Warning : definitely has spoilers/references to ToV

Summary : Yuri's sudden decision to join the Scouting Legion leaves Flynn reeling. "You're signing up for your death, you know that Yuri!"

01. The First Spark

"Where were you earlier, Yuri? I didn't see you at the Military Police orientation."

A soft hum came from the person sitting by him. Flynn glanced over, raking his eyes over his best friend, lounging on his back like he had no care in the world, watching the night sky. Repede, his faithful canine companion and fellow trainee, surprisingly enough, also lounged beside them, a golden pipe dangling from his mouth.

Typical Yuri.

There was a pause, then Yuri spoke up. "Didn't go."

"... What?"

Yuri tsked, but he refused to get up from his position, arms thrown back behind his head, comfortable. "You heard me, I didn't go."

"Yuri, why? You can't just skip out an orientation!" A boiling pit of dread began to simmer in his stomach. No, Yuri wouldn't ... would he?

The black haired male gave a shrug – or, the closest thing he could give to a shrug, given that his arms were currently occupied with supporting his head from the grass. "Just didn't feel like it, Flynn, so stop nagging."

"Yuri, don't tell me you joined up with the Scouting Legion."

"Okay, fine," Yuri replied instantly, not skipping a beat. "I won't tell you then."

Oh god, he did. He joined the Scouting Legion, that bastard.

"You're signing up for your death, you know that Yuri!" Flynn exploded, unable to keep his calm with his idiotic best friend. "What about our promise to reform the Military Police! You can't just abandon that!"

Yuri sighed, and rolled over to face Flynn. "I'm not cut out for that shit, Flynn. It was a pain in the ass enough to stand there taking crap from our captains during training." A soft wuff came from Repede. "See, Repede agrees with me too."

Flynn started to grit his teeth, trying to reign in his feelings before his fists start to fly to the other male's face. It was oh so absolutely tempting right now. He raised his arm, trembling like a leaf, before placing it on Yuri's shoulders instead of decking him in the jaw like what he wanted to do instead. "Goddamnit Yuri, tell me the truth!" He felt like crying – signing up for the Scouting Legion was equivalent to committing suicide, and everyone knew that. Once you became part of that legion, there was only two paths you could take: either, you live long enough to see other people die, and go insane, or you yourself become the cannon fodder for the rest. And his closest friend – his brother – signed away his life. "Yuri," Flynn started, voice cracking. "Why did you join the Scouting Legion? Why do you always choose the option that's bad for you? Tell me, please! So I can understand!"

Silence.

"Flynn," Yuri started, sitting up and facing the blond, eye to eye. If it was any other time, Flynn would be laughing at all the grass and sticks stuck in Yuri's long hair, but now, he couldn't even comment, much less laugh. "You're strong. Stronger than me. If I went to the Military Police, I'd probably commit a mass genocide because of all those corrupted guys there. I'd slaughter them all with a blink of an eye. They deserve it." Yuri flicked his sight back down, cradling one of his swords in between his arms and legs - a habit that formed during childhood as an orphan on the streets of the Zaphias District within Wall Sina. Even Flynn had that habit; cradling a knife or blade of some sorts while he slept - the slums of Zaphias weren't the greatest, despite the prestige of the district for being protected by Wall Sina. The Military Police did shit to protect the citizens from internal crimes, and instead drank and partied, celebrating the fact that they were protected from the titans.

"That's a crime, Yuri."

"I know that, Flynn." Yuri sighs, before continuing. "That's why I'm not going to the Military Police - I'd be off to the gallows 24 hours after I join. Better off with the Scouting Legion - at least there, I'd have a chance to fight my own death."

Another short silence settled between them, before Flynn spoke up, almost hesitant to break it, but still wanting more answers. "That's not all, isn't it?"

A brief chuckle. "Oh god, Flynn, I can't hide anything from you, can't I?"

"Nope, so you better speak up, because I'm not letting this go." More silence - is that all Yuri could do? "Yuri," Flynn warned, demanding answers.

"Shut up! I'm trying to get my words here, okay, mom?"

"Hey!"

"You are so totally the mom here - you've got the nagging part down pat!"

"Yu-Yuri, stop distracting me!"

"You're so easy to tease, Flynn!" Yuri let out another sigh, knowing that Flynn would definitely continue to scold him for teasing and distracting him from the subject - a fate that he wished no one would experience, not even that douchebag of a person named Zagi. "Remember when that Colossal Titan appeared over Trost? Of course you do, it just happened. We were split up - you were sent to the back with Mikasa and Annie, right?" Flynn nodded, not interrupting Yuri's recall of the events that happened only a few days ago - the tragedy, but also humanity's first victory, thanks to one of their fellow trainee's and apparently superweapon, Eren Jaeger. "I was assigned to assist Captain Niren..." Yuri gripped his sword tightly, memories of the good times with Captain Niren flooding in. Niren Fedrock, a noble Military Police member who actually took the time to help those living in the slums of Zaphias, and even cared for some of the orphans, including Yuri and Flynn. He was Yuri's closest thing to a father and a parent the orphan ever had - Flynn had his own mother and father, even if it was just for a short time.

Flynn had heard that Captain Niren and the rest of his squad - Hisca, Chastel, Jurgis, and even Captain Niren's wardog, Lambert, Repede's father, had all died during the attack and retake of Trost, leaving Yuri and Repede as the only survivors. But Flynn has never heard all the details - just the basic facts.

"We were covering the east part of Trost, when a fifteen meter class spotted us, along with it's friends," Yuri continued, recounting everything with a clinical, detached tone, as if he didn't actually witness the horrifying scenes. "Jurgis was the first to go. He was snatched out of the air, and the titan just popped him into its mouth like a chip from the party bowl. Hisca tried to save Jurgis. A titan caught her and snapper her in half." Flynn wanted to drape an arm around Yuri, but he couldn't - not when Yuri's knuckles were white, and body tense, almost as if he was ready to snap. If he approaches now, he knew Yuri would violently react, and end up knocking a tooth out of his jaw. "Chastel ran out of gas. She was crushed. Lambert was swatted away like a fly … I had to put him out of his misery, there was no hope." The normally strong man slumped in his seat, suddenly moving to hug Repede as if his life depended on it. Repede, normally disliking human contact, just let it happen, whining slightly and licking away the tears that managed to slip from Yuri's eyes. "I wasn't paying attention, didn't notice a titan behind me. Captain Niren pushed me away..."

"Yuri..." Flynn didn't need Yuri to continue - didn't want Yuri to continue, if it renders Yuri like this, speechless, in near tears, and depressed. It almost felt as if this wasn't Yuri - this broken, suffering person. Flynn wished he could take Yuri's place right now - wishes that it was Yuri sent to the back to defend the gate and usher the citizens to the inner walls, wishes that he was the one assigned to be with Captain Niren and the others.

"Captain Niren was eaten. I ran away with Repede, like a fucking coward." Yuri loosened his grip on Repede, though still slumped on the canine's back. "I can't believe I ran away. I can't believe I abandoned Captain Niren." Suddenly, Yuri straightened up, and turned to Flynn, determination shining in his coal black eyes. "I have to get stronger, Flynn. So I can stop this needless sacrifice. So at the very least, I can make a difference on the outside. And you Flynn, can start from the inside, from the military police."

Flynn felt himself relax - this was Yuri. This was the true Yuri - the Yuri with the determination to survive, to change. And he couldn't help but believe in his best friend. "Didn't our instructor tell us that idealism is useless on the battlefield?"

"Who the hell cares about that, Flynn! I'm not going to listen to stuffy farts with sticks the size of tree trunks up their asses!"

Heh. Never change, Yuri. Never change.

Flynn stood up, slowly drawing his sword from the sheath - not the blades they used against titans, but the blade that he had used to defend himself when he was younger, still on the streets of Zaphias. "Fine, I'll accept your decision, but that doesn't mean I'm happy with it. So, since I can't beat you in an argument …" Flynn swung his sword a few times in the air, feeling the comfortable weight of the heavy weapon in his hands. He sure missed this, and from looking at Yuri's growing smirk on his face, his friend did too.

"Oh yeah? That's what you want, Flynn?" Yuri quickly dashed up, snatching his own personal sword - Second Star, he named it. Yuri gripped the tassels on the sheath, and flicked, unsheathing his sword in a flair of his unique dramatics, catching the hilt with ease, then pointed the tip towards Flynn. "Feel like you need to beat me up or something?"

"I'd end up yelling at you again. Just like always." Finished with his warm ups, Flynn crossed his own, blue sword against Yuri's, anticipation with this fight brimming within both of their bodies. "Everything I feel is in this sword!"

"Good," Yuri smirked, his face twisted into a full blown smile. "C'mon! I am so gonna kick your ass!"

"No no no no no no, I'm going to kick your ass!"

"Oh it's on now!"

This was inspired by a friend's dream - the Vesperia cast was in the world of Shingeki, and things spiraled from there.

I've edited a few aspects within SnK's world to fit the addition of Vesperia's cast, like expanding the top 10 rankings of the trainee squads into the top 12, so that Flynn and Yuri could be included in there without having to knock another person from the original series off the list.

Flynn graduated in 2nd place, after Mikasa, and Yuri is 5th, knocking Eren and everyone else down one ranking.

I also perceive Flynn and Yuri as slightly older than everyone else - I see them as 18 or 19 by the time they graduate, rather than the normal age of 15 for everyone.

I'll also use the spelling of Jaeger for Eren Yeager - in any future additions, I may include Yeager, and it will just get plain confusing.