~A/N: This is at the end of their Military Training~

  Zakai stared straight ahead, directly at the bald instructor. We're finally going to leave... Right, Reiner...? She thought to herself. 

"This will determine if you are all ready to become soldiers! This will be life or death! Pass this and you will possibly become the greatest soldiers the Walls have to offer!" the voice which spoke was not Instructor Shadis but rather the Commander of the Training Corps. His voice seemed drained and his facial features shown his loss of hope clearly. He had black spiky hair with gray streaks and wrinkles around his entire face, slightly sunk in eyes but nothing compared to the older Shadis. He wore a yellow bolo tie. 

  The commander nodded to the bald instructor and walked away. 

"You will be in your squads!" Shadis announced, "Dismissed." 

  Zakai walked towards the Mess hall. Dinner time. This was getting to be too much for the 16-year-old. Being close to those she once hunted. Once ate. she sat by herself. She and Annie had been hanging around each other less and less. Now Zakai hung around Bertholdt and Reiner more. Sharing Bertholdt's hurry to get "home" and even his distaste towards becoming "friends" with those who Marley demanded they completely slaughter. 

  But even now, she just couldn't. The thoughts that plagued her mind... they were gruesome and bloody. Zakai hated them, hated Marley, hated herself. She looked at the blonde girl with the tan brunette girl. Ymir and Christa... Those two are getting close. Likewise with Eren and Annie. She taught him to fight. To defeat her in upcoming missions. I won't warn her... 

  Reiner sat to the brunette's left, swinging his arm around her shoulder.

"Eyyyy! Zai!" Reiner drunkenly called out.

"T-there was a-alcohol... I-in the r-rations... S-sorry..." Bertholdt stuttered out as he sat. 

"Not your fault Bertholdt." I dismissively reasoned, "What do you need Reiner?"

"Berty loves-" Reiner started

"Fruit!" Bertholdt interrupted with a blush. 

  Zakai stared at Bertholdt with an eyebrow cocked, obviously confused by his sudden outburst. Bertholdt nervously rubbed his neck, Reiner grinned. 

"BERTHOLDT LOVES ZAKAI!" Connie's voice screeched out. 

  Zakai snapped her attention to the bald kid, hazel gaze gleaming. 

"Don't joke around Springer," Zakai growled surprisingly and terrifyingly calm and low. 

  Connie hid behind Sasha who seemed equally scared. Annie looked over at the commotion, hiding a faint smile. Bertholdt had seemingly vanished, Reiner was laughing. The brunette stood, shooting a glare at him before walking out of the Mess Hall. She walked over to the dorms, going inside the girl's cabins and laying on her bed. 

Does he like me...? Honestly...? Reiner and Connie seem to think so. No. No one could ever like me, let alone love! Especially if they knew my past like Bertholdt... Zakai thought despairingly. 

~~~Time skip brought to you by nervous Berty~~~

  Everyone was in the lineup. The bald instructor eyeing us up.

"Today there will be several tests. Endurance, hand-to-hand combat, 3DMG, knowledge, teamwork, and speed." Shadis announced, for once not screaming it into the cadets' ears. "Teams of three for 3DMG, teamwork, and endurance. First the test for knowledge. After that, Instructor Abbott will inform you on the teams." with that Shadis dismissed them. 

  The cadets in 104th going to the building which held the classrooms. The center of the entire place. Zakai walked into a room, sitting at a desk at the very back. A rather old woman with black hair that had gray streaks in it passed out tests as the cadets flooded in. Annie took a seat next to her brunette friend. 

~~~Another time skip T^T sowwy guys~~~

  Zakai walked out of the building with her team, comprised of two other members. Bertholdt and Jean. Zakai glared at the boy, Jean cocked an eyebrow in confusion. 

"I'll never get why you hate me and Connie Zai-" Jean began.

"Call me that again. I dare you." Zakai growled, stepping closer. 

"Zai." Jean challenged with a smirk. 

  Soon Bertholdt grabbed her arm. 

"I-it's not w-worth it Z-zai..." Bertholdt sheepishly muttered. 

"I don't get it Zakai, he joined to get away from the titans too! Yet you like him?" Jean hissed out. 

  Bertholdt nervously rubbed his neck, Zakai simply walked away to the forest. There was a crate of backpacks. She grabbed the first one, securing it on her back. Bertholdt took the next and Jean taking the last. Zakai began running along the route that Instructor Abbott told them to follow. The route was supposed to be Three miles, then They'd drop the bags and use the gear they were wearing. They'd take out the titan dummies, each team having different routes and areas. Then we'd have to do some team-building exercise. After returning the teams would separate and hand-to-hand combat would start. Then speed. Zakai assumed it'd be a race. 

  Jean smirked, running ahead, "Beat this shortstack!" he yelled out. Zakai huffed, sprinting ahead, just enough to reach Jean, then matched his pace and pulled him back. The tan teen fell to the ground, groaning in pain. 

"What the hell Zakai...?" he questioned once he got up a few minutes later.

"G-guys... T-this is a teamwork a-assignment... W-we s-should not f-fight..." the tall teen stuttered out. 

  Zakai nodded, starting to jog. Bertholdt and Jean easily matching her slow pace. "You know... this is a time-sensitive assignment..." Jean huffed, only to be met by Zakai's glare. 

"If it was time-sensitive then I'd be nearly done Kirschtein." she growled, Jean huffed. 

  The three continued on, Zakai's eyes darted to a bird's call. Soon enough, they hit the mile mark. A point in time where all the routes met up for a short break. Instructor Abbott sat on her horse, emerald eyes scanning the different routes. Mikasa, Annie, and Ymir were already at a table. Then Christa, Armin, and Connie. Eren sat with Marco and Thomas. Mina with Fraz and Hannah. Reiner sat next to Daz and Sasha. Reiner looked behind him, standing and making his way over. 

"Ah! Zai, surprised you didn't make it here sooner." Reiner commented, Zakai glared at Jean who had been getting tired a quarter through the first mile. 

  Jean nervously rubbed his neck and went to sit with Marco, Eren, and Thomas. Eren spotted the two brunettes and Reiner, making his way over. 

"Zakai. How did you feel? You ok?" Eren asked, seeming genuinely concerned. 

"Why do you ask?" the brunette question, confusion and wariness in her hazel gaze, her eyebrows knitted together. 

"Because those two must have towered above you! Probably ran faster too." Eren innocently explained. 

  Zakai glared at him, "You have two seconds to leave me the fuck alone." she growled, catching Mikasa's attention. Eren nodded vigorously, walking back to Jean, Marco, and Thomas. Thomas chuckling. 

"Jeez, snappy much Zai?" Reiner questioned with a grin. 

"Shut it Braun." Zakai growled.

"Alright, cadets! Break time over!" Instructor Abbott announced. 

  Everyone got into their groups and put the supplies and gear back on. Soon everyone was off. Including Zakai, Bertholdt, and Jean. Zakai soon sprinted, Bertholdt and Jean having a problem with keeping up, but they got to the next stop much sooner. Being the first group, another instructor was there. A different one, he had long blonde hair, tied into a man-bun. He was known as Instructor Biermann, one of the newer instructors. 

  Jean stumbled to the table, gulping down a glass of water. As did Bertholdt. Zakai chuckled, leaning the wall of the Instructor's cabin and drinking a glass. Soon Mikasa's team arrived. Annie merely glanced in my direction before turning away. Ymir walked over, grinning. 

"Zakai! How goes it?" she questioned, a mischievous look gleaming in her own brown eyes. 

"What do you want Ymir?" Zakai asked, getting straight to the point. 

"Ah so blunt. I meant with the goal of kissing Ber-" Ymir started only for Zakai to flip the brunette over, effectively knocking the wind out of her. 

  Ymir laid there, gasping for air. zakai watched as minutes went by, the brunette sitting up as Armin's group came. The two hadn't realized the number of teams in the checkpoint. Christa ran over, "Ymir! are you ok?" she asked, worry and concern in her blue eyes. 

  Zakai uncomfortably shifted, turning around and sitting at the table. She's not who she seems to be... Too nice... No one is that nice. I should know. Zakai thought bitterly. 

"Time's up recruits!" Instructor Biermann exclaimed. Soon the teams left once again. 

"Only one more mile!" Connie exclaimed to Jean before the two routes separated. 

  Zakai decided to go Bertholdt's pace. She looked back to see Jean lagging behind. 

"Keep up Kirschtein. I'd really hate for you to not get into those lazy scums in the interior." she spat bitterly and sarcastically. 

"Oh shut it shortstack, your just jealous because I have a chance to join them while you don't!" Jean retorted. 

  Zakai stopped in her tracks, Bertholdt stopping with her. 

"Jean Kirschtein. Pray you don't have to battle me." she growled before darting off. Bertholdt glanced at Jean before running after him. Jean huffed, doing the same. 

  Soon the three got there, Zakai was breathing slightly heavier than usual. Bertholdt was panting as was Jean. Zakai dropped the supplies in the crate, grabbing Bertholdt's off his back and doing the same. Jean huffed, following her example. 

  Zakai shot upwards, using her gas to propel herself to a dummy and slicing it's cushion nape. Bertholdt followed suit, same with Jean. Jean zipped past her, sharping turning and striking a dummy's nape. His slice going deeper than hers. 

"Hah! Beat that shorty!" Jean called out, until she zoomed past, the surroundings becoming a blur. Until she spotted a dummy, then she did a spin, slicing the nape rather deep yet still only as deep as Jean.  

  Bertholdt flew past, getting the next dummy. It continued this way for awhile until they had gotten them all. Out of 20 titan dummies Zakai got eight, Bertholdt and Jean got six each. 

  The three flew to the next checkpoint, where Instructor Abbott was. She must have come here from that first checkpoint after the final cadets finished their first mile. Zakai reasoned. 

~~~Time skip because this part is boring no matter what I did to spice things up~~~

  Instructor Shadis was waiting in the camp when Zakai, Bertholdt, and Jean made it back. Soon enough every team had gathered there, he began listing off the sparring pairs. 

"Leonhardt and Braun, Arlert and Lenz, Hoover and Braus, Jeager and Kirschtein, Ymir and Bodt. And finally, Ackerman and Eriko." Shadis finished. 

  Zakai's eyebrows knitted together, surely they would pair Mikasa up with Annie... those two were the strongest after all. Mikasa walked over, "This should end fast." Jean snickered at Annie's comment. Zakai shot a glare her way before facing the oriental. 

  Without waiting for Zakai to get ready, she darted forward, going in to punch her but Zakai reared back, kicking the black haired girl's side. Mikasa stumbled a bit before straightening herself out and kicking Zakai's legs from underneath her. Zakai fell to the ground, gasping for the air she felt she lacked. 

  Mikasa grabbed the knife and twirling it. "You weren't doing your best." she stated. 

  Zakai soon got up, clenching her mouth shut and darting forward, tackling Mikasa to the ground only to be thrown off by said girl. Who now stood, towering over the brunette. 

"The winner is clear," Shadis grunted, "Mikasa Acerman." Zakai stood, walking away, watching Annie flip Reiner and throw him the knife. Then Eren's match, he and Jean were pretty evenly matched. Same with Ymir and Marco, Christa and Armin, even Bertholdt and Sasha. Why didn't Shadis give me a more evenly matched opponent to fight? Was he banking on my loss? Zakai thought, confused. 

  Soon Shadis told us the Speed test would be comprised of racing each other to see who's the fastest, then a course in which would determine who was most agile. 

  Zakai sprinted forward, passing up most of the cadets. Including Eren, Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie. Mikasa glanced at her, they were evenly paced. Shadis' eyes were on them. Soon Annie ran alongside the two, soon losing her breath. The girl is known for endurance and agility... Not speed. I am though. Ackerman, don't issue a war you can't win. Zakai thought determinedly. 

  Soon a whistle was blown as Zakai passed Mikasa, over the finish line. The oriental was breathing heavier than usual. Zakai smiled, "Good luck next time Mikasa." she muttered before walking away. 

~~~Goddamn there too many time skips in this damn chapter~~~

  There was a large stage, torches lit. The Commander of the Training Corps, Instructor Abbott, Instructor Biermann, Instructor Shadis, and another Instructor no one could quite name. 

"Today you are no longer little girls and boys! But men and women! Tonight you've graduated. Tomorrow you will be sent to the Regiment of your desire. Those who protect and defend the walls and the frontlines, the Garrison Regiment! Those who venture into Titan Territory to discover more about their mystery, the Scout Regiment! And finally, those who protect the interior and serve the king, the Military Police! Mind you only the top ten may join the Military Police! Those being Mikasa Ackerman, Reiner Braun, Bertholdt Hoover, Annie Leonhardt, Eren Jeager, Jean Kirschtein, Marco Bodt, Connie Springer, Sasha Blaus and Christa Lenz!" the commander announced. 

  Zakai bitterly watched as the top ten stepped into a line from number one to number ten. Why wasn't I good enough...? She thought despairingly. 

~~~Good god this was a long chapter. After this A/N it'll be 2277~~~