Skeleton Flowers [Shingeki no Kyojin]

✾ Chapter 10 ✾

"Step forward,"

Izanami felt at a complete loss as she stood in the entrance of the large courthouse. It was then that the reality of the situation dawned upon them. She felt the weight of a hundred eyes on her, yet she could not look at any of them as she slowly took in her new surroundings – all this time, all those days and nights, she had been kept jailed under the military court with Eren. Izanami had no words as she stood there, completely still and silent.

"Get moving!"

Both Izanami and Eren were thrusted forward by gun-wielding guards, and Izanami held back her feelings as she walked forward to the front of the court. Her eyes made a quick sweep of the court, and she found several familiar faces, such as Commander Pyxis and his crew, as well as Erwin Smith and Levi Ackerman. But what truly relieved her eyes was the sight of Mikasa and Armin, uninjured.

All the time that Izanami had been rotting away in that jail cell, all her worries had been directed toward the safety of those two. She knew they were the closest to her and Eren – and she did not want to imagine that they were put away in a dark, decrepit place, strung up to the roof for something that they had no control over.

Eren was forced to kneel and was placed into a kneeling position as he was strung back in a short shackling restraint. Izanami did not want to be put in such a humiliating position in the clothes that she was given to wear, and she was only slightly relieved when they straightened her standing upright and several feet away from the centre of attention.

It would be a lie for Izanami to admit that she had never been restrained in front of so many people before. There had been a time of such essence in her short life, too. But that exact thought ran a cold dagger through her chest. She felt wronged to be standing here. She had lived an honest life, and to be restrained like this...

This is unfair.

The only thing that Izanami had left in her life was her bodily autonomy and her self-respect. Izanami cared a lot about both of them – she disliked a reality where neither of them were available to her, where neither of them were allowed to her. And here she was, where these people had done their best to try and take it away from her. Izanami could never allow them or forgive them for this.

All of a sudden, the silence was interrupted by one of the doors opening and Izanami looked up ahead as a man walked in. He was rather elderly with grey hair, sunken bespectacled eyes, but where his hair was receding, he had a full-beard and moustache. He appeared to be a man of position, given the red bolo tie and the brown trench coat with black shield emblem.

Dhalis Zachary, Izanami recognised him, now understanding who was going to be judging their fates that day. It was the premier of all three regiments of the military. His highest honour was being the Commander-in-Chief of those three regiments. In short, not the man to cross unnecessarily.

This was concerning, given that while she was able to control her emotions and redirect them in a formidable manner, the same could not be said about Eren. Izanami wished he would act with composure for once. They needed to keep the situation calm and composed, after all.

"Well then, let us begin," spoke Commander Zachary. "Eren Jaeger and Izanami Minamoto, yes? You two are soldiers, sworn to sacrifice your lives for the public good. Is that correct?"

"Yes, sir," Izanami answered, and she did not look at Eren as he muttered his own agreement.

"This is an exceptional situation," continued Commander Zachary. "This tribunal will be held under military, not civilian, law. The final decision rests entirely in my hands. Your fate will be decided here. Do you have any objections?"