The Month Of May

Chapter 11

MIKASA WOULDN'T STOP STARING ANNIE DOWN FOR THE REST OF THE DAY.

All throughout lunch and the training sessions, I always glanced over to see Mikasa glaring at Annie. I sighed; I knew Mikasa was bad at meeting new people, but she'd never acted this hostile before. Annie didn't seem fazed whatsoever; ever since we'd gotten here, she'd changed almost entirely. Gone was the innocent, fragile girl that I'd first run into. Here was a hardened warrior, already more capable of being a soldier than I.

How the hell was that possible?

She had just seemed so petite and in danger. Maybe I was only seeing what I wanted to see, though. Maybe I hadn't acknowledged her potential, or maybe I'd just caught her at a vulnerable time. Even the strongest could be broken during something like that. Maybe now I was just seeing how incredibly competent she was.

In a way, I was jealous. I had enjoyed seeming like I could protect someone, but she was already looking to be better than me. Just like everyone else. Again, I was falling behind.

Ugh.

Was it so wrong to wish that I was stronger? Sure, I could devise strategy, but this academy didn't really seem to care about that. It was all about our physical strength, and the ability to use the Omni-Directional Movement Gear.

All stuff I wasn't very good at.

Finally, the day ended. I kept a positive attitude, despite having a mostly poor day. I called Annie over, ready to leave.

"Are you ready to go home?" I questioned, plastering a smile on my face. She looked puzzled at my words, and she furrowed her brow in slight bewilderment.

"I thought I was staying at the barracks," Annie reminded me, patting down the white sweatshirt she'd worn from when I'd first met her. She still wore the traditional gear of a soldier, but she'd kept her sweatshirt on. "Your parents wouldn't exactly appreciate having a stranger in their home, remember..?"

Oh..right. Annie had no need to stay at my house anymore. That was what the plan had been ever since the beginning; I was just giving her a temporary home. But though it had only been a day, I had been looking forward to just being able to talk with her again.

Why? I don't know. She wasn't particularly kind or good at following society. But I had helped her out of a difficult situation, and she had seemed grateful. She had an air of calm strength around her now, which, while difficult to accustom myself to, was nice to see.

"Oh...right," I laughed awkwardly, feeling rather foolish. I kicked the sand around with my right foot, trying to appear that I wasn't grasping at straws to continue our conversation. "I guess..I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

"Yeah," Annie nodded, and then frowned. We both just kept standing there, even though we had already said our goodbyes. I didn't know why, but Annie leaving seemed to disrupt the normalcy of life. I had gotten adjusted to her being with me so easily... "...Sorry, Armin. I'm not very good at making conversation."

"Don't worry!" I quickly reassured her, shaking my hands. So maybe it wasn't my fault entirely for our lackluster speech. "I'm only really good at talking about military strategy, so.."

"Strategy, huh?" Annie mused, bringing her hand to her chin as she thought pensively. "That makes sense. I was initially surprised when you said you were in the military, but I suppose it makes sense now..."

"Yeah," I responded awkwardly and slightly defensively. I knew it was obvious that I was no good at fighting, but it still stung when she pointed it out. She didn't seem to notice my tone as she shrugged.

"...Mikasa hates me," Annie noted, her icy blue eyes gazing at me. Her stare was sort of chilling, but not in a bad way. "Trust issues, or..?"

"Something like that," I sighed heavily. Mikasa had been one of my best friends, but even I could say that she had major trust issues, and a hard time making friends. Not that anyone could blame her with what she'd gone through. "She'll warm up, don't worry."

"I'm not worried," Annie moved her stare off into the distance. "I can take care of myself."

"I don't doubt that," I agreed. "But Mikasa is the most prized soldier here. She's so strong, and really skilled with the omni-directional movement gear."

"...I'm sure," Annie seemed to scoff at this, running her hand over her fist. "...Strength isn't always important in a fight, Armin. But I'm sure you know that."

I wondered what she was thinking about. It definitely wasn't about my apparent propensity for strategy...

"Y-Yeah," I nodded, glad someone seemed to understand, even if she was clearly referencing something different than I was. "...Well, anyway, I should be heading off. Bye for now, Annie."

"Goodbye, Armin."