I collapse on the couch set up for our current post outside the walls. It's my first day outside the walls and I've already seen half my team eaten by titans. I managed to kill the titans with the help of my remaining squad members, but the emotional and mental damage has long already been done.
At the academy I ranked around average, mostly from getting in trouble from sneaking off to do my own thing. I loved research and understanding how things worked while doing personality analysis, as a result my test scored were close to perfect in everything but my tendency to do my own thing always got me in trouble with the commanders. Yet today that tendency is what may have saved my life because I was able to take out five titans, it just costed me the life of three teammates that I went to the academy with, who were close friends of mine.
I take a deep breath and throw my arm over my face in the hope that if I don't have sight I won't see their deaths any more. All day I have been plagued with the image of all of them dying over and over again in my head. Catalina, kind and genuinely happy girl, having her head ripped off before the rest of her body being torn in half. Rick, natural born leader, swallowed whole, dissolving in that cursed titan's stomach. I hope my sword gave him indigestion. Then finally there was Temari, she had spunk like no other. She was so kind to everyone, but quick to speak her mind. That strong sense of right and wrong was what sadly led to her death. In the heat of anger she charged in to avenge Rick's and Catalina's death, she never even saw the third titan charging in with it's two friends.
The desk next to me squeaked and I knew it must be Captain Levi. I wanted to be on his team, if not Captain Hange just for her research department, because I've always admired Captain Levi. I was never as poor or as bad off as him, but I grew up without a family and lived in an abandoned shack that I called home so I could relate to a lot of his past. He was the reason I joined the scouting legion and what inspired me to become part of the military.
"How do you do it, Captain Levi?" I pause giving myself a moment to breath before continuing my question. "I just watched my closest friends die before my eyes and even though I avenged them and killed the titans responsible I keep seeing their deaths and blaming myself for not killing those monsters sooner," I snarl out the word monsters to emphasis my great detest for the vile things we call titans.
"You can start by getting your filthy boots off my couch," Levi instructs as he lifts my legs up and drops them back down over his lap while sitting next to me.
"Any other wise knowledge," I ask sarcastically out of annoyance of his dismissal of my pain and his insult of my perfectly clean boots, I had cleaned then before entering the tent.
"Kill them all." I move my arm a little to peak up at Levi. His face was as serious as ever, not that he was one for jokes.
"Is that how you handle it? You aspire to kill all titans." Levi nods his head. It makes sense: killing just the titans that killed my friends will never end this rage and passion I feel. I must destroy all titans that way no one had to die again.
"I'll kill more titans then anyone else," I mumble the deceleration to myself.
.:: 7 years later ::.
I use my 3D moving device to lift my body over towards Levi. I just killed another titan, tying me with my captain; Levi.
"59 titan kills," I brag as I close the few steps different between Levi and I so that we're standing side by side. Levi smirks:
"Three titans in front of us, the first one to kill theirs gets the extra." I smirk back at him and take off to kill the titans. Levi beats me to his titan since he took the one closer to us while sticking me with a 19 meter ugly plump female titan.
"The titan swings quickly at me, but I easily dodged it by ducking under her arm and latching onto her neck. I fling my body forward and slash my blades as deeply as they would go into the titans neck. With this titan dead I race off towards the the 20 meter titan that will be my reward as I kill a single titan more than Levi.
"Where do you think your going," Levi asks while appearing before me as the titan I was after falls behind him. I glare deeply at him. So close to finally beating him.
'I need to get faster,' I think grumpily to myself.
"I'll beat you one of these days."
"Is that all you aspire to?" Levi asks sounding thoroughly bored but I know he's just having fun at my expense.
"No but you must admit that it makes it more enjoyable for both of us." My frown is replaced with a smile as I plop down on the rooftop, surveying the area around.
"We had reports of close to 50 titans in the area before arriving so where have they all gone to." Not a single titan was in sight, not including those that are smoking.
"It's like five years ago." Levi mumbles but instantly grabbing my attention. I hop up without warning feeling the pressure of a sudden urgency.
'I won't let them take more away from me! I will kill them all!' I use my 3D device to propel myself to the stable with our horses. The importance in stopping the threat is impending. I grab the first horse I see and take off at full speed towards Wall Rose.
"All my thoughts are absorbed with the horrific deaths that come at the hands of titans as well as the fear of what will become of our town if we lose Wall Rose. With the sense of urgency increasing I push my horse harder.
"Reina," Levi shouts from behind me in a desperate attempt to get me to slow down and think about what it is I'm doing.
"I have to save them," I shout over my shoulder at Levi, picking up my pace even more.
"I won't have another death hanging over my head when I can save them!" I declare to myself.
"I ride for two days straight without stopping except to change horses. Levi is close behind with the others, but all I care about is getting to Wall Rose in time to save as many people as I can.
"I arrive at the wall and propel myself off the horse and towards the top of the wall. I can hear my group not too far behind me. At the top of the wall the situation is clear: a group trainees are on the field, one has collapsed if not dead, and three of the trainees are about to be eaten. I look over my shoulder to see Levi sitting to the top of the roof. I make a moments eyes contact and know the plan. I let him take the titans as I go to the trainees further assess the situation.
"Come with me," I order all of them while taking the black haired boy in my arms. I shoot off towards the houses leading to the innermost wall; Wall Sina.
"What of your team?" The blonde haired boy asks of me while following closely.
"Captain Levi will take care of the titans closes to us while everyone else with take care of the rest. Our first priority is to get you and the rest of the citizens out of harm's way." I cast a brief glance towards my left where I knew Levi would be.
"Now explain to me why trainees are at the front line?"
"It's a long story but we can explain it to you later," the blonde speaks up again.
"Levi," I shout as two approach us from the right while he's preoccupied with the left flank. Levi turns from the dead titans and begins to address the two new titians when the black haired female with a red scarf takes care of them instead.
"Who ever this girl is she is one of the best I've seen in a long time. She was quick, calculated, and naturally gifted. She seemed to not even bat an eye at the titans. More than likely part of the survivors from five years ago. I truly hope she joins the scouting legion, we could use an asset such as her.
"Girl, you cover the right side. I hope I don't have to explain to you that all of our lives are in your hands. I don't trust people so easily normally so don't mess up." She seemed reliable but I think it best to emphasis the importance of her position. Not unexpected the female ignored me, but did as instructed. Without further altercations we made it to Wall Sina.
"Commander," I greet the head commander of the walls while setting the boy down. "Considering where I found them and the skills of that one," I motion my head to the female, "I'm guessing this is your doing. Care to explain?" Commander Pixis just chuckles at me.
"Always straight to the point, without fail lieutenant Sarkozi," Pixis smile at me as he addresses me with my title and last name.
"There is never time for leisure or jokes when we cross paths, if there was I'd ask you about your day or something first." Sarcastic but polite as ever I naturally show my annoyance.
"I will explain when Commander Erwin arrives." I nod my head and walk over to my Captain.
"You are now eleven behind me." I groan in unhappiness at the news.
"I'll catch up. These three and securing the area was what was our top priority at the time." I look towards the city residing in between Wall Rose and Wall Sina, the body count was clearly high for military with quite a few civilian cases but the scouting legion has manage to kill all of the titans remaining in the wall upon our arrival.
'Today is a victory and no victory is sadly without cost,' I tell myself while taking a moment of silence for those who have died.