The sky was shaded a dark, critical grey. A misty rain swirled whipped around and stung on any exposed skin. The cries of the wind were the only sound - besides for the eerily familiar THUMP, THUMP rumbling below: the sound of an approaching Titan.

Eren Yeager stood on the slanted rooftop, gripping the handle of his unsheathed blade tightly, waiting for the creature to come into view. Sweat beaded on his forehead, but he ignored it. He glanced to his left, where stood his sister, staring off into the distance with that look in her eyes he knew well. Dark and ominous like swirling black ink, glimmering a bit with a fierce determination. Her red scarf fluttered in the wind.

"Mikasa." Eren said, "Don't move. I'll take this one."

He knew she would not want to leave him alone in a fight, but he wanted to kill one on his own. He was always standing in her shadow, victim to her devoted protection. That wasn't how a good soldier was made. He needed to fight for himself.

Eren turned his head when Mikasa made no protest. Still stiffened in the spot, she did not but flinch at the sound of his voice. She was usually attuned to his every noise. What is she doing?

Eren said louder, "Mikasa!"

He moved toward her slowly, seeing that her skin was pale - paler than usual.

"Mikasa - what the hell -!"

Her eyes looked dead suddenly, and like a frail child she collapsed onto the roof with nothing but a whisper of sound. Eren ran to her, cradling her shoulders, "Mikasa! Wake up!"

He didn't understand. There was no blood, no trauma, no missing limbs, no sign of struggle or pain. It was as if she was being killed silently, from the inside out.

Eren brushed black hair from shrouding her face . . . and held his breath. He was almost angered by the calm expression on her face, that familiar and terrible look of death. She couldn't just leave him like this . . . not like this. He patted her face gently, her skin cold and stiff. It was then when his heart raced: when he realized hers wasn't beating at all.

"Mikasa!" Eren screamed to her, shaking her hard, refusing to believe he held onto a body and not his living sister, "Dammit Mikasa wake up! Mikasa -"

A sort of deep, rumbling vibration ran through Eren's veins. The air was hot and thick suddenly, sickeningly scented. A shadow covered them like a suffocating blanket. Eren looked up to the Titan looming above -

It was himself.

"Eren! Wake up!"

Eren was finally thrown back into consciousness. He sat up with a start, hands gripped around his bedsheets in a death hold. The sweat on his body was sticky and hot. The feeling of hard wood beneath him told him he wasn't even on his bed anymore. The voice that had awoken him, the tone quiet and embedded with gentle inflections his brain had come to recognize, was Armin.

Eren looked to the figure sitting beside him on the ground, blonde hair unkempt from sleep. Leave it to Armin to sneak up on him in the darkness.

"Armin, what the hell?"

Eren protested, blinking awake blearily as fragments of his dreams slipped away from him. By the way his heart raced, it must have been a bad one.

"Sorry, but you were sleep walking again. You were crying out, and . . . I couldn't get you awake." Armin whispered, "You must have been having a nightmare or something."

Eren rubbed his eyes, not replying. He wasn't particularly proud of the fact that he was still plagued with nightmares of Titans, even then after being eaten by one. His own flesh was now like theirs, his heart beat the same kind of blood. He didn't like to think about it. Many of his nightmares, and sleep walking incidents, were forgotten mere moments after regaining consciousness, much to Eren's frustration. But maybe that was a good thing.

Armin still stared at him, quietly sitting. Eren waited a moment, and when he didn't say anything he retorted, "Go back to your room. I'm fine."

Armin nodded, but he didn't move. His small hands wrung around each other tightly.

Annoyed, Eren tore his covers off and shouted, "Armin, what's your problem - "

Then he realized. The blue eyes of his best friend, which were illuminated only by the faint light streaming through his curtains, were glossy. Armin was . . . crying. Eren blinked, a sickening feeling finding his stomach. He knew Armin was emotional; he always had that look in his eyes, like he could burst into tears at any moment, since he was a kid. Back when Eren would come to his rescue from the jerks on their street, picking him up off the ground and sometimes giving him a hug of reassurance. The look had gotten worse as they had been witness to more and more terror, the faded blue innocence being replaced by dulled, dark knowledge. But then . . . there was something darker in them, hidden behind the shadowed glaze that covered them.

"Armin . . . what's wrong?"

Armin stuttered, his lips trembling though he tried to stop them. "E-Eren . . "

"What happened?!"

Eren swore he would shake him if he kept this up. A hand covering his mouth, Armin's eyes grew wider, and two tears escaped down his cheeks.

"Armin tell me what's wrong dammit, I can't help if you just sit there and cry!"

"It's Mikasa!" Armin almost shouted. His shoulders shuddered, though no sound escaped him, through a few nervous sobs.

Eren gasped. What kind of trouble had she gotten herself into? For some reason his mind automatically imagined the worse, and he instantly felt like it must have been his fault - that was Mikasa. It was always for him. Always.

Seeing that Armin was still clearly upset, Eren took in a slow breath and stifled his worry for a moment.

". . . Armin." He whispered, reaching his arms out and placing each of his hands firmly on his friend's shoulders.

Armin looked up, the tears in his eyes glimmering faintly.

"Calm down. Tell me Armin. What happened to Mikasa?"

"She . . . s-she . . ." Armin sniffed, his chin falling to his chest as if ashamed. The next words from his lips were barely audible, but they screamed into Eren's ears and burrowed in his brain like a parasite, numbing his senses.

"Mikasa . . . was attacked. She was nearly killed."

The dust wandering through the faint moonlight from his window suddenly became the only thing Eren focused on. The quiet of the room, the slavering wood beneath his bare feet. He felt so aware and so numbed all at once. Mikasa.

Eren saw her suddenly, the fierce fury in her eyes, a knife clutched in her small pale fist, piercing the body of the assailant who had gripped him by the neck and nearly chocked the life out of him. That image of a frail little girl with the heart of a raging thunderstorm and the bravery of a battle-hardened soldier.

That night, so many years ago, had been the lasting proof to him that he didn't have to worry about her. Mikasa had always held her own, and then some - meaning him, as well as Armin. That brute display of strength was balanced off by an almost unnatural calm and devotion towards him; it was still a wonder to Eren how he had put up with her all these years. She had his back, whether he liked it that way or not.

How had she let this happen? There was no way she could have let someone attack her and survive . . .

"Captain Erwin told me . . . it was someone from the Survey Corps." Armin said, wiping his eyes. "Someone we know."

Eren noticed he had been staring, and looked back to Armin. A strange feeling came over him, "Where is she?"

"They've called a doctor to look her over - "

Eren stood up, going for the door without hesitation.

"Eren, wait!"

"For what? Mikasa's hurt and you think sitting around and crying about it is going to help?"

"Erwin said she needs space, she's not even conscious - "

"Then I'll wait until she wakes up." Eren grabbed his jacket, throwing it on before opening his door.

"I can't let you go see her!"

A hand grabbed his shoulder, gentle but firm at the same time. Eren turned and in one motion tore it off, pushing back against the wrist and shoving the body hard to the floor. It happened so fast. Armin stared up at him.

"Will you quit acting like a pathetic wimp?! Get the hell off me!"

"Eren, you don't understand - "

"Understand what?!"

"Mikasa was raped."

Eren froze.

"Until we find out who did it . . . we are all suspects. Including you."

Commander Petra entered the room, with a marked expression of resolve. As calm as she moved, as soothing as she stood before the crowd of young men and women, as assuring as her eyes were, it did nothing.

The youth were restless. They had been woken before dawn and assembled since then. All scheduled training had been cancelled for the day. They had not been served a morning meal. Petra folded her arms, searching over the tense faces seated amongst the large dining hall. There was not one she could find that was calm.

The sense of horror that had filled her upon Corporal Levi telling her the news of the attack within their own walls - human to human - had died down. A few hours ago, when Levi had informed the Special Ops Squad of the development, they had been furious. Never in a hundred years did any of her fellow comrades ever impose a hint of threatening nature; they all had a mutual understanding of duty and honour that they knew that had to uphold, as soldiers. To even think about crossing that line . . . was a sin in itself. And this grievous act had been done amongst them?

But as Petra searched each of the faces, each pair of wandering eyes, each head bowed in anxiety, that feeling of horror changed. She felt sorrow. They were just children, and some more than others. They had just gotten used to the awkwardness of growth and emotions that came along with their age; barely any of them even had facial hair. They had gone through hell and had emerged intact, which was a praiseworthy accomplishment that most higher ups in the Survey Corps couldn't brag. But they were only children.

That being said, the Squad had to approach the predicament carefully. With lengthy discussion, a plan had been devised of dealing with the situation quickly - with hopeful results. Petra knew the youth could sense the trouble.

"Can you blame them?"

Petra turned, seeing Levi enter the room and stroll toward her. His own gaze stared coldly to the murmuring crowd, and she couldn't read his eyes. They looked darker than usual.

"Blame them for what?"

"For being so nervous. For all they know, we could be telling them we found another Half-Breed Titan like Yeager." Levi squinted, "Who is here, speaking of which."

"All the youth that may have known Mikasa are. We can't take any chances of rooting this problem out."

"An assailant isn't a weed, Petra. You know that." Levi gave her a sidelong glance. "Plucking them out of the crowd is going to take much more than a motivational speech. Believe me."

Petra didn't resent his tone, though it was accusatory, "It's a start. It will, at the least, calm them down. If they don't stop babbling about it to each other, soon it'll be a rumour outside of HQ. Then we'll have a much bigger problem on our hands."

Levi crossed his arms, giving one quick nod. When he was mad, he sure as hell let you know. When he was pleased, it was as faint as _. Riot prevention had been taken care of, for each member of the Special Ops Squad was positioned throughout the room, monitoring the cadets. Eld and Gunther held the rear of the room, glancing about every so often. Oluo, who had personally expressed his desire not to be part of this at all, chewed his fingernails off in a corner. They all looked impatient, but Levi, out of all the members of the Squad, was the one most upset by their current situation. They were trying to fight against the enemy of humanity - and now, humans were turning their backs on each other? He was disgusted.

"Get started. I don't want this to take all day." Levi barked, turning on his heels to sit on the chair pushed off into the corner.

Petra strolled closer to the rows of tables, every voice softening at her approach. It was quickly silent. She took a quick breath, clasping her hands behind her back.

"Scouts of the Survey Corps. You have been summoned here this morning on behalf of the members of Special Ops Squad to inform you of an incident that took place last night between 21:00 and 3:00 hours." Petra ensured all eyes were on her before continuing, "Mikasa Ackerman has been assaulted within Head Quarters, and remains in critical condition."

The murmurs returned then. Petra spotted a figure rise in protest, but get pulled back to their seat; it was Yeager. Armin Arlert was the one holding him back. She saw Jean Kirschtein also shift restlessly in his place with a sotto voce "what the hell".

"I know this comes as a shock to most of you. I know some of you who are close to Mikasa have already been told. I know some of you who are not close to Mikasa are thinking that this situation somehow does not affect you — I suggest you think again."

"What we are dealing with here is dire in many ways, the first of which being in the mutiny within the walls of a place where unity is our only option. Because of the defiance of one, the result is the persecution of all. If one brick crumbles and falls from the foundation, we in turn are weakened and left vulnerable. If this is not solved and patched up quickly, it is only a matter of time before our cause gets stomped out by the higher ups in Wall Sina. If word gets out of this incident we will be put to shame in the eyes of our king. God knows how he will see us as. What do you think he will see us as?"

Petra gave the question a noticeable harshness, letting it ring out around the tense room.

"There is a sheep in wolves clothing in our midst. Whoever it was that committed this act is in danger of expulsion from the Survey Corps, or the penalty of death. You are all at danger now. We have been betrayed from among our own kind. And that, I believe, is the worst kind of evil we could witness."

The blankness on some faces was juxtaposed by tense determination on others. A buzzing of emotions brewed between them fiercely, as if each one were ready to implode from the assault. The reason Petra had been asked to make the statement was because she was not the kind of person to yell at the cadets. It even felt uncomfortable for her. But it put the message across - this was not something to sugar coat. This was deathly serious.

"Cadets; I do not mean to frighten you. I do not mean to show any less respect for you. The next path we take in rooting out our assailant requires the patience and the honesty of all of you. I have faith that you have not failed me in showing at least this much."

A few nods, though a great many of them still stared in shock.

"Our investigation will be headed by Captain Levi." Petra outstretched her arm in his direction, and at the cue Levi rose slowly, "He will be in charge of each personal interview conducted, as well as the organization of our task."

It was a different kind of silence that Captain Levi had always demanded that came over the youth in a sudden and strange wash. Petra herself even felt unnerved by the sudden change. Levi adjusted the white cravat around his neck, pacing one way and the other across the floor. Petra knew he was building the tension on purpose

"I'll start with the obvious things that I'm sure you all must know. Mikasa Ackerman is our top cadet. She is agile, strong, cooperative and merciless: all aspects of a prime soldier. From what information she was able to tell us, even with these skills, she was unable to defend herself from her attacker. We must assume her assailant is capable as well."

The crowds mumbles picked up. Levi waited until they were quiet again, leaving the uncomfortable silence to ring for an extra few moments before going on.

"Ackerman's body was found in the basement of Head Quarters, unconscious. According to the doctor who examined her, she has suffered a concussion, a cracked rib, and a severe shoulder sprain amongst other minor lacerations and bruises. Along with this, Mikasa was raped."

The crowd of voices swelled in horror filled gasps. Petra felt her stomach drop again at the reiteration of the truth; it hurt her, every time, no matter what. She closed her eyes as Levi continued, unabashed.

"Ackerman has informed us that this harm was done to her by someone she knows personally."

This time, the cadets were infuriated. Accusing glares were passed around with a severity that stopped one in their tracks. Curses mingled with distrustful tones, words spoken with levels of resentment most reserved only for their sworn enemy - this was exactly what Levi had dreaded they would see. Subversion. Petra saw the look on his face. If Erwin hadn't told Levi to restrain himself that morning, she knew he would have already been personally handing out disciplinary blows.

When the chatter did not immediately die down, Levi gave a sharp whistle from between his teeth, "This will go a lot faster if you stop interrupting me and shut up. Because of the current information we have gathered so far, I am calling to personally interrogate the following cadets: Jean Kirschtein, Connie Springer, Armin Arlert, and Eren Yeager - "

"You've got to be kidding me!"

Petra shot her eyes in the direction of the exclamation, giving a signal to Erd to be ready to detain him. Jean shoved his chair back and stood up, a kind of challenge his eyes comely displayed - but rarely used when speaking to his commanding officer.

"Just because we all trained in the same squad as Mikasa has no correlation to us being assailants! I'm not going to let my name be associated with a crime like this!"

"Jean . . ." A voice bit at him between clenched teeth; it was Connie Springer, his small form leaning toward him from the opposite side of the table, hazel eyes wide in concern. Jean ignored him, like usual.

"Eren is Mikasa's brother for god's sake!"

Jean flung a hand in Yeager's direction, who was clenching his fists so hard, Petra swore the whites of his knuckles could not get any more pale. Armin rested one of his hands just barely on Eren's shoulder.

"The fact that any of us are accused makes me sick." Jean's stance was ready for a confrontation. His ego was spilled through his words, clearly showing defence for his pride. "If you think I'm going to sit here and get accused of something I did not do, you're sure as hell wrong!

Despite the display, Levi hardly flinched. He really was in a good mood.

"Kirschtein. One more word out of you and I'll see to it personally that you spend the rest of the day licking clean every single one of your comrades boot soles." Levi's voice cut like a razor, painful and sharp. "Sit. Down."

Jean needed no further instruction.

"Do any more of you brats feel the need to express your insignificant complaints?!" Levi barked. When he was met with silence, he scoffed, "I figured so. Along with these four cadets called to question, all remaining male cadets will be required to have a brief inspection following this meeting - this includes your sleep areas. You are to wear the uniform you were dressed in the night prior, and you are not to shower until you are cleared. All female cadets must return to their respective sleep areas and gather their belongings; until further instruction, you are being relocated to a central sleeping area for safety. Although an attack of similar nature is not expected . . . there is not point of us taking a chance. The final instruction I have to give is the most critical, and should be vowed to be obeyed. Rise and salute soldiers."

The youth stood in a heartbeat, amongst them the unison of clenched fists pounding against their chests.

"No word of this is to be spoken. Not to anyone. Not to your fellow cadet. Not to your best friend. Unless demanded by a higher ranking officer, not to a higher ranking officer. Not even to yourself. If any trace of this incident is leaked our whole garrison is at risk of dissolve. I'm not letting everything I have put into this cause fall for nothing. I'm not letting the countless soldier's who died for this cause fall for nothing. This is a dark day for the Survey Corps, and you disgusting excuses for soldiers are the only ones to blame. Do yourselves a favour by not becoming disgusting excuses for former soldiers and keep this information unknown. Do I make myself clear?!"

"Yes sir!" The reply was firm.

"Don't think this is my favourite way to spend my morning - all because one of you little pricks couldn't keep your hands to yourself. It disgusts me. Corporal punishment will be enforced until we subdue the guilty: one meal a day, no training and no going outside. I'm sure one of you will get stir crazy enough to admit your sins."

The cunning, faint smile that played across Levi's lips was more frightening than any of his words.

"Dismissed."

Authors Note: Hello readers! Thanks for checking out this fic! I've been in the AOT/SNK fandom for only a little while but it's taken my feels by storm, and this fix was born. I apologize for any discrepancies or mistakes I may have made regarding, since I'm still kind of new (please feel free to point them out!) I'm going to update this as soon as possible (hopefully in a few days) but meanwhile please tell me what you think! Also, copyright to the Anime/Manga authors and writers. No original credit to me! Thanks again!