Hello everyone, SwallowTheSun here with a new story.
Now I know crossover fics target a very specific audience so I'm not expecting a whole lot of feedback from this, so I ask that if you happen to stumble across this story, please review and tell me what you think. Do you like it? Is it terrible? If so how can I make it better?
Like everyone I only strive to improve my writing and to enjoy the journey along the way, I hope you enjoy it as well.
This story is set after the events of the Promised Day in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, though you'll soon come to realise that in my story the Promised Day didn't quite go down the same way as it did in canon. I don't want to tell you exactly what happened just yet, just know that something went wrong.
As for the AoT/SnK half of the story, well it quite obviously begins when Eren and gang have just arrive at the cadet training camp. I have decided to slightly change some aspects, the biggest one being that it has been five years since the Colossal Titan attacked Shiganshina so that Eren, Armin and Mikasa are roughly 15 when they begin training, not 12 as they are in canon. The reason for this is simply because I wanted Eren and Edward to be roughly the same age in this story since Edward is 16 by the events of the Promised Day.
The first few chapters will primarily be in the pov's of FMA characters, this is only because they are the strangers in Eren's world and I need to lay the foundations of what they think of and how they act in this strange new world. Rest assured Eren and gang are just as important to this story as Edward and gang are.
I am planning on ultimately pairing Edward and Winry, and Eren and Mikasa, keyword here being ultimately, doesn't necessarily mean they won't be paired with others during the story. Those pairings are subject to change though, as my SnK OTP is actually ErenxAnnie. If this story gets popular enough I may put a poll up for the pairings.
SPOILERS: There will be a couple of spoilers from the manga of Attack on Titan, which are the Colossal and Armoured Titan's true identities, and Historia Reiss. These will be the only spoilers for now as it will be a while before this story reaches as far as the anime has gotten.
You have been warned.
A series of x's separating two paragraphs means that the setting has changed, either to a different character or location or time, etc.
However a series of hashtags separating two paragraphs means that it is still in the same setting, but the point of view has changed to someone else in that setting.
Please read and constructively criticize, comment on problems you find. Thank you.
Flames will be ignored.
I own neither Fullmetal Alchemist nor Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin.
Chapter 1: New World Shadows
The hot morning sun beat down on the motley crew of mostly teenagers assembled before him. The gaunt faced man with darkened rings surrounding his soulless eyes stepped forward and roved his piercing gaze over all the applicants standing still in attention, ready and waiting for his introduction. Soulless eyes indeed, but he was not without soul. It pained him to see how young some of them looked, he had no doubt that most of them had joined the military to try and get a job as a police recruit deep within the walls of Sina and if not then they could still find relative safety in the Garrison Regiment, but even then the training they would be undergoing over the next three years was no joke.
The gaunt man cleared his throat, catching the attention of the front row who were close enough to hear him, before yelling out loud in a gruff voice, "Straighten those spines shitheads! Welcome to the 104th Cadet Corps Class entrance ceremony!" Yes, he was the typical rude and disrespectful drill sergeant, but they were the ones who got results. Time and time again had he seen trainee squads falter and dissipate because of weak-willed instructors and sympathetic superiors, and he refused to let this new batch of barely pubescent kids suffer from poor training, both mental and physical. Sympathy would only get these kids killed and he had seen enough of that for one lifetime.
"My name is Keith Shadis and I am will be your commandant during your time here, of which you will despise!" he continued yelling, hoping to strike some fear into the hearts of these pathetic, hopeful teenagers. He was pleased to see several of them falter in their stance, fear was the predecessor of respect after all and if these kids were to survive the next three years of hellish training they would need to learn to respect him. There were a few whose expression or stance did not change at all though, the instructor internally smirked, those must be either the idiots or the ones who'd already been through hell. The latter would be the ones who would graduate in the top 10 and be eligible to join the Military Police Brigade, they always were.
The commandant continued to shout, "Training is gonna be hell on earth for you pathetic lice! Don't be surprised if you find yourself waking up in a cold sweat several years from now from nightmares of this place every night! Right now you're nothing! Food for the titans! But over the next three years you'll learn how to fight and destroy your own Goliath! Remember this moment when you come face to face with a titan, because then is where you will ask yourself: Am I a soldier of humanity?! Or am I pathetic little sniveling shit waiting to be eaten?! Will you be ground up in their jaws? Or will you take the bastard down with you?!"
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"Huh, remind you of anyone Al?" said the long golden haired boy to the massive suit of armour standing to his left. The suit of armour laughed nervously while glancing to his left at the tall blonde woman with full pouty lips and a permanent scowl etched over her stern face. Her straight hair hung to her waist where it curled at the tips. She had a beautifully and meticulously crafted sword attached to her hip and she was one of the very few actual adults in the line-up. Suddenly her eyes snapped to the suit of armour and the glare that radiated from her deep blue eyes caused Al to focus straight ahead of him in a nervous sweat, well, if armour could sweat. The golden haired boy snickered at his brother's predicament before clutching his head as the blonde sky-blue-eyed girl to the right of him smacked it, "Stop making fun of your brother Ed!" she said heatedly.
Edward muttered something along the lines of, "I'm glad she didn't bring her wrench this time, this gearhead's gonna kill me one day," while rubbing his head. Unfortunately for him the girl that was roughly his own height heard him, and promptly smacked him again. "Ah! Winry!" Ed glared at the girl while she smirked back. He started muttering something under his breath before his expression turned serious, "It's not too late you know, you can still leave with the dropouts this afternoon, I'm sure the engineers in the Sinan Academy could use your… gear-headedness…" he said quietly while watching the commandant who had since left the stage and was now interrogating some poor blonde kid with large blue eyes and helmet hair.
Winry sighed, "Ed we've been over this, I won't stand idly by while my friends and fellow humans fight a war on my behalf, it was bad enough when all I could do was sit at home during the Promised Day, and from what we've seen and heard these titans are nothing compared to the homunculi so it won't be as dangerous. Besides," the girl reached over to rap her knuckles against his right arm through his red cloak, causing a faint ringing sound, "someone has to take care of you."
Ed growled, "Winry you're not an idiot so don't act like one! We have no idea what the titans are really like, and even if they are a walk in the park for us that doesn't mean that they will be for others. We're going to see some horrible things when we eventually fight them and I don't want you to be exposed to that kind of stuff! Al and I are used to it but you aren't and neither of us want to see you become a dog of the military!" Winry's eyes closed while her forehead twitched in anger, she was about to retort when the tall woman and only other adult in the line-up standing to the right of her interrupted, "He's right, you don't need to become a dog of war to help us, you've never seen conflict so no matter what skills you learn here you'll be useless to us on the frontlines, you'll be a liability we can't afford" she said impassively.
The tall woman wore a long white sleeveless collared-blouse with a flowing backside and form-fitting grey trousers. Her collar was open revealing her large cleavage and a blue tattoo on her left collarbone depicting a cross with a serpent coiled around it and a pair of wings and a crown above it. Her dark hair was worn in box braids pulled up in a messy ponytail with a few locks loose and resting in front of her face. She was very attractive and was deceptively young-looking for a woman approaching her forties and her tight clothing did little to hide her lithe, yet curvaceous body. Indeed, had Winry looked around she would have noticed that many of the boy's eyes, and some of the girl's, were roving up and down the tall woman besides her.
But she noticed none of this as her eyes watered slightly at the woman's harsh words, she'd never been so hurt at someone's words before. Her wounded thoughts were interrupted as she heard the boy next to her speak her name quietly, she glanced up at him, hoping and expecting for some words of support and encouragement, meeting with Edwards' intense golden-eyed stare that had many a time sent her into a trance, but this time no kind words flowed out of Edward's mouth and her trance was broken when he roughly grabbed one her wrists and pulled it up to her face.
His following words cut far deeper than Izumi's ever had, "Remember when I told you what these hands were for? They're for creating not for destroying, but if you join military they'll only be for destroying. If you are so determined to join the military you need to learn how to destroy." Ed dropped her hands and stared at her intently, ignoring her watery eyes as he continued his onslaught, "Your parents and Pinako raised you to be a gentle spirit but the military is going to crush that spirit. You'll have to forget what they taught you and abandon their morals if you come with us." He said harshly, while tears now slipped down her face.
"Winry," he said, catching her attention again, "I promised you that your next tears would be those of joy when Al and I got our bodies back, I just broke it… you're going to have to break a lot of promises, both to yourself and to others, if you want to survive here." Winry looked down again as fresh tears sprung to her eyes before she felt a gloved hand grasp her chin and her face towards its owner before gently wiping away her tears, an action that would have sent her heart fluttering in her chest and her cheeks to blossom with red in any other situation. She came face to face with that golden stare again as he spoke, "I mean it Winry, toughen up," he said with a tone of finality before dropping his hand and focusing straight ahead of him as the commandant continued down the line in front of them.
As Winry's faint sobs continued Al quietly whispered to his brother, "Don't you think that was a bit much brother? She's still our friend," Ed sighed, "I know Al and it kills me to do this, but she needs to learn how to be tough if she's so adamant on joining us in this war. There's no time for anything but tough love," He said quietly not wanting Winry to hear. "Ah so you're saying that you do love her" Al said with a chuckle in his voice. The golden haired boy blushed furiously before banging his fist against his brother's breastplate, "Shut up Al! It's just an expression!" he said through gritted teeth while staring straight down to hide his blush. Al's chuckles grew louder at Ed's reaction before he noticed that the commandant had started on the line that they were in, at which point he grew serious and stared straight ahead.
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The commandant finished yelling at some horse-face kid with light brown hair that was shorter on the sides before continuing on the next victim of his abuse, a noticeably short blonde girl with a prominent nose and pointed chin. He stared into her pale blue eyes before moving on to the next cadet without a word, he could tell she had seen it, the horrors that had already forged her soul and temperament into iron will. She required no discipline. The next cadet was a medium height girl with long raven hair and dark expressionless eyes. She wore a crimson scarf and there were obvious traits of the orient in her face. The commandant's eyes widened slightly, she must be Grisha's adopted daughter, which meant that the determined looking boy with dark brown, almost black hair and teal-green eyes standing next to her must be Grisha's son. The commandant again moved on, they had lived in Shiganshina, they had seen it too.
Next up was a tall tanned brunette with narrow apathetic eyes and freckles dusting her cheeks, the commandant moved on, a large well-built kid with short spiky blonde hair and a tall slender dark-haired kid with an elongated face, the commandant moved on. This row seemed to be full of those who had seen it, the commandant noticed. He came upon a woman with braided hair and tight clothing, he frowned; she was not saluting. She may be one of the few adults in the class, and a glance at her eyes told him that she needed no intimidation, but she couldn't get away with this blatant lack of respect.
The commandant stopped and looked her up and down, noticing the slopes of her breasts on display for all to see. He glanced up again and glared at her, "Where's your salute whore!" he yelled, noticing the sparkle in her eyes at the mention of the last word. The woman smirked before replying, "Most probably stuck up your backside, along with your head, sir!" Several gasps arose from the cadets surrounding them, as well as a few snickers. The commandant narrowed his soulless eyes, though internally he was smiling. Though he was her superior she took no flak from others, a respectable trait.
He stared into her eyes again and saw it, the fear and the agony, the same traits that all the others who had seen evil in action had. But there was something else… Guilt, there was a terrible guilt in her eyes. No, this woman may have seen titans before, but she had also seen something far, far worse. Something she was the cause of. The commandant frowned; what, if not titans, could have caused this tragedy in her life?
He quickly moved on from those thoughts though, whatever her past was it was obvious that she needed no discipline. However he couldn't let such blatant disrespect go unpunished, what kind of example would that be setting for the rest of the cadets? The commandant narrowed his eyes, "What's your name?" The woman, whose smirk had long since faded, replied, "Izumi Curtis, from the Quinta District, sir!" The commandant paused, Quinta was one of the Districts along Wall Maria, the northern one, they would have been the last to get word of the titans when Shiganshina fell, survivors from those regions were very rare... "And which regiment are you planning to join?" he asked ominously, not because the question was ominous, but rather because everything he said sounded ominous.
"The Scout Regiment sir!" the woman shouted, causing the commandant's eyebrows to rise in surprise. She had seen the titans and yet she still wanted to go out there and fight them? Admirable, very admirable… But she had still been disrespectful. "Izumi Curtis! You are to run laps around the campsite until sundown! Do you understand?!" The braided woman nodded and shouted, "Yes, sir!" before pushing her way through the cadets and setting off at a brisk, yet maintainable pace. The commandant smiled, she was a respectable woman, she understood the necessity for her punishment, probably even before she had disrespected him, but that didn't stop her from standing up for herself, a very respectable woman indeed.
The commandant moved on and glanced down at a sniveling girl who didn't meet his penetrating gaze. She had long blonde hair and had several rings in her ears, and when he cleared his throat causing her to look up at him he noticed she had piercing blue eyes, which were reddened with tears. Her eyes suddenly widened and she hastily performed the standard salute, it wasn't perfect he noticed, as if she had learnt it in a rush only a few days ago, but it was good enough. Her eyes told her that she had not seen it; indeed the tear marks down her cheeks and her runny nose told him all he needed to know about her. She was weak.
"What's your name, girl?" the commandant spat out, as if she were worse than the worms underneath the ground upon which they stood. The girl jumped a bit at his sudden question before tentatively replying, "W-winry Rockbell, sir…" The commandant raised an eyebrow, Rockbell? He'd never heard that name before. "Rockbell?! What kind of stupid name is that?!" Winry's eyes widened, "I-it was m-my father's name, sir!" "Hmph, I can only imagine what kind of weakling your father must be with a name like that." The girl recoiled in horror and fresh tears rose to her eyes, yet the commandant continued his onslaught, "And what whore could love this weakling so much that she birthed a pathetic waste of life like you with him?" he said maliciously. The girl's eyes widened even further, before narrowing in fury. She took a step forward and brought her hand up, ready to bring it across his face, but she was beaten to it by a white-gloved fist followed by a red-coated arm that drove into the commandant's face with the force of a cannon.
Almost every cadet gasped as the commandant recoiled and stepped back as blood sprayed into the air and coated the culprit's face, enhancing the golden-haired kid's feral look as his golden eyes flashed with rage. "Don't you dare talk about her parents like that! They were some of the greatest people I have ever known!" the kid said angrily. The commandant reached up to his nose and cracked it back into place, causing a fresh stream of blood to run out through his nostrils and for several cadets to gasp at his lack of expression while doing so, before spitting a loose tooth out onto the ground. He then stared at the kid who had dared to hit him impassively, though on the inside he was reeling in shock. The kid was fast, very fast, Shadis was a veteran soldier and yet he still hadn't seen the fist until it was colliding with his nose. Not to mention he packed one hell of a punch, what the hell was his fist made of… metal?! Shadis absolutely did not realise the irony of his thoughts.
The commandant then noticed what the kid had said, he had said that Rockbell's parents were some of the greatest people he had ever known, implying that they were dead. He grimaced, he did not like speaking ill of the dead but the damage was done, there was no use apologizing now. Instead he focused on the short teenager who had attacked him, ready to unleash hell. "And who the hell are you kid?" he said quietly, the blood streaming down his face only enhancing his ominous face. But the teenager did not appear to be affected by his terrifying gaze in the slightest.
Indeed he simply replied, "Edward Elric, Quinta District, wanting to join the Scouting Legion, and the 'kid' who'll kick your ass if you say one more thing about Winry's parents!" His golden eyes penetrating through the blood that was slashed across his face radiated fury and determination as he raised his bloodstained white-gloved fist in defiance. Shadis' eyes widened considerably at the boy's proclamation; that was it, this kid was too defiant for the military, he couldn't be taught, Shadis would send him back. He was about to tell him so when suddenly a tall long-haired blonde woman grasped the kid's shoulder causing him to spin around and confront her. Shadis and the rest of the cadets looked on in shock as the woman sent a gloved fist into the kid's solar plexus, causing him to bend over and gasp as he retched, the woman then clasped both her hands behind his head before raising her knee and driving it into his face.
The boy crumpled to the ground, still heaving and retching when the woman placed her boot on his chest and twisted causing the boy to groan in pain. "Had enough Fullmetal?" she asked in an ominously calm voice as she continued grinding her heel into his sternum. The boy wheezed before finally catching his breath and nodding, at which point the woman lifted her foot off of him and then held out her hand to help him up. When the kid was standing again the woman turned to face the commandant before slamming her right fist into her chest and her left fist into the small of her back in the traditional salute.
"I apologise for Edward's behavior sir! I will make sure he never treats his superiors with such disrespect again! Please punish him in any way you see fit sir! I only ask that you do not send him home for he has none to return to!" Shadis' eyes widened considerably, this woman definitely had military experience and her salute was perfect. He noticed the scabbard hanging from her waist and although he had no idea where she was from or what the customs were there, he could tell that the sword wasn't just for decoration. He glanced up at her again and spoke, "What is your name?" "I am Olivier Mira Armstrong, from Quinta, I am planning to join the Scouts!" she shouted back in reply.
The commandant nodded, another one from Quinta, he thought to himself. So Izumi, Winry, Edward and Olivier were all from that abandoned district were they? He glanced at the hulking armoured knight who was now checking on Edward, along with Winry. Judging by the strange symbol on his pauldron, the same symbol as the one on the back of Edward's red cloak and the collarbone of Izumi, it was easy to surmise that these people were all acquaintances. He stepped forward, passing Olivier before stopping in front of Edward. "You will join Izumi Curtis and you will be denied supper tonight, one more act of disobedience and you'll be sent to the fields, got it?" he said in a no-nonsense tone to which the golden haired boy replied with a scowl until he saw the glowering blonde woman behind Shadis. He reluctantly nodded before stretching and wiping the blood from his face and then pushing through the cadets to join Izumi around the track. "And no talking!" Shadis yelled when he saw the boy open his mouth to say something to the older woman jogging alongside him. The boy scowled again.
Shadis then turned towards Winry who was sniffling now, her rage having dissipated after Edward hit her tormentor. "Rockbell," he said quietly, catching the blonde's attention, "How did your parents die?" he asked, noticing the anger that flashed through her eyes at his question. "They were medics on the frontline…" That was all the commandant needed to know, he nodded before clasping her shoulder, causing her to look up in surprise, "I will teach you to avenge them" he said simply, not realizing that it wasn't titans that had killed her parents. But the message was the same and Winry nodded, that was as much of an apology she could expect from the stern-faced man.
The commandant moved on before coming face to face, or rather face to chest with the gigantic knight. He had been waiting to see what the deal was with the armoured cadet ever since he had seen him during his introduction. He was hard to miss after all. He glanced up into the visor as the armoured cadet saluted and was confused to see no trace of his eyes in the narrow slits that served as his eyeholes. "What is your name cadet?" he asked suspiciously, "Alphonse Elric sir! From Quinta and also hoping to join the Scouts, sir!" the suit of armour proclaimed in a shockingly high-pitched voice, to which the commandant recoiled slightly in surprise; he hadn't ever seen a woman this big before.
"Elric eh? You must be Edward Elric's sister then?" To his confusion the armoured knight chuckled nervously before replying, "No sir, I am his younger brother" much to the shock of the commandant and several cadets within hearing vicinity. Shadis narrowed his frightening eyes as he stared up at the visor, trying to get a glimpse of the boy behind. But to his disappointment he still couldn't make out a face within the shadows of the helmet. "Younger brother huh?" he said quietly, "Just how old are you Alphonse Elric?" The armoured knight again chuckled nervously before replying, "Fifteen, sir." Several exclamations of 'What?!" arose from the surrounding cadets along with one person shouting, "But his brother's so small!" Shadis could have sworn he heard a distant voice yelling something along the lines of, "Who are you calling so short you could mistake him for an-" before being cut off by what sounded like someone's hand being placed over the source of the noise.
"Pretty big for your age huh Alphonse…" the commandant said while continuing to stare up at him suspiciously, before suddenly issuing a command, "Take your helmet off cadet! I need to be able to identify you." To his surprise the cadet did nothing, only continued to stare straight ahead. Shadis narrowed his eyes, "Did you not hear me cadet? Take off your helmet now" he said again with a tone of finality. Still the armoured knight made no move. Shadis took a deep breath, ready to unleash hell on the disobedient cadet, but before he could make a sound the Armstrong woman, who had since returned to her position next to Alphonse spoke up, "If I may sir, Alphonse has a rare skin condition that requires him to be sheltered from the sun at all times. He suffers from extreme albinism and the sun could burn his skin in a matter of seconds. If you need medical proof I am sure we could arrange a private meeting after the drill in which we can supply the documents of proof" she said calmly and respectfully.
Shadis glared suspiciously at her before looking back at the armoured cadet, a few seconds passed as he pondered what Armstrong had said before nodding, "Very well, come see me after the drill you two" he said while addressing Alphonse and Armstrong. The armoured cadet breathed an audible sigh of relief, probably pleased he wouldn't be forced to burn himself just yet, Shadis reckoned. The commandant moved on past Olivier, who had already proven herself, before stopping at the next cadet at the end of the line. He was a short boy with a very finely shaved head, and he somehow failed to notice the grim, blood soaked face of the commandant in front of him as he stared off to his left.
When he finally noticed who was in front of him he jumped slightly, startled, before performing the traditional military salute, only he got his hands mixed up. With his left hand over his right breast and his right hand curled behind his back he gazed nervously up at the commandant before something to his left caught his attention once again. Shadis noticed this and turned his head to see what the boy had seen only to find Izumi and Edward passing them by as they continued their laps. It had only been a split second but the commandant saw what had distracted the cadet before him. Indeed Izumi's clothing, which was already downright scandalous, was not designed for running and as such there wasn't much to keep certain assets of hers from bouncing with each footfall.
The commandant turned back with a soul-piercing glare before grabbing the small boy's head between his hands and lifting him into the air. "So you'd rather look at women than fight for your country you little shit?!" he yelled, spittle and blood coating the poor boy's face. "N-no s-sir!" the boy replied in fear. Shadis applied more pressure to his vice-like grip, causing the shaved boy to grimace in pain, before asking, "Your name worm?!"
"C-connie Springer from R-ragako Village s-sir, o-on the south side of Wall Rose!" the boy groaned out, hoping to appease the commandant somehow, unfortunately the sinister man applied even more pressure, "You have it backwards Connie Springer, the salute was the first thing you were taught, it represents the resolve in your heart to fight on the frontlines against the complete obliteration of our people!" The commandant yelled, "Is your heart on your right side?!" more spittle flew out of the sinister man's mouth as he roared into the quivering cadet's face. Suddenly a loud chomping sound echoed through the area, causing the commandant to glance at the source. What he saw widened his eyes and he promptly dropped Connie on his arse before heading towards the girl with aubergine-coloured hair who was eating a baked potato.
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"Man," the shaved boy said as he watched the three joggers lapping the courtyard, "I thought Shadis was gonna kill that blonde kid, potato girl as well." "I know," said a medium height boy with dark brown hair that fell just past his ears and soulful green eyes while chuckling, "Potato girl seemed far more devastated when she learnt that she'd have to miss dinner than when she was told to run until sundown." The others present; a slender, pretty girl with grey eyes and black hair tied in loose pigtails, a tall boy with short parted black hair and freckles, and Connie, all laughed at Eren's statement.
There was one there who didn't laugh though, Eren's childhood friend, and when Eren turned to look at him he noticed that the blonde genius was staring at the golden haired kid with a frown on his face. Eren waved his hand in front of his friend's face, catching the blonde's attention. "What's up Armin? What're you looking at?" he asked. Armin turned his head back to staring at the golden haired kid before asking, "Did any of you see that guy attack Mr. Shadis?" Eren glanced at his new friends whose faces mirrored his confusion, "Yeah Armin, we were all there, guy's nuts, attacking a superior like that."
"That's exactly my point! Mr. Shadis is a veteran soldier; he was the commander of the Scouting Legion for 10 years for god's sake! His instincts must be incredible and yet that guy still managed to hit him, and hit him hard. Did any of you actually see him attack Shadis? I mean did you actually see his movements?" Armin said. Connie, who had been closest to the conflict, frowned, "You know, now that you mention it, it happened in the blink of an eye…" Armin nodded, "His speed must be phenomenal for him to be able to catch Shadis off guard like that, and that's not all, I don't mean to offend you but I doubt any of us could run as long as they have without looking like Sasha," the group turned their heads to look at Sasha, who was basically dragging her feet across the ground at this point, "Now look at Edward" Armin said.
The group turned to look at the kid in question and the tall, lean woman jogging by his side. He was barely sweating, and the woman looked as fresh as she had this morning. Eren turned to Armin, "So the guy's fit and knows how to fight, what of it Armin?" "Ms. Curtis is an adult woman who obviously keeps herself in shape so it's not surprising that she's not tired, but Edward can't be any older than us and after that beating he took from that Armstrong woman he shouldn't have been able to walk straight never mind run," Armin shot back.
The smart boy continued, "Also him and his brother, Ms. Curtis, the girl who Edward was defending and the Armstrong woman who beat him up all said they were from Quinta… We lived with Marian refugees for two years Eren, and I never once saw a Quintan, they were supposed to have been either all wiped out or stuck in their District in which case they would be long dead." Eren frowned, he had actually already noticed that, "Maybe there were Quintans in the more northerly refugee camps? Our settlement were mainly Shiganshinans like us and southerly Maria settlers," Eren said doubtfully, Quinta was supposed to have been one of those districts that had been cut off, separated from Wall Rose by the now titan infested Maria province. They didn't last long inside those high walls with no farmland and only dirty river water.
"Wait you guys are from Shiganshina? Oh man, what was it like? Did you see the Colossal Titan?" Connie asked with wide eyes while Mina and Marco both looked at him, startled at his lack of tactfulness. "Yeah, yeah we saw it…" Eren said quietly
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"Oh man, did Armstrong really have to hit me so hard?" Edward complained as he tentatively rubbed his bruised sternum where Olivier had grinded her boot, causing the woman walking alongside him to chuckle, "It's your own fault Ed, so much for teaching Winry to toughen up. How's she going to do that if you keep protecting her?" said the boy's old teacher. The sun having set they were now strolling towards the mess hall, hoping to grab a bite to eat, even though Edward was technically banned from eating tonight. Edward growled, "I was going to leave it until that bastard started talking about Winry's parents like that, he was way out of line!" Izumi sighed, "That may be so, but we're strangers in a strange land Ed, we can't afford to draw attention to ourselves and that means no scuffles with the superiors. These people won't go easy on you like that Flame Alchemist does." Edward scoffed indignantly, "Colonel Bastard does not go easy on me, if anything I go easy on him!" he yelled.
Izumi just shook her head and chuckled at her ex-student again while they walked past a hunger-possessed Sasha worshipping a short blonde girl with pretty blue eyes. As they walked past the blonde girl however, she called out to them, "Wait! Edward right? I manage to sneak out some bread for you and Sasha, seeing as you two can't eat with us tonight." Edward paused, looking back at her in slight surprise before chuckling, "Don't worry about it, besides it looks like she needs it more." Indeed, as Krista glanced back down at Sasha she saw the one track-minded girl baring her fangs at the loaf in her hand.
When she looked back at Edward she noticed he was alone now, strolling towards the mess hall with his hands shoved deep inside his red cloak. "But you must be starving! You've run all day and Mr. Shadis said you can't eat tonight!" The golden haired kid turned his head slightly so that Krista could see his smirk, but he didn't stop walking while he spoke, "I don't see Shadis around, do you? Who's gonna stop me?" Krista watched him in shock as he opened the door and disappeared inside.
Krista sighed before returning her attention to Sasha who had shockingly already devoured the loaf meant for Edward, she hadn't even felt her take it from her hand! Sasha burped once before a serious expression adorned her face, Krista had the distinct impression that that was a rare occurrence. Sasha's next words were far more surprising though, "Thanks for the bread umm…" "Krista" the small blonde girl said when Sasha trailed off, causing the hungry girl to smile, "Krista, thank you Krista, I should warn you though, something about that guy just doesn't feel right to me, be careful with him."
The petite goddess' eyes widened in surprise before glancing at the door through which the golden haired boy in question had gone, she was no stranger to keeping secrets, and she liked to think that she had gotten pretty good at it, and therefore she had gotten good at knowing when someone else was keeping secrets, but she had felt nothing at all secretive from the boy, nothing but a slight attraction towards him. She blushed slightly, he was a good looking guy after all, what with his unique long golden hair that looked silky to the touch and his piercing golden eyes, and despite being mostly shrouded in that strange red cloak it easy to see that he had a lot of lean muscle that made him look especially trim.
Krista's blush faded as she shook her head, trying to dislodge such thoughts, what man could desire a woman whose own mother wished her dead?
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Eren tried to eat his soup and bread while surrounded by his fellow cadets who pestered him with a never ending flow of questions. "Yeah okay, I saw the big guy," Eren said in an irritated voice, though no one seemed to notice his exasperation. "Exactly how tall was it?" another cadet asked, "We could see his head above the outer wall, he must have been at least 60 metres high…" Eren replied. "What? I heard he stepped over the wall completely!" someone said, followed by many echoes of agreement. "No no he wasn't that big," Eren replied. "So what did it look like?" Mina asked, Eren closed his eyes before responding, "It had a mouth like a corpse, and no skin, just muscles…"
"And the Armoured Titan?" someone asked, Eren shook his head, "I was already on the boat by then, I didn't get a good look, in all the panic it was just another titan to me." Several gasps and another question arose, "No way, so what were the ordinary titans like?" Suddenly Eren froze, his spoon halfway to his mouth before he dropped it into his soup. Vivid images of a horrid grin devouring his mother flashed through his mind as his eyes watered and he clasped his hand over his mouth and nose. His audience watched him in shock as he struggled to keep his composure before Mina spoke up, "Come on guys, that's enough questions, I'm sure he'd rather not relive everything…" temporarily forgetting that she had been asking questions as well.
"Sorry, we didn't mean-" Connie began before Eren interrupted, "That's not it…" he said while biting off a piece of bread, seemingly calm again. He smirked while he chewed, "Those titans, they're really not that bad. Once we master the omnidirectional mobility gear they'll nothing to us! I've waited years to become a soldier and now that the training has started the reality's sinking in. I'll be joining the Scouting Legion, and then I'll wipe off everyone one of those bastards of the face of the earth! I'm gonna butcher them all!" he said with tangible conviction and purpose, his face curved into a violent sneer. His audience was stunned, shocked that someone who had seen the titans in action still wanted to venture beyond the walls and fight them.
"You're pretty naïve for someone who's seen the face of their enemy kid," a smooth voice said, followed by footsteps, though every other step sounded a little heavier than the one before it. The audience turned to see the golden-haired teenager, his long hair in a ponytail instead of his usual braid, who had just finished his laps walking towards Eren's table with a tin of soup and a mug of ale. The audience immediately parted at the sight of his facial expression which showcased seriousness with a hint of defiance. The golden head placed his soup and mug down before seating himself, reaching behind him and flaring his red cloak out to make sure he didn't sit on it.
Eren scowled, "Aren't you a little young yourself to be calling me a kid?" he said only for Edward to stare impassively at him while taking a sip of ale. "I was twelve when I joined the military and after four years as a dog of war I can tell you that people like you, people who think the world will hand them their enemies on a silver platter, they don't last long on the frontlines" he said grimly, his piercing stare emphasized by his flashing golden eyes. Eren frowned, "Just who the hell are you anyway? You say you're from Quinta, but I heard that Quinta got cut off from the rest of humanity, how did you end up here?"
"I left Quinta when I joined the military, my brother and my companions left with me. We weren't there when the titans attacked." Eren scowled, "So you've never seen a titan? You call me naïve for not fearing them and yet you've never faced one yourself!" he shouted in anger, catching the attention of the entire mess hall. Edward snarled, "You're not naïve for being fearless in the face of the enemy, you're naïve because you think they're going to make it easy for you! No, I haven't fought titans, I've fought something just as evil… And I had to learn the hard way to never underestimate my opponents, and most importantly, to never let my pride and anger lead the way."
The room was quiet as Edward finished his rant, but neither he nor the ambitious boy in front of him noticed as they continued staring at each other intensely. "You lost a lot in the fall of Shiganshina, I can tell, but take it from someone who once lost almost everything. Be sensible, be smart and lead with your head. Blind hatred and a drive for vengeance will get you killed in seconds. Don't die for the past Eren, live for the future." Eren stared with wide eyes at the teenager before him, the teenager who seemed so much older than he actually was, the teenager with the apparent wisdom of a sage.
"Well what makes you the expert? What could you have possibly faced that gives you the right to act so superior to someone who's the same age as you?" a voice rang out. Everyone's head turned to face the source of the noise, which was a long-faced kid with light brown hair that was shorter on the sides and back. An arrogant smirk graced his face as he lazily rested his head on his hand.
The kid then turned his haughty gaze onto Eren, "And you, do you have a death wish? Only a suicidal idiot would willingly sign up for reconnaissance, the Scouts is a death sentence." Eren stared back at him, "I guess I just can't accept living an easy life hiding in the interior like you while my fellow humans give their lives for us," he replied, equally haughty. "Look I'm just being honest kid, that's better than being some cowardly loudmouth pretending he's not as shit-scared as the rest of us."
Eren stood up suddenly, causing his bench to fall over, "Just what are you implying?" he said angrily. The light brown haired kid, Jean, smirked and was about to retort when Edward, who had somehow finished both his soup and drink during the short time that Jean and Eren had been arguing, spoke up in that smooth voice again, "You want to join the MPs and live the easy life and yet you have the gall to look down at a soldier who's willing to fight to the death for the betterment of his people and call him a coward? You may be honest but that doesn't mean you're not a hypocritical little bitch, people like you make me sick." Everybody gasped at his cruel words while Jean's face reddened in anger. The horse-faced boy stood up suddenly and rushed over to Eren and Ed's table before clasping the latter's shoulder, "Say that again, you bastard!"
Eren noticed that Edward's eyes did not change at all at Jean's crude request but a split second later, in a blur of red too fast for anyone to see properly, Jean's face was being pressed into Ed's empty soup tin while Ed himself had arrogant boy's arm twisted behind his back. Ed pulled the arm tighter, causing Jean to cry out in pain. "What part of 'I've been in the military for four years' do you not get you stupid cunt?!" the golden haired teenager asked rudely, "What on God's green earth made you think that a weak coward like you assaulting me was a good idea?!" Jean didn't reply as he gritted his teeth in pain. "Umm, I think he's had enough," said Mina nervously, refusing to touch the violent boy for fear that she'd receive similar treatment.
Edward chortled, applying more pressure to Jean's arm, "You've had enough have you? Have you realised how pathetic you are yet? This suicidal idiot as you called him may be naïve but he's ten times the man you are!" Suddenly a loud crack echoed through the air and everyone gasped in horror as Jean screamed in pain. His arm gave way under the immense pressure Edward was applying, dislocating itself and causing it to flop uselessly at an unnatural angle. Edward stepped back, surveying his handiwork before speaking, "Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with wanting to live in peace and safety, but don't you dare place yourself above the ones giving their lives to provide that safety." The poor boy whimpered as Edward glanced up at everyone's wide-eyed faces, some showing shock and disgust, and others, like a certain short blonde girl and her tall companions, showing mild surprise.
"What?" Edward asked everyone, staring at them with an intense gaze "You're in the military now, get used to it! And you," Edward fixed his penetrating golden-eyed stare on Eren, causing a certain raven haired girl to move towards him with a wary expression adorning her face. Edward's face suddenly broke out into his usual smirk, "You have my respect, just don't let your emotions cloud your judgement." He said before brushing his cloak and striding out the door while everybody was still trying to process what just happened.
"Holy shit!" the silence was broken by Connie, "Armin was right, he is fast! I didn't even see him move!" Shocked mumblings agreed with the boy while Jean shakily stood up, clutching his arm. Suddenly he felt a pair of small hands grasping his shoulder and his arm before yanking, another loud crack echoed through the mess hall and he screamed again in agony. He glared at the culprit, a short blonde girl with a prominent nose before yelling, "What the hell was that for you bitch!" The girl stared at him with those apathetic pale blue eyes before turning around and striding away, "You're welcome," she said over her shoulder before heading through the door and turning in the direction Ed had gone.
Jean suddenly realised that he could move his arm again and realised that the girl had just reconnected his arm to his shoulder socket. He grimaced; he had just called her a bitch. Jean prided himself on his integrity and so he was about to head after her to apologise before an angel walked by him. Time seemed to slow down as she wafted by, her perfect rosy lips glittering in the lamplight, her long, luscious hair waving slightly, amplifying her indigo irises. "Uh, excuse me!" he said to her nervously, catching her attention as she half turned to stare at him from the corners of her eyes. Jean approached her with a prominent blush on his face, "I, uh, I just wanted- I mean, I've never seen anyone like you before…" Jean's eyes widened as he realised how that sounded, "I mean- uh…" he hastily tried to save some face, "I-I'm sorry, y-you have very nice hair!"
Jean mentally face palmed, that was even worse! Snickering broke out around him and he glared at those responsible before glancing back at the girl to see her reaction, "Thanks" she said simply before continuing out the door. Jean hurried after her only to see her walking alongside Eren.
"Are you alright Eren?" she asked softly, bringing Eren out of his thoughts. He snapped his head to her before nodding, "Yeah I'm fine Mikasa, just surprised is all…" he frowned in the direction Edward had gone, "There's something off about that guy, he's never fought titans yet something tells me he's seen some awful things." Mikasa nodded, "I agree, I don't want you talking to him anymore Eren, he's bad news," Mikasa said causing Eren to roll his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, mother, you don't need to look after me anymore." "Yes I do, there was one thing he said which was true, you lead with your heart too much and I'm the only one who can protect you" she said with concern gracing her flawless face.
Eren scowled before reaching up and running his hand through the oriental girl's smooth hair, not noticing the blush that rose on her cheeks as he did so. "Why don't you worry about yourself for once? You should cut your hair, it might cause an accident when we start with ODM training," the raven haired girl twirled a couple of strands in her fingers before nodding, "Okay fine, I'll cut it."
Jean watched the interaction in jealousy, angry that the girl would so readily cut her beautiful hair just for that little brat. As a poor unsuspecting Connie strode by, humming some off-key tune, Jean reached over and wiped his hand down his back. "Hey!" the dimwitted kid yelled, "What was that?!" "My trust in others…" Jean replied grimly, as if his whole world had just come crashing down.
So what did you think? Please R&R and tell me.
-SwallowTheSun