It was almost time. I was going to get out of these walls. Part of me saw this as a perfect opportunity to escape. After all I didn't belong here, and wanted nothing more than to just go back to konoha. The other part of me had a distinct desire to help Eren. I owed it to him, since he was the reason I came out of the trial alive. He backed me up when he barley even knew me. Just this once, I could call him a friend. Eren and I met with the others in the storage room while our superiors handled arranging the horses outside. Armin and Connie filled up our gas tanks methodically. I looked down at my gear. Eren did me a huge favor by running off to our room to retrieve my gear once he finished cleaning up. It was a minor annoyance to be walking with it but it couldn't be helped.

"Well, is that the last of em?" Jean asked the petite blonde crouching next to the tank supply. He secured the last two on Mikasa's gear.

"Yes, we're done and ready."

"Good, now we can get on with this." Jean walked around eren and stopped abruptly. His brown eyes scanned Eren's face. "This mission is supposed to be for you, we were told to protect you at all costs"

Eren tensed up. I Could feel Mikasa shift slightly between them.

"Eren, is it true you attacked Mikasa when you sealed the hole in wall rose?" He asked bitterly. Mikasa growled.

"No, it was just a scratch." She said quickly. Jean spun towards her.

'It's not just a scratch! Mikasa, that cut looks deep, if Eren decides to turn titan and attack us, what then?!" He turned to Eren. "I want to know, what are we fighting for? We're paying with our lives to protect you, so I want to know, what the hell are we fighting for!?"

Mikasa stepped in. "We're fighting because those are our orders- Mikasa, Not everyone here is like you, we don't want to die for Eren without a cause." Jean cut her off. She looked down in defeat. Eren looked around, unsure of what to say. He gulped.

"I, I heard that I did attack Mikasa, I guess it's true, but I have no memory of it, all I remember is carrying that boulder to seal the hole." Eren sounded like he was sorry he was such a screwup for hurting the dark haired girl.

Jean scoffed. "You don't even know what you're doing in your titan state, I want to fight, but you need to give us something worth fighting for, Eren, how much can you give us back, how much can we trust you?" Jean was holding Eren by the front of his shirt now, his face inches away from Eren's. Mikasa looked about ready to pound him into a bloody pulp. I have noticed, with curiosity, that Mikasa was overprotective of Eren, while Armin usually hid in the shadows.

"I don't know, how much I can give you, but…I will try my best to protect you." Eren said drastically, his fists clenching. Jean let go.

"That's enough for us, We're counting on you, some of us will die for you, so don't screw this up dammit."

Eren looked around at us, His eyes swept across all our faces with determination. "I won't." He replied softly.

"All right, we should hurry up outside." Jean stated. Armin nodded and picked his own tanks. We headed outside. The horses were lined up neatly by the stables. I could see other members of the scouting legion securing the saddles tightly before hopping on them.

"The new members of the scouting legion, come get your new uniform." Erwin's voice carried over to us. He was standing in front of the building we immerged from, holding folded green cloth wear. He was smiling.

"All right!" Connie shouted while running towards the head commander, followed by the rest.

"Come on." Eren nudged me and I followed the trio to get what was presented to us. It was a hoodie fedora-like sleeveless sweater. Erwin held my gaze as I took one from his outstretched hands. My thoughts returned to that time when Hanji's titans were killed.

'Who do you think is the enemy' He had said to Eren. He had entrusted me with his trust as well. He was as intimidating as Levi, in a quiet sort of way. I broke away from his gaze as I pulled the material over my head. I fumbled around until my head popped up from the hoodies hole. I jumped back when Levi's bored face appeared in front of me.

"There you are, I would think a pink head would stand out in all these masses, but you're hard to track down." I blinked as he pointed to his squad. "Go get Eren and meet with the others, I will meet with you shortly to give your orders." I muttered a yes, and walked to the spot where Levi's team resided at. I caught a glimpse of Levi standing next to Erwin. They were muttering things to each other. I wished I knew what they were saying, I didn't like how this was going.

Eren was standing with Armin and Mikasa, exchanging words. I caught up to them quickly.

"Hey, Levi wants us with his squad." I stated. Mikasa's eyes narrowed at me. I shivered, what was her problem? "Oh alright, I guess I'll see you guys later then." Eren said to the two. Mikasa took Eren's hands in her own.

"Be careful." She muttered with worry. Armin glanced at the two of us.

"Good luck Sakura, Eren, We will meet after the mission." He took both our hands and squeezed. My heart flipped. These people, were saying goodbye as if it were their last. Why? Was it so bad? When I departed from konoha for a mission, it was never like this. It was as if people were laying out flowers for our soon to come funeral. Armin let go and smiled.
"I know…that I will see you guys again." He bid farewell to Mikasa and ran off to his squad. Mikasa glanced at Eren and hugged him briefly, while muttering a bye to me before running off.

"Let's go." Eren stated. We walked towards Levi's squad. Petra and the rest were already seated on their horses. There were two left so Eren and I hopped on them with ease. I stroked the hair of the animal gently. I have ridden a horse before, in a mission to the land of tea. I found that I liked them, but riding them for too long made my butt sore.

"I say, this will be Eren and Sakura's first time on a scouting mission, hmm Petra's first time was horrible, she pissed herself at the sight of a titan close up." Oluo said grinning. Petra gasped.

"T-that's not true! I didn't!" Her cheeks were bright red as she glared at Oluo. The man laughed.

"Sure you did! I remember it as if it were yesterday!" Petra hissed at the old man to shut up.

Levi appeared from behind us on his own horse. "What's all the ruckus? We're about to depart, listen carefully to my orders, I take it you all remember the plan we layed out last night." My mouth nearly hit the floor. I went to sleep last night! They planned the whole mission without me. I groaned. "This will be the fifty seventh expedition beyond the walls, we're going to stay together as a group no matter what, no one leaves the circle, the other teams have the complex work to do, they're the ones that must alert us of nearby titans by shooting green smoke in the sky, be alert for that, You don't really have to do much but follow me, our goal is to safely make it to the forest." Levi's voice was smooth and strong. I could see Hanji shouting at her squad, and Erwin calmly speaking to his. The rest of the smaller squads were grouped together to review the plan. The plan…I was still unsure of what we were aiming for. "Sakura." Levi's voice brought me back to reality.

"Yes?" I said quickly. His eyes bore into mine.

"Pay attention, any mistakes can cost a life." I nodded in understanding.

"Um, Levi, What are we doing exactly, I mean, what is this mission for?" His stare penetrated through me.

"You'll know soon enough, don't concern yourself with that now, and if you're going to be a member of my squad then at least address to me as corporal." My heart fluttered at his words. He was pushing me to a professional distance. Well, I didn't care. He will always be clean freak and Sasuke clone to me. He was not my damn teacher, I only followed Kakashi sensei. Still, if being in his squad meant I could stay with Eren, then that was alright with me. After all, Eren was my only friend here.

"Okay…corporal." I muttered, almost in a bitter tone. He continued to stare at me, his expression held slight confusion.

"Well, it's time to go, remember to stay by my side." He ordered, and steered his horse forward. The other teams lined up behind us, while Erwin's team went ahead.

"Don't piss yourself Eren, Sakura, Ow!" Oluo yelped in pain as he bit his tongue. Petra glared daggers at him. I sighed.

"I most definitely won't!" I replied. The horses stride made me slightly bounce up and down. My pink locks flew wildly around my face with the air. Since I didn't wear my headband, my hair was becoming more loose. Perhaps I should have put it in a ponytail…I thought. I glanced at Eren. He had a thoughtful expression. He had a lot on his shoulders…I felt for him. This mission was probably to test his abilities. It was the only thing I could possibly think of. Why the squad leaders were keeping quiet about it, who knew. The rest of the members looked as clueless as I did, but no one questioned the corporal. Once we got near the gate, we were engulfed in cheers from random townspeople. Rows of them were standing on either side of the town, shouting at Levi to kill the titans, to slaughter them. I Stared at the back of his head. He looked relaxed. For him to be praised this much, he must have been a hero for this village. A good asset. We made it past the crowd and moved through the gate that was opened for us. For a moment I was about to ask why we needed the horses, then I remembered why. These people weren't ninja. They couldn't just run to the forest like me in an open field when there were giant cannibals roaming around. Erwin shouted something incoherent that sent the other teams scattering on different directions. I panicked. I had forgotten what to do for a moment. Levi moved forward swiftly, his horse striding at a fast pace making his body move with the rhythm. I followed quickly, my own horse making me hold on to the saddle at the speed. We were the only team to move straight forward. The others separated in four different directions on either side of us. Petra caught my eye and she smiled, reassuring me it was going to be alright. I hated not knowing anything about this, information was always crucial for a ninja. I turned to face forward. We were in a circle, with Levi in front and the rest of us displayed in an oval-like pattern behind him. The horses ran at full speed while we rode them in silence. I heard a pop sound and stared at the direction it came from. A line of green smoke shone in the sky to our right.

"Titans already, heh, they're just begging to be killed by my hands." Oluo boasted loudly.

"We're not fighting titans unless it's necessary, and you're not getting off your horse under any circumstances." Levi shouted. Oluo slumped. The guy was too eager. I was a bit eager too. I wanted to see these beings that everyone was so afraid of. To the point where it drove them to hide behind giant walls. We rode in silence for around five minutes. Eldo and the others were starting to look weary. Another pop made my attention shift to the sky. It was a trail of red smoke.

"An emergency?" Petra stated while staring at the smoke. Levi's gaze lingered on it too.

"Someone must have gotten off their horse, Eldo go see what's wrong and help them." Levi sounded uncertain.

"Yes captain." The blonde man retreaded from the group and headed in the direction the smoke was coming from. Another pop, more red smoke engulfed the sky. Levi's face darkened.

"The formation is broken, idiots…couldn't do one thing." His voice was low but I heard his ramblings. My stomach clenched. Didn't that mean that they were attacked?

"Shouldn't we help them?" I asked frantically. "They could be dyeing." I turned to Petra and the others. They rode in silence. Only Eren had a confused and worried look.

"No, we have to get to the forest, just because some teams fell doesn't mean we have to go down with them, sometimes, in order to succeed sacrifices must be made." My mouth went agape. He couldn't be serious. But…no one was saying anything. There was nothing to be done but hope they weren't being eaten. It was depressing. The sky was full of smoke and the sound of firework guns setting off. After a while I could see the forest. We were almost there.

"Form a tighter circle, stay close to me." Levi instructed. We obeyed and ran at a faster pace. The forest was clear now, and there was the same path I came from when the old man helped me. I turned to Eren. Did he even know his dad was out here? What was the old man doing outside the walls anyway, with these beings up and about…We entered the forest. I was engulfed by the shadows the trees offered. The familiar smell of the forest returned to me. It was nostalgic. I noticed everyone was tense, especially Eren. No one knew what was going on…I gasped. Did Levi even know? I stared at his back, the symbol of the scouting legion, which consisted of blue and white wings shone proudly on his green hoodie. I had a feeling Levi didn't know. I met Eren's gaze. His blue orbs held confusion and…dread. We were probably thinking the same thing. We rode for another few minutes until the pops ceased all together. The silence was eerie. It made me wonder about the wellbeing of the other squads. I gripped the saddle. These weren't people from my world, but they were still people. I didn't want anyone to die. I

"Are we almost there?" Eren asked uneasily. He wasn't liking the situation.

"Shh Eren, Don't speak, just follow the corporals orders." Petra murmured. Her eyes were wide and filled with dread as well. She was scared. Her expression did nothing to ease my paranoia. Eren bit his lip nervously and turned back around. I continued to Stare at Levi. What was he thinking about. I would have given anything to read the Sasuke clones mind. We rode for another few minutes until I gave in. I had little patients.

"Where are we going?" I asked loudly. I couldn't take not knowing what was going on.

"We will meet with Erwin and Hanji's squads shortly in the middle of the forest, the other squads will stay behind and make sure no titans enter here." I frowned. We have been riding for well over twenty five minutes and still have not seen these beings that supposedly devoured the world. I looked around. I only saw trees, trees, and more trees. No titans. Where were they? Why were we even going to the middle anyway, to train? It was about Eren. They were going to use him for something but I couldn't figure out for sound of horse's hooves coming from my right startled me and I instantly snapped my attention to it. Eldo appeared, with a horror stricken face.

"Captain! There's an intelligent female titan heading this way!" He shouted. My breath caught in my throat.

"Intelligent?!" Petra shouted. Eren gasped and turned to Levi for an answer. He said nothing, he didn't even turn.

"Captain, what do we do!?" The usual arrogant Oluo didn't sound so boastful anymore. He was frightened.

"We keep moving, don't stop." Levi commanded. Eren grimaced.

"But corporal, it's going to catch up to us! It's fast! Armin's team is already gone, they didn't stand a chance against her, she keeps defending her neck!" Eldo yelled in fustration. Eren's eyes widened.

"Armin? Is he okay?!" He asked with extreme worry. Eldo nodded.

"He's fine, she's not killing to eat, she's killing to kill, She walked past Armin when he got off his horse, says the titan is looking for someone."

"That's crazy! It's aware of the weak spot in its neck?! How the hell are we going to take it down?!" Oluo shouted. He was losing it. Petra was breathing hard.

"Shut up! It won't catch up to us if we keep moving! Just don't stop!" Levi shouted. He too, sounded unsure and…angry. I knew it. Levi had no idea what was going on either, only that we had to get to the middle at all costs. The blind was leading the blind.

"But who is it looking for?!" Eren shouted. He was gripping the reins of the horse tightly. Was the titan looking for…Eren? My heart nearly flew out of my chest when I felt it. The floor beneath us shook slightly in a slow and steady rhythm. It was bad enough that everyone was panicking, but feeling the floor shake made me want to form a jutsu that could make me disappear from here forever. We all kept silent as the floor shook more and more. I could hear distinct thumping, like footsteps running towards us. Large footsteps.

"Captain!" Petra screamed in desperate need. I clenched my teeth. What was the asshole doing? He was the worst captain ever!

"Eldo! Buy us some time, try to slow it down! Everyone draw your blades! If you see it you will do so in a second" Levi shouted at the blonde man.

"Yes sir!" He stood on his horse, and, using his gear, he flew up and balanced himself in the air above us, with swords gripped tightly in his hands. He was ready to strike. Suddenly, everything seemed to be in slow motion. I could hear my heart beating against my chest as we all turned to the floating man above us. The footsteps grew louder…louder. My heart thumped within each second. I held my breath. Louder…floor gave one final shake.

SMACK! A giant skinless hand collided with Eldo and he was sent flying against a tree with a sickening snap. Blood splattered all over the air. I screamed. She was ginormous. A titan, looking much like a female with blonde hair and penetrating blue eyes ran with an outstretched hand towards us. Her body was skinless, with bone in some places. Her face was the only part that had skin, save for the top part over her eyes. I could have never prepared myself for this. I wanted nothing more than to abandon mission and hop away from tree to tree and never look back. This was a titan. It was no worse than a tailed demon, or a summoning. But this was different. This was a creepy, skinless, giant cannibal. I have never been up against a tailed beast, and will never be able to defeat one. I could do no different now. I gasped. Summoning. I could summon katsuyu! She wasn't the fighting type, she was a healer. However, her acid could be more than enough. It was all we had but, these people will not understand how I could make a giant slug appear out of nowhere. Will they see Katsuyu and I as a threat…

"Captain! It's getting closer, it will catch up to us! Let's switch to the gear!" Petra shouted. I could see the shadow the giant hand was casting. She could snatch one of us any second. She skidded around us, breaking trees in the process. Eren screamed.

"Keep moving! It will be alright!" Levi Shouted while looking up at the sky. Petra wasn't convinced. She looked just about ready to have a mental breakdown.

"Shit! It's after Eren isn't it!? We came here to attract this thing here with this punk and now we're going to die!" Oluo shouted in dread. He was losing it. Eren looked back in horror.

"Is that true corporal?! What is going on here?!" Petra yelled. He said nothing. A random person suddenly appeared by the titans side.

"Reinforcements from the rear?!" Petra shouted. The man twisted in midair, using the gear to gain speed and moved in for the kill. It didn't work. She grabbed the wires and flung them into a tree, squashing the man with her shoulder into a bloody pulp. He died screaming. Another man showed up and sped towards her only to suffer the same fate. The titan grabbed the wires and pulled him in, grabbing the man in her hand and squishing him, muffling his screams. More blood graced the sky.

"Captain! Your orders!" Petra screamed. She was shaking.

"Let's kill it! It will catch up to us at this rate! We kill it now!"

"Captain!"

"Levi!" Everyone was shouting now, even me. I was panicking. This thing was going to squish me in its hand like that poor guy!

"Everyone cover your ears." Levi instructed. We obeyed. He took out a gun and pointed it up. He pulled the trigger. I heard a pop that made my ears ring.

"A smoke grenade?!" Eren asked. Levi looked back.

"What is your job? To let your feelings take over like they are now? No its not. This squads mission is to keep the brat from getting a single scratch, even if it costs our lives."

Mike entered the circle, his face grim as he rode. More and more people were showing up. "We keep going no matter what, we don't stop no matter what, got it?" Levi's voice was even and relaxed. He didn't look even a bit scared.

"Roger!" Petra shouted. Eren gasped in disbelief.

"We keep going?! For how long?! And its right behind us…" He was cut off by the sudden appearance of new reinforcements. "The reinforcements! Quick, if we don't help, they'll be wiped out!"

"Eren! Eyes on the road! Stay at top speed and don't look back!" The other squad members yelled at him.

"That's right! Obey the captain's orders!"

"I don't understand why we're leaving them to die! Or why he wont explain! Why?!"

"That's because the captain decided not to tell us of the mission, you don't understand because you're new!" Oluo butted in.

"Why? If squad levi doesn't defeat it then who will?!" He responded stubbornly. I wanted this to end. Someone screamed. We turned back to see a man being crushed against a tree by the titans hand.

"He died! And maybe we could of saved him!" Eren yelled frantically. He was breaking down.

"Eren! Eyes back on the road!" Petra shouted angrily.

"Are you telling me to look away?! To abandon my comrades and run?!" Eren spat. He was seething with anger and helplessness. "Listen! I can take it down! All I have to do is transform!" He held his hand to his mouth.

"What are you doing eren?! Your only supposed to do that if your life is in danger! You promised us!

"If you go berserk I will not hesitate to kill you on the spot, just trust my orders." Levi spoke to Eren in a serious tone. Eren stopped.

"But if I don't it will catch up to us! I can protect you!"

"Eren! Trust your friends! We chose to trust you, so return the favor by trusting us, we will protect you!" Petra stated while looking at the boy with wide honey eyes. Eren was having a battle in his head. To turn or not to turn.

"But…" He started.

"If you're going to do it then do it, you can't achieve something without sacrifice, just make sure that if you choose to do it, you have no regrets, I can tell, he is a real monster, no matter what you say to him, no matter what cage you put him in, he will never submit to anyone." Levi said, giving in to the prospect of letting Eren turn. Oluo nodded at him. Eren lowered his hand. "Eren, the difference between you and I is experience, but you don't have to rely on that, choose, believe in yourself, or believe in the survey corps and me, I don't know and never have, I believe in my abilities, or the choices in the companions I trust, but no one ever knows how it will turn out."

I was almost hypnotized by Levi's speech. Eren put his hand down completely.

"Have faith in us." Petra whispered. Eren shook.

"You're taking too long! What is your choice?!" Levi shouted. Eren's eyes watered as if he might cry. His chin wrinkled.

"I will go forward!" He shouted. I looked back at the advancing titan. We might all die. That thing might stomp us all flat. But even so…They put their trust in Levi. I bit my lip, my eyes getting watery too. People were dying left and right, and still, this squad chose to go on. I…Had to do something. Even if it meant destroying the trust they had in me. Their trust in each other mattered so much more. I will kill the titan I thought. I lifted my finger up to bite it and summon Katsuyu when an eruption exploded out of nowhere. We all jumped in surprise as Erwin and Hanji shouted at their squads. Smoke engulfed the thing. We kept riding.

"They did it...Don t stop, keep going, mike, you take the lead, I'm going to assist them, don't stop under any circumstances until you get to the middle, understood?" Mike muttered a yes and sped in front of us. I watched Levi as he lowered to Eren's level. "Once you gain a good distance away from the titan, hide Eren and keep a good watch on Sakura." He sped off. I could see the female titan was bound by multiple wires as the survey corps surrounded her. She held her hands over her neck.

"They don't intend to take that titan alive do they?" Eren asked.

"We caught a titan, see Eren? This is the power of the survey corps! Don't underestimate us fool!" Oluo boasted proudly. Petra smiled.

"Yes!" Eren shouted in relief. I stayed silent. It was too easy…It couldn't have been over that quick.

"Are you okay Sakura, you look pale." Eren commented. I nodded my head. I couldn't shake a bad feeling off. My heart was still pounding from the experience.

"Y-yes…I'm just in shock, I have never seen a titan up close before…" I responded shakily. That was one of the beings that ate half of this world's population.

"Huh? But didn't your village get attacked?" Oluo asked suspiciously. I stayed silent, too out of it to process what he was getting at.

"Leave her alone, she's in shock." Petra defended me. I shuddered. This was too soon. I looked back at the titans shrinking form. I almost gave myself up. I was just lucky I wasn't quick about the summoning attempt. Mike steered us forward, our horses hooves pounded with each stride. Levi's words came back to me. You never really do know what's going to happen. What would have happened if I did the summoning…Bit my finger. I didn't know, and I hoped I wouldn't have to find out. We had to hide Eren for now, I could pounder about my problems some other time. We rode while cheering for victory the rest of the way. Our fear long forgotten.