The gentle bouncing of the car as it climbed its way up the old dirt road he once could walk without issue made his bones ache. It was almost funny how he didn't even need to walk up the hill anymore to still feel the aching of doing so. A sudden pothole made the whole car shake violently, nearly making him fall over in the back of the car.
"Are you okay, Grandpa?" His granddaughter asked, her gray eyes looking at him carefully through the rearview mirror; he smiled at her softly, feeling the deep lines of age on his face shift as he smiled at her.
"I am fine, Mina, thank you for asking." He said softly, his voice hardly capable of anything louder at this point; he personally blamed the many diplomatic peace talks that he had to facilitate between Eldia and the world when he was younger, "How much longer until we reach the tree?"
"It should only be a few more minutes, though; with the road in this state, it might take some more time," Mina stated apologetically, looking between him through the rearview mirror and the roar ahead of her as they slowly made their way up the steady incline of the hill.
Reaching over to the window, he gripped the roll-up handle on the car door and, with his withered hand, gently rolled the window down before sliding across the back seat to be able to look out the window with ease. The gentle, warm breeze from the moving car nearly took his hat off as he approached the window. Taking a deep breath of the fresh air, he sighed contently as they made their way up the hill, the tree just barely visible upon the horizon.
"People can build these great buildings that tower into the sky, but they cannot fix a road." He stated with an amused shake of his head as he looked from the road out to the great city that was his home once long ago. His eyes followed the city as it expanded far beyond where it was once capable of going before turning back to the center of the city, where he saw the new modern buildings that had all but completely consumed the city he once knew.
"I really don't understand why you hate the skyscrapers in the city so much; they aren't pretty, but…" Mina trailed off, trying to figure out what else to say.
"They are too tall and feel oppressive when I stand under them. They remind me far too much of the walls," He did not need to state what else they reminded him of; Mina knew, and he did not wish to relive those horrific sights.
A silence fell over them. Turning away from the window, he looked down at his hands. Every time he saw the wrinkles that covered his hands, he was always filled with a slight sense of wonder; never in all his life did he imagine that he would live long enough to see any wrinkles, yet now he felt that he was practically made of them. The feelings of wonder turned somber the moment his right thumb brushed over the old ring on his left hand, a small, sad smile playing at his lips as he looked at the worn piece of metal that held so much love, passion, comfort, and now loss in his mind.
He doubted it would be much longer until he saw her again; he did not have much left in him.
"Grandpa?" Mina's voice asked softly as he felt the car begin to slow down, "Are you okay?" He looked up from his hand to the mirror and saw Mina's eyes looking right back down at the ring on his finger.
"I am," He stated, letting his shoulders fall as the car slowed to a stop. He missed her more than anything, every day, every moment he missed her, but the memories lived on, and he had a bit more time left before he could join her once again.
Closing his eyes, he nodded to himself in reassurance before he grabbed the door handle of the car. He heard the door click as it opened up with a slight push. Swinging his thin legs over the edge of the car, he carefully climbed out, his feet landing firmly upon the earth, his knees and hips popping as his body had to readjust itself to standing. Reaching into the car, he pulled out his cane, the wooden handle a comfort in his hand.
Closing the door, he slowly walked over to the window of the driver seat and knocked, a teasing smile creeping on his face as his granddaughter rolled her window down with a brow raised in mock annoyance, "Care to join an old man on a walk, or do you want to just enjoy the radio since I am not there to complain about it?"
Mina smiled at him, her smile reminding him so much of Annie in that moment, "Grandpa," She began softly, "I know that you want to go alone."
He nodded softly, "It felt rude not to offer since you were the only one willing to drive me out here."
She smiled up at him from where she sat, "I will be waiting for you to return; take your time."
He smiled at her before turning towards the tree, which stood about thirty meters away from where they had parked. Gripping his cane, he took a deep breath before exhaling in determination, before he slowly made his way back to where it all began, toward the tree on that hill. Every step, he was filled with memory and nostalgia and a profound sense of loss. All of them were gone, except for him. He felt his body cry and ache as he walked upon the uneven ground, but he walked forward undeterred until, eventually, he reached the old tree.
Placing his withered hand upon the strong bark of the tree, he smiled as he looked down at the twin headstones that sat under it, one headstone far older than the other, "I guess you two beat me again," he said with a tired and sad smile. Carefully, he kneeled down to clean up both graves of dirt, "but I think I am going to reach you soon."
"I, I miss you both; the world feels like it is moving past me now," He whispered, only wanting the two of them to hear him, "I feel like I have been left behind; the world is going forward, and everyone has gone to join you now, except for me."
"I miss you."
He felt a tear crawl down his face, tracing the wrinkles on his face as it made its way down before finally hitting the earth.
"This is the last time I am going to be able to visit. My body is worn out, and I no longer have the strength to carry it up here, even with a car," He explained as he gently touched each headstone, a sad smile playing on his face, his eyes downcast, "so I wanted to say goodbye."
Shifting his body, he leaned against the tree like he had done when he was still a child, Mikasa and Eren lying right beside him, resting under the tree like he had seen them do a hundred times before, but now they were resting for eternity.
Exhaling a long, slow breath, Armin sat under the tree. He knew that he would have to get up eventually; he was not dead yet, but for now, he wanted a chance to sit with his friends. One last time.
The ending of Attack on Titan was beautiful, I have cried plenty of times watching the show, but I definitely cried the hardest watching the final episode.
I wanted to write something as tribute to this wonderful show, I hope that this tribute is enjoyable. It was a wonderful journey, watching this series with all of you.