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 20
"I'm quitting the Cadets." Akunna announced suddenly.
There was a pause as the friends she made in the 103rd looked at her like she grew a second head. Then the shocked explanations followed.
"What do you mean you're quitting?!" Maida exclaimed before Akunna slapped a hand over her mouth, nearly spilling her own soup.
"I said to 'be quiet' about this!" Akunna hissed, frantically looking around to make sure that their conversation wasn't overheard. Rather than eat in the commissary now she could leave the nurse's building, Akunna decided to sit in a quiet corner with the faces she'd grown accustomed to over the years. It's been a long few years. Akunna thought as she listened to Dieter and Jurgen debate the amount of cadets would join the Scouts once they graduated. Chadwick lulled a bit in this talk, even Akunna could acknowledge that out of the six of them, Chadwick was the furthest from being in the Top Ten. Maida occasionally peeked at Akunna from the corner of her eye. With only a handful of days of the join training left, it was time for the truth to be revealed.
Akunna sighed, pulling her hand back to cross her arms. "Blabber mouth, I don't want this getting out right now. But yeah, I'm leaving. I just stalled a couple days so to spend more time with Eren and Armin." Quitting meant almost immediate removal. Unless you were telling the commandant in the middle of the night, you were gone that day. I want to be at least a little selfish since I don't even know when I might see them again once they graduate.
Chadwick didn't look remotely surprised although a sad look crossed his face. "I guess you finally figured things out, huh?"
Akunna smiled back, feeling almost sheepish. "Yeah, I did. I'll leave this soldier thing to my brothers."
Ivan waved a hand, "wait wait wait, what even brought this on." He demanded, a plethora of emotions running through his eyes. "You're literally guaranteed to be the top graduate of the class and you're leaving?"
"She was literally kidnapped." Jurgen said with a whisper to his voice. "Anyone would drop out after that."
Akunna shook her head. "It's not about the kidnapping." Akunna suppressed a shudder as pushed away the not-too-distant sound of gunshots and murmurings of a Samantha. No, she didn't want to remind herself even one hint of it. What was done, was done. "I only became a soldier because I wanted to get to the interior to take Mikasa, Armin, and Eren with me not because I wanted to save humanity or whatever." She held up her hands preemptively before any of her Alfhard friends could get defensive. "I didn't even want to become a soldier, it was just my last resort because I couldn't find work. But if I don't wanna be here, my brothers don't wanna go to the interior, and Mikasa's just here because I'm being stupid, then what's the point of staying around?"
To think it took three years of training to reach this conclusion.
"So Mikasa and I talked it over and we're heading back to the reclaimed lands. At least long enough for us to find work and save up enough money for an apartment." A year was all they would need in order to make a life they'd want together. I can always check again with that cobbler from before. Not to mention any other prospective jobs that could be available now.
"You're leaving with just Mikasa?" Maida glanced at Chadwick, looking strangely harried for someone not making the announcement. Akunna winced internally, suddenly remembering she never confessed to her friend the result of her and Chadwick's talk.
Chadwick smiled coyly, "leaving with Mikasa, huh? Sounds like a very happy ending to me." Akunna gave him a shove, face warm. It was a relief nothing awkward lingered between them both. "Well, if you leave, this just means I get a boost in the ranks by extension. Come on, we should look happier. Ivan, you'll be number one now."
Ivan scowled mildly, "this isn't a true victory for me, if she's quitting." He gave his friend a sharp look. They'd made it a habit to compete when it came to Titan killing exercises throughout the seasons. It was hard to believe it was going to be coming to an abrupt end. "You can't just take this back, you know. Once you tell Berggs and Baldy, you're out of here until the next time they start recruiting for soldiers."
"There's something I want a lot more than being a soldier." Akunna replied, eyeing Ivan clearly. "There's no regrets in my camp. You just go and kill Titans and before Eren's crazy self shows up to try and steal the show."
Ivan sighed exaggeratedly, "well if it's what you want." He loudly gulped down a swig of water. "And that punk's 100 years too early to try me."
"Did you still that from your grandpa because there's no way you came up with that by yourself." Dieter took the opportunity to lighten the atmosphere with a disbelieving look.
The ensuing banter between fell away as Akunna got lost in her thoughts. Planning to run away with someone was truly a strange feeling.
Not that we're actually running away. Akunna corrected herself as she looked back at the commissary window. She couldn't see much of anything from where she sat but she imagined that nothing much of note was happening there. All that's left now is to tell Eren and Armin, then we're out of here. Akunna doubted her brothers would be that surprised when she and Mikasa confessed they were leaving. Hell, Eren'll probably just be happy since he won't have to hear me nagging all the time. But after seeing how they handled their attack on the thieves, Akunna felt a bit more comfortable letting them go and grow up. With Eren's physical skill and Armin's brains, they'd be an unstoppable force.
Akunna stopped herself just short of tapping her spoon against her bowl as she envisioned the day she'd be standing in Trost waiting to see if they survived their newest expedition. Even George said that the death rate has decreased a bit since that new guy, Levi, joined the Scouts. Eren and Armin'll be fine. All she had to do was believe in them and their abilities to come back alive. All Akunna had to do now was rid herself of her self-imposed responsibilities. All in exchange for living in Trost with Mikasa. It wouldn't quite be the picturesque life she imagined, but it was going to be something a lot better than being within Wall Sina's suffocating interior.
I wonder what it's going to be like. A wave of anticipation and nerves washed over her in a weird mixture of feeling light as a feather and wondering: Is this actually it? We're doing this?
Akunna recalled the elated look that crossed Mikasa's face when she told her she wanted to go back to Trost. The same expression Mikasa would wear they had a private moment to themselves.
Yeah, we're actually doing this. The weight on her shoulders had lighten considerably like the tension that dissipated between the two of them.
They got everything they needed to talk about out into the open and they made a decision together for a future together.
What would be different about the reclaimed lands?
What sort of work would be available in the present?
How many months would have to pass before they'd say goodbye to sleeping in hay-covered cots and hello to a soft bed with a wonderful view from the window?
Anxiety and excitement both settled in Akunna's stomach.
Akunna gazed at the commissary again hoping to catch a hint of the beautiful raven-haired girl in the window Still, there was no such luck.
"When did you and Chadwick talk about the kiss thing?" Maida asked when the two of them slipped away to talk. She looked understandably confused but with everything that transpired, it slipped Akunna's mind to mention it.
Akunna scratched the back of her head, "honestly, the day we got back from the exercise and when we had to make our reports. We talked about it that night."
"And you never told me?!" Maida exclaimed with crossed arms. "I've been pulling my hair out thinking Chadwick was gonna die of a broken heart because of you and Mikasa being with each other all time!" Akunna made a nervous sound and crossed her arms behind her back. Thankfully, there really wasn't any bitterness between the both of them. Akunna was sure there was probably some lingering hurts but Chadwick made peace with it. Even better, he never treated Mikasa poorly in spite of Akunna's preferences. That meant a lot. "So... what are you both now?" Maida asked, with a slight pout.
Akunna hesitated before answering truthfully, "I... don't really know. We never really said anything about it." She recalled hers and Mikasa's words from when they made their decision. Nothing about it was necessarily romantic. Yet on the other hand, nothing about it was something she would label 'platonic'. Akunna regretted ignoring girl talks in the dormitory in favor of sleeping; maybe that would help with discerning things. Maybe this entire situation was a long time coming. Mikasa had been special to Akunna for years now, their relationship different in a distinct way compared to her own with Armin and Eren. Even when she was trying to be the guardian they no longer had, she'd never found herself labeling Mikasa as her 'sister'. Mikasa was Mikasa. Chadwick thought she was my girlfriend when we first met though, didn't he?
Akunna felt surprisingly embarrassed as she realized Maida was staring the entire time. "Anyway," she cleared her throat. "shouldn't you be making things official with Dieter or something instead of focusing on my love life?"
Rather than get embarrassed like Akunna hoped, Maida shook her head with a sad smile. "He's not budging on joining the Scouting Legion, I'm not budging on the Military Police. We decided that a while ago."
Akunna gaped at her friend in surprise, "seriously?! You never said anything!" Akunna made a discreet glance to where their boys sat, chatting away without a care in a world. And they were just dancing all cute-like when we snuck out.
"It's fine to at least pretend sometimes that we're not on borrowed time, right?" Maida laughed weakly but the pain was still there. Akunna rested a hand on her shoulder with a concerned squeeze. The blonde sighed, looking like she'd spent many nights sleepless because of this. "He said we could make it work because he'd always come back but I can't just live in the interior hoping he'll come back to me. My aunt joined the Scouts. She was my favorite aunt too." Maida recalled wistfully. "We didn't even get back a part of her. I can't do that again, not with Dieter."
"I'm scared about Eren and Armin too." Akunna admittedly quietly. "Can't stop 'em or convince 'em to change their mind." But it isn't like I can just pretend not to care and decide not to have any part of it. They'd always her little brothers, they wouldn't ever be options she'd have to choose between. Never again. Akunna swore that to herself years ago after the Fall.
Maida nodded, another sigh falling from her lips. "I just tell myself as long as he's happy it's fine." She crossed her arms protectively around herself before forcing a smile on her face. "But I'm glad about you and Mikasa. It's great you want the same thing." The conversation ended between them there but Akunna felt for her friend. It truly was a blessing Mikasa wanted the same things as her.
"Hey, why do you see the Outside World so bad, huh?"
Eren and Armin looked at Akunna strangely at the question. "Where's that coming from? We've talked about it before." Eren furrowed his brow, although not in anger. Only someone who knew him well enough could distinguish between the looks.
"Eh," Akunna wasn't sure how else to move, so she just shrugged. Dinner had ended and there was only so much longer they could stay out talking before they'd have to go their separate ways for the night. "not really, I don't think. You've talked about all the stuff out there and it sounds cool, but why do you want to see it so bad you'd fight Titans to do it?"
Armin pursed his lips thoughtfully for a moment. "I never really thought about it before." A surprising answer when it felt like she'd always experienced seeing how Armin's eyes would practically glow as he talked on and on about this very topic. "I always knew there'd be a day we'd have to leave the Walls because that's what my parents would say before they tried leaving in their flying balloon. It was something they died trying to see."
Eren looked uncharacteristically solemn, "well I think it doesn't matter why we want to see it, it's more that we deserve to see it." The brunet kicked a rock and watched it skip several ungraceful thuds. "This was the world we were born in but we can't ever see it because of a bunch of monsters that showed up a hundred years ago? I can't accept that."
Akunna let her mouth hang slightly ajar for a moment, "when did you start becoming a master of grown up talks?"
"Oh shut up." Eren scowled but Akunna could see a light flush adorning his cheeks. "Is this just another segue into why we shouldn't be soldiers?" Eren eyed her and Mikasa suspiciously.
"No, I think you'll be good soldiers." Akunna replied truthfully; they were always capable even if she didn't want to quite let herself be that a few years ago. Scary it may be, it was still her brothers' lives and they could lead it however they wanted. "I just wanted to know what it was that you liked so much about it so I could feel more comfortable with this whole giving my blessing thing."
"Who are you and what have you done with my sister?" Armin demanded with wide blue eyes after a few heartbeats of silence.
"Seriously." Eren shuddered with a near horrified look. "Did you hit your head or something before we woke up today?"
Deja vu much? "If you want me to take everything back and make sure you can't graduate, I can do that. Didn't know you and Eren liked that so much, Armin." Akunna sniped back sarcastically, placing a hand on her hip.
Mikasa stepped with a placating hand on Eren's shoulder. "Akunna means we're going back to the fields soon. We wanted you to know it's okay that you want to stay." She explained while Armin and Eren continued on looking at them in disbelief. Akunna could have almost winced. She supposed the two of them always made it clear where they stood on either boy joining the military. Now look at the four of them, donned in military uniforms only moments ago. At least she and Mikasa would never have to dress themselves in those outfits ever again while Eren and Armin would be wearing them for unforeseeable future. They can't be in our shadows forever, I guess.
Akunna smiled wryly, suddenly feeling like she was losing her purpose for as an older sibling. "Not that they ever cared about our opinions beforehand." Akunna nudged Mikasa lightly. "They'll be river dancing on my tent the moment we're out of here." At least Eren probably would. Armin... well he was still one of those types born in the earlier parts of November and late October. They were a fickle sort. "But yeah, we're leaving for Trost soon. We'll leave the soldier thing to you soldier types."
"But you can always come find us in town if you need anything." Mikasa insisted with a motherly quality to her. Akunna wasn't sure who this was harder for, perhaps they were about even. "We'll have a home ready by the time you graduate so visit us when you can. "
A mixture of surprise, uncertainty, and relief danced in Eren's eyes. His reaction was a lot more quiet than she imagined it to be. Akunna grinned so widely her cheeks hurt. "I thought you'd be a lot more enthusiastic at that, Er Bear."
"It's not that, it makes sense you'd both wanna leave but it's still weird after hearing you protest about it so long." Eren scratched at his chin for a few moments. At least there could be no protest to this announcement. "As long as you guys are alright with it, it's fine. Just try not to overdo it with your job hunting like before." Eren eyed Akunna carefully and Akunna chuckled anxiously, looking at Armin.
The blond had a happy look on his face, "the four of us are going our own separate paths now, huh?" Two soldiers and two civilians, they couldn't be going any further away from each other now. It almost felt like a permanent goodbye, Akunna thought depressingly. Yet it seemed like something must have shown on her face because then Armin said cheerily, "at least until we can reclaim Wall Maria and show you the Outside World. Until then, we'll just have to stop by occasionally whenever we aren't on duty." However long that would persist.
It almost seemed like a hopeless dream; the world outside of the Walls was already daunting enough with its undetermined size and uncountable Titan population. How two optimistic boys from Shiganshina hoped to accomplish such a feat, Akunna didn't know. It was a childish and naïve thought. But maybe, together, Eren and Armin would come closer than anyone would have ever thought. Akunna prayed to any god that would listen that this would be true.
"We did it." Akunna relished the soft breeze for the few seconds it lasted. The first stars were beginning to reveal themselves and the moon was growing brighter and brighter and the sky became darker and darker. "All that's left is is finally leaving." Then they'd commence their plan to get their lives together and an apartment of their own. There was no uncertainty in Akunna's mind that they were making the right choice. The four of them were splitting up for now, at least until the promised family reunions they'd have, hopefully before and after each expedition.
Mikasa looked plenty satisfied herself. "I'm ready to leave whenever you are."
"Then we should get to that in the morning then." The sooner the better so they wouldn't be forced to leave from their respective training grounds. There was nothing left for Akunna at the 103rd facilities anyway, nothing she would need desperately. Akunna released a pleased sigh. "Once we do though, there better be no regrets." Akunna shot Mikasa a teasing a grin. "You're stuck with me forever now. Even if you get annoyed, you're always gonna have me there bugging you. Better back out now while you have the chance."
Mikasa shook her head with a knowing look. "There's nothing for me to back away from." They sat next to each other in comfortable silence as murmuring in the camp grew quieter and quieter with curfew approaching ever so quickly. Yet a silent agreement passed between them both that they weren't quite ready to let the day end and they stared out at the forest beyond the training grounds.
"It's almost like we're the last people on Earth." Mikasa murmured, looking at the sky thoughtfully. Akunna cocked her head to the side curiously, wondering what the girl was thinking. Other than looking peaceful, however, her face didn't reveal much.
Akunna's lips quirked into a small smile, "minus all the people in the cabins right by us, you mean?"
Mikasa gave her a light push and Akunna snickered as she caught her balance. "I just mean it's peaceful, like it really is just the two of us." Mikasa paused for a moment, appearing to consider her next words carefully. "Never mind, it sounds silly. And a little lonely."
Akunna negated that assessment with a shake of her head with an amused look. "How is it supposed to be lonely if there's two of us?" She humored the thought of a world with no other people or Titans threatening to kick down the Walls. They could just grab an empty house and live there without a care in the world with all the resources to last a life time. If they needed eggs, they wouldn't need to buy or steal chickens because they could just grab a hen from the street. There'd be no need for money because all the stalls would be without their merchants. Just a quiet, peaceful life. Akunna shuffled a bit to be even closer than they were before. "Sounds like a simple and easy life to me."
"Are you sure you won't have any regrets?" Mikasa murmured, leaning closer herself. "You'll be stuck with me forever too. Is that... enough for you?"
That's only til the end of my life, technically. No big deal. Of course it's fine. Akunna thought of joking, but she could tell there was a shift in the air from amusing quips to something more serious. "Yeah, of course. You're more than enough for me."
Their lips were so close Akunna could feel Mikasa's breath brushing against her face. It wouldn't even take a centimeter for them to be touching. Akunna peered at Mikasa's lips and suppressed the desire to bite her own bottom lip as she returned her gaze to dark eyes. "Can I?" She whispered. No verbal answered followed, only Mikasa leaning forward to press their lips together chastely. Yeah. Akunna thought vaguely, lips tingling as she pressed back. Doing this forever doesn't sound bad at all. The sounds of their lips separating accompanied the sounds chirping katydids and crickets echoed loudly between them a while longer.
Author's Note
Has anyone seen Belle (Ryuu to Sobakasu no Hime/竜とそばかすの姫 [The Dragon and Freckled Princess])? Freaking loved it! 10/10 will be watching again. Nakamura Kaho has the voice of an angel, hope to hear more of her in the future.
Also who else is writing Snk x OC fics? I wanna read them and show my support as a fellow fic writer.
Sorry for posting late, real life said 'you're too busy to write or post'. Work, school, a health scare with one of my cats. Figuring out my schedule rn, especially after revamping my work schedule to be more accommodating to the fact I'm a full-time student. So updates will be a bit sporadic for the time being until I can work out a schedule around school, the cat thing, and my job. On the bright side, I got to talk to my friend in Japan for the first time in a while and we talked about the differences between the SnK's Japanese and Western fandoms and opinions/interpretations of characters but that would bog down the author's note. Maybe I shall in the next one, if you guys are interested in hearing it!
I'm not too happy with the end result of this chapter but oh well. To think we made our way around to 20 chapters. When I started UtSD I didn't even think I'd have more than 10 reviews since this was an OC story and even then it wasn't a LevixOC story or even an ErenxOC story, and while I don't get as many comments per chapter as I'd like it's nice that there are at least people who do and make their own assessments of the story, theories, or just a comment on what they think of the events of the chapter. So thanks for that, guys, sorry again for the slow updates. Next chapter, things take a turn from the standard SnK fic fair which I hope everyone reading finds interesting all things considered. I don't want to just write every other SnK fic, I want to try something different and what might even be more challenging since there are parts of the story I can't use the source material to rely on. But there will definitely be a point where Akunna and Mikasa's story ties right back into the main plot of the series much to their chagrin.
Song(s) I Bopped To For the Chapter: Yura Yura (Sakura Haruno version), At the End of Winter (Fuyu no Owari ni/冬の終わりに) by Nana Mizuki, If I Never Knew You (Pocahontas, movie version), Montero by Lil Nas X, Industry Baby by Lil Nas X, Mambo Cabana (Vivo Soundtrack), Because I Like You (Suki dakara/好きだから) by Yuika ft Ren, Literally every song on the Belle soundtrack, Return to Love (Jazz Version)
Responses
Titanlovrr: I'm glad that you found the twist interesting! I hope that that persists throughout the story for you since I don't wanna just make any other SnK fic you can read on this site. I'm hoping to give readers new and different reading experiences than the same formula a lot of OC fic writers tend to follow.
Uzumaki D Narut0: a new reader has joined the ranks, thank you giving me UtSD's 70th comment I really appreciate it! I agree with you there about Eren's point of things, it was mostly just a small critique/joke since there was a lot more to worry about in that situation than Mikasa's forehead getting headbutted. I can give someone a pass for doing something like that if they're 15, but it still gets me a bit in the heart.
TruRebellion: This was such a cute comment to respond to because on one hand I wanted to go 'your hints are onto something' but on the other I was nervously going 'how do I tell them I think they missed the 'Mikasa x OC' tag filter' TAT. But even before then since I was going for a more slow burn, slow 'I've always had these feelings but never acted on them until recently' realization with this story (a first time attempt for myself), I was worried if the hints were coming off too vague during Akunna's time focusing on trying to get work and become a pillar of support for the EMA trio with one person in particular in mind. I'm glad that you were able to see those hints!