Trust ~ Jean Kirschtein x Reader/OC

CHAPTER NINE ~ Her Name

My speed-walking turns into a desperate jog as millions of thoughts race through my mind, who is here? Is everyone okay?

I spot Connie, Bertholdt, and Reiner in the distance with Eren, who yells things at them in need for more information.

"What the hell happened here?" He demands.

Reiner pauses for a short moment, "even if we wanted to explain what we have been through... I don't think any of us would even know where to start."

I look past them as Zariya and Armin catch up to the group, finding Krista stumbling through the rubble. I increase my speed, needing to get to her, incredibly thankful that she is okay. I sprint straight past all six of them to her, jumping over pieces of rubble, my heart thumping with anxiety and relief. Skidding to a stop in front of her, I notice how panicked she looks. There's a sense of desperacy for something on her face, as she scours the area for whatever it is. Her shirt is dirty, and the bottom of her skirt is completely ripped off for who-knows-why.

She makes short eye contact with me, as if asking for help, before looking past me and yelling "Ymir!"

A breath catches in my throat as I spin around to follow Krista, to which she falls to her knees beside a limp body on the ground.

It was, in fact, Ymir. One of my most trusted friends was lying there, on the ground, covered in her own blood. Half of one of her legs was missing, an entire arm of hers was gone, and she looked incredibly weak. I've seen the people I love too many times in a state like this, either tortured or dead.

I take a few shaky steps before I'm standing closer to Ymir and Krista, panic rising once again through my whole body. It's making me freeze up, just like it always has.

"Ymir," Krista says again, cradling Ymir in her arms as she begins to cry, "just as I promised, my real name is Historia."

Historia? Then, who is Krista? And why did... Historia... fake her name?

My left eye twitches once, twice, three times. Another lie I was told by someone I trusted ever so dearly. But of course, there is always a reason. Or at least that is what I will continue to tell myself.

"What the-" Eren starts, but is stopped.

"Shut up Eren, we obviously missed something here," Mikasa scolds him.

"Well, Mikasa is right, we obviously missed something here! So can one of you three please tell us what exactly happened?!" Zariya announces quietly.

Connie sighs, "Well, how do I put this... Ymir transformed into a titan as the castle tower was falling... She saved us."

It was like a knife was plunged deep into my heart, then taken out to leave the would to bleed out. Another person I would have done anything for was a titan. I don't flinch, I don't move, I don't change the emotionless expression that lies on my face. I thought I was ridiculous for ever thinking that anyone else could be a titan, but how wrong I could have been. This is twice. The idea of more does not seem so far fetched anymore.

Although, I was not as upset as I was with Annie. Ymir protected them; so, for some reason, it doesn't seem to make me want to cry at all. Even with the pain that the truth is, it somehow does not hurt as bad.

Monique bolts past me and lands on the floor beside Ymir on the brink of tears. She grabs her only remaining hand between her own and squeezes it desperately, searching Ymir's face as she looks at Monique. She holds her hand to her chest, squeezing it against her heart without saying anything - I suppose she couldn't. My legs slowly give in as I move towards the three and drop to the ground on my hands and knees, forcing the lump in my throat to stay just a lump and not burst into tears. As I look at Ymir's weakened expression, I realise I couldn't be mad that she is a titan. Even if she hadn't told anyone and kept herself a secret for the longest time, it didn't matter. She saved them, and just like the rest of us, she wouldn't be able to forgive herself if one of them died. She kept loyal to us, and I guess that's all that matters. Right now, I just don't want her to die. Not another one of my friends.