Complications Throughout Generations

Chapter 27

Mikasa's POV:

Jean looked away from me and bit his bottom lip.

"Not all of us." He whispered.

Shit.

I lifted my body off the tree to walk close to him. "Jean, I'm so sorry. I didn't-"

"You're okay, Mikasa." He looked down at me, due to his height, and gave a sad smile with glossy eyes.

"Jean." I felt awful. I put my hand up to his face and rested my palm at his cheek as I caught his small tears with my thumb.

"I miss him every day." His voice stayed the same. But I felt his jaw clench underneath my hand. "You know, Marco was the kindest soul I've ever come close to. He was my best friend." He bit his lip and tried to blink the tears away. "So I understand why you wouldn't want to kill Eren. You love him." I gasped at the word and felt my eyes watering as well. "I loved Marco. I would do anything just to get him back. Anything." He stretched his hand to reach my wrist that rested right under his chin and held onto it. He leaned his head more into my palm and started to rub the top of my hand with his thumb.

"We'll be okay, Jean." I nodded. With his other hand, he wiped my tears away. But then he lowered our connected hands and pulled me to his chest. We wrapped our arms around each other and he started to rub my back. Due to our height difference, he was able to rest his cheek on top of my head. For the first time in a long time, I felt peace. Instead of having to protect myself, I felt as if someone was protecting me instead. We stayed like that for a few more minutes until I loosened the space between us to look at him with my arms still attached around his waist. In those light brown eyes, I saw despair and grief. But I also saw love. Maybe in other lifetime, Jean...but not today.

"We should go back." He whispered. Ending the moment rather than ruining it. I nod as we walk back together. Jean went and grabbed me a bowl but then sat in between Armin and Hange to make our moment from before not as suspicious. Hange summed up the plan for Jean and I, as she had explained it to everyone earlier. We were going to rely on Kiyomi's Azumbito's flying boat to reach Eren. But we still needed to locate him first. There seemed to be a stiff tension in the air. My guess was Yelena due to the look on Connie's face. Pieck, the Cart Titan, began to speak. She explained how Yelena is in fact Marleyan. Disillusioned with Marley, she came up with a story after meeting Zeke. A story in which she would save the world with a prince. But of course, Yelena being the foul person she is, seemed to be unbothered.

She pet the Cart Titan with a soft expression. "To save the world." Yelena spoke. "Are there any words sweeter and more alluring than this? You give yourselves to the sublimely exciting idea that you will save hundreds of millions of lives, and gulp it down, as if it were to wash away all the hatred you felt in the past. That's how all of you look in my eyes right now. Let's take a quick look in the past." She averted her eyes to Reiner first. "Reiner Braun. Who knows how many Eldians lost their lives because you breached the wall that day." She moved her eyes to the next person. "Annie Leonhart. I've heard you've killed quite a lot of Survey Corps members. Including a large number of residents in Stohess. And of course, the same goes for the soldiers on Paradis. You're usually a very sensible and decent person so I've never thought I'd see you to raze a military port so mercilessly." Then the next. "Armin. Your military accomplishments should be relative to the mountain of corpses you left behind, including the civilians. I have vivid memories of the brave acts the rest of you have done in Liberio." Everyone felt unsettled by her words. "Especially Jean." He seemed surprised by his name being called. "You valiantly hurled a thunder spear at that little boy, Falco, to defeat the Cart Titan. And Gabi, the girl over there, shot Sasha to death. Sasha was a really good girl. Even I was sad about that." Talking about Sasha makes all of our hearts feel heavy. Losing a close friend like that hurt worse than others. Sasha always knew how to make people smile. But Yelena continued, "however, for all of you who think of her as family since your training corps days, your sadness and hatred easily dwarf mine."