A/N: This is the introduction so it's a little sloppy (as usual with introductions). This idea was from pasdechat on Tumblr and she accepted my offer to write it for her. Later on there may be some Rivetra scenes among other ships. Be sure to give me feedback so I know what you think and what you want to see!

The day was silent, peaceful even. It seemed as though everyone was resting in the early morning sun.

Everyone except for the twenty-one figures running around the castle-turned-Survey-Corps-HQ. These were the twenty-one trainees who chose to join the Survey Corps. They were brave, and strong, and smart, and they had to be trained beyond what they had already been.

Petra smiled smugly as she watched them from where she stood. "Two more laps until you're done with your ten!" She called out at them, smiling ever so slightly. She was normally a kind person, and she would still be that way to them. That didn't mean she couldn't train them. She specifically asked Captain Levi for the chance to train them, and there was no way she was going to disappoint.

At her words, a groan of fatigue rolled across the field.

"Isn't this normally your job, Captain?" Gunter asked Levi. The two were sitting at the picnic table outside so they could watch the first day of Survey Corps training. Things were going pretty well so far; Petra was certainly a force to be reckoned with.

The Captain eyed him over the rim of his coffee mug as he took a sip, waiting until he placed it back on the table to speak. "Petra asked if she could do it." He answered as bluntly as he could, not caring to go into the details of the request at the moment: How she wanted to prove herself, how she felt like she needed to do more, etc. He couldn't remember every detail. All she had to do was ask.

"I see." Gunter's eyes roamed back to the recruits. Soon some of them would be chosen personally by Captain Levi to join the Special Operation Squad. I wonder who those will be… He looked at each and every one of the trainees, sizing them all up. Each had promise in their own way. Mikasa was like a kinder, female Levi, sans experience. Armin was as good a strategist as Erwein. Jean was a good leader. Ymir was strong willed… Each had something to offer to the Special Operation Squad, even Eren. Wait. Eren was already in the Squad, so why was he training? Gunter quickly looked at Levi then back to the troops. I suppose Levi made him train. It would certainly keep him out of trouble.

"I'm very proud of all of you," the new trainer said as the recruits struggled to keep up their salutes and calm their breathing. "You all did very well. Now, I know all of you have different skills, and this training will cover all of them just to be fair." She smiled kindly at all of them, that smile of hers that seemed like there was no evil in the world. "You -"

With the gentle swoosh of fabric, the Captain was standing in front of her, his hands clamped firmly behind his back as he stared down the rookies. Everyone froze. "At the end of this training I will be choosing members to join the Special Operations Squad. Don't let me down." His light blue eyes narrowed as he scanned the group and stepped aside for Petra again. He nodded his head to her once in thanks before walking away.

The young woman never once lost her stride. "Thank you, Captain Levi. Two days ago you all completed your first Survey Corps mission outside of the safety of the walls." Her entire face lit up with a bright smile and she continued, "You are now true members of the Survey Corps. I have faith in each and every one of you."

That night the new members trodded, exhausted, into their rooms. The boys collapsed wordlessly onto their beds. "I can't… Even… Think." The complaint came from Eren, who buried his face in his pillow.

'Why are you even training?" Connie asked as he propped himself up on an elbow. "Aren't you already on the Squad?" The response he received was a few inaudible, muffled words. "What?"

Armin spoke up, breathless, from his bed as he took off his shoes. "Captain made him… Better than doing nothing… Never too good to train…" With a tired sigh, he forced himself to sit up to take off his 3D Manuever Gear strapping. Jean joined him on his bed and put a friendly hand on his shoulder.

"You did well today, Arlert." He grinned kindly. "You kept up with us."

"I would have much rather been working with Hanji…"

A sleepy groan came through the air from Reiner's bed. "Can we just sleep? Please?" The blonde rolled over onto his side and pulled the covers tight over his head, trying to block out all the talking. Luckily, they all agreed and silently moved to their own beds, the tense feeling of exhaustion filling the air.

As soon as the girls shut the door behind them, they erupted into tired conversation. "I like her a lot," Christa blurted out. "She's a great trainer. And she's so nice." A small smile played across the small girl's lips. Ymir nodded in agreement.

"She's alright. Eren seems to like her," Mikasa said in her usual, soft manner. She flushed when Christa looked at her and quickly spoke up to change the topic from Eren before any questions were asked. "What do you think, Sasha?"

The brunette was already crawling lazily into bed, her feet winding up near her pillow. "She's okay… I just want food." As if on cue, her stomach audibly growled, causing the girl to emit a small embarrassed laugh.

"We all need sleep," Mikasa stated bluntly. She knew tomorrow would be just as hard, and the other girls did to. Petra was proving to be a tough trainer, despite being so kind-hearted. This would be a tough month for them.

"Captain?" Petra asked softly from across the table. The members of Squad Levi was all sitting together as they did most nights, talking about nothing in particular. Most nights consisted of talk of plans or action that needed to be taken. With this being training month for the new recruits, there was no need for talk of stuff of that nature.

He looked over at her with his piercing blue eyes, and something within her shivered. "Yes, Petra?" She loved how he said her name, the way it rolled off his tongue and flowed over those lips of his.

She quickly shook those thoughts from his mind, although she couldn't stop the faint blush that rose to her pale cheeks. "Tomorrow is sparring day. Um, Mikasa won't be challenged by any other recruit. Would you want to spar with her?" She smiled faintly. "I think it would make for an interesting match."

Levi's eyes narrowed in thought and he nodded. "Fine."