Eren Yeager had always been a child. From birth to the day he died. He lived with a selfish, childish dream to find freedom. Yet, freedom was a manifestation of his innate desire to fill the boredom swallowing him whole. It killed him.
But before t...
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A LEAP YEAR signifies one of two things. One, it is the way in which the human calendar synchronises with the Earth's orbit. Two, it is the loss of a day every three years. Either one is correct. Either one holds a multitude of feelings: hope, epiphanies, grief.
Armin sat against the large tree, the one he visited in his childhood. His back was pressed against the hollow bark, fleeting memories drifting through his mind. He stared down at the stained parchment papers in his hands.
Droplets of tears were long dried now, and the inked words were smudged with love and helplessness.
His own ocean blue eyes watered.
"Wow," breathed Annie, sitting beside him, her body pressed against his arm. "I never knew he fell in love with someone else. I always thought he was smitten with Mikasa."
"Me too," Armin admitted. His voice was barely a whisper. Emotions roared through him like the tides of a tsunami. He didn't know what to make of these letters.
"Twenty eight and twenty nine are really unfortunate numbers, huh?" Annie felt her lips dry, cracked with the pressure of recoiling feelings. She glanced towards her husband, careful with her words. "Isn't it a leap year now?"
Armin nodded. "It is."
"Do you think she's still alive?"
"I guess there's only one way to find out."
Packing their bags, the married couple ventured to Marley, a former enemy of Paradise. The two countries were allies now, all thanks to the hardships of the 'heroes' of the world: Armin Arlet, Mikasa Ackerman, Jean Kristen, Connie Springer, Levi Ackerman, Reiner Braun, Annie Leonhart, and Historia Reiss. Of course, Gabi Braun and Falco Grice were congratulated on their efforts, but they were just children. They did not understand the politics of the world just yet. Therefore, they were not part of the heroic group the world rejoiced in.
The husband-wife duo entered the developing country, echoes of war returning to their minds. Annie and Armin began their exploration, heading for people and asking about a young female nurse.
Answers never came.
"Are you sure you haven't heard of her?" Armin tried, desperation in his tone. He stood in front of a woman, a purple shall donned around her head. She held a child close to her chest, rocking the infant in her arms gently.
"I'm sure, sir."
"If she's a nurse, why don't you head to the hospital?" inquired her husband, his arm wrapped around her waist. He pointed to their left. "There's one of there."
Armin's eyes lit up. "Thank you!"
He intertwined his fingers with Annie's and dragged her over to the rundown hospital. Its wooden panels were slowly cracking, logged with water and horrors. The couple came across an injured man leaning on a cane.
