Flying on Her Wings (Attack on Titan)

Prepare for the Inevitable

Rachel's P.O.V

I smile as Eren comes bounding into the office, shooting forward to hug me as soon as his eyes land on me. Erwin clears his throat, and Eren instantly straightens, saluting to his superior with a hint of red dusting his cheeks. I chuckle before Mikasa also enters the office, standing by Armin against the far wall. I stay in the chair I am in, deciding that I deserve the comfort.

"Alright, Eren, I believe Erwin wants to discuss the plan he has created in order to counter the abilities of the enemy Female and Male with you." The brunette glances at me and nods, turning back to Erwin as he begins to explain the situation to the teen.  I yawn and stretch, deciding to head out into the surrounding forest in order to test the current abilities of my wings.  The others shoot me curious looks as I leave the office, but no one stops me.

   I was sure to avoid all prying eyes as I made my way into the trees.  Once I was deep in the cover of the woods, I stretched out my wings, closing my eyes.  Relaxing my body, I twitched my feathered appendages, making sure to feel every muscle that connected them with my shoulders. Everything seemed to be alright– albeit a little sore and a bit heavier than before. Flapping experimentally a few times, the metaphorical feeling of my wings being weighed down by sandbags hit me with unbelievable force. I blinked a few times in surprise before stretching my arms and crouching down, preparing for a short flight.

It took my a few tries to get in the air. My wings were so heavy it was definitely difficult to continuously flap them, but I eventually adjusted to the strange sensation. Instead of flying over the trees, I decided to practice tight turns and smooth transitions in a large clearing close to the ground.

I crashed into trees on multiple occasions.

Eventually, Armin and Eren came out to watch my practice, and talking with them made me feel a bit better.

"Hey Rachel! Do you think you should follow Erwin's advice?" I tilted my head at Armin's question.

"You know," Eren cut in, "with the whole 'doing exercises' thing?"  I chuckled at Eren's blunt wording.

   "All I can do is fly.  Erwin does not understand this, but the more I fly, the more accustomed I become to the added heaviness to my wings.  Arm exercises and other normal activities won't work for me– it's experience that counts."  Armin nodded, understanding my words surprisingly quickly.

"But isn't it difficult?" I lay down on my stomach as I answered Armin's question.

"It is indeed, Armin. Every time I use my healing power, a certain weight is added to my wings, making it more and more straining to fly." Armin perked up at my statement.

"You've healed someone before?" I smiled sadly as memories of the past filled me. Memories of a time when I once lived among the people in the Walls.

"I tried to. The consequences weren't as life-altering as now, and this person wasn't so lucky." I shook my head, not wanting to get lost in the past when I had more important things to focus on in the present.

"Rachel..." I smiled up at Armin as I stood once more.

"It's fine, Armin. I'd rather focus on the task at hand than something dreadful that has happened in the past." Armin shook his head in understanding, bless the boy, and I turned towards Eren. "And what about you?" He gave me a confused look.

"Huh?"

"Your Shifting ability. How do you transform? I have encountered other Shifters in my lifetime, but they have had different methods of changing into their Titan Forms." Eren looked up in thought.

"Well... I just raise my hand to my mouth and bite down, I guess..." He spoke hesitantly.

"But that's not all there is to it, is there?" At my question, Armin shook his head, speaking up for Eren.

"While drawing blood, Eren needs to have a specific purpose in mind." Eren nodded at Armin's explanation.

"Well yeah... I remembered the first time Hanji and Captain Levi made me try it. I couldn't transform in the well, but I didn't understand why." I cocked my head and looked up at the sky in thought.

"So, you have to have the will to do something with all your heart, huh?" I twitched my wings slightly, thinking of Eren's explanation. A strong will... that's the only way he can transform... I nodded, my resolve hardening as I decided to give my wings another go. "Thank you Armin, Eren. I have learned something today– something important."  Armin smiled shyly at me while Eren lowered his gaze to the ground, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

   "So Rachel, will you be flying any more today?"  Armin's question caused me to nod my head.

   "Yes indeed.  I will be able to fly easily soon enough– so until then, I will practice."  With those words, I spread my wings and took to the air, feeling as if a heavy burden had been lifted from my shoulders.