Chapter 25: Knowing

I was awakened rather rudely with a splash of water to my face. I nearly choked, and I looked up at Levi with a pissed expression. Of course it was just like him to wake me up like that. Where the hell did he get water anyway? Didn't I drink all of it last night? Last night...a faint blush graced my cheeks. I didn't want to remember crawling in Levi's sleeping mat at a time like this.

As if reading my mind, he said, "There's a pond not too far away from here, Sasha found it."

I glared up at him. "Yeah so does that mean it makes it okay to throw water at my face while I'm sleeping?"

He eyed me with a narrowed look, bedroom eyes lingered on my left shoulder. I looked down to see what was so interesting and found that my undershirt had slipped off my shoulder. I narrowed my eyes at him. Pervert.

"It means it's time to leave, we can't be sleeping around while the others are possibly being eaten as we speak, get ready to get moving brat." He muttered while throwing me my boots. I caught them in midair with quick reflexes.

"But it's not even morning yet." I protested. It was still a bit dark but light enough to not need the lamp light anymore.

"Does it matter? no, get ready now." He stated bluntly.

I sighed and got up to stretch. "Whatever." I replied smugly. Sasha was already getting on her horse, while I was barely packing my things. Couldn't they have woken me up sooner? Jeez, I hated it when people were waiting on me in any situation. I tugged on my boots to slip them on after rolling my mat into the bag that hung from my horse. Levi put his on Sasha's, less people meant the horse could carry more, and I didn't even question why one horse had two mats instead of one.

Levi rode again this time and I hopped in back, holding on to his waist. "We need to hurry to the south as fast as we can, we can't waste any more time than we already have." Levi spoke to the two of us. "Since it's a bit brighter, we can find our way easier."

I groaned. I was still sleepy despite the short nap that I had taken. I decided to use Levi's decision to ride as an opportunity to take another nap on his back. It was dawn after all, I still had some time to rest. I let me eyes shut slowly and my body relaxed against Levi's. All that was left was the sound of horses hooves slamming against the muddy dirt as we rode away.

...

It was happening, it was really happening. They couldn't believe it. Ymir had turned into a titan right before their very eyes. She tore through the hordes of titans below them with such a frenzy, it didn't seem like it was the Ymir they knew at all. Something was also different about her. She wasn't skinless like Eren and Sakura, she was smaller, with skin and large claws. She looked more inhuman than any titan they have ever seen. They watched in awe and shock as she ripped through the smaller ones, using her claws to rip the jaws apart. She was also more quick and flexible, unlike the pink haired ninja and Eren, who were slow but strong. What Ymir lacked in strength she made up for in speed. Most likely because she was a lot smaller.

Connie couldn't process it, he felt as if he had been lied to. "You're kidding...even Ymir is a titan?"

He turned to Christa for some sort of reaction. She was just as surprised as he was. She knew Ymir had a secret...but she didn't know that it was about her being a titan shifter. When Connie looked up at Reiner, he was confused by his reaction. The man wasn't stunned like he and Christa were, his face was frozen, completely dark, as if he had just been told he had cancer. Connie didn't get it.

"Hey, Reiner, you okay?" He asked the taller male with concern gracing his voice. Reiner shook his head .

"Its that titan...from before." He breathed out with a ragged tone. Connie didn't hear him, It was more of a mumble than an actual sentence. But Reiner knew, he knew that titan anywhere. The same titan that almost killed him years ago, the one that took the boy that sacrificed himself to save Reiner's life.

Christa suddenly toppled over from the awkward perch she was on over the tower, catching Connie's attention. She cried out in panic, only to be cut off by Reiner's hold on her ankle. She looked back at him gratefully. "Ah, thanks Reiner." Then her eyes widened in sudden panic. "Ow!" The blonde male was gripping her too tightly. "Reiner! Ow ow ow!" She cried.

Connie, confused by the whole ordeal, stared back and forth between the two. "Hey! Reiner thats enough!" He shouted. Still, he held on. Connie was getting irritated. "Are you listening to me?! Get off her leg already!"

Reiner blinked, finally coming to his senses, and let go of his grip on Christa quickly. "Sorry!"

Christa rubbed at her ankle and looked up at him. "Its okay, you saved me."

Reiner took a deep breath. "Christa...did you know that Ymir was a titan?"

The small girl turned around to stare down at the carnage. "No I didn't... we've been so close all this time but I had no idea." She gulped and wet her dried lips with her tongue. "I simply can't believe this, we've known each other for three whole years and yet...is this Ymir? It can't be...I can't even..." her voice was trembling. She felt betrayed, like she had been lied to all this time. "I refuse to believe it."

Reiner sighed. "In other words, she knew the mysteries that this world holds, I couldn't have ever imagined it, she should have revealed her true identity and contributed to the cause of the scouting legion like Eren and Sakura did, did she refuse to do it because she couldn't for some reason?"

"Hold on a second!" Connie shouted. "Both Eren and Sakura weren't even aware that they could transform into titans! Yet Ymir looked like she had some idea of what she was capable of, she threw herself off of here with every intention of transforming!"

Christa glanced at him for a good minute. He met her gaze and continued. "If so...then on who's side is she on?"

Christa straightened up, fully alert. "Whos side? You mean Ymir could very well be an enemy of mankind?"

Connie nodded. "Yeah, now that I think about it, she always made this uninterested face regarding anything, like it didn't have anything to do with her, maybe it's because of this hidden power?"

Christa was worried now, he could be right.

"And I never could figure out what she was thinking ya know." He said with a lowered voice.

"Just what...is Ymir's objective I wonder?" Christa whispered. She remembered Ymir's words. 'who knows? Maybe because we are alike?' That's what she had said. Could it be that..."Ah!" Her thoughts were interrupted by what she saw. One of the titans below grabbed hold of Ymir's arm, forcing her down towards them. She was trapped, and it bit down hard on her elbow, making blood jump out from the wound.

"Ymir!" Connie and Christa screamed.

The titan grabbed her other arm, rendering it useless, but she was faster. She bent and bit down hard on the titans own wrist, cutting it in half easily. She could use her arm again now, even with the titans chopped hand hanging from Ymir's wrist. It was a grotesque thing to watch. With the blood and dismemberment of limbs, it looked like a horror show to Christa. Ymir wasn't done yet, she twisted and slammed her short foot against the titans face to make it release it's hold on her arm. She was completely free now, and making her way up the tower.

She growled when another titan grabbed her ankle. He was pulling her down as she grabbed on to the tower with both hands. She was failing, the bricks she held on to were falling. Ymir looked up at Christa with dark black eyes. Christa stared back with worry. Was Ymir going to die?

Then she did something none of them expected. She let go. Ymir fell. "What?! She let go?!" Connie shouted

Christa stared silently, worried out of her mind. What was Ymir thinking?

"Don't tell me it's because she doesn't want the tower to collapse!" Connie shrieked.

Christa frowned with knowing. "Yes precisely, if she had wanted, she could have easily escaped alone using that titan power of hers...her titan form just isn't big enough to defeat all the titans gathered here." Her eyes swept past the horde below her. "But despite that...Ymir is fighting right now with her life on the line, because she's desperately trying to protect us."

Connie gave her a worried glance. "I don't know...things aren't looking so good for her." It was obvious she was losing.

"Why Ymir..." Christa muttered to herself. She couldn't bare it no longer. She hopped onto the side of the roof and yelled at the top of her lungs. "Don't die Ymir! Don't die at a place like this!"

She could see the titan that was Ymir stare up at her with dark beady eyes. Connie grabbed onto her waist to prevent her from falling, Christa was going nuts. The petite took a long breath before continuing. "Don't you put on the good guy act, do you hear me?! Don't tell me you hold us so dear that you want to die for us idiot! You're a person who values her life above anything! You're Ymir, the person with the worst personality imaginable! Don't you forget that! Live for yourself then, if you're planning on dying to protect this tower, then to hell with this damn tower, just break it down already!"

Ymir growled loudly and tore a huge chunk of debris off the tower wall. Every one gasped. Surely she didn't take Christa's words that seriously? They watched as Ymir started throwing the chunks at the titans faces, making blood fly everywhere in the process. She was using the bricks as a weapon. The tower, shook violently, then completely fell over, making the others stumble around in vain. Except for Christa, she stood on the side of the roof with arms stretched in the air. "Hey! Is she really going to destroy this tower?! Way to go Ymir!" She cheered in joy with a huge smile.

Ymir rose above to their level with inhuman speed. Christa stopped her cheering and they all gaped at her. Up close, Ymir's titan form was scary as hell. What was even more freaky was that it spoke. "Wonna...live...hold on." They understood exactly what it meant, and they didn't hesitate one second to jump on it's back and hold on to it's long hairs. The tower fell hard, crushing the gathering titans that stood under it while Ymir hopped off. Christa, Reiner, and Connie held on for dear life.

...

I was awakened by a startling rumble in the ground. The horses whined and stumbled. It was too weak to be an earthquake but too strong to be a titan falling. Something big must have happened.

"What was that?!" Sasha shouted once the rumbling had stopped.

"Don't know, but we're heading in the direction it came from, speed up." Levi instructed.

I squinted up at the sun. It was morning already. Rubbing my eyes I looked around my surroundings. We were in an open area now, and no titans to be seen. It wad a good relief.

"I heard an explosion too, well more like a faint sound of something big falling, like a building." I stated with a sleepy tone.

"I didn't hear it." Levi muttered. Sasha agreed with him.

I made a pfft sound. "Of course YOU didn't."

"Be quiet brat." He breathed. "Whatever it was, it must have something to do with Eren, brat number one must have turned."

My eyebrow rose. "Does that make me brat number two?"

He didn't respond to my question, but I took his silence as a yes. I pouted and braced myself for a sneeze, wiping the wetness on his back in revenge. A childish act but a funny one nonetheless.

After a while of riding in silence, I spotted a wall not too far away. "Hey whats that?" I said while pointing in said direction. Levi steered the horse over that way and Sasha followed.

"It looks like ruins, and there's smoke coming out of there too, a building probably fell, lets go!" Levi kicked the horse, making it whine and speed up even more. I gasped and clasped my hands around his torso, feeling his waist up as we rode. It was a perfect opportunity, and I took it. He didn't say anything, was he okay with it? Or maybe he didn't notice. I wished I could see his expression.

It didn't take long for us to reach the ruins. The smoke was everywhere, and it was evident that something had fallen, possibly a tower of some sort, they did look like ruins of an old castle. I spotted a bald head from a few feet away. Connie. "Over there!" I yelled, pointing in that direction. Levi brought the horse into a slow walk and stopped. He hopped off and held out his hand to help me. I took it and hopped off myself, letting my hand linger on his for longer than necessary. He glanced at me and we held each others gazes for a moment.

Sasha interrupted that moment. "Come on!" She screamed as she sprinted towards the small male, leaving her horse standing by us.

"R-right" I muttered, letting go of Levi's hand. I sprinted after her.

I was right, it was Connie sitting on the dirt with a panicked face. Christa and Reiner were there too. I felt a wave of relief wash over me. We finally found the others, even if it wasn't the entire group. However, that relief didn't last long. Sasha's scream erupted into the air. I gasped as I saw what she was screaming at. There was a titan sitting right beside the trio, staring at them with dark eyes.

The others looked up at us as we approached, in surprise.

"Get back!" Levi ordered, pulling me away from the ugly thing. We had no gear, it was up to me to take care of it. I readied myself in a stance.

Christa scrambled out of the floor and stood in front of the titan protectively. "No stop! It's Ymir! She saved us! Pleas don't hurt her!"

I blinked at her, confused. Sasha gawked at the thing, trying to find any similarities to the weird tall girl, but it was difficult. It looked nothing like Ymir. Reiner sighed, standing up from the awkward crouch he was in. "It's the truth, that titan is Ymir, she's a titan shifter."

Levi scoffed at him. "Unbelievable."

"It must be true, it's not attacking." I muttered, staring into it's eyes. Although this titan was small, it was still a lot bigger than us. I could see why Sasha and Levi were nervous being around it.

"Wait, how did you find us? Where did you even come from?" Connie asked in confusion.

Sasha smiled. "We took a na-mmmfff!" Levi slammed his hand on her mouth.

"We were taking care of business when we heard an explosion." He muttered bluntly. Sure...if you could call sleeping the night off 'business.'

"Okay, and where is Bertholdt? Sakura, he said he was going after you." Reiner pressed on. Levi and I stayed silent. What should I say to him?

"Beats me, he ditched us, eh I'm sure he's around, we should find the other group, the one that left with Eren." Sasha stated. I silently thanked her.

"I see...well I'm sure he's fine." Reiner whispered to himself. I fidgeted uncomfortably.

"When we leave here, Ymir is going to to explain why she kept this secret of hers quiet." Levi spoke out, meeting the titans gaze. Christa lowered her head. She could defend Ymir from getting attacked, but she couldn't defend her against this.

"Ymir is amazing!" Connie shouted in her defense instead. "We got swarmed by titans, and she made it so that they all got buried under the debris, that's one hell of an idea."

"Titans? but...are you sure they're gone?" I said in suspicion.

"Dude, look around you, they're gone!" He hollered with a smile.

I wasn't so sure...I was sensing something was off. The debris we stood on top of was very loose. Titans couldn't be held back by this...

I was right. The floor started rumbling and we looked around with panic. Just as I had suspected, titans started rising from the ruins. "What the...they're coming out! Quick! Fugly, go finish them off!" Connie shouted hysterically.

It took me a while to process that Connie was talking to Ymir. For crying out loud, he was just like Sai. Nevertheless, Ymir ran at full speed at the rising titans with every intention of killing them. She was fast, very fast, but that made sense considering her height. She wasn't freakishly big like Eren and I, which made us slow. She bit down onto one's neck, shedding blood as she did so.

"Look out!" I shouted. A nearby titan had grabbed her hair and pulled on it, making Ymir snap back with the action. It was literally picking her up by the hair, and it slammed her down against the floor. We stared in horror as they tore her apart limb from limb. They were even biting her face off, making her facial features look deformed.

"They are...eating Ymir." Connie stated, sweat dripped down his forehead.

"N-no...no, it can't be..." Christa stuttered while shaking. She ran at full speed towards the carnage.

"Christa!" Connie and Levi shouted after her, but to no avail.

"Wait Ymir! There's something I need to tell you!" The blonde petite shouted at her. I didn't understand the relationship well between the two, but I had guessed then that the they were close. Christa had a right to some final words. I didn't try to stop her. She stopped on top of a rock and shouted again. "I have yet...to tell you my real name!"

She didn't get to finish that sentence, because a titan rose from the ground beside her and reached for her small form. My heart raced, I had to save her. Just as I was about to dash forward, a figure came out of no where and slashed at the titans back neck. It convulsed and fell forward, limp without life. We stared at the figure until it landed beside Christa and looked up at us.

"Mikasa?!" Connie and Reiner shouted. I blinked in surprise. I didn't expect to see her around so soon

"Christa, and everybody else, stand back!" She ordered with a quick glance in my direction. I frowned. That was obviously an 'I don't need you look.' The wench. "We'll handle this from here."

Ah, so she wasn't alone. Many scouting legion members appeared all at once, ready for combat. The sound of racing horses echoed across the air, making us all turn. "Hanji." Levi whispered.

It was everyone else that was missing. Hanji and Eren came into view on horses. I could hear her giving orders to the other members. "Backup group, disperse, and check the surroundings! Everyone else strike at the titans gathering all at once!" She paused and stared after Eren as she hopped off the horse to join the members engaging the titans. "Hey wait! You're exempt from the attack!" She called after him.

He ignored her and moved in for a titans kill. He succeeded in cutting the back of its neck cleanly. "I did it! My first kill as a scout!" In the midst of his excitement he stumbled on the ground and nearly fell.

"Moron! You were told to stay back Eren!" A nearby member scolded.

Eren rubbed his knee in pain. "Sorry sir, ow ow ow." He muttered in apology with a grimace.

"Eren!" Connie and I shouted in joy.

He snapped his head back to stare at us, and his face broke into a smile. "Guys!" He shouted back. We were together again, the whole group. Now I could finally stop worrying.

...

"For real? Ymir is a titan?" Armin muttered in disbelief. This was the third time he asked that question. Since all the titans were dead, courtesy of the scouting legion, we were safe to roam about.

"Yeah, she turned right before our own eyes, she saved us ya know!" Connie boasted with a grin.

We stared in silence then, at Christa holding Ymir. The girl had lost her arm and her leg when the titans attacked her, but Hanji said my healing wouldn't be needed with her. If she was a titan, her limbs would regenerate.

"Ymir." Christa muttered close to her face. The taller girls eyes were slowly opening. I could see she was tired out of her mind. I knew the feeling.

"My real name is Historia." Christa finished. Ymir's eyes close and she smiled, letting herself go into a deep sleep. A much needed sleep that was beginning to make me envious.

...

We had returned to the safety of the inner walls. With Ymir in tow. I stared ahead at the scenery from the top of the wall. Levi was talking to Hanji at the moment, so I had to wait patiently for them to finish. I wanted a word with the grouchy ex captain. Hanji gave me a sideways glance an blushed.

"Ok ok, I see what's going on, I'll give you two some alone time." she stated with a giggle, making Levi and I deadpan.

"Honestly..." He muttered under his breath.

"Errr, I wanted to talk to you." I stated. Hanji was right about that even if it sounded lecherous.

"What do you want brat." He stated with a sigh.

"Bertholdt was left behind, you think we can just leave him tied up over there for a titan to eat?" I said smugly. Sure he was a creep, but nobody deserved that no matter what they did.

"I couldn't care less, let the titans eat him." He stated bluntly.

I frowned up at him and smacked his chest with my hand. "How could you say that?!" I hissed at him. I knew Levi was cold, but this was too much.

He grabbed my hand midair and held it tightly, then bent down towards my level and whispered in the most...I swear... the most seductive voice. "Because he tried to touch whats mine."

He let go of my hand and I stumbled back, heart racing and thoughts going a million miles a minute. Did I imagine that? What did that even mean? I didn't get to ask, Levi had tuned swiftly and walked away. I rubbed my hair in an attempt to clear my head. I was his? When did I ever agree to that? The pervert...I pouted with a blush, looking around to see if anybody saw that little moment. No one seemed to have noticed, good.

"Hey, whats up?" I nearly jumped off my skin at hearing Eren's voice. He flinched and stared at me with dirty blue eyes. "You okay?"

I gave him a nervous laugh. "O-of course, why wouldn't I be?" I stammered.

"I don't know, you look like you're hiding something bad." He commented with a frown.

I scratched the back of my head. "Really? Well that's odd, haaahhaaaa..."

He spared me a confused glance before staring ahead at Ymir. Since the entrance to the wall was blocked courtesy of Eren, the girl had to be lifted down in a stretcher carefully. "What's Ymir's condition by the way?"

I had taken care of her wounds regardless of her ability to regenerate. Loosing too much blood could result in horrific weakness and dehydration. "Well she lost her arm and leg, but she should be fine, she's healing quite quickly, a normal person would be long dead by now."

"Normal huh..." Eren whispered.

We stared ahead, deep in thought. The idea that Ymir was a titan was a lot to take in. I would have never guessed, she was just very good at hiding it. I stepped back in surprise when Reiner pulled himself up from the wall. He had his gear on, and he climbed the wall with it effortlessly.

"Phew." He breathed, pausing to take a small break.

"Oh Reiner, here, grab my hand." Eren offered graciously as he thrust out his arm for the blonde to take.

"Ah, thanks." He grabbed it, and pulled himself up. He gave me a curt nod and turned to Eren. "Still no sign of Bertholdt huh?"

I gulped. Eren shook his head. "No, sorry, I spoke with Mike, he would do a search but he's injured, so it will have to wait, and with Ymir and everyone else that's injured, we have our hands full."

Reiner sighed and glanced at me. "You sure he didn't tell you anything about where he was heading?"

I bit my lip. "Nope, didn't say anything at all, Sasha and I awoke and he was gone just like that." I lied.

"Weird...well I'm sure he's fine...he has to be." He muttered.

"Of course he is! He's Bertholdt! Besides, I'm sure he will find his way back if he hasn't already." Eren reassured the taller male with a smile.

"Right." Reiner stated glumly. He sat down and Eren and I followed the action.

"For now, lets just hope for the best." Eren said softly. I knew by the sound of his voice that he thought Bertholdt was dead. Everyone but Reiner thought so. Levi and I were the only ones who knew the truth. The guilt was killing me. If Levi didn't go get him, like he promised back when he tied him up, then I was going to open my mouth ans speak up. It was cruel to just leave him there tied up. We spent the next few hours relaxing under the sun, relieved to finally make it back home with our lives.

...

Authors note: I *mighf* have to do a grammar check? Haha thanks I'll do that, and you might want to do one too xD

Yasss: Does this mean you want a lemon? I've been thinking about a lemon but its my first time writing one so im kinda errr, shy? lol i'll see about a lemon. and im glad you like the story :)

yaoilover: Thanks!

lala: I completely agree :p

darkness is sweet: I know there's alot of the other peeps but i wanted to write what was going on in their part due to the separation, but since they reunited again, it will be more Sakura centered from now on.

~Blessed be