Maelstrom of Paradis Island
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Attack on Titan. They are the properties of Masashi Kishimoto and Hajime Isayama respectively.
Normal speech: "Mikasa"
Thoughts: 'Mikasa'
Author's note: Hi again, I would like to thank everyone who favored, followed and reviewed this story. Sorry for the late update for this chapter, but the story will be updated at a much faster rate from now.
About the last chapter…
Thor94: Naruto won't be an average guy with untamed power. He will be prodigal, intelligent and cunning, but he won't be OP as well.
X-ownz: Sorry, but I already have a set plan for the story. But don't worry Naruto and Mikasa won't be OP at all.
Fraxures: Glad you enjoyed it.
Ezakel: Thanks for your support.
Chapter two: fall of shiganshina
Shiganshina district, Southern edge of Wall Maria.
It was almost six in the evening, the sun was slowly beginning to set, painting the sky a beautiful shade of reddish orange. People were going about doing their own business. Some garrison soldiers could be seen scouting and reinforcing the wall. People could be seen buying different kinds of stuff in the street. All in all, it was a regular day for the people of Shiganshina.
A single figure could be seen picking up firewood in an open field filled with some trees and plants. She had shining black hair that reached slightly below her shoulder and dark black eyes. She wore a white shirt and brown skirt that reached up to her feet. She also had a green gem necklace around her neck. A black scarf wrapped around her neck protected her from the cold evening breeze. Her name was Mikasa Ackerman.
Life had not been easy for her the past year. She still got nightmares about the events of that day. The day she witnessed the murder of her parents, the day Naruto and Eren killed her kidnappers and almost died in the process, the day she realized the cruelty of the world they lived in. It was also the day she unlocked a mysterious power called chakra. She knew something happened to her before she killed the assailant holding Eren, but was not sure what is was until Naruto explained it to her. Needless to say, she was shocked, her surprise only doubled when Naruto explained to her about the three scrolls. But they were of no use right now as they still didn't know how to open them. The events of that day had left her depressed for a long time but she gradually got over the deaths of her parents with a great deal of support from both Naruto and Eren.
And speaking of Eren, over the year Eren had become the little brother figure for her. And her feelings for Naruto only grew stronger as time went by. She wondered how he remained strong when she knew he was affected by her parent's death as much as her. But he had remained strong for her, cheering her up when she got too depressed and encouraging her to move forward. Eren's mom Carla treated her with kindness as well. Naruto, Eren, Grisha and Eren's mother Carla were the ones that saved her from her loneliness. They were her family now. The world was cruel. Yes. But the happy moments she spent with her family proved that the world was also beautiful. She would do anything to keep her family together like they were now.
Mikasa looked up after picking up enough firewood, to see Eren lying under a tree sleeping. She sighed. Honestly, he could be so lazy one moment and instantly turn hyperactive the next. Eren and Naruto were so similar in some aspects that she had to wonder whether they really were brothers. They could both be stubborn and both of them had this ridiculous desire to see the outside world. She did not like the fact that they both wished to join the scouts. In one year they would be eligible to join the training corps. She was not about to let that happen. She decided she had to do something to stop them from joining the training corps.
Looking up at the sky, seeing it was getting dark, she began to trudge over to Eren, carrying the firewood on her back.
She poked him with a stick, "Eren wake up. We are getting back home. It's gonna get dark soon."
Feeling something poking him in the face, he slowly opened his eyes to see Mikasa staring at him with a blank look on her face. His eyes were glazed over and he seemed pretty out of it. " …uh?…Mikasa your hair…it has gotten longer hasn't it?"
Staring at him with a strange look on her face, she decided not to respond to his stupid question. It was not the first time he had spouted such nonsense after waking up. " just get back okay?. It's getting dark." she said in a tired tone before her eyes widened when she saw tears running down his cheeks, " What's wrong? Why are you crying?"
" Huh?… what do you mean?" He said as he reached up to feel tears running down his cheeks. Flushing in embarrassment, he quickly wiped away his tears before walking ahead of her hastily, Mikasa following behind him.
Soon they reached the streets of Shiganshina district. " Mikasa, don't tell anyone about this okay?. They don't need to know I have been crying….especially Naruto" he grumbled he last part under his breath, but she heard him clearly, causing her to giggle.
"Mikasaaa... I am serious. Don't tell him about this. He wouldn't let me hear the end of it." He whined
Seeing the pitiful expression on his face she relented " Okay…okay, I won't. But why were you crying for no reason at all?" She was curious to know why he was crying. After all, nobody cried without a reason. But unfortunately, his response was cut short, when Hannes, a garrison soldier overheard their conversation and decided to have some fun with Eren. He was slightly drunk as the smell of alcohol reeked from him.
"Oh! What have you been crying about Eren?. Did you beat get beat up by some kids….again?" He laughed and three other soldiers behind him joined in on the laugh.
Gaining a tick mark on his forehead, "I don't get beat up anymore Hannes-san. In fact, they flee the moment they see me." He said in a smug tone. Mikasa rolled her eyes, although what he said was true. Naruto had taught him how to fight a few months ago.
The smug look was soon replaced with a frown when the smell of booze hit his nose. Looking behind Hannes, he saw three other soldiers sitting on small wooden boxes with a bottle of alcohol in their hands.
Mikasa saw the look of look irritation on Eren's face and knew what was about to happen. But much to her surprise, he didn't yell at Hannes or the garrison soldiers. Instead, he just gritted his teeth and started to walk back home, leaving a surprised Mikasa and Hannes.
Shaking away her surprise, she ran to catch up to him. " I thought you were going to yell at them for being so irresponsible?" she asked as she caught up with him.
Looking at her with slight irritation, " I am just tired of telling these people to be responsible and ready when the titans attack us."
Sighing at him," Eren, the wall is 50 meters high. No titan can breach it. The wall is unbreachable." She said.
His head whipped around to meet her face with a surprised expression," What?! Don't tell me you are supporting Hannes and the garrison soldiers in this matter. Just because the wall had not been breached for 100 years doesn't mean It can't be breached. As long as the titans exist the threat is always there. As long as the titans exist we will continue to live in humiliation like caged cattle." He yelled at her, his face turning red from anger.
Mikasa flinched slightly at his anger but stayed silent because he did say some valid points.
" The scouts are the ones who are doing the right thing. That is why I am gonna join them after I complete my training." He said.
This time Mikasa did snap back at him. " Eren, both you and Naruto will not be joining the scouts. So you better forget about your fantasy dreams," she said in a sharp tone.
Her words only seemed to make him angrier. " Don't tell me what to do! Okay?. Why can't you and mom understand that Naruto and I want to join the scouting regimen? We want to see the outside world. we don't want to live like cattle inside walls. why can't you understand that this means a lot to us and you cant change our minds on this matter? Do you even understand how we feel? Do you even care about the feelings of the people you call family." He instantly regretted saying the last sentence as he was forcefully shoved against a wall by Mikasa, firewood scattering everywhere. He gasped when he saw the look in her eyes. Her cold black eyes seemed to pierce his very soul.
" I do care. That is why I don't want you guys to through away your lives by becoming titan food." She said in a cold tone before resuming her walk home, her mood completely ruined.
Eren flinched at her tone. He felt bad for saying such harsh words to her. Now he felt like a jerk. Regaining his composure he caught up with her. " M-mikasa…. I am sorry okay. I didn't mean to sound like a jerk." He said in an apologetic tone.
Sparing him a glance, she just grunted before resuming her walk.
" Oh, come on Mikasa don't be too hard on him. we all know he is a dimwit." a voice spoke, startling both of them.
" EEK! " Mikasa shrieked, before blushing a bright shade of red from embarrassment.
'Where did he come from?' she taught as Naruto looked at her with a small grin on her face. There were some notable changes in his appearance. He had grown his hair out, reaching just up to his chin, a few bangs covering his left eye. It covered the slight scar on his left eyebrow. He had grown a few inches as well. His Purple-blue eyes were not as bright as they once used to be and he was not as goofy as he used to be as well. He still makes jokes and makes everyone laugh but he was not the same as he once was. His golden blond hair mixed with some red hair seemed to glow a little as it reflected the sun's rays. He wore a brown full sleeve shirt with his sleeves rolled up and grey pants and a sleeveless grey jacket over his shirt. He had a belt around his hip which contained his knives and the three scrolls. All in all, Mikasa thought he looked great.
Eren didn't know whether to be happy that he saved him from an angry Mikasa or pissed that he called him a dimwit. He decided to keep his mouth shut.
Mikasa's eyebrows started to twitch," Naruto don't do that!" she huffed as she tried to regain her composure," And don't think you can save Eren this time. I am not gonna forgive him that easy." she bit out.
Naruto's reply was cut off when the watchtower bell rang, alerting them that the scouts were returning from their expedition.
" It's the scouts, the heroes have returned. Let's go see them." Eren said in an excited voice as he dashed to the front wall gate, with Naruto and Mikasa following him.
They reached the front gates to see a lot of people gathered on either side of the street to look at the returning scouts. All three children stiffened when they saw the condition the scouts were in. Just this morning the scouts had gone out on an expedition with more than 100 people and now there were less than 20 remaining. Even among the 20, there were many severely injured. Some missing an arm and some missing a leg. It was a sight that made their stomachs turn. Naruto could hear the citizens cursing the scouts for wasting their tax money and accomplishing nothing in return. Naruto had to wonder whether these guys even knew what they were talking about. The situation got even more heart wrenching when an old lady came to the commander of the scouts asking for her son, only to be informed that he was dead. Seeing the old woman cry for her dead son felt like someone just stabbed his heart with a knife. It was only made worse when he said that the death of her son meant nothing as the expedition was a failure.
Naruto watched with wide eyes as the scene played out before him. This was the first time he had seen the scouts returning from an expedition. And the sight showed him the amount of danger that existed outside the walls. It showed him how lucky he and the others were to live inside the walls. But it also raised a lot of questions within him. What if the wall was breached?. Can we survive something like that?. If the scouting regimen, the regimen most experienced in fighting Titans cannot handle them, how can the garrison and the military police fight them? His mind was running a mile, visualizing a scenario where the wall was indeed breached. And no matter how hard he thought, he came to the same conclusion in the end. They would not survive a wall breach, not in the current state they were in. And this realization filled him with unease.
It was not long before all three of them started their trudge back home, each with their own thoughts in their heads.
XXX
Yaeger residence
A soft humming sound could be heard inside the house as a woman in her Mid-thirties was washing dishes in the kitchen. Her name was Carla Yaeger. She had brown hair and green eyes. She wore a cream-colored sweater with frilled sleeves and a long red skirt with a white apron. She was waiting for the three children to return home. Her husband was sitting in his chair reading some book. she looked out the window and saw it was getting dark. Just as she was starting to wonder why the children haven't returned yet, the door of the house opened revealing Naruto, Eren and Mikasa entering the house.
" We're home," Eren said in a neutral tone.
Grisha noticed the troubled look on their faces but didn't comment on it. " Welcome home." He said with a small smile.
Carla frowned but decided not to ask anything right now. The three went to clean themselves up before joining Carla and Grisha at the table to eat some snacks.
An awkward silence began to settle down in the family of five. But neither of the three children seemed to notice it as they were too wrapped up in their own thoughts. Naruto was thinking about ways to open the scrolls and Mikasa was thinking about how to stop Naruto and Eren from joining the scouting legion.
The silence seemed to stretch before Carla slammed her palm on the table, not being able to take the tension anymore,"Okay, what is - "
" Eren and Naruto want to join the scouting legion." Mikasa blurted out, causing Carla's eyes to widen while Grisha concealed his surprise well.
" Mikasa! I told you to keep it quiet!" Even shouted with a betrayed look on his face, while Naruto just kept quiet. Although from the look on his face you could see that he was not happy.
Mikasa winced from the look on their faces But didn't back down.
Carla exploded from her seat, her chair falling behind her, She had a look of anger and fear on her face. Forcefully grabbing by his shoulder, " what are you thinking? Do you have any idea how many people that go outside the wall die." She shouted, before directing her glare towards Naruto, " No one from this house is going to join the scouts!. Is that clear?."
Naruto turned his head away refusing to meet her eyes. He felt both touched and slightly irritated at the same time. He felt touched that she cared about his well being. She was the same as Mikasa's mother in that regard. Both saw him as their own son and he felt grateful for that. But he had already made up his mind. He was about to reply when Eren beat him to the punch.
" You can't tell us what to do! I am gonna join the scouts and you can't change my mind!" he shouted at her. she was taken aback by his tone before her eyes narrowed in anger.
" Eren." Grisha voice cut through the shouting like a knife, and just like that, he had everyone's attention. He had a very serious expression on his face, one that was not seen very often. " Why do you want to go outside the walls?" His voice not betraying any of his emotions.
Looking him in the eye," I wanna know what's going on outside. I'd hate to live my entire life inside the walls as an ignorant." Before his eyes hardened with determination, " For a lot of years the scouts have been fighting the Titans and I know that thousands of scouts have died. But if No one wants to pick up from where they left off… All the people who laid down their lives for the sake of humanity would be in vain. So that is why I want to join the scouts." He finished looking straight into Grisha's eyes.
All that greeted him was silence before Grisha broke it,
" I see, The ship will be here soon. I'll be on my way. " He said, his lips curling up slightly into a smile as he stood up taking his briefcase and started to make his way out.
Carla looked shocked at her husband's action, " W-wait Honey!… Talk some sense in him." she pleaded with him.
Holding back a sigh Grisha looked at his wife," Carla…. when somebody's on a quest there is no such thing as talking them down." He said before turning his attention to Eren.
" Eren … when I get back, there is that room in the basement which I have always kept a secret. I'll show it to you."
" Really! You will really show it to me!?" He asked, excited at the prospect of learning what his father had kept secret. Naruto was curious to know what's I the basement as well.
" Yes, Eren. I'll show you what's in the basement." He said with a small smile on his face before left the house.
There was a moment of awkward silence before," Eren, Naruto, I insist it's not happening. Only a fool would join the scouts."
" Huh?… A fool? As far as I am concerned, People who live inside the wall cooped up like cattle are ten times sillier." He shouted, his voice raising higher with every word he spoke before he ran away completely upset with his mother.
Naruto winced when he saw the look of hurt on her face. He did not like Eren being rude to Carla. He seemed to take his mother's affection for granted. As someone who grew up without both parents, Naruto cherished the motherly love shown by both Maya and Carla. He yearned for it. That was one of the reasons why he never went against their words. He always obeyed them. But he had already made up his mind on this matter.
Carla turned to Naruto to convince him but was cut off when Naruto hugged her. She was momentarily taken aback by his sudden show of affection, but Quickly regained her composure and wrapped her arms around him.
" Narut- "she began but was once again cut off by him.
" Carla-san, I know you worry about our safety, but you can't change our minds on this matter." He said in a soft tone.
Seeing that she still had a conflicted look on her face he continued, " Besides we are still not twelve yet. we don't want to spend the next year always arguing with each other. Also It is not like Eren will be all alone, I'll be there to help him when he gets into trouble." He reassured her.
" Besides do you really think that we would die so easily. It would take a lot more than Titans to kill us." He said in a confident tone, although, he was not so sure on the inside.
Looking at Naruto, Carla sighed, he was always like this, trying to take responsibility for everything, always trying to make her happy," Naruto, you don't need to look after Eren all the time. He needs to be able to take care of himself and stop being reckless all the time. I only want you to help him grow up into a more mature and level-headed person." she said in a kind tone.
"I promise, I will." He said as he broke away from the hug.
" Now go find him, before gets himself into any trouble," she said with a small smile on her face, as he nodded his head and left with Mikasa to find Eren.
XXX
Naruto and Mikasa caught up to Eren scaring off some kids bullying their friend Armin. Armin was a short boy with a round feminine face. He had blond hair, with bob style haircut. He had large expressive hazel eyes. He wore a long sleeved brown shirt and grey pants. He was a timid boy with a frail physique and was frequently picked on by other kids. He was also Eren's best friend. Much like Eren, he had a deep fascination for the world beyond the walls. He was the one who showed Eren the illegal books about the outside world owned by his grandfather.
Naruto frowned when he saw the slightly teary-eyed Armin. He didn't hate the boy, but his timid character and inability to stand up on his own irritated him sometimes. The boy was overly reliant on both Eren and Mikasa to defend him. Naruto knew this could cause a lot of problems in the future. Naruto could see that Armin valued his friendship with both Eren and Mikasa very seriously. He could see that Armin had the desire to prove himself worthy of their friendship, but he never put his thoughts into action. He was still reliant on them and that ticked Naruto off a lot.
Mikasa saw the frown on Naruto's face but decided not to comment on it. The relationship between Naruto and Armin was not a very close one. They were acquaintances at best. Naruto sees Armin as someone who could not stand up for himself, while Armin sees Naruto as someone who has all the qualities he himself wanted to have. He was strong, smart, skillful, and confident, everything he wanted to be. So he was a bit jealous of him.
" Look at them, scurrying away like rats with the mere sight of me," Eren told in a smug tone as he watched the bullies running away from them. He had to admit learning how to fight from Naruto was the best thing he ever did. These cowardly bullies were scared of him since he beat them up. He gave Armin a hand to stand up.
" Yeah Eren those guys are scared of you now," he said with a smile as he reached out to grab his hand when he noticed Naruto and Mikasa arrive. He winced when he saw the frown on Naruto's face.
"I don't need help to stand up Eren." He said as he stood up on his own.
" Uhm… Are you okay?" Even asked in a confused tone.
"Yes, don't worry about me." He said with a reassuring smile.
Accepting his friend's words Eren turned around to see Naruto and Mikasa and greeted them with a wave. Armin did the same with Mikasa and gave a nod to Naruto which he returned.
And with that, they made their way towards a nearby lake where they usually spent their time in the evenings.
XXX
Naruto, Mikasa, Eren, and Armin were sitting near a lake just talking about random things. Mikasa sat to the left of Naruto while Eren and Armin were to his right.
" So why were those guys bullying you again?" Eren asked curious to know why his friend was bullied.
" I told them Humankind would need to go outside the walls someday. That's when they started hitting me, calling me a heretic." He said in a depressed tone.
Eren gritted his teeth in anger," Dammit, You get looked down upon just for mentioning you'd like to get out. The people inside walls are fools, just like my nagging mother." He said before he fell on his face as Naruto swatted him on the back of his head.
Quickly getting back up, " Oi! What the hell was that for!?" He shouted but, flinched when Naruto's eyes narrowed and his face twisted in anger. Even Armin and Mikasa were a little surprised, as Naruto never got angry at Eren.
" Eren, I am telling you, you take a lot of things for granted and think people who don't agree with you are fools. But guess what they are not fools. And Carla-san is the farthest thing from a fool." His voice rising with everyword he spoke.
Mikasa immediately understood why he was getting angry and knew the situation could get ugly if Eren didn't choose his words with caution. Her eyes met with Amin and she knew he had come to the same conclusion as well.
But Even being the hothead he was, couldn't keep his mother shut. " What do you mean? She keeps telling us that the scouts are fools for going outside. She obviously doesn't understand why they risk their lives. She is no different from all the ungrateful people living inside this wall." He shouted before his breathing hitched as a small amount of killing intent escaped out of Naruto. It felt like a boulder was dropped on his shoulder, as he stood frozen in his spot. He could see Naruto's muscles tensing up to lash out at him, but luckily Mikasa was there to save him.
"NARUTO!" she shouted, yanking him by his arm. She had sensed his chakra raising when Eren was speaking and knew he was going to lash out.
Realising he had almost lost his temper he took a deep breath to calm himself down," It's okay Mikasa you can let go of me now." She looked at him for a second before releasing his arm.
" N-naruto…" Eren began but stopped when Naruto turned to look at him, his eyes a lot softer now.
" I just hope you don't regret always fighting and arguing with your mother. I am going back home. See you guys later." He said before he started to walk away.
Mikasa watched him with slight worry before turning towards Eren with a glare, this day was not going well for him.
" Eren, you need to watch how you talk to him when it comes to your mother. The next time I won't be here to save you from getting your ass kicked," she said, with Armin nodding from the side. You don't raise your voice against someone who could drop you on your ass in seconds. He shivered from the feeling of dread that enveloped him just seconds ago. It further strengthened his belief that Uzumaki Naruto is not someone to be messed with. But he also noticed that there was something strange about Mikasa and Naruto. Armin may be timid, but he had one of the sharpest minds. He was a lot more perceptive than others might think. From the moment he met those two, he knew they were somehow different. He didn't know how they were different but something in his mind told him that they were. He would have to observe them more closely.
" I am leaving," Mikasa said as she went after Naruto.
" W-wait Mikasa…" Eren said as he rushed after he, with Armin following him.
XXX
Naruto stopped when he felt the three coming from behind. He looked behind to see Eren, who had an apologetic look on his face," L-look Naruto I am sorry okay? I didn't mean yell at you." He said.
Naruto Sighed, he was not in the mood to speak with him. He was about to tell him to leave him alone, when a huge explosion shook the place, sending them to the ground.
BA-KRAM
A loud crack of lightning shot from the sky outside the front gate, followed by a bright flash of light bending almost everyone.
Recovering quickly, all four children dashed towards the front gate where they knew the lightning struck. Dashing around the corner of the street, they came to a stop to see a lot of people gathering to see the smoke raising outside the front gate.
They slid to a stop, panting slightly, their heart beating rapidly, a feeling of dread began to form on the pit of their stomachs, when a giant muscular arm rose, grabbing the edge of the wall, followed by a massive head, raising well above the 50-meter wall.
Naruto's blood ran cold as his worst nightmare came true. He felt Mikasa and Eren gasp. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Armin shaking on the ground, his eyes filled with terror.
" I-it's T-them…. The Titans…" Eren said, his voice shaking with unconcealed fear.
Mikasa was in the same state as him as she stared at the 60-foot monster that stood over them, Looking at them as if they were mere ants waiting to be slaughtered. Her breathing quickened as she began to panic. All the times when Naruto and Eren told her that the walls could not protect them forever flashed through her mind. she never took them seriously, thinking they were just being paranoid. But as she stood frozen in fear staring at reality, she knew they were right. They had been right all along. There was no way the garrison could fight the 60-foot monster standing in front of them. Before she could even think what to do,
BOOOOMMM
Another huge explosion rang out front the front gate, sending huge rocks and debris smashing through houses and crushing people to death. The shockwave rattled their bodies and blew them away, oliberating everything in its path. Mikasa screamed as her knees scraped against the ground, her body tumbling across the cobblestones. Gritting her teeth, she stumbled back to her feet and looked around. And what she saw made her heart stop. there was carnage everywhere. she saw a lot of people literally crushed below boulders. Adults, elderly people and even children were not spared. People were shouting in panic and running for their lives. Then she saw it. A hole. A fifteen feet hole in the wall. A single titan entered through the hole, it's eyes narrow, it's mouth gawping wide. She lost all hope when she saw a horde of titans followings its example and enter the wall. Hearing a scream she turned to her side and gasped as she saw Naruto bleeding from a piece of wood buried in his thigh. She noticed that Eren and Armin were a short distance away from him, getting back up.
" Naruto!" she shouted as she rushed over to him.
Pain. That was what he felt. Naruto gritted his teeth to prevent a cry of pain. He cursed as he saw the chaos surrounding him. He could not believe this is happening. The wall had been breached. Everyone was getting slaughtered, and devoured. He could see some garrison soldiers running away afraid to face the beasts that were about to kill everyone in the district.
Seeing their cowardly act made his blood boil. He remembered all the times he saw these soldiers spending their days getting drunk and playing cards and talking shit to Eren and him when they told them to be more responsible.' Cowards. They are all fucking cowards. Didn't these fuckers take a vow to protect the citizens with their lives.' No this cannot be the end. He still had a lot of things to do with his life. He will not allow it to end here.
" I-t's over….. the wall is breached… we are all going to die here." Armin cried as tears streamed down his cheeks.
' I have no time for this'
" ARMIN! Get a grip! You are not dead yet. Go find your grandpa and head to the ship." Naruto shouted.
Seeing him still hesitant, he finally snapped
"GO! NOW!" His anger boiling to the surface. Armin instantly obeyed dashing away to find his grandfather.
"Our house is in the direction where the debris landed….. Mom!" Eren shouted as he ran towards their house.
Naruto cursed, as he ran after Eren, Mikasa quickly following him. He prayed that Carla had already escaped and was not hit by any of the debris. But his prayers went answered when he saw their destroyed house.
"CARLA-SAN / MOM!."
Naruto frantically began to look for Carla and found her lying on the ground with her lower body crushed by the remains of the house." Oh God! Carla-san!. EREN COME HERE AND HELP BE REMOVE THE RUBBLE!" He shouted in panic. He could see that she was bleeding. Her legs were probably crushed under the rubble. He choked back a sob when he saw the state she was in. Why did this have to happen? They were happy just a few hours ago. Now his world had turned upside down once again. It reminded him of that night. There was no way he was going to letter her die here. He would save her if that is the last thing he did.
"Mom!" Eren shouted, hot tears rolling down his face as she saw her buried under the rubble.
" Cry later! Now help me get this rubble off. We have to get her out of here! Mikasa, You pull her out when we lift the rubble!" He yelled in frustration and panic.
Carla woke up to see Naruto and Even to lift the rubble off of her., "Naruto, the Titans… They are back aren't they?" her voice weak from the blood loss.
" Yes! And we are getting to port as soon as we get you out of this." He gritted out, as he struggled to move the rubble. Seeing them struggle, Mikasa joined them in lifting it, but it was no use. It was simply too heavy for them.
" Come on! It's too heavy ….. GODAMMIT!." Naruto yelled in frustration.
Carla looked at her struggling children. she could see their hands bleeding as the sharp edges of the rubble cut into their palms. " Naruto you have to take Eren and Mikasa to the port now!"
" I will, but you are coming with us!" he shouted back, as the rubble finally moved a little.
" Listen, my legs are crushed. Even if you get me out of this, I cant walk! I would only slow you down!"
" Then I'll carry you!" Shouted Eren.
" Why can't you just listen to me!?" she shouted in despair. She knew all three children would die if they stayed any longer.
Booom
His heart pounding Naruto glanced up to see a titan standing there in a distance, eyes narrow, it's mouth gawping wide. Beside her, Eren and Mikasa gasped. Had it seen them?
"Graaaaaaaah!"
It had.
Slowly, then with increasing speed, it began to pound after them. the ground shaking with every step it took.
"No!, no, no, no, no… come on! we have to hurry !" Naruto shouted as they managed to move the roof from her leg. But they still had a lot of pillars to remove.
' come on! Come on!' As they continued removing the rubbles as quick as possible.
Then, as if the Lord himself answered their prayers, they saw someone that could help them, "Hannes! Thank god! Come on hurry up and help us get her out" They shouted, as they continued to remove the pillars.
" Hannes! Take the children and get them to the port." Carla begged in desperation as she felt the titan nearing their position.
Hannes smiled confidently," Come on, don't underestimate me, Carla! I'll kill that titan and save everyone." He said in a confident tone, as he took off to face the titan.
' Yes, this way I'll be able to repay the debt to the Yaeger family' he thought, as he drew his blade to slay the titan before him, but he froze and slid to a stop when he came face to face with the titan. It's face frozen in a manic smile as it looked down at him. His resolve faltered almost instantly as his legs began shaking.
'No, there is no way I could fight that thing' He felt like a complete coward, but there was no way he was fighting that thing. Sheathing his blades, he turned around and rushed towards Eren and Mikasa and picked them up before they could even process what was happening,
" Naruto lets go! We cant fight that thing!" he shouted as he continued running.
Naruto stood there, rooted to his spot. It only took a moment for him to realize what had happened as his expression turned from shocked to murderous in seconds.This bastard. He had chickened out at the last second. This so-called soldier, trained to fight the titans just lost his resolve, the moment he caught sight of one. Pathetic. As far as Naruto was concerned Hannes was a piece of shit.
Regardless, he was not gonna let Carla behind here. Turning around, he saw the titan had almost reached Carla. He knew at that moment the only way to save her was to somehow take down the titan. Steeling his nerves, he pumped chakra into his feet and blasted off towards the man-eating monster.
"Ha-Hannes! What do you think you're doing!?" Even shouted as he struggled against his grip.
Mikasa snapped out of her daze and kicked Hannes right in the knee, sending both him and Eren tumbling to the floor as she landed gracefully on her feet, before she blasted off towards Naruto, the ground caving from the amount of chakra applied to her feet.
Naruto sensed Mikasa nearing him, his mind running a mile, processing every possible option and plan to get out of this situation.
" Mikasa! remove the remaining pillars, while I distract the titan!" His voice firm, leaving no room for argument and she obeyed instantly and rushed to save Carla.
" Naruto! Mikasa! what do you think you are doing!? Just hurry up and run away." Carla desperately shouted as she saw Naruto dash towards the titan.
She got no reply, as Mikasa continued to remove the pillars.
" Hey! Look here you piece of shit!" Naruto shouted as he picked up a sharp stone and let it lose. It whizzed through the air striking the titan's eye.
"Graaaaaahhh." it roared as it swung its arm forcing Naruto to roll to his left or be turned into a paste. His eyes widened when he saw the ground explode from the swing. He had to be careful here. One mistake and he would be crushed to death.
He risked a glance to his right to see Mikasa remove the second pillar but instantly cursed as he was nearly killed by a harsh swing from the titan, this one far faster than before
"Okay calm down Naruto, you just have to stall for just a bit more." He thought as he unsheathed his hunting knife.
Naruto knew he was lucky that this was slow. He gripped his knife hard as he saw the titan going in for another swipe. Just as the hand was about to crush him he jumped high and landed on the hand and stabbed it with all his strength. Then without missing a step, he pumped a huge amount of chakra into his leg as he dashed along the titan's arm with his knife still buried into its flesh as he felt the searing burning blood of the titan hit his face. He gritted his teeth as the titan didn't seem to be affected at all and his hand was beginning to hurt from the stress.'shit' His eyes widened when he saw the titan raise its hand to its face, mouth opening to devour him alive. Thinking quickly he let go of his knife and drew two throwing knives from his pouch and let them loose into its eye from point blank range.
SQUELCH
"Graaaaaaah!" This did get a reaction, as the titan stumbled backward. Quickly removing his knife, he jumped onto a pillar which still stood and slid down, to reach the ground just in time to see Mikasa screaming at him, with Carla leaning against her for support.
" Naruto! I got her out. we gotta go now!", seeing the titan had not recovered yet, he knew this was their chance to get away and rushed towards Mikasa.
He saw Carla looking at him in shock but he ignored her. They were not out of danger yet,
" Mikasa! place her on my back! Hurry!" he shouted as he could see the titan regaining its bearing.
Placing her on his back, he stumbled a little under her weight but he held strong." Come on, we're leaving!" He yelled as Mikasa nodded and took off with him.
Naruto sent a death glare to Hannes who was staring at Naruto in shock and a good amount of fear. Eren was looking at him with a mixture shock, relief and something else he couldn't quite place.
But soon his eyes widened when he saw the injured titan accidentally strike a piece of wood which flew straight at Naruto,
" Naruto watch out!" he yelled, but it was too late as the wooden piece struck his injured thigh, sending him and Carla scraping into the stone road. Carla screamed in pain as her already damaged body took more damage. Naruto dazed from impact stumbled up quickly, only to watch in horror as the huge feet of the titan landed on Carla crushing her lower half completely, turning it into a pulp.
"NOOO!" He screamed in horror as his eyes met the pain filled eyes of Carla. He could see the life fading from her eyes.
He saw her hands reaching up to him," Na-naruto.." before the titan stepped on her, silencing her forever.
Naruto fell on his back as the world seemed to stop around him. He could hear Eren's Heart-wrenching cry of agony. 'This is not happening'. His mind refused to accept the truth, desperately wishing this was all a dream he would wake up from, but he knew this is the reality.
Seeing the children freeze up, Hannes acted quickly" Naruto! Snap out of it! she wanted you guys to live!" His desperate shouting snapped the kids out of their state of despair, as the group took advantage of the titan's momentary distraction to escape.
While running the group couldn't help but watch as people around them died and the titans enjoying the onslaught like a game. There was wreckage and carnage all around them as the town was burning, but no one cared, the death of Carla still fresh in their mind. So they ran, as hard and as fast as their legs could carry, chest heaving and hitching for breath, but they didn't stop. They kept running till they reached the port.
They saw thousands of people desperately trying to get on to a boat, some falling into the water and some getting crushed and killed. Hannes quickly escorted them through the crowd and towards the boat,"Hey guys! please, let these kids enter the boat " Hannes asked his allies who gasped at the state the children were in.
" Dear lord! Hey let the children go through!" one of the recruits yelled as they helped them get into the boat.
XXX
Naruto collapsed near the boat's railing with Mikasa following suite on his right, the physical and mental strain catching up to them. He looked to his left to see Eren staring blankly at his hand. He was worried about him as he had yet to speak a single word after that incident. He could literally feel the turmoil of Emotions raging inside Eren. But he knew any words from him would only cause him to lash out.
'Our house is no more, My mom is no more, I could never go back home again.' Reality finally catching up to Eren.
" You take a lot of things for granted Eren. I just hope you won't regret always fighting and arguing with your mother." Naruto's words came to his mind. He clenched his fist, shutting his eyes close as a shuddering sob finally escaped him, 'Even in the end all I could do was argue with her.' He lamented, regret and guilt welling up inside him.
Why? How did it end up like this? Because we humans are weak? So a weakling's only option is to weep and wail?! His eyes narrowed, his face twisting into a look of intense hatred as tears streamed down his face.
" I'll wipe them out." He muttered gaining Naruto and Mikasa's attention.
Standing up, he grabbed the railing, his eyes facing the now destroyed city," I'll erase them from this world, every single one of them." He said as the boat started moving towards wall Rose.
The last thing they saw before their view was obstructed was The Armoured Titan smashing through the back wall of Shiganshina, thus breaching wall Maria completely.
Naruto and Mikasa watched as the armored titan created havoc and death. As they watched their home burn to the ground , as they heard the screams of people getting eaten alive, they realized that no place was safe from the Titans anymore. They came to the same conclusion as Eren. 'We have to exterminate the Titans…..every single one of them.'
To be continued…
Author's note:
So, I was really conflicted on whether to let Carla live or follow the manga and let her die. In the end, I decided to let her die because her death is the main drive for Eren to exterminate the Titans and I didn't want to take that away. It also gives more reason for Naruto and Mikasa to join the scouts. Hope you like this chapter and reviews are appreciated as usual.