. And you thought I was dead.

This is all very abrupt and random, I understand but I have fallen in love with the fandom and this pairing so here you go. I will be back to RinxLen after this I swear, this pairing just makes me very, very frustrated. I love them together but they are both so tricky and like ugh.

In advance, I apologize for any OOC-ness you may experience during the length of this story.

Dedicated to Stephanie who has put up with all the whining and crying I have thrown at her these past few days with her own whining and crying. You make me complete. Together, we can one day achieve Calendar-senpai.

Enjoy~

In hindsight, the situation could have been avoided as a whole; if only it was not him that had lured her into this trap. She knew she had lost the moment he started telling her about their plan to 'help Eren escape'. She swore to the Gods that he knew how much she wanted to trust him.

He was smart. He knew how to work her weaknesses. It was betrayal on his part, and it hurt plenty, but she had to admire him for his careful thinking.

It felt like that was all she could do, really, just admire him from a distance.

In the end, she encased herself not for the sake of her father whom she promised to go back to but for him, to keep herself from having to see his triumphant face over hers. He would not defeat her. She was not some sort of animal to be tamed. She would save herself that much humility. She swore to herself that no matter how long it took, she would not breathe the air again until he submitted to her. She did not want his apology, she wanted his recognition.

He was the last person on this goddamned earth that she believed in. It did not matter how long it took, until he saw her as a human and not a monster, she would not allow herself to leave this timeless shell.

It was almost as if Professor Hanji was paid to ruin her class's weekend.

"Now for your homework assignment," she clapped her hands excitedly, waking up the few that were napping in the back row. Laughing like a child, she turned to the whiteboard, her marker squeaking against the plastic. "I want anessay of at least fifteen pages comparing and contrasting the capabilities and behaviors of Aberrant and Intelligent Titans- hm? What's that? You're groaning? Complaining? Can you name every class of Titans and their unique abilities? No? You can't? Do you see why you need this essay?"

"But Hanji!" Sasha whined, looking at her agenda in dismay. "That's busy work! What's the point in this?"

"It's your fault, probably," Connie snickered. "You still don't know how to classify Titans yet."

"Neither do you!"

"None of you have yet to produce good grades in this subject. Except for the select few, of course," her gaze swept proudly among the class and then turned very severe. "I am very serious about this. It will be worth thirty-percent of your grade," she ignored the loud booing. "Remember kiddies, I want you to specify what an Aberrant is, what an Intelligent is and how to classify one from the other. Am I making myself clear?"

Crystal.

There was a general groan of consent, the students looking among each other with a face of disgust and disappointment. Satisfied, Hanji looked at the time and waved her hands at them. "Remember, this will be due in exactly two weeks at the start of class. Have fun brats, and have a wonderful weekend! Class dismissed."

Eren turned around immediately, glaring up at Armin. "This is bullshit! Finals are in two weeks! I'm supposed to be studying not writing bedtime stories for Hanji!"

"We could go to the library and do some research while we study," Armin suggested, pretty much used to the sudden outbursts. "Besides, this essay doesn't sound really hard so we should be fine."

"You think every assignment is easy, she was looking at you when she said 'select few are so good blah, blah-', goddammit," he looked to Mikasa for support. "Do you have any idea where we should start?"

"The museum," she opened her bag and pulled out a pamphlet. "Remember the exhibit that opened several months ago? Chista was telling me about it."

"A new showing?" Eren perked up. "At the museum?"

"Oh right," Armin leaned over. "I heard about that, isn't it supposed to be interactive?"

"Interactive? Like hands on?" Eren looked between the two. "How does that apply to do Titans? Are we feeling up a model of their asses or something?"

"I have no idea," Armin flipped through the pamphlet and found the page relatively easy. Imprinted on the page was the silhouette of what seemed to be a giant rock or crystal; the entire advertisement itself was actually pretty vague. On the bottom, however, it did say that guests were more than welcome than to try to 'Solve the Mystery'. He looked it over again curiously and then turned the page, hoping to find more information.

"Is that it?" Eren stood up and took a peek at the page. "It's a rock."

"No, it's…" Armin narrowed his eyes. "No, it's… it has something to do with…"

"You know about it?"

"Yeah, don't you remember the-"he stopped, suddenly very confused. "No, I don't know about it, I guess."

He did know about it. He was so sure. It was like a word at the tip of his tongue, but he could not quite reach it. That shape, the crystal, it was so uncannily familiar that it even sparked a bit of emotion inside of him and yet…. He could not recall a thing.

"Armin, you're probably still out of it," Eren reasoned, sensing the frustration in his friend's eyes. "You were reading during class again, I bet you're just dizzy."

"I don't think-…Yeah, probably," he gave up, shaking his head and rubbing his neck. "Sorry, I could have sworn that I had seen this somewhere."

"Maybe you saw an advertisement on T.V. or something, I know I did," Mikasa gingerly took the pamphlet from his hands, placing it back in her bag.

"What does it have to do with Titan's anyways?" Eren asked curiously. "It's a crystal right?"

"Well, we don't have to go see it, but the museum has other parts about Abberants and Intelligents," Mikasa tucked in her scarf. "It's a place to start."

"I supposed we haven't gone in a while," Armin looked to the other two. "Are we going tomorrow then?"

"Yeah, the library has nothing new and you don't even study in there. You just go in and drool," Eren snickered, earning a slightly flustered glare from the blond. "But won't it be crowded at the museum though? Since it's Saturday?"

"Not really, it's dead in the middle of winter, not many people are going to crawl out of their houses tomorrow. Especially with finals coming up, most of the students will be studying," Mikasa pointed out. "It should be fine."

"We're taking notes right? Don't forget to bring a notepad and a pencil," Armin added. Mikasa turned and glanced at Eren.

"Yes, I'll bring extras just in case."

"Don't look at me like that," he snapped, writing a small note for himself. "You're not my mom, I can remember to do that."

"I said, just in case."

Armin turned around to put his books away, his mind still lingering on the subject of the rock/crystal thing.

"Hey," he spoke up, gaining the attention of the other two. "Seriously though, doesn't that look familiar to you?"

"What does? The exhibit?" Eren paused thoughtfully. "Kinda, I guess? Not really important though, is it, Armin?"

"Same. I don't recall anything like this," Mikasa observed Armin's contemplative expression carefully before adding. "Don't worry about it for now. You're probably overthinking it."

"You're right, I probably am," he laughed nervously, scratching his head. "Sorry, because of me, we're being held up here. We should leave now."

Eren looked at the time and cursed. "Ah shit! Let's go! Rivaille is using this room next for his seminar and I don't want to be in here when he comes in to prep!"

It was, as predicted, unbelievably cold in the morning as they walked to the museum. Armin yawned, shivering, and buttoned up the loose knot in his parka. Eren, however, was completely immune to the frost (it was because he was so hot-headed, Armin theorized), bristling and arguing with a very indifferent looking Mikasa.

"I can't believe you invited Jean!" he was arguing. "And you didn't tell me till now!"

"I didn't invite him," she denied flatly. "I told him that I was going and he offered to come with us."

"Why did you tell him?"

"He asked me if I was free this weekend and I responded accordingly," Mikasa, indifferent to his agitation, rummaged around her purse. "It's not as if he is making us pay for his ticket."

Eren groaned and rubbed his face, looking at Armin who was making a point not to meet his eyes. "I hate both of you."

"We don't have to walk with him," Armin laughed lightly, not wanting to be on the receiving end of his friend's outburst. "We can just meet up with him and then part ways."

"Didn't you hear her? She said he offered to come with us," Eren shoved his hands into his hoodie, looking at the nearby light post as if he wanted to kick it. "But even just being in the same building with him is-"

They arrived at the museum steps.

"What're you so moody about, Jaeger."

The reaction was almost instantaneous; it was like watching a cat being dipped in bile- comical but also a little worrying. Eren's body seemed to snap in two at the speed he straightened and whirled around.

"None of your business, Horseface."

Jean sat on the museum steps with Marco at his side, looking as if they had been waiting for a while. At the insult, he rose and stalked towards them, standing close to Eren so that he was looking down on him.

"What's that? A little rude for someone who offered to come and help you do some research, isn't it?"

"Ha. If I wanted help, maybe I would have gotten it from someone who could read."

"Hey Marco," Armin greeted, ignoring the static between the two rivals. He offered a hand. "Sorry for making you guys wait."

"It's fine, we haven't been here long," Marco took his hand and let himself be pulled off the steps, brushing off his jacket.

Mikasa, not one to tolerate nonsense, passed through the boys pointedly, pushing Eren and Jean away from each other. "We need to buy our tickets," her voice was placid but her eyes were ice cold. "Before the line gets too long."

The two boys looked at her, as if they wanted to argue, and looked at each other with an equal amount of hate. Obediently, albeit grudgingly, they both stepped away and she led them up the steps, an aura of power radiating from her body. Armin exchanged an apologetic look with Marco, before following her, his eyes turning from Mikasa's back to the banners that fluttered at the museum's entrance.

He just could not get his mind off of it.

"Hey, guys, do you want to pay a little extra to see that new exhibit?" he asked suddenly, stopping in his steps to get a better look at the words. "Apparently, tickets to see it are half-off."

"We were thinking about it," Jean said from ahead, looking over his shoulder he exchanged a small glance with Marco. "But I heard that it was actually a pretty sad sight to see."

Armin met his eyes curiously. "Do you know what it is about?"

"Apparently, there's an Intelligent stuck in a crystal," Marco replied. "She's the famous fourteen class female Titan that Hanji can't shut up about."

'I knew it,' the thought went off in Armin's head faster than he could register it. He narrowed his eyes, wondering how he had known about it.

What the hell was going with him?

"She's here?" Eren and Mikasa both had stopped walking. Their faces shared an equally shocked look. "Is it a replica?"

"The military swears that it's a real specimen. They supposedly found her in an underground lab in Shina," Jean snorted. "Bullshit, if you ask me. They probably just decided that it was high-time to bring her above ground after so long. There's no way the military just 'forgot' about an Intelligent that closed herself inside of a rock."

"…They couldn't get any more information out of it so they brought it to the public?" Armin dragged himself out of his thoughts and swallowed. "What if it's still alive?"

"Doubt it. One thousand years, no matter what you are, is bound to kill you, even if it is a Titan we're talking about," Eren paused. "But that sounds pretty cool. We should go check it out."

"We could use that for our essay," Mikasa agreed. "Does everyone have enough money for it?"

It was a no-brainer, in a time where Titans only existed as stories and history lessons, to not want to see a real Titan was like resisting the urge to see the result of failed experiments- humans are drawn to mutations. Even Armin, who was normally queasy around the thoughts of Titans could not help but hold his excitement for such a thing.

There was also the fact that he was still harboring that nagging, incessant sensation that told him he knew exactly what that exhibit was about, but he was trying hard to ignore it.

Having bought their tickets, they entered the museum, a warm relief flooding over them when they felt the heating of the building.

"It's quiet today," Mikasa said, a hint of relief in her voice. "It should be easier to get around."

"It should be easier to take notes," Armin added, swiveling his head. He turned to the right and pointed at one of the branching hallways. "Ah! That's all the military records on the Titans."

The small group pivoted, still shivering from the cold and shuffled to the direction he pointed, their shoes squeaking loudly in the absence of noise. Eren, as he always was with Titans, bounced from display to display, looking very much like a child at the toy store.

"You know," Jean piped up as they passed under life-size replicas of what were supposed to be a pair of three-meter classed Titans. "Aren't these models a bit exaggerated?"

Armin looked up uncomfortably, grimacing at the grotesque statues. He had a point. From their mismatched limbs to their senseless grins- the Titans all seemed very surreal, as if they had come straight from a horror movie.

Or, to be completely honest, it looked as if the sculptor had been a senseless drunk when he created them.

"Haven't you read the journals and seen the portraits?" Marco laughed uneasily, walking rather quickly. "They're supposed to look worse than this."

"Much worse," Mikasa agreed darkly. "And then taking in account how they ate humans and how many people it took just to kill one…"

"Disgusting," Jean deduced, zipping his jacket further up. "I'm glad I was born in this era."

"Coward," Eren sneered, looking back at him. "Good thing you weren't born a thousand years ago, huh? You're only good for Titan feed."

"I don't want to hear that from you, Jaeger," he retorted sharply. "Knowing you, you probably think you can beat a Titan in a fistfight. You'd be the first to die."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Eren sized him up. "You want me to show you how to beat up a tall jackass?"

"Stop it," Mikasa turned to face them, the pencil and paper in her hands seeming to become weapons. "We're inside a public building, if you want to fight, you can go outside." For the second time, the two looked at her before turning away like squabbling children, scowling at the floor bitterly.

"Anyways," Armin took a glance at their tickets. "It says here that the new exhibit just opened a couple of minutes ago, do you guys want to check it out first since we have all day anyways?"

"That sounds like a good idea, right? Come on," Marco slapped a hand on Jean's shoulder, dragging his friend away quickly.

"Mikasa, I can handle myself," Eren grumbled, looking embarrassed. "I'm not five."

"Of course," she readjusted her scarf, not looking in the least bit apologetic. "I was just reminding you."

As it turned out, the exhibit itself was in another building entirely, or actually, it was annexed to the main building. Behind two heavy steel doors was a long, cold, dim hallway that seemed to spiral awkwardly downwards like a serpent cave. The five hesitated before heading down, all of them very aware of the lack of light and width of the hallway.

"It looks cold," Armin rubbed his hands nervously. "And deep."

"I feel like we're going into some secret base," Jean remarked, shuddering. Marco nodded silently in agreement, looking nervously from left to right. Exchanging a couple of glances among themselves, they carefully made their way downwards.

On the walls of the hallway, there were articles and plaques with small chunks of information pertaining to the female Titan and her situation. Armin craned his neck to read a couple of them, but in between the growing claustrophobia, the poor lighting and having to keep up with the group, he could only catch snip-bits of the information.

'A strange, unknown power of an Intelligent…'

'…member of the Military Police…'

'…believed to be sixteen of age…'

'…highly-skilled fighter, highly dangerous…'

'…Impenetrable substance. Unknown mineral…'

'Why did she do it?'

He soaked it all in the best he could, hardly able to read one line before having to jump to the next. None of the others seemed to care for the articles, though, and kept walking, their pace increasing as the minutes ticked by.

"What the-!" Eren stopped walking abruptly as a loud, banging sound pounded through the air. They all gripped their ears, stepping back a bit, and gave each other bewildered looks. Curious and a little anxious, they all ran forwards towards the end of the tunnel, their feet stamping against the concrete floor.

At first, Armin could not see anything in particular. The hallway had opened up dramatically into a huge, stony room- Thank God-and the whole area was patchy with faint blue light. In the middle of the room was a huge crystal and it took Armin a while to realize that it was not giving off light but reflecting it, a blue bulb shone down on it from the ceiling.

Then his eyes adjusted.

The source of the earlier noise, he gathered, was the result of a man smashing a metal bat against the crystal. It looked like vandalism but when Jean and Eren both ran up to stop him, Marco put out a hand and pointed to the floor in front of the crystal.

"'Guests are welcomed to try to damage and crack open the crystal'," he read, looking at a golden plaque right in front of the display.

"Are you serious!?"

Armin could not breathe.

He was staring at the crystal when he realized that it was not some kind of precious stone; it was a cocoon, a chrysalis, and inside was indeed a living creature- a human. A human girl. She was young, she was frozen, and most importantly, she was not a Titan.

She looked as if she was floating. Her hair, which was short and blonde, had risen gently so that it curled around her face and framing it in its timeless portrait. Her arms was not far from her body and her legs were side-by-side. Her eyes were closed and her face was angled downwards so she appeared to sleeping.

Armin could not take his eyes off of her.

There was something that drew him closer. Something intangible that bit into his heart and sank in deeper the longer he stared. There was something about looking that made him so incredibly sad, so unbelievably dysphoric, so extraordinarily guilty that he was afraid to know what.

She seemed like a doll, forgotten in someone's chest.

"It's impossible to dent the damn thing," the man who had been there before them withdrew with his bat, staring at her in amazement. "I have been pounding on it and not even a scratch. Tough as nails."

"Can I see that?" Jean asked for the bat, taking it in his hands comfortably. He approached the crystal and touched its rough, uneven surface. Gripping the weapon, he braced himself and-

"Wait!"

His voice echoed.

Armin, shocked by himself, found his hand on the bat, stopping Jean from smashing into the structure. They all looked at him, surprised by his assertiveness and his hand dropped.

"What's up, Armin?" Jean asked gruffly. He opened his mouth, closed it and opened it again to reply.

He did not know why, but the thought of trying to break open the diamond pained him a lot more than it should have. "S-sorry. It's just-…"

Marco stared at him, confused, but came to his rescue quickly. "Jean, don't just go smashing into things you don't know about! Just because they're letting you do it doesn't really mean you should!"

"Huh? Oh, right," Jean stepped down, giving the bat back to its owner. "Sorry."

The man sighed and shrugged and left the room, not looking in the least bit satisfied about the results he had gotten. Once he was gone, Eren touched Armin on the shoulder, concerned.

"You alright?" he asked. "You look like you're scared of something."

"I'm alright but…" Armin looked up again, his eyes unable to look away from the crystal. "Doesn't she… Doesn't she remind you of someone?"

"Not at all," Mikasa replied, staring intensely into the crystal. "Did anyone catch her name?"

"…Annie, right?" the name, so unfamiliar and strange, rolled smoothly from Armin's tongue. He paused. "Annie Leonhardt."

"Was it?" Jean stepped back, stroking his chin. "Did Hanji mention that?"

"I don't think so, did you read that in one of the articles we passed by, Armin?" Marco asked.

"…Yeah," his eyebrows furrowed together as he tried to remember. He hadn't read that in that hallway, had he? No, someone told him her name, right? But who? When? He couldn't remember a conversation about Annie Leonhardt. Why did it feel like he knew so much about her already?

"Woah, look at that, Armin!" Eren, trying to cheer up his friend, shook him and pointed at the Intelligent's body. "That's the uniform for the Military Police, right? Look at that emblem!"

Like the rest of her, her clothes had been preserved by the crystal, and the official emblem with the unicorn's head shone on her breast pocket, her shoulder and her back looking completely untouched as if it had been brand new. Armin, trying to distract himself with that, followed Eren has he walked around the crystal completely, noting every detail in the uniform.

"This is what all the military uniforms looked like, right?" Eren whistled. "Except for the emblem, I mean."

"If you ask me…" Jean chuckled dryly. "They kind of look like hooker clothes. Especially with those boots and straps- you get what I'm saying?"

"The only thing I'm getting from that is that you are familiar with hooker clothes."

"Jaeger."

Marco sighed loudly, rubbing his forehead, a put himself between the two boys uncomfortably. "Really guys?"

"I've finished sketching her," Mikasa spoke up suddenly, showing her handiwork. "As fascinating as this is, I suggest we leave now since we have a lot of ground to cover. We can come back later to get information on this from the hallway."

"Oh right, the essay. Research," Eren sighed and stepped back. He took out his phone and snapped a quick picture. "Alright. Let's go then."

"Wow, Mikasa!" Jean took the excuse to walk closer to her. "That's a really good drawing."

"Thanks."

They were almost to the exit when Marco turned around, realizing that Armin had not yet moved.

"Hey! Armin!" he called. "We're leaving now!"

The blond turned, smiling apologetically. "Sorry, can you guys go first? I want to stay a bit longer."

"We can wait for you, if you want!" Eren added.

"No, don't bother, you guys go ahead. I'll catch up to you later," he waved his hand. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"Yes, let's go, if it's Armin then we don't have to worry about him," Mikasa put a hand on Eren's shoulder and turned her head to the door. "He doesn't need as much help as the rest of us."

"…I guess so," Eren waved. "Alright, see you in a bit, Armin. Don't stay too long."

"See you."

Then they were gone.

In all honesty, Armin did not want to be let alone in such an ominous room. The silence was deafening and the empty space suffocated him, and yet, he felt like being alone would help him clear his head.

He needed to know why he was reacting so strongly to the girl in the crystal.

Annie Leonhardt.

The name burned across his mind, flashing with a dull pain and a keen sense of nostalgia. It throbbed in his heart, aching and pulling like a prisoner that begged to be heard.

"Annie," he whispered to himself, an uncontrollable urge pulling itself over him.

She did not reply; he swallowed.

"Annie, I-I'm sorry," he didn't know for what and he didn't know why, but he felt that he had to say it. "For everything. I'm really sorry."

He felt that he knew her, it was like he had known her as an ally, as a partner, as a benefactor, as a person. The feeling was strong that he almost believed it. She was cold, distant and unsociable but she was not a bad person. Not to him. She was kind and trustworthy and listened to him with earnest.

In his mind's eye, he saw her saving Connie who was unable to execute his part of the mission. He saw her sparring with Mikasa, the start of a smile appearing on her normally stiff scowl. He saw her agree to go with him to help save Eren despite the fact that her military career was at stake.

But he also saw her kill mercilessly. He saw her take a man in her fist and drain him of his blood. He saw her swinging someone from a cord. He saw her heel grinding a horse to the ground.

He also saw her spare his life. He saw himself betray her trust in him.

Armin didn't even notice he was shaking until he looked at his fist, he felt his forehead nervously.

Ah, there were so many things he had forgotten. So many events that he had not experienced in this life.

"Annie…" he spoke again, he almost knew that she could hear him. "Is it my fault that you're in there? What-Why… Why are you still in there?"

Armin licked his lips and walked up to the crystal. "Y-you're not in there to hide from anything, right? You're waiting for something, right Annie? But what?"

He was sure that he had gone crazy. He was unwinding and spinning and he was holding to the slimmest probably of her actually listening to him.

That was the only thing that kept him from breaking.

'Do I really look like a good person to you?'

He heard it, the old, sad question in his heart and he could remember her facing away from him, an internal battle so fierce inside of her that he could feel it.

"You asked me that question didn't you? To be honest, I-I don't think you're a good person," he began to whisper, his mind running loose. "A word that is so broad and so restricting does not belong to anyone. You're too complex to be called simply 'good'. You have so many ulterior motives, so many secrets and you are as brave as you are cowardly. But that's what makes us humans, right? There is no way you can describe us with single words. We are a mixture of contradicting traits and feelings and experiences that make us who we are. I can't tell what you're thinking, Annie, but just because you have selfish reasons to kill doesn't make you any less of a human."

He touched the crystal, an incredible sense of relief washing through him and he knew that that was what he had wanted to say all along. He did not know what was happening to him and the smallest part of him feared for his sanity, but he smiled all the same.

The crystal was sticky to touch.

He did not realize it at first because he assumed it had been his sweat, but then it grew increasing slick as he slid his hand down. He stopped and looked at his palm, a thin film of substance covered his skin. He looked at the crystal's surface and saw with great shock the long dents his fingers made to the solid rock.

Something dripped.

Armin stepped back in alarm as the rock began to melt, losing its solid shape at an alarming rate. As if it had turned into some sort of gel, it folded over itself and peeled to the floor in giant splotches. He looked around, about to call for help when he noticed what was happening.

Annie was sinking to the floor.

He watched as the transparent goo let her down, the lack of support causing her to fall gently on her back. He stepped into the giant puddle, his sneakers squelching unpleasantly, and before he knew it, he was right above her, staring shell-shocked at her fallen form.

He knelt down.

As if she was some sort of repellent, the gel slithered away from her skin, dropped into her hair and clothes. He touched her face and almost withdrew his hand.

She was warm.

Armin's hands shook and his face was pale, but he still picked up her head, supporting it against his knee.

"A-Annie?" he trembled as he looked for her pulse. "You can't be-"

It was there, a pulse, and just as soon as he had found it did her chest suddenly constrict and her hand clenched around his collar. He shouted and she inhaled, sputtering and coughing as she took in the oxygen. Her eyes, a vivid, striking blue, flew themselves open and her other hand gripped his fingers that were on her neck. She fought, her body moving spasmodically and he let go of her, scrambling away from her aggression.

And then she saw him.

She was sore and her legs had just started to recover when she noticed him, and she then stopped. Her mouth opened, soundlessly, and her eyes went wide with disbelief.

"You…" her voice was cracked and broken, wispy and so very vague. But it was there and it made his chest ache. "You."

It was an accusation. She rose and her feet shook, but she was standing and she could walk.

"You're-" he approached her cautiously. She grit her teeth and before he realized it, she had run up to him and pulled down on the back of his neck, grinding her knee into his stomach. He doubled-over, spatting at the floor, his vision in spots and his breathing in patches.

"Not a good person?" she panted, her body almost collapsed at the effort. "You think that… coming from you, it reassures me? Who are you to say that I am not a good person?" She crouched so that she was eye level with him and grabbed his collar, pulling it up to her face. "How long has it been since I last breathe this air, Arlelt?"

His mouth opened.

The alarm rang.

The shrill screech echoed and shook the entire room, the blue lights that had once been focused on the crystal was pulsing an eerie red and white. He looked about the room, panicking, but Annie seemed ready for it. With a light grunt, she managed to pull Armin to the floor and pinned him there, twisting his arm behind his back. When he cried out and struggled in the slime, she dug her knee into his back and leaned low so that her mouth was inches from his ear.

"Move and I'll break your neck."

Louder than the clamor of the alarm, Armin heard the steps of heavily clad men running through the tunnel and it was not long before the exit was burst open, a stream of people entering the once roomy cave.

"The Intelligent Crystal!" he heard someone shout out, a shrill cry following afterwards. "She's out!"

There was a loud murmur of fear and apprehension and the tell-tale clicking of guns being readied. Armin caught a glimpse of their uniforms before Annie forced his head back down, her grip tightening considerably.

He stared at their boots, wide-eyed. "I-it's the Military Police. A-Ann-."

Her nails pinched into his skin and she pulled harder into his arm, turning the rest of his words into hisses.

The men surrounded them, watching her with eyes of disbelief, bewilderment and disgust. They were waiting for orders, but it was too obvious that many of them just wanted to shoot; their guns were raised high and their aim was meant to kill.

There was no way she would escape with her life.

'Unless,' Armin thought frantically, trying not to open his mouth against the jelly floor. 'Unless she turns into a Titan. She's the last living Intelligent. If she transforms here, she would escape.' But the thought never seemed to pass through Annie as she only remained frozen, her body tense and alert.

"G-Get off of him!" it was more of a plea than anything. One of the officers dared himself to walk just a little closer to Annie, his gun shaking. "Release the hostage!"

She did no such thing, only crouching lower to Armin's body. Her eyes flicked around her, searching for the best mean of escape.

"Men! Prepare to fire!" the man grit his teeth before turning back to Annie. "I repeat, release him or we will fire!"

"Stop!"

Armin could not contain the breath of sheer relief when he heard the weapons being put away. The voice, his savior whoever it was, spoke again. "This is a live Titan specimen! Do you understand how valuable she is to our research? Soldiers! Put your guns away!"

"B-But Sir-"

"Now!"

Feeling the Annie's grip change on his back, Armin risked a peek upwards and stared at the tall, broad man whose hand rested on the shoulder of the agitated commander. He looked at Armin and Annie and stepped just a little closer. Annie's guard went back up immediately.

"Hello. You're finally awake, hm?" he smiled almost ruefully. "Finally decided that you've had enough beauty sleep?"`

She did not reply to his question, choosing instead to pull up Armin by his neck, showing his face to the man. "Any closer and I will kill him."

Armin thought it was a lie. He wanted to believe it was a lie, but the expression on Annie's face was serious and grim. She did not give him a sideways glance or any other reassuring sign. Silently, he prayed the man would listen to her.

He did not. The man, someone with a lot of power, kept walking and Annie hooked her arms around Armin's head and shoulders, her muscles tense and ready to twist.

"So you really are alive, and very well at that," the man laughed. "You fight like the soldier the stories claimed you to be."

"What stories?" she drawled, feigning boredom although her muscles were anything but lax. "I thought Titan shifters were an everyday thing now."

"Were they? Back then?" he leaned down, smiling wide. "Amazing."

"Is it really?" her nails dug into Armin's neck.

"You don't know?" the man chuckled. "How long do you think you have been inside your shell for?"

"Are you going to tell me?"

He nodded, grinning ear-to-ear. "Annie Leonhardt, you have been in that rock of yours for over one thousand years."

Everyone grew very quiet as the sentence registered into her mind.

Armin was dropped and in his surprise, he met the slippery floor face-first.

He pulled himself up and looked up at Annie, her face was drawn in and her expression was blank. It was all too clear that her mind was melting at the realization. Subconsciously, she tried to stand again, but fell on one knee, staring blankly into space.

Slowly, unwillingly, she began to remember everything about her life, all the memories she had accumulated and the reality slowly came washing over her. Everything she had ever know had turned into long, dead history that no one remembered.

Why had she not died with them?

The man knew this had been the finishing blow and smiled as he turned around, pointing at the soldiers briskly.

"Escort her out," he ordered his men quietly. "Bring the boy too, I think he might know something."

"Yes Sir."

Armin hardly noticed when someone grabbed him and pulled him upwards, staring at Annie who remained on the floor. Two soldiers traced around her slowly and then picked her up by her arms, prompting her to stand. Obediently, she did so, and without a second look at him, passed by Armin, allowing herself to be surrounded by guards.

"Are you alright?" one of the men inspected Armin from a distance, not wanting to touch the gel-like substance.

"I'm okay," he assured vaguely, his mind miles away as he wiped some off of his face. "I'm fine."

Under the command of one man, the group of soldiers and the captured two walked out of the exit in a uniform manner, quickly swamped by the crowd outside.

"What happened? What happened?"

"Did someone steal something?"

"Ah! Is it a Titan?"

"No way! No way!"

The bulk marched on, ignoring the cries as they walked through the museum. Armin and Annie were packed tightly in the middle of the soldiers, separated only by two men. He reached out, hoping to get her attention without getting noticed, when he saw a familiar red scarf in the crowd. His head turned and he stopped walking briefly.

"Mikasa!"

At his cry, she immediately alerted Eren who stood next to her.

The soldiers around him kept him back, but he had stalled long enough for his friends to get a little closer.

"Armin!" Eren shouted. "Armin! Wait!"

Mikasa joined him, "Are you alright? What's happening?"

"I-I'm fine! I'm-" one of the soldiers pushed him forwards, cutting him off. Armin looked helplessly at his friends, realizing that this time, he could not rely on them for help. "Sorry! It'll be okay!"

"Keep going," said a gruff voice behind him and he jolted, walking forwards quickly. Eren and Mikasa, whose voices were joined by Jean's, eventually drowned with the crowd, leaving Armin feeling more insecure than he had in a very long time. Outside, vans and trucks all lined up along the perimeter of the museum. Another large group of soldiers were waiting for them, their guns at the ready.

"You," a soldier pulled Armin away from the main group, shoving him towards a car. "In there."

"What about-" one glare from the older man told him that he should not argue. He balled his fists and entered the car, his chin settled deep into the palm of his hands once he was properly sitting and remained throughout the entire car ride.

Just what had he gotten himself into?

Armin did not know where they had taken him and he supposed that it did not matter. What did matter was what they were doing to him. There was no such torture, no such beating or any kind of physical contact but it was agonizing nonetheless. They asked him question all ranging from his place of birth to how and why Annie's crystal broke. All-in-all, he could only answer about of half of the questions and that left the officials very unsatisfied.

It was all too clear that they were just itching to beat the answers out of him.

"Armin Arlelt," this time, it was a nicely dressed lady with a clipboard and a smile that looked like red candy. "You knew nothing about Annie Leonhardt before this incident?"

"Y-Yes, that is correct," he gripped his knees. It was not technically a lie- had he not gone to the museum than he would not have known a thing.

"You say that you went into the room with your friends, they left you there alone and then she just, let's say, hatched?" she was very unconvinced, and it was not just her haughty tone that gave it away. Her eyes bit into Armin's soul and her lips were tightly pursed.

"Yes, more or less," he swallowed. It would be ideal to admit the flashbacks and visions he saw while alone with Annie's crystal, but he decided strongly against it.

This might only be an interrogation, but if he says the wrong word, he knows that he just might end up getting dissected.

He refused to think about what Annie was going through at that moment. He tried not to care, but still did despite what she had done to him and he was truly afraid to think about the pain and fear and confusion she must be going through. It made him feel extremely weak. Here he was, hardly able to breathe through a questionnaire while she, the last known living Intelligent Titan is God-knows-where forced to do God-knows-what.

It made him hate himself.

"Mr. Arlelt, can I have a word?" it was the man from before and he entered the room easily, projecting his aura of power to suffocate those in the room. Armin stood up hesitantly, his clothes sticking uncomfortably to his skin. The lady, highly irritated, rose and briskly left the room, her pen tapping against her clipboard agitatedly.

The man walked over to Armin, towering over him intimidatingly although his face was generally peaceful. Armin tried not to shake. "Yes?"

"Are you aware of the situation you are in?" the question invited paranoia and fear. "One thousand years shut away in an impenetrable shell, and one of the most unique Intelligents of history suddenly opens up in front of you when you are alone with her. Is it a coincidence? Or is it another mysterious lead that will help us fully understand the nature of Titans?"

Armin's mouth was dry and his palms were cold. "The latter, Sir."

"You can't lie to me," he laughed. "We all know that the female Intelligent was waiting for something. She had the means to kill herself or she could have escaped and hid whenever she wanted to, but she didn't. She chose to sit in her shell. Why?"

Armin tried to deny it, but in his mind, he already knew the answer to it. "I-I would not know, Sir…"

The man blinked slowly. "Of course not. However, that is not the reason I am here. Even though you are a suspicious person involved in this incident, it has been decided that you will be allowed back into your home."

At the words, Armin sank with relief, a loud sigh warming his chest and soul. "Thank you, Sir."

"I had nothing to do with it," the officer replied lightly and then motioned towards the door. "Come with me."

Armin was not led outside or to any vehicle of some sort as one might expect, instead, the man led him into a very white, very clean box-like room that consisted of only two chairs. His chest constricted fearfully, wondering if he was lied to, when the door opened once again. Armin stepped back, seeing the two gun-wielding soldiers at the doorway. They acknowledged him lightly but did not enter the room, instead stepping to the side and allowing someone else to go in.

"A-Annie?"

The door closed with a slam and there was a distinct click of the lock. Armin looked between her and the door and took a few more steps back. Was she to beat him to death? Was she supposed to demonstrate her power on him?

"We have fifteen minutes," she extended her arms calmly, showing that they were cuffed together. "More than enough time."

To do what?

The question settled smugly on his tongue but he couldn't bring himself to ask. Annie sat down in one of the chairs, her chains rattling together loudly. Armin swallowed and then hesitantly settled into the other chair.

Annie, on the other hand, did not see to the need to waste the little time they had. "Who are you?"

"H-huh?" his shoulders jumped.

"Your name."

"A-Armin," he clasped his hands together. "Armin Arlelt."

She was glaring at him but not with malice, looking more confused than anything. His hands clenched together tightly. "You knew me, didn't you? Before, I mean."

"That's a useless question that you already know the answer to," she replied slowly. "What you should ask is why you're alive again, although neither of us knows the answer so it is also useless."

"Then…" he fidgeted. "Were you waiting for me? Is that why you stayed for so long?"

"…Yes… I suppose so, though it's not as if I was in control of it," she paused and then laughed a single syllable. "I would not have waited one thousand years for a sermon from you if I could have helped it."

He swallowed. "Then why did you?"

"Who knows, the only damn thing I can remember about being in that crystal is hearing you give your speech."

"So you wanted to hear me apologize?" no sooner than the question had escaped his lips when her fists balled up.

"No," Annie snapped, suddenly looking irritated. "I don't want your apology."

"Then I don't know what-" he stopped to reflect, thinking hard about what he had said to her. She did not wait for him.

"It does not matter. The fact is that I am out now and I would have been stuck as a public attraction forever if you had not gotten me out. Don't expect me to thank you, though."

"I see…"

An uneasy silence followed that, an unspeakable tension built between them like a cobweb. Armin chanced a look into her eyes but then found himself averting his gaze, afraid to see any kind of emotion she might be feeling.

"Do you think…" she spoke suddenly making him jump, but it sounded as if she was thinking aloud. "Would I have been reborn too? If I died with everyone else?"

"Huh?"

"You've always been the smarter one," her voice was as hard to read as ever, but this time, Armin could just detect the longing in her voice. "Do you think a monster like me would be allowed a happier life?"

"…Yeah, definitely," he nodded vigorously. "Everyone came back, I think."

"It would have been better if I just let myself die then, huh?" Annie chuckled dryly to herself. "Looks like I missed out."

"There's nothing wrong with living," Armin added quickly. "I mean-"

"Well, what good did wanting to live do me?" she held up her hands. "I am bound to rot away in a cell for the rest of my life or maybe even get killed after this talk."

"You're going to give up?" more than fear, bewilderment and anger followed the realization. She raised an eyebrow.

"What else am I supposed to do?" she nodded towards the door. "I am caught, I have nothing left for me out there anyways."

"I could- You could escape though, couldn't you?" Armin, well-aware of the fact that their conservation was probably being recorded, stood up sharply. "You're an Intelligent! Can't you turn into a Titan?"

"Where would I go then? Where would I be 'under the radar'?" she snorted. "No, I already made a deal with these guys, I can't leave."

"A deal? What kind of-" he realized her expression then and his eyes widened. "Don't tell me, is it because I'm allowed to go…?"

Annie pinned him with a sharp look. "It's fair, isn't it? As long as you promise to keep your mouth shut, you can get out of here."

"Fair? But what about you!?" he took a couple nervous steps towards her. "You traded your freedom for mine?"

"I would have never been free anyways," she reminded. "I just promised not to resist. Don't worry about it, Arlelt. You're the one who did this to me anyways, right?" The accusation punched him in the gut and the bitter tone in her voice did not help much either. Annie dismissed his pained expression. "Don't feel bad about it now. Stick with the decision you made."

She was finished. He looked at her defeated form, unable to believe this subjective, lost part of her. From what he could remember, if he could recall anything from his past life, it was that he knew that Annie would do anything to survive.

It was that strength and satisfaction in herself that made her so attractive after all.

'Ah,' he thought vaguely, a current of strong emotions sweeping through his body. 'That's why I remember her.'

The reason knew why he was the only one who remembered her had nothing to do with luck or chance. It was not because he had a sin to cleanse or because he had to a duty to fulfill. The pulsing anger, frustration and regret that burned his chest did not come from just betraying her. It was not only due to the fact that he had stabbed her in the back.

In the past, he had, against all odds, loved her. He loved her uncontrollably so. Even when he learned who she was, what she was, he could not help but to understood her motives. He worked hard against her, to trap her, to trick her, and it was all for the good of humanity but it had also gouged a hole from his heart. He had so many unresolved feelings, so many unrequited emotions that it haunted him all the way to this brand new life.

Maybe he was also brought back so he could bring her back to life.

"You have to keep living," he pleaded, crouching next to her chair. "Please. You have to."

"It's not as if I don't want to," she looked down on him. "What do you want me to do? Turn into a Titan? Fight them? If I really am the last Titan alive then they will kill me without a second thought. Either way, I am doomed to die. You, at least, don't have to get roped up in this."

His teeth gnashed together, his passive behavior snapped. "Don't act like a good person! You were always going on about wanting to save yourself and always wanting to stay alive! What about now? You can still live so live! Who gives a damn about whether or not you deserve to?"

"You think I haven't thought about it?" she growled. "You think this whole time I have been thinking about buttercups and cream? I tried to get out and what do you think I came up with? Nothing. I cannot get out of this one so I might as well help you since I can."

"Bullshit!" he pointed at her right arm. "You can turn into a Titan right? If you kill me now, you will be able to live! Run away!"

"To where?" she scoffed. "We have five minutes left, are you really going to be able to make up a master plan that will help hide the last living Titan? If your military is anything than the equipment now is undeniably better than the ones we had a thousand years ago. I wouldn't make five miles."

"But there has to be-"

"There isn't."

Armin breathe through his mouth, loudly, trying to calm himself. Annie settled back in her chair, looking sorely disappointed by his lack of logic. She pulled at her chains experimentally but then dropped them.

He met her eyes again. "Annie, please, can you…wait a while? I can't do anything now, but I will help you out." She gave him a look.

"Wait? That is not up to me," she shook her head. "If I die today or tomorrow, it's up to the military."

"Well then, do the best you can," he begged weakly. "For as long as you can, I need you to wait for me."

Annie stood up and he did the same. She was significantly shorter but still radiated more presences than he could ever hope to have.

"Why? What reason do I have for living other than to wait for you?" she asked, the door to the room clicking once again, signaling that their time was up. "Last time, I ended up trapped in time in a rock for a millennia. Give me something concrete, something I cannot doubt in. Can you produce something like that right now, Armin?"

Adrenaline pulsed through him as he heard the door being opened and he was suddenly unable to think clearly; his blood roared in his ears.

So he kissed her.

It was very brisk and very light, and it was gone just as soon as it was there, but it was contact nonetheless. It was a promise.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, stepping away slowly. "That is the best I can do for now. Please. For now. Please wait."

"Time's up," completely unaware of what had happened, a soldier walked into the room and pulled out Armin forcibly.

"Thank you," Armin managed to utter, looking back at her determinedly before the door closed once again, shutting him out completely. The soldier turned to Annie, an angry, pointless hate in his eyes.

"So you did not eat the boy alive, huh?" the man sneered. "I thought you would have killed him the moment he walked in. 'Thank you,' my ass! What are you waiting for? There's no way they're going to keep you alive for much longer anyways! Should have died with a bang! Don't you regret that now?"

She looked at him, her face void of any sort of expression as she sat back down on her chair. She crossed her legs and pushed back her hair, her eyes were striking.

"No."

"No? Ha! You're pretty docile for being the last Titan in the world," he towered over her, smirking. "You can do whatever you like. You will die all the same."

She didn't respond, instead choosing to look over his shoulder and at the door, listening the footsteps on the other side. Annie flexed her fingers and rolled her shoulders.

She has managed to survive this long unscathed, it could not possibly hurt to wait just a while more.

Ahaha. That is an open-ended conclusion. I am so sorry.

Shingeki no Kyojin interests me. I usually don't read AUs for anime but for some reason, it works for this fandom. It's weird. I like it. I intend to write more if I can.

I also really like Armin and Annie's relation in this series. It's manipulative. It's demanding. I was unable to portray that in this story however, this one focuses on the faith they have in each other's behavior. Armin expects Annie to act a certain way and relies on that and vice versa.

On a more serious note, I am working with third person POV because I realized I have something against omniscient POV and I want to get over that barrier. I am also working with characters and personalities so I hope this was mostly in character though I know it was probably a little OOC (especially on Annie's part).

Blahblahblah. I will properly end this A/N.

Thank you, as always, for reading! I am open for constructive criticism. Lay down your word. My body is ready. I am half-asleep.

Mush Luvve

~asianchibi