"The relationship between Ymir and Krista is something to behold…these two people so vastly different, pulled together by their love for one another…I guess it's true what they say, opposites do attract"-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850
Winter 849
Training Expedition, Yalkell District
"…The Titans only source of energy is sunlight, meaning that they can even move in blizzards. Freedom of movement under such harsh weather conditions can easily make the difference between life and death"-Cadet Training Corps: Snow Training
The 104th Cadet corps trudged through the two feet of snow as they made their way towards the cabins serving as their checkpoint. They were garbed from head to toe in full-length sherpa-lined parkas, woollen scarfs & gloves, and the winter uniform; leaving only the green military flags and torches dotted throughout the squads as their beacons scattered along the path.
It wasn't long before the checkpoint came into view. "Come on! You're almost there!" Smith encouraged, standing at the entrance to the checkpoint.
"Nine hours and twelve minutes" added Lawrence, reading off of the clipboard in his hand, "Not bad given the conditions you had to trudge through"
"Ugh! I thought we were dead out there" Eren sighed as he flopped to the ground, using his pack as a cushion, leaning against the wooden fence. "Dammit! Nobody said training would be this rough"
"Anyone else not feel their legs?" Jean asked, huddled to Eren's left.
"And some other parts" replied Ryan, jumping up and down on the spot as he tried to keep warm. Even with the large bonfire behind them, it was still freezing.
"Why won't they let us inside already?" Connie complained.
"I bet they're busy laying out a massive banquet for us as we speak" Sasha drooled.
"Hey! Have you guys seen Krista?" Reiner asked, jogging over to the tired group.
"Not for a while, she was with Daz and he wasn't doing so good" Mikasa replied. Now that they mentioned it, Ryan had begun to wonder where Edith was as well. She had been split up with them sometime ago, falling back in line with the squad behind them due to her struggle through the snow. It had been kinda funny to see her tiny figure practically wading through the snow at one point, though.
"Yeah, well he's not here and Ymir's not back yet either" Reiner continued.
"They're probably mixed in with the last squad" Bertolt suggested, joining the conversation.
"I think Edith fell in line with them at one point" Ryan agreed, "They can't be too far away"
"That's just it, Thomas was leading the last squad" Reiner turned to peer over at the last squad who had just arrived, "Says they never saw them"
"What?" Ryan breathed.
"Hold on, do you think they're lost?" Armin questioned.
"Man, if they get stuck out there in the snow storm, they're done for" Connie worried.
"Hn. Son of a bitch!" Eren muttered as he got to his feet and made to search for them. Only to be stopped by Mikasa who grabbed onto Eren's wrist, keeping him stationary.
"Eren" She scolded.
"I have to go back out there and try to find 'em" Eren excused.
"I'm with you!" Ryan agreed straight off the bat; his thoughts focused on Edith.
"In the cabin. Now" Smith interjected, ordering the group inside before they did something stupid.
"But Krista and-!" Eren cried.
"We know, a rescue team will be sent out a first light"
"They'll have frozen to death by then!"
"Do you want more people to die?" A strong icy wind blew through, ruffling everyone's feathers and backing up Smith's argument. No matter how much the cadets wanted to go save their friends, there was just no way for them to do it right that second.
The wind howled and the snow pelted down on the quartet like misshapen bullets. Edith tried her best to keep pace with Krista and Ymir, but it was hard, even with Krista dragging an unconscious Daz behind her on the sled. As the medic, Edith really should have been dragging Daz herself, but she had enough trouble as it was just walking through the deep snow.
Edith gripped tight to the top tied around her wrist, anchoring her to the back of Ymir's pack as she tried to keep up with the two, but for every step that they took, Edith took at least two, struggling her way through the thick snowbanks.
"Krista seriously, give it up. It's pointless" Ymir urged the blonde in front of her.
"No, it's not" Krista retorted, hauling on the sled as she tried to move faster.
"Dumb bastard's got one foot in the grave as it is. Nobody to blame but himself if you ask me. Shoulda known how much he could handle before he tried to boost his score" Ymir glanced over her shoulder at Edith who was trudging along behind them, her tired form just seen on the fringes of the torchlight. "Some people just aren't meant to be soldiers"
"Hey! I know for you, two feet of snow is anything to worry about. Y'know, when you trip and fall, get your knees wet, you're all like 'it's winter time!" Edith huffed up as she jogged over a shallow patch of snow, catching up with the group, "But for me, if I trip and fall in two feet of snow, I die. I am literally swimming through snow at this point"
"Then keep up pipsqueak" Ymir taunted tugging on the rope connecting the two. Edith merely pulled a face in response, although only her eyes could be seen from behind the scarf pulled up, over her nose.
"Look, he'll be long gone by the time you reach the foot of that mountain" Ymir continued, turning to Krista as she spoke, watching the blonde continue to trudge on. "At the rate we're going, we'll be lucky not to join him. It's a lose-lose situation. The way I see it, there's only two choices: leave Daze to the elements and save our own skin or die a cosy little quartet. What's it gonna be?"
"You left one out, the third option: you're completely wrong, I reach base in plenty of time to save his life and by morning this is nothing but a bad memory" Krista shot back, pausing in her steps. "There's no reason for you to stick with me, we'll only slow you down. You and Edith can make it back to base a lot faster on your own; Daz and I will be right behind you. Go on ahead"
"Yeah, nope that's not gonna happen. No way" Edith replied, picking her way through the snowbank as she moved as far in front of Ymir as the rope would allow.
"…So, uh, you got something against asking me for help, or what?" Ymir asked as she dragged Edith over to where Krista was struggling to continue dragging the sled. "Know what I think? I think saving this moron is the furtherest thing from your mind"
Krista froze at the accusation, her eyes going wide as she turned to face Ymir head on. "You're not worried about Daz" Ymir continued, "You're just using him as an excuse to die" Edith shifted on her feet off to the side, trying her best to not feel like she was intruding on their conversation, but she couldn't help but jolt at the theory, one that Krista did not even try to deny.
"This is how you want your story to end, right? What a shame, here I thought you were a good girl. Of course, if you could make it look like you were trying to save his life, no one would be any wiser. And hey, they'll remember you as someone who heroically sacrificed herself; that's just a small price to pay, right? If you're a selfish bitch" Ymir purred, leaning close to Krista's ear.
The last comment seemed to break Krista from whatever thoughts she had, as latched onto Ymir's scarf, yanking it down.
"That's not…I never meant…That's not me! It's just…" Krista cried.
"I know you, you're the mistress' daughter with the price on her head"
"How could you possibly…?"
"Uh huh, there go any doubts I had. Let's just say I have a knack for being in the wrong place at the right time. I snuck inside a church in the interior, once, scrounging around for whatever might keep me alive for another week. Quite a story I got treated to, apparently a high-ranking lord produced more heirs than his people were comfortable with.
An illegitimate girl was floating around, one they all feared would come out of nowhere one day and share in his legacy. Some wanted her dead, some wanted to strip her of the family name and hide her amongst peasant stock. In the end, the clever bastards forced her to join the cadet corps. Don't worry sweetheart, you're true identity is safe with me, I haven't told a soul and I don't plan to"
"So was…was your whole reason for joining the cases corps just to find me? Why would you even care?"
"I dunno, maybe I relate to your struggle" Ymir mused.
"So we have more in common than I thought?" Krista questioned.
"Well, uh, you could say that"
"Is it because…we're soldiers?"
"Could be, I'm not positive…uh, actually no"
"So why then? Did you want us to become friends?"
"Hah! You've got to be joking! The only thing we have in common is a second chance, don't try to read into it, okay?"
Off to the side, Edith shifted again as she hugged herself. The cold weather felt like it was seeping into her bones, plus being soaked in snow from the knees down and her frosty prosthetic arm didn't help matters. It was like hugging a block of ice. She knew she probably should've been more worried about Krista's apparent suicide threats thatYmir had just revealed, however memories of her Eight Mile neighbours threatening to do the same and never going through with it ran through her head.
It's not like she was actually going to do it anyway, Krista could barely kill a fly without being squeamish; how she was going to kill Titans let alone herself, Edith didn't know. At the same time that these thoughts were flowing through Edith's mind, another popped up as Ymir ranted. She was trying her best not to intrude on the argument between Ymir and Krista, but the last phrase that Ymir had uttered resonated with something deep within her.
When the words 'second chance' were uttered, a memory of a blonde and heavily scarred woman (she thought it might have been a nun with the way she was dressed) stood before her with a filled syringe in her hand, poised to strike. There was a clear expression of fury and hatred written across the woman's face that seemed directed at her. However the memory had come and gone in the blink of an eye, leaving Edith wondering where it had come from, or if she had just imagined it.
"…Unlike you I embrace the name I was born with" Ymir continued to rant, her tone filled with emotion as she did so "If I throw it away and reject who I am, they win. I intend to live my life, make my name mean something! Trust me, there is no revenge in the world sweeter than that! Look at yourself Krista or whoever you are! Been a victim all your life and how do you get your revenge? By becoming your own victim! Screw you and your stupid death wish! If you kill yourself, you'll be doing exactly what they want!"
"I…that's not how…I just…" Krista whimpered, "I didn't mean to get us into this and now there's nothing we can do"
"Bullshit!" Ymir cursed, looking down on Krista with an expression of contempt on her face. Edith was racked by yet another full-body shiver as she stuffed her hands under her armpits, trying to regain any sort of warmth she could.
Finally reaching her breaking point, Edith spoke up "Uh, I-I hate to b-break up…whatever this is. But I'm f-freezing my tits off over here and I'd like to get to the checkpoint b-before we get buried in s-snow" Edith shivered. With a huff, Ymir took the lead followed closely by Edith as the two were still connected by the frozen rope and Krista determinedly brought up the rear, dragging Daz behind her as they went.
A few moments later, the quartet emerged from the snowy forest. There they stood on the edge of the cliff, looking down on the checkpoint that was illuminated by the dwindling bonfires outside the snowy cabins. "The base is a straight drop from here, I say we dump him off the cliff" Ymir suggested.
"Huh?" Krista breathed.
"OR we cinch him up and lower him down like you do with flood victims" Edith suggested, peering down over the edge as much as she dared, "Sure, we'd have to stop to readjust our anchor a fews times, but it could work"
"It's possible, but we don't have enough rope for all four of us. Besides, he might even survive the fall. If they find him, then he might be okay. Sure it's a long shot. But look what we're dealing with…unless we're due for a miracle. Even if you live to drag him down there, all you'll have with you is a frozen corpse" Ymir shot back.
"But…if he falls, he'll die for certain!" Krista retorted.
"ENOUGH OF THIS SHIT!" Ymir turned from the edge and hauled Krista over her shoulder, taking her back towards the treeline. Edith stumbled after Ymir with a yelp, not expecting the sudden movement as she too was dragged backwards.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! PUT ME DOWN!" Krista protested, slamming her fists against Ymir's back.
"I'LL handle Daz, you get moving!" Ymir tossed Krista down the snowbank, where the blonde rolled to a stop in front of the treeline and became buried under a pile of snow that fell from the tree she had bumped into.
Not expecting the sudden stop, Edith tripped over her own feet and fell face first into the top of the snowbank at Ymir's feet, effectively dropping out of the rest of the conversation. With a groan, Edith pushed herself up into a sitting position and tried to dislodge as much snow from her person as she could. Suddenly the rope around her wrist grew slack as Ymir untied it from her pack and moved over to where Daz lay.
"Uh, Ymir…Edith trailed off as she looked upon Krista's buried form with concern. She looked around when she oddly didn't receive a reply from the taller brunette. Not even a snarky grunt was heard. Edith wasn't sure what had happened, one moment Ymir was there, still attached to her and then next she and Daz were gone. Disappeared like a fart in the wind.
Peering over her shoulder one last time, Edith slid down the snowbank, uncaring about her already soggy coat, coming to an ungraceful stop next to the pile of snow where Krista lay. Without too much thought, Edith shoved her hands into the snow, grabbed onto any sort of purchase she could find on the blonde and pulled. Eventually, Krista emerged with a shivering thump as she landed on top of Edith, having been pulled on top of the older girl. "Are you okay, Krista?" Edith worried but the blonde ignored her, instead dismounting from her position and racing up the snowbank after the other two.
"No!" Krista breathed, "YMIR! WAIT PLEASE!"
Scrambling to her feet, Edith struggled back up the snowbank after Krista. "Huh? What's going on? Where did they…?" Krista wondered aloud as she searched for Ymir and Daz; the clifftop now free of the two.
"They've probably already left…Ymir did say she was going to handle it, right?" Edith suggested as she watch the blonde turn in circles, looking for the taller brunette.
"Right" Krista quietly agreed.
"Well…I think we've got enough rope for the both of us to propel down" Edith suggested looking down over the cliff edge.
"Yeah, okay"
It had been a couple of hours since all the squads had arrived at the checkpoint and the weather had really packed it in. The flurries of biting cold snow were unrelenting as they roared through the campsite and rattled the windows.
The cadets had all been rounded up and herded into the cabins by this point, each one occupied by a burning fire that sat in the middle of the room away from the wooden walls of each log cabin.
During that time, Ryan had taken to do anything to keep his mind from falling too far into his worries and dark thoughts. What if they'd gotten lost? What if they'd been trapped in the snow? What if more than one of them were hurt? The possibilities were endless. After being asked to stop pacing by Armin about a half an hour in, Ryan had resorted to various other things, like fiddling with his dog tags and scroll pendant, jiggling his leg, biting his nails etc.
It was fair to say that despite the other's worries, they were slowly becoming irritated by his actions. Currently, he had placed his and several of the others' water skins to hang over the fire, letting the water boil with the excuse that they could use them to keep warm.
"It's better if you guys let me do this alone" Eren reasoned, prepping to go outside, "Like our instructors said, we don't want anymore people to die than already have"
"That's preciously why I'm coming with you" Mikasa replied shortly.
"We can't just sit around and do nothing" Armin added.
"Really? What the hell is this?" Reiner asked as he and Bertolt emerged into the room, both shouldering their own packs as well.
"Look, don't try and stop me!" Eren cried.
"You're, uh, gonna need a lot more gear" said Bertolt.
"Especially if something's gone wrong and one of them are hurt" interjected Ryan as he stood to his feet and shouldered his pack, turning to the Shiganshina trio.
"You can't do this alone" Reiner ended, "Just like the folks you're trying to rescue"
"More eyes you've got in your search party, the better, right?" Bertolt added.
"Well, we…I suppose we can use all the help we can get" Eren stuttered.
"Good, 'cause we're not asking" Ryan replied as Sasha, Marco and Connie joined the group as well.
"And the storm sounds like it's letting up a bit" Marco added, "We should be okay.
"I brought some extra rations just in case" Sasha declared, raising the bagged items.
"Thanks guys" Eren smiled.
The sudden loud sound of snowfall echoed from outside, catching the group's attention. "What was that? Avalanche?" Armin whispered as the group made their way outside to see what was going on. Once outside, the group discovered upon inspection that nothing seemed to out of the ordinary-not that they could see much in the snow storm.
"Look! Someone's coming!" Sasha cried spotting the two figures first. It was Ymir and Daz.
At least another hour or so later, by the time the snow storm had let up, Edith and Krista finally made their way to the checkpoint. Tired and cold beyond belief, but there all the same. "It's about time you two showed up" Ymir commented from where she sat waiting by the gate, "You two decide to take the scenic route or something? I told Reiner and the gang I'd wait out here to be your welcoming committee. So…yeah, I know. Stupid move on my part"
Edith let her gaze rove Ymir's hushed form as Krista spoke. "Daz, is he…?" she asked. Ymir didn't reply, merely looked towards one of the cabins where a tired and shivering man could be seen swaddled in blankets. Edith was a little jealous, those blankets sure looked warm.
Edith glanced back at the pair beside her who clearly wanted to talk amongst themselves, so she decided to make herself scarce. "Well, I'm gonna head inside" Edith murmured as she moved towards the closest cabin.
Inside it was quiet, not something you would usually associate with the 104th cadet corps, considering its members. Stepping through the door, Edith pulled her hood down, shaking the snow from her hair and stamping her boots on the welcome mat as she garnered the attention of those in the room. Behind her, the door closed taking the blast of cold air with it.
The group said nothing as she stood there, all of them wearing varying expressions of surprise and relief. "Maria's fucking tits! It's cold out there!" Edith joked as she made her way over to the lit fire that she had spotted upon her entrance.
"Eddie! You're okay!" Ryan, jumping to his feet and pulling the shorter girl into a tight hug.
"More or less" Edith replied as she pulled away from the hug and dropped her pack to the floor and sat in front of the fire with her hands raised, soaking in its warmth.
"Edith! Your lips are turning blue!" Armin cried inspecting the shivering girl.
"I would not be surprised" she replied toeing off her large boots and stripping off her wet overcoat and replacing it with the mountain of blankets that Ryan had handed her. Surprisingly, the rest of her clothes were relatively dry.
"What happened?" Reiner asked as Ryan fussed with the blankets.
"I fell over. Just flopped straight into a snow bank, face first" Edith replied as she tucked her feet underneath her; sitting cross-legged on the closest seat to the fire.
"Why'd you do that?"
"I didn't do it on purpose!"
"Edith, where's Krista?" Mikasa piped up from off to the side.
"She's outside, talking to Ymir. She's fine, just tired" Edith replied.
"Well, here. Hold onto these" Ryan said as he tucked three warm water skins under the blankets. One under each armpit and the third was hugged to her chest. Edith all but melted into the warmth surrounding her, a look of contented bliss on her face.
Spring 850
Utgard Castle Ruins, Ehrmich District
"YMIR!" Krista wailed, leaning out over the tower's edge with hand outstretched even as Ymir transformed before their very eyes.
Krista we are the same. Ymir thought as the familiar Titan light enveloped her. I used to curse the day I was born, just like you. The world despised me for having the gall to exist. Hm. I thought the only way to put things right was to give up my life…but even then, what I wish for more than anything was to be given a second chance. A chance TO FINALLY LIVE FOR MYSELF!
Titan Ymir tore through the gathered horde like a woman on a mission, leaping from one beast to the next; ripping out nape after nape as she went. "S-somebody…somebody tell me this is all a dream" Connie stuttered, staring down at the courtyard below.
"Ymir…" Krista breathed.
"It was her that day" Reiner breathed, both he and Bertolt suddenly recalling a memory from their childhoods where they had lost their friend to a Titan.
"She's the one…" Bertolt breathed.
The sudden movement of the shaking tower left the group to scramble for a hold as they were taken off their feet. Krista, who had been leaning out over the side, went tumbling down with a scream on her lips. It was only due to Reiner's quick reflexes (even with one workable arm) that he was able to grab a hold of Krista's ankle and pull her back up.
"Thanks Reiner, I…" Krista murmured, cutting herself off as she let out a cry of pain at his tightening hold. "Ah! Stop! You're hurting me!"
"Hey! Reiner! Let go!" Ryan ordered, moving forward to dislodge the blonde from Krista as Connie moved further forward and tried to help Krista down.
"Hey! That's enough man!" Connie cried, holding tight to Krista as Reiner subconsciously kept tightening his grip on her ankle. "Let go! LET GO!"
"I'm so sorry!" Reiner apologised as he seemed to come back to himself and dropped her ankle, letting Connie pull Krista to her feet.
"Mm, it's okay" Krista whimpered, trying to ignore her throbbing ankle.
"Tell me the truth, you had to have been in on al this"
"Huh?"
"Ymir's a Titan, how could you not know?"
"She never told me. We were inseparable and yet…I had no idea! I mean…how?!" Down below Ymir seemed to make it clear to the other Titans that she was protecting the lone humans in the tower. Her roars echoing across the landscape as she made her animalistic claim on them.
"I'm not sure what to think, all this time she's been keeping it under wraps. We never suspected a damn thing!"
"Well…it's possible she didn't know" Connie piped up, "Eren was caught off guard, he had no clue 'til he transformed"
"Then again Ymir did seem to have a plan" Ryan added, thinking about how she had asked for Connie's knife.
"Wait a second, are you saying that Ymir is a threat?" Krista exclaimed.
"Maybe, it's a helluva a power to hide" Connie replied, "How she'll use it is anyone's guess"
"For all we know, she could have been on their side all along" Bertolt suggested with a dark tone.
Krista didn't want to believe it. How could Ymir possibly be a Titan? She wasn't a bad person! Sure she was rude and crass and had a bit of an attitude, but that didn't make her a bad person! Krista thought as she watched with wide eyes as Ymir sprung forth again, this time getting swarmed by the remaining Titans.
"YMIR!" Krista cried, tears gathering in her eyes as she watched Ymir try to climb the tower once more; only for a five metre grab a hold of her ankle and yank her down. Despite her current situation, Ymir locked eyes with the group above her. She dug her nails into the stone as she looked up at her comrades.
Reiner and Bertolt both wore looks of shock tinged with rage, Connie looked like he was about to piss himself, Ryan's eyes had blown wide and his jaw hung open with worry hidden in his eyes. And finally there was Krista who stared down at her with teary eyes; ones full of worry and grief.
Making up her mind, Ymir did the only thing she could think of. She let go. "Whoa! What is she doing?!" Connie cried, watching Ymir fall down to the waiting Titans below. "Oh, come on! You're kidding right? She's worried about the tower falling down?"
"Exactly, she didn't have to stay, she could have chosen to escape. Nothing's keeping her here, but still she's fighting" Krista analysed.
"Do you think it's us? Do you think she's trying to protect us?" Ryan asked as he followed Ymir's movements down below. She was by no means a tall Titan; but what she had in size, she made up for in fight.
Who are you? Why are you doing this? Why? Krista thought as memories of the two together flashed through her mind. Krista's first drink, Ymir giving her a hug, falling asleep on Ymir's shoulder…the list went on. In a fit of impulsiveness, Krista leapt to her feet, standing on the tower's edge much to the surprise of the others there.
Ryan let out a yelp of surprise as he surged forward and gripped tight to Krista's right-hand wrist, holding her in place as the girl shouted. "DON'T YOU DARE DIE ON ME! NOT IN A HOVEL LIKE THIS! DAMN YOU!" Krista shouted, repeating the same words Ymir had said to her in the snow.
"Whoa!" Connie cried, also moving forward and wrapping his arms around her waist, both he and Ryan keeping the girl in place should she decide to jump.
"YOU WANNA BE THE HERO ALL OF A SUDDEN?! HOPING TO GO OUT IN A BLAZE OF GLORY?! DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH! TOO LATE TO THINK ABOUT HEAVEN NOW! YOU'RE A SELFISH BITCH AND YOU KNOW IT! YOU'LL DIE PROTECTING THIS STUPID TOWER! TORN TO PIECE! YMIR! SAVE YOURSELF!"
It was as if a switch had been flipped on in her head as Ymir tore stone bricks from the tower and flung them at the remaining Titans, using them as projectiles and turning the tide in her favour. The victorious feeling was short lived however as the tower began to sway dangerously, before toppling over on itself.
"Shit! Brace yourselves people! This thing's coming down!" Reiner warned.
"YEAH! 'ATTA GIRL!" Krista praised.
"Oh we're gonna die!" Ryan muttered terror tinging his tone as he tugged on Krista's wrist trying to pull the blonde down from off of the ledge.
"You could be a little more positive!" Connie replied.
"We're gonna die quickly!" Ryan retorted as the two finally pulled Krista down from the ledge. And just in time too, as Ymir suddenly appeared, her Titan hands landing where Krista had been only moments before.
"Wanna live?" Ymir grunted, her Titan voice raspy and deep, "Grab on tight" Between the hungry Titans below and the one in front, Ryan knew which one he preferred. Following after Connie and Krista, Ryan leapt over the edge, gripping tight to Ymir's hair. Here they wrapped themselves around the strands of hair, hanging there like beads as they rode the toppling tower to the ground.
The remaining human rookies rolled to a stop along the dusty ground as they were thrown from Ymir's hair; coughing and spluttering. Gathering together, Ryan was able to see that the others remained unharmed apart from a few scratches and bruises. Himself on the other hand had gained a teeny tiny cut on his forehead that was just pissing blood; otherwise he was totally fine.
"Ryan! You're bleeding!" Krista cried upon spotting the cut.
"I'm fine" Ryan reassured her, holding his sleeve up to his forehead. Behind them, the Titans that weren't killed by the tower had emerged from the rubble, intent on having their kill.
"Huh? They're still not dead?"
"Hey ugly! You've got a job to finish!" Connie cried as Ymir raced off towards the remaining Titans; killing one of them before she was grabbed.
"Ymir!" Krista cried as more Titans rose up.
"That's not good!" Connie muttered as all remaining Titans swamped Ymir's hunched form, ready to tear her to shreds.
"Are they…eating her?" Ryan breathed.
"No! No, please!" Krista whimpered, climbing down the rubble as she moved to help her friend.
"Krista wait!"
"YMIR! DON'T DO THIS TO ME! DAMMIT! WE HAD A DEAL, REMEMBER? HOLD ON! I STILL HAVEN'T TOLD YOU MY NAME! I PROMISED YOU!" Just as Krista came within metres of Ymir's prone form, another Titan appeared from behind a piece of rubble, setting its sights on her.
"KRISTA!" Connie cried, as the boys tried to get to her in time.
But they needn't have bothered as reinforcements chose that moment to appear. They could only watch as Mikasa sliced through the Titan's nape, killing it instantly. "Krista, all of you, get back" Mikasa ordered, turning to face the remaining Titans. "It's okay, let us take care of this"
"Mikasa!" Ryan gasped as the other Scouts simultaneously brought down the remaining Titans.
"Hey, look! It's Eren!" Connie pointed over to where the boy had just landed next to his kill. "HEY EREN!"
"We found 'em!" Eren gasped as he spotted the quartet making their way over to him. Krista had gone off elsewhere, presumably to find Ymir.
"Sina! You guys look like shit!" commented Edith as she alighted down next to Eren, her gaze wandering over the boys in front of her and landing on Ryan with his bleeding forehead. "What happened to you?" she asked Ryan.
"It's just a scrape" Ryan replied pulling his now bloody sleeve from his forehead.
"Rose! Can't even leave you alone for a few hours!" She sassed, picking her way through the rubble so that she could treat him.
bending down so she could reach.
"And yet, it's pissing blood" Edith wiped away as much blood as she could, revealing the tiny cut before delving into her medi-pack at her hips. "Flowers or ducks?" she grinned, showing him the two packages of bandaids.
Once the perimeter had been secured, the rookies gathered on the edge of the scene between Ymir and Krista. "It can't be…She's really…?" Armin breathed as everyone stared at Krista cradling the steaming form of Ymir's broken body. What remained of the brunette's chest rose and fell slowly as she healed; she was missing an arm and a leg and Krista was quite literally holding her guts in. Hanji sat across from Krista, just watching on.
"Ymir…" Krista whispered, watching her friend for any sign of life. It was only when Ymir's eyes cracked open a sliver did Krista continue, "Just as promised, my real name is Historia" Ymir slipped back into unconsciousness, a small smile now present on her lips.