In the year 845, the people behind Wall Maria were overtaken by a group of Titans that included the Colossal Titan and the Armored Titan. This devastating incident would leave Wall Rose and Wall Sina in danger. And could ultimately bring all mankind to their knees.

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It was late in the afternoon when there came a knock at our door along with an unexpected guest. I was playing with my doll on the floor while Dad, Mom, and Eric sat at the table talking. At the sound of someone at the door, Dad got up from his chair and opened the door, revealing a tall man with blonde hair and icy blue eyes.

Dad immediately stood up straight and pulled his arms up in a salute, "Commander Erwin."

From the floor, I watched Mom stand up and salute as well. It was clear to me that this man was very important.

Commander Erwin acknowledged both Dad and Mom and nodded his head, "Good afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Cooper. I'm sorry to bother you but may I come in?"

Dad moved aside and said to him, "Yes, of course."

Mom looked over at the man and kindly said, "Please have a seat, Commander Erwin, and I'll get you some tea."

As Mom went to go make some tea, I watched the man closely as he took a seat at the table beside Eric.

As if knowing the man all his life, Eric struck up a friendly conversation immediately. "How are things going at the Scout Regiment, Commander?" He asked.

Commander Erwin looked at Eric and answered, "I actually came to talk to your parents about that."

Dad took a seat across from Commander Erwin and asked, "What do you mean, Sir?"

By now, Mom had come over with a cup of tea and set it in front of Commander Erwin. She then took a seat beside Dad and waited for an answer.

Commander Erwin looked at Mom and then over to Dad, "I know the both of you resigned from the Scout Regiment to raise your family." He took a moment to look at me and Eric and then continued, "But we could use your assistance right now. Recently the Shiganshina District within Wall Maria was attacked by Titans."

Mom let out a gasp and asked frantically, "How is that even possible?"

Commander Erwin looked at her and answered, "Two new Titans, the Colossal and Armored broke through the Wall and the rest flooded in. Hundreds of lives were lost and districts within Wall Rose are swarming with refugees."

I sat there quietly and watched Mom lower her head as tears filled her eyes. At the age of ten, I was still unsure about what was going on. I slowly crawled over to the chair Eric was sitting in and gently pulled at his shirt. When I didn't get a reaction, I looked up at him and saw his eyes were wide and his face had turned white. I swallowed the lump in my throat and settled back down on the floor with my doll clutched tightly in my arms. What was going on?

Dad cleared his throat, "What do you need us to do, Sir?"

Commander Erwin turned his full attention to Dad and said, "I need the both of you to come back to the Regiment and help drive the Titans back. Thomas, the skills you and Katherine both have could do us all some good. I'm not asking you to decide right away but do consider it."

A silence fell over the table, before Dad let out a sigh and nodded his head, "We understand, Sir."

Commander Erwin watched Mom carefully as if waiting for a response.

Regaining her composure, Mom sat up straight and said to Commander Erwin, "We would be honored to fight alongside the Scouts once more."

A look of relief seemed to spread across the Commander's face and he said, "Thank you."

After an hour or so, Commander Erwin decided it was time for him to leave. He looked at my parents once more and said, "Come by tomorrow morning and we'll go over the plans. Captain Levi will be more than pleased to see you two back in action."

Mom stifled a laugh, "You think? It's always hard to tell with him."

Commander Erwin laid a hand on Mom's shoulder and simply said, "I know. Well I'll take my leave now. I'll see you and Thomas tomorrow."

Before he head out the door, both Dad, Mom, and even Eric gave the traditional salute. He smiled once at my brother and walked out the door.

As soon as he was gone, I quietly said, "You're going to leave us."

Everyone turned around to see me sitting on the floor holding my legs to my chest with tears forming in my eyes.

Mom walked over and knelt down beside me. She took my hands in hers and said, "No, sweetheart, we're not going to lea-"

I interrupted her and shouted, "Yes you are!"

Dad then made his way over and knelt down beside Mom. He cupped my face in his hands and wiped the tears from my eyes with his thumb. He looked at me and softly said, "Kaira, your mother and I will never leave you."

When I just nodded my head back in response, Mom spoke up and asked, "Do you remember when I told you about the things beyond the wall?"

My eyes immediately lit up after hearing her words. I turned towards Mom and waited for her to go on.

She smiled at me and my face, "Of course you do."

Mom and Dad would always venture out beyond the Wall when they were part of the Scouts. Almost everyday after returning back home, they would tell Eric and I about everything they've seen. They told us about huge bodies of water, trees that grew taller than the Wall, and beautiful creatures that were untouched by the Titans. Since hearing about it, I've always been fascinated and dreamed that one day I would see it myself. It was a promise I had made to myself. And it was one promise that I was going to keep.

That night, Mom sang her special song in hopes it would help me sleep. I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep and instead listened to Mom and Dad talk quietly amongst themselves. Eric was already fast asleep.

"Thomas, do you think the children will be okay?" Mom asked softly.

Dad let out a sigh and answered, "We have to believe they will be."

"But what if something were to happen to us? What would happen to them?"

I could tell by the tone in Mom's voice that she was holding back tears. I hugged my doll tightly.

"Katherine, we both know that if something were to happen, Eric would take care of Kaira," Dad said reassuringly. "He's eighteen years old, he's more than capable."

I felt Mom run her fingers through my hair, "I suppose you're right. After all, we're doing this to make the world a better place for them."

The bed creaked as Mom leaned over and kissed my forehead, "I love you, my sweet little girl. Please remember that."

As Dad and Mom headed off to bed, I let the tears flow from my eyes.

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When morning came, Dad and Mom were already wearing their Scout uniforms. Mom had breakfast made and Eric was digging in.

I sat down beside Eric and grabbed an apple from the bowl in the middle of the table. I took a small bite, chewed slowly, and swallowed. This pattern repeated until I reached the core.

Eric looked over at me and said, "You're awfully quiet this morning."

Washing dishes at the sink, Mom looked over her shoulder at Eric and said, "Leave your sister be, Eric. Just finish your breakfast."

She turned from Eric and looked at me. A look of worry spread across her face and she asked, "Kaira, are you feeling all right?"

I was taken back by her sudden question but I figured my face had gone pale, because I stayed up crying softly the night before. I forced a small smile and said to her, "I'm fine."

She nodded her head at me and went back to washing the dishes.

The time seemed to slow down but before I knew it, Mom and Dad were getting ready to leave.

Dad patted Eric on the shoulder and said, "You be good, you hear? You look after your sister until we get back." He hugged him tightly, "I love you, son."

I watched silently as Dad hugged Eric and for some reason I began to get a terrible feeling down in the pit of my stomach. I pushed the thought out of my mind as Dad knelt down in front of me.

He looked at me and smiled, "Kai, you're going to be good and listen to your brother, right?" Without waiting for my answer, he pulled me into a hug and said, "I know you will. I love you so much." He pulled back and kissed me on the cheek.

Mom finished saying her goodbyes to Eric and knelt down in front of me. She embraced me and softly said, "My sweet little girl. I'll come back to you, so wait for me. I love you, Kaira."

Hearing her words brought tears to my eyes. She began to pull away but I clung to her jacket and cried out, "Please don't leave! I don't want you to go, Mommy!"

Mom held me tighter and the back of my head, "Sweetheart, I need you to be brave. Can you do that? Just remember what I told you. I will come back and we'll see what's beyond the Wall together."

The tears kept flowing from my eyes, even as I was being pulled away from Mom by Eric. I struggled to get away from him and reached out for Mom, "Don't go, Mommy!"

Tears filled Mom's eyes as she rushed in and placed one single kiss on my forehead, "I love you, Kaira."

As Mom joined Dad by the opened door, he looked at us and said, "We're doing this for you. We love the both of you more than anything. Remember that."

With that being said, the door slammed shut behind them and I cried out helplessly, "Nooo! Come back!"

Eric held me in his arms rocking me back and forth as I cried, "Shhh, it's all right. It's all right now, Kaira."

I spent an hour or so crying in my brother's arms, before finally falling asleep.

When I awoke, I had almost forgotten the whole incident but it all came to mind when I didn't see Mom nor Dad in the house. I sat up in bed and saw Eric sitting quietly at the table.

Hearing the creak of the bed, he looked over at me and asked, "Are you okay, Kai?"

I nodded my head at him and said nothing.

He smiled at me, "Good." He got up from the table and sat down next to me on the bed. He put his arm around me and said, "How about we go to the market and get us something for dinner. Would you like that?"

Without saying a word, I just nodded my head again.

Eric squeezed me into a side hug and said, "Okay, let's go."

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Walking down the street toward the market, Eric held onto my hand. He looked down at me with a smile and asked, "Is there anything you want to eat?"

Ignoring his question, I squeezed his hand tightly and quietly asked, "Are you going to join the Scouts?"

Clearly taken back by my question, he looked at me a little confused. Ignoring my question, he asked his own, "Why do you ask?"

I shrugged my shoulders and simply answered, "I don't know. It's just that you were acting all friendly with that man that stopped by yesterday. And why wouldn't you join? Both Dad and Mom were part of it."

Eric stopped walking for a moment, "Kai, you're smarter than you look. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

We continued walking and I decided to push for a straight answer, "So are you?"

He nodded his head and said to me, "Yes, I'm thinking about it. But I'll have to become a cadet first."

A silence fell between the two of us, before I spoke up and softly said, "So you're leaving me too."

Eric immediately stopped and knelt down in front of me. He put his hands on my shoulders and looked me in the eyes, "Kaira, I'm not going to leave you. Dad and Mom aren't going to leave you either. You need to trust in the ones that love you."

Believing his words, I hugged him and said, "I'm sorry."

We pulled away and Eric ruffled my hair, "Come on, let's go before it gets dark."

We reached the market and saw tons of people waiting in line for food. Some of these people were wounded and just looked outright defeated.

I tugged on Eric's shirt and asked him, "Who are these people?"

Eric looked down at me and answered, "I think they're the refugees Commander Erwin told us about."

I looked back at the crowd of people and saw two men throwing punches at each other. I hid behind Eric, because this was all new to me.

Eric reached behind and patted me on the arm. He smiled at me and said, "It's okay. I'm not going to let them hurt you."

Eric and I stopped at a stand and bought some salmon and some potatoes. We decided to head home afterwards and get away from all the commotion.

On the way home, Eric stopped me and said seriously, "Kaira, I want you to be careful around those refugees. They've been through a terrible ordeal and are in an unfamiliar place. So just be careful if you go out on your own."

I nodded my head at him and we continued on our way home.

Back at the house, Eric cooked up the salmon and potatoes.

I sat at the table quietly and waited patiently. I looked around and the house felt empty without Dad and Mom. I looked toward Eric and asked, "Eric, when do you think Mom and Dad will be back home?"

Eric brought over two plates of food and set them on the table. He sat down across from me and answered, "I'm not sure. But I don't think they'll be gone for long."

I thought about his words for a moment and then said, "I hope you're right."

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A week had gone by since the day Dad and Mom left with the Scouts. I worried every single day but Eric told me that fighting off Titans takes time. I trusted in his words but before we knew it, six months had gone by and there was still no sign of our parents. Eric was now a cadet and my hope of my parents returning was fading.

I sat on my bed as Eric got ready to go off for training, "They're not coming back, are they?"

Eric looked at me and quietly said, "I don't know."

Just then there was a knock at our door, Eric walked over and opened it to reveal Erwin and another man standing there.

Eric immediately brought his arms up in the traditional salute and said, "Commander Erwin."

Erwin nodded his head at Eric, "May I come in?"

Watching Eric move aside to let Erwin inside was like deja vu. I watched silently as Erwin and the other man stepped inside the house and sat down at the table.

Erwin looked toward the man sitting next to him and then to Eric, "Let me introduce you to Captain Levi. I don't believe you two have met."

Eric looked at the man and said, "No we haven't."

I watched Eric shake hands with the man.

Eric then looked over at me and said, "Kaira, please get some tea for our guests."

The two men looked over at me. The gaze from the one with no expression on his face pierced through me and I got to my feet. 

On my way over to get the tea, I noticed the man with dark hair was holding something wrapped in a cloth. A wave of dread rushed over me. I immediately forgot about getting tea. I pointed at the cloth and suddenly asked, "What is that?"

Surprised by my sudden question, Eric sternly said, "Just get the tea, Kaira."

I looked back at him and snapped, "No! He has something and I want to know what it is!"

I looked back at the dark haired man and glared at him.

Eric spoke up immediately and said, "I'm sorry. I don't know what she's going on about."

Erwin held his hand up to stop Eric and said, "It's fine. I actually stopped by to talk to you about your parents."

A silence fell on the room, before I spoke up and asked, "Where are they?"

Erwin took the cloth from Levi and laid it on the table. He unwrapped the cloth revealing a gold heart-shaped locket and a green tattered cloak with the 'Wings of Freedom' on the back. He cleared his throat and spoke softly, "I'm sorry. I truly am. But your parents were killed. They did not die in vain, they fought with everything they had. Your parents will not be forgotten."

I don't know who was more shocked, Eric or me.

I stared at the things on the table and my vision blurred. I quickly wiped the tears from my eyes and backed away.

Eric shifted in his seat and looked at me, "Kaira?"

A flood of emotions was running through my body and I didn't know what to do. I suddenly slammed my hand down on the table and shouted at Erwin, "This is your fault! You killed them!"

Eric reached over and grabbed my arm, "Kaira, knock it off. Do you even know who you're talking to?"

I yanked my arm away and snapped at him, "I don't care! And how can you be so calm when the man who killed our parents is sitting across from you!?"

Eric softened his tone in an attempt to calm me down, "Things like this happen. Dad and Mom knew there was a risk, they were prepared for whatever happened."

I glared at Eric, "How can you say that!? You lied to me! You told me that they were going to come back! You said that they would never leave me!"

Realizing his words weren't getting through, Eric rushed forward and hugged me. But I forcefully pushed him away. My whole world was crashing down around me and I wanted to end it. I looked around frantically and spotted a knife sitting by the sink. I rushed over and grabbed it.

With the knife clutched tightly in my hand, I turned around and faced Erwin. I glared at him and angrily said, "You're going to pay for what you've done."

As I lunged toward him with the knife, I was suddenly grabbed from behind and held with my arms at my side. I struggled to get free but then I heard Eric say, "Kaira, it's all right. Listen to me, everything's all right now. Remember the promise Mom made to you."

I dropped the knife at the sound of his words. I slumped down in his arms and began crying, "But they left us. They said that they'd come back."

Eric dropped to his knees with me in his arms. He began to rock me back and forth like he did the day Dad and Mom left. He calmly spoke to me, "I know. But we need to be strong and keep their memory alive."

Not saying a word, I just nodded my head.

Eric got back on his feet with me in his arms. He looked toward Erwin and said sincerely, "I'm terribly sorry for the way she acted. She's just upset."

A small smile crossed his face and he said, "It's fine. For someone so small, she sure has some fire in her. Reminds me of someone I know." He turned and looked at Levi.

Levi looked at Erwin with no expression and said nothing.

Turning his attention away from Levi and back to Eric, the Commander asked, "Can I talk to you outside for a moment?"

Eric nodded his head and then brought me over to my bed. He sat me down and looked me in the eyes, "Kaira, just sit here and be good. I'll be right back."

I sat quietly on my bed and watched Eric go out the door with Erwin, leaving me inside with Levi. I grabbed my doll and hugged her tightly. I knew what was going on but I wanted to confirm, "He's asking my brother to join the Scouts, isn't he?"

Without acknowledging me, Levi answered, "Who knows." He shifted in his chair, "Going after the Commander like you did, you've got some guts."

I lifted my head and saw that he was now looking at me. I averted my gaze and just nodded my head.

After about fifteen minutes, the door opened up and Eric and the Commander walked back inside.

Erwin looked toward Levi and said, "We're leaving now."

Levi got to his feet and stood by the door next to the Commander.

Eric saluted the both of them as they went out the door.

I looked over at Eric and asked, "You're joining the Scouts, aren't you?"

He looked back over his shoulder at me and his face said it all. "I'm sorry, Kaira. But I've always wanted to be a Scout after hearing the stories Dad and Mom told. I'm also doing this for them, because they told me to take care of you."

I let out a small laugh, "How is joining the Scouts considered taking care of me?"

Eric walked over and knelt down in front of my bed, "Dad and Mom joined the Scouts to make the world a better place for us. I'm joining the Scouts to make the world a better place for you. I'm going to make that promise Mom made come true for you."

His words brought a smile to my face but I was still scared.

Eric held his hand out and said to me, "I've got something for you." He opened his hand to show me the gold heart-shaped locket, "Mom would want you to have this." He placed the locket around my neck.

I took the locket in my hand and clicked it open to see a family portrait of all of us. I let the locket slip from my hand and gave Eric a hug. Tears started to fill my eyes and I cried, "I miss them so much."

Eric hugged me back and softly said, "I know, Kaira, I know. They may not be with us physically but they're still with us in our hearts. You must remember that."

I nodded my head and simply said, "I will."

With our parents no longer with us, Eric and I would have to become stronger for each other. Although it hurt, I intended to withhold the promise Mom made to me. One day I was going to see what was beyond the Wall. And that thought never left my mind.

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Two and a half years had passed, I was now twelve years old and Eric was officially a member of the Scouts. I was proud of my brother but the fear of losing him was stuck in my mind. But I stayed strong and believed in him.

I woke up one morning with one thing on my mind. Today was the day I was going to go over the wall. I wrapped myself in Dad's cloak with the 'Wings of Freedom' on the back, though it was twice my size. I grabbed some apples and placed them in my leather pouch along with a water bottle. I opened the door and just as I was about to step out, someone blocked my path with their arm. I looked over and saw Eric.

He looked at me and asked, "Where is it you might be going off to?"

Ducking underneath his arm, I simply said, "Over the Wall."

Before I could take a step further, I was lifted up off of my feet by the back of the cloak. From behind I heard Eric chuckle and say, "I don't think so, Kai."

I crossed my arms over my chest and questioned, "Why not? You get to go over the Wall all the time. It's not fair."

Eric set me back down on the floor. He pulled back the hood on the cloak and smiled at me, "You really want to go beyond the Wall?"

Without any hesitation I quickly blurted out, "Of course I do."

Eric let out a small laugh and put his hand on my shoulder, "You're very determined. Come on, I'm going to show you something."

We left our house together and began walking down the main path. I was still in Dad's cloak and Eric was wearing his Scouts uniform. I didn't quite know what Eric wanted to show me but I couldn't wait to find out.

It wasn't long before we were both standing at the base of Wall Rose. I tilted my head way back in an attempt to see how tall it was.

Eric looked over at one of the soldier's standing nearby and asked, "Sir, can you hoist us up?"

The soldier nodded his head at Eric and gave him a thumbs up.

Eric took me by the hand and led me over to a wooden platform. He looked at me and said, "I hope you're not afraid of heights."

Before I could respond back, the wooden platform we were on began rising up. I squeezed Eric's hand tightly and steadied my feet.

He smiled down at me, "It's okay, Kai, you're not going to fall."

Time seemed to have stopped as we were hoisted up but before I knew it, we were standing on top of the Wall. I looked around and saw several cannons lined up. I turned my attention away from the cannons and to a group of soldiers walking toward us.

Eric saluted them as they approached and said, "Commander Pyxis."

I looked up to see a bald-headed man with a mustache standing before my brother.

The man acknowledged Eric and asked, "What business do you have here, Cooper?"

Eric gently pulled me forward and said to the man, "This is my little sister, Kaira. She had planned on coming here herself but I decided it'd be safer if I took her myself."

Commander Pyxis knelt down to get a closer look at me. He smiled at me and said, "You're the spitting image of your mother. I heard her skills were unmatchable within the Scouts. You should be proud."

I followed my brother's example with the traditional salute and said back to him, "Thank you, Sir."

Commander Pyxis ruffled my hair and got back on his feet, "You can look around but don't get too close to the edge."

I nodded my head at him and was about to walk away, but I was pulled back by Eric.

Eric looked at me sternly and said, "Don't bother the soldiers too much."

I smiled up at him and nodded my head, "I won't. I promise."

Eric released my hand and I walked off to explore my new surroundings. I've never been anywhere near the Wall, so I was completely fascinated by this whole situation.

I stood about three feet away from the edge and looked out toward the horizon. I could see some birds flying in the sky and it brought a smile to my face. I found myself wishing that I could be like them and just fly away and leave life behind the Wall. I turned around and saw my brother was still occupied with talking to Commander Pyxis. I took this opportunity to inch closer to the edge of the wall and peek over. I gasped at the massive drop and almost lost my composure. My legs began to shake and I took a moment to sit down. I dangled my legs over the edge and stared into the sky. Mom's promise came to mind and I knew that one day I'd be out there seeing everything she told me about.

I don't know how long I sat there, but when I looked over I saw Eric sitting next to me. I looked at him confused and asked, "When did you get here?"

He smiled at me and answered, "About an hour ago. I guess you were too focused on what's beyond the wall to notice me." He looked out toward the horizon, "What do you think, Kaira?"

My eyes lit up and I got to my feet, "I'm going to go there one day."

Eric got to his feet and put an arm around me, "I know you will. Dad and Mom also knew that one day you'd be as free as those birds that fly in the sky."

His words brought a smile to my face, because what he said was true. One day I was going to be free. I was going to go beyond the Wall and live a happy life. That's what I thought anyway, before my world once again came crashing down three years later.

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In the year 850, the Trost District became under attack when the Colossal Titan broke through Wall Rose and other Titans followed after.

Eric was away on a Scouting Mission and I was home alone. I was cooking up some soup for my lunch when I heard the warning bells. I immediately stopped what I was doing and rushed out the door. I looked all around and spotted smoke coming up from the wall. What was going on?

I looked up and down the street and spotted someone running. I called out to them and asked, "What's going on!?"

The person stopped only for a second and looked up at me petrified, "Titans have broken through the wall!"

Before I could say anything else, the person was gone and out of my sight within minutes. Not really knowing what to do, I ran back inside the house. What do I do? Nothing like this has ever happened before...And I'm all alone.

As I was trying to figure out what to do, the door burst open and Commander Pyxis rushed in. 

He looked at me and urgently said, "Kaira, you need to get out of here."

Without even waiting for a response, Commander Pyxis grabbed me by the hand and rushed out of the house.

I looked at him as we hurried up the street and asked frantically, "Where are you taking me?"

He looked back at me for a brief moment and answered, "I'm taking you to where the Scouts are."

A wave of relief rushed over me, "You're taking me to my brother?"

"Not exactly. I mean, it is where your brother is but he's not there yet. But he made me promise him that'd I'd look after you in his absence. If anything were to happen to you, he'd kill me." He said seriously.

Making our way through the street, my thoughts were interrupted by people letting out unearthly screams from behind. I looked back and saw Titans towering above the houses. I squeezed Commander Pyxis's hand tighter. What was going to become of us? 

Before I knew it, I was being led inside a big building and taken inside a room. I surveyed the room and noticed a bed in the corner and a wooden desk pushed up against the wall.

Commander Pyxis patted me on the back and said, "This is your brother's room. You can stay in here until things settle down. There's no need to worry, we'll drive back the Titans and things will go back to normal." 

I looked up at him and nodded my head in understanding.

Before Commander Pyxis left the room, he reached into his bag and grabbed something, "Your brother wanted me to give this to you."

I looked down and saw my favorite doll in his hand. I gasped and said, "Why'd he give this back? I gave it to him so he wouldn't forget about me."

Commander Pyxis handed the doll over, "He'll never forget about you." He ruffled my hair and said, "I have to get back to my post. Be sure to stay inside this room and don't come out for anything."

I watched in silence as Commander Pyxis walked out the door and pulled it shut behind him. I went to follow him but found that the door was locked from the outside. I was now all alone inside this room with nothing to do, except listen to the distant sounds of people screaming coming through the window. And I wondered to myself if I was going to get out of here alive.

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I was holed up inside that room for two days, of course people came by to feed me but none of them told me what was going on. When I was finally let out of the room, I was met by Commander Erwin and Captain Levi.

Erwin looked at me and said, "I'm pleased to see-"

I interrupted him almost immediately and asked, "Where's my brother?"

Both Erwin and Levi exchanged a look, before Erwin looked back at me. He beckoned me to come forward and said, "Kaira, we need to talk."

I shook my head and shouted, "I don't want to talk! I want to know where my brother is!"

Erwin let out a sigh and reluctantly said to me, "Your brother's dead, Kaira."

I let out a small laugh and looked at him, "No, you're lying. I've already lost my parents. I can't lose my brother too."

Levi held out a 'Wings of Freedom' patch from a Scout uniform, "Your brother is dead. He gave his life protecting a fellow soldier. His death was honorable and he will not be forgotten."

I took the patch from him and stared at it for a moment. I managed a small smile and softly said, "That was Eric. He always played the hero." I choked back the tears I was trying to hold in, "But where is he now? Why did he leave me when I need him the most?" I let go of everything and dropped to the floor in tears.

Erwin knelt down in front of me and wrapped his arms around me.

This sudden act of kindness took me by surprise, because Erwin didn't look like the type that would do this sort of thing. Ignoring the thought, I clung to him and cried myself to the point of exhaustion.

Erwin helped me to my feet and led me into an office at the end of the hall with Captain Levi accompanying us.

I was sat down in the chair across from Erwin and given a cup of hot tea. I took a sip of the tea and set the cup down on the desk, "What do I do now? I highly doubt my house is still standing after the Titans attack."

Erwin folded his hands and said to me, "Your brother's put you into Levi's care from now on."

I chuckled a little and glanced over at Levi leaning up against the wall. I turned back to Erwin, "You can't be serious. I find that hard to believe. Are you sure that's what my brother said?"

He nodded his head at me, "I know it may surprise you but Levi and your brother got along well. They didn't necessarily like each other but they didn't hate each other either. They worked well together and both had the same amount of respect for one another. Your brother had your best intentions in mind."

I looked over at Levi and questioned, "Is this what my brother wanted?"

With no sign of emotion on his face, Levi stood up straight and said to me, "Yes. Your brother put his trust in me to watch over you and I intend to do just that."

I let out a sigh and quietly said, "I understand."

Levi rummaged through his pocket on his jacket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He walked over and held it out to me, "Your brother also entrusted me to give this letter to you."

I took the letter from him and said, "Thank you."

After talking to Erwin and Levi for a while longer, I found out that I would be staying in my brother's room within the Scout Regiment. I was also given the option to join the Scouts and I was more than willing to take it. It only felt right that I followed in my family's footsteps.

I returned back to my room when Erwin and Levi had to leave to take care of a few things. I sat down on the bed and began reading the letter Eric left for me.

Kaira,

Whether I'm alive or not, I hope this letter finds you well. Remember the wonderful things Dad and Mom would tell us about after they returned from beyond the Wall? I want to tell you that everything they said is true. There really are big bodies of water, trees that grow taller than the Wall, and beautiful creatures untouched by the Titans. I truly hope for the day that you're able to fly free and see these things for yourself. But in order for your dream to come true, you have to put your trust not just in me, but in the people around you. Those people will help guide you safely to the promise you want to fulfill. And Kaira, please don't ever forget that Dad, Mom, and I all love you very much and would give anything to see you happy. 

Eric

Tears filled my eyes as I finished reading the letter. I grabbed the locket from around my neck and clicked it open. Tears started to fall as I gazed at the picture of Dad, Mom, Eric, and me. I laid myself down on the bed, clutching the locket tightly to my chest, and cried myself to sleep.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I woke up the next morning feeling depressed and worn out. I sat up in bed and saw that the letter I read the night before had fallen onto the floor. I reached down and picked it up. I looked at it and recalled the devastating news I received about my brother's death. I drew a quivering breath and clutched the letter in my hand, before setting it down on the table beside the bed. I got out of bed and went out the door.

I looked around and spotted a woman walking down the hall. I made my way over to her and softly said, "Excuse me?"

The woman turned to me and I could see that she was relatively shorter and had light-ginger hair and amber-colored eyes.

A smiled crossed her face and she kindly said to me, "Yes? What is it?"

I looked at her and introduced myself, "My name's Kaira Cooper. I was put in the care of Captain Levi. Umm, do you by any chance know where he is?"

Her face brightened up and she took me by the hand, "You must be Eric's sister. He always talked about you. I'm Petra, by the way." Just as fast as her face brightened, it became full of sympathy, "I'm sorry for the loss of your brother. He was a great soldier."

I smiled sadly at her and nodded my head, "Thank you."

A moment of silence fell between the two of us, before Petra spoke up, "Oh that's right. You were looking for the Captain, weren't you?" She pointed toward the end of the hall at a door, "I saw him heading down to the basement with Commander Erwin."

I looked to where she was pointing and then turned my attention back to her, "Is it okay if I go find him?"

She nodded her head at me and said, "Of course. Just don't get in the way, because him and the Commander are dealing with a prisoner."

A confused look spread across my face and I asked, "Prisoner?"

She just patted my hand and answered happily, "Don't even worry about it. Just go on down."

She smiled at me once more before continuing her walk down the hall.

I walked up the other end of the hall and went through the door. I began to hear voices as I made my way down the steps. I soon found an opening on the staircase and peeked over the railing. I could see Erwin sitting in a chair and Levi leaning up against the wall. I could see metal bars lining the wall but I couldn't see who was behind them from where I was standing. As time went by, I heard the sound of chains rattling and Levi say, "What is it you want to do?" I slowed my breathing and listened carefully. I soon heard the voice of a young man respond to Levi's question, "I want to join the Scouts and kill as many Titans as I can, sir!" I watched Levi approach the cell and look in, "Oh? Not bad." I began to wonder who this guy was and why he was being held captive.

I became completely unaware of my surroundings as I let my thoughts take over. Lost in my train of thought, I was quickly brought back to reality when I heard my name being called. I shook my head and looked to see Levi shooting me the What are you doing here? kind of look. I immediately responded, "I was looking for you."

Still showing me that look, he asked, "Why?"

"My brother left me in your care. It's only natural that I'd want to go wherever you go," I said to him with a sarcastic smile.

Without waiting for his response, I walked down the rest of the stairs and stood before him. I peeked around him to look at the cell and asked, "What are you doing down here anyway? And who's this prisoner Petra told me about?"

Levi backed up a bit and looked at me, "Petra told you about the prisoner? What exactly did she tell you?"

I looked back at him and answered, "She just told me that you and the Commander were dealing with a prisoner. She didn't really go into detail, so I became curious."

Not waiting for Levi's response, I walked around him and made my way up to the cell. I looked through the bars and saw a young man with dark brown hair and teal-green eyes. I looked more closely and could tell that he was no older than me. My eyes widened when I noticed that both his wrists were chained to the wall.

I stepped back and turned to face Erwin and Levi. I looked at the both of them and questioned, "Who is he? Why is he even in here? And why is he chained up?"

Erwin looked at me and said, "Kaira, I'm going to tell you something but you can't let this information out. There's already rumors going around. I also want you to remain calm. Do you understand?"

I nodded my head at him and waited for what he had to say.

He took a moment to look at Levi and turned back to me, "This young man is Eren Jaeger. He's a cadet and apparently holds the power to transform himself into a Titan. He's here with us for his own protection."

I stifled a laugh and said, "You can't be serious. You're saying this guy is a Titan? Come on, he looks like he wouldn't even hurt a fly."

Levi looked toward me with a serious look on his face, "Looks can be deceiving."

I was about to say something but he cut me off and turned to Erwin. He looked at him and said, "Erwin, I'll take responsibility for him. Tell that to the higher ups."

Erwin looked over at him and nodded his head.

Levi walked back over to the cell and looked in at Eren, "Don't get me wrong. It's not like I trust him. If he betrays us or goes berserk, I'll put him down without hesitation."

I looked toward the cell and saw Eren looking at Levi with wide eyes. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. I didn't even know if this talk about him being able to transform into a Titan was real or not.

As I looked through the bars at Eren, I heard Erwin get up from his chair and say, "It's time for us to go."

I looked back over my shoulder and saw Levi standing beside Erwin at the bottom of the stairs.

Levi looked at me and beckoned me to follow, "Kaira, we're leaving now."

I turned back to the cell and my eyes met Eren's. I looked at him and quietly said, "You'll be okay." 

After the words left my mouth, I swiftly turned away and followed Erwin and Levi up the stairs.

When we got upstairs, I stopped Erwin and Levi and asked, "What's going to happen to him? You can't possibly leave him down there the rest of his life."

Erwin looked at me and answered, "Nothing's going to happen to him. But for the time being he has to stay in the cell until his trial is over."

A look of confusion settled on my face, "Trial? What for?"

This time Levi answered me and said, "The Military Police are also after him, because they're afraid of him. They don't know if he's human or a Titan. That's why the Scouts have brought him here to keep him safe."

I let Levi's words sink in before I asked him, "You won't let anything happen to him, right?"

"I'm going to try my best to keep him with us," he said sincerely. "But why are you so worried about him?"

I thought to myself for a moment and replied, "I'm not too sure. But when I looked into his eyes I got this feeling that he's lost someone very dear to him. He just reminds me of myself when I lost my parents and even my brother."

A silence fell over us, because I think Erwin and Levi didn't quite know what to say in this situation. I broke the silence and asked them, "Is it okay if I step out for a bit?"

Levi looked at me and immediately questioned, "Where are you going?"

I looked down at the locket around my neck and softly said, "The place I feel closest to my family."

I didn't hear anything from Levi but Erwin said to me, "Go on. Just don't wander off too far, Kaira."

I nodded my head at him in understanding. I then looked at Levi and smiled, "You don't have to worry. I'll be okay."

With that being said, I turned and walked away from Erwin and Levi. I exited the building and began making my way to the Wall.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I walked down the main stretch until I reached Wall Rose. I looked around and saw a massive boulder blocking a hole in the Wall. I was confused, because I knew there was no way our Military forces could've moved something that big. So how did it get there?

"Excuse me. Can I help you with something?"

I looked over to see a soldier from the Garrison looking at me. I nodded my head at him and said, "Yes. I need to be hoisted up."

The soldier motioned his head toward the wooden platform, "Get on."

I followed his instruction and stepped onto the platform. I stood there for a few minutes and then the platform began to rise. I took a deep breath and steadied my feet. Feeling myself being lifted up, I was reminded of the time Eric brought me here. A smile found its way on my face as I recalled that one special memory. But my reminiscing came to a halt along with the platform. I looked around and saw that I had reached the top. Soon I was met with an outstretched hand, I looked up and saw Commander Pyxis.

He looked at me with a smile and said, "Your brother told me that you'd find your way back here."

I smiled back at him and grabbed onto his hand and he pulled me up. "Thank you," I said.

"How you holding up?" He asked me.

I looked up at him sadly, "You heard?"

He nodded his head, "I'm so sorry. I know he wanted nothing more than to make the world a better place for you."

I looked out toward the horizon and said softly, "He still is. Him and my parents."

Pyxis patted me on the shoulder and said back to me, "Yes they are."

I walked over and stood three feet away from the edge as I did that day. I stretched my hand out toward the horizon and spoke softly, "Dad. Mom. Eric. I'm a member of the Scouts now, so I'll be able to venture over the Wall and live out my dream." Tears began to fill my eyes, "I'm going to be free. I promise I'll be there soon. So wait for me. Please don't leave me again."

I sat myself down and dangled my feet over the edge. And I stayed in that same spot until the sun began to go down.

"Kaira, I think you should be getting back now," I heard Pyxis say from behind.

I got to my feet and turned to him. I looked at him for a second and suddenly hugged him. "Thank you for everything," I said.

He hugged me back, "Don't break that promise of yours."

That day I made a vow to myself that I would never let go of that promise, because that promise had now become a part of me.

By the time I reached the Scouts building, the sun had already gone down. I walked inside and saw Levi waiting for me. I looked at him and asked, "How long?"

"About an hour or so," he said nonchalant.

"There was no reason for you to wait. I was going to come back," I said to him with a smile.

He looked at me and his expression softened, "I know. But I'm your guardian. Don't people usually do this sort of thing? I'm sure your brother would've."

I let out a small laugh and said, "Yeah I suppose he would've."

That night I dined with Erwin, Levi, and some members of the Scouts. I was also introduced to Hange Zoe and Miche Zacharius. I felt very fortunate to be surrounded by these people, because I realized they were going to be my new family. I also remembered that these people would be the ones to help make my dream come true. I needed to trust them with everything I had.

After dinner was over, I decided to head back to my room and get some sleep.

"Kaira, can I talk to you for a moment?"

I turned around and saw Levi walking up the hall. I looked at him and asked, "What is it?"

He looked at me closely, "Are you familiar with ODM gear?"

I shrugged my shoulders and answered, "I guess. My brother told me all about it and sort of taught me how to use it." I looked at him confused, "Why'd you want to know?"

"You will be using it one day. But that day may be sooner than you think. So just keep that in mind and trust your own abilities," he said before walking away back down the hall.

I watched him walk away and began thinking to myself. What could he have possibly meant by that? I didn't really have a clue but I would soon find out.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Two days have gone by since I found out about my brother's death. I woke up in the morning thinking that the day was going to be like any other but I was mistaken. I emerged from my room to find a neatly folded uniform lying before my feet. I looked more closely and saw a note. I picked the note up and read it.

Kaira,

Put this on and meet me in Erwin's office.

There was no signature at the bottom but I already knew it was from Levi. I went back into my room and got changed into the uniform. I also tied my auburn hair back into a ponytail. Once I was all set, I made my way to the office.

Inside the office, Erwin looked at me and said, "The uniform looks natural on you as it did with the rest of your family."

I smiled at him, "Thank you, sir."

I looked over at Levi and asked, "So what's going on? Why was I called here?"

"A trial's being held to determine who gets custody of Eren. I had you wear the uniform, because you'll be standing in with me and the Commander," he said.

I nodded my head at him, because that much I understood. "Who's the one in charge of deciding his fate?" 

"The decision about whether the Police or the Scouts get Eren has been entrusted to Zachary," Erwin said from behind.

My eyes widened when I heard this man's name from Erwin, "Zachary? Do you mean Supreme Commander Dhalis Zachary?"

Levi looked at me and questioned, "You know him?"

"Not personally but Dad and Mom used to speak of him from time to time," I said.

Erwin shifted in his chair, "He's the man in charge of all three forces; the Military Police, the Garrison, and the Scouts. When making decisions, he only considers one method and that's the cost-benefit analysis. That is, whether it's profitable or harmful to mankind overall."

Levi stood up straight and crossed his arms over his chest, "Which means he wouldn't hesitate to execute Eren on the spot, if that were the verdict. I don't want to let him kill Eren."

"I really don't want him to be killed either. Is there anything we can do to guarantee his safety?" I asked with a touch of urgency in my voice.

Erwin folded his hands and looked at me thoughtfully, "I have also prepared a proposition, but its viability depends greatly on the way the trial progresses." 

I looked toward Levi when I didn't quite understand what the Commander meant. I saw he had this strange gleam in his eye and this made me suspicious. What were these two planning?

The time passed by and I was soon standing in the courtroom beside Levi and Erwin. I looked around and saw several soldiers from both the Military Police and the Garrison. I soon heard the doors of the courtroom open and everyone start talking as Eren was being led in in handcuffs. I watched closely has he was led into the middle of the room, brought down to his knees, and further restrained with a metal pole. I couldn't help but think about how frightened he looked.

A hush fell on the room as an older man with gray hair and glasses walked in with a file of papers in his hand. He sat down at the desk overlooking the courtroom and placed the papers directly in front of himself.

The man standing beside him looked out toward everyone and said, "The final decision will be handed down by the head of the three forces, Supreme Commander Dhalis Zachary."

"Now then, let us begin," Dhalis spoke. He looked down at Eren, "You are Eren Jaeger, right? You're a soldier who vowed to devote his life to the King. Is that correct?"

Without a moment of hesitation, Eren looked up and answered, "Yes, sir."

Dhalis took a moment to look over the papers, "This is an exceptional case. It is outside the bounds of common law, therefore we must convene a special court-martial. The final decision will be handed down by me."

I turned my attention away from the Supreme Commander and looked at Eren. His face seemed to look a little pale and I could tell he was pondering the words that were just spoken to him.

My attention was pulled away from Eren when I heard Dhalis ask, "Do you have any objections?"

"None, sir," Eren said calmly.

Dhalis looked pleased with his answer, "I'm glad you're so cooperative." He took a moment to eyeball Eren carefully before saying, "Let me say this straightforwardly. Concealing your existence has proven impossible. Unless we publicize your existence in some way, we will have to face another threat besides Titans. This court is is tasked with deciding which force will take custody of you, the Military Police or the Scouts."

Dhalis turned his attention away from Eren and looked to his left, "First, let us hear the proposition from the Police."

I shifted my gaze over to a man with dark hair and eyes. 

The man looked up toward the Supreme Commander and said, "I am Nile Dawk, Chief of the Military Police. Our proposition is as follows. We will examine Eren's body thoroughly, then dispose of him as soon as possible." He took a moment to look over at Eren, "It's a fact that his Titan power repelled the last attack. However, his character induces disturbances that may even lead to a rebellion. Therefore he shall provide us with as much intelligence as possible, then he'll become a martyr for mankind."

Suddenly a man standing a few feet away from Nile spoke up, "That isn't necessary. He's a vermin that breached and infiltrated the sacred Walls of God."

Levi leaned down and whispered to me, "He's from the Church of the Walls. Five years ago no one even took them seriously."

The man pointed at Eren and shouted angrily, "He should be killed here and now!"

Dhalis looked over at the man and said, "Priest Nick, quiet, please."

I watched Priest Nick open his mouth to argue but instead accept his defeat.

Dhalis spoke up to all of us again, "Next, let us hear the proposition from the Scouts."

Erwin looked up at the Supreme Commander and said, "Yes, sir." 

Turning his attention toward the rest of the courtroom, Erwin said, "I am Commander Erwin Smith, head of the Thirnteeth Battalion of the Scout Regiment. Our proposition is as follows. We will accept Eren as a formal member of the Scouts, and recapture Wall Maria by using his Titan power."

"That's all," Erwin said back to Dhalis.

Dhalis looked back at him and questioned, "Is that it."

"Yes," Erwin responded.

Dhalis thought for a moment and spoke aloud to himself, "Using his abilities, we can retake Wall Maria."

Erwin nodded his head, "I believe the priorities are clearly apparent."

"I see," Dhalis said in understanding.

As time went on, the talk in the courtroom became chaotic. Priest Nick and some of the men from the Military Police got into a pretty heated argument.

In the middle of all this chaos, Dhalis spoke to Eren once again, "Jaeger, let me ask you this. Can you keep fighting for the sake of mankind as a soldier, and also use your Titan power for the same goal?"

Eren immediately answered him, "Yes! I can."

Dhalis eyed through the papers for a minute, "Oh? But in the report from Trost in says that he swung his fist at Mikasa Ackerman right after becoming a Titan."

There was a commotion coming from within the crowd. I looked over to see a dark haired girl who looked to be the same age as me, standing beside a boy with blonde hair. I couldn't hear what they were saying but I could tell they were discussing something important.

My attention was averted when I heard Dhalis ask, "Is Mikasa Ackerman here?"

"Yes I am," a voice came from behind.

I looked over to see that it was the dark haired girl.

"You, huh? Is it true that after he transformed, Jaeger attacked you?" Dhalis pressed for an answer.

Mikasa took a deep breath and answered, "Yes, it is true."

After hearing her words, the courtroom was filled with hushed whispers and dirty looks shot at Eren.

Within all this madness, Mikasa spoke up again and said, "But before that, he also saved my life twice while in Titan form. The first time, when I was about to fall prey to a Titan, he fought them off and defended me. The second time, he protected me and Armin from cannon fire."

Immediately after Mikasa finished talking, Nile spoke up again, "I believe this testimony is too emotionally-biased to be accepted in court. Mikasa Ackerman lost her parents at a young age, and she was taken in by Jaeger's family. However, we uncovered some surprising details regarding those events. Eren Jaeger and Mikasa Ackerman were nine years old at the time. They murdered all three robber-kidnappers. You might call this justifiable self-defense, but I can't help but feel disturbed by the fundamental lack of humanity in their actions. Can we really trust him with the fate, funds, and manpower of mankind?"

A man standing close to Nile shouted in agreement, "Yeah! He's probably a Titan who infiltrated us disguised as a child!" The man suddenly pointed across the room at Mikasa, "Her too! How can we be sure she's human?"

Another person within the crowd shouted, "That's right! We should dissect her just in case!"

Eren's voice suddenly broke through all the commotion, "Wait! Maybe I am a monster, but she has nothing to do with that! Nothing at all!"

A man in the crowd looked at Eren with hatred and shouted back, "As if we could believe you! It's a fact! You're defending her? She must be one of you!"

Eren shook his head, "No! You're wrong. You keep using mere speculation just to make the water flow your way. First off, you've never even seen a Titan! So why are you so afraid?" He took a moment to catch his breath and then continued on, "What's the use of having power if you're not going to fight!? If you're afraid of fighting for your lives, then help me! You...cowards! Just shut up...and invest everything in me!"

I was so focused on what Eren was saying, I didn't even notice when Levi left my side. I didn't realize it until I heard Eren groan in pain and I looked over to see that Levi had kicked him right in the face.

Looking at Eren, Levi spoke to the rest of the courtroom, "It's just my personal opinion, but pain is the best tool for discipline."

Levi grabbed Eren by the hair and looked at him, "You don't need to be educated by words. You need training. You've fallen low enough that you're easy to kick around, anyway."

Releasing Eren from his grip, Levi began beating him up again.

I tugged on Erwin's arm and whispered to him, "Stop him. He's going to end up killing him."

Erwin shook his head at me, "Just wait."

I reluctantly turned my attention back to the beating Levi was giving Eren. 

Suddenly Nile spoke up and said, "Hold on, Levi."

Levi stopped for a second and looked back at him, "What?"

"It's dangerous. What if he starts raging and turns into a Titan?" Nile asked with a sense of urgency.

Levi immediately responded, "What are you talking about?"

"As I heard it, when he turned into a Titan, he killed twenty other Titans before his strength ran out," Nile said.

Levi kicked Eren a few more times, before bringing his foot down and pinning him by the neck on the floor. "If he were an enemy, he might cause more trouble than that intel's worth. He still can't stand against me though. What about you on the other hand? All of you who persecute him, think it over. Can you really kill him?"

After hearing what Levi had said, Erwin raised his hand, "Supreme Commander, I have a proposal."

Dhalis looked at Erwin and asked, "What is it?"

Erwin responded almost immediately, "Eren's Titan power has a multitude of uncertainties and unknown elements. So why don't we put Eren under Captain Levi's command and send them on a mission outside the Walls?"

Dhalis nodded his head in understanding and questioned, "Eren as well?"

"Yes," Erwin said to him. "Whether Eren can control his Titan power, and whether he may be of benefit to mankind, should be decided based on the results of that mission."

Dhalis looked down and spoke, "Watch over Eren Jaeger. Can you do that, Levi?"

Looking down at Eren and seeing the state he was in, Levi said showing no expression, "I can definitely kill him. The problem is it'll either be all or nothing."

"I've made my decision," Dhalis finally said.

After the trial, I joined Levi, Erwin, Hange, and Eren inside a small room. 

Hange handed Eren a cold rag, "That was so mean of him. It must hurt a lot."

Eren placed the rag against his face and winced, "A little

"Where's the pain?" Hange asked Eren.

Erwin knelt down in front of Eren and looked at him, "Sorry about doing that. But as a result, we got you for ourselves."

"Yes," Eren responded.

"We were able to play our trump cards at the most effective moments. Your pain was worth our gain. Thank you," Erwin said. He held his hand out to Eren, "I look forward to working with you, Eren."

Eren shook Erwin's hand immediately and said, "Likewise, sir!"

Erwin got to his feet and walked over to me. He patted me on the shoulder and said, "He's going to be fine." He looked back at Eren once more before exiting the room.

Levi took a seat beside Eren and made him flinch a bit, "Say, Eren."

"Yes?" Eren responded immediately.

Levi looked at him and asked, "Do you hate me?"

I think Eren was taken by surprise by Levi's sudden question. I know I was. I sat nearby and waited to hear his answer.

Eren looked away for a moment, "No. I understand it was necessary."

Levi nodded his head at him, "Glad to hear."

I looked over at Levi from where I was sitting and said, "You could've at least held back a little. You didn't really have to beat him as badly as you did."

Hange spoke up and agreed, "She's right." She held something tiny up in front of Levi, "You even broke his tooth. Look."

"Don't pick that up. It's disgusting," Levi said with a look of distaste.

I let out a small laugh after this display, "Who knew you were so afraid of germs."

Levi shot me a glare and I stifled my laughter.

Hange pulled the tooth back and said, "It's an important sample for me." 

Turning his attention away from me, Levi said to Eren, "Eren, I bet you're glad you won't be dissected by freaks like her, huh?"

Hange immediately defended herself, "Don't put me in the same league as them. I wouldn't kill Eren." 

"Hey, may I see the inside of your mouth?" Hange happily asked Eren.

Eren hesitated for a moment and looked over toward me and Levi. He let out a sigh and turned back to face Hange and opened his mouth.

Hange looked inside and let out a gasp, "His tooth already grew back."

My eyes grew wide with shock, because I wasn't sure if Eren being a Titan was real or not. But the evidence of his tooth growing back in a matter of minutes was undeniable truth that he was indeed a Titan in some way.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The day after the trial, I was summoned by Levi to meet in Erwin's office. I'm not quite sure what it was about this time but it would take me one step closer to my dream.

I entered the office and was met by Erwin, Levi, Eren, Petra, and three other men I didn't recognize.

With a pleasant look on his face, Erwin looked at me and said, "Good morning, Kaira."

I smiled back at him, "Morning."

I looked over at Levi and asked, "What's going on?"

"We're leaving," he answered.

I didn't understand what he meant, "Leaving? Where to?"

He walked over to a map that was pinned to the wall and pointed to a place that was circled in red, "That's where we're going."

I walked up beside him and looked at the map, "Yeah, I don't know where that is."

Levi laid his hand on my shoulder and said, "That's all right. I also called you here for another reason." He turned around to face Petra and the men I didn't know, "I wanted to introduce you to some new faces. I believe you've met Petra already. But these three here are Oruo Bozad, Eld Gin, and Gunther Schultz. They're all members hand picked by me to make up the Special Operations Squad."

"Special Operations Squad? What's that all about?" I asked full of curiosity.

This time Erwin spoke up and answered my question, "It's a team Levi put together to protect Eren."

I looked over at Eren and saw him sitting in the chair with his hands resting on his lap. It seemed to me that he didn't have any objections to this arrangement. But then again, he really doesn't have a say so in the matter.

Levi walked over to the desk where something was being hidden underneath a sheet. He pulled the sheet back and revealed the ODM gear. He looked at me and said, "I told you you'd be using it sooner than you thought."

My eyes widened at the equipment laid before me. I looked up at Levi with a smile and said, "Thank you. But I'm not really sure how to use it."

"All you have to do is remember what your brother taught you," he said.

I nodded my head in understanding, "Right."

Petra came over to me and said, "I'll help you put it on."

Within minutes, Petra had the equipment all put together and strapped into place. She looked at me and asked, "So how do you feel?"

I looked at her and answered, "Like this is where I belong."

"Your family would be very proud of you," I heard Erwin say from behind.

I clutched my locket in my hand and smiled, "They really would be."

We all remained in the office for another hour and I was finally told that we were going to the old Scout base. We were going there to prepare for the upcoming scouting mission. The base was also going to serve as a hideout for Eren.

Everyone left the office to begin getting ready for the journey over to the base. 

I followed behind Levi but realized Erwin wasn't with us. I stopped and looked back toward the office.

"Kaira, what's wrong?" I heard Levi ask.

I looked at him and said, "I'll be right back." I turned away from him and walked back down the hall toward the office.

I knocked on the door and entered.

Erwin looked up from some papers he was looking through, "What is it, Kaira?"

I looked at him and stepped forward slowly. "You're not going with us?" I asked with a hint of sadness in my voice.

He got up from his chair and walked over to me. He looked me in the eyes and said, "I would love to go. But there's some things I need to take care of here."

"I understand. I'm sorry to have bothered you," I said quietly and turned to leave.

Erwin gently grabbed me by the arm and asked, "Kaira, is everything all right?"

Without turning back to face him I answered, "Ever since I lost my family, I feel like I've become more dependent on people. I guess I just want to be around the people that make me feel safe."

He turned me to face him and said, "There's no shame in that." A smile spread across his face, "But that means a lot coming from a girl who once lunged at me with a knife."

My face went red from the memory he brought up. I rubbed the back of my head in embarrassment and said, "I don't know what it means now but I'm sorry for that. I was just upset and needed to take my anger out on someone."

"Don't even worry about it. I was actually intrigued by your attitude back then. Your brother would always tell me that you'd make a great Scout. So I'm glad to have you with us," he said wholeheartedly.

I was about to say something but there was a knock at the door.

Erwin walked over and opened the door to reveal Levi standing in the hall. He looked back at me and said, "I believe your guardian's come for you."

I looked over at Levi and said, "I'm sorry. I just had to talk to the Commander about some things."

"It's all right. But we're all ready to go," he said back to me.

I nodded my head and walked up to stand beside him.

As we made our way down the hall, I heard Erwin say, "Take care of yourself, Kaira."

I looked back at him with a smile and nodded.

Outside the building, everyone was already sitting upon their horse and ready to go. I mounted my horse and we set off on our journey to the Scouts former HQ.

Riding on the way to the HQ, Eren rode up beside me. He looked at me, "Back in the office, the Commander mentioned your family would be proud of you joining the Scouts." He hesitated for a moment before asking, "Did something happen to them?"

Hearing his question, I clenched the reins tightly in my hands until my knuckles turned white. I haven't really spoken of my family's untimely end. I turned and met Eren's eyes, "My parents were both former members of the Scouts. But they were called by the Commander to assist them after Shiganshina was attacked. They left and I found out six months later that they had been killed. My brother then joined the Scouts and I lost him recently during the attack on Wall Rose. So now I'm under Captain Levi's care, because my brother entrusted me to him."

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said with a doleful look.

I looked at him thoughtfully and asked, "So what about you? Where is your family?"

Eren's eyes widened at me and the lively color in his face faded.

I immediately said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry. If you don't want to tal-"

He shook his head and cut me off, "It's fine." He took a moment to regain his composure before speaking softly, "My mother was killed by a Titan in the attack on Shiganshina. I saw it eat her. And my father's gone missing."

My face became sullen after hearing what had happened to his own parents. I looked at him with sympathy and quietly said, "I'm sorry for your loss."

I could tell from the first time I laid eyes on Eren that he had lost someone dear to him. I just had no idea that it was in such a devastating way and for him to have seen that must have left him scarred. I learned that day that he and I had something in common. This made me hopeful that we could possibly become friends.

The rest of the ride to HQ was pretty quiet. We came to a stop at what seemed to look like an old castle.

I dismounted and looked up at the building before me. I turned back toward the team and asked Levi, "Are you sure this is the right place?"

Eld and Gunther both dismounted and took a moment to survey the castle.

Eld looked around, "It's covered in weeds. It looks terrible."

Gunther agreed with him and continued, "It's been disused for a very long time. Inside, a sea of dust is probably awaiting us."

"That is indeed a severe problem," Levi said. He got down off his horse and looked around at all of us, "We must sort it out immediately."

I volunteered to take care of the horses as everyone else headed inside to get a start on cleaning. I placed each horse in a separate stall and got them some food and water. After I had tended to the horses, I decided to head into the building.

I made my way into a room and found Levi and Petra. I noticed that Levi had one handkerchief covering his hair and another covering his face. I couldn't help but laugh at his appearance.

Levi pulled down the handkerchief from his face and asked, "What's so funny?"

I pulled myself together and answered, "Who knew you were such a clean freak."

Petra stifled a laugh and said to me, "He's always like this. Cleanliness plays a big role in his life."

Levi handed me an extra handkerchief, "You can laugh it up later. For now, just help us get this place suitable to stay in."

I took the handkerchief from him and happily said, "Yes, sir."

Eren then came walking into the room, "We're done cleaning the upper floors." He looked at Levi and asked, "Where will I get to sleep in the building, sir?"

"Your room is in the basement," Levi answered him almost immediately.

A pained expression appeared on Eren's face, "The basement again, sir?"

Levi nodded his head and responded, "Of course."

I saw the sad look on Eren's face and spoke up, "That's not fair! Let him sleep in my room."

Levi looked at me and shook his head, "Absolutely not."

I looked at Levi and argued, "Why not?"

"Kaira, he's not in complete control of himself yet. If he drifted off and turned into a Titan, at least if he's underground we can restrain him right away. You need to understand that we're not just doing this for his safety but also for ours," he said earnestly.

Levi turned his attention away from me and back to Eren, "I'm sorry, Eren, that was one of the conditions agreed upon for us to get custody of you. It's a rule we must follow."

"Then I'll sleep in the basement as well," I announced.

A stern expression appeared on Levi's face and he looked at me, "I won't allow you to do that. If you were to be hurt or even killed by him, the promise I made to your brother would be meaningless. I will not fail your brother, because of your ignorance."

I gritted my teeth. I opened my mouth to argue but he held his hand up to me.

"Kaira, I've said what I had to say. Now that's the end of it. I don't want to hear another word," he said harshly.

Levi turned his attention to Eren and Petra who were left speechless from the way he spoke to me. "I'll take a look at the rooms. Eren, you help with this room," he said nonchalant and walked out.

Seeing what had happened, Petra tried to lighten the mood. She looked at Eren and commented, "You've got quite a despairing look on your face, Eren."

Eren looked over at her a bit surprised.

"Ah, I'll be calling you Eren," she stated. "Captain Levi does the same. Here, his word is the law."

Eren quickly responded to what she had said, "Right. I don't mind that, but did I really have a despairing look on my face?"

Petra let out a soft laugh, "It's not surprising at all. He doesn't come across as the perfect, invulnerable hero people think he is, does he? The true Levi is surprisingly short, irritable, violent, and hard to approach."

Hearing what she just said, I snickered and replied, "He made that very clear a moment ago."

A look of sympathy crossed Petra's face and she said to me, "Levi only spoke to you that way, because you're his responsibility. After he gave his word to your brother that he'd watch over you, you basically became his family. So he's just watching out for you the way he thinks your brother would've."

I fell silent, because Petra's words pierced right through me. I had never given it much thought before. The fact that my brother entrusted my safety to Levi told me that Eric had found someone he could confide in. I was precious to my brother and he knew that if something were to happen and he could no longer be there for me, he needed someone who would protect me with everything they had. With that in mind, my brother knew exactly what he was doing when he chose Levi.

Noticing I was deep in thought, Eren looked to Petra and said,"His personality didn't surprise me as much as the way he obediently accepts the decisions of the higher ups."

She turned to look at him and asked, "Did you think that, as strong as he is, he wouldn't care about rank or the chain of command?"

"Yes. I expected him not to acquiesce to anyone's words," he responded.

Petra thought for a moment before saying, "I don't know the details myself, but I heard he was pretty much like that originally."

Both Eren and I turned our full attention on Petra as she spoke.

"Before joining the Scouts, he was a famous thug in the capital's underworld," she explained.

I shook my head after hearing this and asked, "But then, why?"

Petra stopped me and quickly responded, "I don't know exactly what happened. He was taken in to the Scouts under Commander Erwin's hands."

Eren's eyes widened, "The Commander?"

"Hey, Eren!" Levi's voice came from outside in the hall.

Immediately Eren averted his gaze to Levi when he came into view and answered, "Yes, sir?"

"It's no good at all. Redo it all from scratch," he said walking into the room.

"Yes, sir," Eren said and walked out of the room.

I watched as Levi went back to cleaning and asked, "Is it all right if I go help him?"

Levi looked at me and thought for a moment. After a minute or so, he finally nodded his head and answered, "I guess you can."

"Thank you," I said with a smile and left the room.

After hours of cleaning, Levi informed us that we could all take a break. Everyone met in a spare room to eat some dinner and drink some tea.

I looked around the table at everyone and saw that they were all enjoying themselves. Eren was even having a conversation with Levi. Even though I was with everyone, I somehow felt lonely and faraway. I pushed my seat back and got to my feet.

Everyone immediately turned their attention toward me.

Levi looked at me concerned and asked, "Kaira, what is it?"

I couldn't bring myself to look at him, "I'm sorry. But I need to excuse myself."

Without giving anyone the chance to speak up, I hurried to the door and exited the room. In the hall, I could hear the hushed voices coming from everyone. Not wanting someone to come out and try to stop me, I ran through the hall and made my way up to the battlement.

As soon as I was outside on the battlement, I dropped to my knees and buried my face into my hands. What is wrong with me? I lifted my head and looked up to see the stars sparkling in the sky. Looking up into the night sky, my mind flashed back to a time when my family was still alive.

Looking out the window at the stars, I laid my head down on my arms. I felt a hand on my shoulder and I turned around to see Mom standing there.

She knelt down beside me and looked out the window. A smile crossed her face, "The stars are really shining tonight."

I looked at her and questioned, "Mommy, why do they sparkle like that?"

Mom gently pressed her head against mine, "Because your loved ones are smiling down at you."

My eyes brightened and I reached my hand up toward the window, "Papa and Grandma are up there?"

"Yes they are, sweetie, and every night they're smiling and watching over you," she said softly.

I turned to look into her eyes and asked, "Will you smile down at me one day?"

She took me in her arms, "Kaira, I will always be with you. I love you, my sweet little girl."

Tears filled my eyes as I stared up into the sky. Dad, Mom, and Eric were all looking down at me and smiling. I saw a shooting star pass by and the tears began to fall.

"Kaira, is everything all right?" I heard someone ask from behind. I looked back over my shoulder and saw Levi standing there.

He walked over and knelt down beside me. He looked at me worriedly and asked, "Why are you crying?"

I averted my gaze and didn't answer him.

He gently placed his hand under my face and turned me to look at him, "What is it? Please tell me."

Without even thinking, I hugged him and began to cry out, "I miss them!"

I must have taken him by surprise, because he flinched and held his hands back. But I soon felt his arms wrap around me.

He gently rubbed my back and spoke softly, "I know, I know. It's all right."

I hugged him tighter, "Please don't leave me...I'm sorry for the way I acted."

He pulled away and looked into my eyes, "Kaira, what are you talking about?"

"I know I'm ignorant but I didn't mean to argue with you," I said sadly.

He wiped a tear from my face with his thumb, "I'm sorry for saying such things. You don't have to worry about that anymore."

I shook my head at him, "No. My brother placed me in your care. If I go against you, then I go against him. If that happens, you're going to leave me too."

Levi took me back in his arms, "I made a promise to your brother. Kaira, I'm not going to leave you. You hear me? I won't leave you alone."

I just nodded my head and continued to cry softly. I'm not sure how much time passed but I didn't want to leave. I felt safe in his arms.

"What were you doing up here anyway?"

I looked up at him and wiped the tears from my eyes. I then looked up at the stars, "I once asked my mom why the stars sparkled. She told me that it was my loved ones smiling down at me." I fell silent for a moment before saying, "Dad, Mom, and Eric are smiling down at me right now."

Levi looked up at the stars and said, "Of course they are. And I'm sure they're all watching over you and keeping you safe."

As we were watching the stars, we heard someone step up onto the battlement.

I looked over my shoulder and saw Eren. 

He stepped back a little when I had noticed him, "I'm sorry. I'm not interrupting, am I?"

Levi looked back at him and asked, "What are you doing up here?"

"After Kaira left so suddenly, I thought I'd look for her to see if she was okay. I looked everywhere, except for the battlement. So I came up here and here you are," Eren explained.

Levi got to his feet and walked over to Eren. He laid a hand on his shoulder, "Thanks for coming to look for her."

Eren nodded his head and asked, "Is she okay?"

Hearing his question to Levi, I got to my feet and looked at Eren. I smiled at him and then looked back at the stars, "I am now."

I made my way back to Levi and Eren. I smiled sweetly at the both of them and said, "Thank you for everything."

Eren smiled back at me. Levi just nodded but I could tell by his eyes that he was smiling on the inside.

After remembering what Mom had told me about the stars, I was given some more encouragement. I know my family is gone but I've gained a new one. These people around me now have become my everything. I'm not alone anymore.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Two days had gone by since we arrived at the old HQ. I was tending to the horses when I heard someone approaching. I looked up to see Levi standing there with my ODM gear. I tilted my head in confusion and asked, "Why do you have that?"

"You're going to need it where we're going," he said with a slight smile.

My face lit up and I immediately asked, "We're going over the Wall?"

He nodded his head, "Yes. We'll be taking Eren out for a field test."

I was confused yet again, "A field test?"

Levi nodded his head, "Yes. I want to see if anything outside the Wall triggers Eren to transform into a Titan."

I was uncertain about this whole thing. I cleared my throat and asked him, "Umm, are you sure that's a good idea?"

"I guess we're going to find out. Come on, we're going to be having a discussion about this with the others," he said and motioned me to follow him.

I set the bucket of food for the horses down on the floor. I then walked up beside Levi and we made our way into the building.

In a small meeting room, I sat at the table across from Levi and Eren. I looked at Eren closely and could see a slight expression of worry on his face.

Levi stood up from his chair and looked around at everyone, "In less than three hours we will be venturing out beyond Wall Rose to conduct a field test. This field test is to see if anything outside the Wall triggers Eren's Titan formation and whether he's able to control it. Now everyone knows that running into a Titan is possible. But we don't have a choice."

A frightened expression appeared on Petra's face, "Captain, this is absurd. What if something does trigger Eren to transform and he goes rogue? We would all get killed."

I looked toward Petra, because I didn't quite understand what she meant. I then caught a glimpse of Oruo, Eld, and Gunther and saw that they all had the same expression as Petra. It was then that I realized they were all afraid of Eren. This angered me a bit, because we're supposed to trust Eren just as he's to trust us. We're a team. But more than that, we're a family.

I got to my feet after my sudden realization. I looked around at Petra, Oruo, Eld, and Gunther, "Levi and I trust Eren just as you should. I know the fact that he can turn into a Titan can be a little scary but he's our only hope in reclaiming Wall Maria. I know we're a team but we're also family. When you're part of a family, you watch over each other. This field test is not just a test for Eren, but for all of us. It's a test to see if we can rely on each other for support and protection. I don't know about you, but I'm going to go out there today and give it my all."

A silence fell over the room, before Petra looked up with an apologetic smile and said, "Kaira's right. I was afraid but now I know that I have to trust Eren, my team that's become a family, and myself." She took a moment and looked over at Eren, "I've got your back."

Oruo glanced over at Eld and Gunther and then over to Eren, "We all do."

Eren smiled back at everyone, "Thank you and I'll give it my all as well."

Levi came and stood beside me. "You're almost as good as your brother at giving speeches. He'd be very proud of you. They all would," he whispered.

I smiled at him, "I'm doing this for them."

He patted me on the shoulder and then looked at everyone, "I want you all to start preparing for the expedition. We leave no later than midday."

"Yes, sir," they all said and saluted in unison.

As everyone began to leave the room, Eren approached me. He looked at me sincerely and said, "Thank you for what you said. I was a little worried at first but you were able to bring them around. I'm glad your with us."

I smiled at him, "I just sort of went along with what I felt. I wouldn't want them to not trust you after they took you into the Scouts in order to keep you safe. But I believe we all know what we have to do."

"You're right," he said with a smile on his face. A few minutes passed and he began to fidget, "Well I better go and get ready. Maybe we can ride together."

Just as I was about to say something back to him, Levi walked up between us. He looked at the both of us and said, "You two will be riding behind me. You're the ones I really have to keep an eye on."

"Yes, sir," Eren said shyly and left the room.

I stifled a laugh and looked at Levi, "I think you scared him."

"Good. Maybe he'll keep his distance from you," he said deviously.

Something was happening here. I crossed my arms, "What's that supposed to mean?"

He pointed at my face and answered, "I saw the way you were looking at him. I may have a cold expression but even I know what that look means."

My face reddened a little and I quickly defended myself, "I was not looking at him like that." I fell silent for a moment and smiled, "We're just friends."

Levi just nodded his head and simply said, "If you say so."

Just as I was about to argue, he cut me off, "Putting that matter aside, we need to discuss a few things."

I looked at him a little worried and asked, "What is it?"

He motioned to my ODM gear that he had laid on the table. He walked over and pulled out a handle and attached to it was a blade. He looked back over at me, "Did Eric or even your parents ever tell you how to kill a Titan?"

My eyes widened at the blade but at the realization of his question, I backed away in surprise, "No. They never told me anything. They probably never thought that one day I'd be fighting these creatures myself."

Levi nodded his head and placed the blade on the table, "You're right. But if you're going out beyond the Wall, you need to be prepared." He walked over to a chalkboard hanging on the wall and motioned me to follow him.

I followed him up to the board and watched him draw out his best representation of a Titan. I let out a small laugh, because his fighting skills are probably more impressive than his drawing.

He looked back over his shoulder and glared at me, "Kaira, I want you to listen to me very carefully. You hear me?"

I nodded my head at him and answered, "I understand."

"I don't have enough time to properly train you, so this will have to do." He drew a circle at the base of the Titan's neck, "This right here is a Titan's weak spot. You make a clear cut through and you'll kill it. You can stall a Titan by slashing at anything else on its body but it only stops them for a few minutes. All Titans are different but they all share the same hunger for humans." He let out a sigh and looked back at me, "I didn't even want to take you beyond the Wall. But it didn't feel right if I just left you behind all by yourself. Listen to me, Kaira, I want you to stay as close to me as you can. If anything goes wrong, I don't want you to die because of my stupidity."

I fell silent for a moment, before I met his eyes and said, "Do you even know what you're saying? There is nothing wrong with what you're doing. Sure my life might be more risked, because I know nothing of what's beyond the Wall. But you're making my promise to my family come true." I walked over and looked out the window, "Beyond this Wall is where I can be the closest to my family. Ever since my parents told me about the things beyond the Wall, I promised myself that I was going to see it. It all feels like a dream but I'm going to be able to see all those wonderful things today and that's all because of you." I looked back at Levi and smiled sweetly, "Thank you."

Just as midday was approaching, I walked out of the old castle with a bag full of supplies. As I made my way over to my horse, I looked around and saw everyone all mounted and ready to go. I tied my bag to the saddle and got on. I looked down at my ODM gear and a smile crossed my face. 

Levi turned his horse to look back at all of us, "All right, let's head out."

This is it. Today is the day that I actually make my way beyond the Wall. I was finally going to be set free.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Making our way to the gate that would lead us out of Wall Rose, we had to ride through the town. Several people watched as we passed by. I looked around at everyone and soon spotted Erwin standing amongst them. A smile spread across my face and I brought my horse to a stop. I leapt from my horse and ran into the crowd.

"Kaira, where are you going!?" I heard Levi shout from behind.

As I pushed my way through, I tripped over someone's boot and fell down on my hands and knees. I grimaced a little as a sharp pain shot through my hands but I soon forgot about that when a shadow appeared above me. I looked up and saw the Commander looking down at me.

With a smile on his face, he offered me his hand and said, "Someone's excited."

I took his hand and he helped me to my feet. I happily smiled back at him, "I'm going beyond the Wall." I gave him a hug and said, "This is also possible because of you. Thank you so much."

We pulled away and he laid a hand on my shoulder, "You're very welcome." He looked up in the direction from where I came, "You better get going. Levi's not looking too happy." He looked back down at me and sincerely said, "You take care of yourself out there."

I nodded my head and gave the traditional salute, "Yes, sir."

I made my way back over to the group to find Levi glaring at me. I just smiled at him and mounted my horse as we began on our way again.

As we rode on, Eren looked over at me and said, "You and the Commander seem to be close."

"He's like an uncle to me. I wasn't very close to him at first. Actually when I was told by him that I had lost my parents, I lunged at him with a knife. Luckily my brother was there to stop me. But ever since my brother's death and being put into Levi's care, I've gotten to know the Commander better," I said to him.

As time went by, I decided to ask him, "Do you have anyone watching over you?"

He smiled and nodded his head, "I have Mikasa and Armin. Mikasa's more like a sister and Armin is my best friend. They're always there for me."

I smiled back at him, "I'm glad you're not alone."

Time seemed to slow down as we rode on through the town. But soon we found ourselves approaching the stone gate. As we approached, soldiers that were standing nearby began to raise the gate to let us through.

As we were nearing the entrance, Levi spoke to all of us, "All right, everyone, this is it. We're entering the place where Titans rule. Be sure to keep your eyes open."

It was as if Levi's words went through one ear and out the other. I was listening to what he said but being this close to the outside world has just gotten me very excited. I was absolutely awestruck as we passed through the gate. I looked around and saw bright green grass everywhere. I looked up to the sky and felt the warmth of the sun on my face. Tears began to fill my eyes. I looked back over my shoulder as the gate closed behind us. I smiled happily and quitely said to myself, "I'm free."

As we rode through the grassland, Levi looked over his shoulder at me, "What do you think, Kaira?"

"This is great! It's so much better than I thought it would be," I said with a smile.

Levi nodded his head and then spoke to Eren, "How you feeling, Eren?"

Eren looked up at him and answered, "I feel fine, sir."

"All right, that's what I wanted to hear," he said gladly.

I'm not sure how much time went by. But as we were riding, I began to notice that it was very quiet. When we first left the gate, I could hear birds but now there was nothing. I just began to get the feeling that something was off.

"Hey, Kaira. What's wrong?" I heard Eren ask from beside me.

I looked at him concerned, "It's too quiet."

Just as Eren was about to say something, Petra cried out, "Captain! There's three Titans approaching from our left!"

I immediately looked to the left a saw three Titans that were about 7m tall coming our way. My eyes widened and I clutched the reins tightly in my hands.

Levi looked back at us, "Petra and Oruo, I want you to take the Titan on the left. Eld and Gunther, you'll take the one on the right. I'll take the one in the middle. Eren and Kaira, I want the two of you to stay back."

Before either me or Eren could get a word in, the others went riding off toward the Titans.

Eren and I both stopped our horses and watched as the rest of our team approached the Titans. We watched in silence as a fight pursued.

"Tch. I should be out there helping them," Eren said with a look of frustration.

I turned my attention to him, "No! Levi told us both to stay here." I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "We have to trust them"

It wasn't long before we heard three loud thuds. I looked back up toward the way Levi and the others rode off to and saw them returning. I breathed a sigh of relief and a smile found its way onto my face.

Levi approached and looked at Eren and I, "Come on, let's go."

And just like that, we were on our way again.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Riding for what seemed like forever, we came upon a patch of giant trees. I looked up in awe, because this is one of the things my family had mentioned. I couldn't believe that I was actually seeing it with my own eyes.

Levi came to a stop and turned around to look at us, "We're going to set up a small base right here. Remember to remain vigilent."

We all dismounted and began unpacking our things.

Carrying my bag over my shoulder, I walked over to Levi. I looked at him and said, "That was really impressive back there. I can't believe you guys defeated them all."

Levi looked at me and pulled me aside, "How did Eren react?"

"He seemed a little upset. He said that he should've been out there helping," I answered him.

He thought for a moment before asking, "So there was no difference in the way he acted?"

"None that I could see," I said.

He nodded his head and looked in Eren's direction, "That's good. Perhaps everything will go fine." He turned back to me, "You better go place your bags with the others. We've got things to do."

I passed by Eld and Gunther as they started to get a fire built. As I set my bag down with the others, I looked over to see Oruo with a cloth to his mouth and Petra was scolding him.

I made my way over to them and asked, "What happened?"

Petra let out a sigh. She pointed at Oruo and said, "This idiot never learns to keep his mouth shut when he's on his horse." She turned her gaze to him, "One of these days you're going to bite your tongue off."

Oruo tried to argue with her but couldn't due to the cloth inside his mouth.

I stifled a laugh and pat Oruo on the shoulder, "I really think you should listen to Petra. It sounds like she knows what she's talking about."

Shaking his head, Oruo rolled his eyes and said nothing.

Turning my attention away from Oruo and Petra, I looked over and saw Eren tending to the horses. A smile crossed my face as one of the horse's tried to eat at Eren's hair.

"Looks like someone could care less about the oats in the bucket," I said to Eren as I approached from behind.

He tried to push the horse away, "You think?"

I let out a laugh, reached into my pocket, and pulled out an apple I had grabbed from my bag. I made a clicking sound with my tongue, "Come here, boy. Look what I got." I held the apple out in my hand and watched the horse carefully. Releasing Eren's hair, he let out a snort and trotted over to me. He gently took the apple from my hand and ate it. I his muzzle and spoke softly, "You're such a good boy."

"So you have a way with animals?" Eren asked.

I looked over at him with a smile and answered, "I guess so. As a kid, I was always out playing with stray dogs and cats. My mom always told me that the animals took a liking to me, because I have a kind heart."

Eren smiled a little and lowered his head. He stayed that way for a moment before looking back up and meeting my eyes, "I believe what she said is true."

My face reddened and I averted my gaze, "Thank you." I looked back at him and quietly said, "I'm going to go check in with Levi and see what's going on."

He opened his mouth to say something but before he could, I turned and walked away.

What's going on with me? I became so nervous when Eren said that to me. This isn't like me at all. Could what Levi said be true? Do I like Eren more than a friend? I don't know what to do. I've never experienced this before.

As I was lost in my thoughts and not paying attention to where I was going, I soon made contact with something hard and very rough. I quickly backed away and found that I had hit a tree. I let out a groan and rubbed my forehead.

"Kaira, what are you doing?" Levi's voice came from behind.

By now my face was beet red. I cleared my throat and turned to face him, "I'm not doing anything."

"Don't even say that. I just watched you walk into a tree head on," he said crossing his arms.

I peeked around him to where Eren was still standing with the horse. I fiddled with my hands and asked, "You don't think Eren saw, do you?"

"Eren? What does he have to do-" Levi stopped midsentence and grabbed me by the arm. He looked me in the eyes, "Kaira, tell me you're not thinking what I think you're thinking."

"It's your fault. You're the one who said all those weird things," I said quietly.

He shook his head in disbelief, "No, no, no. You should've just ignored me." 

I lowered my head and spoke softly, "I can't ignore you. You're my guardian. It's only natural that I'd listen to you." I let out a sigh, "If you don't want me to...I won't."

Levi remained quiet for a moment before saying, "I guess I can't really say anything, because it's going to happen sooner or later." He lifted my face to look me in the eyes once more, "Kaira, I just want you to watch over yourself. All right?"

My eyes sparkled and a smile crossed my face. I looked at him and sincerely said, "I'll be sure to."

He ruffled my hair, "Come on, I have to gather and talk to the others."

I nodded my head at him and we both made our way over to the others.

Levi looked around at everyone and said, "I want everyone to equip themselves with their ODM gear. We'll be heading into the trees shortly."

"The trees? What business do we have going in there?" I asked in confusion.

Levi turned to me, "We're going on a hunt. Our objective lies in those woods."

"What exactly are we hunting?" I continued to question.

"Anything we can find. Rabbits. Deer. Bear. Titans," he said with a smirk.

I looked back over my shoulder at the trees and I swear they appeared larger than they were a minute ago. I swallowed the lump in my throat and tried my best to remain calm. I guess the thought of running into a Titan amongst those trees was getting to me. But I knew sooner or later I'd have to face off with one. I joined the Scouts, after all.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Everyone was equipped and ready to go within minutes. Levi ordered Eld and Gunther to stay back and keep watch over the horses.

Levi wielded one of his blades and said to the rest of us, "So it begins."

I walked beside Eren as we made our way into the forest.

"You nervous?" he asked me.

I looked over at him and nodded my head, "A little bit. This is my first time using the ODM gear. I'm not quite sure if I can do it."

He smiled at me, "A word of advice. ODM gear has a lot to do with balance. As long as you find your center of gravity, you shouldn't have a problem. But if you do, I'll be there to help you."

I smiled back at him sweetly and said, "Eren, I'm glad you're here."

Walking amongst the trees, Levi deployed his ODM gear and placed himself on top of a branch. He looked down at the rest of us and motioned us to follow suit.

I watched as the others joined Levi up in the trees. I looked down at my gear and clicked a small bottom. I gasped as I was shot up onto the branch. Standing atop of the branch, I looked down at the ground and let out a sigh.

"Don't worry. You'll get the hang of it," Levi said from behind.

I looked over at him with a smile and nodded my head.

"Oruo and Petra, you two pair up. Eren and Kaira, you'll be together. Bring back anything you can find," Levi said to us.

"Wait. Levi, you're going off on your own?" I asked him.

He nodded his head at me and said, "Everything will be fine. You just stay with your partner."

I shook my head, "No. Going off on your own is just stupid."

Petra placed a hand on my shoulder. "Kaira, you shouldn't worry too much. Levi's considered humanity's strongest. He's killed many Titans on his own. There's really nothing to worry about," she assured me.

I wanted to argue but decided against it, because Petra knew Levi better than I did. So I just trusted her words and prayed nothing would go wrong.

Splitting up into our pairs, Eren and I went shooting through the trees. I still found it hard to believe that I was actually outside the Wall. It was such an exhilarating feeling.

Making my way through the trees, I was steadily getting used to how the ODM gear works. A smile crossed my face as the wind went through my hair, because it actually felt like I was flying free the way a bird does.

"What's got you smiling so big?" Eren's question brought me back to reality.

I looked over at him and said, "The promise I made my family."

Eren and I stopped ourselves on a branch.

He looked at me intrigued and asked, "What promise?"

My smile softened, "Every time my parents came back from a Scout mission, they would tell my brother and I about all the wonderful things they saw beyond the Wall. Well I made a promise with my parents that I would get to see those things one day." I took a moment to look around and continued, "I'm  happy that I fulfilled that promise. But I wish I was sharing it with my family."

Eren cupped my face in his hands. His teal-green eyes gazed deeply into mine. He caressed my face gently with his thumb and softly said, "You already are."

Without even thinking about it, I moved forward and embraced him. I felt his arms wrap around me and it made me happy. 

I don't know how long we embraced each other but time seemed to have stopped at the moment. But our sweet embrace was interrupted when we heard a loud stomping noise that echoed through the trees.

I broke away from Eren and frantically asked, "What was that?"

He narrowed his eyes and clenched his teeth in anger, "Titans."

"Kaira, you stay here," Eren said seriously as he extracted both his blades.

I was just about to say something but before I could, Eren took off towards the noise and was out of sight within seconds.

I looked out in the direction he went in disbelief, because I couldn't believe that he left me all alone. I gritted my teeth, pulled out my blades, and went after him. 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Leaving me behind like this. Is he crazy?" I muttered to myself as I zipped through the trees.

I know I went in the same direction Eren had gone but there's no sign of him. Another loud noise penetrated through the trees and I became a little worried. I had no idea where anyone was. I was alone in this unfamiliar place. Rushing through the trees, I soon saw light ahead and figured I was close to the edge of the forest. Coming upon the opening, I was suddenly yanked back violently into a tree. I winced in pain from the impact. I looked up to see the lines from my ODM gear had gotten tangled on a branch. I immediately looked down and saw that both my blades were lying on the ground below me. My attention was pulled away from my blades when a terrifying screech pierced through the trees. 

A frightened look crossed my face and I looked around frantically. What was that? I thought to myself. I tried to yank my lines from the branch but they were too tightly bound. All of a sudden I was overcome with a terrible feeling. I swallowed the lump in my throat and looked out toward the opening. My whole body went numb at the sight of several Titans making their way into the forest. I could feel the vibrations from every step they took. I began to panic. I tugged helplessly at the lines but nothing was happening. I dropped my head in defeat as tears formed in my eyes. There's no way out. Was this the end? I had just gotten to live out my dream of going beyond the Wall and now I was going to die. Tears began to fall as I recalled past memories of Dad, Mom, and Eric.

"Eric! They're back! Daddy and Mommy are home!" I shouted happily as I looked out through the window.

Eric opened the door just as Mom and Dad were making their way up the path toward our house.

I jumped down from the chair I was standing on and rushed out the door. I ran down the path toward my parents, "Mommy! Daddy!"

Mom knelt down and reached her arms out to me. 

A smile spread across my face as I reached her and wrapped my arms around her. I snuggled into her neck and said, "I missed you so much, Mommy."

She hugged me tightly and got to her feet, "I missed you too, sweetheart."

Dad walked over and ruffled my hair, "Well aren't you happy to see us?"

I giggled and nodded my head.

"I'm sorry. I tried to catch her but she was out the door before I knew it," Eric said as he joined us in the street.

Dad walked over and patted him on the back, "It's all right, son. Thanks for taking care of her while we were gone."

Still hugging Mom, I suddenly let out a gasp and pulled away. I looked at her with wide eyes and asked, "What did you see? Tell us, tell us!"

Mom let out a laugh and said, "Let's get back to the house first."

Back at the house, Eric and I sat on the floor in front of our parents in anticipation. I hugged my doll tightly in my arms.

Mom looked at us with a smile and said, "Our trip beyond the Wall was a success. We saw a body of water today that sparkled when the sun shone upon it. We saw several butterflies in a field with lots of different colored flowers. It was so beautiful."

"Mommy, I want to see the butterflies. Can I?" I asked sweetly.

Mom my face and looked at me lovingly, "It's a whole new world out there. But I promise, one day you will get to see it, Kaira."

My thoughts were abrubtly interrupted by the sound of an explosion and I could see smoke coming from beyond the trees. I had no idea what was going on. I looked back toward the Titans and saw that they were getting closer. 

I took a deep breath and looked to the sky, "Dad. Mom. Eric. I may be coming to join you sooner than I thought. But it's not so bad...I got to go beyond the Wall and we'll all be together again." I looked back in the direction of the Titans and closed my eyes, ready to accept my fate.

My eyes suddenly shot open at the sound of another terrifying screech. I looked out toward the Titans and watched anxiously as a Titan rushed out from the trees and began attacking the others. My eyes widened at the sight before my eyes. What was going on?

"What do you think you're doing?" I heard a familiar voice say from up above.

I gasped and looked up toward the branch to see Levi standing there. I smiled up at him and said, "I sort of got stuck."

He shook his head at me and began pulling me up. He got me onto the branch and cut the lines from my ODM gear. He looked over me carefully and asked, "Are you hurt anywhere?"

"I don't think so," I answered.

A look of relief spread across his face, "Good. Let's get you out of here."

I wrapped my arms around him and we were on our way.

As we were making our way through the trees, I looked back at the Titans and asked Levi, "What was happening back there? Why was that Titan attacking the others? I don't get it."

"I'd say Eren's doing what he thinks is right," he said to me.

My eyes widened at the words that he spoke. That Titan back there was Eren?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

  Levi took me out of the forest and brought me back to where Eld and Gunther were waiting.

"Kaira, I want you to stay here. I'm going to go back with Oruo and Petra," Levi said to me.

I grabbed onto his arm and looked at him with a pleading look in my eyes, "You'll get Eren back, right?"

He placed his hand over mine and softly said, "I'll do my best."

"I know you will. You come back to, Levi," I said with a small smile.

He nodded his head and headed back into the forest.

I'm not sure how long I waited but every minute that passed by without Levi and the others returning left me feeling very uneasy. Both Eld and Gunther tried to assure me that everything was all right but after everything I had gone through, it was very hard to believe them. I sat there thinking what I would do if anything happened to Levi. If I lost him, I would be all alone again. Then my mind drifted to Eren and tears began to well up in my eyes. I've never known someone like him and before I knew it in a short amount of time, he's become someone important to me.

"The Captain's back!" Eld's voice broke me out of my thoughts.

I quickly looked over and saw Levi and the others. I looked more closely and saw that Eren was slumped over Levi's shoulders. I gasped and rushed over.

My whole body went cold at the sight of Eren; his face was white and there were cuts all over. I his face and softly said, "Eren?"

Levi looked over at me and said, "Kaira, there's no need to worry. He's just unconscious. He should wake up in an hour or so. But we need to get his body warmed up."

I followed Levi up to our small base and into a tent that we had set up. Levi laid Eren down and pulled some blankets over him.

"Kaira, I need to tell you something," Levi said to me.

I looked at him with fear in my eyes, "What is it? What's wrong?"

He let out a sigh and looked over at Eren, "Kaira, Eren saved you."

I didn't quite understand what he was saying. I shook my head and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Eren never really left you. He was always keeping an eye on you, something I should've done. He saw you get tangled up in the tree and spotted the Titans coming your way. It was at that moment he transformed into a Titan in order to keep you safe," he explained to me.

I took Eren's hand in mine and it. A tear fell and I asked Levi, "Why would he do such a thing? He could've gotten himself killed."

Levi got to his feet and cleared his throat, "I think that's pretty obvious."

I was about to say something but he cut me off and said, "Stay with him. I'm going to go help the others prepare for our departure. We leave before nightfall."

With that being said, Levi exited the tent and left me there with Eren.

Half an hour went by and there was no sign of Eren waking up. I sat there at his side with his hand in mine and spoke softly, "Eren? If you can hear me, please let me know. I can't take not knowing if you're okay..." My voice began to trail off as tears fell from my eyes.

I sat there crying softly and suddenly I felt pressure around my hand. I looked down through teary eyes and saw that Eren had gripped his hand around mine. I gasped and looked up, "Eren?"

Eren slowly opened his eyes at the sound of my voice. He looked at me and smiled weakly.

I sighed in relief, because everything was all right. I lowered my head and wiped the tears from my eyes, "Eren, why did you do that? I thought you had left me, but you were actually there the whole time. You could've gotten yourself killed by saving me. You should've have just left-"

I was suddenly cut off by Eren's lips colliding with mine. My eyes widened.

Eren broke away and looked at me. He my face gently and wiped a tear from my eye, "There was no way I was going to leave you behind. I love you, Kaira."

"I love you too, Eren," I said back to him as I wrapped my arms around him in a warm embrace.

He pulled away slightly and his lips met mine again. 

I melted into his kiss as I was overwhelmed with this intense feeling of happiness.

After informing Levi that Eren had woken up, we began to make our ride back to Wall Rose.

____________________________________________________

  A few weeks had gone by since we ventured out beyond the Wall for a field test. Life in Trost has more or less returned to normal, though the Titans are still a threat. My family house had been put back together and I was now living there on my own. 

I was sitting at the table when there was a knock at the door. I got up from my chair and opened the door to find Levi standing there. A smile crossed my face and I said to him, "Hello, Captain."

He shook his head as a small smile appeared on his face. 

"Come on in," I said as I moved aside to let him in.

He walked inside. He looked around and asked, "How are you settling in?"

I scoped the room and said to him, "I'm glad I was able to continue living here. I didn't mind living in the Scout's building but this is really where I belong."

He nodded his head, "Your family would've wanted it this way."

I agreed with him and decided to ask, "How's Eren been doing?"

"Hange has been doing more experiments but nothing to be concerned about. But speaking of Eren, he asked me to give you this," Levi reached into his pocket and pulled out a note. He handed it to me and said, "Must be some note to make him as nervous as he was."

I smiled happily and took the note from Levi. I opened it and began to read it silently.

Kaira,

Meet me on top of Wall Rose before sunset. I'll be waiting for you.

Eren

My face reddened and I tucked the note into my pocket. I looked up at Levi with a smile still on my face, "I've got to go."

Levi let out a small laugh, "I figured you were going to say that. Kaira, take care of yourself."

I gave him a hug and said, "Of course. Levi, thank you for everything."

We said our goodbyes and left the house.

I walked down the main path and soon found myself standing at the foot of Wall Rose. I looked at a soldier standing nearby and kindly said, "I need to be hoisted, please."

The soldier nodded his head at me and I went and stood on the platform. I was hoisted up to the top.

I got to the top and stepped onto the Wall. I looked over and saw Eren speaking with Commander Pyxis. I walked over to join them.

Commander Pyxis saw me walking over and said, "Well if it isn't, Miss Cooper. How you doing?"

"I'm doing fine, thanks. I actually came to meet him," I locked arms with Eren and leaned closer to him.

Eren looked down at me and smiled, "I missed you."

Commander Pyxis smiled at the both of us and said, "I'll leave you two kids alone. Remember to stay clear of the edge."

I watched Commander Pyxis walk away. I turned to Eren, "I heard from Levi that Hange's been doing more experiments. Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine. Come here," Eren took me by the hand and lead me over to the edge of the Wall, close enough to look over. He looked out over the horizon and said, "Even with all those Titans roaming the land out there, it's still so beautiful."

I squeezed Eren's hand, because what he said was true. The world out there is and will always be beautiful, we just have to look past the Titans. I finally understood that that's what my family was trying to tell me.

I looked up at Eren admiringly and softly said, "I love you."

He smiled at me and pulled me into a loving kiss just as the sun began to set, emitting a orange/pink glow all around us.

 

THE END