Author's Notes: Holy Totoros 26 follows, 20 favorites, and 2500+ views! I just want to say thank you all so so much! Honestly, this story would not be where it is and as good as it is now if it weren't for your continued support and feedback! And since I have a pretty big announcement to make, I figure that posting a new chapter (chapter 10 nonetheless) would be the best way to celebrate! Ok, so here's the announcement: today was my very last day of school! I'm so happy that I'm done because it means I have much more free time to write and do stuff! Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this next chapter and don't mind the fact that I'm not great at writing romance!

Chapter 10: Confusion

Attraction is a strange thing. Most of the time we tell ourselves that we're genuinely not harboring feelings for someone when we're really in denial. Then when we are able to admit to ourselves that we have feelings for this person, we can't admit it to them. How can something so benign as romantic attraction be so confusing? -Annie's Journal

"Alright you little shits! Time to learn how to be proper soldiers and use the 3DMG as it was meant to be used!" Shadis shouted to the crowd of recruits.

They were all standing in front of the forest for their first lesson in using the three dimensional omnidirectional maneuver gear that was standard issue for all branches of the military. Bertholt and Reiner glanced nervously at each other, while Annie remained stoic. Since the two were the largest of the boys, they worried that they'd fumble around with the gear or get injured. However, since Annie had a small, lean build she likely wouldn't have too hard a time using the gear.

Annie looked around the crowd and spotted Eren chatting with Mikasa and Armin, as usual. Eren caught her stare and proceeded to smile and wave. Annie gave a little wave back, then turned back to chat with Reiner and Bertholt.

"I really don't want to do this. You know I'm bad with heights..." Bertholt whimpered.

"Says the person who can become a sixty meter high titan. Don't be so cowardly Bertl," Annie muttered.

"Hey Annie, not so loud! People might be listening..." Reiner whispered nervously.

Annie glared at Reiner. "I sincerely doubt that people are going to care about what I'm whispering to you when Shadis is lecturing them."

Reiner was silent for a few seconds, and then piped up again. "Are you and Eren a thing? Because I'm always seeing you training together during, and you wave at each other during lectures like this, and..."

Bertholt cleared his throat nervously, making Reiner stop talking. Annie though for a second what she would say. Sure, there was chemistry between her and Eren, but he was just her pupil. Besides, if there was anything romantic going on between them Mikasa would have probably gone berserk. There was also the matter of her mission and how getting close to people could have a detrimental impact.

"No," Annie said finally in a low tone. "He's a friend. Nothing else."

Bertholt breathed a sigh of relief, causing Annie and Reiner to turn toward him. Bertholt blushed from embarrassment and pretended to be paying attention to Shadis's lecture.

"Alright! Who wants to be the first to give this bad boy a try! Don't be shy, as long as you paid attention you'll know how this works!" Shadis barked, seeming to direct the last sentence at Annie, Reiner, and Bertholt.

Mikasa raised her hand, and Shadis motioned for her to step forward. "Ackerman, think you can handle this?"

"Yes, sir," Mikasa replied, saluting Shadis once she reached where he was standing.

Shaddis pointed out a 3DMG set beside him, then watched as Mikasa began attaching the gear to her belts. Once the belts were all secured, Mikasa waited for Shadis to inspect her gear. Shaddis gave a look of surprise after finishing inspecting Mikasa's gear, and turned to face the crowd.

"Your comrade has done a remarkable job here with her gear. I normally have to correct each trainee at least once or twice, but Miss Ackerman has put on her gear correctly on her first try!" Shadis praised.

"Thank you, sir," Mikasa replied quietly.

"Now, demonstrate for your fellow trainees what to do next! Launch up to the oak tree on my right side. It's about 30 meters from where you're standing currently," Shadis instructed.

Mikasa nodded, then launched the grappling wire out from her 3DMG. It struck the trunk of the oak Shadis had indicated, and Mikasa braced herself to be pulled forward. A second later, she flew through the air, pulled along by the wire. It seemed so effortless for her, and sure enough she landed in a branch of the tree without much hassle.

"Was that satisfactory, sir?" Mikasa called from the tree.

"Flawless. Absolutely flawless. Ackerman, you have a natural gift!" Shadis proclaimed. A smile began forming on his face, much to the surprise of the trainees.

"I didn't know it was possible for him to smile," Reiner whispered to Bertholt.

"Alright, who thinks they can repeat Ackerman's performance!?" Shadis shouted at the trainees.

"I'll go next!" a familiar voice shouted from the crowd.

Oh no. Surely Eren won't...But sure enough,when Annie looked up she spotted Eren walking up to their cruel instructor, grinning. The idiot will try to pull some stupid stunt and get hurt. He has to realize he's not going to get it right away like Mikasa.

"Haha! Looks like Suicidal Bastard is at it again! First he thinks he can kill all the Titans and now he thinks he can be as good at using the 3DMG as Mikasa!" Jean taunted loudly from the crowd.

"HEY! WHY DON'T YOU COME SAY THAT TO MY FACE YOU NO GOOD LAZY ASS HORSE-FACE!" Eren shouted back at Jean. He was pissed. His face was now a bright red and his green eyes had a feral look to them. Shadis grabbed Eren before the boy could make it back into the crowd, where he probably would have attempted to destroy Jean.

"Thank you, Kirstein, for volunteering after Jaeger takes his turn! As for you, Jaeger, get your ass over to that tree now!" Shaddis spat.

A few trainees laughed at Jean, who now looked confused and alarmed, mouth gaping open. Eren, still in a rage, clipped himself into the gear and launched the grappling wire at the tree Mikasa was in before Shaddis could thoroughly inspect the gear, and began flying through the air as soon as the wire was secured in a tree. Annie watched nervously, hoping that somehow Eren had secured himself properly and wouldn't get hurt. Please don't fall, please don't fall...

The impact was truly remarkable in how bad it went. Somehow Eren had managed to crash into the upper branches of an elm in the opposite direction of the tree he was supposed to land in, fall onto several branches, then drop 3 meters down to the forest floor. His gear swung in the tree branches, apparently having become detached when he fell.

"Is he dead?" Sasha asked from the crowd.

Shadis walked over to Eren, who was lying on the ground and moaning in pain. After eyeballing him, he called in an assistant, who slung the injured boy over his shoulder and walked back in the direction of the infirmary. Annie watched tensely as Eren was walked off, unaware that she was wringing her hands together. Bertholt noticed the uncharacteristically nervous behavior from the normally stoic blonde and let out a sad sigh.

"Alright. That is an example of what not to do while using 3DMG! Kirstein, your turn! Don't piss anyone else off today or else!" Shadis shouted.

"Oh fuck no! I am not getting into one of those death-traps!" Jean retorted.

"That's it! Kirstein, latrine duty for the next week! Insubordinate little shits like you need to learn to shut your mouths!" Shadis admonished. He then turned his piercing gaze toward Annie, Bertholt, and Reiner. "Now, since you three were having such a good conversation while I was giving you valuable instruction, let's see how much you actually paid attention! Leonhart, Hoover, Braun, step forward!"

Annie, Reiner, and Bertholt all exchanged a nervous look before walking up to Shadis. He handed them all their gear, and watched as Bertholt and Reiner nervously fumbled around with their's, while Annie studied her's. Annie fastened the gear into place, and waited for inspection. Not long after, Reiner got his gear fastened on as well. Bertholt continued fumbling around with his, growing more embarrassed the longer he took. Shadis inspected Annie and Reiner, then looked them in the eye.

"Leonhart, tighten your chest belt. Having a loose chest belt could seriously injure you from whiplash. Braun, adjust the position of your gear. It's too high up. It's supposed to sit around where the small of your back meets with your hips, but yours is at your waist. Otherwise, not bad, either of you," Shadis indicated. "As for Hoover..." he added, glancing over at Bertholt who still had not gotten his gear on.

Annie removed her jacket to readjust the chest belt, and caught Bertholt staring at her as she adjusted it.

"Do you mind?" Annie said in an irritated tone as she put her jacket back on. Bertholt looked away nervously and resumed struggling with his gear.

Shadis inspected Annie again and gave her the sign that she was clear to go. "Go to the same tree Ackerman is in. If you need assistance, she will provide it."

Oh, I'm so sure she'll help me. Annie rolled her eyes before launching her grappling wire out to the tree. It made contact with the tall trunk, and immediately she felt the tension in the wire. She triggered the wire to begin retracting, and was soon launched into the air. She zoomed over the forest floor and then began curving upward as she approached the tree. Once her grappling wire had almost fully retracted, she unsteadily swung over to a branch at the same level she was. Mikasa, who was a meter or so above Annie, glared down at the other girl but didn't say anything. Reiner, who was waiting for Annie to safely land in the tree, began his practice run and landed about half a meter below her.

"Excellent job! You three have done well for your first time using the gear. Now, clear out before the next few trainees try! For every person as good as Ackerman we have five people who as bad as Jaeger! Being around people as bad as that can get you injured easily as well!" Shadis barked.

Annie, Mikasa, and Reiner all slid down the tree and dispersed back into the crowd. Mikasa went back to Armin while Reiner chose a spot closer to the front of the crowd, ready to help Bertholt if necessary. Annie, meanwhile, began walking in the direction of the infirmary to see if Eren was alright. It felt strange for her to be concerned with another person's welfare, but she didn't question her decision to go check on him.

Once inside the infirmary, Annie spotted Eren lying on a cot. His head and chest were bandaged, and he had noticeable bruises on his arms and a black eye. He was moaning in pain and clutching his sides. Annie nervously walked over to Eren's cot and sucked in her breath.

"Hey," she said.

"Oh, hey Annie," Eren said weakly.

"You had quite the fall," Annie said in a patronizing tone, crossing her arms.

Eren laughed a little until it became a hoarse cough. "Yeah...I apparently busted up a couple ribs and gave myself a concussion. The medical officer said I was lucky I didn't get hurt any worse. How did the rest of practice go?"

"After my turn I decided to skip. It gets old watching people get tangled or land on their faces after a while," Annie replied. She then added quietly "Besides, I was worried about you..."

Eren seemed to perk up a little in response to Annie's remark. "What? Annie Leonhart was concerned about someone other than herself? I'm shocked."

Annie slugged Eren in the shoulder and then smiled a little. Eren yelped in pain and grasped his shoulder. "What was that for!?"

"That was for making me worried about you, idiot!" Annie teased. She then sat down on the bed next to Eren and watched as he readjusted. She looked at Eren and felt herself blush as she smiled faintly at him. Eren managed a weak smile back at Annie.

"Did Horse Face get called out by Shadis?" Eren asked, snapping Annie out of her thoughts.

"He mouthed off to Shadis and is on latrine duty for the next week," Annie replied, slightly annoyed by the change of topic.

Eren's eyes flashed wickedly. "I hope someone eats something absolutely disgusting this week! He has to suffer!" Suddenly Eren pressed into the cot and moaned.

"Don't move so much. One of the most important things I learned from training is that if you don't give the body time to heal you'll pay for it later," Annie lectured.

The two paused as the doors to the infirmary opened. Marco entered, limping with blood soaking his right pant leg. Behind him were Sasha and Connie, leaning on each other. Both had bruises and scratched covering their faces. The three claimed cots in different areas of the infirmary and pulled up the privacy curtains. Suddenly, Annie felt something grabbing her hand. She looked down and saw it was Eren, who was holding her hand in his.

"Thanks for coming to visit me, Annie. It really means a lot to me to have such a thoughtful person in my life..." Eren sighed.

Annie looked at Eren sadly. I wish I could be what you think I am, but I'm not. I'm just a coward and a warrior who's failing at her duty.

"Annie, there's something I want to tell you," Eren began softly. "I...think I like you."

Annie stared blankly at Eren. "I like you too. We're friends after all."

Eren sighed. "No, not like that. I like you like you. I'd like to be your boyfriend."

Annie gasped and started blushing. No. I can't say anything. I'm a warrior first, and even if I do have feelings for him I can't let that cloud my thinking. But before she could stop herself she blurted out "I think I like you too."

"Heh, really?" Eren asked, smiling. "This is great!"

Annie remained silent and just continued to stare at the injured boy. I can't believe I admitted that to him. I shouldn't have admitted that to him.

Eren closed his eyes and sighed happily. "Once I'm feeling better, we'll talk about this more, right?"

"Of course," Annie said quietly, still somewhat shocked by what she had said. Eren let go of her hand and looked up at her, a dopey grin on his face.

"See you tomorrow?" Eren yawned.

"Sure," Annie replied, walking away from Eren. As Annie headed toward the doors, she bumped into Mikasa, who had a couple of Eren's belongings in her arms.

Mikasa stared at Annie, clearly unhappy to be in her presence. "What are you doing in the infirmary? You didn't get hurt, and neither did Bertholt or Reiner."

Annie looked up at Mikasa, disinterested and eager to leave. "I was visiting a friend," Annie said in an emotionless voice.

"You were trying to see Eren, weren't you? I've told you before; I don't like you being around him. The last thing he needs in his life is someone like you," Mikasa accused.

Annie clenched her fist. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Someone who only cares about themself. You never seem interested in what happens to other people and I honestly don't think you care about other people at all. I'm convinced that you're just leading Eren on by pretending to care about helping him get better at combat," Mikasa growled.

It would have been very tempting to punch Mikasa, but instead Annie just walked away. "I'm done here."

An hour later Annie was in her clearing, throwing a fit. Branches and logs were thrown across the clearing, leaves scattered everywhere. Mikasa had some nerve to accuse her of being someone Eren didn't need in his life. Annie slumped down to the forest floor and hid her head behind her knees. Mikasa...if I ever get the chance to kill you I will. I'll crush your pathetic face with my bare hands.

She realized how worked up she had become, and breathed in slowly, hoping to calm herself down. One wrong move now and she could change into her Titan form, which would blow her cover. Reiner and Bertholt would have to continue the mission alone, and she'd be forced into hiding. Maybe I'm not a good person for Eren to associate with. I'm a warrior before anything else. If I become involved with him, he would just get in the way and could get hurt...or worse...

Annie reached into her hoodie pocket and pulled out the picture of her family. She stroked the image with her thumb and let out a sad chuckle. "I wish one of you were here to tell me what to do in this situation. I know I like Eren." Annie paused for a moment, letting what she had admitted to herself sink in. "But I can't get distracted from my mission by personal feelings...I guess that's my answer then. He'll just get hurt if he becomes too close to me."

Annie got up and began walking back to the barrack. Once she stepped inside, she heard a strange noise coming from one of the bunks. She looked for the bunk the noise was coming from, and spotted two different sized arms and three feet sticking out from the sheets. Annie yanked the sheet off, exposing Hannah and Fritz. Naked.

"Oops," Annie said sarcastically.

Hannah turned bright red. "Aah! Annie! Give us that sheet back right now!" she shouted.

The few other girls in the room, including Ymir and Mina, all turned to look at what was going on.

"Hahaha! Look at Fritz! He's so tiny!" Ymir burst out laughing.

Fritz turned beet red and grabbed the nearest object he could find to cover himself, which turned out to be Hannah's bunkmate Ruth's pillow. Fritz held the pillow to his crotch and hobbled out of the barrack awkwardly. Hannah, still naked, gave Annie a furious look.

"Hey Fritzy, be sure to wash that pillow off before you give it back to Ruth. I'm sure she would appreciate her pillow to not have your ball sweat all over it!" Ymir called as Fritz shut the door to the barrack.

"Give me that!" Hannah spat as she yanked the sheet out of Annie's hands.

Annie walked away from Hannah and climbed up to her bunk. Mina grinned at Annie.

"What you did to Hannah and Fritz was pretty good! I was gonna say something but I didn't have the guts to!" Mina whispered.

Annie didn't respond, and fell back on her pillow with a heavy sigh. Mina frowned and scooted over to her bunkmate. "Hey, is everything okay? Are you upset about Eren getting hurt during training? I know how close you two have gotten. Whenever I sit with them in the canteen he always mentions how excited he gets from training with you and how glad he is that he's met you."

Annie remained silent for a while, before finally sitting up and saying in an emotionless voice. "Eren said that he likes me."

"Eeek! Annie, this is big news!" Mina squealed. "Do you like him back? Are you two gonna get together? Have you guys kissed?"

"I can't be with him," Annie interjected in her emotionless tone.

"What? Why not?" Mina asked, disappointed.

Annie tucked a stray hair behind her ear and looked down. "I just can't."

Mina moved away and sighed. "You shouldn't write it off completely now. He might get really hurt if you just say no and don't tell him why."

Annie looked up at Mina with a blank expression. "He's just a boy. There will be others. My mind is made up."

That's a lie and you know it, Annie thought angrily as she looked down again. You know you want to be with him. It's unfair that Hannah and Fritz get to be together when I can't be with the person I have feelings for! Annie leaned back against her pillow and sighed sadly. At least, I won't let myself be with him. Maybe Mina has a point for once. I shouldn't ignore the possibility of having a relationship with Eren. I should at least let myself give it a chance.