Once In A While

Chapter 30: The Yeagerists

"I can't believe Pyxis would use these strong-arm tactics..." Jean said, leaning back into his seat.

"They must have been watching this plot while we were laying low in Marley. They're breaking up the volunteers and putting them under house arrest. They didn't tell the Survey Corps because of our close ties to them..." Armin explained the situation we had found ourselves in.

"I guess they didn't have any other choice. We're in a delicate situation so long as we don't know exactly what Zeke's planning. And Eren suddenly started going along with Zeke's plan. He decided on his own to meet Zeke... And what those two spoke of, is known to them alone." Jean said back.

"Hey... All of you... Did that seem like Eren to you? Because to me, that wasn't Eren. If he managed to pick his half brother over us... We need to be able to cut him down ourselves." Connie spoke with his back turned to us as he stared out the window.

"I won't let you do that!" Mikasa exclaimed, clearly hurt from Connie's words.

"Mikasa... You're taking their side, too?" He said back to her, surprised.

"It won't come to that... Because Eren cares about us. More than anyone else... Just think back to what happened a year ago. Eren cares for us. That could be why he got combative with everyone but us. I think he did it, because those feelings of his are strong." Mikasa shared her thoughts with us, trying to justify Eren's change.

"You're saying he did it all, for us? Well, you're wrong. No matter how strong you were, the old Eren would always try to keep you away from the front line fighting titans. But this time, he sent Armin to destroy the port... And put you on the battlefield. Same with everyone else he sent was important to him. Me, Connie, (Y/n), and Sasha..." Jean replied sternly.

"I think that's because he trusts us. Eren wouldn't have been able to do anything if we hadn't gone, right?" She insisted.

"If we hadn't gone, Sasha wouldn't have to die either. Tell me Mikasa, do you know what Eren did when I told him Sasha died?" Connie said.

"Connie, stop." Jean tried to make him not pursue things further, but his attempts were in vain;

"He didn't cry, he wasn't angry... No. The bastard laughed. I wonder what about her death could have been so funny. Tell me, why did he laugh? You know everything about him, don't you? So why did he laugh?"

"Connie, I think that's enough." I said from the corner I stood at.

"Let's just drop the subject. It's no use fighting amongst ourselves." I told him, placing a hand briefly on his shoulder; I could understand where he came from, but attacking Mikasa for Eren's questionable behavior would only divide us further - something we had to avoid at all costs.

"We'll talk to Eren. Just me and Mikasa. We'll finagle our way into a discussion with him. The one time in the past that he used the founder's power, Dina, a titan with royal blood, was eaten by a swarm of titans. That wasn't Dina's will. It was what Eren wanted. In other words, while Dina's titan was the catalyst that activated the founding power, she wasn't the one capable of giving orders- Eren was. It ought to be the same between Eren and Zeke. In that case, whatever Zeke might be planning, won't happen, unless it's what Eren wants, too. So, as long as he shares our goals, there's no problem." Armin explained thoroughly his train of thought to us.

"As long as he does...?" I trailed off, afraid of what would happen-

"And what if he shares Zeke's goals?" Jean asked, voicing my fears.

"The corps has the serum that can turn somebody into a titan. That means we have a choice. The choice to turn someone else, whom we can trust, into a titan, and have them inherit Eren's founder."