Chapter 4: Digging Deeper

"So, Krista, are you thinking of joining any clubs or sports' teams?"

The question came from Eren, who had been partnered with her for Levi's assignment. They had to cook something healthy and practical as part of their unit exam. Jean and Marco were struggling, covered in egg yolk and flour. How they managed to do that was beyond Krista's imagination.

Kneading the dough with her elbows, she turned to Eren with a smile. "No, not really. I know next year is our last year, but I just want to get used to this school before trying anything."

Eren nodded. "Yeah, I get it. You need time to adjust. So, what are we making, exactly?"

"Well, I was thinking pizza, since we could add vegetables as part of the healthy criteria and it's really easy to make, for the practical criteria."

"Aw yeah, pizza! Oh man, this is gonna be great!" Eren exclaimed happily.

Krista laughed. "Eren, could you do me a favour and dice the vegetables I prepared on the table? Then we'll work on the sauce after."

"I'm on it!" He took the knife and placed a green bell pepper on a cutting board. His face suddenly grew angry and he chopped fast and hard. He scowled as he chopped, frightening Krista. She wiped her hands on her apron and touched his shoulder gently. He jumped and turned to face her, anger dissolving from his face.

"Eren, is something wrong? Do you not want to do this?" she asked gently, scared.

"No, no! Oh, I must've scared you with my angry face, huh? Haha, it's fine, I just started thinking of the Titans when I was chopping, so I got really angry. I hate those damn Titans..." he trailed off into a mutter, clenching his jaw.

Krista pulled her hand back and remembered what Armin told her on the first day of school. So he really did hate Titans, huh? He hated them so much they even invaded his thoughts on a daily basis.

She returned to the dough, but not before sighing. "Please try not to hurt yourself. Mikasa would have my head if you got hurt on my watch."

Eren scoffed then chuckled. "Of course, Mikasa is so overprotective of me – she won't even let me near Annie."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is – ah, nothing, never mind. Levi's glaring at us. Geez, for a guy as short as him he can be pretty scary."

Krista giggled at his joke but returned to her work. Her mind was occupied with what Eren had said, but she decided to forget it. It wasn't her business anyway, and she needed to learn to stop meddling in other people's business, lest they decided to meddle in hers. Ymir was the exception, and the thought of the brunette made a smile come onto her face.

She was worried this morning! About her, about Krista! Ymir, the selfish loner, was actually worried about someone other than her for a change! Krista was sure of it, even when the tall brunette played it off as annoyance at her behaviour. She didn't want to let Krista know how much she truly cared about her.

It was starting to get easier to read Ymir, though she still remained complex in the fact that her past was still a mystery. Was Berik's death a catalyst in Ymir's loner behaviour? Reiner got along with her before Berik's death, so why was he so hostile to her now? Did something happen between Ymir and Berik that made Reiner hate her so much? What were they hiding, and why did Reiner blow up every time Krista made contact with Ymir?

She stopped kneading the dough and helped Eren make the sauce. Levi came by with a clipboard and took notes on their behaviour, cooperation and handiwork, only remarking that Eren's chopping skills were shit and that Krista's dough was still too rough.

"I feel like he's after me some times," Eren muttered to her as the teacher walked away.

"No, I think he's just looking out for us. He cares, in his own special way," Krista remarked, thinking of Ymir. She cares, too, in her own special way. She just doesn't like to show it, Krista thought.

"You're smiling! Are you thinking of someone?" Eren teased.

Krista blushed a bright red. "N-no!"

"Haha! I'm just playing with you. But, seriously, were you thinking of Reiner?"

Krista shook her head. "What? No way! I don't like Reiner like that."

Eren appeared surprised but controlled his expression. "Huh! That's weird. I thought there was something, since Reiner always got pissed whenever you hung out with Ymir. I thought he was jealous or whatever... Anyway, how is Ymir? Make any progress with her?"

Krista, glad for the change in topic, nodded happily, smile on her lips. "Uh huh! She's not as mean as everyone says she is, even though she can be a total jerkface." At this, Krista stuck her tongue out, making Eren laugh.

"That's good, I'm glad to hear that. Ymir was always a wild card to me, I didn't really know what to make of her. In fact, I don't know her that well. I just listened to Mikasa when she told me to stay away from her, even though I knew next to nothing about her."

"Why does Mikasa do that?"

"Do what?"

"Why is she so overprotective of you?" Oops, Krista promised herself not to pry and she just did. Damn it, Krista! Why can't you keep your mouth shut?

Eren remained quiet and wiped his hands on his apron. "Sorry, I can't tell you why... it's really personal, and only my parents, Mikasa, Armin and I know about it. I like you, Krista, but I just don't trust you enough to tell you."

Krista, though hurt a little, simply smiled and tried to fight down her inner pain. "It's fine! Everyone has secrets of their own, including me! So it's no worry if you want to keep it to yourself!" That's right, Krista, you have secrets of your own to tell. However, unlike Eren, this secret directly relates to the lie you've been living the minute you stepped into this school, Krista thought sadly.

"I'm sorry, really, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings or anything."

"I'm not mad about that, promise! Honestly, I'm just thinking about something else on my mind."

"Does it have to do with Ymir?"

Ymir. Now that was one person Krista needed to tell the truth to, especially if she wanted to know Ymir's past, but not now. It was still too early, their bond too fragile. If Ymir found out who she really was now, she'd think everything Krista said was a lie or their relationship some sort of past time, which was far from the truth.

"Sorta."

"Ah, then, I won't pry anymore. We have to finish this, anyway, and us talking won't get us anywhere! Though we're definitely beating Jean and Marco by a landslide..."

Krista giggled and nodded, returning to the sauce. Maybe someday they'd all trust each other enough to tell their secrets, but for now, their friendship as it was, was good enough.

After school, Krista found Ymir outside, as usual, and waved to her, getting a small smirk in return. She tilted her head as she approached the brunette, but blushed when the tall girl swiped a finger down her cheek.

"Why are you covered in flour?" Ymir asked in exasperation.

"Home Economics exam?"

"Whatever."

They moved to the fence, as usual, but Ymir stayed again this time.

"Why are you staying, Ymir? Not that I mind, or anything! I'm just wondering, that's all."

Ymir shrugged. "Just felt like it."

Krista grew nervous, sensing an ulterior motive in Ymir's actions. She also worried what her mother would do if she saw her. The blonde fidgeted, book bag clutched tightly in her fingers. Ymir gave her a weird look then sighed, walking away.

"H-hey! Where're you going?" Krista shouted.

"Clearly, you don't want me around," Ymir replied, bored.

"No! That's not it!"

"Then you're ashamed of me, right? Or your mom disapproves of me. She saw the way I looked yesterday and thought, no, knew, I was trouble. Am I right? Did I nail it yet?"

Krista refused to answer, blushing and looking away. Ymir rolled her eyes and continued on her way, frowning.

"Ymir, no, wait, I'm not ashamed of you," Krista whispered, blinking back tears, "I risked my reputation and comfortable friendships to get to know you. I can't be ashamed of you. I disobeyed my mother to be with you, but I only did it behind her back. How can I possibly be worthy of you if I can't do it openly?"

She heard a car honk behind her and turned to face her mother, who looked slightly pleased at seeing Krista alone and Ymir out of sight. Looking down the road, Krista saw Ymir stop and look back, before shaking her head and turning a corner. This was it: the moment of truth. If Krista turned away now, Ymir would never trust her again, all of her efforts would have been for naught. She thought of Ymir's brief smiles, her sarcastic humour, her harsh but honest disposition...

With a sniff, she broke out into a run. Maybe she could catch up to Ymir if she ran quick enough. Her mother shouted angrily behind her but she ignored it, sprinting. Just as she turned a corner, tires screeched in front of her and her mother opened the door and stepped in front of her.

Ymir was only a few metres away! The brunette turned around and was surprised at seeing Krista. Just as she was about to walk forward, Mrs. Reiss faced the freckled girl and sent an icy glare her way. It made Ymir scoff and glare back, though she refused to look at Krista. With a curse, Ymir relented and walked away, judging the woman to be too much trouble to risk her neck.

"Wait! Ymir!" Krista shouted against her mother's grip. Mrs. Reiss shoved her in the passenger seat and slammed her door, stomping to the driver's seat and turning the car around. Ymir turned another corner and Krista couldn't see her anymore. She couldn't see anything at the moment; tears were staining her cheeks, her sights blurry, her mind whirling, her body trembling. It was too much. She lost her. She lost Ymir, and it was her mother's fault.

Krista knew then that she needed to ignore whatever her mother told her, because it never brought happiness in her life, only despair. It was ironic, that the one person who was supposed to protect you hurt you, yet the other person who had absolutely no such obligation brought joy to you.

Whatever lectures her mother told her over the course of the ride flew over her head, and Krista was reminded once more of her father's absence. Where was he when she needed him? Why was her family so successful, but screwed up beyond measure? Was it her fault? Did she inspire such behaviour and treatment from her parents?

No, it's not my fault, she thought, my mother's just a control freak, and my father's too busy to take care of me, that's all.

Was she even Krista's mother? She looked like her, but she never acted like her. Actually, upon closer inspection, their facial structures were not at all similar, just their eye and hair colour. Was her family hiding secrets from her, too?

It was too scary to think about, and with recent events, Krista really couldn't blame her body for shutting down.

She woke up with blurry and puffy eyes. She was in her bed, that much she noticed, and she was alone. A cup of water lay on her night table, along with a bottle of medicine, and she had a rag on her forehead. Sitting up, Krista felt her forehead and was surprised at the burning she felt. She coughed, throat raw, and chugged the water. It was cool, relieving and heavenly.

Then she remembered the medicine and pulled a face. It was not exactly a pleasant taste, but she needed to heal.

Setting the medicine bottle back on the table, she stood from the bed, grabbed the cup and tripped over her book bag. With a groan, she pushed herself up and walked out the door, ignoring the aches all over her small body. It wasn't ideal to move with a fever, but she needed some water to counter the taste on her tongue.

Going down the stairs was easy enough, thanks to the railing, but the kitchen was another story. The chef was inside, and he was not too happy when he saw her sickly form at the doorway.

"Get out! You'll contaminate my food!" he shouted.

"Water," Krista croaked.

The chef sighed, face softening. He grabbed her cup, washed it, and then filled it with cold water from the tap. Krista drank it all again and asked for more, to which the chef rolled his eyes and complied. Satisfied, Krista thanked the man and crawled back up the stairs. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked into the chef's annoyed brown eyes. Just like Ymir's...

"You'll hurt yourself if you walk up like that. Heaven knows how you got down," he grumbled, carrying her in her arms. Krista sighed and closed her eyes, falling asleep. She dreamt of Ymir, of fun nights out and of finding a nicer family who would love her and care for her better than the strangers who called themselves her 'parents'. Maybe the Jaegers could adopt her...

It was only a slight setback, but Krista knew she could never ride with her mother to school again. She woke up earlier in the night due to chills and aches, but took advantage of the situation and set her alarm to ring very early in the morning. She lived quite away from school, and would probably need to catch a bus in order to make it on time. However, Krista didn't mind as long as her mother – no, Mrs. Reiss – was far away from her.

With pain relievers down her throat and her book bag on her shoulder, Krista walked out of the house at dawn, and started to trudge down the road. She brought a map with her, as well as a bus schedule that was included with the school brochure. The next bus stop would place her right across the school, and she had to hurry if she wanted to catch it. Briefly, Krista thought of her mother, and what she'd do once she found her missing, but Krista shook her head to clear away such thoughts. She'd already left a note on her bedside explaining her absence, so maybe she wouldn't get punished too badly. Besides, thinking about it too much would just crumble her resolve, so she ignored the thought and hugged her book bag tighter.

The sign was in sight and Krista broke out into a smile, running to it. There were a few other teens and adults loitering about, and Krista realized it was a city bus, not a school bus. Did she have the money to pay for a city bus? Checking her book bag, she saw she had some change from her lunch money and sighed in relief.

Her eyes raked over the people gathered and was surprised to see Annie, simply leaning under the sign and looking bored. Figuring this was the best time to finally introduce herself, Krista nervously walked to the blonde. Annie raised her eyebrow but her face remained impassive. Krista extended her hand to the slightly taller girl, smiling.

"Hi! I'm Krista! We go to the same school and we have the same friends, but we never really got to meet each other formally."

Annie shifted her eyes to the side. "I don't have friends."

Krista tilted her head to side. "Sure you do! You have Reiner, Bertholdt, Eren– "

"What did you say?!"

"I'm s-sorry if I offended you!"

"Eren Jaegar is not my friend."

"S-sorry."

"Tch, it's fine. Just don't do it again."

"R-right, sorry."

They remained in awkward silence, Krista fidgeting and Annie looking down the road with crossed arms. Krista wanted to at least get to know the girl Mikasa hated so much, and then find out why, but she really couldn't do anything with the poor first impression she just gave Annie. So, she stayed quiet, watching the bus pull up. She followed Annie inside, stating where she was heading and paying the fare. There were other adults and teens, yawning and drinking their morning coffee. She decided to pull out another tooth by sitting next to Annie, who pointedly ignored her by looking out the window.

"Say, Annie – you do kickboxing, right?" Krista tried, hoping to get a response. Annie turned to her with blue eyes similar to her own, yet managed to pull off an expressionless face.

"Yes."

"I heard you and Mikasa are rivals."

Annie's face contorted with rage and Krista squeaked as she hid behind her book bag. Annie clenched her fists tightly and locked her jaw, glaring out the window. "Yes, we are, but for a different reason," she spat.

Krista was running through her mind, trying to find the off button for her mouth. "Is Eren the reason?"

Annie choked on her spit, turning to face Krista. "Armin told you?!"

Krista gaped. "No! I figured it out on my own! Honest!"

Annie sighed, then crossed her arms, glaring. "Annoying pest, that's what you are. Why don't you mind your own business for a change?"

Krista found no retort to that and simply slumped over, hanging her head. "I just want to help everyone," she mumbled.

"You're not doing much help if all you do is ask people questions, then do nothing about them."

"But how can I help if people don't take me seriously?"

"You act, that's how."

"I guess you're right."

Annie rolled her eyes.

The rest of the trip was purged in silence and the occasional cough from Krista, who tried her best to stop shivering. Annie turned to her with a hint of worry in her eyes, though it was very brief.

"Are you sick? Why are you going to school?"

Krista shrugged, then giggled. "To get away from my mother."

Annie nodded. "I get it. She's a control freak, right? And your father does nothing to stop her?"

"Yes! How did you know?"

"I guessed, since I knew someone like that back from my old village. He's dead now."

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

"Don't be, however, you should go to the nurse's office just in case. Have someone accompany you."

"Ymir," Krista muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing!"

The bus pulled up in front of school, and half of the teens stood up to get off. Krista finally noticed the emblems on the uniforms, and even saw a student with a Titan crest. It was a black silhouette of a giant against a yellow background. She could only imagine Eren's reaction to a Titan on the same bus as Scouts. As a matter of fact, the Titans sat on one side of the bus, and the Scouts on the other, her included. It gave her a queasy feeling, since the Titans now had another target on their list to humiliate, if their sneers were any indication.

She stepped off the bus in front of Annie, and as the Scouts were crossing the road, one of the windows from the bus was pushed out slightly.

"Hey, look! It's Titan meat! C'mon boys, sing it with me! Ti-tan-meat! Ti-tan-meat! Ti-tan-meat!"

The Scouts ignored them, save for a few remarks about their mothers and facial features, which were disturbingly unattractive. The bus pulled away, Titans shouting obscenities about desecrating Rose Academy and eating the Scouts alive during tournaments and games.

Krista noticed Annie walking away, and was about to call for her, when she remembered Ymir. She didn't seem like the type to arrive early, so Krista would have to simply wait for her.

She shivered, not from the weather, and her body ached after a while, due to the painkillers wearing off. However, she remained strong, wanting to see Ymir and set things right. She leaned against the fence, waiting, book bag on her shoulder. Her eyes drooped from exhaustion, and students gave her worried looks as they passed her, yet did nothing.

Finally, after nearly forty-five minutes of waiting, she saw Ymir's tall figure turn the corner. She stood straighter, smiling. When Ymir noticed her, she rushed over, noticing her tired state.

"What the hell! Krista, are you sick?!" Ymir exclaimed.

"Sorta but it's fine. I just wanted to see you," Krista weakly replied.

"You idiot! Go to the nurse's office with Mikasa or Sasha. I don't need you fainting beside me."

"I need to talk to you, so unless you want me following you around you better take me."

"Fine, whatever. Let's go."

They entered the school, Ymir dragging the shorter girl by her wrist. Her freckled face held a look of annoyance, but Krista knew she was just really worried. It was in the way she gently held her wrist, the way she snuck glances when she thought Krista wasn't looking, the way Ymir made it her mission to get her to safety as soon as possible – Krista knew how to read Ymir very well.

When they reached the office, the nurse was there, tending to another boy with a bloody nose. It turned out to be Dazz, the same boy who had pissed himself when Annie had threatened him nearly a month ago. The nurse turned around, smiling, and Krista smiled weakly back while Ymir frowned.

The nurse was short and had orange hair that framed her face. She wore the traditional nurse uniform, coupled with a stethoscope around her neck. She instructed Dazz to hold his head between his knees, tissue to his nose, and approached the two girls.

"Hello! Anything I can do for you?" she chirped happily. She noticed Krista and gasped. "Oh my! You seem very sick. Do you feel all right?"

Krista was about to nod but a glare from Ymir made her shake her head.

"Oh no! I'll see what I can do for you, but that depends on your body. Is Ymir going to stay with you?"

"Yep!" Krista replied before Ymir could say anything. She ignored the growl and sat on a chair.

"Apparently, this little brat says I am, Petra," Ymir growled.

"That's great! She needs someone here, anyway. Do your parents know about this, Miss…"

"Krista."

"Thank you. Do your parents know you're ill, Krista?"

"No," she paused, remembering the bottle of medicine and the chef, "no, they don't."

Ymir gave her a look while Petra sighed. "Guess I'll have to call them."

"No! Please don't! Then I'll have to face my mother again and I... just, please, I'm begging you," Krista pleaded.

"I'm sorry, but under school regulations–"

"Just do what she says," Ymir interrupted suddenly, "you owe me, Petra. This is how you'll return the favour."

Petra made a noise of discontentment but relented. "You're lucky I owe Ymir, otherwise I'd have gone to the office this instant. Wait here while I get some medicine."

When Petra left, Krista turned to Ymir in disbelief. "What was that? Why does she owe you and why did you do this?"

"Goodness, Krista, when people do you a favour you don't ask them questions!" Ymir snapped.

Krista flinched but nodded. She pulled her knees up and tucked her chin in, eyes cast down. "Sorry."

Ymir sighed then sat down on the chair next to Krista. She glared at Dazz, who'd taken to staring. He blushed then cried out when his nose spurted blood again. He grabbed more tissues and put his head between his knees once more.

"If you really want to know, I'll tell you."

Krista glanced at Ymir, then nodded slowly, smiling. Ymir took a deep breath, frowning. "Petra was walking home from school one day, and since we both live on the same street, I happened to take the same route as her. She was in front of me, when suddenly two guys jumped her and started to beat her. I really didn't want to get involved, to be honest. I didn't want to get hurt, but I helped anyway, if only to get the nurse on my billing list. I beat the crap out of those guys and they ran away. Petra said that she owed me and I, of course, agreed with her. This was two years ago."

Krista was about to respond when Petra walked in with a bottle of medicine and a cup of water. "So, I found this in the cabinet. It should help tone down your fever and restore your energy. It's great! It's a brew by Doctor Jaegar himself!"

"Doctor Jaegar – Eren's dad?"

"Yep! Now, drink this. I know the taste is odd, but the water will help."

Krista pulled a sour face as she took the medicine in her mouth and Ymir laughed out loud, hugging her stomach. Dazz looked up as well and began chuckling, but stopped when Ymir looked at him. When she chugged the water down, Krista turned to Ymir with a disgruntled expression.

"Can you stop laughing now? You're starting to bug me."

"No way! Did you see the look on your face? Priceless!" Ymir gasped, still laughing.

Krista pouted but stood up from her chair and walked out of the office. "Fine! Keep laughing! We'll see how much you laugh when I tell Keith you ditched class!"

Ymir stopped laughing and chased after Krista. "Hell no! If I'm going down, you're going down with me!"

Petra sighed, wringing her hands, but smiled. "Ymir, you're changing, and it's thanks to Krista. I'm so glad you trust someone other than yourself."

At lunch, Krista decided she'd rather eat outside and away from the usual group, if only to give herself a break from Sasha and Reiner's questions about her health. Ymir was beside her, mindlessly chewing on a sandwich as they both leaned against the school wall. Krista didn't have much of an appetite, so she took to staring at Ymir while the girl ate. Her jaw tensed with every bite and her eyes were hooded. Krista was mesmerized; she'd never seen Ymir so up close before, not since that one time they'd bumped into each other at the beginning of the school year. Her freckles were scattered across the bridge of her nose and cheekbones, as usual, and her brown eyes were partially hidden by her lids.

Please, open your eyes, Ymir, Krista pleaded in her thoughts. I want to see them, to know this is real, that you're here, with me.

As if reading her thoughts, Ymir turned to Krista with a smirk, eyes open. "Is there something on my face?"

"Your freckles!" Krista blurted out, blushing.

"What?"

"I think they're cute."

"Oh. Thanks."

Ymir turned away and Krista grinned, peeking around. Was she? She was! Ymir was blushing! The cold, ruthless Ymir was actually blushing! Krista couldn't help it; she giggled.

"What!" Ymir snapped, blowing air through her teeth.

"You're blushing!"

"Thanks for stating the obvious, moron."

"Aw, that wasn't very nice."

"I never said I was nice."

Krista pouted, but giggled again. Her giggling was interrupted by a sudden cough, and Ymir whirled around, face etched in concern. "Are you okay?" Ymir asked gently, putting her hand on Krista's forehead. The contact only flustered the girl even more, causing her to blush and swipe at Ymir's hand.

"I'm f-fine! Just a little cough, that's all."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Fine, whatever. Bell's gonna ring soon, so you better hurry to class. I'm leaving." Despite what she said, Ymir didn't leave until Krista started walking. She followed Krista from behind, hiding from her line of sight, making sure Krista reached her class before trudging to her own.

Krista walked out of school at the end of the day, looking for Ymir. She wasn't fond of the idea of going home at the moment, so she decided she was going to ask Ymir to hang around with her. They had yet to go anywhere together after school, and Krista thought it to be the perfect moment. She saw the tall brunette walking and slouching, looking bored as usual.

The short teen ran to Ymir, greeting her. Ymir raised a brow but continued walking. "You know, I never did get to talk to you about yesterday," Krista started.

"What of it?"

"I want to apologize for my mother's rudeness. She's a control freak, and I'm really not ashamed of you, Ymir. I promise."

"First, don't apologize for other people. If they wanna be jerks, then let them, that's not your fault. Second, why are you following me?"

They were already down the road, far from the school, and they both came to a stop at the same time. Krista blushed and looked down. "I'm not allowed to hang out with my friend after school?"

Ymir rolled her eyes. "No, but I know what you're really doing. You're avoiding your mom, aren't you?"

Krista sighed at having been caught. "Alright, you got me. But can I still come with you?"

Ymir scowled, turning away. "No."

"Please?"

"No, now go away!"

"Aw, please, Ymir? Pretty, pretty please? With a cherry on top?"

"Will you stop annoying me if I say yes?"

"Uh huh!"

"Alright, we'll go to the mall or something."

"Yay! Thank you, Ymir, you're the best!"

Ymir sighed and turned the other way instead of going the usual road down to her street. Krista looked up at her with confusion. "What? We're not going to your house?"

Ymir's eyes became shifty. "No. I have an errand to run."

Krista knew she was lying, but said nothing. If Ymir had something to hide, that was fine, since Krista had secrets of her own as well. They continued in silence, occasionally turning a corner. They reached a bus stop, teens sitting under the sign, and stood there, Krista's head to Ymir's forearm. Krista was slightly tired from walking, since she'd yet to recover from her illness, but she felt much better than she'd been this morning. In fact, it seemed Ymir's presence helped her recover quicker. Or maybe it really was the medicine and Krista was just being delusional.

The teens under the sign gave them weird looks, and when Krista looked down, she realized they were still in their uniforms. "Oh, crap, we're still in our school clothes," she muttered. Ymir heard her and chuckled.

"So?"

"So we're easy targets for Titans!"

"Krista, are you actually scared of those nitwits?"

"They're really big and scary-looking, Ymir. They threaten us all the time. Of course I'm scared of them."

Ymir remained silent, deep in thought. Krista was about to ask her what was wrong when the bus pulled to a stop in front of them. They both climbed on, paying their fares. They sat next to each other and Ymir had yet to say anything.

"You know, I'm big and scary-looking, and I threaten people all the time, yet you're not scared of me. What if I was a Titan? Would you be scared of me then?"

"No, because you're Ymir, and you're different than those people. You don't mean your threats like they do, of this I'm sure."

"How can you be so sure? How do you know I'm not just playing you to let your guard down?"

"Because I've gotten to know you so well over the last few weeks. Sure, we haven't been friends for long, but I have this gut feeling telling me to trust you. Something deep in my heart is saying, 'Ymir is fine, she's a good person', and I just go with it. You're not scared of people, you're scared of being with people."

Ymir, speechless, said nothing in response, staring out the window. Her lips twitched, her jaw was clenched and she was frowning. Krista, worried she had crossed a line, put a hand on Ymir's shoulder, surprised when the girl quickly whipped around to face her. "Thanks," she murmured weakly, taking Krista's hand and holding it. Krista gasped, face red, but smiled and nodded.

They both got off the bus at the stop in front of the mall and Ymir dropped the blonde's hand. Krista longed for her to hold it again, but pushed that thought away, linking her fingers behind her back. They walked to the entrance of the mall and stopped short of the door. Ymir's stomach growled loudly and the brunette blushed in embarrassment.

Krista laughed. "Let's go eat, shall we?"

They stopped at the same restaurant Sasha and Krista had dined at, per Krista's recommendation, and ate their sandwiches at a table in the back. Unfortunately, their uniforms drew the attention of a couple of boys who had just exited the men's washroom. The boys stood at their table, inhaling noisily and laughing.

"Hey, lookie here, boys! I smell me some good ol' Titan meat!"

"Aw, what a shame! I would've loved to bang the blonde one. Too bad she's a Scout."

"Forget the blonde, the brunette looks like she'd love to have some kinky time with me."

Ymir grit her teeth and closed her fists, glaring at the wall behind Krista and speaking through clenched teeth. "Can I beat the shit out of them?"

Krista shook her head. "No, they're not worth it, Ymir." She ignored the boys and bit into her sandwich, looking at Ymir. Ymir pursed her lips but relented, relaxing and taking a sip of her soda.

"Aw, Bean, they're ignoring us!"

"Don't worry, Sawney, we'll make them see us." 'Bean' pulled out a chair and sat next to Krista, leaning on the table with his elbow. "Hey, girl, how's it going?"

Krista ignored him, frowning slightly. Bean rolled his eyes and took her drink, slurping noisily from her straw. He coughed suddenly, spitting the drink on the floor. "What the hell is this?"

"It's water, you fucker," Ymir muttered angrily.

"Yeah, well, it tastes like shit, just like you damn Scouts."

"Why don't you go shove your dick in a vacuum if you're so eager to fuck? Or better yet, why don't you take your boys out to the ranch and have a good time like Ennis and Jack?"

Bean jumped, knocking back his chair. "What was that, you bitch?"

Ymir smirked and crossed her arms behind her head. "You heard me." Krista slammed her palm to her forehead, groaning.

Bean was about to say more, but the manager came out with an angry frown on his face. "I said Titans aren't allowed here! Get the hell out before I call the Garrison!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever Hannes. Don't get your panties in a twist."

Bean leaned down to the girls. "I'll be back, you whores, and I'll get my revenge on you if it's the last thing I do. So watch your back, 'cause I'll be there, waiting." He stomped off with his posse.

Ymir rolled her eyes but Krista took his words to heart, feeling a sinking sensation in her stomach. Ymir noticed and sighed, placing her palm on the girl's hand.

"Don't worry, they won't do anything. I'm here, right? I can kick their asses, but you'll owe me once I do that, you hear?"

Krista smiled shakily. "Of course."