The longest day at last bends down to evening.
Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
x
"Fuck," Connie mumbled, his eyes drawn abnormally wide. The titans were everywhere. Breaking down the walls they had hid behind for so many years. Crushing houses that held so many memories and so many stories. Ripping apart humans like toys that were too worthless to deal with.
He hears the sound of gear behind him and finds Sasha landing on the roof a few feet away. Her brown hair is loose and there are streaks of blood across her cheeks. She sends him a weary glance. "Eren's dead."
The world comes crashing down on him.
x
The desperation they had fought with so vigorously at the beginning of the titan attack was gone now. There remained only a deep exhaustion. Mikasa's body burned and her orbs watered from the smoke spreading in the air. She kept leaping. Kept launching. Kept sweeping her blade wildly and without regard for the wails that left her ears ringing. She had to do anything to ignore the pang that she felt in her chest. Eren. Gone. Dead. Swallowed by a titan.
"Mikasa!" It was Kagome, coming up behind her and using her maneuver gear to fling upwards and slash the neck of a shorter titan that had been creeping up on her while she had been unaware. The creature made a small noise before collapsing onto the earth. Kagome huffed, her chest heaving. She ran to Mikasa's side. They weren't wearing their uniforms and it made fighting even more difficult than normal. Kagome's shirt was ripped across the chest, but she had a large jacket around her, concealing her skin. Mikasa recognized the piece of clothing idly as Jean's.
"There are too many." She shook her head repeatedly. "My gear..." She faltered and gave Mikasa a hopeless frown. "We don't have much gas and we can't get to our supplies."
She hesitated. Would she give up that easily? Just let go and allow the darkness to take her? Mikasa stared at Kagome. There was something strange about her. Something off. She was a pretty girl; Mikasa had seen enough soldiers ogling after her. Even Eren was caught sending her obvious ganders. She wasn't necessarily a good fighter either. Mikasa had taken her down no problem during hand-to-hand combat. But the aura she gave was rousing.
A hand clasped her shoulder, breaking her out of her reverie. She met Kagome's blue eyes and was startled at the determination in them. "Eren wouldn't want us to just stop."
Mikasa sucked in a breath.
x
Marco can't help but commend Jean for joining the corps. It must have taken a lot of bravery and a lot of stupidity. He readied his rifle and paced along the streets of the inner walls. It was tough knowing that his comrades were fighting out there, probably for their lives, and he was carrying a weapon that he barely ever used.
He hoped Jean was alright. That he was breathing. That he wasn't hurt.
x
Eventually, Mikasa and Kagome were separated. Off fighting their own battles. Kagome wasn't worried about Mikasa. She was the best fighter the Survey Corps possessed.
She tore her eyes from a falling titan to Sasha Brown luring an abnormal while Connie snuck behind it skillfully. She searched everywhere for Jean. She wanted to see him desperately, but the battle wasn't won yet. Not by a long shot.
It was only when Armin shouted something incoherently that she managed to sprint down the pavement and reach a closed off alley where Mikasa was sprawled on the ground. Her blade was broken in half and her mobility gear was nowhere to be found. Armin was standing over her, his eyes glued upwards. There was something like awe and fear in his face.
Kagome followed his line of sight.
A titan fighting another titan.
x
Jean was terrified and he wasn't afraid to admit it. He had just witnessed a child that appeared no more than ten years old being gobbled up easily by a titan whose tongue flicked out in hunger. While the boy screamed and kicked without avail, Jean simply watched. It was like he couldn't control his body. All he kept thinking was, this is what we're up against. This is what we're up against. This is what we're up against.
x
Levi trusted Commander Erwin.
Levi trusted Commander Erwin.
Levi trusted Commander Erwin.
And when Erwin ordered him not to gather his fellow scouts and fight, it took every ounce in him not to grab his blades and charge at any titan at random, ripping apart their flesh and leaving them in piles on the streets.
He was in the commander's office, moving briskly back and forth in the small room. The silence only made him even more frustrated with his thoughts. It was only when the door flung open to reveal a young soldier, flustered and wide eyed, that Levi finally spoke.
"What the hell is it?"
The man opened his mouth. Closed it. Then said, "There's been a report of a titan."
Levi's eyebrows furrowed and he roughly grabbed the collar of the soldier, hearing him yelp in the process. "There are fucking titans everywhere. What are you yapping about?"
Commander Erwin rose from his seat. "Levi, please. I'm sure there's a logical explanation for this." Levi dropped the man with a distinct bitterness and watched as he tried to provide reasoning for his statement.
"There's a titan killing other titans."
x
[a/n]: Hey, hey. If you want me to keep updating, please review. Levi and Kagome up next.