Potential.
***
"Visit us after your expedition, okay?" Mum says as she hugged me tight.
"Of course." I whisper hugging her back just as tight. She pulled away rubbing my shoulders.
"My beautiful girl. You've grown up way too fast." She says proudly. I swat her hands away with a chuckle.
"We all know you're going to treat me the same no matter how old I am." I say.
"True." She chuckled. She disappears briefly into the kitchen. I watch as she vanished from view and am engulfed by another embrace.
"Stay safe, young one." Dad murmurs.
"Always." I whisper back. He pulls away before Mum waltzes out of the house again, this time with two heavy looking satchels.
"Take these." She says, handing me the bags. I take them from her hands and open one satchel. An assortment of fruit took up the space available in the bag, and a lot of them.
"What's this for?" I asked looking back at her.
"I know how poorly grown your fruit is so take this back to the scouts as a token of our gratitude. Your lives are at constant risk and you don't get nearly enough appreciation." She explains with a shrug.
"Thanks, mum. I'll send the Commander your regards." I say with a smile. I turned to Felix who stood next to my father. He sighed before opening his arms in an awaiting hug.
"I suppose." He said. I roll my eyes with a smile and walk to him.
"See you later, big brother." I chuckle.
"Later, little sister." He replied. I pulled away from my brother to see Isabel in a tight embrace with both of my parents. I smiled at the sight.
"You're welcome here anytime, little one." Dad says. She chuckled in response.
"Can I bring my brothers next time?" She asks quietly.
"Of course, we'll see you then. In the meantime, stay safe." Mum says. Isabel pulls away with a large smile.
"Count on it." She replies proudly. She moved in front of my brother and held out a hand. "See you soon, Fe." She declares.
"Likewise, Bel." He responds placing his hand in hers.
Over the past week we were in Karanes, Isabel and I had grown a lot closer. At this point, I practically considered her a sister and I'm nearly certain my parents considered her another daughter.
I set the satchels on my horse, making sure the saddle was not going to break my neck and if the horse was hungry or thirsty. Then we finally set off back for Headquarters. My family waved us off and we set off through Karanes and into Wall Rose.
The trip back was uneventful. Isabel and I barely spoke, just admired the scenery in the comfort of each other's presence. And Headquarters hadn't even been fully exposed before four of my favourite people had began sprinting down the path to meet us halfway.
"Y/N!" Hange screamed in the distance as she ran full throttle towards us. As she got closer, I saw a fearful expression on her face. I raise an eyebrow.
"What in the-" I whisper to myself as she gripped my arm and hauled herself onto my horse behind me making me nearly fall and my horse stumble slightly. My horse huffed in frustration and I look behind me to glare at Hange.
"What did you do?" I ask as she buries her face in my back.
"I may or may not have accidentally teased Levi and he's now coming for my neck." She mumbles.
"What? Why?!" I say with a clenched jaw.
"Oi! Hange!" Levi sprints down the path, the wind weaving through his hair as he slowed to a walk. "Get your ass down from that horse or I will drag you from it." He warns with a cold tone.
"Hold up, hold up. What happened?" I asked, trying to stop conflict between the two.
"Shitty glasses has been tormenting me all week then proceeded to lean on my head a mere five minutes ago." He sneered, glaring at the figure who sat hunched behind me. I turn to glare at her.
"Hange." I say, my tone cold. She looked up ever so slightly, to the point where I could see a slight glint in her glasses from the sunlight. "Apologize."
"No." She said.
"Stop being a stubborn shit or I will personally hand you over to Levi." I warn. I look down at Levi from my horse, and see Isabel pacing towards him. "Hange." I repeat her name.
"Fine. I'm sorry for my inappropriate behavior Levi, blah blah blah." She says mockingly and rolling her eyes. I sigh and glance at Levi, awaiting his supposed approval.
"Tch. Whatever." He scoffs.
"Hey Bro!" Isabel exclaims as she steps in front of him.
"Isabel." Levi bluntly acknowledges. "She didn't hurt you in any way?" He asked, turning to make brief eye contact with me who still had Hange on the horse behind me.
"Nope! Her family is amazing, you'd love them!" She beamed.
"That's good." Levi says placing a hand on her head and ruffling her hair.
"Let's head back." I call out. I glance at the three boys who stood to the side silently the whole time. "And you guys are oddly quiet. What did you do?" I ask narrowing my eyes suspiciously on them.
"Oh no, we just didn't want to get in the midst of the conflict between these two." Sam says. I roll my eyes in response.
"And leave me in the midst of it? Wow, thanks." I say sarcastically. They chuckled in response. "I guess Hange is riding with me. Someone ride with Isabel or just walk." I say. I gaze at everyone, Levi and Farlan setting off on foot. Reece wasted no time on getting on Isabel's horse before she even could.
"Hey! I'm holding the reins!" She exclaims pushing Reece out of the way as she climbed on top of her horse. "Ah, there we go." She smiles. We start trotting down the path with Sam and Zion walking beside us. Before I came up with a brilliant idea.
"Psst. Isabel." I say with a grin. I could hear Hange's light breathing as she slept behind me. I lean over slightly to whisper to Isabel. She looked at me.
"Yo." She responds in a whisper. Reece was looking over the forest that occupied each side of the path.
"Race ya." I whisper with a smirk before whipping my reins. My horses front legs raising slightly before he jolted forwards.
"Y/N!" Hange screams as she was forced awake. I laugh in response as I hear Isabel's synced horse gallops speeding up to mind. I stand slightly on my stirrup, Hange clinging onto my figure for dear life. We passed Levi and Farlan in a blur, Isabel and Reece not far behind. I hear the screams of joy from Isabel and the cheers of Reece behind me, along with the mumbled prayers from Hange.
Each brick of Headquarters became more noticeable as we drew closer. And we finally stopped in the yard. I pull back the reins as we slowed to a trot, making the horse stand high on his hind legs with a loud whinny. Hange's nails dug into my torso causing me to grunt slightly.
"And I still remain-" I stand up on the stirrups with my hands on my hips, staring off into the distance. "-victorious." I say dramatically with a heroic smile on my face.
"Hey that was unfair. You got a head start." Isabel trots beside me. "But it was still fun." She chuckles.
"Exactly." I say dismounting the horse. Hange shakily gets off as well, glaring at me.
"You're insane." She said with a stone cold tone. I shrug in response.
"Maybe I am." I chuckle. I stroke the horses neck as he whinnied softly. "Good boy. Let's get you to the stables." I whisper to him. I grab his reins and lead him to the stables, quietly humming to myself in the process.
"Y/N!" Hange yelled, peeking her head into the stables. I look at her with a questioning glance.
"Hm?" I hum.
"The Commander wants to see you, I forgot to tell you." She says. I nod in confirmation as she walks away. "You're still insane!" She called back. I chuckle in response as I settle my horse in his stable, taking off the saddle and satchels that occupied his back. I swing the two fruit satchels over my shoulder and hold my personal belongings satchel in hand, I exit the stables.
Before I headed to the Commanders office, I went and dropped off the fruit in the kitchen then went to exit the kitchen, accidentally running into Levi, Isabel and Farlan.
"Y/N." Levi acknowledges. I reluctantly made eye contact with him before switching my gaze to the other two.
"Hey guys." I greet.
"What're you doing?" Isabel asks curious. I meet her gaze.
"I just put the fruit in the kitchen. They're on the bench, help yourself. And apparently the Commander wants to meet with me so I'm going to drop my clothes off to our room then go to the office." I explain.
"We shouldn't hold you for any longer then." Farlan says. "Thank you for the offer." He says talking about the fruit.
"No problem." I smile before squeezing beside them. "I'll see you guys later." I call as I enter a corridor. My footsteps echoed through the empty hallway as I paced toward my room. I swing the door open, happy with the view of the room. I walk to my bed, quickly dumping my satchel onto it before walking out, closing the door and heading for Erwin's office.
I hesitantly raise my hand to knock on his door before forcing myself to do so.
"Come in." Erwin sounded from the other side. This felt all too familiar. I walk through, closing the door behind me and approaching the desk. I salute firmly before sitting. "How was your time away, cadet?" He asks placing down his pen he was previously holding.
"It was good, thank you for the opportunity." I say with a smile.
"That was no problem at all. It's good to see you and Isabel got back safely." He returns the smile.
"Of course, Commander." I spoke. "Though, I doubt my trip to Karanes was the reason why you asked for my presence."
"You're correct, cadet. I realized I never spoke to you about your efforts in the Underground mission to capture the new trio." He began. I lean forward slightly, silently urging him to continue.
"Because you successfully completed the mission, I would like to give you some feedback." He says. I raise an eyebrow, leaning back with my arms folded. "Your strength and resilience are excellent. Your skill in observing the situation are exceptional and your quick thinking is what will help you survive outside the world." I continued.
"I'm sorry Commander, but I struggle to see where you're going with this." I say perplexed.
"For the next week, I want you to shadow Captain Tera. You could be taken into consideration for a new Squad Captain. You have the facilities needed for the position and you're an overall great soldier." He finishes.
I'm being taken into consideration... to lead an entire squadron?
"Though I will warn you, it's not certain." He adds. I nod.
"But I'm not exactly the most verbal person, Commander. Am I really fit to lead a squad filled with order obeying individuals?" I ask, my brows slightly knitted together.
"No matter how loud, how strong, how intelligent. You are always capable of being a leader of some sort. In your case, you possess the capability of forming a strong squad." Erwin says, leaning on his elbows on the desk.
"Okay. I'll shadow Captain Tera." I accept the task at hand.
"Great. I'll let her know immediately and the shadowing will take place tomorrow." He says standing up smoothly and moving around the desk. He headed towards the door. "You're dismissed." He said.
"Oh, Commander." He turned to look at me. "My parents send their regards." He gave me a smile and a nod.
I stood up and followed behind him, walking through the door he had so respectfully opened for me. I nod a thanks before heading back to my room to unpack.
As I made it to the room, I sat down on my bed and thought about the entire situation. Squad Captain? Me? All I can think about is how this would either be Erwin's best decision or worst decision if it happens.
"Y/N?" Isabel's voice rings through my head. I snap out of thought and gaze up at the three figures in the doorway.
"Oh." I managed to get out. "Come in, make yourselves at home." I say to Levi and Farlan as I stood up and started putting my belongings away.
"What brings you guys here?" I ask placing clothes into a drawer.
"I came to grab something and found you in here. So here we are now!" Isabel exclaims happily as she plopped down on her bed. Farlan stood to the side of the room and Levi moved to lean on a wall.
"Oh yeah? Sounds like fun." I say back. I heard movement behind me.
"Y/N are you okay?" Isabel asks.
"Hm? Oh yeah, just lost in thought." I chuckle dryly.
"What was the meeting about?" Levi asked. His question caught me off guard not because of what it was, but because it was him who asked. I turn to face them with my weight shifted onto one leg and my arms folded.
"About my effort from..." I thought about how to approach this without receiving a glare from at least one of them. "Our most recent mission." I conclude. "Erwin is thinking about making me a squad captain."
"That's great, Y/N!" Isabel exclaims. I look up and make eye contact with each of them.
"It really is. Good on you." Farlan agrees with a smile. Levi remained silent and motionless.
"Thanks guys." I give a small smile. "If it happens, I want you guys on my squad. Only if that's alright with the superiors and you guys."
"I will personally fight with everyone if I don't get into your squad." Isabel deadpans. I chuckle.
"I don't know about you, Levi, but I'd like to be on Y/N's squad." Farlan turns to Levi who just raised an eyebrow.
"It'd be better than any other squad here." Levi states bluntly.
"Is that a sense of trust I hear, Levi?" I ask raising a cheeky eyebrow.
"Tch, I didn't say anything about trust." Levi deadpans. I sigh. "But you did bring Isabel back unscathed so I guess I do have a sliver of trust in you." He finally admit.
"I'll take what I can get." I smile.
"Cadet L/N? Are you in here?" I heard a familiar voice call as they drew closer to the room. My eyes snapped to the doorway in which Tera's figure soon occupied it. "Ah, yes you are in here. Levi, Farlan, Isabel." She nods in acknowledgement as she mentions each person who stood in the room.
"Captain." I spoke quietly.
"It's good that you're all in here, actually. I needed to speak with you about your next sparring match that's occurring tomorrow afternoon. You've all been training?" She asks.
"Yes, Isabel and I did some training in Karanes district, ma'am." I answer. "I assume Farlan and Levi did too." I glance at them, locking eyes with both of them briefly.
"Good to hear. We'll have the matches tomorrow after squad training." She smiles, her pale brown eyes glowing with the sunlight that oozed through the window.
"Yes, ma'am." I say.
"I also hear you're beginning shadowing tomorrow so I'll give you tips and what not." She beams.
"I look forward to it Captain." I smile.
"Now rest up. Or train, either works. It's the end of the week, you can do whatever." She calls back as she leaves the doorway and paces down the hallway.
"Let's train." Levi suggests. I look at him perplexed. He's the last person I would've thought to want to train.
"Yes please." Isabel agrees. Farlan just shrugged in response.
"We'll if you guys want to, get into uniform and we can get started." I reply. The boys nod as they leave the room, soon followed by the squad walking in shortly after.
"Hey Sunshine." Zion beams as I come into sight.
"Hey guys. What's happening?" I ask.
"Well we actually came to ask what you were doing." Hange chuckles as she dropped herself onto my bed.
"Yeah, we just saw Levi and Farlan leave." Sam deadpans.
"We're actually about to go and train." Isabel answers. Everyone looks at her then back at me. I shrug.
"Why? You guys just got back from Karanes." Sam questions.
"What type of soldier would I be if I didn't have much stamina?" I ask.
"Fair point." Reece comments shortly after.
"You guys can join if you want." I offer turning and placing the last of my clothing in their drawers.
"Maybe." Sam answers for all of them as they nod in agreement. I shrug.
"Alright, suit yourself." I say as I look down at my harness and begin readjusting them to a tighter fit.
"You should have those tight anyway." Hange scolds. I roll my eyes.
"It was a horse ride, they're barely comfortable on horseback." I retort.
"She's right though, Sunshine. Comfort shouldn't be your priority." Sam agrees with Hange.
"Give me a break, we're in these constantly." I try to reason.
"Sunshine-" He pushes.
"Sam, chill." I chuckle. "I'll be okay." I reassure as I look at him.
"If you insist." He sighs in defeat.
"Ha! I win." I laugh."
"Just this once." He says.
"Oi, are you guys nearly ready?" Levi walks in geared up with Farlan following closet behind.
"Are you guys glued together or something?" Sam asks.
"Sam." I glare at him.
"What? It's an observation." He explains shortly.
"I'll observe your headstone when I put you six feet under." I threaten. I chuckle afterwards to ensure I'm joking.
"Yeah yeah." He laughs. Everyone just looks at us in immense confusion as our friendly banter continued.
"Alright we'll head outside now." I declare as I pace towards the doorway. "Either I'll see you guys later or outside."
"For sure." Reece says winking at me resulting in me giggling.
"Come on guys." I say to Farlan, Isabel and Levi.
"Show me what you've got."
***
Next chapter will be straight to the fight after training, then a little about the shadowing. After that, it's the expedition. So from next chapter onwards, the story will be a bit more fast paced.
Brace yourselves for some gore, some nail biting and some angst.
Cos shit is about to go down 😉
Aishiteru!
jazz<3