Rogue

Secrets

The forest was busting with green, fully replenished after the change of seasons. The landscape had been staved by the cold of winter and renewed and reborn in the spring once again. Summer had finally descended upon the woods, coating the forest in warmth and green.

A full year had passed since the two children met the mysterious titan. During that time, Armin, Mikasa, and Rogue had formed the most unlikely but incredibly strong bond. Within the months, the two had discovered quite a bit about their giant companion. The titan knew nearly fifty or so words and gestures - and was still learning. The two children had taken the privilege to tutor Rogue, the titan's vocabulary gaining a few more entries. The creature had learned words like 'ocean' and 'city' as well as gesticulations such as 'be silent' and regretfully the gesture of 'flipping the bird' that Rogue had unfortunately picked up from Mikasa when she and Armin had gotten into a friendly spat. The children had also found the titan's likes and dislikes. Rogue enjoyed company, gazing at water and observing other small creatures, the children reading to him, and even engaging in simple games such as hide and seek - the titan usually being the one found first. Rogue's dislikes consisted of wolves, being lonely for long periods, being insulted, but most of all any threat that would come to his human acquaintances; which would include Armin's bruises from neighborhood bullies.

Mikasa and Armin continued at a brisk pace, following an undisclosed trail that the two had established themselves. During the past months, the two small children had mastered the art of keeping their titanic friend a secret. It was routine that they visited Rogue at least three or four times a week, always using the excuse that they were off to visit and play with a friend - which wasn't technically lying. If they suspected that they were being followed, they would always circle Shiganshina in the busy markets before going into Wall Maria. To keep other prying eyes away, the two traveled amongst the secluded but safe section of the forest instead of the common dirt path. To them, it seemed to be a foolproof strategy.

Armin looked down at his shoes as the two walked among the tangle of weeds and branches. He couldn't help the feeling of guilt pulling at him like a ball and chain. Their last visit with the friendly titan had hit a slight snag that seemed to affect Rogue on a personal level that neither he nor Mikasa understood. It had been when Armin decided to ask a series of questions that had been pulling at both his, Mikasa's, and nearly the majority of humanity's minds for quite a long time. Since then, that moment was all that was on Armin's mind. The blonde let out a condensed breath and let the thought seep into him once again.

(Flashback)

The titan's internal heat warmed the interior of the great tree like a furnace, surprisingly comfortable although it was early summer. Rogue and the two children lay and relaxed in the titan's nest, sheltering themselves from a simple and sudden shower. All was quiet and just. Rogue lay on his back, his head propped up against the tree's bark with his eyes half-lidded as he indulged and endured Mikasa braiding a lock of his stringy hair. Armin sat on the titan's chest, looking through his grandfather's book that had become a favorite of the titan's. However, the boy could not enjoy his prized title for a thought had been eating away at him ever since he first read the book to Rogue.

Armin closed the book's cover and looked at the titan with doubt. The gentle giant was in utter peace like he was about to dose off as Mikasa braided the long strands; stopping every few minutes to scratch Rogue's pointed ear - a spot that the titan loved to have rubbed. The boy shifted nervously and twiddled his thumbs as he thought. To Armin, it was obvious that Rogue was oblivious as to what existed beyond the walls in the outside world. By the way the titan became thrilled as he flipped through the pages, it was as if Rogue had never seen the ocean, the mountains, or the deserts -something that was difficult to understand coming from something that supposedly had lived outside the walls. But of course, that wasn't the only query that rattled Armin's mind. The boy looked to the titan again, deciding that he had waited long enough.