Though the passing months held difficulties and personal trials for everyone, they passed quickly. Armin was able to talk to the court and clear him and Mikasa. He told the court that the reason he and Mikasa ran was because they were fearful when Eren changed into a Titan. They saw that he was going to shift and ran when she started to change. When they asked about his missing 3DMG he said that he may have had accidentally hit the release trigger while trying to escape, but didn't really remember because of his desire to quickly get away.

Levi and Eren stayed in the forest they had originally come to. They found out that no titans came into this forest, just to the outskirts. It was too densely packed with trees, making it to where the titans couldn't easily move. It made it the perfect place to work with Eren to see what he could manage in his Titan form. Only twice did Eren turn on Levi. And that was only in the beginning.

"Do you know how you got this 'Titan power' of yours?" Levi asked Eren.

"No," Eren said. "There are a lot of moments in time that I don't remember. It's just like there is blank moment in time, where everything is black. And when I do try to remember, my head feels like its going to split open."

"I wonder if Grisha had anything to do with it," Levi wondered. Levi looked over at Eren and smiled slightly. "I remember the first time Grisha brought you with him to fix some of us scouting legion up."

"Yeah?" Eren asked, tilting his head. "Well, that makes one of us."

"You were fascinated," Levi said, filling in the missing gap for Eren. "Your eyes were so big, and you were running around talking to as many people as you could. I could have sworn you were about to faint when I started talking to you." Eren laughed. He has always viewed Levi as an idol.

"Dad brought me back many times after that. I remember that much," Eren said. Eren and Levi sat in the trees as Levi told stories of the times that Eren visited the Scouting Legion with his dad.

As the months passed Eren and Levi made more progress. They eventually ventured out of the forest time to time. Eren became more efficient at killing titans not only in his Titan form, but as a human form as well.

"Levi?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think there are more to the titans than what they appear?" Eren asked.

"What do you mean?" Levi asked looking over at Eren.

"If I can turn into a Titan, do you think that there are others that can? What if all titans, are just, just humans?" Eren proposed.

"If thats the case then everything those swine think, is wrong. Everything would change. I hate to say this, but, I hope you are wrong, Brat," Levi said, using Eren's nickname for the first time in a while. Levi looked at Eren and studied him for a moment. Hoping that he was wrong, but also wondering is he was right.

The months kept coming and going. Everything in the wall returned to normal and Mikasa, Armin and the others eventually chose a squad.

Levi and Eren hunted titans to research Eren's idea, but they found nothing. Every attempt that they had was futile. They contemplated giving up on research, but they needed to know. They needed a discovery, no matter its magnitude.

"Four-eyes would die if she knew what I was doing," Levi said one night.

"Who's that?" Eren asked.

"Hanji Zoe," Levi said. "She is part of the Scouting Legion, and she does research on titans. If she found out I was doing research she would either be happy that I was doing it, or sad that she wasn't here both see and do it." Eren laughed.

"How long do you think we have been out here?" Eren asked. This was the first time that he has actually thought about that spedific question. But he missed Mikasa and Armin. He looked towards the direction that he knew the wall would be in. He wondered what they could be up to right now.

"I couldn't even begin to guess," Levi said. "But it feel like its been a long damn time."

oOoOo

Mikasa stood at the top of wall Rose looking out over the horizon. She always held a little bit of hope, that she would look out and see them walking back to them. And each time, she was overwhelmed with the disappointment.

"I'm sure they are okay," Armin said standing next to Mikasa. "After all it is Levi, humanity's strongest soldier, that Eren is with."

"It's been two years already," Mikasa said. "I would have figured that they would have been back by now."

"There is a lot that they need to figure out. Honestly I would be surprised if they had come back already," Armin said. He placed a comforting hand on Mikasa's shoulder and then walked away.

oOoOo

Levi and Eren stood close to the base of wall Maria a few years later. They looked up towards the top, seeing how far they would have to climb. Seeing the wall for the first time in years made it seem bigger than it actually was. Thnakfully, they had saved enough gas throughout the years to get them up the wall. Levi looked over at Eren, their final moment together before the shit hit the fan.

"You ready, brat?" Levi asked. Eren looked over at Levi and nodded. Eren sighed, mainly from nerves, and together, they started up the wall.

Armin was on top of the wall talking with commander Erwin planning their next mission outside the wall when he heard the sound. It sounded like 3DMG being used, and like something kept stabbing into the wall. He walked over to the edge of the wall and looked down.

"Commander Erwin!" Armin said. "Come here!"

"What is it?" Erwin asked. As soon as he took a step, Levi and Eren came out over the top of the wall. Erwin stopped and stared at the two as they landed on their feet, just inches away. It took him a moment before he was able to find his voice. "You guys are alive?"

"We won't become Titan food that easily," Levi said, rolling his shoulders.

"Eren!" Armin shouted. Eren looked over at Armin and waved his hand. Armin could tell that Eren was different just by looking at him. The light that used to shine so bright in Eren's eyes had dulled. His eyes were guarded, and closed off. Armin knew that they had to have had some trouble beyond the walls. It took a lot to kill that light in Eren's eyes. Armin didn't know what they had experienced, but he knew that he couldn't even begin to imagine it.

"The courts are going to have your ass when they find you are back," Erwin said shaking his head.

"Then I'll get to them before they get to us," Levi said. "The surprise factor will be our guardian."

To put it gently when the court saw Levi and Eren walk into the courthouse they were shocked. They immediately went on trial then and there. Levi was able to explain what they had been doing and what they accomplished, involving Eren's Titan form. After much debating they let Levi rejoin the Scouting Legion and let Eren join him. He was able to convince them that Eren wasn't a threat. But in fact, a great weapon, that if they harnessed correctly, could be the turning point they needed for humanity.

A few days later Levi and Eren were walking with Erwin to the place that would serve as Levi squad's HQ. Eren's former class mates had heard of their return but none of them had seen them until they walked through the doors. Everyone who had known Eren, meaning Jean, Connie, Sasha, Mikasa, and Armin, were now Levi's squad. When they saw Eren they were all on their feet a surrounding him. They kept asking him questions, but Eren answered none. His eyes darted between each person, and they could see the slight agony present in his eyes.

Eren walked over to Levi and leaned down. "I'm going to go find a bed to sleep in," Eren whispered in Levi's ear. Levi nodded and Eren walked off, leaving his friends with unanswered questions.

"Where's he going?" Jean asked.

"To find a bed," Levi said. "We have been sleeping on a tree branch for the past however many years we were gone. So I'm going to do the same." Levi left and no one followed. He searched through the rooms until found the some one that Eren was in.

Eren turned around quickly when he heard the door open, his muscles tense. He relaxed when he saw Levi. Eren turned around and jumped on the bed and exhaled with how soft it felt to him.

"Comfy, brat?" Levi asked. Eren smiled and nodded, his eyes already half lidded with sleep. Levi smiled when he saw Eren smile. Levi crawled onto the bed and laid down next to Eren. "It's good to see you smile again." Levi leaned in and kissed Eren. Then he pulled Eren close, wrapped his arms around the younger, and fell asleep.

"Does Eren think that he is better than us since he survived outside the walls?" Jean asked.

"Maybe it's not that. Maybe it's just that he isn't used to people anymore," Connie suggested. "I mean, they were gone for four years."

"That is actually a possibility," Armin said. "And I can't even imagine the things they endured while they were out there. And if you haven't noticed, Eren has changed. He is closed off. It looks as though he is ready to fight anyone at any point in time. I wonder what happened out there."

The next few days passed with little activity. The squad kept trying to get Eren to talk, but he wouldn't. Occasionally he would whisper something into Levi's ear, and sometimes Levi would say it for everyone to hear. Everyone was curious as to why Eren had taken on this mentality. Then Hanji came over.

"Levi!" Hanji shouted throwing out the door. She came in and saw Levi and everyone sitting around the table. "Thank god you are alive! I could have bet that you would've been titan food! Who's this?" She walked over to Eren and looked at Levi.

"Hanji this is Eren," Levi said. "Eren. This is four-eyes." Eren nodded to Hanji, recognition flashing in his eyes.

"So this is who you went beyond the walls with. Not very talkative is he?" Hanji commented.

"He use to be," Mikasa said. "The vertically challenged shrimp must have done something to him."

"He is your squad leader you know," Sasha said to Mikasa quietly.

"I didn't do jack-shit to Eren," Levi said slightly angry. His eye narrowed and Mikasa's matched his.

"Wait I thought you and Heichou got along," Connie said.

"That is until Levi took off with Eren," Armin said, simply explaining the situation.

"You look stronger Levi," Hanji said, poking at Levi's arms. Levi grabbed her arm, and turned his glare towards her. he released her wrist when he was sure she wouldn't poke him again. "And you look pretty strong a well Eren."

"Spending years outside the wall does that," Levi said flatly.

Hanji stayed for a while, trying to catch up with Levi, but in the end, she knew no more than the rest of the squad. Before she left she promised to comeback in a few days with Erwin. She would mainly be back for herself. She wanted to know more about their time spent outside the walls, where they survived for six years, on their own. But she knew that they needed some time to adjust back to relatively safe area. Maybe once that was done, they would be willing to open up more. But until that time, she would just have to wait.

A/N: Here is the second chapter! Now, Some of you might have a few questions. Such as why Eren isn't really talking to anyone, and also as to what they used for food while beyond the wall. The answer for Eren will be held in chapters to come. So if you want to know the answer, you'll just have to keep reading. As for what they used as food? Um, use your imagination? Because honestly, your guess is as good as mine.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. ^~^

Good Night/Day/Morning. Hope life is going good.