"Time to get up, Victoria! You don't want to be late!"

V's eyes shot open, flinging herself out of bed. It was not like she had actually been asleep anyway. She was too excited. Today, she was turning 15. More importantly, today, she was joining the Cadets.

Standing in front of her mirror, as she looked at the scar on her forehead that had refused to fade away, her amber orbs glittered with anticipation. She'd grown about a foot taller this last year, and the vigorous workouts Chisaki had been putting her through had seriously toned out her muscles. Chisaki Hano might have seemed like a sweet, gentle man, but when it came to basic combat drills, he was downright devilish.

Today was the day.

With a practiced salute to the mirror, she began to get ready.

Brushing her hair proved her biggest challenge. It had gotten long and unruly this last year. She hadn't had the time to maintain it properly. At this point, cutting it off seemed like the only option. Eventually, though, she got a brush through it and braided the dark bronze locks. She braided them just like her mother had, intricately wrapping the braid around her head like a crown and pinning it into place. She wouldn't want it swinging around during combat training.

Victoria sighed. She missed her family. It had been hard without them. But she knew that if her parents could see her now, they would be proud of her and how far she had come.

The cadet uniform had been delivered a few days prior. Wrapped in brown paper and placed into two boxes, Victoria had been waiting for this morning to open them. Undergarments on, she turned to the old rocking chair in the corner, where they had been waiting.

But they were gone. Panic began to take over as her eyes desperately darted around her bedroom. Not on the dresser. Not by the mirror. Not by her bookshelf.

"Chisaki! Where's my uniform?" she cried out, dropping to her knees to dig under the bed. Maybe they had fallen somehow. "Have you seen them? I need to start getting dressed now!"

"Hold your horses, kiddo," Chisaki Hano walked into her bedroom, carrying a dark brown garment bag and a box. He wore his usual forest green military coat, its labels pressed and proper. "I've got them right here." He laid down the bag on the dresser and opened the box for her.

It was a pair of over-the-knee boots. They were soft and worn, but well taken care of. Victoria picked one up, fingertips running down the length of the polished tan leather. She could tell from the stitching at the heel that the soles had been replaced. They were unlaced, but new laces lay coiled up neatly in the box.

"I went to have these maintained for you," Chisaki murmured, sitting on the bed. "New soles, polished, the works. I know you would want to look your best for the first day of boot camp." He smiled at her, a gentle gaze. "As well as those," he pointed at the garment bag. "I had everything ironed for you. Everything should lay right."

She nearly hopped across the room to open it.

There it was. The tan jacket, the white pants, the sash for the waist; it was all there.This was her cadet uniform. The straps used for balancing with the ODM were a bit complicated to figure out, but after some instruction from Chisaki, she was able to lay them out in the proper order.

Victoria was vibrating with excitement.

"Out, out, out! I have to get dressed!" She pulled Chisaki off the bed, grasping his hand tightly as she led him to the door. He chuckled and allowed himself to be ushered out of the bedroom.

~o~

Victoria rushed down the hall, her new leather boots tapping against the old wood floors. The Chisaki home had had life breathed back into it again with her presence. What was once a dusty old house now felt like a home. The cadet uniform fit her perfectly. Chisaki had paid good money to make sure that was the case. This girl, his adopted daughter, had brought light into his life. Her smile brought Chisaki joy he never thought he would feel again since the death of his mother.

"Hano, look!" Victoria came to a stop before him, raising her hand into a salute over her chest. Her amber eyes shone with joy and determination. They misted over just slightly as she suddenly ran forward to hug the pudgy, old man.

"Thank you," she exclaimed, burying her face in his chest.

He pulled back, surprised, but wrapped an arm around her, squeezing Victoria. "For what?" He knew, but he wanted to hear her say it.

"For everything!" She smiled up at him. "For my uniform, for making sure I got some basic forms memorized, for-for taking me in when my parents died...," she trailed off for a moment. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't stepped in. I know I said some mean things early on, but I just wanted you to know, I appreciate you." Victoria was on the verge of tears.

Chisaki scooped her up into a ferocious bear hug and spun her. V always forgot how in shape he was despite his appearance.

"Oh, my dear," Was all he could say as he held her. He would never tell, but he was trying to memorize everything about this girl. He knew her dreams, her goals. He knew the horrifying steps she would have to endure to reach them. He yearned to memorize every inch of her face before it was lost to him. Chisaki Hano had done all he could for her, it was up to her now.

He could only hope that her family, watching over her, would keep her safe.

"Oh!" He suddenly released her. "I almost forgot!"

Chisaki shuffled over to the kitchen, rummaging through a drawer for a moment before coming back with a small bundle. It was wrapped in an old, dirty rag. His face became serious the closer he got to her.

"Last year, when the government sent out the military to reclaim Wall Maria, one of the men that made it back had been tasked with attempting to locate any previous fallen soldiers. He succeeded." Chisaki gently placed the package in Victoria's hand. "I knew this day was coming, so I waited to give this to you."

V stared at him in confusion, then down at the package. It was a mystery what was held inside, and for a moment, Victoria wasn't sure if she wanted to open it. The last time she had seen this happen, it was an arm in the bundle.

Slowly, she lifted her hand, gently undoing the twine that was wrapped around it. The fabric fell open, and Victoria immediately brought her hand back to her face. She was desperately trying to muffle sobs.

It was the medal her father wore. The one he had been gifted from the royal family for exceptional service. The dark cord was untattered, the golden tips polished, and the blueish-green jewel still shone with pride. The icon of a unicorn, emblem of the Military Police, glimmered inside.Johan Freidrichwas engraved on the back. Folded up beside it were papers confirming his, and her brother's, deaths.

"I was there the day they gave this to your father," Chisaki spoke gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I've only seen him happier on one occasion. Do you know what occasion that was?"

Victoria shook her head wordlessly. If she spoke, she'd start crying.

"The day you were born."

And that was that. She couldn't hold it back anymore. Tears flooded down her cheeks as she struggled to catch her breath. Snot started running from her nose. Chisaki held her quietly, rocking back and forth.

"Come now," he pulled out a handkerchief and started wiping tears away. "Don't stain your uniform just before your first day. Now, you can't wear this," Chisaki took the medal for a moment, his thumb running over the jewel, before unbuttoning the breast pocket on her jacket. "But you can keep this with you until you have one to wear of your own. The day you surpass your father." He slid the medal into the pocket before rebuttoning it.

He handed her the handkerchief, which Victoria blew her nose into, and walked back to the kitchen. Chisaki had made breakfast, and even received extra rations, with permission, for such a special day. His promotion to Captain didn't hurt either. Higher ranks made it easy to flex special privileges like that and he did so happily for Victoria.

After scarfing down some food, blowing out a candle on a cupcake, and a few more teary goodbyes, Victoria was off. Trost's layout was similar enough to Shiganshina so she learned her way around quickly. The walk to the Training Corps HQ was a short one, as she passed through the crowded streets of the downtown Trost.

Once there, and after signing some paperwork, she was led to the stables, loaded into a wagon, and was finally off. The trip took a little less than 45 minutes and being shaken around on a bumpy wagon did nothing to prepare her for what she would endure at boot camp.

~o~

"Straighten those spines, piss ants! The 104th Cadet Corp boot camp starts now! Allow me to introduce myself; I'm Commandant Keith Shadis and you will grow to hate me."

The man who stood before the cadets was tall and lean. He was bald, either from stress or genetics, or both, and his mean glare was only intensified by the dark circles below his eyes. A well-maintained goatee kept his chin covered and strong frown lines mapped his cheeks and forehead. He stood flanked by several other training officers who wore the same duster-length style jackets as the Commandant.

"Training is gonna be a white-knuckle ride through hell! If I've done my job, you'll be waking up in a cold sweat from memories of this place every night for the rest of your miserable lives!"

Victoria gulped, a bead of sweat, indeed, dripping down her face as she stood, holding the salute as instructed. She knew this was going to be intense but this? Already?Poor Armin is probably shaking in his boots,she thought, taking a quick glance around her. She couldn't see him, or Eren or Mikasa, but they were here somewhere among the 250 cadets that stood lined up in rows of 20.

"Right now, you're nothing. Livestock. But over the next three, soul-crushing years, you'll learn to take down your own Goliath," the Commandant began walking towards the first row of Cadets. "Remember this moment when you come face to face with him, 'cause here's where you ask yourself." He paused for dramatic effect, and Victoria briefly lost sight of him, blocked by a pair of the broad shoulders of a pale blond cadet in the front rows ahead of her.

"Am I a fighter, or am I feed? Am I gonna be ground up to pulpy human grist 'tween boulder-sized incisors? Or am I gonna be the one to bite?!" The Commandant finished on a definitive note. His meaning was clear.

You were either going to become a good enough soldier to fight and survive, or you were going to die. Ground up between the teeth of a Titan.

Victoria could feel her nails digging into her palm as her fist tightened. She would not be feed.

"You!" The Commandant began walking through the rows of cadets. "State your name and hometown!" The cadet before him stuttered to reply, clearly thrown off by being chosen as the lucky one to get berated first. Victoria couldn't make out what he said and as her attention flattered, so did her gaze.

Her eyes wandered around the group before her. 250 cadets, approximately. She wondered how many would drop out by tomorrow. As she looked around, trying very carefully not to get caught slacking, she noticed some officers walking down the line of cadets.

"The man is a master when it comes to fresh-faced recruits," The older officer with silver hair and glasses watched Commandant Shadis, pleased. The younger officer that followed, nodded in agreement but slowly frowned.

"Wait, what's the point of all the intimidation?"

"It's a rite of passage." The silvered-haired officer replied as they walked. "Through stress and degradation, we revert them into blank slates. From there, we can mold them, bit by bit, into proper soldiers."

"ROW FOUR, ABOUT FACE!" Shadis's voice cut through her eavesdropping.Oh shit, that's me.Victoria quickly spun on her heel, almost losing her balance. She adjusted her footing, making sure her salute didn't falter.

She spun, coming face to face with Annie.

Stoic as ever, the blond teenager showed no response to, or maybe didn't recognize, Victoria. She recognized Annie though. The same sharp nose, the same cold blue eyes. She had been right behind Victoria this whole time. Victoria doubted Annie would ever speak to her, given her strange behavior almost 2 years ago, but V wanted to know what caused her to be here. Why did Annie want to join the military?

Was it the same reason as Victoria? She was determined to find out.

"What do we have over here," Shadis had stopped before a tall, lanky teen. With olive-toned skin and pale hazel eyes, he had a mop of light brown hair that had gotten dark near his roots. Strong sideburns accented his already strong jaw and sharp features.

"Jean Kirschtein, sir! From the Trost district." The boy straightened his shoulders.

"And why are you here, cadet?"

"To join the Military Police, sir. The best of the best." V rolled her eyes.

Keith grinned, leaning forward. His tone was sickly sweet, feigning interest. "That's nice. You want to live in the interior, do you?"

Jean, a matter of factly, replied, "Yes."

Keith suddenly grabbed Jean by the collar of his jacket and slammed his forehead into Jean's face. Jean collapses on the ground in pain, clutching his bleeding nose.

"No one told you to sit, recruit. If you can't handle this then you can forget about joining the military police. What the hell is wrong with your face, you smiling idiot!" Shadis had already moved on from Jean, insults continuing down the line of cadets.

A shiver unexpectedly ran up Victoria's spine. She could feel someone's eyes burning a hole in the back of her head. It was a weird feeling; being watched. It made her acutely aware of every hair out of place, the fact that the button in the breast pocket of her jacket had come undone, every error. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest.

It took every ounce of willpower she had to stay in formation. She desperately wanted to turn around and give whoever was staring at her a piece of her mind.

But she didn't. And when the feeling finally passed, she realized Commandant Shadis had literally picked a Cadet up by the head and was yelling at them. For messing up the salute, it seemed.

"This salute represents the resolve in your heart to fight those hell-bent on the systematic destruction of our people!Is your heart on your right side?!"

A loud CRUNCH was Shadis's answer.

Slowly, his steel gaze turned, pinpointing the source of the sound. Victoria's eyes followed, leaning forward ever so slightly to get a better look.

It was a girl. A girl whose messy brown hair was hastily thrown into a ponytail. Her light brown eyes were wide with fear as she watched Shadis approach her. She stood in a more casual stance, feet not as wide as they needed to be, one hand behind her back. The other hand, the one that should have been saluting, was holding a potato. And she was eating it.

"Hey, you there, what do you think you're doing?"

The girl glanced around for a moment, eyes anxious and crumbs falling from her chin. She didn't say a word, just simply took another bite of the potato.

"YOUAREOFFICIALLYONMYSHITLIST!" The Commandant exploded in fury. "Just who the hell are you?"

The girl visibly took a large gulp before saluting, potato still in hand.

"Sasha Braus, from Dauper Village, at your service! Reporting for duty, sir!" Victoria had to admit. Despite everything, the girl had a determined look in her eye.

Commandant Shadis, however, looked like he was almost ready to strangle this girl. "Sasha Braus, huh?" His voice was calm as he looked at the potato. "And what is that that you're clutching in your right hand?"

"A steamed potato, sir! It sat in the mess hall, begging to be eaten."

Victoria could barely contain her giggle. At least Sasha was honest.

Shadis's face did not change. Intense hazel eyes were living up to the phrase "If looks could kill". His eyebrows furrowed so deeply that V was sure those wrinkles were permanent.

"A theft, I understand. But here? Why eat it here of all places?"

"It looked quite delicious and was starting to get cold. So I gave it shelter in my stomach." A snicker slipped past Victoria's lips. This girl was so funny, made all the more funny by the fact that Sasha was serious.

Shadis's face still had not changed. "Why? I can't comprehend. Why would you eat that potato?"

Sasha's face twisted up in confusion. "Are you... asking me why people eat potatoes? I'm surprised you don't know, sir."

The Commandant stared at Sasha in dismay, dark circles enhancing his stare. Sasha let out a sigh after a moment, breaking a piece of her potato off. "Here, sir, have half."

It was clearly not even a fourth.

"Hahahaa!" Shit. The Commandant was in front of Victoria before she could even blink. He was deadly serious when he demanded, "Name."

Victoria straightened her back, making sure her salute was perfect. Just like she practiced with Chisaki.

"Victoria Freidrich, sir. I'm from the Shiganshina district." A bead of sweat dripped down her forehead when Shadis didn't reply. His eyes flicked down to the undone breast pocket, then back to her face. He just stared at her, with the unrelenting gaze he had given Sasha.

"Freidrich," he said eventually. "Johan Freidrich?"

"My father, sir!"

Another pause. "BRAUS, FREIDRICH!" Victoria jumped slightly as the Commandant's voice echoed across the field. "You will BOTH be running laps until instructed to stop. In addition, Braus, you will be losing meal privileges for the next 5 days!"

Victoria's jaw dropped at the severity. Sasha's jaw dropped too. "Are you deaf, cadets?" Shadis practically screamed in V's face. "LAPS! NOW!"

What an awful way to start boot camp.