Chapter 19: The Trap is Sprung

Eren roared as he was surrounded by the two Titans and the ODM using men. They swarmed around him, their RPGs prepared to launch. Their skill seemed to be on par with a typical Garrison Soldier. Good enough to move without being under pressure, but nowhere near the skill and professionalism of a Scout.

One tried to extend his arm to launch an RPG, but Eren ducked before he was able to release it. The RPG missed his head and sailed over and impacted the roof near him. Luckily it missed some of the kids on the roof, since RPGs focused their energy forward the explosion caused minimal area damage.

Eren Moved to try and attack one of the ODM Yakuza but when he did the Cart Titan jumped towards him, intending to bite his nape. Eren turned towards her and tried to hit her but when he did, he was attacked by the Jaws as well.

Eren reached out with both of his hands and tried to grab at the Jaws and the Cart. He managed to grab the Cart, but the Jaws clawed his wrist and ripped his right hand off. Eren grunted in pain at the familiar feeling of his Titan body being dismembered.

Eren threw the Cart into the Jaws, forcing both of them to crash into the school wall and crashing into the building. Eren heard screams as that side of the building began to collapse. A few children and a single adult faculty member was still on the roof as it slowly began to give way.

Eren reacted. He threw himself into the building and reached out with his remaining hand. He managed to catch the kids and the adult as they fell, they clung to his hand for their lives, barely fitting on the palm of his hand.

Unlike Mikasa, who knew that the monster before her was her papa, these kids were screaming or paralyzed in fear. Which made complete sense. They had no idea that Eren was trying to save them.

Eren turned towards the enemies, his hand near his chest to try and offer some protection. The Yakuza thugs were attached to the side of the building, ready to pounce but Eren could tell there was clear hesitation in their movements.

Eren realized that they hesitated because of the kids in his hand. Despite being criminals, it seems that they were not so keen to spill the blood of innocent children. They waited for Eren to make a move or waited before getting an opportunity to attack.

Eren didn't want to gamble that they wouldn't try to attack him with the kids, so instead of using the kids as a shield, Eren quickly placed them and the faculty member on the standing part of the room so they could run away, which they did. He didn't watch as they ran since his attention was on the-

The building below him burst open and he felt the Jaws bite his calf, causing him to fall to his knees. The Yakuza members jumped up and aimed their RPGs right at his face. Eren tried to use his hand to block but they fired at once, causing multiple RPGs to hit him right in the face.

Eren was blinded as his head was blown completely off. This body was done for, and he knew it. There was nothing he could do in order to salvage the situation, so Eren detached himself from the nape and jumped forward off of his steaming Titan body.

As he did, the Cart jumped up. Eren saw with wide eyes here wide-open mouth, ready to devour him and steal his powers. Eren was in the air and could barely react.

Right as her mouth closed, Eren bit his hand and transformed. The transformation was violent and caused the head of the Cart Titan to explode as his Titan body formed around him. Eren glanced at the mangled Cart and saw that the Shifter ejected from the nape and was already biting her thumb.

The Cart materialized again, moving back to create distance from Eren's Titan form.

Eren was surrounded and knew that he can't fight these odds. Between the four ODM using Yakuza and the two Titans, he was severely outnumbered.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

The Cart almost exploded in a mist of blood as multiple bullets impacted her, causing the Shifter to once again eject from her Titan. The bullets were clearly massive and coming from the sky, which surprised everyone in the courtyard.

Eren looked up and saw a pair of F35 planes shooting at the two Titans. Luckily, they must have been informed that Eren was a friendly since they avoided hitting him. Eren knew that this fight was over since the Titans had no defense against them.

"Damn planes!" He heard the Cart Shifter yell out as she fell from her destroyed Titan body. She once again transformed and ran into cover in the school.

The Jaws tried to attack, but now that Eren wasn't surrounded he reached out and punched the Jaws in the face, causing him to slam into the school and get buried by the rubble. Eren saw some movement and knew that he also took cover in the building.

The Yakuza men also flew over to cover, hiding inside the school. They obviously knew they were no match for the increased air power, which luckily seemed to have ended the battle before they had a chance to kill Eren.

After a moment, everything seemed to die down. The planes continued to circle around, prepared to do another attack if need be.

"Eren!" Eren heard a yell below him.

Eren looked down to one of the entrances and saw the Director with a couple of agents standing there. Miyuki was there as well. Everyone looked up in both fear and awe, probably since this was their first time seeing his Titan in person.

Eren stepped out of his Titan body and slid down his arm towards the waiting men.

"Holy hell Eren, you look rough." The Director said.

Eren looked down and saw his body. Despite the injuries being healed, both of his sleeves were torn and burnt, while his vest and jacket had a slash in it due to the sword cutting into his body. Luckily, all of his wounds were fully healed and there was no signs of damage aside from the temporary scars around his eyes.

"I'll live." Eren shrugged.

"Yea... despite the shot to the head..." Miyuki said.

"I thought you said you couldn't do that." The Director said.

"I figured it out." Eren shrugged. "I was lucky half of my brain was still intact."

"Right..." The Director said. "I'm still needing to get used to that... do you need to see a medic?" He asked, unsure.

"I'll be fine." Eren said. "I've had worse, and it isn't the first time my limbs have been ripped off."

"To say that so casually..." Miyuki said.

"Yea... to see that in person is just..." The Director said in surprise.

"It's not so shocking to me." Eren shrugged. "Titans are a fact of life when I grew up."

"Either way, we need to get back to HQ. I'll have some men continue to look for them in the school, but I think they may have escaped." The Director said. "At least we have our technology on our side."

Eren followed his glance up to the planes that continued to circle around. He was lucky that he can rely on these planes. As long as they can arrive in short notice, the Marleyans won't be able to do much.

"We'll go over a debriefing soon, for now, just return to HQ." The Director said.

Eren and Miyuki nodded and went back to Eren's car. Eren and Miyuki sat down, only for Miyuki to sigh in exhaustion.

"That was insane." Miyuki said.

"You'll get used to it." Eren said.

Eren looked in the mirror and saw the scars around his eyes already receding. It was relatively slow, but another ten minutes and he'll be completely back to normally.

"Eren, your head was blown to pieces... I thought you were dead." Miyuki said in disbelief. "How do you look past something like that?" He asked.

"Just reamin focused on the next mission Miyuki." Eren said. "Don't get caught up in the past. We won today, which is more than most of my old comrades could say." Eren said bitterly as he remembered his first year with the Scouts.

Eren remembered the pain of losing all of his friends and the humiliation of the first time they re-entered the gates after their first battle against Annie. How nearly every mission, even if it ended in victory, resulted in the deaths of hundreds of his comrades.

"Right, ok. I understand." Miyuki nodded.

Eren and Miyuki walked into the Director's office, where he was currently going over some of the information they gained. On a corked board was pictures and strings linking different locations with the Shifters. He also noted that there were pictures from the attack on the school on there as well, specifically the Shifters in both their forms and the Yakuza men in ODM gear.

"Eren, sit down." He said.

Miyuki followed as well, sitting down next to Eren in his own seat, since they were the primary agents on the scene. The Director wanted to have a full debriefing of what they saw and any thoughts they had.

"Unfortunately." The Director began. "They escaped."

"How?" Miyuki asked.

"They wouldn't have laid the trap if they didn't have a way to escape." Eren said.

"Yes, and it was in the form of the school's basement." The Director handed them a map of the school with diagrams that appeared to run under it.

"An underground system?" Miyuki asked.

"The school itself was actually built over an old World War Two bunker that was used by the Imperial Government." The Director said. "Most of the bunker was sealed off but the school ended up using the entrance for some basic storage. It has a few exits that lead to different buildings around the city, letting them sneak out with ease."

"Though risky." Eren said. "If discovered, Titans can't transform underground. Not unless they have the Warhammers power."

"Additionally, there was the sighting of these Yakuza that used the same gear that you did during your war with Yoshida." The Director said.

"I remember." Miyuki said. "That Spider-Man stuff, right?"

"Omni Directional Mobility Gear, or ODM using English writing." Eren said. "It was what we used to develop a way to fight Titan's."

"And yet, they have it?" The Director asked.

"I saw the Shinomiya logo on it." Eren said.

"Shinomiya!?" Miyuki asked. "As in my father-in-law?"

"I doubt the old man is giving those out." Eren said. "But I never knew he made working prototypes."

"Gan'an did try to sell us on the idea once." The Director said. "He made a few prototype pieces based exactly off of the one he confiscated from you. However, it was rejected since the original design is useless without some kind of unique gas."

"Ice Burst Stone." Eren said. "A special kind of hardened material that can only be produced by a Titan. As a gas, it can make a very dense yet pressurized gas."

"So, that explains the how, if they are using the Titans for help on that." The Director said.

"The Jaws and Cart are probably able to harden, meaning they can create Ice Burst Stone in small quantities." Eren said.

"I'll schedule a meeting with Gan'an to get to the bottom of this." The Director said.

"My concern though is how long they've been planning this." Eren said.

"What do you mean?" Miyuki asked.

Eren leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, thinking back to his days in the Cadets.

"Our training as Cadets lasted three years, which was every day from sunrise to sunset. Sometimes even through the night." Eren explained. "If you do less daily training than that, it could take five years or longer to show the level of proficiency that those Yakuza thugs displayed."

"Meaning that this plan had to at least be five years in the making." The Director said.

"More, if you count the Shifters having to find the ODM gear, convince the Yakuza, and other such plans. Which does confirm there is one more person on their side." Eren said with a thought.

"Who?" Miyuki asked.

"Annie Leonhart." Eren said. "The Female Titan."

"What makes you so sure?" The Director asked.

"ODM gear was unique to our island. Only three Marleyans ever learned when they infiltrated our military." Eren explained. "One of them is dead, the other is confirmed to not be a factor... but the last one is Annie. She is the only one who could have trained those men. Meaning, she's a member as well."

There was a small pause in the room as Eren revealed his theory. As far as Miyuki and the Director were concerned, it made sense. The idea that there were potentially three enemy Shifters was a massive concern, especially since Eren was fighting alone. This is also not counting the concern of specific Yakuza's who are capable of killing Eren as a Titan.

"We'll need to continue gathering information for the moment." The Director said. "We'll need to avoid them as much as possible for the moment."

"Smart move." Eren said.

Eren was quiet for a moment, thinking about the recent events. One thing that was weighing heavily on his mind was the aftermath of the battle.

"Director..." Eren began tentatively.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Did anyone die?" Eren asked, referring to the kids and innocent people in the school.

"A few kids were hurt and trampled, mainly minor wounds. One kid was severely injured but she's in the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery." The Director said.

Eren breathed a sigh of relief.

"Glad to hear that." Miyuki nodded.

Yea... very glad. Eren couldn't help but feel a weight lift off of his shoulders.

"Go home and get some rest Eren. I know you have your healing powers, but you still took a significant amount of damage." The Director said.

Eren nodded and walked out of the office with Miyuki. Miyuki seemed to be holding himself together pretty well, considering the situation they were in. It was a lot to expect for Miyuki to simply accept fighting against monsters, especially considering that he was still new and really hasn't had a chance to get used to the agency.

Eren stopped by the locker room to change out of his damaged clothes. He didn't want to unnecessarily worry his family about the fact that his arms were torn off.

Eren and Miyuki stepped out of the main area and over to the entrance. They got their phones and Miyuki's rang.

"Hello?" Miyuki asked as he held the phone to his ear. "Ai? How are you?"

"Ai?" Eren asked.

Ai and Kaguya continued to be very good friends since the issues a decade ago. They kept in contact and even spent time together when they had time. So, it made sense for Ai to call Miyuki occasionally.

"Eh? Well, yea I think Kagy won't mind." Miyuki said. "You heard, yea she's pregnant again. I mean, maybe, but we did talk about having a big family hehe."

Eren waited patiently for Miyuki to finish.

"Yea, I won't tell Eren." Miyuki said.

"Won't tell me what?" Eren asked but was ignored.

"Yea, Kagy and I would love to go." Miyuki said. "No problem, thank you."

"Won't tell me what?" Eren asked again.

"Oh, nothing." Miyuki waved off.

Eren rolled his eyes, used to Ai planning surprises behind his back. Eren figured she'd tell him when she was ready.

Eren and Miyuki went their separate ways to go home. Eren sat in his car, already planning his next move. He'll need more resources and help. He already knows that he'll need additional support.

Specifically, he'll need Zeke and Armin, since Reiner has made it clear that he has no interest in fighting. He'll also need to leverage the underground with Sergei's help. The Yakuza in Tokyo still feared Eren and would likely still assist Eren in his mission against the Marleyans.

Eren will need to go on the offensive if he hopes to gain an upper hand.

"Papa!" Mikasa ran up to her papa as he walked into the house.

"Hi Mikasa." Eren said as he kneeled down to hug his daughter.

"Eren, I'm so glad to see you're ok." Ai said, running over to hug Eren as well. "We saw the news." Ai said.

"Yea, I figured." Eren said. "What were they saying?"

Eren turned to the TV that Aqua was watching, which was continuing the story from earlier.

"There are concerns of the Police potentially using monsters in some weird Government experiment." The anchor said. "So far, speculation is stating that the Government is using some kind of genetic research that got released and is trying to conceal the evidence. At this time, the Government and the Police are remaining silent about the event, stating that they are investigating the event. However, it is clear that the Police are aware since Special Assault Teams were called to the event and seemed to have been the instigating reason for the event."

"Additionally, eyewitness reports have confirmed that Eren Yeager was leading the assault. This is in addition to the fact that there were people identified to using the same strange repelling gear that Eren used when he assaulted that Yakuza ship a decade ago. There is speculation that the Government used him to train people but there is potentially some kind of disagreement. The appearance of these monsters though is just... there is not theory that satisfies anyone. Speculation runs from the insane to complete science fiction."

"Until we know more, we can't possibly come to any conclusions."

Ai shut the TV off.

Eren's primary concern was being discovered by the general public as a Shifter. Not only would it cause issues for himself but his family as well. He didn't want people knowing about his powers and potentially putting anymore burdens on his children.

"There's a massive cover up going on." Aqua said.

"Yea, the media is accusing the Government of a mass cover up since they are refusing to release CCTV footage from inside the school." Ai said. "I'm assuming you had to fight?" She asked.

"Yea." Eren nodded.

"I did see some footage of you leaving... Eren... your clothes were in shreds..." Ai tried to say.

"Were you hurt papa?" Mikasa asked, her voice full of concern.

"Yea otosan, you looked like you were really hurt." Kawachi said, just as concerned as his sister.

Eren didn't want to be honest with his family since it would only cause them worry. He wanted to keep them as far from his fights as possible, but there was only so much that he could lie.

"It's alright." Eren said. "The injury was minimal, and as you can tell, I'm ok. My healing is very good."

At the very least, it seemed to make Mikasa and Kawachi feel better. Eren could tell that Ai had additional thoughts, but she didn't voice them. She didn't want to voice her concerns in front of Aqua, Ruby, Mikasa, or Kawachi.

"Do you even feel any pain?" Kawachi asked.

Yes, lots and lots of pain, Eren said to himself.

"It's not bad." Eren lied. "My powers help." Only help make the pain last a short amount of time, not to actually dull the pain at all.

"That is so awesome!" Kawachi yelled out in excitement. "Imagine getting your arm ripped off and feeling no pain!"

Mikasa shuttered in disgust, not liking the idea of her arm being hurt like that.

"Kawa-Chan, no talking about stuff like that." Ai chastised.

"But it's cool." Kawachi said.

"A young boy like you should not be thinking about injuries like that." Ai said.

Aqua smirked a bit, remembering how until recently, even him and Ruby were barred from watching anything too graphic for kids, to include anything with blood or excessive violence. Kawachi and Mikasa were dealing with the same issue.

At least they weren't burdened by being reborn like him and Ruby were.

"Well, I'll get started dinner." Ai smiled.

Eren nodded and sat down on the couch. His mind was running all over the place with his upcoming plans for how to combat the Marleyan Shifters, but for the moment, he decided to talk with his family to get his mind off of it.

"How was your day Ruby?" Eren asked.

"Well, we didn't do much. We're still trying to find a third girl before we can do a concert." Ruby said. "Reiner said that-"

Eren felt his eyes narrow at the mention of Reiner. He still did not like the idea that Ruby had a crush on him. As much as she tried to deny it, it was pretty clear to Eren. Especially since Reiner never hid his own intentions when it came to Ruby.

While Ruby was talking about her day, Mikasa snuck into the kitchen while her mama was cooking. She was hoping to be able to get a small ice cream snack before her mama would realize. As long as she was quiet-

"Mikasa." Ai said in a threatening tone without turning away from the stove. "No ice cream."

Mikasa pouted. How did her mama always know when she would try to sneak some ice cream? It's like she was hyper aware of her surroundings when it came to her and her siblings. It was always so annoying.

However, Mikasa could always rely on her papa to give her permission. She knew that he was no match for her cute begging and would fold with minimal effort. She would get her ice cream and all of her mama's anger would be directed towards him-

"Itai!" Mikasa yelled as she felt someone grab her hair, making her pause before she could leave the kitchen. Mikasa turned around and looked up at her mama, who looked down at her with a smile.

"Where are you going Mika-Chan?" Ai asked with a sickeningly sweet smile.

"Eto... just going to the main room to watch TV mama." Mikasa lied.

"Ara~?" Ai's smile grew wider. "Does it have anything to do with papa being in there as well?" Ai kneeled down to Mikasa's level.

"Eh?" Mikasa pretended to be shocked. "No, I just want to watch TV." She shook her head.

Ai smiled at her daughter, clearly not believing her.

"I know what you're doing~" Ai sang as she tapped Mikasa's nose in beat with her own rhythm. "Do you think I don't know how to fake a little bit of tears to get what I want?"

Mikasa scowled, annoyed that she was caught. She never understood why her act never worked on her mama. Instead, Ai grabbed Mikasa's hand and dragged her back into the kitchen.

Mikasa struggled as she was dragged back into the kitchen. Her socked feet sliding on the hardwood floor as she desperately tried to escape her mama's grip and get to her papa for safety. Unfortunately for her, Ai was too strong.

"Come on, help me with making dinner." Ai said, trapping Mikasa from being able to beg her papa for ice cream.

Ai smirked to herself, glad that she won this round. Eren was too easy for Mikasa to manipulate, especially after Mikasa was saved from the mall. Ai didn't think Mikasa would use that against Eren, or even that she realized how sensitive Eren was after that event. But Mikasa still was a kid and would still try to use any advantage to get ice cream.

Though Ai's heart did melt a bit at her pout as she helped to set the table. Unlike her fake pout, this one was real. After all, a fake pout won't work on Ai. Ai was a master of using her cute persona to get what she wanted. Whether it was her legions of fans when she was an idol, or President Saitou, Ai knew how to use her cute act to get what she wanted.

An act that Mikasa tried so hard to emulate. And although Mikasa was cute and adorable, she was still a novice compared to her mama.

After dinner, Eren went up to his room to rest. Everyone was still concerned about what happened, but Eren didn't want to talk about it. He would shift the conversation towards how his children's day has been instead of what he did.

The media reaction has been crazy. Angry parents are already trying to demand answers from the Government about why their children nearly died. Not to mention the fact that the school was going to be closed until necessary repairs would be made.

"Darin?" Eren turned towards Ai as she walked into the bedroom.

"Hey Ai." Eren said.

Ai sat down on the bed and patted her lap, inviting Eren to lay his head down. Eren sighed and laid down on the bed with his head in Ai's lap. Ai took her purse and took out some Q-tips and started cleaning Eren's ear. Eren sighed in relaxation, closing his eyes at the love that his wife showed him.

"Eren, are you ok after what happened?" Ai asked.

Eren remained silent for a moment. Not wanting to think about the fight, but also wanted to put his wife's concerns to rest.

"When I fought Annie at the Stoehess District, and later our raid on Liberio... a lot of innocent people died in the chaos." Eren said.

"If it involves giant monsters fighting, I could imagine." Ai said in a low voice.

Ai could tell Eren's past was weighing heavily on him lately. These conflicts only served to bring up traumatic memories from his old world and it reminded Ai of when Eren first came to Japan. She was scared that he was reverting back to his old self.

Especially how he actively tries to avoid certain subjects, like this rumbling thing. Whatever that is. In Ai's mind, she imagines maybe bombers in the sky, like you would see in an old World War Two movie or some old war documentary.

Whatever this rumbling was, this thing that made the Marleyans scared of Eren, he clearly didn't want anyone to know about it.

"This fight at the school... I was so scared of innocent children being crushed." Eren said, his voice full of concern.

"The news said that no one died." Ai said.

"That's true." Eren said, his voice taking a lighter tone. "No one did die. I managed to keep them alive and fight without getting anyone killed."

Ai nodded as she listened, wanting Eren to finally talk to her and get these concerns off his chest. She lightly brushed her hand through his hair as she cleaned his ear, letting him relax and finally open up to her.

"I just... never thought that I'd be in a fight where people didn't die." Eren said with a small voice full of relief as much as pain.

"I knew you would." Ai said with a smile. "I know you're different than how you used to be. You're an amazing man Eren, and I know that you'll find a way to beat them and save everyone."

Eren scoffed to himself a bit, but there was still a sense of hope on his face.

"It's funny, even the Marleyans and the Yakuza seemed to hesitate and tried to limit collateral damage." Eren said, more so to himself.

"Really?" Ai asked in surprise. "I don't remember them having that same level of restraint when they kidnapped me and our kids." Ai narrowed her eyes.

"Those men were ordered by Yoshida at the time, I doubt many of them wanted to do bad things." Eren said. "I know that there are some bad people in this world, but there are good as well."

"Anyone who is Yakuza I think are bad people." Ai said with a small hmph.

Eren turned his head to look at her with a raised eyebrow.

"You're different darin, you are a good person." She waved off.

Eren smirked a bit. His wife was still as innocent and naive as the day they met. A naivete that she passed on to their children, minus Aqua of course considering his unique circumstance.

"Still, it's just nice to for the first time, fight to save and protect people." Eren said.

"As Scouts you didn't?" Ai asked.

"Commander Erwin had us do what it took to win. If that meant destroying half a city in a fight, that's what it took. There was no other way." Eren said. "We had to abandon our humanity to win, or else our enemies would destroy us."

Eren's initial mental state when they first met began to make more sense. The Eren she met years ago was an Eren that had his humanity ripped away from him. A man who felt like he had nothing in his life.

"Was this rumbling something that-" Ai was cut off.

"Enough." Eren said. "This conversation is over."

Ai gave Eren a sad look. She knew that whatever this rumbling was, was something that weighed heavily on Eren's mind. She didn't know what it could be. Eren seemed like he was somewhat comfortable with opening up about some of the darker aspects of the war he fought, such as innocent people being caught in the crossfire.

It concerned her why this rumbling was so concerning to Eren. It was something he even refused to talk about around the people from his world. Ai could tell they knew what it was, but Eren refused to let them speak about it.

"How's the idol stuff going?" Eren said, trying to get her mind off of speculating about the Rumbling.

"It's going well. I found a possible concert, but we still need one more girl to complete the group. Unfortunately, not many girls want to join B-Komachi." Ai said. "It's so tiring." She sighed.

Eren relaxed in Ai's lap as she started to complain about being a manager. How annoying it is to constantly have to balance the funding that's given to her, while also having to deal with spreadsheets, meetings, calls, and trying to schedule events for B-Komachi. However, there was also a lair of passion beneath the complaints.

Eren reached up and lightly grabbed her hand as she talked, giving it a gentle squeeze. Ai was too engrossed in her story to notice, but she did continue to clean Eren's ears.

"Oh yea, I also invited Miyuki and Kaguya for a beach trip." Ai said.

So that's what they talked about, Eren thought to himself.

"Do you think that's a good idea, given everything that's going on." Eren said with concern.

However, Ai smirked when she saw a glimmer of childlike innocence flash across his eyes at the mention of the beach. Despite his concerns, Ai could tell that he had a flash of excitement at the idea.

"Of course." Ai said. "We need to continue to live our lives, even if we're in danger. Besides, Reiner says he'd like to go." Ai noticed Eren scowl. "And maybe Armin would like too as well. I figured with three Titans; we'd be safe. Maybe even invite your brother."

Eren's eyes narrowed slightly at the mention of Zeke and Reiner, but he sighed and relented.

"I am thinking of seeing Zeke tomorrow, so I'll see if he's interested." Eren said.

Afterall, Zeke is a part of Eren's slowly developing plan to take a more aggressive and offensive approach to his issues with the Marleyans, so to have an ally at this beach event would ensure the safety of his family while they continued to enjoy their lives.

Eren knew that Ai was trying very hard to keep the kids minds off of the danger that faced them. She wanted them to continue to live a normal and happy life, despite the dangers. A desire shared by Eren. He didn't want his children to be a part of his old war, so a chance to give them a moment of happiness was something he agreed with.

"Eren?" Ai asked.

Eren was snoring on her lap, completely unconscious.

"Wake up darin." Ai tried to shake. She was way too weak to move him comfortably on the bed. "Wake up." Ai tried shaking again.

She just sighed in exasperation and tried to move him to a more comfortable position. It was very difficult.

After getting him off of her lap and in a better position, she smiled at his sleeping face. Eren looked so cute when he was relaxed. His normal stoic face was calm and had an expression of a relaxed man. She loved seeing him so relaxed and calm.

"Goodnight darin." Ai said. "Chu." Ai gave him a small kiss on the cheek as she turned and went to the shower to get ready for bed.

I've noticed a drop in viewers of my story so I'm wondering how it's been so far. I know typically sequels have a drop so I'm wondering if it's due to issues people may be having or if the quality went down. If you guys have any criticisms, please let me know. It's hard for me to get better if I'm entirely judging my work by myself lol. So please let me know if it's getting boring, over complicated, poor pacing, etc.

I also hope that Eren's character development is coming through well. Especially with his concerns of the truth behind the rumbling and his own internal issues with the past. Especially with how many innocent people ended up dying throughout his life.

As always, hope you guys enjoyed.