See you Later, Eren Chapter 15

Title: Aftermath

Oh my goodness this is even later than last chapter... OOOOPS. I'm really sorry about that, life is still kind of kicking my ass. Apologies if this chapter ends up a bit wonky, as my time has been quite limited this week, so the pacing might be strange. Nevertheless, I remain stalwart in my endeavors to give you a chapter every Sunday, so here you go! One day I'll post a chapter at a reasonable hour again, but for now, I hope you enjoy chapter 15 of SYLE! -Y

Response to Byakko-179: You say that you aren't sure if me having Mikasa make this decision is intentional or if I'm playing it like this was the best decision for Mikasa, so I might as well answer your question now, since it's so meta. Yes it is entirely intentional haha. I don't mean to make you actively upset by her character, perhaps I've not done a good enough job at conveying her perspective on this. I disagree partly though, because she is a tad justified in her actions here, lest we forget how high the stakes are should she fail. She doesn't know if talking to Eren and attempting to understand his psychology would prevent him from committing genocide, since Eren was such a mystery to her in the latter part of the story. She loves him but she also recognizes how utterly evil his actions were, and she's not about to take any risks when it comes to billions of lives, not unless she has to. So I certainly wouldn't call it selfish in the worst way possible. She's doing what she thinks is most likely to save the vast majority of earth's population, though there definitely is the personal element to it as well, because she's too scared to risk Eren, even when it's not strictly beneficial to her goals. But yes, as far as the objectively best decision for her to make goes, this is very clearly a mistake on her part, and in order to succeed her ideas towards Eren must change. I mean to make this story unpredictable, but not so unpredictable that it's an unpleasant experience. I understand it can be annoying seeing characters make decisions that you may not feel they would make, and then having to wait each week to see things slowly develop, but I hope I've built enough goodwill that you'll trust me to have a thorough enough understanding of Mikasa and what she needs to learn. So, in summation, I'll just ask that you trust me with it :)

Response to The r3wr1t3r: Thanks so much for the review! It's so great to hear that you found it compelling, as it was definitely far more fun to write than chapter 13 haha. I'm glad you liked the Ymir stuff, too. It was important for me to capture the essence of her character here, and with it the conflicting feelings and confusion she has towards her friend. I'm glad you caught onto the fact that RBA missing makes things harder as they try to take out the titans. I try to keep those little details in mind, just to further drive home the effects of the characters' previous actions. Yeah, just about everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong for Mikasa, and now she's given in to her fear and desperation. It's great to see I surprised you with that, though. I didn't expect it to be too shocking, but it appears most were totally caught off guard, which is a nice surprise! Don't worry, this is all according to my master plan and will finally start to take the plot in a whole new direction. With that, I hope you enjoy this new chapter!

Response to dareaderreads: Thank you so much for the incredible review! I'm so so happy to see you liked the chapter so much. It's nice to know my confidence wasn't misplaced haha. Thank you for your compliments on Ymir. She's such an interesting character, having a lot of key similarities to Mikasa while also internally struggling with her mantra of "live only for yourself," and having that selfish, witty side that Mikasa mostly lacks. I'm so glad you liked Mikasa's decision, too! It was a bit of a gamble for me to write, as she's basically kidnapping Eren against his will and running away like a coward and I wasn't sure if people would take kindly to that writing choice. It was definitely a personal decision for her and maybe not the best course of action, objectively, but it's one I felt she would make in that moment. Plus, the story is now mostly my own and I have BIG plans! So much eremika will ensue! Your comments about my story recreating that sense of excitement the real AoT brought you means the world to me, and so long as I'm able to keep my writing up to snuff, I predict that you'll enjoy the twists and turns that await in the rest of the story!

Response to jasminave898: Thanks so much for the compliments! You said you wanted to be called for this chapter, and I'm happy to! It gives me the opportunity to thank you for being such a dedicated reader. I hope you enjoy this next chapter!


Reiner slings through the numerous buildings of Trost. They began as crumbled, ruined structures that he could hardly use as leverage for his gear, but as the rain faded, the dark clouds parting away to reveal the warm glow of the late afternoon, so too did the structures change. They became easier to make out, less worn down by ODM gear and titan carnage, and it was painfully obvious to him that he was nearing the end of Trost, nearing the inner gate.

Deep, red gashes mark his eyes, and fatigue ails him. He isn't approaching the inner gate so he can transform and break it down again, that much is for certain. It's difficult enough breaking down a gate once, and though he could transform if it was absolutely necessary, he still wouldn't be capable of crashing his armor through a second one anyways. He's zipping on his ODM gear, taking full advantage of the chaos and disarray his own actions caused, in order to meet his most trusted comrade, instead.

"That's where Bertholdt is. I have to meet up with him," he reminds himself, letting the wind sting his face with full force, because he has to remember. Guilt is chewing him apart, and it's not supposed to.

The newer, the fresher the buildings become, the lower his heart sinks, because he knows he's abandoning his comrades. "They'll need you out there, Reiner. It will be tough, because there are more titans than usua-"

Wait. That's not right. His eyes widen, and a cold shiver jolts down his back. There are more titans than usual, but it was his idea. He's the perpetrator of their suffering, no one else. But that's by design. Why should he help those devils? That would be nothing but antithetical to his goals. He has to remind himself, and he hates that he has to remind himself.

"You're not a soldier. You're not a soldier. Now is not the time to play pretend."

He's not abandoning anything. Those are not his true comrades, they're island devils, and he can't succumb to some false notion that their lives are worth protecting. He has a mission, and it's not one he's going to abandon.

His mission... what was it again? He's not supposed to be killing the titans, right? That's not what he's supposed to do. He's not supposed to save Marco, or Jean, or Eren, or Connie, or anyone he knows. He's supposed to kill them. Or, at the very least, he's supposed to let them die.

But he can't say he's sorry. He can't even think it. He wants to, but he can't...

"Remember, Reiner. Remember Bertholdt, and Annie... Remember Marcel. You have a mission."

But their faces flash through his mind. The faces of the innocents he crushed with his foot. Their guttural screams, fighting against fate with so much power in their voices, not that it did anything to stop him nor the titans from destroying them and everyone they loved. Surely that's not what a soldier is meant to do. They're meant to save humanity, not doom it to destruction. No... He dedicated his heart to kill titans, and he did just that. As the Armored Titan, as he retreated from the swathes of fellow soldiers, he killed every titan he could find. He grabbed them by the necks, crushing them with all his might. It would have made his comrades proud.

His mission... what was it again?

"REINER!" a familiar voice shouts to him. The voice of his true comrade, the one who never hesitated to help him up when he fell or when he doubted his own resolve. Reiner shifts his gaze downwards, seeing Bertholdt's figure waving to him from a small clearing, surrounded on all sides by thick, windowless buildings and a few narrow alleyways.

"There's a secure place near the edge of Trost," Reiner had told Bertholdt and Annie, days before their assault on Trost, as he pointed at a map of the city. "We'll meet Bertholdt there."

Right... that's what he was meant to do. He bites back a sigh, realizing that he almost flew right over their meeting spot while he was too busy sorting out his thoughts. Shooting himself downwards, he lands in the clearing, greeting Bertholdt's anxious look with a hard glare. The tall boy's expression does little in the way of soothing worries, but it's not an inspiring face that Reiner seeks. His presence does more to remind Reiner of his mission than his own insistent thoughts ever could. If anything, Bertholdt's worry makes him feel secure. Reiner is depended upon, just as Marcel was, and there isn't any way he would betray that.

And as his true mission begins to wash over his mind, the weight of the events that occurred over the past few hours hangs over his gaze.

"So Annie hasn't returned yet," the blond notes, casting his eyes around the corners of the alleyways to affirm that they're truly alone.

Bertholdt shakes his head. "I haven't seen her. Do you think she's okay?" The fear is evident in his voice, and Reiner puts a hand on his shoulder.

"I wouldn't worry. Remember, this is Annie we're talking about."

"The only reason she'd be delayed is because of Mikasa, though."

Reiner sighs, the reminder of that particular raven haired girl making him subconsciously assess the area around him once again.

"Yeah. We were right about her. She was waiting for me when I went to breach the gate."

Bertholdt gasps, but Reiner halts him, not having even revealed the worst of it. "She couldn't harm me thanks to my armor, but without it..." he remembers her skill, her unimaginable speed. If he wasn't wrapped up in a cocoon of unbreakable armor, he has little doubt that he would have stood no chance. Even now, the sharpness of her eyes as she screamed his name makes him feel vulnerable now that he's not in his titan, even if Mikasa has no way of knowing where the two are. He's always regarded Annie as the most physically capable person he knows, but would she even stand a chance against the Ackerman?

Above all else, he's glad he made the call to substitute himself for Bertholdt. His comrade would have surely fallen prey to Mikasa's blades, and then they would have lost their greatest weapon, their god of destruction.

"She yelled my name out, Bertholdt." His gaze is deadly serious, and Bertholdt can only keep his eyes wide as he processes the information. "Mikasa knows about us. Whether she figured it out or knew beforehand, I don't know, but until we get the go ahead from Annie, we can't use you to break the inner gate."

Bertholdt is silent, letting the relative peace of the wind and the faint rumbling of the hundreds of titans scattered around the city fill the void of their conversation. The more he allows himself to think about Mikasa, and the mission at hand, the more the memories race through his addled mind.

"Mikasa knew I was the Armored Titan. How can we continue being in the Military while she is...? All those years of training, were they really wasted?!" he slams the side of his hand into a nearby wall as his frustration and fear finally paint themselves on his titan-marred face. "Shit..."

"No... if she knows our names, that extends beyond what we thought. She can have all the knowledge of the outside world she wants, but how could she possibly know about the freshest batch of warriors?" Bertholdt asks, staring at the ground.

"You're right... there has to be more to this than another obstacle presented to us by the Eldians."

Bertholdt looks back up. "Reiner, what do you mean by that?"

Reiner prepares himself to respond, but before he can, a pair of hooks pierce into the wall of a building nearby. He looks up to see the short blonde hair of Annie, and he sucks in his breath, thankful to see that she's alive but anxious to hear the news. "If Mikasa is dead, then that solves almost all of our problems."

And judging by her body, marked with fresh titan scars and steaming blood, he realizes that some kind of fight must have ensued.

"Annie!" Bertholdt lets out as she lands onto the ground, panting heavily. They both stay silent, giving her time to catch her breath as she crouches and looks to the ground. But as the seconds pass, Reiner's patience begins to grow thin.

"Annie... is it done?"

She only stops her frantic huffs, slowly looking up to greet him with wide eyes, a sight Reiner has seen only a couple of times over the years that he's known her. It's unsettling and does nothing to calm his nerves, but her words are infinitely worse.

"Eren Jaeger is a titan shifter."

Reiner's heart plummets. He takes a slow, ragged breath as the fact hits him multiple times over. Each wave further elucidating the fact, further cementing that this truth is their new reality. "Wh-... what?"

Eren Jaeger? The boy Mikasa just so happened to have an unbreakable devotion to? The boy who's very being exudes conviction and rage towards the titans?

Bertholdt's reaction appears to be similar, his expression wider and more horrified than any amount of death could ever inflict. But she doesn't wait for them to process the information before she continues.

"I found Mikasa, and tried to kill her, but she was too fast..." she looks back down at the ground, clenching her fists enough to make her knuckles bleed white. "I didn't expect her to fight back like she did. I failed."

Reiner takes a step back. "Eren Jaeger, a titan? He's one of the nine? What does that mean? Could he be the long lost Attack Titan? Or..." he gasps again.

"Do you think... he could be the coordinate?" he lets out, and Annie lets out a long breath.

"It's possible. It's either that or the Attack Titan. Dammit..."

"Was Mikasa aware of that?"

"I don't know. I was too busy trying not to be beaten to a pulp by him."

Reiner takes a seat, resting his back on the worn wood of the house behind him. None of it makes sense, he thinks.

"She must have known about his titan form. After all, she knew about mine."

Annie perks up, furrowing her brows sharply. "She knew about your titan, too?"

"Did she know about yours?!" Bertholdt asks.

Her silence is all the answer they need. Reiner slumps rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Just how much does Mikasa know...?"

"She knows about more than my titan, Reiner."

He looks up, letting a light sound of confusion out of his breath, so she elaborates.

"I grabbed Eren, ready to crush him if Mikasa decided to try anything funny while I healed. But the idiot cut himself out, so I was about to kill him. That was when..." her voice falters as she stares off at a nearby rock, her face ghostly white as she does so. There are scarce instances where Reiner's seen the girl look truly shaken to her core, and this is one of those times. "She told me to think about my father."

No one has anything to say at that. Reiner is beyond words, clutching his head as his mind attacks him from all sides. This is no longer just a threat to their mission, this is a threat to everything they've fought for. Annie scarcely talks about her father, to the point that Reiner could only use what little was implied to figure out that they were close. The fact that Mikasa knows about her relationship with him means...

"She knows about Marley. She knows about the titan shifters and who they are. And she knows about us..."

His Ackerman theory is quickly falling apart. For a second it made perfect sense. Mikasa is a guardian of the King, tasked with protecting Eren. He's a titan, after all, and if he was assigned an elite warrior, it's possible, no, likely that he's the coordinate. But there are too many holes with the theory now. Firstly, on a conceptual basis, it begs the question of why Eren Jaeger is in possession of this titan, and why the titan isn't with the royal family. And even if the royal family was compromised, the absolute last thing they would do is have Eren go through military training. It's true that Eren was always the most enthusiastic cadet in their class, willing to risk his life to fight titans more than anyone, but he isn't stupid enough to do that when his life is suddenly so much more valuable than a regular human's.

It was clear that Mikasa didn't want that life for him either, but his will overpowered hers, and Reiner always believed she begrudgingly allowed him to fight in the Military with no objections out of love for him. But if she had a mission to keep in mind, there's no way she'd let him train in the cadet corps. She's a smart girl, smart enough to realize how idiotic of a decision it would be to let Eren do that, especially when she knew about the warriors that had infiltrated the walls and were in the very same class.

And her being a close member of the King's guard doesn't explain the sheer extent of her knowledge. How did she know about them? And more significantly, how did she know about Annie's father? He may have been right to use himself to break down the outer gate instead of Bertholdt, but his reasoning was utterly incorrect.

"What if she's not from the walls?" Bertholdt's quiet voice cuts through the still air, shocking Reiner out of his stupor.

"You're right, Bertholdt... she could be from Marley. That would explain most of her knowledge. All it would take is for her to have read our files. She could even make some educated assumptions based off of it, like your connection to your father, Annie."

She remains silent, mulling over the information as Reiner assesses the theory. The more he thinks about it, the more plausible it seems.

Bertholdt chimes in again. "Could she be an Eldian Restorationist? That would explain the motive, and her Ackerman heritage could have given her knowledge that would be useful to their cause. Her knowledge about Eren might come from that, too."

Reiner hums, placing a weary hand on his chin. "It's possible, but the Eldian Restorationists haven't been prominent for over a decade. It could be true, but then how could she have gotten to Paradis? There hasn't been a reported incident in a long time, so we would have known about it if she was an escaped convict. Given her skills, she could have been a stowaway on some Marleyan ship, but could she have really walked the distance from the shore to the Walls?"

Bertholdt sighs, rubbing his left temple as Annie continues to take hoarse breaths. Though neither show it, both of them listen intently to Reiner's words.

The blond continues. "Maybe with some food and firearms, but... ammunition would be a precious resource for the Restorationists. They wouldn't supply her with enough unless they had full confidence in her ability to walk across the island on foot. Then how..." Reiner's eyes widen as the realization hits him. "Hizuru..."

Bertholdt looks up, furrowing his brows at his best friend, which prompts him to continue. "She may be a Hizuruan spy! It explains how she got here. Sending in one person isn't the best tactical decision, but she'd be supplied with enough weapons and food to last her as long as she needed. Additionally, all she would have to do is spend a few months in Marley, snooping around to get our information, and she'd know everything about us."

"Hey..." Annie interrupts his frantic speculation. "Why would Hizuru waste anything on helping Eldians? We're the spawn of the devil." She looks at him as if he's lost his mind, and Reiner returns her with a cold stare.

"They're the spawn of the devil. We're honorary Marleyans, remember?"

To that, she has nothing to say, her unimpressed look returning its inordinate focus to a small pebble in front of her. They both know what he said has nothing to do with her point, but Reiner pushes the thoughts to the back of his mind, knowing full well that now isn't the time to harp on what they are to the rest of the world right now. If Reiner truly had to answer that question, he expects he'd have a harder time with it than anyone, and that in itself is dangerous to their mission. Anything and everything is dangerous to their mission, he supposes. His hunch that Mikasa knew more than she let on was a lucky guess, but now because he was more right than he could have ever known, his thoughts jump to everything he thought he knew about this island, analyzing with a renewed, intense scrutiny. Annie may be looking at him as if he's paranoid, but he couldn't care less.

"Besides... Hizuru has always been sympathetic to Eldia. I wouldn't be surprised if they hold some old Eldian secrets due to the alliance they had one hundred years ago."

"But, Reiner," Bertholdt cuts in again, "Do you really think Hizuru would be after the Founding Titan? If Marley found out, it would doom Hizuru to a war they could never win. Even if they only sent Mikasa, which we can't confirm, she wouldn't have waited years to capture Eren and take him straight there, once she found out about him. We still don't know if he's the coordinate."

Reiner's face droops. Neither Annie nor Bertholdt were ever good with words, but Annie has a painful bluntness that Bertholdt never will, and for that reason alone he finds it easier to listen to the tall boy. And it certainly helps that he's making complete sense.

"Hizuruan, Eldian, we don't know anything about this girl," Annie quietly interjects. "So stop pretending like we could possibly find the answer just by sitting on our asses, Reiner."

The well-built blond shoots her an undecipherable glare, because even though he knows exactly what she's going to suggest, he's ready to hear her out.

"She could have knowledge about everything for all we know, which means that we won't be getting the jump on her a second time with your plan to switch Bertholdt with yourself. I barely made it out of there with my life, and if she goes into the Scouts with Eren, assuming no one finds out about his titan form, there will be nothing any of us can do. Commander Smith is a smart leader, from what I've heard. If he's able to incorporate Mikasa's knowledge and skill to their mutual goals, we don't stand a chance. We need to take this information back to Marley."

Bertholdt tenses, knowing that this is often the subject that leads to the few arguments the two Warriors have had. Reiner stands up, not bothering to give her suggestion much of a thought. He knows it's more out of a desire to reunite with her father, anyway. "No." His voice is definitive.

Annie frowns deeply. "We need the War Chief, at least. We can't expect to outsmart someone who knows everything about us and the location of the titans! If we stay here, we die! Then what? Marley has just lost three titans and gained a powerful new enemy, is that really what you want?"

"Annie, we've been searching for something like this for five years now. We kept reaching limits with what we could learn, to the point that we've had to break down two of the three walls. Mikasa could be our key. If we can capture her, then we can learn everything we need to know about the Founding Titan."

"We're not in a position to capture her! We'll have to go into hiding in these cramped walls, and as soon as she finds us, she'll kill us without any reservations."

"If she wanted to do that, she would have done it years ago!" he counters.

"Now she knows that we're aware of her knowledge. That alone is reason enough. You can't pretend to understand anything about her motives."

"They're simple enough. She planned to kill Bertholdt, that much I know. There's no other reason she'd be waiting at the front of the walls with a squad she doesn't belong to."

"So now you know that she wants to kill us, but you still want to try and capture her? You didn't have to fight her like I did, Reiner. Unless I'm able to fight her one on one, no surprises, I won't win."

"You're a Warrior, Annie! We're the best Marley has to offer, and we were given a mission. This is an opportunity staring us in the face to complete that mission in one fell swoop, and you want to run and hide behind our military? What happens when we let Mikasa accomplish her goals? Marley won't be able to do anything against Eldia if it rises again with the power of the coordinate!"

Annie stops, giving him a look that suggests she's seconds away from beating Reiner to a pulp, but she refrains, turning around and sighing instead. "You're a goddamn idiot, Reiner."

He stays silent, letting her blow off her steam. She may not like this, but it's their duty as Warriors to see this to its end. "Marley won't understand if we retreat because of some girl who happened to know who we are. From their perspective, they might just assume we did a poor job at hiding ourselves. Actually, that might have been the case... but without Mikasa, what will we really have to show Marley after five years? That we're too timid to face an above average fighter?"

The harshness to Annie's face finally falters, having let yet another chance to see her father slip through her fingers. Reiner empathizes with her, truly. He wants to go home, and he promised himself he'd return there, no matter what. But this is an opportunity for them to finally secure Marley's future, for him to be worthy of the Armored Titan he was so undeservedly given.

"If that's what it takes..." she lets out in an indomitable whisper. "Then... What do we do?"

A reminder. Another reminder of what he is, of what he promised to be. A leader. It allows a deep seated confidence to trickle into his gut, just barely managing to peek out under the shadow of Mikasa Ackerman's knowledge.

"Whatever she is, she isn't on our side, and if we want to capture her, we can't let go of the advantage being in the military gives us."

Bertholdt gasps. "So... you're saying we should stay?"

"If we all stick together, we have a good chance at defending ourselves, at least for enough time for us to escape if she tries to kill us. And if she doesn't, we're in a prime position to take her out."

It's clear to him the Reiner's reasoning isn't the strongest, and he'll admit that it's a terribly risky play, practically suicidal should things go wrong, but the prospect of going back to square one in the form of abandoning the military is too high of a price. Not only would they be dealing with charges for insubordination then, but it's no guarantee that it would even protect them against Mikasa. Despite the concerned looks on his friends' faces, they too seem to realize that the situation doesn't allow them any easy solutions.

"Fine. Let's capture Mikasa."


Three sets of footsteps march along the wide, stony path ahead of him. In the back, a tall, sickly man with a moderate amount of facial hair trots along slowly. The skin around his eyes are cracked and darkened, as if he'd just seen the same copious amount of death and tragedy that Jean has, which is ironic, because Captain Weilman isn't likely to have seen a single damn titan. The boy figures he must have run from HQ early on, opting to ring the bell signaling retreat from the safety of the walls. "And probably only as an afterthought, too."

It stings him, right in his tired bones, knowing that so many capable, good people have died only so this coward could live, and there isn't anything Jean can do about it. He's been summoned by the higher ups, it seems, and no good will come of shouting his head off at the captain now. It's funny, though, because Jean thinks he'd probably be yelling at him anyways if he wasn't so shaken.

Did a part of him really believe that as soon as he escaped to the walls it would be over? No, this battle is only just beginning, and all those lives were lost not to forward that battle, not to work towards any higher goal, really, but just so Jean could stand on top of these walls, overlooking the sheer destruction the titans have wrought upon his hometown, and come to that realization. He wonders how Eren would react to such an unquestionable defeat. Would he still be out there, fighting? Would he begrudgingly accept it and follow orders? Would he have let Mikasa die?

That's two people now. Two people he thought unstoppable, though by different metrics. Eren could never be stopped, no matter how easily he could be bested, and Mikasa could simply never be bested. But it appears that that was a faulty belief with regards to the both of them. They both lost their lives, their dignity, today. "They were joining the Survey Corps, Jean. It was bound to happen."

But at least they worked towards something. At least their sacrifices would have held meaning. Mikasa's death was particularly painful for Jean, seeing as how it could have been completely avoided had she decided to be anything other than an idiot once she got her gas and weapons back.

His thoughts are interrupted by his Garrison escort. The woman beside him salutes heartily, calling out "Commander!" with her fatigued voice. The old, bald man and what appears to be his own escort turn around. "Jean Kirstein, graduate of the 104th Training Corps, Southern Division!" she finishes.

"Thank you Brzenska, I'll talk with him now," the old man assures as she nods, turning around from where she came.

"You would do well to salute your superiors, Kirstein!" Weilman barks. Jean's eyes widen a bit as he salutes, having been completely consumed by his thoughts earlier.

He wraps his left arm around the small of his back, his right above his heart. "S-Sorry!" he forces the word out. To his relief, the commander only smiles, lifting a hand in the air to put him at ease.

"You must be tired."

"It's nothing, commander," he instinctually lets out.

"Oh? I know I would be tired after having led my comrades on a suicide mission to take back headquarters from the titans. Your actions are far more commendable than that of some of the captains assigned to the city's defense." He gives Weilman a sidelong glance, which the bearded officer refuses to meet with his own eyes. "It was a pleasant surprise. To see all those fresh trainees, who would have otherwise been doomed to the titans, return mostly unharmed." Jean only blinks at the compliment. Despite how elated he should feel to receive such praise from the commander of the Garrison Regiment, he certainly doesn't feel particularly competent.

The commander's face seems to change as he eyes Jean's expression, and he continues, after taking in the boy's shocked silence. "Though, I'm sure you feel as if you don't deserve to be tired. It's a unique burden that only leadership provides. My name is Dot Pyxis, Commander of the Garrison's southern forces."

Jean's expression stays the same, due in part because he knows he ought to obey his superior, but mostly at the surprise of getting to talk directly with the commander for a reason he has yet to be informed on. Pyxis fiddles with his mustache, eyeing the smoky, desolate cityscape before him with an intense scrutiny.

"Commander..." he lets out, seemingly jolting the man out of his thoughts as he turns to look at him. "Sorry, but... what did you summon me for?"

Pyxis doesn't answer, simply taking a flask of some drink out of his pocket and drinking. He then turns around and gestures for him. "Let's take a walk."

Jean's brows furrow. "Is he trying to recruit me? Maybe I was more skilled than I thought, but I'm not that good." But, unwilling to defy a superior officer, he begins to walk with him, leaving Weilman and Pyxis' female escort behind.

The two saunter along the outer wall, with Pyxis continuing to drink out of his flask as he stares at the titan infected city. Jean thinks it's nice, in a morbid way, to look at all the devastation that he had found himself in not a couple of hours earlier from the safety of the walls, but he'll be the first to admit that the prospect of going back out there in a fruitless attempt at changing the outcome is harrowing.

Eventually, the commander speaks up. "They say that before titans gained dominion over the earth, there was endless war and slaughter of human life over race, ideology, and grabs for power. Then someone said, 'If a powerful external threat were to appear, humanity would cease its wars and unite.' Do you think it's possible?"

Jean stutters, confused by the vague question, and wondering if there was in fact a right answer. He thinks about what he had to sacrifice just to get a few cadets to rally behind him and get to the top of the walls, and finds himself doubtful of the possibility. "I don't know. It hasn't worked so far, that's for sure. Maybe if we got humanity down to a couple hundred..."

Pyxis laughs, turning his head to him. "That's a strange way of thinking of it, but perhaps true nonetheless. You don't think humanity as it is now could unite under a common enemy?" He pauses, prompting Jean to deliberate.

He thinks about the one person he knows better than anyone else: himself. His whole life he's been self interested, aiming to fulfill his own goals regardless of humanity's needs, sometimes in direct opposition to them. He's nothing like Marco, he never wanted to join the Military Police due to some understanding that he could achieve something beyond himself. He simply wanted to live in the luxury and safety of the innermost wall. No amount of titans could change that, only exacerbate it. He's always been on the individualistic side, thinking about what he could do to net the greatest benefits or avoid the harshest punishments, but it was the fall of Wall Maria that inspired him to eventually join the military, to fully dedicate himself to the pursuit of a safer, easier life.

He can only imagine that the greater the threat is, the more inclined he'd be to flee. It's how he felt right after the Armored Titan first broke down Trost's gate, and it's how he felt as he sat on the rooftops of his hometown, wallowing in despair like the rest of his comrades. So how is he here now? How did they unite to retake headquarters? How was Jean inspired to partake in the operation to defend Trost in the first place?

And then the answer flashes into his mind.

"But we made it, didn't we? So we can make it through today!"

It was Eren.

"Hurry!"

It was Mikasa.

The ones who killed themselves fighting titans. It was them who inspired him to take action with his fellow comrades. It wasn't the power of the enemy he faced, but the hope of his friends' words. They may have taken it with them to their deaths, but without it, so many more would have died.

"I'm just speaking from my experience, commander, but I didn't unite with my comrades because of some common threat. It was because of a common goal. It didn't even matter what it was, really... as long as it felt like I was contributing to something better. Titans haven't gotten any less horrifying, it's just that I wasn't fighting because of them."

Pyxis only hums. "You made a soldier's choice. Not everyone, least of all soldiers, are so willing to make that decision." He stops, peering down the edge of the wall to see multiple titans congregated, clawing at the side in a vain attempt to reach him. "A common hope is what humanity needs."

The commander looks back at Jean. "So... tell me, how did you manage to stay inside headquarters for long enough to refill yourselves on gas and blades? Were there really no titans on the inside for you to concern yourselves with?"

Jean lifts a brow as he stops as well. "There were... and the titans outside would have easily gotten in, if it weren't for an abnormal outside," he explains, and the more it falls off his tongue, the more it strikes him just how lucky they were to have encountered such a helpful abnormal. "If only more of those existed..." Jean thinks.

"So I've heard. The reports say it roared at the other titans, fighting them with rudimentary hand to hand combat skills. I also heard that it's strength and endurance were extremely high."

"R-Right, sir," Jean affirms, surprised at Pyxis' relative wealth of knowledge on the subject. He expected a strange occurrence such as this to fly under the officers' views, but that is clearly not the case.

"What happened to this titan? Did the other ones turn on it?"

The weight of the memories comes falling on him again, manifesting a weary frown on his face. "Yes... they started to eat it apart, and eventually it fell down."

"I see." He places a hand on his chin, eyes off in a distant land that Jean doesn't have the energy nor the perceptiveness to comprehend. For some reason, however, he's compelled to share more with the commander. He doesn't think it's particularly relevant, and he'd rather not think about his old crush if he has to, but Armin's words echo back to him.

"If we can solve the mystery of this titan, it may give us a way to overcome our predicament." he had said.

"It was weird, though. After it fell, Mikasa Ackerman flew over to its nape. It was probably just to finish the job. Neither one of us were enthusiastic about leaving something like that alive. But for some reason, she flew towards the far side of the wall after that. I tried to chase after her, but too many titans got in the way..."

Pyxis quirks an eyebrow. "Where is trainee Ackerman now? I'd like to have a chat with her."

The boy's shoulders sink with his heart. "She never made it to the wall, sir," he forces the words out, the cruel reminder of what happened flushing through his mind once again.

He was back behind the safety of the walls, confident that, although so many died on his account, so many lived as well. Marco's words truly made him feel as if he accomplished something today, only for Armin and Armin alone to return. He had excessive tears in his eyes, and his expression was lost. Jean didn't have to put in much thought to realize that the blond had just lost his remaining best friend. Jean's still not sure he's fully processed her death. He doesn't know if he'll ever be able to fathom it. Mikasa Ackerman, the most powerful, skilled person he's ever known, died alone, swarmed by titans because of a decision so idiotic, so unlike her, that his own mind can't accept that it even happened. But as he looks across Trost one more time, he reminds himself that he has no choice. Mikasa is dead. That symbol of humanity's skill, that safety of the knowledge that no matter what, she'd be alive, is gone forever.

"I'm sorry to hear that. You're dismissed," the commander finishes. Jean gives him a final salute before turning back around.

"She's somewhere out there. What remains of her, anyways." Somewhere in the city of blood and bones and titans.


Marco sits under the shade of a rooftop, one that extends beyond the house and covers a part of the front entrance. It's not a particularly hot day, but he's thankful for the chance to sit in a cool place, drinking from a recently refilled canister of water that he absolutely needed.

It's strange to think that this house used to belong to someone. Someone normal. He wonders if it was more or less expensive to live in the heart of Trost compared to here. The place looks relatively run down, and the trek back and forth through the gate probably got exceedingly tedious, but at the same time, any scrap of land behind an extra set of walls tends to run for a much higher price nowadays.

He remembers a time when that wasn't the case. When living in Trost wasn't so much more expensive than living in Shiganshina, or any of the other cities that sat in one of the two outer walls. Back then, this place wouldn't be swarming with soldiers of the Garrison and the Cadet Corps. He wouldn't be counting himself lucky to be drinking his own canister of water, to be sitting on the porch bench of a dingy house, to be breathing a comfortable distance away from titans, to be breathing at all, for that matter.

He lets out a long exhale as he surveys the sight around him. The frantic shuffling of his fellow trainees from place to place, all with terrified expressions, makes him want to chuckle. It's nothing compared to what he was forced to witness on the rooftops of Trost, but it still scares him. There's something intimately terrifying about seeing others afraid for their lives. But, what is perhaps more terrifying are people too traumatized to even think straight, and the small boy sitting to his left is unfortunate enough to fall under such a category.

Armin sits, forearms resting on his legs as his head droops low. In his right hand he holds a pouch for water, but it hasn't been touched by his lips. He always expected Armin to be one to scream in terror at the threat of the titans, louder than anyone around. Don't get him wrong, he still values Armin for his intelligence and respects him as a soldier, but he's always been such a timid little thing, easily scared and winded even easier. Yet somehow, he survived, and while Marco is happy, to see the aftermath of such a fight play out on Armin's face is almost surreal.

It's a strange thing, too, almost morbidly funny, that Armin's two best friends, Eren and Mikasa, the ones who were much more physically adept than him, didn't make it out of this fight. He can't say he got to know Eren or Mikasa quite as well as he knows Armin, but he still misses his comrades dearly. But death is something he's unfortunately grown accustomed to, whereas the look in Armin's eyes is something that Marco will never grow numb to. His eyes are infinite, the small, blue irises shielding an unknowable amount of contemplation like the sky hides the stars. Only at night could Marco hope to see Armin's stars for himself, but the sun isn't retreating anytime soon.

"Armin..." Marco lets out, casting him a sympathetic look. The boy doesn't raise his head to respond, only humming to let Marco know he's listening. "I'm sorry about what happened to Eren and Mikasa. I know you were closer to them than to any of us. They were all you had left of Shiganshina."

He's silent, staring off into the abyss his own shadow creates. Marco isn't sure what else to say, but he knows Armin can't bottle up his feelings to the point of being catatonic. It's not helpful to the mission or to his own health. He thinks about Mikasa, how unbelievable the circumstances of her death were, but for just a moment he pushes that aside, asking a simple question.

"Were you able to intercept her? To see her one last time before she died?"

Armin finally looks to him, eyes cold and distant as he answers. "No," he lets out with a startling plainness.

Marco's shoulders drop. He wasn't sure what he was expecting to hear, though. Of course he didn't see her in time. If he did, Armin and Mikasa would either both be alive or both be dead.

"Do you really believe that she died, Marco? Jean said she jumped right at that abnormal's neck before flying off in a different direction. Isn't that suspicious, like there's something about that abnormal's nape that she wants to hide? Surely Armin realizes it too, right?"

He glances back at the boy, who's head has gone back to its hanging position.

"Maybe he's too grief stricken to think about it now. I don't blame him. Still, I need to ask him or Jean on some of the specifics of what happened after this is all over. Mikasa might be alive. It's too unbelievable that she lost the fight to titans while she had a full tank of gas and fresh blades. I can't bring it up to Armin now, though. If I'm wrong, I can't instill him with a false hope."

But his thoughts are interrupted when Armin speaks up again, eyes now looking across the street at nothing in particular. "Do you think they deserve it?"

Marco's eyes widen, letting out a light sound of confusion as he waits patiently for Armin to elaborate. What could he mean by that?

Armin looks back down after a long moment. "Sorry. That was a silly thing to ask."

The freckled boy's brows arch upwards. "Armi-"

"Marco!" a deep voice calls out to him. His heart lifts the second he identifies the voice, and as he raises his head he can see the face that comes with it.

"Reiner!" he shouts, relieved beyond belief. He stands up, approaching him as he sees Annie and Bertholdt, both of whom look relatively unscathed, to the burly blond's sides.

"I didn't think I'd see you three again! After we couldn't find you in Trost, I assumed the worst."

"We're fine. Luckily, me and Bertholdt had enough gas to scale the wall when the bell was rung, and we met Annie a short time later," he responds.

Marco can hardly believe it, surprised that anyone could have had enough gas by that time, save for the elite squad. "That's incredible..." he lets out, glancing at the two behind Reiner. Neither look particularly enthused, both shooting their eyes around the street full of soldiers as if they were looking for something. Reiner, however, gives Marco a concerned look.

"Was it? What did you do to escape?"

Marco sighs, mentally reviewing the events of the day once again. "Me and Jean met with many other trainees, and we were all low on gas. Our only option was to work together to take back headquarters, which had been swarmed by titans because the supply soldiers had boarded themselves in out of fear."

Reiner looks shocked. "How did you get in?"

"Thanks to Jean's leadership, most of us managed to get in through the windows, but the hard part was staying there for long enough. But somehow, there was an abnormal titan that started to fight the other titans for us!"

Reiner's eyes widen, as do Bertholdt and Annie, who share a sidelong glance at each other. "What?! A titan killing other titans? What happened to it?"

Marco furrows his brows, letting out a "huh?" at the fact that Reiner's first question was something like that.

"I can't be the only one who thinks that a titan like that could be the key to solving humanity's bad situation," he explains. Marco shakes his head.

"It was eventually killed..." he says, pausing at the thought of Mikasa and her ultimate fate.

"What? Are you serious?" Annie speaks up, surprised at the notion of a titan falling to other titans.

"Yeah... and Mikasa got caught up in it, too."

Reiner's gaze darkens. "What do you mean?"

Marco sighs, looking up to the three with sympathetic eyes. He doesn't know if the trio was ever that close to her, if anything Marco got the impression that the raven haired girl didn't care for any of them, but he supposes it isn't surprising to be upset by the revelation that humanity's greatest soldier fell to the titans. "From what Jean witnessed, Mikasa apparently jumped at the titan's nape when it fell, probably to finish it off, though I don't know why. Anyways, she flew away from him and Armin to the far side of the wall. Armin chased after her, but wasn't able to find her. If she made it to the top of the walls, she would have arrived here by now, which means..."

He looks back up at Reiner, whose expression is impossible to ascertain. "Right... I'm sorry to hear that."

"Yeah. She was the strongest of us, and now she's gone."

Silence plays out between them, and in an effort to alleviate the atmosphere, Marco shoots them a smile. "It's good to know you three are alive, at least. Humanity will need your skills."

Reiner doesn't smile, only humming in response as he casts his signature stony gaze to the ground. It looks as if he might finally respond, but before he can, a superior officer swings down the ground, catching the attention of many of the soldiers nearby.

"Attention, everyone! The operation to defend Trost has been halted indefinitely by the orders of Commander Pyxis! We'll continue our efforts to prepare for an attack from the Colossal and Armored Titans at Wall Rose!"

Marco can hear the relieved gasps of many of the soldiers around him, all comforted by the knowledge that, at least for the time being, they won't have to fight an unwinnable battle against the titans until their lives are spent. He lets out an involuntary gasp himself.

But he can't say he isn't surprised. Pyxis never struck him as one who admitted defeat so quickly. "What could he be thinking?"


He can't believe he's doing it.

He's being screamed at from all sides of himself. The side that wants to run and hide. The side that's scared. The side that's smart. They all battle against the side that knows what's right, of what he has to do.

"This isn't about you. This is about those who've fallen beside you. If you knew being a soldier would be this hellish, you would have never joined, but now you have a responsibility to the comrades that have died."

And as the words boom across the field on the crisp night, Jean's head falls in despair. He can't believe he's doing it.

"I am Erwin Smith, Commander of the Survey Corps." His voice is strong, a well polished tool to suck in as many recruits as he can, Jean thinks. "Today, you will choose a military branch. To put it bluntly, I'm here to persuade you to join the Survey Corps."

"At least he's honest."

The Commander's expression is hard as well, made dynamic not by the contours of his face, but only the shadows that dance and flash across him thanks to the fire. "During the titan attack, you learned of how terrifying they can be. And how limited your own power is. To say that this is not the reality you will be forced to face on every expedition as a member of the Survey Corps would be a complete lie. Any trainee who joins will participate in our second operation to retake Trost in a month, as well as subsequent excursions beyond the walls. We expect thirty percent will be lost in half a year."

Jean grimaces, not at the insane statistic the commander dropped on them, but at the reminder of what happened when the Scouts first returned to Trost a couple of days ago. Despite the elite soldiers' best efforts, the titan force they faced was simply too overwhelming, and though it was an outcome Jean expected, it filled him with despair.

Despair. He wouldn't be surprised if that's what everyone's feeling here and now. He wants to laugh at how honest Commander Smith is being. "Just because it's true, doesn't mean that telling everyone is the right way to go, idiot..." he thinks.

Because Erwin Smith is an idiot. Every single one of those Scouts is an idiot. Everyone who ever wanted to be in the Scouts like Eren and Mikasa are idiots, and he's the biggest idiot of them all, because even though he knows better, he's joining the Scouts, too.

Why? Because he's tired of death. He knows he'll see more of it in the Survey Corps than in either of the other military branches, but that's not the kind of death he's tired of, though he could stand to see less of it. He's tired of meaningless death, what Eren's death ended up being, and what his death would be if he ever joined the Military Police inside their pristine, fake walls. Now that he's seen true death, he can't stand the prospect of entering a world that pretends the death and pain of the soldiers outside don't exist.

So he'll march into that hell himself. It doesn't make him any less scared, but if it means Eren's death meant a damn thing, then he'll be okay with that.

"But those who survive will become superior soldiers with a high survival rate." He pauses, letting the information seep into the shocked trainees, the vast majority of which, Jean knows, will never be joining this suicidal branch.

"Knowing these discouraging facts, any still willing to risk their lives, remain here. Ask yourself... Are you willing to offer your beating heart for humanity?" he booms, creating gasps and sighs from the cadets, and after a long pause, he finishes.

"That is all."

That is all.

"That is all. This is the end of the road."

And as the swathes of trainees start to leave, exiting the field like ants retreating from a boot, Jean remains. Annie leaves. Bertholdt leaves. Reiner leaves.

Jean is forced to look down, the sheer number of trainees that walk away too harrowing for him. It stings at his heart, as he knows he may be among the very few that stay.

He may not be eager to die, but he's even less eager to let others die for him. He had enough of that at Trost. But as Marco puts a hand on his shoulder, Jean looks up. His eyes are questioning, as if to say "Are you coming, Jean?"

He shakes his head. "Go, Marco. You're doing it for a good reason," he assures, even though he can't stop his whole body from shaking.

"Are you sure, Jean?"

Is he sure?

"Dammit, Jean! Come on, you already decided! Don't make me hate myself any more..."

"...I'm staying, Marco."

Marco sighs, giving him a wistful smile. "This is goodbye, then."

Jean cannot respond, he can only fight with all his breath to plant his feet down, Eren's words coming back to encourage him. "Until five years ago, this used to be the interior, too!"

"Eren... is this what you would have wanted?" he combats the tears that force themselves to show in his eyes. And as he sees Marco leave, he wants to cry out. Is he leaving his best friend for a dead man? For a dead man's idea? What he died for? He guesses he is.

In the aftermath of it all, he stands among the select few. Sasha, Connie, Krista, Ymir, and Armin stand as well. He can only imagine what went through their minds to come to such a terrible decision. Jean's eyes are dark, hiding the visceral fear that shines deep within them. "You're probably going to die, Jean."

But he might just deserve it.

Erwin stares at those who remain. "Can you die if you're ordered to?"

To that, Jean finds it within him to shout out to the world. "I don't want to die!" not caring if anyone wants to hear it, because it's true. The commander of the Survey Corps smiles. "I see. I like the looks on your faces. Then I welcome everyone here to the Survey Corps! This is a true salute! Dedicate your heart!"

Jean wraps his left hand around the small of his damn back, the other upon his rapidly beating heart.


Mikasa.

Eren can see her. He sees her zipping back and forth, faster than he's ever seen her. Faster than he's ever had to see her. With her speed comes the frequent stomps of her opponent, that Female Titan, shaking, rumbling Eren to his core with every strange movement. Strange for a titan, that is.

And that strangeness is dangerous. Here he lays in a puddle of his own blood, watching Mikasa with his only functioning eye, because he couldn't have possibly predicted the titans movements. It's so smart, and skilled, and when Mikasa's blades finally break, Eren's heart crashes.

"Mikasa... no..."

She's so strong... but she's not strong enough. She's going to die. Mikasa is going to die.

The thought sparks something within him.

"Mikasa... please..." flashes of her rush through his tumbling mind. Her smile, her graceful lips, her tiny little nose, her soft, raven hair. And her eyes. The eyes that fill his soul with a feeling he can't fathom. He can't fathom anything anymore, nothing except for Mikasa.

"Mikasa... Mikasa..."

He feels exactly how he did all those years ago. When his father opened the door to her house for the pair to witness the scene of a murder, and the truth that a little girl had been kidnapped. Little Mikasa.

Eren cannot let that happen. He will not let her die. He will not let her die!

He still has to kill the titans with her, to explore the world with her... To be with her, forever...

"Mikasa... Mikasa!"

His heart pumps viciously, he feels his blood rattle as he wills himself up despite the indescribable pain. He looks at the Female Titan with an inconsolable, inconceivable rage. He feels his anger physically steam off of him, because it's trying to kill MIKASA.

His fury burns so bright it starts to shine. It shines yellow, sparks of electricity surrounding him in a split second, and then it consumes him.

"Mikasa..."

...

"Mikasa..." his eyes creak open. For a moment, reality returns to him. He sees lush trees all around him, the sound of the bugs and birds and the wind filling his ears. He feels himself bounce up and down, hearing the sound of air being pushed out of a horse's nose and realizing that he's on one, sitting upright.

He... has a bandage wrapped around his head as well, but he can't remember why.

But his willingness to perceive drifts away as he realizes his head is resting on her back, the warmth of her skin exuding through the thin material of her white blouse. His arms are wrapped around her strong torso, where she holds them with her soft hand.

"Eren... try and get some more rest, okay? You're not fully healed."

Are they riding on a horse? Why? And where are they? Why does he need to heal...?

But as he sits, he realizes he's far too exhausted to think. It doesn't matter either way, because Mikasa's here. He's safe with her. She'll protect him.

"Okay..."


There you have it! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I know a lot of you wanted more Mikasa and Eren POV (which makes sense cause they're the main characters haha) so I'm sorry they don't feature much in this chapter, but I really had to set the stage for the next arc. Now all the pieces are in place and I can say with complete assurance that this next arc will be eremika centric, so you won't need to worry about not getting their POV for the next chapter.

Anyways, what did you guys think? Like I said, life is being life right now, so the pacing of this may feel off. I apologize for that, as there was a lot with some of these scenes I wished to give more depth but didn't have the chance to. So please leave a review and have a great day! -Y