Aannnnd I'm FINALLY back, chapter 100 was amazing, and so was 101! Vshark yeah I know I left it on a cliffhanger but this is a whole chapter of them talking to each other without having to listen to Willy. As for addressing Eren and the rest being in Marley I will do that but not this chapter. Next one will show the events that were mentioned in chapter 93 between the Marley officials. Nothing really to say, here we go. Sorry for the really long delay but had to work on my other stories as well as the holidays making writing harder. But here it is! Never gonna let a story die! And since we have to wait till February for the next chapter that'll give me plenty of room to work with for this story especially. Other stories will also get updates soon if your following those as well. Well drop a review, let us begin!
Enlightenment Of A Warriors Eyes through a Soldiers body.
"Eren..."
'There was no way...That he's really here. No way...' Reiner's mind thought in denial to the sight before him in his mother's home, his home. That two people who had tried to I'll him, who he'd betrayed after growing quite close with, who should've been on the other side of the ocean were here staring at him, waiting for some reaction. But he didn't know what else to say, what to do.
Reiner still stood in place out of complete shock. Never had he thought that Eren of all people would come here in such a way, he's been infiltrating Marley. For how long Reiner doesn't know, but if Mikasa is also here then he can count on more of Paradise's soldiers being in the country and possibly Liberio as well. Maybe even his former friends will be here, although that thought which made his hope jump up died as he begins to head back to reality. Reiner knows Eren isn't here for mere pleasantries, he's here to take action and as exciting as that idea is he's very afraid of both Eren and Mikasa right now.
He sees the dark haired Asian is still watching him intently, as if daring him to make a move. Falco and Gabi are still looking at him in confusion, though the former hadn't realized anything was wrong yet. Gabi was smarter in some ways but she too hasn't figured out anything was wrong, and Reiner was going to have to use that. He has to play his cards very carefully, both to Eren and to the two warriors in his home. He doesn't want them to be harmed, least of all without understanding what's going on.
He also doesn't want to create chaos in Liberio, at least not this kind. Rebellion and destroying the gates to this place to free his people? Sure, but an all out brawl between the Armored and Attack/Founding Titans? Certainly not, and that's if Eren allows it to go that far. Eren nearly killed him the first time because of the grappling move, and he sure as hell kicked his ass the second time around without trying. Reiner's seen him command Titans, and worries Eren might control him if he's mastered it during these past 4 years.
"Sit Reiner, we're going to have a talk after all these years." Eren calmly tells Reiner, though the blonde can detect the threat behind the simple words. His wide eyes followed Eren's hand as he gestures to pull a chair in front of him, and Reiner's blood freezes over when he sees Eren has a slash mark across his left palm.
A simple cut was all that was needed for Bertoldt to become the god of destruction, a slash of a blade for him to be a walking, once unstoppable tank.
It only took deep scratch for Annie to become a 14 meter merciless angel of death, and it only took a bite of the palm for Eren to become one of the very beasts he hated for so long. Now it too was a slash, because he wanted to chose when to shift instead of just doing it. He was different, no longer was he just frothing rage. Now he was a truly formidable killing machine of near unstoppable power because of what resided in him.
One that could destroy everyone in this prison or convert them into mindless Titans to destroy this cursed land, if he chose to.
Reiner can see what Eren is threatening if he doesn't comply, and isn't sure if he could shift before Mikasa cuts him down or if he could shield Gabi and Falco from the imminent blas. But even if he did the explosions from the sudden dual transformation would create a panic and chaos like the one he witnessed in Shinganshina years ago because of his insistence to carry out the mission that was truly doomed from the start. Reiner can see that the cut is a bit deep, with blood flowing freely, which Falco noticed as well and asks out of concern and ignorance.
"Mr Krueger, did you hurt your hand?"
The man glances for a brief second to the boy and turns back to face the man of the hour. Reiner isn't sure what Eren's told the boy, but he sure as hell knows Falco has no clue who "Mr Krueger" really is. Reiner swallows and makes the wise decision to sit in a chair just in front of Eren, and he notices Mikasa edging backwards towards the wall ever so slightly. She must be feeling more in control of the situation if she's backing off now, but that just puts more fear into his head. He doesn't see her holding a weapon of any sort, unlike the last time when she carried those odd Spears which blew his head almost completely clear from his body. Luckily at the time he'd had the speed to send his mind into the central nervous system of his Titan form, saving him from certain death.
It didn't matter that Reiner didn't see a sword or explosive spear on her now, he knows just how formidable the Asian girl was in hand to hand. After all she once tossed his ass like a sack of potatoes over at Eren and Annie sparing one day, and she wouldn't be holding back an ounce of her strength with him at this point in time.
If she wanted to kill him whatever wat she wanted, Reiner knows she's do her best to succeed by any means short of harming Eren.
Eren looks to Falco and to his hand before saying in a casual voice. "Yes...I did. But it's fine Falco, why don't you have a seat and sit next to Reiner? Could you grab one for Gabi as well?" The boy hesitated and frowned for a moment, and asked "Oh...I thought you would've wanted to talk to them alone." Eren looked at the boy and Falco could see that burning energy in the emerald eye, and he realized Mr Krueger wasn't asking. He was telling him what to do. But before Falco could feel any sort of fear from that realization, Mr Krueger spoke once more to him.
"Actually this talk was also meant to include you, even though it's mainly between Reiner and Me. Gabi was an afterthought for this since you told me about her, but she's very much welcome to listen as well since she's here."
The dark haired girl in question nervously looked between her cousin and this strange man, and nervously asked him "Reiner should I..." But Reiner is looking down to the ground hard, and puts a hand up before he speaks in a controlled voice. "Gabi, Falco, both of you should listen. Sit down, now. We...I have some things to tell you." The young warriors looked to each other and knew they'd better listen if Reiner was as serious and steady as he was now. Gabi pulled up a chair and looked at the dark haired woman behind Mr Krueger as Falco called him, and found herself intimidated by the woman's eyes.
They were cold and hard as stone during the winter time, greyish pupils that held no mercy in them if someone were to cross her. Gabi found herself almost admiring the girl in a way, even if they just met but still haven't been introduced. That she could radiate power like that which seemed to affect her big cousin into keeping a nervous set of eyes on her, before returning them to the crippled man who was "an old friend" with him. She didn't know just what the heck was going on, but she wasn't going to provoke the situation. Reiner asked her to sit down, that he had some things to tell her. And she would listen, because Gabi found herself with a bit of fear.
Fear she didn't have when walking across no man's land with that bomb she made, nor when she thought she and Falco were done for before Galliard saved her with his Jaw Titan. This one strange woman did this to her, and Gabi knew that she wouldn't test her.
Said woman slowly walked around the three warriors and casually looked out the window, and closing the curtains on them. She returned to lean backwards against the wall nearest Krueger, and the man began to speak. "Well, now that we're all nice and settled, where should we start? You said you had some things to say Reiner, would you like to get them out of the way? It'll make yours and my talk a bit easier to understand."
The words were so simple and yet so cryptic to two younger warriors that they looked to Reiner, who had a hard downcrest look to his face. To Gabi it was just like the night they came back to Liberio and had dinner, after he recollected his time on the devil's island. She waited to see what Krueger was referring to when Reiner asked a question of his own.
"Eren...why are you here? I promise, I will tell them everything I know, but please tell me. I need to know, w-why...how, how did you get here?" The man, Eren now to both Gabi and Falco as they know heard his first name tilted his head and gave an odd look to Reiner. It wasn't threatening nor friendly, more so the look when asked about why a person chooses to take a certain job over another.
With quite a casual tone, Krueger leans forward to rest his hands on his knees, putting his crutch to the wall near him. "Really Reiner? Four years and that's what you want to know first? Well can't say I'm surprised, after all we haven't seen each other since that day. No communication, but still the thought is what counts, right?" Reiner says nothing but looks to Eren with a pleading and...scared look?
Krueger sighed and continued "Well I take it being Marley's most loyal means you've obviously been keeping tabs about the situation on Paradise, right? How all the investigation ships have gone missing? Well I believe that should give you your answer." Kruger finished and Reiner looked down, a little pale. 'So Zeke was right then, the ships never returned because they were sunk, or seeing Eren here, captured. That's how he got here, how she- ' Reiner thinks when a new thought pops into mind.
"Are any of my...our old friends here as well? Or is it just you and Mikasa?" Reiner voice trembles at the second one's name, and Gabi puts it together that he must be referring to the scary woman with the red scarf. Even he was scared of her, and he's the Armored Titan. Just who the hell was she? Who was the man Reiner was talking to?
Krueger nodded and the older warrior nod back in acknowledgement, taking a small gulp and swallowing before looking to the ground with something like it was torn between reminiscing and regret. The younger ones don't understand anything yet, but once Reiner begins to talk directly to them they would...Right? 'What is this all about? And why did Krueger mention that? If he and Reiner we're friends then they must know each other from somewhere in Liberio right?' Gabi thinks as she tries to put smaller pieces of the puzzle together.
Falco is undergoing a similar thought process, and also tries to piece things together with what Reiner and Krueger are talking about. 'The investigation ships to Paradise? I didn't even know they were still sending any since Reiner came back...wait. Krueger said he knew Reiner for a long time, and hasn't seen him for 4 years. That means he would be referring to the time of the Paradise operations...And that would mean...NO!' Falco's eyes widened but he's speechless as he hears Mr Krueger's, Eren's next words. "As for why, it's the same as you."
At these words Falco and Gabi can see Reiner's skin paling quite considerably, the strong and hard driven warrior they know looks like he's crumbling little by little from this conversation the longer it goes on. Falco begins stuttering as he goes to stand up as he begins to see just what Reiner is afraid of, no matter how impossible it seems. "Y-your, y-your..."
Gabi can see something is scaring the boy bad, the same kind of fear a person feels rush through them when their names are mentioned with the word Bombardment. But his words come out just as cryptic as the ones Mr Krueger and Reiner were saying to each other from the start. Almost as if it were some inside secret that the two weren't apart of, but soon would be from Reiner promise to the crippled man earlier. "Y-you...you lied to me... I trusted you, I looked up to you. And you... you encouraged me to do better, I delivered your-" at whatever Gabi heard Falco fearfully stuttering and saying, she noticed that Reiner's face was now one of pitying.
'But for who? Falco? Or does it remind him of someone else who isn't in this room? And why?' Gabi thought as the cripple speaks up again, once more with his eye fixed on Reiner's face while gesturing his head towards Falco without breaking his gaze from her cousins face.
"Seem familiar Reiner?" Krueger, this Eren asks her cousin and he looks at the ground with misery, seeming to understand the hidden meaning to the cryptic words. But she didn't have any real clue as to what the man meant by them. Reiner seemed to know what the words meant, did that happen between him and someone else?
The injured man nods in acknowledgement and turned to face the wide eyed boy with some pity in his own lone emerald. He starts to speak with a more sympathetic tone than the one he used with Reiner which made Gabi think about how the two knew each other, how they met or even why did they come here. Why did Falco bring him to her aunt's house? Gabi hears the odd but interesting man start to tell the boy "Sorry kid, I am. But I think you should calm-" but he stopped when the young warrior spoke louder, with desperation rising in his throat.
"The letters! The ones you sent me to deliver, where did they go?!" Falco cut across the older man with his eyes wide, his skin sweating and body shaking as he began to think of what he might have possibly been doing these past few months. Gabi sees Reiner eyes look at the boy with confusion, much like her own did. But his changed once more as he looks between Krueger and the young boy, seeming to understand or have an idea about what Falco had asked.
"I wasn't lying to you Falco, they did go to my family. After all I've fought, trained and bled with them for 7 years. I wouldn't know what else to call them really, except my friends. And I'm sure Reiner can say the same, can't you?" Krueger asked as Falco fell to the ground and backed up in fear, realizing the enormity of what he's been doing these past few months with this man. He's been sending information, letters to the enemy. To the devils of Paradise...
'But wait...What did he say about Reiner...? About "Calling them family"?' Falco thinks to himself with dawning realization that Reiner was nodding to him. But Gabi was quicker in voicing her shock to her cousin as she too started to understand what was going on here, who Mr Krueger and his sister really were. "Reiner...What are you doing?" She asked as the older blonde began speaking to address Krueger, his voice sounding very emotional to the younger warriors surprise.
"Yeah...Your right Eren. You guys were my family there...And I hurt you guys. All of you...Marco, Connie, Sasha, Jean..And especially you Eren.. I'm the reason...Your mother died Eren. It's my fault..." And the younger warriors stare in uncomprehension as Krueger then sat up straight and asked a question they were struck dumb by, especially that it would be asked here.
"What was your mission Reiner? The reason you were on Paradise Island for 5 long years, and why your the only one to return to Marley. Gabi and Falco should know this, after all you did say you would tell them everything. Let's start."
Reiner began to wring his hands up and down as he stared at the floor then, growing more nervous at revealing the true nature of his sins to the two kids in the room. Then again those kids were already exposed to the cruel and horrible nature of the world around them, it didn't matter what or what he didn't say. They would still experience and learn of it soon enough by others. He swallowed and began to speak, it wasn't the way he wanted to confess, but at least he was telling the truth.
"My mission along with the other Warriors was to retrieve the Founding Titan and destroy the people of Paradise. I was selected along with Annie, Bertoldt and Marcel because of how we performed in the Marley Warrior program. Annie would call mindless Titans with her Titans ability and Marcel would help carry us to safety afterwards. Bertoldt and I would break the outer and inner gates and allow Titans to stream into the walls. We then mixed and mingled with the refugees before choosing to join the military of the island in an attempt to get closer to the royal family by means of military police."
Gabi and Falco were in a bit of shock that they would send such young children to do that, no older than they were now really, but they still had the war with the mud eastern union only a few months before to deal with. So the plans of attacking Paradise were put on hold until the war was won,but since it was over they were both competing for the Armored Titan slot.
But Krueger seemed to know the story well from the casual tone of his voice, and yet he asked the question he knows the answer to anyways. "And were you and the others successful?" Reiner shook his head miserably and kept looking at the ground. "No, we weren't. The mission began on a bad start because the day after we arrived, a mindless Titan appeared from the ground and consumed Marcel. I ran out of fear, and so did Annie and Bertoldt. I knew I had messed up, I was the one meant to die by Marcel pushed me out of the way. I knew if we just went back right then and there that I'd be branded a failure, and then eaten by the next Warrior candidate without achieving nothing. I decided to continue the plan without Marcel." Krueger said nothing as Reiner paused to take a breath before continuing.
"But the others, Annie and Bertoldt, even Marcel didn't...They didn't want to go through with it. And after Ymir ate him, it was just me who kept pushing to do it. It's my fault! I'm sorry Eren, I'm the reason why it happened! All of it! They wouldn't have done it unless I pushed and threatened that they would be punished by Marley too! I'm the reason Marco died getting eaten! All because I couldn't just keep my GODDAMN MOUTH SHUT! I'M SO SORRY!" The blonde cried out and threw himself to the floor before slamming his fist down in guilt and mental anguish. The two pairs of foreign eyes didn't widen or close with any change, though Mikasa instinctively moved forward a bit with Reiner being closer to where Eren sat than before. But internally their minds were reacting to the outburst in different ways.
Mikasa was looking at Reiner and feeling nothing more than distrust, especially since he had admitted to being the sole cause of the walls breach. She didn't want to put anything in him except for a sword or another thunder spear, but she did see the guilt flowing through the warrior of Marley. It seemed that Eren and Armin's words were true then, Reiner really is a broken mess of a person. Armin's recollection of Bertoldt's memories of both his struggles in the warrior program as well as the random shifts on personality and guilt, and Eren fully informing her of Reiner's split right personality break in the forest of giant trees when he and Ymir were kidnapped. What was off to her at the moment was how he didn't seem to switch personality very visibly like Eren had described, but seemed to be in both warrior mode and soldier mode.
Eren's mind was different though, he was analyzing Reiner's behavior just as much as his sister was, but he wasn't as distrustful. Truth be told he was oddly glad to see Reiner, despite the last time they met they were trying to kill each other in his hometown. The mention of his mother's death did bring a small surge of anger, but he didn't allow it to take hold of him like it would've years ago. He knows that there's nothing he can do for her, except to keep living like she yelled him to when Hannes carried Mikasa and himself away from her that day. And even though the curse of Ymir drains and destroys his body little by little, He's going to live it to the fullest. Especially with Her.
Eren shakes his head almost unnoticablely, he has to keep focused. He'll see her soon enough. Right now he has priorities to deal with, which already included Reiner but now also Falco and Gabi. Some thing's both Falco and Reiner had mentioned at different times struck a cord in him, about her wanting to be a hero, and Reiner promising to tell the truth before Eren had requested it? It was curious, what has Reiner been doing and thinking these past 4 years? Which side was he talking to? The warrior or the soldier? Eren leaned down to Reiner level and offered his hand, much to the bigger blonde's astonishment. "C'mon, let's get back in your seat Reiner, there's one last thing I want to ask again about the past before we talk about now. Did you succeed in your mission?"
Reiner eyes closed as he shook his head, replying "No. We...I failed. Bertoldt was eaten, Zeke was nearly killed. I nearly died, and Annie's being tortured underground last I heard from Armin's words. Only I came back, and I didn't even return on my own two legs. I had to be carried because my legs and arms were gone, I was blasted away from my Titans nape." Falco and Gabi gasped as they stared at Reiner surprising revelation about him nearly dying, as well as the fate of his comrades. They almost missed the words Reiner's head snapped up to when Krueger spoke again.
"But your mission Reiner...You succeeded." Reiner's brow and forehead creased as he failed to understand the words, but went blank as Eren continued. "You did bring the Founding Titan back to Marley, I mean I am here in front of you. Yes not when or how you or the Marleyean government would've liked, but still I'm here. Congratulations Reiner." Eren spoke with an odd voice, it had a small lace of humor in it which made the young warriors pale as they understood the gravity of what Krueger had just said.
"You...Your the..." Falco stuttered while Gabi remained speechless in place, and their eyes bulged as Krueger began to undo his leg cast, which began steaming the longer they stared at it. For nearly a minute the two kids just watched as they began to put it together, this man, this Eren Krueger was the Founding Titan. From across the sea, from the island of the devils who threaten to destroy the world. Reiner didn't react with any surprise, because he's seen Eren heal before, long ago. Reiner then looked to both of their faces with the same kind of determined if a little tired face he always wore when he wasn't on a mission.
"Yeah he is." Was all he said in a deadish tone with weariness in it as Krueger then stood up, on both his newly healed leg and his other still clothed by his pants. He then began to undo the bandage around his head, revealing his other blazing emerald eye matching the one there seen before He spoke in a voice that surged both fear and awe through their veins, one of sheer willpower and drive to accomplish his goal, no matter the cost.
"My name is Eren Jaeger, and I've come to free my people."