I have been slowly working on this chapter for a while. I have some ideas bouncing around my head for the time skip that occurs during this piece of the story. Hopefully I can start working on the next chapter soon. I am going to do my best to get another chapter out before the end of the weekend.

As I have stated before I don't own any characters from Shingeki no Kyojin, they all belong to the lovely Hajime Isayama. The only characters I own are the ones I made up. Also, I did not make the image I am using. That image was found online and all rights belong to original designer.

I've got to move faster.

Alise rested her body against a tree in an attempt to catch her breath. The training course was still empty, and she knew no one would be around for a few hours. Despite that knowledge, she knew that she could not stay out here for long. Xevera would want her back by a certain hour so that they could run through the drills again with the squad. This time it was all about sparring which would make things a bit easier on her. The group didn't have to be up for another two hours, which gave her more time to work. While she had been out training for over three hours, she had still only managed to shave a second off of her record. If she could shave off three seconds, then she would feel rather accomplished.

"Let's make this one count."

Alise shifted her feet and looked up at the trees above her. Before she moved, she studied how each branch was. To truly be able to move through the trees, she wanted to use as few branches as possible. Every time that she had to stop to reposition herself, a second was counted against her. Rotating had helped her pick up speed, and possibly using pieces of the tree. The best method had to be using her momentum to her advantage. Being able to propel forward allowed her to glide with ease. If she was going to truly glide, then she needed to use as much momentum as possible. The placement of her hooks was crucial. Striking the tree to high would throw her off balance and too low would only slow her down. Alise tilted her head as she looked over the tree.

After studying the trees for a while, Alise pushed off of the ground. She did her best to avoid the trees and did not bother to go after any of the targets. This run was about finding the groove she had ignored so long ago. As she flung herself through the air, she felt a smile creep across her face. There was something in the way that she cut through the air that told her she had found something. When she shifted to use her gear, the air did not sound the same around her. Alise landed on a branch and ended the counter. Time was not important right now. She had found something, and it was all done by accident.

This entire time, she had been using her eyes in hope of finding a sweet spot. Using her eyes was not the correct answer. Feeling was the key to the problem. Her instincts had gotten her far in the past and after she lost Sabrina, she turned them off. If she was going to get anywhere she needed to get back to that point. Alise looked towards the course that lay in front of her. She had memorized every inch of it and her body knew when to react. Instead of finishing the area with her eyes wide open, Alise closed her eyes and took off. She listened to the wind that passed by her. When her body called to her, she fired her gear and continued moving forward. It took her a moment to find the sound of the wind that called to her. When it finally called to her, she made sure not to lose it.

The moment did not last long and before she knew it, she was landing on the ground back at the start of the course. Alise took a moment to catch her breath and looked up at the sky. She had no idea what time it was, but she was certain she was late. Xevera was sure to have her head for being late. Alise had promised Xevera that her personal training would not get in the way, and already she was breaking her promise. Adjusting her attire was not important, she would make sure to fix it during the ride.

Alise had just placed on her jacket when she heard the sound of hoofbeats approaching her. She had thought the horses would pass by her, but then came the sound of voices.

"Hault!"

Alise brought her horse to a stop and glared at the men that dared to slow her down. She should have known that the Military Brigade would get in her way. Dealing with them was not at the top of her list. If she did not get back to her sister, she was certain Xevera would have her head.

"I don't have time for your games. What is it that you want?"

"Watch your tone. You are to come with us?"

"On what charges?"

"For the murder of Hange's Titans."

Murder, now that was an odd phrase to use on a Titan. They killed Titans all the time, but she supposed this was different. Hange's Titans were crucial to getting a better understanding of how those creatures acted. While she found the way he phrased the matter to be odd, she didn't fully focus on that. These men clearly did not know her relationship with Hange. While she found Hange to be odd at times, she would do nothing like this to hurt her.

"You have the wrong person. I would never do anything like that. You all are wasting your time on me."

"We followed the path that the killer would take. You were moving rather quickly from the direction of the crime."

"That is your logic. If you must know, I just left the training course. It is just a coincident that we crossed paths. As for the speed, I was supposed to meet my captain a long time ago. That is the only reason I was moving that fast."

"You can explain everything once we take you in. Resisting will only make things worse for you."

Alise hated the cocky look that the man held on his face. She wished that she could have knocked it off of him but reframed from touching him instead. Reluctantly she followed behind the pair. The worse part seemed to come from the looks that the people gave her as she passed through. It was hard to tell what they were thinking, and she didn't care. While she wished she could have dropped her head, she would not allow it. Allowing her head to fall would mean that she was guilty. She had done nothing wrong and she was not going to allow them to think that. Despite what they said or thought, she was innocent. When the horse ride ended, Alise followed them into their building. Instead of being taken to a room, the pair shoved her into a cell and kicked it close behind them.

"What is the meaning of this. You said I would be questioned."

"When Commander Dok arrives, he will deal with you. Until then I suggest you get comfortable."

"This is how the Military Brigade works. You all are just as corrupt as the people whose boots you lick."

"You better watch your mouth."

"Sorry to offend you cowards."

Alise kicked the bars in front of her and allowed herself to sit down on the bed in the room. The men that guarded her paid her no further mind as they played their card game. While they played, Alise listened to them talk about the promotion they were sure to get. It was not until another man came in speaking about the soldiers and trainees being cleared, that she learned of the pairs name. The man that never spoke to her was named Gustavo and the other was named Eita.

"Could you all at least offer me a glass of water."

"Keep quiet."

Out of frustration, Alise grabbed a hold of the bars and began screaming at them. This was completely unfair. She was certain that there were rules that needed to be followed when it came to matters such as this. They were treating her as if she was some low-down common rat from the Underground. What made this day even worse for her was the fact that she knew what was to come when the sun went down.

Alise looked away from the pair and out towards the window. To think tonight was the Recruit Solicitation Ceremony. This was where the trainees decided where they wanted to go. She wanted to be there when Commander Erwin spoke to them. This was going to be a life changing choice for all that heard his words. From the ones that chose the Survey Corps, Xevera would be given the ones that held some promise. Commander Erwin never gave her the ones that lacked anything. When she thought about it, that was kind of amusing. Her squad tended to have the highest death rate and yet he still did not give them crap. It was hard to tell what was going through his mind at times. She was not going to question his choices.

Not being able to see his choices is what annoyed her the most. She had missed his speech in the past and now she was going to miss it again. This time it was because of the Military Brigade. Alise's knuckles started to turn red as her grip tightened on the bars.

"When will your captain be here?"

"How do you know I am not the captain?"

Eita spoke with so much confidence that Alise found it hard to believe that he could stand himself.

"Nothing about you screams captain. I am rather intrigued that you somehow managed to find a silent follower."

"I am not his follower."

Despite what Gustavo said, he did not sound all that certain. It was as if he was questioning what he was doing.

"Does lap dog sound justified or are you two a pair?"

Alise glared at Gustavo when he threw a cup in her direction. The contents ruined her jacket since the bars kept her from being struck by the cup.

"You were warned."

"Your warning means nothing to me. When I get out of here and speak to my Commander, you all will pay dearly."

"Your commander does not mean anything to use. It is you that should fear our Commander."

"I find it hard to fear anyone that finds shelter behind the Walls."

When Eita went to move, Gustavo quickly grabbed him by his arm.

"If the Commander comes soon then he will integrate her. If we want to insure our promotion, then we will need to get her to confess first."

Alise raised an eyebrow when Gustavo spoke. This whole time he had been the silent one. He was slow to anger, and she did not pick up on anything malicious. As she looked him over now, it was becoming clear that it had all been a part of his plan. She had thought that Eita was the mastermind behind it all, but she was wrong. Gustavo lack of emotion and silence was just a game. As he stepped towards her, she could finally see the well-hidden mad man. Even though she knew she was in trouble, Alise refused to buckle.

"You will get no confession out of me."

Gustavo adjusted his jacket as he moved towards Alise.

"If you know what is good for you, you will write up a confession and sign it. If you don't want to take the easy way out, then we will beat you into submission."

Alise backed away from the bars and motioned with her hand that there was nothing but space. Years of living on the streets taught her to never back down from a fight. She was second in command of the Grim squad. The soldiers in her sister's squad were sure to look down upon her, if she backed down. What troubled her the most was the thought of Levi looking down on her. When her cell door opened, Alise tossed her jacket onto the bed.

It came as no surprise that Gustavo did not make the first move. Instead he stood in the background and urged Eita to attack. Like an obedient dog, Eita charged at her. Dealing with Eita was far from challenging. His moves were predictable, and his hits lacked power. It was no wonder he chose to hide behind the Walls. If he stepped foot outside for one moment, she was certain he would not make it back. Knowing that she was stronger than him caused her to become slightly cocky. Alise slammed her fist into his gut and then brought his face down into her knee. The crunching sound that filled the air only brought a smile to her face. It was not the pain she inflicted that caused her to smile. As she fought them, she felt in sync with her body. Her movement took her back to a time when she was certain that she could pass Xevera up in a fight.

Before she could attack Eita again, she felt something wrap around her neck. Alise went to grab at the object, only to feel herself being lifted off of the ground. As she struggled to remove the cord from around her neck, Eita slammed his fist into her rib cage. Eita managed to land a few more shots before Alise kicked him away from her. Instead of going back for the cord, Alise balled her fist up and slammed it into Gustavo's groin. The slight buckle was all she needed to break free of his grasp. While she wanted to strike, Alise backed away to gather her breath. The stinging from around her neck told her that she would be left with a mark.

Once she collected her breath, Alise went back on the attack, this time starting with Gustavo. It was amusing that he tried to use the cord to strike her. When he went to strike again, Alise grabbed onto the cord and pulled him close to her. In an attempt to bring him down to her level, Alise stepped to the side and slammed her foot into the back of his knee. When he leaned over, she grabbed a chunk of his hair and slammed his face into bars. Before she could do any further damage, Eita rejoined the fight.

Alise continued to hold her ground and let out an amused chuckle when Gustavo went to attack her again. The longer she fought, the harder she found to hold back her anger. These men had ruined her day and she wanted them to pay. Unlike when she snapped on her sister, she had complete control this time. The anger she had bottled up from her fight with Levi and with Xevera was ready to come out. Alise jumped onto Gustavo's back and wrapped her arm around his neck. Her mind was screaming for her to put him to sleep. Her grip around his neck started to tighten when Eita grabbed a hold of her waist. Eita had pulled hard enough for her to release her grip. The pull also caused Gustavo to drop to his knees. While she was in Eita's grasp, Alise quickly wrapped her legs around Gustavo's neck.

Out of desperation, Eita had fallen to the ground in an attempt to pull her free. When his arm moved around her neck, Alise brought it up to her mouth and sunk her teeth into him. His screams were rather enjoyable, but she was not going to focus on that. Instead she continued biting him hoping that he would eventually let go.

"Alise!"

It was the sudden call of her name, that caused Alise to look up at the source. Standing at the entrance of her cell was Misun. She could tell that he was furious, and this was her first time ever seeing him like this. Alise released her grip on Gustavo and Eita did the same to her. As she gathered herself up, she listened to what Misun had to say.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"They brought me here under false charges. When I refused to write a false confession, they both attacked me."

Eita spoke up quickly when Alise stopped talking.

"That is not true. We caught her fleeing the crime scene."

"I was leaving the training grounds and you jerks said I came from the city."

"Gustavo, what do you have to say about this?"

"We caught her fleeing the city as Eita said."

"As your captain, was I notified of such an arrest."

"We had told the messenger to retrieve you and Commander Nile." Gustavo spoke softly when he addressed Misun.

"No, your message is directed to Commander Nile. If I had not run into your messenger, I would be clueless as to what is going on."

Gustavo moved to stand up but did not look into Misun's eyes as he spoke.

"We would not lie to you captain. We did send word to you. I wrote the letter myself."

"Did you all conduct a proper investigation?"

Alise's attention shifted from Misun to Levi as he stepped into the room. He held an unamused expression on his face. She wanted to ask him why he was there but decided to remain silent. Despite the question that was asked, neither man spoke up.

"Answer the question. Alise claims to have left the training grounds. While you had her here, did any of you go to check if her story was true."

Misun's tone grew colder when he addressed the pair again.

"We were going to once you all came here."

Eita's confidence was long gone. The look Eita gave Gustavo said that he wanted Gustavo to back him up or come up with something clever. Gustavo did no such thing and remained silent.

"A proper investigation was not done. If you would have done your job, then you would have learned that someone from the Garrison saw her at the training grounds a few hours before the attack. Your lack of diligence has only caused more tension to arise between our Divisions. You two are to head to my office now."

Levi made a disapproving sound as the two crossed his path. Levi's eyes then shifted towards Misun.

"These are your men. They say a lot can be learned about a captain by observing his men."

"These men don't reflect anything about me. I was just given them after my marriage. I respectfully ask for you to hold your judgement until a few months from now."

As Levi and Misun spoke, Alise gathered up her jacket and began placing it on slowly. She didn't care what the two had to say. She needed to get back to Xevera before the ceremony tonight.

"Thank you Misun."

"Hold your thanks, I am not the real hero. While I would like to talk to you, there are matters I need to attend to."

Once Misun was gone, Alise followed behind Levi. She had no idea what was going on, but she needed to know how he knew how to find her.

"Here I thought you hated me."

"I said you were a disappointment, I never said I hated you. Besides, I did not go out looking for you. You have Tanith to thank for that."

"Why would she grab you instead of Xevera."

"I was still in the city talking to Commander Erwin after the incident. She had no idea where Xevera had gone. While I told her to go find your captain, Commander Erwin said it was best I grab Misun. It was just a coincident that you happened to be captured my one of his men."

"What took you all so long then?"

"He had to conduct his own investigation to ensure you were innocent. Being family does not mean anything to him. His duty comes first."

Alise made a sound of understanding and followed him towards their horses. She had thought about saying something else to him but reframed from opening her mouth. When he was gone, Alise took her leave and headed back towards her base. She already knew that her sister was going to say something to her. When she entered her base, she was greeted by Xevera and Tanith. The look on their faces, caused her to give them a warm smile.

"I am okay, no need to look like that."

Alise tensed up when Tanith wrapped her arms around her.

"I thought the worse when I saw them bring you in."

"I would have been back sooner, but Misun did an investigation after he was notified."

Xevera shook her head slightly to disagree with Alise's words.

"It was not just Misun, Levi did one as well."

"How do you know?"

"I told her."

Tanith spoke up quickly and began to fill Alise in on everything that had transpired.

"I could not find Xevera, so I went looking for Erwin. When I found Erwin he was speaking with Levi. I told them everything that I saw, in hopes that Erwin could do something for you. With the ceremony being so close, he decided to place Levi in charge of freeing you. Levi was the one that went around trying to gather information on you. While he did that, I went around trying to find out who was in charge of the men that brought you in. After I got my answers, I tracked down Misun. I will say that when he heard it was you, he was not happy. He said an investigation had to be done since this was a sensitive matter. Levi had returned around that time and that was when I was told to come back here to let Xevera know of everything. Misun assured me that you would be here shortly."

Alise stood silently as she thought about what Tanith had said. It was the exact opposite of what Levi had told her. Misun was doing an investigation, but it was Levi that did all of the hard work. The Commander had told him to do the job, so what was the point of lying to her. All he had to say was the Erwin told him to look into the matter. He did no such thing and she wondered what could have been going through his mind. While she thought over the matter, she did not bother to say anything to her sister or friend.

"In the end I suppose it is you that I need to thank. It turns out they were going to go straight to their commander with false information. No matter, Misun is dealing with them now."

"If he knows what is best for him, he will show them no mercy."

Xevera spoke with her arms crossed. The look in her eyes said that she was not happy about what had happened. In an attempt to get them past the matter, Alise decided to change the topic.

"I need to change clothes so that we can get ready for tonight. It is a big night for us after all and I want to hear Commander Erwin's speech. Tanith, I think your captain will want you there as well."

"I was going just to hear Erwin. Tonight is my night off, so I am free to do as I please."

Alise should have known that Tanith would not miss a moment to be around Erwin. One of these days, she hoped Tanith would gather the courage to say something to him. Even if her friend did say something, she was sure that Erwin would not feel the same. In all of her years knowing him, he had never taken interest in a partner. She had heard stories of him bedding women, but that was as far as the story went. Maybe Tanith would be the lucky one or maybe she would just be another heartbroken woman. Tanith knew the risk and Alise was not going to get in her way.

"Since it appears that you will be leaving with us, excuse me as I go get ready."

It didn't take Alise long to get ready. Since this night was special, Xevera invited her entire squad to join them. There was no telling which of the recruits would be joining their squad, so all had to be treated with respect. Some would be able to see their siblings or other family members for the first time in a while. Alise just hoped that if any had any siblings, they would join the Garrison. There was no point in a family losing their offspring. She could not stop what people wanted to do. She had joined the Survey Corps for her own reasons and the others would surely have their reasons.

Once they left, it did not take them long to reach the area where all the recruits were gathered. Her squad moved away to celebrate in the town, while Alise joined Xevera off stage. From where they were standing, Alise could see all of the trainees faces. Some looked excited while others looked anxious. It was a common thing to see, especially since their lives would be forever changed. When the Commander began speaking, Alise found herself feeling slightly moved. Erwin made no real promises to the trainees, but he did give them an idea of what the future held. Reaching the basement of Eren's home was crucial and she longed for the day that they were free of Titan suppression. What the commander was sharing made her wonder what was up his sleeves. This man tended to always have a secret agenda in some way. It was like he was playing chess and only he knew where to place the pieces correctly.

Hearing about Wall Maria caused her to turn her head slightly. When he went on to mention that ninety percent of the corps had been lost in four years, Alise cringed slightly. She could still picture some of the faces of those that fell. On bad nights she could hear their screams echoing in the depths of her mind. This type of information was sure to scare away a lot of potential help. It was a risky move to make and she found herself questioning what the commander's logic was. The more he talked, the more she wondered about his sanity. He was not painting a promising picture and she could tell the trainees were not being moved in the right direction.

The fact that the trainees would be pushed out beyond the Walls within a month was something she was sure would break them. Erwin had already told them in a sense that a lot of them would die. If they did not die then, then they could die later on. He was not sugar coating anything. He was her commander and she assured herself that he had a good reason for this. When the time came for the trainees to decide what they would do, Alise could only stand and watch. She watched as most of the people turned to leave his presence. What surprised her was the number of trainees that decided to stay. Despite the grim numbers, these individuals were willing to place their life on the line again. They had seen hell before but experiencing hell outside of the Walls was something else.

Alise looked upon the faces of the ones that stayed behind. They were all young faces and they all looked rather nervous. She felt for them, which was something she rarely experienced. While she did feel for them, she knew better than to get attached to them. Getting attached would only cause problems. She could care for them, but that was far as she was willing to go. Those captains that got too attached over the years made bad calls. It was those type of calls that got them killed or their entire squad. Even though she knew she was not a captain, the soldiers in her squad still looked up to her. She was in charge when Xevera was away and because of that she had to keep a leveled head. One of these days she was sure she would be able to balance caring and not caring. For now, she would just continue to watch Xevera.

Hearing that there were thirty-five new recruits caused a small smile to form on Alise's face. These trainees were brave enough to place their lives on the line and she respected them for that. Now more than anything, she was curious to see who would be joining her squad. She doubted any would be placed in Levi's group since they were hand selected and had to prove their worth. As Alise looked over Erwin she wondered what plan was going through his mind. Before she could focus on such a matter, Xevera nudged her side.

"Come along, it is time we introduced ourselves."

Alise followed behind Xevera as she made her way onto the stage. Erwin had stood off to the side and Alise decided to stand by his side while her sister spoke. While she wanted to ask him some questions, she remained silent for the time being.

"There are so many promising faces out there. I am Captain Xevera and some of you all will have the privilege of being placed in my squad. You all may not know this, but I am in charge of the infamous Grim Squad. We have the highest death rate out of all of the squads, but that does not define us. If you are placed in my squad, know that I will look out for you until your final breath. When I am not standing by your side, rest assured that my second in command, Alise, will be there to support you. We may have the highest death rate, but we don't go down easily. Your will and determination will determine if you become another statistic or if you will defy the odds."

Alise saluted the new recruits with her sister and left the stage with her sister. Only when the Commander dismissed the new recruits, did Alise bother to look at him again. She had been about to move towards him, when she noticed him coming her way.

"Alise, I heard about what happened. Are you okay?"

"I am fine and thank you for your help."

"I will not allow them to falsely accuse any of soldiers. I will be checking in with Nile to assure that things have been handled."

Alise wanted to tell Erwin that Misun was sure to have handled the matter but decided against it. If Misun had done his job, then he would have nothing to worry about. She just hoped that whatever Misun decided to do would not be overturned.

"You really don't hold anything back Commander Erwin."

Tanith had appeared rather quickly by Alise's side. While she was sure their conversation would be amusing in some way, Alise decided it was best to not even listen. Instead she excused herself and went to be with her squad. They were sure to be in a good mood and with what was to come, she wanted to help in keeping their morale high. As she moved through the dining hall, she noticed Levi was standing off to the side. She thought about going past him, but stopped in her tracks.

"Captain Levi."

The look he flashed her said that he was not in the mood for an argument. It also encouraged her to keep on talking.

"I wanted to know why you didn't tell me the truth earlier."

"I didn't need you getting any ideas. Besides what does it matter who conducted the proper investigation."

"It does not matter, but at the same time it does. I know you only did it because of the commander. At the same time, you could have half done the job."

"I never half do anything."

"I know that, I was just saying. You know it does not really matter, thank you for assisting me."

Alise had turned to walk away but stopped in her tracks.

"When I was training this morning, something inside of me woke back up. I didn't notice how much of me woke up until I had to hold my own in the cell. You were right, I did stand in my way because I was scared of being taken away from Xevera. While I still hold that fear, I don't want to be weak anymore. I want to be stronger, despite what the outcome may be. Getting there is not easy and training with Xevera will not do it."

"Get to the point."

"I want you to train me."

Alise brought up her hand quickly to stop Levi from saying anything.

"I know you are not my captain and I know you are not responsible for me. I am asking this because I know you can push me. I am use to fighting Xevera and I need something new. You did not hold anything back and you can read me. It does not have to be every day. It can be when you have some free time."

"I have a lot of planning to do with this upcoming expedition. I need to make sure that Eren is ready as well."

"One training then. I always wanted to ask you to train with me, but things happened."

Levi remained silent for a while and then he spoke up.

"I should have known you wanted something by the way you addressed me. I will train with you for one time. If you disappoint me again, I will make you pay for it. I will not go easy on you like I did during our last sparring match. Are we clear?"

"I completely understand."

"Meet me at my base in two days after the sun has gone down. Don't be late pipsqueak."

Alise's eyebrow twitched when he insulted her. Instead of saying anything, she nodded her head and took her leave. She had only one chance to prove herself and she was not going to let him down again. With this expedition approaching, she needed to be ready. During the day she would focus on the squad and at night she would make it all about herself. This month was going to be trying on her body, but she was ready for the challenge.