Content Warnings:

•Season 3/4 Spoilers
•Strong Language
•Narcissism
•Violence
•Needles
•Blood

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Flashback

Several questions had been pestering your mind lately and there was no relief other than asking to get them out of the way. After hanging out with your brother for a half hour, you finally built up the courage to open your mouth about them. "Quincy?" You spoke quietly, not sounding very confident in yourself. "Hm?" The older boy hummed as he read a book on his bed. "Can I ask you something?" You twiddled your fingers, sitting on the floor beside him. "Mhmm." He hummed again, flipping to the next page. Taking a deep breath, you decided to go through with the question, realizing it wouldn't hurt to ask. "What was mom like?" Just as you had suspected, the room fell more silent than it already was. Quincy had paused mid-sentence, finger still underlining his spot, eventually turning to face you. Before you could repeat the question, he spoke up instead. "I have to check on the dog." He mumbled, climbing off the bed and dashed down the hall.

Why won't anyone answer?

You sat in your brother's room for a moment longer before getting up, looking for your father. You found the man downstairs in the shop's storage room, reading a list to himself. "Dad?" You called out, standing in the doorway. "Twenty-seven, twenty-eight... hm? What is it, (nickname)? Twenty-nine..." He continued on with his current task, barely paying you any mind. "I wanted to know-" You began but immediately got cut off. "Oh no, we're not having the talk, are we?" Your father turned to look down at you with big eyes. "Wha-?! N-No! Dad!" You rolled your eyes, mortified. "Oh, good, just checking." Your father sighed and went back to his list.

"I said... I wanted to ask you about mom." You said quietly, already feeling like he wouldn't answer. "Shoot, sorry, kid, I gotta run out and make this delivery." Your father dropped his list, then, quickly gathered crates to take outside. "Hey, I'll be back this evening, so Quince will take you to that- um..." He stopped to try and remember the name. "Yeah, okay." You mumbled and turned to leave. "To see Tamara and your friends! The... the Girls Home!" He shouted when he finally remembered but you were already halfway up the stairs. When you reached the top, Quincy was standing there. "Hey, time to go to your 'I don't have a mommy' daycare." The lighter-haired boy brushed past you to head downstairs. "Don't call it that." You sighed and went back down again. The boy only shrugged and opened the front door, ready to step out. "And I can walk myself, thank you very much." You went straight out the door. "But dad sai-" Quincy tried to intervene but you cut him short. "Don't care." You were off to another day with the devil.

"This is taking forever!" You exasperated, dropping your fabric and sewing needle on the floor. "Chin up, Y/n, sewing requires a lot of patience. Your dress already looks lovely." Your strawberry-blonde replacement "mother" encouraged you with a sickeningly "sweet" smile. Only in public, she tried to make herself look good. "It looks like garbage." You made a face, defeated as you held up the sloppy work. You were pretty sure you sewed the skirt inside-out and didn't properly stitch a seam. All of that came true. All of your hard work had come undone. "I give up." You muttered, getting up from the floor when Tamara grabbed your arm. "Y/n, your stitches are too loose, see?" She pointed at the mangled thread. "And?" You raised a brow, not knowing anything about sewing. "They have to be close and consistent, otherwise it'll tear or fall apart if it's too tight or too loose." She showed you her own piece that was perfect.

You eventually sat down again, not fully wanting to attempt another horrible piece but you did anyway. You already convinced yourself you were no good at dainty activities so you hardly had the motivation to try and make it decent. Your lack of interest clearly showed on your fabric, the design still poor quality but better than your first attempt.

Later that day, before you left, you got pulled aside by Tamara while the other girls left to go home. Confused, you looked up at the woman, who wouldn't speak until everyone was gone. "If you want to be liked and participate, you need to put in the effort. Otherwise, you're useless being here and wasting space." She threatened, which left you not very surprised. You blinked once, already knowing how you would respond. You didn't. You tugged your arm out of her grasp and walked on home, trying your best to contain your anger. She was always like this when people weren't around. She was a terrible person who only belittled you, yet, no one believed you. Tamara was just that good at making others think poorly of you.

Flashback End

With years and years of sewing practice, you still managed to suck at/improve the practice. That night when you return to your base, you snoop around for a needle and some type of thread. You never liked to bother people since you always felt like a nuisance, hence, why you decided to fix yourself up instead. Finding alcohol to sterilize the wound and supplies was a bit of a task but you manage, eventually sitting down in a separate room to begin stitching yourself up after removing your shirt.

Unfortunately/fortunately, with your right arm being wounded, it makes it a lot (more) difficult/easier since you're left/right-handed. You thread the needle, tying a minuscule knot, then, begin poking at your skin. Thankfully, after pouring some of the alcohol on your arm, the sting seemed to numb it a bit so the process wasn't as bothersome as you had previously thought. Even though your stitches are not the best nor sanitary enough to pass as safe, you would survive, considering you've dealt worse.

Not even halfway through, you feel a tickle in your throat, causing you to cough a bit which turns into a whole fit of not being able to breathe. What is this and why did it happen so suddenly? Dropping the crimson-stained needle, hanging from your arm, you hold your throat, confused on what has gotten into you. It reminds you of Kenny's soldier who choked you out and failed but the feeling is... different this time. Looking up towards the ceiling, you realize it is gone, completely black. In a panic, your eyes fall back to their normal level, widening when they see dark smoke filling the entire room or what used to be of it. Your skin is hot and reddening from whatever irritant, terrifying you even more.

Before you can lose consciousness, you hear the door creak open, followed by someone entering. "Oh- cadet, what are you doing in here?" The person asks, causing you to lift your head up. "Section Commander Hange-" You gasp once air has penetrated your lungs again. Dropping your bloody hand from your neck, you stumble over yourself a bit. "Oh- um... sorry, I was... doing this." You gesture to your injured arm. Their right eye trails from your face and down to your arm, striding over to further inspect the damage. "Ooh... I see." They crouch down on the floor, looking over the supplies you gathered. "Sorry for being and looking very unprofessional." You chuckle awkwardly, feeling a bit embarrassed they walked in on you in just your pants and brassiere. "No worries, your arm is more important than uniform." The brunette stands back up. "Let me grab some better supplies and fix this myself." Section Commander Hange quickly leaves the room.

Thankfully, they were kind enough to properly stitch your arm with minimal pain, even though it still hurt a bit, it was nothing to cry over. You've dealt worse, you kept reminding yourself. Luckily, they paid no mind to the previous scarring on your arm from your ODM Gear accident a few years prior. With the stitches, you'll be adding to your collection. Wrapping your forehead and arm carefully, they leave you once more after thanking them multiple times for the generosity. There may be much fewer of you now but they're all so helpful to each other, sticking close together with what and who they have left. You know you made the right choice joining this regiment. However, you still want to know why you saw so much smoke and could hardly breathe. Who died and was trying to come through to you?
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After uncovering the truth about this world in Eren's basement, the next course of action is how to move forward with all this information. Currently in a meeting, Commander Hange gets ready to present the newly discovered truths to the Premier of the Regiments, Dhalis Zachary. "The early life of Grisha Yeager. The Extent of Our Knowledge of Titans and Their History. Information About the World Beyond the Walls. The only people who know about the existence of these books are those in this very room. These were gained by the efforts of the ten living Scouts and the 199 others who are not here today. Today, and in the Queen's presence, I would like to assess our situation and establish an agreement in terms of our course of action. Scout Regiment Commander Hange Zoë." The Premier declares.

"Sir." Commander Hange stands up from their seat. "The Scouts have lost a great deal, including Erwin Smith. But in exchange for the many heroes that we lost, we have retaken Wall Maria and stolen the Colossal Titan's powers. However, humanity that lives within the Walls remains in a precarious situation. It would be a relief were Titans the only monsters we had for enemies. However, the true identity of the enemies we've been fighting are humans. A civilization. You could even say the world. According to these, we're a special race called Subjects of Ymir who can turn into Titans. There's also a belief that we may rule the world again. That's why the world wishes to eradicate us Subjects of Ymir for good." They explain thoroughly.

"Mr. Yeager later achieved his mission and entrusted the Founding Titan to his son Eren. In order to wield the Founding Titan's full power, it must be possessed by someone with royal blood. However, even if that person possesses the Founding Titan, they're enslaved by the King's ideals, which only leads them down the path to humanity's downfall. That is the vow renouncing war. However, Eren was able to control Pure Titans in the past to escape a dire situation. So it must be possible even without royal blood for Eren to wield that power as well." Commander Hange pauses.

"It can't be!" Eren suddenly shouts, standing up from his seat. Slightly startled, you look up at Eren's back, seeing Commander Hange turn around. "You scared me. What was that about?" They ask quietly. "U-Uh... I..." Eren quickly thinks of an excuse. "Please continue, our Titan." The Premier speaks. "Its... nothing. Sorry for interrupting the meeting." Eren quickly apologizes, sitting back down. "Oh? I see... right. It would seem that he is having a phase of sorts. One where he acts up and randomly yells things." The Commander covers up for him. "Ah, I see. That's unfortunate. He's that age, I guess." Premier Zachary brushes it off.

"Our enemy is... the world. But if we announce this to the public, the Walls will crumble into chaos." A man from the Military Police argues. "That's right. We still haven't fully grasped the magnitude of this situation." Another MP pipes in. "Then, will we deceive the people again? You wish to follow the lead of King Reiss and ensure the people of the Walls stay domesticated and ignorant? If so, by what ideals did we rise to take the crown from King Reiss?" Commander of the Garrison, Dot Pyxis debates. "Let's announce it." Queen Historia decides, making the room silently gasp. "After all, we're just returning the memories King Reiss stole back to the people a century later. We all share the same fate as people of the Walls. We must unite as one and bring our entire strength together." She adds.
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As the meeting comes to a conclusion, you all stand to leave, exiting the large room in a line. Positioned in the back, you follow your squad out, walking through tall, white halls. Along the way, you catch a glimpse of someone from the corner of your eye, grabbing your full attention. Deciding to turn your head, your (color) eyes widen, recognizing the officer as your own brother. Stopping in place, you almost have to pinch yourself to realize that he is in fact real. "Tristan!" You exclaim, finally finding the sense of control to run towards him. Just as he hears his name, you already tackle his side, still in a bit of shock. "Woah-! Hey, is that you, (nickname)?" The elder brother raises a brow, trying to grasp the concept of your presence.

"So you really are a Scout, huh?" He ruffles the top of your hair (disregard if you don't have or show your hair). "First of all, thanks." You roll your eyes sarcastically, messing with him. "Second, I'm guessing you got letters from dad?" You wait for the answer. "Yeah, he figured he would since you've got plenty going on." He responds. "I'm proud of you, though. You retook Maria? Quincy is going to be super jealous." Your brother jokes, making you grin. "Definitely." You chuckle at the thought of Quincy acting jealous. "Oh! I meant to tell you they're promoting me to a Captain in a few weeks, no big deal." Tristan plays it cool but you freeze. "They are?!" You gasp, trying to keep your voice low. "Yeah, finally, right?" The taller man laughs, rubbing the back of his neck. "Tristan, this is huge news! Soon, you can even be the Commander!" You feel like a little kid over your excitement for your brother. "Well, Commander Nile would have to retire or step-down first but maybe." He nods.

"Wow... look, I hate to do this now but I better head back before my squad notices I'm gone. I'm so happy for you, though!" You feel bad for having to leave so soon. "No worries, I'll see you again soon, sis. Be careful out there!" Tristan smiles brightly, waving as you leave. "Thank you." You whisper, smile not fading anytime soon.

However, thinking no one noticed your short absence, when you rejoin your squad, Jean starts teasing you. "Who do you think you are, sneaking off like that?" He pesters, making you sigh. "Don't you remember, Jeany? I saw my brother, finally!" You look up/down/straight at him. "Oh, right." He nods, still messing with you. "So it wasn't a boy?" He pokes some more. "No, Jean. As much as you wanted it to be one, it was not some 'boy.'" Your bored tone finally gets him to quit teasing.

"All right, whatever. I mean, you are too masculine for a guy, anyway." You thought he was done. "Oh, I know." you shrug, not letting him get to you. You are painfully aware that he's doing it for the reaction from you. "I really thought you'd punch me for that one." The sandy-brunette comments, chuckling a bit. "No, I'm picking my battles because we're friends. Plus, I know you're pushing my buttons. You may not show it but I know you have a heart in there." You poke his chest. "And you remind me of my brother Quincy so I know how to handle your personality, fortunately." You shrug afterwards, strolling ahead to catch up with the others. Jean only takes a breath before walking again, following your squad back to the temporary Headquarters.
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Over the next few months, you find yourself eating dinner one evening with your comrades when Captain Levi casually slides an envelope in front of you. Slightly confused, you glance up at your Captain before moving your bowl to the side to open up the letter. Peeling it open, you examine its entirety before reading the actual note.

"Y/n,

I hope you're doing okay in the Scout Regiment so far. I hear that Shiganshina and Trost are close to being safe enough for refugees to return to their homes and I'm so proud of you for being a part of that. For as long as I can remember, I always knew you had something in you. Keep being my strong little sister and continue fighting for not only us but the rest of humanity.

Since you haven't been able to visit home in so long or see your best friend, I wanted to let you know that everyone loves and misses you. Which is why you're also the first person I'm telling this to but Miyuki and I will be getting married sometime in the future, although, we have not settled on an exact date yet. I'm sure you'll be running rampant when you read this, so I'll end it here.

I hope to see you again soon, (nickname).
Love you.

~Captain T"

You practically stop reading once you glaze over the word "married," immediately getting up from your seat to grasp this. "They're getting married?" You quietly ask yourself. The others at your table pause their conversations to look up at you quietly, waiting for you to say something. "They're getting married!" You eventually exclaim loud enough for them to hear. Your smile is definitely contagious as you almost trip out of your seat to bolt around the table and show your comrades the exact words in his writing. "See?! Look!" You point at the sentence, heart beating faster than you can count.

"Slow down, Y/n, who's getting married?" Jean questions, stifling a laugh at your ecstatic behavior. "My brother Tristan and my best friend's sister!" You answer, suddenly realizing something. "Oh my- Kat and I are going to be sisters." You say in a serious tone, eyes as big as teacups. "Who's Kat?" Conny then asks, raising a brow as he takes a scoop of soup. "My best friend, dummy! Weren't you listening?!" You joke, making him laugh. "Oh, right, sorry. I thought Jean was your best friend." He snickers. "Pft, I didn't think a horse considered me that." You chortle, causing the others to erupt in laughter. As much as you make fun of Jean, he feels the slightest bit amused this time, not letting it bother him too much. "Guess a horse will be rethinking that now." Jean responds.

Eventually, calming down enough to take your seat again, you keep your eyes glued to the letter, over the moon to know that finally, your brother is marrying Katsumi's sister. This is all you two have talked about since you were twelve-years-old and now its finally coming true. All kinds of "congratulations" make a round through the table, to which you thank them all for. One even comes from your Captain who passes by after subtly eavesdropping on the ruckus. Turning a bit to face him with your shining face, your smile grows as you show him your appreciation. "Thank you, Captain Levi." You turn back to face the others when he leaves the area again.

From what everyone painted him out to be before you officially joined his squad, he doesn't match their descriptions. Sure, he may come off as cold but he is a Captain who has to deal with tragedy on the daily, so its understandable. No one, no matter their power or ability, could be the exact same after all of that. In fact, you admire him just for that. Being able to continue forth without being on the brink of panic when worse comes to worse. He's a strong person, not only physically. You aspire to be the same for your family. You personally haven't had many interactions with him but from what you can tell, he's someone you can trust with your life based on his commanding.

Not only do you trust your Captain with your life but also all of your remaining comrades. As you've gotten much closer with them, they began to feel the same way towards you. You were like a big sister to them and they never took your teasing to heart. Considering you grew up with not only one but two older brothers, teasing is all you know and you never meant it in a hurtful way. Your comrades, especially Eren, always enjoy watching you pick on Jean but that is because he's the most ornery out of the squad so he deserves it sometimes. Really, he is a softie when he so chooses, though. As much as you miss your own family, you find plenty of comfort in your squad which acts as another family and that is definitely okay by you. You will gladly accept whoever and whatever you are given.
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A full year has passed since the attack on Trost and after a long six years since the Wall fell, Maria, along with Trost, and Shiganshina District, has allowed refugees to return to their homes. Along with that, the Scouts have been able to eliminate many Titans outside of the Walls with the newest contraption mounted to the top of the Wall, powerful enough to smash the napes of their necks. With this, the Scouts have the ability to go on expeditions outside of the Walls again for the first time in years. You never imagined you would be able to do such, thinking you would be continuing the fight just to retake Maria for years. Fortunately, that task was handled in only a matter of months.

A new day's sun rises and you saddle up your horse, (horse's name), to head outside the Walls for the very first time. You don't know what to expect, whether that be the scenery or what actually lies behind the Walls. Following your superiors on horseback, you relish in the fresh air as birds chirp overhead. The world is finally calm for once, as if nothing bad can ever happen in this temporary stillness. With a gentle breeze blowing past exposed skin, you wonder how long this will last, hoping it can be forever if you're lucky enough. Unfortunately, that all goes south when you see a red flare get fired ahead of you. "A Titan!" Jean exclaims, facing forward. "One showed up, huh? Be careful!" Conny scoffs, riding beside him. Slowing to a stop next to Sasha, she points out with her left hand. "Right there..." She murmurs. "Its not able to move?" Conny mumbles. "With a body like that... it tried to crawl to the Wall, little by little?" Sasha responds.

Quietly approaching, Eren dismounts his horse, nearing the Titan to place his hand on its forehead. "H-Hey!" Floch blurts out, visibly nervous about the situation. "It was shipped to Paradis. Its a fellow patriot." Eren says calmly, not fazed. "Let's go. We're close." He climbs back on top of his horse. You follow your comrades again, glancing over your shoulder for Floch who is still hesitant. "Hey! Is it okay to leave it here?! Shouldn't we kill it?!" The auburn male hollers, eventually jumping back on his own horse.

It isn't long before you come upon hills of sand, the wind sweeping it across the land under your horse's hooves as you gallop across. Eventually, this leads you to a decently-sized wall, seeming to block something. Riding along it, you make it to the other end, spotting a small slope, leading to the other side of the wall. Slowing down a bit to scale the hill, your eyes soon meet a large, bright blue, body of water. Standing on top of a cliff, you take in the breathtaking sight, realizing that this body of water is so big, it brushes against the horizon. You almost don't believe it to be true as you search for words to explain the beauty and your emotions about it. You can only imagine how you'll describe it to your family back inside of the Walls.

Everyone then rushes for the edge of the water, desperate to finally discover what this sea is really like. Jumping off your horse before he/she fully stops, you sprint towards the waves, tripping over yourself as you kick your boots off before finally crashing into the water. Sitting up on your knees, you look down at the crystal-clear water, scooping some up in your cupped hands, in forever awe. Deciding to investigate, you gently bring your hands up to sip the water, quickly spitting it right back out from the intense salty taste. You can never help the curiosity you have for life.

"My eyes!" You hear Sasha complain, rubbing her face with her balled-hands. Looking over to the side, you chuckle at Conny who splashed the brunette girl, laughing to himself. Jean then has the same idea and tries the water, spitting it all out as well. "Damn, its salty!" He yells. Getting up from the sandy bottom, you run over to shove Jean into the water with the help of Sasha and Conny. This is the first time you can genuinely let loose and forget about tragedy for a moment. It feels so reviving to laugh and live normally for once. Falling into the water with your comrades, your friends, a wave of water then laps over your heads, soaking you all completely.

Pushing yourself back up to wipe the salty water from your eyes, you laugh some more at their faces, eventually looking out beyond the sea. Scanning across the horizon, you abruptly pause on a particular spot, frozen still. Suddenly, a storm of visions sweep their way through your regular sight, blinding you. First, all you can see are towering flames, eventually, overthrown by two fighting Titans as they destroy countless buildings in their proximity. Screams and cries are heard all throughout, children and adults terrified as they run for their lives, desperate to escape the scene. The bloodcurdling shrieks echo deeply in your mind, causing your vision to start becoming patchy and blurry. Not knowing how to function any longer, you hardly notice your body begin to sway, the sea's waves roughly crashing into you as you stand still. The disorientation becomes too overbearing to the point you begin to double over, going limp.

Luckily, Commander Hange and Captain Levi notice you in time, catching either of your arms before you fall under the water and accidentally drown yourself. "Hey! Y/n, stay awake!" Commander Hange barks, scared. "Are you okay?!" Armin quickly asks when he notices you, voice laced with fear as he helps to drag you up the beach and back onto the sand. Sasha also notices and quickly jogs over, sitting beside you to help keep you sitting upright, just as worried as the others. "Y/n, what happened?" She asks a bit more calmly but still worried. "Water? Anyone?" Captain Levi whips his head around, spotting Mikasa as she rushes over with a canister. Captain Levi takes the can of water, holding it up to your mouth as they all help you take a drink, most of it spilling out the sides of your mouth anyway.

Eventually, your regular sight comes back, taking some time to fully restore itself as you still see spots of blurry vision. The confused and panicked voices of your comrades get louder and louder as your hearing is also restored as well, forgetting most of what had happened in the last few minutes. Slowly glazing around, you realize everyone surrounds you, looking frightened, even Captain Levi stares into your soul with a slightly quirked-brow. "Y/n... did you have a hallucination?" Armin speaks up when he realizes you finally came back to real life. "Yeah..." You hum with a slight rasp, still not fully aware of the situation. "No... I just got overwhelmed... with joy." You shake your head afterward, blinking excessively. "You scared us there for a moment, newbie." Jean sighs in relief, backing up to give you space. Simply nodding to hopefully downplay the situation, the others eventually follow along, backing up so you can fully wake up.

"Sorry for scaring you." You apologize to Armin after having more water to drink. "Hey, we're just glad you didn't drown in the water or something else." Armin waves it off. "Yeah." You nod a little, setting down the empty canister as you try to recall every detail you saw in your vision. Never before had you seen so much happen. It was honestly frightening to you. Why now, all of a sudden? What does this mean for the future? Not to mention, it was significantly draining, its no wonder you could hardly stand on your own two feet from the amount of energy it stole.
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Later that evening, your squad and Commander Hange ride back to the Walls, still overwhelmed and processing the day's events. As exhausted as you are, you can just barely manage to ride your own horse home but after some tough negotiating, Captain Levi allowed it. With Sasha riding beside you, you make it back to Trost just after sundown. Thankfully, the others left your sudden blackout outside the Walls, not pressing any further questions. They seemed to believe that you were genuinely overwhelmed by the sea, you lost consciousness for a few minutes.

While riding back to your headquarters, you don't realize your eyes shut for a moment too long, causing you to trail off just slightly behind Sasha. The second you get through the gates, you're knocked off your horse, striking the ground with your right shoulder. Hissing in pain, you grab your bruised arm and look up to see five Military Police officers surrounding you, anger seething through them. Incredibly confused, you look up at them, about to shout but one of them kicks you in the side of the head, just hard enough to knock you out. Then, they quickly throw a sack over your head, immediately dragging your doll-like body away.

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Words: 5,064

01/08/22
Hello, readers! Honestly, this would have been out a few days earlier but I've been so exhausted every night when I finally have time to write. Fortunately, I forced myself to finish since I was so close to the end of this chapter anyway so I hope you all enjoyed it! There's been a lot of drama in these chapters and its only beginning...

Also, this could be the last chapter for a few weeks as I've only got one more week left of break before I go back to school, unfortunately. *sad noises* But hopefully I'll be able to produce another before then because I love writing and these usually take me 5-7 days to write per chapter.

Anyway, I hope to see you in the next chapter!

~AlpineBreadStick