Promise Me | Book Three

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Eren's POV

"Where's Mikasa?"

Damn, even Armin's in the dark. I was hoping that he'd know a bit more than I do.

"I don't know, Armin... I don't know. Every time I have a moment to myself, it pecks the back of my head, over and over again. I've lost her, and I don't know where she is." I say in response to Armin's inquiry. He lowers his head in disappointment and mumbles an, "I see."

"Eren," he says. "Explain to me what happened after you became concious in this world."
I sigh as I think back to not too long again.
"I was in some sort of large tube. I couldn't move, and when I could, some man who I nicknamed Holo was telling me everything." I begin. "He said that-"
"We were in a simulator and we were being watched by everybody here?" Armin continues.
I nod slowly in response and Armin rests his elbows on his knees, having his fingers slide over each other above his chin.

"My best bet is Utopia," suggests Armin. "They wouldn't have killed her, right? The audience would have went nuts."
At least I hope that's what Holo thought.
If she's dead here...
"Say... if she is here, how the hell do we get up there? I inquire, pointing upwards to reference Utopia. Armin smirks at this and I subconsciously furrow my brows.
"I have a plan," he says.

He stands up and finds himself a long stick on the floor. He walks over to the patch of softer soil to his left. "You know that massive book I had, with the outside world in it?"
"Yeah," I reply. "It was completely inaccurate in terms of the real deal?"
"Well... Not completely. You see, there's this thing called a hot air balloon. It uses heat to create a convection current in the air sac and then brings the balloon off the ground and into the air."
He begins drawing the outline of said balloon in the earth.
"If we can find the right materials to fit in a few people... for example's sake, let's say you, I and that girl Isabel fit in here, we will be able to float up within a few hours."
I feel my heart begin to increase in pace at the excitement I feel for this plan.
"Are you sure about this, Armin?" I ask, hand to my heart.
He smiles before he replies.
"I've not been sure many times in the past, but this time... I am sure."
I loosen the clenching tension in my fist before I stand up and pull Armin into a great bear hug. "Thank you, Armin," I say, burying my head into his shoulder. He seems a little shocked for a brief moment, until he wraps both arms around my back in turn and does so tightly.
When I feel it's right to pull away, I lean backwards and stare him in his ocean blue eyes that still sparkle even in this world. "We will find Mikasa, Eren," he begins. "Together."
A smile stretches across my face and I nod in turn. "Where do we start, I've no patience to wait."
Armin's eyes looked dazed momentarily until he seems to shake his thoughts away. "Right, so the things we need are... Well, it'd be a quicker process if we got multiple search parties, but people would only join if something was in it for them..."
He proves a valid point here and I rub my face in frustration. "We will have to reward them somehow, but, I don't know what we could give them," he starts. "I mean, the reason we are doing this is not to move to Utopia but it's to find Mikasa. Would the Dystopians even be interested in helping at all?" I feel a tension in my jaw tighten as the thought. I don't know what conditions Mikasa is in up there. As it's Utopia, I assume she's doing far better off than me, but can I risk the chance that she isn't? I don't even know if she's conscious... Or alive. She might not even be up there for all we know. She was strong, sure, but her muscles will have been severely weakened in this world in her new body. I'm worried sick to my stomach, frankly. I just want her to be safe.

"Eren," Armin mutters, and I shake the thoughts off. "Are you all-"
"Yes, yes, I'm fine." I speak too quickly and Armin will know perfectly well that I told a white lie.
"Eren, I've known you for years and I can understand crystal clear why you're not doing all right. C'mon, Eren, look at our situation. You think I'm not terrified for my life, either? We woke up in this scrapyard, where we only get light sometimes, it's awfully polluted and everyone around us probably wants us dead. Our best friend and your fiancé is no where to be found for us, and fuck, Eren, I'm scared shitless," he rants, his arms begging to flail as his tone rises. "If I'm scared, I can only imagine how you feel. Give yourself some credit and stop trying to hide your emotions from me, I can see right through you..."
"We're friends, Eren. Remember?"
I have to take a huge sigh to reply to all of what was said. He couldn't be more right. But, what's keeping me going is my goal to get to Utopia and doing it with my friend by my side.
I feel a smirk trickle onto my face shakily, followed by a hysterical fit of laughter which I have to fall onto the floor for.
I can't stop laughing, even when I feel the dirt fly into my mouth. Armin kneels down beside me and looks concerned, and I think I'd do the same myself if I was viewing the state I was in.
"Eren, what's going on?" I hear him question under my laughter, but I can't stop. I grip my hands into the mud besides me and I feel it roll and embed into my nails, but the laughter will not cease and I feel water collect into my eyes. I have no control over my body any longer and I'm trying desperately calm myself down, but it's not possible.
"Eren!" Armin yells, grasping onto my shoulders and keeping me up. I want to know what's so funny in my head, but I don't know, and the laughing continues.
I feel my head grow tighter and tighter as I don't get enough oxygen and I feel as if I'll pass out any minute.
I try hold onto Armin to stabilise myself, but my vision begins to blur and the adrenaline is no longer keeping me awake.

* * *

The tent door that keeps flapping wakes me. That, and the talking I hear outside.
It's not clear at first, but I can just about make out what they're saying. Two voices...
"That's very kind of you, Armin, but I'm not sure if they all believe you'll live up to your promise." It is a female voice speaking to Armin I presume. I hear a scrunch of paper open and the a brief silence.
"You've made this? It's all listed right here, everything we need.." The female speaks with enthusiasm.
"Everybody can use it, so we can all take part and get out of this mess," he says. "They listen to you, Isabel, please rally them up. We need as many squads of three to five as we possibly can. Can I trust you with that?"
So, it's Isabel? I hear more movement of the paper (Isabel takes it from Armin). "Of course. You have my word." Two hands clasp together before I hear footsteps across the gravel as they distance away from the tent. Armin opens the tent zip and when he walks in, he does a fist pump in an excited manner and has a huge smile plastered on his face until his eyes catch mine and he rushes beside me.
"Eren, you're awake! Are you all right?" He questions sympathetically, pressing the back of his hand on my forehead.
I sit up and unravel the bandages -- which are plastered with sweat -- from my head. "Yeah, sure, I'm great, but damn, did you have to put so many blankets on me? I'm sweating my ass off over here."
Armin lowers his brow at my complaints. "God, Eren, you could at least be thankful for once in your life," he retorts and then allows for a silence before he speaks again. "Did you hit your head, Eren? Genuine question."
His voice is deeper than usual and I slow down as I step out of bed and stretch my legs and arms to reduce the tension in my joints.
"Not that I recall, but I pretty easily could have when I came down here. Although, I doubt they dropped me because I would have died, right?"
He begins to ponder for a brief moment. "Just a guess, I'm not a doctor, but your laughter could've been a gelastic seizure of some kind. Possibly caused by a head injury of the sort. As I said, it's just a guess." He informs, but as Armin is intelligent, he probably actually knows what he is talking about.
"If you have another episode, let me know, okay? We need to keep an eye on that." I nod at this, and stretch some more.

"So, what were you so excited about?" I ask and Armin clicks and replies with, "oh, yeah, I forgot to say!"
"I gathered everyone at the camp and told them our plan. I got a lot of support from it and Isabel said she'd rally them up! Our plan is coming into play, Eren!" My jaw begins to loosen and Armin has clasped his hands together with a very smug look on his face.
"Armin," I whisper. "You're a fucking genius!"