To You, in 2000 Years
The Fall of Shiganshina, Part 1
Nora's eyes slowly opened, seeing Mikasa's blurry figure standing over her. Her dark hair that matched Nora's perfectly in color was blowing around in the light breeze that made Nora feel cold. Mikasa seemed to notice, and took off her scarf, handing it to her silently. Nora nodded in thanks as they turned their attention to the brown-haired boy sleeping next to her.
His teal-green eyes opened wide as he suddenly woke. "Huh? Nora…" he says, sounding half-asleep, "Mikasa…"
"We should be getting back." Mikasa tells him as she pulls Nora to her feet.
"What are we doing here?" asks Eren.
"You were that deep asleep that you're still only half-awake?"
"No…" Eren shakes his head, sitting up. "It just feels like I had this really long dream or something… What was it about? I can't remember…" he turns his gaze to Nora.
Her dark eyes met his. "Eren," she murmurs, almost inaudibly, "why are you crying?"
"Huh?" he reached a hand toward his eye. He shook his head, getting his firewood and following Nora and Mikasa as they walked back to Shiganshina, firewood on their backs.
"Don't you dare tell anyone I was crying," Eren says as he, Mikasa, and Nora walk back into the gate.
"We won't," Mikasa promises. "Still, crying for no real reason… You should have your dad give you a checkup."
"Don't be stupid! I can't tell him!"
"What are you cryin' about, Eren?" calls Hannes, one of the members of the Garrison.
"Mr. Hannes…" Eren murmurs as he steps to them.
"Did they get on your case about somethin'?" Hannes asks with a slight red flush on his cheeks.
"Huh?! What makes you think I was crying?!" Eren exclaims before reeling away from the blond-haired man. "Whoa, you reek of alcohol!"
Nora looked behind him, becoming disappointed when she saw the other members of the Garrison with alcohol, laughing and not watching for titans. She hands Mikasa her scarf.
"You're drinking again…" Eren points out.
"You guys wanna join in?" questions Hannes, tilting to get a better view of them.
"Actually, uh… Don't you have work?" Eren looked up at him.
"Yep!" Hannes puts his left hand on his heart. "We're guardin' the gate today! We're stuck here all day, so we end up getting hungry and thirsty. If some booze happens to get into our drinks, so what? It's no big deal,"
Nora could see Eren quivering. "What if something happens?! Can you fight like that?!"
Hannes seemed to sober slightly. "Whaddya mean, 'If something happens?'"
"You know what I mean!" Eren yells. "I'm talking about if they break the walls and get into the city!"
"Oww…" Hannes whines, rubbing at his head. "Geez, Eren. Don't go yellin' like that."
Hugo, another member of the Garrison, stepped toward them. "You've got spunk, doctor's son," he sets his hands on his hips. "If they do bust down the walls, we'll take care of business, don't you worry. But that ain't happened once in the last one hundred years," he let out a slight laugh.
Hugo was slightly larger than Hannes was and had slicked-back brown hair. They both wore the Garrison uniform with a gray shirt under it. Hugo was slightly shorter than Hannes was, and not as well built, though they didn't seem to notice or care.
"Still, my dad says there's nothing more dangerous than being complacent like that!"
"Dr. Yeager, huh?" Hannes puts a hand on his hip in thought. "Yeah, he's got a point. He once saved this town from an epidemic. I can't argue with him. Still, they're another story altogether." He turned to look at the busy townspeople who seemed quite complacent with themselves as they went about their daily lives.
Nora couldn't help but feel slightly jealous of them. They didn't see the world for what it was. They were simply blind sheep who didn't bother to listen to the shepherd's call even if it meant they could die. She turned back to Hannes.
"When you're a soldier, you get to see those things roaming around outside while you're on reinforcement duty and stuff. These walls are fifty meters tall, though. I can't see 'em getting through."
"Then… you're not actually prepared to fight them at all?!" Eren inquires, getting angry again.
"Nope!" replies Hannes, almost cheerily.
"Wh-what?! Then drop the 'Garrison Regiment' name for 'Wall Construction Squad' instead!" Eren exclaims.
"Not a bad idea!" Hannes laughs. "But, you gotta understand, Eren. If a soldier's doing his job, things have seriously gone to hell. It's better when everyone's calling us useless freeloaders; it means peaceful times for us all," he glanced back to the busy citizens again.
"Sure, we can stay inside the walls our entire lives and do nothing but eat and sleep! But… that basically… That basically makes us cattle!"
Nora glared at the guards who began to laugh at Eren's claim.
"Man, you're one plucky kid, all right!" one says.
"For someone who's totally helpless! Right, Hannes!" the other manages.
Hannes reluctantly agrees as Nora walks further inside the gate, pulling Mikasa and Eren with her. They ignored the Garrison Regiment's members as they called for them to come back.
They were silent as they walked back to Eren and Mikasa's house. They were almost there when Mikasa broke the silence. "Eren, Nora," she says, "I'd forget about the Scout Regiment if I were either of you."
"What?! You think the Scout Regiment is a joke too?!" Eren asks turning to her.
"It's not about what I think…" before she could continue, the bell rang, signaling the return of the Scout Regiment from their latest expedition outside the walls.
Eren and Nora looked at each other. "The Scout Regiment is back!" Eren proclaims. "They're gonna open the front gate!" he turned to Nora, grabbing her hand. "Let's go see the heroes return, Nora!"
Nora gasped as he pulled her along, grabbing onto Mikasa's arm to keep from falling. They ran all the way to the front of the city, seeing people lined across the streets of Shiganshina silently and mournfully watching as the Scout Regiment walked through.
"Damn! I can't see!" exclaims Eren as he jumps to try to see the soldiers.
He noticed a few boxes and pulled Nora along with him. Mikasa followed close behind, stepping on the slightly shorter box. They made sure Nora was in front of them as she was shorter than they were.
Eren beamed, seeing the soldiers in slightly bloodstained, green capes on horseback. One of them, a blond-haired man, glanced at them before quickly looking away. Eren's smile faltered. He looked toward the gate with a gasp.
The soldiers seemed to be only barely alive, hanging on to each other for support. They walked with their heads down, many of them covered in bandages. They all looked very depressed.
"They're the only ones who made it back?" wondered a man in front of them.
"Everyone else must've gotten eaten. This is what they get for going outside the walls," replied another.
"Moses! Moses!" an elderly woman stepped from the crowd of people, calling out to her son. She stopped the soldiers. "Excuse me… I don't see my son, Moses, anywhere… Do you know where he is?"
She gently placed her hands on one of the soldier's capes. "This is Moses' mother," the soldier says, turning to one with a bandaged eye. "Go get it."
The woman stepped back, eyes wide. The soldier placed a wrapped bundle in her arms. She hastily untied the bloodied bundle, cringing as she saw her son's severed arm. She started crying.
"It's all we could retrieve," the soldier says in a slight monotone.
The woman fell to her knees, cradling the wrapped arm, still crying.
Eren's eyes widened. Nora sucked in a breath as similar memories came to her mind. To keep herself from causing some sort of scene, she quickly banished the thoughts to the back of her mind.
"But… my son…" the woman says, "He was helpful, yes? Even if he didn't achieve direct greatness… surely my son's death helped humanity fight back, yes?!" the woman yells.
A strong breeze blew through the town.
Appalled, the soldier quickly answered; "Of course…" he paused. "No… On this latest scouting mission, we… No… Just like all the other missions…" the soldier closed his eyes tightly, "we achieved nothing at all! My incompetence has done nothing but needlessly send soldiers to their deaths! We haven't found anything about them!" he bellowed in regret, tears streaming down his face.
Nora's dark eyes widened slightly as everything quieted. The elderly woman sat in shock for a moment before allowing the soldiers to get past her. They traveled silently once again, no one stopping them this time.
"Talk about gruesome," said one of the men from earlier.
"You can say that again," replies the other. "Our taxes are basically going to feeding and fattening those things up now," he says, leaning against a wall.
Nora watched as Eren took a stick from his firewood, hitting the man on the head with it.
"What the hell, you little punk!" the balding man yells.
He starts for Eren, forcing Nora to punch him in the gut, a glare on her face that only served to make her cuter than she already was. The man doubled over, coughing and gripping his large stomach as he glared at her, murmuring curses under his breath.
Eren tossed Nora a small smile. Despite her small stature, Nora could've easily knocked this man out, even with him towering over her. Before either of them could strike the man again, Eren grabbed Nora as he felt someone pulled him back into a small alleyway.
"H-Hey! What are you doing, Mikasa?!" he called as she dragged them away.
The balding man rounded the corner, calling after them.
Eren let go of Nora's wrist, attempting to get Mikasa to let him go. "Mikasa, enough already!"
Mikasa threw him against the wall of a nearby house, causing his firewood to spill. "What's the big deal?!" he questioned. "Now the firewood's all over the place!"
She turned to Nora. "Nora, have you and Eren changed your mind about joining the Scout Regiment?"
When Nora didn't answer, helping Eren pick up his firewood before adjusting hers to be comfortable, Mikasa turned to Eren, asking him the same.
He gasped, his teal-green eyes growing wide. "Help pick this up," he says, avoiding her question.
"It's not that bad of a mess," Mikasa says, picking up the last little bit and handing it to him.
Nora steadily followed Mikasa and Eren to their home. Unlike Mikasa, Nora didn't live with Eren, but often found herself at his home. She wasn't sure why, but she found serenity when she was with them, especially around Eren.
There's no need for complacency. This world may be beautiful, but it's also cruel. Knowing this, how can I, a lowly slave, find such accord?
"We're home," she hears Eren say as they step into the house.
Eren's mother, Carla, turns to them with a smile. "Welcome home," she says. She noticed Nora was with them and smiled even more. "I see you've brought Nora with you."
Eren looked away from his mother, a slight red tint on his face. He emptied his firewood into a small wooden box before taking Mikasa's and Nora's and adding theirs with it.
"Wow, Eren! You actually worked hard!" exclaims his mother, stepping to him and bending slightly to his level.
"Yeah…" Eren agrees, not meeting her gaze.
She pulled at his ear, earning a sour look. "What do you want?" Eren asks.
"Your ear's red. That shows you're lying. You had the girls help you, didn't you?"
Grisha, Eren's father, began to pack his things as the rest of them sat down to eat.
"Oh? You're leaving, Dad?" asks Eren, taking a bite of his meal.
"Yes. Some checkups in the interior. It'll take a couple days," Grisha said as he finished packing.
Mikasa glimpsed to Nora and Eren, a small, almost invisible smile on her lips at the sight of them together. The smile disappeared as she remembered what they wanted to do. "Eren and Nora want to join the Scout Regiment," she says somberly.
Carla pauses in her work, turning to them, a shocked, somewhat betrayed look on her face. Grisha freezes slightly.
"M-Mikasa! I told you not to say anything!" Eren exclaims, his eyebrows furrowing more than usual in his anger.
"Eren! Nora! What are you two thinking?!" Carla questions, setting a hand on their shoulders, "Do you have any idea how many people have died outside the walls?!"
As expected, Nora didn't answer, casting her gaze to the wooden floor.
Eren, however, did. "Y-Yeah, we know…"
"Then…"
Grisha stepped in. "Eren, Nora. Why do you want to go out there?" he turned to them.
"I want to know what the outside world is like! I don't want to live my entire life in ignorance inside the walls! Plus… If no one is willing to take their place, then the lives of all who've died will be for nothing!" Eren answers.
"And you, Nora?"
She nodded toward Eren, refusing to speak.
"I see," murmurs Grisha, standing. "My boat's about to leave. I better get going."
Carla tried to get her husband to talk sense into them before he had to leave.
"Carla," he turned back to her tilting his fedora as he met her gaze at the doorway, "words can't hold back human curiosity." He turned to Eren, who stood from the table, joining Mikasa and Nora. "When I get back, I'll show you the basement that I've kept secret all this time," he pulls a key on a string from underneath his shirt.
Eren smiles brightly. "R-Really?!"
Grisha nods, taking his leave.
Carla, Eren, and Mikasa see him off. Nora pushed her bangs out of her eyes, attempting to pin them to her left side with the small, white butterfly barrette given to her by Eren. Carla noticed, letting out a small laugh before helping her.
Nora nodded in thanks before noticing Mikasa run off after Eren. She mentally sighed, running after them, down the alleyway. She quickly caught up to them, seeing the two racing to Armin, who was failing to deal with some boys who usually picked on him. She glared at them, picking up her pace.
The boys, who were already fearful from the sight of Mikasa, ran faster after seeing Nora swiftly making her way to them. "Screw this! Let's get outta here!" they bellowed.
"One look at me and they ran off!" Eren cheers in excitement.
"No, it was Mikasa and Nora they saw…" Armin says. He tried to stand only to fall again with a small cry of pain.
"Hey! You okay, Armin?" asks Eren as they moved to check on him.
Armin stared at Eren's out-stretched hand, tears forming in his blue eyes. "I can get up on my own," he says, slowly standing, not meeting any of their gazes.
By the time Armin finished talking about what the bullies had done to him, the sun was beginning to set, the sky becoming a mixture of blue and gold with a hint of white. "I said humanity needs to venture outside the walls at some point and they beat me up and called me a heretic," he explains.
Eren swore before throwing a stone into the river they'd walked to earlier. "Why does everyone look down on people just for wanting to go outside?!"
"Well, because we've had a hundred years of peace by staying inside the walls," Armin replies, crossing his arms over his knees. "They're worried that going outside carelessly will invite them inside the walls. The royal government's policies have made having any interest in the outside world a taboo."
"It's our lives! We can risk 'em if we want, right Nora?!" Eren turned to the oriental girl, who sat beside Mikasa, a few steps down from them.
Before Nora could do anything to reply, Mikasa answered, "Absolutely not. Forget about it," the girls turned to Eren and Armin, slightly bleak expressions on their faces.
"Which reminds me, I can't believe you told my parents!" Eren says.
"Huh?" inquires Armin, looking toward Eren.
"I never agreed to help," Mikasa said, turning away.
"So, what did they say?" asks Armin with a slight smile.
"They're… less than pleased," Eren says.
"It figures," Armin looked to the river in front of them. "Indeed, I think people are crazy if they ever think we'll be safe inside these walls forever."
Nora looked around, taking in all of her surroundings that she could. The wind picked up, blowing her shoulder length hair off her shoulders and behind her back. She saw kids playing games and having fun, smiles on every face. Armin's words registered in her mind.
"Just because the walls haven't fallen for a hundred years, doesn't guarantee they won't fall today… And yet…" he trailed off.
Nora looked over to her friends as everything steadily silenced, the only sound being the wind as it blew loose leaves across the stone sidewalks of Shiganshina. Suddenly, the sky turned dark as a bright bolt of lightning struck just outside the wall. Her dark eyes widened slightly as her body left the ground, landing beside Mikasa.
She ignored her pain, getting off the ground, rushing to the sound of the explosion.
Ignoring her friends calling after her, Nora stopped suddenly, almost quaking in fear.
"Hey, Nora! Armin! What is it?! What do you see?!" Eren asked, catching up to them. He looked to the wall, gasping.
A large, steaming hand without skin covered part of the wall. No one moved as they all stared at it in shock.
"It can't be," Armin murmurs as the hand tightened its grip. "Th-That wall… is fifty meters high!"
"It's one of them…" Eren manages as a large, muscled head appears from behind the wall, "A Titan!"
Nora's mind went blank as her pulse spiked. The wall exploded near the gate, sending bits of it flying as the Titan kicked the wall. Large chunks of it fell from the sky, landing on buildings and most likely people.
She shook her head as she realized they were only a few meters away from dying.
"I-It… opened a hole in the wall…" Armin says in shock, having fallen onto his knees.
Seeing a Titan coming through the hole in the wall, the citizens began to run, screaming.
"We need to run too!" Armin takes a step back. His eyes widened. "Eren!" he called.
Eren was going against the crowd, walking toward his house. "My house is in that direction!" he calls back. "Mom…" he pushed past everyone in his way.
Eren, Mikasa, and Nora ran to his house, attempting to ignore all the horror, blood, and bodies they saw. It couldn't have hit our home! Just around the corner… our house is standing there, like always! As they rounded the corner, Eren gasped, running faster. "Mom!" he bellowed, "Mom!"
Their house fell on the lower half of her body. They reached her, beginning to attempt to pull the house off her. "Eren!" she cries.
"Mikasa, Nora, pull that end! We gotta move this pillar!" Eren exclaims as they begin to try to pull the house's roof up.
The loud sound of stomping feet caught their attention. They turned to the sound with gasps at seeing Titans slowly walking by.
Eren snapped out of his astounded state. "Hurry!" he called, beginning to pull the house again.
"We know!" Mikasa calls back.
"The Titans have gotten inside, haven't they?" Carla asks with her brown eyes wide. She turned to her son, as much she was able. "Eren! Take Mikasa and Nora and run away! Hurry!"
"I want to! So hurry and get out of there!" Eren yells, part of the pillar nearly slipping from his hands.
"The debris has crushed my legs… Even if I could get out, I wouldn't be able to run. You understand what that means."
"I'll carry you, then!"
"Why don't you ever listen to your mother?! You can at least do this one last thing! Mikasa!" she yells, tears brimming in her eyes.
Mikasa tried to pull harder, tears in her gray eyes. She lowered her head for a moment before trying once again to pull the house off her foster mother.
Nora ignored the stomping footsteps of the Titans, using all her strength to pull on the house. I can't let her die! Not after all she and Eren, Grisha, and Mikasa have done for me!
"No… No... If you don't go, all four of us will..." Hannes interrupted Carla, using his gear to get to them, "Hannes!"
He ran to them, taking in the situation.
"Take the children and get out of here!" Carla demands.
He gave a slight smile. "Don't go underestimatin' me, Carla. I'm gonna slay these Titans and save all four of ya!" he exclaims, running off.
"Wait! Don't fight them!"
Hannes ignored her cries. He ran at the nearest Titan he saw. Seeing its smiling face, Hannes froze for a moment. Suddenly he sheathed his blades, running back to them. Nora let out a gasp, feeling him pick her, Mikasa, and Eren up, carrying them away.
"Hey! Mr. Hannes! What are you doing?! Hey!" Eren wailed, struggling to get from his grip. He reached out to his mother. "Mom's still…"
"Eren! Mikasa! Nora! You have to survive!" Carla called to them.
Nora's eyes widened slightly, seeing the Titan that scared Hannes standing over Eren's house. It ripped off the roof, grabbing Carla with both hands.
"Stop!" screeched Eren, tears flowing from his teal-green eyes.
The world seemed to slow down as they couldn't do anything but watch as the Smiling Titan broke Carla's spine before biting her, spraying blood everywhere. Nora felt tears in her eyes. Carla's… gone…
[A/N] If anyone is wondering what Nora look like, I have a picture of her on on the Quotev version in the footer. I would put a link, but those don't work on here... Sadly.
In addition to that, I would like to mention the fact that Nora is oriental (Asian) and her name means "stray" in Japanese. If you use Google Translate, paste this into the box-thingy: のら. It should translate as 'stray,' even though that's not how you write her name. If you go with the manga, Isayama Hajime (Hajime Isayama) would most likely write her name like this (in the Japanese version, at least): ノラ・ハットリ (Nora Hattori).
This story/fanfic follows the story line of the anime instead of the manga because I bought the anime from iTunes, and it's easier to access for me.