Alright I will be updating this story after more writing for my main story Wings, but rest assured that this story will never be forgotten. And yes I too am anxious to write Reiners part, but it will most likely be either next chapter or the one after that we see it. As usual drop a review. Let us begin.
"Eren.." Mikasa tries again only to be cut off once more by her angry adopted brother. He still gives her that look that reminds her of his berserk Titan form he used in Stohess all those months ago. It's frightening to say the least, and his tone isn't helping her keep herself together either.
"I. Don't. Care. for you in that way. What part of that don't you understand? I love you Mikasa, I do, but only as a sister. When are you going to let go and just accept it? If your gonna give me the excuse of me saving your life, consider it repayed many times over already. You need to stop this Mikasa, your only going to hurt yourself. Please, just let go." He doesn't wait to hear her answer, and returns inside the room.
The others notice that only Eren comes back inside, which signals that the conversation outside wasn't a pleasant one. Hange nods her head to Eren, and he resumes his post with hands placed on Annie's crystal. He focused his mind and felt that cold tingle again, meaning he was connected. He called out to her once more.
"Annie? Still here?"
"Where else would I be? I'm trapped in here, remember?" She replied with her usual monotone, as she appeared behind him. She has her arms crossed as she waits for his answer, her eyebrow raised in exoectation. He smiles a bit as he tells her the good news.
"Well they said they won't attack you as long as you don't do anything to provoke it. They understand the situation as I well as I do now, but they're still cautious after all that's happened. I told them your stand on the Marley and that your willing to help us fight, but they would like you to spend some time underground.
You would be near me under some watch as a precaution, so they know they can trust you as well as my insistance for your "immunity". There's some preparations to be made since you're choosing to wake up, as well as some questions your gonna have to answer for us so we can get the fires stoked.
Your safe as long as you don't turn on us, so your pretty much an ally at this point. Are you ready to do this? Are these things your willing to accept if you come out?"
She shrugs her shoulders but nods to him, after all it's better than what she actually expected to happen. "Sure it's not like I can complain. I actually didn't think they would be accepting my services after what I've done. I'm surprised Eren, things have changed, haven't they?"
He nods his head at her question. "It has, more than we ever thought possible. The world seemed so much easier in black and white a few months ago, but now things have become quite...grey. It used to be so much easier when the enemy had the same faces when they attacked us, but now...now we don't really know what to expect when we start this fight. But have we ever really?" She nods at this, understanding what he's feeling, since she felt it when she first came to Paradise 5 years ago. He shakes his head to clear it, before finally asking the question he's waited to ask since she spoke back.
"Are you ready?" She gives him a hard look, nodding and tells him.
"It's time to fight. It's time to crush Marley., and restore Eldia." He smiles, andoffers her his hand. She looks at it, surprised at the gesture, but accepts it. They begin to leave her mind while holding their hands, and the ever lasting darkness around them begins to fade away in a blueish light.
Eren opens his eyes to see everyone in the room backing away from him, and he sees the crystal beginning to fracture. All along it's surface cracks race up and down, and cold air hisses as it leaves the frozen shell and comes in contact with the warmer air of the underground. Pieces begin to fall in shards no bigger than their odm gas tanks, and finally they all land on the floor. Annie stumbles forward to the ground before Eren catches her, stopping her fall. She looks up, looking quite tired even after her months long slumber, but gives him a grateful look.
"Thank you, I just need a moment. I haven't used my legs for so long."
She looks up, and all around her she sees familiar faces from the 104th, but notices the absence of Mikasa, Reiner, Ymir and Bertoldt. She sees the same scout leader who nearly captured her in Stohess as she declared her desire to cut Annie apart for her sadistic experiments, looking apprehensive at her once again. She backs off while keeping eye contact with her, and is surprised when the woman laughs as if she's just heard a funny joke.
It actually unnerves Annie that someone who looked insane and wanted to tear her apart could be so calm about the situation. She steps forward to address Annie with a firm but welcoming tone, which is more than Hange thinks she deserves.
"Don't worry, I'm not here to harm you, unless you turn on us. So it seems you've agreed to help us out judging from your awakening, I say let's get down to business shall we? I trust Eren's told you our situation, what we plan on doing with your help, as well as the terms of your services? What we will require if we're going to let you go out and fight?" She waits for a moment and listens when Leonhardt gives her answer.
"I have, and I await the chance to fight back. I know that...I'm not gaining any trust, and nor do I think I ever will be seen the same way I used to be. Nor will it wash away the blood on my hands, but I want it to be clear that I did all of it for the greater good. I never wanted to kill, but it's all I was raised around, to do by them. When I first came here, I had to make choices. Choices I believed would save our people in the long run, even if they cost lives, only to save many, many more. If there was any other way, I would've taken it. I understand the terms, and I fully agree to them."
The impressed faces of her former friends tell her that her words are meaningful, especially since this is the most they've ever heard from her, much less emotional words. Hange nods at the girls declaration, and Historia also gives her a kind but oddly motherly look. Annie tries to remember the Krista lenz from their cadet days, the overly sweet and kind girls who always seemed to think of others before herself. The girl she was assigned to tail and learned was a member of the royal family, and reported this back to her fellow infiltrators as per orders.
But there was a much different reason Annie stalked her. Her primary objective in both her missions was to obtain the coordinate, and a member of the royal family if possible. Annie had planned to kidnap both Eren and Historia as she was now known, and use their combined power to use the coordinate when they refunded to the mainland. She would've revealed the truth of the world to them, and in secret use the Founding Titans power on Reiner and Bertoldt, ultimately pulling them onto the sides of the rightful Eldians. Not the cowards who believed Marley lies and sent their own children to become the glorified killers of their own people. With the power of the Founding Titan, as well as the Collasal, Armored and Female Titan, they would have laid waste to Marley the instant they set foot off the boat.
Zeke she knew would never be turned over, but Peick was one she had hope for, being how she saw how complacent the people of Paradise were even if they had the power to destroy the world. She and the rest of the returned Warriors plus Eren and Historia would destroy the forces that tried to stop them as they freed and revelaed the truth to the Eldians of Liberio. The people of Eldia would rise up to strike down the true devils of this world and make it right, bringing peace, just as Ymir Fritz had done centuries ago. She had her father to thank for knowing the truth, for teaching her the true history of Eldia, as well as Marley. After all, he'd been apart of the Eldian restoration movement that had been caught and punished.
He'd evaded capture and punishent by never revealing himself to be an open member of the party, or affiliated in any way. It paid off, and soon after his wife, her mother passed, he raised her to be a true warrior. He taught her how to fight, and told her of the world's history. She had never believed the lies Marley forced Eldian children to learn in the schools that functioned just like the rest of the Ghetto did, as a prison. His words drove encouragement into her, and actually inspired her to join the program herself and gain one of the 9. And in the last day she spent in Liberio, he had told her how sorry he was to out such a burden on her, even though she went after it by choice.
She been forced, tearfully, to remind him of what she was going to do, and he had such fear for her. For what she would be forced to do, for her safety, and for not knowing if he would live long enough to see if she succeeded. He accepted his role, just like how he lived the life of a fearful submissive Eldian to the Marley. But inside, they both knew what they were, what they planned to do. They would overthrow Marley, and she would be the one to do it.
Seeing the girl she once tracked now the Queen of Paradise impressed her, and told her that change truly has happened. Perhaps it would be enough to fight, to win. And if not, if they truly were doomed to fail and burn, then she would stand proud alongside Eren and the rest knowing she went down fighting. She thinks back to Eren's words from the last time she was awake, that he channeled into her mind somehow during their final confrontation.
"Fightings your whole world, but what exactly are you fighting for? What could possibly have been worth all this death and destruction!?" She been surprised to have been asked such a question, and she had wanted nothing more than to tell him that day the reason why. But couldn't, not when he and the rest were so naive to it all.
'Im fighting for freedom. The greatest cause of all, that costs the most life.' She thinks to herself, as a few guards put light shackles on her hands, and escort her to her room. Eren walks alongside her on her right, while Hange walks on her right. She knows the road ahead will be hard, but then again it always has been.
Only now she thought she could see hope at the end of it. And so she strode further down it.