Attack on Vampire

Heavy with Emotion

Nagoya

   "C'mon guys, we're almost there!"  Yu had charged ahead of the group, much to Mikaela's chagrin.  Armin watched the two, feeling an emotion fester in him that he couldn't quite identify.  The two reminded him greatly of Eren and Mikasa– and Armin couldn't help but smile and glance over at his teal-eyed friend.  The brunette walked to his left, with Mikasa beside him.  The blond pondered their relationship for a moment, feeling glad that battling the Titans had brought them closer to each other since childhood.

   The group had been traveling for a couple hours now, and the sky was beginning to lighten considerably as the sun came closer to rising.  Armin felt as if they would deeply regret leaving their superiors later on, but right now it looked as though Yu was feeling like a giddy kid– continuously racing ahead of the group only to circle back and walk with them a while before racing on again.  It gave the group a new energy, since no one had gotten much sleep. Eren had been quiet in the beginning, but Armin noticed his excitement by the way his pace increased with Yu's excitement.

"We're going to see the ocean, Eren."  Armin felt compassion bloom in his chest at the sight of the sparkle in his childhood friend's eye, and chuckled quietly.  It wasn't long before the brunette and Yu were racing ahead together, leaping over chunks of concrete in the street and laughing loudly as they maneuvered in and out of sight.  Armin turned to Mikasa.

   "I don't think he'll ever lose that side of him."

"I hope he never does."  It was a short sentiment, but Armin agreed with it wholeheartedly.  The boy cast a quick glance at their surroundings, spotting nothing out of the ordinary so far.  Mikaela was on constant alert, he noticed; hand on his sword even as they maneuvered around rubble and across the broken concrete of the streets.  Armin thought about how close Mikaela and Yuichiro were, and how they were fighting alongside one another in their desperate bid to overrule the vampires.  To Armin, Mikaela was a friend with a strong will and incredible fighting ability.  Maybe he can teach me...

   There was a distant sound ahead.  It was a rhythmic rumbling noise, dying down before roaring to life once more.  Is this an enemy attack?  But why would they announce their presence so early?  Seeming to sense his distress, Shinoa piped up.

   "Oh don't worry, Armin!  That's just the ocean."  Armin shared a glance with Mikasa, then with Eren (who had circled back to walk with the group, he noticed).  The energy between the friends began to build, until Eren laughed and raced ahead in a dead sprint.  Armin had a feeling the brunette wouldn't be circling back this time, so he followed behind quickly, finding the energy to keep pace with Eren as Mikasa appeared by his side.  Armin didn't know if the others were following him– and he couldn't really find it in himself to care as he laughed and ran with his two best friends.  For a moment, he was back in Shiganshina, in the small field with the big oak tree, racing around the trunk as he attempted– and regrettably, failed– to tag Eren.  He was always bad at that sort of thing, but Eren and Mikasa never cared in be slightest.

   The rumbling grew louder, and Armin scaled a large cement block alongside Eren and Mikasa, and he finally saw it.

   The ocean sat before him, stretching beyond the horizon.  The glittering blue water reflected the dim light of the sun brightly, making it look like the liquid had a mind of its own.  The vast expanse of blue seemed endless and alluring, the waves near the shore small but still distinguishable from the deeper, calmer waters farther out.  Armin felt something well within his chest, and a tear slid down his cheek as he kept his gaze fixed on the beautiful sight before him.

   "Cool, huh?"  Yu was beside him, but Armin was only half aware of his presence.  He didn't even flinch when a hand clasped his arm, drawing him to turn his eyes to see Eren's unique orbs staring back at him, watery from tears of excitement.  He grinned.

   "Let's get closer."

   Mikasa helped them down the steep side of the cement, and the three payed no mind to the approaching Shinoa Squad as they approached the water, slowly this time. Eren and Armin stepped into the shallows with no hesitation, eyes fixed on an invisible point off in the distance. And suddenly Mikasa was beside them, and Eren playfully splashed them with water and it was a full-fledged water fight. Though Armin knew Mikasa was normally serious by nature, she was smiling and playing along, clearly just as enthused as the boys were.  It took a while for them to pause in their assaults, Eren calling a truce from Mikasa's ferocious attack.  The three stood in a loose ring, all wide smiles and sparkling eyes as they shared glances.

"We made it." Armin gestured to them, to the Shinoa Squad, to the ocean that stretched far, far beyond their sight. Tears mixed with the water dripping from his bangs, and Armin reached forward for an embrace just as the other two did.  He knew that the Shinoa Squad was the main reason they knew of the ocean in the first place, but the blond couldn't help the ecstasy bubbling in his chest that made his heart pound and jump with happiness at the accomplishment.

   They were far from home, and if there existed an ocean outside Wall Maria they would have to find it before experiencing this elation again: but it was a perfect moment the three would treasure in their lives.

   "I knew you little shits would disobey us."

   The booming voice reached Armin's ears easily, and his blood ran cold as he turned to look to the shore.  There, standing with his arms crossed beside Shinya, was Guren in all his infuriated glory.  Levi and Erwin also wore disapproving expressions, taking their position a short distance from Guren and Shinya.

   Busted.

For a moment, no one said anything, but it wasn't long before Yu stepped forward with an expression of guilt on his face. Armin felt for the teen, and was grateful that he had even thought to bring all of them out to the edge of town.

"It was my idea, Guren." Yu admitted, looking as thought he was only half guilty. "They really wanted to see the ocean, and it's only not far from the daycare–"

"It doesn't matter how far it is from where we're currently staying, it's the fact that you decided to split off from the group on your own." Guren snapped.

"What if there had been an attack from a vampire threat too powerful for you to overcome?" Shinya piped up, raising an eyebrow at Yuichiro and Mikaela.

"Certainly you are all strong warriors," Erwin amended, "but the threat of the vampires in this area should have pushed you to be more cautious."

"Brats can't even think that far ahead." Levi spat, expression neutral as his eyes held fire within them. "Learn to think of the future and not just the present, all of you!" A moment of silence settled over the group, and Armin turned his gaze back toward the horizon as everyone stood stock-still. The moment of silence– however tense– gave the boy a moment to savor his time at the edge of the sea. The water gently swayed against his legs, boots soggy and most likely filled with liquid but Armin didn't mind. It was one of those moments when the world seemed to stop spinning for a moment, allowing him to drink in a sight he wouldn't see again for a long, long time.

"Looks like a storm is brewing." Shinya states, nodding out toward the dark clouds on the horizon. "You guys like the ocean now? Never find yourself at sea when a storm hits." Guren nodded, content to head back to the daycare to scold the group more when they got back.

"It'll be the death of you, or at least result in the loss of a limb." The lieutenant smirked gleefully at the now-pale face of Yu. Turning on his heel, Guren gestured for the Shinoa Squad to follow as he led the way back to the daycare. Armin, Eren, And Mikasa all glanced at each other before turning wistful gazes out to the ocean one last time.

"I wish there was some way to capture this moment." Eren said abruptly, earning a confused gaze from Armin. "Y'know, like in one of those paintings or something?" Mikasa's eyes softened as she nodded in agreement.

"Maybe we can find some way to do that when we get home." Armin concedes, smiling. With saddened expressions and slow steps, the three turned away from the sea and began to march toward Erwin and Levi, who stood in the same places where they arrived. The three teenagers didn't hear the short conversation between their superiors.

"It is a beautiful sight to behold, the sea."

The other nodded.

"Indeed it is."