Montage chapter! Only the very last segment is truly important to the story-

The sound of plans being made echoed through the building, with Erwin, Hanji Mike, Levi, their respective teams, plus Mikazuki himself, all gathered in one of the many rooms of their main HQ to discuss the plans for the upcoming expedition.

The expedition itself would occur in just two months; Erwin had made an attempt to buy them more time to prepare, but unfortunately, there was only so much a single man could do, and alas, he could only buy them that much time to prepare from the tribunal. According to him, Zachary, in spite of his apparent approval of Mikazuki, wanted results to be shown in regards to his effectiveness as quickly as possible, and the allotted two months were the best that he'd be getting from him to prepare to give those results.

Fair was fair, everyone supposed.

Either way, plans were being hastily made as the soldiers present all discussed the route they would be taking, among other things. Erwin, Hanji, Mike and Levi did most of the talking, with the former two speaking the most whilst the latter duo remained sparse with their words. On occasion, some of their subordinates would give their opinions on the matter, though it was those four that planned out a majority of the expedition.

Mikazuki himself did give some input on the matter, with him usually speaking up when it came to the positioning of his Gundam. For the most part, Mika had allowed his superiors to decide on where Barbatos would be stationed as he stood by idly, though he did give his input from time to time.

And inevitably, the issue in relation to the traitor came up in their conversation, something that made everyone present grow evermore serious as they discussed the issue with gusto.

"Alright, so I'm going to just put this out there now to get it off my chest," began Hanji, with her tone growing serious as the matter of their traitor came to the forefront. It felt odd, hearing her speak so seriously, though no one commented on it for now as they listened. "Our traitor… do you think that they're like Eren? As in…"

"They can transform into a Titan?" concluded Mike for Hanji, to which the researcher nodded. It was a valid concern to have, honestly, and upon acknowledging this, the Elite nodded firmly as he rubbed his chin with concern. "It's a valid concern… one that we'll need to deal with with extreme prejudice whenever necessary."

"Hmph… so far, it seems as though the traitor's interest is centered around limiting our research on Titans as a whole. They killed off those two Titans, so personally speaking, I'm not sure if I can predict what they might try next," mused Levi, with him rubbing at his chin thoughtfully as he spoke. The other soldiers present felt similarly to him as they were somewhat unsure of what their traitor might target, should they find a way to strike amidst the expedition, though Mikazuki, who had a theory of his own, walked forwards and planted a pin down atop the diagram on their meeting table.

Said diagram was a simplified image of their Long Distance Scouting Formation, a new type of formation made specifically for their upcoming expedition, and the pin that he had set down was planted directly at the center of the diagram, where the senior and Elites would be situated, Erwin included. Raising a brow at this unexpected gesture, the soldiers all turned to Mikazuki for an explanation, which he offered without question.

"Like you said, the traitor's been limiting your attempts at learning more about the Titans as a whole. They killed the two that Hanji had captured, but that's only half of the issue. The other half…" began Mikazuki, only for Hanji's eyes to widen as she leaned forwards, slapping both hands onto the tabletop as she realized what the pilot was getting at.

"Are both myself and Eren Jaeger!" bellowed Hanji, with her eyes widening in shock as she came to the same conclusion as Mikazuki. Everyone flinched away from her when this happened, though either way, she continued. "God, how could I not see it! The blasted traitor had taken Sawney and Bean away from me, and now they wanna steal Eren from me as well! I will not allow this!"

"... yeah, sure. Aphem… moving swiftly on, I myself find it difficult to believe that our traitor will be able to make it that far ahead, though we must account for all possible outcomes," stated Erwin, with him rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he said this. He had full faith in his subordinates when it came to halting a Titan, shifter or not, in their tracks, but as their Commander, it was his job to prepare for the worst case scenario, and as such, they began discussing just that as the seconds ticked by.

They weren't able to discuss too many potential counters to the traitor's potential actions, especially since they had very little actual knowledge in regards to how they would move in the first place, but all the same, Mikazuki did have some thoughts of his own to give, in particular…

"If they'll come from somewhere, then they'll likely come from the rear," said Mikazuki firmly, with him narrowing his eyes as he tried to view the situation tactically; he himself was not a tactical person, but even so, he had experience when it came to situations like this, and as such, he was willing to aid his comrades in planning against their traitor without much issue.

Sure, if the traitor was who he thought they were… this act would likely return to hurt him in the future, though for now, he opted to close his heart to that option and approach the situation like he did with any other; without hesitation.

"Transforming into a Titan causes a lightning strike, so if they can transform into one, they'll likely do it far away to keep themselves hidden, which is why I believe that they'll do it behind us; we usually don't pay attention to what we can't see. The formation's rear is also incredibly important to the formation as a whole; if our traitor can disrupt it somehow, the rest of the formation will more than likely crumble as well, and when that happens…"

"... it'll give the bastard enough of an opening to charge straight into the heart of our formation in the chaos. Whew, not a bad deduction, Mikazuki," grinned Hanji, with her very much approving of Mikazuki's tactful mind as she crossed her arms, impressed. Likewise, the other Elites present were also taken aback by the pilot's analytical side, though to this, Mika could only shrug as he leaned forwards indifferently.

"Whatever. Let's just continue with the plan. The less casualties there are, the better," muttered Mikazuki, ignoring the praise as he jumped back to the matter at hand, to which Levi snorted in amusement.

"On that, kid, we can agree."

"Been looking for you, Mikazuki."

"Colour me surprise, Jean."

"Is that… sarcasm I hear, Mikazuki Augus?"

"It might be."

And upon hearing this, the strangely somber Jean Kirstein couldn't help but huff softly as he marched up to Mikazuki's side, who didn't so much as look at him as he reached into his pocket and pulled a raisin out of it. Throwing it into his mouth, Mika chewed on it, only to pause when he saw his ash haired comrade hold a hand out, requesting one for himself without words. Humming softly at this, Augus offered him one, eliciting a nod from Kirstein.

Currently, Mikazuki was partaking in a joint training exercise alongside the rest of the recently graduated 104th Cadets. They were nearing the end of the whole ordeal, and everyone was headed their separate ways to unwind from the grueling regiment that Levi and Mike had put them through. Mina and Nac were currently half dead and unresponsive as they, alongside many others, laid on their backs close by.

Truthfully, Mikazuki couldn't understand why they were so tired. They just had to bring down sixty dozen Titan targets in an hour… it wasn't that bad… right?

"At least you're not stingy," muttered Jean, with him sounding barely responsive as he threw the raisin into his mouth as he spoke, and upon hearing this, Mikazuki shrugged, with him seeing no reason to act that way all the while, and thereafter, they spent some time simply standing in silence as they swallowed their raisins.

"Any reason why you're here?" asked Mikazuki, with him glancing up at the sky as he spoke; the sun was setting over the horizon, which made for a nice sight, to say the least, though either way, hearing him speak had made Jean flinch slightly as he turned to look at the pilot, though moments later, he ended up exhaling softly before nodding. May as well get this out of the way, he supposed.

"Well… yeah. I just… I know that it's out of nowhere, and how I'm basically very behind on this, but I just… wanted to thank you, Mikazuki. For all that you did during the breach," smiled Jean, with him bowing his head in thanks as he spoke. Hearing this made Mikazuki exhale softly as he glanced away, nodding gently all the while, but even so…

"You're welcome, though you shouldn't thank me. All of you made it out of there with your own strength; I had only helped out whenever necessary," stated Mikazuki firmly; he believed his words to be the truth, as, in spite of Barbatos' aid amidst the Trost Incident, the former 104th trainees had survived through their own grit and determination. None of them would've been standing here, alive and well, were it not for their own skills, something that Jean didn't seem to believe as he looked away, ashamed.

"Yeah, I guess…"

"If you have something to say, then say it."

"..."

"..."

"... I just think that we owe a lot to you, Mikazuki, that's all."

"Alright."

"..."

"..."

"... I couldn't save him, alright?"

"Him?"

"Marco… I… I couldn't… he…"

And before Jean could even finish that statement, Mikazuki had reached into his jacket and pulled out a small paper fan. He believed that Lynne referred to it as a harrisen, and with a huff, he used it to smack Jean over the head, prompting him to flinch slightly all the while.

"M-Mikazuki, the Hell-" began Jean, with him snapping at Mikazuki in surprise as he jumped away from him, though moments later, he paused when he saw that look of disapproval on the pilot's face; Mika rarely ever showed off his emotions to any noteworthy capacity, so it was always somewhat obvious whenever he was feeling strongly in a certain way, and now was one of those rare times. "T-The Hell you giving me that look for?"

"I'm giving you that look because you're being stupid, Jean," responded Mikazuki as he pocketed the harrisen, in turn causing Jean to flinch softly as he spoke. "You're not responsible for the lives of others. If someone else dies, it's not your fault, so don't go burdening yourself with everyone else's safety."

"But Marco was a part of my team! It was my responsibility to keep him safe, and I failed! My best friend died on my watch!"

Heat was making itself very much apparent in Jean's voice as his volume increased, though as it did so, Mikazuki remained mostly unaffected as he reached into his pocket and pulled out another raisin, downing it without issue. Chewing on it, Augus patiently waited as Kirstein regained his composure, and by the time he had swallowed the dried grape, the ash haired soldier had calmed himself, just enough, to listen.

"I had a friend once. He thought the same as you… back in my old home," reminisced Mikazuki, with him slipping both hands into his jacket pockets as he said this. Hearing this made Jean perk up a little as he glanced at him surprise, shocked that Mika would tell him more about where he apparently came from, though he said nothing as he continued. "He was in charge of a lot of things, and he always felt responsible whenever any one of us died. It weighed down on him whenever it happened, and he almost broke down after someone he was very close to was killed."

"..." no comment from Jean, with him taking in the pilot's words as he crossed his arms thoughtfully. He was… curious as to how this friend of Mikazuki's had gotten back up to his feet, and sensing this, Mika told him just that.

"So I punched him."

"?!"

Yeah, that reaction was appropriate, Mikazuki reckoned, but either way, he continued.

"He needed to learn that when we're fighting, we're always bound to die eventually. Just because he gave the orders doesn't make him solely responsible for our deaths; we chose to follow his lead, and if we die because of that, then it's because we were willing to.

"We died because we had faith in him, and knowing the friends I used to have, I'm sure they'd all do it again if he asked them to."

"... I see…"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"... he was a good friend, wasn't he?"

"Arguably the best."

"... I'm sorry that he isn't here with you anymore, Mikazuki."

"... it's fine."

"Still though… I've got a lot to think about. But… thanks, for sharing all that, I mean."

"You're welcome."

"What… are all of you doing?"

"We're cleaning Barbatos!"

"Did Levi put you up to this?"

"That obvious?"

Huffing softly as he walked up to his superiors, Mikazuki glanced up at Lynne in particular as she bounded up to him and bundled his hair up in some clothe. Some time prior, the pilot had been called to the holding site for Barbatos by Mike, to which he went there with gusto, and upon reaching the place, he was met with the sight of Team Mike scrubbing down his Gundam.

The water ran black as half a decade's worth of grime was cleaned off the unit's chassis, with Mike in particular wincing a little at the horrid scent from time to time as they scraped certain parts clean, but even so, he never did complain as they threw buckets upon buckets of water unto the Gundam whilst soaping it up real good. Mikazuki did offer his aid, of course, seeing as how this was his Gundam they were cleaning, and after about… eleven hours, they had finally cleaned him completely.

Then came the awkward part.

"Paint…?"

"That's right! We might've cleaned Barbatos, but it's still a God damn mess! We should at least try to cover it up with some paint to make em' look presentable, don't you think?"

"Alright then."

And with gusto, the members of Team Mike, alongside some other soldiers present, immediately moved on to begin painting the Gundam up. Helpfully, Tomas was a subpar paint mixer in his own right, as he was able to mix several colours together to match the pain on Barbatos' chassis without much issue, and Nanaba apparently had quite a decent talent for painting herself, as, beyond covering up several damages to Barbatos' chassis with colour to make them less noticeable, she ended up painting a few intricate designs unto his shell.

They were ultimately useless and purely cosmetic, but even so…

"You're good at this, Nanaba."

"Thanks."

Mikazuki did find the artistic depiction of a vine with rose petals, painted upon Barbatos' left arm gauntlet, to be very much agreeable. Less so the Survey Corp logo being painted upon the unit's chest, though he reckoned that they needed some SC Representation on his unit anyways.

Mika's only proper contribution to the paint process (outside of mixing primer with paint on accident, earning him an earful from Tomas) came in the form of him painting on an image on Barbatos' leftmost chest, directly below the unit's golden chest vent.

He was horrible at painting, but even so, he thought that the formless blobs that somewhat resembled Mina, Nac and Annie were pretty decently painted, and after adding a small heart right below all three, he painted on a tiny friends forever beneath their 'images' and leaned back with a smile.

Nanaba would eventually spot it, and in spite of her being appalled at just how bad it was painted on, she let it slide. It was a sweet little attempt, after all, and Mikazuki very much liked it, so she spoke nothing of it.

Hours later, Levi would arrive to give his approval, and when he gave his critique on the painting that Mikazuki had made, the pilot promptly headbutted him, sending him into a two day long coma.

He regretted none of that, and in truth, Erwin found it hilarious… not that he told it to Levi when he woke up, of course.

"Hey, guys… does it feel like our bread supply is dwindling a little quicker than usual, or is it just me?"

"Huh. so it wasn't just me that noticed it."

And with that exchange… a series of events had begun, with it all leading to where Mikazuki was now, armed with an Anti-Titan Blade and standing before the cafeteria door.

Apparently, as stated above, the bread supply had been dwindling a lot faster than any of them had expected, and by all means, they wanted to know why. But for whatever reason, it seemed as though all of them were superstitious or something, as they had sent Mikazuki in to investigate in favour of going in themselves.

Mika didn't question why, really. He just went with it, and now, as he stood before the door to the cafeteria, he exhaled in annoyance before swinging it open. He had been provided with a torch to help illuminate the place, and as its radiance flooded the room, the pilot took a step in.

Shuffling could be heard in the darkness, even as Mikazuki hung up the torch, and as he drew deeper and deeper into the cafeteria, the pilot shifted a little and used the light reflected off his Anti-Titan Blade to illuminate a figure in the dark, and when he did… he found himself sighing in annoyance.

"Seriously?"

"Heheh… s-sorry… our base was running low on easy to steal food…"

And as she said this, Sasha giggled softly to herself as she bit off a chunk of bread. Mikazuki simply rolled his eyes at this as he bonked her over the head with the flat of his blade, with him leaving the room moments later. He didn't care enough to report this to his superiors; they could deal with the bumpkin herself if this was so important to them.

"We're just a few days away from the expedition."

"Yeah."

"Are you nervous?"

"Not really."

"I believe you. You don't smell nervous."

"You can smell nervousness?"

"Yes."

"Cool."

"Thank you."

"Hmph."

Huffing softly as he acknowledged Mikazuki's indirect praise, Mike brushed at his shirt a little as he sat by the pilot's side. Due to just how close the expedition was to present time, the other members of Team Mike were allowed to take the next few days off to be with their families, with everyone but Nanaba doing as such, though she did follow Lynne to visit her own. Mike himself didn't have any family, though, and as such, he remained in the Trost base with Mikazuki.

Unsurprisingly, the duo didn't really speak much as the hours ticked by. Mike in particular had only really spent the day tailing Mikazuki out of obligation, and although he did attempt to be stealthy at first, he eventually gave up and began to just walk beside him outright. For all it was worth, Mika did at least appreciate him realizing that he sucked at stealth… not that it was his fault, really, seeing as how tall and broad he was.

"Is the formation finalized?" asked Mikazuki after a few moments of silence, with him staring down at the cup of alcohol he had with him; he wasn't one for drinking, but it didn't hurt to indulge on occasion, and to this, Mike nodded as he took a sip from his own cup.

"Ah. We tweaked a few things here and there, but most of what you suggested remained as is. Your role will remain mostly unchanged," assured Mike. Mikazuki hummed softly at this, with him appreciating how nothing major had to be changed, though moments later, he sighed softly and took a big swig from his cup. "Something bothering you?"

"You're smart. I'm sure you know what," mused Mikazuki, with him looking at Mike in annoyance as he lowered his cup from his lips, seeming mildly red in the face all the while, and as he did so, Zacharius nodded in acknowledgement. He himself was very much aware of how dearly he held three individuals in particular, two of which would be partaking in the expedition itself, and as such…

"They'll be fine, Mikazuki. They're competent, so don't look down on them by thinking otherwise," scolded Mike, with him sounding somewhat disapproving of Mikazuki's apparent actions as he spoke. The pilot's response was to resist the urge to throw his cup of alcohol at his superior before answering verbally.

"I am not looking down on them. I am just worried. As their friend, it would be weird if I didn't," argued Mikazuki in a rare display of annoyance, and for all it was worth, Mike found himself nodding in acknowledgement at his words. He had a point, he supposed…

"Fair enough, I suppose. Though, you should at least take heart in knowing that, based off the reports I've received from Ness and Luke, they are… passable in terms of their performance. They won't die so easily out there," assured Mike nonchalantly, eliciting a huff from Mikazuki as he nodded. He knew that they were competent, very much so… though of course, he still worried either way.

"That's… good to hear. Your standards are probably very high, so this is a good thing, I guess," mused Mikazuki, with him knowing that, if anything, Mike was a good judge of character, and as such, he could be relied upon to judge others based on their skill. If he assumed someone was skilled enough to make it through an expedition, then they'd get through the expedition… just… hopefully in one piece.

"Yes… I'm glad I could relieve some of your tension, if anything," admitted Mike, and as he spoke, he noticed how Mikazuki had downed the entire cup of alcohol by the time he had finished, and as he slammed the now empty cup back down onto the table, Zacharius snorted before reaching down and pulling out another bottle. "Up for seconds?"

"Fill it."

And by the time Nanaba had returned, having left Lynne's family home some time prior, she found Mike, passed out from alcohol overconsumption, whilst Mikazuki was on his sixtieth cup of that cursed liquid, making her sweatdrop as she wondered how high his tolerance even was…

The day had arrived…

Frowning as he leaned back in his unit's cockpit seat, Mikazuki crossed his arms as he focused on what was to come. Dressed in what could be charitably called his 'surface warfare' attire, the very same skintight outfit that he had worn during his final battle in Edmonton, the pilot waited patiently as the signal for him to move out came to pass.

He didn't really show it, but Mikazuki was feeling a little tense at the moment. How couldn't he? Today was the day of the expedition, after all, and by all accounts, even if he was in no real threat, he still felt concerned over two individuals in particular. Beyond even that, however…

'If I fail to give them any satisfactory results, then I may as well be dead,' thought Mikazuki, with him recalling how it was more or less confirmed that, should his performance not be acceptable, the tribunal would not hesitate to cut him loose in a less than desirable way. Sure, he had done exceedingly well when it came to the Preliminary Expedition, but that was an, admittedly, small scale situation. This was the real deal, and if he failed to provide results…

"..."

"I guess… best to not think about that for now."

"..."

And with that, Mikazuki went silent once more as he shut his eyes and focused on relaxing for now. He had about an hour before the expedition would start proper, and as such, he hoped to make use of this time to rest; he had been asked to be on standby very early into the morning, perhaps a little too early, even for his liking, and as such, he wished to rest a bit more before it came time for him to act. For the most part, Barbatos had complied with his silent wishes as its reactors went into sleep mode, making it easier for Mika to rest all the while.

Because of Barbatos' reactors going into sleep mode, however, the unit's optics had blinked out, and its radar had gone offline, and as such, when an individual had walked up in front of the unit, neither Mikazuki nor the Gundam had taken notice of it, though moments later, the former had snapped his eyes open when he heard the sound of anchors latching onto the latter's chest, and as soon as they had readjusted to the light around him, Mika was able to see who had interrupted his rest with his own two eyes.

Were it anyone else, Mikazuki would've probably felt annoyed, but for now, he couldn't help but huff in amusement when he saw who it was, kneeling atop the chest of his Gundam, directly in front of him.

"Annie."

"Mika."

And with that simple greeting made, Annie Leonhardt shifted her positioning upon Barbatos' opened cockpit hatch, with her sitting on it without much issue, whilst Mikazuki straightened himself out atop the unit's cockpit chair. Upon doing so, Mika refocused on his blonde friend, who was still focused in on him with her usual, neutral gaze, and moments later, he spoke up.

"It's been a while. Has Sina been treating you well?" asked Mikazuki neutrally, to which Annie shrugged, leaning back a little as she responded.

"Well enough. MPB duties suck, but it's an easier life than what you guys are going through," admitted Annie.

"That's good to hear."

"I got some of your letters. I'm glad Team Mike's been treating you well."

"Really? I thought they were all lost in transit. It's not like you ever write back."

"I was… busy. MPB work."

"Sure."

"I got letters from Mina and Nac too. They're as enthusiastic as they always were."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"... I guess."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Alright that's enough of that. Why are you here, Annie?"

"Can't I visit one of my friends before his first proper expedition?"

"Did you visit Mina and Nac?"

"... no-"

"Then why me specifically?"

"I just… I…"

There was no real response from Annie, who remained mostly silent as she tried to figure out a response to Mikazuki's inquiry. Looking down at the pilot, the blonde acknowledged how Mika was no fool; he was likely aware, or at least suspicious of something she'd rather not tell him about by now, and considering the way he was looking at her, almost looking through her as he stared up at her in silence, Leonhardt found herself shuddering as she maintained her composure, and moments later, she responded as best she could.

"I just… missed you, I guess?"

"You… missed me?"

"Y-Yeah… is there a problem with that?"

"You missed me… over Mina and Nac?"

"The fuck can I say? You're the one that gets me more than those two paragons of virtue."

"... fair enough, and I guess I missed you too."

"Really now?"

"Ah. It's been a while, after all. It's nice to know that you're at least alright."

"Hmph. Well, either way… I just wanted to say… good luck out there… and… uh… stay safe."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Was that a joke?"

"Just because you have a Gundam doesn't make you immortal."

"I guess that's fair."

"But seriously. Stay safe, alright? I know that you're tough shit when piloting your Gundam, but just… don't overdo it, alright? We… heard how you were when you pushed yourself too hard against that Graze thing. You told us that you were bleeding… and you told us that your right arm almost lost all motor function because you pushed yourself too hard…"

"Is that… concern that I hear…?"

"I… y-you… fuck you! Of course it is! I don't want one of my best friends to lose control over any part of his body, dumbass!"

And then… there was a pause, with Mikazuki blinking in surprise as he acknowledged how Annie had just called him… well… her best friend. She had always tried her best to not use the word friend to describe what her relationship was with himself, Mina and Nac, with her never even considering the possibility of considering any of them her best friends, so to hear her refer to him as such… well… it was enough to stun him momentarily, to say the least, and when she realized what she had just said, Leonhardt was quick to look away, flustered, as she frowned in embarrassment.

"W-What I mean to say is that…" began Annie, with her making an attempt to regain some of her perceived dignity as she fumbled for her words, a rarity for someone like her, though thankfully enough, Mikazuki cut her off with a soft smile; he wasn't used to seeing her act so… soft, really, and he found it to be a nice change of pace.

"I get what you're trying to say, Annie," assured Mikazuki, with him leaning forwards and smiling at Annie as he spoke. Hearing this, the blonde glanced down at him, relieved as they made eye contact. "Thanks. It's nice to know that you do care from time to time."

"Hmph… thank me by not telling Mina or Nac. They won't let me live this down if they find out," grumbled Annie, with her acknowledging how, despite her not wishing to admit it, she did still enjoy how the aforementioned duo still perceived her as a badass strong-silent soldier despite them having seen her softer side on a handful of occasions; she kind of wanted that impression to last, really, so for Mikazuki to snitch on her would likely bring about the end to her cool-gal facade, and thankfully enough, Mika didn't seem keen on doing as such as he nodded in acknowledgement.

"I won't."

"... thanks."

"You're welcome."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"... say… have you had breakfast?"

"I have. It wasn't anything worth talking about, though. Why'd you ask?"

"Well… do you have any room left for some doughnuts? I got some from Sina before coming here."

"That would be nice."

And with that, the duo shared some doughnuts in peace as they awaited the signal for Mikazuki to mobilize, with them simply basking in the silent company of the other all the while.