A Fight For Humanity

Chapter 4: Firstly

"I think happiness is only a facade. Nothing is what it seems."
-Aria Bodt

The first thing I noticed when I awakened was that I was no longer out with the other cadets. I was in a bed. And my head ached.

"Aria?" A familiar voice said from beside me.

"M-Marco?" I asked, my eyes fluttering open.

"It is you!" He cried, lurching forward and hugging me. I wrapped my arms tightly around him in return.

"Marco." I laughed shakily, tears spilling from my eyes. This was him. It was really him. My older brother.

"Where have you been? Where do you live now? What happened to you after dad sent you away?" Marco asked, firing questions away at me.

"Uh, I lived in Shiganshina for a year. I had a family there." I told him.

"Shiganshina!?" He gasped in astonishment.

"Y-Yeah. I lived with some of the people that are here, actually. Armin, Mikasa and Eren." I said, telling him about my friends.

"Was Armin the blonde one you were standing beside?" Marco asked.

"Yeah, that's him." I laughed.

"He freaked out so much when you collapsed." Marco informed me.

"I collapsed?" I asked.

"Yeah. How else do you think you ended up in the infirmary?" Marco laughed.

"I dunno." I shrugged.

"You were just standing there and I didn't notice you until you fell. The blonde was freaking out, he thought you'd died." Marco told me.

"Where is he?" I asked.

"Probably with the others. They only let me in seeing as I'm family." Marco explained

"They're probably worried about me. Let's go." I said, swinging my legs out of the bed.

"Aria!" Marco cried, grabbing my arm and stopping me. "Are you sure you're okay? I mean, you hit your head really hard when you fell."

"I'm fine." I insisted, gingerly feeling the bandage wrapped around my head and ignoring the slight dizziness surrounding me.

"Do you need a hand?" He asked me, eyes filled with concern.

"Thanks." I smiled, allowing him to help me to my feet. I looked at him, before engulfing him in a hug.

"I missed you." I whispered to him, my head buried in his chest.

"I missed you too sis."

Marco and I walked back, where everyone was settling in. Eren and Armin were sitting outside with a few others, watching a girl running.

"Aria! Are you alright! They wouldn't let us see you! What happened?" Armin ran up to me when he saw me, grabbing my hands and looking me in the eyes in worry.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. It was probably just heat stroke or something. I'm feeling better now." I assured him.

"T-They said only he was allowed to go in with you. Who is he?" Armin asked, looking up at Marco. Of course. Whilst I'd mentioned my brother Marco in the past, they'd never actually met before, or would know about his relation to me.