So This Is How The World Ends.
Chapter 1 – Prologue.
Author's note: Okay just a couple of things I'd like to say before I start:
1 – This is my first Fic, so any and all reviews are welcome, though I apologise if it's in any way sub-par.
2 – The story is taking place in modern day Japan (still called Shinganshina, but will also include real life Tokyo *weeab intensifies*), and I'll try to follow the events of the manga as closely as I can, though changes may need to be made as I progress to ensure that the story is grounded in its setting, though I can assure you no changes will be made to the characters (except perhaps to indulge my ships – mainly EreMika and AruAni, though more may be added later.). The opening scenarios will be different from the source material, though things will return to normal once the enemy arrives ;)
3 – And finally, a fun, interactive part of my Fic! Any pieces of music that the characters are listening to at that point will be linked in the opening A.N, so you can listen along with all your favourite members of the 104th! (Though I'll also be including any pieces of music that I feel add to the mood or overall atmosphere).
Now that that's all out of the way, it's time to begin! I hope you enjoy it!
Songs included in this chapter:
watch?v=-qgrp6bgKxg [UVERworld - (ichioku bun no ichi no shousetsu)]
Kishida Kyoudan & The Akeboshi Rockets – Nekomonogatari (Can't find a link for this )
It was cold up there, amongst the blue heavens, where she was so high she felt as though she could reach out and touch the Goddesses themselves. From atop her perch among the clouds, the girl felt the wind flow across her skin, carrying strands of her inky black hair aloft on its gentle breeze. A pair of birds flew effortlessly across the azure sky, the Dove and Mountain Bluebird gliding lazily though the air together in perfect harmony, dancing side by side, the gentle breeze all that disturbed their brilliant plumage. The girl watched them circle and dance above her, grey eyes following their peaceful flight. A stronger gust of breeze caught the birds' wings, and a few loose feathers got caught on the flow of the gentle winds, carrying them down towards her. The girl reached out her hand, gently plucking the feathers from their path. She held them in her hand for a moment, afraid that when she loosened her grasp to look at them, they'd blow away. When she did finally open her hand to look, she saw two feathers, one snow white and the other a gleaming royal blue, lay crossed on her open palm. It was only then that she noticed what lay beyond her hand – pale grey stone, solid and flawless, seemingly as ancient as the world itself. As the wind carried the two feathers out of her hand and into the sky, the girl took in her surroundings – the pale grey stone beneath her was in fact an impossibly high Wall that curved off into the distance, with no end in sight.
Following the path of the feathers, the girl's eyes fell upon a city enveloped within the mighty Wall, the sun's rays hitting the creamy stone walls and bright orange clay roofs of the small buildings beneath her, the perfect image of whimsical peace. However, despite the beauty of her surroundings and the peaceful nature of the world around her, the girl couldn't help but feel a great sadness within her at the sight, as if the idyllic city was tainted by some horrific event. She heard footsteps and began to turn to see who was approaching…
The peaceful dream was brought to a sudden close as the girl's phone began to blare out the opening strains of one of her favourite UVERworld songs, signalling the start of a new day, and with it the new school year. Groaning, the girl reached a hand
out from under her covers to put an end to the offending sound, the sunlight filtering from between her blinds lighting her way. Now that the alarm had done its job and woken her from her sleep, the girl lay in bed briefly, staring up at her plain
white ceiling and pondering what the day might bring, fixating on a small spot of the previous blue paint that had been missed when her uncle had painted her room.
'Will I do well this year?'
The spot of blue paint didn't answer.
'Will I make my family proud?'
Again, the single smudge of blue didn't respond.
'Will I pass my exams?'
Still, the speck of blue remained silent.
'…will I be happy?'
The blue stain on the ceiling stubbornly refused to answer her questions.
Upon conceding that the small blob of pastel blue paint either didn't have the answers to life's questions, or just refused to tell her, the girl admitted defeat. Sighing, she climbed out of bed and made her way to the bathroom, turning on the shower.
The steam from the boiling water curled upwards and out of the doorway as she washed herself in the warm water. Drying and dressing herself in her traditional Japanese sailor style uniform, the girl took one last look at herself in the mirror to ensure
she was presentable. Heading downstairs she found the kitchen empty, with only a small package wrapped in a handkerchief (her lunch), a plate with a slice of toast and next to it a small note from her uncle that simply read:
"Good luck, brat."
A small smiled tugged at the corner of her mouth at her uncle's use of the nickname he had for her. Anyone else reading the note might assume that he was being hurtful, but the girl knew that this was as close to outright emotion as her uncle came – he
never was very good with emotions. Collecting her lunch, the girl grabbed her school bag and gave it a quick once over to make sure she hadn't missed anything when preparing it the night before. Securing the bento box in her bag while finishing her
toast, she slipped on her shoes and grey coat before settling her bag on her shoulders and opening the front door, she slipped her earphones in and stepped out into the warm morning air.
Closing the door behind her as the cheery sound of Kishida Kyoudan and the Akeboshi Rockets filled her ears, Mikasa Ackerman began her walk to Shiganshina Central High School
Mikasa let out an exasperated sigh when she eventually collapsed into her seat in the classroom that would be her class' homeroom for this year: it had been a pain to navigate a path through her too-loud peers to the noticeboards to find her homeroom,
and even worse dealing with the deafening sounds of excited teenagers in the cramped corridors on her way there. Now that she'd made it however, she found herself able to relax as no one else had arrived just yet. Organising her things, she took a
breath before her classmates started to file in. Some were familiar to her from last year, others not much. When the bell rang signalling the start of homeroom, the door to the classroom swung open and a young copper headed woman came in, laying some
papers on her desk at the front of the class.
"Good morning everyone," she called cheerfully. "My name is Miss Ral, and I'll be your homeroom teacher this year. I hope we can all get along this year and help each other out, ok?" She finished with a smile.
"Now before I take the attendance, I have an announcement to make – a new student has transferred to Shinganshina Central and will be joining our class," the room broke out into quiet murmurs as the students discussed this development amongst themselves.
Miss Ral cleared her throat to regain the class' attention.
"I've also been told that Japanese isn't his first language, so I expect you all to go easy on him and make him feel welcome, understand?"
She needn't have asked, as the pupils began heated discussions of their own, already cooking up wild theories about where the student was from. Was he American? One of the boys started. That'd make him pretty cool, right? Maybe he's British! Gushed
one of the girls. Oh, I bet he'd be so charming and sophisticated if he was! Mikasa herself didn't engage in any of these trivial discussions, not that anyone asked her opinion. No, she'd wait and find out once the new boy arrived and then
make up her mind if he was a one of the people she'd avoid, or one of the people she merely accepted. She didn't go much further than that – personal attachments where fleeting and useless, and more often than not they caused pain. No, better to keep
acquaintances rather than friends – less trouble that way.
She was brought out of her reverie by a knock on the door. Mikasa looked up to see the Headmaster Erwin Smith himself in the doorway, exuding his usual air of power and authority, one that was well earned.
"Miss Ral, sorry to disturb your class, but I dropped by to deliver the new student – he got a little 'lost' on his way here." He gestured to someone who was behind him that remained out of view of the class "Though I'm sure that won't be happening again,
right?"
The new student must have spoken incredibly quietly, because despite the classroom full of teenagers holding their breath and straining to hear the conversation, they still couldn't hear his response. He must have said something though, as Headmaster
Smith smiled and looked pleased, before making his excuses and returning to his office.
"Well don't just stand there," Miss Ral started "Come in and introduce yourself to the class."
The silence that had fell upon the room was deafening as every set of eyes and ears were strained in anticipation of the reveal of their mysterious new classmate. Even Mikasa found herself slightly intrigued, especially at the Headmaster's ambiguous use
of the term 'lost'. Surely this transfer student wasn't late on his first day, she thought to herself. Though from the way Headmaster Smith said it, it almost sounded like the boy was trying to skip the class. That doesn't bode well.
"You… can understand what I'm saying, right?" Miss Ral queried. Apparently she was as taken aback by the student's lack of communication as the rest of the class. Instead of offering a reply, the student just walked into the classroom, pausing
briefly at the front to introduce himself.
Tanned skin, unruly brown hair, sleeves rolled up with his top shirt button undone. Hands in his pockets, he had that air of boredom that she'd seen some guys put on to seem cool. Just when she thought she had him pegged as a slacker and delinquent, his
eyes gave her pause. They were an exquisite shade of green that almost looked turquoise to Mikasa's eyes, and although he made a show of making them look bored, they burned with a fire unlike anything she'd ever seen before – there was a raw fury
in them that made her a little uncomfortable, which surprised her as living with a man like her uncle had made her immune to most glares, but this boy's eyes contained such sheer anger that it almost looked like they were actually orbs of turquoise
flame. There was something else in them too, something more, but before she could figure it out, the boy spoke:
"Name's Eren Yeager. Pleased to meet ya."