Blood and Blades | Bertholdt x OC

#24. i forgive you

Year 850

—Continuation of The Battle of Shigansina—

Shiyo was assigned with Levi to protect the horses on the other side of the wall, she's been flying around with her gear and slicing titan's napes non-stop, that was where an explosion was heard from outside the wall that caught everyone's attention. She then transferred her look towards Levi on top of a house and flew towards him landing beside him.

"Levi... That explosion just now."

Just before they could talk about it, boulders suddenly came flying at them destroying the houses and killing off more than half of the soldiers who were at the front lines. This alerted Shiyo and was about to charge towards the front when Levi held her hand stopping her tracks "Wait, Shiyo!" He shouted at her, his face held a stern look.

He thought hard about the situation at hand, they're now completely caged by the beast titan and he can't even guarantee everyone's safety now that it has made its move. He wasn't even sure that they'd survive this and get home in one piece, and so he looked at Shiyo then to the wall. He figured that losing both the strongest soldiers could be the end of humanity, but not if he could save one. And that will be Shiyo.

Levi clenched his jaw, silently cursing at himself for what he was about to do "Climb up the wall and join Hange's squad!" He told her, he admitted that his decision had a lot of personal feelings in it but he couldn't let her die, not like this "There's much more chance to survive on the other side of the wall! Hurry up and go!"

Shiyo held a shocked look on her face "What?!"

But then another batch of boulders came making Levi tackle the girl down to take shelter between the houses "I'm sure that everyone here will die in the hands of that Beast Titan! You dying will be a big loss to humanity!" Levi shouted yet again, desperate to get Shiyo out of there.

"The same goes to you too!" She shouted back at him with tears starting to form in her eyes.

"You're a perfect replacement for me! Now go! That is an order!" She widened her eyes shocked at what Levi had just said before suddenly pulling him in her arms that shocked the captain. He then hugged her back as he wrapped his arms around her waist tightly, burying his face into her neck "I'll come and find you..."

At the other side of the wall on the other hand, Armin finally pieced up a plan on how to defeat Bertholdt. He assigned all of them except Eren to distract Reiner while both of them will take care of Bertholdt, them nodding with no questions asked. And so they scattered, Hoshino thought hard about it and she finally decided to accept whatever the outcome of this mission is, be it her being dead or having to kill Bertholdt. She will accept any of it, but she couldn't guarantee if she could hold her emotions that long.

They then flew towards where Reiner was and started playing tag with him, Mikasa shooting her thunder spear on his feet that immobilized him and there they took the chance to blow down both of his jaws but Sasha missed that led her to an injury leaving them with only one thunder spear left. That's where Hange came and blew the titan's jaw open, Hoshino and Shallie who didn't have any thunder spears watched in the sidelines as Reiner got shot out of the Armoured Titan's nape.

A rumble was soon heard not far from where they were catching Hoshino's attention, she turned her look behind her and to her shock, the Colossal Titan was falling to the ground while Eren descended down to a house with Bertholdt on him who was missing all of his limbs. This sight made her chest ache as she immediately flew over to them without hesitation, she landed on the roof to be greeted by Shiyo and Eren staring down at a burnt body in terror. She didn't know whose body it was so she just crouched down towards the unconscious Bertholdt and placed a hand on the boy's cheek, just examining his marked face before she sighed standing back up.

"Was this all of Armin's plan...? To sacrifice himself?" She then heard Shiyo's sentence that tensed her up so she immediately snapped her head towards them then looking down at the body between them, she couldn't believe that the burnt body was Armin, she couldn't even recognize him anymore.

A titan carrying a cart then suddenly came and tried to get Bertholdt in it's mouth but Eren acted quick, immediately pointing his blade on the black haired boy's neck. The blonde man on the titan then started talking to Eren about his father until Shiyo went and charged at the man with her blades aimed at his neck but the titan reacted on time preventing her from fully decapitating him, that's where the titan made a run for it. Levi then came landing beside them, he was covered in blood and Hoshino could tell that he was on edge.

As soon as Eren saw the captain, he asked for the syringe that could turn people into titans so he could feed Bertholdt to Armin. Those words struck pain into Hoshino's chest but she couldn't do anything but to just sit still and watch things happen, she was in no position to defend Bertholdt anymore as they have chosen the separate paths. As Levi was about to give Eren the syringe, Floch came with Erwin barely alive on his back, that's where Levi decided to give the commander the syringe that caused a huge commotion. Eren getting punched by the captain and Mikasa pinning him to the ground, all of this was just making Hoshino tear up, she couldn't hold her emotions anymore as she took sight of Bertholdt who now has grown out his arms and thighs.

The others including Hange had arrived in the scene and they all had mixed emotions about the situation, but except for Shallie who had a stoic look on her face as she was adjusting Sasha's position on her back. As Levi had made his final decision, he faced everyone with a stern look "Everyone get away from here!" He shouted.

Hoshino covered her mouth as tears were rolling down from her eyes "No, wait... Please..." She whispered as she was still attempting to go near Bertholdt but Connie had taken her by the waist and flew her in a good distance away from the scene.

She watched tearfully as Levi injected the serum on Armin then left Bertholdt there on the roof while carrying Erwin's body with him. The lightning struck and Armin's titan form appeared just right before Bertholdt regained his consciousness, as Hoshino noticed him waking up, she immediately jumped and flew towards him without any hesitation that earned a few shouts from her brother and her friends. She figured this was her chance, she couldn't let him die without an appropriate goodbye and there was still something she wanted to tell him.

Bertholdt on the other hand stared at Armin's titan in fear before noticing Hoshino who was flying at them at full speed "Hoshino, what are you–?!" His words then got cut off as she immediately landed on him wrapping her arms around him as they stumbled away from Armin. The black haired boy had his eyes widened in shock before suddenly breaking down in tears, it seemed like he's been holding those tears for a long time and it just got bottled up inside of him until it finally burst out with Hoshino's comfort "I'm so sorry..."

The girl just smiled at his words with tears streaming down her cheeks "I forgive you, Bertholdt..."

"HOSHINO!" Levi then shouted in distress as he saw Armin as a titan reaching his hand out to the two making him charge at maximum speed and to his luck his gas ran out right after he managed to perfectly tackle Hoshino away from Bertholdt that led them to stumble down, out of Armin's reach.

He held his sister close to his chest as they watched how Armin took Bertholdt and brought him close to his mouth, Hoshino could see how Bertholdt had a gentle smile on his face and yet he had those sorrowful eyes before Armin completely ate him. Witnessing that scene completely broke her, she didn't let out a single cry of despair but yet she had the same traumatised look on her face as the day she saw Isabel and Farlan's body. Seeing her like this haunted Levi, he knew he's been so distant to her since he joined the Survey Corps and he figured she needed her big brother in this exact moment so he pulled his sister in his arms as he creased her head in an attempt to comfort her.

"You can cry it out, Hoshino... Your brother is here."

And that's where Hoshino finally let it all out as she hugged her brother tightly, her tears and grief echoed throughout the walls, everything that she's been unable to express all these years, it finally came out.

"Bertholdt, you will always have a special place in my heart and memories..."

The End of Hoshino's Story.