AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey look...an update. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited, followed, and/or even gave this fic a read. Your support is very much appreciated.

Two years ago.

As Mikasa watched, Annie easily dodged Eren's erratic blows, weaving in and out until she managed to find an opening; then, using his own weight against him, she slammed the taller boy to the ground, her hands clamped around his wrists.

His chest heaving with exertion, Eren got back up and slipped into stance. He beckoned to Annie with one open hand as the other girl eyed him distastefully.

"I think that's enough." Mikasa's voice surprised even her.

"I know my own limits, Mikasa." Eren's tired voice called back. She knew he was rolling his eyes, could hear the tone of exasperation in his voice.

Her fists clenched. "I know you do," she said, approaching the duo. Other trainees paused their sparring, watching the group with bated breath. "But I'm not sure," she nodded her head toward Annie, "she does."

Annie rolled her neck in response. "You can't join the military and expect not to get beaten up every now and then."

Mikasa narrowed her eyes. Slipping off her jacket, she let the garment fall to the dusty ground, and rolled her shoulders, letting her muscles loosen and relax. Shaking out her arms, she faced the blonde. "If you're so eager to fight, then fight me."

The blonde assessed Mikasa for a moment, her eyes roving over her body. There was no change in her facial expression, save for a tiny raise of the eyebrows that Mikasa interpreted as vague interest. Slowly, Annie brought her fists up to cover the bottom half of her face. She stayed like that.

She's not going to make the first move. Mikasa knew people were watching them. She didn't like fighting and hated making a spectacle of herself. Regret weighing down her heart, she slowly slid into a stance. She made eye contact with Annie and held it. Neither girl looked away, waiting for the other to back down first. Finally, Annie's gaze swept downwards for a brief moment.

Then, she charged.

Three days ago.

"It's Annie," said Armin with such finality that even the ever-stoic Erwin Smith nodded immediately. "I'm positive it's her."

"No way," said Eren, his voice trailing off at the end. Mikasa watched as he glared down at the table as if the wood had completed a felony. He slammed his fist into his own thigh, knuckles brushing up against Mikasa's own leg. "It can't be Annie!"

Mikasa only had vague recollections of the girl. Blonde hair and eyes the colour of ice. A heart of ice too, if Armin's deductions were to be believed. "I believe Armin." Her words were only half-heartedly spoken, but slipping through her lips with far more ease than she would have originally anticipated.

Eren wheeled on her as well, his eyes wide with disbelief. "How can you say that about someone who was your friend?"

Mikasa had to look away from his gaze, focusing her stare on a knot in the middle of the table, rings spanning out from the imperfection. Her fingers itched to brush against it, the silken feel of the wood underneath her fingers a welcome distraction from the brewing storm, but she kept her shoulders tight, hands locked beneath her thighs. "She was never my friend," she said slowly. "She was just someone I trained with."

Lies.

"I never thought anything of her."

You lie.

Eren's brows furrowed. "I can't believe you, Mikasa."

"Frankly, I don't care whether you believe Miss Ackerman or not." Levi's voice rang throughout the room, interrupting the two. "I just want to know who's responsible for all of this."

And though Mikasa refused to look up from her spot, she felt the weight of his glare on her. The wooden cane rested against the side of the table near Levi. In saving her, he had sprained his ankle and would be out of commission for the next little while. And though he never explicitly said he blamed her for the injury, there was something about the way he had been avoiding her recently that spoke volumes.

"It's Annie," repeated Armin, drawing the attention back to him. "And I know exactly how to stop her."

The pit in the middle of Mikasa's stomach grew as she watched the silent exchange between Levi and Commander Smith. The dark shadows beneath the Commander's eyes and light stubble grazing the side of his jaw cut a harsh figure against the soft orange of the setting sun. "I'm listening."

Present.

Every muscle in Mikasa's body screamed at her. There was something distinctly strange about Annie, whether it was the way the girl seemed far too compliant, or the uncomfortably long looks she gave Mikasa, there was no way to tell. Even the way she walked, slow dragging steps against the rounded cobblestones, seemed odd.

"Where are we going?" Annie asked, the first time she'd spoken since she joined their group.

"We're taking the underground tunnels," replied Armin. "It'll attract less attention that way." He paused as they reached the entrance to one of them. "In here."

Mikasa followed Eren and Armin, but her eyes were trained on Annie. For a moment, the girl caught her gaze as well, but her expression remained stoic. "Aren't you coming?" Mikasa found herself asking.

Annie cocked her head, but her face didn't change. "I'm not sure I want to take that route."

"We can't attract attention," repeated Armin.

Dismayed, Mikasa noticed the trickle of sweat dripping down Eren's temples, a sure sign of anxiety. Armin, too, was far from calm, his hands shaking slightly. "It'll be quick," she said to the girl. "We just have to get through here."

"There are other routes." Annie spoke slowly, enunciating each word as if she was talking to a child. "We don't have to take this one."

"We don't want to risk getting caught," shot back Mikasa. She dug her fingernails into her palm, but as she felt the skin warm, she loosened her grip.

Annie didn't reply, but kept her gaze locked on Mikasa. It was only a slight movement, but Annie raised her chin. Her eyes narrowed and she wrapped her hands around her upper arms. It was a strange look on her, almost vulnerable, though every instinct in Mikasa told her that this girl was anything but. Following Mikasa's eyes, Annie stared down the length of the dark tunnel, stretching and winding like the throat of some great beast. "I don't want to go in there."

"We don't have a choice," Eren interjected, his voice peppered with impatience.

"You're acting strange," said Annie, her arms still around her body.

"You're the one acting strange," responded Mikasa. To her side, Armin's eyes darted from left to right and when he nodded fractionally, she knew it was time. "And we know why."

That piqued the blonde's interest. She didn't smile, but from the way her arms relaxed around her shoulders, Mikasa could sense her amusement. "Oh?"

"You're the female titan," Mikasa said lowly. "You killed Levi's squad and you know exactly where Reya is."

At the mention of the woman's name, Annie almost stiffened, and her step faltered. Then, like the sun peeking out from behind bloated clouds, she smiled, lips parting over snow white teeth. Her laugh rang out in the empty area, mocking and falsely cheery. "You're going to die, Mikasa Ackerman, if you choose to get involved with that woman."

"I'd rather die trying than betray my friends."

Annie flinched, but her gaze narrowed and she began to bring her hand to her mouth.

"Now!" Armin called out.

Immediately, hidden members of the Scouting Legion appeared out from behind buildings and other hidden alcoves in the area. Making way for Annie Leonhardt, they stuffed a rag into her mouth and restrained her arms.

Mikasa felt herself relax. It was going to be okay. They would live, Eren would be safe, and more importantly, she could find Reya. Then, she looked up.

Even though her situation was dire, Annie's eyes were still alight with manic glee. Her face red with exertion, she flicked her thumb across the silver ring on her index finger.

Bile, bitter and sharp, rose up in her throat.

Flee.

Flee, now.

She felt someone reach for her arm behind her.

"Mikasa, we have to get out of here. Get away from her!" Armin yelled at the soldiers.

But, it was too late.

With a great flash of light, the front of the tunnel collapsed, caving the three in, and though she couldn't see it, Mikasa could feel the great thump, thump, thump of enormous footsteps above her and knew they'd failed.

"She's transformed," Armin whispered. He ran his hands along the wet stones of the tunnel, and for a moment, Mikasa half-expected him to press his ear to the wall and find them a way out.

The thumping above their heads grew louder and a few metres in front of them, the ceiling gave way to the skies above. Stone and dirt rained from above, but the three were unharmed.

"She's trying to kill us," Eren whispered.

Mikasa refused to turn around, refused to let herself bear witness to the betrayal she knew would be evident in his eyes. Taking a step forward, she drew her blades. "I'm putting an end to this."

"She just wants Eren," Armin said from her side. He patted his sides, the metal of the 3DMG making a hollow noise in the silence of the tunnel. A few more metres ahead of the caved-in roof, the tunnel broke once again. "But, she can't tell where he is. Mikasa and I will draw her away. Eren, you get out of here."

"What?"

She could hear it in his voice, that broken desperation she knew peppered her own tone years before. However, she kept herself still, waiting and listening. "Armin and I will go. You get out of here."

"I can't leave you!"

"I'm going to end this," repeated Mikasa. Shifting herself into a running position, she took deep breaths. The fog in her mind cleared, all the worry and doubts she harboured were momentarily gone. There was only one goal. Draw Annie away from Eren using any force necessarily, even if it meant putting her down.

"I can't…" Eren repeated. "I can't help you. I can't even shift."

"You have to fight," said Armin from behind her. "If you don't fight, you can't hope to change anything, Eren." His voice was gentle and despite the shaking of the earth beneath and around her, Mikasa found it soothing. "Remember that the titans are the enemy. We have to make sacrifices if we want humanity to win this war."

"If you don't fight, you don't survive." And without waiting for his answer, Mikasa took off running. Sunlight streamed through the gaping hole, blinding her momentarily, but she let the grappling hook fly and propelled her body out into the air above. Her lungs sang as she took deep breaths and for a second, she could let herself go.

Then, her body began to fall back down to earth, and looking around her, she saw the female titan—though she supposed it was now appropriate to refer to her just as "Annie"—staring down at the tunnel, as if to decide what part to destroy next.

Mikasa sank one of her hooks into the flesh of Annie's upper shoulder and with a vague degree of satisfaction, watched the titan look up and yank the cord away. Her enormous head turned from side to side, eyeing both the ruined tunnel, as well as the wall separating the inner district from the rest of humanity. Then, the titan stood up and began to run.

Turning around, Mikasa saw Armin fly out from the ruined mound and dart away. Still, no Eren. But, if Armin was safe, then she trusted that Eren was too. Propelling herself forward, she flew in-between and over buildings, trying to gain a lead on Annie. However, the titan was too fast.

As she came closer, Mikasa threw the hooks of her 3DMG into Annie's ankle and the metal grips took. Remembering Levi in the forest, she swung her body around Annie's legs, letting her blades scrape against skin. The flesh gave way to the metal, but in exchange for speed, Mikasa had given up the strength with which she usually applied to the blades and could not make incisions deeper than superficial wounds.

Her body on fire, Mikasa pushed herself, weaving in and out of Annie's limbs and avoiding the jutting crystal that appeared on her skin at random intervals. As she swung around to Annie's back, a shard of the stone-like substance grew from her waist rapidly, knocking Mikasa off course.

Mikasa shifted her body to the side, narrowing avoiding the sharp edge of the crystal, but it still grazed her body, opening up tiny cuts beneath her now-ragged clothing. Looking up, she felt anger well up in her as Annie still continued towards the wall, not even acknowledging Mikasa's presence. It seemed that she was nothing more than a pesky mosquito to her.

Mikasa swung to Annie's right side, unhooking and reattaching the metal into the soft flesh of her hip. Pulling herself up, she readied her body for another assault, but Annie took notice of her too soon. Gripping the metal cord, the titan yanked it from her waist and flung it away from her, the force of which pulled at Mikasa. For a moment, she sailed through the air, motionless, before being jerked to the ground, the hooks having found purchase in some building. As her body made contact with the stones below, Mikasa felt something in her leg crack and a sharp pain in her ribs. Squeezing her eyes tight, she rolled her body for several metres before coming to a complete stop.

Her eyes slowly shifted upwards, and Mikasa could only watch as Annie continued toward the walls. Reaching a bloodied hand out, Mikasa grunted, pulling at the gravel to force her broken body to move forward, but it was no use.

Suddenly, there was a roar behind her and the ground rumbled beneath her body. Light crashed around her, and even though she couldn't see it, she could feel the thick steam pouring off the shifted body of her adopted brother.

Eren.

She knew he was going to try and stop Annie, and she knew it would only end in disaster again. She couldn't let that happen. She wouldn't let that happen.

Is this what it means to be human? The thought only crossed her mind fleetingly, but even in that brief second, she was horrified with herself. But, it's true. I'm not human; at least, I don't think so. Not after what happened in the forest.

The memory of her body suddenly changing like that frightened her like nothing else. But, it had granted her power.

"We have to make sacrifices if we want humanity to win this war." Armin's words rung in her mind.

Mikasa reached out her hand again, determined to bring herself to a standing position and reengage Annie, but exhaustion overwhelmed her and she let it flop to the ground. It was only then that she noticed it.

In spite of the blood and filth that dirtied the skin, the symbol that her mother had carved into the palm of her hand when she was young stood out as clear as day. Unlike the crest that had haunted her as a child, the motif she was forced to hide beneath layers of bandages and heavy sleeves, this emblem warmed her palm, beckoning to her.

What am I?