Of Epic Proportions

by authorinprogress97

And I thought life was hard enough the first time. OC self-insert (because I'm that shameless)

2. Crash

And I thought life was hard enough the first time.

OC self-insert (because I'm that shameless)

Writing canon is difficult, yo. Dani is such a difficult character to write. Armin is a difficult character to keep in character. Eren is just difficult. Mikasa is forever awesome.

Sigh, oh Anna. You will be missed.

On a side note… CAAAAAAARRRLLLAAAAAAAAAAAA! (I have been thinking that since the first time I watched SnK and forever will think that.)

Episode one and half of episode two down. I feel somewhat accomplished. –smiley face-

(I don't feel like I covered much though OTL)

(I'm on a roll, so I'm updating early. Don't judge me.)

Nina – I have delivered, friend! Hope you like this chapter -heart-

-0-

I readjusted the groceries in my arms, frowning slightly. There was something about today. Something was going to happen, wasn't it? Ugh, I hate my horrible memory. I knew something important was going to happen today. I just didn't know what.

I sighed as I looked up at Wall Maria in front of me. After The Event that had taken my parents from me, my saviour had turned out to be Levi. Lance Corporal Levi, Humanity's Strongest and in my opinion, the coolest guy in the whole series!

I couldn't believe I hadn't recognised him at first (it would be a little juvenile to mention his height, wouldn't it?), but I guess that must have been the shock. Seeing as he was one of my favourite characters, I should have at least recognised his rough speech pattern. Then again, I'm not good at recognising hints. Odds are, if it weren't spelled out to me, I wouldn't get it.

He had brought me back to their camp where the rest of the Recon Corps were. That's not to say I met them. I was pretty much smuggled in by Petra and Gunther. Then, I was dropped off in an orphanage in Shiganshina, a trip which took a horribly long three months by horse-drawn cart.

Oh, how I missed the convenience of planes and cars.

I have to admit that it was pretty awesome, meeting canon characters for the first time. I had resigned myself to never meeting the characters in the show because, hey, they probably didn't exist, but Levi had saved me and Petra freaking Ral comforted me. I couldn't quite remember why I was so sad when I thought about her, but I was sure it would come to me eventually.

They couldn't keep me with them, of course. They'd be insane, taking an eight-year-old with them on expedition. I mean, come on. Even Levi is lucky to survive an expedition.

Well, no. He also has his mad skills, but fangirling aside, keeping me with them wasn't logical. I didn't exactly want to go with them either. I was painfully aware I had been reborn into a world much more dangerous than the one I had been in before even with all the guns and threats of nuclear warfare. The walls, no matter how suffocating in their vastness, were there for a reason. For a century, they had kept the Titans from eating humanity into extinction. Even if we had a couple billion populated within the walls, I was well aware that in my old world, we had much more. Not to mention that we'd soon lose twenty percent of the population after the fall of Shiganshina –

I stopped. That was it, wasn't it? The fall of Shiganshina. It was soon, if not today.

Where had the time gone? My tenth birthday had gone and passed. Ten years in this world and still so much I didn't know. It wasn't like I had the resources to figure anything out, but it's not like I had been trying anyway.

"Dani!"

I turned at the call of my name, but the crush of people coupled with my lack of height (of all the things I could have brought with me from Back Then, it had to be my height) made it almost impossible to spot whoever it was. The voice was familiar though.

"Armin?" I called back, tiptoeing in futile to look over heads. I huffed slightly when I couldn't spot his blonde head. "Armin, where are you?"

"Dani," he exclaimed, clutching me elbow and causing me to jump. Holy crap, he came out of nowhere! "Hi."

"Hey," I wheezed out, nearly choking on my spit from the suddenness of his appearance. "You scared the crap out of me, Min."

"Oh, sorry." He grinned. "I've been calling you, but you only heard me that last time. What are you thinking so hard about?"

I shrugged, smiling back at him. "Stuff," I replied vaguely. "How have you been? I haven't seen you around lately."

Of all the people I hadn't thought I'd befriend, Armin Arlert was definitely near the top of the list (Levi obviously being the first because, hello, Levi). Back Then, I definitely admired Armin, but I was aware that we weren't exactly friend material. When I looked at it, our personalities couldn't quite mesh. If anything, I expected them to clash. I guess being in this world changed me more than I thought.

"And you know, Eren was thinking of joining the Recon Corps," Armin said, looking down at his hands.

"Yeah?" Yup, that definitely sounded like the Eren Jaeger in the series. "I don't think Mikasa would like that. Their mom won't either."

"No, they won't," he agreed. "I mean, it's the Recon Corps. It's dangerous."

"You'd get to go outside the Walls though. I think that's a pretty big perk." I couldn't help the wistfulness in my voice. I did come from a world where borders weren't really a boundary. There was TV and the internet. I could be in Paris, Rome or even New York and I would never have to leave my room. There was so much space in the walls, true, but… it felt like a cage. Sometimes, I'd look out of the window of the orphanage only to stare at the grey of Wall Maria and I couldn't breathe. Going outside the walls, even with the threat of being eaten by Titans, would be worth it, if only to get a taste of that freedom. It's true what they say; you don't know what you have until you don't have it anymore.

I didn't realise Armin had stopped until I had walked a few steps and realised Armin wasn't next to me. I blinked and turned, seeing him looking down at his hands again with a slightly forlorn look. "Armin?" I asked hesitantly. "What's wrong?"

"You're going to join him too, aren't you?" he asked back, his hands clenching into fists. He looked up at me and I could detect the slightest hint of desperation in his blue eyes. "Join the Recon Corps."

I pursed my lips in thought. I couldn't lie; I had thought of enlisting. I didn't want to be cooped up within the walls forever, not when I knew there was a whole world out there waiting to be explored. I also wanted to be stronger and the Recon Corps… that was where the strong are, aren't they? I didn't want to continue being a burden to the orphanage Petra and Levi had left me at either. They still had to look after me for eight more years and the orphanage was spread thin as it was.

Those were all excuses that I had thought up, but I knew those weren't the real reasons. I only had one and it was to prove someone wrong.

You're weak, Danika. Don't try to pretend you're strong. That would just get you killed.

"Maybe," I said after an elongated pause. "I just – I don't want to stay here forever." I didn't even know if I was referring to Shiganshina or the walls in general.

I watched him as he breathed out a sigh, his shoulders moving with the force of his sigh. "You too," he said quietly. "You're going to leave too."

"Can we not talk about this?" I pleaded. I could feel an argument brewing and the last person I wanted to fight with was Armin. Favourite character aside, he was one of my closest friends in Shiganshina and I don't want to fight with him. "I haven't even really made a choice. Who's to say that I will enlist anyway? I can't really see myself in the military."

"I can."

I startled, staring at Armin with wide eyes. "Really?"

Armin shook his head and nudged me, a grin tugging up the corners of his lips. "Why not? I think you'd look good in the uniform."

He coughed, his cheeks turning pink as he looked away. I looked back down into the two bags of groceries in my hands, my own cheeks probably flooding with colour as well. That was… unexpected.

The bells signalling the opening of the gates tolled and we both stopped. I was itching to go see the return of the Recon Corps, if only just to confirm that Levi was still there. If this really was canon Shingeki no Kyojin, then he'd definitely still be there, wouldn't he? We needed him to keep Eren from falling into the hands of the Military Police, after all. Even if it wasn't, I had enough faith in Levi's abilities to stay alive.

However, I didn't want to leave Armin like that, with the threat of a fight still looming over us. It would just leave me feeling uncomfortable and distracted for the rest of the day and I was absent-minded enough without the added distractions.

"I'm going to – " I made a vague gesture towards the gates. It's not like it was out of my way or anything, but it was definitely out of Armin's way. I would be heading towards the gates anyway; the Saint Maria Orphanage where I lived was only a couple blocks from the gates, after all.

"I'll go with you," Armin said firmly.

"I promise we'll talk about this later," I told him, manoeuvring my arm so I could hold his hand to tug him forward.

It was… disheartening to see the soldiers entering the gates like that. I recalled from my fuzzy memory seeing the same scene through the screen of my phone. This was completely different because they weren't just characters in a show anymore. They were real people and those people parading past in poorly cloaked shame, they were really injured and those bodies were really dead.

My eyes scanned the crowd of people, but I deflated slightly. Levi wasn't among them. I bit my lip, trying to remember if he had left with them all those days ago. I don't think he had…

"Moses, Moses," I heard an elderly woman cry out, bringing me out of my thoughts with a jolt. With a twinge of sympathy, I watched as a slight woman with grey hair stumbled out to one of the Recon Corps members walking. "My son, Moses… I can't find him." She walked up to the man, clutching the front of the man's cloak. "Where is my son?"

I could see the thinly veiled horror on the man's face. I winced in sympathy; it couldn't be easy, telling a mother her son was dead. "It's her," he said in an attempt at an emotionless voice, but I could hear the undercurrent of regret, "Moses's mother. Bring it here."

I flinched back, bumping into Armin when the man next to him with one eye missing turned back to the cart with the dead bodies and unearthed a bundle. I clutched the groceries in my arms closer to my chest, swallowing the bile rising in my throat. My god… that's all they have left of him?

"That was the only part of him we can salvage," I heard the man say. But I wasn't paying attention to his words anymore. No, I was too focused on the grieving mother in front of him, who was beginning to sob.

"But… my son… was useful, right?" I could hear Moses's mother ask between sobs. I didn't want to see the heart-breaking sight of a mother clutching the arm of her dead son. There's nothing worse than seeing a parent mourning the loss of their child. With a shudder, I wondered if my parents from Back Then had to suffer like her. "He might… not have been a hero, but at least he died helping mankind fight back, right?" The end of her monologue sounded like a desperate plea and that was all I could take.

I turned around, shutting my eyes tightly. "Let's go," I said quietly. Armin didn't protest as I elbowed my way out of the crowd. I could hear the soldier's disappointed spiel, but the words didn't register in my head.

We walked silently next to each other through the now empty streets. I blinked away tears that I really had no right to shed. I never knew that Moses person, so it didn't make sense for me to mourn for him. I didn't even have any right to mourn my old life; I had moved on. I couldn't go back, so the only thing I could do was strive forward.

"Do you still want to join?" he asked quietly, shattering the silence between us. "After what we saw?"

I shrugged, not looking at him. "I don't know. I never knew, Armin."

He stopped me with a hand on my elbow. I glanced at him to see his lips thin in determination. "What if that was you? What if all they could salvage of you was an arm? You heard him. They haven't learned anything about the Titans. They're only going out there to get killed!"

I fell silent. "I don't have a mother to cry for me anymore," I said quietly.

"I'd cry for you. Anna would cry for you. Sister Therese would cry for you too. Dani, you still have people who care."

I do. I know I do. I'm not stupid enough to think I was alone. I'm not. I had Armin. I had Anna Campbell, my best friend and roommate at the orphanage. I didn't have my parents anymore, but I had friends and I'd be damned if I didn't know how to appreciate them.

I smiled, trying to lift the melancholic atmosphere that had settled between us. "I know," I assured him. "I told you; I still haven't made a choice. I have two more years before enlistment age. I could still change my mind."

Armin didn't look sure – he knew how I was when I set my mind on something – but let it go. I still didn't know how to tell him that the main reason I wanted to join was to march up to that one person and say I did it, I made it into the Recon Corps, so I am not weak. I'll tell him eventually. "Okay."

"So… since you're walking me to the orphanage, are you going to help me unpack the groceries?" I shot him a cheeky grin as he raised an eyebrow.

"Is this why you brought me all the way here?" he teased. "And here I thought you were just enjoying my friendship."

"Friends help each other," I retorted as I pushed the front door open. "Tadaima!"

"Okaeri," a bunch of voices squealed right before my legs were assaulted by miniaturised people. "Nee-chan, nee-chan, you're back!"

"Hey, kids," I laughed, struggling to wade my way to the kitchen with two different children sitting on my feel and another tugging on my skirt. In my old life, I had never been very good around children, but there was something so comforting about being around the other kids at the orphanage. I wasn't quite used to being the elder, but most of the kids (I hated the word orphan) here were eight years old or younger. That made me and Anna the oldest here, which was something I wasn't used to. It was… something, learning to be an older sister. I'm just glad the kids weren't as devilish as I always thought children were.

"Nee-chan, is this your boyfriend?" David, a six-year-old with jet black hair and the greenest eyes I had ever seen, asked. I dropped a carrot on my foot with a muffled curse as Armin made a strangled noise, setting the groceries down on the counter.

"No," I replied once I calmed myself down, trying my best not to say it in a way that would be offensive. "We're friends, David. You know, like you and Marissa."

"We're best friends," Marissa piped up from her spot on my right leg, "and we're going to get married!"

"That's great, kiddo," I said weakly. Yeah, that's not really helping my case. "Now, shoo. Armin and I have groceries to put away."

"You'd better take care of my nee-chan," Daniel threatened. He was eight years old and already thought he could take on the whole world. I knew he wanted to enlist when he was old enough so he could join the Military Police and have a good life. I'm not complaining; if he got into the Military Police, he would be safe in Wall Sina, away from the Titans. I couldn't wish for a better future for him.

"Danny. Out." I snorted under my breath, grinning at Armin, who was still a little pink. "Sorry about that."

He shook his head, smiling back. "It's fine. That was cute, how much they cared."

"Yeah. They're… they're like family, you know?"

He fell quiet as he stored the bread in the cabinet I pointed out to him. "You'd have to leave them behind if you joined the Recon Corps."

I sighed, glancing out of the window to where the children were playing. And we were back to that again. "I know."

He looked away from me. "Hey, I'm going to see if I can meet up with Eren and Mikasa. You want to come with?"

"Um…"

You see, the thing is I had been putting off meeting Eren and Mikasa for as long as I've known Armin. Deep down, I'm scared that I might not get along with them. I didn't want Eren and Mikasa, two of Shingeki no Kyojin's most important characters and Armin's two best friends, to hate me. That would tear Armin apart and I didn't want to make him choose between us. I'd always want him to choose Eren and Mikasa, even if I had to be alone.

"Come on, Dani. Eren and Mikasa aren't that bad." He frowned at me, lips pursed.

I blew a stray lock of hair out of my face. "I know. I just – what if they don't like me?"

I blinked at him as he laughed. "You're kidding, right? Danika Vale, there's no way Eren and Mikasa wouldn't like you. I mean, Mikasa might be a little stand-offish at first, but she's just really protective."

"Fine," I relented, poking Armin's cheek when he shot me a brilliantly bright grin. "Only because you asked so nicely."

"You guys will get along fine," he reassured me as I put away the last of the groceries and yelled I was going out again.

I wasn't so sure about that, but hey, what could go wrong?

•●•●•●•

"What's wrong, heretic? Why don't you punch me if you want to prove me wrong?"

The blonde, spiky-haired bully pushed Armin against the wall and I heard my best friend grunt in pain. I struggled against the large boy behind me that was keeping me from rushing forward and punching Blondie in the face multiple times.

"Cut it out," I yelled. "You cockalorum!" Man, I've wanted to use that word for ages.

"Shut up," the bully snarled at me, blush brightening his cheeks. I didn't doubt he had absolutely no idea what that word meant, which made the insult all the more worse, in his head. Childishly, I stuck my tongue out at him as I kicked my legs in an effort to be released.

"Why would I do that?" Armin said, blue eyes burning. "I won't stoop so low."

"Say that again!" the bully yelled, grip tightening on Armin's collar.

"Invertebrate," I spat. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size? Better yet, why don't you let me go so I can pound your ugly face into the ground!" I wasn't much of a fighter in this life, but I had been somewhat feisty in my old one and I was sick of seeing Armin being pushed around. He deserved better than that, damn it.

I was ignored, of course. Well, if they wanted to ignore me, they'll regret it. I stopped struggling, trying my best to figure out a way out of my restraints first. If I pulled my leg back like so…

"You're beating me up because you know I'm right and you can't prove me wrong," Armin pointed out in that calm manner of his. The bully reared back, obviously cowed by Armin's intelligence. I suppressed a snort. Simple-minded town people. "Doesn't that mean you've admitted that you're wrong?"

The bull growled and drew his hand back to hit him. "Enough with your crappy arguments!"

At that moment, I drove my heel back with as much force as I could muster, driving it into the boy's shin. He howled in pain, dropping me onto the ground. I grunted in pain as I hit the dirt, but I grinned to myself in satisfaction when the idiot simply hopped around, cursing me out. That'll teach them to underestimate me.

"Stop!" a voice growled, full of determination and righteous anger.

We turned, watching as a boy around my height with brown hair and turquoise eyes running towards us. I blinked at him, tilting my head in contemplation.

"It's Eren!" one of the bullies whispered snidely, confirming my suspicions. "What a moron. He's back again!"

"Does he want to get his ass handed?" the blonde bully snorted. Okay, I'm a little offended for Eren.

"We'll teach you a lesson," the grey-haired bully sneered.

I stood up a little shakily, wincing at my bruised knee and pushing up my sleeves. If it's a fight they want, it's a fight they'll get. I bent my knees to get ready to jump on one of their backs – probably the chubby idiot who thought it would be fun to hold me back – when their demeanour changed. I could practically taste their fear in the air.

"Mi-Mikasa's with him!" Blondie gasped. "Shit! Run!"

Wait, what?

They rushed past me, accidentally knocking me over and sending me to the ground again. I turned, watching their retreating backs with an amused smile. Man, I'd heard of Mikasa's fighting prowess, but I hadn't thought she was that good. Then again, she wasn't first in the 104th training squad for nothing.

"That was interesting," I commented to Armin as we shared an amused glance.

"Hey, they ran away after seeing me!" Eren said loudly in elation. I squashed down a giggle. Not quite, Eren. Not quite.

"No, they ran away after seeing Mikasa," Armin clarified and the look of dismay on Eren's face managed to coax a chuckle out of my mouth. "Ow."

"Hey, you okay, Armin?" Eren asked, immediately moving to help him up. I couldn't help but smile; it was just so cute to see their bromance unfolding right in front of me.

I saw Armin look at Eren's hand before looking down at the ground. I bit my lip; I hoped he didn't think he was weak. He wasn't, not in my eyes. If anything, he was probably stronger than I was. I talked big, but I was all bark and no bite most of the time. Armin… his words were a lot more powerful than he thought they were. "I can stand up by myself," he muttered. He looked at me. "Maybe you should check on Dani."

Eren and Mikasa turned to me and I blinked up at them at the suddenness before grinning. "I'm fine," I replied immediately, waving their concerned gazes away. I winced as I stood. Ah, my knee was going to be a real pain for the next few days. "Ouch, damn it."

Mikasa's blank stare was a little unsettling, I had to admit. No ten-year-old should look so uncaring. "Are you okay?" she asked, her voice even and almost devoid of all emotion.

I brushed the dirt off my skirt, grinning widely. "Oh, yeah, definitely. It's just my knee. I'll live." Awkwardness descended and I shifted. Come on, Dani, say something. "Ah. I'm Dani. Dani Vale. Nice to meet you." I bowed slightly in greeting.

"Oh, you're Dani," Eren said happily, pulling me into a sudden hug. I flailed, nearly hitting myself in the face. Hugs, I don't mind, but I'm not a fan of sudden hugs, especially with strangers – and Eren is technically a stranger, despite what I already know about him. "We've heard so much about you!"

"You… have?" I asked, my voice muffled in Eren's shoulder. I locked gazes with Mikasa, who seemed slightly shocked (do people not look her in the eyes or something?) before she nodded in confirmation. Armin… "Well, I've, uh, heard a lot about the both of you too."

"We're practically friends already, right, Mikasa?" I didn't have to look at Eren's face to know he was grinning.

Mikasa merely eyed me before sighing, "Eren. I think you should let go of her. She's uncomfortable."

I can't read her. I can't tell if she likes me or detests me. Being able to read her is something that would come with time, I'm sure, but would she be willing to give me the time? God, I'd really hate it if Mikasa didn't like me. She was just such a… role model, even if she never thought so.

Eren was quick to let me go after that, apologising profusely. I didn't really pay attention to him, instead smiling at Mikasa. "Thanks," I said quietly. I held out a hand. "I hope we can be good friends."

She looked down at my hand for a few moments before slowly taking it. "Me too," she replied. Her lips twitched upward into a small smile and mentally, I patted myself on the back. Thank god I wasn't an awkward penguin and made both of Armin's best friends hate me. Maybe the fates don't hate me that much after all.

•●•●•●•

I let my legs dangle over the water, watching the river roll by as I listened to Armin give a recount of what had happened to us.

"So," he continued, "after telling them that mankind needs to go outside eventually, they beat me, calling me a heretic."

I scoffed, picking up a small stone and tossing it into the river. "Bigoted idiots," I muttered.

"Dammit," Eren swore, picking up a larger rock and throwing it. "We just want to go outside. Why does everyone hate us?"

"Well," Armin said thoughtfully, "it's been peaceful living inside these walls for the past one hundred years."

I nodded, sighing as I swung my legs. "Titans might be let inside when people leave the walls too," I added, "so the King's government banned people from showing interest in the world outside the walls." It's a juvenile way to keep us under control. It's not like you can stop ideas once they're formed. I hate how… small the thinking is in this world.

Eren exhaled sharply through his nose. "We're risking our own lives. No one has the right to do that."

"You can't do that," Mikasa interjected. The three of us looked towards her. My eyes widened slightly in surprise. "No way."

"Mikasa!" Eren exclaimed. "How dare you tell my parents!"

"Tell his parents what?" I asked Armin under my breath, leaning in towards him.

"That he was planning to join the Recon Corps, I guess," Armin muttered, frowning down at the water as he shrugged.

"I don't remember agreeing to help you," Mikasa pointed out, gaze thrown towards the river.

"So how did it go?" Armin questioned.

"Well, they weren't happy about it," Eren sighed.

No, I imagine they weren't. What parent would be okay with their child risking their lives for what seemed like a hopeless cause?

"I figured," Armin sighed. I could feel his gaze on me, so I looked back, raising an eyebrow in question. "Dani wants to join the Recon Corps too."

"Armin," I chided, feeling a blush rise up my neck as Eren and Mikasa look at me in shock. "I didn't tell you that so you could tell the whole world!"

"You want to join the Recon Corps?" Eren asked. I could hear the shock in his voice and huffed.

"Do you have a problem with me joining the Recon Corps?" I said, a twist of annoyance in my voice.

Eren shook his head. "No, that's awesome!"

"Oh." I looked towards Mikasa, whose gaze didn't waver from the blue water. "Mikasa?"

"Why?" she asked simply.

I sighed in thought, shrugging. "There's a whole world out there," I replied, tilting my head up to look at the clouds. "A world a lot bigger than just these three walls. It'd be a shame if I didn't even try to see it."

We fell into silent contemplation for a while. It was nice, sitting with friends and being comfortable with silence.

Armin was the one who broke the silence. "People are crazy for believing these walls will protect us forever. Even though the walls have been intact for the past one hundred years, there's nothing that can guarantee they won't be broken down today…"

Broken down today… why do those words ring so loudly in my mind?

Fall of Shiganshina, Colossal Titan, Clara's death…

He's right. Armin is so right and he doesn't understand how right he is.

I glanced at him, eyeing his side profile almost sadly. He was in for a lot, wasn't he? He's already lost so much and I only know he's going to lose more. They all were.

Suddenly, there was a bolt of lightning from somewhere beneath the walls. A gasp tore from my throat as I stared, wide-eyed, at the yellow bolt of lightning, the crack deafening in my ears. I clutched the ground as if it was attempting to throw me off, covering my head.

This is it. This is how it begins.

Fear numbed my limbs and I almost couldn't move, but I had to. If I didn't move, I would die and I refused to leave everything behind again. I wouldn't leave Armin or Eren or Mikasa behind. I want to be there to see Jean grow into a better person, to have a chance to meet the 104th Training Squad. I won't die again before I at least try to make a difference, and I won't die unless I get to see the untouched world lying beyond these walls! Eren's right; I refused to die without a glimpse outside of these cages we called walls.

"Wh-what was that?" Armin asked shakily, helping me up. "Was it an explosion?"

"I – I don't think so," I breathed as we turned to the alleyway where people were running past.

"Over there!"

"Something fell?"

"I'm not sure…"

What were they – Wall Maria! That's what they were talking about, weren't they? If they were talking about the wall… the orphanage!

I ran forward without thinking, Armin following right on my heels. Not the orphanage, please not the orphanage. All the children, Sister Therese, Anna, they're all at the orphanage!

"Oi, Armin, Dani!" Eren yelled, running after us with Mikasa not far behind.

I nearly slammed into the person in front of me as I skidded to a stop. Armin actually did run into me, steadying me with a hand on my elbow so I didn't fall over. He didn't apologise and I didn't care as we looked up at Wall Maria, dumbstruck.

It was one thing to know it was going to happen, to anticipate it, even, but it was a whole other thing to see it right before my eyes. Fear overcame me, my limbs trembling from the force of the emotion. It was easy to think of this moment logically when the danger was far away, but I had seen what Titans could do and to see one that was so huge…

"What happened?" Eren demanded as he ran up to us. "What are you looking at?"

He fell silent as his gaze fell upon the skinless hand sitting atop Wall Maria. I wanted to do something, say something, but I was numb with fear and oh my god that thing is fucking huge.

"You're kidding," Armin said, shock saturated in his voice. "That wall is fifty meters high!"

"It's them," Eren breathed. A low keen of desperation escaped my lips when I saw the head. If I thought the hand was terrifying, the sight of the ugly, skinless head of the Titan – Colossal Titan – was enough to almost make me pass out. I felt like hyperventilating as my eyes traced the steam emitted from the side of that thing's mouth. I stumbled backwards, Eren's arms coming up to stop me from falling onto him. "Titans!"

He's going to kick the gate – !

No sooner had that thought formed, a loud boom sounded, followed by terrified screams as debris went flying. My breath hitched as rocks landed near us, but I couldn't move. The fear was immobilising and I couldn't even do anything because I was still too weak.

"H-he… made a hole in the wall…" Armin stuttered, falling to his knees.

"Oh, no," I moaned, feeling faint. I stiffened, brushing Eren's hands off. No, I wouldn't be weak. I refuse to be proven wrong. I wasn't weak and I was going to prove it even if I had to turn all of humanity upside down to do it!

"We need to get – Eren!" Armin exclaimed when Eren stumbled in the opposite direction of the crowd. In fact, he looked like he was in a daze. I swallowed down a scream; he could be trampled if he wasn't careful!

"My house is over there…" he shouted, but I don't think he really heard Armin. "Mom is…!"

Mikasa was the next to move, knocking into my shoulder as she ran forward.

"Mikasa," I called after her, reaching out a hand to pull her back even though she was already too far. I clutched Armin's sleeve. "Armin, we have to – " I stopped, staring at Armin's trembling arm. "Armin?"

"It's over," he told me in a shaky voice. "The Titans have invaded this town!" There were tears gathering at the corners of his eyes and I didn't know how to make them go away.

I have to admit that I found myself confused for a moment. I guess I forgot that while I knew this was going to happen eventually, Armin had never actually thought this was even a possibility. Right here, I was met with the startling revelation that Armin was only ten. I mean, I was too, but if you wanted to count years where I felt I was alive, I was technically twenty seven (almost). I was mentally prepared for this – somewhat – and Armin wasn't at all. We had only just brought up the idea that the walls could be breached.

He was beginning to freak out and if I didn't do something now, his logical mind would be gone. We needed him, if only to keep Eren and Mikasa alive. I didn't know Hannes – didn't even remember what he looked like anymore, nor did I get a chance to meet him in this life – but Armin did and it had to be Armin who rescued them. I could never take that away from him. "Armin, snap out of it," I snapped, slapping him. My hand throbbed and I could see the shock and pain in Armin's blue eyes, but they were quickly disappearing, being replaced with calm and logic.

"Ow," he muttered, cupping his reddening cheek. "You didn't have to slap me that hard, Dani. I wasn't panicking."

Oh. "Well, I was," I huffed at him before grabbing his hand. "Come on, we have to do something about Eren and Mikasa!" I started to run, pulling Armin along so we were running away from the huge hole in the wall and the hungry Titans that were probably starved for human flesh.

"Eren and Mikasa… we have to find Hannes!" Armin said, taking the lead. I let him, looking over my shoulder to where I knew the orphanage was. Everyone was home… everyone. I was the only one who wasn't home. I stumbled over a rock, nearly crashing into Armin and sending him to the ground. "Dani! Are you okay?"

I squashed down the sarcastic how can anybody be when we're about to be eaten for the lighter, "I just… wish the last thing I said to Anna hadn't been 'no bread until you clean our room'." I choked on my words. Oh god, Anna. Why did that have to be my last words to her instead of you're the best friend I've ever had in this life?

He slowed down once my words sank in. "The orphanage – Dani, I'm so sorry."

I pushed him so we sped up, wiping at my eyes to get rid of the tears. "Forget it," I insisted. "There's nothing I can do. We should go get that guy – Hannes, right? – and save Eren's and Mikasa's butts." I could mourn later. Besides, everyone might not have been home. They might have gone out on a small expedition. Unlikely, but better than thinking everyone was dead.

I slowed down once more, my hand slipping out of Armin's sweaty grip. I didn't want to hope, but there was a flash of Anna's oddly coloured grey hair with some red at the tips. It couldn't be… could it?

"Anna," I whispered, stumbling forward and uncaring of the people knocking me around. There she was, right there. "Anna!"

"Dani, come back!" Armin yelled after me. "Dani!"

"Go – go find Hannes," I screamed. "Just go!"

"Danika!"

"Anna, Anna, it's me," I cried, dropping to my knees. My knees stung from the friction, but all I cared about was Anna and the stupid debris that was stopping her from standing up and running away with me. "Goddammit Campbell, get off your lazy ass."

Anna groaned and I almost sobbed in relief when she opened her eyes and shifted. "Vale, your melodious voice grates on my poor eardrums," Anna rasped. "What are you doing?"

"I'm getting you out," I ground out, tugging at the bricks in an attempt to get her out. I have to get her out, I have to! I can't lose anyone else, so please don't let me lose anyone else…

Anna's hand rose to mine. I tried to ignore her blood smearing across my skin, but I could feel the wet slide and I had to hold back tears. "You can't do that," he said, her tone oddly gentle in comparison to how she usually speaks. "Go."

"Shut up," I snapped, my voice thick with tears. "I'm getting you out so I can get you your stupid bread."

"The hell you are!" She slapped my hand and I reeled it back, massaging the stinging skin. "Get the fuck out of here right now, Danika Vale or so help me, I will haunt you until the end of your miserable life!"

"Fuck you," I shouted back, pulling on a particularly large brick. "I'm getting you out and we're going to be fine, so just – "

"No, Dani. This is it."

My arms trembled from the effort as tears dripped down my cheeks onto my bloodied hands. I didn't want to believe it, but the logic was staring me in the face. Even if I could miraculously dig her out, could we really outrun a Titan? No, we couldn't. I knew that, knew that even before I went to school.

"I'm sorry," I sniffed, wiping my tears away on the sleeve of my blouse. "I was dumb."

"Yes you were," she agreed weakly. "Good thing you're not dead yet."

"Dani!" I heard Armin exclaimed and turned. "I was worried sick!"

"Dumbass," Anna scoffed. "You made geek boy worry."

"He's not a geek," I replied defensively. "He's my best friend too."

Anna smirked, but I could see the sadness in the curve of her lip. "I know." She turned her eyes to Armin, who had stopped behind me. "You take good care of this idiot, you hear me?"

"Anna, I – " Armin started, only to be cut off.

"Arlert, promise me you'll look after Dani."

"I'll – I'll try."

Anna wheezed out a snort. "Good enough, I guess. Dani, you look after him too."

"Yeah, of course," I answered without hesitation. That had always been my plan since the day we became friends. I suppose that should have been a given, seeing as we had met because I threw rocks at a group of bullies who were bullying him.

"Good," she sighed. "Now, run, idiots! Do you want to be Titan food?"

"You're the best friend I ever had," I confessed.

Anna smiled and patted my palm. "I know. Now go!"

This time, I let Armin pull me away to safety. I looked back again, but I probably shouldn't have. I could see one of those ugly Titans heading towards her and there wasn't anything I could do. I looked away; I didn't need to remember her that way.

I couldn't remember the walk to the boat. Hell, I couldn't even remember meeting Armin's grandfather. The next thing I knew, I was sitting next to Armin on the boat, en route out of Shiganshina. I clutched the bloodied bracelet in my hand, stubbornly stemming my flow of tears. No, I wouldn't cry. Anna would hate that. I've cried enough.

"Armin, sit down," Armin's grandfather calmly said.

"But Eren and Mikasa aren't here yet," Armin protested.

I jerked my head up to look at him. "They're not?" I asked, turning around as well to look for them. I could hear Armin's grandfather sigh slightly as I kneeled on the seat for a better vantage point. I scanned the crowd, letting out a sigh of relief when I spotted Mikasa's red scarf. "There they are," I said, slapping Armin's arm and pointing to them.

"Oh," Armin said and I felt his arm lift in a wave, but he didn't call out to them. "Eren…"

I could see why. You could tell from their faces what had happened, even if you hadn't already known the way I had. Mikasa's saddened stare didn't pull at my heartstrings as much as seeing Eren's blank stare. He didn't even seem like he was aware of anything, so deep in his thoughts was he. I wanted to reach out and hold him, tell him everything was going to be fine, but I knew they weren't. This was only the beginning.

"Now isn't a good time to talk to them," Armin's grandfather advised. "Those poor souls. You can tell what happened by looking at them."

"He's right," I agreed quietly, tugging Armin to sit down next to me. I didn't look up to meet his eyes. "We'll talk to them later, when we get off the boat."

I thought seeing the Titans was bad, but seeing the desperation of humans was in its own league of horrible. I couldn't tear my eyes away as people started lunging for the boats, even when it was obvious they were full to bursting. I hated the ones who couldn't make it and only fell into the water.

I didn't know why, but I suddenly found my attention drawn to the gates once more. Confusion fuddled my senses for a moment until I finally registered it: the sound of abnormally loud footsteps.

There was… one more, wasn't there?

Shit, I had forgotten all about the second one. We hadn't just lost Shiganshina; we had lost Wall Maria. The only way mankind would be pushed back to Wall Rose was if the gate between Shiganshina and the inner city was breached. For that to happen… there was one more Titan. Only… I couldn't remember what it was. Damn my failing memory.

"No," I gasped as Wall Maria crumbled under the force of the new Titan: the Armoured Titan. "The wall… it's – it's – no."

I felt horrible as the world we knew crashed around our ears, and all I could do was clutch onto Armin's arm and try not to cry.