Shades of Grey

Disclaimer (oops, forgot it in Chapter 1)- I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin.

Annie looked at me expectantly, the amused glint in her steel gray eyes never faltering.

I conceded and replied, "Rowan Vogel."

She nodded and said, "That's a good name."

What exactly constitutes a good name? I wasn't sure what exactly she meant by that, but I can assume that it was meant to be a compliment.

"Er, yours as well, Leonhardt."

This conversation was getting distinctively awkward by the minute, and judging by Annie' expression she was thoroughly enjoying it.

"You never answered the other part of my question."

"I'm not from around here."

"Well I can certainly see that. So you live with Ganz?"

I shook my head and said, "Lodgings for the day, I plan on leaving tonight."

Annie' eyes widened imperceptibly and she replied, "Leaving? You are planning to leave through the forests?"

I nodded, "Of course, is there any other way to leave this place?"

Annie shrugged and said, "Ah, well it's a shame."

I couldn't tell what was going through this girl's mind right now, and that irritated me a bit. I studied her expression a bit, watching her eyes for any sign of emotion apart from amusement. However, the blue pools appeared to be void of anything else. I shifted uncomfortably a bit. Annie looked to the side and saw the weaponry leaning on the pile of hay. Her eyes gleamed at bit and before I knew it she took my blade and unsheathed it about halfway.

"Hey what are you doing to my sword?"

Annie looked back me and then at the sword. She asked casually, "Do you know how to fight?"

I nodded in response. Looking at the blonde, she had an unassuming appearance that was devoid of any indication that she knew how to fight. However, the hoodie she wore can easily cover up any lean muscles hiding her prowess underneath.

Wait, Ganz said that the next door neighbor was an apprentice as well. Is this her? (dur…)

Annie said, "That's nice.", throwing back the sword at me. I caught it by the sheath and placed it back down. She looked up at the sky for a second then turned around and said, "Well, time sure flies by when you are having fun. I hope I'll see you around."

Her definition of having fun is making others feel uncomfortable? What?

I couldn't say I was hoping to see her around either, but I replied, "Yea, same I guess."

Annie looked back and replied, "I'm sure you didn't mean that whole-heartedly, but thanks."

I bristled slightly but decided against giving a rebuttal when Ganz came out of his shack, hollering about how dinner was ready. I glanced back at the girl, whose retreating back disappeared into a house on the other side of the street. I picked up my weaponry and walked back into the house. Ganz, after looking around for something (most likely bandits or cannibals), shut the door and locked it with a plank.

I walked over to the dinner table, where sure enough it was beef and broccoli. This time, it was with mashed potatoes though.

Ganz looked sheepish when he saw the slightly deadpan look on my face and said, "Sorry, I normally don't see any guests around here so I didn't bother learning how to cook anything else. This might not be much, but it should be enough food for your trip back."

I, however, was no longer thinking about the lack of variance in food choices. The fact that Ganz was taking care of a foreign kid for a day out of just being humane finally struck me. I smiled involuntarily and said,

"Thank you."

Ganz looked puzzled for a second, but later he broke into a huge smile, "Don't mention it, hope you like the food."

I looked at the food with gleaming eyes and instantly sat down for dinner. In seconds, the plate was cleared. I made sure to clear the plate completely, until it looked like it was dipped in bleach and rubbing alcohol.

I glanced at the clock on the wall, overlooking the cracked glass face and reading the hands behind it.

9:30

The sky should be completely black by now.

However, a small part of me didn't really want to leave. Ganz's hospitality made me feel at "home" and his sheepish acknowledgement of his cooking skills had a friendly vibe to it. What was waiting for me at home, anyways? My step-father? I'm not sure he's even aware that I'm a human and not something to show off to others. However, I'm afraid that he might come looking for me. Additionally, I've spent a whole day enjoying Ganz's hospitality, and the only thing I've helped him in return with is feeding the horses.

Speaking of Ganz, he was currently washing dishes, despite them being sparkling clean already.

"The dishes are clean already."

Ganz was shaken out of his reverie by that, and he glanced down at the clean-as-silk dish. He laughed a bit and said, "Yeah, they are."

I looked at Ganz for a bit, studying his face. Most people don't think that 10-year olds have the capacity to think clearly and judge people from their emotions, but in reality most 10-year olds do. It's just that we don't care about what older people think and we just focus on the stuff that actually matter, like toys.

As a 10-year old that has only known pain and fighting, though, I guess I was meant to be anything but someone that acted their age. Those that felt pain before, both physically and emotionally know when another person is hurting. Just like now.

I asked Ganz, "What's on your mind?"

Ganz studied my face a bit, then said, "Perceptive little kid, aren't you?"

I shrugged, "You weren't exactly hiding your emotions."

Ganz smiled sadly and replied, "Guess not."

He replaced the sad look in his eyes with a quick mask of casualness, but even a toddler could've told the difference between the two.

I wasn't sure whether to pry. However, judging from Ganz's forlorn expression, it was clear that whatever was bugging him wasn't related to me, at least directly. Which was a good thing; I don't know what to say if Ganz somehow grew attached to me in less than 24 hours.

Ganz, however, murmured, "Do you want to listen to a grown man's sob story?"

I nodded.

He walked over to the kitchen cabinet and pulled something down from it, something square. It was a picture of a younger him, with curly brown hair, and a girl with straight brown hair and blue eyes, both beaming at the cameraman. I could tell where this was going, but despite that it was Ganz's time to weep. Best give someone a shoulder to cry on rather than a cold shoulder to his troubles.

"Her name was Arelia. She was my younger sister, and after our parents died to a cannibal raid she was all I have left. She had a great smile, and a crazy love for this ranch. These horses, each one of them were once pampered by her to the point where they would only answer to her calls. Heh, it took me a long time for them to actually accept me as their new caretaker. "

Ganz stared at the picture, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. He turned his head up, looking at me with shining eyes,

"When she died, I swear the horses knew it somehow. They would not eat, drink, or sleep. They would make braying noises during the day, then would pace around the stable at night."

Ganz...

He wiped his eyes with his palm, sniffing once. He then said, "You know, she always wanted to see the outside world. She would go on and on about there being flowing rivers of boiling red liquids outside, flowing sheets of ice kilometers long, and vast jungles of trees where it rains constantly."

He turned his gaze to the window and sighed, "She left around eleven years ago to see the world with her favorite horse. I told her to stop with this nonsense and just live here in peace, where it was safe, but she wouldn't listen to me."

I decided to save him from saying what became of her and asked softly, "She never came back?"

Ganz shook his head sadly. He then looked at me with hopeful eyes, making me wonder what he was thinking. Suddenly, he thrust the picture into my hands and wrapped my fingers around it.

"Can you help me with a request?"

I wasn't sure if I nodded or not, but he continued, "Since you have experience with the outside world, can you find her for me? Even if it's news on her death or something, I need to know. I've been meaning to leave this place to go search for her, but I never summoned up enough courage to venture out of these trees."

He sighed and said, "I know it's a long shot, she may even have been eaten by a titan the second she left, but I can't sit here and do nothing anymore. Please, will you do this for me?"

I was unsure about this, but anything to make him feel better, "Of course, I'll keep an eye out."

He gave me a beaming smile in response and said, "Thank you, thank you!"

It was with that note that I left the house. I switched my quiver to the other shoulder and left the ranch limits, looking back once to see Ganz waving goodbye. I waved back then turned and walked away.

"Leaving so soon?"

I turned back to see Annie come up to me, the way smile still plastered on her face. I mentally cringed a bit at more verbal torture, but then verbally said,

"Yes. I have to go while the titans are resting."

Annie nodded and said, "Ah, yes, titans run off of sunlight, do they not?"

Suddenly she grabbed me by the shoulder and her eyes turned to shards of blue ice. I reflexively moved my hand to my sword but she held my other hand tightly. She said in a cool tone,

"I need to test a hunch I have. It would do you well to not resist. Don't worry, it won't leave lasting marks."

I wasn't sure what she was planning, but whatever it was I want no part in. I struggled, but the angle which she held my arms at made them unable to exert out the full force that I can normally do.

I felt a shift in her right hand and I turned to see what she was doing, only to have the sensation of a bee sting rattle my left hand.

Ssssssss...

Steam erupted from the small cut in my hand. I finally managed to wrench my hand from Annie's vice grip and look at the hand she had cut. I could already see the skin starting to appear from the dermis below.

(AN: I always found it annoying how skin can sew itself together, as if the uppermost layers of the skin had the ability to reproduce. Did you know that most of the cells in the upper layer of your skin are dead? Dead people don't reproduce, and neither do cells.)

I glared at Annie, who's cold expression was replaced by her usual smirk.

"Just confirming a suspicion. You can leave now."

I opened my mouth to say something colorful, but my protest died in my throat when I heard her next sentence,

"I'll see you inside the walls then, Rowan Vogel of Vertrauendorf."

I looked at Annie in slight shock but quickly composed myself and asked, "You...how do you know?"

Annie gave a slight shrug and said something simple, "Wir bewegen."

My eyes grew wide, barely able to catch that phrase, and I barely managed to stutter out my response, "Wir stürmen."

Annie's smirk grew lopsided, "Wir sparen."

I slowly had a similar grin on my face, and Annie said, "Well, I'll be seeing you then."

I nodded watched as Annie turned around and left.

I guess, no matter where you are you'll always meet a friendly face.

I leapt into the forest cover, heart lifted by the exchange of words and the discovery of a compatriot. As I passed by titans after titans, I couldn't help but wonder about the other members of the upcoming mission.

I walked into the village largely soundless. Arriving at the crack of dawn, I wordlessly walked into my log cabin and crept upstairs into bed, not bothering to take off any of the clothes. Thankfully, my stepfather was not currently home, most likely doing his weekly rounds around the village or something.

I decided to get some quick shut eye, hoping that today wasn't another one of those training days.

"Get up, shithead."

My eyes creaked open reluctantly. Judging from the position of the sun, it must be around 10 AM. In other words, I got around 3 hours of sleep.

I think I have a right to be momentarily grumpy, don't you think? However, I've learned that being grumpy to my stepfather usually resulted in punishment befitting someone like a robber. Usually stuff like lashing.

So, I did what I was told. I got up and looked at him and asked, "Yes?"

He sneered and said, "You were not present last night, where were you?"

"I went into the forest for training, but was delayed from returning by the thunderstorm and the incoming daylight."

I couldn't exactly tell him that I was out hunting for a meal. Knowing the proud bastard, he would be insulted that his own apprentice deigned the village rations to be unworthy of my consumption.

He seemed to buy it when he said, "Very well, at least you have been using your time wisely. Although knowing you, you most likely just wasted that time walking around the forest exploring."

I winced a bit, but thankfully he didn't notice.

"You are needed at the barracks in two hours time, go prepare yourself and make yourself presentable. Remember what the punishment is for tardiness."

"50 lashes and stable duty for a month, yes sir."

"Then I'll leave you to it then. Remember, noon."

I nodded, but mentally I was thinking of a hundred ways to stay the bastard without anyone noticing.

He left the room, leather shoes audibly smacking against the wooden floorboards. I waited until I heard the door closed, then made my way over to the bathroom.

I looked at the mirror at looked at my (admittedly dirty) appearance. I looked at my silvery blonde hair, matted with dirt from their usual spiked appearance. My tired pale blue eyes then turned to the other features of my face, such as the distinct jawline and the higher-than-average cheekbones. All of it stood out on my slightly tanned skin.

I decided that I needed a bath, badly. Unfortunately, hot water is only available at night. The communal well will have another visitor today.

After the bath in cold water, I quickly made my way to the currently-empty rations line. The lone server glanced at my appearance and sighed briefly,

"Well, you came at a great time. Our lunch servings won't be ready for another 45 minutes, so all we have are cold potatoes."

Cold showers and cold brunches. Awesome day so far. Munching on the soggy potato, I slowly made my way over to the barracks. The road there was filled with people, much more than normal anyways, and they were all headed in the same direction. It was like the entire village turned up for whatever was going on at the barracks today.

I weaved in and out of the crowd, trying to get to the barracks. There, a row of warriors blocked the entrances from the incoming sea of people, and corralled them away from the barracks. Pushing a little, I finally made my way to the front of the crowd and went to the nearest warrior, clad in the official garb of leather armor, with pads around the joints, and menacing unsheathed swords. A cloth hanging from the waist with a turtle picture signified that these were of the Guard legions.

"I was told by Leader Xavier to come here before noon?"

He squinted at me then said, "Apprentice Rowan Fleischer?"

I nodded.

He beckoned for the other soldier to open the doors to the stone barracks, then ushered me in.

"Go to the second meeting hall. You're the last to arrive, but don't worry, you're still early."

I walked into the familiar barracks, a place where the stone walls forbid anything resembling warmth from entering the building. It was dark and damp, with water trickling down the walls. Once inside, I went to the designated second meeting hall, where two additional warriors stood. These were wearing a different sash on their waist, a lion's head.

Special Operations

I couldn't help but stand straighter when I saw them, tall and proud, in front of the house. For all the faults that my stepfather has, the one thing that he's done right is making the Special Operations squadron of elite warriors. They were what everyone aspired to be nowadays, the ability to venture out and see the real world on missions, to fight those that would threaten us.

In case it wasn't pretty clear, I wanted to be a Special Operative.

I pushed the double wooden doors open and stepped inside. There, I saw my stepfather with his two usual guards, as well as a broad-shouldered blond teenager and a tall brunette with a brow shining with sweat.

My stepfather grunted to acknowledge my arrival, and then said, "Well, since the third member has finally deigned to arrive, let us begin."

He unfurled a scroll, revealing a map. Three concentric circles were depicted on the map, one inside another. Each one of them had a label depicting their names.

Wall Maria, 480km in radius.
Wall Rose, 380km in radius.

Wall Sina, 250km in radius.

He pointed to the bottom of the outermost circle, Wall Maria, where it was labeled 'Shiganshina District'.

"The time has come for the mission that we spoke about a year ago to take place. Your objective is to obtain something known as 'The Coordinate'. Using The Coordinate, we can possibly control the titans and destroy them. I'm sure you are all aware of the history of the titans and their status as a failed experiment?"

Everyone, excluding the guards, nodded.

"After this is over, they will be extinguished and erased from history. We will then finalize our plans and succeed where the Old-Age humans failed. We can finally transcend the limitations of sustenance and age, this time without losing our minds and our sanity."

Xavier stopped his (in my opinion) megalomaniac speech to stare at us unsettlingly, "The success of the plan depends on you three. Each of you have the special ability bestowed upon you, it is up to you three to ensure that each part of the plan goes accordingly."

He then prodded the Shiganshina District representation once again, "This is the first point of entry. Bertolt, you will be the one to start the attack. Your objective is to carve a large-enough hole into the gate to Shiganshina, thus allowing other titans to enter. Reiner, you will be tasked with finding a way to enter Wall Maria through the Shiganshina District."

Both of them nodded, Bertolt more hesitantly than Reiner. Xavier then turned to me and said, "You, on the other hand, will lead the titans into Shiganshina district. Use the call."

I nodded. Xavier then continued, "You will be joined by an additional apprentice who has been trained outside this village. She will be conducting the same mission as you three, so I suggest you cooperate."

"Once you succeed in obtaining the coordinate, you four will be promoted to Special Operatives. As of right now, however, you will be promoted to warriors to conduct this task. Your ceremonies will take place following the completion of this mission."

Each of us nodded solemnly. While normally being promoted to warrior rank was an honor and an important rite to adulthood, in this case it was more of a forced promotion so we wouldn't break some old protocol of forbidding apprentices from taking life-threatening missions.

Xavier continued without pause, "The strike on Wall Maria is meant as a way for you to enter the Walls without much publicity. Remember the objective after this first stage; identify, extract, and retrieve the coordinate."

Reiner, who's brow was furrowed the entire time my stepfather was going over the Shiganshina stage, spoke up, "How will we be able to identify who or what is the coordinate, sir?"

Xavier replied smoothly, "The coordinate is a focal point to which all titans are forced to bend their will to. A coordinate has the ability to influence decisions of the abnormal, in other words the Titans. There are two in this world, one known and one unknown."

He unfurled another scroll, this one with noticeable signs of age, "The known one is a deviant titan known as the Ape Titan. The first titan, he was the original specimen that the Old Age scientists used. However, be wary of him. We have sent many excursions to obtain this titan, and we have had no response. We can only assume that they were eaten, mutilated beyond recognition, or worse."

He then concluded, "The other coordinate is unknown at this time. It is your jobs to seek out the other coordinate and retrieve it. If it is a person, convince him or her to join us. The lives of the Wall inhabitants are disposable."

I bit back a small growl at that, although Xavier seemed to know my true feelings either way from the way he glanced over to me.

"You are to return with the coordinate, or not at all."

After Xavier announced the mission of the century (literally) to the crowds, the three of us went to pack for the journey. We ended up meeting in the same forest that I was hunting in last time, and had gotten lost in. Bertolt had come with three horses, each of them specially raised for extended durations of riding. Reiner, meanwhile, held the mission scroll in hand.

An awkward silence pervaded the atmosphere until Bertolt decided to finally speak, "Well, looks like we're stuck together for some time then."

I nodded slowly while Reiner scoffed aloud, "It'll only be long if we don't do our jobs. Chances are we can get the coordinate during the first strike. He did say that the coordinate could control titans, after all."

Bertolt shook his head and replied, "We can't act on suspicions alone, though. If we act too hastily, we may come up with a dud."

Bertolt fixed the position of the saddle on his horse. I instinctively checked my own horse's saddle, which thankfully was set in the correct way. Bertolt noticed this and smiled sheepishly,

"Sorry, I don't usually use horses. In fact, this is the first time I'm sent out of the village."

I nodded.

Reiner laid the scroll on the floor and unfurled it. His golden eyes darted left and right as he went over the details quickly, taking in whatever he could learn from the scroll.

"This scroll basically tells us exactly what the Leader said back there, and then 'good luck'. What the hell does that mean?!"

Bertolt bent down to read the scroll as well.

"Well, according to this, we need to meet up with the fourth member before going to the Walls. Got any idea who he or she is?"

Reiner shook his head. I, however, didn't give any notice that I heard him even though I heard him fully.

Reiner peered at me curiously and asked, "You've been pretty quiet so far. You've got anything to add about this mission? Share some of your ideas, perhaps?"

I ignored Reiner's words momentarily to slip on my leggings and then mount my horse. Once I was fully mounted, I glanced back at Reiner to reply,

"I know our fourth member and where she is."

Alright, finished! I am going to go back to Chapter 1 to help with transitions a bit, fix up grammar (such as overuse of commas and connectors) and stuff. Also, does anyone know what age Eren was when Shiganshina fell?

This story is told completely from one POV, so anything that Rowan isn't thinking about won't be stated. I'm sure most people don't walk around thinking "I know how to add!" We will learn his abilities as we go, though!