A/N: Hello, readers! Welcome to a new chapter! Enjoy!

edited on january 2nd, 2022 @ 10:47am

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𝓒𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝚃𝚆𝙴𝙽𝚃𝚈-𝚃𝙷𝚁𝙴𝙴,
𝓞𝙿𝙴𝙽𝙸𝙽𝙶.

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"SPREAD OUT! TAKE FORMATION TO locate any enemies!" Erwin ordered as everyone followed his orders and did so.

Back in the forest where Reiner, Bertholdt, Eren, and Ymir. "Oh, Eren? You're awake?" Reiner asked. Eren began moving around to find that both of his arms were gone and regenerating.

"What the hell?! My arms!" Eren exclaimed.

"Eren." Ymir spoke up, making Eren turn to her. "Look at me. I'm in the same shape as you. Guess the both of us are having a bad day."

"Ymir... Why... don't I have any arms?" Eren asked.

"That's my bad." Reiner answered. "I'm the one who did that. I kinda was in a hurry. When I rushed to bite your nape, I neglected to take your arms into account."

"I see... I... must've lost." Eren said as he looked up at Reiner. Eren bit into his nub as Bertholdt stood up quickly.

"Eren, stop!" He said.

"Hold your horses, Eren. Take a good look around us. We're in the giant forest within Wall Maria. It's not even close to any of the walls. In other words, we're deep in Titan territory. Take a look." Ymir said as they saw Titans nearby. "I think that one down there's an Abnormal. It looks like he's just lounging around, but he's not taking his eyes off us. There's a lot of small ones down there, too. That alone is dangerous. Over that way's another big one. He's staring at us, but won't come any closer. I bet you that one's a scaredy-cat."

"And then you've got these chumps. Those dirty bastards. There the only ones with any ODM gear on. Reiner's wearing gear he took from you. So I don't think changing into a Titan at this point is going to solve anything. Not only can they do that, but they can escape high into the trees as well. Those two aside, there's Titans all around us. Escaping out of this Titan territory would be tough, even with Titan powers. Understand? There's nothing to gain by acting up." Ymir finished.

"No." Reiner denied as the two looked up at them. "You two can't even turn into Titans right now. So don't count on that to help you. You body is at its limit. It's taking everything you've got to repair the damage."

"Are you stupid? Why the hell would I trust anything coming out from your mouth?" Eren asked.

"Well... It's not like I know the specifics behind how Titan powers work. Unlike you guys, I'm pretty clueless about it." Ymir stated. "Hey, Reiner. You said you would talk once Eren woke up. It's about time one of you says what you plan to do with us."

"We'll take you to our hometown. I realize that you're not going to listen and do as I say. But like Ymir was saying, this place is swarming with Titans. We could beat the shit out of each other right now, but when we're weak, the other Titans would just come and eat us. So until nightfall, when the Titans can't move, we have no choice but to wait here. Whether you try to run and escape from us... or don't and we take you away... either way, we wait for night." Reiner explained.

"Why didn't you stay the Armored Titan and run home? What's the point of stopping here?" Ymir questioned. "Too tired and had to take a break?"

"Why don't you use your imagination?" Reiner shot back.

"Let's think... if I waited for an opening and became a Titan, running away from here doesn't seem like it would pose a challenge. But will I be able to transform into a Titan in the first place?" Eren thought. "Reiner said that I can't... and I have to consider that even Reiner had to stop here to take a break. If my Titan form isn't strong enough, does that mean I'll just get eaten by the others?"

"Are you simply waiting here for it to become night?" Ymir questioned.

"Maybe I am." Reiner responded.

"No... There's no way they'd wait until nightfall. They're not going to give our bodies the chance to fully recover. They'll make their move while we're still powerless. At this rate, I can't do anything. At this rate..." Eren thinks to himself as he thought of something. "What happened to everybody? Where are the Scouts? Don't tell me they're coming this way... If they try to help, no one's gonna make it back safely."

"What's it matter? Those Titans at the castle moved just fine at night. Won't these Titans, too?" Ymir questioned.

"The Titans here can't move at night. You should know all about it, Ymir." Reiner answered.

"Speaking of which, why can Ymir turn into a Titan? I don't think she's like me, who knew nothing about it. Is she on our side? I don't even know what her goal is yet. She's hard enough to understand as it is." Eren noted. "I've made up my mind. Right now, what I need is information. I need to figure out everything I can from these guys. And then I'll make my escape. To do that, I need... to suppress all my emotions... and for my body to heal."

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A red flare was shot up in the air. "Titan spotted at three o' clock! Fire the smoke!" A soldier exclaimed as the other soldier did so.

"Smoke shell confirmed on the right wing!"

"Do not change direction! Have the right wing merge with the center and hold course! We only have until sunset! We must take the shortest possible path!" Erwin informed.

"Mikasa. Hey, Mikasa! Mikasa!" Hannes called out, getting Mikasa's attention. "Stop pushing so hard. You're drifting near the vanguard. It'll ruin the whole formation. I know how you feel, but... didn't I tell you? Eren won't get taken away without putting up a fight. Don't you agree? You know he'll never give up. So it's up to us to stay calm and be there when he needs us. Just like we did back then."

Mikasa said nothing as he clenched her scarf. Josiah looked at her with worry etched in his face. He rode his horse next to hers.

"Mika, Eren will be fine. I may not know him as well as you and Armin, but he's pretty ambitious when he wants to be, you know?" Josiah stated as Mikasa nodded.

"Say, Josiah..." Mikasa began as Josiah hummed in reply. "You love Eren, don't you?"

"Huh?" Josiah said. "No way am I in love with that dumbass. No way. I don't know how you got that idea."

"You look at him the same way I do." Mikasa informed. "And in all honesty, I think he likes you back. You should confess to him."

"Hmm... Maybe I will." Josiah said. "You sure you'd be okay with me confessing to him though?"

"As long as Eren is happy, I don't mind. But you better not hurt him or I'll kill you."

"Yes ma'am." 

Back in the forest, Reiner and Bertholdt were now sitting down on the tree branch as it was silent.

"Reiner. You got any water? If I don't get some soon, I'm going to dry up and die." Ymir said, breaking the silence.

"Even if it's a matter of life and death, there's nothing we can do given our situation." Reiner answered.

"He's completely right... This situation couldn't be any shittier." Ymir agreed.

"Speaking of which... Ever since the Titans showed up yesterday morning, we've been working our asses off. With nothing to eat or drink and not even a wink of sleep. Fortunately, the wall wasn't broken or anything. So I think we deserve to take a break for once. We'll see about getting promoted later." Reiner spoke up.

"Reiner..." Bertholdt began.

"What? We've done plenty enough to deserve it. I think we've performed outstandingly, considering all we've been put through. I know soldiers like us are expected to fulfill their duties, but... I think we've all earned it." Reiner stated.

"Reiner... What in the world are you talking about?" Ymir questioned.

"Huh? What do you mean? I'm not saying we go demand to be promoted to captains or anything." Reiner replied.

"That's... not what I mean."

"Oh, yeah. Where did you all get that cannon from? That really saved my ass. It's a good thing Christa helped me after that. To be honest, I think she has a thing for me." Reiner began.

"Hey..."

"Now that I think about, Christa has always treated me especially—"

"Hey!" Eren shouted, interrupting Reiner as he stood up. "You bastard... You've gotta be kidding me."

"Huh? What are you so angry about, Eren? Did I... say something wrong?" Reiner questioned.

"If you want to die, just keep talking!" Eren exclaimed.

"Hold up, Eren. This isn't normal, no matter how you look at it. Isn't that right, Bertholdt?" Ymir asked. "If you know something, quit with the silence and come out and say it."

"Huh?"

"Reiner... You're not... a soldier, remember? You and I... we're warriors." Bertholdt reminded him.

Reiner suddenly widened his eyes as a flashback was shown of him, Bertholdt, and Annie killing someone. And that someone happened to be Marco.

"Right. That's... how it is." Reiner finally responded as he kneeled down and started sobbing.

"Huh? What's he doing?" Eren asked.

"More or less, I think I've figured it out." Ymir spoke up. "I thought it was strange. Why would this guy who broke the wall risk his life to save Connie? Everything he does is contradictory, but he doesn't realize it himself. I don't know why he ended up like this, but probably... He was originally a warrior whose goal was to break the wall, but... after pretending to be a soldier for so long, he lost sight of who he was and couldn't tell which one was real. No... Unable to bear the weight of his sins, he convinced himself he was a soldier protecting the wall to maintain emotional balance within his own heart. And in the end, he believed it. As a result, his heart was split and his memories broken. This must not be the first time Reiner's talked and made no sense... judging by Bertholdt's grim expression."

"It's amazing, really. For someone excessively honest like you to—"

"Enough!" Reiner exclaimed, interrupting her. "Shut your mouth."

"Sorry about that. I might've pried too much." Ymir stated.

"You've gotta be kidding me. Why are you pretending to be the victim here? What's your deal? That day, what the hell were you thinking when you talked to us? Tell me, Bertholdt. I'm talking to you, you damn lackey. I told you everything... while you looked at me right in the eyes. About the day my mother was eaten alive... Isn't that right? Thanks to the piece of wall you kicked that went flying straight into my house, my mother couldn't escape or run away. You remember, right? I told you my story. What were you thinking? What were you thinking when I told you?" Eren questioned.

"Back then... I thought... I felt sorry for you." Bertholdt replied.

"Oh... I see... You guys... are neither soldiers nor warriors. You're just murderers. You're psychotic mass-murderers who've killed countless innocent people and children who never did anything wrong!" Eren said, thinking back to Josiah's story about his childhood friends who got killed in the attack.

"You don't think I know that?!" Reiner exclaimed. "I don't need you to point that out to me!"

"Then don't pretend to have emotions like you're one of us! You guys aren't even human anymore! It's you two who've turned this world into a living hell! Does that make you happy, murderers?!" Eren shouted.

"What are you after by calling us murderers?! Do you want us to regret it? Do you want us to apologize?! Would that give you satisfaction? The people you thought we were no longer exist! If screaming makes you feel better, then scream your damn head off!" Reiner exclaimed.

"That's right... I'm still... too naïve. I've... gotta do what I can. Do what I can... to make you guys... suffer and die in the worst way possible. You've got it coming." Eren stated.

"You can't be serious." Ymir said as Eren looked over at her.

"Huh?"

"Quit it, Eren. If you keep saying childish crap like that, I've got no hope for you."

"Huh?!"

"Hey, Reiner. What's the deal with that monkey?" Ymir asked.

"Monkey? What do you mean?" Reiner questioned.

"Hmm? You don't know? That's surprising, given how much you two stared at it with stars in your eyes like two little brats. That monkey..." Ymir trailed off.

"What's that? A monkey?" Eren questioned.

"Just listen. That monkey Beast Titan is what caused this recent fiasco. It made Titans rise up from within the wall. I wonder if he was trying to assess our strength. That's where these guys are trying to get. If you guys get to him, you'll be able to go back home, right?" Ymir asked as both of their eyes widened.

"You... knew this? What do you know?! Tell me everything!" Eren yelled.

"Just wait. I got circumstances of my own."

"What the hell do you mean by that?!"

"Eren... If you think killing these two will bring an end to everything... you're gravely mistaken." Ymir informed.

"Huh?! Then who's the enemy?!" Eren exclaimed.

"Enemy? If I said that, the—" Ymir began.

"Ymir!" Reiner interrupted her. "Do you think there's any future for this world? If you know so much, think about what you want to do. It's not out of the question for you to join our side."

"And trust you? Yeah, right. You two don't ever trust me." Ymir pointed out.

"Wrong. We can trust you. Because your one goal... is to protect Christa. When it comes to her, we should be able to trust one another. You might think that I'm joking, but... Is it that hard for you to believe that we might want the best for Christa as well? Or... would you rather put your hopes in Eren and rely on him over us?" Reiner asked.

"Huh?!"

"You're probably thinking your best chance is to use Eren to escape from here. Because if you're taken by us, there's little chance for your rescue. To be honest, that's pretty much true. Even if you come with us, we can't guarantee your safety. But if it's Christa we're talking about, we might be able to do something for her. Will it be your petty life... or Christa's future? It's up to you to decide." Reiner said.

"There's no future for this world? Why's that? What's this about a monkey? What's going on?" Eren thinks to himself.

"Hey! Hey, say something! Who's the enemy?! Ymir!" Eren shouted.

Ymir looked over towards Eren. "Who knows..." She responded as Eren gritted his teeth.

"It's settled then. Too bad, Eren." Reiner said as Bertholdt hopped down to join him.

However, before they could do anything, they saw green smoke flares firing in the sky.

"The Scouts... are already..." Bertholdt thinks to himself.

"Dammit!" Reiner exclaimed.

"Shit! Damn you, Ymir. There's just one hour left until sunset." Eren thought.

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A/N: Another chapter is done! I thought that mini interaction with Josiah and Mikasa was needed, so I decided to add it. Thanks for reading!

Word Count: 2661 words.