Chapter 1: The Disaster of Dies Aries

The really strange thing about being put into a tough situation is that it snaps everything into perspective, or sometimes into a different reality. Well, like right now, for instance-Slumped against a wall, I lay there, half-conscious, as my best friend is being picked on. Oh, yay, what fun, huh?

Oh, sorry, I need to put some more info out there. My name is Yuki Kurosaki, and I'm at least 8 or 9 years old right now. My best friend that I just mentioned? His name is Armin, and as far as I can remember, when I was 6, I've always lived with him. Before that, though, I had a real tough time with my family. I lived with a ton of mentors to keep up survival skills, until one day my parents left me stuck all alone in Shiganshina, the District that I live in.

I have two other friends that live within this district, too-you'll see them in a little bit. Back to the matter at hand:

"What did you say?" One of the bullies says.

"You heard me. I said I'm not going to fight!" Armin shoots back. "That would be stooping to a low level like you, and I'm not that kind of person!"

"Oh, really?" Another bully says, leaning closer towards him. "Why don't you say that again to my face?"

"Hold up-Looks like Eren's coming to 'save the day', again," the first one says, stopping the second. It's true, too: Eren, one of the other friends that I mentioned earlier, is running toward the three jerks, obviously ready to take them on. The other one, Mikasa, is only a couple inches away, basically chasing after him.

"So what?" He sneers. "We can take him in a fight, can't we?"

The third one audibly sucks in a breath as I regain consciousness. "Forget it, idiot! Mikasa's with him! Let's scram!"

The three of them dash off in fear. Slowly, as to make sure that they're really gone, I stand up: one of the bullies had knocked me down when they hit me, which resulted in me stuck on the ground and unconscious.

"Ha-ha, yes!" Eren fist-punches the air in triumph. "They were so scared of us, they ran away!"

"Er, yeah, one of you anyways," Armin says shakily. Mikasa doesn't say anything-she isn't much of a talker anyways.

"Yeah, sorry to rain on your parade, Eren, but I'm sure it was Mikasa they were scared of," I add to Armin's comment. "They seemed ready to take you on."

Eren sighs heavily. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Still, I like to imagine that they do because of me." He turns to Armin. "Are you okay, Armin?" He offers his hand.

Armin hesitates, then slowly rises to his feet. "I can get up on my own," he says.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Let's just go, okay?"

"Okay, I guess…"

Aren't you being as stubborn as Eren, I think to myself. Under normal circumstances, Eren can be very stubborn about his decisions, and personally, I'm worried that it might be his downfall one of these days. However, times do change, and so maybe he'll stop being so stubborn at times. I hope.

There's this little alcove near a river that we like to hang out at sometimes, and today we head over there as part of a usual routine. Things seem...off today, though, so I try hard to keep myself on guard at all times.

"Man, what jerks those guys are," Eren says disapprovingly, and I nod in agreement.

"They remind me of what happened to my parents," Mikasa shivers.

"They just give me the creeps. Go pick on someone your own size for once, you jerks!" I say.

Then Armin starts talking about the one thing we always think about: Our dream to be part of the Scouts.

"So...you talked to your parents about it, huh? What'd they say?"

Eren sighs. "As predicted, they weren't too hot on the idea of me joining the military."

"Neither was our grandfather, right, Yuki?"

"Yep," I say, nodding. "It seems like too much fun for me to pass it up, though I can see why he wasn't willing to let us go."

"Oh, by the way, Mikasa, thanks for ratting on me!" Eren says suddenly, shooting a glare at Mikasa.

"I don't remember you telling me to keep it a secret," she shoots back, giving him a look that could wither a plant.

"Still, Yuki's right. The walls were only built to keep them out," Armin points out, startling us. "They have been standing for at least a century now, and I don't think that they'll be up for much longer."

"Just what the heck do you mean by that?" Eren asks.

"I mean that at some point, the walls could come crashing down," Armin replies, not looking at us. "It could be two weeks from now….or tomorrow, for all we know. Doesn't it feel that way?"

I'm about to reply when suddenly:

FWOOOOOM!

"Huh? What the heck was that?" I query in surprise. And then, as Armin is nowhere in sight: "Also, where'd Armin go?"

The three of us look around in shock until Eren points towards an alleyway. "Through there!" He calls out, heading in that direction. Mikasa and I follow him.

Out on the street, Armin stands there out in the middle, his mouth hanging open in shock.

"Armin?" Eren says worriedly. "Hey, Armin, are you okay?"

Not saying anything, he silently points towards Wall Maria, the one thing keeping apart from them. Our eyes follow to where he points. When I see what he's pointing at, I cover my mouth with my hands. No! I want to scream. This can't be real! It can't!

"The walls have kept us safe for 100 years now," Armin stammers, quite as scared as I am. (I'll admit it, I am scared, okay? Jeez.) "I don't believe it! It's a Titan!"

Yes. A Titan, the one thing we are protected from. Ranging usually from 3 meters to 15 meters (Or, in this Titan's case, 60 meters approximately), these beasts will stop at nothing to eat us alive. And now, it's looking like disaster is just waiting for us. Oh, joy, what fun.

Kaboom!

The sound of this colossal Titan (good name for it, actually) rings through my ears as I watch the wall be knocked down, leaving a very big hole, before he disappears. The wind that comes with it knocks a few people off their feet, and possibly hitting the side of the wall as well. Eren suddenly sprints off in the direction of his house, probably to check up on his mom or something. Mikasa chases after him, and though Armin tries to coax them to escape while we can, it proves useless, they still continue onwards anyways. Well, shoot.

"Darn. They're not listening," Armin says in disappointment. "Come on, Yuki, We've got to get out of here!" He adds, taking my hand.

"Wait!" I say, stopping him before he can run off. "What about those two? Can't we guarantee their safety?"

"Oh, shoot, you're right." He looks around and stops when he spots Hannes, one of the Garrison Regiment officers in this district. "I know! Let's coax him to help out."

As fast as we can, we sprint towards Hannes, who seems to be in some kind of shock. When we're close enough, he looks towards us and frowns.

"Are you kids okay?" He asks with worry.

"Please, you've got to help our friends," I plead. "It's very important!"

"What do you mean?" Hannes says, confused.

"Eren and Mikasa ran back to their house, and their mom is there too," Armin explains as quickly as he can. "I don't think we'll make it in time to stop them, can you please help?"

Hannes sighs. "All right, all right, I'll help you, but you two hurry. Those boats aren't going to wait for you."

"Yes, sir," I say, relieved. "Thank you-" That's all I get to say, as Armin drags me away very quickly. When he finally lets go, I run alongside him, hurrying inside Wall Maria. Before we even go towards the boats, however, Armin gets a second idea.

"Hey Yuki, how far can you fly?"

Yes, he did just say that. One second.

"Um, about halfway to Wall Rose before I have to stop and rest, all the way if I can coast on a current," I say, calculating it quickly. "Let me guess-you want me to fly all the way there."

"Yes." He hands me a bag. "Keep this with you as well. If you fly there, more people will be able to board the escape boats, you hear what I'm saying?"

"Oh, okay, I can see," I agree, nodding. "You stay safe, you hear? If I hear that you were killed, I will personally drag your dead body from wherever it is and kick it into next week."

"Okay. You too, Yuki."

He doesn't say anything else, just heads to the boat as fast as he can. Slinging the bag onto my back, I prepare to take off. A pair of blue-and-white wings shoot outwards from my back. Again, give me a minute. I break into a sprint to get some good wind, then leap into the air, my wings working powerfully as I ascend into the air.