He Told Me to Live

24 | An Old Friend

Have you ever watched raindrops through the window, how once they hit it, they spread. Smaller droplets of four, five; eight, nine. No collection is the same, even in the speed of how they drip down the window, a race to see who will continue to fall first.

Would it be vulgar to say that blood is the same?

It splattered across my blade as if I were fighting titans, using the same amount of force.

Red stained my clothes and I knew it wouldn't evaporate like titan's blood would.

I don't remember screams because I didn't let them do so.

My sword stopped right at someone's neck, her hair a platinum blonde with blue eyes, widened, although I can't figure out what emotion she held in them. "...Traute Caven." I pull back my blade.

"Such a beast knows my name?" Her voice trembled but maintained a boastful tone.

I don't feel the need to say much else to her. I pull back my blade, looking over the corpses decorating the basement floor. "Where's Cinder?"

"Cinder?" Her brows knit together. "Why?"

She doesn't move to attack. I'm sure she understands that it is like fighting a machine. I do not falter. I am used. I do not die for reasons such as surprise attacks.

"You," Levi swung next to me and used his feet to prop himself up. "where are they keeping Eren and Christa?"

His question is quickly answered by a loud crash and a bright light coming from deeper in the hidden basement. He wraps his arm around my head, cupping his hand over my ears and burying me in his chest.

"Come on." Levi ordered.

I follow him with the cadets following behind. The military police that I left alive also followed out of concern for their leader.

Someone wraps their arm around my waist and yanks me back.

"Y/N!" Levi tried to make a turn but debris fell in front of him.

I turned to see who had caught me and saw Cinder's face facing away. I was pulled back near the entrance and am basically thrown into the wall.

While I remain silent, I can still feel my blood curdle within me. I can normally read eyes; where someone is going, how they're feeling, even what they just did. His, however, were dull.

He stood a few feet away from me, as silent as I was. Until, of course, he spoke. "It's not safe."

I flinch at the sudden concern.

"They're planning on eating Eren." His eyes finally look away from my weapon and into mine. "That girl's father as the power to force them. He can coerce her into believing that this kid you're after is evil. Or he could make her by force."

I didn't know why he was telling me any of this.

"And I should believe you, why? You still killed my comrades before. And kidnapped Eren and Hist- Christa. I killed many of your comrades as well. You could just be trying to get revenge on me."

Both Cinder and I know the suspicion that rose while we were raised. He frowned, likely trying to think of another way to word his statement. I hesitated to my blade. I've never done that before, but it didn't surprise me.

I tried to kill Cinder once. To think I could do it again...

"I know you don't have any reason to trust me right now.." He started carefully. "I'm supposed to be dead in your eyes."

"Exactly." My hand dropped to my side. "You're supposed to be dead. I took every single precaution. You didn't see my face, I didn't see yours. I tried my very best to kill you in a way where my last sight of you wasn't you begging for mercy or crying and yet you show up again to remind me that I had the actual prowess to kill you."