Lost One

by Hyperguy

I've walked this world for ages. Watching as history played itself out in front of my eyes. Sometimes, I would play role in its direction, but often I'd stay on the sidelines. Now, a more serious threat threatens to wipe out all of humanity, and I must now play a role in its survival... if there are any humans left to save.

4. Decisions

XxXxX

"Sir, it looks like the muscles in his left arm and right leg have been shredded while his remaining appendages seems to have undergone an immense amount of stress." A man wearing white clothing said with a grim expression. "I doubt he'll ever be able to walk again. It's a miracle that he's even alive!"

"I see." Pixis said as he stared down at the blonde man before him. Currently in a medical tent just outside the inner wall leading into Trost, the older commander was now looking over the two men that retook Trost. "And Eren?"

"His vitals are all stable at the moment. It seems that he's only suffering from exhaustion."

"Very good. Carry on then." Pixis ordered, gaining a nod and a swift departure from the doctor.

"Sir…?" Pixis looked over his shoulder and saw a silver haired soldier standing next to the entrance of the tent.

"Yes, what is it Rico?"

"Mikasa and Armin want to know of the status of both Eren and Naruto." Rico stated with a salute.

"Tell them Eren is fine."

"And Naruto?"

"Eren's fine." Pixis replied firmly. Rico's eyes widened before looking solemnly to the ground.

"Understood."

After his subordinates' departure, the elder commander looked down at the now uncloaked man. He was still in his black clothes but his cloak was hanging on a clothes hanger in the corner of the room.

"It seems all that power comes at a price." Adjusting the gray backpack on his back, Pixis moved to the side of the bed and sat down on one of the chairs. "But to sacrifice this much… Thank you."

"Sir, we're here to transport the two injured to the quarantine area." A soldier said after entering the tent.

Sighing, Pixis nodded while moving out of the way for the men to enter into the tent. "Fine. Lets just get this over with."

XxXxX

"H-hello?" A scared young voice stuttered out as the being shakily walked through a blanket of dark clouds. Not a sound could be heard, and not a single shred of light could break through the dense black fog. "P-Please! Is there a-anyone there?!"

Again, there was no reply from the ominous blanket of silence. The air around the small being felt ancient and full of wisdom, but hostile and decayed.

"P-please… anybody…" The creature said, its ears falling to the side of its head in anguish. Then, past the darkness of the fog, the creature could hear the faint noise of footsteps. Its ears perked up and it lifted its head at the sudden realization that someone else was there with it, but was the originator of the footsteps friend or foe?

The footsteps grew closer, louder even, and the creatures' anxiety began to grow with each passing footstep. "Who are you?!" A stop in the footsteps for split second, then they began again. Out of instinct the creature began to run. "S-Stay away!" Not knowing which direction it was running, the creature decided the opposite direction of the footsteps was the best option at hand. And so it ran, for what felt like hours upon hours, but the footsteps continued to move towards it at the same leisurely pace as before. Out of energy, the young creature fell to the ground, tired from all the running.

Then, the footsteps stopped. "Huh?" The creature looked over its shoulder only see an ominous black mantle standing over it. "D-don't hurt me!" It shouted, trying to create some distance between the two, but it was to no avail. The mantle bent down and reached its hand out towards the creature.

"Come, let me guide you out of the darkness." The voice was warm and soothing. Like the voice of a tender loving father as he spoke to his child. The creature was hesitant at first, but lifted its paw to meet the hand. The black mantle nodded his head before picking up the small animal and holding it in his arms. An audible 'eep' escaped the small creature as the mantled man moved swiftly through the black fog.

About fifteen minutes later, the little animal could see the feint flicker of light cutting through the fog. "Tell me little fox, do you have a name?" The small orange fox looked up at the black mantle before looking back out at the light.

"Kurama. My name is Kurama!" The fox said with a rather large amount of delight.

"You seem happy about your name." The mantle responded as the two passed the wall of black fog and into the area of light. Ten pillars could be seen sprouting up from the center of the massive room, some lit, others not, but a massive orange beam protruded up into the sky from one of the various pillars.

"It's not that I'm just happy about my name mister!"

"Oh?"

"I just remembered my name when you picked me up!" Kurama said as he snuggled his snout into the mantled man's chest. "You also give off this strange warmth… it's really comfortable."

The man smiled softly at the small fox in his arms before stopping in front of the arranged pillars.

"Where are we?" Kuarma asked as he stared at the massive orange beam.

"We are in my mind, and that," the mantled man explained as he pointed towards the orange beam, "is you."

"T-that's… me?"

"Well… part of you. Some of you is here of course." The man said as he scratched the fox behind his ear, earning a content sigh as the fox leaned into the scratch. "How long have you been wandering in the fog?"

"I don't know. It feels like forever, but I'm not so sure."

"Keeping track of time is hard when someone enters the black mist." The man said to himself, but a gentle tug on the mantled man's cloak pulled him from his musings.

"Mister… what's your name?" The mantled man stared down at the little fox from beneath the void of his hood for what seemed like forever. "I-if y-you don't w-want t-to then-!" But the fox fell silent as the man brought back his hood to reveal blonde hair and deep blue eyes.

"Naruto." The man said with a soft smile gracing his features. "Naruto Uzumaki."

Kurama could only stare at the sight of the man for a good few seconds before his own massive smile graced his features. "Nice to meet you Naruto! I've never met someone by that name before, but lets be good friends!"

Naruto chuckled lightly at the fox's words. "Nice to meet you too Kurama. I've never known someone by the name of Kurama either." The blonde began scratching behind the fox's ears once again, making Kurama lean into Naruto's fingers while another content sigh escaped his mouth.

"You're really good at this you know."

Chuckling, Naruto stopped his scalp massage, which gained an audible pout from the young kitsune, and placed the fox onto the ground.

"The ground is cold…" Kurama said as his paws touched the marble floor.

"Stand between the pillars then. The floors are warmer there." Naruto said as he guided the small fox into the center of the constructs. Once between the pillars, the fox's features brightened somewhat.

"It is warm!"

"Didn't believe me?"

"I course I didn't believe you! I've just met you!"

"That's a fair presumption."

The fox walked up to the massive pillar at the center and placed his paw against the marble. "Can I ask another question?"

"Go ahead."

"If this is your mind then why is everything black and covered in fog?"

Naruto sighed and looked up into the blackened sky where the orange beam had shot into and disappeared shortly after. "This fog is a type of defense for my mind. Its purpose is to deter any unwanted guests from finding my most sacred of places and memories."

"Oh, so it's used as a defense against intruders." Kurama clarified.

"That's one of its purposes, yes."

"But if I'm in your mind, then what am I?"

"A welcomed guest."

The small fox's features changed from deep thought to bright and cheerful. "Thank you! I'm glad that you're so nice!" Naruto's normal stoic expression just couldn't stay passive at the sight of the energetic fox.

"It has been fun meeting you Kurama, but I must return to the world outside of here."

"B-but we just met! You don't have to leave yet…" A hand was placed onto his head as the familiar scratching could be felt. "T-that's not going to w-work this t-time!"

"Is it?"

The most adorable growl could be heard from the little fox before finally giving in to the pleasure of the scratch. "Fine, but promise me you'll come back. It's lonely here…"

"I promise. I'll be back when I get everything settled outside."

"Good, now hurry and finish what you need to do."

"Will do little one."

XxXxX

"Sir! One of the detainees has awakened!" A voice shouted from behind the veil of my eyelids. Opening my eyes, I found a gray overcast welcoming my first sight since the battle of Trost. I was laying on a cot, but it was shaking softly and the patter of horse hooves against dirt roads came to my ears. Looking off the side of the wagon I saw the countryside rolling by casually. The lush green fields giving off a feeling of peace and serenity in a way that I haven't felt in a long time. As I watched the country with heavy eyelids, a horse obstructed my view. Looking up at the rider of said horse, I saw the man that commanded the men in retaking the city.

"How are we feeling this fine morning?" Pixis asked from atop the brown horse. He held a very calm expression, one that I have begun to associate with the commander.

"Relaxed." I responded as I tried to move, but found my movements restricted. Looking down I saw that my left arm and right leg had been placed into a white cast. These two appendages had been tied down to the side of the cot to reduce any further damage. A soldier wearing a white uniform sat at the back of the wooden wagon and beyond him I saw at least ten to twelve other soldiers on horses following the wagon.

"That's good to hear. I suppose you already know why your arm and leg are strapped down?"

Laying my head back onto the pillow, I looked back up into the sky. "Yeah, I went a little overboard out there." The wear and tear of the Jinton jutsu had completely destroyed my now wrapped arm and leg while also severely damaging other parts of my body as well. I knew this, but what Pixis and the others didn't know was that they were healing at an extremely fast pace. Maybe a week or two and I should be able to move them again, thanks to Kurama's chakra of course.

"If completely shredding your arm and leg means a 'little', then yes." Pixis replied.

"Glad to see you still have my backpack."

Adjusting the gray backpack, Pixis shrugged his shoulders. "It's the least I could do for everything you've sacrificed in retaking Trost."

"Better my arm and leg than the soldiers they saved."

Smiling at my comment, Pixis looked at my arm and leg. "You know you may never walk again, right?"

"Yeah…" If anything, I could use this false state of disability as a tool for the future. A ruffling to my right attracted my attention to the other being laying in the wagon. Eren could be seen strapped down to the cot by leather straps and iron buckles. "I take it we aren't going to a treatment center…"

Pixis sighed and looked up into the air. He really didn't want to do this, but the upper command was forcing his hand so he had no sway in what was going to happen. "Not exactly. Eren and yourself are going to be put onto military trial."

"Trial?"

"Not for what you've done wrong, but for what to do with the two of you now."

"I see. I suppose this was unavoidable, but I hope they don't do anything drastic with Eren. He's a good kid."

"Yeah, I don't really know what will become of Eren. I've heard that both the Military Police and the Survey Corps are looking into adding him to their fold. And then there's the question on what to do with you…"

I looked over to Pixis who was taking a swig of his flask. "What about me?"

"The rumors of what you've done are beginning to circulate throughout the country. 'An Outsider that appeared a few days before the battle of Trost and proceeded to slaughter hundreds upon hundreds of titans.' Soldiers and civilians alike are beginning to call you the 'Angel of Death'." Pixis explained as a large castle appeared in the distance.

"Am I really scaring them that much?" I asked in a rather light tone. Pixis chuckled at my question before shaking his head at my rhetorical question.

"You did make two massive craters outside the entrance of Trost."

"Well you wanted me to kill titans. So, that's what I did."

"I did want you to kill titans, but reshaping the geography was not what I had in mind."

"Killing those things on a massive scale requires drastic measures. Why do you think I waited until I was outside of Trost before I began using such destructive methods to purge them from the fields?"

"That much is true. If you were to use those techniques inside the city then Trost would be nothing more than rubble right now."

"Open the gates!" A soldier shouted from atop the castle walls. The sound of grinding metal could be heard as the metal doors began to open up the center of the castle.

"Looks like we're out of time. I'll try and see if I can get you transferred somewhere more sanitary due to your condition."

"Thanks Pixis. Keep holding onto my backpack for me if you would."

"Sure thing."

XxXxX

It took Pixis about an hour, which mostly consisted of Eren and I laying down in the back of the wagon waiting for us to be transported to our sleeping quarters, to talk to the right people and move me to a comfortable spot within the massive castle. "This a pretty nice room."

"It's the best I could do. It seems the doctors had already advised the quartermaster that you had two limbs that weren't working and were under an immense amount of stress. So when I put in a good word for better sleeping conditions, the quartermaster immediately accommodated." Pixis replied as he rolled me into my room on the back of a wheelchair. It was simple with a bed, window, table, and chair.

"Thanks. You didn't have to do this you know."

"Don't worry about it. We're going to be trying to pay you back for what you did for a long time now."

"Sir, if I may have a word." Rico said as she stuck her head in through the door.

"Of course, I'll be right out." Pixis said as Rico left the doorway.

"She doesn't seem very fond of me."

"On the contrary she holds you very highly."

I looked up at the aging commander with confusion evident in my eyes.

"When she learned what you sacrificed in order to retake Trost she began checking in on you almost every hour that she could spare. It's actually quite commendable." Pixis said as he rolled me up to the window. I was on the third floor and had a great view of the entrance to the castle. At that very moment a group of men wearing green half cloaks were entering through the gates leading into the compound. "Well I must go see what Rico wants. There's a bell hanging from your wheelchair if you need anything." Pixis commented as he hung my cloak and backpack on the wooden chair that sat underneath the table in the corner of the room. After doing such, Pixis began walking across the room towards the door.

"Pixis." The aged commander stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Thanks… for everything."

Smiling, the man nodded his head. "Don't mention it." And with that he disappeared through the doorway to talk to the silver haired woman.

Then, I was alone to my thoughts. The soft breeze entered through the window and pressed against my body as if to reassure me that everything would go well, but something in my gut was telling my otherwise. Ringing the bell on the side of my wheelchair, it took only a few seconds for someone to enter the room.

"What do you need?" The older soldier asked. He wore a red and white uniform, signifying that he was part of the medical team, and had black eyes and short orange hair. Something was off about him, I could feel it, but that was neither for here nor there.

"Could I get a glass of water?" The soldier nodded and exited the doorway without another word, silently compliant to my words. While he was gone I reached my arm that hadn't been shredded over and grabbed my backpack. Actually opening it was becoming annoying as I tried with one hand to unzip the top of the bag. Looking over my shoulder, and seeing nobody standing at the doorway, I tried lifting my other arm only for an immense pain to shoot through my appendage. An annoyed grunt escaped my mouth as my wrapped arm fell to the side of the wheelchair, missing the sling that was holding it in place. Preparing for the pain of the impact I clenched my teeth, but then I felt a hand wrap itself around my cast. Looking over, I saw the same orange haired soldier from before holding onto my arm as softly as any medical soldier could. The man guided my arm in a way that I wouldn't feel any pain before finally placing my arm back onto the contraption that was holding it before. "That was quick."

The orange haired man never responded as he placed a glass of water onto the table where I could reach it. He looked down at my arm then to the backpack that was now laying in my lap. "Did you need help opening your backpack?"

"Please." I responded as I watched the man carefully. He was about my height with orange hair that could cover his eyes, but the strangest thing is that he always held a straight face that refused to give any information. Something was off-putting about this man, but what could it be?

The man opened the backpack and took a step back. "Is there anything else?"

"No, thank you."

Nodding, the medic exited the room and almost immediately the air in the room became lighter. The air that I didn't know I was holding in was released. 'Who was that man? The way he carried himself and looked at me… it feels so familiar.' Removing the man from my mind I began going through my backpack and everything was there. My hooks, chains, equipment, and scrolls. 'I'll have to thank that old commander for holding onto everything for me later.' I began picking up one of the large blue scrolls, but returned it when I felt a presence behind me.

"Your presence has been requested." It was the same man as before.

"By?"

"The Commander-in-Chief."

"Is it already time for my trial?"

"No, this is a private meeting."

"…" Normally a person that is being put on trial would never be allowed to talk to the 'judge', or in this case the Commander-in-Chief. I also quickly realized that asking this man any questions would result in the bare minimum of answers, if any at all.

My silence must have been enough of an answer for him to take ahold of my wheel chair and move me out into the hallway. It was a rather short ride to the office of the Commander-in-Chief, it only taking us five minutes or so, but it was done in silence.

Various large windows passed by us as we traveled down the dimly lit hallway. The overcast weather outside was doing a fine job of making the castle gloomy and oppressive, but calm and comfy. The windows distorted the light in such a way that it was hard to see anything outside besides the blobs of what was supposed to be there, signifying that these windows were indeed old. Older than the windows in my room at least.

We rounded the corner of the hallway to a set of large double doors, about two times larger than an average doorframe, made of thick oak that took the two soldiers standing guard a hefty grunt to pull open as we approached. The orange haired medic pushed me into the room where I found a large office with bookshelves lining the walls, two open windows on either side of the room, and a solid wooden desk sitting right at the center. A large leather chair sat behind the desk, a chair made for someone official and which held a large amount of power with the kingdom.

The thud of the double doors behind us shook me from my musings as, at that moment, the chair slowly spun around to reveal an older man with a straight face. His eyes had sunken in and I could immediately tell that not all was as it seemed.

"So, you're this Outsider, or 'Angel of Death', that everyone has been speaking of." The Commander-and-Chief said, his dull voice and straight face gave off the impression that he was almost bored and neither cared nor saw any reason to fear me.

"I suppose so." I replied in an equally emotionless tone.

"Naruto Uzumaki is it?" I nodded my head to confirm my own name. "Do you know why I asked to talk to you before the trial?"

"No."

"I wanted to confirm a few things before everyone begins to scream and lose their head." The Commander-and-Chief opened up a manila folder and placed the packet of paper onto the desk in front of him. "My name is Darius Zackly, and, if these reports are true, I wanted to personally thank you for your hard work in the defending, and recapturing, of Trost.

Not waiting for a response, Darius went through the papers at a fast pace, meaning that he has already scanned the collected reports multiple times beforehand. "So, here it says that you can 'make multiple clones of himself'. Tell me, is this true?"

"Yes." A simple response that both answers his question and doesn't reveal any of my secrets, but Darius doesn't seem to want to delve into my chakra enhanced abilities. If anything he's just trying to confirm what happened. To set the facts straight and to gain a clear picture of what was going on.

"And the two massive craters outside the city of Trost was your doing I presume?" I nodded my head. "So you've displayed many different abilities that are often viewed as impossible like 'running up the side of walls'." He said as he read from a piece of paper on his desk. "But it seems that with this great power you have comes an even steeper price." Darius eyed my bandaged arm and leg before sighing and throwing the paper he was holding onto the stack that was on the desk. "So, let me ask you this, the doctors say that you may never walk again, but is there an ability of yours that would refute their statement? Can your arm and leg be used once more?"

Should I tell him? He is the Commander-and-Chief of all the military forces within the kingdom, but that doesn't mean that I can trust him with information as sensitive as this. I was planning on using my crippled visage as a front to avoid any unnecessary confrontation, but here is Darius, asking me the very question that I'd hope I wouldn't have been asked. Staring back at the man, I found that he was similar to Pixis in more ways than one. Acting on a gut decision I decided to answer. "Yes."

The room remained silent as Darius stared at me, his expression never changing as he mulled over the single word that left my mouth. "Hmm…" Not much of an answer, but at least it was something to break this accursed tense silence that blanketed the room. Darius then stood and walked around the desk, stopping in front of the heavy piece of furniture and leaning against it. "Thank you for answering the questions truthfully. You may return to your room until the time of your trial."

I began to move as I realized that the orange haired man from before had been in the room the entire time. The doors opened and the two of us left the office of the Commander-and-Chief, Darius Zackly.

XxXxX-Several Days Later

A knock on my door awoke me from my slumber. I knew who it was before any words even left his mouth. "It's time." The door was opened and the orange haired man entered to help me onto the wheelchair. The medic had helped me with everything that I needed. Food, water, cleaning, everything and he was stoic through it all. He was a medic and probably went through enough training to prepare himself for doing such things such as caring for someone who currently couldn't do everything themselves. It was frustrating that I had to lean on this man so much, but I found peace in that I was healing slowly. I would be fully healed soon enough.

Dressed in the same black clothes as before, we made our way through the winding halls of the castle. "Tell me, whose trial will be first? Eren's or mine?"

"You will be presiding over Eren's trial. I was ordered to bring you in quietly and out of sight as the trial takes place."

"Is this why I'm wearing my cloak?"

"Yes. When we enter the courtroom please leave your hood on and remain silent until told otherwise. It's for the best." I nodded my head in reply. We passed a set of double doors where four soldiers stood. Two holding rifles while the other two had green cloaks on. Their backs where turned to us and the large double doors where closing behind them as we passed by. We rounded a corner to a smaller door with a ramp that led to a small balcony of sorts. Quietly we entered the balcony where I was rolled up to a couple of people. Two men and a women wearing high class clothing sat on three of the four chairs. Nobles presumably? I was placed next to the empty seat where my caretaker sat.

The nobles made a sideward glance at me before returning their attention to the ongoing trial. They've probably heard of the 'Angel of Death', but having not seen me they passed me off as an injured noble or wealthy merchant who bought their way into the trial of the human changing titan.

Looking down onto the area, Eren kneeled at the center of the room with his hands bound behind his back by a massive metal rod which secured his cuffed hands to the ground. Mikasa and Armin stood off to the side, watching as the two guards walked back towards the entrance of the courtroom. He was alone, and fully vulnerable to anyone that wished to do him harm.

Eren was peering about the room, trying to take stock of everyone that was there. It was then that the Commander of all three divisions took his seat above everyone present. "Well then, let us begin."

After affirming Eren's name and going over all the formal pleasantries that was required of him, Darius read over his papers of the mission to retake Trost with mild interest. "So, we are under the common understanding that I'll choose whether you live or die along with which division you will be entrusted to if the aforementioned is followed. Is that understood?" Gaining a nod from the chained soldier, Darius placed the papers down onto the table in front of him. "Do you have any questions before we continue?"

After a few moments of thought, Eren looked up at his Commander-in-Chief with resolute eyes. "Just one." Raising his eyebrows, Darius made a motion with one of his hands for the young man to continue. "What became of Naruto?"

"Ah, the so called 'Angel of Death' as everyone has taken to calling him." Darius said, gaining mutters from the people around the room. Some of fear, and others of praise, but it seems that everyone in the room has heard the rumors of what I've done and what I could do. "Why would you want to learn of him?"

"I was by his side when we fought our way through the streets of Trost in order to close the hole in Wall Rose. I just… I just want to know if he's okay." Eren hung his head low to cover his eyes with his hair. Darius stared at the scene empathically before sighing.

"I cannot disclose the current condition or location of Naruto at this current time, but I will say this." This made Eren raise his head towards the elder man. "He's not dead, and should be on his way here at this very moment. Now, may we continue?" Gaining a relieved sigh from the young man, he nodded his head.

The trial was quite interesting. The Military Police wanted to dissect him while the Scouting Party wanted to use his power to retake Wall Maria. One side saw his existence as a threat to the political stability of the people while the other saw potential in Eren's power to regain some small amount of ground back from the titans. Between the two I saw the later as a more reasonable option, and judging by the look in Darius's eyes he saw the same thing as I.

It was now, however, that the situation was becoming grave. The populace was beginning to throw insults at Mikasa about whether or not she was a titan along with Eren. Of course this wasn't at all true, but paranoia was beginning to take hold of the people. If Eren was a titan, and he looked as human as any other, then anyone could be a titan. From there it would become a witch hunt for anyone even suspicious of being a titan.

Just as quickly as the shouting began, a man with flat black hair smashed his foot into Eren's jaw, knocking a tooth out. I quickly noticed, by looking at the leader of the Scouting Legion, Irvin I believe his name was, that there was something else entirely going on here. While his expression was unreadable, by not even moving an inch to his soldier's movements and allowing him free rein to do what he pleased to Eren, he gave away his intentions. I was not able to listen to the conversation that was going to take place afterwards as the orange haired soldier began rolling me away from the balcony's edge. After we left the small room, I looked over my shoulder in question.

"You're about to be summoned. Prepare yourself."

He rolled me up to the doors that Eren had originally entered through. The two soldiers from before stood at attention, but when they saw me a look of distress appeared on their faces. "Is he…?"

"Yes, you may open the doors." The orange haired soldier responded to the soldier that asked the question. Nodding their heads, the two men opened the door, allowing the same sight that Eren must have saw several moments beforehand. All eyes turned to me as the man rolled me slowly in.

"There you are. I was wondering when you were going to arrive." Darius said. Everyone looked confused at the sight of a cloaked man being rolled into the courtroom. What was he doing here and who was he?

"Sir, who is he?" The leader of the Military Police asked. Mikasa and Armin almost immediately smiled when they saw me. This must have been unexpected in their eyes, but they would almost certainly frown if they saw my injuries underneath the veil of my cloak.

"Before I pass my final judgement, or even consider the possibility of delaying it to a later date, I wanted to hear one more report." Darius said.

"One more report? From whom?" Irvin asked.

"From the person that spent the most time with him leading up to the battle of course." Darius stated as Eren lifted his bloody face up to me. I had been rolled up next to Eren and left facing the Commander-in-Chief, the orange haired soldier standing a little ways behind me. The man that had beaten Eren stood to his side, looking at me questionably.

"I-Is that you…?" Eren asked hopefully, blood dripping from his mouth as he did so. I remained still, unmoving at the recognition of who I was.

"Indeed it is. The Angel of Death himself." Darius said as he leaned back into his chair. The room fell silent at this sudden revelation. The man that had killed so many titans was now before them. Just like Eren, apparently I had become something of a mystery that people both feared and loved. Just as Darius was about to speak the room exploded into shouts and questions. Some wanted me killed on the spot while others wanted me to protect them further from the titan threat. One even demanded me to kill Eren!

"Order!" Darius shouted, making everyone fall silent immediately. "Now, I brought him in here not to be clamored by everyone's ridiculous cries, but to answer a few questions leading up to the battle. We will be discussing what will become of him in the forthcoming trial, so hold you questions until then. Understood?" The following silence was all Darius needed to continue the trial. "Good, so, would you be so kind as to answer a few questions for us?" Nodding my hooded head slowly, Darius turned to Pixis, who had remained silent during the majority of the trial. "Pixis, you were the one who had ordered Eren Yeager here to escort the Outsider around Trost before the battle began, is this true?"

"Yes sir."

"And it is to my understanding that Eren was the first to actually meet him outside the walls after he had killed three titans."

"Yes sir, it is true."

"Now is everyone here led to believe that Commander Pixis is a kind and venerable man? A man that would do anything to protect the safety of humankind?" This question was aimed not at the soldiers, but at the populace of both nobles and wealthy businessmen who were in the room. Mutters of 'yes' and 'most definitely' filled the room along with the nodding of heads. This was just to destroy any misguided theory that Pixis may have been the mastermind behind the circumstances that panned out afterwards. "Good. Naruto." I looked up at Darius from underneath the veil of my hood. "While you traveled around Trost with Eren, what exactly did you do?"

I looked over at Mikasa and Armin, then to Eren, who was on his knees and chained to the ground. "Sightseeing."

"Sightseeing?"

"I haven't seen another human for a very long time. Getting the chance to walk amongst the populace was… nice."

"I see. I'm also led to believe, through your extensive contact with the titans, that Eren did not exhibit any signs that he was one. Am I correct?" I looked down at Eren and that strange feeling returned. The very same feeling I felt when I looked upon Annie and Reiner. Could this be…?

"No."

"Hmm..." Darius stared down at me with those piercing eyes before nodding and looking down at his paper. "During your final mission to escort Eren in titan form to the destroyed gate, did he act abnormal in any way?"

"Abnormal?"

"Did he ever intentionally lash out at you after his transformation?"

"…" He did. Eren attacked me when he first transformed into a titan, but should I tell him? In front of all these people that wished to do him harm? I looked down at the ground in thought as I recalled my fight with Eren. Personally, I had no idea what was going through his head when that happened, but it was not of his own doing. At least, I don't think it was. "No."

"Then my earlier proclamation stands. Eren will join the Scouting Legion until I personally say otherwise. Levi, if you would please return to your position on the sidelines." Darius ordered, gaining a silent nod from the black haired man. As Levi passed me, he gave me a sideward glance before stopping next to his commander. "We will now begin the trial for one Naruto Uzumaki, or the Angel of Death as many of you have coined him."

"Sir, if I may." The leader of the Military Police, Nile Dawk, interjected. "Nobody here is prepared for a trial of one Uzumaki Naruto, save for maybe Commander Pixis who has had direct contact with him. The reports on him have not been shared and all we've heard is scattered rumors of what he is capable of."

"Is that so? Then tell me, Chief Dawk, what are these rumors?" Darius asked as he leaned onto one of his hands.

"They say that this man, after being found outside the walls and brought in, killed hundreds of titans with relative ease during the battle of Trost several days later. It is even said that he used some sort of magic to aid him in the killing of the titans, the later was probably just the blabbering of shell shocked soldiers." Dawk stated, many people seemed extremely curious about the 'brought in from outside' part of Dawk's comment.

"Interesting presumptions, but this trial will be based on facts, not rumors." Darius said as he turned his attention to Pixis. "Commander Pixis, can you confirm or deny these accusations?"

"During the battle, Naruto did indeed show signs of abnormal abilities." The bald headed soldier responded. Almost immediately several people began shouting in fear. The most prominent concern was relating me to being a titan. Eren looked like he was about speak up at these accusations, but stopped when I placed a calming hand onto his shoulder.

"And did these abilities show any indications of Naruto being a titan?" Darius asked, making everyone quiet down to hear Pixis's answer.

"No, the abilities displayed had no correlation with him being a titan."

"How are you sure? How do we know that these 'strange abilities' are a different form of a titans power?" A business man asked.

"Trust me when I say that his abilities are completely different from those shown by the young Eren here."

"Then what are these abilities then? What can he do that could kill so many titans in such a short amount of time?"

"That will remain a secret, for now." Darius interrupted, gaining questionable glances from everyone in the room, save Pixis and myself. It seems that Darius was trying to keep my abilities a secret for as long as possible. "What is to be discussed is his motives during the battle itself and when he arrived here. Not the nature of his abilities. Private Yeager." This made Eren lift his head up in question. "When you first approached Naruto outside the walls did he threaten you, or the men sent to reinforce you, in any way?"

"No sir. He didn't say anything and allowed himself to be detained quietly."

"So, during his time with you, did he ever threaten you or another human at any point?"

"No sir. Not once."

After writing something down onto some paper in front of him, he returned his attention to Pixis. "I have been led to believe that you've had an extensive talk between the two of you, is that true?"

"Yes sir, that is true."

"And what transpired during that talk? Any back history that may be of importance?"

"While we played several games of chess," this gained a few groans from a few of his soldiers, "I learned that he was born outside the walls. In a land far away from here." Several mutters circulated throughout the room.

"Can you confirm this?" Darius's question was pointed to me.

"Ye-." Just as the words left my mouth a violent cough sprang forth from my lungs. A hand was immediately on my back to check if I was going to be okay. Knowing who it was, I quietly thanked the orange haired soldier before he silently returned to his original post.

"Is he sick?" Irvin asked, trace amounts of concern lingering in his voice.

"If I may Commander." Armin spoke up, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. "Naruto has had some lung problems as of late and it, as such, restricts his speech."

"Understood, then we will keep the questions short. Let me see here…" Darius said as he went through the papers in front of him. "After the gate had been destroyed, and titans began flowing into the city, it says here that you, along with one Karin Pious of the 104th Trainee Division, defended a crucial choke point for civilians to retreat from the city. Is this true?"

"This is true." A voice from behind me said. Everyone looked over to see the man that left me in charge of the defense of the plaza. Otto stood tall with a small grin on his face. "I can't thank you enough for what you did. We managed to escort those civilians out without even running into a single titan." I smiled softly after hearing those words. I was wondering whether they had made it out before the gates closed.

More mutters from around the room began, but stopped when Darius started talking again. "After holding the titans there for as long as possible you moved onwards to defending the city outside the walls of Trost. Where you have reportedly 'killed hundreds in a magnificent fashion'." Darius said as he read the report, most likely given by Pixis, to the room. Again, the room exploded in talks of what could have possibly happened outside the walls, and also of me actually being outside the walls.

"Sir, is there a reason for this? It seems that we are just recounting Mr. Uzumaki's actions since arriving within the kingdom." Dawk stated, rather confused as to why their Commander-in-Chief was doing this. If he had just given them the reports then he wouldn't have to do this… unless there was something in said reports that he wanted to keep secret.

"This is true, but it is needed as we have very little information on him. Given this, we must base his intentions on the actions he has taken during this crucial period of time. Doing it here, amongst the people of the courtroom, brings forth the collected thoughts of the people and all divisions of the military, not just one." Darius explained as he fixed his glasses atop the bridge of his nose.

"Understood sir." Dawk replied obediently.

"Continuing on, we see Naruto and Eren risking themselves in order to seal the gate of Trost and cut off the flow of titans into the city, and in doing so losing something very important." Darius said as looked down at Naruto.

"What was lost?" Irvin asked.

"Over the course of the operation, Naruto had pushed his body to its top capacity. In doing so he has destroyed the muscles and tendons within his left arm and right leg. Making him unable to use them any longer." Pixis explained, causing another wave of mutters to flow throughout the room. Some of the earlier people that shouted cruel things at me began to showing signs of pity. Eren had wide eyes that showed shock, sorrow, and a bit of anger.

'He sacrificed this much so the mission could be completed?! No… he sacrificed his arm and leg to protect me…'

Mikasa and Armin mirrored Eren's visage, minus the anger.

"This leads us to where we are now. We have recounted his actions since arriving in Trost, and also a small amount of his heritage. What will become of The Angel of Death, Outsider, or Naruto Uzumaki shall be discussed here. Please note that he's not a member of the military and does not completely fall under my jurisdiction so any offer of military service can be denied by the person in question." Darius stated as he leaned back into his seat. "Any questions for Naruto before we begin?"

"I have one sir." Irvin said, gaining questioning glances from the others in his division. Darius gave him the signal to go ahead and Irvin stepped forward. "You have killed hundreds of titans, correct?" I nodded to his answer, confirming it within his own mind. "And I am to assume that these abnormal abilities aided you in doing so?" I glanced at Darius from underneath my hood to see his reaction to the question. From the get go I could feel that Darius wanted to keep the specifics about my abilities a secret, even if he himself possibly didn't know them himself. I don't know how much information Pixis put in his report of the battle outside of Trost, which was something I needed to ask him. Darius didn't move and simply watched me, giving an air to go ahead with my answer.

"Yes."

"If this is true on both of the former questions then is it possible to train another person in using these abilities?" The question almost immediately gained the attention of everyone in the room, excluding Darius who watched on passively, but from the look on his face he had already thought of this as well.

"No, it is impossible to simply train someone in the usage of my abilities." My answer made Irvin frown, but he nodded none the less. It was a farfetched idea, or maybe hope was a better word, but at least he tried. In truth, the ability to manipulate your chakra can be trained by the average person, but it would simply kill them as the people now don't have enough to form anything physical. A person would pull chakra to use a jutsu then die after attempting to use it. I could possibly give a portion of my chakra to them, if I could separate the Kyuubi's chakra from my own, allowing them to use of justu for a short time, but even then the average persons body would fight against the sudden intake of chakra. To permanently increase the width of an average person's chakra coils is a long and draining process. A process that I did not know how to do reliably without hurting the person permanently.

"Understood. Thank you for sharing." Irvin said as he took a step back next to Levi. My answer wasn't completely a lie as it truly is impossible to simply teach a soldier how to use their chakra, but looking at Irvin, and even Darius and Pixis, they knew that there was more to it than just that. Keeping silent on the topic for now was their best course of action at the moment.

"Is there anything else?" Darius asked. When nobody spoke up, Darius turned to Dawk with a questioning glance. "What do you believe should be done with the one in question?"

"If what you say is true, and without knowing any more information on Naruto Uzumaki, I believe it is just to allow him to be set free and live out the rest of his life in solitude within Wall Sina." Dawk said. "He has sacrificed much in the defense of Trost, even though he was given every opportunity leave the frontlines, and should be treated with respect for doing so."

"So you say that he is free to live the rest of his life within Wall Sina?"

"Yes sir. If he can no longer provide anything to the cause then I believe that this is correct decision." Irvin's and Pixis's eyes narrowed slightly at the suggestion, but kept quiet.

Darius thought over the prospect before turning to Irvin. "And what of the Scouting Legion? What is their suggestion?"

"I say that an extensive questioning process must be done before his release. Afterwards he may do what he wishes."

"A questioning process? What would the information that you wish to gain that cannot be discussed here?"

"I wish to ask him of his experiences outside the walls and with the titans themselves. If he has lived outside the walls since his birth, as we are led to believe, then he must have something that may be of use." Irvin stated.

"Are you okay?" Eren whispered, concern filling his voice.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." I replied in a hushed tone as I patted his shoulder. "It seems that the discussion doesn't involve my death."

"A valid suggestion." Darius commented as his attention turned to Pixis. "Then what would your suggestion be then, Pixis?"

All eyes turned to the bald headed man who stayed quiet for the majority of the trial. Did Pixis even wish to join in on the trial? He seemed to back away from wanting to argue over Eren, but would he feel different about the Angel of Death?

"I have two suggestions." Pixis stated, surprising the other commanders. So he was interested after all. "The first being he be allowed to be free to go where he pleases as an honorable guest to the kingdom." This gained nods from everyone that knew him, including many of the businessmen that where in the room. "My final suggestion is more of a proposition."

"Is that so? And what would that be?" Darius asked.

"I wish to extend an invitation to Naruto Uzumaki for the position of becoming my personal advisor."

"You wish to ask a cripple to become your advisor?" Dawk asked, acting rather confused by the proposition, but in his mind he thought he knew why Pixis wanted the Angel of Death under his wing.

"Indeed I do. He has shown much in the way of military tactics on the battlefield, and he can even play chess with me toe to toe."

"Let me remind you that by offering him a seat within the Garrison that Naruto has every right to decline your invitation." Irvin said.

"I'm well aware, but he doesn't need to become a part of the military to become my advisor." Pixis said with the same calm tone he always had about his visage. 'It seems that the other commanders were going to wait until after the trial to ask him to join their divisions.' The commander of the southern Garrison forces looked to Naruto with a soft smile. "If he so wishes we can simply travel together until he feels comfortable moving on his own." I smiled back at the man before looking back up at the Commander-in-Chief, who was mulling over everything he had just heard.

"I believe I've come to a decision." Darius stated. "Naruto shall be-."

"If I may Commander, I believe that the military should not hold the power over a crippled man simply because he helped in a military conflict." A man said from the side. All eyes turned to see a tall man with nice dark green clothes and a symbol of a snake on his chest. He had light blonde hair and dark green eyes, but his physic was thin and lanky. He almost looked sick or worn.

"Noble Leonard Gradl, is it? What would a noble from the civilian council, and representative of House Gradl, want to address?" Darius asked. He was clearly agitated by the interruption, but kept is annoyance silent for the time being.

"I feel that the ultimate decision for the outcome of one Naruto Uzumaki should not be decided here, but in the noble council in the capital. Sir Uzumaki is not a part of the military, and as such, this trial should never have begun without the consultation of the nobles and the civilian council." Leonard stated as he walked into the center of the courtroom.

"While normally that would be the case, Naruto here was a key part of a major military battle that decided the fate of Wall Rose. As such we found it fit to try him under military jurisdiction." Darius explained. "He has also shown abnormal abilities that will remain secret until further notice."

"Even still, just because a person has helped the military in some way does not give the armed forces the right to hold the person in question under a military trial." Leonard said, standing upright like a person from a noble background would.

Darius stared down Gradl with an impassive gaze until finally sighing. Taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes, the older commander looked to his division leaders to see their expressions on this sudden issue. Dawk looked impassive about the situation, while Irvin and Pixis looked rather annoyed by this sudden intrusion. "Then what will you have us do then?" Darius found no room to wiggle on the situation. Yes, a person could be tried and sentenced under a military trial if the person in question has committed a crime that directly involved the military, but Naruto has done everything but commit a crime. If anything he helped save humanity from the titan threat… at least for the time being.

"I wish to bring Naruto to the capital where we can give young Uzumaki a proper trial amongst the nobles and businessmen of the kingdom." Gradl stated, gaining mutters of approval from the businessmen and other nobles in the room.

Darius frowned, but nodded his head in quiet resentment. "On one condition."

"And that would be?"

"That he be escorted by a personal guard at all times."

"Of course. I was personally planning to-."

"A personal guard of my choosing."

"Surely you can't believe that I'd accept such a claim!"

"This is my only condition and you will accept it." Darius said in a deadly tone. Leonard frowned before nodding his head.

"I suppose it is only fair that we allow you, at the very least, that much."

"Then the trial for one Naruto Uzumaki will be continued in the Civilian Court at later date. This court has been adjourned!" Darius said. Just as he said this two soldiers walked up behind Eren and unlocked the metal bar that bounded him to the ground. The two men lifted him up, but as they did this Eren gave me a look of concern. The young man had received the best possible outcome from the situation, joining the Scouting Legion, but my fate was still undetermined. People began filing out of the room after Eren was removed from the center of the courtroom until only a few people were left. Darius, Irvin, Pixis, Dawk, the orange haired soldier, and Leonard. The noble turned to me and extended his hand.

"Leonard Gradl. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." The noble said as I reached my remaining working hand to meet his. "I'm of the noble House Gradl and I would like to personally thank for your service in regards to Trost." His words were empty and hollow, as if he really didn't care what happened to the city. I nodded my head in response before the man turned to Pixis. "I would also like to extend this thanks to you as well, Commander Pixis. You did a fantastic job in retaking the city."

"Just doing my job." Pixis stated.

"Indeed you are. I presume you're going to preside over the civilian court case for one Naruto Uzumaki?"

"Why would I? You heard everything that I had to say here. Could you not simply get a copy of the trial from the scribe?"

"I could, but reading from a piece of paper does not have the same impact as personal inquiry directly from the mouth."

"Before I give my response I must ask, what is Naruto's trial going be to held for that could not be settled here?"

"I do not know the exact details, as I'm simply here to secure Uzumaki's presence before the civilian council. If you wish to know more then I suggest going to capital and presiding over the trial taking place there. It is your decision if wish to come, as I'm sure that you have a lot to work in regards to Trost." Leonard then bowed deeply to the men in the room before turning towards the door. "If that is all then I shall take my leave. Dawk, if you would please come with me. There is a matter that needs to be discussed privately."

With Dawk and Leonard gone, Darius let out a long winded sigh. "Always complicated those nobles. I had hoped we could have finished the trial before someone from one of the major house arrived."

"They always seem to give me headache whenever they're around." Pixis remarked.

"On regards to Uzumaki's escort…" Irvin started.

"Ah yes. I would like at least one person from each of your branch's to be a part of his escort. Would you like to give any suggestions?" Darius asked to the two commanding officers.

"Suggestions? Hmm…" Pixis went into thought before grinning and looking at the door that everyone had filed out of. "How about Rico Brzenska?"

"The leader of your First Division Elite Forces? She's certainly qualified, but she verbally spoke out against Private Yeager. Does she hold anything against Naruto?"

"I don't think so. If anything she holds respect, if not a little fear."

"If I saw what I did out there for the first time without knowing how it was done, then I'd hold some amount of fear as well." I stated.

"Fair enough. Rico will be the escort from the Garrison then. Irvin?" Darius said.

"I will get back to you on that. Let me confirm with the troops to see who's the best suited to the mission." Irvin responded.

"Tell me who it is before they leave for Wall Sina. Jayce." Darius said, the orange haired solider now known as Jayce stood at attention. "You will represent my personal guard. Don't let anything happen to Naruto."

"Sir."

"Sending one of your personal guard along?" Pixis asked with a light tone.

"Just to be sure."

"What about the Military Police?" Irvin questioned.

"They will be taking up the bulk of his guard when he reaches Wall Sina so their presence won't be required until later." Darius walked up to me and extended a hand. "Don't let the nobles and their politics get to you."

"If there's anything I hate more than titans, it's politics." I responded as I took his hand in a firm handshake. Darius smiled softly at my words before turning towards the door at the back of the room and leaving without another word.

"I'll let you know when I've made my decision. Since you are a part of the Honor Guard I'm going to presume you will relay this to information to the commander when it becomes available." Irvin said to Jayce, who nodded in response. "Good, it has been a pleasure Naruto Uzumaki. Maybe we'll work together one day if you ever decide to join the military." Shaking his hand, Irvin left.

Looking over my shoulder, I saw Jayce standing quietly behind me. "So, Jayce was it?" He nodded his head, never showing any emotion.

"I will continue my original mission in watching over you, only now I'm assigned to you beyond the walls of this castle." Jayce stated. Pixis then coughed, gaining my attention.

"Well, we've got some time on our hands. Want to play a couple of rounds of chess before I have to leave tonight?" Pixis said with a smile.

"I would like that." I responded with a grin. He truly is competitive when it comes to chess.

XxXxX

The following morning I was informed that we'd be departing for the capital within the hour. Now here I sat, in the back of a covered wagon with Jayce leaning against the opening in the back. My gray backpack sitting at my side as I looked out back to see a gray haired women walking towards us. Jayce nodded to her as she jumped up into the carriage and sitting down across from me with a brown bag on her back.

"Ms. Brzenska." I said.

"I hate it when people are so formal." Rico responded as she placed the bag onto the ground.

"Rico then."

"Whatever, I still don't fully trust you yet. Yes you assisted in retaking Trost, but your power is a cause for concern."

"Understandable. I'd be concerned if I were you as well." Rico's eyes widened a bit before nodding her head.

"In any case, I never got the chance to say thanks for what you did. You sacrificed an arm and a leg, literally, to retake Trost."

"This is much less than what others have sacrificed. It's only fair on my part."

"Yeah… I guess so." Rico said as she looked down to the floor of the carriage. Catching something from the corner of my eye, I saw another soldier approaching the back of the carriage. She jumped up into the carriage and looked down onto us.

"Just so you know, I'd rather be with my team right now than on this stupid escort assignment." The women stated with annoyance clear in her voice. I furrowed a brow at this. She sighed and plopped down next to me after placing her bag onto the bench. "My name is Petra Ral and I'm a part of the Special Operations Squadron of the Scouting Legion."

The carriage then began to move with Jayce at the helm. Two large horses began pulling the wooden construct along and out of the gate heading north.

"Orders are orders I suppose." I said softly.

"Yeah, and while I don't always agree with them I've got to follow them regardless." Petra said as she looked to Rico then smiled. "How are you doing Rico? It's been awhile since I've seen you!"

"I'm doing well, just a lot going on."

"The initial attack on Trost must have been rough. We arrived after the major operations had been completed."

"You've got no idea." Rico said as she looked over to me. "Without Eren and Naruto, Trost would have surely been lost."

"I heard of how Eren closed the gate by turning into a titan then carrying a giant boulder over to it. I even saw the massive thing! But what exactly did you do, Naruto?" Petra asked.

"Just killed a few titans is all."

"I was there during the trial and the word 'abnormal' was used to describe what you did. How many titans did you kill with this 'abnormal' ability?"

"How many titans have you and your Special Operations Squad killed?" Rico asked, an extremely serious expression on her face.

"Hmm… around two hundred I'd say."

"Well Naruto killed about the same, if not more, than that." Rico looked over to me and frowned. "I don't know the exact details of what happened, but Pixis said that he has seen nothing like this before."

"You know that I can't believe that. Even if Pixis said it, a single man killing hundreds?"

"I know it's hard to believe, but I saw the aftermath of what he's capable of. Albeit now he won't be able to perform these 'abnormal' abilities anymore."

"I heard of your condition, and I'm sorry for what you sacrificed in order to defend Trost." Petra then looked to Rico with a questioning look. "Do we have a report on what he's done? Is there anyone that has actually seen him in action?"

"Besides Pixis and myself, there are three others that have experienced, or seen to some extent, what he's capable of. As to the reports…"

"Darius is keeping them locked up and the soldiers kept quiet I presume?"

"That's the only thing I can think of. I'm just curious as to how the rumors began."

"Whatever the case may be, I still don't believe that he's killed so many titans… without the use of 3D maneuver gear."

"You two know I'm sitting right here, right?" I said. It was getting kind of annoying how they were speaking as if I wasn't there at all. Petra jumped a bit when the words left my mouth.

"O-Oh! Sorry about that! It's just- Umm…" I smiled at how Petra was stumbling on her words as Rico nudged my arm lightly.

"Stop her before she has a heart attack!" Rico said with a smile.

"Relax Petra. I know it's hard to believe, but just discount the rumors for now. Yes, I helped in defending Trost, and yes, I killed many titans, but everything else?" I leaned back against the side of the carriage and looked up at the top of carriage in thought. "This whole 'Angel of Death' label I've been given, and these abnormal abilities that people have been muttering about, are only rumors of a people that want to believe that there's another force out there that can fight back against the titans other than Eren. You can believe them if you want, that's not for me to decide, but just don't discredit Pixis and his word so often."

Rico frowned when she heard me say this, obviously she knew that there was something more going on with me than what I was letting on, but keeping the specifics of my chakra enhanced abilities a secret is best… for now. Petra stared at me for a few seconds as I tried my best to ignore her stares by keeping my line of sight stuck to the top of the cloth overhang, the steady pace of the wagon making us wobble every so often. Pixis had said that he saw abnormal abilities in the courtroom, and here I was, discounting them completely. As if I had never used them in the first place. After a few minutes of Petra staring at me, I decided to break the silence.

"May I ask you a question?" I asked, giving Petra a sideward glance. This seemed to break her out of the stare, along with her musings, she was giving me. "You're a part of the Survey Corps, correct?"

"Yeah."

"How often do you go outside the walls?"

"We've been outside the walls over fifty times, and more recently we're going to go on another expedition relatively soon. One that I doubt I'll be there for…" Petra looked rather annoyed when she spoke the last few words.

"I'm sorry that you were pulled away from your squad because of this. Who chose you to escort me anyway?"

"Commander Irvin talked it over with Levi, and went over everyone that would suit the mission. Afterwards they picked the best person out of the ones chosen before." Petra began fiddling with her equipment as she spoke, her 3D maneuver gear sitting on the bench next to her. "Out of the three remaining candidates I was the final choice to go escort some injured man to the capital because people are paranoid that something may happen to him." Her voice grew slightly more intense as she spoke, and now it was all too relevant that she did not want to be here.

"..." I frowned slightly at her words, but I could understand how she feels. Every soldier wished to be with the ones they find most comfortable, and in this case it was the Special Operations Squad.

"It's not just simple paranoia, Petra." Rico commented. "While you may not see it, but the common people see Naruto as either a powerful outsider that will undermine the human race, or a guardian angel that will help defend it. Where do you think the nickname came from?"

"What does that matter? If anything that should help protect him more!"

"You still don't see it, do you? If both Eren and Naruto hold this much sway over the minds of the population then organizations, or even nobles, may want to get their hands on them. And if Eren is protected by the Survey Corps…"

"Then that leaves Naruto as the only available option." Petra finished with wide eyes. It seems she is just now realizing the full context of her mission to protect me. I knew that this could have possibly happened, but there is little I could do to stop Gradl from enforcing this issue. If Darius couldn't stop it from happening then what could I do? I know next to nothing of the local politics, but I'm slowly learning based on the small discussions I've had with the people of Trost, Eren, and Pixis.

"Precisely. Why do you do you think they didn't just assign Trainee's to escort him, or why they equipped us with 3D maneuver gear?" Rico continued.

"Because if one of these groups gains control of him then they would obtain an enormous boost in political power in not only the political arena, but amongst the common people as well."

Rico smiled before nodding her head. "See? You seem to be getting a grasp on the situation."

"You have a pretty good grasp on the politics of the kingdom." I commented.

"It's part of my job to inform Commander Pixis of any political changes that may affect him or the Garrison as a whole. As soon as the trials were announced I began monitoring the political situation to see what was going to happen." Rico stated with a shrug. "I'm not surprised that soldiers in the Survey Corps don't know the inner workings of the kingdom's political system as they spend most of their time concentrating on outside the walls rather than what's inside."

"Sorry I discounted my mission to escort you Naruto. I didn't realize that it was so important in the grand scheme of things." Petra said in an apologetic voice. "I'll protect you until the end of the trial, even if my life depends on it."

"You won't have to do that. I don't want anyone dying on my accord." I replied as I ran my hand through my hair with a sigh.

"I doubt there's going to be anything happening to us so it should be fine. You probably won't have to give your life to save his." Rico said with a chuckle. Petra's face grew beet red from embarrassment before turning away from us quickly.

"S-Shut up!" Petra shouted, making Rico laugh at her situation. Smiling, I leaned against the back of the wagon and closed my eyes. These two seem very lively and good natured, even if they both have their separate, but unique, quirks.

XxXxX

Over the course of the day Rico and Petra made casual conversation while I fell asleep on the wooden bench, using my backpack as a makeshift pillow. Jayce stayed at the helm of the wagon, even when asked by Petra if he needed to take a break, Jayce would politely refused the offer. We had lunch at a tavern in a small village that was nestled into the side of a hill. Nothing crazy happened, only the occasional sideward glance from the villagers and wayward travelers.

By now the sun was beginning to fall and the orange tint of the afternoon sky was painting everything in its beautiful radiance. Jayce continued to sit at the helm of the wagon, quietly guiding the two brown horses along the path to the capital. Rico was reading a book while Petra stared out the back of the carriage to the south. A warm gentle breeze pressed against us as I slid down the carriage bench towards the back where Petra was.

"You said that you would be missing out on the next exhibition outside the walls?"

Petra nodded her head slowly, as if thinking about the day. She continued to ask me questions about my chakra abilities, but I refused to reveal anything significant.

"Naruto, you said that you came from outside the walls, right?" Nodding my head, Petra turned slightly so she was leaning against the wooden railing, but also facing me. "Then can you tell me about the outside world? The world beyond these damned walls?"

Looking out the back of the wagon, I went into deep thinking about her question. I've traveled everywhere around the world, before and after the titans had arrived. "What did you want to know? Is there anything specific?"

"The ocean. Have you ever seen the ocean?" Petra replied instantly, as if she had already put so much thought into the question before it was even asked.

I smiled at the request as I closed my eyes to picture the last ocean I visited. "Yes, the vast body of water that expands out as far as the eye can see. The soft white sand that hugs your feet as you walked along the boundary between earth and water. Every now and again I can remember seeing a dolphin or fish jump up from the shimmering liquid, blissfully unaware of any and all troubles that may be going on around them." Petra was staring intently at me as I talked about the wonderful place of peace and quiet. Rico had stopped reading her book, and even Jayce was giving me a sideward glance of interest. "If I had to sum up the ocean in one word it would be tranquil."

Petra stared at me for a long time before finally finding the words to speak. "That sounds… wonderful."

"It is. The ocean was one of my favorite places to go to when I had the time. It always calmed me in ways no other place could."

"It must be nice to be able to actually see the ocean. We've only got old books and documents of the place were man used to take to the seas on boats." Rico commented.

"I suppose now it is a privilege to go there, but it's a shame. Being so close to the ocean and all."

"So close? What do you mean?" Petra asked, both confusion and excitement in her voice.

"About two hundred fifty kilometers west of Wall Maria there is a sea that has an outlet to a large ocean. It's beautiful."

"I wish I could see an ocean like that…" Petra said with a sigh of disappointment.

"Lets just focus on retaking Wall Maria. Then we can talk about oceans, okay?" Rico stated as she began reading her book again.

"Right, one step at a time." Petra said as she looked back out the rear of the wagon, disappointment still in her voice.

I frowned at Rico's words, but she was right. Getting someone's hopes up too early would only spell doom for their moral if it was crushed.

"We'll make camp here for the night. We can make the rest of the trip in the morning." Jayce said from the front of the wagon. We were on the edge of a forest that had large trees jutting up towards the sky. On the opposite side of our position sat a flat valley with rows of assorted crops gently blowing in the hot summer breeze. The sun was setting and the moon could be seen high in the sky, as if eager to take the suns place.

"Guess I'll get a fire going. You bought everything we needed for dinner, right Jayce?" Petra asked as she jumped out of the wagon. The Honor Guard nodded as he helped me onto a wheelchair that he had unfolded. "Are they in the sack?"

"I think so. I'll take care of preparing the food if you two want to gather firewood." Rico suggested.

"Sounds good. If you want to get the big pieces Jayce, I'll gather up the tinder and small branches." Petra said. Jayce nodded and left the clearing without another word. "Man that guy is weird. Hardly ever says anything."

"We're all kind of weird in our own way." I said with a shrug. "In any case I kind of like the quiet understanding we share."

"Whatever, I'll be back here in a few. Don't let anything happen to him while we're gone." Petra playfully said before disappearing into the woods.

"What was that supposed to mean?" Rico asked more to herself than anyone else.

"She seems more of a light hearted girl than anything else." I said as Rico pulled the bag of food out of the wagon.

"Who, Petra? She may seem that way, but that woman has a fierce side to her as well that only comes up if her squad is in danger." Rico set out a wooden table from the wagon and began sorting out the food onto said table. "Why do you think she offered to give her life for your sake? That was no joke, she meant what she said."

"Petra must take missions very seriously then."

"Indeed she does. Now lets see what we have here."

It was about an hour later when we were eating a soup made of beans, potatoes, and an assorted vegetables. "Rico! This is amazing! Who knew you could cook like this!" Petra exclaimed with glee as she went back for thirds.

"Something I picked up from my mom back in the day. It's really nothing." The silver haired women responded with a blush of embarrassment on her face.

"No really! This is amaz-!" Petra began, but stopped when Jayce swiftly placed his bowl onto the ground and ran into the wagon. "Jayce?" The orange haired man quickly jumped out of the carriage with his 3D maneuver gear on and swords drawn. Facing the forest, Jayce looked prepared for anything.

"Looks like there is a group of people over there in the forest." I said as I took another bite of my soup. "And they don't look friendly." A loud clap could be heard as a man walked into the light of the fire.

"Impressive! Nothing gets past an Honor Guard! You had us pinned the minute we began taking positions!" A man wearing a dark gray trench coat said. He had brown hair and grayish eyes, but the worst part about him was the shit eating grin that was plastered on his face. The 3D maneuver gear wrapped around his waist ensured that they were there with hostile intentions.

"Get your 3D maneuver gear Petra, Rico." Jayce said with a stern, but straight voice. The two women turned and quickly jumped into the carriage.

"Now, now, there's no need to fight! Just give us what we want and we'll be on our way." The man said.

"And what would the Grays want from us?" Jayce asked as Rico and Petra jumped out of the carriage with their weapons at the ready.

"Isn't it obvious? We came for him of course!" The man said as three more men came into the light of the fire, but through the light reflecting off the moon more men could be seen lurking in the shadows. The man was pointing at me with one of his swords.

"You know we can't let you take him. I'm sure you've heard of the military trial?" Jayce responded as Rico and Petra stood at either side of me.

"Take him? Why would we want to do that? We've been ordered to kill him and anyone that stands in our way!" The man said as he pulled out his other sword from its sheath, the other men in the clearing following suit. "Now if you'd please step aside so we can get paid."

"Who'd want to murder a man on the way to a trial? Who paid you guys to do this?" Rico asked.

"Now we can't go and divulge that type of information now can we sweet cheeks, but I tell you what. When we kill that blonde haired freak and the Honor Guard we can have a little fun, if you know what I mean." The mercenary said with a sly grin, making Rico, along with Petra, tremble.

"Disgusted piece of trash." Petra muttered, making Rico nod slightly.

"What did you say you little bitch?! I ought to-!" The man began to shouted, but a metal cord struck his throat, making blood shoot in every direction. Jayce quickly retracted the cord and shook his head.

"How annoying. Lets just get this over with so I can go to bed."

Just as the words left his mouth the other gray trench coated men sprang into action, swords drawn and ready to kill. The movement beyond the veil of light began to shift as other men moved to engage when they saw it fit. Rico and Petra dashed towards different targets, engaging them just as quickly as Jayce did. Leaving me to continue eating my bowl of soup that sat in my lap. I wasn't too worried about the others, as they were professional soldiers and the best in their respective divisions, but the feeling in my arm was beginning to return. Movement was still painful, but feasible if need be.

The constant sound of metal clashing against metal erupted all around me when a gray coated man dropped to ground by the fire. His swords were by his side as he began walking in my direction.

"Sorry kid, but it's nothing personal. Got to feed my family somehow." He stopped in front of me and raised his sword above his head.

"Then I feel sorry for your family then."

"Oh? And why is that?" The man looked confused, but slightly annoyed by my comment.

"Because their mother is going to become a widow."

"What did you-!?" Just then a sword was pierced through his chest. The man fell to the ground, dead as dead could be, revealing Jayce who had a cut on his left arm.

"Just in time." I said.

"You didn't seem too surprised."

"Guess not." Just then Rico and Petra landed next to Jayce, sweat covering their features.

"These guys are good. There are about fifteen of them and we only managed to kill five." Petra said between heavy breaths. Rico wasn't faring much better as she pressed a button on the hilt of her swords that detached them from its clutches. The metal blades fell to the ground as Rico replaced them with extras found in the 3D maneuver gear.

"We may need to retreat to the field behind us where we can remove the usage of their 3D maneuver gear." Rico commented.

"That would also take away our ability to use it as well. Besides, it would be near impossible to move faster with Naruto being in a wheelchair. We have to hold them here." Petra said when a gray coated women with a hood landed on the other side of the fire.

"You three don't go down easy, do you?" The women asked as the other nine Grays landed next to her.

"We aren't about to lose to a bunch of mercenaries." Petra said with a snarl.

"Whatever. It doesn't really matter that much when you'll all be dead." The women said with a grin. Petra was about to launch herself towards the female Gray when a hand grabbed onto her wrist. The orange haired women looked down to see me holding her back.

"Move to the wagon, all of you."

"What? Why would we do that? You would be left defenseless." Rico said.

"Just trust me."

"No! We aren't going to put you in a position where you could be killed!" Petra exclaimed, making several of the Grays laugh.

"From the sounds of it the blonde wants to die! You should listen to him if he doesn't want to live anymore!" A hooded man shouted, making the other Grays laugh at his jab.

"If we back off then they will kill you and we won't let that happen." Rico said.

"Petra, you said you wanted to see my chakra abilities, yes?" Petra looked down at me with wide eyes. "Move to the wagon and be prepared to move." Without another word Petra slowly moved to the wagon, with Jayce and Rico in tow. The silver haired soldier did not need to be reminded of what my abilities could do, and Jayce most likely was told by Darius of what happened at Trost. Once they were a safe distance away, the Grays began walking towards me, unaware of what I told the others in our whispered conversation.

"So you do want to die. I can understand, being crippled and all, but I certainly wouldn't give up my life just because of that." The female Gray said as she stopped at my feet, the others beginning to surround my position as well.

"Who said I wanted to die?" I then lift my right arm and began forming seals.

"What in th-?"

"Raiton: Eriapāji." Lightning began arcing across my body until building up at my chest. For a spit second the Grays stared at the bright light before the lightning flew down over my body and into the ground beneath me. Traveling as fast as lightning could, the bright electricity smashed into the surrounding cloaked mercenaries in ten separate lightning arcs that ripped up the ground as it traveled towards the Grays, making them convulse to the ground as they were hit. In the blink of an eye, the ten Grays were on the ground with smoke coming off of their bodies.

Everything was quiet as a breeze blew through the valley and into the forest in front of me. "You just seem to get weirder and weirder. You know that?" Rico said as she began walking over to me.

"Not scared?"

"Well of course I am, but I don't feel the same sinister feeling as I did back at Trost. So, I feel a little more comfortable."

Jayce was next as he walked over to the downed Grays, checking to see if they were alive.

"T-That…" Rico and I looked over to the wagon to see Petra staring at me with wide eyes. She looked terrified.

"Come on over here. He's not going to bite you." Rico said playfully.

"What in the hell are you?" Petra asked, not moving from behind the wagon.

"Just a man." I responded.

"Bullshit!" Petra shouted as she stomped over to me with fury in her eyes. "You can't be human! You must be an angel, or a demon, or some mystical creature that takes the form of a human because there is no physical way a human can just conjure up electricity like that and fry ten people at once!"

"Well I'm definitely human. There's no doubt about that." I said as I looked at my hand, a tiny arc of lightning jumping inside the palm of my hand.

Petra stared at me with eyes that reflected, anger, confusion, and fear, but was broken from her trance with an audible sigh. "Would you give it a rest Petra? He won't tell you anything about how he does it so you're better off not even asking." Rico said.

"We aren't done with this conversation yet." Petra said as she walked past me and towards Jayce, who was still checking the downed Grays for any survivors. Just as Jayce moved to the last two bodies, the two that were furthest away, the trench coated figures jumped to their feet and began running towards the forest. "Shit! We got runners! Rico!"

"I'm on it!" The three soldiers then gave chase to the two remaining Grays. Rico and Petra after one, and Jayce after the other. I leaned back into my wheelchair and looked down at the bowl of soup that was still in my lap. Frowning I looked back to the fire in front of me.

My instincts told me something was off. That everything was not as it seems. An abnormal brush from the bushes on the other side of the fire caught my attention. My eyes immediately traveled to the source of the noise to see a man walking slowly through the forest. His footsteps stopped when he reached the opposite side of the fire pit. He was tall, about two meters, and wore a gray cloak with crimson strips down its side. Atop his head sat a gray fedora hat with a crimson red band circling the base. The hat shaded his eyes from view, but his physique was that of a bodybuilder. A black mustache sat atop his tan grinning mouth. The most unique thing about his apparel was his 3D maneuver gear, which did not brandish the normal dual swords, but what looked to be a long rifle which sat strapped to his back.

"So you must be the Angel of Death?" The man asked more to himself than anyone else, which just so happened to only be me at the moment. He looked around me at the dead bodies and shook his head. "Sure did a number on these fine folks for being a cripple." He proceeded to grab a bowl and spoon that was on the ground, which was dropped by Jayce, and proceeded to wipe out the dirt that may have collected in either. After confirming that neither was dirty, the man approached the still cooking soup. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Be my guest."

"Thank you. I haven't eaten anything in a while so I'm starving." He poured some of the soup into the bowl and sat down on a log across from me. "You know, you certainly surprised me with that little light show of yours. How'd you do it? Some device you got hidden under that cloak of yours that fires electricity all over the place?" He took a bite of the soup and his face seemed to brighten. "Wow! That is some fine soup right there! That four eyes lady sure knows how to fix up some grub!" He took another bite and returned to his thought process. "But that wouldn't make any sense because then you would have been burnt to a crisp too." He shrugged his shoulders and took a few more bites of the soup.

I followed suit, taking a few more bites of my food as well. Not knowing what exactly this man was planning, I decided to just play along and let the man do as he pleases.

"Man that was good!" The man exclaimed as he finished his soup and stood up. Placing the bowl onto the log at the same time I put the bowl of soup down onto the ground, the Gray brandished his rifle. "You know this 3D maneuver gear was specially made for me." He gently traced a finger down its barrel as memories seemed to flood into his mind. "I used to hunt deer and other wildlife when I was growing up. It was my family's way of feeding ourselves, which worked for a long time. I became so accurate with this handmade rifle that I could hit a moving squirrel at a hundred yards." Lifting up the rifle, he aimed down its sights into the night sky, as if remembering the multiple times he's done it. "I made this rifle with my own two hands and I'm extremely proud of what I'm capable of with it."

"You sound like a talented individual."

"I wouldn't call myself that. My father was much more talented than I, but that's a story for another time. You know why I'm here, correct?" The man then pointed his rifle towards me. Taking aim at my chest like every hunter instinct in his body told him do to.

"Your friends have told me multiple times, and not in the kindest of ways." I responded as we both looked at the fallen Grays around me.

"Yes, they were the noisy and most immature ones out of us. Such lack of respect for the hunter and the prey." He then readied his weapon with a soft click. "You are incredibly nice for being the 'Angel of Death'. I'm sorry that it has come to this."

"We all make our separate choices in life. I hope you find solace in yours."

The man frowned as he slowly squeezed the trigger of his weapon. "And you, yours." And with those final words, a loud CRACK of a rifle radiated out across the valley and forest beyond.

XxXxX

AN: Sorry for the late update, but I swear I've got a good excuse! I've finally graduated! Yay! :3 I graduated at the end of April and officially have my bachelor degree! But this does not explain why I haven't updated during the month of May, and I'll tell you why. I was in Asia for the entire month, touring China and South Korea.

So that's it. Sorry for the long durations between chapters, but I'll try and update more often because I'm having a blast writing this story.

With all that said, I've got a question for any of you who wish to answer. Do you all like to read long chapters? Or short chapters? Long chapters, obviously, take longer to write, but I feel like I get to flow with my thoughts more easily. Short chapters would come more frequently, but my thoughts would be broken up into several chapters and not flow as well. The only reason why I bring this up is because I hate making you all wait and I want to give you the best reading experience possible.

In any case, I love you all and thank you so much for your patience.

P.S. Edit: A few of you pointed out a glaring mistake that I somehow overlooked. Trail has been replaced with Trial. Thanks so much everyone!