Change (2)

Ymir Fritz's POV

"I'm… not going to apologize." 'Mina' replies, making Armin widen his eyes in horror. "I did it to keep Mikasa safe. No matter what happens to me, I at least want to make sure that she will be okay."

"But look at yourself!" Armin then lifted her wounded hand and frowned. "If you're fine being like this, then what about the people you saved? Won't they feel bad about it?!" 

"Huh?" I bit my lip, trying to contain my laughter, after seeing the astounded look of the young Yeager. "But-"

"There are no buts!" Due to frustration, the young Arlert hazardously knotted the ends of the bandage, immediately frowning after realizing what he had done. But for the girl who feels no pain, an act like that was nothing.

"You have no problem about Eren biting his hand." She mumbles under her breath, locking her gaze on her newly bandaged fingers. "Compared to me, he must feel terrible every time he does it…"

And there it is.

Having the blood of an Ackerman sure is troublesome, huh?

Not knowing what to reply after hearing that statement, Armin opened his mouth and closed it again. The younger Yeager, after all, does have a point. 

Perceiving that, Armin began to contemplate even more deeply; the young Yeager took it as a chance to slip one of her hands away from his grip before swiping her bandaged finger on the container where the ointment was placed. Curious about why she had done it, I silently watched her maneuver her arm and was amused to see Armin's reaction after realizing what 'Mina' was currently doing. 

"You're hurt, too." 'Mina' whispers under her breath as she continuously dabs her finger on his bruised cheek. When Armin suddenly flinched after the young Yeager's finger reached a darker portion of the bruise, she stopped for a few seconds before continuing to spread the ointment evenly on his cheek. 

"T-thanks…" 

The young Yeager didn't respond and only chose to pull her finger away.

Just then, the sound of footsteps garnered the attention of both soldiers. Looking up, there we saw the man who had rescued Eren and Mikasa when they were young. He immediately opened his mouth to speak. "Unbelievable. What a disaster." 

Yeah…

Well, it still can't be compared to the rumbling and to the events that will happen in the future, but sure. 

Deciding that I had had enough of floating for this day, I unknowingly sat beside the young Yeager, whose gaze was still focused on the man towering over us. 

"Luckily, we were above, so we got away unscathed." His eyes then hovered downwards, looking directly at the girl who got wounded from the blast. "It's a miracle that you're still awake even though almost everyone underneath got blasted by steam and wind. What's your name?"

"Ah," Surprised at the sudden attention, the young Yeager straightened her back before answering. "Mina. My name is Mina Carolina… sir." 

Almost choking at the awkward formality she was showing, I had to cover my mouth even though no one could hear my laugh.

"Ehem." Except, of course, the girl who was the source of my amusement. 

"Mina, huh." Hannes then smiled before bowing his head. Such an act left the young Yeager speechless, her mouth agape at the sudden show of gratitude. "Thank you for protecting Mikasa."

"No, it's-" She began shaking her head while waving her wounded hands in front of her chest before realizing the importance of what she had done. Seriously, she is a hassle to take care of. "Y-you're welcome, sir."

Chuckling, he then proceeded to tap her shoulder in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Don't be too formal. Just call me Hannes!"

Humming in contentment, my gaze then wandered to the fallen soldiers who were currently lined up. Such a scene was so common to witness that I simply shrugged my shoulders before returning my gaze to the group of soldiers nearby. 

"Mina?" Then, another soldier came into this spot, and she immediately crouched in front of the wounded soldier. Mikasa Ackermann leaned forward, making the young Yeager blush from the sudden proximity. I couldn't help but snort. "Are you okay? I got you bandages."

"I-I'm okay." The young Yeager then lifted both of her hands, showing the younger version of her mother her newly bandaged fingers. "Armin already patched me up."

"Oh…" Mikasa then lowered her gaze, eyes focusing on the wall beneath them. "I see."

Such expression was only reserved when Lady Ackerman was worried about her 'family,' so it's only natural to see Armin and the young Yeager confused by this sudden development. For me, however, I simply tilted my head as I continued to ponder why she was currently acting like so. 

Is it related to how I gave 'Mina Carolina' the abilities that the young Yeager possessed? Even back then, when I was wasting my time observing every redundancy that occurred in each world, there was no phenomenon of each timeline affecting one another. I tried connecting it in the past just to see what parallelism would look like. Still, for some unfathomable reason, each world is isolated and unchanging, which all leads to the ending, in which Eren ultimately sacrifices himself for the greater good. 

Everything except for that one world where Mikasa's answer changed, ultimately altering the ending of their story. 

I wonder… Tilting my head to look at the wondrous sky, I hummed. Is this the balance that the young Yeager and I talked about? 

If there is cruelty, then there is goodness. If there is a devil, then there must be something… or someone that will counter his existence…

I always thought that the answer was an angel. After years of watching over this youngster, my thought process had never changed.

But now… Shifting my gaze to the worried 'mother,' I frowned. It's beginning to change.

"You guys haven't eaten, right?" Interrupting my thoughts, Hannes offered to get them something to eat. Unlike what happened in the second world, where Armin shook his head, he and Mikasa nodded their heads in acceptance, one that made the young Yeager smile in contentment. 

"They're beginning to change," I whispered beside her and noticed that she nodded her head in response to my statement. "To get Eren back, all of you need to energize yourselves."

The young Yeager hummed while turning her head to look in the direction where the Armored Titan jogged away. As the wind passed through them, silence overshadowed their thoughts. Armin had his eyebrows furrowed, while Mikasa, like her own daughter from another world, was also looking in the same direction. 

Heh. Like mother, like daughter. 

Then suddenly, that silence was broken by none other than the woman I continuously admired. 

"When… are we going to rescue him?" Mikasa's voice was barely a whisper, but to those who heard it, I'm sure that shivers had run down their spine. Sensing that the young Yeager shares the same sentiment, I gazed at the boy whose eyes widened after hearing that question. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. 

Noticing his dilemma, the young Yeager chose to step up. "Since all the horses are on the other side of the wall, we have to wait for the lifts to come so we can move them. It's frustrating… but we don't have a choice."

"Yeah… Mina's right." Gathering up the courage to speak, Armin's eyes blazed in determination to save their dear friend. Proud of his sudden shift in attitude, I couldn't help but smirk. "There's nothing we can do. Section Commander Hange and the other officers are too injured to move. To even send out a small scouting party, we're going to need more soldiers – soldiers with experience."

The young Yeager, who was still frustrated, was forced to hum in agreement. And within that, I couldn't help but notice the guilt and regret she was trying so hard to conceal. 

"Both of you are such worrywarts." After mumbling in annoyance, I finally stood up and began to float once more. The young Yeager's eyebrows twitched after hearing those words, urging me to roll my eyes from her sudden display of being affected. "I know that I probably sound like a broken record by now, but it's his destiny to return. You already gave him a pep talk last night, so trust in the changes you've made."

Because it will definitely pave the way for you to free your most beloved parents. 

A moment of silence had befallen us, one that I was most used to. However, after perceiving her look of distrust, I can't help but snort. It is, after all, weird for me to say such a line.

I knew that our relationship wasn't that great, but after years of sticking together, especially during the cruelest times, I might have – somehow – begun to show an action that I thought I'd lost forever.

Affection.

It's weird, like, really bizarre, but I couldn't help it. Given both of our situations and sharing the same goal of defeating the devil, she and I, who used to be strangers, now share a peculiar bond. It first started with distrust, manipulation, and betrayal, but now… It's all beginning to change.

And it's mainly due to how my emotions are all coming back – the good ones.

"Oh, don't give me that look." To alleviate the tense mood, I delightfully hovered right in front of her face just to see her amusing reactions. It certainly didn't disappoint. "Ahaha, I told you, I want to earn your trust, little Yeager."

But why?

Chuckling at how open she was currently reacting, I slowly closed the proximity between us before whispering my next words.

"If I told you that you're starting to look adorable to my eyes, would you believe me?"

It certainly took her a whole five seconds to even comprehend what I had just said as she suddenly stood up, alerting both soldiers nearby. Surprised by her random act of being flustered, both Mikasa and Armin began to question what was wrong, but their voices were drowned out by the laughter I didn't even try to hide. 

"Ahaha!" Tears were pooling beside my eyes as I noticed the blush forming on her cheeks, knowing full well how agitated she was but simply couldn't do a thing about it. "You… should have… seen your face!"

"Mina, what's wrong?" Mikasa stood up and gently shook the young Yeager's shoulder, successfully making me fall on top of the cemented wall. "Why are you shaking?"

"N-nothing, Mikasa, it's just," She heaved a long sigh to calm her agitated nerves, but the redness of her cheeks refused to subside. "I… might have… felt that someone was teasing me." 

"Eh?" A tear has successfully escaped from my sockets as I notice the defeated expression of the young Yeager. Armin tilted his head in confusion before opening his mouth to ask. "Is that even possible?" 

"It's not! It's just…" Mina stuttered in her response before finally deciding to sit once more as a form of meditation. "Can you just forget that this happened? I just felt annoyed for a second. I… don't even understand why, though."

"Liar." The glare she gave to the ground finally pushed me to stop my playfulness. "Okay, I'll stop. Have you finally calmed down?"

Her eyes widened at the realization of what I just did. Proud of what I had accomplished, I proceeded to claim my spot beside her as a pair of footsteps claimed both Mikasa and Armin's attention, effectively distracting them from what 'Mina Carolina' had just done. 

Noticing that the young Yeager's hand began to move, my gaze wandered over to what she was writing, all the while observing that Armin and Mikasa's attention was focused on the man who had just brought them food.

You didn't have to do that.

Unconsciously, the tips of my lips began to curve upwards. "I know."

But thanks.

Now, it was my turn to get flustered. She didn't even give me a chance to react as her attention had now shifted to the soldiers beside her. 

Seriously.

I really am becoming soft.

*****