Chapter 2: When We Meet

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Now that we know where Kagome fits into this story, let's fast forward a bit.

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Also, don't forget to review. I really love them :)

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Kagome still couldn't believe what had happened. She stood next to Rico Brzenska, an elite squad leader within the Garrison Regiment, and watched with hopeful eyes that this crazy plan might just work.

Earlier today, a day before everyone was to depart to their selected regiments, the Colossal Titan reappeared and kicked yet another hole in Wall Rose before disappearing. The result was the deaths of many civilians and soldiers as we were ordered to evacuate the Trost District, the area affected by the catastrophe. She thought back to how plain disturbing the whole situation had been. Soldiers who had never even seen a Titan had to spring into action and fend off many to protect the citizens. And we ended up losing so many... Struggling to get supplies when our gas depleted and out blades had dulled.

She bit her lip, still reliving the past several hours of agony and shock, not knowing if she should be traumatized or enthused by what had happened, It was then wasn't it... After Mikasa had made her speech about taking out the Titans alone. After we all thought Eren had died... That suddenly appeared a Titan who fought off the other Titans and saved us all.

She paused in thought.

But it was really Eren. He had turned into a Titan... Was it the manifestation of his desire to free humanity? Had he become the tool for our freedom? He had always been so desperately devoted to the cause... Why else would it be him of all people? The woman hadn't even realized that she had drew blood from her bottom lip, tasting the metallic flavor before quickly licking the wound and closing her mouth.

But even after his display of heroics as a Titan, everyone was so paranoid that... The captain of the Elites in the Garrison Regiment, Kitz Weilman, wanted to execute him on the spot. She recalled hearing Armin shortly discuss the trial that had taken place. It was Commander Pyxis that gave him a chance... And now... Eren must pick up a giant boulder and plug up the hole in the wall in his Titan form.

Kagome peeked over to see Mikasa, the worried expression on her face could be seen like a thin veil covering her usual serious expression. It was there, as her eyes glazed over while looking down to Eren. They were all standing on a building, while Eren prepared to transform on the ground. It wouldn't be long.

"This better work..." She heard Rico mumble, the woman's platinum blonde hair swaying slightly over her shoulders in the light breeze. It was clear that this squad leader had close to no faith in Eren, or at least whatever faith she did have was overshadowed by the immense concern for her comrades. It was, to be fair, a dangerous mission. The Trost District was still crawling with Titans that all desperately wanted a taste of human flesh. Kagome winced at the thought of being bit in half, but shrugged it off, feeling as though she had risen above being afraid of death. She was a soldier now, wasn't she? No longer existed the clumsy little priestess from the Feudal Era. She had evolved.

It was then that a flash of what appeared to be lightening crashed through the sky, and in its place was Eren Jaeger's Titan form. The former priestess cocked a brow as she examined him closely. It was odd how little it looked like Eren, while also looking like Eren in a weird sense. It had longer, scruffier hair and ears like an elf with a pointed nose. But it's eyes, something about them reminded Kagome of her fellow comrade.

That was, until something suddenly overtook the Titan, malice now swirling in his orbs.

Eren's Titan swirled his head to look at Mikasa, who had been standing near the edge of the building. At first, she remained calm, watching her adoptive brother carefully. It had looked to Kagome as though the girl had been trying to talk to the Titan, perhaps talking him through the plan once more.

But no one expected that Eren's Titan form would take a swipe at Mikasa. Kagome's jaw dropped, but she felt a wave of relief when her comrade had successfully dodged the attack, jumping backwards. Still, even though Mikasa remained unscathed, it seemed unclear what Eren's true motive was.

"Damn... I knew there could be no good Titans. He's just another one of them." Rico grumbled as she prepared to fire a smoke signal to let everyone know that the mission had failed. However, she stopped at the demand of Mikasa, who used her omni-directional mobility gear to latch on to the Titan's face. She reeled herself in until one foot balanced in its nose.

"Eren! Don't you remember me?" Mikasa cried out, her features now twisted with desperation, "I'm Mikasa! I'm your family! You must block the hole with this boulder!"

However, there was no sign that the Titan understood. "The operation has failed." Rico murmured, "It was obvious from the start that there was no secret weapon." With that, she swiftly grabbed the smoke signal and fired it up into the sky, a red line now reaching up to the heavens. There was no mistaking that the Commander, who rested on Wall Rose to draw Titans away from Eren, saw the scarlet failure.

The other two elites ran towards Mikasa, Ian and Mitabi. Kagome ran alongside them as well, her eyes still glued to the display in front of her. She could feel her heart ready to beat right out of her chest, and each exhale felt like the hope she had being blown right out of her.

"Eren, you're human!" Mikasa continued to plead, "You have to-"

That was when the former priestess saw the Titans fist clench, shaking by his side. He's gonna go for her again! She waved her hand in the air.

"Mikasa! Dodge it!" She yelled out, grabbing her comrade's attention. Mikasa looked down, eyes widening as she watched the Titan's fist swing up to take a hit at her again. Without another thought, the short-haired woman used the ODM gear's grapple to get dodge the attack and land beside the rest of the group on the building. Eren's Titan form crashed to the ground after its own fist smashed against its face, hitting so hard that all that could be seen was the smoke of a Titan's healing where his features should have been. It had successfully knocked itself out.

"Ian!" Mitabi shouted, "Call for us to retreat!"

"Yeah, we have no choice but to leave him there." Rico sighed, glancing down at the passed out giant, though no surprise could seen across her face. It was just the solemn look of disappointment.

Of course, all three immediately felt the threatening stare of the number one ranked cadet, her Grey eyes piercing through all three of the Garrison's elites. Kagome looked back and forth between the Mikasa and the rest, suddenly feeling unsure of her place in this. She had been brought with them because of her skill level and success rate earlier in the day. But now, she suddenly felt as though leaving Eren here would make her a failure, no matter how many Titans she successfully slaughtered. She trusted him. She could feel it in her gut that he was important, and that he wanted nothing more than to see the destruction of Titans. It was unfathomable to her to go about leaving him behind at this time, like the clock on this mission hadn't stopped yet ticking. And from the expression on Mikasa's face, it was clear she wasn't planning on going anywhere either.

"Are we really gonna let this be a failure?" Kagome couldn't contain herself as she called out to the three, still arguing about what to do now. Rico and Mitabi are trusting Ian with the next decision... And he doesn't look too sure about retreating right now. Maybe I can convince him. "Dozens of soldiers have died already. How can we let those deaths be in vain? We have to believe that Eren will come around." She held stern in her stance, shoulders upright and head held proud as if she hadn't a single doubt in the world about what she was saying. And if she did, it was buried far beneath the hope of victory.

"Kagome..." Mikasa looked at her admirably, but noticed the scowl on Rico's face.

"Do your best to remember who's in charge, cadet." She threatened, but Kagome only met her words with an icy stare, one that bore her confidence even in the face of her superiors. I'm not backing down right now. I'm not even from this world for anyone to think I obey some military hierarchy over what I truly believe. Especially not from someone who already made up her mind about Eren before the mission even began. I'm a time-traveler for crying out loud. She held the glare, wondering if maybe she was doing it as well as Sesshomaru used to, though she doubted it. But it was enough for Rico to look away for a moment and back to Ian instead of saying anything further.

Ian paused, clearly thinking about her words as if they had hit upside the head. His brows furrowed together as he glanced over at Kagome, then out at his surrounding. However, his caught a glimpse of something nearing them, one that cut out all time for an elaborate plan and left him only with his instincts to take control, like a wheel that steered itself.

"Rico... There's a 12 meter coming from behind. Take it out. Mitabi's squad and I will take out the two coming from the front." He spoke assertively, shocking his fellow elites, "We have to preserve Eren." He took a deep breath, knowing that there was no sure way to know how this would end, but it was the never-ending thoughts of the 'what-ifs' that would drown him if he didn't take this risk which pushed him over.

"What?" Rico could barely contain her disbelief, "You don't expect me to protect that thing do you?" She turned her back to him, "We should retreat back to the wall."

Mikasa clutched her blades, watching in disgust as both Rico and Mitabi began walking away, their bodies devoid of any semblance of faith in Eren. Kagome peered over at her comrade, seeing the anger that built up inside of her like a volcano ready to explode. The rage had replaced where her control should have been. Mikasa took one shaky step forward towards the two who were abandoning the seen, but the former priestess rushed in front of her like a shield.

"I'm not very conventional..." Kagome started, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder, "And I'm not leaving Eren here no matter who orders it. If it comes down to it, we'll protect him together." She had said quietly enough that the elites hadn't heard, though Ian took a peek at the two women and seemed to understand where their loyalties rested in this situation. He nodded at them briefly before taking a deep breath and facing Rico and Mitabi again.

"I make the decisions around here." He aggressively reminded them, "Do your best to remember who's in charge. Eren is irreplaceable, so protect him." He repeated Rico's words from earlier, then turned towards another target Titan, a 9-meter coming from the front. But before he went off, he took one more look at the lot of them, "And that's an order." It was a tone that secured the dominance, with a bit poisonous threat lingering in the syllables in case they considered disobeying.

With that, he jumped off the building and used his gear to head towards the Titans. Sighing, Rico shook her head and placed her hand on her forehead as though to numb the pain of a headache that this whole ordeal had bestowed upon her. But she was a fighter. So, she shook off whatever personal gut feelings she had, and faced the two cadets.

"Ackerman, Higurashi... You two better be as skilled as they say." The elite nodded to them, though her disdain was still present, "Because if I'm made to fight, I wanna show these giants just how fearsome humans can be." And with that, she ran off towards the 12-meter. Mitabi also nodded at the women before going after Ian to help, a new determination flashing in his eyes. The two women left turned to look back at Eren, who was still just lying against the giant boulder, passed out from his own punch. His face hadn't fully healed, and his limbs were lifeless as they drooped down.

"I'll go fight." Kagome asserted, clenching her jaw for a moment, "You try and wake him up. Talk some sense into him. I'm sure he'll come around." He has to...

Mikasa nodded, giving Eren's Titan a soft look, "Thank you, Higurashi..." With that she jumped to the ground.

Alright, Kagome... Time to do this. You are a soldier. You are a soldier. These are like mindless demons. She thought to herself, spotting another Titan making its way towards Eren, Inuyasha, Sango and Miroku... They would never hesitate. I have all the skills. I am Kagome Higurashi.

She leaped into action, using her grapple to travel between the nearby homes and buildings with little issue. As she approached the target, she grappled into its shoulder and reeled herself in. Though, the Titan's eyes quickly became animated as she neared it, widening like two moons on its dimwitted face. It reached its hand to grab her, its large fingers almost brushing against Kagome's small frame like the claws of death closing in. But she just eyed it as it neared, then quickly pulled out her blades and sliced through its fingers, the blood pouring out and splashing onto her. How disgusting... She scrunched her nose as she felt the drops of hot liquid trailing down her face. The Titan held its position for a bit but quickly tried to grab Kagome with its other hand. It swiped towards her once more, but she retracted the grappled on its shoulder, her body still shooting through the air and past its head. At just the right angle, right as she reached a good distance from it's back, she grappled onto the back of its neck, hoisting herself well above it using her gear's gas mechanism, and then reeled herself in fast. She readied her blades, her gaze hard at the target, and swung, cutting a chunk of its flesh from the nape.

The Titan collapsed down, defeated, it's body starting to evaporate into the atmosphere until it was no more. The blood on her person also disappeared much to pleasure. How many is that in total today? I'm starting to lose count. She snickered to herself, smirking for a moment. She grappled onto a nearby building and got on top to survey the area.

There's a lot more coming than I anticipated... Why aren't they at the walls? She remembered that a lot of cadets and soldiers were ordered to gather along the walls to attract Titans away from Eren. The large population would surely keep them distracted, at least that's what hat everyone thought. But now it almost seemed as though they were being drawn to him in his form. Kagome continued to look around until she noticed Armin landing on Eren, greeting Mikasa. She watched as they exchanged a few words before Mikasa left, presumably to go fight the Titans. Armin knows Eren pretty well, too. Maybe he can get through to him quicker...

Kagome peered around again, focused on the task at hand, and found another Titan to target. It was a smaller one, about 4-meters, speeding towards Eren and Armin. Well, guess I'm out for more Titan blood.

She used her gear once more, her speed reaching impressive lengths as she hooked herself onto the Titan and reeled herself in faster than it could react, cutting straight through the nape and watching the chunks of flesh fall below before latching onto another building. And it fell to the ground just like the last had, disappearing into nothing. Kagome, satisfied with herself, continued to survey her surroundings. Her mind remained devoid of any thoughts or feelings as she went, nothing floating around her head to distract her. All she knew right now was determination and supreme concentration. She saw several of the elites taking down Titans with precision, and a few other soldiers were fighting against some as well, though they seemed able to handle it.

"Higurashi? Was that two in a row?" Ian called out as he flew by, catching her attentionas he soared, "I'm impressed. Go fly around and see if any other Titans are making their way over here. You know what to do if you find some." He grinned, "Good work, soldier."

Kagome felt pride swell inside of her at the compliment. While she was already aware of her capabilities, she just could never help but to get flustered when someone noticed her. She was being truly recognized as an asset, not for some weird God-given ability like sensing jewel shards, but for skills she worked hard to nurture. And dammit, she sure did a good job. If only I had these skills back in the Feudal Era... No one would ever have had to come rescue me. She shrugged off the thought. While she hated being made to feel like a burden, having Inuyasha show concern when she was in danger was one of the only times she could really see how much he had cared for her.

I shouldn't be thinking about this... She sighed, I shouldn't be thinking at all. I gotta keep myself moving. Peoples lives are at stake. At the thought of death staining the day any more than it had, she cleared her head once more, like wiping the contents of a chalkboard. It was already a bloody day, with corpses scattered around like messy decorations in some twisted Titan gathering. And cries for help filled the air the way that water fills a cup until it was overflowing. Too much death. No time to stand around.

Kagome used her ODM gear to traverse through Trost again, killing a few more Titans that seemed to be heading towards Eren. It was slice after slice. Getting them at the ankles, then striking them in the nape and watching how their bodies disappear as if they never existed. The way it should be. And she loved the way it felt to glide through the air with her gear, and loved how powerful she felt slicing the Titans down. It was sadistic in a way, but also, it was a warm feeling to know that there was one less Titan around to devour some poor soldier. It's not like I like killing... It's just satisfying to defeat an enemy. Like some superhero. She smirked and kept it moving, landing on a building to replace her blades and check around for more of the giant suckers.

However, her attention was drawn to a loud roar that came from where Eren was, one that shook the skies. "Huh? Could that be..." She trailed off and instead started making her way back to check out what could be the cause. And as she looked, it appeared that several other soldiers had the same idea, their bodies flying towards the source. They swooped to a nearby rooftop close enough to see Eren carrying the large boulder atop his shoulder. He roared once more, though it felt more like a success cry, the sound of triumph. Kagome noticed the gasps of disbelief and the whispers of astonishment and she wondered how many of the soldiers thought they were just being sacrificed to a useless cause. But that's not it... Eren will make every soldier's death up to this point meaningful.

"All soldiers are to protect Eren!" She heard Ian shout, everyone noting the vast amount of Titans now completely attracted to Eren. Hoards were making their way as if they somehow understood what Eren was doing in his Titan form. It was almost terrifying enough to overshadow the hope everyone was feeling at the moment. Almost.

Kagome sprung into action immediately. If Eren is gonna give meaning to all these deaths, I'm gonna make sure I'm one of the soldiers who helps him.

One by one, Kagome sliced down any nearby Titans, earning impressed looks from all the other soldiers.

"That's it, Higurashi!" She looked to see Jean Kirschstein and a few others from the 104th cadet corps cheering her on before attacking some nearby Titans as well. She blushed but kept it moving, giving a smile and a nod before heading on to the next.

"Who is that girl?"

"Wow, that's like five Titans in a row!"

"Now that's a killer. She's in full on beast mode!"

The chatter continued, but Kagome couldn't stop. Every time she looked down and saw a corpse of someone who risked their lives to the cause, she felt that much more determined to defeat all these giants around her, humanoid or not. And that desperation to succeed only multiplied when she saw the deaths of Ian and Mitabi. It was a sting on her heart, even if she hadn't really known them. They were too far for me to get to in time... But I... I can't mourn them right now. I have to help make their deaths mean something! And she continued to slice through the flesh of the enemy like it was all she was born to do. She even shocked herself with how steady and focused she was. It wasn't until Eren slammed the boulder into the hole in the wall that she settled on the nearest rooftop, staring at their success as if she almost didn't know how to handle it.

He... He did it. Her lips stayed parted as she drew in a deep breath, the world feeling so still as though the moment was being immortalized.

Close by, she saw Rico standing, her eyes glazed over with mixed emotion. The Garrison elite mumbled to herself, "They didn't all die in vain..." And at that, she shot up a yellow smoke signal, one that told of the victory humanity just grabbed onto.

It was time to retreat at last. Soldiers began rushing up the wall to the safety they all craved.

"But where's..." She looked around to find Armin and Mikasa still with Eren's Titan form. As she narrowed her gaze, she saw Eren's human body still partially attached to the nape. Mikasa rushed to pull him, and Rico leaped down to cut him loose.

"We have climb up the walls before we get eaten." The platinum blonde woman asserted, though Eren was struggling a bit. It was then that they noticed two Titans making their way. Armin went to support his friend, but it didn't look too good, even with Mikasa around. There wasn't much time to react, the hungry eyes adamant on making the small group their next snack.

"As if I'd let anything happen to them, now." Kagome gripped her blades and rushed out to attack one, swooping to get a good angle to latch onto. But she noticed something moving close by. Another soldier? I thought most of them left for safety by now. Whoever it was, though, seemed to be heading quickly to the opposite Titan at full speed, too quick for her to gauge who exactly it was. They're going even faster than Mikasa...

Suddenly, as she neared the other Titan, she saw the strange soldier slice straight through the nape with insane agility and speed. That's when an odd thought shot through her brain, If this soldier thinks they're gonna kill two Titans before I even get to one, they got another thing coming. My goal is to surpass Mikasa. And this is the perfect opportunity to practice. The mystery soldier quickly changed direction to get to the Titan Kagome was after, but she quickly sped up, not even understanding how it was she still had control at that fast of a pace. It felt like she was going at the speed of light, and everything around her was a blur. But she focused on the nape, reeling herself in for the kill, a big grin slapped across her face as she got close.

"C'mon." She pushed herself, hoping to beat her unknown competition. And when her blades cut through the flesh successfully, she felt her heart pound with pride. Wow... Whoever that was really motivated me. I didn't even know I was capable of that. She landed heroically atop the defeated Titan and took a deep breath before turning to see who had gotten the other Titan. But as she turned and looked around, she didn't see anyone in front of her besides Eren, Mikasa, Armin and Rico. And they all were looking up at her with wide eyes and mouths agape. She cocked a brow, wondering why they all seemed starstruck. She was their friend after all. Were they really that surprised that she had been capable of that?

"Hey, everyone alright? What are you all looking at?" She called to them, tucking her blades back into her gear.

But Eren just pointed in her direction, "That emblem..."

"Huh?" She focused her stare at where he was pointing and quickly realized everyone had been looking behind her this whole time. Instinctively, she turned around to see a man standing behind her, an unreadable expression plastered on his face.

"Do you make a habit of turning Titan killing into a game, cadet." He spoke smoothly, his voice low and deep. His gray eyes watched her, the icy stare sending chills down her back.

That guy is giving me some Sesshomaru-type stare. Kagome gulped, but quickly composed herself, getting ready to give a response that she hoped was just as smooth. I've been glared at enough by that big, scary dog-demon to be able to handle a human stare...

But before she could say anything, she heard another voice call out, "LEVII! Don't like being beaten by a new recruit?" The sing-song tone was definitely meant to tease the man behind her, and Kagome found the source standing on a nearby rooftop. It was a woman with goggles and brown hair up in a messy ponytail. As the woman spoke, Kagome remembered something that caused her eyes to widen.

Levi... As in Captain Levi... As in Humanity's Greatest Soldier? Suddenly feeling like she was going to get in a lot of trouble for competing with Levi, she turned around once more to try and figure out what she should do next.

"Shut it, shitty four-eyes." He huffed before looking back at Kagome, still expressionless, "Well, cadet?"

"You're Captain Levi..." Was all Kagome could say. The legends of what that man was capable of hadn't escaped her throughout her years of training. There was supposed to be no one as good at him when it came to fighting Titans. She wasn't even sure if she should apologize or just bow down. But then she stopped. Wait a minute. Did I just beat the best soldier ever for a Titan kill? Suddenly a wave of confident fell over her. She was good.

"Very observant, little brat." He bit sarcastically, "But for your own sake, I suggest you stay out of my way. Get outta here, cadet. And take the rest of them with you."

"Huh?" She looked back at the others, who were still shocked. Then back at him. He had pitch black hair, styled with an undercut and a middle part. He was short for a man. Taller than she was, but only by few inches. And he stood with an aura that reeked of intimidation, like he could end someone's life just by looking at them. He was attractive, despite the dullness of his demeanor, though it wasn't something Kagome wanted to dwell on given the situation right now. C'mon Kagome. Don't say something that'll get you in trouble...

"Well alright then." She licked her lips, "I'll be sure to get some more Titans on the way out. Make it easy for you, Captain." She mentally cursed herself immediately after for the way she drawled out his title.

His brow twitched, though he maintained his hardened disposition. "An ego doesn't look too good on some shitty cadet." He turned, "I should have you kill all these Titans by yourself. What's your name?" Though it was a question, he spoke like it was a demand.

"Kagome Higurashi." She said as cooly as she could. It was clear to her now that the Scout Regiment had been called to help finish off the remaining Titans so the others could retreat.

"Shitty kid it is." Levi grumbled, "Like I said, get out of here. That's an order."

Kagome contemplated sticking around to let him know that he technically wasn't her commander at the moment, but figured she might get in enough trouble later for arguably having an attitude with Levi, especially since she planned on joining the Scout Regiment. Besides, she did have some semblance of respect for the man from all the stories she had heard about him and his heroics. Even if he was a bit of a sore loser. This time, Kagome just nodded in response, taking one final glance up at the woman on the roof, who seemed amused at the whole display.

When she dropped off the Titan and next to the others, she just shrugged, "Let's get outta here."

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Alright, I know it's not the best chapter, but i hope no one expected their initial meeting to go well. This is Levi we're talking about. Still, the stunt Kagome pulled will definitely put her on his radar so they'll be seeing each other very, very soon.

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Review! I need the support to keep going! Also, PM me if you'd like!