Reiner's P.O.V
Reiner cursed to himself as he threw another Titan off him. Everything happened so fast! They wouldn't be in this situation if only Ymir had just listened to him! The Scouts had caught up to them because they waited for her.
"We can't wait! I'm sorry but that's how it is! I want to go back there as much as you do! I promise you, Ymir! We will go back for both Krista and Viv!" His words from before echoed in his mind.
"Viv." He muttered to himself. He grabbed another Titan and tossed it away.
He hadn't expected her to show up the way she did. She clung to his face just to look him in the eye. He wanted to break from his Titan body so badly to talk to her but he couldn't. He had to complete the mission. Her questions to him were like razor wire cutting him deeply. She questioned everything she thought she knew. He couldn't blame her for that but it still hurt all the same. Especially when she questioned him if she really meant anything to him.
The best memories he's had on this godforsaken island were all with her. She made living here manageable. It's why he always sought her out when they were out. He loved being with her. He discovered those two days when they were separated. He hated every second of it. He was itching to get out of solitary confinement. It's why he jumped at the chance to offer to help Connie.
His mood changed the moment she came back. He could still remember being thrilled that she had come back. That's why he wanted to hold onto her for as long as he could. Now look at what's happened. All because he couldn't keep his head straight on who he really was.
Damnit! This all could have been prevented if he had just told Viv the truth on that day! The day he pestered her to go on that walk. He was originally planning on revealing who he truly was. He wanted nothing more than to come clean with her. Bertholdt had convinced him otherwise and instead asked her if she'd go home with him. He never expected her to actually say yes, but it did get his hopes up. He thought their relationship could still work. If only she'd gone with him. That went out the window once Mikasa attacked. He at least saved Viv from falling to her death. He doubted Viv understood the meaning behind him reaching out and touching her. He just wanted to say "I love you" one more time even if he couldn't physically say it.
"Reiner!" Reiner looked down to see Bertholdt looking up at him from his shoulder. His bleeding had stopped and steam came from his chest wound that Viv had given him.
Reiner hadn't even seen Viv move. He knew she was quick but was never on the receiving end. She'd cut Eren free from Bertholdt before either of them realized what happened.
"You need to be careful where you aim! We don't want Eren to get killed!" Bertholdt criticized him.
"I'm aware." Reiner said inside his Titan. Even though all Bertholdt could hear was a groan from his Titan form.
He waited for the dust to settle as he kept an eye on the Scouts. This was his final transformation of the day so he needed to make it count. He only had a few Titans left on him. They were gnawing on him but couldn't get through his armor.
Reiner heard a horse in the distance. Out of habit, he checked just to see why the horse was crying out. His eyes widened recognizing that horse. It was a gray horse running around frightened and confused. That wasn't just any horse though.
"Wisteria?" Reiner questioned aloud. His breath caught in his throat when he noticed that Wisteria was currently riderless. He knew for a fact he'd seen Viv get on before riding off. Where the hell is Viv?! He turned his head as he began looking at every Scout he could.
"Reiner, what's wrong?" Bertholdt asked his friend. Bertholdt followed Reiner's gaze and saw the horse in the distance.
"Wait a second, isn't that Vivien's horse?" Bertholdt questioned, "Vivien isn't with her. Is that who you're looking for?" Reiner nodded his Titan's head to let Bertholdt know he was correct.
"Damnit. If she's not on her horse then something bad happened to her. Alright, I'll help you find her then back to the task at hand. Okay?" Bertholdt told him. Reiner once again nodded in his Titan form.
Reiner once again looked across the different Scouts that littered the area. Panic began to set in for him.
"Damnit Viv. Where are you?" He questioned as he continued to search.
"Reiner! Over there!" Reiner quickly looked in the direction that Bertholdt was pointing to. Reiner's eyes widened seeing Viv laying on the grass with rocks scattered around her.
"No." He muttered. He felt his heart drop to his stomach seeing that she wasn't moving. This was his fault. It's from throwing the Titans. She must have gotten hit. His grief soon turned to anger when he saw two Titans moving towards her.
"No! Get away from her, you bastards!" He yelled inside his Titan. On the outside, his Titan let out a loud piercing roar.
He swatted off the remaining Titans on him. His foot slammed on the ground as he sprinted off in the direction of Viv's location. Bertholdt hung onto him for dear life as he charged.
Another roar came from Reiner as he reached the two Titans. He gripped one Titan by its nape and used both hands to rip the Titans head clean off. He gripped the other Titan by its ankle and threw it into the ground. He lifted his foot up and stomped onto the Titan's nape. The bodies began to evaporate as Reiner knelt down and looked at Viv. She was sprawled out and blood trailed down from her forehead. She must've gotten hit in the head.
"Please. Please be alive." Reiner pleaded to himself softly. He gently picked up Viv with both of his hands. Careful not to let her head fall back. He held her up closer to his face. He sighed in relief seeing her chest fall and rise as she took breaths.
"Oh thank god." He said out of relief. He held his breath once more as Viv began to open her eyes. Her gray eyes shifted to him.
"Rei…ner?" He heard her hoarse voice.
"I'm here, Viv. I got you." He said even though he knew she wouldn't hear him.
Reiner suddenly felt what he could only describe as lightning shooting through his veins. Was that..it couldn't be…had they found it?! He happened to look over and watched in shock as Eren commanded a Titan and other Titans to attack the one Titan in front of him. That's impossible…Eren is…
"Reiner! I know you felt that! We need to get Eren, now!" Bertholdt instructed him.
Reiner looked back at Viv who was still laying in his hands. She still looked groggy and not fully awake. She'd be a sitting duck if he just left her there. Reiner managed to spot a lone tall tree. The branches were big enough for a human to be on.
"I'm sorry, Viv. I have to go." He apologized once again knowing she couldn't hear.
He gently set Viv down onto the tree branch. He stepped back and took one last look at her. With a heavy heart, he turned around and began running in the direction of Eren.
Vivien's P.O.V.
I could barely open my eyes. If I tried to, everything looked blurry. I could feel a throbbing pain radiate throughout my head. My ears were ringing making it harder to hear. I could hear Wisteria's cries in the distance. I could barely make out her figure as she ran around. What happened?
A brief memory of seeing debris coming at me from the Titan. That's right…I must have gotten hit. My head is killing me. I got hit hard enough to get knocked out. I felt vibrations that slowly became stronger. I opened my eyes half way and could see two large blurry humanoid figures. Titans. I can't do anything like this. It was getting hard to keep my eyes open. No, I'm starting to black out again. I heard an angry roar in the distance. I closed my eyes once more as I felt bigger and more frequent vibrations through the ground.
I was stirred awake when I felt something exceptionally warm under me. I began to open my eyes. My vision was less blurry this time and my ears weren't ringing much now. My vision cleared as I could see two evaporating Titan corpses below me. I could see I was being held up off the ground by large Titan hands. I recognized the armor plates that covered the back of the fingers. I moved my eyes to glance in front of me. Reiner's Titan form was staring at me as he held me in his hands.
"Rei…ner?" My voice was hoarse as I spoke.
I heard some kind of noise come from Reiner but nothing I recognized. I watched as he suddenly turned his head. My eyes followed where he was looking. I couldn't see anything from my vantage point. Reiner's hands blocked any view.
"Reiner! I know you felt that too! We need to get Eren, now!" I heard Bertholdt's voice. Felt what? What is going on?
Reiner turned his head back to me. I heard the same noise as earlier once more. He turned his body and I felt him move his arms. I felt a hard surface under me now. Reiner removed his hands and I could see he placed me on a thick tree branch. I leaned my head back against the bark of the tree. I felt the tree shake as Reiner backed up from the tree. I stared into his glowing gold eyes before he turned around and took off running.
I forced myself to lean forward and looked at where Reiner was heading. My eyes widened seeing Titans swarming another Titan in the distance. Were they…eating it? My attention focused on Reiner once more. He was running full speed towards two distant human figures. Shit, it's probably Eren!
I stood up and flinched as I suddenly felt dizzy and my head throbbed. I leaned against the bark of the tree and held my head with my hand. I more than likely have a concussion. I need to get back the Scouts.
I pushed through the pain and let out a sharp whistle. Please still be alive and not squished. Seconds passed before hearing Wisteria's cries come from ahead. I took a deep breath as I braced myself. Using ODM Gear right now is gonna hurt my head. Bad.
I dropped and used my Gear to break my fall. I closed one eye in pain as the throbbing intensified in my head. Wisteria patiently waited for me as I approached her.
"Guess you're as insane as me, huh girl? Get me home and you'll get all the sugar cubes you want." I said as I leaned my body against hers for support.
I grunted as I hoisted myself up on her saddle. I tapped her with my heel and she took off in the direction I had seen the other Scouts. I slumped against Wisteria's neck slightly as she ran. My head was pounding at this point. All my body wanted to do was rest but I couldn't afford that.
I heard a Titan's cry then hearing multiple stomping feet. I looked to my right and my eyes widened seeing Titans rushing to Reiner. The hell is going on?
My eyes then caught Eren and Mikasa meters away from Reiner. Eren was carrying Mikasa on his back. Mikasa is out of commission too? Armin on horseback with a passed out Jean approached them. He had a spare horse with him for Eren and Mikasa.
"Soldiers! Retreat!" I heard Erwin's command. Don't have to tell me twice.
I had Wisteria merge with the other riders. "Vivien! You're okay! I saw you go down earlier. How badly are you hurt?" Armin asked me.
"My head's killing me if that's any indication." I stated.
Armin looked at me concerned, "You might have a concussion then. We need to get you medical attention when we get back. Can you stay conscious the whole trip back?" Armin questioned.
"I don't have much of a choice in the matter." Armin nodded in understanding. I sat up slightly and turned my head to see what was happening behind us. I stared at Reiner as he was being overwhelmed by the Titans. I could also make out Ymir trying to help get the Titans off of him. I don't know when I'll ever see Reiner again. It's twice now if he hadn't stepped in and saved me. I'd be dead, and now I can't even thank him let alone talk to him. I might never get physical answers for my questions. But they say actions speak louder than words right? He wouldn't have saved me from falling or from those Titans if he didn't feel anything for me. A single tear fell to my eye as I turned back around. I could feel the hurt settle into my chest again. If only I had been able to say "I love you" one last time.
I stared at the wooden ceiling of the hospital room. I had a plain white shirt and gray pants on. I had the blanket on top of me with my head being supported by two pillows under me. Bandages were wrapped around my head. We got back late last night and with my head injury. Doctors were quick to have me stay in one of the military hospitals. I was right about having a concussion. Bad enough where I was to spend a day or two in the hospital under medical supervision.
Knock! Knock!
My eyes glanced at the door, "Come in." The door opened and my eyebrows raised seeing Captain Levi enter. He was still in his civilian clothes. He had been put on medical leave until his leg fully healed. It was why he didn't go out with us for the retrieval mission.
"Captain." I tried to sit up but fell back down when the dizziness hit me.
Levi held his hand up, "Take it easy. You suffered a pretty bad head wound. It's understandable you're too unwell to get up." He stated as he walked over to the edge of the bed.
"Not to sound rude, Captain, but why are you here?" I questioned him.
Levi raised a brow, "What? A Captain's not allowed to check on the health of one of their soldiers?" He questioned me.
"N-no, that's not what I meant. I know the Commander is still recovering himself. I'd have thought you'd be with him." I said honestly. My eyes followed Levi as he grabbed the chair in the corner and pulled it up to my bedside.
"Erwin's still resting. He lost a lot of blood through it all. Doctors said he'd be like that for a few days. I was just made aware of your condition by Armin. So, I thought I'd come by and check on how you were doing." Levi said honestly. He took a seat in the wooden chair and folded his arms.
"He also told me you didn't take the news about Reiner Braun too well. You get why you weren't involved in the plan this time?" He questioned me.
"Yes, sir." I answered softly.
Levi let out a sigh, "Look, we're all human and developing feelings for another human being are normal. No one is questioning why you're so deeply affected by the news. What I will tell you is that you need to remember that you are first and foremost a soldier. Reiner Braun is the Armored Titan and that makes him our enemy. When the time comes to fight him on the field of battle. I expect you to act like a soldier and perform your duties as one. Putting that over any personal feelings you may feel towards him. Am I clear?" Levi demanded.
"Crystal, sir." I already knew deep in my heart that this was going to be the likely outcome.
Levi stood up and walked back towards the door, "By the way," He stopped and turned his head to me, "Welcome to the Special Operations Squad of the Scout Regiment. Once you're back on your feet, you'll be reporting to me for now on. Get some rest, brat." He left and closed the door behind him before I could say anything.
My jaw dropped open hearing what he just said. I got recruited into the Levi Squad?!