'Just Be' [Jean x Tsundere!Reader] - Part 30

---'Just Be': Part 30---

The Rogue Titan lay in a collapsed, mangled heap against the giant stone.  In the moment of mankind's greatest need, Eren had failed to maintain control of his Titan form, once again casting doubt that his abilities were ever valuable in the first place.  Even the Elite Soldiers of the Garrison were quickly losing faith in the humanity's so-called most advanced weapon. Of course, that was assuming that such a project even existed in the first place, and was not just a last-ditch sham by Pixis to persuade the troops to stand their ground.  They had all invested their faith and their lives in some fool boy who was probably more a freakish monster than human.  Was this how they were to be repaid? All he had done was cause more harm than help.

Squad Leader Ian Dietrich was at a loss.  Commander Pixis had assigned him to call the shots in this operation, and yet Rico and Mitabi were begging him to order a retreat.  There was nothing else they could do, they argued.  The plan had been a risky gamble to begin with, and it was only natural that things would become chaotic sooner or later  The only viable choice now would be to leave Eren to his fate and run for the Walls.  

Needless to say, this did not sit well with Mikasa.

... But luckily for her and Eren, there was a reason why Pixis had chosen Ian to command the Elite Squad.  Sure, his ability to distinguish fine liquor from common piss-water was one reason, but that wasn't the only one.  In order to keep the fight going, one must be willing to sacrifice an insurmountable number of lives without batting an eyelid.  There can be no hesitation, no misgivings, and no guilt.  Pixis had given the reins to Ian, knowing full well that the man had what it took to do just that.

To give up now would mean complete resignation to the fact that the soldiers who had already fallen had done so in vain.  That was by no means acceptable.

And so, the Elite Squad remained to deal with the Titans that were converging on the incapacitated Eren.  Mikasa remained by his side, ever the stalwart guardian.  The plan would proceed as normal.  The only problem left, of course, was the fact that Eren was trapped inside the heavily damaged body of the Rogue Titan.

That was when Armin showed up, and immediately took matters into his own hands.  He affixed his wires to the nape and drew his sword, taking aim with cold precision.  One meter long... ten centimeters wide! Eren would have to bear it, because what Armin was about to administer was about to fucking hurt.

A blade was driven a meter deep, off-center of the spine, right into the Rogue Titan's nape.

"UWROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!"

The roars and thrashes that followed were enough to send a resonant quake throughout the entire city, causing a stir amongst the troops who were near enough to sense it.  That sound of a savage beast's pain and fury was enough to send a chill of fear through your blood.  Whatever Armin had planned... You could only hope that it would work, and fast.

In the meantime, you nervously descended into the city of death and chaos once more.   Your new squad was a motley crew of Cadets and Garrison soldiers, all hastily organized and deployed into the front lines.  Time was of the essence if humanity was to protect the greatest instrument to their victory.  Unable to move, unable to regenerate, and unable to leave his Titan body, Eren was sitting prey.  You had to hurry.

Dropping from higher altitude, you touched ground.  The moment your feet hit the stone tiles of the street, you immediately starved for the safety of Wall Rose.  This scene of destruction, death, and splattered blood was all too familiar.  You trembled with fear.  Your face whirled around in circles at the slightest shadow or movement out of the corner of your eye.  Tremors vibrated against your feet, shaking your balance.  The Titans were on the march.  Down here on the ground, you would be next to useless in a confrontation...

Jean landed next to you, his eyes also wide with fear.  The moment he saw you freaking out, he yelled at you, snapping you out of your trance.

"The hell are you waiting for? Move it before they see us!" he hissed, urging you along.  "We have to get to the rendezvous point!"

You didn't need to be told twice.  Hearing giant footsteps turning the corner, you immediately sprinted for the buildings.

Marco was already there when the two of you arrived.

"In here!" he called, gesturing frantically.  "Hurry!"

You and Jean dove out of the open street and into the corridor.  Marco followed right after.

"Take cover!"

A small group of people were already present, including Connie and Annie.  The lot of you quickly moved further back into the shadows for cover.

...The Titan began to shamble right by the alleyway entrance, taking its sweet, leisurely time.  The wait was agonizing, but eventually those terrifying footsteps began to fade.   The Titan wandered away, never noticing you.  You could finally breathe again.

Jean wiped a bead of sweat away from his forehead.  You pressed your back flat against the wall, catching your breath.

"Did everyone make it?" the Captain from the Garrison asked.  He was the one who was leading you and your company.

You and Jean glanced around, checking for missing faces.  Marco was there, standing at attention.  So were Annie and Connie, as well as a handful of Garrison forces.  Everyone was accounted for.  

"Very well," the Captain nodded, satisfied.  "Let's keep this short, then."

You listened intently as the Captain began the briefing.  All the while, you did your best to ignore the sounds of chaos and battle pouring in from the streets outside.  Jean leaned his back against the wall, narrowing his eyes towards the corridor entrance in an ever watchful manner.  

"Listen up," the Captain commanded. "Until there is any update on the situation concerning Cadet Jaeger and the Elite Unit, we must continue the luring operation.  Our objective is to keep the Titans from wandering away from the corner.  Draw them in, but keep a safe distance.  It is imperative that you avoid combat whenever possible.  Understood?"

"Sir!" You all chorused.

This seemed reasonable enough.  Neither of you were eager to engage the Titans in battle.  So long as you didn't have to worry about actually killing your targets, the better you could concentrate on more important matters.  Like staying alive, for instance.

With that, the Captain continued on.

"The Cadet Unit will split off into smaller groups and comb the district on foot.  Once you grab their attention, run straight for the Wall and climb.  Be bold, but don't be reckless with your lives.  On the off-chance that any of the targets wander off on their own, the Garrison Unit will step in and eliminate them."

You and Marco gave each other perplexed looks.  Was it really that simple?

Jean stood next to you.  Scowling, the boy lowered his chin and muttered under his breath.  "On the 'off-chance'? Give me a break. I'd say the likelihood is far stronger than that..."

You sensed his apprehension.  Clearly he disagreed with the strategy being employed, and you knew he had a point.  This was nothing like the operation back at Military Headquarters.  The battlefield was far too chaotic and unpredictable to ensure that the Titans would remain affixed to only one target at a time.  Quite frankly, you found yourself trusting Jean's judgment more than you did the Garrison's.  If he was the one leading instead, you'd have felt much safer.

"Something you want to add to the briefing, Cadet Kirschtein?" the Captain asked him sharply.

"No, Sir." Jean relented.  Even though he didn't argue, you could tell that none of this sat well with him.

"Captain. A question," you raised your hand.  Something was bothering you as well. Greatly, in fact.  "Will we not be using our 3D Maneuvering Gear in this operation?"

Connie and Jean exchanged dissatisfied glances.  Like you, they were both specialists in aerial mobility.  Neither of them were pleased to know that they would be forced to encounter the Titans on the ground rather than in the air, their home turf.  Quite frankly, you shared their misgivings.  With swordsmanship no longer being an option for you, 3D Maneuvering was by far your only asset for survival!  If you couldn't even use that...

"Unfortunately, our forces are having trouble keeping the three-to-seven meter Titans under control," the Captain explained.  "The most effective way to get their attention would be to confront them on foot.  It'll be a pain, but you'll just have to bear it.  The Garrison Unit on the rooftops will keep you covered from any taller enemies."  

You nodded.  But like Jean, you harbored your own doubts.  It seemed like such an unfair trade-off of risk just to run this operation on the ground, where you would be scrabbling around haphazardly on foot.  You were of the opinion that your abilities were far more effective in the air.  But what could you do? Orders were orders.  Surely the veterans knew what they were doing.  ...Right?

"There's another item of note," the Captain informed you.  "Our scouts from the Garrison report that there's an especially dangerous Aberrant that's active in the adjacent quadrant.  Approximate size is thirteen meters.  Abnormal behaviours include crawling on all fours, leaping through the air, and scaling buildings.  Also, it is reported to be extremely fast and agile."  His face went grim.  "... Apparently, it has proven to be cunning enough to wipe out an entire squad on its own."

Your eyes went wide with shock and disbelief.

"Shit," Jean murmured, looking ill at ease.  "... A Crawler.  Those things are seriously bad news.  If we encounter one on the ground, we're all as good as dead.  It's downright impossible to outrun them on foot."

"But if this one is capable of leaping off the ground and climbing buildings..." you said, looking horrified.  "...Then not even the airborne soldiers are safe."

"Captain, what is the current situation on the Aberrant?" Marco asked worriedly.  "Is there any chance we may encounter it during our luring operation?"

"The chances are slim, but they're there all the same," the Captain admitted, looking troubled.  "Be on your guard.  If you spot it, take evasive action.  Do not engage. We have an entire unit dispatched to deal with it as we speak.  If the Garrison can't neutralize the threat, then the best we can hope to do is to hold out until the Recon Corps return from their expedition."

Of course, you thought.  If anyone can slay an Aberrant like that, it would definitely have to be Humanity's Strongest Soldier, Lance Corporal Levi.

The only question was how long it would take for him to actually get here and deal with the monster before it took its rampage to another level.  Your body grew tense.  The fact that such a dangerous and terrifying monster was on the prowl somewhere on the streets of your hometown was enough to set every survival instinct on edge.  

"Sir." Annie raised her hand. "Permission to act independently in a life-threatening situation?"

"If that will neutralize the danger, then yes.  Permission granted," the Captain said simply.  It was more than obvious where that question stemmed from.

Annie looked more or less satisfied with this.  No surprise, you were certain that she was going to do whatever it took to survive, orders be damned.  And yet, for someone so intent on preserving her own life, she didn't look the least bit afraid.  An enigma right to the end, it seemed.  Whether or not she felt genuine fear or sadness, it was always difficult to tell.  That mask of cold apathy revealed absolutely nothing.

Of course, you knew better.  Catching her eye, you offered her an encouraging smile.  Throwing you a sharp gaze, she scowled at you irritably and averted her eyes in that usual standoffish manner.  Haha.  Right.  As if she needed something like that, especially from a fool like you.

You took a deep breath, willing yourself to stay focused.  You were the one who needed some manner of reassurance right now, not her.  Luckily Marco was there to provide it.  He gave your shoulder a squeeze, to help you ease your nerves.  It would have worked, had you not been so worried about his safety as well, along with that of everyone else.  You dreaded to think that any of you could wind up dead, hurt, or missing by the end of the day...

Connie was itching to move.  You could tell from the way he shifted nervously from heel to heel in a light bounce, ready to leap into the fray at the first signal.  It was clear that the kid lived for action, and stubbornly refused to sit around doing nothing, even if the only other option was to put himself in danger.  ...You could only hope that his recklessness wouldn't wind up killing him today.

Jean stood next to you, mulling quietly with a tense expression on his face.  You could tell that he was furiously running over a million contingency plans at once, on the 'off-chance' that something would go wrong.  That was Jean at his best - always preparing for the worst.

You nudged him with an elbow, jolting him out of his thoughts.  He glared at you irritably.  In response, you flashed him a familiar shit-eating grin.  

"Best be careful," you warned him teasingly.  "Think any harder and you might just give yourself an aneurysm."

"Don't even fucking joke," Jean snapped lightly, though you could tell he didn't mean it.  He sighed, looking stressed.  "Honestly, though.  I'm giving myself enough of a migraine worrying over you and Marco, and now I've got this shit to deal with.  ... And yeah, I know I'm griping again.  I swear to you, I'm trying to deal with this as best I can."

You believed him.  Few people were taking this war more seriously than Jean was right now, and you knew it.

He lowered his voice to a discontented mutter.  "This plan is way too reckless.  There's too much risk involved in a ground-based operation like this, and we'll lose our mobility if our use of the 3D Maneuvering Gear is restricted.  I mean, what if that Aberrant shows up and we can't avoid it?"  

"If that happens, we'll have to deal with it however we can," you told him.  "I know you hate gambling with your life, Jean, but sometimes you just have to toss your plans aside and improvise.  Rely on gut instinct."

"I don't know, [First]..." Jean grimaced.  "We don't have to skills to deal with so many Titans at once, let alone an Aberrant, and there's only so much I'm willing to bank on gut instinct."  His voice grew quiet.  "If something goes wrong this time, one of us might seriously die for real.  I just... I just wish we had a surefire way to prevent that."

"Jean... everything's been going wrong ever since the gate was breached," Marco reminded him, ever the voice of reason.  "But we've managed to survive this far, haven't we? That's proof enough that we have what it takes to handle whatever comes our way, no matter how dangerous it is."

He continued to encourage the both of you.  "Don't forget, you two... we're almost there.  We longer we hold out, the better chances we have at stopping this invasion.  All we have to do is to trust ourselves and survive one more time.  If we can do that, we'll be saved."

You were struck with amazement. Those words painted everything in a different light.  '...We'll be saved.'  Nothing was as hopeless as it seemed.  Even if you were to fall into the very depths of Hell, the three of you had the power to save yourselves.  It was so easy to forget when things were at their worst.  But, Marco never failed to remind you both.  Sometimes, you felt as though he believed in you and Jean, even more than the two of you believed in yourselves.

It wasn't enough to pray for a miracle.  In order to unfold, the miracle would have to be forged from your own hands.  

Looking at Jean, you could tell that he was going through the same realization.  For someone plagued with this much self-doubt and uncertainty, Jean probably needed to hear those words even more than you did.  Your eyes met with his.  That was when you both remembered.

That's right... We both made a promise to Marco.  There's no other choice but to survive, and fulfill it.

If there was ever a reason worth fighting for, there was that alone.

The buildings overhead suddenly shook as something began crashing its way into the street, sending a wake of tremors.  You all looked up, started.  Twin pillars of smoke exploded into the sky just beyond the next row of buildings.  The Titans were coming.  

"That's your cue, Jean!" you warned.  "Get ready to run."

"Damn it, [First]! I know," he hissed, looking as tense as ever.  He met your worried look with a firm stare.  "I'll be fine.  I can do this."

"Don't forget," Marco told him. "We'll be following right after you."

You nodded in agreement.  Jean nodded at you both, full of gratitude.  "Stay alive.  Both of you."

You all looked up as the footsteps grew suddenly louder.  Your heart was pounding.  Time to run for dear life.

"Here they come!" the Captain shouted.  "Squad Kirschtein, take point and move out!"

"Sir!" Jean shouted in earnest, arming himself with his blades.  Once the coast was clear, he sprinted out of the alleyway and into the open street.  Connie Springer and Annie Leonhardt followed after, running right at his heels.  Together, they disappeared around the corner.

You and Marco lined up behind the corridor entrance, drawing your blades.  You wanted so badly to run after Jean, but orders were orders.  The Cadet Unit was required to split off into two teams.  You and Marco were assigned to the second group that was to sortie after Jean.  Your signal had yet to arrive.

You gritted your teeth impatiently, listening as Jean shouted out orders to the rest of his team.  Apparently they had encountered their first Titan and were letting it give chase.  How long would you have to wait before you could run out and assist him?!

...Not too long, actually.  In fact, the telltale plodding of giant feet told you that a Titan was not far off from where you were standing.

At last, the Captain gave your cue to act.  "Second team, move out!"

Finally!

Without hesitation, you and Marco sprung out of the shadows and into the sunlit street, racing full-speed into the wide open area...

"Watch out!"

You and Marco scattered.  

SMASH.

Your reflexes shot into gear as a huge and monstrous foot slammed into ground right next to you, kicking up a storm of broken cobblestones.  Mind numb with panic, you threw yourself to the side, hit the ground, and rolled back up to your feet.  

Your first thought.  Was it the Aberrant? No, that can't be right...

Instinctively, you looked up and found yourself staring into the grinning and grotesque face of a six-meter Titan.  Not the Aberrant, but close enough to be a genuine threat.  Its hand grasped out for you, throwing a shadow over your form.  Shit...!

"[First]!"

Your eyes widened as Marco darted out in front of you, driving his blade right in the center of the Titan's palm and leaving it embedded there.  The Titan immediately flinched and retracted its arm, letting out a groan.

"Hurry!" Marco urged you, grabbing you by the arm.  

Without wasting a second more, the two of you raced down the street and turned a sharp corner.  In your haste, you skidded and nearly fell over, but somehow you managed to maintain your balance.  The sound of furious footfalls at your back grew terrifyingly close.  Looking over your shoulder, you could see that the Titan was zeroing in at rapid pace.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit!!" you yelled, terror mounting.  "We got ourselves a fast one, Marco!"  

"Don't look back, just run!" Marco shouted, turning pale beneath his freckles.  "Get to the Wall, whatever it takes!"  The two of you turned another corner.  Unable to slow down, you crashed into the side of a building, but used it to push off and keep running.  It was bruising, but at least it gave you momentum.

The Titan let out a rumbling growl right behind you, refusing to let up the chase.

Your feet pounded against the bricks below as you struggled to maintain distance against the Titan.  Little by little, it began to catch up.  The hot wake of steam burned the back of your neck.  It was getting too close, too fast...!  Unless you switched to your 3D Gear, you'd never be able to reach the Wall in time!

A bead of sweat fell into your eyes, blinding you partially.  That was when you noticed a human-shaped blur moving right past you in the opposite direction.  You looked over your shoulder.

You gasped in shock.  "Jean?!"

He was running straight for the Titan, blades extended, a furious expression on his face.  His sudden appearance caught the creature off guard.  As he sprinted closer, Jean brought himself low and skidded against the ground, changing direction mid-run and dodging the fingers that lunged out to grab him.  Weaving between the Titan's feet and racing past, he refused to stop until he was a good distance behind.

"Who the hell are you watching?!" he taunted, firing his cables into the rear of the Titan's ankle.   He retracted them, flying back like a slingshot.  As he blazed past, his blades cleaved out a sizeable chunk of the monster's Achilles tendon, causing it to stumble mid-step.  

You, Marco, and Jean all scattered in different directions as the Titan came crashing down in a heap, unable to keep its balance.  Giant clouds of dust billowed into the air. Your jaw dropped in utter amazement.

Jean rolled back up to his feet and growled in exertion, the blood on his twin blades vaporizing with a hiss.  He swerved his gaze towards you and Marco.

"Don't just fucking stand there!" he shouted.  "Get moving! Before it regenerates!"

The Titan's ankle was hissing with steam.  Bundles of muscle and skin tissue knitted together, closing the wound and allowing it to climb back unsteadily to its feet.  By that time however, the three of you were already halfway down the next block over.  

"Jean, what the hell was that just now?!" you asked, still in awe.

"Gut instinct, just like you said," he muttered, glancing over his shoulder.  "Never putting myself through that shit ever again."

"Where's Connie and Annie?!" Marco shouted, yelling over the noise of battle and chaos.  "Didn't you have a Titan on your tail earlier?"

"They're taking care of it!" Jean answered back.  "They should be heading towards the Wall right now-"

You interrupted him, a look of abject terror in your eyes as you tried to draw his attention.  

"Um... Jean? About that..."

Filled with dread, Jean glanced over to see what was going on.  His eyes snapped wide open.

Connie and Annie sprinted towards your group at a frantic pace.  Not far behind them was not one, but two Titans, shambling haphazardly in hot pursuit after them.  

Connie wore a look of absolute panic on his face. "Jean!" he howled.   "I'm really sorry about this!"

Jean was absolutely livid.  "Oh for the love of...! You perennial MORON! Don't bring them here!"

Too late.  The rest of Jean's group had no choice but to merge with yours and shoulder the burden together.  To make matters worse, the Titan that Jean had managed to incapacitate earlier was up on its feet and moving once more.  With barely a shred of effort, it broke into run after your group, catching up and joining the hunt.

Everything was going horribly wrong.  You and your comrades were scurrying wretchedly along the ground like mice, desperately trying to escape the three Titans that were directly behind you.  The longer you stayed down here, the more likely the lot of you would wind up drawing an even bigger crowd of enemies... if the ones chasing you now didn't wind up catching you first.

Their massive footsteps slammed into the road and tore up the brick behind you.  Fear was threatening to drive your sanity beyond the edge.

"They're too close! We need someone to cover us while we get into the air!"  you yelled, sprinting like mad.  "Where's the Garrison Unit?! Aren't they supposed to be looking out for us?"

Jean looked up, suddenly hit with a horrifying realization.  "I haven't seen any sign of them for a while! You don't think...they've already been wiped out, do you?!"

Just as the dreadful notion started to kick in, a penetrating scream shot through the air from above.  Your first thought? Whose was it?

You looked up just in time to witness the Garrison Captain being stuffed into the salivating mouth of a Titan, his body folding up and disappearing within those monstrous jaws.  Your face turned ashen.

Shit...

Jean gritted his teeth.  "Don't look..." he uttered helplessly, though knowing that it was to no avail.  You couldn't have looked away in time, even if you tried.  The sheer horror of the scene had left you in a trance, dragging you in until the poor man's screams were silenced at last.

The Titan swallowed its prey whole, then turned its chilling gaze directly towards you.

You paled.  Turning your eyes ahead, you continued to sprint at furious pace next to Jean and the others, contemplating in amazement just how fragile human life was.  Someone who had seemed so full of life and spirit just moments ago could turn up dead within the blink of an eye.  

The Garrison Unit had fallen.  You and the other Cadets were now left with neither support nor guidance.  Stuck on the ground and unable to do anything else but run, you had three Titans shambling right at your heels.  Several more were turning their attention towards you.  You could practically feel their breath, hot and blistering, brushing against the back of your shoulders.

"No other way around it!" Annie gasped, fleeing right next to you.  "Looks like we'll have to act on our own from now on!"

"Jean! What should we do?!" Marco asked, looking to his best friend for leadership.

Jean gave him a startled look, but forced himself to disown all self-doubt.  After a split-second of deliberation, he began to yell out orders.  

"Connie and I will stay on the ground! Marco, get into the air and scout ahead! Find us a clear path back to the Wall!"  He turned to look in your direction.  "Annie! [First]! Split off from the group and use your 3D Maneuvering Gear! See if you can draw two of our pursuers away while staying airborne! ...As soon as we're close enough, let's all meet back at the Wall!"

Ruminating on these instructions, you drew in a deep breath and nodded.  "...Got it!"

Everyone else gave their agreement.  It seemed like all of you were willing to trust Jean's judgment on this one.

"Go!" Jean yelled, springing you all into action.  "Good luck!"

You shot a wire into a nearby building and launched yourself into the glorious rush of flight once more.  Annie followed right after you, swords ablaze underneath the setting sun.  You immediately set your sights on the tallest one in pursuit of your friends and hovered right in front of its nose, presenting yourself as a more accessible target for the taking.

"Hey, you! Over here!" you taunted, retracting a wire to pull yourself away just as the Titan took a furious swipe at you.  Landing on the rooftops, you broke into a run in the other direction, looking over your shoulder.

It was following you, and you alone.  Just as you had planned.  

Annie had successfully gotten the attention of the second Titan, and was now facing off against it in a game of tag.  Her quickness got the better of it.  That left one lone Titan for Jean and Connie to deal with.  Together, the two boys sprinted across the street as Marco guided them from the rooftops above.  With the five of you working in parallel, the pressure eased off of the group as a whole.  It was working!

As you made your way closer to the corner, where all of the Titans were being contained, the crowd grew thicker.  Avoiding the taller Titans, you latched your wire onto a nearby watchtower and launched yourself high, grappling close against the structure's side.  

The altitude was greater here, bringing you to a high vantage point in the open air, overlooking the town below.  From this position, you could see every square meter of the battlefield.  Better yet, you were well out of reach from the Titans, save for the possible Leaper.  It was the perfect place to take a much-needed breather and plan your next move.

Looks like this is as close as I can lure them, you thought to yourself, using one hand to wipe the sweat away from your brow while you latched onto the tower wall.  Time to rejoin the others and get the hell out of here, before-

...You spotted a strange shadow upon one of the rooftops, ominous and massive.

Your breath hitched, and your shoulders tensed.  A terrifying, overpowering presence was lurking nearby.  Loosening your wires and maneuvering yourself around the tower, you looked around.  That was when you saw it.

...A creature like that should not have existed in the first place.  While most Titans resembled humans in their own disturbing way, this one resembled more a human-esque body warped into a shape stuck halfway between a frog and a four-legged spider.  Its sinew-bound limbs were bent at huge, impossible angles, meant for both leaping high into the air and crawling across every manner of surface imaginable.  And of course... pouncing on its prey.

Its grotesque body was curled around another tower some distance away, clinging to the roof with all fours like some huge manner of lizard.  Fingers dug into the stone, like claws.  Its face was bald and bug-eyed deformity, with spherical eyes protruding halfway out of its sockets, rolling and swiveling in every direction imaginable.  You wouldn't be surprised if it could see the back of its own head with eyes like those.  But in the end, it was its mouth that took up most of its face, stretching from ear to ear in a hideous grin.  Stuck in its bloodstained teeth, churning inside its mouth, was the mangled corpse of a Garrison soldier.  

It was the Aberrant you had been warned about.

A chill deeper than the coldest winter shot through your spine as you stared at it.  Being a thirteen-meter class, it was absolutely gigantic.  Quite frankly you were appalled that the tower alone could support the weight of such a beast!  Your stomach churned with fear and disgust the longer you looked at it.  Feasting away on the soldier's corpse, it gave one last audible swallow... then swiveled its eyes in your direction.

You ducked behind the tower, heart racing with terror.  Clinging to the wall, you remained still as a stone as you heard something creaking in the distance.  The tower was finally starting to crumble underneath the creature's weight, it seemed.  That said, you listened as it smacked its lips... and began its prowl once more.

Fearing for the worst, you dared one more look before committing yourself to a full-speed retreat.  To your surprise (and relief!), it merely slunk down back into the city below, presumably in search of more prey down in the streets.  It looked as though it had not seen you after all.  

You lost track of the monster as it crawled low amongst the maze of buildings.  A creature of stealth, you realized.  You didn't know what was more worrying, the fact that you had spotted it, or that you could no longer see where it was.

Either way, it was on the move.

Once you found the courage to move, you immediately released your wires and shot them into the next tower over.  Thanking the heavens for your near escape, you began making a beeline straight towards the Wall, not intent on sticking around while there was danger afoot.  

The Aberrant was close by.  You had to warn the others, and fast.

---

Somewhere along the way back to the Wall, Jean and Connie had wound up separated.  Forced to turn into a different street than the one Marco had pointed out, the panicked Connie struggled to evade one huge and hulking Titan closing in on him.  The moment it was near enough, it lunged.  Its huge and heavy arm swooped forth, intent on scooping Connie right off of the ground.

"Crap...!"

Miraculously, he dodged it, jumping clear into the air just as the Titan's arm swept across the ground.  Deciding that enough was enough, the boy shot his wires into the wall of a nearby building, ready to take the chase to the air.  

To his horror, the grappling anchor bounced off uselessly against the stone and failed to attach itself.  The wire fell.

The earth around him shook violently.  Connie whirled around just in time to find himself cornered by his hunter, with nowhere to run and nowhere to escape.  The monstrous hand was raised once more, ready to strike.

Something shot through the air with the force of an arrow, piercing right through the Titan's hand and drawing blood.  Distracted, the creature turned around, an expression of listless confusion on its face.

Jean was standing there, right in the midst of retracting his wire.

Connie's eyes went wide with surprise.  "Jean!"

"Just hurry up and run!" Jean snarled, pivoting on a heel and fleeing in the opposite direction.  A hand slammed down into the ground behind him, missing him by a mere hair and stirring up a smokescreen of debris.  

Jean refused to look back, clenching his teeth with renewed determination as he sprinted off into the street.  A million thoughts blazed through his head, but only one mattered.

I'm not letting anyone die on my watch!  Not anymore!

Nothing seemed to be chasing him, but he had to make sure! Once he made a safe amount of distance, Jean halted right in his tracks and turned around to check on the situation behind him.  

The clouds of dust were clearing away.  Through the haze, he could spot the Titan, as well as the look of empty confusion on its face.  It had lost track of its prey, and was now stalling around in a state of mindless stupor.

Connie was long gone.  One could only assume he had taken Jean's advice and booked it the hell out of there.

Jean grinned his triumph, and aimed the wires of his gear into the air.  Time to get out of here!  He squeezed the trigger.

... The cables didn't fire.  The only sound produced was a hollow click.

Jean's eyes widened.  Confused, he pulled the trigger again, insistently this time.  Puzzlement faded into frustration, then outright desperation as the mechanism failed to work.  The realization began to kick in.

... You're shitting me.

In a state of denial, Jean proceeded to mash the triggers with everything he had, refusing to give up.  It was no good.  The 3D Maneuvering Gear, his only ticket out of this Hell, remained absolutely dead at his hips.

"Lousy, fucking, piece-of-shit gear...!" Jean cursed.  "Of all the goddamn times to fail on me now...!"

...He froze as a massive black shadow descended upon him.  Filled with dread, Jean glanced up.

The air was charged with menace as the six-meter class Titan glared down viciously at him.  Jean stared back, shot with fear.

...Fuck my life.

The Titan hurled its hand downwards.  Jean leapt clear just as its palm collided into the ground, smashing up the earth in its wake.  Left with no other choice, Jean continued his desperate run through the ruined district, unable to shake off the Titan that was giving chase.  

"Jean!" Connie's voice rang out from the Wall above.  "What the hell are you doing?! Get out of there!"

"I can't! My Gear's dead!" Jean shouted back.  "Just stay up there, I'll sort this out myself!"

Gritting his teeth, he concentrated on the path ahead, determined to make distance between himself and his hunter.

I can't drag the others into this... I have to deal with this on my own!

Thinking fast, Jean made a turn and led the chase into a dark and desolate street.  The residential area of his hometown was empty, ruined and splattered with blood, with not a single human soul to be seen other than his own.  

Jean was completely alone.

---

Your lungs screamed for air as you clambered up over the Wall, clinging to Marco like a half-drowned cat as he helped you up.  It was no wonder why he was worried for you, you looked as though you had stared Death in the goddamn face.

"Marco, I saw the Aberrant!" you gasped.  "The Garrison couldn't stop it... we have to inform Commander PIxis and call the soldiers back!"

You looked around frantically.  "Where are Jean and the others?!"

Before Marco could answer, you were both interrupted the sound of running footsteps.  Looking up, you saw Annie and Connie hurrying their way towards you.  

Jean was nowhere to be seen.

Your anxiety mounted. You ran up to meet them, with Marco close behind.

"Are you two alright?" you asked, whirling around in desperate search.  "Where's Jean?!"

To your surprise, Connie was as pale as a sheet.  Marco immediately sensed trouble.

"Connie, what's wrong?!" he asked.

"Bad news..." the smaller boy wheezed, eyes wide as saucer plates.  "Jean's gear had a malfunction.  He can't get off the ground."

Marco froze.  Your heart was shot with a needle of icy dread.  You let out a whisper, unable to believe what you were hearing.

"What did you say...?"

---

Finding an abandoned house, Jean kicked the door in and immediately took refuge.  Whoever dwelt here had clearly left in a hurry, for the dining table was laden with half-eaten meals.  Jean couldn't think about that right now.  Exhausted, all he could do was collapse on the floor with his back against the wall.  Breathing heavily, he recovered his lungs and began bemoaning the mess he had fallen into.

"God fucking damn it..." he wheezed, breaking out into a furious sweat. "At this rate, I'll just slow everyone down..."

The house was even more hollow and desolate than the street itself.  The lonely silence magnified every sound, including the rumbling footsteps outside.  The walls and floorboards trembled with every thudding step.

Once again aware of the fact that he was completely alone, Jean gulped in fear.

I don't want to die here.  Not in a place like this...

His mind began to race.  How to get out of a pinch like this? Lifting his head cautiously, Jean peered out the window and into the street beyond.

The Titan lurked through the empty neighbourhood.  Jean kept his head low.  The monster meandered its way past without noticing him.  Even so, his eyes continued to track its movements...

...That was when he saw the corpse of a soldier lying in a smear of blood, half-crushed from the torso up beneath a gigantic chunk of stone.  Jean grimaced.  The poor sod.

His eyes suddenly widened.

The dead soldier's Maneuvering Gear was still intact.  

Heart racing, Jean ducked behind the wall and ruminated on this discovery.  Quickly and quietly, he began to formulate a plan.  One that would put him in a dangerous position, but at the same time could possibly save him from this mess.  

Once again, his self-doubt made him hesitate.

"Will this even work?" He wondered to himself, stuck at a crossroads.

... The Titan was leaving the street.

Seeing this, Jean slammed a fist into the floorboards and rose to his feet without a second thought, heading straight for the door.  He was set.  There was no more time to waste sitting around doing nothing.  Only a matter of time until he was discovered, anyhow.

"You were right, [First]..." he muttered, showing a nervous smirk.  "Times like these, you just gotta improvise!"

Pulse firing up, he ran out of the door and sprinted into the street, heading straight towards the fallen soldier.  Immediately, he set to work detaching the gear from the corpse.

Not going to wait around until the Titans are gone! he thought furiously, prying away at the straps with his fingers.  [First]... Marco... They need me!

To his chagrin, the straps refused to budge.  No matter how hard Jean struggled to pull them apart, the gear remained stuck fast.  To make things even worse, Jean could hear those accursed footfalls coming for him again.  The Titan had spotted him, and was now making its way straight towards him.  

Jean's movements grew agitated with panic and frustration, causing him to fumble even more.  His sweat-soaked fingers kept slipping away from the buckle, no matter how hard he tried to maintain his grip.  It was no use.

"God. Fucking.  DAMN IT!" Jean yelled angrily as the Titan kept coming closer.  His hands began to shake violently as terror clouded all good sense and reason.  "You've got to be shitting me! Of all the FUCKING times for EVERYTHING to go to shit... Why? WHY NOW?!"

His anger crumbled into despair, painful and suffocating.  Burning tears sprung to his eyes as the inevitability of death loomed over his shoulder.  

Is this... really how it's going to end?

The moment he lost all hope... was the moment he awoke to a familiar voice calling out his name.  His eyes went wide as something suddenly crashed into him.  A second pair of hands flew into view, right next to his own.  Fingernails dug like daggers into the straps of the dead soldier's gear, and began wrestling them apart through sheer force of will alone.

Jean glanced up, and as immediately struck with shock.

"....[First]?" he breathed, not daring to believe it.

But there you were, in the flesh and standing right next to him.  Pale with fright, yet burning with stubborn determination, you struggled like mad against the gear that simply refused to unfasten.

Jean expressed his gratitude in the most expected manner possible.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he yelled, no longer concerned for his own safety.  "Get out of here! It's too dangerous!"

"Jean! You need this gear, right?!" you insisted as you continued to battle with the dead soldier's equipment.  "Let me help you!"

"Wait, stop! [First]!" Jean shouted desperately, glancing over his shoulder.  The Titan was steadily closing in on you both, and more were wandering into the street.  "There isn't enough time! They're about to surround us! You have to get into the air! NOW!"

"I will...!" you answered through clenched teeth.  "As soon as you're geared up and good to go, I'll fly with you!"

Jean grabbed your arm and squeezed hard, trying to pull you away.  "[First], it's no good! I know what you're trying to do, but I can't let you do this! You have to get away and save yourself-"

Your voice overpowered his.

"I'm not letting you die, Jean!" you cried, with a forcefulness that was enough to stun Jean into silence.  You continued to wrench your hands against the Maneuvering Gear, never stopping even as your fingernails started to crack and bleed.

"Didn't I tell you...?" You shot Jean a weak, yet brave smile that left him staring in awe. "You're going to survive and make it to the Military Police with Marco! You'll move to the Interior and live the life you always dreamed of!"

You closed your hand over his, and held it with a grip that was tight and warm.  "...You have everything, Jean! Your whole future, just waiting for you...! And I swear with everything I've got that I'll help you get there!"

You continued to smile in spite of the growing hopelessness of it all.  And as the Titan came nearer for the kill, your eyes brimmed bright with tears.

Jean stared at you helplessly, unable to win against your stubbornness.  Gritting his teeth, he resumed his futile struggle with the gear that refused to leave its original owner.  This time, you were by his side, fighting this impossible battle with him.  Neither of you were willing to save yourselves if it meant leaving the other's side.

"My future..." he muttered under his breath.  "What about our future...?"

You knew what he was dreading to say.  The way things were going now, neither you nor Jean were even going to have a future.

The Titans were creeping up fast, engulfing you and Jean with shadows from every direction imaginable.  There would be no chance of escape at this rate.  Anguished, Jean yelled out a string of  curses at the top of his lungs.  Tears of desperation dripped from your eyes as you fought with the stupid gear.  After everything you had gone through to survive this far, you were both about to die here.  Maybe it was inevitable all along.

The march of giant footsteps was deafening now.  You closed your eyes and leaned in towards Jean's shoulder.  He responded by wrapping an arm tight around you and bringing you close.  Bowing your heads, the two of you crouched low against the ground and huddled together, grasping for the smallest shred of comfort when everything was about to end.  

... At least we won't die alone.

Petrified, you waited for it to be over.  That was when you heard a frantic shout from above.

"Jean! [First]! Hang in there!"

Daring to open your eyes, you looked up.  So did Jean.

"Marco...!?"

The air was filled with the piercing shriek of wires as Marco flew forth and bravely angled himself right into the Titan's line of sight, purposefully drawing its attention.  As it turned its head, Marco landed on the ground and immediately darted off in the opposite direction.  The Titan followed him, leaving you and Jean alone.

"The hell are you doing?! Not you, too!" Jean shouted, terrified for Marco's safety.

"Jean, we have to hurry!" you urged him, not intent on wasting the borrowed time Marco had risked his life buying for you.  Together, you and Jean renewed your efforts to retrieve the gear.  That was when something gave way beneath your fingertips.  

You and Jean both looked at each other, struck with the same realization.  The gear was coming loose! Together, you pulled at the same time with all your collective might.  

"Come on, you!" Jean growled, planting his foot against the corpse for leverage.  That was when something popped free.

At last, you nearly stumbled backwards as the Maneuver Gear was pulled away from the corpse, fully intact.  Just in time, too! Two more Titans were approaching you fast!

"Jean!" you alerted him, backpedaling away from the corpse.

"God damn it, I know!" he snarled, hastily scooping up the gear in his arms and pivoting on a heel.

Neither of you wasted any time.  You were both determined to save yourselves, but you were also terrified for Marco's life.  Right now, he was the one acting as the decoy, protecting the two of you with everything he had.  You and Jean were desperate to return the favor.

As the Titans gave chase, Jean discarded his ruined gear.  Making distance, the two of you fled into a narrow corridor.  There, you quickly helped Jean secure into his newly-salvaged Maneuvering Gear.

"I fucking swear to God," he muttered, fitting the attachments together and making sure they were locked in.  "I will personally make the both of you regret this!"

"That's fine," you told him simply, giving the gear engine the necessary tests.  "Yell at me as much as you want later, but at least let me do this!"

The turbines spun, and the vents hissed with steam.  Your eyes brightened.  Looks like it still works!

"There! Your gear's on!" you shouted, stepping back.  "Now let's find Marco and get the hell out of here before that Aberrant appears!"

Jean armed himself with a fresh set of blades.  "What are you waiting around for, then? Get moving!"

Together, the two of you ran out into the open street.  Titans began to converge on you from every corner of the district.  You fired off a set of cables and retracted them, launching yourself into the air.  Jean did the same.  But to your shock, he faltered mid-air, unable to keep his balance.  Your heart nearly stopped as Jean landed with an unceremonious crash into the ground below.

Detaching your wires and landing on the street, you raced towards him, praying for his safety.

Jean groaned and opened his eyes.  "Shit... This gear isn't calibrated to my usual settings.  Why is this trigger so damn hard to pull?!"

Grabbing onto his arm, you began hauling him up to his feet.  "Jean, this isn't the goddamn time! Get up! Come on!"

But struggle as you might, there just wasn't enough time.  Jean was still lying stunned on the ground, and another Titan was closing in fast!

A blur suddenly shot out from the corner of your eye.  Connie leaped in out of nowhere.  To your great surprise, he smacked right into the Titan's forehead in the most ridiculous and awkward manner before flying into the rooftops.

Jean's jaw dropped open.  "What the fuck were you trying to do?!" he yelled up at Connie.

Rubbing his poor sore head, Connie snapped back angrily, "I could ask you the same thing! Just hurry up and go!"

The boy darted away just as a massive hand crashed down, effortlessly ripping out an entire chunk of wood and masonry from the rooftops.  The Titan, now fixated on a new target, gave chase after him.

You spotted Marco weaving through the air, still leading the other Titan in circles.  Everyone was jumping in to cover your escape!

With one last burst of strength, you planted your heels into the ground and latched onto Jean's arms with all your strength.  Using you as an anchor, Jean lifted his bruised body off of the ground, and pulled himself up back onto his feet.  

Wasting no more time, the two of you raced down the street.  Together, you and Jean launched yourselves into the air just as a Titan charged forth, missing you by mere inches and crashing belly-first into the street.

Almost there! You were so close to safety you could almost taste it! All you had to do was get a little bit higher...

That was when a ten-meter class Titan lunged right at you and Jean from out of nowhere, blocking your path.  Twisting its body backwards, it stared at you upside-down, intent on catching you both in its wide-open mouth.  Neither you nor Jean would be able to stop yourselves in time...

Shit...!

...With a stare of the coldest steel, Annie descended like diving hawk from the sky above, coming to your rescue.  With a killer's precision, she landed on the exposed underside of the Titan's neck, colliding her feet against its throat with all her might.  

You and Jean scattered in different directions as the Titan's body brushed right past, plunging headfirst into the ground with Annie still standing on its neck.  

As you struggled to maintain altitude, you could scarcely believe what you had just witnessed.

Had Annie... just saved our lives?!

"Jean! [First]! This way!" Marco called out to you both.  You looked up, relieved beyond words to see him safe.  Within seconds, Connie and Annie also flew up to reunite with you.

It was time to climb the Wall at last!

Still struggling with the Maneuvering Gear, Jean fired a cable into the nearest watchtower and retracted it, causing him to swerve.  Violently.  Narrowly avoiding crashing into the rooftops, he instead scraped precariously against the tiles before finally ascending to higher altitude.  The rest of you followed, regrouping together mid-air.

You all wound up crash-landing against the stone walkway of Wall Rose.  All of you were bruised up, exhausted, and scared shitless.  ... But all five of you were inexplicably, miraculously, alive.

The moment Jean recovered his breath, he flew into a full-blown rage.  "Who the hell asked you all to do that? Risking your lives to save me... Are you all fucking insane?!"

Marco, who had gone through enough to completely lose his composure, yelled right back at him in the most exasperated manner.  "Look who's talking, scaring us like that! Do you even know how worried we were?!"

Connie collapsed against the ground, looking absolutely winded.  "I definitely just died three times over..."

Barely able to breathe, you found yourself unable to utter a single word as Marco and Jean continued to yell at each other at the top of their lungs.  Instead, you simply lay there with your flat back against the walkway, staring into the clouds above and panting heavily.  Every muscle in your body hurt, and you were still shot with residual adrenaline... but in spite of it all, you let out a weak burst of laughter.

I can't believe it...! You thought to yourself giddily, as Jean and Marco's argument escalated into a mild fist-fight.  Against all possible odds, we actually made it out alive!

Maybe there truly was a guardian spirit of war out there, looking after you all.

Summoning the remainder of your strength, you rolled up into a sitting position while Jean and Marco continued to wrestle with each other, yelling and cursing.  Connie was staring agape at them, but you weren't worried about them in the least.  They were just fine.

Once again... we survived, you thought, clutching a hand to your chest and feeling it throb with emotion. All three of us.

Annie was resting some distance nearby, shaking the dust and sweat out of her hair.  She looked up as you made eye contact with her.

"Annie.  That trick you did just now..." you murmured in awe.  "Driving the Titan into the ground like that... How in the world did you do that?"

Glancing away uncomfortably, Annie spoke in a low voice.  "Titan's bodies are a lot lighter than they look..."

The moment the icy blonde confessed to knowing this, she immediately shut her mouth.  You were left perplexed, wondering just where and how she had managed to learn of this.   Regardless, you gave her a grin.

"Looks like there's more to you than just your sense of self-preservation," you remarked lightly.  "You risked your life to help us out, after all."

Annie scowled at you, ruffling the back of her hair uneasily.  "Whatever.  I just happened to be passing by..."

Her eyes widened as a sudden booming noise echoed from beyond the town.  Her voice dropped into a gasp. "...Wait a second... Look over there!"

You looked.

Connie looked.

Jean and Marco let go of each other's collars and looked.

You heard footsteps.  Louder than cannon-fire.  Deeper than thunder.  With their steady, pounding rhythm, they shook the entire town from the fortress up, sending a stir through your heart.  Staring into the distance and peering over the landscape of roof-tiles, you spotted a gigantic boulder making its way slowly but gradually through the city streets.

Other than those resonating footfalls, the world went utterly silent.  The smoke began to clear.  That was when you saw it.

Marching underneath the giant rock, bearing the massive and tremendous burden on his shoulders, was the Rogue Titan.  His body strained against the sheer weight of the boulder, hissing with scalding-hot vapour.  Though his head was partially crushed underneath, neck twisted to the side, its eyes burned green with a brimming, overpowering life-force.  

The Demon had awakened once more.

"Eren..." you murmured, rising to your feet and staring in awe at the sight.  The boy of Zhiganshina was on his feet.  He was moving.  And he was heading straight towards the gate with the weight of everyone's hope on his shoulders.

The others stood up.  Jean and Marco moved closer to the edge of the wall, watching with you in stunned silence.  The plan was finally moving forward! Eren was finally going to seal the gate!

And yet, the town was still seething with Titans.  An even larger mob of them was pouring in through the breach, making the path ahead impossible for Eren to cross.  Drawn to his presence, they began to surround him on all sides.

You spotted Mikasa's flying form in the air, soaring forth to meet Eren's assailants in battle.  Accompanying her was Armin, and the remnants of the Elite Squad.

"We have to help them..." you whispered, stepping closer to the edge.  The moment you said this, however, you heard a series of petrified screams coming from the distance.

Looking towards the rooftops, you saw a storm of debris kicking up into the air.  Long, sinewy arms, bent like a spider's, reached up from the maze of streets below.  Its claw-like fingers dug into the walls and clung to it like a parasite.  A massive and grotesque body followed, its belly sliding across the red clay tiles as it crawled on top of the building at frightening pace.

The panicked soldiers that had flown up from the street to evade the monster were promptly mowed up and churned inside its impossibly wide mouth.  One escaped and climbed to higher altitude, only to perish as the deformed creature leapt high into the air and caught him in its jaws.

Jean witnessed all of this with abject horror, shoulders stiffening as he stood next to you.  Marco was likewise frozen speechless.

"Is that... the Aberrant?" Jean breathed incredulously.

Your silence was answer enough.  Descending from the jump, the Crawling Titan landed with a crash upon the roof of a watchtower.  The structure creaked, crumbled, and shook underneath its weight.  As the Aberrant swallowed down its meal, its protruding, spherical eyes swiveled and caught sight of Eren.  Letting out an inhuman, gurgling cry, it began to crawl across the rooftops, heading straight for Rogue Titan and tearing up buildings in its wake.

"No...!" Marco whispered.  "At this rate, Eren, Mikasa and the others will be wiped out!"

He was right.  Humanity's moment of victory had come at last, but this creature had the power AND the intent to crush it in the bud.  Eren couldn't fight back with that massive rock on his shoulders! Everything you had worked so hard for up until this point would be for naught.

"We have to stop it..."

Those words escaped your mouth before you knew it.

Jean and Marco stared at you with fear and confusion, falling silent as you stepped forward, closer to the open air.

The rustling wind picked up, lifting your cloak.  Your heart raced with energy as you stared out, wide-eyed, into the smoke-filled city.  Your grip tightened against the one sword in your hand.  

You heard the voice of the Dark Demon whispering to your heart, wiping out all fear and emotion, imbuing you with strength, and turning you into a vessel for action.  A vessel that could rewrite history and make the world witness a miracle.

'When history witnesses a great change...'

Burning sparks of ash swirled in the air around you like fireflies, turning into soot of the deepest black.

You understood what you had to do.