Kiyomi Azumabito wasn't sure what to think of the idea of meeting Eren Yeager.
In the most realistic and simplest terms, Paradis's government and order seemed precarious. The Prime Minister was assassinated recently, and now the entire government overthrown by this new group. Given that the last government lasted only five years, it seemed likely that Paradis Island would become a place of much infighting even if the world didn't have its guns set on it…especially with a leader as young and inexperienced as Eren Yeager.
But then there was the other shoe; Two, actually. The people who revolted against the former government identified by the term Yeagerists, an entire movement and ideology forming around Eren Yeager himself. More to the point, if the word sent ahead was true, Eren Yeager had the full power of the Founder Titan.
Which...changed things. The intended plan was technically intact. If Eren had bypassed the requirement of Royal Blood somehow, then it would make it all the easier to use the Wall Titans as a deterrent for five decades and more. But it also just made it easier for one person, a sole individual to wield the full power of the Rumbling unchecked. She decided she'd have to handle this carefully, for her own sake as much as her clan and homeland.
She rose from her seat in her makeshift office at the docks, hearing the sound of the train coming. It would be rude not to meet the new acting ruler of Paradis.
However, she did wonder how to address him.
As she and her entourage arrived, she was pleasantly surprised when the first face she recognized off the train was Mikasa. Though her long-lost relative clearly hadn't warmed up to the idea of connecting with her family and heritage across the seas, Kiyomi was nothing if not patient. Besides, her ties to Paradis, and Eren Yeager, could only be a boon in the present.
Mikasa caught her gaze, giving a stiff but polite nod while the Yeagerists filled out the area, including a young man with auburn hair giving out orders. She paid no mind to them as the main person of interest made his exit.
Kiyomi 's eyes furrowed minutely as she studied him.
Eren Yeager was commonly dressed and wore nothing to mark him as any kind of leader or authority. He did not give off the impression of being particularly regal or elegant with how he carried himself
But at the same time, it felt almost unneeded. The moment he stepped off the train, all attention was instinctively on him. His intense eyes scanned the area with something between disinterest and territorial. Like an apex predator at rest, idly observing its domain for any threats or nuisances.
His eyes met hers, and she was at least pleased that he didn't see her as a threat. Now she only had to ensure he did not consider her a nuisance.
She waited until Eren approached with Mikasa and some other Yeagerists. "Lady Azumabito, I am Floch Forrester, second in command of the Yeagerists. Our leader, Eren Yeager," Floch introduced with a military type of politeness.
"As I heard, Lord Yeager," she said, her and her associates bowing respectfully to him. "Congratulations on your victory. I have already heard much of your triumph."
And its implications.
"Thank you," To the surprise of some, even herself, Eren returned the gesture to a lesser extent. A bow of the head only, but then none more would be expected of him as the leader of a country. Kiyomi wondered if he had studied their culture, but filled that question away for now as he raised his head. "And just Yeager for now. I am here for two reasons."
"We would be happy to assist or answer if we are able," she assured stoically.
"The first is simply to determine if this changes anything about Paradis's arrangement with Hiruzu," Eren said evenly. "After all, we did overthrow those you originally dealt with. Some would argue that those agreements are null and void."
Kiyomi gave him credit, that was a very well-spoken threat and question; Asking her to reaffirm the arrangements while also warning that he could break that arrangement himself. She wondered if he intended to.
"We have every intention of continuing with this endeavor if Paradis still desires it, Yeager," she answered carefully.
Eren hummed and Kiyomi wondered just what he was planning.
"In that case, there is only the matter of your flying boat and who will be going up in it," Eren answered. "Shall we?"
Kiyomi smiled slightly, feeling this moving to less dangerous waters.
As less dangerous as it could be when dealing with the King of the Titans.
Meanwhile
"Commander? Er, Ex-Commander?"
Hange, having been going through some notes she had taken while watching Eren Detitanize people, looked up in surprise to see someone joining her in the fairly lonely cafeteria.
"I'm sorry, but your name eludes me?" she confessed, recognizing him only as a Yeagerist.
"We never spoke much. My name is Daz," he answered politely as he took a seat across from her.
"Daz. Did the others send you to keep an eye on me?" she asked idly. "I won't judge you if so, just curious. Armin said some are worried about us."
"Some of us. I'd rather not think of you as an enemy until I have to," he admitted awkwardly. "I'm...honestly not sure if you're busy, but I was hoping to trouble you with something."
"Is this related to the Detitanized captives?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Somewhat? You're aware that when the walls...?" he paused, not sure what word to use.
"Unhardened?" Hange offered helpfully.
"I was going to say walked away, but yes," Daz admitted with a weak smile. "When it happened, several people were hurt and some would have been killed. But Yeager managed to save everyone and healed most of them. The thing is, many of them were healed of injuries they already had. Crippled limbs, disfigurements, missing...parts."
Hange was beginning to understand why he was here, subconsciously touching around her returned eye. "Go on?"
"The same is true for those Detitanized, healed of things that were already wrong with them. Some have...issues with their...healed? New? Restored? Their returned body parts," Daz explained. "Nothing horrible! Just-"
"Ahh. So that isn't just me," Hange said with a small smile. "I sometimes find myself closing my eye and ignoring that I have two again. Eren can return body parts, but for those like me who have been missing them for years, it is easy to fall back into not using them. In a way, I don't always believe it's really back."
Daz nodded rapidly. "That's a lot like what many of them say. Connie was going to talk to Yeager about it when they came back, but...I thought you might be able to help more."
Hange considered it for a few minutes. This was mainly a psychological issue, the mind needing to accept that what it had lost had been regained. But perhaps talking with others going through the same thing would help not only them but herself.
"Is this just busy work to keep me occupied?" she asked with a slight grin. "If so, it worked. I don't suppose you can help me find these people?"
Daz nodded. "I think I can. The doctors were taking a list. No one...really knows how this all works, but they thought Yeager might want to know who was affected and who wasn't."
Hange hummed. "Daz, may I ask you something first? And understand I am not questioning your loyalty or anything like that."
Daz was a bit worried now but nodded.
"Are you scared of Eren?" Hange asked with concern. "Now that he has the Founding Titan, he can do just about anything when it comes to Eldians, us included."
Daz hesitated and considered not only his answer but how he worded it. "I'm not afraid of Eren Yeager. The power itself is terrifying, I admit, but I'm glad someone like Eren Yeager has it."
"..." Hange frowned. "Because he'd be willing to do the Rumbling?"
"Well, there is that," Daz admitted, looking away. "But Yeager's greatest value is Freedom. Everyone knows that. That power can turn our entire race into loyal slaves. Even the ones off the island. But that is the last thing I worry about with Eren having the power."
That was a good point, Hange supposed. She couldn't see Eren doing anything that amounted to removing someone's free will. And there were many who- "Wait, did someone...suggest that to him?" she asked with a frown.
To her surprise, Daz laughed. "Ma'am, we have a few that think like that, but they're not that stupid. I'm sure Yeager is aware of them in some way, and I'm glad people like that aren't in charge."
Hange sighed pleasantly. She actually had common ground with some of the Yeagerists. Maybe that was a step forward in a way.
Meanwhile
Eren rarely felt anything approaching what others called an 'inner child' within himself. Especially after getting his visions of the future. But if anything tugged at what remained of the wide-eyed child he used to be, it was this flying boat.
He skimmed the histories in his mind. There had never been a flying machine, and only rarely had there been Shifters who could fly. Hot air balloons had been around, true, and the airships in Marley were an extension of that concept. But this was basically a metal bird. It definitely shouldn't be able to fly by common wisdom.
Yet he fully believed Kiyomi and her people when they claimed it did.
"I must admit, I can't tell if you're fascinated or unimpressed with our invention," Kiyomi said as she came next to him, joining him in taking the machine in. "I suppose that is a good quality for a leader."
"Once the rest of the world knows about this, everyone will be trying to make them. If they aren't already," Eren mused. "How long until you think the skies are filled with these things?"
Kiyomi blinked before nodding. "That is true. It could be as few as twenty years that most of the top counties have these."
"And the first thing people will do is figure out how to use it for war," Eren remarked grimly. "Everything is an edge to us humans. Using anything we can to stay ahead of our neighbors. Allies and enemies alike."
Kiyomi regarded him carefully. "Yes, that is true. A sword can be used to cut down a foe or a tree. Machines like this will be able to transport things for peace and war. Even weaponized, I have no doubt"
Eren said nothing for a moment. "Lady Azumabito, may I ask you something, and for you to give me an honest answer?" he asked, turning to her with a pointed look.
Kiyomi knew that look well. The stare dared her to lie to him, to hope he didn't see through it. She said nothing and only nodded at him.
"Why does Hiruzu not hate Eldians like the rest of the World? Why has Hiruzu not turned its back on us entirely like the rest of the world?" he asked bluntly.
Kiyomi considered the answer carefully. "The Eldian Empire once gave great aid to my homeland. A great earthquake devastated the land, the capital not least of all. There is now a canyon, a great scar in the land. The reigning King of Eldia used the Titans to help rescue the survivors, bring relief across the lands, and stave off an enemy invasion. Little was asked for in return. Ever since, our nations remained close until the Empire's fall."
Eren frowned. "Your people saw the Titans as a force for good?"
"We saw them as a tool, no different than a sword," Kiyomi explained with a furrowed brow. "And we do not see Eldians themselves as tools, but even if we did? My culture has often found the mistreatment of weapons to be disrespectful and dishonorable."
Eren hummed.
"You already knew this all, didn't you?" Kiyomi guessed, seeing the lack of surprise in his eyes and face.
"I knew those facts. I didn't know if they were relevant in the present world," Eren admitted. "I have spent most of my life hating the Titans, seeing them as monsters that needed to be exterminated. Even gaining the power to become one I just saw as a means to that goal. I have a hard time imagining the Titans being used for 'good' in any sense of the word."
"Those in Marley and similar places would dub you a hypocrite for using a power you claim to despise," Kiyomi noted idly.
"And in Hiruzu, they find it noble to put aside one's feelings for the name of duty and honor," Eren commented. "May I speak plainly, Lady Azumabito?"
"You may, Lord Yeager," she permitted.
"I sometimes think of you as like the nobles I helped overthrow. Claiming to have our best interest while being in it for your own greed," Eren said bluntly.
Kiyomi didn't flinch, merely taking a breath. "I do admit to having my own interest in this endeavor. Yet I notice it is only sometimes you compare me to them.'
Eren looked to the side, where Mikasa was leaning against the railing, hawk-like gaze scanning the hanger for anything out of place.
"You were genuinely happy to find her, despite never having met her before," Eren said.
It wasn't a question, but Kiyomi nodded all the same. "I pray she will one day come with me for a visit, to know the lands her ancestors hailed from."
"I hope she does too."
Kiyomi blinked, her surprise unhidden at that admission.
"You'd have a hard time though. Many of your norms and etiquettes will grate on her," Eren said knowingly. "Don't be surprised if she just stabs her food with chopsticks."
Kiyomi stared for a moment, watching the slightest, almost invisible smile on the man's face. "I do not pretend to know your full history or relationship with Lady Mikasa," Kiyomi started firmly. "But I am neither blind nor ignorant. You care for one another greatly and from what I've heard, you saved her from a terrible fate when you were both children."
"She's been saving me a lot since then," Eren mused with what might just be amusement. "I used to resent that. Like I could do nothing more for her when it came down to it."
Kiyomi paused. "I still desire to make Hiruzu and our clans a part of Lady Mikasa's life. But I will rest easy knowing that, if she remains here, she will be in good hands."
Eren wasn't sure he deserved that, considering everything, but decided to take it with a nod.
"You have already made your intent clear to not join the others on the flight over the Rumbling," Kiyomi remarked. "Would you be offended if I asked why?"
"It's nothing too important," Eren admitted with a frown. "But I can already see it happening through the Wall Titans. That is view enough for me."
He wondered if Kiyomi knew he was lying. She certainly wouldn't guess the real reason. He just didn't want to be up there and thinking about the would-be timeline. Where he towered over the Wall Titans in a far more terrifying form. Or when this flying ship would carry his friends, seeking to end his life because of the path those memories forced him upon.
Meanwhile
Armin was not an idiot.
The statement was obvious to most. Optimistic, yes, but he was rarely blind to what happened around him.
So he was very, very aware he was being followed. Just not by who. Not one of his friends, but the Yeagerists also weren't that subtle.
Playing dumb for now, he eventually found his way to a more deserted part of Shiganshina.
Peculiarly, he somehow gave them the slip in doing so. Or had he? If not, his follower might have realized he was onto them…which wasn't good, spooking them before figuring out whom and why.
He ended up heading back to town, his instincts alert but his mind drifting to his conversations with Eren.
Did he get the appeal of the Full Rumbling? Of course! No soul on Paradis didn't. It wasn't much different than how he imagined the rest of the world felt about the island. Just wipe away the problem in one bloody sweep, and never have to deal with it again. It'd be like asking Eren years ago if he would pull a leaver if it killed all Titans.
Only, it wasn't like that. Eren was right, yes, their circumstances weren't too different against the outside world than they had been against the Titans. Especially with how much the world feared and hated them. But it was different, the world wasn't just hate and fear. It was love, wonder, hope, and everything else that came with how messy life was as humans.
He didn't like using the Wall Titans because he was afraid they'd become a crutch in their ability to negotiate with countries, even those outside Marley's influence. Still, yes, push had come to shove and now they had to use them to cripple the world's war capacity.
Living on an island had an advantage at times.
His issue at this was the amount of damage they'd do to Marley.
It felt like a gamble to him and he wasn't sure he liked the odds. Would the world look on Marley as martyrs? Or had the century of conquest on Marley's part sour people's opinion of them enough that people would enjoy knowing the leading power in the world was taken down a peg?"
Would wounding Marley rally the word to them even more or would the countries be like sharks smelling blood?
Then there were Eren's more long-term plans, liberating the other nations under Marley, especially those that members of the Anti-Marley volunteers hailed from. Armin wasn't confident Paradis was stable anymore, let alone his confidence in helping other countries gain independence.
But Eren did have the experience of all the Kings of Eldia. He might just have a better grasp of that than Armin comprehended. Because that was still hard to wrap his head around. All the Powers of the Founder? Controlling Eldians down to a genetic level? Detitanizing? All that was tangible in a way, he could see that. The idea that Eren had access to the memories of every King of Eldia? That was more immaterial, something he was still trying to factor in as, well, a fact.
So, the question was, what to do when Eren got back? Or until he did, or that matter?
The universe decided to answer for him.
"Armin?"
He blinked at the familiar, female voice, turning to face a light-haired woman.
"Hitch?" he addressed in surprise. "Shouldn't you be back in Wall Sina?"
"Something came up, something you should know," Hitch said pointedly.
Armin frowned, knowing this could only be about one person.
Annie.
"I don't suppose that would be anything I should know too?"
Now both of them were surprised to look over and see a third party sitting on a barrel.
"Captain Levi? When did you get here?" Armin asked in surprise.
"Been here the whole time, Brat," Levi answered with a shrug. "So what is the Military Police doing out here? Surprised there even is one with the Yeagerist take over."
Hitch sighed. "Most of them either are part of them or have no desire to resist," she explained, eyeing the captain warily.
"But not you. Well, now I really want to know what you have to say," Levi mused with a frown. "And why you were tailing Armin."
Armin kind of suspected she was the one following him, in hindsight.
Now, the question was, what happened with Annie and how was Levi going to react?
End of Chapter
Well, Eren and Kiyomi had their first offical meeting since the Yeagerists took control of the island. Kiyomi, as with canon, largely does'nt care who is in charge of Paradis as long as the deal with her clan remains and Mikasa is safe. She does, however, recoginze that Eren is a different kind of beast than the other leaders, more so because he weilds the Founder. Still, they have something of a nice conversation about Mikasa and the future.
On other fronts, Hange is trying to figure out what to do now, and might be finding some common ground with some of the Yeagerists. And the Annie situation came up, but it's different from canon. And Levi is being brought in on this.
Also yes, Armin was aware Hitch was following him, justn ot who she was. Neithero f them were aware that Levi was following Hitch as she was following Armin. Levi showing a little bit of his protective Papa Wolf side for his favorite brats.
Early viewing of chapters 11-12 avaliable on my pat-reon:
p a treon . com (slash) akumakami64