|𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠e𝐥𝐲 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞| ᵃʳᵐⁱⁿ ᵃˡᵉʳᵗ

|17| Crystal Coma

*Warnings: Language, Violence*

-PARADIS, STOHESS-

It was almost like Eren's titan had an epiphany, or broke from it's shell somehow. Y/n wasn't sure where it came from, but he was so much stronger this time around, so much more aggressive. Maybe someone gave him a damn good inspirational speech while he was out, or maybe he really hated Annie, whatever it was, he almost kill her.

Annie managed to get to the wall, hardening her fingers and attempting to climb up it. Eren bit one of her legs off, while Mikasa flew over and cut all her fingers off from the wall, causing her to fall. As she hit the ground, Eren ripped off her head and looked as though he was about to go for the kill. Everyone was shouting for him to stop, but something else stopped him first. A blinding blue light, the same tone of blue as the hardening she used.

She didn't, did she...?

Levi and Mikasa flew over, cutting Eren from his titan before he could do anymore damage. They all watched from afar as the smoke cleared, revealing Annie incased in a crystal. "Annie!" Y/n shouted as she ran over. No one deemed it suspicious for Y/n to be so emotional about Annie, as far as everyone else knew, they grew up together and Y/n had no idea she was a titan. "Annie! What did you do!?"

She incased herself in a crystal to stop anyone causing her any harm or interrogating her. She saved herself, but she also saved us. If she didn't, they would've eventually gotten out the identity of The Armoured and Colossal out of her, me going down with them. So yeah, she saved her own skin, but she bought the rest of us time.

Y/n continued to pretend that she had no idea what was going on, even shedding a few tears. The tears were real despite all of it. The only titan who could break through one of these without obliterating her or crushing her too, is The Jaw. But they obviously lost that years ago.

Jean tried to break through the crystal with his blade, though it was no use. The metal kept getting smaller and smaller, the end breaking off with every stab against the crystal. "Damn it! All the shit we've been through and this is what we get!? Annie! Wake up! Come on! You owe us! Don't be a coward, I know you can hear me!"

Y/n sat on the other side of the crystal, her back against it and one of her gloved hands right against it. "You were close, weren't you?" Hange asked as she walked up to the seated, teary girl.

"We grew up together, we were like sisters," she answered, staring at the crystal. "I just wished she didn't take this path, I don't know how she got this ability, and I don't know why. But I feel...betrayed that she used it against us, even more so that she kept it from me. She told me everything and I feel like it's all gone to shit."

Hange sighed, "yes well, that's just how some things go. It's a shame we can't question her, I would've had so many to ask."

"I didn't even get to say goodbye," Y/n whispered to herself as she rested her forehead against the crystal. "I know you can hear me, Annie. I don't know how I'll get you out of there, but I will. It might take awhile, but I'm gonna try. Just hang in there for a while."

Y/n stood up and gave Annie one last look before she walked off with Hange to discuss further matters. The others had left to tend to Eren while Y/n stayed with Hange and Levi to help secure Annie in her crystal. Suddenly, gasps were heard from the fellow soldiers that had just finished their job and were standing around. Y/n turned and saw them point to something towards the walls. Y/n followed their points and saw a large Colossal looking titans peaking through a large hole in the walls.

Wall Titans. Though appearing as Colossal Titans, they're really just abnormals that look the same and are similar in size to the Colossal. Apparently, when Karl Fritz the 145th king of the Eldian Empire fucked off here to Paradis when he got all stressed out in the war, he put those titans in the walls using The Founding's powers and said he'd use them to 'flatten the world' or something. Like, oh my timbers are shivered. Less people wouldn't be so bad anyway, most of them are assholes. Then again, I would want to see the world first, so if anyone lets them out can they just wait for me to finish my travels?

"Oh my-" Y/n gasped, nudging Hange. "Is that a Colossal?"

As everyone crowded around, getting a good look at the thing, Pastor Nick came rushing over to Hange and slammed a hand down on her shoulder. "Whatever else you do, don't let sunlight touch it!?" he snapped at her out of breath.

He knows something I don't, something I think I should. If he knows anything about The Wall Titans, then he has ties to the royal family, meaning, The Founding Titan. Then if we can get that and rescues Annie, they can all finally go home. I'm not too thrilled for that though, but the guilt of lying to these people is killing me. I still don't understand how everyone thinks they're devils, I think they're just people who were forced into a different living condition and environment than we were. Just like us, they're fighting for what they were raised to believe. I don't think I'm fighting for the right side anymore, but I don't think Paradis is in the right either. But, there doesn't need to be a right and wrong side, because Paradis is fighting for all that Paradis knows. Marley is doing the same thing. So, there isn't really a 'right' side to be on, because both sides are fighting for what they believe is right.

I just wanna live in peace, and Paradis is a lot more peaceful for me than Marley ever was. I can walk the streets without being harassed, I'm not forced to use my abilities. Well, i haven't actually used them in a while. I might use them to move something from the other side of my room when I'm alone, make my bed from a distance occasionally. Just little tasks like that. But I have so much more potential. I was forced to use them too much in Marley, but I have to hide them completely here. Both of those options are very appealing to me. I just want to tell Armin everything then we can go run off together and live in the middle of nowhere together. I want to take Armin away from all of this, not before showing him the ocean though, he deserves that. He deserves so much more than that, so much more than me.

Maybe avoiding him is a good idea. But I can't leave him alone, something in me wont let me ignore him or avoid him. He's magnetising, but it only affects me. At least I don't have to ward off anyone else. Maybe Mikasa but I know deep down that she'd choose Eren over him any day. Trio's never work out. Well, we started with five. Marcel's dead and Annie's in a crystal coma, so that leaves three. I don't the three of us are gonna make it out, maybe one or two. I hope the boys get to go home, my father would be thrilled if he heard I died. More reason for him to favour Melvin I suppose.

I miss him, he was kind of annoying, but he's still my brother. I miss Pieck and her odd flirty demeanor. I hate to think this, but I miss Zeke too. I miss our fights over who's the best in target practice and him calling me his little sister, it made me feel wanted. Magath wasn't all that bad either, he was just doing his job, it's the officers I hate. And all the people and the years of ridicule and belittlement we all received. More so me than anyone else, which is just fantastic. So I set a couple things on fire, a person being one of them, but come on! I wear gloves now people! You don't have to pour water on me as I walk past, or spit on me either. Like that would do anything if I was on fire anyway. I don't miss that at all. Little kids smile at me here in Paradis, older woman say hello and compliment my eyes or my hair. People here are so much nicer. But these people aren't mine to live amongst. Not forever anyway.

-

1.5k Word Count

*A lot of inner monologue here guys! Hopefully this gives a better insight on the works of her mind and how she feels about life in Paradis compared to Marley.*