Annie had never been one to look through life with rose-tinted glasses. She had seen more than enough how idealism can lead to a short, insignificant life. In the back of her mind, she wanted to be like that, but experience after experience had proven her that was fool hardy.

Maybe it was because of those beliefs she was drawn to him, the boy with hair as bright as sunlight. She had been unsure about what his name was exactly, but he still caught her eye. He was weak, even compared to the other rank and file soldiers, but he always gritted his teeth and did his best, surpassing the low expectations placed on him. It wasn't much to be honest, Eren was the one with the insane determination, but it made her think. How could one with such weakness succeed in any shape or form? Everything her father had installed into her went against that idea. Still that bright boy continued to press on, and Annie couldn't help but be amazed by that.

She learned later his name was Armin Arlert from Mina. (No she did not try the name out to feel the taste of it on her lips. She just repeated it for clarification.) This Armin she soon found made up for his weakness with his intellect. The boy was as clever as a whip. The only thing holding him back was his insecurity, his weakness and his powerlessness. It was pathetic.

But Annie couldn't help but see shades of herself in him. She too was weak, maybe not physically, but that didn't change the fact. She was a puppet hanging from a lonely string, ready to play whatever part was needed.

So she just watched the sunlight boy grow up through the years. It wasn't like she could have talked to him even if she wanted to. She had a mission. One that didn't fit in with optimistic beliefs and ideals.

Still the bright boy's presence remained, growing brighter and brighter each day. When the truth came out about Eren being a titanshifter, his radiance blew everyone away. Even Annie with her mind cranking away what to do now that the mission had changed was in awe with how he had grown. With that one rare show of strength, Armin drilled into her. He made his presence known and undeniable. He didn't do it with bold actions or heroics, but kind words. When she came across him in the Female Titan form, she just couldn't do it. She couldn't extinquish her bright boy's flame.

But he came back to burn her in the end. It was an obvious trap, but she couldn't help but go along. He still intrigued her so much. He called her a good person, and she couldn't tell if he was lying or not.

Everything went wrong. Everything went right. The next few hours passed in the blink of an eye. Before she knew it, she was activating crystal mode, doing anything to stop Eren from getting her.

In her last few seconds of consciousness, her thoughts drifted back to him of all people, not her father, her partners, or even Mina, the closest thing she had to a friend in her entire life. She thought of the bright boy who ruined her. The one who made her wish to be more than a puppet on a string, weak and powerless. She hated him with every fiber of her being, yet also felt something close to admiration for him.

Her last thought was she had to ask him how he did it. How he found strength in his weakness.

A.N. Been wanting to examine their relationship following the idea they weren't very close