Chapter 21

Inching Towards The Truth

When Kuroko heard those words, his blood was as cold as ice. Everyone around him was frozen in place, and they all had similar expressions: disbelief and hopelessness. If what that messenger said was true, then it could mean the end for humanity. He did not have time to think about how such thing could have happened. He could not even make the optimistic approach and think it was not true. Something like this could not be simply lied about. He also had to guess that it was Mike's team that spotted the titans. It was his only guess.

The sound of footsteps broke him from his thoughts. Soldiers began to run around trying to figure out what to do next. Kuroko was nearly overtaken by that emotion as well. Everything was happening way too fast. He did not even know what orders to give. He looked towards Connor, who was waiting from him to give orders. He was about to spit something out when Hange could be heard.

"Alright everyone listen up!"

All the commotion came to a standstill and gave their full attention to Hange.

"First things first, we figure out where the hell the titans were last seen. From there we'll mount up and get to the nearest district from that location. Everyone, get to the armory and prepare your horses, on the double! Is that understood?!"

"Yes, sir!" Everyone replied in unison.

Hange then turned to Kuroko, who stood straight in attention. Hange could not help but chuckle. Seeing him so rigid always made them smile.

"Tetsuya, I need you to get everyone prepared to head out. I'll go get information from Erwin," Hange ordered.

"Roger that, Section Commander," Kuroko replied.

"Moblit, with me," Hange said.

"Yes, Section Commander," Moblit said, stepping forwards.

"As for the rest of you, Captain Tetsuya is in command. Any questions, feel free to ask him," Hange said.

"Yes, sir-Wait a minute. Me?" Kuroko asked pointing at himself.

"You're the highest ranked officer present. Of course it's going to be you. Let's go, Moblit!"

As Hange left, all the soldiers present turned to Kuroko. Even those who were part of Hange's team looked at him for orders. He was about to crack under the pressure, if not for the reassuring feeling of having Connor and Momoi, who had descended from the wall with Hange, at his side. He took in a deep breath and released it.

"We'll start out by following Hange's orders. Get to the staging area and prepare the horses, wagons, and get outfitted with ODM gear. We need to be as prepared as possible for this. Am I clear?"

"Crystal, sir!"

With that the soldiers began to move towards the weapons depot. Kuroko let out a relieved breath. Giving out orders in a non-battle situation was a lot more stressful than he had anticipated.

"Not bad," Connor said. "Almost felt like you were actually in charge." He added a laugh at the end of his words.

Kuroko rolled his eyes in response.

"Be better at it, and you might even rival the Commander," Momoi joked.

"Ha, ha, very funny you two. Let's just get a move on, we're burning what's left of daylight," Kuroko said.

"Yes, sir," the two said in unison, with a bit of a joking tone.

Kuroko rolled his eyes again, but appreciated their relatively positive attitudes. In that moment, it was needed. The dreariness of the situation had yet to fully settle, but it could not remain that way for long. Wall Rose being breached was a worst case scenario the prompted every negative thought they could muster. Kuroko just hoped that they could find the breach and that civilians could escape in time.

—-

Akashi rapidly tapped his foot as he waited in front of the doors of the councilors meeting room. All he could think about was how they could be talking when action was what was needed. For once he agreed with Erwin. They needed to be deploying a force as soon as possible. Plus, with night about to fall on everyone, it made the situation all the more dire. Akashi gritted his teeth in frustration, as his brows came together.

"I haven't seen that expression on you in a while," a lax voice said.

Akashi looked up to see Aomine walking towards him. He seemed recovered from the battle against the Female Titan, but there was a bit of a limp in the way he walked. Overall, he was doing better, but it was obvious he still needed more time to rest.

"Are you well, Daiki?"

"Wow, surprised you care about my wellbeing," Aomine said sarcastically.

Akashi rolled his eyes and ignored his disrespectful tone. "If you can talk back to me like that, then you must be."

Aomine chuckled and moved to stand next to the redhead.

"They still deliberating?" Aomine asked.

"Unfortunately."

Aomine groaned. "This is definitely the worst part about being an MP: waiting for clearance."

Akashi nodded in agreement. Having to wait for people to make a decision that he was capable of making seemed ludicrous to him. While they sat and talked about how to keep themselves alive, there was no doubt already a panic settling among the populace. He should be present in the meeting, as he was one of Stohess's main officials, but sitting there and listening to nonsense did not sit well with him.

"What are the Scouts doing?" Akashi asked.

"They're beginning to mobilize. They'll likely leave without Erwin, as he's been confined to his office, due to the whole thing with the Female Titan," Aomine said.

Akashi rose an eyebrow. He had assumed that would be the case, but for them to leave without their leader still seemed out of character for the Scouts. Bureaucracy was keeping Erwin tethered to Stohess, but his soldier were not.

"Who's leading them then?" Akashi asked.

"Probably Section Commander Hange. She's their highest ranked soldier in Stohess right now. I think Levi's still out 'cause of his injury. Likely, Tetsu's second in command," Aomine answered.

"I wouldn't be surprised if this becomes a joint operation between the three regiments," Akashi said.

Aomine let out a breath. "To think we'd fight in the front lines again so soon after Trost."

Akashi shrugged in response. "It is technically what we signed up for."

Aomine turned to Akashi in surprise. He had never expected for those words to leave his mouth. For as long as he had known the red head, he was always about climbing the ranks of the MPs. He chuckled. Akashi sure was strange sometimes.

"I guess that's true. Though, I am looking forwards to butchering some titans if we do have to," Aomine said.

Akashi turned to the tanned Oriental. He could see the gleam in his eyes. The gleam of wanting to fight. It was the same one that Kuroko has and still does. He wondered if Aomine would ever transfer like Kise did. He too had the gleam during the court hearing. That drive is what got him killed in the end.

He was about to say something in response, when the doors to the meeting room opened and out walked all the city councilors. The two stood in attention as they walked out, but they did not pay them any mind. It was as if they were normal rank and file soldiers. The last one to walk out was Midorima, who was quick to notice them.

"What's the plan, Midorima?" Aomine asked.

"For now, Erwin is going to lead the Scouts on the investigation mission. He'll be accompanied by MP's, but who exactly has yet to be determined. It'll likely end up being us," Midorima answered.

"Great. Guard duty," Aomine groaned.

"Why are we not being sent to secure the walls?" Akashi asked.

Midorima pushed up his glasses and skimmed the papers he had in his hands. "In case the titans reach Stohess, they want every available soldier to remain here."

"Wow, that is the most sensible decision I've heard this council make," Aomine said.

"I'm surprised you know what sensible means," Midorima jabbed.

"What was that, Four Eyes?" Aomine replied, getting into Midorima's face.

Akashi groaned. "Enough, both of you. You're not children. We'll follow orders for now. Once we get a better grasp on the situation, we'll make a firmer decision. Let's leave the titan fighting to the Scouts and finding the breach's location to the Garrison."

The two Oriental MPs nodded in response. The three then walked towards the barracks. Akashi wanted to make sure that everything was ready for when they eventually had to go out and fight.

—-

Murasakibara lazily watched as soldiers gave Commander Pyxis reports on the ongoing reconstruction of Trost. He had been reassigned to Trost after the titan incursion about a month ago. He had been promoted to captaining his own team, but he left those duties to his second in command.

In that time, everything in Trost had been relatively quiet. Not that he minded as that meant less work, but he still had his usual duties to take care of. Most of his days were spent making sure that the boulder that served as Trost's gate had not budged, along with whatever else the Garrison Commander ordered him to do.

He let out a bored sigh as he waited for the endless reading of reports to end.

"Something troubling you, Atsushi?" Pyxis asked turning away from the papers in his hands.

"Nothing at all," Murasakibara said lazily. He meant that both literally and figuratively.

Pyxis chuckled. "Not to worry. This meeting'll be over soon."

Murasakibara gave him a lazy thumbs up.

Pyxis returned to listening to reports, and Murasakibara returned to doing nothing. He let his mind wander. He wondered if the Scouts hearing in Stohess had ended already. He had heard about that since their expedition had been a failure. Everyone in the military was aware of it. Now it was just a matter of what would happen to Scouts next.

He then wondered about Kuroko. No doubt he and Akashi got into a fight of some kind. Those two could never agree on much, even as cadets. It made him wonder how the two were friends. He wondered if Akashi got his way and was put in charged of Eren. He was not adamant about it during the court hearing, but maybe now he would be.

He was broken from his thoughts when the door to the office burst open and a soldier called out to the Commander. Murasakibara's head shot straight up and he straightened his posture as well. The soldier was out a breath and clearly distressed. What ever was happening, it could not be good.

"Titan's have been spotted, sir!"

The room went quiet and cold chill filled it. Everyone's eyes widened at the news. It was quite possibly the worst the news in the last month. Murasakibara wondered if that meant Trost had been breached again, or another district. He slowly stood up from his seat, waiting for what the messenger would say next.

"We think Wall Rose has been breached!"

Pyxis narrowed his haze and a low growl escaped his mouth.

"Atsushi, Hannes!"

Murasakibara turned his attention to the commander.

"Sir!" Hannes said.

"Get your teams ready. I wanted you two out there an hour ago!"

"Yes, sir," Hannes said. "Let's go, Atsushi."

Murasakibara nodded. While he was happy to finally be out of that office, this was not the way he wanted to exit.

—

By the time the Scouts were just about ready to move out, the night sky had taken over. Kuroko growled in frustration at not being able to leave before sundown. He had managed to get the soldiers to pick up their pace, but mounting an expedition quickly was not possible. Though he had to make note at how fast they could go.

Being left in charged also did not help Kuroko's nerves. He had hoped Hange would have returned by now, but no luck in that regard. He had heard from some soldiers that they were going over some their research notes as something had come up. Kuroko knew to anticipate that, but was still a bit annoyed.

He let out a groan as he put another box of supplies on the wagon.

"I know that sound," a voice said.

Kuroko looked up to see Momoi standing next to the wagon. She was already fashioned with her ODM rig and had the Scout cloak on as well. Her hands were also clasped behind her back; one of her usual poses.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Kuroko asked raising an eyebrow.

"The groan usually means you're annoyed."

Kuroko chuckled lightly and turned back to the supply box he had just set down.

"Well, Hange still isn't back. Without her, we're stuck here," Kuroko said.

"I get that you want to leave as soon as possible, but with everything happening so fast, there was bound to be hold ups," Momoi said.

Kuroko let out a sigh. "Yeah. I know."

"But I can tell that's not the only thing bothering you," Momoi said, taking a few steps to get closer to Kuroko.

She could see it in his eyes. Despite showing annoyance, he was really feeling worry. She had known him long enough that she can tell what he was really feeling.

As for Kuroko, he tried hard to hide the red forming on his face. When she stepped closer to him, he was already beginning to feel his face heat up.

"You're worried about your family, right?" Momoi asked as she took a few steps back.

Kuroko took in a breath and released it in order to calm himself down. The heat in his face receding as well.

"Yeah. My village is lucky as the titans were not first spotted anywhere near there, so it gives them time to evacuate without casualties. But I still worry," Kuroko said.

Momoi smiled kindly. "I understand. You always have them on your mind, even if you don't show it."

"Hey, Satsuki! We need some help over here!" A soldier called out.

"I'll be right there!" Momoi called back.

"Go. I'll be fine here," Kuroko said.

Momoi nodded and turned to go towards where she was called.

Kuroko let out another breath. The moments they were alone were the hardest to keep his emotions in check. He always thought he would just blurt out his feelings. He took another moment to compose himself before returning to stacking supplied. However, all the boxes he had left to stack were already on the wagon. He rose an eyebrow, wondering who could have done that.

"Dude, you can't keep dancing around like that," a voice said from behind him.

Kuroko turned quickly to see Connor standing behind him. He had a smug smile on his face, which meant that he had heard everything. He also likely knew what he had just been thinking about.

"How long were you standing there?" Kuroko asked.

"Long enough," Connor replied.

Kuroko groaned as he ran a hand along his face. Now he was going to get flak from his subordinate, which was something he already got.

"Could you just not?"

Connor shrugged. "Depends on how long you intend to dance around."

"Stop calling it that," Kuroko said.

Connor chuckled. "Whatever you say, Captain."

"I know you're mocking me," Kuroko said.

"Enough about your absolute failures at romance, we gotta get geared up. Hange'll be here soon," Connor said.

Kuroko nodded in response. In the commotion of giving out orders and having to prep supplies and horses, Kuroko had not found time to get his ODM rig. He was still in the mentality that they should have left Stohess hours ago.

When they reached the armory, they found a few soldiers still lagging a bit behind. When they caught sight of the Captain, they sped up putting on their gear. While one tried to, but could not go any faster as he winced in pain. Kuroko sighed at seeing Josh Kassmeyer slowly putting on his gear.

"Can you bring me my rig? I gotta talk to him," Kuroko said, gesturing towards the recruit.

Connor nodded and went to look for two ODM rigs.

Kuroko turned back towards the young soldier. He could see the glances he sent towards the Captain. He was aware of his presence and wanted to show he was able to fight. Kuroko respected his tenacity, but right now he could only wish for him not to take part. However, they needed every soldier they could spare.

When Kuroko walked up towards him, he tried his best to salute. Kuroko raised a hand, deeming it unnecessary.

"Let me help," Kuroko said. A kind smile coming to his face. "Stand up."

Josh nodded. "Yes, sir."

The teen began to stand. He tried to hide the wince of pain, but his facial expression betrayed him. He turned around and pointed to the belts that needed tightening.

"You know, in any other situation, you wouldn't be taking part in this mission," Kuroko said.

"I know. Commander Erwin had said the same thing," Josh said.

"So, you spoke to Erwin? You're lucky. I could use some his encouraging words right about now," Kuroko said with a chuckle.

"How can you laugh and smile at a time like this?" Josh asked.

Kuroko paused for a moment. He had never really thought about that. He wondered if he did more to calm his own nerves or others. It was also possible that he had gotten so used to life in the regiment, that nothing really phased him anymore.

"I don't know for sure. Does it put your mind at ease?"

"Sometimes," Josh mumbled.

"Well, then that's why I do it," Kuroko said as he finished tightening the last belt. "Is that too tight?"

Josh rolled both his shoulders, once again wincing in pain, and twisted his hips. Kuroko could tell the pain was his main source of discomfort. It had only been a few hours that he was passed out on a bed, and now he was about to fight titans again. Kuroko could only guess at what made the world so cruel.

"It's fine. Thanks, Captain," Josh said.

Kuroko nodded. "Now, hop to. Just don't strain yourself."

Josh nodded. "Yes, sir."

Kuroko watched as the young soldier slowly jogged away. He satisfied smile came to his face. Maybe it's time to look for new squadmates.

"I know that look."

Kuroko sighed and turned to Connor. He always seemed to show up at the worst times.

"You want to recruit him, don't you?"

"Well, we have to fill up the squad eventually," Kuroko said.

"Uh-huh. Let's save that for after we deal with the current shit storm," Connor said. "Here's your rig."

Kuroko nodded and began to put on the gear. Being with the Scouts for five years meant he could put on the gear in the blink of an eye. Once every belt and harness was in place, he felt ready to fight. The weight of the gear giving him a sense of familiarity that kept his mind sharp. It was weird, but it kept him focused on the main tasks.

When they returned to the rest of the regiment, all of them were just about ready to leave. He was surprised to see Erwin at the front. He had assumed he was going to be detained, but it turned out that was not happening. He then spotted Momoi, who had two more horses with her. He silently thanked her for grabbing their horses. When he hopped on his horse, he heard Hange calling out to everyone.

He looked back to see her walking with Levi and the Wall Church priest of all people. Levi was without any equipment, which meant he would not be fighting. Kuroko could only guess that meant his injury had not fully healed. As for the Wall Church priest, that was a surprise. He had no guesses as to why he was with them.

"Hey, Tetsuya, ride next to us. There's some stuff you have to hear," Hange called out.

Kuroko nodded in response. He turned to his two teammates. They silently told him to go. He nodded again and moved to ride next to the wagon Hange was in. With them were Levi, the priest, Armin, Eren, and Mikasa. Eren looked just about healed, which made Kuroko want his titan healing to be something everyone had. Everyone simply gave him an acknowledging nod.

"So, uh, what's he doing here?" Kuroko asked, pointing to the priest.

"Don't worry about him. Nick and I have gotten to know each other very well over these last few hours. Ain't that right?"

The priest said nothing in response. He looked uncomfortable having to sit next to Hange. While Kuroko did not like the priest, he did not blame him. Hange's eccentric attitude was always off putting. He could only guess how Moblit put up with it.

"Erwin wants him to join us," Levi said.

Kuroko nodded in understanding. That was all he needed to know.

"Open the gate!"

Kuroko turned his attention forwards. It was time to find out just how bad the situation was beyond Wall Sina. When the gate opened, Erwin turned to face everyone.

"The status of Wall Rose is unclear. However, the route to Ehrmich is safe. We'll taking that route, because of it. Let's move out!"

Erwin turned back around and pushed forward. Everyone followed soon after that. Kuroko rode behind Hange's wagon as they pulled out from Stohess. When he passed through the gate, he noticed Armin looking back and at the wall. He could tell something was on his mind, or he had figured something out. It was likely what Hange wanted him to hear.

Once they were far enough, Kuroko moved next to the wagon. He was curious as to what Hange wanted him to hear. He was not that surprised as to what they said first.

"Nick here knew about the titan within the wall. Likely the walls themselves are made out of titans," Hange said.

Nick remained silent. It was obvious he sad to too much already. It was likely that he said something when Hange dangled him over the wall. Kuroko had his own theories on the subject, but remained quiet for now. However, Eren spoke out first.

"So you're saying he knew about that this whole time? And he kept quiet about it?"

"Uh-huh. Afraid so. Also sums up where we are with him," Hange said turning to the priest. "Anything add, Tetsuya?"

"At the moment, no," Kuroko said. He was more intent on listening at the moment.

"Cat's out of the bag now, of course. Right now, he's been silent. When we show him the harsh reality, then we'll see how he feels," Hange said. "Faith keeps him quiet. Firsthand experience, though?

Kuroko now had a better idea as to why the priest was with them. He had answers to several questions and this was his interrogation. He would likely break when he sees the harsh reality Hange had said. Kuroko had a pretty good idea as to what that meant.

However, Eren was not willing to wait. He got up in the priest's face and began to demand answers. His outburst did not last long, as he seemed to get dizzy. Kuroko corrected his line of thinking form before. Maybe his titan healing took longer than he had guessed.

Kuroko was broken form his thoughts, when the sound of a gun being cocked. Kuroko turned to where he heard the sound and saw Levi pointing a pistol at the man. He wondered if that could get him to talk. If dangling him off the wall did not make him talk, he doubt a gun could.

"There's more than one way to get the truth. Granted, I may not be in top form right now, but it doesn't take much strength to pull a trigger," Levi said. His tone very obviously threatening. "That said, I'm hoping I don't have to put a hole in you to settle this."

Hange voiced Kuroko's thoughts, as he had expected threats to not be of any use at this point. Though, he had to give the priest credit. He was very adamant on keeping his mouth shut. Most would have cracked under the pressure by this point. It likely meant that he really had a secret worth dying for.

"You've been awfully quiet, Tetsuya," Levi said.

"I was told to listen, and that's what I'm doing," Kuroko replied.

"And here I thought you'd be the one bombarding the man with questions," Levi said.

"I would be, but I know I won't be getting answers. I'm sure we'll get out answers soon," Kuroko said.

As he spoke, he kept his gaze firmly on the priest. He could tell he was uncomfortable being stared at, as he would always spare a quick glance towards the Oriental. It was more likely that he, like many others behind the wall, did not like him just based off of his race. He was used to it at this point, but being that it was a priest it made him just a bit angry.

From there, the ride continued in silence. There were moments, when Eren or Armin would ask a question and either Hange or Kuroko would answer. Just to keep nerves down, Kuroko spoke the most. He noticed how relaxed the three would get whenever he spoke.

During another bout of silence, Kuroko noticed that Hange was staring as some sort of crystal. Kuroko assumed it was a piece that had come from Annie's crystal casing, as they had a similar shine. Levi asked the question that Kuroko was about to ask.

"Hey, Four Eyes. When did you become a geologist? Or are rocks just that fascinating? It looks like you're about to drool." Levi asked.

Kuroko rolled his eyes at Levi's question. He always felt the need to add an insult to his questions. Kuroko was used to it by now, but it still rubbed him the wrong way.

"This?" Hange asked, looking up from the rock. "It's not an ordinary rock. It's a hardened piece of skin left behind by the Female Titan."

"Looks like my guess was right," Kuroko mused aloud.

All eyes turned to him, and Kuroko shifted a bit in discomfort.

"Guess I said that out loud," Kuroko said, adding a nervous chuckle.

"It didn't vanish?" Armin asked. His tone laced with surprise.

"No. This random fragment broke off. It did when Annie reverted back into her human form," Hange answered. "It didn't evaporate. So that got me thinking. When compared to a piece of the wall that had broken off, the two had the exact same composition."

"So you're saying that the walls are made out of hardened titan skin?" Kuroko asked. "That would explain the titan in the wall we found."

Kuroko put a hand on his chin and began to think. If what Hange was saying was true, that meant all the wall were made out of titans. That would mean that they were, quite literally, surrounded by their enemy. That just begged the question, how did they get there and why they have not just eaten everyone by now. Just like before, one answer led to a hundred more questions.

Kuroko had not realized the conversation kept going and was pulled back in when Hange said something about Eren being capable of hardening as well.

"Picture Eren utilizing his hardening ability while in titan form," Hange said. Their words stopping to all the others to piece it together.

Eren managed to piece it together quickly and his eyes widened. "I could patch the hole."

"It should be the same material, so it should not dissolve when you transform back. This might be less of a long shot than it sounds. Thoughts?"

"So, Eren, you ready to be a hero?" Kuroko asked playfully.

The young soldier turned to the Oriental captain. His expression was still the same as before. It was as if the weight of the world was placed on his shoulders.

"Well, anything worthwhile always has some sort of rise involved," Armin said. "If we manage to close Wall Rose, then Wall Maria could be a greater possibility."

Kuroko began to think about to possibilities of that, as well as the logistics of the mission. If they could do that, there would be no need for so many supplied on expeditions as all they would need to do would be bring Eren to where the hole was.

"We'd be cutting down on supplies as there would be no need to set up outposts," Kuroko said, voicing his thoughts.

Armin nodded in agreement. "That's what I was thinking as well. If supply wagons don't need to be accommodated, then we'd get to Shiganshina much faster. We could also go about this plan at night."

"Night?" Hange and Kuroko asked.

"Yeah. The titans are motionless at night. Almost like they're asleep," Armin answered.

Hange put a hand on her chin to think on it. "That's not bad. In fact it's genius. It would work well with a small group that could get by undetected."

Kuroko chuckled. "Looks like Seijūrō was right about you. You've got quite the mind. I doubt even Erwin could come up with that."

Armin laughed nervously. "You give me too much credit."

Hange returned their gaze to the crystal they held. "We're in the direst of straits right now. But there just might be the smallest amount of slack."

"Just bear in mind that the whole plan hinges on Eren being able to harden," Armin said.

"Can Eren even harden like Annie could?" Kuroko asked.

Eren looked towards the wagon's floor. He looked extremely unsure. "I don't know. I've never tried it before. Rather, never thought to."

"It's probably unfair to ask this, but do you think you can?" Hange asked.

Eren, however, could not respond. Kuroko could see it in his eyes that he wanted to say yes, but could not bring himself to. It was likely that he was unsure of himself and his abilities. Just like for them, his abilities were still a mystery to him. He managed to figure things out on the fly. This was the first time a plan revolved around something he did not know he could do.

"What he thinks isn't the issue," Levi said, breaking the silence. "You either will, or you won't. That's the reality. Our comrades are breaking their backs, but without you, it's nothing. Failure is not an option."

"Hold on, Levi. We're already putting way too much pressure on him as it is. Adding more isn't going to help," Kuroko said.

"What would you do Tetsuya? Keep things going as they are? By then, what will become of the regiment?" Levi asked.

Kuroko held back from answering, as he did not have one. His soft side had taken over his rational one. He knew that Levi was right, but putting that much weight on him, right after everything that went down in Stohess, did not sit right with him. He silently cursed. He hated when Levi was right.

While in his thoughts, Kuroko could not hear the Eren vowed to fulfill the plan. He was brought back into the conversation when he heard Eren mention his father's cellar.

"If there's any truth to what he told me, everything depends on us making it there," Eren said.

Kuroko turned away from the group. He did not want to accept that everything hinged on a teenager for them to get the answers they wanted. Putting all their hopes into one person spelled disaster. He did not have time to think long, as they had reached their destination: Ehrmich.

When the regiment entered the city, it was just as bad as Kuroko had imagined it would be. The hopelessness he could see, hear and feel was practically unbearable. Despite knowing it would be fruitless, Kuroko tried to find his parents among the throngs of people. He knew they would stand out, so they would be easy to find. But he could not. If they were there, they were lost in the crowd. He still held out hope they were alive, but at present, hope was hard to find.

As Kuroko walked towards the staging area, he wondered what the priest thought of everything. It had to have given him some sort of change of heart. Seeing something like that could change anyone. He remembered seeing something similar when Shiganshina fell. Then, it was not hopelessness that consumed everyone, but disbelief and fear.

He pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the task at hand. They had to get everything ready to head out. His rig was still in good condition, which meant all he had to do was check their supplies. He just went through the motions, trying to push that feeling of hopelessness aside.

He stopped when he heard Hange scream. He looked up to see what was going on, the priest had returned and his expression showed that he had learned the harsh truth. However, based on Hange's reaction, he was still silent. He walked over towards the commotion just in time to hear Hange telling him off.

"This isn't some spiritual test! Lives are at stake!"

"I do not have a choice. Neither myself nor the others who believe are at liberty to divulge the truth," Nick said with a defeated tone.

"Then why did we bring you here?! Guess it was all just a big waste of time!" Hange said as they threw their arms into the air.

"I'd offer help if I could. But, I can give you a name," Nick said.

"Keep talking," Hange said with a raised eyebrow.

"It's someone you know. A young woman who enlisted in the Scout Regiment this very year. She goes by the name Christa Lentz."

Everyone present went silent. The three recruits who were with Kuroko and Hange both let out a surprised gasp. Kuroko remembered who the girl was as he had read her cadet files, but Hange seemed to be a bit out of the loop. Kuroko then remembered something specific that was on that file and immediately turned to where Josh and Aline were. He saw them sprinting towards the priest. When they got close, he stood in their way.

"Captain, please. I have to know what's going on!" Josh said.

"Let me at him! I swear he'll still be alive when I've through with him," Aline said.

"Stand down, the both of you. I get it. She's your friend, and a close one at that, but rushing into things isn't going to help. We all want answers," Kuroko said.

"Wait a minute, who is this girl?" Hange asked.

"She's part of the 104th. Close friends of these two," Kuroko summarized as he pointed to the two recruits he was holding back.

"Understand this, you must find her with all due haste. She is the key to everything," Nick said, seemingly unphased by the two new appearances. "She may know things that we understand poorly. Things of great importance. That is all I can say. I leave the rest to you."

As soon as the priest finished talking, there was a new arrival. Kuroko, meanwhile, was left to his thoughts. He let the two he was holding back go, and focused on the girl. If she was so important, then why the hell was she in the Scouts. All that was left was figure out where she was, as she was part of the group that stayed with Mike.

Not long after, there was a strategy meeting. The regiment was going to divide itself up, with Hange and Kuroko leading a team to retrieve Christa. Levi had to stay behind due to his injury and Erwin was still under watch by the MPs. Kuroko knew everything was at stake right now. They had to find this girl. Once everyone was fully loaded, they got on their horses, and rode out of Ehrmich.

"We ride with all haste for Utgard Castle!"

AN: Here ends another chapter. So my original intention for this chapter was to combine this with the Castle Utgard battle, but decided to make that its own chapter. Plus this chapter was already getting rather long and adding that would have just made it longer. Most of this chapter is just building of more character relationships. There are somethings I wanted to showcase in this chapter that I hope came across to you guys. We also got a section devoted to Murasakibara. I hadn't realized he was barely in the story, and wanted to remedy that. I know Midorima is in a similar situation, but I got a plan for him later in the story.

With all that out of the way, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Stay tuned for the next one as it has been one I've been planning since this story started. If you're enjoying this story feel free to follow, favorite, and/or review. Also, follow me on Twitter. I post story updates as well as other things there.