𝗦𝗨𝗡𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗘𝗦 𝗧𝗢 𝗦𝗨𝗡𝗦𝗘𝗧𝗦 | 𝙀. 𝙔𝙀𝘼𝙂𝙀𝙍

𝐬𝐢𝐱

It's been around two years since I've joined the Cadet Corps and the boys' voices grew deeper and their bodies rose taller, all while the girls grew into their bodies more- looking more like women than the kids they were when they first joined.

After that day I was reunited with Eren and the others, we immediately caught up the next day. I told them about how I found my family that day and how I blacked out, then I told them about Leria and Roger adopting me. I ignored their pitting gazes as I tried my best to sugar coat what those titans did to my family.

We sat in a circle, our voices hushed and quiet on the field of the now-empty training grounds. That day was an orientation of sorts, we didn't go straight into anything, rather we just learned what we'll be doing for the next three years.

After I told them about how Roger trained me, not mentioning that depressive state it led me out of, Armin began to tell me about what happened to them. Eren and Mikasa grew tense when he spoke about a Titan eating Mrs. Yaeger and how she was trapped under their house. Silent tears dripped down my face at hearing this. Mrs. Yaeger was like a second mom to me; she always let me come over whenever I wanted, always said I was welcomed there.

I gripped Eren's hand from beside me when a haunted look was on his face. Bloodlust and utter hatred showed clear in his big eyes as he stared off into the fading sun.

I smiled slightly when Armin mentioned that Hannes saved Eren and Mikasa that day- at least something I did help. At least I saved someone.

We walked back to the mess hall that day, feeling closer than ever. I didn't feel as left out as I did the day before, now that I knew the trauma they went through. We acted like a single unit again: walking to all our meals together, sitting at the same table- unless I sat with Connie and the others, which I did regularly, and trained together. I helped Eren practice all night, along with Reiner and Bertholdt, so he wouldn't fall upside-down every time he used the ODM gear. It took all that I had to not laugh every time he failed. Seeing him angry was just amusing to me, but I knew if I laughed at him like I wanted to, he'd put me six feet under without hesitation. No one dared to mock him, well at least until I told Jean to knock it off that one day.

Today, after many tiresome months of getting familiar with using the ODM gear, we were having a final competition of sorts to grade us on our abilities. The main objective of the challenge was to kill as many "titans" as you could in the fastest time with your partner. I made Jean partner up with me when Mikasa made Eren go with her, much to my dismay, and Armin was out for a week due to sprained wrist from tripping over air.

Everyone was confused when I asked Jean, well except for Eren, he was just bitter about the whole thing. I found it normal that people didn't want to be with Jean due to his strong personality but I was fine with it; I always had a comeback to his snarky comments and I could always pull him down from his high horse, and he was the best- right after me of course- with maneuvering ODM gear. Like hello people, I'm just trying to think smart here. The rumor was that Shadis would give a week off running laps to the winner, so I sure as hell wanted to win.

We were shown the course laid out for us and Shadis gave everyone two minutes to come up with a plan. I could feel Eren's glaring eyes burning holes into Jean and I's backs every few seconds, which I found confusing given he didn't even make an attempt to ask me, my partner. Once again he chose Mikasa and that feeling I got on the first day here was slowly returning back.

"Don't go sulking on me now, L/n," Jean said, noting my piss-poor expression. I rolled my eyes and shoved him to the side.

"Shut it, Kirstein."

We spent the remaining time after finalizing our plan playing a slapping game with our hands. It was a way to keep my hands busy from shaking with nerves. I didn't even know why I was nervous, we had this thing in the bag. Even with Mikasa's insanely fast speed, my power and agility along with Jean's maneuvering skill would definitely place us at first.