I was standing outside waiting for the storm to hit, or so I thought, as I stared up at the sky and said, "It's almost here." And on that note I turned around and began to walk into town back to my house. It has been a hundred years since the first Titan was seen. Our numbers have dwindled dramatically, but we are fighting back and losing. The only way to kill a Titan, and for it to stay dead, is to cut the nape of its neck. If it's not there then it will regenerate a limb, or heal itself of any wound. They look humanoid but they are nowhere near human. In fact they're about as tall as the trees, if not taller, and they eat humans though they have no need for it. I was on my way back home when I hear some people hollering and picking on someone. I bound the corner and found three teens picking on a blonde haired boy named Armin. Before I could say anything Eren shows up and begins to holler at the three teens and they laugh at him, and then I see Mikasa show up behind him and the teens flip out and they begin to take off. I slinked back and waited for the teens to come along. I grabbed one and slung him up against the wall across from me. Just as I expected his cohorts stop and turn back. "Hey! Leave him alone." I turn around and walk towards the other two and grab them both and sling them against the wall. "You need to pick on someone your own size or you'll have to deal with me." I took a step forward and they ran off. I sighed and I began to go back home. Once I got there I opened the door and hollered, "I'm home!" I looked around and was immediately reminded that my dad was killed by a Titan and my mom died of grief, or so I was told by others. I sigh and take my shoes off and begin to prepare my dinner. It wasn't much but it was better than nothing. At least that's what I tell myself. The rain never came that night and I was slightly disappointed in myself, my mother was great at telling the weather, or so I was told. Both my parents died when I was very young, and a few people took me in here and there, but I never stayed very long. I eventually learned to fend for myself and I moved back into my old house and I've lived here ever since. I looked at my dinner on the stove and turned it off. I wasn't hungry. I grabbed my jacket and went outside and walked towards the gate. I noticed that the guard was drinking and I looked at him and said, "Coward." He grabbed me by the arm and asks, "What did you say?" I looked him dead in the eyes and replied, "You heard me. You're a coward. You're supposed to be guarding the gate and yet you sit on your ass and drink." He threw me to the ground and said, "You better go on somewhere." I got up and shot him a look and continued to walk outside of the gates to gather wood. When I got back another guard had replaced him and he nodded to me and I nodded back. I got to my house and began to separate the wood to make sure that the wet wood didn't get mixed in with the dry. After that was done I put my dinner in the fridge and took me a quick bath and went to bed. I woke up the next morning with a sickening feeling in my gut. "I must be coming down with something." I took some cold medicine and went on through the day like normal. About halfway through the day I heard a loud crack of thunder and a saw a flash of light. Then out of nowhere this giant Titan that had muscle tissue as its skin appeared and kicked the wall and caused a part of it to crumble like it was nothing. Then the Titans started to pour in. I started to alert the others and to get them as far away from the gate as possible when I got toppled over by panicking people. When I was finally able to get up a Titan was looming over me. It went to grab for me and I moved out of the way just in time, I got up and began to run taking different directions. I eventually hid in a church and sat there trying not to breathe too hard and give my hiding spot away. I eventually walked outside and saw that the area was clear and I began to run towards the river to get to the boat that was waiting for the survivors. As I was running there I could hear a Titan coming up behind me and at that same time I saw someone who was part of the military lying on the ground dead. I grabbed his gear and went inside a house and put it on, somehow I was able to operate it with ease. As soon as I got out of the house the titan was about twenty feet away. I took off running and I then activated the grapple and it shot out and hit a house it lifted me up into the air. As I was jumping over roofs I could see the boat leaving. I decided that I had better pick up the pace. I began to use the grapple more than what I was supposed to, and used the gas to propel me faster. When I got to the boat I was out of gas and free-falling/gliding. I landed on the boat and scared several people. I even caught a hint of a whisper of someone saying, "She's in the military." I stood up and said, "No, I'm not. I'm sorry to say this but I snatched this off of a dead man." And with that I took off the gear and threw it in the water. I went below deck and went to sleep. Or at least I tried, but all I could think about was the people that died. I sighed and walked back outside and stood on the deck and stared off into the distance. "How were you able to use the gear without any training?" I hear someone ask me and when I turned around I saw it was Eren behind me. "I don't know all I know is that instincts just took over when it happened." I looked over at him and asked, "Can I tell you a secret?" he nodded and I continued, "Being able to use the gear was exhilarating and I think I'm going to join the military and hopefully get accepted into the Survey Corp." he looked at me and said, "I'm wanting to join the Survey Corps too!"
3 years later
It's been three years since that day and I joined the Military. I was top of the class and I eventually left everyone alone and decided to focus on all my training. I would stay up late at night and perfect what we learned the day before. One day the drill Sergeant began to give us our gear and told us to put it on. I did and, just like he said, went over to the balance ropes and they strapped me to them. They then lifted me off the ground and I stood there perfectly balanced. "You see how well..." he paused and trailed off. I looked at him and said, "My name is Hael Dragoneel." "You see how well, Dragoneel balances? I want you all do that." he then waived his hand and told them to let me down. "May I be dismissed?" I asked and the drill Sergeant nods his head. I walked away and began to walk around a bit, I eventually got bored and decided to walk off the training grounds. I stumbled upon an old building, well a castle really, and decided that I would check it out. As I walked inside I noticed that it looked like that people had inhabited it and that they had been there for some time. I walked from room to room and ran my hand across the wall, when I pulled it away my hand was clean. "Whoa." I said aloud, then out of nowhere someone asks, "Shouldn't you be training?" I turn around I saw Captain Levi Ackermann standing in the door way. "I had permission to leave. I'm top of my class, and I've perfected everything that we have been taught so far." I said. He nods a bit and says, "Let's put that to the test." he beckons me to come outside and I followed him. When we got outside he hollered, "Give me some gear with a full tank of gas." he then looked over at a woman with glasses and says, "Hanji, set up some Titan decoys." about thirty minutes later he looked at me and asked, "Are you ready?" I nod, fully prepared and awaiting for him to take the lead to where we were about to go. Then out of nowhere he just takes off. I smile and say, "Oh, you like to play dirty." and with that I take off as well. I'm propelling through the woods, using only my grapple and saving my gas, when I come across the first fake Titan. I sliced the nape of its neck, and began to pick up the pace. Another Titan came up not far from that one, but this one moved. I realized then that this one was real. I moved out of the way and got behind it and did a spiral in the air and sliced the nape of its neck, killing it instantly. I then landed on a tree and stood there for a minute, and then I called out, "Captain Ackermann! I thought there were fake Titans out here!" he then showed up behind me and said, "There's both." I then took off and began to make my way out of the woods when another Titan came out of nowhere almost knocking me out of the sky. I moved just in time and was able to do another spiral and slice the Titan's neck killing it. When we both got back to the castle I was covered in Titan blood and Levi was not. "What happened to her?" Hanji asks and Levi replies, "She took on at least fifteen Titans on her way back here." they all looked at me with awe except Hanji. She walked up to me and asks, "What was it like to be that close to a Titan? May I have a sample?" she points at the blood on my uniform. I hold out my right arm, with the blade still in my hand, and she takes a cotton swab and gets some of the blood off my arm. "Damn. My uniform, now how am I going to explain this to the Sergeant?" I ask to no one in particular. I look at the sun and realize that it was going down and I looked at Levi and say, "Captain, I have to get back to the training grounds." he nodded and I left. When I got back the Sergeant swarmed me and asked, "How did you get blood on your uniform? Where were you?" I looked at him and replied, "I was out training with Captain Ackermann. If you don't believe me then walk that way for thirty minutes until you come across an old castle." I then walked inside to get me something to eat, when I opened the door everyone's eyes were on me and I just kept on walking towards the guy that serves the food, Food Guy, and grabbed me a plate. "I don't serve to slackers." He said with a dead pan expression and I looked him dead in the eyes and said, "I'm no slacker." "Give her some food. She was training with me and I caused her to be late." I turn around to see Captain Levi standing there. "What are you doing here?" I asked and he said, "I came to see if you made it back. Especially after dealing with those Titans and I see that you did make it." I sighed and replied, "Thanks for the check up and all, but I had this under control." I waived in the direction of Food Guy. Levi then looks at him and says, "Give her some food. She just protected my team from a Titan ambush. She's earned it." the guy then slaps the food onto my plate causing it to splash onto my uniform. "Hey! Just because I have blood on my shirt doesn't mean that you have to add food to it, ya know!" I exclaimed and he replies, "Oh, I'm sorry." I then lost my composer and set my tray down and walked up to the counter and said, "Could you lean down here for a minute?" he does so and socked the shit out of him. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and I stared down at him and said, "Lesson number one: Don't be rude to others." and with that I turned back around and grabbed my plate. I took the bread roll off the plate and gave the rest to Potato Girl. I walked outside with Captain Levi trailing behind me. Once we got outside he grabbed my arm and said, "That was uncalled for." "That was perfectly called for. I don't like someone who wants to be an ass to others because they're unhappy." he shook his head and said, "I meant how hard you hit him." he then held out his hand and there he had the guy's tooth in his hand. My eyes got wide and I asked, dumb founded, "I did that?" Levi tilts his head and asks, "You don't' know how hard you hit him? His eyes rolled to the back of his head. You knocked his tooth out." he shook his head and said, "I want to work with you on your fighting. Until then, I don't care if you're forced to run, don't engage in any type of mock battle. I will be watching, and if I'm not I will have eyes here keeping an eye on you." I sighed and said, "Yes, sir." "Follow me to see your Sergeant." The next day I woke up early and decided to go for a run before everyone went to eat. During my run I came across another Titan and I hid up in a tree. The one time I don't have my gear. I silently thought to myself. When the Titan left I got down and ran back to the training camp, when I got there everyone was just starting to wake up. "Hey, I heard she took on twenty Titans yesterday." "No way. That's impossible." "Well, I heard she killed like thirty of them." and so on went the rumors. Personally I lost count at one, but Captain Levi didn't. He said that I had killed fifteen and was surrounded by another fifteen that he had taken care of. I remember him telling me that he only expected someone who had been with the Survey Corps for about as long as him to pull that off. As I was walking into the mess hall the Sergeant pulls me to the side and says, "I need you to come to my office after you eat." I was confused by this, I actually thought I did something wrong. I ate a little bit of my food and threw the rest away and walked to his office. "I know your name isn't Hael Dragoneel. Who was your father?" he asks and I shrugged my shoulders and say, "I don't know. He died when I was young, and my mother died not long after. He was killed by a titan and my mother died of grief. I was raised by anyone and everyone and lived from place to place. I eventually decided to give myself the name Hael Dragoneel. My last name means: Dragon. That is why I chose my last name like I did, is because of the meaning behind it. My real name is Niala Kurosaki." he took a step back and said, "Your father saved my life on many occasions, your mother too. She quit when she found out she was pregnant with you. The day he died he had been trying to get another soldier to safety and when he got him to safety he turned around and was eaten by a Titan." he paused and then continued, "I was the one that killed the titan that ate him and I was only able to bring back his arm to your mother. You were about two maybe three when it happened." a tear fell down his cheek and I said, "Don't cry. It's not worth it, it happened in the past and this is the present. You must face today in order to prepare for tomorrow." he looked at me, kind of shocked really and said, "That's something your father would have told Me." he laughed nervously. "Don't give me any special treatment just because my father saved your life." I paused and then asked, "Did he hit really hard? Like hard enough to cause a man's eyes to roll to the back of their head and able to knock a tooth out?" he shook his head and said, "No, that was your mother. She would hit better than any man." at that point in time the Food Guy comes in and says, "Sergeant this little brat hit me last night and knocked a tooth out." he then held up the tooth that I had knocked out and you could see the bruise on the side of his jaw. "Well, you shouldn't piss her off." I was shocked by this and he told Food Guy to get out and he protested. "Get out now! Do you not know who this is?" Food Guy shook his head and the Sergeant leaned down and whispered something to him. Food Guy's eyes went wide and I tilted my head. I was confused and didn't know how to react. Food Guy turned around and left. I looked at the Sergeant and confused and I asked, "Am I allowed to go now?" he nodded and I turned around and left knowing that word of my real name would quickly spread around and that I would be considered a hero and not a cadet. I don't like it. I walked out ignoring everyone around me. Truth is I hated my father mainly for choosing to be with the Garrison Regiment and not something more like the Scouts, Survey Corps, like me. I continued walking shaking the thoughts out of my head and went to the mess hall. Jean and Eren were arguing when I opened the door. Mikasa went up to them to stop it from escalating and when Jean saw that Mikasa had grabbed Eren's hand he got jealous. Eren then pulled a move he learned earlier. I walked towards Jean and said, "You had it coming." He got up and got mad at me and began to yell, "What the hell is that suppose to mean?" I turned around and met him face to face. I could hear everyone whispering saying, "Oh no." "She's going to kill him." And so on and so forth. "Exactly that. You should learn to leave people alone and not to get jealous over something stupid." He then went to grab my shirt and I grabbed his hand and bent it backwards. He then began to scream out in pain and I let him go. "Don't ever try to take your rage out on me. Otherwise I will kill you." And on that note I grabbed a piece of bread and left. I grabbed some ODM gear and went out into the woods and set up the fake Titan's up for practice. I came across one of the fakes and I ended up cutting it all the way to the wooden Titan itself. I stopped and went back to check my work. "I cut it too deep." I said aloud. I continued on with the training. Two years after I had joined about half that had joined had quit or didn't make the final cut. Eren Jaeger, Armin Arlelt, Mikasa Ackermann, Jean Keirschestein, Conny Springer, and a few others had made it. I was one of the ones that made it as well. Right now they're training us how to handle a deserter and what not. I look over to see Annie walking around just like me and I also noticed that Eren was paired up with Reiner. Eren and Reiner walk up to Annie and say something to her that pisses her off. Reiner then pushes Eren towards Annie and as Eren charges Annie knocks him on his ass. Reiner does the same and the same thing happened to him as well. I stifle a laugh and continue walking when Eren walks up to me and says, "You got something to say?" I look at him and say, "Oh, nothing at all. It's just that you got beat up by a girl." Then Reiner walks up and says, "Well, if you think you can do any better go up against her." I sighed and said, "Hey, Annie. You and me right now." She turned around and said, "Prepare yourself." I put my fist up and got into fighting stance and she grabbed the knife. "I won't hold back." I said and charged towards her. She then used the same move she pulled on Eren and Reiner on me and I dodged it. I then hit her right hand and knocked the knife out and I picked it up. "You move your left foot before you swing your right and you move your right hand forward when you do it too." Everyone seemed surprised that I was able to beat her; I shrugged it off and walked away. I went to the woods and sat up in a tree to think to myself when I hear, "I thought I told you not to fight anyone. Even mock ones." I sighed and stood up and said, "I had to prove a point to someone." His composer then broke and said, "But I told you not to engage in any type of fighting!" I sighed and sat down on the branch and looked up at the sky. "Have you ever had a Titan come after you?" "I can't say that I have. Why do you ask?" I sighed and climbed down and said, "No reason. I'll be graduating tomorrow night. I'm tied with Mikasa Ackermann for the title of Elite." "That's good." "In a way, but you have to promise me one thing. Promise me that Eren Jaeger, Mikasa Ackermann, and Armin Arlelt are able to join the Scouts." He tilted his head and then said, "I promise." I looked at him and said, "Mikasa is equal to a hundred men when she battles, Armin is a certified genius when it comes to strategy, and Eren is a stubborn hard headed person that will do anything to kill the Titans. Put them three together and you have a team of five in three people. Plus, Mikasa will follow Eren anywhere. She is determined to keep him alive." He furrowed his brows and asked, "And what about you?" I walked over to the fake titan that I had sliced earlier today and saw how deep I had cut it. I beckoned for him to come over and look at it. "Did you do that?" he asked and I nodded my head and said, "Yea. Today in fact." I paused then continued and said, "I've been cutting it too deep every day." "Let me see your gear." We walked back to the training grounds I let him take a look at my blades. "How are they not dull?" I shrugged my shoulders and said, "I don't know." He thought for a minute and then said, "You've cut it so clean that the blades won't even be dull afterwards." He sounded surprised by this revelation. I tilted my head and asked, "Is that a bad thing?" he shook his head and said, "In fact it's a good thing." I sighed and he said, "I won't be here for a while. We have to go do reconnaissance to gain back Wall Maria." I nodded and said, "Good luck." And with that he was gone and I was alone. I began the long walk back to the training grounds to start getting ready for our graduation ceremony. I had to pick out a new uniform, one that wasn't dirty or had blood on it, and then clean my boots and make sure everything was in order. By the time it was all said and done it was almost time for me to leave for the ceremony. "The ones that are eligible for the Military Police have been named. They are this year's top eleven Cadets!" I was next to Mikasa, mainly due to the fact that I was tied with her on everything. We stared at our superiors in front of us. Little do we know that a few days from now all hell will break loose.
Part 2: Welcome to Hell
I was with Eren and a few others on cleaning the cannons when I over hear Eren and Conny talking about the Scouts and Sasha comes over and says, "Hey, guys guess what I have?" and we all look over her way and see her pulling out some meat that she had stolen. That girl has some appetite. Out of nowhere everyone starts to say that they want a sandwich and I begin to laugh a little. And just like five years ago the Colossal Titan appeared and knocked us over the side of the wall. I looked over at Eren and I saw that one of my comrades was knocked out cold, but Sasha got to him in time. I focused back on the Titan at hand and began to charge to get to the top when Eren got the same idea and practically intercepted me. I growled and propelled myself over the wall and looked at the Titan and saw that he was distracted by Eren when I decided to cut the nape of his neck. 1 meter high and 10 centimeters across, I thought to myself and went to attack when the Titan looked at me and then kicked the gate down like it was nothing. I growled and hollered, "NOT AGAIN!" and I began my charge towards the neck when Eren beats me to the punch. And just like that the Titan was gone again. I landed on the wall and said, "Damn it! It's happening again and what's worst it that the Armored Titan isn't far behind him!" "Whoa she's pissed." I hear Conny say, and then the Garrison Regiment shows up and tells us to report to HQ and tell them everything. I went back to HQ, but I didn't say a word, and refilled my tanks and restocked my blades. "Kurosaki! You're with the vanguard!" I was confused by this. I did as he told me to do and I joined forces with Eren and Armin's team. We were on our way to take out a Titan when we came across an abnormal. This one jumped at us and we all managed to get out of the way, well most of us that is. Thomas didn't make it. "You bastard!" I hear Eren say before taking off for the Titan and the others follow behind him. "No! You will die!" I hollered but they ignored me and continued to following Eren. I growled and followed after them to make sure that at least one of them lived. When I got there the only one left was Armin and Eren was reaching out and just like that his arm was chopped off. Armin then screamed out and Eren was gone. I grabbed Armin and took off in the opposite direction so that way he wouldn't get eaten by a Titan. I ended up dropping him on a roof. "Just leave me here. I'll get with the others on my own time." I grabbed his shoulder and asked, "You sure you're okay?" and he nodded. I sighed and began to kick some serious titan ass. That was about the time that I heard footsteps coming my way, when I turned around I saw the same titan that had eaten Eren standing in front of me. I stared at the titan and began to charge at it when a hand reached out of its mouth causing me to stop in my tracks. Then out came another titan killing the other one instantly. I was shocked by this and so I followed it around and I noticed that it was heading a certain way, and that is when I came across Mikasa, Armin, and Conny on a roof watching the titan kill the other one. "It's strange isn't it?" I asked scaring them half to death. They began to go the opposite direction trying to write it off as another abnormal when Armin got an idea to use it to their advantage. Mikasa and I were the ones that had to kill off Titans that got in his way while Conny carried Armin. "Jean is this all the ones that made it?" I asked and he nodded and I silently thought to myself, how am I going to get a bunch of rookies to pull of this mission. I sighed and then Armin went to work on coming up with a plan . I kept guard to make sure nothing goes wrong while they full fill there plan.