Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin ( '-'),

"I don't understand."

He sighed inwardly. He had already explained it five times. In the past half hour. He'd lost count of how many times he'd tried explaining it today alone. Why something this trivial had to be explained in the first place remained a mystery to just about everyone who'd tried. None of them had the straightforward chutzpa Mikasa did, but she usually didn't interfere unless it involved Eren. You had to be very careful with who you blamed things on when you expected to live a long life, or survive in this place. The incident between Krista and the missing horse-shoe proved that. Only Mikasa and Annie had been able to sleep without fear of a sudden attack from Ymir. Even with Mikasa playing twenty-four-seven bodyguard, that bastard Eren hadn't been able to escape her clutches, Ymir could be as savage as a titan when it came to Krista.

"I really don't see why you're doing this anyway-"

'Cause I drew the short stick, that's why.' he thought.

"- it's not like there are rules against this sort've thing. Why else would they just leave it all lying out there in the open?"

This person wasn't serious were they? He had to remind himself that the entire 104th would all be liable if something else went wrong. Shadis had already had his fill of their mischief and if they didn't control the trouble-makers themselves, they would all be sorry.

"Look," he began "it's a matter of principle. If you were in somebody's house and happened to find loose change lying around you wouldn't take it would you?" 'Wait, they wouldn't, would they?' he began to doubt his method of approach suddenly.

"Of course not! I'm no thief I tell ya."

Relief began to settle his nerves. 'Moral standards, there's hope yet.' He thought.

"Good. It's the same thing then. You should understand why we're doing this, if any one of us puts so much as a strand of hair outta line, laps are gonna look like a stroll through the valley compared to what Shadis-shirei will have in store for us. Now, can you learn to control your impulses or not?"

Silence. He took in the serious look of concentration on her face as she contemplated his words, and had to supress the urge to both laugh at and smack this person. How hard could it be? Were they really that dense that punishment from Shadis didn't seem like a near-death enough experience? Was that first time, hell, the first twelve times not enough?

"No."

"Huh?"

"I said no. I can't do it. If I tried to control what comes naturally I might dull my instincts after a while. I rely on them too greatly to sacrifice them."

He stared in disbelief. Did she not understand the gravity of the situation? No, he had to talk sense into her, he had to make her understand. He was the last hope.

"Look- "the dinner bell chimed in the distance, he was running out of time. " you can make this easy on all of us if you just put a little effort into it. We've all agreed to help out in any way we can" he added hastily, "and we promise there'll be a reward in it for you too if we survive the next few weeks." Okay, that last bit was a lie, but even Marco had stressed that he was to use any means necessary. More silence as she seemed to contemplate his offer again. He glanced nervously at the steadily dwindling number of cadets still on the field. Screw this.

"I'll give you half of my rations for the next two weeks if -"

"Deal!"

"Sasha!"

Two heads whipped around at the sound of her name,

"You're never going to guess what I found lying outside the kitchen door!"

His heart plummeted through his boots. Connie sprinted toward the two with a grin on his face and a maniacal gleam in his eye. Shit. He'd forgotten that the Imo-onna had forged a new alliance through idiocy with Connie. The two of them together were more trouble than Franz and Hanna alone during stable duty.

"It's a deal."

"Huh? Wait!"

She was already running toward the short cadet waving her arms excitedly. He had a feeling that he had just lost a portion of his rations for the next two weeks for nothing. Not to mention he had failed in getting through to the ravenous beast; and he was going to have to suffer the scorn of his fellow cadets when they were all punished for whatever Connie had taken from the kitchen, and every time Sasha helped herself to the supplies. He sighed heavily and looked up at the sky. He could just imagine the smug look on that bastard Eren's face when he got back and admitted defeat. Screw him, screw them all. He just had to put up with it long enough until he got into the Military Police. Then he could look back on this and laugh.

"Kirschtein!"

He jumped at the call of his name. He hadn't even noticed Shadis' approach, as usual, his forehead gave a dull throb.

"What did I say about you sacks of meat stepping outt've line? You 'not hear the bell or something? Start running, boy, and make sure you've all completed ten laps by the time I get there. I've had it with you all."

He stared in disbelief at his instructor, his mind slowly trying to put together what just happened. He was late? No! Sasha. Sasha was taking too long to answer him and… she had run off with Connie, to the mess hall while he had stood here daydreaming. Shit. Shadis looked him over, then leaned in menacingly and whispered,

"You deaf or something?" then bellowed, "Get moving, now!"

He stiffened, turned on his heel and started sprinting toward the mess hall.

He felt something bubbling in his chest as he ran, by the time he reached the mess hall he was laughing like a mad man. Sasha –mouth full bread- leaned in to Connie and whispered around her mouthful,

"I really don't understand him."