Dp x AOT

by sKaEtrgrL

The Halfa wanted his essay back that he’d managed to complete. He wasn’t going to get it. Instead, he was tossed into a portal that left him surrounded by walls and giant, naked man-eating beings. What the fu... (T for swearing and gore)

A/N: Okay, I swear I have been working on some of my other stories. Quarantine is hitting hard, but boredom has led me to rewatching anime shows that I forgot about for quite some time. Example: Attack On Titan. I convinced my friend to watch a few episodes and it has led me to rewatching the show. Hopefully this time I'll make it past the second season XD. Anyways I'm going to stop blabbing and just start the story. It's currently 1:42 pm on 3/23, so I make no promises of when this'll be done but I'll do my best!

ALSO: THERE WILL BE CUSSING AND LOTS OF GORE IN THIS STORY

DP x AOT

Third Person POV

Danny glared at the large ectopus that continued to race through the Ghost Zone. The damned thing had attacked the school, stole Danny's essay that was due next period, and proceeded to race into a natural portal that had formed above said school. Why the blob of ectoplasm had stolen his essay of all things made no sense, but he had worked hard on that paper and refused to get no credit because of an ectopus stealing it of all things.

Danny flew faster, his determination only bringing him closer to his goal. He could see the white rectangular object floating within the ectopus, sloshing harmlessly in its stomach. If he didn't get his paper quickly, it'd dissolve and he'd never get it back. The Halfa willed himself to fly faster, his gloved hand no more than a few inches from one of the ectopus' green tentacles. He reached, reached, reached...

The ectopus turned sharply, avoiding a swirling green mass that blended in well with the rest of the environment. Danny's eyes went wide as he realized that he wouldn't be able to dodge the portal in time. He braced himself, arms covering his face as he tumbled through the portal, falling harshly onto the floor and skidding across gravel. The sixteen year old boy scrunched his nose up in irritation as he looked himself over. He was definitely injured, that much was obvious. He was scratched all over the place from the rough landing, and his forearms and elbows were burned raw. Green oozed from his body, and Danny looked at the surrounding alley before allowing himself to transform into his human half. His black hair was disheveled, his blue eyes squinting at his wounds as if annoyed by them. He sighed loudly, allowing his head to thump silently against the brick wall he was leaning against.

"Hey, Mikasa! Look!"

Danny turned his head, looking lazily at the two children who made their way towards him. They wore older styled clothes, making Danny groan. Great, I probably went back in time again.

"Eren, what're you expecting us to do? He's too big for us to carry back." The girl, Mikasa, looked blankly at Danny, eyes cold and hard for a child so young. The young Halfa found himself asking what this girl had gone through to have eyes almost as dead as his.

The boy named Eren approached Danny, gently lifting his arms up. The sticks on their backs rattled harmlessly as the two moved around the strange boy in the alley. "I'm sure we can lift him. Besides, Dad can help. He's a doctor." Eren turned his attention from Danny's arms to his face, giving a small smile. "Hello! My name's Eren, and that's Mikasa. My dad's a doctor. He can help you out with those wounds so they don't get infected."

Danny smiled, slowly getting to his feet. His legs shook from the skin being shaved off his shins as well, but he did his best to ignore the blood seeping through his jeans. "Oh, that's alright. I don't have any money to pay your father, and I really need to be on my way." Danny looked back to where the portal once was, frowning to himself. Who knows when another portal will show up.

Eren shook his head, gently grabbing Danny's hand and dragging him along the path and out of the alleyway. Mikasa followed along silently, the sticks on her back being the only thing to make noise. "No, I insist! My dad saved most of these people from the plague not long ago; he's well known for his skills in medicine. I'm sure he wouldn't mind helping out a kid without getting a form of payment." Eren looked back at Danny, frowning a little at his outfit. "Say, what're you wearing? I've never seen material like that before."

Danny sniffed, wiping some of the blood away from his nose. "Oh, it's... it's just some clothes that I found."

Eren's brows scrunched up in confusion, but he shook his head. "Well mister, I've never seen clothes like that before in my life." Danny looked around, ignoring the way the young boy blabbed on and on about the clothes he'd seen. The Halfa's eyes widened in shock when he saw the large walls that soared far above the rest of the town. As much as he wanted to ask though, Danny knew he couldn't. Those walls were something that people saw everyday; if he asked about them, then he'd probably be looked at like he was crazy.

"-old are you? Shouldn't you be in the cadet training regimen or something?" Danny looked back at the boy who had stopped to stare at him. Something about the boy's demeanor had changed; his eyes were glaring distrustfully and almost angrily at Danny, his arms folded across his chest.

"What? I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that last bit."

The boy sighed, his head tipping to the side a little bit like a dog's. "I asked how old you are. If you're as old as you look, you should be in the cadets training to fight the Titans."

Danny blinked, his lips forming a slight "O" as his eyebrows rose in realization. The walls were keeping something out, these "Titans". If that was so and he remembered his Greek mythology correctly, then he landed himself in a messed up world. Titans from the Greek world were giant evil beings, which made Danny assume these creatures were named that because of their size or strength. "Ah, no... I'm not a cadet. I'm 16 though! How old are you?"

Eren's nose scrunched up in irritation. "Oh, I see." He began walking ahead, Mikasa trailing behind. Danny frowned before following them.

"Uh, I don't understand what I did wrong." Danny winced at the pain his legs were in, even though they'd already healed at a fairly decent pace. "Eren? Mikasa? Uh-"

Eren turned around, shoving Danny back with his hands. "No! You know what you did wrong! Those... those... things are outside the walls! They're there, they're real, and we're just cattle waiting to be eaten! Why can't anybody see that?! You're old enough to already be a second year cadet, so why aren't you?!"

Danny stared in shock at the boy. Whatever these Titans were, they were definitely bad news. After a moment, Danny sat down under the shade of a tree, staring at the wall and small gate they had been heading to. "Listen, kid. I... there's some stuff that's happened to me. I'm just confused and lost, alright? I wanna go home but I'll probably be stuck here for a while, and I can't do anything about it. If you don't want me around, then I get it. I'll leave. Sorry I'm not a 'cadet', whatever the hell that means." Danny scooted himself up against the tree, his back touching the bark. He closed his eyes, hissing in pain as his arms continued to heal.

There was something scuffing against the ground, and then Eren was sitting next to him, setting his pile of sticks on the grass. "What do you mean you can't go home?" The question was quiet, only barely louder than the breeze gracing the soft hilly landscape.

Danny sighed. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Eren grunted, and Danny opened his eyes to see Eren sitting criss cross in front of him, Mikasa standing behind her friend. "Try me."

Danny smirked. "Alright, but I'm telling you that you won't believe me, and if you do then you'll probably think I'm some sort of monster from Hell." Eren's face didn't waver, and his eyes became more steeled and determined. "My name's Danny Fenton. I'm 16 years old, and I'm from another universe."

Eren's eyes widened while Mikasa narrowed her eyes. "Woah! Really?!"

Danny looked the two children over with a scrutinizing look. "Yeah. I told you that you wouldn't believe me though." He motioned towards Mikasa, and Eren looked at her as well. Her face tinted pink in embarrassment. "Listen, kid. Like I said, I can't get back home until another portal opens up, and even if one does, I won't know where it's at. Unless my friends come to get me, I'm stuck."

Eren smiled widely. "Well, if you're from a different universe, then you can tell me about your world! What's it like? Do you have water that's super salty and deep and seems to go on for forever? Is there hot red water that shines like the sun? Oh, or what about the tall rocks that are so high it'd take days to reach the top?"

Danny frowned. "You mean the ocean and lava and mountains?" Eren's eyes widened as he nodded ecstatically. "You... you've never seen that stuff?"

Eren shook his head. "No, we have the walls to protect us from the Titans." Danny turned his head, raising an eyebrow.

"Titans?"

Eren smiled at Mikasa widely. "Mikasa, did you hear that?! He doesn't know what a Titan is! They don't exist in his world!" The boy turned back to the Halfa excitedly. "Here, we have what we call Titans. They can be as small as five meters, and up to twenty meters tall. They're really dangerous. They can regenerate their bodies, and the only way to kill them is cutting their neck (at least that's what I've heard from the soldiers). The real ass kicker is that they eat people though. That's why we have the walls, to protect ourselves from them. There's three walls, Wall Maria, which is where we're at, Wall Rose, and finally Wall Sina." Eren drew the circles into the small patch of dirt with one of his sticks. "There are four walls attached to each one, sort of like a half circle. This one here is Shiganshina, which is where Mikasa and I live. That's where we'll be going."

Danny nodded his head in understanding. "So basically there are four crescent walls connected to each of the three walls in the cardinal directions?" Eren nodded. "And I'm gonna take a wild guess and say Wall Sina is where the royals and upper class live?" Eren's face scrunched up but he nodded nonetheless. "Then with all due respect, why are you helping me when you live along the outside districts?"

Eren looked at Mikasa for a moment before smiling at Danny. "Well, we might not be the wealthiest people in this place, but we work hard and earn a living. I'm sure if you explained to my parents what happened to you and where you're from, then maybe my dad could help you find a way back home! He's one of the smartest people around, so trust me when I say that he could help you out."

Danny nodded, smiling in gratitude. "Well, you've been very kind to me so far, so I don't see any reason to not trust you." The Halfa was weary, very weary. He had to be cautious in this new world, but he'd recieved answers and had no reason to distrust these children as of yet. Danny stood, following the duo to the small entrance that led into Shiganshina. A blonde man that reeked of alcohol smiled drunkenly at the kids. Danny felt himself tense when he placed his hand on the children's heads.

"Ah, Mikasa, Eren. Whataya kids doin' out 'ere?" His speech was slurred, and his buddies that were playing a card game obviously had the same stuff as this man. Mikasa stared at the man blankly, Eren oblivious to the effects of alcohol this man carried.

"Hi Hannes! We're just collecting some firewood for my mom and dad!"

"Ah, good ol' Grisha Yeager. Real life saver, ya' dad. Good man." The man tipped his flask back, smacking his lips in bliss. The conversation continued for a moment before things took a turn for the worst, leading to Eren yelling at the soldiers that they couldn't do their jobs. "Ah, don' worry 'bout it, kid. You should see 'em, all dead eyed and walkin' around out there." The man frowned at Eren, almost pouting.

Eren growled. "It seems like you don't even think they're a threat."

"Nah." The blonde man waved his hand in the air as if swatting away a fly. "These walls've held up for a looong time. It's fine."

Mikasa grabbed Eren before he could do much more, and Danny trailed after them quietly.

"Hey, who's ya got there, Yeager?" Danny watched the young boy tense up and turn towards Hannes slowly.

"He's a friend of mine, and it's none of your business anyways. You've obviously got more important things to do than question me or actually do your job of guarding the wall." With that, Eren huffed and stormed off, Mikasa and Danny following.

"Who was that?"

Eren looked at Danny as the walked along an empty path. "That's Hannes. He's an old friend of my dad's. Most people know of the great Grisha Yeager since he helped with a plague that happened." Eren kicked a small rock, watching it skid across the path. "I know my dad's done good stuff, but I just don't understand why everyone worships him like that."

Before Mikasa could speak up to explain the importance of Eren's father, a bell tolled and Eren raced towards another gate. "They're back!"

Danny raced after the two kids, ignoring the pins and needles that pierced his shins. "Who's back?"

"The Scouts! They go out and monitor the area, kill Titans, and try to see if there's a way to reclaim territory beyond the walls." The two kids stood on boxes in the back, Danny standing on the floor since there wasn't another box and he was unnaturally tall compared to the rest of these people. Why the tallest person he could see was only 5'10" or so confused him, but he didn't mind. He himself was 6'3", so while that was fairly tall in his universe, it seemed to be very tall here.

Danny watched as a group of soldiers came through the gate, carts reeking of death and blood trailing behind them. Danny's advanced senses didn't help him, making him nauseous. He watched as a blonde man at the lead of the group riding a horse looked at the two smiling kids, then to Danny's scrunched up face before turning away. Danny looked to see Eren's excited face fall into one of confusion. Obviously the kid hadn't seen death yet. Danny shivered as he remembered watching his family and friends die in an alternate timeline.

"Moses! Moses! Please tell me you have my son! Where's my baby?!" A woman cut through the crowd, tears flooding her eyes.

A man offered her a dirty and bloodied cloth that was wrapped tightly around something. Danny felt his heart drop at the sight. He could tell by the shape of it that it was a ligament of some kind. The woman unwrapped the item gingerly, gasping and collapsing to the floor at the sight of he son's arm. "Tell me his death meant something! Please tell me he was brave!"

The soldier before her screeched, tears falling down his face. "He was brave! He... he fought to the end!" He paused, taking a deep, shuddering breath. "But his death meant nothing! HE DIED BECAUSE OF ME!"

Danny felt his stomach twist into tight knots. While his world had its fair share of problems with ghosts and such, nothing compared to the dilemmas this world faced. There was a reason he was here; he was sure Clockwork led him here for a reason. He could do something, he could help these people.

"Psh, nothing like wasting our hard earned taxes on them so they can waste our money on feeding themselves and sacrificing others." Danny whipped his head towards the man that spoke, glaring daggers at his back. Danny wished he could pummel the ungrateful man, but he was in new territory; who knew what would get him into trouble.

Obviously Eren had no problem kicking the man in the shin, shrieking that the Scouts were sacrificing themselves in hopes of making things better for them. Danny watched as Mikasa gripped Eren's shirt, dragging him down an alley as the man yelled at them before turning back to his friend. Danny ground his teeth together before following after them, only catching snippets of Mikasa telling Eren to stop dreaming of joining the Scouts; he'd only die.

Eren stomped his way home, grumbling the whole way back. Danny smiled at the small cottage they approached, watching the way Eren and Mikasa announced their arrival. Danny gingerly poked his head through the doorway, watching the family interact. Eren frowned at Danny, dragging him into the household.

"Mom, Dad, this is Danny. He's from a different universe and needs our help."

The house went quiet, and Danny glanced at the shocked and incredulous looks throughout the small room. Danny rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, ignoring the way his wounds stung when they touched his hair. "Uh... hello?"

The woman began screeching at her son, telling him not to bring strangers into the house while the man motioned for Danny to sit on a small table in the corner of the room. "Here, let me patch you up. You wouldn't mind explaining this whole 'different universe' thing to me, would you?"

Danny sighed as the doctor cleaned his wounds, explaining things as simply as he could. "My name is Daniel Fenton, but I go by Danny. I'm sixteen years old, and I'm from a different universe. I understand if you don't want me here, or don't believe me. Even I wouldn't believe me." Danny chuckled to himself.

"So, what can you tell me about your world?" Danny could tell there was something about this man that was different; the look in his eyes stated that he knew far more than he should.

"My world is vastly different from this one. For one thing, we don't have Titans. Instead, we have ghosts." The household went silent, and Eren sat in one of the chairs to listen to the parts Danny had yet to tell him. "We... my parents are inventors, you could say. They create weapons for the government. They'd been working for years on a portal to connect the living plane to the dead one; they declared that it was like a coin, humans living on one half and ghosts living on the other half. One side couldn't exist without the other. Their portal didn't work when they turned it on, and my friends had convinced me to look into it when my parents had gone out one day. The thought of being able to help my parents in some sort of way thoroughly shocked me, and I wanted to do something to make them see me instead of my sister." Danny sighed; why was he telling this man so much? Maybe it was the way he looked at him. Danny could tell that this man could truly help him, but only if he knew the entire truth. Danny ran his fingers through his hair, the bandages wrapped tightly around his arms and fingers making it difficult to feel the smooth texture of his silky locks. "I... I went inside the portal, and I tripped on a cord that was sticking out of the floor. My hand instinctually went out to touch the wall, and it turns out that my parents had accidentally put the 'on' button inside. I had less than a second to realize what was happening before it was too late." Danny felt tears come to his eyes; he hadn't even explained his death to Jazz. He'd never had to do it before, and now he found himself almost reliving the memory. "I- the portal sent an abnormally large amount of electricity and ectoplasm (the substance ghosts are made of) into my system. I... I sorta died a little bit in that portal that day, but the portal also saved me. By infusing my system with ectoplasm, I became what the ghosts in the Ghost Zone know as a Halfa; I'm half human and half ghost; half alive and half dead. With newfound abilities, I did my best to keep my town safe from the ghosts that would terrorize the humans. I happened to be chasing one through the ghost zone when I accidentally flew through a natural portal that's closed now, and now I'm here." Danny took a deep breath, ignoring the shocked looks and calculating one from the man. "I understand if you don't believe me, but that's the truth. If you want me to leave then I can." Danny stood, offering his hand to Grisha Yeager. "Thank you for patching me up. The landing was a lot tougher than it should've been. I'll... I'll be on my way now."

The man snatched Danny's hand, making the boy turn around. "Daniel, if it's alright, may you please demonstrate these 'abilities' of yours?"

Danny nodded, allowing one hand to glow green with ectoplasm while the other formed a diamond shaped piece of ice; he infused the two together, making the ageless ice glow a soft green. "Here." He handed the object to Mr. Yeager, who examined the frosty item in his hands. The other three occupants of the room stared wide eyed at the gem and then at Danny, disbelief written across their faces.

"Well Daniel, I believe that I might be able to help you." Danny's head shot up, his mouth opening and closing in shock. "Based off your rediculous story, as well as your abilities and strange clothing, I can tell you're not from around here and your story is true. I have a patient I have to deal with today; when I get back we can see about developing some sort of portal tracker to return you to your home." Danny smiled widely, his hands getting slightly frosted in his excitement.

"Really?! Oh, thank the Ancients! Thank you so much, Mr. Yeager! If you need help developing the technology, I'm fairly good at inventing things like my parents." Danny turned towards the woman, bowing his head kindly at her. "Thank you as well, Ma'am. If you need any assistance at all, I'd be glad to help you." The woman's harsh eyes turned softer at Danny's childish glee.

"Alright then... Danny. If you wouldn't mind, would you stay here with me and help me with the dishes while I prepare dinner?" Danny nodded, washing the small plate in the bucket of water.

"Eren wants to join the Scouts."

The atmosphere changed once again as Mrs. Yeager screeched at Eren, Mikasa recieving glares from the young boy before he booked it out the door. "Grisha, scold the boy!" The woman huffed loudly as Mikasa trailed after Eren, and Danny shook his head at the constant shadow the twelve year old boy had.

"He'll do what he wants, dear." The man grabbed his bag, kissing his wife goodbye and leaving the household to the woman and teenager.

Mrs. Yeager sighed in exasberation as she cut up a few potatoes. "My god, that boy's gonna be the death of me one day." Danny noticed the way the woman smiled slightly, and he gave a small chuckle.

"Ya know, I was once like that too." Mrs. Yeager cast a sidelong glance at Danny, her eyes still weary but interested in what he had to say. "I wanted to be an astronaut- they're like the Scouts, but they go into space instead." The woman scrunched her eyebrows, and Danny smiled widely before expressing his love for space, as well as the stars. Mrs. Yeager found herself smiling at the childlike glee and awe that emitted from the boy's eyes. He had seen a lot, she could tell, but he still had some of his innocence intact.

"-and there are so many constellations! Orien is a classic, and one of my favorites because his story is so interesting. So is Cassiopeia, it's only got five stars in its constellation but it's so pretty. It's like the letter M or W and it shows up in late winter and early spring, and-"

A loud crash could be heard, and within moments the house collapsed as a large boulder crushed it. Mrs. Yeager screamed, her vocal chords covering up whatever other noises there were. Her legs were crushed, and after a few minutes she allowed herself to relax; she couldn't feel her legs anymore, and she assumed that she wouldn't be able to walk even if she was freed from the pressure of the house bearing down on her. She looked around, her eyes landing on the still form of the black haired teenager that lay a few feet in front of her. He was stabbed through the stomach, a thin wooden beam buried in his abdomen. He was still breathing, but he might not make it if somebody didn't help him.

Screams could be heard, drawing Mrs. Yeager's attention from the strange boy to her surroundings. She gasped and felt herself shake in fear at the sight of the Titans casually entering Shiganshina, eating humans left and right. The woman felt herself deflate in defeat; the Titans were in and she was going to die. She prayed that her baby boy and Mikasa were safe and-

"MOM!" The kind woman looked up in horror as she watched her son and Mikasa race towards her, struggling to lift the beam off her back. "We'll get you out of here, Mom!"

"Shit!" A blonde man swung himself down from a building, staring at the teenager before looking at Mrs. Yeager.

"Hannes! P-please, take my children and Danny away from here." The soldier looked at the teen on the floor, disbelief coloring his features. "He's still alive; he'll make it if he recieves medical attention. Eren knows how to dress wounds and can stitch him up. Please Hannes. Please."

The man stared at the Titan that was approaching before hardening his face. "I'm a soldier, I was trained to slay Titans!" The man raced off, only to come back moments later, wearing a terrified expression as he snatched the kids and placed Danny on his opposite shoulder from Eren while tucking Mikasa under his arm. Danny jostled awake at the movement, eyes dull but semi aware.

Mrs. Yeager smiled in relief, ignoring her son's shrieks to save her. "Thank you." She could see the shadow behind her, and she screamed at her son. "I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!" The shadow drew nearer and nearer, and the woman felt her instincts kick in.

Danny felt tears trail down his face as he fully awoke at the woman's words. "Please... don't leave me... I... I don't wanna die..."

Danny could do nothing but watch as Mrs. Yeager was snapped in half and eaten by a Titan, its smile spreading across its face and its dead eyes staring at the smoking sky.

The world became a blur after that, and soon enough the group of four were at the boats. "Here, take care of them for me." Danny was gently taken onto the boat by a soldier who gingerly set him down next to Eren and Mikasa.

"Yes sir!" Hannes glanced one last time at the shell shocked looks on the three children's faces before turning back towards the city, using his ODM to disappear from the scene.

Danny was aware of the searing pain in his side, aware of people screaming at the soldiers to let them on as the boat jolted to life and began chugging its way down the river, aware of people lunging themselves at the boat, some falling and dying as their skulls made contact with the cement canal. While Danny had witnessed death, he'd never seen anything like this before. And while he desperately wished he could help these people, he couldn't because he was already critically injured. He wouldn't be able to use his abilities.

Danny found himself also desperately wishing that he wasn't here anymore.

His mind was foggy as he watched a Titan far larger than the twenty meters Eren had described make its way towards Wall Maria, bulldozing right through the gate. He could hear screams, could see the smoke and blood, the waters staining red and the city collapsing.

Danny felt Eren tapping his leg, and turned his foggy blue eyes to meet Eren's strange steel green. The small boy, while it was obvious he was grieving, was pissed. The look in his eyes made Danny shift uncomfortably; this twelve year old boy who was innocent and kind, full of life and adventure this morning was now nothing but a shell of his former self.

Danny couldn't help but feel the same.

Eren held up the cloth, needle and thread that one of the soldiers had supplied him with, and Danny struggled to make out the words the boy was saying to him. Looking down, the Halfa felt his eyes widen slightly at the beam of wood penetrating his skin. Huh, so that's why he felt like his side was burning. He chuckled slightly, looking at Eren and nodding.

The young boy crinkled his nose before yanking the wood out, Danny shrieking in pain. People nearby yelled obscenities at the duo for doing that in front of them while others merely watched with hollow eyes. It took Eren a minute to try and pluck the remaining chunks of wood from Danny's exposed abdomen and the inch wide hole that was open for everyone to see. Danny could already feel his healing abilities working overtime, his abdomen very slowly closing and healing itself. He was beyond lucky the wood hadn't penetrated any vital organs.

A few minutes and hysterical screams later, and Danny was stitched up. It looked horribly awkward since the skin had to be pulled so tight to make up the space that was once filled, and it would definitely end up scarring like a wrinkly article of clothing, but if it meant Eren had to lose one less person that he cared about (even though they'd only met that day), then an ugly scar was more than worth it.

Mikasa stared at the unconscious teen, her doubts gone and her morbid mind taking over. All the people she cared for were gone, and only Eren and Armin remained. Danny could end up being someone she cared for, but the only person that truly mattered was Eren. She promised Mrs. Yeager that she'd keep Eren alive, and even before that Mikasa had promised herself that she'd protect him.

Armin made his way over, sitting down next to his two friends and staring at the universe boy he'd been told about at the river before the Titans broke in. While the boy definitely had features that were unique like his black hair and unnaturally blue eyes as well as his height, he currently looked like nothing more than a shaking and sweaty rag doll. As much as Armin wanted to make sure his friends were alright, he knew they weren't. They'd gone to get Eren's mom, and had come back with the strange teenager and hollow, empty looks. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Mrs. Yeager was dead.

So, they sat in silence until they reached the new designated refugee camp, allowing themselves to hide in a small corner with Armin's grandfather. The older man checked over Danny's wounds, making sure they wouldn't get infected before nodding to Eren. "While I might not be a doctor like your father, I've had my fair share of wounds to patch up. You did well, Eren." The old man allowed his eyes to grow heavy, frowning in a pitiful way at the children. "I'm sorry about your family, kids. I'll do my best to take care of you four from now on."

Line skip

Danny found himself leaning against a tree, his body tense as he heard screaming from next to him. The world was red, and Eren was scrambling away from a crazed Dr. Yeager with a needle. Danny watched with a horrified and petrified look on his face as the kind doctor screeched for his son to protect the key, injecting him with some sort of fluid that made the twelve year old instantly pass out. The doctor turned towards Danny, his eyes filled with some sort of maddening haze. "You must protect Eren and the key! If that key is taken or Eren is lost, we lose everything! You will help him! Help my son!" He lunged for Danny, plunging a needle deep into his neck. "Save my son..."

Line skip

Danny woke with a gasp, sweat dripping down his body in waves. He felt sick, like he had a fever and couldn't get rid of it even with his ice core. He felt his hand rest gingerly on his neck where the injection had been given in his dream, his eyes widening slightly at the small bump there. He cringed when he applied pressure, and Mikasa turned his head to look at what had him so concerned.

"Danny, it's just a spider bite. Here, help me wake Eren up." Danny nodded, slowly working his way towards the boy laying on the concrete floor a few feet from him. It'd already been a month since Wall Maria was lost, and they'd been working in the farms everyday to help supply the large group of people that now lived behind the safety of Wall Rose. Danny's wound was healed, leaving behind a nasty crinkled scar like Eren had predicted.

Danny felt himself frown as he helped jolt the boy awake. While Danny had felt himself change, Eren had changed the most. His once light hearted soul had turned into a raging inferno that was determined to obliterate every single Titan out there. Danny couldn't help but find himself agreeing to that philosophy. While he didn't originally come from this world, he still found himself more than pissed that this was the kind of shit that happened in this universe. Why was it that wherever he went, bad luck followed him? The teenage Halfa couldn't help but blame himself. This world's once routine life had gone straight to Hell because he'd suddenly shown up.

"I'm not gonna sit here and do what they want us to do! I'm gonna go out there and kill every single one of those damned bastards!" Danny tuned in on the conversation Eren was once again having with Mikasa. It was like this everyday; the boy would rant nonstop about killing the Titans. If he were a ghost, his obsession would be pretty obvious. Danny snorted silently, grateful he'd been unheard by the small group of children. Danny took his small loaf of bread from Armin gratefully, munching on a small corner. Being a Halfa meant he didn't need nearly as much food or sleep as a normal human did, which was nice for him since he could help these children that he now saw as family. Mikasa was still a silent shadow that followed Eren, Armin sometimes idly chatting about life on the outside or how his farming had gone. Eren was the same since the day his mother died, constantly screeching about joining the cadets and killing Titans. Every here and there the young boy would yell at a soldier for being useless, only to receive swift punishment courtesy of Mikasa.

Danny frowned at Mikasa's words. "I didn't promise your mother we'd be brave, I promised her that I'd keep you alive. So shut up and eat already." She stuffed the bread into Eren's mouth, the boy crying at the touchy subject of his mom. While Danny respected Mikasa's words, he felt himself struggling to agree with them. He was a hero in his world, so why couldn't he help people here? While he'd decided to keep his abilities a secret, that didn't mean he couldn't help by becoming a soldier and protecting the citizens. Danny stood, looking around at the soldiers for a certain look that only commanders and higher ups held. The three children watched their new friend walk over to a bald man with a flask, Danny's poor green shirt and tan pants being horribly baggy and his ripped up farmer's hat laying on his back with the string keeping it in place. While Danny was taller than the man, it was obvious that he recieved clothes that were not his size from the refugee camp. He'd needed new clothes, seeing as his were ripped beyond repair and made of an unfamiliar and foreign material. He didn't have shoes, seeing as there weren't any that fit his size and the ones he'd come in had been demolished as well. The man that Danny had approached looked like any other soldier, the only difference being that this man was older, and definitely more experienced. The three kids looked on in confusion, unaware of what the teenaged boy was hoping to accomplish.

Danny held his hand out to the bald man, giving a small smile in hopes of appeasing the soldier. "Excuse me sir, I have a question for you."

The bald man took a sip from his flask, the smell of alcohol wafting towards Danny's nostrils. Yes, he'd chosen wisely; alcohol was something only superior officers had the luxury of recieving. "What is it, youngster?" The man shook his hand, giving a small grin of his own.

"Well sir, I couldn't help but notice that you're older than the rest of the soldiers here, and based off the fact you have whiskey leads me to believe you're a superior to them, correct?" The man looked relatively shocked but nodded his head. "Well then, I was wondering how I join the cadets. I'm sixteen, and I don't want to be stuck working the fields the rest of my life. I want to do something that could hopefully serve a purpose to the people living here. If I can help save lives then that means I can help make up for the mess I've made."

The man rose an eyebrow, placing his flask on his belt loop. "What's your name, kid?"

"Daniel Fenton, sir."

"Daniel, huh? Well, my name is Dot Pixis. What makes you so sure that you've made some giant mess?"

Danny shuffled his feet, frowning. "Well Mr. Pixis, I... there's these three kids, you see, and two of them allowed me to stay with them when I had nowhere else to go. I was with them for less than a day when the Titans attacked and killed their mother. I... I want to help them anyway I can, sir!"

Pixie smiled at Danny. He's a good kid... "Very well then. Daniel Fenton, I believe that I can get you into the cadet training regimen. Granted, you'll be older than some of the others but there will still be a few newbies who will be your age since the Shiganshina incident happened and they have nowhere to go. When you're done with your training, I want you to tell your commander that Commander Dot Pixis requested you personally to join my garrison. Understand?" Danny looked at the commander with a shocked look before nodding his head.

"Yes, sir! Thank you sir!"

Pixis smiled, offering Danny a sip from his flask. "Here, you're young but you deserve a sip." Danny looked at the flask wearily before taking a small sip, his face crinkling in distaste. "Haha, don't worry kiddo, you'll get used to it." Pixis ruffled his hair, taking a chug from his flask once more. "I'll go talk to Keith Sadies and inform him that he'll be getting a very respective young man in his ranks starting tomorrow."

Danny smiled widely, inclining his head. "Thank you once again, sir! I truly appreciate it!" Pixis watched the boy with a calulating eye, monitoring the way he weaved in and out of the crowd. The boy was experienced in battle, that much was obvious. He had potential, and Pixis decided that he'd patiently wait the three years for the sixteen year old boy to graduate.

Danny made his way back over to the three children, Armin's grandpa having joined them only moments ago. Eren asked what they all were wondering. "Why'd you go talk to that soldier, Danny?"

Danny smiled widely, his eyes filled with a light that had been extinguished a mere month ago. "I just talked with that man, Commander Dot Pixis. He said that starting tomorrow I'll be joining the cadets in their training."

"What?! Danny, you can't do that! It's not safe! You saw firsthand what those monsters did!" Armin looked at Danny with concern, his grandpa watching the teenager with a sharpness an old farmer shouldn't have.

"Hey, if it means I can help provide for you three and save people at the same time, then I'm all for it!" He smiled widely, the children looking at him with shock. Danny took notice of their reactions. "What?"

"What do you mean 'what'? Why would you provide for us when you've only known us for a month?" Mikasa stared at Danny with her cold eyes like usual.

Danny's face turned serious, his smirk no longer present. "Because I lost everything I had within seconds, and you kids and Gramps here are all I've got left. I'm not losing my new family." The Halfa's words rang deep within Mikasa, her eyes growing wider at the words that resembled her own mindset. In that moment, she decided that Danny was right, the five of them were a family now, and she was going to protect them all with her life if she needed to.

Eren stared at Danny with wide eyes. Never had he thought he'd gain an older brother, but he did. He didn't want to let him go now that he had him, but he felt his heart swell with pride and respect for his newest family member that wanted to fight for humanity.

The next day, Danny hugged the children and shook hands with Armin's grandfather out of respect and appreciation for his help. Danny looked at the kids, smiling. "I'll be back in one month's time to check on you alright?"

Line skip

Danny looked down the line at the other recruits, paying rapt attention to how strange some of them reacted to Commander Sadies. Kieth Sadies, a bald man with a short dark goatee and deep sunken eyes; he was definitely a man to respect and obey. Intimidation was a large factor in the military; Danny knew this from movies back home. He stood straighter as Commander Sadies approached, looking up at the tall Halfa.

He scoffed. "Tch, looks like we got ourselves a bean stock, don't we?" He examined Danny, his sharp eyes noticing the subtle muscle and firm stance. "What's your name, boy?"

"Daniel Fenton, from the Shiganshina District, Sir!" He placed his right fist firmly over his heart, staring straight ahead.

"And why the hell did you join the Cadets?" This was the answer he paid most attention to; just because Pixis had requested this brat didn't mean he was all he was cut out to be.

"To protect the people that took me in as well as the rest of humanity, Sir!"

The commander's nose twitched. "Hmph. So you're a tall green bean with the morals of a cookie. Great." In reality, Kieth was impressed. While the boy was tall and lanky, he was fit and had a good moral compass. Of course, that meant jack shit when in the cadets military, but it still made the commander glad there was some form of hope for the next generation.

Danny ignored the commander's snide comments about his height and apparent food relations. He'd recieved much harsher words from Dash. Danny felt his eyebrows crease for a split second before they returned to their neutral expression. Even something as putrid as Dash made the Halfa homesick. He steeled himself, slightly shaking his head. As much as he missed his world, he wouldn't go back at the moment with everything going on even if there were a portal. This world needed his help far more than his own; his friends and family could defend it until he was done here. He hoped they'd look for him though; time could flow very differently depending on where you were located at. For Danny, it could be mere minutes while in his original world it could be years. It made him frown as he thought of Sam. Just as he was thinking that they could maybe have a relationship, that she just might like him back, this whole fiasco happens. Then again, he found himself not particularly angry about that seeing as he could still help the people here with their problems. He still had a job to do, one that was probably more important than the one he had at home.

Soon enough, Danny found himself riding back towards the refugee's camp, the month passing by in a blur of what he found to be easy training. The commander had stated that the Halfa was beyond his year, and would be placed with children only a year younger than him instead. He was making enormous leaps and bounds, meaning his training could be done far faster than he'd hoped for.

He frowned as he skirted around the mass of sick and underfed people. It'd become worse since he'd last been here. He only prayed that the four people in this world he cared for were still alive.

The Halfa made his way to the corner where his family had always stationed themselves, his brows scrunching in anger and sadness at the sight before him. They were all there, Thank the Ancients, but their cheeks were sunken in, their clothes beyond baggy on them. Danny made his way over, sitting in front of them.

Eren looked up, expecting another refugee to try to steal the clothes off their backs or the crumbs in their pockets once more. Instead, his broken eyes met sky blue, the teen's raven hair falling in his face and the sides cut short like most of the military men wore. He was well cleaned, his cadet uniform fitting his lanky form rather well. His height only made the cropped jacket look even shorter, but that didn't matter much. What made the twelve year old beyond happy was the fact that Daniel Fenton had come back a month later like he'd promised.

"Danny?"

The others looked up, shocked but smiling at the strong man before them. He'd definitely filled out a little more, but was still extremely lean and as agile as always. He smiled, showing his bright white teeth. "Yup! I'm back, just like I promised!" He reached into his back pocket, pulling out a pint sized skin bag that rattled with the sound of coins chinking together. "I also managed to jump from first year to second year within the month, so I won't be allowed to make as many trips here. This money should last you all the two months I'll be gone though. If you need anything then find Commander Pixis or Commander Sadies and ask them to see me. They're well acquainted with me and can provide you with money should you need it. Stick to only the essentials; food, water, and clothing. I don't have much money seeing as I'm only a cadet, but they've provided me with money since I'm doing so well. If I continue to do good, then I'll be in the year I need to be in no time!" Danny smiled at the children, handing them the money. "Just don't let anyone steal it. Hide the money in your pockets, seperate it so it's not as much. If you're all careful about the money then you'll be fine." Danny reached into a small bag on the side of his belt, pulling out a loaf of fresh bread that had cheese on it. "It's a lot of food, so don't gorge it all today, but please eat. I don't want you guys to die."

Everyone smiled at him, giving him hugs as they watched him leave. They'd been lucky there weren't any other refugees around or they would've stolen the food and money as soon as Danny left. It hurt that the sixteen year old couldn't stay with them, but they knew it was for the best. He was providing them with essentials and advancing beyond his peers to help rid this world of Titans.

Eren found himself respecting the teenager even more.

Line Skip

Things continued like this for a year. Danny would come by every two months, offering money and food to the small group he considered family. He remained in the second year of cadets for four months before advancing to the third year cadets and graduating at the top of his class by the end of the year.

He was too late to stop what was about to transpire.

Over 200,000 refugees were sent into Wall Maria's territory in hopes of recovering the area that was once lost. Only 200 came back.

Armin's grandpa was not one of those 200.

Danny had returned to see the refugee camp diminished with only children and women, a few men spread throughout. Danny allowed himself to wander to the corner the children were always at, only to see Armin clutching an old tattered hat that his grandpa had worn all the time, Mikasa and Eren comforting him. Danny felt intrusive, but shook the thought. Armin's grandpa had been a good man, and the Halfa had promised to look after the children.

When Armin took notice of Danny, he screamed.

"You didn't save him! You didn't protect him! It's your fault he's dead!" And Danny couldn't help but feel that it was. He hadn't been fast enough, and now Armin was paying the price.

"I-"

"NO! You have no room to talk! You're selfish! You-you let him die! You-"

Mikasa slapped the back of her hand across the blonde's face. "Shut up, Armin. Look at Danny's face. He's hurting just as much as you are. And stop pretending that this is his fault. Refugees were sent out because we were overpopulated. Danny's just a cadet; how was he supposed to know that they were doing this?" Armin looked at Danny, who had collapsed to the floor some time during his rant and hateful words. Tears streamed down his face, his eyes staring at the floor with a blank and lost stare. The blonde genius realized that he hadn't been as smart as he should've in that situation. He'd allowed his rage and pain to take over, blaming Danny when he'd done nothing but provide them with essentials that had kept them all alive.

"Danny, I-"

"No, you're right. I wasn't here. I'm sorry." His words were quiet, but they echoed in Armin's ears like a broken record.

Eren abruptly stood, staring at the two sets of eyes that watched him intently. "I'm joining the cadets next year. I'll be able to help people, and when I'm done with my training, I'm gonna join the Scouts and wipe out every Titan alive!"

Danny sat unresponsive, oblivious to the conversation the trio were having next to him. It took a good few minutes for him to finally gain his bearings. Danny stood up, a slightly frantic look in his eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry. I-I can't bring him back, but I can make sure you're all safe! I-I'll be going under Commander Pixis, and he'll make sure I can get a small home somewhere within Wall Rose instead of here in Trost; I can make sure you're all safe, and you'll never have to see another Titan again! I-I can... I can-"

"Stop it Danny! We're going to join the cadets next year. Did you not hear a single thing we said earlier?" Armin looked at Danny, catching the ravenette's attention. "Danny, I'm the one who needs to be apologizing. I didn't mean to blow up on you like that when none of this is your fault. Just... don't worry about us, okay?"

Danny frowned, his eyes having progressively turned green throughout his panic. "I... but I have to protect you! You don't understand!" He paced back and forth, his hair starting to turn white. "You all know who I am and where I'm from. You know what I am, and I've told you all that ghosts have obsessions. You remember when you asked me what my obsession was and I got pissed at you Armin because I told you asking a ghost what their obsession is is almost as bad as asking how they died?" Armin nodded, unsure of where this was going. By now, Danny's entire head had turned white, his eyes glowing furiously in the darkness of the night. "My obsession it to protect. Once I find something or someone that I feel is important, I have to protect it. If I don't, I'll drive myself mad. The fact that your grandpa died is my fault. I didn't protect him like I told myself I would, and I have to protect you kids like I promised myself I would, and-"

Armin, Eren, and Mikasa shared a glance at one another. Maybe he'd already lost a bit of his sanity. "Um, Danny?"

"What?" The Halfa seemed to hiss the word at Mikasa, eyes burning into her soul. She swallowed nervously.

"Danny, nobody blames you. Armin's grandpa didn't die because of you, there's nothing you could've done and you know it."

Danny's eyes dimmed a little, his heated gaze diminishing and hair fading until he looked like he usually did. Never before had the trio seen Danny like that; the Halfa had described his ghost form before but never transformed into it. They could tell they'd only gotten a glimpse at the teenager's true abilities.

He sat on the floor harshly, running his hand through his hair. "Yeah. I-you're right. I'm sorry for freaking out on you guys like that." He huffed loudly before looking at the trio. "Listen, I'm serious. I've got a fair amount of money that can keep you guys fed, clothed, and give you shelter. It might not be much, but I figured the apartment I bought a few hours ago will be enough for now."

"You already bought a house?" Eren looked at Danny, eyes bulging in shock.

Danny chuckled. "Yeah, it's inside Wall Rose. C'mon, I'll take you to our new home."

Somehow the soldiers at the gates seperating Trost and Rose were already well acquainted with Danny, smiling and saluting him. The three children trailed after him, confusion written on their faces.

"Danny, why did they seem to know you so well?" Armin stared at the back of the Halfa's head, taking notice of the roses now adourning his jacket.

Danny glanced back, smiling at the blonde. "Oh, well I graduated with them. They were just posted there this morning." Danny returned his attention to the road in front of him, smiling as he casually walked the streets. "There's also the fact that I graduated top of my class and became Commander Pixis' right hand man as soon as I left the premises, so I'll be all over the place a lot of the time. Pixis said the King likes to have a lot of chess matches with him, so I'll probably be stuck in Wall Sina most of the time." Danny's face scrunched up distastefully, but he shrugged his shoulders anyway. "On the bright side, Pixis has given me the ability to 'join' other regimens if I'd like. What with him being one of the top Commanders and basically owning the entire military branch of the southern region, it's pretty easy for me to just tag along on other missions and jobs. Say if I want to join the Scout regimen on a mission, I can. Granted I'll probably be given a lower rank within the Scouts. I also grew rather fond of Commander Sadies, so I might go help break in the new recruits every here and there as well." Eren stared at Danny in shock. His 'big brother' seemed to have a lot of advantages.

Within the time Danny had spoken, they'd reached the small two story building. Stepping inside, the trio gasped at the luxuries they hadn't had for a year. The bottom floor consisted of a large tub of water and toilet in the corner, as well as a curtain to draw around it for privacy. In another corner was the kitchen, a table sitting comfortably in the corner closest to them. The final corner had a few chairs around a small coffee table, meant for guests. Danny smiled before bringing them up to the second floor, showing them the two queen beds placed side by side, a window seperating them. There were also two wardrobes, though they were small and clearly empty. "So, whatcha' think?" Danny smirked widely, spreading his arms out in exuberance. The three children grinned widely, racing forwards and hugging the teenager.

"It's amazing! Thank you!"

With that, the four settled into a comfortable lifestyle for a year. Danny would be all over the place, literally. Many days he'd come home, exhausted from following Pixis around. Some days he'd come home after being gone for a week, a dark look on his face and refusing to speak of anything. There would also be days where the eighteen year old would come back smirking like he'd won the lottery (not that the three teens knew what that was anyway). The young adult was always caught with his standard ODM gear on, and always had his Wall Rose jacket as well. Sometimes he'd wear a different cloak depending on where he'd be located (sometimes a Unicorn, other times a set of white and blue wings). However, Danny could always be caught with a small metal flask with Wall Rose markings on it. He always had alcohol, though it wasn't always the best quality. When Danny had first joined Pixis, he had recieved a flask from the Commander. Only a few weeks later after his first scouting trip was he seen using said flask. The adult never got drunk or even tipsy, but he would always had a few sips. One day, Armin had asked how and why he drank so much but never got drunk. The ravenette had looked at the blonde with an empty look, simply stating "I can't get drunk because the ectoplasm in my system burns it all away. I drink for the taste of it; just because I can't get drunk doesn't make it any less addicting."

Danny had sat on the couch, watching through his long mangy hair as the three fourteen year olds scrambled to get their new uniforms on. He took a sip from his flask, watching with calculating eyes as his 'siblings' raced to put their boots on. The Halfa chuckled as he watched Armin get stuck in his jacket. "C'mere Armin. I'll help you get your arm in." Danny guffawed loudly are his pun, Armin whining at the well executed timing.

Soon enough, the three kids were ready. "I'll walk you to the carriage that'll take you kids there, since it's not that far and I have some time before my next job."

Mikasa looked at Danny questioningly. "Where are you off to this time, Danny?" The lanky man looked at the girl next to him, smiling widely before winking.

"Shh, it's a secret." He took a sip from his flask, frowning as the last of its contents disappeared into his mouth. "Dammit. I'll have to get some more before I leave."

Danny smiled as the three new cadets boarded the carriage with a few other newbies. "Have fun! I'll see you soon enough!" The eccentric man waved his hands wildly, laughing at the embarrassed looks the kids wore. He watched until the carriage turned a corner and was out of sight before casually strolling back to his home, filling his flask with his favorite whiskey and hopping onto his chestnut brown horse. "Alright, Weiser. Let's go."

Line skip

Eren stared at Commander Sadies from the corner of his eye as he scolded another recruit. The man was intimidating, that much was obvious. He watched some recruit-Connie was his name-get lifted into the air by his head. It must've been painful, but the last Yeager had to admit that lifting that much weight out like that showed a lot of strength.

Eren felt himself staring incredulously as Sasha Braus ate a potato in the commander's face. "Here, have half." She broke off what must've been less than a third of her potato, smiling dumbly at the commander's shell shocked face.

Laughter cut through the air, making every single cadet as well as Commander Sadies turn his attention towards the noise. Behind all the cadets, sitting comfortably on a chestnut brown horse, was Daniel Fenton. The lanky man took a swig of alcohol, sighing at the scene in front of him. "Man, I've seen a lot of stuff in my lifetime, but never have I ever seen someone eat in front of Commander Sadies like that, yet alone offer him half of a potato. Pfffftttt!!" His lips were pressed firmly together, spittle flying everywhere as he chuckled behind his teeth. Everyone stared at Danny like he was insane to interrupt the Commander like that, even the three that had lived with him for quite some time.

A loud smack could be heard, and all the cadets returned their attention to the now down and dirty potato that lay on the floor. Sasha stared at her potato with a look of pain and sorrow. "My potato..."

The commander's face was beyond pissed. "I don't give a damn about your fucking potato! Start running laps and don't stop until the sun completely sets! No dinner either!" Sasha's face showed absolute unbridled horror as she was forced to run.

Danny walked over, his horse Weiser laying calmly in the dirt away from the newbies. Eren, Armin, and Mikasa all stared at the Halfa as he walked up to the commander, giving a strong salute. "Sir!" The word was spoken with pride, but the smile on his face spoke for him.

Commander Sadies rolled his eyes. "Dammit Fenton. I swear, you're gonna be the death of me one day." He shook hands with Danny, the younger of the two offering the small metal container.

"Wanna swig?"

The commander's nose scrunched up. "Not now, Fenton." He turned towards the cadets, Danny shrugging nonchalantly as he tipped the flask back to drink some of its contents. He idly scratched the scruff on his chin, looking around with a bored look. Whispers could be heard throughout the cadets. While he'd only been around for a year, everyone knew about the man that was practically as famous as Levi and Pixis for his vast deeds. "Listen up, Maggots! This here is Captain Daniel Fenton. He's Commander Pixis' favorite little shit, so this kid's all over the place all the time. Captain Fenton joined the cadets two years ago, being the only cadet to ever graduate all three years within a single year. He's been in the field for a year, but his experience rivals that of a commander's. Don't take him lightly; he's a threat to be wary of. As it is, Pixis has allowed Captain Fenton here to help me train you all. He'll mainly be here twice a week. Sometimes he'll be with the Scouts and therefore won't be able to train with some of you, but besides that he's willing to try helping some of you whelps grow a little bit. Accept his hospitality and respect him, otherwise you're gone." Danny smiled widely, his eyes a little glassy.

Eren could feel Armin lean closer to him. "Are we sure he doesn't get even a little tipsy?"

Line skip

Danny walked into Commander Pixis' office, plopping himself across from the older man. It'd been another two years, and while Danny was well known, nobody had yet to know of his true abilities. The Halfa had the time now to transform into his ghostly persona, though there were definitely things that'd changed. His hair was still longer at the top and kept short along the sides and back, his eyes as fluorescent green as always. However his outfit had taken a drastic change. His jumpsuit was no longer present, replaced by the classic white pants of the soldiers. His boots were black, his shirt a bright white. His jacket was black as well, the back showing his classic DP logo. Overall, his outfit was almost the same as the soldiers, except everything that would've been brown was black. The Halfa had custom ordered it, having a large abundance of money to do so. While his hazmat suit had been important to him, it was a part of his past that wasn't really there anymore. He had kept the suit; it had stopped glowing once removed from his body and now hung silently in his wardrobe that he shared with Eren. While he'd never forget his past, Danny felt that it was time to move on. Even if his family managed to find him, who knew how much time had passed for them, and there were still Titans left for him to kill.

After three years, Danny had finally felt he could help change the tide of this 'war', and that was by telling Pixis the truth. So there he sat, staring at his Commander with a (for once) serious expression.

"Well, Daniel? What did you wish to talk about?"

Danny took a deep breath through his nostrils, breathing out through his mouth. "Sir, there's something I've kept hidden from you for years, and I feel that it's necessary for me to finally tell you. I know that it'll sound insane, and I understand that once I tell you that you will have to inform the higher ups of my status. Either way, I want to inform you of something that could potentially change the entirety of this situation."

Pixie set his flask to the side, leaning forwards and resting his elbows on the desk. "Very well, Captain Fenton. I'm all ears."

"Sir, as I've stated before, my name is Daniel Fenton. I'm twenty years old, and lived in Shiganshina before the Titans broke through. What you don't know is that I lived elsewhere before I was in Shiganshina. I had actually only 'lived' there for a single day. I arrived the same day the Titans did."

Pixie looked at Danny with a raised eyebrow. "Then where did you live before that?"

"This is where things get difficult, Sir. I lived in a small town called Amity Park, Illinois located in the United States of America."

Pixis frowned. "I've never heard of this 'Amity Park'."

"That's because it's not anywhere you've heard of." Danny took a deep breath, Pixis leaning forwards in anticipation. "Amity Park is actually in a different universe than this one." Pixis scrunched his face up, making Danny rub his eyebrows from being so anxious. "I know it sounds like a bunch of shit, Sir, but it's not. There's a lot I need to explain, so it's best if I start from the beginning. I grew up with scientists for parents. They invented all sorts of weaponry for the military of our nation. However, my parents were always invested in one particular thing: the afterlife. See, my parents believed that the living dwelled on one side of a coin, and the dead on the other. Two different planes that couldn't exist without the other. My parents made a portal to the ghostly world, but it failed to work. A few friends of mine had convinced me to go inside and see if I could fix it. I had gone in, but I tripped on some of the wiring and hit a button that activated the portal. I was still inside when it turned on." Pixis stared at Danny incredulously but the Halfa continued. "I would've died had it not been for the ectoplasm, the substance that ghosts are made of, combined with the large electric shock. I'm what the ghosts of my world call a 'Halfa', seeing as I'm half alive and also half dead. I dwell in both worlds."

Pixis shook his head, his face turning serious. "Where is your proof, Captain Fenton?"

Danny bit his lip. "I'm going to show you, but nobody from your world has seen this. Even the children I take care of do not know what my second form looks like." Danny sucked in a deep breath, allowing familiar white rings to encompass his body. His outfit changed slightly from its Wall Rose uniform, shifting to his Phantom uniform. His haired turned Snow White, his eyes a brilliant green. His entire form glowed, and he floated gently in the air above his chair as he sat criss cross. "I was basically my world's hero; I kept the ghosts at bay and made sure humanity was safe. In this form I'm known as Phantom, but that's irrelevant. My point is that one day I had been chasing down a ghost and ended up falling through a natural portal. It closed behind me, so I couldn't get back. Now I'm here." Danny shifted back, plopping onto the chair. "I've been stuck in this world for four years, and I've done everything my human form can allow me to do to help. Now I wish to help humanity with my ghostly abilities in hopes of vanquishing the Titans."

Pixis stared at the man he thought he knew well, blinking rapidly before regaining his composure. "Well then, Captain Fenton. I do believe we have much to discuss." He smiled widely at the Halfa, who grinned back.

Line skip

Danny waited for the judge to determine his fate. He had explained himself to the court filled with private military officers, and now he was either going to be allowed to help or was to be executed.

"If these friends of yours from your home world come for you, will you abandon us?"

Danny's gaze remained the same. "No."

"And why is that, Captain Fenton?"

"Sir, my world has its fair share of problems. However this world needs my help far more then my own. If I can make a difference here and save lives, allow humanity to see the outside world once more, then I will. There's a reason why I've chosen to expose myself Sir, and it's not for selfish or malicious intent. I live to serve." Danny saluted, placing his fist firmly against his chest.

"Hmm... Very well then. Captain Fenton will continue to serve under Commander Pixis until further notice. If we have any crucial and important missions that you can participate in, we'll let you know. Court adjourned."

Danny kept a straight face as he walked with Pixis down the street. It wasn't until they reached his small home did they both smile widely, the twenty year old removing a large jug of alcohol from a cupboard. "Thanks for helping me with that, Commander. I'm glad I'll be able to further assist our nation."

The commander smiled and sighed in content as he drank. "Ah, Daniel. You already do a lot for humanity. I truly believe that you're going to change things for the better. By tomorrow, all the top ranking Commanders will know of your Halfa status, and the public will be informed of a new ally going by the name of Phantom."

Danny smiled at Pixis, nodding his head. "Well, even if it's moving pretty fast, I'm still glad that I'll be able to make a difference."

The commander nodded. "Yes, I'm sure that soon enough you'll be able to fly above the walls, surveying the public and helping demolish the Titans."

Oh, how wrong Pixis was.

Line skip

"We can't let the public know."

"What?! Why not?" Pixis glared at his fellow commanders.

"Captain Fenton is a strong and powerful weapon the military can use. If the public discovers this, who knows how they will react. There's also the fact that we've had selfish and Titan obsessed people before. It's entirely possible that one of our own could've caused the loss of Shiganshina and Wall Maria. Therefore Phantom will remain as secret as possible. Only high ranking officers will be graced with Commander Phantom's true identity."

"Commander Phantom?" Pixis stared at the men at the table incredulously. "The boy is smart and strong, but he's not yet ready to lead others like that."

"Commander Phantom is more than capable. He will be leading a new group of cadets called the Ghost Regimen. They will be a select group of people that Phantom will lead on whatever missions the higher ups command. If Phantom wishes to reveal his identity to his team then he may. Any questions, Pixis?"

"So he'll basically be leading an entirely new part of the army?"

"It'll be a small group, but yes. Cadets will have the option of joining The Ghost Regiment. If Phantom sees them as unimportant or wants to discharge them, then he can."

Pixis felt himself sigh. "Very well. If that's what we've all decided, then I understand. However, if I may can I please still guide the boy?"

"That's fine. I understand that you've grown quite close to the young Commander. It's quite obvious that you see him as a son of some sort."

Pixis grunted, neither conforming nor denying the accusation. "Well then, if we're done here I must find Commander Phantom to inform him of this information." The bald man didn't wait for a reply as he left the small office, allowing himself to wander through the building before emerging outside. Hopping into a small carriage, the commander made his way through Wall Sina, entering the interior of Wall Rose. He entered the small building that belonged to his favorite captain, smiling at the man passed out on the couch with his flask barely hanging from his hand. "Daniel."

The scruffy man's eyes opened, flashing green for a moment before returning to sky blue. "Oh, hey Pixis. So I take it the meeting is over?" Pixie nodded. "Did it go well?"

"That's debatable. They've changed your rank. Welcome Commander Phantom, you'll have full control over the newest division of the army, the Ghost Regiment. This private division will be sent on secretive missions that will have varying tasks. In other words, Commander Phantom will be permitted to do whatever he wishes just like a certain Captain of mine usually does. Only this time, you'll have the soldiers, and it won't be you given orders. You'll be giving them." Pixis sighed, sinking further into the chair across from the black haired man. "Danny, be careful. Being a commander is difficult, especially when you'll be responsible for everyone. If they die, it'll be on your hands. Understand that."

Danny's eyes hardened, his hands clutching his kneecaps tightly. "Trust me sir, I more than understand. I've been responsible for people before; if they die then I'll carry that burden with me for the rest of my life."

Pixie nodded. "There's more though. You see, Commander Phantom will be able to use his abilities, but the public will not know of them. You'll only be permitted to use your ghost powers during missions, and if you so choose to reveal your identity to your soldiers, then you can. Otherwise, no one is to know of Phantom's true capabilities." Danny nodded in understanding. While he'd wanted to be able to fly above the cities visible once more, it was for a selfish reason. He would be fine taking small flights like usual invisibly.

Danny smiled, his eyes hardening. "Well, it's time to make a real difference."

Line skip

Eren felt a small grin grace his lips. It'd been three years, three long years of training. They'd graduated in the top ten of their class; him, Armin, and Mikasa. The seventeen year old could finally join the Scouts, he could kill the Titans, just like Danny!

Eren felt his eyebrows crease. Daniel Fenton, also known as Commander Phantom, was a strong and powerful ally that the graduated cadet saw as an older brother. It was rare to see Daniel Fenton these days; Commander Phantom had been around all the time for the past year, taking command of the newest Ghost regiment. On the few chances the trio could return home, they'd rarely see Danny there. If he was, he was either asleep or had a brown haired girl by the name of Gretel there. She was his right hand woman, staying loyally by his side. Commander Phantom had only revealed himself to his three family members, Gretel being the only exception. She was strong, being one of only eight other elite soldiers in the small yet infamous regiment. The uniforms the soldiers wore matched that of Commander Phantom's, consisting of a black and white model uniform with the strange DP logo on the back and front pocket. They usually wore black cloaks with their symbol on the back when going on missions. The public were aware of the new and vastly rising group of 'ghosts'. Their strength despite their numbers made them a not so secretive ops division that had more rumors than that of the Scouts regiment.

Eren watched the day after his graduation as the Scouts and the Ghost regiments left Trost behind, Phantom casting a sidelong glance at the trio and offering a small smirk before turning his attention forwards.

"Huh, so he really does glow a little. Wonder what he'd look like at night time." Eren looked at the man in front of him, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Looks like those rumors of Commander Phantom being a ghost of a past soldier might be true."

"Yeah, but they're called the Ghost regiment for a reason. They do so well on their jobs and rarely speak to anyone that some people don't think they exist. That's why they're called the Ghost regiment, or at least that's the word on the street."

Even rolled his eyes, turning and following after Armin and Mikasa as they made their way to the top of the wall. The trio could just make out the small black and green specks of the regiments heading further into Wall Maria's territory. They spent a few hours patrolling the wall, cleaning and loading cannons, and just genuinely having a good time with their fellow graduates for one last day before they all went their seperate ways. Sasha had managed to snag some meat from the storage room, making everyone scream at her to either put it back or to share with them. Eren scoffed, smiling at his comrade's antics. By tomorrow, he'd be part of the Scouts. Although part of him wanted to join Danny's small group of elites, he knew that he wasn't ready for that yet. The Ghost regiment was made up of people that Commander Phantom himself had hand picked from varying regiments; he never picked freshly graduated cadets. Besides, Eren's goal had always been the Scouts. Maybe one day he'd join the Ghosts, but he didn't plan for that to happen anytime soon.

Eren scanned the Trost district, grimacing at the familiarity of the city. While it wasn't like Shiganshina, it also resembled his home town greatly. It'd been five years since the Titans broke through, five years since his world drastically changed.

Something flashed in the back of Eren's vision, causing the teenager to turn around. His eyes widened, screams emitting from behind and around him as the Colossal Titan looked down at him with small squinted eyes.

Things became a blur after that. Trost was broken into, Titans flooding the small city. Armin and Eren were dispatched into the city along with a large group of other soldiers. Mikasa was directed to stay behind to help defend the citizens as they raced towards the gate. The black haired woman had began making her way closer to the back gate, glaring at the abnormal that raced towards Wall Rose. Just as she was about to slash deep into its nape, the creature was slammed into a nearby building, its bones making a sickening crack from the collision. Mikasa had just enough time to maneuver out of the way and onto the roof of a nearby building, turning around to assess what'd just happened.

Standing with its fist outstretched stood a twenty meter Titan, it's long thick white hair covering most of its eyes, it's long ears exposed. It was still easy to discern the bright green eyes that illuminated the shadows of its face, revealing a lipless maw. Sitting firmly on its shoulder was what looked like a soldier of the Ghost regiment, their feet dangling harmlessly in the air. Mikasa gaped at the creature, shocked at what looked to be one of the most fearsome Titans she'd seen.

The Titan stood straight up, watching the small abnormal try to regenerate itself. The twenty meter looked at the struggling ten meter before pointing at it, making a horrible cackling screeching noise from its mouth. Was it... was it laughing at the other Titan? Mikasa watched the large being chuckle as it approached the downed being, stomping on its nape continuously until it moved no more. It sighed, steam coming from its mouth as it turned towards Mikasa, it's head lolling to the side in boredom. The teenage girl felt her eyes widen comically as the Titan gave a classic "hang ten" surfer sign, winking before turning away. That... that was a hand gesture that Danny had taught her...

Shaking her head, Mikasa helped force the fat merchant's cart out of the gate, citizens rushing through and escaping the dangerous and invaded territory. With great concern for the boy she'd lived with for years, Mikasa launches herself into the air, racing across buildings and slaying a few titans along the way as she found Armin sitting on a rooftop. "I know it's selfish to ask, but where's Eren?" She allowed her eyes to scan the area, turning her attention towards the blonde boy. Her heart dropped when she saw the broken look on Armin's face as he reported his entire squadron deceased. That included Eren.

Mikasa gingerly touched Armin's hand. "Now is not the time to get emotional. We have to get to the supply depot so we can get out of here. The only way out is to fight!" She flung herself forwards, her grief eating her up inside. Moments later, her gas ran out and she fell to the ground, rolling a few times before coming to a stop. She lay there, wondering why she should even continue living if Eren wasn't alive.

A fifteen meter rounded the corner, making its way towards her. She looked at it with sad, dead eyes, allowing her broken swords to loosen in her grip. Eren was gone. There was nobody left for her to protect. The Titan's hand came closer, meee feet from her face. Instincts took over, and she sliced at its hand, jumping out of the way. Why was she trying to save herself even after she'd given up? Eren's voice came to mind. Fight... Fight... FIGHT!

"I WON'T GIVE UP EVER AGAIN!" She stood on her feet, short broken swords held tightly in her grasp. The ground shook, tossing her body into the air violently as a large foot slammed into the floor behind her. A fist was thrown, and the Titan was down. Mikasa turned, expecting the Danny- like Titan from before, only to gasp once more at the new strange Titan. It looked similar to the white haired twenty meter, only this one had long dark hair, forest green eyes, and stood at fifteen meters. It raced forwards, killing more Titans with a loud shriek.

Armin swooped the dark haired teen off the floor onto a nearby rooftop, Connie not far behind. "Mikasa! What were you thinking?!" Armin removed his canisters, exchanging his for Mikasa's. "Please, just use this more sparingly. Everyone's lives are riding on you."

"I'm not leaving you Armin. Besides, I think that we can use that abnormal to our advantage. Fight fire with Fire." Mikasa motioned her sword towards the screeching abnormal that continued to make its way through town. "There has been another abnormal similar to this one earlier, but I don't know where it went. For now, we should focus on drawing this one to the supply depot so it can take out the other Titans."

"That-That's insane! Titans don't kill other Titans!" Connie gripped his head, eyes wide in disbelief.

"Well that's what this one is doing. Come on, let's lure it to the depot. It's our best shot." Mikasa launched herself into the air, Connie groaning in annoyance as he picked Armin up and trailed after her.

"This is insane..."

The three of them watched as the Titan raced by them, eyes narrowed in on its targets. The graduated cadets broke through the windows, Jean staring at the Titan through a hole in the wall incredulously. "What the fuck is that thing?!" He pointed one of his swords at the creature, eyes bulging as the Titan went after another of its kind.

Armin ran deeper into the building to the rest of the cadets, helping form a plan to get the supplies necessary. The plan was solid, and was carried out swiftly and efficiently. As the cadets made their way out of the building, Mikasa stopped to stare incredulously at the Titans eating the abnormal. "They're... eating it? Cannibalism?!" Connie's words rang throughout the air, the only other noise being the sound of flesh being torn off the fifteen meter.

"That... that's the fifteen meter that killed Thomas!" Armin pointed at the lanky creature that made its way towards them. A loud shriek rang from the abnormal as it thrashed around, desperately trying to free itself from the Titans holding it down. It managed to shake some off, though it's arms were ripped off. It raced towards the other fifteen meter, it's maw wide to grasp its neck. The creature had only a moment more to live before its head was clasped firmly in the Titan's mouth.

The other Titans from before made their advance, their wounds from the abnormal healing with a vast amount of steam. The abnormal turned around, fury in its eyes but it's regenerative abilities doing nothing to help develop his upper ligaments. A shriek from behind the building caught every creature's attention. The white haired twenty meter from before raced around the building, decapitating Titans and stomping on their napes. A few black capes could be seen around the being, one placed firmly on its shoulder.

"The Ghost Regiment..." Armin breathed the words quietly as the cadets stared in awe as they took out the remaining Titans. Seven black cloaked figures came up next to the graduates, a dirty blonde haired man smiling cheekily.

"Hello soldiers! My name's Hansel, and I'll be assisting you to ensure you return safely to Wall Rose. Commander's orders." He pointed at the white haired Titan as it stomped on one a ten meter's neck.

The Titan looked at the abnormal, it's eyebrows scrunching you in confusion. The abnormal did the same, it's eyes narrowed as though unsure whether to kill its kin or not. The twenty meter made a cackling noise, showing the same hang ten sign he'd done to Mikasa earlier. The armless Titan's eyes widened before rolling to the back of its head as it collapsed to the ground.

Mikasa flung herself to the floor, landing on the back of the deceased Titan's neck as she clutched Eren Yeager's body tightly against her own. She looked up at the white haired Titan who's arms were folded, his foot tapping the stone in annoyance. It's funny; Danny would do the same thing when he was irritated...

It clicked rather quickly after seeing Eren's body emerge from the Titan body. The way the twenty meter acted, it's hand signs, the way Hansel had addressed him as Commander... "Danny!"

The white haired Titan looked down, it's eyebrow raised quizzically. It's nose scrunched in the slightest before it turned its head away, making hand signs at the Ghosts on the rooftop with the other cadets. The ops team nodded before yelling commands at the cadets to retreat to Wall Rose immediately. The twenty meter sat down against a building, bringing his pointer and middle finger together in a snipping motion before drawing his hand across his neck. The small woman on his shoulder nodded, cutting open the nape of his neck with ease.

Commander Phantom emerged from within the Titan, his eyes blinking continuously for a moment until he adjusted to the light. The woman that Mikasa finally identified as Gretel grasped his shoulders as she tugged him out, talking to him in mumbles. The commander walked over to Hansel, making grabbing motions with his hands. The blonde man rolled his eyes, tossing a metal flask to the superior. The scruffy man immediately tipped the flask back, sighing in bliss as the alcohol ran down his throat.

"Ahh, that was much needed." Everyone besides the Ghost regiment stared at the white haired man incredulously. The commander looked around, eyebrow raised at the shocked looks. "What? You just saw your buddy there emerge from a Titan's body after fighting off other Titans. A superior officer with the same abilities shouldn't be much of a shock. Now, if you don't mind, we've got to get back to Wall Rose." The commander sighed exasperatedly, rubbing his face. "Damn, I need a nap. It's a good thing we came back earlier than the Scouts did, right Gretty?"

The brown haired woman next to him glared, elbowing him in the stomach. "Shut up, Phantom. I told you to stop calling me that."

Danny wheezed as he doubled over in pain. After a moment, he stood up straight again and called over the cadets and Ghost regiment. "Alright, there's some stuff you've all seen that is highly classified. I'm going to be needing you cadets to remain silent about this until further notice." Jean growled, but there were no rebuttals. "We'll be heading back to Wall Rose now. Armin, Mikasa, ill need you to stay with Eren until I get back. I need to talk to Pixis. He'll be able to help with your situation. The rest of you return to the streets. Eat, drink, rest up. You've done well today. Dismissed." Danny grabbed onto Gretel's back, climbing onto her as she launched her ODM gear towards the wall. It would've been comical to watch a large 6'5" adult man clinging to a short woman as they were flung through the air had the situation been different.

A sigh escaped from Hansel's lips, causing everyone to turn towards the man as he scratched the back of his head. "Alright, you heard the commander. Let's get these kids somewhere safe." The seven cloaked figures of the Ghost regiment each snatched one of the teens, launching through the air and avoiding any remaining Titans that roamed the premises. Once safely along the top of the wall, the Ghosts departed, off to do who knows what while the cadets made their way down to the grassy area below. It was when they reached the interior of Wall Rose that proved to cause difficulties for the trio that'd stuck together through it all.

The other cadets fled the scene as cannons were aimed at Eren, the teenager smiling in a trance like state. "I'll kill you all. Hehe... hahaha..."

"Did you hear that?! He said he's going to kill us all!"

Things got pretty out of hand after that. Eren had no clue what'd happened, leaving Armin and Mikasa to defend him. Eren ended up lunging in front of the two, biting his thumb and creating a large amount of steam that cleared away to reveal a half formed Titan body that'd stopped a cannon ball from killing the trio.

Kits Woermann was a coward. He chose to run instead of stay and protect the Trost district. He watched with a fearful gaze as the Titan's body moved. "M-maintain your distance! Get that cannon reloaded!"

Eren emerged from the Titan, startling his two comrades. "After seeing this, I think we've blown any chance of returning safely... the key!" Eren's face tensed as he began to growl. "How many scouts have died because of what my dad kept hidden?! I'm getting out of here. I'll head straight over the wall and to Shiganshina. I'll have to become a Titan again."

"You can change at will?"

"I don't know... but it seems that when I transformed it was meant to meet the needs I required. Next time I'll be a fifteen meter Titan!"

"You... your nose..."

"My health is irrelevant." He wiped the blood away from his nose, glaring at Mikasa harshly. Armin felt himself submerged into his mind, thinking of strategies that could help them get out of this situation.

"Armin." His head snapped up to look at Eren. "I trust you to get us out. If you think you can convince the garrison regiment that I'm no threat right here, right now, then I won't leave. You have fifteen seconds."

"Why would you leave such an important decision up to me?" The blonde was shaking violently.

"Because you've always had a level head. You got Hannes to save Mikasa and I. We would've been eaten by that Titan five years ago if it weren't for you."

Armin stood tall, his friends still squatting. "Leave it to me." He raced forwards, removing his ODM gear. He began to negotiate as best he could. "To put it plainly, the Titans saw Eren as any other prey, and no matter how else you put it that is an irrefutable fact!"

"The kid's got a point..."

"He's lying! His words are filled with lies! P-prepare the cannons!"

Armin felt his heart sink at Woermann's words. He had failed because of this man's irrational sense of fear. We're going to die...

The three teens watched the captain raise his hand, ready to signal for the cannons to fire. Just as he began to bring it down, a firm grip snatched his arm tightly.

"That's enough. You should really do something about your nervous disposition, Captain Woermann." The disgruntled man turned around, coming face to face with a bald man, age lines marring the corners of his eyes.

"C-Commander Pixis!"

The man walked forwards, smiling at Armin. "Can you not see this soldier's heartfelt salute? I've only just arrived but I'm quite aware of our situation. Gather our reinforcements. I think we can at least do these young soldiers the favor of hearing them out." Armin collapsed to the floor, tears filling his eyes.

Pixie smiled, leading the trio up to the top of the wall, looking down at the Titans that clawed at the cement from within Trost. "Hmm... nope, not any of you... getting eaten by a Titan wouldn't be so bad if it were by a sexy lady one!"

"Oh, for sure Pixis!" The trio smiled in relief as Danny approached in his human form, something they didn't see too often these days. "Don't worry kiddos, Pixis knows everything about me, as well as sweet little Gretty here!" He chuckled as he noogied Gretel's hair, the woman growling ferociously from beneath his grip. The Halfa's eyes turned serious. "And I mean everything, so feel free to ask or discuss whatever you'd like."

Mikasa's eyes hardened. "Why do you have a Titan form like Eren does? And why are you so familiar with it?" Eren looked at his older brother in shock. He... Danny was like him?

The twenty one year old laughed heartily. "Oh, yeah. Forgot to tell you guys about that. I was given these abilities by Grisha, something that still confuses me. What I know for certain is that I've become familiar with these abilities after training with them for the past year." The cadets gasped in shock. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I shoulda told you sooner, but it wasn't the right time. Besides, I'd discovered the ability on accident, and having Hange help me crack the code and get control over it was easier than I'd thought, what with me already having immense control over my ghostly abilities. Anyways, Armin you said that you had a plan to utilize Eren's ability for military purposes, correct?"

Armin nodded. "Yeah, I figured that Eren could turn into his Titan form and clog the gate with that large boulder over there. It's a half baked plan, but it's the best I could come up with on the spot."

Danny nodded, Pixis speaking up. "So Eren, can you do it?"

The seventeen year old scrunched his face up. "Well sir, I'm not sure if I can. I've only used my Titan abilities twice, and they were purely instinctual. I don't know if I'll be able to do it willingly."

Pixis' mustache twitched. "I'm sorry, my boy. I asked the wrong question. What I meant to ask was are you willing to try?"

Eren's face was filled with shock, but he nodded his head fervently. "Ah, well then it looks like Armin and I have some planning to do." Danny walked over to the group, sitting down and unrolling a blank piece of parchment. "While I can turn into a larger Titan than Eren and have better control, I think it'd be best if I simply tried to keep a clear path for him. It's important for him to learn how to control his abilities while under pressure; it's the best and quickest way to learn. So I'll help take out the Titans with my regiment. The soldiers that you've gathered Pixis can be placed in one corner of Trost at the top of the wall. They'll be safe there, and their scent will draw a majority of the Titans away. I'll pick off any stragglers. How does that sound, Armin?"

The blonde looked shocked but smiled, nodding his head. "That's actually a pretty smart idea, Danny. If we can draw the Titans away from Eren, it'll leave him a clear opening to the gate. He can plug it up, and whatever Titans are left inside can be picked off by some of the soldiers!" He smiled, nodding his head. "That seems like a pretty foolproof plan. And if for some reason Eren can't complete his mission, then you can-"

"That won't happen." All eyes were drawn to said boy, his eyes glinting like hard steel. "Don't worry about me. I'll be just fine. I won't fail!"

Danny grinned, ruffling Eren's hair. "Good. As long as you prove yourself useful like I did and get a quick and just trial, you'll do fine kid." He stood up, leaning against Gretel as he took a swig of whiskey from his flask. He smacked his lips, offering his temporary stool a sip before shrugging at her refusal. "Meh, more for me."

Pixie smirked. The young man was developing well. He really had become the son he never had. "Alright ladies, enough doting around. Let's put this plan into action!"

Line skip

The plan had started smoothly. A small group consisting of a select few soldiers Pixis wanted to go as well as the entire Ghost regiment raced to the other side of Wall Trost, staring down at the boulder that would determine whether Trost was salvaged or left to rot like Wall Maria had been. Eren has transformed, but became lost within the Titan's mindset. Danny had picked off stragglers like he'd promised, Gretel holding onto his ear firmly to keep from falling off. When Eren approached him and threw a punch though, Danny growled. How annoying. The white haired Titan swung a fist, demolishing part of the long haired fifteen meter's head. Using sign language to inform Gretel of his idea, the woman yelled at Mikasa that she needed to remind Eren of who he was, of what he was. He was a human, and he craved to see Titans die at his hands.

A minute or so later, and the last Yeager was back on his feet, the boulder placed in the crook of his shoulder as he tilted his neck precariously to one side. Steam was emerging from his mouth in thick waves, and Titans were being kicked out of the way like soccer balls by the Halfa Titan. Eren could vaguely hear the shrieks of joy and encouragement being emitted by his brother's mouth, making him push forwards even more. His legs shook with the exertion, his arms trembling from the weight. He wailed as loud as he could as he slammed the boulder into place, pounding his chest at his accomplishment. The fifteen meter turned his head, watching Danny squint his eyes in pride and offer a hang ten sign. Eren returned the gesture. With the green flare fired, it didn't take long for the Ghost regiment and the rest of the soldiers to kill off the remaining Titans. While more had died, land had been reclaimed.

For once, the deaths of that day weren't in vain.

Eren was placed in a cell for a while, Danny being forbidden to see him. It wasn't until the trial did the seventeen year old see his older brother. Never had he seen the white haired man look so professional before, and he didn't mean clothing. The look on Danny's face was something only the commanders wore, and even though that's what Danny was, he never seemed to act like it. Eren knee the situation had been serious before, but Commander Phantom's facial expression made things that much more nerve wracking.

The trial was... interesting to say the least. After being beaten for what felt like the longest two minutes of his life, Eren was placed under Captain Levi's tutelage, and was to join the Scouts under close inspection. Commander Phantom and the Ghosts were to remain in the Scouts quarters until further notice, making the Halfa crinkle his nose in distaste but agreed nonetheless. With the trial over, everyone was dismissed, and Eren was led by a one sided conversation between Danny and Levi as they made their way to the Scouts' territory.

A/N: Okay, there's half of season one complete! This chapter reached almost 19,000 words, and I'll admit that I'm pretty proud of writing that much in only two days! Granted, I had 13,000 done yesterday, but I wanted to get more done and get this far along. I sort of want to pair Danny with Gretel, so let me know what you think about that. Also, should I pair Eren with Mikasa, Levi, or just stick to Canon where he really isn't with anybody as of yet? Anyways, it's currently 11:04 pm on 3/24 and I'm satisfied with where this is going. Please read and review!

Love,

sKaEtrgrL