The smell of autumn foliage filled the air, the sweet scent of leaves drifting past Sojin's nose. The twenty-year-old inhaled deeply, pausing to look around and rub his short, black hair. A rather dense forest stood in front of him, a sight quite rare inside of the walls. A slight smile lit up the boy's face as he took in the scenery and cheerful chirping of birds. His Survey Corps uniform felt a lot more comfortable when worn in nature. Sojin had come to the forest with the intent of escaping the noisy city of Shiganshina. Although the town had been all but destroyed ten years earlier, the heroes of the Survey Corps had managed to finally patch up the wall and dispatch the titans from the area. After the district had finally been cleared, the citizens who were brave enough to return — many who had been soldiers in the Survey Corps — immediately set to work on rebuilding Shiganshina from the ground up. By the time they had finished, the small district had become even more bustling than it had been prior to the fall of the wall. Sojin sighed, taking a seat on a tree stump and staring at the birds in the trees. He wasn't sure whether the sudden surge in popularity of his hometown was a blessing or a curse. His parents had both been taken from him during the initial attack on the city — his dad while attempting to save his mother and his mother while attempting to save him. Miraculously, the ten-year-old Sojin had managed to run to the port just in time to catch the last boat before it departed. While he certainly felt horrible about his parents' death, he had a sense of relief that he hadn't seen them killed. Even as a ten-year-old on the boat, he could tell the different mental state between those that had witnessed loved ones die and those who remained untainted.

A few years after the fall of Shiganshina, Sojin decided to try his hand at joining the army like most of the other orphans his age. While he failed to make it into the Military Police or demonstrate any notable fighting prowess, he had been at the top of his class in first aid and medical treatment, gaining him an important spot in the Survey Corps. Now that peace had finally returned to life inside the walls, the boy's missions were far fewer, giving him a chance to finally relax and catch up on life that he had missed as a child. Many of his friends from the Corps had also settled down in Shiganshina, making it a much happier place for Sojin. Speaking of friends, it had been a while since he had seen any of his teammates within the city walls. The boy wondered where they had gone off to, but his thoughts were cut short as the bird he had been watching darted from its perch, startled. The medic wheeled around to see what had caused the disturbance, his eyes widening in surprise upon seeing the newcomer.

"E-Eren?!" the boy stuttered, immediately rising to his feet — where he stood a good half of a head taller than the newcomer — and offering a salute to the legendary hero. Sojin had met the titan-shifter quite a few times on the battlefield, and even stitched him up once or twice. Unfortunately, their friendship had never had the chance to develop due to the urgency of the situations they met in. Eren, now twenty-two, was revered throughout the walls for his key role in helping expel the titans from inside the walls. Ever since joining the Survey Corps, the titan-shifter had been a role model and symbol of hope for Sojin as well. Not to mention, he was undeniably attractive. Sojin had had a crush on the hero since the first time they had met, yet had held it in for fear of what would happen if he confessed. This was exactly why the younger boy was so surprised to meet Eren in a quiet place like this on the outskirts of town. Upon seeing the younger boy salute, Eren's face turned to a glare as he approached Sojin and pushed his hand down from the saluting position.

"You know you don't have to salute me. I'm not anything special," the brown-haired boy stated, his face softening a bit as he let out a sigh. Sojin immediately felt apologetic, his face turning red. He had heard that the legendary boy was having trouble coping with his new found fame, preferring to return to regular life rather than life as a hero. The salute had just seemed like the natural thing to do. Trying to change the subject, Sojin glanced to the side nervously, then back at Eren.

"So…what brings you to the woods? I thought I was the only one who takes nature walks around here," Sojin replied, tilting his head to the side and offering a peppy smile in hopes of cheering the other boy up. Eren rubbed the back of his head and looked to the side, apparently deciding whether he would share the real reason why he had come to the woods.

"Well, normally I'd just say I was here for a walk, but I remember you being trustworthy from our battles together," Eren started, shifting his gaze back to the younger boy. "Honestly, I'm here trying to formulate a plan to take back Mikasa. Shiganshina is too noisy to think, so I came here to get some peace of mind."

Sojin's eyes widened in surprise, half due to the fact that Eren had actually revealed his real reason for coming and half because of that reason. The younger boy knew that Eren's childhood friend had been taken in one of the final battles of the war — heck, he had seen it with his own eyes. After slaying titan after titan, the poor girl's blades had worn dull, just as an aberrant titan had appeared. The giant had managed to catch Mikasa with its surprising speed, her blades now unable to easily slice through its fingers. Rather than trying to fight the rest of the troops, however, it had simply run off the way it had come from at a speed too fast for the cavalry to catch it. Sojin had been too shocked to even move at the time, simply gaping in horror at the simplicity of the capture. While news of the abduction spread through the town like wildfire, it had died down after the walls were reconstructed with many people dismissing Mikasa as dead. Eren, seeing the surprise on Sojin's face, scoffed and turned to the side to stare out into the distance.

"You don't think she's alive either? She's alive. There's no way she'd simply die like that," Eren stated, clenching his fists. Once again, Sojin felt apologetic for expressing his shock at the other boy's words.

"It's not that I don't think she's alive! I just had no idea that you were planning this," responded the younger boy.

"Well, I've only told a few people so far. The reason I told you is…well, we could use a medic," Eren stated, turning back to look into the younger boy's eyes. Even simple eye contact with the hero flustered the black-haired boy.

"A medic? But…but…" Sojin stuttered as he realized that Eren wanted him to join the retrieval squad. It seemed like just yesterday that he had finally been able to hang up his 3-D maneuver gear, and now he was being recruited for what would most likely be an even more dangerous mission?

"She's your teammate and played a huge part in restoring this peace. How could you even hesitate!" Eren exclaimed, raising his voice and taking a step closer to the medic. Uh-oh. This was the one character trait that the younger boy didn't particularly like about the hero. Due to his passion, Eren was prone to go off on anyone at anytime, never holding back his blunt remarks. Sojin took a step back, his foot hitting the tree trunk he had been sitting on, causing him to topple backwards. Eren, annoyance still filling his eyes, now towered over the younger boy and waited for a response. Admittedly, it hurt to have Eren's anger directed at him. He was supposed to be making Eren like him, not creating a rift. The main reason he had hesitated in his reply was that bringing Mikasa back most likely meant that the two of them would get together. Sojin widened his eyes in surprise. Was he really being this selfish? Was he going to let Mikasa die just so he could have a chance with Eren? How dishonorable. The younger boy opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off as a familiar voice filled the silent air.

"Oi, Eren! Leave our medic alone. You look like you're gonna rip him up instead of the titans, dumbass."

Sojin and Eren both glanced in the direction of the newcomer, surprised by the sudden appearance. The younger boy let out a sigh of relief as he saw Jean walking in their direction. Jean, also twenty-two, had gained much fame from his leadership during the battle to take back the wall. However, Sojin felt no nervousness about being in the boy's presence like he had with Eren. For some reason, Jean had always been especially nice to him, always going out of his way to make sure the medic was safe and happy. As the new boy finally reached their spot, he pushed Eren back a bit, creating some space between the titan-shifter and Sojin.

"What are you doing to this poor kid?" Jean asked, bending down to help Sojin back to his feet. Sojin thanked Jean and smiled, feeling a lot safer now that his friend had arrived.

"I was asking him to join our retrieval squad, horse-face. Stay out of it," Eren shot back, his annoyance towards Sojin now switching to Jean.

"You really need to learn how to keep your anger in check, you five-year-old. Throwing him to the ground isn't gonna make him want to join you," Jean stated, placing his hand on Sojin's shoulder.

"Oh, it's not like that!" Sojin exclaimed, not wanting to gain more negative feelings from his crush. "I just tripped over that tree trunk. He didn't do anything to me!"

The youngest boy hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath.

"And….I want to join the retrieval squad! Jean, you're on it too, right? I'd like to have the chance to grow closer to all of you!" Sojin said with a smile, staring specifically at Eren. Hopefully, that would at least drop a subtle hint to the hero.

"Great! I knew you'd say yes. Just remember, this is going to be a battle, not a chance to just hang out. Anyway, I'll update you on details later. I'm gonna head back now," Eren stated, before turning and heading towards Shiganshina. Sojin's smile faded a bit. Why couldn't they just hang out together? Jean, noticing the younger boy's mood drop, wrapped his arm around Sojin's shoulders.

"Don't worry! He's just stressed about Mikasa right now. He's usually a lot nicer than this," Jean stated. Sojin glanced up at Jean who stood just a bit taller, a smile returning to his face.

"Thanks Jean! Always saving me, huh?" he replied, letting out a quiet laugh. "Why were you out here anyway?"

"Ah, I just saw Eren heading out this way and knew he was up to no good. So I tailed him!" Jean explained, finally removing his arm from the younger boy's shoulders. "Now that that's over, we should head back too! It's gonna get dark soon."

Sojin nodded in agreement, happy to have a friend to walk back with.

"Let's go!"