BluePhoenix34 does not own Shingeki no Kyojin, the property and creation goes to Hajime Isayama. However, BluePhoenix34 does own Gianne Starken and all the characters unfamiliar to the SNK series. Now please, sit back and enjoy!

Chapter Seven: Are We Friend or Foe

Gianne never expected to be the first ever human to sit inside a Titan's mouth. Somehow, it was as if she wasn't capable of dying.

She was thankful her limbs were still attached to her. It was normal for someone to lose a leg or arm before being swallowed. Expected, the Titan right now was trying its best to suck her down, but the blade she drove into its tongue prevented her from doing so. Gianne gripped her hilt tightly and pulled herself forward. The moist cavern reeked, making Gianne breathe only through her mouth. Whenever the Titan opened its mouth to give an ear popping roar, Gianne used the moment to try and escape, but the exit always snapped shut. Her heart quickened its pace as she felt her body sliding down. Her movement stopped when she held on to her hilt and tried pushing down the blade deeper into the muscle. She was going to live, no matter what.

"Gianne. Gianne."

It was that same voice she heard before she was eaten. Was the person outside? Is someone going to help her? The Titans movement made her squirm around the mouth; making her barely touching the back of the tongue.

"Gianne. Kill them all. Kill them all."

Now it was different. She shook again. Gianne could feel every movement this Titan was making. When the cavern opened up to let out another roar, Gianne gritted her teeth and endured the ear shattering noise. The Titan tried again to shake her off its tongue, but she kept holding on for dear life. There was no way some Titan was going to finish her. She wasn't going to die.

"Kill them all. I'll kill them all. I'll kill 'em. More."

Why did the voice sound so similar to someone she knew? That determined and wrathful tone reminded her of a certain teal eyed boy. Then it came to her. Eren must be around here. He was trying to save her. He was going to kill this Titan! Gianne could feel heat on her legs. She was close to the throat again. Both her hands ached. She waited for her savior to help her.

"Kill them all. I'll show you Gianne. Gianne. More. More."

The mouth ripped open again, making Gianne witness something strange in the outside world. The Titan she was in right now was fighting other ones. One punched cased the opposing Titan to fall. A kick caused one smaller Titan to fly towards a building. A Titan fighting its own kind?

"Kill them all. Gianne. Gianne. Kill them all."

Where was Eren? She couldn't spot him after the teeth came together again. Was it someone else or is he even here? Gianne listened to the voice over and over again. It still seemed utterly familiar. It was definitely Eren's voice. Her body swayed around again. Closing her eyes, she thought about him. Eren, she thought and repeated, Eren, Eren, Eren.

"Gianne. Help. Kill them all."

It was him. That was the sound of his voice. Where was he though? She thought about him again, but spoke out this time. "Eren, where are you? Eren, Eren!"

"Here. Kill them all. Gianne. Here."

Gianne still didn't understand what that meant. Eren could hear her, but he wasn't even here. Though, something came to her mind. Feeling the Titan give another punch and roar, she listened to the voice more closely again. What felt like for hours, Gianne tried thinking deeper into this mystery.

"Eren's… not here, but is here. Eren… where are you?" she said to herself. Her body began to rock more violently. Her hands grew numb from pain.

Though, while she was thinking, the Titan gave another loud roar. The volume was so great, it finally made her hands slipped from the hilt, causing her to scream and fall down the throat.

-:-:-:-

The air was much sweeter. It was cool and easy to inhale. After her lungs were filled, only one word came out of her mouth.

"Eren…" Gianne exhaled.

He was the only one on her mind. The only one she could remember. Eren was with her, though, she didn't know how. Physically or in spirit, he was with her. Gage abruptly came to her thoughts like a sudden stranger.

"Gianne?" he whispered. Gage was with her. A light peeked through her vision until her eyes were widely open. Just like always, Gage and Sereak were right in front of her. Their looks, however, were difficult to figure out.

"Huh?" Gianne sighed.

Where was she? What happened to the Titan?

When her vision finally became clear, she scanned her new surroundings uncomfortably. A part of Wall Rose was right in front of them, making Gianne wonder if they were out of Trost or not. There were many Garrison soldiers looking in one specific direction. She couldn't see their faces, but the way they were quivering and tightening the grip of their swords solidly told Gianne that something threatening was amongst them. A sudden chill went down her spine when she spotted Mikasa in a defensive position with her swords and Armin and Eren right behind her. Eren looked weak and perplexed. Gianne knew she was feeling the same way.

Averting her attention to Captain Kitt–the man who order the new trainees to evacuate the citizens of Trost–he stepped forward, looking more fearful and anxious then how he normally does. Just like the other soldiers, he directed his attention right to Eren.

"Trainee Jaegar, along with Trainee Ackerman and Trainee Arlert. What you're doing right now is an act of treason. We may decide to kill you on the spot!"

Eren looked at him intently. So did Gianne.

"W-What is going on? Where are we?" she asked Sereak.

Sereak's glowering look melted to a rather relief expression. Gage, too, seemed eager to hug her for some reason. Gianne felt another presence behind her. Turning around, there was a young man with a scar on his left cheek and welding goggles. With his arms crossed over his chest, he eyed Gianne skeptically.

"Eren is a Titan, Gianne." Sereak said. "And he ate you."

The words slowly progressed in her brain. Gianne felt too weak to think at the moment. There was so much energy drained out of her. Gage had to hold her up just to keep her from falling forward. When Sereak's words finally sunk in, Gianne felt her eyes widened with disbelief.

"What? That's not true! I'm still alive!" Gianne exclaimed.

"Don't shout, idiot." she replied.

"Gianne it's true, Eren really was a Titan and he did eat you." Gage said, trying to convince her. "We don't know how or why, but he hacked you out. You were in a sack substance before I cut you out. We thought you were dead."

"Stop lying to me! I'm not in the mood for games at the moment!" Gianne spat harshly.

"Hush you little bitch." the young man behind her ordered. Gianne rotated her head to glare at him.

"Who the hell are you?"

Before he could answer, Captain Kitt cut in with his booming voice. "If you attempt to lie to us, or make a single move, we will fire a HE Projectile on you immediately. We will not hesitate!" He points up to the other side of the wall were a noticeable cannon pointed straight towards Eren and his companions.

"This is completely insane!" Gianne cried. "How inhuman can you people get?"

"Enough Gianne, this is what has to be done in order to get answers. Eren may not lie though, so the cannon will be a useless threat." Sereak said, eyeing Eren down. "Actually, you never know what the outcome is going to be."

"Sereak is right, Gianne. If anything happens, just stay behind us." Gage told her. Gianne took that offensively.

"Are you saying I can't take care of myself?"

"You're weak and exhausted, I don't think you can." Gage said.

Even though he was talking to her, he kept glaring down in Eren's direction, just like Sereak. Gianne had enough of this foolishness. She remembered being in the Titan's mouth and hearing her name over again. She remembered how she was swallowed, but still managed to survive. How could Eren do all that to her? Before she could talk again, Captain Kitt asked Eren a rather straight forward question.

"Answer me right now! What are you, a man or a Titan?"

It took Eren a moment to answer. His eyes wandered anxiously to each soldier, who still had their swords point towards him. He got a good look at Gianne, who stared blankly back at him. Somehow, she knew he was confused about this whole event. It was easy to read his face. His eyes kept blinking, his lips trembled to find words, and sweat rode down the side of his face despite the fact that the walls shadow was casted over him. He was looking for an answer, and Gianne was unable to give him one. Without another thought, Eren returned his attention back to Captain Kitt and replied to him.

"I… I d-don't understand the question!"

"Fuck…" Gianne muttered under her breath. He should've said man, and then the situation would come out easier, she thought.

"Monster!" Captain Kitt cried in alarm. Gianne took a moment to look at his face. He was scared, just like everyone else. She could tell he want this boy dead very soon. "Try that again, and I'll blow you to pieces. It just takes an instant! You won't have time to reveal your true form!"

"My true form?" Eren asks.

"I'm losing my patients now." the man from behind says. Gianne and her friends turn to look at him. "If this brat is just playing with us, then I don't see the point. He's probably stalling to keep himself alive for a good amount of time. I say, we lock him up until the real experts get here."

"The real experts, Rikken?" Gage questions.

"The Survey Corps, stupid, we actually know how to handle Titans. These interior Garrison soldiers are just threatening the brat because their afraid to get close to him. If he turns into his Titan form again, they would be too scared to fight him. They don't know a thing about making sacrifices."

"My father was a Garrison soldier, and he sacrificed all he had just to save my friend during the fall of Shiganshina." Sereak said, her voice growling in defense. Gianne knew she was very emotion about that subject.

This Rikken man just rolled his eyes. "I said interior, not exterior."

The conversation was cut short when Captain Kitts yelled out Gianne's name. This managed to catch everyone's interest.

"Eren Jaeger, we have witnesses of you regurgitating Trainee Gianne Starken and you emerging from the Titan that did so! If you were trying to eat this innocent soldier, then you are considered a Titan. Humanity has permitted an unknown creature like you to infiltrate Wall Rose. Even if you are trainees given to us by the King, the safest course of action is to eliminate the risk immediately. My thinking is correct! The Armored Titan that destroyed Wall Maria could appear at any minute."

Gianne felt both Gage and Sereak shiver when the captain mentioned the Armored Titan. Even though Gianne didn't remember seeing it before, she bet it was as horrible as the Colossal Titan. Just the thought makes me want to seclude myself from everything right now.

"Right now, humanity is at risk of annihilation! Do you understand? We can't waste any more time or troops on you. I will fire a HE Projectile on you without hesitation!" the captain points again, his body quivering after each word he spoke out.

A short woman with platinum blonde hair and glasses muttered to the captain, but Gianne wasn't able to make out the words. Though, seeing her face, she looked rather impatient and frustrated as well. Another soldier calls out; asking permission to attack. Mikasa wouldn't allow it. She stepped forward, raising her blades slightly and eyeing the soldiers menacingly. Her voice sounded sharp, like her blades.

"My specialty is tearing through flesh. If necessary I am willing to demonstrate at any time. If anyone would like to experience it firsthand, I invite them to approach first."

Gianne silently cheered for Mikasa, ignoring her hatred towards the girl for a few seconds. At least she knew someone who thought Eren was innocent. If Mikasa was able to stand up for Eren, then Gianne was able to as well. She didn't want to stay to the side and watch the fate of Eren Jeager. That was her friend. She knew Eren would do the same for her if she was in his position. If Eren was a Titan, then Gianne now managed to believe it. Everyone wanted the truth, and both Gianne and Eren were the only ones who could give it to these soldiers.

Using the rest of the energy she had, Gianne pushed herself forward and sprinted away from her friends, despite their calls. When she was a few meters ahead, she screamed out for everyone to hear her voice.

"Eren is not a threat!" she screeched. Her peach skin was paler than before and her red hair was messier than usual. She didn't look soldier like at all, but all the soldiers were fully aware of the girl now. Even Mikasa raised an eyebrow, showing interest. Gianne continued. "Eren Jaeger is not a threat! Yes, he threw me up, but he was really trying to save me!"

"Young lady, what are you trying to say? Monsters don't help humans!" Captain Kitt said.

He was right. She needed some proof. Evidence to prove Eren was trying to help her. She was able to recall his cries. The ones she heard when she was in his mouth. He just wanted to kill the Titans, and protect her, nothing else. He had no intention to eat her at all. The swallowing was only natural. She had to believe that was true. Except, how could she hear him? Would it sound insane if she told these wild soldiers that she heard his voice? That she may have telepathic powers? That won't only cost Eren's life, but hers as well. She had to try though. They already believe she was a helpless trainee who didn't understand what was going on. Maybe saying what she heard won't be so horrible.

"I heard his voice and h-his real motivations!" she screamed back. Her voice cracked. She was really weak. "He just wanted to kill the Titans and save my life! I'm not saying these from my feelings; I'm only telling you what–" she stopped herself. Taking a breath, she revealed what she was trying to say. "What I heard… in… in my head!"

The area was silent. Each soldier was trying to take in what Gianne had just revealed. All were rather confused by her words, including Sereak and Gage. Some looked even more scared then they were before. Finally, Captain Kitt glowered down on her.

"What are you trying to say? That you have telepathic powers? You can read others thoughts?"

Gianne thought that sounded just right, but instead of humans, she could only hear Eren's mind. So she nodded. "Yes, but I can only hear Eren's thoughts when he turned into a Titan. But believe me when I tell you, he was not intending to attack humanity in anyway. The Titans and my safety were his only motivations. I promise you, Eren is fully human!"

Gianne hoped her words were able to convince them to let Eren go. She hoped this would be enough proof to release him and show he was no threat. What seemed like a miracle worker instantly turned to sudden chaos.

Two soldiers solidly grabbed both her arms. Gianne cried with surprise.

"Gianne!" Gage called to her in alarm. Before she could turn to him, the soldiers dragged her across the yard. Gianne tried to wrench herself free from their grips, but the full grown men were stronger than her. Suddenly, they tossed her to the pit with Mikasa, Eren, and Armin. When she face planted into the ground, Armin greeted her with a concerned look.

"Gianne, are you okay?"

"I'm spitting out rocks and dirt, do I look okay?" she replied harshly. She wasn't annoyed with Armin or the two soldiers that threw her into a death zone. No, she was mostly disappointed that her plan didn't work at all. Captain Kitt talked again.

"Gianne Starken, sister of one of humanity's greatest soldiers, Kota Starken, I cannot believe this traitor to be fully human. I do believe what you said to be true, but like before, we don't have time to deal with scum like you at the moment. You may also be a Titan, with this sort of power you have."

Gianne turned to Gage, who tried to shove his way towards the pit. Many Garrison soldiers were holding him back. He looked wild with his angry, red face and his teeth clenching tightly. He was trying everything he could to help her, that's what he promised before the three friends went into the military. The thought made her a little happy inside. Except, it went away when Kitt continued.

"To Eren Jaeger and Gianne Starken, forgive me for doing this." he began to raise his hand, the signal to drop the cannonball on the group. "There's no avoiding the fact, that you may be… the devil."

His hand went up straight.

Mikasa screamed and ran to Eren.

Gianne heard her name by both Sereak and Gage, but sat there dumbfounded.

The cannon fired with a boom.

Eren squirmed out of Mikasa grip and ran towards both Gianne and Armin.

Gianne felt Eren's arm around her.

Then, after a sound of sudden lightning, Gianne screamed from a familiar migraine.

-:-:-:-

Antonio Rodrigues could recall a ton of insane events that happened in his life; his town getting demolished by the Titans, his own people getting eaten, and the return of the Colossal Titan at Trost.

Eren emerging from a vaporizing Titan carcass was the worst of all.

Antonio didn't know what to feel about that. First a Titan comes along to kill his own kind, throws up Gianne's body and it turns out Eren did all that? That doesn't make sense.

He turned to Annie who sat next to him on the bench they were on. Jean, Reiner, and Bertolt were amongst the two feeling like they just witnessed the impossible happen. Reiner and Bertolt took it more personally, as well as Annie.

"Annie, what's going to happen now?" he asked her.

He remembered his first encounter with her, when humanity was evacuating to Wall Rose after the Titans attacked. He was alone at the time with no one to talk to and afraid that his lonely life was going to get him into a lot of trouble for his future. Then, he met that apathetic blonde girl who seemed to understand the situation he was in. They were both alone in this cold world, with no one to rely on. Sticking together for the next couple of days, they both decided to rely on each other until they were ready to be alone again. That's what Annie told him. So far, he didn't want to leave her side yet.

"Who knows?" she shrugged carelessly.

Antonio sulked and turned to the three girls that were talking to each other; Sylvia, Ymir, and Krista. They looked depressed as they retold their current events and the many trainees that were killed along the way. As a matter of fact, when another wagon full of injured soldiers rolled by, this made the mood even more hopeless. Antonio sighed before the unexpected noise was heard.

Boom!

Everyone jumped from their skins, including Antonio. Hopping off the bench, he ran towards the clearing to get a better look at the smoke coming from the side of the wall. Reiner ran by his side, looking more anxious than ever. Antonio has never seen this fierce ox look so frightened before. Normally he was calm about these unforeseen conditions.

Reiner was wild.

The tall blonde ran in that direction after activating his maneuver gear. Frozen, Antonio watched Bertolt and Annie follow in his direction while Jean called out to them. Having no other choice, Antonio followed along as well, interested in this new insane event.

-:-:-:-

After the lightning, Sereak heard the sound of bones clicking.

She looked up finally and found smoke surrounding the whole entire area. Gage was pushed away by the other Garrison soldiers, looking perplexed like everyone else. Sereak uncovered her mouth when the smoke began to clear. It was soon translucent, making her see a large silhouette. When everyone was able to finally see what it was, the whole army gasped with utter disbelief.

There, stood half the body of a Titan, skinless and deformed. Half of its body was covered with muscle and tissue while the other half was nothing but bones. The rib cage was shown. Looking more closely, Sereak gaped at Gianne, Mikasa, and Armin for being under there. It was almost like a cage for them. Protecting them?

"I guess the secret is now out." Sereak muttered, annoyed by Eren's actions. She knew he was a Titan, but he didn't have to turn into one right now. Though, she was more concerned for Gianne's safety. Armin and Mikasa were the last people she wanted to worry about.

The whole Garrison army was now panicking. Screams and cries were well heard all around, asking what to do and if they should attack. Captain Kitt ordered some soldiers to reload the cannon, as if that was their only option left. Even Rikken looked puzzled to what his next move was. Since he was a part of the Survey Corps, Titans shouldn't frighten him easily. But he probably never dealt with a Titan like this.

"The smoke's clearing up!"

"Attack as soon as you see them!"

"Let's end this already!"

Sereak had to pull Gage back when the Titan began to smoke again. She knew too well that he wanted to go after Gianne, but for now, they had to see what was going to happen next. The smoke thickened, hiding the large Titan and everyone under it.

"Sereak let me go!" Gage cried, forcing his way forward.

"No! I need you to stay here and wait until the smoke clears. I'm sure Gianne is fine." she tried to reassure.

Gage turned his head to glare at her. Sereak has never seen him so furious before. "You said that the last time, and we found Gianne in Eren's stomach."

She hated to admit it, but Gage was right. Sereak wasn't sure if Gianne was okay. Eren just turned into a Titan so suddenly, he could crush her. She wished for a few minor injuries on her friend's body, nothing else. If Gianne did die, her whole world would change dramatically. Though, she had to keep Gage's hopes up so he wouldn't do anything stupid. She was calm, while he was shaking violently.

"Just be patient, okay Gage. I don't know if Gianne is okay or not, but the only way to find out is when the smoke clears."

"I can't wait Sereak, Gianne could be seriously hurt!"

"I know, but we have to stay calm about it." she said. This made him snap.

"Are you insane, how canI stay calm when our friend is over there under a Titan's rib cage?!"

Gage wasn't the only one who snapped. Sereak threw her fist at the right side of his face hard, making her knuckles cry in agony.

Gage fell back a little and put a hand on his now swollen cheek. He was completely thrown off by this. Sereak glared him down, like a mother trying to tame her cub. Over the years she knew Gage, she told herself that he didn't deserve one of her assaults. It was always for Gianne and when she acted out of control. Right now, Sereak felt like Gianne was with her.

"Enough! I had it with your stubbornness!" she screamed at him, causing a few Garrison soldiers to look towards her. "Walls of Heaven I feel like I'm talking to Gianne right now! What happened to the Gage who's always calm, cool, and collective? It was always much easier talking to him!"

Gage just stared at her, his eyes wide. His hand still didn't leave his burning cheek. Rikken even took the time to pay attention to this outburst.

Sereak continued, softer this time, "Yes, Gianne is in danger again, but what can we do? All those Garrison soldiers are blocking our path to her and even if we attempted to get to her, they would think we're enemies to humanity as well, and that will make this situation even worse. The best thing we can do right now is to trust Gianne and the others to make a decision about what's going to happen next. We both know Eren and his friends are good at making those, and Gianne is smart enough to go along with it. We have to have faith in them Gage. Gianne doesn't need us right now."

Gage looked away when she was done, scowling at the floor. Sereak knew his feelings were taking over and when they did, he would get out of hands. Though, she didn't need that right now. At this very moment, Gage had to make a decision. Have faith in the people who have become their enemies or go and become one too.

However, Sereak knew Gage would immediately pick the second option. She hoped her speech would change his mind. So far, it seemed to work.

"Okay…" he muttered apprehensively.

Sereak sighed with relief, as well as Rikken.

"At least there's one person here still has her head screwed on." the young man said.

Sereak took that as a compliment.

"Hold your fire!" the Captain orders.

Sereak, Gage, and Rikken look up to see the skeleton shaking vigorously. Suddenly, a few cracks were spotted on the bones of the rib cage, and soon, they expanded. Loud cracks were heard–a sound that made Sereak sick to her stomach–and the structure began to break apart. In a matter of seconds, the earth shook slightly from the bones impact and smoke flew towards the whole army.

"Ah!" Sereak cried.

Covering her face, Gage and Rikken did the same as well. After a while, they were able to open their eyes again without their sight getting blurry.

"You okay?" Gage asked her. Sereak nodded.

"Fire on my mark, and not a moment before!" the Captain ordered soldiers by the cannon.

It felt like an eternity waiting for Gianne and the others. Sereak was having doubt about the faith she put into them. Gage looked more impatient than before, but Sereak hoped he would stay calm before doing anything that he was going to regret.

"When the hell are they going to show themselves?" Gage asked.

"Just be patient, it takes time. Like birds who are trying to learn how to fly, you can't dive in yet." Sereak said.

Gage gave her a look. "May the Titans take you and swallow you whole Sereak, so I won't have to hear another one of your animal advices again."

Sereak wouldn't been frustrated by his insult, but she couldn't help the ghost smile that formed on her face. Everything will be okay, she thought to herself.

Finally, the noises of hard footsteps were heard from within the smoke. At first, the person didn't reveal themselves until they broke free from the smoke and covered their face. The Captain squeaks and looks anxious again.

"Freeze!" he ordered the person.

Uncovering his face from his arms, Armin Arlert holds them up high in a nonthreatening position. His face looked determined, but also afraid at the same time.

"Shit…" Sereak muttered with disappointment.

-:-:-:-

Gianne will never get used to the migraines that appear so suddenly when a Titan is around. Though, this one seemed to knock her out for a few seconds. During those few seconds, a dream appeared in her mind.

It was the one from before, about her running in the forest, trying to escape the Titan that was hot on her heels. Those same words also kept replaying: Run. Run as fast as you can.

Not now, why now? She thought angrily.

It ended the same way. She jumped from a cliff and began falling to her death. Then, she opened her eyes.

Looking up, clouds of smoke were surrounding her and two other figures beside her. Eren and Mikasa.

Hearing her grunt, Eren looked down and gave a sigh of relief when she stood up. "Good, you're awake." he said.

"What just happened?" Gianne questioned.

The last thing she remembered before the dream was a shockwave and hearing the sound of lightning crack. Then, before the dream took over, she was next to Armin as they both sat inside a cage made of bones. Now, the bones seemed to be gone. The structure that held Gianne, Armin, and Mikasa together was now demolished.

"Eren saved us." Mikasa told her.

"How?"

"I don't know," Eren admitted. "But, it was an instinct. I just bit my hand and soon, I'm a Titan that blocked the cannonball from killing us."

Gianne's eyes widen, believing ever word he was telling her. "You turned into a Titan again?"

"Oh right, you were knocked out before you could see it." Eren said.

"Why is that?" Mikasa asked her suspiciously, her eyes narrowing. Gianne figured she was remembering her confessing about hearing Eren's voice in her mind. "You just screamed and passed out so suddenly."

"I don't know." Gianne said. "But, since Eren turned into a Titan, I just got the migraine so unexpectedly. Maybe, it's a sign to know when he's transforming." she guessed.

"Just me?" Eren asked.

"I'm not sure. Do you know any other people who are like you that I can do a test run with?" Gianne asked rather sarcastically. That last comment made her feel like Sylvia.

Eren looked uncomfortable while Mikasa kept glaring down at her. "Now's not the time for jokes Starken. Armin is about to risk his life by trying to convince the Garrisons that you and Eren are not threats."

"He is?"

"Yes, so show a little more gratitude."

"Are you kidding me Ackerman?! You want to fight now?!"

"Enough you two!" Eren cut them off from their argument. "I think I can hear Captain Kitts."

Gianne could as well. When the smoke began to clear a little more, Gianne was able to make out the soldiers and the captain that kept pointing their weapons at them. Armin was standing tall with his arms raised to show he wasn't a threat. Gianne watched the scene closely.

"You finally showed your true colors you monster!" Captain Kitt said. "I'll give you the signal to fire, you hear me?!"

Armin barks out, "They're not an enemy of Mankind! We're willing to disclose every piece of information we've gained!"

"I'm not going to listen to you begging for your lives! It's too late for this! We've already seen what he really is!" the Captain yells back to Armin, his hands balling into tight fists. "You say he's not an enemy, but you've yet to show me any proof of that! If you can't do that, then we'll just eliminate him and the threat he poses! Including the witch girl and her mind reading ways!"

Armin puts his hands down, "There's no need for proof! It doesn't matter if we see them as allies or an enemy!"

"What did you say?"

"You said there were loads of witnesses! Then they should've also seen Eren fighting the Titans! And they would've seen the Titans ganging up on him!"

A few Garrison soldiers began lowering down their blades, agreeing to what Armin just announced. Gianne thought that was a smart move on his part. She listened to him more as he continued.

"Which means the Titans see him the same way they do us; as prey. Even when he ate a human, he still hacked her out still fully alive. He had no desire to eat her like how the other Titans would. We can rack our brains as much as we like, but it's not going to change that fact!"

Soldiers began muttering in agreement, having second thoughts about the situation. Most of the weapons now were lowered, giving Gianne high hopes. Both Eren and her gave quick looks and grinned. This is going to work!

"Prepare to attack!" the Captain shouts. "Don't fall for their tricks!"

"What…?" Gianne muttered, apoplectic with rage at the captain's orderd. Captain Kitts Verman, you are a coward.

"Their actions will forever be beyond our comprehensions. Don't you see? They can turn into humans, speak our language, and deceive all of us! We can't let them have their way any longer!" he engages the soldiers once more.

Once again, all weapons are pointed towards the group, fearing rising in them. Gianne spotted Gage and Sereak finally, looking terror-stricken. Was this the end? She wanted to die as a hero to humanity, not a traitor. Though, she wasn't.

Armin looks back for a belief second, looking for some backup. Gianne watched Eren nod to him before he turned back to the soldiers and saluted to them. This one seemed so perfect.

"I am a soldier, sworn to give everything I have for the sake of Mankind's rebirth! Nothing would make me happier than dying got that cause! If we combine Eren's Titan powers and Gianne's powers with our remaining forces, the recapture of this town could be with our grasp! For Mankind's glory, I will use what little time I have left to affirm for their tactical worth to us!"

Everything was silent.

Gianne gawked at Armin for a long time. Armin was breathing heavily, but he wasn't shaking at all. He still stood tall and firm with his salute tight in place. Gage and Sereak also looked completely lost for words. Seeing a couple figures on her right, Gianne looked up to see some of her trainees on the roof watching the scene closely with anxious expressions. It was Jean, Antonio, Annie, Reiner, and Bertolt. They all seemed dumbfounded as well. The soldiers began having debates with one another as they lowered their weapons. One soldier walked up to the captain, only to be shut off completely by a sharp. "Quiet!"

"Crap!" Gianne cursed.

Mikasa attempts to grab new blades with her hilt while Eren brings his hand up to his mouth. Gianne didn't have her weapons with her. She felt so powerless and useless, how could she defend herself now? Armin still stood his ground, like a statue. Captain Kitts began to raise his hand again. Gianne's only friends call out her name in alarm, Sereak looking so frantic while Gage seemed ready to cry. Kitts was about to straighten his hand when suddenly, he was stopped.

"Stop it."

Behind him was the man who prevented Kitts hand from signaling the next cannonball. He was a tall old person with a grey mustache on his face. The only hair he had left. His facial expression was extremely serene, as if the world was just flowing by smoothly around him. He wore something around his uniform, almost like a sign to show he was in the high ranks. Gianne could recognize him from before, in training camp, she saw his face a couple times.

"Commander Pixis!"

The commander had a comfortable smile planted on his face as he looked down at Armin, who kept standing still. "Can't you see that boy's splendid salute?" he lets go of Kitts and walks a few steps before stopping again. "I only just got here, but I was informed of the situation on the way. You go take command of the reinforcements. I get the feeling I should listen to what these kids have to say."

Armin fell to his knees, sobbing a little with joy. Mikasa and Eren eyes widen with surprise while Gianne felt a whole ton of weight get lifted from her chest. She could finally breathe normal again.

"Gianne!" Gage calls out.

She looks in his direction and watched him shove some Garrison soldiers away to get to her. Sereak was right behind him as the two ran to the group. Before she knew it, Gage tackled her into a bear hug that caused them both to fall to the floor. Gage squeezed all the oxygen out of her while Sereak was by her side holding her hand tightly.

Soon, the reunion caused Gianne to tear up and cry.

-:-:-:-

Gianne still couldn't believe that this whole invasion happen in the morning. The battle felt like it was going on for days, not hours. When you were on top of the inner wall of Wall Rose, you were able to see the sunset sink into the horizon, announcing that the day was going to be over soon.

Commander Pixis walked along as he looked down below the walls, interested in the Titans that tried to desperately climb up. Pixis could only cackle at the sight. He really was a peculiar man.

Gianne had Gage and Sereak behind her while Eren had Mikasa and Armin. Everyone was together now. Pixis only commanded Gianne, Eren, and his friends to come along, but Gage and Sereak insisted that they would be a part of this discussion as well. Where ever Gianne went, they had to be a part too. Gianne was grateful for friends like that.

"I see. We'll know everything if we go to that basement." Pixis said, finally breaking away the silence. Everyone was patient enough. They wanted to hear what the commander had to say.

"Yes." Eren said, looking tired. He was knelt down with his eyes wide and baggy. Gianne wondered if she looked worse. "Will you believe me?"

"Since you have no concrete proof of this, I'll just keep that in mind for now." Pixis looks back calmly. "However, I think I can tell when someone is telling the truth. So I will guarantee your lives."

Everyone sighs, pleased about the good news. Pixis was trying to be a fair and honest man. It was much easier than dealing with Captain Kitts.

"Cadet Arlert."

"Yes, sir?" Armin salutes again.

"Earlier, you said that if we used what you called "Titan power" and Gianne's power, it might be possible to retake this town. Do you think that's really possible? Or was that a last-ditch effort to save your lives?"

Everyone paused and listens closely to what Armin has to say. Gianne was afraid that if he said the wrong thing, they were going to get executed immediately.

Armin continues with an frank smile. "It was both. What I was trying to say in that moment… was that Eren, as a Titan, could carry that large boulder to seal the gateway that was destroyed. Gianne's purpose was to supervise him and read his mind if anything bad was to happen, just for precaution. It was just something I thought of on the fly. I hope you would see… how both Eren and Gianne's powers could change our present situation."

Pixis turns around with a grunt, looking back at Trost. Gianne couldn't believe what she was hearing. Armin just raised both her and Eren's image into humanity's last hopes. But Gianne was only here to guide Eren if the situation got out of hands. It was mostly Eren's responsibility to seal the whole.

Armin continues, "Of course, I said it in the desperate hope of saving our lives."

"In the desperate hope of saving yourselves," Pixis repeats, "now those are words I can believe." Taking out what looked like alcohol and giving himself a long sip of his drink, Pixis then turns to walk over to Eren and Gianne and kneels towards them. "So, Cadet Jaeger, and Cadet Starken."

"Yes sir?" They both said in unison.

"Can you two seal the hole?"

Everyone looks surprised by the question. Gianne tried to get her head straight and speak her mind before Pixis got the wrong impression of her.

"I can't turn into a Titan like Eren, sir. All I can do is hear his voice when he's in his Titan form. I will help guide him, if he's willing to do it." she said. Everyone turns to Eren, who looks completely dazed and puzzled. With a nervous stutter, he speaks.

"Huh! Well, I... I don't know anything more about myself than these people here do. That's why, I may be able to, or I may not. I don't want to give an irresponsible answer."

Pixis chuckles, "Yes you're right. Forgive me. That was the wrong question to ask."

Eren looks up to him. Gianne saw Gage raise a brow at Pixis' last statement. Suddenly, the commander's calm personality turned into a rather solemn one. Gianne was caught off guard by that. The old man looked ready to sock Eren in the jaw if he gave him the wrong answer.

"Will you do it, or won't you? Which will it be?"

Eren blinks while everyone else watch the two with interest. Pixis gestures him to look back at the world. Eren turns back and quivers. This was a hard decision to make right now, but it had to be done. Gianne was completely in to helping Eren as much as she could, but the question was, was Eren willing to do it. For the sake of humanity? For the sake of his friends? He finally turns back, his hard eyes showing determination.

"Alright." Eren finally says. "I'll do it! I don't know if I can seal the hole or not. But, I will do it."

*Author's Note: I know what you're all thinking. FINALLY, right? I know, I deserve to be punished for this long update. Please don't hate me though, I do have good reasons:

My school sucks. Yes, I take creative writing classes and I had to focus on a lot of shit during that time, and I had to deal with finals. I will only say this once and I hope you all will understand. FINALS ARE THE WORST TESTS EVER! Literally, my Chemistry Test was 150 questions and my Biology Test was 180. Do you know what that does to a girl's brain? It makes her want to kill herself. (Warning: I did not mean that in a serious way so please do not take what I last said seriously).

And my other reason was that this chapter was very hard to write, and I think you would understand why. But it's done. And to the people who thought Black Skies was dead, well… WRONG!

Now that summer has rolled along, I will be able to write more chapters and possible make them much longer than before. Though, there is one bad news to this. I don't think I'll be posting every week, but I'm going to try. If I don't, please don't hate me and try to bear with it. I will not end Black Skies on a bad note.

Now, I want to make this story and the OC characters a little more interesting so I've decided to try something I've never done before. My friend is going to ask a random question and I will have to answer it in my honest opinion about your OCs. So, question of the day (chapter?) is…

QUESTION #1: If any of the Black Skies OC characters had a super power, what would it be?

Gianne: The ability to fly

Gage: Super strength

Sereak: The ability to shape-shift into different animals

Daedre: Super speed

Antonio: Time control

Sylvia: Invisibility

Conrad: Mind control

Rikken: Fire manipulation

Hope you guys like my answers. If you also want to give me a question to answer, feel free to do so. Until next time, I hope you guys have a great week!

-Gianne Starken: BluePhoenix34

-Gage Bulter: FlyBoy56

-Sereak Poljor: Jauntues Tigerwolf

-Daedre Moche: Pixpi

-Sylvia Shelton: RoseTyler10

-Antonio Rodrigues: crankiestnebula

-Conrad Gorman: Shrapnel893

-Rikken Talicron: RagingKoopatroopa

-Phoenix