Fandom Morgue

How was he supposed to know?

There was a meeting held between a select few cadets and Scout Regiment soldiers. So much had happened, so much death and destruction...

What was this discovery going to be? Eren hoped some light would be shed on their dire situation. He was desperate to speak openly to her, to demand answers, but everyone else; not so much.

Mikasa insisted he remained protected by the elite Scout Regiment soldiers. Armin agreed on the cautious path. No surprises there... just as Eren not listening to then was no surprise either.

Against the plans the cadets and Scout soldiers laid out, Eren marched toward the girl in question.

Before he could take another step he was held back by Armin, Mikasa hot on their heels with a few friends and soldiers they met along the way. Everyone equally concerned for the safety of their comrades and the people they protected.

She stood outside the stables, giving some snacks to the horses resting after a long day's ride. She looked peaceful, almost harmless if he didn't know any better.

Armin held onto Eren tightly, the two boys clearly disagreeing. It wasn’t that Armin and Mikasa didn’t want to find out why this sibling was absent. They simply didn’t want to risk this person being like her... Like Annie.

Grisha was an unknown factor in this new world of human controlled titans. He knew so much and vanished years ago with no explanation. It wasn’t just them that wanted to find Grisha, but the entire Scout Regiment.

The terrifying focus of the Scout Regiment leadership had Grisha as their top person of interest. If he ever showed his face the Scouts were more than prepared to take him into custody. Of course they were also preparing for him to have the same ability as Eren. For this, Levi was armed at all times. Regardless of Eren’s inexperience with his titan, he was still a powerful threat to anyone that took him on at full strength.

Excluding Levi, naturally.

Feeling that usual anger boil inside him, Eren had enough waiting. He had waited for years to hear something, anything from his father. Shiganshina was fading into his past, like a race where the starting point was disappearing in the distance. He didn’t want that, he wanted to go back.

“Hey!” His voice carried through the courtyard, the grit of his tone shocked the girl feeding the horses.

Everyone froze in place, not sure what to anticipate. Jean’s first instinct was to charge first, try to diffuse this situation that -once again- Eren created.

Moblit had a very different reaction. “I’ll go get Hanji and Levi!” He wasted no time preparing for the worst.

What if she was able to manifest a titan too? How ready were they for that?

Or was she in the same boat as Eren; never having known she had that power until their life was under threat.

Armin’s arm fell from Eren, it was too late to stop this now. Everyone’s eyes bore into her, searching for any sign of hostility.

Confused, she looked between the unfamiliar faces. “Uh-”

Eren slipped by Armin, finally standing in front of her. He had no fear, only hurt. While he wouldn’t admit it discovering he had a sister he never knew about left him with conflicting emotions towards his parents... and her.

“You’re _____ Yeager.” He didn’t even ask. “You’re my sister, aren’t you?”

Her eyes darted over him, trying to decipher what was happening. It was all so sudden; these soldiers bursting from the main hall and yelling at her. They all looked so tense, so... afraid?

Once her eyes found Eren’s she could see this fire behind him. This soldier was angry and...

Wait... Did he say ‘sister’?

She gasped, stunned to hear such a simple word. Sister. He knows her name... he knows? He knows-!

“E-Eren?” Her voice fails her, cracking despite her best efforts.

Seeing him was harder than she imagined it would be. And she did think about it often. What it would be like to be with the family again, what it would be like to be a part of the Yeager family like she should’ve been. Before Grisha--

Her face reddened, eyes glossed over as heavy tears formed. He expected information or even a new obstacle in his path; he did not expect crying.

Without his confirmation, she wrapped her arms around him. “It is you!” How she dreamed of seeing him, telling him how much she missed him. “I looked everywhere for you, I searched the refugee camps and all over Wall Rose. Where’ve you been?” Her tears began to fall trailing through the dirt on her face.

Shocked, Eren did not return the embrace. “What are you talking about?” He retreated from her arms, “I never knew you even existed.”

And just like that, her world came crashing down.

“Wh- uh, what?” She stuttered hard, unable to break down what he just said.

“I didn’t know you existed, I just found out and here you are!” Incredulous, Eren continued. “We escaped Shiganshina; me, Armin, and Mikasa. You weren’t there, you weren’t with us back home. Did you runaway when I was little, did something happen? Are you really my sister or is-”

She raised her hand, grasping his shoulder. “No, no! I am your sister, Eren. You don’t remember...?”

His expression softened, “Remember what? You?”

Her grip on his jacket loosened, “You don’t remember me...” She couldn’t lie; this was perhaps the worst pain she had ever experienced. Losing her family was terrible, but knowing that the surviving family had forgotten her? It was crippling.

This whole emotional detour was not why he was here though, he had to stay focused. “Where’s dad?”

She swallowed hard, eyes wide as she stared into his face. “... You don’t remember anything.” Her eyes fell to the dirt below, her mind retreating into this tornado of thoughts questioning everything that happened that night.

She wanted to scream.

“Hi,” A softer voice shocked them both out of their emotional reunion. There stood Armin and Mikasa, both wanting to slow Eren’s roll on this one. “I’m-”

“Armin!” She did the same, throwing her arms around the smaller boy in relief. “You’re alive!” They had all escaped Shiganshina, but that was no promise he was still alive after their first expedition.

“Aak!” Armin hadn’t the experience of a strange girl hugging him like this before. As if she... “You know me?”

Once more, the Yeager sibling pulled back from Armin. “You too, Armin?” Her eyes flicked to Mikasa, the only one she had never met before enlisting. “You must be Mikasa, Eren told me a lot about you.”

“What?” Eren interrupted, “I don’t know you.”

Her mind replayed Grisha’s ominous few words to her. Something vague, but there was a goal there. She only wondered if this is what he meant?

Grisha sacrificed himself to protect Eren, Mikasa, and Armin. Above all else though, as he usually did even back in Marley, he would sacrifice everything to free his people. He always gave up whatever he could if he believed it pushed Eldians to true freedom. 

So he had done it, otherwise she was sure Eren wouldn’t be alive and she would instead be standing by Grisha’s side.

Once more she felt unable to control this sudden rush of sorrow. Grisha, their father, was truly gone. Now Eren stood in his place carrying the weight of all Eldians on his back... and he didn’t even know it.

“I am your sister, Eren... and... I’m sorry, I truly searched everywhere for you. You weren’t registered anywhere, not a single person came to name you. So...” She took a deep breath, trying and failing to calm herself. “... I’m sorry I failed. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help you; to help all of you... I swear to you I tried.”

Armin glanced to Eren. Just hearing the strength in her voice struck a nerve. He was always a good judge of character, but this was hard to pin down. So much he couldn’t have known and was now expected to uncover it all.

Instead of Eren, Armin stepped towards her. “It’s okay, we lived on the streets. No family to register with anymore.”

“Oh, Armin.” She fought back another sob. “I missed you- I missed you all so much. I won’t ever leave your side again, ever.”

She reached out to Eren again, hoping to encase him in a tight hug. While he didn’t really know why, he believed her. Something deep in him was guiding his choices.

When he accepted the hug and returned it, she finally felt like she could let go. So she cried and cried into his jacket. At some point she began to believe they must’ve died, but she was never more glad to be wrong. She would never part from Eren as long as she could.

As Eren let go and everyone watching had calmed down, they went to rejoin the team. She felt this rush of relief, years of worry melted away. Eren, Armin, and Mikasa were still alive and thriving.

Soldiers in the Scout Regiment... the most dangerous place they could be; but still alive.

She kept Grisha’s secret. Now wasn’t the time, he needed to figure things out for himself. Else she risks breaking the resolve and drive of her brother. A situation she was confident would take place had she told him anything about Grisha and Eren’s mother Carla.

And she kept her own secret...

She raised a hand and ran it through her golden locks, pulling it from her face in the wind. Her pale green eyes followed her brother as he rejoined with his friends.