Alright, no snarky comments from me this week, darlings. Just hope you're enjoying these last weeks of spring and that you're all ready for summer to roll by!
So as always my lovelies, go ahead and enjoy this chapter and don't forget to toss me a little review, to let me know what you think~ ;)
P.S. All Attack on Titan characters belong to Isayama Hajime. I only own my OCs.
12. The Female Titan
~ 850 ~
Though Levi had insisted he felt much better that morning, Natalie wouldn't have it. He couldn't even properly enjoy how natural it had felt to wake up and find her still asleep at his side. How he had taken the time to watch her, so beautiful and serene in her slumber, or how he had wanted so badly to kiss her again, to wrap her in his arms, to just stay there with her forever. How it had made him smile and bring their tangled hands to his lips to kiss her knuckles instead, not wanting to wake her, hoping she was having a pleasant dream; that she was somewhere far away from all the horror and death. How it had made his chest feel so full and warm... how it had made him crave for that night to not remain as just a one-time occurrence.
Eventually he had given in and agreed to go along with her, if only so she wouldn't worry about him anymore. It felt nice, for a change, to have someone looking after him as opposed to him always looking out for others. However, given that she wanted him to see a 'proper doctor' meant they would have to leave Karanes and go to the Interior. But Natalie was adamant that the doctor she wanted to take him to, was the best medic she knew.
"Alright, alright..." he sighed, being dramatic just for the sake of it.
"I swear, Captain... you're worse than I was with seeing doctors; and I was a kid." she shook her head, though unable to hold back a smile.
He didn't reply to that, and it caught him off guard when her hands intertwined with his as he fiddled with his cravat, drawing his eyes to hers.
"You know, I'm not doing this to upset you." she said apologetically, fixing the scarf properly. "I know you're strong and that maybe you think this is nothing but a scratch. But... because you're the best we have, you can't afford to be injured."
The sincere concern in her eyes told him she had taken his joke seriously in spite of her smile, and he closed the small distance between them to kiss her forehead.
"I know... I'm just being an ass about it. We'll have to talk to Erwin first, though; since we'll be leaving the district, we need his permission."
With a nod she handed him his jacket and then hung back as he walked to the door; he knew she was looking to see how well he could walk on that leg, but it still brought a shade of smile to his lips.
"I'll have you know, staring at your Captain's ass is indecent. And here I thought you were a good girl..." he retorted.
"I-I wasn't—!" she blurted out, flushing almost instantly until she noticed his smirk and puffed out her cheeks at him. "I swear... you're the worst..."
"Then maybe you should be more careful around me."
With that he walked out of the room, leaving her to sigh and smile to herself before following him. Heading to the Commander's office, Levi knocked and went in without waiting for a reply.
"...What is it?" Erwin arched a brow in surprise at seeing them both.
"I need to see a doctor, because this brat here won't stop worrying over nothing." Levi replied, plopping a hand onto her head.
"Your leg, huh?" he nodded with a knowing look. "I'll have to side with her on this one, Levi. However, I don't see why you're here."
"Because she wants me to see some doctor in Stohess; apparently he's the best around."
The glint that came to the Commander's gaze didn't escape either of them. But he silently pulled up a sheet of paper, writing what looked like a permission form before rolling it up and handing it to Levi. And when he at last spoke up it only confirmed to Natalie that there was something more afoot.
"Then I have a little request of you two. There should be an abandoned underground city beneath that district. I need you to locate at least one entry point, if you can. We'll need it..."
"Is this about Eren? Or..." she inquired, before lowering her voice when an idea crossed her mind. "Do you have a suspect for the Female Titan?"
It wasn't impossible that he would try to restrict the transformation, the same way Hange had done with Eren. In fact, that might have been their only option to catch the shifter.
"I need an entry point to the underground, hopefully one where we can clear out the civilians from some of the surrounding streets." he nodded. "I'll tell you the rest when you get back."
"Understood." Levi agreed, gesturing for the redhead to follow him after securing the letter within his jacket.
Despite her insistence that they use a cart, he wouldn't have it only saying that it would attract unneeded attention.
"But... won't riding hurt your leg even more?" she argued as they arrived at the stables.
"Now look here, you... it's just a sprain; I'm not a cripple." he retorted, tousling her hair until she pushed his hand away.
"You're so mean..." she pouted, trying to fix the mess he'd left in her locks.
"What are you saying? I'm very caring towards you, aren't I?"
"Well... I can't really argue there..."
Admittedly, even though he was taunting her, it was nice to see him more willing to engage with her. She did wonder if it was because she was the sole survivor on their team, if maybe he felt the need to improve their relationship because she was the only one he had left. The thought was bittersweet at best, but she couldn't otherwise explain his sudden desire to get closer to her.
'Well, whatever. As long as it helps him cope with this, it's alright... right?'
Again she reminded herself of what she had promised him; it wasn't about her, or what she wanted, or what she felt. She had promised to devote herself to him in any way that she could, in return for all the kindness and care he had afforded her. So she couldn't really complain about it, even if it ended up hurting her. And even then, even if that happened, she felt like she would still be happy as long as he was happy.
On that thought she stopped nagging him and went to saddle her horse, afterwards following him out of the barracks and into the streets of Karanes. They had to move at a walk within the district, due to the crowded streets, only able to spur the horses to a gallop after they had passed the inner gate. By the time they had reached Stohess it was around noon and the soldiers guarding the open gate didn't really look pleased to be interrupted from their meal.
"Who are you?" one of them groaned while they dismounted.
"We have a permit from Commander Erwin Smith of the Survey Corps." Levi replied, offering him the letter.
Taking his sweet time with reading it the man at last sighed, shooting them a reproachful frown, like he was watching a pair of cockroaches trying to crawl into his house.
"Leave the horses in the stable there." he said, jutting his chin to their left after giving the letter back to the young Captain.
With that he went back to the other two, without affording them so much as a glance anymore. Following Levi she tied Ran next to his mare, making sure he had hay and water before she set out to lead the Captain into the streets of the district.
"I'd almost forgotten why I hated the Military Police." she huffed once she was certain they couldn't be heard.
"Ignore them. They're not worth your time or your anger."
Taking a deep breath, she lightly slapped her cheeks and forced herself to smile.
"You're right... well, since we're here we might as well enjoy the peace and quiet. Not like we get a lot of that."
"I thought we were here on business." he retorted.
"Yes, but a smart individual knows how to mix work with pleasure."
"And you'd know all about that, huh?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" she pouted. "I'm pretty sure you're the one who works the most, out of us two. If anything, I'd know more about that than you d—"
His response was to reach out without another word, slipping his hand into hers and cutting off her tirade. Was he being weird for doing that? Maybe, but with the way she was blushing she likely didn't feel that way. At the same time he eyed the stares they were getting, he heard the disapproving whispers that he was so used to by now, regarding their presence there, and felt like he had done the right thing after all. That was his way of protecting her... of distracting her from the crap she was getting without deserving it.
About an hour later they were coming out of the clinic. It had gone just about as he had expected it. He'd been advised to try and rest for at least two weeks, preferably lying down to spare his ankle. Other than that the doctor had recommended an herbal salve and some mild massage to help with the healing process.
"Well you heard him..." Natalie said in the same stern fashion from the previous night. "You'd better rest these days."
"You know I won't have time to do that just yet. Depending on what Erwin says when we get back, I might need to come with him to hand Eren over."
"I'm sure Commander Erwin can live a few days without you. He shouldn't be overworking you like this anyway, especially now that you're injured. If it gets worse—"
"Stop it." he retorted, plopping a hand atop her head. "I'm telling you there's no need to worry."
"Captain..." she sighed, somewhat annoyed that he wasn't taking his own health more seriously.
Before she could say anything else, however, he cut her off by wrapping an arm about her shoulders and pulling her against his side. Her mind instantly blanked at that, barely able to process even his amused smirk as it was too busy replaying the previous night's kiss, with how close his face was all of a sudden.
"Best not to look suspicious, if we're going to snoop around..." he replied to her confused expression, lightly squeezing her shoulder when an elderly pair passed them by with a disapproving look. "You can consider this a date if it'll make you feel better."
"I'd rather not... who knows what kind of unbecoming ideas I might get in my head?" she shook her head with a nervous smile. "I'll just consider this as partial payment for what you did that night at my brother's engagement party."
For a moment he watched her in silence, his hand almost involuntarily moving to stroke her upper arm. It had to be awkward and hurtful for her, that he was seemingly toying with her feelings like that. But with all the madness going on he just didn't know when he would have the time to sort himself out before addressing the issue with her again. That didn't mean that he couldn't at least try to apologize and hope she understood the meaning behind his gestures.
'I'm sorry... I'll sort this out, I promise.' he vowed, leaning over to kiss the side of her head.
In the late afternoon, just as Natalie was again starting to get fussy worrying about his ankle, they suddenly turned a corner and spotted something rather out of place at the end of the pristine cobbled street. A large entrance, like a dark gaping mouth, and a stairway leading below the surface. To their fortune the little plaza was marked by two shops and they stopped in front of one of the windows, eyeing the entrance discreetly.
"Is this it?" she asked, trying her best not to look suspicious.
"Most likely... this looks like a good place, too. It's wide enough that we can post people on each roof around it and they could still get there in time." Levi replied, turning his gaze up as though he was admiring the architecture.
Again the redhead looked over, as the last people went into adjacent streets or inside buildings. Somehow, with the sunlight and the bright colors around it, the dark entryway seemed even more out of place. There was no warmth, no light penetrating the thick shadows lurking just beyond the threshold, making it look ominous and dangerous – and yet alluring in some way. But more than that, it looked like the open mouth of some horrible creature out to swallow her, and she involuntarily shuddered.
"What is it?" she heard Levi's tone next to her ear and felt him squeeze her shoulder.
"Nothing..." she replied, turning back to the window. "Anyway... we should probably be heading back."
When he didn't answer, she glanced up to find him watching the entrance over her head. The look on his face was far from what she had felt, however, and she wondered if maybe just seeing the doorway was bringing back some unpleasant memories. And when she reached up to her shoulder to cover his hand with hers, feeling him jolt in surprise, she knew she'd been right in her assumption.
"It's alright, Captain..." she whispered, offering a soft smile when he turned his eyes down to her.
At the same time when she heard voices coming from behind as a group of residents turned the corner, she felt him threading his fingers between hers and using that motion to turn her towards him in a one-armed embrace. Ignoring their stares he leaned down to press his lips to hers, smirking at their scandalized whispers.
"Captain..." she whispered, failing to sound annoyed with how much she was blushing. "I know we need to not look suspicious, but—"
"It's not like you didn't enjoy it." he cut her off with an amused spark in his eyes, making her puff her cheeks out at him again. "But, we can go back for now. We need to tell Erwin about this."
~ oOo ~
"They're late..." Levi complained as he waited in the dimly lit castle hall, with a cup of tea. "Erwin and his people are making me wait. At this rate the Military Police will get here before he does. Maybe he's constipated again."
"I'm sure that's not why he's late..." Natalie replied softly, trying to hold in her laughter.
"You're awfully talkative tonight, Captain..." Eren replied hesitantly, hoping he wouldn't anger the man.
"Cut me some slack. Talkativeness is in my nature." Levi retorted, briefly glancing to the redhead when she choked out a laugh into her teacup.
Setting his own empty cup down, he scoffed at his left leg; the past two days, since they had moved out of Karanes and to the old HQ, he had tried to rest as much as possible – not that Natalie would let him live, otherwise. She had taken it upon herself to follow the doctor's instructions but, while the swelling had partially gone down, he still couldn't properly put his weight on the ankle; of course, using ODM gear was out of the question as well. And he couldn't stand the idea that he was useless, that Erwin would likely send her out there with the others... without him to keep an eye on her.
"I'm sorry..." Eren apologized, noticing that. "It was all my fault. If only I'd made the right decision..."
Again Levi shot a glance at Natalie whose expression told him that even now she was still blaming herself just as much as Eren was.
"I told you. No one could have foreseen the outcome..." he replied.
Fortunately he was spared from having to scold them anymore, when Erwin at last arrived with a part of Eren's group in tow.
"I apologize that we're late. We have identified the person most likely to be the Female Titan. This time we will catch her."
Offering each of them a file, the Commander then spread out a detailed map of what looked to be one of the districts and took a seat next to the redhead.
"The operation will begin the day after tomorrow. The location is Stohess District, which we'll be passing through on our way to the royal court. This is our one and only chance. If we don't succeed there, you'll inevitably be handed over to the authorities, Eren. Then it'll become even more difficult to pursue those who seek to destroy the Walls. Mankind's annihilation will become even more imminent. We must bet everything we have on this operation."
"Another gamble, Commander?" Natalie inquired, quite used by now to his approach to strategizing and to his risk-loving streak.
"Of course." the man nodded with a trace of smile, turning back to the map. "The plan is as follows. While we pass through Stohess, Eren you'll act as bait and lure the target to this tunnel. If you can bring her underground, then even if she transforms she won't have much room to move. But if by any chance she transforms before then, we'll have to rely on you."
"Yes, sir. Are we sure our target is in Stohess?"
"Yes. She's a member of the Military Police; Arlert was the one who figured it out. She's also the suspect in the killing of those two Titans we had captured. And she is a former colleague of yours from the 104th Cadet Corps. The name of the suspected woman is Annie Leonhardt..."
Leaving Eren to deal with the information for a moment, he turned to the redhead at his side, catching only the very last glimpse of her shocked expression fading away, at last drawing Levi's gaze from the report he had been reading.
"Natalie... I would like you to accompany Eren, Mikasa and Armin as they attempt to lure Annie to the tunnel." he stated, watching her carefully despite his normal tone. "You know it's exact location and with Levi injured, right now you are the best we have."
"Understood."
"...She'll be fine." Mikasa spoke up so softly that Natalie wouldn't have even heard her if not for the deep silence.
Looking over, she spotted the brunette watching Levi at the corner of her eye; was that her attempt at repaying him for saving her life? If it was, Levi certainly didn't look impressed and yet Natalie couldn't help smiling briefly.
"Annie's the Female Titan?" Eren finally spoke up sounding like his mind was on the verge of breaking. "Why? Why would you say that, Armin?"
"The Female Titan knew your face from the beginning." he replied. "Also, she reacted when I referred to you as a 'suicidal maniac' which is something no one outside the 104th would understand. Also, because I'm pretty sure she was the one who killed Sawney and Bean."
"But why?"
"One would need quite the skill to kill those two. They would undoubtedly use their own gear to do it. That's why we had a gear inspection."
"But Annie passed hers." Eren argued.
"That's because she brought Marco's gear to the inspection."
"Huh? What... what does Marco have to do with this?"
"I don't know..." Armin whispered.
"Are you sure you're not mistaken?"
"No, I'm pretty certain—"
"I got that, brat." Levi at last intervened, tired of hearing them arguing back and forth. "Do you have any other proof?"
"No, I don't..."
"In my opinion, the Female Titan resembles Annie." Mikasa interjected, her assessment making Natalie tense subtly in her seat.
"So we've got no proof, but we're still going to do it." Levi concluded, speaking up just before Eren could argue again.
"Then why?" Eren complained. "What if it isn't Annie?"
"Then we'll owe her an apology!" Natalie cut him off, even she having grown tired of his whining. "Besides, shouldn't you want your friend to be cleared of suspicion? As it stands, if she ends up getting blamed for all of this, she's facing a death sentence. What's preferable to you? Putting her through a bit of an ordeal and apologizing afterwards? Or letting her take the blame and die?"
~ oOo ~
"Are you sure it'll work?" Eren asked for what felt like the hundredth time that day.
"You said she got along with Armin..." Natalie replied. "He's smart enough to convince her."
No sooner had she said that than they spotted the two approaching through the back alley.
"Well?" Mikasa asked.
"Annie's going to get us past the Military Police filters, so we can get to that entrance." Armin smiled.
"And who is this?" the blonde inquired, gesturing to Natalie; and the brief flicker of recognition in her eyes told the redhead that she was indeed the Female Titan.
"Natalie-san was assigned by the Commander to help us." Armin explained. "She's one of the best the Survey Corps has, and we'll need all the help we can get in case we get found out before we can figure out a way to keep Eren out of jail."
"A pleasure to meet you, Annie..." Natalie nodded, exchanging a brief handshake with the girl.
"Well, let's go... keep those hoods up and you'll be fine."
With that she moved to lead them through the maze of alleyways and streets, until they eventually emerged onto the same cobbled road Natalie and Levi had taken to reach the tunnel entrance.
"We got through more easily than I expected." Eren muttered. "That's the Military Police for you; you can tell they work really hard. Now we just have to hope they don't figure out Jean's taken my place. Can't expect that to work long... he and I look nothing alike, after all."
"It's alright..." Armin reassured him. "You both have evil-looking faces and this villainous glint in your eyes. No one will be able to tell it's not you."
"Say, if I didn't agree to help what would you have done?" Annie asked out of the blue, after having stayed silent the whole way. "How were you planning to get over the wall?"
"We'd planned to get over using ODM gear."
"That's so reckless... to begin with, running before entering Stohess would have been a better choice. Why here and now?"
'Shit... she's smarter than she looks. I just hope Armin can tell she's already suspicious.' Natalie frowned behind her, exchanging a knowing glance with Mikasa who nodded subtly in agreement.
"I predicted the complicated layout of this district would make the switch more likely to succeed." Armin explained. "And rather than being openly rebellious, feigning obedience would decrease suspicion. It would also buy us more time to escape."
"I see... that makes sense."
Upon nearing the entrance, the group halted at the top of the stairs feeling the cold breeze wafting from below.
"Here?" Annie asked.
"Yeah, we'll go through here." Armin nodded, starting down the stairs with the other three following him. "The ruins of an abandoned underground city lie here. This path will take us right to the outer gate."
"Really? That's amazing..." Eren chimed in before finally realizing Annie hadn't followed them but was still staring them down from the top of the stairs. "What's with you? Don't tell me you're afraid of dark, cramped spaces."
'Why don't you just lay out our plan for her, you idiot?' Natalie grimaced at his poor choice of words, barely resisting the urge to smack him upside the head.
"That's right... I'm scared." she replied and the look on her face told the redhead everything she needed to know; she had already caught onto their plan and the fact that they suspected her of being a shifter. "I'm sure a suicidal maniac like you wouldn't understand the feelings of a frail girl like me."
"A girl who can flip a massive guy mid-air isn't frail. Quit joking and let's go."
"No, I won't go. I'm scared of going that way... unless we go on the surface you're on your own."
"What the hell are you saying?" he shouted, and his already meager acting skills went down the drain. "Quit joking already and get down here!"
"Eren, keep it down." Mikasa scolded him.
"It's fine, isn't it Mikasa?" Annie retorted. "Since, for a while now, there hasn't been anyone around for some reason. Honestly... I'm hurt. Just when did you come to look at me with such eyes, Armin?"
Following her gaze Natalie realized that even Armin had failed to keep up the charade any longer, staring Annie down in horror while his hand quivered as he tried to hide the flare gun he was holding.
"You have to change it..." she gasped, the voice of her twin almost making her jerk in surprise. "You have to save her..."
If she had needed any more evidence that Annie was indeed a shifter, that was it. Fortunately the girl seemed to not have noticed her predicament as she was partially obscured by Eren and Mikasa. But that still didn't tell her what she needed to do...
"Annie, why... did you have Marco's gear? I recognized it, every last scratch, because we did maintenance together." Armin asked.
"I see. That was... something I found."
"So did you kill the two Titans we captured?"
"Who knows? But if you suspected something a month ago, why didn't you do anything?"
"Because even now I can't believe it! I wanted to believe I was mistaken... but you too. Because back then you didn't kill me... that's why we're here now, don't you see?"
"Yeah, I agree. I never imagined you'd corner me to this extent... back then... I wonder why I didn't kill you."
"Annie, there's still a chance that you're an idiot who carelessly throws around stupid jokes!" Eren argued. "Just get down here... you can prove something just by stepping down here!"
"I can't go that way... I've failed to become a warrior."
"I'm saying this isn't—" he shouted, only to fall silent when Natalie pushed past him placing herself between them.
"Annie, listen to me... please..." she called out. 'What the fuck do I even say to her?'
The girl was about to turn, that much was obvious by how their conversation was failing, and immediately Natalie's thoughts went to all the people who would die if she went on a rampage. But then she saw a glimpse of her twin within her mind, followed by a string of images – of places and people she didn't know. There was a group of people gathered in what looked like a village and they were demanding to sacrifice her for her Titan power... and then there was Levi standing between her and them and she just knew what she had to say. In the end she gritted her teeth, only to end up speaking almost as if someone else was using her mouth.
"I won't pretend that I'm your friend, or that I understand you. But I do understand something... I know what it's like to be driven to a corner, to have no way out. I know what it's like to feel that the whole world is against you, that everyone would just want you to disappear. I don't know who or what is pushing you to do this, or why they want Eren... but please, just think about this. You know how much we accomplished with him in Trost; what if we could help you, too? There has to be some way we can help you! I don't want to fight you, Annie, because I too have someone I love. Someone who was always on my side, even when the whole world was against me... someone I want to go back to alive."
At first the blonde only stared her down in silence, and the sorrowful look in her eyes was heartbreakingly sympathetic. Yet there was still a spark there that made Natalie's heart squeeze, like she already knew the answer she would get.
"I see... I don't know who you are, or how you know so much. But you'll forgive me, then."
"Let's talk this through, Annie!" Armin pleaded, her answer turning his expression to an identically horrified one just like Natalie's. "We can still discuss—"
"I've had enough." Mikasa at last interjected, taking off her cloak and drawing one of the blades. "I can't listen to this anymore... it's a waste of our time. I'll hack you to shreds again, Female Titan!"
For a moment a deathly silence fell between them all, until Annie burst out in a maniacal, yet resigned sort of laughter. Settling down, Natalie was left to watch her with a pained expression. What in the world could drive a child to something like that?
"Armin... it's great that I could be a good person to you, isn't it?" Annie spoke up at last, looking more and more unhinged with every word. "Your gamble paid off... but, this is where my gamble begins!"
At the same time when Armin shot the sound round, Natalie altogether realized that she was about to shift. If they got caught in that explosion, it would all be over for the four of them. The attempt by the Survey Corps' soldiers to capture her failed, as the redhead had expected, leaving her and Mikasa to drag the two boys down into the tunnel and away from the entrance while the yellow lightning cast their distorted shadows on the wall. By the time the explosion cleared out, they were left staring at a pile of bloodstained debris and mangled bodies. To Natalie's partial relief, they were soon driven away from the gruesome sight when Annie reached into the tunnel trying to grab them.
"Shit!" Armin complained. "The way she was acting... she must've seen through me right from the start! She knew we were planning to ambush her down here! I should've seen it..."
"Save the pity party for later..." the redhead chided him, her hand still clenched onto his coat to force him into her running pace. "Tell us what we need to do now!"
"First, we have to rendezvous with Team 3 on the surface... and then, we try to fight Annie... the Female Titan! Eren will transform and assist with her capture."
"Either way, we need to get up top... we're practically blind down here."
Their meeting with the other team ended in disaster, however, when Annie's foot came smashing through the tunnel's roof instantly killing the two Scouts and narrowly missing the four of them.
"That bitch doesn't care if she kills Eren?" Mikasa scowled.
"She did that hoping she wouldn't kill him." Armin agreed. "It's crazy, but that just makes her even more dangerous."
"It's clear she no longer cares about any of her initial goals." Natalie replied. "This is a last-ditch effort to get Eren. If she fails, she knows she's dead. So she won't care anymore about innocent people or anything of the sort. This means she's the most dangerous type of enemy to fight... one that has nothing left to lose."
"Stay close, all of you." Eren called out. "I'll turn right here... like I did with the cannonball back then."
And yet his attempts failed; no matter how deeply he bit into his flesh, no matter how Mikasa tried to pressure him into doing it.
"He's no use..." Natalie eventually sighed. "He probably can't focus on that, because he's too rattled that Annie really turned out to be the Female Titan."
"I've got a plan. Mikasa and Natalie-san will exit through that hole over there... I'll go through the entrance." Armin interjected. "Keep your hoods up so she can't see your faces, then split up once you get to the surface. Annie will have to follow one of us, and that'll give Eren time to run the other way."
"Wait!" Eren argued. "That means one of you is going to die!"
"If we stay here, all four of us will die. Mikasa, Natalie-san... on my mark!"
Pulling the hood up over her head, Natalie nodded and followed the brunette over to the cave-in. As soon as Armin raised one of his blades, the two shot out onto the street. Natalie was just about to follow Mikasa to the rooftops, when a rumble drew her attention to the fact that another part of the damaged tunnel had collapsed.
"Eren!"
Hearing Armin's shout, she gave up on her initial plan and turned back knowing Mikasa wouldn't be able to distract Annie for long. If Armin was going to try and dig Eren out, he needed at least a bit of cover.
"Hurry it up, Armin!" she called out, looking down the street to where the rest of the Survey Corps was converging to engage the shifter.
"I'm trying..." he replied, straining to remove one piece of the debris.
"What the hell's going on here?" Jean called out, having just arrived on the scene.
"Jean! Eren couldn't transform... we have to get him out. Give me a hand!"
"Huh?! Couldn't..." he gasped, before scowling and getting down on his knees next to Armin. "What the fuck are you doing, Eren?! Didn't I tell you we'd all be counting on you one day? Is this our payback for putting humanity's future and our own lives in your hands?"
Spotting the incoming piece of wall, Natalie rushed back into the cave-in to grab them both and drag them away just before the debris fell on top of Eren.
"Be careful!" she scolded them. "This is a battlefield, not a picnic."
"It's no use..." Jean scowled, seeing Eren still out of it. "We gotta do something about that bitch, first. Give me a hand with her!"
Nodding when he looked over at her, Natalie left Armin to deal with Eren and followed him. With Armin himself joining them soon after, the three finally got Annie to follow them away from the cave-in.
"We're almost there! It should be just on this next street..." Jean stated, glancing back to see if she was still following them.
"Another plan?" Natalie huffed. "Why am I not surprised?"
Her first thought was that Hange had come up with some backup plan, probably similar to the trap they had laid out in the forest. And her suspicions were confirmed when they turned onto another street, whizzing past the Section Commander and Moblit hidden between two rooftops with one of the harpoon cannons at the ready. Turning back only after the sound of firing cannons stopped, she landed on the street next to the two boys near the now immobilized shifter.
"It worked..." she breathed out.
~ oOo ~
The atmosphere was starting to wind down, now that Annie had completely fallen for their trap. And yet when Hange descended onto the street and approached her to talk, the redhead inevitably tensed.
'Don't waste time taunting her... just cut her out of there!'
As she had feared, given enough time to recover the shifter managed to escape and took off running down the street.
'Damn it all, Hange!' she scowled, taking to the rooftops to follow.
However she was forced to stop along with the others at the end of the street, with Annie having gone into the open park ahead, too far from the buildings for their gear to be of any use. Glancing back over her shoulder, she gasped at the blood splatters and Scout bodies strewn along the entire length of the street and instantly relived her failure in the forest.
'What do I do?' she clenched her jaw, turning back to Annie. 'Do I turn? Can I handle the consequences, if I do it?'
Even now she kept hoping that Eren would show up through some miracle; that she wouldn't have to expose herself just yet, even if she knew that was selfish thinking. But it was clear that he wasn't in any mindset to fight Annie... she had no choice. She had just glanced around to make sure no one else was on the rooftop with her, before taking hold of her blade with her bare hand, ready to draw blood. The pressure had just about started to split her skin, when an explosion behind her drew her attention to the solid white pillar that had suddenly grown in the middle of the city. It looked vaguely similar to a tree with no leaves, its branches stretching out in all directions... but then she recalled why it seemed so familiar, when her mind replayed the image of the humming pillar made of light against a backdrop of pitch-blackness, and Eren walking out of it.
Then, as if her mind had translated that thought into reality, the pillar in the city split in half and Eren emerged from within in his Titan form. Unlike before, this time the body was covered head to toe in what she at first thought to be diamond with how it glittered in the sunlight, only to realize it was similar to how Hange and the others had described Annie's hardened skin. With a roar of pure rage, he charged right past them until his fist collided with the shifter's cheek, sending her flying into the church at the center of the park.
"Natalie... come with us!" Hange called out, having just arrived on the scene.
Startled by their voice, the redhead moved to follow along with Armin and Jean. All they could do now was to stay as close to Eren as it was safely possible, to lend a hand in case he needed it.
"Looks like he's retaining control this time." Hange commented as they watched Eren trying to catch Annie who was running towards the wall.
"Even so, Eren's never been able to defeat the Female Titan in combat." Armin argued.
"If he transformed, it means he's ready to fight her for real." Jean replied.
"Willpower alone can't win battles. You should know that, Jean. Defeating Annie will require much more than that..."
Again Natalie was left to grit her teeth, feeling like somehow Armin was talking directly to her. What the hell was she supposed to do?! If they allowed Annie to escape, all of it would be for nothing and they wouldn't learn a thing. But if she turned and helped Eren capture her, she would then be thrown in jail and executed right alongside him. Even worse, Levi would take the fall with her and be executed as a traitor to mankind, for keeping her secret all that time. And then all the people within the Walls would be doomed without him... she could feel that with every fiber of her being.
"Section Commander..." Moblit stated, drawing Natalie out of her thoughts. "At this rate... even if we capture the Female Titan, the whole city will be destroyed first."
"We're doing it regardless." Hange replied. "Erwin's decision is final."
As Natalie had somewhat expected, Eren was again on the losing end of the battle; even with the hardened layer of skin it seemed he had no experience focusing on it, and thus he ended up losing an arm before Annie split his Titan's skull bashing his brains in. What surprised her, however, was that despite his vulnerable state the shifter didn't try to capture him anymore, instead fleeing towards the wall leading into Rose's wilderness.
"Crap, she's getting away!" Hange called out.
'Shit... I have to do it, after all.' the redhead gasped.
Before she could even think on it, to her great relief, Eren got back on his feet and yet his demeanor had definitely changed. Despite his arm still healing, he leapt onto Annie's back tackling her to the ground in the open area at the base of the wall.
"I'm going over there..." she at last said.
If she was eventually going to be forced to shift, at least she could get as close as possible.
"Don't!" Hange ordered. "Right now we don't even know if Eren would recognize anyone..."
"If he eats that girl, this is all for nothing!"
With that she took off from the roof, hoping to reach him in time although judging by Annie's screams as he crushed her face, she would probably be there too late.
'Damn it all... you worked yourself up into a blind rage, you idiot!' she frowned.
It was when she leapt off the nearest roof, however, that she spotted their salvation below her standing on the overlook with Erwin, surrounded by Military Police. The relief that flooded her after all the overwhelming stress was palpable, almost making her cry.
"Captain!" she all but screamed, changing course midair to land next to them and nearly tripping on her own feet in her haste.
"D-Dietrich?!"
The somewhat familiar voice had her raising her eyes while she heaved for breath, to see Nile staring at her in surprise. But she had no time for pleasantries, her gaze immediately turning back to Levi.
"What is it?" the young Captain called out, walking over to her.
For a split second her mind blanked when Annie screamed again, but fortunately she bought them another few minutes by kicking Eren into the nearby buildings, slowing him down. When she again tried climbing the wall, however, Natalie could only breathe a sigh of relief as Mikasa reached the shifter in time. And yet, despite all the people that girl had killed, the redhead couldn't help but pity her as she watched the partially mangled Female Titan fall back down, once the brunette had severed her fingers.
Eren's roar drew her attention back to him, and her expression morphed into pure horror as she realized just how far gone he was, when he leapt onto Annie and tore off one of her arms which ended up hitting the overpass a mere few meters away from them.
"You have to save her!" her twin's voice echoed in her mind with such urgency that she had to grab her head.
Was that it? Was that what would set Eren on the path to destroying everything? Regardless, she had to do something!
"We have to stop him! If he eats that girl inside the Female Titan, we won't learn a thing..." she said hastily. "I might have a plan, but I can't do this without you!"
It was something her mind had instantly come up with upon seeing him, recalling something she had noticed earlier during the battle with two of their now deceased comrades. By themselves, neither she nor Levi would be fast enough to reach Eren in time, but together... what if he had the possibility to gain speeds no soldier could reach by himself? If even Levi being able to make it in time was questionable at best, with some extra aid maybe he could make the distance and cut the boy out.
It was in moments like that, when Levi truly was grateful for his unnaturally sharp intuition – which, that time around, had made him equip his gear before leaving the carriages behind. Gritting his teeth at the pain in his ankle when he leapt onto the stone railing of the overpass, he gestured for the redhead to take the lead. Immediately assessing their surroundings, she spotted another two buildings at the very edge which she deemed useful for her plan.
"This way!"
Taking off before him, she hoped it would work given that she had no time to explain anything. But she had seen Levi pull off the impossible before... surely guessing her mind wouldn't be that hard for him. With her still ahead as they reached the last building she hooked both anchors into the wall, one near the top of the building the other two stories lower, effectively turning herself into a slingshot. Hoping she would time the exact moment her cables extended to their full length, she glanced back to where Levi had just propelled himself forth between her and the building – and the glint in his eyes told her he had indeed somehow understood her plan.
Holding onto his bladeless hilts, he extended his arms out and she caught him by the wrists as she passed overhead, gritting her teeth at the sharp pain in her right shoulder. His inertia threw them into a rapid spinning motion as her cables reeled them in towards their target, while in the background she could hear Eren roaring in what sounded like distress. Praying that neither of her anchors would snap and send them hurtling to their deaths, she memorized the exact spot where she would need to let go of him so as to set him on the right trajectory. At last she released her grip, the momentum built behind them transferring to him as she flung him overhead to propel him towards Eren like a bullet.
With her own inertia expended, she was left to hang from her cables, watching as Levi drew both blades just before he anchored into Eren's back. She was so dizzy and out of it for a moment that she didn't even notice what was actually happening, and that in cutting the boy out Levi had actually saved him, rather than Annie. Trying her best to hold in the urge to vomit, she at last became aware of the pain in her shoulder and felt around it to find it had dislocated. But now that the battle seemed to be over she lowered herself to the ground and went to join the soldiers who were already gathering around the evaporating corpses, using her jacket sleeve as a makeshift sling for her injured arm.
The sight of Annie encased in what looked to be some form of crystal left her staring in shock. Was that... what she had been supposed to do? Had that changed anything? What would have been the initial outcome, then?
'Shit... if this was really a good thing... why do I feel so anxious? What do we have to show for all of this, now? What did we accomplish, other than getting who knows how many people killed?'