Outside the Walls (Attack on Titan fanfiction)

Chapter 6- Go!

Ayano's POV

Flying through the air felt good. The wind through their hair and the sound of their gear as it speared walls and propelled them forward soothed the cooped up cadets. Ayano saw a scout wiz past her, a path of steam left in their wake. They approached the destination where Group B had led them.

"Go!" Levi shouted, giving the team permission to advance. "Eren, seal that hole!" Eren nodded, released his gear and bit his thumb. A giant spark and a loud boom emitted, then titan smoke rose from Eren, who had become a raging, muscled titan. He charged forward and ignored the smaller titans. Eren punched the titans that currently crawled through, ripping their heads clean off.

Ayano was mesmerised. Can I do that? I don't remember much when I transformed.

Ayano snapped back to reality when a titan tried to swat her away. She narrowly maneuvered away in time.

"Shit! What the hell was Corporal thinking? Does he want me to die?" she cried out. She landed on the titan's shoulder, pushing her blades into its nape. It screamed, and jerked around. Ayano held her blades tightly as she ran the length of its neck, slicing the nape as she went. Hot blood splattered on her as she jumped off, the titan going limp. Ayano touched the sticky blood and realised that it also steamed as it disappeared with the titan. She zipped up to the rooftops as another titan came stumbling towards her.

She turned to face it, blades ready, but Ayano froze. The titan was already extremely close. It looked at her with its big eyes and toothy grin. For some maniacal reason, Ayano wasn't scared. The titan inched closer until it nudged its nose against Ayano ever so gently.

"What the..." she whispered, confused as to what was happening. The titan oggled her with puppy-like eyes - a scout wizzed by, slicing the titan's nape. It cried out in pain and for the briefest of moments, Ayano saw sadness in its eyes.

I... I must have imagined it... She tried to recover.

"Hey! Stop daydreaming or you'll end up titan chow!" the cadet that killed the titan yelled. Ayano ignored him and wizzed off.

Why the hell didn't it eat me? I mean, that's what they're supposed to do, isn't it?

Ayano frowned, her mind a jumbled mess as she zoomed past another titan, slicing its nape along the way. Soon enough, the girl wizzed around, searching for any lingering titans.

"Ayano! Quickly take out the last one!" Mikasa shouted when she shot by, shortly followed by Titan Eren who was carrying a giant boulder.

"Got it!" she called back. Ayano flew to the hole in the wall and spotted a titan slowly making its way to the ground. It turned its head left and right, then again, seeming to search for something. Ayano had moved closer and the titan's large eyes locked onto her. Its mouth smiled wider, if that were possible. It screeched at her and Ayano's protective instincts took over.

She flew behind it, but just as her blades made contact with the titan's flesh, she realised that it sounded like a scream for joy the titan had made. Yet, her blades were already in motion. Ayano jumped to the side as the titan collapsed. She studied its features and noted freckles on the titan's face. Her blood went cold as she instinctively said the titan's name, feeling it bubble up from a locked crevice inside her memories.

"Spots?" Her voice quivered. The titan looked at her as recognition and happiness passed over its eyes, before it started steaming- dead.

Ayano dropped to her knees, remembering the titan that nudged her. C-Cole... Its unusually dark eyes that looked so pleased to see her again...