"Would you come on??" Eren called impatiently over his shoulder as he hurried down the alleyway toward the main road where a crowd was already gathering. The main unit of the Survey Corps were leaving on an expedition today, and Eren felt like a little kid again in his excitement.

"It's not like you won't be able to see, like when you were small," Mikasa pointed out. "You're taller now."

"I know, just-" Eren beckoned. "-come on!"

Armin cast Mikasa a small smile. They both knew how much Eren had always loved watching the Scouts ride past, their green cloaks bearing the immortal Wings of Freedom only feeding the fire inside him.

They weren't the only ones out there. A number of cadets had come along to see the Scouts, each with their own reason for doing so.

Kuro had come along as well. He wasn't going to miss this opportunity, as it would be his last time watching them ride out before he joined their ranks. Even if he didn't seem as enthusiastic as Eren, he was certainly excited... on the inside at least.

Their boots came to a stop just as Commander Erwin Smith rode past, the horses' hooves clopping steadily against the cobblestone. His frontward gaze was stoic, full of strength and resolve- a solider if there ever was one.

Eren's green eyes widened, his whole countenance alight. The Scouts! They were the best of the best! Just watching them ride past stirred awe and respect. They were a symbol, as were the Wings that they wore. They were humanity's chance at freedom... they were hope.

Kuro watched in awe. These were the heroes he'd looked up to ever since he was little and now, it wasn't long before he would trade in his two swords for a pair of wings. However, it still felt like there was a huge gap between him and the Scouts. He would join them, but was he ready?

"Look! It's Captain Levi!" a voice in the crowd cried out. "They say he's like an entire brigade unto himself!"

Captain Levi!? Kuro looked over the crowd to find the Captain. He was a living legend! Humanity's strongest! No one was better than him!

They only caught a glimpse, but it was enough to send a thrill coursing through them. For a brief moment, as the white and blue wings fluttered past on their green, flag-like cloaks, it felt like anything was possible.

"Feel how excited everybody is?" Eren asked, his own enthusiasm barely keeping him from outright cheering. "It's like the crowd just has a different energy now!"

Eren was right. It did feel different. Kuro looked up at the Scouts as they passed by and felt something in the air around them. It was almost tangible. What would it feel like to parade through the streets and ride through the gate?

"Cadets!" Shadis' voice rang out, causing Sasha to visibly stiffen. "On the Wall, all of you! I want those cannons cleaned and prepped!"

"Yes, Sir!" a chorus of young voices answered.

As they reached the top of Wall Rose, the Wings of Freedom could be seen in the distance as the Scouts rode off in formations.

Kuro smiled a little as he worked on cleaning off the outside of a cannon. It wasn't much longer now. Every one of them knew that. It would soon be time for each cadet to pick their regiment, and those who joined the Scouts would ride out into the territory of Wall Maria.

"I never thought I'd say this..." Connie mused as he watched the Scouts disappear from sight. "...but I think I'm gonna join the Survery Corps."

"What?!" Eren was visibly shocked. "The hell you mean you're joining the Scouts?? What happened to the MP? That was your whole thing!"

"Don't worry about it," Connie said defensively as he was knelt cleaning the wooden base of a cannon. "A guy's allowed to change his mind, okay?"

Kuro looked over. Another Scout? That would be interesting. He knew that most Cadets would join the Garrison and more often than not, the majority of the top ten joined the Military Police. This often left the Scouts with very few new recruits.

"Hey, he's not the only one," a Cadet named Thomas spoke up. He smiled a little.

It was then that Sasha came forward, having stolen a side of meat from the officer's pantry. The Cadets nearly lost their minds, partly because she could get thrown behind bars for such a stupid thing, and partly because meat was so scarce ever since the fall of Wall Maria.

As the rest fussed over the food, Kuro looked out from his place on the wall. Somewhere, out there was Wall Maria... Shiganshina... his home... and... beyond that... who knew? He'd heard stories of the world outside the walls. One from a Scout visiting the family shop to get his boots repaired. He'd told a story about his recent expedition to Kuro and Ryu while he had waited. Kuro had never forgotten it and he hoped one day that he could see it all for himself. See a world without the shadow of the walls...

With the Scouts, he at least had a chance.

...

BOOM!

Lightning careened from the heavens, and a crack of thunder split the air, and just like that... the Colossal titan loomed over them. It was instantaneous- one second there was nothing, and the next, he was there, just like five years ago.

Kuro stared. No. Not again. NO! Why now? Why after all this time!? He didn't know what to do!!

The others seemed frozen as well. And then...

SMASH!!

The Colossal titan slammed his foot into the gate, breaching Wall Rose. In a burst of hot steam, the titan's monstrous arm took out the cannons, those on the Wall springing into action and using their ODM gear to narrowly escape the onslaught.

Dust rose from the splinters and rubble of the gaping hole.

"THEY'RE GONNA GET IN!" Connie screamed, and Eren's wide eyes quivered in terror as he remembered that day...

Kuro's eyes fixed on the hole. They needed to do something... but what...? He looked around at the others to see if anyone had any ideas on what to do now, but they were all in the same position.

Suddenly, Eren snapped out of his trance. His voice rang out as he grit his teeth and shot back up the Wall. Siezing his blades, he took a running leap with a battle cry eminating from the very depths of his soul.

The others looked on from their places on the side of the Wall, but all they could see were massive bursts of steam coming from the titan.

Kuro looked up before a taking a deep breath and following Eren up. They couldn't just leave him on his own against the Colossal titan. No one fought alone. That little fact had been drilled into them.

Just as Kuro reached the top of the Wall, he saw Eren swing high up into the air, wielding his blades with a gritted expression. He came down hard, crying out as he did, the titan's nape in his sights. Bringing his blades down with everything he had, Eren prepared for the impact, only for his arms to swing wildly into thin air.

What the...?

...he was gone. Just as suddenly as he'd appeared, the Colossal titan was nowhere to be seen.

How... how can something that big just... vanish? Kuro looked at Eren with confusion. They all knew that the Colossal titan vanished five years ago but this... this was something else. It was so sudden... like some kind of magic trick.

"How the hell did I miss?!" Eren landed beside Kuro, his expression a mixture of shock and confusion and anger.

"Where the hell did it go!?" Kuro shook his head. "You had it, Eren, and it vanished. It knew what you were doing."

"It's intelligent..." Eren snarled, gripping his blades. "It's exactly like five years ago..." His eyes moved to the hole in the Wall.

It was like they were kids in Shiganshina all over again...

...no.

No, this time they were soldiers.

This time, they could fight.