Creation began on 09-19-18
Creation ended on 09-20-18
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Hope from the Sky: Mikasa's Thoughts
A/N: Here's what Mikasa Ackerman felt during the revelation of Eren Yeager losing his Titan power to Kaede Sogen due to the latter's deception.
Eren's future restored
It was supposed to be another test of Eren's ability to utilize the power of the Rogue/Attack Titan because we were trying to find a way to deal with this ultimatum that this boy we worked with, Shinji Ikari's father, Gendo Ikari, gave us if we refused to surrender him, his Eva, our hope from the sky, and Kaede Sogen, the girl that could become another embodiment of hope called the Dark Titan, the very same Titan that had saved Eren's mother, Carla Yeager, from getting eaten by a mindless Titan over five years ago…but nothing happened when Eren bit into his hand. Nothing except injure himself. Try as he might, Eren couldn't transform into his Titan form…and none of us knew why. That is, not until we realized something too late that explained the reason.
Eren couldn't become a Titan…because the power had been taken from him by Kaede, who had left out cups of water for the Survey Corps on the aircraft carrier before she left hours ago. Since it was known that her Dark Titan possessed spinal fluid all in its body, not just the spine, and that it could return Titans to human form and take the power of the Titans from those that had it, it was the only possibility that Ms. Sogen had used her spinal fluid to contaminate our drinks so that, no matter what, Eren would have his two Titans, the Rogue and the Founder, transferred to her.
"Eren," Armin had spoken when they came to this conclusion, "you're just a human again. This also means that the Curse of Ymir no longer applies to you. You won't suffer from constant fatigue as you get older or have to worry about getting eaten to keep the power from the Marleyans. You're free."
When Armin said that, said that Eren was now free from the fate of what his father, Grisha Yeager, had done to him over five years ago, I… I was actually relieved. Because Eren was now just a regular person like before, we wouldn't lose him because of the power of the Titans. While it was still possible for him to be taken by other causes, such as murder, it wouldn't be because of the Titans, anymore, and all because Ms. Sogen had taken his power into herself.
-x-
Letting Kaede know
With the ultimatum resolved by Shinji and Kaede through the use of intimidation via the former Wall Titans the latter had released from the Walls after gaining control of the Founding Titan, Historia, our new queen, had sentenced the girl to a two-month-long incarceration for her deception and almost putting them at even greater risk of being subjected to the negative power of the Founder. Even after the revelation that Kaede wouldn't abuse the power of the Founder because she couldn't betray her sense of morality or harm the people, I still believed that a prison sentence of two months was being too lenient upon the girl; Historia may have chosen her to be a co-ruling adviser along with Shinji when she became the queen, but it was only because of these two that she had become a favorable ruler, nothing to do with her family being of royalty. Still, the girl had done what she did only because she wanted to protect us all, same as Shinji, who chose the possibility dying to protect us over the possibility of abandoning us to being burned to ashes even if he did surrender her along with himself to his father…so I felt she needed to know from my perspective of the new situation she had placed herself in.
"Kaede Sogen," I spoke out to her in her prison cell, facing her two days after the failed ultimatum. "We need to talk."
Kaede looked at me and nodded in response and stood up to face me in front of the bars that separated us from each other…and, more or less, kept someone from trying to put their hands or a blade on her.
"Yes?" She responded.
"While some of us are still outraged by the fact that you tricked Eren into drinking your spinal fluid so you could take his Titan power from him, throwing off any strategy that required the use of his Titan… I just want to say thank you," I told her.
"I'm sorry, you're thanking me?" She asked me, clearly confused.
"Even if he'd live past the limited time of possessing the power of the Rogue and Founding Titan, not dying because of them, Eren wouldn't have been able to enjoy life once we've dealt with the Marleyans," I had explained to her. "When you took the Titans from him, you gave him back his future. You saved him from a grim fate that may have been worse than mere death. So…because of your deception, you have my gratitude in saving Eren, not just everyone else. Thank you."
"I… You're welcome, Ms. Ackerman," she responded.
In truth, I would be forever grateful to her for taking Eren's Titan power from him. While it might've made protecting him from potential danger more difficult, that was something I could live with so long as he survived. And more importantly, we had Shinji and his Eva to help us, and they were probably more equivalent to a thousand Survey Corps members because it could defend against the Titans, no matter what their sizes were, and could eat them in order to increase its strength, making it akin to something I only heard of once ever since we began to live outside the Walls due to the boy's help. It was…like a juggernaut, something that was huge, powerful…and almost unstoppable. An…an unstoppable force that chose to help us in these desperate times.
He and Kaede had become to us what Eren had represented when it was discovered he was able to become a Titan and had fought other Titans. They had become our solution to a situation we couldn't deal with in its entirety. And if they could keep doing what they did for everyone, able to reduce the risks of facing an enemy that was out to annihilate us all, then we were likely bound for a future where we could all live beyond this island, wherever we could, free from the Titans, from the Marleyans, from the past.
"If you ever tell Eren I said this, I will deny ever having this conversation with you," I threatened Kaede; as much as I was grateful to her, I didn't want Eren to know just yet, fearing he would try to reverse the matter and reclaim the power he lost to her.
"No problem, Ms. Ackerman," she responded.
Maybe she was afraid of me. Maybe she wasn't. But at least she knew not to speak of things other people didn't want others knowing about yet. And as a girl that saved the lives of two of the Yeager family from the Titans, she was unlikely to raise trouble in the future while incarcerated for the time being. But there was something about her now that was most unusual.
She had seven of the Nine Titans within her Dark Titan. Seven different powers at her disposal to aid the people of Paradis. Each time she took one of them into herself, her Titan's appearance would change to represent a new aspect of one of them, as it did when it obtained the powers of the Colossal, Armored, Female, Beast and Jaw Titans. And now, she had the strength of the Rogue and the dominating influence of the Founder, able to fight for our freedom and control Titans at will, but it wasn't any of these that had me a little…guarded by her.
No, it was the curiosity surrounding what might happen to her…and everyone else…if and when she got the last two of the Nine. The Cart and War Hammer Titans. What could happen if all of them were within one person? What could change for us if we got them all back in our possession, but under the grip of a young woman of common birth, appointed the position of an adviser to the queen, a fellow ally of the the Survey Corps, and the girlfriend of our hope from the sky? Every time I think about the outcome, I just can't stop imagining this happening: Above all else in the world, standing under a ray of light that shone from the heavens, bathed in its golden glow, the Dark Titan, no longer just an amalgamation of the Nine Titans and a young girl, but a being of unrivaled authority, higher than Historia's, able to do anything…because it was no longer bound by the rules of society or the world itself.
It was a god. It was Ymir Fritz, reincarnated.
To be continued…
A/N: Well, we now know what Mikasa thinks about the state of things. Tell me what you think in your reviews.
Omake (FMA-influenced)
The Eldians were excited to witness new history in the making. Two Titans would be facing off in an epic mock battle to see which was the strongest of them.
"Okay, let's get the introductions over!" Hange announced across the streets of Trost District, and pointed over to her left side. "In the red corner, we have the Female Titan, Annie Leonhart, an all-purpose Titan, able to fight on any terrain and call upon Titans with her wretched scream!"
The Female Titan, operated by Annie, was then booed at by the people due to her sour history of being a factor in the suffering of others.
"And in the green corner," Hange pointed over to her right side at the other opponent, "we have the Dark Titan, Kaede Sogen, and slayer of eighty Titans from over five years ago!"
The Dark Titan, controlled by Kaede, was applauded by the people due to her background as the people's champion, having saved a few lives when the First Titan War broke out and lasted for less than two years.
"Okay, ladies, I want a clean fight," Hange told them while on the rooftop of the building they were in front of. "No damage to the buildings, no stepping on the people, and no use of special powers. Shinji and his Eva will oversee any signs of misconduct being committed by either of you. When one of you loses either your Titan's head, both arms or an arm and leg, you lose the fight. After which point, the loser will spend a month incarcerated, otherwise the loser will spend a month in the hospital. You feel me?"
The Dark Titan nodded in understanding.
"That means you, too, Leonhart."
The Female Titan sighed and nodded in understanding.
"Okay, on the count of three, bust a move. Three!" Hange yelled, running away.
The Female Titan looked towards the girl as she ran away, taking her eyes off the Dark Titan, who punched her with enough force to take her head off, winning the match instantly.