©️An anime/manga by Hajime Isayama

Chapter V: Refuge

They all continued to stare in horror as the Colossal's hand tightened its hold on Wall Maria, crunching concrete beneath its grip. Ada wasn't sure about the others, but her senses were screaming. Her fight or flight had long kicked in when the sound of lightning first struck, she'd felt her blood run cold when the sight of its head was first caught. Every alarm in her body was telling her to run for her life, but she remained frozen in place. As it stood, the most she could do was tremble and let tears wet her eyes.

"No way…" Armin gasped in disbelief. "That wall…it's at least fifty meters tall!" And yet, this Titan was a head taller.

Eren, with eyes blown wide, whispered in just as much bafflement: "It's…one of them," But at the same time it couldn't have been. This was no normal Titan and that much was clear, even to a young boy like himself.

The girls could do nothing but tensely remain silent in wait.

Everyone gazed on as the Colossal seemed to pull itself up, and the Earth shook in response to the slow, careful motion. Ada knew what this signaled, she knew what was to come next before anyone else could guess.

Her friends and all the citizens of Shiganshina were none the wiser.

They were all none the wiser, until the reckoning finally came for them.

A hole in the wall was kicked, and the chaos that followed was far more suffocating here in the flesh than it ever could've been through a book or screen. The velocity of the kick blew a large gap into the wall so fiercely that the ensuing wind was that of a vengeful hurricane. She could see it from where she stood. Wall debris—and people who had the misfortune of being much closer to the breech point—soared through the air then crashed into homes and structures like meteorites.

Dust and dirt clouded the air like storm clouds, glass was blown to smitherines, shingles were ripped from roofs. Entire portions of buildings flew away as if they were nothing more than decoration, and crushed those unexpecting.

All this death, descruction, and terror; all spawned by a single kick.

It felt as if it had all stretched on for minutes, when in reality it had been less than thirty seconds. Just as quickly as it appeared, the Colossal Titan was gone and they were left to deal with the aftermath.

"It b-broke," Armin stuttered, shakily lifting an arm to point in the direction of the breech. "It broke a hole, in the wall."

Their only guard from the beasts that sought to eliminate them was comprised, that much was clear when the first Titan came into sight. The people of Shiganisha were immediately thrown into a wild frenzy as one Titan turned into three, then eight, then fifteen. People shrieked, they ran to hide, they shoved children and elderly to the ground as they sprinted for their lives; others had the mischance of meeting their demise before they could even take ten steps.

Armin and Ada (after finding the strength to move) slowly began to back away. "We have to leave," Armin gasped.

Eren, as expected, wasn't listening. He simply walked forward, almost in a daze, as he watched their tragic disaster escalate. "My house…my house is over there." Suddenly, he broke out into a sprint as he began to shriek. "My mom is still at the house!" His voice cracked helplessly as he thought only of the worst case scenario.

"Mikasa!" Armin shouted as the girl sprinted after Eren with no hesitation. His hand remained outstretched, and his heart sank as he watched two of his friends disappear in the frantic crowd. For all he knew that image was the last he'd see of them.

Ada gripped his arm tight to regain his attention. "Armin, we have to go home!"

"Go home?!" Armin exclaimed, "But, what about Eren and Mikasa?!"

"What about your grandpa and my mom?!" she countered. "Armin were being attacked, people are dying and we need to find our family!" Hannes would handle Eren and Mikasa, that much was certain as far as her memory told her. She moved to run back in the direction of the Square, but was quickly stopped by Armin grabbing her wrist.

"Ada, wait!" he pleaded. "We shouldn't separate, we have to—"

"There's no time for this, Armin!" she snapped, ripping her arm from his hold. "Do you not realize what's at stake?! We can't afford to just stand around or go running after Mikasa and Eren!" She began to back away. "Find your grandpa and get to safety, the MPs will help them!"

"Ada!" he shouted after her as she ran away, and then cupped his hands around his mouth to amplify his voice. "How are the MPs gonna find them if they're running towards the danger?!"

Their duty was to maintain order within the walls and safeguard the civilians during times of crisis. The Military Police were going to have to make work at evacuation and herding them into the inner city. It was the protocol they had to follow, thus their top priority. They weren't going to work backwards and go out searching for any stragglers, it was counterproductive and only served to put them at an unnecessary risk.

Armin had hoped Ada heard his previous objection, but either his voice couldn't be heard over the surrounding wails or she'd ignored him. Either way—not wanting to abandon his friends—Armin made quick work to search for Hannes and prayed Ada came out of this unharmed.

Said girl tried her hardest to keep her head clear as she ran with the crowd, taking turns to go back towards the rural area she lived in. Her mother was obviously still home when Bertholt first shifted, and likely walked outside to see what the large commotion was. She was sure Lorraine had seen the Colossal just as anyone else. Ada was also sure there were Titans flooding that area already. With it being such a fairly open space, it didn't leave many places to hide other than the houses and barns people owned.

That made her wonder, were the Titans smart enough to know people were hiding in any of them? They basically ran on autopilot and ate whatever human was within sight. They'd probably only think to stick their hands into a building if they actually spotted a person inside. That thought immediately made her picture her mother, was she possibly hiding within their home? If not, was she already headed for where the rescue boats were going to be prepared? How exactly would she find her?

Try as she might to fight it, these questions made her brain fog with distress and she began to panic. She neared the area where she lived, and it was immediately when she turned a corner she saw Titans in the distance. Just like she assumed they'd be there.

The sight of them made her shriek in dispare, already witnessing them feasting. "Mom!" Her chest was tight and her legs burned, she was already running as fast as they could carry her. She screamed for her mother repeatedly, as loud as her voice would allow in the hopes she'd reveal herself.

Her eyes darted around frantically, there were children on the ground crying out into the sky; likely lost and unable to find their family. People were crushed beneath rubble, either completely alone or in the company of someone trying to get them out despite clearly being deceased. Some limped in lieu of running, others were stuck where they'd landed after being thrown through the air by the blast. Some people had chunks of glass shards imbedded into their skin, and it littered the groundeverywhere.

She was surrounded by madness, and the worst part was that it could only compound from here. What if her mother had fallen victim to one of them already?

"Mo—"

"Get the hell out of the way!" Ada heard this before being thrown to the side and hitting the ground hard.

She groaned in pain as she stiffly pushed herself onto her hands and knees. She looked around, but the culprit was clearly long gone. The Titans were slowly getting closer and she was all alone. Tears pooled in her eyes, they overflowed and spilled down her cheeks. Her bottom lip quivered and she choked as she screamed for her mother again.

"Moooooom!"

"Ada!" She heard the familiar voice of Lorraine just before she was grabbed by the arm. Ada, wide eyed in shock, immediately craned herself around and saw a face that washed all her anxieties away like a flood. "Mom!" she cried, then threw herself into her mother's arms.

The young girl sobbed in relief into Lorraine's chest, expressing how relieved she was to see she was unharmed. Ada, however, didn't receive much time to bask in solace as her mother grabbed her by the shoulders to look her in the eyes. Upon gazing into Lorraine's honey brown irises, Ada could see the God stricken fear in them. Her mother was deathly afraid, and she had every reason to be.

"Ada, sweetheart, we have to go to the inner gate!" Her grip on the girl's shoulders tightened. "We'll make it but we have to go! Now, don't look back! We'll be okay!" Ada couldn't help it, but it sounded as if rather than reassuring her she was more so trying to convince herself.

Without wasting time, Lorraine gripped Ada tightly by the hand and began running in the direction her daughter had just come from. Once they were within the inner city, there would be rescue boats waiting at the pier to ship as many survivors into Wall Rose as they could. However, there were only so many available ships and the Titans were infesting Shiganshina at an alarming rate. It would only be so long before the MPs were forced to close the inner gate, lest they risk the Titans flooding deeper into the city. Anybody who got left behind after that point was surely done for, and Ada had a hunch that's what the older woman was worried about.

Three things could go wrong: They make it to the inner city, but there are no more ships to whisk anyone to safety. They get locked in Shiganshina because the gate was closed, which would doom them. Or, they get eaten before the other two possibilities could fully become a thought.

Even if they managed to be inside the city after the gate was shut, there was still the issue of Reiner ramming straight through it in his Armored form. They wouldn't be in the safe zone unless they actually made it onto a boat. It hadn't taken Ada much time to find Lorraine all things considered, and Hannes had to have at least caught up with Eren and Mikasa by now. If they remained focused on evacuating—and went uninterrupted while doing so—they should've been fine.

Ada thought of all this while her mother instinctively ran them both away from the peril behind them. The copper smell of blood permeated the air, and the surrounding cries were haunting as screams of agony echoed from where the Titans walked. Her mother shrieked at the top of her lungs in terror and yanked the girl off to the side, after a half eaten body splattered to the ground in front of them following being thrown. Though the woman told her not to look back, she couldn't help but crane around after this to gain a glimpse. She immediately regretted it when she saw someone eighty yards behind them in a Titan's grasp, and thankfully had the sense to squeeze her eyes shut before she saw something she didn't want to.

She didn't look back again the entire trek to the inner gate. But on and off for the remaining time up to that point, she couldn't help but focus on the fact her journal was left abandoned in her room.

Two boats were being loaded at a time, the first three had already been filled and sent away. Ada and her mother thankfully had gotten to the front in time to make one of the others. The crowd was repeatedly told they were to bring nothing but their person aboard the boat; not only to avoid overweighing the moderately sized wooden ship, but to ensure there was adequate room to fit as many people as possible. There weren't very many on board yet while the two were in the process of being loaded on, it was less than a quarter filled. This made it easy for Ada to see that Armin and Alphonse weren't there yet. At least, judging from the side they could see.

Lorraine had her child clutched protectively in front of her as they slowly moved up in the crowd, and Ada took time to look at her mother the best she could from her position. Despite being safe now, she looked…on edge. Haunted even, but that was to be expected given the awful things she likely bore witness to. Her hair was tousled and her clothes were dirty, but Ada's weren't much better. She was certain once they were actually in Trost, and farther away from the danger, Lorraine would come down from the stupor she was in.

"Mom?" Ada called. Thankfully, Lorraine was still receptive and looked down at the little girl when she called. "I don't see my friends."

She attentively rubbed Ada's shoulders, an attempt by her to soothe whatever anxieties she'd thought the girl had judging from her question. "It's alright, darling. I'm sure they're here somewhere, there are a lot of people waiting."

Ada nodded, then they were both boarded on the ship and seated. Armin originally gets onto one of the rescue ships some time before Eren and Mikasa. She was hopeful that hadn't changed as she scanned the crowd looking for he and his grandfather. It took a little while, but his familiar blonde hair and the baby blue cardigan he wore made him stand out just enough to spot. She immediately stood up and called his name loudly as soon as she'd caught sight of him, and he saw her waving her hand high in the air. Ada watched a smile, bright and full of relief, spread across his cheeks as he excitably waved back. Armin was safe, the other two should be not far behind.

Once the two were finally on the ship with the ladies, Lorraine stood up and gave Alphonse a light hug. Expressing how relieved she was to see the two were unscathed. "You're white as a sheet," Alphonse commented with a weary look. "We should sit down, hopefully we can get you some water after we've reached the safe zone."

Sit down they did, with Lorraine clutching Ada, Armin sitting next to her, and Alphonse on his other side. "…Do you…think Eren and Mikasa made it out okay?" Ada questioned her blonde friend.

"I hope so," Armin sighed. "I had to go get Hannes, and tell him about how they ran off."

Ada blinked in surprise. "You did?"

"Yes!" Armin exclaimed. "Ada, that's what I was trying to tell you. He never would've known to go look for them if I hadn't said anything. None of the MPs would." From his point of view, it was a miracle his grandfather was still at their home. They never would've made it if he had to search for the old man in all that madness.

"Oh…" was all she could think to respond with. She…didn't remember Armin telling Hannes about the two being in danger. Ada thought he came to the rescue because he happened to see them going the opposite way they were meant to. She wouldn't have come off so callous if she'd known. "Armin…I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?"

Ada nodded, "Yeah…I don't want you to think I don't care about them at all." Now that she was calming down, she could see how dismissive she'd been earlier while Armin pleaded. "Because, I do! It's just—"

"Ada, I understand." Armin calmly interjected. "There was a lot going on, and you were worried about your mom. You don't have to be sorry, it's not like any of us were prepared for this."

She felt a tiny pang in her chest, she had been prepared. Yet, she felt as though she handled the whole thing in the worst way she possibly could've. She'd been the farthest thing from calm, she left Armin behind, she ran around screaming instead of just using her head. Maybe she was beating herself up a little too much, but she couldn't help feel like she disappointed him. Ada looked down at her hands as she nervously twisted them.

"I feel like I have to. I mean, I practically called them a waste of time…"

"I know you didn't mean it like that." Armin scoffed, "Besides, Eren would've killed us for following him anyway. He would never let us put ourselves in danger just for his sake." He would never want Mikasa to do it either, but…she was Mikasa. She was more than capable of handling herself, and would never fold to Eren's objections. "So, if anything, it's probably better that you centered yourself. He would've wanted you to do that anyway, you know?"

She knew he was right, that's exactly the type of kid Eren was. Always looking out for the best interest of his friends, but never himself. Ada nodded, "Yeah, that does sound like him."

"Then don't feel so guilty, you never have to apologize to me." Upon those last words leaving his mouth, Ada looked at Armin. Her mouth fell open a little as she saw his sincere smile. "I'm glad you're unhurt." he added.

Armin…he truly was a phenomenal child, too good for the cruelty they lived. She nodded her head, "I'm glad you aren't hurt too!" She'd been thinking about them in passing since locating her mother. Ada took the time after this to survey their surroundings, and saw that there were a sizable amount of people on the ship by now.

"I hope they make it in time." She couldn't recall if they'd boarded the same ship as Armin, or if they were loaded onto the next one.

"I'm sure they'll be here," the young boy reassured. However, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't the slightest bit worried himself. He was no fool, he knew only so many of them could be saved; it made him anxious that all his loved ones weren't aboard yet. He stood up to get a better look at the waiting crowd, scanning it the best he could with his eyes.

"You should sit, Armin." Alphonse commented.

Armin looked down at his grandfather. "I can't help it, I just need to see them for myself." Then he'd be able to relax knowing they were at least out of the lower town. Looking back out to the sea of civilians, he quickly spotted the two being lead forward with a group of people for boarding. "I see them!" he gasped, and was about to get their attention before he suddenly paused.

"Is something the matter?" Ada questioned.

"It's Eren…" the blonde trailed. Their brunette friend had his arm over his eyes, and he saw his shoulders shaking. He looked like he was currently crying, and Mikasa kept a secure hand rested on his shoulder.

"I can't imagine the horrors those children must've seen." Alphonse sighed. "Please, sit now Armin. Leave them be for now."

His shoulders sagged, he listened to the older man and sat back down with his knees protectively hugged to his chest. He had a downcast expression on his face as Ada eyed him wearily. "Whatever you saw, it'll be okay." Ada assured, and he nodded his head.

Before long, the ship was full of apprehensive individuals. There were a mix of those who were silent, crying, muttering about their unfavorable circumstances, and attempting to calm themselves or others down from hysterics. Though, further hysteria broke out among those still on the ground as the plank was beginning to be retracted; this particular vessel had finally reached its quota, the one in front had sailed away not too long ago.

"It's leaving?!" She heard someone from across the ship shout.

"Wait, no, please!" She heard a woman cry. "You have to take my baby, please, he's a newborn!"

Ada felt tears prick at her eyes at hearing this, and she wiped them away with her hand. She heard one of the MPs shout for the boat to be sent away at once. She felt a jolt as the pulley system was activated and they began to move down the river. This made the civilians get even rowdier, and they pushed against the MPs who were doing everything they could to hold them back.

"No, my baby, he'll die out here!"

"Let us on!"

"You have to at least take the children!"

Lorraine clutched her daughter even harder, if that were possible. Ada heard yells preceded by three thumps against the wood of the ship, people tried to jump onto the ship despite it already taking off. Two managed to keep their grip, but one slipped off with a scream and eventually hit the water. "We're going to be okay." Lorraine said, but Ada wasn't sure who she was talking to.

The hysteria didn't end there, it only worsened as the sound of canon fire could be heard. Once a round from each was fired and it ceased, the loud sound of brick against brick replaced it. The gate was now being lowered. Armin turned his head around and rested his hand along his brow bone to use as a faux visor; to block the sun from his eyes. Even with this, he couldn't see what the Military Police were doing, they were no more than specs in the distance. That, and he was sure there were others within the tunnel that led to the actual gate; seeing as that's where the rig to even raise and lower it in the first place was located.

"They're lowering the gate, but I don't think everyone got out of there yet." Shiganshina was a large place, there was no way this was its entire population. Nobody responded to him when he said this, but he hadn't expected to receive one anyway.

Everyone tensed up when—out of nowhere—a large quake rocked the land. The vibrations could be felt from head to toe, and a loud crash came with it as it happened repeatedly. It felt reminiscent to the thunder strike from when the Colossal appeared, but this was different in that it held a similar rhythm to footsteps.

"What is that?" Armin gasped as the quakes seemed to speed up, there was less time in between each one compared to before. That was when the canon fire began again, and Armin deduced fairly quickly that they must've been firing at something else that showed up. "Another one of those weird Titans?" When he asked himself this, he felt a jolt shoot through his body when he saw a large Titan with gold plates all over it crash straight through the gate. He saw the MPs who'd been inside the tunnel soar through the air like rockets as it skid to a halt, and his jaw dropped.

Ada and her mother also jumped in their skin at the sound of the crash, and Ada attempted to turn her head to look. But, Lorraine grabbed her and pressed her head into the crook of her neck. "Keep your head down." She didn't need to be told twice.

The air was so quiet, you would've thought time stopped. Not a single thing could be heard but the sound of air decompressing, as the Armored Titan blew hot steam through its nose. Armin watched wide eyed as it stood up straight—its head facing the ground—before Alphonse finally turned his head back around gently. Armin felt a lump forming in his throat as he clutched his grandfather's pancho.

Not understanding what he just witnessed, and having so much thrown at them at once, all he could do was wonder out loud what they'd just been exposed to. "What's happening to us…?"

o O o

Only around a few thousand of them had been rescued, the vast majority of Shiganshina's population was left behind and likely devoured if not killed by other means. It'd been several hours since they touched down in Trost, and the refugees were herded into what used to be the city's food storage house. This was where all the citizens who fled into Trost via ship would be living for the foreseeable future.

The storage house was separated into four different buildings, which were positioned in a way that left a giant square in the center. Which building they were assigned to depended on the section of Shiganshina the refugees had come from. As such Lorraine, Alphonse, and their kids were assigned to one building, while Eren and Mikasa found refuge in the one beside them. This was meant to serve as a means of better keeping track of everyone, but the result was buildings suffering from overcrowding. There wasn't enough space to comfortably accommodate everyone.

Ada had lost sight of Eren and Mikasa back when they were first let off the ship, but she and Lorraine had thankfully stuck close to Alphonse and Armin when going to their designated place to rest for the night.

Word had quickly spread all throughout Wall Rose, and likely Wall Sina, of Wall Maria's breech. The central government made quick work at getting food rations (that they could spare) ready for everyone to collect in the morning.

When that time came Ada and Armin were with the adults as they waited in one of many lines for their food; a simple loaf of bread. The little girl saw first hand just how difficult the distribution had actually been, seeing as there were police soldiers everywhere. Some were designated to hand out the small bread loafs, but the majority were trying their best to keep the order or prevent individuals (who were feeling particularly brave) from stealing off the stalls.

There was a lot of arguing over one piece of bread not being a fair amount. Some made the argument that they, as a man, were too grown for just one piece and demanded more to satiate their adult hunger. Others argued that their child needed more than just one loaf because they were still growing, and that this was a very crucial time in their life for proper nourishment. New mothers pleaded they needed more than what was being given out for milk production. Their babies couldn't feed from them if they themselves weren't properly fed, their milk supply would significantly decrease if not dry up completely.

A few fist fights had broken out over others being accused of skipping the line, or someone's bread being stolen. Ada herself saw a man be tackled to the ground by an MP, for swiping about three pieces of bread off a stall when he thought no one was looking.

Ada squeezed her mother's hand, and this caught the woman's attention as she looked down at her. She saw that her daughter had a small frown on her face, and this prompted her to squeeze her hand back and gently rub the back of it with her thumb; the smallest bit of comfort she could give without spoken words.

Lorraine and Alphonse were (thankfully) able to get an extra piece of bread between the two of them by claiming they each had an extra child who was still resting. Armin and Ada were tasked with giving over the food to their friends, and they'd done just that when they saw the two exiting the buildings they'd been assigned.

After giving the two kids their food for the day, Ada saw something around Eren's neck—securely tucked into his shirt—that hadn't been there last she saw him. Upon questioning the boy about it he told her it was his father's, the key to their basement where his study was located. When asked when his father could've given it to him, he claimed he couldn't remember following a long pause of careful thought.

'So he's already eaten Grisha,' she thought to herself. That was a lot quicker than she expected it to be. She looked over at Mikasa and saw that the girl was just as curious as she was, expected given she'd never seen the exchange.

As if sensing further questioning he didn't desire, Eren made quick work at changing the subject; by asking if this was truly all the food they'd be receiving today. A question Armin answered in the affirmative. There'd been a food shortage prior to the arrival of the refugees, and the reserves now were being stretched even thinner than normal. This brought about tension in the air that could be sensed by even the children, if the dismissive glares and cold demeanor of the MPs were anything to go off of.

"Worst is, the farther into the inner city the less they care." As bleak as the comment sounded, Armin was still correct. The inner gate housed the wealthiest individuals in their society (including the royal family and feaux King), where food and resources were plentiful and effortless to go around. Food and resources they would never see, despite the refugees and regular citizens being in obvious need of it.

"Of course they don't care," Eren bitterly replied, glaring down at his bread. "Why would they care about people they see as fodder?"

By extension of them living within the innermost gate—Wall Sina—they were in theory and practice the safest from (as well as least likely affected by) Titan attacks. As far as they could see, these things were simply "outsider" problems that said people needed to for the most part address on their own.

As it related to the people who evacuated from Wall Maria, the residents inside Wall Rose didn't feel much different on the matter; not that they had much of a say otherwise. The refugees were their responsibility whether they liked it or not, and Eren clearly detested the idea of having to rely on people who couldn't care whether he lived or died.

A little while later the squad were inside one of the surrounding breezeways after having eaten their bread, all except Eren who still had his clenched in his fist.

"Eren, that bread is all you get today." Ada solemnly reminded. "You have to eat,"

His nose twitched and his eyebrows furrowed even further at her words, that was easier said than done. The sight of the bread made bile want to exit his mouth. For him it only represented what they'd been reduced to: A harsh reminder that they were nothing more than an expendable burden.

"The Titans…they took our homes…" he grimly recounted. "Nothing's gonna be done about it, we lost everything and we're supposed to just deal with that?"

"We don't know that, Eren." Armin countered. "This has never happened before, everyone just needs time to—"

"We don't have time!" Eren angrily snapped, to everyone's surprise. "They're all gone by now, everyone who got left behind! So time for what?!" The sight of tears welling in his eyes made Mikasa step forward and rest a hand on his shoulder. Quickly putting his head down, Ada could see the tears dropping off his eyes and hitting the ground.

"Like my mom…" The mention of Carla made his sobs worse and he began to tremble as his crying continued. "She got trapped underneath our house, and we had to leave her behind."

"We had no choice Eren," Mikasa reminded the grieving boy. "Even with Hannes' help, we couldn't have gotten the rubble off of her."

"What does that matter now, when she's still dead?!" Eren exclaimed, wiping his eyes with his sleeve as he hiccuped.

As much as Ada wanted to help comfort Eren, she couldn't help but zero in on a discrepancy. What he said happened to his mother…didn't sound quite right. Was Carla being left to die under their destroyed home the only thing that occurred? The girl had the urge to question Eren for further information, but the boy was clearly in no state for being interrogated. Besides, what exactly was she supposed to ask? 'Did a Titan with a giant smile eat her?'

"My mom's gone, my house was destroyed, I don't know where my dad is…" he trailed, taking the key from his shirt with his free hand and staring at it laid in his palm. It was warm to the touch, having rested against his chest within the confines of his shirt for goodness knows how long. The last he remembered Grisha left for the inner city with it still in his possession. Try as he might, he couldn't remember how he'd gotten it from him. "I just…feel so hopeless…"

"We all do," Ada finally spoke up, resting her hand on Eren's other shoulder. "It's like you said Eren, we all lost a lot yesterday. But, that doesn't mean hope is lost." He looked up at her, fresh tears still rolling down his cheeks as she offered a comforting smile. "Besides, remember our dream? How would we get there if we gave up now?"

He focused hard on that word…dream. That was correct…they dreamed of clear, open land and a large sea filled with salt. He looked down at his bread again, his grip on it had long since laxed and he could see the indents his fingers had left behind. His grip on it tightened once again, not in disgust but a new sense of determination.

"I'm joining the Scouts." Eren announced. "I mean it,"

"Eren—"

"I'm serious, Mikasa!" he interrupted, wiping the last of his tears away. "This is as much of a sign as any." He had nothing to return to, and not much left to lose. "I'm gonna join the scouts and take back Wall Maria! I'm done crying, and I'm not gonna act like some scared little brat!" He glared down at his bread one last time before finally taking a large, aggressive bite from it. "I'm not gonna let them win, this isn't over." he said, though it was barely audible through his full mouth.

Ada was quick to pick up on the lack of malice in what he said. His words sounded as if they came less from a personal vendetta, and more from a desire for freedom. All things considered, Eren had always wanted freedom but something about this came across different. As if it were driven less by revenge and more by…the prospect of emancipation so to speak. It made her wonder what all happened while they were separated.

"Eren…are you sure?" Armin asked carefully. "You can't defeat the Titans alone,"

"If I have to I will," Eren replied after swallowing his bread. "But anyone who feels the same way as me will share the same goal. I'm confident," He still remembered those words from Ada before, back when things were still normal. Before their lives were mangled.

"Well, reel it back." Mikasa argued, "We're kids, what we need to be focused on right now is survival. Like your mom wanted." Eren paused at the reminder and his shoulders sagged. At seeing this, Mikasa adjusted her scarf and continued. "How are you supposed to take back Wall Maria one day if you're too weak from hunger, or you starve way before that?"

Eren blinked, not expecting to hear such a thing from her. The small semblance of support lit a new fire of determination in Eren and he scarfed down the last of his bread in one go, but not without being scolded by Armin. "H-Hey! You'll choke, slow down!"

Several days had passed since everyone found refuge in Trost, and the food was depleting a little quicker than previously anticipated. At the rate they were going, the food reserves would be gone in just a few more days and they'd have to begin relying on the local farms for their food instead. Once the time came refugees had been sent out to the wastelands to till the fields for new farming space, and by then winter had begun. They grew as much rye as the fields could offer, but with the overcrowding there still hadn't been enough for the refugees and all of the locals. Which meant a more dire course of action needed to be taken in order to alleviate the looming crisis. One that Ada had obviously seen coming from a mile away.

By the following year, 846, the central government gathered as many able-bodied adults and elderly as they reasonably could in order to attempt a "recovery mission" to Wall Maria. At least, that was how it was explained to them all, they would reenter the danger zone in order to reclaim their territory from the Titans. But this was nothing more than a culling. That much was obvious, and it was why so many people were sharing tearful send offs with their children and loved ones.

Ada was no exception, as she tightly clutched onto her mother and sobbed into her dress. Lorraine, ever courageous, kept her own tears at bay as she looked around at the soldiers who stood near the docks. The MPs looked annoyed, seeing all the children and grown folk crying while they simply wanted to get the job over and done with.

With a sigh, the woman continued to run her hand through her hair to comfort her daughter as best she could. "Ada…I have to go, dear."

"No!" Ada cried, clutching her even harder if it were possible. "I don't want you to!"

"Darling, I don't have a choice." Lorraine reasoned, gently prying the little girl's arms off of her. Instead, she knelt down and gave Ada a hug. One the little girl returned quickly. "If I don't do what I can to help people will starve, including you." She pulled away and wiped at the little girl's tears. "What kind of mother would I be if I let that happen?"

"But…you're all I have…" she hiccuped, and that broke the brave front that Lorraine was keeping up. "You're all I've ever had, doesn't that mean anything?" It wasn't a lie, aside from her friends Ada's mother had been the only real constant in her life. If she was gone, then what?

"Ada," Lorraine began to choke up and she put a hand over her mouth to calm herself. "Of course it does, you mean the entire world to me. I'd do anything for you."

"Like stay?" Ada asked. "Please, Mom." Two hundred and fifty thousand people were about to be sent back into Titan territory, surely just one person staying behind wouldn't make a difference. Would it?

"Ada, I'm sure all the other children don't want their parents to go either." she reminded. "If they made that exception for me, they'd have to do it for everyone else too." But they can't, they won't and Ada knew that. But she also knew what the likely outcome was if Lorraine left on that ship. The woman grabbed her daughter's smaller hands and squeezed them tight. "I wish I could, but I can't."

Arguing was futile, all it served to do was delay the inevitable. Ada threw her arms around Lorraine's neck and continued to sob into her, and the woman now allowed similar tears to escape her own eyes. She knew as well as her daughter this was likely a goodbye.

"Ma'am, boarding is about to begin." A policeman who'd walked up stated, interrupting them both. "We've given everyone enough time to say goodbye to their families, you all have to get in line now." At this Ada's sobs grew louder in volume, and the man merely rolled his eyes and separated himself from the situation.

Lorraine shushed the girl, she ran a gentle hand down her back and rocked her; Ada now having fallen to her knees. The girl hadn't had the strength to stand anymore. "Ada, I have something for you before I go."

Ada, still hyperventilating from all the crying she'd done, slowly pulled away to allow Lorraine freer movement. She reached behind her head and unclasped a claw clip she always kept fastened in her hair, to keep half of it pulled back. Her long, strawberry blonde hair fell down and brushed against the cloth of Ada's sweater. She held the clip out and the girl slowly took it, examining it in her hands as the setting sun gleamed off of it.

The clip was silver in color, intricate in design and decorated with jewels all over. It was quite beautiful, she'd thought so for as long as she could remember.

"Will you keep this for me while I'm gone?" she asked, and the girl reluctantly nodded.

Ada wanted to ask her if this meant she'd come back for it, but she stopped herself. If her mother said yes she'd know she was being lied to, and her heart just couldn't take the answer being "no". So she instead said the only other thing that came to mind. "I love you, Mom."

Lorraine felt her heart swell. "I love you too, Ada." She laid a gentle kiss on her child's forehead and stood the both of them back up. She gave Ada one more hug before turning around and entering her designated line.

Even after her mother was boarded and her ship left, she didn't move from her spot. Not until her friends surrounded her in comfort, and by then she had no tears left to cry.

They'd all been back at the docks days later to greet whatever survivors returned, and the four kids were (pleasantly) surprised to see Alphonse Arlert stepping off of the ship.

"Grandpa!" Armin ran for the old man, the worn down hat he'd given him still on his head, and threw himself into him once within arms reach. "You're okay, I can't believe it! I was so worried!" he cried, gripping the man as if he'd disappear.

Out of those two hundred and fifty thousand who were sent away, only a little over a hundred returned; Lorraine was not one of them. The remaining refugees were able to move out of the old food storage buildings and into several shelters that were sprinkled around the Trost district. A lot of orphaned children were separated from friends and siblings, but the four of them were able to stay together due to Alphonse expressing that he was their guardian.

"I promised your mother I would look after you, it's the least I can do." Ada could remember the old man telling her in particular. That was the agreement they'd made, if one of them survived they'd look after the children.

Now she sat on a cot, holding the clip in her hands as tears streamed down her face. Armin sat beside her while Eren and Mikasa sat across on a separate one.

"None of this would've happened if the Titans weren't around." Eren reminded. "The only way we'll truly have peace is if we get rid of them. We can't keep living like this."

None of them responded. Mikasa only stared at him, and Armin patted a comforting hand on Ada's back as she wept. Eren only took this as approval to continue. "I'm enlisting next year," This caught their attention, "When I do, it'll be the first step to us getting our home back. And once we do, that'll be the first step to us getting rid of them once and for all!"

There was a short pause of silence—the only thing heard being the crickets outside—before Mikasa spoke. "Then I'm enlisting with you."

Eren, eyes blown wide, turned to Mikasa in shock. "Mikasa," he gasped. "What are you talking about? You don't—"

"I go where you go," she interrupted. "I gave your mom my word I'd look after you, I'm not going back on that now." Her tone made it clear that there was no room for argument, and Eren quickly conceded.

Ada lightly squeezed the hair clip in her hands. "I'll enlist too," Now it was everyone else's turn to be surprised.

"Ada, are you nuts?!" Eren exclaimed. "Look, you guys don't have go just because I—"

"I'm not doing it for you!" Ada exclaimed, finally looking up. Even in the dim light of the room, they could see just how red and puffy her eyes were. "I'm doing it to help make a difference. It's like you said, we can't keep living like this." She looked back down at the clip. "Besides…I'm starting to feel like I'm meant to serve a bigger purpose. The training regiment is a good starting place." With Carla's death by "not Titan" and Alphonse's return from the "mission", she was left feeling as though her presence was morphing this timeline more than she previously imagined. With more direct intervention, the change enacted could be even greater.

She'd be doing herself and her friends a great disservice by backing away now.

"Maybe all of us are," Armin agreed. He took the clip from Ada's hands and pulled some her hair back with it, much like her mother wore it. With a smile he turned to Eren. "I'll enlist too!"

Eren and Mikasa seemed not so taken aback by this point, but Ada certainly was. Originally Armin only enlisted because he lost Alphonse, what reason would he possibly have now? "But, what about your grandfather?" she asked, dumbfounded.

Armin shook his head, "It's because of him that I'm doing it. I mean…he easily could've been one of the casualties…" he trailed, hardly wanting to think of such a thing. "I'm extremely fortunate he wasn't, but…that doesn't mean he's safe." He never would be as long as the Titans were around, none of humanity would. Their society was on the brink of extinction, and if there was any way he could help prevent it he'd do it.

"As long as he's living in a world with them in it, his life is at risk. I want to be able to protect him, this is the best way how." Suddenly, his cheeks flushed and he fiddled with his sweater sleeves. "Besides, you're just as reckless as Eren!" he scolded Ada. "If Mikasa is busy looking after him, who's going to look after you?"

"He's right," Mikasa agreed, "So I guess this means we're in this together, like always." And that was just fine with Ada. The three of them sitting with her was proof she hadn't lost everything, and she'd see to it that's how it stayed.

TBC