Wanting You. | An Armin Arlert FanFiction. | Attack on Titan.

seven

About a month had passed and Erika's first mission outside the Walls had just ended, leaving the Scouts' number to reduce. But Erika was more than grateful to know that all of her loved ones managed to survive. When thought back to the start of the day, she couldn't help but romanticize it. 

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That morning, the Scouts were lined in front of the door of the Wall, each soldier sitting atop their respective horses. Erika's heart was beating loudly, nerves and fear running through her veins. But such sensations were accompanied by feelings like excitement and interest as well as curiosity. 

After all, it would be her first time outside the Walls. It would be a lie to say she had never taken an interest in what the world had to offer outside of these godforsaken walls. After receiving the order, the door was lifted and the Scout Regiment began their move. 

The sun let out a shining ray, illuminating Erika's complexion. The warmth the sun provided her was comforting before it began to feel a little uncomfortable. But with the breeze that passed her, it became bearable. 

Erika had her brown hair tied up in a ponytail, slightly annoying her but she knew it would be impractical to leave it hanging over her shoulders. Her eyes gazed upwards, meeting the vision of the familiar blue sky, clouds cascading the blue hue. 

Her lips drew up a form of a smile, appreciating the freeing nature that greeted her upon leaving the Wall. Her eyes shifted in direction, looking intently at the boy next to her. He had a look on his face that she just adored. 

The way he had his lips curled softly was almost angelic. His blue eyes shone a different tint under the natural spotlight. She didn't know how else to describe the view she had before her eyes. 

She wished she could imprint that view in her brain, free to access it at any given time. She didn't even know such a picture of him could make her heart beat the way it did. She swore he was just a friend. 

But a friend couldn't have her wishing the world would end so they could be alone together. 

Erika quickly pushed away such thoughts, deciding to focus properly on the journey. Still, her eyes were addicted to him. It was hard for her to let her gaze shift. But it was almost an instinct reaction to look away when his oceanic eyes met hers. Blood rushed to her cheeks, the same reaction creeping up Armin's face when he realized that she was staring at him.

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Her mind was snapped back to reality upon noticing the presence of the boy that was clouding her mind just a second ago. His face was clearly distraught, troubled by the day they just had. If Erika were to look around, she'd see the same look on Armin's face on everyone else's. But truth be told, she didn't really care about others. Either way, she greeted him with a weak but genuine smile. 

"Everyone's troubled by what they saw. The Female Titan really took out many of us," he gloomily said. 

"Hey, Armin," Erika suddenly drawled out, earning his eyes on her. "Don't you think the Female Titan looked a little familiar?"

"Huh?" He tilted his head. 

"Never mind, maybe it's stupid," she shrugged. 

"Hmm. I wonder what they want," he changed the topic slightly. "It must be something really important if they're willing to kill so many people for it. After all, they're still humans," he sighed. 

As if her scattered thoughts found a trigger, it all moved into place, forming a rational theory that Erika was confident in. 

"That's it," she clicked her tongue, her eyes lighting up as her legs pushed her off the bench to stand. "Come on, Min," she ushered, taking a hold of his wrist and pulling him away. 

He was shocked but did not object to the situation, only feeling a little shy and flustered at the reminder of her hand on his wrist at the moment. He followed as she led him to a closed room. 

She stood in front of the door, letting her knuckles rap against the wooden material in a series of knocks. Soon, the door was opened, revealing the Commander and some of his trusted. 

Armin was clearly shocked, not truly understanding why she had brought him to meet the Commander. But then again, to Erika, the Commander was probably more of a family. 

"Erika? Is everything okay? And who's this?" The Commander questioned, eyes flickering to the girl and her company then back to the girl. 

"Armin Arlert, sir!" Armin quivered, immediately saluting the older man with respect while he had his head lowered in a bow. 

Erwin gave a small nod before turning back to his younger cousin. "What's going on, Erika?" 

"I think I have a theory about the current situation. I want to talk to you about it. So, if it's alright, can you close the door, please?" She rambled. Erwin gave a nod to Captain Levi who then closed the door, allowing Erika to explain her theory. "It started when we were out today but I wasn't really sure about it. But something Armin said just now made things make sense to me. At least on how we can narrow down our search."

"Eh? What did I say?" Armin gaped, wide-eyed. 

"You wondered what they want so badly that they would go to such lengths. It makes sense that they would want something. They came from outside. From God knows where. There must be something important here that they want. But think about it, what do we even have?" 

"What are you going on about?" Erwin frowned. 

"If what they want is something big, it only makes sense for such a thing to be with the most powerful people. And here, the most powerful person is the King. But it would be hard to get to the King. So where's the next best thing?" She questioned, looking around the room. 

"The military," Armin replied, catching on to what Erika was saying. 

"Exactly. The humans- Titan shifters... They're hiding in the military," she confirmed. "But joining the military isn't the easiest thing. You need background information. As an outsider, they would need to take some time to blend in. They need to understand how things work here, how the system works..."

"So they'll join sometime after the first Wall was broken," Erwin finished her sentence, earning a prideful nod from his younger cousin. "Nifa, get the records for everyone who joined the training camp since the first Wall was broken into-"

"Wait," Erika stopped, the gears in her mind turning as she stood. "Armin," she called. "If you were an outsider, how long would you take to truly understand the workings of society?" 

The question caused him to stammer nervously but when his mind began poking at her inquiry, his mind began to work. "Maybe a year... No, that's too short... Maybe two," he hummed.

"So we should search for those who enlisted 2 years after the first attack?" Erwin questioned. 

"Yes," Erika nodded. 

The silent atmosphere was interrupted a second after by Armin's sudden gasp. His eyes displayed a sense of horrific realization, clearly one he refused to believe. 

"Erika, I think I know who the Female Titan is," he hiccuped, looking at the girl with the same haunted look. "Like you said... The Female Titan looked familiar... And if you look at all the classes that were enlisted 2 years after the first attack, our class would be one of them," he explained, his words easily caught on by the girl who began to have her complexion shifted like his. 

"You don't think? No, it can't be," she shook her head in disbelief despite the logical pattern and familiarity. 

"It's Annie."