"Dedicate your hearts!"
Taryn raised her fist to form a firm salute, her gaze determined and unwavering. In front of them stood Instructor Shadis with his lined face set into a permanent glare as usual. His eyes raked over them, surveying them for one last time before they all go their separate ways.
In the end, two hundred and eighteen trainees managed to hang on until graduation, with Taryn fortunately being one of them. She could finally let out a sigh of relief as she stood with the others, proud of herself for reaching the end. Admittedly, it had been tough, but in the end she managed to pull through the obstacles and come out as someone stronger and wiser than before.
"Today, you trainee graduates will be given three choices. You can join the Garrison, protecting towns and reinforcing the walls," Instructor Shadis began to say. She had considered joining Garrison before, as it also seemed like a very good option.
"The Survey Corps, who risk their lives beyond the walls in Titan territory," At this, she heard some of the others mutter about how only the crazy ones would join the Scouts. She didn't necessarily agree with them, but she wasn't willing to join the regiment either.
"Or the Military Police, who serve the King, lead the people and protect the internal order. Of course, only the top ten students, whose names I just announced can join the Military Police."
Her attention turned to the ten students stood behind him, their faces triumphant and eager to serve. Taryn and the rest of the crowd stared up at them in awe, admiring the way they looked so powerful together.
She caught Jean's eyes, flashing him a bright smile as she silently cheered for him below. He smiled back, mouthing something like 'I wish you were here' as he looked down at her from above.
She felt sad—no, she felt terrible that she hadn't been able to make it as one of the Top Ten. Not only did that make joining the Military Police harder to achieve, it also meant that she had to go through another two years of gaining experience from other regiments, before finally being able to transfer to the interior. And with the delay, she feared that she wouldn't be able to get her father proper medical care before his condition starts to worsen, only adding to the number of things bothering her at the moment.
She dejectedly cast her eyes down at the ground, the feeling of regret outweighing that of happiness. She tried her best, she truly did—it's just that her best hadn't been enough.
Sighing, she rid her head of the thoughts, telling herself to enjoy the night and worry about those things later. She spotted Sasha and Connie standing proudly next to each other, the both of them trying hard not to laugh during such a serious moment. Chuckling, she sent them a small wave, to which they eagerly returned with a grin.
"Soon, I'll be asking you which branch you want to be assigned to," The instructor continued, and Taryn swore she could see a hint of sadness in his eyes. "But as of right now, the 104th Cadet Corps is officially disbanded! Dismissed!"
And with that, the 104th Cadet Corps cheered, celebrating the day they finally get to go on their separate ways. Whether or not this was the end or just the start of something new, they didn't know.
...
"Lucky bastards, making the top ten!"
"I'm sure you're gonna join the Military Police Brigade, right?" One of the trainees asked, their tone laced with envy. Taryn flicked her eyes from between them to the boy in front of her, waiting to see how this would turn out.
Jean raised a brow, lazily looking over his shoulder to smirk at the particular person. "That goes without saying! Why else would I have aimed to crack the Top Ten?"
The trainee scowled at him, sending Jean a nasty glare before turning to the others who they had been sitting with. As soon as she was sure that nothing bad was going to happen, Taryn sipped on her cup of hot chocolate, finding herself getting lost in the sweet aroma.
"I'm going with the MPs too," Marco perked up from beside Jean, looking up at the ceiling with a dreamy expression. "Getting to work near the King...it's an honor."
Copying Taryn, Marco raised his cup to his lips to drink the brown liquid, only for it to be splashed all over his face as Jean startled him by harshly patting him on the back. Eyes widening, Taryn quickly began looking for a napkin of some sort, meaning to help the poor boy by wiping the chocolate off his face.
"Are you still playing the goody-two-shoes, Marco?" Jean drawled, putting an arm around the other's shoulder, his face contorting into a wicked grin. "Tell me how you really feel...you can't wait to get into the interior, right?"
Taryn rolled her eyes. "Jean, stop—"
"We can finally escape this shitty, suffocating front-line town!" He began to yell, attracting the attention of the others surrounding them and making her rub her eyes in exasperation. "A safe comfortable life is waiting for us in the interior!"
She could feel the glares of their fellow trainees on them, their murmurs and whispers loud enough for them to hear. At this moment, she just wanted crawl into a hole and hide herself, not really in the mood to witness another fight.
His arrogant laughter echoed throughout the room, creating a tense aura.
"Hey," A voice growled from behind them, and she turned her head to see Eren staring at Jean with a heated gaze. "You said the interior is comfortable? Until five years ago, this town was part of the interior too."
She saw Jean twitch his eye, annoyance overtaking his features. Eren continued on talking when he saw that he had nothing to say, a small smirk beginning to form on his lips.
"Jean, you don't have to go to the interior. I mean, isn't the interior of your brain soft enough for you?"
At this, Reiner snorted out the chocolate he had been drinking, causing the liquid to spray all over Armin who was next to him. She couldn't help but stifle a laugh at his statement too, biting down hard on her lip to prevent any sound from escaping. She locked eyes with Marco across her, seeing that he had trouble holding in his laughter as well. The snickers from the other trainees could be heard from a distance, all of them clearly amused at Eren's insult.
Jean narrowed his eyes, now moving his entire body to face the boy. "Are you trying to say that I'm an idiot, Eren?" He raised a brow. "Well, I'm just looking at reality more than anyone."
Everyone who hadn't been paying attention before were now watching anxiously as the two boys began closing in on each other. Taryn squirmed in her seat, having a bad feeling about where this was going.
"Four years ago, twenty percent of the human population was sent out to recover territory stolen by the Titans. And most of them ended up walking straight into an Titan's mouth, swallowed whole," Jean began to say. "I think it's crystal clear. Humanity doesn't stand a chance against the Titans."
The lighthearted atmosphere vanished as soon as the words left his lips. Everyone now had their heads bowed down, brows furrowed in despair. It seemed as if their optimistic thoughts died down along with their lively chatter, only leaving behind doubts of the future and what it holds.
Worry creeped up her heart as she mulled over his words. He was right, humanity was a lost cause against the Titans. In sheer size alone, they were overpowered, and regarding their strength it would take over four soldiers to even have a single one of them defeated. She knew the day that the Titans decide to swarm the inner walls would soon come, and the worst part was that they wouldn't be able to do anything about it.
She then realized, humans were nothing more than just helpless prey waiting for the predators to finally devour them. The world, as they know it, was a cruel, dark and hopeless place.
Jean sighed at the unbearable silence. "Look, it's like a funeral in here, thanks to you."
"So what?"
He whipped his head to look at him, disbelief showing on his face. "Huh? Were you even listening to me?"
"So what you're saying is 'I don't think we can win, so I'm giving up'." Eren stood up from his seat, walking over to Jean with his fists clenched. "Tell me, what's so good about giving up? Is it better to escape from reality to the point where you're throwing away your hope?"
Taryn perked up from her seat, interested in what he had to say. Eren looked around at the entirety of them, peering at each of their faces all with a hopeful look in his eyes. "One of the causes of the defeat four years ago was our ignorance about the Titans. We lost then, but the information we gained will surely lead our hope for the future."
"And yet you're going to give up on developing strategies to fight them? Do you want to be Titan food so badly? Give me a break." Giving Jean a scathing glance, he began to look up above as his eyes shined with hope. "I have a dream...it's to exterminate the Titans and leave these cramped walls. My dream...is to explore the outside world."
Some glared at him in annoyance, other looked up at him in awe, but Taryn was impressed with his little speech. She had never really thought of it that way—all she really focused on was to work hard and get into the interior to be safe and pampered. She had always thought that journeying outside was pointless and it was something that would only lead to more deaths and casualties, but now, she regarded their mission with a new light.
She found herself, even for just a split second, wanting to join the Scouts, especially if it meant helping humanity prevail over the Titans and never having to live in fear of them ever again.
But the thought vanished as quickly as it came as the worries and doubts about her family began to overpower it. She didn't have time for silly delusions of being a hero, she needed to focus on figuring out her current situation. Her father needed her, and charging into Titan territory with no guarantee for survival wasn't going to help him.
Jean scoffed as he noticed the changing mood, standing up as well and towering over the other boy. "You must be the one with a soft noggin. What the hell are you talking about?" He gestured to his fellow cadets, their faces donning weary expressions. "Look at them! Not a single person agrees with you!"
Eren scowled at him in response. "Okay, you're right. I got it..."
Just as soon as they thought everything was over, he then inched his face closer to Jean's to the point where their foreheads were almost touching, glaring at each other with a ferocious intensity. "So go on then, shove off to the interior like the coward that you are. Having a defeatist like you here on the front line is bad for morale!"
Jean snarled at his outburst, mirroring Eren's gaze as he moved towards him even closer. "Of course, that's just what I'm gonna do. You wanna go outside the walls, right? Go ahead! The Titans you must love so much are all waiting for you!"
They stared at each other for a few moments, with Eren clenching his jaw and Jean gritting his teeth in aggravation. The other trainees could only watch as the two stood in the middle of the room, their eyes widening as they were overcome with the thrill for what was about to happen.
"Pain in the ass..."
"Hmph."
Taryn stood up from her table and made her way towards them, already knowing that this would lead to another fight. "Alright, that's enough—"
She, however, was a second too late as the two boys already moved to throw a punch at the other's face, the sudden fight igniting roars of laughter from the people around them. She hesitantly took a step back, not wanting to get caught up in the fight as they were attacking each other at a fast pace.
"Woohoo!"
"There they go again!"
"I bet they'll get caught by Instructor Shadis this time!"
"Nah, that girl would most likely take the blame for Jean again."
"Sheesh, why isn't my girlfriend like that..."
"Go get him Eren!"
"Beat him up, Kirstein!"
"Come on Eren!" Jean yelled as he pummeled his fist to Eren's chest, the boy barely dodging by raising his arms to block him. "What's wrong? If you're having trouble against me, a mere human, then you're not even fit to go up against the Titans!"
"Me being defeated by you? Of course not, idiot!" Eren responded by kicking Jean in the stomach and making him stumble back from the impact. Jean's features were twisted into rage as he began to charge at him, only to get punched in the gut once more.
Taryn winced as he groaned in pain. She glanced at Marco and the both of them shared a look of understanding, silently telling each other that they should do something to stop the two.
The fight started to get violent and the surrounding crowd began to grow worried, although majority of them were still cheering for who they think the victor will be.
She and Marco walked over to where Jean was panting heavily. Taryn took a hold of his arm gently, only for him to shrug her off harshly. "Hey, stop it—"
Marco pulled her away from him at the last minute as Eren smacked Jean in nose, sending the boy tumbling to the other side. He was about to go finish him off when Mikasa appeared and swept him up in her arms, lifting him over his shoulder as if he weighed nothing.
"Put me down—Mikasa!" He wailed, which caused the whole room to howl in amusement, there were even some who broke into applause. As Mikasa hauled Eren away from the audience, Taryn and Marco rushed to restrain Jean, who had regained his energy and intended to charge after them.
"You're lucky Eren!" He called out, trying his best to peel both of their hands off him. "Having Mikasa carry you around like that! I bet you're planning to drag her into the Survey Corps the same way—"
"Jean, if you keep making a racket, the instructor's going to come by." Marco said as he struggled to hold Jean back, the strength of the other being far greater than his.
"This is the highlight of the Farewell Party, don't stop me!"
"I think we've all had our fill." She tugged on his sleeve, signaling him to stop thrashing under their grasp. He scoffed at her and swatted away her hand before sending the both of them an annoyed look.
"What, are you guys my parents?" Jean narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms, leaning against the whole in a relaxed position.
Taryn sighed and shook her head, patting him lightly on the shoulder. "You almost got beat up by Eren. Thank us later."
He responded by rolling his eyes. Muttering profanities under his breath, he started to glare at the trainees who were snickering at him, his sharp gaze making them sheepishly turn back to their meals.
Jean wiped the sweat from his forehead, fanning himself as he began to feel the heat of the room. "It's hot in here. Let's go outside."
He then made his way to one of the exits, with Taryn and Marco wordlessly trailing behind him. They walked side by side until they reached one of the stairways leading to the outdoors, the area being illuminated by the pale moonlight and making it a perfect place for them to hang around.
Taryn dusted the stairs with her hands, making sure it was clean for the three of them to sit. They felt the cool breeze of the wind as they stood there staring up at the night sky littered with stars.
It was a breathtaking sight that made them pause for a bit, not having it in them to look away as they far too were enraptured by the scenery.
"It's beautiful." She marveled before plopping down on the stone surface. She let her arms support her back as she leaned against the stairs, the cold ground sending shivers down her spine. Jean and Marco copied her, bending their bodies down to sit beside her.
"My mother told me that the stars in the sky represent our loved ones who passed." The black haired boy smiled. "She said it's their way of reminding us that they're always there, and that they never really left."
Jean snorted, facing him with a teasing smirk. "Are you saying you want your loved ones to die, Marco?"
"N-No, no! Of course not." Marco waved his hands frantically in denial as Jean let out a boisterous laugh. Taryn chuckled at them as they bickered, a sudden feeling of happiness warming her heart.
They stayed for what seemed like hours, talking with each other as they reminisced memories and cracked a few jokes. Jean had even started singing out of nowhere at some point, to which she and Marco joined in, jokingly harmonizing with his voice while drumming their hands against some boxes in the background.
The moment was nice. No fights, no disturbances, just the three of them gazing at the stars and spending time with each other for one last time before they go down their different paths.
The wind had been particularly cold this evening, causing goosebumps to form on Taryn's skin. She rubbed her hands together and wrapped her thin sweater closer to her body, trying to warm herself as much as possible.
Seeing this, Jean took off his jacket and gave it to her, letting it fall over her shoulders. He figured she needed the extra layer more as he was already quite comfortable just wearing his vest.
Taryn smiled in thanks, burying herself in the fabric and inhaling the sweet, lavender scent. It was warm and cozy, the soft material clinging to her figure like a blanket.
"Taryn," Jean started, looking at the girl seated beside him. "You can't...join the Military Police, can you?"
He knew that she hadn't been able to make the Top Ten, thus making it almost impossible for her to join anymore. He remembered feeling ecstatic when he found out he had ranked sixth, only to be snatched of that elation once he discovered she hadn't been one of those included in the list.
Yes, she was annoying sometimes. Yes, she was a bit overbearing. But she was still his friend, she had been stuck with him since they were kids, and in all honesty, he doubted he could survive a day without her constant reminders and care.
He was going to miss her, that's for sure.
She looked away as she shook her head, not being able to meet his eyes. "No, I guess not..."
"But you can transfer there after some time, right?" He asked, his voice hopeful. He doubted he would ever get used to not seeing her everyday.
"After two years. If I get enough experience, that is."
Two years. He felt a lump form in his throat, suddenly feeling a bit downcast. He felt a bit sad in knowing that they weren't going to be accompanying each other for such a long time. Sure, he was glad to have Marco by his side, but it wasn't exactly the same as being with her.
He stared at the ground as he tried to distract himself from those thoughts. He was finally going to the Military Police, he ought to be happy. And it's not like I'm not going to see her again, I'll be visiting from time to time. Really, he should stop being so dramatic.
He sighed as he stood up, stretching his long legs and arms. He needed to have a little fun. "I'm going to get some booze," He smirked, observing as their faces were slowly washed over with bewilderment at his actions. "You guys want some?"
"You—You're fifteen!" Taryn exclaimed, standing up as well before moving to grab him. "You can't drink—"
"I look of age," He inched his face closer to hers, a smirk forming on his lips when he saw her eyes widen to the size of ping pong balls at their close proximity. "And it's only a one time thing, don't stress yourself." He winked at her, before going ahead and running off to one of the liquor stores nearby.
Taryn blinked at him as he sprinted away, before breaking her gaze and wrapping his jacket tighter around her. She locked eyes with Marco, who had also been staring at the boy's retreating figure with a worried expression.
"Should we stop him?"
She thought about it for a while before shaking her head, proceeding to sit back down beside him. "No, let's just let him be for now."
He hummed in response, craning his neck to look at the stars again. He was about to close his eyes and enjoy the moment when he heard Taryn sigh for the hundredth time today, causing him to fix his gaze unto her. He saw how her eyes seemed to droop, and how her lips were set into that small, almost unnoticeable frown ever since he met her this morning. It was as clear as a crystal—something was bothering her, and he had a faint idea on what it was.
Marco put a hand on her shoulder, catching the girl's attention. "Are you okay? You've been a bit down since this morning."
She looked a bit surprised at his sudden question, quickly avoiding his eyes. She shook her head. "I'm fine."
"You're obviously not," Marco sighed. "You can tell me, Taryn."
She was visibly hesitating in whether or not to confide in him, pausing for little while before turning her head back to face his stare. However, seeing his sincere smile gave her no choice to give in, so she busied herself by looking at the ground below her, all the while letting the words fall from her lips.
"I feel like a failure. I failed to reach my one goal, the only thing that kept me going these past three years," She began to say. "Because of that, my father is going to be the one to suffer. I wanted to join the Military Police for him, so that I could somehow help him afford the treatment that he needed. Sure, the Garrison pays well enough, but not as much as the ones in the interior..."
She hugged her knees closer to herself, the lower half of her face being hidden by the jacket. "And I also...don't want to be away from Jean," She confessed. "You too, Marco. I don't want to be away from the both of you."
She felt her cheeks heat up soon as she realized what she just said, facing the other way so as to avoid Marco's knowing look. The boy only chuckled at her, a sad smile gracing his lips as he peered up at the sky.
"I guess that's just how life is. Nothing ever goes as planned," He paused. "Some days are bad, some days are good. We lose friends, we gain some. The thing about life, is that it's unexpected. You'll never know what's coming to you."
"But I think the best thing we can do now is to continue on living. We have doubts now, sometimes we feel helpless, but we have to keep going no matter how difficult it is. It may be hard now, but maybe in the future it'll be better. We just need to keep on fighting." He beamed at her as he ruffled her hair, causing the girl to smile back at him as well.
Hearing his words instantly lifted her spirits. She did indeed feel better after talking to him, and she realized how lucky she was to have a friend like Marco. He never failed to make sure she was alright and he was always there for her, no matter what. "Thank you, Marco. I needed that."
The two of them began to chat about anything and everything, all the while waiting for Jean to come back. It was fun spending time with him, and Taryn already knew that she was going to miss him terribly.
"I'm going to miss you." She said shortly, giving the boy a wistful smile.
He returned the look, before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a tight hug. "I'm going to miss you too, Taryn."
A crash could be heard from a distance, causing them to break out of their embrace. Up ahead, they saw Jean getting kicked out of a store, the shop-owner looking particularly furious at the boy.
"Are you trying to get me arrested, kid? I don't serve these things to minors!"
"I am not a minor! I am nineteen years—" He didn't get to finish his sentence as the shop-owner shut the door in his face, leaving him all alone in empty street.
Taryn covered her mouth with her hand as she failed to hold back her giggles. Jean then turned to look at them with an embarrassed face, making the two of them burst into chortles and holding unto the stone steps for support.
There were tears in Taryn's eyes as she turned to him, her face trying to maintain a steady expression. "So, did you get the booze?"
"Shut up!"
And with that, they spent the night with each other, laughing and smiling as if it was their last.
...
Taryn gazed at the horizon as she stood on top of Wall Rose with the rest of her assigned squad, suddenly feeling tiny compared to the sheer size of the lands beyond the walls. They had been sent there to prepare for their final assignment as trainees, all before they go and join different regiments. Currently, they were being tasked with menial things such as cleaning up the equipment.
Kneeling on the hard brick floor, she bent down as she tried to polish the canons, listening to the others as they talked among themselves.
"Huh? You're joining the Survey Corps?" Eren asked Connie, his eyes widening in shock. "Connie, you were so eager to join the Military Police!"
The boy blushed in embarrassment, not even sparing Eren a glance as he continued to wipe his canon clean. "I was, but..."
"Your speech yesterday affected him." Taryn said in a sing-song voice, shooting Connie a teasing smile.
"Shut up! It was my own decision!"
"No need to feel embarrassed," Thomas began to approach them, his cheeks reddening as he scratched his head nervously. "It isn't just you."
Eren looked at lost for words. "Thomas...you can't be serious..."
"Um, everyone?" Came a voice, and they all whipped their heads to see Sasha walking toward the group with a bundle of something in her hand. "I brought meat from the officers' storehouse."
Everyone began to panic at her words, thinking that they would surely get in trouble if one of the higher-ups were to find out.
"Sasha, do you want to end up in jail?!"
"You really are an idiot!"
"Idiots are scary..."
Sasha, however, didn't seem to mind their negative reactions, her face taking on a dreamy look just as drool began to fall from her mouth. "Let's all split it...we can slice it up, pair it with bread and make sandwiches!"
"Go put it back!"
"Yeah...after all the land we lost, meat is really valuable!" Said Mina, worry etched on her features.
Sasha waved her off and smiled at them. "It's fine!" She smirked, looking at each of their faces before proceeding to cut open the meat. "Once we retake our lands, we can raise cows and sheep again!"
Taryn smiled at her enthusiasm. She finished up with cleaning her canon before moving to stand up, the mouth-watering scent of the meat reaching her nostrils. Her stomach grumbled as she already began to feel hungry.
It seems as though she wasn't the only one who couldn't resist, as Franz, her fellow trainee, took a deep breath before declaring that he wanted some. "I'll have some of the meat too!"
"M-Me too! Get it ready!" Yelled Connie.
"I also will, of course!"
"Me too." She said with a grin, making her way towards Sasha to help her with preparing the meat.
Just as she approached her, Sasha, who had been in the process of untying the meat, could no longer bear the temptation and began to chow down on the meat, barely leaving any of it behind for the rest of them. Connie saw this and rushed towards the two girls, immediately attempting to pull the meat out of Sasha's mouth. He struggled against her, as none of them expected her bite to be that strong.
They eventually succeeded in saving the meat, but due to the force of Connie pulling it out, it flew towards the other end of the wall. Thankfully, it didn't fall off—they would all be doomed and starving if it had.
Taryn volunteered to go and fetch the piece of meat, slowly walking towards where it was positioned. Humming a tune, she bent down and picked up the meat. She then stood up and started to make her way back to the two, only to be greeted with a sight that would certainly haunt her for the days to come.
She looked up, and her body froze in shock, as she found herself staring right at the eyes of the Colossal Titan.
...