"Dedicate your hearts!"
Taryn raised her fist to form a firm salute, her gaze determined and unwavering. In front of them stood Instructor Shadis with his lined face set into a permanent glare as usual. His eyes raked over them, surveying them for one last time before they all go their separate ways.
In the end, two hundred and eighteen trainees managed to hang on until graduation, with Taryn fortunately being one of them. She could finally let out a sigh of relief as she stood with the others, proud of herself for reaching the end. Admittedly, it had been tough, but in the end she managed to pull through the obstacles and come out as someone stronger and wiser than before.
"Today, you trainee graduates will be given three choices. You can join the Garrison, protecting towns and reinforcing the walls," Instructor Shadis began to say. She had considered joining Garrison before, as it also seemed like a very good option.
"The Survey Corps, who risk their lives beyond the walls in Titan territory," At this, she heard some of the others mutter about how only the crazy ones would join the Scouts. She didn't necessarily agree with them, but she wasn't willing to join the regiment either.
"Or the Military Police, who serve the King, lead the people and protect the internal order. Of course, only the top ten students, whose names I just announced can join the Military Police."
Her attention turned to the ten students stood behind him, their faces triumphant and eager to serve. Taryn and the rest of the crowd stared up at them in awe, admiring the way they looked so powerful together.
She caught Jean's eyes, flashing him a bright smile as she silently cheered for him below. He smiled back, mouthing something like 'I wish you were here' as he looked down at her from above.
She felt sad—no, she felt terrible that she hadn't been able to make it as one of the Top Ten. Not only did that make joining the Military Police harder to achieve, it also meant that she had to go through another two years of gaining experience from other regiments, before finally being able to transfer to the interior. And with the delay, she feared that she wouldn't be able to get her father proper medical care before his condition starts to worsen, only adding to the number of things bothering her at the moment.
She dejectedly cast her eyes down at the ground, the feeling of regret outweighing that of happiness. She tried her best, she truly did—it's just that her best hadn't been enough.
Sighing, she rid her head of the thoughts, telling herself to enjoy the night and worry about those things later. She spotted Sasha and Connie standing proudly next to each other, the both of them trying hard not to laugh during such a serious moment. Chuckling, she sent them a small wave, to which they eagerly returned with a grin.
"Soon, I'll be asking you which branch you want to be assigned to," The instructor continued, and Taryn swore she could see a hint of sadness in his eyes. "But as of right now, the 104th Cadet Corps is officially disbanded! Dismissed!"
And with that, the 104th Cadet Corps cheered, celebrating the day they finally get to go on their separate ways. Whether or not this was the end or just the start of something new, they didn't know.
...
"Lucky bastards, making the top ten!"
"I'm sure you're gonna join the Military Police Brigade, right?" One of the trainees asked, their tone laced with envy. Taryn flicked her eyes from between them to the boy in front of her, waiting to see how this would turn out.
Jean raised a brow, lazily looking over his shoulder to smirk at the particular person. "That goes without saying! Why else would I have aimed to crack the Top Ten?"
YOU ARE READING
hopeless | jean kirstein
Fanfiction"Mikasa's too in love with Eren, and the blockhead's too busy getting himself killed to even notice," He sighed, gazing up at the night sky. Turning his head, he faced her with a wistful smile. "I guess we're hopeless, aren't we?" "Yeah," She replie...
