Amid the grim aftermath of the battle, Kaito sought out Sasha, relieved to see her unharmed. He knew she was tough and had a good chance of surviving, but he couldn't help but worry about her safety. As he approached her, she seemed lost in her thoughts, gazing at the scattered Titan bodies in the vicinity.
"Hey!" Kaito called out to her. Sasha turned to him, her expression a mix of surprise and sorrow.
"K-Kaito," she stammered, her voice trembling. While she wasn't in tears like some of the others, her fear and grief were evident, and her body trembled.
Before he could finish his sentence, Sasha threw herself at him, clinging tightly, her embrace so fierce that even a Titan might find it hard to breathe. The scent of blood clung to her, but beneath it, he caught the faint aroma of something fruity in her hair.
Kaito felt a twinge of guilt for leaving this food-loving girl alone earlier. He raised his arms and hugged her back, gently rubbing her back to comfort her. "There, there, you're safe now," he whispered soothingly.
The dam of emotions burst, and Sasha started crying.
"K-Kaito, Lisa, she, she... it ate her," she managed to say amidst her sobs, her words tangled in her distress.
Kaito knew there was nothing he could say to make it better, so he simply offered his chest as a comforting shoulder, continuing to hold her.
After a while, her cries quieted, and Kaito gently pulled back. "Feeling better, potato-head?" he asked, gently lifting her chin to meet her teary but now calmer gaze.
'So moe…'
He found her vulnerability utterly endearing but pushed away any inappropriate thoughts.
"Y-yeah... thank you," Sasha replied, rubbing her eyes and distancing herself from his chest. Her composure was still shaky, but she seemed more manageable.
Kaito cupped her cheeks with one hand and spoke in a soothing tone, "You're safe now, don't worry."
He couldn't help but notice her cheeks reddening at his touch. She nodded in response.
They looked at Mikasa, who, after helping Armin to his feet, was outlining their primary objective for survival. They urgently needed to resupply their gas from the Garrison HQ, given that their remaining supply dwindled rapidly after their confrontations with the Titans. She delivered her words with a conviction that left no room for doubt, stating how she embodied strength and how others appeared as spineless cowards resigned to their fate.
One of the cadets couldn't help but voice the stark reality they faced. "There's no way you can fight through all those Titans surrounding the HQ."
Mikasa's response was unwavering. "If I can't, then I'll die trying. But if I win, I live. Unless I fight, I cannot win." A sound logic indeed.
Yet to Kaito, her declaration didn't reflect a desire to survive but rather an attempt to inspire others. He sensed that, beneath her encouraging words, Mikasa's own will to live had been extinguished. After her statement, she leaped from the rooftop, her ODM gear carrying her toward a Titan.
"Was the point of that to shock us into action? It's all your fault, Eren…" Jean's mumbling came to Kaito ears. As if filled with newfound strength, Jean drew his blade and looked at the gathered cadets.
"Were we trained to let our comrade fight alone? At this rate, we're going to turn out to be spineless cowards."
"Hey, Jean," Kaito called out, diverting Jean's attention, "Move through the Roal's Street; there are fewer Titans there."
Jean, surprised by Kaito's advice, glanced at him for a moment. Despite their past clashes, he couldn't deny Kaito's skills. He nodded and replied, "Thanks for the heads up." With that, he activated his ODM gear and propelled himself into the air.
Encouraged by Jean's leadership, the other cadets also began to move.
He looked in the direction of Christa, who was standing beside Ymir. Their eyes met, and Kaito gave her a charming smile. Seeing that, a small smile also appeared on her face.
He mouthed, "Stay safe," to which she mouthed, "You too."
"Ouch." he felt a playful pinch on his waist and turned to see Sasha. She seemed a bit flustered, her cheeks puffed up. He ruffled her hair in response, which made her cheeks deflate slightly.
He turned to Sasha, "Sas, go with Christa and Ymir, I will join you in some time."
"Where are you going?" she asked, a bit confused. Shouldn't he also join others to reach HQ, she thought?
Kaito's tone was confident as he assured her, "I'll only need about 10 minutes. Don't worry; I'll meet you and the others and dice up those ugly-ass Titans in no time."
Sasha, prompted by his unwavering confidence, nodded and smiled. "Take care, dumbo.."
As Sasha and others left, Kaito sighed as he watched Mikasa's seemingly suicidal charge toward the Titans.
He couldn't help but murmur to himself, "This makes me feel like scum, but this is a golden opportunity, isn't it?"
However, his remark didn't go unnoticed. Marco, who had lingered behind, seemed perplexed. "Scum? Opportunity? What are you talking about, Kaito?"
Kaito was surprised that someone had overheard him, and he burst into manic laughter when he realized the identity of the speaker. "You're quite the attentive listener, aren't you? It's like you were born to hear things you shouldn't."
This encounter with Marco and the dialogue felt eerily familiar to Kaito, triggering a sense of déjà vu.
"Wait, is it déjà vu if it's about to happen?", He wondered.
Amid Marco's utter confusion, Kaito said teasingly. "Looks like you've earned this, haven't you?" After a brief moment of reflection, he continued, "Follow Jean closely or Connie if you can. I'm going to keep an eye on Mikasa lest she gets herself killed." With those words, Kaito leaped off the roof, leaving Marco with a parting reminder, "Don't wander off, kiddo."
"I am not a kid fucker", Kaito was long gone to hear his reply.
Shaking his head at Kaito's peculiar behavior, Marco joined the other cadets and headed toward the Garrison HQ. Over the last two years, there was hardly anyone who hadn't fallen victim to Kaito's pranks or tricks, and the way his mind worked always seemed bizarre. Nevertheless, Marco found himself unconsciously gravitating toward Jean.
Well, somebody is not gonna die a poor death at least.
Mikasa blazed through the war-torn streets, her movements a deadly dance as she dispatched one Titan after another with inhuman accuracy. Kaito followed in her wake, leaping through the buildings with a silent grace that matched her prowess.
"Her fuel won't last for more than two minutes," Kaito muttered to himself, keeping a close eye on her as she continued her relentless assault.
As if foretelling the inevitable, just moments later, Mikasa's gas supply ran dry. With a swift, precise kill, she aimed her ODM gear at the wall, but nothing happened. She was out of options. Her eyes showed no surprise, and she didn't attempt to save herself from the impending fall.
Timing it perfectly, Kaito launched himself into her trajectory, meeting her in mid-air. In that fleeting moment, their eyes locked. The blank expression on Mikasa's face tugged at Kaito's heartstrings.
The sun hung behind Kaito, casting a halo around him as they descended. A shower of Titan blood erupted from the one she had just slain, painting a vivid, almost picturesque scene.
His strong arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her close to his chest. True to her Ackerman lineage, Mikasa reacted with lightning speed, struggling to free herself from his grip. However, Kaito's supernatural strength easily subdued her efforts, leaving her with no choice but to remain in his embrace.
Kaito's body crashed through a window, shattering the glass as they both tumbled inside a building.
Just according to keikaku.
His gaze met hers, and for a moment, they were suspended in time, the chaos of battle momentarily forgotten.
______________________________
Here is the second dose of today, have fun!
And thanks to Tetsuga03, Jashm, dark_knight01 and LittleBaron for their reviews, especially Tetsuga03 for his active engagement with multitude of comments in the story.
You guys might not believe it, but It's really fun to read the reader's reaction and thoughts about the story. So keep those comments coming.
And we are just 1 review away from touching 10. Do it guys!