Chapter 13: It's Begun

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I guess last chapter wasn't the most popular, aha! But that's alright. I know it's taken a while to get to this point and everyone's been itching for some plot progression.

So, let's do this!

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The horses brayed as they stood in formation before the gate that would lead them within Wall Maria. Their noises traveled to the ears of the ever-silent and jittery scouts, all of whom were practically trembling as they climbed atop the saddles. It was time to depart on the 57th expedition. And for many, it was like willingly stepping into hell right after barely making it out the first time. Who would have thought their hell would have bright blue skies?

"Are you ready?" Kagome looked over at Eren, who was positioned on one side of her with Petra on the other.

"Yeah." His green eyes narrowed into the distance with an intense determination, "I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna plug up Wall Maria."

The gate would be opening soon, and as all the soldiers tried to steady their quaking, there were two small children that watched from a window with awe and fascination. Eren noticed them first, the way their mouths hung open and eyes sparkled as though they were witnessing a miracle. The brown-haired boy was stunned to see how they gaped at him, feeling somewhat heroic as well as feeling the tinge of nostalgia. It was all so familiar.

"Do you see the emblem they wear?" One child piped up, turning to the other, "They call it the Wings of Freedom."

The other child gasped as if that was the most profound thing she had ever heard, "Wow... I wanna be like them when I grow up!"

And Eren's face suddenly softened, a gentle smile appearing as all the muscles in his body relaxed. He had made it this far after so long, about to ride off and take on the Titans like he had always wanted, a realization that made his bones feel light and airy.

"Those kids are you, aren't they?" Kagome muttered to him, watching him as he gazed at the children. He blinked before turning to her as if he had just gotten caught doing something he shouldn't have been, a pink glow flashing on his cheeks.

"Oh, uh..." He stuttered for a bit, "I mean, yeah... I guess they are. I used to watch the Scout Regiment leave on expeditions, too."

"Look at you now." She smirked, "You're actually here. Maybe you'll inspire some of those kids to fight, too."

Eren was about to respond, his eyes practically glistening with his own excitement and passion, but he was stopped at the loud rumbling that captured everyone's attention, all eyes now looking ahead. The gate was opening. It was time. Even the children looked off into the seemingly innocent terrain beyond Wall Rose, eyeing the grass and trees, the greenery that appeared to be so safe. But everyone knew better. Everyone knew what lurked in the distance somewhere, roaming about.

"Advance!" Commander Erwin's voice boomed, and as it did, the expedition had officially begun. He headed forward on his horse, not having to look to back to know that his scouts were following swiftly behind. The sound of hooves hitting the ground drowned out the civilians' farewells, and soon, the gate was out of sight. Everyone began to spread out into their assigned groups in the formation. And Kagome rode on with the Special Operation's Squad as planned, the group finding their spot in the center-rear, where it was safest.

That's right. Even though we're the strongest squad, Erwin put us in the most protected area in the formation for Eren's sake. He's considered precious cargo right now since we need him to plug Wall Maria. Kagome thought to herself, We were also told not to tell anyone else about our place in the formation. I've been wondering if Erwin is concerned that someone within the scouts may want Eren dead; maybe a rogue soldier who doesn't trust his Titan abilities. That's gotta be why everything has been so secretive, right?

She was sure she wouldn't get a confirmation on that until after the expedition was completed. But it wasn't worth dwelling on anyways. All there was to do was get Eren to that hole in the wall no matter what. Kagome clutched her reins tightly as her expression morphed with her own determination, leaning forward on her horse as it galloped ahead.

She had been so focused, that time itself seemed to blend together as they rode onwards. Had it been a few minutes, or an hour? She wasn't sure, and she didn't care. Everyone was silent and constantly analyzing the terrain, and she, too, just wanted to be in this present moment at all times, ever aware and alert.

C'mon, Kagome. Stay focused for this team's survival. Because all it took was one sneaky Titan to make it through to them, and everything they worked for would be at risk.

As they continued on, not a word from anyone, a red signal flare suddenly burst into the sky from the right. Kagome watched as everyone briefly looked in the direction, but quickly returned their gaze ahead once more. In an event of a typical Titan sighting, scouts were told to fire a red signal flare. Once the information reached Erwin in the front, he would fire a green signal flare in the direction he wanted the formation to move in to avoid contact with the Titan. That was the strategy of this scouting formation, to avoid engaging with Titans in order to limit casualties.

But even as the red signal flare slowly dissipated, no green signal was to be seen.

Was the formation in disarray? The black-haired woman didn't know. But she hoped everyone was okay. What's Erwin thinking? Has he not seen the signal?

Though, it wasn't much later that a black smoke signal was shot into the air, also coming from the right. And everyone now watched with wide eyes as it flew up towards the clouds. No one needed to be told what it meant; there was an abnormal disrupting the formation. Somewhere out there, scouts were facing an unpredictable threat.

And it was likely that somewhere out there, scouts were dying.

Don't think about that now. Don't. Just focus. Kagome looked forward, gritting her teeth as she fought the urge to break from her position and check out the threat herself. There were lives at stake, even if they were considered more disposable than Eren's. But I have to stay where I'm ordered. Those lives are important, but if Eren gets killed, then all of their deaths would be for nothing...

Her gaze narrowed, but she stayed put.

But another black smoke signal shot up soon after, this time from closer within the formation

That abnormal must be causing some real problems. It made it past the rear guard and everything... Kagome chewed the inside of her cheek anxiously, still anticipating some sort of sign that the commander was aware of the happenings. The minutes following both signals were filled with tension and waiting, and she looked around nervously at her team to see if she could gauge what their reaction was.

But it appeared that everyone was looking ahead at the calm captain, collected even if it were just for the time being.

That's right. If Levi isn't panicking, I shouldn't either. And yet, even as she forced her muscles to relax under her skin, she couldn't help but worry.

"The 104th cadet corps... they're over there. Where the flare came from..." Eren muttered in a low, steady voice as if he was answering a question no one asked. She pondered that, despite his undisturbed demeanor, if he had a worry running far too deep within him to even show on the surface right now.

Maybe she wasn't the only one currently losing it.

"I know." She whispered back, taking in a deep puff of air. The adrenaline, she needed that adrenaline. No, she needed anything to happen to halt her trembling bones. Her friends, the people she trained with, many of them were off in that direction as part of the relay teams. Armin, Connie, Sasha... Everyone.

Are they dead?

"Look!" Petra called out, pointing to a series of green smoke signals popping up in the distance. It was like an answering of her deepest prayers now. Erwin must have found out about the threat back there, and now it was time to change course to avoid it any further.

Levi shot out his own green flare as well, then leaned into the new direction before turning his head to check on his squad. It was quick, his firm stare catching everyone but lingering on Kagome for just a millisecond longer. She latched on, as well, her own gaze grazing over him as it glistened with her own anxiety. He must have read it, too, because she felt her determination push forward before he looked back ahead, as if he just gave her a pep talk with his eyes.

Which was surprising considering pep talks weren't his strong suit.

But she felt her mind ease back on track, her focus expanding until it enveloped her thoughts and all that ran through her mind was the mission. Whatever was happening over there was happening. Worrying about it wouldn't do anything but stall her own reflexes and cloud her judgement.

Levi has been here a dozen times and seen plenty of soldiers go down. But he still manages to put on a brave face and take on new expeditions. She leaned forward, What will it say about me if I can't even stay calm during my second time against Titans? If he can, I can. She took a deep breath.

The Special Operations Squad came upon a forest, one with trees that loomed far higher above than any ones the former priestess had seen. Kagome anticipated the captain leading them around it, clenching her reigns and seeing Eren doing the same. It would be impossible to detect any Titans from afar in there, which would defeat the entire purpose of the scouting formation. But even so, she was shocked when Levi didn't make any moves to avoid it, leading everyone onto the path and entering without a single word.

"C-Captain... What's going on?" Eren piped up, eyes wide in an obvious panic now, "We won't be able to spot Titans until they're right on us! Something's coming from the right, isn't it? What are we supposed to do?"

"Quit your damn whining and look around, Eren... At all these big ass trees." Levi responded with an even tone, not looking back, "It's the perfect environment for our ODM gear. And if you don't want to die, try thinking with that tiny brain of yours next time."

That shut him up, Eren just nodding his head. And for a second, both him and Kagome felt a wave of calm from the captain's reassurance. It would be easy to evade Titan attacks in this forest; all they had to do was latch the gear's grapple hooks onto the bark. And if needed, they could rest on the tall branches out of reach.

But wait... Kagome scanned the expressions of her other squad members, from Petra and Oluo's to Gunther and Eld's. Each of them seemed strained, jaws clenched with brows lifted and worry lines decorating their foreheads. And trembling; they were each trembling even if just slightly. Perhaps, even as pros, they still got jitters during every mission.

Or maybe they, also, were in the dark about what was going on. And if they didn't know... Did Levi? Was he just forcing his composure?

Suddenly, any confidence she may have for those few seconds dissipated within her, just in time for another black smoke signal to erupt. Only now, it had been launched from right behind them. Another group was in the forest, too, engaging whatever abnormal had managed to make it this far deep into the formation. Another group fighting. And if the abnormal had come this far, it begged the question of how many soldiers had been destroyed in its wake. And suddenly, Kagome realized that this couldn't be just an average abnormal. It must have been what Commander Erwin was preparing for.

Maybe a human with Titan powers like Eren! She bit her lip tentatively.

"Blades drawn, now." The captain instructed, pulling his own out in preparation, "It'll happen in a blink of an eye."

Sweat began to build on her brows as she clutched the handle of her blades, concerned building up as the sound of her own fast-beating heart pounded in her ears. This was what this mission was really about. She knew it now. Erwin planned to lead them in here from the start to eliminate this new threat. And it was finally time for her own skills to be put to good use.

While her horse kept going forward, she focused her gaze behind her, searching for whatever it was in the trees. She couldn't see it, yet, but she knew it was somewhere close. And in those moments of suspense, she finally felt that adrenaline kick in like it was just metaphorically injected into her veins right when it counted.

And then it arrived.

At first, all she saw was another scout flying in the air with his gear. His back was facing them as he just stared out with his blades in his fists. And then he was dead, knocked down by a large, skinless hand. Kagome didn't even have time to process the corpse as it fell before her focus was consumed by an icy, blue gaze... and a sinister grin.

That... That Titan...? The woman gawked, collecting slowly every bit of its appearance in pieces. It had exposed muscle tissue under its eyes and along its arms, as well as parts of its torso and legs, pinkish and red. Blonde hair fell to its shoulders, strands falling over its menacingly eager face. Like Eren, it was noticeably strong, muscles defined all over its body unlike most average Titans. It had to be a human, it just had to be.

But the most odd feature it bore was it's very feminine form, from its breasts to its curves. It was a woman, or so it appeared.

"Captain! It's gaining on us!" Eld shouted as the Female Titan sprinted with impressive speed, "Should we switch to our ODM gear?"

Though Levi gave no answer, even as its shadow fell over everyone like an unwanted blanket.

"Captain! Please give us some orders!" Petra called out next, "That's why we're here, right? This is why we came into the forest, isn't it?"

But once again, the black-haired man only gave out his silence.

"I'll kill it." Oluo grunted, looking back, "She won't get away from us. Right, Captain? Let us end this now. We can do it! We can slice her down!" The entire squad seemed to be in agreement, all wanting to engage the Female Titan here and now, but they were all suspended by the captain's unresponsiveness. They wouldn't make a move until he ordered them to. But it began to feel like the last few grains of sand in the hourglass were about to fall to the bottom. They would be doomed if they continued to ignore it.

"Oi, everyone." Levi finally grunted, pulling what looked like a flare gun out, "Shut up and cover your ears."

Kagome was consumed with confusion, though, as she watched him raise the gun into the air, his finger steady on the trigger for just a moment. And then he pulled.

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Was this a good chapter? I'm not sure. I obviously wrote it from the viewpoint of the SO squad, so we don't get to see Armin, Jean and Reiner with the Female Titan. I just figured why rewrite scenes from the anime if most of you readers have seen it? I wouldn't have changed anything since this is really about inserting Kagome specifically. But it's mostly just buildup here. Kinda boring, I know.
But the good stuff is coming, right?

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I was actually thinking about writing some drabbles about the past month before the 57th expedition (Kagome's time with the SO squad). It'd just be cute little one-shots.
What do you all think?

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Don't forget to write a review! I really do appreciate them.