C h a p t e r 1 8 : E n e m y

Annie ignored him. She leaned against the door, watching him as he furiously tried to break free from his restraints.

"You-you traitor!" He roared. "How dare you!"

Annie rolled her eyes.

"I can't believe you.. We all trusted you!" Eren raged.

"...it's only a fool who gets caught in a snare twice in a row." Annie replied quietly.

"I really thought you were on our side.. Second chances.." Eren yelled, still fighting his restraints. "Annie.."

Annie squatted down next to Eren, her cold calculating eyes watching Eren. In a voice so quiet that it sounded like just wind, she told him the truth.

"...I'm not a traitor." She murmured softly, and then stood back up again. "...I work for whoever I desire.. Whoever ensures the best route of survival." She lied.

"But- what about- what about Armin!? Or even me!? Don't do this.." Eren growled.

"...You're still not grasping the concept, are you..." Annie closed her eyes. "...I knew you were hot headed, but I didn't think it was this bad."

"I'm having rational thoughts!" Eren lashed back. "You killed everyone. I trusted you.. You betrayed us again!"

"...I cannot talk to you if you will not grasp the concept I'm telling you." Annie told him softly. "...I'm offering to tell you the truth right now, and you won't even listen.."

"I already know the truth." He spit. "You're a dirty traitor who only goes for the side that ensures the best chance of survival. A double agent. Tricking everyone you can."

Annie turned around, sighing. Ouch. Some of his accusations stung a bit, but as usual, she pretended it didn't affect her. "..I have nothing to say to you, then."

"Good. I don't want to talk to a filthy traitor like you."

"...believe what you will.."

<><><>

"We're nearing the village, captain!" Scarlet shouted. Left of Levi's team was Scarlet, Theodore, Cora, and Levi himself. Liana was severely injured, while Olympia...

There would be time for mourning later. Right now, Levi needed to retrieve Eren. The brat always did manage to get captured.

"...good. Let's find them both... But if we don't find Annie, there's less pressure. Got it?" Levi ordered.

"Yes, sir!"

The four of them continued their pursuit.

"I'm almost out of gas, Captain!" Theodore shouted.

"Let's land. We can walk the rest," Levi announced. "We're not far anyway."

The group walked the rest of the way to the village, their exhaustion showing. They had been killing left and right- and they were so tired.

But they had to save Eren. And, on a lesser scale, Annie as well. She was still important, after all. Not so much to them, but keeping her away from the bad guys was what was important.

Well, Levi couldn't deny himself one thing though- having Annie around was definitely a good thing for the scouts. The fact that she was a titan shifter who actually knew what she was doing, and her immense fighting skill. She'd be able to help them in battles, and teach Eren.

Yeah, they really did need Annie on their team.

"Almost there, guys." Levi muttered. "Be prepared."

"...on it."

As soon as the village was in sight, a figure dropped down in front of them. A black cloak hid their features from the group.

"...leave now... Or, if you prefer.. You may suffer the consequences," The figure rumbled as they slowly stood up. "It is, of course... Totally up to you. My blades sing for your blood.."

"...We're not leaving. Give us back Eren and Annie!" Scarlet shouted.

"...why are you so quick to forget about me and find new people.." The figure mused. "Although I guess it doesn't matter much. You probably don't even remember me. Speaking of which.. Where's your friend, Scarlet? I believe his name was Owen."

"...That's none of your business... Who are you?" Scarlet's fists clenched.

"...look for yourself."

In one flash, the cloak fell to the ground- revealing a girl with long dark red hair wearing a black jacket and a red crop top. She had white shorts on- which was much different than standard attire- but whatever works, apparently. She had 3D maneuver gear on.

"No way," Scarlet breathed. "I... I saw you die.."

"Yeah. You did see me die..." The girl narrowed her eyes. "So why am I here?"

"Wh-what..?"

"...I don't know... Maybe you hallucinated my death? Cause once I saved that child back on that day, I fell back... Into the hands of a titan. Yeah, you got that part right."

"Then how are you here-" Levi interjected.

"...I cut that stupid Titan's fingers right off," The girl stated obviously. "Instinct, I suppose... And I finally stopped believing in my own death. But when I shouted and screamed for help, no one came.. So I left. I found someone's dead body and took their supplies. And then... I disappeared. So there you have it. The whole story. Aren't you proud of yourself?"

"...I-"

"It's okay, Scarlet. I'm sure you hallucinated Owen's death, too. Because he's here too."

:)

Don't kill me for not updating I'm sorry.

If you're confused as to who this character is, she's in "Fight."

Bye bye, see you all soon! Hope you enjoyed the chapter.