I do NOT own Bleach or Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin
This whole time, I've been under the military court? Eren asked himself. Ichigo noticed how terrified Eren was. For someone who had boldly stated he wanted to kill Titans, he became afraid rather easily.
I wouldn't talk since you're in the same fucked up situation as he is, King. His Hollow said, though his tone made it sound more like a threat.
Yeah, but I can easily get out of here, so fuck you.
Yeah, but you wanna stay here to play fuckin' hero. So here's a fair warning to ya, King: should you get hurt, I'll be coming up to slaughter everyone. You best be careful about what you're gonna do-and fuck you too, bitch.
Ichigo's eyes narrowed. He knew for a fact if shit hit the fan, his Hollow would take over and kill everyone in sight. He had already tried to kill Byakuya and Uryu, the last thing Ichigo needed was to be at the center of a killing spree. To make matters worse, Zangetsu wasn't around anymore, so his Hollow could basically spring up whenever he wanted to.
Two rifles suddenly pressed against their backs, "Step forward." The guards pushed them. Two other guards were holding large bars in their hands, while one guard yelled at the two.
"Kneel there!" he said. The two looked at each other, nodded, and did as told without complaint. Neither one of them wanted to make matters worse-especially since one of them didn't even know why he was even in this situation (Ichigo). Though it didn't really matter as he could easily get out of his restraints and leave, but Eren couldn't and Ichigo wouldn't just abandon a friend like this. The guards placed the metals bars atop the handcuffs, locking the two in place.
"Don't even think about trying anything funny. You won't be getting out of these." One of the soldiers said.
Ichigo snorted, "Oh, yeah?" The soldiers scoffed at him but walked away.
Eren looked nervously at the people around him. Unreadable faces, scared faces, angry faces, disgusted faces, all of them making him more nervous. Ichigo was scaring people too but by sending them evil glares.
"That kid has orange hair." A man whispered.
"How is that possible?" A woman asked.
"Maybe it's a disease?"
"How disgusting."
Ichigo, having inherited his hair color from his mother, sent a nasty string of insults the people's way. One of the women present fainted.
What's with this lineup? What are they even judging here? Eren's eyes switched from the Military Police's Commander, to Commander Pixis, to Commander Erwin and Levi. His eyes landed on Armin and Mikasa. He gasped, getting Ichigo's attention.
They must be Eren's friends, Mirmin and Arkasa or something. Ichigo thought.
Oh my god, you fucking idiot…
What now?!
You could at least try to not be so incompetent…
"Ichigo, their names are Armin and Mikasa."
Whatever! He replied, feeling embarrassed.
You guys…Eren thought.
The sound of a door opening made the two look forward and up. Footsteps were heard and a man with white facial hair and glasses set his coat down and sat in his seat, his sleeves rolled up at the elbows. This man was the Commander-in-chief of all three Military factions, Darius Zackly.
"Well then, let us begin." He said. The man adjusted his glasses, "The first case. Eren Jaeger, yes? You are a soldier, sworn to sacrifice your life for the public good. Is that correct?"
It's like Soul Society… Ichigo thought, looking at Eren. Eren kept staring up ahead.
"Yes, sir."
Zackly continued, "This is an exceptional situation. This tribunal will be held under military, not civilian, law. The final decision rests entirely in my hands. Your fate will be decided here."
I knew it, Armin thought, watching Eren nervously.
This guy's like a younger Grandpa, Captain-Commander Yamamoto appeared in Ichigo's mind.
"Do you have any objections?"
Eren looked straight ahead now, "No, sir."
"I appreciate your perception. I will be direct." Ichigo looked up to his right to see Hanji and Mike approaching the balcony before turning his attention back to Zackly.
"As anticipated, concealing your existence has proved impossible. We must make your existence public in some form or a threat to humanity other than Titans may arise. What I will decide today is which force will have custody of you. The Military Police? Or the Survey Corps? Then, I ask the Military Police for their proposal."
"Yes, sir." A man on Ichigo and Eren's right spoke up, "I, Commander of the Military Police, Nile Dawk, will present my proposal."
"He looks like a douchebag," Ichigo muttered, making Eren go eye-wide. Even in this situation, Ichigo seemed unfazed.
"After a thorough investigation of Eren's body, we believed he should be eliminated immediately." Ichigo and Eren's eyes widened, "It's certainly true that his Titan power overcame our previous peril…However, now his existence threatens to spark a civil war. So we ask him to die for humanity's sake, leaving behind all the information he can."
"Are you kidding me?!" Ichigo yelled. Eren, as well as many others in the room, stared at Ichigo. "You're over here running your mouth disguising murder as some honorable sacrifice?! What a load of bullshit! And what information?! He's spent days locked up, he could have easily given whatever information you wanted from him then! But he didn't! And you know why? Because he's just as lost as you all are!"
"Boy." Came Zackly, making Ichigo look up at him, "Still your tongue. I will not tolerate interruptions in my courtroom."
"It's okay, Ichigo." Eren whispered. Ichigo looked at him surprised. "Thanks." Ichigo returned to his usual scowl, but said nothing, looking down to signal he was done talking…for now anyway.
"There is no need for that!" Came another voice, gaining everyone's attention. He was dressed as a priest and pointing at Eren with an angry look on his face. "He is an invasive pest! He has deceived the Walls that embody God's wisdom!"
"That's one of the Wallists…," Eren whispered to Ichigo.
"He must be killed at once!" The priest continued. Ichigo 'tch-ed' at him.
"Five years ago, no one paid any attention to them, but they've gained power." Eren continued.
"Priest Nick. Order, please." Zackly said, to which the priest angrily clenched his teeth. "We'll hear the Survey Corps's proposal next."
"Yes, sir." Came Erwin, "I, 13th Commander of the Survey Corps, Erwin Smith, will present my proposal." He then turned to Eren, "We would welcome Eren as an official member of our forces, and use his power to retake Wall Maria. That is all."
"Wow. Death or military life. You sure have some nice choices." Ichigo said, loud enough for everyone to hear him.
Eren looked at him, "It's been my dream to join the Survey Corps."
Returning to Erwin's words, Zackly spoke, "That's all?"
"Yes, sir. With his power, we can retake Wall Maria. We believe it is clear what our priorities should be." Erwin said.
"I see. And where do you plan to begin this mission?" He then looked at Pixis, "Pixis, the Trost wall has been completely sealed, correct?"
Pixis smiled casually, "Yes, it can never be opened again."
Erwin spoke, "We would like to set out from Karanes, in the East. From there, we will proceed to Shinganshina. We will determine the route as we go."
Shinganshina? That's Eren's hometown that was destroyed by the Colossal and Armored Titans…Ichigo's eyes narrowed.
"Wait a minute!" Came a merchant across the room, "Shouldn't we seal all the wall gates once and for all? The Colossal Titan can only destroy the gates. If we can strengthen them, we needn't worry about further attacks!"
That's a pretty good strategy. Ichigo mused.
"Shut up, merchant dog!"
"With that Titan's power, we can return to Wall Maria!"
"We can no longer indulge your delusions of grandeur!"
"You talk a lot, pig." Levi said, his arms crossed, a bored expression on his face. Eren and Ichigo turned to him. "Where is your proof that the Titans will wait while we seal the gates? The 'we' you speak of are only those you wish to protect, your 'friends' who help line your pockets. The people who starve because there isn't enough land to sow don't even figure into the thoughts of you pigs." Ichigo found a tiny speck of respect for the short captain.
The merchant put a hand to his heart, "We just thought that we could survive by sealing the wall gates-"
"Silence!" Priest Nick yelled. "Impious traitor! Mere humans altering Wall Rose-walls that were a gift from God? Can you truly see those walls, God's work far beyond human capabilities, and not understand?!"
"Piss off with your wall worshipping!" Ichigo shouted, making Priest Nick glare at him. "If you're dead, you won't be able to worship your precious slabs of concrete, you delusional ass! People's lives are at stake here! That should be everyone's priority!" Armin and Eren stared at him with mouths agape. Mikasa's brows were raised.
"What did you just say to me?! Both you and that monster bring shame to the walls! You ignorant little-"
"Bring it on, old man! I'll slam your face against your walls!" Nick and his fellow priests gasped in horror. Levi inwardly smirked. Eren, Armin, Mikasa, and Rico stared at him shocked-even Hanji and Mike were surprised.
Nice one, King. His Hollow smirked.
Priest Nick went off, "Humanity is not fit to lay a single finger on those walls!"
"It's because of them it took ages before we could even mount weaponry on the walls." Armin whispered to Mikasa.
"They have a lot of support and power, which makes them difficult." Rico added. The merchant and Priest Nick kept arguing back and forth when Zackly slapped the table a few times.
"Silence. You may discuss your personal philosophies and opinions elsewhere." Zackly said, making Ichigo snicker. "The same applies to you, boy."
"Tch!" Ichigo rolled his eyes. Some soldiers looked at each other scared. This boy had no respect and no hesitation to show it.
Ignoring Ichigo, Zackly continued, "Jaeger, I wish to confirm something. Can you continue to serve as a soldier, using your Titan powers to benefit humanity?"
"Yes, I can!" Eren said, his eyes filled with determination.
"But the report on Trost's defense says this: "Immediately after turning into a Titan, he swung his fist at Mikasa Ackerman."."
Eren's turned to Mikasa shocked. Ichigo swore, he didn't know about that. Mikasa brought her hair inwards to cover her scar.
He doesn't remember being unable to control it. Armin thought. Ichigo and Eren saw how Mikasa sent Rico a nasty look, who gave a scared one in return.
"You want me to lie in a report?" Rico whispered, "Hiding the truth wouldn't help humanity." Mikasa looked away from her, to angry to listen to her excuse.
"Is Mikasa Ackerman present?" Zackly asked.
"Yes, that's me." Mikasa spoke.
"You are Ackerman? Is it true that, as a Titan, Jaeger attacked you?"
Mikasa hesitated to answer, looking towards Eren now. Rico whispered, "Lying isn't going to help Eren one bit."
Mikasa was having an internal struggle with herself, before concluding her decision, "Yes, it's true." The room was filled with gasps and whispers.
"I knew it…He's just another Titan." The merchant spoke.
Eren's face was a mix between despair and horror, I tried to kill Mikasa? Me?
Mikasa continued, "But on two previous occasions, Eren saved my life in his Titan form. The first time, mere seconds before a Titan would have had me in its grasp, he stood between us, protecting me. The second time, he saved Armin and me from an HE shell. I would like these facts to be considered as well."
Good, there's some leverage against you ignorant bastards. Ichigo thought, glaring at the people on his right.
"I object!" Niles stated, "I believed these comments are greatly colored by her personal feelings. At an early age, Mikasa Ackerman lost her parents, and was taken in by the Jaeger household. Our investigation has also revealed a surprising fact about the underlying events."
"You gotta be joking…," Ichigo glared, "How far have you bastards stuck your noses into this?!"
Ignoring his comments, Niles continued, "At age nine, Eren Jaeger and Mikasa Ackerman killed three robbers who tried to kidnap her." The room was once again filled with gasps.
"That was just self-defense!" Ichigo yelled.
"Even if it was self-defense, I must question their fundamental humanity. Is it right to entrust humanity's fate, resources, and lives to him?" Niles said, causing the courtroom to fill up with chatter.
"That's right!"
"He's just a Titan that infiltrated us by pretending to be a child!"
The merchant pointed towards Mikasa in fear, "So is she! Do we know that she's human?!"
"That's right! Just to be safe, we should dissect her!" someone else said, making Mikasa gasp.
"Wait!" Eren interjected, "I may be a monster, but she has nothing to do with it! Nothing at all!"
"That's right, you paranoid assholes!" Ichigo yelled.
The fuck are you butting in for? His Hollow asked. They both knew all this was new information for Ichigo.
Shut up! Ichigo said.
"We can't trust that!" someone yelled.
"It's true!" Eren yelled.
"If you're covering for her, it means she's one of you!"
Ichigo's eyes widened in anger, "You mother-"
"NO!" Eren's yell rang out across the room, his wrists slamming into the bar that bound him. Ichigo turned to him surprised while everyone else gasped. Ichigo's Hollow's eyes narrowed in a calculating manner.
"I mean…you're wrong. But you're simply coming up with theories that fit whatever it suits you to think."
"What did you just say?!" Niles demanded.
Eren looked at them with disdain in his eyes, "Besides, all of you people-"
Is this smart?
"-you've never seen a Titan! What are you so afraid of?"
Should I just keep my mouth shut?
Ichigo's eyes widened a bit when he saw Eren's eyes narrow, the look of resolve coming to him once again.
No, I'll tell them everything I'm thinking!
"What is the point if those with the means and power do not fight? If you're afraid to fight for survival, then help me! You…cowards!"
"What?!"
"Just shut up!" Eren screamed, getting Ichigo's attention even more as he noticed steam rising from Eren's body, "And bet everything you have on me!" Everyone stared flabbergasted at Eren's actions, too shocked to say anything.
Niles looked the soldier next to him, "Weapons ready!"
"Yes, sir!" The man readied his musket and aimed it at Eren, whose eyes widened in shock. Ichigo glared.
"You son of a-!"
A foot came in contact with Eren's face, silencing Ichigo and everyone in the courtroom. A bloody tooth clattered to the floor.
Huh?! Ichigo and Eren thought in unison, before turning their attention to the one who hit Eren: Levi.
Another kick came in contact with Eren's gut. Levi then pulled him by the hair and shoulder, before kneeing him right in the face. Everyone stared in shock all the while he continued his relentless attack on the boy.
Ichigo and Mikasa both stared horrified and pissed. Mikasa was about to intervene when Armin held her back by the arm.
"Wait, Mikasa!" he cried. Eren had blood dripping from his nose and mouth. He tried to catch his breath, only for Levi to slam his boot right onto his cranium, slamming his forehead against the marble floor.
"You bastard!" Ichigo yelled. Levi glanced at Ichigo, who could tell wanted to rip him apart, but ignored him.
"This is my personal opinion." Levi started, "But I believe pain to the best way to train someone."
Ichigo's eyes widened. Levi looked down at Eren, "What you need is to be trained like a dog, not a man. It's easier to kick you while you're kneeling, too."
Ichigo grit his teeth in absolute fury. "That does it!" A sudden heavy pressure filled up the courtroom, causing many to faint. Levi looked at Ichigo bewildered. The chains holding Ichigo broke apart and those still conscious were either on their knees or trembling. Zangetsu quickly acted, bottling up his reiatsu. It proved somewhat harder than he originally thought until Ichigo's Hollow counterpart helped.
Calm down.
"Ichigo, remain still."
Eren's eyes met Ichigo, silently pleading for him to stop whatever was happening. Ichigo didn't understand, but Eren wanted him to calm down for both their sake's. His trial was up next to boot. Ichigo calmed down, but he sure as hell didn't like it. Still, the damage had been done. His reiatsu had leaked for less than a second, yet everyone had already noticed.
Fuck! He thought.
"What was that?!" Someone yelled.
"Is that a Titan ability?!" Another demanded.
"That must have been!" Someone else answered.
"Someone quickly get the medics! There are people down everywhere!" Zackly slapped his table once again, trying to calm the courtroom, thankfully the majority did.
Without warning, Levi resumed his assault, all the while pissing off Mikasa and Ichigo even more.
Niles spoke up, "Wait, Levi…!"
Eren was currently being held up with Levi's boot rammed into his face, "What is it?" He put his foot down and turned to Niles, ignoring Eren's groans of agony.
"That's dangerous. What if he gets angry and turns into a Titan? You witnessed what just happened right now, didn't you?" Niles asked. His body was trembling and he was sweating bullets. Eren looked up at Levi angrily, but said captain was ignoring his look, instead staring at Ichigo.
Dammit, I need-
"Ichigo, stop. You'll just make matters worse."
About fucking time, Eren! Ichigo thought, his reiatsu still being suppressed. Levi then kicked Eren again.
"What are you saying?" Levi asked, yanking the poor boy up by the hair, "Aren't you going to dissect him?" He let go of Eren and stood over him, "When he turned into a Titan last time, he killed 20 other Titans before collapsing. If he is an enemy, his intelligence makes him a formidable foe. Still no match for me, of course. But what will you do? Anyone persecuting him should also consider that fact. Do you really think you can kill him?"
Ichigo's let out a soft gasp at his realization. That was their plan?! This was their way of Eren getting into the Survey Corps?!
Erwin raised his hand, "Sir, I have a proposal."
Zackly, whose hands were folded before him, asked, "What is it?"
"The details of Eren's Titan power remain uncertain-making it dangerous. Thus, I propose to have Captain Levi take responsibility for Eren's control."
"With Eren in tow?" Zackly asked.
"Yes, sir. Based on the expedition's results, I'd like you to judge whether Eren can control his Titan power and whether he is a boon or bane to humanity."
"Control Eren Jaeger…," he turned to Levi, "Can you do it, Levi?"
Still standing above a bloody Eren, Levi responded, "I'm certain I can kill him. The only problem is I doubt I can do any less."
"As if I'd let you," Ichigo warned. Levi and Ichigo glared at each other. The room quickly filled with tension. It was obvious these two did not like each other one bit.
Zackly scoffed, "Then my decision is made."
"Eren Jaeger will join the Survey Corps under the supervision of Captain Levi."