Hi everyone, I'm back! I just want to say as a personal disclaimer that I truly love every, well almost every, character in the Shingeki no Kyojin universe, so if it seems like I'm picking on them it's more for my own amusement then anything else. Anyway I hope you enjoy and thanks for all the follows, reviews and favorites!
Disclaimer: I do not own either Shingeki no Kyojin or Naruto.
Updated: April 24, 2014
Groaning, I woke from a strange dream. I couldn't remember exactly what had happened but it had something to do with a rapping octopus. Shaking my head to get rid of any excess sleep, I got up from my warm bed and stretched.
The other trainings bustled about in a scurry. They knew breakfast was a precious meal and no one wanted to miss it. I hurried to get dressed as well, wincing as I felt my muscles ache from the exertion they had endured yesterday. First there had been Mike's "training" and then there had been Ren's beat-down-on-Naruto session. The combination of the two was taxing. It seemed that it was only now that I could fully appreciate the toll it had cost me.
I walked into the dining hall to find the usually noisy soldiers were silent as they gathered in a tight group around something. I made my way through the crowd with Eren, Mikasa and Armin. Not a word was uttered in protest as we made our way to the forefront of the group. I would soon regret that they hadn't stopped us; the scene I set my eyes on chilled me to the core.
There, laying in a pool of blood, was a soldier. The body was heavily mutilated. Long gashes covered the soldier's body, revealing the underlying tissues that had long since turned a dusty puce in the event of death. Their mouth was stitched shut with black thread, holding their lips permanently sealed, as if death's embrace wouldn't be enough to stop secrets from being revealed. Their eyes were widened in shock, perpetually frozen to reveal the surprise they had felt at such a violent demise. A maroon gash decorated their neck in a ghastly necktie, most likely resulting in the killing blow. Traitor was written in blood at the foot of the body, glistening in the candlelight of the dining hall. The identity was hard to distinguish at first, but the height and sparse facial hair proved the body to belong to Erwin's second in command, Mike Zacharius. Who could have done such a thing? I thought we were safe in the barracks but it appeared that, in this cruel world, not even the military could prevent all crime.
Hurried hoof beats reverberated through the room as riders approached the building, though they quickly abated as they reached their destination. Like the red sea, the tide of spectators separated as Commander Erwin and Lance Corporal Levi made their way through the crowd. Once in front of Mike's corpse, Erwin knelt and reached out to close the eyes of his fallen comrade. He pulled off his cloak, placing it over the body of his right-hand man. Levi watched with a passive face, betraying no signs of emotion except a glint of anger which hardened the usually gray iris of his eyes into obsidian; revealing the swirling storm of anger beneath his indifferent visage.
"Who could have done this," Erwin asked of no one in particular. Everyone stayed silent, allowing their commander time to grieve. Shaking his head he stood, reaching his full height before once again resuming his commanding presence. "Someone needs to go get the medical staff. The body needs to be moved. Don't touch anything, all evidence must be kept in place. Someone else go get a member of the Military Police. This needs to be reported." There was a mad dash as most of the spectators left the scene to find help.
Levi grasped his Commander's shoulder in a small sign of support. He quickly dropped his hand, turning to address the rest of the crowd. "We've lost one of our own and we will stop at nothing to find his killer. If anyone has any information they will be expected to come forward," he stated, surveying the group with his steely gaze. "If you have nothing to say, leave." With that the rest of the soldiers left, leaving Levi and Erwin alone.
Just as I was about to walk out the front door, Erwin called "Naruto, stay here for a moment." Eren, Mikasa and Armin looked back at me with hesitant glances. "Go on, I'll meet up with you later," I urged. Satisfied, they walked away as I turned to approach the Commander.
"Is there anything you can do…" he trailed off as I shook my head. "Even with my power I can't bring back the dead," I replied. Nodding to himself, he followed up with another question. "Can you detect anything… abnormal?"
I inspected the scene, careful not to disturb any evidence. Besides the body, there wasn't much to go on. The blood was contained to the area surrounding the corpse and there were no footprints leading to or from the scene. The chairs and tables looked undisturbed, serving as confirmation that there were no signs of a struggle. I also used my chakra to sense if anything was amiss. Gathering up my intel I reported back to the two commanding officers. "I'm no professional, but I'm pretty sure it was a surprise attack. I can't sense anything wrong with the energy surrounding the area. It looked as if his throat was slit first though." I reported, remembering Mike's severed neck.
"Ah, so this is where you keep the monster," called a voice from the doorway. A man walked in, the very same one who had ordered my death for the sake of the city's safety. "Nile, what are you doing so far from the inner wall?" Asked Erwin, a quick look of surprise flittering across his features.
"I just wanted to see how the Scouting Legion was treating their newest member," he replied with a cool look in my direction.
"I'm just fine, thanks," I returned with a cold look of my own.
"It seems like you've had a bit of trouble here," he said, approaching the body while purposely ignoring my remark. He pulled back the cape Erwin had placed over the body to look at Mike's face. "Such a shame, he was a good man and will prove to be a great loss to the military," he stated, pulling the cloak back over the corpse after examining the body.
"He will be missed," agreed Erwin in a composed voice. "What do you make of the crime scene?"
"Well, there doesn't seem to be signs of a struggle. Mike wouldn't be taken down easily in a fair fight. I'd say he was caught off guard. The question I have is why he was here in the first place. It seems odd that he would be here by himself in the early hours of the day."
"What are you getting at Nile?" Asked Erwin in a hard tone.
"The situation seems suspicious, that's all. This was a violent crime on Scouting Legion property. Why didn't anyone hear or see anything before this morning? If you ask me the Scouting Legion doesn't need any more attention," he answered, giving a pointed in my direction.
"We're well aware," replied Erwin. "Thank you for coming personally."
Nile nodded, his expression softening as he looked at Erwin. He noticed that the fine lines surrounding his eyes were deeper than they had been at the trial, only a couple of days earlier. The strain of being commander was starting to takes its toll. "I'm sorry for your loss," he said sincerely, gripping the commander's shoulder in consolation.
Erwin nodded, a small, weary smile appearing on his face for a fleeting moment. "Are you going back to the inner wall now?" Questioned the Commander.
Nile nodded, removing his hand. "I'll report this as soon as I get back. We need to catch the murderer soon. The last thing we need is more panic."
"More panic?" Inquired Erwin.
Nile appeared slightly ashamed at his slip of the tongue. "I really shouldn't say anything," he responded in a hesitant voice.
"You can trust us," coaxed Erwin in a soft voice. Nile still looked doubtful, but came to a decision with determination lighting his face. "We've had troubles in the inner wall as well. Some leaders of the church have been disappearing. Their bodies appear a couple of days later in a similar manner to Mike's."
"Why haven't we been informed of this?" Asked Erwin in anger.
"The top officials have been keeping it under wraps. I don't know what they're thinking, the last thing we need is to keep such vital information from the population. Rumors have been spreading and their dissent is increasing."
"Sounds like they finally need the Military Police," responded Erwin in a light tone, conflict still instilled in his expression. "I wish you luck in your investigation."
Nile nodded before making his way out of the dining hall. As he disappeared into the courtyard beyond the medical staff came in with a stretcher, gently placing Mike's body on it. They quickly hurried out the door so they could prepare the corpse for his pyre.
"It seems like when one thing gets sorted out, another pops up," sighed the Commander, sadness finally gracing his features.
"It is what you signed up for Erwin," replied Levi in an uncharacteristically soft tone.
"I know," retorted the Commander in stronger tone. "It seems like we need to start our own investigation. Naruto?"
"Sir," I responded, jumping slightly. I thought they had forgotten about me.
"I want you to help. If you suspect anything suspicious, investigate. We need to have this solved as soon as possible and I suspect that you may be key in doing just that."
"Yes, sir," I replied with a salute. Erwin nodded, formally dismissing me. I walked out of the dining hall to find the sweet aroma of breakfast greet my nostrils. Hunger had vanished from my thoughts as soon as I had laid eyes on the gruesome crime scene. Ignoring the food, I went to join the other trainees who were gathered in a tight circle.
"What do you mean you don't suspect him?" snarled Jean aggressively, his words aimed at Eren. His voice carried over to my ears and sent a quick pang through my heart. It seemed I hadn't warmed up to the group as much as I would have liked. I could only assume that Jean suspected me as the murderer.
"He doesn't seem like the type of person to kill someone, especially like that," responded Eren, a slight shiver rolling through his body as he thought about the condition of Mike's body.
"You don't even know anything about him! He could have been sent here as an assassin for all we know. Did you think about that? And what about his power? It's like nothing we've seen before. He could have easily killed Mike," shouted Jean. He promptly left the group, moving towards the periphery of the forest. The group members looked after him, unsure of where they stood in the debate. I finally arrived, feigning ignorance of Jean's outburst.
Eren looked up, guilt spreading across his face. Perhaps he wasn't as convinced of my innocence as he had claimed. Armin, noticing his friend's guilt ridden expression, recovered and issued a greeting. "Hey Naruto, what did Erwin want with you?"
"He wanted to see if I could discern anything about who Mike's murderer might be. There really wasn't much to go on though. He thought maybe I could use my power to find something he couldn't."
"He must have some trust in you then," replied Armin critically, his eyes narrowing as he thought about the situation.
"I guess… Why did Jean go away?" I questioned the group at large.
Eren, finally recovered, answered my question. "Oh he's just mad about something, he's rather hot headed if you ask me."
"Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?" Asked Levi as he joined the trainees.
"L-Levi," stuttered Eren in embarrassment, a brilliant flush dominating his features.
"Tsk, it seems like it has become my job to babysit you brats. I expect you on the training field in ten minutes."
"B-but Mike just died!" Exclaimed Connie in shock. He had secretly been hoping for a day off in the wake of such tragedy.
"And your point is?" asked Levi, one thin eyebrow raised in expectation.
"It just seems disrespectful that we should train on the day he… was murdered," gulped Connie nervously. Sasha nodded in agreement, for once with nothing in her mouth. It seemed that even she had lost her appetite.
"Listen up, I'll only say this once," announced Levi in a commanding tone. "One of the best members I've had the chance to work with has passed. You need to prove that he has not died in vain. You will honor his memory by applying your training as long as you work in the military. This includes today. I'll see you in ten minutes," he finished, walking away to mount his horse. He snapped the reins, causing his horse to take off in a gallop.
"I better go get Jean," stated Marco before running off. The rest of us followed after Levi, not wanting anymore punishments. If I thought Mike was bad, I could only begin to imagine what Levi's personalized form of discipline would involve.
After a number of exercises involving the use of 3D maneuver gear, several laps around the exercise field and some combat training we were dismissed. The sun was setting by the time we cleaned up. By this time most of the people who would attend Mike's final outing were already gathered. As the group who had trained under him, even for such a short amount of time, we were obligated to witness the event as well.
It was a quiet affair. His body was placed on the pyre and after a short farewell speech by Erwin, a touch was passed to him. He united the flame with the kindling, causing a spontaneous reaction as the flames licked up the steeple and devoured the corpse within it.
The trainee group left not long after. Those who had known Mike the longest would remain in a silent vigil until dawn. As we arrived back to our barrack I noticed that Sasha was missing. I was about to question this when she showed up. Her clothes were bulging at the seams with the hidden items underneath.
"What are you hiding?" Asked Connie, getting up from his bunk to investigate.
"Shh," hissed Sasha putting a finger to her lips. She went back to the door and proceeded to lock it. She then opened her jacket, uncovering several bottles of hard liquor underneath. Our eyes widened in response. We all knew Sasha was slightly crazy, but stealing alcohol was plain suicidal.
"Where did you get that," whispered Connie in awe.
"It was out in the open. The others are all drunk, they won't even notice," she assured us, pouring copious amounts of liquid into cups. "In my village we don't mourn the dead, we celebrate their life. I thought we could use the same tradition here."
"None of us are old enough to drink though," explained Krista, holding her cup as if it contained something lethal.
"Come on Krista, live a little," exclaimed Reiner, downing his cup in one gulp. He poured himself another, closing his eyes against the offensive aftertaste. Using his example, we all followed suit, spluttering slightly at the taste. It didn't take long for us to get a good buzz going. The drinks continued to be passed around, encouraging some reckless behavior.
Connie and Sasha made out on one of the bunk beds. Bertholdt and Reiner started a drinking song with Ymir and Krista. It turned out they were actually quite good, though that could be the alcohol talking. Armin, Marco, Eren and Mikasa played a game of charades. Armin and Marco made quite the team, reenacting scenes from various books the two had read. Eren hissed in frustration, as he tried to get his muddled thoughts to focus. Mikasa tried to give him hints, but he ignored them. She simply answered each as Eren gave up, saying something along the lines of "This is the last time I play with book worms."
I was enjoying the commotion until I noticed Jean had removed himself from the activities, nursing his drink in cupped hands. I moved to join him, sitting down silently beside his prone form.
"What do you want?" He asked in a harsh tone. His mouth was set in a sour grimace as he looked around. "What do they think they're doing? They're acting like complete idiots. Someone was just killed and they ignore it as if nothing happened."
"They're just celebrating Mike's life." I commented, gazing at the assembled crew. "The alcohol might have been a bad idea though," I said in after thought as Connie and Sasha went to join the fun, starting a game of spin the bottle with Ymir, Krista, Bertholdt, and Reiner. Connie's spin landed on Reiner, causing nervous sweat to appear on his brow as Reiner puckered up.
Jean snorted in response, taking a sip from his cup. We sat in silence for a moment before Jean started again. "Death isn't something to be celebrated. It's the end. You're only alive for so long before you're gone forever," explained Jean bitterly. He looked up at Marco, his expression softening slightly.
"It sounds like you know a lot about it," I replied quietly.
Jean continued looking at his friend before he responded in a quiet voice. The noise from the others almost blocked out the sound of his voice. "I almost lost him, you know. It was someone like you, without the brain power to tell their left from their right who caused it," he started, taking another sip. I knew better then to interrupt and kept silent at the small barb.
"The titans had broken through the gate and there was chaos everywhere. The shouting was terrible. The titans just killed every living thing in their path. My team couldn't do anything as we watched our comrades being killed off. We met back with Marco's group shortly after. We were all running out of fuel. This other cadet panicked and tried to escape using his gear. Like an idiot Marco followed after, trying to get him to listen to reason. That was when the titan showed up." Jean's eyes were unfocused as he explained what had happened. It was as if he was no longer aware of his surroundings, solely focused the horror of the memory.
"The titan quickly snatched the solider, I didn't even know his name. No one could do anything to help him," he explained with a shudder. "But after the titan was finished with him, he noticed Marco. Before I could do anything Marco was swatted out of the air. Mikasa was able to catch him before the titan could grab him. That was when she ran out of fuel. Eren came in his titan form and unknowingly saved them. We were lucky," he finished with a whisper. "That's why I can't trust you. You'll likely get another one of us killed."
I sat in silence for a moment, his story replaying itself in my head as I pictured the traumatic events before I replied. "I think I understand now, but I would never allow a comrade to be killed because of my actions. I know it will take a while for you to trust me but I will earn your trust," I said with resolution. "Now you need to join this celebration or else I'll tell Marco" I threatened jokingly.
"Not that," Replied Jean with mock humor. He slowly got up and looked me in the eye. "Thanks," he responded with a slight nod before walking away to join the others, who were now completely intoxicated. I shook my head and followed his lead.
The "celebration of life" didn't end until early the next day, with light from the sun peeking over the horizon. Many slept on the floor, unable to reach their beds on the top bunk. The future seemed brighter, even in the event of such tragedy. That was until Levi walked in a few hours later…
(End)