You froze.

And then you felt the burst of air and the sickening feeling of the ground sliding beneath your feet until it was no longer there at all. You watched the edge of the wall slip away from you as you fell. Something small and hard ricocheted off your forehead. A broken stone.

You remembered thinking how strange it was to see the sky from that angle, your feet above you, loose, wild hair obscuring your vision. There was a dull pain from your temple, but you hardly noticed it.

It was almost surreal. The blue of the sky was stunning. It looked like the perfect weather for a picnic. What a silly idea. Unfitting.

A voice jolted you from your musings.

"[Name]!" Eren nearly screamed, arms outstretched as if he might actually be able to reach you from twenty feet away, while activating his 3DMG and shooting towards you.

That was when you remembered.

You were a soldier. You were trained for this.

You quickly activated the ODM, firing both anchors into the stone of the wall. Your bones groaned as the wires yanked you to a sudden halt, tugging harshly at the straps wrapped around your waist. You saw the others do the same - all but one.

"Samuel's falling!" Connie shouted.

"I got him!" Sasha replied, releasing her anchors and pivoting, running vertically down the wall at an insane pace.

"What the hell are you doing?" you screamed.

Once she had gained substantial ground on the falling body, Sasha stopped, bracing herself with her boots on the stone. She fired one of her anchors into the top of the wall, halting her rapid descent, and then fired the other with astounding accuracy - straight through Samuel's calf. He stopped falling with a sickening crack as the bone in his leg broke.

Sasha gritted her teeth anxiously, sweat dripping from her forehead. "Don't move, Samuel!" she called. You were unsure if he heard her. He appeared unconscious.

You were stuck in strange place between horror and admiration for your friend, but there were other, vastly more important things to worry about. You turned to Eren, chest heaving.

He hung beside you, and quickly reached out to hold your injured head gingerly in his hands. You vaguely noticed the blood dripping down over your eye. He turned you from left to right, assessing the injury.

"I'm fine, Eren," you said sharply, unfathomably annoyed by his concern.

He nodded, eyes dark. "Stay alive," he said. "Just... stay safe."

"Same to you," you said seriously, trying to communicate everything you couldn't say in that one sentence.

Eren blinked, nodding again, before bolting into action within the breadth of a second. He propelled up the wall, shouting, "Mounted Cannon Squad Four! Take out the Colossal Titan! This is our chance! Don't let it slip away!"

Connie seemed to finally realize what was actually going on, mouth falling open in horror, and Sasha was slowly making her way down to Samuel's prone form, trying not to jolt him for fear that he would come loose. Thomas and Mina just seemed to be in shock. No one was reacting. Eren was already gone.

It struck you then that you were still hanging there, too, jaw just as slack as the others.

The wall shuddered beneath your boots abruptly, and one of your anchors broke free with a volley of falling pebbles, knocking you down a few feet as you swung unevenly on a single wire. The rumbling stopped almost as soon as it started, but it left you with a horrible, constricting feeling deep in your chest.

"What the hell was that?" yelled Thomas shakily.

"I don't know," Mina replied, nerves tinting her voice.

That was when you heard it. The awful, gut-wrenching sound of hundreds of boulders falling to the ground beneath your feet. Like a single entity, the five of you still dangling on the wall looked downwards.

The Wall was breached.

Trost was being showered in boulders, crushed beneath their weight.

The District was going to fall.

Your heart leapt into your throat.

Finally, it all kicked in. "Soldiers!" you barked. "We have a job to do!"

Using your remaining anchor, you flew up the wall, landing nimbly on your feet atop it only to be met with thick, hot, overwhelming steam.

"Shit," you swore, coughing, already sweating through your uniform in the thick, gray air. You held an arm up to attempt and shield your eyes from the steam. "Eren!"

You heard him land beside you, breathing heavily. "He's gone!" he growled, livid. "Just like last time. I almost had him, and then he was just gone. In an instant!"

Your brows furrowed as the steam cleared in a short moment. Eren was right. Where the massive face stood not a minute ago was only the seemingly endless view of the interior of the fallen Wall Maria, littered with the telltale hulking masses that were the titans.

And they were all headed this way, towards the breach in the Wall.

"No," you gasped.

Eren swore, fuming. "I'm sorry. I couldn't kill him."

You looked at him with a mixture of sadness, panic, and anger. "Don't. You did more than any of us."

"Wallow on your own time," Connie yelled angrily, landing heavily beside you with the others. "In case you hadn't noticed, there's a breach. We have to act now! If they start pouring in, that's it!"

If they start pouring in...? you thought, horrified. What happens then?

You know what happens then.

"Look alive!" yelled an unfamiliar voice behind you. "Operation Colossal Titan Response is in effect. I expect you to take part!" He was a Garrison soldier, perched on the edge of the wall, blades drawn. "Report to HQ. If you got close to the damn thing, we need details."

"Sir!" the six of you, freshly graduated soldiers, each shouted with a salute and wide eyes.

"We pray the advance team is victorious!" added Connie, hand fisted proudly over his heart.

The Garrison solider turned, nodding, and dove over the edge of the wall, activating his gear, and then was gone.

Eren turned to face his frightened comrades, severity painting his every feature.

"It's on. Let's go."

Once you reached the bottom of the Wall and sent Samuel off with a medic to receive aid and evac, you noticed that defenses had already been raised. Trenches had been prepared beforehand, in case of emergency, and barricades stood proud, ready to defend their city. You knew next to nothing about the last attack as you had been below ground and a hundred miles away at the time, but this at least was apparent - this time around, the soldiers of the Walls were ready.

You ran alongside your brothers- and sisters-in-arms, among the throng of people evacuating the district, dragging everything from children to satchels of provisions along behind them. A little girl clutched a doll as if her life depended upon it in one hand, and tightly grasped the hand of what you presumed was her mother in the other. Tears of fear and confusion streamed down her cheeks. You felt overwhelming pity for the Trost citizens - they were faced with losing the only home they'd ever known to hulking, man-eating monsters.

When not five minutes ago you'd been filled with only overwhelming dread, now you felt a purpose that burned as bright as what you'd been seeing in Eren's eyes for three years. You didn't understand how he felt exactly, not yet; but you were getting closer to that understanding.

Yes, these people face losing everything, you thought. But they will not. Not if I can help it, you thought fiercely.

You looked around you at the other former trainees. You were surprised to see that all of them - Eren, Sasha, Connie, Mina, and Thomas - held back most of the fear on their faces. Instead, they all held a look of intense, unbreakable determination and walked with similar purpose to your own, to Eren's own. There was a little fear, of course, but they were unhindered. You were proud of them.

We've trained for this. We're ready.

I've always wanted to help people. This isn't what I had in mind, but now's the time. I won't let them down.

It didn't take long for the six of you to make it to the military HQ in Trost. And there was no way you could have gotten lost - you needed only to follow the people in uniform. Dozens, even hundreds of soldiers ran by you, or flew overhead with ODM gear.

"There's a lot of them," Mina said. "But where are the Scouts? They're the ones who are really equipped to deal with this. Are we gonna do this alone? How can we?"

You noticed that she sounded more than a little afraid, but kept a straight face. You gripped her shoulder reassuringly. "Yes," you said. "We really are. And we're all going to get through this. I promise."

Mina smiled weakly at you then looked ahead again. "Yeah. We will," she said, more resolutely.

You all finally made it inside the inner courtyard of HQ where the soldiers of the 104th were gathering to receive their assignments. You were hoping that, for some reason, it would be Shadis issuing the orders. Unfortunately, the same Garrison soldier from before was looking over the group and reviewing a clipboard, calling out names. "Middle Guard, Sector Four, Private Marco Bodt, commanding Squadron 19, Privates Kirschtein, Kefka - Cadets! Go inside for a debriefing! Consult with Captain Dietrich."

You snapped a hard salute, passing your comrades and entering through the heavy wooden door that lead inside. You easily picked out the sandy-haired commanding officer, barking orders to a few younger Garrison troops. His fox-like eyes shifted to your group as you entered the building. You looked at Mina beside you. She returned your gaze.

You took a deep breath. "Let's get this over with."

Captain Ian Dietrich was disappointed that most of you had next to no information to offer him on the Colossal Titan, as you had all been blown off the wall immediately after catching only a glimpse of him. You explained about Samuel and the steam and the Wall shaking as it was breached, but very little in your story seemed to interest him. He cared only about the Colossal Titan, and the only one with any real info was Eren, as he had gotten much closer to it than anyone else. He stayed behind to consult with the Captain while you and the others were dismissed.

You were shortly after assigned to Squadron 34 under Eren Jaeger, consisting of yourself and Privates Mina Carolina, Armin Arlert, Millius Zermusky, Nack Tius, and Thomas Wagner. Middle Guard, Sector Two. While you were terrified of being so close to the breach, you were glad to have your friends with you. It was better to know that you would be fighting alongside people you knew rather than strangers or mere acquaintances. You knew each others' styles. To be honest, even just knowing each other made it easier.

After all fifty squads were assigned, you were dismissed to equip yourselves. You had one hour.

All the cadets darted around the supply depot, hurriedly trying to stock themselves as much as possible before everyone was dispatched to their sections while a Garrison soldier gave everyone a hasty pep talk.

"Out of the frying pan and into the fire, cadets! Time to put your training to work! I have faith that each of you will be a credit to your regiment!"

Then you were all finally left to your own preparations. There were whispers that the first titans had gotten to the Wall, but there was no word on how the front-line defense team was holding up.

You were afraid to find out.

You rotated in place, searching for your friends and your squad. You saw Franz and Hannah talking quietly in a corner before she threw herself into his arms and he held her tightly. Your heart went out to them. They were assigned to separate squads, if you remembered correctly.

Nack and Millius sat silently along the wall near the armory doors. You knew they had been friends for far longer than they'd been soldiers. What could you possibly say to someone in a situation like that?

There were countless other examples of the people who you were proud to call your comrades preparing for the fight, both physically and mentally, around you. Your heart was breaking. You prayed that all would make it to tomorrow alive.

But in reality, you knew that was a fool's hope. Many would die; perhaps even you. Your stomach clenched. You just wanted to appreciate being together one last time while you still could.

Finally, you found Eren, Mikasa, and Armin over by the gas tanks. Armin was on his knees, tank shaking heavily in his hands as he repeatedly tried and failed to hook it into his gear. It looked like Eren was trying to comfort him. You walked over.

"That huge boulder was our best bet, but we couldn't figure out how to hoist it in place!" Armin was shouting. "Unless we seal the breach, the entire city's as good as dead!" You noticed several other cadets looking over to where Armin was having a meltdown with a nervous look on their faces. His words were getting to them. "How long do you think before they take Wall Rose? Seriously, how long? Think about it: if the mood strikes them, they could wipe out the human race in an afternoon!"

"Armin!" Eren shouted, grabbing the genius' arm and steadily guiding his hand to attach the tank. Armin quit fidgeting and glanced at his friend. "Listen to me. You're focused on the past. Look ahead! We're not going to be the victims anymore."

There was silence as you finally reached Mikasa. She turned to look at you, but her eyes... they were filled with an unusual sadness.

Armin spoke up. "I'm sorry. I... I'm okay."

You stood behind them as an awkward silence fell over the four of you. You were afraid, more than afraid; but they knew what was coming. They knew better than anyone, and they were terrified, and that was something you would only understand if you came out of this fight alive. And there were no guarantees of that.

Eren noticed you were standing there and a look of worry fell on his features. "You doing okay?" he asked.

You nodded weakly, forcing a smile on your face. "I'm okay. Been better."

"We'll get through this," he reassured, standing straight and walking over to you. "We will."

"You don't need to convince me, squad leader," you teased lightly.

Eren smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes like usual. "With you on my squad, there's no way I could fail," he replied, squeezing your arm briefly. You both fell silent.

Armin and Mikasa chose then to go off and grab additional 3DMG oil for the four of you.

The quiet stretched on. Eren's eyes burned furiously behind his calm facade (even if the facade was only for your benefit anyway), but you knew it wasn't directed at you. It was probably eating away at him that the things he had sworn to kill were destroying the city less than a mile away. You weren't sure what to say, but you didn't need to worry for long.

"How are you really doing?" he asked softly, coming closer. "Don't put up a front. Talk to me."

You exhaled shakily, looking at your feet. "I'm scared, Eren. We've been working for this for years, but... I don't know. I'm just so scared," you whispered hoarsely, looking up at him. "I can't help thinking about all the people who aren't going to make it. Not just soldiers, civilians too. Wondering who they are. Maybe that makes me a coward, I don't know. "

"Of course not," Eren said. "Being scared doesn't make you a coward. The only time you can be brave is when you're scared," he said. "And we're all scared. Even me. But I will get us through this, [Name], no matter what. We will save Wall Rose and you will live to see tomorrow, I promise. At any cost." He fell silent and a sad look came over him. "[Name]," Eren continued, but you cut him off before he could continue.

"If you're going to try to give me the 'if I don't come back' speech, I will punch you in your face," you threatened.

Eren surprised you then and laughed, touching the recent cut in his eyebrow. "Fine. And thanks for the warning, I'm not looking forward to being punched by you again any time soon," he said with a chuckle. "Although I'm sure it'll happen eventually."

"An idiot like you, it's inevitable," you teased. "Just don't talk like that. Ever. If you die, I will never forgive you," you warned, eyebrows knitting together.

"I wasn't planning on it," he assured you fiercely, and then grinned wickedly, an idea striking him. "How about this: when we both come back alive from this, you'll kiss me again. Like you did this morning," he said with a smirk.

You were still unused to this thing the two of you had, and you were as afraid of it as you were of the titans outside, but damn if you didn't want it.

You glowered at him before wrapping your arms around his waist. "I could just kiss you now," you offered nonchalantly, before giving him a shy smile.

"As enticing as that idea is, let's just leave it as extra motivation for me to keep my ass out of a titan maw," he said.

Your eyes widened in indignation. "Fuck that," you barked, looking up at him angrily. His eyes widened in surprise at your outburst. "It might be the last chance we -"

"If I can't give you the 'if I don't come back' speech, you can't finish that sentence."

You stopped talking and rolled your eyes. "...Fine."

"I need to believe that we'll have other chances, [Name]," he explained, pulling you closer and hugging you tightly. You linked your arms around his shoulders, burying your face in the crook of his neck. "Promise?" he whispered lowly in your ear.

You turned your head and quickly kissed just under his ear before he could pull away. "It's kind of out of character for you to exercise restraint in, well, anything," you remarked with a snicker. "But it's a deal."

As with all good things, the moment didn't last, and at the moment the doors to the supply depot slammed against the walls as they opened, revealing a panicked Garrison soldier.

"They've breached the Wall! The advance team is wiped out! All squadrons report to the courtyard!"

You pulled away and looked at Eren with panic in your eyes.

His eyes melded back into orbs filled with green fire and purpose.

"Your mission is a very simple one! Defend the wall until the evacuation is done! Now, be aware, all of you, that desertion is punishable by execution! If it comes to it, lay down your lives! DISMISSED!" Captain Woerman shouted at the rows upon rows of soldiers, both cadets and Garrison alike.

"SIR!" the crowd shouted back, voices tinged with fear.

You decided you liked the other soldier's hasty pep talk better. This one just made you feel sick to your stomach.

It seemed others had the same idea. A fellow cadet in the 104th, Daz, knelt down nearby and began to vomit on the stone. Christa quickly dropped to her knees beside him and began rubbing his back, soothing him.

You were watching him in disgust when you heard someone come up behind you and softly clear their throat. You turned around to find Mikasa, with that same look of sadness as earlier.

"Mikasa," you said, surprised. "Is everything okay?"

Mikasa looked at you worriedly. "I need to speak with you."

You were a little surprised, but nodded. "Of course. What about?"

Mikasa was silent, looking down. "He can be... reckless," she began. "Eren. He'd throw his life away in a second without even thinking about it because he lets his emotions rule him."

You smiled wanly. "If you're here to ask me to keep him safe, you needn't. I won't let anything happen to him, especially not because of his own dumb mistake."

Mikasa shook her head. "I'm not here to ask that."

Your raised your eyebrows. "Oh?"

"I'm here to ask you to keep yourself safe."

You were confused. "Really? But I figured you'd be worried about Eren..."

"Don't get me wrong, I am worried about Eren because I care about Eren. I'm also worried about you because I care about you. I'm worried about Armin. But I'm extra worried about you because of Eren," she clarified, more flustered than you'd ever seen her. "I'm with the Rear Guard, so I can't be there to help you if things go wrong, and if I spoke to him, he'd only be angry. But if he loses you... I don't want to think about it. So, please... be careful."

"Mikasa..." you whispered, eyes burning, pulling her into a hug. She stiffened. "...I will. Thank you. Be safe."

She relaxed and her arms tightened around you. "You, too. For all our sakes."

She parted from you and gave you a sad smile, turning to walk towards Armin. After she had left, you continued searching the courtyard.

Jean was nearly having a panic attack a ways away, talking very quickly to Marco while Marco struggled to calm him. Jean wouldn't have any of it. He turned on his heel and started marching in the other direction.

You saw Eren and Jean collide, and then Jean turned and began unloading his fury on Eren rather than Marco. You couldn't make out much of what was being said, but you started towards them nonetheless to diffuse the situation. It wouldn't be the first time you'd been the one to do so.

"You're loving this, aren't you? You little psycho!"

That was Jean. You could imagine what he was saying. It was nothing you hadn't heard before. Eren started yelling back, pushing Jean up against one of the pillars, hard. You were finally close enough to clearly make out their words.

"... we trained for this! What do you think the last three years were about? We survived! We stared death in the face and we lived! Not everyone can say that, can they? Some people couldn't take it and either ran or were thrown out! Hell, some people actually died, but not us. Am I right? We powered through, for three years. What's one more day? You can do this, Jean, alright? The MP will still be waiting for you tomorrow."

Jean looked at Eren for a moment, speechless, before stepping away from the pillar and sighing. "Shit." He began to walk away without another word to Eren before barking at Daz to pull himself together.

You approached Eren. "That was good of you," you remarked.

"Yeah, well, he's one of the best, whether I like him or not. We need him. Horse-faced asshole," Eren said angrily.

"Yeah. We do," you agreed.

He was quiet. "What were you and Mikasa talking about?"

You raised an eyebrow at him, pondering what she had said.

He'd only be angry.

"Nothing really," you said, as calmly as you could. "We were only wishing each other good luck. You know."

Eren clearly didn't believe you, but didn't pursue the subject further. "Right."

You looked around you one last time at your fellow soldiers. "We need to get the squad together and get going soon," you said sullenly.

Eren looked positively terrifying. His rage bubbled just beneath skin, and you could almost feel the heat of it from where you were standing two feet away. You'd always been fixated on the passion in his eyes, but right now, they were very nearly blowing you away.

He nodded at you. "Let's go get them then."

You, Eren, Armin, Mina, Nack, and Millius stood above a roof in Middle Guard Sector Two, looking out over the shingled roofs.

There were no titans within sight yet. The Vanguard at the main gate must be holding the line, despite the fallen advance team.

Eren breathed deeply next to you. You could see the impatience on his face, and it worried you.

Still, he spoke normally, looking at Armin, who was clearly still upset. "Look at it this way. It's a golden opportunity. I mean, if we prove our worth as soldiers right here, we'll rise up right through the ranks. Before long, we could even be leading our own regiment! We could bypass rookie status all together!"

Armin looked surprised at his statement, but then his face melted into a small smile. "Sounds good. I'm with you all the way."

Mina walked over confidently. "Now, now, boys! You're not the only ones in the class! Save some of the glory for the rest of us!"

Thomas beamed beside her. "Yeah, good luck beating us to the punch a second time, Eren. No head-starts for you this round!"

Eren smirked, rounding on them. "Is that a challenge?"

Thomas laughed, looking at everyone in Squad 34. "Listen up! Whoever kills the most titans gets bragging rights!"

Even Millius and Nack looked determined.

Eren looked at Thomas, grinning. "Hah. Better not fudge your scores!"

You smiled at your friends. We can do this.

A Garrison soldier landed nearby and yelled up at you from a lower roof. "Squadron 34, move out! The vanguard needs support!"

Eren looked at him quickly, before facing his team. "Right!" he barked. "Give 'em hell!"

Here goes everything, Amelia. Wish me luck.

You and the other soldiers let out a way cry, hoisting your blades up in the air, before charging straight off the edge of the roof and in the direction of the breach. Your 3DMG whirred to life as you hit the triggers, digging into an apartment building nearby and swinging you gracefully down the center of the street, leaving a stream of gas emissions in your wake. You soared through the sky effortlessly, winding in and out of the protruding buildings for several minutes.

Then you saw them, amidst broken buildings and columns of black smoke.

Titans.

There were dozens of them, and no soldiers to be seen. You thought seeing the Colossal Titan would have prepared you for this, but it didn't even come close. They dug around in the alleys like they were searching for snacks. Some of the larger ones had climbed up onto a roof, and the buildings beneath them were being crushed under their weight. Some had blood stains around their mouths, dripping down and off their chins to splatter their chests like a messy baby.

They were just like you had heard they were - tiny, disproportional ones, only around three or four meters, which populated the streets below you. Ten meter behemoths whose heads peaked out above the buildings a half-mile away, hunting for prey. They all seemed to have long arms, huge heads, bowing legs - like someone had tried to make a human out of putty but it didn't form correctly. Many of them had large, engorged stomachs. You didn't want to think about that.

The worst part, though, was their faces.

Many of them wore massive, soulless, toothy grins. Unlike the Colossal Titan's seeming intelligence, these faces were empty of nothing but hunger and bloodlust. Their huge eyes, glossed over with a strange clear film, stared wide and unblinking at their surroundings, their smiles never faltering. Some had facial hair. Some had no hair at all. Some had sunken eyes. Some were steaming.

You felt the hope forced out of you like you were crashing into an icy lake.

"There's so many of them!" shouted Mina somewhere to your right.

"The vanguard's been completely overwhelmed!" Thomas replied.

"I don't believe this," Nack yelled in a panic. "Those guys always talked so big!"

Eren's wide eyes narrowed suddenly at something in the distance. One of the larger titans, on a roof. He was positioned strangely, on all fours, knees and elbows jutting out at strange angles. He turned to face your squad, a blank grin on his face.

"We've got an abnormal! HOLD UP!"

You did as he ordered, and just in time. You pulled your gear back sharply and some used extra gas to propel you upwards, too much gas, rising straight over a clock tower as the massive, blonde beast hurled himself at you from two hundred feat away. You heard a shrill scream and a crash, but didn't know who it belonged to or what had happened. Suddenly, you were high above the ground without any anchor to speak of, flying through the air at a hundred miles per hour. You had gone too high. Your anchors had detached. You began to fall, fast, too fast to fire again with any shred of accuracy.

Several shingles shattered and fell off the roof when you landed, a ways beyond the clock tower. You heard Armin shriek as he landed beside you in a similar manner, and more shingles fell. A few others touched down by you, more gracefully, but you didn't see them. Eren seemed to have also dislodged his anchors, but just managed to grab the edge of the roof, and hung there, shell-shocked, looking back over his shoulder at the clock tower. Groaning in pain and clutching your arm, you rolled over to see the state of the abnormal.

"No," Eren whispered.

To your horror, the titan had collided with the tower, wrapping his gigantic limbs around its base to keep himself up. His long spindly arms and legs almost touched each other on the other side, his fingers digging into wall. You could see huge, matted blonde hair peeking out of the side of the tower. Bits of the brick and stone fell away as he moved his face further to get a look at you and your crashed comrades.

The first things you noticed were his eyes. Blue, and filled with terror. That didn't make any sense. Why would there be fear? Titans didn't feel fear. The eyes were too small, too. They belonged on another face. That face that looked at you from upside down, mouth hanging open in surprise, blades falling from his hands and clattering uselessly to the ground at the titan's feet.

Thomas' upper half was sticking out of the abnormal's mouth.

He said something, but you couldn't make out what. You were transfixed, staring at the boy who was obviously afraid but still unaware of what was going on.

Then the look in his eyes changed, his mouth opened further, and he screamed.

The shrill, horrified sound pierced you straight through the heart, cutting you in two, as the titan jerked his head back roughly and you watched Thomas slide down his throat.