Whisper of the Wind (2)

Ymir Fritz's POV

Just before 'Mina Carolina' began to take a step forward and finish what she intended to do, I immediately hovered right in front of her and willed everything within me to partially solidify the touch that I gave, with both of my hands trapping her face. No one could see it, not even her, but as someone who has visited the place that destiny has condemned me to stay in for eternity, at the very least, this young and brave girl can feel the aura that continues to emit within the palm of my hands.

"Don't let this get to you, Young Yeager," I whisper, gently caressing her cheeks that have been stained with blood. "Think rationally. Not everything can be solved through physical force."

Her eye twitched upon observation, something that rarely happens. And even I have to admit, if something invincible would suddenly touch me out of nowhere, not everyone is capable of maintaining a poker expression.

Not even her.

While gazing at her curved downwards lips, I couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. After all these years of following this human throughout every world, it seems that I have gained the ability to understand what those small actions meant. Something warm flooded my chest, a feeling I never thought I would ever feel again.

'Mina Carolina' then sighed, prompting the two nearby soldiers to flinch as they watched her gaze fall upon the titan's figure. With her hair covering half of her face, hiding the tiny bit of sympathy that leaked out of her gaze, the young Yeager took a step forward and slowly placed her weapons back in its sheath.

An act that both stupified me and the rookie soldiers nearby.

"Say, Ymir, I've decided." Mina monotonously says, not clarifying who she is referring to. It doesn't take a genius to realize who she was talking to though. After all, nobody apart from her knows of my existence. But even with that in mind… why do I get the feeling that she was indeed pertaining to us both? "If you get out of that titan body right now, then I might consider not killing you right now."

"M-Mina!"

"But!" She raised her voice, not giving the future queen of Paradis to interrupt. "If you even think of escaping and helping the traitors of our batch, then I won't fucking hesitate to drive my blade inside your skull. You hear me? You got ten seconds to decide before I slice your fucking head off."

"..."

Ruthless… 

To whom exactly did she get this trait?

"Ah…" Why, of course, this just proves that she's a Yeager, through and through.

Ignoring the fact that the two soldiers were ready to intercept if the Jaw Titan chose the latter, I couldn't help but retain my gaze on this lonesome girl who was willing to tarnish her reputation and morality all for the sake of keeping the sanity of the younger version of her father. It's a foolish act that doesn't recognize the selflessness of it. And for me, who was once numb and ignorant to human emotions, it's both a surprise and a sad thing that only a few number of us can see through her.

Only a few seconds had passed when suddenly, a figure emerged from the fallen titan, forcing everyone in the vicinity to look and witness this peculiar sight. Not a lot of people in Paradis have yet to witness how a person emerges from their titan form, so as of right now, for others, it was a sight to behold.

"Huh?" Even when fatigue was willing her body to fall and rest, as her stamina had already been depleted since earlier, Ymir stubbornly got out of the decaying titan's body and wobbly stood on her ground. Irritably, she glares straight into Mina's eyes and growls. "What the fuck are you saying, Carolina?"

With a hum, the young Yeager simply shrugged her shoulders as she narrowed her gaze to look at the potential witnesses. Which is quite understandable, in my opinion, knowing full well how their conversation could go. It took her a moment to respond before simply choosing to take a few steps forward and grasp the collar of the weakened lady as the young Yeager practically dragged the titan shifter a few meters away from their classmates.

"Ymir!" Historia called out to her friend, making me notice how Connie still had his arm out as if he was preventing his friend from jumping in between a fight.

It made me scoff, seeing how his frozen body somehow aided the young Yeager's agenda.

Upon noticing the gap between them and the others, the young Yeager deemed the distance to be enough before throwing the titan shifter on the ground, earning her a scowl. "Hey! What was that for?!"

But instead of replying, nor did she care if the others watched how she leaned forward as she lowered herself to whisper directly into Ymir's ear, 'Mina' could only hum before saying her next words.

"If you leave right now, then your death in Marley will be set in place, and nothing can ever change that." 

Ymir's eyes visibly widened, surprised at the words that were coming out of the young Yeager's mouth. But she wasn't done. This is something that the young Yeager decided for this specific person to hear. It probably wasn't her intention to do so, seeing how she acted earlier with a gaze full of malice and ill intent, but even I can tell that she has had enough of ignorance.

After all, how will she ever move forward without doing the necessary tasks and saving the necessary people?

And apparently, this girl, one that has been bestowed a name similar to mine, is one of them.

Just what are the criteria needed for the young Yeager to even consider making them an ally for her cause?

"Have you officially lost your mind?" Ymir says, bringing me back to reality. Goodness me, even her habit of zoning out has already caught up to me. "Death? In Marley? Just what the hell are you talking about?"

Frustrated at her antics, the young Yeager could only sigh before coming up with a response. One that instantly left me baffled, wanting nothing more than to smack the back of her head. "I know that you understand what I'm saying. After all, weren't you born there? You've been given the name Ymir, had been worshipped, and eventually, got arrested and turned into a titan. Did I get those right?"

"..."

"Young Yeager…" I whisper, all the while shaking my head as I watch Ymir's face instantly lose its color. It was as if she had seen a ghost.

But just when I began to pity her, she laughed. Ymir slowly but surely lost her composure as tears threatened to spill from her eyes.

"What's so funny?" 'Mina' asks, prompting the titan shifter to lean back and give her best and amused smile.

"You know, I always knew that something was off about you."

Ymir then proceeded to stand up, prompting the young Yeager to follow. But even I had not anticipated her next move, one that involved tackling 'Mina' to the ground as she pinned both of her arms away from her weapons. 'Mina' was about to counter, but only Ymir once again opened her mouth to continue.

"Caring for a monster was unusual, after all, and showing malice to the person that almost everyone looks up to wasn't normal. And here I thought you were just jealous. Ha! Who would have ever thought that Mina fucking Carolina has this up her sleeve? Don't you get it? It's hilarious!" Ymir continued to laugh in an incredulous manner, one that instantly made me shiver when she stopped and suddenly turned serious. "Just how stupid are you to plan for something all for the sake of protecting the people you just met a few years ago? Is it worth it? Is giving up your life, your freedom, worth it? You're a fool, Carolina."

Tightening her grip on the young Yeager's wrist, the only response she got was a snicker, one that made the titan shifter frown.

"And you don't think I don't know that?" 'Mina' whispers, her voice so soft that even I had trouble hearing it. With her eyes getting narrower with each second that passes, gaze filled with nothing but sadness and longing, she says, "But you know what? Running away from your beloved with the thought that it might free her from the shackles that destiny had condemned her from is a more foolish act than mine, don't you agree?"

"If I'm a fool, then you're even more foolish, Ymir."

Hearing those words coming directly from the young Yeager's mouth wasn't something I ever predicted to happen, nor was this specific scenario. So, after seeing the titan shifter grit her teeth, visibly infuriated at the words that were thrown at her, she could only dig her nails into the young Yeager's wrist, forcing blood to come out from her skin.

Her eyes were now beginning to shake, and whatever emotion she must be feeling right now was one I could not even decipher. "You're fucking nuts. How do you know all that? Who the fuck are you, Mina Carolina?"

But instead of answering those questions, the young Yeager could only open her mouth to try another way out of this predicament. "Do you really think that handing Historia over will ensure her safety? Do you really believe that the outside is more peaceful? Stop deluding yourself, Ymir! If you truly treasure her… if you truly want to keep her safe, then protecting her is your only choice, right?"

"It's not!" Ymir countered, visibly trying yet failing to keep herself from combusting. "It's… I'm not-"

Enough. This is what I would have said if I were in her position. And based on the young Yeager's expression, she must have thought so too.

It's ironic, looking back to how murderous they felt to each other a few minutes ago. And with just a flick of a finger, it all shifted. It again made me realize just how powerful emotions are and how they make everyone vulnerable upon succumbing to them.

It's terrifying, yet at the same time, peaceful with the right company.

"It's useless if you won't do it," The young Yeager whispers, gaining the attention of the confused titan shifter. "Pointless if you'll rely on the people you don't even know. In this sadistic and selfish world… it's up to us to protect those whom we decided to offer our lives to."

And just like that, just after hearing that specific line, the grip that Ymir had on her eventually loosened, prompting the young Yeager to reach out her bloodied hand to caress Ymir's face. While doing so, she says, "And more than anyone in this world, I know… that you, of all people, understand what I'm trying to say. After all, won't you live for nobody but yourselves?" 

As silence passed between them, with Bertolt's cry being muted from the distance, Ymir eventually relented and gave a similar smile. "I guess we can finally agree on something. Can't believe it's because of something like this."

Scoffing, 'Mina' began to chuckle as well. "Agreed."

When Ymir finally got off of Mina, not even attempting to help her stand, the young Yeager took it as a chance to lay out Ymir's options.

"We may not see eye to eye on most things, but if you stay and wait for my next plan of action for you, then I can assure you… that you'll live comfortably in the future alongside the future queen of Paradis, Historia Reiss."

"Future queen? You know, I wasn't going to ask, but are you high? How do you know all of this shit?"

Snorting, Mina simply shrugged her shoulders. "Unfortunately, I'm not. And if there's time, I'll show it to you."

"Show me what?"

Smiling, the young Yeager eagerly replied. "The future."

"Work with me, Ymir." Upon extending her hand as she did to Annie, the young Yeager continued. "Be greedy, be more selfish, use me if you want to! And in return, let me use your power as well. Not for my sake, but for the sake of everyone's future, everyone here in Paradis and in Marley." 

*****