*Author's Note: Oh god, the moment everyone has been waiting for, am I right? For some reason, I feel like this chapter is the true beginning of my story. Probably because I have most of the OC's introduced in here. I'll give credit to everyone at the end. If you have any questions or complaints, please feel free to post that as a review or send me a PM.
BluePhoenix34 does not own Shingeki no Kyojin, the property and creation goes to Hajime Isayama. However, BluePhoenix34 does own Gianne Starken and all the characters unfamiliar to the SNK series. Now please, sit back and enjoy!
Chapter Three: The Trainee Corps
"Remember Gianne, two knees and three uppercuts. But you have to twist your waist around too." Kota reminded the sweaty red-head.
"I am…" she said, defensively.
"If you were, I wouldn't be reminding you. Now do it again. Come at me." The tall young man went into his defense stance, motioning the young girl to attack. Her golden eyes flared with determination. Without a second to spare, she jump forward to her older brother and drove her right knee into his stomach. After the second one, Gianne swiftly swung her fist three times into his abdomen, managing to push the air right out. His head was crouched down to her level. Should she ram her elbow into the side of his face? But he didn't tell her to.
Kota got a quick breath and brought his fist up. Before Gianne knew it, he punched her face, sending her to the ground. Black spots sprouted in Gianne's view and she choked on the dust entering her throat. After recovering, she shot at daggering glare at her brother.
"What the hell Kota?"
"I only pushed you away, a thing someone would do if they were assaulted. You had a clear shot of my head, and yet, you did nothing." he said.
"I was thinking about elbowing you!" she exclaimed.
"Why didn't you?"
"Because…" she trembled and glared at the floor, furious. "Because you only told me to do those knee-kicks and uppercuts, so I stopped."
Kota narrowed his brown eyes, examining her carefully. "What if this was a real attack? Your opponent isn't going to tell you what to do–"
"I know that!"
"Let me finish. All I'm saying is that you should trust yourself. If you thought elbowing me in the head was a smart move, then do it. No one's going to control you Gianne." he walked over and patted her head. His touch was always comforting, even if he didn't show it.
"Only you can control yourself."
-:-:-:-:-
Gianne blinked away that memory.
The tingling sensation on top of her head reminded her of Kota's touch. The thought of him made her throat croak a little. She needed to leave the past behind and focus on what was happening now.
A year later, thirteen year old Gianne Starken stood tall with strangers beside her. The military trainee uniform fit perfectly, making the red-head excited to be here. Though, she kept herself unreadable and stern. Messing up and making a bad impression would destroy her permanently. This was her one chance opportunity to be a part of the military. She was going to make her brother proud.
Sereak's back was in front of her, standing still as stone with the other cadets. Gage was some were else among the crowd.
"We now begin the enlistment ceremony for the 104th Trainee Corps!" a dark skin bald man with wide eyes and a sharp goatee stood in front of the dozens of young children who volunteered to be here. He stood tall and looked down on the others grimly. "I am Keith Shadis, and I had the misfortune to be assigned to train you bastards. And I'm not here to welcome you at all! Right now, you're mere cattle, fit for nothing but Titan food! No, less than cattle…"
Gianne looked back at her best friend. In two years, they looked different, much different. Sereak's hair had gotten longer and darker. She pulled it up into a tight ponytail before they came here. Her green eyes still glared at anything she saw, causing people to mistake her for being completely angry when she really wasn't. Though, as they got older, Gianne noticed how her and Gage seemed stronger than they have been before. Especially Gage.
"In three years, we'll take you worthless pieces of crap and train you! Give you the means to fight the Titans. In three years, when you stand before a Titan, will you still be food? Or will you be a noble wall, shielding the King?"
Just hearing that made Gianne hiss. The King didn't do anything to help her and the other survivors except kill them off so they have fewer mouths to feed. She would never risk her life for the King, a cowardly figurehead.
"Or perhaps, one of humanity's glorious soldiers that slay Titans? You will decide!" Keith barked across the whole area.
Gianne already knew what she wanted to do. Her anger and vengeance towards those gigantic bastards was already great. She wanted blood, hot blood everywhere. She was strong and brave and smart, no one would dare try to stop her.
I'm done hiding behind these walls. I want to kill all of them. I want revenge. I want freedom. I want to make my black sky.
Keith Shadis walked down from the platform he was on and trailed around the new trainees. His tall structure towered over the children. He scanned them suspiciously with his sharp eyes, looking for any sign of cringe from his intimidation. Soon, he found one and poked his attention towards a blonde boy.
"Hey kid!"
"Sir!" he replied quickly and does his salute. Right fist over the heart and the left goes to the back. Gianne looked closer at this boy and found him oddly familiar.
"Who the hell are you?" the instructor shouts in his face.
"I am Armin Arlert from the Shiganshina district!" he introduced, exceedingly loud. Gianne still didn't know why he looked so familiar.
"Is that so? You have a retarded name! Did your parents name you?" Keith said.
"No, my grandfather!" Armin said. His pale face was shining with sweat. Gianne wondered if it was from the scorching sun or just the presence of their Instructor.
"Arlert, what is your purpose for joining the military training?"
"To aid humanity's victory!"
The instructor smirked down on him with amusement. "Now that's wonderful. I'll have you become Titan food," as he said this, his large hand was placed tightly on Armin's hand. "Third row!" he turned his head around with his strength, forcing the boy to rotate with both his eyes and mouth closed.
The instructor found a new young recruit that caught his interest. A boy with dark skin and long black hair that mistaken him to look slightly feminine. His ear glittered and Gianne looked closer to spot a piece of diamond pierced in. This boy seemed to be aiming for a woman appearance.
"Hey, maggot." Keith said to him.
"Sir!" he did his salute respectfully and flipped his hair to the side.
"Who the fuck are you?"
"I am Daedre Moche, from the Shigashina District sir!" he cried.
Gianne was now getting interested. So far, there were two boys from her fallen home. She wondered how they managed to survive.
"Moche, huh?" Keith muttered. "What the hell is in your ear?"
"A diamond earring, sir!" he yelled back. "It was my mother's!"
"You look like a woman. Tell me Moche, do you have a dick or a cunt?" he questioned him harshly.
Keith's verbal abuse seemed to amuse Daedre after Gianne witnessed his lips tugging to form a smirk. He wanted to say something to counter their Instructor's rude question, but he restrained himself. Instead, he answered. "I'm a boy, sir!"
"Of course you are. Now, why are you here?" Keith said.
"To become strong and kill Titans, sir!" Daedre replied.
"Well, I wish you luck Moche. Because," the tall man leans forward to his face, their foreheads a few inches apart. The sudden violation of Daedre's personal space made him quiver. "I expect the first one to get eaten will be you."
He moved away from Daedre and shouted, "Next!"
Keith Shadis strode past Gianne and her line. The red-head tried her best to stay still, but she longed to move around again. The idea of standing here the whole morning with the blistering sun beating on her back bored her completely. She was too hyper to stay in one position for a long time, so she focused on Sereak's back and played with her fingers in order to distract herself. When will this introduction finally end? She pleaded in her mind.
The instructor's eyes were glued on Gianne for a second, until he turned his attention to the boy next to her. Just like her, Keith didn't seem to have the need to abuse the boy. When he walked down a couple more rows, he halted when he spotted a tall young man with an undercut.
"Oi! Who the hell are you?!"
"I am Jean Kirschtein from the Trost District!" he shouted. Gianne averted her eyes to get a better look at him. He seemed pretty confident in himself. She figured he might be cocky as well. Sereak told her she was good at reading people.
Maybe he's here in order to join the Military Police, she thought. After seeing their personalities, this Jean boy must heading straight for that path.
"And what are you here for?"
Jean gives a smile.
"To get into the Military Police, and live in the interior, sir." he said.
Gianne was right. She felt her eyes narrow.
The instructor smirks at Jean's answer. "I see. You want to go to the interior, do you?"
"Yes, sir!"
There was an audible bang and a terrible groaning sound. Gianne turning her head quickly to get a better view, and then went back to her position. Keith had just head-butted him, sending the boy on his knees and covering his now throbbing head. Jean clenched his forehead with both his hands.
"Oi! Who gave you permission to sit down? You think someone who folds here is gonna be allowed into the Military Police?" Keith shouted at him.
Jean didn't answer, he just kept moaning to the floor. The instructor turned to the boy next to him. He had black hair and freckles over his pale face. He seemed to be dozing off, but Keith woke him with his harsh voice.
"You! Who the hell are you? What is your purpose in coming here?"
The boy jumped and came back to the introduction, quickly remembering what was going on. "I am Marco Bott from Jinae behind Wall Rose! I came here to join the military and work for the King!" he smiled nervously.
"Is that so? Good man, a noble intent. But just remember," –just like Daedre, he leans in close to Marco's face. The smile begins to fade–"The King doesn't want your body. Next!"
Keith moves away, leaving Marco utterly traumatized. Gianne felt a little sympathy for him. He seemed more serious to actually work for his King. She saw no interest in his eyes about living in the interior for comfort.
"You there! Who the hell are you?" Keith directs to a short boy with a buzz-cut. Just like everyone else, he shivered. He did his salute, except, it was backwards. Gianne held back the laughter in her throat.
"I am Connie Springer from Ragako, south of Wall Rose!"
"Listen up closely, Connie Springer." the instructor grabs the sides of Connie's head sternly and lifts him up. He was a foot above ground and his face looked stretched. Everyone watched intently at the scene. "I believe you were told about this before. That salute means you're offering your heart and soul to the King. You got it backwards! Is your–"
Before he could finish, a noticeable noise interrupted him. Gianne turned her attention to a girl with cherry brown hair and brown eyes. She also noticed how Gage was right next to her, looking very edgy. The girl was munching on what looked like to be a potato. Gianne's eyes widened.
Keith dropped Connie to the ground and walked over to her. He stopped and stood over the girl like a mountain. "You, what the fuck do you think you're doing?"
Unexpected, the girl looked around her surroundings, like their Instructor wasn't focusing on her. She kept munching on her potato. This got the man even more furious.
"You scum!" he screamed deeply in her face. This caught her attention. "I'm talking to you! Who the fuck are you?!"
The girl gulps quickly and does her salute, the potato still in her right hand. There were tiny pieces around her mouth, but she didn't seem to notice. "I am Sasha Blouse from the southern part of Wall Rose, Daupa!"
"Sasha Blouse…" Keith trailed. "What are you holding there in your right hand?"
"It's a steamed potato, sir! I happened to see them in the kitchen and I couldn't help myself!"
"So you stole it. Why are you eating the potato now?" he questioned calmly. This surprised Gianne greatly.
"They lose their taste when they get cold. So I thought it best to eat it right now." Sasha said. A fact now everyone knows. Keith was still unconvinced.
"No, I don't understand. Why are you eating the potato?"
Sasha gave him a perplexed look, "Um, are you asking me why people eat potatoes, sir?"
Her question made everyone turn to her in shock. The idea of a new trainee asking their superior a question like that was an insult. Sasha probably didn't understand what their Instructor was trying to ask, which was understandable. Though, Gianne foresaw an extreme punishment happening to Sasha Blouse.
The uncomfortable silence lasted for a while, until Sasha broke off a third of her potato. With a reluctant glance, she offered it to Keith. "You can, have half…"
"Half?"
Keith took it, puzzled by the sudden offer. Sasha smiled.
-:-:-:-:-
"Hey, he still got that potato girl running." Connie pointed out to everyone.
The mess hall was already filled with most of the cadets having dinner. Since Gianne went away to find a place to climb and Sereak stalked inside to get her meal, Gage was left by himself with a group of strangers. The group stared at Sasha running by with a look as if two invisible hands were choking her. The new cadet had earned the famous title, Potato Girl, which Gage found a little humorous.
"Wow, she's been going at it for five hours straight now." Eren admired.
"Still, the look on her face when the instructor told her to run until she was almost dead was nothing compared to her anguished look the moment he said she doesn't get to eat today." Gage said.
The two boys turned to each other, and instantly, Gage knew exactly who he was. This boy was the same Eren from two years ago when they were on the emergency boat. He was the one who vowed to kill all the Titans. Somehow, Gage wasn't surprised. He actually expected to see him here. Though, he treated Eren like this was the first time Gage has ever met him. A girl who was leaning on the wooden stand interrupted his thoughts.
"Great, the Instructor wants me to baby sit a fat-ass? Probably too lazy to do it himself…"
The girl was tall, a few inches away from Gage's height. She had an olive complex, dark auburn hair that was weaved in a side braid, and long legs. Her expression was rather blank, but Gage could see how impatient she was by looking at her grey eyes. Watching her closely, her slender arms folded across her chest and she sighed.
"Is this girl part horse or something? When is she going to die already?"
"Sylvia!" Mina, a girl with black hair, cried to her. Sylvia just shrugged and rolled her eyes.
"It's a joke. Learn to take one." She began walking away and waving back to the group. "Later losers, I'm not wasting my time anymore."
"Dauper. If memory serves that's a hunting village with a small population deep in the mountains." Connie said.
"I didn't know villages like that still existed." Marco implied.
Gage thought of his friend for a moment. "My friend Sereak lived up in the mountains a long time ago, so I assume they do."
Marco turned to him. He looked from Gage to Eren and Armin curiously. "Come to think of it, I didn't here where you two are from. Where did you live?" He was directing his question to both Gage and Eren.
"The Shiganshina District." Gage said.
"Same as him and Armin." Eren added.
The look everyone had on told Gage that they were surprised and nervous with excitement. Marco's eyes widened like both Gage and Eren revealed something sinful while Connie nudged forward. Even Mina seemed a little frightened.
"Oh, I see. Then you were…" Marco trails.
"You two must've been in Shiganshina that day, right?" Connie cuts in.
"Hey!" Marco turned to him, but Connie kept talking.
"Did you see it? The Colossal Titan?"
"Uh… yeah…" Eren said with discomfort.
Gage tried to erase those black memories out of his mind. There was so much blood, and so many Titans. Hundreds of people were eaten and his parents were crushed to death. He didn't want to go back to that time. The time he was weak and helpless and scared. During the years of working on the farms and fighting for survival, he's changed himself for the better of his friends. A small flashback wasn't going to frighten him anymore.
"Yes." he said.
-:-:-:-:-
"I hate this soup." Sereak complained as she played with her meal. Gage didn't look up from the other side. "It's too watery."
"You'll get used to it soon." Gage said. He bit into his bread and ripped off a piece. After he swallowed, he asked. "Where's Gianne?"
"That idiot is probably looking for something tall. You know her addiction to heights. I just hope she doesn't climb the mountain, it would be a pain to get her down." she sighed.
"W-Wait!" Gage choked out. "She would actually do that? Just to get some fresh air?! Should we stop her before–!"
Sereak managed to quiet him with a fierce look. Gage sunk back into his seat, feeling like a scared little kid. "I'm kidding stupid. God, you're so naïve..."
"I told you, I already saw it." Eren said out loud. The boy was crowded by the other cadets, interested in hearing about the Colossal Titan. Sereak was glad no one asked her or Gage about it. Even after two years of living on the streets, she still wasn't quite good with people and Gage still didn't have enough confidence to retell that serious event. Though, she did find it a little irritating, since there were other people at this training corps who also lived in Shiganshina and saw the Colossal Titan. What made this Eren boy so special? If Gianne was here, she would blabber about every little detail and show off her mysterious scars. Gasps from around Eren's table louden.
"Seriously?"
"How big was it?"
"It could look over the wall." Eren said casually.
Sereak muted out the group and focused her attention on a dark skin boy who walked to their table with a tray in his hands. He was shorter then Gage and more feminine looking. His long black hair was parted to one side and his eyes were big and shiny. Sereak remembered his name, Deadre Moche. He waved at them both with a buoyant grin.
"Hey y'all, got room for one more?"
"What does it look like?" Sereak said emotionlessly, stating how there were only two souls at a big table. Daedre just grinned wider.
"Sorry, I thought your imaginary friends took up most of the room here. I guess I was wrong." He cackled at his own joke.
Sereak gave him an odd look while Gage too looked slightly confused. Daedre placed himself next to Gage, maybe a little too close to him. Sereak watched her friend awkwardly move away a couple inches without the dark skin boy noticing. For a few minutes, the three of them sat in silence and ate their dinner, until Daedre spoke up.
"You two look very familiar." He stated, sounding very suspicious. "Have we met before?"
"Who knows…"Sereak said, her eyes trailed on her soup.
"Actually, yeah, you do look familiar as well." Gage noted with surprise. Then, something clicked in his brain. "You're from Shiganshina, right?"
"Yes." His face became darker then how it normally was. Sereak looked up with intuition.
"Were you on the last boat? The one all the civilians were trying to get on?"
All of a sudden, Daedre's face lite up, like he just came to realization. "Oh now I remember. You're that boy I was next to. The friend of that red-headed girl who was bleeding a lot, and you were helping her." He pointed to Sereak. "Are you, like, a nurse or something?"
"No…"
"Okay, you don't need to be so enthusiastic about it..." he rolled his brown eyes. Sereak gave him a hard look which made him quiver. Sereak didn't enjoy his comical attitude. Before she could talk, a boy interrupted her.
"Hey dude, are you nuts?"
Everyone turned to the source. The boy, who was head-butted before, Jean, broke in to Eren's little admirers. Sereak watched the scene carefully, as well as Gage and Daedre.
"Did you just say you wanted to join the Survey Corps?" he asked Eren. His elbow rested on the table while his chin was placed on the palm of his hand. Similar to what Gage was doing right now. His table was right across from Eren's.
"That's right." Eren replied. "And you were the one who wanted to join the military police and live an easy life?"
"I'm an honest man." Jean admitted. "It's better than acting all tough when you're scared shitless."
Eren stood from his seat, his eyes not breaking away from Jean's. They were dark and very threatening. "Are you talking about me?"
Sereak noticed how Daedre seemed a little tense, as if he wanted to jump in to this sudden conflict.
"H-Hey, stop it!" a boy with freckles said.
Jean grins and also stands up from his seat. He was a few inches taller than Eren, Sereak noticed. If there was going to be a fight, she was exceedingly happy that Gianne wasn't here.
"Oh?" Jean taunted. "Well, sorry if I offended you."
Both Eren and Jean walk towards each other with fire in their eyes. Jean looked down while Eren looked up, making the tall boy feel like the bigger man. Maybe he was. Eren was the one who stood up first. Though, Jean also pushed him when he spoke out his opinions on the Survey Corps. In a way, neither was right, and now, there was going to be a fight against nothing.
Just then, the bells rang.
"Saved by the bell…" Daedre said, sighing with relief.
"You got that right." Gage agreed.
"My bad. I wasn't trying to judge what you think. Let's forget about this." Jean said and offered his hand in front of Eren. The boy looked at it suspiciously, as if there was no point to be civil with him. He gave up, however, and slapped it.
"Yeah same here. Sorry." he said. Eren then took his leave. Jean stood by, watching him go.
Sereak wasn't expecting to do this, but for some reason, she wanted to defend Eren. Even if the Survey Corps wasn't on her mind when she graduated, she felt like it deserved it's respected. So she called out to him.
"You know Jean, he's got a point."
"Huh?" Jean turned to her. Even Gage and Daedre were astonished to hear her voice.
"Why join the Military Police when you have no intention to protect anyone at all? Life's just not about you." She turned away and continued to play with her spoon.
Jean was silent for a while, trying to comprehend what she said. Then he spoke out, "Mind your own business." Sereak could feel is glare on her back. For some reason, that made her feel good.
-:-:-:-:-
Gianne thought the girl's cabin roof was great. The building was high enough in order to feel the cold wind against her skin. She inhaled the splendid fresh air and watched the night sky.
The color was dark, but not completely black, like how Gianne wanted it to be. The moon and stars stood out brightly, making the sky midnight blue. In Sereak's story, the black sky caused all the stars and the moon to disappear into the emptiness so there would be no light. It was hard for everyone to see. Every soul on earth was blind that one night. Gianne wondered if that story was true. Maybe a hundred years ago, there were a bunch of wizards that made the sky pitch black.
The air she inhaled scratched her throat, causing her to cough. She's been up here for a long time, and she knew it was time to go down, as much as she hated to admit it.
Crawling to the edge of the roof, she grabbed the edge and swung her herself downward. Her hands gripped the wooden wall tightly as she climbed down. When her feet met the ground, Gianne suddenly tensed.
Swinging her right fist at his face, the stranger caught it before there was any damage. Gianne cried in pain when she felt his hand squeezing hers. In a second attempt, she pushed her knee up to his groin, but his free hand stopped her from succeeding. Gianne was then aggressively pushed a couple feet back by his foot in her stomach. The impact made the air from her lungs escape and caused her to hit the ground on her rear. When she could finally breathe again, she looked up and scowled at her attacker.
"What the hell!" she screamed angrily.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" he said, coming out of the shadows. The light revealed his full appearance. "Why would you attack an innocent victim?"
He was tall and lean, with light brown hair and brown eyes. His expression was a mixture or fury and annoyance. Gianne glared at him.
"I thought you were going to attack me." she growled.
"And why would I do that?"
"You were behind me and no one else was around. I was only protecting myself!" she exclaimed.
"I was coming back from dinner. The boys cabins are in this direction stupid." he bit back.
"Alone?"
"…I wanted to be by myself." he muttered.
"Right you pervert…"
"I'm not a pervert! You know… whatever…" he said.
The boy began to walk away from Gianne with his hands dug into his pants pocket. Gianne scowled in his direction, scanning his body up and down. She hoped that her looks could kill him right on the spot. However, something gleamed under the light of a nearby lantern. It was a peculiar object strapped to his right ankle. Short, it was, and very thin. It looked like a stick with a metallic point at the top. He was caring a spear! Cadets weren't allowed to carry weapons!
Springing upward, Gianne surprised him with an unexpected attack. She tackled him down with all her weight, causing him to gasp out with astonishment. Quickly, Gianne restrained both his hands with her right one while her left hand pushed down on his head. The side of his face was digging into the dirt.
"Why do you have a weapon with you?" she lowered her head and hissed in his ear.
"That's none of your concern." he said with venom in his voice.
"It will be once I find out that you used it against the other cadets." she replied.
"Is that what you really think I would do? God, you're so stupid."
"You won't be calling me that after I report you to the instructor and have him kick your ass out of here." Gianne threatened. "Or maybe, I'll teach you a lesson myself."
"What's the second option?" he asked.
"Instead of calling you out, I'll humiliate you." she smiled wickedly to make her freckles blend in with her fair skin, her innocence now disappearing. "Since you seem to know the way of martial arts and defending yourself, I want to test that."
The boy forced his head up and turned to the left, feeling rather interested about her offer. Gianne hope he wouldn't back down from it.
"Are you challenging me?"
"Of course, I'm fighter after all. But if I win, then you'll have to give up your spear." she explained.
The boy sighed out and closed his eyes. Gianne was puzzled by this response. Was he irritated or being a coward? He seemed like the kind of boy who wouldn't back down from an offer, but then again, Gianne just met him. Soon, he looked back to her with his one eye. A smirk began to form on his face and his eyes looked rather confident.
"Okay, I accept. But I should warn you… I won't go down so easily."
In a few minutes, the two went away and then turned to each other. The distance between them was only five feet, but Gianne could still describe that fierce look in his eyes. She saw pride and determination blending together to create his sudden energy. Both their fist were brought up in defense. There fight was about to start. Though, Gianne stalled for only a couple more seconds.
"Wait, before we start, shouldn't we say our names?"
"For what?" he said impatiently.
"So we know who we're fighting. It's a sign of respect… that's what my brother told me." she remembered. "Here, my name is Gianne Starken."
"Okay," he smiled a little. "I'm Conrad Gorman."
-:-:-:-:-
Today was the first day of training.
The sky was clear as glass and the air was warm with a cool breeze. Sereak was thankful that the sunlight wasn't blistering her back this time. All the cadets that didn't get cut were lined up in parallel rows while Keith Shadis shouted to them. In Sereak's opinion, he seemed less intimidating than yesterday's introduction.
Keith was standing in front of three long, wooden poles stuck to the ground, forming a pyramid shape. A metal belt was hanging in the middle with two cables from the sides connecting to the poles.
"Today, I'm going to check your aptitude. All you have to do is attach a rope to your hips and dangle. Keep your balance with the full belt on. Those who can't do this aren't even fit to use as bait. I'll send you to developmental areas."
As the first cadets in front went to the three wooden machines to test their ability, Sereak turned to Gianne.
"I forgot to ask. Why is your cheek dark?" she questioned.
Gianne snapped from her thoughts and touched the mark with her hand. Sereak caught her looking in the opposite direction, towards a boy with light brown hair. When he felt her gaze, they met eye contact and both smirked. Gianne turned away and cackled, making Sereak look more questionable than ever.
"Did you get in another fight?" Gage broke in.
"No, it's nothing guys…" she said.
"Why were you looking at that boy?" Sereak asked.
"What boy?" Gage asked, looking around.
"He's… a friend." Gianne said and smiled. "When will it be my turn to go up as well?"
"Sereak Poljor!" their Instructor called her name. "You're up scum. Starken, you're right after her."
"I guess after me…" Sereak said and walked to the wooden machine.
A young man went over to hook her up. The attached cable slowly lifted the belt; bring Sereak's body a few inches above ground. At first, she began to rock a little. Just stay focused, she encouraged herself. This isn't so bad.
She imagined herself as a mountain goat; those animals were very well-known to keep good balance. Sereak closed her eyes and look in the air around her. The voices around her became mute, making her feel calm and less tense. When she opened her eyes, she was three feet above ground, still as stone.
Well, this is much easier than I thought.
She turned to the people around her and noticed how Daedre was dangling on her left. He kept muttering to himself.
"Oi, Moche, how's the weather up there?" a girl with dark auburn hair directed to him. Sereak remembered her name, it was Sylvia.
"Oh, just peachy sweet, like your personality." he smiled.
"Ha, yeah yeah…" she smirked.
"Excellent Poljor!" Keith called to Sereak. She turned and glared in his direction. "Now this is how you define talent."
"Oh please, that's nothing!" she heard Jean's voice. She averted her attention to the right and scowled her natural look right at him. He cringed under her stare and quickly lost his balance. Within a second, his head slammed against the ground. Sereak gave a private victory smile.
"Oi, Kirschtien, what are you doing? Didn't I say that you won't become part of the Military Police if you can't get yourself up? Pull yourself together bastard!"
Jean hauled himself up with so much effort, it turned his face magenta. He looked back to Sereak and gave her a nasty glance. Sereak encountered it with a look of her own.
After a minute, she was lowered back to the earth and detached from the cable. She walked over to her friends, but Gianne brushed past her rather quickly. Of course she would be excited for this, she sighed in her head.
Sereak and Gage watch their red-headed friend as she strapped the belt on. Both Eren and Mikasa were on the other wooden machines. After they were lifted, Sereak noticed her friend's cheeks becoming pink with excitement. Her balance was extremely well, to her surprise, and she kept a straight posture. When she was a three feet above the ground, she turned to the man behind her.
"Can this thing go any higher?" she pleaded.
"Ugh… no…"
"Aw, well this is no fun!" she pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. She swung a little, but still managed to keep her body straight. Sereak thought she was perfect.
She looked to Mikasa and noticed something a little different. Her long black hair was now cut up above her shoulders. It made her look less attracting and fiercer. Should Sereak cut her hair as well? She took a strand of her dark locks in her fingers and played with it.
"Oh no, look at Eren…" Gage whispered.
Confused, she looked in Eren's direction. He was three feet above ground like the rest, but his head was facing the ground. His body had turned. His arms hung down lazily while his dumbfounded expression never changed.
"What the hell are you doing Jaeger? Get your body upright!" Keith shouted at him.
Eren stayed in his same position, hesitant about what to do. Around, a couple people began snickering at his failure. Sereak felt a presence on her right and turned to meet Daedre. He looked at Eren with sympathy.
"Poor guy, I wish I could help him…"
"You can't. He has to do it on his own. Like a wolf when it goes hunting for the first time."
-:-:-:-
During dinner, Eren still had the same expression on from today. His food was untouched as he stared blankly into space. Around the hall, he was accepting all the insults that were whispered loudly. The negative encouragement made him look even more distress then he already did.
"Quit staring." Sylvia broke Gianne's thoughts. Her gaze went from Eren to the auburn haired girl. "It's getting creepy and people will get the wrong idea."
"Oh…" she muttered, "I just feel a little bad for him."
"Same." Daedre added, "I bet he's already losing confidence in himself."
"What did I tell you before, you two? He had to do it on his own. If you're aiming to be a soldier, then you can't depend on others." Sereak said. "Like tigers. The male always works alone–"
"Enough! Stop comparing everything to fucking animals." Sylvia snapped. She earned a glare from the dark haired girl.
Gage broke in quickly, "You know that's not true Sereak. In the army, everyone has to work together. That's what we're graded on, teamwork"
"Sereak doesn't understand the meaning of that word, that loner." Gianne stuck her tongue at the glowering girl.
"Says the idiot who mistaken aptitude for altitude."
"Oh shut up! I don't know my words!" Gianne raised her voice angrily, slamming her palms on the wooden table. Gage restrained her from doing anything more rashes.
"Calm yourself…" he said.
"Ha, can you believe that idiot! He couldn't even get past the basics!" Jean cut in abruptly. His table was right next to the groups. Every head turned to his direction as he laugh to Marco and two other boys. "So much for getting into the Survey Corps." he shrugged. The two boys snickered while Marco looked a little unsure.
"You can't blame him. At least he tried." Sereak said to him.
"Yeah you jerk…" Daedre mumbled to himself.
"So what if he 'tried'? I bet he hit his head on his second attempt." Jean shrugged and smirked to himself.
"Of course," Daedre raises his voice. "Says the guy who hit his head from a girl's tiny glare, and that was only his first attempt." he smiled sweetly, as if he didn't make an insult. Gianne and Sylvia both giggled while Sereak suppressed a small smile.
Jean scowled while his friends snickered, "I lose my focus dammit!" he growled and turned away.
"That was pretty funny Daedre." Gage commented.
"Of course it was. I just called out horse-face." Daedre grinned. "I also think he has a thing for Mikasa, so I'll abuse him in the future for that."
"I would love to help." Gianne joined, smirking evilly.
Soon, the bells rang loudly, signaling everyone to go back to their cabins.
-:-:-:-
The boy's cabin was filled with so much noise.
Everyone one talked to one another about different subjects while others prepared for bed. Gage's bed was the bottom mattress while Daedre slept over him on the top. While the two boys were discussing about Shiganshina on Gage's mattress, Eren and Armin came over.
"Huh?" Gage was abashed by Eren's question. "A trick to it? Well, all I can say is that you need to keep your body straight and watch something that isn't moving."
"Really? But I tried that and I still keep falling down." Eren cried.
"Well, that's all I know…"
"How about you Daedre?" Eren turned to him.
Daedre looked utterly stunned that Eren was even talking to him. His face was bright and sweat began dripping down the side of his face. He averted his eyes in different directions while he stumbled with his words.
"Ugh… see… ha well. I mean!" his face went a pinkish color. "All you– well no. If you try to… to… uh… hold on to the cable! Yeah, the cable! That will help you."
"But it's against the rule to do that." Armin noted. "It counts as cheating."
Daedre's whole face went bright red.
"Oh! I knew that–"
"Why don't you go ask Jean and Connie over there?" Gage quickly pointed to the two. "They were pretty good at it."
"Jean and Connie… You're right! Thank you!" Eren said and went away with his blonde friend.
Gage turned to his mortified friend.
"What's the matter with you?"
"N-Nothing…" Daedre sighed. "I just get… nervous around… people."
"Oh, well that's nothing to be ashamed about." Gage said. Daedre didn't even look up at him. His diamond ear ring glimmered under Gage's eyes.
"Hey," an unfamiliar voice called out to them. The boys looked up to see a young man with tan skin and brown hair walked up to them. "Sorry if this counts as eavesdropping, but I overheard you two talking about Shiganshina before."
"Oh yeah," Gage said. "Did you live there to?"
"Well, no, I lived in a village southeast of Wall Maria."
Both Gage and Daedre gasped.
"Really!" Daedre exclaimed. "So that means…"
The boy looked down, "Yeah. I was an orphan in my village, waiting for someone to finally adopt me. I was playing with my friends when I heard the sound of thunder. It was weird, because there wasn't a cloud in sight. We went outside to see what it was and they came."
"Oh my god…" Gage trailed nervously. He could almost imagine the dread that boy must've felt. "What happened?"
"Everyone was… just in a panic. A third of our village was eaten and the survivors got on their horses to flee to Wall Rose. When we got to the refugees camp, I was alone. Well, until I met my friend Annie."
Annie… Annie… tan boy…, Gage thought. Wait!
"Oh! I remember you now! You're that boy who was friends with that blonde girl, the one who assaulted my friend, Gianne. Antonio, am I right?"
"Yeah… I forgot to apologize about that." Antonio scratched his head nervously. "But to be fair, your girlfriend almost broke Annie's nose."
Gage flushed at that sudden word while his stomach jumped.
"It was self-defense…" he shrugged, trying to hide his face.
"Well, whatever now, right?" Antonio cackled. "Anyway, what I wanted to say before was that it's no use."
"What is?"
"How Eren keeps ranting about going back outside to kill all the Titans. How he wants to reclaim his homeland. I just think his goal is very unrealistic."
Daedre's face darkened. "Why would you say that?"
"Because I've seen the way Titan's eat people. It causes you to lose hope. We're all lucky that we've survived so far, but what happens after we graduate? Does Eren expect to drive them out after all the years of training? Even the best soldiers get eaten."
Gage thought about Kota, Gianne's brother. He was one of the best, and yet, he was gone. He also thought about Gianne's goal. How she wanted to take down the Titans after what they did to her home and only family. When he compared her and Eren together, they were similar in some way. Both were head-strong and will do anything when they set their minds to it. Gianne was so eager about joining the military that she learned to control herself more. One mistake would kick you out immediately. She was prepared for the training. She was prepared to kill all the Titans.
Except, what if Antonio is right? What if there was no way to reclaim their home? The lands of Wall Maria were much bigger than the ones from both Wall Rose and Wall Sina. It would take years to wipe the Titans out, and both Gianne and Eren would die trying.
No, he had to trust his friend. He had to trust himself. He vowed to protect her, he told her that firmly.
"You're right, there's no point to reclaim Wall Maria now." Gage said. Daedre looked at him funny. "We're comfortable now in the interior walls, but what about the future?"
"What do you mean?" Antonio asked.
"Humanity will over populate again, there won't be any more room or homes for families, and we'll just do what we did a year ago. Sacrifice a thousand men in order to save our food storage. You may already know this, but humans are one of the selfish creatures on earth."
"I already did…" Antonio agreed quickly.
"Though, there are some who aren't, and one of them is Eren."
"Oh? How so?"
"He doesn't care about his own safety. He doesn't care about committing suicide. He only cares about taking back what was rightfully his. He wants to save the human race from these monsters that terrorized us. I'm sure you know that feeling after the Titans overran your village." Antonio didn't speak. "I certainly did. Gianne and Sereak certainly did… even Daedre. All I'm saying is… if you don't care about fighting for your life and freedom, then what's the point of joining the military?"
"Well…"
"I mean, isn't that the reason you joined?"
"No, I did because I had no other options. I had no family and Annie would leave me alone if she went. So I tagged along…" he said.
"Everyone has a choice Antonio. No one can decide what you do." Gage said sternly. "What do you even want?"
Antonio was silent for a while as he looked away from the duo. There was something strange about his expression that neither Gage nor Daedre could comprehend. It looked as if he was in a war with himself… or in serious pain.
"I honestly don't know…" he answered.
-:-:-:-:-
The curious crowd gathered around the wooden machine. Keith Shadis stood in front of the Eren, with the cables clicked on to his belt, making him lift a few centimeters high. His face held complete willpower and readiness. This was his last day to prove himself.
Gianne watched him carefully.
"Eren Jaeger, are you ready?" Keith asked. "Control of the vertical maneuvering gear is the bare minimum required to be a soldier. If you can't do that, you're going back to the settlement. Understand?"
"Yes, sir!" he said with a strong pride.
Daedre brought his face closer to Gianne's. He whispered, "You think he's gonna pass?"
"I don't know," she confessed. "But they better do this fast, I'm getting pretty bored right now."
"Begin." Keith said.
Eren was lifted slowly, a sickening fearful look written in his eyes. His teeth were compressed together when he wobbled a little. His arms and legs were slightly place out to maintain his balance. After a few more shakes, he managed to stay still.
The others were astonished. A few claps and cheers were heard from around, causing Eren to glow from the support and his triumph. Gianne, too, was pretty impressed by him. She couldn't help that stupid smile growing on her lips as she watched the excited boy.
Just then, he lost his balance and his head smashed on the ground.
Everyone gasps. The instructor walks up to Eren.
"No, w-wait! I can still…" Eren cries desperately while struggling to turn reverse.
"Bring him down." Keith orders.
Gianne felt her heart hammering against her chest. For some odd reason, she felt completely sorry for the boy. She wanted to jump in and help him right there, but she stood still. She turned to her friends, each having mixed feelings about what happened. Sylvia just shook her head.
"Tsk, tsk… can't this boy understand that you get no second chances as a soldier."
Eren kneeled ahead of the crowd, his hands locked in firm fists and his eyes shining as they formed tears. He looked scared, mortified, and beaten.
"I can still…" he started feebly.
Their Instructor turned to Thomas, "Wagner, give Jaeger your belt!"
"Huh? Ah… Y-Yes sir!"
Thomas unclipped his belt and handed it to Eren. Perplexed, he took it and replaced his own. Everyone watched with suspicion.
"What's going on?" Gianne asked Sereak.
"If I knew, you probably would've figured it out too."
Eren was brought back to the wooden machine while Thomas clicked him back in. Soon, Eren was lifted up again, but more steady and balanced this time. When he reached three feet above the ground, he managed to keep himself from flipping. Everyone was baffled by this.
"The equipment was defective. The metal fillings on your belt were rusty." Keith said. He held Eren's belt and examined it carefully. "I've never seen this part rust before. We need to add this to the list of things that need to be fixed."
He managed to hang on with a broken belt! Oh my god, that's so amazing! Gianne thought.
"T-Then my aptitude score?" Eren asked.
"No problem… just keep practicing."
After a moment of absorbing the instructor's final grade, Eren raised his arms high victoriously.
"Yes!" he shouted.
"He did it!" Gianne cheered along.
"I knew he would!" Daedre said.
"Impressive…" Gage was amazed.
"So I guess we're all ready to go then?" Sereak asked.
"I would assume that…" Sylvia answered.
Eren was finally let back down and unclipped, his wild grin still not vanishing from his face. Without a second thought, Gianne raced up to him.
"Oi, Eren! That was so awesome! How did you manage to keep your balance on a rusted belt?"
"O-Oh…" he was stunned by the sudden appearance, but that disappeared with a beaming look. "I just focused on my body weight and tried to level it out. It was really difficult, but I think willpower did the trick. But I shouldn't brag, you're aptitude is way better than mine. You could get a high rank for that."
"Thanks!" Gianne grinned. "My brother was a part of the Survey Corps and he would bring his maneuver gear home to teach me how to use it."
"Really, you're so lucky! And he's a part of the Survey Corps? That's such an honor! Who is he?"
"Kota Starken." she said.
"Thee Kota Starken! Wasn't he one of the greatest soldiers ever?!"
From afar, both Gianne and Eren's friends watched their interaction with each other. Sylvia rolled her eyes.
"Oh, just what we needed, two hardheaded idiots coming together."
"When I looked at it now, they really do have similar traits." Gage noted.
"Well, I guess Eren has found his other half, huh?" Armin shrugged, smiling humorously towards Reiner. "I mean, who knows, maybe fate as brought them together."
Reiner nodded in agreement.
Sereak felt a tingling feeling on her left shoulder. When she turned, she caught Mikasa glowering at Sereak's best friend with a dark aura surrounding her body. After finally understanding the sudden look, the girl just sighed with utter annoyance.
"Are you kidding me…" she muttered apprehensively.
*Author's Note: Man, I really had fun writing this chapter. Literally, it was so great to write the OCs. Now for the credit:
-Gianne Starken: BluePhoenix34
-Gage Bulter: .x
-Sereak Poljor: Jauntues Tigerwolf
-Daedre Moche: Pixpi
-Sylvia Shelton: RoseTyler10
-Antonio Rodrigues: crankiestnebula
-Conrade Gorman: Shrapnel893
Okay, next chapter will be up next week like normal, but we don't get into the Titan action until much later. Instead, well get a little more information from each OC and a small back story of their past. So, if you have time and want to be nice about it, click the review button and support my story. If you don't, the black sky will never be made! Duh, duh, duun!
See ya!
-Phoenix