In Love with a Devil

Chapter 36 - Skeletons in the Closet

The day was coming to an end, and Floch had Yelena and Onyonkopone on their knees in front of a crowd, preaching Eren's 'philosophy' and announcing their crimes. You stealthily remained hidden for the whole day, watching as your comrades gathered supplies and prepared to flee from Shiganshina. You meet up with Mikasa just before the sun began to set and wait for Jean's signal.

1 gunshot. 2. 3... 4.

Without hesitation, Pieck climbed up the building and lunged at Yelena, Jean, and Onyonkopone. She closes her mouth on them and takes off, the Jaegerists in a panic as they watch her leave. You sit on one of the wagons with Mikasa, Armin and Connie controlling the other ones, with Annie, Reiner, and the two children as well. You watch closely at the empty streets, making sure no one intends on following you.

"Someone is watching us..." Annie says dauntingly.

"You look up and see a figure in a tall tower looking through a window. "No time. We just need to keep moving." you say, turning your head back towards the forest.

The ride was fairly uneventful, everyone made it in one piece. You help unload the supplies and start a fire. One nightfall had come, the air became terribly... uncomfortable. On one side, Reiner, Annie, the kids Gabi and Falco, Yelena, Ononkpone, Pieck, and Magath sat together, while Hange, Jean, Armin, Mikasa, and Connie sat on the other. You chose to sit beside Levi a small distance away, tending to his wounds and comfortability.

Hange prepared stew with potatoes for everyone to eat, while Magath decided to voice his opinion and break the silence.

"I never imagined sharing a meal with island devils. Some day, huh? What exactly do you gain from stopping Eren? If he succeeds, you get the whole island to yourselves without fear of your enemies... even though it would serve you right to be killed off." Magath says, occasionally sipping wine.

"I've explained this before. No one here wants global genocide. That's why we're eating stew in the forest and not eating city delicacies with the Jaegerists." Hange adds, their tone firm but their outer appearance unbothered.

"Well, at least you figured out who the good guys are." Magath retorts.

You glare at the back of his head, his words making you tick with irritation. You bite your tongue and try to focus on Levi, but Jean stands up and raises his voice.

"Are you fucking joking?? This whole thing started with you Marleyans sending over your titans to kill us! We found a way to survive, and you still have the balls to call us devils for wanting to live??" Jean exclaims.

"Yep. You found a way to get your freedom and look'at what you're doing with it. Seems to me we were right about you all along." Magath replies.

"Eren's mother was eaten alive when our wall was first breached. That's the whole reason he started the rumbling!! It's all your fault!"

"Oh, he lost his mom? I guess the millions of Marleyan lives your ancestors took are nothing compared to your losses. For 2000 years we've suffered at the hands of your kind... Your suffering is a joke."

"Enough. Jean, Mr. Magath doesn't understand us because we aren't acting like the devils he believes we are. We're trying to stop Eren from destroying the world, and for months, we lived in his homeland. How crazy does that sound coming from a bunch of 'island devils'?" Hange interrupts.

There's a pause where everyone looks at one another, their faces twisted with conflictedness. You wanted more than anything to put this 'Magath' in his place, tell him he has no right to speak so horribly about your home. Annie stands and strikes a harsh question on Mikasa, asking if she would have the resolve to kill Eren if necessary. They both stance up and prepare to spar, but they calm down as they reach an understanding and stand down.

"Ah, stew's done! Everyone, grab a bowl." Hange says excitedly.

Once everyone starts eating, Hange explains the plan. They ride on horseback to the port, ask the Azumabito's for help, use their airplane to find Eren and stop him. Though, no one had any idea of where Eren was going to strike first... except for Yelena. She told everyone that she had no idea where Eren was planning to attack first. Death threats weren't going to sway her, so the question of if she cared about Marley at all caused a silence too overbearing to endure.

"I can tell ya why she doesn't care. She's a pure blooded Marleyan." Magath says smugly.

"After the attack on Liberio, we took a look into your past, and you had quite the journey. Born into a nice Marleyan home, you met Zeke and changed your story. You claimed to be from an annexed territory, and started to despise Marley all for your prince's dream of saving the world." Pieck added.

"Hm. Can you blame me for wanting that? Saving the world is so idolized, so who wouldn't want to be a savior? To save millions of innocent lives and wipe out all hatred with righteousness? Everyone sitting here is no different from me... that reason is why you are all here. Do all of you need a reminder?" Yelena says.

She explains the sins of everyone at the fire: how Reiner broke the gate, how Annie slaughtered hundreds of innocent people, how Armin destroyed a Marleyan harbor, and how everyone else took part in slaying innocent citizens in Liberio, and how Gabi murdered Sasha. Jean took it as a way to clear the air of the past to focus on the future at hand, and even thanked Yelena sarcastically. Yelena, however, decided to further the conversation by asking Jean about his friend Marco.

Annie and Reiner confessed that they, along with Bertold, caused Marco's death during the attack on Trost. Reiner recalled Marco's last words were 'why couldn't we have just talked'... Hange tried to make the situation lighter, saying how once sworn enemies are now sitting and eating together, talking out our differences, but that didn't stop Jean from lunging at him and swinging his fists. He started beating Reiner to a pulp, blood covering his hands. Connie and Armin tried to pry him off, but Gabi got in the middle of his beating and took a single punch.

"I'm sorry... we came here to kill off the 'devils' on this island... because if we did, then the Eldians on Marley would be considered good Eldians, and forgiven of our ancestor's sins... but now, my home is going to be tramples because of what i did... Please, help save my family from being killed!! I'm begging you!!!" Gabi cries.

Gabi and Falco both cry out for help and Jean walks away to clear his head, feeling slight remorse for hitting a young girl. You can only watch as everything unfolds, feeling slightly sick. You feel Levi sit up and quickly hold out your hand for him, holding him steady.

"Will all of you please shut the hell up... you're too damn noisey." Levi says bluntly.