Huntress

Summary: Bonding was sacred, a secret hidden from those outside the clan. The last of her clan, Diana never believed she would find her Bonded, never thought she even had one, until she enlists in the military and meets a stubborn boy who wants nothing more than to live a cushiony life in the interior. This wasn't in her plans at all.

Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki No Kyojin or anything mentioned in this fic besides my OC, Diana.

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Chapter 1: First Day Friends

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"What did the rest of the Titans look like?" Connie asked eagerly, settling down in front of Eren. A flashback of his mother being eaten caused Eren to hold a hand over his mouth, his shoulders trying to heave as the thought made him sick to his stomach. He felt cornered, seeing a crowd of cadets gathered around where he sat.

"Oi, leave him alone. Your questions probably drew up some bad memories," a voice scolded and Eren turned to see who his defender was, blinking in surprise.

The one who spoke up was a rather pretty petite girl with vivid green eyes and dark red hair, pulled back in a tight bun at the top of her head. Her green eyes were dark enough to remind him of the leaves of his favorite tree in Shiganshina, where he used to rest with Mikasa. There was something in them that made him pause, something in her eyes that made him realize that she understood. She'd seen what the Titans could do, just how horrible they were, and she didn't appreciate the cadets questioning him about it without knowing what memories they were dredging up.

"She's right…. Guys, come on, let's leave him to his food," Marco coaxed, a guilty look on his face as the crowd around Eren's table dispersed, everyone going to their tables for dinner.

"Next time, just tell them to leave before you start getting uncomfortable," she advised as the crowd left, turning to leave the Mess Hall.

"Wait!" Eren called, seeing her pause and look back at him. "Do you want to come sit with me?"

She considered it for a moment, her green eyes flickering over Armin and Mikasa, who joined Eren at the table, Mikasa next to him and Armin across from him. "Sure, why not?" Moving over to them, she sat down beside Armin, glancing at him curiously when he stared at her, his big blue eyes wide and his pale cheeks flushed red. "Umm, is there something wrong?"

"You're very pretty!" Armin blurted out, causing her to blink, surprised by the compliment.

"Ah, thank you…?" she trailed off, wordlessly asking for his name.

"A-ah Armin Arlert," he introduced, blushing in embarrassment as he fixed his gaze on the table.

"I'm Eren Jeager and this is Mikasa Ackerman," Eren introduced, gesturing to himself and then Mikasa, who studied the girl with interested dark eyes.

"I'm Diana Deacon, nice to meet you three," she smiled at them, nodding politely.

"How old are you?" Mikasa asked, speaking up for the first time.

"Fifteen, what about you?"

"We're all fifteen," Eren answered for her, taking a bite of his soup. The sick feeling was leaving so his appetite was coming back. "Where are you from?"

"The Utopia District," Diana answered, leaning back comfortably in her seat. "I already know you're all from Shiganshina. It's all everyone's talking about really. Eventually, they'll probably stop. What branch are you aiming for when you all graduate?"

"I'm aiming for the Survey Corps," Eren replied with a grin.

"I will follow Eren," Mikasa answered simply.

"I… I don't want to be separated from Mikasa or Eren so I'll probably join with them," Armin frowned, concerned by the prospect of being separated from his friends.

"Well, I guess I'll be working with you then because I'm hoping for the Survey Corps as well," Diana grinned, her grin matching Eren's as her dark green eyes gained an excited gleam. "I want to see what's out there, beyond the Walls."

Eren's grin widened at her answer and Armin smiled widely, his eyes brightening as he realized they found another person like them, someone who wanted to go outside the Walls as well. Mikasa merely watched, cautious of the girl who they'd only known for a night. She didn't mind her company but if she hurt Armin or Eren, then she would pay dearly.

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That night, Diana discovered that her bunk was situated under Mikasa's. It was a small bunk but still large enough for her to stretch out and still have some room between her toes and the end of it. The quiet conversation of the other girls saying their goodnights filled her sensitive ears as she changed out of her uniform and into a pair of baggy black pants with a light grey hoodie, crawling into bed and curling up under the covers.

"Goodnight, Mikasa," Diana whispered quietly, hearing everyone settle down for the night. Above her, her sensitive ears picked up the soft voice of Mikasa.

"Goodnight, Diana," she murmured so softly that Diana wouldn't have been able to hear it without her hypersensitive hearing. Relaxing, Diana allowed the soft sound of deep, even breathing from the other resting girls to lull her into sleep.

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"You are mine, little Princess, mind, body, and soul, to do with as I please…"

Diana's dark green eyes snapped open, the only sign of her awakening as she stilled, not moving from her resting place on her bunk under her covers. Suddenly, the covers seemed too warm and she shoved them off, feeling the cool air brush against her heated body as she pushed herself out of her bunk, leaving the cabin and slipping into the girl's bathrooms.

Stopping in front of one of the mirrors over one of the sinks, Diana stared at her reflection, distantly realizing that her body was trembling, shaking with a combination of fear and disgust. Her dark green eyes were feverish, darting about frantically, and her tanned skin had a sickly tint to it as she braced her hands against the sink, feeling them shake uncontrollably. Her eyes closed tightly as a shiver crawled up her spine, the feeling of someone's hands crawling all over her making her shudder in disgust. God, she couldn't get his hands off her, couldn't get the feeling to stop, couldn't get his deep, smooth voice out of her head, the voice that haunted her constantly.

Finally, she couldn't take it.

"Just stop it!" she demanded quietly, not wanting to wake anyone up for her little episode as she drew her fist back and slammed it into the mirror, shattering it completely. Lowering her hand, she stared at it dazedly, seeing the large shards of glass that cut into her skin but feeling no pain.

Diana sighed, reaching for her injured hand and slowly ripping out each shard, feeling no pain as more blood gushed out, soaking her hand completely. Once she had removed all the shards of glass, she cleaned up the bathroom, cleaning up all the glass and throwing it in the trash. She ripped a long strip of cotton off of her white tank top underneath her hoodie, binding her injured hand to stop the bleeding.

"I still have a few hours until breakfast," Diana observed quietly, stepping outside to see the dark sky. Shaking her head, she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep the rest of the night so she moved towards the woods, picking out a spot deep in the forest. Runs always made her feel better after an episode.

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Word Count of Chapter: 1,286