"Look who it is.'' I smiled, walking forward towards the three. As I reached out for a hug, the three backed away slightly.

Smile dimming, I stopped. "Okay so I take it you guys aren't big on emotional affection. No problem, I can understand that. And I'll be honest, that was kind of weird of me." They remained silent, just staring at me.

Oh my lord. Is this how it's going to play out?

"Okay? Well, do you guys want to join me for a walk?" I asked, the three looked at each other and exchanged looks, Reiner turned to face me again and said a simple. "Sure."

Grinning, I made my way over to the three watching as ever so slowly they tensed up. I waved for them to follow me as I walked by.

In silence, we walked together through the dimly lit paths. "Nice night aint it?" That was my pathetic attempt to strike up a conversation. They shifted uncomfortably, not answering.

…Awkward. I know that the three of them are paranoid, especially with me, but c'mon! I deserve some fucking small talk at the very least! Sighing, I diverted from the path aiming for the woods surrounding the training wasteland. The three followed without question nor complaint.

Once we were deep enough into the tree's foliage, I turned to face them once more. They were guarded, even more so than before. "Alright, so you guys wanted to talk to me right? I thought that this would've been as good as any since I didn't want any of our instructors to nag at us for staying out late." Sitting down, I motioned for the three to join me.

They didn't…Pricks.

Look, I understand that for you guys this is supposed to be a serious situation and all, but c'mon man! If I didn't know what you three were I would've been offended by your rudeness.

Yes, I know that I'm a hypocrite. And I'm proud of it.

"Alright you guys don't want to sit down, that's cool. The grass is a little damp anyway." I admitted. "But you guys still haven't answered my question, what are your names?"

They turned to face each other, and they did that thing with their eyes again.

"Annie Leonhart."

"Reiner Braun."

Bertholdt Hoover

"Annie, Reiner, and Bertholdt." I repeated. "Cool names. Do you all still remember mine?"

"J." Reiner said.

"Just J?" I raised a brow. "Guess I didn't tell you all my last name. Well, J Monke is at your service." I bowed my head slightly.

The three remained silent.

Sighing, I placed my hands behind my back and leaned into them. "I'm going to assume that you guys don't have much social interaction besides each other. Because at this point we would be having a small conversation…this is just plain awkward."

That seemed to start them slightly.

"Sorry." Reiner said. "We're just a little shocked to see you here. We don't really know what to say."

"Ahhh, yeah that makes sense. Although I'm going to say on a whim that she just doesn't like to talk, and he's just awkward like that." Reiner chortled.

"Spot on, am I right?"

"How'd you know?"

Bertholdt snapped his head. "Reiner!"

"What? It's true though!"

"No, it's not! We're dealing with a weird situation right now, and I don't know how to handle it." He paused, turning his head to Annie. "I'm not awkward right?"

"You are." Was her reply.

I laughed at the small flush of red that Bertholdt's cheeks undertook. "It's fine dude. Happens to the best of us." Reiner slapped his hand on Bertholdt's shoulder, causing him to stumble slightly before shooting his friend a glare.

"Alright now that the 'ice' is broken, what did you guys want to ask me? There have to be some things you want to ask me. Unless you three want to celebrate becoming friends or something."

"How did you find us?" Annie said coldly. "When we were in that broken house, how did you know we were there?"

Ok, then. Straight to the big questions.

"That? Well, I was making my way to the gate, the Armored Titan had just destroyed," Reiner stiffened. "I saw the thing run towards some of the houses and disappear. I don't know what I was thinking at the time, but I was curious as to where it went." The other two tensed. "It was a bit suicidal on my part, after all if it was still there it could've killed me. But man, you should've seen the relief I had when I just found you guys hiding away."

"Why be afraid?" Annie asked. "You showed yourself to be competent and brutal when you killed that horde."

"Well yeah." I shrugged. "I was risking my life. That horde was threatening my family, and with the Garrison not doing anything I was sort of forced into action. And just so you know I was terrified the whole time."

I wasn't.

"But, still you're insanely powerful. I can help but wonder how…" Bertholdt muttered slowly.

"You and me both. I've been strong since I've been a little kid. I was able to carry a good two-hundred pounds when I was seven," Their eyes widened. "And when the wall first broke down I just happened to be strong enough to fight against the titans."

I rubbed my chin. "Now that I think of it. What were you guys doing in Shiganshina? The whole district knew me as the 'Devil Child' and I even familiarized myself with the whole population, especially kids my age. So how come I never saw you guys? Were you visiting?"

"You could say that…" Reiner hesitated to say. "We were only supposed to be in the district for a couple of days…with our parents. But then the Colossal appeared."

"Yeah, that thing. Man, if that didn't haunt me for a good while." Bertholdt winced slightly, Annie made sure to slap his arm to force him out of it.

"You said that the Colossal caused that scar right?" Bertholdt asked.

"This old thing, yeah. I had a front-row view of when it first showed up. Sad thing is that I was far too close to it, and this is how I paid the price. Although you guys should already know that from my story."

"It's a vicious thing." Annie said softly.

"Sure. I don't mind it that much now. It's just a part of me. An ugly part, but a part nonetheless."

"That reminds me." Reiner mumbled. "Why did you say that you didn't know much about the 'kid' that fought the horde, even though that was you?"

"Well, I didn't want the kids to hound me." They raised their brows. "They're just little kids that gawk over everything. If they knew that I was the guy that killed a horde of titans, at nine…Well, they would just lose their shit."

Reiner nodded, seeming to understand the logic. Bertholdt spoke up. "But aren't you the same age as them? Why are you acting like they're brats?"

"Wow. That's a really good question there Bert." He flushed. "And to answer it…well I've always been more mature than the rest of my peers. Always had a gray view of the world. And the wall getting breached just sort of reinforced my view. Maybe it was due to the deaths that I saw. From falling debris. The sound of soldiers dying. And then my actions at killing titans. I realized just how gruesome the world is." I jerked a thumb at my back. "And this was just the cherry on top."

"As far as I know, the only ones that know the true horrors of the world are those that witnessed Shiganshina. That includes me and three others. You guys too. But the rest…Well, they are optimistic. That Jean guy was so confident that he would live an easy life in the Brigade, but his dream came crumbling down once he realized that nothing would remain the same. The others are the same. They're hopeful about a future they could have, not realizing how gruesome of a future it could be."

"Is that why you gave that lecture?" Annie inquired. "To force them out of that mentality."

Chuckling, I shook my head. "I wish. I just cracked their realm of possibilities. They need to experience for themselves the cruelty of the world, in order to fully realize how dangerous their lives will become. Words can only do so much after all."

Our conversation came to a pause, as the three mulled over my words.

I wonder if I was able to connect to them in some way. They thought that they were going to be heroes for Marley. Tasked with taking care of the Eldian threat they would return home to enjoy their 'rewards' and enjoy the time spent with their family and friends. Instead, they came to realize they were committed to a monstrous task. Nowhere near a million people died like in canon, but the lives of 20,000 will still lay heavily on anyone's soul.

"You say you were called a 'Devil Child'?" Bertholdt asked.

Grinning, I nodded. "I'm glad that you picked up on that."

Reiner frowned. "Did you do some bad things during your youth?"

…Yeah. Beat a couple of people here and there. Killed some too. Played a couple of pranks. Worried the hell out of those I cared about.

But I'm glad to say I didn't try to commit genocide…

"Sure." I shrugged. "If you consider me pranking the absolute hell out of anyone I came across."

Bertholdt raised a brow. "Pranking?"

"Yep. I was a mischievous kid back then." I smiled at the memories. "In Shiganshina there was this monthly bargain sale. The price of a single product would go down to devastatingly low prices, and everyone was…well they were eager. Myself included."

"One time, the item of the month was bacon, and let me tell you the people went crazy. There had to be at least a hundred people waiting in the town's square hoping to get stocked up on bacon for the next several weeks. There were these kids that were rushing to the square, and I didn't want any extra competition, so I went out of my way to steal some baker's flour and cut them off at a vendor street." I chortled. "I threw the freaking flour at their faces, and while they were sputtering and crap I tried to make my getaway by using the leftover flour as a smoke bomb, the thing is it only went up to my shins."

Bertholdt chuckled.

"Seeing as my plan had failed I decided to do the next best thing…"

Reiner grinned. "Which was…?"

"I decided to flip the skirt of a lady! I revealed her lacy panties to the world! She even gave one of those classic squeals!" Reiner guffawed, caught off-guard. Bertholdt was no better, with him trying and failing to hold back his own laugh.

Annie only gave the tiniest of smirks, showing that she even found the thought amusing.

"After that, I made my way to the square, and it was only then did I realize that those kids wouldn't have been any competition. They and that lady suffered for nothing! Nothing!" I giggled. "I wanted that bacon though. So you know what I did…?"

"What?" Reiner sniggered.

"I grabbed a shovel…and just went fucking crazy." I cackled. "All you could see were adults terrified of a five-year-old, who was beating the fuck out of everyone."

Reiner lost it. He wheezed, chest puffing in and out as he was forced to place his hands on his knees. Bertholdt held him steady, but his tearing eyes and bloated cheeks said that he was on the verge of joining him too.

Annie snorted.

Laughing, I took a deep breath and tried to talk, but I just delayed a desperate wheeze. Bertholdt shook and in the next second he was roaring with laughter, leaning on Reiner who couldn't support his weight, and the two fell.

Raising her arm, Annie placed her mouth on the crook of her elbow, releasing a shuddering breath.

I barely managed to control my laughter for a few precious seconds. "I-I was so high on a-adrenaline th-that," I had to wheeze for a second. "That I said 'who wants to die you stupid sons of bitches!'...I was five at the time! The faces of those people hearing a literal child curse…was way too funny!"

Reiner was punching the ground, tears rolling down his cheeks. Bertholdt laid on his back, his face had turned red and he was gasping for air.

Annie was giggling. She was fucking giggling.

A total win in my book.

A few minutes passed as we tried to calm down, but even then a few chuckles were let out despite our best attempts.

"Oh god, I haven't laughed like that in a long time." Reiner said, his face still a bit flushed. Although nowhere close to Bertholdts.

"That I can believe. Although I'm pretty sure this is the first time she's ever laughed." I said, pointing at Annie, who had managed to put on her poker face once more.

I need her to teach me how to do that.

"Well, it's late now. And we need to get to bed if we want to be functioning in the morning." The three nodded. I raised my hand. "Mind helping me up?" I asked, staring expectantly at Reiner.

He looked confused for a second, but slowly he reached out and pulled me to my feet. I grinned at him, and I was glad to see that he returned it.

"There's just one more thing I need to ask." Annie said.

"Shoot."

"Did you see the Armored before it destroyed the gate?"

Humming, I thought about the question a few times. "Yeah, I did. I was able to see it break through the wooden barricade."

/-/

"So what do you guys think?" Reiner asked his friends.

"Well, I'm sure that he doesn't know our secret. As far as I'm concerned he doesn't seem to suspect anything." Bertholdt said.

"That's good." Reiner sighed. "I really didn't want to end up killing him, he was a nice enough guy."

"He's going to die either way." Annie remarked. "It's why we're here in the first place," She shot Reiner a glare. "Or did you perhaps forget, Reiner?"

"No, I didn't." He grunted. "It's just that…I don't even know…"

The three walked in silence until they had to head to their respective cabins. Bertholdt shot Annie a wave, which she ignored. His face fell slightly, and Reiner led him towards the boy's cabin.

Annie trudged along the path, her mind a haze. She didn't trust a variable like J. They weren't expecting someone to be so powerful on Paradis. She remembered the shock she felt when she saw him fly past them, using a rope as a makeshift ODM gear. The brutality he exhibited when he used the blade attached. It was a horrific fascination to see a titan's neck get sawed through. And if she thought that he was amazing with just a rope, then him using ODM gear was just downright godly. He handled that horde as if it was a game. And how could she ever forget the…the monster he became at the gate. Tearing napes apart with his hands! His bloody hands!

…He was young too. Just nine years old if she remembered right. That shouldn't even be possible. It couldn't be possible…and yet the memory plays on her head on repeat almost every day. While the thought of just how powerful he would become when he grows older has plagued her for many nights.

She shivered at the image.

Reiner and even Bertholdt to an extent were far too optimistic. Living here for so long had changed their views on the people.

Her's hadn't…she likes to tell herself.

Their mission was to kill every single one of them. From the freshest newborns to the oldest and sickliest of them, they were all fated to die. They…they just all had to. And J was at the top of the list. He was an anomaly. A creature that couldn't live or else risk their entire mission. He would have to be one of the first to die…and soon.

But the question is how-

Something clamped down on her shoulder. Heart leaping into her throat, Annie whipped her head preparing to hit whatever was touching her. J towered behind her. Despite the shot of dread that trickled up her spine, the friendly smile he had put her at ease slightly.

"Sorry did I scare you?" He asked.

"Just startled me, that's all." She glared. "Did you need something?"

J sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "Umm, yeah…" His face reddened. "See I just wanted to ask you something."

…Oh gods… He wasn't asking her out, was he? Slumping her shoulders, she bit back the groan that threatened to escape her throat. And here she thought that he was at least a little bit better than the rest of those children. He'd have fought titans, he was brutally scarred. And yet, he was just as immature as the rest. Would she have been the same? If she was born on this island instead of Marley?

Closing her eyes with a sigh, she said. "Out with it."

"Why are there Marleyans on my island?"

Eyes snapping open, Annie stumbled back a step, fear filling her stomach to the brim.

How?! How?! How did he know?! That shouldn't be possible! No one on Paradis should know what Marleyans were! Could it be that they were wrong? No, she and the other two made sure to know whether Eldians knew about Marley.

But as she lived and breathed, there was someone who knew. And he was standing right in front of her.

With his arms crossed over his chest, Annie slowly realized just how intimidating of a figure this boy was. And that all hue of red was gone from his face. Was she mistaken? Did he trick her?! Was that his plan?!... Was it anger?

"What?" She hated to hear herself squeak.

"I said," He growled. "What are Marleyans doing on my island?"

To hell with it! Forget their incognito, he knew who they were!

Her hand was brought up to her mouth, and as she brought her mouth down. She closed her eyes in anticipation for the pain and the course of lightning to fill her being.

Instead, she bit nothing but air.

Opening her eyes, Annie slowly began to notice a pain traveling through her arm. Cranking her head, she saw that her arm was bent to the side.

Horribly broken.

A harrowing throb rocked her limb, and then she began to feel the immeasurably agony. Her mouth opened to let out a cry, but instead, she found a leathered hand clamping it shut.

She felt her body tremble, her legs suddenly felt numb and her heart felt like it was about to fall. She tried to bite his hand, but a squeeze forced her mouth shut.

J gripped the wrist of her undamaged arm, tugging her towards the forest. "How about we go somewhere more private?"

No…No. No! Oh fuck! Where was he taking her?!

Struggling against his grip, she kicked and desperately tried to claw with her trapped arm. Each struggle caused a horrendous pain to be felt in her broken arm. But no matter what she did, J continued to drag her without effort.

Everything was happening so fast! She had no idea what to do! She couldn't transform! Or-Or anything! Wait-Wait-Wait! She just needs to bleed! That's it! Blood and intent!

Shutting her teary eyes, she prepared to bite off her tongue.

Annie slowly opened up her eyes. J's hand was forcing her jaw closed, her tongue uselessly hitting the back of her teeth…but that's not where she felt pain. She trailed her gaze lower, toward the hand that J had in his grip.

Oh. Annie thought, staring blankly at her crushed fingers. Saliva escaped her mouth as she wailed into J's hand, slobbering it as he muffled her cries.

He frowned. "If you even think about biting your tongue again, I'll break your jaw." He paused. "Unless I should do it as a precaution?"

Annie shook her head frantically, tears splashing to the ground with each shake.

"Good. You just made this much easier." J let her fingers and face go. Annie scrambled back using her feet to kick herself away. She wasn't even a foot away when J clasped the back of her neck, fingers digging into the sides of her nape.

She froze. The thought of him tearing her neck apart took over her mind as she shook in place. She felt like vomiting. Feeling so very close to death.

Thankfully, J only forced her to continue their walk into the woods. His fingers never left her nape, and yet never pinched deeper into her skin. As they passed the boundary between dried dirt and forest bushes, Annie had to swallow the bile that threatened to rise to her throat. There was no escape now. Looking around, they were deep into the foliage of the woods. She could barely see the fire from the torches in the distance.

"Now then," His voice caused a shiver to crawl up her spine. "Let me ask for the third time. What are Marleyans doing on my island?"

Annie stayed silent.

"You do realize that I easily broke the bones in your body without much effort or thought? Do you want me to torture you for answers, Annie?" She trembled at the thought. "And considering that you're a Warrior, you should be able to heal up pretty fast. How does that sound? Me breaking your arms and legs throughout the night?" J pinched her neck just a little tighter.

It was a horrifying thought. Taking in ragged breaths of air, Annie tried to keep her composure, or what little of it she had left.

How could someone so young be so cruel?

"Well, that's what I would've done if I hadn't known what you were all planning." J said. Annie felt his fingers leave her neck, an immeasurable relief flooding her body. But it disappeared just as quickly as J placed his burly hand upon her shoulder and forced her to take a seat on the damp forest ground. J followed suit, sitting in the space in front of her, his cold brown eyes gazing at her. "I mean it's not hard what you guys were planning, the complete and total annihilation of Paradis, and to find the Founding Titan. Or the coordinate as some like to call it."

…How…?

"By the way, breaking the wall was such a dick move." He grunted. "If it wasn't for me barricading the opening you guys made, then a lot more people would've died."

"...That was you?" He was the one that blocked their entrance? That pile of wood had almost fallen on top of their heads! If it wasn't for Reiner having to dive out of the way they would've died! And they still almost did, the moment that Reiner had hit the ground titans had latched onto him, trying to chew through his armor.

If it wasn't due for luck and Reiners's determination, they would've died outside of the walls.

J smirked. "Everything is because of me." With his hands crossed over the back of his head, J leaned back to the ground staring at the stars that dotted the night sky.

"Everyone that I wanted to save is alive and well. And everyone that I want dead is rotting in the streets…Or well most. I still haven't completed the list," He shrugged from the ground. "But I'm getting there."

Annie recoiled, J's face now dangerously close to her own. How had he managed to raise himself so fast?! "Anyhow, enough about me. What I want to know is you."

"M-Me?" She stuttered, the familiar dread filling her body once more.

"Yep. The Female Titan. How does it feel? To be a shifter, I mean? Bet it feels great. Well until your life is forced to end after thirteen years, and you become titan food for your 'friends'," He quoted. "But then again great power comes with a price. I suffered hell to get where I am. Although I can't help but wonder how close to hell you got. I hear training to be a Warrior candidate is terribly difficult. "

"Do you ever think about how much suffering families had to endure after your…debacle?"

"I mean, I've seen some fucked up shit. Children and mothers starving on the streets. Men dying in alleys. Hell. Men even died on rooftops during the Peoples Breach. Can't ever forget about that first teenage victim. I forget what his name is. And I really can't bring myself to care sadly enough. So I get to thinking, do you even care about what you've to these people?"

"I mean sure there are some assholes inside of these walls. Even killed a couple myself if you haven't figured it out. But I like to think that there are a lot of good people. I mean if you had to choose who had to be your neighbor, who would you pick? A Marleyian who would want to see your head on a stick? Or an Eldian that could make the best snickerdoodles you could ever dream of?"

"Answer." J said coldly.

"...The…The Eldian…"

A smile bloomed on his face. "Right? The Eldian is so much nicer. But I'm sure you already know that. I mean, you've lived with Eldians for these past three years. Bet they treated you right. Bet they treated Reiner and Bertholdt right."

"Didn't they?" His tone was mocking, and it made Annie want to punch him. But she was too terrified to even follow up with the idea. It didn't help that her arms were practically useless…it also didn't help that she knew that he was right.

She stayed silent, glaring at the ground.

"Well, I already know the answer." J sighed. "So I just can't help but think. Just how guilty do you feel with the knowledge that you killed so many nice people. Destroyed so many nice families…"

Yes…they did kill so many. And it did make her feel guilty. She's never thought about the lives she ended, sure she knew what she did, accepted it even…But never once did she stop to look back on her actions. Not even when she desperately wanted to just stop and think, she forced herself to focus on the mission.

But she can't rightly do that right now, and the guilt was starting to surface.

"Do you have family, Annie?" J said suddenly. She flinched, the question catching her off-guard. Why would he ask that?... And instantly dozens of possibilities surged through her head, all revolving over her father…and what J would do to him.

Annie pursed her mouth shut, determined not to speak. Even if her heart hammered inside her chest.

J smiled.

"Ahh, so you do…" He drawled, the words dancing on his tongue. "Tell me, do you care about them?"

Annie remained silent.

J frowned, exasperated. "Answer."

Despite her will, his voice compelled her to speak. And she cursed herself for not resisting.

"...Yes…"

"Well, that's good to hear. Always nice to see people have some type of love in their lives." J's eyes bore down on her. "And it's always a shame for it to be taken away…"

"Leave my father out of this!" Annie snapped before her eyes widened once she realized what she said.

"Father, eh?" J smirked, sending shivers down her spine. "Well you see Annie, I can't rightly do that. Not because he's your father or anything like that, but because he lives in Marley. And I kind of have a grudge against Marley at the moment."

A grudge?

"Let me ask you this, Annie…" J leaned forward, interlocking his fingers. "You want to see your father again, don't you? More than anything else, right?"

She did. She wanted to see him desperately. And she would. Or at least she thought she would. But that was before she met J.

Annie gave a shuddering nod.

J smiled.

"Well, what do you think about him coming to Paradis, instead of you returning to Marley?"

…Huh?

J leaned back, hands clasping the back of his head. "I know that you don't think very highly of Marley, and I'm inclined to believe that your father doesn't either. You already know how Eldians treat one another, it's a nice community for moving don't ya think?"

…It was…nice. Her and her father living among these people, without being subjugated to hate every day. Living the rest of her years in peace. Not being a tool to Marley. It sounded…perfect.

"That image that you're thinking in your head, can come to life." J whispered behind her ear. Annie blanched, startled at the close proximity.

How did he even get behind her?!

J trailed his hand around her shoulders, circling her as if she was prey. "All you have to do is follow my lead. Be my subordinate."

What? Subordinate? Was he a leader of something? Was he involved with the government of Paradis?

"D-Do you work for the government?"

"Hardly." He snorted. "I'm a revolutionary. The leader to be exact."

Him? A leader? How was he able to do that? He's only twelve for fuck's sake! Does he lie about his age?...No it takes years to start something like a revolution, and he couldn't have been that large his entire life. But how? Do soldiers follow his command? Are they afraid of him? But wouldn't that lead to rebellion? Actually, how is he able to start a revolution? Wait, did he even start it? Or is he following someone else's footsteps? How many people know about a revolution? How many follow him?... Just how powerful is J?

Many other thoughts surged through her mind but Annie was only able to ask a simple question.

"What?"

"If you want me to answer more of your questions I'm going to need an answer from you first, Annie."

"...Why…" Annie swallowed her spit. "Why s-should I follow you?"

J stopped his prance in front of her, and slowly lowered his face until it was inches away from hers. An unsettling grin plastered his face, and baleful eyes gazed into her own.

"Because…" J leaned down, passing her face and whispering into her ear. "I can kill you easily. I can kill titans with my bare hands easily."

She remembered the scene at the docks. The massacre he caused. The devil he became.

J raised himself back up. "What does that tell you about me?" He asked.

"That you're strong." She whispered. "Strong to the point it's physically impossible…But…" Annie swallowed her fear. "But, besides strength what do you have? Why should I trust you?"

J looked surprised, whether it be from the question or that she questioned him, she didn't know. But then a twinkle appeared in his eyes. Annie felt her heart stop when he suddenly crouched before her, his hands on her shoulders;

"...Plans." J grinned from ear to ear. "I have many plans…"

When Annie stared into J's eyes, she felt a different type of fear fill her. She didn't know what it was. It wasn't a fear of J. Not her fearing for her life. But…a fear that was telling her she wasn't ever going to be prepared.

"And I'll tell you what I have instored…" J said.

/-/

To Annie, the world had stopped. It was as if everything was drowned out and she could do nothing but stare blankly at J, as millions of thoughts rushed into her head. Hearing J speak was the equivalent of hearing a mad man rave and rant. But the difference here was that what J had said…made sense.

"...Y-You're crazy." Annie breathed, a trembling -and healed- finger pointed at J. "You're fucking crazy!"

J gave a wicked smile. "Yep."

"It's never going to work!" Annie gasped. "So many things can go wrong! No! Will go wrong!"

J tutted, his finger wagging in the air as if he was scolding her. "Everything will go right."

"How?!" Annie screamed. "How will it ever work!?"

He had the gall to smile as if amused.

"Because I am the one who thought of it." He said. "I have created every scenario inside my head. Every scenario that could happen. Everything that could go wrong. I have a plan. I know what to do. Because I've spent every waking moment thinking and improving my plans. Every fight that could happen! Every situation! Every shifter! Everything that could happen already has a place in my head!"

…He was insane. Completely and utterly out of his mind…And she was far more terrified.

J had a radiant grin. "Annie, think hard about what you're going to do. I have treated you as both an ally and an enemy. And I have offered you a choice. Become my subordinate…" His face darkened, and the air in her lungs escaped. "Or become my enemy."

"...If I refuse…will you kill me?"

J beamed. "No."

Annie expected to be relieved, but instead, her heart stopped. And she didn't know why. J said that he wouldn't kill her…but…but he could always lie. And he would consider her an enemy. He has no remorse for his enemies, that she was certain. He told her his plans. Told her what he would do to achieve them. He will be cunning and cruel in the future. A simple lie…would be nothing to him.

And -she slowly realized-, there were always worse fates than death.

"C'mon, Annie…" He outstretched his hand. "...Shake this poor devil's hand."

/-/

This chapter was…a bit out there, I'll admit. Mainly because of J pratically torturing Annie, but I really wanted to showcase the two sides of J. The side where he's the happy friend everyone likes, and the apathetic devil that he becomes for his enemies. I like to say that it's kind of like having two personalities that he can switch into at any time. And I'm not sure if you guys remember but J has the skill of Killing Intent, which he used on Annie in this chapter. It's subtle and kind of obvious but he uses it whenever Annie states that her heart stops or she seems to lose her breath.

And as of right now, only Annie has had the misfortune to witness both of them. But will she be able to tell the tale? Really depends on what choice she makes. But that is a secret till the next chapter.

On a side note the more I write of J the less of an SI I consider him to be, and more of an actual character he is becoming. And I couldn't be happier.