"Great, a forest." It has been about fifteen minutes since Christa rescued Reiner, Jean, Armin, and I. Now we ride adjacent to a large forest, apparently in the path of the formation. No orders have been given to enter the forest, so we decided to ride on the border. Along the way, we picked up two other rookies, though I cared not for their names.

"Hey now, what are we doing at this sightseeing spot? Now we're really straying from our original destination and our return point."

"I don't know. I don't know, but this is what Commander Erwin decided. He seems to have some plan in mind, but…"

Jean scoffs. "Plan? Are you kidding me? What, is he gonna throw a welcome party for us at this tourist spot?"

Armin shakes his head. "No, I don't think so."

"It was a joke. Either way, we got that giant female after us. Regardless of what plan he has, we can't afford to stop here. My guess is we're passing through here on our way to somewhere else." Something tells me Jean is wrong, that there is a plan for these forests. I just wish I knew what the Commander is thinking.

A Scout rides up ahead of us, signaling us to stop. "All soldiers, halt!" We stop in front of him as he begins to point to the forest. All right, listen up, rookies! We're going to take up intercept positions! Unsheathe and wait in the trees. If any Titans try to enter the forest, stop them with full force!"

By this time, we had tied our horses to the trees and assembled in front of the Scout. However, I'm sure we all thought our orders were strange. Jean is just brave enough to voice it. "Huh? Umm, sir? Why would we need to-"

"Shut up and follow orders!" The Scout turns and rises in the air to a large branch.

"You've gotta be kidding me. What the hell's happening?"

I sigh. "Well, whatever. Let's just get to the trees, see what happens."

"This is insane. First, we abandon our original plan of establishing a logistics base. Then, instead of running home with our tails between our legs like we should, we go on a daring sightseeing tour. And if that wasn't enough, now we're supposed to stand here and keep Titans out of the forest?"

I sit on a branch close to Christa's position on our tree, between her and the pair of Armin and Jean on the adjacent large plant. Jean looks out to the fields, either talking to Armin to out loud to himself. I must agree with him, however. Sitting here, waiting for the Titans, it doesn't sit well with me even though I might understand the Commander's plan.

With the trees, we can use ODM, with the height, we can be safely out of reach of the largest of normal-type Titans. Assuming the Female Titan has caught up to us, she will go after Eren, now that I assume he's in the center ranks. Remove the annoyances that are the Titans, lead the Female to Eren...then kill her using the advantage of the environment and ODM.

I just hate being bait again. I adjust my cloak and turn to Christa. "Just like in Trost, huh? We're baiting Titans while the real target enacts their plan."

Christa smiles. "I recall you were unhappy to not be with the elites."

"That how I am feeling right now." I look down to the forest floor many meters below. Imagine if I fell right now and didn't use my ODM. One long drop, one big splatter. I shake my head, I'm really thinking about dying right now? I laugh, almost deserving of a trip to the mental asylum. I turn to Christa, who looks at me with concern.

"You okay?"

"I thought about falling off. What do you think?"

"Jean spoke of killing the officer. You decide who is crazier."

I stand, looking away from the blonde beauty. I put my hands in my pockets, leaning against the trunk of the tree. "Jean is, of course. You think I'm nuts?"

"Sometimes, yeah." I look back at Christa, raising my eyebrow to silently ask what does she mean. She just smiles back. "I mean, you are a pretty cool guy, but you lack the calmness of Reiner, the drive of Eren, and the true leadership of Jean. I'll say you're just the male Mikasa with better social skills."

I scowl. "I thought you would praise me since we're friends and all."

Christa points at me accusingly. "Too sarcastic as well. No wonder you and Ymir don't get along...except for earlier today." She grows timid after bringing that up, to which I sigh and turn to the field. The officer calls out a 5 meter Titan prancing fabulously in its approach to us. Part of me desires to go ahead and kill it, yet as time passes and more Titans assemble, it becomes quite clear we don't need to fight them. My hunch is on the money, we're just drawing the Titans away from the center ranks. I bet my other hunch is to, that Commander Erwin is aware of the Female Titan and plans to kill it.

"Bored yet?" Christa looks down at the assembled Titans below us, trying their best to reach up.

"Yep. Something about standing still is unfavorable to me."

"How about falling now?"

"The forest floor and a Titan's mouth are two very different surfaces. I much rather be up here with you guys, as annoying as it is." I sit back against the tree again, watching the tallest Titan closest to me try to reach up. I look to Christa, her eyes still on the Titans below. She's nervous, which is usual for her, but she manages to hold it in better. I remember when I first met Christa Lenz, a shy, helpless girl whose only friend (if you could call it that then and now) was the overprotective Ymir Fritz. Over time, she impressed me, especially when she was ranked #10 in our class, the spot right above me and when we were squadmates at Trost. Now I owe her my life. "You know, I didn't mean what I said earlier about wanting Ymir dead. I don't like her a lot, but she's cool. But I don't like how she dotes over you. I thought Mikasa was bad with Eren until I met her. It is weird."

"It can be overbearing at times, I will admit." Christa sits, holding her legs to her chest. "She treats me like I'm royalty or something. A part of me is glad we were in separate places in the formation."

I chuckle. "Princess Christa...heh. Has a nice ring to it."

"Don't start." Despite the sharp tone, Christa smiles as she looks to me. "No need to give her ideas."

I nod. "Whatever you say, Your-" A thundering beat of drums echoes from deeper in the forest. Some of us turn our heads, wondering what those explosive noises. After a few seconds, the sounds cease, only to pick up again a minute later. I look to Christa. "What do you think is happening?"

"The Female Titan, most likely."

"I don't remember us carrying artillery, but that is definitely some sort of heavy firepower… All that for the Female Titan, they're not trying to kill her. That must be some sort of capturing device if my experience with heavy ordinance is to be accounted for.".

"I think you're right." Christa frowns, alarmed by something other than our conversation. She looks to our left, my eyes follow. The Titans around all of us, determined to feast, having begun climbing the trees. To be honest, I didn't see this coming. "Umm, the Titans are starting to climb the trees."

"Indeed," an older-looking female Scout nearby us replies. "If they make it up this far, perhaps I'll step out of the way. Although… I suspect we'll soon be given orders to withdraw anyway."

"Does it have anything to do with those explosions inside the forest?"

"I don't know." While the ladies conversate, I watch as the Titan gets uncomfortably close to our position. I turn to Armin and Jean, the pair of them moving away from the Titan who successfully made the climb. I look to Christa, nodding our agreement to move to another tree in the woods. However, this time I separate from her, heading to the guys to see what they're talking about.

"Armin. They seem to be up to something inside the forest, and I think I've figured out what it is. They lured that Female Titan here to capture here. Or, more precisely, to capture the human inside. That was Commander Erwin's goal from the very start."

"The Titans that broke through the Walls are probably humans just like Eren, with the ability to transform. So the first priority has to be identifying who they are. If we can capture the Female Titan, who's surely conspiring with them, we could finally learn the truth about what's going on in the world."

I zip down between the pair, nodding to Armin before speaking. "The Female Titan must have been captured."

Jean, trusting my experience with the Scouts, goes along with my hypothesis and sighs. "So I was right. The noise we heard before was the Titan getting trapped. The thing is, though, how did the Commander know that bringing Eren outside the Walls would make that thing show up?"

"When they attacked Trost," Armin reflects, "they gave up halfway through the battle. Even though their goal was to destroy the inner gate of Wall Rose. Something must have happened to stop them. Something more important than destroying the Wall."

Armin is right. If the goal was to break through Wall Rose, the Titans admittedly had ample time to do so. Yet the Armored Titan was absent from the battle. If they gave up halfway during the battle, or a better wording, a change of plans, there's only one rational causation. "You speak of Eren."

"It can only be Eren's transformation and counterattack. That's the only thing that makes sense."

Jean scoffs. "What, you think there were spies or something around? Among the people who saw when Eren transformed? Well...that would explain why only a select few were in on this operation."

"All in the center ranks too."

"But it still doesn't really make sense. Surely some more manpower would have made all the difference here." We turn to the sound of the Titan that chased Armin and Jean falling down on its ass on the ground. I let a laughing smile grow, but it is instantly whisked away by Jean. "He wasn't in the right, I'll tell you that. If we'd actually been told that a Titan had inside info, we would've handled things differently. Your own squad members, Armin, for example."

I shake my head. "Given the situation, Jean, I'll have to disagree. It is better this way."

Jean turns to me, shocked. "Huh? How can you say that? Do you know how many soldiers have needlessly died? Armin?"

"I have to agree with Joshua."

"What?"

"Jean, in hindsight, it's easy to say what should've been done. But no one can tell how things will turn out. Yet, at some point, you have to make a choice. The lives of a hundred comrades or the lives of everyone inside the Walls. The Commander chose. He chose to throw away the lives of a hundred comrades. I don't have much life experience yet, but I do know one thing. If there's anyone who can bring about change, it's someone capable of giving up what matters most. In particular, people who are capable of abandoning their humanity when forced to rise above monsters. Those who can't abandon anything can't change anything."

I nod. "Remember Trost? Commander Pyxis threw us in a suicide mission betting on Eren's transformation. Captain Ian further that when we escorted Eren to the Wall. Our entire fight against the Titans is a risk, but how we win depends on how much we are willing to roll the dice. Death is what we signed up for when joining the Scouts...it's just how long it will take before our penance is due."

"HHHHWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHH! HHHHWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHH!"

We look to the forest interior as a large, unnatural scream echoes throughout. While Armin looks quite shaken and Jean grits his teeth, I frown while the gears in my head begin to churn. That was, without doubt, the Female Titan, but for what reason did she scream. My first thought is that she is in pain, but she never screamed during those explosions. So she must be fighting back, much like Eren's roar is his way of threatening the enemy. However, the pitch, the tone, everything about the cry itself seemed desperate, like a child calling for help.

Like the gathering of Titans underneath our feet. "What the…?! They're rushing into the forest all at once! Why are they suddenly ignoring us?"

"It doesn't matter, Jean. We got to cull their numbers now." Finally brandishing my swords, I forgo the call to arms and begin my chase against the running Titans.

They weren't just ignoring us when they began running. Even as I cut some down, not once have they tried to defend themselves. I continue my pursuit, easily hacking down as many Titans as I can, but the deed does nothing against the numbers. Even with someone as skilled as me, it seems the numbers are endless. However, if they are heading for the Scouts that captured the Female Titan, I must take as many down as I can.

I feel my gas tank beginning to wheeze, a sign that I've been carelessly expending gas. "Dammit!" I attach myself to one of the Titans, using it as transportation. Any minute now, we'll be wherever the horde is rushing to.

Once I arrived on the Titan I piggybacked on, I became witness to the pandemonium. Scouts were falling from the trees, eviscerating the Titan horde that congregates around a single target, Slicing the nape of my Titan, I reel myself up to a branch and watch the carnage ensuing, seeing a great surprise in the middle of it all. The Female Titan...they're cannibalizing her. That's her move? Steam collects around the Titans, lowering visibility, but from my perch, I could make out one Scout in particular: Commander Erwin Smith. He looked horrified.

"All soldiers, withdraw!" What? I watch as the Scouts pull back from the Titans at Erwin's command. "Redeploy the formation! Return to Calaneth District!" That...is the retreat we've longed for, but at this moment, it feels...like an actual loss. I am not close enough to anyone to ask the question, but from the looks of things, the answer is obvious: The capture is a failure. We were outsmarted in the end.

Yet something doesn't sit right with me. For once, I channel my inner Armin for such a thing. This steam is impairing visibility, so, if the shifter wasn't totally suicidal, only the Titan form is being consumed. The human within...must have gotten away. I don't believe they would get far, though. Eren was unable to stand when he came out of his Titan, so I believe the enemy has to be nearby. No equipment, no energy, but quick enough to make a getaway. Shit…

Next thing I know, I land beside Commander Erwin and Lieutenant Levi. "Commander."

Levi faces me, sighing. "Oh, it's you. What are you doing here anyway?"

I ignore Levi for the time being. "Sir, I believe the enemy to be nearby. If anything, she's lacking the energy to keep moving. I want to find her."

"Levi, go make your preparations." Erwin looks away to the consuming Titans but gestures me to come closer. "Why is that?"

"Jean, Armin, and I who first engaged her in the fields figured she was after Eren as she ignored soldiers in the right flank unless provoked. However, some developments have lead me to believe that her identity is much more realized than we think."

"You think you know who it is?"

"Not exactly, but we've considered two things: If she knows about Eren, not saying he's our best-kept secret, she specifically knows how he looks. She investigated each of us to see if we were him. Two, most importantly, when we fought her, Armin didn't mention Eren in name, but used terms Jean would call him, specifically 'suicidal maniac.' She hesitated once she heard that." I look to the corpse, crossing my arms. "To that end, she must have known everything since Trost, including that this expedition will occur. I suspect our traitor is part of the military, either of the Garrison or the Military Police."

"Why not suspect the Scouts?"

"I thought about it, but that's when I considered the last piece of information. If a Scout were to betray us, indeed they would have attacked the side they were told Eren would be on. But the attack came from outside the right flank, not within. It would be a better tactic to sneak up on horseback before transforming, catch Levi Squad off guard, and try to capture Eren instead of what she did."

"Hmm. You have a point." The Commander turns to me, nodding his approval. "Resupply yourself and join up with Levi Squad asap. I have a different theory in mind about our enemy's whereabouts, but I do want answers. Once we return to Calaneth, we'll discuss our theories...if we don't end it here."

I joined up with Levi Squad somehow before the Lieutenant did. After explaining the Commander's orders to join them (without explaining our entire conversation), Gunther explained that they just changed course due to a smoke signal from the Lieutenant. I do recall seeing two signals before I met with Levi Squad, so I guess the second one came from them. I did leave before Levi did, so maybe he did leave a signal. But the Commander's words to me before I left haunt me as well, though I stick to my theory stubbornly.

I nod to Eren as position myself beside him. I'm happy to be with one of my best friends, and I'm sure he's feeling the same way especially after being with Levi Squad all day. "You didn't transform when you saw her?"

"No," he responds, looking to the others, "I decided to trust in everyone else."

Of course, they talk him out of it. They believe he doesn't have total control yet. Eren could have saved more lives had he transformed, but that's my opinion. As Armin said, "'It's easy to say what should've been done. But no one can tell how things will turn out.'"

CLING!

"Gah!" I hear the sounds of someone gasping in pain. To my right, a streak of green passes me, but I ignore it for the fallen Gunther. Eren lands closer by to him.

"Gunther!" He hangs upside down, bleeding like a hanging rabbit trapped by a hunter, with no signs of responding to Eren's calls. I look up, trying to seek the one who passed me. That...it can't be! Impossible...yet the reality. The enemy, who I thought would be too weak to continue the hunt, is back. She leads the squad here with the signal.

"Eren! Don't stop!" Oruo swoops down and grabs Eren, throwing him forward. I follow along, keeping myself close to Eren. "The two of you, advance!"

"Protect Eren!"

"Damn! What now? Which way dow we go, Eld?"

"There's no time to get our horses! Head for HQ at full speed!" We continue forward, though we watch our backs for the female shifter. How could I have been so naive to think she was down and out like Eren? She most likely has more experience than he does, meaning her fatigue might be nonexistent. Which means, that if she wanted to…

CRACK!

"I knew it! The Female Titan!"

Fuck me. The Titan charges towards us, faster than I've seen her run today. Apparently, that's the consensus, as the rest of Levi Squad is appalled by her speed. Gritting my teeth, I look to Eren. There's no way a human, not even as those as skilled as Levi Squad, can take the Female Titan out. "Eren!"

Eren gets my message as he turns around. "Damn… How could you? This time I will kill her myself!"

"No," Gunther orders. "The three of us will take her down. You two kids just keep heading for HQ as fast as you can!"

"I'll fight too!"

"NO! This is the best course of action! We can't risk losing your ability!"

I shake my head. "This isn't about ability! Only Eren has a chance against her!"

"What the hell, man?" I turn to Oruo, who looks quite disrespected. "Do you doubt our skills or something?"

"Is that it, Eren? Do you really have that little faith in us?" Petra looks at Eren pleadingly, which is the final nail in his reasoning's coffin. I look at him as well, hoping he won't fall victim to their words, but I can see it in his eyes. He'll trust them.

Sighing, he lowers his arm and turns around. "I have faith in our squad's victory! Good luck! Come on, Joshua!"

"...Right behind you." We dash forward as Petra, Oruo, and Eld engage the Titan. We watch in hope (Eren) and dread (me) as the trio begin their attack. Gunther pulls off an evasive maneuver that initially distracts the Titan from Petra and Oruo attaching their hooks, allowing the pair to aim for the eyes and blind the Titan. Eyesight gone, the Titan falls back against a tree, using it and her hands to protect her nape. They'll only have a minute before both eyes regenerate, so they'll have to act quickly.

My train of thought takes a dark turn as I look at the Titan's position, her arms raised behind her, her weight leaning on her left side. Minus the rude behavior she's been giving us today, Reiner does have a point. The Titan looks hot, so a small hope is that her shifter is hot too. Before we kill her, that is.

They attack the arms, or rather, severing the muscles underneath the armpit, and around the shoulders and upper arms that allow her to raise them. I look to Eren, seeing a smile on his face as he looks forward. I hate to even admit it, but it seems our advantage in the woods is paying off. Levi Squad might get the job done. However, I stick to my beliefs that Eren should transform.

Eren surprisingly gasps then turns around. Alarmed, I do so too, just in time to see Eld snatched up by the Female Titan's mouth. She also has another surprise; in the half minute its been since her eyes were cut, she focused all her power to just her right eye. Scared, Eren adjusts himself to turn back while I settle myself on a tree. "Eren! You must do it!"

I don't know if he hears me, so I continue to watch the events unfolding in front of us. Petra is first to retreat, with the Titan and Oruo following behind. With a gasp, I shudder as Petra is stomped against a tree so violently that I don't know how the plant stands. Oruo, the last of his squad, attempts to go for the still Titan's nape but fails as his blades break against the hardened nape. In his shock, he falls victim to the Titan's shocking agility as she unleashes a spin kick. His blood paints the sides of several trees.

But it is as she lands that Eren is on top of her. I sense his hesitation, but he's too far for me to speak to him. Eren...don't worry about losing control. You have a clear goal. Transform, and beat this wench across this damn forest!

A blast of yellow light and a vengeful roar later, I spot Eren's Titan running towards the Female Titan. Keeping my distance, I follow the fighters on ODM, not wanting to miss a moment. Eren unleashes a punch, in which the agile Female dodges and kicks Eren back. This only pisses him off, so he tries again, making the Female stumble back against a tree.

Steam erupts from her unhealed wounds sustained from Levi Squad, which explains why the Female isn't fighting back yet. Instead, she continues to dodge Eren's punches, however, this forces her to retreat to create space. Eren (and I) chases her down, punching as fast and hard as he can, she dodging until she can't anymore. Falling on her back, she's helpless as Eren straddles her.

She took out the entire right flank, most likely my squadmates as well. She almost killed Jean, Reiner, Armin, and I. She took out more Scouts, including Levi Squad, in this forest. She knows who we are, ever since Trost. She works with the Colossal and Armored Titan, Even if she is human, she is an enemy to humanity. Her crime is unforgivable. Kill her, Eren. Kill her.

His two punches to her face missing, Eren rises up to look down upon her before roaring angrily in her face. As he rises back up, something goes wrong as Eren's Titan starts to spasm out in the face. This opening is all the Female needs as her left eye open and her arms grips Eren's, punching him off her. However, the fight is not over. Even with her arms working, Eren continues to manage to keep the Female grounded and on the defensive when she stands.

At least, until she sidesteps, hardens her hand, and uppercuts Eren. "Eren!" I start to dread, but it is misplaced as Eren uses his intact upper jaw to grind along the hardened arm and punches the Female in the gut. She lands on her ass, slumping against a tree. She barely gets on her feet and dodges Eren's knee. Eren, tired, catches his breath against the tree while the Female takes a few steps away. They turn to face each other, Eren still against the tree, but able to raise his arms up.

Then he gasps. Since my attention is mostly focused on him, I arc my head to the Female Titan as she takes a step closer to Eren. My jaw slackens, my eyes grow wide, and my legs nearly give out. No, there's no way. That cannot be-

The Female kicks high, slashing Eren's face in half. I watch helplessly and in shock as Eren's body collapses and the Female Titan kneels down, nearly dislocating her jaw just to rip away the flesh around Eren. He pops up, dazed. "EREN!" That voice… I turn, seeing Mikasa zip into the area, but she pauses in shock as the Female Titan gobbles Eren up alive and intact. Her mission complete, she wipes her mouth and proceeds to run off.

"W-Wait...Eren...Don't go…" I turn to a distraught Mikasa, and she spots me. I look away to the retreating Titan, my surprise scorched by my anger. How dare she…that traitorous bitch!

"Mikasa." No other words need to be said. In our different furies, we unite in our chase of the Female Titan. It didn't take for us to catch up and the Titan notices, protecting her nape with her hand. It didn't phase us. "You monster…"

"Give Eren…"

"You traitor…"

"Give Eren…"

"You will die!"

"Back!" Mikasa spins and swings for the Titan's cheeks, hoping to release Eren that way. I follow along, concentrating on the arms (albeit with much less accuracy than Levi Squad). We managed to knock her down by jointly severing her leg muscles, in which Mikasa headed for the nape afterward. It proved futile as the hardening ability on the Female's arms broke her blades. Shocked, she retreats beside me. "Why can't my blades penetrate it?"

I grit my teeth as the Titan faces us. "She can harden her muscles to protect herself. It's been quite the nuisance today."

"He is alive!" Mikasa reequips her blades, her mind set on a second attempt. "Eren...is alive. Wherever you are, I'm going to slaughter this girl, butcher her body, and get you out of that foul place."

"Get in line."

"Sorry, Eren… Just hang on a little longer."

"Move!" The Titan stands up and punches our tree, nearly getting us as well. Her leg healed, she takes off. I curse myself, letting precious time go to waste to let the Titan heal. "Get back here!"

"Wait!" Before we can begin our pursuit again, we're picked up by some mysterious force. Looking at out supposed rescuer, it turns out to be the lieutenant himself.

"Stay back for now." He releases us, and we quietly follow his direction. Levi in the lead, we continue chasing the Female Titan, though not as hurried as Mikasa and I were earlier. "Maintain this distance. She must be worn out, too. She's not so fast anymore. It looked like she bit the entire nape off. Is Eren dead?"

"He's alive." With Levi's attention on her, Mikasa further explains. "The target seems intelligent and intent on taking Eren away. It'd crush him if it wanted to kill him. Instead, it's fighting and running away with him in its mouth."

"Eating Eren could be her goal," Levi states. "If so, he's in her stomach. Which means he's probably dead."

"He's alive," I say with a drop of calmness in my venomous tone. "I've been engaged with the Titan for most of the day. Not once did she eat her targets. She has had ample opportunities too, me one of them. If she wanted him dead, she would have killed him back there. Her aim, as it has been for the last hour or so, is to capture him. He's alive."

Levi looks at me with that damn bored expression that it pisses me off indirectly. "Let's hope so."

Mikasa scoffs. "This never would have happened in the first place had you actually protected Eren!"

Levi grunts and swings directly ahead of Mikasa, getting a good look at her. "Ah. You're the one who… You're Eren's childhood friend. Just like Four-Eye's new little puppet." I snap Levi a glare, but he ignores it. "Let's narrow our goals down to one. First, forget about taking her down."

That's my primary goal! Sorry Eren, but you're all right for now. "Why? If we take her down, we save Eren!"

"She's killed so many of our comrades!"

Levi sighs. "It's impossible. She has the ability to harden her skin. Do as I say. We're going to set all out hopes on Eren being alive and rescue him before she leaves the forest. I'll do the cutting. You distract her."

I look to Mikasa, relenting to Levi's plan. He's a good cutter, I know that personally. If he believes his plan will work, then despite all I have to hate the idea to not kill the Female her and now, I will follow along. "Let's go!" We push ahead, swinging around to the front of the Female. She notices us and our lack of an attack, determining that we're indeed the distraction for the real action. She turns around, punching at Levi, but humanity's strongest soldier proves his title by spinning vertically like a wheel upon the Titan's arm before leaping off and stabbing her eyes. I cannot proceed to tell what he does next as he moves so fast it like he's a particle of light. So fast Levi is that the Titan can't harden her skin, using the "back against the tree" tactic again as she did against Levi Squad.

That doesn't stop Levi.

Much like his former comrades, he manages to force the arm protecting the nape to fall. No eyes, legs, and arms impaired, me and Mikasa watch in astonishment as Levi single-handedly brings the Titan to his mercy. I have to hold myself back from taking advantage of the moment. Mikasa, however, doesn't, foolishly darting towards the nape as it hardens and the Titan raises her not so impaired left arm up. Levi manages to push Mikasa away, but his face contorts in pain as he lands on the Titan's arm. It matters not to him as he jumps medially to the Titan's face, cutting her mouth open.

I cringe at the sight of drool-covered Eren. I'm not letting this one go.

Hanging by Mikasa, we watch as Levi scoops Eren up and land on a nearby branch. "Hey! Time to go!"

"Eren…"

"How's the dumbass?"

"He seems fine. He's filthy but alive." Oh, this gotta be hell for Levi too. I forgot he's a clean freak. I let a smile stretch on my face. This is golden.

My smile drops as I turn to the Titan. "What about her?"

"Forget about her now. We need to withdraw. Don't lose sight of what this operation is about. Is wallowing in self-indulgence more important? He's a dear friend to both of you, isn't he?" Levi takes off, leaving Mikasa and me alone.

"No… I'm…"

"Mikasa." She looks up to me, my eyes set on the Titan. "I hate to admit it, but the lieutenant is correct. We must protect Eren." We set off, following Levi out of the forest, but before we get too far I turn around to our adversary. A small gasp escapes my lips because either my eyes are seeing things…

Or the Female Titan is crying.

The trip back did nothing for my mood. Two incompetent dumbasses had to try to recover their dead friend, so Mikasa and I were forced to save their asses. The one who nearly got eaten did have slob over him, so I took some humor in the situation.

An Abnormal Titan, who ignored Mikasa and me, rushed up to the carts. As quickly as I could, I rode up to cut it down before the Scouts decided to dump the bodies. Levi, who possibly ordered the dumping, looked at me with that face of his before turning away. Once we were safe, we made a stop to confirm our position and correct our course before we headed back to Calaneth.

As a kid, I watched many returns of the Scout Regiment through Shiganshina, all of them in failure. At the time, joining the military was not even on my mind, but like Eren, I thought the Scout Regiment was pretty awesome (considering the Garrison were all lazy, drunks, or both). Yet now I am on the other side of the curtain. I'm not the kid looking at the failures, I am the failure.

Kneeling in a cart with Mikasa, looking over an injured but conscious Eren, I try my hardest to not look at the civilians. Now I understand their worries, their insults. As a kid, I thought the adults to be wrong, but as a soldier, now I know just how much in the right they are to say such things. Eren, however, tries to find the strength to rise up and speak back, but I hold him back. "Eren," Mikasa says, "endure it." Eren endures his pain, however, and manages to rise to his waist. However, whatever words he is going to say is lost on him as he sees a kid smiling at us,

"So cool! The Scout Regiment is awesome! Even when they're so beat-up they keep on fighting." Eren sits down, his face mixed between pain and sorrow. I pat his shoulder, trying my best to hold my emotions. That kid...he is who I once was. A fool...but a hopeful fool.

I look up again, gasping as I see a woman with black hair split into pigtails and serene grey eyes looking at the procession. For a moment, I thought I saw her, but as I stared longer, I acknowledge that is not Mina Carolina. Most likely, it is that of her mother, as Mina was from Calaneth. I look back down, my eyes catching the carving Mina crafted me, and that's when I can't hold it back anymore. Unlike Eren, who bawls like the little bitch he is as he lays on his back, I let a tear or two...or three...or ten falls. Mikasa, the only one composed (or manages to hide her sadness under her hair) in the cart, takes Eren's hand in her left and my hand in her right.

Later, we learn that support for the Scout Regiment, due to the costs and casualties incurred by the expedition, was dealt a heavy blow. Commander Erwin and the others in charge were summoned to the capital, Mitres, within Wall Sina, and ordered to relinquish Eren. To get there, we'll have to go through Stohess, on the eastern side of the interior wall...