Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

A/N: Hey there! Thank you for the new favs, follows, and reviews! I'll try to update sooner, but I make no promises because I'm a busy student! Just as a warning, Levi won't be appearing any time soon. I want to establish Rose's relationship with the cadets first before Levi makes his way in. Hopefully, you guys stick around till then!

Without further ado, please enjoy this update! This chapter has been edited as of July 13, 2019.

Please don't read any chapters that haven't been edited yet, unless you want to end up re-reading again later!

Act I

Chapter II: Practice Makes Perfect

Year 847

"You are now officially part of the training unit number 104. Unfortunately for you, I, Keith Shardis, will be in charge. I'm not here to give you a warm welcome. All of you are merely livestock, waiting to be eaten by Titans. You're even worse than livestock. For the next three years, I'll train you useless shits. I'll teach you how to fight the Titans. When you face a Titan in three years, will you still be just food? Or will you become a glorious wall to protect these walls? Or a might champion of mankind who will destroy the Titans? The choice lies in your hands," yelled the man who was in charge of our training with an intimidating glare.

Even though I was trying to keep my face as emotionless as possible, I couldn't help but think: Way to go for a fearsome and long boring speech, old man.

It was painfully evident that he was trying to scare away all the cadets with his overly aggressive speech. His words sent a ripple-effect down the line of cadets as everyone started to twitch or flinch in fear under his scrutinizing gaze as he marched around the group.

I internally winced as Keith picked on Armin's name for being ridiculously idiotic. Another woman from the city was degraded to a shitty pig, according to his opinion. One poor guy offered his heart the wrong way like a total dunce and was immediately reprimanded and made fun of in front of everyone else.

Although everyone else was scared to the point where their legs started to quiver like a newborn calf, I found the entire situation somewhat amusing and, quite frankly, very cringe-worthy.

Man, this guy's got quite the taste for insults.

The sound of his boots tapping against the dirt brought me out of a trance. I hardened my expression as he turned towards the row I was standing in. It seemed like forever as he slowly made his way down the row, staring at every soldier right in the eye with his daunting eyes. He stopped at a few soldiers, lecturing them and screaming in their face for being too meek.

Keith came to a stop in front of me. I prepared myself for a scolding as I stared right into his burning gaze. Although he was only there in front of me for only a few seconds at most, it felt like an eternity as I stood there still, determined to pass his assessment. I felt his eyes wandering up and down, analyzing the slightest movements that I made.

I didn't budge an inch.

"...Hmph." He clicked his tongue once before he spun around and continued walking down the aisle.

I resisted the urge to sigh in relief knowing that he would, with no doubt, turn back and scold me for showing any signs of relaxation. Mikasa and Eren seemed to pass this so-called test of his. Things seemed to be calm and peaceful for a while...

Until he spotted a girl with brown-haired kept in a ponytail munching on a potato in the middle of our salute. I couldn't help but visibly grimace, sweatdropping at her courageous actions.

What the hell is she even thinking...?

I almost snorted out loud when she happily offered the trainer half of her 'stolen' potato. It was no surprise that she was made to run until she collapsed.

After his speech, we were all made to run laps around the field and immediately engaged in a combatting lesson. We were only allowed to rest after it was almost time for dinner. From my seat next to an open window in the dining hall, I watched silently as the potato-girl dragged her feet around the courtyard, panting from exhaustion and the scorching heat from the sun that was slowly setting.

...Man, I hope I don't get punished like that. That looks tiring as hell.

My golden eyes darted up towards the sky as my crimson red hair fluttered around. Spotting a flock of snow-white doves as they soared up into sky under the crimson sunset, I found myself smiling as I felt the warm air that was blowing lightly through the window sill.

Birds.

I've always been jealous of them. They can fly freely to anywhere in the world without having to subdue to the fear of the monsters that were roaming around the earth, trying to wipe out their kind. They live peacefully in the forests, able to feed their children and loved ones. They have everything. Freedom, happiness, and peacefulness...

And in comparison, we humans lost all of those things to the Titans.

We live in a death-scented world. We live our lives in fear and none of the generations before us had managed to change our situation. Hopefully, all those days of fruitless effort and vain deaths will come to an end with our group.

But then again, I've lived long enough to know that there is no such thing as hope in this cruel world — only us weaklings, striving to our utmost ability to survive.

"Hey, why is Eren letting the others interrogate him like that?" Armin, who was eating his dinner beside me on the same table, asked.

I glanced towards Eren, who was currently being ganged up on by another group of cadets. I shrugged in response. "Eren's always been good at attracting those types of people. He's so hotheaded and confident in himself he doesn't see how that can kind of irk other people and really get on their nerves."

Armin sweatdropped, laughing awkwardly. "For some reason, that sounded like something you personally experienced."

I only gave him a wry smirk. "Well, what do you think?"

"You two are always fighting," Mikasa chuckled, adoration in her eyes as she looked at Eren. "He's always been like that: careless and reckless."

"He's kind of like a beast that acts on instinct," Armin commented, a thoughtful look on his face as he furrowed his brows.

I raised an eyebrow, amused at his choice of words. "For someone who's quite meek and shy, you just made an awfully hurtful comment," I teased.

Armin laughed out loud this time. "Nothing he's not used to by now, I'm sure."

"True." I smiled as I gulped down a glass of water. Placing my glass down, I found myself thinking back to our hellish day. "I wonder if we'll survive till tomorrow. There were a lot of dropouts today."

Armin shrugged in response. "Who knows? Nobody knows. In the end, only time will tell."

"We made it here so far." Mikasa glanced at me as she finished her plate of food. "We can't be giving up now."

"Of course not." I frowned as I fiddled with my spoon. "It's just...I have a feeling I'll be getting punished a lot."

"Huh? Why do you say so?" Armin raised an eyebrow, obviously surprised at my somewhat pessimistic comment.

"Well, my endurance sucks. I've been barely staying alive on the streets. I never had enough nutrition to grow strong bones and muscles." I made my point as I grabbed my own frail and slender arm. "All I have is this baseless arrogance, stubbornness, and probably some amateur-like fighting skills."

Armin sweatdropped. "You're admitting all that about yourself...?"

"But Mikasa has a point," I sighed, cleaning up my plate of food and setting it to the side. "We're already here now, so I might as well fight till the end. Although I have an inkling that the old man won't be happy with what he sees in me for a while."

"You'll be fine. At least you're probably in better shape than I am. I've always been bullied since I was still a child." Armin started to laugh at his own pitifulness, but eventually trailed off into silence. As if realizing my words, he suddenly jolted up in his seat, gaping at me. "W-W-W-Wait, did you just call Mr. Keith an old man?" He stammered, looking like a deer in the headlights.

I blinked, tilting my head to the side in an innocent manner. "Yep. Old man with wrinkles and all. What about it?"

Armin facepalmed, groaning in defeat. "Just now, I think I imagined you being punished every day."

I gave him a foreboding look. "Well then, that makes the two of us."

"You know you'd be screwed if Keith was walking around here, you know that?" Mikasa pointed out, but I could see the amusement in her gray orbs.

"Yeah, my future will be screwed. It's fine. Don't worry too much! Nobody can hear us in this raucous fray of chattering. Besides, they're all focused on Eren and that pink-head over there." I pointed my thumb and jerked my head towards the two who were bickering in the opposite corner of the dining hall.

If I remembered correctly, the pink-haired guy's name was Jean Kirschstein, the guy who told us later that he wanted to join the Military Police and live safely within the walls. He was an 'exemplary' example of the typical cadet.

It was apparent that most of the cadets here hoped to join the Military Police for a chance to live within the deepest parts of the Wall. Those who failed mostly opt for the second best choice: the Stationary Guards. Although they still worked outside of Wall Sina, it was safe to say that unless an emergency were to occur, they would live reasonably peaceful lives.

No one wanted to join the Scouting Legion or what some people call the Survey Corps for a very apparent reason: because it was the most dangerous of the three and nobody wanted to risk their lives for nothing.

*RING RING*

The bell rang, signaling the end of dinner time as the trainees hurried out of the crowded room. I stretched my arms out before picking up the bowl of soup and nudging Armin with my elbow. "Let's go," I said as I walked towards the trashcan and dropped my bowl in with a light 'thud'. He smiled and nodded. "Yeah," he replied as Mikasa followed suit and started heading out the door after Eren.

"Hey, wait up!" Armin shouted as he saw Mikasa disappearing out the doorway. Without waiting for me, he sprinted after her in a frenzy. I could only sigh and shake my head in exasperation at his actions.

Really, that guy can't survive alone without Mikasa or Eren...

I starting walking after them and almost reached the exit, only to bump into someone's back. With a tiny yelp, I stumbled back a few steps, caressing my nose as I felt the numbing pain. Blinking rapidly to dismiss the pain, I glanced up towards the person who I bumped into and internally groaned.

Of all people, it just had to be Jean Kirschtein.

"Sorry, I wasn't looking." I gave a curt bow as I hurriedly treaded past him. I felt his eyes bore into my back as I stepped out of the doorway.

"Hey, you." Jean's voice came from behind me as I immediately halted mid-step, retreated, and poked my head into the dining hall again.

There was one thing that I realized after entering the training area. There was a massive lack of women among the trainees. Aside from Mikasa, I only spotted around ten other females. I remembered the scrutinizing stares that I received as I walked into the dining hall earlier. Their curious gazes only made me feel incredibly self-conscious and vulnerable, though I hid my discomfort by pasting on an apathetic look.

Me being a woman was conspicuous enough. I definitely didn't want to attract any unnecessary attention by engaging in an argument with a cadet.

"Uh...what's up?" His sudden question took me by surprise as I blinked, staring blankly back at him with a face that screamed 'you happened, dick'.

"Nothing much. Why?" I took a step away from the wall and entered the dining hall again, facing him. I craned my neck up high to meet his gaze.

"...Your hair's a pretty color. It's unique," he complimented, breaking the awkward tension in the air.

I blinked, raising an eyebrow. There was a short moment of silence before I found myself breaking into an amused lop-sided grin. "Why, thank you. Was that an attempt at flirting?" I teased him as he immediately flushed red.

"N-No, it just caught my eye. That's all!" He glared at me in embarrassment. "Don't flatter yourself!"

I rolled my eyes, chuckling to myself. "Right right, sure man. We can forget this ever happened if you want to."

"...Thanks," He muttered, clasping his face in defeat. Groaning in humiliation, he sunk to the ground, crouching in front of me. "Sorry, I don't know what came over me. Before I knew it, I already blurted it out."

"Nah, it's all good. I have to say though. I thought you were just an arrogant guy who looked down on others. It's nice to know you know how to apologize properly," I commented, taking pleasure in the offended look he gave me in return.

"Wait, do I really give off that impression? I was just saying what I thought!" Jean protested in an almost child-like manner.

I shrugged. "I don't know, dude. You got on Eren's nerves just now. Your words just seem so taunting, almost like you're insulting other people," I gave him my genuine impression of him.

"...Eren? Is that the guy I was talking to?" Jean blinked.

I cocked my head to the side. "What, you didn't know? That's Eren. He's Mikasa and Armin's childhood friends."

"Mikasa and Armin...?" Jean blinked again, still in a stupified state.

"You know, that blonde kid and the beautiful woman with long black hair and pale gray orbs," I spun my index finger into the air to emphasize my point. "Surely, Mikasa must have caught your eyes at least. She's way more stunning than I am."

"...Oh shit, that woman?!" Jean was now openly gaping.

At that moment, a bald guy came walking past the entrance, whistling some happy-go-lucky tune. Jean blankly wiped his hands onto the guy's back. They jumped in surprise and spun their head around.

"W-What the fuck? The hell did you wipe on me?!" screamed the poor guy as he immediately inspected the back of his shirt in a frenzy.

Jean just stared darkly at him before answering in a monotonic voice. "My faith in humanity."

I couldn't help but double down into a laughing fit, grabbing my stomach as the of them immediately turned their way towards me. "I-I can't. You're quite the interesting character, Jean!"

"Oh, shut up!" Jean scowled before he groaned again for the umpteenth time that night. "I'm starting to regret calling out to you. If only I knew how sarcastic you could be earlier."

"Well, I'm starting to regret thinking that I didn't want you to call out to me," I flashed him a grin. "I thought you were going to pick a fight, but now I know you were just a dork deep inside."

"A d-dork? What the hell?!" Jean glared at me, growling in anger. "Don't you call me that, you— wait, what the hell is your name again?" His anger dissipated into thin air as he suddenly realized how we were practically strangers.

"Rose Scarlet is the name. Nice to meet you, Jean," I introduced myself and held out a hand.

"Oh, okay. Nice to meet you too," Jean replied as he took my hand. Then, he rapidly blinked before he yanked his hand back away from me. "Hold up, don't just make me forget my anger like that!" He sputtered, shooting me another glare. "I'm not done with you yet!"

I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "I didn't do anything. You just went and forgave me on your own."

"I did not!" Jean retorted. "I was just, uh, being absentminded for a second there."

"...Right. So you're admitting to being a forgetful goldfish," I deadpanned.

"Are you two just going to pretend I'm not here, for god sake?" The bald guy suddenly spoke up, crossing his arms as he shot us an intimidating, yet bored glare. "I'm Connie Springer."

"Did you just casually introduce yourself to the man who wiped his faith in humanity on your back?" I raised an amused eyebrow at Connie.

"Wait, why are we even introducing ourselves randomly like this? That's so weird," Jean suddenly commented.

Connie and I gave each other a look before we both turned to Jean and shrugged in harmony. "Says the person who just randomly wiped his faith in humanity on a stranger's back."

"Can we forget about that already...?" Jean sweatdropped, sighing in exasperation.

"If you want to," Connie replied. "Anyway, nice to meet you, folks. I'm going to go rest up for tomorrow now. We have a long day ahead of us, after all." Before Jean could protest, Connie spun on his heels and started jogging off into the distance.

"Fair point." I nodded in agreement before I took a step forward towards the barracks. "See you guys later."

"Huh, wait for me too!" I heard Jean's voice from behind me as I chuckled to myself, shaking my head lightly at his amusing antics.

What a weird guy...

The walk towards my dorm was quiet and peaceful, much to my pleasure. There was some truth to Connie's words. Today had been a long day and tomorrow would only be worse. It was in my best interest to head back and quickly rest up for the long haul.

It only took me five minutes to reach the barracks. I placed my hand on the handle of the door as I prepared myself to head in.

"Hey, you."

I didn't even need to turn around to know what was about to happen. Living my younger days in the streets of Shiganshina honed my abilities to detect trouble or danger. I was indifferent towards things like bullying or being ganged up upon since I've experienced those things throughout my childhood...

But now was not the time for such useless confrontations.

So much for being inconspicuous.

I internally sighed, accepting my fate as I turned around to face the group of cadets.

"First off, the aptitude test!" yelled Keith, our trainer as he glared at all of us. "You worms aren't even good for bait if you fail this! I'll throw you into the landfills if you fail so be prepared, you worthless pieces of shit!"

Armin visibly winced as Eren gulped at Keith's threats. Mikasa raised an eyebrow as she watched the two of them start to panic. I sweatdropped from the sidelines. Although they had so much bravado the day before, now that the training had officially begun, the pressure finally caught up to them.

"You guys okay...?" I found myself asking a rhetorical question.

Eren jolted up, turning his head towards me. "W-Who me? I'm fine. Totally fine!"

I deadpanned in disbelief. "Really? You don't look fine at all to me."

"I-I said I'm fine!" Eren raised his voice slightly, faking a confident pose as he stood with his back up straight, eyes looking forward. Nevertheless, his pupils were shaking as his legs quivered.

"What do I do, what do I do, what do I do, what do I—" Armin started to repeat the same question over and over again in sheer panic.

I sighed, facepalming at their nervousness. What a great start, guys.

"...Shouldn't you be asking yourself that, Rose?" Mikasa suddenly shifted towards me, whispering into my ear.

I blinked, turning my head towards her in feigned indifference. "What do you mean by that?"

Mikasa stared blankly at me. Then, without warning, she slammed her elbow into my ribs. I choked on air, gasping out loud as I quickly clutched my ribs in pain. Hissing in pain and anger, I shot her a furious glare with tears pricking the corners of my eyes. "What the hell was that for, Mikasa?!"

"I knew it. You got hurt last night, didn't you?" Mikasa frowned, shaking her head in disapproval. "I heard your voice from behind the barracks. I had a suspicion that something had happened when you came back so late, but I didn't know it was this of all things." She furrowed her brows in worry as she lightly placed her hand over mine on my ribcage. "Does it hurt badly?"

"...Yes, it does," I sighed in defeat. "But there's nothing I can do right now but try my best. It's not like I can tell Keith that I got beat up for being a woman."

"Why didn't you fight back?" Mikasa cocked her head to the side in an inquiry. "I know you can fight."

"Well, I threw a kick into one of their jaws, but I didn't want to cause a huge commotion. Keith might have kicked us all out for causing a ruckus in the middle of the night and I didn't want to risk that," I gave her my explanation, though I knew it didn't settle well with her, judging by her furious look.

"Tell me later who they are and I'll beat the shit out of them," Mikasa gritted her teeth as she sent out a murderous aura.

"Calm down," I sweatdropped. "This is why I didn't want to tell you guys because I knew you'd definitely cause a huge fight."

"Hey, you brats! Start lining up already." One of the soldiers in charge spat out an order.

Obediently, we all stood in lines as we waited for them to call our names.

"Next, Mikasa Ackermann!" Keith yelled as Mikasa confidently strolled up onto the platform.

"Armin Arlert, get onto the next platform!" Armin flinched as his name was called. He stomped up onto the platform, legs still quivering from anxiety.

Suddenly, the crowd started to murmur. Mikasa had performed splendidly well on the gear — so well that Keith showered her with praise.

It was like a blue-moon level of occurrence that Keith actually smiled, and not to mention, praised someone. The entire cadet group was left gaping in awe at Mikasa, who casually stepped off the platform.

"Next, Rose Scarlet! Get your fuckin' ass up here," Keith screamed, making me internally groan again for the umpteenth time.

Great. It just had to be Keith who's in charge of my test.

I made my way up to the platform, stomach whirling with anxiety. I stood still as the soldiers hooked me up onto the testing gear. A part of me knew that everything would be fine, but that was only under normal circumstances. I had taken a large blow to my hips and back last night. Surely, that would affect my balance mid-air and my performance on this preliminary examination.

Taking in deep breaths to calm myself only had the opposite effect, as I felt the pain in my ribs. I visibly winced, eyes twitching as I glared in annoyance at my own bruised hips.

Although it was only the slightest of movement, Keith caught on to my reaction, eyes twinkling with realization. Without warning, he roughly placed a hand on my waist and pushed hard.

I had to bite my own lips to prevent myself from screaming out loud from the throbbing pain. Keith, however, was hell-bent on making me react as he only pushed harder under the pretense of adjusting my equipment.

But I didn't make a single sound. I was determined to hold my silence until the very end. I wasn't going to cave in. Such a flimsy bruise wasn't going to break my resolution. I've endured much worse on the streets of Shiganshina.

"...Hmph. You may live to regret this false bravado of yours," Keith harshly spat out in a hushed voice.

I stared defiantly back at him with a burning gaze. "Anything's better than being sent to the landfills."

Silence ensued, the tension between the two of us growing thicker with every passing second. Before we knew it, the crowd broke into an array of confusion, wondering why my examination had not started yet.

Noticing the delay, Keith clicked his tongue once before he hollered to the soldier behind me. "Raise the gear up!"

I clenched my fists tightly as my fingernails scraped my own skin. A small trail of blood trickled down from my palms as I felt myself rise up into the air. The harness stretched itself against my waist, rubbing my bruise.

I could feel the piercing pain in my bones as I felt the air being choked out of me.

But even then, I kept my cool and ignored the pain to the best of my abilities.

If I failed here, I'd be sent to the landfills and lose my chance to change my life forever.

If I turn back, only my hellish days, abandoned in the streets await me. I won't go back there. I'll never go back there!

I repeated to myself as I slowly spread my arms and legs out, balancing myself. My heart was beating rapidly as the sweat trickled down my face. The pain was just a reminder that the examination was not over yet. It didn't prevent me from performing my best as I defied all odds and stabilized mid-air.

The wind softly blew around my figure, causing me to wobble imperceptibly, but it was nothing obvious to the crowd. "...That's enough. Put her down." Keith's demanding voice came ringing inside my ears as I felt the tension being released around my body.

It felt like a century while I waited for the soldiers to take off the equipment around me. I was panting for air with my hands behind my back and spine up straight, waiting for my evaluation.

"...Pass," Keith finally uttered with a mysterious expression on his face. He quickly scanned me from head to toe before he placed a hand on my shoulder, gripping me tightly. "Now get your ass off to the medical tent. I expect more from you next time around. If you fail me, I'll ship you off to the nearest landfill."

I felt a wave of relief rush through me as I nodded and gave him a curt bow. "Yes sir," I saluted before I quickly made my way down the stairs, ignoring the curious stares as I ran off towards the infirmary.

"Do you understand, Eren? There's no need to do anything fancy. Just don't lean forward or backward and gently put your weight on your hips and waist harnesses," explained Mikasa to Eren as he stiffly nodded in response.

"If you relax, you can do it. Even I could do it, so you should be able to!" cheered Armin on from the sidelines.

"Uh, right," Eren muttered, flashing a shaky smile as Armin slowly lifted Eren's body off the ground.

Eren Jaeger felt unbearably uneasy. To the current him, being a soldier meant everything. Landfills? Screw that. He was going to save humanity. He was going to fight for freedom. He was going to kill them all. He had no time to be wasting, failing a stupid test like this.

He couldn't save his mother, father, and his own home. He was left stranded in the world, alone and helpless. If he couldn't even fight for his own life, then what was the point of being alive?

As much as Eren often spoke words of bravery, deep inside, he knew he had not healed completely yet from the Shiganshina incident. His obsession-like hatred for the Titans only stemmed from his own insecurity and guilt.

He knew that being a soldier was his only chance at redemption — a chance to forgive himself and escape from the haunting past.

But what was he supposed to do when nothing ever seemed to go his way?

Eren's thoughts only spiraled downwards with pessimism after being reminded again of his incompetence.

You can't do it. You're just a frail, young, boy. A failure, who couldn't even save his own family from their wrath.

*CRASH*

Mikasa and Armin watched in horror as gravity pulled Eren forward. With a loud thud, Eren tumbled down to the ground, slamming his head against the ground. His black orbs slid upwards as he immediately seemed to lose consciousness at the impact.

"Eren!" Mikasa frantically made her way towards Eren, who was lying on the ground. She carefully examined the damage down to Eren's head, before abruptly spinning her head towards Armin with a panicked expression. "Armin, help me carry Eren off to the medical area!"

"O-Okay," Armin scrambled down to Eren and pulled Eren towards him.

Eren hung limply between Armin and Mikasa as they dragged him off towards the medical tent.

His head was swirling from the blunt force trauma, but there was only a single thought echoing in his mind.

Not yet...It's not over...I can do it...I can't...give...up...

"Still, who would've thought he'd be that bad at using the 3D gear?" Connie stifled a snicker as he remembered Eren's form, hanging upside down on the training site like a dead animal.

"Hah! Serves that asshole right," Jean openly mocked Eren with a smirk plastered on his face. "What was it that he said? He's going to kill all the Titans? At this rate, he can't even kill a fucking ant!"

Laughter filled the air as they both guffawed loudly while clutching their stomach. Eren Jaeger's failure had become a hot topic among the cadets. The man who said he was going to kill all the Titans couldn't even lift himself off properly from the maneuver gear.

What a failure.

"Guys..." Berthold shook his head in disapproval. "Did you really have to joke about it? He seemed really dejected."

"Berthold, there's no point in worrying about him. He can take care of himself," Reiner said as he shot Berthold a knowing look.

"I know, I know...just...you know, that passion of his." Berthold gazed up to the sky with a dark frown, as if he was reminiscing about something painful. "We all had that energy and spunk before."

"...You're not wrong." Reiner had a passive look, his tone as bored as it always was, but there was an indecipherable emotion in his words. "To be honest, I liked the look in his eyes."

"The look in his eyes? Are you serious—" Jean started with an open leer, before he suddenly paused, freezing mid-step. He spun his head around to meet Reiner, eyes widening. "Wait, do you actually swing that way? Holy shit, man. Do I need to protect my own ass—"

Jean never got to finish his sentence as Reiner slammed his knee into Jean's stomach, causing Jean to choke on thin air, doubling over down to the ground in pain. He gasped for air as he weakly lifted his head to stare up at Reiner.

Reiner stood in front of Jean, cracking his knuckles with a grin that screamed 'danger'. "Sorry, I didn't really hear that clearly. Mind saying it again?"

Jean laughed awkwardly as he rapidly shook his head. "N-Nothing. I didn't say anything! Haha...haha..ha..."

Connie facepalmed at the stupidity. "You definitely deserved that, you idiot."

"Uh, Reiner? Maybe you should've held back a little." Berthold sweatdropped as he watched Jean wriggle around on the ground in an attempt to stand up.

Reiner scoffed, shooting Jean a dirty glare. "He can stay lying there for all I care."

"I wholeheartedly agree to that statement." A new voice entered into the conversation, catching their attention.

"Fuck, this bruise isn't going to heal any time soon," I winced, rubbing my sides in an attempt to soothe the pain.

The cadet in charge of the medical tent wrapped my torso with bandages and gave me herbs to use as a remedy for the swelling. It was only a quick examination, but they told me to not overexert myself if I wanted to heal faster.

Too bad that advice was impossible to follow in my situation. Keith had no sympathy for weaklings who couldn't even deal with a little beating.

I rounded the corner to the dining hall for a late night meal when I heard the sound of chattering.

"He's going to kill all the Titans? At this rate, he can't even kill a fucking ant!" Jean's boisterous voice echoed through the air.

I felt my eyes twitch at his offensive remark. I secretly cheered Reiner on as he slammed his knee into Jean's stomach.

"He can stay lying there for all I care," Reiner scoffed loudly for everyone to hear.

"I wholeheartedly agree to that statement," I blurted out, walking out of the shadows.

"Oh, hey, Rose!" Connie waved as he immediately recognized me. "What's up?"

I shrugged nonchalantly. "Nothing much. Just coming over for a late dinner."

"Oh yeah, now that you mention it, I saw you heading over towards the medical tent earlier. Are you okay?" A cadet whose name was Bertholdt kindly asked, eyes wrinkled with genuine concern.

"I'm fine, thanks for worrying." I flashed him a warm smile. "It's nothing too bad."

"How the hell did you get hurt anyway? Didn't you perform perfectly well on the test?" Jean stood up back on his feet, brushing the dirt off with his hands as he questioned me.

"Oh, uh, I got hurt before the test," I awkwardly rubbed the back of my head.

"What? How? Did you fall off the bed or something?" Connie blinked in confusion.

"No, it wasn't something that stupid," I grimaced at Connie's guess.

"...Wait, you're the one from yesterday, aren't you?" Reiner's words caught my attention.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "What? Have we met before? I only know your name from the roster of trainees."

"Nah, we haven't formally met but I did see you yesterday behind the barracks," Reiner explained.

I flinched, groaning as I hid my face behind my palms. "God, so you saw that."

"I wanted to intervene, but Keith was actually roaming around outside our dorms," Reiner frowned. "Couldn't bring myself to go out after curfew."

"It's fine, no worries," I sighed, crossing my arms. "These things happen all the time."

"Wait, what are you guys talking about?" Jean butted into the conversation.

"Yeah, don't just leave us out of it," Connie whined.

"Oh, I got beat up by a few cadets last night behind the girl's barrack," I confessed bluntly.

"...HUHHHH?!" Jean and Connie shouted in unison, mouth gaping wide, eyes bulging at the news. "How the fuck did that happen?!"

I shrugged again. "I don't know. Maybe they just had a thing for bullying newcomers, especially girls."

"You didn't fight back?" Bertholdt blinked.

"Nah. As Reiner said, I knew Keith was patrolling. That's why I let them beat me for a bit. I didn't want to cause a loud commotion. Besides, they gave up soon enough after they heard Keith's footsteps," I told them about yesterday's event.

"Man, sounds like you had a shitty day," Jean grimaced at the thought.

"Wait, so that means you passed the test with an injury?" Connie gasped at the realization.

"I gritted my teeth and just went with it," I started. "Keith caught on to my injuries, though. He then sent me off to the infirmary afterward."

"Damn, I barely passed even without an injury," Jean glared at me. "Don't you dare steal my spot in the top ten. I need to get into the Military Police."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I know. You want to be all safe within the walls." I waved a hand, brushing his comment off.

"What's wrong with that? Everyone wants to be safe. Only a suicidal maniac like Eren would want to join the Survey Corps," Jean scoffed.

"True. Life within the walls would be a luxury like none other." I imagined myself living in Wall Sina as a soldier, being well-fed and being provided shelter. Then, I gave a pained, strained smile. "But that's not really a place for me."

"Why?" Reiner asked. From the sidelines, Bertholdt was also intently listening to me, eyes shining with something akin to understand for some unknown reason.

"I can't imagine living like that," I honestly confessed. "I...want to feel like I'm alive. That I made the choice to live."

"What? If you want to live, then you'd normally go for the inner walls. What you're saying is contradictory," Jean had a confused expression on his face.

I smiled lightly. "I guess it's something only those who know will understand."

"...I think I understand what you're trying to say." Reiner had on a distant look as if he was fixated on something far away beyond our reach. "Sometimes, it's not enough to just live, right? You need a purpose to live. And if you've only lived to survive, when you're suddenly given a guaranteed way to stay alive, you're actually left with nothing."

"We don't live because we want to. We live because we have to," I found myself saying. I tilted my head up to meet Reiner's darkening gaze. "I'm surprised that you understood exactly what I wanted to say."

"...Yeah, me too." Reiner let loose a dry laugh, eyes somewhat blank and absentminded. "It's nice to know someone understands our pain."

"...This conversation is so fucking deep I don't get anything at all," Connie deadpanned, looking at us with a dubious gaze. "You guys are all so pessimistic you're making the air harder to breathe around here." He waved his hands around in the air to make his point.

Jean simply sighed, shaking his head. "I really don't know what the hell is going on inside your heads. All we need to do is just live."

"You're right," I muttered. "Maybe being alive was enough."

*RING RING*

"Guys, I think that's the curfew bell," Bertholdt immediately brought up.

Jean clicked his tongue once before he turned back to us. "Guess it's fine we all go now. See you losers later!"

"Hurry up and grab bread or something. Don't be late or else Keith's going to blow your head off," Reiner lightly placed a hand on my shoulder before he walked off, waving.

Bertholdt only gave a curt bow before he excused himself after Reiner.

I watched them all leave as I felt a smile creeping up onto my face.

Who would've thought I'd make this many friends?

"Are you ready, Eren Jaeger?" Keith stared hard at Eren who was already positioned at the platform. Eren gazed back at the man with determination.

"Yes, sir!" yelled Eren. Keith continued to stare at Eren for a moment before he motioned for the soldiers to turn the lever. The soldier nodded in understanding and turned the lever. I watched as Eren's body slowly left the ground into the air as he hovered.

Although the cadets lapsed in silence, a slightly tensed air was permeating among the group. There was a black fog of anxiety that caped around Mikasa and Armin as they watched with anticipation.

Eren gritted his teeth before he suddenly spread his hands out on both sides of him, successfully balancing himself. The crowd erupted into a loud cheer as they congratulated Eren for his improvement. For a moment, Eren felt relieved, seeing how his muscles relaxed...

And then he flipped over again, falling head first down to the ground.

The crowd froze as an awkward silence filled the air. Eren visibly shook in fear, hands shaking as sweat rolled down his features. He started muttering random responses that I could not hear from my position in the middle of the crowd.

I clenched my fists, biting my lips in anxiety. Is it really over for him...?

"...Hey Wagner. Lend Jaeger your equipment," Keith barked out an order.

"Wait, what's happening?" Armin whispered, eyes frantically scanning the crowd. "Is he giving Eren a second chance?"

"I don't know. We can only wait to find out," Mikasa responded in a seemingly calm voice, but the tension in her shoulders gave her distress away.

"I think he'll be fine," I found myself spouting as soon as I saw Keith inspect Eren's equipment. "It looks like there was something wrong with Eren's gear."

True to my suspicions, Eren perfectly hovered into the air with his Wagner's set of gear. Unlike before, he was incredibly stable as he slightly shifted his position on the training machine.

"Holy shit, so that guy managed to get up straight with faulty equipment?!" A random cadet next to me harshly whispered out.

"That guy's amazing!" Another cadet cheered.

"...Tch." Jean clicked his tongue once in annoyance at the attention Eren was getting.

Bertholdt and Reiner just simply nodded with a fatherly smile as they proudly looked at Eren's perfect form.

"Eren Jaeger. You pass," Keith announced as Eren cheered, along with the crowd. I smiled at him with pride as his gaze turned towards Mikasa, Armin, and I.

It's time for humanity's comeback.