Fic Title: Until the Sun Dies
Summary: Believing her father's concerns as a black family living in the secluded mountains of Wall Maria to be simple paranoia, a young girl sets on her own to discover the world and what it truly holds. Only to find after encountering another secluded family, the Ackermans, that maybe his concerns weren't so unfounded in the terrifying yet beautiful reality they live in. Befriending their daughter, a fellow survivor in what it means to be the last of their kind, Akunna finds her path leading to the horrors of the Fall of Maria and the 103rd Cadet Corps.
Pen Name: TheQuintessentialFicWriter
Cover Art by: pngdraws on Twitter
Chapter 08
What have I done? Was Akunna's first intelligible thought when the settlement came into view and the events of the morning caught up with her.
She had enlisted herself into the 103rd Cadet Corps and would be leaving in a few days to train for the next few years.
Ogun ya taimake ni.
Akunna gripped the bridge of her nose and sat on a nearby stump. I have to tell them, right? Akunna was sure she could already vividly imagine the reactions that would take place once the words left her lips. Eren would be fine with it, more than fine, then that support would go right out of the window the moment she told them that she wasn't aiming to join the Scouting Legion. Even after the altercation they had last year when they first came to Trost, Eren's desire to enlist and fight the Titans hadn't dwindled a bit. Well... he has stopped talking about it so much as of late so maybe he wouldn't care. Akunna disregarded the suggestion. Eren would care the moment I say he's coming with me to the interior once I graduate. Armin? Akunna couldn't place a reaction the short blond would give her. But Mikasa?
Akunna suppressed a shudder.
Mikasa is going to kill me.
"Look, Mika, I know you came up with a second plan but I found something way better."
"What do you think of the Military Police?"
"I have good news and I have bad news, the good news is: I found a way for us to move into the interior. The bad news is: I have to leave for three years."
"You wouldn't have a problem with me being a soldier if I definitely wasn't signing up for the Scouting Legion, right?"
"Mikasa, I signed up for the Cadet Corps because I want to move us to the interior."
Nothing in particular sounded like a perfect explanation and Akunna sighed, hanging her head into her lap. "Why am I so scared about this, it's just Mikasa." She told herself, her breath hitting her forehead. Bracing herself, Akunna finally stood up. She needed to do it now when there was still enough time for them to enjoy the time they had together fully before she left.
She only had two days before she was shipped off, she needed to make those two days count.
I'm leaving in two days because I enlisted in the military. I'll be gone a few years but if I graduate at the top of the class, they'll allow me to join the Military Police and if I do that, I can bring family with me to the interior. Eren, I know that you think the Military Police is the scum of the Walls, but I'm doing this so we have somewhere safe to go to. You can't take on anyone if your home base isn't safe. Armin, there's plenty of books in the interior you could read. So many books! I'll buy them all for you! I'll even find books on the outside world and sneak it home, that's better than giving up on your dream about seeing the outside world entirely, right? Akunna nodded to herself at her own rehearsed lines, a mixture of impressed and uncertain. She hoped that sounded vaguely reasonable. Mikasa, I know you think the plan you came up with is good, but it only works if we can both get jobs and I can't just sit around waiting for you to get one when I keep getting turned down. Just being here isn't working for us. So I'm doing this for everyone's sake. You stay here and hold down the fort. Only one of us needs to do this and that 'one' is going to be me.
Yes. Akunna clenched a fist. Say that like you're Mrs. Jaeger and I'll have this over with before the day is even over and we can all just get over it. Super simple and failproof!
Akunna peered through the fields as she walked through the entrance of the cultivated lands, wondering which plot her trio could be.
"Mrs. Lee, have you seen my three troublemakers?" She asked a nearby woman in her mid-40s with hair ash blonde hair and hazel eyes. Mrs. Lee had always been kind, tailoring their clothes and giving them patch jobs whenever they were needed. One day Akunna would pay the woman back for all the help she had given them over the past year.
Mrs. Lee smiled kindly, "talking like you're a mother again?"
Akunna chuckled sheepishly, "Eren's mother would say it sometimes back home. I guess I'm just copying her."
"You young people are always in such a hurry to grow up." The middle-aged woman gave an exaggerated sigh, her smile hinted more at amusement rather than exasperation. "You should enjoy being this age while you can. Life is too short to live it pretending to be someone you're not and right now, you're just a youngster." Hazel eyes seemed far away from where they were in the settlement, somewhere far off and intangible as it had been the past year since the Titans had taken it away. "Anyway, the three of them are in the eastern fields and should be wrapping up their work in around an hour. You should just wait for them, I'll let them know you've come back from the city."
That was a delay Akunna could be thankful for. "Thanks for that." She turned for the reservoir that had served as their room for the past year since they arrived to the cultivated lands and sat down where she normally kept her makeshift bed with a hard plop, wincing at the stinging sensation. She kept any yelp of pain she could have had to herself. The pain was just a physical reminder that she was going to do what she had to in order to keep the four of them safe, even if it would hurt at times.
Armin, forbidden books about the outside world is better than never seeing it completely. Even seeing it in old books count for something.
Eren, hate isn't gonna help us survive so I need to do what's best for everyone as a whole. That's not killing Titans, it's earning money.
Mikasa, this is something I can do alone so don't worry about my work load anymore. You should just stick with Armin and Eren and live however you want now.
She just needed to say those three things and this anxiety waiting to tell them would finally be over with and she can be out in the open about it. She shuffled her feet and tapped a finger on one of her knees, listening for the familiar sound of a whistle blowing. It felt like it was taking longer than usual for the hour to pass. I'm usually back right when lunch is starting or right before, this is pretty early for me. She would somehow get back too early to just rip the bandage off, the time only seeming to dredge as the minutes passed by before she finally heard a whistle go off.
Akunna stood up.
She could do this, she was going to get this over with.
"Hey!" Akunna called when she saw the three figures she was looking for, keeping her walk casual. "Looks like you three have been hard at work! Mrs. Lee said you were all in the eastern fields. Get a lot done?" The eastern fields were probably the toughest fields that could be worked on with all the wild wields and rocks literally its earth, it was no wonder it was taking so long for the refugees to cultivate it.
Eren spoke first, droplets of sweat littering his forehead. "It's been tilling and weeding all day for the past year." His green eyes blazed in annoyance. "Is this really what I'm gonna be stuck doing my whole life?"
"You just hate the dirt." Akunna snorted, ruffling his hair until he knocked her hand away. She couldn't tell if the red on his face was from working or his embarrassment. "But hey, I overheard some girls talking about how cute a guy that can farm is." Akunna wiggled her eyebrows as Eren's face burned red.
"I don't care about that sort of thing!" He snapped. Akunna's grin stretched into one that was more genuine. Methinks that the lad doth protest too much. "Oh quit making that face!"
Akunna clasped her hands together, swooning, "my young boy is finally becoming a man!"
"Aku!" Eren glared at Armin. "Armin! Tell her!"
Armin scratched the back of his head but Akunna could tell he was fighting back the laughter. "Oh, right. Eren thinks girls are gross because they have cooties."
"I said that when we were 6!" Eren seethed.
Akunna sighed dramatically, "and here I thought Eren had grown up. Guess I was wrong, the only thing he thinks about is cooties." She shook her head in mock disappointment. "And after all the cuddles I thought we were finally going to be getting hitched. You're crushing this girl's heart, Eren."
"Akunna, did you find any work today." Mikasa deadpanned, bringing her back to reality with a pinch to Akunna and Eren's ears. It was probably for the best, Eren looked redder than Akunna's scarf. Yet the nerves that seemed to dissipate with their banter started thrumming right under Akunna's skin again. Eren slapped her hand away immediately and it only took a second more for her cool hand to release its light grip on Akunna's. "Mrs. Lee said you got back early."
"Oh about that." Akunna faltered, brown eyes spotting a grasshopper leaping away in the corner of her vision. It was amazing what you noticed when you wanted to avoid a conversation. Akunna closed her eyes. I can do this. The girl reminded herself, she had rehearsed everything she needed to tell them. I leave in two days for the Cadet Corps and I'm doing this so we can have a future. "You see, about work..." Akunna trailed off. Damn it look at them! They aren't going to feel comfortable with anything if you don't!
Her instincts were right, Armin, Mikasa, and Eren wore identical expressions of either confusion or worry as Akunna prolonged her revelation.
Akunna cleared her throat. "Let me start over. I need to tell you guys something important." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a brief moment, willing herself to remember the words she had thought of before the break was announced. She opened her eyes and the first thing she saw were gray eyes and black eyebrows knit into an uneasy expression. "Mikasa and I were talking it over yesterday that maybe I should take a break for a while from looking for work and stop stressing myself out." The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop herself, more and more words falling out like vomit. What the hell!? "Maybe I can just work the fields for a month and then get back to it once I'm not so stressed out that I'll kick the bucket if I get rejected one more time. That way I'll be completely ready to go the next time I hit Trost again." Akunna would have punted herself over Wall Rose if it were physically possible when she saw that face light up.
"Really?" Mikasa breathed. Akunna could scream for how the tension left Mikasa's shoulders and she released a breath, placing a hand on her chest as if to calm herself. She was probably expecting the worst news. News that should have came out of Akunna's mouth instead.
Still Akunna nodded, further cementing the lie. "Yeah." There weren't enough words in Nwabu and the main language that would contain enough curses she could inflict on herself.
Eren snorted but his expression belied a more relieved tone, "you got all worked up to tell us that? You're so weird. I thought you were gonna tell us something else."
"Don't sound so disappointed." Akunna chuckled, more frazzled than amused. "It's almost like you want me to say I'm going off to work in the factories. I mean, I can always do that to earn money so it isn't-"
Mikasa shook her head, giving Eren a pointed look. "We should stick together. We wouldn't be able to do that if she were working at one of the factories."
"Well, it still would be something." Akunna pointed out, the word vomit stockpiling one word after the other. "You guys could stay here for free and I'd send money back for you guys to get things you need and whatever I keep can be used to save up for an actual apartment somewhere in Rose. I'd probably be more useful far away than up close. Armin," the blond's expression was unreadable as he gave Akunna a strange look. She knew what that face meant and she loathed it. "you're great at math, how long would it take for me to save up for one."
Armin blinked as he seemed to realize he was being talked to. "Oh well, that depends on how much you're paid and what you keep."
"And you don't need to worry about going to a factory if you're getting work in Trost." Mikasa didn't even mention the factory, completely satisfied with Akunna's bullshit answer. "When I start working, the money I get can be used to buy things like clothes and you can save your pay for the apartment you get us." The Ackerman already had it all planned out, it seemed.
"Anyways, you guys should get something to eat." Akunna needed to be alone to berate herself, raising a hand when Mikasa opened her mouth to protest. "I'm pretty tired." She gave a slight smile. "So I'm gonna sleep, just save me a piece of bread or something. I promised to take it easy, remember?"
"You can eat our bread, I'll bring it to you later."
Akunna nodded mindlessly, turning around to the eject herself into their makeshift room to lay down. She had made a mistake of unholy proportions.
"You were lying before, weren't you?"
Akunna didn't need to open her eyes to know who that was. She knew Armin's words were coming the moment she saw his face. "Eren and Mikasa with you?" She asked plainly.
"It's just me." Armin answered. "I told them I was going to bring you lunch, so they're still eating."
A sigh left Akunna's lips and she opened her eyes, seeing Armin standing in front of her with three loaves of bread in his arms. "You guys don't need to give me all your bread." She muttered as he stepped closer and crouched before her. "I would've been fine with one."
Armin shook his head, "Mikasa would kill me if I came back with all three."
"You and me both, just for different things. At least she'll still have Eren to keep her company." Akunna took a harsh bite from one loaf as Armin sat down beside her, munching aggressively. "I've been trying to act the way I think Eren's mom would have, but I think Mikasa is more like her than I could ever be. She's pretty strict, isn't she? Eren Jaeger has nothing on her."
Armin hummed but he didn't say anything. He was probably trying to figure out a way to word what he wanted to say next. "You wanted to tell us you were going far away for work before, right? To a factory."
"Something like that." Akunna replied softly, looking at her beat up shoes. "I'm going far away and it's to get a job, it's just a job I don't have yet." She could feel Armin's gaze on her, waiting for what she was going to say next. "I... enlisted in the Cadet Corps." Akunna grounded out at last. "I leave in two days, the enlistment period ends then and they want us to hurry up and get to the training grounds." Therefore in two days' time, she would need to head back to Trost with whatever measly possessions she owned and would be taken to some training facility.
Armin looked positively gob smacked and Akunna chuckled humorlessly. "I'm guessing that wasn't the surprise you were expecting."
"It was in the general idea that I had. That would've been my second guess if it wasn't the factory, there isn't much else in these Walls to choose from if you were leaving home for work." Akunna took another aggressive bite of her lunch. "I figured it was something that would mean you would be going far away that we couldn't go to either. I was more sure that you would be leaving to the factories, though. You never really liked the military."
"You got me there, I wasn't really expecting to sign up myself." Akunna mumbled. One moment she was ready to walk away, all too willing to find whatever job she could land in the district and then the next she knew, she was signing a piece of parchment. "But I need to do this. One of the quickest ways to move further into the interior is by joining the Military Police. My recruiter told me that I can move family with me if it's small enough, I'll be able to take all three of you somewhere we can be safe." Maybe it would take three years, but she could do it. "I'll drag Eren there kicking and screaming if I have to."
Armin didn't look too reassured. "Akunna, that's-"
Akunna nodded, "it's a lot, I know. Eren would hate me forever if I did that. But he can't hate me if he's busy being dead with the Scouts, so I'll take his constant scowls and screaming any day over wondering whether or not he's coming back to us in pieces." But next year he can enlist. She wasn't dumb enough to think that he wouldn't take the opportunity without her here to stop him from doing it. I'll just drag him back to the interior when I graduate first. I don't think I have to worry about Armin or Mikasa. "Do you think I'm making the wrong choice?" She asked honestly, feeling unsure.
Armin didn't look anymore sure than she did. "Eren is going to enlist next year and I-"
Brown eyes looked at Armin sharply before he could even finish, "you aren't thinking about signing up too, are you? Not after what happened to Gramps."
"A lot can happen in three years." Armin evaded her question entirely. "The Colossal Titan could show up at any time between now and then and that would mean even more territory lost."
"Come on, Armin, the last time you said something like that, the Colossal Titan actually did show up."
Her brother's face fell into a frown and Akunna felt guilty immediately, "not that that's your fault, you didn't know that the Colossal Titan was going to show up that day or that the thing even existed. If you did, I know you wouldn't have said it. I was just making a bad joke." A very bad, tasteless joke. "The point is, I have to try. That's what Gramps would say." You shouldn't quit before you try. Perhaps it was an Arlert family motto. "I'll get into the top 10, I'll even make number 1 to boot, then they can't stop me from going to the interior."
"What if you don't get into the top 10?"
"I have to." Came Akunna's crisp reply. There was no other option, not when she was going to be making this sacrifice. I'm doing this for it to amount to nothing. If she didn't and she joined the Garrison, then so be it. But that was her last resort. "I'll do it. I'm strong as hell, remember?"
"You're certainly stronger than me." Armin chuckled nervously, gesturing to the twigs he called arms. "If anyone had a chance of making it through that sort of grueling training, it's you."
Akunna rasped her knuckles softly against his head, "brain strength is pretty important too, so don't feel too bent out of shape about it."
A comfortable silence fell over the both of them and Akunna settled against the wall, feeling a bit more calm. Then the calm turned into pig swill as Akunna froze when the next question left Armin's lips, "what are you going to tell to Mikasa?" He asked with a worried expression. "You told her that you thought her plan was the better one."
Akunna grimaced remembering what had happened not too long ago, "I didn't mean to let that come out." It sounded like a pitiful excuse, even to her. Pathetic and like she was trying to shake off the blame. "I don't get it." She bit the inside of her cheek, thinking back to the moment she metaphorically shot herself in the foot. It only took one look at those eyes to make the last thing that was going to be coming out of her mouth spill forward instead of the truth. "When I got back here, I psyched myself up to just say it. Then I took one look at her face and I just couldn't do it. I've never had trouble telling Mikasa anything." Akunna waved her hand in her exasperation as disbelief and frustration filled her again. "She's my best friend, Armin." She didn't even need to say it. That was as true a fact as the sky being blue and as true as the blaring gaping hole in the outer wall of Shinganshina. Fate had tossed the two of them together the moment they crossed paths when Akunna tried stealing that pie from the Ackermans. "It's..." Akunna trailed off trying to find the best word she could think of to describe the feeling. "Weird." She said flatly, unimpressed with herself. "Very, very weird.
I have no problem telling you, though." Akunna gave Armin a sheepish smile and he smiled back lightly with a look of empathy. "And I know I could pretty much tell Eren even if he'd be mad, I just don't wanna deal with it even though I have to." Mikasa was the strange exception.
Armin adjusted in where he sat on the ground. "You just don't want to hurt her feelings because she's your best friend."
Akunna shrugged with an intelligible noise. She knew there was a 'but' somewhere in there.
"But you should still tell her the truth. It won't mean anything if it isn't from you."
Akunna groaned and slouched onto Armin's lap. "I don't wanna have to be the responsible one, Armin! Let me be the irresponsible one for once in my life." Having to tell her this... Akunna bit her lip. She wished she could just skip beyond it and already be at the awaiting training grounds than be in this moment. "Can't I just leave without saying anything?" She whispered to herself, not wanting Armin to hear. If he took it seriously, he might lose respect for her as a reliable figure. "I'll tell her eventually. I just need to build up to it." In two days.
How was she going to build up to it in two days?
"You know, you don't have to look for a job this early. You're still just 11."
Mikasa shook her head, "I want to know where all the seamstresses are beforehand."
Akunna whistled, "getting a headstart, huh."
A full day had passed and Akunna still had yet to divulge the truth and this was the result of her lie. Mikasa had woke up looking more determined than ever, declaring her intentions of going to the city to learn its layout to look for seamstresses that could hire potentially in the following year. Akunna could only hope Mikasa would have an easier time finding a job. She looked visibly different from the rest of the citizens in the Walls, but hopefully not so different that she would be shooed off. I really don't know much about how Mikasa's family was treated when they lived in cities before. Akunna wished she had asked Mrs. Ackerman more about it. Maybe it was wrong to assume that Mikasa would have no trouble looking for work. Nothing would be easy when you were the last of your kind. "You can learn the layout later too. You should work on having samples to show them by the time you're 12 so you don't have to worry about it later."
"I'll work on it. Mrs. Lee said she would let me use spare cloth to do embroidery on that she doesn't need. Don't worry," Mikasa's smile was small, but it was there. "I'll catch up, so I have a lot of work to do now so you won't feel like you have to do everything on your own anymore."
Akunna's heart throbbed. The only reason Mikasa was doing this was because she thought Akunna was staying and following her plan. "I said you had a long way to catch up, though, so you don't have to do all this now."
"I know." Mikasa answered in a matter-of-fact tone. "I still want to do it."
Akunna couldn't hold back a snort of amusement, "you know, I thought being stubborn was Eren's thing and then half the time you surprise me by being just as bad as he is."
"You have to be more stubborn than Eren if you want to get anything done."
"I can't really argue you with you there." Akunna chuckled and a pause followed, Mikasa looking content. The silence was probably a comfortable one for her, eyes sharply looking at every shop and stall the passed by for any sign of tailoring or needlework taking place. Akunna stopped walking. She needed to get this out now before the lie went even further and it crossed a point of no return.
Mikasa got about five steps away before she realized she was walking on her own. "Akunna?" She looked at her curiously. "What's wrong?"
"Mikasa, I lied." Akunna finally blurted out.
"Huh?"
"Before, what I said about taking a break from looking for work for a while. I lied, I'm so sorry."
Mikasa blinked once, twice, opening and closing her mouth as her mind caught up with her in the present. "You lied?" She repeated, dumbfounded. "What were you lying about? You're not actually going to take a break?"
Akunna paused before shaking her head, looking at the ground. "I'm leaving, Mikasa. The day after tomorrow, you won't see me again for three years. I'm joining the military." The blaring silence only emphasized the shock she knew Mikasa was likely wearing on her face. "If I graduate in the top 10, they'll let me join the Military Police. And if I do that, I can move the four of us to the interior. Even if that doesn't happen, I'll make plenty more as a Garrison soldier than I would working as cobbler or someone in town."
"You leave that soon?" Akunna could barely hear the whisper.
"... yeah." There. The bandage had been ripped off. "You can get angry, scream, cry, whatever you want. I'll take whatever you throw at me for lying to you before."
But Mikasa did none of those things and as the silence stretched on, Akunna found just waiting for a reaction unbearable and finally looked to see what her friend was doing. Mikasa's eyes were wide open, lips closed firmly. "Mikasa?" Akunna asked worriedly, taking a step forward.
"I have a headache. Can we go back?"
Now Akunna was the one blinking in surprise. "Oh um, sure." She stammered, she extended a hand forward, half-expecting Mikasa to slap it away, half-expecting her to hold it. She had no idea what to expect from her. But Mikasa didn't reach back and Akunna closed her hand into a ball and shoved it in her pocket. "... let's get going back then."
Any reaction would have been better than this one.
The walk back to the settlement was quiet.
"What's up with you two?" Eren asked when they returned. "Did something happen in town?"
Akunna fixed Eren with a plain look, "I signed up for the Cadet Corps."
"What?!" Eren exclaimed with a look of amazement. "Seriously?" He crossed his arms with a lookf begrudging excitement and respect. "You might be getting a year's head start, but I'll catch up to you in no time and-"
"That's not why I signed up, Eren." Akunna braced herself for yelling. She was too tired to muster up the energy to even fight back with him. "I'm joining so I can get us to the interior. I can't earn work any other way and I won't need to bother saving if I do this. I'm being one of the cowards you hate." Armin winced at her word choice, but Akunna couldn't find it in her to care. "You can yell, get mad, whatever. But you shouldn't enlist next year, I'll just drag you out the moment I graduate. Armin, you too."
Eren's face contorted into one of anger, "you can't tell me what to do! You're not my mom, quit trying to act like her! What's the point of even joining the military if you're not doing it to fight!? You're giving up like everybody else!"
Akunna couldn't hold back a flinch from that. "I'm just trying to keep us safe and together, Eren-"
"Then why do you have to leave to do that?" Mikasa said after all this time, her voice was quiet and somehow it was worse than Eren's more typical reaction. "If you wanted to keep us together you wouldn't be leaving!" Her eyes shined and Akunna could see that they weren't shining from her anger alone, her eyes having a more wet look to them. "You shouldn't go!"
"I am."
"Stay!"
"I can't." Mikasa's face fell and Akunna couldn't look at her anymore while she was crying. "Nothing is going to change if we all just stay here and I keep doing the same thing day after day like this is the way for us to live. Gramps left me in charge of taking care of everyone and that's what I'm doing, if I have to leave to do that, then I will." It would only be three years, with all the training she was doing, Akunna was sure it would fly by in a snap. "You don't have to be happy with how I decide to do it. Just… see me off when I leave." Her grin was so wide, her cheeks hurt but it was the best she could do to keep herself from crying.
"Then..." Mikasa's eyes looked frantic. "If you have to sign up, wait until next year. We can go together!"
"Mika, no, you don't even want to join the military." Akunna shook her head. "You should be a seamstress, just like you're planning already. You're great with a needle, it'd just be a waste if you didn't do anything about it!" She bit her lip and tightened her fists. "Live for yourself, not because you think I need help or need to be looked after. If that's how you're framing it, Eren and Armin would just come along too."
"We should be able to join the military if we want." Eren glared. "You think that just because you're the oldest-"
"And I already told you," Akunna glared back. "I'd just drag you out if I come back here and you're not here waiting for me. Look," she pulled her hands from her pockets. "I don't wanna argue with you guys about this. Armin's fine with it, you guys don't have to be fine with it. It's fine either way, it doesn't change anything. I'm leaving the day after tomorrow, I don't wanna spend our last day together arguing. Please? For me."
It was just barely after dawn when Akunna got up to leave for Trost.
The morning was quiet, even after she woke up to find Mikasa already awake hugging her knees with her face buried into Akunna's scarf. It must have slipped off when she fell asleep. Red's a better color on her. Was Akunna's first thought. "Morning."
"... morning."
"I'm going to wake up Eren and Armin."
Mikasa gave an audible grunt but not much else could be deciphered from the sound.
The morning was quiet, even when Eren woke up in three shakes. His brow was furrowed, likely still from anger. But there were no protests leaving his lips that morning and Armin's expression was melancholic. This wasn't the first time he was being left behind by a relative. "I'm going to come back, Armin. I promise." I'm not going like Gramps. She wanted to say, but the wound still felt too fresh. It only felt like it was being poked and scratched at by the time they got to the inner wall, two carriages awaiting beside a few soldiers.
This was it.
There weren't too many people, a few parents, a lot more kids, some with parents and some without. Akunna observed the people who were going to be the faces she'd be seeing for the next three years. There was one girl climbing into a carriage, her hair was long and a brown darker than Eren's and Akunna could barely make out the glasses she was wearing from standing behind her. There was another brunette she could see in the carriage the girl was going into.
There was another girl with ash blond hair.
Some boy with blond hair and brown eyes.
Akunna avoided looking too closely at a boy with curly red hair and freckles who was staring at her obviously. She was just glad most seemed too distracted to notice her. For now, at the very least. Akunna took a deep breath. "Alright, Armin, you first." Akunna lunged and held her brother closely to her. "You take good care of yourself. Remember that you're really smart, just like Gramps said. You'll get work no time for some newspaper place where you can use that brain of yours."
"Be careful out there." Armin hugged back, his grip tight for someone with such scrawny arms.
"I'll be just fine, worrywart."
"Eren, get over here and give me some love." Eren looked like he was ready to protest, but he welcomed the hug in the end. He even hugged back. It was more surprising to her that he even came with them. "I honestly expected you to stay at the settlement today." She said with a snort.
"I'm not that angry!" Eren grumbled and Akunna laughed.
"You? Not angry? Someone pinch me."
"Oh shut up." He growled, but there was no bite to his bark. You stay out of trouble, alright? Or well, don't let trouble find you. You always end up in it somehow when I'm not looking. Thanks for coming today."
"I'm still enlisting next year." Akunna could appreciate the honesty.
"We can duke it out in the future and I'll kick your ass then."
"Try kicking my ass when I've been training for three years straight." They both laughed lightly. She was glad the tension was mostly gone between them.
"Mikasa." Akunna looked at the girl in question at last and simply held her arms wide opened and felt winded when Mikasa ran into her, even if they weren't that far apart to begin with. There was a faint sound of a sniffle and Akunna squeezed tightly. Three years apart, that felt like it would be more akin to three centuries with how long they've been together since 844. Then again, it hadn't even been that long since they've known each other. All the same, it felt like they had known each other for years. "I've been thinking, red's a better color on you. You should keep it the scarf, I'll come back for it so you hold onto it for me until then, okay?"
"Okay." Came a choked reply.
Akunna forced her voice to stay neutral. "Eren promised to stay out of trouble, but you know how that always works out. Keep an eye on him. And make sure Armin doesn't do anything stupid either, I know it seems impossible since it's Armin but still you can never put it past 'em."
"Mmmh."
Akunna meant to walk away after that, but her feet felt glued in their place until she heard a masculine voice calling, "any stragglers need to board now or they're being left behind!"
This is it. Akunna's nerves felt shot and she didn't know that was even possible with how hectic things had been emotionally. "I gotta go." She repeated the man unnecessarily. Reluctantly, she pushed Mikasa back gently and using the sleeve of her shirt, wiped away the trail of tears and snot on her face. "You'll catch up eventually." Just not like this. Anything but catching up to me like this. "... See you later. You guys should go so you can get breakfast in time." She adjusted her knapsack and turned around promptly before she could talk herself out of it and jogged to a carriage.
"Name?"
"Akunna Okoro, Shinganshina District." Akunna could hear a handful of shocked whispers coming from behind the man.
"You're there." The soldier said after finding her name on his clipboard. "Get in."
Akunna did as instructed, heaving over in one go. The floor of the carriage was hard, not that she was expecting less. She looked outside to see if they were still there, much to her lack of surprise, they were. She waved a hand lightly. Armin finally looked like he was crying as Eren grabbed his and Mikasa's arms, his face looked red even from here. She was glad he was taking them away, even as Mikasa kept looking back and Akunna looked away not wanting to see her crying anymore. She inhaled deeply.
"Girlfriend?" Akunna blinked and looked across from her to see the red headed boy from before. "She looked pretty upset."
Akunna shook her head. "Best friend."
"Oh." The boy coughed and Akunna just closed her eyes and started counting sheep.
"I'm Chadwick. Chadwick Hogarde." It was the red head again.
"Akunna."
Author's Note
English to Hausa translations:
- Ogun ya taimake ni Ogun help me
(Now THIS was one of those chapters that was hard to translate from outline to official chapter nfdkfndkjnf. But I think I worked around it! Sometimes, you just need to start working in a random order if the intro is giving you a hard time. Some of y'all probably don't read the Author's Note section but if you do, hopefully my honesty in the writing process relates to other writers or gives them insight into how another fic/OC writer may go about writing their fic and inserting their character into a canon series. What's your process if you're an OC fic writer?
Well time to just send this off so I don't have to look at the doc anymore and edit any typos I always find somehow even after reading it over twice fjdnkfndf. Was honestly expecting this to be 4k at most...)
Anyway the chapter tops off with Akunna leaving the group behind for the better good with some emotional struggles to boot and a heart to heart conversation with Armin who I believe should totally be the president of the entire world with that glow he had finally being animated. My boi is coming up in the world QAQ. When I first came up with UtSD, Akunna originally held back from enlisting so she could enlist at the same time as everyone else... but I felt like a lot of people, well depending on their OC, probably had theirs be in the 104th Cadet Corps (or if they're a love interest for Levi they somehow enlist in the SurVeyConLegiMent, whether through the Underground City type of way or just actually enlisting post!graduation or they're already enlisted and are there when Levi is strong armed into joining).
So next chapter, get prepared to meet the 103rd Cadets Akunna will be training with over the next few years! Most are OCs but there are few characters that are actually from the canon from the Female Titan Arc. I've been looking pretty forward to getting them introduced hahahaaa. As for when Akunna will reunite with Eren, Mikasa, and Armin... you guys will have to wait for that moment. Will Eren get over her reasons for joining? Mayhaps.. I mean, he told Armin and Mikasa to join the Garrison and Military Police respectively, so I personally believe he had some growth in that regard! He just wishes to be able to accomplish his own goals in return. So I guess the real question is, will Akunna loosen her reins in how she is trying to fill in the shoes of Mrs. Jaeger?
Song(s) I Bopped To For the Chapter: Regardless (Cannon Busters ED), Don't Leave Me by Intro, Goodbye My Danish Sweetheart by Mitski, Strawberry Blond by Mitski, You Only Live Once (Yuri! on Ice ED), History Maker (Yuri! on Ice OP)
Responses
Amantaeya: Aww thank you so much, that means a lot! I hope you continue enjoying UtSD!
1freakshow: Muwahahaaa were their reactions anywhere similar to what you thought it would be?
skyellebaby: The trio definitely had a mixed bag of reactions, that's for sure! As far as the fellow cadets in the 103rd, that is also going to be a mixed back in terms of how they will react to her so you will have to wait and see who thinks what til Saturday muwahahaha. Armin I pictured as being vaguely understanding with Eren and Mikasa having their own grievances with Akunna enlisting and her reasons for enlisting, but she held steadfast in her resolve!
Sol: It was definitely hard writing this chapter emotionally, racism is something I deal with constantly and as a child there were plenty of times I went hungry so I referenced that for Akunna's hunger pang descriptions and passing off food to others who might need it more. Thankfully, I don't have to provide for a bunch of people my age while also being 12, Akunna's got me beat there. But she isn't going to let that beat her down! Akunna is definitely going to wring Eren's neck when she sees he has enlisted.
SlightlyObsessed: A new face in the reviews! I tried looking for these sorts of fics too for SnK but never ended up finding anything OTL, so who knows maybe I'm the first (and if I'm not, damn are these fics are hard to find. WHERE Y'ALL WHO ARE WRITING THESE TYPES OF FICS AT?!) Definitely do let me know your favorite moments in the fic, it's always really nice hearing about them even if there are a ton TAT! I hope you continue reading! I have also thought about Sasha and Akunna's future interactions and similarities as hunters, so do expect that to come into the story!
Guest: Damn right it's Wednesday! I hope you enjoy this newest chapter in Akunna's adventure! jfndkjfn now for me to sleep, it's 3AM when I am posting this