Attack on Titan Fanfiction (Not Sexual) (UPDATE)

Chapter 1 - Nightmares This story is rated PG-13 for moderate violence and mild profanity
It was a chilly morning. The sun was going to come up soon and Eren was sitting on the edge of Wall Rose. He looked out over the abandoned part of Wall Maria. He pointed to where his house used to be and closed his eyes. Instantly the smile filled his mind. That terrible smile. It still haunted him. He could hear his mother scream as the gargantuan hands picked her up. He heard the crunch. That terrible crunch. He heard the bones breaking. The tendons snapping as the Titan crushed his mother between his teeth. He felt a hand on his shoulder and his eyes shot open. His sweat was cold and his teeth were clenched. His girlfriend, Sasha was standing behind him. “Eren… Are you ok?” She looked down at him worried. "Yeah, I'm fine…" he slowly stood up and jammed his hands in his pockets. He started walking down the wall with long strides. Sasha jogged to keep up. "Hey! What're you doing out here?" She asked as she walked beside him. "Thinking." He replied sternly. He had been reliving that day every night for the past week. He couldn't get it out of his head no matter how hard he tried. The Survey Corps was preparing for another expedition. It had been 3 years since his first. Three new sets of soldiers. Erwin was no longer the commander of the Survey Corps. Levi had gotten a promotion. Eren was his closest thing to a friend and they spent most of their time together. Eren needed a break. He stopped suddenly. "What's the matter Eren, please, let me help you." Sasha whispered in his ear. He turned and jumped off the wall. He used his maneuver gear and zipped through the city, weaving in and out of Titans. He did this a lot when he was feeling down. The rush of taunting death was addicting to him. After a while he checked his gas. "S***," he muttered to himself, "hopefully I have enough gas to get back over the wall." Sasha had not given chase. She had learned better. She sat on the wall waiting for him to return as she knew he would. Armin walked up next to her. "What's wrong Sasha?" he asked as he sat down next to her. "Eren go on another adventure?" She nodded solemnly and pulled her legs into her chest. Armin put his arm around her. "It's ok Sasha, he'll be fine, just like he always is." She threw his arm off, "That's not it! The constant worrying, the stress, the emotions, I can't take it!" She grabbed Armin and started sobbing into his chest. Armin sat there in shock for a moment before he wrapped her in his cloak and hugged her. Eren landed a little ways down the wall and saw them. "Sasha? Armin?" He sprinted towards them and fell to his knees. "Sasha? What happened!?" He put his arms around her and nodded his thanks to Armin. Sasha looked up with a blotchy face and tears streaming down her face. "I can't take this Eren! Your impulsive decisions are driving me insane!" She threw her head into his chest and kept crying. He pulled her close and cried with her, angry at himself for doing this. "Sasha I'm sorry, I had no idea! Why didn't you say anything sooner?" She looked up at him and smiled sadly, "because I love you and I just wanted you to be happy. But it's been three years and you still make the same childish decisions!" She stood up and started walking away. Eren could only watch helplessly as the beautiful 17 year old girl disappeared into the stairwell. He turned to Armin. "Come on. We have to check in with Levi."
 
Chapter 2 - Commander Levi
Levi sat at his desk. The large room echoed every movement he made. He had asked to move several times but had been denied every time. The entire room was spotless. There wasn't a speck of dust anywhere. His assistant popped her head through the door, "Eren and Armin are here to check in, Sir." She said cheerily. He had handpicked her from Erwin's staff. He liked her optimism and bright spirit. "Send 'em in." He muttered. Her head disappeared and Armin and Eren replaced it as they walked through the large oak doors. They had intricate carvings of decapitated Titans next to busts of famous battle heroes. Mikasa was on that door. She had been caught by surprise the last time the Female Titan had appeared, two years ago. Annie had broken out of her chrysalis and escaped military forces. Eren had fought her off in his Titan form. Annie had taken refuge somewhere in the ravaged part of Wall Maria.  "Sir!" Eren and Armin said in unison. They put their fists over their chests. "At ease," Levi said as he stood up. He walked around his desk and stood in front of the boys. Both were taller than him, but they still had the upmost respect for him. They put their hands at their sides and sat down. "Anything interesting?" Levi asked as he poured them each a glass of whiskey. Eren had recently turned 19 and Armin was about to be 18 1/2. Eren was 6' and 160lbs of pure muscle. Armin was 5'7 and 140lbs, but still as strong as any man his age. Levi set the glasses in front of them and sat behind his desk. Eren cleared his throat and took a sip of the whiskey. "No, sir. Everything's running smoothly and the  preparations for the next expedition are on schedule." Levi nodded and turned. "How is the education coming along for the newest recruits, Armin?" "Very good sir. Those who need extra help are getting it and are staying caught up. We have a very bright group of soldiers." Levi, Eren, and Armin were a very tight knit group of friends. Levi missed going into combat but he knew he was too old to help. The training for new cadets had been lengthened to 5 years instead of three. The cadets were much more prepared for combat and much more lethal than they had been before the first expedition. Mikasa had been the best instructor the military had until she had perished, but the troops still received excellent training from the best soldiers in the Survey Corps and Garrison. The amount of cadets choosing the Military Police had greatly decreased since the incident with the Female Titan. Levi was feeling very optimistic about the next expedition. The Survey Corps was bigger than it had been in decades. Three thousand soldiers, probably more. They had nearly three times the amount they had during the previous expedition. "You two are dismissed. Thank you." Levi said as he went back to his paperwork. Eren and Armin stood up and saluted. They turned and walked out and thanked his secretary. They walked out of the door and started walking to the gate leading out of Wall Sina.
 
Chapter 3 - Preparations
Christa walked into the classroom. She looked at all the young faces. It seemed like forever ago that she had been sitting in this very room learning the exact same things. It had only been 3 years. She was only 16. She was smart as a whip. "Class take out your journals. Today's question: What do you do if an 8-meter class Aborrant is headed straight for you after you have spotted yellow smoke rounds near your location?" The students sat their confused. They had never heard of this situation. A group of boys in the back whispered to eachother. Many of the boys hit on and flirted with her. She always ignored them. She was happily engaged to Reiner Braun. The boys knew it and whenever he visited all her students behaved exceptionally well. After all, he was a very intimidating man. One of the finest soldiers the Survey Corps had to offer with size to match his skills. The last of the students closed their journals as Krista woke up from the day dream she often slipped into during journal time. "Alright, now down to business," she said cheerfully as she pulled a few items out of a closet in the corner of the classroom. Among them was a flare gun and several brightly colored cartridges. "Today we're going to learn how to actually use the flare guns. As she was getting ready to explain what each part did, Jean walked in for the daily check in. "Everything is on schedule Jean," Christa muttered as she did everyday. "I know Christa, but you know the rules." He smiled and closed the door as he went to the next class. Reiner sure is lucky, he thought to himself. Christa was cute as a button. Every man in the Survey Corps wanted her for themselves.
Jean poked his head into the next room. "Hey Dad!" Ashley yelled. "Hello little Ashely. Are you obeying your teacher?" He asked in a mocking tone. "Oh yeah! We're learning how maneuver gear actually works!" She said enthusiasticly. Jean smiled softly as he reminisced to his days as a trainee. It all happened so quickly. He wished he had savored it more. The teacher nodded to him and he nodded back. Jean quietly closed the door behind him and walked back to his office. He sat down and sighed. "The expedition is only a few months away. Everything seems to be going smoothly but if there's a hitch now it'll be hard to fix it in time." He started back to his paperwork and tried to push the thoughts of doubt out of his head.
 
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When Jean left the school, he quickly jogged to the laboratory. He ran in and slipped his labcoat on and ran to join his colleagues. "Dimera! How's the project coming along?" He asked as he approached the group of scientists at quite a brisk pace. "Great sir! We should have a functioning prototype by the end of the week!"
She said chipperly. "Excellent!" He said over his shoulder. "Toko! How are the food experiments coming along?" He nudged the young scientist as he looked over his shoulder. "Very good sir! The food appears to react positively when the compound is applied. Whether it is reacting the way we WANT it to is another matter." He laughed and continued his experiments. Jean patted his shoulder and went into the large office at the back. He walked around the group assembled there and sat at the head of the table. "Sorry I'm late everybody, little extra paperwork at the school today." He chuckled and looked at the papers in front of him.
He glanced at the woman at the other end of the long table. "Royame. Says here you've been looking into how to make more gas-efficient maneuver gear. Please elaborate." He sat back and let her have the floor as she showed diagrams and graphs for hours. Finally at around 10 o'clock at night she told him she was done and sat down. He sat there pondering for a moment before slamming the table. Most of the other scientists had fallen asleep. He pointed to the four that had stayed awake. "I want all of you to begin making prototypes for this tomorrow, understood?" They all nodded quickly. He stood up, all 170cm of him. He stretched before addressing the entire room, "Dismissed." They all saluted before heading out the door. The lab floor was empty, as the scientists were relieved at 9 and replaced by the night watch. He waved to a few of the guards that he knew and closed the door behind him.
 
Chapter 4 - Fight in the Forest
Petra pulled her blue blades out of the Titan's neck. Yeah, well, these don't work too well, she thought as she looked at the broken blades. The oddly colored blades were a new prototype Jean and his nerd squad had been working on. She ejected them and snapped on the normal blades. The ropes shot out of her maneuver gear and she squeezed the hilt of her katanas. The gas shot her towards the Titan her ropes had embedded themselves in. "10-meter class! Going in for the kill!" She shouted to the other soldiers fighting around her. She wrapped around its neck and planted her feet on its back. "Die, f*****!" She thrust her blades into the back of its neck and pulled them out. She used her 3-D gear to get to a nearby tree as the colossal body fell to the ground.  "Rotten piece of s***," she mumbled under her breath. "8-meter class, from the North!" Her comrade yelled from a short distance away. She heard the footsteps and shot over next to another soldier. They stood and watched another group take down the monster. "That all of 'em?" She asked the scout next to her. "Yeah. All that came at us at least." The scout turned around and headed back to the wall. "Everybody, fall back!" Petra yelled. She shot up a green smoke round to signal that the mission had been accomplished and it was time to return. She turned herself and started flying through the trees like a monkey, as if she had lived in them her whole life.
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Petra stood at the stove cooking some meat for dinner. The 20 year old girl eagerly
Awaited for her husband to get home. She heard the door open and smiled. "Hello?" Armin said from the doorway as he put his maneuver gear in the closet and hung his cloak up. She walked over and hugged him tightly and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Armin smiled and kissed her back. "What’s for dinner?" he asked as he did every day. "Chicken and sushi," she replied as she stirred the meat in the water. "What'd your squad do today?" Armin asked as he sat at the table. He would always sit in the same spot and watch his wife in the kitchen, she looked so relaxed and happy. "Oh, just a normal patrol. We ran into some Titans but I-I-I just watched." Armin stood up and walked over to her. He looked into her eyes. "You're lying." He said in her face. "What? I am not!" She was sweating lightly but tried to look confident. "You exaggerated an odd syllable. That's your tell." he looked at her more sternly and by the look in her eyes he knew he was right. "Ok, so maybe I killed a few but it's fine! I wasn't in danger!" She tried to assure him but she knew he wasn’t buying it. "You can't be doing this! You're three months pregnant! We're gonna be parents soon! If I lose you and him… I don't know what I'll do… Please, promise me you won't fight anymore. At least until you have the baby." He took her hands and rubbed them softly. He knew she loved the rush of killing the rotten things, but she had to be more careful. "Alright, I promise." She smiled at him and squeezed his hands. Maybe he'd buy it. Maybe he wouldn't. Either way she knew she couldn't stay away. As hard as she tried, the temptation was just too much. Armin sat back down and Petra poured out the food onto two plates. She brought them over and sat down at the other end from Armin. They chit-chatted as they ate and when they were done Armin took the dishes and put them in the cleaning bucket to soak overnight. He walked into their room and saw Petra sleeping and quietly slipped in next to her. He thought of how amazing it was going to be to be a father and eventually fell asleep.
 
Chapter 5 - The Dawn Approaches
The horses had been reined. All the medical supplies were packed and distributed. The flares were packed in the saddlebags. All the trainees were ready. They had spent months with final preparations. Everything had to be ready. This expedition had to be more successful or people would lose hope in the Survey Corps. Levi stood on the balcony of his office. He looked out at the large mass below  him. He smiled. It was a rare event. But he smiled. He was very confident that this expedition would unlock the key to the information they needed. Their only mission was to get to Eren Yeager's basement and discover what was hidden there. They weren't going to use the same plan as last time. There were too many people. They had changed the meaning of the different color smoke rounds. Green meant a squad was detaching to kill an individual Titan. Yellow meant a squad was detaching to kill 2-5 Titans. Red meant a group of 6 or more Titans was coming and they needed support. The closest squad would shoot another red round in response and go to aid them. A black round meant a squad was detaching to kill an Aberrant. A purple round meant an Aberrant had come up fast and penetrated the layer of soldiers that fired the round and was headed to the middle. Lastly, blue meant there was something that couldn't be handled quickly and they needed to change course. This was a last ditch option and was encouraged to not be used if it didn't have to be. Levi held his hand up and the large group fell silent. "Today. You will be leaving the walls. You will be leaving the safety that you have grown up knowing your entire lives. You will venture out into what was once ours and take revenge on those that took it from us. But you also have a mission to accomplish. You are going to venture to Eren Yeager's house in Shiganshina to recover the information we believe is kept in his basement. This information could be the key to understanding the Titans. Where they come from, why they exist, and maybe how we can defeat them, once and for all." He paused and took a deep breath. "Some of you will not return. That is impossible to prevent. The only advice I can give you. Is to ensure that your death is not in vain. Avenge your fallen comrades. Don't try to be a hero. Those are the ones that will die first. The best way to avoid getting eaten by a Titan is to avoid them altogether. But we won't cower by running away from those beasts. We will strike them down swiftly and quickly. They will not impede our progress. Today we fight!" He looked over the crowd and looked at their faces. They were all so young. So full of integrity. "Today we fight back! We destroy those who have held us hostage for so many years! Today we learn their secrets! Now go! GO!" He screamed. The horses whinnied. The soldiers shouted. Orders were being barked everywhere. Slowly the large mass started moving towards the gate. He watched them cross the threshold and begin to fan out. The cannons on the walls fired barrages at the Titans nearby to help escort them out. The last squad crossed over, out into the open and the gate was shut. He saw a small dot turn and salute. He knew. He saluted back to Eren and walked into his office. This will be better than last time… I know it will be.
 
Chapter 6 - Adventure into the Open
Eren sat on his horse with Armin to his right and Jean to his left. It felt good to be out in action again. He sat high in his saddle and smiled. The wind on his face and the horse between his legs felt good. Before long he saw green and yellow smoke rounds being fired off. He almost wished he was on the outside, getting to kill Titans. He saw a purple round shot off directly ahead of them. His heart got a little faster. He half hoped the Aberrant would get to where he was. He saw another purple round go up, a little closer this time.. His heartbeat got a little faster. After a few minutes he saw a green smoke round and was a little disappointed. The Aberrant had been killed and they would continue on as normal. Eren slumped down in his saddle and pouted for a few minutes. "Eren, what's wrong?" Armin asked as he noticed his friends mood. "This is boring. I miss the action." Eren said as he sat up. He looked up and saw the sun had moved a considerable amount since the last time he looked. They would have to find an abandoned fort soon if they wanted to sleep safely. In a few hours the sun was going down and the Survey Corps was herding their horses into the stables next to the fort. Everybody was filing inside and looking for cozy places to sleep. The Elite squads got first dibs on beds, but to keep their "tough guy" reputation they usually slept curled up in corners. Eren and Armin found a small closet and huddled up in opposite corners. "Goodnight Eren," Armin mumbled as he yawned. Eren nodded back to him and closed his eyes. He dreamt of Sasha, sleeping safe and sound. He dreamt of them in the future, married. He saw their kid. There was a flash of lightning and it turned into a nightmare. His kid was screaming in the hands of a Titan. Sasha's legs were a few meters away. Eren was standing there helpless. He turned around and saw it. That terrifying smiling Titan. He reached down and picked up Eren. Eren couldn't move. He was paralyzed with fear. Just as the Titan bit down on Eren's neck, he woke up screaming with Armin shaking his shoulders. "Eren! Wake up! Eren!!!" Armin yelled as he violently thrasher Eren around. "Yeah! I'm awake! I'm awake, stop!!!" Eren shoved Armin away. He pulled his legs into his chest and sat there shaking for a while. "I'm okay Armin. Just give me a minute." Armin walked away to get something to eat. Eren saw the sun had come up. He stood up a bit shaky and went to find Sasha. He found her eating with her girlfriends and sighed with relief. She was safe. He sat down with Jean and Armin and saw a few of his other friends as well. He saw Reiner and nodded his hello as he stuffed his face with field rations. They didn't taste the best, but they filled you up enough to get you through the day. Reiner stood up and pounded on the table a few times. Everybody fell silent and looked towards him. “We are departing in one hour. Be on your horse and in tight formation, ready to leave by then.” He sat back down and finished the last few bites of his food. People started leaving and eventually the only ones left were Eren, Armin, and Jean. There was only a few minutes left. “Alright, I guess we should leave.” Eren mumbled. They walked out and mounted up there horses. They were the last ones in formation and the large group pulled out a few seconds later. The small group of friends were never very punctual, but always got where they needed to be on time. They assumed their spot in the middle rear, and the clopping of horse hooves escorted them away from the fort.
 

END PART 1


Chapter 7
Another day on the plains meant another boring day for Eren. He sat in his saddle pouting as they trod along dirt paths and through small forests. He hated being in the "safe" spot. But he also knew it was a blessing. Watching Levi's entire squad get killed, trying to protect him… He still regretted not shifting sooner. Gunther's dad was heartbroken. He told him that he took full responsibility for his death. If he would've shifted, maybe he would've lived. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to save your son, Mr. Schultz… His death is entirely my fault." Mr. Schultz forgave him but still had to live with a heavy heart. Eren saw a purple smoke round go up but soon after a green canister shot through the smoke and he settled back into his saddle. "You really shouldn't be so upset Eren." Jean said as he pulled up next to him. "We're the lucky ones. Luckily we only lost 10 soldiers yesterday. That alone is a huge improvement over the 500 we lost in a few hours the last time." Eren knew he was right but that didn’t mean he had to like it. He saw a blue round go up. Seconds later a few more squads confirmed it. That must be a huge group of Titans. Levi had been very clear that using blue was a last resort. Then blue and purple started getting smoke rounds. All of Squad Levi shot up a green smoke round. This was a signal for everybody to collapse back into a smaller group. Quickly more and more squads started coming in. All the squads were there except 2. The two missing  were the ones that initiated the blue smoke. Eren sent 5 squads to go check it out and sent Jean with them. Shortly after the group came back with 4 more people. "The Female Titan is back! The Female Titan is back!" He heard voices in the distance yelling. He gasped and immediately went to bite his thumb. Armin grabbed his hand. "Wait Eren! Maybe we don't need to do that this time!" Eren looked down at his thumb. (Creepy guy) limp body flashed through his mind. "No! I'm not taking that risk again! Everybody clear away!!!" Everybody shuffled about 50 feet away. Eren chomped down on his hand. There was a flash of lightning. Steam engulfed the spot where Eren had been standing. Slowly it cleared away. The Titan stood there, muscles rippling, steam flowing off his body like a waterfall. Levi had given Eren's Titan form the code name "Joseph." Nobody knew where the name came from or why he picked it but everybody liked it all the same. "Joseph" stood there in the harsh rays of the sun. Now he could see her. Being higher up, he could see her coming. She wasn't sprinting, but when your legs are 8 meters long, you don’t need to run to go fast. He looked her in the eye. This time Annie… this time you wont be so lucky. I have hundreds of soldiers. No, not soldiers, friends, to back me up. Almost in response he saw other heads pop above the horizon. Titans. Tons of them. He layed his hand on the ground, palm up. Armin walked in. Eren lifted his hand. He whispered to him.
"Many Titan. Prepare troop." He set him back down and started running to face Annie.
"Annie brought more Titans with her! We need to keep them away from Eren so he can fight Annie! Come on!" He reined his horse back and began galloping after "Joseph." Soon after the entire force of
remaining troops rallied behind him and were rushing to support Eren. Everybody knew this would be a hard fight. Eren may very well lose. But they couldn’t give up on. With Armin at the head of the pack, a huge shockwave broke over his face.
"Joseph has made contact! Quickly now, everybody!" Armin whipped the reins of his horse and charged on, more determined than ever. If only Mikasa were here… She would know what to do. What if I get these people all killed? He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked over to see Jean.
"Armin! I'm with you!" He yelled over the wind rushing past their faces. Armin looked back and was amazed at what he saw. Thousands of young soldiers, charging forward to help a person they barely even
knew yet greatly respected.
"Just keep the Titan's away from Eren and Annie!" Armin screamed behind him. He heard the order being yelled back through the surging mass as he deployed his maneuver gear and was lifted off his horse.

Chapter 8 - Clash of the Titans (hehe)

An ear-tearing roar bellowed throughout the valley. Eren knew if he wanted to beat her he couldn’t do it in an open area. He saw a forest close by and knew he had to get Annie over there. He caught her kick and threw her several hundred meters towards the forest. He followed up and dove on top of her. He smashed her face and dragged her too her feet. Annie stood there trying to pull her arms up. He spun around and planted his foot in her stomach. She went sprawling several hundred more meters towards the forest.
"Everybody follow Eren!" Armin yelled as he realized what was happening. He flew back to his horse and
turned to  follow the two behemoths. The shockwaves were battering the soldiers, every throw sent another shock through the ground. Eren made one last kick and got her into the forest. The other Titans were slowly trudging towards the two fighting giants, smiles on their faces. The Survey Corps soldiers slipped off their cloaks. They flew up into the trees and started slaughtering the Titans as they walked across the tree line. Eren and Annie stood in a clearing inside the forest. They looked at eachother for a long time. Annie stood in her infamous fighting stance. Eren stood with his arms at his sides, crouched low. His glowing blue eyes looked straight at Annie, suspended in a mass of nerves. Eren had done a lot of training. Not just normal training, but Hanji had helped him train while in his Titan form. He had learned how to move more quickly and how to control the regeneration process. He had begun to learn how to harden parts of his body but it was difficult for him and very energy consuming. The most important thing he had learned was how to counteract it when Annie hardened her skin. Eren let out a roar and raised his fists up. He slowly slid his feet apart. He needed to be ready to attack or be attacked. He took a cautious step forward, keeping his gravity low. He took another. He saw her muscles tensing. They were exposed after all. He faked a lunge to test her reaction. She began to lift her leg but quickly put it down. Okay. So she still fights the same way. Eren knew how to counteract her fighting style. Many of the new trainees had adapted and modified it. He faked again and got the same result. This is what I've been training for. He jumped high into the air and came down on her, leading with a devastating punch to her shoulder. He knew he had hit it home. Her arm hung limp at her side. He knew it would regenerate quickly. He had to keep her handicapped in some way, at all times. He faked a punch and kicked her hard in the kneecap. He heard the kneecap pop out of place. She began lifting her injured arm. He upper cut her in the stomach. She keeled over and he threw her head into his knee. She flailed her arms. He had taken her eyes out. He quickly kicked her shoulder and reached down to her legs. He stomped on her toes and spun her body around. He saw her foot turn around backwards. Annie toppled to the ground. Armin pulled his blades out of a Titan's neck.
"Eren! Hurry! We can't hold them off forever!" Armin flew over another Titan and buried his blades in its
neck. Eren fell on top of Annie and drove his elbow into the back of her knees. She was squirming and batting at him with her arms. He pushed her shoulder down and pulled her arm out of the socket. He did the same with the other. He hardened his fingers. He dug into Annie's neck. Felt the small and fragile human body in his hand. He pulled her out. He tapped her head and watched her body go limp. He lied down with his hand outstretched and clenched loosely. Eren emerged from the giant Titan body. Steam poured out of the hole in the neck. Eren stumbled along the arm of the empty titan carcass and scooped Annie's limp body out of the hand. The body was already deteriorating.
"Armin! Everybody needs to retreat to the south side of the forest!" Eren screamed. The entire forest was
clouded with steam. Eren started running toward the edge of the forest. He saw soldiers flying above him.
"Hey! You!" he called to a passing soldier. He handed her Annie's body. "If she starts waking up, you knock
her right back out, got it!?" The soldier nodded and flew away. Eren kept running. He felt himself being lifted up. He snapped his head around and saw Jean aiming his maneuver gear. Jean was designated to pickup Eren when he was without maneuver gear. Eren climbed onto his back. They had practiced this often. Jean kept on soaring to the edge of the forest. They reached the open valley. Most of the soldiers had gotten there.
"Everybody get into formation! The rest will catch up!" Eren yelled. Everybody quickly got into their
compact formation. The formation had many holes and gaps. Eren shot up a normal, glowing flare. Everybody started moving as more people joined the group and rushed to their spots. After about 15 minutes the soldiers stopped coming in. Eren kept the group riding for another 30 minutes. He shot up another flare. Everybody stopped and they pulled into a smaller group. Eren took a headcount.
"Nine. We only lost nine…" Eren mumbled. The most important person that was missing was Ymir. He shook it off. Armin pulled up and sat next to him. "Where's Annie!?" Eren yelled. The soldier he had given her too came forward.
"I had to knock her out again. That was about ten minutes ago." The soldier mumbled. He handed the
Blonde girls limp body to Eren and sunk back into the mass.
"Tie her up. Every part of her body. Put protective padding over her entire body. Any way that she could hurt herself. Prevent it. And strip her naked. Can't have another ring incident." He smirked down at her
and handed her off to another soldier close by.


Chapter 9 - The Train Chugs Along
The group was back on track. They were steadily plodding towards Shiganshina and to Eren's basement. Every now and then a smoke round would go up but nothing major was happening. Eren had made the decision that Annie was to be executed. They couldn't have another incident. They had burned her body the previous day. Everything had been very civil and humane. Ymir was still missing, along with another 2nd year soldier whose body had not been recovered. They were listed as KIA as of now. It had been 5 days since the Female Titan battle had occurred. Armin had a large cut on his forehead from a flying branch during the battle. Eren was still exhausted. Just from hardening his fingers to penetrate Annie's hardened nape, it had required an extreme amount of energy. He sat limp on his horses back, still sleeping. Jean had put him on his horse. He had been sleeping for nearly 12 hours. People were starting to get worried. The large group kept moving. Here and there a titan would pop up but today is was particularly smooth sailing. The quiet was making everybody uneasy.
"Armin. Does anything feel strange to you?" Jean questioned from his saddle. As the day had gone on, not
many smoke rounds had gone up. The ones that had were for individual and rarely a small group of titans.
"Yeah. Its so quiet. Not just the titans but just the air. It's almost silent. No wind, no birds, no dogs barking.
It's weird." He shuddered on the last word and retook his searching the horizon. Everybody was a little on edge. It was almost as if the entire legion was holding their breath, waiting for something to happen. Eren bolt upright in his saddle.
"What's going on!? Where am I!?" He frantically tried to pull his sword out. Armin reached over and grabbed
His arm.
"Eren! It's ok! We put you in your saddle so you didn’t get woken up. You were asleep for 12 hours," Armin
Mumbled. "We were getting worried." Eren let the blade slide back into his maneuver gear. He put the hilt back under his cloak.
"Sorry about that. I just got really confused." Eren looked down solemnly and let the reins rest in his hands.


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