Skeleton Flowers [Shingeki no Kyojin]

✾ Chapter 4 ✾

Izanami turned around to look beyond Wall Rose when there was a sudden lightning strike, hitting the ground with a loud explosive sound and as the smoke slowly subsided, she found herself face-to-face with the Colossal Titan from years ago.

Every single soul stared at the Titan in silence, and then the silence was broken with a loud blast as the Colossal Titan broke the leading gate of Wall Maria with a kick.

The force of the kick shook the ground and the wall, and the intense heat released from the Titan's body threw the graduating cadets off the Wall. Izanami felt herself soar through the air but was quick to use her equipment to latch herself back into place again.

Most of the others had gotten themselves together, Izanami quickly browsed, except for Samuel, who had been knocked out from the force of the attack –

"Samuel!" shouted Sasha as she went rushing toward him. "I've got him, Izanami!" She used her equipment to tether him. "Samuel, don't move!"

There was nothing to be relieved about as Izanami's dark eyes fell onto the gate in the wall which had been breached – the Titans will only continue to enter the Walls one by one, and Izanami did not want to allow that to happen in any case this time. She glanced toward Eren to find him in shock.

"Everyone!" called out Izanami, surprising them into attention at her loudness and assertiveness. "Prepare yourselves for defence immediately!"

And taking the brunt of the burden, Izanami went flying in the direction of the Colossal Titan, followed closely by Eren as they reached the top of the Wall Rose. The Colossal Titan was intelligent, just as Izanami had always believed, as its eyes turned to look at them.

"Hey, there... it's been five years,"

There was an intense feeling that rushed through Izanami's veins as her eyes met with those of the Colossal Titan. She registered the emotion within them – she was not ever wrong in believing that this particular Titan was intelligent. But it was only confirmed for certain within the next series of events.

Izanami went rushing along the length of the top of the Wall, hoping to get the opening to attack the Colossal Titan when the Titan appeared to reach for her – but right at the last moment, it used its own hand to sweep across the Wall, destroying every single fixed cannons.

"Eren!" called Izanami over her shoulder as she jumped off of the Wall, using her omni-directional mobility gear to swing around onto the gigantic Titan. "This thing is sentient!"

"What?" shouted Eren in return, rushing to follow after her and only half-listening with revenge and anger clouding his eyes. "What do you mean, sentient?"

"He attacked the fixed cannons!" responded Izanami, dodging the Colossal Titan's hand reaching for her. "And the fact that it kicked the Wall's gate in! None of this is a coincidence!"

"But this is our chance!" came Eren's reply, exactly what Izanami had expected of him. "He's the only one that can take out the walls! If we can kill him..."

Although it was an expected response from the boy, it wasn't that Izanami did not agree with it. She used her mobility gear to swerve around to the back of the Titan, certain that it was not looking to eat her for now and his surprisingly slow attacks were unmatched for her speed. She gripped tighter onto her blades and heading rapidly to strike that fatal blow onto the Titan's nape –

There was a burst of hot steam, the gas issuing so rapidly that it hindered Izanami's path toward the Titan, and it was so hot that her skin ought to have melted. Yet Izanami was upright, the flush of the gas, throwing her tightly wound hair open to fly around her in a halo and her cheeks to turn hot.