Losing Control

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Also, there will be some spoilers from later chapters of the manga in this story. Nothing specific, but be warned.

Chapter 1:

Sanity is Overrated

The fist collided with enough power to shatter concrete. There had been meteor strikes with less force behind them. The shockwave was enough to split every pane of glass in a hundred feet. In an instant, hundreds of tonnes of bone and muscle collided with monstrous force against the Female Titan's jaw, sending her huge body flying backwards in to the air.

Bones crunched, and muscle shredded from the recoil. Within seconds, the Titan's flesh was already regenerating the damage.

The fourteen metre tall Titan crashed downwards and the whole city shook. She collided straight through a nearby temple, crushing through stone and pulverising the occupants. Weak human bodies splattered into bloody stains. As far as the wall worshippers were concerned, their lives had just been devastated in a single moment, and so many had died in a bloody hail of debris.

As far as the two Titans were concerned, the humans might as well have been ants skirting around their feet.

Eren could barely think straight over the rage and fury pounding through his body. Being in the body of a Titan was like trying to steer a meteorite caught in a tornado. The primal rage just consumed everything. All Eren could feel was pure anger as he stared at his enemy; the Female Titan.

Annie, Eren thought weakly. This Titan was actually Annie. Still, the time for doubt had passed. Eren had transformed for a singular reason; to finally defeat his opponent. No more hesitation.

The Rogue Titan bellowed in challenge, and the Female Titan answered.

They collided, and the earth quaked.

Mikasa felt the vibrations drag her out of unconsciousness. Her head was spinning, but the sound of complete destruction was unmistakable. Her whole body ached but her teeth gritted as she pulled herself off the ground.

The street around her had been completely devastated. Buildings had turned into rubble, and huge footsteps were pounded into the ground. Still, Mikasa watched as the dust on the ground bounced from the shockwaves across the city.

Her normally dexterous fingers fumbled with the latch on her 3D gear. "Eren…" Mikasa mumbled, still reeling from concussion as she staggered forward, trying to focus. Billows of smoke writhed in the sky across the city, and the smell of burning flesh was pungent.

Through pure determination, Mikasa fired a wire onto the rooftops, and then the gas propulsion kicked in and she was sent soaring upwards. She landed onto the tiled roof with cat-like grace, and her hands were on her blades as she clambered upwards to survey the damage.

Stohess District was being destroyed. People might have been screaming, but it was hard to hear anything over the sound of the two Titans clashing, tearing through the buildings like wrecking balls. Every time they clashed, the impact caused the ground to shudder. Mikasa's hands clenched around the handle of her blades, while around her the roof tiles crashed to the ground.

"Eren!" She shouted, but there was no way he could ever hear her. Annie wasn't even trying to run away anymore, she was too busy wrestling against Eren, and Eren gave every bit as good as he got. The battle was so ferocious and unpredictable that no human could get close.

Mikasa recognised the fire in Eren's Titan form eyes, she had seen it before. It was a sight that made her stomach churn. Eren was losing control.

The rage was overpowering. Titans didn't bleed like humans; but instead they just had pure fire running through their veins. Eren could feel that fire now, writhing through his body like an inferno, pushing him forward into new heights of fury.

A fist like a bulldozer pounded forward, but Annie caught the blow on her elbow, her skin hardening into crystal and Eren's hand crumpled. She lashed out with a kick, colliding firmly against Eren's chest. Her foot nearly punched a hole through his chest, but Eren didn't care. He powered forward, taking Annie by surprise as he dragged her to the ground.

Her normally composed, expert stance was gone. Instead, they were just two massive bodies thrashing together on the ground. Eren's body worked on autopilot, feeling the desire, the need, and the lust, to destroy Titans consume all rational thought.

Kill them, Eren growled, kill them all!

His hands tore into the Female Titan's face, his fingers gouging through skin. She roared, twisting around and slamming her elbow into his skull. The Rogue Titan's neck cracked, but a second later it had recovered and he was head-butting her straight into the ground, pushing her down as he clawed over her.

Their limbs thrashed and struggled, bodies slamming together furious, while the steam between them reached superheated temperatures. It was hot enough to scour the pavement clean. The Rogue Titan's eyes burnt inferno blue as they crashed.

She tried to grab him around into a headlock, but the Rogue Titan pressed forward into her, twisting her around into the ground and rolling through another building. He roared, slamming his head into her chest, and then his teeth were tearing through flesh as he bit straight into her shoulder. The Female Titan screamed in pain, thrusting her knee into his stomach. The force nearly buckled his spine, but he kept a hold of her as he clawed and scratched at her skin.

Around them, what used to be a street had been transformed into a crater of destruction. The buildings had been pulverised, while it was hot that the wood and debris caught light like a huge bonfire. The two Titans were left crashing together as the flames roared around them, burning away their skin.

The Female Titan looked absolutely feral. Her skin was peeling off her body, revealing muscles and ligaments that were constantly healing faster than they could be shredded. Even vein was throbbing while the superheated steam sweated between them. Her hair was a mess, unkempt and torched, her nose was broken and twisted, and her inhumanly wide mouth was agape, revealing monstrously sharp teeth as her cheeks split open.

Somehow, despite everything, Eren could still see the similarity with Annie.

Annie… Eren thought weakly, feeling the Titan rage consume him. You always looked like you considered those around you hopeless idiots… you always seemed bored…

Eren stared at her, and he saw the same fury in his eyes mirrored in hers. She roared furiously.

…But you're not bored anymore, are you?

"What's happening here?" Erwin demanded, approaching the flimsy barricade surrounding the conflict.

Technically, Erwin was still under the Military Police arrest, but it was hard for anyone to see that. The Military Police, supposedly the elite of the elite, were running around scared like frightened little children. The Survey Corps took control because they were only ones that could.

"It's difficult, sir!" Hanje shouted loudly. Hanje was in charge of the operation, although in a chaos like this it was hard to really be in charge of anything. "Eren has lost control! We can't get close!"

Erwin nodded. The battle had changed. It wasn't widespread destruction anymore, now the two Titans were more or less confined in what used to be city block, but between the fire and the fighting none of the soldiers could get near. There was a hundred metre area that had been completely consumed in chaos, in which only a Titan could survive.

Instead, the Survey corps was left scattered around the outside, waiting tensely for their opportunity to get the Female Titan. Erwin's brow furrowed as he quickly took stock of the situation. Sooner or later the Military Police will recover and get organised. The longer Eren keeps the Female Titan busy, Erwin decided; then the better our response will be and the less likely it becomes that the Female Titan escapes. So long as Eren is keeping the Female Titan distracted, then, no matter outcome of their fight, we need to be ready.

It also meant more fatalities, but that wasn't Erwin's concern. Priorities were important. He had always known that there would likely be deaths when they had started the operation, yet that was secondary. People dying didn't make a difference in the long run. Erwin's top priority had always been the war for humanity, and right now that meant capturing and interrogating the Female Titan.

Around them, the fire threatened to spread to the nearby buildings. There must be a gas leak somewhere. Erwin hesitated, before turning to his Military Police escort.

"Corporal!" Erwin snapped, loudly to be heard over the crackling flames. "Gather the men and whatever citizens can help! We need a firefighting response this instant!"

The corporal's face was pale and frantic. "But I was ordered to keep you under custody–!" He stammered.

"People are dying, corporal!" Erwin shouted in his best officer's voice. "Do you want the fire to go out of control and this whole city to burn down!?"

The man's eyes widened, but he nodded, motioned to his men and ran away. When people were scared, Erwin had found, they were would always follow the instructions of whoever seemed to be in charge, even if that person was meant to be their prisoner.

Not that Erwin particularly cared about the civilian causalities. Instead, he needed the fire contained otherwise it would interfere with his military operation. As the Military Police moved away from him, Erwin casually slipped his hands out of his cuffs. Levi stood by his side, impassive as ever as he awaited the commander's orders.

"Hanje!" Erwin ordered. "You need reinforcements on the west side, in case she tries slip away in that direction!" Without pause, the squad leader nodded and sent two men across to the west. Erwin turned to Levi. "I need you to coordinate with the Military Police," Erwin instructed. "Get a team organised. As soon as you've got a chance, I want you to pursue the Female Titan and cut her down."

Levi nodded. His leg was broken, but he was still the most capable soldier humanity had. "Very well. And what about you?"

"I need to see how long it would take to get those cannons turned in the opposite direction," Erwin explained, pointing towards the weapons on top Wall Sina. If all else failed, they would need the cannons to take the Female Titan down. Erwin had always been an 'if all else failed' type of guy.

Without another word, Levi walked away, barely even limping despite his injury. He paused to take the 3D Manoeuvre Gear off a Military Police soldier that didn't even look capable of fastening the straps up properly. Erwin cast a dark look around the situation. At this distance, all he could see from the Titans fighting were shadows writhing in the smoke, but the shockwaves were unmistakable.

A flailing leg kicked through a house, sending debris flying everywhere. Erwin didn't even flinch as the stones and dust scattered across the street.

"What's going on?" A Survey Corps member exclaimed loudly, looking around in panic. Erwin recognised one of the 104th Trainee Squad, Armin Arlert. He has proven himself a reliable strategist, the commander remembered. "What's Annie doing?"

Erwin glanced at him in question. Armin gulped, and turned to his commander. "Annie isn't this stupid, sir," Armin explained. "She has absolutely no reason to be continuing fight with Eren. She knows that the odds of her escaping are decreasing with every minute. Still, she's not even trying to run away."

"So then she's still hoping to capture Eren," Erwin noted.

"That's not going to happen," Armin argued, motioning to the flaming pandemonium. "Not like this. She's more likely to kill him than take him alive in this fight! She's got absolutely nothing to gain here!"

Erwin frowned. From the nearby rooftops, Levi watched over the scene and then sighed, covering his mouth from the smoke. "Oh dear," Levi exclaimed loudly, in his typical drawl voice.

"What's wrong?" Erwin asked sharply.

"Do you know how Eren has lost control and went wild?" Levi asked simply, folding his arms as he stared at the fight. "…Well, apparently Annie has too."

The Rogue Titan roared as the Female Titan slammed him to the ground, and reinforced fists pounded into his skull. His jaw cracked. His skull caved, but the Rogue Titan still slammed upwards, gouging out her eyes as he sent her hurtling to the ground.

Eren and Annie had nothing to do with the fight anymore. The Titans were in control now.

In the nape of the neck, Eren could feel his skin slowly starting to fuse with the Titan flesh. He couldn't tell which body was really his anymore. It was like the rage was burning away everything that he was.

He could still see the battle through the Titan's eyes, but it was like he was looking out of a window, watching someone else. Everything felt so intense but also distant as their bodies crashed together.

The Rogue Titan slammed into her, knee crushing into her chest, but her hands clutched his shoulders and clawed him to the ground. He twisted, but then the Female Titan crushed into his body, and suddenly her teeth were ripping chunks of flesh out of his chest.

The Rogue Titan roared, yanking her head backwards and then biting down firmly in to the front of her neck, so tightly he almost bit her head off. As the Rogue Titan tore her jugular open, Eren could taste her flesh in his own mouth.

Annie…! He thought suddenly, and it was like waking up again. Eren thrashed, fighting for control against the pure rage of the Rogue Titan. Everything was so hot it felt like his skin was bubbling around him.

His Titan hands kept tight a hold of her skull, so firmly that his fingers broke through the skin as he squeezed the life out of her. Her skull cracked as his hands pushed in harder, while her whole body thrashed for release.

With a sudden shock, Eren realised that his Titan form was about to rip her apart and eat her. The realisation sent tremors down his spine.

Annie! Eren roared mentally, thrashing for control madly. The image of the aloof blonde ricocheted through his head. No, stop! Annie!

…ANNIE!…

…

… and the world changed.

Suddenly, Eren was standing back in the old 104th squad training ground, staring around the empty field. It was midday, but the place was deserted everything felt so quiet.

"It feels good, doesn't it?" A voice asked from behind. Eren turned, only to see the figure walking up slowly towards him. Annie was wearing her old Training Corps uniform; brown jacket and white hoodie. "Too really lose control like that?"

There was a pause. Eren was a good fifteen centimetres taller than her, but she had always walked with a slightly slouched posture. Her skin was very pale, blonde hair drawn back in a bun, with a pronounced nose and bored expression. Still, her eyes flickered with interest.

Eren glared at her. "How could you do it, Annie?" He said harshly. "How could you kill all those people?"

"Meh." Annie shrugged. "You've killed plenty of Titans trying to achieve your goal," she said simply.

"Those were Titans, not people!" Eren snapped.

Annie smiled; a sad, soft, little smile. "Were they now?"

Eren took a deep breath. Around him, the training field was deathly quiet. Eren must have spent hours here, getting his ass kicked repeatedly by Annie. There had been a time when he had dreamt about being good at fighting as she was. He knew he was hallucinating or dreaming now, but the training ground just seemed so serene compared to the battle in the real world.

"You tried to capture me," Eren demanded after a pause. "Why?!"

She sighed. "It was just a mission, nothing more," she said defensively. Every instinct Eren had screamed that she was lying. "We've all got orders to follow."

"And you think those orders are worth killing so many people?!" Eren shouted, fists clenching.

"I guess I do," she said quietly, staring at him with wide blue eyes. "I guess we're all just whatever our fathers made us."

Fathers. Eren bristled, staring at her with shock. "Your father?" He asked cautiously. "What did your father make you?"

She laughed humourlessly. "That's way too long of a story," she replied bitterly.

Eren paused, while slowly Annie started to pace around him in a wide circle. "I'm not a strong person," she admitted finally, glancing at him with just a twinge of regret. "Maybe a strong person could have come forward and done the right thing, but I'm weak. I've always been weak."

"It's not too late," Eren said determinedly. "Let's stop the fight now. You could cooperate! You can make amends. If you help us–"

Anne snorted, smiling genuinely as she glanced at Eren. "It must be so good…" she said slowly, staring at Eren with strange fascination. "…It must be so good to be able to say such outrageous things so easily."

Eren shook his head. "It doesn't have to be like this," he argued.

"Maybe it doesn't," Annie said slowly, taking a step towards him. "… but it is, and there's nothing we can do about it now."

"That's wrong," Eren said firmly, eyes narrowing. "There's always something we can do."

"You keep on believing that," Annie said softly, patting him reassuringly on the shoulder. Eren froze, glancing at her hand in surprise. He had never known her to initiate physical contact before. Annie hesitated, but kept her hand on his shoulder. "…But it won't be long now," Annie said after a pause. "This place will disappear shortly."

Eren frowned. "What?"

She snorted. "You're in my head, moron," Annie explained, motioning around at the training grounds. She paused in thought. "…it's either that or I'm in your head." She shrugged. "It's hard to tell the difference when we're both thinking the same thing."

Eren froze, glancing around at the training ground. It looked like a scene straight out of his memory. He turned to stare at Annie, who was standing closer than she ever had before. "This is impossible," Eren muttered slowly, mind reeling at the statement. "…I'm going insane."

"Huh," Annie said dismissively, slowly inching closer. Eren was frozen solid. Annie shrugged slightly, all the while leaning in closer and closer. "…sanity is overrated…"

That was the last thing Eren remembered before Annie lifted her hand and punched Eren firmly in the jaw…

… the blow from the Female Titan send the Rogue Titan flying backwards. Eren was suddenly fully conscious, blinking repeatedly as he stared around the burning wreckage, but in complete control of his Titan's body. It was hard to focus as reality seemed to change instantly.

The Female Titan was panting heavily as well. She looked just as stunned. There was a pause in the battle as they tried to recover themselves. Her head was still healing from where his hands had been crushing her. Eren stared at her, struggling to process what had just happened.

For an instant, everything froze. Eren tried to speak, but in his Titan form the only thing that came out were gasping, guttural noises. Eren could have sworn that the Female Titan seemed to gulp, staring at him incredulously, before standing up and running away.

The moment shattered. At once, the Female Titan was sprinting towards the wall and suddenly there were dozens of soldiers shooting through the air and chasing after her. Eren barely had a second to recover before his legs moved automatically, and the he was running too.

Annie! Eren screamed mentally, as if she could somehow hear him. What just happened there? What was that? Annie!

The wall was getting closer. Annie had to slow down, but Eren didn't. His mind was still reeling in confusion, and his head was pounding and it was hard to concentrate. Suddenly, Eren tackling her from behind, and they both crashed down to the ground in a shockwave of flailing limbs, all the while his heart pounded furiously.

As soon as they collided, the air seemed to spark.

…The world changed, but it wasn't like the last time. It was messy, disorganised and overwhelming. Eren only barely managed to process fleeting images as a whole tidal wave of sensations and emotions rushed by…

… Eren glimpsed a little girl training with an older man, punching and kicking with despite the sweat pouring from her brow and laboured breathing…

… there was a ruined farmhouse, with the walls and ceiling shattered by giant footsteps…

… a crying man, his face covered by shadow, begging her to keep on going even if the world despised her for it…

… and then there was an image of Levi, ripping an unconscious figure from her mouth and zipping away, all the while all hopelessness and desperation crashed down on to her…

Eren didn't know how to react. It was too much, he just couldn't handle it. Eren screamed, while around him the wave of memories and feelings writhed around him. Eren lashed out and fought, feeling his mind spinning as every spiralled out of control in the maelstrom of emotion…

…And then, everything suddenly went black.

When Eren awoke, he could barely focus on everything, even as he felt strong arms yank him out of the steaming body of the Titan. His arms and legs were fused into the Titan's flesh, but Eren didn't even feel it as sharp blades sawed his limbs off and the Survey Corps soldiers dragged him out. Eren's mind was spinning so madly that he was barely conscious, and there were dark lines draping down from his eyes and running down his cheeks.

There were people shouting everywhere and destruction reigned across the ground. It was so chaotic he could barely make sense of everything that was happening, but there was one thing that he managed to focus on. Eren was left staring at a wild and frantic Annie as she was torn out of her Titan, her eyes crazed with a fear that looked so out of place on her face.

For a moment, just before Eren finally blacked out, their eyes met each other's. As Eren dropped into unconsciousness, he had a weird hallucination that Annie was crying.

Author Notes:

First chapter of my newest story, thanks for reading. Any feedback is always much appreciated!

I'll be uploading the second chapter tomorrow, where the different end to the Stohess District fight will start to have an impact...