Ch. 37 - Long Night, By Moonlight

I shook my head in disbelief and turned away, aiming to head off after Annie again, but the surprised cries of scouts all around me had me stilling. I felt a great rush of excitement rise up in my chest as, when I looked back at Eren, I saw that the idiot was dashing towards her, screaming like a madman, with only two fully functioning limbs. My mouth hung open in shock as I took in the sight, and as soon as I realized what it was I was looking at, I grinned. 

Goddesses, grin wasn't enough; I downright beamed. Win or lose, he was giving us a show. He was giving his all to this. That was becoming increasingly more clear.

"You idiot," I said through jubilant laughter. "Go! Get her ass!"

"That's..." Hange began, but cut their words off right away, and I knew in that moment that what I was seeing was truly something incredible, because it took a lot to render that one speechless. Never in Hange's wildest dreams would they have imagined something like this, I was sure - and their dreams were certainly fantastical to degrees I hadn't ever reached myself.

Just at that moment, Mikasa landed on the roof between us, nearly scaring the shit out of me, but I kept my composure... mostly. "Eren," Mikasa gasped, before starting to go after him.

"Don't," Hange said quickly. "Right now, we don't know if Eren can recognize you."

So, I wasn't the only one to realize he was steadily losing control. It was clear, really. It was how ruthless he was being that confirmed it, to be frank. He wasn't relying on us for help, he was taking it into his own hands, but without mercy, without sparing any expense. It wasn't that I thought Annie deserved any mercy, of course she didn't. But we didn't need her dead, we needed her in our control, if at all possible. This was a war of information, of which Annie clearly had more than we did. But at this rate...

Well, when Eren began squeezing Annie's head, and she began screaming, it seemed like a sure thing that he would kill her. And if, under different circumstances, I had heard someone else screaming like she was right now, I'd be obliged to step in and help, but not now. Not her.

I wanted to glance at Hange, to see if we shouldn't step in, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from what was happening before us. Annie soon got her bearings and elbowed Eren, forcing him to release her. She wasted no time in escaping, and so she took off again, this time towards the wall - which could be trouble, should she be able to climb it. With how confidently and quickly she was dashing towards it, I had a feeling she knew exactly how to climb it, and was prepared to.

"The wall," Jean, the tawny-haired recruit cried out.

"Does she intend to climb over it?" Hange asked, only for the question to be answered immediately. Annie started to climb, tearing chunks of the wall out with each stride.

"That's not supposed to happen," I said, watching as Eren reached up and grabbed her lower half. I put my blades away, sheathing them entirely and gripping my controllers tight, preparing for a flight - and a fast one. I had to get there.

"No," Armin cried, "she's going to get away!"

I noticed, then, that we were missing someone. "That damn girl," I muttered, looking for her. "Mikasa!"

When did she slip away? I guess it didn't matter much, because I could now see her flying towards the Female Titan, swinging upwards before slicing through her fingers. I was halfway to them by the time Annie started to fall from the wall, and I was closing in on them when Eren began laying into her again. I was just unsheathing one blade when Eren ripped open the nape, revealing the girl inside.

But I faltered, as everything went still, all in that moment and all at once. I perched against the closest building, watching for one moment, and then another. "What the hell...?"

So many precious moments passed that Hange managed to catch up to me. "What happened?"

"I don't know," I replied when Hange perched nearby. "It's all just... stopped."

It was strange, Eren and Annie both were just so... still. And yet, like once before, I felt this great buildup of energy from a source I could not understand, creating something I could never fathom. Before I could make sense of it, there was a blinding light, and it appeared that the two were... fusing together, with that icy blue material she used to strengthen her limbs and protect herself.

"No, wait," I uttered, hardly able to think of anything more to say. My limbs finally caught up with my instinct and left all rational thought behind, because I leapt from the building and used only the gas from the gear to propel me towards the Titans, retrieving both blades as I did. "Eren's still in there!"

There was no time to think, not when we could lose them both. I tightened my grip on my blades and my muscles instinctively tensed in preparation to slice him from his Titan. I redirected slightly; I didn't want to kill him, or cut through the nape like usual. I had to be careful about this, and go against what I was so finely trained to do. My aim was usually so true that I never missed my mark, and never failed to kill those that I resigned myself to. Now, I had to purposely miss, but still cut far enough into the nape to retrieve the boy - and I had to do it quickly.

But before I could... Levi appeared, cutting Eren out of his Titan, with both feet planted firmly against its back. I nearly cried out with shock but managed to hold my tongue, though I did fumble with my blades, doing all in my power to keep from slicing up the idiotic man or run into him.

"Don't eat a valuable witness, you idiot," Levi muttered as Eren's unconscious body was revealed from within lines of sinew and torn skin.

Whatever I wanted to say had to wait, for Levi was already swinging down to the ground to set Eren down. I followed close behind, and only once Eren was on the ground did I address Levi - and only to ask him to get out of the way. He did, and I crouched in his place, to check Eren's vitals.

Aside from the obvious damage done to his body that would slowly heal, he was alive, and he was breathing. "He needs rest," I said. I stood, gesturing for two able-bodied scouts to approach.

"Yes, Captain Amaya?"

"There's a military branch office nearby," I told him. "Get Eren to one of the private rooms, and see if you can't get one of the medical officers to check on him. If anyone gives you any issues, tell them your orders came right from me, and they are to come to me with any complaints. He is still my charge - and I'm going to take care of him. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," they chorused.

"Good," I said. "Not get going." When they were away, I turned to face Levi. I set my hands on my hips. "You, my darling," I said seriously, "are a dumbass. What the hell do you think you're doing, exactly?"

"Saving this idiot," Levi said as if it was obvious - and yes, it was obvious, but why the hell was he up and moving when he was supposed to be resting?

"Am I to assume your leg is fully healed, then?"

"It's not important right now," he said.

The rest of the scouts in the area congregated around us, and though I still had plenty to say to Levi, it had to wait. I only joined them and Levi as they gathered around the strange crystal Annie had sealed herself inside. Now that her body had burned away, it was all that was left behind. It appeared to be of the same material that she hardened her limbs with upon closer inspection, which made sense to me. Her image was warped slightly with the shape of the crystal, but she looked so peaceful and so calm, tucked away in there.

Of course, being in there meant we had no way of getting to her, short of blowing the damn thing up. But what it also meant was that Jean's attempts to break through it would be futile - a waste of energy, and a waste of blades.

"Damn it," the boy hissed, "what is this? We've come so far, and you still won't say a word, Annie? Come out! Come out and finish what you started! Hey, this isn't fair... Annie! Annie!"

"Stop it," Levi ordered, putting a hand on his shoulder as Jean raised his arm to strike down into the glass-like stone again. "It's useless."

Jean gave in, lowering his arm just as Hange approached. "Use the wires to make a net," she ordered her scouts. "We'll tie it up and carry it underground!"

"Roger!"

"Everyone else," I called, "return to the branch office here. Get some rest." When choruses of affirmation were returned, I looked at Levi. "You, Captain, are going to find a place to sit the hell down until I tell you otherwise. Do you understand?"

"I'm assuming," he said slowly, meeting my gaze, "that it's an order.".

"It is," I said firmly. "And I mean it. We need you at your best, because you know the fighting's only going to get harder from here on out. So please, you need to rest that leg." I sighed through my nose, knowing I wouldn't get much further with him out here. "At any rate, Erwin's probably waiting to speak with us, right?"

Levi only gestured in one direction with a movement of his head, and I followed the movement to see Erwin waiting, watching both of us carefully. He led the way, and I fell into step alongside him. Something told me that even if the afternoon sun started to dip below the walls, the day wasn't over yet.

—

"Levi, you are so stupid," I said, though my words had no heat to them. They sounded serious, but they were playful at heart, and I think he knew that as I opened the door to the small room we were assigned here in Stohess at the branch office.

In light of everything that happened, we were to stay here for the time being and our summons to the capital, thanks to our fight, had consequently been halted. After such a colossal screw up of an operation, there was a lot for Erwin to discuss with the brass - more than before, no doubt, so for now, until Erwin gave us further orders, we were here.

I held the door open for Levi, but he took hold of it and gestured for me to go through first. Once we were inside, I closed and locked the door behind us. Then I turned to face him, crossing my arms over my chest as I watched him cross the room to ease himself to sit on the bed.

"I got Eren out before he got trapped with her," Levi said, his sharp, feline eyes meeting mine. He set his elbows against his thighs, and my eyes narrowed slightly at the movement; relaxed though the pose was, it was putting unnecessary stress on his injury. There was a mischievous glint in his eyes, one that had me smiling... almost. "I'm stupid for that?"

I decided to run with it, and pouted playfully. "You took my thunder," I whined playfully, taking slow, even strides across the room to reach him. "I was supposed to be the hero, today." I came to a stop before him, setting my hip to one side and looking down at him evenly. He met my gaze without a care in the world, and I smiled. "Weren't you ordered to stay with Erwin?"

"I was," he confirmed, "but we both know I'm not usually the best at complying with orders." I hummed playfully in response and set a hand on his shoulder, guiding him to sit up. I took his dress jacket from where it hung on his shoulders and held it up and out of the way.

"Even if they come from me?"

He chuckled. "Especially then," he said, and if I didn't know he was joking, I might have been offended. I stood up straight, heading towards the nearby coat rack to hang his jacket up. While by the door, I unlaced and then tugged my boots off, sighing in relief once they were resting on the floor. "Tired?"

"Very," I admitted. "It's been a long day."

He held one hand towards me, and I eagerly accepted the silent invitation. "Come here, sweetheart," he said quietly, and with a smile on my face that didn't quite reveal all the excitement and fluttery feelings swelling in my chest at the moment. It wasn't like him to be so soft like this, but I wasn't about to waste this chance.

So, I took his hand when I was close enough and allowed him to pull him closer, allowed him to guide me to sit atop his lap with my knees bracketing his hips. I had half a mind to call him out for potentially putting further pressure on his injury, but I bit it back. 

For one thing, it was his ankle that was hurt, and from what I could tell, he wasn't putting too much weight against it at all - though still not letting it be elevated was sure to mean the recovery process was stunted - and besides, his lap was comfortable, and since he already set his arms around me, who was I to argue?

No, this was hypocritical. I had to entice him to move, to start actually resting that injury of his. Alas, my role as an esteemed actress was to continue.

"It was strange fighting without you today," I said softly as I wound my arms around his waist. "I missed you."

"I had to listen to Erwin's mumblings and Nile's nonsense all morning," he told me, and I rested my cheek against his shoulder. "I'd have rather been with you."

"Did he give you a hard time? Nile, I mean."

"Me? No, of course not. But he had his men draw their weapons against Erwin."

I held back my gasp as best I could. Weapons against Erwin? "Oh, god," I breathed out. "If we weren't in deep shit before, we certainly are now."

"Well," he mused, "at any rate, we captured the bitch that killed our squad and half the regiment."

"That's true, at least," I agreed. "But even so..."

"The cost is high," he said. "I know."

"As of now, we've got no way of getting her out. Our blades are useless, and nothing short of destroying the whole thing entirely with explosives or, I don't know, having the Colossal coming back and stepping on it or something, will get through it. So all of it..."

"Don't finish that," Levi cut in as gently as he could. "It wasn't for nothing. So long as she's in there, she can't kill anyone else."

"She took more lives today," I told him quietly. "Innocent people of Stohess, a few more scouts... It wasn't pretty, Levi. And we almost lost Eren, again."

"We'll have a hard time keeping him around, I think," Levi said. "The assholes up top won't be happy."

"That's for damn sure," I agreed. "Though, they're never really that happy with us, are they?"

He hummed his response, and for a little while at least, we stayed just like that, embracing each other and enjoying simply being held, and this little  while lasted for several minutes more. We settled into a calm sort of silence, the kind we both enjoyed, and the kind we both sought out in each other. 

In a world so cruel, so loud, so invasive, it was nice to have something it could never reach. And this, what we had... nothing would come between us, nor break the bond we shared. Our love ran so deep and so true, the world would have to send all it had at us if it wanted even a chance to tear us apart - but even then, it would be for naught.

I sat up with gentle movements, leaning back so I could see him and letting my hands drift up his chest. "We've been so busy these past few days," I said slowly, teasingly now, "that we haven't had time to ourselves, really. Between the expedition and focusing on this plan..."

"I forgot to ask the brat," he said, referring to Eren, and I smiled slyly, knowing exactly where he was going with this, "whether he pissed himself or shit his pants during the expedition."

"It seems it slipped my mind, too," I murmured. We were, of course, referring to the bet we made. It was inconclusive now, and yet he let me start untying his cravat - and actually, he seemed pleased about my doing so. "What a shame."

"It's too bad he passed out," Levi said, and I could distinctly hear the way he was trying his hardest to keep his voice even, to keep from allowing his breath to hitch as I tugged the cravat free of his collar and draped it over my shoulder, then began unbuttoning his shirt one by one, very slowly - just the way he hated it, yet the way I loved it.

"Why would it matter who won?" I asked, and with the way his eyes narrowed, I knew it was either because he could all but hear the mischief lacing my tone, or because I stalled momentarily in taking his shirt off for him. "Wouldn't I end up in charge, anyway?"

He flushed because, as we both knew, he liked it when I took the lead. So even if he won the bet and got to control what we did in the bedroom, he would probably ask for me to take him however he fancied that evening - fast and hard, sensual and slow, perhaps both. Still, the outcome would be the same, no matter who won.

"Just hurry up, you damn woman," he said, foregoing replying directly to my words. I held my laughter back and instead leaned in to press featherlight, teasing kisses against the sensitive skin of his neck while my hands got busy once more. He sucked in a breath, and the way his chest rose to meet my fingertips sparked something within me.

Goddesses preserve me, because I so loved this man.

"The hell does hurry up mean to you, Amaya?"

I chuckled lightly, my breath ghosting across his skin in a way that must have tortured the hell out of him. I finally reached the last button and undid it, then tugged his shirt free from being tucked into his pants. With his chest exposed, I was able to trace the contours and musculature of his torso. This close, I could almost hear the pounding of his heart, and with my fingertips placed just so, I could feel its beat drumming against my skin.

"Why would I go fast," I purred, "when going so slow gets a reaction like this out of you?"

"You're such a fucking tease," he muttered, and when his hands gripped my waist with more pressure, I gave in. I took his chin in hand and let my lips meet his for a peck, far simpler and far sweeter than the kiss I'm sure he was expecting.

"On the bed," I ordered, pushing against his chest slightly. "You're still injured, and you'll be doing no more work on that leg today."

His eyes shone with interest as he complied wordlessly. He allowed me to guide him to lay back, his eyes never once looking away from my own. "Is that an order?"

"It is," I affirmed, "and I do hope you'll actually listen to this one." I took off my uniform jacket, and when he was lying back all the way, his hair splayed out about his head and his torso looking terribly long and lean and inviting, I lowered myself to kiss him once more. He dragged his hands up my thighs, letting them come to a stop on my hips, and I drew away only far enough to speak against his lips: "I've had a long day of work, and I need something from you."

"Is that so?"

"It is," I breathed out once more, running one hand gently through his hair. His eyes closed briefly, contentedly, and I smiled at the sight.

When he opened his eyes, he asked: "And what would that be?"

I leaned down to press another lingering kiss to his lips. "Let me give you a hint."

Only, I couldn't, because there was a knock on the door, loud and strong, and rhythmic in a way uniquely Moblit. "Shit," I hissed against Levi. I sat up and called, just to confirm, "Who is it?"

"Moblit," came the immediate response.

"Is something the matter?"

"Hange is requesting your presence, Captain Amaya," he called. "There's something you need to see."

—

Honestly, I wished I hadn't come to see what was so important, because how the fuck was I supposed to respond to this?!

"A Titan?"

"In the wall?"

It was real. A Titan, blinking sleepily, stared down at us from the wall where a large enough section had been ripped out by Annie's attempts to climb it for us to be able to see it. The section just so happened to line up with its eyes, and though horribly high up, there was no mistaking it: that was a Titan.

"Your orders, Squad Leader?" Moblit asked at Hange's side.

Before Hange could speak, someone pushed through the crowd. I heard him before he reached us, and I stepped well out of the way to avoid being barreled through. I wasn't his target, but I wished I'd stayed in his way, if only to have him bump into me and give me a reason to rough him up a little.

Oh, god. Maybe I really should've. He was one of the wall fanatics.

The man slammed a hand to Hange's shoulder and both of us reacted, though didn't lay a finger on him, not yet, not when Hange didn't seem any too alarmed about the whole thing. The man was breathing heavily, heaving with the effort to catch his breath, and it seemed... Hange knew this man. "Pastor Nick?"

"Whatever you do," he forced out, "you must keep that Titan out of the sunlight!"

"...Huh?"

"The sun's already setting," I told him. "We'll just gather some cloth for the morning, and-"

"Now," Nick heaved. "Now."

"Or, now, I guess," I muttered. If I knew anything, it was that I didn't want to be bossed around by this jackass. But there were questions bubbling up now, sparking in my brain and demanding answers.

Who the hell was this pastor, and why was he so calm about the wall being damaged? Had he somehow known that there were Titans in the walls? If there was one... then how many more were there? Was it just one, or did they potentially line the entire span of our walls? How many people have seen it already? If Hange noticed it, observant though they were, they probably weren't the only one. Soldiers would talk - would the public respond with a terrified outcry if they found out?

Sina was supposed to be the furthest from Titans you could get. But this whole time, there was a Titan - and how many more, hidden away out of view, hiding that which protected us? There was a sick sort of irony to it, one that wasn't lost on me. But if the wall got damaged further, or if this titan somehow managed to muster enough energy to move, could it break through?

If the walls protecting us fell, we'd all be doomed.

To think, we were so concerned with protecting ourselves from the Titans outside the walls, when really, we were living and working between them. Honestly, what a disturbing turn of events.

"Amaya," Hange said, "I'll take care of things here and have a quick chat with my friend here. You go make sure shorty's not getting into trouble."

"Thank you, Hange," I said. "I'll make sure Erwin knows, and I trust you'll figure out the wall's secrets by the next time I see you."

"Let us hope so," Hange said with a smile. I turned on my heel, doing my best to hold my sigh back. Things, all at once, just got a whole hell of a lot more complicated. We had intelligent Titans still at large - I mean honestly, the Female Titan had not been our direct target, but we managed to ensnare her - and now, there were Titans in the walls. 

Honestly. What a crock of shit.

—

By the time I made it to Erwin's temporary office in this branch office, Levi was already there. There was already a conversation happening, and I was filled in quickly. The gist of it was this: The scouts were moving out. I was to get ready, restock my blades and gas, and prepare for a fight, because, well... there were Titans spotted within Wall Rose.

Because, you know, we didn't have enough to think about right now. Hell, I even forgot to say my piece about what Hange discovered.

"Yes, sir," I responded, and off we went. 

The three of us made our way outside, where scouts were already hard at work preparing the horses and wagons. By then, the sun dipped ever lower, and I broke away from the men to head to the hitching posts where I found my horse being tended to.

"Have a nice dinner, Strider?" I asked, approaching the buckskin. His ears perked up and he looked towards me, nickering quietly in greeting. "Thank you," I said to the scout taking care of him.

"Of course, captain," she responded. "He's rested up and ready."

"Perfect," I said, patting his flank then reaching for his tack.

When ready, I unhitched him from the post, and led him away. As all the able-bodied, ready-to-fight soldiers got into formation, I joined them and mounted, getting comfortable in the saddle. Strider shifted underneath me, pawing the ground impatiently. As we waited, I reached down and adjusted one of the straps of my gear, adjusting the buckle to settle more comfortably against my thigh.

"Sorry to keep ya," I heard Hange say, and I turned in the saddle to look at them with a smile. With Hange were Levi and Pastor Nick. Levi, of course, was not to fight tonight, whatever was needed, and to be honest, I didn't know where we were going or where I was to be stationed. I didn't think to ask Erwin, but I trusted him, and so long as I stayed by the wagon they were piling into, I was likely to stay in the loop - hopefully. So, that's where I went.

"Took longer to prepare than we thought," Hange continued as I kicked into my horse's sides and rode closer to the wagon. Eren, Mikasa, and Armin were in the same one, and I rode up on their side.

"Um," Armin said hesitantly, looking at Nick, "isn't this a priest from the Order of the Walls?"

"Yeah," Hange told him in a forced, casual sort of manner. "Nick and I are best buddies. Right?" Hange threw a friendly arm around him and smiled widely. "Don't let him bother you. The whole makeup of this squad doesn't make any sense. Does it, Levi?"

"No," he disagreed easily. "I think it might. Erwin picked them out for a reason."

I met his eye across the wagon, and something in his eye was a reminder of what had been spoken just this morning - goodness, was it really just this morning that we'd been in the privacy of that room we'd occupied in the abandoned scout base, appreciating the quiet comfort of holding each other before the mission?

Before getting escorted away by the Military Police, before we parted ways so that I could run off and join the fight in Stohess, before capturing Annie and learning about Titans in Wall Rose and some literally inside the walls, there was only a man and a woman quietly speaking, enjoying the time together while they had it.

Would it be selfish to ask if we could go back to that time? Would Erwin understand if I asked for just a few minutes for Levi and I to steal away?

I had to admit... I was tired. I had to stay strong, I knew that, but goodness, it'd been a long day. Physical fighting aside, the implications of what had been learned today was terrifying in more ways than one.

I had to focus.

The gate ahead of us was opened, and Erwin turned his horse to address us all. On his proud white steed, he looked every bit like the commander he was, that powerful figure we knew him to be. Tired or not, I followed his orders, I accepted his words like gospel. I would fight on, if only because he could see something I could not see.

"The situation within Wall Rose is unclear," he called, "but everything up until Ehrmich is safe. We'll save time going through there. Move out!"

Erwin turned and, with the triumphant chorus of callbacks from every scout under his charge calling in return, myself included, led the charge through the gate. I rode alongside the wagon, maintaining a safe enough distance from the wheels yet still remaining close enough to hear the conversation happening between those within it.

But of course, in letting my mind wander, I missed the first part. Because of course. It was honestly normal for me now, wasn't it? Always trying to catch up - to Levi, to Erwin, to Hange, and even now to the conversations being had.

"Huh?" I heard Eren say. "He knew? There's Titans inside the walls and he's known about it?"

Titans, meaning multiple, meaning they lined the inside of each and every wall. Good. Great. Wonderful.

"Yes," Hange confirmed, "though he's kept his mouth shut this entire time. But now he's coming with us to witness the harsh reality. Will his beliefs be strong enough for him to stay silent? Or will seeing it with his own eyes make him question himself?"

"No, no, no, no!" Eren said. "This is all backwards!" He stood, slamming his arms down on the small table in the middle of the wagon. "If there's something you know, tell us about it! Nothing's more important than keeping humans from going extinct!"

"Eren, settle down," Mikasa said to him when he seemed to get winded, or lightheaded, or something else entirely. "You're still not fully healed."

"There's more than one way to get answers," Levi said, drawing his attention to what he had in his coat. My eyes widened. Just when exactly did he get a gun? How long had he been hiding that?

"I may be injured and useless right now," he continued, "but it doesn't take much to watch one man. I'm hoping we can settle this without blasting a hole in anyone. Aren't you?"

"Threatening him doesn't work, Levi," Hange told him. "Believe me, I've tried. It seems to me that this priest is capable of sound judgment. That's why I wonder... What if the reason he doesn't talk is because he knows something more important than the fate of humanity?"

I was taken aback for just a moment. What could be more important than that, than humanity surviving, thriving, moving on past this threat?

Before, I didn't really mind the Order of the Walls and its followers. I never really had to interact with them much. To be honest, I didn't know much about their beliefs, only that they prayed often for the wellbeing of the great, glorious goddesses who had given us the walls and protected us - and they were more than a little obsessed with the walls themselves, goddess or no goddess.

Sure, I didn't know the history of how the walls were built, but I was fairly sure a few deities didn't come down and build them for us. It just didn't make sense. And even if they did, why build them with the very things humanity was trying to get away from stuck within them?

The whole thing just didn't sit right with me. If Pastor Nick really did know what Hange believed he did, why was it that his beliefs and oaths of secrecy were more important than helping his fellow people live?

I let that train of thought go and focused on surveying the terrain. It was dark out by now, the only lights coming from the torches some of the soldiers carried as we pressed on. Titans could have been anywhere around us, and we wouldn't have known. Not like they could move, not without sunlight, but Titans were Titans and were always dangerous.

The thundering of Strider's hooves beneath us against the dirt carried itself well against the rhythm of every other horse in the area. When he breathed, I breathed, and for a while, it was only him and I, and it felt more like we were gliding, perhaps flying, through the landscape. At any moment, he might actually lift into the air - or at least, that's what it felt like, and in the dying light of sundown, his coat seemed to shimmer. The features of the landscape rushed by us, and I took them in only sparingly.

It wasn't for another long while before Levi spoke up again, his sharp voice cutting through the silence like a knife.

"Hange," he said, trying to get their attention. Hange was looking intently down at a shard of hardened Titan skin. "Hey, four-eyes," he tried again when it was evident they had ignored him, or at the very least had not heard him. "Are your hobbies so boring that playing with rocks is somehow fun for you?"

"Yeah," Hange said, finally looking up from it, running with what he said, snarky though it was. "That's right. But this is no ordinary rock. It's a hardened fragment of skin left behind by the Female Titan."

"Huh? It didn't disappear?"

"Right," Hange answered Armin. "Annie reverted from a Titan, but it's still intact even though it broke off her body. It didn't evaporate. It didn't disappear. So, I thought: What if? When I compared it to a piece of the wall, its pattern and composition were practically identical."

Huh.

As soon as she said it, it clicked in my brain. It suddenly made a lot of sense. We didn't know how the walls were made, nor what they were made of. There were no cracks, no mortar, no bricks; the material was impossibly smooth. How we had built our homes was not how the walls were built.

We had never found material within our walls that matched the wall. We also didn't know how many more intelligent Titans there were. But Annie could control where she hardened, and how much, leading me to believe...

"In other words," Hange continued, "the wall is a barricade of humongous Titans. And if I'm right, the surface is constructed with hardened Titan skin."

"That's exactly what Armin was saying," Mikasa said.

Well, damn, I thought. Am I the last to figure it out?

"Th-Then-!"

Hange hushed Armin, and by "hushed" I meant in a physical manner, as in Hange pressed their palm to his face, covering his mouth. I wanted to laugh, but stifled it behind my own hand. Hange was too much, honestly.

"Let me finish, Armin," and I nearly laughed at their insistence to get these thoughts out. They were both bright, it was obvious. Hell, I'd want to get my genius out there first, too, especially if that was my competition. "As it stands, we'll be hard pressed to fill the hole in Wall Rose. That is, unless we can find the perfect boulder to plug it. But if... But if Eren, in his transformed state, could use the Titans' hardening ability to seal the hole in the wall..."

The rest of the statement was left unsaid, and the words hung around as though after being spoken they'd been plucked out of the air and presented before us all to look over and internalize on our own.

If that was the case, I appreciated it, because holy shit.

"Use me," Eren echoed quietly, "to seal the wall?"

It... could work. It should work. If Eren could figure out how to do it, that is. Theoretically, he wouldn't even have to master the ability. It could be a crude job, we needed only to repair what had been broken. As Erwin made it clear to us in about every damn meeting we'd had since meeting him, he had this feeling about Eren's basement. Eren wanted to get back to it, Erwin wanted to get back to it, and by extension, so did we - besides, reclaiming Wall Maria was the priority, wasn't it?

To have a way to secure Wall Maria, lessen the strains on the refugees and on our resources, to be able to return those people to their homes, to finally go past the walls once more and wipe the Titans out for good...

My heart filled with hope, but I frowned. How much more pressure could this poor boy possibly take?

"It should be made of the same material," Hange went on to say. "And seeing how the hardened section won't evaporate, even after you revert from a Titan, it's possible..."

"I think it's well worth the risk to try," Armin said. "And assuming it really does work, reclaiming Wall Maria is feasible, too."

"It sure beats looking for rocks big enough to plug a hole that are also close enough," I said with a grin.

I knew I shouldn't have, but I was starting to get excited. It was possible, now. We could not only fight Titans with Titans, but we could ensure the continued safety of the walls with this power. It was a wonderful prospect to think about, even if I was getting ahead of myself.

"Up until now," Armin said, "we've had to transport a large quantity of materials and supplies. That's why the need for outposts past the wall limited our progress. But if we don't have to accommodate supply wagons, we could quickly make our way to Shiganshina. What if we carried out the plan at night?"

"At night?"

We all knew Titans weren't active when there wasn't sunlight for them to draw energy from. That's why we were often able to rest easy while on expeditions. Most went for several days at a time, and so we stayed nights in outposts and abandoned buildings, traveling and progressing only during the day. If Eren could learn to harden his skin, it was absolutely in our power to deliver him safely to Wall Maria to plug the hole there.

As for moving at night, Erwin tried something like that, once. It was a disaster. Of course, Armin wouldn't have known that, but the limited visibility had made things tricky. Moving at night was not unheard of, but it had its own risks.

"Yes," Armin answered. "During the night when Titans can't move."

"I see," Hange considered. "If the group was small enough, you could sneak all the way to Wall Maria. The current situation is as bad as it gets," Hange said, "but we still have a glimmer of hope."

"Yes, but remember, it all depends on whether Eren can seal the hole or not."

"I realize asking this hardly seems fair, but think you can do it?"

Well, it was true. The question wasn't fair. And yet it was an important one to consider. As he thought it over, Eren was quiet, and I could all but see him physically turning it over and over in his head, even from my spot on my horse and from behind where he was sitting.

Of course, as should have been expected, just as the boy opened his mouth to think, Levi answered for him. "It doesn't matter what you think. You have to. There's no other choice. We're out of options. Our forces are struggling so desperately, there's nothing else they can do. You have to succeed."

Harsh though it may seem, unfair though his words were... he was right. Just like before, it was important to think about, no matter how uncomfortable it might have been for him. Honestly, I should have learned by now not to underestimate him, but when Eren answered, it made my heart settle a little more surely in my chest and a warm smile spread across my lips. 

"I will," Eren said confidently. "I'll do whatever it takes to seal the wall! Whatever it takes..."

"Spoken like a true scout," I said, and I wondered if I sounded as proud as I felt. "You're technically already considered a real scout because you've returned safely from your first expedition, but you've got what it takes to hang with the rest of us, kiddo." My smile grew warmer, especially upon seeing that he turned in his seat to meet my gaze. "You may have been born for this, Eren. It's seeming more like it with each passing day."

Eren smiled, but his gaze drew somewhat scornful, conflicted, and rather angry. "The basement... My dad's basement... If what my dad said was true, we'll find the answers to everything there."

The conversation petered out from there, and just in time too, because we now approached Ehrmich District. Through the gate we went, and the wagons slowed and the horses came to a stop by a large branch office. With nothing else to do, and no specific orders to follow for now, I followed Levi as he rather forcefully escorted Pastor Nick somewhere - I didn't think to ask, but it did not matter. It became clear rather quickly.

Voices, and a lot of them, began to rise in volume and frequency, and I realized that Levi was going to show Nick the consequences of his secrecy. He would force him to see who had been hurt, directly or otherwise, by his choice to stay quiet.

Upon seeing the rushing river of refugees as they rushed further into the district, putting as much distance between themselves and the Titans reportedly swarming through Wall Rose, Nick stopped. He halted just before the bottom step, but Levi wasted no time in kicking him to get him moving again.

"Hey," Levi told him, "keep moving. You'll end up like a lost little kid."

"Th-This is..."

"What did you expect you'd see? This is what happens when the wall falls."

I gazed out at the people walking by. Crestfallen, tired, hungry, scared... I would be remiss not to draw the comparison, as much as I lamented to: these people reminded me so much of the people underground. What happened down there... paralleled directly what was happening below.

Goddesses, this noise... There were babies crying, their mothers trying desperately to soothe them amidst all of the chaos. There were children, some looking around nervously because they didn't know what was going on, some wailing, others looking around excitedly because they thought that this was some big game - they just couldn't understand what was happening right now.

The elderly were pushed out of the way if they weren't walking fast enough, those that were not able-bodied were shoved over, and as though picking up on the subtle notes of my distress making itself known, Levi took my wrist in his, but only briefly, just enough to get my attention.

I shook my head but couldn't quite look at him. It wasn't like me, or even like him, to stand idly by while people needed help. But what the hell could we do? I wanted to help, and my hand even twitched with the intent to go, but... God, there was nothing to be done.

A little boy broke out into bawls, and through his sobs it was clear that he was calling out for his parents. My eyes immediately tracked the source of the noise and I desperately wanted to run to him. I took a single step towards him, purely out of instinct, but Levi took hold of my shoulder, holding me back with a gentle touch.

I looked back at him, almost desperately, but something in his eyes conveyed the truth, the hard truth of what was happening. It was chaos, yet there was nothing to be done. We didn't know whether the boy had gotten separated from his parents here while retreating, or if they had been separated far earlier, or worse... if they had been killed by Titans.

I didn't really want to know the answer.

Nick moved suddenly, and Levi let go of my shoulder to grab Nick's with far more force behind it.

"Hey," Levi said, keeping Nick from making a break for it. "Where do you think you're going? Take a good look at the faces of people who've lost everything. The faces of everyone you and your people abandoned. If your church's wish comes true, and titans come flooding through the walls, we'll all be gobbled up in their stinking mouths and die in the most miserable way possible. All of humanity, digested as one."

All at once, the tie I'd wound around my anger - for him, for his organization, for his silence - came loose.

"Do you get it now? All these people have families, friends, their own dreams which don't involve being eaten. No, don't look at me, look at them," I demanded when the pastor turned to look at me incredulously. "Among the hundreds walking by, dozens will be dead by this time next week. Do you know what happens at the refugee camps? They'll starve, dehydrate, or be worked to death. Oh, but so long as we don't defile your walls, it's worth it. Isn't that right?"

I scoffed when Nick remained quiet.

"You're a disgrace," I spat. "Absolutely disgusting."

"Come on," Levi said. "It's obvious we're not getting anywhere. Let's go."

It seemed that as soon as we were back with the main forces, Hange felt our presence and rushed to our side. Hange faced Nick, asking if he'd had a change of heart. When he didn't answer, they nearly snapped. "We don't have time for this! You know, don't you? Will you talk, or won't you? Make up your mind already!"

"I cannot say anything," he replied, his voice trained to a disturbing level of nonchalance.

"Like hell you can't," I muttered. I looked back at Levi. "Still have that gun on you?"

Levi, just for a moment, seemed impressed, and reached into his jacket. Before I could take the firearm in hand, Nick spoke. "The other believers are the same as I, and that will never change," Nick said, and that was all.

"Well thanks for nothing," Hange forced out. "We're so grateful for all the help you've been!"

Hange turned with a huff and walked away. Before they could go too far, he spoke once more: "It's too great a decision for a single person to make. The Order of the Walls must always adhere to the sacred will we're bound to obey."

"Whose will? God or something?"

"I cannot say anything," Nick said again. "However, I can inform you of a name, who under their sacred will, we were instructed to monitor."

"Monitor?"

"That person joined the Scout Regiment as of this year."

Oh, good. Eren, Annie, this person now... What is it about this graduating class specifically, that all of these important people are coming from them?

"Christa Lenz."

"Her?" Eren asked. I barely registered the sounds of a scout entering the room and announcing herself, but it wasn't important now.

"Who's that?"

"You must find her at once," Nick said, ignoring Hange's question. "Only she... She may know the truths which even we cannot perceive. That is all the information I can share. The rest I leave in your hands."

I huffed, doing all in my power to avoid throttling this man around for all the trouble he was giving us. All of that, and all he could give us was a name? Honestly. He couldn't have told us why, exactly, she was so important?

"If she's in the 104th," Hange said, "then she's deep in the front lines right now."

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. "Seems our next direction is clear, then."

"Let's go," Eren said. "We need to hurry!"

He turned and before I could tell him to calm down even slightly, he ran right into another scout, the one I had heard come in.

"Ouch," she said, the girl one I didn't know by name - she must have been a recruit.

"Sasha?"

"What are you doing here?" Mikasa asked.

The girl seemed to remember where she was and what she was supposed to be doing, because she let out a sound of surprise and sprang to her feet after grabbing a rolled-up bundle of parchment.

"Upon my arrival," she stated, "I gave my report to the Commander! Afterwards, I was entrusted to deliver this message to the Section Commander!"

"Message? Thank you. Good work."

I trailed after them to where the trio had run off to gear up. I joined them, but only to check my gear once more and ensure I was full on blades and gas - which I was. "So who is this girl in the 104th?"

"She's the smallest one of us," Eren said as I checked my blades.

"She's got long golden hair," Armin said. "Um, and... She's cute."

...

Wow.

I fought against rolling my eyes and slid my gas canisters into place. Now, that was some good intel, if ever I'd heard any. It was very helpful. These damn kids would have to learn. I didn't care how smart Armin was, there was no way he thought that'd be of any help at all.

Still, I listened in as they continued talking about Christa, and eventually we made our way to a meeting room - or a makeshift one, anyway. As section commander, and technically my superior officer when Erwin was... away, or at least preoccupied, she laid out her plan to rescue the kids of the 104th including Christa, discover where the Titans were coming into Rose from, and kill them as needed.

All I really knew, as I stood at Hange's side and realized that the two best Titan fighters who were able to fight - meaning me and Mike - would have to do the heavy lifting, here. Mike, with the 104th, would have a head-start, but I would likely be called in to help clean up.

It was going to be a long night. Something within me stirred then, and I couldn't help but feel as though when the sun had set today, it did not just bring dusk upon the land as it always did, but dusk was brought on in other ways. This night - the long night this was sure to be, but so too the metaphorical night - was only just beginning.

There was more trouble sure to come.

We would not know how dark the night would be until it came. Horrors always did tend to linger in the dark, horrors unfathomable and unspeakable; it was only a matter of how terrifying, of how dangerous, and how strongly I would fight to see the sun rise.