A/N: Hey everyone! So this is my first large scale fanfiction, and what better topic than the immensely popular Shingeki no Kyojin, or Attack on Titan. I love this series to death and it has recently become one of my favorite anime ever. And so natrually, I wanted to write a story about it :D. Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: This is a non profit fanfiction. Shingeki no Kyojin is owned by Hajime Isayama and Kodansha. Please support the official release.
On that day, humanity remembered the humiliation of being trapped inside walls like birds in a cage.
And on that day, Eren Jaeger swore to exterminate that which trapped them.
'Huh? Why am I remembering that now?', Armin thought as he stared at the ruins of Trost, soldiers rushing from rooftop to rooftop, trying to evacuate any remaining citizens as Titans roamed around, eating any person in sight. Most of the citizens had been evacuated thanks to the efforts of the elite squad, but the commander decided to do one final sweep just in case people were left behind. As it turned out, there were plenty, collectively at least 100 people.
"Oy, Armin, we should get going. They're calling all the trainees in. There's nothing more we can do."
Armin remained silent as Jean stood behind him, waiting for him to get up. Jean sighed and walked over, putting his hand on his shoulder. "I understand that this was hard for you, but we really have to move – this place is already overrun with Titans. There's no telling when – "
"Why are we so weak?"
Jean narrowed his eyes as Armin's voice, low and broken, interrupted him. He sighed and said, "We're not weak. We learnt how to fight and – "
"Jean, don't fuck around. How many Titans did you kill today?"
Jean remained silent, slightly surprised at Armin's venomous tone. He contemplated what Armin said as he continued, "Mikasa was right. This world is cruel. And maybe the only way to survive in a cruel world is to abandon one's humanity." Jean looked slightly surprised as Armin stood and turned towards the wall. "Let's go." Jean sighed and nodded, standing up as well. However, they barely adjusted their gear when they heard a loud thud behind them. They both turned to see the Titan that ate Eren staring at them. Jean's eyes widened with fear, but Armin stood up, drawing his blades slowly, a deadpan expression on his face. Jean noticed this and said, "Armin….what do you plan to do? Don't throw your life away like Mikasa and Eren did!" This seemed to strike a chord with Armin, as he turned to Jean and said in a cold voice, "Believe me – that's the last thing I'm going to do."
With that, he jumped off the roof, activating his maneuver gear and speeding towards the Titan.
Jean could only watch in shock and awe as Armin moved gracefully through the air, gathering speed and momentum until he reached his target. With a feral yell, he first sliced the Titan's eyes, taking out both of them at once. The Titan stumbled back, blinded. Armin landed on an adjacent roof for a brief moment before hooking on to its neck. He raised his blade, ready to strike. Zooming towards it, he sliced its nape so vehemently that blood coated his entire face. The Titan fell motionless to the ground as Armin landed gracefully on the rooftop in front of a very shocked Jean. He said coldly,
"I'm going to make Eren's dream a reality. I will slaughter all the Titans. I'm going to see the ocean. And I'm not going to let any of my comrades die."
He said it with such conviction that Jean had no doubt that he would go to any length to uphold his vow. He simply nodded in reply. Armin turned and said, "Let's go." The pair sped back to the Wall, leaving the hell they once called home behind.