Fight for Love (Attack on Titan/SnK fan fiction)

Fight for Love: Chapter 18

I stand atop the wall, a gentle breeze ruffling my cloak as I look over the broken town of Trost. The stone beneath my feet- that is supposed to be smooth and adorned with tracks and cannons- is uneven and cracked. It was easy for me to deduce how the top of the wall lost it's defenses and fell; the Colossal Titan destroyed the improved cannons then broke the wall and let the Titans in. It's also clearly obvious the Armored Titan has not made its appearance yet, and I can only hope that he never does.
I stand there for a couple more minutes, watching the columns of steam and black smoke, before I reach up and swipe my, now, dried up tears on my sleeve. I walk over to the lip of the wall and lean down letting gravity take its toll and drop into the busted up town. With the amount of gas I have left, I'm careful as I zip through the town; running along the rooftops and veering carefully and silently around unsuspecting Titans.
Until, finally, I'm standing at the base of the unbroken wall; I adjust my hood then with a deep breath I begin to scale the wall. Once I reach the lip of the wall I flip upward and land on my tiptoes, right on the lip. Surprised Garrison soldiers skitter backwards, having not noticed the tiny soldier scaling the wall; I slowly stand up from my crouched position and click my swords back into their boxes.
"Name yourself!" An authoritative voice booms out of a man's mouth that I never thought I would see again.
"Hannes?" I ask in surprise, peering at him from under my hood with a small smile on my face.
"Who are you? State your name and business!" His blond hair is cut short and he has a thin mustache over his lip with pale golden eyes that look at me with a questioning look.
I reach up and grab my hood,"Don't make any sudden movements!" He yells jumping back and pointing an accusing finger at me; in response his squadron points their guns at my chest.
I laugh not feeling an ounce of panic and flick my hood off,"You know, Hannes, I never thought you would let your soldiers shoot an old friend."
His eyes widen and, with a flick off his wrist, calls off his soldiers,"Sakura?! What are you doing here?"
A lazy smile graces my features,"If you must know, I'm here for my friends. Yet, I don't know why you're asking the questions, when I think I deserve to know what happened to the old drunken bastard I used to know?"
A small blush crawls up his neck and he looks away,"Not in front of my soldiers, Sakura." He mumbles underneath his breath.
I laugh, laugh so hard and smiles so big that the skin around my eyes crinkle; I turn toward his soldiers and jab a thumb at Hannes,"I could tell you some funny stories about this old geezer."
Hannes leaps forward and slams a hand down on top of my head,"Sakura! I said stop!" His blush is more prominent now, highlighting his face.
I wave away his hand,"Alright alright! I'll stop!" I step away from him,"Anyway, have you seen Eren, Armin or Mikasa?"
Hannes nods,"I saw Eren walking with Commander Pixis that way, if that helps."
I nod and begin to walk the way Hannes pointed; I wave at him over my shoulder,"It was nice speaking with you Hannes, we should talk again sometime."
I didn't hear his reply and I really didn't want too, my mind was wrapped around the thought of Eren walking with Commander Pixis, which could only mean one thing: Eren was injured. I easily slipped around the busy soldiers my eyes searching for something familiar amongst the clash of unfamiliarity that surrounded me. Then I saw it, the mop of unruly brown hair and the straight and shoulder length blond hair boy that stood next to him.
"Eren! Armin!" I cry their names and lunge at them through the crowd. They turn their bodies, just to be met by mine in mid-turn. My arms encircle their waists and I press my face to their chests breathing in their scents just to reassure myself that they're here.
"Sakura! What are you doing here? You're supposed to be with the Survey Corps!" Eren exclaims looking down on at me with surprise shining in his eyes.
"You better not have snuck off, Sakura. Do you realize how much trouble you could get into for abandoning your post?" Armin squeaks in surprise.
"Don't worry about it!" I reassure them as I pull back,"I was able to get permission from Commander Erwin to come here before the formation!"
Eren reaches forward and brushes the hair off of my forehead to reveal the bandage,"I'm sure that he gave you permission especially with you being injured." His voice is dark and dripping with sarcasm.
I swat his hand away,"I only got a couple bumps and scratches, no worries."
I can tell by the look in his eyes that he doesn't believe me,"Anyway," I say,"What's been going on here?"
Before Eren or Armin can say anything a Garrison Soldier appears at Eren's shoulder,"Eren, come with us, so we can get you your equipment for the plan."
Eren shoots me an apologetic look, then turns to Armin,"Tell her everything, will you?"
Armin nods a determined look on his face as Eren walks away with the Garrison Soldier.
I raise an eyebrow,"What's going on? Armin?"
Armin sighs,"This is really hard to explain," he mutters,"Alright, well, Eren isn't entirely human."
"Why would you say that, Armin?! Of course he is!"
Armin gives me an apologetic look,"Eren can transform into and control a Titan body."
My world spins slightly and I can't believe the words I just heard. My mouth shuts and opens repeatedly before I can finally gather my bearings,"Are you lying to me, Armin?" I accuse.
"He's not lying, Sakura. A lot of people saw him come out of the Titans weakspot." Mikasa says from behind me. I whirl around in surprise, shock evident on my face.
"But, how could something like that be possible?"
"We don't know. All we know is that Eren is our last chance to get Trost back."
"Mikasa? What are you talking about?"
Armin steps up,"Because of Eren having this unknown power, we think, let me emphasize that, THINK; that Eren will be able to pick up and move the boulder to block the hole in the wall."
"What about the Titans in the city? Wouldn't they be attracted to him?" My left hand throbs painfully right across the palm right where my scar is. Now that I think about it, Eren and I traded blood in an oath. I have Titan blood running through my veins.
Titan. Blood.
"All soldiers that are available too will stand along the wall- since Titans are more likely to go where there is a multitude of humans- to attract as many Titans as we can the furthest away from the boulder."
I purse my lips, eyes narrowed in disbelief,"And the Titans that stray away? What about them?"
"A small, but elite squad will follow Eren to ensure his safety."
Armin takes a deep breath,"I know this plan has a lot of holes in it, but it's all I could come up with in such sort time."
I sigh, having no other choice, but to believe in my friends I reach forward and place my hand on Armin's shoulder,"It's an excellent plan, Armin! You could always strategize better than the rest of us."
He gives a small wry smile,"That's because you guys think with your fists before you think with your heads."
I laugh,"That may be true!"
"Sakura! Mikasa!" Ian Dietrich calls.
The pair whirls around and quickly salute the Garrison soldier,"Sir!" They call.
Ian eyes the two warily,"The elite squad will need the skills you two happen to have. You will be joining us in our mission to protect Eren Jaeger; refill your gas tanks and get as many swords as you will need for this task." He nods his head and spins on his heel.
"Yes, sir!" The two call at his retreating back.
Mikasa looks relieved,"I get to protect Eren." She whispers.
I grin and stretch my arms over my head,"I get to drop right back into the action!" I proclaim happily.