Chapter 4:The Night of the Closing Ceremony
Hey again! I usually take one day of break or resting before beginning the next long chapter. Anyways, there's not enough favs follows or reviews again :(. I hope you do any of those after reading this chapter!
Year 850, Two Years after Joining the Cadets
After three long years of training, the latter has finally came. Cadets mastered combat, intelligence and ODM Gear throughout those last years. Today, they are doing the ODM Gear Training where they must test their knowledge and be able to fight titans effectively using the gear. It was raining today, which may seem a little hard when getting to the designated area of the titan combat test.
"Pick up the pace you legged-peal luggers!" Keith shouted when he didn't hear enough cadets running while carrying their gear over the backpacks, which reduced their weight.
"Boots watering over mud, Arlert?" Keith asked, looking back whilst riding his horse. "Let's see some hustle!"
Armin was sweating and panting all over, all because of the heavy luggage he had to carry. Even though he joined the Trainee Boot Camp, he was very weak and he was one of the lightest soldiers in camp.
"Having trouble there, son?" Keith asked. "Leave it in the mud! The titans would digest you easily with all that excess in the bag!"
He slapped the reigns and his horse went faster, ahead of Armin. Not to mention that he was behind all the soldiers, since they handled the pressure of the bag. "Dammit..." Armin panted.
"Seriously?" A strong voice roared above him. His bag was suddenly removed from his shoulders and turned to see his friend Reiner, who was carrying two heavy bags. He was one of the strongest soldiers, even heavier than an ox.
"Here, focus on staying up right," Reiner said. "We are being graded on this, you know."
"Thanks but uh-they put a demerit on you for helping," Armin said.
Reiner faced him directly. "Yeah, if they find out," he said. "Just make the cut. We're even, alright?"
Keith noticed Reiner at the back from the corner of his eyes. Reiner went forward ahead of Armin.
Reiner Braun. The mind and constitution of a grass-fed ox. Respected by his comrades.
"I'm no one's bird, you hear me?" he said.
He attempted to run faster, and he was already with the other cadets. He grabbed his bag from Reiner and put it over his shoulder, wanting to prove himself strong even though he was the opposite of it. He went ahead of the other cadets, no matter how tired he is.
Armin Arlert. Built like a daffodil, but academically brilliant.
"Heey!" A cheery voice came behind from Armin. He heard faster pace behind his back and realized she was beside him already, looking tired as he was. Armin noticed the redhead as his friend Janessa.
"You okay there buddy?" Janessa asked.
"Yeah, I guess I'll hang in for a while," Armin said.
Janessa grinned. "Dude, it's titan combat training!" she slapped her hand on his back. "We have to be strong for this. This is the day we've been waiting for since I don't know...forever!"
Armin looked at his friend and smiled. "Thanks Janessa," he said. "I wonder how Jean Marco and Keira think of your hyper-activeness."
Janessa scoffed. "Oh please," she teased.
Janessa Freud. Loud and optimistic like a peacock, but she handles honesty and ODM Training very efficaciously.
The soldiers in charge of the fake titans raised the latter up for them to test their combat. The nape was in form of plastic, in which the cadets have to target when battling a real titan. It has stopped raining, which makes them easier to train than doing so while getting sick in the rain.
Bertolt, Jean and Annie headed towards the fake titan. Bertolt and Annie sliced the nape of a single fake titan one by one. And to finish it, Jean sliced a third cut into the fake nape, finishing the job.
Annie Leonhart. Gifted with a sword, but does not exactly play well with others.
Bertolt Hoover. Heaps of native of talent, but too mild-mannered.
Jean Kirstein. Head of the class on ODM. Also an insufferable smart ass with a hair triggered temper.
Keith was standing on a branch and listing down the scores of the cadets who sliced the nape of the fake titan. Jean jumped on his ball of the foot on the branch and continued to glide. "Think those show-offs slice and dice?" he questioned. "Best hope he sees a titan before I do."
He heard yahooing from behind, and turned to see his best friend Janessa gliding excitedly like a maniac, slicing napes of titans while eyes closed. He smiled. "Heh, Janessa seems fitting into slicing and dicing, but if we play cards right, she'll see who's the great deal in killing those bastards!" he said, gliding faster than ever.
He zoomed so fast, the trees and sight surrounding him became a blur. He eventually found a fake titan, and he was going for it. "Gonna lead the charge!" he heard the voice of Connie charging towards his supposed target, passing by him.
The buzz cut boy sped towards the fake titan. "You care if I steal your thunder, right?" he asked. He went up to the fake nape, ready to slice. But the nape was sliced before he could do so, as if a ghost has slice it. He saw Sasha gliding happily, eyes closed and happy that she sliced the nape very well. He turned to see Janessa emerge from the trees and stopped in her tracks when she saw the sliced nape.
"Hey no fair!" Janessa cried out.
"You shouldn't have gotten here sooner, redhead!" Connie teased.
"Haha, very funny Connie!" Janessa replied.
Sasha fell to the ground on her back, and before she could hit it, her wires pulled her back up.
Sasha Blouse. Unusually fine instincts, rarely shares some with her teammates.
Connie Springer. Agile on the switch backs, a few sandwiches shy of a picnic.
They eventually stopped arguing when they saw a brunette zoom past them, in which they realized it was their friend Saoirse. She dodged every tree in her eway and was perfectly handling the gear well, like a mockingjay.
She turned to see her friend Mikasa and her crush Eren gliding with her as well. The three of them headed towards their targeted titan.
"Get ready." A soldier told his friend while listing the scores. His friend pulled the rope, which pulled up three fake titans. The trio headed towards it, readying their blades for hard cutting. Mikasa and Eren went first in cutting. Eren sliced the titan's fake nape a second time. Saoirse somersaulted and like a spinning top, she sliced the nape effectively.
I know I'm good but...I don't really want to be in the top ten. Considering I should give fifth place to Eren instead. She spoke in her mind.
Saoirse Hillman. Academically excellent and an efficacious fast learner like her father, compared to a mockingjay, although suffers from shallowness.
Mikasa Ackerman. Model cadet, excels in everything. In fact, it's not overstated to call the girl a genius.
Eren Yeager. Lackluster in the classroom, marginally better in the field, but driven by a sense of purpose that's almost terrifying.
The second part of training came after titan combating; martial arts. Other cadets were weak to do it, but they are forced to in order to graduate the class before heading towards their designated legion. They were grouped in two, testing their killer instinct and fast mind. It wasn't surprising that Saoirse got grouped with Sasha, aka Potato Girl.
Sasha readied her fist while Saoirse readied her stance. The potato girl started to zoom towards her opponent. Saoirse, having fast instinct, she quickly grabbed Sasha's arm and threw her over her shoulder, injuring her. Sasha rubbed her temples, with eyes closed, not noticing Saoirse's extended arm reaching towards her. "Sorry if I hurt you," she apologized.
Sasha grabbed her hand and she wiped the dirt off her clothes. "Nah, it's cool," she replied. "But girl! You've got killer instinct. How did you learn how to fight like that?"
Saoirse shrugged. "I'm not really super good, but I'm doing fine. Mikasa taught me how to fight when we were younger. Pretty much, childhood lessons."
Sasha's eyes lit up. "Mikasa's your childhood friend?" she asked.
"Yeah," Saoirse mumbled and rubbed her hands. "Alright, my turn before we go on to knives."
Sasha nodded. "Your on."
Sasha readied her stance. Saoirse immediately sped towards her, in which Sasha dodged. She tried to grab her arm, but Saoirse's arm flew away before she got grabbed on. Sasha sped her fist towards Saoirse when back was turned, only for the brunette to grab her fist and pull her towards, and flip her over, again.
"Your...your really good..." Sasha panted.
Saoirse chuckled and she helped her friend up. Then, Saoirse grabbed the wooden knife from nearby and stared right into it. "Still though, I'm not sure about testing sudden knife attacks," she said. "I think I'm getting anxious again..."
Sasha scoffed. "Probably because you've never used one before or your just afraid," she replied.
Saoirse faced her. "What? No! I'm not afraid of knives," she denied. "I'm just nervous, that's all..."
"Oh, come on!" Sasha pleaded. "I won't hurt you, and you won't hurt me, so game on!"
"Okay, I am a little bit afraid of knives," Saoirse admitted.
"I know how you feel right now," Sasha assured. "This is a test of instinct and mobility. You have to be prepared because attacks can happen anytime! I know your smart and brave but-you can do this. I know you can."
Saoirse faced her. "H-How do you do a speech like that?" she asked. Sasha may be a monster for food since she's from Dauper, but her speeches were really good.
Sasha shrugged. "Family lessons I guess," she replied.
"Right..." Saoirse mumbled, when she glanced at Eren sparring with Reiner. Suddenly, Saoirse saw Eren staring at Annie, who was walking by.
"Wh-What's Annie doing slacking off?" Saoirse asked.
Sasha faced her. "Say what now?" she asked.
Saoirse gestured her to look at Reiner who was talking with Eren about Annie presumably. "Nah, probably just bored or something," Sasha said, turning away.
Saoirse continued to stare at them, in which they were far away. She didn't even hear Sasha call out for her, because she was stuck in space. It went on forever until she felt a large pain on her abdomen, causing her to fall on her butt. Sasha extended her hand to help her up. She placed her hand on her friend's palm and she was back up. Sasha stared at her with a funny look and hands on hips.
"Saoirse, usually you go kick ass and hell like you did awhile ago but you were busy dazing off on to space!" Sasha said. "What gives?"
Saoirse rubbed her arms. "Sorry, I-I don't know what came over me," she mumbled.
Sasha raised an eyebrow. "Your staring at Eren again, aren't you?" she guessed.
Hearing this made Saoirse's face go tulip red, and shook her hands. "U-Uh no! I was staring at something else, you would believe me if I said it, right?" she denied.
Sasha laughed. "Of course not!" she said, putting her arm around Saoirse's neck. "Saoirse, I've known you for three years, and I would never deny that fact that you love Eren down right to the core of earth!"
Saoirse covered her mouth. "Not so loud, Sasha!" she said.
She put her hand over Saoirse's hand and removed it from her mouth to breathe. "Come on, everyone in the 104th Trainee Boot Camp, I mean every soul here, knows your crush on Eren," she let out.
Saoirse didn't reply. "W-With the exception of Eren, of course." Sasha added.
"So...what?" Saoirse asked.
"It's not obvious when people catch you gazing at him," Sasha said.
"Don't rub it in my face," Saoirse said, glancing at Eren, Reiner and Annie again from afar. She saw Annie form her fighting stance, which drew more attention.
"What's so important about him today?" Sasha asked, joining her friend in watching.
Eren sped towards Annie, in which she kicked his shin, causing Eren to fall on his knees. Saoirse winced at this. He stood up and he fell again, showing his knees hurt badly. Eren grabbed the dagger, and before he knew it, Annie grabbed his mouth and flipped him over, holding the dagger in her hand and walking away.
"Ouch," Saoirse muttered.
Annie handed the knife to Reiner, and she got ready. Before he could act, Annie flipped him on his back too. Eren got up already. Annie faced him. Saoirse and Sasha knew things were gonna get ugly.
They were talking for a bit, in which the two girls couldn't make out what it was. She suddenly sped towards Eren and held the knife near his chest. "Oh snap," Sasha muttered.
Eren attempted to grab the knife, but Annie dodged under him and kicked him with a roundhouse kick. Eren landed on his back, and Annie held the knife near his chest again. There was a brief moment, before she stood up. She walked away, and Reiner stood up already and talked to him. Eren stood up as well and stared at Annie.
"Damn, that's one hell of a kick," Sasha said. "Come on Saoirse, let's get back to training."
Saoirse grunted and went back to her position as well. She looked angry. "Hey, what's with the smug look?" Sasha asked.
"It's not at you, its at Annie," Saoirse replied.
Sasha stayed silent before smirking. "Oh, I know the feeling," she said.
"You do?" Saoirse asked, expecting it's what she thinks.
Sasha sighed. "You know Saoirse, you can tell from when someone is glancing at someone else differently," she said. "It makes no difference to it. Your jealous."
Saoirse winced. "Wh-What?! Jealous? Jealous...of what?" she erupted.
Sasha yawned, as if it wasn't a big deal. "The fact that you think Eren is staring at Annie," she replied.
Saoirse rubbed her hands. "I'm not jealous. I'm just...weird..." she replied. "I just don't like the way he stares at her and the way she kicked his ass."
Sasha smirk grew bigger. "That's jealousy hon," she answered.
"I'm not jealous-I'm weird!" Saoirse insisted. (You know this reference :))
Suddenly, they heard footsteps approach them. They turned to see Keith, who was not looking amused by the distractions.
"What are you two girls doing and why haven't you shown signs of training?" he asked in his usual threatening tone before switching to yelling. "Get back to work!"
Saoirse and Sasha saluted nervously. "Y-Yes Commander Shadis!" they answered.
Training was done, and now it is time to eat dinner. "I know okay," Armin said. The quartet were gathered at the table. "And look, I'm not saying it's right it's just the way things are. Before Wall Maria was compromised, ODM patrol were rare..."
Saoirse was reading like usual while eating. While Armin was busy talking about the ODM Gear, he didn't notice Eren staring at Jean, who was sitting and talking with Marco along with Janessa and Keira, who were sitting in front of them.
"That's how you conserve fuel, to mention and do the work for you," Jean said. Marco looked interested.
"Interesting," Keira mumbled.
"Duh, that's pretty advanced," one guy said.
Jean rested on his hand on the table. "Duh, it's called having a sixth sense for the finer points of your gear," he continued. He turned at Mikasa, who was sipping her soup. Seeing Jean stare at Mikasa caused Janessa to lower her eyes, in which Keira placed a hand on her friend's shoulder to approach her.
"You gotta do this straight if you wanna make the cut," Jean said. "The MP only recruit the best."
Janessa and Keira exchanged excited looks. Marco smiled and looked up, sighing in relaxation. "Man that will be amazing," he said. "Working with the with the king? No greater honor than that."
He raised his jar to drink. "Shut up Marco," Jean said, slapping his buddy's head on the jar, causing liquid to spill on his face.
"We're not children, you can drop the misty-eyed BS," Jean said, forming a sinister look at Marco. "Honor doesn't have any damn part of it. You just want a nice, cushy job in the interior playing glorified century."
Marco lowered his eyebrows. "That's not true! That's not me at all!" Marco protested.
Janessa leaned over to Keira's ear. "I'm not really into the MPs, but we will give our boys 10," she whispered, with Keira giggling like a fangirl.
"Listen you guys," Eren's voice interrupted the scene.
Marco and Jean turned to Eren, who was drinking from his pitcher. "Interior?" Eren started. "Five years ago this was part of it."
Jean abruptly turned to him. "You've got a point to make, friend?" he said, using the same tone as Shadis. "I'm right here."
Eren closed his eyes. "Poor Jean, so misguided and besides...," he muttered, before glaring at his rival. "I don't think your head will fit into the interior, anyway."
Jean twitched his eye. Saoirse raised her head up from her book and smirked at Janessa, in which she returned and grinned stupidly. Snickers were heard throughout the room, leaving Jean to look around in humiliation before turning to Eren. "Very funny," he said.
"Seems a little backwards to me," Eren continued. "Fine tuning your titan skills so the brass station will be somewhere you'll never see one."
"You'd rather I was good at getting killed?" Jean replied. "Thank you but I'll pass. Better to get this system to get nod on."
Eren growled in anger, before standing abruptly. "You son of a bitch!" he yelled.
"Bring it on, you little bastard!" Jean said.
The two walked threateningly to each other. Saoirse and Janessa exchanged teasing smiles at each other. Aside from being best friends, they enjoyed watching Eren and Jean argue. Armin stood up. "Eren please stop it!" he pleaded.
Eren grabbed Jean's collar. Mikasa stood up and grabbed Eren's hand. "Gentlemen, please," she said, lowering his hands. Eren faced his sister, and looked down for a moment.
"You think you can judge me?!" Jean shouted suddenly.
"You rip my shirt your dead!" Eren yelled back.
"I don't give a damn about your shirt you piss me off!" Jean yelled.
"What?! Are you crazy?!" Eren screeched.
Eren suddenly paused, as if the whole world has paused in general. He looked at Annie, in which she was watching, not noticing Saoirse scoff at this. He stopped for a moment, thinking about what he must do to show Jean he's a coward. He might have gotten beaten up by Annie, but he did learn a thing or two from her. He grabbed Jean's grip from his collar and pushed his face away, before raising his leg and kicking Jean in the shin, a surprise roundhouse kick.
Saoirse and Janessa gasped at this and exchanged shocked looks. Jean landed on his back, earning collective gasps from the other cadets. Eren turned to Jean. The horse-faced boy sat up and rubbed his head. "Dammit..." Jean mumbled. "What the hell was that move?!"
"Little something I picked up this afternoon while you were busy with your thumb up your ass," Eren explained, and Annie studied him closely.
"You honestly believe the Military Police are gonna take you to the good life?" Eren asked. "Your not a soldier. Your a joke."
The cadets stayed silent at this. Suddenly, the door opened, and Eren and Jean turned to see a not-so-good-looking Keith standing in the doorway like a human shadow. "Would someone care to explain the little ruckus I've heard just now?" Keith asked in his usual threatening tone. "I do hope everything's alright."
Jean and Eren sat back in their seats as Keith stepped in. The cadets stayed silent before Mikasa raised her hand up. "Sasha passed some gas, commandant." she said.
Sasha gasped at this. The other cadets snickered as well. Saoirse tried to cover her laughing face behind her book, Janessa was snickering very loudly and Keira had to stop herself from laughing.
"Why am I not surprised?" Keith asked, covering his nose.
Sasha gasped louder. "For the love of God, learn some self-control." Keith said before closing the door. Sasha pleaded with Mikasa whilst grabbing her arm on why she did that, before the Asian-girl stuck bread inside her mouth to silence her. Jean and Eren glared at each other, while Saoirse shrugged at Janessa with a smile and Janessa returned it.
It has finally came. The night the Trainees would finally disband and go for their legions.
"Do you have hearts?!" the instructor yelled.
The cadets saluted. "Sir!" they all yelled in unison.
"As of this moment you have three options open to you; choose wisely!" he continued. "The Garrison Regiment: Whose job is to reinforce the walls. The Scout Regiment: Who rides out to the titan country to take back what was once ours. And the MP Regiment: They restore law and order for his royal majesty. Those cadets eligible for the MP have already been named! The rest of you take a look: These are the top of your class!"
The cadets have been listed from first to tenth from the left: Mikasa, Reiner, Bertolt, Annie, Eren, Jean, Marco, Connie, Sasha and Krista. They have attained the top ten. Saoirse was gonna be in it, but she told the instructor she wouldn't be interested even though she's really good and gave her place to Eren instead. Armin, Saoirse, Keira and Janessa stood in the back.
Finally...we made it...we can finally settle this war of titans and humans once and for all! Saoirse declared in her mind.
After the ceremony, the cadets decided to have one last dinner together before they go separate ways. Some were cheering and they chugged all the way to the point they would go drunk. The quartet were sitting together along with Keira and Janessa.
"I can't believe it," Keira said. "We finally graduated! It feels like time has passed."
Janessa put her arms behind her head in a relaxation pose and sighed. "All those hard work were pretty damn worth it," she said.
Armin chuckled. "What about you girls?" he asked. "Jean and Marco are gonna be in the MPs. So what regiment will you two join?"
The redhead wrapped her arm around Keira's neck. "Scout Regiment!" she declared. "Nothing more than a good battle to win our freedom."
"Hehe, yeah," Keira replied. "What's yours, Armin?"
The blonde looked down. "I'm thinking about it," he said.
Saoirse raised her head up from her book. "I'm going for Scouts," she said. "Eren's gonna be there too. I don't know about Mikasa though."
Armin said. "But Saoirse, Mikasa's your friend, she should tell you what legion she's gonna join," he said.
Saoirse shrugged. "I know for sure she's gonna join the Military Police because she isn't interested in titan combat and stuff even though she nails it," she said.
"Speaking of which, I don't understand why everyone in the top ten with the exception of Eren and Krista seems to go for the MPs," Armin said.
"How do you know that?" Janessa asked.
Armin wrinkled his face. "Reiner, Bertolt and Annie mentioned they would go for it. Connie and Sasha seemed interested too. Jean has the same reason, but Marco would join for something good, and I don't know about Mikasa."
"Honestly. the MPs are nothing but slackers to me," Janessa said.
"I don't really think there's nothing to see in that regiment," Saoirse mumbled. "I mean, wasting your score for the MPs just to be protected inside the interior? It seems pretty legit if you ask me."
Keira nodded. "But Janessa and I would go and visit Jean and Marco at times," she said.
Janessa smiled. "Yep, and we can tell them all about how a great team we make!" she bragged.
Saoirse faced her and gave the two of them a smirk. "You two seem so content into Jean and Marco so much you would plead the MPs to let you in just to be with your two boyfriends."
Keira and Janessa turned red as a beet, covering their faces with their arms. "Wh-Who said anything about having them as our boyfriends?" Keira denied.
"Th-Their not our boyfriends! We just-really like them!" Janessa joined as well.
Saoirse and Armin exchanged smirks. The two decided to go join Eren and Mikasa as well while the two girls waved goodbye and left to go talk with Marco and Jean. It has been a while since the quartet was chatting with the crowd until the topic of the scouts came up.
"Your really gonna turn your back into the MPs into the Scouts?" Thomas asked.
"Why in the world would you do that?" Samuel asked. "Your in the top ten."
Saoirse glanced at them. "Not all people go for what they wanted after they spent so much work trying to achieve it only to waste it all for slacking off," she said, with Armin nodding in agreement.
"The Scouts has always been my goal," Eren said. "I don't want the easy life. Not with all the work I've put in. I've trained to fight titans."
Saoirse nodded in agreement. Thomas looked at him as if he was witnessing a murder. "Are you insane?!" Thomas yelled so loud, the cadets stopped talking and they all looked at the quartet. Thomas looked around and faced them. "How many people have died? We're talking fifth of the population."
Jean watched with his chin resting on his hand. "If that doesn't paint a picture for you, then I don't know what will," he continued.
"This is our life now, we can't beat them." Thomas finished with fear in his eyes.
Saoirse turned to him. "What do you mean we can't?" she demanded.
Thomas looked down, feeling ashamed to say all that. "Yeah, so what?" Eren piped up.
"We buckle, taking our line down?" Eren started. "Things have changed. Maybe not a hell of a lot but enough. They were the mystery they were five years ago. There's still a long way, but we've made progress. Every battle we lost taught us a lesson, gave us the tiniest in road something like hope. Your telling me its better to cut our losses? Let all the death and destruction be meaningless?! Just to ball it up and accept it? Not on your life!"
He tightened his fist. "Humanity's future lies outside the walls! And I'm gonna clear the way!" he continued. "I'm gonna take back what was ours!"
Tears began to appear. "I'll drive them out, and as long as at least one of us can say that! We're not done."
There was no reply from the other cadets as well, they all stayed silent, indicating that they somehow didn't get it. Eren turned away and ran out, sniffles heard from him, indicating he was crying.
"Eren! Wait!" Saoirse called out, in which she ran after him with her book in her hands, and Armin and Mikasa followed them as well.
Jean continued to watch them with a smug look on his face. Janessa turned to Keira and Marco. "I feel bad for him," she admitted. Keira sighed and nodded in agreement.
Eren was on the stairs, wiping his tears away. Saoirse sat beside him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Hey, on the bright side at least they didn't know they were cowards," Saoirse attempted to assure.
He didn't reply, and she looked away. "Sorry, I didn't mean to."
"It's fine," Eren replied.
They turned to see Armin and Mikasa walking towards them at sat down as well. "That was a...quite a speech you gave us there," Armin said.
"Yeah, most of it was yours," Eren replied.
"And mine." Saoirse added as she smiled when the two boys smiled at her.
Armin chuckled. "You too, Saoirse," he said.
"All those stuff you used to say back in the day," Eren continued.
Armin stared at him before turning away. "Yeah well I'm joining the Scout Regiment too!" he said.
Eren's eyes widened at this. "Now your just being stupid, come on!" he protested. He faced Saoirse for defense.
"He's telling the truth, Eren," Saoirse said. "He told me."
Eren faced his buddy again. "Your not a fighter! Your life is with books!" he said.
Armin looked down. "I'm through with letting other people fight for me," he insisted.
Eren looked at his buddy. Sure, Armin was all weak, but he is still willing to fight no matter how pathetic and weak he was even though he was into books. "Guess it's the Scouts for me too, then," Mikasa piped up.
Eren and Saoirse faced her. "Oh come on! Your the top of the class, your wasting your shot!" Eren said.
"I usually agree with you, but I thought the Scouts and fighting titans wasn't your thing," Saoirse joined.
Mikasa stayed calm. "Understand this you two," she started, earning more shocked looks from her brother and best friend. "Where you two go, I go."
"I made a promise to both of your moms before Eren's mother died and you left your mother with your cousin," she continued. "I'm not letting you two die. I've got your backs whether you like it or not. So just deal with it."
Eren turned away and he rubbed his head. "Yeah well mom's not here," he murmured.
"A lot of people I used to care about aren't here either." Mikasa said again.
Eren faced the ground. He knew about Saoirse's dream, but not Mikasa and Armin's. He looked up at the sky, where Armin noticed his glance and looked up as well. The two girls joined in as well, a shooting star caught their attention. They were gonna do it. They have graduated, and now all together, they would team up to free humanity.
Saoirse couldn't sleep that night. After a number of tossing and turning, she couldn't take it anymore. She eventually got up from her bed and walked outside for some fresh air whilst sitting at the porch. She glanced at the stars above in the dark of the night. They were shining into Saoirse's eyes, which made her smile.
"Hi Dad," Saoirse greeted, eyes focused on the sky. "I finally graduated today. Tomorrow I'll join the Scout Regiment for you, mother and Heather. I know that I didn't go for the top ten like you recommended, but I know your still proud of me. And I am happy to share that I finally found someone to love: Eren. He is the son of Dr. Yeager, and I'm really happy to have him here. I...I really love him dad. I will confess to him someday. I wish he will stay with me forever. And he is exactly like the character in my favorite book...Oh dad...I wish you were still here..."
She hugged her knees and small tears came out from her eyes. "We are forever grateful of your sacrifice. I hope we can see you again."
She wiped them, knowing her dad didn't want to see her cry. She was happy, because if he were still here, he would say how proud he was of his daughter. And she could bring Heather in too. Saoirse heard footsteps from behind her and turned to see Eren standing there. "Can't sleep?" he asked.
"Yeah, figured I could use air for a while," Saoirse said, moving aside and gesturing Eren to sit beside her.
He sat beside her and faced her. "So, what are you staring at?" he asked.
"Over there," Saoirse pointed at the stars.
Eren looked at the stars and quickly grew amazed by the sight of it. "Stars..."
Saoirse sighed and didn't realize the sight made her lean her head onto the crook of Eren's neck. As she immediately realized it, she jumped out of it and the two stared at each other with a very red face.
"S-Sorry Eren!" Saoirse apologized, turning redder by the minute.
"D-Don't apologize! I'm cool with it!" Eren insisted.
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
The two stayed silent again for a moment. Saoirse was pondering as well. She realized that she was reliving the romantic moments of her favorite couple from her favorite book, "The Hyacinth Willows."
Saoirse decided to break the silence by clearing her throat. "So, you couldn't sleep either?" she questioned.
Eren rubbed his neck. "Yeah, I guess..." he said.
"I guess we're even."
The two stayed silent for a second. Saoirse pointed at the stars again. "Those are the people who have sacrificed their lives for whom they have loved before they were gone on earth," she said. "Take...those two stars for example."
"Mhm, I see it," Eren said.
"Those must be our mom and dad, they did everything for us because they want us to live happily and freely," Saoirse said.
"Your right," Eren mumbled. "If mom were still here..."
"If dad were still here..."
The two stared at each other in awe, before breaking into laughter. Eren rested his shoulders on his knees. "I forgot to ask but-what happened to your dad anyway?" he asked, even though he was aware of his answer.
Saoirse faced him and looked down, sighing in sadness. Eren widened his eyes. "I-I'm sorry, forget it, I didn't mean to-"
"No, let me," Saoirse raised her hand up, and cleared her throat. "He was more than a father; a brother and best friend. He told me everything about the outside world and the Scout Regiment. My father and mother loved each other so much, they would never leave our side and join in sharing interests in us."
Eren nodded. "Go on," he insisted.
"Telling me about the outside world, the ODM Gear and the Military was the reason why I've became a bookworm," Saoirse admitted.
"I see..." Eren mumbled.
"On the day Wall Maria fell...after the expedition-"
"So you were there to see Moses' mother break down," Eren concluded.
Saoirse broke into laughter, but not for that reason. "Of course! My cousin Heather and I were there to see it!We never miss watching the Scouts go in and outside the walls. Now let me finish."
Eren laughed as well. "Okay," he replied.
Saoirse cleared her throat. "My father...he promised us to take us to the HQ of the Scouts," she said, before sighing where it seemed like she was about to cry again. "...He died before he did so."
Eren lowered his eyes. "I'm really sorry," he said. "He must have been lucky to raise a brave and smart girl like you."
"Thank you," Saoirse replied quickly. She adjusted her braids to keep Eren from noticing her very red face to the point her face was on the brink of combustion.
Saoirse faced him. "Tomorrow...my dream is about to come true," she said. "Our dream and my father's dream. With the four of us, we'll be able to take what was ours and live in peace and harmony Eren. My father has finally attained his wings of freedom but..he'll protect us."
"Of course Saoirse," Eren said, before gripping on Saoirse's hands tightly. "I-I'll promise to be there and protect you along with your father. A-And Armin and Mikasa too. I'll keep all of you safe and sound, whatever it takes."
Saoirse smiled. "I'm glad to have you, Eren..." she said.
"I'm glad to have you too, Saoirse..." Eren replied.
The brunette yawned. "I'm sleepy again..." she mumbled.
"We're even." Eren said.
Saoirse, who was tired already, she laid her head into the crook of Eren's neck, in which she closed her eyes. Eren couldn't stop the heat from increasing in his face. He was so red, he was worried his whole head is gonna explode, but he got the hang of it and wrapped his arm around Saoirse's body and held her tightly. However, Armin and Mikasa were watching from afar again and the two brown haired teens didn't notice...again.
"Watching them bond together makes me feel really happy," Armin said.
Mikasa nodded in agreement. "It makes me feel happy too," she said. "Don't you have any one you like, Armin?"
The blonde paused and turned red for a moment, rubbing his neck. "I-I..." he stammered.
He wouldn't let out the fact he likes a certain blonde-haired goddess.
The next day came, and the cadets went to their respective ways. They all gathered around the Trost District for some business with the Garrisons before they head to their designated legion. And it isn't a coincidence the Scouts were out for another expedition, again.
"Heads up! The main unit of the Scout Regiment is back!" A person called out. A blonde, tall man was riding over a gray horse. "That's right, Commander Erwin!"
The quartet was watching. Saoirse leaned over to Mikasa's ear. "That's my dad's friend," she whispered, with her friend nodding.
"Did you give those ugly bastards a refreshing..." they all continued to ask.
"Oh look, it's Captain Levi!" a man said.
He was referring to a short man with a deadpanned look, with black fountain hair, who was beside a brunette woman with glasses and behind a tall man with a mustache. Saoirse's attention attracted to a young girl that looked like she was in the early adult age, possibly between seventeen and twenty one, behind the said captain. She appeared to be shorter than Levi, and had big blue eyes, donning strawberry blonde colored hair with a bang covering her face and another one covering her ear and was tied into a braid. She happened to be staring at Levi, with over-heated pink cheeks that happened to be blush.
"I've heard he's really strong and talented in killing titans!" another civilian commented.
"Tch, spare me please," Levi grunted. The strawberry haired girl bit her lip.
The quartet, along with Hannah and Franz watched the scene. "The feels that everybody is?" Eren said happily. "It's just like the crowd has a different energy now."
"And they seem so happy, like nothing happened," Saoirse added.
Hannah turned to them, in which the quartet turned to her. "Well we are going on five years without incident," she said.
Saoirse winked. "You've got that right, Hannah!" she gave a thumbs up.
"Seems like a good omen." the freckled girl finished.
Her boyfriend Franz smiled. "And you should check out all the cannon upgrades," he piped up. "The site's not low enough to scare them off."
Hannah smiled. "That's the truth!" she replied.
Eren narrowed his eyes at them. "You in denial because your a couple?!" he grumbled. "What's that about?"
Armin giggled while Saoirse shrugged. Hannah and Franz turned red and looked away from each other, covering their blush with their arms. "Woah woah woah this isn't what it looks like, okay?" Hannah denied.
"Knock it off man it's embarrassing!" Franz said.
Saoirse leaned over to Armin's ear. "If these couple were book characters, I'd give it 2/5," she whispered.
"Definitely," Armin replied.
Eren growled. "Hey hey, look at here," a voice said.
They all turned to see a blonde man who was in the Garrison. "Mr. Hannes!" Eren called out.
Saoirse turned to him. "It's good to see you, Mr. Hannes!" she greeted.
Mikasa turned to her. "You know him?" she asked.
"My father's childhood friend," Saoirse answered.
"I see," Armin replied.
Hannes walked in front of the quartet with his friend following by. "Word on the streets here, you all graduated yesterday," he said. "And you've grown up in standards of plummeted."
Eren grinned. "Oh yeah like you wanna talk. The courts keep their new chief and then drink," he replied.
Hannes pricked the boy's head. "Watch it," he teasingly said.
He turned to Saoirse. "And you, little lady," he said. "I remember you. Your Ben's little girl, right?"
Saoirse nodded. "Yep!"
The man ruffled her hair. "Well I must say, your father would be very proud of you," he said.
"Thank you Mr. Hannes," Saoirse said. "I miss him."
"I missed him too," he replied. "Good friend of mine. He may be gone, but he will remain in our hearts."
"True that," Armin said, with Mikasa nodding.
Hannes' face suddenly turned dark. "I'm sorry if this is out of the blue, but I want you to know your mom's death still haunts me," he said.
Eren's eyes widened. Saoirse bit her lip. "Me too, but it wasn't your fault," he said. "We were shooting in the dark then. But nothing like that is gonna happen again. I know what we're dealing with right now."
Hannes blinked and stared at Eren.
Eren and Saoirse were assigned to work the cannons on top of the wall, along with Connie, Thomas, Samuel, Mina and Sasha, although she had left to do something.
"What? The hell your meaning you would join the Scouts?!" Eren asked in dismay. "What happened to the MP? That was your whole thing!"
"No kidding," Saoirse joined.
"Don't worry about it, the guys will have a lot to change their mind, okay?" Connie replied.
"I think your speech yesterday had fire under him," Mina piped up, walking over to Eren and Saoirse.
"Seriously?" Saoirse asked.
"Yeah," Mina replied.
"Ain't nobody talking to you!" Connie cried out, earning looks from Mina, Saoirse and Eren. "My tantrum has nothing do with it."
"Heh, denial never works depending on what it is," Saoirse said.
"Saoirse, too much logic," Mina replied.
The two girls laughed and high-five each other. "Take it easy," Thomas said, walking over to the scene. "It's not like your the only one."
He rubbed his chin with his finger and blushed a little bit. "What? Are you serious?" Eren asked.
"Okay, is everyone ganging up at the last minute?" Saoirse asked the crowd.
"Can you guys keep a secret?" Sasha's voice interrupted.
They all turned to see Sasha looking mysterious and hungry, while holding something that was hidden inside her jacket. "Cause I totally helped myself with the officers' pantry."
The teens gasped at the sight of the stolen meat. "Sasha, they can throw your butt in the cling for that!" Eren protested.
"Are you thinking this through? Cause it looks like your not guilty at all!" Saoirse said.
"Seriously, what is wrong with you?" Samuel asked.
"What isn't wrong with her?" Connie asked.
Sasha couldn't stop drooling from the thought of the food. "It'll be fine...I'm willing to share...oh...can you imagine the sandwiches?" she chuckled, like she was possessed.
Saoirse leaned over to Connie. "She's lost her marbles," she whispered.
Connie nodded. "True," he replied. "Put it back!"
"Yeah!" Mina joined. "Do you have any idea how rare meat's been since the titans took Wall Maria?"
Saoirse nodded. "Well, with that meat in your hands, you make no difference than a hungry boar," she said. "Look at the famine around here. People are struggling with food and bread, but mostly craving for meat! Don't you realize the work those people do in order to get meat?"
Mina nodded. "I love to say this, but Saoirse's right," she said, crossing her arms.
"Um...little bit, yeah," Sasha answered.
She walked over to the chests, opened it and placed the meat inside. "Just look at it this way," she assured. "Pretty soon, we'll take back all the room we need for livestock."
"Not helping," Saoirse mumbled under her breath.
Samuel sighed deeply. "I would like a slice please!" Samuel said with eyes closed.
"Hey! If she gets one then so do I!" Connie joined in. "Just so you know.
"Me too! I'm in on it too!" Mina gave in.
Eren widened his eyes. "B-But..." he stammered.
"Come on, Eren and Saoirse!" Samuel called for them. "Don't just stand there, seeing us slacking off, go for it."
"You've got us until lunchtime!" Mina chirped and walked away.
"Don't worry Eren, not falling for it," Saoirse assured.
Eren smiled. "Thank you," he said sarcastically.
Saoirse tightened her fist and stared at the town below. This is it. Saoirse declared in her head, looking motivated and determined with a smirk. We are finally gonna take back what was once ours. We were meant to have that freedom since the start of this world. Humanity's gonna win...and the battle starts...now!
Suddenly, as if on cue, a large thunder and explosion was heard behind. Very heavy steam filled the air immediately. All of the cadets looked at the source and was shocked to find...the Colossal Titan after five years. They all froze in fear, as if the world had stopped working, staring at the gruesome sight before them. The head of the Colossal one was looking sinister than ever. Before they could react, a large explosion shook the top of the wall, and a wave of steam pushed the cadets off, sending boulders flying in the air like before.
The steam and smoke had blew them off, sending them to fall and scream for help. This happened once years ago, and now it was happening all over again. "It's hot!" Eren shrieked.
"Here we go again!" Saoirse screeched.
Eren pulled his handgrip from it's place and triggered the wires to shoot towards the wall, stopping him from falling and leaving him hanging. Saoirse continued falling, screaming for help.
"Saoirse! Switch, now!" Eren cried out.
"Got it!" Saoirse said, grabbing hers. She triggered the wires, and the hooks latched on the wall, stopping her from falling as well and leaving her hanging.
The others noticed and triggered the wires to latch on the wall, stopping them from falling as well. They thought they were all safe, until they saw Samuel's unconscious body fall.
"Samuel!" Connie screamed.
Sasha let go of her hook and sprang into action. "Sasha!" Mina yelled.
"Sasha! What are you-" Saoirse shouted before getting interrupted when Sasha triggered the wires and latch onto Samuel's ankle halfway to the ground, saving him from the fall.
"Try not to move!" Sasha yelled, in a state of panic. "Understand?!"
He didn't reply. Eren looked at the ground below and immediately felt sick; the gate's been broken.
"Oh god!" Thomas shrieked upon seeing it as well.
"Not again...!" Eren mumbled.
"They're gonna get in...they're gonna get in...!" Connie panicked. "They're gonna get in!"
Eren looked at the breached wall and looked up. He was not willing to let history repeat. He let this happen once, he isn't gonna let it happen again. The images of her father's death immediately came back to Saoirse's mind and all the other deaths she had witnessed that day.
"Son of a-" Saoirse cursed. "This can't be happening again!"
"This is it people!" Eren suddenly yelled. The others faced him. "Move! Do or die! This is our move! Take out the Colossal Titan is our chance! Don't let it slip away!"
He drew his blades from the propeller with both of his hand grips and head up to face the Colossal Titan. "Eren! Where are you going?! Don't go alone!" Saoirse shrieked.
"Saoirse! You stay with us!" Sasha instructed. "We'll take care of Samuel!"
Saoirse nodded. Dammit...why today? I'm suppose to join the Scouts today! Oh God...don't let Eren get hurt!
Eren jumped in the air and shot his grappling hook towards the ground on top of the wall, twirling like a spinning top and landing on it with his feet. He looked up to the titan, eyes filled with vengeance and rage.
"Hey you," Eren said, facing the Colossal Titan's face. "It's been a while."
Yay! Another chapter done in a day. And I'm happy to share more Saoirse x Eren! OTP! Anyways, I gave a little sneak peek of my third main OC who will appear later when we are introduced to Levi. Please give a fav, follow or review! Thanks for reading! Arriverderci, my fellow readers...Awinx out for now!