A Promise (An Attack on Titan Fanfic: Erwin Smith)

That Night

*Mature content.

It wasn't the first time Isanna had been restless.

In all her seventeen years as a Scout, it was inevitable for thoughts of anxiety and fear to creep in. She'd seen numerous comrades and friends wretched from her life, death claiming their lives at the hands of the monstrosities which lie beyond their walls.

And, even after seventeen years, the average veteran Scout could still feel anxious at the thought of venturing outside once again. It was normal.

She was used to this feeling.

But every time she imagined Erwin going out, with his current handicap, the anxiety worsened.

As the days passed by, they were getting nearer to their departure, and the chaos inside Isanna's mind only became more turbulent.

Waking up in the middle of the night soon became her routine, and this night was nothing different.

The gush of running water was all that could be heard in the bathroom. Isanna stood in front of the sink, dousing her face with cold water, hoping to physically wash away the gruesome images of Mike's death that plagued her nightmares.

She grunted in quiet frustration, gripping the edge of the sink. Water droplets dripped from her face, and she could do nothing but stare as they slid down the drain.

When Isanna lifted her face to look at the mirror, all she could see was her exhaustion. A face haunted with stress lines, a pair of eyes laced in worry, a tight jaw.

Swallowing a huge gulp, she turned the faucet off and straightened herself. Instead of plopping on her bed however, she exited her room and walked around the corridors of the officers' barracks. The HQ was overrun with silence. Not surprising—the entire squadron should be asleep at this hour.

Eager to breathe fresh air, Isanna stepped out of the barracks and held back a cold shiver. She rubbed her arms in an attempt to generate heat and walked around the campus. It was only until she reached the Scouts' dormitory building did she pause.

Because sitting on the stairway that led to the entrance was a familiar blond. And curled beside him was a black cat.

"Isanna-san?" Armin stood, equally confused at her sudden presence.

"Armin." She walked over. "What are you doing up at this hour?"

Sheepishly, he scratched his cheek. "I, er, was thinking about things."

Isanna waved at him to sit back down, before she joined him, with Mhile comfortably lying between them. They sat in silence, staring at the dim campus and the night stars. There was the occasional chirping of crickets.

"What are you thinking that got you up this late?" Isanna asked, eyes still glued at the sky and a hand petting Mhile. She found little comfort that, despite the swirling anxiety in her mind, the stars in the sky glowed as bright as ever.

Armin was a little hesitant.

"Um.. just a bunch of things."

"Like what?"

In her periphery, she could see him lowering his gaze.

"I was thinking about.. what could possibly lie outside the walls," he mumbled, as if shy to open up.

Isanna finally turned to him. Sometimes, his curiosity reminded her a lot of Erwin. Both had an eerily similar calculative mind, and at the same time, they were also vastly different.