AN: This story is a request by Shiranai Atsune, and begins roughly two weeks before the graduation of the 104th Trainee Corps. The story will seem familiar, though the focus during these early events of Attack on Titan will shift from beyond what we are shown in the manga and the anime; the story as well, will strongly depart from the canon in the coming chapters. Hope this provides a good and enjoyable read about what could have happened if the story of Attack on Titan took a substantially different turn.

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"You wanted to see me, instructor?"

"Yes, Robin, take a seat."

She did so.

"As you know, evaluations aren't until the end of the week… "

If I knew, then why the fuck would you bother telling me anyway.

"Yes, sir."

"But I wanted to do yours, among a few others, earlier than normal."

She said nothing as he opened the door to his desk, drawing out some documentation. This meant very little; she already about knew what she was going to hear.

"Excellent marks, both in the classroom and out of. Particularly adept with the 3-D maneuver gear. Even been giving Ackerman a run for her money on the time trials for the last month or so."

Hands clasped in her lap, she made no remark in response to what was the closest she had ever heard Instructor Shadis come to giving praise.

"Unless something drastic changes within the next two weeks before graduation, I see you placing somewhere between twelfth and twentieth on the final ranking. Respectable to be sure."

He seemed to speak with finality then, and she wondered if that was all there was, but he didn't dismiss her. His gaze locked on the desk in front of him, before he looked to her with a tired look in his eyes.

"When I went through the lines of you trainees on day one, I could have very readily told you that someone like Yeager aimed to take back the walls or die trying, the same way I could have very readily told you that someone like Kirschstein wanted to stay as far away from titans as possible."

I really hope you're not going to compare me to either of those egotists.

"You on the other hand took a lot longer to figure out."

He paused in talking again and then sighed out his nose.

"You have a singular drive, Robin, I can see that. You want to kill titans. That is your only goal, and don't try to tell me otherwise."

Do I look like I'm going to?

"I've seen that kind of person before, we get them all the time, kids with enough hatred to drive them to join the military just to get a chance to cut up some titans."

She shifted very subtly in her seat.

"Fair enough. But as a result of watching you throughout all your training, I hesitate to pass you, despite your tremendous marks."

Her heart jumped to her throat,

What?

She hadn't come into this room expecting to defend herself, but the time was now.

"Sir, if this is about my lack of communication and teamwork… "

He looked to come very close to smiling.

"Hardly, Robin, don't you think that if I was getting on people for lacking in teamwork, Leonhardt would have beat you in here?"

For the first time in months, real anxiety began to grip at her insides.

You will not deny me this, don't you dare fucking deny me this…

"It isn't something you lack that makes me hesitate. Rather, it's something you possess."

Blinking, she watched him as passively as she could; he leaned in.

"You are reckless."

Immediately, she began dredging her mind for ways to refute this assessment, but he continued before she could even open her mouth.

"I've seen the way you handle yourself off the ground. You spot titan dummies faster than anyone, and are normally the first to initiate a strike on them. But never, have I ever seen you regard anything but your blades and the titan dummy you want to drive them thru."

"With all due respect, sir, I simply focus on that what… "

"Focus is exactly your problem. I don't doubt your skill, nor your aspirations. But I fear that if I pass you, your first trip beyond the walls will wind up with plenty of dead titans and you lying among them."

Why the hell do you care, you damn…

"Don't take this the wrong way Robin, but I would much rather anyone else be placed in the scout regiment than you."

He stood, and she did as well, surprised by his abrupt ending of their meeting.

"Because if there were marks for self-preservation, you would be pretty low on the list."

Returning the papers to his drawer, he gave her a last imperious look.

"I will pass you, cadet. But I only ask that you take a long look at yourself in the mirror and decide if this is really how you want to live."

Saluting, she turned on her heel and departed as he returned to the matters that had pressed him beforehand. Allowing a gently sneer to grace her mouth when she was out of sight, Janice Robin shook her head.

You don't get it, Shadis. No one ever has.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

"This is RIDICULOUS, Armin!"

Hours of sitting and reading what appeared to be pointless jargon, sent him over the edge.

"Just power through it, Eren, only a few more days before the exam and then… "

"Why the HELL are they testing us on this nonsense?! The only ones who should have to learn this crap are the imbeciles filing into the garrison… "

"Eren, we all need to learn this, no matter where we're stationed, you never know when you'll be called to fill in for a role you didn't sign up for… "

Eren Yeager rolled onto his back, staring up at the roof of the men's barracks and blew out a long sigh.

"We shouldn't have to… "

Armin closed his book and crossed his legs, looking with restrained annoyance at his friend's antics; Eren knew what a pain in the ass he could be, especially when it came to matters that aggravated him more than others. But he still couldn't help but curse the textbook in front of him that dealt with "civilian interaction" in the military. He was going to join the Survey Corps, he was going to slaughter as many titans as he was physically capable of, and he was going to reclaim the walls for humanity and beyond.

And this damn sure wasn't bringing him any closer to achieving that goal.

Restlessness drove him to roll back over and spring to his feet, smell of the wooden floor, walls and roof filling his nostrils. The day was still young enough that there was still time for something more stimulating than these absurd studies. Walking quickly to the door, he stepped out and took a long whiff of the outdoors; behind him, he heard Armin rise as well to stride up beside him.

"Eren?"

He spoke without looking back, the blue sky and white clouds beckoning for him to reach for them.

"When's our next class?"

"In about an hour and a half, as soon as the girls are done with their conduct class, we all have one of our last hand to hand lessons."

"So… "

Letting the stupid adventurous smile that always worried Armin and Mikasa cross onto his face, Eren walked down the steps, feet hitting the dirt in stride and kicking up brown and grey clouds. Armin closed the door and ran up alongside him, anxiously following up to his ambiguous last word.

"So what?"

"So I doubt Shadis will be keeping an eye on the training gear."

A familiar groan from next to him only further spurred his newfound determination.

"Eren… if you get caught messing around with the 3-D maneuver gear again… "

Another lecture of one of his two friends, or parents as they had become since they had all enlisted. Clenching a fist, Eren tried not to get angry; he knew his friends only were looking out for his best interests…

Though Mikasa seems more intent on just being overbearing more than anything.

… but that didn't make it any less obnoxious when they treated him like a six year old. Within the next several weeks, his plan was to be wearing the jungle green uniform that he had been working so hard to reach. Then, he could hopefully steer himself far enough away from the two of them, and hopefully they would find someone else to worry over. But, for now, he just had to cope with all the misgivings that came with the life he had chosen.

"I'm not messing around with it. I'm TRAINING with it. Isn't that the point of why we're here?"

"I really don't think this is a good idea, not when we're so close to our last day… "

Eren laughed and broke into a jog.

"All the more reason to go for it. How many more opportunities like this are we going to have?"

He didn't wait for an answer and instead broke into a full run, because he knew without looking that Armin was right behind him.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

"Hey, Mikasa!"

Knowing it was coming, Mikasa slowed her pace ever so slightly to allow Mina to catch up to her. On her left, Annie snorted as she shouldered her books; on her right, pushing through the throng of girls exiting the building, Mina pulled up alongside her, practically tugging on her sleeve.

"I'm really sorry to bother you like this… "

"It's alright."

Nor was it the first time. Mikasa had only ever strove to perform to the best of her abilities and had been surprised, not at how much she excelled, but how far beyond the rest of her class she had gone. This had attracted a good deal of attention and, unfortunately, admiration.

"I know you normally pair with Eren for maneuvering practice… but I was wondering if tomorrow morning, you would be willing to pair with me? At least for the first hour."

Mikasa didn't say anything, not because she was leaning towards Mina down, but rather because she was worried that if she gave Mina special treatment, others what start to get the same idea.

"Not for the whole morning, I just would really like to get some pointers, just follow along and try and get a feel for how you… "

"Alright."

Her face seemed to brighten infinitely.

"Really?!"

"Yes."

"Wait, wait, wait, how come you'll pair with her, but not me?"

Closing her eyes, Mikasa didn't slow her stride as Sasha came squeezing between her and Annie; the blonde grimaced and shoved her in response.

"Because she probably needs more help than you if she wants to pull off her final exam, Sash."

Mikasa was grateful that Krista spoke for her; Sasha made a huffy face, but said nothing more. As the group continued walking back towards the dorm, Ymir came up to join them; Krista gave her a disapproving look.

"You skipped again."

Rolling her eyes, Ymir wrapped her arm around the blonde with the same playfulness she always did.

"Please. Like I really need a lecture on the fact that I have a vagina, not a dick, and am in the military."

Krista punched her, while blushing.

"Ymir!"

She laughed and turned her gaze to Mikasa.

"Hey, you know where your boyfriend's been?"

It became her turn to blush.

"No. And he's not my… "

"Alright, well, somebody reported a set of 3-D maneuver gear stolen... I'm sure you know where I'm going with this."

As concern took over, Mikasa lowered her head so no one could see her smile.

I'm sure I do.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Janice let Cedric pummel her raised arms for several seconds, ignoring the throbbing pain as well as the clear frustration on his face before stepping forward and to the right; he whiffed a swing at her and she caught his extended arm. Kicking at his ankles she held onto him as he crashed to the ground and gasped in pain. Grunting, he pushed himself into a sitting position and looked at her in annoyance.

"Goddammit Jan, you know that the goal here is to subdue the attacker without getting hit?"

Shrugging apathetically, she glanced around uncaring at the countless sparring pairs that surrounded them before swiping some of her errant black hair across her face.

"What does it matter as long as the goal achieved?"

Wincing, he pulled himself to his feet; she watched him through bored eyes as he continued his short-winded lecture.

"It matters because if any of the instructors spot you, or pair you with someone who isn't as forgiving as I am, you could land yourself some shitty chores or worse."

"Cute, but I don't need the advice."

An open smile crossed onto his face.

"I'm only trying to help."

Of-fucking-course you are.

Everyone was just trying to help, by getting in her way, trying to make her abide by whatever stupid constructs they followed, and ultimately just try and drag her along a path other than the one of her choosing. She didn't need it, and she sure as hell had never asked for it.

"Your turn."

He sighed as he realized that he wasn't getting anywhere, but he fortunately didn't pursue the topic. Instead, he adopted a defensive position and nodded to her; less than two seconds later, she had him on the ground again, groaning over the fresh bruises on his ribs and back.

"I don't suppose I ever had a chance of beating you there… "

Janice ignored his comment and looked instead towards the sun as it dipped towards the horizon, trying to force her will upon it in order to make it set faster. As usual, it continued to deny her wishes and hovered in the sky like a mocking glowing smile; she resisted the temptation to raise her middle finger in its direction. Cedric stumped up beside her.

"Ever wonder how many more times you'll get to see the sun?"

Her annoyance with his meaningless existential question almost came out, but she refrained from addressing his naivety; Cedric was a good person, a more intense version of Marco, perhaps. That, and he was one of the few who had done their best to be nice to her, her unfriendly and unwelcoming demeanor aside; she believed him to be far too caring for his own good. He continued talking, eyes glazing over, and she fought down rolling her own.

"I don't know where I'm going after this, Survey Corps or Garrison. I just know I want to do something that matters."

Unless you think your death will matter, or meandering the streets as another number on a roster, you're in the wrong place for that.

"You think the military is the right place for that?"

She was surprised by the sincerity of her own question and realized she wasn't talking to him. He gave a curious laugh.

"I don't know. Figure it's a good place to start. That Yeager… "

Cedric looked past several pairs to see Eren once again slammed by Annie, and watched him stagger his way back up again.

"… he clearly has his priorities set."

Janice looked at him with stifled confusion.

"Then why do you look so happy about not knowing what you're doing?"

His stupid smile persisted.

"I guess I'm just excited to see what the future holds."

She looked into his eyes for several seconds, waiting for him to call it a joke, but he didn't, simply looked forward. For the briefest moment, she wanted to shout at him, call him an idiot, for throwing his life at something he didn't understand. Then she remembered her mother saying the same thing to her, what seemed like forever ago.

And that made it much easier to keep her mouth closed.