Hey guys. Welcome back to another updated chapter of HSF. I'll admit that things are getting better for me as I write. I hope you're still there. Anyway, Onwards with the story.

Ring! Ring! Ring! "Breakfast time!" a man's voice shouted as a bell was rang in the halls. Unfortunately, it was like he was standing right outside Levi's quarters.

Mikasa was the first to respond as her eyes fluttered open. She then sat up and glanced around the room, trying to process their location before remembering the previous day's events. She then let out a yawn before looking down at Marie, who was fast asleep.

"Why the hell is that asshole ringing a bell so early in the morning?" she heard Levi groan from behind her. She looked back at him and watched as he tried to cover his head with a pillow.

"Get less sleep than usual?" Mikasa asked as the bell stopped ringing and Levi finally relaxed and lay on his back.

"Last night was exhausting," he sighed while looking up at her with his sleep deprived eyes surrounded by dark rings, "morning, by the way."

"Morning, Levi," she responded before asking, "what time did you get back and where are the twins."

"I got back at I think half-past 3. I walked into the room told the twins to get out and then I joined you in bed," he explained before Marie sat up.

"Morning sweetie," Mikasa greeted the little girl who had just woken up and was yawning. She proceeded to look around while her parents watched her, hoping the previous day's depression had worn off.

The child only glanced back at the floor before a frown befell upon her face. She held the blanket and pulled it towards her chest as though for security.

Mikasa sighed in disappointment before looking back at her husband, "I don't understand. Is there anything we've done wrong?"

"This is no time to blame ourselves," Levi said before placing his hand on her shoulder, "let's just give her some time. Maybe she's just thinking?"

"Levi, she's only two. Which two-year-old would 'think' so much?" Mikasa asked with frustration while air quoting 'think'.

"Mikasa she's human too. She probably needs time to think as much as any normal human being," Levi responded.

"Are you getting me?" Mikasa asked as though disappointed in him, "This isn't something you can just overlook."

"You think I don't know that?" Levi barked back at her as he sat up, "I'm worried about her just as much as you are."

"I'm starting to doubt that because if you were as worried about her as much as I am, you'd have suggested we get help," she responded as they glared at each other.

"Tch! If you…" Levi started before they both heard little sobs. Mikasa quickly brought Marie onto her lap before hugging her to calm her down. She gently caressed her until her sobbing stopped.

Levi then sighed before deciding to dismiss their previous dispute, "Listen Mikasa. Let's not argue about this. We're in this together," he said with concerned look.

"Right." Mikasa then looked back at him. "what do you suggest we do then?"

"maybe you girls should go eat breakfast and freshen up," he started as he reached out and stroked Marie's hair. He then looked up at Mikasa, "we can look for a psychologist afterwards."

"Sounds fine," Mikasa responded before getting up while still carrying Marie, "Aren't you coming to eat?"

"I'll come a bit later," he responded before lying back down, "let me try and get at least thirty minutes of sleep," he said as he closed his eyes.

Mikasa then smiled at him before looking at Marie, "let's go eat."


The cafeteria was quite noisy as a lot of people walked around, going about their business. Mikasa had Marie in her arms. The child seemed less depressed and more fascinated as she looked at the many people around them.

Mikasa then decided to glance around before she spotted her sons at a table. She then made a beeline for the table, "Morning guys," she greeted them as she put Marie on the bench, next to Junior.

"Morning, Mom," the twins responded while Junior nervously looked at her.

"How are you, Junior?" Mikasa raised her eyebrow as she greeted her eldest child. She gave him an intimidating look.

"F-Fine," he responded while scratching his hair. He felt himself shrink under her silent gaze. She was the only person he could admit scared him. He then lost control over his mouth, "I just needed my laptop so I snuck out with Irene and then there was a titan on the car and then we were saved and I fought with dad…"

"Calm down," Mikasa dismissed him with a smile, "I'm just glad you're safe is all," she finished before caressing his cheek. She then looked at the serving bay, "Junior, look after Marie while I get hers and my food. I'll be back."

With that, Mikasa made her way over to the serving bay and joined the line. The food smelt pretty decent in the air. She glanced around and saw even more people enjoying their food. Some were families while others were just friends (she assumed). It was like there wasn't a man-eating monster out in the city.

She eventually grabbed two bowls walked up to the server, who gave her a quizzical look, "The other bowl's for my daughter," she said before she was served oats. She then began to return to the table when she heard a familiar voice.

"Mikasa!" Eren's voice called.

In a heartbeat, Mikasa turned her head towards the direction of the voice and her eyes landed on Eren and Armin. Without hesitation, she dashed right at them. She couldn't help but feel relieved to see that they had survived the titan, "Eren, Armin. You're alright." she beamed at them like a child at their favourite toy.

"Of course we're alright," Eren said proudly, "you're acting like you don't know us."

"Though barely," Armin confessed, "I went to check up on Eren at his place when the monster showed up in the neighbourhood. We barely escaped with Historia on his pickup truck by the time we got here."

Now that she had been mentioned, Mikasa had to ask, "where is Historia, anyway?" she then saw Eren's face drop into a frown.

"She's with Ymir at that table," he muttered while glaring at his wife, who was currently enjoying her meal with the brunette. He gritted his teeth, "why wasn't she just eaten?" he muttered as Mikasa also ended up glaring in Ymir's direction as well. Eren meant a lot to her and this led to her instantly hating anyone who hurt him.

Armin could sense the tension in the air and decided to clear it by clearing his throat. "Guys, let's not get any negative thoughts. In fact, we should be happy that we're all alive."

Both Eren and Mikasa snapped out of it and sighed. Eren was the first to speak, "you're right. We are all alive. Say, Mikasa, have you got any space on your table?"

"Oh yes," she responded before leading them to the table where the boys sat. "Guys, you remember uncle Eren and uncle Armin right?"

"Yep," Dean responded on everyone's behalf, "uncle Armin helped me with my homework and uncle Eren's the one that sometimes crashes on our couch when he's probably been kicked out." Dean had no brakes when it came to speaking his mind. He just let everything out.

"Dean!" Mikasa scolded before welcoming the men to join them at the table. She set the bowls on the table.

"You've all grown so much," Armin said while he looked at all the children. He then looked at the eldest, "especially you. I'd bet you're even taller than me now."

"Thanks. I think I'm going to surpass mom by the time I'm eighteen," Junior said proudly before remembering, "Oh uncle Armin, I got an A on the project we worked on together. I couldn't believe that old man."

"Hey, that project was worth more than just an 'A'" Armin responded looking disappointed.

"I know right!" Junior shared in the disappointment as they continued to talk.

While the nerds complained about how their hard work hadn't been acknowledged, Mikasa has hoisted Marie onto her lap and was feeding her. At least she was eating.

"The little angel doesn't seem as excited as usual," Eren's voice called, drawing her attention towards him, "if you don't mind, what's wrong?"

Mikasa only shrugged, "she hasn't said a thing since yesterday and we think she must've seen something traumatising," she said while looking down at her. She then looked back at him, "I just hope she'll be fine soon."

"I can't bear to see my niece like this," Eren started, "but I know she'll come around soon. She's a tough little cookie and she gets it from her parents." He assured her before looking around, "where is her other parent anyway?"

As if on cue, they heard a scoff in the distance, "Tch! How can you be eating on such a filthy table? What are you, Livestock?" they turned and saw Levi barking at a group of people at a table while Erwin simultaneously tried to calm him down while apologizing to the people.

"No offence Mikasa, but…" Eren started, "how do you handle waking up to a face like that every morning?" he asked as he saw the scowl her husband wore.

"I got used to it after a while. You're lucky he's freshened up because he looks worse when he's exhausted," she said while remembering the earlier days of their relationship.

"It's like he's one of those seven dwarves... uh think his name was Grumpy," Eren commented.

"Don't tell anyone I told you this but…" she then whispered, "he sometimes refuses to kiss me unless I sit down so he feels taller," she said before they shared a laugh.

"My lips are sealed," Eren responded before changing the subject, "are you joining the military?"

"Yes, I am," she responded, "I had no choice in the matter. I was thrown into it." She then looked at her watch and stood, "Anyway Eren, I've gotta go right now."

"Where to?" he asked while looking up at her.

"Levi and I are finding a psychologist for Marie. We planned on doing it before the meeting," she explained before he nodded. She then looked at the boys, "you guys look after yourselves. Your father and I have something to attend to today." With that, she walked off.

"Um, uncle Armin. Can I ask a question?" Junior asked, after everyone had left the table.

"What is it?" Armin asked while giving him his full attention.

Junior took a deep breath before thinking of how to put it. The previous night's events played through his mind. He then opened his mouth and explained everything.

"Wow, you had a long night," Armin said after he had finished explaining. "I'm sure you know your dad loves you, right?"

"He does. Ugh, he got me a new laptop," Junior groaned, "I'm starting to feel like a huge jerk."

"Well, what do you intend to do about it?" Armin asked as he rested his chin on his fist.

Junior thought hard about it. What was he going to do? It's not like he could save his father from a titan or anything, "I have no idea what I could do."

"Is there anything that brought you and Levi close in the past?" Arming asked while trying to come up with something.

"We got really close when I played soccer in junior high but we drifted apart when I started LARPING in high school." He explained as he looked at the blonde process. If there was one thing Junior admired about Armin, it was his intellect.

"You should try and do something that'll reinstate that bond you once lost. It may make him warm up to you again," he explained while looking at his empty bowl.

"Like what?" he asked as the man started to gather his stuff.

"I'm sorry but I have to go," Armin said as he stood up, "I promised Eren we'd tour the town before attending the meeting." He then looked down at him, "I know you'll figure it out. You're a smart kid." With that, the blonde was gone.

Junior groaned as he thought. How could he repay his father for doing so much for him. He came up with a lot of well thought schemes but none were sincere. He then looked at the security guards hanging out at one of the tables.

He sighed before getting up and walking. The only ambience being the sound of his shoes squeaking alongside the guards' voices.

"Hey kid!"

Junior stopped in his tracks. He turned his neck and found it was a guard that called him. What could they possibly want? "Can I help you?" he asked in a flat tone.

"What's your name?" the guard asked him from his table as his colleagues all paid attention to him.

"Levi," Junior responded before the guards all shared a look and started to laugh. It sort of got annoying, "Can I go, now?"

"You know, Levi…" the guard started while turning away from the table and faced him, "you're a pretty good looking boy," he said while biting his lip, "us officers work a lot and we sometimes get exhausted and need a little help to get us hyped again," he then removed his glasses, "why don't you put your mouth to good use and get on your knees for us?"

Junior felt the food rise up his throat. Goosebumps covered his arms as he felt his legs shiver. He looked at the men and no longer saw security guards but disgusting old men that looked even hungrier than the titan he saw the previous night. "that's disgusting!" he shouted as the guard stood up.

"Come on… we can give you however much you want" he said as he started to walk towards him.

Junior walked away from him. Keeping his eyes on the guard at all times. There was no way he would lose his dignity like that, "I don't want anything from you! I won't suck your…"

"Shush! No need to be so loud," he said before lunging at him and gripping him, "let's just work together.

Junior tried is best to escape his grasp but he wasn't strong enough. The guard just pulled him closer, "Please, let go of me!" he begged while trying to plant his feet in the ground.

Suddenly, a rock hit the guard's head, forcing him to let go. Junior looked at the door and saw Irene standing there, "get over here!" she yelled.

Junior then dashed towards the door and stood next to the blonde, "thanks."

"You're welcome," she smiled before looking back inside, "the guards haven't given up. Let's go!" she said before running off with Junior right behind her.

The boy panted as he tried to catch up to her on the street. She was running as though she wasn't even hurt yesterday. She was freaking fast. One thing that he couldn't help was the fact that he kept on glancing at her rear as she ran. "Damn…" he hummed before he almost tripped, "shit!"

"Are you okay?" he heard her ask from in front.

"Yeah, I just stumbled," he responded. He could also hear the shouts of the guards coming from behind him. Irene soon turned down an alley and Junior followed her.

The alley was filled with all sorts of trash and some dumpsters but no Irene in sight. Where was she. He began to look around frantically. He could hear the guards calling for them in the distance and he started to freak out. Eventually, Irene's voice called from above, "get up here!" He looked up and saw her standing on the roof.

Junior looked around until he saw a ladder near the building. He then grabbed onto the metal steps and climbed the ladder faster than possible for him. When he reached the top, he plopped onto the ground and tried to stabilise his breathing.

"Get off your ass and help me," Irene said as she tried to lift a large crate.

Junior got to his feet and helped her carry it over to the edge. Irene then spoke, "On three, we'll drop it okay. One, two… three!" she shouted before they threw the crate and it landed on the un-expecting guards, knocking them out.

"That was awesome, dude!" she said as they high fived. Their hands didn't separate as they shared glanced at each other's faces. Irene felt a bit embarrassed and tried to hide from his eyes and looked downwards. Big mistake. She then smirked, "I guess you were into that guard after all."

"What do you mean?" Junior asked her. The girl shifted her gaze to him but pointed downwards. Junior followed her hand and saw what she was pointing at, his junk was wide awake, pointing right at her, "Oh, Irene I'm so sorry!" he apologized while covering himself up as his face went bright red. It must have happened when he was staring at her butt.

"It's fine," Irene dismissed with her face also pink, "it was probably my fault anyway."

"W-Whoa, what makes you think you're the cause of this?" Junior asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Duh, isn't it obvious?" she asked before smiling. Her face looked angelic. She had this innocent and pure looking smile that also turned out to be very hot. A feature she acquired from her father. She smirked when she noticed the boy bite his lip, "okay, Levi, let's get going. I need you to escort me to the arena for the announcement.

"Okay," he muttered before following her.


The two found themselves at a park. The environment was mostly grassy and had several pathways and a little play-park where a group of children jumped around.

Also in the park was a large multitude of people, they all seemed to be there for the meeting Irene spoke about.

"Let's try and get a spot in the front," Irene said as she dragged him by his arm, through the large crowd, occasionally bumping into people here and there until they were in the front. They managed to spot a wooden stage.

"I'm so excited," Irene said with a grin on her face. She kept her eyes on the stage as her father stepped onto the stage.

The blonde man folded his arms behind his back as he gazed at the people below him, "I'm impressed that so many people came," he said as he observed his surroundings.

"There must be like a hundred of them or so," Hange added from behind him.

"I doubt they'll be this many when you explain more about this issue," Levi also commented from behind the commander, "I can't blame them. Those things aren't a walk in the park to deal with."

"Perhaps you're right," Erwin responded as he looked at everyone. The number of people willing would reduce to maybe even zero and that was an inevitable fact. Who would be willing to risk their lives to fight titans after they had just found refuge. Even though having many soldiers would be beneficial, it wasn't possible, "we won't have everyone by the time I'm done with this assembly but… it's better to have ten brave soldiers than a hundred cowards."

"Very optimistic, aren't you?"

Erwin then took a deep breath before his calm facial features morphed into an expression showing determination, "I am pleased to see that so many of you were interested in joining the fight against the monsters or as we of the fort call them… titans," he started as everyone had quieted down, "I will not lie to you though. The titans are a species that we have nearly no clue about and joining our cause may be as good as giving your lives away."

The commander could sense the doubt that began to show in everyone's eyes as they began to mumble among themselves. However, he kept a straight face, "I have chosen to risk my life because I refuse to sit back and watch as those creatures steal my home. The home that I built in that city, among the thousands of homes you have all built within that city, a city that has raised us into the adults we are, now."

The commander then took a deep breath before barking, "I refuse to be kicked out of my house!" everyone watched, taken aback in silence as he spoke. "That's why I want to form a force. A force that's willing to give it their all to ensure that they take back what's theirs. To take back their homes from those titans and finish off every last one of them."

"This sounds crazy," Junior muttered from where he stood before looking at Irene. The blonde looked psyched as she listened to her father speak. She was really into it.

"However, this fight will not be easy. Perhaps many of us will lose our lives in fight," he continued, "I don't know about you but I'm more than willing to give myself away so humanity can rule the land once more. I'd rather die knowing humanity got a step closer to taking back what's theirs than cower and watch my home get overrun with those beasts."

"I would rather fight alongside those willing than those unwilling," Erwin continued, "that's why I'm giving you an option. If you have your doubts, then walk away. I'll respect your decision but if you're willing to fight then stay in your position. His eyes then narrowed before he barked, "How many of you are willing to give it your all and dedicate what may be rest of your lives to fighting for humanity?!"

"This is crazy!" Junior said as he watched a lot of people started to leave. It sounded like a careless idea to throw away your life so easily and the young Ackerman wasn't willing to do so. He then looked at Irene, "dude, let's get out of here."

"No, Levi," Irene responded while still looking at the stage, "I'm not going anywhere."

"This is crazy, Irene. Why would you want to give your life away like that?" he asked before she glared at him.

"I'm more than willing to give myself away because I'm not afraid to die for humanity's sake," she responded with the same look in her eye as her father's, "I don't want to stay back and die like a coward while knowing I could've done something to ensure a bright future for someone else. If you'd rather save yourself, then fine. Go! But I'm going to fight."

Junior looked at the blonde like she was crazy. It didn't make sense that she would do such a thing but then again, she was the crazy man's daughter. He then shook his head before turning but his feet refused to move. Why wasn't he leaving? He never wanted to do something so crazy.

Eventually, people had stopped to leave and about 50 more people were left. Half of the people had left. Erwin sighed before speaking, "I hope you all are still standing there because you want to fight. If you are standing there because you think it's a joke, then you're dead wrong," he then barked again, "I urge you again. If you aren't willing to give your lives to assure man kind's survival, then you are free to leave!"

All the people stayed in their positions. A lot of them seemed to be having mental conflict within themselves as they all stood. Still, one left. "Fine then," Erwin said before asking, "Now, are you all willing to die if ordered to?"

"No, I'm not going to die!" Irene shouted from the crowd. Her blue eyes locked with her father's. Her breathing seemed to have intensified after making such a bold claim as her fists trembled.

Erwin let out a small smile before continuing, "All of you brave souls have earned my respect and we salute all of you for your courage," Erwin declared before saluting, with Hange and Levi mimicking him right after, "The barracks will be emptied in order for you soldiers to accommodate them. Don't worry, all the people that will be moved will also be compensated for."

He then stood at ease, "tomorrow, you'll begin training with my associates on the cornfields near the barracks. For now, you can return to your daily business."

With that, everyone began to leave. Some were walking away, excited while others mentally cursed themselves.

"What did I do?" Junior asked himself, "why didn't I fucking walk away?"

"It's because a small part of you was willing to fight," Irene said as she rested her hand on his shoulder, "deep down, you know you're doing the right thing."

"No, Irene. I'm a big coward. I'm just a nerd who LARPs and games and... other things I'd rather not talk about. I'm not cut out for this type of life," he complained.

"Perhaps there's a reason your body betrayed you," Irene said before pulling her hand away, "have a good day. I'm going to talk to my dad." With that, Irene walked off.

Junior watched as the blonde girl hopped onto the stage and hugged the tower she called her father. Father… father! Wait, he still had to make it up to his father. He then looked at the man on the stage, scowling while Hange spoke to him loudly.

"I never expected you to join the army," Mikasa said as she walked up to him with Marie in her arms.

"I never expected myself to either," he muttered before a thought came to mind, "but maybe there is a reason," he said before looking at his father. Perhaps this was how he was meant to regain his father's bond. Maybe the army would do that for him.

Mikasa then smiled at him before ruffling his hair, "I'm sure you'll make a wonderful soldier."

"Really?"

"You are an Ackerman after all."

"Of course…"

Hey guys, thanks for reading so far. I appreciate the support and I'm glad I'm finally done with this chapter. Anyway, I hope I wrote a good Erwin speech. Feel free to tell me what you guys think. Anyway, the next chapter's got some training in it. Let's see where this goes.