CHAPTER 1 - The Lie Low of The Titans

---

Cheers were heard after the name of the new Queen was said. A lot of smiling faces were seen, and hoping that a lot of changes would be developed.

"Eren!" Mikasa called, running towards him when he was busy cheering for his former colleague.

"Historia said we will be eating with her later." She continued with her calm voice, not minding to call her Queen Historia at all, for she believed that nothing really changed about her. For her, she was still the person she was with for the passed three years when they were still trainees.

Eren nodded as he was smiling widely with Armin and the others. Happy to see their friend having the crown, and having hope for a better future for their government.

"Be sure to tell Armin and the others." She said and waited for Eren's response. Mikasa walked away from the crowd after he nodded. She went to the trees inside the most inner wall that they have. Looking for a peaceful quiet place.

She sighed out of relief as she saw a lucent lake that made her feel like she finally found a place where she could rest. After a group of large trees behind her, it was unimaginable for her to be able to find a beautiful and serene place like that. It was not inside the forest, but it was next to it. Mikasa, who was still wearing her Survey Corps uniform, kneeled down beside the lake and looked at the clean water.

She sighed before she tried to get some water to clean her face, when she suddenly heard twigs that cracked behind her in the forest that made her stop from what she was doing, and look at where she heard the sound from.

"Calm down brat, it's just me." A man said, that made her eyes widen as she looked at him, a man who was walking towards her.

"Captain..." She said looking at him, before she stood up and was about to put her fisted right hand to her chest when the said captain cut off her.

"Cut that out, we're just wearing our uniforms. We're not working right now." He said before he sat beside the lake, next to where Mikasa sat before.

Mikasa furrowed her brows and looked at their captain before she even realized that she did not know what to do. If she would sit beside him, stand up still, or walk away and find another place where she could be alone.

"Are you going to make it hard for yourself by standing up there?" He asked with his low voice as he was leaning on the grass through his arms while he was looking at the birds that were flying at the sky.

Mikasa was startled with his question, and instead, decided to sit where she was sitting before and looked at the sky as well before she sighed deeply that caught their captain's attention.

"What's the next move now, Captain?" She asked, without looking at him. Sitting with the same position as their Captain's, facing the sky as her eyes were closed. Feeling the touch of the air on her face.

"Let's forget about all of it for a while. It's been a long time since I've been to this place." He said before he closed his eyes as well. Mikasa looked at him as he said those words, thinking that their Captain had already been on the place where she felt like it was almost the same as home. After a moment, he opened it again before he continued to speak. "We don't know what Erwin is planning, and Hanji and the others are enjoying the new technology that they developed in killing titans." He paused and half smiled, but she did not see it for she could only see the other side of his face.

"I guess Survey Corps will be having a break for now as we are gathering new recruits." He added before he look at her who was looking at him.

Mikasa looked away and faced the lake again. "New recruits, huh." She uttered. Mikasa, on the other hand, got suddenly gloomy because of the question that she wanted to ask to their Captain. She sighed deeply, before she asked her question. "Captain, I'm just curious. Do you have any idea, or have that Kenny Ackerman told you things about why the Ackerman's were being persecuted in the city?"

Levi was caught off guard when Mikasa suddenly mentioned his uncle's name. His eyes grew big for a second and remembered what Kenny had told him.

"Idiot... Just... Her big brother."

Levi shook his head as he remembered his uncle's death, before he remembered that the girl beside him asked a question.

"No, I have no idea why." He said and looked down.

Mikasa noticed the change of their Captain's atmosphere that made her a little worried.

"Do you have any problems Captain?" She asked without hesitating. Thinking that his injury was not yet fully healed and that it started to hurt again.

Levi looked at her with his surprised expression, but immediately changed into his irritated face before he tried to speak to answer her question.

"None. Mind your own business brat. And go back to that precious titan shifter of yours." He said before his famous tch was released from his mouth. "Those shitty brats are probably looking for you."

His words got Mikasa confused. What's it to get angry about my question? She asked herself as she stood up. Following the orders of that Captain that she trusted.

"Okay... Captain." She said, before she turned her back to Levi and started to walk back to the woods. Still, confused on their Captain's reaction.

"Tch." Levi uttered as he faced the sky once again and remembered his old friends. Getting irritated by the fact that he realized just a moment before Mikasa left.

"She's the third person... Who has seen through me." He whispered as he recalled Mikasa's worried face when she asked him.

He closed his eyes before he looked up to the sky to see the birds that were flying. "Isabel, Farlan... I wonder how are you guys now."

-

Mikasa walked towards where her friends were, and looked for Eren and Armin. The place had quiet down already, and she was busy looking for her colleagues when someone suddenly called her that made her look at her back to see who called her.

"Jean." She said, facing the guy who was running towards her while panting.

"Everyone's waiting for you already." Jean said, blushing lightly as he stared at Mikasa's face.

Mikasa stared at him blankly before she nodded as an answer. "Where are the others?" She asked, before she heard a familiar voice, calling Jean's name. She bended her body to the right and looked behind Jean to see the person who called him.

"Mikasa!" The guy said, greeting Mikasa cheerfully as if he was looking for her for the entire time.

"Armin." She said and walked towards him, passing through Jean.

"We finally found you! We'll be meeting Historia now!" He cheerfully said as he smiled at her as the others started to walk towards them. The whole 104th members that survived the battle with the titans excluding Annie, Reiner, Ymir and Bertholdt, or rather, the new Special Operation Squad.

"Who's meeting who?" A voice suddenly said that made all of them look at Mikasa's back, surprised to see their new queen smiling at them.

"Historia!" They shouted, excluding Mikasa. Almost all of them walked towards her and congratulated her for her new life. Mikasa only watched them from afar as they started to walk at the hallway, talking about how serious Historia was to hit their Captain, Levi.

All of them suddenly stopped, when they saw a figure beside the curtains. It was him, their Captain.

Historia suddenly ran towards him and hit him on his left arm, that actually surprised everyone aside from Mikasa who half smiled when Historia hit their Captain.

"Heh! What do you think about that?! I'm the queen now!" Historia said, nervously. It could be seen on her face that she was scared on what would happen next.

Everyone was a bit nervous on what would Levi react, but then, their nervousness was turned to shock, right after Levi smiled and thanked them.

"Thanks, you guys." He said as he smiled.

Mikasa, was not an exception to that. It was a first, they thought.

-

Months passed and everything around them were doing well. Historia took the children into an orphanage and she often spend time with them and take care of them as well.

While the Survey Corps were looking for new recruits, the new Special Operation Squad was not that happy about the new recruits who was a bit cocky to them.

Eren on the other hand was still being trained by Hanji with his Titan powers, and a lot of questions inside each of their heads were unanswered.

Whether they were personal, or whether the lives of all humankind was involved, their questions were still unanswered.

"Eren." Someone called as the young man started to sat up from his bed. Eren genuinely smiled as he saw the girl's face who entered.

"Mikasa..." He uttered as he looked at her with his worn out eyes and smiled at her with his tired muscles.

"Squad leader Hanji tired you out again?" Mikasa said as she sat on the chair that was beside Eren's bed. Eren only looked at her with his tired eyes and did not speak. Mikasa sighed, seeing Eren's situation made her want to talk to the titan freak scientist that the scouting legion had. "I think I should ask her to give you a break. Even just for a week."

Eren held Mikasa's hand that was on his bed and smiled at him. "I just need some sleep." He said as Mikasa looked at him with her concerned eyes.

"Eren..."

"Don't worry, Squad leader Hanji and Commander Erwin are getting married soon. I'll be having a vacation from these tests anytime now." Eren defended, getting ahead of Mikasa before she even say a thing.

Mikasa sighed, showing a sign of defeat in their conversation. "You're right. Make sure you get some sleep."

Eren nodded before he let go of Mikasa's hand. He was dead tired out of those experiments that Hanji had been trying out with him for several times.

Nevertheless, it has been a lot of months already, since the coronation of the new queen happened. A lot of things had happened, a lot of things were developed, a lot of things were discovered and a lot of things had changed.

The passed two years had been peaceful for them. The scouting legion still continued their expeditions as the titans were little by little getting terminated by them.

Jean already had his own squad, Commander Erwin saw the characteristic of being a leader in him. Even though he was already a squad leader, that did not mean that he was not a member of the special operation squad anymore.

Mikasa and the others were still a member of the special operation squad. While Queen Historia Reiss, was busy building their economy into a better one despite all of the casualties that happened in the passed years.

"Jean! Mikasa!" The squad leader called out, preparing for their next expedition as the gates were slowly being opened by the garrison.

"Formation!" Levi said before Mikasa went at the right side of Levi as the other 104th cadet survivors went at her back with their horses. Jean on the other hand was on Levi's left as his own squad prepared themselves on their squad leader's back.

Levi was the expedition commander for that day. For Erwin had a little family problem that made him stay inside the walls for the expedition, and Hanji who was usually be Erwin's replacement was pregnant.

Armin who was their strategist went behind Levi as they started to go outside, making their horses run fast.

"Geez, Commander Erwin and Squad Leader Hanji should've been here if she's not taking her labor today." Jean suddenly said out of the blue, that made Armin furrow his eyebrows with what he said.

"Idiot, Commander Erwin couldn't fight anymore because his dominant hand was eaten and Squad leader Hanji couldn't go even if today isn't her labor, because she's pregnant." Armin said that made Sasha laughed at Jean.

"Seriously Jean, I wonder how did you became a squad leader with that brain of yours." She said before she took a glimpse of the man that she secretly had a crush on for a couple of years already. Ever since that cooking fight with Captain Pixis happened.

"Oi, focus on the way brats. The road's getting foggy." Their current commander said before another voice was heard.

"Titan spotted, 7, 10 and 15 meter class, east of north." Mikasa said as she was looking straight ahead before she looked at her left, waiting for their commander's orders.

A tch was released on Levi's mouth as his brows were furrowed usually. He looked at his left and saw titans that ranged around 5 to 10 meter class before Mikasa caught his attention.

"Captain! Five 15 to 17 meter class in front!" Mikasa shouted before Levi thought and commanded everyone to do their job.

The expedition was only for the special operation squad and Jean's squad. Little by little they let a group of newbies come with them for them to get experience and that they could not be easily get killed by the titans. As what Armin suggested for them to do. They were around Shiganshina, killing titans. Even after two years had passed, they still have not found where the basement of the old Jaeger's house was. They still have not covered up the walls that were greatly damaged still, a lot of titans were there.

"Jean! You and your squad, titans on the west of north! Armin and the rest, to the east of north! Mikasa and I will take care of the 15 to 17 meter classes." Levi commanded as he increased his horse' speed to make him go north to attack the titans.

Jean and the others started to separate ways as they follow their commander's orders.

Levi and Mikasa started to use their 3D Maneuver gears as the both of them were in sync, very familiar with each other's moves and they exactly knew what to do in the field. They knew what they should do, and what they should not based on how the other moves.

Armin and the others finished off the group of titans before they started to go where their commander was. Jean and his squad followed, when they got suddenly surprised on what they saw.

"Armin! Let's help! Why are you guys not moving!" Jean exclaimed as he went between Armin and Sasha with his horse.

Armin and the others were just looking at the two who were fighting along with the large group of 15 to 17 meter class of titans. No one bothered to help them as they watched them silently. All of them were amazed, on how the two of them were in sync, as if they have worked with each other for a lot of decades already.

"What the hell?! Fine! I'll help by myself." Jean said before he held his gears when a blade suddenly appeared a few centimeters away from his neck.

"Don't." Sasha said as she was busy watching how the two prodigies slay the titans they faced without harming themselves even with a single scar.

"What are you guys thinking?!" Jean exclaimed as he looked at Sasha. Sasha looked at him with serious look that made Jean feel a tingling feeling.

"That's our way of helping." She said before she looked back in front of her. Jean looked at Armin who suddenly spoke as well.

"We'll only get in their way if we try to help them." He said, that made Jean looked at the two as well. Realizing what the others meant.

The special operation squad were also in sync as a team but the two were different. Their level was far away from theirs. If she had a prey she would kill it in one blow, as well as him. But if they needed teamwork, it just needed them for a matter of a second to help each other. Their unique techniques of killing a titan, their spinning moves and their calm atmosphere.

If everyone could fight just like the two of them. Armin thought as he clenched his hands while holding the rope of his horse.

---

Author's note: I wrote this chapter before the latest chapter of snk manga (Chapter 72) updated, let's just say that Levi succeeded in convincing Erwin to not to go outside the walls anymore. Hehe ✌