From Marley, with Love.

Chapter 44: Battle

Rosanna carefully injected another criminal, he let out a high-pitched whimper before she carefully put him down on his knees. "I am sorry..." she whispered. Zeke walked past her, "Don't be..." he answered. Rosanna raised an eyebrow, "I wasn't talking to you..." she mumbled. Zeke sighed, "Stop being so apologetic, your name will go into the history books for doing this for our motherland." He reassured her. Rosanna cast her eyes down, looking down at the long row of restorationists and criminals that were lined up to become Titan weapons. Even a whole family... She stared ahead at the wall. "Where do you want me to be, captain?" she asked Zeke. "Off the battlefield..." He replied, "Stay with Pieck, and be ready for taking care of some patients..." he turned to her with a half-smile on his face, "This is going to be rough for all of us." He warned her... or himself. "Surely our war chief can take on some rookie soldiers..." Rosanna huffed. Zeke turned to her, hands on his hips, "A compliment from you? How rare..." he grinned; Rosanna rolled her eyes. "Take it however you want..." she walked to the end of the line, gently pushing down a child who had crawled back up on one of its feet. She squeaked when she felt Zeke wrap both his arms around her shoulders, "Hey, get off!" She yelled, ducking from out of his arms and pushing him off. "Rosanna, listen..." Zeke ordered, grabbing her by her shoulders. "Stop being weird! You creep!" Rosanna hissed, pushing his hands off again. Zeke grabbed the sides of her head and turned her around to the wall, Rosanna smacked him hard in his stomach, he let out a soft "Oomph" before holding her tightly. "What do you see?" Zeke asked, Rosanna shook her head. "Tell me!" Zeke's voice became more urgent, "What do you even want?" Rosanna put her hands over Zeke's hands, loosening them so they dropped upon her shoulders. "What do you see? Bauer?" Rosanna's brain clicked together what was going on, an ideological check. "A wall..." she answered. She heard Zeke sigh; he probably was rolling his eyes. "Yes... a wall..." he huffed, his warm breath pushing a few baby hairs from Rosanna's neck. "Ugh gross..." Rosanna whined, starting to pull away from him again. "Beyond the wall, Rosanna... what are those people too you?" he asked. Rosanna shrugged non-conformingly. "Demons that have destroyed and tortured our honor full people on the Marleyan continent." She yammered, now grabbing Zeke's hand to get him off. Zeke sighed, letting her go with a little push in her back. Rosanna stood there for a second, frozen, she expected a group of Marleyans to swoop in a apprehend her. But she had successfully reproduced the Eldian theory, so she should be in the clear. She felt a burning feeling of hatred, she took a deep breath and turned back to Zeke who absentmindedly looked ahead. "Hmm?" was all he could out before being violently kicked in the gut, with a loud groan he grabbed his stomach, glaring up at Rosanna. "Where did you do that for?" he groaned. "You know why..." Rosanna spoke, staring at him. "It was just a check..." he sighed, "Don't be so serious..." he slowly stood back up, "Anyway... we don't have time to fight this out..." he breathed deeply and stared down at Rosanna. "You'll have to straddle me some other time..." Zeke grinned again, a hint of mockery in his eye. "Shut up, ape..." Rosanna sighed. "I'll never straddle you in any sort of way..." she huffed as she walked off.

"Really, a fucking ideological check? I am injecting people with poison he wants to know if I am "Devoted" to our cause?" Rosanna muttered to herself as she paced around in a circle. In the distance she heard banging, booms and distant screams. The battle was in full effect, there was a hot breeze rustling the trees and leaves, the Colossal must've landed its nuke. All those soldiers being turned into dust, shredded into strips of flesh. She crouched underneath a tree, looking at the grey sky from between the cracks of the leaves. "Please just let this be over quick... I need to see my aunt..." she whispered to herself. She came out of her hiding spot for a bit, looking around. Her jaw dropped when she saw all the titans Zeke had ordered to transform were all dead and dissolving. "Wha?" she exclaimed, she heard a loud "WOOSH" and looked as a shadow came flying at Zeke, chopping at his arms and legs. Rosanna hid inside the bushes, lying flat on her stomach. She heard the loud burst of the beast titan's nape and the area of the beast become filled with steam. "Zeke..." she whispered, standing up and starting towards the clouds of steam to do... do what? She was armed with only a knife... and it would be useless to just "Ask" to return the beast. Maybe... she could persuade that soldier to give her the beast and cooperate with humanity inside the walls. She froze when she realized how annoying it would be to see Zeke's memories. She screamed when the heat of a titan grabbed her by her shirt and flung her onto the cart titan's back. "Zeke's in trouble!" Rosanna screamed, "I noticed..." the cart responded. The two rode into the mist, Rosanna froze as she made eye contact with the blood covered shoulder, sharp grey eyes send chills down her eyes, but she could not take in his expression since Pieck had already run off to the wall. Zeke screamed insanities at the soldier, sending his remaining titans after him. Then he screamed in pain, cackling with sardonic laughter. Rosanna had never heard a more terrifying sound.

The cart skillfully hopped from house to house, breaking the roofs and shedding them of the panes. Rosanna stared around her, clutching a gun in her hands, peering around and ready to protect her comrades. Zeke had gotten a little better, sitting shotgun at the Cart's shoulder. He was out of energy, so the founder was off the table. Zeke turned curiously in the direction of a soldier holding a body. Rosanna focused her eyes on it and felt a chill down her spine, "Bertholdt..." she said. Zeke looked up at her and back at the soldier. "Go." He ordered Pieck and the cart climbed over the roofs to the soldier who quickly buried his sword into the boy's neck. Rosanna climbed shotgun, ready to push the soldier off of the roof and take Bertholdt with her. Zeke grabbed her ankle and threw her back onto Pieck's back. "Oi!" Rosanna exclaimed. Zeke stared at the boy; his teeth gritted. Then, a wave of softness seemed to wash over him. His blue eyes softened and he seemed emotional. "Are you... Eren Yeager?" Rosanna peeked at the boy holding onto Bertholdt. "How could that be Zeke's brother?" she asked herself. "You look nothing like our father..." Zeke continued; his voice thick with emotion. "Like I said..." Rosanna thought to herself. "You have been brainwashed by our father." Rosanna looked up, noticing the silhouette of the blood covered soldier. He staggered across the wall and pretty much dropped himself. "Zeke." Rosanna said, tapping the man's shoulder. Zeke looked up and cursed the soldier. Pieck started to turn on the roof, ready to go. "Someday, I'll save you, Eren..."

Pieck quickly strode through the narrow streets of Shinganshina, destroying old barrels and gravel. The titan jumped and attacked a woman who was just done torturing Reiner. A young man barreled across the street to save the woman; this gave Pieck the opportunity to grasp hold of Reiner. "Let's get out!" Zeke ordered, holding on tight as Pieck went on a mad sprint towards and over the wall. Rosanna watched as that small town and with that, Bertholdt, disappeared. She felt a tear run down her face as she held her hand reached out towards the roof where he was being held hostage by Zeke's brother.

In the cool wind of the evening, Rosanna sat slumped next to Reiner's regeneration body. Tears leaking down her face as she wept for the loss of Bertholdt. Zeke sat on Pieck's shoulder, looking over the city, still healing his other arm. "Reiner..." He said, "You are lucky. You understand, right?" Rosanna froze at this sentence, biting down on her teeth and letting out a heavy, gut-wrenching sob. "Zeke... Why?" she asked him, glaring at him hatefully. Zeke looked shocked at her look full of wrath. He got up, jumped of Pieck's shoulder and started walking towards her. Rosanna shot up from her slumped position. "What are you going to do?!" she cried at him, "Push me off the wall?!" she spread her arms. "WELL, GO AHEAD! YOU HAVE TAKEN SO MANY THINGS FROM ME!" Zeke calmly approached her with a look of sympathy on his face. "Rosanna... please." He pleaded. "When will it ever be enough for you?" Rosanna sobbed, "When you are swimming in the blood of those you killed." Zeke reached out his hand to her face, cupping it. Rosanna glared up at him, pulling at his grasp. He pressed his cheek against her cheek, his good arm wrapping around her shoulders, pulling her into him. The bristliness of his beard and heat of his body seemed to bring some comfort to Rosanna, her erratic breathing calmed and she clutched onto him. Digging her fingers into his back. "I am sorry, my dear." He rubbed his beard against her cheek, pulling her in a bit closer. "I covered you in the same blood I am soaking in..." Rosanna breathed in sharply, completely leaning into Zeke's shoulder. Slumping her entire weight into him. "You really are a monster..." was all Rosanna could mutter, completely numbed by his heat. "We both are, My Black Bird."