A/N- This story was inspired by Shadows by Argon.847. I found their story to be a good start, but seeing as how they haven't updated it in a while, I figured I would give a shot at something similar and hopefully make it further. Please don't hate me. They say imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.
Be sure to leave a review.
Disclaimer- I OWN NOTHING!
(-)
A perpetual frown marred the face of Keith Shadis as he paced down the rows of new trainees. No, right now they weren't even trainees, just weak civilians who were eager to fight. Ready to lay down their lives for one reason or the other. Make no mistake, despite how optimistic they might be about their odds, a lot of them could die. And that made Shadis' heart ache.
The kids had no idea what they truly signed up for, or that the rest of their lives would be utter hell compared to the next few years. He expected their number to be halved by the end of the day.
Yet, as Shadis walked through the rows, he took notice of a select few. There was something in their eyes. That hardened glare, eyes darkened from sleepless nights plagued by nightmares and memories; they were the ones that understood. They had gazed into the abyss and it gazed back. But they refused to be victims. These were the true survivors. The ones who might just stand a chance against the horrors beyond the Walls.
Out of respect, he passed them by, and instead gave the 'hardass' treatment to the weak willed and those who were nonchalant about the whole experience. They were the ones that needed it most. A rude awakening to the reality of their situation. So when he saw that girl scarfing down a steaming potato, he knew it was time to set an example. How he handled this would set precedence for how the other trainees would be punished, and whether or not the crime was worth the time.
So as he lay into the girl, bringing down the totality of his fury and turning her into something reminiscent of a trembling rabbit, he was surprised to find that someone had the audacity to place their hand on his shoulder. Shadis spun around, eager to punish the fool who dared to interrupt him, but was surprised to find it was one of them. Those eyes like melted gold met his own, harsher and more battle-hardened than any he'd ever seen in boot camp before. A hushed voice broke the silence. A voice that spoke with a calm tiredness along with withheld rage.
"That's enough."
Shadis snapped. He lashed out at the boy with a fist, aiming to crash it into his face. Much to his surprise, the blow actually struck him, but not nearly as hard as intended. The boy moved his body with the attack, a technique that minimized the impact and dispersed the force through his legs and into the ground. No movements were wasted when he did this, it was done with a certain mastered skill.
This only made Shadis angrier. He raged at the two trainees, demanding respect and promising punishment. Without discipline then the two of them would surely end up as nothing more then casualties, just another number. And if these brats didn't respect him now then none of them would. Yet, the boy dared to make him lose face in front of the other cadets?! He would not let this stand. This rebellious attitude had to be quashed now before it grew any larger.
"YOU WILL GO OUT AND RUN LAPS AROUND THE BASE UNTIL YOU LEARN RESPECT!"
(-)
Sasha huffed in exhaustion. She collapsed down on her hands and knees, chest heaving as she struggled to take in oxygen. She had been running laps for what seemed like forever. Her body was beyond tired, yet she knew that if she lingered for too long then Shadis would come over and force her to her feet and continue.
"Hahh... Damn..." she breathed out. Taking a moment to look behind her at her comrade in punishment, she saw the blonde coming up fast. She had long since noticed him passing her multiple times. The sweat on his brow the only indication of his exhaustion. He was in far better shape than she was and it showed. His running style was efficient, minimizing effort in order to maximize duration. As he came up on her he slowed down.
"Here, come on." he said as he held out his left hand to help her up. "If you stop now you'll never stand a chance."
"Thanks." Sasha said as she took his hand. The boy pulled her up and helped to prod her forward.
"Just keep thinking; one more lap and I'm done. And when you finish that lap, do it again."
"I'll try." Sasha responded, deciding to give the idea a shot.
The duo continued to run, the boy having decided to match Sasha's pace and remain with her. As they finished another lap he said. "Just one more."
Sasha took a deep breath and pushed on. They finished another lap.
"Just one more."
Her body ached, but she pressed on nonetheless. A fiery determination sparked inside her. A drive to finish the next lap.
"Just one more."
(-)
Darkness had descended upon the base and Sasha and the boy had finally finished enduring their punishment. Sasha collapsed in an undignified heap on the ground whilst the boy remained standing, seemingly still able to put out a few more laps.
A figure was approaching from the shadows, a bundle in hand.
Sasha's nose twitched. 'This is...' Wild eyed, she attacked the newcomer, knocking her to the ground. "Bread!" Sasha exclaimed as she held up the baked good like it was a gift from god himself.
Meanwhile the blonde girl she had knocked over had recovered and sat up. "It's not much, but I saved it for you." she said as she held up a water skin. "Oh, but you really ought to drink some water first."
Sasha turned to the girl who seemed to have an angelic glow emanating from behind her. "Are you a goddess?!"
"Huh?!" the blonde girl was confused.
It was then that the blonde boy began to make his way past the two of them. The blonde girl called out to him, pulling out a bit more food. He paused for a moment, smiling his thanks, but politely declined.
"Please take it." the blonde girl practically begged. "You must be starving. I saved some of my extra food from dinner." she looked at him with eyes filled with concern.
The boy just shook his head. "I'm fine. You eat it, I'm sure you're still hungry. There's no way you had enough 'extra' for two people."
Almost as if on cue, the girls stomach grumbled and she blushed.
As the boy turned to walk away once more, the girl called out to him. "W-wait! My name's Krista. What's yours?"
The boy turned, stepped forward, back straight, eyes focused on Krista. He held out his hand as his lips curved into a gentle smile. "Edward. Edward Elric."
"Well Edward, it was nice meeting you." Krista said as she shook his hand.
"Nice meeting you as well."
"Umm!" Sasha started as she finished her bread. "I'm Sasha." she said, properly introducing herself to Edward. "Thanks for pushing me on earlier."
Edward waved her off. "It was nothing. Just doing my part to help out a comrade. And for the record, you guys can just call me Ed. The only people who call me Edward are the ones who hate me or are trying to kill me."
The two girls quirked a brow at this, but before they could ask him what he meant he had already left.
(-)
As the months passed Ed had made a bit of a name for himself. He was a loner for the most part. From time to time he would interact with his fellow trainees in order to help them, but only if it was related to training. Other than that he refused to initiate contact with them unless he was the one approached. But even then he would keep to himself. He spoke not of his past or personal life in the slightest. Hell, even Shadis didn't know anything about him. It was almost as if he was just... there.
As for his performance in boot camp, he was easily one of the top recruits. He showed great proficiency in the use of the ODM gear along with hand to hand combat. Mikasa was the only one whose skill exceeded his.
The boy in question was currently laying in his bunk, the rest of his fellow recruits already fast asleep. He let out a sigh as he stared at the ceiling, his mind in deep thought. After a few moments he reached into his shirt and pulled on the end of the necklace that was wrapped around his neck. It was a simple yet durable necklace made of black cord. As Ed pulled the end of the necklace out from beneath his shirt, it revealed a small red orb that was fitted in the grasp of a metal claw. Staring into the glossy ball, he looked upon it with a frown. Despite how much he abhorred the orb and what it stood for, he still could not bring himself to get rid of it. For it would be a waste of all those lives that were sacrificed to make it. He swore that he would only use it in an emergency. This world was teetering on the brink of destruction, and he needed every last bit of help he could get if he was to even survive let alone save others. He tucked the philosophers stone back into his shirt and soon after went to sleep.
(-)
Reiner charged, but Eren was prepared and slammed him into the ground.
"Ow!" the large blonde winced.
"Sorry." Eren offered him a hand. "I'm not good at holding back."
"No problem." responded Reiner. "Now it's your turn to be the rogue." he said as he held out the wooden knife to Eren who looked a little apprehensive. "What's the matter?"
"I don't get this training." Eren answered as he took the knife. They had been practicing hand to hand combat for the last few hours, though very few seemed to be taking it seriously. "This is totally useless! We're gonna be fighting Titans, not people!" he said as he ran a hand through his hair. "We're never going to use this against Titans, so what's the point?"
Most others seemed to share Eren's mindset, as several cadets were goofing off.
Reiner frowned at Eren. "There will be situations where a soldier cannot back down. It is our duty to be prepared for anything. No matter what the enemy is, we have to be prepared for it. Whether it means using cannons or combat techniques. That's the responsibility of a soldier." at Eren's chaste expression, he smacked his back and smiled. "Hey, at least you're trying, unlike a certain someone."
Eren followed Reiner's gaze and he saw Annie. She was strolling about with a scowl marring her otherwise pretty features. "Oh, it's Annie. She's slacking off without the commander noticing again."
"Alright Eren. That slacker needs a lecture too. Let's teach her how a soldier is supposed to act." Reiner said as he prodded Eren forward.
... Only for the both of them to end up face first in the dust. Eren's head still reeled from the impact. Groaning, he shifted, only to find a gloved hand shoved in his face. Eren looked up, his green eyes meeting gold. It was Edward, the recluse. Eren knew very little about the blonde. He would make the occasional sarcastic comment, and was highly skilled at the ODM gear and hand to hand combat, but that was all Eren knew about him. Neither teen had ever approached the other. Taking the hand with a thankful grin, Eren climbed to his feet. However Eren noted an odd sensation to Edward's hand. It was unnaturally stiff, almost like wood or metal. "Annie's a really good fighter, huh?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head.
"Looks like it. That or maybe you're just not as good as you think." answered Edward.
"Hey! I'm plenty good shorty!" Eren bit back.
At the word 'shorty' Edward's eye twitched, and before he knew it, Eren was slammed against the ground again, an uninhibited view of the sky above.
"I'm not short." the blonde ground out. "I'm just a little vertically challenged."
Eren groaned as he got back up, this time on his own. "Isn't that the same thing?"
"Do you want me to thrash you again?" Edward asked through clenched teeth.
"Err, no, sorry." Eren apologized as he backed away from Edward.
"Good. Now watch closely. It's my turn to teach her a lesson." Edward said as he walked over towards Annie.
"Oh, this is gonna be good." remarked Reiner with a grin. "Shorty doesn't stand a chance."
Eren and Reiner watched as Edward strolled up to Annie and started a conversation with her. Though they couldn't hear the entirety of their talk, they were able to make out the line, 'Beat it shorty'.
Annie barely had time to react as Edward went for a grapple. She kicked off the ground and sent herself backwards out of reach, before countering with a roundhouse kick. Edward blocked with his arm and caught the appendage. He then proceeded to swing Annie to the side with strength that belied his small stature. Annie fell to the ground in a tumble. The girl quickly righted herself in preparation for the next attack.
The rest of the cadets one by one stopped their sparring as the fight between Edward and Annie became more heated. The two fighters arms and legs were a blur of movement as they threw punches and kicks. Annie had the advantage of height over Edward, but he was easily compensating for it. Almost as if he was used to fighting people taller than him. The fight continued for a few minutes, neither side giving an inch, until the two finally clashed one last time and separated.
Edward smirked. "Heh, you're good." he said as he wiped the sweat from his brow.
"I could say the same about you." Annie responded stoically.
"Well, I guess I can leave it at that." Edward said with a shrug. "Our fight makes up for you slacking off." he said before walking off.
"That was insane." Eren breathed out. "I could barely follow the fight."
"Yeah, me neither." Reiner agreed. "I guess shorty has a few surprises in him."
(-)
Armin watched as the other blonde zip past him with his ODM gear, maneuvering through the air with graceful ease. Armin couldn't help but compare himself to the small, quiet blonde and find himself falling short. He did not hate Edward for it, far from it. Any hatred was directed at himself. The other teen seemed to surpass him in every way possible. And that is what made Armin so frustrated. Edward was practically at the top of their class in all regards.
And he was also the biggest enigma Armin had ever encountered. Armin liked to study people, their behaviors, patterns, habits, and mannerisms. The blonde's greatest asset was his mind. He was sharp and quick witted, able to take in clues and break down the puzzles. But every time he tried to decipher the person that is Edward Elric, he was left with only questions and not answers. You would think that at some point a person would let slip something about their past, something about their life before joining the military. And that is where Armin hit a snag. Edward revealed nothing about himself or his past, no matter who asked him. He maintained a certain aloofness about himself in order to remain as a 'neutral party' among the cadets. Not taking sides in fights, preferring to remain on the sidelines and observe. Everything he did earned him neither friends nor enemies.
And that was just his interactions with others. There were a few abnormalities that Armin noticed about Edward, or Ed as he insists on people calling him. His usage of the ODM gear itself was a bit of a conundrum. Ed leaned to the side in a way none of the other cadets did. Armin had tried mimicking his style in the past, and found himself off-balance. To the sharp blonde, this made no sense. The human body is naturally symmetrical in its distribution of weight, and any differences were only to a small degree, only faint shifts in balance would be needed. Nothing to the degree that Ed was doing. It was almost as if he was compensating for weight that wasn't there.
Then there was his hand to hand combat. He, like Annie, was already proficient in its use even before they started teaching them in boot camp.
Then there was the fact that no one had ever seen Ed in any state of undress. The only skin anyone saw was on his face. His white gloves were practically glued to his hands, even if caked in dirt or blood. He was never seen in the communal showers, but when Armin would wake in the morning he would notice Ed's braid was dripping wet. He was obviously taking his shower's when he was alone and everyone was asleep. Was he shy or something? That might explain his reclusive nature.
Armin was so engrossed in his musings that he failed to notice the tree branch until it hit him.
(-)
It wasn't until later, as Armin held the cool metal cup against his swollen cheek, that he finally noticed something noteworthy about Ed. Armin was hunched over the table he was sitting at with Eren and Mikasa, the former having a good natured laugh at Armin's expense whilst the latter was focused on her food. However his focus was elsewhere. Particularly a few tables over where a certain solitary blonde was absorbed in his meal. Ed wasn't big on manners when he ate, opting to shovel the food into his mouth at a nearly choking pace as if he hadn't eaten in days.
Armin blinked slightly as a flash of light caught his eye. The light of the flames had caught at just the right angle on a piece of metal and reflected at him.
Wait.
Metal?
Armin's gaze narrowed as he tried to discern the source of the glint, focused on Ed's movements. He was about to give up and return his gaze to his friends, when he saw it. A flash of light reflecting off of a piece of metal concealed beneath Ed's sleeve.
And just as soon as he spotted it, it was gone. The blonde finished his meal and got up from his seat, braid swinging back and forth as he walked away.
'What was that?' wondered Armin. 'Some kind of metal bracelet?'
Armin had already taken note of the concealed necklace that always hung from Ed's neck. Did he also have some kind of metal bracelet? If so, why hide it? In fact, why hide the necklace too? The purpose of such things are to flaunt them, that or they're a memento of some sort. More questions with no answers.
(-)
And so, 218 trainees made it to graduation.
"Give your hearts!" shouted instructor Shadis.
All of the gathered cadets saluted the dark skinned man. "Yes sir!"
"You have three options after you graduate the Trainee Corps today! The Garrisons, which reinforces the walls and protects each city! The Scouts, which risks life and limb to venture into Titan territory outside the walls! And the Military Police, which serves under the king by policing the people and preserving the order! Of course, the only ones allowed to join the Military Police are the top ten cadets who were previously named!"
The top ten stood side by side in order of their ranking: Mikasa, Edward, Reiner, Bertholdt, Annie, Eren, Jean, Marco, Connie, and Sasha.
"Now is the time to put all your training to use! Go out there and be the best soldier you can be! Make me proud! Dismissed!"
(-)
"Yes!" Connie grinned. "Now I'm gonna be in the Military Police!"
The graduating cadets were now having a much deserved break back in the barracks, the graduation ceremony had concluded and they were all in high spirits.
"No more worry about food!" Sasha said.
"How'd I get ranked under Eren?! Damn!" Jean growled as he took a swig from his mug.
"Are you seriously not going to join the Military Police, Eren?" Thomas asked.
"Even after you managed to get into the top ten and all?" added Samuel.
"My mind was set from the start. I didn't train all this time just to live in the safety of the interior. I did it to fight the Titan's." he answered.
"We can't beat them!" Thomas yelled. The room instantly quieted. "Do you know how many tens of thousands of people have been eaten so far? The answer was clear after we lost 20% of our population. Humanity can't beat the Titan's."
"Not with that attitude it won't."
Everyone turned to the voice. The usually reclusive Edward was sitting at one of the nearby tables, sipping from a mug.
"Yes, humanity has lost every battle against the Titan's so far, but that's because we were clueless about the Titan's. Though we lost countless lives to those things, the information we gained in battle will lead us to further hope. Throwing away all the advances we made, all the fighting techniques that cost thousands of lives to develop, that's just wasting the sacrifice of those who gave their lives for our survival." Edward said as he stood up and walked over to Thomas, his gold eyes staring straight into Thomas'. "If you go into battle already resigned to failure, then failure is what you will find."
"S-so what? Are you joining the Scouts too?"
Edward turned and started to walk away. "I'm not sure. But I know I won't be joining the MP. I don't want to be under someones thumb." he said as he left the room. "Not again." he faintly whispered, but no one heard that.