The wind drifting throughout the Shiganshina district is calming to those who take the time to just bask in the rare breeze that makes its way through.
The high walls of Maria stand out in the distance.
A tranquility that's interrupted as a shadow of a bird flies past with its condescending caw echoing in the ears of anyone who happens to pay attention to the seemingly mocking chirp, as if to say 'This, caged human, is what freedom looks like.'
Kai shakes his head at his own silly thoughts.
He can't believe it's almost been a full year since the Yeagers took his sister and him in, since his mother and father were brutally murdered in front of them. He loathes to think about the reason they ended up with them, but even so, he can't help the ove he feels for them for all they've done for both Mikasa and him.
Carla herself has been such a damned blessing with his sister, helping her keep her mind off of the past in ways he can't.
Though he can admit to himself that he holds the most affection towards their son, Eren. Despite being four years older than the boy. It isn't awkward to get along with him. Kai can admit that Eren saving his sister and him is a big factor, as he had never felt so helpless as he did until that situation, and never wants to be in that situation again. Shifting his weight he heaves the heavier logs onto his back while forcing those foul thoughts away, he turns towards where he hears Mikasa and Eren voices, specifically Eren's escalating.
Giving a grunt he lifts himself to check on the two. Wondering what the little terrors are up to now.
"I'm okay Mikasa, stop babying me!" Kai withholds a chuckle upon seeing Eren's flushed face full of pent-up anger, knowing he would only escalate the situation. The brat is most likely still angry with how Hannes and the others acted earlier this morning; he could tell the boy was almost at his limit.
He watches as Eren gathers the rack full of a few meager sticks he halfassly collected before throwing it onto his back with a disgruntled huff. His expression switches to excitement as he starts towards the main gate to where the garrison had signaled the return for the scouts.
"Come on, the scouts are back we can't miss them" Yells Eren his mood pulling a 180 as he starts sprinting towards the gate.
Mikasa glances at Kai for reassurance before darting after Eren after his nod. Her voice called for him to slow down.
Kai walks at a more mild pace to where the two ran off, turning down the alley he saw the tail end of Mikasa's scarf go through not wanting to deal with the shit show that is about to happen. Upon reaching the edge of the crowd he spots the two standing on a couple of crates.
Silently stepping up to them he realizes with irritation that he'll have to do the same since he's not much taller than them.
Pulling a random stump used for cutting logs he steps on it just as the troops start to pour in.
Immediately the whispers start at the pathetic image the soldiers make. Most if not all are bandaged. Head wraps browned with old blood, Missing limbs with dead stares are all that meet the people rallied around their return.
The crowd feasts on their misery. Hungry for something or someone to blame for their suffering. Jeers meet his ears as they barely hide their contempt as they mutter of how they just go out to feed the titans, and are a waste of tax money. Kai feels his heat break as the people beat the already beaten men down. Feeling forlorn he glances towards his charges to see Eren's expression of excitement and awe regardless of what others are saying. He follows Eren's gaze to where it lands on a handsome blonde man staring at Eren with a look of befuddlement before a somber expression falls on his face as he turns away he catches Kai's eyes. Kai can only give the handsome soldier a wain smile, making the blonde crack a self-deprecating smile. Opening his mouth, words he didn't even know are interrupted by a cry of an old woman causing everyone to look at a woman.
"Moses!"
"Moses!" She repeats desperately looking over every soldier in vain hope.
"My son, Moses, I can't find him! Where is my son Moses?" All anyone can do is watch as she cries desperately for her son.
The commander of the scouts looks half dead as he walks towards her with an item wrapped in cloth. The woman hesitantly reaches for the item and grasps the cloth that is wrapped around it. She pulls it back slowly to reveal a severed arm. Her resulting scream echoes throughout the silent audience.
The commander, ignoring her outcries, nihilistically informs her that that's all they could retrieve of her son.
"But… my son… fulfilled his purpose, right?" She cries in desperation trying to find some sense of meaning to the endless sense of death that is happening.
The commander stares at her, his voice is quiet as he answers, "Of course" before shaking his head and continuing.
"No… " he says tonelessly.
"During this mission, we… No, even after all our missions…" he stops before dropping to his knees in front of everyone with his face full of despair he screams out. "We still haven't made any progress!"
"I've been a failure, and I've only gotten soldiers killed left and right!" His fist slams into the dirt. "And we haven't learned anything useful about the Titans!"
he drops his head for an awkward moment before picking himself up and continuing.
The rest of the company follows silently.
Everyone was stunned.
No one knows what to say or do.
"All we do is keep sending them food to feed" The complaint is made by the man beside the three.
Eren throws a stick at the guy's head in retaliation; fortunately, before the man can respond Mikasa grabs him by the collar and drags him.
Kai throws the man a cheeky salute before hightailing it out.
"Was that necessary?" He asks Eren as they stop running.
Though it seems Mikasa has other ideas as she doesn't give Eren time to respond before she grabs him and proceeds to throw him ass into the wall. The noise of the stack of sticks crumbling only makes the situation more comical.
"Still want to be a part of the Recon corps," she asks Eren scathingly, before spinning on her heels and starting towards the Yeager house.
Eren gives Kai a helpless glance who responds with a 'what can you do' look having no sympathy for the idiot. Hearing the chime of the city clock Kai glances at it before giving a soft swear as he realizes he's late.
Quickly giving Eren his scavenging he tells the others he needs to deal with something.
Ignoring the questioning look he gives him a wave and a, "See you at home" before he's out of sight.
He feels guilty for not telling his family, Eren especially, that he's entered the training corps for the military. Given how against it Carla and Mikasa are for Eren, Kai didn't want to start anything.
Eren would have kept the secret but he didn't want to put the kid in that situation. Doctor Grisha is the only one to know about it. Given that he caught the boy tugging a coat over his training uniform. Surprisingly Grisha was supportive and even taught him a couple of important things about medicine and its field.
Sometimes he could hear the man talking to himself, though he assumed it was just the stress of being one of the only doctors.
Walking through the only foot entrance to the interior of Wall Maria, or the farmlands, he sprints the three miles towards the corps training field for, he's not sure how he's able to get there so quickly without being out of breath, but ever since that day he's had an almost inhuman amount of stamina and speed.
Fifteen minutes later he sees the entrance to the training field and sees how many there are still showing up for their training. He breathes a sigh of relief realizing that the return of the scouts has postponed the training session for a couple of hours.
Pushing the door to the main classroom open he is greeted by a couple of people who seem to have been here since the usual scheduled time.
Giving his usual greeting he heads toward his favorite spot on the edge of the first row. It's been 7 months since he started training and this seat has been his spot since day one feeling reassured by how close the exit is.
Today they're supposed to be starting their ODM aptitude testing if the murmurs were true.
He's been among the top of his academic year so far, which has made him a target for the Neanderthals who see his intelligence as a weakness. They are all training to be meals for titans and the fools are more worried about their egos.
Even though he is confident he can get top ten should he try. He doesn't know if it's worth reaching for it…
The military police are too stuffy for him.
Life would be easier but after seeing how corrupt the place is after a visit with doctor Gisha to the capital. He's not too prone to being a lap dog any more than he has to.
After the end of the hour finishes the whole of class trickles in.
Following the last to enter is the instructor.
Her broad shoulders and muscular frame make her more intimidating than her lanky height would indicate.
Their instructor's loud voice echoes as she jumps right into lecture. Going on and on telling them all about the great threat to humanity that is the Titans.
In the middle of explaining the only weakness that is known to take down Titans, their neck, Kai's zealous classmate interrupts her.
"Why are we going over this again, when are we gonna start with the 3DM gear?" He whines.
The instructor auses in her lecture.
The diagram of a Titan with its nape cut out half unfinished, tension rises as the two stare at each other.
The slight shifting of her person catches his gaze, Kai is still mentally marveling at the new attention to detail he's gotten since that night, at least something good came out of that night
'I have the power to never let myself be useless like I was before, so no more' Kai thinks before instinctively jerks his head towards the soft clicking of gear ticking into place.
That being the only warning given as a familiar singing of metal-line is zipping through the air. The grapple spear pierces right past the boy's ear embedding into the wooded column behind him.
She crouches before pushing off.
The sound of wire being retracted with the tail sign hissing of pressurized air fills the silent room as she glides through the room. Just as she is about to collide with the now frightened kid, she twirls in the air missing his head by an inch as she lands on the row behind him. The area she lands on causes students' papers to spill away from her. The sound of metal breaking out of wood hits the ears of everyone and breaks everyone out of their trance.
"You want to learn how to use 3DM? You have a mouth on you Dante" She leans closer to his face.
"Can you bite as hard as you bark?" She mocks, stepping back she turns to address the class, acting like she didn't just casually use the infamous gear so elegantly.
"Since, bowl cut wants to cry!" Cue snickering, "We're having a surprise evaluation." She states not caring at all about the reproachful look Dante receives from the class, she continues, "I want you all in the 3DM training ground stat!" The dominating woman yells louder at the end, startling the faint of heart.
The proceeding scramble to the field is mixed with excitement and nerves.
Kai's himself is not certain, the word evaluation rings around his head. The gear or using it isn't the problem.
It's the way everyone acts when he does good.
The jealous schoolyard bullying is annoying to him.
Why be jealous that he's a prodigy?
The word plastered on him, has suffocated him with so much expectations and too little confidence, but he's too prideful to not endure. He can't explain to the others how he knows instinctively how to twist his hip just right to cause him to change direction in an instant, or the fact that if he points his toes a certain way it causes him to dip down a little faster without sounding condescending according to them.
"Kai Acherman!" The shout of his name jolts him out of his head.
He didn't realize they had gotten to the field already.
He sees the cocky gaze of Dante before deciding he's not gonna let stupidity stop him from being the best he can be, he repeats that mantra while stepping up to the equipment for balance training.
The instructor calls his name again before he can respond to the arrogant boy.
Stepping between the two poles he helps the two soldiers that are assisting with the evaluation. As the wires latch on he takes an unneeded breath as they finish checking to make sure everything is set right.
He nods to the guy by the pulley system to lift him up.
Rather than tensing up he lets his body relax, while letting his center of gravity continuously shift with the swaying, he feels a jolt go through him at the feeling of freedom he's experiencing by the weightlessness he's enveloped in. his doesn't even need to think when shifting his weight, he lets the gear tell his body where to move.
Seeing the jealous gazes he decides to go to hell with it and give a little show by changing his position to different positions showcasing his dexterity.
He's gonna have to hussle home fast after this, if he wants to avoid bruises, not to say they won't be worse for wear, 'insistent bastards'
He sombers from the high of being suspended in air as his feet touch the ground as the two assistants let him out of the equipment.
He beams as innocently as the instructor as she scolds him half heartedly for his cheek.
Suddenly the familiar feeling of foreboding stirs in him as jolt pulses into him.
'This feels the same as before' he muses as the electric like jolts start to ache worse.
He's surprised his twitching isn't being noticed.
His eyes dart around wondering why he's feeling like something is gonna happen.
—-
The sun has just started to set over the wall as he enters through the gate that leads to the crowded lower ends of Shiganshina.
It always gives him whiplash as he gazes around the crowded buildings, in contrast to the fields in the interior of wall Maria. He hates seeing humans all caged up and how separated the classes are. It's deprecating. Doesn't help that those lousy lords live so well while others get pushed to the outer walls as bait.
Blinking as straw blonde hair catches his eye, dismissing his borderline treasonous thoughts. He takes in the familiar stained red cheeks from drinking the cheap alcohol those of shiganshina are able to get.
'He's adorable in a jester kind of way' Kai muses, returning Hannes's grin as he catches Kai's eyes.
"you, lookin' for your ducklings?" The older man questions with a stumble as he makes his way towards Kai. Giving the man an amused quirk of the brow he shakes his head. He is kinda infamous for his protective streak with them and even their little friend Armin.
Instead of answering he points to the cropped tan jacket he has dropped on his arm, the training corps's emblem stitched on the shoulders.
"I'm a trainee, drunkie."
"Hah, a pipsqueak like you will die quick.", a guy behind Hannes' jeers without any real heat causing the others to laugh. Kai just stares at them for a second before his blank expression cracks into a playful scow.
Just as he's about to resort to a comeback, a tremor quacks through the ground causing everyone to spring up into the air.
Kai groans as he lands on his ankle wrong feeling it twinge.
He prays it's not broken.
Pulling himself up he sees Hannes on his knees just staring at the sky, mouth opened. Feeling confused he turns to see what hannes is looking at.
The question he was about to ask dies on his lips as a giant fleshless hand 50m high clutches the top of the wall causing splinters to crease through the stone.
A lipless face clouded in steam hovers over the wall staring at the sheep in the pin.
Kai almost swears their eyes meet for a second.
Suddenly there is a resonating boom following the debris scaling through the air causing chaos to Immense a small bit of rock lands at Kai's feet bumping into his leather boot, shaking him out of his shock. Glancing at the pebble he looks up quickly before exclaiming in astonishment as the giant seems to have disappeared.
'But no tremor, indicating it walked away.' Now that Kai thinks about it there wasn't a tremor besides it's appearance.
His heart stops as he registers the area the smoke rising up is in registers.
"Mikasa!" He screams darting around Hannes who tries to grab him as he starts running towards the commotion.
Not caring for the others running the other way. He lets the familiar feeling swell up inside his chest, using all of his strength to push himself.
Reaching a random house he curses the lack of 3DM gear while gripping a reinforced pipe and uses the momentum to propel himself onto the roofs so he can dodge the rushing crowd. Timing each leap with his breath he jumps from roof to roof barely registering the pain in his ankle, nothing else matters, not against the possibility that his sister could be dead.
'Not Mikasa, please!' He nearly stumbles at the thought, and almost crumbles upright upon seeing a boulder sitting on his home, a place he just started to feel comfortable in.
"No, no- Mikasa!" His hysteria is cut short as he sees his baby sister. The relief is short lived as the narrow sightedness of his sister's safety dissipates.
His breath hitches upon seeing the two desperately tugging the roof he finally hears it.
The pained voice of Carla meets his ears as she tries to tell them to leave her,
Carla, the woman who has been his adoptive mother for less than a year, but has loved them so much longer. A kind woman who took in two traumatized kids with nothing but love, fed them and clothes them.
That mother is currently laying under the rubble of the house that was just becoming his home. Eren's desperatly cries as he and Mikasa struggle to lift the destruction. Their voices forces him to push through the frozen state he didn't realize he was in.
"C-Mom!" Kai wails as he crouches down to help them despite it being in vain. He doesn't even realize the slip up on the name.
Pushing Eren down towards Mikasa he reaches the area Eren vacated.
"Come one! One!…Two!…Three!" They heave with all their might to lift the rubble off her.
The piece shifts a little, as it raises.
A couple shingles slip off as the angle changes.
Carla manages to pull herself out a little, but before she could crawl out all the way the tremor of a titans step causes them to lose their footing.
"No, no, no!" Erens cries escalate as the fear increases Kai heaves and is about to try again Carla grabs his hand.
He looks into her misty eyes his throat in his stomach as she screams, "Go!"
"Take them and run."
Shaking his head, he stutters, "I-I can't leave you, your our-"
She cuts him off the Eren and Mikasa still trying to get her free while she cups his face, "you're my eldest and I need you to take care of your two younger siblings." She whispers whipping a stream of tears on his cheek as if she's not being crushed.
"I love you, I love you three!" She says, then Eren pushes into her face screaming how he's not leaving her there, while Kai takes his place pushing on the debris.
The vibrations of the Titans footfalls increase.
Kai peers up in panic as titans get closer.
Glancing at Mikasa he sees her staring at Eren and Carla watching as Eren ignores his mothers pleas.
Looking around desperately for something to
lift the roof off of her.
Just as he's about to reach for a plank in desperation Hannes' voice reaches his ears.
Jerking, he looks at him.
"Hannes! What are you doing?" Eren cries out.
"Me, what are you guys still standing her- Carla?" Hannes' face falls of false cheer as he sees the situation.
The Titan stomping in the background draws everyone's attention.
Kai watches as the man steels himself,
Hannes preps his gear.
"Hannes! take the kids and run!"
"Don't worry Carla, I'll kill this titan and repay my debt."
Ignoring Carla's pleas, Hannes runs off towards the titan as the man sprints toward the thing, its eerie smile seems to enhance and stretch with a mindless sort of glee.
Hannes's bravado is short-lived as he comes face to face with the titan.
Kai watches as he come to a stops his blades frozen in his grip as he takes in the terrifying sight.
Their angry pink skin is almost steaming and it's guttural breathing is auditable from this distance.
It's calm pace doesn't pause or increase a bit once it sees hannes.
Suddenly it's eyes swivel to latch on to him making his heart stop as Hannes backs off, requiping his gear as he sprints back towards them. His face full of terror as he lifts rushes past Kai picking up Eren before snatching Mikasa. With a look of pure guilt he look back at Carla bride shouting at Kai and sprinting away,
"Get your ass moving Kai"
Kai turns to Carla, tears in his eyes.
"Go." She whispers, not able to yell anymore.
"I can't leave you!" He says shaking his head desperately, "Eren won't forgive me!" he says.
Knowing it's not true.
She seems to agree, "He won't!"
"You're not gonna be able to save me with that limp" causing him to start, but she doesn't give him time to reply "Now go!"
"Go protect your siblings, my child."
"you're all they have left" she finishes strongly.
Struggling up from his kneeling knowing he's gonna listen to the last wish of his second mother, he presses his forehead to hers his voice cracking as he whispers his promise.
"I'll protect them with my life." He declares feeling the click of fate sliding in place as his meaning of life snaps into place causing a sensation of knowing to fully erupt throughout his system.
"Go! leave!!" The words are distant though his body follows her command unconsciously.
The sun disappears as a giant shadow towers over them.
Looking up, he stumbles back, his heart leaping out of his chest at the closeness. he can practically feel the heat of the skin radiating off.
"I-m sorry" he wobbles out before darting away.
His soul shatters as the muffled cry of "don't leave me" reaches his ears.
It's gonna haunt him for the rest of his life.
Though he wonders why the titan never tried to reach for him?