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|Ch. 17: The Crystal| Her Forgotten Past// Attack on Titan fanfic

'So far, so good...' I thought as we walked through the streets of Stohess.

"Getting away was easier than I thought." Eren said, only to be hushed by Mikasa. "I was in the carriage the whole time, but they didn't check on me once."

"Stop looking around so much." Mikasa scolded, but Eren ignored her.

"It gives you a good idea of how seriously the Military Police takes their job... Now we just have to hope they don't find out that Jean is covering for me." He said.

I could only imagine how Jean must be feeling right now. We had assigned him the job of wearing a wig and posing as Eren for the MPs. The whole plan was for us to convince Annie to let us sneak Eren away from the MPs. We would need her Military Police privilege to get through the checkpoints in Stohess. It was all a ruse, though. The second we find that tunnel we'll detain her.

If her being the Female Titan turns out to be false, which I'm hoping it will, I don't think a million apologies would get us to be friends again. She'd probably feel hurt.

However, if it turns out to be true... And she really is the reason squad Levi and hundreds of other soldiers lost their lives on the expedition... then I don't know how I'll take it.

We walked in a tight group. Armin was doing a good job of leading Annie to the trap, telling her where to go and which turns to take. Anticipation started eating away at me. So many things could go wrong.

"I don't think it'll take long until they find out... I mean, Jean and I look nothing alike." Eren said lowly.

"Don't worry." I reassured him. "You both look like criminals and have a nasty look in your eyes."

"Look who's talking, Miss I-Have-An-Attitude-Problem. Besides, I don't have his horse face." Eren pouted.

"So... If I hadn't helped you, how were you planning to get past the wall?" Annie asked intriguingly.

Armin answered the question swiftly. "We were going to break through using our ODM gear."

"That's absurd... Wouldn't it have been a lot less trouble to escape before entering Stohess? Why here and now?" She asked and glanced at me. Annie was starting to suspect, I could tell.

"I thought the switch with the body double wouldn't work without terrain as complex as the city's." Our genius explained. "Acting obedient for a bit to wear down suspicions, then slipping away, seemed like it'd buy us more time than openly trying to run."

Annie seemed to understand. "Oh... All right, then."

'Thank you, Armin. We'd be dead without you...' I thought.

"Oh! Here it is!" Armin spotted the entrance to the underground shaft and hurried towards it. We followed after him.

"Here...?" Annie asked, caution lacing her voice. I stopped walking and turned to her.

"Yeah... straight through here." I said, faking innocence. Armin began telling interesting facts about how these were the ruins of the planned underground city, and how we have small chances of getting caught through here. I looked back up the staircase and saw that Annie was still at the top.

I raised an eyebrow. "Is there a problem, Annie?"

"Don't tell me you're afraid of dark, narrow places?" Eren joked.

"I am. I'm scared. I doubt a brave, suicidal blockhead like you could ever understand the feelings of a feeble maiden like me." She took a step back.

'No...' I thought. 'We're losing her...'

"There's nothing feeble about a maiden who can flip a huge man 360 degrees in the air. Stop being stupid, we need to hurry!" Eren urged her.

"No. I'm not going." Annie said firmly. "We go above ground, or I won't help."

Silence.

Eren spun around and bared his teeth. "What the hell are you talking about? Hurry up and get down here! Stop messing around!" He raised his voice, aggravated by her attitude.

"Eren! Don't yell!" I reminded him.

"Why shouldn't he, Jo?" Annie's cold eyes moved to me. "I'm not sure why, but... for some strange reason, this whole street seems... deserted."

There were soldiers disguised as citizens hiding in the buildings, on rooftops, and behind walls. All waiting for the signal to attack.

She had caught on. It was official... she knew.

"Sheesh, Jo... That really hurts. When was it that you started... looking at me like that?" Annie asked in a sappy tone that was not her own whatsoever.

Armin held a sound flare behind his back, his shaky hand making it rattle softly. "Annie... Why did you have Marco's maneuver gear? He fixed even the smallest scratches and dents. I know, because I helped him do it."

"Oh... I just found it." She turned her head to the side carelessly, unwilling to face us.

"So, the two titan subjects. You killed them?"

"Maybe. But if you thought that a month ago... Why didn't you do anything back then?"

Armin's eyes widened. "Even now, I can't believe it. Maybe I made a mistake somewhere. I want to think I did. That's why—"

"Enough." I growled. I went up two steps and took off my hood. "No more guilt tripping. There's only one reason you won't come down here with us. It's because you are the female titan."

She stood there blankly. Guarded. I couldn't tell what she was feeling.

"How did you do it?" I asked. "Because I still can't wrap my head around it... how can a person kill so many people and still carry on with their life? Back in the forest, I tried to take you on and I failed. Well, guess what?" I ripped off my cloak, revealing my ODM gear. I wielded my sharp blades threateningly. "I've come to take care of unfinished business. I'll kill you for sure this time, female titan."

I expected her to get angry. To fight and maybe try one of her roundhouse kicks.

But never in a million years did I expect her to laugh. We all stared wide eyed at the cackling Annie at the top of the stairs. She laughed so hard she doubled over, her whole face turning red.

"What the fuck is so funny?!" I asked, anger flaring inside me.

"You know, Jo..." Annie said between breaths, as the wind swayed her pale blonde hair. "I'm glad that I was a good person to you. It looks like this whole gamble of yours payed off for now..." She suddenly looked maniacal. Annie lifted her finger to her mouth, white teeth about to pierce the flesh. "But... This is where my gamble begins!"

Armin raised his arm and shot the flare. BANG!

Soldiers disguised as citizens ran into the vicinity. Annie froze, taken by surprise, and before she could fight back or run, they were all on top of her, gagging her mouth so that she couldn't bite her hand and transform. She struggled against them.

For a moment there we had her. For a moment it seemed the plan was victorious.

Then—

She freed her hand from the herd of soldiers on her. Something glinted in the light. My eyes traveled to the ring on her finger, and the needle jutting out of it. That was just what she needed to transform. That was exactly what she needed to wreak havoc and possibly kill us all.

My heart jumped to my throat and I quickly reacted. I turned and ran down the stairs, pushing the others in. "We're too late!"

BOOM!

An explosion rocked me off my feet right as I entered the tunnel. I landed on the floor, my hands scraping against the jagged stone, and outside I could see lightning. Before I knew it Annie's Titan hand was reaching into the tunnel, trying to get ahold of us. Eren lifted me up and we all ran as fast as we could.

Shit, shit, shit... was all I could think. This whole operation is going to hell.

"What's next, Armin?" Mikasa asked.

"We meet up with Squad 3 and head above ground. Eren, you'll transform and fight Annie!" Armin said.

Eren nodded. He looked a little sick, I noted, but I payed no mind to it.

"There's squad 3!" Armin exclaimed

Ahead of us, four soldiers turned the corner. They waved at us. "Hey! Did the first capture attempt fail?"

"Yes!" Armin shouted. "Switch to plan B!"

In the blink of an eye, the tunnel gave a huge shudder and out of nowhere a gust of wind pushed us back. It didn't take long for us to realize a hole had been stomped through. The female titan raised her foot back up and all that was left was rubble and the massacred bodies of squad 3. I turned away, feeling nauseous.

"She's willing to let Eren die?" Mikasa said angrily.

"It's a bet." I said, panting. "She's betting that Eren won't be there when she steps. It's crazy, but it means she's harder to beat."

Just then, the female titan's large foot stomped through the other end of the tunnel. She would keep stomping and stomping until she reached us. We were trapped.

"Alright, get close. I'm going to transform." Eren declared. We all huddled around him. He raised his hand to his mouth and bit down. Blood squirted. I braced myself for the impact, the explosion, the strike of lightning, and the hot steam.

But nothing happened.

"No! Not now!" Eren yelled at himself, falling onto his knees. He kept biting his hand even harder, cursing himself through slurs of blood. The sight made my stomach churn. I didn't like seeing him like this.

"You can't turn into a Titan without a specific goal in mind." Armin told him. "Try again."

"I'm trying!" Eren said. He bit down again.

I sighed and crouched down next to him. "Admit it, Eren. You still won't believe Annie is the female titan. Why? Is it because it hurts you to think its someone we know personally? Someone we spent three years of our life next to? Well, I'm sorry but it's time to wake up. It hurts me too and I'm angry that she's turned out be this monster, but I'm also forced to realize that she killed Squad Levi! She tried to take you away! Countless soldiers never got to see home again because of her!"

I knew he heard what I was saying, but I wasn't sure he truly got the message. It's like he wanted to, but he was lacking the motive.

Thats when a theory popped into my head. My chest burned, and I was almost mad at myself for thinking such a thing, but I had to test the waters. "Or..." I raised both eyebrows. "Perhaps you have special feelings that are holding you back?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" He snapped.

"I have a plan!" Armin announced, interrupting our bickering. We both looked up at him. "Jo and I will go one way, and Mikasa will go the other. Whichever Annie doesn't choose is the one Eren uses to escape!" He said and unsheathed his blades. Mikasa and I did the same and we went different directions, not wasting any time.

"But that means you could die!" Eren yelled.

"If we stay here, all us will die!" I said.

This idea, however, was not very smart, we realized as soon as we left the tunnel. The minute we flew into the air on our gear, the female titan crashed her foot down in the exact spot where Eren was. The blood drained from my face. Oh, no...

"Eren!" Armin screamed, and he rushed towards the damage site. I trusted him to make sure Eren was alive.

But for now, I had unfinished business to take care of.

I went straight for the female titan, boiling with rage, and began an attack. It was human vs titan now. Like a bullet I cut through the air, avoiding her attempts to smash me or swat me into a building. A couple soldiers joined me and tried to help out, but whenever I would look back, they were already dead in a manner of seconds.

I dove down and sliced her ankles. Then her knees. Hopefully this would immobilize her. Two more soldiers joined in. She easily pulled the cables of their gear and they were catapulted into roofs, staining the shingles with their blood.

"Try that with me, bitch!" I screamed. "I dare you!" I ran down the street and quickly launched into the air again. For the most part it was a lot of back and forth. I would slice her up like deli meat and try to get to her weak spot, and she would regenerate before I had the chance to cause any real damage.

"What happened to us, Annie?" I yelled, slicing my way around her torso at breakneck speed. I left steaming, crimson incisions everywhere on her skin. "Did I mean nothing to you? All this time, was I just your entertainment?"

Annie turned and grazed her fist against the roofs of multiple buildings. Large chunks of cement rained down upon the street. This move took me by surprise and I struggled to dodge the debris. Just when I thought I was clear, a chunk of cement the size of a cannon ball struck me in mid air. I fell and tumbled onto the ground, every bone in my body aching with shocking pain. Thoughts swam without coherence in my brain and I couldn't think straight. For a long moment I was disoriented. My eyes opened only to close again as I laid there in the middle of the street, unable to move.

I felt someone pick me up and before I knew it, we were on a rooftop. I opened my eyes and the first face I saw was Jean's.

"Are you okay?" He asked worriedly.

"Yeah. I- I think I'm fine." I said and he lowered me from his arms, helping me stand on my own. My body ached significantly, but not to the point where I was seriously injured. If anything, I'm lucky that chunk of cement didn't crush me completely.

A roar pierced the heavens.

"Was that..." Hanji said, her words hanging in the air.

A chord struck within me. "Eren." I said and looked east where the smashed underground tunnel was.

And I was right. A raging, terrifying bull of a Titan came running down the street. It's green eyes glinted maliciously like emeralds under the sun. Every soldier in the vicinity halted their attacks on the female titan and hurried out of the way.

Eren pounced on her and that's how the bloodiest, most violent Titan fight I've ever witnessed (worse than the one in the forest) began.

He did it... He finally did it. The corner of my lips twitched, a smile full of awe wanting to show itself. But a cold dread came over me and I stopped. It was different this time. The way he smashed the female titan into the side of a chapel— the way he roared and his hair hung ferociously over his face— his whole demeanor was overbearing. Too much monster. And little sign of the human inside.

He struck his fist on Annie's face, the muscle on her cheek tearing off. Blood splattered everywhere. I flinched a little, then quickly regained myself. I didn't want to say I was scared, but... I was scared.

And everyone else, too.

A speck of blue in the corner of my eye caught my attention. I looked to my right and walking— no, stumbling up a street— was a little girl in a blue dress. She was covered in some blood, I noticed. But most importantly, I noticed she was right in the way of Eren and the female titan, who had started to chase each other again. I gasped. She was going to get crushed!

"What's wrong? Jo— Jo!"

I left Jean and the others behind, diving off the roof and jetting away on my gear. I pushed my gas to the max as both titan shifters got closer and closer to the little girl, who now struggled to run for her life. Sweat beaded my forehead. My heart pounded harder, faster, more frantic than ever—

"Gotcha!" I exclaimed, snatching the little girl up and into the air just in time. The Titan shifters practically grazed us as they bolted down the street. Thinking quick, I took another route. This little girl... whoever she was... should probably get to safety.

"Where are your parents?" I asked, searching for the water canal where all the citizens were being transferred onto boats. The wind whipped my hair into my face and I could just barely make out the gate and the soldiers in the distance.

"The ch-chapel..." She squeaked, clinging tightly to me. Her eyes were wide and bright blue, like God had bestowed her a slice of the sky in her young, yet petrified gaze. "Mommy... Daddy... they were c-crushed..."

I closed my eyes in dismay. The word 'orphan' echoed in my brain. I could almost cry along with her, but I maintained my composure. I had to be the strong one here. "What's your name?" I asked.

"Ava." She said against my shoulder, barely audible.

"You're going to be okay, Ava." I reassured her, "I promise."

I landed on a street full of soldiers and tried to hurry past them. There was an obvious commotion going on here. But I couldn't stop to watch now. Getting little Ava to safety was my first priority.

"Johanna!" A familiar voice called, making me stop in my tracks.

The majority of them were Military Police, and they all appeared to be in the middle of a confrontation with the only two Survey Corps soldiers, Commander Erwin and Corporal Levi.

The Corporal was the one who had called me. He narrowed his eyes, probably wondering why I was carrying a child and running away from battle in such an unsightly manner. "Are you injured?" He actually sounded concerned.

"No..." I said, out of breath. "I know our orders were to stay in the field of battle... But I found this little girl and I'm just trying to get her on an evacuee boat."

He watched me, considered the girl, and eventually nodded. There was an unusual sympathy in his gaze. "Alright. Hurry, the boats will be departing any second now."

He didn't need to tell me twice. I was already gone halfway through his sentence. By the time I reached the water canal, the soldiers were already boarding up the entrance to the boat, about to give the signal for it to depart.

"Wait! Stop, I've got one more!" I yelled.

Our luck was hardly believable, but we made it and they had room for just one more. I helped Ava get in, her tearful self almost reluctant to let me go. Poor thing. She was cold, her dress was tattered and streaked with blood, and she had nowhere to go, no one to turn to.

Just like I was as a child. Hell, she probably has it worse. What if she never finds a 'Jean' that is kind enough to take her in?

I took off my uniform jacket and draped it over her small shoulders. The boat operator and one of the soldiers exchanged signals. They were about to depart.

"Stay strong." I told her.

She nodded, holding back her tears, snuggling into the jacket as the boat took off. "Thank y-you for saving me, miss!" were her last words to me. I backed away and watched the boat go until it was completely out of sight. Sighing, I then turned and hurried back to the area of bloodshed where Eren and the female titan were sure to be.

"How's he holding up?" I asked Jean the second I got back.

"It's amazing. He's winning— look!"

Eren pinned down the female titan and they struggled for dominance. Well, more like Annie struggled. He caught her neck in a headlock and gouged out one of her eyes so violently that I had to look away. Their screeches filled the air.

Annie suddenly slipped from under him. Desperation and the will to get out alive possessed her. She was no longer trying to overpower him in any way. No. Fleeing was her only option now.

She made towards the wall and dug her fingers into the cement. We all watched in horror as she scaled up the side of the wall, inching closer and closer to the top. Eren clung to her leg, biting down, but even he couldn't stop her. She kicked him, half her leg getting bitten clean off as a result.

"No... no, no, no!" Armin yelled as we all rushed to get across. "She can't get away!"

Even Hanji was at her wits end. "Somebody— quick—"

"Leave it to me!" I shouted.

Anger, hurt, the sting of betrayal— all of these emotions welled up inside of me and they were hard to keep contained as I flew at the speed of light to Annie. She saw me and immediately knew what was coming.

You have the power...

I raised my blades and let out a war cry, spinning and shredding across her fingers. Each one fell off.

to crush your weaknesses.

I moved on to her left hand. She tried to grow armor as a last minute resort. Ha... as if that would help. Reigning in all my strength, I brought my blades down again and sliced through the coat of crystal armor, through her muscles, and through the bones in her fingers. Blood sprayed the air. I reveled in the victorious, steaming sensation of it.

It happened in slow motion. We made eye contact as she started to fall. I hovered over her, and if I looked close enough, I could see my own reflection in her onyx black pupils, dilating more and more out of fear. Since she was so deep in denial about her defeat, I would have to announce it for her.

"Annie... fall." I said, and it felt like a goodbye. Not just to her, but to everything we ever had together.

Every soldier on every rooftop and street stopped to watch as she hit the ground, the sound louder than thunder. Eren pounced on her like a savage animal, heaving and roaring uncontrollably, eager to finally capture its prey. He opened his mouth and his teeth sunk into the flesh hungrily, tearing a large chunk out of the nape.

This was it. We finally had her.

But wait...

"Eren?" I said curiously, arching a brow.

He stayed frozen, peering into her raw nape, obviously stunned by something we couldn't see. What could possibly be so disturbing that—

Suddenly, a bright light exploded from the nape. The ground shook like there was an earthquake. No one knew exactly what was happening, but what we did know, was that Eren's Titan body was merging with the female titan's, and he couldn't get out.

"What is that? What's going on?" Several people yelled.

Being the closest, I flew to Eren's neck and cut him out as quick as I could before the whole titan was merged. I held him tight, his body piping hot, and dropped to the ground. The blast of light ended, and when we all looked again, Annie— in the simplicity of her human form— was trapped inside a crystal.

Peaceful.

* * *

"Was this all for nothing?"

The clanks of the rickety elevator echoed all throughout the shaft as we descended down, down, down....

"For nothing? I believe this latest tragedy has moved us forward by leaps and bounds. Not long ago, we hadn't even imagined the possibility of humans turning into titans..."

When we finally reached the bottommost level, Hanji opened the sliding gate. I clenched my teeth. Stay calm, I mentally told myself, even though I felt like a bomb that could detonate any second. Hanji and Corporal Levi, who was also present, both shared looks of skepticism. They watched me calculatingly as I stepped out.

"Not only are we now aware of the enemy in our midst, but we have also captured one..."

Before me, in this cold and damp and depressing underground cave, was the reason most of Stohess was in ruins:

Annie.

"Make no mistake, there are more of them out there..."

It was a pain in the ass trying to get permission to come down here. The Commander is a hard man to convince. But I persisted anyways until he finally said yes. Nevertheless, here I was. And here she was, preserved in this self-made crystal. Suddenly I was clueless as to why I came here in the first place. No information will be obtained out of this visit. Its not like I can talk to her. None of us can.

Lets just say... I needed to see her again one last time. That's a good enough excuse for now.

"And we will hunt down every last one."

Those were the words Commander Erwin responded with when I was brave enough to pop the question that was on everyone's mind... "Was this all for nothing?". Whether I agreed with him or not, that was still undecided. Its a gamble. I’m not ready to say it was worth it until I see the final results. And we won't be seeing any results until we've reached the end of humanity's long fought battle against the titans. In the end, we either win or we go extinct.

I think I'll decide then.

But for now... I think I'm allowed to feel angry.

No, worse than that.

I'm allowed to feel hurt.

I approached Annie's crystal, walking closer and closer until finally, I stood face to face with her. She was so peaceful: eyes closed, frozen in a sliver of time, out of sync with the world, quiet, untouchable...

It was infuriating.

"Annie," I said, pressing a hand against the crystal. It's surface chilled my palm. "I hope you’re happy." A bitter taste flooded my mouth. Self-control was slowly slipping away. "Have fun in there while we pick up the pieces out here, yeah?" I chuckled dryly. My hand curled into a fist. "No, but seriously... I hope your happy!"

Something snapped. I brought my fist down on the crystal.

"Jo—"

Red was the color I saw. Boiling, flashing red. "You murderer!" Screaming, I punched the crystal repeatedly, the skin of my knuckles splitting open. I was unaware and at the same time very aware of the Corporal and Hanji telling me to calm down, but I didn't care. The mere sight of her stirred up a hatred inside of me that was impossible to tame. I screamed and kept pounding as hard as I could, "YOU COWARD! YOU FUCKING LIAR, COME OUT!"

"That’s it. Take her."

A pair of arms wrapped around my torso and I was lifted up and away. Kicking and screaming, I tried to get out of Corporal Levi's hold. My heart bled more than my crimson knuckles, more than anything. I just wanted answers.

"ANNIE, YOU BITCH! COME OUT AND FACE YOUR SINS!"

But my demands were met with silence. The only answer was the echo of my own voice.

Peaceful.

End of Chapter 17

End of Book 1

a/n

Look who’s finally updated... *points to self* anyway, thank you for reading and leaving your feedback. Feedback is honestly the BIGGEST fuel for a writer. Its honestly so important. So if you think of something funny relating to the story, have any questions, or even just a heart emoji in my ask box, don’t hold back! :)

As you can see, this is the end of Book 1. There will be a Book 2 that continues onto season 2, so don’t worry! This fic wont be coming to an end anytime soon. I have big plans!

Until next time <3

-Miki

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