The room was stuffy and the air was damp. The only sound made was the muted sound of water hitting the ground. Armin was seated at the table a little awkward and very much tense. Erwin stared at his lap his eyebrows tightly knitted together. Y/N groaned slouching in her chair. This was indeed an interrogation of a random girl between two supposedly dead people and the people who thought they were dead. Even the two undead thought they were dead. Her eye wandered slowly around the room the other eye stayed covered under its patch.
"Any of you gonna ask me anything. You know something like 'How was your day?' or 'How was the weather?'" She sneered at them locking eyes with the one who brought her there. The short man with a superiority complex and that smelled like he was doused in cleaning supplies.
"I don't entertain sarcasm in matters like these." He took his seat across from her and rested his head on his hand. His shirt was tousled and although he seemed to have recovered from the shock his eyes betrayed his intentions. She scoffed. "Yeah, and it wasn't my intention to become your personal jest. Honestly, what are you? A homeroom teacher?" Levi cocked his head to the side. Never in his life has he heard about such a thing as a 'homeroom teacher' so naturally, he debated with himself if it was an intended compliment or insult. Eren took a step forward looking at Armin and Erwin then back to Y/N.
"Explain how two people who were, in fact dead, still here. How two people who were severely wounded, shrivelled to bits, burned, sliced and diced are here sitting? Unwounded, unharmed, and in fact breathing." He coiled his hands into fists unable to accept that fact they were alive. The dead were dead. His mother was dead, he thought his best friend was dead, and he thought he lost a mentor. "Are there more undead?" Hanji shifted uncomfortably in her seat. They were, in fact, real and it was in fact them. It was no copy or replica. It was the original they treasured so much. "No, sorry but, things like this work with strictly fresh bodies. These were the only two bodies found within a span of 24 hours. Other times I got there things were already rotting off the corpses. Completely disgusting and unappetizing." Y/N shuddered and noticeably cringed. But, they were still food so she ate whatever was left. However, she didn't find the need to explain how she ate some cadets for an entreé and maybe for a little dessert. "So eye patch, just how long have you been here?" Levi crossed his legs. "Few weeks. Didn't wake up till some giant ass thing cracked the glass on the tube." Armin looked straight at her. "What do you mean a few weeks? What do you mean tube?" His voice was strangled and he was sweating profusely. Something about her made him uneasy. Hanji looked down nervously. "Hanji, care to explain? It's not like we haven't met before." Y/N gave them all a look that indicated 'test me'. Erwin turned to Hanji. "Explain." She took a deep breath.
"She isn't actually from this time. She isn't even human. I don't know what she is. When I was younger I explored and dabbled a little bit in this underground passageway by our house. I never broke the glass but, I'd sit and watch her sleep. She never aged and she never moved. I didn't know what to think." Hanji faced the wall in some way she felt guilty. She should've let her go a long time ago. Levi crossed his arms and a sneer spread across his face. "You, eye patch, explain also." Y/N sighed. "Basically I've seen a time with no Titans. Where streets were paved in buildings and the sky covered in smoke. A time where technology went ahead of humans." "You mean you're from the past? You want us to believe that?" Erwin got up from his seat clutching the ends of the table. "I mean she sure doesn't dress for this period." Jean muttered. "Hey! I'll have you know I dressed amazingly for my time!" "Nobody cares." Levi took a seat closer and sat at the edge of the table his back facing towards her. "But, she's not the women." Y/N cocked up one brow. "Not the girl?" She repeated. Erwin nodded. "I swear when I saw her eyes-" Y/N leaned back in her chair and let out a hearty laugh. Levi turned his eyes towards her and so did the rest. "Why are you laughing?" "It's always the same." She sighed and smiled shaking her head in disbelief. "At least show a little respect for the one who saved you, Erwin Smith." Levi clicked his tongue and turned his head making eye contact from over his shoulder. "It's you who needs to show some respect. I don't care what you are and where you come from but, when you're at headquarters you address him as Captain Erwin." Y/N let out a descending whistle. "Uptight aren't we? Well, let me rephrase that. Captain Erwin, you sure know how to be an inconsiderate ass." Eren slammed his hands on the table. "That's more than enough coming from you!" Mikasa took a firm hand and clutched his shoulder tightly. Eren immediately held back. Y/N put her elbow on the table and rested her chin in the palm of her hand. "Honestly I've heard it all before Captain Erwin." She gave him a lazy look pursing her lips into a thin line. Erwin looked up his gaze focused on the wall behind her. "What do you mean?" He asked. Y/N sighed. "Really must I? Let me guess, the eye was disgusting." She looked at the ceiling. The building was starting to erode. The building was old. Erwin this time faced her. "Her face was revolting, her teeth were gruesome, she was a daughter of hell, she belonged in hell, someone like her deserves to die alone, to have the blood drained from her body, someone like her should suffer. She was a mistake. You should've burned her right when you saw her. Right, Hanji? You wish you set fire to that underground room." Y/N no longer faced the ceiling. This time it was her turn to slam her hands onto the table. "Now tell me Erwin which one was it? Was she revolting? Was she a monster? Did you wish someone like her was never created?!" Y/N looked down at the table breathing hard. She stood straight up her arms supporting herself with the table. Armin began to shed some tears. He covered his ears and rocked back and forth in his chair his breathing a little ragged. Levi stood still. Hanji stood still. Everyone did not seem to make contact with her piercing eyes. Especially the right. That one eye was pure black with a little tiny red dot in the centre. The crumpled eye patch was snugly tucked in her fist. Erwin was surprisingly the first to break the silence. "You really do hate her." Y/N took her seat again her emotions once again in check. She stretched and placed her arms behind her head closing her eyes."Please, there's no person that loathes her more than myself. Probably, would've killed her already." "I wouldn't kill her yet. She may be of some use." Y/N opened one eye. "Please tell me you aren't using her to play your silly battle games, Erwin." "What if I say yes?" Levi gave him a look. "Continue Erwin you intrigue me." He rolled his eyes.
"That's captain Erwin to you, Cadet."
"And that's Y/N L/N to you, Captain. Not a cadet but, ghoul."
+
"Okay, when I said I'll aid you I didn't mean I'd be playing errand boy Erwin." Y/N plopped the stack of papers on his desk collapsing into the seat next to his desk. "Overtime you've started getting increasingly lazy." His pen moved quickly across the paper but not as fast as his eyes which scanned each word and scrutinized every detail. "You've been working me like a dog Erwin! I'm a lady too! I'm tired!" Not once did he look up from his paper. "The way you ate through that Titan doesn't imply 'lady' to me. You had Levi gagging ." Y/N puffed out her cheeks and turned her head in protest. "He's inhaled all the cleaning supplies in the whole department, of course, he would be left gagging." Erwin shook his head. It's always been like this. There was never a dull moment with her. Her first expedition she left her manoeuvre gear on her horse and insisted on flying through the branches with her 'kagune'. Unreliable. The expedition after she entered a Titans' mouth and ripped right through its stomach. Idiocy. During training, she managed to pass by cutting clean through the intended targets but, not without breaking everything else. She was skilled and talented but, above all, she was the stupidest person he had ever met. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "You said you wanted company. I'm giving you company, so why do you insist on whining?" He finally looked up. Y/N groaned. "It's so boring at HQ~" There was no end to her griping. " What about Eren?" "Every day with that boy is just a screaming match between him and Jean." "Jean?" "It's just a screaming match between him and Eren." "Mikasa?" "I've been third wheeling all this week. I don't intend to third wheel today." "Armin?" "I hate books." "Hanji?" "Absolutely not! Last time she fed me sedatives!" "Bertholdt?" "Asshole." "Lev- Of course not." "Exactly! You are the only person I can tolerate today!" This time it was his turn to groan. "Why must it be me?" Y/N tugged on his arm in a kid like a manner. "Because I'm bored and everyone else is boring! Let's spar or maybe train? Or we can argue about expedition routes?" "Let's eat lunch." Y/N gave him a bewildered look. "You're kidding. I can't eat the food anyway!" "You asked for it." Y/N sighed again. "Fine. I'll make do with some coffee." She shrugged her shoulders and threw her hands up lazily. "Who knew you were such a sadist." She mumbled. "I heard that."
+
"Ya know Erwin? Life has been pretty fun with everyone around." The roof was dimly lit by the moon. It took its full form tonight its resemblance to close to the sun. Except it only left them with a feeling of tranquillity. Something the sun promised but, failed to do. They were a comfortable distance apart but, he still felt her warmth on the left side of his body. "It's not exactly what I call 'fun' but, it is less lonely." Y/N smiled. "Aww look at you getting all shy~" He laughed. "You really are shameless." "That's what everyone says!" She looked back up at the moon this time tracing the patterns hidden in the stars. Erwin decided to take this time to ask her about the life she lived way before any of them were in it. "What was it like?" He looked straight at her expecting a glance back but, her eyes were still trained on the sky above. The only thing he saw was the side of her face, illuminated by the light, made her look like paper and her eyes, mouth, and nose were sketched by a pen. Y/N smiled. "It wasn't like this but, for me, it was enough of a hell." He kept his eyes on her this time turning his whole body. She continued.
"It was always running. It was always lonely. You meet people and you never realize happiness exists until you've met everyone. There was a boy with white hair and a white heart. He was really young and I remembered I felt bad for him. He was so much fun to have around and he was super helpful. He sadly forgot and one day I was his enemy and sadly I no longer felt bad for him anymore and only felt bad for myself, there was a young girl who lost everything but, gave anything, the young waitress who was more of a friend than I was to her, an old man who bossed me around but fed me every day, the old mans right-hand man who never expressed himself but, saw through others, four eyes who was nothing but a pest, the freak who was the most perverted person you would meet, and last but not least the mask maker who was probably even stupider than I was. Yeah, he was really stupid. He hurt a lot of people and I got angry at him real quickly but, I forgave him even quicker. Yet, he left me the quickest and he gave me everything I could've asked for except for himself. That was my family." Erwin still looked at her. She turned slightly and looked at him from the corners of her eyes. She exhaled. "I'll tell you what happened, calm down your eyes are gonna pop outta your head. The boy joined a team of hunters, the little girl grew up to be fine young women, the waitress married the boy. They all died in a raid one day. I never saw the boy after he left the cafe I worked at. The two girls were my best friends. The old man, his right-hand man, and four eyes went down with the cafe. The pervert was out numbered and the mask maker, well, I'm the living proof of the sacrifice he made that day. He died also." Erwin turned to face the moon again. This time it was Y/N who was staring him down. "That's the applause I get for that long story?!" He stayed in the same position. "Remember the day you first came? Do you still wish to kill that girl you despised of so much?" Y/N grunted sticking out the edge of her tongue in deep thinking. "Some days I do, some days I don't? You know that one time where I spilt coffee on some papers and Levi being the pompous bastard he is made me clean it up? Yeah, that was an instance-" "I'll stop you there. I hope you never decide to kill that girl." Y/N scrunched up her face.
"Deal?"
"Deal." They both now were facing the moon. Both with the complexion of paper and both with the expression made by an artist with a pen and no intent.
+
Erwin jumped on the horse. Levi began to direct his squad towards their escape route.
"Y/N, this is a bit much. You seem to be having a harder time with this Titan than any of the other one's I've seen! I think you should retreat with us!" He put a hand on her shoulder pleading for her to come back with him. She shook her head furiously. "No, can do Erwin! You know that thing will follow if everyone retreats." He looked at her dead in the eye. "I told you before I do not wish for you to kill that girl." Y/N gave him a cheeky smile and pressed her fist firmly into her chest saluting the man. "You really get angry with me quickly, you forgive me the quickest. However today- Go boy go!" She patted the horses' side forcing them both to leave. Erwin pulled the reigns of his horse and hastily turned back. Levi stopped him. "You trust her right?" Erwin nodded with slight hesitation. She was trustworthy but, today was not the day for her unreliable antics. "Then, do what she told you to do." He took one glance ahead and back to the trail. He and Levi reunited with Levi's squad each taking one glance back.
"Today, you need to be quickest to leave." Y/N ran up the first tree and jumped.
+
They all stood lined up in an uneasy silence. Their postures were rigid as they fixed their eyes on the fog. Erwin stood in the middle looking below to see if the fog contained a shadow of the women they left behind. The sound of a horse stampeding broke their concentration. Levi and Eren jumped down the gate the sound of their gear unwinding. Levi smirked fully expecting Y/N's smug face. "Came back to take all the credit I see-" Levi stopped. There was no girl on the horse. He looked back up at everyone's gaze and swallowed hard. Eren made no effort to respond to Erwin. "Levi! Is the Cadet unharmed? Eren?!" The silence was deafening. It cut through all of them. Eren shook his head his eyes trained on the ground. Erwin's face fell his expression shadowed from everyone else. Levi and Eren made a quick return ignoring the faces of those who were waiting to question them. They faced the fog once again. "Erwin if we-" "Back to headquarters." Levi looked up. "Erwin-" "Back to HQ." Levi bit his tongue and nodded placing a hand on Eren's back returning a look that silenced him. Hanji removed her goggles and wiped her eyes aggressively. With grim faces, they issued a roll call. Erwin slowly called out the names as he internally dreaded to call one in particular. "Cadet Y/N L/N?" The silence gutted his stomach. He looked down and nodded motioning Bertholdt to close the gate with Reiner. They both nodded both a little hesitant to pull the handles. Everyone watched painfully as the gate closed shut. Erwin faced the side avoiding the saddened expressions on each cadet and the taunting gaze of the empty fog.
"Damnit!"
Everyone ran towards the edge versus Erwin who was about ready to jump down when he heard that oh so, familiar voice. Their gazes turned upwards when a body jumped above them landing clumsily behind them. A red tail still remained glossy in the dull weather. The back of her, a perfect picture of the nine tailed fox they only heard in legends however, that tail was no gift or sign of a divinity. It had the appearance of tentacles but, felt like a blade against the skin. "I would've worn my gear if I'd known you would close the gate." Y/N mumbled. Erwin was the first to meet her eyes. "Erwin!"
"Ye-Yes?" He stumbled over his words as he bent down to help her to her feet.
"I intend never to kill that girl either!" A smile broke onto his face.