"We should probably be getting back soon, Eren." Armin glanced over his shoulder at the trail behind them. Outside of the flickering light their lanterns provided was pure darkness. It had been an overcast day, and the moon was hidden behind thick clouds.

"Wait." Eren stopped walking and Armin leaned to the side to peer past him.

"What's wrong?"

"Has that always been there?" Eren asked, gesturing towards a small opening in the thick bushes lining the path.

Armin looked it over quickly and nodded. "Yes, I think I remember it from another wa- Eren, what are you doing?"

Eren had dropped to his hands and knees and was staring into the hole.

"Armin, hold my lantern!" He extended his hand, completely ignoring his friend's question.

"Eren, is that really a good idea? It might be an animal's den," Armin said unsurely, but obeyed anyway without a second thought.

"I'm going to find out," Eren declared. Armin sighed as Eren's behind disappeared into the tunnel, and stooped down to watch after him.

"How are you going to see what's on the other side if I have your lantern?" Armin asked. Just then, the clouds shifted to reveal the full moon and light shone down on them. Almost as if in reply.

"Like that!" Armin could almost hear Eren's smirk.. "I see light, almost there!" So it wasn't an animal den. While he didn't like to admit it, Armin's curiosity was piqued. Of course whatever was on the other side couldn't be that interesting, but after nearly three years of the daily grind anything new was an excitement on some level.

"I'm there!" Eren called after a few moment's silence, and continued before Armin could reply. "There's not much here, apart from a pond and- Ah!" Eren's sentence was cut off by a brief cry.

"Eren? Eren!" Armin shouted. There was a brief second of silence before Eren's reply.

"Shit!" Was all he said, angrily.

"What happened?"

"Tripped on a rock."

"Are you all right?"

"I think I injured my ankle, I can't get up again."

Armin exhaled deeply and shook his head. I knew it was a bad idea, he thought. "Do you think you can still crawl back?"

"I'll try." The sound of shuffling, before, "Shitshitshiiit, that hurts!"

"I suppose not," Armin said.

"No, I can do it!" Eren's voice was determined, and Armin's palm found its way to his face in exasperation.

"Eren, no, stop! Are there any other ways in there?"

"There aren't, but I said I can do it. Just give me a- Argh, crap! Just give me a minute!" Pain was audible in Eren's voice and he grunted with the effort. It must have been bad.

"Just stop!" Armin repeated. His brows furrowed in concentration as he ran through any other options. If Eren continues, he'd probably worsen the injury… It became clear that there was only one thing for it. Reluctantly, Armin put out both of the lamps and set them on the ground, wispy tendrils of smoke trailing from them.

"I'm coming for you, Eren!" Armin wasn't exactly sure what he was going to do once he reached the other side. Hopefully he could figure something out when he had a better view of the situation.

"I told you, I can do it!" Eren argued, but his friend was already halfway through the tunnel.

Armin was making his way through as quickly as possibly, partly because of common sense and partly because he didn't like it in there one bit. The roof of the passage was far too low and every time Armin's head bumped it, earth crumbled down as if it were about to cave in. Armin tried to shout a reassurance, but when he opened his mouth dust surged down his throat, causing harsh coughs.

Armin was still hacking as he emerged and climbed to his feet. Eren was on his front. There were multiple leaves nestled in his hair and his fingernails were dirty from trying to drag himself forward, as if he had been surviving in the wilderness for days instead of suffering a mild sprain. The clearing was small, and like Eren had said there was a small pond in the center. The water's surface was glassy smooth and pure black save from the moon's reflection, which glittered perfectly at its head. Armin froze, his eyes locked on the silver orb.

"Armin, what are you staring at?" Eren's urgent tone snapped Armin out of his daze and his eyes widened.

"Sorry!" he said quickly and rushed to his friend's aid. Zoning out at such a time… what was wrong with him? He snuck a quick glance at the pond before kneeling by Eren's side.

"Well now what, genius?"

Armin licked his lips and rubbed his chin. Now what, indeed? Perhaps he could wrap Eren's ankle in a makeshift bandage, to make things easier? Or get help after all?

He stood up and inspected the sides of the clearing. Trees surrounded them, forming some kind of wall. There was no chance of cutting an alternate path through.

"See, you should have just let me go through by myself because this really isn't help-"

"But-"

"You're making way too big a fuss of this! It's fine!" The last sentence was uttered through his teeth as he attempted to push himself up. Armin waved his arms frantically and took a slow step back, unsure what to do as Eren pawed at the rough bark of a tree for support.

"Wait, you'll- Aah!" Armin didn't have time to finish his sentence, as the heel of his boot caught on the very same jutting rock that had tripped Eren and he found himself falling back with a short cry. A burst of water rained down on the clearing as his back hit the surface. Eren raised his arms to shield his eyes from the splash and when he lowered them, only a few soft ripples remained as evidence of the fall. Armin was nowhere to be seen, completely swallowed by the water.
"Armin!" Eren watched the surface with wide eyes, waiting for Armin to resurface… He didn't. When it dawned on him, Eren began to shrug off his cloak; he had to act quickly! Could Armin even swim? Could he even swim, in his current state? No, there was no time for doubt. Suppressing the pain that shot through his ankle, Eren leapt forward and dove into the bottomless darkness of the pond.

"Erin, I really don't like this," Arnold Albert squeaked as he tried to keep up with his friend.

"I told you not to call me that stupid girl name anymore, it's Titan!" Erin Hunt, or as he adamantly insisted, 'Titan', snapped. "And stop being a baby."

Arnold just whimpered softly as they continued into the forest, snapping his head around and waving his flashlight at every noise. There were many things Arnold would have liked to be doing at that moment, such as burrowing under the thick covers of his bed with a good book or perhaps sitting at his computer to play some games. Venturing into a dark forest under the eerily full moon with nothing but a flashlight was not one of them. And yet now he didn't want to return home either, for he knew his parents would be waiting and he was undoubtedly in big trouble, sneaking out like that.

Of course, it had been against his will. But one does not simply defy Erin Hunt, childhood friend or not, and when Erin first appeared at his doorstep Arnold knew that there was no use in arguing. He almost always lost against less stubborn people, after all.

"There it is," Erin announced after a few more minutes of walking and, in Arnold's case, terror. He stopped in front of the entrance to a small clearing, framed with thick brambles.

"Why are we here, again?" Arnold asked timidly as he stared through the natural arch. The only thing of interest was a small pond in the center and while it was a pretty sight, Erin was not one to drag him all the way there for a simple view.

"I explained this earlier. It's 'The Pond of the Dead', or so I've heard."

"Th-the dead?" Arnold stammered. Erin nodded with a mischievous grin and pushed the small boy aside to step into the clearing. He managed to do so without catching on the sharp thorns, but Arnold was less fortunate as he followed and they tore through his sleeves, scratching his arms and drawing a thin trickle of blood.

Erin didn't respond to his friend's distressed noises and instead began to elaborate on the pond.

"Legend has it, that if you stand at the foot of the pond…" He grabbed Arnold's arm and began guiding him to that exact spot. "...and gaze into it…" Erin's wolfish grin didn't budge he spoke in a purposefully creepy voice. Arnold stared down into the water with wide eyes. "...as the full moon's reflection glimmers proudly at the head…" Above, the clouds cleared and a perfect mirror of the moon appeared in the water. Erin flicked off his flashlight and snatched away Arnold's to do the same so that they had only the dim moonlight. It was almost as if Arnold was in a trance, but Erin knew from his visibly trembling hands that his words were reaching him. "...then you might just see a face staring back at you. And not your own…" a breeze rustled the leaves all around them and sent chills down Arnold's spine. "...the pale, bloodied face...of a ghost…"

At that moment, the wind settled and all was calm. Complete silence. Arnold looked as if he had already seen a ghost, still not tearing his eyes from the water in which he was sure an angry spirit would appear any moment to claim him. A leaf fluttered down and gently landed on the surface, floating. And then…

"Andthenitgetsyou!" Erin roared and clamped his hands down on Arnold's shoulders, provoking a shrill scream. Erin fell about laughing as his friend flailed in shock and turned around, tears bubbling in the corner of his eyes.

"Your face!" Erin howled between laughs. Blood rushed to Arnold's face and his lip quivered as he realised what had just happened. "Oh god, I've got to tell the others about this! I wish I had a camera!" Erin went on.

As Arnold watched, anger and betrayal boiled in his chest.

"I've had enough!" he shouted finally and picked his flashlight up from where Erin had discarded them both, wiping away the tears with his ruined sleeves.

"Where are you going?" Erin was still chuckling lightly as Arnold started forward. Teardrops clung to the lenses of his glasses, but he didn't pause to clean them.

"Home!" The usually shy boy's voice was as firm as he could manage and carried more courage than he felt. But scared as he was, it was time to stand up. It had gone too far. "I'm sick of this, Erin!"

Erin's laughter died and he shot his hand forward and snatched the neck of Arnold's shirt. Arnold was pulled back, clutching at his throat where the collar was digging in. Erin let go and he was sent reeling back, coughing.

"I told you not to call me that, didn't I?" Erin asked in an unnaturally dull tone . When Arnold looked up, he saw that his eyes were dark as he pressed forward, looming over him. Every last trace of resolve and dignity Arnold had mustered dribbled out of his pant leg as he took a step back. Only, he'd forgotten about the pond and when his foot fell, it met only air before water.

He reached out instinctively and clutched at Erin's front in one last futile attempt to regain his balance. Time seemed to freeze for a single second, Arnold with a fistfull of Erin's T-Shirt and a leaping heart as he realised. And then both of them plunged into the water.

Water rushed into Armin's mouth and drowned out his scream as the water engulfed him. Icy cold impossible for a summer's evening seized him. He wanted to raise his arms to bat away the cloak that was entangling him and to propel himself up, but they felt like lead, lumps of useless flesh deadened by the chill. Immobilized, all he could do was stare at the light above, growing ever further as he sunk into oblivion.

Was it really going to end this way? He had survived invading titans after the breach of wall Maria; intended to join the Survey Corps one day… And yet here he was, drowning in a simple pond that couldn't possibly be that deep. It was unfair. Pathetic… Even so, he felt oddly at peace.

Until he heard Eren's voice, echoing and far away.

No, Eren… don't, it's no use…

A distant splash.

Please, don't…

Always a burden to the people he cared about most.

Please…

Now he was going to die as one, too.

And then he broke through the surface and flopped onto the grass, gasping for breath like a beached fish. It burned as he inhaled, yet he had never welcomed air more in his life. He rolled over onto his back and stared up at the sky. So beautiful. It was the only movement he could manage, exhausted and weighed down by soaked clothes. Too relieved to question what had just happened.

Eren burst out of the water and landed beside him, coughing up water. Armin smiled softly. He was safe. Thank goodness. And then unconsciousness reclaimed its hold on his mind and everything went black.

"Armin!"

Huh?

"Armin!"

Is it time to get up already?

He didn't remember going to bed last night. Still, he didn't want to be late. He'd probably die if Shardis made him do too many laps. But his mind felt so foggy…

"Armin!"

It all came rushing back to him then, and Armin sat up abruptly with a sharp inhale. The sudden movement brought dizziness swimming and he raised his hand to his forehead, grimacing.

"I thought you were dead!" Eren exclaimed.

"So did I," Armin mumbled, and when his vision refocused he was met with Eren's wide grin.

Armin raised his hand to brush aside his fringe, which was plastered to his forehead, but froze upon realising his surroundings.

It couldn't be… no, it definitely was. His memory wasn't mistaken. While similar, they were now in a completely different clearing. Armin's arm fell limp and he looked to his friend with desperate confusion. Now that the relief of Armin's awakening had passed, it became clear in Eren's expression that he too had noticed.

And come to think of it… how on Earth were they on land again in the first place? Last time Armin checked, the depths of something didn't lead back to the surface. Especially not a different place altogether. At that moment, the workings of his incredibly complex mind could be accurately summed up into one simple question:

What?

A/N

Hello, everyone! The name's KxT, but you can call me Shiny. Please call me Shiny.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that! It got off to a bit more of a slow start than I was aiming for, seems I got a bit carried away with that chapter :) the next will hopefully turn out to be more light-hearted and humorous, the overall tone this story is supposed to have.

Speaking of what's to come:

QNAABWIGAAB

(Questions nobody's actually asked but which I'm going to answer anyway because)

Q1: Will there be Eremin in this fanfiction?

A1: Okay, I know this chapter just screams Eremin but there will be none of that in this fanfiction (sorry to those that disappoints!). As for romance in general, I really don't know. Probably not, but that depends on where it goes. I like to have a basic idea of where I'm going, but for the most part I just go wherever the story takes me. Go with the flow, dude. I never follow guidelines anyway.
(Maybe once I get a bit further into this fanfiction, I'll start a poll on whether or not people want certain pairs to happen.)

Q2: How often will updates come out?

A2: Whenever they're ready. I try not to keep people waiting and I'm going to write some more chapters in advance before I even publish this so that I have plenty of time to get the rest out. Sometimes I can write, sometimes I can't but this fanfiction is pretty safe because I am enjoying it immensely.

Q3: Why is it rated T?

A3: Mostly swearing, and so that I have more freedom to write without worrying about what I put in here.

Q4: Why do Arnold and Erin act so differently to the real ones?

A4: Because, while they're only different versions of the same thing, Arnold and Erin still aren't exactly the same as Armin and Eren. That's why Erin's such a douche.

Q5: Wait, did Arnold just piss himself?

A5: Yes. Yes he did.

Q6: The information said there would be OCs?

A6: Yes, there will be OCs other than Arnold and Erin (though they're only partly OCs). Some of which will play an important role. However, I know that a lot of people only care about the canon characters and so I will try and keep the focus mostly on them.

Well, if you've read this far then I just want to thank you.

And one last note; while I certainly enjoy praise, I'm also very open to constructive criticism. If you think I've done anything wrong at all, such as spelling mistakes or plot holes or a character acting OOC or anything, please let me know so that I can fix it/know what to avoid in the future!

Loveyouall.

Fun Fact Time: At the end of each chapter, there's going to be a fun fact (unless of course I've run out of fun facts in which case, you get nothing)! That was possibly the least fun fact ever, but stay tuned for next time when things get really crazy!