Written 11/24/20
The titan looked over the wall, peering down at the citizens below. (Y/N) felt as if it was looking at her. Her in particular. This titan didn't look like the normal titans she had killed so many of. This titan looked as if it were conscious of the situation and and only muscle and bone. No skin apparent to her. The titan broke eye contact and so did she. She looked down to look at the kids beside her. Their faces showed they were afraid, horrified, anxious and more. (Y/N) then looked to the outer gate. In a blink of an eye, it was destroyed and debris was sent flying all over Shiganshina, some large, some small. (Y/N) saw a few of the small rocks coming their way and she put herself in front of the children. The rocks scraped (Y/N)'s face and arms, drawing blood. She heard the cries of everyone around her. Some citizens were hopelessly crushed by the large stones. One big rock came flying and hit (Y/N)'s right arm, letting out a loud crack. Presumably breaking it. (That's probably not how things work but oh well.)
"Miss!" They all cried.
When the barrage of rocks halted, (Y/N) turned around to see if there really was a breach. Sure enough, a large hole was in place of what was the gate. Wind blew through the large hole, blowing dust and dirt all around. She saw one titan enter through the hole, then another, then another. Titans were invading Shiganshina.
Crap. The titans are inside! How many people will die? (Y/N) turned around and to her dismay, the kids were gone. She remembered Eren's house was near the gate where the breach was. She concluded him and Mikasa hurried to their house and Armin must have fled to the rescue boats.
But she did not have time to worry about those kids right now. Currently, many people have probably already been devoured. (Y/N) reckoned thousands would be consumed today. Well, at least she could minimize the numbers as much as she could.
Pulling out her ODM device, she jammed them into her blade stock, pulling out fresh sharp blades. She flung herself towards the breach. There were already about fifteen titans inside the wall, all looking for prey. She hurried to get to the titans faster. The wall would have the most titans and if they got further in, the garrison regiment should deal with it. She is a scout. Scouts go to the most dangerous areas. The steel hooks gripped the buildings tightly, then to be released. (Y/N) was in the air when she spotted a titan almost below her, reaching for one of the running citizens in the crowd. She used her gas to fall quicker and slice the titan's nape before it could eat anyone. As she flew through the ruined and already bloodstained streets of Shiganshina, she saw three figures right outside the hole.
What the... Are there people out there? Judging by their size... They look like children! She had to go see if she was correct.
She evaded titans as she was quickly approaching the three figures. They were all huddled together when a titan had emerged from a corner, reaching for one of them. She saw their terrified faces. She quickly sliced the nape, ignoring the pain that shot through her probably broken arm.
After she saved the three, she looked down to see their faces. Two were male and one was female, all three were extremely close in age. One of the males relatively short black hair, and he has green eyes. He was very tall and also had a noticeable nose which she felt she had seen before. He also had strange marks on his face that looked like scratches or something. The other male had short blond hair, muscular, broad shoulders, and had slitted eyes. The female had blond hair as well, but it was long and tied up in a weird ponytail and some of her hair draping over her face. Even though she was small, she looked very muscular.
"What are you three brats-Erm...Kids doing outside the walls? And at a time like this, too?" (Y/N) asked. They didn't answer. She sighed. "Well, I'll find out later. For now, let's get you to the boats."
She put her blades back in her storage so she would not accidentally stab one of them. She held the blond girl and tall male in her arms while the other boy held onto her shoulders. The boy around her shoulders thankfully did not death grip her neck. Using ODM (obviously) she flung over the wall and shot her wires into more towns buildings. She noticed many people were in the hands of titans. She could have been saving them. The gas came out even more as she hurried to get these kids to the boats and save the others once they were safe. Suddenly, the kid on her back started to squirm.
The captain tched. She landed on a building extremely close to the gate that led into Wall Rose. Many people were in the streets running towards it.
"What is it?" She asked.
"I have... um... I have a family nearby! Please let me go to them!" The boy requested. "They still need help!"
"Wha? Bu-" Suddenly (Y/N) was tightly grabbed by a titan. It broke a rib or two and was extremely painful. The children gasped. Y/n clicked her tongue in annoyance and sliced the fingers off. Slicing the nape, she wiped her brow. "Fine. Make it quick and make it to the boats." She took the girl and tall boy and hurried to the boats as quick as she could. There were already hundreds crowded around the boats. One was already at its full capacity and was about to depart. She hurried to the front. Being a soldier with children, they allowed her and the kids on. Once they found a spot, the kids sat down. (Y/N) kneeled in front of the kids.
Y/n stared at them. I'm not really good with kids... "Um... I'm (Y/N). What are your names?" She asked with a blank face. However, inside, she was in immense pain.
They looked up at her with curious eyes. The tall male cleared his throat.
"I'm Bertholdt Hoover."
"Annie Leonhart." The girl introduced quite apathetically.
"Nice to meet you. I'm going to go help your friend. I'll be right back." She informed them.
"I wouldn't mind if he died." Annie whispered.
She stood up but before she could jump off, she heard thumping. What is it now? She wondered. The thumping was getting closer and quicker. She pulled out her blades for any threat that was coming. She looked to the gate. Suddenly, it let out a loud crash. Much like the outer gate of Shiganshina, large and small rocks were flung everywhere as well as dust. The gate had been broken as well, and the culprit was another titan that had things like armor around many parts of its body. It also had...hair. Hair similar to... the boy she let go of? A coincidence probably. (Y/N) looked up and... Oh my...Soldiers were sent flying from the next breach. All were garrison soldiers. The titan opened its mouth and let out steam. It suddenly ran through the breach and away from (Y/N)'s eye. She immediately chased it. Crap! It's no longer just Shiganshina that is in danger... All of the land within Wall Maria is no longer safe! Humanity will be brought to live within Wall Rose. But there won't be enough space... When she got on top of the wall and looked around Shiganshina, she realized it was gone. She growled in frustration. Then she remembered the other male, Eren, and Mikasa. She told the other male she would come back so she kept her promise and went to look for him first. She swept each street and finally saw him running to the breach. A titan was chasing after him and humans most of the time can't outrun titans, let alone a child. She swooped in and grabbed him just as the titan swung his hand to grab the kid. He looked at you with surprise. He also had something in his eyes that said he had witnessed something like that before. Someone saved him, but maybe last time, it ended a bit differently?
"Don't worry! I'm taking you to the boat with your friends!" She assured him. She noticed his face. He had the same marks that Bertholdt had earlier. She decided to think about it later.
She got to the boat, evading titans left and right. She saw the boat had departed. Y/n tried to catch it. She flung herself into the air, planning to land on it. However, pain suddenly shot from her chest, where she broke a few ribs. She grunted and fell on top of the boat, probably breaking another. She gasped in pain. The boy she was carrying got a couple scrapes from the fall. She grunted as she painfully stood up to find Bertholdt and Annie. She saw them thankfully in the same spot. She rushed over to them along with the boy.
The tall boy saw them coming. "Reiner! (Y-Y/N)..." His face went red when he said and saw (Y/N).
Reiner practically dropped when he was with his friends. (Y/N) collapsed both from fatigue and pain. The kids surrounded her.
Annie analyzed the damage while Reiner tried to keep the girl awake. Reiner poked her all around. Bertholdt was asking those around them if they had any medical supplies.
"She has a few broken ribs and her right arm is broken." She concluded.
Bertholdt came back empty handed unless you count more kids coming to see. (Y/N) opened and eye to see who it was. It was Eren, Mikasa, and Armin. They dropped beside (Y/N). They were extremely noisy compared to the rest of the boat, which was completely silent. Horror and fear emanated from the other refugees.
"You guys are too noisy...You...Little brats." She murmured. Then she blacked out.
I hope she'll wake up soon...
Yeah! I have lots of questions to ask her!
You aren't asking her a single question until she's well again, four-eyes.
Mm.
Thank you, Levi.
Aw, is Erwin, Mike, and Levi all worried over little (Y/N), here?! How exciting!
Shut up, Sh***ty glasses.
How mean Levi! Such a dirty mouth! You know (Y/N) doesn't like it when you do that!
She's technically not here to hear it.
(Y/N) peeped an eye open to see if it really was them. It was, and it looked like it was the late afternoon, judging by the orangish rays shining in her eyes. Levi thankfully closed the curtain as if noticing it shining in her eyes. "Why is everyone so noisy..." She murmured, now opening both eyes. This grabbed the attention of those in the room. Levi was the first to her side. Then Erwin, then Miche, and Hanji was standing in the room inwardly squealing.
"(Y/N)! How are-" Levi was interrupted.
"(Y/N), it's nice to see you awake." Erwin interrupted with a kind smile on his face. Levi shot him a glare. "I'm glad to see you're okay, how are you feeling?" He continued.
"Fine..." She said. "So... How did I end up here?" She asked.
"Well..."
Flashback and explanation
Levi was leaning against the wall of the stables, tending to (Y/N) and his horse. Trost was pretty uneventful to him. (Y/N)'s horse sneezed on him.
"Tch. You little-"
Suddenly, Miche came crashing in, out of breath. His face looked worried which was quite a sight for the ravenette. The shorter male wondered what could have gotten him so nervous.
"Levi. It's (Y/N)." He huffed.
Levi's eyes widened as he dropped the bucket he was holding. Miche ran outside with Levi at his heels. Don't you dare die, (Y/N). You're the only one I have left. If you do... I'll go up there and drag you back down to earth.
They came to the place where the boats holding the refugees were. There was a crowd surrounding something and shouting. Levi saw Erwin and Hanji already there, crouching down beside something. There were also six brats watching the scene. Who are these brats? No, deal with them later.
"(Y/N)!" He shouted. He shoved past the people. He froze for a second when he saw his sister's condition. Y/n's eyes were shut closed with a pained expression. Her shirt around her chest was bloody along with her face and arm. Her face had scratches everywhere and her arm was bent in an unusual way. He fell to his knees. What happened to you, (Y/N)? You left me your horse in Shiganshina and now... Levi placed his hand on her head.
"Levi!" Erwin exclaimed. "Here, help us get (Y/N) on this stretcher." He was about to reach for (Y/N) along with Miche and Hanji, but Levi slapped all of their hands away.
He crouched down and picked up (Y/N) bridal style. Blood quickly soaked Levi's sleeves. The spectators quickly made way for Levi. He rushed to the nearest clinic with Hanji, Mike, and Erwin close behind. Some blood dripped on the streets which encouraged Levi to run even faster. Citizens in the streets looked at the strange scene. A short boy carrying a bleeding girl with another tall glasses girl and two tall males close behind. Not something you see everyday.
They finally found a clinic and (Y/N) was immediately taken in. The four were left outside to wait. Levi was seriously on edge and had his elbows, head in his hands. Erwin just stared into nothing and Mike stared at the ground. Even Hanji shut up for the time being.
"What happened?" Levi asked.
A moment of silence passed until Erwin sat up. "Wall Maria was breached through Shiganshina. Titans flooded into the district. I presume (Y/N) stayed behind in Shiganshina and that's why you had two horses. She saved those six kids from earlier and probably countless others. But, it seems like she broke a few ribs and her right arm."
"Erwin...How do you know this?" Hanji asked.
"Those children." He replied.
The door opened and the doctor let the four in. (Y/N) was still sleeping or unconscious so they all decided to wait until she woke.
End of Flashback and Explanation
Ah. So Levi still doesn't trust them. (Y/N) thought. I have got to get outta here. Those brats should be checked on. She swung her legs off the bed. This grabbed the attention of the other four. She sat up, only to be pushed back down by Levi.
"Do not." He ordered. He had had a scary look on his face.
She swatted his hand away and tried again. To her surprise, Miche pushed her down but slightly softer than Levi had done. He shook his head.
"You broke four ribs and your arm." Erwin informed her once again. She looked into his deep blue eyes. "Please just rest for awhile."
(Y/N) huffed. She had to come up with an escape plan. She sat back down on the bed.
"Eh? Are you tired, (Y/N)? Would you like to sleep? Do you want us to leave? What do you want to do? Huh? Huh? Huh? Hu-"
"Hanji." Levi called out, indicating for her to stop.
"We'll be leaving now, (Y/N). We'll be here in the morning though." Erwin smiled.
(Y/N) nodded.
Everyone stood up and made their way to the door. Erwin gave (Y/N) a smile, Miche gave her a nod, Hanji smiled creepily, and Levi gave a small wave. The door closed and (Y/N) heard their footsteps fade away. She took a peek out the window to confirm they were gone. The outside, now lacked sunlight but illuminated by torches. She grabbed her ODM gear which was laying on the ground. It seems Levi and the others had refilled her gas and replenished her blades. She inwardly thanked them.
The kids should have been evacuated to a nearby storehouse or something in Trost. I'll make my way over there and be back before the morning. Don't wanna face those guys' wrath. She ran so she wouldn't use gas.
She spotted a person. They were probably walking back from work or something.
"Excuse me, do you know where the refugees from the Shiganshina district are being housed?"
They pointed her to the direction of the storehouse. She ran and very soon she was in front of the big warehouse. Inside, there were hundreds of people instead of crates of supplies. The stench of hundreds of dirty bodies clumped together reached Y/n's nose. All of the people were laying down and sleeping. Among the hundreds in the room, she looked for any of the kids. After a few minutes, she found Annie, Bertholdt, and Reiner. They were sleeping so she decided she would wait for the morning to talk to them. She also found Mikasa and Armin but where was Eren?
The-The little brat didn't die, did he? She nervously wondered. Her search became 0.01% more frantic than before. Something caught her eye. She noticed another room. The room was empty and she saw three figures who she happened to know. It was Grisha, Shadis, and Eren. Eren was laying unconscious or sleeping with Grisha kneeling, holding his head up. She rushed over to the three and kneeled beside Grisha. I wonder why Shadis is here.
"Eren. Eren. Wake up." Grisha softly spoke.
Eren slowly opened his eyes. He blinked a few times and observed his surroundings. "Huh? Father? Miss?"
Y/n gave him a small wave.
Oh? He knows (Y/N)? Grisha wondered. "Eren, where is your mother?"
Eren paused for a moment to think. Suddenly, he inhaled sharply. "She...She died! She was eaten by a titan... It was my fault! I wasn't strong enough!"
Shadis fell to his knees. (Y/N) tched. People are dying left and right thanks to the wall falling. Good people.
Grisha stood up. He took Eren's hand and made his way to an exit. Shadis and (Y/N) followed him.
"Where are you going, Mr. Jaeger?" (Y/N) asked.
"Don't follow us." Grisha replied. He looked down at his son. "Eren. You must avenge your mother. I know you can do it."
"Wait, Grisha. Why don't you do it yourself? What if that child is not special? Are you going to curse another human being?" Shadis asked.
Grisha glared at the two. "This is my son. He is different." He gave (Y/N) a sad smile. "Take care of Eren." He then led his confused son into the forest. The two disappeared from view, covered by the trees. The two bystanders were left alone.
"What is he planning to do?" Shadis wondered aloud.
(Y/N) sat down on the cold grass. "Well, they'll be coming back sometime so we'll wait."
About an hour passed and (Y/N) was getting bored. Shadis had been standing completely still the whole hour. She was about to go back into the warehouse when a bright flash came down. It was like a lightning strike but there were no clouds in sight. She instantly stood up and tried to see what happened.
"What was that?" She asked. "That was like what happened during the breach!"
Shadis already began to run towards where the light appeared. (Y/N) quickly closed the gap. She was soon very far ahead of him. She looked back at him, slightly annoyed at how slow he was going.
"Not getting enough exercise at the training grounds? Maybe you should stop riding the horse while the cadets run! You could use it!" She sneered.
Shadis' face almost amounted to Levi. "What was that, you maggot?" Shadis instantly picked up the pace and was close behind (Y/N). The scout was now running for her life. At least their pace was quicker now.
They finally came near the place where they saw the lightning strike. Steam was everywhere. Some blood was splattered among the trees and grass. Eren was sitting up, holding Grisha's circle glasses. It seemed Eren didn't even notice the two standing there.
"D-Dad?" Eren stuttered. He then started freaking out and screaming. Shadis covered his ears. (Y/N) looked around, looking for the boy's father. Eren then fell down on the ground. (Y/N) rushed to him.
"He has something on his neck. It wasn't there before. It's a key tied to a necklace. He also had strange markings on his face. They look like scratches. I saw them on two other kids before, too. A disease, perhaps?" (Y/N) asked. Shadis shrugged. She then picked Eren up with some effort because of her broken arm and began to walk back to the storehouse. "We're done here, I guess." Shadis nodded and followed her. I dont think we'll be seeing Mr. Jaeger again.
They made it back the warehouse safely. It took longer since (Y/N) had to make sure not to trip over anything and drop Eren. Shadis was absolutely no help in guiding her. He was in the back, smirking to himself, laughing at her stumble when her foot got caught.
She found the spot where Armin and Mikasa were sleeping and she laid him down next to them. She stood up and felt Shadis behind her.
"Don't speak of this to anyone please." He requested. She didn't know why this would be important so she nodded and shrugged. (Y/N) yawned. She then felt Shadis' hand on her head and he forcefully pushed her to the ground. "Sleep. You maggot." She scoffed and rolled her eyes. However, she did as she was told. The sounds surrounding her were Shadis' footsteps fading away and the breathing of others. The sounds lulled her to sleep.
The girl woke up and she stood up. Fresh air was needed. Walking outside, she sat against a tree where she was alone with nothing but her thoughts. Despite all that I did... How many people in Shiganshina died? I...I thought I was skilled, but I saved some kids and carelessly got injured... Though no tears came out, she could feel her own despair eating her. So much so that she did not even see that Reiner, Annie, and Bertholdt were standing before her. They sat beside her without her noticing. She did not see them because she had her head in her arms. Imagine how startled she was when the three wrapped their arms around her (Yes, even Annie).
"What's wrong, Y/n?" Bertholdt asked.
Y/n sighed in frustration.
"Forget your pride and stop trying to protect us right now. Tell us what's wrong." Annie said extremely bluntly.
"You can tell us anything, Y/n" Reiner assured.
A moment of silence passed while Y/n weighed her options. "I couldn't do it."
The three looked at her. "Eh?"
"I couldn't save practically anyone. I'm supposed to be Humanity's Strongest soldier. What good is a soldier who can't do their duty?"
So that's what it is. The younger children realized. The three felt waves of guilt sweeping over them.
"It's okay, Y/n" Bertholdt said.
"He's right, Y/n." This time it was Annie. "Death was inevitable. No matter how much one tries, in that kind of situation, no one could save everyone, not even you."
"A-Annie..." Reiner muttered.
"Even so!" She started again. "You did your best and I know for sure that the three of us would not be here if not for you. We plan to repay that debt..."
Extra
Levi, Miche, Hanji, and Erwin thought they would check up on (Y/N). The reason they were going at night was unknown. Mostly Hanji wanted to check up on her and the other three definitely had no objections. Approaching the door to her room, Erwin reached for the handle and opened it. The three walked in, looking for their favorite patient. However, she was nowhere in sight.
Miche sniffed around, searching for her scent. The three looked to him as he shook his head. Erwin then spotted the window in the corner of the room. It was hard to see from the entrance. He walked over to inspect it. The other three heard a sigh.
"What's wrong, Erwin?" Hanji asked.
Levi decided to see what was wrong.
Hanji and Miche made their way too.
Levi had a death face on. "I'm going to kill my little brat."
Hanji gasped. "Ah! Wait, Levi!"
Erwin turned to Miche. "Can you smell her anywhere near here?" Miche sniffed again. He shook his head again. Erwin suddenly had a look hat seemed he had figured it out.
"What is it?" Levi asked.
"She was somewhat attached to those young refugees from Shiganshina, was she not?"
It then dawned on the others. The four rushed outside and tried to find the warehouse. Will Y/n survive to the next day? Or will Levi beat the crap out of her?