Ferno16: Part of it is because of a subplot I wrote a while back that I've recently rewrote and part of it because others see her as too passive.

TGDBS: The plot thickens...

Guest: This is a Tanya Degurachaff that was born into the SnK World.

Jajp Camello: I like your screenname, it's fun to say.

Yeah, you really do ^^; It surprised me when I found out but then I realized how much it explained, especially Tanya's moods on and off the battlefield.

I really wanted to do that and the training during three years was going to be longer since it was the calm before the storm, but a lot of readers were getting impatient so I just cut out most of it. I am eventually going to be making the OVAs that happened during the three year training- the cooking duel and training exercise- their own one-shots.

Armin always had questions. About the world they were born into, what happened to his parents that left him with his grandfather, why the king forbade talk of the outside world to the point of branding it treason, where the burning water, plains of sand and ice were or if they existed, how to become stronger so he wouldn't have to constantly burden his friends. Questions never bothered him, as he was a curious mind through and through.

But right now...

"Eren... did all this?" Jean rasped, eyes roving over the destruction and disintegrating titan corpses.

He had seen Eren lose his leg. He had seen him reach out to him only for the titan's jaws to snap down and take his arm off before swallowing. Even now, those images wove themselves over his eyes and all that kept him anchored was his fingers entwined with the brunet's.

Eren turned into a titan, defended Mikasa when she was out of gas, taken out the other titans and kept them off their backs and killed the abnormal that had eaten Thomas.

How? Kept circling his head. How did all of this happen? How could it have happened?

A gasp of pain came from Officer Maddox as her hand came to rest over her eyes. Tanya looked torn on whether or not to react with anger or concern and her hand reached out on instinct before the officer slapped it away. Her uncovered eye- brown in the light- was narrowed in anger and some fear as she looked at the white-haired girl.

"Officer Maddox, are you all right?" Reiner asked, walking towards her carefully.

All at once, the dark-haired woman straightened and Armin couldn't tell whether the red tint in her eyes was from the sun or not. She looked between Eren and back out to Trost, and while Armin couldn't see where she was looking his eyes did fall on the rock that had been brought in just in case the titans invaded. All at once, a crazy but possible plan began to take shape in his mind.

If he transforms again, he could pick that up and block the hole there- we could stop the titans where they are once we don't have to worry about them getting in and kill the rest!

"We have to get going," she spoke, voice tight and repressing something and trying to keep her eyes from flickering over the group. "Regroup with the rest."

He hadn't imagined it before, her voice was different. Or rather, her voice was back to normal.

She called Eren "mother" earlier- sure it was before we knew that titan was him, but why? And why does she keep looking at Tanya like that?

"When we get to the other side, leave the talking to me until you are prompted and do not leave even if you are ordered by anyone else than me." Tanya looked ready to protest but a stern look from the bespectacled woman silenced her protest. "You are all witnesses to Jaeger's actions as a titan, and your testimony will to paramount if humanity expects to get through today."

Does she plan on trying to convince the other officers not to kill Eren? No, she sees that his power to turn into a titan could be used to humanity's benefit. Not only that, but she's already high-ranking and her word would give us support to possibly delay any soldier who might try to kill Eren.

Relief that they had her support made him feel a little more grounded but the prospect of facing soldiers who were not only at their wit's end out of fear but want to destroy anything that even looked like a threat made him more apprehensive. Armin helped Mikasa support their unconscious friend before they took to the air with the group. They found a working lift easily enough and boarded it. The silence was palpable and rather awkward but the blond was too preoccupied to be affected. Sure enough as they neared the ground, Armin saw several Garrison soldiers making their way towards them.

Officer Maddox got out first and Armin kept beside Mikasa to support Eren while Jean, Tanya, Reiner, Bertolt and Annie filed out beside the dark-haired officer. Captain Verman was at the head along with Captain Dietrich and a dirty blond female officer with glasses.

"You will leave Eren Jaeger here and speak nothing of this," Captain Verman barked.

Bertolt, Jean and Tanya were both clearly apprehensive, even Annie had a bead of sweat on her forehead while Reiner and Mikasa were both stone-faced and determined.

"You have every right to be wary," she spoke, hands still raised as she approached the Garrison soldiers. "But if you listen, then there will be much to gain from this."

"What the hell are you babbling about?" Captain Verman barked. "We're on the verge of another invasion and you're defending a titan masquerading as a human?!"

"He never harmed a human, and these seven can testify!" Officer Maddox declared, gesturing to their group and particularily eyeing the blond and Mikasa.

Her eyes are red again, Armin dimly thought as the officer's eyes flickered in a "come hither" motion. But he understood what she was trying to do- if it had just been them, they would be on far shakier ground as they were only trainees that had recently graduated against trained officers. But with Officer Maddox with them, they were on more equal ground, not to mention that the Garrison soldiers there worked with and under her.

He looked back at Mikasa who gave a short nod and he took the brunt of Eren's weight as she moved beside Officer Maddox. "I ran out of gas leading the charge back to the supply building," she spoke. "A titan had come upon me and I had only my swords to defend myself. If it wasn't for him, I would have been eaten."

"He kept them at bay when they attacked the supply station," Reiner spoke up, getting a startled look from Bertolt. "Our comrades would have been crushed or eaten if he hadn't fended them off."

Armin felt disturbingly disconnected but he spoke out, "Not only that, but the titans also focused on him as well- that means they saw Eren the same way they see humans: as prey! If you kill him now, we'll lose valuable information that we could use against the titans!"

This sent murmurs through the Garrison soldiers.

"Could it be?"

"That does make sense..."

"They did try to eat him."

"Officer Maddox doesn't usually get blindsided either..."

One of the officers, one that Armin recognized as Captain Dietrich, began to walk towards them. "Stop!" Verman barked, voice cracking from terror-fueled rage. "One more step and I'll execute you!"

"Ian-" the bespectacled soldier beside Verman began but Captain Dietrich kept moving forward.

Officer Maddox rose and met him as he crossed the threshold, the two locking eyes. "Are you certain he won't attack humans?" he asked in a low voice.

"He didn't lay a finger on any humans during-"

"Mair." Officer Maddox startled at Captain Dietrich saying her name."Are you certain?"

Her eyes closed for a moment. "No," before they became hard, the brown more prominent. "But that doesn't mean we can just let them kill him. Not if he can be an asset to us."

Captain Dietrich turned to them but his eyes remained on Armin and the others. He said nothing, waiting for them to say their piece.

"He's a reliable comrade and a determined soldier- we'd be worse off without him," Reiner declared, looking to the others in a prompt before Bertolt responded, "H-he lost his family in Zhiganshina during the attack five years ago..."

"All he's ever talked about in training was becoming strong enough to kill the titans- I'm not even exaggerating," Jean said with some apprehension as he looked at the brunet.

"Last I checked, titans can't reproduce or have families," Annie deadpanned.

"If..." Tanya swallowed audibly but continued to speak, "If we learn how he became a titan, we could finally gain knowledge about the species as a whole." Her eyes flickered to Eren. "That's been the problem with fighting them, after all: lack of information."

"He's on our side," Mikasa said with certainty.

"... I grew up with him," Armin said. "I know him. Eren is-"

Everything under his chest was hot and wet. It reminded him of the hot springs that the trainees had once gone to during one of their days off. But whatever he was in was too thick, too oily and smelled of copper and salt, almost like-

Blood.

Green eyes shot open with awareness and through dim light, he saw the bodies of soldiers floating in the stuff. Seeing their unmoving bodies, some of their limbs floating about, he could feel the absence of his left arm and even more acutely.

This wasn't what was supposed to happen. They had been training and strategizing so desperately, all to defeat the titans- they weren't the same as they were five years ago, dammit! So why-

"It hurts... too hot..."

A soldier was still alive, barely- a woman just a few years older and one he could dimly recognize as a fellow trainee. "Mama- help m-" Her last words became muffled as she sank into the dark red stuff.

Tears and mucus flowed freely as a strangled and despairing sob cracked his throat. Flashes of his mother being crushed before that smiling fucker tore her in half, Armin's eyes shinning as he told of the sandy and icy plains and fire-like water.

"I won't- I won't give up!" His stump reaching upwards even as his body became weaker. "I'll kill them all- every last one of them on earth- with my own hands-"

And his hand was back and he was breaking free.

The sky was above him again and the fucker twitched beneath his feet. He was roaring, from rage, relief or both. He was given no more time to savor his freedom as another titan began to crawl towards him, like the damn animal it was. He raised his foot deliberately and smashed the nape of the titan below him as he rose to meet the smaller. It snarled and shot at him and he raised his fist, smashing through it's throat. He slammed it onto the ground and stomped on it's nape, pulverizing it.

It wasn't enough, not nearly.

Come at me, every last one of you fuckers. It doesn't matter how many there are of you. You're all gonna-

"Mo- Mr. Jaeger! So good of you to join us."

What the hell is with that voice just now? he wondered before his eyes flickered open and he took in the scene around them. "Wha-?!"

They were on one of the lifts by the wall and he wasn't alone. He saw Mikasa first and beside her were Reiner, Bertolt, Annie, Jean and Tanya, as well as a dark-haired Garrison officer with glasses. More pressing was the Garrison soldiers surrounding them with their swords drawn along with cannons aimed right above them.

"Eren!" His shoulders were grabbed a moment later as Armin knelt before him, eyes wide and wet but filled with relief. "Eren, it's me! Just explain what happened and we can clean up any misunderstandings!"

Why would there be misunderstandings, and what were they about? Why were the Garrison soldiers surrounding them, turning the blades that were used to cut apart the titans on them? Why did they look at them- no, him- with such fear and anger? It wasn't just them either- Jean and Tanya were looking at him with apprehension and even Reiner, Bertolt and Annie looked grim.

Wait. Don't tell me-

Eren's left arm raised on instinct and for a moment he was relieved that it was still there. But a moment later, his stomach dropped at seeing his sleeve torn off at the elbow and became acutely aware of the bare soles of his feet digging into the wood beneath them.

"Now that you've awoken, we can talk properly," the officer continued- was it his imagination, or was her voice different before? "Explain how you became a titan so we can put any confusion between us to rest!"

... huh?

What the hell kind of question was that?! What the hell was she talking about?! Was that why the Garrison soldiers were looking at him like- like he was a monster? Was that what they were seeing him as?

"I-I don't understand what it is you're asking of me!" he answered, voice wavering more than he liked.

The officer was about to speak further only for a bellow to cut her off.

"Don't think you can con the rest of us, you monster!" Captain Verman roared. "We all saw you come out of the carcass of that titan! If you even think about transforming again, I'll blow you to smithereens!"

"The titan that didn't lay a hand on any humans!" the officer barked back. "You all saw him only attack the titans-"

"Maddox if you don't shut your mouth, I'll execute you myself!" Officer Maddox's mouth shut like a trap but she scowled deeply at him. "The Armored Titan could still show up- we can't afford to waste anymore time or man-power on you, not if we don't want what happened five years ago to repeat! For all we know, his kind could be infiltrating our armies- titans disguised as humans!"

"Which is why it's imperative we not rush in and make any mistakes that will cost us!" Captain Dietrich barked back, gesturing towards Mikasa and Tanya. "Are you really willing to sacrifice soldiers who are worth entire battalions? Or do you have a better idea in how to protect humanity?!"

"So even you've joined that monster's side?!" Verman yelled.

"He's not gonna listen to anyone anymore," Annie said, voice and eyes flat. "He's too afraid."

"Shit, at this rate..." Jean muttered under his breath, eyes flickering upwards.

"We can still make a run for it, get out of the cannon's range," Tanya said to Officer Maddox almost pleadingly. "We've got plenty of gas left."

Was he really the only one there who didn't think he was a titan? His mind was spinning, his body felt heavy and sluggish and the fact that they were ready to kill him if he so much has moved or spoke wrong paralyzed him. Just the thought of being killed by humans was ridiculous enough, but...

What if it really hadn't been a dream? Then that would explain how his arm and leg had been grown back-

Just like a titan.

"- invaluable information!" Officer Maddox cried out. "Don't throw this away-"

"For humanity, and for protecting ourselves from those monsters, I'm not taking any chances!" Verman barked. "Jaeger, answer this: are you human, or a titan?!"

He couldn't answer wrong, not when other lives besides his were on the line. Armin and Mikasa were looking back to him and he knew his answer- from the start, just like them, he had always been-

"I'm human."

The silence couldn't have been longer than ten seconds at most and much of Verman's fear seemed to vanish, leaving only a stone cold resolution. Then his hand raised.

"Don't take this personally, but I have no choice. No one can prove that they're not a devil."

Incredulous despair filled him. What the hell was he supposed to do now? He had told him what he thought they wanted to hear and yet-

"Move now! Get out of blast range!" Officer Maddox barked, she and Captain Dietrich racing parallel to the walls on the left.

Five hisses of gas filled the air as Tanya, Jean, Reiner, Bertolt and Annie shot away from them and he yelped as Mikasa threw him over her shoulders. "Eren, Armin, we'll escape over the walls!"

No, no, they'll be killed like this! "Just get away from me, hurry!"

It was as though the fear inside him was smashed down as Armin stood his ground and saluted harshly, eyes wide with determination. "As a soldier, I vowed to give my heart in service to humanity! If my life ends here while keeping that vow, I have no complaints!"

"Arlert-!" Maddox said in surprise.

"If you combine Eren's titan-shifting ability with the remaining soldiers, it might even be possible to retake Trost! I beg you in my last moments, to replay his strategic value!"

He heard Tanya shout something to Armin with a concern and desperation he had never heard before. The brunet tried one last time to break free from Mikasa before he felt the string chaff against his neck as the key swung in front of his eyes.

"Eren, you must never let this key out of your sight. Remember each time you gaze upon it, that you must return to the basement."

The night was closing in, the trees larger around them. Tears freely streamed down dad's face as he handled a syringe he had never seen him use before. "The injection will cause some memory damage so even if I explain everything now, you'll more likely forget."

Tanya and Jean landed in a heap behind the soldiers to the right, Reiner, Bertolt and Annie reaching the left.

The light in his eyes was stronger, manic but determined. "But when you go to the basement, you'll learn the truth. It will be a hard and merciless road, but you must recapture Maria and get to that room. The power I'm giving you will help you then and their memories will guide you."

Armin's frantic pleas and terrified tears, Mikasa's grim and desperate movements.

"If you want to save Mikasa and Armin and everyone else, you must control this power!"

He broke free of Mikasa but kept a firm hold on her arm while grabbing Armin close. His hand came up to his mouth, teeth ready to sink into his hand-

"Stand down!"

Eren froze at the new voice and turned, his teeth just barely scraping his hand. Verman's arm was halted from where he was about to bring it down, a wrinkled hand closed around his wrist. "You never change, you're as delicate as a fawn. Have you no trust in your fellow officers, or so afraid that you'd blind yourself to that boy's magnificent salute?

The new arrival was a bald man with mustache and a genial demeanor, but Eren knew who this man was.

"I received word via rider- for now, you will command reinforcements," Dot Pixis, Commander of the Garrison Regiment, declared. "I have a feeling it will be worthwhile to hear what these kids have to say."

Of course Tanya knew who Commander Dot Pixis was. One didn't forget the face of the man responsible for protecting the Southern Districts of humanity's defenses, nor that he headed a regiment of over twenty-thousand soldiers.

Nor did one forget he was an inveterate eccentric. Tanya had heard of it before, but to actually see it manifest into a cooking duel of all things...

This has absolutely nothing to do with what's happening right now.

She, Jean, Reiner, Bertolt and Annie had not been executed or detained, nor had Armin, Ackerman or Jaeger. Just thinking how close they had all been to nearly being killed made her chest fill with cold dread but at least it hadn't ended like that. Armin, Ackerman and JAeger had been taken aside while the five of them were sword to secrecy of the entire thing.

"Rest assured you are not in trouble- you were given orders and you followed them to the letter," the old man had said before taking his leave.

She wasn't dead and her career wasn''t in danger- those two facts were enough to put some bounce in her step despite the circumstances.

"There you guys are!"

Tanya's eyes flickered up as Connie ran up to them, Sasha, Lenz, Bott and Ymir not far behind. "I'm so glad you're all okay!" the petite blonde breathed with relief.

The white-haired girl could only manage a slight nod and accepting a water skin from Sasha before sitting down on the steps while she and Connie tried to interrogate the others in what happened. From where she sat, the sun was casting dozens of shadows from the soldiers and buildings as it began to set.

It should be around seven, judging by the sun right now. And the Colossal Titan showed up around eleven...

Eight hours.

In that period of time, her world had been turned upside down yet again, shoved in a blender on high speed and then loaded into a Gatling gun-

I really am tired if I can't keep track of my similes. She groaned and let her head rest against her palms.

She didn't know what to focus on her first: the Colossal Titan appearing and letting the titans in again, Jaeger turning into a fucking titan, or Red Eyes showing up via taking control of Maddox. Yet what her thoughts settled on first had been her disastrous plan back at the supply building- the bodies of the trainees who had volunteered to fight, putting aside their fear thanks to her words only to die screaming in terror and begging for their lives were etched in her eyes and ears.

They put faith in your plan and died horribly for it, that damn voice in the back of her head muttered. You couldn't keep a single one of them alive.

Even as the soldier had retrieved the gas tanks and swords, it hadn't been nearly enough and she and Officer Maddox had to be saved by the others. She had been so relieved they weren't alone and had been rescued only for her failure to be pushed back in her face at learning of how Jean led the charge to the supply building in the first place. How he had used the deaths of the soldiers who tried to save a comrade as a distraction to escape and saved more than half of them.

Tanya meant every word she had said to the boy back in the supply building even now. Yet...

This boy, this child, saved more lives than you, even though you're by all rights stronger and smarter than him. Not only that but he saved you when your own mission backfired, and rendered it redundant with the other soldiers.

This was not the turn she wanted her thoughts to take and she fought to turn her mind onto a topic that she could properly analyze rather than wallow in.

What was Red Eyes thinking, taking control of Officer Maddox right in the middle of battle? she thought, fresh annoyance thankfully chasing away the self-loathing. Tensions were high enough then, we didn't need the others thinking an had gone mad! Especially with her defending Jaeger possibly being cast in new light... At least with Ambrose and Elijah our interactions were private, controlled and not during a fucking titan invasion!

She recalled them saying it was harder for them to speak through those not affiliated with their faith two years ago, yet Red Eyes still took control of her and Jackson. Not only that but both times, she had referred to the Colossal titan and Jaeger's titan form as "mother". That in itself made no sense whatsoever since mothers were usually female and one usually only had one of them.

That doesn't excuse her actions. We don't need people knowing any of this, and stunts like that will only make things more difficult. Especially with the titans breaking in.

The Colossal titan was undoubtedly intelligent and Ambrose was vindicated from five years back. It aimed for the cannons and pushed them off, showing it not only understood their function but also where to appear to get rid of them best. The Armored titan undoubtedly possessed the same intelligence as the Colossal if it knew where to burst through and when.

They attacked before when the Survey Corps were gone back then, and the same happened here. It can't be a fluke. They must have known when the soldiers best suited in killing them would be gone and when and where would be best to strike.

Her head lifted as the revelation struck her, cold dread settling in her chest as Captain Verman's words from earlier echoed in her ears. How else could they have known when and where to strike? Why else would the Armored Titan not show up this time around?

With the cold dread came the same diamond hard clarity from when the Colossal titan first appeared. She rose to her feet and broke into a run to the walls, the lift despite Connie and Sasha calling to her.

Apologies for the long wait- work, The Depression and general anxiety over moving out soon have been taking their toll. Trost Arc is nearly over and what happened here is going to have major ramifications.