The world seemed to stop as a piercing wail cut through the air, sharp and gross and terrible. Among the panicked screams of people in the streets, the thuds of enormous, disgusting feet, and the grunting and yelping of fighters living their final moments, the sound seemed almost normal. It belonged in the blood-stained atmosphere of the attack. The girl who produced it took no notice of it.

"IVAN!" she wailed again, cutting the sound off by falling into his chest. It reeked of gore and stained her uniform, but all of that was trivial. Ignoring his missing limbs was a challenge, but she only saw one thing: this corpse was her brother.

Her sobs were ugly and painful to produce, but they came naturally; a river of tears mingled with the blood. Desperately she clung to a rotting body, pouring her despair to one who could not answer. Who cared if she was eaten next? She knew that at any moment, a Titan could end her life. That wasn't important. Her life felt meaningless to her. What happened to her was no longer her main concern.

"Ivan, I told you to come with me," she whined, picking herself off his chest. His eyes were still open. Clearly, he hadn't known what was happening to him; he died wearing the same calm gaze as always. His expression was the same as always – a slight smile. The tranquility of it all disturbed her. He should have been crying in terror. Ivan wouldn't have done that, but the way he looked was unsettling. He should not have accepted his death so readily. "You always got mad when I tried to follow you. It was you who wanted to join the Recon Corps! I didn't need this life, Ivan! Why did I follow you? I needed to know you would live, that's why! I needed to protect you, and all you did was push me farther and farther away!" She took a moment to sob, resentment growing inside of her. "Look at what's become of you! You're dead, Ivan! YOU FUCKING KILLED YOURSELF, YOU SUICIDAL BASTARD!" Her harsh words did little to make her feel better. All it did was bring a new pang of sadness as memories washed over her. Her brother and her used to watch the troops leave the wall, before they knew that so few soldiers made it back. They had fun little games, where they would pretend their dad was a Titan after them, before his untimely death. But it was the night Ivan decided to become a soldier that she remembered the most. Suddenly, her older sister's panic ran through her mind.

"You're going to get killed, the both of you! How am I supposed to live, knowing that? Please, live a life of peace on the farmland!" Her sister had lost the discussion. The safe life they had wasn't enough for Ivan, and she had thought it wasn't enough for her, either. As her tears slowly ran dry, she realized that a life on the farm, safe with her dear sister, would be sufficient. But her sister allowed her to go off with Ivan.

"Natalya, watch over him, please," she had begged. "I need you to live until you're so old you can't stand up."

"I promise." She almost laughed at herself. She was so naïve, making such a ridiculous promise. She knew the facts and chose to ignore them, for the sake of "adventure". For the sake of her brother.

"I'm sorry, Katyusha," she whispered, no longer able to look at Ivan. Did he not deserve a proper corpse? There was not much left of him. She could have prevented this. She could have had the sense to stop him rather than follow in his bloody footsteps. "I should have listened to you."

As the memories passed, Natalya found she was able to stand. Feet quivering, she stepped forward, the battle still raging around her. Left and right, Titans seized innocent lives, leaving nothing but the occasional limb. It made Ivan look almost lucky. Now, people could know exactly what happened to him. Natalya got to see it, and she could remember his sacrifice. Live, Katyusha told her. Her warm voice rang in her ear with every shaking step. Grow old for our parents, who didn't.

"For Ivan," she snarled, launching herself into the air. Shouting, she retrieved her blades, her blood boiling with aggressive determination. "I will live to see another day."

A/N: Recently I got into Shingeki no Kyojin, which is kind of obvious after reading this. It's really good. Like, the plot and the characters are perfect. I cannot believe how engrossed I am in it. Naturally, being the Hetalian I am, I thought that many characters would work in the SnK universe, and this scene came to mind! I hope you've enjoyed reading.