Strenght

Liberio – Saturday

Sasha was very annoyingly approaching Levi's house for her weekly day with him. Since he accepted to train her, all he had done was make her clean his house. It took her all day; she had never cleaned anything before and did it terribly.

At the end of the day, Levi took a white glove and with his finger checked the entire house. All the times, he just said to Sasha:

Come back next week.

Nothing else. This pissed off Sasha. She did not understand what she was doing.

Levi's House

Levi is sitting drinking tea: Back again huh? You know what to do.

Sasha pissed: Uggg! Are you ever teaching me something?! I'm not your maid!

Levi: Didn't I tell you your opinion was worthless? Do it or don't, I don't care.

Sasha mad: Dammit… can you at least tell WHY I'm doing this?

Levi: You are here to learn discipline. You have to want to learn so we can start.

Sasha was puzzled: Huh?! What does that has to do with cleaning?!

Levi: You are as dumb as you father. That's too bad, your mother is quite smart.

Sasha starts to prepare, thinking about what Levi said: Hmm… want to learn? I mean, I have learned to clean better, I've never cleaned anything… but then why isn't he saying something else?

Levi is intensely looking at her

Sasha to herself: Maybe… it's my attitude? I have been annoyed and angry the whole time… and it reflects in what I do… That has to be it…

Sasha spent the whole day cleaning the house. This time with determination and checking everything to make sure it's not dusty.

Levi checks the house with his glove. He smiles this time.

Levi: You must have been frustrated. Come on.

Sasha is shocked: WHAT?! Where are we going?

Levi: To the woods.

Liberio city outskirts - Sunset

Levi leads Sasha to the woods. He suddenly stops at the middle of it.

Levi: Gather firewood and start a fire.

Sasha nervously: What?! But… I don't have any tools! And… I've never started a fire before…

Levi: Figure it out. If you don't do it, I'm knocking you out and leave you here alone. This woods are tricky, you will get lost without my guide.

Sasha scared: YOU CAN'T DO THAT! You promised Armin you would not get me killed!

Levi: I did… unless you wanted to die. It's up to you. You have 30 minutes.

Sasha terrified runs off to the trees: WHAT DO I DO?! THINK!

Ok, trees. They are everywhere. Firewood are like branches. So I should climb and brake some off right? YES.

Sasha sees the trees are actually really tall. She tries to climb but keeps falling off.

Sasha is all scratched and dirty: Fuck. HOW DO I DO THIS?! She punches the tree out of frustration and little bits of piece broke of it.

Sasha: OH!... oh. This is going to hurt…

After a few minutes, Sasha goes back to where Levi is with a bunch of pieces of wood. Her hands are bleeding.

Sasha throws the wood at Levi: Here. Happy?

Levi looks at her hands: You are so stupid. Did you bother to look at the ground? There are many fallen branches in the ground covered in leaves. But I guess you solved the problem in your own idiot way.

Sasha crying in frustration: I HAVE NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE OKAY?!

Levi: Stop crying and start the fire. You have 15 minutes.

Sasha drops to the ground and starts to think:

Okay fire. There has to be something to ignite it. Heat. But it's so cold… I have seen sparks coming for things when struck together. Maybe with rocks.

Sasha strikes some rocks together and they turn to little pieces: Oh…

Levi: The rocks in this place are no good for that.

Sasha: FUCK NOW WHAT?! I have to generate heat… I guess stroking two pieces together…

Sasha starts to insanely fast stroke to pieces of wood together, they get hot, but pieces start to fall off to the point of being left with little chunks in her hands.

Sasha starts to cry: I'm going to die here…

A little piece of wood in the ground that touched some grass ignited a little bit. She notices this and gets excited!

Sasha: LOOK I DID IT!

Levi: You sure?

A gust of wind comes and extinguish the tiny fire that had formed.

Sasha: DAMMIT! She starts doing it again, but this time she does it closer to the grass, starting a small fire. She picks up a piece of wood and starts the fire where the rest of the wood is.

Sasha crying: I did it… Her hands are shredded from the friction of the wood.

Levi: Yeah… again like an idiot. You forgot you have a dagger in you. That would have created a spark. But I guess you did what I said. Sit.

Sasha is exhausted and in pain so she lies down in the ground near the fire.

Levi: You are still reckless in everything… but at least you are trying now.

Sasha: You could have given me a hint WEEKS AGO?

Levi: No.

Sasha: Sigh… you remind me of my mother…

Levi: How is she?

Sasha surprised: Huh?... uhh…she is fine… gloomy and serious as always… in her letters I can sense she is sad because I'm not there… I'm surprised you asked…

Levi: We have lived a tough life… and have lost a lot… so I do hope she is living a peaceful life… unfortunately she has you to prevent that from happening

Sasha: Hey! I'm the light in her eyes even if I'm a mess!

Levi chuckles: Heh… I guess you are right… she would have had a very lonely life without you…

Sasha: Yep! I saved her from boredom!

Levi is quietly reminiscing.

Sasha: Hey uncle? How come… you are not weirded out that I exist? You must realize… that me being the daughter of my father… should not be possible… right?

Levi: My whole life I have been surrounded by strange unexplainable shit. If it's no harm to me or others, then I don't care. You do look like Eren, so you must be his daughter. Don't care how it happened, I have seen stranger stuff.

Sasha: So you don't know how I came to be…

Levi: No. And even if I knew, it's not my place to say it to you. That's something your mother has to explain to you.

Sasha is annoyed, it's the same answer everyone else gives to her: Tsk… alright.

Levi: Also… stop calling me uncle.

Sasha: Nope. You ARE my uncle. Don't you realize how excited I am to have more family!?

Levi: Don't you dare hug me.

Sasha: Aw… I'll do it when you are distracted hehe.

Paradis – Ackerman Woods Military Training Center

Ymir has started to practice using the vertical maneuvering equipment… she was not very skilled at using it, but kept trying.

Mikasa prepared various targets on the ground for her to strike using a combination of both swords and guns.

Mikasa: Come on princess, concentrate, you have to decide which is the best choice according to the target.

Ymir gets very stressed at training, she has too many thoughts in her head.

Mikasa: If you want to be the leader of your people, you have to shows strength so they know they can rely on you, that you can protect them, in your case it's by making fast and smart decisions.

Ymir thinks about how her mother used to this… not for leading or self protection… but to save lives from titans… the horrors she must have faced… and there was she… not being able to do what her mother did when there are no dangers around her…

Ymir loses focus and fails to keep balance, falling recklessly to the ground. Mikasa runs to her.

Ymir in pain: Ugh… I'm… no good.

Mikasa: Only because you see yourself that way. Come on.

Mikasa and Ymir sit in the benches to rest.

Mikasa: You need to have more faith in yourself princess.

Ymir drinking water: I guess… it's hard for me to do that…

Mikasa: It shouldn't be. You don't have any prior training… and you have no natural skills for this.

Ymir is shocked and saddened to hear that.

Mikasa: But look where you are now. You managed to go this far out of sheer will. That is your greatest strength princess… you are fearless, just like your mother.

Ymir feels very moved and starts to tear up.

Mikasa: Let's wrap it for today.

Ymir: Can we… just sit here for a while?

Mikasa: Alright.

Ymir is reflecting: Lady Mikasa… sorry if I'm being rude… but can I ask you something?

Mikasa curious: What is it?

Ymir feeling shy: Well… you are so good at teaching vertical maneuvering… how come… you never taught Sasha any of this?

Mikasa is surprised by the question and starts to feel a bit embarrassed: Well… it was because of me.

Ymir is puzzled.

Mikasa: I… have so many memories… of my time as a cadet and member of the survey corps… alongside Sasha's father… a lot of bad memories… but some precious ones too… and I just… cannot seem to bring myself… to bring her into that world… sure it's different now… but when I see her… I… see him.

I just don't want to see her wearing that uniform… or that gear…

Ymir: I see… sorry to have asked… I was just curious… Sasha is much more skilled than me in everything and incredibly strong… I just thought she would have been so great at using this…

Mikasa: She would have… like me. That's why I didn't teach her.

Ymir felt confused about what Mikasa said… but understood it's something so private she had no way of understanding.

874

Ymir and Mikasa are having a friendly duel. They are using real swords, not training ones.

MIkasa: You needed to vent something princess?

Ymir: Sorry Lady Mikasa. I sure needed this.

Mikasa: You must understand your mother better now don't you?

Ymir: YES! Government is so FRUSTRATING. I HATE THOSE OLD MEN!

Mikasa smiles: Your mother used to say the same…

The duel is intense and evenly matched. Suddenly a dagger came flying by towards Ymir, she managed to evade it. A figure approaches from afar.

Sasha: I see you still like to get your ass kicked by my mother princess.

Ymir angry: YOU COULD HAVE KILLED ME STUPID BITCH!

Sasha: Come on, I knew you would evade it, you are no longer the hopeless wimp from years ago haha.

Mikasa: Sasha…

Sasha smiling: Hello mom. Can I stay here for a while?

END OF PART 2