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In the depths of the moonlit forest, three figures stood in a tight circle, their voices barely above whispers. The night air was crisp, and shadows danced across their faces as a gentle breeze rustled the leaves above.
"Five months," Reiner stated, his broad shoulders tense. "That's all we have left before we need to make our move. Annie, what news from Wall Sina?"
Annie leaned against a tree, arms crossed. "Nothing concrete yet. But there are patterns in the noble families' movements that seem... suspicious. I need more time to confirm it."
"More time?" Reiner's voice carried an edge. "We've already spent three years here. Marcel died for this mission, and we still have nothing to show for it."
"If you think you can do better, feel free to take over," Annie replied coldly. "I'm sure you'd blend right in with the nobility."
Bertholdt shifted uncomfortably. "What if... what if we don't find anything? What if the Founding Titan isn't in Wall Sina at all?"
Reiner fell silent, his expression hardening as he considered their options. The moonlight cast harsh shadows across his face, making him look older than his years.
"Then we bring down Wall Rose," he finally declared. "We flood the interior with titans. Force the Founding Titan to reveal itself."
Annie's fingers tightened imperceptibly on her arms, but her face remained impassive. "That's your solution? Destroy everything and hope for the best?"
"Do you have a better idea?" Reiner challenged. "We can't keep playing soldier forever, Annie. We have a mission."
"Reiner's right," Bertholdt added, his voice quiet but firm. "We've... we've wasted too much time already. If we can't find the Founder soon, we'll have to force their hand."
"If you two want to run around smashing walls like mindless titans, be my guest," she said with cold indifference. "Just try not to get yourselves killed."
A tense silence fell between them, broken only by the distant hooting of an owl.
"There's something else we need to discuss," Bertholdt said, his voice wavering slightly. "What about... what about Naruto?"
Annie's expression didn't change, but her heart skipped a beat.
"He's becoming a problem," Reiner stated bluntly. "Whatever he is, he's not a titan shifter. But those abilities of his... they're unlike anything we've ever seen."
"The healing alone makes him dangerous," Bertholdt continued, carefully avoiding Annie's gaze. "And when he gets angry, that red-eyed state... he killed those bandits like they were nothing."
"We should eliminate him before he becomes a real threat," Reiner concluded. "He's too unpredictable. Too powerful."
Annie's nails dug into her arms. "Isn't that a bit extreme? He's just one person."
"One person who can heal others and fight like a demon," Reiner countered. "What happens when he learns to control that power better? What happens when he starts asking questions?"
"He trusts us," Annie said, her voice carefully neutral. "He's not a threat, and he wants to become a doctor."
"Even the kindest people can become dangerous when pushed too far. I have already seen Naruto like that once, and I don't think I want to see it again." Reiner said with a shudder, remembering the way Naruto had killed those people, the way his body had healed from the bullet wounds even faster than they could heal with their Titan Abilities.
Bertholdt's eyes flickered to her face. "You've... you've been spending a lot of time with him lately, Annie."
"Know your enemy," she replied smoothly. "Isn't that what we were taught?"
Reiner stepped closer to her. "This isn't about getting close to gather information anymore, is it? You're getting attached."
Annie met his gaze coldly. "Don't project your split personality onto me, Reiner. I know exactly who I am and why I'm here."
"Do you?" Reiner's voice was dangerous. "Because from where I'm standing, you seem to have forgotten our mission. Forgotten why we're here."
"I haven't forgotten anything," Annie's voice could have frozen fire. "Especially not who gave us this mission in the first place."
"Then you understand why Naruto needs to die," Bertholdt said softly. "He's... he's too dangerous to leave alive. Especially if we have to breach Wall Rose."
Annie pushed off from the tree, her stance casual but ready. "And how exactly do you plan to kill him? He heals faster than any of us. He can fight better than most of the instructors. And if you make him angry enough to tap into that red power..."
"We'll find a way," Reiner insisted. "We always do."
"Like how Marcel died saving your worthless ass?" Annie's words cut deep, making both boys flinch.
"That's not fair," Bertholdt protested weakly.
"Neither is life," Annie replied. "If you want to kill Naruto, go ahead and try. But don't expect me to clean up your mess when it backfires."
"Why are you so adamant about keeping him alive?" Reiner demanded, his eyes searching Annie's face. "What aren't you telling us?"
Annie's mind raced, her father's face and Naruto's smile warring in her thoughts. She couldn't tell them the truth, but she needed something convincing enough to make them hesitate.
"His healing ability," she said carefully. "It might be useful to us."
Reiner's brow furrowed in confusion, but Bertholdt's eyes widened with understanding.
"Are you suggesting..." Bertholdt's voice trembled slightly. "Do you think his healing might affect the Curse of Ymir?"
Reiner's aggressive stance faltered for a moment as the implications hit him. His expression quickly hardened again. "Do you have any actual proof of this, or are you just talking out of your ass?"
Annie's glare could have cut steel. "Watch your mouth, Reiner," she warned, her voice dropping dangerously low. Then, drawing from a real memory, she continued, "Naruto noticed something once. During hand-to-hand combat training."
"What do you mean?" Bertholdt asked, leaning forward slightly.
"We were training, and he managed to punch me quite a few times. Since he was there, I couldn't just use my Titan healing to make it disappear, but then he proposed to heal me. When he used his healing ability on me, he asked if I was sick," Annie explained, carefully mixing truth with speculation. "He said my body felt like it had a fever. I think..." she paused for a moment, "I think he detected the curse inside me."
Reiner's skepticism was clear on his face. "That's a pretty big leap."
"Is it?" Annie challenged. "We know nothing about his powers. They're completely different from anything we've seen. If there's even a chance..."
"A chance to break the curse?" Bertholdt whispered, hope creeping into his voice.
"We can't base our plans on maybes," Reiner argued, but his voice had lost some of its certainty.
"No," Annie agreed coolly. "But we can't throw away a potential solution either. Unless you're in such a hurry to die in 6 years?"
The mention of their shortened lifespans cast a heavy silence over the group. Even Reiner seemed to be reconsidering his stance.
"This doesn't change anything about the mission," he finally said, but his tone was less aggressive. "Finding the Founding Titan is still our priority."
"I never said it wasn't," Annie replied. "I'm just saying we should be smart about this. Killing Naruto might be easy, but what if we're destroying our only chance at breaking the curse?"
Bertholdt nodded slowly. "She... she has a point, Reiner."
"Fine," Reiner conceded reluctantly. "We keep him alive for now. But the moment he becomes a real threat to the mission..."
"He won't," Annie stated firmly, turning away from them. "I'll make sure of it." Annie turned away, her blonde hair catching the moonlight.
"Annie!" Bertholdt called after her retreating form. "Where are you going?"
"To maintain my cover," she replied without looking back. "Isn't that what you wanted?"
They watched her disappear into the darkness.
"She's compromised," Reiner said finally. "The mission comes first. If she can't handle that..."
"Don't," Bertholdt interrupted, surprising them both. "Just... don't. Not tonight."
Reiner studied his friend's face, noting the pain in his eyes. "You still have feelings for her."
"It doesn't matter," Bertholdt looked away. "Nothing matters except the mission, right?"
"Right," Reiner agreed, but his voice lacked conviction. "The mission comes first."
They stood in silence for a long moment, each lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Reiner spoke again.
"We'll give Annie three more months to find something in Wall Sina. After that... we move forward with or without her."
"And Naruto?"
"We'll deal with him when the time comes," Reiner's expression darkened. "One way or another."
As they walked back to the barracks, neither mentioned the slight tremor in Annie's voice when she'd defended Naruto, or the way Bertholdt's hands shook when they discussed killing him.
Meanwhile, Annie walked through the forest, her mind racing. Every step took her further from her fellow warriors, but closer to an impossible choice. Her father's face flashed in her mind, followed by Naruto's smile. She touched her lips, remembering their kiss in the forest, then clenched her fist until her nails drew blood.
"I'm sorry," she whispered to the night air, though she wasn't sure who she was apologizing to anymore - her father, Naruto, or herself.
The blood on her palm had already begun to steam away, healing instantly. Just like Naruto's would. Just like it always did. But some wounds, she knew, never truly healed. They just scabbed over, waiting for the next time they'd be torn open again.
Five months. Five months to find the Founding Titan. Five months to save Naruto without betraying her father. Five months to figure out how to be both the warrior she was raised to be and the person she was becoming.
Five months until everything would change, one way or another.
Annie looked up at the moon, its cold light reflecting in her eyes. She had made her choice long ago, when she promised her father she'd return.
Annie walked through the moonlit forest, her footsteps silent despite the turmoil raging inside her. The lies she had just told twisted in her stomach – not because of guilt, but because of how easily they had come to her. How desperately she had needed them to work.
She clenched her fists, remembering her father's words: "The whole world is your enemy." Yet here she was, crafting lies to protect someone who should have been that enemy. Someone who had somehow breached walls far stronger than the ones surrounding this cursed island.
"Damn it," she whispered, punching a nearby tree. The bark splintered under her knuckles, but she barely noticed the pain as her flesh steamed and healed.
The worst part wasn't the lying. It was how close to the truth that lie had been. Naruto's healing ability *had* detected something in her – though she doubted it was the curse itself. She had manipulated that truth, twisted it into a weapon to protect him, just as she had been taught to manipulate everything else in her life.
Her father's face appeared in her mind again, his eyes filled with that desperate hope she had grown up with. "Promise me you'll come back." The words echoed in her head, each syllable a weight around her neck. She had promised. She had sworn to return, to prove to him that everything he'd done – everything he'd put her through – had been worth it.
But now...
Annie stopped walking and looked up at the stars peeking through the canopy. Naruto's smile flashed in her memory – that genuine, unguarded smile that held no ulterior motives, no hidden agendas. He smiled at her like she was just Annie, not a warrior, not a soldier, not a weapon. Just Annie.
"I can't lose either of you," she whispered to the night air, her voice cracking slightly. "I won't."
But even as she said it, she knew she was lying to herself. Sooner or later, she would have to choose. If she couldn't find the Founding Titan, if Reiner and Bertholdt went through with their plan to breach Wall Rose... Naruto would fight them. He would try to protect everyone, because that's who he was. And then she would have to either watch him die or kill him herself.
The thought made her feel sick. She had spent her entire life being exactly what her father needed her to be – strong, ruthless, focused. She had kicked and punched and fought until her bones broke, then got up and did it again because that's what he asked of her. Every drop of blood, every broken bone, every tear she hadn't allowed herself to shed – it had all been for him.
But Naruto... he had never asked anything of her. He just offered – his friendship, his trust, his heart. He gave freely, expecting nothing in return, and somehow that had made her want to give him everything.
"I'm such an idiot," she muttered, sliding down to sit at the base of a tree. Her fingers traced the ring on her hand – her father's last gift to her before she left.
One Month Later
Steam curled through the air as Annie stood under the hot water, trying to lose herself in the rhythmic drumming against her skin. Her thoughts wandered until Mina's voice jolted her back to reality.
"Annie..." Mina hesitated, then plunged ahead. "When are you gonna stop running from him?"
Annie's jaw clenched. Of course it had to be Mina asking. Anyone else would've withered under her glare by now, but not Mina. Somehow that pig-tailed girl had wormed her way past Annie's defenses, becoming the closest thing to a friend she had in this hellhole of a Training Corps. Well, unless you counted Mikasa as a friend - Annie's lip curled at the thought of her rival.
"Don't know what you mean," Annie muttered, scrubbing harder at her arms. The soap stung where it hit yesterday's bruises.
A splash of water hit her shoulder as Mina leaned around the partition. "Oh come on! I saw you yesterday with Naruto. The way you practically jumped away when he got close?" She grinned. "Your face went all red - it was actually kind of cute."
"Tch." Annie flicked water back at her. "Let me guess - Reiner's been running his mouth again?" Mental note: break his nose during tomorrow's hand-to-hand practice.
"Annie..." Mina's voice went soft. "You can't keep pushing everyone away forever. Especially not him."
The water suddenly felt too hot on Annie's skin. "Watch me."
"We graduate in five months."
Annie's hands stilled under the spray. She didn't need Mina to spell it out - they all knew what was coming. Naruto would join the Survey Corps, charging headfirst into titan territory like the idiot he was. And she... she had her own path to follow. Her own mission.
"Every time those gates open, we lose more soldiers," Mina continued, her usual cheerfulness replaced by something heavier. "The best fighters, the worst ones... doesn't matter to the titans. And that's assuming we even make it to graduation. Remember Shiganshina?"
Annie's throat tightened. If Mina only knew what she knew about that day...
"My dad always said life's too damn short for regrets." Mina reached through the steam to squeeze Annie's shoulder. "You've got to grab happiness while you can. And right now? It's right in front of you, telling terrible jokes and trying to get past those walls you've built."
"What if-" Annie's voice came out rougher than intended. She swallowed hard. "What if I'm not meant for happiness?"
"Bullshit." Mina's bluntness startled a laugh out of her. "Everyone deserves to be happy, Annie. Even scary little blonde girls who pretend they're made of ice." Her smile turned gentle. "Question is - are you brave enough to let yourself have it?"
Annie stood there long after the water ran cold, Mina's words echoing in her head. Finally, she shut off the tap and reached for her towel, movements mechanical as her mind raced.
At the doorway, she paused. "Hey, Mina?"
"Yeah?"
"...Thanks."
She didn't wait for a response, just stepped out into the cool evening air. For the first time in years, she let herself wonder if there might be another path - one that led somewhere other than destruction.
Tomorrow
The early morning sun cast long shadows across the training grounds as Annie and Naruto circled each other. Their breaths created small clouds in the crisp air.
Annie watched Naruto's movements with appreciation. Gone was the clumsy boy who threw wild punches and hoped for the best. His stance was solid, his movements precise, and his blue eyes sharp with focus. He had become a worthy opponent.
"You're getting better at reading my feints," Annie commented, dodging a well-aimed strike.
Naruto grinned, now easily defending himself from her. "Well, after getting thrown on my ass a hundred times, even I had to learn something."
Annie found herself genuinely enjoying the exchange – not many could keep up with her, let alone make her work for victory. Mikasa might have been able to, but...
Her thoughts drifted to the fierce girl who always glared at her when Naruto was around. Then to last night's conversation in the forest, to Reiner's threats and Bertholdt's hesitation. To choices she wasn't ready to make.
That moment of distraction was all Naruto needed. In a move she'd never seen before, he swept her legs while simultaneously pressing forward, using her own momentum against her. Before Annie could process what had happened, she was on her back, looking up at the morning sky.
Naruto leaned over her, his blonde hair falling forward as he grinned. "What's got that little head of yours so busy this morning? You never let your guard down like that."
Annie's smile vanished instantly, replaced by her usual cold expression. "I wanted to see if you would take advantage of an opening," she lied smoothly, trying to maintain her dignity.
"Uh-huh," Naruto's expression made it clear he wasn't buying it. "And I'm actually a princess in disguise." He extended his hand to help her up.
Annie looked at the offered hand for a moment before taking it. "If you're a princess, you're the worst-mannered one I've ever met."
"Hey, I'll have you know I'm very princess-like," he pulled her up with ease. "I just save all my grace and elegance for special occasions."
"Like when?" Annie brushed dirt off her clothes.
"Like never," he admitted cheerfully. "Being graceful is overrated anyway."
Annie found herself fighting another smile. "That's convenient, considering you trip over your own feet at least once a day."
"That's not true!" Naruto protested. "It's more like once every two days now."
They fell into their ready stances again, but Naruto's eyes held a hint of concern. "You know, if something's bothering you..."
"Nothing's bothering me," Annie cut him off, launching into a series of quick strikes.
Naruto blocked each one, his movements matching hers perfectly. "Right, because you always space out in the middle of a fight."
"I don't space out," Annie aimed a kick at his ribs, which he caught.
"No?" He used her momentum to spin her, but she recovered easily. "Then what do you call what just happened?"
"Tactical assessment."
Naruto snorted. "Is that what we're calling it now?"
They exchanged a flurry of blows, their bodies moving instinctively after months of training together. Annie found herself appreciating how far he'd come – his movements were still uniquely his own, but now they held purpose and precision.
"That move you used," she said, partly to change the subject. "I've never seen it before."
"Made it up myself," Naruto beamed proudly. "Figured if I'm gonna beat you, I need to surprise you somehow."
"You didn't beat me," Annie insisted. "I let you win."
"Sure, sure," his grin widened. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, princess."
Annie's eyes narrowed. "Don't call me princess."
"Would you prefer 'Your Highness'?"
She launched into another attack sequence, this one more aggressive. Naruto matched her intensity, but his smile never wavered.
"You're," punch, "impossible," kick, "you know that?"
Naruto dodged each strike, still grinning. "Yep! It's part of my charm."
They continued sparring, but the tension had left Annie's shoulders. Somehow, without even knowing what was wrong, Naruto had managed to lift some of the weight she'd been carrying since that night.
"Hey, Annie?" Naruto's voice was suddenly serious as they grappled.
"What?"
"You know you can talk to me, right? About anything?"
Annie's movements faltered for just a moment, but this time she recovered before he could take advantage. "There's nothing to talk about."
"If you say so," he didn't push, but his eyes told her he wasn't convinced. "But if there ever is..."
"Naruto," she interrupted, her voice firm but not unkind. "Just focus on the fight."
He nodded, respecting her wishes, but not before adding, "I'm here if you need me. Always."
Those words hit harder than any punch could have. Because she knew he meant them. Because she knew that if she told him everything – about being a warrior, about her mission, about her father – he would still try to help her. That's just who he was.
And that's exactly why she couldn't tell him.
Instead, she channeled her emotions into her movements, pushing herself harder, faster. Naruto responded in kind, and soon they were both completely focused on their dance of combat.
"Your left side is still open when you do that combination," Annie pointed out after landing a light hit.
"Yeah? Well, your right hook telegraphs a bit when you're tired," Naruto countered.
"I'm not tired."
"The sweat on your forehead says otherwise."
Annie wiped her brow, annoyed that he was right. "At least I'm not breathing like I just ran up Wall Maria."
"Hey, I'm conserving energy!" Naruto protested between heavy breaths.
Their banter continued as they sparred, a comfortable rhythm they'd developed over months of training together. It was moments like these that made Annie's eventual choice even harder. Moments where she could almost forget about being a warrior, about her mission, about everything except the simple joy of matching skills with someone who saw her as an equal.
The sun climbed higher in the sky, signaling that morning training would soon begin for the rest of the corps. They would have to stop soon, return to being soldiers instead of just Annie and Naruto.
"One more round?" Naruto suggested, reading her thoughts.
Annie nodded, settling into her stance. "Think you can surprise me again?"
"Only one way to find out," he grinned, moving forward.
They clashed one final time. Annie found herself studying him – not as an opponent, but as someone she needed to protect. Someone she might have to leave behind.
This time, when Naruto managed to sweep her legs again, she was ready. She grabbed his shirt as she fell, pulling him down with her. They landed in a heap, with Naruto barely catching himself before crushing her.
"Draw?" he offered, his face inches from hers.
Annie was suddenly very aware of their position, of his warmth, of how easy it would be to close that distance. Instead, she pushed him off, perhaps a bit more roughly than necessary.
"Lucky shot," she muttered, standing up quickly.
Naruto laughed, unaffected by her brusqueness. "One of these days, you're gonna have to admit I'm getting good at this."
"When that day comes, I'll be too old to fight anyway."
"Something's bothering you," Naruto said softly, reaching for her hand. "You always focus on the fight, you never, never space out like that."
Annie's throat tightened. The weight of her secrets felt unbearable under his concerned gaze. "I just... keep thinking about the Colossal Titan. What if it comes back?"
"Annie..." His thumb traced circles on her palm. "Is that really what's worrying you?"
For a moment, she almost told him everything - about Marley, her father, her true mission. The words burned in her throat. But the memory of her father's face, his training, his expectations... she couldn't.
"I want to go home," she whispered instead, the truth wrapped in layers of deception. "To my father."
Naruto pulled her closer, and she allowed herself to melt into his warmth. "We'll make it through this," he promised. "I finally understand why I was given these abilities."
Annie looked up at him, struck by the quiet conviction in his voice.
"These powers... the healing, the trees, whatever else I might discover - they're not just random gifts. They're tools to protect people who deserve it." His blue eyes blazed with determination, remembering the bandits who attacked them. People like them didn't deserve to be saved, but there were many good people inside these walls. "To make sure what happened in Shiganshina never happens again."
The pure earnestness in his voice made her heart ache. "You're too good for this world, Naruto Yeager," she murmured, reaching up to touch his whiskered cheek.
Before he could respond, she pressed her lips to his, desperate to silence the guilt threatening to overwhelm her. His response was immediate, gentle at first but growing more passionate as she pressed herself against him.
Naruto backed her against a tree, his hands sliding down to cup her ass through her uniform pants. Annie gasped as his lips found her neck, leaving hot kisses that made her forget everything - her mission, her father, her lies. There was only Naruto's touch, his warmth, the way he made her feel like maybe she deserved something good after all.
"Naruto?" A familiar voice called out, shattering their private moment.
They sprang apart, both flushed and breathing heavily. Mikasa emerged from the trees with Eren close behind. While they hadn't witnessed their intimate moment, Annie didn't miss the way Mikasa's eyes narrowed at their disheveled state.
"We've been looking for you," Mikasa said coolly, her protective instincts clearly triggered. "Shadis wants to see you."
Annie felt Mikasa's glare. The older girl had never trusted her, and Annie couldn't blame her - Mikasa's instincts about people were rarely wrong.
"Right," Naruto cleared his throat, adjusting his father's glasses. "I'll be right there."
He turned to Annie, touching her hand briefly. "We'll continue this conversation later?"
Annie nodded, her mask of indifference already sliding back into place. As she watched him walk away with his siblings, she pressed her fingers to her lips, still tingling from his kisses.
"You're too good for this world," she whispered again to his retreating back. "And far too good for me."
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