nailed down."
He sped up, leaving everyone behind. Behind them, Albrecht and Elise broke away from the group. No one saw where they had disappeared to. They did not even notice when they did leave.
"Wait, slow down!" Connie called out.
"I'll help him. Someone's gotta make sure he doesn't do anything stupid," Kagami said as he pushed past the others. "Though, that's usually Bertolt's job."
"Wait, Taiga!" Christa called out, but he was already farther ahead.
"What is up with those two? Taiga never acts like this. Reiner is always the first to step up, but even this is taking it too far," Connie said.
Bertolt shrugged. "I can't speak for Taiga. As for Reiner, that's just the kind of guy he is."
Farther down the steps, Kagami caught up to Reiner. The two locked eyes for a moment before nodding. They did not need to speak to know what it was they had to do. When they reached the first closed door, they stopped. The two released a breath to steel themselves before opening it. Reiner slowly opened it. The creak of the door echoed in the dimly lit room. Through the moonlight, the two recruits could see a closed door. However, it was too dark to tell if there was anything wrong with it.
The two looked at each other and nodded. They silently and slowly descended the stairs to the next door. Despite the rumblings outside, the room was too quiet. Every step the two made echoed in the darkness. The noise did not help put their minds at ease.
When they reached the door, they let out a relieved sigh to see it still closed and barred. Kagami scanned the room, while Reiner put his ear on the door.
"Anything?" Kagami asked.
Reiner removed his ear and shook his head. "Nothing. Have they even gotten in yet?" He turned to Kagami to see if he could give him answer.
Kagami shrugged. "There's only one way to find out. Though, it's a huge risk."
Reiner nodded and removed the wood log that kept the door barred. He put his free hand on the handle and slowly pushed it open. This time, the echoing creak was a bit more subdued. The two recruits took a step forward and Reiner illuminated the darkness in front of them. What they saw made them stand perfectly still.
In front of them was a three meter titan. It was on all fours and stared at them. It seemed to be just as surprised as they were. Kagami and Reiner held their breaths. They did not make a move, they did not even blink. It was as if the two were in a staring contest with the titan.
Reiner still had his hand on the handle, but he did not dare to even glance at it. Kagami slowly balled his fingers, forming fists. If the titan noticed the movement, it did not make it obvious.
The titan's expression then shifted. As if in slow motion, it slowly formed an open mouth smile. From its open mouth, salvia dripped out and its hungry expression returned to it.
"Reiner," Kagami muttered.
In a quick motion, Reiner shut the door. In doing so, he dropped the torch as well. He did it just in time, as the titan hand lunged towards them, but its face met wood instead of flesh. Kagami grabbed the wood beam and put it back to lock the door, but the two knew that it would not last. The two then braced the door with their own bodies, feeling the titan trying to break through.
"They're in the tower! We need help down here!" Reiner called out. His words were followed the titan ramming into the door again.
"This door isn't going to hold," Kagami muttered.
As if to emphasize his point, the titan's arm burst through the wood, showering the two with splinters. Then arm then began to grab the air, trying to find its lost prey. Kagami narrowly avoided the titan grasping at his head. However, he had to move away from the door, leaving Reiner to hold it back himself.
Kagami could see the panic in Reiner's eyes. It was like his life was flashing before his eyes. The titan took advantage of the door's removed weight and continued to push through. Before the titan could grab Reiner, Kagami grabbed his arm and pulled him away.
The two landed on the floor, but as they did, the titan's head burst through the door. It hungry expression filling up their eyesight.
"Reiner!"
The two looked back to see Bertolt running down the stairs with a pitchfork. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he plunged the pitchfork into the titan's face.
"Thanks for the save," Reiner said.
He and Kagami were quick to get on their feet. The two grabbed onto different part of the pitchfork and helped plunge it deeper.
"This won't last long," Kagami said.
"Reiner, talk to me. You still good?" Bertolt asked.
"I'm good," Reiner said. He then turned to Bertolt. "Listen to me. We're going to make it home. This is not how we die, got it?"
"You're damn right," Bertolt said.
Kagami was too preoccupied to pay close attention to their conversation. All that mattered to him was plunging the pitchfork deeper. He was also the closest one to the titan's face.
"I'm super jazzed about whatever it is you two are going through, but please focus on the problem at hand," Kagami said.
"Guys, heads up! Incoming!"
The three looked back to see Ymir, Christa, Connie, and Aemilia rolling a cannon onto the stairs. The three stared at it with both amazement and curiosity.
"Where did-" "Is there ammo?" Reiner asked, cutting off Kagami.
"Finding a cannon automatically makes us miracle workers?" Aemilia asked sarcastically.
"We were lucky enough to find the thing in the first place," Ymir said. "Now get out of the way! We're using the damn thing as a battery ram."
Without so much as a warning, Ymir and Connie pushed the cannon down the stairs. The three's eye's widened, realizing that they were going to get crushed if they did not move. Just before the cannon collided with the door, the three jumped out of the way.
When the cannon collided, it send a cloud of dust and wood in every direction. It even caused a slight cave in from the stone above. When the dust settled slightly, the three recruits turned towards the rubble and saw steam seeping out from the cracks.
"Well, it's not dead, but it should hold for a bit," Kagami said.
"Good thing it was a little one," Reiner added.
The other four descended the stairs to join the three. They may have stopped one titan, but there could be more waiting behind it.
"Did you find anything else?" Reiner asked.
"Just this knife," Connie said, holding it out.
"I managed to find a hammer, but I doubt that'll help," Aemilia added.
"Should I try cutting the nape with the knife?" Connie asked.
"Don't risk it. Get grabbed and who knows what'll happen," Kagami replied.
"Then it'd be best if we go back upstairs," Christa said.
The four other nodded and ascended the stairs once again. Before going up, Kagami took one last look at the wreckage. The titan seemed immobile, but anything beyond that was darkness. He let out a sigh and began to climb up.
"Besides, we don't know if…" Christa's voice trailed off.
Kagami looked up and saw her eyes widen in fear. Kagami turned around and saw a titan emerging from the darkness. Its gaze focused on making Connie its next meal.
"Connie!" Christa and Kagami shouted.
Connie turned around to see a titan lunging at him. Mouth ready to clamp down on his head. Reiner was quick to react and pushed Connie away. However, the titan had a new target and its teeth clamped down on Reiner forearm.
There was surprised shock from everyone as Reiner was going to become the titan's victim. Kagami raced down the steps and let loose a punch, however, it did not seem to bother the titan. The redhead took a few steps back, trying to get the titan's attention, but it remained clamped to Reiner's arm.
With a defiant roar, Reiner managed to get the titan on his back. Adrenaline was pumping through him now and it made his objective clear. He slowly climbed up the stair and everyone watched, trying to figure out what he would do. When he neared the window, everyone had realized what the plan was.
"Wait, you're going to jump out the window with it?" Connie asked.
"What else can I do?" Reiner asked.
"Reiner!" Christa called out.
Connie scrambled to his feet and pulled out the knife. "Just hang on a second. I can slice its jaw open."
Connie jammed the knife into the titan's mouth and began to cut as fast as he could. With a meaty snap, the titan's lock on Reiner's arm was released. The titan sat on the windowsill for a moment. It looked confused. Before it could try to attack them, Kagami gave it a forceful push out the window. The titan fell and landed with a meaty splat. Everyone then let out a relieved breath.
"Well, if the fall didn't kill it, then it won't be showing up again any time soon," Ymir said.
"Is everyone all right?" Albrecht said as he appeared through the doorframe, Elise at his side.
"Sure took your sweet time getting here," Ymir said. "You two off playing hooky?"
Elise's face reddened, while Albrecht scowled. "We were looking for anything that could work to bolt down the doors. When we heard a crash and scream we came running."
"Is that right?" Ymir replied.
The seven walked past the two, sparing them as glance as they walked by. Kagami stopped for a moment. The scowl in Albrecht's face had softened. The redhead could tell that something was up with him.
"Whatever it is you needed to sort out, I hope you figured it out. Can't have you spacing out," Kagami said.
He did not wait for a response and continued walking.
—
The walk back up to the top floor was a slow and tense one. While the sounds of battle could still be heard, there was another reason for it. Ymir and Albrecht had gotten into an argument and despite everything Christa tried to disarm it, it did not work. Kagami could tell that Albrecht was distrustful of Ymir. The insult laced questions he asked made it evident that was the case. While Ymir was a difficult person to get along with, there was never anything that said she was untrustworthy. Kagami could tell she had been hiding something, but what it was, he could never figure out.
Behind him, Reiner walked with Bertolt. Reiner kept his bitten arm close to his chest, but his tense expression was still there. It was like he was still having his life flash before his eyes. The two talked in hushed tones, so Kagami could not pick up on what they were saying. He could see that whatever Bertolt was saying, calmed him down slightly.
"You doin' alright back there, Reiner?" Kagami asked slightly turning his head.
Reiner expression softened a bit as he looked up to face the Oriental. "Hurt's like a bitch, but I'll live."
Kagami nodded and turned his attention forwards again. In his musings, he had not noticed that Ymir and Albrecht had stopped arguing. He could tell there was still animosity between the two, but something had gotten them to stop. His gaze shifted to Christa, who walked between the two.
That answers that, Kagami thought with a shrug.
When they reached the floor beneath the roof, the group used whatever they could find to block the door. Even if there were not anymore titans within the castle, there was still the possibility. What they had was not much, but it at least gave them a bit of peace of mind.
When that was done, Christa began to treat Reiner's arm. She poured what was left of the alcohol that Gelgar had found as a disinfectant. The liquid burned as it touched Reiner's wound, causing him to bite his lip to keep the pain at bay.
"Of course this is how my luck runs," Reiner grumbled.
"I thought it was pretty badass," Aemilia said as she placed a box by the door.
"You're lucky it didn't rip your arm off, so you got off pretty easy," Kagami added as he leaned against a wall.
Connie let out a relieved breath and slapped Reiner on the shoulder. "I owe you one, man, big time."
Reiner let out a sigh. "Soldiers have to be ready to make sacrifices, both for their country and comrades. Any of you would've done the same for me."
Kagami rolled his eyes. "That was cheesy line."
His commented garnered a few chuckles, but it was not enough to break through the dreary atmosphere.
Connie still seemed a bit dejected and thanked Reiner again. He asked if he had always been the type of person to save other people and disregard his own safety. However, Bertolt was the one that answered by saying he was more of a warrior in the past.
Kagami wondered if he would have done the same. His whole life he had only looked out for himself, now he was part of a group. In order for all of them to survive, they had to watch each other's backs. He kept his eyes on Reiner for a moment. While he still believed he was hiding something, whatever it was, Kagami felt like it did not matter too much anymore. He had just watched him risk his life to save Connie. He also had a modest hero things going on, while cheesy, it was something the others relied on.
Maybe I can learn to be a bit more trusting, Kagami thought.
His gaze shifted towards Aemilia, who was talking to Bertolt; who towered over her. His mind drifted to when they were together in the barracks. He replayed her attempt to kiss him and how he pulled back. He had told her a part of him almost did it, but he wondered what would have happened it he had not listened to it.
Kagami was broken from his thoughts when he heard the sound of tearing fabric. He turned to see Christa ripping a piece of her skit off. Kagami could feel the heat rising in his face and quickly turned away. Though, he could still see her now exposed calves out of the corner of his eye. He could also tell that he was not the only one looking. All the boys tried their best to avoid keeping their gaze on the tiny blonde, some were better at it than others, with Reiner keeping his gaze on her for a bit too long.
"Your jaw goes any lower it might hit the floor," Albrecht said, looking at Reiner sternly. "Keep your mind out of the gutter, pervert."
Kagami could not help but roll his eyes at that comment. Whatever had him wound up, it was tight and refused to loosen.
"Alb, I thought we agreed on no more insults," Christa said, frowning.
He kept his gaze firmly on Reiner, his scowl clearly painted on his face. "A man's eyes can betray their heart. I've spent enough time with Jansen to know when they got that on their mind."
Kagami scoffed. "Please, like you didn't do it."
Albrecht hardened gaze turned towards Kagami. His expression surprised Kagami. He had not expected to see that deep a scowl on his face. It was as if he was looking at Eren's permanently scowling face.
"I wasn't anything like that," Reiner replied. He stuttered his words slightly at the beginning.
Albrecht spared one last look at Kagami before meeting Reiner's. "Just keep your eyes at neck level and there won't be any issue. I don't need to have to look over my shoulder for you when I gotta keep an eye on freckles."
Ymir scoffed as she stood up. "So you want to pick up where we left off, big man? If you've got accusations, tell it to my face."
Kagami fought the urge to roll his eyes again. While whatever Albrecht suspected Ymir of could be valid, in their current predicament, it could wait. He was about to say something when Christa cut him off.
"Knock it off already!"
All eyes turned to her. It was one of the first times she had ever risen her voice. The fact she did so caught everyone by surprise.
"No more fighting, got it! Alb, I can look out for myself; nobody is trying to steal my virtue or anything."
Kagami fought to not show the blush that was forming when she said that. He had not expected that comment to make him uncomfortable.
"We're all friends, so let's act like it, please." Her voice was beginning to break as she finished her outburst.
Her words diffused the situation a bit, as Albrecht and Ymir took a few steps away from each other, but the tension in the air was still present.
Kagami let out a breath and returned to leaning against the wall. He took a moment to give a quick look around everyone. Bertolt and Aemilia returned to whatever conversation they were having, Elise was quiet still at Albrecht's side, Connie looked like he wanted to be anywhere else, Ymir sat back down, and Albrecht kept his eyes shifting between the ground, Reiner, and Ymir. Christa finished her on the spot first aid of Reiner, who walked towards Bertolt and Aemilia.
Kagami's gaze shifted towards Christa. She looked tired, the bags under her eyes becoming more pronounced. He had to give her credit for trying to diffuse the building tension and keep everyone together. It was a burden that was beginning to weigh her down. It was fortunate that people were more willing to listen to her than anyone else, as if her words carried the most weight.
"It's going to be a long night, isn't it?"
Kagami looked to his side to see Christa standing next to him. She must have walked towards him when he was thinking to himself.
"How long has it been?" Kagami asked.
"I don't know," Christa said with a shrug and a humorless chuckle.
"It's gotta be morning soon, right?"
Kagami asked a question that did not need an answer. Logically, it would be morning soon, but the night felt like it dragged on forever.
"I wish the night could've just been you playing the guitar," Christa said, a sad smile forming on her face.
For Kagami, her words caused him to blush. His eyes drifted to the discarded guitar in the corner of the room. He still held out hope that they would all live and he would get to take it home.
"I'm just glad you liked it," Kagami said, his words coming out as a murmur.
"Hey, hasn't anyone noticed it's gotten quiet outside?" Connie asked.
"Now that you mention it, it has," Bertolt answered.
Kagami took a moment to listen. He could hear faintly the sound of ODM gear firing, but besides that there was nothing. It was possible that the battle would be over soon.
"Do you think Nanaba and the others killed them all?" Aemilia asked.
"If they did, they'd've probably come back inside by now," Albrecht answered.
"I can still hear gear being used. There's likely only a few more left. They're probably being careful," Kagami said.
"Then we might just make out with everyone," Elise said.
A sense of relief washed over everyone. The thought that they all would live to see morning was a comforting one. Kagami glanced towards the guitar again. A smile formed on his face, maybe he would be able to take it home.
However, all illusion of safety was shattered when the sound of an explosion filled everyone's ears.
"What the hell was that?!" Connie asked.
Ymir looked out the window and saw that while there were many smoldering titan corpses, the stables for their horses has been destroyed.
"Something just took out the horses!" she yelled towards the others.
"I thought titans didn't go after horses?" Christa said, her voice trembling with fear.
"Then what could've?" Kagami murmured.
Just as he finished his words, something collided with the tower and shook it. What ever had collided with it make it shake like an earthquake. When it stopped, everyone took a moment to regain their bearings.
"A titan couldn't have done that," Albrecht said.
"Something has to be happening on the roof," Bertolt said.
AN: And we're back! Sorry for taking so long, but life kinda got in the way. With this chapter, the castle Utgard battle begins. While I wanted to do the whole battle in one chapter, this first part was running long, so I decided to split it. I know the ending reads like I jut cut it off, but I could not figure out a better way to conculde the chapter. Regardless, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I wanted this chapter to serve as bit of character development for Kagami. As I established he is not a very trusting person, but slowly opens up to trust others.
As for the guitar scene, I wanted Kagami to have a skill that wasn't just fighting. Even as a homeless orphan you gotta have something that keeps you happy, so I decided to have him play guitar. As far as I know, in AoT (both anime and manga) there isn't much in the way of music existing in the world. I decided to play around with that a bit and have it be something not many know about. It also shows that Kagami is willing to open up to others, but he has a hard time doing so. As for the song he plays, I envisioned him playing Remember Me from the film Coco or a slow, acousitic version of Owl City's Fireflies. However, if you think of a different song, he play that song instead. As for his romantic developments, you get some ideas here. Though, I hope what I have planned takes all of you by surprise.
With all that out of the way, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I normally upload two chapters for the same story in a short time frame, but my other story needs attention first. However, I got the next chapter basically planned out, so I hope the wait isn't too long. Until next time! Also, follow me on Twitter to get story updates as well as other stuff I post there. If you're enjoying the story, feel free to follow, favorite, and/or review!