TRANSPORTED - On-Going

28 - Suspicion

CHAPTER 28 

"We only have one horse. If Jean's horse comes back, the three of us can move, but..." Reiner muttered to himself. Holding a roll of bandage in his hands. He sighed, looking at another blonde who had been quiet since they came to a small grove to rest and look for help.

He started to wrap it around Armin's injured head to stop the bleeding. Still, the little man hasn't said anything. Once he's done, he stood up on his feet and looked at the ground with a troubled façade. "It's a hard choice, but someone will have to stay behind."

From his peripheral view, he saw Jean stopped whistling and was about to argue, even if he completely understood the situation. Until Armin decided to speak at last. "Wait."

Armin straightened up, facing him and Jean, then added, "Let's fire a smoke round. If the formation continued straight ahead, the row 4-3 team should be nearby." The two agreed.

Jean was the one who decided to do it. Purple smoke sprung up in the sky in a matter of seconds. "That's the signal for an emergency. But I'm not sure if they will understand our situation just from that." Jean grimly said and walked up to another direction to summon his horse.

Reiner turned to Armin once again and regretfully said, "Armin, we can wait another 3 minutes. By then, we must decide—"

"I'll stay." Armin stated with adamant eyes that made Reiner taken aback. "But there's something I want you to tell them for me. Preferably from Commander Erwin alone—" But was cut off by Jean's shaky tone.

"No. Armin... You should tell him yourself. Looks like someone's here." Jean narrowed his eyes while his hands were on his brows, trying to block the rays of the sun. "And he's got a spare horse!" He exclaimed.

"W-Who is it?" Armin asked and was suddenly on his side. Jean furrowed his brow as he tried to focus his eyes harder. "I-I don't know. The face is covered." They stayed silent after that.

However, when they notice the strange behavior of that person, they know that danger is just waiting for them. And by strange, they meant not planning to skid to a halt and not acknowledging them with a wave as simple act of comradery.

"J-jean... I think we should move out of the way." Armin nervously tugged at Jean's jacket, who only gulped. He's thinking that maybe that was their friend and was only pranking them. But when the man was only a few feet away and was still running furiously, that made him break out of his own stupefaction.

He briskly jumped to the side, as did Armin. "Hey! What the hell?!" They could feel the harsh wind brushing their skin as the man passed them. Going straight to their other friend who was shocked but with alert in his eyes.

"REINER!" They shouted in unison. It happened so fast. How the man cues for his horse to stop and swiftly slides down like an expert before successfully toppling Reiner on the ground with a loud thud.

It was a move that was not taught at the camp.

Now Reiner is facing the ground helplessly with a scowl on his face. He tried to get out of the man's grasp, but he just couldn't. The man is too strong for him, given his fragile built. He was deceived by his own eyes.

"Are you the female titan?" Reiner's eyes widened, turning his body in an attempt to be free, but the man—woman, whispered again. "Don't move or I'll kill you." Sakura threatened with her deepest voice before slamming her palm onto Reiner's back causing him to cough by the impact. Concentrating her chakra to trace if the man was really a titan shifter just like what she did to Eren back then.

She was worried after seeing Armin with a bandage on his head. And it was replaced with anger when Reiner was just standing next to them. She didn't think clearly and went straight for the man. If Naruto hadn't told her about him, who knows what more damage he might have done?