2 years later

Ymir cried out in pain. Blood was gushing out of her severed hand as she clutched what remained tightly close to her.

"Motherfucker!" She roared and tried to tackle her opponent.

Eliza sidestepped the attempt and watched as Ymir fell flat on her face.

Ymir writhed in pain as she tried concentrating on her healing. Her blood was converting into steam as her missing limb started growing back.

"You bitch," she cursed again through clenched teeth.

"Are you seriously forgetting about our first lesson? You're able to transform when you're wounded by someone else. It doesn't matter if it's just a nail scratch or if you're missing a kidney. The transformation will trigger as long as there's some damage done to your body. And if you need to come out of the titan during battle, know that any wounds you suffered prior to the transformation will be healed." Eliza backed away from Ymir trying to get her to see what she was trying to teach her.

Titan energy whipped around Ymir as she ended on her knees. Her body arched back as a bolt of lightning crashed on her to trigger her Titan transformation.

Her Hunting Titan stood tall glaring at Eliza. However, she didn't advance and instead broke out of the nape causing hot steam to gush into the air.

She pulled out the arm that Eliza cut off a moment ago out of the titan's grip and inspected the new replacement she had. It was a little jarring on her mind that she would no longer be going through life with the same limbs she'd been born with. She would be a lizard or some other regenerative animal now, cycling through limbs like one would with clothes.

This must be the way Eliza felt when she first experienced Titan regeneration she thought.

"I think we have an audience." Ymir looked up and caught sight of a chubby titan that was walking toward them.

Eliza was already on her way to meet the threat. Every time they came out of the wall for training, Eliza would always worry about these Titans. They weren't dangerous or anything, more like a nuisance, but if one Titan was left to roam closer than the others more would find their way to their pal.

The gate to Trost was an hour's walk from here. It would definitely keep the Titans outside where they belong, but they would end up trapping Eliza and Ymir inside with the rest of humanity which would mean an end to their training.

Titan energy surged devouring Eliza as it created her towering titan. Ymir watched in a near expressionless awe as the War Hammer utterly eviscerated the Titan by summoning slates of Titan flesh that sliced through the body.

She wished Eliza would let her join in fighting these things but for over a year now Eliza adamant in her refusal to allow Ymir to do this. Sometimes it felt like there was nothing she could do to gain her trust. That's the only thing she wanted from her.

She chuckled. It's ironic. During the first days of knowing her, Ymir also wanted to do everything by herself. She didn't want to rely on her at all. But the close encounter with Eliza's friend changed her perspective.

Next to the wall, a white ladder began constructing itself that led a little under halfway up. It reached up where the wall chipped a bit giving them the entrance they needed to sneak back into the walls. The Wall's Military would sooner shoot its own citizens than find out that any escaped thanks to the rebellions that were happening in the 3 remaining districts of Wall Maria.

"Come on. Let's go." Ymir followed obediently as Eliza climbed down her Titan and hurried to the ladder she made.

Ymir was the first one to reach it. Already, parts of it were releasing steam as it broke down. It pulsed warmly under her touch as though it were alive. Different to the other constructs of the Warhammer she's seen. It might've been made from the body directly after Eliza decided to stop the training.

She looked down as she reached the top of it and saw that Eliza was close to her.

Her golden eyes shined fiercely before she realised that Ymir was looking at her. Eliza's gaze faltered and her foot slipped. Ymir felt her heart drop. She reached out and grabbed her hand.

"I would've been okay you know," Eliza brushed her off all too quickly. "We're titans, a long fall won't be what kills us in the end."

The two finally reached the crevice in the wall and waited a couple of minutes for things to clear up. There were always Military Police slacking around in the area whenever they were ready to come back in. Why couldn't they find another place to slack off and ogle at the women that went about their business?

"I think the coast is clear…" Ymir cut Eliza off by pushing her out. A small smile tugged her lips. That felt good after her rejection from earlier. Who knew when she'd have another chance to push Eliza from a high place.

The impact knocked all the wind out of Ymir. She managed to land in the pile of straw that was always gathered at the foot of the wall but there were still some muffled sounds of bones snapping.

Eliza took the worst of the fall, most of her bones had been snapped and there was definitely some internal bleeding, but she was still alive enough for the titan healing to take effect.

"Asshole," Eliza coughed up some blood. The drops of blood that floated into the air turned into steam the moment they landed on the hay they were sprawled on.

"You said we could survive the fall because we're titans," Ymir retorted.

"All because of your hand?" She grunted.

"Not really."

"Then why'd you, y'know what? Nevermind."

Steam billowed out of their bodies as they regenerated. Neither of them moved from where they lay until the process was complete. The last strands of steam escaped their skin by the time they had to get back to what counts as their home now.

Other than the indentation in the hay, there wasn't any indication that the girls spent their time there. It's been a few hours since all the blood that pooled out disappeared.

"I have a killer headache. Please, never do that again," Eliza groaned.

Ymir sauntered forward pretending not to hear a word she said.

"Ymir," Mikasa greeted as they came into the apartment. Ymir just gave a silent nod in acknowledgement. In the past year, the two managed to strike a mutual understanding and bond over the growing recklessness of their charges. Eren wasn't exactly a good influence on Eliza.

Ymir bristled as she noticed Eliza and Armin start talking about the latest decisions of the crown. She was about to move toward them when Mikasa reached out to hold her back. Her glare turned into confusion when Mikasa shook her head.

"Come." Mikasa slipped out the door leaving Ymir to decide what she was gonna do.

She looked back to see Armin and Eliza laughing about something. Frowning, Ymir decided to see what Mikasa wanted. The two may have struck a delicate friendship, but they never actually spent time together outside of dealing with their friends. Thus, this was an unexpected surprise.

"Eren's going to sign up for the scouts soon," Mikasa was staring out of the apartment window looking at something down below. What it was, Ymir honestly couldn't even bother to care which was how she felt about how the conversation started.

"And I care why?" Ymir's eyes were half-closed as she leaned against the wall.

"Because he's been trying to convince Eliza to join with him."

"Eliza's a big girl. If she wants to become lunch for a Titan, then there's nothing I can do."

"I thought you cared about her? Isn't that why you're sticking around?"

Ymir's eyes widened and twisted into a cynical stare. The words stung as if they were insults. She didn't feel any fury, but she spoke in a chilling manner.

"Don't act like you've got me figured out. You don't know anything about me or why I'm here. But I can assure you that it has nothing to do with that brat. I can walk out that door and she wouldn't bat an eye, instead, she'd feel relieved. I'm nothing to her." Ymir's face was dry, she wasn't even shaking, but Mikasa was able to hear the pain behind every word. And she could understand how she might be feeling.

"It hurts doesn't it?" Ymir's face fell as she was taken aback by Mikasa's bored look. "Every day, all you want to do is keep her safe. Make sure that the world won't take her away. You wish you could get close to her but for some reason, she keeps you at a distance."

Mikasa gripped her scarf, pulling it up over her mouth to feel its comfort. Closing her eyes, she could picture the day Eren gave it to her which was followed by countless times of being berated whenever she tried to help him.

"Trust me. I know how you feel." She opened her eyes again to look at Ymir. "They probably won't thank us for anything we do, but we need to be there for them. You can never trust someone else to do what needs to be done for you. But if we're both there for them, we might be able to help each other out."

Ymir was about to say something when she caught a whiff of a familiar scent in the air. Her gaze snapped to the stairs. "Eren's back." Mikasa turned to study Ymir. She was always able to tell whenever Eliza and Eren were around.

Moments later, Eren's black hair popped out first followed by his beaten face. Today he was sporting quite the shiner.

"Eren!" Mikasa rushed over to inspect his face. Eren tried to duck out of her grasp but she held firmly. "Who did this to you?" Ymir saw as Mikasa gingerly touched his eye.

"Another fight with the Brigade?" Ymir asked.

"Again?! What's wrong with you, Eren? You're not supposed to pick fights with them." Eren finally broke out of Mikasa's grasp and fled indoors.

"Eren!"

Ymir's nose scrunched up. Eren's scent lingered in the hall. She didn't like how Eren shared a similar scent as Eliza. For a while, it had been unique to her until Eren came back one day producing his own smell. Though his was stronger and Eliza's was softer.

"Maybe you're right," Ymir observed. "He could get her killed one day."

"So you're in." That wasn't a question Ymir realised. Her lips spread into an amused smile.

"I like you." Mikasa sputtered and her face glowed red. "We're going to be gone for a week maybe. Eliza wants to go back home one last time."

"But the guards."

"Are predictable. We know their schedule by heart. All we need is someone to cover for us. I bet she's already asked Armin. But that kid lacks nerve. And you, well, you're not exactly a people person. You guys can cover for us together."

It was the middle of the night. Ymir was trying to sleep for the long day they were going to have tomorrow when she heard whimpers in the dark. She sat up groggily and looked around the tiny room she had.

As orphans, the King had given them a place to stay in until they either enlisted or grew out of the program. But the place was very small. Their rooms were barely big enough for a small bed and a bit of room to walk in and out of.

After looking around for the noise Ymir realised it was coming from next to her room. Eliza's room. The others might not hear her since Eliza's room was in the corner.

Ymir popped into Eliza's room as quietly as she could. There she was sleeping but also tossing and turning. Night terrors. Ymir thought they were over. Eliza hadn't had any in months. And even then they never interrupted her dreams like this.

A spark of electricity zapped around Eliza's body. Ymir panicked and threw herself onto the bed with her.

If she turned into a Titan in here, not only would she kill Mikasa and the others, but their cover would be blown as the people of Trost would send word to the king and send in the famed Levi squad Eliza always warned her about.

"Hey. It's okay," Ymir wrapped her hands around Eliza and held her tightly.

Eliza's squirming was being constrained and the Titan energy died down.

"Everything's going to be alright," she cooed.

"Ido." Eliza breathed out as she calmed down.

Ymir laid there letting Eliza nuzzle into her chest. How did she get here? She wondered. If she had run off when she planned, before reaching the walls, would she have been able to get by like she was doing right now? How different would her life have been.

She hadn't even realised how dangerously close she was to becoming vulnerable until Eliza started sobbing and shaking in her arms. Her left eye was burning as a tear nearly formed. But it never spilled out.

The last thing she remembered before slipping into her own sleep was the irregular movement of Eliza's chest as the sobbing died down.

Ymir's steps thundered over splintered remains of the surrounding houses. Her transformation had taken out 3 of them in a single hit.

She looked over to the gate to find it sealed by the Warhammer's hardening. No one would be able to escape if they even wanted to.

No one was going to miss this place though. Which is why Ymir and Elena decided to use this district for their final test. A rebelling district destroyed overnight would be a blessing to the king if a little worrisome.

The screams of people filled the air as military police scrambled for their arms. They must be stupid if they think bullets would even stall a normal Titan. This wasn't going to even be a problem for an intelligent one.

Ymir began running around the district. For every 10 bullets that sunk into her Titan body, 10 soldiers were crushed under her feet.

To make sure she wouldn't be going around in circles and wasting time, Ymir was kicking through houses or punching out the roofs. She was then able to see that she made progress in the entrance and moved forward to continue with the inner parts of the district.

"This is our punishment for going against the King!" A soldier cried out before he was impaled by a wooden support beam that had been kicked into the air.

"Repent—repent your sins," a priest gurgled through the blood that filled his mouth. The bottom half of his body was crushed by a Boulder. He tried to crawl away from the giant feet that neared but some of his skin and muscle was still attached to the mangled legs making it impossible for movement.

The Priest manager one last breath as he watched Ymir step over his corpse and continue on with her rampage. "They have come."

Ymir smelled something coming towards her. Whatever it was was close and there were multiple of them. They would… she ducked with scary fast reflexes. Above her whizzed several men who were barely in control of their movements.

It took them a long time to double back and in that time Ymir was ready. She was able to catch one of them as they flew by with her jaw. The man screamed. Ymir crushed and severed his body in two with a sickening squelch as blood sputtered out of his body.

Metal barbs hooked onto her neck. They didn't hurt but Ymir was aware of their effect on her titan body. She whipped around throwing the scouts off balance and yanked them toward her hand by grabbing onto the wires that led all the way back to them.

"An abnormal!?" was the only thing the surprised soldier could say before his skull was shattered.

Ymir could smell more scouts being sent her way and they reeked of fear. She turned her beady eyes to the entrance of the District wondering if Eliza was going to be joining her any time soon. It wasn't that these scouts were too much trouble for her. No, they were completely annoying like ants, but she wanted to have some fun, and what better way to destroy these soldiers than with help of a friend?

Cold air bashed Ymir's face as she partially came out of her nape. Her titan continued standing but was now bending forward to support her.

The sky darkened as a blast of lightning struck the ground followed by the burning fire of the Warhammer titan as it formed.

Ymir marvelled at the dark majesty of the Warhammer. Its charcoal skin gleamed like an onyx in the sunlight.

Her sense of smell was weaker as a human but she could sense that the scouts were getting closer. She had to tear her attention away from Eliza and duck back into her nape. Immediately, her titan reconnected to her face welcoming her with a warm touch.

Scouts appeared around the corner a few buildings away. Ymir didn't even bother taking a prepared stance.

Behind her, the ground cracked open as Eliza sunk her scythe into the ground. A trail of spikes erupted. The scouts weren't able to move fast enough and they were caught in the waves of destruction.

Marley

Zeke was pissed. The shards of metal he was gripping cut into his Titan's hand and bent slightly.

It's been 2 years since the beginning of the Paradis expedition. 2 years since anyone's had any word of the warriors. And he was barely given information that the Tybur's had altered the mission.

Zeke threw the shrapnel and watched as a mist of blood rose into the air. Marley was keeping him busy trying to dissuade the uprising that was starting to get out of hand. Marley's control was fading along with their power.

The presence of the Warhammer and the Hound on the island posed a risk for his plans.

He never trusted the Tyburs the moment Elizabeth insisted on training with them. He knew they had some kind of secret agenda though he didn't know what.

Zeke was never told the reason why she trained with them either. But he knew that there was a strong friendship between Ido and Eliza. She might turn him against Marley. They could even steal the Founding Titan. And if Ksaver was able to figure out a way to use its power, who's to say the Tyburs wouldn't.

"Warchief Zeke," Pieck crawled over to him. The turrets on her back ceased their fire and retracted their weapons. "There is another platoon coming in from the north. It seems this group is being accompanied by another Anti-Titan artillery Prototype."

Zeke groaned and scratched his rubbery ear. He still remembered the Prototype they destroyed a few months ago. It managed to get a few holes into his body. Their enemies would soon surpass the Power of the Titans.

"Send Lisbeth in. Have her destroy the prototype first."

"Understood." Pieck crawled off somewhere.

Zeke continued pondering about the Paradis mission. He already put in a request to the General about being sent to the island to help out but was denied. With the Warhammer gone, Marley would need Zeke to deal with the rebellions before they would even consider sending him in.

They also mentioned a weapon being developed for him for when he would finally be sent in. He's been informed that it would be ready for testing in the near future.

"Warchief Zeke." He heard Pieck beckon for him and he walked over to where she was.

Further ahead was the platoon she told him about. 3 rows of soldiers stood between them and a metal carriage carrying the weapon.

The ground broke apart the moment the soldiers stopped advancing and out jumped a 4 metre Titan. Her snout was smaller than the Cart Titan's and even from the distance you could make out the long fingers on the Titan that mimicked a shovel.

Those same hands destroyed the enemy's only hope of success allowing Zeke and Pieck to close in the distance between them.

Midterms. MIDTERMS! Ugh midterms are happening and I'm getting busier. I might not be able to finish the next chapter on time.

Cdog: I am very much at your service kohai! Also, hasn't Eren always been a jerk? At least in the early series? I'll try to fix his portrayal from here on out.

Heitor: I've seen you around in the fanfics I've read. I don't mind your lack of knowledge in the anime since my fic will be a retelling of the show with tweaks of my own.

I also fixed the errors you found. I appreciate the reports. As for the isekai part, I didn't really know where I was going with Elizabeth's character but maybe I can explain it as shock and disbelief? I've experienced shock before and it makes you oddly calm and accepting of the situation that gave it to you.