Chapter Twenty-Seven
A/N: This chapter does contain mature and terrible themes that might be triggering for some people. Reader discretion is advised.
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 ~
JEAN
"Hey Sasha…you even try to steal anymore food and we'll have Captain Levi chop you into bite-sized pieces."
"Who, me? I would never! Um, probably…"
"Ugh," I heaved.
It had been several days since Emalina had been cast off with Eren and Historia to a safe-house somewhere in the distance from Trost District. Myself, including Mikasa, Connie, Sasha and Armin had arrived two days ago, while today we had just returned with fresh supplies. To say I was happy to be beside Emalina's side once again was an understatement. I could not go even one day without being by her side.
As we entered the house, Sasha dropped her box of bread upon the table while I dropped bags of potatoes upon a crate beside the entrance. Glancing around, I couldn't see Emalina anywhere and speculated she was off somewhere else cleaning. As per the orders from Levi himself, she, Eren and Historia were not allowed to leave the premises, let alone the house, unless there was someone with them.
"Did you guys wipe the mud off your shoes before you came in?!"
Ugh…there goes Eren off at something I had apparently done despite just entering the place we were to call home for the time being. "Huh? Are you kidding me? Do you not see all this stuff we're carrying?"
"You idiot!" Eren started griping. "You really think an excuse like that is going to comfort Captain Levi? Bad enough I had to make your bed this morning, and now you pull this crap?!"
"Will you just shut it? Who are you, my mom now?! Sheesh."
"We're back."
Turning, I was surprised to see Mikasa carrying an axe while she and Historia held chopped logs in their arms.
"Wait, you were chopping firewood?" Armin stepped forward.
"Gotta stay in shape somehow," Mikasa offered indifferently.
"You got grabbed by a titan! You should be in bed recovering!" Armin exclaimed.
"You're wasting your breath," Eren offered as I leaned in closer to hear what he had to say. "I caught her doing sit-ups earlier this morning."
This pissed me off. "Oh, so you're a nag and a spy!" He yelled something back and me back at him. But it didn't matter. It was Sasha's voice that caught us off guard, causing us to go silent.
"Heh, almost feels like we're back in the Cadet Corp, doesn't it?" Sasha said
"Chaos," Armin offered. "Makes you wonder why they chose us for this new 'Levi Squad'. Protecting Eren and Historia is such an important mission."
"Because we're also talented, I assume."
"Sasha…what did you just shove into your bag…?" Armin asked. This caught my attention as I stepped towards her.
"It's something that's definitely not bread."
"Really? What did I just tell you?" I cried out.
Everyone at once began bickering, telling Sasha to put the bread back, but she hadn't moved. Eren was adamant that we were to keep moving and cleaning before the Captain returned. None of us heard the door open.
"What's all the commotion?" Levi said.
"You think you can keep pulling this crap? Well I'm sick and tired of - "
We all turned as Levi stepped forward. Stopping before the table, he placed his hand underneath, slowly rubbing the fingers of his hand against the wood to see how clean it was. I was already shaking my head. Besides, wasn't this the room Eren was supposed to clean while we were gone this morning?
"I am quite certain I gave you enough time." He pulled out a cloth from his pocket and began cleaning his fingers. "Never-mind, we can discuss your utter failure at a later date." He glanced around the room. "Hey, where's Emalina."
"I'm in here," we could hear the softness of her voice call from a different room. Appearing from the kitchen, I was surprised to find her in the typical outfit she usually wore to bed - shorts and a loose shirt. She, too, was cleaning her hands on a cloth as I stepped closer to her, dropping a kiss upon her head. She peered upward at me and whispered, "I'm glad your back."
"Save that for another time, you two." My back stood straighter at the Captain's words whereas Emalina merely chuckled softly.
Emalina…
Ever since the day she woke up and realized she's been a titan, the woman has been overly quiet. Too quiet for her personality. Typically she's just as loud as Sasha can get, but now? She seemed lost. Confused. And to me, it was like she didn't know how to process what had happened to her. Hell, I couldn't imagine what she's going through. To think, the two people who we thought were on our side ended up being the enemies she feared the most.
Reiner and Bertholdt; the Armored and Colossal Titans.
Not only were they now the enemies, they were her best friends, people she considered family. And then, not only had they lied to her this entire time, but they then turned her into a titan. That's the part that confused the hell out of me. Why would they risk turning one of their closest friends into a titan? Why do such a thing? Was that their way of getting her to cooperate? And for what? It didn't matter. She was here with me and her friends. She was safe.
"Hey Eren, Emalina," Levi called their names. "Hange is anxious to get the experiment underway."
"Right," Eren said, whereas Emalina simply nodded.
I wasn't too thrilled about her already transforming back into her titan form. I wondered what she thought on the matter. Emalina hadn't spoke about her titan since she woke up, and I gave her such privacy. Maybe she did want to talk, maybe she didn't. I didn't know, so I didn't push the matter.
After we scurried to appropriately place all the supplies where they needed to go, we gathered our horses and followed the Captain. We met Hange and Moblit on the way where they joined us, leading the way to a secure and private area where the testing could be done. It didn't take long to reach. It was definitely a secure area, big enough for two titans to transform. Moblit, Levi and Historia remained above the cliffs while Hange gave the orders for the experiment.
"Alright here's what we're going to do…You both are going to transform and try to harden your skin to see what we can make out of it. Not so bad, right?" Hange said, hands held upward in the air. "Now, I'm going to join Levi upon the cliff. On my count, then you transform. Capiche?"
"Got it," Eren said. Emalina merely nodded as I watched her from my horse. All those at the bottom who were on their horses were to be keeping guard, but also to keep a close eye on Eren and Emalina to see if they went 'berserk'.
I firmly believe that Emalina already has more control over her tint than Eren does.
Watching as Hange nodded, she flew upwards towards the cliff, standing in the middle between Moblit and Levi. "Alright you two, on my mark…three, two, one, go!"
As they were standing apart from one another, I watched as Eren bit into the palm of his hand, the familiar golden, electricity sparkled all around us and soon he was in his titan form. Emalina, however, still stood on the ground glancing between my eyesight and Hange's. I watched her sigh and then she snapped her fingers. The same golden aura soon engulfed her and she was instantly in her titan form once again.
I was still entranced by her titan form, especially the blue flesh the covered a small section of her body. Even as a titan, my girlfriend was beautiful.
Hange cheered from the cliffside. "Woo-hoo you guys did it! Now Eren, let's see what you can do about hardening your skin!"
We were there for how many hours, I wasn't sure, I had lost track of the time. But the time Eren was on his third transformation, it was sunset. Emalina had stayed in her titan form the entire time, sitting against the cliff with her legs crossed. I found it amusing to see a titan so casual, but that was Emalina for sure.
What I did note, however, was that Hange seemed more focused on Eren rather than Emalina, thus why she was sitting off to the side. As Eren was on his third transformation, the first two hadn't been successful, and this one was the worst by far. Still, I could see Emalina watching Eren, eyes narrowed in his direction.
I don't blame you, Ema, I thought. It seems you were forgotten.
"Hey! What's wrong Eren?! Get up!" Hange cried from the cliffs. But Eren wouldn't move. His titan form had banged its head against the ground several times and now its just laying there. "The future of humanity depends on you, dammit! GET UP!"
"Eren!" Mikasa called, jumping off her horse to go and once again rescue the guy.
"Mikasa, wait up!" I knew she should't be interfering so I tried to stop her. But nothing stops that woman when it deals with Eren. Then again, maybe someone could say the same about me and Emalina.
Hange and Moblit flew down to the scene. A rumbling against the ground caught my attention as I noticed Emalina stood to her full height. Falling onto his back, Hange tried pulling Eren out from his stuck position, only to realize his titan form wouldn't release him. Muscles and tendons were stuck to his arms and face. That's when Emalina walked over and knelt.
"Not now Emalina!" Hange screamed, causing my girlfriend to flinch. "Can't you see I'm trying to help Eren here?!"
What the…?!
However, that didn't stop Emalina. Watching her, I was confused as to why she knelt closer to Eren with her pointer finger out. But then I realized that she could harden her skin the same way Hange was trying to get Eren to do so. She hardened her finger into a sharp point that she cut through the muscles still attached to Eren's face, sending Hange flying backwards.
Without even looking at Emalina, I could hear Hange mutter, "Uhh, thanks Emalina." She then turned to those of us on our horses. "Experiment's over. All troops withdraw at once!"
"Sir!" Everyone cried, except for me. "Emalina!" Calling out her name, she sought where I was on my horse and nodded. Moving away from Eren, she laid herself on the ground completely flat, and then her titan form went still. Racing towards her, I jumped from my steed. Climbing her titan body, I could see Emalina already trying to release herself. Grabbing her arm, I tugged, pulling her backwards took practically no time at all; she was safe and had no injuries, unlike Eren.
"You alright?"
She coughed, then said, "Yeah I'm alright." Glancing down at her, I noticed a lone tear escape one of her eyes, but when I tried to wipe it away for her, the woman shook her head and took care of it herself. "It's nothing," she said.
Watching as she jumped from her titan, I muttered, "Bullshit."
~ oOo ~
"Now…what is this about?" Levi had just returned with Hange and Moblit from Trost, and after calling everyone into the main room, we were to learn some disturbing news.
"I'm sorry. Pastor Nick…he was murdered. Today…in the Trost barracks."
We all gasped. How could the Pastor…be dead?
"I figured the Church would've want to get their hands on Nick once they learned he was cooperating with the Scouts. That's why I hid his identity and had him stay in the barracks. I never imagined they would use soldiers to kill him. This was my fault. I should've been more careful."
Everyone sat in silence.
"They tortured him," Armin suddenly said, causing me to lift my head in his direction. "Presumably for information, but did they just want to know exactly what he passed on to us?"
"Most likely," Levi stated, sipping his tea. "But these are the Interior MP's we're dealing with. So you can bet there's something deeper at work here. Now…" Levi turned his attention to Hange. "How many nails was the good Pastor missing? How many? You saw, right?"
"I only caught a glimpse of him. But all the nail-beds I saw were empty," Hange exclaimed.
"People who talk, talk after one," Levi stated as a matter of fact. "If they don't, ripping off more won't make a difference. I'm impressed; I didn't think highly of Pastor Nick. But whatever his faults, he stuck by his beliefs until the very end. Which means…they have no idea we know about the Reis family. But, the government is up to something and we've got a target on our backs."
The door suddenly opened.
"Captain Levi, sir! I have a message from Commander Erwin. I went to tell him about Pastor Nick, but he gave me this and sent me off," the female Scout, Nifa, said.
Levi took a moment to read when he suddenly said, "Everyone, get your gear. Now! We're leaving. Make it look like we were never here." Everyone gasped, looks of shock on their faces. Beside me, Emalina tightened her hand on my thigh and as I reached to take hold of it, I tightened my grip on hers.
So, that's exactly what we did. We all scrambled around the safe-house collecting our gear, packing our packs and hiding anything that would've shown someone had been here recently. The sun was beginning to set by the time we all exited and ran for the hills behind the house, our ODM gear attached at our hips. Standing at the cliffs edge, we had barely made it before a horde of Military Police came and rampaged the house. Guns in hand, we watched the entire scenario play out before our eyes.
"That was close," Connie muttered. "What if they had caught us? Would they rip our nails off?
"How did Commander Erwin know they were headed here?" Armin asked, seemingly ignoring Connie's statement.
Emalina and I turned towards Levi to see what he would say. "The government's passed down some new orders," he said, staring at his sister. "There's been a freeze on all Scout activity outside the wall. We're to hand over Eren and Historia." This caught everyone's attention.
"Captain, I didn't have time to tell you," Nifa said. "But some MP's came for the Commander right after I left him."
"What, like he's some kind of criminal?" Hange cried.
"They're bringing this fight out into the open," Levi said. "No more working from the shadows."
"They're going to protect the walls secrets at any costs." Hange turned to Levi. "But why? And what exactly are they after Eren and Historia for? They don't want them dead so what are they planning?"
"Who knows. But they want these two and they're not being subtle about it. Which makes lingering here dangerous. We'll move Eren and Historia to Trost."
Moblit seemed confused. "We're taking them to the same District where Pastor Nick was murdered?"
"Heading towards the Interior would be worse," Levi stated. "With Trost in a panic, it should be easy to slip in. And if things do go all to hell," Levi opened his cloak, revealing the ODM gear. "We can use these in the city."
"At this point," everyone turned to Emalina as she spoke. "It's not that we can, it's that we will. Something will happen in Trost, you have to see that, Levi."
"True…but we don't know the identity of our enemy yet. I have an idea on how we can change that. Hange, I'll need you to lend me some of your squad."
"No problem," she agreed immediately. "Alright, I'm going after Commander Erwin. Moblit's with me. The rest of you will go with Levi."
"Roger!"
As Moblit and Hange raced off towards Trost, Levi turned to all of us, glancing between each person before landing on his sister. "We should move," he said. "It's dangerous to stay in this one spot, but we make for Trost."
"That'll take all night," Connie whined.
"That it will, Connie," Levi stated in his usual monotone attitude.
As we began walking, I grasped Emalina's hand, her fingers smoothly sliding into mine as we held each other closely. I smiled. Emalina had been in a weird mood for the past several days, and although I could grasp why, it still caused me worry that it would affect our relationship. So far, nothing was different and I was thankful.
As we walked, the others conversed whereas Emalina and I remained in a comfortable silence. Not much needed to be said as there was a lot going on. Not only were the Scouts now under attack, we had to go into hiding to protect ourselves, including Eren and Historia. There was a lot on our minds after everything we've discussed today.
Night had fallen an hour after we had left the cliffside. It was dark, we were walking without the aid of horses and we decided to forgo the usage of torches incase there were any MP's nearby. But that didn't seem to faze Emalina nor Levi as we followed her brother with only the source of light was the moon to guide us. Eventually, Levi held his hand up and we all stopped, secluded in the forest, protected by the thickness of the trees.
"We'll stop here for the night," Levi called out.
We all dropped our guns and packs, groaning breathlessly into the midnight darkness. Sitting down, I leaned my back against a tree pulling Emalina to sit between my legs, her back against my chest. Wrapping my arms around her, I held the woman tightly, never wanting to let her go. I didn't notice, but someone had started a fire, which was wonderful considering the coldness I could feel seeping into my bones.
"So…what happens now?" Sasha asked.
"For now, we wait," Levi answered. Heaving a sigh of his own, he then stated, "We're not that far from Trost. For now, we catch some sleep. Connie, Armin, I want you two to take the first watch, followed by Jean and Sasha. Got it?"
"Sir!" We all said.
"Good. But for now, we need to discuss my plan for tomorrow." The firelight casted a shadow across the Captain's face and I wondered what he was thinking. "We know the MP's are doing everything they can to ensure they'll take hold of Eren and Historia. Well, come tomorrow, we'll let the MP's have them."
"What?!"
"You can't do that!"
Levi merely held his hand in the air to quiet everyone down. "Let me explain. Tomorrow, we'll have a member from Hange's squad carry the real Eren and Historia while they ride around Trost in a wagon. A fake Eren and Historia will be dressed just like them in our group as we walk through the District. Jean," he turned towards me as I sat straighter. "I need you to go undercover as Eren again."
"Ugh, again?" I muttered. Shaking my head, I then answered, "Sure, anything for the cause."
"And Armin, I need you to go undercover as Historia."
"Wha…me? Why me?" Armin asked, pointed a finger at his chest. But before Levi could even answer, Emalina was next to speak.
"No," she suddenly said. "Don't send Armin, you need to send someone else."
Levi's eyes widened that she would contradict his order. "And why not Armin?"
"For one, he's a male. They may body search whoever we send and if they discover he's not a female, we'll have trouble on our hands."
"So who do you suppose we send, Emalina?" Levi asked.
"Me." All eyes were now on here that she would willingly put herself in harms way to protect others. But that was Emalina for you.
From behind, I grasped her arm, causing the woman to turn her head and stare at me. "Absolutely not!" I cried. "There's no way I'm sending you as the decoy. No," I was shaking my head. "Not gonna happen."
"Ema has a point Jean," Connie stated calmly.
Then came Sasha. "Yeah. What if Ema says is correct and they body search you? It won't take them long to realize 'Christa' isn't who she says she is. Besides, I can't be the decoy, I don't have blonde hair or blue eyes. Emalina does."
"Not the blonde hair!"
"It's called a wig, Jean. Besides, you'll have to wear one again to become Eren," Levi stated. Staring at his sister across the fire, he asked, "Are you sure about this?"
"Yes," was all she said, having turned back around, placing her back firmly against my chest. I was left with no choice but to let it be. There was just a high chance we were just going to be captured and nothing else would happen, right?
Right…?
Levi nodded once. "Then it's settled."
~ oOo ~
EMALINA
Come sunrise, we were all awoken by my brother stating it was time to move out. I had slept next to Jean all night when he wasn't on patrol duty. Having used my pack as a pillow and my cloak as a blanket, I woke up freezing. The fire had died sometime during the night, leaving a small trail of steam to float into the air. Mesmerized by the steam led my memories to several days ago when Bertholdt transformed into his titan.
Sitting there, I couldn't admit I was scared. I didn't know what made me so afraid, the fact that my best friend had been the enemy of my nightmares for five years or the fact that we would eventually have to face off against the Colossal Titan again. The steam, the screams, the darkness, the pain.
Hesitantly, I grasped my left leg where it had been bitten off. Now because of my titan powers, I had the power of healing so my leg grew back with no remembrance of having any injury whatsoever. Even with no injury, I swore I could still the pain when it was gone. Excruciating pain I had never felt before gripped my body. It was there in my thoughts. It would be there in my memories, and now…now it remains in my dreams. It was something I never wanted to experience again.
"Ema?"
Shooting my head upward, I noticed Jean kneeling before me; everyone else was already packed and ready to go, waiting solely on me to get my feet moving. "I-I'm sorry everyone I…was lost in thought."
"Don't worry about it." Jean stood, extending his hand towards mine. Taking hold of his appendage, he then said, "But we do have to get moving. You alright?"
I didn't want to worry Jean. Just like everyone else, he had a lot on his mind and plate, especially right now. So instead, I nodded my head, grasping his hand to stand up. Taking the clothes I needed from Historia, behind a tree, I quickly changed into the clothes I would need as the decoy, along with the wig to prove that I was her, all without me having said a single word.
I know I had been acting different these last few days. Well, 'acting different' probably doesn't even cover what I had been going through or how I set myself up to be in front of others. I'd been quiet, stand-offish, not really wanting to participate in conversations or do…anything for that matter. I tried to remain in the background, somewhere I couldn't be seen or found. Somewhere people knew I still existed, but I didn't have to exert myself so much so I couldn't be hurt again.
All because of Reiner and Bertholdt.
Shaking my head suddenly caught Jean's attention as he turned his head down towards me as we continued our walk towards Trost. He was about to ask me something when I curled my body into his. Jean's arm found itself wrapping around my shoulder and I reminded myself this is where I felt safe. Here with Jean was home.
And then, before I knew it, we were upon the outer gate into Trost. It was weird. The moment we walked into Trost, Jean and I released our hands; we didn't want to seem suspicious.
"Try not to walk clustered together. We'll stand out. Eren and Historia, just act normal," Levi finally spoke as we made our way into the middle section of the District.
"Why's the Royal Flag hanging everywhere?" Connie asked as he swiveled his head from side to side.
"Today must be the anniversary of the King's coronation," Sasha explained. "Once a year they hand out extra rations to celebrate it."
"May I have your attention please!"
We all glanced to the side.
"King Fritz has heard of the hardships you've faced here in Trost. He is donating the Royal Families reserves. For a line, there's plenty to go around!" The crowd gasped and immediately began to form a line.
"All that food and he's just giving it away?" Sasha noted.
"It's not as if he needs it all. He's here to control people and they're not starving," Levi then pointed out. We continued walking through the District. Jean and I occasionally glanced at one another, leaving me to wonder when our 'capture' would happen.
"Behind us!" Levi suddenly cried out. "Look out!"
I'd heard it to and gave Jean one last glance. I shoved him out of the way of the wagon to make it seem we were trying to avoid getting caught, but the plan worked perfectly. Someone grabbed me from around the waist and hauled me into the wagon, throwing me down with such force I felt like I was going to blackout.
We were held down the entire ride, so I had no idea where we were, but I could hear water, so I knew we were near the river. When we finally came to a stop, I was yanked from the wagon, nearly thrown onto the ground. The one who had captured me growled, twisting my arms behind my back causing me to cry out. Pushing me forward, I was made to walk into the large building before us. Inside the shipping building were two chairs about ten feet apart. I was trusted into one chair while Jean was placed before me.
"You're gonna sit here and you're gonna be a good girl for us, right…?" My captor threatened me, tightening the ropes to tightly as I quickly nodded my head. "Good. This one's secured."
"This one is too," Jean's captor said. "Let's go find the others. Max! Keep guard, and don't do anything stupid!"
"Roger!" But as soon as the other two had left, the man who was left to watch over us suddenly changed. He stood in the middle between me and Jean when he turned to stare at me. "I'm not happy that we have an audience, but I don't care." Walking towards me, the man licked his lips as I stared back at him.
Umm…what the hell?
Walking around me several times, the man settled to stand behind me when he placed his grimy hands on my shoulders, rubbing into the skin through my shirt. "That's it," he said softly. "That's it…"
What's it? What're you doing?!
I dared a glimpse upward at Jean. He was staring wide-eyed in my direction, but wouldn't meet my stare.
"Eeeep!"
I squealed when the man began to lower his hands across my chest, ever ghosting over my shirt, barely touching my breasts. "Oooo, not quite the sound I want to hear, but you've got such a lovely voice. Mmmm yeah, I gotta hear that voice again sweetheart. Let me here it." He began squeezing my shoulders, slowly lowering his hands down my arms where he finally cupped my breast. Squirming slightly, I had to remind myself I was supposed to be Christa. What would Christa do…what would Christa do…
She'd try and get the hell out of this situation!
He started groaning and moaning, breathing heavily into my ear. His lips found the top of my head, dropping down until I felt a kiss on my cheek. Then another, and then another.
Gross, no, no!
"Oh yeah, so nice…let me hear how much you like it…" he said. One hand dropped down and firmly gripped my breast, seemingly able to find my nipple as he pinched it, rolling it around between his fingers. I could feel tears in the corners of my eyes suddenly appear, though I forbid them to fall.
I would not fall.
This man cannot break me.
"Come on, I'm dying to here that delicious voice again."
I squealed again, the man rubbing his fingers across my lips as he pinched my nipple once more. I dared to steal a peek at Jean who caught my attention this time. He promptly turned his head in the opposite direction, avoiding me at all costs. I didn't blame him though. Who would want to watch their girlfriend potentially get raped? I wouldn't.
Then again, I'd had enough. When the man moved to drop his hand on my face, I lunged forward, biting his palm with all the strength I had. The man roared with pain as he managed to pull his hand out of my mouth.
Stepping backwards, the man said with haste, "You bit me! You stupid bitch!" Walking before me, the man waved his hand and I saw stars. He had hit me across the face, splitting my lip in the process, blood dripping down my chin. Staring up at the man, I was willing to risk our cover because I did not deserve to be treated like this. I didn't deserve to have this happen to me!
The man didn't seem to care. He went right back to gripping my breast in one hand, the other trailed down my body towards my legs. In wearing a skirt, I had kept my legs closed the entire time, but that didn't seem to faze the man. He thrusted my legs apart to spread them wide open.
My body went limp. I didn't even try fighting him. Why?
Why did I give in so easily merely because he had hit me one time?
"Oh yeah, that's it…such a good girl…"
His hand slithered underneath the fabric of my skirt, meeting directly at the apex of my thighs. I squirmed and wriggled from his grasp, but the man's hold on me was strong. And with my hands tied behind my back, there was absolutely nothing I could do unless I truly wanted to blow our cover.
"No," I whimpered pathetically, squirming as much as I could within my seat, but they had tied me down fairly tightly, leaving me zero mobility room.
His fingers caressed the outline of my underwear before sinking in to my depths. "Oh-ho, what do we have hear," the man growled in my ear. "Someone seems to be liking this…you're fairly wet down there aren't ya? You dirty, dirty girl." All the while Jean didn't glance once at me.
I still didn't blame him.
"No…" I again tried to use my voice. Why couldn't I speak? Why couldn't I do anything?! He moved his fingers south and began penetrating my body with his dirty finger. I flinched, seeing as how I wasn't prepared for the insertion.
No, no, no, no!
Jean is the only man who is supposed to touch me!
The tears fell from my face when I heard something off into the distance. A door opening? A latch? It was something I couldn't identify, but I knew there was someone else here.
Oh god.
Not more men…? Please no more!
"Hyah!"
Mikasa suddenly appeared out of no where, butting her knee against the face of our guard, seemingly knocking him unconscious. The man groaned then moved to stand. "What…the hell?" She then punched him in the face, landing a final blow against the guard to which he fell silent for good.
"Are you two alright?"
Jean nodded. "For the time being."
I remained silent.
Mikasa moved behind me and untied the rope holding my hands back before moving towards Jean. Once we were released, I rubbed my wrists, trying to get the blood flowing. "So what happens now?"
"You two are going to pretend you're still tied up and we'll wait for the others to return. For now, take back your seats, I have to hide the guard." True to her word, it was only several moments later did four other people return, the same people from earlier. Jean and I stared at one another before moving our glances towards those walking to us.
"You're sure about this? These are the two we're looking for?" One asked.
"Yeah, they fit the descriptions we were given to a T."
"Huh? Where's the guard?"
We watched as, at that moment, Mikasa revealed herself and she sucker-punched one of the four members with her knee. He fell to the ground knocked out completely. She then threw the other captor towards the ground. As Jean and I ran to those two, Mikasa kicked a guy in a blue jacket which sent him flying across the warehouse. With the last one standing, Jean and I tied the hands behind the backs of the two captors Mikasa took care of first.
"Don't even think about moving!" Jean grumbled, tightening the ropes of the man he was on. Still, I remained quiet. There was nothing I could say. Better yet, there was nothing I wanted to say in the moment.
Mikasa, throwing the last male upon the ground, turned around towards the rafters and asked, "Connie! Are these four really all of them?"
"Yeah, that's all! No one else in the area!" Connie yelled down towards us.
The male that Mikasa had thrown down suddenly drew a gun to shot her with when an arrow pierced the metal casing, keeping it flat on the ground. "Move again and you won't like where the next shot hits!" Sasha yelled.
"Alright, first we get these guys secured," Mikasa said as she stood. "Then we meet up with the Captain."
"What do you mean?" Armin asked.
"Those were his orders. He left a message too." Mikasa said. She turned around, moving her glance between all of us before landing on me. "It's not just titans we're fighting. We're fighting humans now too."
"Wait, that was his message? What's that supposed to mean?" Jean asked as he helped me to stand to my feet.
"Exactly what I said," Mikasa answered. "Now come on, we need to meet up with the Captain and retrieve Eren and Historia. But first, we need to get Jean and Emalina's gear."
Following Mikasa, we managed, on foot, to make it to a secluded corner of Trost where my and Jean's packs were. My pack contained a change of clothes, and with everyone turning their backs, I took off the skirt and replaced my entire attire with brown pants and a black short-sleeved shirt. Next came my odd gear. Surprisingly, Jean helped me place the gear upon my hips. I didn't know why, I could manage by myself as we had been trained, but I wasn't going to say anything. He was close to me and that made me happy.
Now that we were all dressed with our ODM gear, we traveled back towards the warehouse to make sure the captors were still tied up before making our way towards the roof. Just as we had landed, my head shot forward as I walked towards the end of the roof. Sasha landed right beside me and we shared a look and a nod of our heads. We both had heard the same sounds.
"I hear shooting!" She claimed.
"It's off in that direction," I pointed. "It must've been a dozen shots or more."
"Do you think they ran into some trouble?" Jean asked.
"It seems likely." Mikasa then took of with her gear, leaving the rest of us to follow behind.
We crossed the city, looking in every direction for my brother and the wagon carrying Eren and Historia. It had probably been ten minutes of us flying around the sky when Connie suddenly yelled, "Look! There they are!" A shortly behind the wagon was another person using ODM gear.
"It's my brother!" I yelled. Changing directions, I maneuvered my gear to go left, following directly behind the wagon and Levi. The moment we were getting closer came another individual using what looked to be ODM gear, but was managing everything with just their hands. What in the hell?
"What is that?" cried Jean.
We all watched as the new individual shot a bullet from the gun attached to his hand. It completely missed my brother who reared his gear to shoot the mechanical wire straight into the man's gut. Pulling the man towards him, Levi then sliced the man through his stomach before allowing him to plummet towards the ground.
As we grew closer, Levi stopped amongst a stone wall, his sight never leaving mine. "Follow the wagon!" He joined our group, and as we all followed behind, he then said, "Listen up. These soldiers were trained to fight other people. They've already taken out three of ours. If you hesitate for so much as a second you'll be dead! The moment you see an opening, go for the kill!"
Levi jumped off a local canopy and then shot his ODM wire towards the man standing inside the wagon. Capturing him in his gut, Levi dragged him out of the wagon, leaving an opening to take it back. "Armin! Secure the wagon with Jean! We'll keep you two covered!"
"Uhh, yes, sir!"
"He killed him…!" Jean muttered, seemingly lost in thought as he stared around the group.
"Forget about that, now come on!"
Dropping into the wagon, the woman driving turned to see who it was. Realizing it was those she was fighting, she turned more, raising her gun at them when Levi dropped from the side and rammed into the female. She dropped into the wagon, leaving Armin to take hold of the horses reigns.
"Don't move!" I could hear Jean yell at the female. Watching him, however, his form was sloppy and he was shaking. This wasn't good. The female began to stand as she rolled onto her stomach. "Stop!" Jean yelled. "The woman flung her arm against Jean's hand, sending his sword flying into the air and away from him, causing him to fall to the floor of the wagon. The woman then braced her gun near Jean's head. The moment I saw the gun, my heart was sent asunder.
"JEAN!"
I screamed with all my might.
Everything we had ever done, anything we had discussed flashed before my eyes. The house out int he plains by Trost; keeping a farm full of horses; starting a family. It was all there in the seconds before the woman sent off her gun.
Except, it wasn't hers; it was Armin's. He was able to pull out his gun first and shot the woman in the head, her lifeless body fell into the street as we flew past.
I breathed out heavily, thanking whatever was out there that my boyfriend was still alive.
"Shit, Armin, Jean!"
Levi's voice pulled me out of my thoughts as I glanced above me. Three more soldiers appeared, their guns drawn and ready to shoot, the angle straight towards our comrades. Bursting my gas, I ran along the side of the building and shot off the wall with my legs towards Jean. Wrapping my arms around his body, I shoved him out of the wagon; Armin was taken out by Sasha as we all rolled on the cobblestone street.
Two of the three individuals took hold of the wagon, shooting their guns at us. Just as I was about to stand, one of the guns shot in my direction and I screamed, falling backwards onto the ground.
"Emalina!" Jean cried. Holding onto my arm, I moved the cloak to see blood trickling down my arm. Moving my arm, Jean sighed. The bullet had nicked my arm instead of spearing me completely. Sighing, I was more thankful that Jean was still by my side than nearly missing a bullet. Tackling him, I ignored the scream raging from Mikasa as I held this man within my arms.
After everything that has happened, I needed a hug. And apparently, Jean understood as he tightened his arms around myself as well.
~ oOo ~
Once we all realized we had lost Eren and Historia, we all backtracked towards the warehouse. Seeing as how our enemies had what they wanted, we didn't have to worry about being followed, for the time being.
The moment we reached the warehouse, Jean pulled me aside to assess the damage to my arm. Removing the cloak, he held my upper arm carefully, releasing a sigh when he realized, yet again, that it was a scratch rather than an actual bullet hole. Still, he attempted to wrap it up with bandages but there was no need. Staring at the mark on my arm, I willed for it to be healed, and, just as I had wanted, a small puff of steam appeared and the mark suddenly vanished.
Well, I guess that's one good thing about being a titan, I suppose. Jean forgot I could heal myself with my titan powers and voiced the same thought I had. I actually was able to manage a smile before it gradually faded away. As night was beginning to fall, we all gathered inside the warehouse with Sasha on the lookout outside. We found a lantern to use for light as well as smaller crates to sit on. Sitting around the lantern in a circle, we were all quiet, reflecting on the day, what had happened.
Levi was the first to speak. "What's wrong?" He asked no-one in particular. "Did all this filth kill your appetite?"
"No…" Armin answered slowly. "Jean?" He turned towards his friend. "There's something I don't understand…"
"Huh? And what's that?"
"When I turned around to try and save you, that woman already had her gun to your head." I cringed at the memory. "It's…funny. How could I have shot before she did…?"
As our crates were pushed next to each other, Jean flinched, seeking my hand tightly as he held it upon his shaking knee. "I don't know," he eventually said.
"You shot first because she hesitated," Levi answered mechanically; Jean and Armin both gasped. "It's simple."
"I'm sorry, Armin," Jean said, not looking at his friend. His sight was on our hands, not once looking anywhere else. "You wouldn't of had to save me if I'd just done my job."
"…I know what it is," Armin said slowly. "The woman I shot back there…I bet she was a really kind person. She must've had a lot more human in her than I ever did. I pulled that trigger so easily, without a thought. I'm…"
"A killer," Levi asserted. "And now that your hands have been soaked in blood, the person you once were is gone for good."
Mikasa growled. "Tch, why would you say that?"
"And you shouldn't regret it for one second! Because if you had chosen to keep your hands clean, Jean would be a corpse on a cart right now." No one said anything for a moment. "I'll tell you why you pulled the trigger. Because your comrade was about to die. Armin, everyone on our squad survived today because you got blood on your hands. Thank you."
I cleared my throat, knowing I needed to say something. "Armin," I gained his attention as he stared at me then my conjoined hands with Jean. "I must thank you as well. Because of you, Jean is still alive, and I'll never be able to truly show you how grateful I am for what you have done."
"But I…!"
My eyes fell before glancing upwards to stare down my friend. "Yes, you killed someone today and Levi's right, the blood on your hands will never go away. But situations like this make one wonder; should it be me, or them? And today, you chose them, you chose your comrade." Taking a deep breath, I then said, "Never tell yourself that what you did was wrong today. Do you understand me?"
"Emalina…" Armin was visibly shaking, so I decided to say more.
"No Armin, I need you to understand. That woman had her orders to kill us if needed. Levi was right; the way they were fighting, they've trained to kill humans. So again, it was either her or Jean. Aren't you the least bit happy your comrade survived?"
"I mean…" Armin's face slightly flushed. "When you put it that way…I…I am sort of content with the choice I made. I am glad that you're still here, Jean. If not my sake, for Emalina's."
Jean didn't say anything towards Armin. Instead, he glanced at my brother. "Captain Levi. I, uh…I thought it was wrong for us to fight other humans, sir. I thought it was wrong that you ordered us to do it. I mean, we became soldiers to protect people. But now, I see that I was in the wrong, sir. Next time, I swear I'll shoot."
"I never said anything about what was right or wrong," Levi countered. My moral high ground is shot to hell. I have no idea who's in the right at this point. Now then…" Standing, Levi knew this conversation needed to be over. "I think it's time we heard what our guest has to say."
Walking up to the one guy we still had in custody, Levi removed the cloth in his mouth, to which the man instantly said, "Mercy, mercy! I'm just an old man who used to move cargo and - "
"I've dealt with this one before," Mikasa interrupted the man. "He seemed to be a prominent merchant."
"Yeah, I know him," Levi said. "Dimo Reeves, right?"
"Tch," Dimo said. "This damn job was forced on us by the Military Police. And now that we've completely botched it, they'll plunder the Reeves company for everything it's worth. First they'll kill me, then they'll set up accidents for all my employees. My dumb son too."
"You just gonna lay down and take it?"
"Hm?"
"There's a reason Trost recovered from that titan attack. It's largely because of the jobs and money brought it from the Reeves company. Tell me, if your company were to disappear, how many would survive the coming winter?"
"So, what? You want me to join you?"
"We just need to know where Eren and Historia are. If you're in contact with the MP's, I think I have a plan."
"And can you give me your word that the people of Trost won't end up starving to death?"
"I can't guarantee it. That said, I believe you'll have a better chance with us than without."
~ oOo ~
JEAN
We had struck a deal with Dimo Reeves.
With the owner of the Reeves Company now backing us up, we were then able to diverge a new plan, all thanks to Armin and Levi. Usually, Emalina would be part of this conversation as well, trying to divulge in the discussion, but today? She was quiet. She was more quiet than normal. I didn't need to pry for I knew why she was acting this way. Emalina was remaining close next to me the entire time we walked from Trost to the forest where we would live out the plan. All because of what happened this afternoon.
I didn't want to think or talk about it. Who the hell knows what Emalina was thinking. But if she wanted to be glued to me for some time, I will hold her as close as can be.
Sticking to the plan, we were then able to capture the same two Military Police soldiers who Hange identified when she discovered Pastor Nick was murdered. Dimo, now on our side as he didn't want to work alongside the Military Police, deceived the two MP's into thinking he was going to get them to arrest us, the Scouts. Too bad for them as we shoved our guns in their faces and transported them to a new safe house.
This new safe house had locked cells in the basement, leaving me to wonder what it had originally been used for the in past. Not wanting to question it, we transported the two MP's into separate cells, trying them with rope to their chair so they wouldn't escape. Levi then instructed us to wait upstairs as he was going to interrogate one of them on his own until Hange arrived.
The door suddenly burst open.
"I'm here!" It was Hange and Moblit. She ushered herself inside, removing her jacket and tossing it across the room. "Now, where's Levi and our special guests?"
"They're downstairs waiting for you," Mikasa said as we all remained silent.
Hange immediately left us, traveling downstairs with Moblit to meet with Levi and join in with the interrogation. Or torture, whatever one wanted to call it. But we needed answers, and apparently this was the only way we were going to achieve them. We could hear Hange screaming and yelling downstairs but her words were inaudible; but we knew what she was trying to obtain. Information about Eren and Historia.
"GYAH!"
And there goes another scream.
"Here we go again," I said to no one in particular.
"The…screams seemed a lot louder when the Captain did it," Sasha pointed out.
Connie then said, "I know it's to save our friends but…it still makes me sick."
"Let's face the facts," Armin said in a slight disgusted voice. "We're criminals now. Our last enemy wanted to eat us. We don't have an excuse for like that for wanting to kill these people. It's just that their views are different. No…it's just that they're in another group. And for that we'll take their lives."
"Armin…" Mikasa stated his name.
"We're not good people. Not anymore at least."
We didn't have time to digest what Armin was saying when the door to downstairs suddenly opened and the three returned. As soon as the door was closed, hange filled us in with what they had learned. We were all shaken to the core to learn what the Interior Military Police had done, and what they still planned to do. But what really shook us and made everyone gasp is what Hange stated last.
"You mean…" Armin began. "…the rightful heir to the throne is Historia?!"
"That's correct," Hange said. "And based on that knowledge, we're assuming that she and Eren have been taken to Lord Reiss." Hange glanced at Moblit who nodded. Slamming a piece of paper against the wall, he slid his hand down until we could see the portrait of a man on it.
"That's him," Moblit said.
The three of them then disappeared for some time, back down towards the basement most likely. The entire time, Emalina remained silent, stoic even. Turning to watch her, I had never seen her like this, not even in Trost when we were first facing the titans. Here she was acting…like a statue, merely staring at the wall behind Connie's head.
It took some time, but the three of them finally returned with more news to share. After speaking of a conversation Eren overheard, we all had to digest this new piece of information.
"So, they plan to eat Eren?" Armin stated, slight disgust and worry in his voice.
"Yeah. Eren remembered a conversation between Ymir and Bertholdt. Based on this, we can speculate Ymir used to be a mindless titan just like the others until she consumed someone, someone from Bertholdt and Reiner's group. We've never seen a titan turn back into a human by eating one before. That said, Reiner's comrades aren't normal humans and there's a different set of rules for humans that can turn into titans. My thought is this: if a titan eats someone with that power then it'll transform back into a human. What's more, they'll obtain whatever powers that human had. In the battle the other day, Reiner was throwing titans at Eren as he tried to run away. He knew that Eren had the power to take command of feral titans with his scream. If Eren's death would have meant that power was lost, he wouldn't have risked it. It think he hoped one of those titans would eat Eren and take his power. My point is this: if the government has a titan of their own, they'll use it to eat Eren."
Mikasa suddenly growled, moving towards the door when Levi caught her by the arm. "Calm down. I know you want to get Eren back, but going on a rampage won't help with that. Anyway, we're headed for Rod Reiss' estate. Prepare to leave at once."
"Sir!"
Everyone moved from their position except Emalina. It was like she was in some sort of trance. I turned around to see her still sitting in her seat when Connie approached her. Slapping a hand on her shoulder, Connie said, "Come on Emalina, you heard the Captain we need to - "
"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Slapping his hand away, Emalina screamed, causing everyone in the room to freeze. She moved to quickly stand from her seat from fell to the floor on her hands and knees.
"Ema!" I yelled, moving to her side. Shooting her head in my direction, I noticed there were tears in her eyes, some already beginning to fall.
"Just leave me alone!" Darting to a standing position, she ran downstairs towards the front door. All of us frozen, we could hear the door slam shut as Emalina left the building.
Slowly turning towards us, Levi asked, "Just what the hell was that? What is wrong with my sister?" Everyone looked to Connie who held his hands up in defense then at me. Sighing deeply, I didn't know what to say. Was it my place to tell everyone here that she was assaulted this afternoon, or was that Emalina's right? "Jean." I stared at her brother in the eye, his eyebrows narrowed in annoyance. "Tell me: what is going on with my sister."
Flinching, I closed my eyes, casting my head away. "I don't…I don't think it's my place to say but…something happened to her this afternoon when we were acting as decoys. Something terrible…"
"And what would that…oh." Levi's mouth fell into a flat line.
No one said anything. Levi's statement must've been the key for everyone to understand that something did in fact happen to Emalina this afternoon. I would not state that she was sexually assaulted. I opened my mouth to speak when suddenly we heard an explosion from outside; the same kind of explosion from a titan transforming.
Being the first to run downstairs towards the door, I was followed closely by Levi then everyone else. Once outside, we were stuck inside a cloud of titan steam but I still walked forward. "Emalina? Emalina!"
"J-Jean?"
A gust of wind picked up from nature and blew the steam away. There, about a hundred feet from my position, sat Emalina in her titan form. I took a step forward but stopped when I heard hange's voice from behind.
"No! No this isn't good!" Hange stepped beside me, staring Emalina up and down. "She doesn't have control over her titan form! Emalina! Do you know what this means? You could be giving away our exact location right now!" Titan Emalina flinched, scooting backwards agains the dirt.
Behind me, I could hear the others talking, but I was the one who stepped towards Hange. "That's not it at all, Hange. If anything, Ema has more talent with her titan than Eren does!"
The scientific female stared me down. "How so? You see she transformed out of no where, right?"
"True, but every time she's wanted to transform, she has! During the experiment a few days ago, she maintained her titan form the entire time whereas Eren couldn't! Besides, only I know why she transformed right now."
"You do?" Levi asked, staring at his sister.
"Yes." Directing my attention to Emalina, I stepped forward. "You needed an escape, didn't you?" Her large headed nodded once.
"Escape from what?" Hange asked.
"From everything," I answered honestly. "From all this running, to what happened this afternoon. But I think we're forgetting one thing no one has talked to Emalina about directly: how she feels now that she's a titan."
"Well I'd be ecstatic if I was turned into a titan!" Hange exclaimed, arms wide open.
"But you weren't forced to take it!" I yelled. Pointing at my girlfriend, I said, "She was! She succumbed to whatever Bertholdt stabbed her in the neck and now she has to live with this. And for what? Just so she can transform into a titan? She hates it, Hange. Besides, it's not like you care."
"Excuse me?"
"No one here has asked how she's faring with this new…ability of hers. The other day, you wanted to do experiments on both of their titan forms but only focused on Eren the entire time. Even when she tried to help with pulling Eren from his form, you snapped at her! How is she supposed to be feeling, let me ask you that!"
Walking up towards Emalina, I asked, "Can you lower your hand?" Blinking, Emalina obliged, her large titan hand falling flat to the ground. Stepping on the appendage, I held onto her thumb as she raised me high into the air until I was close to her face. Emalina started to cry, soft tears pooling in the corner of her eyes as they gently fell, one by one. "Listen to me, Ema, I get it. And I'm sorry about this afternoon. I'm so, so sorry that there wasn't anything I could've done because believe me, I wanted to clobber the guy who touched you. I wanted…" Touching the tip of her nose, I whispered so only she could hear, "I wanted to kill him. Because only I am supposed to touch you. That's what you've been thinking about all day, isn't it?"
She nodded her head, more tears streaming down her face.
"I need you to listen to me. What happened this afternoon is not your fault and I am so unbelievably proud of you for being so goddamn strong, I will always be here by your side. What happened today does not change the fact that I love you and only you."
Swallowing, I watched as Emalina opened her mouth to speak. Could she actually form sentences in her titan form?
"I l-love you to, Jean."
"She can talk!" We all heard Hange scream.
Suddenly, I was being placed upon the ground when Emalina back up against the ground before laying on the grass. Steam encased her entire titan body and I knew what that meant. Crawling upon her back, I watched as Emalina worked to escape from the confines of her titan body. Grabbing around her shoulders, I pulled until she was out. Holding her close to my chest, I picked her up, jumping towards the ground as I made towards everyone else.
Walking up towards Hange, I said, "Look, I'm sorry for snapping, but I'm the only one who knows what she's been going through." Ignoring everyone else who tried to speak to me, I walked inside the house and went upstairs towards the table where I placed Emalina on. Her eyes gradually opened as she turned to stare at me. I was surprised she was already awake. Usually it takes Eren longer than that.
"I…heard everything you said to Hange."
"Oh Emalina…" Grasping her hand, I held it to my lips, kissing each finger. "I'm glad you're awake already."
"Hearing you say…what I've been wanting to say has helped, I think," she admitted. Moving to a sitting position, I kept my hands behind her back in case she fell. "I thank you, Jean," she said.
"No thanks is needed here kitten. I would say and do it all again if I have to."
Hearing footsteps coming up from the stairway, Levi and Hange appeared in the doorway, asking if they could join. "Listen, we've had a small setback but we need to get going," Hange stated. Emalina dropped her head, knowing that the risk of losing Eren and Historia could fall on her shoulders for what happened. I grasped her arm, shaking my head so she'd know it wasn't her fault.
"Is everything ok here?" Hange asked. She stepped forward and took Emalina's hands in her own. "Emalina…I am so sorry if it seems I've been ignoring you and your newly found titan abilities. That was never my intention."
"I know," Emalina whispered softly.
"Can you forgive me?" Emalina leaned forward and hugged one of her longtime friends.
"Of course I can."
~ oOo ~
I hope everyone liked it.
DragongGoddess629