Crystallized (Aruani)

Chapter 4: Trust

C h a p t e r 4 : T r u s t

Annie awoke in the dungeon.

She was chained, but this time the chains allowed her to move around. Mostly just to her bed.
Where am I? She wondered.

"Hello... Annie." Levi intoned, leaning against the wall. "I know you're probably wondering where you are. Well, you're going to go on a scout mission with us. If you even think about turning into a Titan... Well, I'll be there. Just think about that."

Curses. Annie thought. While Levi's watching me, I can't escape.

"I've got no sympathy towards you, brat. So don't think that I won't kill you. The only thing you can do right now, is fight for humankind. Unless, of course, you don't want to live."

Annie would've gladly given her life so that she didn't have to fight for them. However, she promised her father she would return.
Father...
 
"Annie, keep fighting! You're so weak." Her father said harshly, as she panted.

"father, I... I can't!" A younger Annie had protested.

"You can, and you will. Now keep at it!"

"Don't forget me, Annie. I'm sorry."

"Fight it Annie! Don't let your Titan take over you-"

"Annie!" Levi shook her. "Tch, I thought you died. Then again, maybe that wouldn't have been so horrible."
Annie wouldn't look at him. She kept her eyes to the ground as she thought of her father.
Levi unchained her, before grabbing her arm and dragging her out of the dungeon.

"Could you turn into a Titan for us!?" Hange asked excitedly as Annie stood in the well.

"Tch. Hange, even if she would, she can't. There's no way for her to draw blood." Annie silently snickered at this statement.

"Yeah, but just will enough can do it!"

"But why would she want to turn into a Titan? She has no real goal right now." Levi rolled his eyes.

"True.." Hange replied, slightly deflated.

"Sorry, Hange." Eren rubbed the back of his neck as the group approached.

"Oh, you're here!" Hange exclaimed, forgetting all doubts beforehand.

"Yes, and Sasha ate before this as well." Connie said with a laugh.

"I promise I didn't steal any meat this time!" Sasha cried.

"No one accused you of that." Reiner pointed out.

"... This time!? You stole meat before!? ... Well, we have more important matters to attend to." Hange shook her head. "We need her to turn into a Titan."

"But... She has no goal. It might fail, just like Eren." Armin noted.

"True, but I believe Annie is skilled enough to turn into a Titan even without a specific goal." Hange said.

"Okay, so what's the point of this, if it was a waste of time?" Jean wondered aloud.
Hange grabbed his shirt and shook him. "A waste of time!? This is anything but a waste of time!"

"The boy's right. This is a waste of time." Levi commented. "She won't turn into a Titan." Levi looked around. "Hey, where's Bertolt?"
Silence.

"Well... He was sleeping. I didn't want to wake him up." Reiner said guiltily.

"Lame excuse..." Levi muttered, but took it anyway.

"More like he was laying in bed. He just was being lazy, probably." Armin stated.

"Yeah, probably." Sasha said. "But um, is anyone watching Annie?"

The group turned around as Hange checked the well.

"She's... She's gone!" Hange exclaimed in shock.

"I... I don't believe it!" Armin stared into the wall.

"Where could she have-" but Eren was interrupted by obnoxious laughter.

"A-annie?" Armin wondered why she was still here. She kept on laughing, while Levi took out his swords.
Annie motioned Armin closer, and he cautiously stepped near her.
"It would have been all too easy to sneak away... Better pay attention." Annie whispered into his ear. Armin shuddered. Bad things could've happened if she hadn't decided to be such a creep. "...but I have better news... I'd like to join the Survey Corps. For real this time, since I can't join the military police now.."

"What!? Really? That's.. That's... Great." Armin heard himself say.

"What did she say?" Eren asks. Mikasa stands behind him, ready to kill.

"She said... She said she'd like to join the Survey Corps."

"She would be in the Survey Corps anyway." Levi pointed out.

"Yes... But I think she's confirming that she's okay with it... And that she's on our side." Armin looked at Annie for confirmation, and she nodded her head.

"Oh?" Hange exclaimed excitedly. "Does... Does this mean you'll turn into a Titan for us!? So we can examine you?"

"Not so fast." Levi interrupted. "Save it for another day. Let her rest, we're scouting tomorrow. She's going to need her rest. We all will."

"Yes, Levi."

"So, what do you think of Annie coming with us?" Eren asked the group as they headed back.

"I don't trust her." Mikasa said blatantly.

"But you don't trust anyone, so..." Sasha pointed out.

"Yes, but-" Jean covered Mikasa's mouth. "I don't trust her either." Jean added.

"I do." Armin said firmly.

"As do I." Eren nodded.

"Me too!" Sasha cheered.

"Aren't you just saying that because of the food...? I don't trust her just because of that..." Connie objected.

"I trust her. If we're going to be a team, we need to trust each other." Krista piped up.

"She's right." Reiner added.

"I think so too." Bertolt nodded.

"Okay. It's decided then." Eren noted.

"We'll trust her."