The Wings Of Our Dreams
AN: Okay, here's a new chapter for The Wings Of Our Dreams. Hope you enjoy!
Now to reviews.
pairogerio512: Thank you!
Yoyon586: Yeah, he should.
rogeriofreitas12300: Eh, can't say something like that will happen.
RememberShiganshina: Oh, they'll have more to do alright.
Guest: Thanks
Drcaus: You'll get a bit of it here.
Alph4Scorpion180: Wait no more!
A Strange Arrival
Collin yelled as he sliced through the nape of another Titan, its giant body falling unto a nearby building before it began evaporating.
Looking around, he saw more Titans storm the streets of Trost. And there were at least four that were very close to him and his team. They were fighting for a while now, and it seemed that no matter how many Titans they took down, there weren't any less of them. They already used half of their blades, and gas was slowly becoming a problem. And Armin and Mina aren't exactly in the best position to help considering their current mental state, and also the fact Mina's gear got rendered inoperable when the cables were forcibly pulled.
All in all, the odds began looking bleaker and bleaker.
Then a scream came, and Collin gasped when he saw a ten-meter grab Hannah.
'No!' Collin thought in panic as he quickly turned and launched his cable in their direction. He wasn't going to lose another teammate!
Then, when the Titan brought Hannah closer to his face, a blur suddenly passed the Titan and blood spurted from its nape. The now-dead Titan let go of Hannah who quickly used her gear to go airborne again.
"It's good to see you're alive!"
The voice almost made Collin take a deep intake of air. Looking to the side, he saw Reiner zipping along.
Several loud crashes were then heard, and Collin saw that it was the Titans nearby. A smile crept to his face when he saw that the new arrivals were Bertholdt and Annie, with the two of them standing on opposite buildings, Bertholdt looking concerned as usual while Annie kept her emotions more in check.
"Collin!" Reiner called out. "The vanguard has been wiped out and the cadets are gathering! We better join up!"
"Right!" Collin quickly nodded. "But we better send some to help Armin and Mina! They currently ain't in no condition to fight!"
Reiner's eyes slightly squinted at that. "We'll do that then! Now let's go!"
After a little while of fighting, the area was more clear of Titans, and several other cadet squads joined them. However, despite all that, the situation in Trost didn't change much. The Titans were still overwhelming the city, and the official military seemed not to be able to do much against that.
Eventually, a signal flare was fired, telling the troops in Trost to withdraw. The problem was, they needed more gas, but the supply team never appeared.
So many of the cadets now gathered on top of some rooftops, a good safe distance from the Titans.
"Damn it, where's the supply team?!" Samuel frustratingly asked.
"Considering the situation," Reiner said as he glanced at the HQ building where the supplies were located. "I don't think they're coming anytime soon."
The rest didn't need any further confirmation as they saw that the Titans were already at the building. Some were at the door while others were actually seen climbing on it. It took no further thought to know that the supply team was too scared to come out and do their jobs.
"So, that means that…" Samuel said he put a hand on his forehead. "We're running low on gas, and without the supply team… Oh, we're doomed."
Collin bit his lip as he saw Samuel distressed. He was about to say something until he saw Hannah was on another roof, sitting while her hands covered her sobbing face. Daz was also near, but shaking as he grabbed his head in fear.
"This is it! This is the end!" Daz said.
"Oh, Franz," Hannah said in a voice barely above a whisper.
His brown eyes then gazed at the small form of Mina, who sat there while hugging her legs. The tears let loose flew without a sob.
Seeing the determination of his team practically disappear, Collin closed his eyes and let out a deep breath before seating himself on the tiled roof. All the adrenaline that had fueled him began settling down.
"Hey, are you alright?" Reiner asked as he kneeled closer to Collin's position.
Collin chuckled. "Am I alright? Ain't that a weird question?" he said. "I mean, whaddya expect me to say? That I'm fine? One of my teammates was chomped in half, and the rest's depressed. And considerin' that some of our friends were eaten before I could come and help 'em, I ain't that far behind."
He felt a hand on his shoulder. "Hey," Annie's soft voice spoke. "Listen, are you really going to just sit here, wallowing in your pity? I hardly think that you can afford it in your situation. We lost teammates too. Reiner's own original team was reduced in half before we met up. You don't see him feeling sorry for himself, do you?"
Collin bit his lip while his fist clenched, his knuckles cracking.
"Will you just sit there depressed, or will you take your role as a leader, and use it properly?" Annie continued. "Because I hardly thought that you were the type of person of gives in."
Reiner glanced curiously at Annie, with Bertholdt looking slightly shocked at Annie.
'Was that supposed to be motivational?' Samuel thought as he looked at the two. You'd think she'd be more supportive considering the two were in a relationship. But then again, Annie wouldn't be Annie in that case.
After a bit of silence, Collin looked back at her, a smile slowly gracing his lips. "Nah, you're right. I ain't that type of guy," he said before slowly rising and sighing. "I really can't afford to act like this, now can I? So, thank you, Annie."
"Don't think too-"
She was interrupted when Collin suddenly picked her up and gave her a kiss on the lips. It was so quick she didn't have time to properly register before she was put down.
"Heh, sorry 'bout that," Collin said. "And sorry for not sayin' it before, but… I'm glad you're alive. The thought of not seein' you again was just… well, it wasn't pleasant, that's for sure."
Annie looked a bit shocked before her mouth was once again a thin line, which was the best Collin would get as a smile in this situation, but he didn't mind.
He then turned to others. "Same goes for you. I'm glad that I could see you again, especially since this could be our last time together."
Bertholdt looked to the side, finding it hard to look Collin in the eye. Reiner seemed to stare blankly at the young Holt, before managing a smile.
"Hey, don't think like that," Reiner said. "We're not done yet. If there is a chance, no matter how small, we'll take it. We were given a sign to withdraw, and we'll follow." He then glanced over to the other cadets. "Well, once the others get out of their funk. We need as many able as possible."
Collin nodded. "True. I'll need to go to Hannah and Daz. I'm their squad leader, so I need to set an example."
Glancing something out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Bertholdt, and how the tall teen seemed to try and keep his gaze away.
"Hey," Collin said as he gave Betholdt's shoulder a tap, finally getting his attention. "Listen, can the two of us talk for a bit?"
Bertholdt blinked at the question. "Talk? But, I don't think the time is-"
"Bertholdt," Collin interrupted. "We may not be gettin' another shot after this."
The two of them stared at each other for a moment, with Bertholdt's eyes trembling under Collin's steeled gaze. Finally, Bertholdt exhaled the breath he was holding in before nodding. "Fine."
"Good," Collin said before turning to the others. "We'll be with you in a jiffy."
The two then walked over to another part of the roof where they were less likely to be heard.
"Look, Bertholdt," Collin began. "The last time we talked, we… Well, it didn't end on friendly terms. And… it's my fault."
"Um, look, Collin," Bertholdt said, once again looking down. "It doesn't matter now. Everything is-"
"Please, don't give me that. I know it ain't that simple," Collin said. "I know I hurt ya. And I shouldn't have. If ya blame Annie in any way, then don't. It's all on me. I took things too far tryin' to maintain my cover, and I ended up leadin' ya on and givin' you false hope. And that's one of the worst things a friend could do.
"If we're about to die, then I don't want our last conversation to be a spiteful one," Collin said before putting up his arm. "Bertholdt, I consider you a friend. But I understand if ya don't consider me one. Just know that… I'm sorry. I was a horrible friend to ya durin' the last couple of months. But I hope that… that you forgive me."
Bertholdt stared at Collin before staring at his outstretched hand. His mind was honestly racing at that point. If he had to admit, he was still angry at Collin, and for taking the girl he liked, but he knew better. Annie was her own person, and if she wanted to be with Collin, then who was he to stop her?
Still, Collin could have been honest with him, but if Bertholdt himself promised Annie to keep their relationship a secret, who's to say he wouldn't do the same as Collin? Scratch that, he'd probably make it even worse somehow.
Bertholdt then took Collin's hand and shook it. "I forgive you, Collin. And I… hope that you… forgive me."
Collin blinked. "What for?"
"For… uh, well… For acting the way I did before. I… also could have acted better. And don't say I had every right to be angry, that's not completely true. I just… Yeah, I feel sad I'm not with Annie, but that's not really up to me, but to her. So… the blame doesn't fall completely on you. So please, forgive me as well."
After a little while, Collin smiled. "Of course, Bertholdt. You really are a great friend to have.
Bertholdt blushed and scratched his head. "Oh, uh, th-thank you. I… I really appreciate it."
"Good to know. Now, we better rejoin the others. I still need to gather my team."
After a little while, they were joined by even more cadets, which included Marco, Sasha, Jean, Ymir, and Krista. Collin gathered Samuel, Hannah, and Daz, trying to give them some motivation. It was the least he could do as their squad leader.
The problem was, a bunch of other cadets still couldn't find that motivation as the situation seemed way too much for them to handle. They lost comrades too and were honestly lucky to be here.
"Are we… moving out soon?" Hannah asked.
"We should be," Collin said. "But we need to round them up if we wanna have a bigger chance."
"Oh, I can't blame them," Daz said while looking down. "Our squad was lucky we had you, otherwise we'd probably have all been killed. And what chances do they have considering more experienced soldiers perished? We're still cadets, we can't do much."
"This would've been our situation sooner or later, though it looks like much sooner in this case," Collin said. "We can't stay 'ere for too long, otherwise Titans will be upon us."
Collin then glanced around. The Titans will soon come here if the cadets don't eventually gather their wits and go to the supply base.
Still there was one thing that bothered him. It was already a while after the Colossal broke through the front gate of Trost. Which begs the question, where was the Armored Titan? He may have been little when the fall of Shiganshina happened, but he remembered what happened very well. And he knew that the Armored Titan came into play sooner than this.
So where was it?
"Hey, Collin!" Samuel called out.
Collin snapped out of his thoughts before looking at his teammate. "What?"
"Didn't you hear? It's Mikasa!"
Collin was confused at what Samuel was referring to before he noticed that Mikasa was actually there. She was currently talking to Armin and judging from the blond's expression, he really didn't want to have that conversation.
Knowing exactly what was going on, Collin quickly walked over.
"Armin, please, where is Eren?" Mikasa asked while holding her friend's shoulder.
Armin's eyes trembled. He didn't want to tell her what happened. Not to Mikasa. He couldn't bear the thought of her being so distressed over Eren's death.
And yet, he couldn't not tell her. She needed to know.
"Mikasa," Armin said in a low tone. "I'm sorry, but… my squad, they…"
"They're gone," Collin quickly interjected, wanting to spare Armin any more burden of telling what happened to his team.
Mikasa looked at him shocked. "What… What do you mean?"
Collin's expression dropped. "Me and my team came to the site where Armin and his team were attacked. We were able to recover Armin and Mina, but the rest..." He stopped himself for a moment before reaching for something his jacket. "They were all devoured by the time we arrived. And as for Eren…"
Out of his jacket, Collin took out a bundle of cloth, some blood staining one end of it. Mikasa's eyes widened as she had a feeling of déjà vu.
Slowly unwrapping the cloth, Collin revealed that it was… a severed arm. "I'm sorry, Mikasa. But… this was all that was left of him."
"That was all that's left of him." Both of them recalled that day at Shiganshina when those words were told. To think they would personally have that experience… it seemed so surreal.
"Hey, what the fuck is wrong with you?!" Jean shouted as he pushed Collin's hand away, all the while glaring at the large teen. "Why would you show her that?! What sane person would give a fucking severed arm to someone?!"
"So we have at least something to bury!" Collin retorted. "How many of us were eaten whole, with nothin' left to put to rest?!"
"But…! A severed arm?!"
"Better that than nothin'!"
"Hey, stop it!" Krista suddenly exclaimed with a worried look on her face. "We can't afford to fight amongst each other, not now of all times!"
"Eh, let 'em get it out of their systems," Ymir said with her arms crossed.
While that was going on, Armin and Mikasa ignored them so they could talk.
"I'm sorry, Mikasa," Armin said as he tried to keep the tears from spilling, but just couldn't. "I just froze up, I couldn't do anything. Eren died… they all died because I'm weak. I should have been the one to be eaten, not Eren."
Mikasa's face was surprisingly blank during their conversation. She didn't even bother to go for Eren's arm and cry or something you'd normally expect.
Instead, she put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Armin, calm yourself. You can't let your emotions get the better of you."
She then walked away, leaving a stunned Armin behind.
"Marco, if we're able to reach HQ, we'll be able to refuel and requip, after which we'll be able to retreat over the Wall, correct?" Mikasa asked, her tone slowly becoming authoritative.
"Um, yes that's true," the freckled teen answered. "But there are so many Titans over there. I'm not sure if we can-"
"I can do it!"
Marco, and honestly everyone else, were surprised by that sudden exclamation.
"I am strong. Really strong," Mikasa said as she raised her blade in the air. "None of you even come close. I have the strength to slay all of the Titans that block our path. Even if I have to do it alone." She then pointed her blade at the crowd. "As far as I'm concerned, I'm surrounded by a bunch of unskilled cowardly worms. Disappointing to say the least. You can stay here and fiddle your thumbs, and watch how it's done."
"Mikasa are you crazy?!"
"You can't possibly do it alone!"
Mikasa simply turned around, unaffected by her fellow cadets' comments. "If I can't beat them, then I die. But if I win, then I live."
"Mikasa!" Collin called out. "Look, you're good but you can't possibly-!"
"Then stop talking and take action! Go and fight!" Mikasa exclaimed before suddenly zipping away from the roof, this time leaving everyone stunned.
Collin grumbled under his breath. He wrapped the arm again and put it back into his jacket.
"Fine then!" Collin said as he unsheathed his blades. "We may as well go now! I ain't lettin' 'er fight by herself!"
"Come on, all you!" Jean shouted. "Are we going to let one of our comrades fight alone?! Is that what we were taught?! If so, then all of you cowards get out of my way!"
Collin gestured to his team, getting nods from all, and a reluctant one from Daz before he zipped after Mikasa, soon followed by his team, Jean and Connie.
"Well, if Jean can be motivated, then who are we to lag behind?" Reiner commented before he, Bertholdt, Annie, and Marco went along.
"Come on, you bunch of chickens!" Sasha told some other cadets as she leaped off the roof and flew forward.
Soon, every cadet found their motivation, and every single one of them left their sulking and marched forward, all heading for the HQ.
The dozens of cadets zipped across the city street, all following behind Mikasa who already killed a Titan.
"Damn, she's going fast," Samuel commented as he watched Mikasa fly through the air.
"A bit too fast," Collin said. Mikasa was using quite a bit of gas, and he wasn't even sure she knew it.
"Well, I guess we better-"
Then out of nowhere, a ten-meter Titan jumped at them, aiming straight for Samuel who could only look in shock as the Titan's large grinning face approached him, those giant teeth ready to chomp down.
But he spared the fate as Collin grabbed his arm at the last second and moved him out of the Titan's way. But the Titan still found a mark.
The giant jaws wrapped around Collin and snatched him from the air.
"NO!" Hannah yelled.
Daz looked back in shock. "Oh, God!"
They looked at the road below and gasped at the sight. Collin was right inside the Titan's mouth, with the creature trying to bite down and kill him, but Collin was actually holding it open, with each hand on each row of teeth.
The Titan once again went to bite down, with Collin grunting as his strength was able to hold the jaws.
"Ya ain't gettin' me so easily, ya son of a bitch," Collin said through gritted teeth. He tried to move his legs, but the saliva made the inside very slippery.
Several more cadets zipped past the scene, and they couldn't but stare down as well.
'Oh, no,' Sasha thought as she saw Collin struggle to hold the mouth open.
Reiner looked at the scene with his mouth open, pupils dilating from the shock before he grit his teeth. 'Damn it.'
Annie, actually held a look of terror in her eyes as she took a sharp intake of air, and Bertholdt looking wide-eyed as some sweat dripped down his brow.
Collin applied more strength into his struggle and actually managed to move the jaw up by several inches.
'C'mon, c'mon,' Collin thought as he began sweating from both the strain and the heat produced by the Titan. 'Can't die now. Not… now.'
A sound of a zip line and blades cutting through flesh were heard before the Titan suddenly went limp. Collin let out a silent gasp as the Titan began swaying, which prompted Collin to quickly get out of its mouth and fire a cable as it fell.
"Collin!"
The voice ended up surprising him. "Daz?"
The wrinkled teen then began moving beside him, his blades coated in the Titan's slowly evaporating blood.
"Please, don't ever make me do that again!" Daz said as he looked shocked himself about what he just did.
Getting over his surprise, Collin smiled at his teammate. "Thanks, Daz! I owe ya! Now let's go!"
Daz nodded. "Uh, yeah!"
The cadets then continued moving through, with the amount of Titans becoming more abundant. While they avoided the Titans as much as they could, some had to be taken down so they could proceed, which unfortunately led to some cadets dying.
Collin sliced through the nape a fifteen-meter before quickly resuming his path. Looking forward, he saw that Mikasa wasn't in the front. Good, he hoped that didn't mean what he thought it did.
Hannah and Samuel were in front of him along with several other cadets so he knew they were fine for now.
Still though, a familiar thought began bothering him. Where was the Armored Titan? It still didn't appear.
Collin began looking around for any sign of it, but nothing. It still didn't appear. Was it like the Colossal Titan? It could just appear and disappear? God, he hoped that wasn't the case. One Titan with such ability would be a problem enough.
Still, what was taking it so long?
"COLLIN!"
The said teen was once again snapped out of his thoughts by Daz's scream. He looked back and gasped. Daz was caught by a twelve-meter Titan, who had both of its hands wrapped around Daz's body as it brought him closer to its mouth.
"Come back, please!" Daz called out while trying to reach with his arm. "I don't want to di-!"
The Titan chomped down, beheading Daz whose body went limp in its hands.
Collin grit his teeth while his mouth shook and eyes trembled. How did this happen? Daz was just behind him. How did the Titan snatch him without Collin noticing?
Collin then realized, it was because he was distracted. He didn't notice because he was looking for the Armored Titan.
And Daz paid the price for it.
Collin almost gave a growl before quickly turning back to their destination. He wanted to come back, and slaughter that Titan for what it did, but he couldn't. He needed to focus on the goal in front of him.
And he needed to keep his still living teammates alive.
So the cadets flew in the direction of the HQ, with more of their numbers lost as they zipped past the Titans, though some were able to take a few giants out and save their comrades. Even Mina was able to take out two Titans in her path.
Jean stood at the front, pretty much leading the charge when Mikasa suddenly disappeared, and all of them moved around the Titan. The HQ building was near, which was good considering how low on gas they were.
Collin took out another Titan that was about to grab Mina, with the pig-tailed girl looking gratefully at him. And with the HQ just one zip away, Collin quickly used the opportunity, braced himself as he flew forward, and smashed through one of the windows.
Soon, more crashes were heard as the cadets flew through the windows. Many began taking several calming breaths now that the immediate threat of the Titans seemed over.
"We… we made it," Jean said in slight disbelief.
After taking one last sigh, Collin looked over the cadets that were there. He noticed that among the ones that were missing were Mikasa, Armin, and Connie. He clenched his fist at the thought of what could have happened to them, but he can't let it distract him now.
"Hey, you're the supply team," Jean said as he looked under the table of the room they landed in. And sure enough, there were two trembling cadets who were placed in the supply team. Angry, Jean picked one up and punched him. "Where the hell were you, you cowards?! You left us on our own!"
Before he could land another punch, Collin pulled him by the back of his shirt.
"Enough!" Collin said as Jean struggled against his grip. "They were surrounded by Titans, so ya can't blame 'em for being scared! 'Sides, what's done is done! We're here, and that's all that matters!"
"Um, guys," Reiner spoke. "Do you… hear something?"
Everyone soon became quiet, and indeed, there was a whistling sound that turned more into a rumble.
"Hit the deck!" Reiner exclaimed as the cadets quickly dived down on the floor, with one of the walls bursting just after they did.
Smashed through a wall was actually a Titan's face, currently staring at them with an unnerving grin. When it pulled its head back, there was another Titan with a similar grin.
The cadets began panicking as they once again had to deal with Titans, so many of them quickly ended up bolting through the door.
Jean froze at the sight of the Titans, with Collin narrowing his eyes and running over to him. "Snap out of it! We need to-!"
A thundering sound interrupted him, making Collin look outside and see that the two Titans from before were replaced by another one who had his fist outstretched, indicating that he had punched them.
The Titan had an incredibly odd appearance. It had messy brown hair and piercing green eyes which in contrast to many Titans who had somewhat hazed looks, pointed ears, and a lipless maw with oddly positioned rows of teeth.
The Titan then let out an angry roar.
"Wha… what the…?" Jean stammered as both he and Collin stared shocked at the surprising sight.
They didn't stay shocked for too long as several more newcomers suddenly flew through the windows, revealing them to be Connie, Armin, and Mikasa.
'What the hell is going here?' Collin wondered before looking one more time at the pointy-eared Titan.
AN: And that is it, my dear readers! Yes, I know I skimmed through some events, but honestly they don't really change from the canon so I saw no point in including them. Still, I hope you had a good time reading.
I also implore you to check out my other stories. Trust me, they are worth it. And leave a review, they are great motivators.
See you next time!
