Chapter Nine

Kenny and Rod

Note: Christmas threw off my schedule, so I apologize for no update last week!

Frieda gasped loudly enough to startle Marco. "What's wrong?!"

"Nothing – everything is right." She pushed past her freckled friend and dashed for a small blonde man who bore a striking resemblance to Krista –er, Historia.

After three years of 'Krista,' Marco still had trouble calling his friend Historia. Heaven sure hadn't made him perfect as he'd imagined…just fulfilled.

The man waved to the rest of the Reiss children as he emerged from the glowing cloud of people deep within the gates, behind and within the Person.

"Marco!" Frieda gestured him over. "This is my Uncle, Uri Reiss. Oh, Uncle!" She threw her arms around him again.

"Uri…I'm Marco. Marco Bodt. I was a friend of Historia's," said Marco slowly.

"Historia, the niece I never got to meet." Uri grasped Marco's hands tightly. "Thank you."

"Well, well, well, look who decided to show up." Lady Reiss crossed her arms, but a smile played with the corners of her mouth.

"I had to see this place for myself," Uri said with a laugh. "All of it. There's mountains and rivers and heaven…you've never imagined the things you'll see in there. But…everyone waits by the gates first. As they should." He swallowed. "I just couldn't. Because – Frieda – I'm sorry."

"For what?" Frieda asked, puzzled. "None of us were strong enough. That isn't on you."

"I wish," Uri said after a lengthy pause, "that it could have been. To spare you."

"I'm okay. I'm here now, with you." Frieda hugged him again.

"Well, well, well, look who's returned." Kuchel stood a few meters back, her arms crossed and a smile on her face. "Brother."

"Brother?" Carla blinked in confusion.

"In-law, I should say,' Kuchel added hastily. "Future."

"Soon to be," Uri admitted sadly, his face pink. "When he arrives."

"Who?" Lady Reiss asked in puzzlement.

"Kenny, Mom," said Urklyn.

"Wait – you – you like men?" gasped Lady Reiss.

"Why do you think he didn't have kids?" Dirk rolled his eyes.

"But why didn't you tell me?" demanded Lady Reiss. "I would have supported you!"

Kuchel grabbed Uri's hands. "Because when you fall in love with a serial killer, life complicates matters. Come on, Uri, let's wait…I have a feeling Kenny will be here before long."

"He won't hurt Levi." Before they reached Carla, Dina, and Mrs. Ackerman, Uri stopped and eyed Kuchel. "He loved that kid, as much as he could love anyone."

"He could," Kuchel said, a tear trickling down her cheeks. "He could love."

"I think that's what's so hard to comprehend," Uri agreed, watching as Kenny taunted Rod, Rod who never loved anyone.

"One a murderer, one a coward…I have more hope for a murderer than a coward," murmured Mrs. Ackerman.

Uri gasped. "You must be the Ackerman cousins! I heard there was a member of the East Sea Clan with them."

"I am," agreed the woman with a proud smile. "And there's my daughter." She pointed to the muscular, beautiful girl riding with the Survey Corps towards Kenny, towards Rod, towards Historia and Eren.

"Don't do it," Uri pled with his niece, the niece he'd never been privileged to meet.

Frieda sidled up besides him. "She reminded me of you, you know that?"

"Did she?" Uri had to admit, they did look alike.

"She's kind and good. She doesn't believe it or even know it yet, but she is," insisted Frieda. "And she has someone of the same gender she loves, too."

Uri followed her gaze across the sea, to a young woman held captive by Marley, currently composing a letter to her 'beloved Historia.'

"I think," Uri said slowly, "that if she outwits Rod, she can do what I couldn't."

Kenny stepped forward and fired a shot into the ceiling. "Wait, wait, wait. Does that mean only a Reiss can access the memories?"

Uri froze.

And Kenny had his brother, his brother who'd never loved anyone, had him by the collar with a gun in his face.

He wants me. He's always wanted me. Tears slipped down Uri's face. Kenny, you fool. I'm up here. I'm right here waiting for you.

"Those memories aren't me," he choked out. "I'm here. This is me."

"The only person who'd take a dog like you would be my fantastical little brother," spat Rod.

Something tore in Kenny, as if his heart had split open and blood was everywhere inside him. "If you keep talking about Uri like that, I'll blow your head off!"

"Kenny, stop," moaned Uri, reaching out a hand.

For a moment, then, he and Frieda and Carla and Grisha and everyone else was there, in the room. Watching.

And Uri's hand was on his Kenny.

Kenny gasped, as if he felt it. A strange calm came over his eyes as Historia knocked his arm away.

And then they were gone, back up behind the gate, back observing rather than participating.

"How?" Uri whirled around to the Person.

"How not? We're still connected, you know. You might say all of us have a it of Coordinate in us," said the Person.

Tears slipped down Uri's cheeks. "Thank you."

"So you'd eat your friend and still treat this as your mission?" Kenny shouted at Historia.

"Listen to him!" screeched Frieda.

Grisha was shaking and sweating. He gagged on the gorge in his throat. The Reisses couldn't – he couldn't lose another son – he couldn't have failed.

A glance behind him showed Kruger, Kruger of all people, on his knees, muttering prayers.

"He's forced this on you, on Uri and his own daughter, because he's too much of a coward to become a titan himself!" Kenny screamed. "He doesn't care about you!"

"Come on, come on." Lady Reiss now pinned all of her hope on the girl she'd seen as a symbol of betrayal. But this girl had never been guilty, and she had been wrong.

"Here." Kenny slit Eren's forehead open. "I'll help you. You titans can fight it out."

Grisha gasped with relief. Eren would undoubtedly be stronger, but –

"I can't have him killing his friend," Carla whimpered.

Eren screamed then, screamed the way Grisha had at the hands of his Marley torturers, as blood poured down his son's face. "I didn't want them! I didn't want this! Please, Historia, eat me. Save mankind."

Grisha moaned, begging someone, anyone, the Person, humanity itself, that he could take Eren's pain.

But he couldn't. He'd given the Attack Titan to Eren.

"No! You're trying to manipulate me!" Historia stomped her foot, and Grisha felt as though a wave of cold water had rushed over his flaming heart.

But her eyes were somewhere else, and Uri knew that look. Her eyes saw someone else, as Kenny had when he'd touched his shoulder. Her eyes were on Ymir.

"Eat me! I can't live like this!" screamed Eren.

"You can! I did!" Grisha yelled back. Behind him, Kruger had been holding his breath for a full five minutes.

"Stop crying, you dolt!" Historia shot back, yanking his chains. Fury flowed through her, the fury of someone enraged with love. "Free the world of titans? I'm mankind's enemy, too! We're vile villains!"

"Yet you love them the same," Uri muttered.

"What? Where am I?" Rod looked up. Beyond a wrought iron gate stood his wife, stood Frieda and Dirk and Urklyn and Florian and Abel. "My family!"

"We're not yours," Abel informed him.

"What? Of course you are."

"No." Frieda stepped forth. "How dare you try to manipulate Historia? Did you honestly think she could overcome the First King? I couldn't. She couldn't. You just wanted power for yourself."

"For us!" Rod cried in shock. This wasn't heaven – but why would Frieda be in hell. "Eating a Jaeger would be vengeance!"

"No, eating me would be vengeance." Grisha appeared, fire flashing in his eyes.

Rod's words died.

And then a woman who had to be Eren's mother – she just had to – stepped forth and grabbed him. "Follow me."

Confused, Rod followed her, past his family, past Uri.

A beautiful blonde stood in the distance, alone in the shadow of two trees.

"Alma!"

"I saw you do that to Historia. And I felt nothing," mumbled Alma.

"I feel something right now – for you." Rod reached out a hand, but she slapped it away.

"I listened to you, Rod, time and time again, and you rejected me when I needed you. I can't recover how I treated Historia – I still can't even say my daughter without pain – but I can recover how I treated you."

Alma swallowed hard, but Kuchel gave her an approving nod from behind, and she remembered she liked the sister of her killer, and strength was hers again. "I'm not yours anymore either."

"What do I do? Why am I in hell?!" screamed Rod. No Alma, no children, no life! "I'm dead! Why am I dead?!"

"Because you idiotically ate the serum?" suggested Eren Kruger.

"Who the hell are you?"

"A friend of humanity, though I frequently made myself its enemy," Kruger replied.

"Well, I did that too!"

"No, you really didn't," Uri said gently.

"And you're not in hell. Heaven is here, waiting for you, Father." Frieda stepped forward, hugged him. "But not on your terms. Let go."

Rod shook. How could he let go? He'd had everything, and everything had been taken. "I – I don't know how."

"You'll learn," said Eren's mother. And the lack of anger in her voice – the pity, as if he were worth something he'd never known – sent him crumpling to the ground in tears.

"I was her older brother." Kenny half-coughed, half-laughed. No, he wasn't the imp's father. Ha! He could never have been.

Levi's eyes widened. "Then why…why did you leave me then?"

Kuchel's face crumpled, and Uri grasped her hand. He remembered her, and he loved her.

And as Kenny shoved the serum into Levi's hands, for one moment – for the first moment since Uri's death – Kenny Ackerman had served a person other than power.

"Come on." Uri hesitated but a moment before running to the gate. Missing Kenny's final quiet moments would be worth it to see his first moment in heaven.

Kenny laughed, and laughed, and laughed, and to his surprise he was still laughing when someone came into view.

"Hah, now I know I'm dreamin'."

"Not dreaming." Uri smiled from on his knees, as he had greeted Kenny all those years before. "I'm here."

A familiar sensation tingled Kenny's shoulder, as if he'd just felt Uri in the cavern. "Uri…"

"I was there," Uri breathed, reaching up to grasp Kenny by his bony shoulders. "With you. I was always with you. You didn't need my memories to have me."

"I did – I did – I did! I saw you in – in her eyes," blabbered Kenny. "I don't … understand."

"None of us do." Kuchel leant against the gate.

"You. Kuchel…Levi." Kenny winced.

"You did your best," Kuchel said, blinking back her own tears. "Though it wasn't enough. And I don't think it's possible to reconcile those points."

"I think," said Uri, rising to his feet and sliding an arm around Kenny, "you'll find there's a lot of acceptance here."

"Is there a God?" Kenny peered ahead, as if the Person had suddenly come into view. "Well. Have I got questions for you!"

"You and me both." Uri laughed.
"You should ask them together," Frieda said slyly.

"People – her – I can't even remember her name." Kenny gaped at Rod and Alma, still crying together.

"Alma," Frieda answered.

"You'll find," Uri said, "many people you've killed here. I know I have."

"You've killed no one."

"Oh, but through the first king's possession, I think I have. Maybe it's not a fair guilt, but I'll gladly bear it nonetheless."

Kenny rolled his eyes. "Heaven hasn't taught you better, old man?

"I'm young again," Uri said with a chuckle.

"Oh, I've noticed."

Kuchel grinned. "Well, we'll leave you two lovers to your questions. I think, Kenny, you'll find both service and freedom here."