Eren hesitated…
He split up with Levi heichou so they could search for Annie faster that way.
He knew that was a good idea but he kept thinking the same thing over and over again:
What should I do when I see her?
He never really knew how he would react when he finally became face to face with her. Even on the way here, he kept fretting over what to say when he got the chance to talk to her. Of course he never mentioned this to Levi heichou.
Eren knew that he and Annie would fight sooner or later.
But he didn't expect her to pick a fight like this.
She only wanted to fight him because she wanted to see how much he improved?
Was that something she should be saying? Instead of leaving and running away, she stayed put and picked a fight with him just so she could see his growth and improvement?!
It didn't make any sense…
"Well, Eren Jaeger?" she said, snapping him out of his confusion. "I'm waiting. How will you present your first strike today?"
Eren raised his fists and eyed Annie's blank face.
He'll show her how much he's improved. She may have taught him many of his fighting moves and she may have beaten him in almost every sparring match. But while she's been sleeping inside some crystal, he's been getting a lot of practice with Mikasa and his friends. He's made a large amount of improvement…
He's changed since the last time she saw him.
He'll show her.
He'll prove that to her.
He gulped but his eyes were burning with determination as he took a step forward.
Annie raised an eyebrow.
She liked that look. That look of pure courage and perseverance.
Her expressionless mask seemed to crack just a bit as she realized this.
Seeing his chance, Eren sprinted towards her, ready to strike.
He was ready, he was ready to do his thing.
He was ready to show her how much he's grown.
But Annie saw through his move. Her eyes twinkled underneath the light of the sun as she brought her leg forward and slammed it against his ankle. He stumbled forward, giving Annie an opportunity to grab him by the neck with her arms and flip him over with a swift kick to his knee. He fell with a loud thud, on his back, his legs slumped over his face. He blinked and gazed at the sky from in between his thighs.
Well, maybe he hasn't grown as much as he thought he had.
"What the hell was that, Eren Jaeger?" Annie said, brushing her bangs away from her face. "That was the first move I've done on you when we first met. How do you fall for that again?"
Eren didn't even bother correcting his position as he continued to stare at the blue void overhead.
"That…was a long time ago." He said quietly.
"A lame excuse. You were supposed to learn from that, Eren." The girl said coldly.
"It's been a while since I've last sparred with you, I forgot how you fight." He said blankly.
"Sparring, huh?" she mumbled.
She stared at Eren's overturned body and her stoic mask chipped away again.
A small smile, a very small smile, tugged at her lips as she walked over to him and stared down at his shocked yet sort of calm expression.
"You haven't grown at all, you suicidal bastard."