CHAPTER 2 - The Surprise Attack

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Everyone was busy, eating at the soldiers cafeteria. Each of them were chattering, relaxing and having their fun times while they were having their break from their training. All of them were having their own talk with their squad mates, not until when a group of people entered the cafeteria that made the silence conquer the place.

Little by little, people started to chatter once again, with their low voices, as they look upon the group of people who entered. Eren, who was sitting alone on a vacant table suddenly stood up and look at them with his bright smile. It had been a long time since he spent a lunch with his friends.

Jean, who was walking first among the group walked towards Eren and gave him a hug.

"How's it going with you?" Jean said right after he removed himself from the hug. Smiling at Eren, who was smiling at him as well.

"Quite shock with what you did. Aside from that, everything's fine." Eren joked that made the others laugh. It had been years that made the two of them forget that they were mortal enemies and they have grown up already, that made them think that saving humanity was their first priority rather than fighting each other.

"You've never been to any expeditions with us again." Sasha suddenly spoke from behind, saying those words as a greeting to the boy in front of them. 

Eren looked at her and gave her a sad smile. "Well,  I guess... being a titan shifter is hard." 

"Come on, don't be sad." Someone suddenly said that made them draw their attention to the little blonde guy who was standing next to Jean.

"Armin." Eren called before he smiled at him and looked at the guy beside the blonde. "Connie." After uttering those words, their group was conquered by silenced before Eren looked down to his feet and sighed, that made the others look at him with confusion written on their faces.

"I guess, we are the only ones left?" Eren said as he looked up to his colleagues, words that painted sadness to their eyes as memories of their old friends flashed back to their minds.

"Well, Annie's being sent to where we are now." Connie suddenly joked that made them look at him with their eyes telling him that it was not a good joke. Annie was still in her crystal, and the government decided to send Annie to the scouting legion for a more reliable protection that it needed. 

After their moment of silence, all of them decided to grab their food and sat together on one table as they started to chat like what the other soldiers were doing. Getting to know what changed when they were busy for the passed two years doing their own jobs.

Eren, Hanji was busy studying him with his titan form. Also, he was being trained on how to control himself when he was on his titan form and discovering things that he could do with the power that was injected to him by his father. With the help of the queen, Historia Reiss, some of the memories were flashed back to his mind every time she touched him. Nevertheless, he was still a member of the Special Operation Squad but was on hiatus.

Mikasa, Armin and Levi often visited him during his training if they had time, but as time passed, the legion became busy on training the new recruits for they did not know when the titans would attack them again.

Jean, who finally had his own squad, personally picked by Levi for him, he was doing a great job with them and they were known as the Second Special Operation Squad that was under Levi.

Sasha and Connie, who were the only ones left under Levi's squad with Mikasa, Armin, Eren and Jean.

Armin, the young strategist acknowledged by the higher ranks who was working with the disabled Commander Erwin with his plans and on how to avoid casualties in every expedition they did. He was the one who thought about sending the new graduated trainees and the newbies of the scouting legion one by one in every expedition for them to gain experience and for them to be monitored easily by the veterans. 

"Good thing Squad Leader Hanji finally had her baby, making her stop from experimenting things on you." Connie said before they all agreed and laughed with his words.

"Commander Erwin also stopped in going with us on our expeditions." Sasha added that made all of them look at her.

"It's because Captain Levi forbid him even though he really wanted to." Jean said as took a bite of his bread.

"It's hard to fight having only one arm." Eren said, telling his point of view about Erwin's arm. "Especially if it's the dominant hand that you lost."

"It's just the right thing, you know." Armin said that made all of them look at him. "I mean, he has a family now." He continued, causing the others to nod with what he said.

"Wait, where's Mikasa?" Eren asked when he finally got his chance to. It was bothering him the whole time they were conversing with each other. Never did he imagine himself to miss the overprotective girl who had always stood up beside him everywhere he went, not until the passed two years that changed their routine in their everyday lives.

They became more dedicated on saving humanity and defeating the titans.

"Mikasa is-" Armin was about to answer Eren's question when the door of the cafeteria suddenly opened again that made silence conquer the place once more. Making all the people inside the place look at doorway, and the special operation squad was not an exception to that.

People started to have their own talk about the person who suddenly entered. As their eyes were glowing with amazement written on it. The person just walked towards the counter and grabbed her food before she sat down beside the person she had always followed.

"Nice to see you back with us, Eren." She calmly said before she took a bite of her bread.

"M-mikasa, what did Captain Levi tell you?" Armin asked that made Eren's brows furrow.

"You've been talking to him?"  Eren asked the girl who was sitting at his right side.

Mikasa looked at them before she took a spoon of her soup in her mouth before she answered their question. "He complained on how Sasha's fart stinks." She said that made all of them give off a goofy expression on their faces and laughed after.

"Mikasa!" Sasha exclaimed, making Mikasa look at her with her plain face that made Armin and the others laugh more.

"No, t-tell us what C-captain Levi really told you." Armin said, trying to stop his laughter while saying those words. Sasha glared at him that made him shut his mouth in an instant.

"The two of us have our own mission." Mikasa started, suddenly releasing a serious atmosphere around their table. With those words, the rest of them already understood on what Levi has spoken of with Mikasa, making Eren as an exception to it.

"Wait, I can't understand a thing." Eren suddenly blurted out.

Mikasa did not mind Eren's question immediately eat her food quickly, causing everyone on the table to look at her. She immediately fixed her plates before she stood up and gave it to the counter. She walked beside their table before she spoke to tell something to the others.

"Sorry guys, but I still need to discuss things with Captain." Mikasa said before she looked at Eren with her blank face. "Let's have a talk some other time." She said before leaving the group that made Eren a little bit shock.

"Sorry, we forgot to tell you Eren." Connie  suddenly said right after Mikasa left.

"Mikasa is Captain Levi's right hand." Jean said before he drank water from his cup.

"They often have their own missions in finding the basement." Armin said and smiled at him, causing Eren to clench his fist while realizing that a lot of things had changed already.

He did not want to admit to himself, but he missed the Mikasa who was always following him behind.

-

"Mikasa!" A familiar loud voice called her right after she entered the house. The special operation squad decided to visit Erwin and his family right after their training, but since Mikasa was discussing things with Levi the time before that, the both of the came late, causing Hanji to exclaim Mikasa's name right after she entered their home.

"Low down your voice shitty glasses!" A man suddenly said, who just entered right after Mikasa did, causing Hanji to frown immediately. 

The other people who were sitting at the house' living room suddenly laughed at what their Captain said to the happy woman. 

"You never change Levi!" Hanji said before she tried to hit Levi's head with her hand when suddenly, someone grabbed her arm. Causing everyone to grew their eyes big and open their mouths widely.

"Eh, M-mikasa, why so sudden?" Hanji said, surprised of Mikasa's reaction on what she was about to do. Mikasa looked at Hanji with her blank face before she spoke to explain herself.

"I'm sorry Squad Leader Hanji, but Captain just injured his head." She said before releasing her grip from Hanji's arm.

"O-oh! I-I'm sorry Levi." She said as she looked at Levi and smiled at him awkwardly, curious on how did the strongest soldier had a head injury.

Levi released a tch before he continued to walk towards the inner part of Hanji and Erwin's house. "So, where's the baby?" He said, with his arms crossed on his chest, scanning the house as he looked at his squad members who were still shocked on what Mikasa did. "Nice to see you together with us again, Eren."

"Why do you sound so angry Levi?" A deep voice said that caught the attention of everybody. A tall man who just went out of a room, carrying a baby on his left arm.

"You sure you could hold that baby with one arm?" Levi mocked Erwin that made Erwin laughed at his friend.

"Geez Erwin, the baby might fall!" Hanji said as she walked quickly to Erwin and grabbed the baby.

Everyone stood up and walked towards the baby. They were waiting for it to be awake from his sleep ever since they came to the couple's home.

"Finally, he's awake!" Sasha and Connie exclaimed as they surround the baby. Mikasa walked towards where the others were, when she looked at Hanji and Erwin's smiling faces. The others were happy as well, that made her smile a little with the thought of making a family sure would make people in love happy.

She looked at the people once more when a memory from her past suddenly flashed in her mind. She closed her eyes before she walked away from them. She went outside the house as she saw Hanji's garden. Air touching her face as she walked on the grass, looking at the assorted flowers that was planted in front of her. She kneeled down, as she was trying to reach the flower, remembering all the days that she had spent with her parents on the mountains when they were still alive.

"They sure are happy huh?" A voice broke the silence that made Mikasa's eyes grew big and looked at her back to see who spoke.

"Heichou..." She uttered, as she slowly faced her front before she tried to stand up and face her captain. In a little while, the said captain sat on the grass as he placed both of his arms on the ground, supporting his body.

"They are so noisy there, so I followed you here." He said, before he faced the blue sky above him and felt the fresh breeze of the cold air. His raven black hair being carried by the wind as Mikasa was staring at him. "Is there a problem?" He suddenly asked as he opened his eyes, seeing Mikasa staring at him that startled the lady.

"Ah, uhm..." She said as she looked away. She grabbed her scarf and used it to cover her mouth. "Nothing, I just... I just suddenly remembered my parents." She continued, before she decided to sit on the grass beside her captain.

Mikasa heard a little chuckle that came from their captain, that caught her attention, making her to look at him. "Good thing you had your parents with you." He said with his usual facade, even though he knew that the girl beside could see through him.

"H-heichou..." Mikasa uttered when she saw sorrow painted on his eyes and the sound of grief in his masked voice. It also made her curious about his past as well, their captain saying those words made Mikasa think that their captain had been through a lot. And she wanted to know what that a lot was.

"Mikasa..." Levi started as he looked at her, directly to her eyes. Not afraid for her to see through the windows of his soul. Not afraid for her to see what he really felt. "I---"

"Hey Levi! Mikasa! You two should eat first! Come here!" Hanji suddenly called when he was about to continue his words, making him to furrow his brows as he looked at his right side where he could see Hanji and the others looking at them. Erwin with his sympathetic eyes to Levi, and Eren with his sad eyes towards Mikasa. 

"Heichou, I think... we should do what Hanji wants so she could be quiet already." Mikasa said as she stood up from the ground before she looked at Levi. Another tch escaped from his mouth before he stood up and started to walk, that made Mikasa follow him towards the house.

-

The night was peaceful, dark clear sky with bright lights, calm cold breeze of the wind passed through them as they walk towards their quarters. It had been a normal day to them. Training, chit chat with squad mates, meeting other people, some even went home to their houses to visit their families, but those who did not have anyone to visit stayed in the scouting legion's place.

It was early in the morning, when the night shift guards heard a loud bang coming from the great walls of Rose. The guards were not sure on what happened, not until time passed and they started to hear screams of the vulnerable citizens of Wall Rose.

"Everyone! Get ready!" A deep voice suddenly shouted to the soldiers that were already awake at dawn.

"Wake up! Wake up! Titans are in Wall Rose!" Other veteran soldiers shouted and went room to room to wake up the other and the new soldiers of the Survey Corps.

The others were still new, and a whole new group of squads were there and a whole new bunch of frightened people were there too. Already panicking on what to do first right after they woke up.

"Captain Levi! Captain Levi!" Armin suddenly opened the door on Levi's room, when he saw Levi already prepared with his gears and was about to open the doors as well.

"Get Mikasa, Eren and the others Armin!" Levi immediately reacted as soon as he saw Armin in front of him.

"Yes sir!" Armin said as he saluted at Levi before following his command. He ran towards Eren's room  when he saw his friend preparing his clothes.

"Faster Eren!" Armin said before he walked inside and helped him a little bit. He then, walked into Connie and Jean's room to called them before he went to Mikasa and Sasha's room.

Screams of people were heard early in the morning. Mikasa was already prepared to fight and was about to jump on the window when Armin suddenly opened the door of her room.

"Mikasa! Captain Levi will be giving orders! Let's go!" He said and immediately left Mikasa in her room. Mikasa furrowed her brows and looked outside the window before she jumped down on the floor and follow Armin.

A year had already passed and still, they did not find where the basement was. All of the houses in Shiganshina District were destroyed by the titans, and the day that they have been expecting to come happened on the day when they least expected that it would happened.

Mikasa and the other's were running towards where their captain was. Jean and his squad was already outside, as well as the veteran soldiers and the other soldiers of the garrison. When they finally spotted where their captain was, Levi immediately gave each of them orders before they started to run towards the outside of their quarters.

"What does the titans want this time?!" Eren said as they were running when someone suddenly answered his question.

"They probably want you." Levi said before he used he 3D Maneuver gear to fly off to the walls. The others followed him but Levi soon stopped when he noticed Mikasa who was staring blankly on the balcony where they came from, not following them.

"Oi! Mikasa!" Levi called that caught Mikasa's attention. 

Mikasa looked at Levi with her furious eyes that suddenly changed into surprised ones before she shouted. "Heichou!" She used her 3D Maneuver gear to move towards Levi and killed the titan that was behind him.

"Oi, focus on what's happening now!" Levi said as he started to kill the titans that was on their area. 

Levi and Mikasa went to the area where the titans were gathering as they slaughtered them one by one. "Heichou!" Mikasa called, before a loud scream that could break their ears caught her attention. She walked on the rooftop as she recognized that familiar sound.

"Eren!" She exclaimed as she looked at Eren's titan form. Mikasa immediately went to Levi and  called him, trying to tell him what she thought the titan's were planning.

"Heichou!" Mikasa called as soon as she got near him. Levi took a glimpse of her before he sliced the three titans' nape, causing them to fall on the ground. Mikasa continued to say what she thought while killing the titans that made Levi look at her and immediately think of an alternative plan.

"I think they are aiming for Eren and Annie!"