A / N (7 - 26 - 17): This is the original version of Caged No More started in 2012. I thought I'd post it in its entirety to show the differences between it and the new version. At the end I'll highlight upon those, along with notes. There are several.

Chapter One: Scrapes Of Humanity

Squad Leader Hange Zoe sat on a bench overlooking one of the many dying gardens of the Scouting Legion Headquarters. Neglect was something that came whether one wanted it to or not, and flowers were no exception. Nobody bothered to keep the aesthetics of the once decrepit castle alive, Commander Erwin only having prioritized the maintaining of the stones and pathways and nothing else. Hange was reading so vigorously that she didn't even look up when Captain Ines sat beside her, who glanced briefly at what she was reading. It didn't interest her as much as it should have.

"Have you taken a good look at this journal?" Hange asked, keeping a hand on the page as she closed it to turn her attention to the other woman. "It's quite interesting, with this here we've learned more about the Titans than in any previous engagements! Here, take a look at this section," she held the journal up, one finger resting on the start of one of its pages. The style in which the letters were written suggested that the writer, and presumably, the owner, had been female. "Read this paragraph."

Ines didn't want to say no to the overly enthusiastic woman and took the journal from her, starting where she'd instructed. The first line read:

the expedition had been smooth up until they started speaking, the Titans. It was a sound unlike anything I've ever heard, the sound of incomprehensible growls and groans. I'd thought nothing of it at the time, but now I'm having my doubts. After they finished speaking, all hell had broke n loose. The lines had crumbled and it was only myself and a handful of my men from the Left Wing who managed to -

She'd tried scrabbling the rest down hastily, the next few lines moist and unreadable from a stain except for the words run and escape. The next readable line was near the bottom, where she'd written:

Dead, all of them are dead now. Ines flipped to the next page: I'll rewrite what I've written in the previous pages here, in case something happened to those.

The first sentence started off, and everything from the first page had been recounted, in short, by the writer, taking a total of two pages of recap. She'd explained that she was in charge of the Left Wing during the 34th Expedition, that they'd been overrun, she and a handful escaping on horseback, back to the Wall. Their flight had been unsuccessful, all of them but her being killed along with their horses. The only reason she'd been able to survive was thanks to a stray horse that had collapsed on top of her, but in the process it had also damaged her 3-Dimensional Maneuver Gear, forcing her to abandon it. At the time, she'd said she believed to be heading northward, trying to find her way back to town, which Ines assumed to be Trost, given where Hange had first found it lying out in the field. As she continued reading, the writer, who said her name was Ilse Langner, seemed to be scribbling out of fear and desperation now, running for her life.

Ever since I joined the Scouting Legion I was prepared for this kind of situation, to face it. I'm a proud member of the Scouting Legion, the last hope of humanity, and I thought that I wasn't afraid to die, but now I... even if I give up, I won't go down without a fight. Even without my weapons, I can still fight! These notes- a long drawn out wavy scribble that went off the page, smeared by something that'd once been wet. The next lines were shaky and very light, as if her hand was trembling uncontrollably and it took all she had just to write the letters without them appearing as gibberish. I've... encountered one of them. Six Meter Class, didn't kill me right away... a Deviant? More wet spots. My last moments are here, this is it. And all I did in life was act selfish, not even doing anything for the people who raised me. Pathetic, how it's all going to end...

There were no more wet spots, but the words continued:

It's... talking. Ilse wrote, her writing becoming more solid and defined, less shaky as she seemed to calm down. A Titan's talking, unbelievable. It uttered meaningful words, not just incomprehensible grunts and groans like the others. I'm sure I heard it just say "Ymir's people", "Lord Ymir", and "Great". Its expression changed too and it's bowing down to me, a show of respect. I can't believe it...

It appears that she'd wiped a tear from her cheek and accidentally smeared it on the page in her fascination, making the next few words unreadable. The next readable line started at human history as Ilse went on to write about her attempts at communication, but it seemed by then that the Titan became unresponsive, reverting back to unintelligible grunts and groans like she'd stated the other Titans making before. She's stopped writing halfway down the page, and as Ines flipped through the rest of the journal, all subsequent pages were also blank.

Hange noticed the look on Ines's face, clearing her throat with a cough. "That's where it ends. I found it in a clearing, next to a giant forest, along with a torn 34th Expedition armband. I also took the liberty of picking a flower that had been growing next to it and," she dug into her breast-pocket as Ines watched, having already closed Ilse Langner's journal. The Squad Leader presented a flower with a yellowish center and white petals, twirling it playfully. "I know how much collecting these mean to you." She said, smiling as she handed it to her.

Ines cupped the flower in her hand and took out a book of her own, which had petals and stems poking out of its pages, containing no words whatsoever. She carefully opened it to a new page and placed the flower in the center, then closing the book and setting it down on the table. Turning the journal over in her hands once, she then handed it back to Hange. "This is the journal you found while out with Captain Levi, that right?"

"That's right," Hange nodded, placing the journal into her now empty breast-pocket for safe keeping. "It's really something, the information in here. It's really valuable!" She shot up out of her seat, hands clenched out in front of herself. "Don't you see?! This just raises more questions! Questions that I want answers to! With this, we have at least one of the questions already answered: they're intelligent! Not just mindless killing machines!"

Ines blinked and scooted back a smidge. "But it cost the woman her life," she said bluntly, taking some the Squad Leader's enthusiasm away.

"I know, which is why we mustn't let her sacrifice go in vain! Gather your squad, Ines, we have more research to do!"

Sighing, Ines scratched the back of her head and stared over at the garden for the first time, thinking of all the death that floated almost unnoticed around her. How many more are going die for humanity's sake, she thought, blocking out Hange's babbling, or even something as insignificant as a few words on paper?

/-.-.-.-\

Peering out the window down upon Ines and her squad as they were saddling their horses along with Hange, Petra rapped her fingers on the glass. Secretly, she wanted to go with them, to explore more of the area that humanity had lost in the year since Wall Maria had fallen. Her priorities, though, lied with Captain Levi and the Special Operations Squad – she couldn't just leave her post. Today, she and her squad were in charge of organizing the lines of supplies coming into Headquarters for the next week, since Mike, who was normally in charge of that, was leaving with Captain Ines and Hange as well. Commander Erwin had trusted Captain Levi and the squad with taking over his tasks for the next couple weeks while he was gone, and she didn't want to mess up. Ines had done so much to get her the position she was in now and she wasn't about to left all her sacrifice and effort go to waste.

The forlorn expression of her face making him uncomfortable, Eld Jinn, the Captain's second in command, came beside her to watch Captain Ines and the Special Investigation Squad himself. "Do you want to go with them?" he asked, his voice soft.

"I do, I owe so much of where I am now to her." Petra replied, moving away from the window alongside him. "But I have plenty of time, right?" She said, taking one last glance at the window and smiling, before going to join the others at the table.

/-.-.-.-\

Riding alongside her Captain, Zena Bartosz took the opportunity to start a conversation. "Say, Captain, you have a little brother right?"

Ines responded without taking her eyes off the path. "Two of them, one's dead and the other is nearly the right age to enter the military by now, what of it?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to know. I have a little brother too, though he's nowhere near old enough to enter the-"

"Zena."

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Focus on the mission and continue following Squad Leader Hange, this is not the time for small talk."

"Right," Zena obeyed, eyes downcast, "I'll... focus on the task at hand..."

As her subordinate lapsed into silence beside her, Ines thought of her youngest brother, the one who was still alive. Almost old enough to be a part of the military already, huh? She gripped her reins tightly, looking down at them briefly. I just hope he doesn't end up like Lex. Her head high now, she ordered her squad to loosen their formation as they quickened their pace, starting their mission of collecting more information of the Titans for what seemed to be the thousandth time since last year. On her watch, there wouldn't have to be anymore deaths over insignificant scrapes of paper, she was going to make sure of that from now on.

/-.-.-.-\

Friedrich Brandt stared absentmindedly at the wooden planks that were nailed together, one on top of the other, forming one of the barrack walls and drew his blanket closer to himself in order to keep warm. Cold air was blowing through the cracks between the planks. He hadn't expected the nights in the training camp to be colder than back in his hometown of Trost and laughed vainly at himself – this was nothing, he could handle a few chills. Wiping his nose and holding back a sneeze, moving the blanket even closer; yeah, he could deal with it. No problem. "What's the matter Fritz, a bit of cold weather too much for you?" he asked himself. "Well, this is nothing!" Rolling over in his cot, he landed on the floor with a thud. Wincing, he rubbed an ankle, the beds were smaller than his back home and he wasn't used to them either.

"What the hell are you doing?" someone groaned in front of him. "I'm trying to sleep you dumbass." Jean Kirschstein grumbled, lying in his own bunk across from Fritz's. Scratching his head and looking over, he gave Fritz a look of disdain. "This," he proceeded to prop himself up on one arm, "isn't the time to be moving around. Do you realize what time it is?" He pointed to one of the windows inside the barracks and waited until Fritz looked at it. "Yeah, it's dark outside. You know what that means? It means: 'time to go to fucking sleep'. If Shardis finds out you're up, you'll get all of us in trouble."

"Leave him be." Marco Bott, in the cot above Jean, interjected. "He's not doing any harm. It's not like he's going to personally go to the Chief Instructor and tell him 'I'm awake', right Fritz?"

Fritz nodded and continued to rub his ankle; damn, he really landed the wrong way. His ankle was bruised and it stung everytime he tried applying pressure to it. "Yeah, that's right. I'm not so stupid that I'd get caught." He had often been called "the dullest color in the garden" by the rest of his family and had to admit that sometimes they were right. Though, he knew for a fact that he wasn't stupid enough to do something like that. Who did they take him for, Connie Springer? "I'm just going out for some fresh air."

Marco leaned over the side of his cot. "See Jean? I told you!"

"Whatever." Jean rolled over and pulled his blanket over his head. "Just don't wake me up again."

"You can count on me!" Fritz replied, saluting by clenching a fist over his heart in the standard military salute.

"And quit doing that, it's annoying."

Fritz didn't pay the other boy anymore attention and winced as he limped over to the door. Opening it slowly so as to not make any sounds, easing out to the world outside, sighing to himself, he went to the wooden railing that ran horizontally in front of the barracks and stopped as soon as it reached the stairs. It's only been a few weeks and he still wasn't used to the new life he was in. It irritated him somewhat and his thoughts went back to his family, the day he decided to leave his mother and little sister behind.

He'd made her cry, at the time feeling ashamed that he'd done so. After the death of his father and his sister's joining of the military, his mother had been trying her hardest to keep composed, her family having grown smaller in the blink of an eye. Then, the second oldest son, Lex, had went off to follow in their two footsteps, only to die during a training accident before he even really began. That had been the last straw for his mother. She'd forbidden him to join the military like his father and two older siblings until last year, when he'd turned thirteen years of age. Against her wishes, he'd run away from home to join of his own accord. That was what had made her mother cry – though she had accepted the fact that he could make his own decisions, the realization caused her pain. He'd promised to come back alive and that he'd find Ines somehow, since she hadn't checked in that year like she usually did. It had worried him as much as it had worried her. Thus, his mother was now forced to take care of Sofie on her own, waiting for any news.

Sighing, he folded his arms on the railing, blinking once. He blinked again as he spotted a peculiar trainee wander past. She was walking at a slow pace, and by her posture seemed to be weary of her surroundings. He tried looking at her face but it was obscured by her blonde hair – the only thing he was able to see was her nose and that just made him all the more curious. His gawking taking up all of his attention, he didn't notice the shadow creeping up behind him until it was too late; bolting upright in surprise as a hand patted him on the back.

"What you starin' at?" a voice asked. Fritz turned and saw that it was Connie Springer, who he happened to be bunked with. The two of them had become friends early on and at that moment Fritz wondered if it was because their thinking processes were both slower than average. It would explain a few things, if nothing else.

"Nothing in particular," he replied, but it was obvious he was still staring at the girl.

The shaved headed boy followed his friend's gaze, and upon spotting what had caught his eye, immediately let out a tiny gasp in surprise. "You're looking at her?" he asked, his tiny gasp turning into a chuckle. The chuckling turned into laughter. He slapped Fritz on the back again, causing the other boy to wince and scowl immediately after.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked, slightly annoyed.

Connie took a moment to catch his breath. "Oh nothin', just the fact that of all the people here you pick her."

"Who is she?"

"A real killjoy, that's who," he responded, taking another look at her. "Her name is Annie." He turned back to Fritz, a wide smile on his face. "Boy, you sure know how to pick 'em, huh?" he exclaimed, slapping him on the back for a third time.

"Quit doing that!" Fritz retorted, rubbing the sore spot on his back. It was already bad enough that he was limping, he didn't want an arched back as well! Scowling at Connie, he took a glance in Annie's direction before going back to his friend and raising an eyebrow. "What's so bad about her?" he asked, grumbling under his breath that if Connie laughed again he'd punch him.

Crossing his arms, Connie answered in all seriousness: "A real killjoy." he repeated, as the both of them then proceeded to stare as Annie went out of view. As soon as she did, Connie put a hand on Fritz's shoulder. "Good luck with that one, man." Wanting to get the talk of Annie out of the way, he quickly changed the subject. "Say, we start hand to hand combat training tomorrow – you ready for it?"

Pounding an open fist into the palm of his hand, Fritz met Connie's grin. "You know it!" he exclaimed as Connie let out another chuckle.

Other than his manner towards women, his father had also taught him some martial arts from his time in the military. His father had been a part of the Stationary Guard, and had taught his children countless things when he was still able to. Fritz's confidence in his martial arts skills came from the lessons his father had taught him and he was looking forward to their first exercise – much to Connie's like minded amusement.

"Let's hope we each get good partners Fritz! See you till then!" Connie said, pushing him back and turning to walk back into the barracks.

"Yeah, you too!" Fritz called back as Connie waved in an attempt to look cool with his back turned. He smirked, watching until Connie shut the door behind himself, and then turned back to the gloominess of the nightsky. His gaze wandered to where the girl, Annie, had walked off to. It was mysterious, he thought, that she'd be out this late at night – but then again, who was he to judge? Though, the fact that she could actually be up to something caught his interest. Jumping down to the ground, he yelped in pain, falling to one knee; he had forgotten about his ankle! Cursing, he limped his way in the direction he'd seen her go. He wanted to know what she was doing, wanting to know more. He felt that he had to know.

Spotting a figure in the distance, he followed them until they rounded a corner and he looked up at the structure; this was where the trainee's seminars were held! His eyes flashed in anger; if that figure was Annie, she was entering an area she shouldn't be! Something was up, and he hugged the wall to peek around the corner. There was nothing on the other side and he tilted his head in confusion – where had she gone?! Curious, he moved from his hiding place and walked along the wall, careful not to make any noise. There was nothing that caught his eye as he crept, and realized that if he kept going straight he'd end up at the field they were to use for training tomorrow. It was then that a thought hit him: maybe she was getting some early practice in? He smirked, maybe she'd like to have a sparring partner...

Stopping just before he came to the end of the wall, he thought of all he'd learned about martial arts from his father to refresh his memory. He wasn't sure how skilled Annie was herself at hand to hand combat, and even if it turned out she was very poor, he couldn't take any chances. He had his pride, after all.

Something clasped itself over his mouth the moment he stepped away from the shadow of the wall and pulled him into the darkness on the other side, and he couldn't struggle from the sudden attack because his arms were pinned behind his back, probably by the assailant's other hand. Acting quickly, he twisted his body and kicked out with his heel to knock whoever had attacked him off balance, but they anticipated the action and slammed him against the wall, locking his arms even tighter. He could feel the person's breath on his neck as they leaned in closer.

"Why are you tailing me?" a stern voice asked. It was cold and detached, bored even, as the owner gripped their hands harder around his mouth and arms. "Answer me." They removed their hand from his mouth, but he had the feeling it could come back at any second.

Grimacing, he wasn't going to be taken down that easily! "I..." he slowly started to say, then flung his head back to try for a backwards headbutt, but they moved away before it made any contact. His plan had worked; they had let go. Spinning on his heel, he came around with a fist raised and lashed out at his assailant, who parried and leaped back to create more space between them. They now stood in the light and Fritz's eyes widened in surprise and hidden admiration as he saw Annie standing there with her fists raised in front of her. He flexed the fist he'd punched her arms with – she was really good at defending and he liked that. "... don't have to answer to you!"

"Then I'll just beat it out of you," she said back. She sprang forward with a hop and lashed out with two quick jabs that he had no trouble blocking and realized the reason too late. The two jabs had been a distraction for her real objective as she crouched down and swiped out with one of her legs. As he lost his balance, her hand shot forward and tossed him out into the field fully under the light of the moon. Landing on his back, he winced from his sores and vowed to get Connie back for earlier. He rolled out of the way of her boot as it came crashing down and kicked out to try the same thing she'd done to him. Anticipating the movement, Annie jumped over his leg and moved out of the range of his legs with her arms raised in a defensive posture. Fritz dusted himself off as he got to his feet again.

"You're pretty good," he complimented before hunkering down into a lower, more aggressive, stance. He charged forward and went for an uppercut and at the same time spun on his heel to swipe her across the jaw with his elbow, but again, she parried and proceeded to circle him. He was too slow and she grabbed the back of his collar. Fearing the worst, Fritz twisted his body and used his strength to overpower her which caused her to let go and reel back. He waved a finger in a no-no gesture and goaded her into going on the offensive instead. He caught her first fist as it came at him and dodged the second one right after, only to fall into the same trap as last time. She swiped with her leg and knocked his feet from under him, but this time he managed to reach out and grasp the end of her shirt before falling.

As they both tumbled to the ground, he tried kneeing her in the stomach but was blocked and changed tactics by rolling over and getting on top of her to try and pin her down. With his strength being greater, he was sure it'd work and felt victory was on his side until she slammed her forehead into his and caused him to stagger backward. Wincing at the sudden flashes of color that now assaulted him, he raised his fists in a defensive posture this time. She was no amateur, that much was clear. He smiled and nodded his approval at her martial arts skills, he couldn't deny someone with talent after all, but then scowled because he wasn't just about to let what she was doing go!

"You can't cheat!" he called out to her. "I mean, it's been mostly about history at this point! And plus, we're not even three weeks into training, what the hell is there to cheat on?!"

At his outburst Annie lowered her fists and stared at him blankly for a second in silence. "You think I was going to cheat?" she asked, the tone in her voice unreadable to him. She blinked and sighed to herself, then stretched her arms out. "I had no intention of doing that this late at night."

Fritz also lowered his fists, confused. "Then, why...?"

"I should be the one asking you the questions! Why were you tailing me?!"

Startled, Fritz had totally forgotten about that during the fighting and scratched back of his head in embarrassment. "I... hey don't change the subject!" he huffed and pointed a finger at her. "I was out here getting some fresh air and I happened to see you come over here, so I followed you! I had thought you were going to get in some early practice for tomorrow, but here I find you cheating!"

"I was doing no such thing," she replied, crossing her arms. "And what would _I_ need extra training for?" She fixed him with piercing blue eyes before looking away. "This is stupid, why'd I even come out here?"

"That's what I want to know!"

"It's none of your business," she retorted. "I'm going back to my dorm – this is a waste of my time." Annie turned on her heel and stormed off into the gloom as Fritz watched her leave.

"Hey, wait...!" he called after her, but she was already gone and he was left there standing alone. Blinking, he scratched his head again and sniffed. What the hell was up with her? he wondered as he rubbed his sore arms; they'd really gone at each other harder than he'd expected them to. Yawning, he stared down at one of his hands and clenched it into a fist. What had she been doing out here? He just had to know now. Sneezing and wiping his nose, Fritz cursed the cold night air as he looked in the direction Annie had disappeared in. Yeah, he just had to know now as he remembered how blonde her hair had been. And, now that this adrenaline was subsiding, the pain in his ankle swiftly returned. He'd have to get that checked before the hand to hand combat training tomorrow.