Chapter Thirty-Eight
The Fight Against Reiner
A/N: I finally finished it. I have been so busy and tired with work that I haven't wanted to write at all. Hopefully, that has changed. I appreciate everyone who has continued to follow this story.
Disclaimer: Attack on Titan does not belong to me; I only own Emalina and other OCs. Attack on Titan rightfully belongs to Hajime Isayama. Occasionally, I will use reference material from the manga or the anime; I take no ownership of what I use. The new story picture does not belong to me; I hold no Copyright and found the image through Google Images.
~ oOo ~
JEAN
I was left slightly covered in burns from the blast of Bertholdt's heat. It was painful, but if anything, it burned my blood for a different reason. Crouched atop a roof, I stared at our enemy, ready to bring the person we once called our friend to his knees, to his death. Staring across the way, I found the rest of my friends. In some way, we were all bloodied and bruised, and poor Connie was coughing blood.
What were we to do now? Where were we supposed to go? How were we supposed to fight? We were still fit to fight, but we were all mentally battled wearied. There was much to consider, especially since the Scouts were fighting two different battles in separate locations. Eren was unconscious at the top of the wall, and Emalina.
I blanched, not wanting to consider where Emalina was. As we were busy going after the Colossal, we all watched as she was thrown like Eren toward the wall, except she fell toward the base. Was she alright? I had no idea. As a titan, she had swift healing. If she wasn't knocked out, she was most likely using this time to heal whatever was potentially broken.
Then, beside Bertholdt, an explosion erupted in our hearing, and up from the smoke came Reiner, fully healed in his titan form. Even from his position across the way, it was easy to tell the muscular titan was staring us down. How had he healed from such an injury?!
"Fuck, he's back," I muttered, stealing a glance at my friends. They were all staring forward, probably thinking the same thing. "How are we…?"
I wasn't given a chance to finish that there. There was a sudden thumping echoing in our ears. All of us glanced around, curious to see what it was. Reiner was already standing and Bertholdt wasn't moving. So, who…?
Emalina appeared from the smoke. I could distinctly see injuries across her body that hadn't healed. Either they couldn't heal, or she ignored them and moved toward us. Either way, the tension in my shoulders eased somewhat at seeing that she was safe. Well…safe as we could be. Stepping forward, she placed herself between Reiner and us as she stared him down.
The woman opened her mouth wide, and the first words to leave past her lips were, "This is where you die, Reiner!" Her voice bounced off the remaining buildings, echoing throughout what remained of Shiganshina. The voice she used was chilling as we all glanced at each other. The venom coating her words was dangerous as it dripped with an intent to kill.
Inhaling as much clean air as possible, I finally spoke. "That bastard really did come back to life…What do we have to do…" My voice trembled. "…to kill him for good?" Then I fell to my knees, momentarily losing the strength to keep me standing. "How are we…supposed to take him down?"
It was pointless. Bertholdt and Reiner had the advantage, and they had it even before we arrived. We were limited on the techniques and strategies of what worked against a titan. They'd had more time, maybe years, to perfect their abilities as titans. What were we to do? What could we do?
Sasha and Connie could hear me from their positions as they shared a glance, and Mikasa merely stared forward.
Though I could not stand, my mind was still working. "Armin," I called out to my blonde friend. "I think our only choice now is to bet everything on getting Eren to safety." I knew it wasn't the right action even as I said those words. How would we be able to reach Eren from our positions? He was still unconscious; how could we retrieve him from his titan form?
Blinking, I realized that I hadn't received an answer. Tilting my head, I noticed Armin wasn't even paying attention. No, his attention was fixated on the Colossal. Growing irritated because we were in a crisis, I growled. "Are you listening to me, Armin…?
"…he's skinnier."
My head and Mikasa's snapped toward the Colossal. "What?" The two of us asked. What was he talking about?
"The Colossal Titan," he said as if we didn't know who he was talking about. "He's gotten…a little skinnier." Just what was Armin…?
Wait.
Peering closer at the enormous titan, my eyes focused on the Colossal's body. At first, I wasn't seeing anything, but the longer I focused, the more I could etch out that Armin was on to something. How…how was he even skinnier? Was that possible?
Armin turned back, his eyes wide and somewhat hopeful. "It's just like Hange said! The Colossal Titan really is susceptible to drawn-out battle!" Mikasa and I shared a quick look. And from her position, Emalina cast her head quickly toward us as well. Though she mainly focused on Reiner, she listened to what Armin had to say. "Think back to the experiments with Eren. He could only transform up to three times in a row, correct? And he could only harden his body twice. Once he reached those limits, his power would begin to taper off. He wasn't able to use any of his abilities effectively."
He took a moment's break to cast his eyes back to Bertholdt. "So if that's the case for a fifteen-meter titan, a sixty-meter titan should be even less efficient at using its energy. The Colossal Titan used a sustained heat attack when Reiner and Bertholdt revealed themselves, but…he had to consume all the flesh on his body to create that heat. All that was left were his bones." He breathed deeply. "He won't be able to move once he loses his muscle fibers. He'll be nothing more than a giant skeleton."
"Then…I guess that makes sense for Eren," Mikasa stated, swiveling her eyes toward the other titan surrounding us. "But what of Emalina?" She turned her head at that question. "Armin, your theory makes sense, but those factors don't affect Emalina. How can we base such an idea on one titan when another was the opposite?"
Armin stopped and considered his friend's words. I stepped in. "She's not wrong, Armin. Trust me, I think you're on to something, but we must consider that Emalina's titan is the opposite. We don't know how often she can transform because she can stay in her titan form longer than Eren. And because of that, her power's never faltered, unlike Eren." I could see the wheel in Armin's head, considering my words. "How can we state one thing about Eren and Bertholdt when Emalina was the opposite?"
"We have to take Emalina out of the question."
My eyes widened at that. "What do you mean by that?"
He moved his attention from Bertholdt to Emalina, who now had her full attention on the blonde male. "I don't mean this negatively, but have you noticed how different Emalina's titan is from Eren's?" Staring at me, he added, "Her powers are extraordinarily different. She can stay as a titan longer; she can heal exceptionally faster; she's just…different. There's something off that cannot be compared to Eren. And because of that, I feel we must put her off to the side for now."
"I think Armin's right." Three heads turned to Emalina. "My titan differs too much from what we know about those who can transform." She then moved her gaze to refocus on Reiner despite having not moved from his position. "Take Armin's theory as truth and focus on that. If we can prove he's correct, then we have a way to defeat Bertholdt. If not…that's when we'll think of another plan."
Surprisingly, Mikasa spoke next. "I think we should believe Emalina."
"I believe so, too," Armin said. "Because I have a plan."
"So…what?" I questioned. Any ideas on defeating the Armored and Colossal Titan would be appreciated.
"You work to draw Reiner away! Eren and I will defeat the Colossal Titan!" He then glanced at Emalina and called her name. "Emalina! We have the thunder spears, but can we count on you to take care of Reiner? You're the best defense we have to keep him away from the Colossal."
"I won't let him get near you."
"Good." Dropping the easy-going facade he held, Armin's face turned serious. Even I knew that my friend meant business. "Eren and I…the two of us…will defeat Bertholdt."
"Fine," Mikasa replied almost instantaneously. "Leave Reiner to us." Armin nodded.
I scoffed, impressed at his idea. "Now you figure it out, stupid?" I shook my head in disbelief. My friend led me to believe he was ready to give up and retreat to keep us alive. "You had me convinced that it was all over for us."
His only response was to nod one more time. Without any words, he turned and sprinted off, using his OMD gear to move to the wall toward Eren's position. We flew too across the way to Connie and Sasha.
I explained the plan as fast as I could. Their first expressions were lost as one stared at me incredulously. "So you're telling me…is that Armin suddenly plans to defeat Bertholdt because he's skinnier?" Connie asked with a tilt of his head.
"I mean…he's never proven us wrong before," Sasha added, holding her chin in consideration. "If Armin says it's possible, we must believe in him."
"We have our remaining thunder spears, but we also have Emalina. Whatever we cannot do, she can." We all stared off the distance to Emalina, who still had her feet locked against the ground. She had moved slightly to keep Reiner's stare focused on her instead of us. She was protecting us as much as possible.
I took a deep breath. "So…you got the plan? Just believe that Armin and Eren will be able to take care of Bertholdt!"Jumping off the building, we activated our gear and flew across the district toward our enemy. We knew who we needed to focus on, and now was the time to prove we were soldiers of the Scout Regiment. "Our only job is to keep Reiner away from those two! Fly around close enough to him that'll draw his attention!"
"Right!" My three friends yelled at once.
So, we flew. Our ODM gear carried our weight and weapons across the district. We flew right by Bertholdt, who did nothing to stop us, not even sparing us a glance as he kept his attention on Eren across the district. In doing so, we were closing in on Reiner, who still had not moved. But, what was interesting was Emalina. She was watching us but didn't move. She must've thought of a plan on her own. If she did, I would let her be. I would never question a plan she concocted while in her titan form.
As we neared Reiner, we screamed a nasty battle cry. Raising our weapons, we aimed as if we were to attack when Reiner ran right past us. He did not even spare us a glance as we all looked over our shoulders.
"Where is he going?!" Sasha cried.
"He ignored us?!"
"Is he trying to focus on Eren?!"
"Reiner!"
Emalina's running echoed in our ears. Just as she noticed Reiner running toward Eren, she finally moved from her spot. We watched as Reiner lifted his head, noticing she was heading right in his direction. Flinging his head around, he must've seen a way around her as he dashed to the right, but she determined what he would do. Pounding her feet into the ground, Emalina burst forward, dashing toward the Armored Titan as we watched from our positions on the roof. Just as he was about to evade her attack, Emalina summoned a large crystal beam from her hand and swung the weapon at Reiner. He ducked and barely kept his composure as he continued running forward.
Emalina changed tactics. Altering the weapon in her hand, she reimagined the beam in her hand as it changed to a spear, the tip sharp and deadly. Flinging her arm back, she screamed into the morning air and, with all her might, flung the newly made weapon in Reiner's direction. The spear was airborne for barely a moment when it penetrated Reiner's shoulder. He faltered, allowing Emalina to dash in his direction, flinging into the Armored Titan. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she tackled the muscled titan toward the ground, where she straddled him and immediately began thrashing her fists against his face. She knew her bare fists would not cause significant damage, so she covered her hands with crystal and beat Reiner with all her strength.
From our position, I could see the blood pool on her fists.
"Guys, is Emalina…bleeding?!" Connie cried.
"Oh god," Sasha muttered. "She's probably still injured from before. But wasn't her healing faster than Eren's? Why isn't she fully healed?!" There was nothing to say at first to that question.
"Unfortunately, she's not invincible," Mikasa said as she stared on. "Emalina may be different from the other titans, but even she must have her limits."
"Oh god…" Connie groaned.
"Reiner!" Emalina cried once more. The noise of her punches was enough to churn our stomachs. We could hear the cracking of bone and the smashing of armored fragments. But just as Mikasa said, Emalina wasn't invincible. Had she not fully healed, and was that now affecting her?
From our spot, all we could do was watch. We didn't want to intervene in their fight and would only do so if Reiner tried escaping. Yet, at the same time, we couldn't just be sitting ducks; we had to act and do something to help Emalina. We couldn't just leave her to fight this battle alone. Glancing at Mikasa, Connie, and Sasha, I raised my hand to signal our movement forward when, out of the corner of my eye, I caught Reiner alternating the position he and Emalina were in. All our faces fell as we witnessed Reiner encase Emalina in a chokehold, one visible that she could not escape from.
"Emalina!" I found myself screaming. But even if she could hear us, she pretended not to. Her eyes were focused solely on Reiner, her hands grasping whatever chunk of armor on his body she could. But, it was folly. It was then Reiner attacked in a way we had not anticipated.
Reiner opened his mouth wide enough to chew Emalina from her position as if he released the hinge of his jaw. All of us were about to scream when, instead of biting at the nape of her neck, Reiner bit into the section that connected the neck to the shoulder. And from his mouth came the loudest roar imaginable that we had heard the titan produce. From our positions, the sound entered our ears and had us almost falling to our knees. It wasn't as high-pitched nor chilling as Emalina's or the Female Titan's, but it was enough to bestow a new fear inside our hearts.
Not wanting to stay where I was, I shot off the roof, the voices of my friends rolling into my ears as I left them behind. I did not know Reiner's plan, but I would not sit there and watch everything happen. Maybe it wasn't my place to try and save Emalina. Our mission was to stop the Armored Titan from causing havoc and running toward the wall. But…
No. Screw the mission for now. Because if I don't save Emalina, my life will not be worth living!
In the thirty seconds since Reiner had bit Emalina's neck and I left the safety of the roof with my friends, Emalina's mouth opened in a screech as well. Hers was weak, the weakest I had heard since her obtaining these powers. I called her name repeatedly in hopes she could hear me and fight back. And yet, the closer I moved across the empty courtyard, the more I could see her strength failing. Her limbs fell. The hand that had grasped Reiner's arm had slacked and fell to the ground. Reiner bellowed again. This time, it was deep, menacing, and dangerous.
I was transported back to the evening we rescued her and Eren past the walls several months ago. My eyes widened as I remembered that this was the same sound Reiner produced to try and turn Emalina against herself. Pushing my gas even further, I was within earshot of the two titans when I noticed it.
Emalina's eyes - they were now the blackest they had been.
Reiner acknowledged this, too, releasing his teeth from her skin and stepping backward, leaving the woman lying on the ground as she blinked toward the sky. Landing on the closest roof as I could, my voice penetrated the empty void. "EMALINA!"
It was then that her eyes snapped in my direction. With a speed I had never seen before, she was now standing before me on her legs, facing me. Her eyes were narrowed and blacker than I had ever seen them.
"Fucking shit," I muttered angrily.
Somehow, Reiner had turned Emalina.
"Emalina!" I screamed her name again. Nothing. Again and again, I called out her name, but nothing came out of it. She stared at me as if analyzing what I would do, yet I stood atop the roof with no plan. Beside her, Reiner opened his mouth once more and released another bellow. The moment the sound vanished, she moved.
Bursting toward me, she lashed her hand out as if to snatch me from my position. Hauling my ass off the roof, I burst my gas just as her crystal-covered fist landed in the spot I just occupied. Hauling toward me came Mikasa, Connie, and Sasha as they followed behind. But there was nowhere to go. Wherever we moved, wherever we flew, Emalina was on our tail. All the while, Reiner stood in his position as he watched. That asshole was most likely smiling beneath his armored skin.
"Jean! What the hell do we do?!" Sasha called out, his eyes flashing between me and Emalina.
"Is there anything we can do?!" Connie interjected. "I mean, she turned! Whatever Reiner did, she's now after us instead!"
"We have to keep the focus on our mission," came Mikasa as she stared forward. We maneuvered through the district, keeping our front on Reiner and our backs to Emalina. "We can't keep waiting. Armin's up with Eren with his plan to take out Bertholdt. If we wait any longer, we'll hinder whatever he has planned."
Taking a deep breath, I nodded, knowing Mikasa was right. Our mission was to keep the Armored Titan at bay while also trying to eliminate him, if possible. We were nearing the end of our Thunder Spears, meaning the previous should be our goal. Even then, I didn't know how much gas we had left. There were available tanks, but they were with the others outside the inside gate. We had no luck there as we didn't know where the other Scouts were or what they were doing. So…no luck there.
Slashing my hand through the air, I gained the attention of my three comrades. "Here's the plan!" I yelled. "Mikasa, you lead Connie and Sasha and focus solely on Reiner. Keep him away from the wall, and if you can do any sort of damage, do it." Glancing back at my girlfriend-turned-titan, I said, "I'll focus on Emalina."
"You…you can't do that, Jean!" Sasha exclaimed, her eyes wide with worry. "At least have me go with you, too!"
But I shook my head. "Not this time, Sasha. This is something I need to do myself."
Connie screamed. "But…why, Jean? Why can't you accept our help?"
…I didn't know how to answer Connie. There was no excuse I could give that would explain my answer. Truth be told, I wanted to handle Emalina on my own. I felt this was something I had to handle by myself. Turning toward them, the last little speech I gave them before moving away was, "Just trust me! I can handle this!" And then I was gone.
Two of the three screamed my name, but I ignored them. From my peripheral vision, I could see Mikasa talking with Connie and Sasha as they maneuvered toward Reiner, their arms raised as if ready to use their Thunder Spears. Just as they moved toward him, Reiner moved away, running straight toward the wall. Not good, I thought.
My vision had turned away from Emalina just long enough that a SWOOSH sound entered my ears. My eyes turned at the right second, and I burst my body away from the incoming fist heading directly at me. I moved just in time; barely a moment's notice was given. Otherwise, I would have met a gruesome end.
"EMALINA!" I screamed her name. I would continue to scream her name for as long as I needed to.
I stood on her shoulders the last time this happened and yelled in her ear. Would that work this time? I had no clue, and there was the thought that she could grasp me anytime and squeeze me to death. My face fell at the idea that I could die within the next few moments. I'd had the thought all day because of the mission; this was different. If I were to die right now, this would be at the hands of the girl I loved and not the enemy. But I took my chance as I needed her back by my side.
As I was still swinging around with my ODM, I twirled around what remained of the center section of the city. Maneuvering Emalina away from Reiner took some skill, but I could divert her attention from them as she followed me. Turning around the corner, I zoomed past the house, turning yet another corner, trying to lose Emalina from my tail so I could gain the upper hand on her.
Her roar from behind told me she knew where I was. Turning my head backward, I found she wasn't there. Sighing, I tried formulating a quick plan. Something, anything that would help change Emalina back. There must be a way; there had to be a way. A hand shot forth in my direction as I was about to rotate around another corner. I gasped loudly, seeing Emalina had switched her path and was ahead of me rather than behind. Narrowly avoiding her outstretched hand, I dropped to the ground, igniting my gas as I zoomed between her legs.
I didn't get very far.
My body was thrust backward as my body was thrown. Emalina had grabbed my wires and flung me backward. And yet, I could somehow reconnect the wires to the closest building to regain my stature. Yet, in doing so, I was flung into the wall, my shoulder directly impacting the stone. A groan left my lips as I felt the instant pain pulse through my arm. I didn't think it was broken, but the bones were bruised, and I was feeling the after-effects.
The sudden thump of footsteps caught my attention. A shadow poured over me as I watched the same pair of feet enter my vision. Tilting my head upward, I saw Emalina in all her glory.
"EMALINA!" I cried once more.
An almost instant reaction was for Emalina to shake her head before staring back at me. Was that a good sign? Because she had done the same action the previous time before she came back around. Screaming her name back to back, I stood my ground against the wall. Though I was fearful of death, I didn't fear Emalina. Never would I fear Emalina.
She shook her head once more before she thrashed her hand before me, crashing her fist against the wall beside me. The building shook as my body vibrated, but I stood my ground.
"Emalina! I know you're in there! I know you can hear me!" I roared. Just as she raised her hand again, I jumped from my position and flew to the building across the way. "You have to fight this! You overcame Reiner's power last time; you need to do that again! You need to - ACK!" A wretched sound escaped my throat.
Emalina had grasped me inside her hand.
Her fingers curled around my body, tightening ever-so slowly as my mouth fell open, releasing silent screams. There was nothing I could do. I was at the complete mercy of Emalina as the enemy controlled her. She stared down at me, and I saw the swirl of blackness in her eyes. It was frightening seeing her like this. Before, her eyes were bright and blue. Now, they were narrow and dark, the complete opposite of who Emalina was. Reiner truly had changed her for the worse and entirely against her will.
With as much might I could muster, I yelled, "You must stop this, Emalina!" Her immediate response was to tighten her fist. My body wasn't yet crushed beneath her strength, but it wouldn't be much longer until my ribs penetrated my heart. "E-Emalina!" I croaked, my breath slowly escaping my mouth. "Look inside y-yourself! The Emalina I know is still in t-there! You cannot let Reiner win!"
Emalina cocked her head, staring at me. At least she hadn't increased the pressure on her hand. Was that a good sign? Maybe my voice was the answer.
With nothing else left to say, I asked, "Do you remember the d-day we met?" It was getting hard to breathe, but I would seek what I needed to say. "It was initiation for the Cadet Corp, and you saw my head get beat by the Commandant. I don't know how, b-but we instantly became friends. You and Marco became my best friends! Do you remember Marco? How we used to spend our free time together goofing off and g-going to the lake? Because I do." Again, she had not increased her pressure. If anything, if had lessened, possibly?
"We trained together through thick and thin. Yeah, we fought occasionally, but I loved our time together. It took me a while, but I eventually realized I was in love with you and wanted n-nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you."
She blinked, her black eyes staring at me, seemingly fixated on my words.
"Do you remember our first kiss? It was graduation night, just a few months ago. You had screamed to everyone in the mess hall that you were going to join the Scouts. I went to find you and admitted that I couldn't live without you. We kissed under the stars, and I believed everything would be alright." Taking as deep a breath as I was able, I continued. If this was to be my last moment, I wanted my Emalina to remember the path our friendship and relationship had been through.
"These last few months have been demanding; we have been through enough. You have been through enough. But we fought. We fought together for each other. Do you remember any of that?" Her breathing increased as she lowered her head slightly, still staring at me.
"I need you to come back. Please come back to me, Emalina. I love you and will always love you." Just as she breathed, hope lit within me. There, in her eyes, was a swirl of blue, slowly, ever-so slowly replacing the black that had claimed her eyes.
But within a fraction of a second, it was gone.
"AGH!" Screaming to the high heavens, whatever I saw was gone. Emalina had tightened her hand, my body crushing in on itself. My feet dangled as there was nothing I could do. My breathing slowed, and the pulse in my head was loud. Everything suddenly hurt. With one last breath, I howled, "COME BACK TO ME, EMALINA! FUCKING STOP THIS MADNESS!"
And just like that, the compression was gone. Emalina's fingers loosened, allowing my body to breathe a fresh breath. Daring to glance at her, I was surprised to find her eyes were clear.
Emalina lifted a finger and gently traced my body, sadness floating in her beautiful eyes. "J-Jean…?" She said softly.
Nodding, I leaned into her finger. "Yes, it's me, Emalina. I'm here."
With me still held gently in her hand, she fell to her knees as tears formed in her eyes. "Oh, Jean!" She cried. "I'm…I'm so sorry! What did I…?!"
"It doesn't matter," I said, wanting to calm her down. It honestly didn't matter. Emalina didn't intentionally desire to hurt me. The blame promptly fell on Reiner's shoulders. "I'm ok, but…can you set me down?"
Slowly, she dropped her hand to the ground as she released her hold. My legs staggered before I regained my balance; they were slightly weak as I felt across my body. Though no bones were broken, I had to admit everything was stiff. My shoulder hurt from being flung into the wall, and it hurt slightly when I took a deep breath.
Sensing my discomfort, Emalina nudged her finger against my leg. "Did I…hurt you?" Her voice seemed so small, but I didn't care. She was back; that's all that mattered.
Grasping her finger, I replied, "Don't worry about me." She was about to speak, but I cut her off. "No, I don't want to hear another apology. What you did was out of your control. There's nothing you can do but try not to get controlled again."
Sighing, Emalina nodded. She would probably question everything later, but judging by her next question, I assumed she was reminding herself where we were at. "Where are the others?"
I quickly divulged the plan because she wasn't with me and the others. "Armin has a plan, and he's gone to Eren. After you turned, I told the others to go after Reiner while I went after you. They're to distract Reiner from going to the wall. I don't know what's happened since we separated."
"So, the plan…is to end Reiner's life?"
"Whatever is necessary to keep him from going to the wall. Him and Bertholdt."
Nodding, Emalina gently grasped my body and lifted me so I could stand on her shoulder. "Hold on," she said before bursting forward as fast as she could. Holding onto her hair, I steadied my breathing. I was thankful Emalina had switched back before she committed an action she would regret forever. But for all I knew, she was already regretting her actions while under Reiner's control. But that would be a discussion for later - much, much later, one I didn't want to have.
Running through the district, we soon met the other three in no time, there's eyes hesitant until they saw I stood upon Emalina's shoulder. Connie and Sasha sighed as they fell back to Emalina's height. As we continued their path, I realized they were tailing Reiner as he grew closer to the wall.
"What's happened?!" I asked hesitantly.
"Reiner's been ignoring us!" Sasha cried as she dropped herself beside me. "Nothing we've done has diverted his attention."
"He's headed straight for the wall!" Connie said, worrying clipped on his voice.
"Still," I called their attention. "Our only job is to keep Reiner away from those two! That's what Armin instructed us to do!"
"But what more can we do?"
"Strike him down."
Emalina's comment silenced all of us. Staring at her, Mikasa asked, "Strike what, exactly?"
Casting her eyes at the other, she glanced at all of them carefully. "You have four thunder spears left. Use those to your advantage carefully."
"But…where should we hit?"
"What's his weakness?" Emalina asked.
"Behind his knees," Mikasa stated, her eyes narrowing as she remembered the last fight she had with Reiner at the wall.
"If we can't divert his attention," Emalina stated slowly. "We end him now. We have no other choice but to do so."
"But, as you said, Emalina…" Sasha commented. "We only have four spears left!"
Connie chimed in. "Then we time it perfectly. We use one against the back of his knee and one for his neck. That leaves us two left."
"But you're forgetting," Sasha stated quickly. "It took several spears even to crack the armor on his neck."
Before they could bicker, I raised my hand. "We do what we must with what we have. At this point, our task is to kill Reiner now." Almost instantly, everyone nodded. Connie and Sasha seemed apprehensive, though they were on board with the plan.
Before I could speak, Emalina beat me. "I know what we can do." She glared at all of us, she said, "If we can't break the armor on his neck, go the other way around."
"Go the…other way around?" I questioned.
"Go through the mouth," she stated as if it were easy. "Connie and Sasha, use your spears against his jaw to break it open. Mikasa has one spear left." Turning to her, she said, "Use your spear from the inside, causing the explosion to cast him out from the back of his neck."
She seemed to understand. "He has no armor on the inside," Mikasa whispered.
"Exactly."
"So…" Connie rubbed the back of his neck. "Is that the plan?"
"That's the plan," I muttered confidently. My words were confident, but my gut was still screaming. "Mikasa." We stared at one another. "Go after his knee."
Nodding, she sped forward closer to Reiner. When she was within range, she reeled her arm backward, perfected her aim, and shot the thunder spear. We all watched it hit Reiner perfectly in the back of his leg, causing the enormous titan to crumble to the ground, falling face first.
Staring back at us, Mikasa said lowly, "We protect Armin and Eren here."
Emalina, Connie, and Sasha nodded as I stated, "…yeah. All right!"
"Remember! We only have three spears left!" Connie yelled as we soared forward.
"We'll just have to try," Sasha answered. "Because if we don't fight…we can't win!"
Just then, an explosion of heat ignited our backs. Turning to the Colossal Titan, we saw Bertholdt emitting a large amount of steam, and we had no idea why. My sudden thought was Armin, but I had to trust his plan. Our friend was brilliant, and if he was doing something specific, he had a reason for doing so.
Mikasa, Connie, and Sasha were crouched on a roof across the way as I still stood on Emalina's shoulder. As I stared at the Colossal Titan, I feared for our friend. Since we had our mission, there was nothing we could do. Still, there was a knot in my gut. For now, I was forced to ignore it.
If we want to stop Reiner with three thunder spears…we'll make our move when he's immobile. We only have one chance. No matter what happens, it ends here.
Tilting my head upward at Emalina, I noticed she and Reiner were sharing a look. "Bring it on, Reiner," she whispered deathly.
"Emalina." Pulling on her hair, I needed her attention. "I will use myself as bait to gain his attention so Connie and Sasha can move in. Your job is to keep Reiner at bay in case he moves. Also," I narrowed my eyes just as she did. "I'm counting on you to capture Reiner once he is expelled from his neck. Keep him in your clutches, and don't let go."
"Got it."
Moving from our spots, we soared to our locations that would grant us the best place to take our enemy down. I watched as Connie and Sasha stood on opposite roofs, and Mikasa was on one that faced Reiner directly.
Taking a deep breath, I jumped from Emalina's shoulders, my voice soaring across the near-empty district. "REINEEEEEERRRRRR!"
Following my movements, Connie and Sasha jumped, angling their spears right at Reiner's face. Having sensed our action, Reiner used his fingers and slashed at the building my friends just occupied. Debris and chunks of wood flew in and around our bodies. Throwing my arms to cover my face, I was instantly hit. Small and large pieces of wood, it did not matter, flew against my skin, and I could feel something penetrate my shoulder. Crying out, I still opened my eyes and watched as Connie hit his target, but Sasha missed as a spear of wood also penetrated her shoulder, sending her backward. Emalina watched from the sidelines and stepped to me as I fell back to the roof, falling to a knee.
All our attention turned to Mikasa as she stood to take action. "No, Mikasa! You can't do it!" Connie yelled from across the street.
"No!" There was a movement behind Connie, a person too fast for me to catch who it was. "You did a good job!"
It was Hange!
Flying past Connie, she raised her arm and ignited her last spear, aiming directly into the side of Reiner's still-connected jaw.
"HANGE!" We all cried.
"Now! Mikasa!" Our leader screamed.
Not needing to be told otherwise, Mikasa swooped from her position toward Reiner. However, Reiner still had movement in his arms as he reached for her. He was about to pull backward when Emalina appeared from behind and clamped her arms around Reiner, keeping him locked.
"Do it now!" She screamed.
Not needing anything else, Mikasa burst forward and slid onto Reiner's tongue, igniting her thunder spear perfectly into the back of his throat. It took mere seconds for the explosion to ignite, and once it did, Reiner's body burst forth from his neck and flew into the sky. Emalina released his body and ran toward him, jumping into the sky as she captured him within her grasp. Falling to her feet, she stared angrily at the warrior in her hand.
"Caught you, Reiner Braun."
~ oOo ~
From there, everything was a blur.
Having finally caught Reiner from his armored titan, we were momentarily victorious. Atop one of the roofs, Connie was patching up Sasha, who had a nasty gash on her forehead and had a stake penetrate her shoulder. She was unconscious, but she wasn't in critical condition. I, on the other hand, was bleeding from numerous slashes across my shoulder and upper chest. I pushed my injuries off to the side for the time being as there was more to be concerned over.
Having removed herself from her titan form, Emalina took it upon herself to remove Reiner's limbs individually. If Reiner felt the sense of his limbs being cut off, he didn't make a sound. Having watched her from the sidelines, I could see Emalina was apprehensive about doing what she was asked of by Hange, but she knew what must be done. I felt for her. Just like Eren had with Annie, Emalina still struggled that Reiner was the enemy. She cared deeply for him and Bertholdt, wanting nothing more than for this to be a dream rather than reality.
Roughly twenty minutes later, Reiner was finally taken care of. A bandage was wrapped around his eyes so he could not see, as were his limbs, so he wouldn't bleed out before we were done with him. Placing him against a wall, Emalina then hurried over to me, her look frantic as she was finally able to see the state of my injuries. As she tended to me, Hange searched the remainder of Reiner's clothing, looking for anything that might give us clues or hints to something we were missing.
I sat on my knees as Emalina knelt behind me. Assessing the damage, she released a heavy sigh. "Oh, Jean…"
"It…looks worse than it is."
"Yeah, but…" Helping me to remove my jacket, she ran a hand down my back. "I'm sorry," she muttered, only for me to hear.
"For what?" I turned my head.
"I mean," she started. Having run back to our supplies, seeing as how she had the most gas out of everyone here, she pulled out alcohol and bandages. "I feel like I could've done something different. I feel like I didn't do enough."
"Bullshit," I muttered harshly. "Didn't do enough?" Rotating to face her, I cupped the woman's cheek, wincing at the pain in my arm. "You probably did more than any of us today. We probably would've already been dead if it wasn't for you."
"Yeah, but…" She cast her gaze away. "If I had been stronger, maybe Reiner wouldn't have turned me the way he did." Her eyes stared at my waist. Hesitantly, she ran a hand along my ribs. I tried my best not to wince, but a groan released from my lips. In a whisper so quiet, she said, "I nearly killed you."
"But you didn't," I replied. "Look at me, Ema." Slowly, she moved her eyes to me. She was starting to cry, and I wished she hadn't. "I'm alive. It doesn't matter what happened when you were controlled; that was out of your hands. What does matter is the fact that you came back to me." Cupping both cheeks, I brought our noses together. "You came back and saved us once more."
Eyes wavering from my stare, she relented, sighing as she did so. "Are you….hurt bad?"
"No," I chuckled. "At least not from you. My ribs are sore, but everything is sore right now." I pointed to my shoulder and said, "Reiner hurt me more than you did." Opening her mouth to speak more, she then decided to stop. "Are you ok with that?"
Emalina nodded. "…yeah. I'm not…happy about what happened, but if you can accept it, I can too." Taking a shaky breath, she twirled her finger, silently asking me to turn around. Taking a rag, she doused the corner in alcohol and gently placed it against my open wound. Hissing, I felt the sting; she held my arm in case I moved away, but I didn't. "This looks pretty deep, and I see a few splinters. This might hurt."
She spent the next several minutes cleaning the wound as best she could as I groaned and winced the entire time. All the while, as she patched me up, I watched Hange. The Squad Leader paced back and forth before Reiner as she watched him, meticulously thinking. I couldn't blame her. Here, we had one enemy we had been searching for; what would we do with him now? Detain him? Question him? Kill him?
Suddenly, Hange stopped and peered over at me and Emalina. "Look what I found." She held her hand up, showing a small square metal box. I was confused as to what it could be. Kneeling before the enemy, she asked, "So, Reiner. What exactly is this steel case we found inside the left side of your chest?"
At this point, Emalina was bandaging my shoulder, having wrapped a section of material around my chest so it encased my left arm, and then she wrapped the rest around near my neck. As she tied the bandage off, I flinched, my groan audible. She hastily said, "Sorry," before kissing my head. Across from us, Hange still spoke in a low voice.
"You used all the strength you had left to get to this thing…before Emalina lopped off your limbs. Suicide pills? Or maybe it's a bomb?"
Reiner was silent for a moment, and I wondered whether he could even talk. Then, his raspy voice said, "…a letter."
That caught our attention.
"A letter?" Hange asked in disbelief. "…what kind of letter?"
"A letter…from Ymir." He coughed. "Please…you have to…give it to…Christa…"
"…after we examine it first." Sighing, she stood and pulled out a blade.
Just as she did so, the titan opened his mouth again. "…wait…there's another letter."
Stopping, Hange glared at him. "To who?"
Silent, Reiner tilted his head to Emalina as if he knew she was there. "…to Emalina."
My eyes narrowed automatically, and I was speaking before anyone else could. "From who?"
"Me," Reiner spat, coughing some more. That didn't sit right with me. What was so important that he had to write everything in a letter and give it to her? Especially now? Forget the letter to Christa; I wanted to know what Reiner had to say to my girlfriend.
"All right," Hange suddenly said. "I have a mountain of questions I'd like to ask you…but…" My mouth slightly fell as she unsheathed her sword. Behind me, Emalina gripped my uninjured arm. "Your mouth seems to be as hard as armor. I wonder…will you tell us what we want to know?"
From his position, Reiner was quiet. Until he smirked. "…nope."
Hange took immediate action. Thrusting her blade into his neck, our Squad Leader, with all her might, caused the Armored Titan to bleed. Blood fell past his lips as he coughed and hacked.
"…wait, please!" I cried, my hand outstretched as if I could stop her from my position. Hange didn't hear me as she growled at her victim. "Are you sure about this? Isn't it possible…that we could take his power from him?"
Turning her head, she glanced back at me. "I don't think the conditions have been met. We don't know where Levi or any of the others are. And I don't think we have the time to check on them." Holding her blade tightly, she added, "There's just no way to gauge how much strength these guys have left in them. I could see his head flying, and I still wouldn't let my guard down."
From my spot, I stared. This…wasn't the Hange I knew.
"Hange, are you sure?" From behind, Emalina spoke. Beside her, Mikasa remained silent. "This is probably the only opportunity for one of us to take his titan. What about me?" She offered. "I may already be one, but I'm not like them. What if I'm able to inherit their abilities? Hell, if Armin or Eren captured Bertholdt, I could take his titan too, probably."
"That's the thing, Emalina, we just don't know," Hange countered. "Our only option is to kill Reiner and end this folly."
Tilting my head, my words were surprisingly soft. "That's…not like you. If you're content with leaving things unknown…how can we ever expect to defeat the titans?" Hange tapped the metal of her sword.
"Jean," Mikasa called my name. Emalina gripped my arm harder as we shared a look.
"When will we ever know enough…to face our enemies?"
Emalina stood, her hand on my shoulder firm. "If we don't take action now, Hange, will we have the chance in the future?"
Hange fell silent. I could see her thinking through our words. Would she reconsider? "…Mikasa."
"Yes?"
"How much gas do you have left?"
"Hardly any," she answered honestly. "But…I have enough to reach Eren and Armin."
"That's more than me," Hange said quietly. Without glancing at us, she murmured, "Go check on Eren and the others immediately. Replenish your gas while you're there, and get the injection from Levi. If you can't do that for whatever reason, fire a flare. That will be my signal to end Reiner."
"Understood," was all Mikasa mumbled before she was off.
"Hange…" I breathed in disbelief as she listened. "I…"
"This was my decision. You and Emalina only provided me data."
Why…? At the last moment, why would I…?
"The question is, who?"
Lifting my head, my only response was, "Huh?"
"Who are we turning into a titan? There's Sasha, who's injured but not critically. Or…is there a better candidate?"
"Why not me?" Emalina questioned. "I'm already a titan, Hange. I'd most likely only gain Reiner's powers, nothing more."
"And as I said, Emalina, we don't know for sure. How are we to know what powers you may or may not acquire? Hell, Reiner can control you; what of that?" She glared at Emalina, though I don't think she meant to. Emalina didn't have an answer; she didn't have time to answer. Moving from behind me, she stepped toward Reiner, staring sadly down at the male who had been a close friend. She stood next to Hange, who moved closer to me, staring off into the distance, awaiting Mikasa's signal. I opened my mouth to speak, but from near the wall, a red flare ignited into the sky. Mikasa!
I gasped, knowing what was to happen next. But just as I knew Hange would decapitate Reiner, a thundering sound pummeled into my ears. From around the corner down the street, a large titan crawling on all fours appeared bound with barrels upon its back.
It was headed right in Emalina's direction.
Standing to my knees, I screamed with such ferocity, "EMALINA!" Just as she turned, the titan opened its mouth.
Using my handheld with such speed, I flew right into Emalina, grasped her waist, and flung us across the way just as she would have been snapped in half. Sliding against the dirt, I lay on the ground, unable to move. Emalina, on the other hand, grasped her swords and lifted herself to stand. Turning my head, I noticed something in the titan's mouth. Reiner!
"Hange!" Connie screamed from the rooftops. "He took Reiner!" I gasped, unable to believe this was happening. Connie suddenly flung himself away from Sasha and started flying after the titan.
"Connie! You don't need to chase after him! You barely have any gas left. You'll just get yourself killed."
"But I have gas."
Before Hange or I could say anything, Emalina was lying between us; the smoke from her gas was the only evidence she had been standing beside me. Hange screamed and called out to her, but it was no use. I lay silent, knowing my words would not persuade her to return. This was her decision, and she was going to stick with it. Emalina's mission was to retrieve Reiner again, and I knew she wouldn't return until she had done so.
"Fucking dammit!"I cried, slamming my fist into the ground. "It's my fault…I…I've done something terrible…!"
But Hang was calm with her words. "…I thought I told you. This was my decision. Let's join up with Eren."
Lifting my head, I said, "What of Emalina?"
"She won't get far. Though she has the most gas out of all of us, that tian will outrun her, that's for certain. As for her trying to obtain Reiner again, it is futile." Hange turned and stared at me. Everything I needed to understand was in that stare. "Reiner's not coming back."
~ oOo ~
Fucking finally. I'm almost done with the Shiganshina Arc.
DragonGoddess629