LOCATION: Wall Maria
YEAR: 840

"Mama, I want it!" Little 5-year-old John exclaimed, pointing at the plush wolf that was hanging from the carnie's booth.

Helen Crueger giggled, bending down to pick up her son with a laugh. "Do you now? Do you think Mama can hit it?" She asked, smiling fondly at the little boy in her arms.

"Uh-huh!" John nodded eagerly, pointing excitedly towards the little titan at the other end of the booth. "You can hit anything, Mama! Even that mean old titan!"

"I can agree with that, little man." Kenneth Crueger spoke as he walked up to the two, smiling as he wrapped his arms around his family. "Hell, she could shoot a flea off a dog's back at four yards!"

"Uh-huh!" John agreed enthusiastically. Helen giggled, playfully slapping her husband's chest.

"Don't get his hopes up, Ken." She said, looking at her husband, who laughed.

"You kidding? Getting his hopes would be telling him that you can fight a titan one on one!" He remarked as he kissed his wife's temple. "Come on, win the thing for him. You know you're gonna anyway."

Helen rolled her eyes with a smile. "Alright." She sat Little John down, walking up to the booth with a smile on her face. "Excuse me, sir?"

The carnie, an old man with a large comical mustache, smiled at the woman. "Well, hello! What can I do for a fine lady such as yourself?"

"How much to give it a shot?" She asked, smiling kindly at the carnie.

The carnie chuckled. "One silver coin for five tries." The woman nodded, pulling out a coin as she handed it to the carnie, who chuckled. "Alright, rules are that you have to knock down the titan, to win a prize."

Helen smiled as she picked up a ball, tossing it in the air lightly as she tested it's weight. "Okay…"

She was aware that this was a scam of some kind. These carnival booths were always scams. But nonetheless, she'd win it for her son.

The ball wasn't as hefty as it should've been, but that didn't matter to Helen. Pulling her hand back, she aimed for the little wooden titan as she threw the ball.

She grinned as the ball flew threw the prop, shattering the wood to pieces.

"YAY!" Little John exclaimed, excited with glee as he watched his mom bring down the titan in the first try. "Mama did it!"

"Mama sure did, didn't she?" Kenneth said as he walked up behind Helen, wrapping his arms around her stomach from behind her. "Now, who's my little crackshot?" He asked, smiling as he kissed her cheek.

Helen giggled, before turning her gaze to the still surprised carnie. "That's a win, right?"

The carnie was shaken out of his stupor, and he chuckled. "Oh yeah, that's a win alright." He gestured to the array of prizes hanging from his booth. "Take your pick."

"The little blue wolf, please." Helen said, pointing to the plush. The carnie picked it off the rack, and handed it off to Helen, smiling the whole time.

"Here you go, enjoy the prize."

"Oh he will." Helen said with a smile as she crouched down, offering the plushie to John. "Here you go, little knight."

"Yay!" John cheered as he took the plush from his mom, hugging it close to him. "Thanks Mom!"

"You're welcome, my little knight. Just remember…" His mother's voice seemed to trail off, causing John to look up at her.

"Huh?"

But to his confusion, his parents weren't there anymore.

"Mama? Papa?" Little John asked, looking around in confusion.

"Didn't you get the memo, kid? Mama and Papa's dead." A cruel voice echoed from behind him, causing him to turn around.

The carnival had disappeared, as had the grass, the woods, and the nearby buildings. Instead, there was only a man. Tall, fat, hair balding in places as he had some mutton chops along his face.

"W-Who are you?" Little John asked as he backed away in fear, hugging the plush closely. "I want my Mama!"

The man suddenly lunged forward and ripped the plush from little John's hands. "Didn't you hear me, you little shit? Your parents are dead, it's just Papa Charles now!"

John was crying at this point, trying to rub the tears out of his eyes as he looked at the mean fat man. "Y-You're mean…"

The man laughed cruelly. "So is the world, you little shit. It's eat or be eaten, and you, you fucking shitstain," The man's hand suddenly lashed out, picking John up by the throat. "Are gonna be eaten by me."

John gasped and struggled at the large hand around his throat, trying desperately to escape for air.

The man only laughed at John's struggles. "Keep struggling, boy, see where it gets you!"

John's vision was going black, quickly, and he was growing weak as his brain was deprived of oxygen.

The last thing he remembered was the evil laugh of the man.

LOCATION: Wall Rose
YEAR: 845

"AHHH!"

John suddenly sprung up into a seated position, his hand shooting to his throat as he looked around frantically, surveying his location.

"John, calm down, it was just a nightmare!" The familiar and welcome voice of Sarah broke through his haze, catching his attention as he turned to look at the girl sitting next to him.

Her face was stained red with tears, and John was unsure of where exactly they were.

"Sorry, Sarah." John said, rubbing his eyes as he relaxed a little. "What happened?" He asked, looking at the girl as he cracked his neck.

"You tried to fight the Armored Titan, and you got thrown into Maria in the process." Sarah explained, looking at him in concern. "Are you okay?"

John scanned over himself. His clothes were somewhat torn, and there were bloodstains in different spots, but he was relatively fine. "I… I think so." He said with a nod, turning back to look at her as he stood to his feet. "How bad was I?"

"John, your spine was snapped." Sarah said, looking at him with a worried gaze. "You were covered in deep cuts and gashes, and you were bruised all over. How are you okay?"

John shook his head, unsure of how to answer. "I… I don't know." He admitted, looking at her in confusion. "Did Deacon explain things to you?"

She nodded. "Yeah. About the cave, and your new powers?"

She whispered that last bit, and it was only now that he realized they weren't alone.

There were others sleeping in different spots around them, including Eren, who was sleeping across from him with Mikasa vigilantly watching over him, and Lucy, who was sleeping right next to him.

He turned back to look at Sarah, and finally addressed what he'd been curious about. "Are you alright, Sarah?"

Sarah looked confused. "I'm fine. Why?"

"You're face." John spoke, gesturing towards her. "Your cheeks and your eyes are red. Have you been crying?"

Sarah turned to look away when she realized what she was talking about, and John had the feeling that he should've kept his mouth shut.

"Mom and dad were at Pete's shop when the Colossal one kicked down the wall." She explained, causing John's eyes to widen. "Deek told me about…" Her voice hitched, and John had the feeling she would start crying if she continued.

"You don't have to explain, I get the picture." John said, raising his hand to stop her. "Sorry for asking."

"It's okay." Sarah said. turning to look back at John with a sniffle. "You didn't know."

John looked down at Sarah with a sympathetic smile. He may not have been as good of friends with her as Deacon was, but he cared greatly for her anyway, and he hated to see her cry.

"So where's the others?" John asked, hoping to bring her attention away from her parents and sate his own curiosity.

"Mrs. Yeager went with Rex and his parents. The Vastata's said they'd get everyone set up with homes of their own." Sarah explained, surprising John. "Armin and Deacon went with Silas to get some food while we wait."

"Uncle Si?" John asked, slightly hopeful. "He made it?"

Sarah nodded. "Yeah. I volunteered to watch over you, and Lucy hasn't left your side since Deacon and Rex brought you back." She informed John. "She's been a wreck, John, you need to talk to her when she wakes up."

John nodded, glancing down at his little sister. "I will." He turned his gaze towards Eren's unconscious form. "I take it he's just sleeping in?"

Sarah shook her head. "Actually, we're not sure what happened." She admitted, looking at Eren as well. "Dr. Yeager showed up last night, took Eren into the woods." She looked up at John with a concerned gaze. "The former Survey Corps commander, Shadis… he found Eren in the woods unconcious. Dr. Yeager was gone."

John had to admit he was deeply disturbed by the news. "Anybody know why?"

Sarah shook her head. "No. He has the old basement key now, but we're not sure why Dr. Yeager gave it to Eren, since the chances of going back are slim to none."

John shook his head. He, Deek, and Rex were given their abilities for a reason, if the legend was to be believed. He had faith.

"We'll get back, Sarah." John said firmly.

"How, John?" Her voice cracked as she looked up at him. "The titans have taken over Maria and the strongest person to exist now, you, got wiped out by an armored variant. How are we supposed to fight back?"

John had to admit that she had a point. A very good one to. Still, there was one thing about John that she seemed to forget.

"Come on, you know me, Sarah." He said with a chuckle. "I don't know how to lie down."

The girl lightly giggled at John's words. "No… you don't…"

John smiled, glad to have at least put a smile on her downtrodden face, before standing up, popping his back in the process. "Ow."

"I did say your spine was broken, John." Sarah remarked, still unable to comprehend that he was up and moving now.

"How do you know it was broke?" John asked with a raised eyebrow. "Did you have Dr. Yeager take a look at it?"

Sarah stared at him, wide-eyed. "John, it was a compound fracture." She revealed, to his surprise. "We took your shirt off when we felt something poking through it, and the spine had cut your back."

John looked a little unsettled at the news. "But… I stood up before I collapsed… how is that possible?"

"How are these abilities of yours possible?" Sarah asked with a shrug. "I don't know, but I'm thankful for it." She admitted, smiling at the tall boy. "I don't think I can lose anyone else."

John smiled down at her. "Neither can I."

Suddenly, they were interrupted by a commotion coming from outside of the little barn turned into a shelter.

"Hey you bitch, I was talking to you!" An unknown male voice came, causing the two to look at each other in confusion as the sounds of a struggle could be heard outside.

A quick second later, another voice followed.

"I already said no, now let go of me!" Carla's voice was very prominent in John's ears, and his feet were carrying him to the entrance before he could think of anything else.

"Mrs. Yeager?!" He shouted, stopping at the entrance to survey the scene in front of him.

An MP had Carla's upper arm, gripping tightly as the woman struggled to escape. And not a damn soul was doing anything to stop it, nor were they even acknowledging it.

"What, is the doc's girl too good for me?" The MP's voice growled.

"Let go of me, dammit!" Carla said, fury and fear both in her voice as she struggled against the ironclad grip of the cop.

"I don't think you understand your position, missy-URK!"

Whatever the MP was about to say was cut off quickly as John came out of nowhere, driving his fist into the man's gut hard enough to lift the soldier off the ground.

"The lady to let go, asshole." John growled as the soldier slumped to the ground, holding his now aching gut.

"Hey, jackass!"

John turned around to face the source of this new voice, in time to get a punch to the face.

He reacted on instinct.

His fist shot out towards the attack, and once he felt his hand gripping something, he lifted.

The fist that was in his face suddenly moved to his hand, and he was admittedly unsurprised to find that it was another MP.

The pigs. Always trying to stick up for each other.

John's free fist launched to the man's solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him as he dropped the MP, who collapsed to his knees.

He was about to deliver another punch, when he felt a weight on his back.

"Get off him, you motherfucker!" Someone else, he assumed an MP, was suddenly on his back, and a hand obscured his vision.

Honestly, at this point, John was just trying not to kill these men. They were starting to get on his nerves.

His hand reached for the collar of the soldier on his back as he felt another fist slam into his gut, and in return, he slammed the MP who was on his back into the offender attacking his stomach.

Suddenly, he felt something slam into the back of his head, and he could feel and hear that whatever it was had snapped against his skull.

Turning around to glare at the idiotic MP who'd tried it, he found that they were holding a now broken 2x4 in their hand, looking at it in shock.

Then the soldier looked at John, chuckling nervously as he saw the angry gaze of the boy he'd just hit.

He was unsure of what knocked him out, the wall he slammed into, or the fist to his face.

"That's enough, dammit!" John turned to the voice, only to get struck across the face with a pipe. His hand shot up to catch the hand of the person who'd dare hit him with it, and he was surprised to find the MP who'd attacked Carla holding it in his hands.

And then John saw red.

He wasn't sure when he took the man to the ground.

He wasn't sure how many times his fists had hit the man's face.

He wasn't sure how much of the blood on his hands was real.

And he was unsure of how long he had beat the man.

Even after he felt a pair of hands grabbing at him, he didn't stop. Even when another pair joined the first, and another, and another, John's only goal was to cause as much pain as possible.

He didn't care who watched. His family had just survived a titan encounter, and this son of a bitch was already trying to take advantage of it.

He wouldn't stop until the man knew nothing but the pain.

Or he would've, had he not felt a delicate pair of hands grab his fist when it cocked back for another hit.

"John, that's enough!"

And suddenly, John was coherent again.

He looked up towards the voice, where he saw Carla, gripping his fist tightly, her knuckles white as she looked at him in concern.

And that was when John finally processed all of the hands around him.

Deacon had jumped onto his back, trying to pull him by his neck. Mikasa's delicate but strong arms were pulling tightly at his stomach. He could feel Rex, tightly gripping his shoulder, trying to pull his hand up off of the MP below him.

His gaze slowly ventured to look around, surveying the audience the beatdown had gained.

The MPs were all looking at him with a terrified gaze, along with a number of other people, only a few of whom he recognized.

Silas was holding Armin behind him, looking at John in concern along with his grandson. Behind him, he could see the makeshift shelter, with Eren and Sarah both watching him with horror.

And then, to his own horror, his gaze fell onto the scared face of Lucy, looking at him with an expression filled with terror.

"Oh my god…" John muttered, horrified as he looked down at the man he'd beaten.

The bastard's face was nearly unrecognizable now. His entire face was basically a giant blue bruise at this point, both of his eyes swollen shut, his teeth missing, his chin split open, and his nose very clearly broken.

And with John's newfound strength, it was a wonder he hadn't killed the man.

But then, he didn't want to kill anybody… maybe he was holding himself back unconsciously…

If that were the case, thank god.

He felt everyone let go of him as he stood to his feet, his fist loosening as he looked at the people who had made a futile attempt to pull him off of the man.

All of them were staring at him, a mixture of fear and concern on their faces.

He'd scared the hell out of all of them.

Not even he was sure where the rage had come from. Sure, he'd always had an explosive temper in the past, but this was something else…

LOCATION: Wall Maria
YEAR: 845

5 Hours Later

No one was really sure how to what to do right now.

John's temper was explosive, but he usually had a pretty long fuse.

Then again, could anyone really blame him? He'd probably taken the most punishment of all of them, and everyone was weary after the events of the past day.

No one was sure where Grisha had went. No one was sure what he'd done to Eren.

Eren recalled memories… a needle, mad ramblings of his father… something about their basement.

Which explained the key… but not much else.

But their main concern was John.

"He nearly killed the man, Rex!" Deacon shouted, eyes wide as he stared at his friend in disbeleif.

John had decided to sit away from everyone else, and no one admittedly wanted to really approach him after what had just happen. John flipping out… it had scared everyone.

The only one staying by his side was Lucy, who refused to leave her brother's side after not only yesterday's events, but the past three weeks in general.

"You heard what that fucker wanted Mrs. Yeager to do!" Rex shot back, his brow furrowed. "Am I really supposed to feel bad for the piece of shit?!"

"I'm don't feel bad for the man, Rex!" Deacon replied with a shake of his head. "I'm worried about John! You saw what he did, he never snaps like that!"

"Look at what the fuck he just went through, man!" Rex retorted. "He was asleep for three weeks, woke up with superpowers, defended Wall Maria from the titans, and the Armored Titan nearly turned him into fucking swiss cheese!"

"I get that, but look at what he's gone through all his life!" Deacon retorted. "Are you seriously telling me that his temper suddenly changing like that doesn't worry you?"

"Of course it does." Rex replied with a roll of his eyes. "It definitely doesn't help that now he's as strong as a fucking ox. All those guys out there are lucky he didn't turn them into paste. I'm just saying, don't hate the guy for it."

"I don't-" Deacon stopped himself with a frustrated sigh. "I'm worried, Rex. We all are."

Carla stayed nearby the Gallagher children ever since the incident, and Silas had volunteered to check out the homes the Vastata couple had bought for both families, something Sarah had volunteered to join him on.

Armin, Mikasa, and Eren were all hanging out, having their own conversation. Although, it seemed more like a tough love scolding, if the fact that Mikasa was shoving a piece of bread in Eren's mouth was any indication.

But it was obvious by their glances towards John every once in a while, they were worried for him too.

"Poor guy has been through a lot, a lot more than most of us, you're right." Deacon admitted, looking towards his friend with pitty as he hugged his sister. "I'm not mad at him. I'm scared that he's closer to snapping."

At that, Rex didn't have a reply. Deacon had a point. It was a wonder John hadn't snapped ages ago.

Rex sighed. "It's only been a day, but it feels like it was forever ago when we were stirring up trouble through Shinganshina."

Deacon nodded. "Yeah… You know, I don't think John ever got to grab his mom's flower." He said, looking at his friend with concern. "It was the last thing he had to remember her by."

Rex couldn't help the feeling of sarrow that welled up in him.

Of the three, he was the only one who still had his parents. Even Sarah had lost hers to this whole ordeal.

Regardless of his disagreements with them… he'd never be more thankful to have them than he was now.

"I wish I could've met her." Rex admitted, looking at Deacon. "I wish I could've met them both."

"So do I." Deacon said, looking down at the ground. "You know, he calls us his best friends, but I don't think anyone knows him as well as Eren and Mikasa."

"He grew up with them, didn't he?" Rex asked, glancing over at Deacon. "John and Eren's parents were good friends, if I remember right."

Deacon nodded. "Yeah. He helped Eren save Mikasa from a couple of human traffickers." Deacon revealed, to Rex's surprise. "No one outside of those three know exactly what happened… but from what I hear, the site they left wasn't pretty."

"Jesus…" Rex said with a shake of his head. "You know… I've always kind of wondered… when he would finally kill Charles?"

Deacon looked at Rex, but if he was surprised, he didn't show it. "When?"

Rex nodded. "Come on man, we both know he hated the guy. He's promised to kill him on more than one occasion, and it's a wonder that the piece of shit still walks this earth."

Deacon couldn't help but agree. "I think that despite how much shit Charles put him through, he had an even greater reason to keep himself in check." He admitted.

At his words, both Rex and Deacon gaze at their friend.

By now, he had a small smile on his face, and Lucy was sitting in his lap. Carla had apparently decided to stop sitting on the sidelines, as she now sat next to the two, watching as John read a book to his little sister.

Despite the violent outburst from earlier, they couldn't help the feeling of joy at watching their friend's happiness. It was doubled by the fact that they realized one good thing had come out of this.

If Charles didn't turn up, and he most likely wouldn't, Lucy and John would stay with Carla. With their real family.

And if he did, well, John can pretty easily take care of that now.

"You know… I think John has a pretty damn good reason to keep himself in check." Rex said as they watched the scene. "And you know what? I'm willing to bet that today's outburst… that it was just a one time thing."

"I don't know about that." Deacon said. "But we can hope."

At this point, both friend groups were watching as John tickled his little sister, laughing along with her as her joyous cries echoed through the shelter. And they could admit…

The site was definitely appreciated.

Especially considering the times that followed.

In the times that followed the fall of Shinganshina, the survivors of the horrors would be faced with much hardships.

Disease, famine, hostility were ever present throughout the trying times.

The government eventually issued the order to force all still homeless survivors to try and farm some recources to counteract the growing hunger problem.

But it didn't work.

Eventually, the Territorial Retrieval Plan was issued.

All of the refugees of Wall Maria who were of age would be forced to ride out into titan country, in an effort to regain lost land.

But it was a front.

Most people saw it for what it was. A thinly disguised plan for population control.

However, the casualties were extremely low, compared to what had been expected.

But no one really expected the myth of the Shinganshina Saviors to be brought up once more.

During the fall, many of the survivors and soldiers stationed in and escaping from Shinganshina told tails. The unknown beings, named only by color, and the miracles they performed.

People reported a being eminating orange, moving buildings and debris, and crushing titans to create safe paths for people to escape. He was named the Orange Angel.

People also reported seeing a black blur passing through the desolate and destroyed streets of Shinganshina, and a lot of these reports were made by people who claimed that seconds later, they found themselves either at the line for evacuation, or within Wall Rose completely. Everyone called this man the Black Blur.

And then their were reports of a being, a man in blue, slamming into the titans, crushing them into pieces. Many of the soldiers stationed in Shinganshina reported that they saw titans suddenly collapsing out of nowhere, a man in blue slamming into them sometimes. This one was called the Blue Titan Slayer.

The final reports for the Titan Slayer reported that he had engaged the now named Amored Titan. The surviving Garrison Soldiers at the now destroyed interior gate reported that moments before the creature made contact with the wall, they witnessed it grab and throw something from it's nape.

Many assumed that these men were myths, legends made of a dark time.

Until the retrieval plan.

Once again, sightings and reports of these three mythical beings ran through the walls, saving lives and bringing the survivor count from the expected 200, to 25,000.

Still today, five years later, people debate the existence of these figures, some refusing to beleive that these supernatural beings exist, and others desperate to find some sort of hope in the face of the titan threat.

One thing was for certain. Everyone within the walls had heard of the Shinganshina Saviors.

LOCATION: Wall Maria, 104th Cadet Corps.
YEAR: 847

2 Years Later.

John eyed all of his future comrades as they stood in formation.

This was the northern division of the 104th Cadet Corps.

Not long after the famine had struck, John had decided then and there.

He didn't really think of a plan for how to break it down.

He had been thinking about it for a while, and had decided it then and their, blurting it out to everyone while they were having dinner.

Suffice to say, the looks he'd gotten were incredolous, and not everyone was on board with the plan.

Unfortunately, they all realized pretty quickly that they wouldn't be able to stop him.

Deacon and Rex had decided to follow him, feeling that they could help more people with their abilities

Armin had decided to join soon after, and Mikasa was always going to follow Eren into the scouts.

So now, the six troublemakers from Shinganshina were in the 104th Cadet Corps.

Their end goal? The Scouts.

Admittedly, John was a little iffy on some of his would be comrades. There was a rather bright-eyed teen, a big smile of excitement on his freckled face as he stood, waiting for the comandant to show.

Another one, a rather tiny blonde girl, especially compared to him.

Then again, nowadays, everyone was small compared to him.

At ten years old, he was six feet tall.

At 12, he now stood at 6'11.

At an inch away from seven feet, John was a giant, even among adults.

But then again, he'd always been used to is tall height.

He wasn't called Big John Gallagher for nothing.

The blonde girl looked rather fragile, he messy hair sprawled all over her face. Her blue eyes stuck out to him.

She intrigued him. She looked like she'd break within the day, and yet, here she was.

There was another blonde hair blue-eyed girl that caught his gaze, but her ice cold glare was a far cry from the somewhat forced seriousness of the other.

Plus, the big nose and messy blonde hair were quite the distinction,

"ALRIGHT, LISTEN UP YOU PATHETIC MAGGOTS!" A loud voice echoed across the open field, and John had a pretty good idea of who it was. "I AM COMMANDANT KIETH SHADIS AND YOU WILL GROW TO HATE ME!" Right on the money. "THESE NEXT THREE YEARS ARE GONNA BE A WHITE KNUCKLE RIDE THROUGH HELL AND IF I'VE DONE MY JOB, YOU'LL BE WAKING UP IN A COLD SWEAT WITH MEMORIES OF THIS PLACE!"

Already, John could tell that the commandant's voice was gonna take some getting used to.

If he had to guess, he was about to take them through a rite of passage, something that irked John to no end.

He was proven right. And he felt a little bad for his blond friend, as Armin was his first victim.

"YOU, MOP TOP, WHAT'S YOUR NAME?!" The commandant asked, stomping up to the boy with a glare in his eyes.

To his credit, Armin wasn't quivering, but John could imagine that his facial expression was downright terrified. His voice only strengthened that belief.

"Armin Arlert of Shinganshina sir!" Armin replied, a noticeable quiver in his voice as he responded.

"Seriously? Why would your parents curse you with such a dumb name?" The commandant replied rather rudely. John knew it was his job, but still…

"Actually, it was my grandfather sir!" Armin corrected, though Shadis completely ignored the remark.

"Cader Arlert, why have you joined the corps?"

"To fight back against the titans!" The blonde answered his voice cracking as his resolve seemed to break.

"Good! You'll be a nice snack for them! Row 4, about face!" Shadis ordered as he grabbed Armin's head, spinning him around as he spoke.

John's eyes widened. He'd just skipped most of that row.

Was he looking for specific people?

He watched him roam through the next row, looking for people, and his suspicion was confirmed when he stopped on another specific person, and little blond guy with mutton chops, Thomas Wagner.

He could see Deacon right next to the poor guy, and if the grin on his face stayed, chances are Shadis would target his buddy.

And John's hunch was proven right.

"And you, shitstain! Why are grinning like that you idiot?!"

Despite the grilling, Deacon's smile never wavered. John respected his friend for that. He never let anyone intimidate him.

"Well, I suppose it's hard not to find it funny watching a man scream his lungs out." Deacon replied. John rolled his eyes. Deacon was brave, but sometimes he was dumber than a bag of rocks.

"Is that right? What's your name, you little shit?"

"Deacon Ross, sir!"

"Where are you from, Ross?"

"Shinganshina sir!"

"Oh is that right?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "You know Arlert, Ross?"

"Sure do! Smartest guy I know!" Deacon replied, still grinning.

"Compared to you, I'd imagine anyone is smart!" Shadis shouted, his meaning clear as he glared at Deacon. "I want 20 laps around the camp, yesterday!"

"Yes sir commandant!"

John could see the shocked faces of many of their future comrades as Deacon casually accepted punishment, moving to a casual run as he began his laps around the compound.

Well, casual for him. To everyone else it looked like he was sprinting. John could only shake his head as the comandant continued the rite of passage.

"Typical Deacon." John muttered under his breath.

The man continued, and John learned two more names of his future comrades, Mina Carolina and Nack Tierce.

He completely skipped over Eren and Mikasa, though he did stop at Rex.

"You, shortstack, name and reason!"

"Rex Luke, sir! I want to fight back against the titans!" Rex responded with determined vigor.

"Is that right? What do you think a lightweight like you would do against a titan, Luke?" The comandant asked with a raised eyebrow.

Rex didn't miss a beat. "More than some of the cowards in life sir!"

"That's big talk for such a little guy, Luke!" Shadis yelled. "You'll be the first casualty to the titans!"

Then Shadis moved to the next row.

John's row.

His first victim was the freckled boy John had noticed earlier.

"Why the hell are you smiling you idiot?!" Shadis shouted at the boy, who's enthusiasm never wavered.

"I'm Marco Bott, from Jinae, south side of Wall Rose! I'm here to join the Military Police and give life and limb in service to the king!"

John would admit, the fact the boy said that in go and the honesty behind his words immediately gained his respect.

If only the King actually cared.

Shadis was deathly quiet as he leaned in towards the freckled boy. "Is that right? Well, the only use the kind has for your life and limbs are as titan fodder."

The shocked expression on Marco's face spoke volumes as Shadis moved on, practically leaving the boy traumatized.

"And you, why are you here?!" Shadis asked the teen next to Marco, a rather tan haired individual.

John for some reason was reminded of a horse when he looked at his face.

"Jean Kirstien of the Trost District sir!" Jean introduced. "I aim to join the Military Police… and live in the interior."

The next moments pretty much sealed John's fate.

The moment, the exact moment Shadis slammed his skull into Jean's, John lost it.

His lips pinched together as a laugh threatened to escape, though an audible snort still echoed through the place.

And now all attention was on him.

"And you, big guy, what the hell are you laughing at?!" The man shouted as John made some attempt to recover his composure, leaving the teen he'd just headbutted to crumble to the ground in pain.

"Well I don't know about you, but when such a loaded claim is followed by a headbutt from hell, I find it hard not to laugh." He admitted as he stood back to attention, though the grin was still on his face.

Some chuckles rang through everyone present at his words, though they silenced them when Shadis immediately stomped up to John.

"What the hell's your name, you giant shitstain?!" Shadis asked as he now stood in front of John in an effort to intimidate him, though it fell short considering John was almost a full two feet taller than the man.

"Big John Gallagher, from Shinganshina!" John answered, smile still left on his face, small though it was.

"And why in the hell did you decide to fight your own kind, titan?!"

John already knew what his moniker for the rest of the time here would be, and he internally sighed.

"I have a bone to pick with the bastard called the Armored Titan!" John shouted out, loud and proud. "I had a pretty close encounter with that bastard!"

"Giant and low on intelligence? You must be a titan!" Shadis shouted, before moving on.

And then it happened.

A loud crunch echoed through the entire area, and all eyes moved towards a brunett girl, directly behind John.

Who was eating a potato.

John absolutely lost it.

Shadis approached the girl with a determined glare, all the while John was absolutely laughing like a madman, the sheer audacity of the girl eating a potato… during their indoctrination!

"Hey, You! Who the hell do you think you are?!" Shadis screamed, inches from the girl's face.

The girl swallowed a piece of her potato, nonplussed, and answered without fail. "Sasha Braus from Dauper Village, sir!"

"Sasha… what is that in your hand?" Shadis asked, deathly quiet.

"It's a steamed potato, sir!" Sasha answered enthusiastically. "It was in the mess hall, begging to be eaten!"

"Why… I cannot comprehend… why do you choose to eat the potato here?" Shadis was legitimately confused. Of all the places to eat a potato… here?

"Are you asking why people eat potatos, sir?" Sasha asked, completely ignorant to what Shadis was actually asking. "I'm surprised you don't know."

The silence throughout the area would've been deafening, were it not for the sound of John's laughter, which was admittedly spreading among the cadets.

"Okay, Braus… can I see that potato?" Shadis asked.

Sasha looked a little hesitant, but she nodded, setting the patoto in the commandant's hand.

Shadis immediately crushed it.

"YOU CAN EITHER RUN UNTIL YOU DROP OR LOSE ALL MEAL PRIVELEGES FOR THE DAY!" Shadis was absolutely furious as he yelled, pointing towards the edge of the compound. "AND SINCE YOU THINK IT'S SO FUNNY, GALLAGHER, YOU JOIN HER!"

John laughed as he climbed back to his feet from where he'd fallen on the ground in his mirth. "Worth it!" He muttered as he moved to the edge of the compound, the brunette following him quickly out of fear of losing her meal privlileges.

Deacon was already well on his ninth lap, and by the time the two had started, he was finishing it up. "What are you two in for?" He asked, deciding to make conversation as he came up to the two.

John couldn't help but laugh once more. "This once decided it was a good idea to eat a steamed potato during our rite of passage!" He remarked, jerking his thumb in Sasha's direction.

"Hey, it was begging to be eaten!" Sasha defended. "And it wasn't any dumber than laughing like an idiot when you're supposed to show composure."

Deacon couldn't help but chuckle. "She's got you there, Johnny. But I don't know if I completely agree with that logic."

John was still coming down from his amusement. "Worth it."

Deacon looked over at Sasha. "Since I wasn't over there, where are you from?"

Sasha looked over at Deacon. "I'm from Dauper."

"The hunting village?" Deacon asked, eliciting a nod from Sasha. "That actually explains things."

John chuckled. "It does. From what I hear, people from Dauper are notoriously stingy with their food."

Sasha blushed slightly. "I… usually let my stomach control me." She admitted.

John smiled, jerking his thumb over in Deacon's direction. "You should see this one. He clears out the whole damn fridge when he gets hungry. Could probably eat an entire cow." He joked.

Deacon rolled his eyes. "Still not as much as embarrassing as you hogging out on that chicken last year."

"Yeah- HEY!" John cried in indignation. "Screw you man!"

"No thanks, got a girl!" Deacon replied without missing a beat.

"Oh you- come here!" John lunged towards Deacon, who easily dodged him with a laugh as he picked up speed. John growled, but the smile on his face was a far cry from the aggression he seemed to have at the moment as he sped after Deacon, both of them leaving Sasha in the dust.

"Hey, wait up!" Sasha cried, but it was no use.

By now, it was sunset, and John still didn't feel any fatigue. Perks of superhuman strength, he assumed, is that his muscles never got tired.

Sasha, however, had no such advantage.

She was visibly sagging, huffing and puffing hard as she forced herself to keep moving. Despite it being her own fault, John couldn't help but feel a little bad for her.

"You know we could go ahead and get out of this, right?" John asked, raising an eyebrow at the girl. Deacon had long since finished his 20 laps, and now it was just the two of them running around the compound.

Sasha shook her head as she huffed. "He said to run till we dropped or no meal prviliges for today." She responded through her heavy pants.

John shook his head. "The way your going, you won't drop till after mealtime's already over, and I'm not gonna drop for a while." He remarked, raising an eyebrow. "Besides, the commandant never specifically said we had to drop of exhaustion."

"What?" Sasha looked up at him, confused and intrigued.

John couldn't help but chuckle. "Take a tumble. Technically, you've dropped, and you no longer have to run."

"Isn't that cheating?" Sasha asked, a little hesitant.

John shrugged. "Don't we fight the titans by cheating?"

"Touché."

After glancing around and making sure no one was looking, the two looked at each other and nodded.

And then they intentionally allowed themselves to trip.

They slid through the ground, a little dirt ending up on their uniforms, but nonetheless, they'd fulfilled their punishment.

They'd runned around until they dropped.

John chuckled a little as he stood to his feet, glancing at Sasha. "You good?"

The poor girl looked like she didn't want to ever get up, just content to lie and sleep on the ground. "So… tired…"

John chuckled as he reached down, slipping his hands under her armpits and hauling her to her feet. "Alright, get up." He urged. "It's dinner time, and I want to get something in my gullet before bed."

Sasha nodded as she limped towards the mess hall, John choosing to stay by her side. Considering she looked like she was about to collapse at any moment, John figured he'd rather stay next to her than leave her on here own.

"Were you serious?" Sasha suddenly asked, catching John's attention. At his confused gaze, she elaborated. "About killing the Armored Titan."

John nodded. "I was… next to the interior gate when the fucker broke through." He explained, glancing at the girl. "Broke nearly every bone in my body and cut me up real good."

"Wouldn't that be enough reason to want to get away?" Sasha asked, looking at him in confusion.

John shook his head. "I… Let's just say that I don't know how to run from bigger guys who hurt me." His words were rather vague, but Sasha didn't question it. In response to her silence, he turned to look at her. "What about you? I never did here why you joined."

"Oh, I um… I want to join the Military Police, get the best food." She admitted, rubbing her neck in embarrassment. "You probably think that's pretty pathetic, huh?"

John shook his head. "I'm from Shinganshina, Sasha. While I was one of the lucky few to have a home, I still know better than most what it's like to want some good food."

Sasha looked up at John, smiling. "You know, you're not half bad,"

John chuckled. "Neither are you, Potato Girl."

"Hey, that better stick!"

"Oh it's sticking!"

When the two entered the mess hall, a lot of eyes focused on them in surprise.

While Sasha was somewhat nervous from all of the attention, John didn't even seem to care, ignoring the gazes as he made way to get himself some food.

"John?" Rex's voice asked, confused by his presence. "I thought the comandant told you and Potato Girl there to run till you drop."

"Hey!" Sasha shouted in indignation, getting a few chuckles in response.

John grinned as he turned to look at his friend, food in hand. "He did, and we did." He said. At Rex's look of confussion, he elaborated. "He never specified we had to drop from exhaustion."

A few gasps and chuckles rang out as Rex shook his heat with a smile. "Not even here an entire day and you're already finding loopholes."

John laughed. "Yep." He looked around for a spot to sit, and found something that caught his attention.

It was the little blonde girl from the initiation. The one who'd piqued his interest. She was sitting alone, away from everyone else.

John was planning to sit next to his friends, but he could see all of them sitting in seperate spots. Deacon was on the other side of the room, chatting it up with some heavy built blonde guy, and Eren had a crowd of people around him. Even Rex was chatting it up with Thomas and Mina.

But she was all alone.

John turned to look at Rex. "Uh, hey, any idea who she is?" He asked, gesturing to the girl as Sasha walked past him to get her own food.

Rex turned to look at her, and shook his head. "Nope. She was rather kind and polite, but we haven't been introduced yet."

"Hmm…" John looked at the girl for a moment. "I'm gonna talk to her."

Rex chuckled. "Gotta make friends with everyone, right?"

John laughed. "We're gonna be here the next three years. May as well." He said as he move past his friend, leaving him to chat with the blonde boy and the girl with pigtails he'd been talking to before.

Rather than immediately plop down, John walked to the other side of the table, smiling slightly as he sat his food tray down, visibly gaining her attention. "This seat taken?"

The girl looked surprised by his words, the implication behind them unexpected. "Uh, no!" She said. "Not at all!"

John grinned. "Great! Care if I sit down?"

The girl smiled, although his offer was a little unexpected. "Um… sure."

John nodded as he took his seat in front of the girl. "Thanks."

The girl looked at John, smiling kindly. "No problem."

No other words were exchanged for a little while. John ate his food, and the girl ate bits and pieces of hers.

But the time came when John was curious. "What's your name?"

The girl looked surprised by the sudden question. "Excuse me?"

John smiled slightly. "Your name?"

"Oh!" The girl said as he clarified his question. "I'm Christa." She answered somewhat shyly.

John chuckled as he offered his hand. "Big John."

"Big John?" Christa repeated. "From your height?"

John laughed. "Yeah. 6'11, and still growing."

Christa's eyes widened at this bit of info. "Wow… How tall do you think you'll be when your an adult?"

John shrugged. "Not sure. My physician when I was a kid estimated I'd be around eight feet." He remarked. "Though, my growth pattern has never really been steady, I've always been tall for my age."

Christa nodded, looking down at her food. "I've never been tall." She admitted. "I'm only 5'3 right now, and the doctors I've seen have said that the biggest I'll ever get is 5'5."

John chuckled. "Well that's not all bad. Walk around in my shoes and you'll get frustrated real quick knocking your head into shit."

Christa giggled slightly at the image. "Sounds irritating."

"Like you wouldn't believe."

Things went silent between the two for another moment, both unsure of where to take their conversation.

So John started a new one. "So, what regiment you plan on joining?" He asked, curious. He was expecting her to say the MPs, or the Garrison.

"Me? I'm joining the Scouts." She answered, to John's surprise. "I wanna do what I can to help people."

John looked at her with a raised brow. "Huh, I can respect that." He nodded. "Admittedly, my reason is a little more selfish."

"You said you wanted to kill the Armored Titan, right?" Christa asked. She remembered clearly the tall boy who laughed like a maniac during initiation.

John nodded. "Yeah. Bastard fucked me up when he busted the gate, and I guess I don't know how to run away." He leaned back a little as he chuckled. "Ask anyone who knows me, and they'll tell you I hold one helluva grudge."

Christa shook her head. "I can't hold grudges." She admitted. "I just… I can't hate people."

John smiled at Christa. "That's an admirable trait. And honestly, we could use it in this day and age."

Christa smiled. "Thanks."

John gave her a smile as he nodded. "No problem." He looked around the room for a second, where everyone was doing there own thing, before looking back at the blonde in front of him. "So… I gotta ask, why you by yourself?"

Christa blushed. "Well, I don't really know anyone here, and I'm not good at making friends." She admitted, looking down at her tray. "Plus, I was gonna sneak you and that girl some food."

"Really?" John asked with a smirk. "You do realize you would've gotten in a shitload of trouble if you'd been caught."

Christa nodded. "I know, but no one deserves to go to bed exhausted without any food or water."

John shook his head as he smile. "Jesus, you're a fucking saint, ain't you."

Christa shook her head. "No… I just want to help."

John nodded the girl. "Well, here's to your first friend." He offered, raising his cup in a cheer.

She smiled, and raised her own cup. "To my first friend." She said.

John smiled, and the two clinked their cups together as they took a drink.

Suddenly, their attention was pulled towards a commotion in the center of the mess hall. Looking towards the cause, they spotted Eren and Jean standing up, in each other's faces.

John couldn't help but to roll his eyes. "What the hell did you do now, Eren?" He mumbled.

"You know him?" Christa asked, looking at the boy with an angry look on his face.

John nodded. "Yeah. Practically grew up with him, and his mom took me and my little sister in after the fall of Shinganshina." He explained, shaking his head. "He's practically my brother and I do love him, but he let's the littlest shit get to him."

"Is he that bad?" Christa asked, glancing at John.

John couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips at the question. "Christa, I've had to drag his ass away from Scout events so many times because his dumbass decides that hitting a man twice his size over the head with a stick is a good idea."

Christ couldn't help the giggle she let out at the image. "Did you really do that?" She asked, and John nodded.

"Oh yeah." He said, grinning slightly. "He'd pick it up, and wack someone right over the head with it. If it wasn't me dragging his ass off, it was that girl right there." John pointed towards Mikasa as she spoke, watching as said girl watched the entire incident with vigilant eyes.

Christa glanced at the oriental. "Does she know him?"

John nodded. "Yep. She met me and Eren during a… personal event." He admitted, looking back to Christa. "She's followed him around like a puppy ever since."

There conversation was halted by the sound of the bell, signaling that it was time to retire to the barracks.

John looked at Christa, and smiled. "Well, looks like we'll have to talk another time." He said as he stood up, grabbing his tray and gulping down his water. "It was good talking to you,"

Christa smiled as she too stood up, preparing to dispose of her tray. "It's was nice talking to you too." She said, looking up at him. "I enjoyed your company."

John smiled at her words, as he bowed in a comical manner. "Well, I will be sure to grace you with my presence in the future, for I too, enjoyed yours."

As the two disposed of their trays and made their way to their designated barracks, both of them were content and happy that they'd left the mess hall with a new friend.

A/N: And that's the chapter.

So, originally, I was debating on showing the aftermath of the Shinganshina fall, or skipping straight to the cadets, but I figured that the aftermath needed to be shown somewhat, so I decided to split the chapter in two, and focus on both of them.

We finally meet Christa, yay! And John has also made friends with everyone's favorite potato girl!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I encourage you to leave a review, as these last two chapters have my fingers a murdered mess from typing over 16,000 words within one day.

But I wanted to throw in another chapter for those of you who've been waiting for this story to get updated.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed, don't forget to review, and I'll see you all in the next chapter.