DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SHINGEKI NO KYOJIN.
Date Uploaded: May 1, 2017- Monday.
Note: Advanced apologies for the OOC's.
I already have several warnings put up already. I won't repeat it here. So this chapter will be more on Annie's childhood, Zeke being the instructor and some random kids joining in. Please don't pay attention to the kids, they're not important much, I just needed them so I can develop the story better.
This will be updated at the same time with the Humans VS Titans volume 1 series. But after it ends, it's just this. When this spin-off finishes, we'll go through with volume 2!
WARNING! Brutal fighting scenes! I repeat warning! Brutal fighting scenes!
Previously:
Zeke saw that the young blonde was stupefied at the result of helping him but he also saw right through the spark in her eyes. She was happy that she was able to offer a helping hand.
Ahh, this is something I can work with. This year's recruits will be interesting. He thought.
When they arrived at their destination, Zeke tells them to follow him. Anyone who plans to run will be punished severely. The boy and Annie kept close together. It was a start of their adventure in this new world after all.
"Follow me and nobody dares slack around!" he shouts and he began to walk to lead them into the place of training.
NOW:
CHAPTER TWO: FRIENDS
The small blonde keeps a low profile, although she made sure the little boy with her was safe from the other kids. Looking around, the system is indeed unfair. The world is... cruel.
Children of different ages, both male and female, are being trained harshly by instructors here and there. Bodies of weak children were scattered everywhere and ignored, no one bothers to help those who are still alive but could no longer stand. Zeke saw the reactions of the kids, same as the older batch, excluding Annie.
"You won't have to go through that yet." he says. "You'll just go through with the basics."
"W- Why are you doing this?" the boy asked Zeke. Although he clutched tightly to Annie's arm. "I- It's very cruel."
"For humanity, kid." was all he said.
Being dressed up wearing wool gray sweaters, the new batch was taken to a field where they were being informed of what they are and what their mission was.
"Warriors. This is what we will call you and this is what you call yourselves." said the instructor. "Your mission is to fight for humanity."
"B- But the training kills us!" one of the kids exclaimed.
"That's not even training yet!" exclaimed the instructor. "It is simply a test to see if you have what it takes to be chosen!"
"Just a test?" one of the kids said and everyone began to murmur to each other. The small boy with Annie turns to her to see what her response would be but Annie remained quiet, her eyes bored as she stared at nothingness.
"How can this be?"
"What if we die?"
"Why do something like this?"
All these questions... they will not be answered. Annie thought. Then the instructor wields a whip, hitting the ground to get everyone's attention. "You don't have to worry about that now because right now you're only worry is to understand the deep meaning of what being a Warrior is about!"
"Yes sir!" they said in unison.
On their break, Annie was eating alone in the corner when the little boy approached her happily, holding a book in hand.
"Onee-chan, look!"
"What is it?"
"It's a book! It contains the stories of the inner walls!" he said and opens the book to show her the sketches and writing in the book. "They say it's a story book to scare the children to work hard but I think it's interesting."
"You can read this?"
"Yeah. Can't you?"
The boy studied Annie's eyes locked on the weird writing and focused on the drawing.
"It says 'Trost'. The home of the remaining humans that is trapped in the middle of the ocean." he tells her. "And this here is-"
The two were surprised to see Zeke take the book from them. He clicked his tongue and the boy felt nervous. "Where'd you two get this? Hmm?" Annie kept her eyes on Zeke. If by any chance she turns to the boy, he will be blamed. "Oi, answer me!"
"I found it and stole it from the big boys." Annie said in fear that the boy with her will give in. "They were hurting us, the least I can do is steal something from them."
Zeke intensified his stare at her for a moment but she didn't budge. He sighed and let her off the hook. "This is off limits to any of you, for now." when he said that he left.
"Where did you get that?" she asked the boy with a somehow angered tone.
"I- I- I took it from the boys just as you said." he replied nervously. "They kicked me to the mud earlier and.. and I wanted to get back at them..." when he said this Annie wasn't sure how to react. Did she guess that one right?
She was relieved it wasn't anything scary and so she pats him in the head.
"Don't do it again next time." she tells him and he nods.
But this news didn't reach well to the big boys.
The following day, the boy was beaten more than they did yesterday. He was cornered and they took turns kicking him.
"Stop it!" he begged but they didn't stop. It was only a matter of time before Annie comes to save him, eh?
"How dare you send us to trouble! You set us up!" they yell at him. "You will pay!"
As they continued to kick him, Annie indeed came to his rescue, beating one of them to a pulp. "Who's next?" she asked nonchalantly and they ran. She dropped her fighting stance and helped the boy up.
"Y- You can fight?"
"Yes."
"Then why did you lose the sparring the other day?" he asked. Annie didn't want to tell him but there was no point i hiding it.
"I don't want to be noticed by them."
"But with your ability to fight, they will treat you well!" the boy misunderstood. The 'them' Annie was talking about was Zeke and the higher ups. But the boy can only see the other way around. The bullies.
"Let's not talk about this." she said, almost as if ordering him not to speak. He nodded hesitantly and they went to their respective rooms.
The day after that, Annie was approached by a couple of other children.
Annie was filling up pails and buckets with water from the well.
"Hey, we heard what you did the other day." they said. Annie said nothing and just stared at them. "You saved someone from a group of bullies and yet you lost the sparring two days ago. You're keeping your true abilities?"
Annie said nothing and continued pulling the bucket out of the well. The tallest among the children hits her hand and grabs her by her hoodie, forcing her to drop the bucket into the well.
"H- Hey Ken we shouldn't be hurting her!" said the little kid beside Ken, the tallest kid in the group.
"We're talking to her nicely but she won't talk to us. Isn't that disrespecting?"
"W- Well..."
"So what's your name?" Ken asked Annie.
"Annie."
"Well Annie, if you don't want me to throw you into the well, learn to respect us!" he says. She didn't nod or anything, just stared emptily at him.
"K- Ken-"
"Quiet!" he yelled at his group and he turned back to Annie. "You, I said-"
"Did you hear about it me from Lothar?" she asked. "The boy that everyone is picking on." she clarifies who Lothar was. She studied his expression for a second before gazing upon his group, noticing that they had sad expressions about it. "Tell me, did you force it out of him?"
"Why are you asking me?! I'm the one in charge here!" he says and pushes her near the well, pressing her back at the top of the well to give her a scare that she might fall in the hole. "I'm the one who will ask questions around here!"
"Questions that will not matter if you're dead." she said, this time her voice indicated a cold and serious tone, her gaze may seem nonchalant but staring longer into her blue eyes he can see an unfazed anger.
"Y- You talk big don't you Annie?" Ken replies, keeping his cool. But Annie can see through him now.
"Ken leave her alone!" his group continued to tell him but he ignores them.
"No one will know..." he muttered and locked his eyes on Annie. "W- We accidentally killed Lothar while we were making fun of him. We forced him to tell us the person who saved him because we needed help. But looks like you won't help us now, won't you?"
"Oh." Annie said.
"That's all you have to say?! 'Oh'?!" his grip tightened on her gray hoodie. She was fearless. She was scary.
"Ken, this time around, I will accidentally kill you and everyone in your group because I want to feel better. No one would know." she says apathetically but despite that, Ken and his groupmates felt shivers down their spine.
"Darn you little brat!" he yells and lifts her up so he can throw her into the well but the next thing he knew was that Annie slid off her hoodie, leaving her to wear a black tank top to cover her body. She then jumps down and roundhouses the side of Ken's head from behind him and he falls over the well.
"KEN!"
Ken was able to grab a hold of the edge of the well but Annie wasted no time. She rushes towards his team and they prepared defensive stances that did not bother her. They were inexperienced, she can tell.
Dad's friends died protecting me...
...and now Lothar died because I protected him...
...why is it that everything I do will lead to someone's death?
Deep inside her head, she was troubled.
And killing these children weren't enough to clear her head.
Breaking their bones and dislocating their limbs, she terrorized them with her capability to fight. She left the other one unharmed, the one who kept calling on Ken. But she was left down on her knees, holding her hands over her eyes, trembling in fear.
"We're sorry, we're sorry, we're sorry..." she muttered repeatedly.
When Ken was able to climb back up, he was surprised to see what happened to his team.
"You..."
Annie stared at him, waiting for him to make a move.
"I guess it's just you I will accidentally kill." she said when she decided not to kill off his friends. In anger, he jumped out of the well to attack her. She ran towards him with equal speed.
She bent her knees a bit as she slides to his side, before crouching, dodging his punch and now sliding her leg to trip him. When he fell to the ground, back first, she leaps and lands the back of her feet on top of his face. His nose bled and he held on her ankle- but that didn't stop her.
She uses her free foot to jump but with his hand holding her other feet, her jump wasn't so high. It's okay, she doesn't intend to run, she just needed to lift her whole body so that her left leg can bend its knees and land on his neck, hard.
His grip loosened and she pulls her feet away from him to stomp on his face again. Blood spilled all over Annie..
"Stop it! Please! KEN!" the girl behind her begged when she saw what Annie was going. The rest of his teammates watched in horror.
Annie stopped.
"If any of you messes with me again, you're next." she warned, expecting never to hear from them again and left.
That night, she was in her room, all washed up and trying to read a book- this time book that was allowed for them to read. Someone entered the room without knocking, holding out a gray hoodie.
"I believe this is yours." Zeke says and threw it at the side.
Annie's eyes widened when she saw it. She forgot to take it! Now it will lead to her doom!
"Found it over that boy's body. Did you avenge him or something? Because recently one of the top kids just died."
Annie couldn't answer. What will happen to her now? She was nervous but her dead expression was covering it well. Zeke however knew her well enough already. He sighed and sat beside her in the bed.
"Listen, children dying here is nothing new. And if they got killed no one would care." he says. "Although I'd prefer that you don't do that again. Keep a low profile and aim for the top."
"Why... are you telling me this?"
"Let's just say I want you to be a Warrior. I like your spirit, I like your capabilities, I like how you do things your way. There are a few things I don't like but we'll work on that."
"If I... become a Warrior... can I see my father again?"
"If you become a Warrior you will BE a Warrior first. Then you can see your father." he replied. "It's a long way to go so do your best."
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Next chapter we'll see familiar characters! See you!