Content Warnings:

•Season 3 Spoilers
•Season 4 Spoilers
•Strong Language
•Violence
•Blood
•Death

•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•

Flashback

Although you utterly despised going to the Girls Home to learn household chores and whatnot, you really did enjoy growing closer to Katsumi. Ever since you first met, she always made you feel welcomed and heard. Finally, you could sigh a breath of relief and talk about anything on your mind without a worry in the world. Someone was there and understood you. That was all you had wanted and needed.

As the years went on, your best friend became a family member, your sister, basically. You hung out every day, whether that be at the market or her coming over to help with the shop. She would do anything for you and you were more than appreciative. You didn't know how you could ever repay her for all of her kind acts. She also knew about your strange relationship with Tamara, your guide in the Girls Home. Even she agreed that the strawberry-blonde woman was a bit of an oddball. She was nice but also a villain behind closed doors. Why was that? The only answer you two could figure out was some type of weird personality but who would even know her true intentions?

Apart from your father's crazy girlfriend, Katsumi supported you through and through. Even if you wanted to do something that was probably, most definitely, dumb, she would be there for you. She knew that whatever you needed to do, it was for your own peace and she wouldn't blame you at all. A good person like her was hard to come by in the cruel world you resided in but you were grateful for her presence everyday.

The day you told her about the Scouts, she smiled and hugged you, glad you figured out what it was you wanted to get out of life. "What do I do about my dad, though?" You had asked when the realization struck. Katsumi simply looked at you with her gleaming caramel eyes and laughed. She knew you always thought about him and his feelings so it was no surprise to her. "I won't question his love for you but..." Katsumi paused. "I know he'll want the best for you, always." Her words made you feel a bit better but you also knew that it would be a long and hard process to convince him if you did decide to actually go. "I already know what you're thinking because he's a tough cookie. Do what's best in your heart, Y/n. You'll know what to do, you always seem to know." Her smile always made you feel relaxed, she was the only person you could confide in without judgement. Your selflessness wanted to join the Scouts to give everyone a better life, one that they deserved. You could not understand how humanity continued to live behind decades of restraints when freedom was so close.

Flashback End

"Y/n! Wake up!" A voice brings you out of your blacked-out state. "Shit, its bad!" The same voice curses, tightly holding onto your right arm. "What... the hell happened?" You mumble, hardly remembering a thing after Bertholdt escaped Mikasa. "Debris hit you and left a big gash on your head and arm." You recognize the voice as Sasha's. Blinking through your spotted vision, you look down to see your cloak ripped and wrapped around your trembling arm, soaked and stained in blood. "How's your head feeling?" The brunette girl asks, checking it over. "Numb." You whisper, not even feeling her tighten the fabric wrapped around your forehead. "Thank you, Sasha." You say quietly with a sigh, still processing everything. "No worries but you have a really slow reaction time." She lightly jokes, making you grin the tiniest bit.

"Mikasa! Armin!" You hear Jean exclaim when the sound of their wires whizz by. Looking up and over the pitch of the roof in front of you, the Colossal Titan tosses burning debris around, spreading fires throughout the city. Suddenly, a pile of debris lands on top of a house next to your hiding place, completely crushing it flat. "A-Armin! The fire! Your orders?!" Conny panics, not even trying to hide his fear. "Hurry it up!" Sasha shouts, making the blonde even more anxious. "Jean, can you take my place?" Armin asks once he makes a decision. Everyone turns to face Armin in a bit of surprise. "I just have no idea what to do..." He mumbles. "I was wrong reading Bertholdt, and look where it got us. Jean, you're better suited for this!" Now, turning to face Jean for his answer, he ultimately complies with the order. "Everyone abroad Eren! Conserve your gas!" Jean commands.

Sasha is kind enough to help you onto Eren's shoulder and after generously thanking her, you hang onto the Titan boy while he sneaks through the crumbled streets of Shiganshina. While watching from a new hiding spot, you all wait for the right moment to gain the Colossal's attention so he doesn't interfere with the other squads in Wall Maria. As soon as he gets closer, Jean states the next set of orders. "Yell at him, Eren! Don't let Bertholdt get any closer to the Wall!" Jean shouts. Then, Eren let's out a loud roar, enough to get Bertholdt to look. "He noticed!" The sandy-brunette exclaims but his attitude immediately changes when Bertholdt doesn't pursue him, instead, continuing towards the Wall. "What?! That bastard's ignoring us!" Jean exclaims. "Hey! What now, Jean?! At this rate-" Conny gets cut-off. "I know!" Jean shouts, interrupting him. "Eren! Go stop his lanky legs!"

As Eren charges for the Colossal to divert his direction away from the Wall, Conny begins to worry about the plan again. "But still, how the hell are we gonna defeat him?!" He shouts over the Titan's destruction. "His gusts of hot steam make our ODM Gear useless! Right?!" Sasha openly asks, eyes suddenly widening as she turns to you. "Y/n! It would be useless... right?!" She tries her best to keep her composure. Suddenly, all eyes are on you, being the star of the mechanics show. "Considering I don't know how hot the Colossal's body temperature is, it would probably hinder the user more-so than the gear itself. Since the wires are made of steel, they can withstand about 1,370 degrees Celsius. (About 2,500°F) Technically, it should withstand the heat but latching the anchors will be near impossible, considering the muscle won't hold them forever." You answer, noticing Armin nod, taking note of that.

"We've gotta figure out his weakness!" Jean shouts. "I'll do it. You guys distract him. Conny, your Thunder Spear." Mikasa says very calmly. "R-Right!" Conny quickly detaches it from his arm. "Armin, we need you to observe from afar, so quit your moping. We gotta believe there's a way to beat him!" Jean tells Armin. As Eren rounds a corner, heading straight for Bertholdt's leg, Jean waits for the exact second to split. "Now! Scatter!" He yells, taking off on his ODM Gear. Taking off on your own, you land on a roof not too far away but enough to keep you at a safe distance. Turning around, you hear the others gasp. "H-He's shoving him!" Sasha exclaims. "Go, Eren! Knock him over!" Conny screams, encouraging him. Getting a closer look, you almost believe it for a second. "He's... no... he's not shoving him!" You mutter, flinching when you hear a loud crash in the distance. Once the dust settles, you all gasp at the sight of Eren collapsed on top of Wall Maria. You should have known he was no match for the Colossal.

"Eren!" Mikasa cries out, incredibly worried for the boy. "Let's go on and attack!" You hear Jean yell, shooting his anchors out towards the Colossal. "He doesn't know about Thunder Spears yet! Conny, Sasha, Y/n and I will distract him! Mikasa will strike in the opening!" Jean heads closer to his face. You all follow behind him, ready to do your part. "Hey, moron! I'll poke out your stupid eyes!" He threatens. "You huge idiot!" Conny snarls. "You massive pervert lord!" Sasha takes her turn. They don't sound very threatening. You decide to stay silent, letting the anger on your face and in your death stare say it all. This isn't going to work. As soon as Mikasa appears behind Bertholdt, he quickly releases steam, causing both of her Thunder Spears to blow away and explode. Eventually, the steam warms his muscle enough to cause your anchors to wiggle free, no longer hanging onto him.

Landing back on a roof after being burnt by the Colossal again, you notice Mikasa's been injured. "I'm fine. A bit of shrapnel from the Thunder Spears got me." You hear her tell Armin. Unfortunately, he still hasn't been able to come up with a counterattack either. All of a sudden, you hear a crash followed by loud footsteps. Looking over your shoulder, you spot the Armored Titan come into view. You begin to question your life and if today will ever see the night or if it will all end beforehand. How the hell are you going to make it out alive now?

"What the hell do we do... against something like that?!" Jean mutters, stressing himself out from trying to think of what to do next. "Hey, Armin... I think having Eren escape is the best we can do." He then says, looking up at the blonde who stands on the pitch of the roof. "He's thinner..." Is all Armin says, confusing you all. "The Colossal Titan has gotten skinnier. Its just like Hange said! The Colossal Titan is weak in a battle of attrition! Remember Eren's experiments? He could only transform up to three times. If that's the case for a 15-meter Titan, a 60-meter one might be less efficient! And there's his steam attack too! I bet it's consuming everything except his skeleton to produce that steam!" He's gotten onto something. All of it sounds logical.

"So what are you saying?" Jean questions. "I have a plan. You all need to draw Reiner away. Eren and I will defeat Bertholdt ourselves. The two of us can win and I'm going to prove it." Armin says sternly, expression matching his tone of voice. As crazy as he sounds, you have to trust him on this plan. After thinking it over for a moment, Mikasa stands back up. "All right. Leave Reiner to the rest of us." She complies. "Took long enough, dummy. I really thought we were goners." Jean grins to which you elbow his ribs for the name. The sandy-brunette sarcastically glares at you for a moment before you five take off on your ODM Gear to go after Reiner.

While heading towards the Armored Titan, Jean goes over Armin's plan for Sasha and Conny who have yet to hear how it will be executed. "We just need to keep Reiner away from them if we can! Let's keep him occupied from a safe distance!" Jean orders, leading the charge. "Roger!" You all follow along, staring straight at the Armored Titan as he charges for you. However, he runs straight past you, causing your eyes to grow twice in size. "He ignored us?!" Jean furrows his brows. "That jerk! He's changing his focus to Eren?!" He mumbles, watching Reiner bolt towards his Titan. "We'll just have to kill him!" Mikasa shouts, acting on impulse as she changes direction, heading for Reiner again.

Quickly following after her, you hear a Thunder Spear go off, realizing she had aimed one for the back of his knee, causing him to collapse to the ground. "We've only got three Thunder Spears left!" Conny informs them. "We've gotta try anyways! 'Cuz unless we fight, we can't win!" Sasha interrupts. Surrounding Reiner on rooftops as he stays on the ground, Mikasa looks over at you. "Y/n, give me your last Thunder Spear." She returns her gaze to the Armored Titan. Complying, you remove the weapon from your arm, passing it over. Once she takes it, you notice the Armored Titan stare straight at you but you choose to ignore it. Once ready, Jean takes the lead by playing decoy, acting as if he is the initial attacker but Conny and Sasha charge in at the same time, readying their final Thunder Spears. Firing them into his jaw, you realize one of them misses and Sasha gets injured in the process. Fortunately, Conny is quick enough to grab her, safely returning her to a roof. Now, Mikasa is the one to go in for the kill by launching the final Thunder Spear in his mouth.

"Mikasa, its too risky!" You hear Conny shout at her. "No, its perfect!" She replies, about to go in when suddenly, Section Commander Hange appears to throw a Thunder Spear into Reiner's jaw. "Now's your chance, Mikasa!" They shout, backing away to give her the final blow. Landing inside his mouth, Mikasa throws her Thunder Spear down his throat and pulls the trigger. Off in the distance, after Reiner is blown out of his Titan, you hear rumbling from the Colossal. Looking up, you see it slowly fall to its knees, dust and debris making visibility low.
.•.
•.•
.•.
•.•
Searching for Eren and Armin, you eventually spot a group on a roof in the distance. When you look up, your breath hitches at the sight. Armin's body lays across the pitch, completely burned and not moving at all, next to Bertholdt who's missing his limbs and unconscious. On top of it all, Mikasa is pinning down Captain Levi who holds the box containing the injection, probably fighting for who will receive it between your severely injured Commander and Armin. Section Commander Hange quickly pulls Mikasa back before she completely acts on her emotions, Jean, Conny, and Sasha following right behind you. "You can't be serious..." Section Commander Hange mumbles, voice shaking.

As Captain Levi pulls out the injection, Mikasa screams in agony with tears streaming down her face. "Mikasa! You have to know how much we need Erwin! We can't let the flames of hope extinguish inside the Walls!" Section Commander Hange shouts, trying to rationalize with her. "But... Armin could do that too!" She sobs. "Its true, Armin is exceptional but he doesn't have Erwin's experience and leadership! There are people I want to bring back too. Hundreds of them." They pause for a moment.

Flashing before you, you view Moblit's last moments from the Section Commander's position. Quietly keeping to yourself, you watch the fear in his eyes leave as soon as the debris catches up to him, washing him away like a storm. You never imagined such a kind person like him would be caught in the fire so soon. When the vision fades, you glance towards the two, seeing his baby blue figure kneel beside them, resting a hand on Section Commander Hange's back. All of his dying energy goes into comforting them and the fact that he was able to spare his life for them. He was beyond grateful for the opportunity, protecting and serving them for as long as he did. Times like this make your life so difficult because all you want is to bring peace to either side, whether they are the living or the dead.

If only I could let them know.

"I've had to say farewell since the day I joined the Scouts. But... you know, don't you? No matter who it is, there comes a day to say farewell. I know its impossible, but you have to accept this. There will be times you can't keep your sanity. Its tough. Very tough. I know. Even so, we have to keep moving forward." They say gently, hugging her. After Eren's final attempt at convincing Captain Levi to inject Armin, he orders everyone to leave so the Commander can eat Bertholdt and steal his powers. Following commands, you leave with the others, looking back one last time at Armin.

A shock-like pinch surges through your system, causing you to flinch as you see his once lively face again. Only this time, red marks cover his complexion, resembling Bertholdt's. At that moment, you already know what is about to happen. Captain Levi will choose Armin instead.

As soon as Armin transforms into a pure Titan, he climbs back onto the roof, grabbing Bertholdt's now conscious body. Screaming and thrashing around, the brunette male catches a glimpse of you all nearby, his breath hitching in his throat. You catch the desperate flash of hope in his terrified eyes, immediately fading once he realizes what he's done and that none of you are going to help. "Guys! Help me!" His screams ring throughout the city of Shiganshina. Intensely watching, void of any emotion, Armin brings Bertholdt up to his mouth, opening wide enough for him. "Annie! Reiner-!" His final words leave chills covering your body. Even though you are completely numb and immune to death, it still feels surreal to witness. Watching as Bertholdt's spirit parts his once-living body, you bite your cheek hard, hoping he won't seek revenge on the other side now that he has crossed over. You only hope he seeks peace and forgiveness for his actions.

Feeling a presence emerge behind you, you turn around to see your superiors on a different roof, looking down upon the Commander's body. Another transparent blue man appears, sitting up from his physical body. Once standing, he turns to face his comrades, raising his restored right arm to salute to them, understanding that Captain Levi made the right choice for who received the injection. Intently watching, the Commander eventually notices you, steadily looking up to meet your gentle gaze. With his own slightly surprised expression, he holds his salute, recognizing that you can see him. Without hesitation, you raise your bloody right arm as well, fist over your heart to salute back to your fallen Commander, mirroring his stance.

Jean takes notice in your peculiar posture, leisurely glazing over to the other roof to see the small crowd around the Commander's body. "He's gone." You whisper to him without looking, continuing to show your respect to Commander Erwin. Seeing Jean nod in acknowledgment, he gets up with the others to retrieve Armin from his Titan. Just then, dozens of more soldiers show up behind Commander Erwin, joining his salute. Scanning the large crowd, you recognize a few faces of the people you knew for a very short time, including Marlo, who was recruited for this mission. "Thank you." You mouth before the Commander's spirit gradually vanishes to finally be at rest after a long and strenuous battle. Eventually, the others follow suit, finding their new home in the afterlife. Maybe the Commander will find comfort with his late father, you wonder.

You stand still for moments even after they have all departed, seeming like a million thoughts are on your mind and also feeling completely blank. This strange in-between is only temporary when you drop your arms, looking down at your worn boots. You promise to make their sacrifices worth it by fighting until the very end. Every step matters and you're more than willing to give your own life if it means your comrades will find victory. "We'll make you proud." The words float off your tongue as you eventually head back to the Wall, meeting with the other nine remaining Scouts.
.•.
•.•
.•.
•.•
The moment Armin wakes up, Eren tells him all about the end of the mission, explaining why Captain Levi chose him to get the injection. As shocked as he is, he comes to terms with it, even if he does feel guilty for taking the late Commander's place. Now, being ordered to stay and rest on the Wall, Eren, Mikasa, Captain Levi, and Section Commander Hange set out to find Eren's home and discover what truly lies behind his basement door.

Looking down upon the empty and destroyed city, a simple blink is enough to bring it back to life in your detailed imagination. Looking brand-new again, children run through the streets with wide smiles, and merchants wave down any customer they can get. Life looks normal. The way it should be. Eventually, you spot much more youthful versions of your comrades, running off towards the riverbank to check out a book Armin had. The innocent sight brings a smile to your face as you enjoy the temporary purity, reminiscing something you never even participated in.

Then, everything fades back into the gloomy present. There are no more children or merchants, just foliage covering half of the entirely demolished city people once called home. At this time, you sense Eren approaching his basement and eventually making his way inside. It seems that hundreds of flashes spin through your head in a matter of seconds, barely able to focus on just one of those visions. The only one that did stick out enough was a Wall. Not a Wall from your home, but one much further away that served a different purpose. What was the meaning of it? Is there a particular reason for it? You'll find out some day soon. You just have a feeling.

•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•

Words: 3,542

01/03/22
A shorter chapter as we near the time-skip where much more will happen. Apologies for the lack of Levi interactions but more will be coming once we get to the next arc, I have a lot planned, without giving too much away. As always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and happy new year! Until the next chapter.

~AlpineBreadStick