Born and Raised

Part 7~Memories

Blinking, Jericho sat up, rubbing his pounding forehead. Perking up, Miko barked happily, running in circles as she jumped onto Jericho's lap. Laughing, Jericho picked her up, rubbing her belly and making her wag her tail.

"Bold move saving the dog." Levi stepped into the room, leaning against the door frame as Miko charged at him. He stepped away, trying to avoid Miko's affection.

Snorting, Jericho couldn't resist. "She likes you." Whistling, he called Miko back. She jumped onto the bed and lay under Jericho's arm, butting her head against Jericho's hand. Jericho smiled once more before he glared at Levi. "Where's Eren?"

"He's fine. But I suggest you start answering questions."

"You say that like I've been resisting and not in a coma." Jericho grinned as he jumped up, stretching out. "Let's get this over with." He called Miko to his side as he followed Levi through the corridors to the large room. Erwin, Hajime, Mikasa, Armin, Connie, Sasha, Jean, and Historia were all waiting inside. "Historia, it's good to see you."

Jericho smiled, walking up to Historia's side as she smiled back. "I'm glad you've recovered."

"Historia, stop being friendly. He brainwashed Eren," Jean interrupted, making Jericho raise his eyebrow.

"No. I did not do that."

"You turned him against us!"

"Eren woke up before I did, didn't he? Well, I didn't brainwash him or do anything to him. I actually freed him from the people brainwashing him. But believe what you want."

Historia held up a hand, taking back the conversation. "Who did this, then?"

"How much do you know about Marley?" The group stared at him in confusion. "Right, well, the people who brainwashed Eren came from Marley. They wanted to turn him against you so he would kill you, but I stopped them and freed Eren. He killed them all, so don't bother looking for them. The only problem is that I didn't free quick enough, so he now believes you're all devils and should be killed, and I don't think keeping him locked up will help."

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Sasha looked at Jericho worriedly as he scratched his chin.

"I don't know. He recognised Historia when he saw my drawing of her, and he mentioned a girl named Sasha, but most of his memories aren't in tack. He does seem to remember his family, though."

Sasha seemed proud to be one of the chosen few Eren remembered while Mikasa tightened her fist. "If Eren can remember me, we might be able to convince him to stop."

"You're his sister, right? That won't go well. He is anti-family right now, especially with what he learnt about Grisha."

Levi and Erwin shared a look. "What he learnt?"

"Yep. Grisha came from Marley but was found to be a traitor, and he and his wish were sentenced to die when old Eren saved his life and sent him here with the attack titan which Eren now possesses."

"Why are you telling us this? You have no reason to trust us?" Jean gave Jericho a distrustful glare as Jericho shook his head.

"I came from within these walls. I'm going to recognise Erwin."

"If you came from inside the walls, how did you get mixed up with the Marleyans?"

"When the walls fell, I was hidden in a bunker by one of the families that dad would garden for. The Marleyans found me, took me in, and tried to brainwash me into their way of thinking, but I made my choice."

There was a period of silence as the group shared hushed conversations. Jericho petted Miko's head to relieve his anxiety.

Erwin turned to Jericho. "One last question, can we stop Eren without killing him?"

"Honestly? I don't know. Eren is set on his way of thinking, but he's the most loyal person I've ever met. If you can help him remember, he won't hurt you, but if you can't, you won't be able to stop him."

"Can't you stop him," Connie asked as Jericho shook his head.

"I've tried. If you hadn't brought all the titans to our camp and almost killed us, I probably would have succeeded, but I guess it's now in your hands."

They didn't have a chance to respond as a loud crash echoed from outside. Spinning, Erwin grabbed Jericho, dragging him out of the interrogation room. Outside, Eren was screaming, stomping on the houses and throwing the buildings aside.

"You need to calm him down!"

"Firstly, this is your fault, and secondly, I will only do this once. For Eren's sake." Running forward, Jericho slid up to Eren, calling his attention back down. Steam escaped from the titan's nape as Eren jumped out.

He tackled Jericho into a tight hug, holding him close as Jericho smiled, hugging him back. "I was so worried about you. Are you hurt?" Eren pulled away, brushing his fingers against Jericho's cheek.

"I'm fine. I would ask if you're okay too, but I'm guessing you've healed by now."

Eren nodded, his eyes widening as he spotted the others drawing closer. He pushed Jericho behind him, taking a defensive stance as he glared at the scouts. "Take another step, and I'll destroy you right here and now."

"Eren," Armin hesitantly stepped closer, holding his hand up peacefully. "Do you remember me? I'm Armin. We've been friends forever. Please, Eren, we don't want to hurt you."

Eren showed no signs of recognising him. Mikasa tried next, holding her scarf tightly. "Eren, do you remember giving me this. You gave me this when you saved me. You saved me. Please, Eren, remember us."

Hesitantly, Eren relaxed, standing up and turning to Jericho. "You think these people are worth saving?"

Laughing, Jericho smiled. "I told you. Everyone is worth saving." Eren didn't look happy, but he sighed, turning back to the group.

"Fine. I won't kill you but try to harm us again, and I'll eat you." He smiled as Jericho let out a breath.

"It's progress. Just take it."

Eren didn't have his memories, only vague inputs from his previous life, but that didn't mean he didn't care about the blurry images of brown uniforms.