A/N: There's a lot if italics in the beginning... damn.

Disclaimer: I don't own Shingeki no Kyojin. ;w;

"Talking"

Thinking

(letters in bold with brackets is a quick A/N)

"The only thing we're allowed to do is to believe that we won't regret the choice we made."

-Lance Corporal Levi/Levi, Shingeki no Kyojin

Shingeki no Kyojin

Pandora's Jar

I-I-I-I

.:Pandora's Jar:.

A bell chimed quietly at the corner of the bar, indicating that a customer had arrived. A girl with black hair and daring purple eyes didn't bother to look at the newcomer, as customers at this time of day weren't unusual at all. Those who had the money to spare often lounged around for a drink or two. She knew that she wouldn't hold up much longer though—most of her booze was almost all gone.

A hood was gently placed ontop the body. Though the height and build were average, the girl could feel that he had an immense amount of willpower, just by the look of his green-blue eyes.

Green-blue?

"Ah," She mused, wiping an empty glass with a cloth. "You're him, aren't you? The Hunter."

He raised his head in wonder, before she reached in and whispered: "Eren Jaeger."

"You know me?" He asked. The bartender rolled her eyes. "Everyone knows you, kiddo. You can't shut Erwin up about it. He's like an excited child sometimes."

The boy looked surprised. "You know Erwin?"

She gave him a knowing smile before going back to stack her bottles of liquor.

"Ne…" She quietly said. "We're going to attract more attention if we stay any longer. Why don't you come upstairs with me?"

Eren looked at her in wonder before observing his surroundings. A couple of drinkers were looking at him curiously since the bartender had said his name and Erwin's, so the said boy realized what she meant. After giving the girl a nod, he followed her up the stairs that was at the very end of the cabin.

The second floor was set up exactly the same as the first. Circles of chairs and tables were scattered all over the room, with a small counter sitting quietly at a corner, however, the room was dark and no one was there to eavesdrop.

The bartender girl wore long, dressy black pants with a white blouse and black vest. Her medium-length black hair was tied in a loose ponytail. Her skin was white and elegant, similar-looking to her long fingers.

"So…" She went, jumping over the counter and reaching for the bottles of liquor. "What are you here for? You seem a little young to drink. And considering you came by yourself, looking all secretive and hidden, you're here for someone."

Eren was surprised by her observing nature, and the fact that she had guessed everything right just by watching his movements.

"I'm here to talk to you," He quietly said, sitting on a stool. She looked a little surprised, but smirked.

"Me, huh? Not much people have bothered to come and greet me after my family died… actually, you're the first," she whispered, a sorrowful look in her eyes. She wiped off the dusty counter with a cloth. "Why did you want to meet me?"

The young hunter looked a little hesitant as he quietly said: "A-ano… I'd like to know a little bit about Captain Levi."

Her movements instantly froze, as a dangerous look appeared in her face. Eren stiffened a little bit. "Did I… ask something wrong?"

She sighed, before resuming to wipe the counter. "No. It's just that I was thinking of something… someone…" She whispered after.

The girl leaned on the counter, before grabbing a cigar in the drawer and lighting it. Eren looked at it with awe. What were such rare items doing at such a shabby place? In fact, it was weird she had so many luxurious items… booze, cigars, expensive looking clothes… who was she?

"Aisa Gomez. Bartender," She said, as if reading his thoughts. "So… you want to find out about that brat, Levi, huh?"

"Brat…?" He echoed. "Are you older than captain?"

She rolled her eyes, looking somewhat offended. "I'm thirty-six, god. I know I look too good for my age, but hey, at least I'm still alive and kicking."

The fifteen-year-old looked at her in disbelief. She cackled, cigar between her two fingers. "What do you want to know about Levi, then? And how'd you come to me?"

The boy looked a little uncomfortable, but managed to say: "I heard of you from commander Erwin Smith when he was talking to heichou. I was always curious as to how captain became so strong… his will to fight."

Aisa nodded in understanding. "Well, it's not a big wonder as to why people ask that question so much. I mean, how can that midget fight so well? Physical-wise, the theory is beyond me, but his mental stance… I do have an idea, but I'm not sure if it's my place to say it."

"Please tell me!" He cried, slamming his hands on the counter. "If there's a way to become as strong as heichou—to become even more powerful than him, I want to know! We need to win against the titans. If only we had an army full of him… then humanity stands a chance!"

The purple-eyed woman looked surprise, but burst out in laughter. She wiped a tear off her eye. "Very well. I'll tell you how I think Levi got strong, but I absolutely doubt it'll help mankind."

Eren looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean…?"

Aisa smirked, before pouring two contents out of a bottle into a small cup at once. It turned into a pretty shade of orange, though it reeked of liquor. She drank it in one gulp, before placing the empty glass gently on the counter.

"Well," she smiled, pouring it once more. "To understand the story, you'd need to know about my family first, in which I have no obligation to tell you. But since I'll be gone in a couple of weeks, I might as well leave our legacy."

"Leave?" Eren asked. "Where?"

She gave him a dangerous look, but still smiling. "Ain't telling ya."

"Ha…" He went, slouching.

Her purple eyes looked distance as she started her story. "Well… our parents died when my sister and I were super little because of a stupid plague. Those times were disastrous. It took out a ton of people… though we were wealthy, we couldn't do anything to prevent them from dying. No correct medicine, ya hear? We were eventually taken in by our aunty and uncle. Great people, they were… kind and loving. They adopted nine other orphans as well—can you believe it?"

Eren shook his head no. Aisa gave him a wry smile, before drinking the liquor in one shot again.

"There was me… Aisa Gomez, and my sister, Pandora Gomez. Everyone called her 'Faye' though. Actually, I was the one who gave her the nickname, now that I think about it."

"Why?" The soldier asked. She wagged her finger.

"Can't remember. For the longest time I tried forgetting about her, so my memory isn't that great. Funny, because I know exactly what your name means, as well as my own… but not my younger sister's."

The boy looked at her, startled. "My name?"

"Jäger," She muttered. "It literally means 'hunter', in German. Did you know that?"

"German?"

"It's a language. In the ancient days when humans could freely roam around earth to look at the seas and mountains, languages and religions were a big part of life. German was one of the few languages. Ah but don't go around telling people what I'm saying right now. It'll get both you and me into huge trouble."

He nodded his consent. "What does your name mean?"

Aisa shot Eren a look. "Getting a little cheeky now, huh brat? Aisa was the name of a Greek goddess, more commonly known as Atropos. She is the goddess of fate and destiny… one of the Moirai."

"Greek?" Eren whispered, words feeling too foreign in his mouth. "Goddess? Atropos? Moirai?"

"It's going to give you brain damage if I start thoroughly explaining, so I'll be brief. Humans used to worship beings called 'Gods'. If they actually existed or not, I don't know, but worshipping them brought good luck or something. Aisa was a female god—a goddess. She symbolized fate and destiny, so if you worshipped her, maybe you could live a good life or something. The exact details, I'm not sure of."

"How fascinating… yet naive."

Aisa gave him a wink. "Daroi? My sister was also named after a Greek… goddess. No, not really a goddess. Just a myth. Pandora was the name of some jar or a woman. She apparently opened it, and released all the ills in the world. Who knows, maybe titans were in there as well, ne?"

Eren (unsurprisingly) looked confused. "Where is the Pandora's Jar now?"

A shrug. "Like I said, it was just a myth—a story. No one knows if Miss Pandora actually existed or not, but here's the main point as to why my parents named her that—all evil in Pandora's box had left, except for one thing. Hope."

"Hope?" Eren went. "Is hope evil or something?"

Aisa gave him a thoughtful look. "Here's what I think: hope is good and evil at the same time. If there is no hope, there is no will of survival. Hope is the thin rope everyone is holding on to—even Levi, in order to save humanity. At the same time, hope can detach us from reality, and there's nothing more dangerous than rushing to battle with false hope. It's a double-edged weapon, but by being in Pandora's box, we can conclude it's evil, but at the same time, it didn't leave with all the ills of the world, so we can also conclude hope can be a good thing."

Eren blinked. "So you're fate… and your sister was hope?"

Aisa chuckled. "That's not all. Our cousins—the ones who were adopted, also had names of those in Greek myths. Harmonia, Kratos, Nike, Nemesis, Thanatos, Clio, Artemis, Ares, and Athena Troy. Harmonia was the immortal goddess of harmony and concord. Man, did she ever hate me though. Being the goddess of harmony, however, she didn't dare touch me, but we were not close."

"What about the others?" Eren asked, looking excited. It wasn't everyday where you got to hear about these things. Aisa realized, and gave him a smile. "Kratos was the god of power, while Nike was the god of victory. They were brothers in both real life, and in the myth. Nemesis was the goddess of revenge—yeah, that played out well. Thanatos was the icon of death—no idea why aunty and uncle named him that. Clio was the muse of history, Artemis was the goddess of the hunt—much like you in a way, Ares was the god of war, and Athena was the goddess of war and strategy, as well as another million things I don't remember."

Eren didn't understand more than half of what she hand said, but nodded enthusiastically. "Go on."

Aisa gave him a weird look. "What do you mean, go on? That's it. Nothing more from my family."

To her amusement, he looked a little disappointed.

"Well, first off, we were all part of the military… all 11 of us joined the survey corps. Now that I think of it, we must've been suicidal or something. But we were a great team… we were. The eleven of us took the most important battles upon ourselves… but it all changed when that damned colossal titan appeared. July 854… so many died that day. Our family was the entire 36th Squad, but we were so out of it… terrified. We had fought many titans before, but none that attacked the walls. Harmonia… she died first."

Eren's breath hitched. His mother had died on the same day as well.

"It was almost like an omen, ya know? So ironic I nearly died of laughter. Harmonia, immortal goddess of harmony and concord was the first to be killed off. At that second, it felt like the harmony for humanity was thrown off. Everything went wrong from there."

"Wrong?" Eren asked. Aisa nodded, putting the leftover liquor back on the shelves. "Kratos and Nike were eaten by the abnormals after killing around… ten titans? They were really good… until Kratos lost all his gas. Eaten instantly. Outraged by losing the last of his real family, Nike charged, but too recklessly. The same titan grabbed his 3D manoeuvre gear and ate him up. And I just sat there, watching in horror. Nemesis died, bravely attacking soon after. There was no better warrior than her… she was the same age as me, and graduated with me in the top 10."

The young hunter looked in surprise. "You were in the military? Top 10?"

Aisa rolled her eyes. "Though it may seem weird, I graduated first place. Nemesis graduated second."

Eren nodded. "What about the others?"

Aisa shrugged, before grabbing a couple of dusty glasses on the shelf and wiping them with a cloth. "So… Nemesis and I graduated first, being the top of our class. Nemesis was probably better than me, but she was a sickly child. Still, she was a lot stronger than the boy who graduated third in our year. Plus, she had eyes like you. Revengeful. So much hate against the titans. Kind of a loner type. I could understand why aunty named her 'Nemesis'."

"My eyes?" Eren echoed. Aisa chuckled.

"Historia, Kratos, Nike, Thanatos, Clio, Artemis, Ares, Athena, all graduated the year after. They were all in the top 10 as well, with Ares third to Thanatos in tenth place. By that time, our house became famous for raising the bravest soldiers imaginable. Ha… no one expected them to all die in one battle though…" She said, with a bittersweet voice. "The year after, Pandora and Levi graduated… I was actually one of their supervisors… man was it hilarious."

Aisa's Flashback:

"And you! You shithead, what is your name?"

"C-Conner Hedberg, sir!"

"And why is a useless bag of shit like you doing here?!"

"I want to serve the king, sir!"

"Well ain't that dandy? But guess what? THE KING DOESN'T FUCKING WANT YOU!"

Aisa rolled her eyes as she recalled her time, two years ago. Actually, she and Nemesis weren't asked what their names were. She was a little bit happy, because it had meant that she had already gained her rite of passage. In the corner of her eyes, she saw the instructor pass by a short boy with small, yet intimidating looking blue eyes. His short, black hair was parted on one side of his head. Midget… Aisa thought to herself, but was surprised when Keith passed him without asking for his name.

I wonder if Faye will be passed as well…

"What about you, you shithead?!"

"P-Pandora Faye Gomez, sir!"

Apparently not…

"Pandora Faye Gomez, huh?" He mimicked. "What a weird name! Who gave it to you?"

To many people's surprise and disbelief, the blonde-haired girl gave him a toothy grin. "Well, Pandora was the name my mother gave me, because it was from some sort of myth in the olden times. Apparently she had this jar given to her by this God who told her not to open it, but she did, releasing all the evil in the world and stuff, you know? And Faye is the nickname my sister gave me! Over there! Hi, Aisa!"

When she started to wave enthusiastically, Aisa slapped her forehead gently before mounting on a horse. Her legs were getting sore.

"Well, Miss Gomez," The instructor hissed at her. "If you're ever gonna end up like your sister over there, I suggest you start preparing yourself, because I'm gonna train all you shitheads until you won't be able to walk!"

"Yes, sir!" The new recruits all cried.

"By the way," Keith went, eyeing Faye. "That was the most uninteresting lecture I've ever heard in my life."

Eren put a small smile on his lips. "He was still the same when I graduated."

The bartender nodded in understanding. "I'm not really sure what happened next, but I did hear about a few of her bunkmates."

Flashback:

"Gah… I'm so hungry…" Faye moaned, falling on her bed. Suddenly, a bubbly girl with brown hair tied to a ponytail bounced over to her.

"Hi!" She cheerily said. "I'm Hanji Zoe! And you are?"

"Faye Gomez!" The blonde-haired girl smiled kindly. Hanji mouthed an 'o' with her lips.

She nudged Faye playfully. "I like your eye colour!"

"Ha!" She said, covering them up. "It's a strange colour, isn't it?"

Indeed, Faye had light grey eyes, almost looking silver underneath the light. In terms of appearance, she and Aisa had almost no relations. Aisa had black hair that came down to her hips in which she always tied in a ponytail with long bangs, and bored-looking dark purple eyes. Faye, on the other hand, had long, blonde hair, with silver eyes. Aisa was tall and had an aura of confidence and pride, while Faye was bubbly and cheerful… almost happy-go-lucky. Speaking of which…

"Ne, are you really Aisa-san's sister?" A girl with short orange hair asked her. She seemed surprised all of a sudden. "Gomenasai. I didn't mean to be rude. I'm Petra Ral."

"Faye Gomez," she smiled. "And yeah, Aisa is my older sister. We're nothing alike though…"

"That's amazing," a girl with messy black hair spoke this time. "I'm Ilse Langner. You missed introductions because you were with your sister, so we're here to greet you."

"Thanks," The young girl smiled. She faced a couple more of her new bunkmates.

"Erd Gin."

"Auruo Bossard."

"Gunter Shulz."

Faye nodded, smiling. "I hope we'll get along well!"

"Speaking of 'getting along'…" Hanji grinned. "There's one person who isn't here yet."

"Levi," Everyone echoed.

"Levi?"

"He's short and pretty arrogant…" the speckled girl answered. "But an amazing fighter. You should go introduce yourself to him, he's probably outside."

Faye leaped off her bed and waved enthusiastically. "Then I will! See ya!"

The moment she opened the door, however, she met face-to-face with a short boy, with short, straight black hair. He gave her a bored look.

"Move."

"You're short." She suddenly blurted out.

Behind the windows, Hanji burst out in laughter, much to Levi's annoyance. Faye looked surprised herself, as she muttered out: "Sorry. It just came out."

"Move," he said once more, but with a hint of impatience this time. Faye obliged by doing so.

Well that didn't go too well… She thought. Then, her eyes widened with realization. Wait a minute... that boy!

"From what I know, Faye was really blunt," Aisa explained. "Not that she wanted to be or whatever. When she got irked, she'd say the first thing in her head. Faye was an eccentric brat and was close to Hanji, the other eccentric kid."

"Hanji-san?" Eren went. "Hanji Zoe?"

"The very one. But here's the thing that made Faye so different from us. First is the fact that she joined the Scouting Legion without hesitation. It might be because she was the only one in our family who didn't make it to the Top 10, but even if she did make it, I still think she would've joined the Scouting Legion. To this day, however, I still don't understand what her intentions were."

"Were you also part of the Scouting Legion?"

Aisa snorted. "You must be an idiot if you think I chose to be a Scouting Legion after ranking first—I was in the Military Police."

"Oh." That explained all the booze and cigars.

"Nemesis and I joined the Military Police, since we graduated first. The other 8 did so as well. Since Faye was the youngest, she graduated last, but like I said before, she was the only one to not make it to the Top 10. After she joined the Survey Corps, however, we were all terrified. While the ten of us drank and partied every day inside the comfortable inner walls, our baby sister was fighting against the titans."

Eren nodded slowly. "Ja... was Faye a good fighter?"

Aisa smirked at the question, and the boy could only tell that she was either ridiculously good or ridiculously bad.

"Gomez!" A shout bellowed underneath them. "Get your ass down here, there's a fight goin' on!"

The addressed bartender sighed in exasperation, as she knew that it was going to happen sooner or later. She jumped across the counter once more, when Eren suddenly got a glance of her wrist. There was a scar visible, but he could tell it was a big one by how wide it seemed to be. Then he followed Aisa quietly downstairs.

After tying her hair once more, Aisa kicked her shoes off and cracked her knuckles. Eren was just about to step in and stop the fight himself, when he realized there was no need. In less than five seconds, Aisa had kicked a man's chin upwards, while using her arms to effectively shoulder throw another. The two went limp after a moment, and the bar became lively once more, cheering her name.

"Where was I?" She went, wiping her hands. "Oh right. All ten of us transferred to the Scouting Legion after that."

Aisa's Flashback:

"But why?" Faye screeched at her sister, arms outstretched. "You... Nike... Harmonia... everyone was living such peaceful lives in the inner walls! I'm fine by myself. In fact, the entire 14th squad are my bunkmates. Even if you transferred, we wouldn't be in the same squad unless I request it!"

Aisa crossed her arms, looking bored. "Then do so. Or stay in the 14th squad. I'm leading the 35th, and we're doing perfectly fine, so it's not like we want you or anything. In fact, we only moved because we were so bored of that place."

The younger sister clenched her fist tightly. "Don't say that. Do you not understand how many people would just kill to be in your place? And you leave it because you're bored of it? Aisa, I'm seriously disappointed."

"Look, brat." She said. "Don't know what's up with this kid who didn't even graduate in the Top 10, but you've turned cocky now, haven't you? Your 3D manoeuvre gear test is tomorrow... weren't you afraid of heights?"

"Aisa!"

"See ya." She said. With that, she cooly walked to her horse, and left the premises.

Faye sighed in exasperation. Out of all her siblings, Aisa was really the only person who carried the same blood as her, yet she was the most difficult to get along with. The younger girl was better off with friendly or nice people such as Hanji or Petra, than someone as mature and realistic as Aisa.

Slow footsteps approached her. "Aisa Gomez. I'm surprised you guys are related."

"Levi!" Faye cried in after finding the boy slowly revealing himself from behind a tree. Her heart thumped nervously. She hadn't heard anyone near her. "Were you eavesdropping?"

Technically, he was, but he'd never admit it, so he just looked the other way and managed to mutter: "I was taking a walk and I didn't want to disturb you."

"Oh," Faye went. "Disturb me? Then did you want to talk or something?"

Damn it. Levi cursed inwardly. Faye was the last person he wanted to talk to. So he said what he would normally say.

"No. I'm leaving."

.

"Faye Gomez!" Shadis barked. "You're up next!"

The girl nervously stepped forwards to the manoeuvre gears. Her sister and one other instructor in whom she did not recognize stood patiently from afar, observing her movements. After all her straps were secured, the two seniors slowly reeled her upwards.

1... 2... she counted, balancing in the air. 3... Fo-WHOA!

Just as she was about to count the fourth second, she flipped upside down, smacking her head to the floor. It was humiliating, but much more than what she had expected because she was now face-to-face with her older sister, who stared at her, unamused, with the purple eyes of hers.

"Aisa..." She croaked. "Help?"

After an unsatisfied 'tsk', the older sister helped Faye down. While all her friends were laughing, the fifteen-year-old sat on the dusty floor, looking utterly mortified. Kill me now... she desperately thought.

A shadow loomed over her, and she raised her head tiredly. Her instructor glared down at her.

"What the fuck was that?!"

I-I-I-I

Book 1: Pandora's Jar

Saga 1: Hope and Fate

Arc 1: Pandora Faye Gomez

Chapter 1: Pandora's Jar

Levi was sore from all the morning training. He had aced the 3D Manoeuvre Gear test and honestly didn't see how people (like Faye) could fail it. It had felt like riding a swing for him, and he was the first one to pass. Watching everyone else try was a bore, although no one had managed to screw up as much as Faye.

"O... oi!" An all to familiar and annoying voice cried. The boy decided to ignore it and walked stiffly to his intended designation.

"I'm talking to you, Levi."

Damn his luck. He turned around, looking at the girl as if she were a large piece of grit. He shuddered. There was nothing he hated more than dirty things. Faye rolled her eyes when she saw his expression but nevertheless asked her question.

"Teach me how to use the 3D Manoeuvre Gear."

"No."

Faye almost sweatdropped at how fast his reply was. Then she realized he must've been expecting it all along.

"Please. I don't normally ask people for favours."

"Then don't ask me either."

The short soldier turned on his heels and briskly walked away. Faye bit her lower lip. She understood why he didn't want to talk to her so much… but…

"Onegai!" She cried, reaching for his hand and grabbing it. Levi turned around in surprise, eyes wide. He snatched his hand back.

To his dismay, the girl looked hurt. "I'm sorry." He muttered. "I… I'm just not comfortable… with what happened—"

"That's not important right now!" She cried. "What matters is the current, and the future. Humanity now no longer has the time to dwell on the past, and you're part of the future, Levi, whether you like it or not! So forget about what happened between us in the past and just start anew!"

By the time she finished her short little speech, she was panting heavily. Her grey eyes met Levi's own with a steady gaze this time.

"So will you teach me now?"

.

As Faye finished adjusting her manoeuvre gear, Levi stood on front of her, arms crossed, looking bored. She gave a nervous nod to the short boy. With a scoff, he walked up to the training gear and cranked it towards himself. Faye wasn't even half an inch above the ground when she started to wobble.

"Hold still," he muttered, still not understanding how one could be so bad at balancing. "Just relax. You're really tense."

"I—I can't…" she whispered, eyes squeezed shut. "Levi…"

"What?" He snapped.

"I'm afraid of heights."

Levi nearly let go of the handle for the crank but caught it just in time (even if Faye wasn't that high up, he still didn't want to risk dropping her). Instead, he cried out in fury.

"WHAT?!"

The girl winced at his yell, but repeated herself. "I'm afraid of heights."

Levi tried thinking of the best ways to resolve to problem but saw none to it. "Why do you even want to be a soldier, then?"

"Because there is something I must find. What about you, Levi?" She asked, not sounding very interested in his opinion.

The said boy suddenly looked away, feeling a little self-conscious. He managed to whisper: "Because I promised Erwin that time…"

Faye soon realized her mistake and muttered out an apology. "Gomen. I didn't realize that was the reason…"

Change the subject, change the subject, change the subject!

"A-anyways," he went, starting to rotate the handle without even thinking. "Let's try putting you up a little higher. It's always better if you practice, and then we have no wasted lives, you know? Because I despise soldiers who just rush to their deaths—"

"LEVI!" Faye suddenly screamed, interrupting his rant. The girl was dangling at around twenty feet or so when he checked. Normally this training gear was only used by the superiors to show the squad as an example, and therefore, was several times bigger and higher than the regular training gears. It was designed for the students at the back who had sometimes complained that they couldn't see.

After another couple of seconds of wobbling or so, the girl finally regained her balance.

"L-look!" She cried, arms stiffly outstretched. "I can do it!"

Levi almost smiled at the sight, when suddenly, her forgot about the weight he was lifting and let the handle go, the pulley releasing all its tension on Faye at once.

"AHH!" She screamed, as she plummeted towards the ground. She closed her eyes shut, expecting the pain, when something slammed into her, pulling the girl towards them tightly. She felt her arm get crushed by the weight of it.

"Ow, ow, ow…" she muttered, face scrunching up in pain. She opened her eyes and looked up. "Oh, Levi—"

The words got stuck in her throat when she looked at her rescuer. Levi was hugging her so close, she could hear his steady heartbeat thumping quietly. Faye's eyes widened as she sharply glanced up, looking frantic. Levi's face turned the tiniest shade of pink, as he made eye contact with the girl.

She shoved him away and stood up, looking away from him. "G-g-g-g-g-g-gomen!" She cried, stuttering so much it seemed abnormal. Levi didn't reply, only brushing his pants and looking towards the ground.

"Are… are you okay?" He managed to ask. She nodded quickly, shoulders tensing up. Levi sighed in both aggravation and relief.

"Thanks…" She whispered, slowly turning around to face the young soldier. Faye gave him a lopsided grin. "I think I can use the manoeuvre gears now! I look forward to your future assistance!" She added, bowing at a ninety-degrees angle.

Levi's eyes widened. "I-it's really alright. I mean, it'd be a pain for someone in our cabin to fail…"

"Hey! Who said I was going to fail?!" She cried, hands on hips. Levi snorted.

"With those skills, it'd be even more surprising if you passed."

Faye gave a snort before saying: "Just you wait, Levi. I'll surely beat you in something."

"I'll be waiting."

.

Keith Shadis scribbled on his notebook while observing the squadron fly with their 3DMG's on. The first evaluation was done by his assistant, Aisa Gomez. Now they were performing the second test so he could make sure the students Aisa found impressive would be of 'good use'. They weren't fighting with the swords yet, but most students would have had to perform basic knowledge of the manoeuvre gears by now.

Richard Rico? He read at the top of the page where Aisa had written her memo. No control, no speed. Would be titan food first day.

He looked at the said boy, watching him crash into a tree. The instructor sighed and shook his head.

Hanji Zoe. The next name said. Average fighting skills. Good at using gear. Greatest strength is that she knows how to apply certain thoughts into ways that can be used for research. A little maniacal. Definitely a genius. She's a keeper, Shadis.

It was true. It showed on every single test on titans she had scored. It wasn't rare when the girl showed more knowledge about the titans than the professors themselves. Keen, eager to learn, can be a leader when she wanted to be… now all he had to do was keep her out of the Top 10 and make her fight on the front lines, not behind the Military Police.

"WAHOO!" She screamed, jumping from tree to tree.

Petra Ral. Can use a bit more muscle. Surprisingly a very good fighter for her build, however. Agile, good at strategizing, and the perfect person to work in a team. Smart too. With a bit more training, she can become a great soldier.

Shadis looked at the list, feeling a little unimpressed. Aisa was known to be the hardest marker out of the entire legion, even more so than himself. But there had been at least a page of students whom she had complimented and encouraged. He liked Petra, but didn't see her as one with the most potential. Still, it was amazing how she was friends with nearly everyone training as of now.

"Hanji! Be careful!" The said girl cried, chasing after her.

Erd Gin. The next name read. If Hanji Zoe is a natural genius at critical thinking and applying those thoughts into actions, Erd Gin is a genius at memorizing and making plans work. He has sharp senses, calm most of the times, and is a born leader. Excellent fighter. The only flaw is when leaders clash, there is conflict. Erd cannot be a leader as he is a shadow. Teach him to follow orders.

Shadow? He thought. It was true. Erd Gin was also excellent at everything and a born leader. But was there someone else better than him? The instructor looked around, trying to locate the boy, until he saw flashes of him swinging by in a rapid blur.

Auruo Bossard. Unbelievable fighter. Cannot work in a team. Tell him to stop checking me out. Other than that he is also good to go.

A snort.

Gunther Schulz. An average soldier, but is able to work very well in a team. Always calm. I only wish soldiers were as quiet as him in battle…

Shadis flipped the page expecting to find Levi and Faye, but instead of the regular evaluations (marked out of 10 for each skill), he saw a letter messily scribbled.

Shadis, it is unfair for me to evaluate Faye. I'd like to give her the top mark, but I don't think I'll be able to do so. In terms of teamwork, I believe Faye is able to adapt to any leader, any group, but not all of the situations. She panics easily and doubts her abilities without a second thought. We also know that Faye is a little weak on using her manoeuvre gears, but seems to improve slowly every day. Normally, Faye is good at strategizing, but when she is pressured or is stuck in a sticky situation, she is headstrong. Not weak, but can't think straight. I think her past has effected this severely. That's why in a way she's quite the opposite from Gunther, and I believe they'll work well together.

However, I find that there is someone much more fitting to Faye than Gunther. Someone who has been in the same situation as her but is able to keep calm even in the worst of the storm. If Hanji, Petra, Erd, Auruo, Gunther, and Faye are all shadows, their sun is none other than Levi.

The boy excels in everything I've seen so far. I'm glad Erwin persuaded him to join the legion. He is strong, and he will become stronger. One day he'll be able to beat you, me, Pixis, and even Erwin with ease. He probably has already, to some extent. I can't say he's a born leader. Someone like Erd has the skills to lead a group. Levi, however, has a skill much more stronger than that. He has the power to convince people, persuade them. Use them. Befriend them. It's sounds funny, but whether he likes it or not, it's true. He is quite anti-social, but is always surrounded by people. He is respected amongst many, even if he has not graduated yet.

I have my highest hopes for Levi, and even higher hopes that Faye will make him stronger. But even those two cannot kill every titan on earth right now. They'll need a team to support them. Using the names I've listed out for you, I expect you to create a totally different team, one that will scare the titans away this time.

Faye has them—the feathers of hope. Levi bears them—on the wings of justice.

The Scouting Legion will be waiting for them.

P.S: Our next unit is on swordfighting. It's a huge lesson, from how to hold one to how to kill a titan. Make sure everyone does a great job, keep your eye out on Faye when she fights. It'll surprise you.

-Aisa-

Well, it's a really said cliffhanger. But hey, what happened between Levi and Pandora?

Review and follow or whatever! Yay!

:* ~Aria