Chapter Twenty-Five
The Truth Becomes Revealed
A/N: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!
Leave a comment, review, kudos, favorite, any and everything to put a smile on my face today :)
Also, please read the notes at the end of the chapter.
Disclaimer: Attack on Titan does not belong to me, I only own Emalina and any other OC's. The new story picture does not belong to me; I hold no Copyright and found the picture through Google Images.
~ oOo ~
EMALINA
As the titans had been cleared from Utgard Castle, my friends and I saddled up with the rest of the Scouts as we made our way towards the closest wall for protection: Wall Rose. During our trek, the sun decided to disappear as storm clouds began to take its place. The sky grew dark, the wind having picked up speed billowed our cloaks around our bodies, protecting us from the sudden drop in temperature.
"That's it, bring it up slowly," Moblit cried out. Most of the Scouts were staring down as Ymir, strapped tightly to a stretcher, was hauled to the top of the wall. "Steady the ropes, please."
Sitting next to Eren, I watched it all happen, everyone's stares were directly on her the same way they were on Eren the first time he transformed before a crowd. I had my own reasons for being upset with Ymir, but she didn't deserve this scrutiny. Unless she's part of the traitors who has hatred in their hearts against mankind, then I had a few words I'd like to give her the moment she wakes up.
"What's the verdict?" Eren suddenly spoke."How bad a shape is Ymir in?"
"Well, she's missing an arm and a leg, and her insides are scrambled. If she was normal, she'd be a goner," someone stated from behind our position.
Tensing, I noticed Reiner attempting to climb over the wall with his one arm. Racing over towards him, I held out my hand. "Here, let me help."
Smiling at me, he said, "Thanks." Pulling the man from his makeshift seat, I dragged him along the wall until we were both seated once more.
"Please, you've got to believe me! I'm telling the truth! Ymir could've run away any time she wanted, she chose to fight the titans to save our lives! She had nothing to pain in putting herself on the line like that. Doesn't that speak volumes about where her loyalties are?" Glancing backwards towards Christa, I knew she'd be fighting for Ymir, but it seemed Hange wasn't believing any of it. "She should have told us before, yes, she had no right to keep her power a secret. It's hard to look past how much humankind might have gained from knowing what she's been keeping to herself, but…I think, I think she was just worried what people might do to her. Clearly her priorities have changed now. This isn't nearly as complicated as this looks. No one is closer to Ymir than me, and there's no question in my mine whose side she's on."
"Is that so. Well, under the circumstances, it certainly behooves us to be friendly. Her priorities aside, I'll wager what she can teach us about the enemy is beyond measure, probably. Even so, you say this isn't as complicated as it looks, but from where I'm standing, the world gets more complicated by the hour."
They started walking, so I tuned out the rest of their conversation. Legs dangling over the side of the wall, Reiner soon joined me as well as Bertholdt. We simply stared out into the open, the castle visible in the far off distance. Steam still rolled over the ruins, leaving a chill down my spine to even think of what happened last night.
"Ah, son of a bitch."
Glancing towards Reiner, I noticed he was holding tightly onto his injured arm, still wrapped in the handmade sling from Christa - ahem - Historia's skirt. Scooting closer towards him, I pulled his arm away. "You shouldn't keep a tight hold on it, you'll only make the fracture worse."
"Yeah I know," he smirked. "It's just hard, the damn things in a lot of pain."
"I bet, I mean…you saved my ass and got bit by the same titan in return."
"Heh, well, as long as I saved you, it was fucking worth it."
Shoving my shoulder into his non-injured arm, I mumbled, "…thanks. I…I probably wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you."
He ruffled my hair. "You're very welcome, Emalina." He grunted again, gently holding onto his arm as I stared on. I wish there was something I could do, yet he needed proper medical attention from someone in Trost. Hopefully we were headed there relatively soon.
This caught Eren's attention. "You ok over there, Reiner?"
Covering his face, Reiner groaned. "Not by a long shot. A…titan almost gnawed my arm off. Pathetic. All I could think was 'this is how I go'." Dropping my eyes, I peered over at Bertholdt who held a different expression. I couldn't tell what the man was thinking until he spared me a small lifting of his lips.
Another grunt tore my attention away towards the walls edge. Eren assisted Armin atop the wall, his voice cutting through my thoughts. "What else are you supposed to think at a time like that? You're only human."
"Don't you get it?! This was my second time! Armin!" I stared at the blonde. "Remember? Go on, tell him how Annie nearly crushed me like an insect!"
Armin seemed lost in thought, thinking back only several days prior when we thought Reiner truly had been a goner. "Uh, yeah," Armin finally answered.
"That's twice I've nearly died now. What're the chances I'll survive a third time?" He grunted more, fist planted against his forehead, I could only watch in my as one of my closest friends relived his near-death experience. "This is what it really means…what it is to be a soldier. Your spirit breaks…and your body follows." He sighed. My attention turned towards Bertholdt, whose expression was something I…didn't know how to perceive. "Well, there's no good whining about it now, at least not until we can plug up the wall."
"That's true. The two of you have been driven far enough away from your hometown as it is. This is it. This is where we draw the line."
"Truer words were never spoken!" It was Bertholdt who suddenly spoke up, arms wide open as he stared down at his best friend. "Home! Let's go! We've been here long enough!" Home? But I thought…their home was destroyed, just like mine during the titan attack? "Compared to everything else we've had to go through, the rest is easy."
"You're right!" Reiner exclaimed. "We don't have much further to go before it's done!"
"…Reiner? Bertholdt?" I moved to extend my hand, retracting it at the last second, as they seemed to be lost in their own world.
"…what are you guys talking about?" Eren questioned, stealing away my own thoughts.
Stealing away from the situation at hand, I heard horses close by. Kneeling on the walls edge, I noticed it was several soldiers from the Garrison team in Trost. Standing as they climbed the wall, it was Hannes and his team.
As he reached the top, he quickly stated, "The wall's perfectly fine!"
"…what?" Eren asked in disbelief.
"We spent all night trying to find out where they're getting in, but between Trost and Krolva District, there's nothing! No hole, anywhere."
"That's impossible!" Hange exclaimed.
"We ran into a search party from Krolva and retraced our steps. Not a single titan on the way here, either."
"But…" Armin interjected. "We know for a fact there are titans on this side of Wall Rose."
"There has to be a hole!" Everyone turned towards me. "There were only a few titans when we left the compound yesterday morning, but by the time we were attacked at the castle, their numbers kept growing!"
"She's right," Connie stated, agreeing with me. "If their numbers only increased, how could there not be a hole?"
"Oh come on, seriously Hannes? How much have you had to drink, seriously?"
"Why you little - ! Wait, hold on a second. What the hell are you kids even doing here?"
The wind picked up as more water droplets fell from the sky. I curled more into my cloak, shivering beneath the fabric. Reiner curled an arm around my shoulder as I leaned into his warm, bulky frame.
"If there's no breach, then I guess we have to change tactics. We head back to Trost, immediately!" Hange declared.
Trost? Is that where Jean is? I need to know if he's alright!
"How can there be nothing wrong with the wall?"
"Excellent question. Nothing like this has happened in five years…" Armin was thinking out loud as he, Hange and Mikasa left in a different direction as I stayed with my two male friends.
"Eren!" Reiner suddenly called out. "We should talk." Eyebrow raised, I peered upward to see him suddenly looking down at me as well. "We need to talk to you as well, Emalina. Do you two… have a moment?"
"Sure, I guess," was Eren's reply. Stepping several feet away, Reiner stopped, removing his arm off of mine. Bertholdt pulled me into his side, copying the same movement his friend had with his arm over my shoulder. How was I still this cold? I hope this conversation didn't take long, I was ready to head to Trost for a hot meal.
"Five years ago," Reiner suddenly began. "We compromised Wall Maria and launched an attack on humanity. I'm the Armored Titan," Reiner pointed to himself, then pointed towards Bertholdt. "He's the Colossal."
What…in the ever living hell was going on?
"Wait, what're you talking about?" Eren seemed perfectly fine. Me, on the other hand, I shoved myself away from Bertholdt just in time as the all male grasped his friend's arm. Seriously, what the hell was going on?! They couldn't be serious! …could they?
No. There's no way my two best friends were the titans that killed my parents.
"Why are you telling?! Reiner, no!"
"We were on a mission. Our goal was to ensure mankind's extinction. But now, there's no need for that." Was he for real?! "Eren." He stared down at me. "Emalina. If you want the walls to remain standing, it's simple. Just come with Bertholdt and me. Do you understand?"
Flabbergasted, my mouth fell wide open.
"U-Understand?! What the hell is there to understand?" Eren questioned, his anger flaring.
"Listen to me! I need you and Emalina to do exactly as I say! Look, I know this is sudden, but we have to go."
"W-What the hell are you even talking about, Reiner?!" All three stared down at me as I was the shortest individual. "Why do you need Eren and me to go with you? Go with you where? And why the hell are you claiming you and Bertholdt are the reason for this madness?!"
"Emalina has a point! Where would you even take us?!"
"I can't tell either of you. Not yet. Just…think of it as our…hometown. Ok? So, what's it gonna be?"
"I'm not going anywhere because you're suffering from lack of sleep!" Crying out, I grasped Reiner's uninjured arm. "Come on Reiner, don't be so stupid. We've had a long night and neither of us have gotten any sleep. You…hit your head, right?"
Come on Emalina, deep down, you know he's admitting the truth.
Just accept what your heart will not.
Eren gasped, staring between me and Reiner. And all this time, Bertholdt remained quiet, his eyes wide as saucers, only staring at his friend. "Not a bad deal, if you ask me. Chance to avert a major crisis."
"I'm…not so sure, " Eren finally stated.
"You guys, get a move on, we're headed out!" Armin called from up ahead.
"Emalina's right!" Eren grasped Reiner's shoulder. "You're just tired and need some sleep. Help me out here, Bertholdt! Both of your nerves are shot! You don't know what you're saying."
"Y-Yeah! It's the battle fatigue talking!" Bertholdt finally stated after a moment of silence.
"It's ok, Reiner, you're ok. If you really were the Armored Titan, what's the end game here? We wouldn't be having this conversation in the first place. What'd you expect me to do? Yes, just let myself and Emalina be kidnapped just because you asked politely?"
They fell into a silence, as did I. Why couldn't I speak? Here, two of my best friends were admitting they were the Armored and Colossal Titan and I was fucking speechless!
"Right," Reiner mumbled slowly, eyes wide. "Not…thinking straight, am I? Barely know what I'm saying here. Must have gone off the deep end."
"Come on, let's go." Eren stated when Reiner had finished speaking to himself.
The rain had finally stopped. Eren stepped away as I stayed in my position, staring into a puddle at my feet. What…the hell was going on? Could it be true? Could my closest friends…truly be the monsters I feared for the last five years? The wind picked up again, snapping one of the wooden flag poles in two as it fell against the stone wall. Squealing slightly, I stepped to lean into Bertholdt. Instead, I stepped backwards, arm holding myself beneath the cloak.
"That's the problem. I've been here too long for my own good. Three years of this madness…And now? I'm…surrounded by idiots."
Caught of guard by Reiner's statement, I took a step backwards.
"We were kids! What did we know about anything? Why did there have to be people like this? Why?! Why did I let myself devolve into such a half-assed piece of shit!"
Reiner was muttering loudly to himself, tears appearing in the corner of his eyes. I so desperately want to console my friend. After everything I'd just heard, did I even have the right if he was telling the truth?
"It's too late now, damned if I know what's right anymore! Who cares, it is what is is."
"What the hell are you doing?!" I nearly screamed. Removing his arm from the sling, going so far as to take off the fabric wrapped around his skin.
"No choice but to face what I've done. As a warrior!" I gasped, watching as the titan-bites flesh of his arm instantly healed himself. "There's no road left with the one that leads to the end!"
Stepping back, I dared to steal a peak at Bertholdt. "No…" I whispered solely to myself. He healed himself. He had actually healed himself! So…it's true, then?
"Reiner! Right now? Here? We're doing this?!"
"Yes! We settle this, once and for all!"
Taking hold of my handhelds, I didn't know what else to do. That is, until Mikasa jumped in before I had the chance to do anything. Coming in from behind Eren, she twirled towards Reiner, slashing her blade with all her might. Slicing off the arm that was injured, she then detached her blade as it sliced into his other hand, nearly decapitating my friend. As quickly as I've ever seen her move, Mikasa then jumped towards Bertholdt, her blade etched into his neck, possibly cutting through the main artery.
"Eren, get out of here!" She screamed with all her might, blade faced down to end my friend. She wasn't given the chance as Reiner shoved her off the wall.
"Bertholdt!" Reiner screamed. Facing me, I tried stepping backwards. Was I afraid? No, I don't think so. All I could sense in the moment was betrayal and confusion, for all this time, I had not seen the fact two of my closest friends had been the reason for the death of my parents, my entire village. And in a small part, myself.
They started glowing, yellowish electrical bolts swirled around them as they began to transform.
"Eren! Emalina! Run away!"
It was then they transformed.
Substantial winds ignited around my body as I watched in fear of the two titans that haunted my dreams. An immense explosion erupted in my ears. Suddenly appearing before my eyes, it was the Colossal and Armored Titans! No, it was Reiner and Bertholdt, their disguises having now been washed away. I couldn't even keep my eyes open as the air currents became to strong. Thrown off the wall, I somehow was able to ignited my ODM gear, the wires keeping me in place near the top of the wall, narrowing billowing me off to an unstoppable death.
It happened all too quickly.
In the shining light peeking through the clouds, I was to meet my doom.
I could hear the cracking of stone. From my position, I could see Reiner in his titan form jump from the back of the Colossal, seemingly falling down the opposite side of the wall in titan territory. The wind and heat caused by Bertholdt's transformation was excruciating. My head was thrashed around, nearly thrusted several times against the wall itself. Thankfully, it calmed down enough until I could hear Hange screaming.
"MOVE, EVERYONE!"
Having stretched out its hand, Bertholdt extended his large limb, slamming it into the wall, scraping against the stone until his appendage was nearing my position. Screaming, I jumped from where I was, activating my gear to move further away when I was suddenly caught.
I was now clutched in the giant hand of my friend Bertholdt.
"It's got Ymir!"
I could hear Historia scream. From its clutches, I could see into the opposite hand that she was indeed, correct. If Ymir was over there, and I was over here, just…what the hell was going to happen? I was trapped! Everything was dark and red, no matter where I looked, there wasn't a chance to escape.
"Oh hell she's not the only one! It's got Emalina too!"
That's the last voice I heard. I couldn't even tell you who it belonged to because everything suddenly turned black. It was dark, somewhat wet and painful.
Extremely painful.
~ oOo ~
JEAN
It had been an extremely long night; though I could only imagine the kind of night Emalina had experienced.
Though all my friends had been sent with Hange and Moblit to recover the rest of the new recruits, Commander Erwin had requested I stay with his group. And now, we were currently awaiting our orders here in Trost. Nothing eventful happened with us, as we were still awaiting to hear back from Garrison Patrol Units who were scouting Wall Rose. They were to find the breach in the wall, but…it was weird how we hadn't heard from them yet. Maybe they were double checking to ensure anything they had missed? Or…maybe they had actually run into the titans.
Well, for now I would just sit here and drink some water. There wasn't much of anything else I could do at the moment.
"Damn, I can't believe we didn't see one."
Ears perked at the conversation behind me, I turned. "You really saying there weren't any?"
"I know right? It's unusually quiet out there."
Nodding at them, I turned back around, grim at not knowing what the hell was going on. First there was a frantic call how Wall Rose had been breached and there were now titans on the loose. And now there weren't any?
"Hmm…wonder if they're still alive. Wonder if…" Shaking my head, I couldn't allow such grim thoughts to enter my mind. Emalina was alright; she was alive. I would see her again, that's for damn sure.
"What a joke." Hearing another conversation across the way, I tuned in, interested in what they had to say. It was a small group of those from the Military Police. "I thought this was supposed to be an emergency."
Heh, this will be interesting.
"Yeah, we just come here to sit on our asses or what?"
"Hey, Levi!" The Captain turned in his position from the wagon, watching the three individuals closely. "Where you hiding all the titans?"
"Problem? You seem eager to be eaten alive, solider." They all tensed as I snickered. Here they were, boasting about wanting to take care of some titans, but the moment someone introduces the truth about dying, there they go, all afraid and wanting to hide.
And I wanted to be apart of that shit?
"Huh," Levi continued. "Sorry we couldn't make that happen for you today. However, there're plenty of opportunities outside the wall, if you're looking. Lots of Scouting expeditions. I'd be more than happy for the help. We could all fight titans together."
They all grimaced, one stating, "W-Well…there's our work in the Interior, so…"
That's what I thought.
"HEY! The Advanced Squad is back! Go tell Commander Pyxis!"
It took some time, but by the time Commander Pyxis and Commander Erwin were near our position, the entire crowd of those who were called were now surrounding the squad. I stood next to Erwin, curious to hear what they had to say. More importantly, I needed to hear if they knew anything about Emalina. Call me biased on the situation, I didn't give a rats ass. I was scared for my friends as well, she was just at the top of the list, and always would be.
"I see," Pyxis said, dealing down towards the squad. For some reason, Sasha was here as well. "No breach as far as you could tell, correct?"
"That's correct sir," The Garrison soldier stated breathlessly.
"Hmm, as I thought."
Both he and Sasha chugged down water from their skins. "But, sir! A situation has developed! You see, we ran into another group on the way back to Trost; it was the Scout Unit led by Section Commander Hange! There were recruits from the 104th cadet corp with them! None of whom had equipment, except for one! This may sound crazy sir, but three of them were…titans!"
"Huh?" I whispered, stepping forward. We all knew of only one individual from the Cadet Corp who was a titan and that was Eren. Who they hell could the other three be?! "Hand on a sec, seriously? You mean there were three more? But, who were they?" Staring at Sasha, I yelled, "Who, dammit?!"
Fiddling with her water pouch, Sasha didn't seem to have an answer. "Um! W-Well, you see…!"
A hand clamped down on my shoulder. "Jean, calm down." Turning his head towards the soldier on the ground, Erwin calmly asked, "What happened when their titan forms were revealed?"
"The Scouts engaged the Colossal and Armored in battle as best they could, sir! But…by the time our unit arrived on the scene, it was…too late. I'm sorry…"
"Too late…?" I asked quietly. Erwin peered at me as I stared back at Sasha again. "Emalina…Where the hell is Emalina? Is she alright?! Tell me she's alright!"
She dropped her water bag. "I have no idea Jean!" It was then I noticed the tears forming in her eyes. "Everything was crazy as we all scattered to assess what had happened! Hange instructed me to go with the Garrisons back to Trost and relay what has happened. And Emalina…" She peered downwards, tears finally fallen. "I don't know what happened to her!"
Everyone surrounding us stared, not sure to keep their attention on Sasha or myself. Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward, clasping her shoulder. "Listen to me. I'm sorry for snapping…you did everything you could to bring back this message, and I thank you."
"Jean, I…I'm scared for Emalina."
"It'll be alright, nothing can bring that woman down, we all know this."
Levi interrupted our small chat, stepping forward as well. "As much as I'd like to focus more over the whereabouts of my sister, we have other soldiers who need our attention as well."
We peered upward at him, nodding our heads in unison. "Yes sir," we said quietly.
"Now," Levi turned to Pyxis and Erwin. "What do we do now?"
The two Commanders peered at one another, their conversation was between their eyes, knowing exactly what needs to be done. "First, we assess the situation, then develop a plan once we're there. I need to speak with Hange. We don't have much time and need to depart immediately."
And just like that, the plan was set into motion.
Everything became crazed after that. We all jumped into motion, quickly grabbing our equipment and anything that was needed for the haul towards Hange and the rest of the Scouts. Pyxis and Erwin determined extra horses would be necessary, as well as the tools needed to haul horses over the walls. There was no time for me to ponder over Emalina's whereabouts. She was safe, I knew this to be true.
And yet, my gut was screaming the opposite.
Still, I pushed forward, knowing she would want me to forget about her in the moment and focus on my duty at hand. It seemed to take some time, but when everyone had their gear ready, we were off. For some reason, I had assumed we would be traveling on ground. We were not. Erwin decided the fastest route would be to scour their position atop the wall. So that is exactly what we did. With everyone in tow, we immediately set forth to find the rest of the Scouts and Hange by riding atop the wall; soon, we were off.
The clashing of hooves upon stone was all I heard. We ran at top speed, following directly behind Commander Erwin to find our friends. I wasn't sure how long time had passed since leaving Trost. All I knew was that we were there before I could escape the threat of my own thoughts. When we arrived, before me I could see two groups of people; those who were laying upon the wall, and those who were standing, waiting for our arrival. In all the people I could see within the crowd, I could not find Emalina. My gut was screaming at me now.
"Good to see you Commander Erwin, glad you're here." Moblit was the first to reach us as Erwin stepped off hid horse.
"Is the situation still the same?"
"Yes sir," Hange's assistant answered.
"Good. Right, deploy the lifts!"
"I'll go help - huh?!" Moblit stared down as we all saw the Section Commander grip Moblit's leg.
"D-Don't just stand there. Give me a map!"
As several scouts worked on transporting our horses over the wall, and carrying those from the opposite side, I stood with the remaining Military Police, Garrisons and Scouts around Hange. Having been given a map, she inspected it before speaking, her voice hoarse. I couldn't imagine what she must've seen or experienced.
Where the hell are you, Emalina?!
"It's a gamble, but…the trees in this forest are massive. I say we ride straight for it. See, even if they had a way to cover the Armored Titans footprints, this is almost definitely where we could find them."
"Why's that?" Erwin asked. As we were all kneeling around the Section Commander, I glanced down at the map, thinking I understood why Hange had suggested the forest. Hmm, maybe Emalina's perceptiveness was pushing itself onto me.
"They need to recoup. They have the power to assume titan form, but other titans on that side of the wall still pose a threat. Especially after putting up such a fight. Yes, Eren was the worst for it, but that've got to be spent. Remember when Annie went out cold? Let's suppose they're headed somewhere beyond Wall Maria, that's not a simple hike. They'll need all the rest they can get before covering that kind of distance. They're in no shape to make it in a single push, and if so, they'll want to catch their breath some where other titans can't get to them. Odds are, they'll hold out until it gets dark."
This is exactly what I was thinking. If Reiner and Bertholdt have had their Titan abilities longer than Eren, they would probably still grow weak. If, according to the story we heard about their fight, they would need to recuperate. Hange's right. The best time to escape would be to wait until the titans in Wall Maria are inactive - after sunset.
"Hmm, yes, I understand." Standing, Erwin turned towards everyone. "For now, we wait and transfer the horses to the other side of the wall. After that, we run to rescue Eren, he is a number one priority! If we have the chance to take down the Armored and Colossal Titan, we must persist, however, do not make it your first concern!"
"No!" Hange screamed, trying her best to stand on her to her feet. Moblit kept her on the ground, hand tightly holding her shoulder in place. "Eren isn't the only person we must save!"
This is where my heart fluttered.
Kneeling back downward, Erwin's eyebrows knitted together. "What're you talking about?"
"I'm talking about Bertholdt! When he turned into the Colossal Titan, he captured Ymir, as she's the other titan we discovered. But he…" Grimacing, I was surprised to find the Section Commander holding back tears. I know I've only known her for a months time, but still, I had never seen this expression on her. "He captured Emalina!"
"He - WHAT?!"
Standing to my feet, I stretched my vision across the vast expanse of land. No way in hell I could see the forest from here, but was Emalina really there? Is that why I hadn't see her? Had she been kidnapped?!
"And did any of you do something? Did any of you try to even save her?!" Grasping Armin's cloak, I stared down at him, my sight turning to Connie then Christa, as they were the two who had been with her all night. "Why didn't any of you try anything?! Or were all of you more concerned about fucking Eren that Emalina became an afterthought?!"
"It wasn't like that Jean!" Taking holding of my hand, Armin released my holding, pushing me back several steps as we stared directly in the eye. He was sneering at me, which, I must say, caught me off guard. "Believe us or not, there wasn't anything we could do! Bertholdt's steam attack was way too hot for us to even get close and it even threw Emalina off the wall. He caught her in his hand before we could do anything!"
"Eren can heal his injuries," Hange captured my attention, her eyes seeking mine. Not once blinking, I focused on what she had to say. What else was there other then we needed to hurry the fuck up?! "But Emalina cannot! If we don't get to her soon, I fear Emalina could bleed out to death!"
"Bleed to death…" I whispered, stepping backwards into the person behind me. Straightening my form, I stared at anyone other than Hange. Those who had been here when she was captured - Armin, Mikasa, Connie, Christa - all ignored me. Finally, I glanced down at Hange, my blurred vision unable to speak what was on the tip of my tongue. "What do you mean…bleed to death?!"
Armin stepped forward. "When she was taken, Ema was grabbed by Bertholdt's titan hand. After that, he threw Ymir and Ema into his mouth. And then…" Seemingly uncomfortable, my blonde friend glanced over towards a spot to the left of everyone. Everyone moved out of the way so I could see. There, on the ground, lay something beneath a sheet; the cloth stained vibrant red.
"No…" Walking straight forward, I knelt beside what I didn't want to believe, knowing exactly what it was without needing to see it.
Connie was able to finally give me an answer. "Bertholdt, he…he bit Emalina's leg off."
~ oOo ~
EMALINA
"No! We're not giving her the serum!"
"We have to Reiner. You know what our mission was!"
"I don't give a damn about the mission! I'm not giving Emalina the serum and that's final!"
"Do you even hear yourself right now?! You're forgoing what was instructed of us, and for what…because you love her?!"
"…so? What about it?!"
"Everyone at home will banish you! Mark you for execution because you didn't obey your orders! Or worse, they'll give Emalina the serum with or without your consent! If you take her straight home!"
"I'll make them see otherwise! Emalina…she'll learn to love me once she forgets about Jean!"
"You know that won't happen! The only thing we can do is give her the serum and control her titan!"
~ oOo ~
"Sorry, that was my fault. You can pin your injuries on me."
…
"Eren! Don't do it!
…
"They had the foresight to suit up in all gear. Of course, Reiner has yours whereas Bertholdt took Emalina's."
…
"Reiner, you said you'd talk the moment Eren woke up. But my biggest question is why Emalina?"
…
"Tch…that's none of your concern."
…
"We wait for nightfall."
Who…who's talking? That can't be Reiner, can it? What's he doing in my dream? Whatever the hell is going on, this is scary. I need to wake up!
"Ngh…" I tried moving my head, except, I felt something hard against my back and not the comfort of my own bed. I could still hear people talking. They were…mumbling, screaming? I couldn't tell. Nothing was making sense.
"…-lina? Emalina!"
My eyes snapped open. Groggy with my vision blurred, there was nothing I could see except hazy colors and shapes. Again, my name was called. Seriously, was that Reiner? I could make out the faint sound of Bertholdt's voice. Blinking several times, the obscureness of my vision gradually grew clear. Slowly moving my head around me, I was able to see trees and leaves. Was I…in a forest? Why the hell would I be here? The last thing I remember was being on top of Wall Rose with most of the Scouts.
Blinking again, I did see Reiner, he was kneeling before me. Lifting my head, I saw Bertholdt to my right, then Ymir and Eren to my left. What the hell was going on?
"R…Reiner? Is that you?"
"Yes, it's me. Bertholdt's here too."
"Why are we in a forest?" My voice was somewhat weak. Was I thirsty? I felt really tired, as if I just woke up from a dream. Wait, if I feel that way, then…was everything I heard real? Or just my imagination? "Why're we in a forest? Are we actually on the tree limbs?" Pushing myself up with my arms, I tried moving to a standing position when Reiner screamed my name.
"No! Emalina don't move, you shouldn't…!"
Then I felt everything.
Screaming to the high heavens. I grasped my left leg. "Gyaaaaaaaaaah! What the fucking hell?!" Staring down at my leg, I realized it was wrapped around with Bertholdt's sweater, the fabric tightly held the area below my knee. Blood fortunately wasn't dripping, but the fabric was sure stained blood red.
What the hell? Is that…my blood?
And wait…where the hell is my…?
"Where the fuck is my leg?!" Grasping my thigh, I screamed and screamed. The pain unbelievable as I watched the lower half of my leg. As if I could, for there was nothing there to even watch. My left leg between the middle of my thigh and downward was gone. It just…wasn't there. And then I remembered. My head slowly lifted forward to stare at Reiner and then Bertholdt.
I remembered everything.
There was an abundance of smoke and rocks flew everywhere. Eren was caught in the Armored TItan's hands as they fell down towards the ground. The Colossal Titan remained upon the wall, swiping at us to kill everyone. I…remember being thrown from the wall, though thankfully I caught myself on the stone with my gear. The last thing I can recall is being held in the Colossal's hand, being thrown…into his mouth! Everything else was a blank slate. I could not remember anything except pain. But, now I knew the truth.
Reiner was the Armored Titan and Bertholdt was the Colossal Titan.
Narrowing my eyes at them, I growled. "You two have the audacity to call yourselves my friends? Who the hell do you think you are? And what happened to my leg?!"
"That's…my doing, Ema." Staring at Bertholdt, he took a seat against the tree, back upon the bark. "I accidentally bit your leg when I took you. That wasn't my intention and I'm very sorry!"
"You're…sorry? You're sorry?" I stared at the man in confusion. "You have no right to be sorry! You're the fucking Colossal Titan! You're the reason I lost my parents, my entire village!" Pointing my finger at Reiner, I screamed, "You two have such audacity to call yourselves my friends."
"Ema, just listen to us - "
"Oh hell no! You two have no right to call me 'Ema'!" Adjusting myself against the tree, I screamed once more, hands tightly grasping my thigh. "Agh, fucking shit. You just had to bite my fucking leg off. You do realize I could bleed to death, do you not?! I'm not like Ymir or Eren over there! I cannot regenerate my limbs!"
"We're very aware of that Emalina!" Bertholdt yelled at me. "If I could take back what I did, I would!"
"Oh, so you'd take back biting my leg off, but not what you've done? Do you realize the turmoil Eren, Ymir, myself and everybody in this world has had to suffer? You've seen the fear of the titans, you fought them in Trost! Are you trying to tell me you don't give a damn about the people who you call friends?!"
Bertholdt didn't answer. Instead, he curled himself tighter into his legs, averting has eyes from mine. Falling quiet, I turned my gaze towards the other two. Ymir seemed to have a sympathetic stare upon her face whereas Eren kept his narrowed glare upon Reiner. I couldn't blame him. I would too if I wasn't more concerned about the fact my fucking leg was missing. I'm scared that I'll bleed to death. Bertholdt's sweater is keeping most of the blood at bay, but that won't last for long.
Jean…
Oh my god. Jean! What the hell is he going to think of me now without a leg?! His feelings shouldn't change because of that. Still…I'm now deformed and won't be able to act as a soldier I've spent the last three years training for.
"Wait a second. Those titans at the castle had no problem moving around at night," Ymir stated. Turning to her, I watched her expression. She was right though. The ones at Utgard had no trouble. So what's the difference between them and those down below? "What's stopping these guys?"
"The titans here can't move after dark." Reiner turned his body away from me to face the other two. "But then you know all about that, don't you Ymir." Eren gasped as I stared on. I mean, I didn't think she was as threatening as the other two, but it was suspicious how she did turn into a titan to save as last night.
It was after this everyone went quiet. I don't know for how long, but the only thing I did was stare down. I tried to gain more sleep as it seemed we would be here for awhile, but nothing I did could help. I was awake for good to endure what hell I'd been brought into. But I had to consider this: why me? Why was I also taken hostage? I had no titan powers. I was just a soldier in love with another.
Because Reiner has a crush on you, Emalina!
I could hear Jean's voice ring in my ear, something he had say only several days ago. Had it been that short of time? Damn it seemed like longer. Though I realized last night in the castle, I could definitely tell now. Reiner either had a crush on me…
Or he was in love with me.
Either way, he kept staring at me through the corner of his eyes, whether to check in on me or simply stare because he held feelings for me. I wasn't sure. Again though, I had to wonder: why me? If he was in love with me, why did he have to capture me too? What else was there? Were they going to threaten me to help them escape?
No…there was something they obviously would not tell me.
"Hey Reiner, got any water?" My attention turned back towards Ymir to see the was fanning herself. "Help a girl out, I'm dying over here."
Reiner crossed his arms. "Sorry, there's not a hell of a lot I can do. Even if it is a matter of life and death."
"That's comforting. Well at least now we know where we stand," Ymir stated.
"Speaking of which, we've been working our asses off," Reiner commented as I stared at him, wondering what the hell he was talking about. "No food, no sleep, no nothing. Ever since those titan's showed up. That was yesterday, right? Man, we're lucky the wall hasn't been destroyed. Still, you think that means they'd give us a break and don't even get me started on promotion."
"What the hell?" Bertholdt and I commented at the same time.
"What?" He stared between the both of us. "Aw, c'mon, I don't think that's too much to ask, do you? God knows we've done our share of heavy lifting, all things considered. I mean I get it, we're soldiers, duty first. Hmm, it's just nice to be acknowledged."
Everyone stared on. What was the purpose of his monologue?
"You bang your head or something?" Ymir questioned, something I was wondering too. "What're you even talking about? Seriously?"
"C'mon Reiner, stop joking around. Why would you even care about such things?" I stated, grimacing as I twitched my leg.
"Ugh don't give me that," he replied. "I'm not saying we storm in and demand the rank of Captain or anything."
"No, that's not what I mean," Ymir stated, her eyes burrows in concern. I didn't understand what the hell was going on. First we talks about his hometown and how we were taken, and now this?
"Oh, yeah! Where'd you find that cannon by the way? I owe you one for saving my bacon. Really nice of Christa to patch my up afterwards, though…" He turned his gaze towards me. "I really wish it was you, Emalina who patched me up."
"Tch, why would I? I was busying fighting my ass off to save everyone!"
"HEY!" Eren screamed, standing to his feet. "What's wrong with you? You've gotta be kidding me."
"Huh? What're you so pissed about all of a sudden? Take it easy man! Was it something I said, or - "
"If you wanna die then just keep talking!"
"Hold up Eren. I think somebody's gone off the deep end. Is that what it is, Bertholdt?" Ymir stated as she held an arm out to stop Eren. "If you know something we don't, now would be a good time to put it on the table!"
Bertholdt turned his attention towards me as if asking for permission. "Don't fucking look at me! Ymir's right. If there's something we need to know about Reiner then you need to tell us now!"
The man seemed to sigh. "Reiner…snap out of it. You're not a soldier, ok? You and I, we're…warriors.
It took Reiner a few moments. His eyes widened, gasping slightly as his body shook. For a second, I truly felt for the man. Then I glanced down at my limbless leg, remembering the hell he and Bertholdt had brought upon my people. "Right, I see. That's how things are."
"What…what the hell's he doing?" Eren asked.
"I have a pretty good idea, at least I think so. Emalina." Ymir called out to me as I swiveled my head in her direction. "What about you?"
"I think you and I are considering the same notion."
"Yeah…nothing added up at first. Why would the man who broke the wall risk his neck to save Connie?"
"Or me, for that matter," I stated, staring at Reiner who continued to grasp his head in pain. "Why would he become best friends with a girl he knows suffered from his actions in taking down the wall? Why would he comfort me? Why would he do anything at all?!"
That caused Reiner to stare at me through his fingers.
"His personality…it seems, compartmentalized. Everything he does is a contradiction in terms."
Still staring at the man, I realized something. "He can't help it," my own eyes widened.
"On one hand he's a warrior bent on pushing mankind past the brink. On the other, he's pretending to be a soldier."
"Are you saying he got lost along the way? Split between what he was supposed to do and what he actually did?" I glanced at my female friend.
"Exactly. I see. He can't resolve those facets of himself; can't bare the weight of what he's done. The only way for him to manage his conscious is to fall for his own act. He thinks he is a soldier."
"Oh my god…" Covering my mouth I understood what Ymir was trying to say. "He's got a split personality."
"Correct again, Emalina. He's gone insane. His heart and mind are at war with each other, and judging by Bertholdt's expression, this isn't the first stalemate. Ha! Blows me away. Wow, someone as brutally honest as you as losing - "
"Shut up!" Reiner yelled, eyes glaring at Ymir. "Not another word."
"I'm sorry," Ymir said in a careless tone. "Must've really hit a nerve."
"Is this some kind of joke?"
I turned my attention to Eren. Why hadn't I been speaking? I was concerned with my leg, yes, but…I'm not sure. I was still in shock. Though I wanted to speak, what was there to say? I could scream and yell in their faces all day. But that wouldn't bring my parents back; that wouldn't bring Marco back nor all my other friends.
"…where do you get off pretending to be the victim? You're wallowing in self-pity. How dare you. What was going through your head the day I told you my story, huh? Remember that, Bertholdt? I'm talking to you, lackey. I told you everything. You sat there and looked me straight in the eye, watching me relive my mother being eaten alive! Don't you remember? Or does it just so happen that chunk of wall you kicked out fell on our house? It's what kept her from being able to run away! Ring any bells? Let me ask you again: what was going through your head when I told you that story?!"
Bertholdt stared on, only several minutes passed when he finally moved his head to glance at Eren. My head switched between the two, my curiosity growing to know his answer. "You want me to be honest? In the moment, I felt sorry for you."
"Huh…sorry, for me? So then…you're not…you're not warriors or soldiers. You're just murders. Psychotic mass murders who snuffed out the lives of countless people who never did you any wrong!"
"Don't you think I'm aware of that fact?!" Reiner screamed again, still holding his head in his hand. "I don't need you to shove it down my goddamn throat!"
"Then stop acting like you've got any right to feel sorry for yourself! We're living in a hell you two created! Are you proud of yourselves?! You're not one of us, you've never been, you're not even human anymore!"
"Do you want an apology?!" Reiner screamed back. I held my hands against my ears, not wanting to hear whatever it was they had to say. "Is that what you want for calling us murders? You want us to feel bad? You want us to take the blame?! Who are you talking to?! The people you thought you knew don't exist they're dead! But hey, if screaming does it for ya, go ahead and scream your goddamn head off!"
"SHUT UP!"
Everyone turned to stare at me. I had finally spoken in this blood bath of screaming.
"Everyone needs to knock it off right now!" Sitting straighter against the tree, I hissed through my teeth. I couldn't stand, couldn't move; there was nothing I could do except raise my own voice. "The only thing Reiner's is correct on is screaming. You wanna keep screaming at each other? Be my fucking guest, but that's not going to fucking change anything!" It was now my turn to howl. If they wanted a screaming match, then they haven't heard me. I only held my gaze on Reiner. "Eren's right too. You two are nothing but murders who don't deserve any sympathy for what you've done!"
"Oh, and look who's screaming now? That's kinda of pathetic, if you ask me."
"Shut the hell up Ymir!" Here I was, yelling with my own voice. What was I supposed to do? Be the silent one when I was just as affected as Eren, maybe Ymir?
"Emalina, I…"
"No! You don't get to be all soft with me, Reiner Braun! Or you, Bertholdt Hoover! Do you expect me to think we're buddy-buddy now after everything's been spilt? I can't believe either one of you. All this time…" A lone tear trailed down my cheeks. Sadly, I couldn't even do anything as Reiner stepped forward towards me. What could I do? Slap him in the face with my bloody leg?
Kneeling before me, his face softened to the man I used to know. "Emalina, I need you to listen. We didn't take you to kill you." His voice was quiet, though I bet the others could still hear him. Stretching his arm out, the man had the audacity to cup my cheek. Frozen, I let him. There was nothing I could do; my limbs wouldn't move. "I've never intentionally hurt you, Ema. I…Bertholdt and I took you because…"
"Reiner, no!" Bertholdt yelled, staring at his friend.
Closing his eyes, he opened them once more to stare into my own. "We took you on my orders. I…I can't live without you, Emalina. I need you in my life!"
Huh?
Um…what the hell?
Even Ymir and Eren gasped from the opposite tree limb. Shaking, there still wasn't much I could do. Sure I could punch the guy, but, part of me was interested in hearing what he had to say. If what Jean said that the man had a crush on me, I wanted to know.
"What…what're you saying? What the hell is going on?"
"I'm saying that I'm in love with you, Emalina!" Jumping forward, the man leaned down towards my face, placing his lips against mine. Startled, I didn't move. I kept my lips shut, stunned to even do anything. When the man moved his lips, that's when I reacted.
SLAP!
Huffing, my extended hand was stinging. Reiner's head was turned in the other direction. His eyes narrowed against mine. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" I huffed, scared in the moment. "You love me? After everything you've done to this world, everything I've suffered because of your actions, you have the gall to claim something such as this?!"
"Yes, I do! And me taking you was in hopes you could see that you don't love Jean, and that you love me! Jean can't provide everything for you, but I can!"
"You are the reason my parents are dead!" I screeched, hand covering my mouth. "You're the reason Marco's dead, Annamarie, Dita, and all my other friends!"
"I can make you happy!"
I slapped him again. "After everything that's been said, you think I'd love you after this?! Reiner, Jean Kirschtein is a better man than you, and I love him with all my heart. There's nothing you can give me that he already can't!"
"I'm the perfect man for you!"
"NO!" Hand still covering my mouth, the waterworks began. "Jean is the perfect man for me, not you! He's out there fearing for my life, hoping that I'm still alive while you try and-and kiss me! You're nothing but a murderer, Reiner, and I want nothing more to do with you!"
Everything fell silent. "I don't care what you say. You can hit me as many times as you want, but you're coming back with us whether you like it or not."
I cast my head away. I hoped with everything I held that Jean was on his way soon.
"Yeah…this is all fine and dandy, but tell me something. What's with the giant monkey?" Ymir asked, staring at me before moving on to Reiner.
"Monkey?" He asked. "What're you talking about?"
"Huh, I thought for sure you'd know. That's surprising. For the way you were ogling and slack jawed, it seemed you guys were seeing some legend. Weird."
"What the - a monkey? Don't be cute," Eren stated.
"Shut up and listen." Ymir said. "Monkey, beast titan, whatever you want to call him. He's behind this latest fiasco. It's why titans are cropping up out of nowhere. I get the feeling he's gauging our strength. Reiner and Bertholdt are trying to get to where he is. He's their ticket home. Feel free to correct me if I'm way off base."
Eren gasped. "Wait, how did you know? Who are you? What else haven't you told me?!"
"Be patient, I'm caught up in circumstances of my own."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Eren screeched.
"Eren…if you think killing these morons will put an end to all this, you are sorely mistaken."
"Huh?! But then who's the enemy?"
"The enemy?" Ymir stated. Look, if I told you things would get to - "
"Ymir." Reiner called her name calmly. "There's no further for this world and you know it. You have a solid grasp of things, what do you think comes next? Joining our side wouldn't be out of the question if you were so inclined."
"Tch, and put my faith in you guys?" She questioned. "That's rich. Neither of you trust me as far as you can throw me."
"C'mon, that isn't true. We know what you really want." Reiner stated. "All you care about is protecting Christa. If we can all agree on that, I don't see the conflict. I'm being absolutely serious. If it's so hard to believe, we want what's best for her too. Hate to break it to ya but you're not the only one. Then again, you could always put your trust in Eren; see where that leads ya."
"W-What?" Eren gasped.
"You're probably leaning towards escape. Better to take a chance with him then throw in with us. Because if we end up taking you, there's no hope in being rescued. I'll be straight with you; that much is true. Even if you came willingly, we're not in a position to guarantee your safety. But if it's Christa we're talking about, we might be able to do something."
Ymir gasped, staring straight forward at Reiner.
"It's your call. What's it gonna be?" Reiner took a moment of silence. "Is it Christa's future? Or your own petty existence?"
"Come clean!" Eren glared at Ymir who simply sat calmly. "Who's the real enemy, tell me what you know! Who is it?!"
Ymir fell quiet, her stare matching Eren's before it fell silent. I knew where her loyalties lied. "Hmm, couldn't say."
"Alright then; sorry Eren."
"The Scouts are here," Bertholdt mumbled. "Already?
Twisting my head off to the side, I could see he was telling the truth. Several green flares were shot into the sky. There might've been a chance I could see the horses and how large the calvary was, but they were too far away. But…they had better hurry. There's only about an hour or two before the sun finally sets.
Jean…
"Son of a bitch!" Reiner pulled his blades out, but Bertholdt jumped down and grasped his friends shoulders.
"Talk to me Reiner! What are you right now?"
"A warrior, calm down!"
Bertholdt seemed content. My eyebrow rose, curious what the hell they were going to do now. "Do you think it's really wise for us to trust Ymir? Even though she's the one who devoured Marcel?"
"Sure, don't you see? We have a handle on her motives. When she turned human again, odds are she just wandered around aimlessly, only giving a damn about herself. But then, Christa came into the picture. That's the kind of girl that could change your whole world. Well," his stare found mine as I silently sat there. "She and Emalina, of course. We need her. Her family comes from an important family within the church. Plus, suppose Eren's not the coordinate, our job wouldn't be over. If it comes to that, having Christa around will make the search a lot easier."
A heard another noise off into the distance. More flares, green a red, were shot. The flares were now closer and my heart thumped deep in my chest. They were almost here!
"They're close," Bertholdt commented. "Please, let's just be done. The next time we come we'll take all four; Annie Christa, Eren and Emalina. It'll be clean and simple; then we won't have to come here anymore."
"Right…and we'll have completed our damn mission."
Mission? Coordinate? What the hell were they even talking about? If I'm saved, this information could be vital for the Scouts!
"Just do me a favor, huh?" Reiner clamped a hand onto Bertholdt's shoulder. "Once we're home, try telling Annie how you really feel."
Bertholdt gasped then jumped slightly. "Huh? What's that supposed to mean?!"
"Ugh, come on. I've seen the way you stare at her."
"I don't stare!"
"Ha!" I laughed. "But that means you do look at her!" I glared at the two of them. "Is this really the time to be talking of such nonsense?!"
"Nonsense?!" Bertholdt removed a blade, pointing it directly at my throat.
"Stop that, Bertholdt!" Reiner lowered his voice, pulling his friend's sword away from me. "That's my future wife, you understand?"
Future…wife? Oh hell no!
Ignoring what just happened, Reiner stated, "Bertholdt please. Life's short enough as it is, just go for it, ok? Besides, you're both killers, so she understands where your head is." Jumping off the branch, Reiner used the ODM gear to toss him to the branch Ymir and Eren were on, landing between the two.
"What're you two doing now?" Eren asked. "I thought we were waiting until dark?"
"There's bee a slight change in plans. I'm gonna ask you nicely to try and not put up a fight."
"Tch, a fight? "You expect us not to do that?" I asked.
"It's not like you can do anything with that leg of yours, Emalina," Bertholdt said, staring at me and my leg. "Yeah, well, this wouldn't of been a problem if someone hadn't bitten it off!"
"Easy, there's no reason to get violent. It's not like I can resist like this." Eren held up his arms which still had not healed. "I mean, take a look at me. Just, calm down, ok?"
Then Eren laughed a Reiner, throwing him to the ground. There was…a part of my that fee sad that Reiner was being punched at, but I still laughed because Eren was using his limbs to whack the blonde in the face. Reiner then kick Eren off into the tree. Still, I watched as Reiner took charge, holding my friend in a lock hold position, to which Eren slowly fell asleep. As it happened, Bertholdt then jumped up to my limb, holding his hand backwards.
"Emalina?" He stared sadly into my eyes. "I'm…I am truly sorry."
Then everything turned black.
It was just like before. Everything was black but I could hear voices. What…what did I do to put myself in such a situation? I could vaguely understand they had switched gears. Something about…Ymir wanting to see Christa one last time? Something that she was now on their side as long as they could take Christa? By god why could I wake up?!
It was then my eyes shot open the moment I felt myself being moved.
Eyes wide open, my head shook around. My face was in pain, though I ignored the sensation to see I was floating in the air. Head turned around, I wasn't flying on my own. No, I was strapped to Bertholdt's chest with what seemed to be my Scouting cloak.
"What the hell is going on?" I mumbled, still trying to clear my sleep brain.
"Reiner!" I could hear Bertholdt call. "Emalina's awake!"
"That's fine, I'm about to transform anyways. Keep an eye on her!" I watched Reiner take off from our position, suddenly turning into his titan form. There was a loud explosion. My eyes widened. I'd heard stories of what the Armored Titan had looked like, but never had I seen the actual titan itself.
Holy fucking shit!
Bertholdt jumped from the tree branch, latching his ODM gear onto the back of Reiner, landing on his shoulder blade. And then he began to run. I don't know how long we were running with Ymir in her titan form on Reiner's back. Ymir soon took Christa out of her mouth, and then they were talking. Soon Bertholdt was talking to Ymir.
Honestly, I wasn't paying attention.
I didn't care. All I cared about was the horse hooves I could hear in the distance. Jean was almost here. He would save me.
He would save me!
"Reiner, protect us!" Bertholdt cried.
What's going on?! Swiveling my head, I could see Mikasa reaching downward to attack Bertholdt, aiming exactly where my head was. Except, Bertholdt jumped down. Screaming, I had no idea what was going on, only that Reiner suddenly enclosed us within his hands. And we were to sit within the dark.
~ oOo ~
JEAN
"Hey! They're getting away with Eren!" Armin cried out.
Having watched Reiner transform into his titan form, we all exited the the forest, trailing after Ymir who had just swallowed Christa. We followed them to the edge of the forest where we could see the Armored titan run away just as Bertholdt jumped onto the Titans shoulder. Eren was attached to his back, so where was…?
"He's got Emalina too! She's strapped to his chest!" Flying down, I tried to reclaim my horse. Just as we we all regained our original positions, we could hear Commander Ervin scream.
"All squads follow my lead! The Armored Titan must be stopped before he takes Eren or Emalina! Failure is not an option!"
We rode as if our lives depend on it - because it did. Sure, I wanted to save Eren, but Emalina was my main concern. We were far out into the field, and yet, I noticed something about Reiner's titan. Yelling, I said to everyone around us, "Reiner's too slow, we've got him!"
"I won't hesitate this time," Mikasa said. "I'll kill him without a thought. If Ymir feels like getting in the way, so much the worst for her! This ends, here and now! I swear it!"
We rode on, our speed slowing the distance between us and Reiner. And through it all, I was tired of hearing Mikasa. Ignoring her, I didn't want to listen to her babbling about Eren. Then again, wasn't I in the same situation? Wasn't I wanting the same for Emalina? Screwing everything, I was to take a few pointers from Mikasa as I opened my mouth to speak.
"Don't forget! We've got Emalina to consider! You go out there, you make sure to save her ass!" I could feel stares on me, even from Mikasa whose frown hadn't decreased. I didn't give a damn. This was the woman I loved and anyone and everyone was going to work just as hard to rescue her. "Listen. I get it, we need Eren. But we cannot forget Emalina! That's my girlfriend up there! If you do nothing to save her then I won't hesitate to kill you myself!"
"Jean…" I could hear Sasha say.
Mikasa didn't say anything and I didn't expect her to. The closer we got, she left her horse, racing upward towards Reiner, aiming to attack Bertholdt who was holding Emalina and Eren. Bertholdt jumped from the shoulder downward. But where the hell did they go?! Once Mikasa moved to the back of Reiner's head, I moved forward. Connie, Sasha and Armin followed. We soon realized that Bertholdt was now confined within the hands of Reiner, protecting the three of them.
Landing on Reiner's hands, I held onto the limb. From there, I could hear Bertholdt say, "Quit struggling! It's not going to help!"
"Good luck talking sense into that one, Bertholdt, but when someone lights a fire under him, that's it. Getting Eren to calm down is a lost cause, take my word for it. I've been on the receiving end more than you have. What do you say we teach him patience?" When there was no response, I said, "Come on show yourself." When he still didn't say anything, I stabbed my blade into Reiner. "You know what, I'm over this shit. Give Emalina back now!"
"Mmm!" I could hear screaming over everything else. "Mmmmmm!"
"Emalina!" Yelling her name, I leaned my ear in closer, hoping I could hear anything else. Did they have her tied up and mouth covered? Oh boy, was I about to give these guys hell! But suddenly, I heard my angel's voice.
"JEAN!"
"Emalina!" I cried, eyes tightening. I haven't heard her voice in less then two days, but I was so happy she was alright.
"What the hell Ema? How'd you get the cloth off?!"
So they did have her mouth covered! Those fucking bastards!
"Emalina tell me, how's your leg?! I need to know!"
"It fucking hurts and I'm still bleeding! Get me out of here, please!"
"Hold on kitten I'm working on it!" Glancing at everyone else, I didn't know what to do. Reiner was covered in hardened skin. What was I supposed to do? What could I do?!
"Stop squirming! You're not getting out of here Emalina!"
"Just let me go! Please! I don't want to go with you!"
"No! That's it I've made up my mind!" I could hear rustling from inside, wondering what the hell Bertholdt was doing. "Reiner, I don't give a damn what you say, I'm giving it to her!" We all had to close our ears as Reiner screeched several times. It sounded like…he was crying? "No this is it! This was our mission so that's that!"
"Bertholdt what're you going to do?" Sasha asked. "Don't you think of hurting her!"
"What're you doing? No, no keep that away from me!" Emalina screamed and my heart lurched.
"What do you think you're doing to do her, Bertholdt?! Let her fucking go!" I bellowed. Then there was nothing. No talking, no…nothing. "Emalina?" I called, fearing the worse. "Emalina, talk to me, please!"
"…Jean?"
"Reiner! Drop her!"
"Jean! He stabbed something into my neck! I - wait, what're you doing now? No, no please! GYAAAAAH!"
From the bottom, Reiner slowly opened his fingers. Maneuvering myself slightly lower, I couldn't believe what I saw. It was Emalina and she was screaming bloody murder. Not giving a damn about anyone else - because they could save Eren. My priority was Emalina. She was falling to her death!
"Emalina! I'm coming to get you!" It took no time for me to extend then use of my gas to reach her position. Her hands were tied behind her back from what looked to be her cloak. Reaching her, I held her within my arms, looking back towards Reiner to glide us towards the ground.
"Jean! Let me go!"
"What in the hell? Are you crazy? There's no way I'm dropping you to your death!"
Her eyes trailed back and forth between mine. "Please, something's…wrong, I can feel it. I need you to let me go, now!"
"What're you talking about?!"
"Bertholdt he, stabbed my neck with something sharp, I don't know what it was!"
"No I'm not leaving you to die! Untying her hands from the cloak, I dropped the fabric, hoisting her arms around my neck. But then…she pushed me away. She actually pushed me away. "Emalina!" I cried. Using the exertion from my gas to catch her, there was no point. She smiled up at me, calmly, and lovingly.
"EMALINA!"
The only thing I could see was her glowing.
And then there was a powerful, yellow explosion.
~ oOo ~
We had a lot of plot development in this chapter and I can only assume some, if not all of you, will figure out the ending. Please understand this is how I've wanted the storyline to go the whole time so please no hate if you do not appreciate.
DragonGoddess629