A/N: Hey there! Another 10k+ words chapter is here! Thank you for all those reviews, reading them actually does help a lot, as it gets me a picture of how the story is doing that I can't get from myself with the perspective of a writer.
About how long I will take to upload a chapter for this fic, hmm the best estimate would be around between two weeks and a month. Just as pointed out in the A/N from the first chapter, I have another story that is taking priority over this one. There might come a time when I switch gears and I will feel like updating this story on a more constant basis than the other one, but I don't hold any promises on that.
And regarding that comment about people confusing Mukuro and Mikasa as family…hehe, I'm not saying anything, but…
Anyway, that was enough on my part, on with the chapter!
EDIT 26/03/2023: Mayor polishing in grammar and typos.
The Despairful 104th Cadet Corps: First Day.
Good news, she was capable of finding an enlistment center.
Bad news, by the time she did, she was already two months late to join the eastern division which was the one located in Karanes District.
…But good news! The personnel there told her that by the end of this year, the division in Trost District was planning to admit new trainees into their ranks, even better news, they also told her that anyone willing to enlist will receive a free ride towards said district and into its respective training camp.
She was sure that this was not out of generosity but rather their need for more people to join the military, and if all they had to do to increase their numbers was to give a free ride to those living outside of Trost, then it makes it worth it for them. Not that she minded that though, she was not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
However, for all good that was, there were still a few months, more than half a year, before that came to be, and she wasn't one to waste that much time. So, what did she do with it?
Training.
It's not like she was in bad shape, far from it. To live in the streets, having a strong body was of the essence, so she had made sure to always spare some time for morning jogs, push-ups, squats, and the like…though Mukuro could admit that it hadn't been as intensive as what she was used to. Between taking her time to get used to this new world 'Still sounds too weird to think about that with a straight face…' and prioritizing her day-by-day survival, she had become a bit rusted when in comparison to her peak form back in her previous life 'That too is such a strange thing to think about…', but that's exactly why she put herself immediately into correcting that, making use of the following months to compensate for the wasted time.
The weeks flew by and besides slowly but surely noticing her body beginning to tone back into shape, the only interesting thing she took note of was that in their own way…the sacrifice of those 250,000 lives wasn't in vain. It wasn't as if that worked to solve the food crisis humanity was facing, but it was enough to subvert it into a more controllable problem. A really big problem on the border of turning into a crisis once again, but it was controllable nonetheless.
In any case, faster than Mukuro knew it, the day finally came. She returned to the enrollment center first hour in the morning, enlisted herself, and was now finding herself in a wagon since a few hours ago while looking outside, how the living green of the vegetation had been replaced by the dry light-brown of the arid soil, made her suspect she was getting closer to her destination. Closer to taking her first step into becoming a soldier…again.
…
Deciding that she had already mulled over this subject more than enough times, Mukuro moved from…that, onto appreciating her company. They were all around her age, at least physically speaking. That was something she had debated from time to time, but somewhere in-between in her stay here, Mukuro decided that for clarification's sake, she woke up in the body of an 11-year-old, making her 13 by now.
Curiously enough, out of the 14 barely teenagers cramped here with her, 6 were also girls, while she also remembered seeing similar numbers when the other wagons were picking up the future trainees. Although she supposed that this cultural divergence regarding women in the military did make sense. After all, when you were facing a monstrous enemy that threats humanity to its entire annihilation and was also just around the corner, things like that stop taking importance in the grand scheme of things.
Putting aside their physical traits, she could observe the almost child-like excitement some of them had on their faces, not only that but with nothing else to do in this limited space, hearing what some of them were saying was the only way to kill time besides gazing on the outside sights.
What she heard though, made her frown.
Some were talking about how much of a great time they were going to have in the incoming years, almost as if they were talking about a field trip, others were boasting about how much of a walk in the park this was going to be, self-assured that they have been trained all their lives in their respective towns or villages and how that will make up for whatever their future instructors will throw at them. And she would've laughed if she had found it funny that a few of them were already talking about getting into the top 10 among the trainees, which apparently was an obligatory requirement to join the Military Police Brigade.
I actually found a bit of humor in that last discovery, if only at a minuscule amount…
These people, let's not even speak of a single day, they haven't set a foot there and were already talking as if they were veterans when they couldn't be greener, and if the hardships from these next years of training were at least 1/10 of her days back on Fenrir, then she's already looking at walking graves. Maybe being a foreigner…no, it was exactly because she was a foreigner of this world that she couldn't wrap her head around these people who were already born in their current grim situation, acting in the way they are doing, so nonchalantly about what a soldier was about.
Perhaps it was because they haven't seen a titan in the first place that makes them talk with that arrogance? Even so, it was way too irresponsible for them to act this dumb. Seriously, what did they―
"Eeep!"
That pitch squeak and the complete silence afterward brought Mukuro out of her musings to see what was wrong. Looking around, she could see the scared expressions of her fellow 'companions' as they faced in her direction. Some even flinched every time her gaze met theirs…and then she noticed she was scowling, and probably had been doing so for quite a while…
…
…Sigh.
Some things never change, huh?
Honestly, she shouldn't get so worked up over stuff like this, whichever path they want to take during their time in the training academy was their problem, not hers. Instead, she should take the remaining time until they reach the training grounds to―
"Oi brats! Dunno what's the uproar over there, but unless you are second-guessing and wanna go back to your mom's, then ain't no longer my problem, we have arrived!" The driver grunted.
―They were already that close?
Deciding to not waste any time, Mukuro picked up the bag she was holding between her legs and left the vehicle. As soon as she put a foot outside, Mukuro had to cover her eyes from the sun for a moment, which intensity seemed to multiply thanks to the proximity being nothing but barren land, before getting used to it.
Ignoring the groans behind her from those who made the wise decision of not following her example, she took notice of the place she would call 'home'.
In the distance, she could take notice of a single wooden watchtower along with a few scarce buildings that clearly had seen better days, no doubt each of them will barely cover the basic necessities for her survival. Each one of them was built upon a crater surrounded by nothing but mountains.
After seeing all of this, Mukuro couldn't help the nostalgia wash over her body for a moment, almost as if traveling back to her first infernal days in the mercenary group, back when she was more…innocent.
When the earliest of signals about having one of those 'moments' made an act of presence, she quickly shook her head to bring herself out of her daze and focus on the present. She had come here for a reason, a purpose beyond her very life. She needs to make amends in the only way she is capable of, and it begins here.
With those thoughts in mind, Mukuro finally took her first real step toward her self-declared destiny.
The barracks were just as she expected.
It had rows of what barely could count as beds, with each one designed to accommodate at least two individuals, a lamp, and a pair of windows on each extreme of the room and that was it. Of spartan nature at its finest…and she couldn't like it more.
It was simple, it was practical and the beds along with the roof which lacked any holes made it ten times better than her living conditions for the past two years. Honestly, the fact alone that she was sharing this place with only girls was already making her feel spoiled.
However, she was not here to wonder about these new luxuries being introduced into her life, the officers were clear enough about that. She had to change into the uniform given to her and immediately go back to take formation, where she will sleep, and leaving her things was up to her so long as she was done with it quickly.
Even though she was the first one to get here, the lack of other belongings around the room being proof of it, Mukuro opted to not be picky about it and put her bag on the first bed from her left. Said bag only contained a book, which was the same one she had been using to learn the 'new' language of this world, and some spare clothes in case of emergency. Nothing she would have turmoil about if she were to lose it.
The closest thing to give me that reaction would be my knife, but that's something I keep with me at all times, that's non-negotiable…
In any case, with the bed already selected, all that was left was to change into the proper attire.
The clothes consisted of dark brown knee-high boots, white pants, a brow sash covering the hips, and a light brown jacket. As for the shirt, they said that it was the only customizable part of the uniform so keeping her usual black one shouldn't be a problem. Just like the uniform of the other official branches, on each shoulder and the back of her jacket, there was an insignia. A pair of crossed swords, being proof of her being a member of the training corps division.
All in all, save for the insignia, her uniform was the same as any other soldier already on service, another practical thing she supposed.
While in the middle of putting the respective garnets, she heard footsteps behind her, getting closer and closer until the door opened. Having a better safe than sorry mindset, Mukuro spared an inconspicuous glance in the direction of the newcomer.
It was a girl around more or less the same height, with long black hair and grey eyes whose expression showed nothing but stoicism. Her clothes were a long-sleeved white shirt, a black ankle-length skirt, and shoes.
After confirming that it wasn't a guy 'Not like they would be interested in me, but just the fact alone of attempting to get here of all places would've spoken nothing but bad things of such person…' and that she didn't give her the feeling of being here to attempt against her life, Mukuro resumed her changing.
"…Is this occupied?" The newcomer said with a tone of voice so neutral that it could give Mukuro a run for her money.
Mukuro, without turning in the new girl's direction, replied, "I don't think so. As far as I am aware, I was the first one to get here, and no one else besides you have come afterward."
"I see," Was everything the long-haired girl said.
Something Mukuro was grateful for. After all, even if she was a social person, which she wasn't, this was not the moment for small talk.
Once she was finally done putting everything together and doing a few stretches with her arms to properly adjust her jacket, Mukuro turned around to depart towards the training grounds.
She didn't know why, maybe it was curiosity, perhaps it was the same wariness Mukuro had when giving her back to someone, or maybe it was neither of them, who knows. The point was, as soon as Mukuro did that, the other girl in the room turned to give her a look…and when that occurred, the other girl's eyes widened enough for Mukuro to think that it looked strange on her.
Said gesture made Mukuro quirk an eyebrow, although when the other raven-haired girl moved her eyes from her face towards her hand…the hand with her Fenrir tattoo and that made her eyes widen even more, the quirked eyebrow changed into narrowed brows and a tensed-up body ready for combat if necessary.
"What is it?" Mukuro questioned with a firm voice.
"H-Huh…?"
"I said what is it? Why are you looking at me like that?" Mukuro almost ordered with a not small amount of suspicion in her voice.
That apparently worked to bring that other girl out of her daze, "…Ah, um…it's…it's nothing, I thought I saw a big mosquito in your hand…"
"…"
"…"
…Mukuro didn't have to be a certain Ultimate Gambler to know she was in front of a terrible liar.
Unfortunately, she never found in her the actual need to hide her mark signaling her affiliation with the mercenary group. In retrospect…maybe she should've taken her time to look for gauntlets somewhere along the line seeing that the girl in front of her was far from the first one to look at it weirdly. It didn't help at all that the words 'Fenrir' imprinted on her skin were most probably from a dead tongue as far as they know 'I can only hope that doesn't get me into trouble in the future…'. Besides, maybe she had that surprised expression on her face because of Mukuro's light-violet eyes. As far as Mukuro was aware, that also was a rarity around here.
Basically, with all of those factors in consideration, there was nothing out of the ordinary with the reaction of just a few moments ago.
…
…For her credit, the grey-eyed girl in front of her didn't look scared at all, only caught off-guard, maybe a bit nervous and surprised, but that's about it. Maybe…maybe Mukuro was overreacting? It wouldn't be the first time. It had happened so many times in the past that even she becomes self-aware about it from time to time…like this one for example.
Finally, after a few tense, for Mukuro at the very least, seconds, Mukuro decided to be the grown-up here.
Which I am, a young one at the very least. Even with the body of a 13-year-old, I would be practically 21 by now if counting my life experience in both lives…and that will never stop being a can of worms in its own right.
Mukuro gave a long sigh to allow the tension to leave her body before addressing the girl, though she still had a stern look on her face "…Alright, but you should not stare at people like that, it's disrespectful."
The girl in front of her just gave her a nod after recovering back into that stoic self Mukuro saw in her at the beginning.
With that ordeal dealt with, the raven-haired girl opted to return the nod before marching toward the door.
Although, all the while, Mukuro could still feel the stare of the girl behind her.
…
…
…
…Sigh.
It seems she's not the only one being terrible at social interactions around here.
'Although just to be sure, I should stay wary of her, I can never be too careful…
"Today marks your first day as official members of the 104th training unit!" A tall and bald man with yellow eyes, their head instructor Mukuro could guess, shouted. "For the disgrace of all of you, I, Keith Shadis, will be in charge! If you are expecting a warm welcome, then you can already pack your trash you sacks of shit!" Then, his eyes darted between each recruit with a look of absolute disdain, "As of right now, all of you are now merely livestock, no…you are even less than that, you are worms waiting to be the next meal for the Titans! And for the next three years, I'll train you useless shits! I will teach you how to fight them so when the time comes, we will see if all you are going to do is to fill their fat-ass bellies or become a glorious wall that will protect humanity! That will be up to you, I am clear, maggots!?"
"Yes, sir!" Mukuro along with the rest of the trainees exclaimed.
Hearing the speech from their instructor, Mukuro couldn't help the feeling of nostalgia come back to her 'Although this time, without its usual set of problems…'. The loudness, the attempt at breaking their morale, the promise of either a grim death or absolute glory, it was all there, just like it was back when she was a child.
Of course, she didn't let even a speck of it show on her features. Disrespecting both the uniform and the officer in charge is among the biggest sins one could commit in this place.
Once he was done with the peep talk, instructor Shadis began to walk around the rows, his intense glare piercing the very will of those he caught sight of.
At some point, she observed with her peripheral vision the moment he passed in front of her. He stood there for a few seconds with that eternal scowl of his, but she didn't even flinch. Staying still as a statue with her hands behind her back, not even daring to blink or move her eyes in any direction unless he addressed her.
Satisfied enough, if the fact that he didn't snap at her was anything to go by, he turned to the person in the row in front of her.
"You, the blondie over there! Who are you!?" It seems the instructor found his first victim.
"Sir! Armin Arlert, from Shiganshina, sir!" A person with a feminine face and pitch voice that if Mukuro didn't had experience dealing with a small programmer, would've mistaken for a girl.
"Is that so? What a stupid name, your parents gave it to you?" The instructor taunted.
"My grandfather, sir!"
Seemingly accepting the answer, instructor Shadis took another angle, "Arlert, what are you doing here!?"
"Trying to aid humanity's victory, sir!" The blonde said, closing his eyes in an attempt to regain some will under the scrutinizing gaze of the instructor if Mukuro had to guess.
"What a wonderful goal…wonderful enough to feed you to the Titans! Row 3, about-face!" Instructor Shadis said before grabbing the Arlert guy from his head and turning him in the opposite direction while the rest of the row followed the example by themselves.
Being done with that row, he addressed the first person on the next one, "Who are you!?"
"Thomas Wagner, from Trost!" Another blonde guy exclaimed.
"I can't hear you! Louder!"
"Thomas Wagner, from―"
"I don't give a shit! Next!" Instructor Shadis dismissed before turning to a girl with pigtails.
From there, he went around the formation doing this passage rite, because she knows exactly what this was, especially considering her previous experience during her travel. Instructor Shadis was looking for those he deemed too soft and was giving them a taste of what life will be like here so reality finally catches up to them. If they can't endure even this then she doesn't doubt they will be leaving before the end of the week.
It was a simple yet effective method to discard those who were not fit to be soldiers. In that regard, she's glad that this officer was taking his job seriously. If what little she already knew was taken at face value, the Titans were going to be a new enemy in every sense of the word, and while her main reason to be here was so she could join the Survey Corps, she can't allow even a bit of arrogance just because of the title she held in her previous life and has to accept that there were things for her to learn during her stay in the training corps.
She also noticed how, similar to her, the instructor spared a few moments to glance at certain individuals before leaving them alone and focusing on shouting at the nearest recruit.
Those must be people who already had seen some gruesome things, either because of a very harsh, almost infernal lifestyle or, most probably, they had already faced those Titans.
Even she, who has already seen the worst humanity has to offer, couldn't help feeling…something when she saw a Titan for the first time. And that was at a safe distance, Mukuro could only imagine how it was for those who were there when Wall Maria fell and observed when these creatures devoured their beloved ones while what they recognized as their entire world began to crumble before their very eyes.
It's no wonder how useless this rite of passage would be for people like that.
"Who are you!?" The instructor questioned an ash-brown-haired boy.
Said boy did the standard salute before addressing the officer, "Jean Kirschstein, from Trost!"
Kirschstein, huh? She's glad name pronunciation has never been a problem considering that Fenrir as an organization was of the international kind, so she had her fair share of experience dealing with foreign names.
"Trost, you say? Not far from home then," Instructor Shadis mused aloud, "What are you doing here?"
At that, Kirschstein seemed caught guard for a moment, before a confident smile formed on his face, "Joining the Military Police, for a life deep within the walls, sir!"
Ah, that's gonna cost him.
With such a response, their head instructor took a more amusing tone of voice, "Oh? I see, you want free access to the interior, don't you?"
She didn't think any answer was going to get him out of a beat-up, but replying with an affirmation was definitely―
"Yes!"
Mukuro wasn't surprised at all when instructor Shadis headbutted him as soon as that word came out of his mouth.
"Hey, you piece of shit! Who said you could sit!? A wimp like you will never make it to the Military Police!" That was the last thing the instructor said before turning towards his new target.
Though she could only agree to that observation because of the top ten grade their access required, because otherwise…
Although Mukuro admitted she didn't expect him to leave that boy alone after only that. Hmmm, now that she thinks about it, he hadn't made that much use of force so far. Then…could it be that he's being considerate because it was their first day?
Well…as long as that doesn't interfere with him doing a proper job, it should be fine.
"You! Who are you and what are you doing here!?" The head officer asked a black-haired boy with freckles similar to hers.
The aforementioned boy replied with a smile and an optimistic tone of voice, "Marco Bott! From Jinae City, Wall Rose South District, sir! I want to join the Military Police to offer the King my body and soul in his service!"
While his objective could sound similar to that of the Kirschstein boy, the way he voiced it, the words he used, and the idealistic way in which he expressed his desire…it couldn't be any more different even if he wanted to.
And he means it, Mukuro could see that. The genuine and hopeful, if somewhat naïve way in which he said that she does have experience which such kind of people to pick up on those things. After all, Naegi―
! ! !
…
…
…Tch.
Mukuro internally scolded herself for allowing her mind to drift in that particular way. This was not the moment for such distractions, even less for thoughts like those. All that was left of him for her in this world were memories, that's all there was and that's all there will be.
She can't get worked up for every person that shows the tiniest bit of resemblance.
"Is that so? That's fantastic to hear, good luck with that" And before the boy named Bott could get comfortable with those words, instructor Shadis continued with a dark expression on his face, "However…you must know that the king couldn't care less about either of those"
If the shocked face he was making was any indication, those words had the intended effect on the boy.
"You! The baldie over there! Identify yourself!"
"Connie Springer, of Ragako Village, Wall Rose South District, sir!" A bald kid declared…as he saluted with his wrong hand, on the wrong side of the chest….
…
…Again, she wasn't caught off-guard when instructor Shadis lifted him by the head while applying pressure with both hands.
He should consider himself lucky if the instructor gives him the mercy of not crushing his skull…
With a low and murderous voice, the head officer spoke, "You are doing it all wrong, Connie Springer. This salute was the first thing you were taught, and it signifies your resolve to devote your heart to humanity. Are you some kind of aberration with your heart on your right side?"
Honestly, it hadn't even passed an hour since they were told about this. How could that guy forget something as basic as this? Well, considering that he's still alive and that possible soft side instructor Shadis had towards cadets, maybe if he keeps his mouth shut―
Munch.
A chewing sound was heard, and did nothing but intensify in volume as the entire training ground became silent. No one, not the instructor, not even her, could hold their curiosity while turning in the direction from where such noise was coming.
Two rows to the bald kid's right, a brunette girl was…eating a potato with a straight face.
What the hell?
Saved by the bell…or the by the girl eating a potato, their officer dropped the Connie kid to address said girl with a slow voice "Hey, you bastard…what are you doing?"
Instead of doing the bare minimum of dropping the food, bowing to the ground, and begging for her life, the brunette acted as if she didn't know the instructor was referring to her, looking to the sides in search of this 'other' person…and giving it another bite to the potato.
She's dead.
"I'M TALKING TO YOU! FUCKING DUMBASS! WHO THE SHIT ARE YOU!?"
The brunette gave a gulp to pass the remains she had in her mouth before replying to the instructor with a surprisingly well-done salute '…Though still holding the potato.' "Sasha Blouse, from Dauper Village, Wall Rose South District, sir!"
Not that instructor Shadis was impressed by that though, "Sasha Blouse, what do you have in that filthy right hand of yours?"
"A boiled potato, sir!" And it seems that neither was this Blouse, "The kitchen had a few of them in open sight, and I couldn't hold the temptation!"
Even with the burning sun hitting in all its splendor, it still felt as if the temperature dropped with each second that passed and this conversation keep going "…Did you steal it? If so, why eat it here in all places? What led you to take this decision?"
"It was getting cold and that would've been a waste of such a good potato, so I did the right thing by eating it now that it was still warm and delicious, sir!" The brunette replied without a hint of shame.
Mukuro wasn't being metaphorical about that girl being dead the moment the instructor caught her eating that potato, but now she can say without a shadow of a doubt that it's going to be a slow and painful death.
With a voice as cold as ice, the head instructor allowed this charade to continue, "I still can't comprehend it, why would you eat that potato?"
"Eh?" For her part, the brunette seemed genuinely confused at that question, "Are you asking me why people eat potatoes, sir?"
…
…
…Indeed, a slow and painful death.
The following deafening silence seemed to give the girl with a death wish an epiphany of sorts, as with a look of realization…she broke the potato in two.
"Here, sir. You can have half of it" Blouse said as she reluctantly offered less than a third of the potato she was holding.
The instructor could no longer hold back a baffled tone of voice while he accepted the potato, holding it as if it were a treasure of sorts with a perplexed look on his face, "The…half?"
In response to that, the girl did a goofy smile that looked more as if she was mocking him.
And that set pandemonium free.
Before the brunette knew what was happening, the instructor lifted her by the collar and spoke clearly for everyone to hear within a few kilometers' radius, "LISTEN WELL, YOU LITTLE BITCH. THE MOMENT I DROP YOU, YOU WILL RUN AROUND THE TRAINING GROUNDS UNTIL YOU PASS OUT, IS THAT UNDERSTOOD!?"
"Y-Yes, sir!"
Just as fast, the head officer switched from loud shouting to a low whisper that if Mukuro hadn't a well-developed hearing, she wouldn't have heard his next words "Besides that, for the following week you will only have one meal per day…" Wait…they were going to serve more than a single daily meal in this place!? "…And if I catch you again pulling a stunt like the one you did today, then I will personally take care of starving you to death, I am clear enough?"
Blouse finally knew better at this point, "Y-Y-Yes, sir!"
And with that, his usual tone came back as he threw the girl away as if she were no different from trash, "Why the fuck are you still here!? Get out of my sight!"
That was all the motivation the brunette required to get on her feet and begin to run.
"The rest of you!" instructor Shadis turned to the remaining cadets, "You will all run until I get bored of it, then I want 100 push-ups and 100 sit-ups. Oh, and if I catch someone thinking too clever of themselves and doing any less than that, then I will make sure for the bastard to repeat the exercise from the VERY beginning, I am understood, maggots!?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Then what the shit are you all waiting for!? An invitation!? Get moving!"
By the time those words were done leaving his mouth, Mukuro had already broken formation and began to sprint just as instructed, with the following footsteps behind her signaling that everyone else was doing just the same, if a bit later than her.
While following her head instructor's orders, she couldn't help but recall back to what transpired just a few moments ago, with the boy from Ragako and that potato girl and how their instructor dealt with both of them. As she did that, only one thought could run inside her head.
I knew it! Instructor Shadis really does have a soft spot for the newcomers, doesn't he?
Keith Shadis couldn't hold back a sigh when he thought of this morning's events.
Every year was the same: A spoiled brat here, some other makes a mistake in the salute, sometimes there were those with an inflated ego and think too much of themselves only for reality to punch them in the face. On rarer occasions, there were incidents far beyond his comprehension like with that Blouse brat.
Eating a fucking boiled potato during the introductions and then giving 'half' of it to him. Shadis will give credit where it was due, that was a new one.
He can already see that this batch of cadets was going to be a mixed bag for him to deal with. From what he had seen so far, there are as many potential soldiers as there were troublemakers, with some of them being a combination of both, either because they cause them or problems following them everywhere they go.
It's true that it still was too early to come to any conclusions, but one thing he actually sees himself as excep―…as good at, was having a sharp eye when it comes to people. While the rite of passage done for every class was to give them a little taste of what these three years of hell will be, it also gave him the opportunity to get an early impression of the fresh blood that wants to join the ranks of humanity's military in the future…if they survive that is.
Speaking of them…
His gaze flicked to the slowest of the batch, those at the very bottom who were already loudly panting while their bodies were at the border of collapsing.
"Whom the hell told you to slow down!? Do that shit again and you will be here all night, you hear me!?" He told to no one in specific, but the fact that a few of them doubled efforts showed the intended effect, partially at the very least. There was just so much shouting can do to give a second wind after all.
For those whose even his 'motivation' wasn't enough to make them keep up the pace, he will pressure them more during the sit-ups and push-ups, all in an attempt of breaking their spirits, and forcing them to give up. He wasn't new to seeing drop-outs on the first day, hell, it happens with every class, some people just weren't cut out to be soldier material, and it will be for their own good to discard them this way rather than make a wagon carry their bodies back to their families before the end of the year.
His eyes moved to the average bunch. This group was harder to assess than the rest. A box full of surprises was a term that couldn't describe them any better. Some will follow the same path as the drop-outs that will show up today, others will turn out to be hidden gems with an extraordinaire amount of potential waiting to shine, and somewhere in the middle, while still average beginning to end, will fight tooth and nail to either reach an early grave or surprise every expectation or lack of thereof, people had in them.
Among all of them, his gaze was focused on one specific emerald green-eyed boy.
Even among the average, he was below most of them. Not only because he was lagging behind but also because the signs of exhaustion were already showing, and it's only because of sheer force of will that he hadn't dropped into an even lower category, or collapsed in its entirety for that matter.
The name of that boy was Eren Jaeger.
Shadis didn't know the names of the majority of the trainees, and those he did, it's only because he addressed them during the introductions. Jaeger was one of the few exceptions.
Eren Jaeger, son of Grisha Jaeger and…Carla Jaeger.
The resemblance to his mother was such that if it were a few years ago, it would've opened old wounds.
He's already great. Because he was born…into this world.
She wanted his boy to live, didn't she? Of course, every mother will wish that for his child, but…perhaps it was time to finally, for the first time in Shadis's life, make an actual change in his life, minuscule as it was.
Shadis slightly shook his head to dissipate those thoughts, he will do what it's required, but that will be after being done with today's exercises.
Next were the ones ranking between above average and standing out.
Very few times he has seen someone among this group not making it to the graduation, and when it happens, it's because of circumstances like a sick familiar requiring his presence, pure bad luck that makes them suffer from an accident that cripples them, or some other tragedy out of their control.
Just as he expected, a not-so-small amount of them didn't even waver under his gaze during the rite of passage, they came here forming at least a basic idea of what their stay in this place involved and did the proper preparations for it. Examples of this were that big and bulky blonde, the even taller dark-haired boy following just behind him and the small blonde girl not so far from the previous two.
There were a few lucky ones here and there that while the previous statement wasn't exactly the case, were blessed with healthy bodies, like both the boy from Ragako and the one from Trost who wished to join the Military Police. One of his biggest priorities will be to shape the attitude of those who fall in this latter category and turn them into true soldiers. After all. it would be a shame for people like them to go to waste just because of something as idiotic as their personality.
Finally, above all of them…
The exceptional.
Much further ahead of all the previously mentioned ones, there was a girl with long black hair. Her physical features was making her oriental ascent stand out. Not only that but the expression on her face revealed that even with almost a hundred meters of advantage over the rest, she was barely tired.
Mikasa Ackerman, the adoptive daughter of the Jaegers.
This feat alone was showing her outstanding endurance, resistance, speed, and strength. Something which will serve her well for the incoming hardships…though when Jaeger leaves, there's a chance that she will leave with him too.
…
…Sigh.
…That…might be for the best. As an instructor he shouldn't discard such potential like that as if he were no different from a brat throwing a toy, but…that kid will need someone to keep him out of trouble, and Ackerman seems like being up to the task.
Overall, under other circumstances, Shadis could've already seen the girl as a one-in-a-generation, perhaps a lifetime gem, the very best this batch of cadets had to offer…
Indeed, under other circumstances…where She wasn't here.
Shadis eyes darted back, towards the figure that was behind the slowest group…when She surpassed them, he looked to the average ones. Once the same happened around that group, he moved his gaze further and further until…the only other oriental girl among the cadets, and perhaps the entire humanity, surpassed Ackerman…again, something the grey-eyed girl seemed pretty aware of if that increase in her pace was anything to go by.
Under normal circumstances, instead of giving any kind of praise for what that girl was accomplishing, he would've barked at her for overextending like that in a pathetic attempt to show off.
The thing was though, she wasn't. That girl not only wasn't doing that, but she wasn't looking tired, at all. She appeared to be as fresh as anyone could be under the merciless heat of the sun, with a better condition than anyone else could claim to have. It was almost tempting to leave her here running until the next morning to see just how far that stamina of hers could go.
He may not know her name yet, but Shadis would be lying if he said he didn't saw already something in her before the exercises.
When Shadis bored his gaze at the eyes of those who succeeded in the rite. He observed the same hell they saw, how they entered the monster's den and survived to tell the tale, regardless if it was because of the events from two years ago, or because they lived under shitty conditions.
The same couldn't be said about that girl.
When he observed those light-violet irises of hers, the hell was there, but instead of just seeing it, it was almost as if she had been born in that very hell. Living in there for so long that she already embraced it in its totality as if it were a part of her. Those eyes she possessed were that of which very few veterans could boast to have, some corner of his mind almost doubted that any of those he had met could claim to be on the same level as her. Shadis didn't know how such a young girl could give that impression, but…
…Could it be?
Could it be that she's one of those? A Talented individual? Belonging among those that will make a difference? It was too early to tell, there was always the chance that even the only thing he could claim to be good at was finally beginning to fail him.
Regardless, along with Jaeger and Ackerman, he will have to keep a close eye on this girl.
Tomorrow will give him a glimpse of an answer to his questions related to her.
Once Mukuro was done with the exercises and instructor Shadis dismissed her along with the rest of the cadets, she went back to the barracks to change back into her usual clothes. When she finished the change of attire, she walked towards to mess hall. Tired or starving wouldn't be a word to describe how she felt right now, but neither will she say no to having dinner when the chance for it was there.
Along the way, she didn't miss how some wagons full of people were leaving the camp, the drop-outs without a doubt. Though leaving on the first day, huh? She didn't think that what they went through today was that tough, a bit higher than usual standards perhaps, even so…
In the end, she decided to just shrug it off, just like this morning, what other people did with their lives was up to them, not hers. If anything, perhaps it is better for those people to leave this early rather than risk it.
With those thoughts in mind, she continued with her pre-established destination, passing through some cadets standing outside of the building.
"Eh? Mikasa? When did―"
Out of reflex, Mukuro turned towards the voice.
"―You…cut your…Ah! S-Sorry! I-I thought you were someone else!" A relatively short blonde with a bob hairstyle stammered, Armin if she remembers correctly from the introductions.
Said comment caught the attention of a brown-haired boy with green eyes, while the remaining cadets opted to just be bystanders "Armin? How the hell do you confuse someone else with Mikasa, there's no way―What the…!?"
At first, they did nothing but stare at her face, but when the green-eyed boy glanced down until his gaze landed on her hand and his eyes slightly widened when looking at the tattoo, Mukuro decided to cut the chase with a scowl "What do you want?"
At least that was enough to bring the blonde out of his daze "Eep! S-Sorry! It was nothing. It's just that…um, we mistook you for a friend of ours, that is all. Again, sorry…"
Mukuro glared between the two boys, and only when they looked uncomfortable enough, she decided to speak.
"…I see." Was all she said before turning towards the mess hall.
Much to her misfortune, that wasn't detaining her from feeling the stares boring into her back.
Tch.
She really should've gotten some gauntlets…
The mess hall was not that different from what Mukuro imagined it would be. Wooden tables along with benches on each side with a capacity of two people, three if you stretch it. As for illumination, each table had a single candle while with no particular pattern, candle lamps were installed around the ceiling. At the very bottom of the room, she could see the door to what no doubt led to the kitchen, while on its right, there was an exposed area in which a grumpy cook that looked as if he hated his job was begrudgingly serving food.
For the third time in the day, a fond feeling came back to her…not that it lasted though, having something to eat felt way more important than that anyways.
After picking up the food, which consisted of a mug of water, a tray of soup with some bits of potato, and a piece of bread 'This is more than what I eat sometimes in an entire day, and instructor Shadis implied that they serve food more than once on a daily basis…geez, I just hope this doesn't make me spoiled…', She decided to take a seat in a corner.
From what she has seen so far, it seems that even in a military environment such as this one she's still a natural to scare people. After all, she could already see some wary glances thrown in her direction. Maybe it will be something that changes as instructor Shadis begins the true training and people shape up into proper soldiers? Perhaps, although she couldn't say she was particularly worried about that. As long as they don't turn those feelings into actual actions and leave her be, then everything should be fine…for them. After all, Mukuro was not here to make friends.
This was why it caught her off guard if only a bit when a short girl with long blonde hair, big blue eyes, and a bright friendly smile that made her look almost like a doll approached her.
"Hi! Can I sit here?"
…
"…Sure." Mukuro didn't though possible for that smile of hers to get friendlier, but lo and behold, it happened the moment she gave her permission to this girl to sit at the same table as hers.
While the blue-eyed girl prepared to sit down in front of her, Mukuro decided to put her right hand under the table. It's not like she can keep it hidden 'More so when some have already seen it…', but she would like for people to keep quiet about her tattoo for what's left of the day at the very least.
Either way, with that 'precaution' taken care of, Mukuro proceeded to quietly finish her food.
"My name is Krista Lenz, a pleasure to meet you!"
…
"…Mhm." Was Mukuro's entire response.
Then she continued with her soup.
"Um…can I ask for your name?" Or not.
…
…
…Well, it's a perfectly normal question, she supposed. Knowing the name of your allies in a military environment, at least a formal one, was a basic thing too.
"…Sure, It's Mukuro Ikusaba." Through the two years she had lived in this world, multiple times the thought of changing her name or presenting herself with an alias had passed her mind, but every time it raised the same argument…what would be the point of it? It's not like anyone here will recognize her name, so she was safe in that area. Besides, it's not like she had a problem with her name per se…only with its reminder of what she used to do and be.
So yeah, giving her actual name was completely fine.
The small girl in front of her took a contemplative posture after hearing that, "Mukuro Ikusaba, I see. I've never heard a name like that before, but…" Her expression turned back into a friendly one, "…Even if that's the case, it kind of sounds adorable! It's a great name, Mukuro!"
! ! !
Mukuro!?
"E-Eh!? E-Erm, u-uh, um…I-I see…Uhm, thank you…?" She couldn't avoid help stuttering as her cheeks heated up.
Damnit, all this time I forgot that even if these people speak Japanese, their culture leans more towards being European, so a first-name basis is a norm…it will be really weird, but perhaps I should also begin to follow the example to avoid any suspicion.
"Hehehe you're welcome, though you don't have to thank me, I really mean it, Mukuro sounds like a charming name!" Krista replied with a dazzling smile.
"…Alrighty, then." G-Geez, w-what's with this girl!? It almost feels as if she was radiating some kind of holy aura! What does she think she was, going around like that? Some kind of goddes―
Clank.
A third tray was loudly put on the table and not long after, a new person sat beside Krista. It was tall enough to be around Mukuro's height, and it also had freckles, only that the hair of this girl was dark brown instead. If she didn't understand the irony of it, Mukuro would've also pointed out that no-friends expression of hers.
Seeing both stares in her direction, the other freckled girl snapped, "What? Is this table reserved or some shit?"
As if a bucket of cold water washed Krista over, the blonde snapped out of it "Oh, no at all, you are free to sit with us!" Then the blonde girl turned to Mukuro, "It isn't a problem, right?"
That made the dark brown-haired girl turn in her direction with a bored look and a quirked eyebrow.
In the case of Mukuro herself, she decided to reply with a shrug, "It really isn't, none of us owns these tables so she can sit wherever she wants."
"See? Neither of us has a problem with that, so you are free to stay…um…?"
"Ymir's the name."
Huh?
"…Ymir?" As in the giant? It's not like Mukuro was an expert in the subject of Norse mythology, but when you work for a mercenary company called Fenrir and their trademark was a wolf, you pick up some basic things, like the wolf owner of that name, the name of some gods like Thor, Loki, Odin, and some other trivial things, like the spear used to confront the aforementioned mythical wolf.
Gungnir.
…
…
…Regardless of…that, a name like Ymir in this world, where something like the Titans exists was…huh. She didn't know if such a name was intended as praise or an insult. It was curious nonetheless to be named like that at the very least.
Not like Ymir was on board with her train of thought though.
"Yeah, that's my name, got a problem with it?" The brown-eyed girl questioned with an intimidating glare.
If she thought that was going to work on Mukuro, then she was going to be disappointed.
"Not really, just making sure," Mukuro commented with a shrug, sounding almost bored.
Apparently, that caught her off-guard, with Ymir doing nothing but blinking a few times "…Huh, thought for sure I was gonna get a yelp out of that, maybe pissing yourself at worst…"
Mukuro frowned at that comment, but besides that, she decided to finally get done with her food before it got cold.
"Y-Ymir!" The same couldn't be said about Krista though, "That's a rude thing to say and do! You should apologize!"
"Eeeh? Why should I? I was just joking~. Besides, look at how busy she is, eating as if that soup came from the capital itself. It's obvious freckles over there doesn't mind my banter, right?" The dark brown-haired girl finished with a slight smirk.
That made Mukuro pause, if only for a moment, "Freckles…? Have you looked at your own face?"
"Hmph, yeah, but mine are prettier so that gives me the right to call you by that name." Mukuro didn't understand the logic behind that, and neither she cared to figure it out, "Anyways, if I let this thing get any colder, it's going to taste like shit, so I'm gonna follow your example on that."
Besides giving her a 'Cute' pout, Krista decided that Ymir was right and that beginning to eat was the right course of action, and so, with that 'Rude' girl being more occupied consuming her food to make more commentaries, Mukuro was finally available to eat her food in silence.
"Hey everyone! This guy is from Shiganshina and saw the Colossal Titan with his own eyes!" The following sounds of surprise and wonder around the dining hall told her that Mukuro was wrong, again.
As soon as those words came out of that bald kid, around half of the cadets jumped out of their seats and gathered around the green-eyed boy that stared at her tattoo a few minutes ago. Following that, they began to gossip around him as if they were middle schoolers.
Well, they are, but…
Mukuro didn't stop with her food though, although she, along with the other two girls at the table, began to pay attention to what was happening.
"Shiganshina!?"
"N-No way, really!?"
"That's where everything began, right?"
"The Colossal Titan…did you really see it!?"
With a slightly exasperated voice and a sigh, the brunette replied to that last question, "Yes, I already told you guys that I did saw that thing."
That created another wave of gasps before a new bombardment of questions came.
"R-Really!?"
"How big was it?"
"It was tall enough to look over the walls," Answered the green-eyed boy.
"What!? I heard he was actually so big that he could step over them…" A boy 'Wait…is he really? He looks quite old…' commented.
"Yeah, that's the exact same thing people said back in my village!"
"No…not really, it wasn't that tall." The brunette corrected.
Mukuro couldn't fault them for having that initial impression, this world was far behind in every technological department, which included the development of effective long-range communication methods. Instead, they rely on rumors that come from other rumors and so on, it goes so far that at some point the original intel was lost. It's no wonder people make misunderstandings of that kind.
Though she hadn't seen the Colossal Titan either, so she didn't have any way to confirm any statement people make anyways.
"What did it look like?" A pigtailed girl asked.
"It had no skin, just muscles, though his mouth was huge," The exasperation in the brunette's voice was gone and seemed more willing to divulge information
However, back to what he said. Just muscles? That's…bizarre, and it also meant that it lacked pain receptors with such kind of sensitive body. Either that or lived in constant agony. That latter possibility would be…well, considering what it had done, Mukuro couldn't find any pity for it if that was the case.
In any case, the question of the Colossal Titan eventually brought up its partner, "And what about the Armored Titan, the one who broke Wall Maria?"
"That's the name they gave him?" By this point, it appeared that the green-eyed boy was gaining some bravado, "It seemed no different than the average Titan to me."
While she heard Ymir scoff at that comment, a disapproving frown was forming on Mukuro's face.
Was that guy for real? If what was told about that Titan had some veracity, then cannons, the most powerful weapon this world possesses, don't make even a dent in that thing's body, practically making him indestructible. In Mukuro's mind that made him a bigger threat to humanity than the colossal one…and here was this guy saying it was not that big of a deal.
Sigh, he was just showing off at this point, wasn't he?
…Though she admits that something about that Titan nags her. If he was completely covered in armor, how was he capable of moving? Surely a body like that would make muscles around the body impossible to flex, giving him zero capacity for mobility. As far as she was aware, saying that things were chaotic the day Wall Maria fell would be the same as saying that the Walls surrounding the human territory were big. It was possible that among the confusion, some details about the Titan were missed by the people who saw it.
Well, unfortunately, the possible weaknesses of those two Titans were something she won't get any time soon.
"E-Eh? Then h-how does a normal Titan looks like?"
That at least, made him react in a fashion someone who had seen a Titan in all its grim glory would do: Suddenly dropping his spoon while a horrified expression appeared on his face, covering his mouth in an attempt to fight the urge to throw up.
"Hey, guys, that should be enough questions for today. It isn't right to make him recall experiences like that," Catching up on the fact that they reached a sensitive topic for the brunette, that Marco boy from the introductions made the rest of the group drop the interrogation that was clearly making Eren uncomfortable.
Maybe she was reaching too fast at a conclusion about the green-eyed kid…
"Oh, sorry, we didn't mean―"
"Don't be!" After taking a bite of bread, the brunette continued as his bravado came back with a vengeance "Those Titans…they are nothing but a bunch of weaklings!"
…Or maybe she wasn't.
And he wasn't done with his rambling "If we can master the Three-Dimensional Maneuver Gear," That's how it was called, huh? "Then those pieces of shit are done for! I'm finally taking the first step in becoming a soldier, I got so excited about it that I forgot myself for a second there. I'm joining the Survey Corps, and once in there, I will end with the Titans! I will kill them all!"
Mukuro fought the urge to suck her teeth after hearing that, not like that boy would've heard her if she did 'And neither I would care in the case he did…', seeing that now he was having a heated-up talk with an ash-brown haired boy. She remembered the Kirschstein surname, but his actual name eluded her.
Still, even if it wasn't her problem to deal with it, what he said annoyed her. Let's not even talk about whether he was capable or not, did he think he will be the first person to master the gear used to fight Titans? And if that wasn't enough, he claims that just knowing how to use said gear will be enough to wipe out an entire race that brought humanity to its extinction without batting an eye, with their numbers 'Most probably…' covering an entire planet. There's a difference between being optimistic and having delusions of grandeur, and that green-eyed boy was clearly the latter.
If he didn't correct that attitude of his during these incoming three years, then even if he manages to graduate, Mukuro doesn't see him lasting long.
Speaking of things that didn't last for long, Mukuro could hear the bells signaling the end of dinner. That also brought up the discussion those two boys were having to a surprisingly peaceful conclusion. Mukuro was not foreign to quarrels happening for the simplest of things inside the mess hall, though how the officers dealt with it here in comparison to Fenrir was in the air up to speculation, much to the fortune of those two.
She was ready to leave those negative thoughts aside and return to the barracks to call it a day when she noticed something that caught her attention.
In the corner of her eye, she saw how Krista 'stealthily' picked up her piece of bread, which lacked a single bite, and put it in a bag she had underneath the table, all the while she gave some wary glances at her and to the other freckled girl. Then, without saying anything else, she hurried out of the hall.
If that wasn't suspicious, then Mukuro didn't know what else to call it. Not only that, but if that girl got caught for whatever she was planning to do, it will surely merit a harsh punishment considering it involves food, double so, when taking into consideration there was already that incident involving a potato from this morning.
…
…
…
…The Mukuro from the past would've been apathetic to that. Heck, the current her would be just as disinterested in what happens to the blue-eyed girl, more so, considering they were training to become soldiers, for the second time in her case, and ruses like sneaking food had no place here.
…
Although…
Mukuro compromised herself into a life of penance in the name of her classmates. Maybe…she could begin with baby steps? Besides, that Krista girl didn't seem like a bad person, maybe there's a good explanation as to why she was doing this? Perhaps she should follow her and see what that girl was up to…as a precaution of sorts, of course! That the tiny blonde was kind to her in the short amount they spent together in the mess hall had nothing to do with this.
Of course not.