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Chapter Five
A day and a half had passed. The townsfolk, or at least what was left of the townsfolk had caught up with Rivaille and Mikasa. They had accomplished to cross the Rhineland into the German border and were now within Wall Maria. Or...what was now Wall Maria.
The entire wall was encompassed with abundant Titans dawdling about. None of them even stopped to take a guise at the intruders who hadn't seen this place since 10 years ago. They were disinterested, saturnine and just oblivious to the fact that a vast group of humans had entered their terrain.
"What happened here?" Christa asked.
Rivaille was inquisitive to find out himself but he knew that there were more essential things to get done. "That doesn't matter right now. We can use this as an advantage, if they don't attack we'll probably reach Wall Sina tomorrow." Resting behind him was a slumbering girl, her arms were enveloped around his waist so that she could hold herself upright.
Christa nodded and understood why it didn't matter. "Yes sir."
Wall Rose wasn't any different either. There were plentiful Titans meandering the place, oblivious to them too. Needless to say, it was dreadfully quiet. Too quiet in fact, that it was disturbing to even stay for a minute longer in Wall Rose.
Jean was balancing on his murky horse, squinting his eyes at a faraway distance. Something was grasping his attention. "Corporal I think I see the entrance to Wall Sina." He self-proclaimed out loud.
Mikasa overheard and peeped her head from above Rivaille's shoulder. She'd been napping the entire journey to Wall Maria. It was certainly odd, especially since it was coming from her. When they had got through into Wall Rose she'd eventually woke up and forced herself to nippily familiarize with her surroundings.
"Eren." She assumed aloud, her eyes broadening with impatience as her arms lay swathed around her superior's abdomen.
Rivaille yanked at his reins and his divine mare whickered. It thrust at the ground sending a mass of grass from behind, then he careered away heading en route for the entrance. The others following behind submissively.
As soon as they had reached the ingress Rivaille waited for someone to discharge the gate open and welcome them home. A soldier from above, perching on top of the wall detected them and gave orders to open the gate immediately. It grumbled open and what they were greeted with was not a blissful welcome. Rather more than a disturbing welcome.
The houses and buildings had been crumpled, smoke was haunting the air, anywhere and everywhere. It was soundless but not like Wall Rose, there was an unnatural feel in the atmosphere, of Death. Not only did it have the bitter smell of Death but on the ground there was literally Death. Amassed in fours were incalculable bodies of soldiers bound in linen fabric. Some of them were even tainted in blood. Some dry, some wet which meant there had been a current battle.
Rivaille eavesdropped as the people behind him gasped in revulsion at the unfriendly sight. He'd witnessed this before and it was something he certainly did not want to reminisce. Though something plucked him at the back of his mind.
How long had these bodies been here? There are so many it's difficult to calculate that they've been lying here for a certain amount of time. They could've been here for an entire decade.
Suddenly from out of nowhere loomed a full-fledged Armin and a thrilled Ymir. They arrived on their stallions and there was a hulk smirk that spread across Ymir's speckled face. At last she could finally clasp the only person she had been waiting to clasp. An entire era more and Ymir thought she might perish without seeing the fair-haired goddess again.
"Ymir!" Christa yelled with exhilaration. She instantaneously hurdled off her horse and sprinted to her treasured one. Ymir did the same and the two were unified once again. Christa loped into her arms like a missing puppy and grinned. "It's so good to see you again."
Ymir reverted the smile and brushed her fingers through Christa's blonde ringlets. She noticed it had grown at least a few inches. "Christa, your hair –"
The straw-coloured girl hauled away as a shade of rose appeared on her prominent cheeks. "I know."
On the other hand Mikasa hopped off Rivaille's mare and sprinted to Armin. Not like Christa did but in a more understated and urbane way. The long-time best friends glowered at each other and picked out all the differences they noticed in each other since the last time they saw one another. Nonetheless Mikasa was so contented to see Armin again she couldn't comprehend her delight and heaved Armin into her embrace. Enfolding him to death.
"It's nice to see you too Mikasa." Armin pondered and Mikasa giggled. They pulled apart and he skimmed her now lengthy, unctuous black hair. "The last time I saw you with long hair was when we first joined the Scouting Legion. But that was before –"
"Before Eren told me to cut it." Mikasa completed.
"Yeah."
The mere thought of Eren prompted Mikasa of the unpredicted news. "Is he okay?"
Armin didn't want to enlighten Eren's conditions in case Mikasa threw a fit and started to quest for him like an irrational person. Providentially, Jean approached at the precise time to welcome his friend.
"Jean?" Armin chortled and the two embraced, though in a macho way.
"Blondie you grew!" Jean exclaimed. 'Blondie' was the nickname he gave to Armin because of the colour of his hair. Whereas Jean was mainly renowned as 'Horse Face' to almost everyone. "And your hair is-is tied up!"
"And you still look like a horse." Armin clowned and Jean punched him in the arm.
"Armin, Ymir. Where's Irwin?" Rivaille interjected, unamused.
Ymir and Armin swapped looks and before they knew it they were guiding the entire group back to Headquarters, which was also known as the Church. Ymir and Christa volunteered to handle the townsfolk together, tried to keep them tranquil and make them feel like they were at home. Or at least, what was left of it. Connie and Sasha helped too but they were mostly engaged in arm wrestling and food competitions between the two.
Armin directed Rivaille, Mikasa and Jean to Irwin's mini-office. He knocked rhythmically on the door before it whined open to a dismal–looking Commander half dressed.
"Uh – Commander," Armin looked away and Jean shortly followed. Mikasa gasped at the unforeseen sight of his abs then ultimately shed her eyes away from it. "You said to send them here when they came."
Rivaille blinked and balled his fists at the prospect of his partner. He still looked the same he did ten years ago. Except he hadn't grew, instead Rivaille did and now he was almost the same height; though not as brawny built as Irwin was.
"I'm busy Arlert." He insisted and tried to shut the door but Rivaille jammed it with his boot.
He broke the door open and punched Irwin pitilessly in the face. Irwin staggered back on his table top and his arm brushed a couple bottles of beer to the floor. They shattered in unison. "You bring the entire town here on a very solemn note and now you're 'busy'?" He barked at him, Irwin touched his jaw and grimaced at the pain he'd received. "We didn't come back to play the Patience Test Irwin, we came back because you said Eren was in concern to you."
Irwin snickered and attempted to keep his poise in control. "We? The last time I checked Rivaille you didn't rely on in 'We' there was only ever you."
"That was 10 years ago. A lot can happen in 10 years." Rivaille garrisoned himself.
There was an uncanny sneer that arose from the corners of his mouth. "A lot certainly can Corporal."
Mikasa strode forward into his office, her eyes still peeled away from Irwin. "Commander, you said Eren was in a critical state, is there any way I can see him?" She asked daringly.
Irwin exchanged his glance onto Mikasa. He saw her tighten her jaw, then went to put a shirt on. Although he was covered the shirt still outlined the rigidity in his abs. "If you can manage to keep your hands off him then I'll take you to him." Mikasa nodded unwillingly. She knew she wanted to hug him, keep him in her arms forever but if that's what the Commander wanted she would unwillingly do so.
Irwin led the four away to wherever it was they were heading to. They turned this way and that, stopped once because Irwin desired a drink then continued. Rivaille elected to follow from the back whilst Mikasa remained at the front.
They eventually reached their destination and Irwin unbolted the door to a room that felt familiar to Mikasa. Irwin and Rivaille quarantined themselves away and calmly solved their vehement introduction from earlier into an ordinary and more hospitable one. However if Mikasa could remember rightly, this was the same room that Eren was placed in when they'd managed to evoke him from Annie's Titan form. Of course with the help of Rivaille, Mikasa is still grateful to him even to this day. She was about to stride in, ready to see his precarious state, when a constricted grip surrounded her diminutive wrist.
She craned her head and noticed Rivaille glaring at her angrily and Irwin was having a secluded chat with Armin. "Meet me in Irwin's office."
"Why?" She wondered her eyebrows creasing.
"It's nothing important." Mikasa understood so she nodded. Though Rivaille still had his grasp around her wrist. "Don't touch the kid. He's undoubtedly still in depraved conditions after all he's been like that for a week now."
"W-What?"
Nonetheless by the time she wanted Rivaille to echo what he said, he was already gone. Disappeared into thin air. Without a backwards glance or even a goodbye.
Had Eren really been like this for a week? So that would mean Irwin had called them home for an entirely different purpose. Mikasa thought.
Sooo...I'm sorry I haven't updated in such a long while but I was busy. And, I mean extremely busy. I hope you forgive me and to reassure you I'm not abandoning this story. Ever. Please review it would make me happy because I'm really ill today :( but I hope you enjoyed x
