Alright returning back to the island crew for now, but I know you guys want your rockin Reiner. You'll see him in a few chapters, these will focus on Eren and Annie soon after her waking up. Read chapter 96, and it was shocking to see things go down that way. Hope you enjoy. As usual drop a review. Let us begin.

Resurfaced

"So that's how the Founding Titan was really established?"

Armin asked Annie, who nodded her head at his inquiry. They all sat in Annie's cell, or rather her room. She was being far more cooperative and complacent than they'd first expected of her when she finally awoke. It was actually refreshing in a sense to him, though Eren seemed the most pleased by her new demeanor. In fact to Armin it seemed like Eren was experiencing nostalgia as well as the opportunity to see a new side of her, and he was enjoying doing so. She leaned forward as she went to further elaborate.

"Though what Eren has is the Progenitor or Founding Titan inside of him as well as the Attack Titan, the way you, me and he inherited the memories is what Eren told you before. These Paths, the way we form the bodies when we shift, how we regenerate, it all comes back to something even Marley doesn't understand. Something they only have very vague theories of.

Something that goes through time in our minds from someone else who was or even may be the current holder of your power. That's the best I can explain it, but Eren was correct with what he told you of this Owl his father met. He seemed to have many things figured out about this ability, though I can't explain how. He only had it for 13 years, just like we do, but he seemed to know things he shouldn't."

Armin is deep in thought at Annie's words, and goes back to remembering what Eren had told him when he finally unlocked his father's and possibly the Owl's memories. But there was something bothering him, some particular detail that he'd kept to himself as he tried to understand and commit to memory during his time writing down all Eren had told him. Eren had recitted his father's conversation with the Owl, this Eren Krueger to Armin. At first he dismissed the coincidence of their names being the same, until he learned that he was the reason Eren was given his name in the first place.

It was the last words from Krueger to Grisha that bothered him, made his mind try to understand the meaning behind them.

"If you want to save Armin and Mikasa, you must first finish your mission...Who's memories are these, I wonder?"

That line had momentarily confused the pair of friends but while Eren continued on as if it was only a minor detail, Armin took the words more seriously. After all they were more or less the same words Grisha said to his son before giving him the mindless Titan serum, giving him two of the powers in a bloody self sacrifice.

'What did Eren Krueger mean? He himself questioned who's memories they were, but how could he possibly know about me and Mikasa? If they were memories from the past, it raised the question of some sort of "reincarnation" theory. But it also raises the possibility of memories being sent from the future. Could that be how the Titan bodies form, because it is already known when it happens, and so the power is sent backwards to that exact point?'

Armin rubbed his head to massage it, to make the pain from over thinking go away. It was odd, for someone once praised for being such an intelligent person with a intuitive mind to wanting to empty his head because of the bright mind he has. Such questions and the possibility of either theory being real still made him even more unsure of himself. He'd changed for sure from the boy he once was, but now he was still just as naive about the world around him.

Sure he knows about it quite alot more, but where there is so little answers, the universe seems more than willing to give them more questions. 'What is the point of all this? Are we devils like the world sees us, or angels like the small bit of history we have tells us? Are we really Free or still just as enslaved? Good...or Evil?'

Such musings are unnoticed By Annie and Eren as they converse more about the powers they each have. According to Annie, there may be ways to further their abilities, should they be willing to gamble.

"Are you sure that would be a good idea? Wouldn't we get mental problems, possibly bad enough to drive us to suicide?" Eren asks her, still unsure of her proposal though taking into account how promising it sounds.Annie shook her head at the boy, no the man responsible for her being able to get all this weight off her chest, so to speak.

"It hasn't seemed to really affect those who have had it done on them, on Krueger your father or you. Though your attitude had changed I admit, however that could be you just growing up finally." Saying that last part to him with a small smirk on her lips. Eren gives an annoyed look at her, before firing back.

"Hey I'm plenty mature, I was just hot headed then. I learned to control it because it affected my decisions before, and it ended up screwing things up when they didn't need to be. I told you I changed as well Annie, remember?" Annie rolls her eyes slightly as she remembers his words back in her crystal and finds herself agreeing with him.

"Yeah you're right, but I still think you need to learn how to talk to certain people, like girls." She replied, leaving the last two words inside her head. 'Like me' But she forgives hus brashness, after all she did say that to get a reaction out of him. To once again gauge the new but still familiar Eren she met inside that crystal about a week ago.

'He has changed' in her eyes at least for the better. Sure she strangely finds herself missing that raging fighting spirit he had back when he only knew the world in black and white, but now she respects what he has instead. He has the will, even if he had that before, he now has a real reason behind it. Before it was just vengance for his mother, and then eventually for the people who have given their lives in protscting him, by trying to make their sacrifices worth it.

But with all the knowledge he knew now, the crushing weight of it all being painfully in vain should've crushed him. Yet here he stood, or rather sat, with the same drive behind his actions as he did then. Like her he's fighting for freedom first, not angered revenge, though that too played a large factor in both of their minds for what they've done, and what they will do.

Armin seems to notice the tension in the room between the two, and politely excuses himself with the lie of wanting to visit Mikasa. That left Eren and Annie alone for the first time since she's been awake. The other times have been in meetings where the scouts were all assembled and present, it during mealtimes where she was supervised even with her open declaration to help them. Since she was a more solitary person for so long,any avoided her, except for Eren to which she was grateful.

The only downside of his company would be the sometimes joining of them by his stepsister, who still glared at Annie with the same hatred she had in Stohess so long ago. Her feelings would never change towards the traitor tuned ally, but Annie and Eren didn't seem to care. So with them both being alone in her accommodations without anyone interfering, the change in mood was positive for her. From the talks she had been apart of with the new Commander Hange, they would even allow her above ground in order to train Eren in mastering his Titan abilities.

The news had brought excitement to her for being able to once again take part in combat as a way to pass her time when she wasn't planning with them. But it also brought a hint of fear and anxiety to her, after all both times they met as Titans they more or less fought each other to the near death. Or more Eren had in his anger, the first time for killing the special operations squad, and the second for betraying him in Stohess.

That had brought about her fourth near death experience while on Paradise island, the first had been with Marcel who she'd had hopes for in terms of rebelling once he saw the truth. The first battle with Eren in the forest of giant trees when he roared directly in her face, to the encounter with humanities strongest. And finally her battle in Stohess against Eren when he went berserk.

Having to fight him if he were uncontrollable like that again would've been the one thing she would've refused to do had she not seen his maturity in his human form. The change in his behavior gave her a feeling of reassurance that he wouldn't hurt her should she transform again in front of him. Shaking her head she asked him a simple question to break the silence in the room.

"So, how are you? With...all of this?" Eren looks at her for a moment, his face having a thoughtful expression as he considered her words. Struggling to come up with an understandable but simple response, he finally decided what to say.

"Well I guess that I'm surviving it I suppose, I mean we all are. Even you, though I'm not so sure how your taking things going like this. But for my mood? I'm fine, hopeful actually. Things are actually changing, even if we don't know just how it'll affect us in the long road. But what about you? How are you dealing with all of this?"

She too ponders his words, and gives her own response, though her tone is warmer than from a few minutes ago with Armin in the room. "I'm fine actually, thank you for asking. I'm feeling the same way you are, but I have more...Hope, than I had before. Though there's still a thing or two bothering me.." As she trails off she doesn't expect Eren to lean forward slightly and probe further about it.

"What is it?" She didn't say anything but he was insistent, and gave her a look of curiosity. She sighed as she knew it would do her no good to ignore him, and nor did she want to hide the biggest question she had for him.

"Why me? Why did you go through so much trouble to believe I was still good? Why didn't you want to hurt me after all that I did? Don't get me wrong, I'm very grateful for you doing so, but it still confuses me. Why?"

Eren looks at her for a moment, and she sees that he seems to be struggling with himself to say something. 'Just tell me Eren, it's going to drive me mad otherwise. Why?' She thinks, unaware the same struggle goes on in the boys mind.

'Just say it dammit, do it!' He thinks as he swallows to tell her his truth.

"Annie..I Love You"