A/N: Going to keep this short. I apologize for the lack of variation from the anime. It's going to be almost exactly the same until the battle of Trost. Yes, things will be start branching off here, but it gets really different later. Maybe within the next two chapters.

Disclaimer: I don't own Shingeki no Kyojin. Or Attack on Titan. Whatever the difference is…

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Chapter One: Instincts

Everyone else was just starting to wake up. Armin always did get up a bit earlier than the rest.

Eren put his uniform on and started to head out to the mess, to meet Armin and Mikasa. They still stuck together whenever they could, even after all these years.

Basic Training was tough on them, but nothing the three of them couldn't handle. While Armin did struggle on the physical courses, he surpassed them all in tactics. Boy was a genius, no doubt about that.

Mikasa, the reluctant soldier, surpassed them all. She was the best soldier in the academy, something that bugged Eren to know end.

And Eren was…struggling. He wasn't great in any given area, but he was improving tremendously each day. When they were running he could keep up with Mikasa with ease now. He used to struggle with everyone else.

Eren found himself a seat in the mess between Armin and Mikasa. "You know what the workout today's going to be?" Eren asked.

Armin bit off a piece of his bread then said "I think we're doing a physical assessment. I remember Shadis mentioning it the other day." Armin stopped eating and looked down at his tray. "I'm…not sure if I'm going to be able to pass all the tests…"

"You kidding me? You'll pass even if you fail. We need soldiers like you, the smart ones. I mean," Eren pointed at Jean, "some guys here are as dumb as fucking rocks. We need soldier tacticians, and no one else here can do it but you."

"Pff. Says Mr. Hothead. I think you'd-"

"ALRIGHT SHITBAGS LINE UP!"

Eren and Armin jumped out of their seats and ran straight for the lineup, not wanting to be last. Shadis had made it very clear what happens to those who stay in their seats too long. Mikasa calmly walked up next to them, and as everyone else fell in line they started heading off towards the field.

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It was a clear day. All sun, lots of open space on the flat field. The cadets were in a good mood.

Shadis then yelled over the conversations, "Today we are holding a physical assessment! Hope you little bastards actually got something from the last two years of training, because today you will be tested on it!" The trainer started yelled at them to pair up to someone close to their ability.

They were practicing close combat, and Eren somehow found himself paired to Reiner.

"You take the knife first. Get ready." The larger boy backed up, a concentrated look on his face. Reiner was not one to be arrogant; he was saving judgment on Eren until he saw the full extent of his abilities. And he truly believed that this kid was not one to be taken lightly.

As Reiner rushed forward, time seemed to slow down for Eren. Nothing else became relevant. It was only him, and Reiner. Arm outstretched, body bent forward… He knew what to do.

Eren waited for Reiner to close in, then grabbed onto his wrist. With the other hand, he literally shoved Reiner to the ground, using the sudden stop of momentum as means to drop the older boy.

Reiner found himself on the ground, knife now in Eren's hand. The smaller boy had taken him down…easily…

"Guess size isn't everything," Reiner laughed as Eren pulled him back up. "Got me real good there. Here, it's your turn to be the rogue."

But Eren wasn't listening. He was looking over the field, observing the other cadets. Half of them weren't even doing anything. Pissed the hell out of him, and he wasn't going to let it slide. 'Else it wouldn't be Eren.

He took a glance at Reiner, a confused expression on his face. "Why do they make us learn this stuff? I mean, Titans are Titans. They aren't exactly going to bend down and fight fairly."

After taking a second to think, Reiner looked down on the boy and said "Because we aren't given a choice. Both here, and on the battlefield. Humans can plan all they want, but in the end, something will go wrong. It always does. Taking a fight with the Titans is always going to be unpredictable, and they just want to make sure we're ready for whatever situation it comes as."

"But don't the others realize that?"

Contemplating this, the older boy started looking around for a bit. After a bit of searching, he found someone as an example. "You see her over there? Annie?"

Annie was currently standing around, observing the other trainees. She looked bored out of her mind.

"Yeah. Why? She's not really what you would call a prime soldier."

"Why don't you go and give her a little…talking-to. Remind her what it means to be a soldier." He started walking towards her.

What the hell is he doing?

Reiner had positioned himself so that Annie would eventually cross paths with him. When she got to him, if it wasn't so serious, Eren would have laughed at the way Annie had to look almost straight up to see Reiner's face.

Reiner was looking down at her with a wide smirk on his face. "Too tough to work out with the rest of us? You keep going like that, and Eren here is going to have to train you even harder. After all, with the amount of work you do, scrawny kid could probably beat ya' in a fight."

"What the hell are you doing?" Eren had caught up with them. When he got a look at Annie's face, he was effectively intimidated.

"You heard me. Go get her." Reiner coaxed Eren to face her.

Annie was already in position. She had her fists up, the cold, icy look in her eyes never wavering.

He had the knife. That meant he had to attack first. "Well…I hope you're ready!"

Eren rushed her, knife in hand. "HEADS UP!"

And then the world froze.

Mid-step, Eren saw it coming. She had raised her elbow, but had kicked her right leg out to meet his. He saw the look in her eyes…He knew what was about to come. At this angle, she would nearly cripple him with a single blow, and if that didn't finish him, the elbow blow would.

Well, he wasn't going to let that happen.

Once he was on his right leg, he used the pressure to sidestep the kick, effectively leaving Annie off-balance when the kick missed. Her eyes widened; no normal person could change direction that fast.

But she wasn't going to let him win that easily. Annie brought her right hand up to block any incoming fist, and then gained her balance in preparation for another attack.

He was better than she expected.

She went in low, hoping again to trip him up. She did a quick slide to catch him off balance, aiming to get up on the other side and pin him down.

It sorta went the other way around.

When she went for the slide, Eren saw the way her legs were positioned, what muscles she was tensing. Everything was still so slow, and he was able to judge she was about to try and slide under him. Instead, he jumped up above her slide and cruel gravity brought the side of his body onto her stomach.

She gasped out in pain and shock. Her arms were pinned from the position of his legs and left arm, his right arm holding the dagger that was cutting into her neck. It had been so long since she was beaten…

Reiner watched on with a priceless expression on his face. "How…"

Eren offered a hand up, and Annie begrudgingly took it. "Sorry about that. For, you know, crushing you…"

Annie held up a hand to stop him, using her other hand to massage her stomach. "You beat me. Whatever." She looked over at Reiner. "Happy?"

The older boy quickly shook his head for a 'no'. He knew that if he was to go against Annie, he would lose. Immediately.

Annie looked back at Eren, her normal expressionless face looking peeved and confused. "The only question I have is who taught you. I was trained since I was small, and you still got me."

Eren shrugged his shoulders. "No one. All I have are the tips from Reiner and observing other people. Maybe it was a fluke?"

Annie narrowed her eyes. "Perhaps. Give me the knife, and try again."

They switched the knife, and both backed up so they could begin again.

When Annie slowly circled Eren, he saw a complete change in her focus. She was scanning his every move, watching him, like a predator closing on a prey that's just as dangerous. Last time, she had been lazy. Now, though…

She closed the gap with a single step, putting her arm in a position so her elbow would be in his throat, and her hand could grab onto his right arm. Her left hand, the one with the knife, went for his gut. It was a quick, calculated strike.

But that didn't mean he didn't see it coming.

In this position, Eren knew he only had one option. He fell backwards so they would momentarily be weightless, and in mid-air, switched their positions using his legs. Instead of falling on his back, Annie was now on the ground, having to keep strong as to not let Eren crush her…again. He had used his left arm to grab onto her left wrist, preventing her from stabbing him. Eren was being slightly choked out, but he didn't pay it any mind.

They went on like this, a battle of raw strength, until Eren started running out of air. Using his legs, he rolled them to the side and was able to break his right arm free of her grip in the swift struggle. When she went to grab it again, he merely took her wrist and twisted. No longer gasping for air, he was able to break them apart by bringing his legs up and kicking her away.

Both of them immediately got up, now panting slightly and still staring each other down. Nothing had been achieved so far, but it had only proved their strength in combat.

When Annie again came in to attack again, he was ready.

She had gone in close, but instead went for a sweeping kick. Eren just kept his foot firmly planted, so when her foot made contact with his, in only gave him a small sense of pain and a bruise in the morning.

Eren, using the slight confusion to his advantage, stomped his foot down on hers, keeping her foot pinned to the ground. He shoved her in the chest, and when she fell, she couldn't use her foot to gain her balance. Eren fell down with her, and when the dust had settled, he had the knife up against her throat.

Eren's world sped back up, and he got back on his feet. "Guess it wasn't a fluke. Good fight, though." He held out a hand to help her up (again), and she took it (again).

She gave him an evil eye. "This shouldn't be right. Most of those moves were counters and instincts; you haven't done any real training, have you?"

Eren shook his head a no.

"Thought so. Hmph. Whatever. But because you won, I'll tell you something. Look around you, Eren. The smart people are slacking off; this isn't going to be part of our final grade, and you don't fight Titans with your fists." She looked around the field. "But it's all bullshit anyway. Only the top ten can make it to the Military Police, and those are the ones who are actually competent fighters. Don't play their game, Eren. Don't be a pawn."

She started walking away.

"Hey, wait," Eren called out. He caught up with her.

"Maybe we could help each other out? I mean, I may have instincts, but I don't have any real training. Could you maybe help me with that?"

Annie stared at him for a bit until saying, "And in return?"

"You get to beat the shit out of me as a practice dummy."

For the first time, Annie wasn't feeling resentment. She wasn't even pissed. Instead, a small started forming on her lips. The first time in nearly two years, a true smile.

"Fine."

The rest of the afternoon was one of the worst beatings Eren had taken in his time at the academy, and that was saying something. While Annie only had to demonstrate each type of hold/position once, as Eren was able to memorize them on the spot, they became increasingly harmful and difficult. She wasn't kidding when she said she had trained for years.

Currently, Eren was being pummeled as Annie taught him where his hands ought to be up and how to block from incoming angles. It was true that he could have dodged or blocked them in a true fight, but she told him to take it as a way to point out the weak links. It never hurt to get better…hypothetically.

That's when Shadis announced that it was time to get to regular fitness, and they started jogging off towards him. Eren asked, "Do the same thing tomorrow?"

Annie didn't spare him a glance as she said "Sure. Hope you can take it." She sped off without him, and Eren went to find Mikasa and Armin.

When he did, he noticed that Mikasa was giving him a patronizing look. "What?"

"Why is it that I saw Annie beating you up without a fight?"

He sighed. "Look, can't I even practice hand-to-hand combat without you worrying?"

"No. You'd probably get mad and irrational without me, and end up in a fight you can't win."

"Pff. Screw it. Why do I even bother?" He ran off ahead of them, only glancing back to see Armin and Mikasa sharing a troubled look. Why? Because he hadn't shouted once.

Maybe it was because he was getting too mature to fight her now. It all seemed silly now that the Titans were an even bigger threat.

No. Definitely not that. It still annoyed him to no end.

Maybe it was because he was too preoccupied thinking of Annie's words. When he stopped to think of it, it actually made sense. The top ten fighters in the class, the only people who can live in safety, far from any actual Titans?

It should be the other way around. The top ten can apply for the Scouting Region, not the Military Police. Everyone else would simply get killed. Why?

There were also his combat skills to think of. His Maneuver Gear skills were just as good as everybody else, so why was his hand-to-hand skill so much better? When he was younger, he would have a hard time beating untrained bullies. Now he could take the toughest challenge in the camp. He would have to take on Mikasa later, just to be sure…

It was as if a switch had been pulled, and suddenly all of Eren's potential was revealed. The world would become sluggish on his command, and no one would beat him.

Heh. If only he could beat the Titans to death.

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A/N: There you go. It's starting to branch out. Not too much, but it's going to get better soon. I'm just warming up, getting myself psyched for all the Titan action that's about to happen! Only a little more 104th action, and then the Attack on Trost. That's when the chapters will get longer.

I know I skipped the training before-hand, but not much happened there except the instructor's assessment of the cadets. I didn't deem it important enough to add it in.

By the way, there will only be the smallest implications of romance. I mean, when the chance of dying increases by the hour, you tend to only think of survival. Maybe later in the story it will become more obvious…and assuming everyone lives

And finally, just to make sure I'm 100% correct, Eren is 15 when the Battle of Trost happens. He's 10 when his mom is killed, 11 when he joins the military, and then 4 years of training. Or is he older?

Thanks. Hope to see you soon!

Cheers!