Chapter 52: A forgotten past and a bright future
The night came fast and after the long day with stories about his time in Shiganshina, mostly told by Armin, Eren was tired. He felt the exhaustion in his bones the whole day. The fight against Annie had taken a lot out of him, less then with Reiner but still enough to take more than one day of sun and riding for him to be in perfect condition again.
The day before offered him a lot of new information, about the titans and especially how he was born, the shifter and why they had attacked. The thing that rubs him off the wrong way is that he can´t remember his parents. Or better his mother. Armin told him that most children can remember a few things form their childhood from the age of five or six. If his mother really lived as long as Berthold told him is normal, he should be able to remember her. But there is nothing. The man he remembers is nothing more than a shadow. A shadow that showed him how the dig out graves because you give the dead a place to rest. And how to treat injuries because humans get hurt and someday one could need his help. He learned how to survive but he has no idea who this man is. It could be his father but the fathers didn't shift back into humans after being titans, not like the mothers.
It´s all very confusion and Eren´s head hurt. His life in the forest was a lonely one, even with the shadow of the past taking care of him. Noting out there would change where he is now. Change the decision he took, the family he found.
Eren looks over at the fire. Mikasa and Armin share a meal with his friends form the 104th. Connie, Sasha, Jean, Marco, Ymir and Krista. They are all here with him. No one got lost on the way. He didn't have to kill Annie and she and Berthold are now in the hands of the Military Police. They will have to get punished for their crimes but they could get lucky. Eren hopes so. As far as he knows had Annie never hurt a human and Berthold didn't want to hurt anyone. He learned enough in his time inside the wall to understand that what his mother told him is wrong. He offered himself and all the information he knew up to the people that live inside the wall, as he called them. Maybe one day they will meet again.
A hand lands on Eren´s shoulder and he looks up. Levi stands next to him and sits down silently. He had to talk to Erwin about what to change about the plans for their mission and Eren had watched him talking to Hanji, most likely stopping her rumbling about some experiment she plans for any titan they would capture alive.
"Is it bad that I don´t remember my mother?" Eren asked. He thinks he should feel bad for not knowing her, not remembering. The concept of family should have come from her. It didn't.
"No, not really. You were young and honestly better not remembering as getting brain-washed like your friends." Levi is right, of course. And Eren feels the warm of the word as Levi calls Berthold, Annie and Reiner his friends. Because that´s what they are. His friends and one day they might be able to call each other this word again. FRIENDS. "Are you sad that you can´t remember your family.
Eren is pulled out of his thought. "I do remember my family." No Levi is the one looking confused. "You are my family. Armin and Mikasa are too. I would never forget you."
Levi pulls Eren in a half hug. "Brat. You know what I meant but … thank you." Eren looks at him. "Thank you for being here.
"How are your injuries?" Eren asked. Riding the whole day must have hurt. Not that Levi would let anyone stop him from going on this mission.
"Better now. They are better then I first thought and the cut is cleaned up and redressed. So don´t worry." Levi looks over the wall and out into the world.
"What will happen next?" Eren had followed Levi´s look.
"Oh, Erwin is in planning mode. He wants to find out how many titan´s are left. He said it should be a manageable number for us to kill in the next few years. Who knows what he wants to do then." Eren nods. He had listened in for a few minutes but wasn't very interested in it. It makes no difference. He would stay with Levi, fight and kill titans. "One day we will have this world for us again and then I will show you all the places Armin told you about. We will find the frozen earth and the flaming water. We will find fields of sand and the ocean. That giant body of salt-water."
Eren smiles. Levi just promised him the world and everything in it just so he would smile again. And as always Levi got it right, the right words to make him feel at home and warm as a bath in the sun just so much better as any sunshine can ever be.