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

edited on december 27th, 2021 @ 12:55pm

»»————-　★　————-««

»»————-　★　————-««

┏━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓

𝓒𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝚃𝚆𝙴𝙽𝚃𝚈-𝙾𝙽𝙴,
𝓞𝙿𝙴𝙽𝙸𝙽𝙶.

┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┛

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

"Section Commander, don't worry..." Oliver thought. "We're coming!"

Back in the forest were Reiner, Bertholdt, Eren, Simon, and Ymir. "Seems you're finally awake... Section Commander." Reiner said to Simon as 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."

"Same here." Simon sighed, seeing as his arm was slowly regenerating.

"Ymir... Section Commander... 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." Simon 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." Ymir added on.

"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 three looked up at them. "You three 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.

"Believe it or not, this bastard's telling the truth, Eren." Simon replied.

"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 Section Commander 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?" Simon 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."

"And what if the Scouts find us before then?" Simon asked.

"Then we'll have to fight our way out."

Simon chuckled darkly. "Going up against a Regiment that was trained to kill Titans. Sure, I'd like to see you try." He stated. "I'm a very important person within the Scouts, Reiner. Not to mention my squad is probably coming as we speak. I did pick them out singlehandedly after all."

Reiner stayed silent after Simon's claim.

"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."

»»————-　★　————-««

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.

"Oliver..." Dillon spoke up as the brunette glanced over. "I know you're worried, but Simon wouldn't allow himself to be taken away like that. You know all the shit he's been through. He's not going down without a fight."

"Yeah... I know." Oliver replied. "Still... I can't help but worry about him."

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.

"I think he's forgotten what he's done..." Simon thought. "Does he have a split personality or some shit? Honestly, I'm getting too old for this."

"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. Not to mention Section Commander took the hit for me." Reiner spoke up.

"I'm slowly starting to regret my choice." Simon muttered.

"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 as Simon grabbed his shoulder.

"Oi, Eren. It's obvious he's not in his right mind." Simon warned.

"I don't care!" Eren responded. He knew Simon was still his superior no matter what situation they were in, so he still had some sort of respect as he gently took Simon's hand off of him and glared at Reiner.

"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. Section Commander seems to already know."

"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." Simon spoke up. "I thought it was strange. 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 him. "Shut your mouth."

"But there's something I don't get. Can you explain something to me?" Simon continued. "In one of my memories, my father told me not to trust anyone except the Ackermans. You wouldn't happen to know anything about what he meant, do you, Reiner?"

Reiner was silent as he didn't answer. "Man, what a bummer, and here I was thinking you would know what he meant by that." Simon sighed in disappointment.

"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 who never did anything wrong!" Eren said.

"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.

"Man, I'm so over this fragile masculinity showing." Simon spoke up, getting everyone's attention. "Reiner, Bertholdt. I know it's not much. But let me talk to Erwin, all right? I can pull some strings with him, and if you're lucky, all will be forgiven. You don't have to do this, you know? You guys were both kids when the fall of Wall Maria happened, and I know that won't justify your actions. But what's important is that you're old enough to where you can make a choice."

Bertholdt looked over at the gray haired male, surprised at his words while Reiner just stared at him. "Section Commander, what are you—" Eren began.

"Everyone deserves second chances, Eren. Even them." Simon interrupted before looking back up at Reiner and Bertholdt. "I'm not saying you have to decide now, but give it some thought, okay?"

"Even after all that's happened... He really wants to offer us a second chance?" Bertholdt thinks to himself. "And they said the Laurent clan was just as ruthless as the Ackermans back home which is why they were sent to Paradis... Section Commander isn't like that."

"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.

"From my knowledge, he's also a Titan shifter, right?" Simon added on as both Reiner and Bertholdt's eyes widened. "That bastard killed Miche. He'll also get what's coming to him when we meet again..." He added in his head.

"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.

"She's right." Simon agreed.

"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.

Reiner then turned to Simon. "You as well, Section Commander. You're married to Captain Levi, right? You'd do anything to protect him, would you?" He asked.

"Huh?" Simon managed to get out. "Levi doesn't need protecting. Hell, he can slice you in his sleep. Whatever you're trying to do may work on Ymir. But it sure as hell ain't gonna work on me."

"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, Section Commander." 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.

"Seems like the Scouts are here. Man, took them long enough..." Simon muttered.

"Dammit!" Reiner exclaimed.

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

»»————-　★　————-««

A/N: Another chapter is done! And yes, Simon is an understanding character who is willing to offer Reiner and Bertholdt a second chance, because in his eyes he was given a second chance by Erwin. But you will see throughout season three and four that it drastically changes.

Thanks for reading!

Word Count: 3036 words.