Power to Strive

Response

Disclaimer: I do not own Attack on Titan or this story.

Previously: The group concurs the Colossal Titan Shifter is in the military and the attack was executed while the Scouts were away. Candy sings.

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"I'll ask one more time! Just what are you really?!" Weilman screamed.

"I'm human!" Eren yelled back.

Armin and Mikasa watched, tension clear on their faces.

"I see." Weilman's arm began to rise. "Don't take this personally."

"Now why am I not surprised?" Petra rolled her eyes. "He just saw Eren transform, what makes him think he can't do it again?" Or that it might piss him off that he was being cooperative yet still being shot at thus pushing him into attacking instead of only defending?

"You're overestimating the idiot's intelligence," Levi said.

On the other side of the Wall, things were much more peaceful.

"Marco, I can't do this anymore. I can't fight Titans anymore!" Daz cried.

"What's gotten into you?" Marco questioned.

"My friends got eaten right in front of me! My friends got killed, yet I didn't feel any sadness or hate at all!"

A few feet over, Sasha sat, head down, with a plate full of loaves of bread. Untouched.

"Wow, you must really not be feeling well," Hange said, getting several nods in agreement.

"Deep down, I just felt glad it wasn't me!"

Sasha was listening, shaken.

"But it's my turn next." Daz clutched his head. "I've realized what our job is! It's basically fighting and fighting until we eventually get eaten!"A cart with five injured and mutilated soldiers was passing by on the street. "Well, screw that!" He reached for his blade. "I'd rather end things—"

"But you already survived!" Eren couldn't understand the logic of surviving, then killing yourself so you wouldn't have to die. His death wasn't a guarantee. And the longer you survived, the better your chances were.

"Stop!" Marco grabbed him. "Pull yourself together! You aren't the only one, you know! We're all fighting back fear! Just look at Sasha! Even after what she went through, she's still an upstanding soldier!"

Sasha cried out suddenly. "Um, my stomach hurts. Could you please consider me one of the wounded?"

Daz tried to pull out his sword again. "I can't go on!"

The viewers laughed. They knew they shouldn't but they couldn't help themselves.

"I can't believe you did that," Hange said, laughing.

Armin smiled. "Poor Marco, he was trying so hard."

"Stop! Stop it!"