Chapter 1:

Training. Begins.

-August 847-

The time had finally come. After two whole years of waiting she was finally here. Mikasa stood among a crowd of many but she held no care, the only person she even cared slightly about was a small blonde haired boy standing a fair distance away in another line altogether.

Eren left. It happened a couple of months after he came out of his comatose state, he didn't mention leaving until the morning he had vanished. She and Armin spent the entire morning looking for him, she went to all his favourite locations in hopes of finding him. She checked every single one and couldn't find him, she checked a spot he hadn't been to since he got out of his coma.

-Flashback-

Mikasa ran through the forest, this was the last place she could think of. She prayed that he was here, he hadn't talked about joining the military but Mikasa knew he was holding out on them. There was a look in his eye that told her that he was going to go, she hoped he would at least wait until she could join him. But the more time passed the more that look in his eyes grew, it wouldn't be long till he left so she cherished everyday like it was the last.

It resulted in them growing closer than before, Eren had realised that she knew and allowed her what she wanted. He allowed her to dote on him, she never left his side and he wouldn't leave hers. She became more open to conversation, starting many discussions with him. Eren had been open and willing to talk about anything, however when she asked about the night before he fell into a coma he wouldn't respond. Mikasa learnt it was a no go area.

Finally she reached her destination. This part of the forest was different from the rest, it had destroyed and in place of trees was a massive crater. The black haired girl used her stormy grey eyes to search for Eren, it wasn't hard as he stood at the edge of the crater staring down at the centre of it.

Mikasa released a breath she didn't know she was holding as she walked forward, she was careful not to disturb the older black haired boy from his thoughts. She stood beside him and looked down into the crater herself, the thing had been a mystery to everyone. The Military Police had taken samples and different debris from the environment in hopes of figuring out what had happened, but after a week or two everyone had forgotten about it.

Except Eren. Just by looking at him now Mikasa could easily tell Eren knew more about what happened here than anyone else. She gasped as he took her hand within his own. "I can't decide if I despise or enjoy this place. Two events on the same night. Both life changing." Eren had said similar things the first time they came here together. She didn't know what occurred but she knew that whatever did occur changed Eren.

Eren turned his face towards her, letting go of her hand in the process. The action disappointed her but she wouldn't show it. "I'm leaving today." She eyes started to water, Mikasa knew it would happen and soon but she didn't want it to happen. The black haired girl stood in silence, she couldn't stop him. He had already set his mind to it and it would be a fool's errand to try and dissuade him from going.

Eren's features softened as he took in her appearance, he pulled her head into his chest and embraced her. He had hit a growth spurt over the last couple of months and he finally overtook her in height, he used such a thing to his advantage in this scenario to hide his own face from her. Mikasa grasped onto his jumper and clutched it tight refusing to let go.

She wouldn't see him again in three possibly four years, that separation would hurt her internally but as long as he was alive she could live. Eren pulled her back away from his chest, she still grasped onto his jumper still refusing to let go.

"I promise to live, I won't die until we see the ocean together and even then I plan on living a full and happy life with you." Eren's reassuring smile burned into her memory, she would never forget that smile or that promise. While it was a childish and hopeful promise Mikasa believed it entirely and would stop at nothing to make sure it came to fruition.

"But the only way for that to happen is to eliminate the titans. So I have to go, and besides you'll join me in next to no time knowing you, and then we'll make that promise come true together!" He sounded so confident that Mikasa couldn't find the words to reply with, as her eyes betrayed her and let loose some tears while she hugged him tightly once more.

"You better keep your promise." Was all she could utter, Eren smiled grew and he patted her head while he hugged her tight with his other arm. "Keep Armin safe while I'm away." She nodded into his chest but remained tightly bound to him but he wouldn't stop her, for Mikasa to even let him go was ground breaking so he wouldn't push his luck.

-Flashback End-

Eren had left before midday leaving Mikasa to return to Armin and explain everything to the small blonde. The boy wasn't even surprised, he told Mikasa that it was clear that Eren wasn't going to sit around for two years waiting for them. He was just annoyed that Eren didn't say his goodbye in person. However his attitude changed when Mikasa told him of the promise they had made, the boy could only smile knowing how Eren and Mikasa had very different interpretations to that promise.

They had endured two years of the fields before they were finally eligible to enlist in the military.

They hadn't heard anything from Eren in those two years, which had Mikasa slightly worried but Armin comforted her saying that Eren was probably too taken up by his training to even think of anything else. Mikasa let her worry subside a little but there was something off about the whole situation.

Cadets usually were granted a break week at the end of the training year before they started up again for the next year of Cadet Corps. She had seen many cadets returning to their homes in Trost District but no sign of Eren. Once again Armin comforted her telling her Eren probably stayed to get extra training.

Many cadets stayed on base due to a number of reasons. For instance those who came from the interior stayed due to the journey being too long and not really worth it. Others stayed to ensure their high grading status within the cadets by using the week as extended training. Similar to those who were lacking in areas, they would use the week to improve.

Which she was inclined to agree with Armin's theory, she had heard rumours of a training accident going around the district ever since the cadets returned. She knew nothing other than the fact that one cadet died and the others were taken in by the Military Police for questing and hadn't been seen of since. She couldn't help but consider that perhaps Eren was involved in the incident. Mikasa just prayed that Eren wasn't allowing himself a break and was currently working hard to become the best possible soldier he could and not in a far worse situation.

"Hey kid!" Mikasa was brought out of her thoughts as her eyes moved to see what was happening. The officer had been walking the lines for a while now, but he'd stopped in front of a certain blonde haired boy.

Even from her distant position Mikasa could tell Armin was shaking, he quickly tucked his left arm behind his back and slammed his right arm's fist onto his chest where his heart was located. The military salute, it was meant to show that one was willing to offer their heart to the king. While Mikasa couldn't care less for the king she knew the importance of it and its symbolism.

"Who the hell are you?" The officer was right in Armin's face terrifying the boy where he stood. While Mikasa promised to keep Armin safe, she wouldn't coddle him. These three years of training were exactly what Armin needed to toughen up, he'd need it if he wanted to go outside the walls and see the ocean with Eren and her.

"I'm Armin Arlert from Shiganshina, sir!" Armin managed to muster up the courage to get the sentence out without stuttering. Despite that, it was clear how intimated the young boy was of the officer. Mikasa couldn't really blame Armin, the man looked demonic.

He was bald and his eyes were deeply sunken, just his eyes alone would scare anyone half to death. But the rest of his face just added to his fearsome appearance. His forehead was well endowed with lines that made the man's frown look all the more sinister, the dark rings under his eyes from lack of sleep clearly also added to his demonic appearance. The man also had a chin beard which was the only hair that anyone could see on the man.

"That so? A name fit for a retard!" The officer's quick reply was brutal and even made others look away, feeling bad for the boy. Mikasa would have glared at the man hadn't she known what the man was trying to achieve. He was weeding out the weak, separating the wheat from the chaff. It made sense, only the strong willed would be able to face the titans.

"Your parents named you that?" The officer continued from his initial jab at Armin. The boy once again mustered the courage to reply to the officer that stood unmoving in front of him. Armin's voice was a pitch higher that showed his weakness to everyone but more importantly the officer.

"It was my grandfather, sir." After smelling blood the officer was quick to change topic and crush the boy. "Arlert, why are you here?" The boy shook a little but hastily replied his voice now shaking as well.

"To contribute to humanity's victory, sir!" The boy was quick and smart with words, he was able to craft sentences far better than anyone Mikasa knew. However the officer had Armin beat. The man leaned down to the boy to further intimidate the blonde which worked like a charm. As Armin shrunk under the man's glare.

"How very admirable." His tone laced with sarcasm, "You should make first-rate titan feed." The man's hairless eyebrows knotted tightly together as he continued to lean down towards Armin, forcing the boy to see the man's scary face. Armin looked like he was about to break, his knees wobbled in fright. But just like that it was over.

The man gripped Armin's head and forcibly turned the boy around to face the other way. "Third squad! About face!" After the man had walked away, Armin let out a visible sigh that was clearly seen by Mikasa as the boy was now faced in her direction. She was relieved that Armin seemed to have made it, hopefully now he would prosper from it.

The officer continued to make his rounds, next person he stopped in front of had blonde hair and long sideburns. The boy was tall and muscular which showed he clearly wasn't a refugee. "And who the hell are you?" The officer still towered over the young boy, his stare making the boy sweat.

"Sir!" The boy saluted seemly dealing with the frightening officer better than Armin did initially. "I'm Thomas Wagner from Trost, sir!" The officer made quick work of the boy's bravado, "I can't hear you!" He yelled down at the boy, spit leaving his mouth and landing of the blonde's cheek.

"I'm Thomas Wager-" The boy tired again but the officer was once again brutal and broke the boy down. "I told you to speak up! Go practice sounding off properly in the barracks!" He leaned down as he spoke and more spittle landed on the boy's face, he was now visibly shaken from the confrontation.

Mikasa's attention was drawn towards a few more officer's that walked along watching her and her fellow cadets being slammed verbally by their fellow officer. She recognised one of them to be Dhalis Zachary. He was an older man with grey hair and accompanying moustache and beard, he wore a pair of glasses that added to his high ranking look.

'Why would the Premier of the military be here of all places?' Mikasa questioned in her head as the man observed them from afar, behind him were two other soldiers. One Mikasa recognised as an officer from the Cadet Corps, he was an older man with grey hair and a pair of glasses as well.

The final was just a regular soldier in appearance, however Mikasa had keen eyes and she spotted a few irregularities about the soldier. For one he was young, very young. Most soldiers at the Cadet Corps were on the older side of life, younger soldiers were out gaining experience in one of the three divisions.

The next clearly noticeable thing was the soldier's appearance. He had snow white hair, she had never seen anyone with white hair other than old people. Another feature was his pale skin that wasn't common among those serving in the south. 'Maybe he's from the northern territories.' Was her quick response to her own pondering.

Finally the last thing that caught Mikasa's eye was his uniform, very much standard other than his jacket which held a singular sword pointing downwards as his coat of arms. This was abnormal because it meant the soldier belonged to the Militia. A specialised sub-division in the military not connected to any of the other three divisions.

The Militia had been formed a year after the fall of Wall Maria, it was built up of two parts: Sword and Shield. The Militia were to operate under Zachary's commands only, it was meant to decrease the reaction time needed to respond when a crisis occurred. Zachary was firm when he stated that he didn't want a repeat of Wall Maria and so the Militia was born.

Shield was the far more known and used portion of the Militia. They assisted Zachary in matters of military law, they would deal with matters that didn't require Zachary's attention. Most of these soldiers were old and retired from active duty. The most important duty of Shield was the sharing of military budget, due to the Militia's detached nature they were able to disburse the budget wisely seeing the full picture of situations.

Sword was far less known about due to the frequency of their activity being nearly non-existent. They were sold to the public by Zachary as a small force of soldiers that were highly skilled and well trained in dealing with both titan and human related problems. They were supposed to have soldiers who were experienced in life from all three military divisions so they could cope with any situation or task called upon them.

They were an elite force of humanities best and brightest that were only to be used if a situation or crisis occurred that would endanger the survival of the humanity. The fall of Wall Maria was the reason Zachary had set up Militia's Sword branch, so that if events were to repeat themselves humanity would have fighting force capable of dealing with the crisis immediately.

The mystery to Mikasa was why the Militia were here? 'Surely it wouldn't be to scout for potential recruits? No that's nonsense.' Soldiers of the Militia had to have some form of experience from one of the three branches of the military, so there had to be another reason why they were here. Mikasa continued to watch the group of three until her attention was brought back when Sadies (the 104th Cadet Corps Commandant) told her line to about face. She did as instructed and put her pondering to the back of her mind.

"We're very happy to have you sir, but might I ask why you've come? Surely the Premier has more important business to attend to than just observing the new recruits." A leading officer of the Southern Cadet Corps was escorting Dhalis Zachary the Premier of the military around the barracks.

"It was a suggestion from my Private, he told me the Southern Cadet Corps recruits hold great potential and can be spotted as early as now." The cadet officer looked over at what appeared to be a boy. 'He's part of the Sword branch! At that age?! What is Zachary thinking?!' The cadet officer thought in shock as the Premier made no notice of the man's blatant shock.

Said boy looked over the crowd of recruits, he hadn't told the Premier anything of the sorts. They were here for a totally different reason altogether, to help rebuild and repair his fragmented memory.

The earliest events he could even slightly make out of the few memories he retained were of his time in the cadets, his training must have been hammered into him harder than anything. That or the cadets were a major part of some goal he was hoping to achieve that he was able to hold onto it.

He closely observed the cadets hoping they would jog his memory but his mind was blank. He sighed inwardly, 'Not surprising at all. My mind is always blank when it comes to my memories, whatever they did to me it left me as a clean slate.' He was sure it was a tragic story, but he couldn't remember it.

One day he woke up and soldiers of the Military Police told him that he would keep the king's peace. They had beat him to death in what they called "training". They taught him to do many things, silence was the most important lesson.

He wasn't allowed to speak of anything or question orders, just perform them to the best of his ability. "For the King." They said. But who was this "King" they spoke of? It wasn't the man who sat on the throne, no he had overheard that the man was a fake. So who was the real "King" then? Who was he really serving?

He had so many questions and no answers, but then he met Zachary. The man had provided insight to some of his questions and offered to find the answers to any other questions, in return for his loyalty and assistance. He accepted without second thought. He was trained to obey orders but he never bought into their brainwashing. Zachary had been warned that he was messing with things and people he didn't understand, but the Premier sternly rebuked them and made a deal that they couldn't refuse.

That was a month ago. Since then he'd been sent to one of the Survey Core's training grounds. Zachary wanted him to "relearn" how to use the ODM Gear, but he saw right through that as he was keenly watched by many soldiers. Zachary seemed to know something about his history but he wasn't allowed to share that information, so Zachary had him show was he assumed instead.

Zachary made mention to him that he'd be excellent at killing humans with the ODM Gear with the abilities he currently possessed. That confirmed his suspicions, Zachary knew about his history with the Military Police. He expected the man to demand information on it but instead he instructed him to apply his skills to titan slaying as he'd be joining the Scouts soon to gain real experience.

During to mornings he'd be training but when he returned to barracks Zachary would be waiting to talk with him. The more time he spent with Zachary the more they discussed his past, that's when he revealed that he'd lost most of his original memories. Zachary knew how he'd lost his memory and said it was best if he'd not remember those memories. It made him realise that he must have been tortured to the point that his mind snapped and to save himself, he reverted his mind to a blank slate.

He'd even forgot his name, he'd been given a codename by the people in the Military Police. They called him "Parasite". He knew it was meant to be demeaning but he took pride in it, why would he? Well it was proof that he was a survivor, apparently they found out about his abilities and tortured him to find out about them. When they couldn't get anything meaningful out of him they tried to kill him but no matter what they tried they couldn't kill him.

But they were persistent anyway it seemed because they tortured him enough to force his mind to break, then they saw him as something useful. A tool to be used for their "King". They began filling his head full of their silly ideals and philosophies then trained him to kill people, apparently the man who trained him was an expert from the underground and now worked for this "King" they kept speaking so highly of.

While he didn't believe in any of their nonsense, about serving the "King". He kept quiet and did what was asked of him knowing that it would be the only way to find his potential freedom. He killed many people, hundreds. "Targets of the crown" they called them, in all honesty the majority of them were local lords and business men. He knew he was being used to further their cause but it was the only way to further his own cause as well.

When he met Zachary he found his way out and while he knew Zachary would want to use him to further his own purpose in time, he didn't mind because he was finally getting what he wanted. Freedom (to an extent) and a way to discover the mysteries of his life before the Military Police, Zachary agreed to help if he gave him his loyalty. He agreed without a second thought.

And now he was here at the Southern Cadet Corps. He knew he had been here before, he remembered many of the structures that surrounded the area. He and Zachary had hoped that by visiting places that he remembered from his past that he'd be able to rebuild his memory and find missing pieces in the massive jigsaw puzzle that was his memory.

He hadn't noticed that the cadet officer had departed and now left just himself and Zachary. The man stopped walking and turned to examine the cadets continued to be broken down by Keith Sadies, the white haired boy he had recruited stopped by his side joining his gaze directed towards the cadet hopefuls.

"So that's Keith Sadies, the twelfth Commander of the Survey Core." Zachary nodded his head, he examined the man further and saw the ugly truth behind the man's demeanour. "He's been through hell." Another incline of the head from Zachary before he audibly sighed. "Sadies had been the one to make advancements that no one else could, stubborn as hell too. But I guess you need that to lead soldiers into titan infested land."

"You went through that when you first joined too, right?" Zachary questioned the young white haired soldier, the elder man's head turned slightly towards to boy after asking the question to see how he would react. The boy considered the question and tried to remember if he did or not, in response all he could do was shrug his shoulders.

"I probably did but I don't remember being called out by an officer." Zachary laughed heartedly, "I could picture you being called out and for some reason it's hilarious." The boy merely raised an eyebrow at his superior, the man was strange sometimes but he guessed it was no stranger than himself.

"Well we should probably ask Sadies if he remembers you. He always breaks in the new recruits, hopefully you're memorable enough for him to remember you." Zachary smirked at his jab towards the white haired boy who seemed totally clueless to the remark, "Yes let's hope so." The older man had to bite down a sigh at the clueless boy.

"Hey, that potato girl's still running." A group of cadets stood outside one of the barracks watching as a girl with reddish brown hair called Sasha Blouse ran past for the hundredth time that afternoon. The girl had made herself famous by daring to eat a steamed potato in front of the Commandant, the officer had punished her severely for daring to pull such a stunt.

"Wow… She's been at it for five hours now." Marco, a boy with freckled cheeks and black hair spoke, clearly astonished at how far potato girl would go for food. Sasha was on her last limbs as she could barely keep herself upright as she ran.

Connie, a shaven head boy standing next to Marco added his own input, "Her reaction when he told her to run until she dropped was nothing compared to when he told her she's not getting any food." The group watched as Sasha ran by and away again for another lap, their conversation was halted when two soldiers walked by.

Everyone present was shocked to see who it was, but the main question on everyone's mind was 'Why is the Militia here?' The two soldiers happened to glance over at the distant form of Sasha and the younger soldier asked the older soldier a question.

"Dauper is a small village of hunters up in the mountains, right?" The older grey haired soldier nodded his head in reply but then went on to speak, "It's probably why she reacted the way she did when Sadies told her she wouldn't be eating. Those who live out that far get better quality food than here." The two continued on till they were out of earshot of the cadets gathered around the outside the barracks.

"Was that Dhalis Zachary?" Connie asked looking at the others gathered, Marco nodded his head he too was astonished that the Premier of the military had just walked by them. "Why is he out here and who was that with him?" Armin (who had also witnessed the head of the military walk by) asked.

"They were watching us earlier when the Commandant was breaking you all down." They all turned to see a black haired girl with stormy eyes. "Mikasa, that wasn't nice." Armin hounded her for being rude, the girl walked over and leaned on the wall of the wooden building.

They all went silent for a moment before Mikasa spoke up again. "I don't know who the smaller guy is but something feels off about him." Everyone looked over at Mikasa again. Armin inclined his head to show he agreed with her statement.

"You're right white hair isn't normal for someone that young, he should have shaved it all off like Connie." Marco teased the smaller boy with a smirk making said smaller shaven boy glare at him. "I just prefer not having to deal with hair, it gets annoying to deal with every day."

Armin shook his head, "Not his hair. It's his age, he looked just a couple of years older than us. Despite that he's a soldier in the Militia judging by his uniform. He's obviously not part of Shield he nowhere near old enough, so that means he's part of Sword." Everyone went silent while they considered the young blonde's hypothesis.

"Well they're all hand-picked by Zachary so he must be incredibly skilled, but to get in Sword at such a young age? You think anyone from our group could get that good?" Marco wondered as he leaned onto the banister using his hand to support his head, the boy seemed discouraged that the clear showcase of talent.

"I don't think I'd want to be that good. Nor be in Sword." Armin brought the attention back to himself as he looked out at the setting sun. "I heard the training they undergo is far more dangerous than any of the other divisions. They had to be able to deal with any situation or threat, titan or human." Connie looked confused.

"Why would they need to deal with humans? Crime is dealt with by the Military Police. And they're the last resort aren't they?" Armin didn't have an answer so he shrugged his shoulders. Mikasa however did.

"This world is very beautiful but it's also corrupt to its core." No one dared ask her what she meant due to the darkened look that overtook her facial features. She quickly left after a couple of silence filled seconds, heading towards the female barracks.

'Eren. I don't know where you are but I will join you, no matter the cost!' The young black haired girl's stormy gaze showed the fierce determination she had to completing that promise. She would use these three years to grow as strong as possible so that when she graduated she would be able to join Eren and together they would go and see the ocean. Nothing would stop her.

'Eren hold tight. I'm coming!' A white haired boy stopped in his tracks and glanced over his shoulder at the distancing Cadet Corps barracks. "Is there a problem?" His companion stopped a few steps ahead also looking back but at him instead of the barracks.

"No. I just felt like I heard something." He muttered before he turned his head back around and continued forward. He passed his grey haired companion who continued to stand and watch him for a moment longer before joining him again as they continued on their journey.

'Eren Yeager.' Dhalis Zachary watched the young white haired boy with keen interest. 'Not much of interest on his file other than the fact he was from Shiganshina, and his parentage. His father Grisha Yeager a doctor before his disappearance during the events of the fall of Wall Maria in 845, his mother Carla Yeager she died during the fall of Shiganshina district in 845.' He had attained information from Sadies that both answered some questions but added even more.

-Flashback-

After witnessing the rest of the "rite of passage" as Zachary called it, they met with Commandant Keith Sadies in his office. Zachary couldn't keep a smirk off his face, they had witnessed a girl who named herself Sasha Blouse ate a steamed potato right in front of Sadies. The girl had serious balls, that or she was just stupid. Nevertheless Zachary found it hilarious and laughed as he watched the spectacle unfold in front of them.

Sadies made quick work of her after his initial shock and made the rest of his rounds. He dismissed the rest of the cadets and told them to get acquainted with the barracks. He began to walk away until he noticed them standing there. He ushered them to follow with a quick nod of the head and they departed for his office.

Once inside Sadies sat at his desk and offered the free chair to Zachary who accepted the offer while the young white haired soldier behind Zachary leaned again the wall of the office. The Commandant observed the young boy far more than his commanding officer as he'd never seen the boy before and his uniform caused even more questions to spring to mind.

"So what do I owe the pleasure of keeping the company of the Premier himself?" Sadies' steely gaze fell upon Zachary who sat stone faced in front of the Commandant, the man didn't even take a moment to reply which the bald man expected.

"I would like information on the 102nd Cadet Corps, more specifically I'd like to know who dropped out before the start of the second year." Zachary's face remained as stone not giving any potential information away as to why he wanted such specific information. The Commandant knew that if Zachary didn't want him to know what this was about then he wouldn't.

However Sadies was an experienced soldier and officer, he could gather snippets of information from casual conversation. "That information would be hard to gather quickly, however if I had more specific details on who you're looking for then I could narrow the search and speed things up." The boy behind raised his eyebrow as if the Commandant had peaked his interest, since he arrived in the room he'd been emotionless which clearly had shown Sadies he wasn't interested in the conversation. Until now.

Zachary saw Sadies eyes diverge from his own, he was very interested in the young soldier standing behind him. He wasn't surprised, while many would be shocked to see such a young member of Sword most just ignored it. However the same could not be said for someone like Keith Sadies, like all Survey Core Commanders he was anal about every little detail. So Zachary's companion was something of an interest to the Commandant.

"We're looking for a male cadet who was forced to leave training early due to special circumstances." The bald Commandant pieced the information together, his eyes widened in shock as he stared at the white haired boy like he'd seen a ghost. Both members of the Militia took quick notice of the sudden change in expression.

"What the hell did they do to you?" It was a quiet mutter but one that was easily heard. The boy gave no reaction as if he didn't care or even heard the man at all.Zachary and himself were here to gain information about his past not to answer questions that he himself didn't know the answer to. 'Well this seemed like a waste of time, he obviously doesn't know much judging by his question.' He sighed inwardly but remained motionless outwardly, maintaining his stoic façade.

Zachary was far more interested by the Commandants reaction. He'd known for years that the bastards in the capital were hiding secrets from the military and he wanted to know all of them. He had yet to ask the white haired boy to reveal anything, this was due to the ties that the Interior Police still had on the young soldier. The crafty bastards in the government had corrupted every part of the military, he wouldn't jeopardise the advantage he gained in obtaining the boy by attempting to get information out of him.

Spies were everywhere so to gain any sliver of information would be troublesome to come by. But now it seemed an opportunity had presented itself to Zachary and he would grasp it tightly with both hands and not let go.

"Who are "they" Commandant? And it sounds as if you know my newest Sword member, would you like to share?" Sadies mouth dried as his eyes drifted between the two in front of him, he didn't know much but what he did know would be provide him a death sentence if shared.

"Commandant!" Zachary's voice growled out as the man's eyebrows knotted together, showing that he wasn't happy that Sadies was withholding information. Quickly rising from his seat he glanced out the window, he searched for anyone that might overhear their discussion.

"We're here to inspect the soldier for potential new recruits to the Militia, Commandant. No one will question or suspect that we are discussing matters not involving such. But if you are that concerned then I'll ensure we're not overheard." The Commandant hastily agreed, a sweat bead had formed and began to drip down the side of his head.

Zachary waved his left hand backwards and the white haired boy discreetly left the room. The Premier was very confident in the boy's abilities, he knew some of the names on the list that his newest associate had claimed. It was safe to say no one would live if they managed to hear the conversation they were about to have.

'Finally a chance to get some insight on those bastards.' A dark look overtook the Premier's face as the Commandant retook his seat and held his head in his hands. "So "Commandant", what do you know?" The bald man shivered at the darkened look on Zachary's face, the Premier was not someone to mess with. Sadies was between a rock and a hard place, either way he felt like he was screwed.

"The boy you're looking for is Eren Yeager, though by your company I can tell you're not looking for him." The grey haired Premier inclined his head in response, "I want Yeager's file and everything you know about him. This includes your experiences with the Interior Police because it's all linked together and I want to what occurred that made them take him."

The Commandant rose him his desk for the second time since they arrived, he positioned himself of a cabinet before opening it and hastily searching through many of the files held within. After a moment of silence a file was thrown onto the desk in front of Zachary. The clang of the metal cabinet closing signalled to Zachary that Sadies was finished, the man returned to his seat mere seconds later.

Opening the file in front of him and Premier of the military flicked through the small contents of the file. His old eyes were burning with curiosity as he took in every detail that was written on the pages of paper. His eyes left the file as he glanced up at the former Commander of the Survey Core, his eyes shone dangerously. "So what do you know of Eren Yeager. I want every detail."

-Flashback End-

He had learned many interesting things about the boy walking beside him, details that the boy probably already knew but hadn't shared due to the secrecy the Interior Police had taught him. 'To believe that a human could attain such unearthly powers.' Then again Zachary didn't know what was possible, he'd only known life from inside the walls. 'Who knows what's out there?' One thing Zachary did understand was the opportunity that landed in his lap.

'You bastards made a mistake giving me your most powerful weapon, and I'll make you regret it.' Zachary's scheming had reached whole new levels, even if Eren couldn't use the abilities Sadies mentioned anymore. His sheer talent would soon place him on the same level as some of humanities best, with a couple more years' experience to hone and perfect his skills Eren would be able to be on par with 'Humanity's Strongest': Captain Levi, he was sure of it.

"So what did you learn?" The boy's voice broke him from his mental ramblings, he glanced over at the boy. Eren had shoved his hand into his trouser pockets as he stared straight ahead, his face set in stone as a frown claimed possession of his face.

"Many things, would you like hear about the things that interest me or the ones that would interest you more?" The boy tilted his head upwards to the sky and hummed, "I take it the information that interests you is about the Interior Police and my abilities?" Zachary grunted but the grey haired man knew Eren understood that he struck the nail on its head.

"I take it you have questions?" Zachary nodded, "I do. But they can be answered later. So want to know who you truly are?" The white haired boy's head returned to face in his direction, his eyes revealed life in them that Zachary had never seen in them before. He saw his dead emerald eyes shine with light.

"Alright then, let's begin…"

Night had fallen over the Southern Cadet Corps Barracks which signalled dinner time. The cadets gathered in the mess hall to eat before hitting the hay. Many inside the building were introducing themselves and getting acquainted, however there were quite a few who sat by themselves or in small groups and kept to themselves.

One of these small groups was the combination of Mikasa and Armin. They sat in the corner of the large room away from everyone and ate in silence, both were in deep thought over the events of the day. While Mikasa's thoughts were mainly centred on the upcoming training, she also couldn't help but think about the appearance of the Militia today.

Armin was also in a similar state, he intrigued by the Militia's presence today. He wanted to figure out what they were here for, but nothing sprang to mind other than the fact that they went to see the Commandant for something. He spied them out of the corner of his eye when they were dismissed, most were distracted by the whole potato girl fiasco to notice but Armin did.

"I wonder what they were asking the Commandant about." Mikasa looked up from her meal, "Potential recruits?" Armin's face was one of confusion as he continued to stare down into his soup. "No, we're too inexperienced for that." The blonde scratched the back of his head, he looked up to see Mikasa watching him intently. "What?" "You usually don't take an interest in something unless it has some relevance."

"Well I've been taking note of a lot of things recently, I may be going crazy but I'm connecting some of them with Eren." The blonde knew he had Mikasa's undivided attention now. Her gaze was locked with his own, he could easily see she wanted him to continue.

"Well the last time we saw Eren was just before he left for the sign up two years ago." Mikasa nodded, she missed the dark haired boy a lot. The days seemed to drag on without him present. "About a year after the Premier creates the Militia. It could just be a coincidence but I think Eren and the Militia are somehow linked."

The black haired girl pondered his thoughts but she honestly didn't see what the young blonde was. Why would Eren have anything to do the Militia? He'd been clear with his choice of career, he was dead set on joining the Survey Core. "Why would they want Eren? He was barely finished his first year of training. And more importantly why would Eren want anything to do with the Militia?" Armin was quick on the response like he'd already had the doubts she had.

"We know how determined Eren is." A quick incline of stormy eyed girl came as a response, "Maybe he impressed the higher ups enough that he was considered for Sword. As for why Eren would even consider it, well the Militia are said to be the best of the best. Maybe he joined to grow as strong as possible before heading for the Survey Core." Mikasa looked on the fence about that statement, while she wanted to believe that Eren was that strong she knew that no one would be up to standard that quick.

"It could also explain why that white haired boy felt so weird." He glanced up with his bright blue eyes at Mikasa who looked lost. "That boy he was only a couple years older than us and a soldier within Sword." Mikasa stared into Armin's eyes to see if he believed what he was saying, the boy definitely had his own doubts but he fairly sure on his hypothesis.

"So you believe that was Eren? How? Eren doesn't have white hair." Her voice was one of disbelief and Armin couldn't blame her, he himself was struggling to believe it the more he thought about it. It was just one of those strange gut feelings he had, it all fit together quite well. Eren disappeared for two years to be privately trained then he reappeared wearing a Sword uniform.

"Well the he might not have the same hair colour but it definitely looks like Eren's hair only longer. His skin too, pale like your own like its been since he got out of his coma. His structure as well, just like Eren's being quite lean." Mikasa didn't know what to think. On one side she would be happy if it was Eren because then she knew he was alive and knew where to find him.

On another side she was worried, really worried. What had happened to him to have white hair? And he's in Sword, how would she be able to join him? The easy answer was she wouldn't unless she impressed the Premier enough. 'Will I be able to catch up to you Eren?' Her eyes were downcast as she didn't know if she could ever be with Eren again.

She mind cast her back two years as stood in front of Eren grasping at his jumper tightly never wanting to let go. She looked up into his eyes, those emerald eyes. They burned with ferocity and determination.

"-I have to go, and besides you'll join me in next to no time knowing you and we'll make that promise come true together!"

Mikasa's stormy eyes burned with reinvigorated determination. "I'm going to join the Militia and join Eren!" Armin's eyes widened at her abrupt declaration in surprise. The blonde gazed into his childhood friend's eyes only to find a determination that he'd only seen in one other person. 'Eren, she's coming.' Armin smiled gently as he watched Mikasa's determination burn into the deepest part of her eyes.

"Who's Eren?" The two childhood friends were startled when an unknown voice broke them out of thoughts. Looking up Mikasa saw a grinning light ash brown haired boy with the back and sides being trimmed shorter. He was Jean Kirstein, a boy adamant on joining the Military Police and living a long and prosperous life in the interior.

"Why does it matter to you?" Mikasa coldly replied making the boy wince at the harsh reply, he held his hands up in mock surrender. "Didn't mean to strike a nerve there sorry, I wanted to say that your hair looks really nice." Armin looked at Jean like he was an idiot, but then again how could he possibly know how much he didn't stand a chance.

"Thanks." The short emotionless reply came and crushed the light ash brown haired boy, Armin would have felt bad if he didn't know Eren but because he did, he had a strong bias towards them being together. It just made sense after all the years of them being together it wouldn't make sense just for them to split apart.

Mikasa didn't like how Jean continued to stare at her in disbelief, so she rose from the table lifting her food tray and left. Not before wishing Armin a goodnight which he happily replied. Jean glared at the little blonde haired boy in envy which made him laugh a little, "It's not me you should be directing your glare towards. It's the "Eren" she mentioned, I'm just a childhood friend."

Jean sighed before collapsing down into the seat Mikasa was previously sitting in. "What could he possibly have that I don't?" Jean rested his head on his arms in front of Armin, the small blonde found the whole situation amusing.

"Well he's already a soldier, so finance?" Armin joked but Jean took the ordeal quite seriously. "Right so when I join the Military Police she'll leave him for me!" The boy grinned once again, making Armin sweat drop. "Yeah I was joking about the whole finance thing, Mikasa doesn't really care about that sort of thing."

Jean launched forward startling the smaller boy, grasping his hand within his own. Jean pleadingly looked up at the smaller boy, "Please tell me what she likes!" Armin watched for a moment as Jean didn't get any less desperate and burst out laughing. Jean scowled and released the blonde looking away with a small red tint adorning his cheeks from embarrassment.

"Well sorry to have to let you down Jean but Mikasa cares for only one thing. That one thing being Eren." Jean went from being desperate to being disappointed in seconds while listening Armin's sentence. "Who the hell even is this Eren guy, I've never heard of him so he can't be important." Jean muttered but Armin became defensive.

"Just because he's not important to you doesn't mean he's not important to others! Eren became my friend when everyone else would rather bully me, and he saved Mikasa from being kidnapped!" Armin's eyes widened as he knew he'd said too much and too loudly, he anxiously glanced around and easily noticed (much to his embarrassment) that everyone was not looking his way.

Jean slapped him on the arm to bring his attention back to himself, with his other hand he was scratching the back of his head. "Hey, I'm sorry about that. I usually say stuff without thinking about the consequences. I didn't mean what I said and I'm sure this Eren guy is great, no hard feeling right." He offered his hand for Armin to shake, the small blonde accepted his apology and shook his hand.

"No I'm sorry I shouldn't have shouted at you like that. It's just Eren's been missing for two years now and it's got me and Mikasa worried sick. I hope you understand." Jean's eyes widened slightly as he felt guilty for his previous statement even more than before. "Yeah you must be worried a lot."

"But we think we've found him, just today we saw someone who looked just like him! That Sword soldier with the Premier!" Jean's eyebrows rose dramatically as he listened to his fellow cadet. 'The guy Marco was telling me about?! But he said that the guy was only a couple of years older than us! How I am I meant to compare to that?'

"So your childhood friend, who is only a couple of years older than us, is in Sword?" Armin nodded his head, his blue eyes firm showing no lie or deception within them. "No way! Seriously! You knew that guy Armin?" Marco had come over thinking his friend had got himself in more trouble but overheard what Jean had said.

"Why'd you not talk to him then? Was it because the Premier was with him?" Marco quickly joined the discussion as more people started to crowd around the table intrigued by the conversation. "Well I didn't recognise him at first, it had been two years since I'd seen him. But now, I'm sure it's him."

More people started asking questions about Eren, Armin was a little overwhelmed but managed to answer what he could. But then the conversation turned sour as someone stirred the topic towards Shiganshina, Armin's mind was filled with the terrifying images of the colossal titan peeking over the wall staring down at them all. Armin's eyes widened as his breathing became erratic making Jean and Marco concerned, the latter telling everyone to back off and give the small blonde space.

Armin told them he would rather not dwell on his home district and opted to go to bed instead. He left quickly not noticing the stared from two male cadets. A blonde haired male with gold eyes and dark hair male with pale green eyes. They gave one another a knowing look without uttering a word.

-Ehrmich District: Militia Headquarters-

Eren Yeager lay in the bed of his quarters within the Militia headquarters stationed in the district south of Wall Sina. The white haired boy thought the whole positioning of the headquarters was wrong, if the Sword were operate correctly they should be closer to the action. However Zachary had quickly shot down his logic saying that Sword dealt with both human and titan crises, the majority of the former occurred within Wall Sina.

However that wasn't what was occupying his thoughts tonight, no instead his brain was going over the long conversation he and Zachary had on their travel back to headquarters. The Premier had told him everything he knew of his past life before the Military Police.

He was Eren Yeager. Born in Shiganshina District to his father Grisha Yeager and mother Carla Yeager. When he was eleven he saved Mikasa Ackerman from human traffickers, she was later took in by his father Grisha and lived with his family.

During the fall of Wall Maria he witnessed his mother get eaten by a titan as he was saved by a member of the Garrison and taken to safety. His father was reported missing however there were more details that weren't mentioned on document that only were eye witnessed by one Commandant Keith Sadies.

Apparently one week after the fall of Wall Maria his father had arrived in Trost District looking for him. Grisha had taken him into the woods where later Sadies said that he saw a flash of light that concerned him so went in search of them. Then apparently something struck the earth and destroyed a large section of the forest.

Eren was the only person to know what that something was. It was a meteor that contained something not from this world, something that now inhabited him and had bonded to him. Strangely enough he'd never thought of a name for the dark alien entity that had saved him two years ago and now inhabited him.

He lifted his hand out in front of him and watched as the dark amorphous matter bubbled out of his hand and danced about in his palm creating vastly different shapes. 'What would you like as a name?' He watched the dark matter intently watching as it continued to move around in his palm.

'Kuro?' He suddenly thought, he didn't know where the word came from. It wasn't one from his own language, at least to his knowledge. 'Is that your name?' The dark matter in his hand abruptly stopped and formed into a ball and began bouncing up and down.

Eren smiled a little and nodded his head at the dark matter. 'Alright then, pleased to meet you Kuro.' His smile grew when Kuro formed a hand and shook his own extended one. After a few more moments of watching Kuro interact on the palm of his hand Eren went back to his thoughts and Kuro retreated back inside of his body, leaving him to his thoughts once more.

After the bonding with Kuro, Eren had forced into a comatose state for two months. It was one of the rare things he remembered, watching Kuro and the titan fight until he accepted Kuro and it absorbed the titan. He remembered feeling sad but relieved at the same time when the titan was being absorbed, he was sure it meant something but he couldn't remember it now.

After awaking from his comatose state he enlisted in the military and joined the 102nd Cadet Corps. He got three months into his training when a training accident occurred. A group of cadets were attacked by a large wild animal deep in one of the many forests inside of Wall Rose, he apparently had shown signs of superhuman strength as he threw the large animal off him.

Then he revealed the ability to regrow limbs when his arm was bitten off only for him to regrow said limb. Finally he had shown a small percentage of Kuro's actual strength as he reportedly formed a spear like weapon around his regrown limb and stabbed the large wild animal multiple times until it died.

When they returned to camp he was reported by his fellow cadets that he had saved, following that they were arrested by the Military Police. Eren knew what came after that. He was taken away by the Interior Police, tortured until his mind snapped or he revealed any information which he mustn't of. Whatever had happened it left him as he was right now. A blank slate that they then saw use for and began training him up before putting him to work.

The more he thought about, the more he came to agree with one of his previous thoughts. 'My story is a tragic one and I don't even know the full of it yet.' Eren was sure once he started adding emotions and relationships into the mix it would be quite sad. However he wasn't sure on those things, they had been extracted from his mind and he was only just starting to relearn how human emotions worked, not being allowed to during his time with the Interior Police.

A knock on his door brought him away from his thought and his emerald eyes towards the wooden door that was being opened. Once open, revealed the grey and aged appearance of Dhalis Zachary. The man closed the door behind him, he grabbed the chair that was positioned at the desk in his room and swivelled it around to face his bed before sitting.

The man sighed deeply, taking off his glasses and rubbing his nose gently. He relaxed as he slumped into the chair then reattached the glasses to his face. "Remind me to never leave the office for a whole day again, the amount of paperwork I had to catch up on was ridiculous."

Eren raised his eyebrow at the man's complaining and was about to retort when Zachary held his hand up in a silencing motion. "If you're about to say something smart then I'd prefer it if you didn't." Eren smirked, the man did offer him far better company than the patriotic idiots in the Interior Police.

He held his peace and allowed the man to continue the conversation. Rubbing his forehead to quell a growing headache he muttered something about paperwork before he took his hand away and got serious. "Starting from tomorrow, you'll be joining the Survey Core for the year and honing your titan slaying abilities." Eren seemed relieved that he'd finally be able to do something other than training courses.

"And," Eren's attention was drawn back to the man as he hadn't finished. "To ensure your progress isn't hindered by those lesser, I've pulled a few strings with the Survey Core's Division-Commander to have you placed within the Reconnaissance and Special Operations Section. More specifically, you'll be in the Special Operations Squad." Eren's eyebrows narrowed in recognition of the infamous titan slaying squad.

"So you're putting me with the best." Eren determined which made Zachary incline his head in response. "I'm expecting you to be on par with their Captain one day." The white haired boy had to think for a moment before realising who the Premier was on about.

"You want me on par with Levi? Humanity's Strongest." Another nod was his response, Eren would have laughed if he could but he found such things hard to do. "Is this with the use of my abilities or not?" That got the elder man's attention, he seemed wide awake now.

"So you can still use it?" Eren nodded, "It was part of my training. While they had some trilby wearing guy train me to use the regular ODM and Anti-Personnel ODM Gear the other part of my training was to harness and control my abilities, however I didn't reveal any progress I made to them. That's what got me in the mess in the first place."

The Premier couldn't believe his fortune, 'They don't even know what they let go of. If they had known that Eren could control his abilities they wouldn't have let him go, I'm still surprised they let him go in the first place. I'm sure we'll hear from them eventually.'

Breaking his train of thought Zachary answered the original question. "I want you to be on par with Levi without the assistance of your abilities, it would mean that you would technically be Humanity's Strongest. If you aren't already, I don't know the extent of your abilities."

"I'd prefer it if I didn't share, there are eyes and ears everywhere. I've already spoken too much so I don't want to push my luck." Zachary nodded agreeing quickly with the white haired soldier. "As for your request, I'll do my best to achieve it." Zachary nodded his head at the newest Private of the Militia.

"I know you have ambitions of your own and I'm being used in those plans. I don't know what they are, nor do I want to, yet. You have my word that I'll support you. You've given me more answers then I've ever had before, and while I still have questions I'd like answers to, this will satisfy me for now."

The aged and grey face of Zachary smiled as he thanked the boy who waved it off quickly. "After this year of training and experience, I'll be letting you off the leash. I would like for you and I to become allies if not close friends." Eren smiled a little at the statement and a quick reply came to mind.

"You sound like one of those paedophiles." There was a moment of silence before Zachary roared with laughter, he struggled to breathe for a few minutes. Wiping a tear from his eye he smiled, "I don't think any paedophile would want you, no emotions and just a whole load of smart replies. You're not worth the effort."

"Well those ones in the Military Police obviously did." Another roar of laughter came from Zachary, "True they did. They're into weird shit aren't they?" Eren nodded his head his smile never leaving his face. 'I believe this feeling is happiness, strange I think I've felt this before… Before the Interior Police.'

Eren knew one thing, he'd miss Zachary's company when he left for the Scouts. The man's presence had been the most enjoyable one he remembered since the Interior Police, and reminded him of some of the emotions he used to feel before all the tragedy occurred. For the first time in a while, he was happy.