𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐓.ᴀɴɴɪᴇ ʟᴇᴏɴʜᴀʀᴅᴛ, ᴍɪᴋᴀꜱᴀ ᴀᴄᴋᴇʀᴍᴀɴ

『𝟏𝟓』𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐓 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄

𝐓𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐃𝐀𝐘, 𝐀𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐋 𝟐𝟑𝐑𝐃, 𝟖𝟓𝟎 𝐀𝐓 𝟏𝟖:𝟑𝟔

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  Gently, you made your way forwards as if you were walking on shattered, serrated glass -you trekking on without any irregular, outward movements while trying to remain noiseless and careful on your toes, a few petite twigs and uneven blades of grass being pinned to the earth by the rubbered sole of your boot. The wildlife about you was as lively as ever, the small birds orchestrating their own pass time melody with the occasional shuffling of an above tree branch played by a squirrel for percussion -quite the contrast to your dulled features that sung out a saddened and sombre tune, one that you had grown rather familiar with.

  Everything had all been way more abrupt and sudden than you had expected, but as you slowly made your way deeper and deeper within the foliage of the forest -kicking at a few small pebbles and at the gravelled floor as you went- you found yourself grateful that Shadis had ended training for the day then and there. In all honesty, you weren't sure that you would have been able to stop yourself from crying much longer if he hadn't intervened -whether he did so intentionally because Annie and Mikasa were about to fight or not.

  And even though you were in the refuge of the tall woodlands, you were still biting at your lip and tilting your head upwards in an attempt to keep your tears contained to your eyes every now and then when the past events caught up to you; you weren't that much further now, and it'd be so much easier to just keep holding it in until you were certain than you were in a secluded and comforting place, 'I've held myself together for this long, I can hold out a little longer to make sure that no one hears me...'

  The way that Mikasa had bluntly rejected you in front of everyone kept playing through your head -playing the leading role and performing dutifully at the forefront of the theatrical stage that made up your inner thoughts- so much so to the point where you were no longer sure that she had even been on your side to begin with, 'I mean, even if I ignore how she was training with me, she acted distant when I tried to get her to calm things down -twice. But at the same time, I shouldn't have expected much else... I'm pretty sure Eren was there watching the whole thing play out as well, and since he's the reason that we're hiding us, it would only make sense that she...'

  You stopped your thoughts right there when you felt the frustration dangerously bubble up in your eyes, edging you closer and closer to the precipice that was your breaking point until you tried to pull yourself back, 'Calm down, calm down, calm down.' you tried to convince yourself, hoping that maybe repeating the words would enforce them in some way, 'C'mon (Y/N), do it for Mika!'

  It wasn't much longer after you thought that, that you found yourself at your desired destination -one that overlooked a pond-lake body of shimmering water, where sand faded into grass that eventually provided you cover under towering oaks. Deepened amber lighting flooded over the training place you had gone to for the past few weeks or so, in such a fashion that normally would have been welcoming had you been in a better mood; something that you currently didn't have on hand.

  Regardless, you started making your way over to the body of water with calculated footsteps, careful to avoid obvious sections of the ground where mud was thicker, 'It's always, "Do this for Mika, push yourself a little more for her sake."' you couldn't help but bitterly think to yourself as the pressure continued to build in your eyes -knowing fully well that you'd feel guilty for being so petty at a later date, but not being able to bring yourself to care at the moment, 'Why? Why do I keep trying if it just hurts me in the long run...?'

  For a brief second, you choose to overlook the water; to try and find some sort of answer floating on its soft, languid waves of a transparent dark -but to no avail.