Eren was stunned. He never expected someone as stoic as the Corporal to show so much emotion.
Not realizing that the anger was not directed at him, Eren looked back down to the ground. I guess even the Corporal would find a monster like me disgusting. He almost wanted to laugh at how stupid he was. What else was he expecting? Even though the Corporal had said he was allowed to join the Scouting Legion, there was probably no chance of him getting in now. Maybe the Corporal had just told him that to placate him. But then again, had that even happened or had his mind just made it up?
He was pulled from his thoughts when a man wearing glasses that appeared to be in his fifties sat down in a chair in front of the courtroom. Eren noticed the wings on his back were rather huge and a light brown color.
"Well then, let us begin, shall we." The man spoke in an authoritative tone.
It took Eren a moment to realize who the older man was. If I'm not mistaken, that man is the head of all three divisions...Generalissimo Zacklay.
Zacklay was staring at some papers in his hand. "You're Eren Jaeger, correct?" And you're a soldier sworn to sacrifice your life for the cause if need be...is that right?"
"Yessir..." Eren said, still trying to gather his thoughts. Now that I think about it, what on earth am I being charged with?
"The usual law practices are inapplicable to you, as your case is special," Zacklay continued "The military council is now in order and the sole right to pass judgement on you rests with me. I shall decide your lifeand death, here and now. Objections?"
"None, sir!" What other choice did I have?
"Good. Your case is unprecidented and has brought forth two clashing viewpoints. There are people who call you a demon that will be our undoing and those who consider you our savior, our guide to hope. We are here to decide which military division you will be entrusted to - the Military Police or the Scouting Legion."
The Chief of the Military Police, Nile Dawk was the first to speak. He had wanted Eren to be disposed of. After they did research and experimentation on him, of course. At the end of Nile's speech, a man part of the religious organization interjected that Eren should simply be executed.
Zacklay stopped them from further interrupting. "Pastor Nick, to order, please. Next, let's hear the opinion of the Scouting Legion."
"Yessir. The 13th Commander of the Scouting Legion, Irvin Smith, reporting. We officially ask Eren to join us and use his titan power to help us to return Wall Maria back to the human race. That is allI have to say."
At least Eren now knew for sure that Corporal Rivaille had actually asked him to join. Eren was shocked that he was still be able to be a part of the scouts, but what shocked him even more was the brevity of Commander Irvin's speech. Did he really want to save Eren after all?
"Hm, are you sure?" Zacklay questioned the Commander.
"Yes, sir." Irvin replied. But upon being asked by Zacklay to elaborate more on the plan, the Commander proceeded to explain the details of the mission. After Irvin's explanation, a man from the sidelines had begun to vehemently disagree with the mission plans.
Then, for the first time during the whole court session, Corporal Rivaille spoke up. "Talking big, huh, you swine. Where's the guarantee the titans will quietly sit and wait for us to finish walling up all the gates? 'We', 'us'...by 'us' you keep chanting you must mean my friends who risk their lives, protecting you, while your kind fattens up in safety, eh?"
The man began to stutter a reply but was interrupted by Pastor Nick, wings ruffled, zealously spouting something about the walls being granted by God and the humans did not have the right to modify it.
Eren wondered why Pastor Nick was butting in about his beliefs anyway. We're saying we're putting our lives on the line for people...why don't they believe us?
Zacklay tried to restore order in the court to proceed with the trial. "Let's get back to the business at hand. Next...Eren, I have a question for you. It seems that there is hope for you to join the Scouting Legion. However...as a soldier that you've been till now, do you really believe you can put that titan power to good use?"
"Y-yes! I do, sir!" Ugh. He wished he hadn't stuttered; it made him sound slightly uncertain.
"Oh..." Zacklay said in response as he looked down at his papers. "On the other hand, the the report on the recent mission to plug the gap in the wall says that after you had transformed into a titan, you swung your fist three times at Mikasa Ackerman."
Eren snapped his face toward Mikasa, shocked by this information. She stared back at him, her expression unreadable.
"Is Mikasa Ackerman Ackerman present?" Zacklay called out.
"Yes, sir...I am here." Mikasa answered, albeit reluctantly.
"Is that true that Eren attacked you?"
Mikasa had seemed unsure of how to reply to the question. She didn't want to make things worse than they already were for Eren. The expression on her face appeared to be that of a mother caught up in a life or death situation over their child. Though, that was not very far from the truth. Her gray wings drew closer to her sides. She knew she had to respond so she finally forced out, "Yes, that is true…"
Upon hearing her response, the spectators 'oohed' and made noises of discontent and concern over their own well-being.
Eren couldn't believe what he was hearing. I tried…to kill Mikasa? Me…? How come he couldn't remember?
Before anyone else said anything, Mikasa quickly came to Eren's defense by saying that he had saved her life twice while he was in titan form. She had told them to consider those facts. Dawk, however, was just as quick to discredit her and brought up records of Eren and Mikasa's past. He brought up the fact that they had killed three men when both of them were at the age of nine. The Chief of the Military Police was trying to raise suspicion of Eren's basic human nature and was rather effective, too, as it created restlessness in the audience.
Things took a turn for the worst…I…I have to say something. Eren had no idea what he was going to say. He had to speak up; he had to say something, anything, before the situation got out of hand.
Before Eren could even open his mouth to speak, a man in the stands cried out that he had doubts about Mikasa even being human, as well. His words had caused a stir of agreements in the spectators.
Eren could not believe the direction in which the trial had gone. He could no longer stay silent. "I may be a monster, but Mikasa has nothing to do with that!" He had not felt so much anger, so much emotion in such a long time. It had been too long since he had felt anything but numbing pain throughout his body. His wings were straining to spread out, reacting to his emotions. But in his situation, their wish could not be fulfilled. "And you know what? All you did so far is speculating one-sidedly and taking guesses, how convenient of you. You won't get anywhere close to the truth of all you do is disregarding how things really are."
The crowd looked more worried and afraid after he had spoken up. N-no good? "And besides, what are you all scared of, when you didn't even see a titan in your whole life?" I really need to shut my big mouth now. ...No. I'll keep talking. I'll say everything that's on my mind. These damn cowards… "You damn spineless cowards…stop the fuss already and just invest all you got in me!" He had all but screamed the last part.
Rivaille knew that this was his chance to do what he had to. He may come to regret what he was about to do, given the already pitiful condition Eren was in, but he had no other choice. The Military Police had gotten their guns up and aimed them at Eren, ready to shoot.
Oops…I clearly overdid it…and now things got even worse…Eren was stating at the guns pointed at him when all of a sudden, his face swung to the right at a breakneck speed. He hadn't even realized what had happened when he saw something fly out from him and bounce off the ground. What was that…? That was…my tooth…?
Before Eren could even formulate another thought, something strong was forced into his gut, causing him to choke and spit out some saliva. He was then yanked up by his hair and through this movement, he managed to see that it was Rivaille that had kicked him. The Corporal's blows were unrelenting; he kept raining down kicks and punches on Eren.
Corporal Rivaille put his foot on top of Eren's head. "This is just my opinion, but when it comes to teaching somebody discipline, I believe pain is the most effective way. What you need is not a lecture, but a practical lesson. Besides, you're an easy target for my kicks now that you're crouching." He had resumed his blows against Eren, making him bruised and bloody. Please bear with it. It will be over soon.
Dawk had spoken up and interrupted Rivaille's attacks. "Wait, Rivaille…"
Don't call my name casually, you pig. "What is it?"
"It's dangerous. What if what you're doing causes him to turn into a titan?"
"…what are you saying?" Was he shitting him? Really, now? "Weren't you guys going to dissect him?" He stared at the fear written all over their faces and smirked, one corner of his mouth lifting up just so slightly. "Huh…" Well, let's get this over with. "You know, seems like, after he transformed into a titan, he killed off twenty titans before he ran out of juice. The fact that he possesses intelligence can spell serious trouble for you, if he were to oppose the police as the enemy. If that happens, he will be your problem, not mine, you know… And what are you gonna do in that case? Will you really be able to kill him if you were to fight him?"
Irvin decided that it was his turn to speak. "Generalissimo Zacklay, sir, I have a proposition. A lot of things are unclear about Eren's 'titan power', that is why he will always represent a certain potential threat. In the case Eren is put under our watch, Corporal Rivaille will be able to take counter measures if need be. Rest assured, a man as skilled as the Corporal will handle the matter accordingly at the crucial moment."
"Oh…" Zacklay turned to Rivaille. "Will you really be able to 'handle the matter accordingly', Rivaille?"
"If we're talking about killing him, then I have no doubt in my ability to do so. The problem is that no option in between exists…" Rivaille trailed off as he saw the look on the black haired girl's face in the audience. Ah, right. She's the kid's friend.
Zacklay looked like he had come to a conclusion. "Looks like our discussion is mostly over. Let me pass a judgment, then."
Of course, Dawk feeling that he had lost tried a last desperate attempt to get Zacklay to rule in the Military Police's favor. "Irvin, I want to ask you something. What do you plan to do about the inland situation?"
Irvin's reply was coherent and straight to the point. "I fully realize that our activities in the lands beyond the walls depend on the stability of our society. As such, it was never my intention to disregard the problems of the innerland." Irvin then turned to Zacklay. "That is why I have another proposition to resolve that tension. I plan to calm the inland people's worries by proving to the public that Eren can be a valuable asset to mankind in our next mission outside the walls. I would like you to postpone your judgment until then."
"Oh…so you want to take him to the outer lands…" Zacklay had a contemplative look on his face. "It's decided then. Eren Jaeger is to be put into the Scouting Legion. However, he is to return here again depending on the mission results."
After the trial, Eren was moved to a small room and was allowed to sit on a couch that rested up against a wall. He sat halfway on the seat and tried not to disturb the two aching appendages on his back. Reaching toward his face, he tried to feel around the area where his tooth was knocked out. "Ouch, ouch ouch…" He had mumbled.
Irvin walked up to Eren and kneeled down slightly be able to view him face to face. Eren could only stare at him in awe. This was the man that he had looked up to when he was younger – the person in charge of the Scouting Legion. And the wings, the wings on Irvin's back were the largest set of wings he had ever seen in his life. Never before had he seen a pair that were so strikingly white.
"Sorry about that…You really did speak up your mind in from of the Generalissimo and other big shots unrestrainedly, after all. That gave us the perfect chance to play the card we had prepared up our sleeve. The pain you're in was also necessary to achieve our goal." The Commander extended his arm out to Eren. "You have my respect. And nice to meet you, Eren. Let's get along from now on."
Mouth agape, Eren just gawked at the Commander. Was he serious? He respects me? I haven't done a single thing. Shouldn't it be the other way around? He was the hero, after all, not Eren. Coming to his senses, he replied, "Yessir. Nice to meet you, too."
All of a sudden, there was a quick movement to Eren's right, causing him to flinch backward. O-oh, it's the Corporal. Looking at Corporal Rivaille made his body ache in the places that he had been kicked and battered. One of the Corporal's wings brushed up against his leg. Eren stared at it for a moment and felt a sudden impulse to touch the pure black feathers to see if they were as soft as they looked. Wait, just what am I thinking?!
Rivaille casually placed his arm around the sofa in Eren's direction. I just sat next to him and he's scared shitless of me. Not that I blame him, though, after my actions in the courtroom. "Say, Eren. Do you hate me?" He turned to face the boy. He couldn't very well have a subordinate that wanted to knife his back at any moment, though. But as he stared, he noticed the unique captivating teal color of the kid's eyes, the same eyes that caught his attention back when he met him in the jail cell.
"N-no…" Eren managed, "I understand the act you put up needed to be believable." When he said that, he felt a wave of relief wash over him, the heaviness that he felt in his gut when he first laid eyes on the Corporal in the courtroom had disappeared. He was glad the Corporal wasn't disgusted by him, and this made him feel the strange need to make Corporal Rivaille actually like him as a person. He truly respected that man, after all. Ah, but he didn't deserve to be asking for so much.
"Good, then." At least the kid knew to a certain extent when to let go of his emotions. He'd give the kid some credit. Not everyone would be so forgiving after getting the shit beat out of them.
Hanji had stepped in to help wipe off some of the blood on Eren. She then proceeded to berate Rivaille for his harshness. "But still, there're certain limits! You knocked out his tooth, for crying out loud! There was no need to!"
"I would think he'll take a knocked out tooth over being dissected any day." Well, his attacks might have seemed overly excessive, but that was to be expected. He did say after all, he could do no less. It wasn't like he didn't feel any sense of remorse when he did it. He wasn't some kind of sick person like those damn swine of the military that took pleasure having abused Eren when the Scouting Legion had left him. Disgusting pigs. He hadn't deserved to go through the revolting treatment that he had undergone in that small cell, no one did. Even though he didn't know Eren that well, the sight of his beat up form in the courtroom had caused such a sudden flash of anger to rise up in him, it almost shocked him.
Trying to see the extent of damage that Eren had taken, Hanji told him to open his mouth. "Eh…? Your tooth is growing back…" This information surprised her. What could this mean? Did Eren have the same regeneration ability of a titan? Oh my God, this made her so excited. She had to write this down. Ahhh! I hope I will be able to do experiments on him. No, of course I'll be able to. Well, with Eren's permission of course, but that shouldn't be a problem Hahaha! Nothing will stop me from trying to convince him. Ohhh man, I can't wait. This is going to be fabulous!
This should be the last chapter i take from the original author so everything else should be mine after this.
