The Vessel

By: White Ink Penpal

I started out as a girl without memories in a foreign land, and life took a
turn for the worse after that. Sakura-centric.

Status: ongoing

Published: 2014-01-18

Updated: 2021-03-17

Words: 302185

Chapters: 31

Rated: Fiction M - Language: English - Genre: Drama/Adventure -

Characters: [Sakura H., Levi A.] Eren Y., Mikasa A. - Reviews: 1,299 -
Favs: 2,346 - Follows: 2,480

Original source: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10032202/1/The-Vessel

Exported with the assistance of FicHub.net

The Vessel
Introduction
Prologue: Fall
Resolve
Surviving
102nd Trainees Squad
Fake
Offered Hearts
Sensor
SOS
Baggage
Motion
Petrichor
Reunion
Aftermath
Mission
Framing
Limit
Burn
Beyond the Wall
The Hidden Enemies
In the Darkness
Litgard
Breach
The Ninja Way
Breathe
Leaf
The Great Noble House of the Burgeis
Family
The Ackermans
Queen
Relax
A Poor Scheme
Prologue: Fall
Reading guide for this chapter:

"Normal talk."

"Japanese."

" Jutsu. "

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from both SnK and Naruto. I

do own the plot, however. I also do not own the image but credit
to the anime.

The first thing she remembered was falling.

Her body ached, especially her stomach, and she could tell that her
shoulder was dislocated and her ankle was sprained. How did she
know this? Oh, she was a medical ninja, yes, that's why. Her arms
shook in restrained pain, and there was a dull throb in the back of
her head that, although not life threatening, was incredibly
uncomfortable to the point of eliciting a groan.

The ground was soft, and she could feel both the sun beating on the
parts of her body not covered by a shade. She blearily opened her
eyes and observed the thick trees with mild fascination. They
reminded her of something, somewhere, but she couldn't exactly
remember what exactly. The lack of knowledge irked her, but at the
same time she had other things to worry about at the moment.

She carefully got up, hoping not to make her injuries worse. She
knew any normal person would have been rendered useless from
such pain, but she managed to handle it just fine. Some would say
mind over matter but… Yes, she had a high tolerance for pain
because she was a medical kunoichi.
Ah, there it was. She was a kunoichi, sworn to defend…

She frowned. Her memories seemed to stop there, or at least that

was all she could retrieve at the moment. Her name, though…

Her name was Sakura, though she couldn't quite remember her last
name, even after she went through different words in her mind; none
of them sounded familiar.

The kunoichi frowned momentarily, but then shrugged, or at least

attempted to before the pain made her grimace. Well, it was nigh
time to try to heal these injuries anyway.

She placed her hands over her ribs and let her subconscious lead
her movements, since she didn't quite remember how to use medical
ninjutsu to begin with. The familiar green light relaxed her and
alleviated her body, but she panicked when the light faded almost
immediately. Her body suddenly felt very heavy again, and she
cursed herself for not realizing her chakra exhaustion first and
foremost.

It's not that she didn't recognize it… More that she forgot how it felt…

The next time she woke up she was in a much softer place, possibly
a bed. She felt the pressure of bandages in her ribs and ankle, the
dull ache of her rather well-set shoulder, and the wetness of a cloth
on her forehead. Sakura opened her eyes and wasn't surprised to
see a wooden roof. The light seeping through the small window in
her room gave the impression of mid-morning, maybe around nine,
which meant that she had passed out for at least a day. That was a
sound judgement considering her chakra reserves had improved
from the day before.

She gingerly got up, making sure not to agitate her wounds any
further. After double-checking her reserves to not make yesterday's
blunder, she placed her hands over her ribs and felt the cooling of
her chakra mending her broken bones. After a couple of minutes the
tightness in her chest dissipated completely and she could breathe
easily once again. She wanted to carry on to finish the job with her
shoulder and ankle, but she was still not in her full strength and
didn't want to cause another chakra exhaustion.

Sakura sat at the edge of the bed and warily observed her
surroundings. Her bed was at the far side of the room, with a night
stand next to it with a lamp that seemed to burn on oil. Her whole
room was made out of wood, which was slightly dangerous if her
lamp really did burn oil. Other than the bed and nightstand, the room
was devoid of any furniture.

Her sensitive ears heard slow, light tread in the other side of the
house. The house must've been small, because maybe even without
her chakra-enhanced hearing she might've heard the footsteps of
this home's inhabitant. The frailty behind the movement was weak,
which meant that if need be, Sakura could quickly eliminate the
threat and be on her way. Though the ruthlessness behind her
thoughts surprised a small part of her mind, a larger part of her
psyche was more focused on keeping her alive.

She got up and made her way to the door, making sure to slowly
push it open so as to not attract any attention. A small woman with
gray hair was washing her dishes in the sink, though she got the
water from a bucket. The sight shouldn't have surprised her, but for
some reason she found it odd. There must've been an easier way to
get water… right?

"Hello?"

The old woman dropped a dish and whirled around, staring at her
with wide brown eyes. Her face was wrinkled and not well treated,
and her yellow shirt and beige skirt were dull from use. Speaking of
which, the woman must've changed her out of her ninja clothes and
lent her the white shirt and black skirt she was wearing. Though the
airiness was comfortable, she preferred her pants.
"I… I just wanted to thank you for helping me with my injuries. I could
have died out there so for that… Is there something wrong?"

The woman just stared at her, and her mouth opened slightly.

Sakura looked around, trying to find the source of her astonishment,

but she found none. She turned back to the woman and cleared her
throat awkwardly. "Um, is there something in my face?"

The woman opened her mouth, and Sakura wanted to whimper

when she heard what the woman said.

She didn't understand a single word.

All that I knew was that my name was Sakura, and that I could heal
and fight.

I didn't know where I came from, whom I was supposed to protect, or

where I was.

The moment she spoke in a language I couldn't understand was the

moment I truly broke.

Because that was when I realized I was alone, and no one would
recognize me.

The first week was a bit awkward for both Sakura and Helsa. Most of
their communication resembled a crude game of charades, if they
even managed to get their point across. What Sakura did manage to
convey with growing proficiency was her hunger and thirst, which
Helsa regarded with open amusement. Though she didn't
understand where she was or how she got there, Sakura detested
the idea of being a free loader and helped Helsa with whatever she
could, especially the more physical chores.
They lived around thirty minutes from the nearest town, near the
woods where Helsa had found an unconscious Sakura. Helsa had
taken her there three days after her arrival, and although she
couldn't understand a word that anyone said, Sakura knew she was
asking around to see if anyone knew her. Sakura knew she was
pretty unforgettable; her pink hair and bright green eyes made her
almost impossible to forget or not recognize.

However, Helsa's attempts were always met with a shake of the

head.

It was in the first week that Sakura's depression set in. It was not
that she missed anyone, because she realized that her amnesia had
taken a new form and she couldn't remember absolutely anybody
other than herself, and even that was a rather blurry. What caused
her to sink in the depths of despair was her loneliness. Not only was
she unable to communicate with anyone, but she quickly found out
she was the only one with the ability to manipulate chakra, making
her somewhat of an anomaly in this world. Even gentle Helsa
became a bit wary the first time Sakura lifted a table with ease. Soon
after that she quickly learned to gauge Helsa's strength and
mimicked a slightly enhanced version of hers to appear more
normal, but she knew Helsa wasn't going to forget.

So here she was, lonely and a freak. Maybe it was a small blessing
to have amnesia, because she knew she wouldn't be able to cope
with the homesickness.

However, what started as an uncomfortable relationship soon

became a relaxing companionship in a matter of weeks. Sakura's
worries of being kicked out of Helsa's home faded once she realized
the old woman liked having her around, even if she wasn't that great
of a conversation partner. Her fears were completely squashed when
Helsa brought a notebook and pencil one day and beckoned Sakura
to sit down on their small table. She drew pictures and wrote next to
them in a foreign alphabet, sounding them out and pointing at her
artwork.
Nouns were the easiest for her to learn, but verbs proved to be
tricky. Helsa tried her best to draw them and explain what was going
on, but Sakura was having problems conveying her sentences, and
her attempts usually ended with sheepish smiles and toothless
laughs.

"The girl run forest?" Sakura asked in broken German.

Helsa shook her head and said, "Wrong verb."

" This is all so frustrating," Sakura muttered in her native tongue.

Both women sat there, staring at the notebook as if it had the
answers to their problems. And in hindsight, the notebook had been
the answer to her problems before, but now they were starting to
understand the limitations the notebook brought. There was no way
Sakura could become proficient in a language with just that.

The woman stood up and slid her chair back in. "Come… going to
market." Though Sakura had problems conveying her thoughts, she
was picking up on what Helsa said with ease, at least when she
used simple verbs like "going to" and overused nouns like "market."

Sakura readied the basket meanwhile Helsa went for her money in
her room. She had been curious as to what Helsa did for a living,
considering she didn't have a husband or son that could work the
fields. A couple of days after their meeting Sakura had seen her
sewing her pants and long-sleeved shirt, and she realized that her
savior had a knack for sewing. In fact, she later deduced that the
worn clothes they had were her own creations, which were quiet
popular in Beinn, the town they frequented.

The walk there was peaceful, as it always was. Sakura found trees
to be strangely relaxing and familiar, though the reason was a
mystery considering her memories were inaccessible. She had tried
to communicate that to Helsa to see if she had any
recommendations, but she didn't know how to show amnesia. She
settled for saying "forgot my life," which elicited a sad look from
Helsa, a reply she couldn't understand, and a quiet dinner.
Sakura hadn't brought the topic again.

Beinn's commercial district was bustling with activity, with horses

moving carts filled with goods and people bartering for food and
produce in stalls on the streets. Even though people already knew of
Sakura's existence, she still managed to turn a few heads towards
her, and it always made her blush under the pressure of the stares.

They approached a stall that sold Sakura's favorite potatoes, but

instead of the usual blond seller, there was a woman with long black
hair and happy dark eyes. Helsa seemed rather content about this,
because they started chatting animatedly to the point that Sakura
easily lost track of the conversation. She knew that the topic was
about their lives, at least until Helsa said her name.

"… Sakura--"

"Sakura?" the black haired woman repeated, confused.

Helsa nodded and started explaining their meeting, if the words

"forest," "hurt," and "living" were of any indication. The black haired
woman was very interested in her, though, to the point that Sakura
became uncomfortable and started browsing the potatoes to see
which ones they would take.

" Do you understand what I am saying?" the woman asked in

Japanese.

Sakura whipped her head up and stared at her with wide eyes. Yes,
there was a very noticeable accent, but her sentence structure and
delivery were almost flawless. " I do… How do you know what I am
saying?"

Her answer seemed to please her greatly, because she smiled

widely, showing her slightly yellow teeth. " My grandparents came
from a land far away where they spoke this language, however it
seems I am the last one that does. Your name is very beautiful,
Sakura-san; even though I never saw them, that was all my
grandmother ever talked about."

She bowed slightly in respect and acceptance of her compliment. "

Thank you very much… Well, this is rude of me, but what is your
name?"

The woman blinked and laughed nervously. " Oh, if my grandmother

heard me she would be very disappointed of me. My name is Mikoto
Ackerman, though I guess you would say it Ackerman Mikoto."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Ackerman-san."

Mikoto turned to talk to Helsa for a couple of minutes. Since Sakura

couldn't quite follow the conversation very well, she settled for
observing her expressions. The Japanese woman was visibly
ecstatic, but there was a wariness behind Helsa's eyes that
disappeared the more Mikoto talked. Eventually Helsa agreed to
whatever Mikoto was proposing, which made her grin in happiness.

" Ah, Sakura-san, what would you say if you came to my house
every day to learn our language? Helsa tells me that she reached
the end of what she can teach you, but there is still much for you to
learn."

The pink-haired girl blinked in wonder, but then she smiled widely
and nodded enthusiastically to both Mikoto and Helsa. " That would
be wonderful! I would love to be able to have a conversation with
Helsa without trying to guess what we're saying."

Mikoto laughed and translated what Sakura said for Helsa to enjoy.
She grinned, showing her lack of teeth, and nodded along with her
statement. Sakura couldn't help but feel a bout of warmth for the
woman right then, considering that she knew her hesitance was not
for her fear of Sakura being distracted, but of trusting someone else
with the well-being of her housemate.
However, Sakura knew that somewhere in Helsa's mind she was
remembering her freakish strength and that must've assuaged her
doubts.

Even though I didn't have precious people to protect, I could see

myself wanting to protect Helsa, the woman who nursed and trusted
a stranger with the remnants of her youth.

Six Months Later

October 8th, 842

"Mikasa, can you bring the plates please?"

Sakura saw her trip before she started falling and quickly took the
plates and righted the younger girl with her other hand. Mikasa
stared at her with wide gray eyes, astonished at her ability and
swiftness, but Sakura just winked at her and placed an index finger
in front of her mouth playfully. The girl nodded gravely and mimicked
her gesture, the action so somber that it made her giggle.

" What are you two up to?" Mikoto asked, her voice light and
amused.

" Nothing," they replied in unison and giggled together.

"Help, Ackerman-san?" Sakura asked, eyeing the heavy laundry in

Mikoto's arms. Though her speech was still heavily-accented, she
could now quickly form sentences in her head with simple verbs,
something Mikoto was pleasantly impressed about, considering her
limited training. Sakura deduced she must've been someone smart
prior to losing her memory, something that made her chest swell with
pride.

"Oh, no, don't worry, Sakura. I heard that Erick needed help in the
fields. Help there?"
Sakura agreed wordlessly, quickly heading out to their fields and
spotting Mr. Ackerman working with his prized potatoes. Though
Sakura had kept her powers as a kunoichi hidden for the sake of
fitting in, both the Ackermans and Helsa knew about her freakish
strength, and they didn't hesitate to request her help. She didn't
mind, though; the times were rough and they could use every able-
bodied person at their disposal. In fact, it made Sakura happy to
know she could be of any use to them.

Erick Ackerman had started out as a very quiet, reserved man, but
he had soon warmed to his wife's pupil and showed his kind, happy
personality that he only seemed to have around Mikasa and Mikoto.
He had showed her how to plough a field as well as check the
overall health of the crops, which was quite the feat considering the
lack of available communication.

Both of them lost track of time, too engrossed in their work, and only
realized the sun would soon set when Mikoto calmed them back.
Sakura wiped her brow and walked inside, already thinking about the
excuse she would have to give Helsa for her tardiness. Though she
had only been with her for half a year, Helsa considered Sakura like
a granddaughter and protected her as such. She had confided to her
that she had lost both her husband and son to the titans, tall
humanoid creatures that inhabited this world and preyed on humans.
It had apparently been an accident, because they belonged to the
military division that was less involved in combat, the Garrison, but it
had happened and so here she was, a widow and childless.

The worst part was that she was barely forty but she looked old
enough to be a grandmother.

"Oh, Sakura, are you going to have dinner?"

She shook her head and chuckled nervously. "Helsa must be mad. I
am… ah… after hour? Late? "

"Late," Mikoto supplied gently.

"Yes, I am late."

Mikasa placed two plates on opposing chairs and Erick soon

followed, placing another pair. They all looked at each other and
grinned at Sakura. "Well, there's four plates set, so I guess it would
be a shame to waste so much food, right?" Erick, though kind, was
quite sneaky and knew how to get what he wanted.

Sakura sighed but she didn't restrain the smile that blossomed in her
face. She had been a bit nervous that there was the possibility that
she would never get her memories back, but being surrounded by
such wonderful people eased those worries and she soon realized
that she didn't miss those memories, because she had Helsa and
Mikoto and Mikasa and Erick to make new memories with.

Dinner was particularly eventful as Mikasa related her encounter with

the laws of nature right on her gardens. The strong dominated the
weak… It was both an inter and intra-species law, applied
mercilessly and almost without fail. That Mikasa had noticed it at
such early age was testament of her heightened perception and
intelligence.

She would make a suitable pupil when she grew a bit older. Perhaps
Mikoto or Erick would let her teach Mikasa a bit of taijutsu later on?
Well, first she had to go over the movements herself, of course.
Even though she innately remembered what she was supposed to
do, just like breathing, Sakura didn't think she was ready to pass on
the knowledge just yet.

After cleaning the dirty dishes, Sakura bid her farewell. The sky was
already dark, and she knew Helsa would probably choke her a little
tonight, but Sakura was feeling happy and satisfied with the turn her
life had taken so she was more than ready to take whatever
punishment Helsa deemed necessary.

Sakura looked around and, after making sure there was no one in
the vicinity, walked on the trees by coating the bottom of her feet with
chakra. Soon she was jumping effortlessly from tree to tree, barely
making the branches tilt under her weight. If someone was around to
see it, he would've thought she was flying. This exercise was
something Sakura could seldom do, considering that it had to be
night and she had to be alone for her to do it, since nobody seemed
able to use chakra or was even aware that jumping such long
distances was possible. Sakura had even questioned Mikoto about
the uses of chakra in her history and she had only given her a blank
stare before asking what chakra was.

There was a very high possibility that she was the only one able to
use chakra in this world, which meant that either her people were
secretive and reclusive or… less likely, she wasn't from this world.
But that was impossible, right? How would that be even possible
after all? Out of the two choices, it was much more likely and
preferable if her people, the shinobi and kunoichi, were secretive like
their profession. After all, that's what they were supposed to be and
do, after all. What kind of shinobi would-

Sakura skidded to a stop when she saw smoke rising from the
woods in the general direction her home was. She sped up, her body
almost a mirage as she ran faster than she had ever run before. The
apprehension and anxiousness in her gut worsened when she saw
the eager fire rising, rolling in the rooftops of their home by the wind.
She immediately barged in their small wooden house, quickly
locating Helsa because she was the only chakra signature in the
house, however frail and fleeting.

She crouched in front of her and gathered her in her arms, lifting her
as if she were weightless. "Sakura…?" Helsa murmured, before
coughing harshly, throwing specks of blood in Sakura's face. With
growing horror she stared at the blood dripping from Helsa's
stomach, coating her fingers in red.

As much as the curiosity was killing her, she needed to get out of the
burning house before they caught on fire or asphyxiated. However,
there was no way any normal human could logically flee the house,
so Sakura had to throw all caution to the wind and use her power as
a kunoichi to get them both out of there alive. With her chakra-
enhanced eyesight she picked the areas were the fire was the
weakest and jumped over them. Sakura could've sworn she
should've burned her legs, but instead felt the fire caress her. That
was something she would have to think about later on.

Once she was far away enough of the fire, she gently set Helsa
down on the grass floor. Even though she wanted to heal her as fast
as she could, she needed to find a way to put the fire down before it
spread to the forest and burned everything in its path. But how
exactly could she do that? The only things she remembered were
those innate to her person, like her chakra-enhanced strength,
agility, and senses. Then again, she could do medical ninjutsu, so
maybe she could to other kinds of ninjutsu?

The wind was carrying sparks of the fire further and further. The sight
would've been devastatingly beautiful had Sakura not been so
emotionally involved with the burning of her first home. She didn't
even notice her hands making the seals until she muttered, " Suiton:
Bakusui Shoha, " and her mouth released a wave of water that
crashed down on their home and quickly overwhelmed the flames.

Even though it had felt natural to use that ninjutsu, the amount of
chakra it consumed left her winded and exhausted. She was sure
out of shape to be rendered so useless after just one jutsu, which
meant that she should invest in training both her mind and body
more often after this.

Once she was sure the fire was fully extinguished, Sakura headed
back towards Helsa with a powerful jump. She landed roughly beside
her, but she was too preoccupied trying to stop the bleeding to mind
that much.

"Fine," she choked. "You'll be fine, Helsa. I promise you'll be okay, I'll
promise I'll save you. I promise I won't lose you."

Helsa placed a gentle hand above her hands after noticing the
healing light was flickering out of existence. "It is okay, Sakura. I am
old, and there are people I want to see on the other side… Thank
you for making the last months of my life… Ah, you don't know that
word. I guess happy will suffice. You are full of surprises."

"Who did this?" she asked, her voice mixed with sobs and rage as
she stopped the healing ninjutsu before she became exhausted.

Helsa shook her head sadly and squeezed her fingers. "They are
gone, but they don't matter, dear Sakura. Love is better motivation
than hate and revenge… Remember that, because when I did it was
far too late."

"I'm so sorry," Sakura muttered, holding back another cry. " If I hadn't
stopped training, if I had come home earlier, if I weren't so weak…"
Sakura stared at Helsa's unseeing eyes, knowing that she hadn't
heard a word of her apology. "… You would be alive."

Sakura retrieved her hands from her abdomen and stared from her
bloodied hands back to the open wound in her stomach, which was
still bleeding freely. Someone had broken into their home and
attacked her precious person. Though she had no idea why anyone
would prey on an old woman like Helsa, the end result was still the
same.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to her corpse.

But this time she didn't mean it.

She waited for half an hour besides her body, allowing her hot rage
to cool down to cold bloodlust. Once she was ready, she picked
Helsa's body up and ran to the ashes of their house, placing her
gently there until she found a suitable burial spot.

Right now, though, she needed to find the people that took away her
precious person.

Sakura didn't have much experience with tracking, and the only
experience she had been counting on was the one she had
forgotten. However, she was determined to not rest until she found
them. Even though she had given them a thirty minute head start,
she could cover that distance in less than ten minutes, so she had
the advantage there.

The trick was locating their chakra, and locating chakra in the middle
of a forest usually devoid of people at this time shouldn't be too hard.

And indeed, it hadn't been hard, at all. After fifteen minutes of

aimlessly jumping from branch to branch she felt four chakra
signatures walking leisurely away from her location, around five
minutes away. She headed that way and quickly caught up to them.
Once she was in their hearing range, she muffled her footsteps with
chakra and came close enough to hear their conversation. She had
to make sure they were the murderers, but she also wanted to know
why they set their house on fire and stabbed Helsa.

"… did we get?"

"Hn, almost nothing. Bitch was empty."

Her jaw clenched, and she held back her punch.

"That was not the point," a new voice pitched in. "Fear… We want
the farmlands to fear us."

"Word… people will know. Then we get money. Then… rich."

Sakura cursed her inability to speak more fluently, but by now she
had a rough idea of what they were trying to say. Helsa had been the
first (or at least she thought she was the first) of a series of attacks
preying on the people far away from congregated human
settlements. Despicable actions which led to extortion, but to get
there they needed to build a reputation, and the only way to become
infamous was by causing more crimes like the ones that happened
today.

That was all she needed to hear.

She readied her fist with chakra and leapt down from her tree branch
to land silently besides the outermost male of the band. Without
leaving them a chance to notice her, she punched him squarely in
the jaw, the power behind her fist so great that she ripped his head
out of his neck and sent it flying to a nearby trunk. Blood sprayed
from his neck, streams of blood dirtying her face and hair and the
new white shirt Helsa had gifted her two days ago.

The thugs jumped and yelled in surprise, but Sakura didn't give them
time to recover as she uppercutted the next man, sending his head
flying to the treetops. By now Sakura was starting to enjoy the noise
of cracking bones and ripped skin, and looked forward to hearing
what sounds the other two murderers would make.

By now the other two were prepared, if the glint of their knives in the
moonlight was of any indication. However, they were at a
disadvantage since Sakura could see much better than them and
she had superior reflexes. Both of them charged at her at the same
time, but Sakura quickly jumped out of the way, getting behind them
and punching them in the chest at the same time, feeling giddy when
she heard their spinal cords snapping beneath her fists. They
crumpled to the floor like puppets being cut from their strings.

In the midst of her adrenaline rush Sakura had not realized how
heavily she was breathing. If there had been another shinobi around
she would've been dead already. Had she been a pitiful excuse of a
kunoichi in her homeland?

She started becoming more aware of the blood on her face and
clothes and started cleaning her face with her stained hands, though
she was surprised when she felt something cooler making its way
down her cheeks.

Huh, so she had been crying all this time.

What a pitiful excuse of a kunoichi she really was.

Mikoto was the first one to hear the soft knocks on the door. She
turned around to look at her husband, who was peacefully asleep
after a day of tolling in the fields. Harvest day was getting closer, so
she knew Erick always gave it a little bit more these days. With that
thought in mind, she made her way to open the door to give Erick
some more time, noting as she passed the kitchen that it was barely
sunrise.

She closed her eyes in annoyance and opened the door. "I hope you
know…" She gaped at Sakura, who was drenched in blood and
staring at her with empty bloodshot eyes.

"I… I… I didn't know where else to go," she whispered.

She sounded so pitiful, so alone, so broken, that Mikoto decided to

forget she was drenched in blood and gave her a bone-crushing hug.
She stroked her hair, which was more red than pink right now, as she
sobbed into her shoulder.

"I promise I… I gave her a good burial."

" Shh, shh, I know you did, I know you did. I know you honored your
grandmother."

Sakura only cried harder.

It was then that I realized that even people without a past can feel
pain.

It was then that I realized that a kunoichi could lose to death.

It left a bitter taste in my mouth.

A taste I would experience many more times later on.

Jutsu used:
Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave

Okay, so just to clear things up, the Naruto universe I will be

using will be AU, which means that this Sakura will be AU too.
That is all I will reveal for now. And yes, that AU universe will
play a big role in this story, but much later on. As for Sakura's
amnesia, I researched retrograde amnesia as much as I could
but I had to take creative liberties to fit the story. I promise it will
make sense as the plot develops.

Speaking of plot, this story is currently a side-project so

depending on the response I receive I will put it on as a main
project and start developing plot intensively or I'll just write
when my muse dictates and I'm not feeling lazy.

Also, I wanted to try my hand at romance since I'm relatively

new at that, so I'll leave the pairing up to the readers. Please
keep in mind that Sakura is currently 17 so by the time the
manga storyline begins she will be 24~25.

Reviews are love.

Penpal
Resolve
Reading guide for this chapter:

"Talk."

" Japanese."

" Emphasis. "

Dinner that night was a tense and quiet affair. Sakura had explained
a very edited version of the events, saying that Helsa had
accidentally dropped her lamp and that had consequently set the
whole house on fire in a matter of seconds. Sakura got there just in
time to retrieve her from the building, but she had sustained a heavy
injury from a fallen piece of wood that had impaled her abdomen,
killing her a few minutes later from blood loss.

She had gone through great lengths to hide the bodies of the
bandits, looking for any missing appendages and then burying all of
their remains very deep in the earth. She knew no one was going to
miss them, considering they were relatively unknown and the only
one that knew about their crime had assassinated them not even an
hour later, but she still had to make sure nobody would accidentally
come across their corpses, especially the decapitated ones. That
would just raise unnecessary questions.

It had been a good thing that the Ackermans trusted Sakura's word.
It's not that she feared their retribution, because she was sure they
would say the thugs deserved what they got in a twisted way. No,
she feared their fear. She didn't want visit their house and have them
be on the edge, wandering if she was going to snap at them if they
so much as playfully insulted her. She didn't want them to think of
her as a cold-blooded murderer no better than the ones she had
killed. She had snapped, yes, but that was because of grief and
rage, not because she was a psychopath who relished in going on
killing sprees.

Or had she been like that? Is that why she had found it so easy to
end someone else's life, because she had done it before and felt no
remorse?

The Ackermans were the only people capable of accepting her in her
current state, so if she had to hide a part of her to be accepted then
so be it.

Mikasa had been understandably quiet throughout the whole dinner.

Though the kunoichi felt numb inside, she was still perceptive
enough to notice Mikasa's determined gaze whenever they locked
stares.

"Mom, can Sakura stay here, with us?"

Sakura was about to swallow her stew when she choked, coughing
harshly from the surprise. Mikoto patted her on the back gently, and
after a couple of gulps of water she regained her composure, much
to her embarrassment.

"Now, Mikasa--" Mikoto started off gently.

However, the seven-year-old was not easily dissuaded. "She can

stay in my room. She can have my bed and I can sleep in the floor,
too."

"Mikasa," Sakura murmured gently, "you don't have to do that. It's

okay. I can--"

"It's a big responsibility to have a roomate," Erick interrupted with an

amused smile. He patted his daughter on the head. "Think you can
handle it?"

Mikasa nodded eagerly, puffing out her cheeks. "I'll do it for Sakura!"
Sakura put her spoon down next to her bowl and stared helplessly at
each of them, feeling her dread grow at their looks of compassion.
"I… I don't know how to say--"

"Then don't." Mikoto's eyes hardened a bit and she placed her hand
on top of Sakura's squeezing gently. " I don't know what image you
have of yourself, but you have been a wonderful addition to our
family. It would be our greatest honor if you accepted a place in the
Ackerman household. Will you, Sakura?"

She grit her teeth and closed her eyes tightly, hoping to keep the
tears at bay. Here she was, a monster, and the Ackermans were
inviting her to live like one of them. She should have refused, she
should have been selfless and thought about their well-being above
her own, but she was selfish and, although the guilt was eating her
alive, she felt elated that the Ackermans thought of her as family.

" I humbly accept."

Dinner that night became a relaxed and somber affair.

"Oh, Mikasa, don't worry: we'll get you a new bed."

December 25, 842

" Um, Mikasa, do you need any help with that ?"

The dark-haired girl stared at her surrogate sister, slightly confused.

"What do you mean?"

Sakura pointed at the logs she was carrying with a tip of her head.
True, Sakura was carrying five times the amount, but she had the
strength of ten men. She couldn't hide her freakish strength from the
Ackermans, anyway. Mikasa, however, was a seven-year-old who
was carrying fifteen pounds worth of wood in her arms and she didn't
even bat an eyelash.
" They're not heavy?"

"No." She lifted the logs a bit higher, as if to prove a point. "Mom
says I have to be strong so I am."

" How strong do you want to be?"

"Is that Japanese I'm hearing from you, Sakura? And why aren't you
practicing your Japanese, Mikasa?"

Sakura cringed and hesitated to look ahead, knowing that Mikoto

would be glaring quite openly at her. The pair of adopted sisters had
an unspoken agreement to speak in the language they felt most
comfortable in whenever Mikoto was out of an earshot. She had
stressed to Sakura the importance of continuously practicing the
language, but she had grown complacent with speaking Japanese to
the younger girl, especially because Mikasa understood everything
she said with ease. And Mikasa felt no interest in keeping her
ancestor's tongue alive, seeing as it would be useless in a few years.

"Um… Sorry?"

Mikoto wasn't placated, though. She whacked both of them in the

back of the head, making Mikasa yelp in pain and Sakura whimper in
surprise.

"I expected a better excuse from you, Sakura Ackerman. Now, hurry
along; those logs need to last us a couple of days and tonight."

Both girls shifted the logs slightly in their hands, the gloves
protecting them from the splinters of the wood.

It had been awkward the first time the Ackermans had acknowledged
her as part of the family by attaching their last name to hers. Erick
had done it first, and the room had become so quiet and
uncomfortable that none of them had brought it up for two weeks.
The underlying tension of acceptance had immediately vanished
once she introduced herself as Sakura Ackerman to one of Erick's
potential costumers, unknowingly causing him to grin in happiness.

Ever since then the name had just… fit.

" I don't want to be strong," she whispered in response to her last

question. " I don't want to fight. I… don't want to hurt anyone."

Sakura smiled sadly and opened the door for both of them,
balancing the majority of the logs with one arm. Once inside they put
the wood next to the fireplace, though Sakura stayed behind to make
a new fire.

"You don't hurt people with your strength. You protect them."

"Protect?"

The fire flickered to life after a few attempts to make sparks. The
room immediately felt ten degrees warmer, which was still not
enough to make her feel comfortable with the weather. Apparently
this winter was better than the last two years', but she still couldn't
stop shivering for more than three minutes.

"Mhm," she hummed in agreement. "But you don't have to worry

right now. It's something that you'll, uh… You'll figure it out when
you're older." She pivoted on her heels and hit the firewood, causing
their little stack to fall down. "Ugh, why do we even have so many?"

"Today is Christmas, so Mom and Dad want a big fire to last through
the night."

" Ah, yeah, Christmas." She repeated the name, trying to sound it
out so that her accent would eventually fade. " What is this
Christmas anyway? Everyone talks about it but I don't really know
what's going on."

"You don't know what Christmas is?" Mikasa asked, both dismayed
and fascinated at the piece of information.
Sakura frowned at her tone but shook her head. It wasn't like she
was missing something big, right? " I don't remember anything,
remember?"

"Oh, sorry… I forgot. Anyway, Christmas is when you give presents

to the people you love because it makes them happy. Oh, and you
eat a big dinner too!"

"Why?"

Mikasa's excited face disappeared, replaced by a thoughtful frown.

"Huh… I don't know. Maybe Mom knows?"

Erick opened the door, letting the chilly winter air in for a second too
long. He seemed extremely proud and content, if his grin and
sparkling eyes were anything to go by. He placed a package on the
tabletop and unwrapped it for the girls to see.

"Mikasa, go get your mother and tell her we have a goose."

The girl bolted out in a second, yelling at the top of her lungs that
they were going to have meat for Christmas. If Sakura hadn't been
so astonished to begin with, she would've laughed at her antics.

"Do you know how to cook goose?"

She smiled sheepishly and shook her head. "Not too late, right?"

Erick chuckled, and Sakura had to admit his happiness was

incredibly contagious. "No, it's never too late to learn how to cook
goose."

Mikasa dragged Mikoto back home, only for her to wrap her arms
around her husband's neck and kiss him soundly on the lips. Both
girls scrunched their noses at the same time, looked at each other in
disgust, and then giggled when they saw they had the exact same
expression on their faces.
The rest of the evening was spent preparing dinner. They were going
to have the best potatoes Erick had harvested along with some
lettuce Mikoto received earlier from a friend of hers. To top it off, they
were going to have their own piece of goose, no need to share or
save it to make it last.

What Sakura figured about Christmas was that it was a day to be

happy because her tummy was going to be full.

Once the table had been set, they each said something they were
grateful for this year. All of the Ackermans' responses had something
to do with being introduced to Sakura, which made her feel warmth
on her cheeks and in her heart, and she made everyone blush in
retaliation as she expressed just how grateful she was with them for
taking her in as their own.

"For a wonderful year!" Mikasa cheered, and the rest of the family
echoed her.

Sakura thought that they would be too occupied in eating to have an

ongoing conversation, but to her pleasant surprise they couldn't stop
talking or laughing about the silliest of things, and the fact that they
could be so entertained about something so simple made her heart
clench even tighter in what she suspected was joy. It almost felt as if
she was regaining that relationship she lost with Helsa.

Helsa… The name still made her unbearably sad, but having the
Ackermans around made her much stronger than before.

"Presents!" Mikasa exclaimed when Erick returned from their room.

In one hand he had a doll, which he gave to an unstoppable Mikasa,
and in the other hand he had a piece of rolled paper, which he gave
to Mikoto. Sakura had to admit that the moment she didn't receive a
present, a brief flash of hurt passed through her mind, but she
quickly squashed it; they had accepted her into their family and she
was feeling petty that they didn't give her a Christmas present?

What a wimp.
"Sakura."

She blinked in surprise and turned towards Mikoto, who was now
standing next to her.

"I never saw them… But my grandmother always described them in

her stories so I tried remembering every single detail and made this
for you. Merry Christmas."

She took the paper and gently unrolled it, feeling her chest become
heavy and her eyes water when she saw the most beautiful cherry
blossom drawing she had ever seen. She didn't -- couldn't --
remember ever seeing one, but a deep part of her mind recognized it
and she knew it was beautiful. Even though the drawing was done
completely in black ink, she couldn't help but appreciate the art style
that reminded her so much of a home she didn't have memories of.

" This is the most beautiful thing I have seen in my life," Sakura
murmured appreciatively, running her fingers down the kanji lines.
She looked up to survey the family, unsurprised to see the
tenderness in their faces. "Thank you so much."

Whatever Mikoto was about to say was interrupted by an unrelenting

Mikasa, who begged Sakura to play with her dolls, to which she had
to excuse herself from the dinner, much to Erick and Mikoto's
amusement. Sakura thought that the younger girl had a burst of
energy, but ten minutes later she was peacefully asleep in her arms,
clutching the doll that suspiciously looked like Sakura, sans pink hair,
close to her chest.

Any other day Sakura would have placed Mikasa in her own bed, but
today the night was cold, and maybe she wanted to share the
warmth Christmas brought her.

February 10, 843

Beinn was bustling with a bit more liveliness than usual. They were
safe within the walls, the safe people spent more money, merchants
earned more money and spent it on other things… Overall, the
economy was good, and it was particularly good for Erick's produce
stall, which had earned quite the reputation that extended almost
thirty kilometers, well over two towns.

Sometimes people even sought them at their home, hoping to buy

any leftover vegetables, even if it meant paying more for it.

Erick had quickly noticed that Sakura had a knack for selling. To
begin with, she was very pretty and had exotic looks, which always
attracted the attention of the crowd, especially travelers. After that
she baited the prey -- ahem, customer-- her gentle voice and bright
green eyes forced them to look for something to buy, whether it was
to linger in the stall or to appease the girl. It certainly helped that her
accent was endearing, which made people want to talk to her even
more, which in turn built a strong loyalty. To top it off, whenever she
encountered cunning customers, Sakura would put them in place
with a no-nonsense face and snappy voice which even scared Erick
himself.

He had once sheepishly admitted to her that he brought her as often

as he did to Beinn because he always seemed to make more money
whenever she was present. He had feared she would be hurt about
his confession, but she only laughed, saying that she was more than
happy to do anything that would make the stall more successful and
even asking in a sly voice what they could do to earn more money.

To say he was proud was an understatement.

"Thank you for your purchase!" She handed over the paper bag
containing around two pounds of barley, her biggest sale of the day
for now.

The woman took the bag gently and grinned widely at her. "It's so
nice having you around, Sakura. It was about time that father of
yours admitted that you're better than him and let you come every
day."

Erick wanted to glare at the woman, but he knew that she had just
paid them handsomely so he only chuckled and patted Sakura on
the head. "Oh, please, Mrs Berdine, she learned it from me."

Sakura playfully shooed his hand from her head and shot him a
mock glare. "Yeah, right. Thank you for seeing the truth!"

Berdine chuckled and left with a wave, leaving the duo standing
there in the chilly cold under the warmth of the sun. Sakura took a
seat behind the stall and next to their cart, and noted with
satisfaction that there was a big dent there. Maybe they would finish
earlier than usual, even.

"So, what are we getting Mikasa?"

"You mean, what are you getting for Mikasa?"

" What?"

"That means where, right?"

Sakura blushed. "Ah, no, it means what. But why me?"

"Well, Mikoto and I always take turns getting Mikasa's present, but I
think she would appreciate it if you gave it to her."

The kunoichi bit the inside of her cheek, deep in thought. It made
sense to give her the task of choosing Mikasa's present. She hadn't
seen her the whole day, since Erick always woke her up before
sunrise to get to Beinn early, but she knew she would be expecting
her present.

"Okay, I think I can do it."

Erick chuckled and patted her twice on the back. "Good! Now, leave
the stall to me and go find a present for her. Here's the money."
He gave her a small bag which weighed little, but she knew that the
amount of gold inside was more than what they usually spent on a
single thing. Sakura stood up from her seat, removing the imaginary
dust from her long yellow skirt, and left Erick to his own devices.

Even though there was a wealth of options, the street felt empty .
Finding Mikasa a present should've been easy --the girl was a doll
maniac after all-- but for some reason she couldn't come up with a
suitable idea. She wasn't going to give her another doll because she
already had five. A book would be a boring present, and she was
sure she wouldn't appreciate clothes because Mikasa wouldn't be
able to play with them.

Her mind was quickly coming up with different birthday present ideas
and almost discarding them immediately, but she still was aware
enough to turn her attention to something that caught her eye. It was
a beautiful wooden doll house, with three rows and three columns of
rooms, and the roof was a sight to behold, with expertly painted lines
and colors. The house was devoid of furniture, but Sakura could
make her something as time went by.

She entered the store and immediately went to the person behind
the counter. He was an older man with kind blue eyes and a thick
mustache. Perhaps Sakura would be able to manipulate him into
giving her a discount? She wasn't sure the ten gold coins she had
with her would suffice to buy that beautiful house.

"Excuse me, sir, how much for the house?" Her voice was polite and
warm, the one she had perfected with months of experience, and
she pointed with a graceful finger at the house displayed in the
window.

"Ah, for you, my dear Sakura, I am willing to sell it for twenty!"

Sakura internally cringed. There was no way she was going to be

able to lower the price by ten coins. She looked around the store,
trying to find any other woodwork that was pretty enough but much
cheaper. "Um, is there something in the ten range?"
The man gave a thoughtful frown and eyed his store.

She almost smacked her head when she remembered she had
fifteen gold coins she had saved up because she wanted to buy a
new blouse. Well, she could always buy clothes another day, but
Mikasa's birthday was today until the next year. "Oh, sorry, I do have
the money. Here."

"Eighteen would be fine," the man said in a kindly voice.

Sakura beamed in pleasure and handed over the rest of the money,
feeling proud with her purchase. She promised him the best potatoes
from the next harvest, to which he only laughed and said he was
looking forward to them. The store owner offered to help her carry
the house, but Sakura denied his offer with a secretive smile.

She decided to take a shortcut, since the sun would soon start to set
and Erick hated pulling their cart at night, saying that rocks were
much harder to spot without light. Besides, even though the house
weighed virtually nothing compared to what she could carry, it still
felt a bit awkward carrying it around the streets.

The kunoichi skidded to a stop when she passed by the blacksmith.

Even though people preferred shotguns and gunpowder to kill each
other, those were weapons only the military and rich could afford.
The rest of the populace relied on steel and arrows to protect
themselves. Erick had a shotgun, but he seldom used it, claiming
that he couldn't load it quickly enough.

She still remembered the conversation they had on Christmas,

where she asked Mikasa why she was strong. If she gave her a
means to protect herself and others, would she agree in training
herself?

"What are you doing here?"

Sakura blinked, surprised to find herself inside the forge, because

was this place loud . She had to admit she wouldn't mind working
there in the cold months of winter, but it must be a bitch to be there
hammering steel in the middle of summer. "I'm looking for a dagger."

The bald man grunted and pointed at the rows of daggers with a
disinterested wave. Sakura held back a huff of annoyance and made
her way to the daggers. She gingerly placed the house down, careful
to not get any scratches or dirt on it, and eyed the weapons. Most of
them were beautiful and well-made, but she only had seven gold
coins to spend, which meant she had to go for the cheaper looking
ones. Not that it really mattered, since this was Mikasa's first weapon
and people usually received shitty first things.

She picked a simple dagger from a cluttered mess and unsheathed

it. The steel was dull, but the edges were sharp enough to make her
bleed slightly when she ran a fingertip along the edge.

"How much for this one?"

The blacksmith stopped hammering, and Sakura sighed softly in

relief; that noise was making her head throb. "Five," he answered
quickly and turned to go back to work.

Sakura frowned. That was a bit overpriced considering this was

probably a failed dagger he hadn't even considered to sell. "The
steel is not very pure, the edges are not that smooth, and the hilt
could have been better. I'll give you three."

He grunted in annoyance but nodded slightly, accepting her terms.

She smirked to herself in satisfaction, handed him the money,
gathered her purchases, and left the small, loud forge without a
parting glance.

Now the sun had really began to set, so she shouldn't have been
surprised to meet an agitated Erick.

"Where were you all this time?"

"Buying Mikasa's present."

"It's late."

"I bought her a doll house and a dagger."

Erick stopped walking immediately, and the cart he carried on his

back came to a full stop.

"Hm, maybe we should buy a horse to carry this one day," she
thought out loud.

"You bought her a what?"

Sakura squirmed, a bit uncomfortable to hear such an edgy voice

from Erick. "She's eight now, and the world is… is cruel. She should
learn how to fight early to protect herself."

"And you know how to fight?" he asked, a suspicious and

unbelieving but at least he didn't seem to oppose the idea so much.

"Of course."

"When did you learn?"

She frowned. "I don't know. I just woke up that day and knew how to
fight, knew how to move."

"Oh," Erick exhaled softly. It was no secret that Sakura was a bit
sensitive about her amnesia. It was something that frustrated
endlessly, knowing things but not knowing how she knew them, and
the Ackermans knew that they should leave the topic be lest they
add unnecessary grief to the girl.

The topic of her hair was open, though. It wasn't a normal week
unless someone made a joke at the expense of her pink hair, much
to her annoyance. Still, she must like her hair, because she had not
cut it once and it now reached her mid-back.

"Do I have your permission?"

"Only if Mikasa agrees."

The rest of their walk home was silent except when Erick whispered
a curse after bumping into a small rock. Sakura was just anxious to
give her gifts to Mikasa, knowing she would appreciate them
immensely.

Their small house came into view and both of them unconsciously
sped up, eager to get back home. They must've been loud, because
the door opened and Mikasa bolted right at them, laughing and
asking about their day and telling them how great hers was in one
big sentence.

"Whoa, Mikasa, slow down," Sakura said with a chuckle. She

crouched -- she was not so small anymore and her head towered
over her-- and handed the doll house to her, inwardly relieved that
she had enough sense to hide the dagger in her right hip. "Happy
Birthday, Mikasa."

The girl stared at the wooden house with such reverence that it
almost made Sakura laugh, almost . She took her gift somberly and
clutched it to her chest. "This is amazing. Thank you, Sakura! Thank
you, Papa!" She whirled around, running inside the house and
yelling her thanks to her mother.

"By the way, how much did that house cost?"

"Ten," she replied without missing a beat.

June 20, 843

Mikasa aimed a punch at her right shoulder, but Sakura quickly side-
stepped to the left to avoid being hit. She then made a low kick, and
Sakura was about to simply jump, but she noticed the muscles in her
left arm preparing to throw a punch, so she did a backflip and
regained her balance almost immediately, putting herself out of
harm's way without breaking a sweat.
Her pupil, on the other hand, was huffing and greedily gulping any air
she could take. With a groan, she dropped down to the grass floor,
exhausted.

"Why won't you… let me hit you?" she asked in between pants.

Sakura took a seat besides her, tucking a strand of her dark hair
behind her ear. She really needed to make better ponytails.
"Because I don't want to get hurt. Besides, the day you hit me is the
day this is over, remember?"

"You made it sound so easy when you first offered this."

She grinned, recalling the look of smugness in Mikasa's face the first
day of their lesson. Sakura had declared that the only thing Mikasa
needed to do was land one hit, one, and the training would be over.
She dodged her punches with ease and pointed out problems in her
stance, counting the number of times she would be dead if this were
a real fight.

The count had never come below thirty.

"I know, but you'll get it, eventually. Maybe in a couple of years
seeing how good you are."

" Years ? I'll be like, ten or twelve or thirteen! I don't--" Her rant came
to a stop, and her frustrated face was replaced by a thoughtful frown.
"When's your birthday?"

Sakura smiled sadly. "I don't remember."

Mikasa stood up and crossed her arms. "That's no good. If you don't
have a birthday, you can't receive presents, right?"

"No," she replied slowly, unsure as to where her train of thought was
going.

"Then today is your birthday, and you are… Hm, you're old, so you're
seventeen starting today."
"Why today? And why seventeen?"

"Why not today? And what's wrong with being seventeen?"

Sakura puffed her cheeks out. "There's nothing wrong with them,"
she eventually said. "It's just a bit sudden… I never really cared
about those things."

"Well, I do. So today, June 20, is your birthday. Happy Birthday,

Sakura!"

She had half a mind to protest, but looking down at her excited gray
orbs she couldn't help but give in to this little girl who, though
sometimes bossy, was only looking out for her, even if she was
about a decade older than her.

"Thank you, Mikasa. This will be the best--"

"Mikasa! Sakura! Come back! Doctor Jaeger is here to check on you

two!"

The black-haired girl groaned and sat up, a lethargic look on her
face. Sakura chuckled and stood up, offering her a helping hand,
which she gladly took.

She thought Mikasa was going to challenge her to a race back

home, but she did no such thing. She must be in no hurry to go back,
considering the doctor was here for their yearly check up. She said
that Doctor Jaeger did weird things, like putting a thing above her
heart and listening in, checking her ears and mouth, asking if she felt
something funny in her stomach, and she never liked it.

Sakura knew that he was just following a strict diagnosis protocol,

something that she felt she had done countless of times, even
though she didn't quite remember what. Maybe this Doctor Jaeger
would serve to clear up a bit of her memory?
They entered their home with opposite expressions, but Mikasa's
look of irritation quickly downspiraled into a grimace once she
spotted the tools the doctor brought with him.

"Doctor Jaeger said the checkup will be short, okay? Now be a good
girl and let him make sure you're healthy."

Her younger sister followed almost immediately, completing all of the

doctor's requests without a single complaint. The doctor seemed to
pick up on this, because he hurried through the tests, much to
Sakura's amusement. In less than five minutes Mikasa was up and
going, leaving the doctor without a parting glance.

"And is this the new addition to your family, Miss Mikoto?"

"Ah, yes, Doctor Jaeger, this is Sakura."

He beckoned her to sit on the chair next to his and started doing his
routine checkup. "Now, I don't know if you're aware, but we've met
before. Well, I met you."

"Huh?"

"Did Helsa not tell you?"

Sakura felt a lump on her throat, which she roughly swallowed. "She
died," she said quietly.

The doctor's green eyes widened and then grew sad. "Ah, I'm sorry,
dear, I didn't know that. I was friends with Helsa's husband… They
were good people." Neither Mikoto nor Sakura said anything, opting
to focus on the doctor's procedure. He cleared his throat, aware that
he had brought forth a tense silence. "Anyway, I was the one that
tended your wounds around a year ago. Which begs the question,
just what did you do?"

"I have amnesia. I don't really remember anything before the day
Helsa found me."
"No memories? That is a bit strange. I've had a few cases
concerning amnesia. Most of them are from the military, and most of
them dealt with a hard hit on the head, but all of them regained their
memories in around a year or two."

Sakura shifted in her seat. What if she didn't remember, ever? What
if she didn't find who she was or returned to her homeland? Yes, she
was more than happy with the Ackermans, but she still felt as if she
didn't truly belong, whether it was because they spoke different
native tongues or the fact that she was a med-nin, trained to both kill
and save lives, and most of the people here weren't even aware they
possessed chakra.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll remember. It's just a matter of patience
and not forcing things. Besides, I am quite curious to meet your
parents, because I must ask just how did pink hair come to your
family?"

Both Mikoto and Doctor Jaeger laughed, and Sakura only chuckled
nervously and scratched the back of her neck in embarrassment.

"Oh, yes, I forgot to ask you a favor."

"What can I do for you?"

"Could you please register Sakura? I'm afraid the nearest center is a
few hours away and I was under the impression that--"

The doctor raised a hand, stopping the rambling woman on her

tracks. "There is no need to explain yourself, Miss Mikoto. It would
be my pleasure." He got out a sheet of paper, quill, and bottled ink
from his briefcase and placed it on the table. "So, Miss Sakura, what
will be your full name?"

"Sakura Ackerman."

He scribbled her name on the paper with the land's alphabet. "Hm…
Since we don't know your birth parents I'll put down the Ackermans'
names. Is that okay?"

"Yes," Mikoto and Sakura replied in unison.

Doctor Jaeger nodded absentmindedly and jotted down more notes.

"And date of birth?"

"June 20, 826."

Sakura noticed Mikoto's shocked face out of the corner of her eye,
but she feigned attention on the doctor, who had an eyebrow raised
but continued writing. "Oh, happy birthday then, Sakura."

"Thank you."

April 4, 844

"Ah, you brought potatoes today. That's good."

Sakura nodded and smiled widely. "We had a bit extra from
yesterday. I'm still a bit new at inventory."

Berdine gave her a reproachful look. "You just started this, my dear.
It takes a while to get used to doing this alone. I think you're doing a
spectacular work."

Before she would blush at the compliment, but she was so used to
being treated nicely by the townspeople that she only widened her
smile a bit more until she was showing a bit of her pearly teeth. "I
think it's a good think, though. Erick gets to tend the crops and make
sure they're higher quality and I sell them."

"And how long have you been doing this?"

"Around a month or two?"

The woman laughed, the sound high and piercing. "Oh, dear, if you
only saw the first months of Erick's arrival you would've died of
laughter."

"That bad?"

"He was a young husband and his wife was expecting. That made
him a bit clumsier than usual, for sure. But you received prior
training, so maybe I'm being a bit unfair to poor Erick."

The day, which had been bright until now, darkened almost
immediately. Both Berdine and Sakura looked up to see a huge gray
cloud covering the sun. By the direction of the wind, it seemed to be
heading in the direction of her home, something which made Sakura
sigh in annoyance.

"Oh, my, it's going to rain a lot today, won't it?"

"It will… Too bad I can't leave just yet."

"Why is that?"

Sakura beckoned the cart full of food with a disinterested wave. "It's
too full. Erick won't be happy with that."

"I'm sure he'll understand it if he saw how awful the weather is going
to be. Nobody will be out in the streets anyway."

"You're right, maybe--"

"Excuse me!" a haggard woman interrupted. Sakura would have shot

her a withering glare had her eyes not looked so crazed and
desperate. "Has anyone seen my son, Anton? He is this tall, has
dark brown hair, has a scar on his cheek? Have you seen him? He
was playing in the woods. Please."

Berdine looked at the woman sadly and only shook her head. She
excused herself from the conversation, leaving Sakura by her
lonesome with the worried mother. "I'm sorry, Miss, but no, I haven't
seen him." The woman became even more despondent, and the
sight only tugged at her heartstrings. Who knew how worried she
would be if Mikasa got lost? She wanted to help… And perhaps she
was the only able to help at this moment. But could she afford it?

Well, she was leaving early anyway, might as well do a good deed
while she was at it.

"But I can help you find him."

The woman's eyes lit with hope. "You can?"

Sakura nodded resolutely.

She reached out and grabbed both of her hands, moving them up in
down in unrestrained gratitude. "Thank you so much, Miss! Is there
something you want me to do to help?"

"Yes. Please stay here and look after my stall? I don't know how long
I'll be gone, but just in case."

"Oh, of course, my dear. Anything you say."

"What part exactly do you think he is in?"

"He likes to play in the east side, but he usually comes back before
noon. Maybe he got lost?"

That was a possibility, but it sounded too good to be true. "Okay, I'll
start there. Please wait here."

Sakura ran down the mostly empty streets at the speed of a normal
human, but once she was a long ways inside the woods with no one
around, she sped up to inhuman speeds with her chakra and jumped
up to the tree tops, scanning the area for any signs of chakra.

She was about ready to give up in her pursuits after half an hour
when she sensed a very small chakra signature, possibly a child's.
She grinned in triumph and headed that way, mindful to get out of
the treetops and lower her speed once she was close by.
The pink-haired girl reached a small clearing and stood very still. At
such close distances, it was impossible to exactly pinpoint the
source of the chakra because every living thing had chakra in them.
Usually humans had chakra spikes to them, but the signature had
stopped being dynamic almost ten minutes ago, meaning the person
was asleep or, worse, dead.

Her sensitive hearing caught soft breaths and she tiptoed towards
the sound, which came from behind a big tree. She wanted to be
annoyed, she really did, but she couldn't help but gush over the
sleeping boy who clutched a black cat that appeared completely
unamused about the scenario.

" Aw, this is so cute," she whispered in her native tongue and
gathered the sleeping boy in her arms. The cat scrambled away
once it was freed, but it stayed close to the pair, hinting that it was
attached to the boy, regardless of its annoyance. " If you want to stay
with us you better keep up."

She shot up and started leaping from tree to tree, though much
slower and gentler than before so as to not wake her sleeping
companion. When she was close to the forest's entrance she dove
down and landed lightly on her feet, unsurprised to see the black cat
next to her, licking its paws.

" Hn, show off."

Getting back to her stall only took ten more minutes, and the boy
was still fast asleep. Anton only woke up once he heard the relieved
cries of her mother, which soon became a yelling session as she
demanded why he had run off and promising a world of pain once
they came back home. Sakura awkwardly stood by, waiting for them
to leave the stall, and only smiled slightly when the mother turned to
her.

"Oh, thank you so much, Miss! We're new here, but I know where I'll
be buying my vegetables for the rest of my life!" Well, at least she
got a new, lifetime customer out of the deal. "Now come on, Anton,
and you two, Blacky. Both of you are in a world of trouble."

The cat meowed, as if it understood what was going on, and

followed after the pair, moving its tail left and right lethargically. The
boy sneaked a look backwards and waved at her, offering her a
mischievous grin, before his mother grabbed him by his ear and
dragged him away.

Blacky? With a name like that, Sakura didn't blame it for trying to run
away with Anton.

Sakura sighed and emptied the stall, storing the small amount of
leftovers in the cart. She heard a strike of thunder in the west, in the
vicinity of her home, and sighed when she realized it was probably
raining already.

So much for not getting wet.

After an hour of dragging the cart in the mud and rain, Sakura saw
her home in the distance. Sakura frowned when she felt no chakra
signatures inside, but maybe they had gone to town to meet up with
Doctor Jaeger without her knowledge. Still, the idea behind a warm
bath and hot soup was so tantalizing that she sped her pace to a jog.
She dropped the cart off under the small, extended roof where they
stored all their farm tools and rushed to the front door.

She opened the door and looked down.

Sakura choked back a scream and fell down, landing on her bottom.
She desperately slid away from Mikoto's unseeing corpse and the
pool of her blood and tried to look anywhere but there but only felt
something inside of her break once her back hit something soft.

She didn't want to turn, she didn't want to see, but the blood pooling
coating her fingers was enough evidence for what she would see.
Still, she jerked her head back and almost vomited when she saw
Erick staring back at her, a bleeding hole in his chest.
Sakura messily got up, only for her knees to buckle and give away
beneath her. She stretched out her arms to break her fall, but she
scraped her palms, yet she didn't feel any pain at all. She was numb.
So cold.

" Mikasa," she whispered in growing horror.

With new determination she got up and frantically searched every

corner of the house only to find nobody. She didn't know whether to
be relieved or anguished to not find her, because that meant she
was alive, but that also meant she could be wishing to be dead
instead.

She let out a shrill scream and started thrashing the Mikoto and
Erick's. Her control on her strength snapped and she was soon
smashing walls and breaking furniture. " Why is it that when I find
happiness, someone takes it away!" she yelled in between punches
and kicks. " Why is it that after I do something good for others,
something horrible happens to me!"

The raging girl stopped after she ripped the skin from her knuckles,
the pain acting as her anchor to the real world for now. She eyed the
room with a wary eye, or at least what was left of the room, and only
shook her head in dismay, knowing that whatever she did would
change nothing.

Sakura left the room and headed back to the dining table that
doubled as kitchen as well. She stared at the unmoving bodies of her
foster parents and teared up again, though she did not sob or shake
or grimace. " I will find Mikasa and kill whoever did this to us. I
promise there will be blood and pain for this."

She went back to her room and ripped out her dirty skirt and shirt
and changed into the old pants and long-sleeved shirt she had
woken up in this world with.

Sakura went back to the woods and immediately took off, uncaring if
someone saw her. She needed to find Mikasa as quickly as possible,
and that meant she would have to give no shits about the status of
her secret.

The rain made it impossible to track by scent, so that meant she

would have to track Mikasa by her chakra signature. Luckily for her,
she could detect her around a kilometer away, so she only had to
close enough and she should be as clear as day.

She felt herself grow weak once she recognized Mikasa's chakra
close to her, however it was surrounded by two others. She steeled
herself to fight, coating her fists with enough chakra to rip a person
apart, and sped up until she reached a small cabin with a lake in the
background.

Sakura spotted her almost immediately but had to hold back her
speed when she saw she was surrounded by Doctor Jaeger and an
unknown boy. They were talking to her, but they immediately cleared
the way when they heard her coming.

She dropped to her knees in front of Mikasa and hugged her tightly
meanwhile she checked for injuries. She let her go slightly and
unwrapped that red scarf from her head and surveyed her face, her
anger churning deeply when she saw the blotches of blood in her
pretty features. "Are you alright?"

Mikasa's eyes were empty, and that sight alone was enough to break
her heart all over again. "Yes, Eren saved me."

The kunoichi let her foster sister go completely and she stood up,
almost immediately noticing the young boy. He was around Mikasa's
age, but those eyes of his burned with the determination and hate of
an older man. "How did you save my sister?"

"I killed them. I killed the ones who did this to you."

Sakura wanted to feel grateful towards the boy, she really did, and in
hindsight maybe there was some affection towards buried deep, but
at the moment she was resentful that this nine-year-old boy had
taken away revenge from her forever.

Perhaps it was for the best. That monster she had become around a
year ago wasn't one she wanted to be again.

"I killed one too."

Her body froze, and she pivoted her torso slowly towards Mikasa,
though she didn't look at her in the eye. "Did you do it to protect?"

She nodded absentmindedly.

"She protected me," Eren offered as an explanation.

Sakura managed a small smile and patted both children on the head.
"It's good to protect each other."

Doctor Jaeger cleared his throat, drawing the attention back to him.
"Ah, Sakura, I am deeply sorry about what happened. I was… talking
to Mikasa about her future, and I offered both of you a place in my
home. Would you like that?"

There was no way she would be able to return to that home again,
not after what had happened, so she had absolutely no qualms in
accepting. However, she felt a sense of nostalgia with this offer,
because she was back at where she started not even two years ago.

She only hoped the ending wouldn't be the same.

Okay, to clear something that may or may not have been

explained fully. Sakura's real birthday is March 28, and as of the
last entry she is really nineteen, but in the SnK world she is
legally seventeen, few months short of being eighteen.
Considering how short she is, it wouldn't be that big of a stretch
to say she is a year younger.
Good news is the story has become such a plot bunny mine
that I have decided to focus my attention with it. Plot planning
is almost over, and that brings me to my next news, though I
don't know if it is good or bad: pacing. Maybe you already
noticed, but I reaaally love to develop characters, even those
that didn't get much screen time. Thus the romance, which will
happen with an unknown character eventually, will be slow
building. Sloowww. So I wouldn't expect Sakura to fall in love
with anyone anytime soon, especially after the traumatic
experiences she has been, and will be, through. Yay for trauma.

Also, my most sincerest thanks to asredwer, Bum reviews, Latin

Gardenia, foraslanthelion, pepergirl001, Atsirk Enoh,
brokenmaelstrom, Guest, Ace Clover, deedee2034, and
JellyBean for being super awesome and leaving reviews that
made me think long enough on where I want to take this story.
Also, thank you to everyone who favorited and added this story
to their alerts!

Reviews are motivation!

Penpal
Surviving
Reading guide for this chapter:

"Talk."

" Japanese."

" Emphasis."

Sunrises in Shiganshina were always bright and warm. Not only that,
but the air was crisp, refreshing, whether it was because the people
kept their district clean or because they were so close to Wall Maria
that the freshness of the outside seeped in, allowing for a taste of the
wilderness without ever leaving the safety of the walls.

It was in the mornings that Sakura found the time to train Eren,
Mikasa, and, quite recently, their blond friend Armin. She had heard
a few weeks after the incident on how Mikasa had frozen before
landing the kill, and Sakura couldn't help but feel slightly guilty,
because if she had been a bit harsher during her training, maybe
Mikasa wouldn't have ever been in that position to begin with.

Eren had jumped at the opportunity to learn taijutsu, claiming that he

would need it once he enlisted for the army. Convincing Kalura had
been a grueling task, but now there Eren was in their practice field,
waiting for her with an excited grin. Mikasa was standing next to him,
staring at the wall that divided them from the outside world,
seemingly brooding.

She frowned but paid it no mind, used to Mikasa's

absentmindedness. Sometimes she had half a mind to ask her what
she thought about in these moments, but almost immediately
decided against it. It's not like she needed to ask, because she
probably mused about the same things Sakura did whenever nobody
was looking.

"Good morning, Sakura!"

Said girl only raised a pink eyebrow. "Well, aren't you the ray of
sunshine today. What's got in to you?"

An innocent expression crossed his face, and Sakura mentally

prepared herself for anything. "Nothing! Nothing! I'm just excited to
see you."

"Eren, you're scaring her."

"Damn right he is. Stop being enthusiastic and act half asleep."

"But you'll beat me if I do that."

Sakura restrained the groan that threatened to escape her throat.

Arguing with Eren was like arguing with a titan: impossible because
they were incapable of understanding. "Anyway, where's Armin?"

"Probably asleep," Mikasa quietly supplied.

Well, it was very early in the morning, and didn't Armin help out in his
family's bakery? Sakura shrugged and clapped her hands. "Maybe
he'll show up later. Let's start."

"That's not fair," he whispered, and since it was only because of

Sakura's sensitive hearing that she caught his sentence, she
decided to let it slide.

The ten-year-old boy then pouted, wondering why Sakura was so

slack with Armin's attendance when in contrast she would drop a
bucket of water on his head if he was so much as a minute late. If he
wasn't being so petulant, he would've realized that Armin had been
forced to come to these training sessions by Eren himself, not out of
his own volition, and maybe Sakura was a bit more perceptive than
most people gave her credit for and she was respected Armin's
wishes.

"Remember, if either of you lands a hit on me I'll teach both of you

how to combine a low and high kick smoothly and maybe I'll teach
you how to do a body throw from a choke hold."

Eren looked as if he was ready to burst and even Mikasa had a small
smile on her face.

Sakura didn't have a trademark pose, since she realized in a real

fight she wouldn't even be able to have enough time to attempt it.
Instead, she relaxed her legs and shoulders, so that whatever attack
either one of her pupils threw at her, she would be ready to adapt
and evade.

Mikasa was the first one to attack, throwing a punch aimed at her
abdomen and preparing the other leg to to sweep her legs and make
her lose her balance. Eren snapped out of his stupor in a second,
going for more powerful strike to her face, lacking the finesse of his
adopted sister. Sakura pivoted her body ninety degrees to avoid the
punch, causing Mikasa to lose the opportunity to use her legs
momentarily, and bent her back slightly to avoid the fist to her face.

When they first started these sessions in Shiganshina, Sakura had

refrained from retaliating, claiming that they were too young to be on
the receiving end of her hits. However, they had grown
overconfident, attacking in the most outrageous and dangerous ways
that would get them killed if it had been a real fight. Thus Sakura had
decided that it would be a good idea to hit back only when their
move was too unbelievable or simply wrong. It was a win-win,
because the kids no longer screwed up as often, and Sakura had
learned to control her freakish strength to the point that she could hit
her pupils without breaking their bones. Sure, she used the strength
a normal human would use to flick a baby, but at least her secret
was safe.
If she had feared the Ackermans reaction about her status as a
kunoichi, she was horrified at the idea of the Jaegers finding out
about it, or anyone in Shiganshina for that matter. People were very
close-minded about different things, especially the citizens of this
district, since they were the closest to the titans. Anything that wasn't
human, anything that wasn't normal, was an enemy of mankind, and
even though Sakura felt pretty human most of the time, she couldn't
deny that there were moments that she knew she could turn into
these people's worst nightmare.

So maybe it was for the best if she kept her powers hidden in her
closet.

She had been so lost in her thoughts that she miscalculated the
amount of distance she had to put between Mikasa and her punch,
and part of her pinkie's knuckles grazed her shoulder. It was fleeting,
it was light, but it was there.

Mikasa must've felt it too, because her gray eyes widened and she
immediately stepped back after finish going through her attack. Eren,
still lost in his adrenaline, aimed a punch at her collarbone, which
she stopped with the palm of her hand. Eren stared at her, wide-
eyed, because she had never halted any of his attacks, but she
smiled gently at him.

"You both passed."

The boy grinned and high-fived Mikasa, who was sporting a rare
grin. If she smiled like that after grazing her shoulder maybe Sakura
should let her win more often. Eren started laughing and boasting
about how easy the fight had been, asking every once in a while,
"Right, Mikasa?" to which she only giggled and nodded along.

Sakura frowned and hit him in the back of the head. "Alright, brat,
first of all it was Mikasa that landed the hit, not you. So if anyone has
the right to dance like a monkey like you're doing, then it's her."
Eren pouted and Mikasa only smiled even wider. "So when do we
learn this body throw?"

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? But why?" he exclaimed, dismayed. Even Mikasa

looked a bit crestfallen.

"You have work to do, and I have to do a couple of rounds with your
father today."

Not only had Grisha Jaeger taken both her and Mikasa as his
daughters, he had also taken Sakura as his pupil. It started when
Sakura nursed a delusional Kalura back to health when he was out
in the inland, and ever since then they hadn't looked back. He taught
her all he knew about medicines and herbs from this world, and
Sakura greedily took it all in, aware that she would not be able to
expel infections with her medical ninjutsu all the time like she had
done with Kalura.

Sometimes she wanted to reveal her secret to Grisha. When there

was a need for a surgery, but they couldn't perform it because of the
environment, Sakura wanted to step in and take the spotlight, saving
both the child and mother and giving that man his leg back and
extending the life of that grandmother who wished to see her
grandson marry. It was something that had been ingrained in her
head, to try her best to save a patient, but for some reason she
couldn't come out and do it, because she knew that if she showed
people the almost magical way she healed, they would never leave
her alone.

They would shower her with both attention and work, gifts and
demands, until the situation became too much and she would have
to choose who to save, because time both her time and chakra were
limited. Then people would curse her and despise her for not saving
that wife and firstborn son, for letting that brave Survey Corps soldier
who lost his limb die of blood loss, for denying that dying
grandmother her wish to see her granddaughter marry the man of
her dreams…

So no, she didn't want that life.

Maybe she was selfish like that.

Eren groaned but he knew he couldn't complain. What Sakura was

saying was very true and not an excuse. Mikasa didn't mind,
because she knew firsthand how important promises were to
Sakura, but she didn't feel in the mood to deal with an impatient Eren
today.

"Be good and don't get in trouble today, alright?"

And with that Sakura left her two adopted siblings in the field. Even
though she was still dressed in her training clothing and indecent for
most people, she was supposed to meet with Grisha in front of the
Arlert's bakery. From there they were going to check on a girl's fever,
an old man's cold, and, if time permitted, they would go visit the
apothecary to see if they had the medicine to cure one of rapidly-
spreading diseases in the mainland.

"We're also going to have lunch at home," the doctor said as an

afterthought.

Sakura nodded, glad to see they were on the same page in the
matter of food. "Good, because those two gave me a bit of trouble
today."

"Oh, that Eren, always searching for trouble. I'm really grateful for
watching out for them, Sakura. You didn't have to do that."

"Those two are special. It honestly is something I enjoy doing."

The two continued their walk on silence, which was only broken
when they reached their first destination and greeted the mother of
the feverish girl. She thanked both of them, because ever since they
had given her daughter those herbs, her fever had dropped
considerably and she was no longer delusional. Still, Grisha asked
Sakura to complete a diagnosis and nodded in agreement when her
conclusions matched his. The doctor told the mother to keep giving
her the medicine for two more days and she would be good to go.

After politely refusing breakfast, the two headed to the old man's
home, only to be greeted by his son. The young man let them know
that his stubborn father went out to the fields today, even after being
reminded that he was sick. Sakura sighed and shook her head,
amazed at the pigheadedness of some patients, but Grisha had a
better control on his professionalism. With a tired look he told the
son to keep giving his father the medicine for five more days and
then he would come back to check on him.

Since that visit had taken considerably shorter than what either of
them expected, they headed down to the apothecary. Grisha had
noticed in his last time that there was a new type of cold prevalent in
the inlands and had asked the apothecary to conjure different types
of medicine, which Grisha would use on different patients and see
which one would work.

"This is one of the ways I stopped that disease a few years ago," he
had confessed a couple of days ago.

Grisha entered the apothecary first and almost immediately started

exchanging pleasantries with the man.

"Louis! It has been far too long!"

"That it has, that it has. Oh, hello there, Sakura! Doing some rounds
with this old man here?"

"He needs someone to carry around his stuff. That bag is apparently
too heavy for him now."

Louis guffawed and even Grisha chuckled, which was quite the
accomplishment considering he was a very serious man. "Ah, yes,
thank you for reminding me, Sakura. Anyway, Louis, you have
something for me, as I recall."

The frail old man nodded, his long white hair following his
movements, and retrieved five small bottles from behind the counter.
"I made all of them with the idea of stopping the symptoms you
mentioned, but I'm not sure if I got the right combination. When you
come back we can tweak the composition."

Grisha nodded gravely and carefully put the five bottles inside his
black case, not bothering to remove the cork and smell the medicine
Louis had made. "Yes, I'll tell you about my findings in three days."

"Oh, you're leaving already?"

"Yes, I actually have a ship to catch in an hour."

"Oh, yes, yes, of course. Please don't let me keep you waiting. Have
a good trip, Grisha."

"Thank you, Louis, I'll see you later."

"Good bye, Mr. Louis." Sakura bowed her head slightly and almost
turned to catch up with the doctor when Louis called her back.

"Make sure to drop by tomorrow at one. I am helping with a birth at

four, and you wanted to see one, right?"

The kunoichi nodded ecstatically, glad to finally be trusted enough to

help in such a delicate procedure. "I'll be here, Mr. Louis! Thank you
so much!"

The walk back to their home was nice and quiet. Though Sakura
would rather talk, she felt it was wrong to be too chatty around
Doctor Jaeger. It's not that he was unapproachable, because
whenever she did strike a conversation with him he was always very
responsive and attentive, but he always had such an intense look on
his face, as if his thoughts were much too important to be
interrupted, that she decided that her questions could wait for
another time or another person.

Maybe it was her ability to know when to be quiet that made Grisha
so fond of her.

Kalura was almost done with lunch when they arrive. She grinned
and greeted them eagerly, asking them about their day. Like always,
Sakura was the only one that matched her enthusiasm, complaining
loudly about the stupid man that tended to his fields instead of his
own health and gushing over the offer the apothecary had given her.

"Aren't you a bit too young to be looking at those things?"

"Oh, please, I'm nineteen! Some girls my age have already given
birth, but here I am, by my lonesome, looking after kids half my age."

Her adopted mother raised an eyebrow and placed a steaming bowl

of hot soup in front of her. "Oh, and since when did you want
children?"

Sakura scrunched her nose. "I'm too young for that."

"Good," Grisha commented from her side. "You are too young for
that. You need to go to the university if you want to become a doctor,
so no suitors for a while."

Her eyes gained a mischievous glint. "Really, Grisha? Or did you

suddenly forget the things we were doing at her age?" Sakura
choked on her soup and Grisha started coughing uncontrollably.
Kalura smirked and declared, "My work here is done."

"K-Kalura! Don't say those things! What if the kids were here?"

"Then you would give them the talk just like you do to a bunch of
strangers' kids."

Just then the door opened, and Eren and Mikasa stepped in with
firewood strapped in their backs. "We're back," Eren announced.
Kalura turned around from the sink and smiled at them. "Welcome
back."

Any other day Sakura would have paid attention to the family's
antics, but she was too busy focusing on her soup and trying to
forget the conversation they had earlier. If Eren and Mikasa were
here, that meant that--

No.

That train of thought was stopping, now .

"Eren wants to join the Survey Corps," Mikasa uttered, breaking the
comfortable silence.

She could feel Kalura's earlier easygoing demeanor slipping into a

more negative one.

"M-Mikasa! Why did you tell them?"

"Eren!" Kalura put her hands on his shoulders and shook him
slightly. "What are you thinking? Or did you suddenly forget about all
the people that die beyond the walls?"

"I didn't!"

"Then-"

"Eren," Grisha interrupted, putting a stop to whatever heated reply

Kalura had. "Is there any reason why you want to go outside?"

The boy calmed down, but his eyes remained hard. "I want to see
how's it like outside! I don't want to remain ignorant, inside the walls,
for the rest of my life! Also… If no one helps out, then all the deaths
until now would've been meaningless!"

Something changed in Grisha, she could tell. She wasn't sure

exactly what it was, but she was positive something happened. "I
see… Well, the ship is waiting. I'll be going now. Come with me,
Sakura."

The pink-haired girl had enough restraint to not jump in her seat from
surprise. She got up and placed her dishes on the sink, following
after the doctor without a word.

"Wait! You have to talk to Eren!

"Kalura, human curiosity is not something you can stop with a

lecture." He got out that intriguing key he always wore around his
neck and showed it for everyone to see. "Eren, when I come back, I'll
show you what I've kept secret in the basement this whole time."

The boy's eyes lit in wonder and excitement. "Really?"

Grisha only hid the key back inside of his clothes. "Really. Let's go,
Sakura; a ship awaits."

For all the hurry the doctor had in the house, he was sure taking his
sweet time in his stroll to the docks.

"You have been teaching Eren and Mikasa the martial arts for almost
a year now. How is that going?"

"They are both eager and talented. I have no doubt that they will be
quite the menace when they're older."

Grisha chuckled at her choice of words. "That's good to hear. Eren…

Well, he is just like his mother in that aspect: once he gets an idea in
his head, it is hard to beat it out of him."

"Human curiosity cannot be restrained with violence, either," Sakura

cheekily supplied.

Luckily, the doctor found it humorous enough, because he chuckled.

"That is true, which is why I don't have any other choice but to let this
fixation of Eren's run its course."
"So what exactly is the problem?"

"Mikasa… Wherever Eren goes, Mikasa is bound to follow."

Sakura's eyes narrowed slightly. That was a statement that had a lot
of evidence backing it up, a statement that she wasn't crazy about.
She understood why Mikasa had that obsession with following after
Eren and looking out for him. He had not only given her the will to
fight, he had also given her a home, things Sakura had been unable
to give her. Oh, Mikasa adored Sakura, she was absolutely positive
about that, but Eren had a special place in Mikasa's heart that he,
and only he alone, would be able to have.

"I'm not too worried about that. Mikasa is strong. She can take care
of both herself and Eren."

Grisha turned to her, a surprised look on his face. "You're not going
to follow them?"

"It's not set in stone that Eren will join the Survey Corps, to begin
with. And even if he did… Well, I cannot look after her for her whole
life. The day she joins the Survey Corps is the day she becomes an
adult, and nobody can look after an adult the way I want to look after
Mikasa. So even if I did join the Survey Corps, I still wouldn't feel
satisfied."

"But you won't prohibit her from joining?"

"No… I don't have that kind of power. I would if I could, but my hands
are tied."

Grisha hummed in assent and looked forward. The dock was there,
and people were starting to board the ship. "You are a good sister,
Sakura. If my son does decide to join the Survey Corps, my heart will
feel a little lighter knowing that you are watching out for them."

"I won't disappoint you, Mr. Grisha."

"Oh, please, Sakura, I thought we were past the formalities."

She smiled sheepishly and stopped her stroll once they reached the
dock. "Sometimes I forget, Grisha."

"Take care, all right? Make sure Eren doesn't do anything stupid."

"Sure will!" Not at all… Whatever that demon child decided to do was
the law, and Sakura wasn't going to waste time going against his
nature.

Sakura stayed long enough to see Grisha off and then took the long
way back home. It was only in those long walks that she had time to
think for herself, about herself. She still didn't remember a single
thing about her past, which had annoyed her endlessly a year ago,
but now she worried mostly about Mikoto and Erick, about how they
were handed such an undeserving death and how she was given
such a great responsibility. Mikasa was one of the most well-
behaved children out there, but even she sometimes needed some
disciplining. Kalura and Grisha had assumed that it would be Sakura
the one handing out punishments, but soon took the task away from
her once they realized she was unable to even land a single light
slap on the back of her hand.

How could she? How could they expect her to hit the person she
cared most about in the world?

It was for that exact same reason that she refused to dissuade
Mikasa from joining the Survey Corps should Eren ever decide to. It
was not because she couldn't, because Mikasa would undoubtedly
follow her older sister's commands, but because she didn't want
Mikasa to resent her. Sakura couldn't deny her anything, even if it
meant opening the path to her death.

Sakura sighed and looked up. Sunrises were more beautiful in

Shiganshina, but she still contended that sunsets were more
beautiful in the farmland the Ackermans owned. The sun would start
disappearing from the earth, coloring the skies with beautiful pinks
and oranges and purples that contrasted masterfully with the green
of the fields and the forests. There were no forests in Shiganshina, at
least not very close, and Sakura missed them terribly, missed the
sensation of jumping from branch to branch, because that was a
feeling she associated with a home she couldn't quite remember.

Thunder rolled and the ground shook, which immediately set Sakura
on edge. She observed her surroundings with a critical eye and her
knees almost buckled underneath her when she saw a red hand
gripping the top of Wall Maria. Almost seconds later a red face
looked down on them, its beady eyes calculating, almost as if it was
fully aware of what was going on.

All the times she had felt helpless were dwarfed with what she was
feeling right now. Looking at the head of the titan, staring at its eyes,
she felt such a deep, primal fear take a hold of her heart that she
couldn't think, couldn't move. She was frozen in time, imagining her
death, imagining a heroic rescue, imagining her flight. She wanted to
move, she wanted to hurry to her family, but she could only stare at
the titan that was scrutinizing them with an unreadable gaze.

The face bowed soon afterwards and Sakura felt dread pitting in her
stomach. She was right to be so alarmed, because not even five
seconds later, Shiganshina was covered in a monstrous boom,
followed by flying rocks. Luckily for her, she was still far enough to be
away from the impact size, but she knew that many others had
already lost their lives.

Wait, her house was that way!

Eren and Mikasa and Kalura were there!

Sakura leaped to the rooftops, uncaring about the surprised gasps of

the bystanders. She dashed from roof to roof, quickly making her
way to her house, only to be stopped by the silliest, most disgusting
looking titan standing in between her and the next house. It turned its
beady blue eyes toward her, and the brown mustache in his upper lip
curled with his mouth when he smiled eerily.
Its chakra though… Its chakra was one of the most horrifying things
Sakura had felt. She felt goosebumps appearing in her arms and
resisted the urge to shiver violently. The chakra was unnatural,
devoid of any malice or goodness, and at the same time so familiar
that she froze, allowing the titan to get the upper hand and attack
her.

It reached for her with astounding speed, but Sakura was faster and
jumped far back, putting sufficient distance between them. She
landed lightly on her feet and used the leftover momentum to throw
herself at the arm, smashing fist that had wanted to grab her with a
chakra-enhanced punch. The bones cracked and the titan moaned in
agony, giving her enough time to run away and change her course.

There was no way she would be able to kill a titan at the moment.
She could punch them in the face and send their heads flying, killing
them instantly, but being in the air would put her into a very
dangerous situation, since she could be easily swatted and maybe
killed. Climbing a titan was something else she could do, but she
wasn't very sure how it would react to her; it could grab her or
squash her just as easily as she could kill a bug that was going up
her leg.

She was now a couple hundred meters away from her house and
almost had a heart attack when she saw that a rock had crushed the
wooden home. There was a titan standing over it, but she couldn't
see much because its back was facing her. Were they… Sakura
blinked and put a little more chakra behind her optic nerves to better
observe the blond soldier that was carrying-- Mikasa and Eren! They
were alive! Sakura sighed and placed a hand against her heart,
weakly noting that it was beating faster than ever.

"STOP!"

Sakura immediately hurried towards Eren. That was no normal

scream, that was a plea of desperation and grief.

Crack!
There were no cherry blossoms in Shiganshina, she was positive
about that. In fact, she was pretty sure there were not cherry
blossom trees anywhere within the walls. But at that moment, those
scattered splotches of blood looked like the most disturbing,
gruesome cherry blossoms petals she had ever seen in her life.

Eren's expression was all she needed to know what exactly

happened.

She was in the perfect position. She could kill the titan and run away,
unscathed, to her foster siblings. All she needed was to be quiet and
soon there would be one less titan in this wretched world.

Unfortunately for Eren, he would have to find another titan to fulfill

his revenge.

"Sakura! No!"

There weren't many moments were Sakura cursed her sister, but this
was one of them. The titan that had killed Kalura turned around
immediately and shot his arm forwards to grab her. She was lucky
she had heightened reflexes, because she barely avoided his
clutching hands midair and landed on its wrist. She coated the soles
of her feet with chakra to stick to the titan and dashed with almost
inhuman speed up length of its arm. Once she was in its shoulder
blade, she punched it in the face with all her might, the strength so
great that the neck could no longer hold the head and it flew out,
crashing on a house far away.

Blood was splaying from the open wound, coating Sakura in its gore.
She growled softly, " Die, you piece of shit ." She wanted to keep
hitting it, wanted to release her pent up frustration, but she knew that
it was no use, because the titan was dead and she wouldn't be able
to relish in its pained screams. Besides, what she was supposed to
do now was lead Eren and Mikasa to safety and make sure they
survived the day.

Her anger could wait for another day.

Sakura leapt from the titans shoulder blades and landed neatly next
to the running soldier, Hannes, who had been a good ten meters
away before. The three gaped at her, but she kept running to the
evacuation site, ignoring their astonished looks.

"I'll explain later," she finally snapped after they kept looking at her
like an alien. That seemed to break them out of their reverie,
because they stopped looking at her and sped up.

People was gathered at the docks, clamoring and begging to be let

inside and evacuate. Most of them parted for her after seeing Sakura
coated in steaming blood, a telltale sign that it was a titan's blood. It
didn't help that her normally bright green eyes were narrowed and
spiteful. The scary-looking girl parted the crowds for her foster
siblings and the blond soldier that had helped them, Hannes,
persuaded the soldier who was standing guard to let them in the
ship.

Sakura found a small spot in the ship and pushed some people to
make enough room for the three of them, ignoring the protests of the
other refugees. The moans and the desolation, the crying and the
panic sent her over edge and made her want to punch something or
someone, whichever. Eren kept muttering to himself, Mikasa was
damn silent like always, and she was starting to lose her mind.

The boat started moving, signaling that they had reached the
maximum capacity. The people waiting to get on grew desperate and
some even started throwing themselves unto the ship.

The refugees' heads snapped in the direction of the giant explosion

in Shiganshina. Not knowing what was going on was infuriating, but
being helpless was just destroying Sakura's sanity. Until now, she
was able to do something about things. She could've stopped
Kalura's death if she had been faster, could've hurried back home
like she was supposed to when those despicable sex traffickers had
set their eyes on Mikoto and Mikasa, she could've killed more titans
before boarding the ship, but no, here she was, running away like
the good coward that she was.
Love is better motivation than hate and revenge.

Sakura grunted and looked at her side, feeling her cynicism growing
at the sight of Eren's angry tears and Mikasa's unseeing stare.
Hatred seemed to be doing a pretty good job for the boy, if you
asked her. Those eyes brimmed with determination and ruthlessness
were perfect for slaying titans.

The boy suddenly stood up and made his way to the edge of the
boat, gazing at the countryside. His friend, Armin, tried to stop him,
but he only slapped his hand away and declared that he would drive
the titans away for good.

She frowned slightly and looked at her side, noting with growing
dismay the determination behind Mikasa's eyes. She knew there
would be no stopping Eren from following his dream to extinguish
titans, and the only way to do that would be through the Survey
Corps, the military branch with the highest mortality rate.

Could life stop taking her precious people away for just one
goddamn time?

Armin's grandfather had his hands full caring for Armin, so it was up
to Sakura to make sure Mikasa and Eren had shelter and food. She
had not seen them much the first couple of days, leaving them to
their own devices sometimes through the night. She had the
responsibility of feeding them and caring for them, and since they
were growing children they needed all the food she could provide,
which resulted in her doing oddball jobs to earn enough money to
pay for the stable she had found for them and exchanging favors for
food.

At the end of the day, Sakura was much too exhausted to answer the
one burning question Eren and Mikasa had for her: who exactly was
she?

She groaned and plopped down on the haystack. "Again?"

"You promised us an answer," Mikasa replied, still not bulging.

"Believe me, we have a long time ahead of us."

"Sakura, please," Eren pleaded. "I think we deserve to know. We

trust you with our lives… The least you could do is trust us with your
secret."

The pink-haired girl sighed, knowing his logic was sound and fair.
She got up, leaving the haystack, and made her way over to where
Eren and Mikasa were standing, urging them to sit down with her.
Once they plopped down on the floor, she extended her arms and
silently asked them to give her their hands. They slowly placed their
hands face up on top of her palms, the welts and angry red lines of
their attempt to save their mother still very visible.

"… Will you never speak a word about this to anyone?"

They both nodded firmly.

She gingerly covered their tinier hands with her own and started
healing them with her chakra, the bright green glow soothing and
warm. Both of them jumped, startled, and instinctually tried to retract
their hands, but Sakura held on to them firmly. After a couple of
seconds of absolute silence, Sakura released their hands, now
perfectly healed and scarless.

"I do not know who I am," she confessed quietly meanwhile the
children admired their palms in awestruck shock. "I just know what I
am."

"What are you?" Mikasa whispered shakily.

"I'm not very sure there is a correct translation, but I am a ninja, or,
more specifically, a medic-nin. My job is to both assassinate and
save lives, healing wounds just like how I healed yours."
Eren was still staring intently at his hands, a bright grin spreading
across his face. "This is so amazing. What about that strength?"

"What I used to heal your hands is called chakra. Everyone has

chakra in the world, but only a few people can use it. I haven't come
across anyone able to use it, which led me to believe that either I am
a freak of accident or I don't belong in this world." This revelation
seemed to hit them harder than her powers, because they now
openly gaped at her. She didn't give them much time to dwell on it,
because she continued, "I can manipulate chakra to do many other
things, like enhance my senses and even my strength. I don't
actively make myself stronger, because I'm already powerful as-is,
but I can coat my fists with chakra and do what you saw me do to
that titan."

"You sent its head flying," Mikasa said in awe. "Is there more you
can do?"

Sakura frowned. This was something she constantly wondered, and

the answer still upset her, even now. "Yes, there's more, but I don't
remember how to do it. It's really annoying, because I can feel the
knowledge there, I just can't access it. When I try to remember, it's
as if it's in the tip of my tongue, but then it vanishes for months,
repeating the cycle."

"Still!" Eren stood up, barely able to control his excitement. "This is
so great, Sakura! If you joined the military, if you helped out the
Survey Corps, we could exterminate the titans! We could--"

Sakura's eyes widened and she scrambled to stand, putting her

hands in Eren's shoulders to balance herself and draw his attention
to her. "No."

Eren blinked, confused. "What do you mean, no?"

"No as in I won't join the Survey Corps. I won't join them and
abandon you two." She stared with downcast eyes at Mikasa. "We've
been abandoned one time too many."
His shoulders relaxed and he gently took her hands off his
shoulders. "The needs of humanity outweigh the needs of two
children. We can handle ourselves, Sakura."

She chuckled bitterly. "I don't think you understand, Eren. Why would
I want to fight for humanity?"

The question's bluntness shocked him, because he only managed

an incredulous, "What?"

"The only two people I really care about in this world are in this
stable at the moment. If I have to fight for humanity to protect you
two, then I will, but right now is not the moment." Mikasa extended
her hands toward Sakura, urging her to help her stand, and she
readily accepted, hoisting her up with ease, but neither let go of each
other's hand. "Besides, if I joined the military and made my powers
known, I would become a weapon. I don't want to become a
weapon."

"What's wrong with being a weapon? If it's for the sake of mankind,
why wouldn't you want to give yourself to that role?"

Oh, Eren and his consequentialist ideologies… Sometimes the ends

didn't justify the means. She felt that she knew that, felt that it had
happened before, but there it was again, in the tip of her mind's
tongue, out of reach. "Do you know what weapons are?" At the
shake of their heads, she continued bitterly, "They are disposable,
thrown away once their usefulness is over. They also die like dogs,
remembered by loved ones, forgotten by everyone else.

"I'm a human, with feelings and passions, and I refuse to be treated

as anything but a human."

She spotted a familiar blond head in the front of the food stall. Armin
was with his grandfather, arguing to receive their day's share of food
along with three other loaves, which they claimed was for children.
Naturally, the soldier handing them out was unconvinced.
"Is there a problem here?"

The soldier was unamused and glared openly at her. "Yes, there is.
You damn refuges are eating all of our food and lying about who's
eating it!"

Armin looked up at her with nervous blue eyes. "That's not true! I
was trying to get food for you, Eren, and Mikasa!"

He grunted. "She doesn't look like a kid to me."

Her green eyes narrowed, but she knew that the soldier had the
upper hand. Besides, the people in line were getting restless and
she didn't want to cause a commotion. "Fine, whatever, just give the
children the food. I'm not hungry anyway."

He gazed at her with wary eyes but finally relented, handing Armin
three loaves of bread and left to get one for his grandfather. The duo
left the line and made their way to where she guessed Mikasa and
Eren would be when she felt the intensity of Armin's stare. She
looked sideways and almost instantly melted at the look of pure guilt
in his face. She smiled and placed a gentle hand on his blond head.
"Don't worry, Armin, I'm not hungry."

Armin opened his mouth to respond but his grandfather's voice

interrupted him, "Sakura! I need to talk to you."

Sakura turned sideways and nodded to acknowledge his request.

She looked back at Armin and gave him her most comforting smile.
"Go give them their food, would you?"

The boy nodded and left without a word, leaving the kunoichi with his
grandfather alone.

"It's good that I found you so quickly," he said softly between pants.

"Hello, Mr. Arlert. I hope everything is okay."

The man frowned. "It's not, or soon it will not."

She made a confused sound with her throat. "What do you mean?"

"Come with me."

Armin's grandfather led them from the crowded courtyard to a

secluded hallway. She felt apprehension growing in the pit of her
stomach at how careful he was in keeping whatever he was about to
say secret, judging by how cautious he was when examining their
surroundings.

"The food storage," he began with a sigh. "The government has no

way to feed all these people along with the bad season for crops. At
this rate, everyone will starve… But word on the street is that they'll
send us refugees to retake Wall Maria."

Sakura gasped and took an involuntarily step back. "But that's

impossible! We… We're not trained to fight titans!"

Mr. Arlert nodded gravely. "I know, which means this spells the death
for many of us, but not everyone. There is a loophole to this: the
military. The government won't send away any recruits because they
need them now more than ever to fight against the titans. However,
they are keeping really quiet about this, because they don't want too
many cadets either. There are two cutoffs for the next Cadet Corps
class: the person has to be under twenty-five to apply and has to
pass a test."

"So you're telling me I should join the military."

"If you want to live past the next year, then yes, I suggest that."

"You saved my life, Mr. Arlert," she whispered, her eyes filled with
gratitude. "I promise I'll find a way to save yours too."

The old man laughed, the sound meant to be joyous, but coming out
more as regretful and resigned. "No, no, there is no saving me,
Sakura. I'm an old man, I can't do much by myself, let alone do
something for society. This world needs the young, not the old, and
that's the way life works."

"Mr. Arlert… If there is anything, any favor, I--"

"I only ask that you to watch over Armin," he requested. "I have seen
how you strongly you keep Mikasa and Eren out of danger, and I
only wish you do the same for Armin."

She looked sideways, a slight frown on her face. "I won't be able to
do that anymore. Eren has expressed desire in joining the military,
and Mikasa will follow… So I can no longer keep them out of
danger."

He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, making her stare at his

understanding eyes. "Maybe I need to rephrase my request. Protect
Armin for me. Keep him alive to the best of your ability."

"You have my word, Mr. Arlert."

She would've protected the boy anyway, but now she had an even
stronger and firmer reason to do so.

"There will be three stamina tests to secure your spot in the 102nd
Cadet Corps Class! First you will jog around the perimeter of this
training camp until the first two hundred drop. Then you will stop and
put on your 3DMG with our help if needed and continue running until
the next one hundred fifty drop. The remaining three hundred fifty will
carry a fallen cadet and run until the next fifty drop. If you can't run,
you will die; if you can't run with your gear, you will die; if you can't
run with a wounded comrade, you both will die! We don't need dead
people in our ranks!"

Sakura stared grimly at their proctor. She was old, but her voice was
commanding and instilled fear in most of the cadet hopefuls.
Apparently she wasn't the only one amongst the refugees to hear the
interesting piece of information Mr. Arlert had given her. This was the
biggest class the military ever received, far bigger than what their
budget allowed. They needed to feed all their cadets, and with the
lack of food humanity was experiencing, they needed to quickly get
rid of the useless ones. In fact, even after the cutoff, they were going
to still have an excess of around fifty cadets.

"We will take turns running behind you! If you are too slow and we
catch you, you are out!"

It was a ruthless test. Everyone knew that the ones that dropped
would die in less than a year, but the proctors still stared at them with
unwelcoming, unsympathetic eyes. A little bit of compassion would
never kill anyone, but these soldiers must've missed that memo
because they were as cold-hearted as they came.

"Ready, set, go!"

They all started jogging immediately, their panic setting them on the
edge. Even though Sakura had amazing stamina, she knew better
than to lead the line. Those jogging too fast would soon tire out and
be the first to drop, after all.

A yell broke her out of her musings and with a backward glance she
saw one of the proctors following them catch three unsuspecting
cadets. He might as well shoot them right there and save them the
misery later on. Sakura sped up then, quickly taking the lead and
easily maintaining it, much to the surprise of her fellow competitors.

The running lulled her into a sense of comfort, and she unwittingly
remembered when she told her three wards that she was enlisting in
the military to save her hide from dying out in the fields. She had
wanted them to try to convince her otherwise, to convince her to stay
because they had decided not to join the Survey Corps and they
needed her, but Eren only smiled happily and asked her to wait for
them. Mikasa and Armin nodded reluctantly, still unsure of their own
choices, which made Sakura feel a little better.
A whistle interrupted her reverie and she looked around, surprised to
see everyone breathing heavily. Some were walking away with
dejected heads, telltale signs that they had not made it. She made
her way to the small house and asked one of the soldiers to help her
put her 3DMG on meanwhile she drank enough water to satisfy her
thirst but not upset her stomach at the same time.

"Alright you ungrateful bastards, go!"

The remaining cadets started running, though their speed was

severely stunted. The 3DMG, though surprisingly light, was still
uncomfortable to move around with. It took Sakura around ten laps
to get used to the weight, and by then around fifty cadets had
already left and were making their way to the center of the field with
the rest of the rejected.

She kept jogging lightly in the front, unmatched by anyone. She

already attracted quite a lot of attention due to her pink hair, and
being the one cadet that didn't get tired was not doing wonders to
her reputation. It couldn't be helped that she knew how to use chakra
and make her body more resilient and powerful than a normal
human's. Well, that certainly gave her an unfair advantage, yes, but
she needed to stay alive for the sake of Mikasa, Eren, and Armin.

This wasn't just her life on the line.

Everyone heard the whistle and let out a breath of relief. They
headed to the middle of the training grounds and most of them
greedily gulped all the water they could take. Sakura only took small
sips, mindful to not drink too much. She wiped the excess water from
her mouth and looked around, cringing internally at the marked
silence between the cadets that were still in the game and those who
were out.

It wouldn't hurt to make a conversation with the person she would

carry for a while, would it?
"Hey." She should call her a woman, because she certainly looked
like one, but her eyes were so lost that she couldn't help but mentally
call her a girl. "Do you mind if I choose you to be my partner?"

She recoiled, a bit shocked. "Why me? I'm heavy and tall, and you're
so short and skinny. Everyone is betting that you're gonna be one of
the first ones to fall right now."

Sakura held back her smirk. "What about you?"

The girl gaped at her and blushed. "I…" She looked away and
mumbled, "I bet for you."

She couldn't hold it anymore and giggled. Sakura could feel the
stares of people focused on the two of them, but she didn't mind; she
was laughing, genuinely laughing, and there was nothing that could
hold her back. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. I promise I'll make
you win. So, what do you say? Will you let me carry you?"

"I-I guess."

"Thanks. What's your name?"

"Bertha. Yours?"

The soldier yelled at them to prepare themselves. Sakura extended

a hand towards her, and was secretly happy when she accepted
without hesitation. "Sakura. Nice to meet you, Bertha."

The kunoichi didn't give her time to prepare and put an arm in the
middle of her back and another in the back of her knees and she
lifted her with ease. She started jogging ahead of the crowd, and had
to restrain her laughter when she saw Bertha's shocked expression.
Sure, her method of carrying her was a bit unorthodox, but Bertha
was too tall and she would sure hit her 3DMG with every step she
took. She could also carry her on her shoulder, but then that would
be extremely uncomfortable.
So she was the only one carrying her cadet as if she were running in
a field of dandelions, complete with the smile on her face and the
blush on Bertha's.

Sometimes she really cracked herself up.

Much to everyone's surprise but her own, Sakura finished at the lead
once the whistle stopped them again. She was panting, but she was
in better shape than everyone else, who thought that the dirty floor
would be the best place to lay down and rest. She gingerly put
Bertha down and thanked her deeply for spending time with her,
even if it was in less than optimal conditions.

"Alright, you brats, don't get cocky! You still have three years ahead
of you!"

That put everyone's spirits down, especially the ones that hadn't
made it, because three years was two years more than what they
were expected to survive. Tears filled Bertha's eyes and she
brokenly whispered her thanks to Sakura for making her win the bet
and turned away from her.

Her heart gave a painful clench and she grabbed Bertha by her
bicep. She whirled her heads towards her, with tears streaming down
her face and a confused frown.

Sakura was at a loss for what possessed her to grab unto the
woman, but her mouth tightened to straight line on its own and she
blurted, "Live."

She smiled sadly and left without a word, leaving the winner alone in
the field.

When Sakura says that she's a ninja and a medic-nin, the words
she used were kunoichi and iryo-nin.
Fun Fact: The original draft for this chapter included Sakura
saving Kalura. However, after re-watching and reading SnK for
like the third time, I noticed how many times Eren flashbacks to
his mother being eaten and realized that interfering with that
plot point is a no-no, at least for Eren's development. So, sorry
Kalura.

Pairing is still undecided, but after 7 people requesting

LeviSaku I am leaning towards that. I personally lean towards it
too. I will probably decide by the time she meets and interacts
with almost the whole cast at least once, which will be in
around five chapters, give or take one?

Also, just a reminder that this is not God-mode Sakura story

where she kicks so much ass it hurts. Most of the times she
won't be able to save the day. The story is only as good as its
conflict is, meaning if you make Frodo a Jedi you gotta give
Sauron the Death Star (Yes that phrase is not mine). That's not
to say she won't become powerful, because AU baby, but by
then Sauron would definitely have the Death Star and the Star
Forge. Also, she is a ninja… They are supposed to keep their
secrets close to their hearts and whatnot.

I would like to deeply thank Guest, Atsirk Enoh, pepergirl001,

peach, Kitsukami, brokenmaelstrom, Genuinely-Unique,
OnePiecefan202, LadyRidger, Lori, asredwer, mun3litKnight,
Basia Orci, and Arisu-kun for being so awesome and leaving
reviews. Your kind words always encourage me to get a chapter
out extra early. Also many thanks to those who added this story
to their alerts and favorites!

Reviews are life,

Penpal
102nd Trainees Squad
Reading guide for this chapter:

"Talk."

" Emphasis."

The entrance ceremony was not only uneventful, but also

depressing. They had lost half of the cadet hopefuls, and most, if not
all of them, would be dead by the end of next year.

She landed on her bed and put her arm across her eyes, shutting
them from the light immediately. She knew that they weren't going to
send children to reclaim Wall Maria, but what was the definition of a
child? A seven-year-old? A fifteen-year-old? A ten-year-old? What
exactly was the cutoff age? If either of those three were ordered to
go, she would go crazy.

"Is the bunk below yours taken?"

Sakura removed her arm from her face and sat up to get a better
view of the person addressing her. She looked very young, and she
was very short, perhaps shorter than Sakura, which was quite the
feat by itself. However, she knew better than to judge her based on
looks alone; this girl had survived the laps of death, after all.

"No, not at all. Take it."

She smiled, her amber eyes crinkling. "Thank you, Sakura!"

Sakura cocked her head to the side, surprised. "You know me?"

The girl snorted, as if the question amused her. "Who doesn't know
you? Not only did you carry a girl that looked twice your weight, you
finished first. Besides, the hair doesn't help."
Sakura smiled sheepishly and ran a hand through her long pink
locks. "Heh, true, true. But it's a bit unfair how you know mine and I
don't know yours. We're gonna be bunk mates, after all."

The girl put her suitcase on her bed and beckoned her to come
down. The nineteen-year-old did so quickly, foregoing the ladder and
jumping down straight ahead. This action seemed to amuse her new
bunk mate, because she started giggling uncontrollably.

"Is something wrong?"

She waved a hand up and down. "No, no, nothing. It's just that
people say that you're this cold and serious person who doesn't want
to meet people and it's just funny that you did that right now."

Sakura frowned and pouted, not appreciating how the rumors

painted her as such an unapproachable person. She smiled often,
right? Or was it maybe how intimidating she had been in the test?
She should've known it was going to bite her in the ass. "I don't know
where that rumor came from, honestly."

The girl extended a hand towards her. "Petra Ral from Honig, in the
middle of Rose."

She took her hand and shook it firmly. "Sakura Ackerman from
Shiganshina, south of Maria."

Petra immediately retracted her hand from hers, and looked at her in
a mixture of shock and apprehension. "Where you there when…"
she trailed off, unsure on how to continue her question, or too scared
to offend her, Sakura wasn't too sure.

She appreciated the gesture, nevertheless. "Yeah. I was there."

"I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have asked. My parents were from

Shiganshina too, but they moved to the north before I was born. I
heard many of their friends died that day."
"We were unprepared," she told her quietly. She remembered her
inability to save Kalura, her helplessness as the Armored Titan broke
through Wall Maria, her failed promise to protect her wards. "No one
saw it coming."

"You saw the titans then? How… Are they as scary as everyone
says?"

She sighed and sat down on the floor between their beds and the
other two bunk beds in the other side of the room. She wondered
where their other two roommates were, but then she remembered
that she had finished her dinner earlier than anyone else and had
quickly retired, meaning that they must be still eating. "They are
scary, but what they do is scarier. Especially because they're so big,
you can only feel like an insect in comparison."

"That was my main reason for not wanting to join the military. I can't
bear the thought of meeting them…"

"Then why are you here, if you don't mind my asking?" She didn't
phrase her question rudely; she was genuinely curious as to why the
girl had joined the military if she was so scared of titans. From what
Sakura could tell, she wasn't in any danger of being chosen to go
retake Wall Maria because she was a citizen of Wall Rose. If
anything, she should be avoiding this place at all costs.

"My dad wants me to join the Military Police and get as far away from
Wall Rose as possible. They're scared one of those two special
titans might appear any time soon and take us by surprise again."

Sakura nodded slowly, a thoughtful look in her face. "That makes

sense. I don't blame your dad for thinking like that. I'm not entirely
sure about all of this either."

"What about you, Sakura? What do you want to do after all of this?"

She shrugged. She still wasn't sure about what she was going to end
up doing. Deep down she knew chances were she had to join the
Survey Corps, but she still held on to the hope that she would be
able to convince Eren to join the Military Police and live a peaceful
life inside Wall Sina. Who knows, maybe he would marry Mikasa
there (or not, if they didn't like each other that way when they were
older, she was okay either way), and she would marry some civilian
who could give her a taste of a normal, stress-free life and make her
forget about Shiganshina.

"I'm not very sure right now. It could honestly go either way."

Petra cocked her head to the side, her gaze confused. "You don't
want to join the Military Police."

"Still not sure what I want to do. There are many variables involved."

The girl's mouth opened slightly and she close it soon afterwards,
nodding in understanding that she didn't feel like discussing the topic
at hand. "Hm, I wonder where our roommates are."

Sakura snorted. "Maybe I scared them away?"

The girl laughed and her honey eyes crinkled in amusement. "That
would be awesome! Imagine having a whole room to ourselves! No
need to worry about--"

A knock interrupted their door and one of their trainers whose name
escaped Sakura stood at the door rigidly. Both girls jumped and
stood at full attention, their right hand over their heart and their left
behind their backs.

"Due to a lack of girls, you two have been assigned a room to

yourselves! Remember that there is training in the morning!"

"Sir, yessir!" they replied in unison.

The commanding officer's glare softened a bit and he closed the

door behind them, leaving them a mess of giggles as soon as they
were sure he was far away. "We should say stuff like that more
often!" Petra said between gasps.

Sakura nodded along, unable to form a reply. Soon after their

sniggers died they both agreed they were exhausted and quickly
went to bed. Even though the other two beds were free, Petra still
took the one below hers.

She faced the other two bunk beds as Petra's soft snores filled the
room and couldn't help but think that Bertha could be sleeping with
them in this room right now.

You had chakra, of course you beat the stamina test. You could have
been me, and I could have been you, if you didn't have your precious
chakra. And now here I am, facing titans. And now here I am, about
to die, without anyone crying for me.

It was customary that the cadets were tested on their balance the
first day after the ceremony. Not only did it give the trainees a feel of
what they were going to use for most of their military careers, it
served as a way for the officers to quickly judge where in the gifted
spectrum the cadets were.

Their instructor was a harsh man by the name of Emil Ernst. His hair
was silvery and his face was filled with wrinkles, but his eyes held
such wisdom and experience that there was no single trainee who
dared to cross him. Rumor was it he had killed over one hundred
titans in his career in the Survey Corps before joining the Military
Police and even quickly rose through the ranks there.

There were five 3DMG testing sites set up so that five cadets could
go at the same time. Though this made the process slow, since there
were three hundred people to go through, it did give everyone a
clear view of what was expected of them and what they were
supposed to do.
Sakura admired Petra's form. Though she had made her hesitance
to encounter titans very clear, she was masterful in keeping her
balance and people were already murmuring that she had a very real
shot at being the valedictorian. Though it slightly irritated her that
people were making such a long-term judgement based on a simple
task, she had to admit that Petra's form was by far the best.

"Ackerman!"

She sighed under her breath and made her way to the testing site
Emil was pointing at. She could see that suddenly all the stares were
on her, but she didn't care about that. What she cared was about the
officer currently strapping the 3DGM around her waist, making sure
he didn't screw up anywhere. She knew her inhuman reflexes would
kick in if something went wrong, but she didn't want to raise
unnecessary questions right now; her pink hair was novelty enough.

They hoisted her up and she felt a tiny bit of panic at not being able
to touch the ground but she quickly got used to the feeling of being in
the air. To be honest, she felt a certain degree of freedom in being up
in the air. Usually she required to actively use chakra to perform
something extraordinary, but here she was, "levitating" without using
her power once. For once, she felt as she was achieving something
based on her own merits.

Now that she was used to the feeling, she relaxed her somewhat stiff
body slowly, allowing her to shift as she went adapted to the shift of
the wires. Soon her body was so relaxed that she was swinging
lightly along with the wires, completely at ease with the feeling by
now. People were starting to murmur in the crowd, pointing fingers at
her and making her feel uncomfortable.

"Okay, that's enough. Bring her down!"

Sakura felt slightly disappointed that her moment of freedom was

over so quickly, but she quickly squashed it by reminding herself that
she would be using the 3DGM for quite a long time.
Even though Emil didn't tell her anything, her perceptive eyes could
see the surprise and slight awe that he had for her performance.
That was enough to make her feel proud of herself, because for
once in her life people were amazed by something she had done
herself. She did not have to rely on her muscle memory or her
chakra to do this, this was all her and her gift for learning quickly.

Petra tackled her arm and shook her slightly. "That was amazing!
How did you do that?"

"Do what?"

" That . You just stood there like if nothing was happening. It looked
as if you could walk on air!"

She didn't know how to react. If she brushed off her comment and
said it was nothing, she would come off as arrogant and maybe
upset her rapidly-becoming friend. However, if she went and lied
about how hard it was, she might come off as arrogant as well for
overplaying her feats. So, either way, it was a lose-lose for her. "I
guess I just felt relaxed up there. Tall, you know, something that
we're not."

That seemed to be the right answer, because she giggled. "I'll follow
your advice next time. Could you give me some pointers later on,
though?"

Sakura smiled. "Sure, Petra. Just tell me when and I'll be there."

It was the first time the 102nd Trainee Corps Class saw her excited,
but right now they couldn't care less. It was hard listening to a lecture
trying to persuade them that something useless they were about to
do was actually useful. They were hypocrites, really, trying to
convince them to practice hand-to-hand combat when it wasn't
graded that highly anyway.

"You're too excited about this," Petra commented with a sulky voice.
Sakura gaped at her, horrified about her lack of excitement. "Are you
kidding me? This is awesome!"

"I take it you have some experience in this."

"My specialty, if I can call it that."

"You have many specialties, do you know that?"

"So I've been told, but so do you."

"I guess we're women of many talents, aren't we?"

"Rawr."

"Ackerman! Ral! If you're done with your girly chat we would like to
get on with this lesson!"

The two girls froze up and looked down to the floor, their cheeks
heating up instantly when they heard the barely contained snickers
around them. Ugh, red cheeks clashed horribly with her hair.

"Ackerman! Bozado! You're fighting here!"

She made her way to where Emil had pointed, her cheeks still a bit
red from embarrassment. Standing there was a man with unruly dirty
blond hair a couple of inches taller than her. His small hazel eyes
were cocky and he seemed to have a perpetual smirk. "So I got
paired up with Pinky, huh?"

Sakura's eyes twitched in annoyance. She vaguely recalled the cat

she saved, Blacky, and suddenly felt guilty for not stealing him and
renaming him. "Don't you have better things to do than antagonize
girls, you old man?"

Bozado tried to play it off cool, but she noticed his hands clenching
and unclenching, a clear sign of irritation. " Hey, I'll have you know I
just turned seventeen, so I don't know what you're talking about,
Pinky ."
Her nose wrinkled in disgust. If this kid was two years younger than
her, just exactly how old did she look? She grew slightly panicked
until she remembered a conversation she and Petra had earlier
about their appearances, how Sakura just adored her honey hair and
Petra commented that her ivory skin looked youthful enough to make
her think she was fifteen.

"Start!"

Bozado got into a sloppy fighting stance meanwhile Sakura just

stood there, relaxing her muscles. After countless of practices she
had learned that her body was best-suited to retaliate, not start. This
gave her a chance to see her opponent's first movement and devise
a strategy to quickly incapacitate with the minimum amount of effort
and time required.

"Ladies first," he said with an arrogant bow.

"Go ahead then," she replied without missing a beat.

That seemed to get him, because now not only did his fists clench,
but his eyes narrowed even more. "I'm being nice here. Hit me."

"I've made it a habit to let my opponents hit me first. It would be too

unfair otherwise."

His forehead twitched and his lip curled. "Why you!" He launched
himself at her with a bit too much force, but she had already seen his
punch coming a mile away. She sidestepped and put her foot where
she was, immediately tripping him. She quickly got away from him
and took his old spot, standing there innocently and looking away.

He scrambled up and glared daggers at her. "That was unfair!"

"That's why I let you go first."

Bozado growled and charged at her with the intention of putting her
in a choke hold and possible doing a body throw. Even though he
had been acting cocky beforehand, Sakura knew that he had a very
good reason, because he knew what he was doing. Sure, his form
was somewhat sloppy, but he had obviously had training in hand-to-
hand combat, something most of the recruits couldn't boast about.

She crouched, avoiding his choke hold, and swept her leg at him,
hoping to throw him again. Much to her surprise, he jumped high
enough to avoid the attack and as soon as he landed he aimed a low
kick at her abdomen. She knew avoiding this one would be hard
because she was crouching, but she bent her back enough to avoid
the kick narrowly and used the power of her arms to quickly lift her
body backwards to do a handstand and let herself fall gracefully
enough to land lightly on her feet.

He just stared at her in shock but shook his head, snapping out of
his reverie. He aimed a punch at her shoulder but she stopped him
with a swift kick to his inner arm. He cried out in pain, and she used
his distraction as an advantage to move next to him, wrap one arm
around his waist and the other one behind his head, and she brought
them both down to slam him to the floor as if he were some little kid.

The impact probably ripped the skin from her knuckles, but that was
fine, since the point of the spar was to not kill her partner. His head
was moving from side to side, probably dazed. She had gone a little
bit overboard, because her left shoulder hurt like a bitch and that
wasn't supposed to happen. She retrieved her hand from the back of
his head and stood up, yet again ignoring the blatant stares from her
fellow cadets.

He was probably still seeing stars, but she saw his eyes focus on
her, and from the frown on his face he must not be very happy with
her. She extended her left hand first to help him up, but upon seeing
the blood dripping down from her knuckles, she quickly changed it,
smiling sheepishly down at him. Seeing that she was not unscathed
probably did wonders to his mood, because he took her hand and
hoisted himself up.

"Not bad, Ackerman."

"Sakura."

"I knew that."

"All right, Bozado ."

"Oluo."

"I knew that."

The training field was empty except for a tiny pink-haired girl doing
push ups, her light breathing betraying the number of sets she had
already done. The sky was darkening quickly, which meant curfew
would soon be called and she might miss dinner, but she couldn't
care less. She was working, training her physical strength to her
body's limits. Today she had seen Petra carry a grown man by
herself with little to no effort. Sure, she could carry three times her
own size easily, but that was with the help of chakra.

She wasn't very sure where the limits of her body stopped.

It surprised her, how agile and powerful the cadets were. They threw
themselves down cliffs to see how easily they could turn and shoot
the grappling hook to stop their descent, they ran for miles with
heavy backpacks, they cut down trees with just their steel blade and
muscle… The cadets did all of that without chakra. They were
amazing in that aspect, and they were just first years. No one had
hailed a single one of them a genius…

Well, no one until now, but there were whispers of a certain pink-
haired prodigy who outranked all of them because of a tiny
insignificant thing called chakra.

Her peers and superiors admired Sakura, but they didn't admire her,
but rather her chakra, and they weren't even aware of that. To them,
Sakura was simply a hidden gem in a field of coal. If she had been
normal, she would've been even worse than coal; at least coal could
be turned into a diamond. If she had been normal, maybe Bertha
would be here in her stead.

Everyone wanted to be like Sakura, but she wasn't even like them to
begin with. They were comparing themselves to a farce.

Her arms shook and she collapsed on the floor, her chest receiving
the brutal end of the fall. She groaned and turned her body around
so that she was laying down with her back against the ground.

The sun was almost set, and the stars were starting to appear in the
purple sky. Even though the darkness covered most of the field, if
enhanced her eyesight she could see almost as clearly as if it were
daylight. As much as she wanted to hate what made her different
than the rest of the people she would fight with, she couldn't help but
admit it was extremely useful.

She heard footsteps approach her and she wasn't at all surprised
when a woman stopped just before hitting her head. Her skin was
darker than most, and her eyes were two large black jewels that
glittered with amusement and something else. From her vantage
point she looked taller than her, but then again that wasn't hard
considering Sakura was one of the shortest recruits.

"You will miss dinner if you continue like that."

The woman extended a hand towards her and Sakura warily took it.
She had never seen her before, which was a bit weird, since her
looks were quite exotic and she almost never missed anyone like
that. Then again, if Sakura was bad with names, she was horrible
with faces.

"Thanks," she murmured, still a bit out of her element. "I know this
will sound rude, but who are you?"

She laughed, the sound harsh and throaty. "It is quite alright, Sakura
Ackerman. I don't expect you to know everyone in our class,
especially when most people avoid you like a plague."
The pink-haired girl blinked. She was actively avoided? "What?
Why?"

She raised a thick black eyebrow, as if the question should already

have an answer. "Your determination intimidates most people. Not
many can do five sets of fifty push-ups in less than an hour."

"You've been watching me?"

"Perhaps I admire determination more than I fear it."

"You never told me your name."

Her lips curved into a smirk. Everything about her was exotic, and
Sakura could feel herself attracted to the mysterious aura she
exuded. "Amina Talman, at your service. I am your new roommate."

Sakura's body stiffened. She hadn't expected that, hadn't thought

that they would separate her and Petra. "What about Petra?"

"Oh, she's still in your room, of course. It's just that my three
roommates were shipped off to the landfills --a much better fate than
those who failed the entrance exam, if you ask me. So instead of
leaving me alone they decided to pair me with the room occupied by
our class's two geniuses."

"And you're not intimidated at all?"

"Like I said, there is beauty in determination. I want to become

stronger, and you two can help me with that."

Sakura crossed her arms, suddenly wary about Amina's reasons for
seeking her assistance. "And you want me and Petra to help you?"

"I thought that was obvious, but yeah, I do. If our instructors decided
to rank us tomorrow, I would probably be in the last ten."

The military ranked the Trainee Corps at the end of every year to
measure their success and point out where things could be
improved. This also happened along the same dates the graduating
class chose their branch. The 100th Trainee Corps Class was going
to graduate in six months, which meant they still had half a year to
go before the rankings.

"Unless you want to join the Military Police, I don't see why that
matters too much."

"I want to join the Military Police. It is the only reason why I came
here."

Now it was her turn to be incredulous and raise an eyebrow. "Well,

it's a good thing that you sought us in the first year. I don't think we
would've been able to do much later on. Have you asked Petra if this
is alright with her?"

"She said it was fine. I just needed to confirm with you."

Sakura's eyes narrowed and she pouted. "Well, at least I don't have
to deal with that old man so much anymore if I'm going to train you."

"I asked Oluo Bozado for help too and he gladly took me in as well."

"You're not very good with negotiations are you? You should've kept
that a secret."

"He's one of your two only friends. I might even venture and say he's
one of your best friends."

It was very hard for her to keep the horrified expression from her
face. "Oh dear, no. Hell no. If anything we're rivals."

"So are you going to help me or what?"

Sakura may have been nice, apparently contrary to popular belief,

but even she knew she was being played like a fool by this woman,
which was quite weird considering it was she who was asking for
help, not the other way around. "What do you have for me?"
Amina smirked, as if she had suddenly reeled in the bait. "For
starters, a better image. You have no idea how useful it will be once
you're in the Military Police to have an approachable image."

Ah, nothing felt nicer than having the upper hand. "You assume I
want to join the Military Police. That was your first mistake."

"Who wouldn't? It was a logical assumption," she replied a bit

defensively. Though Sakura was quickly growing to dislike Amina,
she couldn't tell her to go away, be it because of the banter or the
fact she was the first person to approach her willingly in almost four
months. Even a girl like her could grow lonely. "I'll be honest, I didn't
think you would give me such a hard time with this, especially
because your friends already agreed with me."

Sakura sighed and gazed past her to their cabin which acted as a
mess hall, where people were already filing out to their dorms. So
much for dinner. "I was going to help you, no questions asked, but
then you overplayed your hand and thought I had to be manipulated.
I don't like being manipulated, and I don't like being used. I guess
that was your mistake."

Much to her surprise, Amina looked thoroughly chastised and

ashamed. "Perhaps there was some wisdom in my father's words.
You are right, and for that I ask for your forgiveness."

"Good, you have it. We start tomorrow at dawn, alright?"

Her dark eyes widened, surprised at the sudden change in her

disposition. She smiled tentatively and nodded shyly, a sharp
contrast from the sly girl that had approached her not even ten
minutes ago. Her eyes lit with something and she reached into a
pouch she carried in her back and took out a piece of bread and
bottle of water. "Oh, here you go. I forgot I brought these for you."

Sakura took them from her greedily and started munching them,
uncaring if she had bread crumbs around her lips and if she drank
like a mule. "Say, if you wanted to have the upper hand, you
should've just bribed me with food."

"I'll keep that in mind next time I want something," she noted with a
giggle.

Just as Amina had predicted, Sakura had become much more

approachable after she decided to tutor her. She was no longer
regarded with fear, but rather respect, and this improved her mood
greatly. Her pupil, though lacking in the physique department, was
very eager, waking up before sunrise to run laps and working on her
stamina until dusk. She, Oluo, and Petra usually took turns training
Amina, because waking up extra early and going to bed just before
curfew was extremely taxing on the body and mind, especially with
the normal cadet training they went through.

Sakura had also started depending less on her chakra. In the next
six months of training, she gained around fifteen pounds of pure
muscle, and though it wasn't very outwardly obvious, Sakura could
feel the effects whenever she picked or pushed something without
the help of chakra. She was naturally strong, yes, but this was
something new, something that was hers and hers alone.

That's not to say she neglected her chakra training, because she
didn't. As much as she felt uncomfortable having something that
naturally made her better than everyone else, her chakra was a part
of her and she needed to nurture it, especially since she needed it to
protect Mikasa, Eren, or Armin. Her knowledge of chakra was limited
-- very limited-- because for now she only knew one ninjutsu and that
was all she could practice when she was positive she was alone.
There were two parts to chakra: the physical and spiritual one. She
honed the physical part every day, which made her naturally
stronger, but the spiritual part was rather lacking since both her
experiences and studies of jutsu were forgotten or gone for good.

The only remedy she figured out was meditation. It wasn't the best,
because she was still walking in the dark when it came to meditation,
but she felt good after clearing her mind for sometimes even an hour.
After a couple of weeks of meditation she noticed that moulding her
chakra to enhance some parts of her senses and physique had
become simpler and more natural, which encouraged her meditation
bouts.

"Hey, Pinky, are you gonna sit there with that stupid look on your
face or go to class?"

The level of clear-headedness and peace that had taken her twenty
minutes to achieve came crashing down immediately. She opened
one green eye to glare icily at Oluo, who was gazing down at her
with an annoying smirk.

"Thank you for interrupting my meditation period!"

"You're welcome. Now are you gonna go or do I have to leave you?

We're learning about titan killing today."

"Do you have any idea how long it takes me to clear my thoughts?"

"It didn't look like you were very peaceful there, with that frown and
all. If anything, I would say you were brooding."

Sakura pouted, peevish that she had been found out. She extended
an arm towards Oluo and ordered him to help her up with a single
look. He raised his eyebrows, amused at her expression, but hoisted
her up without a word. She dusted the dirt from her uniform and he
started walking away to where their classes were, leaving Sakura to
catch up with him.

"You know, just because you're the best in this class doesn't mean
you can't go around skipping class," he commented offhandedly
once she was sauntering next to him.

"I wasn't skipping, I was mediating. Big difference. Besides, since

you found me, that means I didn't miss class."
Oluo snorted. "Yeah, today, but you're conveniently forgetting all
those tardies. Where would you be without Petra and me?"

She grunted but offered no response, because there was nothing

she could say to dispute the claim. She was absentminded
nowadays, either thinking about her three wards or keeping her
nasty nightmares at bay. Her ivory skin was paler than usual, and
black bags had recently taken residence under her eyes. She wasn't
sure if Petra or Oluo had noticed, but if they had, she was grateful
they hadn't asked, because she didn't know how to explain.

They arrived at the class just before their instructor closed the door.
Usually, they had another teacher who taught them the history of the
three Military Branches and their codes and regulations, but since
today they were going tot talk about titan-killing, Emil Ernst had
taken over the stage today.

If there was something the cadets hated more than hand-to-hand

combat, it was definitely lectures. They had come here to fight for a
chance to live within Wall Sina, and some were even here to fight for
humanity, but no one was here to learn about the history of the
3DGM unless it had something to do with learning how to handle the
3DGM, which was a big, fat no most of the times.

Still, everyone was alert and paying attention for today. This lesson
was both important and useful.

"All right, who can tell me how to kill a titan?"

The simple word titan made her involuntarily shiver. She still
remembered the utter terror she felt not under its gaze, but because
of its chakra. The familiarity was so wrong but there at the same time
that she had been confused and rendered immobile with just being in
their presence.

Sakura thought people's hands were going to shoot up in the air, but
surprisingly nobody dared to. It wasn't because they were scared of
Emil, though most of the times they were, but everyone looked
genuinely confused, as if they hadn't thought about it beforehand.

She remembered the smiling titan, the one that had killed Kalura
almost half a year ago. She had punched it in its face and set its
head flying a couple of meters. That titan was certainly dead, right?
After all, how could a headless titan eat?

"Yes, it was a question many people had when those bastards first
appeared. Nothing worked. Not even cutting their fucking heads off."

Nobody, except Petra and Oluo, noticed the pink-haired student

stiffen violently. Petra became concerned once her green eyes
gained a horrified and enraged edge.

Sakura barely listened to the rest of the lesson. She learned that
titans were dependent on the sun and they could only be killed by
cutting a special place in their nape, but that was it. So that shit was
still alive, eating more humans? She still hadn't avenged Kalura's
death? Sakura had been convinced that the smiling fucker was gone
for good, but obviously that was not true.

"Sakura," Petra whispered worryingly. "Are you okay?"

She visibly snapped out of her stupor and managed a weak smile
towards Petra. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."

You had chakra, and you still couldn't save me. You were standing
right there, watching, but you didn't do anything. What, too scared to
let other people know who you are? Too afraid that we would fear
you, condemn you? Well, congratulations, because now I'm dead but
at least you got to keep your secret a bit longer, right?

And to add insult to the injury, you couldn't even kill the titan! If my
Eren were to die at its hands…
The Trainee Corps had three different centers, all located between
Wall Sina and Wall Rose now. One of them was near a wide plane,
the other by a lake, and the last one by a big mountain. The current
100th Trainee Corps class was in the wide plane, which meant that
the 103rd Trainee class would be assigned to the wide plane training
area, the most coveted one out of all three.

The least wanted area would be the one near the mountains, which
was the 102nd Trainee Class's home. Their instructors would make
them run up and down the mountain every Sunday. Though they had
been doing this for nearly eight months, it still made everyone detest
Sundays, even if they had the rest of the day off to do as they
pleased.

Sakura's calves and thighs were burning, but she carried on. Amina
was jogging next to her, panting and shivering from the brutal cold,
but she refused to be anywhere but next to her. Petra and Oluo, on
the other hand, were bickering ahead, something about cheating in
an artillery test. It made her wonder why people considered Oluo to
be their friend when they were only constantly fighting.

A pair of long pink strands stuck in her sweaty face and she pulled
them back with an annoyed grunt, only to have them hit against her
cheeks with each step she took. "That's it. I'm cutting my hair."

Amina replied with a skeptical voice, "You're cutting your hair? You
?"

Sakura turned and glared at her slightly. "What?" she barked. "You
doubt me?"

Her demeanor scared a few people around her and they either sped
up or slowed down. Amina, on the other hand, was quite nonchalant
about it. "It's just hard to believe. I wouldn't be surprised if you had a
shrine dedicated to your hair hidden somewhere in our room."

"I don't worship my hair. I just like it."

"You adore your hair, and you're thinking about cutting it."

"It's annoying and it has gotten too long. For giving me second
thoughts you're gonna help me out now."

Amina tsked and glared at her slightly. "Ha! As if. You would cut me
into tiny pieces if I so much as cut an extra centimeter."

"Well, more of a reason to be cautious, right?"

The rest of their jog was silent, which was good because they were
going through the most beautiful part of the mountain, especially now
that it was the beginning of summer and the trees looked healthy.
Running in the mountain had been torturous, especially when there
had been a snowstorm the day before.

Their mess hall cabin had never felt so delicious before. Sakura sat
down with Petra, Amina, Oluo, and Oluo's black-haired roommate
Jett Kaiser, as usual, and they chowed down their lunch without a
word. Now that she thought about it, nobody was talking, probably
too tired and hungry to even make an attempt at a conversation.

"Hey, Jett, want to practice after this?" Petra asked hopefully,

breaking the comfortable silence. She was so intent on gauging
Jett's expression that she missed how Oluo's eyes narrowed
menacingly at his food.

He raised a dark eyebrow, as if asking are you kidding me? "Where

do you get all this energy from, Petra? We just finished running up
and down a damn mountain."

"There's always time for practice, especially with rankings coming up

in a month."

The subject aggravated most of the people in the surrounding tables,

because nobody was looking forward to their exams. Sure, low-
marks did not mean that they would be shipped off, but if an
instructor decided that they weren't fit to continue then they were
going to be seeing a landfill for the rest of their lives. And of course
the ones sitting on the table, with the exception of Amina, were the
least worried about the test considering their talent.

"Sakura is getting a haircut. Don't you want to help out?" Amina

asked, hoping to divert Petra from the topic.

The brown-haired girl --who now looked older than her so she should
really stop referring to her as a girl-- grabbed her by the shoulders
and started pushing and pulling her. "You're cutting your hair?" she
exclaimed. Luckily most of the mess hall were now holding various
conversations, which meant that the comment had not been as loud
as Sakura heard it.

"Yeah," she replied with a twitch.

"Ooh, I want to help! Sorry, Jett, maybe another time!"

"I didn't even agree in the first place…"

The minute Sakura finished her soup Petra grabbed her by the arm
and started pulling her away. She called Amina to help her out, and
both Sakura and her knew better than to protest their mother-hen
friend. She borrowed a pair of scissors from the room next to them
and boasted about her hair cutting techniques because her
grandfather had been one of the best barbers in Honig.

"Oh, I'll leave your hair absolutely wonderful! But first, we'll take a
bath and then come back."

What Sakura thought would be a horrible afternoon soon became

one filled with laughter and jokes. Petra told a story on how one time
she spilled cranberry juice on her skirt and had to hide it from
everyone or else they would've thought it was period blood. Amina
then related how she had cried to her mother for an hour because of
her period because she thought she was pregnant and she wanted a
little sister, not a daughter.
So much talk about menstruation led her thoughts back to Mikasa.
She would be eleven now, a normal age for a girl to get her period.
Sakura imagined how scared and traumatized she would be,
apparently bleeding from a place she wasn't supposed to be
bleeding without a single explanation. Every girl received the talk
about her monthly cycle. Sakura got it from Mikoto, but Mikasa had
no female comfort.

Petra was halfway done with her cutting her hair and talking about
an embarrassing crush she had when she was ten when a loud
knock interrupted their talk. Amina, being the least occupied, stood
up from their little circle and went to open the door, revealing a
courier with a gentle, old face. He handed Amina a single letter,
tipped his hat a little, and left without a word.

"This is for you," Amina said with a small frown, handing Sakura the
letter with her name and address written in the front. The handwriting
was eerily similar, but in the end unrecognizable.

Sakura unfolded the paper and a wide smile spread across her face
when she realized it was Mikasa's handwriting.

"Who is it?"

"My sister," she breathed back.

"Oh… Um… Should we…"

"I could read it out loud, if you would like."

Both Amina and Petra gazed at her curiously. "You would do that?"

Sakura shrugged and her smile widened, as if that was possible. "I
trust you both."

"Thank you… We would like to listen."

She cleared her throat and began, "Dear Sakura, we finally found
someone who was able to take this letter to you. Eren, Armin, and I
are stationed in the fields right now, growing crops. The work is hard,
but they give us food and a place to sleep, which is more than most
people get so for that we're grateful. Armin's grandfather along with
most of the people were sent to retake Wall Maria just a month ago,
and we know that you would've been there since anyone older than
eighteen was ordered to go. It's also a good thing that you applied
last year, because now the cutoff age for the military this summer is
twenty, so you wouldn't have made it.

"I have been looking after Armin and Eren as much as I could, but
it's hard. So thank you for looking after us. We miss you a lot, but we
know this is necessary. Eren still says that we're going to see you
next year because we're going to join the Trainee Corps, but I'm still
not sure yet. I do know that I don't want to continue working in the
farms.

"We don't know when this letter will reach you, but just in case,
happy birthday. We promise to give you an extra big hug… next time
we see you. Love, Mikasa, Eren, and Armin…"

The only sound in the room was the click of the scissors, because
Sakura was definitely not crying.

Have you ever thought that most of the things that happened are
your fault? They are. Helsa takes you in and is murdered. We take
you in, and my parents are murdered. The Jaegers take you in, and
look what has become of Eren. Look where we are now, working to
death in a field. See the pattern? Good, because you're not the only
one that notices things. You call yourself a iryo-nin, but how many
lives have you saved? A kunoichi, yes? But how many lives have
you taken to protect us?

We're next, and like always, you're going to be the one to survive.

Some kind of winner you are.

The italicized section were Sakura's nightmares, from the POV
of three different characters: Bertha, Kalura, and Mikasa. In her
nightmares they were speaking directly to her, but no, they
never actually had these conversations. This is different from
the italicized section in the first chapter because then it was
centered, this one has the same outline as the rest of the
chapter. There's a reason for that.

I had to go on a bit of a scavenger hunt for Oluo and Petra's

beginnings. So far, the only thing I could find was that Oluo's
age in the manga was 19 (yes, I know, very shocking) and that
they weren't in the Survey Corps when the Colossal Titan broke
down Wall Maria in 845. But since they were in the Special
Operations Squad, that meant they had a bit of experience
which is why I lumped them in the 102nd Trainee Class. Also I
upped their ages a bit because why not.

This chapter was certainly more on the angsty side, but it also
had its bright side, kinda like life, eh? Besides, it's really not
SnK without a dose of angst and three drops of vengeance.
Things don't get any brighter from here though. Also, for now
I'll take a break from the SnK plot and develop characters and
the setting bit more. Even when we hit the original plot, I still
won't stick closely to it, because it's boring to just quote lines
or scenes from the manga/anime.

My innumerable thanks to OnePiecefan202, Basia Orci, RefleR,

slw923, LadyRidger, deedee2034, catxangel, Latin Gardenia,
pepergirl001, Atsirk Enoh, DragFire, Arisu-kun,
mun3litKnight,,brokenmaelstrom, foraslanthelion,
necrofantasia, bum reviews, animagirl, PinKrystal, Guest, and
DarkKoi for taking some time out of their days and reviewing.
Thank you to those who added this story to their alerts as well.
And to answer your question, RefleR, because I want to and
can. But don't worry, because though it will play a role in the
future, that is not the main focus of this story, at all.

Reviews make me happy.

Penpal
Fake
Reading guide for this chapter:

"Normal Talk."

" Japanese."

" Jutsu"

" Emphasis."

She was ready for the final test that would determine their rankings
for their second year. After all, even last year when she had been
horribly sick the day testing took place --to the point that she could
barely breathe because her nose was stuffed and she couldn't
balance because she kept sneezing all the time-- she had managed
to place fourth, just below Oluo and Petra and one spot above Jett.

This year, though, things were going to be different. It was now

second nature to be up in the air with her 3DMG and she had greater
strength and stamina than most of the cadets, bar some buffer male
trainees. Her swordsmanship had improved from holding the swords
awkwardly (though it had felt just right if only the blades were a bit
shorter and throwable) to having a graceful form even midair.

The last test exercise was simple: land as many hits as possible in
the wooden titan course. At the moment, it didn't matter where, even
if the spot usually killed a regular cadet, because they were
practicing how to successfully mix the 3DMG with attacking. It was
uncomfortable, slashing anything meanwhile they were almost ten
meters above ground and being held only by two wires. It was a
combination of trust and instinct, something many lacked.

Oluo was currently up, using every single tree to his advantage and
moving from titan to titan with astonishing speed. If there was
anybody who made a suitable rival in her class, it was definitely
Oluo. His form, strength, and ambition evenly matched hers. Sakura
had begrudgingly admitted a few months ago that maybe they were
friends, much to Jett and Petra's delight, and Amina's amusement.

In the end, he landed a grand total of fourteen hits out of twenty

possible, the class record. Emil nodded gruffly towards Oluo and
wrote something on a notepad, most likely a commentary of the
performance as well as the grade. Now that they were second-years,
it would include a comparison to last year's test as well as possible
areas to improve on.

He walked smugly back to her, a stupid smirk plastered on his face.

Sakura and the rest of the Trainees Corps Class were already used
to his cocky demeanor, and there was nothing anyone could do
about it other than resent him for it because he was that good.

"Did you see that? Oh, of course you did. Who didn't?" Petra
smacked him in the back of the head and scowled at him when he
yelped. "Ow! Petra! What was that for?"

"What have we said about humility?"

"That it's for the talentless? Ow! Stop it!"

Emil had decided to change things up and go from descending to

ascending order based on last names. He called another cadet, who
gave an impressive performance, and another, who only managed to
land three hits, and another cadet, who lost a blade mid-flight, and
Oluo and Petra still kept bickering. It got to the point that both Jett
and her teamed up to attract their attention, but it still didn't work.
Sakura was about to smack them both in the head when she heard
her last name coming from Emil.

That shut them up. In fact, there was a pervasive silence spread
throughout the Trainees Corps Class. Everyone knew she was
socially distant because she trained heavily, though the reason was
a mystery because she had not expressed a keen desire in joining
the Military Police. She barely had time for relationships and only
confided in her roommates, Amina and Petra. Things had changed
after the first year, though. Her eyes had become a bit lighter and
she seemed to smile more often, which made her more amiable to
the crowd, but her closest friends just grew more worried as her
demeanor became brighter.

She sent a hook to a tree and landed gently in a giant branch next to
Emil Ernst. "Land as many hits as you can. If you miss a titan, you
can't go back, so I suggest you be careful about things."

Sakura nodded firmly and analyzed her surroundings, looking for the
nearest titan. Emil blew the whistle, leaving her sensitive ears
ringing, and she aimed her grappling hook to a tree a couple of
meters away and was off.

It started out somewhat shaky. The experience was different,

because she was used to fighting in the ground her whole life. Being
up in the air was too much freedom. She missed hitting the first titan,
and she barely managed to land a hit on the second one, only to be
so distracted that she almost crashed into the other one. Sakura
cursed under her breath in her native tongue and hastily attempted
to regain her balance at the expense of hitting the fourth one.

She could almost feel Oluo's smug grin.

Her grip on the handles tightened and she grit her teeth. She had hit
one and missed three, not good considering that Oluo had missed all
of his in the last five. If he beat her in this test, he would take the
number one spot and remind her that she wasn't ready yet, wasn't
strong enough to protect Mikasa, Eren, and Armin by herself. Chakra
was very useful, yes, but when fighting titans, she needed the 3DMG
and blades to slice the nape quickly and efficiently. Punching things
solved half her problems; hacking solved the other.

After slashing a tendon, she went up a couple of feet and started

landing hits on the arms and torsos of the ten-meter classes but
unfortunately missed two when she gained height in between titans,
upping her count to eleven hits and five misses. At this point she
couldn't miss another titan if she wanted to beat Oluo and steal first
place from the previous year's valedictorian, a twenty-two-year-old
named Lars Kristof, who wasn't going to be valedictorian this year
from their performance.

She landed a hit on its forehead but missed the sudden switch from
ten-meter to four meter class and couldn't even nick the wood. Her
stomach filled with dread and she cursed in Japanese. Had Eren
been in its clutches, he would've been eaten. Not only that, but these
wooden titans didn't move at all… This was nothing compared to the
real world, and she was failing.

She broke two blades with the next titan, mostly because of her
chakra-enhanced strength that had seeped through in her failure to
control her anger and frustration. She sent her hook to a tree trunk
and added the blades to the handles while she balanced herself on
the trunk. There was one titan left that she had to hit in order to tie
with Oluo. Her time was around his, since both had sped through the
course at the expense of accuracy, but there was only something
that she could do and that was to show better mastery of her
swordsmanship skills than Oluo.

Stopping had broken her tempo, but at least she could calculate how
high she would need to go in order to hit the nape of that twelve-
meter class. She calculated how high she needed to go and sent her
grappling hook to a tree around ten meters away and released the
gas in her 3DMG, speeding towards the titan faster than usual to
make up for lost time.

It was only when she was a couple of meters away that she realized
she miscalculated how high she needed to be and was over by just
half a meter, but far away enough that her blades would definitely
miss the target.

Her chakra got the better of her and suddenly she wanted to try
something new. There were no repercussions in the secret
department, since Emil Ernst was keeping his distance and her
classmates were many kilometers away. She retrieved the wires
from the tree they were attached to and she was falling, but she still
wasn't going to be able to hit the wooden titan. But what her mind
didn't remember her body sure did, because she slashed the blade
midair and a gust of wind was released from a blade in a neat arc
that hit the nape of the titan a bit shallowly, surely not enough to kill
it, but the wind had nicked it enough to make it seem as if she had
narrowly hit it.

She released the grappling hook to another tree and released gas to
speed towards it, landing on a branch gently. Sakura released a
deep breath she hadn't realized she had been holding in and stared
at her left-hand sword, bewildered. So not only did she shoot torrents
of water from her mouth, but she could also release wind from her
blades? Just what the hell could she do?

" Shinkuken. " That was the name of the technique she had used,
even if she wasn't completely sure of how she knew the technique or
where it had come from, but her arms and her chakra remembered
releasing it various times. She grit her teeth and clenched her hands
around the grip of her swords; so if her body remembered, why
couldn't she?

"Ackerman!"

Emil Ernst's voice snapped her from her musings and she resisted
the urge to smack her forehead. She was supposed to come back,
yeah, to mark the end of the training. Now Emil would think she had
taken longer and cheated, and that wasn't good at all.

He landed lightly next to her and eyed the titan critically, and then his
eyes widened. "I saw that wild move you did but didn't think you
managed to hit the titan. Then you disappeared and I thought the
worst."

Sakura wiped her brow, eyeing her sweat with a little distaste. "I am
fine, sir."
Emil studied her intensely. "You hit it in the nape. Granted, you need
two slashes to kill one of these fuckers, but still… We haven't
practiced that. You have impressed me. Good job, Ackerman."

That was the first "good job" anyone received from Emil Ernst, and
she felt incredibly guilty that she only received it with the help of her
chakra.

But she would be lying if she said she would refrain from honing that
skill. Who knows, it might be useful one day when she was alone
and one of those ugly shits was in the way between her and her
survival.

Petra slammed the her clothes trunk and sat on it, heaving a long
sigh. The eighteen-year-old stared at her pink-haired roommate, who
was sprawled in her bed rereading the letter her sister had sent her
for like the eighth time. It was only when she was reading one of
Mikasa's letters that Petra saw Sakura smile in true happiness, as if
she was transported to a better, happier world.

"I think I'm going to visit them," Sakura suddenly declared, sitting up
and looking down from her topmost bunk bed. "I couldn't go last time
because I didn't have any money, but I saved some from all the work
I did last summer and I think I have enough to buy my way into a
cart."

Petra frowned. "I thought you relaxed last summer."

Sakura smiled sheepishly and shrugged, though she didn't seem

embarrassed from lying to her about what she did last summer.
Petra had invited her to spend her time with her and her dad in their
home in Honig. Her father had been looking forward to meeting the
famous Sakura, from whom he had heard nothing but good things in
Petra's letters. She had declined, stating that the year had burned
her out and she wanted to do nothing but unwind, but she obviously
hadn't done that, and she apparently didn't feel remorse for lying to
her.
She had to admit she felt a little hurt and betrayed but she pushed it
down, thinking about all the good things Sakura had done compared
to the bad ones. Besides, it's not like she had done anything bad;
she had done something quite noble, in a way. But the hurt mostly
came from the lie. Why had she kept the truth from her, especially
when it was something as selfless as that?

"I still think it's a bit dangerous to buy a trip from a stranger."

Sakura raised a pink eyebrow at her. "I'm not exactly someone you
can easily take advantage of."

Petra resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She hated it when she got
like this. "Sakura, we have one month off. Why don't you come with
me to Honig, we get you a horse all for yourself, you come back to
Honig with the horse, and we return back to camp together? It's
much safer that way."

The twenty-one-year-old frowned, her eyes pensive. Petra knew she

had given her a good offer, especially when she mentioned giving
Sakura a horse all for herself. That was a luxury not many had, but
the independence was desired by almost everyone. The class's
valedictorian needed it the most considering the farm her siblings
were located in was far ways off from the nearest city of commerce,
where those carts usually dropped travelers. She would either need
to hitch another ride or, worse, walk all the way to the farm.

"Sounds good, but why are you so into making me come with you to
Honig?"

"Is it so wrong that I want to take my best friend along with me to my

hometown?"

Sakura recoiled and blinked slightly, her gaze bewildered. "You

consider me your best friend?"

Now Petra really did roll her eyes. She glared at her and crossed her
arms, suddenly irritated. "Seriously? You're asking me that after
spending two years in this hell? What's wrong with you?"

She blushed slightly and looked down, a bit ashamed. "I'm sorry… I
just didn't think--"

"Stop thinking and start feeling." Sakura snapped her head towards
her, confused and at the same time fascinated. Petra added a bit
hesitantly, "Not everyone in this world is against you."

Her mouth opened slightly and she swallowed a lump that had
formed in her throat. The pink-haired woman looked away, ending
the conversation, and Petra stood up and finished packing her things
to her other smaller trunk.

"I'll go with you," she whispered.

Petra twirled towards her and was surprised to see slightly teary
eyes. Knowing better than to question anything, she smiled warmly
and softly said, "That's the right answer."

The ride to Honig had only taken a day, since their training camp
was located in the center between Maria and Sina. Summer was
nice, not too cold but not too hot, the perfect temperature. That
combined with the beautiful mountains made the ride one of the
most relaxed, beautiful journeys Sakura had ever embarked in, and
she had had many compared to the average citizen, though perhaps
not for the best reasons: she had traveled from the Ackermans'
home to the Jaegers', then to the refugee place and finally to the
102nd Trainee Corps camp.

They entered the city, and it was just like how Petra described and
more. There was a very noticeable stench which occurred when too
many people lived too close together, but other than that the city was
bustling with more energy than even Shiganshina. The overall
demeanor was a bit rougher, if the expressions on the citizens were
anything, but it was definitely understandable, considering what
happened two years ago.
"Ah, it's good to be back," Petra murmured contentedly.

"Why do you say so?"

"My dad is moving to the Karanase District this year. He says

business is better there, but I'm not too sure."

Something was bothering Sakura, and she decided to ask before

she said something wrong later on. "Um, Petra… Why don't you talk
about your mother?"

Her amber eyes saddened a bit and she smiled sadly. "She died ten
years ago from an illness… I don't like being reminded of that."

"Oh." She remembered Helsa, Mikoto, and Kalura, all of them with
their special warmth and legacies that had been passed on to her.
They entrusted her with so much in such a short time frame,
something that made them mothers to her in their own way. "Losing
a mother is always hard."

Petra looked at her sympathetically. "You lost your mom too?"

Sakura nodded, refraining from telling her exactly how many times.
"But we shouldn't talk too much about that. We're visiting your dad,
right? It's a happy occasion!"

She looked momentarily surprised but then she smiled widely and
nodded along with her. Just then the cart came to a stop and the
driver told them they reached their destination. Petra thanked him
and paid him his money and they were soon on the way, Petra
roaming the streets with expertise and Sakura following behind
helplessly.

The eighteen-year-old stopped in front of a nice, well-kept home that

reminded her a lot of the Jaegers' home, making her assume that
Petra's barber shop made more than what she had previously let her
know.
Petra knocked a couple of times and waited impatiently for her dad
to open the door. The door opened slowly and revealed a man that
was quickly tackled by his overly-excited daughter. The man laughed
heartily and lifted off her feet with a bit too much effort.

"Oh, wow, Petra! You sure have gotten heavy!"

"Dad!"

Mr. Ral put his daughter down and looked at Sakura for a second
before offering her a warm smile and an extended hand, which she
eagerly took. He had his daughter's honeyed hair and light blue
eyes, meaning Petra had her mother's eyes. His forehead and the
corners of his mouth had wrinkles, possibly betraying his
youthfulness.

"Hello, you must be Sakura, correct? My name is Philip Ral, very

pleased to meet Petra's dear friend."

Sakura let his hand go and smiled warmly at the older man. "The
pleasure is all mine, Mr. Ral."

"Oh, please, you kids calling me Mr. Ral sure makes me feel old.
Please, call me Philipp."

"Very well, Mr. Philipp."

Petra and her father shared a look at her stubbornness but they only
shrugged and later laughed. Even though Sakura was the source of
their mirth, she felt absolutely happy with it, glad to have been
included so easily and naturally into their routine.

They were just in time for dinner, and Philipp cooked for them one of
the most delicious steaks she had ever tasted, which were few but
still, it was very good. Philipp asked about how things had gone this
year and Petra boasted about her fourth rank and Sakura meekly
admitted that she had placed first. The dinner was jovial, since they
shared countless stories of their time in camp and of their friends,
particularly Oluo. Petra whined about how much he had to baby him
and Sakura complained about his cockiness, but they both
grudgingly admitted he was one of their closest friends.

The house only had two rooms, which meant that Sakura and Petra
had to share room, much to their distaste . With the knowledge that
they didn't have to wake up at the crack of dawn's ass, the girls
spent the whole night giggling and talking about silly things. Petra
admitted her crush towards Jett and Sakura replied in a deadpan
that she had known for a long time and that Petra did a shitty job
hiding it.

To say Petra was mortified was an understatement, but the night

overall was very enjoyable and Sakura had never felt so free and
relaxed before in her life. Maybe she should've let Petra in much
earlier to save herself much of last year's grief.

"Are you sure you know where you're going?"

Sakura gave her an exasperated look. "Yes, Mom, I checked like ten
times and confirmed the existence of the farm."

Petra raised her hands in a placating manner. "All right, all right, I
just wanted to make sure you didn't get lost. It'll take you like two
days to get there, but you should be fine."

"I'll be back in two weeks, hopefully. Even if I'm not back you go on
ahead, okay?"

"Saying that doesn't really assuage my worries."

"Oh, wow, look at you using big words."

"Shut up and stop trying to distract me, Sakura! It's not working."

Sakura laughed and her horse whinnied loudly and started moving
around. "Ho, ho. You sure this animal won't just drop me?"
Petra glared at her and harrumphed. "You're the one that rented
her."

Her clutch on the reins tightened and she nodded in agreement.

"True, true. Well, I better be off if I want to make it halfway by dusk.
See you later, Petra!"

"Good luck and I hope you have a safe trip!"

"Thanks!"

The kunoichi nudged the horse's sides with her foot and the horse
was off. She had to admit it had taken her a couple of days to get
used to riding, but both Philipp and Petra were good teachers and
she had gotten the hang of it. Sure, she couldn't do anything but stay
on top of the horse and she could remain balanced even with a
harsh trot, but that was it.

Regardless of her mild incapability to ride, her horse was powerful

and good. She sure needed to thank the Rals when she came back
for giving her such a beauty and finding her at such an affordable
price. Not only that, but Petra had lent her some riding clothes,
because there was no way in hell she was riding with a skirt. Thus
she had been given a pair of pants and boots, a long-sleeved shirt
and a cloak just in case it rained. She had two sets of clothes and a
pair of pajamas in her bag along with the presents she brought Eren,
Mikasa, and Armin.

She bought them with the leftover money she had, and now she
wasn't sure she had enough to pay for food for the next two weeks,
but she wasn't too worried about that. She couldn't help but be
excited to give Eren one of the Survey Corps cloaks she had
borrowed -- read, stolen-- from one of the training camps leftover
clothes. She bought Armin a book about exploration which would've
been worth a fortune had it not been talking about exploring the
outside world. It was in the banned book sections in one of the
bookstores, and people had eyed her suspiciously for buying it, but
she couldn't care less because Armin would be happy to receive
this.

Mikasa's gift had been difficult, which brought upon a bout of

nostalgia considering she had been in this position around four years
ago. In the end she had decided to buy her a plain necklace with a
simple oval pendant but asked a seasoned blacksmith to inscribe the
kanji for her name on it and the kanji for her mother's name in the
back. She wanted to complete the present by buying her three
bamboo hats, her namesake, but unfortunately bamboo apparently
didn't exist anywhere near them. However, she still contended the
necklace would brighten her enough, even if Eren's red scarf hid it.

The more Sakura rode, the more experience she gained from it.
There was a point when the horse surpassed her chakra-enhanced
speed, which was quite the feat. However they had to rest a lot and
the horse was very demanding of water, but she had a good reason
considering they were riding hard.

Sakura stopped in a small town which barely had two hundred

people. The perk of stopping in such a desolate town was that the
inn was dirt cheap, even if the service wasn't great. Still, Sakura
couldn't really complain considering she had a bed and had
breakfast guaranteed and that was all she needed.

She was about to fall asleep when she heard the frantic neighs of
her horse outside. Sakura thanked her laziness for not switching into
her pajamas and hurriedly put on her boots, scampering outside to
make sure her partner was fine.

The kunoichi groaned when she saw three men trying to steal her
horse. She should've seen it coming, she really should've been more
aware of the dangers of journeying, but she had been lulled into a
false sense of security because of this rundown town. Maybe that's
how they made ends meet, by stealing from the odd traveler that
came their way. Her pride as a kunoichi was wounded, and she had
to see the situation rectified.
Sakura cleared her throat and the three men stopped at their tracks.
"You have a lot of gall trying to steal from a sleeping person."

"Look, girl, just go back to your room and we promise to not kill you."

She snorted, thinking it was cute that these men were threatening
her. "Look, I'm feeling merciful today. Leave right now and I won't
pursue you."

Her enhanced eyesight allowed her to see one of the men take out a
firearm and aim at her. "Look, bitch, our patience is running so
unless you want to have your brains plastered on the wall, I suggest
you let us go."

"Your first incorrect assumption was that you would get to fire."

Before even waiting for their reply she launched herself at them,
using chakra to amplify her speed. The men stood no chance
against her and she quickly disarmed them, perhaps throwing a mild
kick or punch here and there that left them incapacitated. They let
the horse go and she sped away, quickly leaving the small town and
her master. Sakura scowled at her coward horse and promised to
give her quite the talk once she found her.

Four more chakra signatures got nearer to her and she realized a bit
too late that she was surrounded from both sides. Two men closed in
from one side of the road and the other two from the side where her
horse had escaped to. The bandits she had taken down where
groaning on the floor, one of them clutching his privates. The other
four accomplices wordlessly aimed their firearms at her.

They started shooting at her, but they only shot at a puff of smoke.
Sakura's body flicker technique had been a bit rusty the first time she
used it, but training so many times in the mountain by the camp had
honed her skills to the point that it looked as if she teleported to
another place. She was now on the roofs, staring at the men as her
mind formulated a plan. She herself was in no particular danger, but
that didn't mean the townspeople weren't. Even if she had her
suspicions that the town itself was behind the robbery, she still didn't
want to be wrong and unnecessarily cause someone's death.

However, she wasn't fast enough to disarm both sides of bandits,

since they were very far away from each other and although she
could take care of that issue by simply killing them, she didn't want to
spill any blood that night.

Bird… her body whispered and her hands unwillingly made the
seals. Hare… Horse… She body flickered behind the bandits by the
town's exit and completed the hand seals with Ram . " Futon:
Kyoryokuna Fuha. " She breathed in and expelled a great gust of
wind from her mouth, blowing the bandits and making them crash on
the ground several meters away. It would take them several minutes
to recover from such a crippling hit, and by then they might be in
shackles and she very far away.

She gathered her things from her room and set out in search of her
mode of transportation. Looking for the chakra signature of a specific
animal was hard, but looking for the chakra of a specific species
wasn't; for example, flies didn't have the same amount of chakra as
horses did. Since not many horses wandered around in the
wilderness at these hours of the night, it was very easy to spot her
white mare grazing in a nearby field.

She approached her slowly lest she scare her. Luckily the mare
seemed to remember her, because she didn't bolt or try to attack her.
Sakura sighed and started running her fingers through her mane,
trying to calm her down. " What a troublesome night, right?" she
spoke to her softly in her native tongue. " I don't get to speak this
language very often anymore… In fact, there are times I catch
myself thinking in German and I don't have to translate what I have
to say in my mind. It should make me happy, but for some reason I
think that I'm getting farther away from who I am… No, who I used
be. Is that bad? "

She chuckled softly to herself and started patting the rest of her
body. " Ah, and here I am, talking to a horse. You know, I thought I
wasn't going to name you because I wasn't going to see you very
often, but I've grown fond of you. And since I am speaking to you in
my native tongue, it's only fitting that I name you in Japanese, right?
Well, you're mostly white, though you have some dirt here and there,
but you're still mostly white. So I guess I'll call you White from now
on, okay? I guess I'm no better than Oluo and that brat I saved in
Beinn."

Shiro's heartbeat started slowing down after Sakura's ministrations

and she relaxed enough to allow her to mount her again. Getting on
Shiro was hard to do in public, mostly because she was almost five-
foot-two, but out here in the wild she had no qualms about using
chakra as a little boost. She nudged Shiro to start walking and luckily
she obeyed, albeit a bit slowly. It was okay, though; she was in no
rush at the moment.

She had paid a grand total of three gold coins for the dinner, stay,
and breakfast at the inn, and she only had the dinner. It aggravated
her greatly that she had spent so much money and hadn't even
reaped all the benefits. Still, she couldn't have stayed. Luckily it was
dark enough for the bandits to miss the color of her hair, but they
might recognize her voice, and she didn't feel like becoming a
scapegoat for humanity just yet.

Her mare's speed continued slowing down, something Sakura had

predicted considering they had ridden for almost ten hours. However,
she had to be picky with the area she chose, because if a town was
dangerous, there's no saying how risky being out in the open was.

" You know, one of the ninja arts is the Illusionary Techniques. If I
could only remember one, I'm sure I wouldn't be so worried. Maybe
it's because I didn't know one before I lost my memory? But that's
weird, since I have good chakra control and I know Illusionary
Techniques require good chakra control. Maybe I ran out of 'You Get
A Free Jutsu' cards for the month, eh? Oh, well, look at that, there's
a hill over there. We can rest at the bottom, since it's a bit far away
from the road. Come, White!"
The hill was small, which was a small blessing because she wasn't
sure she would be able to handle riding a horse down a mount or
anything bigger than that. She got off from Shiro and started relaxing
her again, coating her fingertips with a bit of chakra to make the
desired effect faster. In a couple of minutes the mare relaxed fully
and dropped to the ground, falling asleep shortly afterwards. Sakura
couldn't contain her drowsiness any longer and laid her head against
Shiro's belly and descended into a light sleep.

"How do you get animals to like you so much."

"I don't understand the question. Animals love you."

"Well, yeah, but that was only after Kurama let me sign the contract
with the kitsune that animals started paying attention to me. It took
two contracts for them to like me that much."

"Well, there's your answer."

"What?! Sakura-chan? When--"

"Come on, Shishou wanted to see us, Naru--"

She was cranky and tired, but there was no one to blame for her
state except the thugs that had made her flee the town. There were
times when she wanted to get off Shiro and start punching the earth,
but since she was so close to her destination, she didn't really want
to put her identity in danger. Besides, she was making record time
considering she barely slept at all and only waited for her mare to
recover her strength, trying to remember what she had dreamt about
in the meantime. They had been on their way before sunrise.

The map the Rals had given her was a bit old, but she found her way
again after asking a passerby tinker. Apparently she was only thirty
minutes away, and that was great because she had missed
breakfast. Her stomach was growling and Shiro's pace was slowing
down, no doubt hungry and tired from the arduous work she had put
her through.

" Don't worry, White. We'll be there soon and I promise to give you
half my food for being such a good girl."

They reached the farm in forty minutes, but she was only happy to
see that the place existed to begin with. People were working on the
fields intensively, ploughing the land or watering new crops or
checking how the vegetables were growing. These farms provided
food for most of the residents inside Wall Rose as well as the cadets.
Sakura felt immensely grateful for them, because if it weren't for their
hard work,, she might not have a warm stew waiting for her at the
cabin after a hard day of work.

An short woman approached her. Her dark eyes were wary and her
face was marred by harsh lines, no doubt scars from age. "What are
you doing here?"

"I came to visit my siblings."

"No visitors in working hours. We can't afford distractions."

She glared at the woman, and Sakura was inwardly happy to be

mounted on a horse because it made her much more intimidating.
"Look, I rode her for almost two days straight and I want to see my
siblings. I'm not in a good mood, I didn't get much sleep, and it will
make me feel much better if I get to talk to them. I don't want to be
mad."

"Still, no distractions. So unless you work here on your stay, I don't

see why I should let you see your siblings."

"Feed me and my horse and I'll work here for as long as I can."

The woman raised her eyebrows and then pointed at Shiro. "How
much does it eat?"
"Two humans' worth."

"Then your work better be worth three persons' or this deal won't
work."

Sakura raised her head haughtily and smirked slowly at the woman.
"I'm worth more than that."

The woman scoffed but Sakura knew she had taken the bait. "Well if
you're lying I'll just kick you both out. The stable is that way and you'll
find tools in that big house over there. You can search for your
siblings afterwards."

The pink-haired girl nodded and rode Shiro to the stable. Most of the
horses there were old and thin, a sharp contrast of the strong mare
that had carried her for two days. She dismounted once she reached
the entrance of the building and led Shiro to an empty stall near the
end. She grabbed the bag with presents and removed the saddle,
throwing it outside of the stall, where it wasn't so dirty. Then she
gathered the hay and filled the bucket with water, and Shiro paid
attention to Sakura no longer.

She chuckled. "You sure are hungry, right? I'll come check on you
tonight. Be good." She closed the stall door and left, glad to be away
from the awful smell of horse poop.

If she hadn't spent two years with the Ackermans' she would've been
clueless as to what to do with the tools in the storage house. She
just grabbed a hoe and left, because it wasn't as if she was going to
do any work at the moment anyway.

Even though she had memorized their chakra signature, it was a bit
hard to pinpoint their exact location when they were so close and so
many people where gathered around. She knew they were close by,
though, and it wouldn't take long for them to spot her with her pink
hair. Still, she wanted to surprise them, because she hadn't let them
know she was coming, and the only way to do that was to remain
hidden.
It wasn't hard for a kunoichi to remain hidden.

Most of the kids were working on seeding the fields, simply because
it was an important work that didn't require much muscle. She
spotted them almost immediately, and she was glad to see them
together even after all this time. They were engrossed in their work,
which was excellent since it allowed her to sneak behind them
without the use of any of her kunoichi abilities.

"Oh, wow, in a year or two you're going to be taller than me." The
three children stiffened immediately and Sakura repressed a giggle.
"Except you, Armin. It might take you a bit longer but I'm sure you'll
get there."

The three turned around and stared at the kunoichi, wide-eyed and
open-mouthed, and now Sakura did burst out laughing. The kids
snapped out of their stupor and tackled her immediately, Armin
hugging her left side, Eren her right, and Mikasa the front. Her
chuckles were warm and she ruffled their heads affectionately,
especially Armin's, who was now much more comfortable in her
presence.

"We didn't know you were coming," Mikasa whispered, her face still
buried in the crook of her neck.

Sakura placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "That was the point of
the surprise, dear sister. Now let's get out of here and lead me to
your rooms. I have things for you."

Sneaking from their work wasn't hard, considering the sheer amount
of people in the fields. Sakura had expected them to protest, but she
was glad her wards appreciated her more than labor.

All the children shared the same quarters, meanwhile men and
women had different dormitories. Sakura suspected she would be
lumped with the adults, but she had her ways of escaping
undetected. After all, she worked all last summer and traveled with
little sleep for almost two days just so that she could spend some
measly days with her dependents.

She sat at the edge of Eren's small bed and the other three crowded
around her, eagerly waiting for her next to move. "Before we
continue, I have gifts for you three." Sakura reached into her bag
and got out an old book, which Armin almost snatched from her
hands, much to her amusement. He opened to book immediately
and started scanning the pages, his eyes gaining a new light at the
pictures. "I don't know how true those are, and don't ask me about
the validity because I don't know who the author is, but--"

"It's awesome, Sakura," Armin interrupted in an awed voice. His

normally cautious blue eyes were bursting with happiness. "Thank
you so much."

"You're very welcome." She got out the Survey Corps cloak and
handed it to Eren. He took it from her slowly, reverently, and admired
the Wings of Freedom in the back. "Say it's from a deceased family
member because I stole it."

Eren grinned at her and immediately put on the cloak, flourishing it

dramatically for them to see. It pained Sakura to say it, but the Wings
of Freedom suited him, as much as she wanted to keep him safe
inside the walls. "This is the best gift, Sakura. Even when I get my
own, I won't replace this one."

She grinned and searched for the last present. It took a bit of
rummaging around because the necklace was small, but once she
felt the cool metal she quickly grasped it and handed it to her
surrogate sister. Mikasa traced the kanji lines, as if familiarizing
herself with them again. "Mikasa," she whispered, her gray eyes
widening and her mouth forming a small smile at the detail.

"Look at the back."

The girl turned the necklace around and studied the kanji. "Life…?
No… Mikoto… You missed something, though. Cherry blossom. "
Sakura's eyes softened and her heart clenched slightly. She thought
the kids were going to resent her for being away from them so long,
for not fully carrying out her promise to provide and keep them safe,
but she was glad they were so understanding and open. Her promise
to protect them kept her alive, gave her life meaning beyond survival.
Should they reject her…

She didn't want to think about it.

Armin and Eren were understandably confused, but they didn't seem
to mind being out of the loop. Sakura cleared her throat and turned
their attention to them, though her wandering eye noticed Mikasa
trying to put on the necklace by herself and failing miserably. She
chuckled and helped her out and was elated to see that the necklace
rested on top of her red scarf, not hidden by it.

"Tell me, how has your day been?"

The four started exchanging stories, talking about everything and

nothing at the same time. The pre-teens complained about the hard
work and the treatment they received, but at the same time they
were glad they received food and shelter, something most didn't
have at the moment. However, they were more interested in what
Sakura had been doing, particularly Eren. She told them almost
everything about camp, how physically demanding it was (and she
asked them if they had been training and much to her surprise they
nodded firmly) and how many talented people there were.

"But you're ranked highly, right?" Eren asked in a hopeful voice.

Sakura smirked, not at all humble in front of her wards. "I'm first,
actually."

That changed the whole mood of the conversation, especially from

Eren's part. He wanted to know everything, all the tricks, all the
obstacles, all the requirements. His determination was admirable,
but Sakura only felt more and more apprehension at this. Eren and
Armin were currently arguing about the best time to switch to 3DMG
fighting when Sakura interrupted them.

"Hey, guys… I've been thinking… Once I join the military, I'll get paid.
I'm sure I can pull some strings to get all of us to Sina if I get in to the
Military Police. You guys wouldn't have to join at all, we could all live
comfortable lives, and we would never have to worry about losing
each other ever again. What do you guys say? It sounds like a good
life, right?"

Mikasa and Armin seemed to be considering the proposition, but

Eren vehemently shook his head and tightened the Survey Corps'
cloak around him. "Sorry, Sakura. I know you want to keep us safe,
and I know you don't want to lose us, but we are not meant to live a
comfortable life. Everything we owned, everything we were
supposed to be, was taken away from us by the titans. I dream of
killing titans, I want to breathe titan blood, I wish to cut titans down.
My whole life revolves around titans, as despicable as it is. The only
way I can be happy is by joining the Survey Corps."

If the other two had been considering her option, they were now in
agreement with Eren's feelings. "I want to see the outside world,"
Armin admitted in a small voice. "Even at the cost of my life, I want to
see what's outside these walls. I can't live inside any longer."

Sakura nodded slowly, slightly dejected and increasingly concerned.

Her precious people were putting their lives in danger for the sake of
revenge, exploration, and a will to protect, in Mikasa's case. "It was
worth a shot," she said with a slight smile. Her wards stared at her
with happiness and guilt, which just made her even more upset to
cause them pain. "Well, let's go see how much you've been
practicing! You three better not disappoint me!"

The next two weeks were considered the happiest after the
Shiganshina attack. She had missed the three terribly, their antics,
their determination, the history they shared. Not only that, but the
three of them knew about her status as a kunoichi. Sakura had told
Armin after being convinced by Eren that he was very trustworthy
and just as deserving of knowing the truth. And indeed, Armin hadn't
looked at her as nothing but an older sister ever since.

She showed them Futon: Kyoryokuna Fuha and as much as she

wanted to show them Shinkuken she couldn't because she lacked a
sword. Nevertheless, they were very impressed and amazed and
only asked more questions. The wonder didn't come from the
ninjutsu's ability, because blowing gusts of wind wasn't going to do
anything to a seven-meter-tall titan, but it was still very different and
incredible.

Just to show that old woman, Sakura's work was truly worth three
people's. Not only did she not grow tired, but she was so quick and
efficient that she always finished first. She was such an asset that
they even let her get away with a few things, like sleeping in the
children's quarter to be close to her wards and even working side-by-
side with them.

However, all good things came to an end, and soon it was time for
Sakura to leave and finish her last year in the 102nd Trainee Corps
Class. However, she had decided to not leave alone, and after
convincing the old woman to part with a cart she was never going to
use, she took the kids with her to Honig, an enlistment site for the
104th Trainee Corps Class. The trip was going to take four days
instead of its usual five, but that was fine since Shiro was well-fed
and Sakura still had a week off before they started again.

"I can't believe you convinced her to let us go," Armin said from his
spot in the cart.

She wanted to turn around and look at them, but riding Shiro
required her full attention, especially because she was carrying
precious cargo in the back. "I have my ways. Not everyone is as
pigheaded as you three."

Sakura took a different route, since she was still a bit wary of
stopping in that sketchy town where she had been robbed. She ran
many more risks with this decision, and one time they barely made it
to an inn before it closed, but in the end it paid off and they reached
Honig in record time. She returned Shiro to her rightful owner, a sad
affair seeing that she had grown very fond of the mare, and sold the
cart she had carried the kids in for a whooping twenty gold and thirty
silver coins.

She took her little ducklings on different errands now that she had
money. She first took them to enlist in the center of the town, much
to their excitement and nervousness. The cart was going to leave to
the 104th Trainee Corps camp in five days, at noon. Then she went
to pay a room for five days and six nights at the inn, including
breakfast and dinner, which drained her of most of her funds, but she
still had ten gold to spend, not counting the money she had reserved
for the ride back to her own camp.

"Well, I still have some money, so is there anything you guys want?"

"Can you buy us some ale?" Eren asked, a mischievous hint to his
voice.

Sakura whacked the back of his head. "Just because you enlisted
doesn't mean that you get to drink, you idiot."

"But we're men now! Well, men and woman!"

The kunoichi snorted. "Men? Woman? Eren, you three still blush
when I say 'sex.'" She turned to them just when she finished the
sentence and felt a surge of satisfaction when their cheeks turned
red. It had been very satisfying to explain to them what sex was
during their trip, because apparently many men around them had
been complaining about how they didn't get it in that often . "See,
you three are still giggling children."

"Why did you have to tell us that?" Eren moaned.

"I could've gone my life without knowing that," Armin continued,

dismayed.
"I'll make sure to remind you that you said that when you're older,
Armin," she muttered, feeling even giddier when his cheeks turned
an even brighter shade of red.

"No need to be so cruel, Sakura," Mikasa murmured, still a bit

flustered.

"Then don't ask to get drunk, brats. Ah, I almost forgot I have to let
Petra know I'm back. C'mon, let me introduce you to our class's
fourth best cadet."

They spent the next three days together, enjoying their time together
because who knew when they were going to see each other again?
However, soon it was the time for Sakura to leave to camp, though
they made sure to not have any tearful good-byes.

"We'll see each other soon, okay?" Sakura promised, hugging each
one of them tightly.

"Sakura… What branch are you joining?" Mikasa asked, clutching

her necklace tightly.

She sighed and gazed at the blue sky. It was a beautiful day with no
clouds and a mild temperature. There was no better day for traveling
than this one. "You know, the world needs more Wings of Freedom
flying in the sky." Getting the words out had been one of the hardest
things in her life, because she was admitting defeat in trying to
persuade them in joining the Military Police or not joining at all. But if
she could not keep them out of danger, then she would have to do
her very best in keeping them alive, and the only way to do that was
by being by their side.

They smiled confidently at her, and they seemed genuinely happy in

her choice.

"Then wait for us, okay?" Eren said with a grin. "No dying."
"I promise, no dying."

With one last hug, she left them at the inn's entrance and walked
towards the Rals' house, where Petra was already waiting at the
front. Her friend hugged her tightly, excited to see her again. "Ready
for this?"

"Let's finish this year once and for all!"

Futon: Kyoryokuna fuha: Wind Release: Powerful Wind Wave

Shinkuken: Vacuum Blade

Whee, the Training is over. Not gonna lie, I was kinda waiting for
her to join the Survey Corps already but this was some
necessary fluff.

Also, I promise there is a very good reason why a) Sakura

remembers justu instead of memories in trigger-scenes and b)
Sakura knows Futon and Suiton (though the second should be
a bit obvious, but the explanation not as much). And no, just
because she remembers more jutsu doesn't make her more
powerful technically. Why? Besides Rasengan and other few
special jutsu (like Shinkuken), most require hand seals She
can't really perform ninjutsu when she's fighting titans because
her hands are grabbing the handles that control the 3DMG (and
it's impossible to use Rasengan with 3DMG as well). . And as
stated in Chapter Three, aerial fighting against multiple titans is
a risky business because they're so unpredictable, fast, strong,
and tall. There are other jutsu more useful but they won't appear
for a while.

Interesting tidbit about retrograde amnesia is that they forget

explicit memory, but not implicit. That's because motor skills
and instinctive physical memories are stored separately from
explicit memories. The hippocampus initially processes both
types, but explicit memories move to the cortex, while implicit
ones go to the cerebellum. Now it is my belief that spiritual
chakra is stored in the cortex because it deals with experiences
and understanding of jutsu meanwhile the physical part of
chakra is stored in the cerebellum, explaining in more detail
why Sakura remembers her fighting techniques but has
forgotten her jutsu.

A bit of a happier chapter to make up for last one, so yay for

that. Also, I'm not sorry for the tease in the dream, or the tease
that Sakura doesn't remember her dream. Whoops.

My immense gratitude to Basia Orci, pepergirl001,

mun3litKnight, animagirl, PinKrystal, brokenmaelstrom,
necrofantasia, Kitsukami, Lucia Tsukiyomi-hime, LadyRidger,
LovingPillow, Guest, Guest, Guest, and Bum Reviews for being
so awesome and leaving reviews. Also, immense thanks to
those who added this story to their alerts and favorites!

Reviews are chocolate

Penpal
Offered Hearts
Jett, Oluo, and Petra were ahead of her, but she didn't mind. Nape
after nape, she was systematically slashing the wooden titans twice
with such precision and force that she knew her first place in their
graduating class was guaranteed even if she didn't finish first in the
titan killing course. No, there was no need to worry about herself.

However, she was worried for her close friend, Amina. Last time she
had ranked twenty-sixth in their class, which was quite impressive
considering she had been in the lower tens in their first year. Still,
she wished to join the Military Police, and if she didn't place in the
top ten she would've been forced to join the Survey Corps or the
Garrison, one for the glory of humanity with a high fatality rate and
the other for a meager living guarding and repairing Wall Rose with
namelessness. Neither were good enough for Amina.

Sakura risked looking behind her and inwardly cringed when she
didn't see Amina even with her enhanced eyesight. That didn't bode
well for her results, especially because Oluo, Sakura, and Petra had
bet her rank on her performance in this particular test. If she did
badly in this one, she definitely wasn't going to make it to the top ten.

Perhaps they had set their expectations too high. They had done a
great job, improving a bottom-class trainee to one in almost the top
ten percent of their graduating class, but it was still not enough.
Some people weren't made to be talented in some areas and
excelled in others. Amina and her manipulating personality made it
easy to get away with certain mishaps and mischief they had caused
in their last year. She was shrewd, she was shameless, and Sakura
was just happy to have her on her side as a friend, but none of that
mattered in these tests.

She finished with a flourish, using a combination of excellent 3DMG

skills and her own brand of intuition to let go of the wires, speed
towards the nape, slash it viciously with her momentum, and quickly
send the grappling hooks to another tree, all while making it seem as
if she was flying gracefully in the air. She usually wasn't much for
fanciness in the field, but this was her last time doing this in the
Trainee Corps and she would be damned before she didn't leave a
good impression of the Ackerman name.

Just like her sister, Mikasa Ackerman had been labeled a once-in-a-
century prodigy in just a year and was famed to the point that there
were whispers of her name in the 102nd Trainee Corps Class. Most
people thought that their talent came from their shared blood, but
nobody except Armin and Eren knew that they were adopted
siblings, even if they looked nothing alike. Mikasa was brilliant
because she was that good and had something to protect; Sakura
was labeled a genius because she had chakra and a couple of years
of fighting under her belt that her body --but not her mind--
remembered.

Sakura sent the wires to the base of a tree and used gas to propel
herself towards the ground. Emil Ernst gave her an approving nod
from his position above in a thick branch, which made her feel
slightly dejected. She still hadn't gotten another "good job" from the
taciturn man, even after improving her skills to their limits. To think
that without her chakra she was nothing made her feel a bit hollow in
her chest.

"You're such a show off, Pinky."

"That's really rich coming from you, old man."

Petra sighed and shook her head. "C'mon guys, let's just go to the
side and wait for Amina."

"And stop your bickering," Jett added with a grunt. "You're gonna be
the cause of our deaths."

Both Sakura and Oluo held back their words and settled for glaring
at each other. Since they were the first ones to finish, they chose the
spot to rest and wait for Amina to appear. Cadet after cadet finished,
some landing gently meanwhile others roughly, but there was still no
sign of Amina. She started to grow restless, no longer able to rest
comfortably against the tree trunk.

"She will be fine," Petra said, but even she sounded unsure of
herself.

The kunoichi stood up with a sigh, wiping her white pants from any
excess dirt, and walked back to the finish line. She really didn't know
why their uniforms had white pants. Not only did they get dirty, but it
was such a risky business to hide a period with them. It was a good
thing the uniform included a type of brown sash at the waist, possibly
first designed to not stain the bottom of the pants when sitting down,
but now acting as a lifesaver for female soldiers all around the three
military branches.

Just when Sakura reached the finish line Amina appeared in front of
her, fresh and completely relaxed. Emil Ernst gazed down at her
impassively for the first few seconds before saying, "Excellent
precision and ruthlessness. I expect high marks." With that he broke
the eye contact and settled for observing the other trainees, but the
effect of his words was instant: Amina grinned widely and Sakura
hugged her ecstatically, accidentally lifting her in the air in her
excitement.

The two girls made their way to their friends and shared the news,
cheering Amina on. Rankings wouldn't come in another week, but if
that wasn't an indication that Amina was going to make it to the top
ten, they didn't know what would.

Sakura was woken up by vicious shaking and a pair of excited dark

eyes. Still in the spell of sleep, she dully asked, "Amina… Why did
you wake me up?"

"Rankings are up, silly. Let's go see!"

As if she had been doused in cold water, she spasmed into a sitting
position and jumped from her top bunk bed to the floor, wasting no
time in putting on her uniform. She noted the crossed swords with a
certain air of sadness, because soon her uniform would be replaced
with another one bearing a different insignia.

"Where's Petra?"

"She woke me up and left to get a head start. She said she would
meet us outside."

The rankings had always been nailed close to the entrance of the
mess hall cabin so that nobody would miss them. Sure enough, the
cadets were congregated in one of cabin's walls, a telltale sign of
where the parchment was. Sakura tried looking for Petra, but by now
everyone was taller than her by more than a few inches, meaning
that there was no way she could find Petra, who was also very short.
She also lost Amina in the crowd, which also wasn't good.

"Oluo!"

The twenty-year-old whipped his head, looking for the source of the
voice and cringing when he found her. "Oh, hey, Pinky."

"What is it?" she asked, suddenly worried. That tone coupled with
the expression on his face wasn't a good thing.

"Um, it's Amina… I think it's better if you see for yourself."

Her took her wrist and pushed and shoved his way through the
crowd, earning quite a few glares and shouts which neither minded
or paid attention to. After almost an eternity of fighting with their
fellow classmates, they reached the front. Sakura spotted Amina
standing in front of the parchment, unmoving, and her heart
clenched in apprehension.

Sakura gently pried Oluo's hand from her wrist and made her way
next to Amina. Her gaze was empty, almost unseeing, but it seemed
as if she was focusing on the rankings. Already fearing the worst,
Sakura started reading the rankings. She was first, no surprise there,
with Oluo second, Petra third, and Jett fifth. She continued searching
for Amina's name, and almost sighed in relief when she found it so
close to Jett's.

"Amina Talman: Eleven… Fuck. I… Amina… I don't know what to

say."

"I'm going to die," she whispered. If it weren't for her chakra hearing,
she would've missed it, considering the clamor around them. Her
eyes were tearing up, but there was a slight smile on her face. "I will
die."

Sakura frowned and grabbed her arm, leading them away from the
crowd. "You are ranked eleventh, Amina. Eleven out of two hundred
thirty-eight. Some died in these last three years, but you survived.
You won't die ."

She laughed quietly and the tears now spilled from her eyes. "No,
you don't understand, Sakura. I'm going to die."

Now she was losing her patience. She was being overdramatic just
because she wouldn't get to apply to the Military Police. She wasn't
going to die; Mikasa, Eren, and Armin might. Amina was going to
wear roses on her back, not the Wings of Freedom. It angered her
that she was thinking of dying because she wasn't going to make it
to the Military Police when there were others out there actually dying
horrible deaths.

"Stop that. You're not dying."

She only continued crying. "You don't understand right now, but you
will later on."

"Then make me understand." Giving her one last glare, she left
Amina in the middle of the field.
"I will die next to you, Sakura."

Their graduation ceremony was that very night, where the top ten
were announced and the Trainees were told when they would get to
choose their military branch. Luckily, the Commander of the Survey
Corps, Erwin Smith, and the Commander of their Section of the
Garrison, Dot Pixis, were both nearby and free, meaning that they
would receive their speeches persuading them to join their
respective branches in one week, which was today.

Sakura avoided Amina all that time, incensed at her comment and
reaction. So what if she was Eleven? So what if she wasn't going to
live inside Wall Sina? There were worse scenarios in life, and the
people that had the right to whine usually didn't. It wasn't that Sakura
felt angry at Amina because of what happened to her in her own life,
because that wasn't her fault, but she still didn't think she should cry
about that.

The rest of their friends left their quarrel alone and instead pretended
as if they weren't fighting, opting to not choose sides. Jett had
already decided to join the Military Police, but Sakura had been
surprised to learn that both Petra and Oluo were having problems
deciding. She still remembered Petra wished to move inside Wall
Sina to get as far away from the titans as possible, but now wasn't
completely convinced about her choice. Oluo had been disillusioned
in the Military Police after hearing rumors and evidence of the extent
of their corruption, and now he wasn't so sure he wanted to be a part
of that. It's not like Sakura had tried to convince either of them to join
the Survey Corps, because she didn't want Petra or Oluo to be in a
dangerous situation, but she still found it interesting that they had
changed so much in the last three years.

It's not like she hadn't changed.

They were a bit far away from the stage. Oluo and Jett were talking
about the most amount of time someone can go without using gas
and maintaining a good speed meanwhile a stony silence prevailed
in the three girls.

"Um, so, how's your night so far?" Petra tried with a small chuckle.

The kunoichi raised her eyebrows and gave her a look. "We've been
together the whole day."

Now the nineteen-year-old glared at her, not appreciating her

comment. "I know, but it sure has felt like we haven't been together
this last week. Come on, Sakura, you're being childish."

"Me? Childish? I think you're accusing the wrong person of being

childish, Petra."

"Not everyone is as good as you."

"I'm not asking anyone to be good as me."

" Some want to join the Military Police."

"And that's great, but we all have to deal with the cards we've been
dealt with."

"You're being too harsh! Try having some sympathy!"

The two girls continued arguing, but Amina remained strangely quiet.
She had been like that ever since she found out her ranking. Her
gaze was almost empty and she was barely responsive, only
acknowledging their statements if it had something to do with orders
or food. Still, even if she was a barely functioning human being at the
moment, she still stayed close to them.

"Attention! Trainees, gather near the stage!"

The girls frowned at each other but made their way to the front, and
though their relationship was a bit tense at the moment, they still
stood close to each other. The night was cold, even if it was summer,
but the fire from the stage and the proximity of their bodies provided
some warmth and much-needed light.

The cadets impatiently waited for Erwin Smith to appear, eager to

get out of there. It was tradition to give the Survey Corps, the branch
with the least recruits and soldiers, the first speech so that their
audience was the greatest. The branch was incredibly small, with
only three hundred soldiers, and the high mortality rate made it very
hard to attract new cadets to join. This order of speech could make
the difference from their normal twenty recruits to at least thirty-five,
the highest they had ever received.

The 102nd Trainee Corps Class quieted immediately when a tall

blond man appeared on the stage. The Wings of Freedom in his left
breast pocket made her heart start beating wildly. His stance was
imposing and regal, the perfect picture of a commander comfortable
and suited for attention and responsibility. His icy blue eyes were
studying the crowd with a certain fire Sakura hadn't seen in a soldier,
not even in Emil Ernst, a former Survey Corps member.

"I am Erwin Smith, Commander of the Survey Corps. I am here to

persuade you to join the Survey Corps." His eyes scanned the
crowd, gauging their reactions for a second. "You all joined during
the famine, a time of hardship for all of humanity. You all know that
this was caused by none other than the titans. The titans took away
around twenty percent of humanity, a staggering number with little
comparison. Every misfortune you've had, every time you have felt
distressed, every moment you've felt wanderlust, it can all be traced
back to the existence of titans.

"For the last two years, we have been investing our efforts and lives
in creating a route from Trost to Shiganshina to seal the hole and
reclaim Wall Maria. It is an ambitious project, but it represents
reclaiming back land that is rightfully ours. Next month we will go on
an expedition, including this year's recruits to our journey. It will be
our 28th, and we expect to claim back another kilometer of our land.
In these last two years we have lost around thirty percent of our
army. Thirty percent in just two years is a horrifying number. In this
first expedition, we predict around thirty percent of you will not return.
In the next two years, most of you will be dead. But the survivors…
You will be experienced soldiers with a high survival rate."

He was quiet for a few moments, letting the statistics sink in. Sakura
glared at the commander for making her heart beat so wildly. So this
was what her wards were signing up for? This was the glory that
Eren wanted? This was how they would die, mauled by titans when
they had tried to escape from them three years ago? She didn't want
this for them, she didn't want this for herself, she didn't want this for
anyone . At least the man didn't lie to any of them; they all knew very
well about the chances of their deaths.

As if sensing her glare, Erwin looked at her briefly, his eyes flashing
slightly when he saw the hatred in her eyes. Feeling now was the
opportune time, Erwin continued, "Knowing these discouraging
figures, those willing to join, remain here. Ask yourselves, are you
willing to offer your very own heart for the sake of humanity?" The
crowd reacted immediately, murmurs erupting in their ranks. "That is
all."

At first everyone stood very still, very quiet. Nobody wanted to be the
first one to leave, but at the same time Sakura could feel their fear,
how most of her class's chakra was in disarray. Jett cleared his
throat, smiled at his friends slightly, and started leaving. As if a spell
had been broken, the cadets started filing out, murmurs and
whispers mingling with the sound of boots crunching the ground
below them.

Sakura risked a glance to her right and was surprised to see Petra,
Oluo, and Amina standing very firmly, their chests puffed out and
their faces grim. She, on the other hand, wanted to leave like Jett
had done. She had a spot guaranteed for her in the ranks of the
Military Police, a life of peace and safety inside Wall Sina. She could
still convince Eren, Mikasa, and Armin to come with her, even if it
meant going back on her word. She could promise them a life of
luxury and no needs or wants, she just needed to be more
convincing next time.
But as much as her mind wanted to move, her feet remained rooted
to her spot. She was so scared, but her body did not quiver in fright.
She wished to scream, but her mouth remained shut in a firm line.

She wanted to flee, but she had made a promise, and she would be
damned if she went back on her promises.

"Amina…" she finally whispered when she gained a hold of her

voice.

The woman turned to her and smiled slightly. "I will die next to you,
Sakura."

At that moment she fully understood the meaning behind her words,
and a couple of seconds later she was crying quietly, restraining her
sobs to the best of her ability. She wasn't crying because her mind
recognized the validity behind her words, but she wept because she
no longer wanted to leave and join another branch, because she
held on to the hope that she had chance to keep her precious friends
alive, because she understood that the more people she let past her
mental walls, the more pain and suffering she was going to
experience.

"Can you die if you're ordered to?" he asked the next twenty-seven
members of the Survey Corps.

"No, not yet," Oluo answered loudly, his voice devoid of his usual
cockiness.

Erwin glanced at him and smiled slightly. "Very well, I like what I see
and hear. I welcome everyone here to the Survey Corps. Give me
your best salute! This is a show of my respect for you."

The blond gave them all a very firm salute, one that everyone in the
crowd returned with just as much fervor. Whether the cadets fully
understood what they had signed up for, Sakura wasn't sure. She
was the only one in her class that had seen and almost killed a titan,
and their appearance and chakra presence still made her shiver
whenever she thought about them.

The better question was: was she fully aware of what she had signed
up for?

They spent their last night in the training camp and in the morning
they headed to the Survey Corps headquarters, a large terrain
consisting of a large training field, a forest with multiple titan-killing
courses, and four main buildings: the women's dormitory, the men's
dormitory, the higher-ups special quarters, and a storage house that
doubled as a stable. The rookies settled in one of the smaller
buildings, one especially designed for the newcomers, keeping them
away from most of the older members because their duties were
different.

Unlike the other branches which had a lot of downtime, the Survey
Corps was constantly in action. Every month there was at least one
expedition which lasted from five days to a whole week depending
on the losses. Sometimes the expeditions didn't even get to be three
days long, and on those cases they would have an extra expedition
that month. The rest of the time they were practicing and training,
improving their survival rate by honing the mind and body. However,
the rookies spent most of their time learning the formation instead of
training, explaining their relative isolation from the rest of the Survey
Corps.

It was absolutely necessary that they knew what to do because their

lives were in grave danger the moment they left Trost. As rookies,
they were in charge of keeping the spare horses and serving as
backup recon units. Not only that, but there could be no more than
one rookie in one team of three. A squad was composed of nine
teams, and there was a Team Leader in every team. A Senior Team
Leader oversaw the other eight and served directly under a Squad
Leader, who usually oversaw three whole squads. There was one
more Squad Leader, whose name was Levi, but he was in charge of
a Special Operations Squad composed of the very best in the
Survey Corps. He also was the Second-in-Command of the entire
Survey Corps.

During the last week, after having the Long-Range Scouting

Formation beaten into their heads, the Survey Corps finally decided
to test the physical side of the recruits. First they were given a horse
and asked them to ride, just to make sure they knew how to control
their horse and change speeds. She had been given a golden brown
horse which she had immediately christened as Haruto, even though
his name was Samson. For some reason the name fit, especially
after she discovered his exuberant personality.

Haruto was hard to handle, but Sakura enjoyed him greatly,

sometimes even laughing when she was riding in the fields. Her
Team Leader, a blonde woman named Elsie Klein, expressed her
surprise in how quickly the horse had taken a liking to her but
warned Sakura not to get too attached, since lost or dead horses
were a common part of the process.

Still, she would try her best to keep Haruto next to her.

Four days before the expedition, the Survey Corps got out the titan-
killing course to assess their skill. As Erwin had explained to the
less-than-enthusiastic rookies, they needed to see what their file said
about them. Team Leaders with a rookie on their squad were
required to watch their own rookie so that they could see their
fighting style and decide just how much responsibility the rookie
could be entrusted with.

"Are you worried about this expedition?" Petra asked her as the
Survey Corps members finished the installation process.

Sakura frowned slightly and nodded. "Scared out of my mind. Titans

scare me…"

"Oh really?" Oluo said as sarcastically as he could. "What's so scary

about giants that eat you alive?"
"Your humor is not appreciated, old man."

"You're older than me, Pinky!"

Amina sighed loudly and pushed them both, earning herself a heated
glare from both of her friends. "Stop it. We're not in the mood for
your antics."

Before either of them could reply, Squad Leader Mike Zacharius

landed in front of the twenty-seven rookies, effectively shutting all of
them up. They had heard stories of his prowess and there was no
one in the group who did not instantly respect them. Not only that,
but the man's presence demanded respect from everybody.

"The course is done. The training camp did not care about speed,
but here in the Survey Corps one second can mean the end of you
or a comrade. So finish as fast and effectively as you can." The
rookies dropped their salute and relaxed a bit more, though they
were still on edge because of the time restraint. "Also, the part where
no one is watching is a lie. Right now you all are our weakest link,
and it is good to know about the weakest link. Don't make fools out
of yourselves."

With that the man was gone, disappearing into the woods quickly
with his 3DMG. His last statement had definitely left everyone on
edge. It was hard to know that thirty percent of them would be gone
in the next week, but the Survey Corps also pointed out their
weakness. In a way, it made them nervous, but they also felt safer,
because if the Survey Corps knew their faults and limits, then they
were more likely to have better teamwork and a better survival rate.

From what she could hear, Oluo and Petra had done exceptionally
and were considered to have the highest survival rate, followed by
Amina. Now it was her turn to go, after fifty minutes of waiting. Once
the soldier stationed at the entrance gave the go, Sakura took off
into the woods.
The Survey Corps's titan-course was not the one the Trainee Corps
class used. Whereas the other one had titans evenly spaced out and
hidden, the titans here had more variety in their locations as well as
groupings. Sometimes she had to search for the next titan
meanwhile other times it was right there . Some titans were by their
lonesome meanwhile there was this one time that she had to take
down four in one go.

She knew she was doing very good because more people were
watching her. The soldiers were hidden in the woods, yes, but their
chakra gave them away. She was very impressed by how quiet and
cautious they were, to the point that if she were a normal human
being she would've never realized she was being tailed. As long as
they remained hidden and the titan course remained predictable, she
would be fine.

The trees decreased in number and size and soon she saw the end
of the forest. Thinking the course was over, Sakura latched the
grappling hook to the floor and landed gently, already looking
forward to her results. The chakra of six people alerted her that she
wasn't alone, and three wooden titans surrounded her, away from
any trees. Sakura quickly changed blades and prepared herself to
fight again, suddenly on the edge.

She knew they were doing this to emulate the terrain outside the
walls, but she still did not appreciate this. She aimed her grappling
hook to the foam part of the nearest titan and quickly propelled
herself forward with gas. In the middle of her flight she noticed
Survey Corps members moving the titan with her in tow, causing her
to lose her direction. If her reflexes had been slower, she might've
crashed against the floor, which would have been a very grave injury
at these speeds. Cursing in her native language, she let go of that
hook and aimed to the farthest titan's foam part, knowing from
intuition and a little bit of luck that she was going to make it before
hitting the ground.

Sakura took advantage that there was a titan in between the one that
had moved and the one she was now attached to. She slashed the
nape of the middle titan without stopping. This caused her to lose a
bit of height, so once she was close to the wooden titan, she aimed
her gas down, pushing her up rapidly, and let go completely of all of
her hooks once she was high enough. She landed on the foam and
sticked to it easily with the help of chakra. Sakura sliced off its nape
with both her blades, attached another hook to the the titan that had
moved, and finished the course by slashing its nape twice.

Once she was down she put away her things and walked away,
though she wasn't sure if she was supposed to do this. When
nobody stopped her, she just walked away and back to her
dormitory, eager to take a bath, aware of the sets of eyes studying
her movements.

The morning of the expedition was a jittery one for everyone,

especially the rookies. It was an unspoken fact that this expedition
was going to be many's last, and that kind of knowledge ate away a
weaker's person sanity. In that aspect, Sakura had a very high
respect for the soldiers of the Survey Corps. They were strong, loyal,
and proudly wore the Wings of Freedom on their backs, even if she
had started calling them Wings of Death lately in her mind.

Even though she was very sure that she wasn't going to die just yet,
she still wrote a letter to Armin, Eren, and Mikasa, updating them
about her exploits and status.

"You're writing to your siblings?" If she hadn't felt Petra's chakra

coming, she would've jumped.

"Yeah, just in case… you know, something happens."

Petra sighed and plopped down on her bed. "I finally told my dad I
joined the Survey Corps and this might be my last letter to him."

Sakura cringed, finding the situation a bit heartless and abrupt. Out
of their group of five, Petra had always been the most in tune with
other people's feelings, which meant she was fully aware of how
much pain she was causing her father. She was about to chastise
her for her tactlessness when she remembered something more
pressing. "You know, I forgot to ask you: why did you join the Survey
Corps?"

"What do you mean?"

"I know Oluo was a bit put off by the corruption inside the Military
Police," she began, offering part of the truth. Both Jett and her knew
that the main reason he had joined the Survey Corps was to be
close to Petra, the girl he had been crushing on for the past three
years. He might even be in love with her by now, not that she had
asked. "But you always wanted to live inside Sina. So why did you
go from a life of guaranteed safety to worrying if you're gonna live to
see tomorrow?"

Much to her surprise, Petra chuckled and broke the eye contact with
Sakura. A little smile remained in her mouth, and with a small voice
she asked, "Have you ever felt your life was meaningless or without
a purpose?"

She tried to think back to the last six years she had a memory of and
look for a moment where she had felt the emptiness Petra had talked
about. At first it was finding someone who spoke her language, then
it was taking care of Helsa, then her happiness with the Ackermans,
then looking after Mikasa and being grateful to the Jaegers, then
looking after Mikasa, Eren, and Armin, and, lastly, staying alive to
protect them. Her very livelihood was full of purposes, and although
she wasn't sure about the meaningfulness behind her life, she
frankly didn't care. "No," she answered after a few moments, "I
haven't felt that yet."

Petra sighed, her smile disappearing. "It's a truly horrible feeling,

realizing that your life lacks that special something. Joining the
Military Police would've destroyed my opportunity to have a
meaningful life with a purpose, meanwhile the Survey Corps makes
me feel that just by wearing their insignia on my back."
"Even if that entails having a meaningless death?"

"Yeah, especially that. I think it's much worse having a meaningless

life than a meaningless death. Deaths are instant… Lives… not so
much."

"Deaths are a bit more permanent, though."

Her amber eyes light up in amusement. "You're just not very aware
of that death anymore, are you?"

"How are you so sure?"

Amina walked in, interrupting their conversation. She was fully

prepared, with her green cloak on and her 3DMG gear strapped
around her hips. In her defense, Sakura already had put on her
body-belt, the hardest part of putting on the 3DMG. "Oh, this is
where you two were. You do realize breakfast will end in ten minutes,
right?"

Petra was up and out in an instant, promising Sakura to save some

food. She finished writing her letter, sending her loves and all of that
stuff she was supposed to say if these were indeed her last words. In
the end, she promised to send a letter immediately after she came
back, so she told them not to worry.

"Finish your letter?" Sakura asked absentmindedly, writing a few last

things.

"I don't want to write to anybody."

She stopped writing and whipped her head around. "You don't?"

Amina shook her head but then hummed. "Hm.. maybe my parents,
but they live inside Wall Sina."

"What the--"
"I think it's best if you go eat, Sakura. We won't eat lunch after we
reach the checkpoint."

The kunoichi frowned, not liking the avoidance of the subject.

Unfortunately, her friend was right, and Sakura had to leave the
room to get her much needed sustenance.

The hallways were devoid of people, who were probably rushing to

get some breakfast or doing some last minute preparations. It was
this lack of people that forced her to salute Hange Zoe, a Squad
Leader of the Survey Corps; usually she would've gotten away with a
nod of acknowledgement, but right now she needed to show her
respect.

Her brown eyes widened in recognition and her mouth split into a
grin. "Ah, you're Sakura Ackerman, right? Of course, you're the only
one with pink hair, silly me."

Ah, her hair color followed her wherever she went. She had come to
terms with the level of attention she got from it, though, and
understood that people were just wondering how the hell that could
happen. "Yes, that is me, Squad Leader Hange."

"Good. I've been looking for you! Follow me."

Her stomach growled lightly and she held back a grimace; she really
should've eaten earlier. Either way, she was curious as to why such
a high-ranking member needed to see her. "Yessir."

Sakura walked a few steps behind her, a customary show of respect

that had been drilled into her from training camp. After a few
seconds of this arrangement Hange looked back at her and sent her
a quizzical look. "Is everything all right? Why are you so far behind?"

She blinked, her green eyes confused. "Isn't this what I'm supposed
to do?"
The squad leader's openly laughed, but it was not mocking. "Oh, I
completely forgot you were a rookie. Here in the Survey Corps we
don't do that; it makes talking a bit awkward."

Sakura sighed in relief and hurried next to Hange. She had to admit
she hated these stupid showings of subservience. She was a woman
that could carry ten times her own weight, make the ground shake
with her punches, shoot water and wind from her mouth, and
possibly bring back a man or woman from the brink of death; in
short, she was a iryo-nin . Still, as much as it wounded her pride, she
was very aware that she needed to keep her powers hidden,
especially now that she was in the Survey Corps. The Military Police
might kill her immediately, the Garrison would definitely turn her in,
but the Survey Corps would likely turn her into a weapon for the sake
of humanity.

"Wow, I think I may have found someone shorter than Levi," she
heard her murmur in wonder. Sakura cocked her head to the side;
wasn't that the squad leader of that special operations squad?

The walk was not long, because they quickly found the person
Hange was looking for. "Ah, there you are. Moblit!"

A man with short brown hair and light brown eyes whipped his head
around. He gave his leader a firm salute, more of respect than
anything since she could feel the strong respect between the two.
"Squad Leader Hange! Is this Sakura?"

"It is!" Hange put a firm hand on her shoulder and pointed at Moblit
with the other. "Sakura, this is Moblit Berner, your new team leader. I
know this is last minute, but we just reached the decision yesterday
to switch you from Elsie's team to Moblit's. Don't worry, he's very
qualified, as expected from my second-in-command."

Sakura gave her leader a salute, her eyes determined. "I hope to
serve you well, sir."

"Uh, Moblit is fine," the man replied with an embarrassed smile.

The kunoichi looked up at Hange, her eyes confused. "If you don't
mind my asking, why the change?"

"Elsie noted that you were a bit too experienced to be on her squad,
since we're used to having those of the lower ranks. After watching
your performance four days ago, Moblit and I agreed to put you in
his team. You are more likely to encounter titans in Moblit's squad--"
Sakura stiffened "--but at the same time Moblit's team is more
experienced and prepared than Elsie's. So the odds of you surviving
are roughly the same."

Her mouth quirked into a grim smile. "I see… What about the team
chemistry?"

"We've found that chemistry and trust is best built in the face of
titans," Moblit answered her. "The practices you had were mostly to
make you feel less nervous."

"Makes me feel much better."

"Well, if you guys are all set we are leaving in ten minutes."

With that Hange was off, leaving Moblit and Sakura alone. It was
then that her stomach gave a loud growl, making her blush furiously
and Moblit chuckle at her expense.

"As long as you get there in time, you should go get a quick
breakfast."

Sakura expressed her thanks and rushed out to the mess hall. She
felt a bit nervous to first see the mess hall empty, but sighed in relief
when she saw a black-haired man drinking what smelled like tea
alone in one of the farther tables, completely relaxed and unhurried.
She went to the kitchen part of the mess hall and took a loaf of
bread, chomping it in four bites, and then grabbed a glass of water,
drinking it in two gulps.
Now all she had to do was finish putting on her 3DMG, get on
Haruto, and find her teammates in less than seven minutes. She ran
to her room, using a bit of chakra when she was sure there was no
one around, and finished putting on her 3DMG. Then she rushed to
the stables and felt relief when she saw more people chatting
leisurely on top of their horses.

As soon as she mounted Haruto they started moving. Sakura led

Haruto with the crowd and they soon reached a line full of around
one hundred Survey Corps members. Only one of the three
divisions, each of one hundred members, attended expeditions,
meanwhile the other two rested. The only ones who attended every
expedition were the Squad Leaders, Commander Erwin, and the
Senior Team leaders; the other two divisions trained for their next
assigned expedition. She heard someone call her name and she
moved to the front, the source of the call.

Moblit beckoned her next to him and another blond man. She hurried
Haruto but then slowed down to match the speed of their trot once
they were next to her. "Sakura, this is Carlo Schneider. He has been
with me the past three expeditions."

His blue eyes were warm and he smiled brightly. "Hello, nice to meet
you."

She smiled in return, happy to have a friendly face around. "Nice to

meet you as well. Uh, why are we so ahead?"

"Our squad is in charge of observing titans, both deviant and normal,

so we need to be in a position with the most amount of contact. We
hope to capture one some day, but for now we must make do with
what we have."

"So we don't kill them?"

Carlo answered, "Only if they threaten formation, which they almost

always do. So more often than not, we'll see a titan."
"Oh, okay."

He gave her a quizzical look. "You don't sound… disturbed. Most

would be afraid."

Well, most aren't super-powered humans who can control elements

and body-flicker their way out of problems. "It's not my first time
seeing titans… I don't want to see them again, but I'm slightly aware
of what I'm getting into."

They were now on Trost's main road, and people were looking at
them with respect and awe. Some were even cheering. It made
Sakura feel much better about the whole decision, but she still had
her misgivings.

They came to a stop in front of the gate. Sakura was so close to the
front that she could actually see Commander Erwin easily. He
started a countdown for the opening of the gates, which made her
heart beat wildly in anticipation, and as soon as the gates opened,
they all left at a full gallop. After around five minutes of riding he
ordered the groups to divide, all of them splitting up in their
respective squads.

Since this was the 28th Expedition, most of the first couple of
kilometers were completely devoid of titans. However, just when her
arms were about to stop shaking, she felt that horrible chakra she
hadn't felt in over three years. It was unnatural, it was terrifying, and
it made her whole body shiver. It was as if her own body was
warning her there was a predator around and ordering her to flee,
not get closer.

Sensing chakra wasn't something normal soldiers could do so she

kept quiet, simply observing her right --the place she felt the titan--
with her chakra-enhanced eyesight. So when she finally saw what
looked like an seven-meter class, she wasn't surprised at all.

Carlo got out his gun and fired a red flare. The titan moved to grab
them but they hurried their horses and easily evaded it. She watched
with awe as the other members fired their own flares until a green
one was fired, indicating a change in their direction. It was amazing
to Sakura how such a simple color could completely change the
whole route of their expedition. It made her feel even more respect
for her commander's ingenuity.

The next hour or so were spent in relative peace, with flares

changing the directions and warning their squad mates of the
presence of titans. Even Moblit and Carlo cracked jokes, with Sakura
joining in every once in a while. It seemed as if it was going to be a
good expedition when she felt her stomach drop.

This chakra was just as horrifying as the other titan chakra, but there
was something else about it, something different but at the same
time similar enough that made it obvious that it was a titan. The
source was straight ahead, and two minutes later she spotted what
looked like a nine-meter class dozing in the fields, looking up to the
sky.

Moblit and Carlo spotted it around a minute after her. She saw that
they prepared themselves, Carlo reaching for his handgrip
meanwhile Moblit took out the flare gun.

"What do you think about this one?" the blond asked, staring at
Sakura with serious eyes.

It was obvious now that the difference in chakra she felt was
because it was a deviant. "He's a bit different. Is he--"

Her words were interrupted by a sudden change in the titan. It

immediately stood up, looked around, and took off to the center of
the formation. Moblit and Carlo both cursed and took off after it,
heading west, not before telling her to stay back and fire the black
signal.

She had just finished shooting it when she felt another one of those
deviant chakra presences behind heading straight towards her at
startling speed. She considered telling Moblit and Carlo, but they
were too far away and too busy trying to take that other titan down,
in open terrain no less. Comparing Haruto's pace with the titan's, she
knew chances were that she wouldn't be able to outrun it.

Sakura cursed shakily in her native tongue and stopped Haruto and
turned him around, heading into the direction of the deviant. It was a
seven-meter class, with an enlarged torso, small head, and thin legs.
Riding straight at him was a disadvantage, but she quickly
formulated a plan to turn the situation around. She made Haruto
move to the right and once the titan was about to get close to her
she sent her hook straight through the titan's right wrist. She
propelled herself forward and expertly dodged the left hand that
reached for her by shifting her weight and once she was close she
slashed straight through its wrist, cutting off its hand with a little help
from her chakra.

Before she fell, she took advantage of her new position and sent her
hook to its nape. Killing sideways was always tricky because the
titan could move its head and munch her before she even realized it,
so she shifted her weight again to create a wide arc with the wires.
Now she used her gas to fling herself at its nape and cut it off.

Sakura held on tight as the titan fell down and jumped down from its
neck, heading to Haruto. The light brown horse neighed happily
when he saw her and she mounted with a new sense of pride. She
had just taken down that shit without using chakra too much. She
was just as deserving and good as any other Survey Corps member.

She came across Moblit and Carlo a couple of seconds after trotting,
and, from the looks of it, they had seen everything. Sakura wasn't
very sure how they were going to react, because although
technically she had not broken any orders, she hadn't followed them
either. All she knew was that she had taken a titan before it ate one
of her comrades and that was good.

"You brought one down all by yourself," Carlo said with a certain
degree of awe.
Sakura frowned and ordered Haruto to slow down once she reached
them. "If I didn't we could've died. You guys were busy with the
bigger one, and I wasn't."

Moblit sped up his horse, attempting to get back into formation, and
Carlo and Sakura followed suit. "Still, this will be an interesting
development for your next team."

"My next team?"

"They change with every expedition, usually to accommodate losses.

Things will look different next time."

She sighed, not completely liking the idea. The only bonds she had
formed and nurtured in the training squad were with Petra, Amina,
and Oluo, the former two because she shared a room with and the
latter one because of their competitiveness. Sakura wasn't very good
at making friends with other people, mostly because she forgot what
their names were or their faces and sometimes even both. She didn't
even know what Levi, their famed strongest soldier, looked like, and
she had already forgotten Mike Zacharius's appearance. Hange was
an exception, mostly because she saw her walking around the rookie
quarters more often than most and she was assigned to one of her
squads.

It was a bit aggravating that she was just starting to know and make
memories about Moblit Berner and Carlo Schneider only for them to
be erased before they could be solidified. What was the point of a
strong camaraderie if she didn't even get to know the soldiers more
intimately? What was the point of team chemistry if they were
constantly changing squads?

Maybe the Survey Corps was doing its members a favor. Either one
of them three could die at any moment. Would it be better to be sad
about the death of that squad mate she just met a couple hours ago
or be absolutely devastated about the death of the person who
saved your life more than once? There were benefits and costs to
each model, but she was a big proponent for balance.
"Don't worry," Carlo said, breaking her from her musings, "I'm sure
you'll stay here. Scouts have the highest death rate but they are the
most skilled. If Commander Erwin acts like I think he will, you will
remain here."

After one more hour of riding they set camp on top of a hill. Erwin
proudly said they had lost no men until now, calling it one of the
more successful expeditions in their history. Soon the conversation
became grimmer, letting his soldiers know that tomorrow they were
going to a titan-infested area that they had to clear in order to secure
the supply line. The good news was that it was a town with high
3DMG agility, meaning that they were right in their element.

Once the speech was over sunset was almost done, signifying the
end of the titan menace for now. Sakura was assigned a tent with
two female soldiers she had never seen before. She tried looking for
Amina or Petra or, hell, Oluo to eat dinner but she couldn't find them
anywhere in the camp. She had been looking forward to talking to
them, but that would have to wait for another day, it seemed.

Her fellow soldiers with whom she shared a tent were much too tired
to even carry a conversation, so after a succinct "goodnight," they
quickly fell asleep.

The expedition was a success: they secured a supply checkpoint,

lost only twenty-three men (five of them were her classmates), and
accomplished all of that in just three days. Overall, the Survey Corps
soldiers were in good spirits.

Riding back from a successful mission was extremely fulfilling. She

had found out that the reason Petra, Amina, Oluo (and, really, most
of her classmates) were missing was because they had either pissed
or shitted themselves when they saw titans. Though she hadn't done
that in the expedition or when they attacked Shiganshina, she
remembered the fear firsthand and how much she wanted to shit her
pants.
She felt the presence of a titan around two kilometers away from
them and methodologically got out her gun and equipped a red flare.
Though it was impossible to get used to such horrific chakra, she
was starting to force her body to follow a pattern when it came to
titans. Mostly she avoided them because fighting each and every
one of them would undoubtedly tire her out. Still, two days ago when
she was running away from a titan, it had gotten so close that for a
second she thought she was really going to die. In the end, Haruto
outran it, but just thinking about it would make her heart start beating
faster.

"Uh, Sakura, why do you have your gun out? There are no titans
around."

She grimaced and tried to hold in her panic. Stupid, stupid, stupid!
What a naive mistake! Of course they didn't know why she had
gotten out the flare gun: because there was no titan in sight, but that
didn't mean that it wasn't there, around five hundred meters away.
Neither Moblit nor Carlo were stupid; once they put two and two
together they would realize that she had a gift for sensing titans. She
could either come clean right now or explain herself to a more
skeptical and distrusting Survey Corps if they found out she had
been keeping such important information to herself.

"I… I can sense them,"she yelled, trying to speak above the horses'
gallops, still unsure if this was the best decision. Didn't Mike
Zacharius have a famous nose that could detect titans kilometers
away? So then it wouldn't be so strange if she could, right? "There's
one around ten seconds away from us."

Neither one of them had the time to be doubtful, because eight

seconds later a titan spotted them and started running after them.
Sakura immediately released her flare and followed Moblit's lead to
run away from it.

Things relaxed once they escaped and Commander Erwin changed

the formation.
"Why didn't you say anything before?" Carlo asked loud enough for
her to hear.

"I thought I was crazy! But now I confirmed it!"

"We must tell Commander Erwin about this!"

Though Sakura nodded back eagerly, inside she felt her heart clench
and her gut drop. So much for keeping a low profile…

So much for not becoming a weapon.

2 kilometers is a little bit more than one mile.

This is where I take most of my creative liberties when it comes

to amnesia. The inability to form new memories is something
from anterograde amnesia, not retrograde. However, with
author discretion, I think it wouldn't be too far-fetched to say
that Sakura has some issues recalling name/faces, so let's just
say she's really bad at those, though pre-amnesia Sakura was
good at that because of her need to know patients. So, tl;dr yes,
the man who was drinking tea alone was Levi. And yes, he'll be
appearing next chapter.

Though I know Isayama left Hange's gender up for

interpretation in the manga (and I mostly follow manga for
canon unless noted otherwise), I have to go with the anime and
make them female. Why? Because I can't bear to use the plural
pronouns when referring to a singular subject (wasn't that last
sentence awkward?), and switching from referring to Hange
from her to him is just a bit awkward. So, nothing major, but I
like sticking to an author's canon with his/her characters so I
had to justify this.

A million thanks to Arisu-kun, Basia Orci, animagirl, Guest,

Jetsmillion, PinKrystal, flevantein, LadyRidger,
brokenmaelstrom, I love to review, mun3litKnight, Faeleen
Giang Tien, and deansinchester for being so awesome and
reviewing. Also, thank you to those who added this story to
their alerts and favorites!

Comments, criticisms, or concerns are widely appreciated!

Penpal
Sensor
The first day after they came back started rather averagely. They
were moved from the rookie quarters and were assigned real rooms
in the women's dormitories. Luckily she got to keep Amina and Petra
as her roommates plus another girl by the name of Rita Grun, until
now a rather average member of the 102nd Trainees Squad but now
a soldier of the Survey Corps. After transferring rooms she wrote a
new letter to her three wards and threw away the letter she wrote
before the expedition, thinking it be better that they didn't even see
her last words. Then the Team Leaders made them run laps, spar,
and clean their 3DMG before calling it a day by two o'clock.

For a second there, she honestly thought she was going to get away
with it. For a moment she believed that Moblit and Carlo had kept
her little secret, thinking it was outrageous that anyone would believe
them. So when, after taking a shower, a soldier summoned her to
Commander Erwin's office, she was a little more than just nervous
and crestfallen.

She was scared shitless and devastated.

Sakura dragged her feet against the stone floors with an almost
petulant manner to it. She was thinking of ways to go around her
problem, explanations as well as possible reasons for her "gift." She
was definitely not going to bring up chakra; if she did she might as
well write her will and declare her own death sentence. Should she
say it was a family thing? But then they might ask if Mikasa had it, or,
worse, might dig a little deeper into her background and find out she
doesn't really have a biological family. Then perhaps it was a gift
from God? No, that was stupid; someone like Commander Erwin
would never believe a second of it.

Her feet came to a stop once she reached the door that led to his
office. Her heart started to beat wildly and her breaths became
harsher. Whatever she said from now on could be used against her
and, at the same time, decide the fate of her and her wards' lives.
One wrong phrase, one wrong move, and everything could spiral
down into a worse mess.

Her green eyes narrowed in annoyance at herself. She was a

kunoichi, dammit, not some little girl who had been caught stealing
candy! She had a great power that, although it brought her a lot of
grief, made her a suitable and excellent soldier and asset. If they
decided to kill her she would simply run away and make a new life
far away from this mess. She didn't need them ; they needed her .

With those thoughts firmly lodged in her mind, she knocked the door
twice, opening it after her commander's strong voice allowed her to
come in. She entered slowly and her eyes widened after she closed
the door. Sitting behind his desk was Commander Erwin, regal and
formidable as ever. Behind him and looking out the window stood
Mike Zacharius, his tall frame imposing and observant. Perched in
one of the two chairs in front of Erwin's desk was Hange, who
offered her an encouraging smile and beckoned her to take a seat
next to her. A short, familiar black-haired man was leaning his back
against the bookshelf, his gray eyes bored and aloof. If she had to
take a wild guess that would be Levi.

Sakura saluted briefly before making her way towards the seat
Hange had pointed at. She tried to relax herself, but her body
stiffened slightly once she noticed that the commander had not said
anything because he was reading over her file. Just how much did
that change her plans, or her speech? Hopefully she wouldn't be
caught lying.

Erwin closed the file and looked up, offering her a small smile. "Good
evening, Sakura. Thank you for coming, even if you are done with
your duties by now."

It's not like she could refuse an order from her commanding officer,
but she didn't give that thought a voice. Not knowing what to say
without sounding snarky, she nodded, urging him to continue.
"Moblit Berner and Carlo Schneider informed me personally and
more detailedly in their report that you have the ability to sense
titans. Is this true?"

"Yes, I can."

Mike's hazel eyes became interested and he stepped closer until he

was standing next to Erwin's desk. "How so?"

Indeed, how could she explain her sensing abilities to them without
mentioning chakra? She squirmed slightly, unsure on how to
correctly respond without endangering herself. "I don't know how to
explain it… It's a horrifying feeling, like when you know something
bad is going to happen. It's eery, it gives me goosebumps, but sure
enough a titan is there. Deviants feel different too… I don't know how
to explain it."

"Amazing," Hange whispered. "You wouldn't mind us testing it,

right?"

Sakura blinked. Well, that was easier than what she thought. She
had come prepared to answered a barrage of questions, but right
now they were just asking for proof. "Right now?"

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea," Erwin added. "If this is true, it
could change my plans. It'd be best to prove it as soon as possible.
Hange, Levi, get ready: we're leaving in ten minutes. Mike, you're in
charge until I come back."

Hange jumped to her feet and left immediately, obviously

enthusiastic about the test.

"Tch, this brat better not be wasting our time."

Sakura bristled at his comment. Was he calling her a brat ? She

wasn't just any run-of-the-mill person who had just managed to join
the Survey Corps. She could break every single one of his bones
before he even had a chance to scream, and he dared belittle her?
She sighed and calmed herself down. Maybe she was overreacting a
bit, but she definitely did not like his tone.

Erwin smiled at her slightly, as if apologizing for his subordinate. "Go

get ready, Sakura. I don't think this will take longer than a few hours,
but still be prepared."

The pink-haired woman was the last one to arrive to their little group.
It had taken her a while for her to convince Haruto to leave the stall.
He, just like her, wasn't too keen in going outside the walls,
especially since they had just arrived a day ago. She understood
why Erwin wanted to confirm the validity of her teammates' report,
but at the same time she wasn't exactly sure why he was placing so
much emphasis in finding if this was true. It seemed a bit risky to
endanger their lives right now when he could find out in the next
expedition.

The journey to Trost's gate was silent from Levi and Erwin's part, but
Hange kept asking her questions, mostly as to the probable origins
of her gift. She played the innocent card, claiming that she had
assumed that it was nervousness the first three times she felt it and
finally caught on later on, but she still didn't believe it herself.

Convincing the Garrison to open the gate took less than five
minutes, mostly because of Erwin's commanding tone. Once it was
opened, the blond commander charged at full speed, forcing his
three subordinates to do the same in order to follow behind him.

After around twenty minutes of a harsh ride, Erwin slowed down until
he was riding next to them. "If you feel a titan, let us know
immediately!" he yelled above the loud gallops of their horses.

The next thirty minutes were spent in stony silence. For once in her
life, she didn't know if she wanted to see a titan or not. On one hand,
if they didn't see one, they might think that this was a farce and leave
the issue for later, but on the other hand she wanted to prove to
them that she wasn't lying. It was a conflicting emotion, wanting to
do opposite things for opposite reasons. She was irritated with
herself for being so ambivalent about something so important. Why
couldn't she make up her mind, dammit?

Luckily for her, the choice was made in her stead. She sensed a
titan's chakra around two and a half kilometers to the northwest. It
surprised her, because she hadn't felt a titan at such a long range
before, meaning that she could hone this skill. Before she inform
them of her findings, she detected a deviant chakra a bit further
away from the other titan, but still close enough for her to detect it.

"Two titans, one deviant and one normal. Northwest, around two
kilometers from here," she shouted.

Erwin nodded, acknowledging her statement, and changed their

course, though he slowed down considerably so as to not draw any
unwanted attention. Sure enough, there they were: one of them was
sitting down, looking up to the sky, and the other one had its back
facing them, staring off into the distance. They came to a stop before
either one of them could notice, observing the titans warily.

"Which one is the deviant?" Hange whispered.

"The one standing up."

"So you can feel these shits' presence? That's lovely."

She had to hold in her scowl.

"Let's go back before they see us."

Sakura didn't know if Erwin had jinxing powers, but for a second she
was convinced, because the moment that utterance left his lips the
two titans noticed them and immediately started chasing them. The
commander ordered an immediate retreat, one that she followed
without protests. Not only was she unlike Eren in his urge to
slaughter titans, but she didn't know how well she would be able to
hide her natural superiority in the face of such experienced and
observant people. The assimilation process had gone off well, and if
she wanted to live a peaceful life, she needed to keep her head
down.

Haruto ran fast and hard for a few minutes and it seemed as if they
were going to be able to outrun them when she felt three more titan
presences ahead of them, two coming from the right and a deviant
one from the left. Though they were around two kilometers away,
they were closing in quickly, meaning they would graze them or,
worse, come in contact with them.

"Three titans ahead! One is a deviant! They will close in on us!"

She expected nervous reactions, but Levi still looked bored, Hange
still looked ecstatic, and Erwin.. Well, he did change a bit; now he
looked annoyed. Apparently the idea of having to fight with titans
didn't faze them as much as it did to her. On the positive side, at leas
the two titans that were chasing them had grown tired and stopped.

"Hange, take care of the deviant. I'll bring down the other two," Levi
ordered in his monotone voice. His aloof gray eyes landed on her
next, "You… make sure you don't get eaten or this will be a big
waste of time."

She scowled slightly and bit back, "I'm not about to become titan
food… Sir."

His eyes glinted, maybe as a warning, maybe as a sign of

recognition, Sakura wasn't sure. All she knew was that none of them
were surprised when the four-meter, five-meter, and seven-meter
class titans appeared, running at them at full speed. It was
aggravating that they lacked a semblance of intelligence, because at
least then what they were doing had a purpose and they would be
able to predict their moves. At the same time, though, their lack of
intelligence made them vulnerable to begin with.

Hange and Levi were off once they were close enough, leaving
Erwin and Sakura running back to the gate. She knew she had to
keep her eyes on the field, watching for any dangers if her sensing
ability failed her, but she couldn't help to look back and see how
masterfully Levi and Hange fought, particularly the black-haired man.
His 3DMG skills were smooth, his form was strong and graceful, and
his speed put hers to shame. Watching him fight made her realize
just why he was considered Humanity's Strongest, and that as good
as she was, she still had long ways to go before she was on par with
him in titan-slaying.

They continued riding for a little while until Erwin suggested (he
really ordered) to stop and wait for Hange and Levi, relying on her
sensing skills to be on the lookout for any danger. He used this time
to ask a little bit more about her ability, hoping to clear what exactly
she could do and what were her limits. Now she felt more relaxed,
because it was obvious that they weren't out to get her and instead
wanted her help. She answered their questions a bit more truthfully
meanwhile still avoiding the topic of chakra.

She didn't have to wait much longer, because her superiors came
back almost five minutes later, bickering over something about titan
appendages. (Well, Hange was doing most of the talking meanwhile
Levi just replied with a deadpan "no," making Hange talk even more
animatedly.) The four Survey Corps members then hurried back
inside Wall Rose, and luckily Sakura felt no more titans on their way
back.

Erwin delegated the duties of tending all of their horses to the

soldiers on standby, allowing them to head immediately to his office.
Almost all the soldiers saluted them on their way there, since by now
most were heading down to the mess hall to eat, leaving Sakura a bit
uncomfortable; they were saluting everyone but her. It's not like she
had done anything worthy of deserving their respect yet, but it still
made her feel out of place.

Sakura closed the door gently behind her and took a seat next to
Hange, Erwin sat at the other side of his desk, and Levi leaned
against the window behind Erwin. Mike's imposing image was no
longer there, but the air was still slightly oppressive, especially after
she processed the interest in their eyes.
"Though I don't know how you came across such ability, I am glad to
confirm its validity," the blond began with a much more satisfied
expression. Whatever he saw had pleased him greatly, because his
shoulders were no longer as uptight and now were a bit more
relaxed. "Not to say you weren't an asset before, because you
graduated first in your class, correct? And received good comments
from Emil Ernst… I know firsthand how hard that is. But sensing
titans will definitely come in handy for our expeditions."

Hange stretched in her chair and sighed contentedly. "Well, it's a

good thing you're in my squad, Sakura. You'll be quite the asset in
locating titans and keeping yourself alive. Maybe now we'll be able to
catch one!"

Surprisingly, the commander smiled amusedly. "You're getting a bit

ahead of yourself there, Hange."

"What do you mean?"

"He means that she'll be probably joining my squad if she's as good

as your two subordinates say she is, Hange," Levi replied with an
arrogant smirk.

Erwin furrowed his brows and shook his head. "No, no, her ability
falls perfectly in the Scouting Formation category."

"My squad is in charge of patrols before going on expeditions, Erwin.

A sensor would not only make our job easier, but reduce our risks.
Even after that we're usually the ones sent to take down most of the
titans in expeditions."

"And the only way to defeat your enemy is by learning it. You've
always said that we couldn't risk men to search for titans and then
endanger them again trying to catch one. Well, this reduces one of
those risks! We can finally get a test subject!"

"Placing her in the front of the Scouting Formation changes our

strategy from a reactive one to a proactive one. That could save
countless lives and create even more experienced soldiers. We need
a better survival rate."

The three argued back and forth, attacking the others' viewpoints
and defending their own. Any other person might've felt excited that
three highly respectable members were fighting to have her on their
respective squad, but Sakura only felt aggravated that she had no
choice. They had not once asked her what she preferred, what she
thought was better, who she wanted to be with; they just assumed
she had no opinion to begin with, or dismissed it immediately
because she didn't have a rank.

Getting used to the Survey Corps was a bit harder than what she
expected. In the 102nd Trainees Squad she was a prodigy,
respected by everyone, and that meant that her opinion and well-
being were heavily considered, sometimes even by her instructors,
who were supposed to not care. In here, though, she was just
another soldier fighting for her life. Not only that, but no one had
once denied she was a prodigy, meaning they were aware she was a
genius and they still did not give her the time of day. She had never
been considered trivial, ever.

Perhaps she really was a brat who did not know better. Maybe she
was childish for thinking that people had to immediately care, to
respect her instantly. They weren't fully aware of what exactly she
was --and that was good, otherwise she wouldn't be in her
commander's office observing this discussion and would instead be
in a dungeon meanwhile higher-ups decided her fate in her absence
-- but it was because she knew what she was and they didn't that
she couldn't hold back, couldn't let them ignore her.

She cleared her throat, and three gazes snapped at her, their stares
boring into her face. Whether they were incredulous that she had
dared interrupt them or simply curious as to what she had to say, she
didn't know, and, quite frankly, at the moment she didn't care. She
straightened her back and narrowed her eyes slightly, taking control
of her beating heart. "I agree with Commander Erwin and believe
that my sensor ability would be much useful in the front." Her voice
was firm, confident, just exactly the image she wanted to give.

Levi glared at her, but she didn't back down and icily stared back.
Though she respected his fighting skill, she did not appreciate his
rudeness and general unapproachability. She had to admit that one
of the reasons she had chosen Erwin's side over Levi's was because
of the bad impression she had of him; teamwork was very important
in her books and if she couldn't work with him then she was just
wasting her and his time.

The commander was surprised by her impertinence and the

darkening of her demeanor. She had been gentle and obedient
outside Rose, giving the image of the perfect soldier, so seeing her
not only talking out of place but offering an unasked opinion was
unexpected. He would let this one slide because her words helped
his cause, though perhaps a bit of disciplining in the long run
wouldn't hurt. "You aren't concerned about being in the front?"

"I don't plan on dying anytime soon, and I'm not half-bad with
3DMG."

Levi scoffed and started walking towards the door. "The deaths of my
teammates will be on your shoulders." With one last glare directed at
both Erwin and Sakura, Levi left the room, his steps calm and
relaxed, but the kunoichi was perceptive enough to see the tension
in his shoulders.

Hange whistled. "Well, prissy pants is a sore loser, who would've

known?"

The blond frowned slightly, but managed to give Sakura a small

smile. "Don't mind that comment too much. He's just worried about
his teammates first and foremost."

That sounded more like a battle of will and pride than a battle for the
well-being of his teammates, but she remained quiet, knowing that
her comment would be taking it too far. Besides, as much as she
disliked the guy, she knew next to nothing about the Captain and it
would be too unfair to contest Erwin's opinion of him considering
they knew each other for longer.

Still, she didn't like him at all.

Amina asked Sakura to practice hand-to-hand, considering that the

Survey Corps placed more emphasis on it than their instructors did.
Their mentality was that their 3DMG skills was half the battle when it
came to titans; the other half was made up of reflexes, powerful, and
fitness, which were all achieved with a good spar. Indeed, if they
couldn't take down a human their own size, what made them think
they could take down a titan several times their height and power?

Unlike her other classmates, who paid less attention to martial arts,
Sakura focused almost all her time in it, relearning and perfecting her
taijutsu. In the first couple of months she spent with Helsa, her body
would unwittingly moved at times when she wanted to fight, but she
wasn't exactly aware of how she learned things. It helped that she
volunteered to teach Mikasa and Eren (and later, Armin), because
that sent her down a road in which she analyzed her fighting style.
Now nobody knew where she had learned those moves, but
everyone was always in awe of her speed and strength, to the point
that she was chosen as a sparring proctor for both experienced and
rookie soldiers.

"You never told me what how you felt about the expedition."

"It was horrifying. I seriously thought for a couple of moments that I

was going to die. I don't want to go back."

Sakura hummed in agreement and aimed a light, high kick to her

neck, which she sloppily dodged. "You should've chosen the
Garrison, Amina."

Her dark eyes narrowed and she threw a vicious punch at her, which
caught her off guard because Amina was usually calmer in her
attacks, but nevertheless she easily dodged it. "Are you calling me
weak? Worthless?"

"N-No, I never said that. What are you talking about?"

"You don't think I'm able to keep myself safe? Is that it?"

The kunoichi kept dodging her sudden onslaught, too invested in the
conversation to retaliate. "Amina, calm down. I'm not saying that. I'm
just saying you wouldn't have to worry about dying if you had joined
the Garrison, that's all."

Her friend grit her teeth and she suddenly stopped, leaving her
standing strangely still in the training grounds. It was a bit hard to
see her expression, because the sun was almost down, but Sakura
could detect a hint of bitterness in her expression. "Why does
everyone think that? That I'm always out for my neck? My dad said it
and I thought I had changed, but obviously you think I don't."

"I don't… understand, at all."

"You're not even entirely sure of who I am, right?"

Well, sparring was obviously forgotten, seeing as how Amina

suddenly plopped down to the grass. Not that Sakura minded, at all;
the subject of Amina's origins was a touchy one. She always avoided
speaking of her parents whenever Petra or Sakura did, or she
conveniently excused herself. Her inquisitive mind had deduced that
her family had been recently killed and the subject was too painful to
talk about, but before leaving to the expedition she had said her
family lived inside Wall Sina.

"You're not too talkative about that subject."

She scratched behind her ear, her face a bit embarrassed. "Hm, now
that we're here, I guess it wouldn't matter if I told you."
"Stop beating around the bush already. You don't know how much
time Petra and I have spent theorizing about this."

Amina blushed harder, and she harshly bit her lower lip. "I didn't
know you guys were so curious…"

"Amina."

"Right, right, sorry. My last name is Talman because my father's side

of the family came from the desert, before the walls were erected
and the titans came. And before you ask, no, my dad never told me
anything about the desert because he didn't know anything about it.
Anyway, my mom is a Burgeis. Here in the Survey Corps that means
nothing, but inside Wall Sina it means the whole world. Suffice to say
we're a powerful family.

"My mother was raised in wealth and luxury, but my dad had no such
luck and worked hard to rise the social ladder. He married my
mother, much to the disdain of the Burgeis, and had me a few years
later. Although my grandparents hated my dad, they adored me and
the Burgeis family spoiled me rotten to the point I became a brat.

"My dad became ashamed of what I had become and when I turned
fifteen he told me I needed a change in my lifestyle and perspective.
He made a deal with the Military Police so that I wouldn't do the
entrance exam and told me to not come back until I had graduated
from the camp. I was obviously very hurt by this, and though he
never said I had to graduate with good marks or anything, I strove to
become better than the plebs and prove I was superior even though I
didn't know anything the average person went through. I wanted to
place in the top ten to earn my way back to Sina and prove to my
dad that I knew how to work hard."

Though she was intently listening to Amina's story, things suddenly

began making sense. The reason behind her physical weakness, her
haughtiness, her self-assurance, and the commanding air she
carried around her could all be traced back to her noble upbringing.
However, there was one gaping hole in her story. "But yet… Here
you are."

She sighed and nodded along. "Indeed, here I am… My family has
everything anyone could ever desire, but I am here, worrying about
my death at the hands of titans."

Her life was what Sakura envisioned for her wards, what she wanted
to provide for the people she cared most about in the world. And yet,
her friend from a completely different social stratum was sitting next
to her in the same grassy field, looking at the same sunset,
wondering the same thoughts of survival. She didn't know whether to
admire her or be angry at her for throwing such a life many coveted.
Sakura frowned; she was being unfair. It was hard being rich, for
people strove to become like them but at the same time scorned
them for who they were, and when the odd one decided to leave
everything behind, people like herself started judging them for their
stupid decisions.

"Why are you here then?"

Amina turned slowly to gaze at her intensely, her pensive look long
gone. "You. I'm here for you, I'm here for Petra, I'm here for Oluo, I'm
here for the Talman and the Burgeis. I have to admit, it was a tough
decision, and not placing in the top ten made me seriously think I
had no chance at surviving outside the walls and that I was going to
surely die, but I couldn't live my life knowing my friends died so that I
could live inside parading fancy dresses and being courted by
wealthy men… That wasn't the life I wanted anymore."

"What about your dad?"

She looked up to the night sky. The stars were coming out and
dinner would be served soon, but Sakura didn't want to rush Amina.
"He'll get used to it, I think. This is his fault in some roundabout way
after all. My mother… Well, unless she asks the king or something, I
don't think she will be able to do much about this. Civilian and
military affairs are different for that reason."
"I won't let you be eaten, Amina, I promise. No titan will kill you."

Amina smirked. "That's a hefty promise, considering you are in the

front with Commander Erwin."

Sakura blinked, taken aback. She had only told Petra an hour ago
because Amina was out, so there was no way their friend could've
told her. "How do you know?"

"Word spreads around fast about that pink-haired girl who can sense
titans. People honestly believe you can make a difference and that
the fatality rate will go down, but how sure are you of that?"

The kunoichi gulped, feeling nervous of the sudden attention and

pressure she was getting. She knew that her range was good, but
why were people immediately assuming that she would bring about
such drastic changes? That just brought an unnecessary burden on
her shoulders. "I… I don't want to give anyone false hopes."

"So it's true."

"Amina! No, I don't know if it's true, it's too early to tell."

"You're weird, you know that? But I guess that makes you special in
your own way."

She was walking on a fine line between what she abilities she could
reveal and the ones she could keep hidden. It was imperative to
keep her secrets close to her heart if she wanted to stay around as a
normal soldier and protect Mikasa, Eren, and Armin to her heart's
content as equals, but at the same time she wasn't ready to deal
with the deaths of her friends. There would be a moment where she
would have to choose one group over the other. If it came down to it,
would she save Petra or Amina or Oluo from death, even if it meant
using her medical ninjutsu and being found out? Judging by the
promise she had explicitly made Amina (and implicitly to her other
two best friends), the answer was yes.
And that answer scared her so much.

For the next month Sakura trained intensively with Nanaba, the
fourth Squad Leader of the Survey Corps. She was ruthless but
supportive, always trying to push her to her limits for her own sake.
Had her body not been enhanced and fit, she would've probably
complained and collapsed from the sheer amount of spars, wooden
titan courses, laps, and weight lifting she had done.

Suffice to say she barely had enough time to talk to Amina and
Petra, because as soon as she got to her room after a hearty dinner
and warm shower she only collapsed on her bed. Not that she didn't
know how things were going, since they were chatterboxes, but they
didn't get to socialize that often anymore.

The day before the 29th Expedition, Nanaba confided in Sakura that
she was not very worried about her survival. She was put in a
precarious position, because not only was it necessary to be in the
first row of the Scouting Formation to detect incoming titans, but she
was also obligated to protect Commander Erwin with her life.
However, the Survey Corps had given her Nanaba as a personal
trainer to hone her body and increase her survival rate and her ability
to be an asset on the field.

Sakura was behind Mike, Erwin, Levi, Nanaba, and Hange in the line
as they waited for the gates to open. Haruto kept snorting and
moving his head, obviously bored and itching to gallop. Of course he
was excited; his natural predators weren't titans and he was going to
run his heart's content. Sakura grunted and tightened the reins on
Haruto.

"Samson giving you some trouble?" her teammate, Gelgar Becker,

asked amusedly. His hair was a sandy brown and the lines of his
face were harsh, but the joviality behind his blue eyes gave revealed
an inner softness.

She scowled at him. "His name is Haruto."

Her other team member, Otto Langer, snorted and waved his hand
disinterestedly. "Come on, you don't expect us to remember a name
like that. It sounds just as weird as yours." His dark brown eyes were
teasing, letting her know that he didn't mean his words.

Still, Sakura raised her chin, carrying on with the joke. "Well, that just
shows how unique my and Haruto's names are."

"Samson," Otto corrected in with a grin.

She tried to deepen her scowl, but failed and laughed openly. "You
two are going to be the death of me."

Erwin started the countdown then, effectively shutting them up. After
seemingly everlasting seconds, the gate opened and they all spurred
their horses forward, leaving a trail of dusk at their wake.

The Special Operations Squad's patrol had disposed of titans in the

first couple of kilometers, securing their passage. They had one of
the hardest and most dangerous jobs, since they basically searched
for fights in open terrains, but at the same time their expertise made
their squad one of the safest to be in, since they all had amazing
team chemistry and they were led by none other than Levi himself.

After they split up, Sakura hurried Haruto so that they would be less
than three strides away from Erwin. The strategy was simple: alert
Erwin of incoming titans so that they could change their position.
Since she was at the center and her range was less than three
kilometers, Erwin still relied on scouts for the Formation's
peripherals.

Sakura stiffened when she felt them two and a half kilometers ahead
of them, two kilometers to the right, and immediately warned her
commander. He nodded and fired a green flare, signifying the
change in course. They continued like this, changing course as soon
as Sakura warned the presence of a titan or a scout fired a red flare.
Near the end of their ride to their destination, they encountered a
slight problem: two titan clusters and the inevitable collision with one
of them. The larger one, a a group of nine, was on three kilometers
to the left, two kilometers ahead, and had three deviants, meanwhile
the one to the right had a group of four and was a kilometer to the
right, three and a half kilometers ahead, and had one deviant.
Changing the course to the left and avoiding an encounter with the
right group would force the left side of the Formation to engage with
the titans, incurring guaranteed losses. However, if Erwin changed
the course to the right, his squad would come into direct contact with
the titans.

"Commander," Otto yelled over the noise, attracting his attention.

"We can take care of the issue."

Gelgar nodded firmly. "This is what we trained for! We won't die."

Erwin looked at both his sides, making eye contact with his three
subordinates. His icy blue eyes were outwardly calm, but she could
tell the conflict that was going on in his head: was the risk worth it?
Only Gelgar, Otto, and Sakura would fight; Erwin would stay a safe
distance away, only fighting if it was absolutely necessary. As their
commander, his safety was top priority.

Maybe he decided that the chances were in their favor, maybe he

realized that his squad was elite, or maybe he simply decided to trust
in them, because he pointed his flare gun to the right and led them
straight to the titans.

Her heart started beating faster and her breaths became harsher as
she neared the giants. A four-meter deviant, a seven-meter, a nine-
meter, and twelve-meter immediately came after them the moment
they spotted their prey. Haruto slowed down a bit, no doubt
intimidated by humanity's predators, but he appeared to trust her
judgement enough because he kept going forward, regardless of his
instincts, surpassing the speed of her teammates' horses. Once she
was close enough, she aimed her grappling hooks directly at the
eyes of the deviant and advanced forward as soon as they made
their mark.

Using a combination of gas intensity and weight shifting, Sakura

avoided its hands and landed on top of its bald head. She ran to the
back of its skull and jumped in the air, using chakra to increase the
height and twist herself in the air, and attached the grappling hook to
its nape, slicing through it with ease. The other twelve-meter class
tried to reach for her, but she dove straight down to the ground,
narrowly dodging its hands. Seconds before hitting the ground she
sent her grappling hook straight through the titan's left hand,
stopping her descent.

Just as she expected, the pain (or suddenness of the attack; Sakura
wasn't sure if they could feel pain like she could) made it jerk its
hand skyward, trying to get rid of the hook, taking Sakura along for a
convulsive ride, immediately using her chakra to heighten all her
reflexes and senses. Once she was sufficiently high up in the sky
and with enough momentum, she let go of the hook and was sent
flying behind the titan. She twisted her body around to fire the hooks
to the neck, even if she was upside down. Still, the kill was clean,
and she landed on the ground gently, the blood evaporating from her
green cloak.

The kunoichi felt the fall of two more titans and turned around to see
her two teammates safe and sound. They each had taken down their
own titan, demonstrating their prowess and agility.

"Holy shit you took down the deviant and twelve-meter without
touching the ground…" Otto said, his voice awed. "How in the hell?"

"Fast reflexes," she answered, suddenly uncomfortable at the

attention.

"Those were some advanced moves. Are you sure you're a rookie?"

Erwin and his white horse approached Gelgar. Behind him were their
three horses, calm and snorting happily. At least they hadn't run
away like most did. "I'm sure it would be unfair to classify her as a
rookie by now," he interjected, his voice warm. "We won't worry too
much about your well-being anymore."

Sakura mounted Haruto and smiled sincerely, glad to no longer be

considered inexperienced or in need of babying. Though she knew it
was simply a consequence of keeping the majority of her potential
hidden, she still didn't want to be regarded as the weak link,
someone to be looked after. At least no one would regard her as a
weakling anymore.

The rest of the expedition went by with only four losses. They
reached one of the supply camps they had established in earlier
expeditions and decided to rest there. The night watch groups took
the job of looking out for any abnormal activity meanwhile the others
rested. The outlook of the Survey Corps was bright, everyone was in
a good mood, and success was imminent.

"So you inherited the chakra nature of your father? Good, water is
good. I expect good things from you, Sakura. Suguru has made us
very proud, and with much gratitude we call him our son. Earn your
place in our family, because you can do it."

Sakura felt a breeze in her hair and unwittingly woke up. Her
camping mates, two women whose names she couldn't quite
remember, where still sleeping soundly, completely unaware of her
harsh breathing.

She knew she had dreamed something important, but as soon as

she woke up the exact details faded into nothingness, as if
completely forgotten. It was impossible for there to be wind inside
their tent, because there was no wind outside, but maybe something
had happened that she was unaware of.

Sakura tried going back to sleep but failed. Whether it was because
her excitement or disappointment or wonder at the the mystery, her
body no longer felt tired. She took off the sheets from her body and
dressed herself in her uniform, feeling uncomfortable going out in her
nightgown. It had taken her an hour to put on all the belts the first
time she had tried to fully dress herself. The belts were supposed to
be tight and connected to every part of her body. Sometimes they
snapped back into previous positions, other times she couldn't
stretch them enough to get through, and there were other times
where she simply didn't know where to put her limbs.

Luckily, practice made permanent, so now it only took her twenty

minutes on a bad day. It would be sunrise soon, anyway, so might as
well get her blades and 3DMG ready.

The camp was a bit eery in the darkness, the lack of noise and
danger getting to her. Titans were more inactive at night than day,
but that didn't mean they couldn't be attacked. That is why they had
seven of their one hundred twelve stationed for night duty. They
were usually in the middle of the formation, one of the safest places
in order to secure their survival.

She didn't feel like explaining to others why she was out, so she
used her kunoichi tact and agility to remain hidden. It was almost too
easy to wander camp undetected, but for some reason the tent that
housed their supplies was heavily guarded, if the two chakra
presences inside the tent were of any indication. If she wanted to
practice her skills, she would have to do it without weapons. Was it a
risk worth taking? She could just go back to her room and rest, but at
the same time she needed to practice. She hadn't been able to train
her ninjutsu the past month because her sessions with Nanaba had
consumed all her stamina. But now… There might not be a better
time.

They had camped close to a forest of giant trees so that worse

comes to worse, they could all fight in a place with high
maneuverability and launch a counteroffensive. This was the third
forest she had seen like that, but there was no concrete explanation
for the size of the trees. Sakura leaped to the first branch and started
going to a more secluded place, mindful to leave a trail just in case
she forgot the way back. Once she was sufficiently far away, she
started going over the hand seals for the three jutsu she knew and
performing them to the best of her ability.

When she had stayed with Helsa, she had found out that her chakra
reserves were a bit low, but after training constantly for almost seven
years the amount of chakra she had at her disposal had tripled. Now
her limit was seven jutsu, but she knew that she still hadn't pushed
her body enough and there was room for improvement.

After she finished Suiton: Bakusui Shoha , she felt a deviant's

chakra around three kilometers from her, moving at great speeds
towards their camp. She looked up and noticed that the sky had
lightened, signifying the start of dawn. She knew that the night watch
would eventually take down this deviant, but it was almost
guaranteed that someone would die in the process.

She body-flickered closer to the titan and started leaping from tree
branch to tree branch, trying to keep up with the giant. She may
have her 3DMG, but she was weaponless, rendering it useless. At
the same time, fighting a titan without 3DMG and only relying on her
reflexes and chakra was a bad call on her part, since aerial fighting
was hard with their unpredictability and size. If she wanted to use her
powers, she only had one shot before the titan potentially retaliated.

Sakura saw the ten-meter deviant sprinting and she herself started
leaping faster until she was ahead of it. She threw herself at it, but
miscalculated the distance and landed on its lower neck, a bit too far
away from the actual spot. She tried to move, to stand up, but the
titan was moving at such great speeds that the momentum kept her
clutching the titan's lower neck with her chakra-enhanced hands.

The camp was very close now, which bore bad news for Sakura, not
only because it might kill some of her comrades, but she would have
to explain why she was breaking protocol and potentially attracting
titans. Her fingertips barely reached the area in the nape that could
kill titans, meaning she couldn't punch it and instantly kill it.
The intensity of the chakra she was using to fight against the
momentum and stick to the titan made her body glow lightly blue.
She could feel her already-low reserves getting even emptier, taking
away precious energy she could use later on the day. Couldn't she
use chakra on the offensive, anyway?

Sakura focused the chakra on her hands until it resembled a small,

sharp blade. Though her mind didn't recall ever doing this, her body
remembered performing this countless times, probably to save lives.
But this technique had a more insidious effect than just saving lives.
No, it was a blade, and it could be used to cut just like any other
weapon.

She couldn't crawl, but she could certainly reach a little bit more to
touch the nape and slice the titan twice. She cursed her small height
and stretched her arm the furthest she could. Once she reached the
threshold, she slid her fingertips from right to left, the lower from left
to right, and the effect was instantaneous. Though outwardly it
looked as if nothing had happened, the focused chakra on her hands
had cut the deviant's muscles and tendons, creating the same effect
as if she had cut it with a blade. It was a Chakra Scalpel. Suffice to
say it was a very clean kill.

Unfortunately, the titan immediately fell down and crashed against a

tree, the sound so loud it definitely woke up the whole camp,
especially with how close they were to it. Luckily the same body that
had given her such trouble shielded her from most of the impact, but
she still felt a bit dizzy going from such blinding speeds to a
complete stop.

Her sensitive ears picked up the telltale sign of 3DMG usage,

meaning that people had heard and were investigating already.
Rather than explain how she killed a titan without the use of blades
or 3DMG, Sakura jumped higher up to the trees and hid herself
amongst the leaves. A couple of seconds later the Special
Operations Squad appeared and cut off the titan's nape, even
though the it was already steaming and decomposing.
Levi stood next to the neck, and though Sakura could not see his
expression, she knew he was in deep thought.

"Captain, the titan was already dead when we got here," one of the
squad members, a woman named Liesel Sommer, reported to the
black-haired man.

"I can see that." His usually monotone voice was tinged with
annoyance. "The question is why. Why is this shithead dead without
being hit in the nape of the neck? Or, better yet, how ? In this case,
the result doesn't matter; the process does."

"And then what do we do?" Jung Busch asked, though not impolitely.
"Do we capture the person who killed the titan and saved some of
our lives?"

"I hope you're not telling me that we shouldn't investigate simply

because we don't know what to do to whoever did this, because
that's stupid. It's possible that it's an animal that can kill titan, and
wouldn't you want to have an animal like that at your disposal? Or it
could be a human with an ability we have never seen before.
Whatever it is, using it to our advantage is what we want."

His squad quieted down after that and started searching the area a
bit more intensely. Levi himself looked around with his calculating
eyes. There was a moment she thought she had been found out
because he had looked right at her, but her fears were erased when
he didn't react and kept surveying the area.

Levi sighed and shook his head. "There's no use in looking for it.
We're never going to find it in this giant ass forest and there's no
time to waste right now. Let's go and report this to Erwin."

Once she was sure they were gone Sakura headed back to the
camp and easily slipped without notice due to the commotion the
deviant had caused. Theories were running rampant, citing that
maybe the titan ran out of sunlight or there was a sickness that only
affected them, but whatever the speculation was it only served to
heighten their spirits, saying this was one step for humanity.

Sakura only felt uncomfortable about this. Even though her

comrades approved of what she had done, she couldn't help but
think back to what Levi had said about her existence. She would be
at their disposal or used to their advantage . She understood the
mentality behind it, but she couldn't get rid of the aspects that made
her human. Sacrifices had to be made for the betterment of
humanity, but it wasn't such an easy decision to make when it was
her sacrifice that was being called into question.

Besides, she had promises to keep. Mikasa, Armin, and Eren

needed her around as a source of comfort and protection, and the
only way she could keep Petra, Oluo, and Amina safe was by being
on the same leagues as them, socializing with them, practicing with
them. Making her a weapon would affect them just as much as it
would affect her.

Four days later and the 29th Expedition was labeled another
success for humanity, bringing back only eight deaths, mostly
because of the improved titan detection system. It was with this that
Sakura felt content with what she was doing.

This was as much as she could give back, because the rest wasn't
hers to give.

The Survey Corps would have to be content with a sensor.

For the titan scene, the reason why Sakura didn't punch it was
because since she was attached vertically to it, punching it
would've sent them both flying forwards. I don't think she
would've liked being attached to the titan on the ride.

I know about the story of Kaguya and how it conflicts with this
story because there is no God Tree in SnK universe, therefore
no possibility of anyone having chakra. However, personally, I
think this is more of a legend than a historical fact, and if it is a
historical fact then it's a pretty shitty one because it leaves a
bunch of plot holes like how is it that all living things have
chakra if they never got it from the God Tree and if only humans
get chakra then it doesn't explain how Summons have chakra.
So, in the end, The Vessel's stance on chakra is that all living
things have chakra to some degree, meanwhile only certain
individuals have chakra points, granting them the ability to
mould chakra, and this was what the Sage and Kaguya inherited
from the God Tree. I usually stick with canon for explanations
on how certain things came to be but I couldn't stick with this
one fact because I severely dislike creation stories that don't
make any sense.

Yet again, an innumerable amount of thanks to PinchofSalt,

Bum reviews, cj1of4, Basia Orci, Faeleen Giang Tien, animagirl,
UchihaNaruTeme4, levantein, LadyRidger, PinKrystal,
AmeRaSora, Guest, lazylady, Liber Fatum, brokenmaelstrom,
Guest, Alumi, Yuyui, Demon Flame, FairiesDescent, Rose Rain
7, and lilazngirlz. Your reviews are a delight to read and make
me warm. Also, thank you to those who added this story to their
alerts and favorites! I'm glad this project has piqued your
attention.
SOS
The 34th Expedition had seen the loss of three whole teams, hitting
the morale of the Survey Corps rather deeply. It was something that
none of them could've prevented; Erwin had to call some tough
decisions and in the end the losses had been minimized, but it still
hurt most of the people, who no longer were accustomed to such
losses.

This brought a different dynamic to the Survey Corps, though. On

her way to the mess hall, she noticed more soldiers saluting her
rather eagerly, their eyes shining with admiration and pride. Some
had even taken to call her Team Leader Sakura, even though she
didn't hold any spots of authority in the hierarchy of the military.

"Ah, well, look at that. Team Leader Pinky has graced us with her
presence!" Oluo said with a snort.

That didn't stop her friends from teasing her about it, though.

Sakura put down her tray of food brusquely next to Petra and sat
down, glaring at her friend. "You idiot, stop calling me that."

"But you get such an authority kick out of it. I'm just doing you a
favor."

"I'll beat your ass next time we spar."

Petra sighed and spoke up in a motherly tone, "Guys, please, let's

try to not hurt each other. I don't want to deal with you two when you
fight."

"And don't act like kids," Amina pitched in, much more coldly than
Petra. "It embarrasses us."

The two still scowled at each other, but inside they had to restrain
their laughter. Part of the fun in their little spats was annoying both
Amina and Petra, Miss Impatience and Miss Patience, respectively.

"Do you think we'll have an expedition tomorrow?" Petra asked. "The
weather is really cold and it looks like it's gonna snow soon."

"I don't know," Amina responded with a small frown. "All I know is
that I can't fight very well with these coats. They're so heavy." The
Survey Corps gave them a gray coat, heavy pants, black boots, a
red scarf, and red gloves as their uniform for the cold winter months.
Still, most of the fighting was done with light clothes since
maneuverability depended heavily on speed and lightness.

"Hm, who knows. Anyway, the report from the Special Operations
Squad will let us know in the end," Oluo said with a disinterested
wave.

Sakura was not very worried about the verdict. Either way, she
usually didn't fight with titans because Erwin's team avoided contact
with them above all. In the six expeditions she had done with him,
she had only killed five, and two of those had come from her first
expedition in his squad, the 29th. Oluo, Petra, and Amina had
surpassed her kill count, and they had only gone on three
expeditions out of the required five for the year; she was sure they
were in the lower tens by now. However, her prowess in fighting was
something many had heard about, since she kept her skills in top
shape during training.

Amina finished her stew first, noting that the meat was especially
juicy. She then said she had to help get the horses ready for
tomorrow's (possible) expedition and left them all quickly. Petra
finished second and left the mess hall to help Amina, claiming that
an extra hand couldn't hurt, leaving Sakura alone with Oluo.

"When are you going to tell her that you love her?"

Oluo choked on his stew and started coughing harshly. Sakura

leaned in and patted him awkwardly from across the table, trying to
hold in her amusement but failing miserably. "I-I-I don't know what
you're talking about!"

"Please, I'm more perceptive than Amina and Petra put together and
multiplied by two. And you're shitty at hiding your emotions."

It was the first time Sakura had seen Oluo blush so brilliantly. "So
what if I like her," he said with a pout.

"You mean love."

"Argh! Yes! Whatever, that."

"You still haven't answered my question. When are you going to tell
her?"

"Never."

"Why not? And please don't say 'I don't want to ruin my friendship
with her' because I'll kick you in the ass right now."

Oluo frowned at her, his eyes flustered. "I can't just tell her! What
if…" He sighed and visibly calmed down. "I'm just scared. What if
something happens to me… Or worse, what if something happens to
her? It hurts just thinking about it."

Though she completely understood his point, it still saddened her

that he was restraining his feelings. She had already decided that
romantic relationships were out of the picture until Armin, Eren, and
Mikasa were fully grown-up, so she didn't have to worry about that.
Even if someone came along, she wouldn't dedicate the person
enough time to make it serious. But her friends were another story…
"So you're going to be ruled by your fear?"

"That doesn't mean I won't do anything about it… I'm just waiting for
both of us to retire, when we're finally safe, to actually do
something."
"But by then another man could've stolen her heart. Didn't you think
of that?"

He seemed surprised by this situation, as if he had never considered

it before, but his expression then hardened. "Even if that happens, I'll
still do that. I'll be happy if she's happy, even if it's not with me."

Sakura grimaced, repulsed, and shook her head. "Ugh, and you
denied being in love? Old man, you're so deep in you can't even see
your way out."

The blush came back with fervor, making Oluo look away. "And you
were wondering why I didn't want to admit it. You're just
embarrassing me."

"I can't help but think this situation is disgustingly adorable. It's the
best friends in love scenario, except only one of them is actually in
love." The two ate their stew in silence, the air surprisingly less tense
than before. "Hmm… I respect your decision and all, but if you ever
need help with getting Petra just ask me. I can make her see the
truth once or twice."

Oluo stared at her in surprise, but then the corners of his mouth lifted
up in a sincere smile, making his face look much younger than what
it usually looked like. "Thank you, Sakura."

"You know, I can count with my hand the number of times you've
called me by my name."

"Well, don't get used to it, Pinky. This is a once-in-a-lifetime type

deal."

They finished their stew at the same time and left the plates for those
unlucky souls who were on kitchen duty. They agreed on sparring,
since talking about it had awakened the desire to kick each other's
asses, especially after the heart-to-heart conversation they had.
Walking down the spacious hallways at this time, it was almost
impossible to miss the short Captain.
And boy did he look pissed. And wounded, if the blood on his face
and his slight limp was of any indication.

Once he was safely out of an earshot, Oluo leaned down and

whispered, "Did he glare at you?"

"I thought he glared at you!"

"Me? What did I do?"

"I don't know! You tell me."

They both threw their hands up in the air at the same time and
continued walking to the training fields, their aggravation fueling their
desire to fight. Once they reached an empty field they carefully put
their half-jackets on a bench and got into position, each of them
waiting for the other to attack.

Oluo was the only one out of the people she usually sparred with
that could keep up with her. It was not because he was any better
than most (though he was still very talented in the Survey Corps),
but because he knew her fighting style better than everyone else. He
knew she was a reactive fighter who could easily beat any proactive
fighter to a pulp, so he had a separate strategy just for her.

Their spars were boring for any passerby because neither of them
started immediately. It was an incredibly taxing experience for both
of them, though. Their bodies were coiled, ready to react, and their
eyes followed the other's body for any sudden movements. The
battle of wills and anticipation was more intense than any physical
fight, since their minds ran wild in these moments, both of them
wondering one thing: who will throw the first punch?

Even though Sakura always won, it was a understood between both

of them that whenever she had to throw the first hit was when Oluo
won, regardless of the outcome of the spar.
She had the advantage in this match because she had agitated Oluo
before the fight started, so in the end she won. Still, Oluo had
swallowed down his pride and asked for a little taijutsu lesson which
ended up consuming their entire evening. By the time he blocked his
first roundhouse kick it was already time for dinner. After they picked
up their jackets, they went back on their way to the mess hall.

The hallways were full whispers and murmurs. Her sensitive ears got
the gist of the story, and the contents were a bit alarming. Apparently
two members of the Special Operations Squad had died in the last
patrol due to unusual titan activity. They had been caught unaware,
and although Levi and the two others had survived, Jung and Liesel
underwent the traumatic experience of watching their long-time
teammates and friends be eaten.

A soldier suddenly appeared in front of them and saluted, though the

show of respect was mainly directed at her. "Leade-- I mean, Sakura
Ackerman, you are requested in Commander Erwin's office."

Oluo gave her a confused stare but Sakura only shrugged in return,
just as clueless as he was. The pink-haired kunoichi nodded firmly at
the older soldier, dismissing her.

"Save me something to eat, will you?"

"If the food's shit, sure; if it's good, no promises."

Sakura sighed and nodded to his conditions, knowing it was the risk
she had to take for asking Oluo to get her some food. She turned
back and hurried towards her commander's office, her mind running
with different scenarios as to why she had been summoned. She
usually didn't see Erwin outside expeditions, since he was either
locked in his office or training with Levi or inside Wall Sina fighting for
more funds or giving reports. Most of the training duties for the
Survey Corps fell on the Squad Leaders and Senior Team Leaders,
but the system worked so nobody complained.
She knocked and opened to knob when she heard the command to
enter. It still grated on her nerves a bit on how she had to follow
protocol and be submissive, but the attitudes had gotten better after
people had heard of her prowess and skill. She understood the
importance of command, it was just hard to treat an authority figure
weaker than herself with the proper respect.

Much to her surprise, a cleaned Levi was sitting with his legs
crossed in front of Erwin's desk. Upon opening the door he turned
his head sideways and stared at her dispassionately, but she could
notice the faint edge in his shoulders. Sakura tramped to Erwin's
desk and reluctantly took the other seat next to Levi's, the tension
almost palpable. Whatever had been going on was not good.

"Hello, Sakura. I hope your day went well," Erwin began amiably,
eyeing her hair openly.

She ran a hand through her short pink locks and inwardly grimaced
when some pieces of grass appeared on her hands. Now that she
was aware of it, her whole uniform was dirty and she didn't exactly
smell like roses. She could almost feel the reproach and repulse
coming from Levi, which did nothing but add to her discomfort. "It
was productive, sir."

The answer amused him, because he allowed a small smile briefly

before it disappeared into a firm line. "I called you in because there
has been a request for your transfer."

Sakura cocked her head to the side, confused. Why would he

request her transfer? Wasn't she doing a good job in the front of the
formation, warning them of oncoming titans? Sure, sometimes it was
inevitable and the peripherals still dealt with the titans out of her
radius of detection, but there had been an improvement.

"Are my results unsatisfactory?"

Erwin frowned more deeply. "No, the results are better than what I
expected, actually. It's just… Levi, explain what happened."
She almost flinched when her gaze locked with the Captain's. It had
been foolish of her to assume that his eyes had been emotionless
when she first entered, because there was such a deep rage in
those silver eyes that made it hard to not shiver. "We were on patrol,
clearing the way for tomorrow's expedition, when eleven of those big
shits came out of nowhere, running at us as if their asses were on
fire. They ate Hugh and Franz before any of us could say 'fuck,' and
after that it was three against seven."

Levi then turned back to Erwin, staring at him meaningfully, as if

challenging him to something.

The blond sighed and nodded. "In light of this situation, Levi and I
agreed that it would be best for you to transfer to the Special
Operations Squad. Their duties are far riskier than any of the others
in the Formation, and in the end their lives save more than I can
count. It is in our best interest to keep them alive and healthy as well
as we can."

Though she understood their positions, she still didn't want to join
the Special Operations Squad. They lived separately from the rest of
the Survey Corps because they had different training, duties, and
protocol than the rest of them. The only times she might see her
friends would be during lunch and dinner, and that wasn't even
guaranteed because schedules were different.

She couldn't use this as her excuse, though; it was selfish and it
would make her sound childish in front of her superiors.

"What will happen to the Formation?"

"My squad has different orders than the others. They are told to
'avoid them at all costs,' meanwhile our instructions are 'to kill them
at all costs.' So you will lead us right into them. If that's your excuse,
you better think of a better one," Levi replied in his monotone voice.

"But then how is Commander Erwin going to change the direction of

the Formation?"
Though his mouth was set in a firm line, Sakura could tell that Erwin
understood her concerns and agreed with her inwardly. "We'll figure
out a way, don't worry. We'll have to revert to the old model until we
can devise new way, but I think it will be better for the Survey Corps
if you take care of the titans preemptively."

Her shoulders visibly deflated, knowing that she had lost this fight. To
think that the spar she had with Oluo earlier that day would be her
last, that the lunch she shared with her friends might not happen,
that Gelgar and Otto might die without her around to watch out for
them… It made her want to punch something in her anger.

She knew that this wouldn't have happened if she had kept her
sensor ability hidden, but she couldn't deny that she felt good about
saving countless lives by avoiding danger to begin with. Maybe this
way she could save even more people without becoming an outright
weapon, the perfect balance between power and responsibility.

"Well, starting tomorrow you should move your things to the Special
Operations Squad's wing. I'm sure Levi will help you with the
transition. There will be no expedition tomorrow because of bad
weather reports, but be prepared with your new team because we'll
be leaving in the next two or three weeks. You are dismissed."

She stiffly got up and took large steps to the door, careful to not
break it in her anger. She was almost out when her commander's
voice called her.

"You have done a great job and you have my sincere thanks for
everything you've done, Sakura."

She allowed a smile to grace her features and she nodded, leaving
the room without a second glance.

Telling Petra and Amina that they were getting a new roommate was
one of the hardest things she had done in the past year. They knew
what it meant to be placed in the Special Operations Squad, the one
with the most experienced soldiers with the most dangerous
missions. The three friends had spent almost the whole night talking,
making up for lost time, and making promises to not let this hurdle
destroy their friendship.

They helped her pack her things, which consisted mostly of civilian
clothes and a couple of letters from Eren, Mikasa, and Armin that
she had kept. They repeatedly asked for advice, for her well-being,
for how things were in the Survey Corps, and she in turn asked if
their classes were going well, if they were missing anything, if they
were healthy. Now that she was here and she knew firsthand about
the Survey Corps's situation, she was more partial to Eren's decision
to joining. They would be joining in two summers, after all.

A sharp knock on the door interrupted their chat. Sakura opened it,
revealing a woman taller than her with matted blonde hair. There
were black bags under her eyes and her green orbs were puffy and
dull. "You are Sakura Ackerman, right?" she asked in a small, frail
voice. Sakura gritted her teeth and nodded. "I'm Liesel Sommer, your
new… teammate."

It was obvious that she was in the beginning stages of mourning.

She remembered how hard it had been for her to completely process
Helsa, Mikoto, and Kalura's deaths. It was as if a void had suddenly
appeared and she didn't know how to fill it, or even if it was possible
to. "I'm sorry for your losses."

She nodded absentmindedly, as if not registering her sentiments, but

Sakura knew that those words made the loneliness a bit more
bearable. "Do you need any help?"

Sakura whirled around and nodded at Petra and Amina. The two
girls lifted one of her two boxes and handed one to Sakura and
Liesel. "Yes, I only have these two. You can help me with this one."

Liesel took the box wordlessly and started ambling through the
hallways. Sakura put her box down and hugged her two friends
tightly. "I'll see you two around, okay?"
"Yeah, this is not the end, don't worry," Petra assured with a small
smile.

"And worse comes to worst, write us and drop the letters off in our
room. Make sure to tell us where your room is so we can do the
same."

"That's actually a great idea! Well, I better go now before Liesel

grows impatient."

Catching up to her new teammate hadn't been hard, since she had
decided to wait for her. The walk to their new room was quiet and
heavy. Sakura knew better than to try to strike small talk with a
person who was mourning, because emotions and thoughts were in
a constant turmoil of despair and distress. In fact, it would be even
harder to talk to her right now, since she might see her as a sort of
replacement for the teammates she had recently lost.

The Special Operations Squad's hallway was secluded and reserved

for the five members of the squad, including Levi. They had their
own titan killing course with an elevated difficulty, their own schedule,
their own training exercises, and their own expectations. The amount
of diligence and hard work each member poured to the team was
incredible and far outclassed the other squads'. It was for this reason
that it was a great honor to be hand-picked, but at the same time the
honor brought new challenges and dangers.

Sakura's room was more spacious than her previous one and all for
herself. She had a desk with an inkwell and quill to write her reports,
a larger bed, and a whole closet just for herself. Still, as great as the
room was, she still felt slightly empty not seeing Amina lounging
around reading a book or Petra folding last week's laundry they had
forgotten to do.

"Captain Levi wants to see you after you're done unpacking. His
office is down the hallway to the right. If you have any questions, I'm
next door to the right."
"Thanks, Liesel."

The blonde woman stared at her for a few seconds before nodding in
acknowledgement and leaving to her own room.

She didn't have that many clothes to begin with, so it was easy to
store them all. The shirts she usually wore underneath her half jacket
were usually white, but there were some greens and browns and
yellows here and there. Her breast bindings came next, though there
really wasn't much to restrain. Not that she minded; some of the
stuns she pulled would be almost impossible if she had too much
weight on her chest.

It was weird seeing her room so clean. She and Amina were
sometimes really messy to the point that Petra had to baby them and
chastise them. Sakura herself wasn't too keen on keeping her room
clean, but order was almost a must; she needed to know where
every single piece of clothing was for her mental well-being. Amina…
Well, Amina was neither clean nor orderly, which was fine because
Petra and Sakura picked up the slack.

Sakura made her way to her new captain's office. She knocked twice
before a deadpan voice told her to come in, which she immediately
did. He looked even smaller sitting behind the desk, but she would
be lying if she said she couldn't sense the aura of power he gave off.
He beckoned her to sit down across from him, and she did as told,
though a bit reluctantly.

"Starting tomorrow you'll be joining us for training. It starts promptly

at seven thirty, so don't be late. I do room inspections every week on
a random day, so don't live like a pig and we'll have no problems.
You will receive an increase in pay, but don't start jumping up and
down because it definitely does not make up for all the shit you'll go
through. You are no longer required to have cleaning, kitchen,
laundry, or stable duties, but I expect you to use this time to keep
your gear ready and functional. Any questions?"
She thought he would list a bunch of unreasonable demands just to
make her life miserable, but so far all of what she had heard was
very sound, except for the part of having a clean room; she didn't
know how having a tidy room equated with more titan kills. Not only
that, he didn't look angry at her, like she had predicted. He looked
tired, as if there was an incredible burden on his shoulders, and she
was more than sure that he definitely did.

"Who… I know Liesel Sommer and Jung Busch are the other
surviving members, but who is the fifth member of the squad?"

"I haven't decided yet." His head gestured towards the stack of
papers in his desk, which suspiciously looked like soldiers' profiles.

"I have no more questions then. If you would excuse me."

"Sakura."

She jolted, surprised to hear her name coming from him. Levi had
avoided calling her name for the longest time to the point she
secretly thought that he had a problem remembering people's
names, just like her. "Yes, Captain?"

"What is your range right now?"

"Three kilometers."

He leaned back into his chair, interested. "So it increased. Any

reason why?"

Well, she had been training her butt off to increase her chakra
reserves and to perfect her forgotten ninjutsu so maybe that had
something to do with it. Of course, she couldn't tell him that, but
luckily she had grown to be quite the expert at telling half-truths. "I
meditate… It expands my focus and for some reason my range."

"Then make sure to leave some time from your day to meditate.
We're relying on your sensing abilities for patrol, remember that. You
are dismissed."

Sakura wasn't very sure what to do with herself on her unexpected

day off, so she took the hour-long walk to the nearest district, Trost.
Her three wards were stationed close to this district, but the chances
of running into them were almost impossible. Still, she was on the
lookout for any kids taller than her wearing two crossed swords on
their backs.

She went to the marketplace and felt her heart clench painfully when
she saw all the stalls lined up, selling fresh produce and all other
kinds of things. She reminisced about her times with Erick, charming
her customers to buy their potatoes or barley, carrying their cart all
the way from their house to Beinn, greeting Mikasa and Mikoto after
a hard day's work. The man that had sold her Mikasa's birthday
present at a discounted rate, the blacksmith who begrudgingly
lowered the price of Mikasa's dagger, Berdine who always bought
their vegetables without a second thought, Anton and his haggard
mother… They were all probably dead by now, eaten by titans, and
Beinn was probably a deserted town that only Mikasa and Sakura
remembered, a town that housed the memories of the first two years
of her life.

Sakura liked to consider herself strong. She needed to be strong for

her wards, for her friends, for the responsibilities she had, but it was
in moments like this that she felt bad for herself. She didn't like to
think that and felt disgusted with herself afterwards, but it still
happened, especially seeing all of these people happily doing
business with each other, either unaware or removed from the
hardships of many others. In a way, the reason why she fought so
hard and so much was so that people like the citizens of Trost could
continue their blissfully ignorant lives, away from the pain.

Her feet moved towards the stall that sold potatoes and started
conversing with the man. He had recently become a father to a
beautiful daughter, and he was trying to make some good coin to
give her and his wife the best possible life he could manage.
Sakura's heart broke a bit more at the cruel irony of having another
reminder of the Ackermans and bought a pound's worth of potatoes.

She overpaid him for them but hoped that he wouldn't notice,
because if he was anything like Erick, he would refuse to receive
payment for something he wasn't selling. He did discern the extra
silver but instead of giving it back to her he simply grinned at her fully
and thanked her greatly, saying that times were still tough and that
her charity was very helpful.

Sakura didn't know whether to be glad that his daughter would

receive more food or to be disappointed he wasn't more like Erick.

But perhaps she was being unfair, because Erick was dead and
there was no one like him or Mikoto or Kalura or Helsa.

Waking up at six thirty wasn't as hard as she had predicted. One of

the perks of having a separate wing was the lack of people in the
bathroom; she only had to share with Liesel and that was it. After
doing her business and putting on her uniform, she went to the mess
hall and got her breakfast of butter bread with a glass of milk, but
she didn't quite enjoy it because almost everyone except those on
cooking duty were asleep, since their training started at eight thirty.

She knew she still had a couple of minutes to spare, but she still
headed to the training field reserved for her team. Jung Busch, a
man in his late twenties with shabby black hair and dark brown eyes,
was already stretching; Liesel was running laps around the rather
large perimeter; Levi was leaning against one of the trees at the
edge of the field, observing.

It was as if a spell had been broken, because her two teammates

immediately stopped and stared at her. They both looked empty,
defeated, and it made her feel bad that here she was, replacing one
of the people they had laughed with, fought with, enjoyed life with.
Still, it wasn't her fault, so she steeled her gaze and plodded towards
them.
"We usually start with a spar," Liesel announced quietly. "Since it
would be unfair to put you against Jung or the Captain, I'll be your
partner."

Sakura was initially confused with this statement, but then realized
that the Special Operations Squad was so isolated from the rest of
the Survey Corps that they probably didn't know much about her
besides what was on her report, and what her report contained was
the meager five kills in six expeditions, a laughable number to them.
They probably didn't read how she killed those five titans, but then
again, who would?

They probably thought her an amateur, but she couldn't find it within
herself to be angry.

Liesel got into a stance first, but Sakura only relaxed her muscles.
The blonde must've been in a really impatient mood because she
launched a high kick aimed at her face which she easily dodged by
leaning back. She probably thought it was a fluke because she
launched a punch aimed at her abdomen with the same sloppiness,
but she only pivoted her body sideways to dodge that.

She finally met her eyes, surprised, but then they narrowed when
she finally caught on that Sakura wasn't an amateur who got
accepted just because of her sensor abilities. Now her moves were
graceful and full of the intent to land a hit, but she was still too slow
and sloppy for her kunoichi reflexes and eyes.

Sakura got bored of the spar after she analyzed all of her
weaknesses. During a side kick it took Liesel a while to put her foot
back on the floor and regain her balance, so after she attempted her
attack she caught the foot with her hand and swept her supporting
leg underneath her, causing her to fall instantly.

Liesel stared at her from the ground, shocked, but before she could
ask Sakura only extended her hand to her, though she didn't take it.
"How… How did you know I was going to do that?"
"Your eyes gave away your intent."

"Exactly what I told you months ago," Levi said, suddenly next to
them. "I told these two that you only had five kills to your name to
test how overconfident they got. Liesel, you were lucky Sakura gave
you a warning early in the game; she could've defeated you in that
first move. Mistakes like that cost lives."

The blonde woman grunted and looked away, embarrassed.

Especially after losing a teammate the day before, the captain's
words were especially harsh on her. She wasn't exactly sure about
the circumstances around their deaths, but guilt did a nasty thing to
one's consciousness.

Sakura shook her arm slightly, reminding Liesel that it was there.
The blonde woman took it begrudgingly and with a slight glare
directed at her, Liesel left the training field. Jung called after her, but
when she kept walking away he only offered an apologetic smile
before running after her.

"Hm, they leave without my permission. Insubordinate brats." The

moment was completely inappropriate, but the idea of calling such
seasoned soldiers brats by a man of his size made it really hard to
fight a smile. Levi must've noticed this, because his eyes narrowed
at her. "What are you smiling at?"

"Nothing, Captain."

"Tch, make that three. Well, nothing is going to get done today with
that display so might as well go meet the next member of the Squad.
We only have three weeks tops to get him ready, after all."

Her eyes perked at the statement. Yesterday, when she had been
called to his office, there had been a huge stack of papers sitting on
his desk, but if he said he had already picked their new teammate…
Well, that spoke a lot of both his dedication and diligence.
Levi was already in the hallway of the open building when he looked
back at her. "Are you coming or not?"

Their stroll was silent, but not entirely uncomfortable. Sakura didn't
know what to think of her Captain, and she had the feeling that Levi
didn't know what to make of her either. The only thing Sakura was
sure about him was his prowess in fighting, but the rest of his
personality was shrouded in a deep fog. She got the same
impression from Liesel and Jung, with whom she still hadn't talked
to. Surprisingly, those two made her feel more restless and
unwelcome than the acerbic and cold Captain Levi. The worst part
was that she didn't even know what she did wrong other than joining
their Squad, and that was even against her own volition. What was
she supposed to do, anyway?

The training fields were divided by squads, with each squad having
an assigned field. Sakura, Oluo, Petra, and Amina had been in
Squad Four, Hange's squad, but Levi was leading them to the
training grounds of Squad Two, Mike's squad. Almost one hundred
soldiers under his command were training, their exercises led by a
Team Leader Sakura had never seen before in her life.

People turned their heads and gaped at them both, but Levi paid
them no mind. Sakura understood their wonder; it was hard to see
the Captain traverse these parts of the headquarters, and whenever
people did see him it was only for a moment, since he always
appeared to be on a hurry.

Levi walked to the Team Leader and asked, "I am looking for Eld
Jinn. Where is he?"

She pointed to the left, her eyes wary. "He is in charge of the fifth
section."

He nodded his thanks and trudged in the direction the brunette had
signaled them. A blond man with a tied ponytail was instructing a
black-haired boy on how to properly land a roundhouse kick when
Levi decided to step in and interrupt them.
"You are Eld Jinn, correct?"

He jumped slightly and shivered. "Captain Levi! Yessir, I am Eld

Jinn."

Sakura noted the similarities in the black-haired boy's expression

and Eld's with amusement; Levi did inspire that kind of nervousness
when people first met him.

"Good. Starting tomorrow you will be under my squad."

His eyes widened and he spluttered, "Sir?"

"Captain," he corrected mildly. "The letter with detailed instructions

should be in your room soon, but I believed it was a good idea to
introduce you to your new squad as soon as possible since we're
going on an expedition soon."

"That's in less than three weeks, si-- Captain. I don't think I'll be--"

Levi's gray eyes narrowed slightly. "I am not asking you if you can or
can't be ready, I'm telling you that you are going to be. Now, follow
me."

The short man turned around rigidly and started walking away,
leaving many dumbfounded soldiers around.

The kunoichi offered Eld a small smile. "Hi, I am Sakura Ackerman

and like you I just got into this business."

"At least there's a familiar face in here. What do we do?"

Levi turned around and gave them an expectant look when he saw
they were lagging behind. It was amusing that just one stare could
answer their earlier question, because the only thing that they could
do at the moment was to follow him.

"Oluo, can you walk?"

"Oh, shaddup and drink!"

In the end, Sakura ended training exclusively with Eld. Jung and
Liesel didn't show up after her outburst, and although Levi seemed
like the type of man who did not tolerate any form of disobedience,
he proved to not be heartless by not punishing them.

They finished earlier than usual and Sakura managed to join her
friends for dinner. Since it was Saturday and they had Sunday off,
Petra convinced them to go out to the town and to a bar. Normally
she would steer away from alcohol, but her day had been so
spectacularly depressing that she had been the first one on board to
the whole idea.

"Hey, Sakura! Watch this!"

"Amina, please don't do that… You'll hurt yourself."

She had expected to be one of the first ones to get drunk because of
her weight, but in a stunning display of irony she was the only one
who remained sober after around two hours of rounds. She had a
sneaking suspicion that her chakra broke down the chemicals before
they even reached her brain, but she was honestly grasping at
straws for an explanation.

That didn't change the fact that she was the designated babysitter
for her group. Responsibility was usually stressful, but in this case it
was that and incredibly boring; there was nothing duller than
watching friends having fun while sitting in the sidelines, making sure
they didn't do something incredibly idiotic.

"Did you know that I had sex with Jett?"

"What?! Him? That bastard! I'll--"

"No, Petra, you did not have sex with Jett; you wish you did. And
Oluo, stop throwing a tantrum; you're already embarrassing enough
as it is."
The blond man pouted and downed his ale, slamming the cup
roughly on a stranger's table. This bar, Leaping Horse, was
renowned for its rowdiness and its inclusion of a dancing area where
the incredibly drunk ones went to show their moves. Five minutes
ago they had been sitting comfortably in a table, drinking and
laughing, but Amina -- smart little thing that she was -- decided that
she wanted to dance and no one would stop her. Petra had followed
faster than a dog chased a slab of meat and Oluo had gone after
them like a puppy seeking a treat.

And indeed, they spectacularly failed at dancing but they didn't give
two shits about it because they were having fun.

Unlike Sakura.

She didn't even want to think about how she was going to get them
back to headquarters with the horrible cold outside. Damn her for
thinking drinking during winter was a good idea. She might need a
good meditation session after this night.

"So you are another victim of the babysitter job?"

Sakura had felt a presence get closer to her, but she never realized
he would willingly seek her out. People told her she had an
intimidating aura that others actively avoided. He was either dense
or apathetic, maybe a combination of both.

She turned to tell the guy to leave her alone, but whatever harsh
words she had in mind died the moment she looked up at him. He
must have noticed her sudden speechlessness because a
mischievous light entered his light blue eyes. Sakura's eyes
narrowed at his amusement and she huffed, "Someone has to do it."

The man chuckled. "You even have the tone most people use as
well."

"Is there something you want?"

"I wanted to make conversation but I've had easier endeavors with
walls."

"It's a bit disconcerting that you even tried to talk to walls."

"My home gets a bit lonely at times."

Sakura had already profiled the man to be of high social standing, or

at least acquainted with it. His wavy black hair looked soft and
healthy, no lines or scars marred his handsome face, and his
clothes, though they appeared normal, showed no indication of wear
or tear, a clear sign that they were new in a time when no new
clothes were made.

"That's quite unfortunate to hear, but I'll admit that sounds much
better than this."

He grinned, showing a perfect set of straight, pearly teeth; yep,

pampered. "No pity for me?"

"I'm hogging all the pity for myself at the moment."

The man chuckled,the sound deep and warm, and Sakura felt
something spreading in her chest. He tipped his head slightly in
greeting. "My name is Sebastian. Pleased to meet you."

Even though the circumstances of their contact were a bit strange,

Sakura knew she couldn't refuse to introduce herself without coming
off as unnecessarily rude. "I'm Sakura."

Sebastian arched an eyebrow. "That's not a name I have heard

before. Where does it come from?"

"My mom had heritage from the orient, so she gave me a Japanese
name."

His brow furrowed in confusion. "Do all orientals have pink hair?"
Sakura smiled at his generalization; she usually received questions
like that, no matter the age or social class. "I don't know… Maybe? I
never asked my mother where my hair came from."

"I think it suits you quite well, Sakura."

Usually that tenor and warmth would disarm the average girl, but the
kunoichi was increasingly wary of it; someone who knew how to use
that tone of voice was someone who knew how to manipulate
people. He reminded her slightly of Amina, and she was unsure if it
was a good thing at the moment.

She breathed in deeply and said curtly, "Thank you. Now, if you
would excuse me, I need to get these idiots back home."

Sebastian appeared taken aback by her sudden rudeness, but he

chose not to let it affect him too much, opting for a sincere smile. "If
you need my help, I am willing to offer it; I know it may snow tonight."

"Thank you, but I think I can handle them just fine."

Sakura almost immersed herself in the crowd when he called again,

"Wait! Are you… Are you going to come back here?"

She hadn't exactly predicted Sebastian to be that interested, but she

would be lying if she said she was not attracted to his physical
appearance as well. Nothing serious would come out of it, anyway.

"Yeah, I'll come back."

"When?"

"Every other Saturday. See you, Sebastian."

"Till we meet again."

Shoving drunk people out of her way was one of the easiest tasks of
her life, but finding her three friends proved to be a little more
difficult. Petra was dancing with Oluo, Oluo was making a fool out of
himself, and Amina was enjoying the show with loud guffaws.

She considered the idea of knocking them out and carrying them
back to the headquarters, but that would just gather unnecessary
attention. So, after another round of pushing people out of the way
and pulling her friends along until they were out.

Once the chilly air hit them, the four of them shivered and whined
about the cold, surprising Sakura with their new levels of
obnoxiousness; just when she thought they had reached their all
time high, they surpassed her expectations with flying colors. If
anything, they owed her a nice massage, a big portion of meat, and
3DMG maintenance for at least a week.

"Who… Whooo was that hunk that you wanted to jump?"

"Amina, you're drunk."

"You're not denying it," she replied in a singsong.

"Oooh Sakura wants to have sex?"

"She does!"

"Can we please not talk about this," Sakura asked with a groan.

Oluo pitched in, "You three forget that I'm here and I don't want to
listen to this."

Petra gave him a dumb smile and patted his back. "It's not that we
forgot, dear… We just don't care."

"Why are you so cruel?"

Luckily for her, they left the topic alone and moved on to bashing on
Oluo. She wasn't ready to deal with the probing of her drunk friends,
especially since they had started that curiosity stage in their lives.
And that was fine, because Sakura was curious too, but it was not a
topic of conversation for the night.

With sheer determination and a whole lot of good fortune, Sakura

reached the headquarters and dropped off her three friends in their
rooms. The idea of meditating had been thrown out the window the
minute she reached her room. She took off her long coat, shirt, and
skirt, quickly put on her night gown, and jumped under the covers of
her bed.

Though she was incredibly tired, she couldn't go to sleep with the
cold, so she laid there, waiting for her the blankets to trap enough
heat to warm her.

It was then that she started hearing noises. Groans and moans and
yelps from Liesel's room started seeping through the thin walls. She
heard both Liesel and Jung's name in the midst of those screams,
and with that Sakura became convinced that she wouldn't be able to
look at them without blushing.

The worst part of it all was that she could not deny being a little--
okay, really turned on. Though having roommates was nice and all, it
made it extremely hard to relieve some of her sexual urges without
being noticed. She couldn't remember the last time she had touched
herself, and she missed it, especially with the sounds next door.

Sakura got her hand out of the covers and moved her fingers
experimentally, eyeing them with a mixture of disgust and
acceptance. "Looks like it's just you and me tonight, old friends."

"Shisou, I have a question for you."

The blonde Hokage looked at her pupil with something akin to

interest. "What is it, Sakura?"

Her green eyes wavered for a minute, doubt and apprehension

crossing her face for a few seconds before her mind steeled herself.
"Jiraiya-sama taught Naruto the Rasengan before leaving. Kakashi-
sensei taught…" Here her voice trailed off, as if whatever she was
about to say next was painful. "Kakashi-sensei taught him the
Chidori. But I… Well, I…"

In the past year of having Sakura as a pupil, Tsunade had noticed

how she would sometimes hesitate in asking for more than what she
was already given. Whether it be because she thought she didn't
deserve this mentorship or because she was afraid of her, Tsunade
wasn't sure, but she suspected the former; she had never sought to
purposely intimidate her, and the fourteen-year-old girl was smart
enough to see that.

"You want a technique of your own."

Sakura stiffened and nodded slowly, her head looking down to the
patch newly-born grass. They had killed almost all of the grass in this
training field from their practices, though most of the damage came
from Tsunade's natural punches. "Yes," she whispered.

"And why do you think you deserve this opportunity?" She was going
to teach her the technique anyway, but she needed to instill some
determination and self-confidence in this girl that reminded her so
much of herself. Even their positions were similar, and the situation
was so ironic it almost hurt seeing history repeat itself without having
a say in it. However, if she wanted to change anything, Sakura
needed to be stronger, and not exactly in the sense that she could
break rocks with mere fists.

"Kushina-san mentioned something about my chakra control and

reserves being good enough to--"

"I don't care what Kushina said. I'm asking you why do you think
you're ready to learn an advanced level technique."

For a moment Tsunade thought that Sakura would back down at the
authority in her voice, and she felt a twinge of disapproval and
disappointment growing in her chest. Maybe her first impression of
her when she had demanded to be taught for the purpose of "not
being left behind" was wrong, or maybe she had expected too much
from a kunoichi who had been undervalued her whole life. Either
way, one thing was sure: Tsunade was wasting her time.

Whatever hesitance which had been visible on her face disappeared

almost instantly; Tsunade resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow at
that. Sakura looked at her with determined eyes and a firm mouth. "I
am ready, and I cannot afford to lose more time. I came to you so
that I wouldn't have to stare at other people's backs, and I can't do
that unless I have something that makes me strong."

Tsunade smirked and huffed. "I can see you've spent your fair share
of time with the Uzumaki," she replied with a chuckle. "Good, good,
tenacity is something us ninja need to always have in this world. It's
okay to ask for more, Sakura; you're my pupil and you know your
limits as well. Tell me, how often have you been summoned to
Shikkotsu Forest and trained with them?"

"Five times."

The Godaime blinked, surprised. Sakura had just signed the contract
three months ago, meaning that she either had a good affinity with
the slugs or her determination was admirable… Maybe even both.
"Then we're ready to begin training. If you had to pick the most
important spot in your body, where would it be?"

She cocked her head to the side. "I'm sorry, I don't follow."

"You're right, I'm being vague." She pointed at the diamond in the
middle of her forehead. "I chose my forehead for the because it
allows easy access to the brain and, as a result, command to the
nervous system in the body. However, it always takes a bit longer for
it to reach the extremities. If you had to pick one place to have the
Strength of a Hundred Seal, where would it be?"

Sakura pointed at a spot in the middle of her chest. "It is close to the
central organs of the circulatory and the respiratory systems, not that
far from extremities, and relatively close to the spinal cord and
brain."

"Good, good, that's a place I considered as well in my youth."

"Why didn't you choose it?"

"Pride gets even the best of us. What is the point of having the
Strength of a Hundred Seal, the pinnacle of chakra control, if I
cannot show it to the world?" She smiled self-deprecatingly.
"Anyhow, I need you to start storing chakra in the point of your
choosing. Ingrain that command to the deepest depths of your mind
to the point you store chakra in your sleep, meanwhile you're eating,
while you're in a coma… I want your subconscious to keep storing
chakra, even if you forget what chakra is. The most potent form of
Strength of a Hundred Seal takes ten years of stored chakra, but in
the next three months I will teach you how to release the seal and
what it does."

"And just what can it do?"

"Grant immortality, in a way."

Warning: Long A/N ahead

Byakugo no In: Strength of a Hundred Seal. As you may have

noticed, I tweaked some things with this. The first is that the
seal will be located in the chest area (still undecided) for the
simple reason that it'd be really weird if a purple rhombus
suddenly appeared on her forehead out of nowhere. And I
changed time from three years to ten. Why? Because I honestly
forgot about the seal since she really hasn't used it, but there is
no way Tsunade didn't teach Sakura the seal even in this AU.
And honestly I feel that there is no way three years of stored
energy will be on the same level as Tsunade's seal. If there's a
huge issue with any of these small changes, maaybee fanfiction
is not the best thing for you.
Nope, I will not pair Sakura with an OC, I promise, even if I
personally end up adoring their chemistry and whatnot. That
doesn't mean Sebastian is not important… because he is, but
he is not the pairing I have planned for Sakura in the future. I
have fully finalized my decision for LeviSaku after listening to
most reviewers as well as assessing my own ability to write
them both in a romantic situation and I've come to the
conclusion that I can and I will. The reason why LeviSaku is not
in the description is because I don't want to deceive any new
readers into thinking that the focus of this story is romance,
because it is not. There is so much more than that, as you've
noticed. Also, Levi and Sakura are so incompatible right now
that it's too funny to even consider a romantic relationship at
the moment; it will happen, though, just not any time soon.

Also, here is a timeline of the entirety of what has been revealed

in The Vessel for the curious/confused. What is going on/has
happened in the Naruto-verse will remain a mystery for longer.
But l et's just say that just as the water in a river rushes or
slows depending on the size of the channel, time flows at
different rates in different places. In other words, time is relative
in the Snk and Naruto worlds.

March 2, 842: Sakura wakes up in the SnK world with no memories

except her name and identity. She is unknowingly nursed back to
health by Doctor Jaeger (revealed in Chapter 2) and stays with
Helsa for the next six months, receiving lessons of German from
Mikoto Ackerman. She is 16 going on 17 in the next four weeks
(unknown to her).

October 8, 842: Helsa is murdered by bandits and their home is lit on

fire. The Ackermans take Sakura in.

June 20, 843: Sakura is registered as a citizen. Her age is listed as

17, but she is really 18 by now (A gap of 1 year and 2 months has
been created with this).
April 4, 844: The Mikoto and Erick Ackerman are murdered by sex
slavers and the Jaegers take in Mikasa and Sakura. Around this time
Levi, Farlan, and Isabel join the Survey Corps (the rest is unknown
at the moment because the spin-off manga is still ongoing, but I will
see how I can accommodate this).

Early summer of 845: Shiganshina is attacked. Kalura dies, the Trio

is sent to work on the fields, Sakura enlists to escape the
Reclamation draft.

Early summer of 847: The Trio enlists after working on the fields for
two years.

May of 848: Sakura, Petra, Oluo, and Amina join the Survey Corps.

June of 848: The Survey Corps embarks on their 28th Expedition.

Sakura is identified as a sensor.

July of 848: The Survey Corps embarks on their 29th Expedition with
Sakura in Commander Erwin's Team.

November of 848: The Survey Corps returns from their 34th

Expedition, a marked failure. Sakura transfers from Commander
Erwin's Team to the Special Operations Squad after the loss of two
of its members. Eld Jinn joins a day later.

Finally, a shout out to chaosrin, catxangel, AmeRaSora, The

Benevolent Scriber, Arisu-kun, Basia Orci, FairiesDescent, The
Wolf Of Shadows, Alumi, mun3litKnight, flevantein, cj1of4,
brokenmaelstrom, Yuyui, Guest, cherryblossom1423, Riyokia,
FreakyPants, Rose Rain 7, Sky65, Freddie4153, greymouser,
Guest, and deedee2034 for being so awesome and leaving a
review. Your comments make me happy and the writing process
a pleasure. Also, thanks to those who added this story to their
alerts and favorites!

Reviews are sugar.

Penpal
Baggage
A few days before the 35th expedition, the southern part of Rose
received one of the worst early snows in its history, forcing
Commander Smith to postpone the expedition to a later date.
Though this meant that they wouldn't have to worry about going
outside the walls, it did not excuse anyone from missing training.

Staying warm in the winter was one of the hardest things to do. The
problem first arose in the first winter of their Training Corps days,
when Sakura realized that the 3DMG and winter clothes didn't
exactly go well together. At first she thought they would be excused
from the harsh conditions, but their instructors kept pushing them on,
even in sub-zero temperatures. They dressed a bit more warmly,
yes, and they did wear gloves and scarves, but it wasn't nearly as
protective as what civilians would wear in these times.

Levi had pushed the starting time of their training to twelve, when the
sun was at its highest and not as cold as in the mornings. They
skipped the usual morning spars and jumped straight into the titan
course after their warmup. The trees lacked leaves by now, leaving
barren branches and unhealthy trunks. The cold wind was harsh and
biting, but they had to hold in their shivers because that would upset
their balance.

Sakura spotted a titan before her peers and sped towards it by

releasing more gas. This proved to be a bad idea, because the
quicker she moved in the air, the more wind hit her body. She
unwittingly shivered, causing her to lose some of her balance and
get in the way of her teammate, Liesel. The blonde shot her a nasty
green glare, one that Sakura returned because what she had done
wasn't nearly as bad as she was making it out to be. Still, it hurt to
be in the receiving end of that expression, since Liesel was
supposed to be her teammate, her friend, someone she could trust
her back with; so far, the blonde had only given her a cold shoulder.
The titan course of the Special Operations Squad was a bit different
than the ones the Survey Corps used. Even though by themselves
they were considered the among the most talented, their biggest
strength relied on their teamwork; individually they could perhaps fell
two titans, but together they could take on a horde without growing
too tired or wasting too much gas. The wooden titans had foam in
certain key points of their bodies, like the back of the knees or heels
or the arms, typical places a soldier might slash if he knew someone
else would take the kill.

Since she was the first one to get to the titan, she aimed one hook at
the foam part in the bottom calf and slashed both of the heels.
Theoretically speaking this would incapacitate the titan and bring it to
its knees or completely to the ground, meaning that her job was
done. Sakura sent another grappling hook to a trunk, retracting the
wire once she landed on a thick branch.

She thought something was wrong but it was until it was too late that
she realized there was a problem. Liesel, having lost control of
herself, crashed against Sakura. The momentum behind her speed
threw them both against the tree trunk, Sakura's shoulder receiving
the full brunt of the assault, and even then she still hit the side of her
head against the wood as well.

The blow left her slightly dizzy, but she retained enough balance to
remain on the thick tree branch. Her hand instinctively clutched her
wounded shoulder --she feared dislocation-- and moaned in agony.
Through her haze of discomfort she managed to glare at a blonde
person standing in front of her. "What was that for!"

"Don't act as if I planned this. It's your fault for making me lose my
balance out there."

She grit her teeth in a mixture of frustration and pain. "You could've
righted yourself immediately!"

Levi landed between them and shut them both up with a glare.
"That's enough; don't make me regret keeping you in this squad.
Jung, take Sakura to the infirmary; Liesel, come with me… And Eld,
finish training by yourself."

The blonde managed to still glare at her, even with their very
unamused superior standing less than five feet between them.
Sakura felt her blood boil at the treatment she was getting for no
good reason but decided to keep her mouth shut; she didn't want to
get on Levi's bad side, especially since his temper was legendary.

"Do you need any help?" Jung asked her kindly.

Sakura frowned slightly and shook her head, but Liesel's scowl did
not relent. Internally, she just wanted to faint at the moment from
how much the world was spinning, but she knew better than to make
unnecessary body contact with the someone else's man; that was a
line she wasn't willing to cross, even if Liesel was acting like a bitch.

Jung must've thought her proud, because he looked at her with

something akin to disappointment. Still, Sakura managed to use her
3DMG back to the headquarters, albeit at a tediously slow speed. By
the time they were back the world had cleared a little and she was
able to see straight. The thump in her shoulder was escalating; what
had been a simple pulsing had now become violent drumming and
she had to thank her high pain tolerance, because otherwise she
would be reduced to tears on the ground right there.

"I'm sorry about her," he said quietly, interrupting her miserable

thoughts. The walk to the infirmary, which was in the middle of the
headquarters, had been suffocatingly silent until then. "Hugh Lange
was my best friend and Franz Sommer… Well, that was Liesel's
brother."

The kunoichi let out a surprised sigh. "That explains her anger. Don't
tell me she thinks I'm replacing her brother."

"It certainly doesn't help that you and Eld joined not even two days
after his death. She just needs time to mourn him. It has only been
three weeks, after all."
"Three weeks of me getting her glares and her snark," she bit back.
"Eld doesn't receive that treatment from her."

Jung seemed a bit embarrassed. "I won't claim to know Liesel

completely, but I think it also has to do with a territorial issue. Until
now she was the only female in the squad."

"She thinks I'm going to steal you?"

He chocked, his cheeks becoming bright pink and his dark eyes
staring at her with surprise. "H-How do you know?"

She arched an eyebrow at that comment. Did people think her an

idiot or was she maybe a bit too perceptive as a ninja? "It's obvious."
That and she had heard them having sex twice by now. "You look at
her as if she holds the answers to all your problems."

"Sometimes I think she does."

Sakura rolled her eyes good-naturedly; and women were the over-
sentimental ones all the time, right? "There's my confirmation," she
mumbled.

Jung chuckled but then sobered immediately, looking at her with

pleading eyes. "Please don't tell Captain Levi, though. He doesn't
approve of romantic relationships between squad members because
he thinks it obscures judgement."

Technically, Levi was right with that assessment. When the time
came, a person might make foolish decisions for the sake of
protecting her loved one. If solo, the only person affected was she
herself, but in a squad that relied on teamwork so much, one of
those actions could cost the lives of many more. Still, if she ever
hoped to have a healthy relationship with Liesel, it would be
important to not ruin her only source of happiness.

"I won't tell him, but in exchange you must try to convince Liesel I'm
not some evil bitch who wants to make her life miserable."
They reached the infirmary wing, a small hallway full of different
rooms for the wounded and doctors. Some of the Survey Corps
members became involved in the health branch, but this was
extremely hard since some knowledge of medicine was required to
even apply. Still, the offer of staying behind and treating the
wounded was very appetizing to those who wanted to do something
for humanity but didn't want to face the titans.

Sakura felt a small twinge of disappointment at reaching their

destination. She liked Jung Busch, and until that moment she hadn't
spent much time conversing with him. Sure, he was usually with his
girlfriend and that was understandable, but she was finally coming
around the importance of teamwork and now she didn't want to let
go of this acquaintance.

She still hadn't had a meaningful conversation with Eld, and after this
realization she was sure to change that.

The doctors ordered her to stay off from any strenuous physical
activity for at least a week and gave her a sling to wear for the next
two weeks. The impact had been graver than what she previously
thought, because not only had she slammed her shoulder against an
extremely hard surface, but the momentum Liesel carried made it
even worse.

At least there was no concern over her minor head injury, and for
that they simply told her to rest. Either way, she had healed her
shoulder, but she couldn't randomly make a full recovery for a two-
week injury in a day without drawing attention, so she had to wear
that stupid sling.

So, here she was, laying on her bed, with nothing to do except stare
at the ceiling. She couldn't train because she was commanded not
to; her friends were currently training; she didn't go to Trost at the
moment because there was no point in going alone when she knew
she would brood; Eld and Jung were nowhere to be seen.
"Ugh," she groaned, and to add to her discomfort she couldn't move
her body that well because her arm had that freaking sling. Damn
Liesel and her anger issues. Sure, Jung might've said that she was
in the grieving process, but that didn't just give her a free pass to
treat her like shit. Besides, Liesel would never get over the death of
her brother. Hell, she still hadn't gotten over Helsa's death and that
was six years ago. She was still a bit resentful towards Eren for
taking away her revenge; she was still angry that Kalura had died
and she hadn't avenged her; she still berated herself for stealing
Bertha's spot in the 102nd Trainees Squad. But the difference
between her and Liesel was that she looked forward. Thinking that
the pain would pass was naive thinking from her and Jung's part.
That was why love is a better motivation than hate or revenge, not
because it is easier, but because it is the only way to get over the
shitty lots they have been dealt with.

Sakura didn't really know what the point of her internal argument,
because no one was hearing her except herself, and that was sad.
What she needed was company, but who would be able to
accompany her right now?

Her eyes snapped open and brightened immediately. She abruptly

stood up and left her (somewhat messy) room with excited steps.
The Special Operations Squad's wing was completely empty, and
the other hallways of the headquarters were devoid of people, but
that was okay, because for what she wanted to do, the less people
there were the better. She first stopped by the kitchen and stole a
bucket filled with six apples, uncaring of whatever punishment she
might receive from this; in the end, it was worth it.

The smell of horse shit made her scrunch her nose in disgust, but
Sakura still went inside. She made several trips to gather all the
grooming supplies, since she could only rely on one arm, but in the
end she managed to get everything she needed to spend some
quality time with Haruto.

" Hey there, buddy," she cooed in Japanese. Speaking in Japanese

had started with Shiro, the mare she had rented to visit her three
wards, but the feeling of belonging when talking in her native tongue
to an animal had been ingrained since then. " It's been a long time,
right? Isn't this weather horrible? I'm here to spoil you today, big boy.
You deserve it for being so patient."

Sakura got out her brush and started gently trailing it up and down,
left to right. Haruto's coat was a beautiful golden brown that always
kept its shine. " It makes me so jealous. Not only are you a strong
and healthy horse, but you're beautiful too." She giggled. " I guess
beautiful is not something you want to be, right?"

A horse to her right whined. The kunoichi pivoted towards it,

surprised, because until then no animal had responded to her words.
She patted Haruto's side lightly, signaling a small break, and made
her way towards Haruto's neighbor. It was a tall horse with the most
beautiful black coat she had ever seen before in her life. She
cautiously checked the horse's back and discovered, much to her
surprise, that this was a beautiful mare .

" I had you confused for a male one for a second there. Sorry about
that… Hmm… You're lucky I didn't nickname you Black because I
swear I named this other horse White and didn't feel bad about it.
But don't worry, you're much, much prettier than she is." She
brushed the mare's coat along with her coos, noting with increasing
excitement that she was starting to relax under her touch. "You're
quiet, you know that? Total opposite of Haruto… You're Makimi.
Mah-kee-me. Do you like it?"

As if she had understood her, Makimi snorted. Sakura resisted the

urge to giggle and continued grooming her well-kept coat. Whoever
the owner of this mare was, he or she kept good care of her,
because she was well-fed and looked after. Not only that, but just
how it was easy to tell who had seen titans and who hadn't, it was as
simple to know which horses had gone on expeditions and which
ones stayed behind, and Makimi was a veteran.

Haruto snorted loudly, drawing her attention back to his stall. He was
bobbing his head up and down, as if beckoning her forward, and,
with an apologetic look aimed at Makimi, she left her stall. She
started patting his head, berating him in her native tongue for being
so jealous, but he ignored her ministrations and instead pointedly
looked at the bucket with apples. She scoffed but with a secret smile
she took an apple and gave it to him.

Makimi then snorted and started repeating Haruto's actions,

obviously wanting some apples as well. Sakura gave a delighted
laugh and started sharing Haruto's apples with her until they had
been evenly split. " You two are so spoiled. If someone saw--" She
sensed a chakra close-by and clamped down, hesitant of letting
anyone hearing her speaking Japanese. Sure, they knew she wasn't
entirely native because of her name and appearance, but she still
didn't want any unwanted attention.

Much to her relief, it was only Eld. Even if it was extremely cold, he
was sweating and puffing a little fog. He had put on their uniform
gray coat, which must've been a relief for him because it sure had
been for her. "Sakura?"

"Hey, Eld. You finished your training?"

A dark look momentarily passed through his face, but then he smiled
sheepishly. "Yeah, I'm done. Do you think those on kitchen duty are
still serving lunch?"

Oh, in all her enthusiasm in finding something to do, she had

completely forgotten about lunch. Now that she had acknowledged
her hunger, her stomach rumbled, as if scolding her for not giving it
food. "I don't feel like eating Survey Corps food today. Want to go to
Trost and find something to eat? My treat."

"That actually sounds like an excellent idea. Want to go right now?"

Eld helped her put back all the grooming supplies back to where they
where, because if there was something that the Survey Corps was
very strict about, it was definitely the care for stable and horses. The
veterinarians took meticulous care for all of them and each member
was responsible for their own horse. These animals were not only
their means of transport, but it had always saved them when they
were in a pinch.

The journey to Trost was very lively. Eld came from a small family of
bakers and had left home when he was eighteen to enlist in the
military because he didn't want to make bread for a living. He had
been ranked forty-second in the 101st Trainees Squad, a year ahead
of Sakura, and he had been promoted to Team Leader in one of
Nanaba's teams around five months ago. He had chosen the Survey
Corps because he always wanted to be the prominent hero of his
own story and wanted to die a glorious death, but his dreams of
dying after saying something profound had faded after his second
expedition.

"She was eaten, just like that," he recounted with a disturbed

glimmer in his eyes. "Her head landed in the ground and that was
the end of it. Just like that my best friend died, with no fanfare or last
words. Ever since then… Well, it's just wishful thinking to have a nice
death outside the walls."

He wasn't exactly sure why Levi had chosen him to be on his squad,
since he personally didn't have a long list of kills, but was
nevertheless happy to be the direct subordinate of a man he heavily
admired. In fact, he stated he didn't know single person who did not
feel some sort of positive feeling towards the short Captain, and it
was a great honor serving under him.

Sakura, in return, offered to also give him a small recount of her life
so far. She left out the obvious confusing parts, like waking up in a
forest with no memory of the last sixteen years of her life or
possessing chakra, but other than that she was truthful. She was
born to a family of farmers, and her mother was one of the last from
an Oriental clan, explaining her first name, meanwhile her father was
German, explaining her last name. Eld was the first person she told
in the Survey Corps about the demise of her family and her
subsequent adoption to the Jaeger family, and that admission made
her feel slightly guilty; here she was, telling someone she had just
met a month ago about the horrible end of her family when she
hadn't even told Petra that she had been adopted. It was weird, but
she felt much better telling a person who didn't really know her about
her past than it was telling her best friends about it. She could've told
Petra early on, and there were times she almost did, but the
opportunity slipped and by now she wouldn't be able to bear the pity
in her eyes.

Still, she was determined to change that.

Eld proved to be a good listener and offered his condolences for

both her family and what happened in Shiganshina. But instead of
pitying her, he simply stated that just made her that much more
admirable, because she had still chosen to join the Survey Corps
when she was fully aware of what she was getting herself into.

She didn't even know how to form the words of her gratitude,
because Eld thought her admirable and she hadn't even told her the
full story.

When they finally found a restaurant to eat in, the air around them
was lighter and Sakura could feel the camaraderie blossoming
between them. Eld was someone she would (hopefully) spend a lot
of time with and it was good that they started with a good
relationship. Their lunch was much lighter than their earlier
conversation, so much more jovial that Sakura teased Eld when she
saw him eyeing their waitress.

"Like what you see?"

Eld blushed violently and sputtered, "N-N-No! What makes you think
that? Besides… It's nothing."

Sakura smirked and called the waitress. The blonde woman grinned
brilliantly and headed towards them, and in that moment the kunochi
became much more convinced. "Hello, what's your name?"

"Rosalind, ma'am."
Her smile became more honest and she pointed at Eld. "Well,
Rosalind, my friend here thinks you're just as beautiful as your name
and would like to get to know you better by taking you out on a date."

Now Eld turned as red as a tomato and he stared dumbly at both

women. Rosalind giggled, her blue eyes full of mirth. "Is this true?"

"Uh… Um… Maybe-- I mean yes! I mean…"

Sakura massaged her temple, a bit embarrassed at the total lack of

charm Eld was displaying. If he continued like that, he would make it
seem as if both of them were idiots! Fortunately, Rosalind took pity
on him and gently cut him off, "It's okay, sir, I have always had
something for soldiers."

Seeing the excited look in Eld's eyes made her feel extremely happy
and proud of herself. Sakura paid for their meal and convinced
Rosalind's boss to give her a little time off, which he unsurprisingly
agreed to after paying him the money he would've earned having the
waitress on duty.

The walk back from Trost was quiet and longer than the journey to
Trost. The sun was setting, painting darkening sky with orange and
red, and the stars were twinkling slightly. The temperature dropped
considerably with the beginning of dusk, causing her injured arm to
feel more uncomfortable, but inside she felt warm.

Her feet took her to her old room, the one she shared with Petra and
Amina and her mostly-absent roommate Rita. She barged in,
catching Petra changing from her long-sleeved shirt to her night
clothes and cutting Amina from whatever sentence she was about to
finish.

Petra covered her wrapped chest immediately and blushed.

"Sakura!"

"W-What happened to you?" Amina yelped, eyeing her sling.

She slammed the door shut and blurted out, "I killed four men six
years ago." Their shocked expression matched the one she wore as
well. Out of all the things she wanted to say, why had she chosen
that one, the one she secret she had promised herself to carry to the
grave? "They killed my grandmother, so I hunted them down and
killed them with my bare hands," she continued in a whisper.

Amina slowly got up from her lower bed and tramped towards
Sakura. "What?"

"I don't feel guilty. In fact, I don't feel anything about it, and it scares
me so much. Am I a monster? Not because I killed them, but
because I have no remorse?"

Her dark-haired friend put a comforting hand on her "good" shoulder

and squeezed tightly. Petra finished putting on her nightgown and
also headed towards her, showing the same amount of compassion
by taking her hand. "I'm shocked, I won't lie," Petra began with a
nervous chuckle. "I… Well, I don't think you're a monster. I won't say
I would've done the same thing, but I understand why you did it…"

"Do you think about this a lot?" Amina asked gently.

Quite frankly, this was the first time she mused about it since the
dinner when the Ackermans took her in. Since then she had never
spared those despicable men a second thought, choosing to bury
their actions (and hers) in the deepest corners of her mind. But
obviously it still bothered her, or otherwise she wouldn't have
confessed murdering four people to her two best friends.

"No, I don't… I don't even know why I told you two. It doesn't bother
me. I'm okay."

Petra let go of her hand and shot her an expectant stare, not buying
her sentence at all. "Really? Seriously? Sakura, I-- we know you're
skittish about your past, but you need to stop doing this to yourself."
"Every time we think we got in, you just shut us out," Amina
continued, her voice stronger and harsher than Petra's. "You asked
me that other time about my past and I told you, even though I was
afraid you would criticize me. You can't just take and never give,
Sakura."

Sakura started stepping back from her friends until her spine was
against the door of their room. When she had thought about
divulging parts of her past to her friends, she had never considered
this event, the scenario where they would demand to know more
instead of wishing to have known less. Nobody in the world fully
knew who she was, not even Sakura herself. How could she tell
them everything and hope for their acceptance if she wasn't fully
sure she accepted herself?

"You would hate me if I gave… What I have to give isn't pretty," she
muttered, her eyes downcast.

She saw footsteps approaching her as if she were approaching a

scared animal, hoping it wouldn't flee. In a way, Sakura was very
close to running away. She cupped her face in both of her hands and
forced Sakura to look up her warm amber eyes. "We all have inner
demons… Some of ours are bigger than others, but we all have
something we are afraid of inside of us."

She felt tears pooling in the bottom of her eyes, but she willed them
not to fall. "So you don't hate me?"

Petra gave her a small smile and shook her head slowly. "I love you,
nothing can change that. Right, Amina?"

The girl looked away, a flustered expression on her face, and she
mumbled, "Yeah, I love you too."

Sakura laughed, tears finally trailing down her cheeks, and she
awkwardly hugged Petra with her "uninjured" arm, much to her
delight. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you…"
Amina abruptly ended their tender moment, claiming they were
displaying too many emotions for her cold heart to handle. Instead,
they opted to all sit down in the Petra's top bunk bed and catch
Sakura up in around a month's worth of information and gossip.
Apparently, Oluo had been recognized for his skills and would soon
become a Team Leader if the next two expeditions went without a
hitch. Petra was also considered a candidate, but she was still a bit
hesitant of accepting such a position when she had less than six
months of experience. Amina had taken a different route and had
begun working with Hange and her band of titan-aficionados with the
hopes of learning more about them.

"I don't understand where this interest came from," she confessed.
"It's not like I like them, because I hate them… But there must be
something that we have been missing, right? I want to find that
something."

The kunoichi vented her frustrations with her new squad, citing
Liesel Sommer as the source of all of the problems and her injury.
Though the two girls were sympathetic for her loss, they still did what
every good best friend did and sided with Sakura on the issue,
blaming her for the dissonance in the Squad Levi's teamwork.

"I mean, she doesn't have to take it out on me, right? I'm sure there
are other outlets."

"You exploded like that on me when I told you I was going to die next
to you."

Sakura glared at her, remembering the event with perfect clarity.

"Yeah, that's a fantastic thing to tell your best friend, right?" She
hadn't appreciated her comment, at all, because having a defeatist
nature made challenges much harder to overcome.

Amina scowled back. "Yeah, well, what I'm trying to say with that
example is that people deal with grief in different ways and you're
acting like a bit of a hypocrite."
"What!"

"Well, look at just what happened! You bottle everything up and then
explode at the most random moments. Not that I have a problem
with that --in fact, I'm glad you finally let that out because you can
get sick from these types of things-- but what I'm trying to say is that
you can't force your style on everyone or think that it's better than
other people's."

Sakura's mouth tightened in a firm line and she looked at Petra

expectantly, asking her for her opinion. Petra smiled sheepishly at
both of them, uncomfortable to be put in such a tedious spot where
there was no wrong or right answer. "I kinda agree with Amina on
this, but there are better ways to phrase things, Amina."

The kunoichi huffed and crossed her arms, a pitiful pout forming on
her face. "I'm not a hypocrite," she grouched.

Amina guffawed and patted Sakura's good shoulder. "We're all

hypocrites here, don't worry. World's full of them and we wouldn't
exist without them. I mean, my family and a bunch of others make a
living out of being hypocrites, but up there we call it diplomacy." She
scoffed. "Same bullshit."

"You're oddly critical of your family, considering they raised you,"

Petra observed with a knowing smile.

"Hey, I never said I was any different."

They descended into a comfortable silence, the one no one wanted

to break because everything they wanted to say was already said
and everything they wanted to imply was already inferred. She
wasn't exactly sure what she had done to deserve such great
friends, but she was glad that life was fair and sprinkled misery with
these moments of happiness in between them.

"Hm, I better leave. The Captain is uptight about curfew."

The girls nodded in agreement, certain of her statement after hearing
countless stories of his love of discipline and order as well as the
punishments he handed down. They helped her down, careful to not
add further pain to her shoulder, and, after one last meaningful
glance, sent Sakura on her way.

She should've known that the day had been going on far too well
when she saw Levi standing in the front of her room, the darkness
hiding his expression but her perceptive eyes noticing his unamused
countenance. She observed the night sky and frowned; it can't be
nine already, can it?

"Captain," she greeted once she was close, foregoing the usual
salute due to her incapability to perform it.

"Cadet," he replied stiffly. Sakura narrowed her eyes at him,

displeased at being referred so lowly when she was in one of the
most prestigious and dangerous teams in the Survey Corps. "Mind
telling me why your room is in such a state?"

She peeked inside her room and frowned, noticing that it was not
nearly as bad as she thought it was. Sure, there were some clothes
sprawled on the floor (was that her underwear?) and her bed was
unmade because she had left the room in such a hurry, but
compared to earlier messes Petra had cleaned, this was nothing . "I
don't see what the problem is, sir."

Levi shook his head, disgruntled, and ordered her to come inside. He
wiped his index finger across her desktop and showed it to her.
"Look at all this filth. When was the last time you dusted your room?"

"I was supposed to do that?" She thought that having a clean room
consisted of having everything in place… Was this the kind of
useless shit Petra did?

"Yes, Cadet, that was what I meant by cleaning, or are you stupid
too?"
"Why didn't you say anything the last four room checks if it bothered
you that much?"

"Are you talking back to a superior?"

"No, I'm asking a very reasonable question."

"Tch." He glowered at her, and she was about to return the heated
gaze when she noticed there was something off about her Captain.
Now that she could stare at him continuously for more than three
minutes, she was able to notice things, like that pasty complexion or
the dark bags under his eyes. "What are you staring at?"

He obviously would deny any concerns she-- no, not concerns,

because she was not worried about him. He would obviously deny
any observations she brought up because he was simply a proud
man who cared not what his underlings thought about him and he
would instead pursue the earlier topic about the state of the room.
She needed a distraction, and she needed it fast.

"The deaths of my teammates will be on your shoulders."

" Do you blame me for Franz and Hugh's deaths like Liesel does?"
That Liesel blamed her for her brother's demise was a lie (she
hoped), but it certainly helped that they had bad chemistry to begin
with and it was not an unreasonable conclusion for her to reach. Still,
even if what Levi thought of her didn't affect her, she was honestly
curious as to what he thought.

His gray eyes widened a bit, foregoing the usual deadpan look.
"What?"

"When I decided to join Commander Erwin's team, you told me that

the deaths of my teammates would rest on my shoulders. Well, do
you think so?"

"You still remember that?"

Huh, so he's avoiding the topic. Interesting. "Considering that it's one
of the first things you told me… Yeah."

Levi's appearance went from annoyed to somber, proving a success

on her attempt to distract him. But now she wanted to know his
answer, because for some reason she wanted to know what her
superior thought of her, as much as she hated to admit it. "I don't
think having you there would've changed much."

"Is that a no?"

He grunted. "You're pushy about this."

"You're dodgy about this."

"Watch it, my patience with you won't last forever. Just because
you're injured doesn't mean I can't punish you."

"I need to hear it, Captain."

"… No, I don't find you responsible for their deaths… You didn't kill
them." Something remained unsaid, something Levi omitted was
important, but Sakura had pushed him enough and she was not that
interested in finding out what he left out. "Don't think I forgot about
the room," he suddenly said, and her telltale blush proved everything
and more. "But considering the time and your injury… I want this
room spotless for next week."

"Yessir."

"And Cadet… I may have been lenient with the back talk today, but
don't expect me to be so next time. I believe in discipline, and the
best type of discipline is pain."

She had to hold back her smirk, because there's no way this man
would ever break her, but she indulged him by acting nervous and
bobbing her head up and down, whispering, "Yes, Captain."
Without a second glance the black-haired man left, leaving Sakura
feeling oddly tired and ready to sleep.

At first Sakura thought it was a mistake agreeing to meet Sebastian,

a man she barely knew and she wasn't exactly sure if she wanted to
know more about. Well, that last bit was a lie, because she wouldn't
have said yes to his proposal had she not been a bit attracted to him,
right? She still talked about it with Amina, and surprisingly she
admitted she knew nothing about this Sebastian, but claimed that his
intentions were not malicious; she did not deny any mischief on his
part, however, so Sakura was a bit on the edge.

Strange fears of rejection crawled in her skin when she opened the
door to the Leaping Horse, the inn they had decided to meet in.
Unsurprisingly, the bar was rowdy and jovial, just like the last time
she had seen it. At least this time she wasn't acting like a babysitter.

She quickly spotted the black-haired man, who was currently the
center of all the noise. He was singing a traveling song, his tenor
sweet but at the same time masculine, and both men and women
were repeating the lines with increased fervor.

He spotted her a few minutes after her entrance and grinned at her,
beckoning her forwards. She shivered slightly and shook her head,
not wanting to become the center of attention. In fact, much to her
displeasure, Sakura was garnering quite a bit of attention, no doubt
because of her exotic looks.

Sebastian finished his song in a high note and pushed his way
through the cheering crowd towards her. She would be lying if she
said his enthusiasm wasn't contagious. His eyes widened in concern
when he saw her sling. "Are you fine?"

"Yeah, don't worry about this."

He chuckled nervously. "For a second there I thought you were lying

to me and had planned to leave me."
"You think so little of me."

"Well, you didn't give me much to go by, right?"

Sakura winced, remembering their last encounter. She had acted a

bit coldly and snobbishly towards him, so he definitely was right in
pointing that out. "Yeah… Sorry about that. I was--"

He chuckled warmly and interrupted gently, "Yes, your friends were

quite inebriated, I remember. But, you must be hungry, correct?"

Sakura hugged her nondescript warm jacket closer to her body and
nodded. She had chosen to keep her identity as a soldier hidden for
a while longer. She wasn't sure what his reaction would be when he
discovered she might die every month, and she didn't feel like
scaring him off so soon in their acquaintance. Huh, so maybe she
was more interested than what she had previously let herself
believe.

Sebastian led her farther from all the ruckus to one of the emptier
sides of the inn, making the mood more intimate but at the same
time not too closed off from the rest of the inn.

A waitress came back and got their order, telling them that their stew
would be out in around twenty minutes. Her departure left her in an
uncomfortable position, because as handsome as Sebastian was,
she didn't know exactly what to talk about with him.

Luckily, he was much smoother in the conversation department. "So,

Sakura, do you like music?"

Music was a privilege only the rich could afford. Most of the songs
she knew came from Mikoto, so they were in Japanese, and the odd
German song she knew was severely butchered because it had
traveled countless miles and through countless mouths that the lyrics
were either completely wrong or missing. The higher classes, on the
other hand, were known employ traveling bards and troupes on top
of attending orchestras and operas for their entertainment, especially
during the harsh winter months when things to do were scarce and
far in between.

"I like it, but I can't say I've heard enough."

"Huh, we can't possibly have that. Say, mind waiting for me? It will
just be a moment."

"By all means."

The man was barely gone for five minutes and upon his return he
carried with him a beautiful musical instrument of the shiniest
mahogany wood. He started tuning the instrument and looked up at
her with twinkling eyes. "Do you know what this is?"

"Never seen it before in my life."

"This is Sina's instrument, the lute. Well, at least for me she is, since
the violin and cello have gained traction inside Wall Sina. Whenever I
tell stories with it, it's as if a magical spell has been cast over
everyone."

"Stories? You tell stories with it?"

He nodded ecstatically. "Indeed, but they are no normal stories.

Want to hear one?"

Yet again his excitement was giddy, because he had her nodding
energetically.

Sebastian placed the lute in his lap and started strumming with his
right hand, testing the strings. He then started humming along, his
voice testing various pitches until he was in harmony with the
instrument.

"To those who trust our goddesses' grace,

Let this story serve as grim reminder,

That though they may help in a lost case,

Their job is not to be your minder.

Eifah, melodious and sweet,

Had great love for his blue-eyed Adalie.

He planted large fields of wheat

And she received him with great glee.

But the day bites

And Adalie descended.

All the campfire nights

With his love had suddenly ended.

But the love he carried

Was so strong

That not even the seeds he had buried

Could keep him from his song.

'Oh Graceful Sina!

Merciful Rose!

Warrior Maria!

Please bring Adalie from her repose!'

'She is in the darkest pits of the earth,'

The Merciful gently responded.

'Take her without looking for her rebirth

Lest she and the dirt will have corresponded.'

Eifah traveled to the deepest depths

And found his lover weeping.

At his sight she took in deep breaths

And he found himself to the surface leaping.

But Eifah wanted his first sight

To be the blue of his wife and not the sky.

So at the first sign of light,

She disappeared despite his cry."

Sakura hadn't realized she was crying until Sebastian ended with a
high-key, the voice sweet and full of sorrow. It surprised her how in
character Sebastian remained throughout his song, going from
cheerfully happy to brokenly devastated, a mirror of what the hero
Eifah must have felt. The combination of his voice with the melody of
his lute just tugged her heartstrings.

A cheer of applause broke her from her musings, and she was a bit
disappointed that she couldn't join because of her injury. Still,
Sebastian basked in the limelight, grinning proudly and bowing his
head in thanks. He signaled the crowd that he was busy, and after
expressing their disappointment, the people left.

"Wow, that was… I feel so full."

Sebastian laughed, the sound warm and gentle, and Sakura couldn't
help but want to hear it more often. "Music tends to have that effect
on everyone, even for me. For a second there even I thought I was
Eifah, though I have sung this tune more times than I can count."
"It shows, you handled it masterfully."

"Tell me, do you know any songs?"

She frowned slightly and sighed deeply. "I do, but they're in another
language."

Now he was both surprised and intrigued. Songs in different tongues

were seldom heard and even more scarcely learned. Only the most
well-educated entertainers from the upper circles knew songs from
different languages. "Now it's almost guaranteed that I haven't heard
it. Mind singing it for me?"

"I'm not a very good singer," she confessed, a bit embarrassed.

Mikoto and Mikasa had many laughs at her expense, not that it
mattered because those were times she knew she entertained them.

Sebastian smiled gently and shook his head."That's okay, just speak
softly and if I know it I'll sing along."

If he knows it? Then Sebastian probably knew songs in foreign

languages, betraying the earlier profiling Sakura had done on him;
he was one of the higher troubadours then. "Fine, fine, but don't
laugh.

"'Jouzu ni damashite ne uso wa kirai de suki' kimi no kotoba

Ima koro ni natte kimochi wa itai hodo dakara bokura sayonara

Itsuka mata ne to te wo furiatta kedo mou au koto wa nai no

deshou?

Saigo no uso wa yasashii uso deshita wasurenai

Ano hi mita sora akane iro no sora wo nee itsuka omoidasu deshou

Hatasenakatta yakusoku wo daite futari arukidasu."

The man was quiet for the longest time, staring at her with wide
eyes. "What… I had never heard that language before. What is its
name?"

"Japanese. My family is one of the last ones that speak it."

"Oh, the shame! I can't believe people haven't heard this, and
perhaps will never hear it… Even though I don't know what it
means… It sounds very sad. It sounds like a good-bye."

Sakura blinked and jerked back slightly. "Wow, you're good. It

actually is about a good-bye. How did you figure it out?"

"Emotion is the universal language of humans. No matter where you

are, a laugh expresses happiness, a grimace is pain, a cry can be
sadness… Right there, your voice was wistful, and your eyes sad."

Though his assessment was right, the kunoichi had to refrain from
pointing out that the reason why she had sounded and appeared that
way was because a bout of nostalgia hit her straight in the chest.
Mikoto would hum these verses the most out of all the songs she
knew. But then again, the song was a sad one, so she shouldn't
discard his earlier assumption. "You're right, I hadn't seen it that
way."

"Can you share the translation with me?"

Sakura sighed, despondent. "I would, but I… I have never really

translated this song. It would take a while. But if you're willing to wait
and help me out finding the words, I'll help you."

"Excellent! There's nothing more exciting than being the first one to
sing new songs. I'll sing your melody in the high courts of Sina."

She smirked, a triumphant look crossing her face. "So you are from
the upper classes. I knew it. Who's your patron?"
Sebastian returned her smug look. "Well, you don't expect me to
reveal all my secrets in one night, do you? I'll leave it a mystery, just
like you have yours. Maybe that way we'll stay around longer."

Though she wasn't unbearably curious to find out who his patron
was, she had to admit she enjoyed herself greatly talking about
music. It was a luxury not many had, and expressing emotion in such
a beautiful way was a great outlet for the profession she had. "I'll
stay around and help translate if you promise to sing me more
songs."

"It's a promise."

The third afternoon of the 37th expedition was a chilly one, but
compared to the harsher ones during the long winter, this was
nothing. The Survey Corps had already secured their new supplies
location in an abandoned castle, creating yet another stronghold for
humanity. Everyone would be heading back inside Wall Rose after
the Squad Levi patrolled ahead later on during the day and found a
route devoid of titans, or made a route clear of those monsters.

"Oluo, mind passing me some meat?"

The man grunted and passed her a piece of steak, munching on his
own happily. His Team Leader had recognized his talent and spoke
of promoting him to become a Team Leader after he took out two
titans by himself and saved a teammate in the process. He was
extremely proud and satisfied, to say the least.

"You should seriously mind your manners," Petra sniffed.

"You're not my mom," he replied with food in his mouth.

Sakura was about to take Amina's job and break their little spat
when Eld appeared in front of her, his eyes crazed. "What is it?" she
immediately asked, jumping to her feet.
"Captain needs us immediately."

She nodded grimly and smiled her friends good-bye after noticing
their confused and concerned faces. They traversed through the
castle, their footsteps stiff and urgent, ignoring the questioning looks
of their comrades. Liesel, Jung, and Levi were already saddled and
ready to go, their expressions grim. There was another soldier she
had never seen before mounted on a supply cart, also prepared.
Makimi seemed to understand the mood of her master, Levi,
because she also was somber. It had been quite the surprise to find
out that such a gentle horse belonged to no other than Humanity's
Strongest, and she had to admit she was a bit curious as to what
their dynamic was.

Sakura mounted Haruto and Eld mounted his dark brown horse and
together they met up with the rest of their squad. "The group of
twelve soldiers who stayed behind earlier yesterday to secure the
next supply point hasn't sent a scout," Levi informed them. "If the
town remains infested, we won't be able to count on them on our
way back. Our mission is to save the most amount of soldiers and
help secure the town. Erwin fears that those twelve soldiers are out
of gas or blades, so this soldier will be carrying them. If the cart
doesn't make it to town, we might as well call the mission a failure.
Understood?"

"Yessir!"

The five members of Squad Levi and the soldier in charge of the
extra supplies rode fast and hard to the next supply point. Because
they were extremely important for their survival, Erwin usually
assigned around ten soldiers to guard around three strongholds
against any titans. They were supposed to send a scout (or two,
depending how far they were) to the new supply point to confirm a
safe passage and give the clear so that they could leave. So far, he
had received the signal from two of the three main locations, but they
were missing the nearest one.
After about an hour of blissfully safe riding, they reached the
outskirts of the town. Sakura's whole body shivered when she felt
the presence of all the titans, the sheer amount making it hard to
exactly pinpoint how many titans there were. These were the
moments when her sensor abilities were mostly lacking, because the
density of titans made it hard to know where they were as well as
their numbers.

"Sakura!" Levi called. "How many?"

"Upper tens, low twenties!" she shouted back.

"Eld! Stay behind and protect the supplies cart. When you see a
green flare, come in and find us so we can distribute the gas and
blades. If those supplies are lost, we'll all die. The rest of you, follow
me and let's get this over with. Fire a red flare if you find the soldiers.
I'll fire a black flare to signal a retreat."

Towns had medium maneuverability, but this one was one of the
more developed ones so it had high stone buildings, perfect for the
3DMG. In the middle of the small city she could feel around seven
soldiers huddled together, no doubt the survivors of the mission. But
since Sakura wasn't supposed to be able to sense humans as well,
she remained wisely quiet and followed Levi.

The first titan they saw was a six-meter class. Levi dispatched of it
quickly, but the rest of his squad abandoned horses and switched to
3DMG mode. Levi usually hunted solo, leaving the rest of his squad
members to fend for themselves. Since they were quite talented, the
ratio of Squad Levi members needed to fell one titan was low,
making it more productive to split in pairs. Obviously, Jung and
Liesel worked best together, making Eld and Sakura the natural
partners. Since the Captain had entrusted the supply cart to Eld,
Sakura was at a natural disadvantage on the field, especially
because she still had teamwork problems with Liesel. It would be
more damaging to stick with the couple than to handle titans by
herself, so she decided to make her way to the survivors,
dispatching of any titans she was on her way.
Sakura killed four to finally reach the soldiers, who were standing in
the topmost building of the town, high enough so that no titans could
reach them. That didn't mean that they weren't trying, because
around six titans were congregated around the tower, waiting for one
of them to slip and jumping up and down to see if they could reach
one.

This was far more than what she could handle, so she got out her
flare gun and fired a red flare. Unfortunately, the sound and color
attracted the attention of all the titans. Her eyes widened and her
heart started beating faster when she saw the three seven-meter
and three nine-meter classes running towards her, their expressions
gleeful.

She started running away, using more gas than she should have to
have a safe distance between them. The only way to get out of this
one would be with the help of her chakra, but she could only do so if
nobody was around. Either way, if someone was around, she could
simply partner up and bring those six titans, making it a win-win
situation. There was no one around, as expected, because the flare
she had fired was now far away from her position; only someone
with good hearing would be able to find her.

Sakura needed both speed and increased cutting power so she

could dismember their arms. Her water chakra was mostly
defensive, but her wind chakra… She attempted to pass her chakra
to her blades, and although her blades grew blue for a second, they
flickered out of existence almost immediately; though she had the
chakra control down, the lack of experience and concentration were
against her, since she was currently running away from a horde of
titans with her 3DMG.

She heard another flare go off and she looked back to see the green
representing a cleared path. At least the last six titans were still
following her, and they were far away enough to not present too
much danger.
Though she sensed the titan hiding between two buildings, she was
going at such speeds that she couldn't dodge or avoid it. The titan
reached its arm and grabbed her, the suddenness so violent that she
was momentarily dizzy. She used her chakra-enhanced strength to
break free of its tight hold, but her lightheadedness made it
impossible to recover from the fall midair.

A strong pair of arms caught her and a black-haired man finished the
titan that had momentarily caught her. Liesel landed on the roof of a
building and deposited Sakura on the roof. Sakura groaned and
shakily got up, mindful that they were in the middle of a battle.
"Thanks, Liesel," she said, trying not to sound sick.

"Don't mention it. That was amazing, though. You got out of that hold
with just your strength."

Sakura was going to make no comment about her observation, but

luckily Jung landed next to them, shifting the focus of attention. "So
Captain Levi should be leading the soldiers out by now, since I'm
sure they're resupplied. That leaves us with the task of clearing this
town of titans, yes? Let's do this."

They were about to finish their second titan when they saw a black
flare in the outskirts of town. Why was Captain Levi ordering a
retreat when they weren't finished? Still, questions would have to
wait because--

"Sakura! Behind you!" Jung yelled.

The kunoichi felt someone push her to the side, sending her flying off
int the air and it was only because of her ninja reflexes that she
managed to right herself and set a grappling hook to a wall so that
she could propel herself up and land on the roof. As soon as her feet
stepped on the titles she heard a bloodcurdling scream. Sakura
whipped her head and saw with growing horror as her blonde
teammate's abdomen was munched, blood flowing like rivers to the
air.
"Liesel!" Jung cried out, his yell betraying the despair and pain he
was feeling.

Sakura could only stare at the scene, feeling her hopes draining. If
she wanted to get out of this one alive, she would have to use her
chakra and reveal herself to the Survey Corps. Not only that, but she
didn't exactly know how using her chakra would help save them
considering the titans had only one weak point and could easily
regenerate. None of the jutsu she knew would help out, and her
chakra-enhanced strength was great for fights against other humans,
but for titans several times her size and weight? She still hadn't
successfully blended her taijutsu with her 3DMG skills.

Jung cut the titan's nape, skillfully avoiding the mouths and hands of
the other four titans, and got Liesel out of the titan's mouth. He
landed next to Sakura and, after successfully securing Liesel in
Jung's back, they started running away from the remaining giants.
However, the blonde's added weight did not help Jung, because he
started lagging behind and using more gas than Sakura in less time.
Not only that, but Liesel was growing paler and paler by the second.

Maybe she could healed her? Liesel had not only saved her once,
but she had done so twice and once at the expense of her own life
by the looks of it. They only needed to find a place they could rest in
for a few moments so that Sakura could heal her. But just how would
they be able to create enough distance when those titans were hot
on their heels?

Jung suddenly stopped and landed roughly in one of the house's

roof. Sakura, confused, did the same and came down next to them.
Jung crouched and placed a gentle hand on Liesel's brow, wiping the
dirt and sweat. Liesel's green eyes held such sadness and love that
Sakura felt like she was intruding much more than when she heard
them having sex all those times; this was much more intimate than
those cries and moans.

"Sakura," he stated softly. "I need you to take Liesel and run away
from here. I'll hold the titans long enough so that you two can be
safe."

She was about to protest, but refrained when she saw her blonde
teammate shake her head ruefully. "No, no… I have lost too many
loved ones and… I'm dying anyway, Jung. I have the wonderful
opportunity to choose how to die, and I want to die next to you."

"My death won't be pretty, Liesel… I don't want you to see it."

"Jung, let me stay. Together we can try something."

He looked up to her and shook his head firmly. "You're our sensor,
Sakura. If you die, then we would have lost a very valuable ability
and soldier."

"But Jung, our survival chances increase if--"

"No. As the second-in-command, I'm ordering you to follow Captain

Levi's flare and retreat ."

"But--"

"Sakura," Liesel called, and even though her voice was frail, the
underlying authority was still there, "I saved your life. Don't waste it
now and get away."

The titans got closer and as much as she wanted to fight them, she
thought of the promise she made to Mikasa, Eren, and Armin to
always be there to look after them and the promise she made to
herself to keep Amina, Petra, and Oluo alive. If she was dead or
horribly injured, she couldn't keep those promises, right?

So with defeated eyes and a selfish heart she followed Jung's

orders, feeling heavier than she ever had before in her life. She
looked back one last time and was strangely satisfied that her last
image of Jung was of him felling a titan and of Liesel was of her
shakily getting up with an arm across her stomach, looking as proud
as she always had.
She pretended she hadn't heard their death cries, because that was
just too much.

The soldiers they had saved were sitting on the cart, their faces grim
and terrified. Out of the original twelve, only five remained, and it
showed that whatever they had seen wasn't nice. She was grateful
that Haruto was there and trotted towards her as soon as she
landed, because today was definitely not the day to part with her
horse.

Levi approached her from atop Makimi, his gaze piercing. "Where
are Liesel and Jung?"

Sakura swallowed and nudged Haruto to get closer to the group.

"Dead," she croaked.

He stiffened, but other than that his expression remained the same.
"I see… How?"

"Saving me."

"Then their deaths weren't meaningless. But for now, let's go; our
mission doesn't end until we're back."

The ride back to the supply point was extremely quiet and dark, each
one dealing with their own depressing thoughts. Eld seemed just as
devastated as her to find out their teammates had died, no doubt
flashing back to the death of his best friend. In the end, it was always
the titan's fault, but this time Sakura could feel the guilt gnawing her
skin and mind, infiltrating her deepest thoughts.

She hurried Haruto until she was riding next to the Captain. There
was a question she needed answered. "Captain! If you don't mind
my asking, why did you order the retreat before we killed the titans?"

Levi kept looking forward, but she knew he heard her question by the
narrowing of his gaze. She sent chakra to her eardrums, hoping to
receive an answer over the sound of the hooves. "I didn't want any
more deaths," he murmured, and if it hadn't been for Sakura's
enhanced hearing she would've never caught that. "Don't question
your superior's orders," he calmly replied, loud enough for her to
hear.

But it was too late; she had already heard what he wanted to do and
Sakura realized that maybe she wasn't the only one feeling heavy
and laden with guilt.

I take full responsibility for that travesty of a poem but the lyrics
of the Japanese song are from Uso by Sid. I know, I hated
myself when I included those lyrics but it was a necessary part
because there was no way Sebastian would pass up the
opportunity to listen to a song in another language and it would
be awkward that I knew what song I was talking about but you
guys didn't. Well, just know it was for a good cause and it
(hopefully) will never happen again. Also, I promise the angst in
this chapter will definitely be toned down in later chapters. I will
probably come back in a couple of months and rewrite it just in
case it still makes me cringe then.

For those interested, the story of Eifah and Adalie is inspired by

the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. Eurydice was bitten by a
viper and Orpheus played songs of such sorrow that made the
gods weep. They told Orpheus to journey to the underworld and
his music convinces Hades and Persephone to take back
Eurydice with two conditions: that he walks in front of her and
doesn't look back until they reach the upper world.
Unfortunately, as soon as Orpheus reached the upper world he
looked back to see if Eurydice was there, forgetting that both of
them had to reach the upper world. She vanished forever after
this. Of course, the poem was adapted to use Sina, Rose, and
Maria as the goddesses, and I actually have a little head-canon
on the lore surrounding these goddesses that extends past the
Wallists, and will use Sebastian as a way to introduce a little bit
more of my head-SnK world to you.
For those of you who have read Chapter 56, I will advise you to
not worry about it. I will not change anything major in the story
until I find out fully about what is going on.

Oh, and I don't think I made it very clear, but Sakura was
"injured" before the 35th expedition, in December. The 37th
took place around March.

A big thank you to Guest, Bum reviews, AmeRaSora, Lucia

Tsukiyomi-hime, Basia Orci, catxangel, FairiesDescent, cj1of4,
cherryblossom1423, mun3litKnight, Liber Fatum, Aka kakao,
pierce through the heart, sheep-a-rama, XSilentxAngelX, mosi-
san, brokenmaelstrom, and Rose Rain 7 for being so awesome
and leaving wonderful reviews. Also, a big shout out to those
who added this story to their alerts and favorites! You guys
keep my muse very happy!

Reviews make my day,

Penpal
Motion
Sakura knew she had to get up, and her muscles were perfectly able
to move after the intensive healing session she had as soon as she
arrived, but she was too exhausted to even lift her arm. Liesel and
Jung had been declared missing in action because they hadn't been
able to retrieve their bodies, but she had heard their deaths with her
very own ears. Her own weakness had put her in that perilous
situation and in the end it was them who ended up paying for her
mistakes with their own lives. She had grown complacent, believing
that she was the best of the best, that she couldn't die because she
was an iryo-nin and talented kunoichi by her own rights, but in the
end her worth lied in her abilities as a sensor and not as a soldier.

What a fucking surprise.

A firm knock interrupted her thoughts and she moaned, stretching

the bedsheets to cover her head. She wasn't even grieving to begin
with. She wasn't even proving that their sacrifice was worth it by
doing something with her life, anything to show that their deaths
hadn't been in vain. What would she tell Liesel's parents? Oh, it
would be delightful to let them know that they lost both their son and
daughter in only three months. Ah, and she forgot to add that their
future son-in-law (well, by the sounds of it) was gone too. What a
great family reunion that would be.

"Sakura! We know you're there!" Amina yelled, her voice annoyed.

"Please, open the door for us!" Petra continued, her pleading much
more gentle but no less worried.

She groaned, "Go away." Ugh, her voice sounded like shit; now they
wouldn't leave her alone.

"We won't leave you there moping!"

Her eyes narrowed and her expression grew murderous, though no
one was around to see it. "Oh, I don't know, Amina, maybe I'm
grieving because half of my fucking team died. Just maybe."

She heard what sounded like a scold and an annoyed mutter. "Fine,
fine, sorry for being insensitive. Still, this is the second day you've
spent locked in your room. You have to go outside and eat
something."

"The only ones that can give me orders are the Captain, Squad
Leaders, and Commander Erwin, and they haven't requested that I
go outside. So no, I don't have to go outside and eat something."

"Are you really going to pull that?"

"Yes, Petra, I am. Now, if you're done, you--"

" No ! We're not done. You have to let us in, at least. Please… You
can't do this to yourself."

Sakura resisted the urge to tell her that she deserved this, but that
wouldn't exactly help her chances in convincing Petra that she was
perfectly sane. She sat up, her joints popping, and stood up slowly
afterwards, taking her sweet time to reach the door. Sh knew that
they would give her some time before approaching her, but she
didn't think they would try sosoon. She took a hold of the knob and
turned, revealing a hopeful Petra and disgruntled Amina, and stared
at them with raised eyebrows. The two girls scrunched their noses at
Sakura's odor, and Sakura almost slammed the door on them had
Amina not put her foot in and stopped it.

"Ouch! Damn you!"

"Amina!" Petra growled. "You're not helping!"

Sakura stared on impassively, her expression neither more

sympathetic or annoyed. "What are you two doing here?"
"Dragging you to take a bath, that's what," Amina growled.

She thought that Petra would protest to that, but she barged in and
strolled to her closet, choosing the warmest clothes in her wardrobe
and taking her bathrobe. Sakura was about to protest but Amina
gave her one of the iciest stares she had ever seen. "Don't even
think about it. You smell horrible. I'm surprised Captain Levi even let
you get away looking like that."

"I haven't seen him," she replied rather weakly.

Petra ambled by and signaled for both of them to follow her, which
Sakura begrudgingly did. She was thankful that the Special
Operations Squad's wing was isolated from the rest of headquarters,
because she didn't think she would be able to handle being seen in
this sad state. It was one thing to look like mourner behind closed
doors, but once she went outside and let the world see just how
defeated she looked, she couldn't help but feel the shame burning
inside of her.

At least Liesel was angry; she was just mopey and pathetic.

Luckily they didn't come across anyone else during their little walk,
and the bath was already drawn up, meaning that they had already
planned on getting her out of the room to begin with.

"Undress," Amina ordered.

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Right now?"

"No, tomorrow. Of course right now."

"With you two inside?"

"Do you have something that we don't?"

"Um, no," Sakura replied slowly. "But I can take my own bath."
Petra sighed and shook her head. "It's a favor, Sakura. Besides, this
is not the first time we see each other naked. There were many
incidents back in--"

"Back in camp, yeah, I remember," Sakura pitched in, recalling with

fondness all those embarrassing times when girls walked on each
other because the door's lock was broken and no one came around
to fix it in their stay. It was dubbed the "Peek-a-Boob Bathroom" for
that reason, but yet girls still used it.

Amina scoffed and went behind the bathtub, picking up a bottle with
a liquid and a bar of soap. "My mother sent me this a few weeks
ago. I haven't gotten around to using it, but I thought today might be
a good day."

She didn't need more coaxing and Sakura abandoned the layers of
her uniform that she still hadn't taken off from two days ago. The
muscles in her body instantly relaxed once she got in the water and
she let out a contented sigh. Amina massaged her scalp with that
liquid her mother sent meanwhile Petra washed her back, relaxing
the tense muscles. No one commented about the lack of scars and
marks on her body except from the imprints of the body belt, which
everyone had.

The three women mostly chatted about Amina's family back inside
Wall Sina, how they were begging her to come back but she kept
refusing. In fact, she thought they would soon stoop low enough to
ask Commander Erwin to persuade her, but both Petra and Sakura
doubted that he would pay attention to the wants of the Burgeis
family.

"They died because of me," Sakura confessed quietly. "I got

distracted and that's what happened. I wasn't the one who paid
anything for my mistakes. How am I supposed to tell their parents
that their children died to protect… me?"

Petra gentled in her kneading. "You don't have to tell their parents
anything. You're a soldier. Casualties happen all the time… Are you
going to start apologizing for every death?"

"This death could've been avoided if I--"

"Did you murder them?" Amina questioned, her voice rough, yet her
hands still soft in her ministrations.

"W-What? No! Titans ate them."

"Then don't feel guilty."

Petra chuckled a bit forcefully. "I think that what Amina is trying to
say is that you can't blame yourself for their deaths when the titans
are the actual enemies. You didn't push them into their mouths, you
didn't stab them with your blades. You should mourn for their deaths,
but you shouldn't feel guilty."

Sakura stared ahead at the stone wall, processing their words. They
were right, one hundred percent, and her mind had accepted that
from the beginning, but her heart had refused to take her reasoning
in. It had closed off, barring logic and evidence, and insisted on
beating her up, constricting her throat and her lungs.

But their words did make her feel better. It no longer hurt to breathe,
she felt better about herself, and all the turmoil that had kept her
awake the last two nights started fading.

The quiet and their heavenly hands lulled her into a light sleep, her
body finally surrendering itself to the tiredness that weighed her
down.

Her sleep was about to deepen when three harsh knocks snapped
her wide awake, her body jerking awake violently. Petra was
accidentally splashed, but she was too surprised to complain.

"Sakura," Levi called, his voice a bit less indifferent that usual.

She gulped and stared at Petra questioningly. She shrugged, her

expression as confused as hers. "Y-Yes?"
"We're having a meeting in my office in ten minutes. Don't be late."

"Yessir."

Sakura sent some chakra to her auditory system and heard Levi
walk away. She frowned and got out of the bathtub, completely
losing her previous embarrassment over nudity. Sakura dried herself
with her robe and quickly dressed herself in her warm uniform before
she caught a cold meanwhile Amina and Petra finished cleaning the
bathroom.

Her two best friends were about to leave when Sakura

spontaneously caught them by the shoulder, whipped them around,
and enveloped them in a bone-crushing hug. "I know I don't say this
enough, but thank you… I don't want to think what I would do without
you two."

Petra hugged her back tightly. "Don't worry about those things. I
know that we can't make any promises, but we're very good. Our
chances of dying have significantly decreased since we graduated."

Amina chuckled and untangled herself from the embrace. "Yeah,

even I feel a bit foolish for saying those things back in May. Look
how far we've come."

"You better go, Sakura. Captain Levi sounds scary."

"Eh, you get used to him. But you're right, I'll be going now."

Before going to whatever meeting her captain had planned, she

dropped her clothes off in her bed and combed her hair. The strands
had grown longer, now reaching past her chin, and she might need
to cut it soon but honestly she was starting to like the length.

She felt two chakra signatures before knocking on the door. If she
had to give an educated guess, she would go with Eld, only because
she had gotten used to his presence before. She knocked the door
and waited for Levi to let her through. She opened the door, saluted,
and sat down on the vacant seat across his desk.

"There will be some changes to the Special Operations Squad," Levi

stated, his usually casual voice tinged with seriousness. "Since its
inception eighteen months ago, around four teams have been
completely wiped off. That's sixteen of the best gone in just a year
and a half. However, neither Erwin nor I can deny the usefulness of
my squad. I used to have only five members because it could be
divided into two pairs and me, since I work solo. We have decided to
add a new spot to the team, bringing it up to six members.

"At first this seems like it is a small, but it will bring another big
change to the dynamic in the team. There will now be three pairs,
and two teams of three. I have to get used to working with someone
else, and we all will have to get used to working with three new
members. I have decided to put the Special Operations Squad on
standby until we get used to these new changes. The purpose is to
reduce the amount of deaths."

He stared at them impassively and raised an eyebrow. "Well, any

questions?"

"Who are the candidates for the new positions?" Eld asked, stealing
the question right out of her mouth.

"There are none; I have already chosen."

"Who are they?" she asked, the curiosity killing her. Last time he had
taken two days to choose a candidate, so it shouldn't come off as a
surprise for him to have chosen already, but this time he had picked
three, not one. She didn't want to doubt his skills, but two days was
too little to select those she would trust with her life, in her opinion.

"Gunther Schultz, Petra Ral, and Oluo Bozado. You should know
Gunther, Eld, meanwhile the other two of are in the 102nd Class,
actually. You must know them, right?… Hey, are you even listening?"
Oh, she was, but the words weren't exactly registering in her mind.
Petra and Oluo… part of the Special Operations Squad? They might
die pitiful deaths like Liesel and Jung's? No, they were supposed to
be safe, rise the ranks in the teams that had less casualties!

Then again, this gave her the perfect opportunity to keep them safe.
If something went wrong, she could always body-flicker and get them
out of harm's way. But for that she would need to combine her
taijutsu and other ninja skills with her 3DMG, because an emergency
wouldn't exactly happen in the most opportune moments.

She felt something nudge her ribs and she jolted, shooting Eld a
confused stare. He nervously beckoned at Levi with his head and
Sakura turned to him with an embarrassed smile.

He did not look amused.

"Yeah, I know them. They're… Friends."

He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing about it. "Well, at least that
means I won't have to spend too much time looking for them. The
other reason why I called you two is to clear a small mess. Usually
the next senior member takes the role of second-in-command, but
you have seniority in the Survey Corps" -he tilted his head towards
Eld-- "meanwhile you have seniority of a day in the Special
Operations Squad," he finished, looking at Sakura meaningfully. "I
don't want to get involved with this shit so you two choose who
wants to be second-in-command."

"Eld is more than qualified."

"I believe Sakura deserves it."

Levi's eyes glinted, as if something had caught his interest, and he

got up from his seat to go stand beside Eld. "Oh? This is interesting.
Well, I guess it's not important right now considering that we won't be
going on this month's expedition, but since you two are incapable of
reaching a conclusion, then I will deal with this."
Well, she knew for sure she wouldn't get it because he didn't trust
her with a leadership position.

He sat back down and leaned forwards. "Don't tell your comrades
what I just told you; I will be the one to talk to them about this. If you
have no further questions, you are dismissed."

Sakura stood up rather stiffly and quickly exited the office, heading to
the training forest with brisk steps. The news her captain had just
told her changed the game. Now more than ever she was directly
linked to the survival and safety of two of her precious people.

Their membership in the Special Operations Squad had heavy

implications for her training. She needed to find a way to become
stronger than what she already was (without outright revealing her
chakra) and she needed to devise a last resort plan that merged her
chakra with her 3DMG skills. She hoped she would never have to
reveal her kunoichi status, but she had to admit she wouldn't keep
her stupid secret at the expense of Petra or Oluo's life; she had
chosen to keep her chakra a secret to protect them, after all.

What happened with Liesel and Jung was a rude wakeup call to
chakra's limitations. She was nigh invincible against another human,
and perhaps could easily take down a titan or two with her chakra,
but the horde she had experienced had left her with an empty sense
of uselessness. Sakura thought of herself as special, wielding godly
power in a world without gods, but her current repertoire of jutsu
didn't help her at all. Her super strength couldn't kill ten meter tall
monsters that would just generate a head later on. Her jutsu wouldn't
be able to distract titans who may or may not feel pain, and if they
did, they did not feel it in the same level as humans.

The chakra scalpel had worked, but only because she was downing
one titan; if it had been more than one, she would've had to body-
flicker out of the way to avoid the other titan, and she still would've
had a problem cutting all of titans. In short, she didn't feel like such a
one-man army anymore, and it was a humbling feeling.
The forest sported taller than average trees, the Survey Corps's
attempt to recreate the giant trees in Wall Maria and beyond. Wall
Rose used to have trees as tall as these, but that was before the
population explosion inside Wall Rose, which prompted the
government to cut down many forests and use the lumber to build
new houses. The titan course for the Special Operations Squad was
bigger than the others, as well as much harder to clear because
titans were positioned in tricky places that required a lot of skill to
reach.

She went to the supply's cabin and got an older-looking 3DMG. After
attaching it, she fired the hook to the nearest tree and started
adapting to the kinks of the older model to avoid any accident. She
really should've used her own 3DMG, tailored to her own style of
maneuverability over speed, but she didn't want to go to her room at
the moment.

Once she located the first titan, she put her plan to work.

The first time she had discovered the body-flicker technique, she had
thought it was a transportation technique. After trying it a few more
times, Sakura realized it was simply quick burst of chakra that
moved the body at such high speeds that it almost looked like
teleportation. That meant that body-flicker couldn't be done in mid-
air, where there was nothing to use as initial momentum. It could,
however, be done in mid-air after clashing with another person,
because the clash provided momentum that could then be used to
release chakra and move away.

However, that didn't mean that the two-dimensional body-flicker

couldn't be used in conjunction with the 3DMG.

She attached a hook at the nape of the titan and as soon as she had
finished slashing, she let go of the hooks and body-flickered away.
Sakura got her first real surprise when she over-estimated the
amount of chakra needed to land in the next tree branch and
appeared too far away from both the previous and next branch,
relying on her 3DMG to get back in the game and not fall.
Still, that kill had taken less than five seconds. She had sent her
hook to the titan, slashed the nape, and had gotten around three
meters away, all in less than five seconds. If she conserved her
chakra wisely and used the chakra burst mixed with 3DMG, she
could kill more than ten titans in a single minute. Of course, then
there was the question of how long she could keep that fighting style
without tiring herself too much, and she did rely a lot on the presence
of trees, but still, it was incredible.

Sakura laughed and body-flickered, her heart dropping at the feeling

of falling, but feeling comfortable once she sent a hook to another
high tree branch. She continued going this way, chakra burst quickly
followed by attaching herself to another tree branch, until she
accidentally crashed against a rather thick branch she had
overlooked meanwhile she body-flickered.

The hit was mostly focused on her upper abdomen, and it knocked
the wind out of her, leaving her breathless and dizzy. She
immediately started falling headfirst into the ground, and the panic
that encompassed her being was so overwhelming she almost froze.
Luckily, her kunoichi instincts kicked in, and she righted herself
enough to send a hook to a lower tree branch and carefully descend
to the ground.

Once she was safe, she sheathed her swords and put her hands on
her stomach, letting her healing chakra alleviate her pain. That had
been risky, and if she had been around ten centimeters lower, she
may have hit her neck, killing her instantly. Body-flickering was
excellent, but actually using it as a means of traveling was extremely
dangerous. The speeds she went in covered such large distances in
such little time that it virtually left her with zero reaction time, even if
her reflexes were less than a split second fast. The worse thing was
that even if she honed her mind to increase her reaction time, she
still wouldn't be able to change the trajectory because of the velocity
behind her movement.

This posed a risk to titan-killing, because titans, unlike trees, weren't

stagnant and moved with almost no predictability. She needed to
practice a lot before she became proficient at combining 3DMG with
taijutsu, but how could she practice if people would be able to see
her?

She hated leaving things to chance, preferring to not have to

experiment and improvise in the middle of the battlefield, but this
time she didn't have any other choice. At least she knew that it was
possible to combine taijutsu and 3DMG, something that had nagged
her for a while.

Sakura frowned and looked down at her glowing hands. Seeing the
glow reminded her of another pressing matter she had almost
completely forgotten about. She stopped the healing process and got
out her blades, carefully studying the steel. It was strong, yes, but
that wasn't exactly the question. She applied some of her chakra to it
and a jagged line of blue chakra surrounded the steel. She knew it
wasn't perfect right now and could smooth the chakra, but for now
this would do. She approached a tree and slashed with all her might.

The trunk was completely cut, and in seconds the tree started falling
down. However, the pressure from the chakra as well as Sakura's
strength made the steel break in two. She sighed, removed the
broken blades, and reattached new ones. Perhaps if she didn't use
all her force the blades would survive?

The tree was now cut halfway, but the blades ended up breaking
slightly. The steel wasn't compatible with chakra, it seemed, but it
shattered after the first hit. Still, titan flesh wasn't as strong as wood,
so maybe she could get a couple kills before they finally broke under
the pressure of chakra.

Sakura sheathed her blades and headed back to the Special

Operations hall, intent on getting some rest. Her experiments had
mostly been successful, a nice surprise for what started as a pathetic
day. She couldn't wait to see how the squad's teamwork would
improve having Petra and Oluo as her comrades, and was intent on
perfecting some of the co-op maneuvers they had devised back in
their trainee days, when they thought they would be inseparable.
She vowed to herself that she would never let anything happen to
either of them, her secret be damned. If she could sacrifice her life
for them, she sure as well could give up her freedom for them as
well.

An incessant person knocking on her door woke her from her

dreams. Her stomach growled, berating her for not eating dinner
yesterday, and she forced her bleary eyes shut, hoping that whoever
was outside her room would take the hint and leave her alone.
However, either there was an important message waiting for her or
the person was obtuse because it continued for what seemed like a
minute.

With a growl she got out of the bed and violently opened the door,
looking down on an annoyed woman with an unamused stare. She
was ready for a spar, since she was wearing her shorts and a simple
white shirt. "The sun's not even out, Petra."

"When were you going to tell me?"

She groaned and leaned her head on the doorframe. "Really? You
seriously woke me up for--"

"You didn't tell me that I got into the freaking Special Operations
Squad ."

"Captain told me not to tell you because he was."

"Oh, so mean Captain Levi followed you everywhere and just made
sure you followed his instructions."

Sakura frowned at her. "Your sarcasm is not appreciated. And I quite

frankly don't know what the problem is. You found out, didn't you?"

"I made a fool out of myself," she hissed at the kunoichi, going past
her and entering her room. "I just stared at him like a fish out of the
water for like five minutes! He must think I'm an idiot! Hey, don't
laugh!"

She continued chuckling, unable to get the image of a dumbstruck

Petra and a deadpan Levi out of her head. Maybe she should've
given Petra a heads up that big news were coming her way, but now
it was too late. She walked towards Petra with her arms raised in a
placating manner. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's just…"

Surprisingly, her eyes softened and the shorter female let out a
breathless chuckle. "Yeah, I tend to give excellent first impressions
to my superiors. Remember when I soiled my pants the first
expedition?"

"Unfortunately I didn't get to see, but I did hear about it."

"So I'm used to living with embarrassment. It's just that Captain Levi
is… Well, he's in an another league."

"You're in another league as well, you know."

Petra smiled and observed the room, as if measuring something.

"Well, so we're back to sharing rooms, huh?"

"What?"

"Our hallways only has five rooms, but now that there's six of us… I
told Captain Levi you wouldn't mind sharing room with me. Is that
alright?"

Sakura grinned. "Of course I don't mind! We'll move your bed and
things after training today."

The younger woman sighed audibly. "I don't know if I'll ever get used
to those training times. Seven-thirty through three with a one hour
lunch? Are you guys crazy?"

She shrugged. "The first couple of days you feel the heat, but after
that you get used to it. First half hour is just warmup, just like before.
The next hour is sparring, but this is because we observe each
other's spars to better understand fighting styles and weaknesses
that influence 3DMG. Half hour break and we change out of our
sparring clothes, one hour of exercise, running laps and lifting
weights, half hour of planning a new strategy to implement during the
titan course, an hour of individual 3DMG practice in the forest, lunch,
and the last three hours we go through different titan courses, once
individually, a couple of times with previous strategies, once with the
new strategy we came up with before lunch, and the last time in
pairs. Of course, not every day is like this, but that's the usual."

"Wow, it sounds like a lot."

"We're a team that usually kills more than ten titans per expedition,
guaranteed, because we encounter the most amount of titans."

"We'll clear the way for the expedition, right?"

Sakura nodded and started looking through her wardrobe for the
day's clothes. Even though she had complained about being
awakened early, she had to wake up to eat breakfast anyway. She
chose a dark blue shirt, almost the exact shade of the dark wing on
the Survey Corps's insignia and a pair of black shorts. "We're
supposed to make sure the first ten kilometers are clear for the
expedition. Before I joined this happened the day before so that we
could resupply, but now it happens on the same day. The
Commander simply added another supply cart, even though it was a
bit risky but he said it was necessary." She removed her nightgown
and started putting on her sparring clothes.

"Not going to lie, this is really exciting. We're doing something big."

She put on her dark blue shirt first. "It's big and dangerous, Petra.
Much more dangerous. My teammates…"

"I know, I know," she replied, much more somber. "But if you think
about it, the survival rate is roughly the same."
"Petra, Liesel Sommer and Jung Busch were amazing soldiers. They
were extremely talented and they were gone, just like that. Survival
rate doesn't mean anything when people like that are just killed off."

"What are you trying to say?"

"There are no guarantees in here. No matter how much you train, no

matter how good you are, no matter how excellent your chemistry
with the team is, we're not guaranteed to survive the next expedition.
We can only hope to be lucky."

Petra's normally jovial eyes narrowed in seriousness. "I know what I

was chosen for, Sakura. I have been given a chance to do
something great, and I won't just throw it away. You won't convince
me to quit this."

She shook her head animatedly and started putting on her shoes
with a secret smile. "No, no, I'm not trying to convince you to quit. I'm
actually happy that you and Oluo are with me. I'm just making sure
you know what you signed up for."

"I do, so can we go have breakfast now?"

The kunoichi laughed and put on her shorts. "We should eat
nutritiously because I have a strange feeling we're going to have a
harsh day."

The two women entered the empty mess hall and sat next to a
tousled Oluo, annoying him by eating from his plate. In all honesty,
Sakura was doing him a favor, because with his large portion he
wouldn't go through the day without throwing up. Unlike normal
training, where people ate a heavy breakfast and light lunch, the
Special Ops members should eat a breakfast easy on the stomach
and a full lunch, simply because the first half of the day was full of
acrobatics and movement.

She had learned this the hard way.

Oluo grumbled all the way to the training fields about how unfair we
had been, but a sunny smile from Petra shut him up immediately and
made his eyes sparkle, causing Sakura to gag a little.

Eld and a black-haired man, probably Gunther, were already on the

warm-up field, but the Captain was nowhere in sight. That was
strange, since he was usually as punctual as he was neat, but she
didn't think much of it.

"Hello," she greeted the newcomer with a friendly smile. "I'm Sakura.
You must be Gunther, right?"

Gunther nodded and grinned back. "Eld has told me a lot about you.
Good job with Rosalind," he finished with a wink, causing Eld to
blush furiously and her two best friends to simply stare ahead in
confusion. He turned his head and acknowledged Petra and Oluo
with a tilt of his head. "You must be Petra Ral and Oluo Bozado,
right?" The two nodded back eagerly, causing an amused smile to
graze his features. "I'm Gunther Schultz, and this is Eld Jinn. I'm new
to the squad, like you two."

Sakura felt her superior's chakra approaching them. She turned and
saluted him, and the rest of the team followed suit. "Good morning,
Captain," they said in unison.

"You sound like fresh meat this morning," he replied in his usual calm
tone. There were dark bags under his eyes and his face was ashen,
giving her a strange sense of déjà vu. He was also wearing a white
shirt and long shorts, which was also weird. Was he fighting? "I
haven't heard that in a while…" he murmured, and Sakura was sure
everyone but her missed that. "I hope introductions are over. If you
don't know each other, you soon will, anyway. Let's warmup."

Just like Sakura had told Petra over, they followed the schedule
completely. By the end of the exercise, Sakura felt her muscles fully
awake and ready to start the training session.
Though spars were usually boring to her, it was quite exciting today
because she would see completely new fights. Gunther was paired
up with Eld, and, surprisingly, Gunther won by sheer strength. It was
very apparent that they had fought beforehand, because there were
some moves the blond had tried to pull that Gunther had easily
blocked, and the only explanation was experience. She could
already detect that the two of them would make an excellent pair,
simply because Eld's agility and quickness went well with Gunther's
sturdiness and brawn.

Next was Oluo and Petra, and it felt like a trip down memory lane,
considering she had watched this numerous time in the 102nd
Squad and in her early months in the Survey Corps. Petra took
complete advantage of her petiteness and mostly focused on
retaliating, but in the end Oluo won by making her lose her balance
and placing her under a chokehold. Sakura had to hold in a laugh at
how destroyed Oluo looked after winning, since he was probably
beating himself up for hurting his precious Petra. She, on the other
hand, was all sun and smiles, happy that she had fought with him
after months, apparently.

She started walking to the next field, thinking they were done with
the spar, but the Captain cleared his throat and stared at her with a
raised eyebrow. She tilted her head to the side, confused that he had
put on his sparring gloves, and asked, "Aren't we running laps?"

"You're sparring against me."

Sparring against the Captain? That had never happened. The

Captain usually just observed and taught his Squad, but he never
actually trained with them, since he got his practice with the
Commander. However, now it made sense for him to fight with them,
since there was an even number of members.

Sakura approached the Captain with a certain hesitation and put on

her sparring gloves. Well, that was slightly unfair; he knew her
fighting style, but she knew next to nothing from his. Maybe she
should lose this spar to not make it look suspicious? But then again,
it might look suspicious if she purposely lost, so what was the correct
answer?

Levi lunged at her, and Sakura made her decision; she would make
this as hard as she could for him. He aimed a punch at her jaw, but
she stepped aside to completely avoid the attack. She targeted his
chest, launching a kick, but he grabbed her foot with one hand, much
to her surprise, forcing her to stand on one leg. She knew he was
going to try to knock her foot now that her balance was shaky, so
she hopped closer to him, putting force behind her trapped foot,
causing him to lose his grip and let her go.

He was put immediately on the defensive, so Sakura used this to her

advantage by aiming a roundhouse kick with her right foot, but Levi
anticipated this, blocking her kick slightly but letting it continue, then
blocking her off-target kick to his shoulders, and grabbing her right
leg and kicking her lost her balance but clutched his shoulders
tightly, taking him with her to the ground.

The wind was knocked out of her lungs, but with the Captain
straddling her hips and going for the chokehold, she couldn't let
herself breathe for too long. She used her abdominal and thigh
muscles to pivot her hips, making the Captain lose his control and
lose balance. Sakura shifted their bodies and now straddled his
thighs and covered his upper body with her own, using her weight
and strength to keep him down.

Levi, however, was determined to not lose and took her by surprise
by removing his arms from underneath her body, immediately going
for the chokehold. Sakura squirmed and lightly punched Levi
repeatedly in the ribs, hoping to escape his hold, and managed to
weaken it slightly. She took advantage of this opportunity and moved
her thighs upwards to now straddle his abdomen and buried her face
in his neck meanwhile their bodies fought for the top position.

He released her neck, grabbed her shoulders, and flipped her so that
he was now on top in her exact same position, straddling her
abdomen. She knew she wasn't going to be able to win this fight like
this, deciding to finish it with her signature taijutsu once they were
both standing. Sakura rebelled against his hold and even with his
light punches she managed to turn her body around and get on her
knees with her hands on the ground, like a dog.

Now she could just stand up and throw Levi off, but before she could
even put force on her lower body he grabbed her arms and used his
muscular legs to roll them forward, with Sakura facing the sky and
the Captain underneath her, keeping her neck in a chokehold. He
wrapped his legs around her hips to keep her thrashing under
control, but she wasn't making any progress; his grasp was very tight
and she was physically weaker than him without her chakra.

"Give up," he breathed harshly against her ear, his pants tickling her
sweaty neck.

Sakura grunted and tried to shake her head, but the Captain's grip
made it hard. In response to her jerking he tightened his legs and
pushed down whenever she moved around.

She could almost feel the bruises forming on her neck, and even
though it hurt her pride, she reluctantly tapped out. The Captain
immediately released his hold on her neck and hips and Sakura
rolled away to lie almost next to him, panting harshly.

Levi sat up and then stood up, making a noise of disapproval when
he saw all the grass stains on his shorts. "We have a break now.
Return in half an hour and meet in the gym." With that he left the
training field, followed by Gunther and Eld, who were chatting
animatedly about their fight.

Petra approached her with a smile and extended her hand towards
her. Sakura smiled weakly and took it, letting herself be hoisted up.
"That was so good. Captain Levi must be insanely strong to beat
you."

"He did something on his first try that I haven't done for the past
three years," Oluo grumbled.
Sakura huffed and wiped the sweat from her forehead. "He had the
advantage of forcing me to play his game. I was doomed to lose the
moment the fight turned into one of strength. And he knew my
moves."

But even though Levi had won the fight, Sakura had managed to
keep her kunoichi power and reflexes under control, making the loss
bittersweet.

"Still, I know your moves and still can't stop him."

"Alright, alright, yeah, he's damn good; makes me more comfortable

knowing that he's our leader."

"The Strength of a Hundred Seal suits and complements our role.

What were the four rules I taught you when you first became my
apprentice?"

"First, no medic ninja shall ever stop medical treatment until the lives
of their party members have come to an end. Second, no medic
ninja shall ever stand on the front lines. Third, no medic ninja shall
ever die until they are the last of their platoon. Fourth, only those
medic ninja who have mastered the Strength of a Hundred
Technique of the ninja art Creation Rebirth are permitted to discard
the above-mentioned laws."

"Your memorization skills are quite impressive. Anyway, yes, as you

can see, this technique basically allows you to discard these rules
because they would become a hindrance at our level. The Creation
Rebirth technique is a regeneration technique. By releasing the
chakra stored in the Strength of a Hundred Seal, we can speed up
the mitosis of our cells, healing any wounds we've sustained. The
child technique of the Creation Rebirth, the Strength of a Hundred
Technique, regenerates wounds automatically, but this will take time
to master.
"I trust in your aptitude with chakra control and estimate that once
you gather enough chakra in your Strength of a Hundred Seal, you'll
be able to automatically use Remote Healing and Chakra Rebirth.
These are last resort techniques, making it a bit hard to train in, but
we're going to run some chakra control exercises that will prepare
you when the time comes."

"Yes, Shisou."

A red-haired woman opened the door, looking ecstatic from her

vantage point on the wheelchair. "Ah, Sakura-chan, what a surprise!
Come in, come in!"

She bowed to her elder and gave her a bright smile. "Good
afternoon, Kushina-san. My mother sends her regards and wants me
to warn you that she'll be taking you out later today."

Kushina backed off, letting Sakura pass, and maneuvered her

wheelchair to close the door. She led Sakura through their house
and looked up at her with a mischievous smile."Is she? Mebuki
should know that when I get out I don't come back until very late."

The younger kunoichi giggled, suddenly remembering her mother's

interesting drunken moments late at night. "Luckily she doesn't have
a mission any time soon, so I'm sure she can take a little time off."

"That's good to hear! But enough about your mother; I'll hear about
her soon enough. How are your lessons with Tsunade-sama coming
along?"

"Very well. Shisou is teaching me her Seal of a Hundred Technique."

Her violet eyes widened, completely taken off guard. "The Seal of a
Hundred Technique? Wow, Sakura, that is a great honor. Only two
people in the world know how to achieve it, and only one is able to
actually use it, that of course being Tsunade-sama. She must see
great potential in you. Do you want water or tea?" she asked when
the they reached their dining room.

"Water is fine. Mother and Father are very proud. Suguru can't really
say that a Sannin is training him."

Kushina handed her the cup and Sakura murmured her thanks when
she saw the disapproving look in the older kunoichi's eyes. "Now,
Sakura, you know it's not good for you to compare yourself with
Suguru-kun. You each have your strengths and weaknesses."

"My Academy years left a lasting impression."

"Ah, you were young! Naruto-chan also didn't do as well as we'd

hoped but look where he is now! Look where you are now."

"Well, he did have a chakra monster locked inside of him, making his
chakra control absolutely horrible. And his rivalry with… him didn't
make matters any better."

"Naruto-chan was hell-bent on being normal. He skipped our

Kurama-talking sessions in favor of going out and playing, so maybe
you're giving him too much credit. Either way, the Academy is good
for basics, but the real test is coming back from missions alive, so
you and Suguru-kun are tied in that area."

A ring on the doorbell interrupted whatever Sakura wanted to reply.

At hearing Kushina's annoyed sigh, Sakura said, "Don't worry,
Kushina-san, I got it." She walked through the small hallway, trying to
pinpoint the identity of the person's chakra. It was very familiar, but
she couldn't quite tell who it belonged to.

She opened the door and stiffened immediately when she gazed into
obsidian eyes. Her body switched to fight-mode and she had to force
herself to calm down. Sakura gulped and wordlessly stepped aside
to let the man in.
They walked back into the kitchen in silence, and even Kushina
tensed when she saw her guest, but she had much easier time
disguising her initial reaction and not acting upon it. "Itachi-kun! It's
good to see you! What brings you here?"

"Tsunade-sama asked me to deliver this to you." He reached for one

of the pockets in his jounin jacket and got out a letter.

Kushina grinned brightly and took it from him. "Naruto-chan is a bit

absentminded and forgets to write his mother every once in a while.
Thank you for bringing this to me, Itachi-kun. Tell me, how is the
search for Sasuke-kun going?"

Sakura became rigid at the mention of her ex-teammate, but Itachi

didn't seem to be affected by his brother's name. "Nothing, still.
Orochimaru hid well, even from me."

"Either way, he'll come to you."

"Yes, but I rather not have him come to me with the urge to kill me,"
he replied with a wistful smile.

Sakura woke up with a tight feeling on her chest. It was invigorating

and filled her with power, but it was also very weird. It was Sunday,
their day off, so Petra was still asleep on her bed across from hers.
Very quietly she got up and went to the wardrobe she shared with
her and chose some civilian clothes to put on for her outing.

Spring had come and passed along with their first expedition
together as a team, in which they had done admirably well and with
zero injuries. The 39th Expedition would be that Thursday (the
expedition where Levi would supposedly choose his second-in-
command), but Sakura had asked to be able to leave that Sunday a
month ago, so her request had been upheld.

She had to hold in her gasp when she saw the strange purple
rhombus resting slightly above her left breast. It wasn't huge, but it
wasn't small, either. She could feel it slightly pulsing, as if it were
alive, mostly because of the chakra concentrated in that area.

It didn't appear malign, and as much as the rhombus intrigued her,

she couldn't remember anything about it. She was more than
positive that the answer was locked away inside her forgotten
memories, but her amnesia wouldn't let her remember. She had
already resigned herself to never getting back her recollections, but
the appearance of this rhombus made her feel irritated that she
couldn't remember something so important.

She finished buttoning her yellow shirt and slid on her long white
skirt that almost completely covered her black boots. Today was the
first day of the month break for the cadets of the 104th Trainee
Squad, who would now graduate next year. Though usually the
trainees went back to their homes, neither of her three wards had a
home to return to. That's why she had used a good portion of her
saved money to rent them a small house in the outskirts of Trost for
their break. Last year she had wanted to do this, but she had been
penniless and busy with the sensor business, but now that she had
more than enough, she could take the hit.

Besides, who else was she going to spend money on?

Petra moaned in her sleep and murmured, "Sakura? Is that you?"

"Yeah, I'm going out. I'll be back tonight," she whispered.

"Okay. Have fun," she muttered before going back to sleep.

Sakura passed by the stables on her way to Trost and looked

longingly at the horses that might shorten her ride. Still, Haruto
belonged to the Survey Corps, and he couldn't be used for personal
outings such as this one. She definitely understood why, but she still
wished she had an easier way to commute to Trost.

The half hour walk was impossibly long with the prospect of seeing
Mikasa, Eren, and Armin firmly lodged in her head. She hadn't seen
them in almost two years, and though they exchanged letters weekly,
she still missed them terribly. They were the reason she had kept
herself alive for so long, after all.

A little wooden house by the windmill in the east side of Trost. That's
the description she had gotten when she rented the house. It used to
be owned by a family of three, but they had abruptly moved mid-
spring and hadn't had enough time to sell it. Sakura, being the
benevolent sweetheart that she was, offered to rent the house from
them at a dirt cheap price meanwhile they sold it. If she hadn't
haggled the price to a criminally low level, she would've never been
able to afford it for a whole month, after all.

Luckily, the Survey Corps was located east of Trost, so she didn't
have to cross the whole district to get to the house. She saw the
windmill in the distance and, after making sure the road was clear of
humans for at least the next three kilometers, she sped away with
her kunoichi speed.

She could feel three chakra signatures inside the household and her
excitement grew tenfold. She knocked twice and started tapping her
foot as her sensitive ears heard the approaching footsteps. When
the door opened and revealed a disheveled blond head, Sakura
threw her arms around the shorter boy and squealed. "Armin! Look
at you!"

Armin chuckled and hugged her back tightly, which made her
inwardly happy to know that he was as comfortable around her,
considering they didn't have as much history. They exchanged letters
as much as she did for Eren and Mikasa, which definitely helped
their relationship progress.

"You certainly outdid yourself with his house."

Sakura released him and observed him, noting the healthy glow of
his skin and how much muscular he had become compared to the
boy she had seen two years ago. "I'm glad you think so. I thought
you guys might enjoy this."
"Armin!" Eren hollered from somewhere inside. "Is Sakura here?"

"Yeah!" he yelled back and flashed her a grin. "Come on in."

The house was made out of wood and had a small dinner table at
the left, a kitchen further back, and a hallway in the right that led to
the two bedrooms. Eren appeared out of the hallway and crushed
her in a bear hug. "You've got to tell me everything about the Survey
Corps!"

"Oh, I missed you too, Eren," she grumbled good-naturedly, "but I

sure will. Look at how tall you've gotten! You're taller than me!"

"To be honest, you're not much of a challenge in the height

department," he replied after he released her from his embrace.
"Ow!" he complained when she punched him in the arm. "What was
that for?"

"Respect your elders."

"You're not exactly my elder."

"Where's Mikasa?"

"Out gathering wood."

"You leave Mikasa to do all the housework?"

"Eren and I cook and Mikasa gets the fire for us to cook," Armin
replied. "She's not very good at cooking."

That was certainly true; no matter how much Mikoto tried when she
was younger, Mikasa was never able to make the more complicated
dishes. "Oh, I forgot about that. Well, what are you two thinking
about cooking?"

"We're tired of Training Corps food, but we only have enough to

make a stew."
Mikasa opened the door and stopped momentarily before putting the
firewood away and hugging Sakura, though a bit more distantly than
she was accustomed to. She was beautiful and taller than Eren, but
Sakura still saw her as the little girl to whom she bought a dollhouse
for. "I missed you," she murmured.

The kunoichi smiled and soothingly rubbed her back. "It's been a
long time, hasn't it?" She released her and stared at her three wards
meaningfully. "In a year we'll all be together."

They all looked excited by the prospect, but there was something
dark behind Eren's eagerness, something not entirely benign, and
Sakura analyzed it as his bloodlust.

If he continued on this road, he may become a monster.

"Hmm, I have a busy day planned for us today. No stew shit; we're
eating real food. Let's go to the market and cook a good meal."

"Can we practice your fighting style afterwards?" Eren asked in a

hopeful voice. "They're teaching us in a completely different way
than what you know."

"That's because taijutsu is from my homeland. Besides us four, I

don't think anyone knows about it. But sure, after we've relaxed, we'll
go out to the forest."

Days she spent with her three wards always ranked as the best days
of the year. She asked more about their friends, because they never
had enough time or space to write a letter fully detailing their lives.
She learned more about Sasha Braus, their hungry and ingenious
friend; Connie Springer, short but very agile; Krista Lenz, the dubbed
goddess of the group; Reiner Braun, the older brother; Bertolt
Hoover, the shy giant; Annie Leonhart, the combat expert; Jean
Kirstein, a charismatic boy bent on joining the Military Police (much
to Eren's annoyance); Marco Bott, a kind boy who got along with
almost everybody. The 104th Class came alive before her all thanks
to their stories and she couldn't help but look forward to meeting
them, though that was unlikely considering no one joined the Survey
Corps unless he was an idealistic fool or the Garrison couldn't
accept more recruits.

In return, Sakura told them all about her life as a member of the
Special Operations Squad and her role as sensor for the Corps. She
found one more thing about Eren, that being his complete adoration
of Captain Levi and Commander Erwin. Levi was cool and extremely
strong, meanwhile Erwin was charismatic and a near genius. She
thought that a small reality check would help lower Levi's high
standing ("Captain Levi is an irritable, violent, unapproachable man
who happens to be shorter than me… Alright, one centimeter shorter
but still"), yet she only managed to make him "more human" in his
eyes; he couldn't wait to work with him.

Armin idolized Commander Erwin --though not nearly to the same

degree as Eren-- meanwhile Mikasa was more apathetic about the
Survey Corps. Indeed, just as how Grisha had told her years ago,
Mikasa would follow wherever Eren went, and there was nothing that
could stop her, not even her own unhappiness.

"How are expeditions? Do you kill many titans?"

"We do, but we don't celebrate."

"Why not?"

"There is more to mourn about than to celebrate after expeditions,"

Sakura replied quite somberly, making Eren's excited demeanor
change drastically. "Even if you survived, you still have nothing to be
happy about."

The blond looked up at the canopy of the trees, a thoughtful

expression on his sweaty face. He was the one most tired after their
training session, but Sakura had to keep herself from beaming in
pride at how far Armin had gotten. Eren had taken Annie's fighting
techniques to heart and even showed her one or two, and Mikasa
remembered the earlier forms she had practiced back in the
Ackerman household.

"This is the life that waits us, right?" Armin asked quietly.

"It's not too late to change your mind," she returned.

"No, it's too late. It's four years too late," Eren answered, his words
burning with hatred and passion. Had Sakura not been accustomed
to his emotions, she would've flinched. "They need to pay for what
they've done, and I won't stop until I've exterminated every last one
of them."

"Love is better motivation than hate and revenge," she quoted, finally
understanding the meaning behind Helsa's dying words. She
must've been angry at life for taking away her husband and son, just
like how Eren was angry, and the years had passed and she still
didn't move on.

"Hate keeps me alive," Eren answered and got up from his spot
against the tree trunk to better look at Sakura, who was perched on
a tree branch. "Hate will change the world."

Sakura looked down on Mikasa for help to dissuade Eren's violent

feelings about titans, but she was leaning against the tree, lost in her
own thoughts. People must think that Mikasa neither hated nor
loved, but with that expression she knew that the girl was just as
damaged as any of them four and had very deep feelings about
things.

Misfits usually changed things, and with four misfits in the group,
who knew what exactly would come out of them?

I don't know if it was clear or not, but the SnK world uses MMA
style fighting meanwhile Sakura uses the taijutsu she has
honed over her ninja years. The only reason why she lost was
because Levi had intel on her and forced her to play by his
rules. Otherwise she would've won, even without her chakra.

Is it just me or has anyone noticed how fucking scary Eren is,

both in canon and in this story? I still remember what he told
Reiner and Bert and Ymir when they were outside Wall Maria…
Sheesh. That type of Eren is the inspiration for this story.

Earlier in the story I made a mistake about everyone's heights

and for that I sincerely apologize, but these are the official stats
(sans the 104th Corps since they're still growing boys and
girls), mostly from the wikis, that I will be using from now on:

Sakura: 161 cm, 56 kg (this is the only thing that is different

from the wikia, since she cannot be 45 kg in the SnK world),
biologically 24 years old, on paper 23.

Levi: 160 cm, 65 kg, ? years old (28)

Petra: 158 cm, 55 kg, 20 years old

Oluo: 173 cm, 61 kg, 21 years old

Eld: 182 cm, 75 kg, ? years old (24)

Gunther: 183 cm, 82 kg, ? years old (24)

Hange: 170 cm, 60 kg, ? years old (26)

Erwin: 188 cm, 92 kg, ? years old (30)

The ages in question marks are those that haven't been

confirmed and haven't been assigned. The parenthesis are the
ages I personally assign them when I write, but to each their
own and quite frankly I don't mind as long as they aren't 70 or
something.

Yet again, apologies for the confusion, and if you see

something that doesn't make sense or doesn't go with what I've
written before, please do tell me. I accidentally change
somethings, even if I don't mean it.

As always, my sincerest thanks to Sincerely Athena, anima,

Basia Orci, FairiesDescent, Atsirk Enoh, mun3litKnight, cj1of4,
naremon, AmeRaSora, Sakura19Haruno95, catxangel,
cherryblossom1423, Sithmor, Guest, Ikillatfirstsight, Boingy,
alien7676, Love Remedy, MiniRoonie, brokenmaelstrom, No
Name, Sky65, Lady Light, Darling, and Mayflowerz 411 for being
so awesome and leaving reviews. Your words are always such a
delight to read. Also, many thanks to those who added this
story to their alerts and favorites! It makes me happy knowing
that The Vessel entertains you.

Reviews are sugar,

Penpal
Petrichor
Haruto always enjoyed galloping through the forests, which was
interesting because when Sakura first met her horse, he seemed to
prefer open fields. There was something strangely mystifying about
the large trees that sometimes were fifty meters tall, something even
animals themselves fascinated over.

Out of all the duties the Squad Levi was involved in, creating a
supply line was her favorite because they usually traversed through
the forests, where Sakura felt most comfortable in. Commander
Erwin preferred to ride in the open field at the start of the expedition
for better visibility and greater map-making, but the majority Survey
Corps usually traversed through as many forests on the way back to
hide themselves, with the scouts remaining outside.

Their mission was to pave the way for the rest of the teams going
through the forests. So far they hadn't come across a titan, which
was supposed to be a relief, but she knew both Petra and Oluo were
waiting for the moment to show off in front of Levi since this was their
first mission. Squad Levi had been off the roster for the 38th
Expedition to train the new team, and it was time for them to show
their chemistry.

Though Sakura wished to have been paired up with Petra, she

couldn't deny that her style suited Oluo's the best. She was a
support teammate meanwhile Oluo liked killing solo, but Petra
created the best openings for him to take. On the other hand,
whenever Oluo wanted to give her a titan, he would incapacitate the
titan in the best way Petra killed. Sakura, on the other hand, was
incompatible with Petra in the sharing area, because Sakura
preferred quick kills over safe kills, throwing Petra off.

The three of them were nigh invincible together.

Gunther and Eld were best together since neither took a dominant
role and shared the tasks almost equally. That had been one of the
problems Sakura had with Eld when they had been paired together,
because she threw Eld off too much to his liking and sometimes got
in his way. The two men, on the other hand, had even graduated in
the same year and worked together for months afterward, solidifying
their relationship and chemistry.

That left Levi, the loner of the team. She still hadn't worked with him
yet because most of the titans had been handled mostly by Gunther
and Eld, with the occasional Petra and Oluo kill. Sakura was a
interested as to what brought this abeyance of kills from her Captain,
who usually took on titans alone. She wasn't worried about him, but
she didn't want to be taken by surprise when the time came to
attack.

Maybe thinking about titans was a bad idea, because like a jinx she
felt some three kilometers north, in the middle of their destination. If
she had been in Erwin's team, they would've avoided them, but since
she was in Levi, it was their job to engage with them so that another
less fortunate team wouldn't.

"Four titans, three kilometers north. Half a kilometer apart. No

aberrants," she shouted over the gallops of their horses.

The black-haired man ahead of her nodded and nudged Makimi to

ride faster, and the rest of the team followed his change. This was
the biggest group they'd come across the whole expedition and
would serve as the test to see just how well they interacted with each
other.

If she wasn't aware of their mindlessness, Sakura would say the

titans were hidden in the trees. As soon as they located two, Levi
went after the biggest one, a fat thirteen-meter, leaving Sakura
dumbfounded as to whether let him handle it alone or provide
support, which was her weak area. Instead of going after the same
titan her captain went for, she sent her hook to the nape of the nine-
meter a bit further away and aimed for a quick kill.
In the middle of her trajectory she felt three more titans, all
aberrants, coming towards them at full speed and would attack them
in less than three minutes. She grit her teeth and hurried to the nape,
but before she could slash the titan shook its body violently, throwing
her off course.

She let go of the hook and was sent flying, but she quickly recovered
midair with the help of her reflexes and sent her hook to a tree trunk
so that she could stand vertically on it. "Three more incoming!
Aberrants!" she shouted.

Levi landed in the branch on top of hers and replied, "Let those four
take care of remaining two. We'll go for those three. Follow me."

Sakura voiced her assent and was about to follow Levi when she
saw Petra having trouble with the same titan who had shook her.
Unlike her, Petra was no kunoichi who could recover in midair with
the same finesse Sakura could. It was one of her weak spots, an
area she had never managed to improve, an area that might kill her
right now.

She didn't know why Petra had taken on that titan alone without
Oluo's help, but now she had landed herself in trouble and it was up
to her to get her, since Oluo was nowhere to be seen and wouldn't
get to Petra on time. She didn't even hesitate and immediately lent
Petra support by distracting the titan and getting all of its attention on
her by body-flickering towards it. Unfortunately, she miscalculated
the distance between its rather long arms and the tree she sent her
3DMG hook to and it snatched her mid-flight, knocking the air out of
her.

Her mission had been accomplished, because the titan stopped

moving and focused completely on its pink-haired prey. "Petra!
Now!"

The auburn woman righted herself immediately and sped towards

the titan, slashing it twice to kill it. The titan's hold slackened and
Sakura quickly got out of its grip before it fell on top of her.
She aimed her 3DMG to one of the lower branches and leaned her
head on the trunk once she landed, her breathing erratic from the
adrenaline rush. Petra settled next to her and whacked her upside
the head. "Are you stupid?You could've been killed!"

Sakura laughed breathlessly. So she hadn't seen her body-flicker?

That was strange. She hadn't tried to hide her burst, but maybe
Petra was focused on her titan and nothing else, considering she
thought she was taken it alone. Then again, she should really work
on her reflexes and observational skills. "I know, but so could've you.
I wasn't going to let Captain-- Oh shit!" She snapped to full attention
and sent her 3DMG in the direction the aberrants were, not bothering
to explain the situation to anyone.

In her panic to keep Petra alive she had completely forgotten about
her captain's orders and had left him to handle three aberrants all by
himself. If he died because of her… If humanity lost its strongest
soldier because she wasn't fast enough, she wouldn't be able to
handle the guilt.

She couldn't sense the titans anymore, but three sources of steam
rising from the ground gave her a good idea as to where the Captain
would be. He was perched in one of the higher branches, cleaning
his sword much to her amusement.

The kunoichi landed quietly next to him and observed the three
disintegrating remains with impressed eyes. He had taken three
aberrants all by himself and he didn't have a single hair out of place.
It was hard for her to take on three titans by herself, let alone three
aberrants, but he had done it in less than two minutes. She wasn't
surprised, but she was amazed.

"What part of 'Follow me' did you not understand, Ackerman?"

Sakura inwardly flinched at his cold voice and the usage of her last
name. In a way it was better than being called cadet, but it did make
her flash back to her time in the Training Squad, where they called
everyone by their last name to create an emotional barrier.
"Petra needed my help," she replied, her voice confident. Yes, she
hadn't followed his orders, but she hadn't ignored them just to spite
him; she saved one of her teammates and her precious friend. "The
titan that threw me off was going to--"

"What part of 'Follow me' did you not understand, Ackerman ?"

The kunoichi stiffened at the more menacing tone, but her eyes
narrowed in growing annoyance. So he wasn't going to listen to her
legitimate explanation just so that he could act all high and mighty?
She respected his fighting skills, yes, but he was a prick and needed
to reminded that she wasn't going to tolerate his attitude. "I
understood every word, Captain. "

He finally turned towards her and stared at her with chilly gray eyes.
Even though she was (barely) taller than him, some stupid part of
her felt small in being at the receiving end of his glare. "Then why
didn't you do that?"

"As I said before--"

"Did your legs break? Did you run out of gas? Did you have to save
a teammate? What other excuse do you want to say?"

"I was saving my friend. Not all of us take the deaths of their
teammates as admirably as you do… Captain." Almost as soon as
the words tumbled out of her mouth some tiny part of her wished to
take them back, but it was too late. She had stepped over a line and
it felt good to finally let out her frustration.

He grabbed her by the collar of her white shirt and hoisted her in the
air, much to her surprise; here she weighed close to sixty kilograms
and he was picking her up as if she were a twig! His glare intensified
and he growled, "We have a problem, and we're going to solve it
right now, Ackerman. I can't kick you off my team and you can't leave
my team for the same reason."
"Then we can't solve our problem," she replied calmly, despite the
fact that she was slightly choking.

"No, but we can come damn close." He let her go and she landed
rather gently, though her harsh breaths betrayed just how much he
had affected her body's oxygen supply. "Once you submit to me, we
won't have any problems."

"I'm not a dog."

"You're right; a dog is smarter and follows orders."

She growled and resisted the urge to kill him right there. Eren would
be so disappointed if she told him that she killed his idol in a fit of
rage. "I'm not a mindless person. I can be trusted to make my own
decisions. I'm not going to blindly follow orders but I won't make any
stupid mistakes."

"So you want recognition that you're a human being?"

"No, I want power to act however I want."

The man's eyes narrowed further in thought. Sakura knew she was
asking for a lot, but she wasn't used to taking any less. She was one
of the most powerful human beings in the planet, goddammit, and if
she wasn't going to receive power then might as well take it.

"I can't let you act independently." His voice had finally calmed down
and acquired its usual detached manner, signaling that his anger had
mostly passed. "I can, though, make you my second-in-command."

Her eyes widened at his decision. She was sure that he would've
immediately discarded her from any position due to her
rebelliousness, but here he was offering her a spot of leadership?
Well, wasn't that what she wanted to begin with? "So I would be your
second-in-command and killing partner?"
He nodded. "In exchange, you will submit to me when we're back
inside the walls."

Aha, there was the catch; she had been waiting for that. "And what
do you mean by submit ?"

"Do whatever I ask you to do whenever I ask you to do it without

complaints or disobedience. You want me to treat you like an equal?
Fine. But at the same time you have to learn your place."

Though his way of thinking seemed paradoxical to her at first glance,

her more rational mind understood more than her prideful side. He
knew that she wouldn't give in unless he gave her something in
return, but he also needed to establish a position of dominance.
What was surprising was that the Captain was willing to think
rationally about this and not be hung up on power. Perhaps she had
misjudged him, but now was not the time to go back on her words.
"Fine, I can agree with that."

"It wasn't a suggestion."

"Well, good thing I liked it or otherwise it would've been a

suggestion."

"Don't ruin the peace, Ackerman."

Mikasa aimed an uppercut, but Sakura was faster than her and
quickly sidestepped, mindful of the tree branch on the floor. She took
advantage of her momentum and rushed at her, landing a chop in
the back of he neck, incapacitating her immediately. Mikasa
crumpled like a puppet cut from its strings and she groaned quietly,
still not used to the power behind Sakura's strikes. "It doesn't matter
how much I train, I can never seem to beat you."

Sakura chuckled and sat down on the ground beside her, extending
her hands over her body to use her healing chakra. "I have much
more experience than you. It's supposed to be that way." Mikasa
relaxed immediately, her tired muscles soothed. "But I can see
you've trained. Your much more muscular now."

The black-haired girl stared pointedly at the kunoichi's glowing

hands, a faint hint of fascination behind her eyes. "It's so amazing
how you can do that… Have you remembered anything more?"

Sakura frowned and shook her head. She hadn't gotten her
memories nor her jutsu back, and though it didn't bother her as much
as it used to when she was with Helsa, she was aware that she was
incomplete without them. "No, I haven't. I've tried meditation and all
that, but nothing comes to mind."

"What about dreams?"

"I can't remember my dreams. As far as I know, I don't dream."

Mikasa put a hand on top of Sakura's, indicating that she was done,
and sat up, facing her. "Everyone dreams," she said quietly. "You just
can't remember them. Don't worry, it happens to everyone. I'm sure
you'll regain your memories one day…"

"What's with the sad tone?"

She blinked, as if surprised that Sakura had detected it. Mikasa was
very good at hiding her emotions and being detached, but Sakura
had known her since she was a kid and thus currently knew her
better than anyone in the planet. "What are you talking about? I
wasn't-- Fine, you're right, stop giving me that look."

Sakura smirked triumphantly and nodded. "Good girl. Now tell me

what is making you sad."

"I… I once asked Mom what would happen if you got your memories
back, and she told us that you would leave us and go back with your
real family, because that was the right thing to do, the smart choice.
And then knowing that you're actively trying to regain your
memories… I just don't want you to leave me…"
Sakura bit her lip and resisted the urge to embrace her younger
sibling as well as whack her in the back of the head. It was a valid
point, because she was sure people were missing her, but at the
moment she couldn't really care about these people because she
didn't remember ever loving them. "Mikasa, I promise I will never
leave you." She understood just how hard it must've been for Mikasa
to admit her feelings, so she wouldn't ruin the moment by being
obtuse.

Her lip curled and she looked at the side disdainfully. "Don't say
that."

"I'll never leave you or Eren or Armin behind."

She glared at Sakura. "You're just filling me with false hope."

"And you're taking my promises for granted. When have I ever

broken a promise to you, hmm?"

Mikasa was quiet, no doubt looking back to all the promises Sakura
had made to her and Eren and Armin. She visibly deflated and shook
her head slowly. "You haven't."

"Exactly, so trust me when I say I'll never leave you. Besides, the
chances of me finding my real family are close to none. Nobody
inside the walls can use chakra."

"What about outside?"

"I don't think so… We would've seen them by now, since part of a
shinobi's job is to gather intel."

"It's those comments that also make me uncomfortable. How can

you remember what the shinobi do if you don't remember ever being
a shinobi?"

"… I guess the same way as I sometimes remember jutsu. It just

comes randomly."
"I don't think it's random, Sakura. Say, what was going on when you
remembered your jutsu?"

She thought back to those instances when the hand signs came to
her as naturally as breathing did. They were vivid in her memory,
because the events themselves were important to her in her life.
There was the night of Helsa's death, where she remembered a
water jutsu to put down a fire that could've destroyed a forest and
had subsequently drained her of her reserves. Then she had
remembered that vacuum jutsu during her second year final exams
and a couple of months later a legitimate wind jutsu when she didn't
want to kill those bandits. And finally, the most recent one was when
she had remembered the chakra scalpel because she didn't have
her swords with her and she had to take down a titan.

They all had a thing in common, and it was a sense of danger or

stress.

"Danger or stress usually does it," she explained slowly. "But it

doesn't make sense. I've been in danger countless times on
expeditions but I haven't unlocked more jutsu."

"You've mentioned various times that you don't want to reveal your
powers because you have no idea what the government or military
will do to you. Wouldn't it be dangerous to use jutsu in front of
everyone if you believe that is true?"

"What do you mean?"

"If you think about it, there's physical danger but you also have the
social danger. From what I can also remember from what you've told
us, you were both alone and in danger."

"I wasn't alone with the bandits."

"But they couldn't see you, so your identity was safe."

Sakura hummed, finally piecing what Mikasa was saying together.
What she was saying was true, and she had been both alone and in
danger when she unlocked more jutsu. She hadn't exactly been in
danger with the second year exam, but she had been in danger "of
not being first." Same with the thieves, because she could've easily
killed them, but she was in danger "of making herself a murderer."
However, she had never felt that sensation of getting a jutsu back
whenever people around her were threatened, so the danger of
"being emotionally hurt by someone's death" didn't apply to the
formula.

Still, it seemed her social situations had an impact on how she

unlocked her jutsu, but why?

At any rate, the best way to guarantee that she would gain back her
jutsu was to be alone and in danger, because social situations had
many variables. "That's true. Maybe I could use this information to
unlock more jutsu."

Mikasa didn't look amused. "I hope you're not saying that you'll put
yourself in danger to get more powerful."

"Of course not." Sakura looked up at the canopy of the trees, finding
contentment with being surrounded by them. The Survey Corps had
forests, yes, but she associated those forests with work and training,
but here with Mikasa she felt at home, as if she was still with the
Ackermans. "I wouldn't place myself in danger when I have promises
to keep."

The younger girl smiled, a true one filled with contentment, at her
words. She knew that they all feared abandonment more than the
usual, and the only way to combat that was by staying together. "We
should go back. Eren will be upset that we left him with kitchen duty
meanwhile we trained."

"Ah, if he's upset, maybe I will have an excuse to beat him up."

"… Don't be too rough, okay?"

Sakura laughed and stood up, extending a hand towards Mikasa for
her to help herself up. "We'll see."

She stared at the Captain in confusion, not exactly following his

orders. "You want me to what?"

"Oh, deaf now? I said, 'Bring me my tea.'"

"I heard that. I just don't understand why you're asking me to do it.
Don't you have someone else who usually does that?"

"That someone is you now."

Sakura clenched her fists and breathed in deeply. "I thought you said
I had no duties once I joined your squad."

"And I thought I said that you would submit to me."

The kunoichi bristled and slightly bared her teeth. She thought that
"follow orders" meant doing as he asked immediately during
practice, but this was just plain degrading. She didn't bust her ass
day and night just so that she could make him his tea. "That's not
submitting. That's me being a servant."

Levi finally looked up from his work and glared at her in annoyance.
At least he hadn't asked her to do his paperwork for her, but knowing
her luck he will soon enough. "Ackerman, I'm not in the mood for
your shit. I want black tea with lemon. And I would advice you to do it
soon, for your own good," he commanded with an air of finality and
went back to his work.

Sakura could almost feel the sizzle coming from her head but even
she understood when a fight was over. She stalked outside and
fumed towards the kitchens. Why did he have to be such an
asshole? Would it really hurt him to show kindness every once in a
while, or, even rarer, respect? She was so caught up in her inner rant
that she almost missed Oluo.
"Oh, wow, Pinky. What did the Captain do?"

The kunoichi halted and gave Oluo one of her nastiest glares. "What
makes you think it was the Captain?"

"You're always like that whenever Captain makes you do something

you don't want to do. What is it this time?"

Sakura glowered, but it wasn't aimed at her friend. "He's making me

do his tea."

"And what's so bad about that?"

"It's degrading! Only the unranked soldiers do these types of things.

He's forcing me to 'submit myself' to him."

Oluo raised an eyebrow, not impressed at her explanation. "You do

know that we all submit ourselves to higher ranked soldiers, right?"

"I know," she growled. "It just pisses me off to submit myself to him."

He shook his head, amazed at the sheer thickheadedness and

stupidity his friend was showing. She had had no qualms in being
respectful towards Squad Leader Hange and Commander Erwin, so
what was the problem with doing the same with Captain Levi?
"Anyway, do you know how to make tea?"

"No."

"Want me to help you?"

"Yes."

The kitchens were mostly empty except for the odd pair of soldiers
that always forgot lunch had been three hours ago and were
scavenging for leftovers. Usually there were none --she knew from
experience-- but she still internally wished them good luck.
Oluo went to fill the kettle with water meanwhile Sakura searched for
the black tea leaves, and a lemon. He then gathered the necessary
amount of wood and placed the kettle on the stovetop after she lit
the fire. After that he said they needed to wait around six minutes to
put the leaves in and then wait for three minutes so that the water
acquires taste.

She took advantage of the solitude and the comfortable

companionship to ask what had been gnawing her nosy mind.

"So how is your conquest with Petra going?"

"There is no conquest," he grumbled.

"You don't love her anymore?" she asked coyly. She already knew
the answer, but she was positive that Oluo would divulge more
information by trying to disprove her than answering her questions.

His eyes narrowed and he still refused to meet her gaze, opting to
stare at the rapidly boiling water. "Of course I still love her, stupid. I'm
just focused on other things right now."

"Which are?"

"Getting better at killing titans."

"I don't see how that impedes you from pursuing Petra."

Oluo's resolve finally broke down and he looked at her in pure

annoyance. "Did you erase our conversation about this last time? I
told you, I don't want to fall even more just to see her die."

Something inside of her quivered. "I won't let her die," she said with
a resoluteness Oluo probably found weird, because for some reason
she made it seem more like a fact than a promise. "So you should do
as you wish."

"You can't say that and expect me to believe you."

"Have a little faith in me, will you?"

He added the leaves and closed the kettle again. "You're better than
me, I admit it, but if Captain Levi can't keep his teams alive, why can
you?"

She grunted softly, caught off guard. She couldn't just come out and
say she was a ninja, right? Well, she could, because she trusted
Oluo with her life and nobody was around, but should she? What
exactly could she gain from divulging such information, and what
could she lose? For once, she could lose his respect or gain it,
depending on how understanding he was of her predicament in
keeping his friends alive and being available to her proteges. He
could stay true to their friendship by keeping this a secret or stay true
to humanity by informing Commander Erwin just like how Carlo and
Moblit had done when they witnessed her sensor ability.

All of those reactions were equally likely, so with a heavy heart she
decided to keep her mouth shut and not say anything. She couldn't
forsake the relationship she had with her wards just to see her best
friends have a relationship that might not even happen. At any rate,
they would get their happy ending because she wouldn't let either of
them die. So what if they started a relationship later than usual? It
would come to fruition anyway. She was just being desperate for
them, trying to force something to happen because she knew it
would make them both very happy.

But maybe she should just let them run their own course.

"Is the tea ready?" she said after minutes of silence.

"Yeah, yeah," Oluo replied in his usual tone, letting her know that
everything was well and forgotten.

Five minutes later Sakura was walking slowly with a very hot teacup,
careful to not spill the liquid on her hands. Bless the soul of the
people that had done this numerous times in their lives, but bless her
even more because apparently she was going do to it everyday.
Trust Levi to turn one of the best soldiers in the Survey Corps into
his personal tea brewer.

She knocked on the door and waited for his monotone voice to let
her in. He didn't even look up from his work when she went in and
she wondered just what did the Captain do that five hours of his
everyday life went strictly to paperwork. Then again, Sakura wasn't
well-acquainted with the inner workings of the military and politics so
maybe there was a very good reason why he stayed cooped inside
his office for most of the day.

He carefully took the cup from her hands and immediately took a sip.
He gave a faint hum of contentment, which made Sakura feel oddly
proud that her (and Oluo's) work had pleased him. "Thank you.
You're dismissed."

She saluted and left the room with a small smile, admitting to herself
that perhaps making tea for her captain wasn't such a horrible
experience as she had previously made it out to be.

Not that she would ever tell anyone, of course.

The last time she had met with Sebastian they had agreed to go
somewhere else for a change, since they almost always met
exclusively in the Leaping Horse, and the scene was becoming a
little too boring.

"How about we go to Walden a little north from here next Saturday

we meet? I hear if we're lucky we might hear some wolves," he had
said with a vague hint of excitement.

She had raised a pink eyebrow, not at all convinced. "And why is that
something we should be looking for?"

"Being in the wildlife is fun, and I think we should do something fun."

"For a traveling musician, you sure are keen to getting yourself in
danger." He had grinned in self satisfaction, and not even Sakura
was able to resist his charm. "At any rate, I need to ask my captain
for permission to get Saturday off."

"Ah yeah, true, you have to ask Captain Levi, correct?"

That had been the time Sakura had been waiting for, to finally tell
him that she was in the military, but was surprised to see that he had
beaten her and already knew. "How do you know?"

"I have my ways. Besides, I'm here on a mission, and you're a part of
it."

Then she had felt wary, and rightly so. She didn't want to be
anyone's mission, and Sebastian's profile wasn't really helping
matters. "It doesn't make me feel safe knowing that."

He had felt the accusation and suspicion behind her voice, because
his countenance became utterly serious and strangely honest. "In
the beginning, I may have thought of you as just part of my mission,
but now I truly want to spend time with you, Sakura."

"Am I still a part of your mission?"

"Yes."

"Are you going to tell me what it is?"

"I can't."

The atmosphere in the Leaping Horse was still jovial and very rowdy,
but in their little secluded corner, Sakura had felt the coldness
descending on their conversation. She hadn't liked it and she was
even more suspicious, but at the same time she had to find out.
"Why can't you?"

His eyebrows had drawn in and he had looked away from her, and
Sakura had been very tempted to just stand up and walk away, but
curiosity was firmly rooting her in her place. "It would ruin the
mission. Just know that you're not the mission and I honestly want to
spend time with you ."

"But I'm still a part of the mission."

"Yes."

Though she was even warier of Sebastian, she had to give it to him
for coming clean so early in their relationship. He would make a
horrible ninja, she thought sardonically. Even though any hope of a
normal friendship had been ruined, she still wanted to stick around
and find why he had sought her out in the first place, and while he
had confessed his interests to her, she would be the better deceiver
and manipulate him into telling her just what he is doing.

"I'll only stay because I appreciate your company and we still have to
finish translating the song," she had said in a tight voice, making it
seem as if she was really against the decision but only had done it
for him. This would make the victim even more willing to divulge
information in the future. "But don't think for a second that I'll stay
around if you treat me like a mission."

His light blue eyes widened and narrowed immediately. "I would
never."

And that is how she found herself in the outskirts of Walden

supporting a very attractive, unconscious man in the middle of the
night. She was tempted to leave him in the forest, not because he
was possibly a spy, but because he had gotten them into this
situation in the first place.

"'Oh, let's look for wolves,' he said," she mocked in his tenor. "'It'll be
fun,' he said. Well, little shit faints when we first hear one. And leaves
me hauling his ass around."

Sebastian moaned softly from besides her, as if he could understand

her.
"I can't believe I thought you were threatening. You owe me big time
once we're back in Walden."

At any rate, they were lost inside the woods. As much as she was
embarrassed to admit it, she had gotten distracted by their
conversation of ancient myths about Warrior Maria that she hadn't
really paid attention to where they were going and where the town
was located. She could leave him in the ground and scout ahead,
maybe even climb the tallest tree and try to find the direction Walden
was, but she had a gnawing feeling that Sebastian wasn't fully
unconscious and he would remember this moment tomorrow.

So all she could do was hope she was going in the right direction or
sense other human chakra signatures that might guide her back.

A pack of wolves howled, and she could sense they were nearby.
Fighting humans was one thing, but fighting animals was another.
She had experience fighting people, but she had never punched an
animal. In fact, even though she was sure she could kill most of
them, she didn't feel comfortable with killing, be it animals or
humans. She had avoided hunting in the Training Corps and always
made an excuse whenever Erick wanted to hunt for the family.
Animals never did anything malicious to humanity so why should
she?

She sighed and held Sebastian tighter by his waist, just in case,
because she wouldn't let any of them become food that night.

Sakura focused most of her chakra to her hearing and less to her
eyesight from then on. She could only enhance one of the senses at
the time, because doing otherwise would cause sensory overload
and would be bad for her brain. At the moment it robbed her of much
needed eyesight, especially because she needed to see, but the
wolves were meant to be heard rather than seen.

She could hear them coming, and the stress buildup was almost
unbearable, especially because Sebastian's body had completely
slackened and now she was fully carrying him. Sakura was almost
running now, though the movement was extremely awkward and
sluggish compared to what she was normally capable of. If only she
fully trusted Sebastian, she would have no qualms with showing her
ninja side at the moment and then swearing him to secrecy, by force
if necessary, but she didn't even expect him to keep her status
hidden even with the threat of death.

Unfamiliar chakra started surrounding her and she sent off more
than usual in warning, hoping that animals had some sixth sense
that made them aware of chakra.

Her hopes were crushed when she felt them and heard them stalking
closer, each second making her heartbeat faster and her skin even
sweatier. Sebastian was blissfully unconscious next to her and
perhaps even asleep, judging by how peaceful he looked.

She stiffened and stood very still when the first wolf came into view
and felt her skin start to sweat more profusely as more wolves
started surrounding her. She counted nine and quickly observed that
four of them were bigger than the other five, probably older.

They all didn't make a move, waiting for the other party to react.
Sakura didn't do anything for fear of putting Sebastian in danger,
because she wasn't sure that she could fight nine wolves while
simultaneously keeping Sebastian alive. She could gather him in her
arms and leave him on a branch, but none of the branches close by
looked as if they could support a sixty kilogram man.

The biggest wolf --the alpha male, no doubt-- stalked closer, but the
other wolves remained eerily still. Sakura coiled her muscles and
drew Sebastian in, ready to bolt at the first sign of an attack. Could
she outrun wolves? How fast were wolves to begin with? Either way,
the best way to secure survival was by taking out the alpha male
with a good punch and then making a run for it. She would just have
to convince Sebastian that whatever he experienced was just a
dream.
He sniffed as soon as he got closer and was immediately at the
defensive when she shot a small burst of chakra. Even though she
knew little of wolves, she understood that what she was experiencing
was uncommon. None of the wolves looked eager in attacking her,
and the alpha, though still alert, didn't seem aggressive at the
moment.

Finally he turned his body around and started stalking off, but he
abruptly stopped and looked at his side, his golden eyes staring at
her as if he had a question. Sakura didn't think for a second about
moving, but when two wolves brushed past her and joined the alpha
in his waiting, her instincts kicked in and she started following them.

It was weird, walking in the middle of a wolf pack, and strangely

exhilarating. She always knew she had a good connection with
animals, but she had no idea it was this good. Wolves, revered
predators in this area, were walking alongside her as if it were a
normal occurrence, but she was almost positive that a nice, relaxing
stroll with canids wasn't what Walden actively advertised.

She felt the chakra presences of various humans congregated

together, indicating a human settlement. She didn't even care if it
was Walden or not, because just being back in civilization and
surviving the night was a success. Sakura was shocked to find the
level of intelligence in wolves to be high enough to understand her
predicament, as well as their problem solving skills to lead her back
to safety.

The alpha male stopped, howled, and then ran off to the east, his
wolf pack following close behind him. Now that their job was done,
they could go back to their normal routine.

But not even her wonder could keep her from sensing the presence
that suddenly appeared behind her.

" Don't look back," the deep voice said calmly in Japanese. She
stiffened and coiled her muscles immediately, ready to drop
Sebastian and engage with the mysterious man. " It's good to see
you, Sakura."

She shivered at the familiar way he said her name. " Who are you?"

"I'm a friend. I just wanted to drop by to see how you were doing."

"I'm smart enough to know that's a lie."

The man chuckled, a sound paradoxically filled with both pride and
contempt. " Oh, in the beginning I had my qualms, but seeing how
beautifully everything is going makes me very happy. You are an
excellent Vessel."

"What are you talking about?"

"Hmm, you don't need to know that; it might ruin the process. Well, it
seems my time is up and I have to leave. Continue building strong
relationships, will you? Immerse yourself in this world. And
remember, I'm always able to watch you, Sakura."

The man body-flickered away, leaving Sakura breathing harshly and

very perturbed. She was glad Sebastian was asleep, because there
was no way she would be able to explain this to him, because she
wasn't sure herself. Though the man hadn't threatened her, she was
very sure they hadn't shared a close bond, otherwise he would've
attempted to convince Sakura to go back with him.

And then there was the matter of her role in his plans. He had called
her a Vessel, right? A Vessel for what?

She sighed and shifted Sebastian a little bit more so that they could
both be more comfortable. This was not the time to be thinking of
such things, especially when she needed to get to safety and
Sebastian needed a warm bed to rest in.
Sakura didn't like the outlook of the 44th Expedition. The sky was
gray, very gray, and the air felt more humid than usual. The storm
was coming from the north, which meant that even if they tried to
come back they wouldn't be able to avoid it, but at least they
would've been close to home. However, they had already spent a
whole day riding, so by now it was too late.

The main issue with the weather was that it ruined their strategy for
titan detection. The Commander hadn't found a way to make the
flares visible with the rain and it usually led to more deaths because
of the lack of communication. Apparently, there had been a huge
accident in an expedition a couple of years ago because of the rain.

Before the Special Ops squad would've been in some real trouble,
since they lost visibility and couldn't communicate with the Survey
Corps, but since Sakura could sense titans, her team was just a bit
more stressed out than usual. After all, fighting in the rain was much
harder than normal fighting, since raindrops usually got in the way
and slowed them down. And slippery surfaces caused accidents, but
that was more uncommon.

"Still nothing?" Oluo sped up his horse, Felsen, and maintained

Haruto's speed. His voice was uncaring, but Sakura knew him well
enough to detect the hints of anxiousness in his face.

She understood; she was anxious as well. "No titans. Maybe there's
no sun and they can't come out?"

"That's what the stories say, but we know that's not true. Besides,
there's still some light, or we wouldn't be able to see."

Sakura nodded grimly and looked forward, eyeing the open field with
growing wariness. "True. But still, I haven't felt anything. We should
worry about finding the campsite instead. If we don't resupply, we'll
be screwed."

"We haven't used gas yet."

"I meant food. I'm really hungry."

"Did someone say food?"

Even if she hadn't recognized the voice, she would've still guessed
who it was. "Yes, Gunther, someone did mention food, but not
because we're about to eat."

To her right, Gunther grinned sheepishly. He was the one who ate
the most out of the group and got hungry the fastest. Considering his
height and weight, it was normal that he ate the most, but he enjoyed
food with such a passion that if it weren't for the Survey Corps's
intense training, poor Gunther would be fat. "It just got me a bit
excited. I'm starting to feel a bit weak."

That was true, now that Gunther mentioned it. They had ridden for
so long and they still hadn't managed to reach a supply point where
they could rest and eat, and it wasn't like they could just stop in the
middle of an open field with no buildings to set camp. Besides, it
would be almost impossible to coordinate without the Long-Range
Scouting Formation working.

Just then, Sakura felt six titans, a bit evenly spaced from each other,
and resisted the urge to groan out loud. Fighting titans in the rain
was hard, fighting titans in the open field was hard too, but fighting
titans in the rain and in the open field was extremely hard. At least
there were no aberrants; that would just make things even harder.

She shouted out their locations and the team immediately readied.
Levi decided that they would split up in pairs and each pair would kill
two titans, which was what Sakura had predicted he would do. Oluo
and Petra were given the eastern titans, Gunther and Eld the center
ones, and Levi and her went for the western ones. They were each
around half a kilometer apart, which meant that they wouldn't easily
help each other, but they had spent seven months working together
as a team and had gone out together for six expeditions; they could
handle this.
The three pairs separated when Sakura felt the titans closing. Even
with the downpour, it was easy to see where the titans were located,
since they were quite tall and sometimes made moaning noises. Levi
looked back to Sakura, who was riding a bit behind, gave her a hard
look, and she nodded, understanding what he wanted to do.

It was a risky maneuver, but they had practiced it so much that it had
lost the thrill of danger. Sakura sped up her horse so that they would
pass right in front of the titan. Of course, the titan would try to reach
down and grab her, but by then Levi was already behind the
crouched titan and it was a simple kill; he even had enough time to
get back on Makimi.

She kept riding on the direction of the last titan and also felt one of
Eld and Gunther's assigned titans getting closer to them, but she
paid it no mind, knowing that they could handle it. Sakura took
advantage of the sound created by the rain and rode behind the last
seven-meter class, slashed its Achilles' heels, got out of the way it
was going to fall, then slashed its neck once she reached it once she
realized Levi was nowhere to be seen.

Sakura frowned; that was weird. He usually didn't leave her alone
with any of their plans because he knew how dangerous they were.
She tried looking for his chakra signature and pinpointed it a bit later,
with the Eld and Gunther. Why was he there?

The kunoichi stared at the disintegrating titans and decided to leave

the place and join the rest. She reached them fast enough, and was
surprised to see Gunther trapped in a dead titan's hand, trying to get
out. Eld was helping him get out, and Levi was cleaning his swords
like he usually did when he got blood on them.

She dismounted Haruto right next to Levi. "What happened?" she

asked him.

"I thought I heard a yell, so I sped here and saw Gunther trapped
meanwhile Eld was getting the other titan. You can guess the rest."
"So you left me alone to handle the last one? I could've died." Even if
the question sounded accusing, her tone of voice was nonchalant.
She knew she wasn't going to die, so there was no reason to make a
big drama out of it. The question was, did he trust her to not die or
did he simply not care?

The Captain looked up at her and raised an eyebrow. "There's no

logical reason why that titan could've eaten you. Unless you're
suicidal, there's absolutely no way you couldn't have handled it.
We've fought long enough to know that."

She grinned, satisfied by his answer. "Of course! I'm the only one
who can beat you so bad at sparring sessions."

"That was only one time and--"

"Captain, with due respect," Eld cut in, supporting a heaving Gunther
around his shoulders, "the whole team knows it's been more than
one time."

Her smile widened further at the wink the blond sent her, and she
suddenly felt much more comfortable about the expedition, even with
the horrible weather.

She was having a nice dream, she was sure of it, until someone
shook her awake. Sakura groggily woke up, her mind and body still
tired from the 44th Expedition, but Petra was really insistent on
something. She groaned, "Petra?"

"There's something I have to tell you."

Sakura's green eyes focused on Petra, her blushing face the first
thing that she noticed. What was wrong with her? She immediately
sat up and put her hand on her forehead. "Hm, you're hot. Are you
sick?"
Petra walked back to her bed and sat on it, peculiarly avoiding her
gaze by staring at the floor. "You have to know something."

She raised a pink eyebrow. "Couldn't it wait until later?"

The younger woman ruefully shook her head, but still avoided her
stare. "No, I've been wanting to tell you for a while but it's until now
that I get the courage. I might not do it later."

"Okay, I get it. What is it?"

She murmured something unintelligible that not even Sakura's

sensitive ears could make out.

"Come again?"

"I… I think I'm in love with Captain Levi."

Sakura blinked and processed the words once, twice, thrice. Petra in
love with… the Captain? What? "Huh?"

Petra raised her head and her gaze wavered for a couple of seconds
before it hardened. "I'm in love with Captain Levi," she said with
much more determination.

Shit. "Where did this come from?" She had to keep her cool and not
push her away. Levi wasn't a man Petra should've fallen for, and yet
she did. Not only that, but she didn't want her warnings to Oluo
about Petra finding another guy to become real, especially not Levi
out of all people.

"He's… Well, I understand he's not very friendly, yes, and that he
can be quite mean at times, but you remember last expedition, when
he saved Gunther from that titan?"

She couldn't forget. The Captain had ditched her to the rescue, but
she couldn't very well complain knowing that he had saved her
teammate after all. "Yeah, what about that?"
"It made me realize that he cares more about us than he lets on. And
caring in his line of work is dangerous, because any of us could
always die. Yet he still tries to make us the best at our craft and
improve our survival rate…"

"He's cold, but not heartless. Of course he doesn't want us to die,"

she said in what she hoped was a neutral tone. She had to kill
Petra's love as soon as possible, or Oluo would find out and have a
broken heart. Besides, Petra was being blind; Oluo and her were
meant for each other on so many levels it was painful to watch.

"I know, but he's just an admirable man and I can't help but to love
him."

"It sounds to me as if you have a crush," she replied truthfully. Yes,

downplay her feelings and maybe she will realize her silliness.
"Besides, I don't recommend getting anything serious for the
Captain, Petra. You know how taboo relationships with teammates
are." She wasn't going to have a repeat of what happened to Liesel
and Jung, because Jung could've lived if he hadn't been so in love
with Liesel.

Petra bit her lip and looked down. "I don't think it's a crush, but I
agree with you on the relationship part. I wasn't… No, that would be
a lie. It would be a lie for me to say that it wouldn't make me happy
to know he felt the same way about me."

Oh boy.

Sakura went from her bed to Petra's and put a comforting hand on
her shoulder. As much as she wanted her and Oluo to be together,
she almost wanted to support her friend in her feelings. Who was
she to decide who Petra was meant to be with? If she was happy
with Levi, then she was happy with Levi, no ifs, ands, or buts. It was
her job as her best friend to try and make that relationship come to
fruition by either advising her or making it happen. "Okay, this is what
we're gonna do. You keep the way you are and I'll try to find out
more if he has an interest in you, alright?"
"No, no, no, you don't have to do that, Sakura. I… I don't want to find
out."

"Why not?"

"Because I rather live in this uncertainty with hope than find out the
cruel truth."

Oh boy, indeed. Petra really was in love.

"Oh," she offered lamely.

Petra grinned brilliantly, the perfect picture of a blushing schoolgirl.

"We'll have fun with this, don't worry! But keep this a secret between
girls, alright? I'll tell Amina right now before I become a coward
again."

That one was easy; she would never tell Oluo in a million years.

With that the woman stood up and left the room, leaving Sakura to
her thoughts. Well, it was Sunday, so they had the day off, and this
day was designated to be spent with Haruto and Makimi, the gentle
horse that had wormed her way to Sakura's heart. Besides, visiting
them would take her mind off from this predicament.

She changed from her nightgown to her uniform, foregoing the

3DMG belts because they weren't necessary. After that it was easy
to follow the routine: get a bucket full of apples, creep her way to the
stable, gather grooming supplies, and scrunch her nose at the smell
of horse shit.

Haruto was always happy to see her, since he always made a

ruckus. This time he woke up poor Makimi from her little nap, but
since she knew the apples were coming then she didn't mind. " Oh,
who's been a good girl?"

She felt a familiar chakra signature entering the stable and she
clammed up before anyone heard her speak Japanese. Sunday
mornings were usually empty because nobody had assigned duties
for the stall until the afternoon since everyone woke up relatively
late. She turned around once she felt the presence sufficiently close
and was surprised to see the short captain staring at Makimi and the
bucket of apples.

Well, it was about time she was going to be busted, but why now?

"Makimi likes them," she blurted out before he could say anything.

"Makimi?"

Of course her real name wasn't Makimi, stupid, she thought

mockingly. "Uh, that's what I named her."

"You're telling me that after all this time, you still don't know her
name?"

"No…"

Levi shook his head but offered no comment. Instead he got an

apple from the bucket on the floor and gave it to Makimi. "Her
name's Isabel. She used to be completely quiet and tame until a few
months ago, when she started complaining whenever I visited her
until I brought her an apple. Now I know it was you who spoiled her."

"It's not my fault she's so adorable. That and she's the only one that
can handle being so close to Haruto."

"You mean Samson?"

"After all this time, you-- Oh." She was preparing a rant on how he
was being a hypocrite for not knowing her horse's name, but she
knew he was just teasing her because there was a humorous glint in
his eyes she seldom saw. Wait, he was being cordial with her? What
was this sorcery? "Ha, ha, very funny." His sense of humor was still
shit.
Haruto started whining and moving his head up and down, which
was normal, but the action seemed to be aimed at Levi, which was
weird. Her horse only did that when he wanted to play with someone
he personally knew, meaning that Levi had played with him before,
but that was impossible, right?

"Your horse is impossible unless I give him apples," he explained.

"Besides Isabel always refuses me unless I give some to him, so it
works out in the end."

Sakura smiled coyly at Haruto, even though he probably didn't

understand the action. "Oh, Haruto, you dog," she whispered to him.
"I thought you liked Lea? And the Captain's horse? You go big boy!"

Lea was Gunther's horse, one stationed in another stable, but they
were known to play quite frequently whenever they were relaxing in
an expedition. But of course he would go for Mak-- Isabel, the
Captain's precious horse.

"What are you saying?"

"Just expressing my happiness that Haruto has a loyal friend."

"One that refuses apples until I give some to him?"

"The very definition of loyalty in horse language."

Levi shook his head at her stupidity, but she could see the
beginnings of a small smile. "Go make me my tea and leave it in my
office."

"Yessir."

She left the stable but decided to look back before she left and was
astonished to see the tender look he had reserved for only Isabel,
one she thought he was incapable of producing. Maybe it wasn't
such a bad idea for him to look at Petra that way, and maybe it
wasn't a bad thing that Petra wished it.
Gaaasp is that plot you see? Actual relationship development
between two pigheaded titan-killers? Drama between other
main characters? Addressing the amnesia issue? Why yes,
your eyes don't deceive you, and I hope everyone is happy
because I sure am. I know you're all itching for Sakura to reveal
her powers and kick major ass in the Survey Corps, but it all
has it's time. Don't worry, it'll be very soon, because next
chapter…

Is officially back to the SnK plot. Meaning things will pick up

really fast after that.

There will be similarities and differences. Isayama is telling

Eren and humanity's story, meanwhile I am exclusively
dedicating my time to Sakura's story. Also, things are going to
naturally delve into AU considering the nature of Sakura's
powers, especially when she finally reveals them and… well,
shit happens.

Also, some of you have asked if Sakura remembers her dreams.

The answer is no. There is an explanation for this (as well as
almost everything that is happening right now), and will be
revealed much later on. For now, simply enjoy the Naruto-verse,
because things start to get weird over there from now on.

My immense thanks to AmeRaSora, hotredsakura1315, Lady

Light, YuukiChanLove, Basia Orci, Love Remedy,
FairiesDescent, Sincerely Athena, catxangel, Atsirk Enoh,
cj1of4, miss-weena, pierce through the heart, Sky65,
CloudMonkey, tsukinoyume11, The Benevolent Scriber,
mun3litKnight, Guest, Dyz, Ikillatfirstsight, beast of the 7 suns
megidoh, xbLoOmZx, exaigon, cherryblossom1423, Geniusly-
Unique, brokenmaelstrom, Guest, Mayflowerz 411, Steph, dor
dor dor, and Dante's disciple for being so wonderful and leaving
refreshing reviews! Also, thank you to those who added this
story to their alerts and favorites! You guys are wonderful!
Reviews are wonderful

Penpal
Reunion
She should've known it was going to be a very difficult day the
moment both Amina and Hange barged into her breakfast routine the
morning before the 52nd Expedition.

Sakura finished drinking her milk and looked at both women with
suspicion. "This doesn't look good," she murmured under her breath,
but put on a bright smile when Hange sat across from her and Amina
besides her.

"Ah, dear Sakura! Is it me or does your beauty grow every day?" her
best friend said with an infectious grin.

The kunoichi's eye twitched and she frowned disapprovingly. "What

do you want?"

Hange slapped an enthusiastic hand on the tabletop, making Sakura

jump slightly. "It's more of a what do we want! We want you to help
us capture a titan!"

The pink-haired girl blinked. They wanted what? "You want a what?"

"A titan."

Well, yeah, she had heard that they wanted a titan, but why ? "…
What for?"

Amina crossed her arms and rolled her eyes at her. "Duh, to study."

"We already know how to kill them. I don't think there's anything
more to study."

Hange eyed her with disappointment. "To think that Levi has
corrupted you so quickly."
She bristled, not liking the comparison to her superior. "What are you
talking about, the Captain 'corrupting' me?"

"That's something he would say! Besides, weren't you there when I

gave Oluo a lesson on why it's important to study titans?"

Oh, yeah, she remembered that day quite well. Her fist had been this
close to punching her cheek for daring to put Oluo in danger, but she
later realized she had overreacted. Still, it had been quite a shock to
see Hange so… pushy and violent about her agenda. Still, she had a
valid point, one she had embarrassedly forgotten. "Fine, I'll help. But
why did you come to me and not the team?"

Hange grinned and patted her shoulder awkwardly from across the
wooden table. "Ah, thank you! We knew you were the more
reasonable of them! Well, Levi will never in a million years offer his
team to help me out with something he thinks is useless, even if I'm
the most convincing person in the Corps." A lie, but Sakura
remained wisely silent. "So I had to go for individuals, and from the
team, you're the one who has the sensing ability and will least
impact the team chemistry."

"What she's trying to say is that your partner is the Captain, and
more often than not you never help each other out," Amina quickly
added after sensing the growing tension in Sakura's shoulders. As
well-meaning as Hange was, she sometimes was too blunt and had
difficulty wording certain things. Moblit kept her out of physical
trouble, but Amina kept her from making enemies in the Corps.

Sakura nodded, finally understanding why they had come to her.

They couldn't get the whole Special Operations Squad, but getting
one member was pretty darn good. "It's a bit short notice… Can we
save this for the next expedition?"

"We have the team ready to take your orders. Moblit is in it too."

She perked up at this, happy to hear that she would be on a team

with someone she knew. "What about Carlo?"
"Carlo is dead," Hange said tonelessly, but Sakura could sense that
she was rather guilty from this fact.

Sakura looked down at her bread and suddenly felt her appetite go
away. Carlo had been game-changer for Sakura, for he and Moblit
told Commander Erwin of her sensory powers. Though at the
moment she felt betrayed, now she was extremely grateful for what
they had done, because who knows where she would be had it not
been because of them. "Oh," she said lamely. "That's… I didn't
know."

"I'm on that team," Amina supplied somberly. "The Squad Leader

and I thought it would be best, since you know our fighting styles
best."

"Yeah," she replied distractedly. "But what's the plan? Actually, hold
that thought, I need to ask the Captain first."

Erwin had spent precious time and resources in creating weapons

and a titan-capture plan. It relied on barrels filled with hooks similar
to the ones in their 3DMG. They were fired at rapid speed with the
help of gas and were attached to a net. The downside of the net was
that it needed to be fired from a greater height than the titan to
capture them, so they would need to herd the prey to the stationary
barrels, because they were too heavy to move around.

Moblit and Amina had been planning this for quite some time, and
had deliberately sought Sakura at the last minute for fear of ruining
her cooperation. Hange knew that Levi would refuse lending his
second-in-command, but it was impossible for him to refuse
something that would happen the next day and relied heavily on
Sakura's sensing skills. And Erwin would no way cancel the plan, so
Hange had his backing. Manipulative, yes, but it worked. Levi had
been furious, of course, but Hange reassured that this happened at
least once every two months and they went back to being buddies
and making jokes about shit.
Lovely friendship.

But that was it. Moblit and Amina knew the how to herd the titan plus
all the emergency procedures meanwhile Sakura just had to find
them one and guide it to the trap. Only Hange's squad was involved
too, because having too many people would endanger the mission.
They only wanted two titans, three tops, because Hange was unsure
how much the barrels could handle, or if they were strong enough to
hold multiple titans. It really depended on the titan, because two
normal-sized ones would fit in one, but a big one wouldn't.

The kunoichi had located a small amount of titans near an

abandoned town near one of their supply points. She tried to help
Hange's squad set up the trap, but she quickly realized that she was
more of a hindrance than anything else; it was very obvious her job
was to make sure they didn't inadvertently run into a herd of titans.

Once the Squad Leader gave her the all clear, she set out with
Moblit and Amina to lure the titans. Though Moblit was in charge of
this part of the mission, Sakura was the de facto leader, considering
her responsibility. It was an immense weight on her shoulders, since
the point of this mission was to capture and not kill, and that required
a certain set of skills Sakura didn't think she had.

After a half an hour of riding she sensed the small group of five
titans, no aberrants. It was the smallest Sakura had been able to find
in the short time frame she had, but since they only needed three at
the most, they would need to get rid of two.

"They're two and a half kilometers away!" she shouted above the
galloping of the horses.

After what felt like two seconds later they were already in plain sight
of the titans. As soon as they saw the soldiers, they shot off after
them at full speed.

Haruto almost went after them, and Sakura had to physically force
him to turn around and flee at top speed. Poor horse was already
used to heading straight into confrontation, so this deviation of the
usual plan probably confused him.

This was a different kind of danger, and a different type of

exhilaration. Being chased instead of chasing. She had forgotten
how it felt to run away from a fight, always running towards it, never
giving up. The Fall of Shiganshina had made retreat look like a
cowardly thing, but she had to admit there was a very real and
psychological danger to what they were doing right now.

She felt a hand reach at them and she moved Haruto out of the way,
narrowly avoiding the titan that was about to grab them. Her heart
was beating wildly and she almost had no time to breathe when
another titan reached for her, but she dodged again. At this rate,
neither one of them would be able to escape. It seemed titans never
tired, or at least tired much later than their horses. Being willingly
followed was quickly proven to be one of the most dangerous things
Sakura had ever done.

However, that didn't mean they had to die. Five against three might
seem bad, especially in open field, but they could pull it off. She just
needed to make sure Moblit and Amina were up to the task.

She sped Haruto up a little to catch up with her teammates and

shouted, "We're not gonna make it! Let's finish them off while we
have the time!"

"No!" Moblit shouted back. "We're close. Let's press on!"

Sakura sputtered, not really believing her ears. Did… Did they
seriously think they could make it? They were around ten minutes
away, and the titans were starting to close in. Plus, their horses were
tiring, and she knew for a fact that Haruto could sprint quickly over
short distances, but his stamina was subpar. "Are you crazy? We
could die!"

"I know, but we must do this!"

"This is stupid! Why would you throw your life away for this! We can't
do this!"

"Someone who hasn't seen all the things the Squad Leader has
done to get this opportunity will of course think this is stupid," Amina
replied coldly. "If we fail right now, we might not get another chance
like this. Funding only comes after success, and we need funding."

"If this is a failure, there will be no other tries," Moblit added, his
voice not as controlled as Amina's.

"If we die here, there will definitely be no other tries! Your lives are
precious!" She was starting to sound more desperate, something
that rarely happened, but having a titan chasing her at top speed
less than three meters away was doing strange things to her sanity.

Amina sped her white horse a bit more, putting more distance
between her and Sakura. "Don't tell me what things I can sacrifice
myself for," she said quickly. "I'm tired of people thinking they need to
coddle me. I want this, dammit! If you're not going to trust me, kill
them! But know that I will never forgive you for ruining this
opportunity."

Sakura grit her teeth and weighed her options. What's more
important, getting out alive or Amina's friendship? The answer was
obvious in hindsight, but in her mind it was not as clear cut. They
were right in the part that if they failed this mission, the Survey Corps
would not spend money and time in giving them another chance to
capture a titan. Their long years of effort, down the drain. But to
throw away their lives for this?

Then again, Eren was willing to throw his life away for vengeance,
and Mikasa would sacrifice herself for Eren. She herself was willing
to give up everything for her family. Perhaps everyone had that one
thing they would do anything for, and Amina had found that in
investigation and science. Who was she to belittle her efforts? She
puts her life where her mouth is, and remembering the cowardly girl
she had met four years ago, this was a surprising improvement.
She tightened her hold on the reins and her hands started shaking.
Trusting other people with their decisions was just as hard as making
the decision, especially when there was no right choice, but Sakura
would trust Moblit and Amina. Besides, they knew the plan better
than Sakura, considering they had been plotting for months. They
must've foreseen this and planned accordingly.

Almost miraculously, the town became visible, and their horses were
still at it. Had they been fed something prior to the expedition to
increase their stamina? Sakura was very sure Haruto couldn't handle
such intense sprint for such a long time without the help of
supplements, supplements she had never consented Haruto could to
be fed.

They entered the town and rushed to the trap site. However, just
before they made the turn to the road, a titan unexpectedly sped up
and grabbed Amina and her horse. At the sight, something
immediately snapped in Sakura and she began readying her 3DMG.

"No! If you go back, the rest of the titans will go after you too!"

Sakura paid Moblit no mind and immediately sent her hook to the
wall of a building adjacent to the arm, signaling for Haruto to
continue forward with Moblit. She used extra gas for more speed and
slashed the titan's arm, forcing him to let go of Amina. Unfortunately,
her friend had to fall down to the ground, but Amina's chakra let an
almost hysterical Sakura know that she was alive and merely
unconscious.

Now she was prey for the wounded titan and four healthy ones, plus
her horse was dead, but Sakura sent a grappling hook to the ground
and landed roughly. She quickly disentangled the unconscious girl
from the titan's grip and picked her up in her arms, then body-
flickered to the roof.

Though she always thought the titans to be mindless, she had to

admit that this one time they quickly went after her, causing her to
body-flicker again to another roof in another street. Their little game
of cat-and-mouse continued this way, with Sakura fleeing to the west
meanwhile the titans destroyed establishments just to get to her.

At this point, either the titans would get her when she finally tired or
her comrades would see her "teleporting" from rooftop to rooftop,
and neither of those options sounded good. Amina was blissfully
unconscious in her arms, so that was good, but she was rendered
useless as a ninja at the moment.

She could sense the chakra of her comrades coming her way, no
doubt curious as to why the mission was taking so long, but they
wouldn't be able to make it in time. Her mind was throbbing, and she
subconsciously placed Amina over her shoulders and made a new
seal.

A puff of smoke appeared next to her, and its wake a perfect copy of
Sakura. The kunoichi wanted to be surprised, but she should've
known that a ninja would have clones at its disposal. The clone
drained half of her reserves, which left her with a painfully low
amount of chakra; she was unable to even muster one of her jutsu
now. She couldn't think of this, however, and quickly shoved Amina
into her clone's arms.

"Take Amina and hide. If you feel a Survey Corps member come by
you disappear, alright? If she wakes up, tell her to remain hidden and
that you're going for backup. Disappear when you're out of her
sight."

The clone's hold on her friend tightened and she body-flickered away
just as the five titans started to close in on her. The titan's arm was
regenerating too, so she would have to worry about that one. Still,
she had the advantage that she was in a particularly high rooftop
and she wasn't too far away from the trap.

She used an extra amount of gas to travel faster. At this moment she
was only concerned in leading the titans and surviving now that
Amina was safe. The roads started to become more and more
familiar, and soon she knew they had won.
The blast of the barrels scared her, but the sound brought the relief
that the mission was a success. Members of Hange's squad
swooped by and killed the three remaining titans which remained at
large.

Sakura landed on a rooftop and placed her hands on her knees,

greedily gulping air. The adrenaline rushing through her veins plus
her low chakra reserves made her especially wary of the people
around her, even if they were her allies.

"Where's Amina?" Moblit asked, his features mixed with concern and
guilt.

She gasped, "Hidden. I'll go retrieve her."

"Let me go with you."

"… All right."

Had she not instructed her clone to disappear at the first sign of a
Survey Corps member, she would've denied his request. Either way,
she was happy Moblit was coming with her, just in case she
collapsed of exhaustion. Her weariness was threefold: of mind, body,
and chakra. Having him around would certainly help.

She didn't know where her clone had taken refuge, but luckily she
was very well acquainted with Amina's chakra. She had to be
mindful of her gas reserves, and her exhaustion was making her
eyelids heavy and her mind spin. White spots started invading her
vision and she felt very hot, extremely uncomfortable. She could
hear Moblit saying something, but she couldn't process his words.
She started losing control of her 3DMG and when she slammed
against a wall, she knew no more.

Shizune acted as a wonderful teacher for Sakura, especially the first

couple of months after Tsunade had let her do hospital rounds. After
years of careful study and practice, she was now ready to treat both
civilians and ninja alike, but right now Shizune had recommended
that she focused on civilians, something Sakura happily did, since
she didn't feel comfortable in healing her comrades.

" Haurno-san," one of the nurses, a small woman with downturned

eyes, called softly. "Shizune-sama asked that you report to room 5-
B."

The medic-nin blinked, surprised. The A rooms were for civilians,

meanwhile the B ones for ninjas. Was Shizune now asking her to
look after ninjas? That made her heart start beating uncomfortably
and her mind start to panic. What if she screwed up and ruined the
life of a friend?

She nodded and got her lab coat from the nurse's station. So much
for a relaxing break. Working at the hospital had taught her to
cherish these precious few moments and catch up on sleep,
because considering how busy the hospitals were, there was no rest
for the weary.

Sakura made her way through rather empty hallways to the third
floor, where they started to house the ninjas. 1-B… 2-B… 3-B… 4-
B… Sakura took in a deep breath and tried to figure out the chakra
signatures that were behind the door. One of them was Shizune's,
but the other one was unknown but strangely familiar.

She opened the door and almost froze when she saw Itachi on the
bed, with the normal jounin attire, his back against the headrest. He
still looked as emotionless as ever, but there was a bit of discomfort
on his face. Just like his brother, he seemed to detest hospitals…
Actually, every ninja hated hospitals, and apparently this one wasn't
any different.

" Ah, Sakura! Here she is. I'm sure you're already acquainted with
Uchiha-san." She smiled encouragingly at her, and she had no
choice but to nod along. "He has agreed to be your first ninja patient.
I will be here to supervise, but pretend as if I'm not here."
The medic-nin tried to hide her gulp and nodded with the calmest
smile she could muster. She went through the steps, asking him how
he was feeling and if there were any pains or discomforts, and she
began healing the areas he said he was wounded. This whole time
she couldn't help but wonder why Itachi Uchiha had agreed to
become her first patient, considering that he knew that she had an
intense hatred and fear for him. Even if he had been ordered by
Konoha to do whatever he did (and that brought her own questioning
of her own village), she couldn't forgive all the misery he had
inadvertently caused Sasuke. It just wasn't fair, and now her
teammate had left because of the man laying on the bed.

Maybe that was why Shizune had asked Itachi to be her first ninja
patient. If she was able to act cordial with the man she despised,
then there was no way bias would ever get in the way of her work.

Someone knocked the door and, after receiving confirmation to

enter, a nurse walked in. "Shizune-sama, we have problems with
patient 20-B. She is very adamant in leaving." She appeared meek,
no doubt intimidated by the wounded ninja, something that
happened often.

A dark look crossed Shizune. She detested difficult patients (which

was admittedly any ninja at a moment in time), mostly because
nurses were scared of them and that just added extra work to the
medic-nin, who sometimes had other, more important things to do. "I
can leave this one to you, right?" she asked Sakura.

She nodded with a grin. "I got this. Good luck there!"

Shizune huffed and left the room, taking her dark mood along with
her.

As soon as the door closed, a certain awkwardness descended on

the room. It was easy to follow all the rules and regulations with
supervision, but now that Shizune was gone, she could deviate from
the norm and make small-talk or a joke or a wayward comment. And
doing that with Itachi would be close to impossible considering her
conflicting emotions towards him.

" You don't like me very much, do you," he spoke, and though it was
meant to be a question, Sakura knew that there was no use in lying.

She shook her head slowly, pointedly avoiding his gaze and focusing
on healing his nasty gash on the thigh. "No."

He hummed calmly, not at all put down by her snappish tone. "I don't
blame you. I--"

" Don't misunderstand me," she interrupted, her eyes firmly rooted
on the purple skin that was starting to regain its normal color. "I know
why you did it, and I'm grateful for it. You're a hero in most people's
eyes now. I just can't forgive the trauma you gave Sasuke-kun…
Look where he is now."

" I know," he replied softly. "I made a mistake, and I'm trying to fix it,
but not only with Sasuke."

Sakura finally caved and met his gaze, which was strangely intense
for a man usually so unaffected. "What do you mean?"

" Uzumaki-san told me you're having trouble finding a suitable

instructor for water chakra manipulation."

She stiffened and almost lost concentration with her healing. She
had confided in Kushina about her trouble finding someone to teach
her water jutsu. Her father, though he knew some jutsu, proved to be
a horrible teacher and they had decided to find someone else. But
finding a water chakra user in the Land of Fire was harder than most
people thought. Even Kakashi, who knew a wide variety of jutsu, was
below average at water jutsu. But why was Itachi bringing this up?
"So what?"

" Even though the Uchiha clan excels at fire jutsu, I always preferred
water. I could teach you."
Suddenly his earlier statement made much more sense, and Sakura
couldn't help but bristle. "So this is your idea of 'fixing' your mistake,
Uchiha-san? You sure have a long list ahead of you," she sneered.
"Guilty people don't make good teachers."

" Rectifying something begins with guilt yes," he admitted, a bit less
monotone than usual, "but that doesn't make my offer any less true.
Or my help to Kushina-san false. Or my desire to help Kakashi
improve his Sharingan usage a fluke."

She averted her eyes and focused on his wound, which was now
mostly healed. Now she just needed to do the finishing touches and
check his vitals, but she wanted to prolong the process and see
where the conversation took them. "Why me?" She could understand
why he needed to make it up to Kushina; Mikoto Uchiha, Itachi and
Sasuke's mother, had been Kushina's best friend. Itachi had tortured
Kakashi with Tsukuyomi, leaving him traumatized and in bed for a
week. He probably also needed to make it up to Naruto and others,
but they were wary of him. But Itachi had not once done something
directly to her, so why was he doing this?

" I know Sasuke tried to kill you the night before he left. Perhaps I
didn't do something directly to you, but all the hurtful things Sasuke
has done can be traced back to me."

Sakura stopped her healing and gave Itachi a stern look. "You can't
take responsibility for everything Sasuke does. That's unfair. He' s
his own person, and while you did influence who he is today, his past
does not define him completely."

The Uchiha smiled self-deprecatingly, a sentiment that didn't suit him

completely. "Your logic is right, I think the same way, but I don't feel
that way. Now, I was serious about the offer, Haruno-san. Do you
need someone to help you with water manipulation?"

Well, now was not the time to be stupid. As much as she disliked
him, he was the Itachi Uchiha, renowned genius among the elite.
Who would say no to such an offer, besides the proud? "I think that
would be a good idea."

When Sakura woke up, she sincerely wished to go back to sleep,

considering her splitting headache. The bedsheets were too new to
be hers and the furniture was arranged differently to be the room she
shared with Petra. She was probably in the hospital ward, a place
she had visited once after a training accident. No light was seeping
through the window, denoting either very early morning or the
beginning of the night. Still, she had never been comfortable, so the
sooner she reached her own room, the better she would feel.

She stood up and grimaced slightly at the horrendous night gown

she was wearing. Who knew how many other people had worn this
before? Filthy. A dizzy spell soon hit her after finishing her thought,
her body still not completely ready to get up, but it was too late to
whine now.

The kunoichi searched for her clothes and was happy to find them
laying on a bedside table. She took of her gown and almost fainted
of relief when she saw her chest bindings were the same ones she
had wrapped before the expedition. It would be unfortunate if people
saw the purple rhombus over her heart. It would no doubt raise
questions, inquiries she wasn't ready to answer and she couldn't
reply. Even she wasn't exactly sure what it was, other than it held an
immense amount of dormant chakra. If she only knew how to access
that power and how to use it…

She found her clothes at the footrest of the bed and quickly changed,
no longer able to handle the odor, and left the nightgown neatly
folded on the bed. A bath was in order, but first she had to find out
some things, namely if the mission was a success or how long she
had been out. In good plan, it took about a half a day to get over
chakra exhaustion, but adding the mental and physical exhaustion…
A day tops.
Sakura opened the door and noiselessly stalked the hallways. She
sent chakra to her eyesight to improve her night vision, and soon she
was navigating out of the hospital building and into the mess hall.
From there getting back to the Special Operations wing was easy as
pie.

As happy as she was to be back in her room, she just couldn't go

back to sleep, especially smelling as she did. She quietly opened the
door, cursing the squeaky wood, but sighed in relief when Petra
simply moaned softly and changed sleeping position. Sakura went to
her wardrobe and got out a towel and a new uniform, then left as
quietly as she had arrived.

The bathroom would of course be empty at this time, so she just

went inside. The room was absolutely dark, but the chakra powering
her eyesight made it seem as if she were in broad daylight. She
drew a bath and as soon as the water reached the halfway mark,
she went in, the coldness waking her up completely.

Her muscles relaxed and she let out a content sigh, which quickly
made her frown. Here she was enjoying herself with a bath and she
still hadn't checked whether Amina and Moblit were fine? What kind
of comrade was she? But then again, nobody would be awake at this
time. She should've just gone back to sleep, but such an idea was
impossible now that her body was wide awake.

Light started seeping through the window so slowly that when

Sakura realized it, dawn had already come and her fingers had
turned into prunes. She got out of the bath, dried herself, then put on
her uniform. There was no way she was going to sit down from
practice, even if she had just woken up recently.

She opened the door slowly and went back to her room, where Petra
was already up and putting on her boots. She looked up from her
work and scowled at Sakura. "Couldn't you rest for more than five
hours?"

"How was the mission?"

The woman shook her head and grunted. "Success. Though you
should seriously rest. What you did was--"

"Dangerous, yeah. But I saved Amina, right?"

Petra sighed and stood up from the bed. They had been together in
the Special Operations Squad for almost a year now, and she could
see the changes in Petra's demeanor. Oh, she was still a
sweetheart, but there was a hidden strength that had not been there
before, one that appeared after being entrusted with a great
responsibility. Even though Sakura was technically her superior, she
felt every bit an equal next to Petra. "I know, and for that I'm grateful.
You should know I will never criticize a decision you make. I trust
you."

Sakura smiled, happy to hear the words even if she knew them to be
true if left unsaid. "I know, but I have to admit I'm not fully convinced
with the decision Squad Leader Hange took. It was too dangerous."

"I had my qualms about it, but you seemed excited so I didn't say
anything."

"They gave Haruto something to increase his endurance. Not only

that, but they supplied me minimal information about the mission. I
was in grave danger. If I wasn't a--" Well, she was going to say ninja,
but she couldn't come out and say that, right? "If I hadn't been lucky,
Amina and I would be dead."

"More troubling is that the Captain let you go on this mission. He

should've refused, right?"

In that area, Petra was wrong. Sakura had been happy Levi had
respected her decision, whether it was because he trusted her or
because Hange had really manipulated him with the last minute
decision. Yes, she was his second-in-command, but he had to give
her some leeway in what she could do, right? "No, that's fine. He
knows I'm not stupid enough to die." But she had been stupid
enough to accept a mission with minimal information. She would
have a stern talking with Amina about this.

"Let's just not repeat this, all right? And Amina… I'll talk to her. There
are some things we must settle."

Sakura shivered at how menacing Petra sounded, and she truly

feared for her best friend. "Wait, Petra, I should be the one to talk to
her."

"No, I will. Besides, the Captain requested that you meet him in his
office as soon as possible." She walked past her and went for the
doorknob.

She blinked. "He's awake?"

Petra threw her a smirk and opened the door. "You were in the
bathroom a very long time."

Well, now she really had no choice but to go to his office. She kind of
owed him, in a way. He had trusted her rather dangerous and stupid
decision, so she should return the courtesy and receive his
chastisement. Now that she looked back to it, Levi had seemed more
annoyed at her than at Hange's request, and it was no doubt her
stupidity at accepting such a risky mission with almost no
information. In the end things had gone well, but if she hadn't been a
ninja, both she and Amina would be in a titan's stomach by now.

Sakura knocked on the door and jumped slightly when she heard the
confirmation to go in. She opened and saluted immediately, though
she was unsurprised to see him boring holes at his paperwork. She
quickly crossed his room and sat in the right chair opposite to his
desk, waiting patiently until he finished.

"Now you know why I wanted you to refuse Shitty-glasses, right?"

Levi said without even looking up. Normally this would annoy the shit
out of her, but right now she had no right. "She's smart. She knows
that not only you're a sensor, but you relish doing dangerous things
and you have a stupid ego. And this mission had suicide stamped on
it."

"She wouldn't give me a mission if she knew it would kill me," Sakura
quickly replied, defending Hange. She was the one who accepted,
she was the one who could've said no. She even ignored his
criticism of her in favor for keeping Hange out of it. There was no
reason to blame Hange for her decisions. "Besides, there was a
good reason why the mission was short-notice."

Levi finally stopped moving his pen and gave her a cold glare. "Ah,
because I would've refused, no? Well, there is a grain of truth in that.
Yes, there is no way I would let Hange borrow one of my
subordinates, and she did place me in an uncomfortable position
with it being so abrupt. But there was a good reason why I would've
refused if I had been given time, and it's not because of the lack of
information.

"There have been missions where everyone just follows orders and
no one really knows what's going on, and it's required of the soldiers
to be obedient and not question anything. I would've refused
because you're not trained to lead titans, Ackerman; you've spent all
this time killing them. I hope this has been an eye-opening
experience for you, and don't make a stupid decision again. You may
not regret it this time, but I'm not so sure about next time."

Sakura opened her mouth, ready for a hot reply, but thought better of
head and simply shut herself and nodded. Levi was right, as much
as she loathed to admit it. She had been excited to please Amina
and use her powers for another squad, but she hadn't thought about
the danger she was putting herself in. Petra wanted to scold Amina,
but Sakura also needed a harsh talk.

"What, no reply?" Levi prodded, strangely amused. "That hit to the

head must've been harder than what I thought."

"Now that you mention it, perhaps it was. I should be excused from
practice today, no?"
"Tough shit, Ackerman. You're getting beat up today, and not only by
me. I'm sure the rest of the squad has a few select punches for you."

Sakura sighed deeply and nodded in defeat, but she couldn't help
the small smile at the thought of practice with her squad.

The people of Trost were unusually cheery the morning of the 56th
Expedition. The Survey Corps had brought many successes in the
year 850, from extending supply points for more than two hundred
kilometers south of Wall Rose to capturing two titans for research
purposes. The people were happy, the Survey Corps was happy,
and, even more bewildering, the Military Police didn't look at them
like cockroaches.

Sakura didn't want to seem conceited, but she had to admit that
some of those successes were the result of her own sensory
powers. She and Mike provided valuable intel to Erwin, ranging from
titan location as well as aberrant status. Her own power was a bit
more refined than Mike's, since now she could sense them as much
as four kilometers away, and she had become acquainted with her
own teammates' chakra signatures so she always knew how safe
they were.

Her popularity in the Survey Corps had become much bigger, but it
hadn't quite caught on like Levi or Erwin's popularity in the general
populace, mostly because her ability to sense titans was not exactly
a secret, but not exactly advertised. The soldiers had kept quiet for
around two years, and when Sakura gathered courage to question
her Commander's decisions, she received a cryptic smile and a
rueful reply, "I don't really trust them."

Who them was remained a mystery, but as long as she got to keep
her comfortable position in the Survey Corps, she didn't mind.

Eld's chuckles brought her back to the present. "They're rather rowdy
today, aren't they?"
Sakura smiled and also observed the crowd with satisfied smile.
"Must be the fresh meat. They graduate soon, right?"

"That explains. Shouldn't your sister be in there?"

"Yeah. She must be here somewhe-- Ah, there she is."

Sakura spotted her adopted sibling standing next to Eren and Armin.
They were currently speaking with a Garrison soldier, one that
looked strangely familiar but she couldn't quite put a finger on where
she had seen him.

The blond Garrison soldier seemed to remember her, however,

because he paled when he met her eyes and hastily broke contact
with her, as if he were scared of her. Sakura frowned, concerned;
she hadn't hit him, right?

Eren followed the source of the Garrison soldier's discomfort and

waved excitedly at her. Armin seemed happy to see her as well, but
he was more subdued in his greeting, and Mikasa, though she was
with her friends, seemed to be in deep thought about something
else. She smiled and waved back, happy to have seen her wards
before leaving.

"You know them?" Gunther asked. "I didn't peg you as the type to be
a mentor. You have no patience for children."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you mean I have no

patience? I put up with all of you, don't I?"

"Barely."

Sakura huffed but didn't argue; she was rather snappish after all.
"The brunet's family took Mikasa and me in after our parents died, so
Eren's like an adopted brother." So was Mikasa, for that matter, but
nobody knew that. "The blond's grandfather is the reason why I
joined the military, and he saved my life after Shiganshina fell, so I
look after Armin in his stead."
Though Eld was focusing on the road ahead and wasn't looking at
her, Sakura knew that his frown was caused by what she told him.
"Sometimes I forget that you lived in Shiganshina…"

"Sometimes I do too," she murmured.

"Hey, Pinky! Wanna make a bet!"

Sakura resisted the urge to groan; she was having a mildly intimate
moment with her teammates, but trust Oluo to be an idiot and ruin it.
"I'll beat you anyway, old man. Give me a good reason why."

Oluo sped up and pushed poor Eld out of the way. The blond shot
the younger man a rather nasty look, but Oluo was being such a
thickhead that he didn't even notice. "Don't act so high and--" He bit
his tongue harshly and blood sprayed in the air.

Sakura sighed, shook her head, and urged Haruto to move faster,
leaving the eventual chastisement Petra would give him for being so
stupid and for wearing the cravat.

They came to a stop and waited for the gates to open. The crowd
started dissipating, but Sakura still felt light and content knowing that
the people were supportive of them. She remembered how the
Shiganshina citizens looked at the Survey Corps of the time, with
growing weariness and complaints of taxpayer money going to some
foolish dream of taking back the land from the titans.

It was a foolish dream, Sakura admitted that, but at least the people
around her didn't think so.

On the positive side, the way was clear today, so they would be able
to travel faster and farther. They've had trouble in the previous
expeditions, because the sheer number of titans forced them to
retreat before they actually engaged with titans. Today, though, the
way was strangely devoid of titans. The Levi Squad had spent a
couple of hours hunting for titans, but nothing had showed up.
The gates opened, and the Commander ordered the one hundred
soldiers to move. Haruto neighed loudly and followed Isabel and the
Captain closely, ecstatic to be out in the open. Their friendship
surprised Sakura, since horses, just like humans, didn't get much
time to get acquainted, considering the high mortality rate in the
Survey Corps. Petra had already lost her own horse three months
ago, and though it was devastating, she got used to her new one.
But Haruto and Isabel had been together for almost a year now,
something almost unheard of in their situation.

Just like what they had confirmed earlier, the way to the next supply
point was empty, eerily so. Most of her squad mates felt happy, but
both Levi and Sakura were put off by how convenient everything was
going. Sure, this meant less casualties, but if titans were absent, it
was because there was something making them absent. Something
more sinister and mysterious than titans? Kill her now, please.

With the help of the Long Range Scouting Formation and the
amazing luck they had, they were able to travel three hours without
any hassles, but finally encountered a problem when they found out
one of their supply points was infested with titans. Luckily, it was a
town, so that meant that the 3DMG was perfectly usable and they
were at an advantage.

Erwin signaled all of the Survey Corps members to focus their efforts
to clear the town of titans and claim back their supply point. Oluo and
Petra were excited to get back in action and disappeared as soon as
they were able to locate a titan, meanwhile Gunther and Eld were
much more subdued about it. Both Levi and Sakura stayed on their
horses for a little while until she located an eleven-meter and
immediately went after it. She heard Levi going the other way,
meaning that he was getting the thirteen-meter further down the
road.

Levi was in the middle of killing it when Sakura saw an eight-meter

running down the little dirt path, intent on colliding with him. Sakura
sighed and aimed her hooks towards its eyes. Once she stabbed
them, she sent the gas down to boost her up, flipped over its head,
attached herself to the nape, and slashed it twice. The titan abruptly
stopped running and started falling, but by then Sakura was already
perched on a rooftop, watching the blood disintegrate from her green
cape.

The Captain didn't even look at her twice before shooting off into
another titan, leaving her behind. They had a bit of an unorthodox
partnership, but it worked. Instead of taking down a single titan
together most of the time, they focused on staying out of each
other's way and clearing the path. They worked best solo, but she
had to admit that not worrying about surrounding titans was a nice
plus. Of course, there were times when she was in a pinch and he
came to the rescue and there were other times when a titan
surprised the Captain, so she helped him out, but those instances
were so few and far in between that they were somewhat of an
anomaly.

Sakura located Amina fending by herself and decided to lend her a

helping hand. She was expecting to be rebuked by her, but the
kunoichi was surprised to see a grateful smile once they were
relatively safe on a house's rooftop. "Thanks," she said sincerely. "I
didn't think I could handle that."

"You were a bit out of it. Are you sure you're fine?"

Amina nodded and started searching around. "Yeah, I was trying to

keep it alive. Squad Leader Hange asked me to see if I could study
some of the titan hunting patterns."

"Isn't Sonny and Bean enough for studying?" she asked, trying to
mask her annoyance. Sakura had helped her get her hands on those
two titans, and it hadn't been easy. Now she wanted more, and she
was putting her best friend's life in danger for that? She was a bit
upset about that, but wisely kept her mouth shut, considering that
Amina idolized Hange.

"There's so much we can learn from them. We can't study titan killing
because they're chained. A lot is at stake here."
"Just… Don't do this alone, will you? I'll help you out." Once Amina
had something in mind, nothing would dissuade her. Whether it was
a personality trait or Sina lifestyle coddling, if Amina wanted
something, she would get it.

"Thanks, Sakura. We're setting our aims on a bigger one. The one
you just killed was a bit small, so let's look for a bigger titan."

Before, such a task would've been impossible, since Sakura's

sensing abilities weren't sensitive enough to pinpoint titans with high
density, just like how finding a single human in a town was almost
impossible, but she had gotten better and she could now guess their
general location, something that helped the Survey Corps immensely
when trying to set up a supply point.

They were about to send their hooks in search of the nearest titan
when a yellow flare was shot near the town's center. Amina and
Sakura looked at each other, confused, but set off in the direction of
the flare. Yellow was seldom used in the Survey Corps, with
everyone using green, black, or red. It was so rare to use yellow that
Sakura wasn't exactly sure what it meant.

A group of Survey Corps members was already gathered at the

flare's origin. Sakura landed neatly next to Commander Erwin, with
Amina in tow. Levi and the rest of the squad was already there, but
they were too numb to look at her arrival.

"Commander, we came as fast as we could. What is going on?"

Erwin glanced at her, and, even though she had no idea what she
was going to hear, she felt nervous. She had never seen her
commander so at a loss. He always was two steps ahead of
everyone, but, at this moment, he was just as shocked as the rest of
them. "Wall Rose has been breached by the Trost District. We are to
aid them immediately."

Sakura blinked, processed the words, and then looked at her

teammates for confirmation. Trost… Her eyes widened and she felt
fear grip her heart, making it beat faster every second. Her wards
were in Trost, she had just seen them four hours ago! Where they
alive? No, now was not the time for such negative thoughts. She
needed to get there as soon as possible.

"Where are our horses?" she asked her squad. Everyone, except
Levi, looked at her in confusion. "Well, you heard the Commander.
We're going as reinforcements."

"But Sakura… What awaits us there? If Wall Rose has been

breached… We don't have a home anymore and--"

"Shut up, Petra," she growled, surprising her group. She usually
treated her best friend with gentleness and care. "It doesn't matter
right now. We're going there."

"We're sending a preliminary group of around twenty to Trost," the

Commander continued, dissuading the tension that was building
amongst his soldiers. Sakura's optimism had been surprising, but not
unwanted. Spurring a group of hopeless soldiers was a task not
many could do, and Erwin's charisma hadn't reached that level. "I
was hoping Squad Levi be part of this group meanwhile the rest of
the Survey Corps regroups."

"Tch, you should already know the answer, Erwin. All right, get your
horses. We're leaving."

Their well-trained horses were waiting for them in the same area
they had left them off, out of sight. Even though titans didn't prey on
horses, the Survey Corps trainers still made them look for spots
away from titans, just to make the soldiers' lives easier. Sakura
quickly mounted Haruto and headed back whence they came, not
even waiting for Levi to give the order. She had been good with him
all this time, following his instructions, but right now she needed to
hurry back.

Trost was three hours away with the Survey Corps, but around two
hours away with a fast horse and a small company. She knew that
she shouldn't push Haruto too hard, but she just wanted to reach her
wards as soon as possible. They had no doubt been sent to battle,
that with a shortage of soldiers. Just thinking about it made her
shiver and want to push Haruto even harder.

Then there was the matter of what to do afterwards. Considering

they were all alive --she shuddered at the thought of it being
otherwise-- what would happen to them once they had lent their
helping hand? Retreat back to Wall Sina and wait for the refugees to
be sent back life before? No rest for the weary, indeed, but things
would descend into anarchy. Then again, Sakura was sure she could
lead her wards to safety outside safe land. If she continued
practicing, she could dispose of titans with her chakra scalpels and--

She could see Wall Rose in the distance and she quickly pushed
those thoughts away. Now was not the time to be thinking about the
future; she needed to focus on the now.

"It appears the gate has been compromised," Levi shouted from his
position ahead. Indeed, there appeared to be some huge rock
covering the entrance. Sakura felt a surge of hope rising within her.
"We will need to scale the wall!"

"How are we supposed to do that?" one of the soldiers exclaimed.

He was from another squad, and was not used to hearing Levi's
weird ideas. Not that they had much of a choice, considering their
only way of coming in was unavailable.

"Watch and learn!"

As soon as they were close enough, Levi sent one of his hooks as
far up as he could and he left Isabel. He used all of his gas supply to
the left, pushing him to the right. The length of the wire and the
inertia behind the gas almost made him a giant pendulum, and with
all the momentum he easily scaled more than half the wall. Once he
reached the peak of the motion, he simply repeated the process until
he landed on top of the wall.
Sakura grinned, amazed but not at all surprised at her captain. Trust
him to make such outlandish feats. "Well, you saw the Captain! Let's
go and kill some titans!"

Squad Levi and the other soldiers they had brought with them
cheered with her and tried to replicate the Captain's movements, but
most of them needed more tries. Well, Levi had not only showed his
creativity, but also his skill and mastery over the dynamics of the
3DMG. Out of the group, only Sakura was able to replicate it on the
first try, and she was considerably more sloppy and used too much
gas.

The kunoichi ran through the top and threw herself to the ground,
latching herself on the neck of a titan directly below her. She cut the
nape easily and--

"Eren? Armin? Mikasa?" she exclaimed as soon as she finished

killing the titan. It appeared her captain had saved them, because he
was standing directly in front of them on top of a titan's carcass.

She landed on the ground and ran to them, not caring if her speed
seemed a little impossible at the moment. She hugged them Mikasa
and Armin immediately, since Eren was on the floor, out of it, and
pointedly ignoring the curious look she felt from Levi. "Oh, you're
safe! You're safe!" She looked down and saw they were at the foot of
a titan that looked eerily like Eren. "What is this?"

Armin shook his head and put a hand on Sakura's shoulder, pushing
lightly. His blue eyes were determined, but there was an undertone
of fear as well. "It's a long story. We need to get to safety."

The pink-haired woman nodded, her demeanor now serious, and

she looked up to her captain. "I'm taking these three to safety, sir!"

Levi nodded. "Help with cleanup when you come back," he ordered
before he shot one of his hooks to a nearby house, already in titan-
killing mode, not even waiting for her reply. There was no need; he
knew she would follow his command.
Honestly, Sakura was very worried about Eren, but right now she
needed to get the out of this mess. Besides, the longer she looked at
the blood, the crazier she would get. "Armin, take Eren with you.
Mikasa, you will lead and I will cover rear. I will sense for titans, and
we're avoiding unless they're following us. In that case, I will dispatch
of them. And this is an order."

The two lucid teenagers nodded at her quickly, unaccustomed to

hearing that tone of voice. Well, after all the coddling, they probably
thought her incapable of speaking to them in that way, but she had
never felt so afraid in her life. All of her precious people were here, in
one same battle. The quicker she could get them out of it, the better.
Wall Rose's outer wall had been breached, but the inner wall
seemed fine, at least for now. That was where Sakura planned to
take them.

As soon as Armin firmly secured Eren to his side, Mikasa shot off in
the direction Sakura commanded. Thanks to her more exact sensing
abilities, they were able to avoid all the titans in Trost, a feat in and of
itself. Once they were close to Wall Rose, a rather large group of
soldiers met them halfway, their demeanors solemn and thankful.
Just what had her wards done?

"Can you take them from here?" Sakura asked them after they all
landed on the rooftop of a rather large house.

The five soldiers openly eyed her green cape, as if they were
realizing that the fight was just starting for her. "Yes, we can," a
female soldier replied, her voice firm.

Mikasa and Armin stared at her in confusion. They probably didn't

know what Levi meant by "cleanup," or maybe they knew but they
thought she would accompany them for longer. Either way, confusion
made way for nervousness. "Sakura," Mikasa began, her normally
toneless voice gripped with fear.

"I'll be back. You go back inside and relax. You have done your part,
now let me do mine."
The female soldier took Eren out of Armin's grasp and left alone with
two other soldiers. Her sister didn't look pleased by the prospect of a
stranger handling Eren, but she surprisingly didn't say anything,
opting to give Sakura a hug.

The kunoichi stiffened, taken off guard. Sakura was usually the
affectionate one out of the group, and Mikasa starting contact as
intimate as this in open field was almost unheard of. Just what had
happened? What had they seen to make them like this? "Remember
your promise."

She patted her back and warmly replied, "Of course."

Mikasa released her and, with one last look, shot her hook and
headed in the same direction the soldiers had taken of. Only Armin
remained, and he looked as if he wanted to say something, but
Sakura beat him to it. "I don't know what you did, Armin, but you did
admirably; I'm proud of you. Now go and rest. I'll clean Trost from
this filth."

In case Hange's plan hadn't been clear, here's the train of

thought. She knew Levi wouldn't help them capture the titans
(deviation from canon), and wouldn't allow one of his
subordinates to go on that mission because he knows what his
subordinates are made to do. Besides, if this had months of
anticipation, he could refuse and they would simply look for
someone else, therefore absolving him from blame. So, for a
couple of months, Squad Hange planned for months and
suddenly asked Sakura at the last minute. She accepted,
because of the reasons listed above, and Levi couldn't refuse
because the plan was on the same day and if he refused, it
would fail and Erwin wouldn't be pleased after spending all that
money. They gave Haruto medicine to make him stronger that,
though not life-threatening, sure isn't very healthy. And Sakura
wasn't aware of all the details because she didn't need to know.
**Updating will now move to once every three weeks.** I usually
post chapters once I'm done with the next (except this one; I
just finished writing this chapter and I haven't finished chapter
13), but that will change. I want to have a supply of chapters so
that when I start college my updates don't become few and far
in between. That and I have to take care of my other stories,
which have gotten the short end of the stick lately. Never fear,
though, a complete sign will appear on The Vessel (unless I die,
but I find that very improbable considering my lifestyle).

As always, a million thanks to Despairchan, pierce through the

heart,,mun3litKnight, Sincerely Athena, Geniusly-Unique,
AmeRaSora, Love Remedy, catxangel, Lucia Tsukiyomi-hime,
hotredsakura1315, FairiesDescent, xbLoOmZx, YuukiChanLove,
Gibbles, Boingy, Basia Orci, dor dor for, cherryblossom1423,
Lady Light, Steph, serena, Amaya Albarn, Mayflowerz 411,
Duowolf, thentherewasIA, and dark-wolf-howl for being so
wonderful and leaving such amazing reviews! Your kind words
encourage me! And a multitude of thanks to those who follow,
favorite, or simply read the story! The number of visitors this
story has leaves me amazed!

Reviews are love.

Penpal
Aftermath
Cleanup took a grand total of two days, not because the task was
particularly hard, but because Garrison soldiers had trouble
stomaching the destruction of their home. Loss and death was
something the Survey Corps was intimately acquainted with, but the
same could not be said about the general populace, or even the
Garrison soldiers. Their faces were absolutely destroyed. Every titan
they felled brought no joy, no anger; it simply reminded them there
was a real danger out there, one they couldn't fight.

Sakura heard rumors, whispers of the Colossal Titan attacking and

disappearing again. She also heard stories of a green-eyed human
who could turn into a titan, and, though he had helped them seal the
giant hole on the wall, most of the soldiers were unsure how to react
to him. On one hand, he helped humanity win their first battle, but
there was also the sea of doubt on what would happen if he was
unable to control his power. Everyone avoided to say his name, as
though mentioning him would summon him like some demon spirit.

She had an inkling on who this human was, but she would wait until
someone confirmed his identity for her before she jumped into
conclusions.

The streets were mostly destroyed, and the houses that hadn't been
obliterated by titans showed dents from 3DMG hooks or upturned
tiles in the roofs. Trost would have a hard time recuperating from
such a blow, but she only had one place in mind she wanted to visit.
She hoped it was unharmed, but she knew better than to hope in this
world.

She landed gently in front of the Leaping Horse and eyed with
growing sadness the caved in roof, the upturned neighbors'
establishments, the roads littered with fallen debris. She should be
angry, by all means, but all she could manage was an intense grief,
as if she was seeing her childhood falling apart one more time. Her
adoptive parents' murder marked the end of her happiness, the Fall
of Shiganshina marked the end of her safety… What would this
serve to mark?

Did this world have no safe haven for her?

Being in Trost at this time would be near suicidal. Only a select few
citizens had volunteered to search for any survivors or clean up
anything they could meanwhile the soldiers killed the titans. Granted,
titans had been obliterated from this section of Trost first, but she
didn't blame anyone who would avoid being here.

Sakura had left behind her teammates to come here, but she had felt
an overwhelming urge to search for him. Her mind had no idea why,
but her heart wanted to find him and for once she just followed her
instincts.

The entrance to the Leaping Horse was unobstructed, so she went

in. The place was dark and almost desolate, with upside-down chairs
and tables and spilt beer in the floor and smashed glass everywhere
she looked. But even in this mess she saw and felt the chakra of the
two crouched people in the far side of the bar, cleaning and
scrubbing the floor.

Her heart momentarily skipped a beat, and she forced herself to get
a hold of her emotions.

Her boots stepped on some of the glass, alerting the two men of her
presence. The two men turned to her in alarm, but calmed down
when they saw who it is. The owner of the bar had something akin to
relief on his eyes, but Sakura also saw the underlying defeat, even in
the darkness. He was tired, so very beat. Sakura could empathize;
surviving was very exhausting. At least the dead never feared for the
future.

"Go," the owner of the bar told the person who was helping him
clean.
Sebastian seemed unconvinced, but he nodded after the owner of
the bar gave him a meaningful look and immediately headed towards
Sakura's side, the hesitance of his steps weighing him down.

Her heart sighed in relief at seeing Sebastian safe and sound. After
securing her three wards and her teammates, Sebastian was the
only person who had remained unaccounted for. Even if she still
didn't trust him completely, he was still her friend, and she would've
been destroyed if he had died.

He ogled her uniform, and for the first time Sakura realized that he
had never seen her as she was, a soldier of the Survey Corps. She
knew he was probably thinking about all the times she could've died,
every month, with every encounter possibly being their last. It was
one thing knowing that their meetings could end any day, but it was
another thing understanding what that meant.

Sakura licked her lips and stared everywhere that was not his face.
Those scared eyes of his were driving her crazy. She was supposed
to worry about everyone else, not the other way around. "Shall we
go outside?" she asked after the silence threatened to drive her
insane. There was never a time when one of them wasn't talking.
She relished quietness at times, but with Sebastian… She had
always liked hearing his voice.

Sebastian nodded, his mouth a tight line, as if he didn't trust himself

to speak, adding to her aggravation. She wanted him to speak,
dammit! She wasn't dead!

The sunlight affected him more than it affected her. He probably had
spent most of the day stuck in that bar, cleaning with the owner. Had
he gone out and eaten something? Had he been looking for
survivors? Judging from the relative cleanliness of his long-sleeved
white shirt, he must've stayed away from debris. His black pants
were a bit dirtied around the knees, but he didn't seem to care.
There was something off about Sebastian, besides his newfound
vow of silence. After a moment of studying him, she realized it was
his eyes. His blue eyes had always been carefree and full of
laughter, but now they were grim and hard.

They started walking, uncaring that the streets were uncomfortable

to walk in or that a small amount of titans were still out on the
streets. Besides, as long as Sakura was there, nothing would
happen to Sebastian.

"I'm surprised you're here… I would've thought you would be in the

refugee camps."

She felt his gaze on her, but she kept staring ahead, not trusting
herself to look at him. She didn't want to meet his destroyed gaze,
one that mirrored her own a long time ago. Protecting people went
farther than protecting them from physical harm, but there were
some instances she couldn't protect anyone from.

"Yeah, I was surprised too," he replied softly. "But I was there, when
they attacked. I've never felt so scared and helpless before in my
life. The people's panic became my panic, and it just grew until I felt I
was choking and there was nowhere to run and--"

Sakura cringed and gritted her teeth, now pointedly looking forward.
"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

Sebastian came to a stop, forcing Sakura to also halt and to stare at

him. His features were still hard, but there was a light in his eyes that
hadn't been there before. "No, I want… No, I need to talk about it,"
he whispered harshly. "Two days ago I saw people become titan
meals before my very eyes. I'm still not sure how I'm alive right now.
I must be a very lucky bastard to some, but right now I don't feel very
lucky at all." There was the desperation Sakura had felt in him, the
tight coil frustration unwinding with every word he spoke, with every
feeling he recognized. Talking was always therapeutic, and
Sebastian was helping himself unknowingly. "And I know myself
enough to know that this is the beginning, that it'll only get worse the
more I live. That I will be on my deathbed and I'll still remember all
the people that died today.
"But I also know that you have lived this longer than I have," he
continued much more calmly. "I've known you're a soldier the
moment I saw you, not because of my mission, but because there
was something in the way you stood. In the snappish way you
treated me. In the way you felt uncomfortable with smiling. But I
never understood what any of that really meant. You've seen horrible
things too, right? You… You can help me, right? You can help me
forget."

Her green eyes were impossibly wide at him, surprised at his earnest
tone. He was staring at her as if she was his salvation, as if she
could solve all of his problems with calculated words, with gentle
caresses, with unconditional support. But he was staring at the
wrong person; she couldn't even help herself, how could she help
another person?

But she was not heartless. Especially not to Sebastian, who had
served as her reprieve from soldier life and responsibilities. She
slowly, carefully, placed her palm against his cheek, feeling the light
stubble underneath her fingertips. He closed his eyes and leaned in
to her touch, placing his bigger hand on top of hers. She gulped and
whispered, "I can't help you, Sebastian. It's something you can't
erase."

He smiled ruefully, but didn't open his eyes. "I know, but I thought it
wouldn't hurt to ask. After all, you've probably seen this more times
than I can count. Not only that, but you've been in danger…" His
eyes snapped open, cold realization dawning upon them, and he
intertwined his fingers with hers. "I can't believe all this time I've been
so close to losing you and…" A guilty look crossed his face, but he
quickly masked it.

Sakura chuckled softly, ignoring his suspicious expression, and ran

her thumb delicately on his cheek. "I'm quite hard to kill, actually. You
have no need to worry about me."

The heavy steps of a titan sounded too nearby for Sakura's comfort,
and she stiffened in response, even if the titan wasn't going on their
direction. Sebastian must've heard it too, because she also saw a
primal fear shadow his eyes. She released his fingers and smiled
apologetically at him. "Duty calls. I'll see you later."

She began to ran in the direction she heard the titan when a strong
hand caught her wrist and pulled her back to him. She didn't even
have the time to act surprised when she felt soft lips on her own,
barely touching, and if she hadn't kept her eyes wide open
throughout the whole experience, she would've never believed it was
actually Sebastian.

He draw back after a couple of seconds and opened his glittering

eyes, staring at her flushed cheeks and shocked expression with a
combination of amusement and satisfaction. "It took me a near-death
experience and a farewell to do this," he muttered to himself. "My
patron called for me to come back inside Wall Sina. It seems our
days of gallivanting are over, my dear."

Even though she knew this day would inevitably come, she still felt
incredibly sad. She had always been attracted to the handsome
musician, but she had thought her crush to be a passing thing. But
she enjoyed that small kiss immensely, and she knew that her worry
for him extended to something more than a simple friendship. Yet,
both she and Sebastian knew that their relationship would've never
worked, because he kept secrets from her, perhaps has lied to her,
and she was a candidate to die every day.

Still, it was nice to daydream sometimes.

"We never finished translating that song, you know."

Sebastian chuckled and nodded along. "But I still remember the

story quite well. It was about a farewell, correct?"

"And a betrayal," she added with a pointed look.

He had the decency to look slightly chastised. "I still really want to
tell you, Sakura, but I can't. Don't worry, it has nothing to do with
you."

She waved her hand in front of her dismissively. "There's no use in

worrying about that. What's in the past is in the past. The good thing
is that we had fun, no?"

"Yes, that we did. However, I'm still not sure my mission is over, so
we might see each other again. Do promise me something, though."

"Sure."

He sighed, frowned, looked to the sides, and sighed again with an air
of finality. "Please protect Amina. She cannot die."

Sebastian was sent from a patron inside Wall Sina on a "mission"

which involved Sakura. Amina was from a wealthy family inside Wall
Sina, one that had expressed her displeasure with her status as a
soldier. "You've been watching over Amina this whole time for the
Burgeis."

Sebastian shook his head, not at all perturbed that Sakura had
figured it out. "Not for the Burgeis; for her father. He respects her
decision and wants to stay away from her life, but at the same time
wants to make sure his daughter is safe."

Now she was annoyed. All this time she thought it was some
government plot or assassination mission he was on, but he was just
acting as a relay for Amina's worrywart of a father. "You know, you
could've just told me from the start instead of making this such a big
thing. I seriously thought you wanted to kill one of us."

He grinned sheepishly. "I know, but I take my promises seriously,

and Amina's father funded my entire career and took me in after
Amina's birth. He asked me to speak to no one about this mission,
and it would be a disservice if I failed him in some way."

"Like you did now?"

"Not really, because I'm sure now that you won't tell Amina."

Sakura reluctantly nodded. "That's true. But no need to tell me to

protect her; I already do when I have the chance."

"I remember her as a brat of the court, but I'm glad she has such a
good friend. I always wished to meet her, but she would've
recognized me instantly. But alas, I'm sure there will be some other
time. This is not a good-bye, after all."

"You sure know how to make everything dramatic."

He grinned and put on a silly theatrical face. "We will see each other
again, my dear, and next time I will make you mine."

Sakura snorted and pushed him slightly. "Ha! That's funny. Nobody
can own me, Sebastian."

"That's true, because beauty cannot be owned, only appreciated and

cherished."

The kunoichi gaped at him and felt her cheeks warming against her
will. She really wanted to wipe Sebastian's smug look from his face,
and when he closed her open mouth gently with his index finger, the
urge to smack him intensified. "You--"

"I believe you have a titan to hunt," he reminded her in a sing-song.

Sakura blinked and tried to sense the titan, only to find in her dismay
that someone had already killed it because she could no longer feel
it. Not that she would tell Sebastian this; she wouldn't be able to
stand being around his infuriating (and exciting) presence any
longer. She snarled her good-bye to mask her embarrassment and
quickly sent her 3DMG hooks away from Sebastian, ignoring the
peals of laughter that followed her.

At least she had made him laugh. It was the least she could do for
someone who was becoming a survivor.
The Survey Corps and Trainees were being housed in the Garrison
castle located inside Wall Rose. Though she had to admire the
stonework and large columns, she detested the darkness and lack of
greenery. This was unlike the Survey Corps headquarters, which
was out in the open and had various woods surrounding it for
training purposes.

Perhaps the part that frustrated her the most was her inability to find
anyone. Everyone was on a run, trying to get supplies to the
refugees or acting as a police force until the Garrison regained
control over the situation or cleaning up. She didn't know where her
squad was, or where her wards were, or even where her commander
was. She had been assigned a small team of Garrison soldiers to
look after meanwhile they killed titans, but they had disappeared
soon after their mission was done because they had been
intimidated by her presence.

So now she simply ambled in the hallways, trying to find something

to do.

"Ackerman!" she heard a low-pitched female voice call her.

Sakura turned around and saw a shorter woman with chin-length

platinum blonde hair and harsh gray eyes. She looked vaguely
familiar, but she definitely did not know her name. "Yes?"

"Commander Pixis has summoned you to his office. I was asked to

escort you there."

She raised a pink eyebrow, skeptical as to why a Garrison

commander would want her, but nodded, motioning for the woman to
lead. The Garrison soldier did without further prompting, foregoing
any attempts at making a conversation or introducing herself. In
some ways, the woman reminded Sakura of herself. She was
obviously well-respected, because the lower-ranked Garrison
soldiers saluted at her with a mixture of respect and pride. Earning
respect was easy, but being someone else's pride was something
even she had been unable to become in the Survey Corps.

Commander Pixis's office was far away from the quarters she had
been assigned, and the way was quite complicated, with a mixture of
sharp turns and going up in the staircases. The solider who was
leading Sakura was well-acquainted with the path, walking as if it
had been yet another day.

They reached a door, and the solider knocked harshly three times.
"Commander Pixis! This is Rico Brzenska, bringing Sakura
Ackerman as you requested."

"Come in," a scratchy voice commanded from behind the door.

There were three chakra presences behind, and two she was very
familiar with.

Rico swung the door open and stepped in without hesitation, forcing
Sakura to do the same. The only person she had never seen before
in her life was Commander Pixis, a bald man with amber eyes and
crinkled face and gray mustache. He was much older than
Commander Erwin, who sat in one of the chairs in front of his desk.
In fact, next to the older commander, Erwin looked like a young man
fresh out of the Trainees Corps. And then there was Levi, who
seemed youngest of them all, but his gray eyes made it quite
obvious he was nobody to be trifled with.

She saluted at the same time Rico did, though Sakura's salute was
much less heartfelt. For some reason, she had a bad feeling about
whatever was about to happen.

"Am I to be dismissed, Commander?"

Pixis's eyes hardened, and he shook his head. "No, stay here."

Rico relaxed, as if she had been expecting the answer, and went to
stand beside the bookcase so that her presence wasn't as obvious.
For some reason, Sakura felt as if she was the center of the show
right now, so she remained in the middle of the bigger office. Both
Erwin and Levi also shifted their chairs to the side so that they were
able to see both Pixis and Sakura without craning their heads.

"My, you're quite the looker," Pixis drawled. Everyone in the room,
except Rico, stiffened slightly at the comment. It seemed Rico was
used to her eccentric commander more than the rest. "You sure you
don't want to ditch the Survey Corps and come join me?"

She smiled sweetly and was about to give a very harsh rebuke when
she saw Erwin's eyes flash slightly in horror and imperceptibly shake
his head. Levi, however, looked quite entertained and did not seem
to care about what she said. "No, Commander, I'm quite comfortable
where I am. Thank you for the offer," she responded with the most
pleasantly sarcastic voice she could manage.

Pixis barked a laugh, and Erwin visibly relaxed. "And a spitfire! But, I
digress. This is not why you were summoned here. It has been
brought to our attention that you and Eren Jaeger share a familial
bond."

Now she knew she had to tread carefully. If the rumors were true,
then Eren did have the ability to transform into a titan. However, no
official source told her that, and claiming knowledge of his
transformation could incriminate her and put her wards in danger.
Shorter answers would work best. "Yes, we were adopted by the
Jaegers six years ago."

"We?"

"My sister, Mikasa Ackerman, and I."

She saw Rico's eyes widen from her vantage point. "So you're her
sister. You don't look like her at all." The kunoichi whipped her head
to stare at Rico, whose eyes were suspicious. It was true, she didn't
look like Mikasa at all, but luckily her birth certificate said otherwise
about their parentage. Besides, why would it matter if Sakura had
been adopted by the Ackermans?
"And why were you adopted?" Pixis continued, ignoring the
admission.

Sakura bit the inside of her cheek and avoided looking at her own
superior officers, focusing entirely on Pixis. Only Erwin and Levi
would know if she was lying, and that did not serve to make her feel
better about this whole situation. The interesting thing was that they
were asking her all of this. Wasn't all the information on the files she
had filled out? "My parents were killed in the beginning of spring in
844. Grisha Jaeger was our family doctor, and he took us in since we
couldn't support ourselves."

"And what do you know about Eren Jaeger?"

Her eyes narrowed and she started to figure out what this whole
meeting was about. They wanted to find reasons to persecute him!
She already heard whispers of terror and suspicion for the titan-
shifter, but she had been unable to do anything about it. She knew
better than to try to convince people that something different wasn't a
threat. Eren's situation was something Sakura had actively avoided
her whole time in this world. It pained her greatly that a person she
swore to protect was going through this. But she would be damned if
she didn't help him.

"Eren is, and will always be, one of the greatest soldiers humanity
has. Whether humanity deserves him or not is another question I do
not know the answer to," she stated coldly, unflinchingly staring at
Pixis, taunting him to say otherwise. She knew this could be
considered as insubordination, but she had never been the perfect
submissive soldier from the beginning.

Sakura saw Rico out of the corner of her eye stare at her in fury, but
she ignored her. The kunoichi's fight was with Pixis, not with Rico.

The Garrison Commander also met her stare and then chuckled
lowly. "Spitfire indeed." He cleared his throat and stood up, then
crossed the room calmly. "Rico, let's go. I want a drink."
The blonde frowned slightly but followed after her commander,
knowing better than to rebuke. Besides, when Pixis wanted a drink,
he would stop at nothing to get it. They left the room together,
leaving the Survey Corps officials alone with a very confused
Sakura, who was now wondering what the entire point of the meeting
had been about.

Erwin cleared his throat and smiled once he got Sakura's attention.
"Well, that's good; Pixis trusts in our mission."

"What is this all about?" she finally asked, unable to be in the dark
for very much longer.

Levi stood up and stretched his arms slightly. "Your little brother will
have a military trial in a couple of days. He will either join the Survey
Corps or be executed."

Her eyes widened and she clenched her fingers. "What?" she
exclaimed. "Executed! What? Is everyone here mad? Eren just
saved humanity!"

The Captain raised an eyebrow and even Erwin frowned. "You have
faith in him because he's your brother, but to us he's a very real
threat," Erwin explained calmly. "We have no idea if he can control
his transformation. In fact, reports say he tried to harm your sister,
Mikasa Ackerman. He may have saved humanity this one time, but
we have no idea what will happen in the future."

Sakura bit her lip and resisted the urge to growl. Of course he
wouldn't be able to control his power in the beginning! Even she had
problems with chakra at times, and she had been using it for years!
How dare they try to kill him for something that was out of his hands?
Besides, he would never willingly hurt Mikasa. These people were
refusing to understand. "You said he would be able to join the Survey
Corps."

The blond sighed in relief and nodded. "There will be two sides in the
trial. The Military Police want custody over Eren, will probably
experiment on him first, then will definitely execute him. We want
custody over him because he has expressed a need to exterminate
titans."

"Quite the bloodthirsty brother you have there," Levi commented

nonchalantly, crossing his arms and leaning against Pixis's desk.
"His words during the Trost invasion didn't really make him sound as
a sane person, and attacking his own comrades did not make
anyone here trust him. In fact, we believe that it is very likely we will
lose if the Wallists are there."

"We will lose?" Sakura whispered and felt her heart fall at that.

"If we rely on hard logic, then yes, we will definitely lose. The people
feel threatened in their own homes and will resort to executing a
child if it makes them feel better," Erwin explained. "But we're of the
belief that Eren may be useful for humanity, and it would be a waste
to kill him without gauging his potential."

"He's not a weapon," Sakura said with a barely restrained voice.

Levi cocked his head to the side and coldly said, "If he wants to live,
he'll have to become one."

Sakura gritted her teeth and looked at the side, refusing to meet her
superiors' gazes; looking at them any longer and she might snap,
and it wouldn't help Eren's cause if his older adopted sister was
revealed to be a murderous ninja. But she would run away with
them, of that she was sure. "Why am I here, then?" she bit out,
changing the topic of the conversation and of her mind.

"Two reasons. First, Pixis wanted to meet you to make sure his
decision to leave Eren up to the hands of the Military Police or the
Survey Corps was the best one. He has no interest in Eren, but he
could've cast his lot with the Military Police, and that would've been
disastrous. He just wanted to see what kind of person Eren Jaeger
was in the eyes of his older sister."
Even though he was doing everything to avoid Eren's death, she still
refused to meet his gaze. She felt so angry, so upset at everyone,
that she didn't want one of the people she admired the most to see
her in such a state. And Levi… Well, he had already seen so many
different facets of her personality that she oddly felt comfortable with
acting so violently around him.

"Second, I respect you enough to give you a warning," Erwin said,

causing Sakura to look at him in surprise. "If Eren proves to be as
hotheaded as he was during the Battle of Trost, he will say
something that will only end up hurting his chances of survival. He
might have to be leashed in if we want to win the trial."

The kunoichi blinked and frowned in confusion. "I don't follow."

"If your little brother proves to be stupid and a loudmouth like you, I'll
have to beat him up to show the world that he can be tamed, like an
animal," Levi explained, every word becoming colder and more
threatening. "If words and logic can't sway people, violence will.
That's what I believe, at least."

"And I agree with Levi's view," Erwin continued carefully, making

sure to not agitate Sakura any further. She seemed as if she wanted
to throttle Levi, and that wasn't good for their partner chemistry, one
that had taken Levi a long time to establish. "I am asking him to do a
difficult thing, Sakura. It is not our favorite past time to beat a child,
believe us. Even if people think he might transform and destroy us."

Her eyes narrowed further, as if really considering murdering one of

them before she sighed and hung her head down. "Will this save
him?" she whispered, more vulnerable than either men had ever
heard her before.

Erwin and Levi shared a look, and the blond nodded to his long-time
comrade and friend. Levi resisted the urge to scowl at Erwin, but he
went to stand next to Sakura and put a rough hand on her shoulder.
He must've caught her by surprise, because she jumped slightly and
looked up to him in astonishment.
"I promise I won't let Jaeger die from the trial. I also will not go
overboard with him if I can help it."

The kunoichi's shocked face melted to a warm smile directed at both

of them. Erwin reflexively returned it, glad that one of his most
important soldiers was comfortable with such a brutal arrangement,
but Levi had a harder time processing the fact that Sakura did not
want to kill him as slowly as possible.

He dropped his hand from her shoulder and she saluted at them,
dismissing herself without their approval. They were already used to
it, and, besides, almost every Survey Corps soldier had their own
quirks unique to their dynamic.

Once the door closed and Sakura was gone, Erwin shot Levi a
knowing look and mocked, "Not go overboard, huh?"

Levi growled. "Shut up. Beating a little boy almost half my age
doesn't make my blood sing, you know."

The blond commander laughed and patted the shorter man's back,
much to his annoyance. "True, true. I'm glad we agree on that one."

In the end, Sakura had been invited to witness the trial tomorrow,
since she was a higher ranked member of the Survey Corps, and for
that she was slightly nervous. It was one thing to know Eren could be
possibly beaten up as a humiliating act by her Captain, and it was
another thing to actually watch it happen in front of her. She wanted
to warn Mikasa, whose protectiveness over Eren put hers to shame,
but she had been impossible to locate throughout the whole time she
was there.

But she had found the boys of her team. Petra was still absent, but
having Olou, Gunther, and Eld around made her feel much better.
Together they watched over the Trainees, helping the survivors cope
with what they saw as well as what the future held for them. She
wasn't sure why her teammates were doing this, but from her part,
these had been her wards' classmates. Most look around the age, as
well. It tugged her heartstrings to see youth so destroyed.

One of the trainees sat alone in the perimeter of the castle's

courtyard. Most of the trainees chose to mingle in the middle of the
dirt courtyard, talking to their comrades and friends, but this boy had
decided to sit by himself, his legs drawn to his chest and his chin
resting on top of his knees. Sakura looked around her, trying to see if
anyone noticed the boy. The trainees were too absorbed in their own
grief meanwhile the few soldiers who had decided to help out had
their hands full talking to the other young soldiers.

Sakura smiled at the short, bald boy she had been talking to.
"Connie, do you know who is sitting there?"

Connie cocked his head to the side and followed Sakura's line of
sight. Once he found the boy, a pronounced frown appeared on his
face and he shook his head slightly. "That's Jean. I have a feeling he
wants to be alone."

"Nonsense. Nobody advances in life alone."

Springer obviously didn't agree, but his eyes lit up as if he

remembered something. "Oh, yes, Miss Sakura! There's something
I've been meaning to ask."

The kunoichi giggled and waved her hand dismissively. "Don't call
me Miss. You've earned my respects, Connie. But go ahead, what is
it?"

"You're with the Survey Corps, right? Would you… I mean, after
everything I saw, I would want to run away and never see a titan
ever again, but… Jean yesterday said he was joining you guys, and
it got me thinking. Could I do that, too?"

"Hmm, I'm afraid I don't understand why you're asking me this

question, Connie. You're the one who should know your own limits."
Connie bit his lip and crossed his arms, his body language much
more tense. "I don't know my limits compared to a person of the
Survey Corps. I mean, you guys just go out there every month and
actually see them face to face more than any other person alive."

"You graduated eighth, right?" At his nod, she continued, "You're in

much better shape than most of the recruits. Not only that, but you're
aware of your own limits. Many deaths happen because people
forget themselves. Out there, you feel like a hunter, but the roles can
change very quickly if you're not careful."

"Will you and the other guys look after the recruits?"

"No, I'm not a Squad Leader. But we'll see each other more often
than not. We're a tight-knit group."

Connie grinned, his hazel eyes bright and much less clouded. She
knew that he still had his own monsters to face, but she had done
something for him in a short time.

A girl with brown hair in a high ponytail and twinkling golden eyes
laughed and called, "Connie! Let's go explore the castle!"

The trainee grinned and nodded at the girl. "Thank you so much,
Sakura," he said before he ran off after the girl. It made her much
happier to see that he was in much better spirits.

She felt Olou's chakra approach her and he unceremoniously put his
elbow on her shoulder. "You make a comfortable elbow-rest, Pinky."

"What are you doing here, old man?"

"Just wanted to talk to you about the boy you were with. Sasha was
fond of him."

"Sasha?"

"The girl who wanted to explore the castle with him."

Sakura grinned mischievously at him. "Wow, you leave Petra for the
younger girl just like that. I never pegged you for a pervert, old man."

Olou immediately retrieved his elbow and shot her a nasty glare.
"You're disgusting."

She laughed. "And you're so easy to tease."

"But seriously, Sakura, are you okay?"

She bit her lip and feigned an innocent look. "What are you talking
about?"

He scowled at her. "Seriously? We all know your kid brother will go

on a trial tomorrow. Eren Jaeger, right?"

She had hoped to avoid the subject, preferring to bury herself in

other people's problems other than her own. She just hadn't
expected Olou to be so blunt about it, but she should've known
better. "I trust Commander Erwin and Captain Levi. There's nothing
more I can do. It's not like I can convince everybody that he's not a
threat."

"Damn right you can't. I know that your feelings are clouding your
judgement, but you must understand that this is not an easy
decision. He's our enemy and not at the same time."

"He's always dreamed of joining the Survey Corps. He's admired

Commander Erwin and Captain Levi, especially, for the longest time.
Not only that, but I can't sense him as a titan; he's human. You can't
tell me someone like that is an enemy to humanity."

He shook his head slowly. "No, he wouldn't be, if I knew him. Not
only that, but you haven't lived with him in five years, right? How do
you know that the Eren Jaeger you knew is the same one who's
going on trial tomorrow?"
She didn't know, he was right, but she believed in him. She believed
in the sincerity of his thirst for vengeance; nobody could fake that
wrath and bloodlust. Of course, she wouldn't tell anyone this; people
already thought him a monster, no use in adding fuel to that fire. She
would just have to keep her faith to herself.

"Now that you're here, though, mind coming with me to talk to that
kid?" She pointed at Jean, who still looked as dejected and upset as
he had during her entire conversation with Connie.

He sighed at the obvious change of conversation, but went along

with it. Everyone knew that Sakura was stubborn with things like this.
"Moody kid? Nah, Eld and I tried to approach him and he just didn't
respond."

Sakura sighed and gave him an unamused stare. "What did you tell
him?"

"Nothing!" he replied, raising his hands at her accusing tone. "Why

do you always assume that?"

"Because you're all knuckleheads. You and Eld and Gunther.

Perhaps what Jean needs is more feminine understanding."

The taller soldier snorted and gave her a silly smirk. "You, feminine?
Ha! Have you seen how you eat? I've seen pigs with more manners."

Sakura felt her jaw tick and she took in a deep breath. "Fine, you
don't believe me? Let's bet."

"You're making a bet on the emotional stability of a child?"

"Yes. Now are you game or a coward?"

His smirk remained and he nodded. "If you fail to make him smile,
you have to agree with whatever I say, regardless of what I'm saying
or to whom I'm saying it."
Oh, that was sneaky. Most of her banter with Olou relied on making
him seem foolish, but losing this bet would take that away from her.
"Fine, but if I do make him smile, then you have to confess to Petra
before our next expedition."

His eyes widened and his brow furrowed. "Confess to Petra? Isn't
that a little too… Extreme?"

"Take it or leave it."

His frown deepened, and he went from staring at Jean, then at

Sakura, then back at Jean, before he finally nodded, as if he had
convinced himself that Sakura would never get the smile out of him.
"Fine, I accept. But I hope you're feeling bad over using that kid's
grief as betting material."

"This just gives me the incentive to make it happen. Now, if you'll

excuse me."

Sakura turned around and headed towards Jean, making sure to

make her steps loud enough for him to hear. His eyes shifted slightly
to her, but did not make a comment or show an outward
acknowledgement of her presence when she sat down next to him
and leaned against the stone walls.

He did not talk and she waited for him to become more conformable
with her being next to me. She knew some people had a larger
personal space bubble and then others completely disregarded the
concept of distance. Luckily, she had an average bubble and had
good sense of how at ease people were around her.

Jean, though his shoulders were taut, had not asked her to leave, so
she would take that as permission for her to stay.

"You're Jean, right?" she asked amicably, still not looking at him. Just
like she had expected, he didn't answer. "I'm assuming you battled in
Trost, right? You have the eyes of someone who has seen death."
He didn't talk, or look at her, or make any sound; he sat there, eerily
still, with his knees drawn up to his chin. "It's not easy, and it doesn't
get any better. The first time I saw a titan… It was five years ago,
during the Fall of Shiganshina." Out of the corner of her eye, she
saw Jean visibly relax and his head move slightly to her side, letting
her know he was listening. "We were terrified. By we I mean-- Why,
you must know them. I'm Sakura Ackerman, Mikasa's older sister."

Now Jean snapped out of his stupor and stared at her with wide
eyes. "You're Mikasa's sister? You look nothing alike."

She giggled, trying to mask the tension that observation always gave
her. "We get that a lot."

"Does that mean you're also Jaeger's older sister?"

The way he said Eren's last name made her arch an eyebrow.
"Adopted sister, but yes. I take it you don't like him a lot."

"He's crazy," he breathed, but she could detect the undertone of

admiration. "Ever since we started, he's always been spouting things
that he's going to exterminate the titans and join the Survey Corps.
Nobody ever believed him, of course, the extermination part, but he
rose the ranks. A lot of people look up to him. And now it turns out
he's a threat to all of us."

She stiffened and breathed in deeply. Hearing other people call her
younger brother a threat did not make her feel good. In her eyes, she
still saw the boy who had been so excited to receive the stolen
Survey Corps cloak she had given him as a present. Sure, he was
bloodthirsty, but at least he was handling his anger in some way. She
exhaled, "I guess."

Jean gave her a confused look until he frowned. "You don't think so,
right?"

"No."
"His trial is tomorrow, right? I've known Eren for the last three years,
and I'm still scared of him. I don't think people will be so
understanding."

Sakura shivered slightly. Though she had come here to help the
Trainees out, she had also come to distract herself from the trial with
other people's problems. "I must trust in my superiors. Luckily,
military tribunals are different than the civilian courts. If not, Eren
would've definitely been doomed."

"It's his temper that gets him in trouble."

"Something tells me your temper also gets you in trouble."

He smiled sheepishly, and though Sakura knew she had won the
bet, she felt genuinely happy to momentarily erase that dejected
look. "Guilty. It's different than Eren's, but I guess it's the same."

"You joining the Survey Corps like him?"

"Yeah. Yesterday I made the decision. It feels surreal. I've always

wanted to join the Military Police, me and Marco, but it didn't work
out."

The way he said his friend's name clued her in to what happened to
make him so depressed, so she wisely avoided the subject.
"Sometimes life makes us choose paths we had previously thought
impossible. I never wanted to join the military, for example."

"Why not?"

"I've always felt it was my duty to protect Mikasa, Eren, and Armin
from the cruelties of the world. Going away for three years did not
really fit in my plan for that."

"And you joined the Survey Corps, the most dangerous one of them
all," he said, eyeing the Wings of Freedom on her jacket.
"Mmm, yeah, I did. But I don't regret it. At first I did, and I felt angry
at all the things that made me take that decision, but in the end we
can either spend our lives angry at our fate or we can live with the
cards we've been dealt with."

Jean nodded, processing his words, before his features were

overcome with a curious look. "Not that I don't appreciate it, but why
are you telling me this?"

"I remember I felt guilty for a long time, mostly because I thought I
was a monster to survive. I guess I understand that sometimes you
need somebody to tell you it's okay to live, or to laugh, or to love.
And then sometimes it feels better knowing that you're not the only
one who feels guilty."

Though Sakura was looking ahead at the courtyard, she could feel
Jean's intense stare on her face. Only survivors could understand
what was going on. Eld, Gunther, Olou… They were survivors in a
different sense. They had signed up for the Survey Corps and
understood what that entailed. She, however, had not signed up to
witness the Fall of Shiganshina. Jean and the rest of the 104th
Trainees' Squad hadn't signed up to fight in the Battle of Trost. Jean
wanted to get as far away from the titans as possible, if his previous
plan was to join the Military Police. Surviving unexpected events was
always much more taxing, because nobody was mentally prepared
to what happened.

"Thank you," Jean whispered. "I felt like a fool for the longest time in
choosing the Survey Corps, but if people like you join, then I made
the right decision."

Sakura felt something warm inside spreading from her chest to her
fingertips. She had been clued in a bit with Connie, but her
conversation with Jean reinforced it: she liked helping other people
out, or at least people she didn't owe anything to. Maybe other
people had realized this before she did, but it felt good to know that
being a ninja did not mean thinking coldheartedly.
She stood up and patted his shoulder. "We'll be delighted to have
you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to spend the rest of the day
worrying about Eren."

"Good luck."

"… Thank you."

Only a select few members of the Survey Corps had been chosen to
watch the trial, and every single member of Squad Levi was going to
be in attendance. The trial would start at nine in the morning, but
they were already heading down there at eight in the morning. Erwin
wanted to get acquainted with the environment, see where every
important person would be sitting to make the best impression when
he finally started speaking.

The corridor leading to the court room was quite beautiful, with a
marble floor and various paintings of different events in their one
hundred years behind the walls. There were some paintings that
predated that time as well, but Sakura didn't know enough to be able
to pinpoint what they were about. The only one she recognized was
a painting of what seemed like a debate between a sword-wielding
Warrior Maria and haloed Merciful Rose over the life of a man on his
knees.

Erwin, who was leading their entourage, suddenly came to a stop.

"Continue without me," he commanded, watching everyone
cautiously.

The soldiers followed his order without a second of doubt, but when
Sakura was about to pass him he grabbed her shoulder gently,
making her stop. "Commander?"

"How many people outside the Survey Corps know of your ability to
sense titans?" he asked in a hushed tone, his shoulders taut and his
blue eyes intense.
Sakura frowned and answered truthfully, "Armin Arlert, Mikasa
Ackerman, and Eren Jaeger know from my very own mouth. If
someone else knows--"

"I've made sure that nobody outside the Survey Corps knows, don't
worry," he interrupted. "Do you think they might say anything about it
during the trial?"

"No."

He let go of her arm, visibly relaxed. He must've sensed her alarm,

because he offered her a small smile. "I'm sure I've told you already,
but I've kept your gift a secret from my superiors and peers," he
whispered lowly so that nobody but her would listen. "It would look
bad in court if the Survey Corps proved unworthy of telling the truth if
we want custody over Eren."

"Commander, if you don't mind my asking, why didn't you tell them?
It's not bad, right?"

"If there is something I've learned in my life is that the less people
you trust with secrets, the safer you are. Eren is now in grave danger
because his secret is known to the whole public. Mind you, not that
I'm against knowing, but Eren would be much better off if nobody
knew of his ability."

She never really cared much about the inner politics of the military or
the royal government, but now that these politics played a heavy role
in Eren's life, she couldn't help but share Erwin's mistrust of the
people they were surrounded. "I see," she murmured unhappily.

"We better get going. No need to make our own comrades

suspicious."

And with that he started walking away. Sakura made sure to follow at
a respectable distance, her own thoughts dominating her mind. So
Erwin didn't trust his superiors? Just what was going on in this
world? Was Eren the only titan-shifter, or were there others?
But perhaps the biggest question on her mind was when. She had
searched her memories for answers, for a moment in which Eren
could have gained titan-shifting abilities. Was he born with it? Then
Kalura and Grisha… Were they the enemy or friends of humanity?
She didn't want to think they would plot to destroy the walls, but what
was she supposed to think?

She entered the trial room and quickly went to in between Petra and
Eld, who were behind Captain Levi and Commander Erwin. Her
teammates offered her a comforting smile but they soon averted
gazes, knowing that right now was not the time to talk. Besides, it
was a bit awkward since they had already expressed their discomfort
and distrust of Eren, even if he was her little brother. Familial bonds
meant nothing when safety was involved, after all, but she still
couldn't help but feel a little hurt that they wouldn't trust in her
judgement.

People started filing in, and before she knew it, all the seats had
been taken. Mikasa and Armin sat on her side of the court, but they
couldn't verbally acknowledge each other in such a stifling
environment. She only nodded inconspicuously at them and they
smiled slightly, then quickly went to stand next to Rico and the
Garrison soldiers.

The only people missing that she noticed was Zackly, Eren, Hange,
and Mike. The rest, all of the civilians and important soldiers from all
the branches, were present and murmuring amongst themselves,
waiting for the trial to start.

The door suddenly burst open and in came a handcuffed Eren,

prompted to move along by the gun of a Military Police soldier.
Sakura didn't even know how tense she was until Petra took her
hand and gave her a comforting squeeze. She took in a deep breath,
squeezed back, then dropped her hand once she had reined in her
temper.

Eren was forced to sit on the floor and a huge metal bar was
implanted between his chains to restrict his movement.
Zackly chose that moment to come in, and a reverent silence spread
throughout the room the moment he sat down on his seat. Sakura
could sense he wielded great power. He was not a man to be trifled
with. "Eren Jaeger?"

"Yes, sir?" Sakura's heart broke a bit at how small he sounded.

"This military tribunal will decide your fate, not a civilian court. I will
now hear both sides of the argument."

The Military Police Commander, Nile Dok, presented his case,

arguing that Eren's life was a threat to them all because of the wild
nature of his powers and the possibility of a civil war because of his
existence. He basically called for Eren's sacrifice in the name of
humanity, and each word he spoke made the crowd more agitated
and more in his favor. Erwin had been right; logic would not win the
fight. These people wanted to kill what they did not understand,
uncaring that they were calling for the death of a boy.

No, maybe Eren was not a boy. She had made the mistake of calling
Connie and Jean boys as well. They were grownups. They had seen
and felt things many adults had not. Maybe it was a disservice to
regard them as boys any more. They were soldiers now, and they
had to be treated like soldiers.

After Nile Dok was done with his case, one of the Wallists priest
started condemning Eren, and something inside Sakura started
snapping with each word he said. Petra took her hand once again
and gave her a big squeeze of comfort, which relaxed her
immediately and caused her to exhale. There was nothing she could
do at the moment anyway.

Zackly, however, could do something, and asked the priest to shut

up. He then prompted Erwin to begin his argument, which the blond
captain did without waiting any further. The plan was exactly what
they had told her two days ago, about how they wanted Eren to be a
part of his force. From the tone of his voice and the atmosphere in
the Survey Corps's box, Sakura knew that she was the only Survey
Corps member who truly trusted Eren. In their hearts, they probably
agreed with what Nile Dok said, much to her sadness.

But the difference was that: their hearts agreed with Nile Dok. Their
minds trusted in Commander Erwin's words and logic. How they felt
did not influence how they acted, and for that she felt a swell of pride
for her military branch. It was hard to accept something you feared,
but she knew they were willing to try.

Merchants started trying to present their own view, but just like the
Wallist, they were promptly shut down by none other than the Survey
Corps themselves. She had to admit she was slightly surprised when
Levi spoke so harshly to the merchant man, but then again she had
been on the receiving end of such talks before, so maybe she
shouldn't have been so surprised.

Zackly, however, was becoming more and more convinced of

something, but Sakura was unsure about what. He picked up some
papers and addressed Eren with grave eyes. "In my hands I have
the reports of Trost's defenses. 'Immediately after transforming into a
titan, he swung his fist at Mikasa Ackerman.' Is Mikasa Ackerman
here?"

Eren whipped his head to stare at his adopted sister, a horrified look
on his face, meanwhile Mikasa stiffened and glared at Rico. This
didn't bode well for Eren's fate, but Sakura had already known that
his attempt on Mikasa's life was going to be brought up.

"Yes, that's me," Mikasa spoke up, a bit higher-pitched than usual.

"Is it true that Eren Jaeger attempted to attack you as a titan?"

She was quiet, and Sakura started becoming more aware of every
face in the trial. They weren't winning. People stared at Eren with
fear and hatred. A soldier who attacked his own comrades was
branded a traitor, and with good reason. But none of them had any
idea of what it meant to be gifted with power and not know how to
use it. Eren needed training, not death, but the people were too
scared to see that.

Mikasa said in a calm tone, "Yes, it's true."

Most of the people in the trial gasped and started chattering amongst
themselves. Even though Sakura couldn't quite listen in to the whole
conversations, she heard the word "monster" and "threat" more
times than necessary. Petra squeezed her hand again, but Sakura
was too far gone to return the comfort. And Eren… Oh she would
definitely go to him as soon as the trial was over.

"But, he also defended me on two separate occasions," Mikasa

continued, undaunted by the mood of the crowd. "The first time was
shortly after his titan transformation, where he killed a titan who was
about to kill me. The second time he saved Armin Arlert and me from
a HE shell. I would like these two facts considered as well."

Sakura sighed in relief and smiled, only for her heart to drop when
Nile Dok said, "I object! I believe these two instances are clouded by
her personal feelings. When Mikasa Ackerman was younger, she
was taken in by the Jaeger household. Furthermore, our
investigations have concluded that Eren Jaeger and Mikasa
Ackerman killed the three robbers who tried to kidnap her when they
were only nine."

The crowd started muttering amongst themselves again, and Sakura

yanked her hand from Petra's grasp and clenched both hands at her
side. How dare he bring up their past? Eren had saved his little
sister! "You forgot the part where these three robbers murdered our
parents in front of Mikasa's eyes, Commander Dok," Sakura spoke
up, her voice calm though her body was heated, and the crowd
quietened. She had spoken out of turn, but neither Zackly nor Erwin
looked offended or upset at her. "Better tell the full story if you're
accusing someone else of having a clouded judgement."

Nile Dok and the rest of the Military Police glared at her, angry that
the Commander had lost his momentum on the crowd. "Even if it is
was done out of self-defense, I still question their humanity. Children
should be incapable of murder, yet they prove this wrong. Is it wise
from us to trust humanity's fate, our lives, our future on Eren
Jaeger?"

The crowd started muttering again, and Sakura's anger grew. People
only heard what they wanted to hear, after all. Luckily, Zackly did not
look as if he was being swayed heavily by the state of the crowd. He
was someone who understood just exactly was at stake in here.

"So is she!" one of the merchants yelled, pointing at Mikasa. "Do we

know she's a human?"

Sakura's eyes widened and she opened her mouth, but Erwin looked
back at her and shot her a warning glance to remain quiet.

"You're right!" another person said. "We should dissect her just to be
sure!"

The kunoichi's mouth curled and she murmured to herself, "I'll kill all
of you before you get a chance."

Even though she had spoken quietly, Petra took her fisted hand in
hers again and started running her thumb soothingly along her
knuckles meanwhile Eren fought for Mikasa's sake, even if this just
made them more convinced about their previous convictions. She
really wished Eren would simply shut up and stop fighting for no
reason. Zackly wouldn't condemn Mikasa, at least not now, and all
Eren was doing was prove that he was a hothead and had no control
of his emotions, which was exactly the angle the Military Police was
going for. She could see the satisfaction in Dok's face every time
Eren opened his mouth, because it just served to prove his point of
view right.

And then Eren completely lost his cool and moved his shackles more
than any normal human being would, which alarmed everyone in the
court room. And then he started speaking, and each word Eren said
just dug his grave deeper. He was right, Sakura had to admit; they
were being cowards by wasting the means to do something and win
against the titans, but nobody was stupid enough to say that in a
court room that would decide his fate, especially if the odds were
stacked against him.

Rhetoric did not rely on truth, but in the sway of the masses.

He finally yelled, "Shut up and bet everything on me!" His chains

moved even more and the steam she had seen in so many titan
corpses started emanating from him.

Erwin and Levi looked at each other and Erwin nodded at his
second-in-command. Nile Dok stared at Eren with true fear and
ordered one of his soldiers to point the rifle at Eren, much everyone's
surprise. Everyone was so engrossed in the rifle and the titan-shifter
that nobody noticed Levi leave his place next to Erwin and land a
kick on Eren's face.

Sakura closed her eyes and shivered with every grunt Eren gave.
She knew it had to happen, that her little brother had screwed up
and needed this to survive, but it did not make it any easier. Petra
still held on to her now limp hand, and she felt Eld put a soothing
hand on her back. It was moments like this that she was really
grateful about her team. Even if they were scared of Eren, they
understood her pain. And even if they had their doubts about her
little brother, they still stood by Erwin and his decision.

"It is my personal opinion that violence is the best way to train

someone," Levi said in a calm voice. A few seconds passed, but she
didn't hear any more grunts or kicks, so she finally opened her eyes.
The crowd was shocked, even Nile Dok looked horrified, and Levi
had his foot on the back of Eren's head, forcing him to lay on the
ground like an obedient dog. "He needs to be trained like an animal,
not a man."

"Levi," Nile Dok said with a great degree of hesitance. "He might turn
into a titan if you keep taunting him!"
The Captain leaned next to Eren and picked up his face for the world
to see. He was bruised, disorientated, and blood was flowing freely
from his broken nose. It sure made an impression on someone who
had never seen violence in her life. "And you want to dissect him,
correct?" The people finally realized how foolish they had sounded
and started muttering amongst themselves. "Nobody really knows
the extent of his power, and that's a danger." He kicked Eren on the
ribs and let go of his head, causing Eren to collapse again on the
white floor. "He's no match for me, though. There is no titan I cannot
kill. But all of you… Do you really have the skill to kill him?"

By now she was squeezing Petra's hand so hard she was sure she
had cut off her circulation, but she continued to run soothing circles
on the back of her hand.

Erwin raised his hand and firmly said, "I have a proposal, sir."

Zackly looked at the blond tiredly and replied, "What is it?"

"Eren is a danger because we don't know for sure the extent of his
abilities. Therefore, I propose to have Captain Levi take
responsibility for Eren and go on an expedition beyond the walls."

"With Eren?"

"Yes. Based on this expedition, I would like you to judge whether

Eren is able to control his power and whether he is the bane or
salvation of humanity."

"Can you do it, Levi? Can you control Eren Jaeger?"

Levi looked around to stare at Zackly. There was no compassion on

his face. "I'm certain I can kill him, but I cannot promise that I am
able to keep him alive." The Captain looked at the side, staring at
Sakura and gauging her reaction. In that area, he had lied; he could
kill Eren, but the question was: would Sakura let him?

"Then my decision is made."

God, this chapter is the longest one yet. Really, Eren is such an
idiot in the trial, both in the manga and in this story. And before
you start clamoring, this is still LeviSaku as it's main pairing; I
just never said when.

I would like to thank Guest, FairiesDescent, Basia Orci, Tainted

Heroine, Strife666 (wow, thanks for reviewing every chapter;
you're extra awesome), anima, AmeRaSora, IKAF-lazy, Guest,
Dixie Chic, thentherewasIA, flevantein, catxangel,
mun3litKnight, Sivren, dark-wolf-howl, Eien no Ajisai,
Imnotcreative, cherryblossom1423, CloudMonkey, aniqa, Dyz,
Love Remedy, nakamura1miu, SakuMulti, KuroAka, and aj07to
for being so awesome and leaving reviews.

As for your questions, aj07to, for the horses I know that the
walls have a couple of elevators installed and they use it to get
over the walls, as seen in the manga. As for the rest… Quite
frankly I think the rivers would just slow them down. They don't
really need the rivers when they can run on the open fields, and
once they're in there's not much that can be done to stop them.
Mission
The wonderful lucife56 drew some fantastic fan art of Sakura in
her Survey Corps glory. The link is in my profile. Make sure to
leave some love if you're able to!

He hadn't been very specific in what they would be doing, but she
was smart enough to know she shouldn't show up in work clothes.
She put on her regular shinobi pants and chuunin jacket on top of
her long sleeved shirt. Summer had given way to fall, and she wasn't
about to wear a skirt and regular shirt when the weather was chilly
enough to give her goosebumps on a warm day.

Sakura was a bit nervous to leave her house, and it apparently

became very obvious to her dad that she wasn't going to work at the
hospital because of her attire and mental state. If she told him that
she was leaving to receive lessons from Uchiha Itachi, he would
never let her walk outside. Even if he had been been pardoned for
the Uchiha Massacre and it was well-known that he had done it to
save Konoha, the majority of the general populace were still very
wary of the man who could agree to murder his own family of superb
shinobi for the sake of a village. Only Sakura and a handful of
shinobi even dared to speak with him. Suffice to say he had become
the village's pariah, a role he took very seriously.

"I'm just going to train for a little bit," she responded a bit stiffly,
making sure to keep a normal amount of eye contact.

Her father blinked twice. "Train? With Tsunade-sama?"

"No. With me," a smooth baritone said from inside the house, and a
man with messy platinum hair and steely blue eyes turned to the
hallway leading to the door. He was already dressed in the regular
jounin attire, his forehead protector shining brightly around his bicep.
Now it was Sakura's turn to be very surprised, but it quickly led way
to wariness. Why would Suguru want to come train with her? There
was something more he wanted, no doubt. The question was what.
Her older brother had never been interested in what she did. It was
hard to be interested in the comings and goings of a sibling twelve
years younger.

He came to stand next to her and looked at her expectantly, arching

an elegant brow. God did she hate it when he did that. "Well? Are we
going or not?"

Sakura put on her best fake smile and waved at her dad
enthusiastically. "Yup! I won't be back for dinner so tell Kaa-san not
to make anything."

They were both out the door before their father could even formulate
a reply. If there was something weirder than Sakura dressing for
training on a work day, it was Suguru coming to train with her. Not
only was he a powerful jounin, but he had recently taken a genin
team of his own. It had only taken Tsunade a very serious threat of
giving him C-Rank missions for a year for him to accept the role of a
sensei.

Never in her wildest dreams had she envisioned walking down the
crowded Konoha streets with her older brother in tow. She risked a
sideways glance at him, and she was surprised to see him with a
smooth face, seemingly enjoying the beautiful autumn breeze and
sunlight. All of Sakura's memories of her brother, which were few
considering he spent most of his teens on dangerous missions,
always had him sporting a scowl or an emotionless face. One time,
when she was six, she had asked Suguru why he didn't smile when
he came home, and he calmly answered that there was nothing to
smile about once anyone saw the world for what it was. Even if she
didn't understand what he meant, she was old enough to know that
her brother was unhappy.

"What do you want, nii-san?" Sakura asked quietly after heavy

minutes of silence.
He huffed a short laugh. "Those lessons with Hokage-sama sure
have made you more confident. Remember when you used to hide
in your room when I came home?"

She sighed in exasperation, but decided to play along. Suguru would

only answer questions when he wanted to, and she didn't want to
argue at the moment. "Because you were covered in the blood of
your enemies."

Suguru hummed in agreement, a whimsical smile etched on his face.

Now that was even rarer than a non-frowning Suguru: a smiling one.
Maybe this was one of his moods? Sakura wasn't very sure if she
preferred him brooding or him being weird. "I did make quite the
impression on you when you were younger, right?"

They were walking in the general direction of the training fields, and
Sakura always left one hour earlier to her appointments, so at least
she wasn't in any hurry. But if he got any weirder she would have no
qualms in leaving him. "Nii-san, I barely saw you when I was a girl.
Now, what do you want? You know I wasn't lying about training."

"True, you're going training. You just didn't tell Otou-san you were
training with Uchiha Itachi."

Sakura scowled at him, but he pointedly avoided looking at him.

"How do you know that?"

"You're not the only one Uchiha Itachi offered to help with training."

Sakura raked her brain for any person who might've accepted an
offer from the Uchiha Itachi to train and almost came up short until a
growl let her mouth. "Kakashi."

"Indeed. It seems the Mangekyou training has been doing wonders

for him and he let it slip last night that he was taking Sakura-chan as
his pupil. Which makes me wonder, just what did you do to make him
interested?"
Her previous wariness at her brother quickly evaporated as a flash of
hot anger coursed through her veins. "Look, I know you're the
perfect child any parent could've ever wanted and I've been the fuck
up until now, but don't think for a second I'm incapable of seeking
opportunities and achieving things."

Suguru came to a stop next to her and stared at her with wide blue
eyes. Perhaps today was a day of many firsts, because she had
never seen him so surprised before, ever. He shook his head slowly
and started walking again, joining her and continuing on their way to
the training fields. "No, you misunderstand me, Sakura. I didn't mean
it like that, though I can see where you would get such a sentiment. I
haven't been the best brother, have I?"

"Nii-san, now's not the time to go down memory lane. You already
know I have a lesson with Uchiha-san. He's willing to teach me
about water chakra manipulation, and I'm not about to miss that
opportunity, considering Tou-san can't help me out." When starting
nature manipulation, it was best to get pointers from another person
who had the same nature manipulation. Suguru had their mother's
as a primary affinity wind chakra, and she preferred their father's
water chakra. He just wasn't a very good teacher, and quickly lost his
temper with her. "So tell me what's on your mind."

"I'm just asking what happened to you to make Uchiha Itachi

interested in you. He never takes someone unless he feels indebted
to them."

Sakura refrained from answering his question until they reached the
first training field. Not that Suguru minded about her choice; they
both preferred quiet places for their serious talks.

"His brother almost murdered me. Does that answer your question?"

Suguru's killing intent spiked a bit, but he wasn't aiming it at anyone

in particular, making it a bit more awkward for her to be around.
"When was this?" he asked quietly.
"Like a year ago, give or take a few months."

"And I wasn't told of this because?"

"You never asked and everyone assumed you didn't care. Oh, and I
don't like talking about how my teammate almost killed me in cold
blood and I needed Naruto to defend me because I was so in love
with him I was willing to let him kill me."

Suguru breathed in and shakily exhaled. "Dammit, Sakura, you're my

sister. I deserve to know when you're in danger."

"You've been on non-stop missions for the past ten years, Nii-san.
This is the longest you've been in Konoha, and you've only been
here for two weeks. And it's not a dinner topic, exactly… Whenever
you visit us for dinner, that is."

"And you're still trying to defend not telling me about this? Or Otou-
san and Okaa-san conveniently forgetting to tell me? Even Kakashi
has done stupendously."

Sakura sighed and rubbed her own arm, feeling a bit cold all of the
sudden. She could sympathize a bit with his anger at being left in the
dark for the past year and a half, and admittedly she hadn't told him
in the best way possible. "I told them not to tell you, so don't blame
them."

A wave of hurt passed through his eyes until the anger came back to
beat it back. "Why? Why would you be so unfair? You were always
the warm one, the honest one. What happened?"

"I'm entitled to my secrets just as you are, Nii-san," she bit back.
"You never talk about your missions. God knows how many times
you've been in danger, but I've never demanded any names or to
know what happens because it's your life and you choose how to live
it. I'm a kunoichi now, and a damn good one. I can make my own
decisions and I don't live in your damned shadow anymore."
Suguru looked ready to shoot back another barbed comment until an
inexplicable wave of sadness washed over his face, leaving him
oddly vulnerable. "I really did screw up, didn't I? And here I
wondered why you never did well in the Academy, why you were so
easy for that Yamanaka girl to befriend you and manipulate you."

Sakura rolled her eyes and looked away, trying to ignore how his
words were opening up old wounds she could've sworn she had
buried deep inside her heart. Trust Suguru to dig them up in a twenty
minute conversation. "Don't you have a genin team or something?"

"Sakura--"

"I'm not in the mood, nii-san, and I have lessons soon. I want to
warmup."

"You tested positive for wind chakra too, right?"

The pink-haired kunoichi stiffened, already knowing where this

particular topic was going down to. "Nii-san, please."

"I'm fine with Uchiha Itachi teaching you about water manipulation as
long as you let me teach you wind manipulation."

"I don't want to learn wind manipulation and I don't need your
approval. Now, please go, nii-san."

"Why not? It's great you have an affinity for two elements."

She murmured with downcast eyes, "I preferred it when you made it
a pastime out of ignoring me instead of this bullshit."

No, that was a blatant lie. She used to idolize him as a little girl
starting the Acaademy and every time he avoided her gaze a small
piece of her little heart would break. But at least back then his
behavior had an explanation, according to her parents. Suguru was
broken by his missions, hence his coldness, and Sakura had to be a
very understanding girl and not bother him. She could deal with that
brother easily, painfully, but she wasn't very sure how to deal with
this Suguru, and that situation made her extremely uncomfortable.

The blond Haruno winced at her words, but he didn't let that stop
him. "Sakura, this is illogical. You've always wanted me to train you
ever since you started the Academy."

"Not anymore."

"Why not?"

"Dammit, nii-san, I'm tired of being compared to you! Is it too hard for
that genius brain of yours to understand that having you teach me
won't make the comparisons go away?" she shouted at him, her
green eyes lit with fire.

Suguru gaped at her, but Sakura could only continue glaring at him.
Prodigy he may be, he was completely clueless when it came to
relationships. It wasn't hard for her to believe that her brother was
completely unaware of the self-esteem issues his existence gave
her, both directly and indirectly. She had thought his earlier comment
of being a bad brother was to recognize this particular shortcoming,
but he had probably apologized for not being around to teach her
how to be a better shinobi. Ah, how foolish they come.

"I… I didn't know you felt that way."

"Not many do," she replied quickly. "Now, can you please just…
leave?"

"Fine, but this is not over, Sakura."

He body-flickered away, leaving behind a poof of smoke where he

was previously standing. Once she was sure he was truly gone,
Sakura sighed shakily and slowly crouched on the ground, gripping
her knees tightly until her knuckles turned white. She felt her eyes
burn but she willed the tears to not fall. Itachi would be coming soon
and she didn't want him to believe she was a little girl scared of her
first lesson with the meanie Uchiha.

"It is over, Suguru-niisan. It has been over for many years."

"Sakura?"

She jerked awake and quickly sat up, looking around the room the
Garrison had provided her with dangerous eyes. Mikasa was sitting
at the edge of her bed, her normally blank gray eyes colored by a bit
of worry. She belatedly realized that her cheeks were wet and her
hands had been harshly holding the bedsheets, probably explaining
why her sister was concerned.

"Morning," she croaked, slowly unclenching her hands.

Mikasa frowned at her and heaved a sigh. "Are you okay? You
were… crying in your sleep."

She had been, but she had no idea why or how that had happened.
Whenever she tried to remember certain dreams, she came across a
thick wall. Usually, bits and pieces of dreams were available to her,
or at least she had the gist of the scenes in the dream, but some
days, like this one, every single thing about the dream faded at the
moment she woke up. "I don't remember what I was dreaming about.
Small mercies, I guess."

The black-haired soldier continued staring at her, unconvinced, but

she decided to drop the subject with a sigh. "Fine."

Sakura perked up and stood up, throwing Mikasa off the bed. She
giggled when she landed on her bottom, something the younger
Ackerman didn't appreciate. She crossed the room before Mikasa
could retaliate violently and opened her closet, searching for her
uniform in the sea of messy clothes and underwear. "Aha!" she
exclaimed when she found a clean white shirt and the rest of her
uniform. At least today she didn't have to put the harnesses of her
3DMG.

She started undressing and asked conversationally, "Anyway, how

did you find me? I've been looking for you for days and couldn't find
you."

Mikasa didn't even bat an eyelash at Sakura's naked form and and
simply stood up, removing imaginary dirt from her bottom. "I bumped
into… someone and asked him where you were staying."

Sakura didn't miss the dark look that crossed her face when she said
someone, but decided to ignore it; she had other pressing matters.
"Hm, fair enough. Is there a reason why you're here?"

"There's been something that has been bothering me about the trial."

Sakura finished wrapping her breasts and putting on her underwear

and replied curiously, "Oh? Okay, I'm listening."

"Why didn't you stop him?"

She buttoned her shirt and faltered slightly at the last one. "Who are
we talking about?"

"You know. Him," she repeated venomously.

The kunoichi frowned and quickly pulled up her white trousers. "You
mean Captain Levi?"

"Yeah, that midget."

She snorted and had a hard time keeping her disapproving face. Her
little sister had never been a stickler for rules and decorum, just like
Sakura herself, but she had a new way of insulting superiors. "Now,
Mikasa, I know he's a bit on the short side but you're not calling me a
midget are you?"
"I'm not joking, Sakura," Mikasa replied coldly. "I'm asking you why
didn't you stop that midget from beating Eren up."

Sakura raised her eyebrows at her. "I couldn't just interrupt the trial
and stop my superior from beating Eren up."

"Yes, you could've. You just chose not to."

"That would've just given a bad impression about the Survey Corps,
Mikasa. I talked about it with Commander Erwin and Captain Levi
before the trial, about the possibility of this happening, and even
though I don't fully understand the inner workings of the military, I
knew that--"

"You don't need to be subjected to the military," she interrupted,

walking in front of her and trying to intimidate her with her imposing
height, something Sakura didn't appreciate in the least. "I remember
what you did to that titan years ago, Sakura. I'm sure you can do it to
everyone in that room and not have a single scratch on your face.
But instead you knew before going inside that court room what would
happen and did absolutely nothing to stop it."

She narrowed her eyes and met Mikasa's cold stare straight on.
"Yes, I could have, but that goes against everything I stand for.
Those people sitting next to me in the stands are my friends . The
person who beat Eren up is my Captain . The man who gave the
order is my Commander. I can't go against the people who I work for,
whom I would die for. Captain Levi did it for Eren's sake."

"Your midget Captain is a sadistic person who takes enjoyment out

of beating up people who would die for humanity, but look at you,
defending him. Does that mean you've all learned a few things about
him?"

There was a familiar chakra presence outside the door, but going to
open it right now would only interrupt her conversation with Mikasa.
She had a couple of points to make clear. "I won't get angry at you
for how you address my superior -- I had problems with him too-- but
I won't have you saying that he's sadistic and my teammates follow
in his footsteps. That's uncalled for, Mikasa."

"Is that why you're siding with them over us? Because you love them
more than Eren and me?"

Sakura spluttered and unwittingly took a step back. "What the hell
are you talking about? How dare you say such things?"

"Eren gave us a home, Sakura. The Jaegers gave us a second

chance, and this is how you pay them? You could've done something
to stop it!"

She had identified the presence to be Levi, and he was still stationed
outside her door. Why he would stay outside was a question she
would save for another time. "You have no idea how grateful I am to
them."

"Yet you've done nothing for him until now. You promised to never
leave us, to protect us, but so far you've done none of that. You
knew beforehand about the trial and just watched by the sidelines.
Didn't even lift a finger to avoid it."

You call yourself a iryo-nin, but how many lives have you saved? A
kunoichi, yes? But how many lives have you taken to protect us?

We're next, and like always, you're going to be the one to survive.

She winced as the memory of a recurring nightmare replayed in her

head. Even though the words were different, the tone of voice was
almost exactly the same to the Mikasa in her nightmare. "All right,
you're misunderstanding, Mikasa. Life doesn't work like that. You
can't just--"

"No, you're not understanding what you're doing wrong. You

promised our parents, you promised us, to never abandon us and a
stupid military branch gives you friends and you become their dog."
Her eyes narrowed, her rage and sorrow growing with each word
Mikasa uttered. "That's outrageous and you know it."

They had never had a fight this big, ever. Mikasa had always been
such an understanding, calm young lady, but whenever Eren was
concerned, she turned into the most protective and smothering
person Sakura had ever met. She just had never expected that her
own sister would turn on her because of Eren, but maybe she had
just been delusional. Love made people do very outrageous things,
after all.

"I knew you never meant it. You were just saying those things to
calm us down, right? What's next? Giving both Eren and me up for
experimentation? I mean, you didn't even say anything to those men
who thought I was the enemy too. Are you going to agree with
everyone else that Eren's a traitor and a menace to humanity?"

"Mikasa, stop."

"Are you okay with Eren being a weapon, then? Make him die a
dog's death? I remember you speaking against all of that, but now
you're on their side. My, how the tables turn. Or did you forget about-
-"

The slap was loud and clear throughout the whole room, or maybe it
was the shock and adrenaline that made everything louder, clearer.
Mikasa's disbelief was a thing of nightmares, for sure. The rapidly
red handprint on her cheek was something she had promised herself
to never do. She had never laid a single finger on Mikasa, ever, even
when she had been in dire need of discipline. The whole situation
was a thing straight out of her darkest dreams. Had she never woken
up, then? Was she still asleep?

"M-Mikasa…"

She was initially just as surprised as she was, but then her eyes
narrowed at her hatefully and whispered tonelessly, "I'm glad to
know where your allegiances lie, Sakura. "
The black-haired Ackerman walked briskly past her and left the room
without closing the door. Before going away, she scowled
menacingly to the left, where Captain Levi's chakra presence was
located, and stalked in the opposite direction. Sakura just stood in
the middle of the room, staring at the open door until Levi stepped
inside the room and shut the door quietly behind him.

"You eavesdropped on our conversation," Sakura pointed out

nonchalantly, her stare holding no anger.

"Yes. I didn't feel like coming back later and I was already here."

"Most people would get mad about being spied on."

Levi raised an eyebrow and leaned against the door. "You're not
most people and I don't care about you being angry."

"So why are you here?"

"I didn't come to yell at you, if that's what you're worried about."
Sakura snorted and fought against the tiny smile that wanted to
break out. "Not that you were ever afraid of that. No, I came here for
something more serious than a little tantrum over Eren."

"Don't make fun of Mikasa."

"Don't tell me what to do, Ackerman." They were quiet for a few
moments, each person unsure on what to say. Sakura didn't really
feel like talking or arguing, and who knew what the hell went on in
Levi's mind half the time. After a few minutes he continued, "I just
came back from a meeting with Zackly and Erwin about my team.
Zackly had no qualms about any of the members except you."

Sakura cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Me?"

"You're Eren's adoptive older sister. Zackly believes that if worse

comes to worst, you will defend Eren and not kill him, potentially
ruining the mission."
She sighed in understanding and nodded weakly. "So you're here to
kick me out."

"Don't jump into conclusions. You know I hate when you do that."

"Not sorry."

Levi rolled his eyes and frowned at her. "I told Zackly he had nothing
to worry about because as long as I was there, Eren had no chance
of surviving if he went out of control. But we both know that's a lie."

She resisted the urge to smirk at the admittance that she was more
powerful than him when it came to human-to-human combat, but she
barely had an advantage without revealing her ninja status. "So you
lied to Zackly because?"

He pushed himself away from the door and came to stand right in
front of her in a move similar to what Mikasa had done earlier. But
instead of doing it to intimidate her, he didn't have his threatening
face or stance. "Be honest, Ackerman. If I ordered you to kill Eren,
would you do it?" His stare was more heated than usual, but he was
observing her features intensely, as if trying to see if he could catch
her lies.

Sakura bit her lip and shook her head slowly. "I can't kill my little
brother, Captain."

"Even if he attacked your teammates?"

"I said I can't kill him, but I never said anything about not stopping
him."

Levi continued staring at her, his gray eyes hard and unyielding. It
should make Sakura uncomfortable to have someone observe her
for any sign of falsehood, but she knew Levi didn't mean anything
bad about it. He had lied to the highest military authority about a very
delicate mission for her. He was just trying to make sure he hadn't
made a grave mistake from the beginning.
The Captain nodded slowly and stepped back to allow her more
space. "I hope you understand what I'm putting on the line for you."

"I do."

"Don't go against my orders, Ackerman. We're both going to be

under scrutiny. One mistake and it's not only our jobs, but Eren's
life."

"I know. I promise."

Levi sighed heavily and turned around to leave the room. "The only
reason why I'm letting this happen is because I trust your word.
We're leaving for the old headquarters tomorrow at dawn. You're
riding in the rear."

He quickly left after saying that, not sticking around to hear what
Sakura would reply with, and she was grateful for that. He had
probably listened to Mikasa devaluing her promises and stances, so
he knew the exact meaning behind his words. Quite frankly, she was
touched, considering their somewhat rocky relationship. Though
after two years, there were bound to be some improvements in their
dynamic.

Sakura sighed and sat on her bed, running her hands through the
bedsheets. She had barely been awake for an hour but she felt more
exhausted than after an expedition. Not only did she have to worry
about being impartial with Eren, but now she had a sister who was
righteously angry at her. Mikasa had been out of line, attacking her
integrity, but Sakura had physically attacked her by slapping her.
Hadn't she promised to never hurt them and always protect them?
Was Mikasa right, and her words really meant nothing?

Then what the hell had Levi just done?

Waking up before the sunrise had always been hard for Sakura. The
past couple of weeks spend cleaning up Trost had been a much-
needed reprieve from their usual days in the Survey Corps. Last
night, though, she had been unable to sleep, dark thoughts plaguing
her mind whenever she closed her eyes. Today marked the end of
their stay in the Garrison's south headquarters, since Squad Levi
would be taking Eren to an undisclosed location for safekeeping.

Nobody was supposed to know they were leaving today, but maybe
that statement didn't apply to Armin Arlert.

The blond was petting Haruto quite gently, and the veteran horse
was neighing in content, completely oblivious to his surroundings.
Her horse had that effect on people, she had found. She loudly
cleared her throat to alert him of her presence, and he jumped
almost a foot in the air of the scare she gave him. "S-S-Sakura?"

She giggled and body-flickered next to him, her green Survey Corps
cloak billowing from the speed. The Garrison stable was quite bigger
than the Survey Corps's, even if they didn't need horses as much as
them. The difference was in the quality and care of the horses, and it
was very obvious which horses belonged to which branch. "Came to
say good-bye?"

"Good-bye? What are you talking about?"

Sakura raised an eyebrow in confusion until her eyes widened in

realization. "Oh," she murmured. "You didn't know. Damn."

"Know about what?"

She looked outside one of the stable windows. It was still dark
outside, but the darkness was much lighter than when she had
woken up. She had wanted to spend some time with Haruto before
Squad Levi would meet at the stable at dawn, but that idea had
quickly gone out the window when she saw Armin. She still needed
to drive him out of the stable before someone saw them and
accused her of sharing sensitive information with a cadet, but they
still had a little bit of time before Squad Levi, the only group who had
a reason for coming to the stables at such an ungodly hour, arrived.
"So you come here before every morning then?"

Armin nodded slowly, willing to let Sakura keep her secret for longer,
and continued petting Haruto. "It's the only time they're empty. You
would think people would pay less attention to horses, but they're
quite popular."

"More like they need a lot of maintenance."

"True. Do you come here often?"

"Only to spoil my horse."

"Your horse is in here?"

"You're petting him, actually."

He immediately stopped petting and gaped at her, horrified. "Oh, I'm

so sorry, I didn't know." Haruto whinnied in protest, making her
chuckle and beckon Armin to continue his petting. "You don't mind?"

"You're asking if you don't mind me letting you spoil my horse? Of

course not, Armin. Even if Haruto hated you, you're practically
family."

His blue eyes softened and he started petting her horse much more
naturally. "Family," he murmured wistfully. "Most of the cadets had at
least one member alive, and none of them were from Shiganshina.
Nobody understood. You must feel misunderstood too, right? For
different reasons." At her questioning look, he further clarified,
"Mikasa told me about yesterday."

She grimaced and put her head down, unable to handle his gaze. "I
know I made a mistake."

"I'm not saying you made a mistake, Sakura. I know enough to not
take sides. All I'm saying is that I know you feel lonely at times,
because nobody is exactly like you. I'm sure Eren must be feeling it
too. That's why… That's why it's good both of you have me and
Mikasa."

Sakura was about to protest, that Mikasa was no longer willing to be

there for her, but Armin quickly shut her up with just one look. The
Training Corps did wonders for him if he turned out like that.

"I may not understand the reason behind your decisions or your
moral code, but I will always support your decisions. And if you need
someone to listen to you, I'm here too." Armin's serious face quickly
morphed as a wry smile stretched his lips. "Eren and Mikasa have
their own problems to be listening to someone else's."

Sakura's arms shook slightly from the restraint she placed on

herself, the restraint to launch herself at Armin and bury her head on
his shoulder. They were much closer, yes, but Armin always
comforted verbally rather than with physically. Putting him in that
awkward situation after giving her such heartwarming advice would
only leave a sour taste in her mouth.

She looked outside the window and found the sky was much lighter
than before. The rest of her squad would come here at any moment
with Eren in tow to take him to the old headquarters. She sighed and
turned back to Armin. "I think it's time for you to leave, Armin. My
squad is coming soon and I don't want us accused of sharing
intelligence about a delicate mission."

The blond raised his arms slightly in a placating manner, an

understanding grin on his face. "No need to tell me, Sakura. I figured
by the way you kept staring outside and your nervous look that you
were doing something you're not supposed to." He lowered his arms
and his grin quickly formed into a thoughtful frown. "Do take care of
Eren, though. I haven't had a chance to talk to him after the trial, and
I don't--"

"It's okay, Armin. I'm worried too. But don't worry, Eren will be safe
with me. I won't let anything happen to him."
"Don't let him do anything either."

"It's a two-way street."

He nodded and saluted her admirably. "I wish you the best. Good
luck."

She saluted back, her features hard to match his earnest tone.
"Thank you."

Armin exited the stable from the back door, leaving Sakura standing
in front of a neighing Haruto. She shook her head in exasperation
and started petting him, running her fingers through his golden
brown mane and coat. Even though his features were light, his eyes
were a almost black, and Sakura couldn't help but feeling that she
knew someone with black eyes and someone with name like
Haruto's, though whenever she tried to remember she hit a mental
wall, as if it was impossible for her to access her memories.

Maybe one day she would meet the black-eyed person and
someone with a name like Haruto's, but maybe she should start
getting rid of her expectations before she set herself up for
disappointment.

She sensed the chakra presence of Squad Levi and Eren closing on
the stable, and she closed her eyes with wariness and fatigue. Her
fight with Mikasa and Levi's orders had made her discover an
insidious problem: her relationship with Eren. She loved the boy
dearly, but how was she supposed to act in a way that didn't put him
in danger? For this assignment, Squad Levi wasn't on her side, but
humanity's. They didn't trust Eren, and she would be surprised if they
trusted her around Eren. She couldn't coddle him, because that
would immediately cast Levi in a bad light, but at the same time she
couldn't look at him the same way her teammates did. It was simply
impossible to even fathom the idea of killing him if he decided to
betray them.
Levi appeared first, followed by the rest of the squad, with Eren right
in the middle. He seemed very uncomfortable surrounded by her
friends, but as soon as he saw her, his teal eyes brightened
considerably. Sakura purposely turned her head away from him
towards Levi, the perfect picture of a soldier awaiting orders, but she
could still see Eren's hurt look from the corner of her eyes, causing
her heart to clench in guilt.

The Captain raised an eyebrow at her but didn't offer a comment,

instead heading towards his horse Isabel and opening the door to
release her from and led her outside the stable. The Survey Corps
followed suit, and Sakura noticed that Eren chose Haruto's neighbor.
She sincerely wished that he had ridden that horse before hand to
understand his movements or else he would have an awkward ride
ride.

As soon as they exited the stable, the members of Squad Levi

mounted their horses and rode to the west, towards their old
headquarters. Even if it was just a bit past dawn, the streets were
already starting to crowd a bit, but this was a far cry from what Trost
looked like before the titans attacked.

Sakura made sure to stay right at the rear, a considerable distance

from Eren and almost everyone in the squad, who was riding in the
front with Petra and Olou. Whenever Eren turned his head around to
give her a questioning stare, Sakura would purposely look to the
side, pretending to be interested by something in the forest, avoiding
his gaze. It was the simplest way for her to remain impartial and thus
in Squad Levi. She would never be able to look at Eren as a threat
like the rest of her teammates did, but at the same time she couldn't
act like they always did. Things had changed when Wall Maria fell,
and now things had changed again.

She couldn't help but eavesdrop on Gunther and Eld's conversation,

which was about his girlfriend Rosalind, or Rose, as he called her.
Eld would propose to her as soon as their mission was done and
they would move together to Karanase.
"I guess you owe Sakura some thanks for that!" Gunther exclaimed
with a hearty chuckle. He slowed down Lea's trot so that he was next
to Sakura and grinned at her. "Wasn't it you that got this knucklehead
his first date?"

"Yup, he was too enchanted by her beauty to make a move on her,"

she replied with fake enthusiasm. She knew she should be happy for
her friend, who was getting married and possibly starting a new life
as a civilian, but right now at least she could pretend as if nothing
was wrong and act with her teammates like she always did.

Maybe this would be a good time to talk to Olou about the bet.

Gunther furrowed his brow slightly before smiling and spurring his
horse back next to Eld. "See? You always need a woman in your life
to get things done, right Eld?"

He sighed. "Are you insinuating something, Gunther? As far as I

remember, you're still single. Does that mean you can't do anything
by yourself?"

"Right now I don't need a partner. My mom is the only woman I need
in my life right now."

From her spot in the back she could see Olou trying to listen to their
conversation, even though he was in the front with Eren and Petra.
Not that it was hard, considering the whole team was quiet except for
Gunther and Eld. Petra still refused to speak to Eren and wasn't in
the mood to tolerate Oluo's shit; Eren had zero incentives to spark
conversation with any team members except Sakura, who for some
reason was ignoring him; Levi was brooding quietly with a prominent
scowl on his face yet again; Olou, for all his stupidity, had finally
learned when to be quiet; the pink-haired member might as well
have a raincloud above her.

And soon after Eld and Gunther's conversation died down, leaving
their team in a rather awkward silence.
Sakura observed each of her teammates and sighed when she
realized their chemistry had been completely ruined by Eren. When
they traveled, they were almost always chatting amongst each other.
Even Levi sometimes joined in, though most of the time it was to tell
them to shut up or that they were being annoying, but at least he
talked. Today he hadn't said a single word, hadn't barked one measly
order.

She didn't want to blame Eren, but having the ability to shift into the
one thing that constantly ate their friends and comrades didn't win
him any brownie points. Sakura hadn't witnessed his titan form yet
and nobody talked about it as if it were taboo, but she dearly hoped it
didn't look anything like the monster that ate Liesel and Jung, or the
one that ate Kalura.

Kalura… Traitor to humanity or not, what would she think of what she
was doing? Would she understand her position, or would she agree
with Mikasa's words? As much as she wanted to deny it, Mikasa was
right in some aspects. She was refraining from using her ninja
powers against her own friends. She had never thought those
promises would be mutually exclusive; if she knew she never
would've made them. At any moment she could easily take Eren and
run away, and she was faster than horses and 3DMG so it wouldn't
be a problem to flee, and even less of a problem to remain hidden.

But Eren wouldn't want that. Eren wanted to help the Survey Corps.
It had been his dream since she had met him, and he had finally
reached his goal, albeit probably not the way he had envisioned.
Still, he had the power to change the course of humanity, more so
than Sakura ever could. He would never forgive her if she took him
away and hid him. Mikasa would approve, but Eren would be
resentful towards her for the rest of their lives.

And, in the end, it all boiled down to that: what did Eren want? As
uneasy as he looked, Sakura knew that he was happy to be a part of
the Special Operations Squad and be close to Levi, his idol. The
trial, the suspicion, the pain she was giving him… It was all part of
the price he had to pay for the life he wanted. Mikasa was still too
young to understand that, to comprehend that no decision didn't
have its fair amount of struggles, but Sakura understood that for his
dream of annihilating titans, he was willing to pay anything. Mikasa
wasn't wrong about her reasons for refusing to get Eren out of the
trial, but at least this was the outcome he wanted.

"Keep your forehead like that and I'm sure your face will stay like that
forever," Levi commented in his usual bored tone, albeit his voice
lower than usual so that no one would hear them. He had
abandoned his post behind Eren and was now keeping pace with her
and Haruto.

Her shoulders tensed and she glared at Levi, who remained

completely unperturbed by her dark look. "Oh, so you can brood all
you want with a face that says 'I want to kill you', but if I do it then it's
wrong?" she whispered back. She looked ahead to see if anyone
was seeing their little argument, and much to her satisfaction she
noticed all of her teammates remained oblivious to their little
squabble. Really, did they have horrible hearing or did Gunther and
Eld just gossip loudly?

"I don't brood."

Her forehead smoothed and she resisted the urge to laugh at his
face. Really, what was it with this guy? "You're not fooling anyone,
Captain. Even Olou has adopted your moody personality. Have you
noticed?"

He grimaced slightly and he broke their eye contact to stare at

Olou's back. "Yeah, I've noticed. It's a bit annoying."

"Maybe if you taught him how to pull it off, it wouldn't be such an

annoyance to the rest of us."

"Teach him… how to brood?"

"Aha, so you admit you brood!"

"Tch, whatever. Anyway, you're his friend. Can't you tell him to stop,
or something?"

Ah, if only he knew why Olou was imitating him. She knew that Olou
had suspicions that Petra "loved" Levi, and was thus emulating his
personality with the hope that Petra would "love" him too. However,
she would have to teach Olou that trying to be like Levi would never
work if he wanted Petra to fall in love with him, with cocky, asshole,
loyal Olou. Maybe now that they were staying in a separate
headquarters with a babysitting job and away from the Survey Corps
she would be able to talk him out of it and help him woo Petra.

A month to fall in love… Hm, maybe she should write a novel about
that.

She giggled and shook her head. No, she had ability in neither music
nor writing nor art… But she could kill thirteen-meter tall, human-
eating titans so maybe that wasn't so bad.

"Nope, can't tell him to stop," she replied to his earlier question in a
much lighter tone. To think that Olou's hopelessness in love would
help her feel better was a little cruel but at the same time quite
hilarious. "I mean, the team can't handle two Captains, but those are
the things we do for the people we love."

Levi grunted in assent but offered no reply, effectively killing their

conversation. But he didn't urge Isabel to take his spot right behind
Eren either, opting to remain in the back. She wasn't very sure why
he would go against his own plans, but maybe even he felt a little
stifled by the atmosphere in the front.

After a couple of hours, they reached the old base, a rather dirty and
old castle. Levi immediately ordered the team to start cleaning,
barely able to keep his disgust reined in. Sakura had been looking
forward to a nap, considering she hadn't slept the night before, but
duty called and she had learned Levi was the most irritable shit
whenever his surroundings were unclean.
She was assigned the cleaning of the basement, an old and dark
room made out of cold stone and filled with cobwebs. The old Survey
Corps had left a couple of books and a bed behind, probably serving
as a sort of study away from all the mess in the top. The Survey
Corps must've sure been different back then, when they were a
respectable group of people fighting for their newly-lost freedom.
Now they were considered suicidal soldiers with a penchant for
trouble and heroics, not people who wanted to regain their land and
power.

This old basement would serve as Eren's room, so she shouldn't

have been surprised when he showed up.

She stopped sweeping and remained still in the middle of the room,
waiting for Eren's chakra presence to get inside. This wasn't a
chanced meeting; he knew she was here because he was there
when Levi assigned their posts. After being coldly ignored
throughout their journey, why would he still seek her out?

Eren's chakra was now in the room, but she still refused to turn
around. Her grip on the broomstick became tighter, and the wood
cracked a bit under her strength. "What are you doing here, Eren?"
she asked in a cold tone. Her eyes might give her away, but her
voice had always been by her side. "You're supposed to be cleaning
the rooftops."

He was quiet, and she sent a bit of chakra to her eardrums so that
she could detect his gulp and the clench of his fingers. "I finished my
duties," he replied, his voice matching hers.

"Then report to the Captain."

"This is my room." His words were becoming more heated, he was

growing angrier. Good, maybe then he would avoid her until he
gained the Squad's trust, the moment she had decided to drop her
charade and smother him in a hug.

"Then I'm ordering you to report to the Captain."

Eren growled, "What the hell are you doing, Sakura? Don't tell me…"
He sighed and was quiet for a moment until he whispered, "Don't tell
me you actually think I'm like them ?"

His words constricted her heart, and suddenly it was hard to breathe.
Her grip on the broomstick became even tighter, and if she didn't
reign in her emotions she would definitely break it. "What I believe
won't influence this mission. I don't see why I should answer your
question."

"Dammit, Sakura, not even your teammates treat me like this, and
they don't know me at all."

Her resolve crumbled at that statement and she was about to explain
why she was treating him so horribly when she felt Petra's chakra
presence heading towards the basement, no doubt to listen to their
conversation. She loved her friend dearly, but right now she wanted
to yell at her for not trusting her. She could understand her mistrust
towards Eren, but to also see if Sakura would betray them was a low
blow. She didn't know her best friend could make her feel this
horrible.

Besides, what was it with her teammates deciding to listen to her

conversations? Did they think she would snap and betray them?

"You're a titan-shifter. Until you prove you can control your

transformation, I'm unsure whether you are an enemy to humanity."
There, that was what she was supposed to say to convince Petra
she wasn't a danger to their mission, but she still wouldn't leave. She
was still right outside the basement's door, dammit.

She heard Eren's heavy footsteps getting close to her and wasn't
surprised to feel his rough hands on her shoulder whirl her around to
force her to look up at his enraged, tearful eyes. Her voice she could
control, but her stare would be her undoing. It took everything she
had to not embrace him and coo away his fears.
"You don't know if I'm an enemy to humanity? Even after I spoke to
you all those times how I wanted to kill the titans, how I wanted to
join the Survey Corps? You still aren't sure?"

Petra was still rooted outside, and her hopes of being able to save
this conversation died down when she realized her best friend would
wait until they finished talking. Damn her and her insecurities. If it
was just her position in the squad on the line she would gladly reveal
her true colors, but Levi had stuck his neck out for her and she
wasn't that big of a bitch to him.

She dropped her head to avoid staring at his teal eyes any longer
and she whispered, "I think it's best if you leave, Eren."

His hands were still gripping her shoulders tightly, but after a few
seconds he slowly unclenched his fingers and dropped his hands
listlessly by his side. A few more moments passed and he stepped
back, turned around, and left the room with the most defeated walk
she had ever seen. She looked up just in time to see him open the
door, revealing a confused Petra.

"Oh, Petra, did you need something?" Eren asked tiredly.

Her friend stared past him and at Sakura, who had such a hateful
glare on her face that it made her shiver. "I was looking for you! You
should report back to the Captain about now or else he gets cranky."

Eren nodded slowly and excused himself softly, leaving a shocked

Petra behind. She remained rooted in her spot, unable to fathom the
strain she had caused in her friendship with her best friend, who was
looking at her with anger she had never seen aimed at her. "S-
Sakura… I-- I--"

"I think you should leave too," Sakura quietly offered, beautifully
masking her rage by making her voice sound conversational.

"But--"
" Now," she growled.

Petra's head bobbed quickly and she fled, her footsteps echoing
down the dimly-lit, stone hallway.

The broomstick finally snapped under the pressure, the piece falling
to the floor with two clacks .

So her sister, brother, and best friend had effectively alienated her;
who was next?

Sakura chuckled as she continued sweeping the room, little droplets

of water falling to the floor.

Oh, that was quite the roller coaster. Seriously, what's up with
Squad Levi doubting that Sakura will do something stupid for
her little brother. Drama after drama stacked on top of each
other, and I can't wait to get to the action, but this comes first. I
know I promised a chapter for last week, but life became busy
and this last damn scene was a bitch to write, for various
reasons. Mostly because none of the characters or settings
were agreeing with me, but I finally found the way to write it
comfortably.

I would like to give my immense gratitude to AstroKitty, aj07to,

Bum reviews, MiniRoonie, FairiesDescent, Basia Orci,
animagirl, Tainted Heroine, SakuMulti, Aka-chansama, Sincerely
Athena, AmeRaSora, lucife56, KuroAka, phoenixyfriend,
catxangel, GalanthaDreams, mun3litKnight, Lady Light, dark-
wolf-howl, urs-v, Bossassbitch, cherryblossom1423, cj1of4,
Mesterio, dor dor dor, Love Remedy, Katy bae, BLacKxBUrN,
pseudo41, bleachfan462, TheCrazyAnimeFan,
SakuraAkatsukiTaichi, HayleyComet, Dreamtraveler1313, Marx
D. Soul, hotredsakura1315, Black snake eyes, Guest, and
LuridLullaby. Your kind words were an encouragement to get
that last piece of shit scene out of my brain.
Framing
A loud noise of something slamming against the wall woke Sakura
from her deep sleep. She sat up immediately and almost jumped the
assailant before she saw Eld's figure in the doorway. There was no
light coming from the window, and the torches' fires in the hall were
dimmer than usual, meaning a long time had passed since she had
gone to sleep.

"Sakura! There's an emergency with the titans we caught! We need

to go back to Trost immediately."

Before she could even reply, Eld left her room, probably to wake up
the rest of the team. Confused, but aware of the mood, Sakura
jumped got out of bed and put on her uniform with startling speed.
The belts, which usually gave her the most amount of trouble, were
easier to put on, even in her slightly sleepy mind.

She jogged down the hallways, mindful to avoid the chakra

signatures of two people. She had screwed up majorly with one of
them, but with the other one she just didn't think she could deal with
without punching her. Dinner last night had been so awkward she
had been forced to retire early before any of her teammates felt the
need to asks questions. Surprisingly, none of them felt a change in
the dynamic between Petra and Sakura, which was weird because
they hadn't talked to each other, or even looked at each other. Were
they dense or were there no major differences from her relationship
with Petra? She knew she was quiet, but was she really this quiet?

The team had already gathered at the stables by the time she
reached them. The most notable one was Hange, who was a puddle
of anxiousness and anger. Moblit, who had brought the message,
was also quite shaken, considering their most precious project had
been destroyed. As soon as Sakura mounted Haruto, Hange ordered
the team to move out immediately, taking over the role of team
leader. Maybe she hadn't noticed that this wasn't her squad, but Levi
made no comment or move to remind her who was in charge. He
probably understood better than anyone in the group what Hange
was going through.

Yesterday's tension was masked by the sense of urgency the nine

Survey Corps soldiers had in reaching the Garrison castle. That was
part of the deal Zackly had done with Erwin Smith after months of
battling to start Hange's project. Since the Survey Corps's current
headquarters were so far away from civilization, if the titans
managed to run away at night, they would go out in the open and
attack unsuspecting towns. While having the titans in the middle of a
bustling district like Trost might seem counterintuitive, Zackly said
that the sheer amount of Garrison soldiers and the immense size of
the Garrison castle protected both the citizens and the soldiers from
an outbreak. She still had her doubts about his decision, but when it
came to titans, there really was no right answer on how to manage
them-- save for killing them, of course.

But even if the team was determined to get to Trost as fast as they
could, Sakura could still feel the change in the dynamic with the
team, even if the team was unaware of it for now. Petra was
especially cautious of Sakura, making sure to never ride too close to
her or her line of sight. Whenever Petra thought Sakura wasn't
looking, she could easily see the deep shame and guilt on her face,
downtrodden eyes and heavy bags adding to her haggard
appearance, but it wasn't enough to make Sakura feel better or even
slightly forgiving towards her.

And Eren stayed away from her for entirely different reasons. She
was riding in the left rear, but whenever Eren's horse got a bit tired
and needed to go a bit back, he always avoided her side and went
for the right rear, putting Levi, who was also riding on the rear, in the
middle of their little avoidance game.

To make matters worse, Levi --whom she previously thought of as an

antisocial, cold-hearted man-- was the only one who finally figured
out the difference in her dynamics with the two people, if his weird,
constant stares to the three of them were anything to go by. That
Levi found out before Oluo was a bit of an embarrassment to her
best friend, though maybe she was underestimating Levi. He may be
absolute shit in expressing himself, but maybe she didn't give him
enough credit in being attuned to his team.

Then there was the initial chaos Eren's presence caused the team.
Their ride to the old headquarters had proven that the dynamic had
changed dramatically. Was this the reason why her teammates failed
to feel the strain in her relationship with Petra, because they
themselves felt the tension Eren gave them and attributed Petra and
Sakura's change to that? Even if that was true, it still didn't explain
how Levi had found out before everyone else.

It was a bit past dawn when they finally reached Trost, but the
streets were still slightly empty, much to their luck. Hange led them
straight to the Garrison castle that kept the titans, her urge to reach
the place almost heartbreaking because Sakura already knew how
this story would end. She left her horse to a man on the stable, not
even bothering to check his credentials, and sped inside. Moblit
followed heatedly in her footsteps, meanwhile the rest of Squad Levi
took a bit longer, mostly because they were exhausted, particularly
Eren, who had been up the whole night listening to Hange about her
experiments.

And indeed, as soon as they reached the courtyard, Squad Levi

witnessed Hange's breakdown. Amina, one of the main researchers,
was also on the floor, but instead of outward signs of distress, she
was more subdued, as if not quite believing her eyes. Even Sakura
felt empty; she had risked her and Amina's lives to capture those
titans, after all. She didn't even want to imagine the amount of time
Amina spent observing and experimenting with the titans. Erwin had
promised to not capture more titans for the rest of the year as part of
the deal with taking Eren into custody, trusting Hange to find more
about the titans for at least the duration of the year, but they had
barely lasted a total of four months.

Erwin approached Levi and beckoned him to go out for a little talk,
which the shorter man begrudgingly did. They would no doubt talk
about the scene and the perpetrator. There were two possibilities for
the killer: a very smart person who knew more about titans than they
did or a very stupid person who thought killing those two titans would
be better for humanity. There was no in-between. Personally, she
leaned more towards the former choice, since the method and way
of killing spoke of an experienced person, but she wouldn't put it past
a rather talented but immature cadet to kill their research
experiments.

Three Garrison soldiers approached Squad Levi and stood directly in

front of Sakura. She didn't recognize either of them, but their stance
was threatening. Before she could even open her mouth, the soldier
in the middle took out a small piece of paper from his jacket's pocket,
cleared his throat, and read, "Sakura Ackerman, you're hereby under
arrest for suspicion of destroying government property." The two
soldiers both stepped closer and each took one of Sakura's arms,
taking advantage of her shock. "Take her to the dungeons."

"Wait, wait, what is going on?" Gunther finally exclaimed, snapping

out of his stupor. "You can't just take our second-in-command like
that!"

The rest of her teammates, even Eren, mirrored his thoughts, each
offering their own protest. By now, Squad Levi had attracted
everyone's attention, putting Sakura in an even more humiliating
position. To be arrested was one thing, but for all of her comrades to
find out in front of her made her want to crawl under the earth and
never come back to the surface.

Erwin and Levi both came back from their private conversation and
stopped at the Garrison soldier's side. "What is the meaning of this?"
the blond commander questioned, his voice calm but with an
underlying threat.

"Earlier at the scene we found two incriminating pieces of evidence

that linked the crime to Sakura Ackerman." Even the way he
pronounced her name made her want to cringe, but she was curious
as to the evidence that made the Garrison reach the conclusion she
was the killer. "First, strands of pink hair. Second, a piece of green
fabric that matches the rip Ackerman currently has on her cape."

The kunoichi glanced down to see where this fabric was and almost
laughed out loud when she found it. This had happened the day
before Eren's trial, when she was in the courtyard with all of those
trainees. She had no idea how it'd happened, but she had thought it
had fallen off and hadn't worried too much about it. She had even
stowed the cape away to protect it from further rips before coming
back to the courtyard and finding Connie.

Obviously, the reason behind the rip was directly linked to this crime,
but she was one-hundred-percent sure a person had not caused this
to her cloak, and also very sure nobody had plucked any hairs from
her head, unless this person had meticulously collected any pieces
of hair that may naturally fall off, which was extremely creepy.

She shot the soldier who read her arrest letter a disbelieving look.
"You obviously don't believe those two things make me the criminal,
right?"

The soldier remained silent, his face betraying no emotion. The urge
to strangle him increased exponentially.

"She isn't a criminal," Petra declared loudly. "Please, I was--"

"Shut up," Levi ordered, his voice cold.

The blond commander stared at the soldiers, his face a mask to

what he was actually thinking. "I see," Erwin murmured after a
pause. "Very well, take her to the dungeons. I'll personally go there
later to get the truth out of her."

She didn't need to turn around to know her teammates were

shocked, because she herself was horrified. The two soldiers who
caught her arm dragged her away, because she was physically
incapable of moving her limbs.
What… What was going on in her life? It seemed like a horrible
nightmare that never ended. Such unfortunate events, two days in a
row. What, had she angered some unknown god? Well, she didn't
believe in them, to begin with, so maybe that was the reason. Still,
this so-called god picked the worst time to get his revenge.

Like before, Sakura was confused by the complexity behind the

Garrison's castle. By the time she fully processed the fact she was
being arrested, they were already in front of her cell. The room was
simple, with one half having a chair against the wall and the other
half being the cell itself. One of the guards took the key from his
back pocket and opened the metal cell and the other soldier forced
her inside.

Sakura just stood by the cell door with her back facing the soldiers.
There was a small bed to the left and a bucket on the right hand
corner of the cell. The floor was hard, cold cement, and some of the
spots were even damp from what she smelled was pee.

After what felt like an eternity, Sakura's limbs finally moved and she
sat on the bed, her eyes dazed. She couldn't believe what was
happening. Erwin had… betrayed her? Not only Erwin, but Levi as
well. Why would either of them do that to her after the lengths they
had gone in keeping her by their side? It simply made no sense.

Well, before jumping into conclusions, she should just wait for them
to explain themselves. Erwin had said he was coming down to "get
the truth out of her", after all.

And just as she had predicted, a couple of minutes later Erwin,

Hange, and Levi strode in, their faces grim. Sakura immediately
stood up and walked to the end of the cell, wrapping her hands
around the bars.

"Thank you for keeping watch over her, gentlemen. We'll take it from
here."
The two soldiers saluted the commander and left, though even they
didn't notice when Levi skillfully pick pocketed the keys from one of
the soldiers. That the keys didn't even jingle truly spoke of his talent
in the thievery department.

The door of the dungeon opened and shut, indicating the Garrison
soldiers were gone, and Levi sighed, flashing the keys to his
comrades. "Well, look at that. Being a thug sure pays off."

"Open the door, Captain. I'm locked here with pee stains."

"Tch, disgusting." Levi stepped in and unlocked the cell door,

allowing Sakura to quickly escape the smelly place. Well, the other
side of the room didn't smell like roses, either, but at least the smell
of urine wasn't as strong. Though maybe her rather sensitive nose
was to blame, but she couldn't turn off her smell, especially since
she wasn't currently reinforcing it with chakra.

Erwin grabbed the chair and turned it sideways so that it was facing
the three officers, who somehow managed to all fit in the rather small
part of the room. If anything, having Levi standing next to Erwin sure
showed how small he was. "Please, Sakura, sit. You already
suffered enough inconveniences."

Sakura sat down on the only chair and looked up to her three
superiors. Even if Erwin had meant to be accommodating, it was still
just a tad bit intimidating to have the people she admired looked
down at her, even if they didn't look at her like an enemy. But she
should stop feeling so small. After all, she was Sakura Ackerman, a
powerful kunoichi with no known human equal.

"Like that soldier said, you were detained because they found pink
hair and a piece of green cloak fabric at the crime site," Hange
explained. "I personally saw the pieces of evidence, and though the
hair is yours, the fabric of the cloak doesn't match ours. If anything, it
matches an older version of our cloak. Which means the person
knew your cloak was ripped but the person himself didn't rip the
cloak."
"The only thing we're sure of is that you were set-up," Erwin
continued. "Which is a bit troubling. Is there anyone you have
recently angered?"

Besides Eren and Mikasa, no, but they would never do that to her,
even if they were furious. "Not that I know of."

"Hm, just as I thought. And if we believe our comrades and your

words, nobody outside the Survey Corps and your trusted friends
should know that you're a sensor, either. Well, the only link we can
make between your setup and the killing of the titans is that it was
probably done by the same person. Someone out there wants to
tarnish your reputation or cause your teammates to doubt you for
some reason, maybe to make you an easy target for them to take
out."

Levi's frown deepened. "That sounds like a stupid plan. If anything,

even if we believed Ackerman did it, we would watch her more
closely. The setup loses its purpose."

Hange crossed her arms and leaned to the left, so that her right
shoulder was against the wall. "Erwin just said it was a possibility.
That doesn't mean it was the true plan."

"That's besides the point. I must admit I'm unsure how to continue
from here on out. We could let the killer think that his plan worked
and we distrust Sakura, just to see how he would follow his plan and
wait for him to slip-up. Or, we could say we trust Sakura and stop
whatever plan he had."

"We should say we trust Sakura." Hange gave Sakura a small smile,
which was the closest expression resembling happiness that she
had showed since the morning. The ordeal had truly taken a lot out
of her. "Not only that, but news of this would reach Zackly. He might
even take Sakura out of the mission for not being on the side of the
Survey Corps. It just muddles our plans if we say we think she killed
my titans."
"No, we should observe the killer's next move," Levi said, his
expression dark. "It allows us to manipulate the situation further. The
killer will definitely be overconfident now that nobody is actively
looking for him, and we can use that to catch him before the next
expedition. And as for Zackly… Shitty-glasses, he won't be easily
fooled like those Garrison soldiers. If anything, he and all the higher-
ups will arrive at the same conclusion we did quite easily. Which
makes the killer's motives quite baffling. Those two pieces of
evidence would never hold up in an actual court."

"We can spend the whole day arguing about the killer's motives and
not arrive to a definite conclusion," Erwin admitted. He stared up at
the ceiling, his eyes deep in thought. "What would someone who
infiltrated the military have to do with Sakura Ackerman?" From his
two sides, both Hange and Levi stiffened, their eyes wide, causing
Erwin to smile, even if he wasn't looking at them. "Well, we can be
sure Sakura isn't the spy, correct? It makes no sense to hide this
from her when she can help us in the long run."

"What do you mean?" Sakura finally asked, her voice strong despite
the circumstances. "Someone infiltrated the military?"

The blond looked down at her, his smile replaced by a serious frown.
"I'll walk you through the thought process. Why would someone kill
titans which were protected by the military faction who hunts them
down?"

"Because he doesn't want us to find out more about the titans."

"Exactly. But that's not all. This killer is also someone from the
military, someone who could blend in without questions, and also
someone with the ability to kill titans. This means someone who
studied to be a titan killer. Now, why would a soldier who ultimately
wishes to free humanity sabotage humanity's own intelligence?"

"He's not allied with humanity. And the only people not explicitly
allied with humanity are titans…" Sakura's brow furrowed and she
looked down, finally catching on to Erwin's line of thought. Someone
who wasn't allied to humanity? Who would benefit from humanity's
eventual downfall? Not titans, considering they lacked the mental
capacity to understand extinction and victory. Definitely not humans,
either. So, neither titans nor humans, but… "Titan-shifter," she
eventually breathed. "Eren's not the only one. And this one isn't our
ally."

The three officers nodded grimly, considering the conclusion wasn't a

good one. "That's one of the conclusions we reached," Hange said.
"Well, until today, at least. If we believe the titan-shifter and the one
who set you up are the same person, then our predictions become
more muddled. That is, if he doesn't know you're a sensor. However,
since he is a spy, I wouldn't put it past him to know you're a sensor. It
would make sense to take you out if you could pinpoint his status as
titan-shifter."

"I must admit I haven't been wholly honest with my powers," Sakura
admitted, her green eyes hard despite the suspicious looks on her
three superiors. Maybe this was not the best time to say she had
kept information from them, but right now they needed to know as
much information about her to make a better hypothesis. "I sense
both titans and humans," she continued, and the three of them
visibly relaxed, as if they had already arrived to the same conclusion.
Well, she wouldn't put it past them to know that much, considering
their brain power. "Titans feel like a warped version of a human. I
didn't realize it at first, but I finally figured out why titans felt so
familiar . But Eren feels entirely human, even if he's a titan-shifter."

"So there's no way you could sense the spy," Erwin concluded, his
face actually showing disappointment. "I was actually hoping you
would help us find out the titan-shifter, at least so that I could avoid
the other plan I had in mind."

"Plan?"

Yet again, Levi and Hange stiffened slightly, the action so minute that
non-ninja eyes would've missed it. Erwin must've sensed it too,
because he smiled yet again and patted his friends on the back
slightly. "Relax, both of you. Sakura isn't the enemy. She could've
easily led us to annihilation these past two years, leading us straight
into the titans. Besides, even if she can't help us getting the spy, she
can help us before and during the expedition."

Sakura felt her chest warm at the blatant display of trust Erwin was
showing her. She knew it was quite the honor to be included in his
circle, considering the amount of natural suspicion he had for the
outside world. And indeed, if he gave everyone the benefit of the
doubt, then he would've failed as a commander a long time ago.
However, even if she felt proud of gaining his trust, she knew it had a
price, considering now she would be at the forefront of his plans, and
thus much easier to manipulate.

"I'll tell Zackly I want to put you through a military tribunal," he

announced, much to Hange's shock, though Levi seemed to have
known it would happen a long time ago. "You definitely won't be
convicted, and I would wager there won't be a trial anyway because
I'll tell Zackly part of my plan, but just the announcement should
make our 'suspicions' of you apparent. We'll see from there what the
titan-shifter has in mind, or if the killer is even the titan-shifter to
begin with. I predict the titan-shifter will make no further moves
against you, because if he infiltrated the military he must have a
certain degree of intelligence and inside sources, but I can't
completely discard the opportunity to allow him to slip-up."

"And, the price for the opportunity isn't that high, either," Hange
continued, catching drift of Erwin's plan. "After all, playing the
suspect for a month sure outweighs the very possible sacrifice we
would have to make during the next expedition."

"Why are you so sure the spy will show up in our expedition?"

"We believe he's trying to sabotage the Survey Corps," Levi

answered.

"Why now, though? Why start now out of all the times? He's had
years to sabotage the Survey Corps. The only difference is… Ah, I
get it." She chuckled humorlessly. "He sure is the catalyst of many
things. So now there's the question of why he wants Eren."

"Yet again, it's only a guess," Erwin said. "We can't be sure of many
things right now, which is why I want to capture the spy alive and
hopefully without any casualties on our side. That's why I want you
to play suspect."

"Sure, sounds like the sensible thing to do."

"I'll play along too," Levi said. "I'll keep Ackerman with us in the old
headquarters until her trial."

"I think it'd be better if my squad kept Sakura." Hange got from her
spot against the wall and stretched, some of her joints popping. "You
already have your hands full with Eren. She'll be safe with me."

Well, though parting with her current team did make her sad, Sakura
knew the little break would do her good. She had an estranged
relationship with two members, and though nobody had felt the
strain, they were bound to find out sooner than later. Besides,
staying with Amina wouldn't be a bad thing; she hadn't spoken to her
since before the Battle of Trost.

"I don't think your team will react positively to having the person who
killed their precious research projects live among them," the black-
haired man countered.

"Then Mike's team would be a good idea," Erwin continued, a

mysterious twinkle in his eyes. Sakura raised an eyebrow; what was
going on?

"No."

"My team, then."

"You don't have an official team, Erwin."

"Nanaba's?"
" No."

Hange laughed. "Geez, Levi, why are you shooting down every other
idea that isn't yours? We'll treat your precious second-in-command
quite well, don't worry."

He glared at Hange and Erwin, who both sported smug looks. "Tch,
you two don't understand. This one" --he pointed his thumb casually
at Sakura-- "has problems with my team. Usually, I won't get
involved in stupid drama, but I can't have my team acting stupid
before an important expedition." He turned his glare from his two
smirking friends towards Sakura. "And you better fix that problem in
less than a month, or I'll take you off the squad for the expedition.
Understood?"

Sakura stood up from her chair and squeaked, "Yessir."

Hange almost laughed at Sakura. She probably had never witnessed

Levi act like an older familial figure, and, to her benefit, Levi almost
never showed that side of his personality. Hange had never seen
Levi care for a team as much as he cared for the current one- well,
besides his first one, but those two had been his closest friends in
the underground. Levi had admitted to Hange that he hadn't been
with them for very long, maybe three years at the most, but they had
been the only true friends he ever had until he joined the Survey
Corps. Nobody had expected his current team to last so long, not
even Levi himself, but sitting in front of them was part of the reason
why.

She usually advised him to not get too attached to his teams, mostly
to spare him the pain of bringing his teammates' corpses later on,
but maybe with Sakura by their side it wasn't such a bad idea that he
opened up a little bit more. She knew firsthand how much of a pain
in the ass he was in terms of teamwork, always deciding to be the
lone wolf, and Hange had a theory that his power could grow even
more if he learned how to work with other people. The pink-haired
soldier had initially failed to form a good partnership with Levi, but
that could always change.
"Well, you must be very convincing, Levi. Even if your team is far
away from civilization and innocent, we never know if something
might slip."

He scoffed and his scowl deepened. "Never doubt my ability to

destroy reputations, Erwin."

Hange finally barked a laugh and patted Sakura on the shoulder.

"Oh, I do pity you, not for being a suspect, but for putting up with
Levi." She smiled mischievously and staged-whispered, "But that's
how he cares for his team."

"Shitty-glasses, shut up if you know what's good for you."

Even if his tone was menacing, the damage had already been done.
Even if she didn't fully understand her Captain, and he didn't
comprehend her either, at least this had shed a bit more light into his
personality. She always knew he cared in some weird way of his, but
having Hange, one of his closest friends, confirm her suspicions
made it even better.

She had never regretted standing up for him and Squad Levi in front
of Mikasa, but now she was proud of her decision. Mikasa would just
have to learn that she cared about more people now.

The ride back to the headquarters was more interesting than what
Sakura expected. Since she met her Captain, she had always been
aware he was an asshole, but in that little journey she realized he
had never purposely been an asshole before, and thank goodness
for small mercies like that. From alienating her from her team by
making her sit far away during lunch to snubbing her whenever she
asked a sensible question, Levi acted like the perfect example of
someone a pacifist would assassinate.

Even Sakura wanted to strangle him and she was perfectly aware of
his intentions. Sometimes it even felt like payback for all the trouble
she had given him.
But it did wonders with her team chemistry. Whenever Levi was out
of an earshot, Eld would give her pep talks, telling her that this was
just a minor setback and he was sure things would be over soon.
Gunther did a similar thing, but also offered her extra food and
promised to make her something special when they arrived at the
headquarters. Oluo talked shit behind his back and even promised
her that he would burn his own cravat as a symbol of solidarity.
Sakura didn't believe that statement, but appreciated the thought.

Eren didn't even react to the whole situation, still preferring to ride as
far away as possible from her. Sakura had hoped that their shared
status as suspicious soldiers would open a conversation and allow
her to explain the situation, away from her teammates, but she had
been too naive and optimistic in that area.

Petra's attempts at comfort were extremely awkward, though. She

obviously wanted to apologize before giving her opinion, but Sakura
wasn't making it easy for her, looking away whenever she tried to
make eye contact or starting conversation with another team
member whenever Levi was not nearby. Maybe she was acting
childish and overly resentful, but this whole mess had been started
because she couldn't trust her five minutes with Eren.

It was even worse than that time Amina had tricked her into catching
those titans.

But she would have to forgive her eventually. Levi had made it very
apparent that he was expecting his team to be fully ready in less
than a month, or else he would be kicking her off the team, and she
trusted his word. Though, in any case, shouldn't he be kicking Petra
out, since she started this fight to begin with? She had been acting
like an exemplary soldier until now, showing no deference to Eren
and understanding her superiors' orders, but here she was getting
the threats and the order to fix a mess she hadn't even started.

Haruto snorted and started moving his neck up and down, what he
usually did whenever he was thirsty. Sakura frowned and felt her
already irritable mood getting even worse. Hadn't he drank water
thirty minutes ago? It wasn't even that hot to begin with.

Levi turned around and scrunched his nose. "I guess we're in need
of another break," he drawled. "Haruto must be annoyed that he's
been reduced to carrying criminals."

Sakura's shoulders stiffened and she resisted the urge to growl. That
didn't even make sense. If he wanted to convince the squad that she
committed the crime, he would have to make it less annoying and
more believable. If anything, he should kick out Petra, since she
started this awkwardness. Without Petra, the only one around who
would need some talking would be Eren.

Her team shot her apologetic looks and followed the Captain's
orders, everyone dismounting their horses rather awkwardly. Eren
seemed almost ecstatic to complete Levi's orders without even
looking at Sakura, feeling like an exemplary soldier. She sincerely
hoped Eren's admiration for Levi had not blinded him enough that he
believed she really was the culprit. Though he could be a bit of a
hothead, Eren wasn't stupid. Though maybe his resentment towards
her was clouding his judgement.

Levi led Isabel to the perimeter of their little circle, not before
stopping in front of Haruto and Sakura and shooting her a glare.
"Eren, I don't think you can afford having bad influences. Come with
me and take her horse for a drink."

Eren perked up further and took Haruto's reins, wasting no time and
following Levi to a nearby stream she had heard for the last fifteen
minutes. He was just grating on her nerves even further. He was
taking this to the extreme. By now he would probably alienate
himself from the team, and if that happen how would Squad Levi
function?

As soon as Levi and Eren were out of an earshot, Gunther starting

looking around with a nervous look. "Is it me or is the Captain acting
a bit more of an… Uh…"
"Asshole?" Petra quipped, crossing her arms and looking visibly
annoyed. "No, you're not the only one who noticed."

Gunther sighed and chuckled, relaxing slightly. "I don't know how I
feel about this. He obviously doesn't think you did it, and you haven't
been a bitch to him in a long time, so he has no warrant to act like
this."

Sakura raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What makes you say so? The
Captain has made it very clear I'm a criminal."

"The Captain may have a criminal past, but he's very intelligent and
sharp," Eld explained. "Those two little things of evidence would
never hold up anywhere. Besides the fact you stayed the night here."

She shrugged. "I could've escaped during the night."

Oluo scoffed. "No, you wouldn't."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because Petra staked you all last night and she would've said
something by now."

Sakura stiffened and immediately looked at Petra, who was now

curiously avoiding her gaze. She had stayed outside her room last
night? Well, that certainly explained the heavy bags in her eyes, but
why had she done that?

The whole team was also looking at her rather curiously, and Petra
sighed in exasperation under the weight of their gazes, her arms
dropping by her side. "I tried to say something at first, but the
Captain shut me up. I confided in him afterwards, that I knew you
hadn't left your room and there were no windows, but he didn't
answer."

"Then the question is, why is he doing all of this? There must be a
reason," Eld spoke, his sentence not particularly aimed at anyone.
Petra finally looked at Sakura in understanding, but the kunoichi only
narrowed her eyes further. "I think I know why," she said slowly.

"Huh? Do tell, Petra. Can't have a shy wife now, can I?"

She glared at Oluo in annoyance, but her shoulders slumped and

her head lowered when she looked back at Sakura, who was now
glaring murderously at her.

Their teammates jumped slightly once they noticed the tension

between the two. "Holy shit," Gunther spoke up. "What happened?"

"Why don't you ask her," Sakura said venomously.

Oluo blinked and alternated between staring at Petra and Sakura,

obviously confused. "Okay, I think I'm scared now. I've seen you rip
people's throats out if you heard someone talk to Petra in the tone
you just used now."

The brown-haired woman winced and bit her lip. "I made a big
mistake last night. I think he wanted to give us an incentive to talk
about the problem."

Eld drawled, "So you think the Captain has been acting like a major
ass during this whole trip give you a time to apologize? I find that
hard to believe."

"No, he's doing this to improve our team chemistry," Sakura finally
said. "Uniting against a common enemy. In this case, him. And
maybe also test how strong our bonds are. I'm not expecting --and I
don't want-- an apology."

Before she wanted to play along with Levi's plan, neither confirming
nor denying his suspicions of her, but she didn't see the harm in
stopping Levi's little game of making her the pariah of the team. He
had already proven his point that Squad Levi stuck together through
better or worse. Besides, she would take this opportunity to spoil his
fun and start devising the perfect payback for the last two miserable
hours.

"C'mon, Sakura, don't be that mean," Gunther chastised gently.

"Petra's very remorseful about whatever she did. I'm sure you can
forgive her, right?"

"Please," she pleaded. "I… It's not that I don't trust you, because I
do. I just know how much you love your siblings and how much you
would do for them that I just… panicked. I guess I felt that you would
choose him over us. And I wanted to stop you before you did."

"Did I ever give you that impression?" she retorted harshly. "Since
when have I given any evidence that I would choose either side?"

"During the trial you were so angry . You couldn't see your face, of
course, but I was right there next to you at all times. And even if you
had chosen Eren last night, I would've stuck with you, Sakura. I
wouldn't have said anything, I promise. I would've tried to convince
you to stay with us, but in the end it's your choice and I would've let
you go. I just wanted to talk… but I know I was wrong now."

The squad was quiet after Petra's outburst, but the silence was not
cold and judgmental but rather understanding, at least for everyone
except Sakura. She had thought her teammates would be outraged
by the injustice her best friend had done to her, but instead they
looked sympathetic, as if they had thought the same thing Petra had.
Sakura knew that they hadn't explicitly sided with anyone, but she
still felt rather hurt that they didn't trust Eren.

"There are no sides in this," she said, addressing everyone. "Eren is

not an enemy of humanity. There's no reason for you guys to think I
would betray you for him when we're on the same side."

"But that's the problem, Sakura," Petra continued, her voice a bit
harsher. "We don't know yet if he's an enemy. I like Eren, I won't lie,
and so far he's done a great first impression, but that's it. You know
him, but for everyone else on the team, he's a fifteen-year-old who
can turn into a titan at will, and it's possible he has no conscious
thought over his movements. That scares me, Sakura. It scares
everyone. Your brother gives people nightmares."

"We're giving him a chance, we promise," Eld continued, "but you

can't expect us to get rid of our suspicions in just one day. Give us
some time, okay? Before you know it, everything will be back to
normal. Eren will be just as vital to our team as everyone else."

She stared at each of her teammates, their faces mirroring their

agreement with Eld's words, and felt the anger slowly leaving her
body. Before, she had thought Levi had only felt the change between
her and Eren and Petra, but now she was growing convinced he had
sensed this mentality with the rest of the squad. Was that why he
had been such a shit this whole time, because he knew that her
teammates didn't fully trust her and he gave them a reason to
address the problem?

If so, she had been a fool and had little reason to be angry at any of
them. Unlike Eren, they probably knew why she was acting so coldly
towards him and why it was tearing her apart. She hadn't given them
much evidence that she would be able to objectively look at the
mission, at least not the same way Levi knew.

"Fine," she sighed. "I understand your points. I'll give you guys some
time to make your own judgments about Eren. But I want some trust
in exchange. You guys say you don't know Eren, and I respect that,
but all of you know me, and that should be reason enough to know
what I am and am not capable of. And I'm not betraying any of you
for any reason."

"Deal," Oluo replied immediately. "I mean, I never doubted you,

Pinky. You're too much of a scaredy cat to do anything."

"Watch it, old man. Don't think I've forgotten about the bet you lost."

His eyes widened and his cheeks flushed, his whole body mortified
by the prospect of confessing Petra his love. Gunther and Eld
guffawed, aware of the situation, and poor Petra was the only one
left out of the loop, her confused face begging for someone to
explain her the inside joke.

When Levi and Eren came back after a particularly long absence,
they encountered rather constipated faces, as if his squad was trying
to reign in their laughter, and Levi could gained a foreboding that
what he had done for his team would come bite him in the ass later
on.

Sebastian,

My captain glared at me for a solid five minutes because of this

letter. I had to lie to him that you didn't know anything. Well,
considering your intellect, it isn't much of a lie. How did you find out
where I was staying? I'm pretty sure my location is a top military
secret. I've got half a mind to report this, but since you're a friend
and all of that, I think I'll let it slide.

I'm glad you got the recognition you deserve for that piece. I've
heard you play it before and it was wonderful. I'm sure you left the
crowd shocked by how good your performance was. I would've told
them a few explicit words if they hadn't given you any recognition,
but, let's be honest, the dirt under their feet is worth more than me.
Nobles have it so easy.

You can tell Amina's father that your inside sources say Amina is
fine. She visited two days ago and told me how things were going
with her work. Even though one of her most rewarding and time-
consuming projects was unfortunately terminated around two weeks
ago. It wasn't pretty, but she's pulling through. They're trying to get
the higher-ups to approve the same project once again, but with this
mess going on, I don't think it's going to happen any time soon. I
know that she refuses to ask the Burgeis family any help, but if you
can let is slip to the Lord and Lady Burgeis, that would be great. I
know that they're fond of their only granddaughter.
Your nightmares won't go away, Sebastian. They will keep coming,
and the more you ignore them the more perturbed you'll be. Have
you thought about talking to someone about it? Writing to me does
not replace having someone actually listen to you about these
things. Trust me, once I confessed a deeply shameful act I
committed to Amina and Petra and they only supported me. That's
not to say I'm still not ashamed of what I did, but I do feel better. It's
even less complicated with you, because what you're feeling is very
understandable. Do keep in mind that the person you choose to talk
to will be able to sympathize, but never will empathize with you. I'm
sure the inner circle has never seen a titan, much less seen it do
what you saw that day.

They don't have titans about being eaten by titans, remember that.
They don't know true fear.

I'm glad to know you're staying inside Sina for a bit longer. I don't
know much about districts, to be honest, so I don't know where
Ehrmich is. I'm surprised you're not staying in Mitras, though.
Disgusted by the way of life, or is there something bugging you? I'm
not afraid to say the monarchy annoys me for many reasons,
particularly their fear of the outside. Even if its infested with titans,
outside the walls is so beautiful you must witness it at least once in
your life. If you're good, I'll take you and personally act as your body
guard.

From my end, things have been going… worse than what I expected.
Fine, I admit it, and no, it's not because you're not here. Getting a bit
too ahead of yourself there, buddy . Without divulging too many
secrets, I'm in a bit of an uncomfortable position with my team. I can't
really talk to them that much. Even if we worked out our problems
around two weeks ago, everything is cold.

Okay, fine, you win, I'll tell you a bit about what's going on. You do
know about Eren Jaeger, right? How could you not, the noble
families were after his blood even after the trial. It was only because
of Amina and the Burgeis that they gave it a rest. Anyway, a little
less known secret is that Eren Jaeger is my adoptive brother. And
though this isn't known in the general populace, it is very known in
the Survey Corps. And it is also well known in the Survey Corps that
I'm very protective over my siblings.

Yeah, those two don't mix well together in my line of work. I don't
have much contact with regular soldiers since I'm in the Special
Operations Squad, so I don't have to deal with too many dark looks.
But, sometimes, I wish I could take those dark looks over the looks
my friends give me sometimes. I mean, in the surface, we're still the
same. We laugh and joke and make fun of each other and fight, but I
can tell it's all fake. Or, at least, forced. I don't know how to describe
it, I've never dealt with something like this before in my life. Now that
I look back to it, my life has always been simple: train, go out on
expeditions, survive, come back, repeat. Friendship came naturally
because we survived together, creating bonds I thought were
unbreakable.

But maybe I'm being too harsh on my team. You have no idea how
much we hate titans. The inner walls probably have never had to
experience living with the fear of titans, but the Survey Corps is well-
acquainted with it. Many friends and comrades have been eaten by
titans. I've witnessed my old squad crumble to them. Two of my
senior teammates saved my life and were eaten as a result. And
now, we're housing a titan in our basement, protecting him. At least,
that's what my teammates think. They don't see a ten-year-old brat
who tried to sneak up on me any time of the day or sometimes made
me do his chores for him. They weren't there when he lost his mom.
They haven't seen the fire burn in his eyes whenever he says he'll
exterminate the titans.

I agreed to give them some time to see Eren like I see him, but I'm
getting impatient. Does it really take this long to realize that Eren is
not a titan and won't eat us all? He's been so nice to them (not me,
but he has a reason for that) this whole entire time, and they still
keep them at arm's length. They smile at him, but whenever he's
about to put his hand close to his mouth, they all tense. I can't act
like if nothing's wrong with people who treat my brother like that, but
at the same time I can't blame them or be angry at them. Either way,
it's not fair.

Surprisingly, the person who trusts Eren the most, besides me, is
Captain Levi. Yeah, the guy who beat him to a pulp in front of
everyone in the courtroom trusts Eren more than sunshine Petra.
Sometimes, when I'm feeling overly sentimental, I swear he sees
Eren as a human. He even told Eren that should he lose control of
his power, we would try to keep him alive by cutting his limbs…
Yeah, I know, that doesn't sound too trusting, but believe me it's
better than killing him. He's still an asshole, but I have to admit that
he has a few redeeming qualities, this being one of them.

Alright, this letter got sappy really fast. Better cut it out before I
confess some embarrassing childhood stories. I don't know if I'll still
be in this station by the time you write back, so maybe you'll have to
pull some strings to send me a letter again. You're lucky I can read
and write, though. You took a risk for this, but I appreciate it.

I wish you the best,

Sakura

P.S. Yes, I'm still mad at you because of that corny line you said, and
no, it didn't embarrass me. You imagined that blush.

AN-

Many of you guys have asked for an AU and many of you guys
have praised how closely The Vessel follows canon. Now, at
first I didn't think mixing these two different mindsets was
possible, but I found a way to make it work. The Vessel was
naturally going to deviate into AU realm in the future, but I'm
not doing it abruptly. It's going to happen subtly, and, yes, the
mysterious framing is one of the first major AU elements of this
story, even if it isn't too big.
I hope Levi's motives for playing the asshole didn't confuse you
guys. Sakura presented many different theories from her
thoughts, but if you're still confused PM me or leave a review
and I'll respond with an explanation.

**Updates will now be farther in between and have no set

schedule considering I started college. I'm an engineering major
and I don't have any of those fluff classes yet. And yes, reviews
do help motivate writers on this site, that's why we ask for
them. However, I do refuse to post a chapter of The Vessel
unless it's at least 7k words long (w/o including the AN), even if
it means updating faster. I can't develop a good chapter unless
it has a good length to it.

Yet again, an enormous amount of thanks to

TheCrazyAnimeFan, Strife666, mun3litKnight, BLacKxBUrN,
Black snake eyes, necrofantasia, AmeRaSora, Guest,
PrincessFuFU, Love Remedy, Sincerely Athena, animagirl,
KuroAka, Tainted Heroine, Chienna, Chikui, FairiesDescent,
Basia Orci, MiniRoonie, A Dark Leopardess in Shadows, Q-asta,
cherryblossom1423, Valkarious, Aka-chansama, katy bae,
KasonSama, BlossomSakuraCherry, Pirotessa, No Name,
hotredsakura1315, KiraKiraBluemoon, Haru, Mako, Xoraan,
YaoiLuv, KL, DeathNoteRocks, ForeheadGirl, Fanfic Obsession,
24AbbyS, and Amantedelacomida. You guys are awesome and
encouraged me to get this chapter out.
Limit
Three weeks before the 57th Expedition

"Petra, where are the logs of the previous expeditions?"

The brown-haired woman looked up from her desk, her hazel eyes
surprised. Sakura barely started conversations with her, and to see
her around Petra's room was almost unheard of. Even if they had
talked about what happened with her snooping days ago, the
second-in-command still felt awkward around her. But she couldn't
make such a big deal out of having a conversation with Sakura or
she could possibly run away. "They're in the office by the east
corridor. Why?"

"The Captain wants to go over the expedition statistics to tell the new
recruits this weekend. Commander Erwin wants the speech to be
true."

She frowned at the rather empty green gaze and black bags
underneath her eyes. She was also sweaty and her white clothes
dirty, indicating a long training session. One thing that had not been
resolved was Sakura's relationship with Eren, and it was taking an
obvious toll on her. Petra couldn't help but feel guilty, even if she
hadn't forced Sakura to say those things, because seeing her best
friend so defeated was unbearable for her.

While Sakura had been accused of killing Sonny and Bean,

everyone in the Survey Corps knew she had been framed for it, and
thus it hadn't come off as a surprise that the second-in-command
had been chosen to come along with Petra to the ceremony where
the 104th Trainees Squad would choose their faction. Erwin always
chose prominent figures from his army to inspire safety and ambition
in the new recruits, and there was nobody who did not know about
Sakura Ackerman, the prodigious titan-killer. And while her stellar
record was currently marred by an impending investigation, almost
nobody from the recruits was aware of this smudge.

"When are we leaving?" she asked amicably, hoping to drag the

conversation a bit longer, even if she already knew exactly when
they were leaving.

Sakura frowned slightly, but the indifference soon came back and the
displeasure disappeared from her face. "Tomorrow morning," she
replied in a monotone and quickly left the room, clearly unable to
stand being in her presence for longer.

Petra sighed and buried her face in both her hands. Her teammates
wanted to talk to Sakura but she always refused to make a
meaningful conversation. She spent most of her time in the forest,
away from prying eyes, and returned sweaty and tired, her 3DMG
empty of fuel. Petra had offered to come practice with her, but she
always refused, claiming that she preferred to practice alone. That
was untrue; Sakura always relished to be in a team, even if Levi
naturally wished to work solo.

Someone knocked on the door again, and she jumped when she
saw growing green eyes, only for them to revert back to Eren's teal
eyes. She had never seen Eren in his titan form, but she had heard
humors of a pointy-eared beast with glowing green eyes and fuming
mouth. She knew she was being irrational, but Eren had always
scared her, and she wasn't sure if there would be a moment where
he wouldn't.

"Hey Petra!" he greeted with a wide smile. For someone who could
turn into a monster, the boy was sure happy most of the time. "Have
you seen Oluo? He promised we would work on my 3DMG today."

She frowned and looked outside the window. The sun was still up,
but not for much longer. Any training session required at least thirty
minutes of warmup, and by the time Eren and Oluo actually got to
practice, sunset would almost be upon them. A veteran such as Oluo
was capable of practicing in the night, but Eren was not only a rookie
but also untrustworthy. If he transformed in the middle of the night,
help may not come to Oluo in time and that was not a risk she was
willing to take, not with Oluo of all people.

"Don't you think it's a little too late for that?" Petra asked in her most
caring tone. "Night is still off-limits for a rookie like you."

Eren pouted. "I graduated fifth in my class; I'm not a rookie."

"And I graduated third but the night was still prohibited for my first
three months. And you are most definitely a rookie."

He chuckled and raised his hands in placation. "True, true, I'll just tell
him to do it tomorrow."

"Tomorrow is patrol day."

Eren shuddered. "Patrol day with Captain Levi. What exactly are we
looking for?"

"Out in here we take over the job of the Garrison, so we just look for
people who need help and to preserve the peace. Shouldn't be too
bad as long as you're quiet."

"And you're not coming with us because you're going to get new
recruits, right?"

"Yeah."

"You have a strong batch this year, I know it."

The kids did fight in the Battle of Trost, so by now they were already
survivors. The new Survey Corps recruits -- if there were any --
would come mentally prepared for their future. But was such
preparedness worth all the pain they witnessed? Would she herself
have been different if something like Trost had happened to her
before she made her decision to join the Survey Corps?

Petra shook her head; no use in thinking about that now.

"You have no idea," he replied with a grin. "I'll see you at dinner!"
And with that he left, slamming the door shut out of excitement.

She groaned and looked at her half-finished letter. Should he tell her
father about her screwup with Sakura? He might offer some advice
to help rebuild their friendship. Besides, he was fond of Sakura. Her
stubbornness and protective nature was reminiscent of Petra's
mother. Even when she fell sick, she refused to let Petra do any
straining household chores. By the end of the illness, her dad would
stay home and help with the housework meanwhile Petra watched
her mom wither away.

Their only comfort is that there was nothing they could've done
differently that would've saved her.

Mother would be so disappointed in me, she thought with a sad

smile. But at the same time, I can't be blinded by Sakura's bias. Eren
is a threat, and he could harm someone in the group, like Oluo or
Levi.

Was this how she was going to justify her sneaking around? Though
more horrible acts have been done for lesser threats in times of war.
They have been in times of war for a long time, and she's tired, so
very tired, as if the memories of humanity were weighing upon her
along with all the strife and struggle of one hundred years of
imprisonment.

She blinked slapped some sense into her system. Now she was just
being silly. She should just go back to writing her letter to her father,
though she wasn't sure how to continue since she had been
interrupted by two of the most conflicting people she currently knew.
She should probably mention them last, at least until she could
decide what to write about.

Perhaps now was as good as any time to confess her devotion to

her captain and hint her romantic feelings towards him. She didn't
bring it up often, considering Sakura didn't seem so approving and
she had forbidden her from telling Oluo a long time ago about her
feelings. Not that she would've done it, anyway. Telling Oluo that she
was in love with Levi seemed… uncomfortable. Telling Sakura that
she loved Levi felt normal, but telling Oluo the same phrase felt
wrong. Even if lately he had been annoying the hell out of her by
acting like Levi or saying that she was doomed to stay with him…
Though the last phrase didn't necessary make her upset.

Petra sighed and placed her quill on the inkwell. Nobody can write
on an empty stomach.

She hummed her way to the dinner table, admiring the old stonework
of their old headquarters. She wasn't quite sure why they had
abandoned this outpost, considering it in the southern part of the
walls, but at least she got to live here even for a short while.

Oluo was finishing setting up the table meanwhile Eld was serving
the dinner, a delicious pork stew Rosa had taught him a long time
ago. There were only two people she liked having on cooking duty:
Sakura and Eld. Eren was okay, but the boy sometimes overcooked
the food. Gunther was great at eating but not so much at cooking,
which could explain why he's hungry most of the time. Her father had
always done most of the cooking, so Petra wasn't overly masterful at
cooking. Oluo just had no excuse or redemption, and even Levi had
prohibited him from doing the team meals.

Rosa had taught Eld how to cook, and he had proven a worthy pupil.
His food was tasty and plentiful to the degree she was always
satisfied and content when he cooked. Sakura knew a couple of
foreign dishes befitting her foreign background, but she also knew
some Shiganshina favorites. She even took the effort to go fish or
hunt before dawn just to get the team fresh fish or game.

The whole team sat down in their respective seats, with Levi at one
head and Sakura at the other. Eren always sat at the corner of the
table closest to Levi, meanwhile Petra sat at Sakura's right. Oluo
was adamant in seating in front of Petra, even if she secretly thought
he had a crush on Levi, and Eld and Gunther took the remaining
seats in Levi's right and left, respectively.
There hadn't been much thought behind their seating arrangement,
but Petra couldn't help but notice how they reflected the team's
current relationships.

Once Levi started eating, the rest of the team followed suit. Almost
all of them hummed in delight at the delicious food, everyone but
Levi and Sakura, who remained stone-faced. Sometimes Petra
wondered if she would've also fallen in love with Sakura had she
been male considering the similarities she had with Levi.

But for some reason she couldn't see that happening.

"Ackerman and Petra, remember that you're leaving before dawn.

The ceremony starts at nightfall but I don't want you to be
overconfident."

"Yessir," Petra replied happily, while Sakura only grunted in

agreement. "Why are we just doing the Trost ceremony?"

"Erwin is especially interested in getting recruits from this particular

location, so he wants very skilled soldiers to inspire confidence, but
he also knows you're needed here for your own mission. So we
chose this ceremony for your appearance."

Eren accidentally looked at Sakura, but he quickly diverted his

attention towards Petra. She noticed Sakura's hand clench her
spoon tighter. "Oh, so you're going to try to recruit my friends?"

She nodded. "You spoke highly of them."

"They all have qualities. Especially my sister, Mikasa. Well, adopted

sister. She's really her sister." He pointed at Sakura, barely giving
her any eye contact, and went back to eating his stew. Even if he
was angry at Sakura, there was something suspicious about how
quickly he said that sentence.

Gunther whistled. "Mikasa Ackerman? I heard she was worth a

hundred soldiers in the Battle of Trost. But I remember her having
black hair and gray eyes. You don't really look alike, do you?" Seeing
as Sakura continued eating instead of responding, Gunther added,
"Well, you're certainly talented, so there's no question you belong to
the same family."

Sakura swallowed her stew and drank a small gulp of her water. "I
know, we get that a lot."

The rest of the dinner went on without much meaningful

conversation besides Gunther and Oluo talking about new 3DMG
strategies and Eren listening like the attentive puppy he was.

Eld cooked and Oluo set up the dinner table, so it was up to Gunther
and Sakura to clean up. The rest of the team filed away in chatter,
but Petra lingered, trying to find an excuse to stay with Sakura. She
was about to open her mouth and offer her help when someone
tapped her on the shoulder. She whirled around and almost gasped
when she saw Levi looking at her with bored gray eyes.

"I need to talk to you."

Her heart started beating faster and her mouth dried, so she only
nodded in response. Levi beckoned her to follow her, and she moved
her legs with difficulty, as if they were made of lead. Why did Levi
want to talk to her? He didn't know about her feelings for him, did
he? That would be catastrophic, seeing as how she was more than
positive Levi did not reciprocate her feelings.

She couldn't handle a rejection right now.

He opened the door to his new office, a room relatively far away from
the more populated halls, and closed it softly after her. Levi took a
seat and Petra took the hint to go stand in front of his desk.

He interlinked his fingers and placed his chin on top of them, his
eyes deep in thought. He sighed and murmured, "There is
something I need you to do. It's about Ackerman."
"What about her?"

"We have a feeling that the person who framed Ackerman is one of
the rookies," Levi confessed, his eyes serious and grave. "I need you
to be on the lookout for suspicious characters."

Petra frowned in confusion. "Not that I'm incapable of this mission,

but why don't you ask Sakura? She's much more observant than I
am."

"Ackerman already has a lot on her mind. She's not at her best at the
moment."

She thought about the last week, about how mentally exhausted
Sakura always looked, and couldn't help but agree with the Captain's
assessment. "I'll look for the suspicious characters."

"Thank you, Petra."

It was then that an old question resurfaced in her mind, a question

that had always burned in her mind but she had never found the
correct time and place to ask. Now was as good as ever. "Captain,
why do you call Sakura 'Ackerman'? You always call us all by our
first names."

Levi sighed and unlaced his fingers, laying them flat against the
table. Petra knew he was older than them despite his youthful
appearance, but right now whatever stress he was going through
added many years to his face. "Distance," the Captain cryptically
answered. "You're dismissed."

Petra gave a stiff salute and left the office, slightly perturbed. Why
would the Captain want to distance himself from Sakura? Was she
someone dangerous? But she was so protective of all of them, why
would she ever want to harm them?

She sighed and entered her room, the unfinished letter not visible in
the night. Perhaps she should finish after she comes back from the
recruitment trip with Sakura, when her thoughts are less of a jumble.

Two weeks before the 57th Expedition

Sending chakra to her blade and keeping it stable always tested her
control, but she was finally getting better at it. The idea of mixing her
ninja skills with her 3DMG had come to her almost a year and a half
ago, but advancements had been slow and cumbersome due to a
lack of privacy. But now that her team was alone and she had a giant
forest at her disposal, Sakura relished every moment she could
enhancing her 3DMG skills.

She could infuse her blade with wind chakra to increase cutting
power or water chakra to increase range, but that was as far as her
skill went. She had tested mixing both wind and water to create an
insanely powerful sword, but she couldn't use her chakra coils to
channel two different natures at the same time. It was as if she was
trying to look forward and backward at the same time.

Then there was the using jutsu whilst fighting, but that part was
proving impossible for Sakura. Moving in midair required using the
3DMG, and thus her hands were occupied. She was skilled enough
to glide with only one hand, but hand seals required two hands. If
there were enough titans, she could technically jump from titan to
titan, killing them quickly and efficiently, but that was dangerous and
she wasn't sure how she would be able to pull it off. She had come
to the conclusion that if she wanted to use jutsu against titans then
she would either have to be in a forest or on top of Haruto.

But that did not dissuade her from practicing. Nothing would
dissuade her from improving herself, especially when she was
directly responsible for Eren's life. The veterans had managed to
recruit many soldiers from Trost, more than what they had expected,
and these included Mikasa and Armin. She couldn't do anything for
their immediate protection since she was in the Special Operations
Squad, but she could do something for Eren.
And, even if her team had disappointed her this past week, she still
fervently remembered the promise she had made to herself when
they themselves joined the Survey Corps. She swore to protect
them, and her resentment towards them would not come in the way
of her love and duty.

Sakura stored chakra in her feet and jumped impossibly far and cut
the foam part of the titan's nape, then backflipped and sent one of
her hooks to one of the trees behind her. But, instead of landing in
one of the branches, she used more gas to give her more
momentum, let go of the hook, and landed on one of the hidden
wooden titans and slashed it with a last minute chakra-enhanced
blade, obliterating the wooden titan.

She sighed, backflipped and landed on the ground, the force of the
fall easily absorbed by her ninja body. She could do all of this, but
was it enough to keep everyone safe until retirement? She had lost
half of her team once to an onslaught of titans, and almost lost
Amina and Moblit as well. Then again, she hadn't been willing to
show her full ninja power, but maybe she should change that. Maybe
she should show her full might and inspire confidence amongst her
comrades.

No, that wouldn't do. Eren had shown his full power and was instead
regarded as an enemy. Then again, he was a titan meanwhile she
was a ninja; there was a difference. The question was would people
understand that difference or be blinded by their fear?

Sakura frowned and stared at the sky, or at least the parts of it not
obstructed by the rather tall trees. Lunch would be served soon;
maybe it had already been served, and she had missed it. Nobody
had called her or searched for her, but perhaps that was for the best.
After all, she was still branded as a possible threat and had to play
the role. That didn't mean she couldn't eat with them, so she started
trudging back to the camp they had made to test Eren's titan-shifting
ability.
She was still unsure on why anyone would want to frame her for the
killings of Sonny and Bean. For someone of their skill, they had been
quite careless in the evidence they had planted, especially because
someone of above average intelligence could quickly surmise it was
all a ruse. Someone with high enough skill to avoid detection of
dozens of soldiers couldn't possibly be dimwitted, so there must be
another reason for the framing.

Though here everyone was thinking that the framer was a soldier,
but what if they are a ninja, like her? It certainly answered the
question why the killer had targeted her for the framing. The idea
would've been inconceivable for someone like Erwin, who had never
heard of ninjas, but Sakura knew better. She hadn't felt any chakra
signatures similar to hers, but that she still did not completely write
off the idea, considering she couldn't detect chakra any farther than
three kilometers. And if the person was a ninja and she got to them
first, she would definitely ask questions about her origins. What if her
people were beyond the walls, and she was stuck here fighting a war
that was not hers?

Sakura sighed and slapped herself lightly in the face. No, her people,
her family, were inside the walls. Blood relations meant nothing
compared to the bonds she had made here. Besides, even if she
found them, she doubted her amnesia would magically disappear.
Grisha had told her a long time ago that she would regain her
memories in a year or two, and he couldn't have been farther from
the truth. Sakura had other pressing worries, like titans and her loved
ones in danger, but her amnesia would always be in the back of her
mind. There were more than sixteen years of memories she couldn't
access. That was disconcerting.

From the site of the camp she heard a most peculiar sound, one she
had never heard. Before she could think about the origin of the
noise, she heard her teammates yell in astonishment.

Her eyes widened and she used her 3DMG to arrive back to the
headquarters as soon as possible. As soon as she landed in the
clearing she gasped in surprise not at the titan arm a few yards away
from her, but at the drawn swords from her teammates, each of them
threatening to attack Eren. Petra unsurprisingly begged Levi to leave
Eren's side, but the Captain was sure in his position in front of Eren,
protecting him from everyone else.

She ran towards them and almost pushed Gunther out of the way
when Levi looked at her and shook his head. She grit her teeth and
clenched her fists, because she knew what Levi wanted and agreed
with him, but it didn't make it any less painful to witness. Petra was
blinded by her love for Levi that she did not see Eren trying to
remove his arm from the titan arm. Oluo was of course on Petra's
side, because he would follow her to death if he could. Gunther had
always been suspicious of Eren, and Eld had no qualms to follow the
team's precedent.

Sakura took a step back and allowed the scene to continue, but her
muscles were taut and ready to go off at the smallest stimulus. She
trusted in Levi's plan to break the distrust in the group, but she
wouldn't allow any of them to lay a hand on Eren, especially when he
was defenseless.

Eventually Eren managed to retrieve his arm from the titan arm and
they backed off, but the damage had already been done. The false
image they had lulled Eren into, the accepting squad, had shattered
and the titan-shifter was shaken.

"See, I was in no danger," Levi finally declared, his attention aimed

primarily at Petra. She blushed and nodded. "Eren, go back to your
room. We'll call you for dinner."

The boy nodded absentmindedly and almost fled from the scene and
into the woods. Sakura didn't even look at Levi for approval and
immediately ran after him, calling out his name, but he didn't slow
down. Once she was sure nobody was watching, she increased her
speed with the help of chakra and quickly caught up and stopped
him by grabbing his forearm.
Eren tried to free himself but failed under Sakura's iron grip. She
walked in front of Eren until she was facing him, careful to not let go
of him. He breathed heavily, his nostrils flared, and his eyes had the
beginnings of tears. He was angry, scared, but above all betrayed,
and her heart broke to see her brother hurt.

And even though he understood that he had been betrayed, he still

would not look at her.

"Eren," she pried gently, carefully relaxing her grip on his forearm
and moving her hand downwards to encase his hand in her own.
"We need to talk about this."

"Why would I want to talk about this with you? You're the first one
who told me you didn't trust me!" His eyes widened and he chuckled
in such a self-deprecating manner that her heart hurt. "At least you
were upfront about it and not like the rest of them who just made me
think they trusted me."

"About that… Eren, I never meant any of those words."

"Of course you meant those words. Of course you're gonna think like
--"

Her grip on his hand tightened almost painfully. "Eren Jaeger, there
are many things I tolerate in life, but people interrupting me is not
one of them." He frowned heavily but nodded. "Now, when I say I
never meant those words, you better believe I never meant those
words, because I would never lie to you unless it was for your own
protection."

His frown changed from one of anger to confusion. "Protection?"

"People already had their doubts about me being in the same group
as the one in charge of damage control. They thought I wouldn't kill
you if need be. And they were right, because under no
circumstances would I allow that to happen. But I needed to seem
impartial, and I needed to tell you that before you thought I was
against you, but Petra eavesdropped into our conversation. The
rest… Well, you experienced the fallout firsthand."

Eren blinked and was quiet for a long time, replaying the event in his
mind and finding the truth in Sakura's words, because he distinctly
remembered thinking Petra seemed quite nice and hardworking for
cleaning areas that weren't even assigned to her. But there was still
something that didn't make sense in his mind. "Why didn't you tell
me before? Why wait until now, when I know everyone is against
me?"

Sakura let go of his hand, though she noticed the slight twitch in his,
as if he missed the contact. "First of all, everyone is not against you.
The Captain is strangely fond of you, actually. He's probably
lecturing our team as we speak, and they'll come around eventually.
Second… Well, I did want to tell you, but you're such a hothead you
would've found reasons to disprove me, even if I'm right." She smiled
in wryly. "Besides, I gotta admit I was a bit angry at you for being so
stubborn that my pride wouldn't let me talk to you."

Eren gave a short bark of laughter, and a tear unwittingly left its
cradle, then another. Sakura placed her hands on both his cheeks
and wiped his tears with her thumb gently, and at seeing her small,
comforting smile, he broke down and embraced her, resting his head
down on her shoulder and sobbing. Sakura quickly retrieved her
hands from his face and returned the embrace, running soothing
circles in his back.

"Why?" he whispered between hiccups. "I never wanted any of this. I

never wanted this power."

"Yes, you did," Sakura responded truthfully, but gently. "You wanted
the power to change the world and you got it. It'll just take time
getting used to the differences this power of yours brings."

Eren nodded slowly but did not reply, opting to let the rest of his
tears flow. Sakura knew that he was in pain, and she was in pain too
from seeing him like this, but she was inwardly happy to have him
back. She had never wished their reconciliation to be like this, but
she had missed hearing his voice directed to her, had missed their
banter and laughter.

They held each other for minutes or hours; Sakura didn't care how
much time went by. He was back, and now that the team stopped
pretending to be something they're not, things would start to get
better. Maybe she didn't understand why Eren only managed to
transform a titan arm and why he did so, but someone would find an
explanation and Eren would earn real trust, not a fake one.

He tightened his hold on her briefly and slowly untangled his arms
from her waist, then released her and stepped back. His teal eyes
were tinged red and his cheeks were wet, but his face was more
peaceful than before.

"What about you?" he finally asked.

Sakura cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"You also have power to change the world, but you don't show it."

"My mission is not to change the world, but to keep the people I love
safe. If I have to change the world for that to happen, so be it, but so
far I haven't felt the need to."

"If titans disappear--"

"Titans are not the only danger in the world," Sakura interrupted.
"But you're slightly right. I've been thinking about revealing my
powers, but I don't think right now is the time. It would be too
suspicious if a titan-shifter and a ninja did not only know each other,
but had familial relationships."

Eren sighed and nodded. "Someone tried to frame you too. Do you
think someone knows you're a ninja, and that's why they were after
you?"
"Honestly, I don't know what anyone would gain from framing me.
But enough about this, let's see if you have gotten sloppy with your
hand-to-hand combat."

"But aren't you hungry?"

"I'll eat a bigger dinner when we come back."

Eren laughed and she couldn't help but laugh in response. Many
days had passed since she had last felt this free and at peace. The
last time was after Eren's trial, but immediately afterwards, Mikasa
had sought her out and they had a rather serious fight, one that Levi
had eavesdropped. Now that she looked back on it, why hadn't she
been extremely upset at him for spying on her conversation? Was
she being ridiculously unfair to Petra? Was she a hypocrite?

She hummed, unwittingly drawing Eren's attention. No, they had

spied for different reasons. Petra had been looking for any sign that
Sakura would betray them, meanwhile Levi was probably curious
about the Ackerman sisters. Or maybe he really was waiting for them
to finish their conversation so that he could talk to Sakura. Now that
she thought about it, Levi had never once doubted Sakura's
allegiance, and he had been much more accepting towards Eren
than the rest of her teammates.

He was certainly one weird fellow, but who was she to judge?

Once the two of them were set up, they started warming up and
soon started exchanging blows. He was a bit rusty and preferred
heavy attacks compared to her more agile ones. The Training
Corps's style of fighting had prevailed in his instruction over her own
brand of taijutsu. Which she had expected, honestly, but Eren
surprised her by still knowing his old moves and even a couple of
new ones that she had never taught him.

Sakura instructed him mostly on body balance. He was quite

talented, as expected as the fifth ranked member of his class, but he
was still a rookie. There was a point where she slammed him against
a tree bark and he accidentally cut his hand with a rough piece of
tree bark, but before Sakura could even think about healing the
wound, the palm of his hand started steaming and before her very
eyes the skin started regenerating, not even leaving a scar.

"Reports say you regrew two limbs," Sakura murmured in wonder,

trailing a finger delicately over the newly-formed skin. "I knew the
information was true, but seeing it before your very eyes is a new
experience."

"I can't be killed easily, yeah," he replied with a grin. "Pain is also
dulled as well. So if anything happens, you don't need to worry about
me."

She smiled and nodded, but inwardly she was scared. Erwin
believed there were other titan-shifters out there, and he was using
Eren as possible bait. The best-case scenario was that Eren was
unique in his power, but in the event that another titan-shifter existed
and followed them in the expedition, would Eren stand a chance
against them?

He looked up at the sky and frowned. "It sure got dark really fast. We
should head back."

Sakura mirrored his movements and nodded in agreement. "Let's

go."

By the time they reached the castle the sky was dark and their
stomachs were growling. It was Petra's turn to cook dinner and Eld's
to set up the table. That meant the food should be good, which was
godsend for their growling bodies. Not only that, but they were at
least thirty minutes away from the headquarters, since they had
specifically chosen a faraway place to not cause any trouble.

She was about to mount Haruto and Eren his unnamed mare when
she remembered an important detail. "Who taught you those
moves?"
Eren mounted his mare, albeit with a little bit of difficulty, and
breathlessly asked, "What do you mean?"

Sakura hopped on Haruto and started him on a light trot so that she
could continue conversing. "Back then, when we were sparring. I
didn't teach you those moves, but they were taijutsu."

"Oh, I didn't tell you. My favorite sparring partner taught me these."

"What's his name?"

Eren chuckled and smiled softly. "Her name's Annie Leonhart. She
was the best hand-to-hand combat specialist in our class. Don't tell
Mikasa I said that, though."

She instantly remembered her previous suspicions on whoever had

framed her, and she had suspected ninjas, but had gotten rid of the
notion because there were no other ninjas. But she was the only one
inside the walls who knew taijutsu, so how did Annie Leonhart know?
"Do you know what military division she joined?"

"No, but I think she mentioned wanting to join the Military Brigade."
Eren noticed her frown, because he who her an incredulous look.
"You don't think she's a ninja right?"

Her frown deepened. That did not fit with the profile she had made. "I
don't know. You were never trained to detect the differences in
chakra between ninjas and civilians. Her knowing taijutsu makes me
suspect her."

"Even if she were a ninja, would that be so bad? Haven't you been
searching for answers this whole time?"

"I sincerely doubt there are more ninjas in here." Besides, she felt
that he would think her silly for suspecting the titan-killer to be a
ninja. She honestly was grasping at straws but she didn't want other
people to know.
"How would you know that? You told me that you can only detect
chakra detection is only a couple of kilometers wide. Besides, how
else would she know taijutsu?"

"That's the point! If she's not a ninja, then how does she know
taijutsu? Another ninja taught her, right? Then that means there are
ninjas inside the walls. Did you ever ask her where she learned to
fight like that?"

"She mentioned her dad taught her to fight, but honestly Annie was
never really a chatterbox."

"Why didn't you press her for answers?"

Eren frowned at her, his eyes annoyed. "People in your life simply
accept your fighting style, right?" She nodded, not really
understanding his point. "It would look weird if I continued to pester
Annie about the origins of taijutsu, because I should have no reason
to suspect taijutsu. I technically shouldn't know taijutsu is a ninja art.
So if I made my suspicions open about her being a ninja or being
taught by ninjas, it would give her reason to suspect me of being a
ninja or being taught by ninjas."

Sakura blinked at his foresight. She should really give the kid more
credit in keeping her secret safe. "Did you ever show a taijutsu
move?"

"Of course not. Neither Mikasa nor Armin did, either. We can't just
ask you to trust us with your secret and then do nothing to protect it."

She grinned. "I know. Thank you. Now let's quit talking so we can
gallop back to headquarters."

While she was pleased that her adopted siblings had acquired some
of her intel gathering skills, she was still highly suspicious of this
Annie character. If she had been truly trained by ninjas, she wouldn't
have carelessly displayed her taijutsu unless she thought she would
gain something out of it. Or maybe she was trying to bait other
people who knew taijutsu to show their knowledge of it with the
hopes of finding another ninja. Luckily none of her wards had fallen
for that trick, but that didn't mean this Annie character wasn't
cunning.

Maybe she was overestimating Annie. That level of planning wasn't

usually seen in young teenagers.

Or maybe she had been fooled into believing that taijutsu was strictly
a ninja art and there were other practitioners.

Even if they were unfounded, Eren had risen her suspicions. That
none of her wards shared her suspicions meant they were probably
unfounded, but then again she hadn't survived for so long being
completely trusting.

By the time they arrived at the headquarters, the moon and the stars
were shining brightly in the night sky. They left their horses in the
stable, making sure they were comfortable for the night, and went to
the dinner table. Their entrance was awkward to put it simply, since
the group still felt suspicious of Eren. Sakura ignored them and sat at
her spot in the table, and Eren followed her example and sat next to
Levi.

The most obvious difference, besides the tension, was Hange and
Moblit. Sakura thought they would've left after their experiments had
proven a failure, but she was curious as to why they had remained
here.

She smiled at everyone and placed a white cloth next to Sakura,

then unwrapped it. "I'm glad you're all here. I found something
interesting about Eren's accidental transformation. What do you see
here?"

"A teaspoon," Gunther answered, but it sounded a bit like a question.

"This was held by Eren's titan right arm. It hasn't been bent by heat
or pressure, either. What were you thinking before the titan arm
appeared?"

"I wanted to pick up the spoon."

Hange nodded, a wide grin slowly spreading on her face. "Yes,

thoughts like 'I have to protect my friends from the cannonball' or 'I
must plug the hole in Wall Rose' probably went through your mind,
didn't they?"

Eren nodded.

"And just now you thought 'I want to pick up the spoon'. So what I
believe is that you not only need the pain to transform, but also a
particular goal in mind. Which means that today's transformation was
unexpected but only for lack of information, and you don't lack
control over your transformations."

Squad Levi looked at each other, their faces blank, and then nodded.
Before Sakura could even wonder what they were planning they
raised their hands to their mouths and bit harshly, so thoroughly that
blood started oozing from their hands from the teeth marks.

"Oh, wow, how do you do this every time, Eren?" Eld asked,
impressed.

Petra observed the blood oozing from her hand and then looked up
at the titan-shifter. "We're sorry we doubted you and didn't offer you
true friendship from the beginning." She turned to Sakura and smiled
sadly. "Your sister was right in believing in you from the start."

"For the wrong reasons," Levi quipped. "But I'm glad you all finally
saw what I saw as well.

"We'll trust you if you trust us," Oluo added. "It might take you a
while, and we don't blame you if you don't."

Eren raised his hands to his face, his expression bashful. "It's okay,
guys, seriously. We already got this far, even with a bunch of
misunderstandings. I'm just excited to finally experience the team my
sister has talked about."

Everyone turned their heads towards Sakura, her teammates and

even Hange sporting a smirk. She blushed. "Oh, wow, thanks for
ruining my image."

They laughed heartily, the first true laugh they had shared ever since
they came to headquarters. Even Levi had a small smile, no doubt
proud of himself and of his team for getting over their biases and
suspicions. But, above all, he was most impressed with Eren, who
barely hesitated in forgiving the team that had backstabbed him in
more ways than one.

He had been right in being wary, but his gut had also been right in
expecting something good from the kid.

Day of the 57th Expedition

This would mark the first time Sakura ever saw the recruits from the
time Erwin asked her and Petra to come join him in the ceremony,
but unfortunately she was ahead of the company meanwhile the
rookies were in the back. From what she could feel, Mikasa and
Armin were certainly in their midst, and that worried her. Erwin had
confided in her earlier that he expected the other titan-shifter to
make an appearance in this expedition, and the trap had already
been set in one specific forest of giant trees. Everyone else thought
they were making way to Shiganshina, towards their old home,
because Eren thought important secrets hid in their basement.

Waiting for the gates to open was one of the most nerve-wracking
experiences in her life, even if she had gone on almost thirty
expeditions already. Before she only had herself and her rather
experienced friends to worry about, but now the stakes have
increased by three. And while she could personally guarantee Eren's
safety, she couldn't do the same for Armin and Mikasa.
"Hey, Sakura," Eren called, breaking her from her musings. "They'll
be fine. Don't worry."

She initially thought about making a snarky response, but Eren had
her best interests in mind so she only smiled and nodded.

This time they were leaving from Karanase since the gate from Trost
had been plugged by Eren. The people were curious, since the
Survey Corps hadn't used this side in a long time, and cheered them
on their way to the gates. The people were cheery after the soldiers
had driven back the titans almost a month ago, an event unheard of
in the history of humanity.

A man called for the gates to open and as soon as they did Erwin
commanded the expedition to begin. The group rode together for a
while but then promptly separated, as per the Survey Corps's
strategy. Teams were usually composed of three people, and squads
of one hundred, but the Squad Levi was made up one of only seven
people, and they were all meant to be together.

The expedition started out normally, but every flare made Sakura's
heart beat faster. They were all in the direction of Armin, and she
couldn't just appear there right now. Yet the amount of black flares,
that was the interesting part. It seemed as if Erwin's guess was
correct, and there was another titan-shifter, but nobody else in the
Survey Corps knew that.

After an hour of riding, a solder came and relayed the message that
the right flank had been cut off. Levi ordered Petra to relay the
message to the next team, but Sakura started finding out bit by bit
about what was going on.

"Ackerman! Can you sense any titans?"

She frowned and yelled back, "No!" And since she couldn't detect
titan-shifters because they were actually humans, there was no way
she could know if what she was detecting was an ally or foe.
The expedition started falling apart, but there was no way Erwin was
going to call them back when they had a titan-shifter after them. He
had guessed they wanted Eren, but for what reason it was unknown.
If they got Eren then there hope for humanity's victory was over.

So she wasn't surprised at all when Erwin ordered them to enter the
Forest of Giant Trees. The trap was inside, in here, but only she,
Hange's special squad, Erwin, and Levi knew about it. And out of
those people, only Hange, Levi, Erwin, and Sakura knew the target
for the trap. And Eren asked questions, questions that were no doubt
in everyone's mind, and he couldn't get the reassurance he wanted
from his teammates. That's why she rode in the front, a little behind
Levi, because she could not fake the confusion everyone else was
feeling.

And to make matters worse, a black flare went off from the right. A
titan so inside the formation wasn't normal or lucky; it was intelligent
and strong. To think that Erwin's worse scenario was correct made
her shiver, but at least he had thought far enough for a trap.

"Draw your swords!" Levi ordered.

Sakura did as told, but she also slowed down Haruto's speed a little
bit so that she would ride in the rear. Haruto was one of the fastest
horses, mostly because he and Isabel were one of the few that
lasted so long. Many horses ran away during expeditions or were
killed instead of its rider. And if there was a horse that would keep a
cool head in the face of a deviant, it was definitely Haruto.

A crash interrupted her mental praises and she prepared herself for
a fight. A blonde, female titan appeared out of nowhere and killed
one of the soldiers that was trying to kill her. Not only was she brutal,
but she was fast, and there was no way she could handle her all by
herself.

The squad must've not realized that, because they all urged Levi to
switch to 3DMG and fight the Female Titan, but to no avail. In fact,
his refusal made the squad even more hysterical. These were not
the calculating squad Levi had spent years honing and training. In
fact, they were acting like rookies. But maybe she would've been
acting like that had she not known the true purpose of this stunt
Erwin had pulled. She would've probably ignored Levi's orders and
engaged the Female Titan. Maybe that was another reason why they
had told her their true plan, so that she would not spoil it and kill
herself in the process.

Levi became tired of hearing their hysterics and asked everyone to

shut their ears. He quickly fired an acoustic sound, and the high
pitched noise was especially painful for her and Haruto's ears. But
the noise slowed down the Female Titan and calmed the group.
Before they became emotional, Levi reminded them of their true
purpose in this mission, which was protecting Eren, and ordered
them to remain on horseback.

But just because the squad calmed down and understood didn't
mean Eren did. In fact, he grew even more despondent when he
realized Squad Levi would not engage the Female Titan. She
appreciated Eren's desire to fight and protect their fellow soldiers,
but he was still too young and idealistic to realize sacrifices were
necessary to achieve goals.

"If Squad Levi doesn't defeat her, who will?" he demanded, his voice
hoarse from screaming.

"Eren!" Sakura yelled back firmly. "Didn't you hear the Captain?
That's not our mission. Now look ahead and don't look behind."

His eyes became hurt and disappointed, but those features were
overtaken by a snarl. "Especially you, Sakura! You can do
something! Save those people!"

She wasn't sure whether he referred to her healing or killing skills,

but she still did not appreciate either reference. Didn't he understand
that nobody in Squad Levi knew about her secret? Her glare was
enough to make him feel guilty, but he did not stop urging the rest of
Squad Levi to do something and help the people dying to protect
them.

Sakura couldn't see very well from her vantage point what Eren was
doing, but she guessed he was about to transform into a titan by the
talk amongst the group. Surprisingly, Levi told him to do as he
wished, considering there is no way of knowing the results of their
actions, even if they believed them to be right. From his speech, she
got that even Levi wasn't entirely sure that Erwin's plan would
succeed, but to continue moving forward even with that doubt made
her respect him even more.

In the end, Eren decided to move forward, a choice that she wasn't
sure was the correct one anymore. The Female Titan only got faster,
and Sakura seriously feared for her life with that speed. Haruto also
started losing his cool and galloped harder. Would she die like this,
without doing anything, following orders that even the Captain
himself wasn't sure of? Should she introduce a wild card and attack
the Female Titan with her ninja powers? Then again, the Female
Titan was the one that had killed Sonny and Bean, according to
Erwin, and had framed her as well. She must know who she is, but
why?

They stepped at the checkpoint, because immediately after the

Female Titan stepped on the place, Erwin ordered his soldiers to fire
the hooks, almost hundreds of hooks, to capture the Female Titan.
The rest of Squad Levi continued galloping just as hard, getting
away from all the smoke.

She let out a small sigh of relief; for a moment she seriously thought
she was going to die.

"This is where I leave you," Levi yelled. "Ackerman is in charge; take

your orders from her. Keep Eren as far away from that titan, and take
care of my horse!" With that he aimed a hook to an adjacent tree and
went back from the direction they came from.
The rest of the group started cheering, and even Sakura couldn't
help but laugh with them. They rode for at least twenty kilometers,
putting a good distance between them and the Female Titan. Once
they reached a suitable place, she ordered the Squad to tie their
horses to a a couple of trees, including Isabel, and switch to 3DMG
so that they could rest in one of the wide tree branches.

"So, that was the Commander's true objective?" Oluo started.

"But why didn't he tell you veteran soldiers anything?" Eren asked.

Petra frowned and stomped her feet. "Are you saying the
Commander doesn't trust us?"

Sakura chuckled. "Not exactly. Think about it. Why wouldn't

Commander Erwin tell anybody about his plan?"

"He thinks there's a spy inside," Eld said, understanding dawning in

his face.

"Exactly. He believed there is someone giving inside information to

the enemy, namely the Female Titan. Or maybe the Female Titan is
the spy herself, who knows."

"And he only told people who had been here for more than five
years, because that's when the wall was breached and a spy
could've gotten through," Gunther added.

"So we couldn't make the cutoff," Petra continued.

"Except for Sakura."

"How did you know, Eld?"

"You were far too calm during the expedition. And when the Captain
said to not engage, you followed his orders without so much of a
word. That means you knew what was going on."

Sakura smiled at him. "You're far too observant by now."

"Wait, so you knew what was going on and didn't tell us?" Oluo
demanded. "Why did Commander Erwin tell you, anyway? You don't
fit the five year deadline and you were even framed for killing Sonny
and Bean."

"It's exactly because I was framed for killing Sonny and Bean that
they told me. They thought that whoever was the spy had something
against me, or knew about the sensor abilities. And that was why
they decided to tell me the plan."

"You didn't have to tell us," Petra said with understanding eyes. "It
would've looked bad if--"

The most horrendous scream cut Petra off, one that made the hairs
in the back of her hair stand up.

"Do… Do you think that means it's over?" Eren asked.

She furrowed her brows. She wasn't exactly sure, but it sounded like
the scream of a dying animal, and Erwin's plan hadn't been to kill the
Female Titan. Still, to corner her that much was a positive thing. "I
don't know, but let's get ready to depart."

"I can't wait to see what that shit looks inside," Oluo said.

"We couldn't have done this without you, Eren," Petra praised, her
amber eyes warm. "It's because you trusted us that we managed to
capture her, so for that we have your thanks."

"Oh, don't coddle him, Petra!"

"Oluo, I would stop saying anything. You still have a bet to uphold,
right?"

That shut up her rival quite quickly, and she even managed to make
him blush a bright red.

"What bet?" Petra asked.

Sakura giggled, and Oluo was completely mortified, meanwhile the
rest of Squad Levi only looked at them in confusion. Honestly, some
of them should have an inkling that Oluo was in love with Petra.

"Is everyone ready?" Sakura asked.

"Yes!"

"Let's go back!"

Now that the team was in high spirits, there was chatter amongst the
team, which usually resulted in Oluo teasing Eren and Petra calling
Oluo out, and sometimes Eld teasing both Oluo and Petra. Gunther,
being much more mature, asked them to stop, but also added his
two cents.

It was then that Sakura felt the chakra presence of an unrecognized

person following them. That made no sense, because nobody should
be able to know their position, since they hadn't fired any type of
flare.

The suspect still went after them, and it was then that Sakura
realized they were under attack.

"Guys, we're under attack, hurry up and get away from here!"

She pinpointed the position, drew her blades, and clashed with a
soldier clothed with their uniform and hood. She tried to slash with
her other hand, but the spy used her 3DMG to put some space
between them. Sakura thought about following her and finishing her
once and for all, but she opted to join back with the group, since
Eren was their priority.

"What was that?" Gunther yelled.

Sakura had no time to answer, because the sound of a

transformation and a titan following them followed soon afterwards.
She grit her teeth, because there was no way they would be able to
beat her, at least without Levi. Even though they were elite titan
killers, they had nothing on powerful titan-shifters. How had she
known their position, anyway? Had she gotten lucky? No, there was
no such thing as luck in this world.

"Whatever happens, keep going forward, Eren. The rest of you,

follow me!"

"But, Sakura--"

"I give this order as your second-in-command. Now hurry! Everyone

else, follow my lead!"

She turned around and didn't even want to see whether they were
following her. She sent a hook to a tree, sheathed her swords, and
body-flickered right in front of the running Female Titan, her chakra-
coated punch ready. The body-flicker gave her the element of
surprise and she landed her punch right in her abdomen, the force
behind the punch sending the Female Titan flying at least a hundred
feet and ended slamming against a tree.

However, Sakura had gone full offense, leaving no chakra to

strengthen her bones, and she broke her whole right arm. Not only
that, but the Female Titan was much heavier than a normal titan,
probably because of the amount of muscle in her body. She hissed
at the pain but quickly used her left arm to grab the left 3DMG
handle and sent a hook flying to a nearby tree trunk. Once she
landed on the branch, she cradled her injured arm. There was no
way she would be able to heal it and fight simultaneously, so she
had to step out of the fight for a bit and heal. She gingerly placed her
left hand on top of her right hand, the green chakra mending her
bones slowly.

Her teammates landed next to her and stared at her with gaping
mouths and wide eyes. It was time they had found out her secret,
she had just hoped it wouldn't be this way. "Stop looking at me like
that! Hurry and defeat her before she gathers her bearings. I'll join
you when I'm done healing my hand."
Her sharp, quick words snapped them out of their stupor and they
wordlessly started attacking the Female Titan with renewed fervor.
The blonde titan was still a bit dazed from the brutal attack Sakura
had landed, but Squad Levi still took no chances and quickly
incapacitated her by stabbing her eyes, depriving her from sight.

They attacked the tendons below the shoulders, incapacitating her

arms, every hit a mixture of grace and lethality. Pride swept her off
her feet with every attack Squad Levi landed. They were such a
harmonious team, honed from years of hardship and training. To
think that she seriously thought they were in mortal danger before
made her feel a bit silly, especially when they were owning the
Female Titan so thoroughly.

After a couple more seconds of healing she regained mobility in her

arm. She had done a very rough job with her arm, so rough that
every small movement made her arm hurt like a bitch, but at least
now she could join her team in their assault.

She sent her 3DMG hooks to the nearest tree and rushed towards
them. She had to be very careful with her powers for now. Squad
Levi had never practiced with the knowledge of having a ninja
amongst their ranks, and Sakura had never practiced with the
knowledge of having Squad Levi helping her out. It would be a true
tragedy if they died not because they weren't powerful or talented
enough, but because they couldn't work together after years of
training together.

Squad Levi made quick work of the Female Titan's shoulder

muscles, causing her nape to now be open. Now it was the time for
them to attack the nape and finish her off. Eld and Gunther signaled
that they would lead the first wave of attacks, meaning that after
Petra and Oluo's second wave blows, Sakura was supposed to land
the killing blow. It was oddly touching, giving her the final blow. She
had felt for the longest time that her team was going to shun her
because she hid her powers, but here they were, giving her the
satisfaction of killing the Female Titan.
Sakura started her trek towards the back of the Female Titan, not
making the rookie mistake of heading straight towards her but
instead making a wide circle towards the back. And maybe it was
because she was so far away that she couldn't do anything, or the
adrenaline of the fight had made her forget a very important and
peculiar detail about the Female Titan that would've definitely
changed the outcome of the fight. Because Sakura had forgotten the
Female Titan had found them without any help of signal flares, and
though she had thought it was coincidence, there was no such thing
as coincidence in the world she had landed. Later she would've
realized that the Female Titan had never really needed her eyesight
to begin with, and she had only lulled them into a false sense of
security to make them lower down their guards.

So she couldn't do anything to stop the Female Titan from chopping

Eld's body in half with her teeth, or couldn't have thought that she
could land such a perfect roundhouse kick on Gunther's body,
shattering his bones instantly. They landed lifelessly on the grass
below, staining green with red. The viciousness and familiarity of that
kick stopped her in her tracks, floating midair with the help of her
3DMG unable to believe what had happened.

Petra and Oluo immediately stopped their second wave attacks, but
meanwhile Oluo was able to put distance between them with grace,
Petra hadn't always been good at regaining her balance, so she
almost fell to the ground and started running away from the Female
Titan with her 3DMG. Sakura had once saved her by body-flickering
into the titan, allowing Petra to regain her balance. But right now she
couldn't do that, since she was stuck with a wire and was too far
away. But still, something inside her snapped and she immediately
went after her best friend, mixing body-flicker with her 3DMG to get
there faster.

"Petra! Get out of there! Regain your balance!" Oluo yelled.

She was so obsessed with getting to her friend on time that she
missed when the Female Titan did a frontal flip and landed an axe
kick on Petra, reducing her to a blood splatter on the grass.
"PETRA!" she yelled in anguish, which quickly turned to rage at the
Female Titan. That was a taijutsu move. Not only was it almost
impossible for any of her teammates to know how to do it, but the
grace and precision reminded Sakura a bit of herself. The Female
Titan's moves were a bit sloppy, but there was no question that she
was good. Taijutsu… Eren had mentioned someone in his class--

No, that wasn't important. Revenge, that was important.

"Sakura!" Eren yelled, but she didn't mind him, or the fact that he
was running back towards them.

They didn't have too much time. At this rate, not even her chakra
was going to save her. They needed to create a new strategy, soon,
if they wanted to survive this time. Oluo stared at her from behind the
Female Titan, tears of despair rolling down his cheeks, and nodded
once he recognized the signal. She was going to act as decoy, and
he was going to land the killing blow.

The Female Titan did a backflip and landed much more gracefully on
the floor. She must be aware Oluo was behind her, but Sakura would
make sure she wouldn't be able to do something about it. She
coated her blades with her chakra, careful to keep her control in
check so that the blades wouldn't break. Killing intent was rolling off
her in waves, the chakra so intense that even the Female Titan
seemed a bit scared of her.

Sakura feinted going for the killing blow, sending one of her 3DMG
hooks to a tree behind the Female Titan. Just like she had assumed,
the blonde titan was about to land a simple frontal kick, but Sakura
immediately let go off the hooks, used an obsessive amount of gas
to give her height, and again used her gas to head straight to the
Female Titan's chest. She readied her chakra-coated swords to stab
her blades deep inside her chest, and the plan was to let gravity
bring her to the floor, cutting the Female Titan's body in half.

Her war cry was cut off when her swords met resistance. The
previously tissue-skin was now made out of a blue crystal so hard
that not even her chakra-coated swords could only chip, and in fact
they broke from the pressure of her chakra and the resistance of the
blue crystal. One was sent flying to the side and the other backwards
and impaled the right side of her abdomen, the blade cold and
destructive. However, there were other pressing matters and she
didn't even feel the hurt over the adrenaline.

Before she could even send her 3DMG to get back to safety, she
screamed, "Oluo! NO! STOP!"

The Female Titan landed a flying kick on Oluo, and Sakura started
falling to the ground, her body unresponsive.

They were gone.

Eld was gone.

Gunther was gone.

Petra was gone.

Oluo was gone.

She was alone.

The Female Titan caught her with her right hand, her shoulder
muscles now healed. She had probably focused all of her
regenerative powers not on her sight, but on that one arm. Sakura
could hear Eren's screams coming closer, and while the Female
Titan held her right in front of her face, Sakura saw the titan open
one blue eye, satisfaction shining brightly. Normally such emotion
would make her burn with anger, but she felt cold, so empty that she
couldn't even muster a glare.

With practiced care, the Female Titan used her index and thumb to
remove the blade from her stomach. Sakura gurgled and vomited
blood, feeling faint and in extreme amounts of pain now that the
adrenaline was leaving her body. Her stomach felt on fire but her
mind was leaving her body. She didn't feel in control and couldn't
even move her fingers. If the Female Titan didn't kill her now, the
blood loss certainly would unless she could heal herself before she
lost more blood.

The Female Titan then flicked Sakura's temple gently, but gentle for
a titan was extremely violent for any human being. Luckily for
Sakura, she was a kunoichi, because if not her brain could've
ceased working right there. The flick opened a wound in her
forehead, and blood started to flow down the right side of her face
with intensity.

She was losing consciousness --or life?-- but she could see the
Female Titan putting her body inside of her mouth and she could
hear Eren transforming into a titan and roaring in anger and anguish.
Oh, Eren… She had promised herself she would protect him from
everything, but it seemed she wasn't strong enough to keep that
promise.

The Female Titan's mouth closed, leaving Sakura bleeding on her

tongue and a strange mucus starting to cover her body.

She hadn't been powerful enough to keep any of her promises, but
at least she was dying now and she wouldn't have to live with the
shame anymore.

The area above her left breast started burning with power, and she
soon lost consciousness to the sounds and movements of a titan
fight.

Some of you thought it wasn't going to happen, others called it

from the beginning. Those who read the manga know why I'm
doing this, and those who don't read the manga should be
warned we'll be going on that territory soon.

Some have asked me throughout the course of this story if we

would ever find out why Sakura appeared in SnK, if more ninjas
were going to be involved, if Sakura is going to regain her
memories, etc. Yes, this is not one of those stories where
Sakura magically appears and we forget about the Naruto
world. Annie Leonhart should answer the second question. And
that last one is a mystery, but we most certainly will go in depth
as to why Sakura lost her memories. I like to think there are two
plots interweaving with each other, and you just see the SnK
point of view. Besides, the "flashback" dreams Sakura
sometimes have would be useless unless I had a point to make
with them.

I know many of you will probably be disappointed to see Sakura

fall short against the Female Titan, but I'd like to point out that
Sakura is not exactly 100% ninja at the moment, considering
she has a pitiful arsenal of jutsu under her belt. Chakra-
enhanced blades like the ones Asuma has could've probably
done the trick, but the blades Sakura has were not designed to
be under the pressure of chakra, and they're quite brittle from
all the stress. Furthermore, this Female Titan is more powerful
than the canon Female Titan, if her minimal taijutsu and chakra-
sensing abilities are of any evidence.

Little update on my personal life, college was brutal (but still

got an okay GPA) and this next semester is going to be even
more brutal. Luckily, I don't start class until very late January,
so expect another update this month, before I have to go on
another crazed, science-filled semester (I made the mistake of
taking the three sciences this semester, so I have to take
electricity and magnetism, general chemistry II, and physiology
this semester plus their respective labs, and I have three other
classes on top of these). So please know I'm not lying when I
say I'm busy, and I have not given up on this story. In fact, this
is the only story I'll be updating from now on, probably.

As always thanks to cecld16, Allykrau, Eternal Cat Moon,

Shinkansen, Toreh, Guest, passanger, Green nook, Lady Icicle,
TwinkleSwag, numpang lewat, Zolacookie, aoa1012, Zoorzh,
idunknow, HowlingMidnightfang, xXHeavengirlXx, Wavywavy,
XxBirdxOfxHermesxX, SakuraHerem, Curioslion,
MerhppDerhpp, intergerlactic, rothfyae, DarqueDeath4444,
Dimension4-death, Faircrown, Lady Light, .73, patrick the
almighty observer, MiniRoonie, Fiore-Lily,YuukiChanLove,
Chocogirl24, choco-chan, mun3litKnight, Hmmm,
bookworm51485, katy bae, Pirotessa, eirame, The Muse in the
Silver Mirror, Amantedelacomida, TheCrazyAnimeFan,
KasonSama, Sivren, AmeRaSora, urs-v, Q-asta,, XxBSCxX,
BLacKxBUrN, Love Remedy and Vasuki for being wonderful
reviewers and so supportive. Also, thank you to all who added
this story to their alerts and favorites! I didn't think I would
garner such a response when I first posted this, so I'm glad you
enjoy it!
Burn
"Rescue Sasuke?"

The older Uchiha nodded, no sign of happiness or relief present in

his face at the prospect of saving his younger brother from the forked
tongue of Orochimaru. "I'll be leading a mission soon, and I want you
to be present in it."

"But why me?"

"You proved your worth in saving the Kazekage and besting Sasori
of the Sand. I personally remember how strong he is from my time in
Akatsuki. Besides, you're still part of Team Seven, and wouldn't you
want to retrieve my brother?"

This is quite the interesting memory to conjure up in your

unconscious state, my Vessel.

Sakura frowned and wiped her brow from the sweat and grime of
their training session. Itachi was a wonderful sensei in helping her
with water release, but he wasn't very forgiving and handed praises
very often. In fact, Sakura usually thought she wasted his time by the
amount of chiding she got. To hear that he respected her skills
enough to ask her to be a part of the Sasuke rescue operation elated
a small part of her.

But most of her felt wary. She wasn't a heavy hitter like Naruto or
Itachi or Kakashi, which was needed to bring Sasuke back. In fact,
she was supposed to not be a heavy-hitter to adhere to the code
Tsunade had spent months imparting in her. Her mission was to not
kill, but to save. She was meant to survive, not risk her life. That was
what was meant of a iryo-nin. To betray that code was to betray her
teacher.
"You have Naruto, who has become better at using Kyu-- Kurama,
Kakashi, and Sai for sure. You know I can't actively go after him."

I laugh at myself, who actually thought making this kid a Vessel

would have been a good idea.

Itachi gave a small smile, which was rarer than snow in the Land of
Fire. "Of course, I'm not asking you to give up your code of conduct
for me. I just know that rescuing Sasuke will result in no shortage of
injuries on both sides, and I wouldn't want to lose anyone if I can.
But that's not the only reason why I want you to come with me."

She pouted and fell on the grass floor, already expecting that even
though their training ended, they still had unfinished business. Itachi
followed her example a sat with an appropriate amount of distance
from her, his black attire gaining no stains in contrast to her lighter
one.

"Of course there's always a deeper reason with you, Itachi-san."

"I've noticed you lack aggression."

"I lack aggression ?" she sputtered. "Have you never witnessed my
spars against Shishou?"

He shook his head. "You misunderstand me, Sakura. I never said

you didn't lack strength or the will to fight back, though perhaps you
lacked that in the past so you see yourself today as an improvement,
and rightfully so. But you still lack aggression, or a readiness to
attack without prompting."

"I'm a medic. I'm not supposed to be aggressive, but rather stay on

the sidelines and support."

"Yes, but you won't always be a medic. There will be times when you
go on solo missions, and you have no one to save and protect but
yourself. Your unwillingness to fight might be your downfall. Enemy
shinobi do not care what you are, only that you're from Konoha.
Sometimes you can't run away, and you must confront your enemies
head-on, sometimes before they even realize you're present."

I am grateful to Itachi for giving you this amazing advice. Had

you run away like your instincts told you, I would have a very
different Vessel, or maybe no Vessel by now.

"And what do you propose?"

"I'm certainly not the person to teach you how to be aggressive,

considering I abhor conflict and would like to consider myself a
pacifist."

She narrowed her eyes and pointed an accusing finger at me. "Eh,
why are you saying I should be aggressive but then you don't have
to?"

He raised an eyebrow at her, clearly amused. "Are you saying you're

as talented as Uchiha Itachi?"

Sakura quickly retracted her index finger and blushed slightly. "N-
no."

"I don't mean to brag, but my skill precedes me, and therefore I'm
intimidating enough that I don't need to be aggressive to prove a
challenge towards others. Tsunade-sama also has a history that
makes her worthy of fear. Haruno Sakura, however, doesn't, and you
need to compensate until enough people fear your name.

"But where was I… Ah, yes, I cannot teach you how to be

aggressive, but I've heard throughout my travels of a group that
can."

"A group?"

"Tell me, has Tsunade-sama talked to you about Summoning Jutsu."

"I already have a contract with Katsuyu-sama, yes."

"Then you understand what must be done to gain such a contract,
then?"

"Live with them and gain their trust."

Itachi nodded. "Should we be successful with Sasuke, I would like to

entrust your training to a group of wolves close sources told me
about. Unfortunately, since I don't have the contract I can't make the
process easy to you, so you must start from zero. Fortunately,
they're not known to be allied with one particular village, so at least
it's not impossible."

"You want me to live with wolves," she said, which was meant to
sound more like a question, but the surprise and incredulity seeped
heavily into her voice.

"Yes. Have you ever heard about wolves' territoriality and

aggression? Plus they are social and work in packs or alone, so it
goes perfectly with what I'm trying to tell you."

"I swear, Itachi-san, all of this better pay off."

He hummed, stood up, and extended a hand towards her, which she
gratefully took. She dusted her clothes and started walking to the exit
of the training fields next to her mentor.

"I forgot to ask, how is your seal training going?"

She instinctively put a hand on the spot above her heart, the place
she had chosen her Strength of a Hundred Seal to go. "I still have
eight more years before I have stored enough chakra to match
Tsunade-sama's, but I've mastered it enough that I can store chakra
in my sleep, without any conscious thought. Why?"

He shook his head. "No, nothing. I was just thinking how terrifying
you will be once that seal awakens."
And indeed, awake the seal is. Can you feel your cells
regenerating, Haruno Sakura, filling the hole in your abdomen,
the wound in your forehead? It is this seal that convinced me to
finally make you my Vessel, for you cannot die, even if you
wanted to. Tsunade is old and unimpressionable, but you… You
gave yourself to me so easily. My genjutsu and seal had
absolutely no resistance, not that any resistance you could've
given would be a match to my Sharingan.

In me there is death… But in you I see rebirth. A glorious,

unstoppable reformation that will end up destroying us and
saving us all.

It seems you are about to wake up. Can you feel the genjutsu
and seal erasing your dream already? I wish I could actually see
what you are seeing in your world, but I can tell by the state of
your mind that you are in shock. Good, create more memories,
feel more intensity, become a full-fledged Vessel.

Achieve my dream.

Roars… Movement… Sliding…

"She's…"

Her body flung and carried in the air.

"… alive… but… blood"

"You… carry… dirty."

Trees… Shadows… People…

When Sakura gained consciousness and felt the sunlight on her

eyelids and body, she only cursed herself for forgetting to feed
Haruto. He could be so rowdy at times, and the chances of
rowdiness increased if she missed his breakfast by more than thirty
minutes.

Besides that, she felt very… airy. It took only a couple of seconds to
realize this airiness stemmed from very baggy clothes. Soon after
that, she realized there was another chakra presence in her room.
Truly foolish of her to let thoughts like Haruto and the state of her
body dominate her mind over the fact there was an intruder in her
room. What a poor excuse of a ninja she had become. Then again,
the chakra presence wasn't threatening and it was actually familiar,
so maybe that was why she hadn't felt in danger.

She opened her eyes and saw much to her surprise that she wasn't
in her room, but rather one of the infirmary rooms. She had only
been in this section of the Survey Corps before and that was when
she had "broken" her arm in practice with the old Levi Squad, with
Liesel and Jung and Eld. Liesel had been a bit of a bitch back then,
but she was only dealing with her grief at losing her brother. In
hindsight, she had been unfair to her, but there was nothing she
could do now to apologize or make it up to her.

Sakura sat up and noticed that the person sitting on the chair,
slumbering with her head back, was none other than Amina. It had
truly been a while since she had last seen Amina, at least a month
since Squad Levi had taken refuge in the old headquarters to protect
Eren and provide damage control. True, Amina had visited them
once, but it was rather brief and she was on business from Hange.
Not much time for girl talk back then.

Sakura was clothed in a wide beige shirt, and she could feel the
constricting bandages around her torso and around her forehead.
Had she been in an accident?

Amina's eyes fluttered open, and she blinked a couple of times from
the sunlight streaming right into her face. Her head bobbed back to
its original position only to meet Sakura's questioning green eyes,
and she started weeping, the intensity shaking her body with such
force that her ribs hurt. Amina launched herself at Sakura, laying her
head in her bosom, and sobbed.

And as much as Sakura wanted to weep with her, because she

couldn't just ignore everything anymore, she found she couldn't.
There was no sadness in her heart, like when Helsa died in her
arms. There was no fiery anger, like when she found Mikoto and Erik
dead and Mikasa missing. No desperation, like when Karla died and
Wall Sina fell. No guilt, like when Jung and Liesel sacrificed
themselves to save her.

She felt empty, and very cold.

"You…" Amina sobbed. "Everyone…"

"I'm alive."

Amina nodded, but did not stop crying. "But… P-Petra…"

An extra beat. "Yeah."

Amina removed her head from Sakura's chest and observed her
face intently. What did she see, Sakura wondered. A friend?
Murderer? Liar? Betrayer? A godsend? That she was alive must be
a surprise. Even Sakura herself was surprised to wake up. The
wounds she had received, though not fatal to a medical ninja, were
serious enough that without immediate treatment she would've
surely bled out.

"Yet you live," Amina whispered. She detached herself from Sakura
and wiped her eyes. "You always live," she continued, just as quietly.
Even though the words sounded accusing, she said them so flatly
Sakura didn't feel personally attacked. "Even against impossible
odds, you always survive."

"Is that a problem?"

Amina's eyes hardened, and she got up from the bed, putting some
distance between them. Her eyes, however, were fire and water.
"You're my best friend, Sakura. If you had died a bigger part of me
would have died with you." Amina stared down at the floor, clenching
and unclenching her fists. "I always thought you were just lucky, but
too many instances of good luck and you start to realize that people
just know something you don't. Your power to sense titans… You
know why you have it, right?"

"Yes."

"And you won't tell me the source." Seeing that Sakura wasn't going
to respond, she sighed. "The only time you have ever judged me
was when I surrendered myself to death, back before we signed up
for the Survey Corps. I'll extend the same sentiment towards you:
don't surrender to death, and I won't question your origins."

"You're not going to tell anyone?"

Amina snarled, and even though her face was tear-stricken face, she
looked quite intimidating. "You think that after everything I lost, I
would want to lose you too?"

Sakura hummed in approval. She could trust her secret with Amina,
her only remaining friend, because not only did Amina love Sakura,
but she was trustworthy and wouldn't want to lose her last remaining
good friend by turning her in. However, there was also the chance
that Amina would blame her for not saving Petra or Oluo, and end up
telling their superiors.

But she was done caring. She had kept her secret for so long so that
she would be able to better protect her friends and wards, but now
that most of her friends were dead and her wards out of her reach,
what was the point?

"I am a ninja."

Amina cocked her head to the side. "A what?"

Sakura stood up and body-flickered behind Amina. "A ninja."

Amina yelped in fright and instinctively tried to punch Sakura, but

she easily stopped her fist before it landed. "Wha-What? What is
that? What are you?"

Sakura frowned. "I've just said it twice. I'm a ninja."

She glared at Sakura. "I know that, genius. I don't know what being a
ninja entails. That's why I keep asking."

"From what I remember, most of us are assassins and fighters. We

can wield chakra. It's what allows us to do what I just did."

She sighed and sat down on the bed Sakura had previously
occupied. She looked weary, and started massaging her temple. "So
you kill people?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm still the soldier you know about. That is
the source of my powers, though. That's why I can sense titans,
because their chakra is warped. I can sense your chakra, too. Every
person's chakra is really similar to each other people's, but once you
spend enough time with someone, these differences become much
clearer."

"What else can you do, besides scaring me to death?"

"I have super-strength… I wish I could show you but I can break the
land if I wanted to."

"Is that it?"

"I… I can… I can heal people."

Amina was quiet, her face mulling over the implications of what she
just said. Her ability to heal was in her opinion her greatest downfall.
She was a bystander to so many tragedies when she had the power
to do something about it. Amina was probably thinking about that,
about all the people she could've saved had she come forth earlier.
"Can you bring people back from the death?"

"No, I think that is impossible, actually."

Amina stood up and stared at Sakura, determination brimming in her

eyes. "I want to hate you, but I can't. I know why you've kept it a
secret the same way I kept my heritage a secret. Our identities are
dangerous, but also influential. My family has offered to entirely fund
the Survey Corps's operations for the next three decades and give
them more noble support if I chose to come back to them, but I keep
refusing, because I don't want to leave, even if it means the Survey
Corps is much poorer and weaker because of it.

"I have always thought you were more like Petra, selfless and
innocent, but you are more like me. We rather see the world burn
than sacrifice our freedom for humanity."

"No, Amina, you're wrong. If we wanted to see the world burn, we

would be setting it on fire. But we're here, in the Survey Corps, doing
our best to save humanity. I don't want to be defined as a ninja as
much as you don't want to be defined as the heir to the Burgeis.
There is only so much we can give to the world before we lose
ourselves."

"You've kept my heritage a secret from our comrades, so I will do the

same. But my previous threat remains: don't surrender to death."

No, dying would be much too easy. People like her deserved to live
out their mistakes and suffer every second of them, until she was
withered and weak from the pain.

Only until she made sure her precious people had a decent shot at a
good future would she allow herself to rest forever.

After Amina left, Sakura was bombarded with five doctors, forcing
her to lay on the bed again, all of them asking questions about how
she was feeling, and no one ever mentioned the wounds she had
sustained, only the bloody uniform she came back with.

Why was she alive? The last thing she remembered before passing
out was a burning sensation, probably because she had been
stabbed. The burning sensation… it did not come from her stomach,
though. It came from her chest, she was sure of that. The only
interesting thing on her chest was the purple rhombus of power that
had appeared there a couple of years ago.

Had it saved her? If so, how?

One of the male doctors stopped observing her and turned back.
"Miss Ackerman is not ready to receive friends at the moment."

"I'm not a friend."

Even though they were blocking her view of the door, Sakura knew
who was there. She terribly missed her, but at the same time was
wary of what could happen if they decided to talk. The last time they
talked they had gotten into a rather nasty fight, and she felt nothing
had been resolved since.

The five doctors stared at her questioningly. Sakura replied, "She's

my sister. I want to talk to her."

"Your health--" the blond doctor started.

"We cannot deny that she is in perfect health," the sole female
doctor remarked. "She could leave right now if she wanted to."

The darker skinned doctor hummed in agreement. "We should focus

on checking up on the other wounded soldiers. Let's leave these
soldiers alone."

They shuffled out, putting a safe distance between themselves and

Mikasa, who had her usual blank face, and left, making sure to close
the door. As soon as the strangers left, Mikasa sat in the chair Amina
had previously occupied, and a heavy silence ensued, even though
there was too much to be said. Sakura, for once, was at a loss on
how to start a conversation with her adoptive sister. If she started
with a joke, Mikasa might get angry that she just brushed off her
worry or anger. If she started somberly, Mikasa might get more
depressed, or angry.

" I did not know you could bleed," Mikasa started in Japanese, her
head down to avoid any eye contact.

" All humans bleed."

"But you're strong, the strongest person I had ever met. And I
thought there was no obstacle you couldn't face, no enemy you
couldn't kill. Many times I thought you were the personification of
Warrior Maria, sent to protect us, and the Wallists were correct.

"And then that midget Captain gave me your body to carry, and I
realized I had never seen something so broken in my life before. And
in that moment, I realized the mistake I made, in our talk after the
trial. For that, I'm sorry."

Sakura got up from the bed and kneeled in front of Mikasa. Her fists
were clenched, her eyes watery, and Sakura added another reason
why she couldn't die yet. "I… I understand why you said the things
you said, and I'm also sorry for giving you a false image. You're one
of the few I can be truly honest with, and I chose to deceive you. I'm
not all-powerful, Mikasa. Maybe I was, back when we lived with Erik
and Mikoto, but because the enemies weren't that dangerous. Now,
the enemies are brutal."

Mikasa nodded and bit her lip, trying her hardest not to cry. She
never thought she would end up saving her bigger sister, and she
had never wanted to save her, either. But against the Female Titan,
everybody needed saving. " Speaking of enemies… Could you go
over the Female Titan with me? I have suspicions that I want you to
clear up."
Sakura felt herself growing hotter at the mention of the Female Titan.
Nothing elicited such a violent response, not even the death of her
squad. She was going to kill the female titan-shifter, no doubt about
that. She wouldn't rest until she had her revenge. She wouldn't allow
herself to cry until she avenged her friends.

She stood up and moved as far away from Mikasa as she could,
facing the farthest wall. She didn't want her to see Sakura like this. "
What about her?" she growled.

" Was there something weird about her?"

"Besides the fact that she knew certain ninja moves, no. Oh, and she
could track my team with chakra."

Mikasa's eyes widened. "The titan-shifter is a ninja?"

Sakura shook her head. " No, her chakra presence wasn't like mine.
I was probably the beacon that led her to my team, now that I think
about it. She probably can't detect the minute differences in chakra
presences, but she must've known I was a ninja, and she must've
known I was going to be with Eren."

"I think I have an idea of who she is. I think she is--"

"Annie Leonhard," Sakura finished for her.

" How did you know?"

"Eren mentioned knowing someone who knew certain ninja moves

so well that she could teach them. Does she have blonde hair and
blue eyes?"

"Yes."

"Then there is no doubt about it. The interesting thing is that she is in
the Military Police. How did she know that Eren would be on this
expedition? Or that Eren would be with me? Or that Eren would be in
the forest? This is information very few in the Survey Corps have
access to, which means that we also have at least another traitor in
our midst."

"Speaking of traitors…"

Sakura turned around, her interest piqued. " What?"

"I've been speaking in Japanese this whole time because I fear there
is someone hearing us."

"There's nobody. I would've sensed a presence outside this room.

But why do you think someone might want to spy on us?"

She shook her head. " Not just anybody. The midget Captain has
been very suspicious since we came back to the old headquarters
yesterday. He knows that you're hiding something from him, and
wants to find out what it is. It didn't help that your uniform was
drenched in blood, with a hole in your abdomen, but there was no
wound to be found."

"So he's onto my secret. A lot of people seem to be onto my secret."

"Why did Annie want you?"

"I'm not sure. I think it's because I'm a ninja, but it still brings more
questions than answers. At this point, I just want her death. She is
mine, Mikasa. I know you're angry with her because tried to take
Eren, but she killed my closest friends, and for that her blood will run
through my fingers."

Mikasa frowned and stood up. In her she saw the disapproval
Sakura once had for Eren and his lust for vengeance. " After my
parents were murdered, you told me love was a better motivation
than hate and revenge, and I decided to take the love I had for Eren
and you to protect you against all costs instead of letting hatred
consume me. What happened to that Sakura?"
That was the last lesson Helsa had imparted on Sakura before she
left this rather cruel world, but almost every major event seemed to
challenge that statement. It was so hard to hold onto love in this
world. What happened when every person she loved in this world
died, and she was left with no one to fight for?

" Helsa , Mikoto, Erik, Kalura, Grisha… Oluo… Petra… Add you,
Eren, Armin, and Amina and that is the list of all the people I love.
You will find a majority of the list are dead. My mind understands the
wisdom of your words, Mikasa, it really does, but my heart is tired…
So very tired."

Mikasa clenched her teeth and cried, though Sakura was unsure as
to why. She launched herself at Sakura and sobbed silently in her
chest, and the only thing Sakura could do was to awkwardly hold her
taller sister and remain silent, even though her mind was brimming
with questions.

" Eren is alive, right?"

"Yeah… We rescued him too."

She hadn't realized she had stopped breathing until Mikasa

confirmed her precious adoptive brother was fine. But that still didn't
explain why Mikasa was crying so much. The last time she had was
when their parents had died. Yet Sakura knew better than to
question this moment. Mikasa closely matched Sakura's emotional
strength, and to see her lay her emotions bare was a beautiful
moment few were privy too.

"Can I stay the night here?"

"Night?"

"Yes, it's close to ten."

Ah, the lack of windows had fooled her. She must've slept for a very
long time, which was understandable considering the extensive
regeneration her body had undergone.

"Of course, Mikasa. Are you going to put on your nightgown?"

She shook her head and slowly let Sakura go. Even though her eyes
were red, they were still strong. "I don't mind sleeping in my uniform."

"Beneath this infirmary gown I am naked."

"I don't care."

Sakura gave a small smile and laid down in the bed, patting a spot
next to hers. "Then come here, and let me tell you the story about
the man who sought his love in the depths of the world."

She had barely finished relaying the story about Adalie and Eifah,
one that had first come to her through Sebastian's mouth, when
Mikasa fell into deep slumber, snoring quietly in her chest. Sakura
quietly played with her black hair, as dark as night, and wondered if
somewhere she had a sibling with hair as pink as cherry blossoms.

If her pink-haired sibling was behind her squad's death, then she
would also aim her revenge at her own flesh and blood.

The cheer in the mess hall was nonexistent, and his black tea tasted
bitterer than usual. The first thing Erwin and he had done was to get
a death count of the expedition, and the number had been forty-five.
Out of one hundred and nine soldiers that set out on this expedition,
only sixty-four had returned. They had predicted it was going to be
bad, but not this bad.

Included in those forty-five was the majority of his squad, people he

had spent two years training and bonding with. To say he was angry
was an understatement, but the five squad leaders had bigger fish to
fry, the biggest one being that idiotic Female Titan who was hiding
inside Wall Sina, according to the newcomer brats.
Oh, and there also was Eren's execution in the horizon if they didn't
step their game up. If Eren died, the Survey Corps died with him,
and he didn't want to think about what would happen afterwards.

"Captain Levi!" Moblit saluted him, and Levi had to hold in a sigh;
damn Erwin and his impatient ass. "Commander Erwin requests your
presence in his office."

Levi sipped on his hot tea, because by the time he came back it
would be as cold as Erwin's heart and damn him for not letting him
enjoy a small break. "Thank you, Moblit, I'll be on my way."

He got up from the bench and made his way through the cluster-fuck
that was the old Survey Corps's headquarters. He understood why
they had to retreat her for the next week, so that Military Police
wouldn't find them until they were ready, but he really hated this
damn castle. It was old, dirty, had little to no windows, and he felt
more suffocated than he had in his days underground.

Levi knocked on Erwin's door and almost immediately Erwin told him
to come in. Levi skipped the saluting formalities, because even
though he was a stickler for rules, he and Erwin and no need for
shows of authority. Levi walked across the room to the commander's
office

The blond commander's face was taut and serious, reflecting their
current position. "How's your leg?"

"I've had worse injuries, but I don't think I'll be ready for the battle."

"Then rest. We can't afford to have you get a worse injury from that
battle and I was thinking of putting Sakura in your spot."

Not many things surprised him nowadays, but this did. "Why?"

"The report from the doctors came today. She sustained absolutely
no injuries from her encounter with the Female Titan. You have
trained her well, Levi."
Something was not making sense, but he could only remain quiet.
He had to find out what Sakura was hiding before he told Erwin. The
commander had too much on his head already and didn't need his
suspicions on top of it. "Even with her bloody clothes."

"They concluded it came from the blood of her fallen comrades and
the Female Titan's juices. She did spend more time in there than
Eren, after all."

He had wanted to wait before confronting Sakura, but after this

report he simply couldn't. Their deaths were too fresh, and even
though he was sure she didn't kill his squad, it would destroy him if
she had a hand in their downfall.

"Question her. I share your same suspicions, Levi, you don't need to
hide them from me just because I am stressed."

"Something is not adding up from the story. Her body had her blood,
from that I am sure, and it was so much blood I thought she was
dead. The reason why Annie wanted her… That was expected but
the injury makes me think--"

"That she's a titan-shifter, yes. It would make sense why Annie

Leonhard was targeting two titan-shifters and why Sakura was able
to regenerate her wounds so quickly. That still doesn't explain her
ability to sense titans, or why she has helped us so thoroughly for so
long. We cannot deny that she had a strong attachment to her
teammates and to the orphans from Shiganshina. I don't think
Sakura is an enemy, but there is something very big that she is
keeping from us."

"Are you sure you still want her in the mission knowing she may be
lying?"

"Yes. Our foremost priority is the capture of Annie Leonhard, and

having Sakura in there will increase our success rate."

"I need to tell her what her duties are in the next mission, anyway."
"Very well, you're dismissed."

Levi left the room without so much as a word, and left to find Sakura,
which wouldn't be too hard in this small castle. He had no doubt in
his gut that Sakura didn't want to harm them, but his gut also told
him Sakura was dangerous. This last month had brought to light too
many inconsistencies in who she was. He sincerely hoped she was a
titan-shifter, because if she wasn't then he would lose his mind.

Luck would have it that he would run into Mikasa Ackerman in the
hallway. The girl's disdain for him was palpable, no doubt because of
the beating he gave Eren a month ago. Still, she had to learn how to
grow the fuck up before someone --ahem, him -- died because of her
mistakes --ahem, temper .

He stood in front of her, blocking her view. "I need to speak with your
sister."

"And she doesn't want to speak with you."

"Where is your sister?" he asked in a commanding tone, a tone a

soldier like her couldn't ignore.

Mikasa glared at him, her eyes like a snake. "She's in the stable. I
don't know if you have any emotions in that shell of yours, but please
leave her alone."

Levi grunted and walked past her; that was the way to the stable and
he didn't give a shit what a brat like her thought. Sakura wasn't a
delicate flower to be protected or nurtured. She was made to
withstand the harshness of life and become stronger.

She was like him, and he understood her better than Mikasa
Ackerman.

A soldier was stationed outside the stable, looking a bit nervous.

"Is everything okay, soldier?"

"Uh, Sakura is inside and asked me to leave her alone. But I need to
clean the stable and… well, I just don't know what to do. sir."

At least she was still a bitch. "I release you from today's duty, soldier.
Make sure nobody comes inside, though."

He saluted, but Levi was already inside by the time the he accepted
his orders.

His pink-haired second-in-command was in front of her horse,

Haruto, just as he had expected. She was just staring at him, her
eyes unseeing, and the horse was growing warier and more
impatient knowing his master wasn't doing anything to feed him or
pet him.

"Are you just going to stare at him and wait for his ass to fall out?"

Sakura continued staring at Haruto and placed a hand on his snout.

"He needs to learn how to be patient."

"It's a bit late for that."

"As long as you're alive, it's never too late."

Yes, for the dead cannot change or do anything. No matter how

many times he apologized to Isabel and Farlan, he didn't feel any
better. There were no words of comfort from the dead, no
forgiveness, only assumptions. He assumed they would forgive him,
because that's his picture of them, but would they really forgive that
he chose bloodlust over their safety?

"There is no use in wasting your life away over the dead. You should
start letting them go."

She still did not turn to acknowledge him, and continued petting
Haruto, who was now snorting in content. "Let go of the dead? Yeah,
I know how to do that. But letting go is one of the weird things in life
that gets harder the more you do it."
"And you become stronger because of it."

Sakura stopped petting her beloved horse and turned towards him.
"And when everyone is dead, what's the strength for?" Usually,
whenever they stared down at each other, he always saw defiance in
her eyes, a unstoppable fire that he thought couldn't burn out. She
was strong, and proud of her strength, and wouldn't allow anyone to
dominate her; not titans, not grief, certainly not Levi himself.

But her eyes were dead. There was no grief, no anger, no denial, no
acceptance. She was dead. When his two best friends had died, he
had been blinded by rage and fury and guilt, but she was a empty
husk. She breathed, yes, but this Sakura compared to the radiant
one he has fought with was just a fluke, a poor excuse of a person.

And he hated it.

He hated her.

Levi launched himself at her and grabbed her by the throat, then
slammed her against the wooden wall. The horses whinnied in fear,
no doubt surprised by the display of violence. Though she was
heavy, he was still stronger than her and managed to lift her. "What
use are you to me as weak? I lie for you, you lie to me, and you start
this bullshit?"

She should be beyond livid at him, but her green eyes were still cold.
"I lie to you?"

He clenched his grip a bit harder, and now he was sure she would be
bruised. "Cut the act. Your wounds regenerate at amazing speeds,
the Female Bitch wants you, you can detect titans… What is this
starting to sound like?"

"You think I'm a titan-shifter."

"That's where the evidence is pointing at, and I'm not stupid enough
to blind myself to the truth."
"Release me."

He blinked, slightly weakening his hold. "What?"

"I said, 'Release me.' You're lucky I haven't beat your ass because of
this."

A spark, but no fire yet.

He let her go, more willingly than unwillingly, and stepped back to
give her some space.

She massaged her bruising neck, speaking in some foreign

language as she did. "I'm not a titan-shifter, and I can't prove it to you
but you have to trust my word."

"Why should I?"

"Because you have no choice. If I tell you the truth, it will bring more
questions than answers. In return of your trust, I promise that I'll tell
you everything after we reach Eren's basement, until our primary
mission is over."

"That's unfair. How do I know that your secret won't place the Survey
Corps in danger? How do I know people won't die in the name of
your secret?"

She visibly winced, and something told him the answer wasn't going
to be pretty. "People have already died protecting me. I can't
guarantee the last one. I can guarantee our success in killing the
Female Titan."

"The mission is to capture the titan-shifter, not to kill her. She has
valuable information that we need to extract."

Sakura glared at him, and the fire was back. But this was not
determination, this was a burning lust for vengeance. There was no
desire to protect, only destroy. His eyes probably looked like that
when he saw Farlan and Isabel's dead bodies, and the carnage that
ensued was the most violent display of 3DMG usage he had ever
witnessed.

She was only alive for revenge, a corruption of her ideals, and the
easiest way to put her back on a path similar to the one she followed
was to let her kill Annie Leonhard.

Unfortunately for her, there was no way in hell he would allow that.

"She killed our teammates, our close friends, and you want to
capture her? Did you not care about your teammates? Do you not
want revenge?"

He had never realized how nasty she could be, how low she could
go to achieve what she wanted, and that was despicable. But she
was hurting, deeply, and he understood that. He had done that, used
revenge as a way to keep the mind entertained before the grief
kicked in, but there was no way to avoid that pain. If she also thought
she could alleviate the further pain with the satisfaction of Annie's
death, she was mistaken.

He could aggravate her further, push her past her limit, but what
would he gain from that? Another broken teammate, one less person
he could trust in.

Levi wanted to heal her, the desire was so intense it surprised him,
but that was impossible. Instead he had to help her heal.

"The needs of humanity are greater than your need for vengeance.
They enlisted to save humanity. They wouldn't want you to seek
revenge if it meant putting humanity a step back."

Sakura grit her teeth, her mouth drawn in a violent snarl and her
nose scrunched up in anger. "It's so easy for you to say. What have
you lost, Captain… How much have you lost? Someone who hasn't
lost--"
He felt his cheeks getting hotter, but he wouldn't let himself be riled
up by her. "I have lost more than you know, Sakura. I have been
deprived from more than you know, and look what a shit I am. Don't
make those comments without actually knowing anything about me."

Her facial features slightly relaxed, but her eyes still held that wrath,
that precious wrath that kept her sane. "Then you understand what I
am going through."

"Yes." But instead of killing Erwin, the fixation of his revenge, Levi
had decided to follow him. There was no way Sakura would follow
Annie, but maybe if she made Annie feel the pain she felt… Levi
hadn't expected to reach a compromise, but this was the best
solution. "I won't allow you to kill her, but I'll allow you to fight her,
and, if you're up for it, I'll allow you to torture her for information."

This piqued her interest. "Torture?"

"I'm sure she won't willingly give up information. But the only way to
torture her is to capture her. And you can torture her whichever way
you want, because titan-shifters can regenerate entire limbs if they
want."

Sakura was deep in thought, no doubt going over the information he

had just told her. He considered himself a monster, but to start
considering Sakura the same kind as his was not only perturbing, but
a welcome thought. Erwin became a monster to save humanity,
Hange to find more about titans, but he became one to survive, a
selfish goal. Sakura, though not one completely, was entertaining the
idea just to fulfill her revenge, perhaps an even more selfish goal.

"That sounds agreeable."

"Good. I'm injured right now, so you'll take over my responsibilities."

The fire died, and she raised an eyebrow. "The great Captain,
injured?"
"You can blame your sister for that one. She's as much of a hothead
as you are."

"What did she do?"

"She wanted to go after the Female Titan alone and almost got
herself killed, but I pushed her out of the way."

"You saved Mikasa?" For once, Sakura was fearful rather than angry.
Mikasa must've left out that particular detail from their rescue
mission. Not that he blamed her, knowing how protective Sakura
was. The fear turned into guilt. "Thank you, Captain. I… I didn't
know."

Levi's eyes narrowed and he huffed. "Don't thank me. I would've

done the same for any of my soldiers." Yes, he would've saved
anyone that had been in that position, but Mikasa Ackerman was
important, not only as an asset but also her connection to another
asset.

Sakura gave a small smile. "At any rate, I owe you. I shall do
everything you command, Captain."

He scrunched his nose. "Now that's disgusting. Just keep being

yourself, Ackerman." Her face became confused, and Levi internally
sighed. "What is it?"

She shook her head and started walking towards the stable's exit.
"No, nothing to worry about, Captain. Shall we leave?"

"Tch, I can only handle the smell of shit for so long."

A black-haired man sighed when he woke up from his dream. Only it

wasn't his dream, and it wasn't fictional. The events he dreamed had
taken place a couple of years ago to a woman named Haruno
Sakura. His connection to Sakura had taken him by surprise, but it
wasn't completely unwelcome. It was good to find out more about his
Vessel, the person he had invested his hopes and aspirations on,
and the woman his organization worshipped as a goddess promising
a new, better world.

The only downside of this was the intense feelings he sometimes

got, no doubt but an inkling of what she felt. Time flowed differently
between his world and the world he had sent her to, but the
emotions traveled nonetheless, since their connection transcended
both time and space. Though it was annoying, in a way he thought it
fair to feel but a fraction of what she felt, whether it be the intense
pain or the happiness that came from her journey.

The room was extremely dark, with the only source of light having
been extinguished in the night. The Land of Spring had changed to
the Land of Snow yet again, the natural occurrence of the seasons,
but this blizzard they were experiencing was particularly chilling. It's
a good thing the Land of Snow had advanced technology to warm
his castle, or else his people would be very upset with him.

He felt the chakra presence before the person could even knock.
"Come in," he commanded after he put on his mask.

The door opened slowly, and in came a simple blue dog mask. She
bowed to him lowly, and started getting papers out of the folder she
carried. "I've come with the reports from the three major missions,
Red Wolf."

"Proceed, Blue Dog."

"Akatsuki has taken over the Land of This, and has been annexed to
the Land of That. Their bases are growing, but an inside source tells
me their numbers aren't; nobody has replaced you or Uchiha Itachi."

"That won't deter Pein from launching an attack on Konoha to find

Uzumaki Naruto," Red Wolf murmured.

"Which brings me to my second report. Another source tells us that

the Konoha ninja are launching another expedition to the world you
sent Haruno Sakura-sama to. Should we send our own ninja to stop
them?"

"Do you know now who is going on the expedition?"

She shook her head. "No, not even my sources can tell me that. It is
very classified information."

Red Wolf waved a hand. "It doesn't matter how many expeditions
they go on; they will probably never find her."

"Because their Seishirou isn't as complete as yours?"

"Indeed. Without the left eye, Kakashi cannot do much. That and
their bodies aren't meant to withstand space-time travel for long
periods of time without killing their bodies. Now, you had a third
report?"

Blue Dog switched papers yet again. "Our numbers keep growing,
Red Wolf, even shinobi numbers. The last census of the organization
brought a number of around three hundred, counting the inside
sources. We will need a new place to house more recruits, perhaps
a warmer place to attract more people."

"It is good so many people believe in our dream, Blue Dog. You will
all build the foundations for the new world."

Blue Dog was quiet, considering she was always very vocal about
her approval of his plan.

"What is it?"

"I have started to notice the way you talk about your plan, sir, and
you always make it sound as if you're not a part of the aftermath."

"Because I'm not. Both the Vessel and the Harbinger will be
consumed as a price to destroy this one and create a new one. This
is why I made this an organization, a belief. You all will carry my
legacy and make adjustments as you see fit."
"But sir… You're our leader. What will we do without our leader?"

His eye narrowed, but she wouldn't be able to see that. "I wear a
mask just like you do, Blue Dog. I will create this world for you, but I
shall not be a part of it. It's Haruno Sakura's and my gift to you for all
the sins chakra-wielders have made towards humanity for so many
decades."

"You don't have to punish yourself, especially after everything you've

done for us. You can live in the new world, Red Wolf."

"It's not punishment, Blue Dog. It's redemption."

I am so very sorry for the rather large break I took. My freshman

year is done, and I'll enjoy summer break by dishing out
updates every once in a while, plus getting back in the mood for
my other stories. I know many worry that I will not finish this
story, and the worry is well-placed given the nature of fan
fiction, but I have come too far with this baby to just leave it
unfinished.

I actually finished this chapter a week ago, but there was

something about this chapter that didn't sit well with me,
particularly the Amina bit, until I remembered her nature and my
worries were mostly assuaged. I know most of you want a
Sakura that wants revenge, and I'm for that too, but that Sakura
is darker. And she will be dark (and hateful, as you've noticed)
until she deals with certain demons.

Also, I would like to express my gratitude to catxan gel,

BLacKxBUrN, MerhppDerhpp, ANIMAGIRL, XxBSCxX, Chienna,
Exeva, Allykrau, miskamimi, Lady Icicle, Gijeena, DinoPower,
TheCrazyAnimeFan01, Usagi Kumori, CrystalHeart27, Basia
Orci, Shinkansen, LeHustler, Love Remedy, ustler, Sky65,
xbLoOmZx, passanger, Amantedelacomida, Zoorzh, Sivren,
dark-wolf-howl, Guest, patrick the almighty observer, numpang
lewat, Lunardragon33, The Arsenal, Shuri Kuran, kwizten,
katsekala, Myboobseclipsethesun, Phoenix177117,
SakuraHerem, N1ght-13, naremon, Green nook, Mayflowerz 411,
zombiekins5948, Lullaby Cherry, 001133, YuukiChanLove,
HawaiianSunsets, Lord-of-Change, the Green Platypus,
XxBirdxOfxHermesxX, Yokaigurl,Desperate Anon, the
Shutterbug, kalientris,Guest, Liffae, EdenMae, tdychko, Flaming
Belladonna, Izumikii, FUN 2 KNOW, Queen Oreo Awesomeness,
Pirotessa, Insert Valid Author Name, Xoxosincerelyabby,
hotredsakura1315, EmiliaKyuchi, Rainlyn, Darkzuryan,
BlowBlowWinterWind, TheQueen'sknight, zombiekins5948, ii-
N3koChan, Naruto4Evar, jaz7, TigerWolf93, Sook03, Loser
Ghoul, silverwolfigther00,Finn Girl Cosplay Girl, erynz,
ladyparty123, EnkoScotch, and XBrightCitiesx. Where would I
be without your wonderful support.

I know some of you are concerned with how canon the story
has been flowing, but I'll have to ask you to trust me on this
one. Fan fiction is not a book, but individual chapters that
eventually become a book. This means readers cannot get the
bigger picture until the author uploads the final chapter and
everything starts coming into place. I already have a story I
have planned for more than a year, and that story requires
certain characters to be in certain positions or certain places
that require certain canon events to occur for them to make
sense. I said I was going to write an AU, and I will write an AU,
don't worry.

As always, comments, criticisms, and concerns are very

appreciated.
Beyond the Wall
Three days had passed since the expedition, and the pile of papers
did not seem to get any smaller. Erwin had delegated to Levi the
tasks of filling out the death reports, sending condolences letters to
the families of the deceased, filling out fund requests, and creating
budget reports for the next two expeditions, if they even got them to
begin with. Normally, most of these tasks were handled by Erwin, but
he was too busy creating main plans and contingency plans for their
attack in Stohess.

It had not been easy, but they had successfully located Annie
Leonhart, first year Military Police cadet. Erwin had tactfully arranged
the meeting to determine Eren's fate in Stohess. The plan was to
use Eren's trial as a sort of bait for Annie, hoping she still felt
camaraderie for Eren and sympathized with his plight, eventually
helping him escape through a series of tunnels. Once in there, titan-
shifting would become harder underground, and her capture would
be almost assured. They had also sent most of the 104th recruits to
a secret location near Wall Rose so that Annie would be cut off from
her inside sources.

Should that plan fail, they would use updated measures from the
57th Expedition to capture Annie in Stohess, but the predicted
civilian casualties went from as low as a thousand to as high as
seventy percent of the population of Stohess. Levi sincerely hoped
that Annie was captured at this stage, because if not the Survey
Corps funding would suffer a dire hit, and Eren's fate would almost
certainly be death unless they're gifted with another chance to show
the world the dangers they were facing.

Simply put, failure to capture Annie Leonhart was not an option.

He took another paper from the pile and allowed his hand to follow
the mechanical movement of signing the bottom of the sheet. He
was about to put the quill back in the inkwell when he noticed the
addressees of the letter. Dear Thomas and Gretchen Bozado… His
hand froze over the paper, allowing botches of ink to fall on the
paper. This was a generic letter, the template used for every single
KIA of the Survey Corps. The thought that his team was going to
receive the same bad news and old condolences everyone got made
his stomach churn. Favoritism was prohibited in the military, but his
team was dead . They had died trying to protect what they thought
was Humanity's Hope.

He put the quill back in the inkwell and stared at the letter. No, his
team deserved better from their Captain. Their families deserved
more than the military benefits for deceased soldiers, but he couldn't
do anything in that area. He could, though, make this personal. This
team had lasted him the most, had taught him the most, and they
deserved every respect he could afford.

The door opened abruptly, and he thought better than to chastise

Hange for coming in unannounced, especially at midnight, as was
her habit ever since he became Captain three years ago. Most of the
time he lost his breath reminding Shitty-glasses to shower or
remember her manners, but then again she also wasted her time
telling him to rest or smile more often.

They wasted their time, but at least they tried.

He immediately noticed the stack of papers she was carrying, no

doubt to refill his pile, and an idea came to mind. "Do you have any
empty sheets of paper in there?"

Hange stopped in the middle of his office and looked through the
paper. Once she reached the end she breathed a small aha .
"There's like ten blank sheets here. Why?"

"None of your damn business. Now give me the papers."

She smirked and started leafing through the papers. "Nuh-uh, Levi, I
don't think that's how you ask a person favors. Actually, I think I just
heard Amina calling me. How time flies by! A second you're--"
"I'm writing letters to the families of my teammates," he grumbled.

Hange's facial expression dropped and she lowered the stack

slightly. "Yeah, the templates never do… capture everything we saw
in them. You know these go out tomorrow morning, right? Will you
have enough time?"

"I'll personally deliver them."

"Do you think that's a good idea?"

Levi sighed and cradled his cheeks with his own hands, allowing
himself a rare moment of weakness. It was Hange, anyway; Hange
saw everything that wasn't shown. "I don't know. I'm mostly doing
this for myself. I don't… I already sleep barely three hours as it is, I
don't want to cut that time any shorter."

Hange placed the pile of papers on his desk and sat on one of his
chairs, crossing a leg and making herself comfortable. Great, she
was here for a chat. "I agree with you, I do think talking to them will
make the healing process a bit easier. Not only for you, but for
Sakura as well."

He dropped his hands heavily on the desk and sent her an

incredulous look. "No, no, that won't do. She's on the verge of
breaking as it is. She's my replacement to capture the Female Titan;
I can't have her psychologically compromised."

"She already is psychologically compromised, you said that to me

yesterday after you went to talk to her. Can it really get any worse?"

He huffed. "The answer is always yes and you know that."

Hange abruptly stood up and grinned. "Well, there's another area

where we disagree. You can't just make those types of decisions for
her." She turned around and started walking away. "You can't coddle
her forever. Remember, she'll be squad leader before we can blink."
He growled, because the murderous expression he was sporting
would've been lost on her back. "Of course I can order her around;
she's my subordinate for now. Don't meddle into this, Shitty-glasses.
She needs to learn how to follow orders before she can start giving
them!"

She waved a hand and shot him a smirk before she locked the door.
Trust her to be helpful and a pain in his ass in one single meeting.
But that was Hange, after all, the one friend that had outlasted all the
others.

It took Levi an hour to finish signing the rest of the papers for the
families of the deceased. Looking at the stack of papers he had
signed during the day, the combined pile, made him very tired. He
always hated mental exhaustion the most out of every other type. He
needed to sleep, but he didn't want to. He refused to. There was so
little time left, and so much at stake. He could sleep when he was
dead.

He took a sip from his rather cold black tea, and started writing
letters to the Jinn, Schultz, Bozado, and Ral families. He had written
short letters to the families of his previous squad, but they hadn't
been nearly as personal as he had wanted to make them. There had
always been a wall in his mind about what he had to do and what he
wanted to do, ever since he was a little kid. It protected him from
getting hurt, and that meant protected him from other people. In this
case he was already hurt, and he had the unfortunate desire to
alleviate the pain their families must be feeling. Having that wall also
meant he was shit at comforting people the conventional way, but he
couldn't pretend to be something he was not. At the same time, he
had to allow himself to write almost everything he could, and not
write short letters because he was afraid he would insult the families.

He wrote to the Jinn family that Eld was compassionate in the

headquarters but ruthless on the fields. He had saved the life of his
partner, Gunther, once, from a titan attack that would've killed most
of the soldiers in the Survey Corps. But Eld was talented, wanted to
kill titans, and wanted to save Gunther, so he succeeded. It was this
type of determination that he admired, the one that made near-
miracles happen. The world was always better when Eld baked for
them as the occasional celebration. Eld was proud of his family and
origins, but he was also proud of his girlfriend, Rosalind, to whom he
was going to propose when the mission was over. To Rosalind he
added that Eld would've wished she mourned him, but also moved
on when she felt was right, as there is no use in chasing a ghost.

The Schultz letter was only addressed to his mother, Brigitta, of

whom Gunther spoke with reverence. She had raised him in what he
said were the most critical points in his life, and had taught him how
to be strong, but also a joy. He was almost always the one to lighten
up the mood whenever they went outside in the expeditions. He was
impatient, and always tried to beat his partner Eld in titan-killing
contests, which would end up in entertaining arguments to listen to.
He was fiercely protective of his friends and squad mates, a trait that
saved lives in their profession, and never hesitated to do what he felt
was right, even if what was right made his teammates angry. Though
he wasn't the best cook, he enjoyed food with such gusto that the
meals always tasted better after he complimented the chef. He was
proud of his mother and grandfather for supporting him in his
decision to join the Survey Corps because they trusted that he knew
what was the right thing to do. And he had died doing the right thing.

Oluo… Oluo, he wrote, was initially one of the most silently arrogant
people he met. The type of people who knew their power but did not
openly flaunt it, but they could not hide the air of superiority around
them.

Levi frowned and stared at what he had written so far. No parent

would like to hear that about their child, especially their dead child.
He sighed and shook his head, confident that he had to continue
with his true thoughts.

That was how his initial superior had described Oluo Bozado, ranked
second from his graduating class, as soon as he had joined the
Survey Corps. A year after Oluo had joined, Levi's team suffered a
devastating loss, and he was forced to fill two enormous gaps. He
had chosen Oluo two fill one of the two spots because Levi had been
observing the 102nd Trainees Squad since the beginning. Oluo,
while arrogant, never let anyone behind. He worked harder so that
his peers wouldn't have to. He put himself in danger so no one else
would. Oluo always boasted that this was because he couldn't trust
anyone else to do the job right, but Levi knew what he really was,
and he wanted him in his team. Out of all of Levi's decisions, having
Oluo on his team was one of his best. He pushed his teammates to
improve, he learned to become humbler, and he never left anyone
behind, just like Levi thought he would. As time passed, Levi
continued writing, he became a sort of unwitting mentor to Oluo. Levi
had never felt like someone deserving of admiration, but having
someone like Oluo admire him was a great compliment.

It was only until his death that he started leaving people behind, but
it was up to all of them to make his memory proud, he finished
writing.

Levi got the last piece of paper, but noticed his candle was almost all
out. He got a new one out of one his drawers and lit it up slowly, all
to avoid writing this last letter. The Jinn, Schultz, and Bozado letters
were in a neat pile to his right, already signed and sealed. These
letters were hard, but at least he had never met the addressees, not
yet, at least. But he had met Petra's father when they came back
from the expedition. He had a face that could judge his failure.

Petra Ral, he began, had always acted like a caretaker to the group.
He admitted he had forgotten a mother's love, but he'd like to
imagine that the love Petra had for her team was close to that. She
was warm and supportive, but she was ruthless to all the titans that
dared to harm her loved ones. Her skill and power made sure
nobody ever was ever harmed, and without her his team chemistry
would've suffered tremendously. No matter the person, Petra always
had something to talk about. In a group full of killers, she made
everyone momentarily forget who they were and what they were
killing. He admitted he had never realized how much Petra had
devoted herself to him until Philipp Ral had let him known, but he
promised to use everything in his power to continue being the person
Petra Ral saw in him.

Levi put his quill back in the inkwell and stretched, enjoying the
sound of popping bones. Hange had come at midnight, and from the
view of the sky, he would guess it was around four in the morning.
Writing had taken longer than what he thought, but considering all
the small breaks he took and the amount of times he had to refill his
inkwell, he wasn't surprised.

Someone knocked on the door, and he prepared himself for the

possibility of it being Sakura, the worst possible outcome. Thankfully,
it was one of the soldiers, a man of average height with sandy hair.

He saluted immediately. "Captain, I'm here for the letters to the dead
family members."

"You come for them so late?" Or early, depending on who he was

asking.

"We have to distribute them all around the territory inside Wall Rose.
The earlier we start the better."

"Do you know how long it takes to get to Karanase?" They had made
the journey from Karanse to the old headquarters in around seven to
eight hours, but this in a group and not solo.

"With a speedy horse, it shouldn't take longer than five hours,

Captain."

That meant he would spend around ten hours traveling. A lone

traveller couldn't be on the road during the night, no matter how
skillful, because of roaming groups of bandits. Their prevalence had
increased with the fall of Wall Maria, and he didn't feel like dying
before they captured Annie Leonhart. Sunrise was in about an hour,
giving him ample time to take a shower and get ready for the trip. If
he finished his errands by one in the afternoon, he could travel back
the same day, avoiding spending the night in an inn.
Levi nodded to the soldier. "Thank you. You're dismissed."

The soldier saluted and gathered the pile of papers for the families of
the deceased. He and another teammate would have to categorize
the address of the letter to have a semblance of order, and then ten
other soldiers would go to distribute them in less than a week. The
Survey Corps was the only one who had this system, considering
they were the only military branch to constantly receive casualties.

With another rather awkward salute, the soldier left the office, closing
the door rather gently. Levi sighed and slumped his shoulders. This
was all too much. Kids who could turn into titans; kids who could turn
into titans trying to thwart the Survey Corps's progress; bitch who
could turn into a titan killing the majority of his squad; bitch who
could turn into a titan possibly having sources inside the Survey
Corps; Sakura Ackerman possibly being a titan-shifter but denying it;
him trusting that Sakura Ackerman wasn't a titan shifter. What the
hell was going on in the world? The one thing that hadn't recently
changed in his life was that he trusted Erwin and Hange was his
closest friend. Everything else was shaky.

This was the first time this year he wished he was back
underground, back with Farlan and Isabel. Things were certainly
stressful and he had his worries, but they were of a different scale.
The amount of people he was responsible as the Survey Corps's
second-in-command was tiring. The stakes the Survey Corps were
starting to get involved with were increasing, and so were the
enemies.

He shook his head violently. No, moping around wouldn't help

anyone. He detested people who moped, who decided that the world
must stop for them just so that they could catch their breath.
Mourning was fine; being paralyzed by it was not. This was the path
he had chosen, and the one he would stick out with till the bitter end.
He would mourn the deaths of his teammates, help stop the enemies
of humanity, and fight for a free future.
That had always been his modus operandi since the time he had
joined, and it would be so until his death.

Levi got up from his chair, gathered the letters, and went to his room,
his slight limp barely slowing him down. The only good thing this
castle had over their headquarters was a private bathroom for
himself. He took a quick, cold bath, waking up his system from
whatever tiredness he had. After putting his uniform on, he put the
letters in a traveling bag and headed to the mess hall, which was
starting to fill up with the early birds for breakfast.

He allowed to treat himself to two toasts with butter plus a bitter

coffee. Usually higher-ranked soldiers had access to more delicious
foods, but he never liked getting them. The only luxury he regularly
partook with was black tea, but only because he seemed to be the
only one in the Survey Corps who enjoyed it. Levi was ahead of
schedule, so he took his time with the meal. Asking the head cook
for some traveling rations took some time as well, and by the time he
was done preparing for his short journey the sun was starting to rise.

Levi went to the stables and his rather optimistic mood immediately
plunged. He should've expected it, really should, but for some
reason he thought Hange would finally respect his wishes and keep
her damn mouth shut.

"What are you doing here, Ackerman?"

Sakura finished saddling Haruto and turned towards him. "I'm

coming with you to Karanase."

"And who approved this?"

"Squad Leader Hange did. After Amina told me you were leaving, I
asked her if I could come with you. She said she was worried about
your injury, and authorized it."

He had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. "So you're my bodyguard?"
"If that's how you want to look at it, Captain."

He walked to Isabel's stall, which was two horses down from

Sakura's Haruto. "Go back to your room, Ackerman. We have a long
journey ahead in two days and you're taking my spot in the Female
Titan's capture."

"I have rested enough these last two days."

"Then practice your 3DMG."

Her green eyes narrowed. "They're my teammates too. I deserve to

be there."

"And I deserve a long vacation, but you don't see me throwing

tantrums over it. Accept your loss and go back to your room,
Ackerman." Normally, this type of behavior would convince him to
throw any thought the higher-ups had of making Sakura a squad
leader out of the window, but she was grieving, and would give her a
break.

Her hold on her horse's reins tightened, forcing Haruto to still

uncomfortably. She pursed her lips, then sighed. "Captain, please.
I… I owe them something. I promise I'll behave, if that's what you're
worried about. And I'll follow every order you give, no matter how
much I disagree with it."

Levi knew he should say no. He remembered how much Farlan and
Isabel's death had warped him while he dealt with his grief. He had
almost killed Erwin, after all. Not saying that Sakura would attempt to
kill him, since she obviously knew this was not his fault, but she
hadn't been taking her team's death very well. Add to the fact she
was the only survivor of the original team, the survivor's guilt must be
destroying her internally, and he wasn't in the mood to act as
damage control if she exploded during their trip.

But she was giving him her word that she would follow orders,
something she had never done willingly, and she had a reputation for
keeping her promises. Besides, never being able to apologize to
Farlan or Isabel's family had fucked him up. Sure, they were street
rats and were each other's family, but having no one to forgive him
had made the healing process much longer.

And if she were to become a squad leader, she would have to see
firsthand the possible consequences of her orders. This would be a
good experience for her. Damn Hange for remind him of that.

He frowned heavily, his mind made up. "Fine, but if you so much as
speak when I told you not to I'm sending you back. Understood?"

"Yes, Captain."

"Help me get on Isabel and we'll be on our way."

Sakura did as instructed without a peep and helped. Isabel was

ready to go much sooner than what he had expected, and they were
soon on their way, the sunrise illuminating the road.

He relied on a mixture of an older map and his own memory to get to

Karanase. The roads had changed a little bit ever since titans had
broken into Trost, and even more since people starting moving in
from the Wall Maria territories. As long as they kept heading east,
though, they would eventually reach Karanase district, whether by
dumb luck or because a fellow traveler helped them out.

Levi thought the journey was going to be uncomfortably quiet. He

didn't have much to talk about with Sakura. They had spent nearly a
year as partners, known each other for another year, but he didn't
know much about her besides what was on her file and the brief
glimpses he got of her person whenever she was around friends.
She also didn't know much about him, considering he knew she had
painted a picture of an antagonistic Levi in her mind, one that he was
just barely starting to defy. He didn't think it mattered much, since
their partnership worked in a weird way without needing to have any
sort of chemistry. They worked as independent reactions, activated
and deactivated without relying on one another.
But the trip wasn't tense. They didn't speak, but neither wanted to.
Neither needed to. He had no more words to say to her, and no
amount of words would help assuage the pain she was refusing to
feel. She had nothing for him either, considering he hadn't ordered
her to speak. He was glad she was following his orders so
thoroughly for a change, but he didn't feel like the price he paid for
her obedience was worth it.

His leg did start to hurt though, and nothing could distract him from
the pain.

The sun was almost at its highest point in the sky when they arrived.
Now the next part of the trip was finding the houses where they lived,
but since Karanase was a fairly organized town, he assumed they
wouldn't have much trouble.

Their uniforms drew in unwanted attention. They were on military

business, so they couldn't dress up as civilians, but the failure of the
57th Expedition was still so fresh in everyone's minds that they were
being viewed with malcontent and pity, an interesting combination.
Malcontent he was used to. The Survey Corps has always been
viewed as useless and wastes of money considering nobody except
the Survey Corps had any hope of regaining lost territory. Pity,
though, was a new one.

He wasn't sure whether he liked it or not just yet.

The first house was the Schultz home. Levi detested how quickly
Gunther's mother, Brigitta, face fell when she opened the door, as if
she already knew what he was going to say. She allowed both him
and Sakura in, making them feel at home by offering some water
and leftover toast, which he and Sakura had no choice but to accept.
Once Brigitta seated at the other side of the table, Levi got a letter
out from the small travel bag he brought with him, the one with the
word Schultz written on it, and handed it to her.

Brigitta's face immediately twisted and she brought both of her

hands to her face to cover her tears. Her small frame was wracked
with sobs, and Levi had absolutely no idea how to respond. Maybe it
had been a bad idea to come here. Maybe he shouldn't have done
this. Maybe he should've just handed the letters to that one soldier
so that he could deliver them for him.

Sakura sighed. "I met Gunther around two years ago. We played a
game of 'guess my story' as a couple of months after he joined the
Special Operations Squad, and he told me he had been raised
singlehandedly by his mother, with some help from his grandpa in
the beginning before he moved a little bit farther away. Gunther said
that his life was mostly black and white, except when he ate. Your
cooking, he said, was colorful. He had never understood what had
brought that color until he joined the military.

Brigitta was bawling by now, the sound so horrendous Levi didn't

know how Sakura could keep going, but she did.

"He said the food was bland. It was back to black and white, and he
was at his wits end trying to find out why. No matter how much he
ate, and the color wouldn't come back, at least until he joined the
Special Operations Squad that it regained a little bit of it, but not as
much as if you cooked. It was love in adversity that gave it such a
vibrant color, he confided in me. That was the biggest question he
had in his life, and he found an answer to it."

Her lips turned upwards in a bittersweet smile. "Gunther never found

someone else to make his world colorful, but he had you. Some
people never get to see beyond the monotony of life, but he did. He
even said that you were the only woman he needed in his life.
Gunther loved you dearly, and as the person who will kill Gunther's
killer, I can tell you it's not in vain."

Her sobs decreased their intensity, until she was hiccuping, but the
tears did not stop falling. Sakura got up, walked slowly towards her
side, and placed a comforting hand on Brigitta's shoulder. Levi
almost missed the soft squeeze that made the hiccups just a little bit
more violent. Sakura looked at him, beckoned to the door, and he
followed her out without a word, closing the door to the house softly
behind him.

Isabel and Haruto were still tied up where they had left them, the
perfect picture of obedience. People were passing by, watching them
quietly, wondering why two soldiers were in front of the Schultz
home. Sakura caressed Isabel's snout, not making a move to mount
Haruto.

"You're not going to send me back for that?" she asked, her voice
more emotional but still hard.

It was then Levi realized she hadn't followed his orders, though she
had saved his ass. He had been shortsighted to think he could
comfort family members after a death. No one had ever comforted
him when his mom died, when Kenny abandoned him, when his
friends died, when his soldiers died. It was normal for him to get over
it by himself, without any kind words.

But he was the weird one. Most people comforted others, and he just
didn't know how. But Sakura did, even this Sakura who was much
more prone to violence than he had ever witnessed.

"No," he finally answered. "If I'm going to finish this, I'm going to
need someone who knows what to say." That and his leg was
starting to hurt, so he would be exponentially cranky.

She stopped petting Isabel and turned to him. "Everyone knows

you're not supposed to speak ill of the dead, but no one knows what
you're supposed say to someone who just lost a son, or daughter, or
sibling. I was just being honest."

"Then I'll keep you around for that honesty."

He mounted Isabel, and Sakura mounted Haruto, following him

without another word.
The Jinn home was next. A young blonde woman opened the door,
and tilted her head in confusion. Sakura stiffened slightly, a move he
only caught because he was very aware of her presence, and she
sighed.

"Hi… What can I do to help-- You! I remember you!" She smiled at

Sakura. "You were there when I met Eld!"

Levi internally groaned. So this was Rosalind, the woman Eld was
going to propose to. He didn't know if this was better or worse than
the parents, but luckily he wouldn't have to do most of the talking.

"Yeah, I was. Can we… Can we come in?"

Rose blinked and put a hand on her cheek. "Oh, dear me! I'm sorry
for being so rude! Come in, come in! Do you guys need anything?"

Sakura went in first, her steps more hesitant than when they entered
the Schultz home. "Um, no. We're just here for a short visit."

"Oh?"

"You might want to sit," Levi finally said.

Rose's head snapped towards him, as if she had just finally

registered he was there. Her brown eyes were confused, until they
widened in recognition. "You're Captain Levi, aren't you?"

"Yes."

There was a table with four wooden chairs, and she took the one
closest to the entrance. She placed her hands on her thighs and
laced her trembling fingers together. "This is about Eld, right.
Something happened to him." Rose's voice broke at the end.

"In the last mission… He was killed," Sakura declared, her voice
heavy. "We're so sorry."
Rose blinked at them and bit her lip harshly. "There-- There must be
a mistake, though. Surely there must! He-- He can't be dead. We…
We were just about to start a life together!"

Levi got the letter out from his bag and handed it to her gently. "This
is for you and his family."

But she was no longer looking at them, but rather through them. Her
eyes teared up and she started blabbering. "He… No! I love him! He
can't be dead! I love him! After all of this… No!"

Sakura took the letter from his hands and placed it on the table. "I'm
sorry, Rose, I really am, but it's true. I… I witnessed it."

Rose snapped her head at her and she snarled. "So how are you
here? What, did he die trying to save you ? Is that what he threw our
future away for?"

The pink-haired woman flinched violently as if struck, her face slack

with shock.

"No, he died trying to secure a better future for you, his family, and
his future family," Levi pitched in harshly. Sure, he understood grief,
but he didn't tolerate hurting others just to feel better. He had his
work cutout for him when it came to Sakura, and he didn't need
Rosa to add to it.

Rosa grit her teeth and cried. "I know, I know, I know, I'm sorry, that's
what Eld always said. For me, for him, for everyone. That's what I
believed. But my father was right. Military lives are in danger of
dying, and military wives are in danger of suffering. I just… I never
thought Eld… He was so strong, so agile… Immortal." She hugged
her small frame and demanded between heaves, "Please leave."

But Sakura stood there, obviously conflicted between following her

request and staying and comforting the distraught woman. Levi
grabbed Sakura's elbow and gently led her outside without any
resistance.
Their horses were there, perfectly oblivious to what was happening
to their owners. There were still two more houses to go to, and now
he was sure it was a bad idea to take her to the families of her dead
best friends. Bringing Sakura here was a bad idea, period. Not only
was she bloodthirsty, but she was breaking a little bit more with
every person she encountered. The Survey Corps couldn't afford for
her to break, at least before they captured Annie.

"I need to go on," she whispered. "The next two are the most
important ones."

Levi frowned and dropped her elbow. "I always knew you were a bit
of a masochist, but this is taking it too far, Ackerman. You should go
home."

"If I don't I would regret it for the rest of my life. I already regret many
things, Captain…" She bit her lip and her head dropped. "I don't want
to add more to the list."

His face softened and he had to hold in a sigh. Who was he kidding?
There was no way of refusing Sakura Ackerman. In her he saw
himself. He knew what was going through her head. He knew how
much she was suffering. Erwin had always recommended that he got
closer to her so that she could trust him just as much as Levi trusted
Erwin, but he had always refused because he didn't want to be an
Erwin for Sakura. He wanted to be Levi.

The Survey Corps didn't need another him, but they could use a
Sakura, strong and worth dying for, a variation of the formula that
created them.

They mounted their horses and headed towards the Bozado home,
which was a bit farther away. The sun had already passed the
highest point in the sky, meaning it was at least two. It was summer,
so sunset was around nine, but he really wanted to be back at the
headquarters by eight. The road back was lonely and away from the
main road, making them excellent prey for bandits.
Half an hour later and his stomach grumbled slightly. All the drama
from the morning had made him forget lunchtime had passed, and
he was very hungry. "Do you want to eat lunch somewhere?" he
asked Sakura.

"I though we brought rations?"

He remembered what the cook put in his bag and scrunched his
nose slightly. That wouldn't do. The day was already shitty; he didn't
need more shitty food. "We did, but the Survey Corps won't crash
and burn in the ground if we eat somewhere."

She breathed a laugh. "I wouldn't mind a nice stew."

Isabel and Haruto must've been getting used to getting tied up

because they did not protest the next time they stopped at a small
restaurant. "I'll take care of feeding the horses," he announced. "You
order the food."

"What will you be having, Captain?"

"Some bread and salted pork."

She nodded and entered the restaurant, a small one story building
with a beat down sign in front of it he thought said Warm and Cozy.
He took a bucket near the water pump and filled it with water, then
carried the water to the small basin near the horses. Isabel and
Haruto started drinking greedily without prompt. Levi then went back
near the water pump and got a generous amount of hay for the
horses and dropped it in the food box. Most of what he was doing
was an excess compared to what people fed their horses, but Isabel
and Haruto were the reason why he and Sakura were alive today
and might have a chance to live tomorrow. They Survey Corps was
never stingy with their horses.

Levi washed his hands in the pump, air-dried them, and headed
inside. The place was crowded with travelers and all of the
bartenders and cooks were furiously doing their job to catch up to
the amount of work. Ever since Trost had been attacked by the
Colossal Titan, people had moved to other places. Since Karanase
was nearby and around the same price range as Trost, the town
experienced an influx of people and travelers at unprecedented
levels. Good for Karanase's economy, brutal for Trost's.

"Captain!"

Levi turned and saw Sakura wave at him in one of the more removed
tables. Good, he didn't like crowded places. Too many variables.

Their table had two cups filled with water, but no food. He sat
opposite to her and started drinking, his parched mouth screaming in
relief.

"The food is supposed to get here in around ten minutes," she said.
"They're really nice, the owners. Said nice things about the Survey
Corps."

"That's a new one. No complaints about taxpayer money?"

She gave a fake smile. "Not yet, no. But I wouldn't be surprised. Not
after… Well, my failure."

He raised an eyebrow. "Last time I checked, the Survey Corps was a

military branch, not a pink-haired woman."

Her green eyes hardened. "Maybe not, but I am a member of the

Special Operations Squad. I'm supposed to get rid of dangers."

Survivor's guilt. It should've been me. I could've saved them. I'm

powerful. Yes, he was used to thinking that, used to hearing that, but
that did not make it any easier to deal with. "I'm letting you
spearhead the effort against the Female Titan. What else do you
want?"

She frowned. "Let me kill the one who killed my squad."

"I thought we agreed you would drop that."

"I know, but you asked me what else I wanted and I answered
honestly."

Yes, honesty, what had gotten him into this mess to begin with.
Because he trusted her, and recently found that she wasn't being
wholly trustworthy. "It won't change anything. It won't make you feel
better."

"Everyone says that. How does everyone know it's not going to help
me feel better? Did everyone become an expert in revenge?"

A small, chubby man approached their table and placed their dishes
in front of them. Sakura got chicken soup and he got his salted pork
with bread. "If you need anything, just yell, okay?" he offered with a
jovial smile, then left after they said thank you.

His interruption was the best time to let the subject drop, but he
didn't want to. For some reason, Levi didn't want her to head down
that path. It twisted people and brought them even more guilt and
regrets. Sakura was ranked third in the short list of people he was
friends with and was the closest thing to a living legacy he had, and
he wasn't about to let her go to waste. If he ever died, he could rest
somewhat easily that humanity was in good hands (though that
thought had recently been challenged by the immense secret that
hung over her head).

"I--"

"I once killed four men because they killed my grandmother and set
our house on fire," she admitted after drinking some of her stew. The
confession startled him. That hadn't been on her file, and he didn't
imagine Sakura of all people to have killed humans. "They wanted to
extort the nearby lands, and we were the first show of their power.
Almost no one knew them, and nobody knew they were dead. The
best scenario for a revenge."

"Where are you going with this?"

"Nobody cares about the farmlands as long as they're producing
food. If I hadn't killed those men, who knows how many more
families would've suffered because of them. My revenge protected
others, and it gave me the will to fight for what was mine. I doled out
justice. If Annie Leonhart dies, would it really be so bad?"

"Yes," he answered without hesitation. "Annie Leonhart doesn't

threaten the farmlands; she threatens humanity. But she isn't the
only one. If you had only tracked down one of the extortioners, would
you have killed him or kept him alive in exchange of the location of
the other three?"

Her brow furrowed, and her spoon stopped midair. "I would've kept
him alive."

"Then let's keep Annie Leonhart alive." At least until they find the
rest, Levi thought.

The silence only lasted for a few seconds before Sakura asked,
"What were you going to say before?"

"Did you feel better? Did killing them actually make you feel better?"
That wasn't what he was going to say before she interrupted him. He
was about to entrust her with the story of the death of his closest
friends Isabel and Farlan as a story to tell her that killing the titan
didn't make him feel better, and he had stopped himself from killing
Erwin because he believed in his dream. But perhaps that would be
a story for another time.

Now that he was in better control of his emotions, he didn't feel right
in telling Sakura such a sensitive part of his life yet.

"That's not the point. The point was justice. They killed a person, I
killed them."

Levi's eyes narrowed. Sakura was growing more delusional the more
she talked, and he didn't like the sound of that. "You're not interested
in justice. If you were, you wouldn't have joined the Survey Corps
and you would be one of those protesters against the nobility. You
even have a noble friend, the Burgeis. So don't start spouting bullshit
that you're interested in justice."

Every word he spoke made her face a bit slacker, but her eyes
started getting fiery. "Why do you care? If I'm lying about that, why
do you care ? You never do. Whenever I do something wrong, you
look the other way as long as I don't fuck up another person. So why
are you wasting your time trying to tell me I'm wr--"

"Because I've killed people, many more than you have." His
admission shut her up, even though she seemed to want to say
more. "For survival, I thought. It's either them, or me. And I was right,
because by the time the deaths piled up, they were after me.
Someone taught me how to kill, but he didn't teach me who to kill. So
I thought everyone who wanted to harm me was free game."

He bit into his bread and chewed violently. "But it fucks you up.
Every life you take and you feel less human. You are less human.
Sooner than later you're as bad as the people you give out this
'justice' to. What started out as a good idea makes you a criminal.
And then you wonder if Mikasa would really want to have a sister
who gives herself so easily to the monster we all carry within."

"Don't you dare bring Mikasa into this," she snarled quietly. "She has
nothing to do with this."

"But she does. So does Eren. And Petra, and Oluo, and the Burgeis.
Gunther, Eld, Erwin, me, Hange. Maybe the people who know us the
least judge us the harshest, but those who know us the most judge
the least and hurt the most."

His words struck a chord in her. He knew he was right. She knew he
was right. Sure, that didn't get rid of the feelings. The anger, the fury,
the grief. Nothing would, and only time would soften the blow. But
vengeance wasn't the way, not in this case, and not for Annie
Leonhart's sake, but for Sakura's. She had already lost a bit of her
humanity; no need to take more away.
Though he knew he should've been disappointed in finding out the
soldier he admired wasn't as good as he thought, he felt relieved.
Sure, it was selfish and petty, to feel better in the downgrade of
another's image, but she was more relatable now. She wasn't
innocent like he thought she would be. It seemed that those from
Shiganshina knew more about the carnage of life than they let on.

They were on the same level, and he felt good about being equals.

"Only three people know about what I did, and one of them is dead,"
she admitted quietly, her face devoid of any black fire. "I guess I'm
not proud of it. I mean, there's a reason why I hid the evidence. I
never even told…" she trailed off, and started eating what was left of
her stew.

Levi harrumphed. "There would be something seriously wrong with

you if you were proud of killing people."

She smiled humorlessly, but at least there was a smile. She stared
down at her soup, her hair masking her face. "Yeah, there's plenty
wrong, but not that, at least. Who knew you could be so… wise."

"You thought I was all brawn and no brains?"

"Yeah."

"We didn't get to become second-in-command just by being good

killers."

Sakura looked up at him and offered a real, small smile. "Yeah."

Damn.

They finished the rest of the lunch in comfortable silence. Levi paid
for their meals and the horse's feed, shutting down Sakura's
complaints by saying this was coming from military spending and not
personal savings, which shut her up. Haruto and Isabel were now
surrounded by other horses but they weren't uncomfortable. They
saddled up and went on their way to the Bozado home.

He could hear children yelling as they got closer to his home, or what
the locals said was his home, and Levi honestly did not like the
sound of that. Children weren't his forte. He knew how to handle
adults and titans, but children were a different monster. It was now
he remembered Oluo talking about his six siblings, and he almost
groaned out loud.

Sakura was the first one to unmount and tie Haruto to a nearby pole.
She strode to the front door and knocked softly, with Levi trailing
behind. The house was two stories, wooden. The house of a family
that was well-off. A teenage boy with dirty blond hair and
mischievous eyes opened the door, and he spluttered, "Sakura
Ackerman?"

"And you must be Thomas. Enjoying your summer break?"

Thomas opened the door a little bit wider to allow them in, which
they promptly did. "Uh, yeah." He closed the door and beckoned to
the couch. The house was devoid of children and parents.

"How was your first year with the Training Corps?"

"Good. I, uh, ranked second. Told Oluo already."

"I couldn't make him shut up for more than five minutes, that's how
much he was bragging."

Thomas smiled and shifted awkwardly. "I'm glad he was. But, listen,
Miss Sakura--"

"Just Sakura."

"Sakura. Not that I don't appreciate you coming here… You and…?"

It took Levi an embarrassing three seconds to realize Thomas was

referring to him. "Levi."
"Captain Levi!" he exclaimed. "Sorry! I just thought you would be a
bit ta-- Uh, never mind. But, um, why are you here?"

Two dead Bozados would make the family very sad.

"Where are your parents, Thomas?"

"Mom and Dad took everyone out for a little trip to the river. You just
missed them, actually. I'm too old for that stuff, so I stayed."

Sakura looked at him, and nodded. Levi took out the letter from the
small bag he carried and handed it to Thomas. "I'm sorry, Thomas,
but your brother died in our last expedition."

"What?"

"Oluo is gone," Sakura repeated, and he heard her voice break at

the end.

He gaped at them. "But… Oluo… Not him. He said he was the best.
He said nothing would kill him… He promised to watch me
graduate."

Levi knew Oluo had been one of Sakura's best friends. Already he
could see the tears forming, ones she had held in for far too long, but
would not let fall. Whatever magical words of encouragement Sakura
had prepared would not leave her mouth. But she had saved his ass
in the last two visits, now it was his turn.

He stood up and placed a heavy hand on Thomas's shoulder. The

boy was already crying, but his face was still slack from shock. "Your
brother was a great man. He used his skills to save people. Thanks
to him we're one step closer to reclaiming Wall Maria. If we made a
list with the names of the most pivotal people in our campaign, his
would be very high.

"But he fought for his family. At the end of the day, what made him
happiest was to receive letters from his family. You made one of the
best soldiers I know incredibly proud. Continue that. And when you
graduate, we'll be there," he finished with a promise, and dropped
his hand from his shoulder.

Thomas swallowed roughly, and wiped his eyes of tears. The boy
must've felt the need to not cry in front of his superiors, but what was
he? Fifteen? Hell, he should be sobbing. Most people didn't deal with
death. Then again, most people didn't have family members in the
Survey Corps.

"Did… Did he ever tell Petra? I know I'm not supposed to say
anything but… What's the point now? Did he tell Petra he loved
her?"

Sakura licked her lips and wiped her eyes. "Yes."

"What did she say?"

"'Me too,'" Sakura whispered.

Thomas turned around and headed for the stairs. "Um, I'm sorry. I
just… I just need to be alone. You guys can stay as long as you'd
like. Close the door when you leave." The blond dragged his feet up
the creaky stairs, and after a couple of seconds a door was opened
and closed quietly.

"Petra and Oluo…" Something was off about that. He knew he may
have not been on top of everything that went on with his team --who
was?-- but he would know if his subordinates were in a romantic
relationship. First of all, he needed to know to forbid it, and second
was he really that clueless?

Sakura turned at him with incredulous eyes, but then smiled

knowingly, as if something suddenly made sense. "You didn't catch
on that Liesel and Jung were together either."

"They were?"
"But no, Petra and Oluo weren't together," she whispered just in case
Thomas could hear them, ignoring his question. "She pinned for
someone else, someone who would never give her the time of day."

"Sounds like an asshole."

Sakura laughed humorlessly, and a tear managed to sneak out.

"Usually I would agree with you, but today I feel like the asshole. I
just lied to my best friend's brother."

He got tired of standing and took a seat in the couch, keeping his
distance from Sakura. "At this point, I don't think it would've made
much of a difference."

"Can we stay here for just a little bit? I'm… I don't think I'm ready to
face Mr. Philipp just yet."

"Aren't you afraid of the Bozados coming back?"

"They just left to the river. They shouldn't be back in at least two
more hours."

"We have to leave Karanse before four. We'll leave in ten minutes."

"Understood, Captain."

Levi pointedly ignored Sakura's crying, trying to give the woman as

much privacy as he could afford. This was the first time he had seen
her cry, and it was strangely humbling. He knew Sakura was a
person obsessed with keeping the appearance of a wall: strong,
durable, reliable, unyielding, imposable and dividing. To see that
picture crumbling before his very eyes… Well it wasn't exactly
enjoyable, but he appreciated the thought. He liked having friends
that trusted him and he trusted them not to die.

"Time's up."

She sniffled quietly one last time and stood up, wiping her eyes
furiously, then headed out briskly. Levi closed the door behind him,
loud enough so that Thomas would hear they're gone, and mounted
Isabel.

This last visit was going to be the hardest one, and he knew. He may
have been clueless as to Oluo's feelings for Petra (how was he
supposed to know?) but he knew that those three were a tight-knit
group of friends. Maybe they weren't as close as he had been with
Farlan and Isabel, but the comparison was unfair, since the two
groups came from different backgrounds.

Petra had been the warm glue that kept them together.

And she had died before Sakura and her could fully make amends
from whatever it was they fought about.

They arrived at the Ral home far too quickly. Sakura's eyes were
bloodshot, but she was determined to finish this, even if she needed
a helping hand. They knocked on the door and sure enough, Philipp
Ral opened the door far too quickly.

The man had dark bags under his eyes, and his brown hair looked
dull. He wordlessly let them in and shut the door quietly behind them.
The house was pristine, but there was something off about it,
something Levi couldn't quite place.

Philipp led them to the small living room and sat on the one-seater,
leaving Levi to sit with Sakura on a rather small sofa. There was a
table in the middle of the living room, with a single white envelope,
stark against the emptiness of the house

This situation was rather different than the previous three. Whereas
before they bore ill news, Philipp had already received them the day
they came back. This visit should be the shortest, but Levi was far
too jaded to think that optimistically.

"Petra likes coming back to a clean home," Philipp began in a

conversational tone. "I admit I'm not the cleanliest of people, but this
one time I wanted Petra to be happy to see this place. So I cleaned.
She always cleaned, Petra. I think she looked after me more than I
looked after her. You see, my wife --Petra's mom-- died when she
was little." Philipp sighed deeply, and Levi shifted a bit, relieving
some of the tension in his body. "I knew it was coming, but she
probably thought it was just a fever. I wish it had just been a fever.

"But my wife didn't truly die that day. Petra is a spitting image of her
mother. She also has her fire. And her discipline. And her protective
instinct. And her love of the broken and hurt. Petra's mom was a
doctor. Her love of the hurt made her get an illness she couldn't heal.
And Petra… Well, she had a knack for burrowing her way into
broken people's hearts to try to heal them. The kid who lost his pet,
and Petra was friends with them. The widower, Petra always talked
to him. Honig loved Petra as much as they had loved my wife.
Whatever love my wife had for people, Petra inherited.

"I admit I was uncomfortable when Petra told me she wanted to join
the military. Her mother was a doctor; her dad a tailor. What
business did she have joining the military? She tried to tell me the
goal was to land a spot in the Military Police but I knew she was
lying. I knew she was unconsciously following her mother's footsteps
yet again. Petra grew bored of Honig; not enough people needed her
to feel like she had a purpose. And I needed her to be happy, so I
gave her my blessing and told her to go.

"Petra told me you were always in incredible pain, Sakura." The

pink-haired woman's head snapped up, her eyes red from crying and
her tears flowing quickly down her cheeks. Well, that was an
incredibly weird thing to say to his dead daughter's best friend. "That
like everyone else, you tried to hide it. And you hid it well. I couldn't
believe the girl Petra spoke so hauntingly about could've been as
happy as the girl Petra introduced me too all those years ago. But I
knew looks were deceiving. Petra said you needed her, and I knew
that she needed you too. She needed you to give her life purpose.
Sounds incredible selfless and selfish at the same time, but that was
my wife, and that was Petra.
"Then she met you." Philipp Ral looked straight at Levi's eyes
without flinching, a feat no many could boast about. Philipp's eyes
weren't mad with grief, or as cold as ice. They were warm, as if he
was recounting a bedtime story. Sakura, though, bowed her head
and started sobbing quietly, leaving Levi without backup on how to
deal with Philipp. "She told me that while Sakura screamed for help,
you screamed for people to leave you alone. If there is something
people like Petra seek is the impossible patient, the one everyone
has tried to save but failed. I think Petra found her impossible patient
in you, Captain Levi. And she imagined there would be a great
satisfaction in saving you. Sakura became Petra's closest friend, so
who would you become?"

A lull descended on Philipp's therapeutic talking, but Levi needed to

interrupt it. Sakura was crying just as quietly as before, but he was
starting to hate the sound, more than he hated how awkward Philipp
was making him feel. Why the hell would he tell Levi that he was her
impossible patient ? A great satisfaction to save him? What the hell?
"Did Petra tell you all of this?"

"Some of it, yes, but most of it no. But, before you question the
entirety of it, remember that I married Petra's mother, and Petra is
my daughter. If there is someone who knows Petra better than she
knows herself, it's me."

"Then why are you telling us this?"

"You two were unknowingly one of the most important people in

Petra's life. You helped her become more independent than she was
here in Honig, Sakura, but your happiness meant her happiness.
And she would want you to be happy."

Levi inwardly cringed when Sakura's sobs became a bit louder.

Whatever restrains she had in the last two days immediately became
undone. Maybe now that she was letting go of her emotions she
would let go of this disturbing need for revenge. But her unraveling
was uncomfortable for him to witness. At first it was interesting to
know Sakura trusted him to view her at her lowest… Now he didn't
know what to do.

Not only that, but there was something very off about Philipp. It could
very well be grief, but the damage was done, and Sakura was a
mess.

He awkwardly got the letter from his bag and handed it to Philipp,
who accepted it enthusiastically. "I know it doesn't make up for
anything, ever, but your daughter's sacrifice will forever be
remembered. Now, if you'd excuse us, we--"

"That letter on the table," he interrupted, pointing at it. "It's for you."
He picked it up and handed it to Sakura, who looked as if she was
holding pure gold. "Petra always brought a new letter, just in case
she died. I have one for Amina, and one for Oluo… Though from
what I heard, I won't be able to give it to Oluo. She told me you could
only read it once you were ready, though I don't know what it means.
If you could tell Amina to stop by and come for her letter, that would
be wonderful."

"We could deliver it for you," Levi offered. He didn't want the Burgeis
to come here… He didn't want anyone to come here. Philipp was
mad with grief, even if he didn't give the impression, and he would
bring more madness to those around him.

He shook his head. "I never met Amina. I would like to meet her."

Not alone, that's for sure. "I'll let her know," he declared stiffly. "Now,
if you'd excuse us, Mr. Ral, we have a long road ahead."

"Are you sure you would not like to stay the night? I have an empty
room you two could share."

"Yes, very sure. Right, Sakura?"

Levi turned to look at Sakura and almost groaned when he saw how
blankly she was staring at the letter in her hands. She probably didn't
even register the conversation going on.

"Sakura?"

Her head snapped up. "Yes, Captain?"

"We have to leave now… Right?"

"Yes, Captain."

He stood up from the couch, and Sakura echoed his action slowly.
He shook hands with Philipp, whose eyes were calm with madness,
and gave Sakura a hug, which she tightly returned. They left the Ral
home without looking back, and mounted their horses, then started
their journey back to the headquarters.

There was a part of Levi that wanted to discuss what the hell had
happened inside the Ral home, but there was a bigger part of him
that wanted to ignore the whole conversation. Whether Petra really
saw him as a case rather than a person he didn't know, and he
would never know. Philipp seemed to have a very biased view of his
own daughter. Considering both his daughter and wife died in a little
bit more than ten years, it was understandable that he was angry,
furious even. And it was okay to take that anger out on the person
who caused it, that being Petra.

But that didn't mean he had to eat up his lies just like that. Petra had
never once looked at him with pity. If she had, he would've never
allowed her in his squad.

But Philipp wasn't completely wrong, either. Petra's happiness did

depend a lot on Sakura's, for some reason. It transcended the realm
of friendship, and was closer to sisterhood.

They were back on the woods, away from Karanase and the
emotionally draining families, when he finally deemed it safe enough
to talk. He slowed down Isabel's hard gallop to a soft trot so that she
could hear him. "You didn't believe him, did you?"
Sakura followed suit, slowing Haruto. "It doesn't matter," Sakura
answered in a surprisingly strong voice. He risked a glance to his
side and was surprised to see the previously sobbing woman back to
her strong mask. "Whether he's right or wrong, it doesn't make any
difference to how much I love Petra. If she did view me as a broken
person in need of mending, I don't care, because we were best
friends. I hope you don't think today was a bad idea, Captain."

"Funny, that's exactly what I was thinking."

"It's not. I needed to see them. I needed to see their reactions. I

needed to hear them."

"You became unresponsive in the Ral home." Unresponsive being a

nice way of saying "you wailed like a baby." He wasn't stupid enough
to kick Sakura down when she was on the floor. Well, that and wasn't
that big of an asshole, at least to someone he considered a maybe-
friend.

Sakura was quiet for a bit before saying, "And that was very
embarrassing, but I'm not sorry. I needed to vent."

"You shouldn't feel bad for being human."

"Then why have you been on my case about the whole revenge
situation? It's human to want revenge."

Here they go again. "First, because I offered you to let you torture
her as long as you leave her alive, and you accepted." Well, okay,
that was a lie. Annie Leonhart couldn't be tortured because
according to Eren Jaeger, pain triggered his transformation to a titan.
Whether it was the same for her they didn't know, and they didn't
want to find out, so they would use different interrogation tactics. But
Sakura didn't need to know that.

"Second, it's exactly because I think you should be human that you
shouldn't deprive yourself of humanity."
"But--"

"Have you noticed I've been starting to treat you more like an equal
than a subordinate? It's not coming out of nowhere, Sakura. There's
a change in the Survey Corps coming along, and people will look up
at you for leadership. Erwin has already considered making you a
Squad Leader if one of us should die."

"Even though you don't trust me?"

"Even though neither of us trusts you completely . We haven't

forgotten your service, or your ability to sense titans. But, what I'm
trying to say is that you have a future in the top. And people don't
respect those that have dirtied themselves with blood."

"She's the enemy," she hissed.

"She's like Eren. She's a titan-shifter. And if you preached that Eren
is human, then the same tune must be sung for Annie Leonhart."

"Understood, Captain."

No, she didn't, and if she didn't understand when it was time to make
the decision, he would make her understand.

They had to be secretive, and for that they needed to be in a

disguise. Amina and Sakura were wearing puffy civilian dressed to
hide their uniform and 3DMG. Sakura was also wearing a head
cover to hide her hair, a very defining feature that would no doubt
attract Annie should she see her. As an added bonus, Sakura was
masking her chakra to make her seem like a civilian, something she
didn't think she had to do, but considering Annie could sense her,
she needed every added precaution.

Due to her disturbing need for revenge, Levi had decided to place
her as the last resort of the Survey Corps. She was stationed near
Wall Sina, and her job was to bring Annie down should she attempt
to escape. Levi told her this was the only position where it wouldn't
look a complete failure if Annie was killed, though he expected her to
do better.

How he could go from comforting to an asshole was a true mystery.

Erwin had allowed her to choose her partner, and she had chosen
Amina without a second thought. Not only the Captain was out of
commission, but Amina was the only one that knew how she fought,
and had good chemistry with her. Though Sakura was curious as to
how well Mikasa fought, she wasn't ready to find out in such a risky
mission.

"These dresses are so stuffy," Amina complained as they walked

down the streets. The Stohess district, one of the poorest districts in
Wall Sina, was so much more luxurious than anything Sakura had
seen in her life. Hearing Amina complain about her beautiful yellow
dress was added to the atmosphere. "I mean, I know we have a
budget, but…"

"Missing your high court dresses?"

"I loved those dresses. Now I just hate them. Absolutely no mobility.
What if you need to fight for your life?"

"I don't think people fight in balls."

"And that's why people die in ball fights. If you don't plan for every
scenario, you're just going to be at a disadvantage."

Sakura laughed quietly, careful to not attract the attention of others

walking with them on the street. "Titan-shifters exist, after all."

"And ninjas."

She frowned and slapped Amina's arm lightly. "Don't say that loudly."

Amina huffed, sending her a glare. "Oh, please, as if anyone knows

what that even means."
"Still--"

The ground rumbled, and people started screaming from the norther
side of the district. Plan A had failed, then, and with that failure the
civilian casualties started. Hopefully the Military Police would focus
on evacuating civilians meanwhile they continued on to Plan B.

"Squad Leader Hange must be excited for this opportunity. She

doesn't get many times to shine and show her toys."

"You wish you've been there?"

"No, she has Moblit, and you have me. Now let's just hope Plan B
doesn't fail. We should change."

People around them started leaving the streets, their faces openly
showing fear, probably going home. The two women helped each
other undress, leaving the dresses behind for their military uniform.

"Sakura, between you and me, is the objective to capture her or kill
her?"

She sighed. Levi said she was first in line to become squad leader
should one of them step down or die. Most soldiers would be
excited, but she wasn't most soldiers. Still, it was a great honor. She
knew that her reputation had been smeared recently with the
framing, and the squad leaders had their doubts about who Sakura
was, but even then, they trusted her. She didn't know if that made
them stupid or desperate, but she appreciated the reward for all of
her hard work.

"Capture her," she declared. She had a future in the Survey Corps.
She wouldn't let Annie ruin another thing in her life. "If something
happens I'll kill her."

"Roger." She looked around at the empty streets and cocked her
head to the side. "By the way, isn't Eren supposed to be part of Plan
B?"
"Realistically, yes. Optimistically, no. He might get in the way of
Annie's capture, since he's such a wild card. So he's part of Plan
Contain Annie,"

"For once things are going better than what we expected."

"Plan A did fail, remember."

"Nobody actually believed that Plan A was going to succeed, though.

That would've been far too lucky."

They quieted when they heard heavy footfalls getting closer to the
southern side of Stohess. "We should get in position. I don't think
Plan B succeeded," Sakura ordered and got out her blades.

Amina followed her to a bridge overlooking the marketplace in front

of Wall Sina, which was now empty. At least some civilians had
taken the initiative to evacuate, but Sakura knew many would be
very unlucky. But their sacrifice would be worth it. Everyone's
sacrifice, in the end, would be worth it.

At least that's what she kept telling herself to keep believing in the
Survey Corps.

A mighty roar shook the buildings, and another set of heavy steps
joined the first. Eren had shifted into a titan, then, and they were
coming this way. Erwin had told them about the possibility of this
development, and advised them to stay out of the fight between
Annie and Eren. That made their jobs considerably easier, but she
didn't want Eren to have all the work, or have all the danger.

"They're getting closer," Amina whispered.

Sakura glanced at her, taking special notice of the way her hands
shook, of the fear in her dark brown eyes eyes, of the beads of
sweat running down her dark skin. This was probably the most
amount of danger Amina had ever been in, higher than when they
captured those titans, and Sakura had willingly put her in the position
for selfish reasons.

"Why didn't you refuse?"

Amina snapped her head towards her, her short black hair sticking to
the back of her neck. "And leave you behind? Are you serious? I
would've been offended if you hadn't chosen me."

"Offended but safe."

She groaned and massaged her forehead. "Listen, you need to stop
it with that bullshit attitude of yours. You're not perfect. You're not a
god. You can't go around padding the walls so that I don't get hurt.
You can't feel responsible every time I'm in danger. I'm a fucking
Survey Corps soldier with an impressive kill count, not a princess in
need of saving. Yeah, I'm scared, but honestly only insane people
wouldn't, and you've been on that list for a very long time. Damn, for
all the times you complained that Mikasa coddled Eren too much,
you sure play the hypocrite very well."

Some people would've been very offended by the way Amina spoke,
but Sakura was used to her best friend, and found her bluntness
refreshing. "It's just… I'm a ninja. I have all of this power--"

"That you can't use because people would ostracize you and hunt
you the moment they find out. So, there, cut it out and fucking trust
me to not die for once." The steps became louder, loud enough that
they knew the titan-shifters would be in front of them in a matter of
seconds. "We'll talk later."

Sakura nodded and prepared her body for the attack, relaxing all of
her joints and muscles. She felt chakra signatures getting closer to
their position, one of them being Erwin's. They could relax in that
case, because even if he was accompanied by Military Police, they
wouldn't stop them.
The Female Titan appeared on the marketplace, another titan hot on
her trail. The dark-haired titan --Eren, Sakura realized with awe--
launched himself at her and squeezed the Female Titan's head until
it popped, spraying blood on the floor.

This violent, roaring titan was Eren, the boy she had trained years
ago. She still couldn't believe he was so… powerful. Powerful and
menacing. She understood why so many people had been fearful of
Eren, why they wanted to kill him. Eren in his titan form was a
monster, even if he was on their side.

Military Police ran towards their position, Erwin and Levi in tow, the
black-haired man's limp barely noticeable. One of the soldiers wore
a red bolo, and if her memory served her well, this was Nile Dok,
commander of the Military Police, the man who had tried to take
Eren away from her.

The Female Titan started roaring, scaring some of the Military Police
soldiers that surrounded them. Erwin, however, had the face of
someone who knew what he was doing.

The Female Titan managed to escape Eren's hold and kicked him,
slamming him against a building. Free from his grasp, Annie
crystallized her fingers and started scaling the wall, hoping to escape
to Wall Rose.

Sakura readied her 3DMG but stopped when Erwin placed a staying
hand on her shoulder. Confused, Sakura snapped her head towards
him, trying to read his face. Erwin pointed to the middle with his other
hand, and Sakura followed his finger. Mikasa had beat her to the
chase, her form flawless as she approached the Female Titan and
cut her fingers in two fell swoops. She had heard of how great
Mikasa was, but to see her in action made her chest swell with pride.
Mikasa used her 3DMG with the grace of a ninja, a grace Sakura
had given her after years of training.

"Sometimes it's necessary to allow the rookies take charge," Erwin

commented and let his hand fall from her shoulder. "Gives them
experience they otherwise would never get."

From the corner of her eye she was Amina fold her arms, obviously
annoyed. She usually didn't see much action; she must've been
excited to face the Female Titan. Sakura, however, was just grateful
she didn't have to worry about losing her remaining best friend.

Once the Female Titan was back on the ground, Eren punched her
with such force that both her head and arm went flying off, the arm
landing exactly where Sakura and everyone else was. Most of the
Military Police ran away at the face of such gore, but Nile Dok and
the three Survey Corps soldiers stared ahead, their eyes hard.

Though Annie was incapacitated, the force behind the attack had
deprived Eren of his last hand. Now they would need to wait for Eren
to regenerate his hands, but that should take a shorter time than
waiting for Annie to regrow a head.

Sakura's ninja eyes caught a blonde who appeared out of nowhere

on top of Annie's nape. Upon closer inspection, Sakura realized the
blonde looked similar to the Female Titan, too similar for it to be a
coincidence. The blonde was also wearing a Military Police jacket
and was equipped with 3DMG, which she used to cut the nape open
with supernatural speed.

"What the hell?" Levi muttered from beside Erwin.

The pink-haired ninja shot her 3DMG to a nearby buidlng and

headed down there to investigate. Besides Levi and maybe Mike,
nobody was crazy enough to head to the middle of a titan fight, but
Sakura was confident enough that she would not die.

In the time it took her to get to the middle of the fight, the blonde cut
the flesh that surrounded Annie as fast as a ninja would. Sakura felt
a chill when she realized the blonde and Annie looked exactly the
same. Annie Leonhart did not have a twin, right?

Then how the hell where there two of her?

Annie was disorientated, a natural side effect of being in a titan.
Sakura took this chance to speed up and land her attack, but was
surprised when the clone clashed her swords head-on with Sakura.
She managed to push Annie away, but lost her balance with the
3DMG, forcing her to let go and land on the ground rather
awkwardly.

The Annie that stood on top of the Female Titan locked eyes with her
and then disappeared in a way Sakura had seen before, her chakra
flaring to levels Sakura had never felt.

Body-flicker.

Sakura noticed Annie started running up the wall, her feet obviously
coated with chakra to stick to the wall. The arms that held her
swords unconsciously weakened from the shock. Annie was an
actual ninja? What? That was impossible! Everyone in this world had
chakra, but no one possessed the ability to use it. That's how ninjas
worked, right? Besides, Annie had never given off a chakra signature
like hers… Well, until she body-flickered, which meant that--

The clone slashed again, and Sakura belatedly dodged, but the
clone managed to land a nasty gash on her left arm, but Sakura felt
no pain.

Her chest warmed and she body-flickered behind the clone, easily
slashing it. The clone disappeared with a puff, and her worst fears
were confirmed.

Annie was a ninja, and she had purposely masked her chakra to
avoid detection. Since Sakura never felt the need to keep her ninja
status hidden by lowering her chakra signature, Annie knew the
moment she was nearby that Sakura was a ninja.

Though the fight had been long in Sakura's mind, it was actually
quite short considering they fought with ninja speed. She looked up
and saw Annie "jump" from Wall Sina, and though everyone else
might think it was suicide, she obviously was running down the wall
the same way she had scaled it.

Annie had tricked her, had her pegged like a fool. Annie thought she
would get away because Sakura had kept her ninja status a secret
for a long time. Even with 3DMG, there was no way a soldier could
catch up with her, even if she was weak from creating a shadow
clone.

Unfortunately for her, she was no normal soldier.

She sheathed her swords and copied Annie's method to scale the
wall, her ninja speed ten times faster than the 3DMG. She didn't care
anymore if people knew she was a ninja. She didn't care if they
treated her like Eren, or worse than him. She didn't care if her
possible position as squad leader was as good as gone. She had
one goal, and she would do whatever she could to find it out.

Sakura would find out what Annie's secret was, no matter what it
took.

What would happen to them afterwards…

She finished scaling the wall, passing Mikasa quickly. Bits of the wall
came falling off, forcing Sakura to change her trajectory, and she
saw a giant titan inside the wall. Normally, this type of revelation
would force her to immediately stop and stare at the wall in horror,
but she had more pressing matters; Annie was getting away and she
couldn't afford to be dumbstruck.

Sakura landed lightly at the top and stared at the expanse of the
human territory, trying to locate Annie's signature. She must
obviously be masking it, and since she was weak from splitting her
chakra with that clone, she would have an easier time evading
Sakura's capture.

Easier, but she would be captured, Sakura knew it.

Mikasa landed next to her, her face shocked. "Sakura--"

"You know what I must do," she interrupted forcibly, her voice
enraged. "And you must explain it to them. Tell the truth, Mikasa. All
of it. You'll be dragged into something ugly, and for that I'm sorry, but
you telling the truth will help you out."

"Are you coming back?"

She tried to hide it, but Mikasa's voice had an undertone of fear to it.
Losing family members was something Mikasa knew since she was
a child. Though they had their fight over Eren, Mikasa would never
want her to leave her.

Sakura didn't know if she would be coming back. Annie could kill her,
or take her away like she planned in the 57th Expedition, and if she
did come back, things would never be the same. If she did come
back, with or without Annie, she would certainly be imprisoned and
interrogated. Humans always hated that which they never
understood.

"Of course," she replied, and the statement felt like a truth and a lie
at the same time.

She felt different chakra signatures scaling the wall with their 3DMG.
She recognized one of them: Levi. That man should seriously focus
on healing rather than trying to berate her.

"Tell Levi I'm sorry for throwing away his chance," Sakura said
quickly, knowing her time was running out. But she needed to say
everything. She didn't know if she would get another chance. "Tell
Armin he's brave. Tell Eren he's not a monster. And, Mikasa…"
Sakura hugged her immobile sister. "I love you. Be safe. And careful
about that wall."

Mikasa hugged her back tightly, and let her go when she heard the
gas of a 3DMG. Her shirt was bloodied from the wound in Sakura's
arm, but neither of them cared.
Sakura approached the edge of the wall, and someone landed at the
top. Sakura turned around and saw Levi, his eyes wide with
confusion. She nodded and smiled at the two black-haired titan-
killers, then body-flickered down the wall, her feet coated with
chakra.

"Wait!" he yelled.

No, Levi, Sakura thought, the wind harsh in her face, no more
waiting .

There was no time for waiting.

In hindsight, I should've stayed there.

If I stayed, maybe none of this would've happened.

Maybe I wouldn't have met them, maybe I wouldn't have come here,
maybe I wouldn't be torn between two worlds.

Maybe I wouldn't have become a complete Vessel.

Phew, that was the longest chapter I've written, I think.

Completely deserved, because this is the end of the second
"arc," plus included a major reveal. More reveals to follow.

As you may know, this is where the first season of SnK ends,
and the manga continues. Since I'm sure none of you want to
wait till 2016 for this story to be updated, I will warn the anime-
watchers that the story will spoil a lot of things. The anime
ended around chapter 33-34, and the manga is currently in
chapter 71.

** After this chapter spoilers will be everywhere. If you're

waiting for the anime to catch up, I would stop reading The
Vessel and move on to other stories, then start again when the
anime comes back in a year. **

For those that are up-to-date with the manga, but have rightly
forgotten most of what happened after Stohess, I will briefly
mention the biggest events in the story through the eyes of the
second POV for The Vessel: Levi. Writing a no-bullshit Levi is a
welcome change over writing the melodramatic Sakura. Worry
not, I won't rewrite the manga, but I can't just leave the Survey
Corps in the air meanwhile Sakura focuses on tracking Annie,
especially since it's AU.

I've recently opened a tumblr account (recently as in today so

it's literally empty) to better communicate with you guys the
readers. Fanfiction is not the best communication site, so if you
guys want to ask any questions my username is whiteinkpenpal
(I'll also post the link on my profile). I'll answer questions about
any of my stories, post drabbles and other goodies that don't
make the story, and update on the completion of future
chapters. Also I'll be writing short stories you guys request (and
no, this won't change update speeds).

Just pleaaaase don't harass me about when I'm going to

update. Not saying that you shouldn't ask, but if you saw
someone asked me a couple days ago and I answered, that
means you shouldn't ask again.

Comments, criticisms, and concerns are very appreciated!

WIP
The Hidden Enemies
Levi stared at the empty space in front of him, his earlier yell echoing
inside his head. His second-in-command had been standing right
there a few seconds ago, and then had vanished right before his
eyes.

Vanished. Disappeared. Lost.

Because she was lost. Even if she came back, she was lost to him.

Mikasa sheathed her blades and plopped to the ground. She was
standing in front of him, staring at the expanse that was Rose, so he
couldn't see her expression, but he guessed she wasn't dealing with
Sakura's disappearance any better than he was.

"You knew." He meant to ask it, give her the benefit of the doubt, but
he couldn't resist keeping the accusation out of his voice.

"Yeah."

His leg flared in pain, but he resisted the urge to clutch it. He couldn't
give in to the appearance of weakness, especially not in front of
Ackerman's sister. Who knows if she was the enemy if Sakura
Ackerman was related to her.

He heard the sound of gas propulsion, and in less than five seconds
Hange was standing next to him. "A Wallist told us that we need to
cover up the titan," she started, her voice devoid of her usual
excitement. "You should go rest up before they crucify us. Mikasa,
can you make sure he doesn't fall to his death?"

Mikasa turned around and nodded at her, her dark eyes betraying no
sympathy. She grabbed him by the waist without permission and
took off, taking him along for the ride. He didn't know whether to
curse Mikasa for overstepping her bounds or Hange for allowing her
to disrespect him like this, but maybe he was just too angry to notice
they did nothing wrong.

As soon as they landed on the floor, he pushed Mikasa away, but his
leg almost gave in because of the pain. He would definitely be out of
commission for even longer because of his stunt. Yet another thing
he could blame on Sakura Ackerman.

He couldn't even leave with his tail between his legs once Erwin
approached him. To a person that didn't know him very well, Erwin
looked calm and unperturbed by what happened, but after years by
his side Levi could see the panic behind his eyes. Even Erwin didn't
know how to get out of this one.

"We've been called for an emergency meeting. Your presence is

required, Mikasa Ackerman. We hope you'll be able to clear some
questions for us."

"I'll say everything I know," she responded, and Levi believed her,
though his track record for whom to trust wasn't the most accurate.

The carriage they had previously used to hide a disguised Jean

appeared guarded by four Military Police soldiers, one of them being
Nile Dok. Nile was usually a calm soldier, but the battle and its
aftermath had left him stressed, if the tautness of his muscles was of
any indication.

Nile glared at him as soon as he saw Levi. "Get on the carriage. This
time, we won't fall for another trap again."

Usually, Levi would retort sarcastically to demean Nile, but he knew

right now wasn't the best time. Though they've hated each other ever
since Levi was accepted in the Survey Corps, Levi understood that
right now they were the bad guys. They had almost destroyed an
entire district and had nothing to show for it. On top of that, one of
their high-ranking members had revealed herself to have a
connection to the enemy titan-shifters, adding to their tarnished
image.
Damn her for leaving him with her mess.

The carriage ride was tense, with a strict silence no one dared to
interrupt. He could guess Erwin was thinking of ways to get out of
this one, considering he had never planned for Sakura to be… Well,
whatever she was. She vanished in front of his eyes, she walked up
walls… Injuries like the one that other Annie landed on her barely
perturbed her.

She could do everything Annie could do, and maybe more. How
much had she known? When he had confronted her even days ago
about the nature of her abilities, she had vehemently denied being a
titan-shifter. Now he believed her, but she was still something they
had no knowledge of. And Annie was that something too, though he
was unsure whether had known about Annie.

She wasn't wholly human, for sure.

The outlook didn't look good for Sakura, but he at least wanted to
believe she hadn't betrayed them. It didn't make sense for her to be
so emotionally invested with people inside the Walls. Her bloodlust
towards Annie wasn't faked, either; she genuinely wanted to kill
Annie. Someone had also set her up as the killer of Hange's titans,
though the reason behind that was still unknown.

So, for now, he would withhold any judgements about her. Not only
because it was the rational thing to do, but he honestly liked her,
dammit. Sure, they got off on the wrong foot and they butt heads
every other day, but she was a good soldier and genuinely cared
about her teammates, and although the Survey Corps was full of
those type of soldiers, having them live as long as Sakura did was so
rare that it hurt.

It took around twenty minutes for them to reach the town hall.
Compared to the rest of Stohess, the building was in a good
condition, considering it was in a different section than the rest of the
fight. There were two Military Police soldiers waiting for them
outside, their rifles drawn and ready. Levi got out of the carriage first,
and openly glared back at the grunts, who dared show them
disrespect.

They must be seriously dense if they thought they could match up to

his killing prowess. He had been killing people before they were
even born.

Mikasa followed shortly, with Erwin trailing behind her, his face
smooth and his eyes cool, with Nile bringing up the rear. Even with
all the time they had spent together, sometimes he didn't know what
Erwin was thinking. Levi knew Erwin always had a plan, but he was
only privy to it if Erwin told him. He always trusted his judgement, but
he would be lying to himself if he said he didn't have his doubts from
time to time.

This was one of those times.

The soldiers escorted them to Stohess's municipal building, where

the pigs got fatter and the asses got lazier. He had little love and
respect for the merchants and bureaucrats who perpetuated the
Underground culture by refusing them citizenship just so that they
could get richer from the black market the Underground had. Nobody
wanted to be an Underground rat, but they wouldn't let them leave
unless under extraordinary circumstances like the one he and Isabel
and Farlan had.

Even though the building signified a rotten community, the inside

was clean and beautiful, with intricate stonework and artwork
depicting the last hundred years of their history. There had been no
surviving artifacts of a time before the Walls, or so they had been
told. Levi didn't care much about history or culture, but if anything in
the past had a clue on destroying the titans, he would be the first one
reading everything about it. Even if it existed, the King would
probably prohibit it.

Not that it would stop the Survey Corps. Their plight was above the
rules of simple men and kings.
The soldiers stopped in front of two tall wooden doors and opened
them in unison, revealing a room with four lit torches in the corners
and a large, circular stone table surrounded by fifteen chairs, though
there was an open space in the lower part of the circle. The District
Chief, a man with a gaunt face and beady dark eyes, sat in the
middle, exactly opposite to the opening of the table. He, along with
the Military Police, co-ruled a certain district in terms of safety,
representing the civilian half. The other thirteen chairs were occupied
by all men, all of them old and terse, except for a young man with
curly black hair and a smooth face. His appearance set him apart,
but he seemed quite comfortable in his spot one seat to the left of
the District Chief.

Nile left his position and sat in the empty chair to the right of the
District Chief. The second he sat down, all the men in the table rose,
including Nile.

Well, that was pointless.

"This meeting has been called as an emergency to what is going on

in Stohess," the District Chief said in a raspy voice. "A representative
from each of the Six Noble Houses and Six Merchant Families has
been called to question and judge the offending party, the Survey
Corps, on their actions today. General Zackly will not be joining us
since he is too far away and we need to make haste. In his absence,
we have Commander Nile Dok as replacement, with the same power
and presence General Zackly would be given in this meeting. Does
anyone have an objection to this?"

The room was completely silent.

"In that case, let us proceed. Commander Erwin Smith, please step
forward," the Chief commanded.

The blond folded his arms behind him and stepped forward, his face
held up high. "Yes, District Chief?"

"Please explain what happened today to the Emergency Board."

"The Survey Corps had sufficient evidence and reason to suspect
that a Military Police soldier, named Annie Leonhard, was a Titan-
shifter of similar, if not greater, danger than Eren Jaeger. We devised
a plan to capture her."

"And this plan included destroying half of Stohess?"

"It was something we wished to avoid, but realistically knew it was

going to happen."

"Why did you not ask us for help?" Nile asked, restraining his anger
rather admirably.

Erwin shifted his head slightly towards him. "We also have reason to
suspect that Annie Leonhard is not working alone, and all of the
military is compromised at this point. You may not notice this, but I
sent most of my new recruits to an undisclosed location for the very
purpose of catching her by surprise."

"Who were the new recruits who helped in today's operation?"

"Eren Jaeger, Jean Kirschtein, Mikasa Ackerman, and Armin Arlert.

We used Kirschtein to impersonate Jaeger, meanwhile the real
Jaeger hid around Stohess with Ackerman and Arlert. We hoped to
get Leonhard underneath a tunnel to prevent her from shifting, but
she never went inside."

"Why not?" the District Chief asked.

"I'm not sure, but it can be safely assumed that she saw through our
plan. The rest you all saw, with us trying to catch the Female Titan as
she tried to escape the city. Jaeger then managed to contain her, but
then something happened that I'm not exactly sure what it was."

Nile frowned, though he didn't look displeased at Erwin's recount of

the events. "The other Annie Leonhard."
Erwin nodded, his face equally grim. "Correct. Not only was that a
shock, but the incredible speed Leonhard possessed along with her
ability to climb up Wall Sina without the help of her titan form… I still
don't know what happened."

The other board members started whispering between them, and the
District Chief's eyebrows furrowed. "Please, let us refrain from talk
amongst ourselves until after the questioning," he said in a louder
voice. He shook his head slightly and said in his soft, raspy voice,
"Thank you, Commander, you may step back. Now, Captain Levi,
would you step forward?"

Levi did as instructed, passing Erwin for a fraction of a second. He

tried to read the blond's face to see if this was going in their favor or
not, but as usual Erwin's face was stone.

"You're injured, Captain?" the Chief asked.

"Yeah, fighting the Female B-- Titan," he responded in what he

hoped was a proper voice. Though he always had a tight hold of his
emotions, sometimes his Underground mouth would let loose,
especially when being questioned by those he disdained.

The men started whispering again, this time much more agitated. "I
would wish to not remind again the members of the board to keep
quiet," the Chief said again. He coughed slightly, the raspiness
making them more violent, and cleared his throat before continuing,
"Would you say Annie Leonhard is more dangerous than Eren
Jaeger?"

"I haven't fought Eren in his titan form, but considering the Female
Titan managed to beat Eren's titan form and capture him, I would say
that she's more dangerous."

"And you let loose such a dangerous Titan-shifter in a civilian

district?"

"She was already loose; you just didn't know it."

"How long have you known Sakura Ackerman?"

Levi blinked at that, slightly shocked. He was used to bureaucrats

taking their sweet time and stalling for time, but it was a welcome
change for him to go right to the point. He wasn't the only one who
was caught by surprise. The youngest man in the table also looked
shocked to hear her name. "Around two years."

"Was there anything about her that made her spectacular?"

She could sense titans, but that was a secret Erwin had zealously
guarded within the Survey Corps. There were rumors, but there were
also rumors Mike had been blessed by Wall Maria to sniff out titans
and exterminate them. "She's an extremely talented titan-killer, the
best I've worked with. That's why she's my second-in-command."

"Has there ever been something off about her?"

There were many things off about her, but he wasn't one to judge. All
this time he had simply attributed all her weirdness to her past, but
now he knew it ran deeper than that. "There's something off about
everyone who joins the Survey Corps. She's a hothead and doesn't
like authority, but other than that she never acted too weirdly except
a foreign word or so."

"Foreign?"

Levi raised an eyebrow at that. He seriously had to ask that

question? "She has pink hair and exotic facial features. It's not a big
stretch that she's foreign. Asian, to be exact. She has retained a lot
of her culture and heritage, but I never thought that was a reason to
think of her as odd."

The District Chief nodded slowly, his face no longer as belligerent

compared to when they went came inside. He was starting to see the
predicament the Survey Corps and all of humanity was in. "Thank
you, Captain Levi, you may step back. Now, Mikasa Ackerman,
please step forward."
Levi slightly limped back and took his original spot Mikasa had left
open. Mikasa was already facing the table, though they had all been
relatively close enough to each other to see each other's
expressions. Mikasa's face was calm, but her fists were clenched,
her knuckles white from the exertion.

"You are Mikasa Ackerman, biological daughter of Erick and Mikoto

Ackerman, biological sister of Sakura Ackerman, correct?"

Mikasa stretched her fingers slightly then clenched them again. She
inhaled deeply, then sighed. "No, Sakura is my adopted sister."

The table started murmuring in confusion, and he couldn't blame

them: he himself was just as confused and shocked. Erwin's eyes
were also somewhat wide, as if he had never considered the option
either. Sure, the sisters didn't look alike, but their personalities were
so similar and their bond was so strong that it was easy to see past
the physical. That, and they were both Asians, and there were so
few of them that it was understandable if they were related.

So, maybe they're still related, just distantly. Still, this was new, and
now he was very interested.

"Her records state that Erick and Mikoto Ackerman are her biological
parents, however. Why is this?"

"My parents thought of her as blood, even if she wasn't related

directly to us. They, like I did at that time, assumed she was from
another Asian clan who lived inside the Walls."

"Then who is her family? Why not return her to her biological
family?" Nile asked.

"We don't know. Sakura has amnesia, so she doesn't know who her
biological family is."

Her story just kept on getting even more and more incredulous.
Sakura had never mentioned having amnesia, ever, and almost
never acted as if she had it. The few times she spoke of her past she
mentioned it with such confidence and nostalgia that everyone took it
at face value.

"Then how did you meet her?" the Chief asked.

"I met Sakura seven years ago. My mom said that one of my town's
elders, Helsa, found her wounded in a forest and she could not
speak a single German word. She only spoke Japanese, an Asian
language, our language. My mom was excited because she thought
there were more Asian people than we previously thought. So she
brought her into our home and we started teaching her German.

"As we started teaching her more, we found out that she didn't
remember absolutely anything from before she was found by Helsa.
My mom was disappointed, but she was still happy to have found
another Asian in her lifetime. One night Sakura came home
drenched in blood and said that some bandits had killed Helsa and
set their house on fire. So my parents offered our home as her home
and she accepted.

"Grisha Jaeger, Eren's dad, came a few months later and my mom
asked him to register Sakura as their biological daughter since she
didn't remember her parents. Now I know that they just wanted her
to have a normal chance at life since undocumented citizens can
barely function in society. The rest is the same as the files."

Levi knew firsthand how hard it was to get a hold of papers when
you didn't know who birthed you. He himself didn't know his own last
name. At least someone out there had given Sakura a chance or
else she would've landed in the underground. People without
citizenship papers were easily found and send back to where they
came from.

"Grisha Jaeger's falsification of official records will be a matter

discussed later, if he's found," Nile said before anybody else could
start clamoring and derailing the conversation. "So you don't know
Sakura's origins, and you didn't know about Sakura's powers?"
"No, I didn't. She was always strong, and she knew a different form
of fighting that she taught me, but she just said it was our heritage so
I didn't think much of it."

"So how did you find out about her powers?" Nile continued.

"During the Fall of Shingashina, Eren's mom was eaten by a titan.

She was somewhere else when this was happening, but when she
arrived she punched the head of the titan so hard that it flew off
meters away. Unfortunately it was too late for Eren's mom."

The people at the table started murmuring in disbelief, their eyes

now expressing distrust. Mikasa's face was stony as ever, as if she
had said the sky was blue or the Walls were tall, but even Levi had
trouble believing Sakura possessed that sort of power. They were
evenly matched with their record on spars, but all the times he won
was because of his strength and all the times she won was because
of her skill. If she had the power to punch things meters away he
wouldn't be here right now.

He would be several feet underneath the earth and sporting no skin.

"She can punch a titan's head away?"

She nodded firmly. "Yes, I've seen it myself. She can also break the
earth under our feet with a single punch."

"Is this all she can do?"

"No. She can heal wounds, control wind and water, can disappear
and reappear somewhere else, and she's an extremely talented
fighter. She said she can do more, but she doesn't remember how
because of her amnesia. She says she is called a ninja, and that
they specialize in stealth."

"Then how does she know what she does to begin with?" Nile asked,
his voice surprisingly devoid of accusation.
Mikasa shrugged. "I'm not sure. She herself doesn't know why she
remembers some things while others are still locked away."

"And she has avoided mentioning any of this to anyone?" the District
Chief asked. "She has kept this secret ever since she lived with
you?"

"Yes, and so did I."

"Keeping secrets from the royal family is a treason, young girl.

Especially secrets of this magnitude. She can be just as, if not more,
dangerous than Eren Jaeger!" the Chief exclaimed, and Levi's urge
to punch him increased exponentially.

"The Military Police also has a pending investigation against Sakura

Ackerman for destruction against military property," Nile pointed out
with hard eyes.

Erwin stiffened. "We absolved Sakura of that blame. We suspected

she was framed."

"An assumption that was made when we thought she was a normal
soldier, but now that we know she has links to these titan-shifters it is
no longer a good assumption, yes?"

"She has no links to the titan-shifters!" Mikasa's body was shaking in

anger, her previous cool disposition blown completely off.

"How do you know?" Nile asked. He leaned in and placed his chin on
top of his raised interlaced fingers. "Can you prove it to me that
Sakura Ackerman has no links to these titan-shifters?"

"She may not be related to me, but I know Sakura loves me. She
loves Eren, Armin, she loved her teammates, she loves her life, or as
much as anyone can love it. These titan-shifters have no love for us.
They have killed us, they never truly integrate with us."
Nile shook his head slowly and looked at Erwin. "Commander Smith,
could you please tell everyone on the table your theory on how we
have titan-shifters?"

"We believe they infiltrated us when Wall Maria fell and assimilated
into our towns, then we believe they joined the military."

"We found Sakura two years before the Wall fell," Mikasa pointed
out.

"The same person we found could walk up Wall Sina just a few
hours ago," Nile retorted. "Someone like that could have easily
infiltrated us before Wall Maria fell. You also mentioned she was
there during the Fall of Shiganshina, and mentioned she didn't get
there in time to save Eren Jaeger's mother because she was
somewhere else, right? Who knows what she was doing between
then? Maybe helping the destruction of Wall Maria?"

"She walked Grisha Jaeger to his boat," she explained, but her voce
was getting weaker.

"A man we don't trust and who's on the run… Not the best person to
provide an alibi," Nile said, leaning back and smirking at the black-
haired girl. "It is not looking good for Sakura Ackerman. On top of the
mounting evidence against her, she just left today, following Annie
Leonhard. At first glance, she was running after her to capture her,
but now it's not so clear. She could've used the confusion to run
away with her and regroup."

"Annie killed her teammates, and you're saying she run off after her
to join her?" Levi said. The whole table, even Erwin, looked at him in
shock for speaking out of turn. He didn't care though, for once he
didn't care. He just couldn't take them manipulating coincidences
and events to fit their narrative and paranoia. "Even if she's the
enemy, I know my teammate. I saw her grief. You can't tell me that's
fake. Also, Annie tried to capture Sakura this last expedition. Just
with that it destroys your little conspiracy that they're on the same
side."
"You're telling me a girl who can break the earth can't fake a little
emotion? And titan-shifters that infiltrated us can't pretend to be
enemies to lull us into a false sense of security?" Nile replied with a
frown. "I would've expected your thug instincts to be better, but it
seems your survival is one big stroke of luck."

Levi grit his teeth and resisted the urge to snarl. His "thug" instincts
hadn't gotten worse, they never would. He still needed to sort out his
feelings regarding Sakura's lies about her identity, but he knew she
wasn't the enemy.

He just knew.

The District Chief shook his head slowly. "It is my responsibility as

District Chief to order the capture of Sakura Ackerman for crimes
against humanity and the royal family. She will have a military trial
that will try to find the truth about her ties with the titan-shifters and
see her fate.

"The Emergency Board will tell General Zackly to continue funding

the Survey Corps, even after this monumental failure that resulted in
untold losses of human life and money, as long as you make it your
priority to arrest Sakura and find these titan-shifters."

Nile abruptly stood up. "I also request that the Emergency Board to
seek a sort of punishment of Mikasa Ackerman for acting as an
accomplice to an enemy of humanity."

Erwin frowned heavily at him, his blue eyes disappointed. "If anyone
in the Emergency Board can give me someone half as talented as
Mikasa Ackerman, I'll consider not arguing with this. Commander
Dok, why don't you replace her in our search for the titan-shifters?"

"I'm a Commander, not a foot soldier."

"That doesn't stop me from going after our enemies instead of

turning against our own allies."
The men in the table started murmuring to each other in agreement.
The District Chief noticed this, and waved Nile to sit down. "We gain
nothing from handicapping ourselves, Commander Dok. Instead of
looking to cripple to Survey Corps, why don't you start searching for
links in your own military branch that may connect Annie Leonhard to
outside sources?"

Nile gave the District Chief a side glare, but sat down slowly. "As the
Emergency Board commands," he bit out.

Mikasa's tense shoulders relaxed slightly, but her eyes still showed
the panic he found himself feeling.

The District Chief directed his eyes towards them, then regarded the
members sitting on the table. "I call this meeting to an end. You're all
dismissed."

All the members started shuffling out, mumbling between

themselves, leaving the three Survey Corps soldiers standing in the
room by themselves.

Levi wasn't exactly sure what to think. Oh, he was furious and oddly
hurt, there was no doubt about that, but he didn't really know what to
make about this whole situation. Officially, Sakura was their enemy
and they needed to capture her to bring her to justice. She basically
had the same status as Annie Leonhard in the eyes of humanity at
this point. But that didn't feel right. She had given so much for their
cause, and now they were just stabbing her in the back once she
revealed who she truly was.

Then again, she had been lying to their faces this whole time.

"I'm not a titan-shifter, and I can't prove it to you but you have to trust
my word."

All right, so she technically hadn't been a titan-shifter, but no

technicality was going to save her from the hell that was coming her
way.
"You need to tell us everything you didn't tell the Board, Mikasa,"
Erwin urged quietly. It had been almost ten minutes since all of the
members had left, and room was quite sound proof, but Erwin never
fucked around when it came to secrecy.

"I told the Board almost everything I knew. Sakura asked me to be

truthful when it came to questioning."

Erwin nodded. "Good thing too. We wouldn't have been able to get
you out of that trial Nile tried to put on you had the District Chief not
appreciated your honesty. But, since you were very honest, I'll ask
the questions. Sakura is not our enemy, correct?"

She nodded fervently. "There's no doubt about it. She has never
hated anyone more than she hates Annie."

"Did she know Annie was a… what is the word she's called?"

"Ninja."

" Ni nja," Erwin pronounced weirdly. "Did she know Annie was a
ninja?"

"She knew there was something weird about Annie, but she didn't
expect she was a ninja. She said that Annie could track her chakra,
and that's what led her to their team during the expedition."

"Chakra?" Levi found himself asking.

"Sakura once described it as the result of moulding spiritual and

physical energy together, but I don't really know what that means.
She also said every living being has chakra within them. As a ninja,
she can manipulate her chakra to perform feats we find impossible.
This is how she can track titans, because they give off chakra."

Erwin muttered, "Well, that solves one mystery. And she can use this
chakra to do the things you mentioned?"
"Yeah, but she's the only one who knows how to use it. She wanted
to teach me and Eren once we found out, but she said she didn't
know the reasons behind the things she did. She only did it based on
instinct."

"So, the amnesia is real," Levi mentioned. "She really doesn't

remember more than half of her life?"

"No, and I don't think she ever will."

Erwin shook his head. "It's far too early for those assumptions,
Mikasa. There are certain troubling aspects surrounding Sakura, but
I've realized three very concerning ones: if Sakura can't teach
anyone how to manipulate this inner energy, how does Annie know?
Manipulating chakra can be a natural born gift, but something tells
me it has to be taught, and not just by any rookie. Someone taught
them."

"So there's other ninjas around," Mikasa whispered.

He nodded grimly. "The second troubling aspect is that Annie is not

be the only enemy who infiltrated, and there is the matter of the
Armored Titan and the Colossal Titan. If the Female Titan is a ninja,
it could be assumed those two are too, as well as everyone else who
infiltrated."

"Which means that it'll be harder to catch them even if they don't
become titans," Levi noted. "Our plan to draw them out might fail,
then, which means everyone in that location is in immediate danger."

"Yes, unfortunately, but we can't back down now or we'll force their
hand before we know how to deal with it."

"Sakura might be able to help," she noted in a hopeful voice. "She's

much more powerful than all three of them combined."

"Which brings me to the third and most troubling aspect of this whole
situation: Sakura. From what you've said, Mikasa, this chakra can be
used to do some incredible physical feats, correct?" At Mikasa's nod,
he continued, "You mentioned two parts to this chakra, a physical
one and spiritual one. If such energies exist, then it is possible to
affect a person 'spiritually', then. Which means someone could have
'spiritually' affected Sakura and erased her memories temporarily,
only to bring them back at the most opportune time for the worse
destruction."

"So a sleeper agent," Levi said much more calmly than he felt. "She
thinks she's on our side, but she's actually an enemy. And she can
turn into an extremely deadly enemy at any moment."

"And since someone knowledgeable had to teach the titan-shifters

how to manipulate chakra, it's not a stretch to think they can do this
at any moment."

"I'm not sure chakra can do such thing, Commander. I've never
heard Sakura mention something like that."

"Her amnesia is suspicious and unnatural. It could've been called a

coincidence before, but now we know there's no such thing."

"Then wouldn't it have been the most opportune time to return her
memories during the expedition," Mikasa pointed out. "She could've
easily gotten Eren and fled with her who knows where. Why now,
when everything is more complicated than before?"

Erwin hummed in agreement. "Yes, those are good points. I don't

completely believe all of the suspicions I presented --that's why
they're suspicions-- but it never hurts to be too cautious, especially
when we're dealing with an enemy we know absolutely nothing
about."

"Are you actually going to capture her, Commander?"

"Yes, that was our order; we can't go against a direct order,

especially now that we're under extreme scrutiny."
She huffed. "There is no way anyone will be able to hold her captive.
I wasn't exaggerating with the things she can do."

"What happens after we turn her in is none of our business," Erwin

mentioned casually. "We have actual enemies of humanity to go
after."

Mikasa actually smiled, the first show of happiness he'd ever seen in
her, at Erwin's vote of confidence for Sakura. It was a bit
uncharacteristic of him to trust a person that had so many question
marks in their past, but if that person was as strong as Sakura, it
would be beneficial to look over those smudges in favor of getting a
powerful ally.

"We should probably go," Levi mentioned, noticing the rising moon
from the single window in the room.

"Can I talk to you in private, Captain?" Mikasa asked, the word

Captain said in the most sarcastic way possible.

Erwin shot Levi a sideways glance, a question behind his hard eyes.
Levi scrunched his nose and only nodded, which made Erwin smirk
in amusement. Bastard, he knew what was coming his way and he
was just going to enjoy it.

Once the door was shut behind the blond Commander, she asked,
"Is there a way we can save Sakura?"

Levi stared at her incredulously, for once taken aback. "We? Why do
you want to get me into this?"

"Because you're her friend."

"Even if I was her friend, I wouldn't do such a stupid thing. Erwin just
said he didn't care what happened after Sakura escaped. She can
join us again for all she cares. There's no reason to save her."
"Yeah, and she'll be a fugitive unable to live a normal life after that.
That's not a nice tradeoff after everything she did for us."

"You mean after all the years she lied to us?" To him?

Mikasa's eyes narrowed. "It was necessary for our safety. She only
did what was best for us."

" Us? Our safety? I'm sure the Survey Corps isn't included in those
words." He wasn't included in those words.

"She knew she was going to be taken away from us if everyone

found out what she could do. That everyone was going to be afraid
of her. And she was right."

"It would've been a very different story had she come clean from the
beginning."

"How different, though? Wouldn't everyone try to kill her first, then
asked her to try her most in the name of humanity? Sounds familiar,
Captain ?"

"We all make sacrifices for the Survey Corps. Eren isn't any different.
Neither is Ackerman. The difference is that Eren wants to help.
Ackerman is just selfish enough to not care."

He saw Mikasa's face getting angrier and angrier, her delicate

control becoming undone. After the shit she had pulled with him, Levi
felt a childish degree of satisfaction in how easily he grated on her
nerves. "She gave two years of her life to the Survey Corps. She
racked up an impressive record in two years. She lived through the
pain of dead comrades and saved others. Sakura did just as much if
not more than any other soldier, and what she did is not enough?"

Mikasa also easily grated on his nerves, he found.

"No, it's not enough. She could've done more, could've saved more,
could've killed more. Two teams that died could be alive if only she
hadn't been such a selfish… girl."

"No, you're being selfish in asking of her more than what she was
willing to give."

"With power comes responsibility. You don't see me shying away

from my duties just because I'm afraid. I understand why you're
defending her --she's still your sister, after all-- but you need to stop
and realize that a lot of families lost loved ones because Ackerman
didn't want to do anything about it. Wouldn't you be angry if you
found out she could've stopped the murder of your parents if only
she had been open about her powers?"

Mikasa snarled, "Don't dare… Don't you dare imply she didn't try to
save them."

Levi raised an eyebrow. "Did she?"

Her face twisted, the anger in her eyes burning just like the anger in
Sakura's green eyes, until her face smoothed. the transition eerie. "I
see I am wasting my breath with you. If you want to see my sister
burn, so be it. I'll just look for someone who genuinely wants to help
her. I was stupid enough to think that person was one of the only
people Sakura trusted her life with."

The last comment surprisingly stung him, but before he could reply,
there was a knock on the door. Before either Mikasa or he could say
anything, the door opened, revealing the young man in the
Emergency Board. He only peeked his face inside and asked, "Can I
come in?"

Mikasa responded first, her voice confused, "Yes?"

The man stepped inside and closed the door quietly behind him. He
walked towards them and stopped until he was close enough to be
seen in the dim torchlight. He was young, but there was something
steely about his face that made Levi not underestimate him. He
would've guessed he had the whole situation under control if not by
the way he clenched a piece of paper.

"Hello, my name is Sebastian Burgeis, and I am a branch member of

the Burgeis family in charge of representing the family in the Stohess
district. I came here because of Sakura Ackerman."

Mikasa questioned, "Do you know my sister?"

"Yes, we've been acquainted for around two years now."

"She's never mentioned you."

He blinked. "Sakura hasn't told you about me? I guess she's shier
than I thought," he muttered to himself. "Well, um, I am a musician,
but I am an adopted Burgeis first, musician second, so I have to
serve the main family by doing the paperwork. It is just such a
coincidence that Sakura was brought up today, and an even bigger
coincidence that I eavesdropped on your plans to help her, and the
biggest coincidence that I want to help Sakura."

Mikasa's eyes narrowed. "You eavesdropped?"

"Not the best thing I've done, but you have to understand, the topic
was Sakura. We're close friends. Here's the last letter I have that she
wrote me. It'll prove that we're friends."

Sebastian meant to hand the letter to Mikasa, but Levi snatched it

from his hands before she could even try to get it. He ignored her
dirty look and started reading. The handwriting was hers, no doubt
about it, and he knew exactly what events she was talking about.

Surprisingly, the person who trusts Eren the most, besides me, is
Captain Levi. Yeah, the guy who beat him to a pulp in front of
everyone in the courtroom trusts Eren more than sunshine Petra.
Sometimes, when I'm feeling overly sentimental, I swear he sees
Eren as a human. He even told Eren that should he lose control of
his power, we would try to keep him alive by cutting his limbs…
Yeah, I know, that doesn't sound too trusting, but believe me it's
better than killing him. He's still an asshole, but I have to admit that
he has a few redeeming qualities, this being one of them.

Well, he's definitely sure she's a bitch, but she has redeeming
qualities, so there's that.

Mikasa almost ripped the letter from his hands, interrupting him from
the last couple of lines. He really wanted to know what she said next,
but it would be extremely childish of him if he took it back from her.

But there was something suspicious about all of this.

"You keep this letter around every day?" Levi asked, not even
bothering to keep the incredulity out of his voice.

"No, I got it from my room. I do carry it around with me every day,

though."

"Why?"

"In case I get another letter from her, of course. It would be foolish of
me to not remember her last words. This is the last letter she sent
me."

Mikasa folded the letter and handed it back to Sebastian. "Sakura

wouldn't disclose such things to a nobody. I trust him. But how
exactly do you propose to help us? You said you're a branch
member of the Burgeis. That's not even as powerful as a regular
member of a Merchant Family."

"Lady Amina considers Sakura her best friend, and she is the heir to
the Burgeis. As a Survey Corps member, though, she has to capture
Sakura and bring her to justice. But I know what she'd like the
Burgeis family to do if she knew about this."

"Which is?" Levi found himself asking.

"The military would never dare execute a noble, even a low-ranking
one."

"She's been charged for committing crimes against the royal crown,"
Levi pointed out. "Not even a noble can get out of that one."

"If a noble is charged with high treason, the only way they can get a
trial is if Noble House disowns them, therefore taking their title, which
is what happens every single time. However, if Sakura adopts the
Burgeis name, she automatically pledges allegiance to the crown,
and she can't be tried because she would be a noble. Sounds easy,
but it is almost social suicide for a noble to adopt a criminal,
especially a high-profile one as her. The main family will probably
want something out of her to make the risk worth it."

"I can't make agreements in Sakura's name," Mikasa said.

"And I can't make agreements in the Lord and Lady's name, but I
can give you ideas. You wanted an idea, right?"

"I guess… But, it's extremely far-fetched. We're almost back to

square one."

"Lady Amina is extremely tenacious. Give her some credit."

"Well, even if she manages that, there's always the part of Sakura
accepting the deal. She's not very--"

The door opened abruptly, and the pink-haired woman they had
been speaking about appeared before their very eyes, sans 3DMG.
She was out of breath, her eyes wild, and for the longest time
nobody spoke, Sakura too tired and the rest too shocked to even
blink.

"We have to go. Titans have been sighted inside Wall Rose."
Sakura had been following Annie for two hours now, playing an
infuriating game of cat and mouse. To make it worse, it was already
night time and they were in one of the forests inside Wall Rose,
making it even harder to find her and keep up with her. She had to
grudgingly admit that Annie was better well-trained than what she
initially thought her to be.

But Sakura was better.

She saw a person flicker in the foliage, and Sakura grinned at how
closer her prey was getting. Unlike Annie, Sakura had a full set of
3DMG, and was ready to fight her whether she was a titan or a ninja.
Annie would definitely shift if they engaged in battle, but if Sakura
landed a one-hit kill, there would be no fight.

Sure, she was interesting in knowing who taught Annie how to use
ninja skills, but Sakura had an inkling Annie would rather die than tell
her. But that's fine; Sakura knew she would find these people and kill
them for the terror they helped breed inside the Walls.

Annie led her outside the forest, and the intense sunlight made
Sakura narrow her eyes. Now why would she do that? Prey always
had the advantage in closed areas. In the open field, anyone could
land a killing hit.

Sakura drew her swords and body-flickered farther than what she
had followed Annie in, giving her the advantage of surprise. Sakura
saw Annie's eyes widen from the corner of her eye --got you, bitch--
but she dodged her attack just in time, and put a safer distance in
between them.

She growled in frustration. "Why do you keep running away, Annie!

Fight me!" Sakura repeated the earlier strategy, but Annie avoided
her attack again, just like Sakura had expected. "Fight me!"

Annie continued running away, faster than before, to south west Wall
Rose, west of Trost, not even looking back to see if Sakura was
following her.
Now that was weird. Sakura had blown her cover, and she had
expected a full on fight with the Female Titan. That's why Annie had
gone into the open, right? Then why was she still running away?
There was no way Sakura was going to have backup. This was the
most vulnerable Annie would find Sakura.

That's when she felt it.

That's when she felt the awful chakra of a titan, not even five
kilometers away from them. Usually, she couldn't detect them from
so far away, but their chakra was like a beacon. Was this how easily
she had been found in the 57th Expedition? Was she the reason why
her team got found out, then?

No, that's not the worst part. Wall Rose didn't end for at least another
forty kilometers. The titans had gone past Wall Rose again, just like
they did with Shinganshina. The first time a Wall fell, the effects were
catastrophic, and it almost ended life as they know it. A second
time? They would lose all of their agricultural power, since Wall Sina
was mostly the seat of commerce.

"You did this?" Sakura demanded to Annie, who was a couple

hundred feet ahead of her and gaining more distance. "You have
destroyed our lives! Again! Do you not care at all?"

No response.

Sakura was furious, yes, but, even more than furious, she was
terrified. Now that Wall Rose had fallen, what of humanity? What of
her? Did they need to live in constant terror of titans? Should she run
away and find the truth behind the titan-shifters? What of Eren and
Mikasa and Armin and Amina and Levi and Sebastian and the
Survey Corps? What would happen to them?

And one of the reasons for her terror was running away from her,
getting closer to the source of the titans.
No, there was no way she was going to let them win. Maybe
something can be done the faster they react. She was fast, faster
than a horse, and she was closer to Stohess than any messenger
situated at the breach.

Sakura created a shadow clone, splitting her chakra in two to provide

the clone. She frowned at how little chakra she had left. There was
no way she would be able to fight Annie for longer than five minutes
now.

The clone appeared in white smoke, running at her same speed.

"Go warn the Survey Corps about the breach," she ordered. "Make it
quick; we don't have time."

Her clone nodded grimly and disappeared in a poof.

Annie wasn't running away, she was leading her to the source of the
titans, which seemed convenient, but Sakura knew was a trap. There
had to be a reason why that area was being attacked. She had
underestimated titans for far enough, and now she knew better than
just assume there were coincidences.

But why would they? What was there that the titans were interested
in attacking? People? No, too easy. Resources? Maybe, but she
couldn't really see titans trying to destroy their resources that way
when they had done that just by breaching the wall. Was it linked to
the Survey Corps? Could be; they were the only real threats to the
titan-shifters. It wasn't Eren, or else they would be heading to
Stohess along with Annie. So, it was something else.

What else would titan-shifters want near there?

Annie sped up, and so did Sakura. Why did she seem so anxious to
get there? Was there something important to her in the place the
titans were heading?
No, not something… someone . Erwin had told the higher-ups of the
Survey Corps that the rest of the rookies had been sent to an
undisclosed location, since he didn't know who else was involved
with the titan-shifters. The Armored Titan and the Colossal Titan
where in this undisclosed location, and it would make sense to go
join with them to…. Well, to go back home. Now that humanity was
destroyed, they could probably go back to wherever they came from
and reminisce about all the good lives they killed.

And she wanted to lead Sakura there so they could take her along
the ride, just as she had planned in the 57th Expedition.

Sakura may feel like a blood-thirsty demon, but she wasn't stupid
enough to get captured. Maybe she should turn back and hide?
Killing stealthily and avoid being killed was the way of ninjas, right?
Plus, she was running low on chakra after creating that clone.

No, her teammates were about to get around twenty titans coming
their way, and all of this was a surprise attack, so they would be
defenseless. Defenseless and no chakra. What was the point of her
power if everyone died because she didn't use it?

Plus, her secret was out. There was no reason to let people die
anyway.

Annie diverted from her path, running to south Wall Rose. Why
would she lead her here and then leave? This was Annie's best
chance to capture her! Unless this was part of the trap, to lull her into
a false sense of security and then attack her when her defenses
were down. No, for that to work Annie would have to be relatively
close and be a surprise presence.

So, what game was she playing?

Annie continued running south, and Sakura could run diagonally to

catch up with her quickly, going with the original plan. Or, she could
continue on her way to the titans and whatever surprises laid there.
She wanted to say that the choice between her teammates' lives and
her revenge was easy, but she genuinely didn't know what she
wanted to do. She should save lives, that was what she should do
and what her healing skills were meant to do, but she really wanted
to get Annie back for what she had done. She didn't sleep because
the deaths of her teammates haunted her dreams. She couldn't look
at the sunset because the colors reminded her of Petra's hair. She
couldn't find enjoyment in food because she could only think about
how much Gunther would like or despise what they ate. She found
herself thinking of witty insults for Oluo for a split second, only to
realize that he was no longer around to joke around with. She still
found herself daydreaming of Eld's wedding, and what things she
would do for her own wedding, if she ever found someone who could
deal with her.

But they were dead. They had been brutally killed by a fifteen-year-
old titan-shifter without any remorse. In five minutes she had erased
four futures from this world. And for that she would hate Annie for the
rest of her life. Sakura didn't care why Annie did it. Annie could have
done it to save the world, she could be made a saint, but Sakura
would still feel her heart sing for her blood.

Annie got farther away, but Sakura continued to the titans location.

The world was for the living; the dead would have to be content with
being ghosts of their pasts.

Sakura tried to hurry up to the source of the titans. Three. All of them
deviant. She frowned. Just three? Three measly titans were all that
was needed to make goosebumps appear in her skin? Since when
did three titans feel like twenty? Not only that, but three were more
than enough for the Survey Corps to take on.

A conical stone tower came up in the distance, as tall as a ten meter

titan. Behind the tower was a rather large house, probably a sort of
ranch. As she got closer, the titan chakra started becoming
overwhelming. Titans usually had a bigger presence in her mind
because they stood out from normal human chakra, but these titans
were really something else. She could barely feel for any humans as
much as she tried to search for it.

Was she too late?

The titans chakra acted like a beacon she was all too glad to follow.
She thought they would be extremely easy kills, since titans do not
function at night, but much to her surprise they were all awake and
moving around. She tested their response to her presence and sure
enough they tried to eat her, though it was child's play to get away
from them.

Even though they were awake, all of them were still too slow for her
ninja-enhanced 3DMG. Now that she didn't have to worry about
people finding out her secret, she used her body-flicker to her heart's
desire, using titans for momentum and her 3DMG for direction. If she
kept practicing, she would definitely find a way to beat Annie.

Now that the titans were gone, though, the entire place was empty.
No signs of human or titan chakra anywhere nearby.

Maybe they escaped?

She walked by the steaming carcasses of the titans, trying to find

any clues as to where her team left. There were fresh hoof prints in
the ground leading to different directions. One of them left in the
same direction she came from, but they definitely missed each other.
The other three hoof marks led north, southeast, and west. They
probably split in teams to spread the word about the breach. It
wouldn't get to Erwin any faster than she did, though. Horses were
simply not as fast as chakra-enhanced ninja who could run for days.

So they were alive when they had escaped, and were probably still
traveling. She couldn't be sure they were still alive because of the
traitors in their midst and also the new influx of titans, but at least
they had escaped alive. Should she send another clone to report this
or was it overkill? Her chakra reserves were alarmingly low after
running for like four hours now. Maybe she could rest inside this
house and try to find out what happened tom--

The grass ahead of her was soaked in blood. She jogged towards it
and crouched, trying to find any indication of the person's identity.
Scout, by the half of the Wings of Freedom she found. There were
fingers and an arm scattered about, blood no longer oozing from the
appendages. This person had been eaten brutally by multiple titans,
probably the three she just killed. The blood stains were fresh, so
this had to have been not too long ago. She could quickly search the
titans' carcasses for more clues about the deceased. She hated not
being able to know who…

Short blond hairs. Everywhere. She knew this shade of blond. It was
darker than Erwin and Nanaba's… And she had seen it in…

Mike.

Mike was dead? How was Mike dead? He was the strongest only
second to Levi. His titan kill was extremely impressive, and his ability
to sense titans always put him a step above the rest in terms of
surprise.

Had he been devoured by the three titans she killed? Maybe…

Stupid deaths were not unheard of in the Survey Corps, especially
those in their third or fourth expedition who thought they knew
everything and got eaten for the dumbest reasons.

But they had been far too easy kills for a veteran like Mike, who had
been in the Survey Corps for more than five years.

There was more to Mike's death, but there was no way she would
ever find out.

Her gut clenched in fear. There was something wrong about this
whole situation. This wasn't even about the breach anymore. There
was something that she didn't know about, that Mike probably knew
and that's why he was killed.
Wall Rose had been breached, and there were more than just titans
coming in.

And with that we begin the Clash of Titans arc that immediately
follows the Female Titan arc. Levi gets a more prominent role in
this chapter simply because he's surrounded by all of the
action. I think I'll give it to Sakura in the next chapter to make it
more even.

For those of you who don't know, I have started a Tumblr-

exclusive story called Rosette, which is an alternate timeline of
what would have happened in Sakura had landed in the
underground instead of with the Ackermans. I will update
Rosette this week now that The Vessel is out.

As for updates, college is extremely overwhelming so I'll have

to resort to updating over breaks. I expect another update for
this story soon, since the two year anniversary of The Vessel is
approaching. Two years later and this story has received so
much love and excitement that never in a million years I
could've expected.

Thank you so much for your favorites and your follows and
your reviews. Even if I don't reply to them, I read them all and
they all make me so so so happy. You've got no idea. They
make writing this story worth it knowing how much all of you
guys like it.

So thank you, from the bottom of my heart thank you.

In the Darkness
3 hours after Annie's Escape

Levi couldn't help but stare at the pink-haired soldier as she

explained to Nile Dok who she was for the third time.

"I'm not Sakura," she said in a very patient tone. If this were the real
Sakura, she would barely control her Eren Rage. "I am a clone of
Sakura sent to warn you of the titan sighting. She's somewhere
else."

"Which has been confirmed by Thomas," Erwin added, his face just
as patient as the clone's. "Now, Nile, we don't have time to lose so
would you please just sign off on us taking the clone?"

They were still in the room where Sebastian and Mikasa had
planned to save Sakura from the political cliff she had been thrown
off from. The only difference was that now Erwin and Nile had
replaced their presence, with Sebastian having escaped rather
quickly before a military official saw him bargaining for a traitor's life
and Mikasa sent away to prepare herself and her friends for their
upcoming journey, but not before summoning both Erwin and Nile.

Erwin had come first and had asked the clone to explain herself fully,
but just before she could delve into the finer details, Nile had shown
up, hell bent in sending the clone to jail.

"I can't allow you to leave with a soldier we claimed to be a traitor not
even an hour ago," Nile retorted, annoyed. "Why do you even want
her so badly?"

"Just because I'm a clone doesn't mean I can't help. I possess all of
my creator's abilities, and will help out as long as my chakra allows
me. That's what Sakura would've wanted."
"Sakura Ackerman is labeled a traitor right now," Nile told the clone.
Levi had to admit it was weird talking about Sakura like that when
her mirror image was right in front of them, but he could see himself
getting used to it. "We don't believe your intentions, either. For all we
know, you could just be here for recon."

"All right, Commander Dok," Levi began sarcastically, then gave him
a hard look, "if you're not going to allow us to take her, then why
don't you offer yourself and some of your soldiers? It won't really
match up the entirety of this clone's worth, but it'll do nicely."

"Levi," Erwin warned.

He glared at his Commander. "I understand that it's in our best

interests to not offend him, but titans have been sighted inside Wall
Rose. For all we know we may not come back to civilization." He
turned towards Nile again, his face a bit smoother. "So, like I said,
either put in your men or let us take her."

It didn't take Nile very long. He looked at Clone Sakura and growled,
"Fine." He whipped his head at Erwin and pointed a finger towards
her. "But if she does anything don't come crying back to Wall Sina.
This also does not revoke her traitor status." He tramped towards the
door, but stopped when he was next to Erwin. "I sincerely hope you
haven't doomed humanity any more with this decision," he
whispered before leaving the room.

As soon as the door closed, Clone Sakura said, "So Sakura is

labeled a traitor?"

"Yes," Erwin replied without any remorse. "Your creator didn't leave
us much of a choice. It was either accepting those terms or being
defunded. Now, you were in the process of explaining your
existence?"

"Sakura created me when she split up her chakra into two. I possess
all of her abilities and knowledge, and when I'm dismissed I give her
back all of the things I learned, though I don't think she's aware of
this ability of the Shadow Clone Technique."

"If you're aware of it then how isn't she aware?" Levi asked.

"Because all clones know their purpose, even if their creator doesn't.
I'll disappear once the chakra that powers me goes out or if I'm
wounded heavily. Whatever chakra I have left and all the intelligence
I gathered goes back to her."

"Is that the only way you can go back to her?"

Sakura shook her head at the blond commander. "I can be

dismissed. If you want me to relay any information to Sakura, just
ask me to dismiss myself and I will."

"You'll take orders from Erwin?"

"And you, too. Sakura may not know it, but she's still is a Survey
Corps soldiers, and she still takes orders from the Squad Leaders.
When are we leaving, Commander?"

Erwin's blue eyes hardened and he looked out the door. "As soon as
we get. We're getting everyone ready right now. The goal is to leave
within the hour. I just hoped everyone had some time to rest, or else
we'll be at a disadvantage." Erwin turned his gaze at Levi's leg. "It's a
shame that you're still wounded."

"I can heal him," Clone Sakura said. "It shouldn't take long, and I
don't think I'll use enough chakra to disappear."

"What do you need?" Levi asked before Erwin could protest. It had
been torture not being able to fight in Stohess and equally as
embarrassing to be carried down the Wall by Mikasa. Now that there
were titans inside Wall Rose, he could tip the scale for at least a little
bit, even if it's to buy everyone some time.

"A bed and a chair."

"Let's go."

Almost at the door, almost at the door.

"Levi."

He inwardly groaned and begrudgingly turned away from his sweet

escape. "What?"

"Is that wise?"

"Erwin, I just told Nile we had the odds against us and we needed
every person we could. Now I have an opportunity to join that fight
and I'll take it."

Clone Sakura, sensing that the apprehension was about where her
loyalties lied, declared calmly, "Commander Erwin, I know now isn't
the best time for me to claim things, but he's my Captain, and it's my
duty to not let harm come upon him. And if I can do anything to
reverse any harm, I will."

Both Levi and Erwin raised their eyebrows at that comment. The
Sakura they had known would never say anything like what the
Clone had just easily declared. Either she was an excellent liar or the
Clone had perfect loyalty instilled in her. "I like you better than your
creator," Levi mentioned.

Clone Sakura smiled at him. "I haven't said anything that my creator
wouldn't agree with."

Erwin sighed, and Levi could see him resisting the urge to kick him.
"Fine, but make it quick. You're leaving soon, remember."

Levi didn't need any further encouragement. He bolted out the room
as fast as his limp could take him and headed to the hospital wing.
The military building in Stohess took care of all military matters,
including caring for the wounded and the sick. It was around here
that Eren was recovering from his fight with Annie, and it was in this
wing that he would finally be able to walk normally.

He opened the first room he saw and thanked whatever gods existed
that it was empty. Clone Sakura closed the door behind her, turned
the lamplight on, and moved the one chair in the room next to the
bed.

"Please remove your boots and roll up your pants in the wounded
leg," she ordered, but it didn't come off as commanding as all of
Sakura's orders did.

Levi did as told and also took off his 3DMG, placing it gently on the
floor. He got on the bed and as soon as he laid down, Clone Sakura
got to work over the wounded area, a cool green light appearing
around her hands.

Whatever she was doing felt great. His right ankle felt warm but he
could almost feel the pain lessening by the second. His awe at her
abilities only increased, and so did his anger at Sakura. She had
always possessed this wonderful power and she had hid it from
them? Had hid it from him? He knew why she had done it, but it
didn't make him hurt any less.

"The stunt you pulled on top of Wall Sina worsened it," Clone Sakura
commented. "That was unwise, Captain."

Levi observed the pink-haired soldier working diligently on his ankle.

Her features were exactly the same as his second-in-command, but
there was something distinctly off. If he were a guessing man, he'd
had to guess it had to do with her eyes. Her green eyes were devoid
of fire.

He liked fire.

"If you were Ackerman, you'd be berating me at this moment. Yet

here you are, healing me without any qualms or complaints."
"I'm created to follow orders. Clones don't have independence."

"So that's all you're useful for?" Levi asked, some of his anger at
Sakura seeping into his voice.

Clone Sakura sighed sadly. "I understand that you're angry, Captain,
but I'm not the person you can have this conversation with. I can't
give you the same answers she would give you."

"But you can relay my disappointment, yes?"

"I'll make sure it's very clear, Captain."

"You can try to be feistier. You don't have to agree with everything I
say."

"Not designed to be combative against allies, Captain."

Levi had to hold in his snarl of frustration. He thought he was going

to get a chance to get out all of his anger quicker than he thought,
but there was no way he could yell at the woman currently healing
his ankle without feeling like an absolute piece of shit. The person he
was angry with wasn't her, even if every definition said she was a
clone of the origin of all of his anger.

He'd have to let his anger simmer and harden until he crossed paths
with Sakura once again.

"I do have a question, Captain."

Finally! Some hope of personality starting to shine through!

After the Clone did not venture any further, Levi realized she was
asking for his permission to ask a question. Oh dear, this was
definitely not his second-in-command. "Well, what is it?"

"Why did you trust me?"

"Trust you? I don't trust you."

"Yet I'm healing your leg."

"You said it yourself: you would never harm me."

"That could've been a lie."

"I'm good at detecting lies."

"Not my creator's. She lied to you for a long time."

Levi narrowed his eyes, annoyed at the reminder of her betrayal.

"You're not really building a case for yourself, Clone."

"Which is why I'm curious as to why you didn't dismiss or attack me

immediately. Commander Dok is right: I am a liability. At least until
my creator can prove her innocence in a trial, she is branded a
traitor. So why do you trust me?"

"Because your creator is a shitty, selfish person, but I don't think

she's a traitor. Which doesn't make you an enemy."

Clone Sakura smiled rather ironically and the green glow

disappeared from her hands. "It does seem it's that way, yes.
Anyway, I've finished healing your ankle. You had a minor fracture,
but I carefully reconstructed the bone."

Levi experimentally twisted her ankle, surprised to find that his pain
was completely gone and his previous mobility was restored. Those
healing powers of hers were miraculous, to say the least. Just what
was her limit?

"Bone injuries are a bit different than flesh injuries since they require
more follow up care. I strongly recommend that you abstain from
fighting because" --Clone Sakura shot him a stern look very
reminiscent of his second-in-command when he was about to
interrupt her-- "the wound is still fragile. I sped up the process, but
your body has to finish healing. If you were to break it again, I
wouldn't be able to heal it since I've used the majority of my chakra
here. You can, however, walk and run normally, though I recommend
resting as much as you can."

Levi sat back up and put his boots on, content that the simple action
no longer bothered him like before. Even if the clone had informed
him that his wound hadn't finished healing, he felt much more
comfortable. He experimented walking around the empty hardwood
floor room and was even more delighted to realize that his limp was
gone.

Clone Sakura got up from her chair and stretched her arms. "I take it
you like it," she said without turning to look at him.

"This power of yours is a game-changer. Just how many people can

Ackerman save?"

"Sakura."

"Excuse me?"

"Her name is Sakura." The clone turned to look at him; her green
eyes were serious.

"I know that."

"Then use it."

Levi furrowed his brow, unable to keep the confusion out of his eyes.
"I don't understand why that's important."

"It creates distance between superior and subordinate. That's what

the Training Corps did and said to us. You never did that with the
squad except for Sakura."

"You do remember she has a severe problem with authority, yes?" At

least that was the reason he told almost everyone who asked.

Clone Sakura nodded. "She does, but that doesn't matter anymore.
Not since they died. The number of people she cares about dwindles
every year, and you're one of the only constants left. I think my
creator would be happy to know you see her as a comrade."

"It would have been easier if she hadn't lied to me for two years,"
Levi muttered under his breath. "Anyway, why are you telling me all
of this? Did she send you to also confess all of her feelings to
everyone?"

He had hoped to embarrass Clone Sakura enough that she

purposely ended the conversation, but her features were as smooth
as always, neither caught off guard nor daunted about his comment.
"No, I'm just using my time to improve my creator's relationships with
as many people as I can. She's taciturn when it comes to her
emotions, and since I'll cease to exist in a few hours, days at the
most, I won't have to take responsibilities for my actions."

Like creator like creation.

"All right all right, fine, I'll call her Sakura. But the comrade part she
has to earn by not being so shitty anymore."

"Thank you."

Levi looked out the single window in the room, observing the
destroyed city with detachment. Soon every human city would look
like this, or worse. If they had found a way to breach Wall Rose,
nothing would stop them from doing the same with Wall Sina. He
was unsure if Erwin or Zackly had formulated plans for fixing the
breach or controlling the fallout.

Perhaps it would've been easier to die years ago.

He turned away from the window and looked at the pink-haired

soldier. Her back was straight and her face was giving him her full
attention. "Clone, I'm assigning you to my team for the rest of the
night so you can give me follow-up care. Go prepare yourself if you
need to and meet us at the gate promptly at midnight."
"As you wish, Captain Levi."

She saluted and left the room without a word. A part of him had
hoped she gathered more information about her post, haggled with
him about her responsibilities, complained a bit about how little time
he gave her to get ready, but no, she accepted his word as law.

She was the perfect picture of the obedient soldier he always wanted
Sakura to be, but he only found himself hating it more every second
he spent with her.

Levi spent the next thirty minutes planning their trip. His body was on
autopilot, but his mind was still whirling to catch up with all of the
events that had transpired in just six hours. It's not an exaggeration
to say his whole life had been flipped upside down, and he still
wasn't sure how he was taking it. He still trusted Sakura, that much
was true, though whatever good partnership they had before had
been destroyed and had to be rebuilt. Annie disappearing and
having similar powers to Sakura's was extremely concerning, since
now he wasn't sure how, evenly matched they were. It turned out
there were titans inside the wall, and nobody had any idea how
they'd gotten there.

He didn't even want to think about the breach in Wall Rose. Again,
he was hoping either Erwin or Hange came up with something.

"Levi!"

Speak of the devil and she shall appear.

He turned away from the cart he had finished preparing and

regarded Hange with serious eyes. Trailing behind her was a Wall
Priest, those crazy ones that always found a way to interfere with
military matters. His face was pale and he had prominent wrinkles
and frail features, but his light brown eyes were calm.

"I wanted to introduce one of our traveling companions to you. Levi,

this is Pastor Nick; Pastor Nick, this is Captain Levi."
They only stared at each other, their faces stony.

Hange barked a short laugh and clapped them both in the back. "I'm
glad you're getting along so far! Levi, I was telling Pastor Nick I
hoped he would be more open with you about the origins of the
Wall."

"You mean you still haven't found out about that titan inside the
wall?" Meanwhile Erwin and he were getting grilled by the
Emergency Board, Hange had spent the majority of the afternoon
trying to get information out of a Pastor. To find out she had failed
was surprising, considering how tenacious she was.

Hange clapped Pastor Nick again, though much more forcefully. Nick
remained quiet. "Nope, our friend here is very, very stubborn. Hasn't
really said much besides asking us to cover the titan and ordering us
to be secretive about the matter."

Levi resisted the urge to growl. Too many things piling on top of his
plate, too little time to take care of them. Hange was right to seek
him out though; there weren't many who could resist Levi's own
brand of information-gathering, though he was unsure if he was
allowed to use more violent methods on the priest. Plus keeping tabs
on the priest would occupy his time and would not interfere with his
healing bone, something Clone Sakura would definitely approve of.

Before any of them could add anything to the conversation, the kids
from Shiganshina and the pink-haired soldier reported for duty. The
three rookies were bright-eyed and jittery, even Eren, who was
suffering from the after-effects of the titan transformation. The clone
looked a bit worse for wear, no doubt exhausted from healing him.
According to the clone, whenever her fuel, her chakra, runs outs,
she'll disappear forever. Now that he thought about it, he felt guilty
he had hastened her "death," but the clone had seemed very content
in healing him, so the least he could do was follow her
recommendation to stay out of the fight for a little bit longer.
The blond boy, Armin, saluted him first. The other three followed with
varying degrees of enthusiasm. "We're reporting for duty, Captain
Levi."

Levi looked around and noticed most Survey Corps members were
ready to depart. His mission was to lead a small team get to the
Hermiha district to assess the situation and plan accordingly. His
provisional squad consisting of Eren, Mikasa, and Armin, at least
officially, to help deal with the problem, meanwhile the other squad
members strictly belonged to Hange.

"Good, you're here on time. Get onboard; we're leaving."

Mikasa helped Eren get on board and together they sat on the left
bench, with Armin following shortly after leaving the adults to sit on
the right one.

Levi got on first with Clone Sakura's aid, followed by Nick, bringing
Hange to the leftmost spot. As soon as Hange finished getting on,
she ordered their small squad to start on their way to the Hermiha
District to whatever waited for them there.

The first half an hour was spend in silence. Nick refused to make eye
contact with either of them, whether it was because he was
intimidated or detached, Levi didn't know. Clone Sakura was having
trouble staying awake, with her head lolling back and forth with the
movement of the cart. It wouldn't be long before she fell asleep.

Eren seemed to be in a similar situation, no doubt the after effects of

his titan transformation. Mikasa was looking over both Eren and
Clone Sakura, even though he knew she was aware she was simply
a clone. Her personality, like her older adopted sister's, gravitated
towards overprotection. Whether Sakura had instilled that on Mikasa
or simply nurtured it, Levi didn't know, but it was this
overbearingness that almost got Mikasa killed.

He'd be damned if he didn't admit he admired that sense of duty. Not

many had the strength to protect those they loved, and the ones they
did were just obsessed with getting more power.

The blond boy, Armin, was also silent, but Levi could see that he was
lost in thought. Levi hadn't heard much about Armin except from
what Erwin briefed him earlier before Nile came to interrupt their
discussion with Clone Sakura. He was not as physically endowed as
Mikasa and Eren, but what he lacked in brawn he made up in brain.

"What can we do now?" the blond boy finally said in a despondent

voice. "If Wall Rose has actually been breached, it won't matter if we
deliver him to the front lines… Everything we know… And why do we
have a Wall Priest with us?"

Hange cheerily explained what Nick's purpose was, as well as his

annoying reticence about the origins of the titans inside the walls.
Once she revealed that particular tidbit, Eren woke up from his
stupor and grabbed the Wall Priest by his collar, his eyes showing a
more subdued version of Eren Rage, as he had dubbed it.

"What the hell!" he yelled at the Wall Priest.

Levi noticed from the corner of his eye that Clone Sakura snapped
awake, momentarily confused of her surroundings. Just then Eren
grunted in pain and both Mikasa and Clone Sakura lowered him
gently back to the chair. She placed a hand against Eren's forehead
and it glowed green, visibly alleviating the young soldier's pain, then
sat down next to Levi.

She looked even more tired.

"What in the world?" Nick finally mumbled.

Hange laughed harshly. "You get to keep your secrets, then so will
we," she announced. "But Eren, I wouldn't jump straight to violence.
Pastor Nick wants to see the conditions people are living in right now
to see if it's worth it to spill his secret."
"I still don't get it," Eren said much more calmly. "What could be
worth so much as to not prevent the total extinction of humanity?"

"I won't be the first one to jump to his defense, but Pastor Nick
seems more upstanding than your average citizen. I… I think he
believes there's a cause more important than preventing humanity's
downfall."

The three teenagers' eyes widened at that, then their foreheads

burrowed. They were probably thinking the same question as he
was: what could possibly be more important than humanity's
survival?

Levi motioned at the gas tanks currently resting in the front of the
cart. "I may be out of commission for a little longer, but I still have the
tools to make people talk. And if all else fails and he proves to be a
liability, I'm still strong enough to make people disappear."

His open threat did not do much to affect Nick's facial expression,
but Levi could see the tension in his body. He could also see Hange
playing with what looked like a rock.

"I didn't know you were weird enough to also play with rocks,
Hange," he mentioned.

Hange whipped her head at him and smiled widely. "This isn't a rock!
I secretly salvaged it after the first failed captured in the 57th
Expedition from the Female's Titan crystallized skin."

"It hasn't disappeared?" Armin asked excitedly.

Her smile became an open grin at the enthusiasm of the blond

rookie. "No! No evaporating, no disappearing, no nothing! Incredible!
I had no idea what to do with it besides study its composition until a
few hours ago when the titans were revealed inside the walls. Turns
out, it's almost a perfect match! Meaning that the titans inside the
walls probably crystallized to become its supporting pillars."
"Does that mean that-- Mph!" Armin began enthusiastically only to be
shut up by Hange's hand on top of his mouth.

"Nuh uh! Allow me the honor, Armin! We can't have a repeat of Trost,
right? There's no boulder big enough to close the breach in Wall
Maria. But, if Eren could use his titan-hardening ability, would we be
able to close the breach?"

"Plug the hole… with my body?" Eren whispered.

Hange clenched her hand harder against the rock. "It's something
I've been mulling over, wondering if it's a possibility."

Hange's idea was grand, but it depended on a lot of variables. First,

did Eren even have the power to harden his body? So far, they had
only seen that power in the Female Titan. Second, would his body
be big enough to close the breach? Levi had forgotten the size of the
wall, but it had to be big enough to let all of those fifteen meter tall
titans in. Third, how where they going to get there without huge
casualties?

"I think it's worth a shot," Armin said carefully. "The repeatability of
the procedure is also alluring, since Eren would be able to harden
his body multiple times. The earlier plan to conquer Wall Maria was
to take raw materials to the wall, which requires a lot of staff to build
it and solders' lives to establish supply points along the way. This
approach could take at least twenty years.

If the need for carts is eliminated, we could make a beeline for

Shinganshina. With Eren, twenty years becomes a day."

Levi couldn't help but think of the last six years he had spent in the
Survey Corps, five of those dedicated to the supply chain Armin was
talking about. So many deaths, so much pain, so much hard work, all
to gain a couple hundred meters of ground to get closer to their
destination. And now all of that work would just be undone by one
teenage boy who could plug the wall with one titan body.
Hange placed her fingers against her mouth, pensive. "With a small
enough group, we could get there in no time."

"How about we do it at night?"

"At night?" Hange asked.

"Titans can't move at night! Sure, torchlight at night doesn't illuminate

as much as daylight, but even with slowed speeds a small group can
make it to Wall Maria before dawn."

She looked at the crystallized titan skin in her hand, a worried look
on her face. "We're desperate, but there still seems to be hope."

"Yes, well, this all rests on the gamble that Eren can harden his skin
to plug the wall." Armin turned to look at the black-haired boy with
questioning eyes, who seemed as if he wanted to be invisible at this
moment.

Hange laughed lightly. "Even if we asked, I don't think we would

receive an answer." She sobered up slightly and pushed her glasses
up the bridge of her nose. "But do you think you can do it?"

Eren huffed shakily. "Y-Yeah."

Before Levi could remind him that he didn't have much of a choice,
Clone Sakura quipped, "I'm sure you will be able to. So far,
everything you've done has been based on instinct, right? So,
maybe this will also be with the help of your instinct."

The boy looked visibly calmer after her words of encouragement.

Even if she wasn't the original Sakura, she had some of her qualities
that extended past physical appearance.

"Yeah you're--"

The pink-haired soldier gasped in what appeared to be pain. Levi

looked around to see if there were any wounds but Clone Sakura
looked perfectly healthy. Was she disappearing?
"Sakura!" Mikasa yelled out. "What's wrong?"

Clone Sakura looked down at her hands in worry. "Nothing is wrong

with me, but something's wrong with Sakura. I can feel when she's in
pain, and right now she is."

"Do you know what kind of pain?" Levi asked, trying to keep the
panic from his voice. Had Sakura engaged with Annie? Was she
losing the fight?

She shook her head. "It's internal… I don't know how to describe it. It
seems to have subsided."

"Is she alive?" Hange asked.

"If she dies, I'll disappear immediately. She's fine now, it's no use to
worry."

Even if Clone Sakura tried her best to assuage their worries, nobody
in the cart was buying it. Something was wrong, and they were
heading in that direction right now.

Sakura shivered against the bitter cold as they got closer to the heart
of the Land of Spring. When Itachi had mentioned going on a small
trip, she never considered he would take her closer and closer to the
Land of Spring, which was the Land of Snow at this time. Hence the
current storm they were currently traveling in.

She sneezed violently, attracting the attention of the black-haired

Uchiha. "I believe we can afford a little break," he mentioned, his
voice louder than usual to beat the howling wind.

Sakura sniffled and glared at him. "I've been saying that for the last
hour!"

Itachi ignored her comment and started looking around the place,
hoping to find a refuge. Unfortunately visibility wasn't high, forcing
them to walk further. By now Sakura lost all feeling in her face, and
she was secretly grateful Itachi had recommended to dress warmly
or else she would be freezing in the snow due to hypothermia.

After twenty more minutes of silently trudging through the snow, they
found a stone cave a bit further down the path. Itachi body-flickered
close to it, and Sakura followed hot at his heels, eager to get some
shelter from the bitter winds.

Sakura got both of their sleeping bags from the seal scroll and laid
them on the ground meanwhile Itachi made a fire out with wood he
had stored on a separate seal. He had been a bit more well-
prepared for the winter than Sakura was.

They sat on the hard, cold ground and got some ramen from the
sealing scroll to heat over the fire with a pan she brought. Sakura
placed her hands close to the fire, eager for them to gain some heat.
Ninja seldom wore warming gloves since they slowed down their
seal-making speed. Especially for Itachi and Sakura who specialized
in ninjutsu, every second counted in the fight. Sakura had more
taijutsu experience than her black-haired companion, but she noticed
her punches didn't channel as much chakra while wearing non-ninja
gloves.

This made traveling in the cold more annoying, since their hands had
to be free. She could wear gloves like Kakashi did, but those didn't
really help much in the cold.

"So, what can you tell me about the wolves?" Sakura asked after she
got a cup of ramen for Itachi and then herself. Itachi wasn't much of
a talker. Considering his rather disturbed past, Sakura was surprised
he was even willing to indulge Konoha citizens in conversation. If
she had been forced by her village to kill of her family, she would've
deflected and hated said village forever. But here he was, training
her out of a sense of misplaced guilt.

She was still a bit unnerved in being around his presence. Every
ninja has a couple of screws loose, but Itachi probably has little
screws left to begin with.

Itachi raised his eyes from the burning fire to meet her gaze and took
the bowl. He seemed amused, if Sakura could even say Itachi could
be amused. "Didn't you ask around the village?"

"I did, but not many people knew about them. Considering having a
summoning contract is hard and not inheritable by blood, I can
understand that. It's hard to keep around, and ninja would rather
focus on improving their skills than hunting the world for a
summoning contract."

The only clan in Konoha that could claim to have a "family summon"
was the Sarutobi family, and even then the monkeys were very picky
about which Sarutobi could summon them. The Sandaime had been
akin to a god, so the monkeys lent their service happily. Asuma,
though, hadn't been so lucky in gaining their respect. Right now, no
ninja had access to summon monkeys, which has caused some
unrest in the Sarutobi clan.

"Correct," he replied, pleased with her deduction. He delicately

slurped on his noodles, his clan royalty status showing in making
ramen seem a food for nobles. "And, on most days, I would agree.
But you know why summons are important, especially when you're
outnumbered. But to answer your question, the wolves are an
elusive bunch, so I would've been surprised if someone in Konoha
knew. Though they're not affiliated with one particular village, they
will usually meet candidates in the Land of Snow or in the Land of
Water. They're particularly coveted in the Land of Water for being an
Ice Release summon."

"Ice Release?" she asked after gulping the last of her food. She set
her bowl down, wanting to free her hands.

"The cursed Yuki clan may have fallen out of the graces of the Land
of Water civilians, but the Hidden Mist greatly appreciates that
summon, at least until they can find more Yuki clan members to
recruit."
"How am I supposed to compete with Kiri's prized summon? Would
the wolves even consider a Konoha ninja?"

"They're not affiliated with villages, only talent and a certain

personality. And you are the Godaime's apprentice and a formidable
ninjutsu user. Don't sell yourself short, Sakura."

"Still, it sounds as if I'm going to be rejected outright. I'm not even

sixteen. I don't have an extensive resume of kills or achievements."
What had started out as a conversation to kill time was now killing
her nerves. There's no way she could compete for a contract an
entire village vied over.

To make things worse, Itachi was overly quiet. He finished eating his
food and set his bowl on top of Sakura's, carefully avoiding eye
contact.

"You agree with me?"

"No, not really," he replied nonchalantly.

Sakura's suspicion rose. "How did you even get them interested in
me?" she wondered out loud. "I had Tsunade-shishou's
recommendation to get the slug contract, but you haven't even
signed with the wolves. So how did you get them interested in
someone who's just known for whom her master is?"

"You wouldn't be very happy with me if I told you."

"I'm not happy with you right now so it won't make a difference," she
replied sharply.

He actually smiled ! The nerve of that man! "You will truly be terrible
when you grow up."

"Itachi," she growled, not even bothering with honorifics.

He raised his hands in a placating manner, then lowered them

slowly. "I told them of your origins."
"You told them what?"

"Your family origins."

"That was supposed to be a secret between my family and the

village," she said tightly, trying to control the overwhelming feeling of
betrayal rising in her heart. "We had an agreement!"

"And Konoha respects that. Tsunade-sama respected that

agreement as a Hokage, but as your shishou, she expressed interest
in having you learn Ice Release from the wolves. So when the
negotiation with the first wolf failed for them to meet you, the second
meeting was much more optimistic. They will still test your talent, of
course, and there exists the likely chance that your bloodline isn't
pure enough for this kekkei genkai, but if the wolves are willing to try
so will I."

Sakura still felt incredibly hurt and angry, at both Itachi and her
shishou, but her emotions had to wait. She needed to find out more
information about this breach of intelligence and do some damage
control. "Who told you this?"

"I didn't snoop around your family origins, if that's what you're
implying. Suguru told me, willingly, actually."

" Suguru… told you?" Her brother, her uptight, gifted brother, had
freely given information that could've put her family in danger? Why
would he ever do that? He was an asshole, but he would never do
something like that.

"During our ANBU years, Suguru and I were in the same team. We
had siblings of around the same age, both lauded as geniuses, same
temperament and interests, so it was a matter of time before we
became friends. He once confided in me his disappointment that his
primary affinity wasn't also water so he could use his birthright, and
the rest is history."

"So all this time while you were a missing-nin-"

"He hunted me quite relentlessly for all these years, no doubt to
silence me." Well that explains why Suguru almost never came
around again. First ANBU, next hunting an S-Class missing-nin? "I
never told anyone, of course; my allegiance always lied with Konoha.
Even if I had wanted to, nobody in Akatsuki is interested in obtaining
kekkei genkai."

Sakura had never really put much emphasis in her family's origins.
They had told her once she had graduated from the Academy why
her extended family wasn't around like most families. Her father,
Kizashi, came from the Land of Snow to escape the regime that had
been installed during the Third Shinobi War. Her mother, Mebuki,
came from the Land of Water and had deflected closer to the end of
the war. Both had ties to the Yuki clan, and apparently her
grandmother from her mother's side and a cousin from her dad's
side had been prominent Ice Release users, but they themselves did
not inherit the bloodline.

They had made a deal with Konoha to hide those Yuki ties in
exchange for pledging their allegiance to the new village. Paranoia
was healthy in the shinobi world, and they retired from the forces to
lead civilian lives. They confessed being relieved that Suguru
wouldn't be able to learn Ice Release because he didn't have water
affinity, and though they were worried their daughter might've
inherited the kekkei genkai, nobody in Konoha would be able to
teach her.

In the end, knowing her family origins had always been more for
heritage than actual ninja-related reasons. She wasn't the daughter
of the Yondaime and one of the last Uzumaki in the planet. She
wasn't a member of one of the most feared clans in the world. She
was just Haruno Sakura. Her parents' native homelands did make
her name interesting, though.

Meeting Haku had been interesting. She had been awed at the jutsu
he was able to perform, and had been saddened to find out he had
been killed. But being recognized could've been deadly for her
parents, especially since Haku could've actually done something
about them, so she didn't mention absolutely anything.

But now things had changed. If the wolves expressed interest in her,
she would not only gain another contract, but she would also learn
Ice Release from them, if it was possible. She had been learning
Water Release and Wind Release from both Itachi and Suguru,
respectively, so she had some rather powerful jutsu under her belt.
The rest was in her genetics.

"You seem less mad than what I expected."

"Finding out you and my brother were friends was shocking."

"Were… Yes, that's a good word to describe it. We haven't really

talked yet."

"Did taking me as an apprentice have anything to do with rekindling

that friendship?"

Itachi frowned slightly. "I would be lying if I said that hadn't crossed
my mind, but I also genuinely felt guilty about Sasuke."

"Suguru is indebted towards you. We all are, actually. My brother is

too stubborn to seek you out, but if you do he'll have nowhere to run.
And if he tries just tell him that I'll kick his ass with exploding ice
spears, that'll stop him."

He chuckled lowly. "I see you're already adding Ice Release to your
arsenal. Are you hopeful?"

Sakura shifted and opted to look at the fireplace. "I know my parents
left their home countries to escape persecution and I'm just about to
embrace the very reason why they were persecuted, but I'm excited.
This is something unique to me. In Team 7, it was aways the
jinchuuriki, the Uchiha, and the girl with pink hair. In fights it was
always Rasengan, Chidori, or Shanaro, which was a battlecry I used
when I was younger. I know I'm training to be a medic, but we're not
taught anything flashy and most medics are there because they have
good chakra control, not because they have some special or clan
jutsu…" She looked up after trailing off and blushed. "I must sound
horrible and selfish and--"

Itachi raised a single hand. "Please, Sakura, you're talking to a man

who killed his family." Sakura flinched and averted his gaze. "You're
not horrible or selfish for wanting to be powerful. They're human
emotions. Just don't forget why you're training to get this power."

She looked back at him, her green eyes determined. "Sasuke."

" Konoha," Itachi amended lightly, though he seemed grateful his

brother was such a high priority for her. "Well, we should probably go
to sleep. You'll be meeting the wolves tomorrow."

"Where are we meeting them?"

"I'll show you tomorrow. How about I take the first watch?"

Sakura nodded, grateful. Being so close to the source of heat had

reminded her how tired she was. After she cleaned the dishes, she
bid Itachi a good night and sank deep into her sleeping bag, the
warmth enveloping her like a cocoon and sleep coming to seal the
delicious deal.

In her mind it felt like five minutes when something wet touched her
forehead. She scrunched up her nose and moaned in protest when
something licked her.

Something licked her .

She shot up, almost tripping on her sleeping bag, and pointed a
sharp kunai at a rather weird-looking large snow white wolf. She
looked around for Itachi, but was worried when she couldn't feel his
chakra presence.
"He went back," the wolf explained in a deep voice. There was
something off about his appearance, but at the same time it was
rather similar. "Before you wonder, no, he didn't betray you. This was
just a part of our terms."

"You're here because of the summoning contract."

The weird-looking wolf sat down, revealing a rather muscular torso.

Though its hind legs's paws were normal for a quadruped, its front
legs' paws had opposable thumbs reminiscent of Kurama. or at least
what she had seen of Kurama. "I'm here to--"

"Are you related to the kitsune?" she blurted out, then clamped her
mouth shut.

The wolf's icy blue eyes turned even icier. "Don't mention those wily
fire freaks around our presence." They did look similar, though! She
just had to ask. That explains why they were capable of using Ice
Release. Animals without opposable thumbs could not perform
ninjutsu. " Anyway, I'm here to take you to our home, Kamiki Woods.
We will judge your worthiness there."

"How are we getting there?" She knew that she couldn't be reverse
summoned there because she didn't have a contract with them.
When she had gone to the Shikkotsu Forest, Tsunade had taken her
there.

The wolf extended his right front paw (hand?). "I'll take you there,
Haruno Sakura. Ah, yes, I'm called Baku, the Seventh One."

"Seventh One?"

Baku sighed and gestured at his right paw. "We will explain pack
dynamics if you're inducted to the pack. Now, take my paw."

Sakura did, trying to mask her apprehension and succeeding rather

admirably. The feeling of being transported could only be described
as weird. She wasn't moving at high speeds like she did in her body-
flicker. Instead she felt as she was being compressed then
expanded, but not painfully.

Once the feeling was over she realized she was standing on soft
grass. There were some scattered trees here and there, but for the
most part Kamiki Woods was devoid of trees. The shrubs were
rather small and the ground was scattered with snow, but the giant
snow-capped mountains in the distance were awe-inspiring and
beautiful. She was surprised anything could grow in this bitter cold.

"Welcome to Kamiki Woods," Baku said with pride. We'll take you to
meet our leader as soon as the second applicant comes."

"Second applicant?"

"We keep these matters confidential, but now that you're here in
Kamiki Woods, I'm allowed to tell you. We don't test potential
summoners individually. Our summoning contract places emphasis
on pack structure, and that requires cooperation amongst members.
In a pack, you either fail or succeed together, so for our applicants,
you either fail or succeed together."

"What if it's an enemy ninja?" Sakura asked. Itachi probably hadn't

known this was going to happen. If there is another enemy ninja
around, she will refuse to learn Ice Release or even mention that she
could learn it. What a waste of time.

Baku shook his head. "Bah! Your politics don't concern us. As long
as you're in Kamiki you will be fine. If the other ninja attacks you, we
will immediately banish them. If you attack the other ninja, we banish
you, simple as that."

"Does that mean the defending ninja also gets kicked out?"

"We don't banish you; we fail you. You can try again at a later time."

"Even if I didn't do anything wrong? Even if I was attacked?"

"Packs have arguments all the time. Sometimes we fight between
us. But we never go with the aim to kill or pack members. If you can't
have a cordial relationship with your partner, it will never work out. If
you can't even look at each other without fighting, it won't work out."

"How many people have passed this test?"

"Not many, maybe six in the last ten years," Baku admitted, amused.
"We don't place limits on the number of people that can have our
contract. But we don't make our test easy. And ninja don't really
know how to work together, especially if they're from different
villages."

Great, she was definitely getting a ninja from another village unless
Itachi pulls one out of his ass and reveals he is also vying for that
sweet wolf contract.

A puff of smoke appeared a couple of feet away, revealing a wolf

similar looking to Baku along with a tall, black haired man. Though
he wore a Kiri headband, his dark eye was amicable. The terrifying
part was that half of his face was deformed, as if wrinkled.
Interestingly, he wore an eyepatch over his left eye, even though that
side of his face was smooth as butter, at least compared to his right
side.

Who the hell was he?

"Hello, I'm Tomi, nice to meet--"

YOU BASTARD!

5 hours after Annie's Escape

Before even waking up Sakura felt her entire body burning up. Not
only was the heat uncomfortable, but she felt as if a foreign body
was invading her. Sakura shot up from the bed, the sensation too
perturbing to remain asleep. Much to her surprise, her body wasn't
sweating, so it wasn't a fever. Instead her chakra felt oversaturated
and hot, as if someone was pumping burning chakra into her.

Sakura growled and looked around the dark room, but she was
alone and nothing in the room would help alleviate her chakra pain.
She tried to channel chakra to her hand like she had done numerous
times before, but instead of the cool green healing chakra appearing
uniformly throughout her hands, angry red chakra burst through.
uncontrolled. She yelped in pain and immediately stopped
channeling chakra in her palms, but now she had nasty burns that
actually hurt her body.

Why would her chakra hurt her? Was this because she had pushed
herself too much yesterday?

No, she had pushed herself before, almost reaching chakra

exhaustion, but the next day nothing like this had happened. There
was something seriously wrong with her. It seemed that sleep was a
catalyst for all the weird body changes she's had. She woke up in
that forest with the ability to perform healing chakra. That chakra
rhombus that sat on top of her left breast appeared literally
overnight. Now her chakra control was haywire and a foreign chakra
was trying to hurt her.

And the feeling that she was dreaming something very important just
serves to remind her she has no idea who she is and what her
purpose in this world is. True, right now she felt she had to protect
her precious people above all costs, but her whole person was a
mystery to everyone and herself. There was something very wrong,
but with nothing but intuition to guide this feeling, she would just be
running around in circles.

As far as she was concerned, using chakra was out, unless she
wanted to burn herself alive. Sakura stomped her foot and yelled in
frustration into the silent night. Out of all the times for her chakra to
go haywire, it had to be while she was pursuing a group of ninja
titan-shifters by herself. Oh, she was still a damned good titan-killer,
but the field was uneven now if the Armored Titan and the Colossal
Titan chose to engage her in a ninja fight. Even if they fought in their
titan forms, she was still at a very distinct disadvantage unless she
fought with a talented group.

Sakura put on yesterday's uniform, pointedly trying to ignore the

smell, then assembled her 3DMG. After pursuing a ninja for almost
five hours, she couldn't ignore that her body wouldn't smell so great.
That might actually attract titans or ninjas with very good senses of
smell, and right now she had to remain stealthy.

She took an oil lamp and left one of the many bedrooms in the
destroyed house. Whoever had lived here had good taste in
furniture; sad that the fight had left it in such a bad shape.

She rummaged the house for food, water, and gas for her tanks,
pleased to find the Survey Corps soldiers left plenty for her. She
frowned, sniffed her uniform, then scrunched her nose. Yeah, that
wouldn't fly by her standards. She found the women's wing and took
two pairs of shirts and pants. One pair she put on, the light green
shirt replacing her trademark white shirt, and the other pair she
stored in the bag. She took a rather big Survey Corps jacket and an
even bigger Survey Corps cloak. Though the clothes reinforced how
small she was, she enjoyed how free her limbs felt. Maybe she
should ask for bigger uniforms in the future.

An envelope fell from her old jacket and Sakura almost hit herself for
her stupidity. The envelope was addressed to her and the
handwriting was Petra's. She still clearly remembered the day she
received this letter, the embarrassing day she had displayed her full
grief in front of Levi. Petra's dad had said these were her last words,
but Sakura didn't have the heart to read it just yet. A part of her felt
her greatest weakness was found in the words etched in the paper
inside the envelope. If she read them she would only open the gates
to the intense grief she still kept at bay.

But she'd be damned if she forgot such an important letter out here.
She unbuttoned her shirt and squeezed the letter inside her chest
bindings. There was no safe place to carry belongings in their
uniforms considering the impressive pirouettes they made, but her
chest bindings constricted enough that even a letter would not slip
out. Sure, it'll get sweaty and gross, but at least she won't lose it.

There were only two horses left in the stable. One whinnied as soon
as it saw her, and that's the one she chose. It was a rather young
mare with a beautiful black coat reminiscent of Isabel's, Levi's horse.
Though she and Levi had never really gotten along, Haruto and
Isabel were best pals. The veterinarian had even recommended to
breed them soon, since they would produce powerful young. Levi
had staunchly refused, which had been weirdly cute to witness,
especially when he listed his reasons at the rather confused vet.
There weren't really any good reasons why not except for Levi being
attached to Isabel and not wanting to go on a mission without her.

She admitted to herself his loyalty to his horse had been cute.

Sakura grabbed a nearby torch and mounted the mare, currently

nameless, and set them after the trail of hoof prints on the ground.
The prints would no doubt lead her to where the Survey Corps
members were, though she didn't know how well she could follow
the trail in the dark. She was content with the three hours of sleep,
knowing it wasn't safe for her to travel in the daylight, but the tracks
weren't as visible from atop a horse's back.

The Survey Corps members were smart enough to split up, probably
to gather more intel about the titan appearances. Unfortunately for
Sakura, she didn't have the time to follow all of the trails, so she
chose the one heading south, and hoped that the trail would remain
fresh enough to see in the torch-illuminated. This would've been
easier in the morning, with daylight, and a full night's rest.

But there was no other time for her to follow the trail. Knowing Erwin,
he would want to leave Wall Sina as soon as news of this got
through. If the Wall Sina task force got to wherever the rookies
where before her, there would be no way she could successfully
flush out the ninja titan-shifters. She wasn't sure to what extent her
revelation had affected their perception of her loyalty, but she had a
feeling neither Erwin nor Levi would just let her do as she wished
right now.

She truly hoped they would be able to understand with time. She
was willing to work very hard to prove her loyalty, but that was only
possible if given a chance. Erwin would come around sooner or later
once he realized what a huge asset she was, but Levi was pickier.
He didn't have to work with her if he didn't want to, and Erwin
couldn't force him either.

If Mikasa had followed her orders, both Levi and Erwin knew what
her powers entailed, and they would no doubt think about all the
times she could've changed the tide of battle. They wouldn't
understand how uninterested she was in helping their cause while at
the same time go through the impossible to keep the people she
loved safe. And there was no excuse for that, Sakura knew that, but
she wanted at least another chance to prove herself.

This time around, she would use all of her strength to achieve the
Survey Corps's goals, not only hers.

Makimi (she would've been a fool to not name her horse this) trotted
in the night, never complaining about the random stops Sakura
made to make sure they were still on the right path. If only she could
use chakra to enhance her eyesight, she wouldn't be wasting so
much time in something so easy. The torch didn't have a high
illuminating radius.

But the more she traveled, the clearer the hoof prints got. Judging by
the freshness, the Survey Corps members weren't going full speed,
understandably so to avoid drawing the titans' attentions. Luckily for
her, she could still feel the presence of titans, and her sensing radius
was clear as it ever could be. She increased Makimi's trot to a
gallop, confident she could afford this speed.

The night started getting less cloudy, allowing the moon to illuminate
the path ahead. Sakura noticed that the hoof prints she was
following met with even more hoof prints, then headed a bit north.
She frowned slightly in confusion then looked up from the path to
see what could've made them change their course, only to find a
castle bathed in moonlight.

"I think we found them," Sakura told Makimi and caressed her side.
"Just a little bit more, girl."

Sakura went at full speed towards the castle, eager to finally see
people. She tied Makimi in the stable with the other horses, and her
excitement grew, because this confirmed the Survey Corps members
were here.

The castle was more brick than castle, considering it was partly
destroyed. She could feel the soldiers' chakra presences quite
clearly now, but she was in no rush now to find them. In her
excitement, she had forgotten to think of a good reason to have
followed them all the way to this place. Luckily, considering her titan
sensing abilities, she found an excuse quite easily.

She opened the door in one of the towers and headed inside. She
heard the chatter of the soldiers, unaware of her presence, and she
decided for their sakes to change that. "Hello?"

The conversation immediately died down. She continued walking

towards the light and heard two sets of footsteps coming her way.

"Sakura?" Nanaba exclaimed in surprise.

Gelgar appeared shortly after. "What are you doing?" he asked,

devoid of any suspicion. Unlike Nanaba, Sakura had been in the
same squad as Gelgar for a while, back when she was in Erwin's
personal team. That will come in handy now.

"Can I talk to you two outside?"

They looked at each other for a moment and nodded. Another

soldier with light brown hair ran out of the main room. Nanaba turned
towards him and said, "We'll step out for a little bit, Henning? Watch
over the rookies."

Henning saluted and headed back. Sakura noticed that whatever

conversation had been going on before her arrival was now dead.

The three Survey Corps soldiers went outside. The night was dark,
but her torchlight helped with that. She set her torch in a nearby
torch holder and turned towards the two soldiers.

"What are you doing here?" Nanaba asked before Sakura could say
anything. "What happened in Wall Sina?"

"I don't know. Erwin sent me to you guys to see if I could use my
powers to detect the titan-shifters," Sakura lied. She felt bad about
doing this with her teammates, but there was no way they would
accept her otherwise, especially with the winds of treachery blowing
so hard. "Captain Levi's leg was better the day of the operation so
my presence wasn't required. But the place where you guys were
supposed to be was infested with titans."

"Yes, titans have been sighted inside Wall Rose," Nanaba said. "My
team and I tried to find a possible breach but we couldn't find any."

"Same with us," Gelgar continued. "Though we stopped in Ragako, a

village north from here, and were surprised to find titans in there,
though one was so deformed it couldn't even get up."

"So how did it get there?" Sakura asked.

Gelgar frowned. "Exactly. We don't know either. And the town had
absolutely no clues as to how that happened. Anyway, my team
didn't find any possible breaches as well. So if there's any breach in
Wall Rose, it wasn't from this side."

"Even though the titans were sighted by you first."

"And Ragako. Though the village had no survivors."

So even the Survey Corps soldiers were uncertain how the titans
had gotten inside. Without a breach anywhere nearby, how could've
they gotten from the north Rose to south Rose, if a breach did exist?
They would've been sighted a long time ago.

"You mentioned going to the original spot, right?" Nanaba continued,

interrupting her thoughts. "Have you seen Mike?"

Sakura cringed. "Mike is dead."

"What!" both of them exclaimed at the same time.

"How is that possible?" Gelgar asked. "He was one of the best we
ever had. He couldn't have been beaten by those titans."

"I would usually agree, but I found a patch of grass with limbs and
blond hair. I assumed it was him because his hair is darker than
yours, Nanaba, and now that I hear that you don't know where he is,
it just confirmed what I thought."

Nanaba grimaced and looked down. "I still can't believe it," she
whispered shakily.

Gelgar, though still upset about the news, didn't look heartbroken like
Nanaba did. "And how did you find us so quickly?"

"I followed the trail," she admitted. "I guess it was a lucky break I
followed a simple one that took me almost immediately here."

"You followed mine, then," Nanaba said, her voice slightly better.
"Well, I can't say I'm happy with the news you bring, but I'm happy
you're here. A titan sensor will do us well in these uncertain times."

"Yes, I'll most definitely help you out. I'll also need your help."

"What do you need?" Gelgar asked, his eyes determined.

"I'm going to lie to the rookies and tell them that Annie was captured
and is currently being interrogated for names," she said. "It'll be hard,
because nobody knew that we suspected her of being a titan-shifter,
but I need you to be in the lookout for suspicious reactions."

"I thought you could sense titan-shifters," Nanaba mentioned.

"That's what Erwin and I thought but in all this time I've been
standing here, I don't feel anything out of the ordinary."

Gelgar nodded in understanding. "So you want to flush them out."

"Yeah, and if they don't really say anything interesting, I'll stick
around and see what kind of information I can gather. Are all the
suspicious rookies in this castle?"

"No," Gelgar said. "We're missing a girl, Sasha Brauss. We're unsure
if she's alive."

"So there's five out of six rookies here. Well, those are better odds
than what I thought. If the initial plan fails, I'll just introduce myself to
them and mingle. It'll give me a better glance of their personalities
and hopefully I'll be able to see if they're suspicious."

"So far, none of them have been suspicious. They've followed orders
and seem just as shocked about everything that's going on as us,"
Nanaba said rather bitterly.

Sakura would share her same negativity if she weren't a ninja. Even
if she can't use her chakra, she has very keen observational skills.
The only problem with her plan is that the titan-shifters most
definitely knew she was a ninja meanwhile she didn't. That put her in
a certain disadvantage, but she was dealing with fifteen-year-old
kids. Something will eventually slip up.

"We'll just have to hope we get a lucky break, then," Sakura said
grimly. "Well, are you guys ready?"

Both of them nodded and the three veterans headed back to where
the rookies and the other soldiers were. The young soldiers were
silently sitting, simply gazing at the fireplace that sat in the middle of
the room, but their attention was immediately drawn towards the
pink-haired member of their army.

Sakura straightened her back and observed each of them. She

recognized a couple of faces, but they were all strangers to her.
There were two girls, one of them a pretty blonde with bright blue
eyes and the other a tall brunette with freckles and dark, suspicious
eyes. The rest of the rookies were guys. The blond was quite built
and almost looked like an adult from his facial features. The brunet
was taller than all of them by a large margin and had dark features.
The shortest one of the bunch was a bald kid who looked worse for
wear.

"My name is Sakura Ackerman." Her last name immediately made

them all stiffen. "Yes, I'm Mikasa Ackerman's sister. I'm here to let
you know that the Female Titan has been captured and her identity
as Annie Leonhard has been revealed."

All of the rookies let out a shocked yell. The titan-shifters were quite
good at playing innocent, she had to hand it to them.

"Annie was the Female Titan?" the bald kid remarked. "But why?
How?"

"We're currently trying to find out those questions," Sakura

explained. "We're hoping she'll give out the names of her comrades
soon enough."

"Comrades?" the blonde girl asked.

Sakura smirked menacingly. "Why, the Armored Titan and the

Colossal Titan, of course. Once she reveals the names, you will all
be cleared of suspicion." At that, all of the soldiers in the room were
quiet, even the rookies. In fact, they seemed a bit hurt. "You must've
realized a long time ago why you're here. Don't take it the wrong
way, though. Commander Erwin doesn't take chances, and this will
not negatively impact any of you. In fact, we have little reason to
doubt all of you, considering you gave it your all during the 57th
Expedition."

"So what are you doing here?" the brunette with the suspicious eyes
asked.

Sakura looked at Nanaba and Gelgar, silently asking if they had

seen anything that warranted an arrest, but they both shook their
heads dejectedly. So her plan had failed, but she had never
expected it to work to begin with. If it did, then her opponents weren't
even worthy of rivaling her strength.

"I'm here to get to know all of you better," Sakura admitted. "The
faster I can lay Commander Erwin's doubts to rest, the faster we can
deal with this titan problem."

"You don't really us to confide in you," the brunette continued. "How

can we be ourselves when you're looking for reasons to suspect
us?"

"I'm an optimist." A lie, but they didn't need to know that. "I'd like to
believe that none of you helped Annie Leonhard in decimating our
squad. You're all kids in my eyes, my sisters age, and though I won't
see you're naive, I want to believe you're innocent." Sakura looked
straight at the brunette girl, who still looked suspicious. Sakura
wasn't the best speaker, after all. "What's your name?"

"Ymir," she answered.

"What about you?" she asked the blonde girl sitting next to her.

"Krista," the girl answered a bit meekly.

Sakura just looked at the blond boy. "Reiner."

"Bertholdt," the dark-haired one said.

"Connie."
Sakura nodded at each of them. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you
all. We've all had quite the day, so we'll end today and start again
tomorrow. Good night."

None of the rookies said anything back. Not that she expected them
to; she had cracked down hard on them after all. The brunette, Ymir,
had given her a hard time but considering the hard time she was
going to give them tomorrow there was nothing to worry about.

She went up the stairs into the roof, content to be under the clouded
night sky. She hadn't gotten much sleep, but there was no way she
could sleep safely around two potential ninjas. And they were good
ones, because they had masked their chakra to normal civilian levels
even before she got there. They must be doing it unconsciously by
now, something she should've done a long time ago.

Sakura just would've never assumed there were more ninjas inside
the walls, but jokes on her for never expecting the unexpected.

Now that she was alone, she felt bad she had so blatantly lied to
everyone, and was a bit alarmed at the ease she did it with. Was she
so used to lying that it had become second nature to her? Besides
Mikasa and possibly Eren, was there anyone in the Survey Corps
who actually knew who she was, not who she claimed to be?

Instead of moping around, she should plan her strategy to follow

Annie. The trail was very cold by now, but she had a feeling either
the Armored Titan or the Colossal Titan would lead her to Annie
eventually. The problem was time. The Survey Corps would no doubt
ground her for a while because of the blatant lying she did. Also, it
probably didn't look good that she shared powers with Annie, a
known traitor. Her Plan A would be to continue tracking Annie, and
hopefully her capture would win back the Survey Corps's trust. Plan
B would be more complicated, since it meant working with the
Survey Corps and winning back their trust slowly.

And that was when she felt it. The horrid chakra of titans
approaching their location with incredible speed. How was that
possible? Titans weren't supposed to be able to move at night! There
was barely any moonlight too!

Sakura ran back inside the castle and went halfway done the stairs.
"Everyone! Everyone go back up to the roof! Titans are going to
surround us!"

Titans were coming, and nobody would be able to fight them.

Since this is an AU of the Naruto world, the Ice Release

shouldn't be too outrageous, considering I also hinted her two
main chakra natures and when mixed they make Ice. However, I
feel the need to warrant this change by saying that Sakura's
enemies only get stronger, and the tides are already against her.
I always lamented how much weaker she was compared to her
teammates. And sure, Naruto was a lot about Naruto and
Sasuke's friendship, and thus having both of them be OP was
necessary. But even Kakashi was OP at times, meanwhile
Sakura could only punch, heal people, regenerate, and cry.

For a main female lead, her powers left a lot to be desired. So I

used fanfiction powers to change that.

As for the other weirdness of the chapter, all will be explained,

completely, no worries. I didn't pull that out of my ass, even if it
seems like it.

The Clash of Titans Arc has a really weird timeline that's hard to
explain, so I'll post the timeline once all the spoilers are done
with. To the manga-readers, bear with me through Levi's POV. I
add my twists here and there, but I have to put some of the SnK
plot to make some sense of what's going on.

Like always, thank you so much to everyone who reviews,

favorites, follows, reads and loves this story! That's all of the
fuel I need. I started this story 2 years ago and I would've never
known it would turn out like this. So thanks again for your
continued support!

I love you all and see you next chapter!

Litgard
Sakura bolted up the stairs, not even waiting to see if the soldiers
would follow her up. Her heart rate was erratic, two beats per stair,
as she tried to think of a way to fight the titans in this darkness. Even
she, the supposed saving grace of this group, was as normal as the
soldier next to her thanks to her chakra handicap. Was this terror
what every soldier felt before confronting titans? Did insidious
thoughts of all the horrible ways to die cross the minds of all of her
comrades? If she moved a little to the left, will a titan catch her? If
she was a bit fast, or a bit slow, would she meet her end at the
gaping maw of a humanoid monster?

That every second could be her last was terrorizing, not exhilarating.
How did they all do it? Why was Petra happy to be in the Special
Operations Squad? Why did Gunter joke while they were out in the
field? How could Eld realistically plan for a life beyond the Survey
Corps? Why had Oluo given his spot in the Military Police? Why
would Erwin dedicate his life to a lost cause? How could Levi let
himself grow closer to dead men walking? The only sane ones in the
Survey Corps appeared to be Hange and her entourage. The more
they knew about titans, the better she would feel. Even then, all of
their work seemed for naught if no soldier was alive to do something
about it.

Luckily, the darkness hid her fledgling eyes from her teammates.
She could almost smell the fear in the air, almost as strong as the
feeling of that horrid chakra caressing her skin like a knife ready to
cut her.

She heard someone draw in a breath next to her. "Are you sure,
Sakura?" Nanaba whispered, a noticeable waver in her voice.

Sakura licked her lips and tried to swallow saliva, only to find her
mouth was impossibly dry. She hadn't had anything to drink in the
last couple of hours. Nothing to eat since she left the cottage, either.
"Yes," she murmured back, sounding much more confident than
what she felt. "They're here."

Just then, the clouds moved away from the full moon, illuminating
the empty fields surrounding Castle Utgard. Well, she hoped they
had been empty, but they were surrounded by ten titans. The naked
eye would've said seven, but Sakura could sense others hiding close
to the walls, not visible from their vantage point in the tower.

"How can they move in the dark!" a soldier exclaimed. "It's been
hours after sunset!"

"Some are even climbing the walls," the other soldier, a woman with
brown-hair, moaned. Pity they had never been properly introduced.

"W-What is that?" the bald recruit, Connie, breathed in horror.

Sakura looked at the direction he pointed and almost fainted at the

sight of a giant titan. But he wasn't a normal titan by any means. Its
entire body was covered in fur, and the side profile of its face
reminded her of an ape. It was around sixteen to eighteen meters
tall, with long arms that reached its knees, making it looked
deformed.

But that wasn't what made this titan the most terrifying thing Sakura
had encountered. It would've been too easy if its enormous height
and weird appearance were the only things marking it as different.

If she focused her chakra sense, she could feel no horrid chakra
coming from the ape titan, only a human one.

Titan-shifter.

Another one.

By some stroke of luck, the titan didn't seemed focused on them,

however. It carried on towards the wall, as if their presence didn't
deign its attention. For once, Sakura was all too glad she'd had an
encounter with Annie. Ever since she figured out there were others
in the world that could also sense chakra, she kept hers tightly coiled
around her. This titan-shifter could very well be another ninja for all
she knew, and if they were then they were all doomed.

"An aberrant?" Gelgar asked.

Should she correct him? Everybody knew she could sense titans,
yes, but she'd never mentioned sensing humans. Plus, she had just
confirmed to Gelgar and Nanaba that she could not sense titan-
shifters. It would make her seem untrustworthy if she flipped
positions and started saying things like this.

No, she would add this to her collection of secrets, yet another kunai
pointed directly at her heart.

"It doesn't seem interested in us," Nanaba continued.

Just then the tower shook. Sakura managed to keep her balance
better than most, but without the help of chakra she wobbled a bit.
Gelgar leaned down from the tower to the source of the shaking and
cursed. "Fuck, seriously! Why are they attacking through the door!"

Nanaba's eyes hardened. "All right, rookies, stay here. You're a

burden without 3DMG. From now on, this is our job."

The five rookies seemed shocked, but they had no choice but to
stand there and nod. Sakura almost felt pity for them until she
remembered two could possibly be titan-shifters.

"Let's go," Nanaba ordered.

Sakura then understood why she was such an effective squad

leader. Nanaba didn't have Hange eccentricities, or Levi's talent, or
Mike's power, or Erwin's intellect, but she easily commanded an
immense respect that made people move first, ask questions after
the battle was long over. Such self-assuredness not only came from
skill, like other squad leaders, but also from her discipline. Nanaba
was like any other soldier, only that she made it after years and
years of training.

She was an attainable role model in a military faction where all the
squad leaders almost seemed protected by divine will.

Except Mike, but Sakura had a sneaking suspicion his death had
been something not even Warrior Maria could have been able to
prevent.

The incapacitated ninja followed after her four comrades, swords

unsheathed and ready to taste titan blood. Fortunately, Sakura had
never relied on her chakra to fight titans. All of her talent had been
her own, honed after who knows how many years of ninja training.
She also had to thank Levi for teaching her to not rely on a partner,
or this fight might've been awkward. Gelgar and Nanaba and the
other pair of soldiers fought in sync, while she would've just ruined
their deadly choreography.

Sakura stationed herself in front of the door that titans had previously
tried to go through and started killing any titan that tried to go
through it. These titans were more intelligent than the rest. They
could not all be aberrants, right? The chances of that happening by
pure luck were astronomically low. Did the ape titan have anything to
do with that?

Two titans attacked the door at the same time, and while Sakura
made quick work of one, the other easily broke through the remains
of the door and entered while she was occupied. Sakura let out a
harsh curse and called out to her comrades, "A titan broke through!
I'll try to go after it, but just in case I fail, tell the rookies to go after it!"

She didn't bother to wait to see if they'd heard her; she had no time
to waste. She crept inside the building as quietly as she humanly
could, though without the help of chakra, the work was much
messier, but still better than anyone she knew. They were in a
cramped space, meaning the titan must've been small to come
inside. Still, that meant 3DMG was out of the question.
Just then a splitting headache ripped her head open, and she bit her
lips harshly to stifle a moan. She put the back of her hand against
her forehead, careful to not cut her skin with her sharp blade. Just
when she thought the headache subsided, a new one thundered
through, black spots invading her vision. Out of all the times for her
body to act up, this had to be the best time!

The hand against her face felt cool, which shouldn't be possible
since her whole body is at the same body temperature, but her body
felt chilly, and her knees started getting weaker. Sakura lowered her
hand from her forehead and shook her head roughly, as if the motion
was going to make her headache disappear, for she had a mission
and the team relied on her. At least it didn't make it worse.

Sakura pressed forward, determined to get to the titan before it could

destroy the tower. To distract her from the pain in her head and the
weakness of her body, she forced herself to think happy memories,
like the time Eren first laughed in front of her. The first couple of
weeks after their arrival at the Jaeger household, Sakura had been a
block of ice, brittle but hard to stand close to. It didn't help that
Mikasa was completely smitten with her savior, spending her time
between mourning her parents and following Eren as he introduced
every nook and cranny of Shiganshina to her.

So when Eren had accidentally bumped into her one afternoon after
exploring, letting out the most pathetic "eep!" in existence before
hiding behind Mikasa, what else could she do but laugh? Eren at first
nervously chuckled, unsure as if this was a prelude to something
deadly, but when he realized Sakura was genuinely amused, his
features morphed into one of pure happiness and he laughed with
charm only a boy his age could manage.

She thought about the day she had visited her wards a year ago in
the cabin she had rented and Armin had showed her a book he had
kept with him since the Fall of Shiganshina. He showed her pictures
and descriptions of places she didn't even dream possible: water as
far as the eye could see called the ocean, lands filled with snow all
year round, pointed land structures called mountains that reached
the skies, places without land or water, but filled with something
called sand.

"The world is huge!" Armin had exclaimed without taking his eyes off
the pictures. "There are still so many things we don't know." He
closed the book and looked at her with hopeful blue eyes. "I'm sure
that somewhere out there we'll find truth about the origins, and we'll
be with you every step of the way."

Even though her body felt impossibly weak, her mind forced every
single fiber of her being to carry forward. She couldn't die here.
There was still so much to do, so much to see. She only needed to
kill one titan, one titan, to buy her a couple more hours. Maybe then
she would recover and finally figure out what was happening to her.

She heard a commotion ahead of her. The rookies, Sakura realized.

They had gotten there before her, and they didn't sound in pain or
alarmed, so perhaps they had beaten the titan.

Before she could so much as breathe, she felt the horrid chakra of a
titan behind her. She cursed herself for reminiscing silly memories
instead of paying attention and added another curse at her body for
being so weak.

Sakura turned around and weighed her options. Being in front of the
titan had the distinct disadvantage of being at the opposite side of its
nape. She would have to slip between its legs, cut the flesh at its
calves, pray that it does't fall behind, then cut its nape. Oh, and all of
it without the help of her 3DMG or chakra.

The titan's footsteps were almost impossible to hear over the voices
of the rookies behind her, but this also meant that the titan couldn't
hear her. At least she could sense where it was, meanwhile the titan
had no such luck. It probably thought the only humans inside were
the ones making all the noise.

She inhaled briefly then ran towards the titan, confident the rookies
loud voices masked her advance. In the darkness of the hallway she
had to rely on her ninja senses, and they proved her true when she
passed two long pairs of legs. She turned around and slashed the
titan's calves deeply. The beast lost its balance and in its momentum
fell forward, shaking the ground slightly when it hit the ground.

The worst headache she had ever felt left Sakura breathless. She let
out a small yell of pain, letting her blades hang in the air, sustained
by the 3DMG. She clutched her head and leaned forward. It felt as if
there was something beating her up from the inside, punting her
brain, stomping her cranium, jumping up and down.

In the throes of her pain she saw the titan move around, and knew
that if she didn't do something soon she would soon be inside the
belly of the titan. She jumped on the titan's back and ran towards the
nape. With a pained yell, she slashed deeply with killer precision,
and soon the titan was no more.

Sakura just wanted to lay down and cry from the pain, but she
needed to retreat. She wasn't sure from where inside her she
mustered the power to keep moving to the end of the hallway, but
she was just grateful she found the will to continue.

As soon as she stepped over the titan the willpower left her body and
she fell, only to be caught by small delicate hands.

"Uhm!" the blonde girl --Krista?-- yelped in surprise. "H-Help!"

The rational side of her brain screamed at her for allowing herself to
be touched by a potential enemy, but the majority of her brain was
just happy to finally be safe. She closed her eyes in the hopes that it
would alleviate the dark spots in her vision, and though it did help
make her feel a bit better, she still felt utterly miserable and helpless.

"She's burning up!" a voice said. Male. Deep. Reiner, was it?

Sakura let out a shuddering breath.

"What do we do?" another male voice asked. Sounded younger.
Connie, maybe?

"Stop standing around like idiots and lay her down," a female voice
said with no small amounts of sarcasm. Had Sakura not felt like a
sack of shit, she would've laughed. There was no doubt that was
Ymir. "Bert, help me close the door will you?"

She felt her arms wrap around two distinct shoulders, and the two
people carried her somewhere, she didn't know where. She only
knew the floor was incredibly cold, though she could feel the gentle
lick of flames nearby. She sought the fire, needed fire. Fire was her
friend. Fire would help.

"Dammit, isn't she one of the best soldiers in the Survey Corps?" a
voice whispered in fright. Sakura had to focus intensely on the voice
lest she lose herself to her pain.

"Yeah," another voice replied in the same intensity. "One of the most
talented titan killers in history."

"Survived the Female Titan."

Sakura grit her teeth both in pain and to prevent the clatter of her
teeth. Why was this happening right now? What was going on? With
every thunder in her head she could fill her body filling up with
chakra, but it wasn't hers. The chakra didn't feel violent, but it was
foreign, and that meant that her own chakra didn't like it. They
warred inside of her, fire and ice, neither wanting to give control of
her body.

"And she's out of commission," a voice deadpanned. "That means

that our lives are entrusted in our commanding officers." The same
voice whistled. "But look at that! The soldiers of the Survey Corps
surely are in another level. Those four are actually holding their own
against them."

"They practice more than anyone else."

Sakura could feel the headache wane a bit after listening to their
conversations. She licked her lips, her thirst coming back tenfold
now that her mind could focus on other things. "W-Water," she
croaked and opened her eyes blearily. The warm light of the fire
didn't hurt eyes, so she risked opening them a bit further.

Krista scrambled from her spot next to her and disappeared from
Sakura's sight, only to come mere seconds later with a brown
canteen. She gingerly picked Sakura's head and slowly tipped the
canteen towards Sakura's lips. The water was cool and refreshing, a
small pleasure in the midst of her pain.

"Thank you," Sakura whispered. The headache seemed to abate, so

she used her elbows to get up and scanned the room. All the rookies
in the room were looking at her with a mixture of fright, concern, and
wariness. She had talked about flushing the traitors out from her
midst, so perhaps she shouldn't expect the warmest of welcomes.
Plus that she was out of the fight like some kind of green soldier
didn't make things better.

"Are you sure you should be getting up?" Reiner asked.

A crash from above made everyone tense in surprise and stress.

Sakura scrambled up, causing her headache to spike in intensity, but
she tried her best to overlook it, even if she was failing rather
miserably. She trailed behind the rookies as they hurried up the
stairs, intent to find out the commotion.

They arrived at the top of the tower quickly. Gelgar and Nanaba were
crouched over the two other soldiers, blood pooling around their
bodies.

"What happened here?" Connie exclaimed.

Nanaba answered quietly, "They both died instantly, crushed by a

boulder."

"Careful, it came from the direction the wall."

The wall? "Wasn't…" she croaked, then cleared her throat.

The sound of her pitiful voice attracted the attention of her two
comrades. "Sakura! What happened!" Nanaba yelled. She was
immediately upon her, inspecting her face with concerned blue eyes.
"Your skin is pale and you're sweating. Are you sick?"

"I… I don't know," she replied in the same small voice.

"Fuck," Gelgar said softly. "You can't fight like that!"

Connie pointed at the woods. "There are more titans coming! More
than twice the amount as before!"

"What?"

"This is suspicious," Nanaba muttered. "They're acting as if there's

some kind of plan."

"That's never happened before," Sakura said, her voice regaining

some strength. "The only difference this time is the ape titan."

"Yeah," Connie continued. "He was also walking towards the wall
last time we saw it. It probably had something to do with the
boulder."

"Sakura, stay with the rookies. We'll try to take care of things here."

"I'm sorry, Squad Leader Nanaba, but I cannot stay here. I'll fight."

Nanaba shook her head. "You can barely stand, Sakura. I appreciate
your valor and your fighting spirit, but Commander Erwin would
never forgive me if I wasted one of our most precious soldiers on a
suicide mission."

Sakura almost winced. She wasn't sure what the Survey Corps had
decided about her powers, but she knew it wasn't anything good.
Still, now that the headache had receded, she could at least prove
her worth one more time.
"Let her," Gelgar said, resolute. "We fought together in her rookie
years, Squad Leader Nanaba. Her skills are no joke. Plus I'm
already used to watching after her."

Gelgar winked at her, hoping to draw one of the annoyed reactions

he used to get in the beginning, but Sakura only smirked and shook
her head slightly.

The sound of titans approaching dispelled the rather amicable mood.

"Fine," Nanaba declared. "But if you feel ill again come back here to
rest. And stay near the tower."

Sakura nodded vigorously, then grimaced when her headache

resurfaced slightly, as if to remind her not to forget about it. She
shouldn't fight right now, her rational mind was yelling at her for
pushing herself past her limits, but she couldn't allow more soldiers
to die because of her.

The foreign and her native chakra still battled within her, but, as if
sensing the danger, the fighting became less prominent. It would still
be idiotic to try and use chakra right now, but at least she could trust
that her body wasn't going to pull up a stunt mid-fight.

Nanaba and Gelgar leapt into the air, going after titans with finesse
only achieved after years of titan-hunting. They were both offensive,
going after titans before they could come after them, meanwhile
Sakura was strictly defensive, taking care of whatever titans passed
through their blades. Whenever Sakura got tired, which was more
often than usual, she would easily go to the top of the tower where
the rookies were staying and take a breather.

She wasn't exactly sure how much time passed --an hour? thirty
minutes?-- before another weird feeling came over her. She
immediately killed a titan that was near her and then left towards her
resting spot. It wasn't unpleasant like her earlier headaches and
body weakness, but it was weird, and, after the feeling was over, she
got new memories.
Memories she shouldn't have.

Running away from herself towards Wall Sina; finding Levi, Mikasa,
and Sebastian speaking in a dimly lit room; affirming her loyalty to
Erwin despite her being branded a traitor; healing Levi's ankle;
leaving Wall Sina to find the origin of the titan attacks along with
Armin, Eren, Mikasa, Levi, Hange, and an unfamiliar priest named
Nick; arriving at District Hermiha, which was in the process of
evacuating; finding out about the one person who could speak about
the secrets they searched, Krista; Levi explaining the significance
about Ymir's name privately (even though she was branded a traitor
for all intents and purposes); volunteering to stay behind to watch
over Pastor Nick along with Hange's soldiers meanwhile they went
after Krista; telling Levi to take care; hugging Mikasa, Eren, and
Armin; feeling herself growing weaker; dismissing herself…

It was as if those memories were a part of her, even if she hadn't

lived them. Her clone had lived them, and had transferred the
information to her upon her dismissal. That power was extremely
useful, but she didn't have time to ponder the repercussions of her
newfound ability. The person they were searching for, Krista, was
here, and from the sound of it, she was an extremely important
person. From what Levi had told her clone, Ymir was also a very
suspicious character, having been mentioned in the journal by the
titan who could apparently speak. She remembered that mission; it
had the normal doses of danger, Hange acting weird, and Levi being
an insufferable ass. The only differences were Oluo being in a tough
spot and a titan that could speak, which had never been seen, but
Sakura wasn't really interested in understanding titans as much as
killing them.

Perhaps she took more after Levi than she had previously thought.

She had known about the existence of the journal, but not its
contents. That it mentioned Ymir, a name she had not heard until
she met the girl standing a few feet away from her, was surely not a
coincidence. Now she lamented she had not paid more attention to
cryptic journals written by soldiers on the verge of death.
Now that she knew they were coming she didn't know what to do.
She couldn't abandon her post, not only because it was impossible
with all the titans around, but also because she couldn't leave
Nanaba and Gelgar to their deaths only because she wanted
freedom. Besides, where would she go? She wouldn't be surprised if
she was the most wanted person inside the walls at the moment.
Sakura had counted on taking Annie captive as a sort of peace
offering to the military, but without the titan-shifter her bargaining
chips were few. The little information she knew Mikasa had already
told Erwin. She couldn't offer her powers because she was
untrustworthy. Erwin wouldn't risk his neck out for her like he had
done with Eren because she was already branded a traitor. She
could willingly surrender herself to a tribunal, but with the limited
information they all had, the sentence would most likely be death,
and she wasn't ready to die yet.

Perhaps she could use the chaos of the fight to slip away once the
Survey Corps soldiers arrived, if it was still nighttime. This could buy
her more time to figure out what was wrong with her body and devise
a plan to catch Annie by herself. She had a feeling Annie wasn't as
strong as she feared, and she could use this to her advantage.

Gelgar shouted in pain, snapping Sakura from her plans. She leapt
away from the tower again towards her comrade, and helped him get
rid of two titans that were preying on him. They anchored themselves
to the tower's wall, Gelgar hoping to catch his breath, and Sakura
trying to discern what was wrong with him.

"I thought we told you to stay behind," he growled through clenched

teeth. He was bleeding from his forehead, a streak of red trailing
down the left side of his face.

"You've got a head wound," she stated calmly. "You know the rules,
Gelgar. Nobody can fight with a head wound."

"We don't have much of a choice."

"I'll take your place."

He snorted. "You can barely fight for more than ten minutes. What
makes you think you can take my spot?"

"I've been feeling fine, I swear. I'm smart enough not to offer
otherwise."

A hook latched itself next to Gelgar, and Nanaba sped towards them.
"Are you okay?"

"Ye-"

"He has a head wound, Squad Leader. I was offering to take his
place meanwhile he rests with the rookies."

"A head wound is a death sentence in this situation, Gelgar," Nanaba

murmured, her eyes conflicted. "Are you sure you can take his place,
Sakura?"

It was a shitty situation. Nanaba knew that Gelgar was more than
likely going to die if he kept fighting, meanwhile Sakura had lower
chances of dying, but they still weren't great considering how weak
she looked just an hour ago. Either way, she was dooming one of
them, and if she ordered both of them to rest, then they would all die.

However, ordering a soldier to die was easier when they volunteered

themselves so earnestly like Sakura was doing.

"Of course. I'll hold down the tower with you, Squad Leader."

Gelgar wanted to say more, but Nanaba sent a firm look his way,
leaving no room for discussion. He grumbled something under his
breath but left immediately towards the safety on top of the tower.

Sakura and Nanaba shared a look before jumping into the air once
again. Together they attacked the remaining titans with renewed
vigor. Though Sakura was still weak from her earlier aches, she
pushed that to the furthest part of her brain. She was a ninja. She
had heightened pain tolerance. She couldn't allow her body to
control her, not now.

Not when Hange and her squad was coming for them. The end was
close, and she'd be damned if she let anyone die.

She wasn't sure how much time passed. The night seemed awfully
stagnant, but there was no way only one hour had passed. This was
the longest she had fought in her life, and in the worst possible
conditions. The foreign chakra was still dormant within her, but at
least the animosity it had with her own chakra had calmed down
considerably. Still, she didn't want to risk anything at the moment.
Not when help was so close.

A loud crash interrupted Sakura's flow. She looked to the side and
saw one of the towers she usually perched on completely destroyed,
a titan lying on top of it. Sakura killed the titan she was focused on
plainly and went after Nanaba, who was now balancing on the one
remaining tower.

"Shit, that's it for the convenient tower."

"No matter," Sakura panted. "We'll make do."

"I'm almost out of gas, Sakura," Nanaba mentioned in a weak voice.

She whipped her head at the blonde, her eyes wide with horror.
"Squad Leader, we cannot lose you too. We already lost Mike."

Nanaba smiled sardonically and stared at her 3DMG. "I shouldn't be

surprised you still have one pair of blades left. The Special
Operations Squad is all about survival, isn't it. Maybe that means
something. Look at everything we've killed. This must be some
record, yes? Maybe my count got closer to Levi's."

Sakura growled under her breath. "I don't like what you're saying,
Squad Leader. It sounds like you're giving up."
The blonde looked down from her perch in the stone wall, staring at
the titans trying to claw their way up with detachment. "I wouldn't say
I failed, Sakura. I protected my comrades to the best of my ability. I
gave it my all." She looked back to Sakura, her blue eyes more
resolute. "No, we gave it our all."

She cringed and turned away, ashamed. Why couldn't she do

anything? Was she really about to let Nanaba die because she was
afraid of using her chakra? How many people had died because she
never gave it her all? How many more people would die because of
her?

That had to end. She had to stop being afraid. She was a soldier of
the Survey Corps. They tempted death in every expedition they took.
It had been easy for her to go on all those missions, knowing she
would always be safe. But everyone else had risked themselves.
Their lives worked on maybes, not certainties. So, maybe her chakra
would backfire and she would die, but maybe it wouldn't. Maybe she
could save the rookies and her comrades.

The risk was high, but the payoff was higher.

The sky was lightening. Dawn was coming, and she wanted
everyone to be alive to see it.

"No, Squad Leader, we haven't," she said loudly, much more

confidently than what she truly felt.

"What do you mean?"

She tightened her grip around her swords, forcing her chakra to
come to the surface. It burned, but she commanded it to glow. Her
chakra had always been a icy blue, but right now it was corrupted,
with red blotches appearing in a disarray. But it was too late now.
She had to do something.

"Sakura? What is that?" Nanaba whispered. It was only because of

her heightened senses that she could listen. "What are you?"
"Please go watch over the rookies. I got this. I won't die, I promise."

Nanaba looked at her warily but nodded, using the little gas she had
to propel her to their little tower.

Sakura sheathed her swords and coated her feet with chakra. Much
to her surprise, the chakra failed to stick, and she would've definitely
fallen had her 3DMG not kept her in place. She could've sworn she
was using the right amount of chakra, too. The new amount of
chakra she had was screwing her chakra control! She cursed at
herself for not realizing earlier. Her chakra wasn't burning her, yes,
but now that it was starting to mix with her own, the sheer amount of
chakra she felt overwhelmed her. It was like opening a faucet
slightly, expecting a small trickle of water, but getting a waterfall. Her
chakra pathway system had never held so much chakra, and using
her chakra just now had opened a torrent she had no hope of
controlling.

The titans were starting to attack the foundations of the tower. No,
she couldn't have that. If that tower fell, then all of humanity might as
well fall. Krista was the only one who could help them solve the
riddle of the walls, and the Survey Corps needed that answer.

But she had just told Nanaba to go rest, and she couldn't rely on
wounded Gelgar either. No, there had to be something she could do,
something that could help out with this new problem. It was in the tip
of her tongue. She had to find a way to hold them the titans off until
Hange came with reinforcements. They were coming, she knew it!

And she knew it because…

The idea made her face light up. It had to work! It solved the problem
of her enormous chakra reserve, and the hand sign was so easy that
there could be no leaks that would make the jutsu explode in her
face.

She made the tiger seal and said clearly, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Sakura had meant for only one shadow clone to split her chakra
with, but instead thirty appeared from her simple command, and she
didn't even feel slightly winded. In fact, it was almost like whatever
chakra she had used had immediately replenished.

"Don't let them touch the tower!" Sakura ordered, loud so that they
could all hear her.

The clones nodded and dispersed in a blur. Even though they

possessed no 3DMG, the clones made quick work of incapacitating
almost every single titan, making them easy pickings for Sakura's
blades.

Even though she had devised a way to keep the titans under control,
she was still human. She wasn't sure how many hours she had
fought (an hour? two hours?) or how many titans she had killed
(twenty? thirty?), but the truth was she was reaching her limit. Her
3DMG was also reaching its limit. She was running out of gas and
her last pair of blades were already dull.

She wasn't surprised when her blades finally broke. They hadn't
been made for long combat, or for killing more than five titans per
blade. That they had lasted this long was a true testament of her skill
and conservation techniques.

Sakura used what little gas she had to propel herself upwards. She
landed on the tower gracefully, her signature style that had earned
the admiration of many soldiers in the Survey Corps, only to be
greeted by seven pairs of surprised and wary faces.

"There is little time to explain," Sakura started. She had never

rehearsed what she would say when she her secret was out. She
had hoped it would've never come to this, but there were only a few
times when her hopes actually occurred.

"Ah, yes, we have absolutely no time," Ymir drawled, gesturing at the

horde of titans being kept at bay by her super strong clones.
Perhaps she was a bit too effective at what she did.
The ninja shook her head. "Instead of using this time to explain, we
must find a way to get out of this one alive."

Nanaba and Gelgar looked at each other and nodded. "You're right,
Sakura, but don't think we'll overlook this."

"I don't think you can even if you wanted to."

"We're out of weapons," Connie said. "And all the Sakuras down
there can't do anything to kill them."

"Do we really have to do anything about them?" Bertolt asked. "As

long as she can keep making more of those, we should be fine,
right?"

"Yes, but more titans will keep coming," Gelgar pointed out. "They
have been for the past couple of hours. There will come a point
when we can't rely on the Sakuras to control the flow of battle."

"Then what difference does it make?" Ymir said. "We either die now
or we die later. There is no way help will come fast enough."

"You're wrong," Sakura said, the confidence in her voice startling

everybody. "Help is coming. Squad Leader Hange's squad is coming
this way."

"How do you know this?" Nanaba asked suspiciously.

"I can't really explain it now," she muttered. "I know I'm asking a lot,
but please, trust me."

"You're asking a lot, but it seems we have no other choice," the

blonde Squad Leader replied. "Even if help is coming, there is no
way this tower will hold long enough till they get here."

"Maybe we can launch an attack," Krista said, resolute. "Some of us

sacrifice ourselves to gain some time."
"I sure hope this is not you volunteering yourself to commit suicide,
Krista," Ymir responded, her tone dark.

"W-What?" the blonde yelped.

Ymir looked around, her eyes analyzing each and every one of their
faces. "I probably shouldn't say anything, but we're about to die
anyway. Please remember the promise you made, back in the snowy
mountains."

Krista just stared at her, her blue eyes wide.

Sakura grunted slightly as the memory of her last clone came back
to her. Thirty clones gone in the span of an hour. This was much
longer than what Sakura had anticipated; she wasn't sure how much
chakra she had put in each clone, but it had been sufficient.

"That was the last one," Connie said. "Can you make more,
Sakura?"

She looked down from the tower. Some titans were trying to climb
the tower, meanwhile others were weakening the foundations of the
tower. "I guess my clones could pick up the titans and move them
away, but I don't know how much time it'll buy us."

Connie sighed and stared at the rising sun. "In that case, there's our
last sunrise. Who would've thought I would say that today."

"Don't be so negative, kid," Gelgar said. "It's not over till we say it's
over."

"Connie, can you hand me that knife of yours?"

He gave her the knife, not really questioning her but also unsure
about her motives.

"Ymir," Sakura warned.

Said girl looked at her and laughed. "Relax, there's nothing I can do
against a ninja."

Sakura's jaw opened momentarily before her eyes narrowed at Ymir.

"What did you say?" Ymir had said the word ninja . Sakura had
never mentioned it, not even implied that she was one. How did Ymir
know? Was she a titan-shifter?

"You're not the only ninja out here, you know. I hope you figured that
out already. If not, then you don't stand a chance against them."

Her words left Sakura stiff with shock. Ymir continued speaking to
Krista, something about living life freely, but she wasn't really paying
attention. Ymir had confirmed the existence of other ninjas in this
world. She had possibly met other ninjas, and had alluded to their
strength. What did she mean about standing a chance against them?
She knew they were allied with the titan-shifters, but why? And what
did they want with her?

She remembered the encounter with the man. Now, it seemed as if it

had been ages, but it had happened less than a year ago. The man
had mentioned always watching her, but more interestedly he had
called her his "Vessel." With no other clues and a rather hectic life to
continue, Sakura had buried that encounter in her memories, but
now that more information about titan-shifters and their ninja
instructors was coming out, it seemed to be important.

Did these ninjas want her because she was a Vessel? What did that
mean? And how did she wake up inside the walls, instead of outside
with them.

Her train of thought was interrupted when Ymir jumped from the
tower. Without 3DMG, she was basically committing suicide, which
was a bit hypocritical of her after criticizing Krista for wanting to do
the same.

But then a bright flash of light left her slightly blinded. From the light
appeared a titan she had never seen before, one with short black
hair and small stature.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

There was one more titan-shifter.

Ymir fought ferociously. Her small size allowed her to quickly jump
from titan to titan, attacking with those sharp teeth of hers. Sakura
could hear the buzzing of conversation around her, but she wasn't
paying much attention. The identities of the Colossal Titan and the
Armored Titan were still a mystery, and there was another titan
added to the mix that no one had ever heard about.

That she chose to fight to protect them was a bit reassuring, but she
had hidden her identity for a long time. And, echoing what one of the
rookies said, she had chosen to keep her power a secret, unlike
Eren who didn't know he could turn into a titan until he accidentally
did it. In a way, Ymir and her were very similar. Sakura knew that
because of this she should give her the benefit of the doubt, but
there was something about Ymir that didn't sit right with her.

Perhaps this is how everyone else would feel about her.

Ymir had used the tower to pirouette and jump around from titan to
titan, but as the foundations of the tower weakened, she quickly let
go of it, falling to the maws of many awaiting titans.

Gelgar and Nanaba's leadership was overshadowed by Krista's

charismatic encouragement of Ymir. She stood upon the edge of the
tower, shouting harsh words at Ymir that served to spur her onwards.
Sakura didn't know much about the relationship between Krista and
Ymir, but whatever they had was special. Krista encouraged Ymir to
not sacrifice herself, and loudly proclaimed to stop protecting the
tower. Sakura had half a mind to clamp Krista's mouth shut, but
something told her Ymir wouldn't let them callously die, at least while
Krista was also with them.
Sakura thanked her great sense of balance that kept her in place
when the tower started tipping over.

"Oh no!" Nanaba yelled as she clutched Gelgar. That head wound
wasn't looking so good, either. If only she had good chakra control to
heal him.

"Hey! She's really gonna destroy the tower!" Krista yelled in

exuberance. The tower she had spent hours protecting was doomed
to fall, in the end. "Way to go, Ymir!"

She had barely finished speaking when the titan appeared in front of
them, shutting all of them up.

"Wanna live…" the titan spoke, its voice grating on her ears. "Grab
on…"

Nobody needed to be told twice. Nanaba helped Gelgar climb on the

titan's hair, while all the rookies did so effortlessly. Sakura briefly
considered not following them (how much weight could Ymir hold?)
but decided against it. She wasn't sure if she could survive that fall
with a rather crappy chakra control, and she didn't feel like dying at
the moment, especially after the tiny tidbit of information Ymir had
revealed.

Sakura held on to Ymir's titan form's hair like a lifeline, and so did
everyone else. The tower shook with each attack of the titans, and
Ymir positioned herself on the side of the tower so that it would fall
forwards, not backwards. Everyone let out a yelp of surprise as they
fell, the feeling of gravity not very comforting in this stressful time,
and they landed harshly on top of the rocks.

"She buried the titans," Nanaba whispered.

"Quite a way to finish the job," Connie mentioned.

"Ymir," Krista said, her blue eyes happy.

But then the stone underneath them shook, and the titans started
rising from their short imprisonment. There were just six titans that
survived the tower falling on them, but even then it was a bit too
much for Ymir, who already seemed tired.

"Hey! Fuglie!" Connie shouted. "Finish 'em off before they get to us!"

Ymir needed no further encouragement. She hurled herself at the

nearest titan, using her sharp teeth to rip the tender flesh of its nape.
It was then that a titan came out of the stone and grabbed Ymir by
the hair and whipped her back.

"That doesn't look good," Gelgar mentioned nervously.

The titans started devouring Ymir. Sakura had read the reports of the
Female Titan calling upon other titans to devour her, but she had
thought that had been a fluke, or the Female Titan's way of
escaping. It seemed as if titans could tell the difference between
titan-shifters and other titans, just like humans could. Even though
the titan being eaten in front of her wasn't Ymir, Sakura was still
horrified at the carnage in front of her.

And so was Krista.

The blonde girl started running towards the titans, foregoing her
survival instinct. Everyone around her yelled at her to stop, but no
one managed to go after Krista. Why would they? In their heads, she
was an idiot girl who would die trying to protect her best friend.

But Sakura knew the situation was different. Krista was an idiot girl,
but she was far too important to die. So Sakura ran after her, making
a conscious effort not to use chakra. She couldn't let anything mess
up this moment.

She felt familiar chakra signatures approaching. Humans. Mikasa.

Eren. Armin. Levi. They would be safe. They would survive. But they
needed to get here first, and Krista needed to survive.
"You can't die yet!" Krista yelled. "I have yet to tell you my real
name!"

A titan appeared in front of Krista, using one arm to keep the stone
that had buried it above. It used the other arm to reach for Krista, but
Sakura quickly pulled the blonde girl back and placed herself in front
of her.

Sakura felt Mikasa's chakra signature approach them at breakneck

speed. Her adopted sister masterfully slashed the titan's nape, not
letting a single finger touch Sakura's body.

"Mikasa!" Krista exclaimed.

Sakura smiled warmly at her. "Nice timing."

The black-haired girl glared at her. "Why would you do that?" Of

course she wouldn't be pleased to see her in harm's way. That style
befitted Eren more than her, anyway.

"I knew you would show up."

Mikasa rolled her eyes at her and assumed a fighting position. "Stay
back. We got this from here on."

"We?" Krista echoed.

Sakura smiled warmly at her. "I told you help was coming, didn't I?
Now step back and let them do all the work. We're safe."

This chapter was not brought to you by Fire Emblem Fates and
Dragon Age Inquisition. I swear to god video games are the
bane of my existence. That and I hated this part of the manga so
it was a pain to write. I think there's only two chapters left in the
Clash of Titan's arc before I can start with my own original
content. Finally.
pianoman555, to answer your question, I didn't make the story
AU from the beginning because I think there are some aspects
of SnK's world that were determined from before the story
started, and Sakura it simply not knowledgeable or powerful
enough to change them. But, as you've noticed, we're slowly
going more to divergence point. If you watched Steins;gate, the
best way I can describe Sakura's actions in this story is by
changing a reaaaaaaally small amount in the divergence
number. They add up.

By the way, to everyone, I recommend reading the manga to

have an inkling on what's going on. Sakura's POV is limited, so
there are a lot of things that happen that I can't write but they do
happen.

Next chapter is juicy, so stay tuned! I didn't end this chapter in a

cliffhanger, so you can kinda guess what kinda chapter the next
one will be.
Breach
The field was clear of any obstacles, but Levi still felt they weren't
going as fast as they possibly could. The faster they got to the Wall,
the faster they could jump into action. His bones were itching for a
fight, his ego seeking to recover from the slight his ankle wound had
caused. He hadn't asked Hange to let him come with her squad, no,
he had demanded to go with them. He would sit in the sidelines if he
had absolutely no choice, but since Clone Sakura restored his ankle
to almost perfect condition, he had no excuse to let other people do
the dirty work he excelled in.

Dawn was fast approaching, and with it Wall Rose came into view.
No breaches were evident, and though this was a relief, it bred more
questions than it answered, questions he couldn't bring himself to
contemplate. An abandoned, destroyed castle from older days
loomed ahead, before Wall Rose, and the closer they got, the louder
the sounds of fighting got.

"They must be ahead!" a soldier exclaimed ahead. "Squad Leader

Hange, what are your orders?"

Hange, who rode beside him, only hesitated for a brief second
before saying, "Engage with the titans as soon as you see them.
Remember, our priority is Historia Reiss, the blonde girl!" she yelled,
her voice carrying all the way back. "However, still make sure to save
all our comrades!"

The Scouts cheered, their morale revitalized, though just barely.

Seeing the terrified people of the Ehrmich District evacuating had
increased the stakes of the mission as well as their despair; if they
couldn't plug the breach with Eren, what would happen to all of
them?

"You think Sakura is in there?" Hange asked him, quieter than before
so no one heard him. The news of her new status were still unknown
to most of the Scouts, and not something either Erwin, Hange, nor
Levi wanted them to find out any time soon. Sakura Ackerman was
regarded as a legend amongst their army, and having her labeled a
traitor would do awful things to their morale.

"If she is, I don't see how it changes the mission," he replied evenly.

"We would need someone to arrest her and take her back to the
inside of Wall Sina."

His brow furrowed in annoyance. "And I hope you're not going to ask
me to do it, because I have better things to do than babysit a traitor."

"You don't honestly think she's a traitor."

"Fine, an alleged traitor. I'm still not going to abandon this mission for
that."

The castle got closer, signaling the end of the conversation.

Mikasa spurred her horse to go faster, overtaking the leading

soldiers. Eren yelled after and followed, forcing everyone to speed
up to be within his reach. As their only titan-shifter, Eren's life was
extremely important, making it everyone's unspoken priority to
protect him. Hange muttered something about hotheads in
annoyance and Levi privately agreed. For someone who carried
humanity's fate on his shoulders, Eren was very careless about his
own life.

They make quick work of the remaining titans in Castle Litgard.

Though he arrived later than everyone else, he was still able to take
down one without trouble. The Clone's healing powers were sure a
marvel if they could take care of an injury in less than thirty minutes.

Levi grunted in disgust and cleaned his blades from the titan blood.
Even if the blood evaporated almost instantaneously, he couldn't
deal with having dirty weapons. He refrained from sighing at the
blood patch in his green cloak; those stains he couldn't take out
easily.

He looked around and noticed their team took no casualties, but Levi
was tempted to make Eren closer to one for disobeying their orders
and engaging with titans. The boy would be the end of him.

"Captain Levi!" Armin yelled. The blond boy ran up to him, panting
slightly from the exertion. His eyes were worried and his hands were
slightly shaking, but Levi had to commend him for having a level
voice. "Squad Leader Hange requests your presence."

Requests his presence? Erwin gives her command for one damn
mission and she starts requesting his presence? It's a good thing he
respected her authority and he liked her or else he would have a few
select words for her. "Lead the way."

They jogged over debris from the castle, Levi with particular care to
not twist his ankle in the uneven ground. How had this castle come
down? The foundations were good, he had been around this area a
couple of years ago and had seen it himself.

Hange and a group of soldiers were standing over the prone bodies
of Ymir and Sakura. Ymir was barely conscious, half of an arm and
leg missing. Blood oozed from an open wound in her abdomen, but
surprisingly she was still alive. Though she was in a great amount of
pain, her expression was content, her bleary eyes focused on the
blonde girl, who Levi guessed was Historia Reiss.

Sakura, on the other hand, showed no outward injuries, but she was
unconscious. Her face was twisted in an ugly grimace and her body
was taut. Mikasa, the ever dutiful sister, hovered over her, more
worried than anyone else.

Nanaba revealed herself from the crowd of soldiers and addressed

both Hange and him. "We suffered two casualties in this fight, but I'm
almost confident that those standing right now owe our lives to Ymir,
the titan-shifter, and Sakura."
Levi nodded, though inwardly he was reeling at the revelation of an
unaccounted titan-shifter. How in Maria's tits had they missed that?
"What happened to these two?"

"Ymir was almost devoured by titans trying to save us!" Historia

exclaimed. She stared at both Hange and him, her voice supplicant.
"She's one of us!"

Hange waved her off. "That's to determine later. Right now we have
to evacuate to safer land and tend to those wounds. What about
Sakura? What's wrong with her?"

"She's been like this for a while now," the bald kid spoke up. "Isn't
the first time she passed out, too, though last time she got up
through sheer force of will."

That sounds about right, Levi thought, though he couldn't bring

himself to feel annoyed.

"This has never happened before," Mikasa whispered. "I don't like
this."

Levi didn't, either, but he wasn't about the announce that in front of
Hange; she probably suspected he was emotionally compromised
and though he was, he didn't want anyone to know, especially her.

Hange sighed and removed her goggles, wiping some of the sweat
that had accumulated there. "We should take this conversation
elsewhere. We're vulnerable to another titan attack down here. Since
we don't have any spare horses, we'll have to share to get us all out
of here."

"I volunteer to take Sakura," Mikasa said almost immediately.

"Denied," Levi returned easily.

The black-haired girl glared at him and opened her mouth to reply,
but Hange cut her off. "I'll have to agree with Levi here, Mikasa.
She's in a delicate position right now, and you know it," she said
meaningfully, raising an eyebrow. Most people would think they were
talking about her physical state, but Mikasa was the only one
besides them two that knew Sakura had been branded a traitor, and
she was the one who was the most emotionally compromised out of
the three. She could easily decide to run away with the pink-haired
woman and no one would be able to stop them.

"Moblit and I will take Ymir in the supply wagon. Levi will take
Sakura. We all ride to Wall Rose!"

Hange and Moblit picked up Ymir's body, careful to not make her
wounds worse, while Historia hovered over them like a mother hen.
All the soldiers dispersed, leaving only Levi, Mikasa, and the
unconscious body of Sakura. Mikasa stood up slowly, her face blank,
and murmured, "If something happens to her, I-"

"I hope you're not thinking about threatening a superior officer," Levi
said calmly.

Mikasa ground her teeth, narrowed her eyes, and left without a word,
the threat left open in the wind. Levi was too tired to feel any
satisfaction in shutting down a girl half his age.

He picked his subordinate gingerly and noticed with surprise how

uncomfortably hot her skin was. Levi didn't know much about
medicine, but he knew very high, uncontrollable fevers usually
spelled death for the ill. He sincerely hoped this wasn't the case for
Sakura. She survived two encounters with the Female Titan, only to
die at the hands of a pesky fever? It was a horrible way to go for a
soldier like her.

Then again, she wasn't exactly normal, right? What could be a fever
to him might be something entirely different for her and that weird
power she possessed. What was it called again? Chara? Chaura?
He would have to ask her to tell him again.

If she woke up.

Once they got out of the debris section, Levi whistled for Isabel to
come to them. He placed Sakura on the saddle first, then mounted
immediately behind her, taking the reins. Isabel whinnied at the
additional weight, but he calmed her down, then quickly spurred her
to a trot.

He tried to focus on other things -like the fact there was no hole in
Wall Rose so where the hell had the titans come from?- but Sakura's
state was jarring. Her head kept lolling back and forth in such a way
that she would have neck pain for at least a couple of ways. If Levi's
arms weren't physically caging her, she would've fallen off a long
time ago.

The only reason he knew she was alive besides her feverish body
was that she kept muttering in some foreign language.

They arrived last to Wall Rose. Ymir was already being raised to the
top with a stretcher, the same one Sakura would have to use to get
up. Though in physically better shape than the mingled titan-shifter,
Sakura was in no position to be woken up, and even if she could he
was sure her 3DMG was extremely low on gas, given the single
blade remaining in the holder.

A dark-skinned woman helped him dismount Sakura. She gave a low

whine of pain, causing the woman's features to get alert.

Though Levi didn't know every Scout by first and last name, he knew
this one. "You're the Burgeis, right?"

"Amina Talman, for now, at least " she corrected, though not
unkindly. She shifted Sakura's weight in her two arms and grunted
softly. "Was she always this heavy?"

"Yes, surpisingly." He remembered the conversation he and Mikasa

had with the man, Sebastian Burgeis, about finding a way to save
Sakura from the political struggle. It all boiled down to how good
friends the Burgeis and Sakura were.
But that was a thought for another time.

Levi took the pink-haired woman from Amina and resisted the urge
to smirk at the open relief she displayed. Not that he blamed her,
Sakura was surprisingly heavy for her stature, though just by one
poke to her body anyone could tell this was because she packed
more muscle than anything else.

Sakura was placed on the stretcher and Levi shot off, eager to be
with Hange. The knowledge of another titan-shifter left him reeling,
and though he wouldn't be able to trust this titan-shifter easily, having
another one on their side would be of great help to their cause.

The girl, Historia, was already talking Hange's ear off about Ymir's
positive qualities. "She risked her life to protect us! I know it looks
bad but please!"

Hange, surprisingly, wasn't refusing her outright. "I want to be able to

trust in her power, believe me, it would benefit us all! But that's out of
our hands."

Considering this girl had a connection to the royal family, Hange

should start saying it's in her hands. If Historia wanted to pardon the
Female Titan, she damn well could, not that it would go well with the
general populace. But she still didn't know her role, and now wasn't
the time to say this.

"You did say your name was Historia Reiss, right?"

"Yes."

"Like those nobles?"

"Yes…"

Levi resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Stop that, Hange."

She smiled and waved at him. "Oh, Levi! Nice of you to drop by.
How's Sakura?"
"I'm not sure. Your subordinate, the Burgeis, has been looking after
her."

"I see. Good, I had to go see her anyway. I'll think about what you
said, Historia, but going from what you've described, Ymir was a real
hero and I'm sure people won't discount that when making a
decision."

Nanaba and Gelgar walked towards them, no doubt ready to debrief.

They looked haggard, but at least they were alive.

Hange smiled and said, "I know why you're here, but it can wait. Go
rest, you deserve it."

The three saluted both of them and wandered off to the scouts with
food supply, leaving Hange and Levi alone.

"I expected to find a breach in here," Hange began, walking over to

inspect the wall from the other side, "but this place seems fine, and I
can't see a hole anywhere nearby."

"There's something seriously wrong here," Levi said. He got nearer

and whispered to Hange, "You also have us in close quarters with
those two, at a disadvantage. Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"They're not going to transform right now. As long as we don't leave

Eren alone, nobody will dare take him. Besides, it's just a suspicion,"
she whispered back, still looking beyond the wall to the land they
had to reclaim.

Levi started feeling claustrophobic all of the sudden. "That was a

good assumption to have before we knew about their additional
powers. If they're as quick as Annie, there's no way we can stop
them." And the only person they had that could counter them was
currently out of commission.

"What would you have me do, Levi? Flush them out? Ask them
nicely to turn themselves in?" she drawled.
"Kill them. If they're the titan-shifters we just saved innumerable
lives. If they aren't I'll personally write and deliver letters to their
grieving families."

"Levi!" Hange exclaimed, shocked. "We can't just start killing kids
because of our hunches," she hissed at him, her brown eyes angry.

This was the first time he had gotten her to express her open fury at
him, and though he thought he would take it as a victory beforehand,
he didn't feel very triumphant at the moment. "That's what Erwin felt
about Annie and look how that turned out. We should start doing
things my way, Hange. Sometimes we have to make ugly decisions
so that the pigs inside can keep eating and shitting to die another
day."

Hange's eyes narrowed further at him. Before she could reply, she
saw horses galloping on the other side of the wall. She called out to
them, drawing their attention, and the men patrolling started heading
their way.

They climbed the wall with considerably more effort than any of the
Scouts did, alerting Levi these were probably Garrison members.
Not that he had anything against them, but objectively speaking their
average wasn't nearly as good as a Scout's average. They could be
if they went through the harsh selection process that was an
expedition and got better with each consecutive one.

The Survey Corps members congregated around the first man that
managed to get on top, a man named Hannes by Eren's
introduction.

"There's no breach anywhere!" he said, out of breath.

Hange pushed people to get to the front. "What do you mean, no

breach?"

"We've been searching all night the way from Trost to the Chlobra
district, and no hole has been found. We also haven't come across a
single-"

A tap on his shoulder broke his attention from the conversation. He

glanced backwards and saw Amina looking at him gravely. "I have
news, Captain Levi."

Amina turned around and started walking towards the two wounded
soldiers. Ymir's body was steaming, her wounds already healing,
while Sakura was eerily still, her face blank.

"The titan-shifter is going to live," she stated, crouching next to her.

"It's truly amazing how quickly they regenerate their limbs. Maybe an
experiment can be made to test this?"

She was starting to sound eerily similar to a certain shitty-glasses,

and he wasn't sure how he felt about that. "Is that all?"

Amina snapped out of her musings and adopted her serious look
again. "Her fever has gotten worse. Fevers are not a sickness by
itself, but a sign that something is wrong with a person's body.
They're not life-threatening, but this is something different. If she
doesn't get better soon, her own body might kill itself."

"Do you know what it causing the fever?"

"Without the proper equipment, I can't say. I need to take her back to
a town so she can have a doctor look after her."

Did Amina know about Sakura? It was very possible that her ailment
was beyond their knowledge to heal, which was worrying.

"All right, how much longer does she have?" He would have to let
her go with Amina, then. He only hoped the woman was strong
enough to resist whatever idiotic plan Sakura came up with.

Amina gave a quivering sigh, and Levi noticed she was suddenly
close to tears. "I don't know. I don't… This is bad, Captain Levi. I was
trying to be optimistic but I can't. I was always beeen seen by very
good doctors in my childhood, and they told me that if a fever got
worse than the heat of a small flame, the patient was doomed."

Doomed? "What… does that mean?"

"She should've been dead a long time ago, and I don't know how
much longer our luck will last."

Levi blinked, unsure how to handle the new information. Sakura…

actually dying?

He refused to believe that.

Yelling sobered him up quickly. The Scouts closer to the commotion

yelled at Eren to run away, and Levi knew that the titan-shifters had
been flushed out, even if he couldn't see what was happening. Both
Reiner and Berthold were after Eren, which meant-

He yelled, "Everyone! Get-"

The two teenagers transformed on top of the wall, much to Levi's

shock, creating a large gust that threw them all flying back. He
landed roughly on his back, the impact getting the wind slightly
knocked out of him. He heard Eren transforming into a titan, but his
attention was on the two long, flesh-looking giant arms reaching next
to him, attempting to grab both Sakura and the airborne Ymir. He
scrambled to his feet and picked Sakura with an arm, the one closest
to him, and placed her over his shoulder. He got out of the way by
jumping off the wall then stopping his descent by attaching a hook to
the wall, beneath Hange and her men.

The Colossal Titan still managed to get his hands on Ymir, and the
failure made him growl out loud. What was it with these titan-shifters
kidnapping other titan-shifters?

Luckily for them, Berthold failed to shift completely, with only his
upper body being formed with the only anchor holding him to the wall
being his split spine, which was embedded in the wall like a clip. He
still managed to raise his left arm high up in the air, and Levi didn't
have to wait for Hange to tell him to get out of the way.

"Men! Get away from the wall!" she yelled.

The giant arm swung downwards and hit the ground with such
intensity the ground split under his punch.

His wire held on to Wall Maria, but the blast made them sway
roughly in the air. Sakura shifted slightly in underneath his arm, and
he tightened his hold slightly.

Historia, who was being held by another soldier because she lacked
3DMG, yelled out, "He took Ymir!"

The bald kid exclaimed, "He also caught another soldier!"

Berthold placed both the soldier and Ymir in his mouth and
swallowed them, leaving everyone in shock.

"He ate them!" Armin said.

"They're still probably alive," Levi said. "We must get them out of
there, though."

Hange grit her teeth and growled. "He's going to keep going after
Sakura. Don't let him get his hands on her, Levi. Try to get Ymir and
my Scout back. Everyone! Charge against the Colossal Titan!"

Everyone, including Levi, shot up from their hook on the wall to the
top with an arc of gas behind them.

"He's humanity's enemy!"

Levi landed a bit further away from the Colossal Titan's reach rather
roughly, his balance a bit off by his one-handed use of the 3DMG
and the lack of tall buildings to maneuver from.
Sakura moaned in pain and murmured, "Captain Levi? What's going
on?"

He didn't know why he felt so relieved to hear her talk, but he did. He
crouched and placed her on the floor, not once taking his eyes of
Berthold and the assault Hange was leading on them. The Colossal
Titan was powerful, but extremely slow. He might be able to get a hit
in before he tried to take Sakura again.

Just when they were going for the neck, the Colossal Titan started
letting off hot steam Levi could feel all the way to his spot.

Sakura got up slowly, not quite able to stand at her full height. Levi
noticed her legs shook slightly from exertion, making him frown.

"You've been on death's doorstep for a while. I don't recommend you

doing that."

She had the audacity to chuckle. "I'm not dying. There's something
off… Something I was close to figuring out, but I'm not dying. I'm just
weak."

"Being weak will still get you killed."

She sobered immediately and glowered at the steaming body of the

titan. "That's the Colossal Titan… I can still remember him vividly. Is
that Berthold?"

"Yes."

Hange and her team landed near them. Scouts moaned in pain,
complaining about the heat. Armin noticed Sakura standing up and
brightened a bit, though his countenance was still gloomy.

"Our 3DMG won't work," the blond boy said. "We can't get through
that steam."

"My clones might," she said. "Though I'm not sure how much heat
they can withstand."
Hange waved her off. "If you get any weaker, we'll have no way of
preventing you getting kidnapped. We'll just have to wait for his titan
to disappear."

Armin shook his head. "It's not like the other times where he
disappeared instantly. This time he's letting off steam like a candle.
And as long as he lets out that steam, our 3DMG is useless!"

"What do we do?" Moblit questioned.

"There's nothing we can do," Hange said grimly. "Squad 2 and 3,

stand by. You're under Levi's command. If something happens,
protect those without 3DMG!" She jumped off the Wall Rose from the
outer side and yelled, "Armin, Squad 1, with me! Our enemy is the
Armored Titan!"

Sakura froze and looked at the lands were Wall Maria's domain
began. Eren's titan was laying on the ground, half of its face missing,
while the Armored Titan stood next to him. Mikasa attempted to land
an attack on his nape, but the hardened skin offered absolute
protection. "He's just like I remember," she whispered. The pink-
haired woman was still pale and failing spectacularly in hiding her
pain, but at least she was conscious. "Amina and Mikasa are down
there. And… Reiner, was his name?"

"The Armored Titan."

She frowned heavily. "Shouldn't we be going down there?"

"No, we're waiting for an opening to attack the Colossal Titan and get
Ymir and another soldier from his mouth."

She perked up. "Oh! Yes! Ymir's a-"

"And you are going to stay put not only because you're ready to fall
over, but also because you're accused of treason."

Sakura grit her teeth and looked away.

Yeah, stay quiet.

Eren suddenly got up and attempted to attack Reiner, only for him to
obliterate him with a sweeping kick to the face. The move sent Eren
flying at least a kilometer away, and he landed roughly with half of
his face missing.

That move, though foreign, seemed strangely familiar.

"That's!" Sakura exclaimed, then frowned deeply. "That's a taijutsu

move."

"Tai what?"

"Taijutsu is the hand-to-hand combat form ninjas use. I thought I was

the only one able to use it, but obviously not."

Well, that confirmed Reiner as also being a ninja, which meant

Berthold was one too. "Then who taught them? Other ninjas?"

She inhaled deeply. "That's what I think, but I don't know who it might
be."

Levi stepped back from the edge of the wall and turned to face the
steaming Colossal Titan. As much as he wanted to watch the fight
between the two titans and possibly lend his support, he had to
figure out a way to get through the steam without hurting his team. It
also went unsaid that he had to find a way to rescue Ymir just as he
had done with Eren. They had the advantage that the Colossal Titan
was stationary and slow, but he had no idea about his other abilities,
or how thick his flesh was. Maybe if he covered his skin completely,
the steam wouldn't-

Sakura let out a horrified gasp. In the time it took Levi to reach for his
blade, Sakura had pushed him behind her, drawn her 3DMG, and
clashed blades with Annie.
At such close proximity, he could see the naked surprise in Annie's
face. Sakura growled and pushed back, her arms shaking from
exertion. "I should've known you would show up," she said, her voice
low and dangerous.

She immediately disengaged with an inhuman backflip, the jump

putting at least ten meters of distance between them all. All of his
men, including those Scouts they rescued from Litgard, were behind
Annie, while he and Sakura had the Colossal Titan behind them, his
steam just barely touching his skin. Not exactly an advantageous
place for a fight.

"She's going after you, Captain," she murmured.

"Oh, I hadn't noticed," he deadpanned. Annie would be the type of

bitch to hold a grudge.

His men had still not detected Annie's presence, too faraway and too
engrossed in Eren's fight to notice. He would have to drill into them a
comprehensive survival lesson because they were far too
comfortable around human presences. However, this was for the
best. If they made a ruckus, Annie would go after them and eliminate
them, and there weren't enough maneuverable areas for him to use
and-

In the blink of an eye, both Sakura and Annie disappeared and

reappeared in the middle, their blades clashing again. Now the men
noticed and cried in alarm, drawing their weapons and looking for an
opening to take on Annie.

Both ninjas sheathed their 3DMG, made a weird hand signal, and
puffs of smoke appeared around them. Four Sakuras and two
Annies appeared from the smoke. Two Annies went after the
soldiers, forcing three Sakuras to intercept them and engage. The
real Sakura and a clone engaged the original Annie, though Levi was
quickly losing track of who was the real Sakura at the speeds they
were fighting.
Though Sakura had the advantage in numbers, she was too weak to
overpower Annie. Clones easily disappeared in a puff of smoke after
being stabbed with Annie's 3DMG, forcing Sakura to keep making
them over and over again, leaving her wide open for an attack. By
now the Scouts knew to stay away from the fight, but it was only a
matter of time before Sakura let one go through and by then it would
be too late.

He couldn't deny that he himself was in grave danger. Though he

was fast, he wasn't as fast as Annie. The most he could do was
throw himself off the wall, but that just left him wide open for an
attack. It annoyed him greatly that he was basically reduced to being
a spectator in a fight that would decide his life.

Levi never thought he was going to think it, but he wished Annie
would turn into a titan. He had noticed titan-shifters in their titan
forms didn't use any ninja powers, for some reason he was unaware
of. Though he still hadn't found of a way to bypass Annie's crystal
skin, he at least had a fighting chance against her. Plus he would
dearly enjoy another battle with her; he still wasn't done avenging his
teammates.

Roars from below reminded Levi that there was still another fight
going on that could also potentially decide the future of humanity. He
wanted to provide support to Eren, but Annie would just take that
wide opening on his back. The day just kept getting better and better.

Sakura managed to parry a downwards slash from Annie. Though he

couldn't see her face, Levi could see her body breathing violently.
She had apparently been on her deathbed fifteen minutes ago, and
now she was fighting one-on-one against Annie. How she wasn't
dead yet Levi didn't know, but a worried part of him knew she didn't
have much time.

Dammit.

Annie pushed further and Sakura's blade started breaking from the
strain. If it had lasted since the battle of Litgard, so it was a miracle it
hadn't broken yet. She jumped back that same inhuman distance,
almost colliding with Levi, and her knees gave out upon landing.

Levi grabbed her by her forearm and helped her up as carefully as

he could. Her pale green eyes were slightly glazed, her shoulder-
length pink hair stuck to her face and neck from the sweat, and she
was almost gasping for air. "Sakura…" He had meant to say
something else, but he couldn't find the words to say. Stop fighting?
Absolutely not, she needed to keep going or else they were all dead.
Kill Annie? No need to point out the obvious. Die for them? No… Not
only would that be a waste, but he didn't want her to die. "Give me
an opening," he settled for.

Annie, surprisingly, didn't engage them. The two ninjas' clones

fought on behind her, on the soldiers' side, but the real Annie (at
least the Annie Levi thought was real), was observing them. She
also was breathing rapidly, and Levi knew she would definitely slip
up sooner rather than later.

Sakura nodded once. "Fine," she said in between harsh breaths.

She removed her forearm from his hand and unbuckled her 3DMG,
letting it fall. "I don't know when it'll be, or how long it'll be for, but
skewer her, please."

"Right."

The pink-haired woman ran towards Annie, and the blonde met her
halfway. Now weaponless, Sakura relied completely on dodging the
girl's attacks, but, without the 3DMG to hold her down, she was more
agile. She side-stepped attacks with more ease, aimed more
punches, reacted more quickly to Annie's attacks.

She quickly added an extra clone, this one devoid of 3DMG, that
turned the tide in the clone fight going on at the other side. Sakura
lost all but one of her clones, but it was enough to change the tide
with her own fight. Now two against one, Sakura made Annie go into
the defensive, with Sakura's clone using its own almost-broken blade
to parry with Annie.
The blonde got rid of the clone, its disappearance marked by smoke,
and turned towards Levi, expecting the real Sakura to be there.
However, she had disappeared a second before she had turned
around, and reappeared behind her.

Sakura screamed, "Now!" and punched Annie so hard that she was
sent flying headfirst towards him.

Levi prepared himself to stab Annie through the head, but the blonde
disappeared in a poof of smoke midair. When had she-

He felt a breeze behind him, and in that split second he that he

realized he was going to die, he heard a whoosh of metal and a
sharp intake.

Except he doesn't feel any pain from his body.

Levi really didn't want to see. He wanted to keep facing forward,

keep facing the shocked faces of his soldiers that had watched the
fight in unadulterated fear. But he had to see. He couldn't continue
without seeing.

He turned around and saw a blade sticking out of Sakura's lower

back. He felt his jaw slacken and a part of him knew his eyes were
impossibly wide, but he couldn't stop focusing on the blood-coated
metal. Annie, too, was shocked, her body frozen in place.

Sakura coughed and punched Annie in the chest, making her fly off
into the Colossal Titan's burning steam. She grunted in pain when
the blade that had been firmly lodged in her abdomen was suddenly
removed, attached to Annie's 3DMG.

She clutched her stomach roughly and coughed up blood. Levi

almost didn't catch her when her legs finally give out from the shock.
He laid her down carefully on the floor and started putting pressure
on the wound, the blood quickly coated his fingers. Blood that wasn't
evaporating.
"I g-guess I g-got skewered, huh?"

He didn't have the will to be annoyed at her shitty humor. "This is the
time to start doing that glowing green hand thing," he whispered.

She closed her eyes and for a horrible second he thought she was
gone but then she said, "T-That's not g-going to w-work out right
now. My ch-chakra is all over the p-place. I-I would o-only burn
myself."

Sakura showed him her lower arm, angry red from what seemed like
burn wounds.

"Then snap out of it and get a clone to heal you!"

"C-Can't, either."

What a shitty way to die. She couldn't, though. Not right after the
deaths of his teammates. Not to these shitty titan-shifters. Not when
he had so many questions. Not when he was still angry at her.

The soldiers under his command finally got to them, leaving the
Garrison soldiers and the Litgard veterans behind. One of Hange's
scouts helped him by applying more pressure to the wound. The rest
stayed a short distance away, not wanting to overcrowd them.

"This i-isn't t-the f-first time," she whispered with more difficulty than
before. "I… g-got stabbed b-before. Was healed when… I w-woke
up."

"Then do it."

"I… don't know how. H-hoping my body starts any s-second." Her
eyes widened, the glassiness disappearing a bit, and she smiled
contently. "I… I remember." She made a weird hand sign and let her
hands drop to the sides.

Before he could say anything, a Scout came to stand next to him and
said, "Captain Levi, look. The Colossal Titan…"
Levi looked up and saw the almost skeletal remains of the titan. So
he didn't have an unlimited supply of steam. They might actually be
able to get to it when they got out.

"Wait! Sakura!" the soldier across from him said. "Don't die!"

His chest constricted for a second, but he looked down and saw that
she was only asleep, her breaths rather shallow. He resisted the
urge to glare at his companion for scaring him, but he knew how
easy it was to panic when a superior officer was down so he tried to
control the annoyance.

He stood up and resisted the urge to wipe his hands on his pants.
"She's fine. Keep applying pressure on that wound. Let her rest." He
walked towards his other soldiers, those farther away from the
Colossal, and said, "Everyone else, prepare to engage the titan.
Priority to retrieving the soldiers in his mouth and not letting him get
to the soldiers behind us. Kill the Colossal if possible."

A chorus of "Yessir!" replied to him, only to be drowned by the yells

of the Armored Titan.

Levi stiffened, his mind remembering when the Female Titan had
done the same to get away. This time, though, he was prepared for
it. He ran towards the edge of the wall and yelled, "Everyone,
change of plans! Engage the titans that appear from his yell! Don't
let the Armored get away! On my mark, we jump!"

The Colossal Titan let out another way of harsh steam, the heat
uncomfortable even at this distance from its skeleton. Something
wasn't right. Why would the Colossal Titan speed up his
degeneration if it knew he would be open for attack at the first sign of
weakness?

Berthold started leanings sideways towards the outer side of Wall

Rose, and the momentum made the Colossal fall.
His destination right on top of Eren and Reiner, Eren immobile from
having Reiner on a lock.

The bald kid's yell snapped him from his shock. "ABOVE YOU!
DODGE!"

A commotion to his right forced him to see the moment Annie,

unscathed but disheveled, beheaded the soldier watching over
Sakura. He growled and prepared himself to engage Annie,
consequences be damned, when the Colossal Titan reached its
target, momentarily blinding him from bright flash of light caused by
his collision.

When his eyes adjusted to the light and its intensity subsided a bit,
Levi was able to make out the disappearance of both Annie and
Sakura, and by the loud, titan-like footsteps running away from Wall
Rose, he had an idea where they were going.

However, his mission now was to make sure those below were safe,
especially Hange; she had a knack for getting herself into dangerous
situations. He sincerely hoped nothing had happened to her,
because if something had… He wasn't sure exactly what would
happen to him.

After that, he would go after them, because he was far too angry not
to.

Sakura came to not in the wall, like she thought she would, but in a
snowy field, the same place she "woke up" in after she passed out
on Mikasa. A part of her was grateful for this, since she had come
close to discovering something important about herself, only to be
interrupted by the turbulence going on in the real world. She
sincerely hoped she appeared in the place she left off, because last
time she felt she had walked for hours, snowy field looking the same
everywhere she went.
Eventually she came across a giant door made out of stone and a
giant tree encased in glass. Sakura cocked her head to the side,
trying to figure out these two weird structures. The stone door had a
circle of kanji written in black ink, though she couldn't quite make out
what the calligraphy said. It didn't seem to lead particularly
anywhere, since Sakura could see the snowy field just continued as
if the door were a standalone structure.

The tree in the glass dome was huge, around the size of a tree from
the forest of giant trees. However, it was fuller, with more branches
and leaves than the ones she had seen. The field in the enclosed
box was green, a sharp contrast of the snow from where she was
standing. Sakura got closer to the dome and also found circular
calligraphy which was a combination of kanji and some sort of
formula she wasn't sure of.

"Ah! My new master has arrived!" a deep, familiar voice yelled from
the top of the tree in her native language. A red blur jumped from the
tree's foliage and a massive monkey landed in front of her, though
still inside of the dome. The monkey was easily as tall as Eren's titan
form, maybe even bigger. Its fur was red, and its eyes were orange
and pupil-less. It had large fangs from protruding downwards and
horns that framed the top of its head like a crown. But the strangest
thing about it was the four protruding tails from its back. "I am Son
Goku! Sage King of the Apes!"

"W-What?" Sakura muttered.

The monkey sighed and sat down, momentarily deflated. "I forgot as
far as jinchuuriki go, you're behind in the race." It scoffed. "And to
think Roshi was killed only to be replaced by this human ."

She frowned. "I'm sorry, I just don't remember half of my life."

"I know. I'll admit it's not your fault, foolish jinchuuriki. You're a victim
of Tobi as much as I am."

"Who?"
Son Goku bared its fangs slightly. "He is the one that sent you here,
and almost killed me in doing so."

She heard the monkey, but she wasn't really processing anything he
was saying. In fact, she had a hard time processing anything . "Okay,
Son Goku, I'll need you to start from the beginning because I have
no idea what you just said."

"This amnesia is terribly inconvenient."

"You're telling me."

"I'll tell you what I know, but don't interrupt me to ask any questions."

"Before you start, can I ask one?"

Son Goku huffed. "Fine, what is it?"

"You keep calling me a jinchuuriki. What's that?"

"It's what you humans call a human that houses a tailed beast."

"What's a tailed beast?"

It growled and gave her a look. "A tailed beast is what I am,
according to you humans. Chakra given flesh. Immortal. You ninja
like to seal us into one of you to use that power. However, no one
really knows you're a jinchuuriki, since no one besides Tobi is aware
of what happened."

"Tell me, please," Sakura said, trying to keep the pleading from her
voice but failing miserably.

"I was going to do that until you decided to interrupt me."

She cringed slightly and gave him an embarrassed smile. "Sorry."

"Anyway, I was a jinchuuriki of a man named Roshi, a man more

powerful than you that you never met so don't start asking questions.
I was extracted from him for some reason, and then placed in you.
From what I briefly remember of the event, you woke up when you
weren't supposed to, wandered off their base, met one of the men
who killed Roshi, and my anger caused you to fight him. Things
weren't looking so well for us, but it was then that Tobi intervened
and sent you from our world to wherever this is. No, I sense a
question coming, wait until I finish. Of course, someone had to pay
the price for traveling dimensions, and that someone was me. The
trip consumed almost the entirety of my chakra. I've spent this entire
time regaining my chakra to the point that I have consciousness now,
though I still haven't regained my full strength."

"Travel… dimensions?"

"You don't honestly believe your home is here, right?"

"I… I do."

"Foolish jinchuuriki, no matter how much you mingle with these

people, you cannot erase that you're not from this world, and never
will be. Your past is in our world."

Sakura wanted to speak, but couldn't quite get her mouth to move.
All this time… She had felt she wasn't from this world because of
chakra, but she'd started gaining hope after finding out the titan-
shifters knew how to use chakra that maybe her people were
scattered everywhere and she was going to come across someone
who knew who she was.

Of course she would be wrong, again.

"How come… How come I don't remember this fight you speak
about? How come I don't remember anything?"

"You're asking the wrong ape, little human. But that door over there
looks suspicious, doesn't it?"
Sakura looked back at the stone door with the kanji written in there.
"You think my memories are literally locked in there?"

"When I came to consciousness, you were having a dream taken

from the memories in there. I only saw what I think was the end, but
it's how I saw when you met Tobi. However, it disappeared before
you woke up. In fact, I wonder if you'll remember any of this when
you get out."

"I certainly hope so. What possible reason could this Tobi person
have for sending me here? And why did it consume your entire
chakra? And why did it take you so long to regenerate?"

"Questions I have no answers for, little human."

"My name is Sakura, Son Goku," she said firmly.

The monkey stared at her in mild approval. "That it is, Sakura.

Perhaps having an amnesiac ninja is not as bad as I thought." At her
confused look, it elaborated, "The story of our world is a long one, so
are certain prejudices. You lack them all. Well, I've decided to trust
you. We can both benefit from a mutual partnership."

"Which means?"

"You must've noticed your body has more chakra, right?"

Sakura blinked. "That was you ?"

Son Goku let out a bark of laughter. "Impressive, yes?"

"You burned me! You gave me a horrible fever, migraines, and body
aches. I almost died!"

Its good humor escaped its face. "An unfortunate side effect from
being asleep for so long. Our chakra hasn't gotten the chance to mix
in this world. That and your chakra is a bit weird, though I can't really
place the reason why."
"Can you fix that?"

"I can't fix it. Your body will get used to it, do not worry. Give it time to
accommodate my chakra. Soon, you'll have my full chakra at your
disposal and you won't feel any different."

"I also can't perform jutsu other than the shadow clone."

"You were used to a cup of chakra and now you have an ocean's
worth. You'll have to relearn how to use each jutsu."

Sakura resisted the urge to groan. She wasn't sure how exactly she
got her amazing chakra control to begin with. Now she had to start
from the beginning, a beginning she couldn't remember. At least
she'll never feel chakra exhaustion again.

"In exchange for this power, I ask of one thing: when we get back
home, let's kill Tobi."

She chose to ignore her chest constricting at the usage of when .

She had wanted to meet people that remembered her, but if it meant
abandoning the people she loved here… "If he's so powerful he beat
Roshi, how are we supposed to beat him?"

"Something tells me you're of special importance to him. He won't

want to kill you. We can take advantage of this and kill him."

"Very well. Help me with my enemies, and we'll get Tobi as payback."

"Good. Out of curiosity, how long did it take for me to regenerate

consciousness?"

Sakura placed a hand thoughtfully on her chin. "If you just woke up
yesterday, then I'd say over seven years, give or take a couple of
months."

"Seven years?" Son asked, incredulous.

She nodded. "Why, is that not normal?"

"I don't think so… Time is a different concept for a timeless, perfect
being such as I, but I can't recall ever taking so long to regenerate."
It shrugged, got up, and clapped his hands together. "Well, no
matter. We won't find our answers soon. Now it's time for you to get
outside and see how you're doing. You did just get stabbed by that
girl, yes?"

Sakura's hand came to rest on her abdomen absentmindedly. It had

hurt, and for a horrible second she had thought she was going to die.
But then the knowledge of how to release the seal on her chest
came to her just like a name came to a person after it was stuck in
the tip of their tongue. "Yes."

"Protecting that guy," Son Goku said in disapproval.

"He's my captain. You'll like him, eventually. I, of all people, know."

"I don't understand him, so that is a hurdle."

"Can you speak to me mentally? Access what I know?"

"I used to with Roshi and past jinchuuriki. Can't imagine why not."

"In that case, get my information on the language, I don't care what
you have to go through to find it. If that doesn't work, ask me if you
want me to translate anything I will."

Son Goku looked at her oddly, though it seemed touched. "Thank

you, Sakura. As for your power, let me get back more of my chakra
and I'll help you whenever you get injured."

"Thank you, Son Goku. Now, do you know how I can leave? I think
it's time I woke up."

When she started gaining consciousness in the real world, her body
felt stiff. She was sitting on a thick branch and could feel the harsh
bark of a tree behind her. A dull ache made its presence known in
her stomach, no doubt caused by her stab wound, and her hands
were bound. So, the Survey Corps had decided- Wait.

Sakura heard three voices speaking in hushed tones to each other.

Rather than announce her presence, she decided to snoop in on
their conversation. It was Annie, Berthold, and Reiner, and though
she could hardly wait to capture them and make them squeal for all
the damage they had caused, she needed to find answers about
their purpose, and maybe find out who taught them so she could…
What would she do to their teachers?

"I can't believe you did that, Annie," Reiner said, his tone worried.
She could pinpoint their location in a tree some meters away from
her own. Eren's chakra signature was near them, as well as Ymir's,
meaning she was the only one removed from the group.

Annie scoffed. "What, should I have let her kill me?"

"Maybe don't stab her!" Berthold hissed. "Sensei is going to be mad!

You could've started a war!"

"She healed, just as they said. Besides, it wasn't my fault she didn't
stay in prison long enough for me to come talk to her!" she shout-
whispered.

"That also was a horrible way to try to get her attention," Reiner
commented.

"Not as bad as killing her entire team in front of her eyes," Berthold
added sardonically. "Couldn't you wait until she was gone to do
that?"

"We don't exactly have all the time in the world, Berthold, and you
two didn't make it any easier on me by not talking to her before this
fight," Annie grumbled. "Besides, the less of them we have to deal
with, the better. Dammit, I can't believe I missed killing Levi. That's
going to bite us in the ass later."
"Not before I do," Sakura said, opening her eyes and easily ripping
apart her rope bindings.

Reiner and Berthold looked at each other. "It's not like we expected
them to work," Reiner said in good nature. Annie looked as if she
had swallowed a lemon. Eren and Ymir were passed out, their arms
and legs cut in half and steaming at the end, and Sakura felt herself
enter perfect clarity in the middle of the violent rage the sight caused
her.

Oh, that's the brat that stabbed you? Son Goku asked in his
booming voice. For a second Sakura thought she had gone crazy
and was starting to hear voices, but then she remembered she got a
new tenant in her body.

Yes, she answered, still feeling awkward knowing her inner voice
was being heard from someone. Also, would he see everything she
did? There were some things she would like to keep private.

"No, nothing is going to keep you three from me and the Survey
Corps," she said lightly, enjoying the situation. Though she had no
3DMG and she was recovering from a rather serious stab wound,
now that she had the help of Son Goku, she felt much more
confident in taking them on.

A bit overconfident, Son Goku noted. I still haven't taught you how to
use my chakra.

This is really distracting, Son.

Oh. Sorry.

" Sakura, this is not what it seems," Berthold said, raising his hands
in a placating motion.

She jumped from her tree branch to the one closest to the last one.
There were now three branches separating them. "Oh? What does it
look like, then? Because I see my adopted brother crippled over
there, and the Armored, Colossal, and Female titans speaking for
the last time in front of me."

The black-haired teen cringed. Both Annie and Reiner slapped him
in the arm and muttered something about not helping to him.

"What Berthold meant to say was we're not your enemies!" Reiner
began, his lips raised in a nervous smile. "I know we'll never be
friends, but we don't mean you any harm."

Her sight zeroed on Annie, and she jumped one more tree branch,
leaving only two in between them. The blonde looked away, and the
two other teens glared at her in annoyance.

"Okay, we don't mean you any intentional harm. We came here

because your friends are looking for you."

She was about to jump again, but that stopped her on her tracks. "
My friends?"

Reiner smiled triumphantly. "Yes! Naruto-sensei, Sasuke-san, Itachi-

san! They can explain it better than I can, but we've been looking for
you instead of them!"

"I don't know them," Sakura said tonelessly.

Me neither, Son chimed in her head.

Berthold did a double-take. "What do you mean, you don't know

them?" he almost yelled, his voice slightly hysterical.

"I meant I don't know them yet, but I'm sure I'll get to know them very
well when I go after them and make sure they never teach any of
you monsters ever again. Right after I deal with you three, of course.
You mentioned something about my death causing a war?"

She jumped to another tree branch, with now only one in the middle,
and felt the air around her grow heavy with her killing intent, orders
of magnitude stronger than before now that she had Son's chakra to
pitch in.

"Annie, when did you send the signal?" Reiner asked quickly, his
body getting ready for a fight. She saw his hands reaching for his
3DMG, and from the lack of 3DMG in Eren's body, Sakura guessed
he had taken it from him.

"As soon as we stopped here," she replied, her hands also reaching
for her 3DMG.

She gave them feral smile and jumped towards Annie when a blur
took her from her spot, causing her to miss entirely. Berthold and
Reiner jumped to another tree branch, putting some distance
between them.

Annie reappeared in the branch of another tree, carried by a man

with shoulder length black hair and an outfit almost exactly the same
as the one she had arrived to the world in, except he had a forehead
protector with what looked like a leaf on it.

"Itachi-sensei," Annie said in wonder.

The man, Itachi, let Annie down gently. Sensei? So, this was the
man… that taught Annie everything about chakra? How to kill
Sakura's friends? How to kill Petra? Oluo? Gunther? Eld? How to
destroy their lives?

Her supposed friend ?

They had to be shitting her if they even assumed she was going to
think him as a friend.

"Are you all right, Annie?" he asked with a heavy accent, not unlike
the one she had when she first arrived in Beinn.

She nodded, dumbfounded.

The clarity she had found earlier was replaced with a hot explosion
of anger so strong she felt her body getting hotter.

Itachi finally turned to regard her, their eyes meeting for the first time.
His black eyes were initially confused, but the relief won out. "
Sakura," he breathed in their shared tongue, his voice happy. " I'm
glad we finally find you. Let's go home now."

Did I say Thursday? Yes, I did, but early chapter is best chapter.

Starting to get to the juicy part of this entire story. I've been
waiting for this moment for like, three years now. Everything
will be explained in time, of course, but it won't be right away. In
the meantime, enjoy the delicious DRAMA.

Speaking of DRAMA, the original stab scene was like, 10x more
dramatic in my outline. Then I remembered everyone basically
gets stabbed for their birthdays in Naruto, and it was soooo
OoC for Levi I couldn't actually write it without laughing.

The original name for this chapter was The Great Bamboozle.
I'm not sure if I missed an opportunity in not naming it that.

I think I did.
The Ninja Way
I had a dream I had renamed this story NYEH NYEH NYEH. You
can guess what new fandom I got myself into.

Itachi's eyes strayed from Sakura's face to her bloodied white shirt.
He had been so happy to finally find her that he hadn't noticed she
had been wounded. Then again, who would be strong enough to
harm a ninja of her caliber? Though she was no ice princess, her
manipulation of Ice Release was almost legendary, no doubt aided
by her immense chakra control. Whoever had landed that wound on
her was no one to be scoffed at, and though he was always alert, his
wariness of this world increased.

"Are you-"

He almost failed to dodge her attack with how fast she did her body-
flicker. Sakura punched the trunk of the giant tree so hard that it fell
and caused a chain reaction with the tree behind him, which also fell.
Itachi jumped backwards to another tree branch, immediately
activating his Sharingan, which allowed him to see Sakura's
movements before she even did them.

The first thing he noticed was that her chakra color was different.
Before it used to be a light blue, but now it was a light purple. Was
this a side effect of this world?

" Sakura, what are you doing? I'm here to take us home!" he asked
after dodging once more and seeing Sakura was not stopping any
time soon.

"Shut up! I don't want to go to with them!" she yelled, though he had
a feeling it wasn't aimed towards him.
With every dodge he got them farther and farther away from Annie,
Reiner, and Bert, though he had a feeling Sakura wasn't aware he
was doing this. Now he was sure Sakura's attack on Annie hadn't
been a one-time thing. She truly was aiming to kill them, and he
couldn't allow her to do that. Not only because Annie was his
student, but the Sakura he remembered would never dream of killing
anyone. She had gotten that from Naruto.

" I know you're upset, but we need to stop fighting and talk. I can
explain everything," he pleaded between dodges. She was tired, and
though his chakra was being consumed at an alarming rate, he was
sure she was going to keel over before he did.

"I don't want explanations. I know everything I need to know."

"You obviously don't, or else you would know I don't do anything

without a reason." He'd had a sneaking suspicion something was
wrong, but he wanted to confirm it without outright asking. It was just
too preposterous to ask, after all.

Why would Sakura not remember him?

" Then it's a good thing I don't know you at all."

It was only thanks to the Sharingan that he managed to dodge

Sakura's next attack. He was unaware of the Godaime and Sakura's
full strength, an ignorance he wanted to keep as long as he wanted
to live. He'd heard stories of amnesiacs, those who were one person
one day and the next a completely different one, but he had no idea
that a someone close to him would one day wake up to be one.

What had Madara done to her?

Though he could continue dodging her attacks for longer, Itachi

didn't want to stay in this planet any longer. The feeling of the foreign
chakra all around him was so disconcerting he still hadn't gotten
used to it, even after all the expeditions. Interdimensional travel was
unpleasant, and being here for too long even worse. Was Sakura
used to this already? Staying for two months to train Annie had
driven him almost insane, or at least more insane than normal.

" Sakura, stop this. You're tired, and I don't want to risk coming
across any titans." Though positive he wouldn't die against titans, he
needed to conserve his chakra for this trip. He had enough to stay
for two months, the time it took to train helpers, but that was with
barely any chakra usage. Right now he had his Sharingan on, and
he had a feeling Sakura wouldn't let herself be taken away without a
fight.

"Oh, scared of them, are you? I would've thought a ninja of your

talent wouldn't fear them. Don't you know their weak point is their
nape?" Her taunts, though understandable for a person that angry,
felt completely foreign coming from her mouth. Sakura had always
been… Not meek, but not cocky, either. Balanced. Not prone to
harsh emotions.

A good person.

" You're not in any position to engage with them at the moment."

"I'll have to, if I want to escape with Eren-"

The boiling rage in her green eyes momentarily cleared, and she
looked around the forest, no doubt looking for this Eren. They were
completely alone, and even Itachi couldn't feel the weird chakra
signatures of his students. They were only surrounded by the faintly
humanoid chakra signatures of the titans, serving to limit their
battlefield to the tree branches.

She glared at him, her mouth twisted in an ugly snarl, and growled, "
I'm done with you. Don't follow me if you want to live another day."

Itachi risked his well-being and body-flickered next to her, grabbing

her firmly by the arm. " I can't let you leave. We must head home."
"My home is within the Walls, a home you've destroyed once, almost
twice."

"We must wait for Naruto and Sasuke." He purposely mentioned

their names, hoping that they might awaken some sort of clarity in
her eyes, but she just grew unhappier.

" There's more of you? Great. You do know I will kill all of you, right."

He had to thank his ANBU training, or else he might've actually

reacted to her callous words. " Not for lack of trying, but you cannot
kill me. These eyes of mine let me see your movements before you
do them. Besides, you still have much to learn before you can beat
your teacher. We're at a stalemate, Sakura. Please. At least-"

Two immense chakra presences approached them with impossible

speed. Both Naruto and Sasuke perched themselves in separate
branches next to theirs, a bit higher, their faces sporting opposite
emotions. Naruto was ecstatic to see Sakura again, while Sasuke
gave him an annoyed frown.

If Sakura had access to her memories, she probably would've

noticed the difference in their appearances. They both wore jounin
attire, though Naruto wore an orange long-sleeved shirt instead of
the standard black, which Sasuke adopted. While Itachi had cut his
hair to his shoulders months ago, Sasuke had let his grow until it
almost reached his own length. He had the Sword of Kusanagi
strapped to his back, a reminder and a warning from his time with
Orochimaru. Naruto started taking more after his father, his spiky
blond hair a bit spikier, and his face more angular, but no one could
ever deny that he took after Kushina-san the most.

" Sakura-chan! Would you believe all the things we did to find you!"
Naruto said with a laugh, and Itachi resisted to wince at the choice of
words. " Wow! You look so much older! I forgot you'd probably age
ahead of us. You might be older than Itachi! You know, Sakura-chan,
Itachi here was so excited to see you that he left the origin point
without us while Kakashi-sensei sent us here. Umm, why are you
staring at me like that? And what are you doing, Itachi?"

Sasuke forewent his exasperated expression and also studied the

scene in front of him. " You two recently fought."

"Astute," Sakura commented. "Want to know why?" Out of the corner

of his eye, Itachi noticed Sakura fist her hands, but his Sharingan
confirmed that she would make no move against him. " You three
probably trained the three titan-shifters, didn't you? I've experienced
first-hand the horrible things they've done, all the lives they've ended
or changed forever. I've witnessed the war machines they are, and if
you created such weapons, then I can only call you mass murderers
by association. And to think you're my teacher," she added with
disgust.

"What are you talking about?" Naruto exclaimed in disbelief. " Those
kids are strong, sure, and I don't doubt they may have killed people,
but to call them war machines?" When neither Itachi nor Sasuke said
anything, Naruto just stared at them in growing displeasure. " You
two knew something, don't you."

"I had to do everything I could to get Sakura as quickly as possible. If

it meant passively agreeing with the Marley's government's terms,
then so be it."

"Itachi," Naruto said in an uncharacteristically steely voice.

" Now's not the time to fight, Naruto," Sasuke replied in a cool voice.

"I would've expected you to be angrier, Sasuke," Naruto mentioned.

For once, Itachi was a bit surprised Naruto had made such an
observation. What the boy had in heart he sometimes lacked in
brains. " Don't tell me you actually knew something about this."

"Not everyone is as stupid as you."

"Why, you-"
"Enough," Itachi said, his grip on Sakura's arm getting slightly tighter.
" We'll talk about this in Konoha."

"Oh, is the show over?" she drawled. "Please, keep fighting amongst
yourselves. It will just make killing you three easier."

"H-Hey… Sakura-chan? Umm… You mean metaphorically, right?"

"Literally. In every sense of the word. And then I'm going after your
students. Though maybe I should do it the other way, considering the
difference in power."

At Sasuke and Naruto's disturbed expressions, Itachi explained, "

Sakura has amnesia. She doesn't remember us."

"And, honestly, I'd rather keep it that way. I don't want to remember
any of you. Also, Itachi, you should get that idea that I'm coming with
you out of your head." Though her face had remained
expressionless, if not occasionally bloodthirsty ever since Sasuke
and Naruto had arrived, at the end she grimaced tightly in pain, as if
something was wrong with her body. Were her wounds from the
earlier fight bothering her?

" Even if you don't want to, you must, Sakura. You're in danger, and
a danger to our world and this one. We must figure out a way to get
rid of your Vessel status, and we can only do that back home."

Itachi saw Sakura forming the question in her mouth, but one second
he was still gripping Sakura's arm and the next he was dodging a
kunai slash from a familiar wolf-masked man in a simple black cloak.

She took the opportunity to put some distance between her and the
four men, jumping to a further tree branch, but surprisingly didn't
escape. She just stared at everyone with increasing suspicion and
massaged her temple.

" It took you three longer than what I expected to break the truce,"
Madara said mockingly. But… his name wasn't Madara, now was it?
He'd never had the opportunity to see his Mangekyo Sharingan or
newly acquired Rinnegan firsthand, but now that he was studying
him closely, it was just too much of a coincidence not to be.

Everything had been.

"Madara !" Naruto exclaimed, his body adopting a fighting posture. "
What! Argh! This is all your fault!"

"Better yet, what have you done to Sakura's memories?" Sasuke

continued, his black eyes turning red from the Sharingan.

" Well, Sasuke-kun, if your ingenious brother had actually decided to

be a good ninja and stuck by to spy on my whole plan, you would
know what being a Vessel entails. But of course, if you mention
you're putting his dear younger brother in world-ending danger, Itachi
just loses it and quits Akatsuki. Funny how Itachi is. He's perfectly
fine with murdering his whole family, but, oh, no, Sasuke-kun! Don't
you dare-"

"You…" Sakura interrupted in a cold, deep voice . "You made me a

jinchuuriki, and sent me here, didn't you?"

"Jinchuuriki!?" Though Itachi was also surprised by this admission,

he and Sasuke could always hide their emotions better than Naruto.

" Indeed, my dear Vessel. I can tell by your interdimensional chakra

that your new tenant is awake! How's the Four-Tails doing?"

"Its name is Son Goku, and its telling me to kill you."

Madara laughed heartily. " Oh, is it! Holds tightly onto grudges,
doesn't it? Anyway, though the Four-Tails is telling you to kill me,
look at your options, Sakura. You either try to fight everyone here, or
you allow me to take on these three, giving you a chance to escape
and get back on with your merry life."

"You would let that happen?" she asked suspiciously.

Sasuke growled. " Of course not. Some part of his plan involves
bringing you back to our world. You should never trust what a snake
says. Figuratively and literally," he added as an afterthought.

"Like anything in life, there's a catch!" he said cheerfully. " But you
don't have to decide right now, Sakura! Take your time, but not too
much, because I can't stay here too long. Certainly longer than those
three, though. Now, Itachi! I'm just dying to know! How did you find
her? You had to search across time and space, yes? This world isn't
easy to come across."

"Not time, but yes space, Uchiha Obito." He let the name sit for a
couple of seconds, relishing in Obito's narrowed mismatched eyes,
before continuing, " I'm more curious to know how you figured out
where to find us."

"Fishing for information without giving any in return, are you? I guess
there's no harm if I tell you; you'll never find Sakura again. I always
know where she is. Her presence here is the product of my Seishiro
and Kamui, after all. I can even see what she sees if I try, and I can
sense her intense emotions. Your arrival here caused no small
amount of distress. I would've come sooner to save you, my dear
Vessel, but I was preoccupied with other important things, things I
have to get back to, actually. Have you made up your mind, Vessel?
What's it going to be?"

"I'll be ready when you try coming for me," Sakura said and
disappeared from the tree branches, leaving nothing behind.

Almost as if something had snapped, Naruto jumped from his tree

branch, a bright Rasengan glowing in his hand, and tried to slam
against Obito. Though Itachi was dreading it, they had no choice but
to fight him, at least long enough for Kakashi to recover a bit to use
Kamui on them. Though his limit was six for the day, he couldn't do
them right after the other, which is why also accounting for the
difference in flow of time between worlds, they always had to wait at
an origin point for a while Kakashi sent the other travelers.
If Itachi's calculations were right, he had spent around an hour in this
world. That meant roughly fifteen minutes had passed in their world,
if Kushina's calculations were correct. If he sent the signal right now,
Kakashi might be able to pull on their Anchors in around five
minutes, or twenty minutes of this world. However, since he had to
wait five minutes between getting each one of them back. Itachi was
going to be the last to stay behind, with Sasuke being the first to
leave, so he would have to hold on for forty minutes.

" Sasuke, go try to get Sakura back. You have twenty minutes. Do
with that what you will."

Sasuke glared at him. " I'm not going to hurt her. She's my
teammate."

Itachi stared at Naruto, who quickly recovered from phasing right

through Obito and aimed another Rasengan at him. He truly was
stubborn and single-minded. " She's weak right now, if it helps. I
have a feeling she doesn't have access to her jutsu . Prioritize her
capture over your feelings."

"Ah, yes, the Master of prioritizing the mission over feelings speaks
again," he said sarcastically but followed his orders, chasing after
the direction Sakura had fled to.

Itachi "tugged" on his Anchor, positive that Kakashi or Kushina-san

had gotten the message. It was weird to explain, but he could feel
the half of his chakra that made up the Anchor, even though they
were in an entirely different dimension. It felt like a ghost limb,
unable to be seen or used, but undoubtedly there, somewhere, in a
different time or space. Anyone could feel the spike of activity from
the Anchor, just like people could sense spikes in a person's chakra
activity, but Kushina-san and Kakashi were more adept in sensing
the fluctuations, considering Kushina-san had devised the technique
and Kakashi was attuned to space-time jutsu and travel.

Obito landed a harsh attack on Naruto, sending him flying into a tree.
The giant tree's roots were slightly upturned from the impact, and a
large hole appeared on the trunk Naruto had been slammed against.

The Naruto that emerged from the dust had Kurama's chakra cloak
with a single tail. Though Kurama wasn't exactly malicious towards
him, Itachi was unsure if Naruto was going to be able to control his
chakra usage. Sure, he had immense reserves, but his chakra
reserves were still halved to create the Anchor. Simply being in this
world drained chakra, and their bodies could not restore their chakra
because they did not "belong" in this world. If Naruto went too wild
and used up all his chakra, he could really die.

" Aren't you going to join us, Itachi? You're not going to let me take
the Nine-tails away, are you? Pein failed, but that doesn't mean you
should forget my mission."

"No, of course not, Obito. I'll never forget anything you've done."

They would fight until Naruto was done. And then he would go for
Sakura if his brother failed.

Sakura ran from tree branch to tree branch, her heart beat erratic.
She knew one of the black-haired men, Sasuke, was hot on her
heels, and though she could turn back and fight him, she wanted to
find Eren first. She had accidentally gone a long ways in her single-
minded pursuit of Itachi. A rookie mistake, but she had been
consumed with such a fury she forgot about everything else.

I should burn your skin off, Son Goku growled in her mind, its
thrashing giving her a headache. You first refuse my request to go
with the ninjas, and then you make a truce with Tobi? Did you forget
our agreement already!

I didn't, Sakura bit out mentally, but I'm not going to go with the
murderers of my friends that easily.

Foolish jinchuuriki. You have just made an enemy you can't run
away from. Do whatever you want, that's what all you jinchuuriki do
at the end of the day anyway, but I won't help you anymore. I can't
do anything about the chakra that naturally mixes with yours, but try
to draw on more of my chakra, and I'll burn you.

You'll want to revisit that opinion when that Tobi person comes for
us.

No reply came from Son Goku, but Sakura had a feeling it agreed
with her.

Even if she got to Eren, there was no way she would be able to flee
Sasuke and the three titan-shifters, at least not without Son Goku's
help. She had a suspicion he wouldn't let her die, or else he would've
killed her already, but she wasn't in the mood of being in mortal
danger. She already had gotten stabbed, and had fought almost the
entire night away with little sleep.

Then again, maybe now was the time to put into effect the jutsu she
had learned today, when she was (yet again) on the brink of death.

Her earlier prediction that she unlocked new jutsu when she was
close to dying (or extremely stressed) had apparently been correct,
and though she wanted to unlock more, she really wanted to get to
Eren.

Sasuke started gaining ground on her, and though she could give
him a run for his money any other day, Itachi had been right in his
earlier assessment: she was exhausted. Had it really been yesterday
that Annie had transformed in Stohess? From all the fighting she had
done, it felt like ages ago. She just wanted to sleep.

She might be able to fight Sasuke in a more even ground if she had
access to her 3DMG, but that was back on the top of Wall Rose.
Speaking of which, was everyone okay? How had she been
captured by the titan-shifters, to begin with? If something had
happened to Mikasa or Armin or Amina…

Sakura would lose it.

" Sakura !" Sasuke called. " You can't keep up the speed. You should
just surrender ."

Surrender and let those monsters take Eren?

She pivoted as soon as she landed on a branch and launched

herself in the direction she had heard Sasuke. Naturally, she missed,
and the tree she had hit started falling, forcing her to jump to another
tree branch. Sasuke was perched on a branch around three meters
above her, starting at her warily.

" I know what you're thinking, and no, you wouldn't win a battle
against me. Not before, and certainly not now," he said matter-of-
factly, looking down at her from his vantage point. Had this person
been her rival in her other world?

" Aren't you curious to find out?"

"I don't want to fight you," he said firmly with a heavy frown. " I don't
know if Itachi told you, but we've gone through a lot to find you. I'd
rather not hurt you. Besides, you're my teammate. We're Team
Seven."

Sakura smiled coldly. " You're my teammate? In that case, how

about this, Sasuke. Help me kill the three titan-shifters, and I'll come
with you, no questions asked. Surely they must not be worth as
much compared to me."

"Even if I believed for a second what you said, that's not something
you would ever say," he said, not bothering to hide his judgement
and disgust.

" I'm not the Sakura you remember," she growled. " You can thank
your little apprentices for that. Now, do you want me to come with
you or not?"

Sasuke was quiet, his red eyes staring intently at her while she
glared back up to him. He broke contact with her and looked up to
the canopy of the trees. " I'm not saying you haven't suffered,
because I don't know what you've gone through, but those kids have
gone through more than anyone should've. And that's coming from
me. Maybe in another world I would've killed my students in cold-
blood for the sake of the mission, but not this one." He looked at her,
his read eyes glowing slightly. " I hope you can forgive me for this."

Sakura felt something funny in her senses when she made eye
contact with Sasuke's red glowing eyes. She easily brushed off the
uncomfortable feeling, her own mind repelling it, and launched
herself at Sasuke, all hopes of an alliance gone.

" W-What!" Sasuke said in surprise, barely dodging her attack, and
only because of his magical eyes.

She had a feeling he wanted to give another monologue, but Sakura

didn't give him a chance, not once stopping her barrage of attacks.
Like Itachi, Sasuke legitimately didn't want to harm her, and resorted
to dodging only. Did he not know any jutsu that would knock her out,
or was he that against hurting a teammate?

Or, perhaps, she thought as she demolished another tree, Sasuke

knew he had no hopes of matching her in close combat with her
strength, and the thought brought a sadistic smile to her face.

Sasuke jumped back, high up in the air, went through a series of

hand seals with speed Sakura could only hope to ever acquire, and
made a wide sweeping motion. " Raiton: Chidori Senbon!"
Thousands of white-blue needles shot from the arc he had created at
point blank, the sound indeed reminiscent of birds, leaving her in
their direct line of sight. She managed to body-flicker away from
them, but not before being stabbed by five of those electric senbon,
three in her abdomen, one in her right thigh, and one in her left
shoulder. The pain, and following electrocution, was sharp, but after
being stabbed by Annie's blade, her pain tolerance had increased.

Well, today was certainly not her day, and from the quietude in her
mind, Son Goku had no interest in helping her. She quickly made a
tiger seal, releasing all the chakra she had stored in the middle of
her chest. The wounds healed instantly, leaving only the blood as a
testament that the wounds had even happened. Her white shirt was
now ripped in multiple places, and was more red than white, but it
could still take a couple of hits before she was basically down to her
breast band, which housed the letter Petra had wrote her.

" I can go for longer than you give me credit for," Sakura said,
panting slightly. " The question is, can you?"

Sasuke seemed to realize he could no longer waste time,

abandoning his earlier goal of avoiding her attacks and aiming to
maim, not kill. Those magic eyes of his allowed him to see where
she was going to be, or where she was going to attack. Even
attacking mindlessly didn't work as well as she thought, because he
could still predict her next move, even if she herself didn't
consciously know it.

In the end, her entire uniform became tattered and bloody, barely
holding up from his barrage of attacks. She even managed to
activate a more advanced form of the Strength of a Hundred Seal
which enveloped her body in black lines and automatically healed
her body immediately, and employed the help of multiple shadow
clones. Besides being beheaded, there was little that Sakura
wouldn't be able to survive.

" What happened to not hurting me, Sasuke?" she asked, painting
heavily. " That too hard for you?" Sakura really shouldn't taunt him.
She was also getting to her limit.

"I can't play around anymore, and you've never been delicate
enough to not take it," he pointed out, also breathing somewhat
heavily. If what she guessed was right, using chakra took more out of
them than it took out of her. It was truly a battle of attrition.

Before anyone could reply, Sakura heard a shot in the distance, and
through the tree branches she was able to see green smoke, a
telltale sign of the Survey Corps. Though they were still too far for
her to detect their chakra, that she could see evidence of their
formation was good.

But they would never stand a chance against Sasuke, and she could
definitely see him trying to kill anyone who got in his way.

" Fuck," Sasuke cursed harshly, surprising her. " This isn't over," he
growled, and his body started warping. In the blink of an eye, Sasuke
was gone, leaving no evidence he was there besides her tattered
clothes.

Against all odds, Sakura had won this fight. Well, maybe win was the
wrong word to use; she had always been severely outclassed. But
Sasuke had failed his mission, and she had stayed in this world.
Surprisingly, it was all thanks to Tobi, though his real name was
Obito, if Itachi was to be trusted.

A sudden wave of exhaustion hit her, and she had to lean down and
put her hands on her thighs, gasping for air greedily. That had been
close, too close. If she had thought she was a powerful shinobi, she
was sorely mistaken. She knew that most of her jutsu and
knowledge was locked away, but a part of her knew that even with all
of her jutsu available, she had little chance of matching Sasuke in a
fair fight.

But even though she had gotten what she wanted, Sakura couldn't
find it within herself to be happy. Her stay in this world was no longer
a guarantee. Even Obito had plans of eventually taking her, and she
couldn't stop him, not with her current power level. She would have
to train harder than she ever had if she hoped to match them. Her
only advantage was that her body apparently was native to this
world, able to regenerate chakra, while they operated in a strict time
limit.

Those ideas would have to wait until later. After resting for a couple
more seconds, she had to find Eren, and figure out a way to fight
three titan-shifters, or at least stall them until the Survey Corps
reached them.
She saw the a flash of lightning in the distance, a telltale sign of a
titan transformation. Sakura immediately heading towards it,
foregoing her earlier thoughts of taking a break, jumping from tree
branch to tree branch with slightly enhanced speed, careful to not
use too much chakra. She could see the Armored Titan in the
distance, running away, and, after enhancing her eyes with chakra,
she could also make out Berthold with Eren strapped to his back on
one of Reiner's shoulders, with Annie balanced next to him, and
Ymir's titan holding on tightly on the next shoulder.

Why was Ymir in her titan form?

Sakura reached the end of the forest and saw titans congregated
below, along with a couple of soldiers who were about to be eaten.
Though her mission was Eren, there was no way she was going to
be able to catch up to them without a horse, so instead she focused
on saving these lives which would then be crucial to save her
adopted brother. Maybe they might even let her borrow one of their
horses.

She concentrated as much as she could to get chakra scalpels on

her hands, and though they were uneven, a side effect from the
overflow of chakra from Son Goku, she managed to cut the napes of
two titans with two well-timed body flickers, though she sorely
missed her 3DMG for midair fighting and overall better maneuvering.
There were three left, and though she could get rid of them, she
didn't know how fast enough she could do it by herself. Maybe
shadow clones would help?

"Sakura!"

Levi and Erwin, along with a group of twenty Survey Corps soldiers,
were galloping her way, their faces grim with determination. Levi
extended a hand to her, which she took and jumped on the back of
Isabelle, behind him. She hugged Isabelle with her inner thighs and
wrapped her arms around his waist, hoping to stabilize herself.
"Hey! Erwin! You bastard! Why are you using us as bait!" a Military
Police officer exclaimed in outrage from behind.

"Keep going! We must get Eren back!"

Sakura looked back and saw the titans gaining on them. That
wouldn't do. Not only because they were going to eat them, but
because their horrific chakra was giving her goosebumps. She
started to unwrap her arms from Levi, ready to go into the fray, but
was stopped by his hand on her lower arm.

"What?" she spluttered.

"Erwin has a plan, and we need those titans to get Eren back," he
replied roughly and removed his hand, putting it back on the reins.

Though Levi didn't explain, Sakura guessed his plan involved using
the titans against Reiner. A group of soldiers were following, hot on
his heels, no doubt slowed down by the extra armor. They were
taking the perimeter, their horses going even faster than the other
group's, and would circle to encircle them.

She frowned, but stayed her arms. At the speeds they were going,
she was definitely going to fall if she didn't hold on. "Not that I don't
share your enthusiasm in getting Eren back, but don't we need
everyone we can get to fight Reiner? Besides, there's no way Annie
isn't going to turn into a titan. She's just looking for the right time.
We're gonna need more men than this."

"You and I are going to take on Annie," Levi said lowly.

"Captain, the last time you fought her you were surrounded by giant
trees, and she was tired. She's incredibly fast, and we don't have
those advantages anymore."

"Well then, it's a good thing I'm worth a thousand soldiers, and you
are a thousand soldiers."
She grimaced. "Captain Levi… I'm incredibly tired. I don't know how
much more I can go." Plus whatever giant reserves she had from
Son Goku's awakening were nearly gone. It had warned that it hadn't
gained its full strength back, and what she had experienced was still
impressive, what she had left wouldn't last very long.

"I imagined you didn't gain tattoos and mutilated yourself for fun," he
said. "But I'm not asking you if you can take on Annie. I'm telling you
that you're going to take her on. If you want Eren back, if you want
Mikasa to live, you need to neutralize Annie. And we're going to do it
and kill the bitch without any second thoughts."

Though Levi was shit at giving rousing speeches, usually leaving

everything to Erwin, this was the exact wakeup call she needed to
get over her insecurity. She had just survived Sasuke's onslaught,
dammit, she wasn't about to let one of his students scare her into
submission.

"Right," she confirmed, unconsciously tightening her arms around

him.

Just like Levi had said, the titans were used against Reiner. Erwin
ordered them to disperse, allowing the titans to collide head on with
Reiner, whose hands were basically useless as he had them crossed
in an X over his neck. Was that where Eren was?

Just before the collision, Annie high, ahead of the Armored Titan,
and transformed into the Female Titan. She landed on top of various
titans, basically taking them down with her, and started fighting them
with advanced taijutsu skills she definitely learned from Itachi. Ymir's
titan helped the fight as well, ripping napes apart. But even their
skills weren't enough to overpower all the titans that were weighing
them down, and without the Armored Titan's help, they were doomed
for failure.

"Ready?" he asked.
"Levi!" Erwin yelled out before she could reply. "Change of plans.
Once we get Eren, we would have everyone we need. Avoid
engaging the Female Titan."

Though Sakura couldn't see his face, she could guess he wasn't too
happy about the new development. "Very well," he said stonily.

The soldiers stopped for a brief while, flabbergasted by the new

development. While Erwin gave one of his famous speeches, Sakura
noticed Mikasa and Armin, both of them safe, for now. They all made
eye contact, and though she knew they were overjoyed to see her
alive and well, their faces were grim from the current situation.

"Offer your hearts to this cause!" Erwin yelled before he started

galloping in the direction of the titan shifters.

Though the chakra signatures of all the titans were a constant by

now, Sakura could pinpoint one nearby, one Erwin was heading
towards to.

"Captain! There's a titan in front of us, and Commander Erwin-"

Just mentioning Erwin's name made Levi spur his horse to go even
faster. Hiding in the trees, it would've been easy to miss it at the
speeds they were going at, but Sakura's sensor abilities had
improved from the ones she had started out with two years ago.

"I got it!" she said, and before Levi could protest, Sakura got on top
of Isabelle, coating her feet with chakra to stick, and body-flickered
towards the source. She punched the titan's head hard enough to
make it go flying in the distance, then ran towards the nape and
sliced it twice with her chakra scalpels.

Sakura ran back to the field, slightly ahead of the group of soldiers,
and this time Erwin gave her the hand, helping her mount behind
him. Once she had stabilized herself by holding on to him, he got out
one of his blades, the other hand on the reins. "Thank you, Sakura. It
seems reports of your strength were not exaggerated."
"There's no reason to hide it anymore," she replied. "Not if we want
Eren back."

Sakura looked ahead at the wall of titans waiting to make collision

with them. There was no way everyone was going to make it out
alive after the collision, and though she knew Mikasa, Levi, Erwin,
and Armin would probably get to the other side, she couldn't live with
that possibility, not because she could do anything about it. She
could use clones to get rid of them, but her chakra reserves were
running dangerously low. The feeling was very similar to her first
experience when she woke up, when she passed out from healing
herself.

Son Goku, I know we got off on the wrong foot, but I need your help.

Oh, now you decide to speak with me, when you want something.
Well, I already warned you, brat. You can try to use my chakra, but
I'll burn you. And sure, your fancy jutsu can heal them immediately,
but how much more pain can your mind take before it breaks?

I need to get stronger, Son Goku. You saw what those ninja could
do. I'm outclassed.

Good. I wish you had lost.

If I had, we wouldn't have gotten a chance to go after that Obito guy.

They seemed adamant to try to keep me away from him. Either way,
you wouldn't have gotten your wish.

… We still would've been back in our homeworld, it grouched.

And you would've been stuck with me for who knows how long. At
that point, is this any different?

Yes.

But how different? There are no ninja here to try to harm you. The
only ones that want to harm us are the ones that come from our own
world. If you want us to be strong enough to defeat Obito, we must
start working together.

You're just saying this right now because you want my chakra
without the drawbacks.

They were nearing closer to the titans, and Sakura couldn't feel she
was doing any progress with Son Goku.

Well, burning herself it was.

"Commander Erwin, you trust me, right?"

"Not that much," he answered warily. Well, she deserved that. "But
enough to know right now our goals align."

She unwrapped her arms from his waist and stood up from Erwin's
horse. She body-flickered forwards, knowing that doing a chakra
enhanced jump on top of Erwin's horse would break the poor animal,
then jumped straight towards the titans.

You idiot! Son Goku roared in her head, the thrashing giving her
another headache. You're no use to me dead, or broken! Fine, fine,
this small fraction of what I have managed to recover! But don't think
I've forgotten your impertinence!

A small fraction turned out to be enough chakra to summon fifty

clones, and still have enough chakra leftover for one hundred more.
They all made quick work of the titans, working together to do
maneuvers they were unable to do without 3DMG. Sakura didn't
even have to do anything, leaving all the work to her clones.

She landed roughly on the ground, leaving a small crater from the
impact. If she hadn't reinforced her leg bones, she would've broken
them. Sakura prepared herself to mount someone's horse, intent on
continuing to provide them openings, when she felt two giant chakra
presences heading her way at incredible speeds, one in front of the
other.
It seems fortune smiles upon us today, Son Goku said in a gruff
voice. Since I know you won't turn yourself in, I won't even waste my
breath. I've done more than I should've. Don't bother in asking.

She couldn't have Itachi and Obito crashing into her comrades.
"Commander! I have something I need to take care of!" she yelled at
him.

Sakura thought she would have to explain, but Itachi and Obito did
the explaining for her once they came into view, and it was hard to
miss them. Itachi was surrounded by a giant, winged creature made
out of pure orange chakra. He wielded a giant broadsword and
shield made of the same orange color. Obito was hot on his heels,
and though Sakura couldn't outwardly see any attacks, she knew
there was a reason Itachi was surrounded by whatever that was.

Holy fuck.

The earlier cheer they all had experienced drained away. Sakura
knew they wouldn't do anything to her, but there was no guarantee
they wouldn't do anything to the people around her. Definitely
couldn't run away, they were too fast. So she would have to meet
them head on, and hope Obito was strong enough to keep her from
Itachi.

"I'll see you all later!" she yelled with confidence she didn't feel, and
sped towards the two fighting monsters. At least she had left them
with fifty clones.

Sakura reached them quickly, since the three of them were heading
towards the same spot. She avoided Itachi's hand's wide sweep at
her and made the hand seals for the Water Release: Exploding
Water Colliding Wave. Itachi easily avoided it by flying up and out of
the way.

" You can't use jutsu I taught you against me, Sakura!" Itachi yelled,
his earlier calm tone gone. He seemed quite angry, though she
couldn't guess for what reason. Out of the three of enemy ninja,
Itachi had seemed the most unflappable. To see him like this was
jarring.

Obito landed next to her and looked up at Itachi, his wolf mask
obscuring his entire face except for the red eye and the ringed eye. "
I may have gone overboard with the taunting," he admitted quickly
without remorse. " Honestly, I didn't even know he had a limit! The
technique is called Susanoo. It is one of my clan's greatest
technique, one even I can't do. We're both almost out of chakra, but
he doesn't need to rely on his own chakra to get back, while I do. If
you don't want Itachi to take you away, you'll have to pull your own
weight."

"You can't expect me to take on that," Sakura said, pointing at

Itachi's prone form in the sky. Up until now, he was just observing
them, trying to figure out their next move. The period of immobility
wasn't going to last forever, though. " Son Goku refuses to help me,
and I don't remember most of my jutsu."

" Well, I guess it can't be helped. Damned if I do, doubly damned if I

don't." Obito sighed and grabbed her shoulder, making her look at
his eyes. His red eye glowed just like Sasuke's had. " Unlike your
memories of the mind, jutsu couldn't be sealed away, since they're
memories of the body, and your body is already being used to seal
something else," he explained quickly.

Sakura felt the beginnings of a headache coming, and like a

floodgate, she remembered what her body had been denied. Itachi
decided that was the moment to attack, but Obito easily took them
took them both out of the zone of impact, almost teleporting them
kilometers away.

"However, you can make the body believe it has forgotten its jutsu
with some very sophisticated genjutsu," he continued, his voice
strained. That move must've taken it out of him. "Unfortunately for
me, jutsu is intrinsically connected to memories, so I had to pseudo-
lock them away. That you've managed to access so many is truly a
testament of your genjutsu skill under duress, my Vessel. And now
you must help me."

And he was right. Though Sakura couldn't remember anything still,

she instinctively knew who had taught her each jutsu, and how much
training her body had undergone for each one. Itachi had taught her
all the water jutsu she knew, he hadn't been lying about that, but he
hadn't taught her everything. Her training had been so precise that
she knew how much chakra was needed for everything, even if she
had much more than her body had been trained with.

" Only for now, Obito. And then, we'll kill you."

Sakura condensed all the moisture in the air she could find and froze
it with her ice chakra, forming around twenty swords, all aimed at
Itachi's Susanoo. He easily avoided them, swiping some of them
with his own sword and letting others hit his powerful shield.
However, this gave Obito the chance to raise various thick wood
trunks from the ground, all of them aiming at Itachi's flying form. One
of his Susanoo's wings was hit, causing him to fall down
momentarily, the impact causing the ground to shake and dirt to fly
everywhere.

And then he got up again, his wing regenerating itself with chakra as
if nothing. Now she was so close, Sakura noticed that his Susanoo
was easily as tall as Eren's titan, perhaps bigger. Certainly more
destructive. Itachi was levitating on his Susanoo's forehead, his arms
crossed, his expression impossible to discern.

" How much longer is he going to last?" Sakura asked incredulously.

She was a jinchuuriki of a tailed beast, and had been near her limit
not even five minutes ago.

" I am just as surprised as you," Obito said. " I may have

underestimated Itachi's power. Pein's attack might've pushed them
all more than I thought," he added to himself as an afterthought. "
Well, no matter, we'll continue our attack."
Itachi's shield disappeared, and he put Susanoo's hand against its
mouth. He created three giant fireballs, aiming them at both Sakura
and Obito. Sakura, worried about the destruction this could cause on
the Survey Corps' only route of escape, drew most of the chakra Son
Goku had gifted her and powered her Water Release: Water Shield
jutsu, moving it far away enough to collide with the fireballs in the
middle.

The resulting mist of vapor covered a three kilometer radius. Sakura

quickly condensed all the water and froze it into blades, once again
aiming them at Itachi, though she had a feeling her blades were
mere flies to be swatted by his powerful form. And, it was worse than
that, because Itachi encased himself in a black fire that burned the
ice swords before they could make contact.

"Those flames are Amaterasu. They cannot be burned out, but they
also consume more chakra. At this point, Itachi might actually kill
himself."

"If we survive the battle, that is," Sakura said.

" Right now you're basically immortal," Obito pointed out. " But I
know what you mean. I can't let them take you away before you're
ready."

And then, out of nowhere, Itachi's Amaterasu disappeared, followed

by his Susanoo. He landed gently on the ground, but his knee gave
out at the last second. Sakura, seeing an opening, created four ice
swords, and ran towards Itachi, the ice swords levitating around her,
her frozen companions. Obito stayed rooted in his spot, curious of
this new development.

He was still kneeling, blood streaming from his black eyes and his
skin pale as moonlight. Sakura stopped a meter away from him and
looked down at his form, then aimed her ice swords at him.

" This is the only way I know that you'll never mess with my friends
again," Sakura said in a cold voice. "May you find your peace."
Sakura ordered her swords to stab him, the attack almost impossible
to miss at this distance, but the swords refused to move. They
stayed rooted in their spot, unwilling to carry out her attack. Her
heart clenched, and she felt an overwhelming sadness and outrage
she couldn't hope to come to terms with.

Itachi also seemed very surprised, his eyes looking at her in a way
she couldn't, wouldn't, understand. " Saku-"

His body warped in the same way Sasuke's had, and in the blink of
an eye he was gone.

Obito approached her slowly, but Sakura was too busy getting the
memories of her clones to worry about him. Thirty-three had
disappeared instead of soldiers as they reached the titan-shifters, an
honorable death. Eight had been killed by the Female Titan, her
advantage over them much too large, though their attacks managed
to distract her long enough to allow Armin and Erwin enough time to
retrieve Eren. One had gotten squeezed to death instead of Mikasa,
though she had still gotten injured when the clone slammed Mikasa
against the Armored Titan in an effort to protect her. The rest stayed
behind to buy the Survey Corps some time as they escaped from the
titan-shifters with Eren.

Though it was disappointing how easily they had all died, she knew
that clones were never meant to be as good as the originals, and
even then, without the original around to mentally lead them, they all
lacked strategy and substance.

" Why didn't you kill Itachi?" Obito asked curiously.

She immediately summoned three ice swords and aimed them at

him. " Well, just as promised," Sakura bit out.

The man laughed and waved his hand up nonchalantly. A force

gripped her and raised her from the ground, then slammed her to the
floor, the ice swords shattering now that she wasn't concentrating in
their existence. The wounds caused by the impact regenerated
immediately, but the hit on her head left her reeling. He levitated her
back up again, but left her in the air.

"You think that just because you had an opening on an incredibly

weakened Uchiha Itachi it makes you some sort of powerful ninja?"
Obito laughed quite gleefully. " Arrogance was never one of your
traits back home. You were always quite the insecure girl. But then
again, in the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed is king, or queen, in
your case."

She heard the galloping of horses coming their way, and though
Sakura was excited they had managed to get away from the titan-
shifters, she was terrified about what Obito would do.

" I'm not going to do anything to them, if that's your concern. I don't
kill every ant I see in my path, only the ones that crawl on my arm."

"They're not ants!" she exclaimed. " They're-"

"Your friends, comrades, loved ones, yeah, yeah, yeah, I've heard it
all," Obito said mockingly. " I get glimpses of them sometimes. Don't
get me wrong, they're quite important to my mission. They certainly
make you very connected to this world, right?"

Sakura didn't really know what he was getting at. Everything about
the ninja was confusing, and this annoyed her greatly. If only she
could remember anything, anything that could help her solve this
Vessel puzzle!

The galloping got closer, and Sakura could now see the blobs that
were the soldiers. They probably were so bewildered by the sight in
front of them that they had no idea what was going on behind them.

"Look out!" she yelled out as loud as she could. "The Armored Titan
is throwing other titans!"

And his aim was terrifyingly precise. Some soldiers were outright
killed by having titans slammed into them, while others were dropped
from their horses. The worst part was that the titans themselves
weren't dead, meaning whatever time her clones had bought them
was basically for nothing, since Reiner could just give them a
shortcut.

Sakura started struggling against his levitating power, but she knew
it was useless. Using her ice swords would only make him slam her
against the ground. " Let me go! I have to fight! Didn't you have to
leave!"

"There were some things I had to tell you now that you know more
about the nature of you being here," Obito said.

More titans were thrown, colliding with even more soldiers. By now
most of the soldiers had lost their horses, leaving them on the
ground and vulnerable to attacks.

Where were Mikasa, Eren, and Armin? Where was Levi? Erwin?

You brat! You need to get out of this! Son Goku exclaimed in her
mind.

Oh, now you decide to talk to me! Sakura snapped, delighted in

using its words against it.

The monkey scoffed in her head. Listen, we kill him, we don't have to
worry about whatever his plans are.

Then give me chakra!

So demanding! This is as much as I can give for right now. I still

haven't regenerated all of my chakra, and I regenerate it much more
slowly than usual.

Son Goku pushed more of its chakra into her, enough that a red
chakra cloak covered her body, and a single tail sprung from the
back. Her green eyes turned yellow and her pupils disappeared.

" I thought the Four-Tails didn't want to help you."

" That's how much we want to kill you, " she said in a distorted
voice.

"Oh, my, and after I helped buy you more time in this world! How
rude. There is no power that can release you from my Shinra Tensei
technique. So, if I were you, I would calm down and let me finish my
sentence."

Sakura and Son Goku growled simultaneously, but they both knew
they had been subdued. There was nothing they could do against
Obito. The sadistic part of her made her look around with chakra
enhanced eyesight to see if she could find anyone she recognized.
She saw Armin holding a sword at a titan, Erwin turning back with a
small group of soldiers, Levi fighting titans, even at a disadvantage,
and Eren and Mikasa at the mercy of the titan that had killed Kalura
and she let out a weak whimper.

They were going to die while she stood here.

It was almost as if someone had cut her strings. Her outrage faded,
her will to fight gone. The marks of her Strength of a Hundred Seal
faded away, leaving her body healed but dirty. Son Goku's chakra
returned back to her body, unused, leaving in its wake a weak pink-
haired woman with dead green eyes.

"Aw, don't cry! I'm horrible when women cry. I never know what to
say!"

"You could start by shutting up," she said in a low, quivering voice.

" Fine, I'll hurry up. Who knows, you might be able to save them,
after all. Now, first things first. What did those three tell you about
what it means to be a Vessel?"

Sakura remained tight-lipped, giving Obito a watery glare.

" And here I thought you wanted to save your friends."

She shivered, from anger or fear she didn't know, and said, " They
told me I was in danger and a danger to both worlds. That the only
way I could get rid of my status as Vessel was to go back with them."

"Hmm, truths mixed with lies, the true ninja way," Obito said. " Well, I
suppose the information isn't too damning. Was that all they said?"

"They mentioned how hard it was for them to be in this world, but
you told me the same."

"That is completely true. Not only can't we regenerate chakra in a

world that isn't ours, but being in a time and place we shouldn't
logically be in consumes chakra. Well, is that all?"

"I'll make you pay for this, Obito," Sakura said in an empty voice. "I
may not be as strong or scheming as you, but I am what you want,
and I can get rid of myself quite easily."

Obito chuckled deeply. " It's a good idea you bring this up, Sakura. I
had an inking you would think along these lines, but thanks for
confirming it," he said in a jovial voice. He walked closer to her and
started letting her down gently. Soon there were no forces holding
Sakura prisoner, but she still couldn't move. Obito himself was a
force she couldn't fight against. He grabbed her chin and yanked her
to look up to his mismatched eyes. " Let me make something quite
clear," he began, his earlier mood completely gone and his voice
offering death, " you take my Vessel away from me, and I will hunt
your loved ones and their loved ones until there isn't a person in this
world that remembers you. You were right, we were allies only for
the duration of this fight. If you want to be my enemy, I won't stop
you. There's no one in this world I'm better in dealing with."

A commotion from the titans interrupted Obito's threat. For some

reason, the titans had stopped attacking the soldiers and were now
going for everyone Eren considered an enemy. The sight filled
Sakura with a surge of joy she couldn't contain.
" It seems fortune smiles upon your friends. How nice." He let her
chin go and she immediately took a couple of steps back. " I think it's
time I head ba- Oh, silly me! How could I forget! I must put that
genjutsu back. I hope you enjoyed having your jutsu for a while, but I
really can't let you have it."

Sakura immediately looked down, avoiding his red eye, the eye that
could cast the genjutsu. She couldn't let him take away her ability to
fight, not again. Not when she would need all the power she could
get to stand a chance against them.

H-Hey! Son Goku yelped in her mind, catching wind of what she
wanted to do.

Sakura summoned an ice blade and slashed her eyes before she
would regret it, the world going empty amidst the burning pain in her
eyes and the scream in her throat. She clutched her head in pain
and resisted every brain cell telling her to quickly use her Strength of
a Hundred Seal to regenerate what she cut, but she had to be strong
until Obito left.

The big question was, would she regain her entire eyesight?

" Shit! You're crazy!" Obito exclaimed, perturbed. "What the hell is
wrong with you! Argh, fine, fine, keep your damned jutsu! If you start
getting memories back I'll just come when you least expect them and
seal them all at once. And I thought the Uchiha were the only weird
ones about their eyes. Remember what I said: don't die, I'll come
back for you, try not to mutilate yourself further. Fucking hell."

The disappearance of his chakra presence was the only indication

Sakura had that he had left. She waited a couple more seconds, just
to be sure, before she could start any healing process. Obito
seemed like the kind of person to lull her into a false sense of
security and then strike.

However, considering the eyes were one of the most complex and
sensitive organs in the body, she would need to protect them while
they healed. She ripped a long strip of her shirt, folded it various
times to make it as thick as possible, and wrapped it around her
eyes. Sakura activated her Strength of a Hundred Seal and
immediately knew it worked because the emptiness she had
experienced earlier was certainly not blackness.

You really are crazy, Son Goku said, slightly disturbed but also
proud?

She heard galloping coming in her direction. Sakura turned to the

horses, making sure they could see that… well, she couldn't see.
However, she could still feel chakra presences, and though they
didn't provide all the information eyesight did, she had an idea of
people's location. And it certainly allowed her to notice certain things
she hadn't noticed before.

A horse stopped next to her, and she heard the sound of feet making
impact on the ground. Levi's chakra presence was faint, almost as
faint as Mikasa's. Levi tentatively touched her shoulder and turned
her around to face him.

"Hey, we have to get out of here," he said softly, as if something was

also wrong with her hearing. She could hear other horses
approaching them. Even though Levi had been just as far away, he
had gotten this far first. Isabelle was truly a fast horse, even for the
Survey Corps standards.

She hummed. " Eye figured," she said in response, doing her best to
keep a straight face. If she was being honest, it wasn't that hard.
There were so many emotions warring within her right now that
feeling silly was the closest she could come to feeling sane. And she
was reaching levels of exhaustion and hunger that shouldn't be
possible. "Let's see if you can help me out."

Levi groaned and grabbed her hand rather roughly, leading her to
Isabelle.

"Hey! No need to lash out."

He stopped right next to Isabelle, frozen in place. Sakura's hand was
starting to get clammy in his, but he wouldn't let go.

"That's eyeronic coming from you," he replied in a deadpan. Her

mouth slackened. "Now, come on. We're still in titan territory."

It was almost muscle memory knowing where the stirrups were, but
she still needed a guiding hand since Isabelle was different than
Haruto. "Did it really take you that long to come up with a pun?"

She felt Levi swinging behind her and grabbing Isabelle's reins. With
the click of his tongue and some movement from his legs, Isabelle
broke into a gallop. Sakura yelped and clutched Isabelle's mane
tightly.

Levi chuckled slightly, and if she hadn't been so outraged, she

would've gaped at the sound. Levi? Expressing anything remotely
close to happiness? What was going on? And why did it sound nice?
"Hey! A little warning would've been nice! I could've fallen."

"No, you wouldn't have, and I wouldn't have let you. And even if you
had fallen and had gotten trampled by Isabelle, isn't that a normal
Tuesday for you? Speaking of which, that cutting your eyes thing…
Or the flying monster, or the fire… Or everything, really. What're the
explanations for all that?"

Ninjas from another dimension wanted to get her because she was
the Vessel, who probably was a danger to everyone for some
unknown reason, and wanted to get her back to her homeworld, but
another ninja, enemy of the other group, didn't want to let her go
back just yet for some unknown reason as well, but certainly not a
good one because he was an asshole. Oh, and she had cut her eyes
because she didn't want the asshole to seal her powers away.

"It's, uh, complicated."

He scoffed. "No shit. Well, we're about to have a lot of time off after
this. We're all very interested in hearing the full story, traitor." Though
the word made Sakura's heart clench, Levi said it without any real
animosity, in fact in a mocking tone. After all, how could someone
who had risked so much for all of them be a traitor?

Though Isabelle's gallop was by no means gentle, Sakura was tired

enough to think of them as a rocking motion. She thought about
asking Levi permission of using him as a pillow, but knowing him he
would just make the situation awkward, so she just scooted back and
rested her head on his shoulder, his arms letting her body know it
was safe to sleep without falling.

She fell asleep thinking of dark eyes and her inability to extinguish
them.

If there are any grammar or spelling mistakes, please let me

know. If you hate the story, I don't care, stop reading and write
your own fanfiction or something. Sheesh. (Though maybe I
should put that in the first chapter. By now I think only those
that stuck by are reading).

To everyone else, thank you so much for your support! Your

reviews make my day and fill me with joy. Let me know what
you enjoyed the most about this one, or what surprised you the
most! I hope it wasn't too much of an info dump, but seamlessly
explaining things while continuing action is so hard. How do
Naruto characters monologue so damn much?

This is the end of the Clash of Titans Arc (fucking finally), but
there is still an interlude before the start of the Nobility Arc. I
want to try something new with the Nobility Arc, which is
basically to world-build the SnK world and flesh out characters
besides just Levi and Sakura and their relationships. We'll see
how it goes!
Breathe
Warning: Some light spoilers for after S2 of Attack on Titan.
Going forward, if you don't want to be spoiled, you should read
with caution. It isn't a big spoiler but still.

Levi dreaded the night. He wasn't afraid of it like he used to be when

he was a small boy, unable to fend for himself, but there was a lot of
unpleasantness associated with it, mostly because he couldn't blink
the night away like everyone else.

Hange had asked him repeatedly to look into his insomnia, hoping to
find a cure -or at least, a treatment- for it, but he always refused. She
had better things to worry about, and he was admittedly more
productive during the night than anytime else. He was undisturbed
from the noise. Not that there was any in the evacuated Trost, but
that was just for the day.

He sat in the rocking chair next to his bed, reading soldier reports he
had demanded from some poor soul who just wanted to sleep after
getting back from Eren's rescue mission. Their headquarters were
half an hour away from Trost, far away from people so they could
have their practice, and that soldier had gone all the way back there
for his whims. Rolf, was his name. He'd remember for future
reference. He always remembered soldiers who went above and
beyond for him.

Though he was still reeling over the death of his squad -and, if he
was being honest, he hadn't had enough time to properly mourn- he
needed to start the search for new squad members. Before he had
tried looking for Survey Corps members that had spent at least a
year with them, or had gone on more than five expeditions. Green
rookies had the highest mortality rate, but their skills didn't shine until
some time, and he needed to work with talent.
This time, though, the 104th Training Corps had gone through more
than the average rookies. They had been involved in the Battle of
Trost, had survived an expedition with the Female Titan, and they
had all survived getting back from Eren's rescue mission. That
wasn't just pure luck. Most of them had graduated in the top ten of
their class, so right off the bat they were skillful. They also personally
knew all of the titan-shifters, bringing some advantage since they
might know their weaknesses.

Keith Shadis's reports about the growth of the rookies were detailed,
as expected from a man who had been commander of the most
grueling military division. He identified weaknesses, strengths,
improvements, personality traits, as well as projected growths,
though this was far more subjective than the other categories. The
files for Jean Kirstein, Connie Springer, Historia Reiss, Armin Arlert,
Mikasa Ackerman, and Sasha Blouse would tell him if he was being
crazy in recruiting so many rookies for a special operations squad.

Eren Jaeger was a given. Ever since he had been revealed as a

titan-shifter, the Survey Corps' purpose was to protect him, and,
though his titan form was strong, he would need a lot of support from
teammates. This made Mikasa Ackerman an excellent choice. Not
only was she hailed as a genius they hadn't seen for a long time, she
was single-minded about protecting Eren above all costs, though she
became a irrational about it more often than not. Her training would
be more about keeping her cool and maybe teach her some
advanced techniques, since she was ready for it. Though not related
by blood, Mikasa took after Sakura more than she probably realized.

Jean Kirstein had already helped them in their Stohess operation, so

he knew who he was. His reports all read about his skillful 3DMG
techniques. Usually that wouldn't be enough to land a spot in the
Special Ops, but he was also dedicated in helping Eren, and Levi
was in dire need of that loyalty that couldn't just be drilled into people
Eren didn't know. The brat wasn't easy to get along with, after all.
Teaching Jean advanced techniques might take a bit longer than
with Mikasa, so it's not like his usefulness boiled down to his
camaraderie with Eren. If he was letting Mikasa in, then it should be
easy to decide to let Jean in.

Historia Reiss was another one that was a given. Getting information
from the Wall Cultists would require her noble blood, and Levi was
far too cynical to believe the Wall religion or crown would let her
divulge all those secrets that easily. Though her past was a mystery,
since all her reports were written about Krista Lenz, Levi would have
to trust that she was genuine, and that Pastor Nick hadn't lied to
them.

Though at first glance Armin Arlert was a laughable candidate, Levi

had seen firsthand how bright and clever he was. So, brawns wasn't
his forte, but the Survey Corps had enough brawns to make up for
his shortcomings. What they needed was a tactician mind, someone
that could come up with and modify plans faster than any of them.
Though Levi knew he himself was smart, he always trailed a few
steps behind Erwin in terms of leading an army. Tactician minds just
couldn't be outpaced by a non-tactician one. Maybe if his previous
squad had someone like Armin, their corpses wouldn't have been
dumped in the field between Wall Maria and Wall Rose.

Connie Springer and Sasha Blouse were the last candidates, and
the ones Levi had the most amount of concern with. Keith Shadis's
reports about them were interestingly glowing, and he noted that the
pair had the best dynamics from the group. His squads usually had
five members, not including himself and Eren. To add those two
would bring the count up to…

Well, now that Sakura wasn't officially on his team, it wouldn't be a

bad idea to take them both in. Still, he needed a good reason to
choose them over more veteran soldiers from the other Squad
Leaders' teams, and he wasn't going to find the reason now.

He was so engrossed in his reports that he didn't notice when he

nodded off to sleep, only to be awakened by the sunlight seeping
from the window. Just how long had he slept? It was barely some
time after dawn, and he had studied the reports by candlelight well
past midnight. Well, at least he had slept. Some nights he couldn't
even count on that.

Now he would look for Erwin and tell him of the new development.

The barracks they were staying belonged to the Garrison. His room
didn't have a bath, so he would have to go to the communal
bathroom. Hopefully it would be empty, though he didn't have to
worry if it wasn't. Not many people liked being around him, and he
made it known that he didn't like people being around him.

He gathered his civilian clothes and left his temporary room. Luckily
for everyone involved, the communal bathroom was empty. He
hummed a tune from a song his mother used to sing, mindful to not
get too loud lest someone hear him. He got hot water from a nearby
large bucket and dumped it inside one of the various tubs of the
bathroom. He always spent his sweet time getting clean, but today
he felt restless, and wanted to get his business done as soon as
possible. He quickly dried himself with one of the clean towels left in
a bench and dressed in his regular civilian clothes, plus the jacket he
had stolen from Hange. She hadn't said anything yet, but he trusted
her to do so eventually.

Erwin, the crazy bastard that he was, had already decided yesterday
which room was going to be his temporary office, and it was next to
his room. He never took the time out of his day to rest, and even
though they've technically emerged victorious from their rescue
mission, Erwin had his eyes set on a further goal. Levi didn't need to
guess; he knew Erwin was reading over reports concerning what
happened in the last twenty-four hours, what they had missed while
they were in Stohess. And he was also planning, and making
contingency plans and counterplans. The last month had shaken the
very foundation of what they believed in, and Erwin was the only
person Levi knew could handle it.

The hallways of the barracks were starting to get a bit crowded as

Survey Corps and Military Police soldiers woke up from their well-
earned rest and went to the kitchens. There wasn't much to do but
wait until the situation was cleared, since Wall Rose residents had
been evacuated and it would take some time to confirm reports that
there indeed had been no breach. Such reports would then need to
explain just how titans had gotten through Wall Rose, and that
reason hadn't been found yet.

Erwin's office was at the opposite end of the barracks, in a more

secluded place far away from veterans and regular soldiers alike.
The door was in his sights when Nanaba exited Erwin's office, her
face somewhat obscured by the lack of light in the hallway.

She started walking his way and passed him with a nod. "Levi," she
said quietly in greeting.

"Nanaba," he returned, then continued walking towards his

destination.

He had barely gotten a few more steps in before she spoke, "I know
we haven't always seen eye to eye, but the soldiers under your
squad were exemplary. All of them. Gelgar and I owe my life to one
of them."

"They were all just doing their jobs," he said, ignoring the swell of
pride at her words. He didn't need people to tell him his subordinates
were the best, but hearing it from Nanaba did make him feel as if he
had done something right for once.

"We all do our jobs as Scouts, but some of us do it better than

others. They will all be missed."

He had half a mind to point out one of them was still alive, but she
must've been told about the situation concerning Sakura. Shitty
situation it was. Until resolved, and it would be, he couldn't count on
her. "Thanks," he murmured, ending the conversation before he said
something he wasn't supposed to.

Levi entered Erwin's office and was only mildly surprised to see
Hange had beaten him to it. Erwin himself sat behind a smaller desk
than the one they had in their own headquarters, but it was already
filled with paperwork. Hange was sitting in one of the two seats in
front of the desk, wearing her military uniform and a bandage around
her head.

"Ah! Levi! Looking good! I wonder what amazing person let you steal
such an amazing jacket," she said in her trademark jovial voice.

He rolled his eyes and sat in the remaining seat. "I wear it better."

Hange pouted. "Now that's not true. Anyway, you know it's rude to
just walk in without knocking? Erwin and I could've been gossiping
about you."

Levi rolled his eyes and turned to look at Erwin. The blond man was
giving him a small smile, the only genuine smile he was capable of
producing. Perhaps he tried throwing him off so that he wouldn't
notice the deep bags under his eyes, or the wrinkles in his shirt. "You
look like shit."

His smile turned wry and he looked at him pointedly. "I've been
learning from the best." Levi raised his eyebrows at his sassiness.
Well, the morning brought the best out of everyone. "Now, Hange,
you were saying?"

Hange cocked her head to the side and brightened. "Ah, yes! Well,
I'll need to observe if Eren can indeed harden his skin enough to
block the hole in Wall Maria. Armin's plan is sound, but without
proving that Eren can plug the wall beforehand, the mission would
be suicide."

"I understand," Erwin said. "That should be our first priority, but at the
same time, we need to find a way to counterattack the three titan-
shifters. I'm sure they haven't fled completely."

She frowned. "Yes, I know, but, to be honest, I don't have any ideas
on getting through that skin. Our earlier plans failed because they
weren't made to capture intelligent titans."
"At this point we should just kill them," Levi said darkly.

"Well, that too, but I don't even know how to go about doing that. The
technology might not exist, Erwin."

"Then we would have to make it."

"And that would require time. Time we don't have, and time we could
spend learning about Eren's power. Why not rely on Sakura until
then? I've read the reports about her strength. Maybe she can get
through the hardened skin."

Erwin shook his head. "No more relying on Sakura for now. She has
that trial."

"Surely you don't mean to let her go," Hange said, oddly serious.
"We just confirmed she wasn't a traitor. We even have Military Police
soldiers that can testify to that."

"Also, what's the point of the trial," Levi said. "She's never been one
to fully respect authority. Why would she respect that?"

"Because we respect it," Erwin said and then sighed deeply. "If the
order is given and I still allow Sakura to serve, we would be
defunded. We can't have that. We still need to eat, and we still have
to pay our soldiers.

"As for Sakura's trial, I have a very strong feeling that Zackly will not
trust us with Sakura and will just give her to the Military Police,
maybe put her in the Royal Guard. Our failure to capture Annie
Leonhard, as well how costly keeping Eren alive has been, will rear
its ugly head in the trial. He barely gave us Eren last time. It won't
happen again. Even if we say we need her to counter the titan-
shifters' powers, they'll just point out that maybe we should just stop
provoking them. No one cares about what happens outside of the
walls besides us."
"She would just kick everyone's ass," he pointed out. "Clone herself
like some weird animal and just fight everyone."

"Including us?" Erwin replied with a raised eyebrow. "The Survey

Corps answers to Zackly. If he orders us to fight her, we have to. As
big of a waste as that is. And, Hange, Levi, I know both of you have
a positive opinion of Sakura Ackerman, but you're forgetting that she
hid this secret from us for a long time. If she had wanted to help us,
she would've started a long time ago. She's not like Eren. I'm not
saying she's a traitor, or that she isn't on our side, but I don't think we
have the same goals."

Initially Levi wanted to defend his subordinate, but Erwin's words

reminded him why he himself had been bitter and betrayed not even
two days ago. She had been a member of two different versions of
his squad, and had been present when they died. Had she tried to
save Liesl and Jung with her inhuman strength? Was the Female
Titan that powerful, or had she allowed his most recent squad to be
killed? How many letters had been sent because she hadn't tried
hard enough to save her teammates?

Just how different would the Survey Corps be had they had Sakura's
full devotion from the beginning?

She had an awful lot explaining to do before he could consider fully

forgiving her, or trusting her again.

A knock interrupted the heavy silence that had befallen the room.
Erwin allowed the soldier to come in, and Moblit entered rather shyly.
"Excuse me, Squad Leaders and Commander, but I've located
Connie Springer, Squad Leader Hange."

Hange immediately stood up, an uncharacteristic frown upon her

features. "Thank you Moblit. Can you please take him to my office?
I'll be there shortly."

Moblit saluted and left.

"Leaving already?" Levi asked.

She nodded. "Eren's transformations aren't the only thing weighing

on my mind. If my theory is right, we might be able to release Rose's
citizens from the underground before disaster starts."

"What kind of theory?" Erwin asked.

She chewed on her lip. "One that I don't want to say until I at least
have some evidence backing it up. Now, if you'll excuse me."

Both men watched the brown-haired veteran leave the room without
much fanfare, taking with her the only person capable of lightening
up the mood consistently.

"I imagine you had a reason for coming here too," Erwin said a few
seconds after she left.

"Maybe I just wanted to kick you while you were down," he replied.
Erwin just stared at him in amusement, making Levi grunt softly.
"Fine, I was here to talk about my new squad."

"You know you don't need my approval for those types of things."
Unsaid was, Levi didn't really need approval for many things.

"I know, but this time, I want all of the rookies from the 104th."

Erwin raised both eyebrows. "All of them? Well, I suppose I can

understand Mikasa Ackerman, the girl has talent plenty, but why the
rest?"

Levi slumped in his chair. "And that's the problem. My gut tells me to
do it, but I don't know if I'm making a terrible mistake. Those kids
have half the experience of my previous squad, and look how they
ended up."

"Why do you think your gut is telling you to do it?"

"You don't survive Trost, the 57th Expedition, Wall Rose's 'fall,' and
Eren's rescue by just being lucky. Those kids have a certain
something that makes them hard to kill."

"Well, there you have it. I think those are fine reasons," Erwin said.
"To be honest, I was wishing you would take some soldiers from
Mike's squad, but I can't dictate that."

"Why would I take soldiers from his squad?"

Mike was extremely territorial about his own, and he wouldn't allow
Levi out of all people to take some of his. The reason he and
Nanaba didn't always see eye to eye was because Mike and him
would butt heads all the time, and Nanaba and Mike had a thing.
Ever since Erwin had convinced him to stay in the Survey Corps,
Mike had taken less of the spotlight. It didn't help that he was the
second strongest soldier humanity had.

Though now Levi was unsure if he was still the first. Not that he
really cared for the title. It just got him annoying fans.

"Mike is dead," Erwin said in a grave voice. "Nanaba just delivered

that report. She says she had reason to believe the Beast Titan was
involved, though she can't prove it entirely."

"Beast Titan?"

Erwin chuckled humorlessly. "A lot happened these last twenty-four

hours. More than anyone can keep up with. I'll send you my own
reports once I'm done going through with them so you can read
about the Beast Titan. But if we thought we had a hard time with this
world, we have another thing coming."

"I can't believe Mike got killed just like that," Levi murmured. He had
fought besides the man before. He was imposing, and an
unparalleled force against titans. "We may not have been friends…
Shit, Erwin, you're not gonna go soft on me, are you?"
His blue eyes widened and his shoulders stiffened. "I'm not sure I
understand?"

"I know you two were good friends."

He relaxed. "Oh, that. You don't have to be concerned about me Levi

I'm-"

"I'm not."

"I'm fine," he finished with a knowing smile. "No, like Nanaba, I'll
mourn Mike once this is all done."

Levi frowned. "Have you thought about the possibility that we won't
make it?"

"Every day," the blond replied grimly. "But we can't be stopped by

that. Not when we're living in historic times. Besides, as long as we
have Eren, we can die knowing we at least have a chance."

"I was expecting a response more along the lines of 'I'm not going to
die until I've achieved blah blah blah.'"

Erwin chuckled. "None of us can survive on willpower alone

nowadays. The titan-shifters have it as well. We just have to be
smarter, since they have many advantages. Now if only we could
find a way to keep Sakura. It would make our mission easier."

"About that… I was told about an interesting plan."

"Oh? Do tell."

"Make her a noble."

Erwin stared at him. "A noble," he repeated in a deadpan.

Levi resisted the urge to curse him out. Now he was being
unimaginative. "A Burgeis came up to me after the Emergency
Council meeting. He said nobles couldn't be tried by court unless
their family stripped them of the rank. He mentioned the Burgeis
would be willing to take her in because Sakura is friends with that
Burgeis noble girl."

"Amina Burgeis? Hm, she's not just any Burgeis, she's the heir to the
Great Noble House Burgeis. That's not a run-of-the mill noble family.
They belong to the group of people that turn the wheels in the
capital, and, by extension, all of us."

"Why is she wasting her time here, then? Actually, how did a Great
Noble House allow an heir to join the military?" And not just any
branch of the military. How did they allow her to join the Survey
Corps, the most dangerous military division?

Erwin shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. I can play the

game with them, but their inner structures are baffling to me.
Whoever told you this is right, I'm surprised I didn't think of it earlier."

"Not exactly a common way of avoiding the law," Levi pointed out.

"Indeed, I believe this would be the first time it's done. Now it's all
about convincing Amina Burgeis to put her family's reputation on the
line, though it shouldn't be hard. I don't think she wants to see her
friend leave, and she owes me some favors. I can't tell you why she
decided to join the Survey Corps, but I can easily tell you why she's
stayed here for so long, and you're looking at the reason."

"You've let her stay?"

"Of course. Hange adores the woman, says she's very bright and
would never forgive me for giving her back. Plus, this is one of the
only times I'm allowed to refuse a noble outright, especially a Great
Noble House. I'm not a power maniac, but it does feel good to flex
our might every once in a while."

"You're not a power maniac. Just a maniac."

Erwin snorted. "Well, we have a plan. It's just the execution that
worries me. Becoming a noble isn't as easy as you're making it
sound."

"I didn't expect it to be easy. That would just be too good to be true
coming from this shitty life."

"Their structure is very rigid and complicated to navigate, adding

ways to distinguish themselves from commoners, lower nobility,
higher nobility, and royalty. It's honestly a confusing world, but above
all, a respect of authority and ancient traditions is required. For
someone to go from commoner to higher nobility, being nothing short
of perfect would be a base requirement."

"Ah, shit."

"Indeed, but that's not up to us, unfortunately. We have other things

to worry about, Levi, starting with…"

Mikasa sat in one of the chairs by Sakura's bed, reading an old

folktale while trying (and failing) to ignore Armin and Eren's
conversation about hot air balloons. When she had asked as an
afterthought if they wanted to join in her vigil, she hadn't expected
her two best friends to join along. Unlike her, Armin and Eren
actually had friends in the 104th Trainee Squad. Eren even had
some acquaintances in the Survey Corps, since he had joined before
them, and his reputation preceded him.

Now they were sitting on the other side of Sakura's bed, their chairs
a bit farther away than Mikasa's.

They, like her, must be anxiously waiting for her to wake up. She had
been asleep for over eighteen hours, and though that itself wasn't
unhealthy, it was a bit abnormal for the pink-haired woman. Then
again, the injuries she had sustained had been grievous, though she
had read about them in the medical reports. It was a good thing she
could heal her own wounds automatically, or she would definitely be
dead. Though her eyes were still wrapped in bandages, since the
medics didn't know if her eyes had fully healed.

Mikasa didn't really know what she wanted to tell her; she just
wanted her sister back after a stressful two days. The last time they
had spoken it had been after a disastrous time. And with all the
revelations that had taken place, Mikasa had a feeling she wouldn't
have her sister back for too long.

Now… Well, Mikasa had some questions. She had a bad feeling
about the men she had noticed during Eren's rescue mission.
Though she had been more concerned about getting Eren back from
those despicable titan shifters, now that everything was said and
done, she wanted to know more about the people her sister had
fought with.

And maybe ask her to heal her ribs. Though the medics had deemed
her well enough to not stay bedridden, Mikasa still had some pain
from breathing.

She risked a glance at Eren, who was still talking animatedly to their
blond friend. Eren still hadn't mentioned anything about her almost-
confession. Was that how she was going to call it? Almost-
confession? What was she confessing, anyway? He already knew
that she loved him. Everyone who knew them knew that she loved
him. Eren was her world. He had protected her when no one else
had, not even Sakura.

But her gut told her that the love she felt for him had been steadily
evolving over time. Mikasa wanted to ask Sakura before she got any
further. Her sister wasn't the absolute authority concerning matters of
the heart, but surely she would know more than she did, right? Who
else would advise her on what to do?

Sasha?

She almost snorted at the thought.

"Mikasa, what do you think?" Armin asked, his blue eyes more light-
hearted than she had seen in a long time.

"About what?" she replied absentmindedly, flipping a page in the

book she held. To be honest, she had stopped reading a long time
ago, but she didn't want to give the impression she had been
listening to their conversation.

"Hot air balloons. Do you think they really could've gotten us over the
walls?"

"Of course. They float, right?"

Armin pointed a finger at Eren and smiled triumphantly. "Aha! See,

Mikasa agrees with me. C'mon Eren, that's in physics books. You
can't defy physics."

Eren stared at him. "I turn into a titan, Armin. I think physics have
stopped making sense a long time ago. At least to me."

"I think there's a plausible explanation," the blond continued, his

eyes resolute. "There must be a reason."

"Yeah, hopefully you also find why half of our cadet class is able to
shift into a titan," he replied bitterly.

"Now Eren-" Mikasa started.

"You can't deny it's true. Annie, Reiner, Bertholt, Ymir, Eren… What
kind of coincidence is that? All of us the same age? Joining the
southern Trainee Corps?" Armin spoke up. He leaned back into his
chair and crossed his arms.

"What do you think happened?" she asked.

"I read the reports. They infiltrated us after Wall Maria fell. It also
makes sense. There was such a mess that they easily went through
the cracks."
"There could be more," Eren said, his eyes growing colder. "They
could have joined different training camps, or at different times."

Mikasa frowned heavily. She didn't want to be talking about this.

Their whole lives revolved around killing titans. Couldn't they go into
more lighthearted things? Besides, talking about titan-shifters just
brought her failure back to the forefront of her mind. She had been
so close to killing Reiner and Berthold, but she had stayed her hand.
Why? They were the Armored and Colossal Titans. They had killed
any chance she had of having a normal life with her adopted family.
They had tried to take Eren away from her.

Why had sentimentality taken over?

"I don't want to talk about this," Mikasa whispered, silencing her two
best friends. She closed her book, giving up in maintaining the
illusion, and looked up at Armin and Eren. They were staring at her,
wide-eyed. "Isn't there something happy to talk about?"

"Happy?" Eren mused. "Well, I managed to kill my first titan with my

3DMG!"

"Something that doesn't involve titans?" she hedged. "We haven't

really relaxed and enjoyed ourselves since…"

"Since before the fall," Armin finished. He sighed and looked down.
"No, you're right. It's just hard to not talk about something involving
titans. It's our job, after all."

"Strip away the titans, and what do we have?" Eren asked, his face a
bit dull. "What are we when we're not titan killers?"

"My annoying little brats," Sakura spoke up, her voice hoarse from
sleep.

All three of them jumped in surprise, then grinned widely.

"You're finally awake!" Eren exclaimed. "Took you long enough. You
know, I haven't forgotten how you used to dump cold water in my
face when I slept too long."

Sakura groaned and sat up. She pushed down the sheets she had
been under, allowing her white nightgown to be seen. It was
standard procedure for patients to be dressed like that, but it was still
considered indecent. Armin and Eren still blushed slightly and looked
away, though they must've realized how ridiculous they were being
and turned to face her again.

"I do remember, and it was because you begged me for an entire

week to teach you how to fight. I wasn't about to let you do things
halfway." She groaned and touched her eyes. "Ugh, why are my
eyes burning?"

"You cut them," Mikasa explained. "What was the reason behind
that?"

She started removing the bandages slowly. "Hm, yeah, I did do that.
First and last time. As for the reason… I'll explain later." She kept her
eyes closed for a couple more seconds before opening them. She
blinked various times, trying to get used to the light, and everyone
inched closer to see her eyeballs.

Exactly like they remembered.

"And you get no scars, either," Armin whispered. "Fascinating."

"Now what was this about your identity crisis?" Sakura asked, giving
them all stern looks.

Eren frowned. "Don't you have it too? You've been a Scout for
longer! Can you really not see yourself as Scout, completely?"

"Of course, and quite easily. You three just joined in one of the most
stressful times in history. It's usually not like this."
"It's not going to go back to being normal, though," Armin pointed
out.

Sakura shrugged. "No, but I won't let that from dominating my entire
life." She sighed and shook her head. "I knew this was going to
happen. You were all too young to join. I should've held you back,
protected you from this sickness. Your mothers would kill me if they
saw what I let you become."

Eren growled softly. "My mom is dead, killed because of Reiner and
Bert. That day changed our lives. There was nothing you could do to
change our fates."

"Fifteen is still too young," she continued sadly. "You're kids, and
already thinking about these things…"

"Sakura," Mikasa said firmly, "you're being pathetic."

"Mikasa!" Armin exclaimed. Even Eren seemed surprised she had

said that. She herself was a bit shocked. Calling Sakura pathetic?
She would've never dared before.

Her face cleared from her self-pity and she smiled sheepishly at her.
"I was, wasn't I? You're right. All of the rookies that joined this year
are around your ages, aren't they? You're not the only ones that
have had it rough. I just wish I could coddle all of you. It makes me
proud to see all you've accomplished, incredibly so, but I wish you
didn't have to."

"I do," Eren said, resolute. "I know I was complaining earlier, but I
want this. I've wanted this for a long time. Since before the Wall fell,
I've wanted to kill titans. Nothing beats stepping outside the Walls,
going out into the wilderness, exploring what we've been deprived of
our entire lives. We're all going to the ocean, Sakura. And then all of
this will be worth it."

She grinned. "That was always your dream, but I suppose it would
be nice to see it."
A knock interrupted their conversation, and a woman strode in
without preamble. She wore the medic's band around her Scout
uniform. "You're awake! The Commander will be pleased to hear
about that. I'm Elise. I've been watching over you since you were
given to my care." She went to stand next to Sakura, her brown eyes
disapproving. "You weren't supposed to take the bandage off yet."

Though her face was neutral, Mikasa knew her sister well enough to
know she was annoyed. Mikasa resisted the urge to smirk. "I felt I
was ready."

The medic clicked her tongue. "Well, everything looks like it healed
nicely, so you weren't that far off. Next time, wait for a medic to give
you the all-clear."

"Yes, ma'am," she grumbled sullenly.

Eren actually snickered.

"The Commander wanted to see you, but I think he should come

here instead. Your healing power might be titan-like, but you slept for
a very long time. Your body must not be feeling one-hundred
percent."

"Does it have to be right now?" Eren asked.

Elise turned to look at him. "Unfortunately, Eren Jaeger."

"Don't worry, Eren. You can stay," Sakura said calmly.

The medic cocked her head to the side. "Well, I suppose since
you're not a Scout anymore, you can choose who you want in your
room."

"What?" Eren yelped. "What do you mean Sakura's not a Scout

anymore?" Even Armin was shocked, though he always was in more
control of his emotions than Eren. She hoped neither noticed how
unsurprised she was about the news.
Elise frowned and looked at Sakura. "You hadn't told them yet?"

"No… I just woke up."

"Oh. Well, in that case, I'll leave now and fetch the Commander. I'll
walk slow to buy you some time. Try not to get up yet."

Elise left the room, but the chatter didn't pick up again. Sakura was
looking down at her hands, probably avoiding Eren and Armin's hard
gazes. Mikasa had been present at the trial, so she didn't need
Sakura to answer any questions.

Though she was curious if she knew about the plan to make her a
noble.

"After Annie's attack on Stohess, an Emergency Council was held,"

Mikasa said when no one spoke for another minute. Time was of the
essence before Commander Erwin arrived, after all. "I was asked
about Sakura's past, and I answered honestly. They decided that
Sakura was to be discharged from the military and sentenced to a
military trial to find out if she was a traitor conspiring with titan-
shifters."

"That's obviously false," Eren pointed out harshly. "We just proved it
right now."

"I still have to go through the trial. You did too, remember?"

"Yeah, but that was different! I had literally turned into the thing we
hate. You… You're a ninja. We know nothing about ninjas."

Sakura gave Eren an unimpressed stare. "Haven't I been telling you

for a long time that people fear what they don't know? Besides, all
the military knows about ninjas is that most of them are our enemies.
Technically I'm on the same boat as you. I'm not entirely optimistic
about the trial, and you shouldn't be, either."
"Have you thought about what you would do if they decide
something…" Armin trailed off, not quite sure what he wanted to say.

"Something stupid? No, not really. I was planning on just running

away, but what's the point of that? You three are my life. And I can't
bear knowing that you're all endangering your lives while I'm out
there growing crops or running a clinic."

Mikasa felt her heart warm at her words. She knew Sakura loved her
dearly, but the ninja was reticent of her feelings. Well, Mikasa was
the same way too, but it was still nice to hear.

"So you would just let them do what they want? With all your
power?" Eren asked, a bit incredulously.

"Of course not. But you forget I'm a ninja." She made a series of
movements with her hands, and with a poof of smoke, transformed
into Eren. "We have a few tricks up our sleeves," she said with
Eren's voice.

Armin yelped, and even Mikasa stiffened in her seat. Eren spluttered
and jumped back into his chair. He pointed at her accusingly. "Hey!
How did you do that?"

With another poof of smoke, she was back to being a pink-haired

woman. "Chakra," she explained simply. "It's a transformation
technique. I could technically be anyone I want. Though it's not really
the optimal choice. It's not because of the chakra usage, but it's
mentally straining. I have to mentally keep the illusion, and maybe I
can make it work for days. But weeks? Months? I would definitely
slip up."

Mikasa smiled. "Well, there's another way, but I'm not sure if you'd
like it." Oh, that was an understatement.

Sakura hummed. "What is it?"

A knock interrupted their conversation yet again, and, without
permission, Commander Erwin strode in, with Captain Shorty behind
him. The three Scouts stood up and saluted, meanwhile Sakura just
sat in her bed, seemingly unperturbed to be in such a state of
undress.

"At ease," Commander Erwin said, and they relaxed, though they
didn't sit.

"Would you like our seats, Commander, Captain?" Eren asked,

surprising Mikasa. Eren had never really been nice to higher ups. To
relinquish his seat without being asked? He must really respect
them.

"Yes, thank you, Eren, Armin."

However, now her two friends were just going to stand there
awkwardly, since Mikasa knew that they wouldn't leave just like that
since they also were curious to know what was going on.

"You two can just sit in my bed," Sakura offered, making some room
by crossing her legs.

Both boys gave her a grimace. Mikasa wasn't sure why they were
getting all embarrassed. Those two would crawl into a visiting
Sakura's bed whenever they were scared of Helga, the woman in
charge of looking over them while they worked the fields. That had
just been three years ago. Then again, they weren't children
anymore.

But they must've realized they were being silly, because in five
seconds they were sitting quite comfortably at the bottom of her bed.
Now Mikasa was slightly jealous she had missed out on being close
to her sister.

"It has been a long time," Commander Erwin began. His eyes were
serious and mistrustful. At least he was being honest about his
feelings. "A lot has changed, and a lot is different."
"Yes it is, Commander. Would you like to ask the questions, or do
you want me to explain?"

"Would you really tell us everything?" the Shorty asked gruffly.

Mikasa resisted the urge to glare at him.

Now that the two commanding officers were sitting at Sakura's left,
opposite of Mikasa, she couldn't really see Sakura's expressions. "I
have no more reasons to lie. Besides, Mikasa, Armin, and Eren are
here. I want to explain some things to them."

"In that case, I would like to ask some questions. Then you can fill in
whatever I missed," Commander Erwin said.

And with that Sakura started answering all of their questions,

because Mikasa would be lying if she said that Eren, Armin, and she
managed to hold back. She explained that she was from another
world (a theory Mikasa always suspected) and that the people she
had fought with yesterday were also from her homeworld. They had
battled because they were the ones that taught the titan-shifters how
to use chakra, and also because they wanted to take her back to
their own world, something Sakura was against. With the help of
Obito, a mysterious man that sent her here, she managed to kill the
teachers, making sure they would never bother her again, as well as
finally taking revenge for the destruction they unknowingly wrought.

"Will we be having other visitors?" the Commander asked, referring

to the ninjas from another world. Both he and Levi were surprisingly
taking all the information better than what she expected. Then again,
they've had a few hours to get acquainted with her powers and those
of her enemies.

"I don't think so. Traveling dimensions is extremely expensive. I…

Well, I had someone sealed inside of me pay the price for me to
travel here seven years ago."

"Sealed? You can seal people inside of you?" Eren asked, baffled.
"It's not really a person, but rather a force of nature. Its name is Son
Goku, though it doesn't like me very much."

"But to seal things inside people," Armin continued. "How is that

possible?"

"I suppose using the same technique that was used to seal my
memories. Oh! Yes! Speaking of sealing, guess what?" Just like that
she was entirely brightened, forgetting (or uncaring) that the
Commander and Captain were still in the room. "I won all of my jutsu
back!"

"You did?" Mikasa asked, matching her mood. "Show me!" Not many
things brought back childlike delight in her, but seeing the things
Sakura could do with chakra filled her with awe.

The room became slightly chillier, and a sword made out of ice
appeared next to Mikasa.

"Aww, just one?" Sakura whined. "I thought I had more chakra. Or
perhaps it's my control? It has gotten much worse."

The Commander stood up and walked to the other side of the room.
He observed the ice sword then touched it. "It's extremely cold and
sharp," he noted. "How many can you make?"

"Not that many right now, apparently," she admitted. "What

happened yesterday was a bit of a fluke. I'm not normally that
strong."

"So you weren't this powerful all the time?" the Shorty asked.

"No. A lot of my power had been sealed or inaccessible until two

days ago," Sakura said.

"But you still would've made a difference," he noted somewhat

angrily. "If you had come up and offered yourself entirely-"

"Levi," the Commander said.

"No, Erwin, you were right. All this time, right under our noses, we
had someone who could've made a big difference. Someone that
could've saved so many lives. But you didn't. Because you are a
coward."

Mikasa was extremely tempted to speak up against the Shorty, but

she didn't dare in front of the Commander. For some reason, the
Shorty had indulged her insubordination in private, but she wasn't
sure he would in public.

She thought Sakura would be apologetic, guilty, even, but she just
looked at the Captain with dispassion. "I'm not Eren, Captain. I didn't
join the Survey Corps to make a difference, or to be free. I just
wanted to be near my siblings when the time came, and that wasn't
going to happen if I revealed my powers, or at least that's what I
thought in the past. Did I let people die to keep my secret? Yes. But I
trained extremely hard to be the best soldier I could be without
having my chakra, and you can't deny I didn't save people."

"And now?" Commander Erwin asked. "Can you give yourself fully to
this cause now?"

"Now it's personal," Sakura said. "It's my fault those titan-shifters are
ninjas. If I hadn't been sent here, Itachi, Naruto, and Sasuke wouldn't
have had a reason to teach them chakra. I don't know if they
would've attacked the Walls had it not been for that power they
gained. Annie killed my teammates with power she shouldn't have,
power they gave her. And I'm not about to let my siblings or you deal
with my mistakes by yourselves. You can count on my full power
from here on out."

"Tch, we'll see about that," the Shorty grumbled. "I'm done here,
Erwin. I'll see you back in your office later."

He left without a second glance, almost slamming the door behind

him. The Commander stared after him with an unreadable
expression, then sighed. "I don't appreciate that you've kept this a
secret for so long, but the Survey Corps needs you, especially to
deal with what's to come. I was just recently told of a way to get you
out of that trial, but you're not going to like it. Are you sure you still
want to go through it?"

Sakura looked at Mikasa with an intensity she hadn't seen for a

while. "Of course," she told the Commander, still not breaking eye
contact with her.

The blond sighed. "Very well," he said, and then detailed the plan of
making her a noble.

Amina paced right in front of Sakura, her dinner long forgotten. The
mess hall had been full of Survey Corps members and some Military
Police and Garrison stragglers, but now everyone had left as the
night grew older. The only light now came from the various lanterns
placed in the middle of the wooden tables. Not that Sakura needed
that to see.

"This is all such short notice. If I leave tomorrow, I might just make it
in time," she mumbled. "Grandfather will not be pleased. I'm about to
ask him to take a discharged commoner soldier into the Burgeis?"
She giggled nervously. "Oh, I am. I am. Sakura, what have you
doooone ?"

She just stared at her. "I didn't do anything… Well, no, that's a lie. I
did a lot of things. Including saving people's asses. And this is how I
get paid."

"Bah, whining doesn't suit you."

"Oh, but it suits you ?"

Amina stopped her pacing and whipped her head at her, her long
black hair doing an arc behind her. "I'm about to go see family I've
avoided for five years," she said with a shiver. "All the letters I've
written to them basically devolves to 'no, I'm not coming back
anytime soon' and now I'm gonna go because I'm about to ask for
something. Ugh, I truly haven't changed, Father was right."

Sakura frowned. "Amina, if you're uncomfortable doing this, I won't

ask you to do it."

"Will you shut it? Of course I'm going to do this for my best friend.
Let me just complain for five seconds, will you?"

She rolled her eyes and sat back into her chair. "I don't see why
you're complaining so much. Your grandparents love you, don't
they?"

"Oh, they still adore me, more than my uncles and my cousins,
surprisingly. I'm not scared about seeing them. I'm just annoyed I'll
have to go back into the noble life. I find more solace in killing titans."

She raised a pink eyebrow. "You prefer killing titans than socializing
with nobles?"

"At least the titans are pretty obvious that they want to kill me. With
nobles, you never know what their ulterior motives are. I'll teach you
about this later on, Sakura Burgeis."

She giggled. "Now that's a funny name."

"Glad you think so, because that's gonna be your name soon
enough."

"You can't be serious," she said, aghast.

Amina smirked at her. "You don't honestly believe you'll stick with
Ackerman, right? Not only is that a commoner name, it's tainted in
the nobility."

"Tainted?" Sakura questioned. Why would it be tainted? What had

the Ackermans done? Erick had been such a nice person, she
couldn't imagine him coming from a bloodstained past.
"I'll also explain that once we're in my family's home," Amina said.

"But I want to be an Ackerman!"

"Tough shit. I suppose an exception could be made for marriage but-

"

"Well, that's it. If I can't keep my name, I'm gonna marry into the
family to get it back."

"You're going to marry for a last name ?" Amina spluttered.

Sakura crossed her arms and glared at her. "You nobles do it all the
time, right? Marry for the last name?"

Amina scratched her cheek absentmindedly. "Well, yeah, but

because the name comes with wealth and power. Not because…
Not because it sounds good."

"It has sentimental reasons for me."

"Good luck finding an Ackerman, then. I only know one besides you
and your sister, and you wouldn't like him. He's old. And scary."

"I can be scary." Though old she didn't know she could deal with.
Hell, she was talking about marrying just to have the Ackerman
name. She could handle an old man.

Amina started pacing again. "Scary will be my day tomorrow. I have

to leave before dawn to get to my grandparents' home before
sunset. Oh, crap! I should go get ready. I need to start my facial
routine so that none of my stupid cousins criticize my pores."

"Do people seriously care about that?"

The dark-skinned woman gave Sakura a pitiful stare. "Yeah… You're

going to think so lowly of us, Sakura, but please just remember this
is for the best. I'll send a letter when we're ready for you to come.
Bring dresses. Do avoid any contact with the Military Police. If you
step foot into that court house, you're beyond the reach of even the
nobility."

"Right."

Amina went around the table and leaned down to give Sakura a tight
hug. "You'll do great, I know it. I may prefer titans to this, but killing
them is harder than dealing with us."

Sakura returned the hug warmly. "Of course. Take care. And don't
think you have to do the impossible for me. I'm a big girl. I can
handle it."

Amina let her go and grinned. "I can do the impossible possible any
day, baby."

"Ugh, go away."

She giggled and left the room with a wave, taking her leftovers with
her. It wasn't necessary to be too dramatic about her departure since
Sakura was going to see her in a few days. Though Amina had
injected some healthy fear into her heart, Sakura was honestly
looking forward to finding out why even Erwin thought she was going
to fail at being a noble. Like Amina had said, it couldn't be harder
than killing titans, or lying to people's faces, right?

Sakura sighed and stared at the cold black tea she had stolen from
her Captain's stash (after making it for him for so long, she didn't feel
bad in taking it as a form of payment). Even though she had told
Erwin she had no reason to lie to them about what happened
yesterday, she still had. Her teammates weren't dead; they had just
gone back to their homeworld, and she wasn't sure when they were
coming back. But Sakura didn't want to worry her siblings, especially
Mikasa, that there was a good possibility that she was going to be
taken away. It's not like they could do anything about it. Even she
couldn't do anything about it. Had it not been for that bastard, she
would be gone.
She also hadn't mentioned anything about being a Vessel, and the
sort of danger they were all in because of it. No use in having them
worry about things they couldn't hope to understand. Sakura herself
was unsure about what it meant, and she wasn't going to find
answers anytime soon. Now that she had cooled down, she
sincerely wished that she'd asked more questions before just fighting
Itachi and Sasuke. There was so much she didn't know.

But she was still so angry, and hurt. She had been unable to kill
Itachi because her heart basically stopped her. A deep part of her
knew that those people were her teammates, that they probably
loved her, but they had indirectly caused her so much pain. Most of
her whole life was basically a response to the titan-shifters' actions.
They were pulling the invisible strings behind her every decision, and
her teammates were the ones that had given them power.

Sakura was honestly terrified of getting her memories back.

Everything was black and white right now. The line between ally and
foe was clearly defined and relatively easy to follow. But if she
regained her memories and found out that she loved the people that
had destroyed her life so many times? What then? How could she
convince Eren to spare her teammates when they had caused him
so much pain? Ask Mikasa to let her go back to her world when she
was one of the few family members she had left? Leave Armin
defenseless against so many people? Deprive Amina of one of her
last best friends? Leave the mess she had helped create for Erwin
and Levi to fix?

She couldn't leave, but the odds of staying in this world were stacked
against her.

Unless she got stronger.

You should've just left with your teammates, stupid girl, Son Goku
grumbled. You just delayed the inevitable.

Ah, yes, and she also had a chakra beast sealed inside of her that
hated her. And shitty chakra control because said beast pumped
chakra into her body faster than what she could comprehend. I'll talk
to them the next time they show up, but I'm not going back. The
people I love are here.

We had a deal.

We still do. We'll kill Obito. Just be patient. Besides, what's so good
about the other world that you're dying to go back?

You don't remember over half of your life. You wouldn't understand
even if I explained. Suffice to say, we don't belong here. The chakra
of this world doesn't originate from the same source as ours . Well,
my chakra, at least. Yours is all fine, completely foreign, so you don't
understand or care about what I'm going through, selfish jinchuuriki.

What do you mean, about the chakra?

Son Goku started slamming against something, giving her a splitting

headache, signifying the end of the discussion. It liked doing that
now that it knew that it couldn't burn her just by using chakra
anymore. Now, if Sakura tried to access Son Goku's chakra… That
was another story, and she had demonstrated the result earlier.

"I hope that's not my black tea in your shitty hands."

She almost jumped, cursing Levi's faint chakra presence for making
him hard to detect. And, well, being in a mental fight with a chakra
beast.

Sakura heard him pouring two cups from the earlier batch she made
in the adjacent kitchen. She had left the fire going a bit longer just in
case she wanted another round. Good thing she had.

Levi sat across from her, placing a cup in front of him and another in
front of her. "If you're going to drink my stuff, you might as well do it
correctly."
She forewent her cold cup and sipped on the warm liquid, sighing
contently when it hit the right spot. "I thought you were angry at me."

He picked up the tea cup in that peculiarly endearing way of his and
drank. "Oh, I am, but I don't see the point in avoiding you as if we
were fucking ten."

Sakura looked down at the tea, unwilling to meet his eyes. "I know
what I said earlier but…"

She was silent for a few minutes, unable to form the words. Well, no,
she knew what she wanted to say, but didn't know in what way to say
it that wouldn't make Levi angrier with her. He was more than
allowed to be angry, after all. She had basically allowed his teams to
die to protect her secret.

"Well?" he demanded gruffly. "Get on with it."

He wasn't someone that would appreciate nice words. He would just

want the brutal truth.

"Jung and Liesl's deaths keep me up at night. They were completely

my fault. I could've done something to save them, but I didn't
because I was scared, and selfish. And I didn't say anything because
I was still scared, and selfish. I don't care about the Survey Corps'
goals, I just want my friends and my siblings to survive, and maybe
be happy. I thought that being used as a weapon would get in the
way of that desire.

"But I still hear Jung and Liesl's screams, sometimes. They are
terrifying. I don't know how many hypothetical lives I could've saved,
but I know those two are the very real ones I could've made a
difference with. And for that, I'm sorry. I've always been sorry. Just
that before, when I said it, you didn't understand the full meaning
behind my words."

When Levi didn't say anything for longer than what he should've,
Sakura looked up. He was staring at an unspecific point on the table,
swirling his black tea with one hand and playing with his black jacket
with the other. It was ironic that he was in his civilian clothes while
she was still in her uniform, but it suited him.

"What about the fight with the Female Titan? Did you let that squad
die?" he murmured, still staring off at the table.

"Absolutely not," Sakura said darkly. "I tried my hardest to bring that
bitch down, but I couldn't. I broke my arm punching her and that
gave her enough time to kill our squad. She's a lot harder than the
earth I can punch. And I was weaker then than I am now."

"That's when you got injured."

Sakura instinctively touched her abdomen. That poor abdomen of

hers had been stabbed too many times. "Yeah, I got stabbed."

"I suppose I should feel grateful I didn't have to dump your body like I
had to do with the rest," Levi said. "You loved that team, didn't you?"

She felt her eyes getting warmer, and she had to grit her teeth to
keep the tears back. She couldn't cry now, not in front of Levi. She
had already embarrassed herself twice in the Bozado and Ral home.
No need to do it once more.

But fuck, did it hurt. She missed them so much. Almost every day
she would wonder all the ways she could've made fun of Oluo, all
the inside jokes she could've exchanged with Petra, planning Eld's
wedding without his permission, losing food fights with Gunther. She
missed being called Pinky so damn much. Her last squad had been
like her family, and she had lost it all in one day.

It wasn't fair that now she had the power to protect them. It wasn't
fair that Itachi had taught Annie the axe kick that had stomped Petra,
or the roundhouse kick that had killed Oluo. It wasn't fair that she
was the only survivor. It didn't feel like luck anymore. It was a curse
to live with those failures every day.
"More than you can know," she whispered back.

Levi sighed and dragged his eyes to look at her. He didn't seem
angry anymore, surprisingly. Just defeated. And tired. "I can, and still
do, blame you for Liesl and Jung's deaths, but I can't hold you
accountable for potential lives you could've saved. In that case, I
would have to be angry at Erwin for all he's done or hasn't done as
well. You're stepping up when it matters the most, and that counts to
me. That doesn't mean I'll forget the years you kept this secret, or
that I forgive you entirely, but for now… Let's not keep this bullshit
up."

She just stared at him, not bothering to hide her surprise. She knew
that he would eventually cool down and let their relationship go back
to normal, but she didn't expect it to happen this quickly. He must
really despise drama, because extremely forgiving wasn't a word she
would use to describe him.

"Oh… Um, uh, thank you. That's… wow, thank you, Captain." And
she meant every word of it.

"Levi," he said, then sipped on his tea.

"Huh?"

"You're no longer a Scout, you don't have to call me Captain

anymore. Just call me Levi."

Sakura was about to point out that was only temporarily, and that
using proper military titles still applied to civilians, but she shut her
trap before she could ruin the moment. This must be his way of
ending the superior-subordinate relationship and starting one as
equals. She was a bit sad about losing that, now she greatly admired
him and wished to work with him, but it felt even better to be
recognized as his equal.

Sad that it had to happen this way. That they had to bond over dead
loved ones to get through their own prides and recognize each other
as equals.

… Okay, maybe it was just her pride. Levi never really had anything
against her, at least until finding about her secret. She just had a lot
of things against him in the past, things that she realized had
disappeared. Namely being vehemently against having him as a
superior.

"All right, thanks, Levi."

"Now, don't get too comfortable, Pink-freak."

Sakura blinked. "Pink-freak?" she repeated, confused.

"It comes with the deal. Eyebrows and Shitty-glasses also have
one."

By Maria's Gauntlet, was that his way of saying he considered her a

friend? By giving her an awful nickname? What the fuck, Levi. "Well,
I'm glad you think so too. You have to be at least a friend before I get
stabbed in your stead."

Levi narrowed his eyes. "You wouldn't have gotten stabbed for me if
you hadn't considered me a friend?" he asked somewhat indignantly.
It almost made her snort.

"Hey, it's not exactly on the contract. 'Get stabbed on command'

would just spook more rookies away."

"You wouldn't even die, though. You just regenerate like some kind
of freaky lizard."

"I still feel pain, you know. Besides, I haven't tested just how far my
healing powers go, and I rather not find out."

Sakura felt a chakra presence getting closer to the mess hall.

Though there was no curfew put in place due to the circumstances,
not many people stayed up this late. Levi was up because she knew
it was almost impossible to get the man to sleep, and she would
rather lay awake drinking tea than lay awake in her bed, when the
memories were worst.

Hange popped in, holding a bottle of brown liquid. Sakura tried to

memorize her chakra presence, but it was quite hard to remember.
Unlike Mikasa, Amina, and Levi's chakras presences, which were
very faint and thus easy to distinguish, almost everyone else felt the
same. Some, like Eren, had more, making him easy to detect, but it
had taken four years of constant interaction for her to differentiate
Petra and Oluo's chakra presences.

"Look what I swiped from Erwin's secret stash!" the titan scientist
gushed, holding the glass bottle in the air.

Sakura stood up and saluted. "Squad Leader Hange."

Hange laughed and waved a hand. "Sakura, please, you don't need
to do that anymore. Just Hange is fine."

Huh, she should reveal more otherworldly secrets from now on if she
wanted to be treated as an equal. Was Erwin going to pop out of
somewhere and start asking her to call him "Brow God"? At this
point, she wouldn't be surprised. Sakura just sat back down, hiding
her confusion to the best of her ability.

She walked over to their table and sat next to her, placing the bottle
in the middle.

Levi shook his head. "You know I don't drink."

"Unless it's a special occasion. But today we're celebrating!" Levi

gave her a look. "Celebrating getting Eren back, of course!"

"People died."

"Then let's celebrate those that survived."

Sakura squirmed in her seat. "Maybe I should go…?"

Hange slapped a hand on the table and hugged Sakura with the
opposite arm. "Nonsense! Have you ever tried some of Erwin's
goods? The Commander keeps all the good stuff in his office."

"This isn't our barracks, though," Sakura pointed out.

"Erwin carries his best with him," Hange explained in a whisper.

"Likes to drink a glass of good brandy before a stressful meeting or
an expedition. And no, I wouldn't be so cruel to steal his favorite.
This is just a mid-tier."

"And he doesn't care?"

Hange pouted. "I wouldn't have expected you to be so uptight about

this."

Sakura chuckled nervously. "I'm sorry. I was just curious. But I don't
think you should waste that on me. I can't feel the effects of alcohol."

"You can't? How do you know?"

She thought back to that one night Amina, Petra, Oluo and her went
to the Leaping Horse for a night of "debauchery." It had devolved into
her being their nanny because no matter how many beers she drank,
she couldn't get drunk. At least she had met Sebastian. Since that
night she had avoided alcohol because it was a waste of money.

"I drank like four beers and didn't feel anything."

"Did you say beer?" Levi questioned, an eyebrow raised. "Who gets
drunk on four beers?"

Hange chortled. "Oh, girl, just take one."

Levi grunted. "Get three glasses from the kitchen. Make it quick."

She had half a mind to correct him on the attitude, but considering
he had just decided to sort of forgive one of her shittiest decisions
ever, she supposed she could allow him multiple passes.
Now that there was no reason to keep her powers a secret, Sakura
body-flickered to the kitchen, got the three glasses, and body-
flickered back, all in less than fifteen seconds. Levi stared at her,
impressed, and Hange was delighted, her skin flushed and a gleam
in her eyes.

"Oooooh! That's a new one! Once we figure out this mess, you have
to let me do some experiments with you. Imagine the possibilities!"

"I hope they don't involve cutting my limbs off," Sakura said, sitting
down next to the titan scientist a bit more warily.

Hange gasped dramatically and poured Sakura some brandy.

"Nothing so ghastly!"

"Tch, I wouldn't trust Shitty-glasses if I were you," he grumbled while

Hange poured him the liquor.

She poured herself last. "Sakura helped me capture those titans

months ago, I'm not gonna do anything to her. Now, little rookie, just
enjoy it. The purpose is not to get drunk, but rather relax."

"Hard to do that with you around," Levi said and sipped on the
brandy. His face was as impassive while drinking, making Sakura
wonder if he really didn't drink at all.

When she had decided to wallow in her misery, she wasn't expecting
to be sitting down with two ex-commanding officers drinking alcohol.
She admitted that she was a bit nervous. This wasn't something she
regularly did, and to suddenly do it with two people she didn't really
socialize with was unnerving.

"I didn't think a drink was going to show your true wimp colors, Pink-
freak."

Even Hange was now sipping contently. "Don't be an ass, Levi.

Everyone has their limits."
Oh, she thought this was her limit? She shot Levi a glare and
downed her glass in one go, using her amazing ninja skills to mask
her gag at the burn the liquid caused.

No ninja ran from a challenge.

"… And then, he smelled like titan for over three days!" Hange said,
laughing. "Mike was not happy about that."

Sakura giggled, her normally pale face flushed from the alcohol, her
eyes droopy and hazy. Levi kept watching Hange somewhat
suspiciously, but she wasn't surprised; Hange didn't take Erwin's
drinks as often as she had made it seem. But after overhearing
Sakura had been in an empty mess hall from Amina, she had
decided to act. She had been somewhat disappointed to find Levi
there, but she was determined enough to get what she wanted
tonight.

The younger woman wasn't drunk, but she was obviously not sober.
She laughed more freely, and the frown she usually wore was
nowhere to be seen. Hange herself was not completely sober,
having had three drinks in the span of thirty minutes, trying to match
Sakura so she wouldn't feel bad about drinking more. Levi had
barely started his second one, drinking more out of a desire to keep
up appearances than anything else.

Hange knew he was just wary of her plans. It was sweet, she
supposed, that he was looking out for Sakura in his own way,
especially since he knew that Hange had a tendency to get carried
away. She had been planning to use the time Sakura had stepped
out to fetch the glasses to explain herself, but she had just
teleported, leaving no room to convince Levi of her plan's innocence.

She couldn't exactly tell him with Sakura there that she meant no
harm and just wanted to fish for information she wouldn't give so
easily. The woman had hid immense power for over seven years,
and Hange wasn't naïve enough to think she would just divulge all
her secrets in a day. Though she was interested in learning how she
did her amazing feats, she was more interested in something very
specific, and something she couldn't allow people to know about just
yet, not even Sakura herself, even if Sakura was the source of the
information.

Levi would definitely find out, before Erwin, even. But Hange trusted
him. He was the closest thing she had for a best friend. Her intense
personality drove off a lot of people, but he still stuck by, and
indulged her as much as she indulged him. Her only concern was
that he would tell Erwin before she was ready with her evidence.
That would just be bad.

"What a shitty story to tell, Hange," Levi muttered, taking yet another
fake sip from his glass.

Hange smirked at him. "I thought the smell was quite fetching."

"Tch, disgusting."

"Mike thought so too!"

Sakura sighed and looked down. "I wish I could've gotten there on
time to save him," she murmured. "Nanaba looked so sad."

Hange put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Due to the timing of

the reports, it probably happened before our battle with Annie. There
was nothing you could do. How did you find the place, though?"

"Annie led me there until I felt the titans' chakra."

Hange resisted the urge to smile. There it was. Now she just had to
tread carefully. "So that's how you sense their presence?"

"Hard to ignore it," she said, taking a rather large gulp of the brandy.
Hange had to act quickly before she actually got drunk.

"What do you mean?"

Her green eyes narrowed at the table. "Everything living in this world
has chakra, though only some humans are able to use it. Chakra is
usually the same in all living things with minute changes. However…
A titan's chakra is warped, and completely different. Terrifying. It's as
if the chakra is screaming for help. And I say it's warped because it
feels almost like a human's."

Levi leaned back slowly, his face shocked. Hange just took the news
in stride, having already theorized this earlier. She was still going to
Ragako to add more evidence to her theory, but hearing Sakura say
this just further solidified it in her mind.

The pink-haired woman just looked up and gave Hange a reassuring

smile. "I don't worry too much about it, though. I've-" She yawned.
"I've learned to ignore it. Having them screaming their location just
makes them easier to hunt."

Oh, by the Walls, they were all just running around killing people all
this time. Hange tried to keep the horror from showing on her face.
"And we appreciate that power," she said, hoping her voice wasn't
too shaky.

She brightened, though her eyes were starting to get droopy, and
smiled at them both. "I promise I'll give it my all from now on. We'll
kill those titan-shifters. And I'll kill Obito, or di-" She yawned again
and laid her head on the table. "Die… Try…"

And that ended the ninja's night.

Once she had confirmed Sakura was truly asleep, Hange let out a
shuddering breath and placed a hand against her cheek. "I was right,
Levi," she said, her voice sounding a bit crazy even to her. "The one
time I didn't want to be, and I am."

"How long have you known?"

"Ever since I read about Ragako, a part of me just knew. But it's still
just a theory."
Levi pushed the glass away from him, done with his act of appearing
to drink. "You're not reacting like someone who thinks it's just a
theory." He frowned and looked down. "Hell, I'm not feeling like
someone who just heard a theory."

"You can't tell Erwin yet, Levi. I need more evidence before I can just
make those types of statements. Evidence that isn't the confessions
of a drunk soldier."

Levi glared at her, then looked at Sakura thoughtfully. "You didn't

have to get her drunk. She would've just told you."

"She's a bright soldier, she would've figured out why I was asking. At
least now she still lives with the illusion that she's been killing
monsters this whole time."

He huffed. "You just had to take it away from me."

"Oh, come on, you can take it. Besides, you stayed because you
wanted to find out what I was up to. Now you know." Hange grinned.
"You also stayed because you wanted to look after her. Because you
caaaare ."

He grumbled, "So do you. Or else you wouldn't have done this whole
thing just to spare her feelings."

Hange smiled softly. "It's hard not to care about them. They're so
brave, even when all the odds are stacked against them. We're
weird, Levi. Our reasons for staying and joining the Corps were
abnormal even for Scouts. Now imagine all those seemingly normal
people that join us. They give up their chances to have normal lives
because they believe in our leadership, in our cause. I think that's
crazy and inspiring. So if I can do something little to protect them, I
will."

"And yet we still let them down," he said with a sigh.

She smiled sadly in sympathy. Many people thought Levi
emotionless, but Erwin and she could tell just how affected Levi was
about the death of his squad. It had been his longest-lasting squad,
and a really impressive one. Above all, though, Levi had let his walls
go down with them. Hange lost subordinates all the time, but her
squad was made out of more than fifty people. She even had Team
Leaders to manage the smaller-sized teams. Levi's squad had
always been small. It allowed him more time to train them, but that
also meant he was going to grow attached easier.

She felt miserable every time she had to sign a letter to the families
of the deceased that their children or parents were dead. Each death
was a sin that would judge her on the day of her death. She could
never hope to understand how Levi could handle it.

And his entire team had just been killed without him there, to top it
off.

"That wasn't your fault, and you know it. Annie killed them."

"And I allowed the bitch to escape. I got cocky. I thought I was done
being cocky after Isabel and Farlan. Turns out I still have a lot to
learn."

"The way I see it, we were all cocky to believe capturing a titan-
shifter would've been that easy. It was an expensive mistake, but I
think we learned it very well."

Levi gritted his teeth and looked away. "Eld had invited me to his
wedding. Oluo imitated me. Gunther wanted me to visit his mother
with him. Petra…"

"Loved you," Hange finished with an understanding nod.

Levi whipped his head up faster than she had ever seen him. He
stared at her with horrified eyes. "What… did you say?"
Hange froze in her seat, and the mess hall was silent except for
Sakura's soft breaths next to her. Oh, fuck. "I… I thought you knew."

He just kept staring at her. "She… loved me?"

Her features became nervous. "I'm sorry, Levi. I wouldn't have said
anything! I just thought that… Sakura had told you."

"How did you know?" he asked with narrowed eyes.

"Amina has a big mouth," Hange said sheepishly. When she had
overheard the two talking about that, Hange had simply pretended
not to have heard it all. It wasn't her secret to share, and she didn't
want to ruin the poor girl's chances before she even tried to make a
move. Levi was extremely skittish about matters of the heart. In all
the years she had known him, she had never seen him or heard him
express interest in anybody. He would've transferred Petra out of his
team as soon as he found out, to avoid fraternization problems and
to spare her life, unless he returned her feelings.

Levi was very cool under pressure and stress, but if he gave
someone his heart, he would do anything for them. Hange knew that
very well, being one of the few who had experienced that firsthand.

He groaned and brought his head to his two hands. "Fuck, I'm the
asshole," he muttered into his palms.

"Did you love her back?" Hange asked delicately.

"No," he admitted sullenly. "I never really noticed her in that way. I
just can't believe she would fall for a shit-stain like me."

"The heart can't help who it loves," she said, thinking about a certain
blond soldier that was just as obsessed with titans as her, but for
different reasons.

Levi removed his hands from his face and glared at her. "Why did
you tell me?" he asked in a hard voice.
"I didn't mean to, believe me!" She honestly did feel like shit. She just
made his healing process harder by adding unrequited love to the
guilt list.

He growled. "Just for that, prepare yourself for a long bath

tomorrow."

Hange's spine straightened and she waved her hands. "Now, Levi,
aren't we being a little hasty? You just gave me one last week!"

"You're so fucking nasty, Four-eyes. I should just knock you out now
and get it over with."

She got up and starting running away from the mess hall. "Last one
out has to take Sakura back to her room!" she told him, not looking
back. The mess hall didn't have a door, so she just ran out and had
the stone wall block her from his view.

Hange heard Levi sigh loudly and his chair scrape against the floor.
She peeked in to see Levi flicking the back of Sakura's head.

"Hey, Pink-freak, get up."

Sakura groaned and used her hands to cover her head from Levi's
fingers. "Nooo, Captaaaaain," she whined. "Fi' more minutes."

"It's Levi you shitty drunk. Now, if you don't get up now I'll tell
everyone about the time you ripped a fart in the middle of one of our
spars."

Hange had to hold in a laugh. She hadn't heard about that one.

Sakura shot up from her seat and shot a glare at him. "I thaught you
han't 'eard," she slurred.

Levi snorted softly. "All of Rose heard that one. By 'everyone' I

meant telling your new noble friends."
He took her by the arm and started leading her to the mess hall's
other exit. "Hey, Levi, if I become a noble, does that mean you'll
have to call me Lady Sakura?" she asked in a silly voice.

"No, you have to be ladylike to be called one," he replied flatly.

Hange still felt bad she had added more grief for Levi to get through,
but his support system was getting better, and she was confident he
would heal.

Now she should go to bed and prepare for her trip tomorrow to
Ragako. Telling Erwin about this… It wasn't something she was
looking forward to, but it had to be done.

The world just kept getting crazier and crazier, and she had to
stumble to catch up with it.

This is part one of the interlude. There's a lot of shit I wanted to

write but I looked at the word counter and say over 14k words
and decided to cut it. Part two will be out soon enough.

Also, to those who asked me about Rosette, it's been posted

here, in FF. The A/N describes Rosette, but basically if you want
to have a good laugh, read it. The first chapter is not funny, but
I've been inspired by various comedy series and "cracks" that it
should work.
Leaf
She was meditating in the middle of a courtyard, carefully being
observed by her fellow- well, by her ex-comrades in the Survey
Corps. Though she had no intention of going to the trial, she was still
technically under arrest for suspicion of treason. She knew this was
just for show, however; everyone knew that she could easily escape
if she wanted to.

As annoying as the situation was, she still had to train, and so she
did with an audience. Ever since Obito had unlocked her jutsu, she
had remembered some of her chakra control exercises. Though her
training was boring to the naked eye, she was struggling to stick a
leaf to her forehead. She would always use too much and the leaf
would just rip from strain. The careful chakra control she had taken
for granted was ripped from her now that she had a new tenant
within her. Though she still had her incredible strength and could
perform jutsu, she was unable to heal or store more chakra in her
Strength of a Hundred Seal. That meant that once the chakra she
had stored there ran out, she would be out of any regeneration
abilities. And she wanted her healing back. She was a healer first
and foremost. If she couldn't get it back, she might have an identity
crisis in her hands.

You're a jinchuuriki now. No need to worry about that.

Sakura outwardly frowned. Just how often can you hear my

thoughts?

Roshi and I spoke more often than not, but more because Roshi
became lonely and- Why am I telling you this?

She shrugged and made a face. I don't know, you started speaking
to me.

This world is making me do the strangest-

Listen, Son Goku-

And now you interrupt me too! they yelled in her mind, causing her to
cringe.

I just wanted to say I was sorry.

Sorry ? Sorry about what?

If you would let me finish with my apology, you would know.

Fine, continue.

Sakura sighed. I'm sorry for betraying your trust and going against
your wishes. I know you wanted to return to your homeworld-

Our homeworld, they corrected grouchily.

Our homeworld, she agreed, mostly to appease them. I know that

was what we agreed, but being there, I realized there were still many
things I had left unfinished and I didn't want to go. Now I realize I just
prolonged the inevitable, and that you were right. So I'm sorry, and I
hope that you'll eventually forgive me.

Strange jinchuuriki, apologizing to a tailed beast, Son Goku said

quietly. Fine, I accept your apology, but only because it came
unasked. But I won't forgive you until we defeat Obito.

Sakura smiled triumphantly and resisted the urge to outwardly cheer.

However, she did cheer in her mind, and Son Goku heard it all. Now
that's something you don't need to tell me twice about.

You won't ever defeat him unless you learn how to control my
powers.

I was trying to get my old ones under control before moving on to

new ones.
She could feel Son Goku's disapproval. You mean your healing?
That's gone, Sakura, and you won't get it back soon enough. Instead
of focusing on what you lost, think about what you gained. My chakra
has been slowly but surely regenerating. Soon, you'll have access to
my Lava Release.

Lava Release?

Mixing Earth Release and Fire Release gives Lava Release. It is

very potent and dangerous. Once you borrow my power in the form
of a tail, I can cloak you with lava in the Lava Release Chakra Mode,
giving you a perfect offense and defense. Almost nobody dared
approach Roshi once he used this chakra mode.

Almost?

Well, the ones who captured him, Obito and the shark Kisame, beat
him soundly, they explained bitterly. The Lava Release Chakra Mode
is susceptible to large quantities of water. There are few people in
the world that can produce enough water to neutralize the Chakra
Mode. However, you possess Ice Release. Ironically, this Ice
Release might be enough to neutralize that particular weakness by
freezing water and turning it against your opponent.

I'm still trying to sort through all the jutsu I just gained.

Son Goku bellowed. Of course you are, jinchuuriki. You are but a
baby compared to your enemies. But you are Son Goku's jinchuuriki,
and I refuse to be taken once again like some sort of possession.
We may have gotten off on the wrong foot, but you're most cordial
and amiable jinchuuriki I've had.

Even more than Roshi?

It took many years for Roshi to get through his prejudice. However,
we had a strong bond, and I refuse to let my partner go unavenged.
Still, little jinchuuriki, focus on your training. I shall see where I can
help later.
Sakura frowned heavily. I'm not little!

"If I didn't know any better-" Sakura jumped in surprise, letting out a
pitiful squeak. She opened her eyes and saw Levi looking down at
her with a slight smirk. "If I didn't know any better, I would've thought
you were having a fight with yourself."

She put a hand against her chest and glared up at him. "You scared
me! Don't do that!"

He raised an eyebrow. "What kind of ninja are you that I can sneak
up on you?"

Well, he was right, but she had been busy talking to Son Goku, and
his chakra presence was faint, almost nonexistent. Not that he would
care or understand. To him, chakra was some magical power that
only she could wield.

She got up and dusted herself off. Now that she was no longer in the
military, she had foregone her uniform and now wore simple black
pants, boring brown shoes, and a white button down shirt. She felt
further alienated from her comrades, but she was taking this as a
trial. Amina had warned her that the nobility would scorn her for her
common birth and tainted last name.

"We just received a letter from Talman," he said, his earlier good
mood gone and replaced by a serious tone. "You're leaving tomorrow
to the Burgeis Southern Manor."

"Southern Manor?"

"Apparently nobles are so filthy rich they can afford multiple homes."

"What's the point?"

"I don't know. Ask them when you meet them."

Sakura pouted slightly and crossed her arms. "I don't want to go. I
don't want to become some stuffy noble."
"Then you want to go on trial?" Levi asked.

"Of course not. I just wish there was another way."

"There was. It's called being honest and coming clean years ago."

Sakura winced and looked down. "Hey…" she protested weakly.

Levi rolled his eyes. "Consider this a mission, if it makes you feel
better. Your objective is to get back to the Survey Corps legally. Don't
do anything that hinders that, and do everything in your power to
achieve it."

"Wow, could you be any more vague about the details?" she
drawled, giving him an unimpressed stare.

Levi stared back at her. "You little shit," he said without inflection.
"Did I not beat discipline into you any of these years?"

Sakura scoffed. "I let you beat me, Levi. You don't think you ever
actually won one of our spars, right?"

He looked at her in surprise, as if it hadn't occurred to him that she

had always thrown all those fights in his favor. "So you always had
the last laugh, huh."

"Well, c'mon, after everything you did to make my life miserable, I

had to rejoice in the small victories."

He started walking away and muttered, "You're so dramatic."

Sakura's feet naturally started following after him. Ever since he had
allowed her to call him Levi two days ago, she had felt more at ease
around him. It wasn't like they were best friends, no, nothing close to
that, but Levi had relaxed around her, and she naturally did the
same. It was also refreshing to not hide so much from him anymore.
Now she felt she could be herself without worrying about slipping up
about one of her powers or details about her past. It still struck her
as odd to consider Levi a friend, but she was a ninja from another
world, so stranger things had happened.

"If you're gonna do nothing but sit on your ass all day or follow me
around, you might as well help me clean."

"I'm no longer in the military so I have no reason to follow your

orders," Sakura countered easily.

"Oh?" he murmured interestedly. "I didn't know you were so eager to

get on my bad side before you even rejoined the Survey Corps. I'll
make sure to start taking note of all the duties that will be waiting for
you when you come back.

She grinned nervously. "On the other hand, cleaning is said to help
clear the mind and help with chakra control. I wouldn't even be
helping you! I would be helping myself!"

"That's what I thought. Hurry up, Pink-freak; the windows will take
longer for you since you can't use your 3DMG."

"Duh, I have chakra!"

Levi sighed deeply. "Right, weird ninja. I forgot for a second."

Tomorrow she would leave for the Burgeis household, leaving behind
her wards once again for who knows how long. Th thought saddened
her incredibly, so if she could spend the rest of the day with them
and doing something as second-nature as cleaning for the clean-
freak, she would consider it a day well-spent and a nice farewell.

She became painfully aware of the letter Petra had written her,
enclosed within her chest bindings.

Not today, she thought bitterly.

Today was for farewells, not goodbyes.

Naruto almost gasped at the sense of vertigo interdimensional travel
caused. No matter how many times he had done it, he had never
gotten used to it, and he suspected he never would. He had moved,
crossing innumerable dimensions, but, at the same time, his body
had not moved a single inch.

The Hokage's office was crowded. Tsunade sat behind her desk, a
deep frown etched in her features. Kakashi was breathing loudly by
the wall, supported by a worried Shizune. Kamui was extremely
chakra draining, but combining Kamui and Seishiro was even more
so. For someone with reserves like his, what he subjected himself to
every time they went on an expedition was nothing short of torture.

And Sasuke, the bastard, stood like a rod in front of the desk and
shot him an annoyed glare.

"Naruto!" his mom called.

The blond whirled around and leaned down to hug Kushina. The
redhead hugged him back strongly, then let him go immediately to
search his person. "Oh, Naruto! Sasuke-kun was telling us how you
were fighting Madara? What happened? You're not hurt, are you?"

"I'm fine, Mom. I'm just close to chakra exhaustion."

"Chakra exhaustion?" Kushina whispered. "But how? You have

Kurama's chakra!"

"That's how much chakra being there consumes," Sasuke answered,

frustrated. "Takes half of our chakra to get there, the Anchor
consumes our chakra while we're there, and we can't regenerate
chakra while there. That world is dangerous for ninja."

"Which is why you must stop going!"

Naruto smiled slightly and shook his head. "Sorry, Mom. We three
are one of the few people that can go, and I want to get Sakura-chan
back here."
"Naruto," Tsunade called slowly. "Sasuke hasn't explained much, but
he told us that Sakura attacked you. Is this true?"

The blond looked down sadly. "Yeah. She doesn't remember us

anymore."

"It has something to do with being a Vessel," Sasuke continued.

That reminded him of something. He raised his head and glared at

Sasuke. "But that's not why she attacked us. She attacked us
because we're her enemies, according to her. What deal did we
have with the Marley, Hokage-sama?"

If Tsunade was hurt by the overly formal way Naruto addressed her,
she did not show it. "We formed an alliance with them out of
necessity, Naruto. We're not in the business of getting involved with
other people's politics, especially people that live in another world.
And our alliance paid off: we have found Sakura. Against all the
odds."

"And Reiner, Bert, and Annie did unspeakable things for it," Naruto
bit back. "We spread our cycle of hate to another world."

"You're not naïve enough to believe that, idiot?" Sasuke replied

coldly. "Marley would've attacked the people in the Walls with or
without our help. We just made them strong enough to survive the
aftermath. Without them, we wouldn't have found Sakura."

"And you! You knew and didn't tell me!"

"I didn't think you were that big on an idiot. I know we don't
understand their language as well as Itachi, but I thought that if you
could teach a civilian how to mold chakra with our language skills,
then you knew what was going on behind the scenes."

"We can't change the past, Naruto, Sasuke, so there's no use in

fighting," Kakashi said breathlessly. "We are running low on time,
and we need to learn more about your fight with Madara."
Naruto was about to complain that Sasuke was taking so long in
explaning what had happened, but then remembered that time
flowed much more slowly in their world than in the other, four times
more slowly, according to his mom's experiments.

"His name isn't Madara," Sasuke responded coldly. "He's Uchiha

Obito."

Naruto and Sasuke were the only ones not outwardly shocked by the
reveal. Naruto was keenly aware of his mom's incredulous look,
which morphed into one of betrayal.

"O-Obito?" Kakashi whispered. "But that's… It can't be."

"Who is he, Hokage-sama?" Sasuke asked. "My brother knew, but

I'm afraid there aren't many records he left of my fellow clansmen."

"Uchiha Obito was my teammate," Kakashi replied in a slight daze.

"He died… No, we thought he had died during the Third Ninja War. I
saw him die."

"He's the one who gave you your Sharingan," Sasuke deduced.

"'I can send you to either the place Sakura landed, or the time
period, but not both,'" Shizune repeated softly. "That's what you said
after you learned Seishiro from the Stone Tablet. You knew that
world had Sakura in it."

Kakashi shook his head. "I had a gut feeling and I always follow it.
But when I learned Seishiro, I thought that world called to the
Sharingan because of its Uchiha history, not Obito's. Still, the
connection wasn't strong enough to send anyone to the origin point."

"Medically speaking, what one eye sees is independent of the other,

but we have not studied the ramifications of transplanted dojutsu,
especially when both the donor and receiver are still alive," Tsunade
said. "Kakashi, I want you to be wary of what you do with the
Sharingan. If Obito is truly alive, and you found Sakura through your
connection with him, then he can find something out from his
connection with you."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama. Kushina-san, it's time to retrieve Itachi."

Kushina nodded seriously and wheeled towards Kakashi. Kushina,

the seal genius that she was, had devised the Anchor. The problem
with interdimensional travel was not leaving, but coming back;
Kakashi couldn't perform Seishiro on a person that wasn't there.
Before any trip, the traveler poured half of his chakra into a special
scroll, then Kushina drew a seal on the back of the traveler's hand.
Once the traveler "nudged" the Anchor by pouring some chakra into
the seal, Kushina was alerted that the traveler wished to come back,
and Kakashi would perform Seishiro on an opened scroll, which
would pull back the traveler from wherever they were, even if they
were in another universe.

Testing this technique had been unorthodox. Tsunade was unwilling

to send any of her ninja into a possible death, so they had used
some rogue ninja as tests. By that time, Kushina and Kakashi had
been able to pull objects back from anyone in their world, but not in
another world. Luckily, the tests had been successful, and Itachi,
Sasuke, and Naruto left on their first expedition a week after. It had
taken Kushina and Kakashi a total of three months to develop and
test the techniques, so by the time they got to Sakura's world, a year
had passed.

This time, though, Itachi hadn't nudged the Anchor. Kakashi had
regained enough chakra and was able to bring him back. He had
been left alone fighting Obito, and though Naruto didn't doubt Itachi's
prowess, he still couldn't take him on alone.

No one could.

Kushina unsealed the scroll, allowing Kakashi to zero in on Itachi's

location, then pulled him back with Seishiro. The air around the scroll
rippled, and Itachi appeared in the space the scroll had been,
crouched and wounded. His eyes were blown wide and his lips
slightly parted in surprise. Kakashi finally had to sit down and lean
back against the wall for support.

"Are you all right, Itachi?" Tsunade asked.

He was motionless for a couple more seconds before nodding. He

got up on his feet, faltering slightly, and accepted Sasuke's strange
offer of support. The Uchiha brothers must be quite shaken to
display many uncharacteristic displays of emotion.

"Very close to chakra exhaustion and some minor wounds, but

otherwise fine, Hokage-sama."

"Normally I would ask for a debrief after you've recovered, but I'm
afraid we cannot spend more time. Naruto was telling us that you
Madara is actually Obito?"

"Yes, he had his Mangekyo Sharingan activated when he

materialized in front of us. It was the same shape as Kakashi's, and
there was only one person it could be. He neither denied nor
confirmed it when I pointed it out."

"What did he say, instead?"

"He spoke with Sakura. She wasn't happy to see him. She's the
Four-Tail's jinchuuriki because of him."

"What?" Tsunade said, shocked. "Why would he do that?"

"It may be a part of Seishiro we do not know about, Tsunade-sama,"

Itachi said. "I was only able to decipher some parts of Seishiro with
my Mangekyo from the Stone Tablet. Obito probably discovered
more through other means."

Sasuke said, "It might also be why Sakura remains unaffected by the
constant chakra drain from the other world. The Four-Tails supplies
chakra."
"That can't be it. Even with Kurama's chakra I couldn't stay longer
than seven months at a time, and that was with minimal chakra
usage!"

"Either way, Obito did not give Sakura a tailed beast unless he
absolutely had to. And why the Four-Tails, specifically? At the time
Sakura got kidnapped, they had the Six-Tails."

"We won't find the answers to this unless we ask him ourselves,"
Tsunade said. "Let's get back to the subject at hand. Obito spoke to
Sakura about what?"

"A truce. He apparently wasn't ready to let her get back to our world,
and she didn't want to come back with us," Itachi replied tonelessly.

"So she allied herself with Obito?"

"Yes."

Tsunade's frown deepened further. "The Elders and Clan Heads

won't be happy with this. They wanted us to kill Sakura from the
beginning, and now that she allied herself with the enemy, they will
pressure me even more."

"You can't let that happen!" Naruto exclaimed. "Please, Sakura-chan

was your apprentice, she's our teammate. She didn't mean any of
that! She doesn't even have her memories of us."

"That reminds me. Grave news, Tsunade-sama. Obito said that the
truce has been broken. He will reveal to all the ninja nations about
what a Vessel is, and her identity."

The Hokage slammed her fist on the table, causing a crack to

appear on the wood. "Dammit," she growled venomously.

The whole room became somber, much to Naruto's confusion. "Can

someone explain to me what's going on?"
"Tsunade-sama was able to overrule other people in the village that
wanted us to kill Sakura. But all the ninja villages clamoring for the
same thing?" Kushina explained softly.

"So? Sasuke was wanted across all nations and now he's here."

"I wasn't a world-ending menace," Sasuke pointed out, annoyed. "If

Obito performs Permanent Izanagi, we're all done for. If I didn't know
Sakura, I would ask for her death also."

"But we do," Naruto pointed out harshly.

"We do," Sasuke agreed, more subdued. "Godaime, Kakashi-sensei

is the only one that can perform Seishiro and Kamui, besides Obito.
We don't have to agree to any demands."

"Unless we want a Fourth Ninja War, we must cooperate. We're

ninja; we must approach this problem like ninja. The life of one does
not outweigh the lives of many."

"So you're asking us to accept becoming scum," Naruto said.

"Kakashi-sensei, you taught us this. You can't expect us to forget our
most precious lesson. What are you even saying?"

Kakashi looked away, unable to meet his student's earnest eyes.

"Naruto, this is as hard for me as it is for you."

"You all gave up on her already. I'm out of this. I won't kill my best
friend when there is another way. And I always find another way."

And with that he stormed out, not bothering to look back even when
his mom called his name. He couldn't believe just how easily they
could forget their bonds with Sakura-chan when it was convenient.
Yes, it would be hard to get her back, but he was positive that with
enough time, he could get through to his best friend. They had gone
through so much, trained so hard, loved so deeply. Their bond
transcended even the memories they had together. Her life was
worth saving just as much as everyone else's.
He would save Sakura-chan against all odds.

Itachi eyed the sake in front of him in resignation. Though drinking

was a national pastime of ninja, he hadn't bought into the hobby.
Even a couple of moments without being in full control of himself was
nerve-wracking. However, he couldn't deny that in this situation, he
had to surrender control just a little bit.

The restaurant they were in was lively, with a healthy mix of civilians
and ninja alike. If he didn't recognize the ninja faces, he wouldn't
even be able to tell the difference. This environment was the result of
the sacrifice he had made all those years ago, when he gave
Konoha security in exchange for his sanity. Sometimes, he
wondered whether all that bloodshed had been worth all the pain he
had caused Sasuke, but seeing all these people interacting without a
care in the world confirmed that he would do it again if need be.

"Itachi," a deep voice called. "It's been a while."

"Hello, Suguru. I'm glad to see you again."

The blond-haired man sat across from him. Nobody would ever
guess that this man was Haruno Sakura's older brother, Haruno
Suguru. While Sakura took after their father, Suguru took after their
mother, with blond hair and piercing blue eyes. He was taller than
her by half a foot and projected confidence that Itachi had never
seen in the younger Haruno. Suguru was the Chakra Swordsman
and a genius of his own right, while Sakura was the Godaime's
Apprentice, or his apprentice, or Kakashi's student. Itachi had been
sure that would change in a couple of years, but then Obito took her
away in more ways than one.

"Not good news, huh," he said softly.

Itachi downed his sake in one go. "I'm afraid not."

"Let's leave that for last. I didn't come here just to get bad news.
Let's eat and chat."

Though Itachi wasn't comfortable with a social call, he obliged

Suguru's odd request. They had known each other for years, even
been on the same ANBU team and had their fair share of moments
together, but to just sit down in a restaurant and talk about their lives
was too… normal.

So they spoke about their lives. Suguru was now a jonin teacher for
a new batch of genin, and he had taken a shine to them.
Surprisingly, he was very protective of them, and refused to take
them on their first C-ranked mission any time soon. Though none of
his students sounded like extremely talented ninja, they were
powerful enough to keep their teacher satisfied and happy with their
progress. And with Suguru's guidance, they were certain to become
forces to be reckoned in due time.

"Huh, I never thought I could be this talkative," Suguru noted while

eating his last piece of beef. "Thanks for putting up with me, but I
don't think I can run away any longer. Tell me, why has the Hokage
avoided my face for the last couple of days?"

And so Itachi explained everything that had gone down ever since he
had returned from their expedition. How Sakura lost her memories;
how she had refused to come back with them, going so far as to fight
with them; how she was now the Four-Tails' jinchuuriki; how Obito
had said the time was close for his plan to come to fruition; how the
truce that had kept the Vessel's existence a secret from all the other
ninja villages was effectively over. Two days ago, the kage from all
the villages had met in Konoha to make a plan to save the world.

"The Vessel, huh. A life-threatening person that can end the world
and doesn't want to come back."

"As we know it, or at least that's what I read from the Stone Tablet
with my Mangekyo. Obito somehow knows more than me, though
I'm not sure how. I didn't know about the amnesia until I saw
Sakura."

"And they're going to kill her," he continued tonelessly.

Itachi averted his eyes. "That's the plan they have decided on. Each
village, except for Konoha, will send one of their best ninja in a
mission to kill Sakura. A group of Konoha ninja will in turn keep Obito
and his group occupied so he can't teleport to her rescue like he did
last time."

"I'm sure we have some way of stopping this madness," Suguru

continued, his cool starting to slip. "You're not letting this happen to
my little sister, are you?"

If Itachi hadn't murdered his entire clan, he might've felt worse about
the entire situation. "We have to wait until one of my student's gives
a signal that they made contact with Sakura and they're in a
favorable location for retrieval."

That's how they had found them in minutes the most recent time
compared to the literal months, years in Sakura's time, it had taken
them to search the world. They had each entrusted their pupils with
seals imbued with Kakashi's chakra that acted as homing signals, so
whenever they activated Kakashi would know the time and place to
send them to.

"You're just going to accept this?"

"I tried my best to convince her to come back, Suguru. I cannot

outweigh this village's safety for one person."

"She was your student. I entrusted her to you! If it hadn't been your
stupid idea to send her to the wolves, that man would've never met
her!"

Itachi almost cringed at that, almost . Pein had hinted during his
invasion that Obito had met Sakura while she gained the wolf
contract and learned ice release. It was probably then that he was
convinced Sakura was capable enough to endure whatever he
wanted to put her through.

Suguru inhaled, then exhaled deeply. "I shouldn't get cross at you,"
he admitted quietly. Itachi had to lean in slightly to hear him well,
even with his superior senses. "You're not the one who did this to
her. You were just trying to help her, and it backfired on us. I'm sure
this isn't any easier on you than it is on me."

Itachi briefly remembered the moment Sakura had her ice swords
aimed at him, ready to kill him. At that moment, he felt no fear. He
had been satisfied that he would find death in the battlefield. Not in
his home, old or young, haunted by the screams of his clansmen,
asking if their sacrifice was worth it. Itachi always told them it was,
but the voice that answered was Danzo's, not his own.

Though his death would have been bitter, struck down by a person
he had taught. Sakura had looked so terrifying, so awe-inspiring in
her self-righteousness and coldness, a coldness borne from
amnesia. What he would've given to have his memories wiped when
he struck down his family. Even now he wished he knew what
genjutsu Obito had found that allowed him to convince a person they
didn't remember their pasts.

But even in the end, Sakura had not killed him. Though her words
had said one thing, she did another: she did nothing. How could one
action fill him with so much despair and joy at the same time? It was
unfair how much he had craved his death and her mercy.

"So who is going to distract Obito?" Suguru continued after a lull in

the conversation.

"It hasn't been decided, but one of the ANBU teams. Considering the
mission, the ANBU Commander might be involved."

"The old Dog will be let out, huh," he muttered. "Obito will no doubt
see through the ruse."
"Yes, which is why it has to be a fight of epic proportions. But first we
must find his hideout. Even if Annie, Reiner, or Bert sends us a
signal, we can't do anything until we find it. I believe it shouldn't be
hard. I hear his organization is recruiting civilians and ninja alike. He
certainly is throwing caution out now that he thinks he has won."

Suguru let out a harsh bark of laughter. "And we still don't know why
he's doing this. It's all a giant mystery."

"I don't expect him to tell us. Pein was also tight-lipped about
Akatsuki's goal. Perhaps we can find a weakness and crumble his
organization from the inside."

"I won't stop at anything until he is dead. He took my sister away. I

can't let that go unpunished."

"Even if it continues the cycle of hate?" Itachi asked quietly. That

was all Pein talked about, the cycle of hate in the nations, and how it
was their goal to stop it. He had grown tired of listening to his ideals,
but there was some truth to be found there.

"As long as we live, there will always be a cycle of hate," Suguru

answered seriously. "As long as the powerful and the powerless
exist, peace will be just a word leaders throw around. But still, for
now, I'll take matters into my own hands. Maybe if I kill Obito, it won't
be necessary for the villages to kill Sakura."

"A futile venture. If killing him was so easy, I would've already done it
a long time ago." Namely, during the massacre. Obito had helped
him kill the Uchiha clan for some reason Itachi was still unaware of.
A part of it was definitely to fit into the role of Madara, but there had
to be another reason why he had been keeping such close tabs on
the clan. What could the Uchiha possibly figure out that Obito
wanted hidden? His identity might've made sense, but now that he
used his Mangekyo so often, his secret was easily gleaned.

"And does that mean we shouldn't try? When was the last time we
went on a mission together?"
"You would ask me to betray all five nations to kill Obito?"

"To save Sakura," Suguru corrected firmly. "If I had to let him live to
save Sakura, I would. I only care about her safety and return."

Itachi crossed his arms. "After meeting her firsthand, I have a feeling
it won't be as easy to bring her back. She regenerates chakra in the
other world."

Suguru craned his neck back in surprise. "What does that have to do
with anything?"

"Imagine going to a world with an air you couldn't breathe, but all the
natives could. That's what happens with interdimensional travel. Our
bodies know they are in a completely foreign land, also our chakra is
split while we travel, and that confusion doesn't allow our spiritual
and physical energies to mix. Which means that if we bring Sakura
as she is now, she won't be able to regenerate chakra. We also don't
know how to unlock her memories. We would basically be bringing a
stranger into Konoha. A dangerous, amnesiac jinchuuriki to a land of
people she considers enemies."

"Damn Obito. He has us cornered."

"That is why the Kage decided to kill her. She is not worth the effort."

"If it had been Naruto, the story would've been different," Suguru
muttered bitterly. "Not that I wish this situation on Naruto, of course. I
just wish it hadn't been my sister."

Could that be why Obito had chosen Sakura? He had always

wondered about that. Itachi knew firsthand that Obito had considered
Sasuke to be his Vessel for Permanent Izanagi, a technique they
had no idea existed, much less knew how it worked, but Obito had
said it would end the world as they knew it, and Itachi felt that to be
true. That was the entire reason why he left Akatsuki, because he
had heard Obito and Zetsu talking about a plan involving other
worlds and his brother as a sort of sacrifice. He had felt to Konoha,
only to find Orochimaru had taken him, and that's when he met
Sakura and asked for her help bringing him back.

But why Sakura had been a question he asked himself more often
than not. If Obito had thought about this, then it was genius. Sakura
was strong enough to survive another world, but not important
enough to warrant a large group of people to notice her absence.
Yes, she was the Godaime's apprentice, but she didn't belong to a
clan, she wasn't a Hokage's child, she wasn't a genius. She was one
of the last people to possess Ice Release, but the kekkei genkai
wasn't as valuable as others.

"How despicable," Itachi muttered to himself. He wasn't sure at

whom he was aiming the insult. At Obito, for thinking this, or the
world, for proving him right?

Though if they killed her, would the world lose the Four Tails? Would
he regenerate in this world, or in the other? At this point, the nations
of the world might want to cut their losses and just accept the loss of
a chakra beast in exchange of the continuation of their world. In the
end, it was a game of numbers, and two against everyone was
unbalanced.

"Naruto refuses to accept this," Itachi said, giving him a meaningful

look.

"Perhaps it's time to visit the Uzumaki household," he rejoined. "It

would be easier if you'd help us, Itachi. As my sister's teacher, I
believe you owe her."

"Years ago, I killed my entire clan to save this village. Letting one
person die to save the entire world should be an easier choice to
make."

"Should be," Suguru repeated, his eyes hopeful.

Therein lied the problem. As much as he tried to convince himself

with logic, he just couldn't let the matter drop. He had murdered
children, innocent civilians, his own parents. He had even tortured
Sasuke with the goal that he would eventually come and kill him.
Compared to that horror, allowing Sakura's death should logically be
much easier. Sakura wasn't even family, and he had only known her
for a couple of years at best.

But she was the only person who truly trusted him. Everyone else
waited for the moment where he would finally snap, but she didn't.
She looked up to him, even though she had killed her crush's entire
family, and would heal his every wound, no matter how grave or
inconsequential. He wasn't sure what he had done to earn that kind
of respect from her, and though it had taken a while, he now had it.

Well, now it was lost, but not because either of them had done
anything; she had just forgotten their friendship.

There was a particular ugliness in being killed by people who

claimed to care about you. Naruto and Sasuke hadn't seen it, but
Kakashi was disturbed by the path Tsunade had been forced to
walked. His role -sending his student's executioners to her world-
might truly break him. Tsunade herself must be despondent, to allow
other nations to kill her own apprentice. Even the Sandaime had
been unwilling to kill Orochimaru after all the pain and suffering he
had caused. What would Kakashi feel when they brought Sakura's
body back then, an innocent person caught up in yet another Uchiha
plot?

Perhaps what he would feel would be what Itachi would eventually

feel. Sakura was his student, and unlike all the other stories of
students walking down a path their teachers couldn't follow, she had
done everything right. She had just caught the attention of the most
dangerous person in the world.

"Itachi?" Suguru prompted.

"I owe Obito a lot for many injustices he has caused us, and if I get
to save my student while I'm at it, I can't pass up the opportunity."
The blond Haruno eyed him appreciatively. "If I knew all these years
the heart of gold you had, I wouldn't have pursued you so restlessly.
But the person you were while we were in ANBU scared me
sometimes. We've all gone through our dark paths, but yours
seemed the one with no end."

He chuckled humorlessly. "You're not wrong," he admitted. Should

he say the next part? It was awfully private, but Suguru had basically
begged him to rescue his sister. Plus, this was Suguru; after Shisui,
Suguru had been his closest friend. Itachi downed another glass of
sake that had been sitting next to him. "I have lived just waiting for
my death for a long time now. When Sasuke forgave me, I thought
my illness would do me the favor of taking me. And then, Tsunade
and Sakura healed me, and I had no more outs."

"While we were in ANBU, we were far too busy trying to survive and
protect the village that we forgot we wanted to die," Suguru
continued quietly. "Isn't it so funny, to live the life we have protected
through so much blood only to realize we don't want it? The people
who deserve it the most are just itching to get rid of it. At least, that's
what I thought until I took my genin team," he said with a small,
genuine smile. "I think they have saved me more often than I have
them. There is a beauty in being needed, depended on, and not just
to fulfill missions."

Itachi cocked his head to the side slightly. Could that be what was
missing from his life? Well, there were a lot of things that were
absent, some self-imposed, others by circumstance, but he had
never thought about receiving a genin team. His name was far too
tainted to become a jounin sensei, but… What if that was just
something he told himself to avoid wanting to live?

"Once this is over, I'll think about it," he said.

"Once we get Sakura back," Suguru said.

"Right," he affirmed with a small smile.

Kakashi stood in front of the Memorial Stone, staring at Obito's name
as if reading it over and over again would change what had
happened, what he had found out. Not only was Obito alive, but he
was the root of so much strife he and his loved ones had
experienced.

He had died, only to come back to life, and now they had to kill him
again. Why couldn't he just stay dead? He had already learned how
to live with his death. He had made many mistakes because he no
longer had Obito in his life. He was a man now, a man shaped by an
event that was a lie.

It was ironic that so many nights he had spent dreaming of this

moment. In his fantasies, Obito came back to the village, wounded,
but alive. He would laugh when Kakashi insisted he take his
Sharingan back, saying that now Kakashi couldn't refuse that
something connected them. He would forgive him for accidentally
killing Rin, and he would become the brother he never had.

And now he was back, but as the last person he would want to come
across.

Kakashi held back the urge to shatter the Memorial Stone. Just
because one of the names was a lie didn't mean everyone else had
to suffer that treachery. But it felt fake, to have his name etched there
with all the other heroes.

He felt a rustle caused by wheels and turned to see his sensei's wife.
Kushina was watching him quietly, her full expression hidden by the
night. If he had to hazard a guess, he would say she looked like he
did: lost.

Years ago, on Naruto's birth, Kakashi had narrowly saved Kushina at

the behest of his sensei. She had been impaled by Kurama's claw,
and was barely holding on due to her Uzumaki heritage. While
Minato sealed half of Kurama's chakra in his infant son, and the
other within himself, he had performed emergency first aid on her,
and had successfully kept her alive. Unfortunately, he hadn't been
able to heal the nerve damage immediately, and she couldn't move
the lower half of her body.

Though that stopped her from ever becoming a ninja again, she
didn't give up on the profession entirely, and dedicated her entire
time to her mastery of her clan's technique: sealing. She was now
arguably the best sealer in all of the ninja nations, and, without her
mastery of it, they would've never found a way to reach Sakura
across time and space.

"I can't believe it, either," Kushina started quietly. "That such a bright
boy could become such a horrible monster. He… he killed Minato,"
she whispered brokenly at the end, her voice thick with tears. "Why?
What purpose did that serve?"

"To weaken Konoha, get Kurama, destroy his enemies, there are
many possible reasons, but we won't know until we ask him."

"I don't want to ask him," she said harshly. "I don't want to know.
Knowing won't change what he has done. It won't bring us closure. It
won't bring him back from the dead."

Sometimes Kakashi forgot how much Kushina had lost that day. Her
ableness, her husband, the father of her son, her tailed-beast, her
future. Obito had robbed many people of similar things, but with
Kushina, it was very personal. How could he convince his body to
move against his own teacher, his teacher's family? Just what had
happened to Obito that he turned on those who loved him?

"It's my duty to kill him."

Kushina wheeled herself closer to Kakashi and took his hand. "You
will do no such thing, young man. You have another role in this
story."

"I already killed Rin. Killing Obito should be easier, in comparison."

She squeezed his hand tightly. "That broke you, and if you do the
same to Obito, it won't help you mend, Kakashi-kun."

"He has Sakura," he continued. "If we do something quickly about

Obito, maybe we can convince the other villages to back off."

The redhead let go of his hand and sighed dejectedly. Unlike him,
Kushina had been privy to certain meetings as Tsunade's right hand.
"The ninja villages are displeased with Konoha for keeping such a
secret. They think we mean to doom them all in exchange for one of
our own. The entire issue, according to them, was orchestrated and
perpetrated by Konoha ninja. At this point, they might not even be
satisfied unless we sacrifice something."

"That's preposterous!" Kakashi exclaimed, momentarily forgetting his

earlier moping.

"It'll make them feel better, and sometimes politics is all about
making people feel better."

"Tsunade-sama wouldn't let them."

"Of course she won't, if this whole Vessel business can be solved,
there is no way she would give up her precious student for some
political stunt. But the clan heads and village elders won't be happy. I
know that snake Danzo will find a way to benefit from this mess."

He considered it a shame and an embarrassment that they had not

gotten rid of Danzo yet. For security reasons, only very few were
able to hear Itachi's recounting of the Uchiha Massacre and the
events leading to it. The village knew that Itachi had been forced to
do it, but had been lied and told that foreign invaders had been the
ones pulling the strings. Danzo still had a very strong presence in the
village, a presence that was hard to remove thanks to Root.

"So what am I supposed to do, Kushina-san? I agreed with Tsunade-

sama earlier to give the appearance of a united front, but I can't
allow my student to be killed. I remember how bad sensei took it all
those years ago, and I know why."

"Minato never forgave himself," she admitted somberly. "There were

nights when he scared me. To lose a student is not only painful, it
also shows an indisputable failure as a teacher. Up until then, Minato
almost never failed. I'm glad that back then, the student-teacher
relationship wasn't as strong as it is now, or I truly might've lost a
part of him."

Back then, during the Third Ninja War, genin teams were assigned
jounin teachers to prepare them for war and their inevitable death.
Even kindhearted Minato had placed certain mental walls to prepare
himself for any possible deaths, as futile as it was. Now, though,
years after the war, Konoha had shifted its perspective with academy
students and their teachers. It was time for quality over quantity.

"There has to be some way to get Sakura-chan from his clutches,"

Kakashi continued. "He is one person against an entire village. Well,
that and his organization. But I hear they're mostly civilians, so I'm
still unsure as to how he's been able to get away for so long."

"Akatsuki was not that big of an organization either, and Konoha was
almost destroyed just with Pain. There is something behind the
scenes with this. Obito is your age, and though talented, he was no
genius back then, and you can't just gain that. There has to be
someone pulling the strings."

"Obito is already behind so many plots. It makes me uneasy to think

there's someone even more dangerous than him."

Kushina nodded grimly. "We already lost the fight with the other
villages, but we haven't lost the war. If Sakura can survive the
onslaught of the other villages, that might buy is enough time to get
her out of this problem and bring her back to us." She took his hand
again and squeezed it gently. "We found her through time and
space, something many thought impossible. This won't be easier, but
at least we know how to go about doing it. Have faith."
"And then what do we do about Obito?"

"I realized Obito died during the Kannabi Bridge mission," Kushina
said in a harsh voice. If Naruto had heard his mother speaking so
harshly, he would've been appalled. He had inherited his open-mind
and forgiving nature from his mother, but there were some things
even Kushina could not overlook. "This person has taken up the
name Madara, so we should respect that and call him so."

"Uchiha Madara it is."

Yet another interlude, but I consider this a plot-heavy interlude

with all the reveals. Sorry about the particularly long wait, but
senior year was brutal. Now that I'm on break for a bit, I think I'll
be able to finish The Vessel in the next year. I know, right? It's
already been 4 years but just one more year left before the
grand finale.

Anyway, thank you so much for all the love and reviews. It
makes me incredibly happy to see this story is still being read
after all this time. In a true review-whore fashion, I encourage
everyone to let me know what they liked and what they found
interesting or any questions! To celebrate the beginning of my
temporary freedom, I'll answer questions you reviewers have in
the next chapter. As long as they don't spoil the story, I'll
answer to the best of my ability.

Also, this chapter is straight out of the brain oven, so if you see
any grammar mistakes, please let me know.

WIP
The Great Noble House of the Burgeis
Besides Armin, Eren, and Mikasa's farewells, her departure from the
Trost headquarters was a quiet affair. Trost citizens were going to
start entering the city after the Wall Rose Breach scare in a couple of
days, and everyone in the Survey Corps was helping the Garrison
and Military Police make the transition as smooth as possible. Levi
and Hange's squads would move to a remote location to run some
experiments with Eren's titan form away from prying eyes. She
understood that everyone was busy, she did, but would it have killed
Levi to say goodbye? She wasn't asking for much, was she?

"You seem upset, my lady. Is something the matter?"

Ah, and then there was the matter of this guy. He had introduced
himself simply as Werner, one of the Burgeis house servants.
Apparently, he was ranked higher than the man currently riding the
carriage, since he hadn't even introduced himself. He had graying
black hair and a well-kept salt-and-pepper beard. His eyes were a
rich brown and he had a perpetual pleasant smile. Werner was
dressed in luxurious black clothing Sakura had only seen in the
upper class of Shiganshina. If a self-proclaimed servant was dressed
this opulently, how was the actual nobility dressed?

And then there was his insistence in calling her "my lady." Sakura
had already pointed out that she wasn't nobility yet, but the man was
stubborn and refused to acquiese to her request. She had already
dreaded the noble lifestyle ever since Amina had briefly explained
some "common knowledge," which wasn't all that common or made
with commoners in mind.

"No, nothing bothers me, Werner. Thank you for asking, though."

"I only seek to look after the well-being of my masters, my lady.

Should something ever bother, please let me or any of the staff
know."
She wasn't sure if he meant it or not, but it almost sounded as if she
was a job, not exactly a person he was interested in looking after.
Loyalty bought with money and status.

Or maybe she was looking too much into it. Her comrades had
always said she was too suspicious for her own good.

Anyway, there was no use in feeling hurt over Levi's absence. They
would see each other again once her name was cleared. They would
be equals once she returned to the Survey Corps. In the military, no
one cared about other's origins. It was why Amina had gotten away
with being a noble for so long even though Erwin knew.

Plus, she couldn't discount the effect her betrayal had over their
relationship. She couldn't expect him to forgive and forget so quickly,
especially when Sakura herself was petty. After all, she had been
cross with Petra all the way up to her death, and never had a chance
to fully forgive her while she lived.

Ah, this was why she didn't like traveling by carriage. It gave her too
much time to think. The sound of the carriage wasn't enough to
distract her or lull her into sleep as she had hoped. The more she
thought, the more became convinced that she wasn't a good person.
She was shamelessly selfish, to the point she had let other people
die as long as she got to keep her secret.

And now she knew that she was a Vessel, a sort of dangerous being
that Obito needed for some reason or another. If she killed herself,
she could save many lives, but Obito had threatened to kill everyone
who knew her if she did, and she wasn't willing to make that
sacrifice. Then again, she didn't know what exactly she was saving
people from. Obito wasn't very forthcoming with his plans.

If you killed yourself, I don't know what would happen to me, so I

would appreciate it if you didn't, Son Goku chimed in from the depths
of her mind. She was starting to get the hang of its presence. Maybe
someday she might even be able to predict when it wanted to talk to
her.
What do you mean you don't know what would happen to you?
Wouldn't you die?

I am a Tailed Beast, a being made out of chakra. Chakra cannot be

killed.

But your consciousness?

I would lose my memories, probably, but I would continue living.

However, I don't know what would happen to my chakra in this
foreign world of foreign chakra. I can't regenerate my own chakra
here. In fact, I don't know how I'm regenerating chakra right now.

Foreign chakra?

Son Goku snorted. I've mentioned this before, foolish jinchuuriki.

This world is made of foreign chakra. The origin of this chakra is
different than the origin of mine.

Sakura sat up slightly in excitement. You know what the origin of

chakra is?

Of course I do. I am a child of Hagoromo. I know my origins.

What is the origin, then?

The God Tree, Son Goku replied reverently. Every one thousand
years it bears a fruit. All the chakra of our homeworld comes from
one chakra fruit. The amount of chakra in this fruit is beyond human
comprehension.

A fruit containing all the chakra in the world? That amount of power
is unbelievable. But Son Goku has no reason to lie to her.

Though this new information brought more questions of her own.

Wait, this world has chakra. Does that mean it has a God Tree?
Without finding it, I wouldn't be able to say for sure. Just because our
world has a God Tree doesn't mean all of them do. But, with the only
information we have, that seems like the best guess.

For some reason, Sakura felt she had stumbled upon something big,
but didn't know exactly what it was. If this world had a God Tree,
then it couldn't be a coincidence that Obito had sent her here.

To think you know more about a world you don't consider your own
than the very people that live in it, Son Goku mused.

People back there don't know about the God Tree?

The story is old enough to be considered myth. Fighting amongst

humans has made them lose record of who they were and where
they came from. Until recently, Tailed Beasts roamed freely, and we
took our knowledge with us. Even when we became slaves to
humans, we refused to share our knowledge with them.

Thank you for sharing this with me, Son Goku. I know you say I am
different because I have no memories, but I'm sure that doesn't
make it easier on you to trust me.

Son Goku sighed deeply. It does not, but I suppose that if we want to
take Obito down together, trusting each other a bit will go a long
ways. Speaking of which, how do you expect to train for this
confrontation while you play pretend with those humans?

Sakura frowned and shifted in her seat. Werner was no longer

interested in her, and was instead looking out of the window with that
irritatingly pleasant smile on his face.

I won't be playing anything, Son Goku. This is important to me. I

want a semblance of my old life back.

Neither of us are going to have a life if we don't do anything about

Obito. We need to train.
Sakura nodded slightly. I'll explain part of our situation to Amina and
see if anything can be done about it.

Werner cleared his throat. "Lady Sakura, is something the matter?"

Sakura jumped slightly in her seat. "I have been trying to get your
attention for a while now."

Son Goku's laughter boomed in her mind, and she tried to not frown.
"I'm sorry, Werner, I was distracted. What were you trying to tell
me?"

"That we are almost here. You can now see the Burgeis Southern
Home out the carriage window. Lady Edith will be waiting for us
there."

To call it a home was a bit exaggerated; the place was a castle. It

was made of pale stone and had three towers colored bright green.
In the middle she could make out a courtyard with a beautiful pale
gold tree in the middle.

"What is that tree, Werner?"

"Ah, that is the symbol of the House Burgeis, the King's Tree. You
will find it in all their homes and in certain minor noble houses that
are aligned with them as a show of friendship."

"I've never seen anything like it."

"It is expected, Lady Sakura. The tree was a gift from the first king of
Mitras to the Burgeis, and it has been in the family for generations
now."

Sakura marveled at the beautiful tree. There was something almost

magical about the color. How did someone even create a gold tree,
let alone breed it? The leaves, however, were green, but this just
served to make a greater contrast to the ridiculousness of the color.
"The Burgeis have a special festival during the Autumn where they
invite everyone to admire the changing colors of the King's Tree. It is
truly one of my favorite times of the year."

For the first time, Sakura could actually detect genuine emotion in
the older man. It had taken a while, but at least now she knew what
he sounded like when he was being honest.

The carriage dropped them off in the front of the castle. The gates
opened immediately to the courtyard with the King's Tree. Though
the tree took most of hte attention, the garden was beautifully
decorated with scultpures and shrubbery.

And this wasn't even the main house.

Amina was sitting on a bench underneath the King's Tree reading a

book. She was dressed in a luxurious, frilly cream dress that was
jarring considering her usual military uniform. Sakura was about to
run for her when Werner placed a hand on her shoulder and gave
her a meaningful look.

"Lady Edith, I have brought Lady Sakura."

Amina looked up from her book and smiled at Sakura. "Thank you,
Werner. Lady Sakura, I hope you had a pleasant journey."

Sakura stared at Amina, unsure how to respond. Who was this

person? Was this maybe Amina's twin sister? It would explain why
she was acting so weirdly.

"Yes, Lady Edith, it was… comfortable," she replied awkwardly.

Edith nodded at Werner. "That will be all, Werner. I shall take Lady
Sakura to see the Lord and Lady Burgeis."

Werner bowed slightly and left the courtyard with quick steps.

As soon as he was gone out of an earshot, Sakura asked, "Uh, Lady

Edith, where is Amina?"
Edith gave her a flat look. "I'm Amina, idiot. I thought you could feel
my chakra or some shit like that."

That was true, but Amina naturally had such a small amount of
chakra that her faint presence was the way Sakura identified her.
That and she didn't know if twins would have identical chakra
presences.

"Well, Werner called you Edith and you were not acting like the
Amina I knew so what was I supposed to think?"

Her friend rolled her eyes and sat down on the bench again. "Here,
sit, we need to talk before we meet my grandparents."

Sakura did as she was told.

"Why didn't you tell me your name was Edith?"

"Because it's not," Amina replied, her voice hard. "It is the name I
was born with, but not the name I earned. It is not the name my
father gave me," she whispered this last sentence and looked away.
"I didn't tell you because I forgot how damn oppressive this place
was. I honestly forgot that in here, I'm Edith. You would think that
after killing titans, I would have enough power to tell people how I
want to be called. Not even the lowest servant will respect my wish
to be called Amina."

"Why won't anyone call you Amina?"

"It's a foreign name. Well, there's foreign, and then there's foreign .
Some names are fine, but this one isn't."

"So my name…"

Amina took her hand and gripped it tightly. "I'm sorry, Sakura. I don't
know what silly name people will call you, but I won't ever call you
that in private. In the last days I've been here, I was just reminded
why I want to go back to the Survey Corps. It's miserable here."
Sakura wasn't exactly sure how to feel about having her name
erased. Then again, just because a bunch of stuffy nobles called her
another name didn't mean hers was erased. She noticed the
downcast look her best friend had. But for Amina, the situation was
different. Amina had grown up in this. Her name was a true duality.

"You'll always be Amina to me, even if I have to call you Edith in front
of everyone else."

The black-haired woman looked up and smirked at her. "You catch

on quickly. But enough moping around. I do have some things to talk
to you about before you meet my grandparents. I tried to scoop out
some information before you came here, but my grandparents have
remained tight-lipped. They're planning something big and want to
take us by surprise."

"Why would they want to surprise you?"

Amina frowned. "Because this is all a game, and you either lose or
you win. My grandparents want to win something, and it doesn't
matter to them if I end up as collateral." At Sakura's horrified look,
Amina smiled self-deprecatingly. "And they love me. That's the worst
part. You're untrained, so I can't expect you to win matches already,
but try to follow my lead. I know you have steel nerves so at least
you won't reveal your emotions easily. You're hotheaded, though, so
that might be an issue."

"You're hotheaded too, hypocrite."

"I'm a hothead with experience in the game. You're a hothead with

experience telling Captain Levi where to stick it."

Sakura blushed slightly at the imagery and Amina made a disgusted

face. "Ugh, gross, why would you think of that?"

"Me? You said it! It's not my fault you have such a dirty mouth!"
Amina groaned and made the motion to put her face in her hands
but stopped midway. "I can't even hide away because I'm wearing
makeup."

Sakura perked up. "Oh, you are? I can't even tell!"

Amina grinned. "The most recent fashion in court is unnoticeable

makeup. My favorite trend in recent times. Don't I look gorgeous?"

The ninja laughed. "Of course. Always."

Sakura wasn't sure if it had been Amina's intention, but she was in
much better spirits and more comfortable with the idea of confronting
the Lord and Lady Burgeis.

Amina got up and studied Sakura intensely. "Well, before we meet

them, you must change out of that dress. Yes, I know you should
wear that, but only when you met Werner. Now that you're here, I
can dress you up properly. You're shorter than me, but with the right
shoes, it won't be too noticeable."

Amina took her on a tour of the Southern Manor. Everywhere they

went, servants would curtsie or bow at Lady Edith. She thought this
kind of reverence only existed in the military. And, even within the
Survey Corps, they only saluted higher-ups when being addressed.
It was just too time-consuming to always show respect in these
ways.

"Are you some sort of important person?" Sakura asked after one
particularly long curtsy. And they still hadn't reached Amina's
bedroom.

Amina looked at her as if she were dumb. "I'm the heir to the
Burgeis. You knew this."

"So you being the heir is enough reason for everyone to worship the
ground you walk on?"
"Not exactly. I think they're trying to make their loyalties known. My
uncle is still fighting my grandparents for the right of being the next
Lord Burgeis. The servants are divided in their preferences, and
even the Branch House is divided about the idea of me being heir.
But my grandparents are Lord and Lady, so they can do as they
wish. In the end, their opinion is the only one that matters. However,
it will make my life harder if I have to deal with leadership issues."

Sakura nodded, though she couldn't say she completely understood

the complexities of Amina's position.

They reached Amina's luxurious bedroom after ten minutes of

walking. Her room had high ceilings, an enormous bed that could fit
five people, a sofa set to entertain guests, and a beautiful wooden
wardrobe. Amina let Sakura in and closed the door behind them.

"Now, we don't have time, so you'll have to trust me."

Amina went directly for the wardrobe and got a simple, pale green
dress. Even though it wasn't as beautiful as Amina's gown, Sakura
couldn't deny it already looked far more luxurious than the yellow
dress she was wearing.

"You're not going to wear a more complicated gown like the one I
have. If you wear something too complex, my grandparents will think
we're trying to hide something by diverting their attention to what
you're wearing. Green is your color, no doubt about it, but I want you
to shine. They'll ask for a demonstration of your powers. Don't show
them might, show them beauty and elegance. Do you know what to
do?"

Luckily, Amina had told her before coming to have something grand
prepared.

"Yes."

Amina nodded. "Good. Now get ready."

Sakura did as told and in less than five minutes she was wearing the
gorgeous green dress. Amina lent her some heels so she wouldn't
drag the dress too much in the floor.

"Ugh, I'm jealous at how easily you can wear those."

"I'm a ninja. It would be sad if I couldn't walk in a straight line."

Sakura followed Amina, listening to her advice on how to talk to her

grandparents as she walked through the manor's hallways. Amina
was adamant that Sakura had to act perfectly to earn a shot at
becoming a Burgeis.

After a while, though, Sakura started tuning Amina out. Everything

that came out of her mouth was an instruction or a rule that was
making her nervous. Nobles surely had made an extremely well-
done game to keep commoners out, and Sakura was playing in the
defensive. Not only did she have the Ackerman last name, but she
had a very foreign first name.

Just what kind of person would the Burgeis require her to be?

Two guards were standing at tall, wooden door. They immediately

opened it when they saw Amina, allowing both of them to enter the
Burgeis's study room without stopping.

The study room was filled to the brim with books stored neatly in
well-kept bookshelves. Instead of the marbe floor found in every
other room of the manor, this room was covered in an emerald green
carpet, kept pristine even though many feet stepped on it. There
were two desks with luxurious chairs in opposite corners of the room,
the desktops filled with scattered papers and an inkwell.

Two grand wooden chairs were placed in the middle of the room,
and were currently occupied by two elderly people, both reading
different books. The one to the right was a woman with pale white
hair while the one on the left was a man with graying black hair. Both
were transfixed by their books, not bothering to look up from their
page even at their entrance.

Amina curtsied first, and Sakura followed, albeit less gracefully, and
also making sure to stand a couple of feet behind Amina to show
deference to her social superior.

"Grandfather, Grandmother, allow me to introduce Lady Sakura

Ackerman," Amina said in a grand voice.

Sakura was looking down, so she couldn't see their reactions to her
full name. Needless to say, this was the first time she had ever felt
inadequate for something as simple as a name.

Two books closed in unison, the sound reverberating across the

room.

"Please rise, Edith, Sakura," an elderly female voice said. Sakura did
as instructed, and made sure to meet the woman's eyes. "It is a
pleasure to finally meet you. My name is Elsie, Lady of House
Burgeis."

"And I share my wife's enthusiasm in meeting you," the man

continued. "I am Olivier, Lord of House Burgeis. I happily welcome
you into our home."

"The pleasure is mine, my lord, my lady," Sakura responded, trying

to remember the proper terminology to address them with.

And apparently she was right, because they both nodded graciously.
"Edith has been regaling us with tales of your exploits in the military,"
Elsie said. "You are quite the talented soldier, from what we have
heard."

"I do my best to serve humanity."

"And your service is appreciated. In these times of uncertainty, we

need people willing to risk their lives in exchange for protecting our
way of life," Olivier replied. "However, we have heard of your
unfortunate circumstances with the military. Worry not, as long as
you remain in our grounds, no military leader will dare lay a finger on
one of our guests. Should we reach an optimal agreement, we can
even arrange for a full adoption of the Burgeis name."

"I would be extremely grateful, my lord."

"Grandfather, when you mention an agreement, do you mean

Sakura's allegiance to the Burgeis family? Because you can already
count her power at your disposal."

Elsie tusked. "Nothing so barbaric, Edith. The military has made you
coarse. Though we are interested in what Sakura can do, we are
more interested in the future of the Burgeis."

Amina stiffened almost imperceptibly. "The future? You mean the

next leader of the House. I thought that would be me."

"You are our favorite choice," Olivier said calmly. "But you cannot
deny that you have been missing for too long. The servants have
noticed. The Branch members are not happy. They believe, with
good reason, that your father has poisoned your mind against the
Burgeis, starting when he sent you away to join that military training
course."

"The only reason we allowed you to stay was because your initiative
and strength was so well-regarded in court. Even the king paid you a
compliment, admiring your bravery and service. But you have played
the soldier for too long now. You inadvertently elevated our prestige
in court, but you directly insulted us with this childish game of yours,"
Elsie said, much more harshly than Olivier.

Sakura wanted to say something or give her a reassuring look, but

Amina's back was to Sakura, and she wasn't dumb enough to speak
out of turn, especially when the meeting wasn't going according to
plan.
"Do not disappoint us like your mother did, Edith," Olivier continued,
his voice much more subdued than his wife's, but not any kinder in
words. "If you want us to convert a peasant traitor into a noble lady,
you will have to do it as an official heir. Give up your position in the
military, cut all your ties there, and join the Burgeis again. If you do
not, I will have to officially name my son my heir, and I cannot
guarantee his kindness or protection to your friend or you."

Amina didn't reply. Sakura wasn't sure how she would have been
able to say anything if her family threatened her so viciously.

Why are you letting them speak to your friend like that? Son Goku
rumbled from the depths of her mind.

Because I can't do anything. I am the liability in this case. It's

because of me that we're in this mess to begin with.

Are you always going to hide out of convenience, Sakura? Are you
ever going to break free or will you always be a slave to the chains of
your mind?

And what would you have me do, Son Goku?

Fight for your friend. Can't you see how fiercely she has been
fighting for you? She literally came back to the place she hates the
most to protect you, and you cannot even muster a word in her
defense. If you really love this world so much you're willing to defy
me to stay in it, then show me how much these people mean to you.

"Amina told me to remain quiet," Sakura started, her voice strong.

Amina whipped her head at her in horror, and Sakura doubted
herself for a moment before trudging along with her convictions. "I
was going to follow along until you threatened her."

She made the hare seal and materialized ten ice swords out of the
moisture in the air and aimed them all at her grandparents, who were
staring at her in fury, which morphed into horror when she channeled
some of Son Goku's killing intent, which made the temperature in the
room increase. "I think you misunderstood the point of these
negotiations. You probably believe your name or riches or
connections are power. No, power is power, and I have that in its
purest form.

"Now, I really do think that you love Amina, which is why I overlook
this threat on my dear friend." Sakura reined in her killing intent, and
the Burgeis lord and lady took in a big gasp. She kept her ice swords
around, allowing them to float innocently around the room. "I think
that since we both know where we stand, now we can reach a
suitable arrangement beneficial for both of us. Amina, what were you
going to say before I rudely interrupted you?"

For a moment, Amina just stared at her, dumbfounded. Sakura

cocked her head to the side, prompting her to continue.

"R-Right. If you don't mind, Grandfather, Grandmother, I will remain

in the Survey Corps with the intention of becoming the future Lady
Burgeis. And it is my wish to have Sakura become a Burgeis as an
official heir."

"You can give her the name Burgeis, but that won't make her a
Burgeis. The court will have to accept her," Olivier responded warily.

"And you can't bully the court into accepting you," Elsie continued,
glaring directly at her.

"Have you tried?"

"Sakura," Amina said, an undertone of a slight warning.

She smiled sheepishly. "Right, sorry."

"I am almost glad the Ackermans have been eradicated. You're all a
blight in this world."

The ice swords, which had previously floated around aimlessly,

organized themselves in a straight line. "Careful, Elsie. I just said I
don't take insults to my friends and family very well."

"Sakura, that's enough," Amina said sharply. "Stop threatening my

grandparents."

She tried to keep the shame she felt at bay, but failed somewhat.
The swords broke, the ice crystals scattering harmlessly in the air.

"Now, if you will excuse us, I think we all have a lot to think about,"
Amina said. "I will you see you tomorrow, Grandfather,
Grandmother."

Amina left the room without further prompt, and Sakura followed,
making sure to give her friend some space.

Amina took them down familiar hallways back to her own room. As
soon as she entered, she rushed to her bed and flopped on top of it.
Sakura closed the door quietly and went to stand next to her friend's
prone body.

"Amina, about what hap-"

"Don't you dare apologize to me," she said, her face now turned
towards her. "That was the kindest thing anyone has ever done for
me. You… You even called me Amina in front of them and they didn't
say anything. I'm still upset you threatened my grandparents so
callously, but considering what you have done for me, I'll get over it."

Sakura sat down next to her friend and put a hand on her black hair.
"You don't have to be so grateful. If it hadn't been for you, neither of
your grandparents would have ever given me the time of day. And
I'm sorry for being carried away. That's the one thing I'll apologize
for."

You can also thank me, Son Goku chimed in smugly.

She couldn't help but smile. Thank you, Son Goku. With you by my
side, I'll be less afraid. And I'll show you why this world is worth
fighting for.

Her friend picked herself up and sat next to her. "And you're forgiven.
But, amazing, I still can't believe we won this round against my
grandparents. Granted, we won by not playing the rules at all, but no
one can blame us for that."

"Won't they tell anyone about this?"

"And risk being the laughingstock of the court for not being able to
keep their heir and her friend in line? No, they'll try to spin this
meeting in their favor. That's fine, we should let them lick their
wounds. And as much as I hate to admit it, they are right in that the
court has to accept you. That means getting a new name, acting
refined, all the things we've been talking about doing. You were able
to threaten my grandparents into accepting you without having to
give up my independence, but you can't do that for the rest of the
court."

"How much time do we have?"

"The king is hosting a party in three weeks, and I want that to be

your first official introduction as a Burgeis. Depending on the
reception, we'll go ahead and proceed with the adoption."

"What happens if I botch it?"

"My grandparents will have their excuse to block any future attempts
of your adoption. They may have given you a second chance had
you tried to appeal to them, but threatening them didn't exactly
endear them to you. I don't recommend threatening them again.
They will have a plan if that happens."

"Well, that just means I won't even consider failure. We'll get ready
for this."

Amina nodded. "Right! That's the spirit!"

"I have two requests, though."

She raised an eyebrow at her. "You're starting to get the hang of

being a noble, are you?"

Sakura blushed slightly. She didn't mean to sound so pushy, but

maybe the talk of power had gotten to her. "I'm sorry, I-"

Amina laughed and tapped her back. "You're still so easy to rile!
Don't apologize! What do you request of me, Lady Sakura?"

She pouted and stuck out her tongue at Amina. "Anyway, I just
wanted to see if you could get me a meeting with Sebastian."

"Sebastian? Who's that?"

"He's a member of the branch house stationed in Stohess. We've

known each other for some time now and it has been a while since
we have seen each other."

"Huh, well, if he's a member of the branch house, there's no reason

why he should decline a request from me."

"Once I'm a Burgeis, what house would I belong to?"

"Officially, the branch house, but considering we're best friends and
you're a ninja, I have a feeling your position won't be as cut and dry
as others. Now, you had another request for me?"

"Right. Before leaving, you mentioned you knew another Ackerman.

I would like to meet him."

Amina looked at her suspiciously. "You're not honestly thinking about

marrying him just to get your name back, are you?"

Sakura narrowed her eyes slightly at her. "Of course not!"

"Hey, you can't be mad at me for making sure. You're kinda weird
when it comes to men."
"Am not!"

"Look at what kind of men you're interested in meeting! Old and

scary!"

"What about Sebastian? He's not old or scary."

"All right, mysterious and sneaky! How come you never told me
about Sebastian?"

Sakura wasn't sure if now was the right time to tell her that
Sebastian had been hired by her dad to observe her. After meeting
her family, everyone sounded as if they had an ulterior motive and
she didn't want to taint her father's picture when he was the only one
she had a positive image of. "It never came up?"

"Buuuullshit. I always told you about my pre-expedition encounters

and Petra used to talk our ear off about how amazing Captain Levi
was. There was always a moment to bring him up!"

"Fine, fine, so I am a bit private about my personal life. Is that a big

issue?"

"Yes."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine, Amina, I'll be more open about my love
life next time. Back to the original issue, do you think I can meet up
with the Ackerman or not?"

"That request will be harder. Last I heard, he had joined the Military
Police as a captain. Before he used to be the personal guard of the
Reiss, a minor noble family that pledges their loyalty to the Burgeis."

Wow, that was a lot of information on someone from a dirt name.

"How come you know so much about him?" Sakura asked, genuinely
curious.

"He was a well-known criminal who suddenly came to work for a

noble family. He was notorious when I was a young girl in the court.
And then when I heard he had joined the Military Police a couple of
years ago, my interest was piqued again. Criminals who come to
work for nobility and then the military aren't so common."

His story sounded eerily similar to hers. Sakura wondered if Kenny

had to jump any of the loops she had to belong to a noble family.
Probably not, considering he had kept his last name and was no
longer working for the Reiss, at least overtly.

"Unlike Sebastian, he doesn't have to accept a request to meet with

you. But since you're an Ackerman, I'm sure he'll be interested in
meeting with you. It's just a matter of tracking him down."

"I could track him down. Time is no issue for me."

Amina stood up suddenly and waved a finger at her. "Oh, no you

won't! You'll stay here and not cause problems for the Survey Corps
or the Burgeis, all right? Why do you want to meet with him,
anyway? You're an adopted Ackerman, aren't you?"

Sakura tried to not wince at the reminder. It truly seemed as if she

didn't belong to this world and the only reason she felt that way was
because she forced herself to belong. All the relationships she had
made had been built on lies.

"He may not be directly related to me, but he shares some family
with Mikasa, and that is important to me. I want to know about the
Ackermans. I want to find out if he knows about Erick, and learn
more about him. You have no idea how much influence that family
has had over me. I wouldn't be standing here right now had it not
been for them."

She suddenly looked down and muttered an apology. "Sometimes I

forget that you and I are more similar than what I think. I shouldn't
have said that. You're an Ackerman, Sakura. Don't think my family
can take that away from you."
Sakura stood up and picked her friend's chin up. She gently placed
her forehead against hers, enjoying the surprised look in her face.
"You're not taking anything away from me. You're my family too. You
will make a wonderful lady of the house, you'll see."

Amina gifted her with the most radiant smile possible. "Right. Thank
you."

Acting docile in the following days took most of Sakura's patience.

True to her words, the ninja did not seek out information on her
siblings' whereabouts or their general well-being. The only thing she
knew was that by now Eren would be undergoing titan experiments
to see if he could harden his titan form. She hadn't been privy to the
location of these experiments, and though the uncertainty was eating
at her, she would have to trust Levi and Hange to take care of Eren.
Mikasa and Armin's status was even more unknown. She had heard
a rumor before leaving that Levi would ask Armin and Mikasa to join
his squad, but that couldn't be right. It had taken all of his other
members years before rising to that coveted position. Why would he
take rookies in, even if they were talented?

Plus, knowing all the danger Levi's squad got themselves into, she
wasn't comfortable with the idea of her siblings being in his vicinity
all the time.

Being so far removed from the military life was surreal. In here, the
nobles lived in their manors, reveling in the luxuries their status gave
them. They lounged and entertained guests from afar. Though
Olivier and Elsie were not on friendly terms with Sakura, they
pretended spectacularly, introducing her to their peers as a "soon-to-
be Burgeis."

For her part, Sakura played the part of performer admirably. Amina
drilled into her head the art of the smile, and how the subtlest of
looks could convey the deepest lies. Though in the military she had
been known as cold and unapproachable, in the halls of the Burgeis
Southern Manor, Sakura was Ella, cheerful and beautiful and deadly.
She dazzled the Burgeis's guests with her grace and powers, and
never failed to mention her loyalty to Amina, or Edith, as she was
forced to call her.

After a week of being imprisoned in the manor, Amina brought the

news that they were would have a change in scenery and head to
Mitras. Though the King's party would not take place in two weeks,
all the major noble houses threw grand parties in preparation to the
king's. During these parties, the game was truly played, according to
Amina. She would learn about the different factions within the court,
the different topics of conversation, the marriages and alliances,
trysts and adultery. All of it wrapped in the glamour and intrigue of
the nobility.

Even though she was about to meet some despicable people, the
good thing was that the only thing she had to do to win the Burgeis
name was to not make a full out of herself and impress some minor
members of the other Great Noble Houses.

Konig, Mayer, Scholz, Berger, Frank, and Burgeis were the noble
families that had their fingers in almost every market imaginable.
They had feuds against each other, petty ones that Amina and
Sakura complained about, but that was everything the court knew.
Life inside the walls was generally peaceful, so nobles had to make
their own childish wars to fight.

When asked about the king, Amina claimed to not know much about
him. She had left to join the military at fifteen, and with that her
knowledge of court proceedings had stopped. She was also studying
new alliances and new court gossip she had missed in the last five
years. In fact, the King's party would be her official reintroduction to
court after the five years she had been missing.

She suspected her uncle had tried to turn the court's favor against
her to force her grandparents to acknowledge him as the heir, but
from the glowing recommendation the king had given her, it seemed
that he had mostly failed. It also had to do with her father being a
Talman. Amina had mentioned a long time ago that they were low
class, but they were low-class nobility from Rose. In the last five
years, they had gained prominence in the court. With the fall of
Shiganshina, more merchants and nobles were relying on Talman
lands for food and cattle.

The journey to Mitras was mostly uneventful. Sakura shared a

carriage with Amina, while Olivier and Elsie went in their more
opulent carriage. They would arrive to Mitras in the mid-afternoon.
Amina was invited to have a dinner with her grandparents and
parents, Allete and Amil Burgeis, while Sakura had the day to do as
she wished.

"Make sure to wear something with the Burgeis family crest," Amina
said once Mitras was within view. "There are a lot of Military Police in
Mitras, and it will be dangerous for you to go without one of us. Also,
don't use your powers. Just don't. It wouldn't be good publicity for the
Burgeis."

"There's no reason for me to do anything," she pointed out.

"True, because I got you a meeting with your weird Ackerman guy,"
Amina replied. At her shocked look, Amina smirked and said in a
haughty voice, "Not many people can resist the call of a Burgeis. Be
careful, though. Kenny Ackerman is part of the Military Police. I said
that you would like to meet him after your official adoption to the
Burgeis family, but he insisted in meeting you before. Specifically,
today."

"You suspect some sort of foul play."

"Yes. Definitely. And you're still going to go." It was not a question.

"I have to know. This may be my only chance to get to know more
about Erick. And I know that Mikasa would like to know too. There is
power in knowing your family's history."
Amina shrugged. "It's up to you, Sakura. I still think you shouldn't do
this. It's too dangerous."

"I'm a ninja, Amina. Nothing is going to happen to me."

"You're not invincible, though. You must know your limits."

Sakura ruminated over her words. Amina was completely right;

Sakura had no reason to want a meeting with Kenny Ackerman this
much. It was dangerous, foolish, and there was no promise of
information. But, in a way, Kenny was her family. Adopted, but family
nonetheless. He must also have some information on other
Ackerman family members inside the walls. She could already
imagine Mikasa's excitement finding out she had cousins and uncles
and aunts scattered around the land. She would have more people
to meet and love. No longer would she just rely on Armin and Eren
and her as her only family.

This could be a chance for her to know more about her father, too.
Her memories of him must be fading as time went by. She had just
been ten when Erick and Mikoto had been murdered. Just ten when
all her known blood-relatives had died. And now Sakura had a
chance to change that.

"This is not only for me, Amina. This is for Mikasa, as well. She is so
withdrawn… I wish she had more people she could open up with."

"Those people, the other Ackermans, are basically strangers to her."

"Strangers for now, but I want to give her the opportunity to know
them better later. I'll be careful. I'll send a clone in to meet them first
to make sure it's safe.

"What about the part of not using your powers? Don't give the
Military Police a reason to arrest you right there and then. Our
protection won't be worth a damn if you break the truce right in front
of them."
"Unless they try to attack me, there's no physical difference between
the clone and me. I'll tell the clone the questions I want it to ask, and
hopefully Kenny won't realize who he's speaking to. If he arrests me,
he'll be arresting the clone."

Amina nodded. "I suppose that's the best plan. Well, I was going to
give you the location of the meeting place regardless of whether I
agreed to or not, but now I'm more comfortable with the idea. You're
gonna meet in a bar called Sina Dreams. It's supposed to be
crowded and during daylight, right before sunset, so I don't suspect
too much foul play. Still, if something happens, run back to the
manor. No one in the Military Police will dare arrest someone in a
noble house."

The Burgeis Southern Manor was much bigger than the capital city's,
but the location was undeniably more prestigious in Mitra. They were
near the city, but had enough space to host a party the likes not
many have been seen. The King's Tree was featured prominently in
the courtyard, and there were even more servants here than in the
Southern Manor.

Sakura changed her ruffled white dress for black pants, a long-
sleeved pink shirt, and a black cloak. She hid the letter Petra had
written her somewhere in the room. She still wasn't ready to read it,
but that didn't mean she was ready to stop carrying it with her
wherever she went. Sakura made a clone and dressed her in a more
noble fashion, with a frilly cerulean dress. Sakura drilled her clone in
the questions she wanted to know and how she should leave the
establishment should things become frigid.

Amil Talman and Allete Burgeis, Amina's parents, would be coming

in later during the day. She briefly considered letting her know she
was heading out, but the poor girl looked extremely nervous and
stressed. She would have to ask how to her dinner went when she
came back.

Sakura trailed her clone as they made their way to Sina Dreams.
Even if Mitras was the capital of the walls, there were still some
areas that were remarkably safer than others. Sina Dreams was
located in one of the seedier parts of the capital. This would
definitely not be a place she would head to after dark for normal
people.

Her clone arrived to Sina Dreams and Sakura found a spot in an

alleyway to relax.

Son Goku, she said, hoping to get their attention.

Yes, foolish jinchuuriki, Son Goku replied. Though initially she had
been annoyed at being called foolish, she now understood this was a
term of affection for the ape.

Tell me about the other world. Our world.

What's with the sudden curiosity?

I… I just want to know. And right now I have time to ask.

Well, I don't know much about the human life, but I can tell you about
my time as a free-roaming beast and Roshi's beast. Our world is
beautiful. There are no titans, no interesting technological
contraptions you find here. We have mountains and lakes and seas.

Sea? That was the thing Armin always talked about, what he wanted
to see more than anything in the whole wide world.

Yes, the sea. Water as far as the eye can see. There are snow-
covered mountains, mountains made of lava, plains made of sand.
The world is much bigger than this one's.

Well, this are the remnants of the world. I'm sure before the titans
killed everyone outside the walls, the world was just as big.

Except there are people outside, according to these titan-shifters you

so hate.
Sakura sighed. Yes, apparently there are people outside. I wonder
how they knew about us, and if someone here knew about them. It
just seems so strange that everyone thinks there is no one outside
when there are people inside.

Who would it benefit to keep the people ignorant?

It all has to be for the benefit to those in power, at the very least. But
why? What is there to gain from isolation? I don't understand
anything. I know much less about this world and here I thought it was
mine.

Believe me, you wouldn't know much about your original world
either. Ninjas are taught to be very black and white. In your case,
you would know everything about Konoha and nothing about the
other villages to prevent emigration and sympathetic feelings.

Really? Why?

So you can kill without remorse. So you can kill without going insane.
From what I've seen, this doesn't work very well.

Sakura shivered. Was this the world Son Goku wanted to return to,
the life she had in store for her? Killing human beings, brainwashed
so she could keep doing it? At least here she killed titans. And she
had killed those that took Helsa away, but only because there was a
connection to her. What had driven her to want to become a
professional killer? Why had she chosen to become a medical ninja?

She needed to remember how to heal. It had been important to her

past self for a reason.

A loud shot and memories she shouldn't have made her freeze up.

The clone entered Sina Dreams. It was full of men and women
happily drinking ale. Her arrival shushed everyone, but a man in a
black hat stood up and went to meet her halfway.
"The Burgeis weren't lying when they said you were impossible to
miss. Nice to finally meet ya, little lady. Name's Kenny."

Her clone nodded, observing that people had gone back to drinking
their ale, but they were all strangely tense. Some were wearing
cloaks like the one the original was using and were scattered
strategically around the bar.

This wasn't a friendly meeting, just like how Amina and her creator
had theorized.

"Nice to meet you, Kenny."

He took off his hat, revealing short blond hair. "I see that you've
realized the position you're in. Smart. Unfortunately for ya, ya've
made some enemies in the higher ups."

Her clone tensed and immediately went to a fighting position. If she

had been the original Sakura, she would've escaped by now, but she
was a clone, and she could afford to stay and find out what Kenny
meant by his words. "What do you mean?"

"It means we can't have ya runnin' around, helpin' the Survey Corps.
Your existence is unfair, y'know. Good thing we work on makin' the
playing field fair."

And, just like that, her clone disappeared from existence. Sakura
immediately changed her appearance, changing her hair from pink to
black and her eyes from green to brown. This would help keep her
safe for a bit, but considering how unstable her chakra was at the
moment, she wasn't sure when the henge would give her away.

Sakura started walking away from Sina Dreams, trying to think

where she could head now. Kenny had mentioned the Burgeis,
meaning that he knew he was staying with them, and the Burgeis
weren't exactly her allies. If Amina's uncle had planned this hit, then
Amina wasn't safe, but if her grandparents had, then she was.
But that hadn't been the exact reason why she had been shot
outright. They wanted to neutralize her so she wouldn't help the
Survey Corps. Why wouldn't they want her in the Survey Corps?
What was going on? Was everyone safe?

She heard the sound of 3DMG being used and she was relieved to
find out the Survey Corps were here. The relief was short-lived when
she saw the people wearing the 3DMG. They weren't Survey Corps,
and they had shot her, so she couldn't count them as allies.

Should she go back to the Burgeis manor? No, her enemies were
definitely there. She needed to get Amina out of there, though. They
needed to join up with the Survey Corps and get to the bottom of
this.

How dare they do this in broad daylight? It would make escaping

harder. She body-flickered when there was no one around, but if she
saw someone, she had to act as if she were a normal person.

"Where are you going, girly?" Kenny Ackerman's voice came from
behind. "Running away from home?"

Oh, thank the walls. He didn't know who she was. Her disguise
worked.

She nodded in response, not bothering to turn to him.

"Now, Sakura, ya have to give us credit than that." Sakura stiffened.

"My team has been tracking ya and that clone ever since ya left the
manor. Now, if ya escape, you can tell your little friend goodbye. I've
got some nice friends that would like to keep the Talman away from
the Burgeis house."

Sakura gritted her teeth, her mind fighting the desire to run away.
"What do you want, Kenny?" she said coldly, turning towards him.
His appearance was similar to the one his clone had seen, except
now he had a modified 3DMG with guns instead of blades.
"To kill ya, but my boss thinks that ya can be controlled with a little
persuasion. Here's the deal, little lady: you come with us, and I'll
spare the Burgeis brat. Kill me and I'll won't give the code stopping
your friend's poison attempt. Your choice."

"What makes you think that I can't just kill you right now and run
back to her? I think you're underestimating my powers as a ninja."

Kenny laughed and pointed his gun at her. "Ya got spunk!
Unfortunately I don't have time for this." More soldiers landed on the
roofs of the buildings that made the alleyway. Sakura noticed they all
had that strange 3DMG with them. "A part of my squad is on the way
to the Burgeis right now, and even with your weird powers, there's no
way you can get there on time. I have the correct combination of
flares to stop the attack. Now, be quick, I have somewhere to be
after this. Do you want to kill me and your friend or what?"

No, she didn't want Amina dead, but she didn't want to be a prisoner.
She body-flickered towards Kenny, landing a punch in his stomach
that sent the blond-haired man flying to a wall.

There was no way Kenny was going to survive that hit.

She body-flickered in the direction of the Burgeis home, but her

pursuers were fast. They kept shooting bullets at her, and she
dodged them as quickly as she could, though her movement was
restricted without her 3DMG. What she would give for it right now!

There was no way the Burgeis were still going to sponsor her
adoption to the Burgeis. Had they ever meant to, anyway?

And why were they still fighting so fiercely after she had killed their
leader?

She heard a laugh in the middle of the chase. She made a hare seal
and materialized two ice weapons from the moisture in the air. She
grabbed them by their icy handles and immediately turned around to
launch a counter-offensive.
Sakura send chakra to her feet and powered a body-flickered jump.

"Now!" a new voice shouted.

Sakura stiffened in mid-air as she felt three things hit her. But instead
of the previous shots she had heard and seen, these were darts.
Had they predicted her speed in a body-flicker from a single time
seeing it in action? How? Who were these people?

The ninja fell down on the ground of the road, her back getting all the
impact. Her body started feeling sluggish, her senses slow.

I'm trying to get rid of the foreign poison, but it's too much even for
me, Son Goku said, slowly. I…

"You are a tough shit!" the same voice said. "We'll have to keep you
drugged." Sakura fought her body to remain awake and saw a man
with black hair and dark gray eyes looking down at her. " I'm Kenny
Ackerman. Sorry for the deception, little lady. If it's any consolation,
your friend is safe and sound."

"Ba… stard," Sakura gasped out.

Kenny crouched in front of her and flashed her a toothy smile. "Now
that would be my runt of a nephew. Don't worry, the next time you
wake up, everything will be over. You'll be living in a new world. I
want people like you in my world. You may hate me now, but I'm sure
you'll come around. After all, you've just been betrayed by everyone
you know!"

"Lies," she hissed, holding on with all her might to her

consciousness. She had already lost the feeling in all her body
except her mouth.

The dark-haired man shrugged. "They're lies right now, but they'll be
the truth soon enough." He pointed a gun at her leg. "Your mistake
was thinking any noble would ever be in your favor."
Sakura knew that Amina hadn't betrayed her, but that didn't stop the
coldness from spreading in her heart. Amina may be a noble, but
she was a Scout first and foremost. She was in danger now that
Sakura wouldn't around to protect her.

She had to get up.

She had to get to Amina.

Son… Son Goku. Wake up. We need to get up!

Kenny became concerned when her eyes started altering between

green and yellow. He had previously wanted to see how long it would
take for the ninja to be completely knocked out by the drug, but there
was no point in finding out if it meant he gave her a chance to
recover.

He shot her in the leg when the woman raised a hand, had to shoot
another one so that her eyes would close. The only indication she
was still breathing was the shallow rise and fall of her chest.

Kenny stood up and motioned for the rest of his team to take their
new prisoner. They still had their Anti-Personnel Gear, meaning they
couldn't take to the skies with her body in tow, but that's why Kenny
had reserved a horse-drawn cart to carry her.

"That's five shots," Traute, his second in command, said from

besides him. "And who knows how long it'll last. Shouldn't we just kill
her like Rod Reiss wanted us to?"

"When I inherit the god-like power the Reiss family has hoarded, I'll
have a lot of enemies, and I'll need protection. This woman can
single-handedly defeat everyone in my path."

Traute was not impressed. "I'm not sure if you noticed, but she
doesn't really like us that much. Definitely won't like us when she
wakes up."
"True, but we'll have time. And I suspect that after I inherit the power,
I'll have all that patience and kindness Uri had so she'll have no
choice but to follow me."

"You have a weird way of guessing people's intentions. I'll be around

to shoot her in the head should she get any ideas. I think that's what
will end up happening anyway."

Kenny chuckled and shook his head at Traute. She could be even
more cynical than him at times, it was inspiring. He truly hoped he
could bring Sakura around to their side, the woman was strong, but
he had no qualms killing her, either.

Now, tomorrow he had to prepare for a little visit to Trost. He had

read the reports that his nephew was in charge of looking after
Historia and Eren, his two targets. It would be a beautiful family
reunion, at the very least.

Long chapter to make up for the long break. I'm surprised that
once again the anime is ahead of me! I'll have to catch up
before the second part of Season 3 airs in April.

As for the amount of chapters I dish out, it really depends on

my motivation and my motivation directly depends on the
reviews I get. I don't get paid for this (and soon I'll start getting
busy again since I'm now reaching my mid-twenties). Last
chapter was the least reviewed chapter in the entire story which
tells me either a lot of people stopped reading the story (so why
should I write it) or I'm not motivating everyone strongly
enough to review.

Whichever case, if you enjoyed the story, drop a review, let me

know! I love reading people's theories on what is gonna go on,
and even if I can't personally reply to each comment, know that
I enjoy reading everything! Rosette is my second priority, and it
depends completely on how much motivation I can get to
writing it.
And everyone else, thank you so much for your compliments
and your support for The Vessel! I know many of you are up to
date with the manga and are curious to see how everything will
unfold in the story. The entire story of the Vessel has already
been planned (I'm just on the fence of whether to make it a
bittersweet or a happy ending).

The Uprising Arc is the last fully canon arc of The Vessel. I'll try
to keep some things in RtS similar, since what we learn there is
important for the story as a whole, but this is where we start
deviating into AU territory. Like, a really big AU territory. I'm
actually excited to be able to flex some creative muscle once
we're there.
Family
Previously: Sakura makes an interesting introduction to the
Lord and Lady Burgeis, resulting in an interesting meeting with
Kenny Ackerman.

In hindsight, Amina should have known something was wrong the

moment her grandparents asked when Sakura was going to meet
Kenny Ackerman, even if she had never mentioned the Military
Police Captain at all to them.

But she had been busy with thoughts of meeting her parents. It had
been five years since she last seen them. She periodically sent them
letters confirming that she was alive, but she refused to read any
letters they sent back. And even if she thought the military had killed
any feelings she still had for her family, now that she was about to
see them again she realized how horribly wrong she was.

The dining room of their Mitras mansion was even more opulent than
their Southern Manor. Over there, they entertained vassals and other
lower nobility. The Burgeis had nothing to prove to those lesser than
them. Here, in the heart of the court, the Burgeis entertained their
equals and betters. The decor had to be constantly renovated every
five years or with new trends, whichever came first. Like the rest of
the Six Great Noble Houses, the Burgeis were embroiled in a bitter
war for the King's attention.

So while the Southern Manor could sit twenty guests, their dining
table here could sit fifty. The table was covered in a luxurious green
and gold, the colors of the King's Tree the Burgeis prided themselves
for having. The silverware was made from the finest metals, the
plates and bowls made of porcelain from the Old World rimmed with
gold. Normally, things from the Old World were prohibited, but the
Burgeis and other powerful nobles typically found themselves above
the law.
Today the Lord and Lady would dine with their daughter,
granddaughter, and son-in-law, but the real guests were the Reiss
family. Amina was grateful that they would have guests, because
that meant less interactions with her parents. She had no idea if her
grandfather and grandmother had planned it this way, but
regardless, she was thankful and would make sure to do something
nice for them, even if they'll doubtlessly assume higher motives.

Though she had won her independence, the cost had been terrible.

A knock on the door interrupted her musings. Was the dinner starting
already? Sakura had barely left thirty minutes ago! She got up from
the bed and smoothed her simple maroon gown.

"Lady Edith, your parents have requested your presence in Lady

Allete's office," an unfamiliar voice said from beyond the door.

Amina stiffened. Could they do that? She hadn't prepared for that
possibility, even though it was very likely. Could she refuse? No,
angering her mother would just make her exact her revenge in front
of the Reiss guests and possibly in the King's Party. Besides, maybe
it was better for them to have their talk now and prevent the Reiss
from suffering any family awkwardness.

"Lady Edith?" the voice prodded again.

"Yes, I am coming," she said in her demure voice. She walked

towards the door and opened it, revealing a handsome young man in
the other side. "Lead the way, if you will."

The black-haired man bowed slightly and started towards her

mother's office. It was all a show, really. Of course she knew where
her mother's office was. It was the only place she had seen her smile
or heard her laugh while having tea with childhood friends, possibly
imagining the life she could've had if she had not married her father.
But even though she knew where it was, decorum dictated she had
to be escorted when summoned. Whether it was to make sure she
didn't keep the person waiting, or to give an appearance of
importance, Amina didn't know, but she still found it stupid.

She found so many things stupid now.

They reached the office so much sooner than she hoped. The man
opened the doors for her, revealing an office that looked more like an
entertaining room than a place to do any actual work. It was lined
with books from the Old World, information that only a select few
nobles could access, let alone own. The room had two main tall
windows that allowed the room to always be illuminated. It had a
small desk almost forgotten in a corner with a large circular glass
table in the middle and luxurious white chairs.

Her mother stood with her back to her, staring out the window, while
her father lounged in one of the chairs, already enjoying a cup of tea.
He smiled at the man as soon as he saw him. "Thank you,
Sebastian. You may leave now."

Amina had to keep the surprise from her face. With looks like that,
why had Sakura kept Sebastian secret for so long? She didn't think
she was going to try to steal him, right?

Sebastian bowed much more deeply towards Amil. "Always a

pleasure, my lord, my lady," he said courteously before closing the
doors.

Amina was sure he was still within an earshot when Allete loudly
declared, "Who would think a street rat could pass off as a servant
so wonderfully."

Amil's hand clutched his teacup more forcefully. "Sebastian is a

Burgeis, my dear. You besmirch your name by calling him so."

Allete finally turned. While Amina had inherited her dark skin, hair,
and eyes from her father, but her facial features were so painfully her
mother's. Amina wouldn't have been able to handle it if she had
inherited her blonde hair or green eyes. She needed to look in the
mirror and see Amina, not Edith.

She smiled angelically. "It is so good to see you, Edith."

Amil frowned, his thick eyebrows almost merging as one. "You

promised you would call her Amina when behind closed doors."

She gritted her teeth. "I can speak for myself, Father, thank you."
Amil snapped his head towards her, a slight hurt look in his face until
he smoothed it over. "And it is Amina, Mother. Please refer to me as
such.

Allete pursed her lips and nodded. "Very well, you are an adult now. I
cannot help any stupid name you wish to call yourself."

Amil chuckled. "Dear, you forget yourself. Please address the

heiress in the proper way, and do not anger her father by insulting
his heritage."

"The heiress is Edith Burgeis, not-"

"Did you two summon me for a reason, or did you just want to use
me as proxy for your petty squabbles? I am sure I can come up with
far better reasons for why you should fight."

"You insolent-"

"Allete," Amil said. Surprisingly, Allete shut up, but she turned with a
slight huff to gaze outside the window once more. "I am ashamed
you are seeing this display after not seeing us for five years. Do not
worry for your parents' marriage."

"I was not."

Amil took a sip of tea. "The reason why we summoned you here is
because you need to have a small history lesson before our guests
come today."
"What?" she blurted.

Allete sighed loudly and went to take a seat at the table. "It's a long
story. You can sit or stand, I care not."

As soon as Amina sat down, Amil poured her a cup of tea. The sight
was so jarring she looked around the room. "There are no servants
here." Amina had seen her parents fight so much in front of servants
that she hadn't noticed until Amil took over one of the duties a
servant would normally have.

"I thought you needed good observation skills for the military. You
cannot even be a good soldier, my daughter?"

She held back the growl. "I happen to know how to kill a titan and
human, Mother. That is enough for my work."

"You can guess by the lack of servants that what we are about to say
is confidential. This information is meant to be shared over the
course of the years from parent to child, preferably while they grow
up. We would have told you earlier, but, well, you have been
unavailable."

"And there is no way we could have trusted this information to a

Survey Corps soldier."

Amina almost pointed out that she was still a soldier, but she
refrained from being openly stupid. Was she about to be told
something her grandparents wouldn't tell her?

"No matter, the punishment for divulging this information is death,

and not even being heiress will save you from that fate," Amil
warned her. "Please assume you can only speak about this with us
and your grandparents."

"What about Uncle Abel?"

"I have never seen him in one of the meetings, and I don't know if my
parents told him. The eldest is the only one told, but since they
considered Abel to be heir… No matter, just assume he does not
know."

Meetings? Eldest? Just what was going on?

"You both are starting to scare me," Amina said before she took a sip
of her black tea.

Allete made a wide sweeping motion at the books gathered in her

office. "What kind of information is found in these books?"

Amina bit back a sarcastic remark. "You never let me read them, so I
don't know," she muttered bitterly.

"In general," Amil prodded further.

"The Old World, from before the Walls existed." People had moved
freely before the titans had come, carrying with them information
from their homeland. Her father's family had come from the desert, a
place with infinite sand grains. "I would've added before the world
ended, but I know better than most that there are people out there."

"Because of those invading titans?" Amil asked.

"Yes."

"And it is from those people that the royal family protects us from,"
Allete said. "But the king is not the person you see seated on the
throne."

Amina cocked her head to the side. "No?"

"A member of the royal family will be dining with us tonight," she
continued. "You would do well not to embarrass us. They are
interested in any information you might have about Eren Jaeger and
Krista Lenz, or Historia Reiss, as you might know her."
Amina stiffened and thanked her aristocratic background for giving
her a great stone face. "Is that why you have invited us here?"

The door suddenly opened. Allete and Amil immediately stood up

and bowed to whoever had just entered. Amina was deliberately
slower, hoping to relish a few more seconds of her old life before all
her preconceptions were shattered.

Flanked by her grandparents was a short, stocky man with a

mustache and brilliant blue eyes. Amina had seen him before when
he had dined in her grandparents' Southern Manor. The first time
she had met Rod Reiss, she had thought him a weak man, but now
she knew better. His gaze was unsettling, and he smiled once he
saw her. "I hope I didn't interrupt anything?"

"No, Your Grace," they both responded in unison.

"Actually, we were in the middle of educating our daughter, Your

Grace," Amil said, almost nervously. "We hope this does not
inconvenience you too greatly."

The man waved a hand. "Of course not. I came here earlier because
the plan has already been set in motion."

"The plan?" Amina asked, suddenly feeling cold.

"We could not share all the information until that dreadful woman
was out of the picture, my dear," Olivier said with mock concern. "His
Majesty and I agreed that it would be best to remove Sakura from
the equation, for both the future of humanity and our future. We hope
that your friend's absence will make it much easier to continue his
rule."

It was as if the ground had suddenly given out under her feet. Her
eyes watered, her breathing became shallower. Before she could
even speak, Rod stepped forward and placed a hand on her
shoulder. It took everything she had in her to not shudder in horror.
"Your grandfather assured me that there is no reason to doubt your
loyalty, Edith," the man said, then took his hand off and stepped
back. "After all, you arranged the meeting with Kenny Ackerman out
of your own volition. I have heard that you have a very calculating
mind, but I never expected this from anyone. I would be very glad to
have you over your uncle to help me manage the masses within the
walls."

"His Majesty paid you a compliment, Edith. Where are your

manners?" Elise said after a long bout of silence.

Amina curtsied automatically, the action engraved in her mind. "His

Majesty honors me too much," she mumbled, doing her best to keep
her voice strong.

Rod chuckled. "I just came here to present myself so that we could
go straight to business later in the evening. I am looking forward to
dinner. Now, if you will excuse me, I have some business to attend
to."

Olivier, Elise, and Rod left the room, leaving her reeling with her
parents.

"Did you two know about this?" Amina asked once she was sure
they were out of an earshot. She didn't dare turn around to look at
her parents.

"My father mentioned the drama that woman stirred in the Southern
Manor," Allete said. "A noble house such as the Burgeis would never
consider adopting such a low-class peasant, even if the heir of the
family requested it. However, His Majesty heard about the incident in
Stohess and asked my parents to assess whether your friend could
be useful to our purposes.

"But not only was she uncontrollable, she made you rebellious. Now
we had two very good reasons to dispose of her. You are lucky your
grandparents love you so much that they made that meeting you
arranged with Kenny Ackerman sound like cunning plan you devised
to get your friend captured, instead of the innocent mistake we all
know it is. Really, I don't know how you keep getting away with it."

Amil stared at her with much more sympathy. "If it makes you feel
better, Amina, this would've happened whether you had planned it or
not. There is no one that can run away from Kenny Ackerman once
he's given a mission."

Amina whipped around so quickly she saw her parents recoil. Her
body shook in uncontrollable rage, and the thought of hitting her
mother crossed her mind one too many times. For so many years,
she had thought the only ones that could take her friends away from
her were titans. Now, her very family had schemed to kill her best
friend.

And she had helped!

"We know that you are upset, but you must calm down," Allete said.
"The world is changing, and if you want to end on top, you'll need to
make some decisions soon. Striking me won't do anything but give
you five seconds of satisfaction."

"You killed Sakura," she murmured shakily as she cried. "You killed
one of the only people I had left!"

Amil hugged her tightly, but Amina refused to hug him back. "You
have your family. Your family that will always take care of you, no
matter how far you fall."

"I want to be alone," she declared and pushed her father away. "I'll
be in my rooms until dinner. Father, I want to be entertained by
Sebastian until that time."

His eyebrows went up in shock. "Excuse me?"

"Send him to my rooms or I will be uncooperative during dinner,"

Amina said. As heir, she didn't have to explain herself, not even to
her parents.
Allete sighed and waved a hand. "She's old now, Amil. Let her play
with your servant. But we expect you to be on time."

"Of course, Mother," she said with no small amount venom, and left
without another word to her room.

It only took her a couple of moments since the shock wore off to
realize she couldn't logically believe Sakura was no longer alive. She
wouldn't believe Sakura had died so quickly, especially if she hadn't
seen the body. She had survived the Survey Corps without chakra,
the Female Titan, and ninjas from another world. Amina refused to
believe that Sakura was dead until she could confirm it with her own
two eyes.

Amina waited for a short time until Sebastian showed up in her

waiting room, looking confused. He bowed shallowly and said, "You
asked for me, my lady?"

"Come to my bedroom with me."

"My lady?"

"No time for questions. Hurry."

Like any spoiled heir's, her chambers included a waiting room, an

entertaining room for private parties, and her bedchamber. Both
sexes could be invited into the entertaining and waiting rooms, but it
was unheard of and scandalous to invite the opposite sex to the
bedchambers. This happened more often than usual, but for the
sake of decorum, people pretended as if trysts seldom happened.

Sebastian followed after Amina, each step more nervous than the
last. He closed the door behind him and did his best not to stare at
the sheer opulence of Amina's bedchamber. Though it only had a
bed, a dressing area, a desk, and a large wardrobe, everything was
much larger than what he imagined was possible.
"Sakura told me that you knew her," Amina began without preamble.
"Is this true?"

"Yes, we met a couple of years ago."

"What is your relationship with her?"

"We are friends only, my lady."

"Nothing more?"

"Perhaps a couple of months ago we could have been something

more, but I believe the time has passed, my lady. We both have
more pressing concerns."

Amina prowled closer and pointed a finger at him. "And does she
know this?"

His confusion gave way to skepticism. "My lady, I hardly see how
that is your business."

"She is my best friend!"

"Well, yes, but is this the reason why you invited me here?"

Amina sighed and stepped back. The curiosity her friend had left her
had momentarily shifted her priorities. She only wanted to confirm
that Sebastian cared about her safety, and he had already confirmed
this.

"My apologies, Sebastian. I did not mean to make you

uncomfortable. I actually invited you here for something more
serious."

"What is wrong with Sakura?" he asked, bewilderment shaken to

give way to concern.

"My grandparents just informed me that she is dead." Before he

could even exclaim anything, Amina continued, "I don't believe this.
Nobody can get the upper hand on her unless they are inhuman.
However, I do think she's in danger or could be in danger, and we
need to go save her."

"We?"

"You're right. Not we. You need to go save her."

"Me?" Sebastian exclaimed with more volume. "My lady, I am a

musician, not a soldier! I do not see how I can be of any help."

Amina sighed and looked down. "To be honest, me either. But you
are the only one I can easily contact that cares about what happens
to her. I would try to get someone from the Survey Corps, but my
family is definitely watching me to make sure I don't do anything to
put there precious name at risk."

"Why don't we wait and see before we do something hasty?"

Sebastian offered. "I am worried, but I don't see how our help won't
be more hindrance than help. She's extremely capable, my lady."

"She's extremely fast. She would already be back if the meeting was
a trap," Amina said.

"Meeting?"

"I arranged a meeting between Sakura and a man called Kenny

Ackerman in a place called Sina Dreams."

"Why was Sakura meeting such a man?" No doubt Sebastian had

also heard the gruesome stories of Kenny the Ripper.

Amina frowned. Yes, why had she been so dumb to request such a
thing? "Because they are family, believe it or not. But that's beside
the point. He's a dangerous man that I now know has been working
for my family and maybe other more powerful people." She couldn't
tell Sebastian that the Reiss were the true royal family. It would put
him in too much danger.
"And you think he has her?"

"His orders were to kill her. I think she's wounded and hiding."

"Or she beat him and is going after his entire squad as we speak."

Amina shook her head. "No, she would've sent a clone to let me
know she was safe and what she was doing."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. She's my best friend. She would know I would worry."

Sebastian hummed. "I think Sakura is safe, but I will do my best to

find out what happened, maybe even find her."

She impulsively hugged the man. "Thank you so much, Sebastian. I

know that we just met, but I will appreciate this forever."

The black-haired man tentatively patted her in the back. Though

Sebastian was legally a Burgeis, he was still considered as a servant
to many, and thus could take less risks with those of the Main
Branch. This would have been the life Sakura would have led had
she been adopted into the Burgeis.

"Your thanks are appreciated, but unnecessary, my lady. Sakura is

my friend, and I am worried for her as well. I'll make sure to send a
message with any findings."

Sebastian's day had started like any other, but it had quickly
devolved into one of the craziest evenings of his life.

Just like Amina had suspected, Sakura was in danger. Finding this
out took less time than he had thought. Everyone around Sina
Dreams had seen a Military Police member shoot a pink-haired
woman only for her to disappear in a poof of smoke. Finding the trail
of witnesses proved just as easy considering the wanton destruction
left in the houses of this seedier district of Mitras. It had only taken a
couple of gold coins given to him by the Lady Amina to find out that
Sakura had been drugged and taken by the Military Police to an
undisclosed location.

He paid a street rat a silver coin to run confirm his findings with the
Lady Amina. Even though the message would be delivered to a
servant he was allied with, he had no doubt it might be intercepted.
So he simply asked the boy to say "Right."

So he knew the story, but he had little clues as to where they could
have taken Sakura. His talent was in his ability to charm stories out
of people, but if nobody knew where she was, then there was little
chance he was going to find her either.

Their base definitely wouldn't be in Mitras. They wouldn't risk anyone

finding her, and from what Amina had explained of Sakura's powers,
they wouldn't risk the Mitras population either. That meant they
would get out of the city, but where could they go? Sina may be the
smallest territory within the Walls, but it was still massive enough that
it could not be covered by a single person.

Sebastian aimlessly walked the streets of Mitras, annoyed at his

uselessness. Though he had befriended Sakura to keep a closer eye
on Amina and fish for stories about her well-being, he genuinely
came to enjoy her company and her person. He had revealed his
intentions a little over a month ago, and they hadn't had a chance to
talk honestly since then. If he was being honest with himself, his
infatuation with her was normal but not realistic, and he had snapped
out of it once her letters started detailing the hardships she had to
deal with in her line of work, and he realized he was not cut out to be
involved with someone who led that life.

But he still wanted her friendship, and now he couldn't find her.

It was during his wallowing of self-pity that he came across a strand

of pink hair on the floor. It was completely out of the way to Sina
Dreams, meaning that this was a place Sakura had come
involuntarily through.

Now, he was no tracker, but the only exits in this side of town where
a five minute walk to the south. It was a gamble, but why else would
someone come through this way if they meant to use another exit?

Maybe it was a trick, but he didn't think the Military Police was
worried that someone would take the time out of their day to look for
Sakura.

The amateur musician followed his gut towards the southern Wall
that led outside of Mitras. Once he got to the Wall, a deep fear
overtook him and stopped him before he could step foot outside of
the city limit.

"What am I doing?" he murmured to himself.

He couldn't just leave Mitras without the express approval of the

Burgeis family, and it was very obvious that the Burgeis family had
no desire for Sakura to live, let alone be rescued.

It was also dark. Sakura's meeting had been before sunset began,
but now the sun was setting, and there was little daylight left. That he
had even found the strand of hair was pure dumb luck.

Despondent, Sebastian turned back and walked back where he

came from. It was of no use. He was a musician, not a tracker, not a
hunter, not a soldier, not a fighter. They knew what had happened to
Sakura, but unfortunately they could not do anything about it. It was
a mistake to even attempt anything.

The southern gate behind him opened, forcing Sebastian to look

back. He saw a carriage drawn by two horses and flanked by four
Military Police soldiers, two in the front and two in the back. Only
high profile people were afforded a carriage ride, and this person
was either very important or very dangerous to have four soldiers
protecting him.
Sebastian got out of the way to let the soldiers pass, but not before
catching a glance of the person inside the carriage. He was blond,
with bushy eyebrows and a stern gaze. He was also very familiar,
and he had in fact seen him in Stohess not even two weeks ago.

"Excuse me," he said in his best authoritative voice. It was one of the
perks of being around nobility all this time.

One of the soldiers fell to his bait. "What?" he asked, annoyed.

"Is that Erwin Smith? I heard he was coming here today. I am the
representative of the Burgeis family in Stohess, and that man still
has a lot to answer to my family. I request an audience with him."

The carriage stopped, giving him a flicker of hope. The soldier that
had responded to him grew visibly more annoyed. "My lord, there
are many people this man has to answer to. That's why he's here.
What your family lost does not compare to what this man has done."

Sebastian huffed and did his best to appear angry. "Well, at least let
me talk to him before he gets to whatever place he's going to. I want
his word his underlings will do everything they can do repair the
damage."

"Listen-"

"Carlo, it's no use fighting with nobles like him. Just let him get on so
we can go home already."

Carlo grumbled under his breath and made a head motion to let him
get on. "But only until we get to the prison. This man is going to
spend a couple of days getting some delicate treatment, and I don't
think you want to witness that."

Sebastian got on the carriage by himself. Erwin looked at him,

surprised, but his mask smoothly came back on. As soon as he
closed the door, Erwin said, "You're the Burgeis from the Emergency
Council."
The carriage started moving again, slightly faster than before,
reminding Sebastian about the time sensitivity. "I didn't know anyone
else to turn to. Sakura has been kidnapped."

Now the shock became more pronounced and lasted longer.

"Kidnapped? Again ? By whom?"

"A man named Kenny the Ripper. For some reason, the Burgeis
family wanted her dead, but Kenny decided to keep her alive and
took her somewhere. They used some sort of chemical to get her to
sleep."

Erwin's grave face became even more menacing in the twilight. "It
seems we have walked into a trap. I found it rather suspicious they
acquiesced so easily to our request, but I thought that since the heir
asked for her to be adopted, it had made the process easier."

Sebastian himself had gone through the process, and had also been
surprised at how readily she had gotten an interview with the Burgeis
Lord and Lady. Like Erwin, he had made some explanation for the
discrepancy, but recent events told a different story.

"I imagine you came to me hoping that I could do something to

rescue her," he noted dryly, then sighed. "Unfortunately, I have been
framed for the murder of one Dimo Reeves, and am no doubt
heading to a painful time that might end in my death."

Sebastian cringed. "I'm sorry."

"What about Amina Talman? Is she safe?"

"Currently having dinner with the Reiss family," he replied.

The Commander's eyes narrowed in thought. "I see. Rod is ahead of

me, then. I had no idea Kenny was employed by the Reiss. Lord
Burgeis, how quickly do you think you can reach Trost?"
Sebastian stiffened. "Trost?" Trost was as far away as anything
could be! And it was already dusk. Did he expect him to ride the
entire night to reach Wall Rose?

"There is a message I need you to deliver, and time is of the

essence."

He felt no small amount of anger growing in his chest. "What about

Sakura?" How could he abandon his subordinate just like that?

"Believe me, once we have her back safe and healthy, she'll be
grateful for our choice. Also, is there any chance you could send a
message to Amina before you leave?"

While Sakura slept, she dreamed.

She heard deep chuckles in her mind, the mocking kind. She
recognized his voice, but her drugged state could not pinpoint the
exact memory associated with it.

The wooden floorboards barely creaked under the careful steps of a

stranger pacing the room. Yet again, she thought the sound came
from everywhere at once.

"To think you'd be captured by them and be reduced to this state,"

the voice said in her native tongue. His voice was disembodied and
dampened, as if coming through a wall. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. I feel shame
for you, Vessel. I would take you back home if I could, but
unfortunately we're not done with the preparations yet."

Sakura wished she could respond, fight back the words the man was
saying, but it was like she had no control over her body. She felt like
a stranger in her own body. She could not even control how fast she
breathed. She could only feel the effects of the drug that was being
administered like clockwork to keep her subdued. Just how big of a
supply did they have?
" M y spies have told me they have abandoned their plans to rescue
you and now will wish to kill you. It is only a matter of time before
they try, and I'm not sure if I'll be able to help you. I hope you
remember whose lives are at stake if you are killed, Sakura-chan.
Killing non-ninja just leaves me with a bitter taste."

She tried begging Obito to release her, but her mouth wouldn't move.
She just sat there, in a wooden chair in the middle of the room, her
face hanging down and her body unresponsive.

Dread overtook her the more her mind fought control over a body
that wouldn't move. Was this what her life would be under Kenny
Ackerman?

Obito suddenly disappeared, leaving Sakura slightly bewildered. Half

a minute later, the door opened, and Sakura panicked. Was it time
for her next dose already? How much time had she spent here
already?

Was she about to lose herself again?

Three sets of footsteps came in and shut the door.

"You sure she can listen?" Kenny asked in a familiar drawl.

"She shows signs of consciousness after thirty minutes between

dosages," a male voice responded. "I'm not sure if she remembers
afterwards, though."

"All right, stand next to her and be ready for anything," Kenny said.

"Yes, sir."

She heard footsteps approach her and a rough hand grabbed her by
the hair and made her look up. Though her eyes were closed and
she couldn't open them, she could almost imagine his rage by the
way he grabbed her hair. "I don't know just how you did it, but you
managed to thwart my plan and I'm not happy. It's only a matter of
time before Rod finds out we don't have Eren and Historia and then
he won't be happy ."

Sakura's heart beat sped. Why was Kenny after Eren? What was
going on? He was supposed to be safe a few miles from Trost,
practicing his crystallization technique.

He let go of her hair and stepped back. "In fact, I'm so un happy that
I think only a murder spree could lift my spirit, and I think I would
start with Levi. That conniving midget was one step ahead of me. He
knew I was behind the attack, he predicted my plan, and I don't know
how except it somehow involved you ."

Levi? Could this man actually be able to harm him? Kenny had
gotten the upper hand on her, so she wouldn't put it past him to
thwart her ex-Captain.

"I am running out of time, and I admit I am desperate. However, I am

not so cruel to not give you a choice. Join me, or I'll kill you. You
might be thinking it's an easy decision, think that you'll bide your time
to double cross me, but no, Sakura, that won't work with me.

"Everyone in my team is equipped with enough sleeping darts to put

you down and kill you. Sure, I predict that you'll get a couple of my
soldiers before we bring you down, but for every soldier of mine you
kill, I'll kill a Survey Corps member, starting with that damned Squad
Levi. Kill Traute or myself, and I'll make sure Erwin or Levi have the
most painful death known to man.

"Betray me, and I'll make sure the Interior Military Police disbands
the Survey Corps and disappears every damned soldier in that
branch. If I had thought the damned branch would bring me so much
trouble, I would have done this already a while ago."

Sakura wanted to believe that the man was lying, that he couldn't
possibly have as much power as he was boasting, but she had to
admit she was wholly ignorant about the entire situation. Before
being kidnapped, she had thought everyone was safe and just
waiting for her to get the clear after becoming a noble. Now, she
knew a lot of people were in danger while she was stuck here,
drugged and at his mercy.

She would double-cross him as soon as she figured out how to

counter his guns. The shots were too fast to be easily dodged with a
body flicker in such a short distance. If she had a team, she could
counterattack with them, but she had a feeling Kenny would keep
her separate from the Scouts for as long as he could.

"Captain, I still think you should just kill her," a female voice piped
up. "Rod Reiss will be angry the two brats got away, I don't want to
imagine what he will think when he finds out we kept her alive."

"Remember Rod is just a means to an end. We don't answer to him

completely. That, and we have the guns and the fighting experience."

The woman sighed, but didn't continue the argument. "All right, so
what do we do with the freak Scout?"

It took all of Sakura's power to move her lips and whisper, "Fine."
Even though she had flushed out enough of the drug to be able to
think, actually moving her body proved to be extremely difficult.

And Son Goku was eerily quiet. She wasn't sure when the tailed
beast would wake up, but it had been asleep for most of her time
within the Walls. Son Goku had also admitted that it hadn't regained
all of its chakra, and it had a hard time regenerating. Just how long
would it take before she heard back from her partner?

She also needed time to process what Obito had said. Who was
planning on killing her? Why wouldn't Obito help her? Granted, she
would rather do without his help, especially considering the
animosity Son Goku had for him, but how was she supposed to fight
ninjas of the same caliber as Itachi and Sasuke, especially when
their aim was to kill instead of capture?
Kenny chuckled. "Don't worry, we'll make the choice easy for you.
We'll keep you in a nice in-between state. That way you won't really
have to fight your comrades."

Sakura wished she had enough in her to do more than just growl.

"Are you going to give her the same spiel that you gave all of us?"
the woman asked. Sakura regained enough control of her body to
look up and open her eyes. The woman was blonde, stern-faced,
with cold blue eyes. Everyone around her was dressed in their full
gear, including that interesting 3DMG.

Kenny looked at the guards next to her and ordered them to stand
down with a flick of his hand. "Might as well. I'm sure our new
member is upset at being kept in the dark about everything. Just two
days ago you were parading around as a Burgeis, after all."

So she had been locked in this warehouse for two days already.
Sakura felt her skin crawl. Just how much had she missed?

"How much do you know about the royal family?"

Besides knowing they were named Fritz and that they threw
spectacular parties? "Nothing," she whispered.

"Traute, bring us a chair, will you? I think there is a lot we must

explain to our lady here."

While Traute brought Kenny his chair, Sakura started getting

reacquainted with her body. She knew she was being observed very
carefully by Kenny's team, so she didn't make any sudden
movements. She wiggled her toes and fingers, noting with surprise
that she was still dressed in the same long-sleeved pink shirt, black
pants, and leather shoes she had left the Burgeis's Manor in.

No one was staring at her as intensely as Kenny was. "Relax," she

muttered, her voice hoarse. "I'm interested." Oh, how she wished
she could move her mouth for longer sentences.
He looked at her strangely. "Is the drug affecting your ability to
speak?"

She nodded slightly. No use in lying about something that was easily
verifiable.

"Interesting."

Just then, Traute came back with two chairs and set them a safe
distance from her.

"Come on, Traute, you're not afraid of our newest member of our
team?"

"The one that will betray us at the first chance she gets?" she asked,
nonplussed.

Kenny hummed. "Not in this state."

He dragged his chair closer to her, but made sure to take out one of
his guns and put them in his lap. "One false move and it's over for
you," he warned.

Sakura decided to just stare at him.

Traute, the ever sensible one, dragged her chair even farther away.

"So, I guess introductions are in order. My name is Kenny Ackerman,

though I'm sure you knew that already. Locals called me this
dumbass name, Kenny the Ripper. I was a very famous serial killer,
you see. My favorite victims were the Military Police. Hmmm, am I
grossing you out, little lady?"

She had unwillingly scrunched her nose. To hear him talk so

dispassionately about wanton killing… Was this what she would
have been like had she killed Annie? Was becoming like Kenny
Ackerman the next obvious step?

Had Levi seen that?

"Yeah, you are," she whispered.

"Well, can't fault you for that. Until now you've been a nice soldier
under the Survey Corps, killing titans, being a hero. And then the
military betrayed you and you landed right here."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. She didn't need words to express how

dumb it was of Kenny to attempt to turn her against her friends and
family.

"No, not the Survey Corps. They were innocent in that. But who do
you think ordered for you to be branded as a traitor to begin with?
Did you think it came from Zackley? That man is content with just
sitting in his chair of power, scheming how to get more. No, this
stupid Wallist cult identified you as a threat to our way of life and
decided to eliminate you or have you join them. Huh, I'm sure those
two options are starting to sound pretty boring to you."

"Wallists?" A memory of a clone immediately came at the forefront of

a Pastor Nick. Her clone had traveled together with him while the
Survey Corps figured out if Wall Rose had been breached or not. He
had remained tight-lipped about the existence of titans within the
walls, and for no particular reason either.

"The stupid group we supposedly answer to. There is a lot that went
to shit five years ago, when Wall Maria fell. They have kept a lot of
dirty secrets from us, you see."

"And you want to find out?"

"Aren't you curious?" It was Traute who said this. Though there was
no small degree of animosity in her eyes, the question was a fair
one.

Sakura frowned. She lived in ignorance of a lot of things. She had

been happy to live in that ignorance as a soldier, but now that Eren
was a titan-shifter hell-bent on changing the world, maybe it was for
the best to find out more about the world he wanted to change.
"I'm in this situation because I was curious," she answered, not
bothering to hide her bitterness. "Curious about family."

"Hmm, everyone, leave me and the little lady alone."

Everyone moved without a second glance, leaving the two of them

by themselves. Sakura still did not dare move, not only because she
was weak, but also because she was curious as to what Kenny
wanted to do.

"You were going to be betrayed by the Burgeis, but our meeting was
genuine. You sought me out willingly. Why is that?" he asked. his
face devoid of any malice or judgement.

"Ackerman," she muttered. "You are an Ackerman."

"Ah, so you wanted to connect with family. You must've known my

reputation. Why would you want to meet someone like that?"

Sakura smiled sardonically. Yes, why had she walked so willingly into
a trap? "I wanted to make up my own mind," she said. "I've
murdered too. Can't judge you. Besides, it was for my sister, not for
me."

Kenny whistled slightly. "If I hadn't heard you were adopted, I would
believe you to be an Ackerman, even if you have pink hair. But why
me, exactly? I'm sure you've had a grand time with my shitty
nephew. Unless you wanted more Ackermans in your life?"

"Your nephew?"

"Ah, I guess he never found out I was his uncle. Levi's my nephew.
His mom was my little sister."

Sakura suddenly felt sluggish, and not because of the drug. "You…
You're Levi's uncle?"

"Met him when he was a kid, starving. Took him under my wing,
taught him as much of life as I could. Left him when I knew he could
survive in the shithole that is the Underground."

"You abandoned him… just like that?" For some reason, Sakura
started feeling angry. She had been kept here, drugged, against her
will, but none of that had made her as heated as hearing that, and
she wasn't sure why. "You're family," she said, voice clearer. The
drug was wearing off, but she didn't want to escape anymore. "You
can't do that to family."

Kenny shrugged. "You think it's good for a kid to be raised by a serial
killer? I didn't think so then, and I don't think so that now. Sometimes
we must make shitty decisions because not making them would lead
to even shittier outcomes. You think Levi would really be the captain
of the Survey Corps if he had stayed with me?"

Sakura instantly deflated. "No," she admitted. He would be a

murderer, just like his uncle. "Why are you telling me this?" she
asked, defeated.

"It would piss him off if you knew, I'm sure. Or, maybe, I just want
someone to tell him in the off-chance that I die."

She shook her head. This was horrible. She didn't know if Levi loved
or hated his uncle, but knowing him as well as she did, he wouldn't
be okay with his uncle dying. She was sure he had many questions,
even more than she did right now, and he needed to have a chance
to ask them.

Besides, as much as she hated to admit it, Kenny Ackerman was

family. He was a serial killer, had kidnapped her, had her drugged in
a dimly lit room in the middle of nowhere, but he was family. It wasn't
the best first impression a person could make, but at least he hadn't
taught titan-shifters how to use chakra like her so-called friends had.

"Kenny, did you know a man named Erick Ackerman?"

The man relaxed and extended his legs. "Sure did. He was my
cousin on my aunt's side. Real sweetheart, but not very blessed in
the muscles department. Heard he moved to the Wall Maria territory,
maybe got married. Why? You know him?"

"He was Mikasa's dad. Mine too, legally speaking, even though I
never called him that."

He laughed. "Guess that makes me your uncle too. Adopted, but

hey, can't choose your family."

Sakura had chosen Eren and Armin, in a way, but other than that,
Sakura understood what Kenny meant, and couldn't help smiling
slightly. She hated how relatable he was turning out to be. Was this
some sort of ploy to convince her to join his side?

"Kenny, I haven't been entirely honest with you."

"Wouldn't expect you to. Neither have I."

"But in return for telling me about my family, I'll be honest with you.
May I stand?"

Kenny's eyebrows rose, and Sakura saw his hand reach for his gun,
but he mastered the impulse and nodded. Sakura stood slowly, her
body still under the effects of the drug. She managed to get her
bearings and take a small step to the side, then another, then she
started pacing left to right, all under the watchful eye of Kenny
Ackerman.

"First, you can't kill me. Even if you shoot me, I'll just regenerate, and
even though I'm drugged right now, I can avoid a fatal shot even at
this distance." Sakura paused to assess Kenny, but he just seemed
interested in hearing what she had to say. "Considering that and the
prowess of my comrades, it's only a matter of time before the Survey
Corps takes care of this problem with Rod Reiss.

"I'm not sure what are your reasons for working with Rod Reiss.
Maybe you want something he has, or maybe he's dangling
something above your head. Whatever the reason may be, I know
you don't like him. Your team answers to you, but since you're
working for him, I'm going to guess there are things going on right
now that I might not know of that keep you loyal to him. Am I right, so
far?"

"I just want to hear your offer, little lady," he drawled.

"Whatever power you have been promised is going to be threatened

by the titan-shifters in the outside world. Nobody inside the Walls
should have long-term plans knowing the threat from outside the
Walls, including us. Help the Survey Corps, and we'll take care of the
issue outside the Walls so you can live your life content with your
power."

Kenny stood up from his chair and aimed his gun at her. "You're
saying that you could dodge my bullet right now?"

Sakura stared at him. She wasn't completely sure, but right now was
not the time to cave in her bluff. "Yes."

She wasn't sure how long they were kept locked in that match, but
Kenny simply lowered his gun. "You have spunk, little lady. Fine, I'll
team up with you. However, remember, if you betray me-"

"I won't betray you, Kenny."

He scoffed. "I'm sure you were planning my death not even thirty
minutes ago."

Sakura cringed. "I was angry, yes, but I'm not a cold-blooded
murderer. But I won't betray you because I think we can work
towards a common goal. Besides, you are family."

"You just met me."

"A lot of people have been extremely kind to me, even though they
had just met me. You… you weren't kind, but you spared my life
when you didn't have to. That has to count for something."
Helsa taught her the language and took her in, even though she
didn't know anything about Sakura. The Ackermans accepted her
into their family, no questions asked. The Jaegers had taken her and
Mikasa in even though Grisha was simply their family doctor. And
here was another living Ackerman, who had known Erick, who could
pass on those stories to Mikasa.

He may not be the ideal person for Mikasa to be related to, but then
again neither was she.

"I thought you were more astute than this, Sakura," Kenny said,
slightly disappointed. "However, if you were more manipulative, I
would've never even heard you out. Fine, we'll bring Rod Reiss
down. We'll talk about my recompense afterwards. But before we do,
there is a lot you need to learn about the Reiss and the Interior
Military Police."

Wow, everyone, I was blown away by the response to last

chapter! I received more than double the feedback I had than
Chapter 25, and all of it so positive/constructive. We have also
hit the 1k review mark, y'all! Thank you so much for that. When I
started this story (five years ago, wtf), I never imagined it would
get this big. And I couldn't have done it without y'all.

Thanks to all that motivation, Chapter 28 is already underway,

and, I don't like giving myself deadlines, but it will be done
sooner than usual.

I have also started rethinking about Rosette and where I want to

take it. I originally listed it as crack, but I realized I'm not good
at writing humor. So, should I still try to keep my vision, or
should I write a serious AU? I'll take your responses into
consideration and start writing (or rewriting) the next chapter.

I know last chapter I said Uprising was going to be fully canon,

but after messing around with some things in my timeline, I
realized I could fit in some things to make this arc more
interesting. It was tricky, considering what we learn in Uprising
changes a lot of characters, and Eren gets his hardening ability,
but I managed to create a storyline I was satisfied with.

It also gives us some extra characters to work with. After killing

so many, it's nice to introduce some more. And they are not
easy to fit into the narrative, either, so that's even more fun.

Also, if any of you have ever experienced sleep paralysis, that

was my inspiration for what Sakura felt while she was in her
drugged state. Overall, not fun.
The Ackermans
Previously: Sakura makes an unlikely alliance with Kenny Ackerman.

Amina never imagined that she would ever go to jail. The thought
had never crossed her family's mind, either, so no one had taught
her what to expect, or how to act.

And yet, here she was. Except that she wasn't here as a prisoner,
but as a visitor. How did one address a prisoner? That was another
thing her family had never deigned to teach her.

In this case, the prisoner was her Commander, someone worthy of

her respect. When she heard the news that he had been caught for
murder, she almost spat out her tea. To her, the accusation was
obviously false, but everyone in her house was in an uproar over the
news.

Only Amina knew the connection between Erwin and the Reiss. Rod
didn't hide his disdain for the Commander and his nosy
subordinates. He would no doubt have him killed before he could
overthrow the fake King. Why the Reiss mantained this charade,
Amina didn't know. She had a feeling only her grandparents knew,
and they would not be sharing this information until she became the
Lady of the House.

She couldn't stand idly while her family tried to have her career
killed. It just wouldn't do.

"I am here to see Erwin Smith," she told the guards standing outside
of the prison cell room. "I was told he would be here."

"Your information must be incorrect, my lady. There is no man of that

name here," the Military Police officer answered in a bored tone.
Amina frowned. "I did not come all the way here just to be turned
away. Now if the name Burgeis still means something in this city, you
will let me pass."

The other guard standing next to the door frowned. She said, "Those
names mean little in here, my lady. Please, do not waste our time
and yours and leave back to your mansion."

"Let her pass," a male voice said from behind her. The voice
sounded faintly familiar, so she turned around and observed Nile
Dok in muted surprise. Out of all the people who would come to her
rescue, she didn't think it would be him. "I don't think Erwin will mind
seeing her."

"But sir-"

"Don't worry. There is nothing she can do to get him out, if that is
your concern."

"It didn't cross our minds, sir," she said, voice cold. She turned her
attention towards her and said in a clipped tone, "Please, make
yourself at home, my lady."

Before Amina could tell Nile her thanks, the man left. Whatever good
mood had prompted him to take her side was gone, so she decided
to just go inside.

Much to her annoyance, there were two more guards stationed by

the bars, and neither gave the slightest inclination of leaving.

A mischievous part of her immediately got an idea.

"My love, you look horrendous," she said in a higher pitch tone.

It wasn't a lie, either. He was heavily bruised, with dried blood in the
corner of his mouth and his eye shut from a nasty punch. To add
insult to the injury, he was in a state of undress, and she could smell
him even from a distance. To see her commander reduced to such a
state didn't inspire any good will towards the Military Police.

Luckily for her, Erwin was smart, and didn't even bat an eye at her
odd words. "I wish you wouldn't see me like this."

Amina glared at the two soldiers standing guard. "Do you not even
have the decency to offer two lovers some last words?"

The two soldiers stared at each other dubiously.

"I say it out of your consideration, not mine. I will not hold back any
words, and I assure you neither will Erwin."

"You get ten minutes," one of them muttered after some deliberation.
"You better not try anything funny."

Amina raised an eyebrow. "May I remind you that I am still a lady."

They both gave her dubious looks and then left quickly, leaving her
alone before she could even think of how to breach the subject she
had come here for.

She settled with saying, "I hope you were not insulted by the address
and forwardness, Commander."

"None at all. I understand the circumstances. I just hope you know

this gossip will follow you around for a bit."

Amina scoffed. "That scandal is the least of my worries,

Commander." She walked closer until she was standing in front of
the bars. The smell was overwhelming, but she had smelled death
before, and nothing compared to that. She whispered, "Right now I
just want to make sure that you know what you have gotten yourself
into."

"Everything is set," he whispered back. "Now I just have to wait and

see how the pieces move."
She sighed. Then it was as she suspected. "You seek to put Historia
on the throne."

"Is it that obvious?"

"No, not at all. Her existence and importance is unknown in many

noble circles. Until a couple of days ago, I was unaware they were
the true royal family. And, I believe, that is the biggest flaw in your
plan."

Rod Reiss had impressed upon her family at dinner the night before
that finding Historia was imperative to the continuation of their
monarchy, since she his heir. He had requested their help in finding
her and introducing her into the nobility, considering the Burgeis
were of "higher" rank than her. Legitimizing Historia's "power" would
be extremely important in the coming months.

Amina had a feeling Erwin would crown Historia because she was
the Scout's only way of assuming power. Historia was a Scout, after
all, and that was all Erwin needed to make sure he had the crown's
support to go regain Shiganshina.

Erwin tried to frown, but the action was too painful on his face. He
stared at her blankly. "Why do you say that?"

"The nobility will not accept an outsider or change. Having Historia

on the throne represents the end of an era for a lot of them. Even if
the people accept her, that acceptance means nothing when those
with power would seek to undermine her at every turn."

"She will have the backing of the military," he replied. "The nobles
have served as a scourge of our people for long enough. We need a
new era. If they don't back Historia, we will get rid of them. I fail to
see what are your concerns."

"And who lines the military's coffers? Last I checked, we were

soldiers, not bureaucrats. We know nothing of administration, tax
collection, trade routes, land allocation, tax levying, and so on.
Should you get rid of the nobility, we will have a bigger mess at
home than the one we have now."

Erwin sighed. "What do you suggest, then? Mind you, the pieces
have been set. If I have my way, Historia will be Queen."

"I'm not saying she shouldn't be. And please, don't believe I am
bringing these concerns up because I want to keep my status. I
consider myself a soldier first. I just want to make sure our focus is
on those titan-shifters, not administrative collapses.

"As for my suggestion, allow me to convince the nobility to back

Historia. Should you corner them, they will have considerably less
chips to bargain with."

"What happens if you succeed?"

"Historia will be able to start her reign smoothly, and we'll be able to
focus on regaining Shiganshina. We won't have the military-backed
state you wish for, but the nobility will suffer a loss of power."

"And if you fail?"

"My negotiating with nobility hinges on the fact that you win your
gambit, Commander. If I fail, then the nobility deserves whatever fate
awaits them."

"Your proposition sounds interesting, Amina. I am willing to accept it

on one condition: the creation of a Royal Guard, with you as its
Commander."

"Commander?" she asked, though she didn't know if she was

addressing him or seeking clarification of the title.

"This entire ordeal has taught me that we have enemies even within
the military. Now you're asking that we keep the nobility as well. I
don't want to send Historia to an early grave or set her up for failure
as a Queen. She'll need someone to protect her and advise her.
"As a noble and Scout, I believe you are the best option."

"I appreciate the vote of confidence, but I don't believe myself ready
to lead an entire division by myself, sir." She had barely been a
Scout for two years. Sure, she was a noble, and there weren't that
many people that could undertake the advising part of the role, but
she could do that as a civilian, not soldier.

"Normally, I would ask someone of more seniority, but considering

the battle we have awaiting in our future, I cannot let go of my top
talent. I am sure that Zackly will have his misgivings, but if this order
comes from Historia, he will have no room to refuse."

"The order will come from Historia?"

"I will strongly recommend it. I will say that the future of the nobility
rests in the hands of this decision. Should she waver, then it is your
job to advise her to reconsider. You could consider that your first job
as advisor, should the need arise."

Amina sighed. A Royal Guard, and her as Commander? It wasn't

exactly the future she envisioned for herself. She wanted to remain a
Scout, to continue exploring the outside, to continue her life of
freedom, but it seemed that her status would follow her no matter
how hard she tried to distance herself from it.

And to think that she was doing all of this for such an ungrateful
bunch. The entire nobility was rotten, but their function was
indispensable. The Six Merchant Families still couldn't command half
the authority the smaller houses had over their vassals. They had
just started marrying into minor nobility, but it would take a while
before the people accepted their word as law.

"Very well, Commander. I accept the terms. However, I also came to

ask if you had any orders regarding Sakura's disappearance."

"I'm surprised it took you so long to ask," he said wryly.

"Time is limited."

"Levi has been informed. If there is anyone that can do anything

about it at the moment, it would be him. Once this situation is
cleared, we will dedicate our efforts to finding her."

Amina nodded. She only knew that Kenny had kidnapped her, and
though it pained her to leave her best friend's fate to another, her
current work would affect everyone in the Walls. She couldn't let the
government become a military state, not entirely.

The door opened widely, catching both of their attentions. "Hey, lady,
it is time," one of the guards said.

"I will fight for your freedom!" she exclaimed in a fake, passionate
voice. She had a feeling Erwin would not live it down until her
deathbed. "Until then, please wait for me!"

"Always," Erwin replied, completely serious. Amina didn't miss the

twinkle of amusement in his one good eye.

She left without making too much fuss, afraid someone would call
her to find out what they spoke about. She was surprised Nile Dok
hadn't recognized her as one of Erwin's subordinates, but she wasn't
going to wonder about the few good things that were happening to
her right now.

Now she needed to visit her Uncle Abel before anyone in the family
figured out she was missing. Whe would need his help in corralling
their peers, but in exchange of his assistance, she was about to
make him a very happy Burgeis heir.

Rod was a man who always liked looking behind his shoulder
whenever he was around Kenny Ackerman. He had the royal blood,
but he was the king of nothing. He had lost the coordinate, had lost
the secrets of making titan serum, had lost his children, had lost the
power to control memories. Though he lead the Wallists, the power
was more of an illusion, a result of indoctrination that went back a
little bit over one hundred years.

Kenny Ackerman was immune to that illusion of power. So far, he

had been easily bought, but Rod was unsure how long he could
keep Kenny on the leash. Uri had been the one to hold Kenny's true
allegiance. His allegiance to him was founded on Uri's memory. Rod
had little time left before Kenny let go of Uri's memory and turned on
him. He had made himself very powerful within the Interior Military
Police, and in a few years, he would have enough sway to lead an
insurrection.

It was because of this that Rod doubted whether Kenny would bring
him Historia and Eren Jaeger instead of keeping them for himself.
Luckily, Kenny was ignorant as to what went on during the Ritual,
and once Historia had the coordinate, she would be able to restrain
him and his squad, if need be.

"You still seem surprised," Kenny said from outside the church. He
was relaxing next to the door, taking in the cool night air.

"Historia took everything well and she'll go through with the Ritual,"
Rod said, which was not a complete lie. He thought she would be
bitter over her entire life. "Once Historia has the coordinate, we will
be able to take care of the minor setback in the capital."

"You mean the military and nobility exposing the Reiss as the true
royal family? You think that's a minor setback?"

Rod growled. How dare they rat him out like that? A hundred years
worth of keeping secrets and the populace safe, and this was how
they were repaid. He had even heard it was because of the damned
Edith Burgeis. Along with Erwin, the two of them had managed to
make the nobles squeak in exchange for their lives. Now the Interior
Police was in damage control mode, but once Historia became the
Founding Titan, she would erase the memories of all the people in
the Walls.
And then they would begin the purge. Rod had thought he had
bought his nobility's loyalty, especially the Burgeis, with the King's
Tree (that provided one of the main ingredients for titan serum,
according to his brother), but their demon heir had been the first to
turn on them. He would make sure she suffer the consequences of
her actions. The Scouts would be gone, as well, though it would
have to be done without Historia's consent.

"You can start setting Eren Jaeger up in the Crystal Cave," Rod
replied, his earlier good mood gone.

Kenny left without a word and barked orders to his subordinates to

lead Eren Jaeger out of the carriage. The boy was gagged and
bound to prevent any transformation, as well as shirtless to allow
easy access to his skin should they need to unlock memories. The
fear in his eyes was evident, and it filled Rod with no small amount of
glee. He was the son of a thief, the son of the man who killed his
entire family. His revenge had taken almost five years, but here they
were.

Kenny's second-in-command approached him. The woman was no

doubt very accomplished, but she unsettled Rod greatly. "We believe
the Survey Corps will come find us. We'll be stationed at the
entrance and look out for any suspicious activity."

"Very well. Thank you. I expect they won't be an issue considering

you killed that Asian freak."

"She was a formidable opponent," she replied diplomatically.

"Was. I like that word. Well, in a couple of hours, a lot of things and
people around these parts will have that word associated with them."

Rod descended the stairs and walked into the main area of the
Crystal Cave, where Historia was already waiting for him. She
seemed nervous, which Rod completely understood. His poor
daughter was about to eat a friend of hers, but that friend would no
longer be a friend soon enough. Rod had to tell her as much of the
truth as he could to make sure she went through with the Ritual.

So, he did. He explained everything about the Founding Titan, about

the Ritual, about why the Reiss blood was special, about the First
King's Will. He kept some things secret, like why he wasn't eating
Eren instead of Historia, why Eren had the Founding Titan to begin
with, why he was the only one to survive that night, why they hadn't
fought back against the titan-shifters, what he had been doing for the
last five years.

And then there were some secrets that only Historia would be privy
to. Rod had always been curious, but he understood why it was
important that not even he knew about certain events.

"So, what do you think, Historia?"

His blonde daughter gave him a chilling smile. "I think that it's time
for your reign to end, Father."

Rod took a step back, surprised. "Historia?"

Kenny appeared from his perch on top of them, no doubt

eavesdropping on their conversation. "To think that it would have
been a waste of time to eat Eren," he muttered. "Good thing I made
the right choice with allegiances."

"What is going on?" Rod asked, panicked.

Rod reached into his bag, desperate to find the titan serum, but
Kenny stopped him in his tracks. "Rod, accept your loss and let it go.
You can still be of use to us."

"You have no idea the mistake you're making!"

Behind him, chains rattled and broke. The shirtless Eren Jaeger
vanished in a puff of smoke and became a pink-haired woman, with
a shirt. "Thank you for the information, Rod Reiss. That was exactly
what we needed. And no, we don't think we're making a mistake."

15 Hours Ago

Levi received the news that Erwin had "overthrown" much more
subdued than everyone else thought.

First, because the monarchy was still in power. The Burgeis heir had
managed to seal a treaty between her fellow nobles and the military.
A lot of concessions were made, which was nice, but Levi couldn't
help feeling underwhelmed. He felt as if he had been promised a
beautiful tea set only to receive one with cracks and broken handles.
The pigs at the top would be less fat in the coming years, but they
were still pigs.

Second, Rod Reiss was still out there, and as long as he was alive,
he would always find an excuse (and a way) to try to get to Historia
and Eren. Levi didn't like the title "Humanity's Strongest Soldier," and
he certainly didn't like the title "Brat Bodyguard." One of them was
the people's opinion, and the other would just become the truth, if
they didn't take care of Rod.

Third, Kenny Ackerman was still out there. Thanks to Sebastian's

warnings, the bastard hadn't killed any of his subordinates, but he
still kidnapped Sakura, and her whereabouts were currently
unknown. A part of him panicked at the thought that he had killed her
like his other victims, but he buried that fear and focused on more
productive things, like devising a strategy on how to find her.

But if he was worried, then Mikasa, Eren and Armin were terrified.
Unlike the rest of his squad, they hadn't even celebrated having their
names cleared from the lies the government spread about them.
They just walked aimlessly in the cabin, trying to find things to keep
their hands busy. Levi would have called them pathetic had he not
empathized with their fears. Kenny didn't acquire his stupid
nickname by ripping shirts or pants.
"Are you sure you can't let me go back to the Stohess Manor?"
Sebastian asked for the third time. Though he had delivered Erwin's
message, saving countless lives, Levi was starting to get irritated
with the noble. Erwin had asked them to still stay hidden in a remote
cabin close to Trost, and that included Sebastian, since he would be
needing their protection.

For a noble, Levi thought he was all right. Spoiled, but he couldn't
fault him for that. However, the man was getting antsy being locked
in this place, away from all his luxuries. His team had to help him out
with some menial tasks, like collecting firewood or cooking. Levi was
willing to overlook all of these annoyances if Sebastian was capable
of keeping his mouth shut, but no, he was a damned musician, and a
good one at that.

Sebastian couldn't spend ten minutes with his mouth shut. If he

wasn't complaining or telling a story, then he was singing. His team
was interested in the novelty of it all, but they were impressionable
brats.

Just how had he befriended Sakura?

"No, you can't leave," Levi ground out. He sat down in one of the two
chairs in the porch overlooking the beautiful forest. Morning in the
woodlands had always been peaceful to Levi. Unfortunately, the
pestering Sebastian had a penchant for ruining peaceful mornings.
"Do you really want Kenny to find you?"

Much to his annoyance, Sebastian sat next to him. "Well, eventually

we have to leave, right? And soon, too, if we really want Historia to
be crowned Queen. I don't know how much longer Lady Amina can
keep the nobles at bay."

"Then we'll just overthrow them and put Historia as Queen. We don't
need them."

Sebastian scoffed. "Do you know how much administrative work is

involved in leading a monarchy? Tax collection, tax allocation,
negotiating trade routes, writing laws, just to name a few?"

"Are these things only nobles could possibly do?"

"Uh, no, but it would take years to teach them to the people."

"Another thing to add to the list."

"You don't like nobles very much, do you?"

Of course not. While Levi starved and killed his way to live in the
Underground, the nobles lived their lives of luxury, uncaring about
the world. "I don't know why anyone would."

Sebastian leaned back and extended his legs. "They are not all that
bad. They overthrew King Fritz without even seeing Historia, after
all."

"Because they had a sword to their back," Levi grouched back. "I
heard Zackly had a beautiful contraption ready for them had they not
given up."

"I rather not know about it."

He went quiet, no doubt thinking about what he was going to say

next; Sebastian just had to always talk and be the center of attention.

Levi just wondered why Kenny had taken an interest in Sakura. From
what he was told, he was ordered by Rod to kill her, so why had he
kept her alive? Is it possible that he was convincing her to join his
side? Levi knew Sakura never would, so to what lengths would he go
to sway her? Worse, what was he going to do when she refused him
for the last time?

No one understood how horrifying Kenny Ackerman was. Growing

under his tutelage had made him an extremely dangerous criminal, a
thief and a killer. The skills that allowed him to survive, the skills that
made him despicable, came from that man.
But how was he supposed to find him when he had to protect Eren
and Historia? Eventually Erwin had to allow him to leave the cabin.
He didn't trust anyone else to find Kenny as quickly as he himself
could.

"Do you have any news of Sakura?"

Levi almost groaned. Why was he so annoying? "No."

"You know, I don't understand why we're not looking for her. She is
the entire reason why I came here after all."

"You came to warn my team about Kenny Ackerman."

"No, that is what your Commander sent me to do. And the only
reason why I did is because I thought you would be able to help
Sakura. After all, we planned to have her become a noble. We bear
some of the responsibility of her current predicament."

Levi glared at him. "So now it's my fault?"

Sebastian sighed. "No, you are not the one who kidnapped her, after
all. I am just saying that if it hadn't been for our meddling, she
wouldn't have landed in the clutches of the Burgeis."

"You said yourself Rod Reiss wanted her gone. If we hadn't

intervened, she would have gone to a military trial, and then who
knows what would have happened."

"Well, we can sit here wondering what would have happened had
she not been under the Burgeis, or we can actually go out and look
for her."

Levi turned around to make sure he wasn't being heard by any of his
subordinates. At least, neither Mikasa, Armin, nor Eren were
anywhere to be seen. They must be collecting wood nearby.

"And you think that I don't want to-"

He reached for switchblade, stood up, and aimed for the intruder's
neck as soon as they materialized in front of him, only for a hand to
stop him. Once his eyes caught up with his instincts, he stared at the
apologetic smile of the woman they had just been talking about
seconds ago.

"Sakura! I can't say I am completely surprised about the turn of

events," Sebastian said, perfectly composed from his seat. The
entire exchange had been too short for the noble to move

She let go of his arm, and Levi slowly lowered it, though he didn't put
away his switchblade. Part of him was happy to finally have her
back, but a bigger part of him was wary of her sudden appearance.
There was no way Kenny had let her go so easily.

That meant either he was on her tail -and she had inadvertently let
him to Historia and Eren- or she was working with him.

He didn't know which option was worse.

"I wouldn't put that away," she murmured, staring at his switchblade.
"He's near, and though we have a truce, I don't trust him to uphold
it."

He observed her carefully. She was pale and her eyes were glassy.
That she hadn't completely evaded his attack or broken his arm in
instinctual retaliation meant she was sluggish and weak.

"You are still drugged," he said.

She nodded slightly. "The dose is higher than usual to make sure I
don't make any stupid plans with you. You are all unarmed, which
means he has the advantage right now."

"You led him straight to us."

"I think this is the best option right now, Levi. Sebastian, could you
please bring Historia outside while I talk with him? Try to be discreet;
I don't want anyone knowing I'm here."

"Disregard that order," Levi said, his insides flaring in anger. Just
what was she thinking, making plans and truces with Kenny
Ackerman out of all people?

"There is not enough time," she replied, her eyes strangely pleading.
"While he goes get her, I can quickly tell you what we'll do."

"Rod Reiss wants Historia to eat Eren," he growled. Her eyes

widened in surprise, but that was quickly masked by a blank face.
"Are you really going to let that happen?"

"Of course not. There is a reason I only asked for Historia, Levi.
Please, trust me. I… I know you don't have many reasons to after all
that's happened, but please. You know I would never let anything
happen to Eren. Or Historia."

Levi could feel Sebastian's eyes on him. He was surprised he hadn't

bolted to find Historia as soon as Sakura had made the request. He
must be more loyal to the Survey Corps than his friend, which made
Levi respect him more.

"Go get Historia," he muttered. "Be discreet."

Sebastian murmured, "As you wish," then jogged inside the cabin.
Levi hoped he would take longer than usual to give them some time
to talk.

"Speak quickly."

"I have made a plan with Kenny to bring down Rod Reiss. I suppose
we could have gone on our own to kill him, but-"

"We want him alive," Levi quickly interjected. There were so many
questions that they needed answered before they could go after the
titan-shifters. Rod must know information not even the Wallists were
privy to.
"Exactly," Sakura agreed. "However, there is no way he will divulge
that information to a random person."

"That is why you want Historia. But Rod will never accept you unless
you take both her and Eren."

Sakura smiled at him. "Don't worry about that part. I can pretend to
be Eren."

He cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. Jean playing
Eren had be done twice now, and it was a technique he was growing
fond of (though he suspected Jean was starting to hate). He
understood having a fifteen-year-old male playing another fifteen-
year-old male, but he couldn't see a twenty-three-year old female
playing the role.

She made a hand sign and her body was enveloped in smoke. Once
the smoke cleared, it wasn't Sakura he saw, but rather Eren. "I also
have his voice," she (he?) said.

"You just had to go and get freakier," Levi grumbled.

In a puff of smoke Eren was gone, replaced by Sakura. She let out a
bark of laughter. "Oh, I know, believe me."

At that moment, Sebastian came outside with a very confused

Historia. Levi wondered if the future Queen even knew who the pink-
haired soldier was. Though they had been in Litgard together,
Sakura had been out of commission for a long time during the fight.

The blonde smiled brightly. "Sakura! It's so good to see you. I've had
to stop E-"

Sakura bowed slightly to the girl. "My apologies for the interruption. It
is my understanding that you are our future Queen. This makes it
awkward of me to ask, but I need you to be kidnapped by me to go
see your father."
"Excuse me?"

"Aren't there things you would like to know?" Sakura said quickly.
"Questions you have? We need to find out certain things about the
royal family, and Rod won't tell anyone but you."

The girl took an unconscious step back. "Well, yes, but-"

"There isn't much time, Historia. I won't make you accept her
request, but you need to be quick," Levi said. "If it means anything, I
trust her."

Sakura gave him an appreciative look and mouthed a "thank you."

"My lady, if you don't mind my talking," Sebastian said in a gracious

voice, "I would also add that taking care of Rod Reiss would mean
our freedom and coronation. We cannot guarantee your safety until
he is taken care of."

Historia's forehead scrunched in consternation. "I had thought I

would be spared from meeting him, but he seems to be in my
destiny."

"I will be there, my lady," Sakura said in a tone of voice he had never
heard. And, apparently, neither had Sebastian, because he seemed
just as surprised. "I won't let anything happen to you. You have my
word."

Historia sighed and nodded. "I suppose it doesn't get much safer
than that. But my father wants both me and Eren. Should we not
bring Eren?"

"There is no reason for both of you to be together," Levi said.

"Sakura gave her word, but I rather not tempt fate."

"Right," she said. "Must we leave now? I know Eren, Armin, and
Mikasa would love to see you. And I want to thank everyone for-"
"Kenny is observing us from far away. He won't allow reunions or
farewells, unfortunately," Sakura said. "There will be time for
gratitude and apologies later."

Historia nodded. "Very well. I am ready, then."

Sakura went next stand next to the future Queen and extended her
arms. "May I? It'll be faster this way."

The blonde nodded.

She crouched and picked her up, one arm under her legs and the
other supporting her back. "I recommend closing your eyes, my lady.
This part can make you dizzy."

Levi still could not get used to the idea of Sakura calling anyone "my
lady," let alone seeing her carrying another soldier with such ease.

The woman smiled awkwardly at him and Sebastian. She seemed to

want to tell him something, but she shook her head and jumped out
of the porch and disappeared.

Even drugged and weak, she could defy any and all expectations he
had for the human body.

Sebastian's sigh cut him out of his reverie. "She is truly marvelous."

"Marvelous?" Levi repeated with some amusement.

The noble scoffed at him. "You have been her captain for what, two
years? Don't tell me you have never noticed."

"Noticed what? Her strength? That was a secret for a long time," he
said somewhat bitterly.

Sebastian shook his head. "No, you daft man. Not her strength.
Everything else."
Levi raised an eyebrow. "The pink hair?" He had noticed that one
right away. Only a blind man wouldn't.

He sighed, "My poor friend." Sebastian looked at him strangely and

said, "Never mind. I will head back inside. Maybe I can make myself
useful in some way."

The noble left him alone, and Levi just looked into the distance,
where Sakura had disappeared with Historia. He was surprised to
find that he truly trusted her motives, even if she had admitted to
being allied with a serial killer, the one that had raised him.

Maybe trusting her as a friend wasn't as tall an order as he thought.

Sebastian had used marvelous. If Levi had to choose a word, he

would use unique.

Sakura observed with satisfaction as Rod Reiss was captured by

Kenny's squad. To think that her gambit had actually worked out and
they had gotten their way with the least amount of bloodshed. Rod
Reiss had wanted to transform himself at the last minute, but Sakura
had been able to put a stop to it.

"It is done," Historia said, observing her father's retreating back. He

was being escorted with the special 3DMG Kenny's squad used.
"Somehow, I feel shallow. I thought this was going to end differently."

"He is going to give us a lot of trouble," Kenny said. Surprisingly, he

had wanted nothing to do with Rod Reiss's actual arrest. He was
content with watching the action from the sidelines. "There are a lot
of crazy people that will follow what he says over you. He'll be a
nightmare."

Before meeting Levi, Kenny had given Sakura a short history of the
Wallists and their importance. That the Reiss were the head of such
a powerful, occult organization had been a shock, especially
because the Burgeis had spoken of the Reiss as lower nobility
compared to them. Now she knew that had been a lie to protect
them from… from something.

The Wallists might follow Historia, but there would definitely be those
that would argue for Rod. Historia might be Queen and have Reiss
blood, but Rod was their true lord and king. It wasn't going to be
easy to win over their loyalty when Rod could easily sway their
thoughts.

"And what do you suggest? Killing him like you killed my mother?"
Historia asked coldly.

Sakura whipped her head in shock at her family member. She

shouldn't be surprised, considering his past, but it still made her feel
awkward that she had allied herself with the person who murdered
the future Queen's mother. Why had he killed Historia's mom? She
hadn't given the indication that she blamed her dad, which meant
this was all Kenny's fault.

"I was wondering when you would bring that up," Kenny muttered. "I
was hoping you wouldn't recognize me."

"The voice did you in."

"Well, what are you going to do, Queen Historia? You're gonna start
your reign with some beheadings? I don't think it's completely out of
fashion with your kind."

Sakura intervened when she looked ready to slap him. "My Queen,
please. There are bigger things to worry about. I need to get you
back to Levi and Hange. We shall have a proper coronation soon,
and we need to make arrangements."

Historia glared at Kenny one last time before nodding at her. "Very
well, we shall deal with this later. But until then, please don't let that
man near my sight. I have seen enough of him today."
The blonde Queen started her walk back, not sparing a glance to
see if Sakura was following. The ninja spared Kenny an apologetic
look before hurrying along with the Queen. Much to her relief, Kenny
stayed put. Maybe he was waiting for his chance to talk to Levi.
Sakura would see that he did.

"Did you take my father's bag before he left?" Historia asked once
they were an earshot away.

"Indeed." Sakura had successfully replaced the bag full of different

titan serums with a fake while he was being taken away by Kenny's
team. It would be terrible if Rod managed to transform while traveling
in densely populated territories. "Unfortunately, most of the vials are
unlabeled."

"My father guards the Reiss secrets zealously. That he didn't trust
me enough with knowing the contents of the vials says a lot."

"I'm sure Hange can figure out a way to test them."

"Let us hope so. If not, this will be another thing we'll depend on my
father for."

Sakura and Historia walked the rest of the crystal cave in silence.
Now that she had been trained in nobility, Sakura knew exactly just
how important Historia was going to be, and the harsh environment
she was going to be thrust into. None of those nobles were going to
welcome her as royalty, even if she had the blood. Amina had noble
blood in her from both sides and she still had to deal with petty
politics.

She had the military's backing, especially the Survey Corps, but that
just meant that her power was not her own. She would need help
maneuvering the different influences in their queendom.

Luckily for them, Levi and Hange were waiting outside the church
with their squad, and that included Eren, Mikasa, and Armin. She
was proud that her wards didn't make a show out of her appearance.
They were shaping up to be fine soldiers. However, she caught their
elated smiles and relieved eyes, and was extremely thankful for the
discreet welcome.

"We got Rod Reiss from Kenny Ackerman's squad. Part of my squad
has gone along with them to make sure they are not planning
anything," Hange said.

"Smart," Sakura agreed. Though was it really necessary to use that

many soldiers to escort one powerless man? "They are a sneaky
bunch."

"Historia, are you ready to head back to the town?" Hange asked.
"There is a lot we need to talk about."

The blonde nodded.

"Very well. Let's go."

"Team, follow Hange and provide support," Levi ordered. Much to

her surprise, Eren, Mikasa, and Armin did just that without a second
question. That Levi had inspired such obedience in such a short time
from her wards was truly a sight to behold.

The Scouts all got on the back of the horse-drawn carts and headed
back, leaving behind one cart for Levi and her, she presumed.

"Is he still there?" Levi asked once the team was on his way. His
expression didn't really give her the impression that he was looking
forward to meeting with the man.

Sakura nodded. This was the part that she had been dreading.
Should she pretend not to know anything and have him believe she
had kept something from him? Or should she tell him and make him
uncomfortable that she held such private knowledge?

"Well, I suppose I'll need your help if I want to bring him in. Let's go."
Just before Levi was about to move, Sakura spoke up. "Wait. Before
you go in, there is something I must tell you."

"What is it?"

"It's about Kenny. He's… uh. There's no easy way to say this. Levi,
he's your uncle."

Levi looked at her as if she had grown another head. "My… uncle?
Kenny?"

"Your late mother's older brother, I'm afraid."

"How did you-"

Sakura looked at him apologetically. "Unfortunately, he told me while

he kept me captive. Said it would make you uncomfortable if I knew,
and no doubt he was right. But I felt that you would rather hear it
from you than give him the satisfaction of your surprise."

"But… But why didn't he say anything before?"

She felt sorrow in her chest at the look her Captain sported. He had
never been one to wear his emotions on his sleeve, but here he was,
looking completely at a loss. Levi had never talked about his past
with her, and she had never been curious enough to ask. Sure, she
had heard here and there about his unorthodox roots, but nothing as
personal as this.

"I'm sure he had his own reasons." Reasons she knew, both by
intution and because Kenny had explained them. But part of her felt
wrong in telling anything more to him without being prompted.

Levi glared at her. "Did he tell you his reasons?"

She wanted to lie, but she knew he wouldn't appreciate it. She just
nodded meekly.
He scoffed. "I suppose he must be my uncle because only family
could annoy me this much."

"We can't kill him," she said, finally getting to the point she wanted to
make.

"And what do you suggest I do, Sakura? Welcome him back into my
life and start calling him Uncle Kenny?"

"Well, no, but-"

"He almost killed many of my men back in Trost. His men tried to
kidnap Eren and he planned to have him eaten. Is this truly the type
of man you want me to protect?"

Sakura had to contain her body's chill at the thought. Worse than
that, he probably had thought of eating Eren to gain his power. She
wasn't jumping up and down in joy at the idea of having Kenny as
her family member, but the truth was the Ackermans were an almost
extinct clan.

"I admit that my reasons aren't only for you. He's my family as much
as yours. In fact, both of you are my family now."

Levi snapped his head at her and looked at her in amazement, as if

the thought hadn't occurred to him.

"You're Levi Ackerman, after all. It's not like I chose for him to be
related to the Ackermans. In fact, you'll find he knows more about
our family than we do."

"We're… related?"

Sakura raised her eyebrows. "Yes, that's how last names work. Now,
not related by blood, considering the whole being from another world
business, but as far as I know, I am an Ackerman, and so are you.
And that makes us family."
Granted, she had more time to come to terms with the fact that Levi
was related to her and Mikasa than he did. The realization had hit
her when she had tracked them in the woods by Trost, and she had
been rendered speechless for a while. How must he feel, to go from
being an orphan to having not only one but three more family
members.

"Now, you can start your day tomorrow with three new family
members or just two. I admit you have more of a right of knowing
how to deal with him considering you grew up with him, but I still
wish to avoid bloodshed."

He gave her a dubious look. "And if I said I wanted to kill him?"

"I'm not going to participate in that," she said firmly. "Kenny is a

criminal, no doubt about, but I won't kill family like that. Or let you do
that, for the matter. For once, I would say to let the authorities handle
him."

"And just like that, one last name, and you will not let anyone harm
him. Now you're going to tell me you would take a gunshot for him?"

Sakura scoffed. "Nothing too drastic yet. But then again, I got
stabbed in your sake, even before knowing you were family."

Oh, how I wish I had been fully awake to see that! A voice boomed in
her head.

She brightened and smiled. Son Goku! It's such a relief to hear you
are well!

Not as well as I was before being put in that nightmare, but I am

back. I will keep resting now, but should you need me just call on
me.

Once Sakura was back into her senses, she noticed Levi was
looking at her expectantly. "Sorry, did you say something?"
"Am I boring you now, Sakura?"

"Of course not. Did you forget I have a sentient force of nature
sealed inside of me that communicates in my mind?"

"I was saying that you like bringing up that 'sacrifice' of yours very
often."

"How else can I make sure you remember just how big of a sacrifice
it was?"

Levi smiled slightly, which shocked her immensely. She had found it
hard to believe he would be in a smiling mood after being told such
news. "Right. I'll make sure not to forget. And even if you've tried to
take my mind off it, we still have my Uncle to worry about."

"I'll leave that decision to you. However, I won't let either of you kill
each other."

"Aren't you still drugged?"

And without 3DMG, too. But she had Son Goku back, and she knew
for a fact that Kenny did not have any doses of the sleeping agent
with him, or any more, for the matter. They had all been used up,
and something told Sakura they were not easy to come by, or else
more people would use it.

"Yes, but even drugged I can make quick work of both of you if you
don't behave."

"Right. Well…"

Sakura patiently waiting while Levi gathered his thoughts. There was
no other exit in the crystal cave, so Sakura was sure that Kenny
wouldn't be able to get away. If he did, it would be terrible, for he had
one of those annoyingly faint chakra presences. Just like his
nephew.

"Just how much do you know about me, now?"

"Besides your dead mother and killer uncle? I know Kenny
abandoned you in the Underground, and that's it."

"Nothing else?"

Sakura sighed, "If you think my opinion of you has suffered, then I'm
going to be offended. You can choose to tell me more or not, but to
me, you're still Levi. Well, Levi Ackerman, now. I think the more I say
it, the more I'll believe it."

He nodded and looked down. "Right. That's… Well, I have never

tried to pretend my past didn't exist. I know rumors exist, and I don't
go out of my way to stop them. However, with this-"

"Please, I'm excellent at keeping secrets," she said sardonically, and

Levi gave her a look that screamed that he agreed with her. "No one
will know unless you tell them."

"Even Mikasa?"

She bit her lip then closed her eyes for a brief time. "If you really feel
strongly about it, I suppose. But I would really ask you to reconsider.
She doesn't have any older male relatives, and I think she could
benefit from having you as a… as a cousin, I suppose."

"The world is a much stranger place today than it was yesterday.

One step at a time with Mikasa. She has just started to tolerate me,
you know."

"Not after I've had a word with her."

"And in that case, I'm going to have a word with Kenny right now."

"Just you?"

"Afraid I can't hold on my own should it come to blows?"

"He brought me down," Sakura said with great regret, without even
bringing up the fact that a few minutes ago he had invited her to
come along with him. Granted, she had greatly underestimated him,
but that was another praise for him, to be able to trick her so
soundly. "Don't be too proud to ask for help."

"Whatever conversation I have with him, I want it to be private."

Sakura nodded in understanding. "Well, since you're going with a

mind to talk, I suppose it shouldn't be too bad. He has no reason to
attack you, either. He turned on Rod Reiss, and his dreams of
grandeur have been crushed for being born without royal blood.

"What are you going to do?"

"I'll try to get some answers. I'll make my choice once I'm there."

She laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Well, whatever bloodless

choice you make, I support you, cousin."

She said the last word more as a lighthearted joke, but Levi
rewarded her with a heartfelt smile that made her chest twinge. He
laid his own hand on top of hers and said, "Thank you, Sakura. I
would really appreciate it if you waited here."

She dropped her hand from his shoulder and grinned at him. "Of
course. Good luck!"

Levi nodded at her and hurried into the church without a second
glance. He didn't seem too excited about the prospect of talking with
his uncle, but he was still going to do it. At least this way, Kenny
couldn't ambush Levi with the secret she had just spilled.

She had left almost three days ago to a meeting hoping to gain one
more family member, and now that the dust was close to being
settled, she might end up with two.

Sakura felt so happy she thought her heart would burst, but the
emotions were soured by her impending departure. Obito had made
it seem as if he was about to come for her soon, and at this point she
wasn't even strong enough to outmaneuver non-ninja.

Now, more than ever, she had to fight as hard as she could to
remain. She had more people counting on her to stay, and so she
damn well would.

Phew, well there we go! We have some major changes which will
bring some big consequences in this future. As much as I want to
start the Return to Shiganshina Arc, we'll spend some more time
with the Nobility Arc even if the canon Uprising Arc is over. After all,
just with Kenny and Rod being alive so much has changed.

Also that gives me more time for relationship-building .

Like, finally, right?

For those that might ask if Kenny got away with it, the answer is no.
Historia doesn't like having her mother's murderer alive and scotch
free, and that's gonna rear it's ugly head. And for those asking why
Levi wasn't gung ho about killing Kenny, it's because there were no
casualties from the Levi Squad or Kenny's Squad since they, for the
most part, avoided fighting, so there's no new bad blood between
them.
Queen
Sakura awoke long after dawn. Her heart felt light, and her mind was
clear, even if she had slept for more than ten hours. She felt well-
rested, something that she hadn't experienced in well over a month.

Not having any present, immediate concerns might be a reason for

that. With Rod Reiss in chains, and Historia Reiss on her way to
Mitras, the Survey Corps were one step closer to figuring out the
truth of the world, and were given a fighting chance against the titans
and the titan-shifters.

There are five titan-shifters, correct? Son Goku asked.

She had missed the mental presence of the tailed beast inside of
her. Now that the sleeping agent was fully out of her system, Son
Goku was back to their normal banter.

Yes, though I know we will have to fight four for sure.

Sakura had heard that Ymir had betrayed them, but she had never
outwardly done anything against her or the people within the walls.
She hadn't helped, either, keeping her secret to herself. In a way,
Sakura and her were very similar, and she couldn't completely
begrudge the decisions she had made lest she come out as a
hypocrite.

Then it is a good day to train! There is a lot of chakra control you

need to master, Son Goku boomed in her mind.

She got up from her bed with a smile. At least give me one day to
rest.

The King of the Apes harrumphed, but retreated back into her mind,
neither disapproving or approving her request.
The Survey Corps had stopped in the Orvud District to rest. Hange
and her squad had probably already left, their mission to bring
Historia to the capital still not complete. They would probably reach
the wall before sunset, if they kept their stops to a minimum.
Everyone else had taken a room in the inn, with only a few senior
members having the luxury of having their private quarters.

She dressed herself in a simple white shirt and black pants. A small
part of her missed the nice dresses the Burgeis had given her to
wear, feeling special and beautiful in their threads. She could never
look normal, her pink hair preventing any hope of that, but she still
liked looking different.

The lower level of the inn functioned as a tavern for travelers. Just
like she expected, the tavern was devoid of her comrades. Erwin had
said they would have a free day to rest, so everyone was taking the
chance to enjoy Orvud and the nice day. He had called a private
meeting in the evening, but that was still a few hours away. She was
looking forward to seeing Eren, Mikasa, and Armin, eager to hear
about their side of the events.

She especially wanted to talk to Mikasa. Sakura had a lot of news for
her younger sister, news she needed to break delicately.

She was surprised to see Sebastian hidden away in a corner, a book

in hand and sipping on a hot drink. For a moment, she thought she
would leave him be; he seemed content to be in his own company,
but she had missed him terribly, and a part of her knew he wouldn't
mind her presence.

"Am I intruding?" she asked with a wide smile.

Sebastian looked up from his book and his mouth quirked upwards
like reflex. "You could never be an intrusion, Sakura. Please, have a
seat!"

She did so without hesitation. "What do you have there?"

"A book on the lore of wolves around the area," he replied.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "You faint at the mere sound of their
howling." She relished any opportunity to bring up their little
excursion to Walden, a land known for their wolf sightings. It was the
first time Sakura had fully lowered her guard around the man, and it
was also the first time she had met Obito, though at the time she
didn't know who it was.

To think that he had been watching her since then…

How many chances have I lost because I was asleep, Son Goku
said rather mournfully.

He closed the book at once and set it aside. "They are better to read
about than witness," he admitted somewhat sheepishly. "Did I ever
properly thank you for saving me back then?"

"Yes, many times," she said. "It's actually one of the reasons I
wanted to speak with you. I owe you a great debt. You risked your
life to save mine."

"I didn't, really. I was given orders, and I just fulfilled them."

"Levi told me about you, yesterday," she said. "How you rode all the
way to Trost to deliver a message from Commander Erwin. You
saved so many lives that day."

Sebastian shook his head. "Like I said, I was just doing what i was
told. I didn't fight anyone, or devise a strategy, I just carried a
message."

"I never thought I would hear such humility from you," Sakura said.

His brow furrowed. "I've changed," he whispered. "Ever since that

day I helped pick up the remains from Trost. Music is about life, but
life isn't about music." He didn't speak for a moment, then said, "You
shouldn't thank me, Sakura. I lied to you so I could keep a close eye
on Lady Amina. Don't thank an action that should be atonement."

Sakura chuckled. "I knew you were some sort of spy the moment I
met you. I thought you meant me harm, but you only wanted to keep
an eye on my friend. It didn't affect my willingness to become friends
with you. There is nothing to forgive."

"Right," he said, though not very confidently.

"Listen, um, Sebastian. There was another reason I wanted to talk

with you. When we parted in Trost…" Her cheeks heated at the the
memory of his kiss. "Uh, I-"

Sebastian raised his hand, then lowered it slowly. "Before you

continue, Sakura, I believe I owe you an apology. That day… I
thought I knew what I wanted, but I know now that I did not. Our lives
are so different. Especially after this entire mess, I've come to realize
that we're-"

"Incompatible, I know," Sakura finished. She smiled at him. "It was a

nice dream, while it lasted, but our lives never matched." Her life was
the exact opposite of permanent. Until she defeated Obito, she could
not start anything romantically with someone. It would be far too
selfish of her.

And, even if she guaranteed her stay inside the Walls, it wouldn't be
with Sebastian. Once the novelty of having her first kiss faced away,
she was left with no impressions. She didn't go to bed thinking about
Sebastian, about what he was doing, about how he was feeling. Her
entire being was consumed with the question of titans, titan-shifters,
ninjas, the Survey Corps, and her wards. Few seconds were spared
for her musician friend.

The black-haired man smiled wide enough that his blue eyes lit up.
"It makes me so happy to hear that. I greatly value our friendship. It
troubled me to think that I had ruined it in a moment of
impulsiveness."
Sakura shook her head and reached out to squeeze his hand. "You
could never ruin it," she said earnestly. She released his hand and
stared at his book. "So, what is Sebastian Burgeis going to do next?"

"Good question. I am still a member of the Burgeis family, but now

that Lady Amina's uncle is Lord Burgeis, I believe he will replace me
and give my post in the Stohess council to someone completely loyal
to him."

"He can do that?"

"Of course. My allegiance is to Lady Amina's father, Lord Amil. Lord

Burgeis has little love for Lord Amil and Lady Allete. It is only a
matter of time before he formalizes their transfer to the Branch
House, and with that, my importance in the affairs of the Burgeis
becomes much more insignificant."

Sakura frowned deeply. "To think I almost joined a family so cruel."

"A necessary cruelty, I'm afraid. Only one person and their spouse
can be the Lord and Lady Burgeis. Everyone else belongs
elsewhere."

"So if you can predict this happening, what do you plan on doing?"

Sebastian shrugged. "Dedicate myself to my music. Travel, see the

beauty of Rose. Maybe make myself useful in the future. Maybe I
can help Lady Amina in her new job."

She cocked her head to the side. "Amina has a new job?"

"Commander of the Royal Guard," Sebastian said with a satisfied

grin. "She will be in charge of advising Queen Historia and
guaranteeing her safety."

"I thought we already had a Royal Guard?"

"I always thought it peculiar a Royal Guard did not exist until now,
but remember King Fritz was a fake. Neither the Reiss nor the
nobility cared much for his safety. On the other hand, Queen Reiss is
one of the last Reiss we have in the world. If her bloodline were to
end with her…"

"Well, I'm impressed. Amina a Commander. Huh, she outranks me

now."

"She did have to give up her ties to the Burgeis. She can no longer
inherit, and should she choose to have children, none of them will
ever be considered for the title."

Amina also never enjoyed being split between her father's side of the
family and her mother's, but belonging to neither must have hurt her.
Sakura would need to talk with her in the future, make sure that she
felt fine.

"Where is she?"

"Mitras. She has been preparing for Queen Historia's arrival even
before we captured Rod Reiss. Hmm… Sakura, would you think me
terribly rude if I left now?"

"No, of course not," she said, surprised. "Why?"

"I just realized that preparing for a coronation is no small order, and
Lady Amina will need all the friendly help she could get."

Inwardly, Sakura agreed with his thoughts, but there was a part of
her that was troubled about how easily he came to the aid of the
Burgeis family. "Do all the plans you had of your future life tie you
back to the Burgeis?"

Sebastian stared at her as if she had grown a second head. "Of

course. Even though adopted, the Burgeis are my family. I thought
you would understand?"

Sakura nodded, a bit of an empty gaze to her eyes. "I do. I was just
hoping you weren't. It is… well, not slavery, but certainly not
freedom." Her heart clenched at the mere comparison of her familial
bonds to those of slavery. She had never experienced slavery; what
would she know of how it felt?

"We are all slaves to the bonds we have with people. Some of those
bonds are good, others bad. Breaking free doesn't always guarantee
happiness."

"What if the person is bad? A murderer? Is it… right? To have such

loyalty to someone?" Sakura shook her head at whatever answer
Sebastian was about to give. "No, I'm sorry. I have kept you. I'll
figure out the answer on that by myself."

The black-haired man stared at her for a couple of seconds before

nodding slowly at her. "Let me know what answer you come across.
And don't be a stranger. It would make me happy if we started
writing again."

She beamed at him. "Me too."

For some reason, Sebastian simply stared at her for a bit, then
smiled back. He gave her a shallow bow, which she returned with a
slow nod of the head, and left.

Sakura immediately noticed the book he had left behind. "Wait,

Sebastian, your book!"

"Keep it! Maybe you'll like wolves more after this."

She resisted the urge to snort and took the book. She hadn't read a
book in so long. Even if it wasn't on a topic she was particularly
interested in, it would be nice to take some time to pick it up again.

Sakura dropped the book off in her night stand, right next to the letter
Petra had written her before her death. The wound was still fresh.
Not even a month had passed since the Female Titan had killed of
her teammates. If only Obito hadn't sealed off most of her powers…
If only Son Goku wasn't in the depths of sleep.
Almost as if summoned, Son Goku rumbled. I hope you are not
blaming you for something I had no control over.

Of course not, Sakura replied. I blame the timing.

It took almost my entire chakra to bring us over to this world, Son

Goku explained. Regenerating all of that chakra is very time
consuming.

Itachi, Naruto, and Sasuke also came here.

Naruto is a jinchuuriki. But you are right, the other two are not. But
then again, Obito said none of them can regenerate chakra here,
while you can. There are still many mysteries about your presence
here.

Sakura frowned deeply at both the book and the letter. Mysteries
notwithstanding, she was definitely attached to this world, something
Obito had mentioned was important to her status as a Vessel. And
she kept making more attachments, more bonds, as time went by.
Could that be dooming the very world, the very people she had come
to love?

She touched the dirty envelope once before shaking her head. She
made the Tiger seal, and summoned two identical copies of herself.
"Find Levi and Kenny and bring them back here. Tell them it's
important or else they won't come. Disappear once they are in the
inn."

Her clones nodded and left the room in five minute intervals so as to
not scare people. It would take them a while to track them down,
since they had a small chakra presence to speak of. Luckily for her,
Eren had an immense chakra presence, and where Eren was,
Mikasa and Armin were not too far away. It would certainly give her
some time to speak with her wards.

Her tracking skills led her to a small bakery in the east side of Orvud.
Eren, Armin, And Mikasa were sharing sweets over cups of hot tea.
Her entrance naturally drew the attention of everyone, her pink hair
doing her little favors when it came to blending in, and their faces
broke into huge smiles.

"Sakura!" Armin exclaimed. He immediately got up and dragged a

chair from an empty table so that she could sit with them. Eren and
Mikasa also stood up and launched themselves at her, hugging her
tightly.

She returned the hug, and ruffled their hair while she was at it. "Why
is it we can never stay out of trouble?"

She let go of her two adopted siblings and brought Armin in for
another tight hug. "Is it me or did you grow taller?"

"It's you who shrank," Armin replied.

Sakura ruffled his head and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Cheeky
brat. I see you're all enjoying yourselves to some sweets. Mind
sharing?"

The four took seats and the conversation immediately sprung into
action. The three recounted their tales on what happened since she
was taken away to the Burgeis. How Eren's titan kept failing
crystallization, how they had been sneaking through the country-
side, how the Survey Corps had been set up as traitors. They had
received a warning that Kenny Ackerman was going to target them,
and Levi had successfully made a decoy plan that had saved all their
lives.

From her part, Sakura only spoke of her time with the Burgeis. She
assuaged her wards that she had not been tortured at the hands of
Kenny, if only to rid them of whatever guilt they were experiencing for
not coming to her rescue, and said little else of her time with him and
the Interior Police. And good thing they didn't. Kenny Ackerman is an
extremely dangerous man that got the upper hand on her.
"It's like we can never catch a break," Eren grumbled. His eyes
widened and lit up. "Oh, yes, Mikasa! Remember we were going to
ask her!"

"Ask me what?"

"Ackerman," Armind said. "Kenny Ackerman. Do you know if he's

related to Mikasa?"

Sakura looked at Mikasa, who had unreadable look. Would she be

happy to find more family, or disappointed about their identities?
Maybe a mix of both? Being related to murderers might not be the
best of news.

She nodded at her slowly. "It is true. Kenny Ackerman is your

father's direct cousin."

Mikasa bit her lip and nodded. "I had a feeling. My last name is not
common."

Should she drop the other piece of information now? Might as well.
They were about to have a meeting, after all. "He is not the only
Ackerman I've found."

"There is someone else?" Armin said.

"Kenny's nephew, Levi."

"Captain Levi?" Armin and Eren exclaimed at the same time Mikasa
whispered, "Shorty?"

Armin and Eren stared at Mikasa. "I guess I see the resemblance?"
the blond said.

Eren shook his head and shuddered. "I don't. Wait, does that mean
Captain Levi is your cousin?"

Sakura looked around and shushed Eren. "Levi would skin me if he

knew you two knew. Keep your voice down, Eren."
His cheeks blushed and his eyes looked down in shame. "I'm sorry,"
he murmured.

The ninja grinned. "It's fine. I know you get excited easily." The grin
slowly fell and her eyes narrowed slightly. "Now, I've always
considered us a family. I know we don't share blood, but we are
bound by something just as strong. I want to add those two to our
family."

"Wait, Sakura-" Mikasa said.

"Our?" Armin asked.

"I know, they are strangers to you three," Sakura said. "But we don't
have much, and I… I'm not enough," she admitted with sorrow. She
left out the part she wouldn't be able to stay in their world for long.

"You want Kenny the Ripper in our family?" Eren asked with a frown.
"I'm sorry, Sakura, I can understand Captain Levi, but Kenny? He is
vile! I rather have no one than have him as a family member."

Mikasa nodded. "I agree. I am ashamed to share blood with a serial

killer ."

Armin stayed suspiciously quiet, but Sakura knew that he was

agreeing with his best friends.

"He is vile, I of all people know that. He kidnapped me, threatened

me, and yet I am still here asking you to accept him."

"But why?" Armin asked. "Why not anyone else? Why now?"

She didn't want to say it was because her days were limited, and she
wanted to make sure they were going to be looked after when she
was gone. Of course, she was going to fight that possible future with
all her might, but the odds were not in her favor.

"I've come to some realizations," she said, and their faces showed
their confusion and her cryptic answer. "Kenny Ackerman is one of
the strongest people I know. If we have any hope of beating the titan-
shifters, we'll need all the help we can get."

Eren crossed his arms and scowled. "That doesn't mean he needs to
be my family for that."

"Meet him first," Sakura said. "Then you'll get to make up your mind."
One of the clones disappeared, the one that had brought Kenny to
the inn. "You, however, don't have that same luck," she said to
Mikasa.

"What do you mean?" her sister asked.

"We're going to meet him right now."

To say Mikasa was annoyed and perturbed at Sakura's behavior was

an understatement. Her sister had never claimed to be righteous, but
she had also never willingly befriended serial killers. In fact, she had
suspected that Sakura would have been repulsed by Kenny,
considering murderers had killed her grandmother and her own
parents. Yet here they were, on the way to the inn they had slept in,
about to go speak to Kenny with the assumption she was going to
call him uncle by the time everything was finished.

She really wanted to tell Sakura to drop the matter, but she was
adamant in her meeting Kenny, and Sakura was not someone who
dropped things. Her intensity was almost equal to Eren's at times,
and she was really intense about this "family" meeting.

Mikasa followed after Sakura and spotted a tall man sitting at the
right-side corner of the inn almost immediately. She had seen Kenny
Ackerman just once before this, while he was embroiled in a fight
with Levi. He wore all black and a hat covering half his face.

Sakura immediately went to sit next to him, forcing Mikasa to

scramble after her. She only took a seat when Sakura shot her a
look that promised many unpleasantries if she ran way.
"What do you want?" Kenny asked Sakura. His face was long, and
his eyes were gray like her father's, but that is where the similarity
ended. "And who is this?"

"This is my adopted sister Mikasa, your niece."

"Erick's brat, huh." Mikasa's fists clenched underneath the table. "I
would say pleasure to meet ya, but your sister here is one annoying
woman."

"She seems to be doing that often," she muttered.

Kenny cracked a smile and let out a bark of laughter. Sakura gave
her a wounded look, though her eyes were amused.

"But I agree. It is not a pleasure to meet you," she continued,

uncaring of how this meeting would go. She had no interest for new
family members. She had all the family she needed.

He sighed and turned to look at Sakura. "You never answered my

first question."

Two people entered the inn and Mikasa saw shocking pink hair from
the corner of her eye. She turned slightly to look at a Sakura clone
bringing in an extremely annoyed Levi, dressed in civilian clothing,
who turned around and made to leave the inn but was stopped by
the very clone that brought him here.

"Levi, over here!" Sakura called cheerfully, ignoring the murderous

look the man shot her.

The shorty basically stomped his way to their table. "What is the
meaning of this?"

Sakura gestured the empty chair next to Mikasa. "Well, I warned you
both to expect a family meeting, right?"

Kenny rolled his eyes. "Not the day after, no. Did you really interrupt
me for this?"
"You were flirting rather pathetically with that bartender. Consider this
a favor to you and her," Sakura snapped back. "Aren't you going to
sit, Levi?"

"Sakura," he growled.

"Just do what she says," Kenny grumbled. "The quicker we do this

the quicker we get out of here."

"I rather not do this at all on my day off," Mikasa mumbled.

Surprisingly, the other two black-haired Ackermans nodded in

unison.

"The resemblance is really uncanny," Sakura said dryly. "Come on,

Levi. Please."

"Fucking woman," he snarled and took a seat next to Mikasa.

She resisted the urge to mock the Shorty, feeling an odd sense of
sympathy for his plight. A quick glance at Kenny's misery also made
the same strange emotion well up in Mikasa. To think that she was
feeling something positive for a serial killer was a true testament of
how annoying Sakura could be.

"Now that wasn't so bad, was it! Four Ackermans sitting together on
an inn. When was the last time that happened?"

"Who cares," Kenny said. "No one here knows their names. No one
cares about their stories. They're dead."

Sakura shot him a glare. "But we're not."

"Didn't you say you were adopted?"

"Don't you dare," Mikasa growled. "She is an Ackerman."

"But she isn't," Kenny continued, oddly serious. "You, me, and the
squirt next to you. We share blood. We share experiences that
awakened something in that blood. She doesn't, as much as you
want to say she does."

"Awakened," Levi repeated, seemingly no longer annoyed. "You've

mentioned that before. I didn't know what it was until it happened to
me. What is this awakening?"

Kenny shrugged. "The people who could've answered that question

are dead. No need to beat our pretty little heads over it."

Sakura sighed. "And just when we were making progress."

"What is this meeting even about," Levi said. "You expect us to share
stories, bond over silly things, become a happy family?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do," she replied seriously.

"Sakura." Her sister turned to look at her, and it was only because
she knew her so well that she saw she had been hurt over his
sardonic comment. "I… I appreciate this, I do." Now was not the time
to be truthful. Sakura needed some cheering up. "But you can't
expect that to happen overnight."

"Of course not," she said. "That is why we're starting today. Five
years you've been… No, I suspect it's much longer for everyone
else."

"If it's pity that is making you do this-"

"Levi, I'll be the last person to pity any of you. Especially Kenny of all
people."

Kenny chuckled. "Ouch, I thought I was behaving over here."

"There is family you choose, and family you don't," she continued
after shooting Kenny an annoyed glare. "I don't have any family that I
didn't choose, but you three do, now."
Mikasa resisted the urge to tell Sakura she was happy with the
family she had chosen, that she didn't need more, but a part of her
subconscious stayed her tongue.

"It's something we should cherish, not scorn."

"You want me to cherish a man who abandoned me?" Levi said.

"How is that going to happen, Sakura? Explain that to me."

Mikasa looked down at her lap, surprised to hear Levi had said that
in her presence. Either he didn't care, or he had forgotten she was
there. Being abandoned at so young… It must be a crueler fate to be
abandoned by a willing person than by death. At least she always
had Sakura, Eren, Grisha, Carla, and Armin. Who did he have?

"Grow up, kid," Kenny scoffed. "If you think what happened to you is
the worst thing to happen to anyone, you need to talk to more
people."

"How amazing it must be to be you, Kenny. To live without regrets or

remorse. I wish you had taught me that lesson."

"You know nothing, Levi. I thought I was doing you a favor, protecting
you from that, but I see that…"

Mikasa tuned them both out of the conversation, starting to

understand just exactly what Sakura wanted to do. The problem
wasn't her unwillingness to have two new family members. That was
the easy part, the one that just needed time to change. The hard part
would be solving this animosity between those two men. Whatever
wounds they had had festered, and they wouldn't heal them by
picking at them like crows.

"You two have an obligation," she finally said. Everyone in the table
hushed and looked at her, annoyed at being interrupted.

"And what is that, little niece?" Kenny asked in mock-kindness.

"Me," Mikasa said. "You didn't choose to be related to me, but you
are. Now, I need to become stronger, and you two have an
obligation, as Ackermans, to teach me how to do that."

Levi scoffed. "Since when did you start making demands?"

"Since I found out I was your cousin."

"Yeah, I don't-"

"You were a serial killer. You are more at my mercy than I am at

yours," Mikasa retorted.

Her sister grinned and whistled. "See? Having family is good for
learning boundaries!"

Levi glared at Sakura. "That still doesn't mean that I have an

obligation to teach Mikasa anything. If you want our help, you have
to earn it."

"How?"

"You could start by being nice," Kenny grumbled.

"Oh, that is rich coming from you," Levi said.

"Really, I don't think any of us can make that sort of request," Sakura
said. "But I agree with Mikasa's request. I am not an Ackerman, not
by blood, so I can't help her in that part. You two, though, have
plenty of experience you're not passing on."

Kenny glared at Sakura. "Was this your grand plan? To manipulate

us into helping your brat of a sister?"

"No, but I'm glad it turned out this way. Now, I am going to get us all
a nice cup of tea and some cookies, so behave while I'm gone."

The table was eerily quiet the moment her sister left. Levi and Kenny
alternated between glaring at each other and glaring at her, which
she returned with equal ferocity. She wasn't about to be intimidated
by two older relatives.

"You're going first," Kenny said.

Levi scoffed. "Now, wait a minute…"

Surprisingly for Sakura, the day went quickly. Though she didn't have
high expectations for the first Ackerman family reunion, Mikasa had
gone above and beyond to join Levi and Kenny towards a common
goal. For some reason, the two had stopped fighting and had started
going over lesson plans.

Kenny and Levi fled the moment they were done setting a schedule
for Mikasa. Sakura had resisted the urge to laugh, and even Mikasa
seemed amused by the turn of events. She hadn't been very keen
on meeting Kenny, and she didn't blame her; the man had kidnapped
her and threatened her. But, he was still an Ackerman, and he
seemed to have a sense of loyalty.

Half an hour before the meeting was supposed to start, Sakura

wandered into the Orvud's barracks and borrowed an old Survey
Corps uniform.

She then went to the designated meeting room, still fifteen minutes
early, and was surprised to find Erwin already there, sitting in the
darkness at the head of the table.

"Commander." She saluted out of reflex. "I expected to be the first."

Erwin smiled. "I like making myself comfortable out of reflex."

"You won't mind if I turn on the lamp, will you?"

"On the contrary. I think it would be rather disconcerting if we had our

meeting in the darkness."
Sakura chuckled and turned on the gas lamp from the table, then
almost gasped when she saw the state the Commander was in.
"They didn't tell me they hurt you."

"I was a suspected murderer for a bit."

She frowned and turned on the other two gas lamps. "Do you have a
knife on you?"

"No. But I wouldn't be surprised if one was hidden in this room. What
are you going to do with it?"

Sakura started searching all the cabinets for a simple knife. She
didn't need to search long before she found it. She thinly sliced her
left hand, enough to draw blood.

"I'm not sure I follow."

She placed the knife down on the wooden cabinet and did quickly
went through the hand seals of the Mystical Palm Technique. "There
is a being made out of chakra sealed in my body," Sakura started
explaining absentmindedly, most of her focus dedicated to focusing
her chakra. "Healing requires extremely precise chakra control. I was
used to dealing with smaller stores, but now I am overflowing with
chakra.

"Before I offered my services in healing you, I wanted to make sure I

could heal myself. Last time I tried, I burned my own skin."

"And is it working?"

Sakura was quiet, still focusing on the still bleeding wound. Son
Goku's chakra and her own had been mixing nicely over the last
couple of weeks, and she no longer experienced burns when she
tried to channel the shared chakra. But she still had too much. Every
jutsu she performed was accompanied by a terrible leak. The lack of
control was fine for jutsu that required large amounts of chakra, but
something so small and precise like the Mystical Palm Technique
would require the perfect control she had the moment she woke up
in this world.

"No," she grumbled. She briefly thought about activating her Seal to
heal the wound, but she didn't want to use that precious chakra on
such an insignificant wound she herself had caused. She would
need to dress it after the meeting. "It's fine. It was on my list of things
to do anyway. I'm just sorry I can't heal those wounds for you,
Commander."

Erwin waved a hand. "It's fine, Sakura. No need to worry.

Sometimes, it's good to remind ourselves what pain feels like."

"Yes, just very rarely."

Sakura didn't want to sit immediately to Erwin's right or left, not really
considering herself that close to the man, but at the same time she
didn't want to put an awkward chair between them.

She was spared from making the decision, because Hange, Levi,
and Nanaba stepped through the door. As usual, Hange and Levi
were arguing about one thing or the other, while Nanaba was just as
stone-faced as usual. Hange took a seat at Erwin's immediate left,
Levi to his right, and Nanaba next to Hange. Sakura hid her bleeding
hand and took the empty spot next to Levi.

"Right, thank you all for coming on one of your few days off," Erwin
started. "As Squad Leaders, we need to make sure we all are on the
same page."

Squad Leader?

Almost as if he had read her thoughts, Erwin looked at her. "Yes.

Sakura Ackerman, your name has been officially cleared by Historia
Reiss this morning. You are no longer suspected of being a traitor to
the monarchy, and you have cleared your name with the Survey
Corps. Nanaba, Levi, and Hange have also given their approval, so it
is my pleasure to call you Squad Leader. Congratulations."
Sakura nodded slowly, surprised and proud. A quick glance at
Nanaba reminded her why the spot was up for promotion to begin
with. Unsaid was that Mike's death had opened the spot she had
replaced.

"Congratulations, Sakura," Hange said with a small smile. "I'm sure

Mike can rest easily knowing a competent person is at the helm."

"You saved my life," Nanaba continued. "I didn't have to think twice
about the approval."

Levi was suspiciously silent. At everyone's stare, he grumbled out,

"You were the only shitty candidate we had."

She snorted.

Erwin smiled for a fraction of a second before his face became

business. "Right. Now that is out of the way, we must start making a
strategy for how we will confront the titan-shifters. They have not
attempted another attack on the Walls, meaning that they are
probably waiting for us in a place they can easily take Eren and
possibly Sakura.

"We need to develop neutralization tactics for the Female, Armored,

Colossal, and Beast Titans. We also need to figure out a way to seal
the Wall."

"I believe we have a possible breakthrough for that," Hange said.

"The bag Rod Reiss had on him had multiple vials. Some are written
in a language we do not understand, but one of them is labeled
Hardening . I suspect that if Eren consumes that vial, he will gain the
ability to harden his titan form."

"Is there no way to figure out what the other vials say?" Nanaba
asked.

"Rod Reiss probably knows. We could get the answers from him, but
do we really want to risk Eren's well-being based on the information
he tells us?"

"He won't kill him," Levi said.

"No, but I'm sure he can make a plan that involves eating Eren and
using those vials to achieve it. It's too dangerous. Let's stick with
what we know," Hange said.

Sakura agreed, but she kept quiet lest they call her biased towards
her adopted brother.

"That leaves the neutralization of the titan-shifters."

"I can start working on plans tomorrow, but I have no data to go from
for the Beast Titan. We have no idea what his powers are."

"He has some control over titans," Nanaba said.

"His roar spurred them to action," Sakura continued. "I think he also
had something to do with all those titans moving at night."

"That actually brings me to another point. This is still classified

information, but combining everything we know about the ritual to
transfer titan-shifting powers and information about what happened
that night in Litgard, we have confirmed that the origin of titans are in
fact us, humans."

"What do you mean us ?" Sakura said.

"Exactly what Erwin said," Levi responded. "Somehow, we can turn

into them. We don't know why, or how, but we do."

She felt as if the wind had been taken from her body. She had
thought she had only murdered four people in her entire life, but the
number was much closer to one hundred. Even if titans were
mindless, they had still been human .

Son Goku scoffed in her mind. You grew up a ninja. I wouldn't be

surprised if you had killed children in their sleep in the name of your
village. This is nothing.

The thought sobered her and disgusted her further.

"There is something that has been bothering me for some time, and I
just remembered as well. If the titan-shifting power is passed on by
eating a titan-shifter, then… Who did Eren eat to become a titan-
shifter?"

Everyone in the room was strangely silent.

"There must be someone else that knows the secret of the Reiss
family," Nanaba concluded. "Someone Eren ate."

"And I suspect Rod Reiss won't be forthcoming with the answers. Let
us add that question to the list of things we must find out. Now, I'm
not sure how much time the titan-shifters will wait by their trap before
they decide to just come back after Eren with their ninja skills and go
back. I want us to go on our mission in three months time. Is that
enough, Hange?"

"I'll need money and manpower. If you give me that, it shouldn't be

impossible."

"Done," Erwin said. "Levi, can I entrust you to oversee Eren's

crystallization progress?"

"Sure."

"Nanaba, we are going to receive many recruits from other military

branches that are interested in an assault against the titan-shifters. I
suspect their skills are still not up to par with what we expect. Please
do your best to train them."

"As you wish."

"Sakura, two things. First, you mentioned you had regained your
knowledge on how to use your magic, right?"
"Jutsu," she corrected automatically. "But yes."

"If I asked you to teach a small class, could you do it?"

Sakura frowned. "I know how I learned each individual jutsu, but how
to manipulate chakra is still a bit empty. Still, I don't want you to
completely discount the idea. Just give me some time to pick my
brain."

"Excellent. I don't want you teaching us complicated things. Just

enough so we might be able to go toe-to-toe with the titan-shifters in
their human forms."

"Right."

"The second thing was… The Interior Military Police are particularly
skilled in killing humans, and I suspect that skill will translate well to
killing titans. Queen Historia has already said she is ordering the
Interior Military Police to serve the Survey Corps. Your squad is
currently the smallest one, the only one that can take in these new
recruits."

"Kenny? In the Survey Corps?" Levi said, aggravated.

"I'm sorry, Levi, but we need all the manpower we can get."

He huffed. "I'll be training with Eren far away, then."

"I want Sakura to specifically teach your squad how to use chakra. I
would rather you stay near."

"Tch. Of course you would."

Sakura had another problem in her hands. The Interior Military

Police answered to Kenny. They would never answer to her. She
would need to gain Kenny's respect before his squad followed her
orders.

But how could she gain a serial killer's approval?

"Sakura? Can you do it?" Erwin asked.

"Of course."

"Perfect. I want us to start these preliminary plans this week. We'll

meet again to discuss progress within two weeks. Meeting
adjourned."

When Historia was chosen to be queen, she abandoned more than

just the name Christa Lenz.

Her name was announced after the doors were opened to the
Monarch Room by the two soldiers that were stationed to guard the
room. Her own guard stepped with her all the way until she reached
the royal table, then walked back to stand by the entrance of the
room.

Her guests immediately stood up and murmured their greetings,

though Historia could not quite tell what they were saying since the
Noble Houses were perfectly in sync while the Merchant Families
could not decide what to say, and they all said different things at
different times.

Everyone sat down on their respective chairs the moment she sat at
the head of the royal table. The table was made from the most
beautifully carved wood, detailing the story of humanity on its sides.
This story was covered by a mantle of the finest cloth, worth more
than anything Historia had seen in her entire life. Unlike her dining
table, which was grander and adorned with silver and golden cutlery
and plates, this smaller table was made exclusively for discussing
matters of the monarchy.

To her right, the heads of the Six Great Noble Houses sat. Abel
Burgeis, Hildegard Konig, Kurt Kuhn, Jurgen Haas, Heike Stein, and
Katrin Engel sat next to her from nearest to farthest. Their faces did
not betray a single emotion, and they simply stared ahead at the
Merchants. Historia tried not to read too much into the seating
arrangement, since it was predetermined before they even stepped
into the room, but another part of her also knew that none of these
things were left to chance.

To her left, the heads of the Six Merchant Families sat. Frank Muller,
Flegel Reeves, Lena Klein, Finn Koch, Manfred Werner, and Elke
Lange sat next to her from nearest to farthest. Unlike their noble
counterparts, the families were whispering among each other, not
bothering to hide their anger or happiness at what their conversation
partners were saying. Historia did not doubt that the seating
arrangement for these families was carefully calculated. She had
heard from Amina that the Muller Company wanted to take over the
rebuilding of Trost from the hands of the Reeves Company, and
there was no way Flegel would allow that to happen.

"My guests," Historia began, and a hush came over the room, "I
thank you for coming to Mitras at such short notice. I know you all
have busy lives, but there were some introductions and matters I
wanted to address before my coronation within the fortnight."

Her twelve guests simply stared at her in silence, waiting for her next
words.

"I want to say introductions are unnecessary, since I know who you
are, you know who I am, and you know each other, but I want to do
things differently than before. Let us introduce ourselves, and say
one thing we hope we see during the reign of Historia Reiss. It can
be a truth, or a lie, but either way, I want to hear something from
everyone. I shall leave the order to you."

Almost immediately, Flegel Reeves stood up from his chair. "My

name is Flegel Reeves, and I operate the Reeves Company. What I
wish to see under your reign is for justice to be done for my father's
murder. Justice done onto Kenny the Ripper."

Historia inwardly agreed with Flegel's request, and a big part of her
wanted justice for her mother's murderer as well, but she knew just
how hard it would be for Kenny to be brought under her heel.
She nodded at Flegel. He was but a boy, closer to her in age than
everyone else, but he wore his emotions on his sleeves. His eyes
started to water, and he immediately sat back down as if invisible
strings had been cut.

Abel Burgeis stood up. Unlike Amina, who had dark hair, eyes, and
tan skin, her uncle had curly auburn hair and pale blue eyes. He was
tall, with a narrow face and wide nose, and barely younger than her
father. "My name is Abel, head of the Great Burgeis House. I do not
call for justice, but rather for my queen to show mercy to the parents
she has imprisoned."

Historia resisted showing her displeasure at his words. The previous

heads of the family had conspired with her father and the false king
to keep her people under control and theirs in power. All of the heads
currently sitting with her were actually new, inexperienced and green
just like her.

Like she had done before, she nodded at Abel, and he took it as his
signal to sit down.

Hildegard stood before Abel had even fully sat down. She was petite,
barely any taller than Historia herself, with light brown hair that
reached her shoulders and brown-gold eyes. Her face was all sharp
edges, with a nose sharp enough to cut bread. "My name is
Hildegard, head of the Great House Konig. I do not ask for anything
from my queen but her promise to keep the future as close to the
past as possible."

Her comment caused the Merchants to start murmuring yet again.

This time, no one came forward to speak again for a while, until Finn
sprung up with force. He was old, with a balding head and a graying
beard. Numerous wrinkles adorned his face, and his eyes were as
dark as night. "My name is Finn Koch. I am the owner of The Glass
Horse," he said in a raspy voice. "I do not ask my queen for justice,
mercy, or the past, but rather for the monarchy to hold on to their
word. We are sitting here with the Six Great Noble Houses,
something that has not happened before, so it does fill me with hope.
But the agreement we took to get here was that things would be
different. So let them be."

The merchants whispered in agreement. The noble lords and ladies

were suspiciously quiet, but Historia knew their minds were not.

Manfred stood after Finn sat. Like Finn, Manfred was also an older
man. He was taller, and had a full head of hair, but he had an
interesting scar running over his left eye. "My name is Manfred
Werner. I oversee the production of the blades that our brave
soldiers use to kill titans. My request is simple. Long have my profits
suffered from taxes to local lords. Lower the taxes, and I will provide
enough steel to power a great army."

Jurgen Haas did not wait for Manfred to sit. While everyone had
looked at her while they spoke, Juurgen stared at Manfred. "My
name is Juurgen, head of the Great House Haas," he said. His voice
was deep, which did not match his lanky physique and cherubic
features. "My request is also simple. That we do not abandon reason
for fantasy. Taxes are what keeps the cities fed and clothed. What
keeps the queen's coffers full so she may do what needs to be done.
Let us not put in jeopardy the very fabric of our society over short-
term gain."

Both Juurgen and Manfred sat down at the same time, but they
glared at each other with a fiery passion. Historia would have a lot of
work to do with those two, and neither of them would be happy with
her decisions.

Katrin Engle was next. She was tall, as tall as Juurgen, and had wide
shoulders and a muscular body. Her face was full of freckles, and
her skin was paler than her blonde hair. "I am Katrin, head of the
Great House Engle. I ask that the next time we meet, I am spared
the sight of those that do not know how to handle their emotions or
their wits."
Petty, Historia thought. But, at the same time, she knew future
meetings would not have as many people. Not because Katrin had
requested it, but because Historia had a hard time following what
everyone was saying and not saying to be an effective ruler.

Elke Lange stood next. She was a heavyset woman with many
wrinkles and matted white hair and dark blue eyes. "My name is Elke
Lange. I own enough bakeries to say I have fed from the lowest
peasant to the highest noble. I only ask for new roads to better
transport my products from city to city."

A request that would only be funded with taxes, Historia realized.

She did not think that even the Merchants would not be in agreement
over what they required.

Lena Klein followed Elke. "My name is Lena Klein. I oversee the
biggest operation of textiles within the two Walls. Like Elke, I also
want more roads to the big cities."

From across Lena, Kurt Kuhn stood up. "My name is Kurt, head of
the Great House Kuhn. Like Lord Burgeis, I would also ask for the
release of my parents from the queen's prison."

"You parents are all traitors," Manfred said, his voice cold. "I say let
the queen's justice prevail over her mercy."

"Manfred, I appreciate your advice, but I did not ask for it," Historia
said. "Let us finish introducing ourselves before we jump at each
other's throats."

The older man huffed in exasperation, and with a pointed glare, Kurt
sat down.

The last head of the Six Merchant Families stood. Frank Muller was
a middle-aged man with soft features and a big belly. "My name is
Frank Muller. I am heavily involved in the manufacturing of firearms
and the omni-directional maneuvering gear our military uses. I would
like to see every man and woman fighting for their people."
Historia was sure that was good for the Muller business, but she
withheld her tongue.

Everyone turned to look at the last head of the Six Noble Houses.
Heike Stein was the oldest person in the room, with heavy wrinkles
in her face and long white hair. She was the only Great Lady who
had been clean of the conspiracy to keep the people within the Walls
ignorant of the outside. Historia herself had poured over the
evidence, so either Heike was clean or she was clever enough to
hide her involvement from everyone.

She used the help of a smooth, black cane to help her up. "My name
is Heike, the head of the Great House Stein. My family has little
cares besides the recovery of Wall Maria. That is what I would like to
see in your reign, Queen Historia."

Historia nodded at Heike, and she slowly sat back down on her chair.

"I thank you all for humoring my request. In return, I will introduce
myself as honestly as I can. My name was Christa Lenz, though I
was named Historia Reiss by my father, Rod Reiss. I am his bastard
daughter, put in power by the military that imprisoned your parents."
All of the heads of the Great Noble Houses stiffened slightly except
for Heike.

"I asked for your desires to see under my rule and I have taken them
under consideration. However, my one true goal is the continued
existence of humanity. I am sure everyone here has seen or heard of
the threat the titan-shifters have caused our monarchy. Have felt the
destruction the Colossal, Armored, and Female Titans have brought
onto our people.

"Your wants come after the needs of my people," Historia said. "We
are at war with an enemy we do not understand, an enemy we
barely know. Until a few days ago, most of the Survey Corps did not
know there existed a world besides this one. This was knowledge
the Great Noble Houses kept under wraps for their own benefits. I
shall not point fingers at those sitting with us here, but there is much
we all have to atone for, even if the sins were not ours.

"And so, I ask for your patience. I brought everyone here to

remember our true goal. We can squabble and fight among
ourselves after we have dealt with the enemy abroad. This isn't
about money, or prestige, or power, but rather about life."

The doors opened without prompting. A soldier from the Royal

Guard approached her and whispered into her ear, "Commander
Amina requests to see you, my queen."

"Thank you," she said loudly. "Well, my lords and ladies, I have
unfortunately been called for an urgent matter. You may either leave
or talk with each other to see if you can come with a plan on what is
the best course of action to help humanity. I look forward to hearing
your ideas."

Historia got up from the chair, and everyone else in the table did so
to bow at her. The nobles were much smoother in their manners, but
the merchants' bows were better than what Historia had expected.
The gap between nobility and money was narrowing.

Her soldiers escorted her through the halls of the castle into the
northern wing, where her chambers were. Historia had gone from
sharing bunker beds with her comrades to having entire rooms
dedicated to simple events such as drinking tea, lounging, playing
music, or hearing poetry. Her own bedroom was an alien thing, far
larger than the house she had grown in when she was a child.

Amina Talman was waiting for her in her room. Her long black hair
was tied up in a neat bun. She was dressed in the military uniform of
the Royal Guard, with a Royal Crown as its insignia instead of the
green unicorn, red roses, or Wings of Freedom of the other three
branches. As Commander, she had a topaz bolo tie around her neck
and a proper sword strapped on her side.
"I am sorry to interrupt your meeting, Historia Queen," Amina said.
She reached into her breast pocket and took out an envelope.
"However, I thought you would want to read this as soon as
possible."

Historia took the envelope from her. It was simply addressed to

Historia, but it was from the Cult of the True King .

"So they have made their first move," she said.

"Yes."

"They took their time. How did you come across this?"

"A soldier found it while he was making rounds in your dining room."

"My private one?"

"Yes, my queen."

"They know too much already." Historia sat on one of her desks and
opened the envelope. Even though it was daylight, Amina still lit a
candle for her.

Historia stared at the document in front of her, reading over the

demands of the Cult of the True King. She resisted the urge to
crumple the piece of paper into the fire of her candle.

"What is it they ask for, my queen?" a soft voice asked from beside
her.

"The release of my father," Historia said. She handed her

Commander the paper without even looking at her. Historia got up
from her chair, the legs scraping loudly against the floor, and she
walked towards the window.

She could see the entirety of Mitras from her castle. The crown city
continued its normal bustle, uncaring of who sat on the throne room.
They could not perceive the threat that the Cult of the True King
could do on them.

"They are also asking that you and he touch Eren Jaeger?" Amina
asked. "Whatever for?"

Historia frowned. "That I do not know, and it bothers me that they

know more than I do."

Amina joined her by her side, not bothering to hide her worry.
Historia knew of the deal Amina had made to keep the nobility within
the walls of Mitra. No longer the heir of the Burgeis, her only claim to
power was now being Commander of the Royal Guard. Historia
could not help but think Amina was after something greater than just
the power they had given her. The Burgeis had always been on the
side of her father.

The side of the True King .

"Have you touched Eren before?" Amina asked.

Historia felt her cheeks heating. "Excuse me?"

Her Commander did not feel the same embarrassment at her

question. "My queen, within the last month, we have stumbled upon
so many truths about this world. If you have not touched Eren
before, then I say their comment has some merit. Even if this is a
trap, I say it is worth it."

"There must be a reason they are asking me to do so. In fact, I think

it was part of my father's plan, back at the Crystal Cave," Historia
said.

Amina gave her a small smile. "The Cult of the True King believe that
whatever happens when you touch Eren will be enough to drive you
back to your father," she said. "I say we do not give them that
satisfaction. You cannot show them fear. You have their king in
chains. You have won."
"They are still bold enough to send me a letter. Do you not think it
concerning they managed to slip past our defenses?"

The Burgeis sighed. "That part does worry me, but not as much as
you would think. Rod Reiss needs you, and so the Cult of the True
King needs you. You are safe, and almost have all the pieces."

"Almost?"

"We still do not have the knowledge."

"A knowledge so terrible that the Cult has gambled will turn me back
into my father's grasp."

"You cannot doubt your will, my queen. You are the True Queen, not
the puppet we have had for so long."

Historia gave Amina an icy stare. The words she was hearing were
starting to sound like the sweetest poison. "And would you not prefer
a True King? I know the Reiss were 'vassals' of your family. I know
the Burgeis had more power under my father than they will under
me. Would you not prefer that?"

Amina frowned. "Queen Historia-"

"I have not been crowned yet," Historia interjected, her insides
flaring. "Address me as what I am."

" Queen Historia," Amina repeated, her eyes hardening. "I

understand these are trying times for you. I know your story. And I
am sure you seek betrayal because you have received it before. But
now is not the time to doubt your commander. I am Amina Talmna, a
soldier from the Survey Corps as much as you were. My loyalty is to
humanity, not to the crown, even if you see one stitched above my
heart here. And I am of the belief that both you and I belong on the
same side."
Historia averted her eyes, the back of her neck burning in shame. "I
apologize, Commander. The meeting I just had…"

Amina chuckled. "They are all vultures, I am sure."

"They all care for naught but themselves," Historia said. "I tried
uniting them under the common banner of humanity, but I do not
think it will work."

"Queen Historia, if the attack on Shiganshina did not get them all to
cooperate, nothing will, save showing them the horrors of the titan-
shifters in their very faces," Amina said. "I am impressed you even
had their attention. If they treated you with respect now, before even
wearing a crown, imagine how they will treat you once you have it."

The blonde shook her head and walked away from the window.
"They will see me as the Bastard Queen. The False Queen. The
Military's Queen. They will call me every name under the sun except
Queen Historia. They do not think my power comes from my blood,
but rather those who got me into the position, and those that keep
me there."

Amina said, "It does not have to be that way. The Survey Corps may
have gotten you this far, but that does not mean you need to rely on
them forever. I am sure you can become queen from your own right."

"How so?"

"The nobles are scared of the military. They have taken away the
parents of the heads and are currently being held hostage by them.
The Six Merchant Families' businesses rely on the laws and tax
policies the nobles have set for them."

"So what is above the military?" Historia asked.

"Erwin, Nile, me, Pixis, and Zackley. These are all the leaders of the
military branches. With the exception of Nile and myself, they were
bold enough to scheme against the the Reiss and nobility. If you
learn something that can control them, you will have control of your
queendom."

Historia nodded. It was easier said than done to find something to

hold over Pixis, Erwin, and Zackley. So far, Amina seemed fairly
loyal to her, but she had to remember who had given her the position
of power.

The one group Amina hadn't mentioned was the people. All these
players, they were a handful of people she could even name. The
people were many. Earning the devotion, or fear, from all of them
might elevate her to the status. She needed to make sure the people
cared it was Queen Historia on the throne, not King Rod, or King
Fritz, or any other person.

"But that is a matter for another time," she said. "For now, I want you
to bring Eren here."

"He is training with the Survey Corps at the moment," Amina said.

"This is more important. I cannot bring myself and my father to where

Eren is, so he will have to come to us. It won't take long."

Amina bowed her head at her. "As you wish. Is that all?"

"No. I want to read all the information we have on the heads of the
Six Great Noble Houses and Six Merchant Families. I want to see
how many lied about what they want with me. I believe your uncle
Abel was truthful."

"Did he ask for the release of my grandparents?"

"Yes."

Amina snorted. "My uncle is happy about this entire situation. My

grandparents slighted him by choosing me as their heir instead of
him. If you hadn't imprisoned them, he would not be Lord Burgeis.
He will want them back, but not as Lord and Lady of our House."
"What about you?"

"I do want them back as well. I know they did awful things, but I still
love them. At the same time, I know the there is a price to pay when
you back the wrong person. You have enough people piling their
wishes on you, my queen. I will not add more."

"Thank you, Commander."

Amina saluted at her with her fist over her chest. "I will go get Eren. I
believe he is in the outskirts of Rose, so it will take us around four
days to come back."

"You don't have to do it personally, Amina."

She grinned. "I want to. I'll go ahead and say hello to a good friend of
mine."
Relax
Previously: Sakura starts laying the foundations of a support
system for her wards and is promoted to Squad Leader, tasked
with teaching a group of soldiers chakra. Soon-to-be Queen
Historia starts feeling the pressure of her stature and receives a
mysterious letter telling her to touch Eren's skin.

Sakura was not sure what to expect during her first Squad meeting,
but she should have foreseen the unenthusiastic faces that were
staring back at her.

"As of today, your transfer from the Interior Police to my Squad in the
Survey Corps has been finalized. To make the transition easier, I
have elected Kenny Ackerman as my second-in-command.
However, I hope you all remember who calls the shots at the end of
the day.

"We will start ninja training tomorrow, so enjoy your last free day. It
will be grueling work, but we're tasked with going against enemies
that can not only turn into titans but have magical powers you all
have never seen. I will be harsh, but only because I want you all to
live. You're all dismissed."

All of her new subordinates saluted her as they had all been
instructed since their days as trainees, but she couldn't identify
anyone in the crowd who seemed passionate about it.

Sakura wondered about the wisdom in assigning her, a novice

Squad Leader, a team whose majority had been at odds with the
Survey Corps and whose minority had just suffered the death of their
previous Squad Leader, Mike, not even a month ago.

It just seemed like a recipe for disaster, one she was excellent at
cooking.
To make matters worse, there was one soldier who did not leave her
side.

Kenny whistled and tipped his stupid hat at her. "Well, that went
well."

She bristled and glared at him. "Why are you saying that
sarcastically?"

"Because it did not go well. I have seen more cheer at a Wall cult
meeting," Kenny responded.

She rolled her eyes and started heading to the training grounds.
Though their name had been cleared of any wrongdoing by the
monarchy, the Survey Corps had decided to stay in the outskirts of
Wall Rose, near Trost in preparation to their expedition to Maria.

"Should I be jumping up and down to get their mood up?"

"If that's what it takes, yeah," Kenny said, easily keeping up with her
speed. "You took too many leadership cues from my nephew, little
lady."

"What's the problem with that?" Sakura grouched. "And don't call me
little lady."

"He's not the most charismatic chum in the block. He's got a loyal
group of soldiers, I'll give him that, but he's not the most endearing
person in the world, is he?"

Sakura thought back to her first few interactions with Levi and was
annoyed at how right Kenny was. For the longest time she couldn't
even stand being in the same room as him.

But she also wasn't the easiest person to work with. Her track record
of friends was plenty evidence.

"I have to compete with you for leadership," Sakura pointed out and
slowed down a bit. She could afford to delay her training for a bit.
"They will rather have a serial killer than me as a Squad Leader."

"Exactly," Kenny said in a drawl. "They rather have a murderer than

you. That puts you in an embarrassing position doesn't it?"

"You're also forgetting some of my squad is made from Mike's old

one. He was an amazing soldier. I am sure they feel betrayed to now
be with a bunch of Interior Police scu- soldiers."

Kenny chuckled. "I am sure my team would be overjoyed to hear

how their new Squad Leader is referring to them."

Sakura frowned. "But it's the-"

"Whether it's true or not, it doesn't matter. Your blond commander

put them in your team so now they're your people."

"Your people, you mean."

"Sure. They will keep being my people if you keep referring to them
as such. Look, for some reason I still don't understand you accepted
me as a family member. Those soldiers didn't do anything but follow
my orders. It shouldn't be that bad to extend some courtesy, right?"

Sakura groaned. To hear something reasonable coming from

Kenny's mouth was comical, but Sakura had never been one to get
the humor right away. She knew that she accepted Kenny out of
necessity rather than want, but she could see how it could be
misconstrued from an outsider's perspective.

"Fine, I'll think about changing how I talk to my team." They finally
reached the training grounds, a nice secluded forest full of titans,
and Kenny still gave no indication of going on his own. "Now, will you
leave me alone?"

"No can do. Remember, I can't leave your side."

"I order you to leave my side."

"Your blond's orders override yours."

"Commander Erwin is not my blond. And fine, just sit there and
watch me meditate."

Kenny raised an eyebrow. "You came all the way here to sleep?"

Sakura considered ignoring his comment, but quickly realized that

she would have to teach an entire group of people like him how to
meditate the next day. She might as well teach him and hope he
helps her out tomorrow.

She found a nice secluded spot away from any soldiers and sat
down on the soft grass. She made a motion for Kenny to sit down,
which he surprisingly followed without a fuss.

"Meditation is not sleeping. It is about allowing your mind a moment

to relax and connect with something. Since I already learned how to
use chakra, I focus on my breathing pattern. Whenever I feel my
thoughts straying, I always go back to my breath."

Kenny just stared at her. "So meditation is just counting your

breaths? That sounds like a waste of time."

Her lips twitched upwards for a second. If Sakura's body didn't

naturally remember the act of meditation, she would've thought the
same. And even though she knew about meditating and how it
helped control chakra, it still took her a while to hone her proficiency.

In a way, she was learning again, now that she had the enormous
amount of chakra from Son Goku to worry about. At the moment, it
was almost wishful thinking to expect her healing to come back
within the year.

"After a while of breathing, your mind will empty, and in that

emptiness, you will feel the chakra that flows through your body."
If she hadn't met the titan-shifters, she would've assumed that
Erwin's request to teach the Survey Corps to use chakra was
impossible. Her own identity of being a ninja was so ingrained in her
that her body just remembered to do things instinctively. She
remembered the exercise of keeping a leaf on her forehead, but
even that required being able to feel chakra.

None of the people in this world could feel the chakra running
through their veins. They didn't even know of its existence until a few
months ago. They couldn't harness the power of something they had
never felt.

But everyone could feel chakra if they cleared their mind. It was
impossible not to, just as impossible as choosing when to hear or
not.

"And how long will that take?"

"I don't know."

Kenny narrowed his eyes. "You don't know?"

"Everyone is different, Kenny. Some people's minds are overactive

and it takes a long time for them to clear. Others are more attuned
with their own bodies and can achieve this state faster. The only way
to find out is to try. I will guide you through this session, but it will
require you to try very hard."

Another thing he had against him was his faint chakra presence.
Sakura worried that it meant that he couldn't use chakra the way
someone like Eren would, but maybe this meant he would just have
low reserves but high control.

"What about distractions?"

"I usually came to this spot to meditate before. I have scared off
enough people that they know not to use this part of the field."
Kenny smirked. "Why am I not surprised?"

She waved at him. "Now, find a comfortable sitting position."

Kenny slouched and extended his legs slightly.

"I will need you to sit with your back straight, but not to an
uncomfortable degree." If he was surprised by how soft her voice
became, he did not show it. "This will allow your chest to expand
more naturally. Now, try to focus on something you see in front of
you. It can be anything, but let it be a soft focus. This object should
just help narrow, but not dominate, your attention.

"Now, breathe deeply through your nose, and exhale through your
mouth. Continue this until you find a natural rhythm. This rhythm is
going to be what you go back to whenever you get distracted."

Sakura stopped talking, quietly observing Kenny working through the

exercise. He seemed to be following her instructions completely,
focusing on what she thought was a tree. His body expanded on a
natural rhythm, and Sakura was almost ashamed to interrupt him,
but she needed to continue to guide him.

"Now that you have attained a rhythm, start closing your eyes." To
her surprise, he didn't immediately close them, instead allowing his
lids to do so at their own pace. Once his eyes were closed, she
continued, "Notice the weight or weightlessness of your body on the
grass. Notice the firmness of the ground holding you. The sun on
your skin. Acknowledge these sensations. Acknowledge any
distractions. Your mind will wander. You will have many intrusive
thoughts. Some will be pleasant, others will not. Try not to get too
frustrated if your mind wanders. It is natural. You cannot stop the
thoughts. Instead, acknowledge them like you just acknowledged the
ground, the wind, or the sun. Acknowledge them and then focus on
your breath.

"Start counting your breaths. Each inhale and exhale counts as a full
breath. Whenever your mind is distracted, go back and start over.
Whenever the mind is ready, it will empty, and… well, you'll see what
happens then."

And so, the student becomes the master, Son Goku quipped.

Sakura frowned. I wouldn't say I'm the master yet. I'm trying to teach
a lot of people something I don't remember learning.

I am a being made out of chakra. I would've told you if your

technique was incorrect, Son Goku pointed out. I will admit it is
bewildering to be surrounded by so many people with the potential to
be ninja, and yet not one of them knew of the existence of chakra
until you and those titan-shifters used it.

It is strange… Do you think the information has been kept secret

from all these people?

The people of our own world wouldn't know how to use chakra had
my father not taught humans how to use it. I'm not wholly surprised
this world doesn't know about its existence.

Your father? Sakura asked, surprised.

Maybe a story for another time, Son Goku grouched after a moment
of silence. Perhaps you will be to these people what my father was
to yours. Though I can't imagine my father would be happy to see
the world as it is.

What did he want from them? Us, I mean.

Son Goku chuckled sardonically. Peace. He was a man of peace,

but humans can only thrive through power and war. They took
something as beautiful as ninshu and made ninjutsu out of it. Even
you are teaching these people ninjutsu to wage war.

To protect ourselves, Sakura clarified. Even you must see how

uneven we are in power.
For now, yes, your enemies have the upper hand. Son Goku
admitted. But what happens if you win this war? Do you think all of
these people will be content with living inside these three walls?
Even if your friends are happy with protecting their land, their
descendants will only look to expand and wage war against those
who resist their conquest.

Sakura grimaced. She wanted to refute Son Goku's statement, but

she knew that all of her friends and comrades were bred for war.
Titans were their enemies, but soon they would shift their focus to
something, or someone, else.

She shook her head. No, I cannot sit and philosophize about how
their descendants are going to use ninjutsu when extinction is staring
at us in the face. It is a luxury I… We don't-

"Sakura," Kenny's voice startled her out of her own thoughts. So

embroiled she had been with Son Goku she had completely
forgotten where she had been. There was an odd quality to his
voice, almost breathless even though he had just been breathing this
entire time. "I… I felt something."

"What did you feel?" Sakura asked, her heart pounding.

"A feeling of… something being alive. I'm not sure how to describe it.
It's just another feeling, like hunger, or fear, or tiredness. Except this
feels… whole?"

Sakura grinned and she resisted the urge to launch herself at him.
"Kenny, you just felt your own chakra. You were finally able to mold
the physical and spiritual energies within you."

"Just like that?"

"The body and spirit naturally want to mould together, but the mind
always keeps them separate. Achieving the first feeling is the
hardest and most important aspect of learning ninjutsu. I'm not
saying things are going to be easy from now on, but the instructions
won't be as vague as 'emptying your mind'."

Kenny just sat there, his face somewhat glazed.

"Kenny? Is something wrong?"

"I… I ignored a lot of thoughts on my way to feeling chakra."

Sakura cocked her head to the side, confused as to why he sounded

defeated. "Yes, that's what I told you to do."

He turned to look at her, his face serious and devoid of the sardonic
touch she had come to associate him with. "There were some
thoughts that need to be… explored."

"Such as?"

He frowned. "I don't want to talk about them. But they're important.
You said this field is empty most of the time?"

"Uh, yeah," she said, taken off guard. "But, Kenny-"

He got up and dusted himself. "I'll see you tomorrow, little lady."

Sakura thought about calling after him, but the man's steps were
quick and resolute.

What had gotten into him?

She shook her head. It seemed that Ackermans were impossible to

decipher.

Yourself included?

Sakura smiled sardonically. I am not an Ackerman. It's… it's very

obvious now.

Would you like to know your last name?

She perked up immediately. How would you know?

Obito called you by your full name before you were sent here. Would
you like to know?

Would knowing her name mean she would have no more excuses to
hold on to the Ackerman name? Ackerman meant something to her,
meanwhile whatever name she had beforehand might as well belong
to a stranger. Other people shared that last name, meanwhile her
original last name belonged to another world.

No. I am Sakura Ackerman. Whoever Obito called in your world

doesn't exist anymore.

She heard Son Goku sigh. Very well. But eventually you won't be
able to run away. Obito is coming.

He had talked to her while she had been drugged and under the
Interior Police's watch. He had taunted her with the deaths of her
loved ones, and had mentioned that they had given up in trying to
save her. She should feel bitter that her supposed "friends" were so
quick to give up on her, but she couldn't find it within herself to care.

At least now she wouldn't have to listen to their stupid talk about
gaining her friendship back.

Then we no longer only have to worry about Obito it seems, Son

Goku said, peering deeper into her thoughts that he ever had before.
A part of her worried about the lack of privacy, but she tried to be
empathetic. She literally was Son Goku's living prison. It means you
must train.

Yeah, I need my healing back.

No, you need to accept my power now. The healing is a thing of the
past. You won't regain it in time for whatever trials are coming to us.
You need to master my Lava Release.
"Squad Leader Sakura! Squad Leader Sakura!" a young soldier
called. She recognized him from her own squad, but she had never
been good with names. He had dark blond hair and earnest brown
eyes, which made her guess he had been part of Mike's squad.

"At ease," she said, standing up.

Our conversation will have to wait.

Son Goku yawned. I'm going back to sleep. You know where to find
me.

"Commander Amina is in your office here to see you."

She perked up at that. With how quickly things were moving in Mitras
and the Survey Corps, she hadn't had a chance to see her friend
since the day she got kidnapped, even though that day hadn't been
that long ago anyway.

"Thank you, soldier. Remind me, what is your name?"

"Jung Mann, sir," he responded.

Jung… Now that was a name she hadn't heard for a while. Jung had
showed her incredible kindness when she had first joined Levi's
Squad, and she had let him and Liesel die because she wanted to
keep a secret everyone knew now anyway.

What a waste.

"Squad Leader?" Jung asked when he noticed her grim smile.

"Sorry, Jung. I just… never mind, thank you for delivering the
message. Were you one of the chosen to learn how to use chakra?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "And I am very honored, Squad Leader."

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow then."

He saluted and excused himself, going the opposite direction Sakura
was going.

Sakura had complained about the idea of getting an office. To her, it

symbolized the transition from being a soldier who just had to worry
about fighting to someone involved in bureaucracy and
administration. If she didn't have an office, then she just had
absolutely no way of getting work done, right?

Unfortunately for her, Levi had personally seen to getting her an

office as soon as she became Squad Leader. There was an almost
glee-like light to his eyes as he explained all the procedures and
paperwork she was now in charge of. Transfer requests, budget
reports, team logistics, supply allocation…

She had never seen him as happy as when she looked over her first
transfer request and groaned at all the signature requirements.

The silver lining was entering her office and seeing Amina already
sitting at her desk, across from her own seat. She had gone to so
many offices and either she was standing, giving a report or
receiving orders, but now here she was, on the other side of that
story.

Amina, from her end, looked even more regal than what she
remembered. Besides a different uniform and a yellow bolo tie, her
hair was now up in an intricate bun and she carried a sabre instead
of the usual titan-killing swords they had.

"Commander Talman," Sakura greeted in a voice of faux respect.

"Squad Leader Ackerman. It is good to see you in one piece."

Both women held their deadpan expressions for as long as they

could before they burst into laughter. They hugged each other tightly,
and Sakura felt a sudden wave of pride at how far they had gotten.
Amina let her go first and sat down at her original seat, with Sakura
sitting on the chair adjacent to her.

"Seriously, though, it is good to see you. It seems you and your

adopted brother have a competition for who can get kidnapped the
most."

Sakura snorted, but was a bit irked to realize how true that was.

"I gotta win at everything, it seems. You, however, successfully

toppled a government while I was sleeping."

Amina waved a hand. "Oh, that? Well, I think you're overestimating

my role in the entire thing."

"From what I hear, Zackly wanted to feed the nobles their own shit. If
you hadn't been there…"

"You heard correctly, unfortunately. It seems my new commander is

as crazy as they come."

"But seriously, I hear you're a big reason why the nobility backed up
the military in installing Historia as the new queen. That's not a small
feat."

"Once I showed them the inevitability of their downfall, their tune

changed." Amina raised a finger. "Mind you, the coronation still
hasn't happened yet. There are still some things we have to iron out
before we can crown hair, but so far she has already talked to the
Noble Houses and Merchant Families, and they don't seem to hate
her. However, we still have some problems."

"Like? You really are the only source of knowledge I have about
Mitras right now. You'll have to take it easy with me."

"Public opinion of the crown is rather low," Amina confessed. "When

the newspapers cleared the Survey Corps's name, they uncovered
the conspiracy the nobles had used to keep the people subjugated
and ignorant. Some very vocal voices in the public are calling for the
death of the nobles, and I have a sneaking suspicion the Merchant
Families are fanning those flames.

"It doesn't help that the new queen we're trying to install is from the
same lineage as the oppressors. They just see Historia as a new
face with the same old ideas."

Sakura frowned. "She's a hero from the Battle of Trost. She was
instrumental in the capture of her father."

"A father a large portion of the people want dead."

"Wouldn't be such a bad thing," Sakura muttered.

"Except he knows things about Eren that even we don't," Amina said
darkly.

"What do you mean?"

"The few supporters that he has made this cult, the Cult of the True
King-"

"They named themselves a cult?"

"No, they call themselves Followers of the True King, but I am

hoping that calling them a cult will shift opinion and make them
sound crazy. Which they are. Anyway, they sent Historia a letter
ordering her to release her father and telling her that she and Rod
Reiss needed to touch Eren's skin."

"Touch Eren's skin? Whatever for?"

"That's what we're wondering too. I don't know if they are being
truthful or this is a ploy to mind control Historia or something weird
as that, but we can't kill Rod Reiss yet and close that door forever."

"So you have to keep Rod Reiss alive and sacrifice Historia's
popularity to do so," Sakura surmised.
Amina nodded. "And it was made that way. It's a really powerful ploy
from Zackly if you think about it. Rod Reiss is under the control of the
Military Police right now. Even if Historia wanted to hang him, Zackly
could still say no. But the military is riding a wave of popularity right
now after they 'liberated' us from the nobles. Refusing to hang Rod
Reiss would damage that popularity."

"But by making it seem as if Historia is just another spoiled daughter

protecting her father, the military keeps the goodwill of the people."

"And put Historia in an awkward position where the military could get
rid of her if she doesn't do what they want and nobody would fight for
her."

Sakura clicked her tongue. "That poor girl. She's only fifteen. Does
she know about all of this?"

"No. She already has confessed to not trusting me fully because I

am a noble. The only reason she trusts me is because I am a soldier
and was from the same branch as her. If she finds out my boss
wants her in this vulnerable position she won't ever tell me anything."

"And you don't agree with what Zackly is doing?"

Amina shook her head. "The man is brilliant, but I don't like him. He
is just like the nobles he says he hates; give him just a little bit of
power and he's uncontrollable. At least I know how to deal with the
nobility and subjugate them. I don't know how to deal with a beast
like Zackly.

"He may be my superior, but Historia is my queen."

Sakura sighed. "And that is the crux of the matter for you. It seems
you have made your decision though. Is that why you came here, to
ask me to support Historia?"

"No, the optics of you supporting Historia would just reinforce the
narrative of power and opppression," Amina explained. "Yeah, icky, I
know, considering the threat of the titan-shifters, but people have this
amazing focus for the short-term in Mitras. I was wondering if you, or
one of your clones, could infilitrate the Cult and find out what Rod is
planning."

"I wish I could, but Erwin asked me to teach a small portion of

soldiers how to use chakra. I'll be stationed here for a while."

"Oh, I can't ask you to pause that," Amina said. "The priority will
always be training to defeat the threat from outside. Still, I have to
find a way to make sure the future that awaits us after that is a
prosperous one."

"What if I give you a task force? Mike's team is a part of mine." Even
if the Interior Police is more stealthy, she had just fought them not
even a week ago. She couldn't in good conscious give them an
assignment as important as protecting Historia.

"Are they stealthy?"

"I don't know. I just got this team less than a week ago."

Amina shook her head. "No, it's too risky. I need people you know
are good."

Sakura nodded in don't you let Historia and Rod touch Eren's hand
under our supervision? If something were to happen, I'm very sure
we could control the outcome."

"Sneaking Historia and Rod Reiss out of Mitras is harder than that,"
Amina said. "But I guess it's not impossible. Makes me mad that I
have to spring Rod's trap to find out what he's planning."

"Don't think that way. We won. Rod Reiss is sitting in some dump,
eating shit, while we're out here planning on winning some more."
Sakura stood up and placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "You're
Commander Amina now. And you're always going to have me to
support you."
Amina smiled and placed a hand on top of hers. "It is reassuring to
hear the famed ninja Sakura Ackerman talk with such confidence."

She wasn't even sure if she was going to be here in a month. She
should stop talking so brazenly about ideas that might not even
happen.

"Oh, no."

"What?"

"You. You have that face."

"What face?"

"The face you make when you're hiding something awful."

Sakura dropped her hand from Amina's shoulder. "Why would you
say that?"

"Cut the shit, Sakura. I've known you for long enough. What's
wrong? You can trust me. Is your team giving you problems? Is it
Kenny? I knew it was a bad idea when Erwin said-"

"No, no, it's nothing like that."

She sat back again, boneless. Should she say something? Amina
had kept her secret before, so she didn't doubt her discretion. Did
she want to burden her with this information? She already had a lot
on her plate.

"Then what is it?"

"You promise not to say anything?"

"I'm offended you even have to ask."

Sakura extended her senses to feel for any chakra signatures, just in
case. She focused more to feel for the faint presences of Mikasa,
Levi, and Kenny, but luckily they were past her range.

"The ninjas that wanted to take me back to my original world…

They're not dead."

"What?" Amina exclaimed. "But the report-"

"I lied about that so Erwin wouldn't think I was a traitor," she
admitted. "Also so that I wouldn't worry anyone."

"Oh, Sakura. You idiot. How long do you have?"

"I don't know. It could be a week, a month, a year. I have no way of

knowing or communicating with them to find out."

"So your every day is just a limbo?"

"Well, not exactly. I do have some clues. There are two… factions, I
guess, that want to get me back, and for different reasons. One of
the factions has this very powerful man, Obito, who has visited me
twice in the last month. He's the one I am most concerned about,
since I think he can appear whenever he wants. He says he has to
finish preparing something before he is ready to bring me back,
though I don't know how long it will take.

"The other group, well, is an actual group, and they claim to be

friends of mine. However, Obito told me that their superiors gave up
on trying to bring me back and now want to kill me."

"What wonderful friends," Amina muttered.

"Yes, I know," Sakura agreed darkly. "Their group is larger, so they're

harder to fight, but I don't think they can just appear whenever or
wherever they want, like Obito. I think the titan-shifters have
something to do with their appearances, which is why I have only
seen them once, when they were together."

"Why do they want to kill you?"

"Apparently I am a Vessel. I don't know what it means, but one group
say that I am extremely dangerous if Obito gets to do what he wants
with me."

"Dangerous in what sense?"

"World-ending danger both to my original world and this world,"

Sakura confessed. "Before you say anything, yes, I know it sounds
bad. In fact, I… I briefly considered ending the threat myself but
Obito quickly dissuaded me from doing so."

"How?"

"By killing anyone who had ever met me," she said.

Amina grimaced. "Well, I'm glad he talked you out of it. Killing
yourself wouldn't have solved anything." Sakura privately disagreed,
but she wasn't about to voice that to Amina. "That guy could've found
someone else to take your spot, right? Besides, what if the other
group wanted you to think you were a danger to worlds just so you
would go with them? Then it would've been a complete waste if you
had killed yourself."

"Still," Sakura continued, "let's assume they were telling the truth. It's
not fair that my continued existence puts so many people in danger."

"So what do you think you should do?"

"I don't know. Get stronger? Strong enough to kill Obito? Kill the
titan-shifters so they have no way of contacting the other world?"

"So killing all your enemies," Amina surmised with a frown. "You
know, you can't solve every problem by killing, Sakura."

And that was the crux of the problem. Killing wouldn't solve her
problems, and it wasn't as if she could kill her pursuers anyway.
They were too powerful for her.
"Oh, but I wish I could. But you're right. I have been ignoring the
problem for far too long. It seems my destiny calls me back to my
original world in one way or another, and it won't let me rest until it's
finally solved."

So you'll leave? Son Goku chirped.

"So you're going to leave us?"

"And I'll come back," she said, to both Son Goku and Amina. "I don't
know how yet, but I will. This world is all I know and care about. My
family is here."

"And do you have a plan about how you want things to happen
here?"

"First, you'll have to explain all of this when I disappear. People are
going to be mad, but that comes with finding out you've been lied to."

"Leaving the dirty work to me, huh. Not surprised."

Sakura hoped she looked apologetic enough. "I can't trust anyone
else to do that. I have recruited Kenny, and I hope he'll help look out
after Mikasa, Eren, and maybe even Armin, but if he doesn't I need
you to handle him."

"Not a problem. I have a lot of things I can hold over his head. What
if they take you before we fight the titan-shifters?"

"That is a possibility I haven't considered, which is why I'm very

happy Erwin is entrusting me to teach his soldiers how to use
chakra. They're adults and very fit, which means they should be
easier to teach than children. They should be able to take on the
titan-shifters in their human form."

"What if Obito takes you before that?"

Sakura chuckled darkly. "Truly going for the worst scenario here, are
you? The same we could say about the titan-shifters attacking us
tomorrow. I can't plan for everything, Amina."

She sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Well, this means we need to
get you to lay with someone soon."

Sakura squawked, "What?"

Amina stared at her as if she was an idiot. "Do you really want to
leave this world without feeling any carnal pleasures?"

"I'm not dying!"

"That you know of. You know, now I understand why you were never
involved in the Survey Corps sex culture. You didn't have to worry
about dying every time you went on an expedition. But this time it's
different! Come on, Sakura! It's not like you can wait for someone."

Sakura ignored Son Goku's booming laugh. "Amina, this isn't what
we should be focusing on."

"Wow, I can't believe you're fine dying a virgin."

She grunted and crossed her arms. "Oh, a fate worse than death?
Dying a virgin?"

"Not exactly," Amina admitted sheepishly.

"Besides, I rather not get even more attached to someone. It would

just make things harder for both of us."

Amina raised her eyebrows. "Oh, you have someone in mind?"

"A hypothetical us," she muttered.

"But you are thinking about someone."

"Amina."
"Though I hear there's another Ackerman that was recently
unaccounted for. What did you say? You would marry an Ackerman
for the last name?"

Oh, no, Sakura really hoped she wasn't going to say anything.
"Amina," Sakura repeated, more as a warning.

"I gotta admit, Captain Levi is certainly a step up from Kenny

Ackerman," she said coyly.

"By the Walls! I don't think of Levi like that! Nothing is going to
happen between us. Besides… He's Petra's."

Her friend sobered immediately. "Petra is dead, Sakura."

"I know that."

"You know she wouldn't want her memory to restrict anything from
you. Not about Levi, exactly. Just in general. She adored you.
Besides, they were never a couple. I don't think Levi even knows she
had feelings for him."

"Doesn't matter. There are thousands of men out there. I'm sure I
don't have to pick the one our dead best friend was borderline in love
with. Regardless, the point is moot. I don't feel that way about him
and I don't think I ever will. We're incompatible."

Much to her surprise, Amina made a face that screamed "I disagree
with you," but she chose not to say anything.

"Anyway, I'm sure we should discuss more pressing matters than my

love life."

"Oh, please, Sakura. Most of the conversations we have are about

doom or death. Can't we have something lighthearted sometimes?"

"Sex is lighthearted?"

"Compared to everything else? As light as a feather."

Sakura chuckled. "I suppose that's right. How about this? If there's
any advancements, you'll be the first to know. I expect the same
from you, though!"

"Wouldn't have it any other way. Phew, this conversation was heavier
than what I expected. And I still haven't solved the original issue."

"You know, why don't you bring Historia out here?"

"Here? As in, here, middle-of-nowhere here? What reason could she

have for coming this far out from Mitras, especially before her
coronation?"

"I don't know, to meet her people? I'm sure you can come up with
something."

"What about Rod Reiss?"

"Does he have to be here?" Sakura wondered.

"That cult made it sound in the letter as if he was a significant part of

the ritual."

"Could be a lie they told you just to get him out. Even if nothing
happens, it's not like we'll lose anything in trying."

Amina nodded. "Good point. I'll run the idea by her. I'll send a letter
ahead of our departure if I convince her."

Amina got up from her chair and stretched. "Well, it was amazing to
see you, but now I need to go see Erwin to run these ideas by him.
Oh, I almost forgot. You and the other squad leaders have been
summoned to Mitras this week."

"Why?"

"Budget, I think, and some plans for the future. Anyway, can you
show me where Erwin's office is?"
Sakura sprung up, not at all minding leaving her office. And if it
bought her a couple of more minutes with her friend, she wouldn't
complain.

Levi tried not to roll his eyes at the group gathered with him at the
moment. Erwin, Hange, Nanaba, and himself had spent the some
time thinking of the first batch of soldiers that would learn magic first.
Much to his annoyance, Kenny was in that list since he was
technically Sakura's second-in-command. They had chosen twenty
people from all five teams, though he requested having his entire
team learn at the expense of having less soldiers from Sakura's own
squad. She didn't seem to mind, however, since she agreed with
their final list.

"Welcome, everyone, to our first lesson on how to manipulate

chakra. This will be the hardest lesson of them all, so please do not
feel frustrated if you don't get it right away. In fact, our next session
will be in a three days since I have to leave tonight.

"The first exercise will be meditation."

Everyone groaned. Now it made sense why Sakura had chosen a

training field so far away from the headquarters.

"You're joking," Levi said without inflection. He always had a doubt

that Sakura was qualified to teach them her magic. Not because she
wasn't good, because her strength was undeniable, but because it
came too naturally for her. It was a problem he himself had when
teaching others. They didn't have the same starting level of talent,
and that was a big gap to overcome.

And now she was saying that meditation was what would help them?

Sakura glared at everyone. "Can anyone here tell me what chakra

feels like?" His asshole uncle raised the only hand, making Sakura
smile. "Yes, Kenny. Please explain to everyone how you got to feel
chakra?"
"Meditation," he answered simply.

"Perfect."

"Wait a minute," Eren said. "How come he already knows?"

"Eren, now's not the time."

"No, I think it's a perfect time," Levi continued. How come the
asshole was already ahead? Was Sakura seriously considering
treating him well, giving him an advantage, after everything he had
done? "Why does that shit-stain know how to meditate?"

"You know, I might just decide you're all incapable of learning and
get a new group."

"Wait! The rest of us didn't do anything!" Hange exclaimed. Everyone

else nodded with different levels of enthusiasm.

"Then tell Levi to shut up."

"Levi, shut up. Now, Sakura, please continue, this is fascinating."

He glowered at her, but years of working with him made her immune
to his glare. She blissfully continued with her lesson, though Kenny
pitched in for some borderline helpful comments every once in a
while.

For a long time he thought everything was a waste of time until Eren
claimed to have felt chakra after an hour. He was less convinced it
was bullshit as more people revealed that they were feeling chakra,
including Hange. He trusted her the most, and if she said that she
felt something, then he believed it.

Much to his frustration, he was the last one left on the field. Sakura
dismissed the soldiers that felt magic since she felt that they could
meditate on their own now, and they didn't need her help anymore.
Mikasa had also been on the same situation as him, but she
eventually felt the magic too, leaving him alone with Sakura.
She finally sat down in front of him. "Ah, that feels nice. I haven't had
a chance to sit since this started."

Levi crossed his arms. "This is a waste of time. I don't need to learn
how to do this."

"We both know that's a lie. Tell me, what skill is the one you had to
work hardest to achieve?"

"Nothing," he answered quickly.

Sakura nodded in understanding. "That explains a lot. This isn't

something that can be achieved with physical skill. It's a completely
different world. So don't feel bad. This is the hardest lesson because
it's the most conceptual. I promise it'll get better."

"Conceptual is putting it lightly," he grouched. "I can't get my head to

shut up."

She shook her head. "Your head won't shut up if you force it. You
gotta let it talk, but ignore it. Kinda how when an annoying person is
just yapping away. You ignore them and hope they'll get the hint and
leave you alone. Some people are just more… uh, dense than
others."

He grunted. Of course his mind would be the most annoying one.

Still, he had to get this eventually. He couldn't let Kenny beat him at
something. "Don't you have tips?"

Sakura hummed. "Well, to be honest, I have been teaching everyone

meditation because I know it works. Maybe there's another way that
could help you? Oh, wait, Son Goku is saying something."

Levi had a hard time wrapping his head around the idea that Sakura
had another being living inside of her. If he didn't know better, he
would've chalked it up to Sakura being eccentric and being hit too
many times in the head. Though he had never met this Son Goku,
she mentioned him enough that he felt he should be more curious
about the creature.

Then again, life had changed a lot in the past couple of months. He
didn't even know titan-shifters existed a year ago, and now he had
helped overthrow a monarchy.

"Son Goku said there's another way, but it's more invasive."

"Invasive?"

"They said that if you can feel my chakra, your body will learn to
recognize your own."

Levi raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you do that with everyone?"

Much to his surprise, Sakura blushed. "It's not something you do with
just everyone."

"Hm. Is it like seeing someone naked?"

Her cheeks reddened further. "No! No, nothing like that! It's just more
intimate than simple instruction. Kind of like sharing a drink. Nothing
too bad, you just don't do it with strangers."

Levi rolled his eyes. She would blow this out of proportion. "Right,
yes, sharing drink. Now, can you start doing this so that I can get
back to work? There are budget expense reports we must present to
the nobles and merchants and Zackley."

Was it too late to overthrow the nobility?

"Fine."

Sakura took his hand in hers before he could protest. Her hand was
coarse, just like his own, but her fingers were thinner and smaller. It
made Levi realize that he usually didn't touch people's hands, and he
now understood Sakura's initial unwillingness to teach him this way.
"Try to empty your mind like we've been doing before. It'll help you
feel my chakra."

He closed his eyes and started counting his breaths, hoping to clear
his mind, but for some reason he found Sakura's hand extremely
distracting. His mind was hyper-focused on her warmth, her skin,
even the shape of her fingers. It was a simple holding of hands, and
yet his mind was registering every new sensation.

It was maddening.

He opened his eyes and narrowed them at her. "Sakura. This isn't
working."

Sakura frowned. "You didn't even try to meditate, of course it isn't

working."

"Can we continue this another day?" They would be traveling

together to Mitras. He didn't understand the urgency to master the
technique at the present moment.

Levi attempted to remove his hand from hers, but she gripped it
more tightly. Though her strength didn't hurt, he found it alarming
that he couldn't break her hold.

"No," she said. "You need to learn this today."

"Why?"

"I can't have you lagging behind. It's all of us or none of us," she
said. "Please, Levi. I'm just asking you to try."

Levi sighed and relaxed his hand in hers. "Honestly, something

about your hand is distracting."

"Because people usually don't hold hands. Believe me, it'll feel
weirder once you feel my chakra."

"That's not very reassuring."

Sakura shot him an impatient look. "Just concentrate. Inhale, exhale,
and add one to the breath count."

Though he had half a mind to continue arguing with her, he closed

his eyes and tried to empty his mind once more by counting his
breaths.

One, two, three, four, five-

Her hand was nice.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight-

Why was he focusing so much on her hand?

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven-

How had Kenny done this when he couldn't even focus past
Sakura's hand?

"Breathe, Levi. Go back to the breath," she whispered.

Why did she have to say his name like that?

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve,
thirteen, fourteen, fifteen…

The warmth in her hand morphed into something that felt… Different.
In a way, he was no longer just touching the skin but also something
that was both warm and cold. Something that hummed with life in the
back of his head, something that he was starting to feel that he had
as well. Though he had never felt it within himself, it didn't feel
completely foreign.

It felt like a part of him.

What was that?

"What are you doing?" Levi asked quietly without opening his eyes.
"I'm not doing anything," she answered. "I think you discovered
something you didn't know you had."

"You mean that's chakra?"

Levi opened his eyes and was surprised at how… normal everything
looked. He wasn't sure why he had expected a fundamental shift in
his way of viewing the world. Things were the same, but at the same
time, they were different. He had a new sense he didn't have before,
but it was an inward one rather than an outward one.

Sakura slowly let go of his hand. He tried not to notice its absence
too much, but was surprised to still feel her presence in his mind, as
if she had been branded and his body now recognized her chakra
instinctively.

"That's chakra. For now I'm sure it's weird feeling your own, but you'll
get used to it. The next step will be to manipulate it to get you to
perform some physical feats."

"I can sense your chakra still."

That seemed to catch her attention. "You can? That's interesting. No

one else has mentioned being able to sense other people's chakra.
Is it just me, or if you focus can you feel other people too?"

Levi tried to focus on trying to find a similar feeling Sakura was

emanating, but he failed. "No, just you."

"Son Goku says that my help shouldn't have done anything to you.
Maybe you're a natural chakra sensor like me. Though that's
annoying. Now you'll know where I am."

"That could come in handy in future expeditions," he said. "Is this

another skill that needs to be trained?"

"Yes, but luckily for you I started with a similar level of skill as you. I'll
coach you privately to broaden your range. Your chakra stores are
also on the lower side so I'll help you as well as Mikasa and Kenny."

"Lower side?"

Sakura shrugged. "Must be an Ackerman thing. Still, so far it hasn't

hindered any of your abilities to feel chakra and you're even a
sensor, so I don't expect it has bad implications."

He hummed. "You sure you're not taking too many responsibilities

here? You were just made squad leader."

Sakura smirked at him. "I have a clone currently doing my paperwork

and another one packing for tomorrow's trip." Of course she would
have an unfair advantage even in that department. "So don't worry
about me."

"How do I know you're not a clone?"

"Would it bother you if I were?"

Yes. "No. It's just a curiosity."

"Well, I'm not. I wouldn't send a clone in to do something as

important as teach my first batch of students. You will all help me in
the future, after all."

It warmed his heart slightly to hear how invested she was in helping
the Survey Corps. If only she had had that enthusiasm two years
ago. "You know, we would be so much farther ahead if you had
come clean in the beginning."

Sakura looked down. "I know. He reminded me of that yesterday."

"Who?"

"Jung Mann."

So he hadn't been the only one that had been taken down memory
lane after hearing that name. For as much shit as he gave her, she
had recently taken it gracefully and had not made excuses for her
actions as she usually had while she was his second-in-command. It
was impressive to see how much she had matured in such a short
amount of time.

And she wasn't afraid to make amends, which he really appreciated.

"They were a good team, but as I said before, they made their
choice to save you, and you allowed yourself to be saved by them.
Would life be different had you revealed yourself back then? Yeah.
But there's no use in wondering about that now. You just have to be
fine with the choice you made."

"That's the problem though," she said. "I regret it every day. I
could've saved them."

Just like he could've saved Farlan and Isabel had he not roped them
into joining the Survey Corps. Oh, how much misery he had caused
them. And it all had been his fault. "I'd like to think the people we
failed understand that we didn't mean to fail them. We can only carry
the mistakes we made and hope to not make them again."

"What do you think was my mistake?"

"Lying," he said without even thinking about it. "We all have our
secrets, but some are more damning than others. Yours was one of
those. And the lengths you went to keep it didn't help."

"And if I told you I was doing that again, what would you say?"

Just like he had suspected. Some things never change. "I would say,
'I hope it's worth it.'"

"It's worth it," she replied with a small smile. "My reasons are
different this time, too. I'm not looking after myself this time."

"Who is it for?"
"The people inside the Walls. Us. I just hope once the moment
comes, you'll see it the way I did."

Levi shook his head and tried to hold back a smile. "You know, you're
a dramatic piece of shit. Always have to blow everything out of
proportion."

Sakura stuck her tongue out at him. "You wouldn't have me any
other way."

No, he wouldn't, he admitted to himself privately.

"Keep thinking that."

Welcome back to The Vessel! I know it has been a long time,

and for that I apologize.

For those of you that don't know, I started medical school in the
fall and it has been a rollercoaster. To say I have never worked
as hard as I have in the last year is an understatement.

As I've said before, I will never abandon this story, so don't

worry about that. However, I can't have it as my priority, since I
don't earn any money from this while I am going in debt for
school.

So please be patient with me and leave comments of

encouragement. My chapterly reviewers are awesome and I love
y'all. But considering the amount of hours I put into writing this,
it's discouraging to not hear much besides getting emails
saying there's followers/favorites. So I'd like to hear from new
people!

I can't make any promises about when the next chapter is going
to be updated. If I'm being honest, I am delaying some things
that happened in the manga because I want to get the full lore
of SnK before I make my changes. Since I think the manga is
ending this year, I'll have all the information I need.

If there are any grammar mistakes please let me know!

A Poor Scheme
Previously: Sakura starts teaching her group how to use
chakra, and the Survey Corps members are invited to Mitras.

Just as a heads up, this chapter is unedited. Please let me know

if there are any mistakes.

Despite all of the odds against it, Haruto was waiting for her at the
stables. Though she wouldn't be traveling on horseback to Mitras,
she was still elated to see her dear horse waiting for her, healthy and
with a shiny coat. Haruto cheered up immensely at her presence, but
what surprised her the most was Eren, who was taking his time to
groom him, seemingly content with the world.

With all the finesse of a ninja, she crept up on her brother and
whispered, "Eren?"

"Sakura!" The teen dropped the brush and turned around. "You
scared me! What are you doing here? I thought you left to Mitras
early in the morning tomorrow."

"I haven't seen Haruto in a while, and he calms me down. I didn't

picture you as someone who enjoyed stall duty."

He smirked. "Stall duty? When was anyone from Squad Levi ever on
stall duty?"

She chuckled and punched him lightly on the shoulder. "All right, it
seems you're still cocky as ever."

"Seriously, though, I'm here because I enjoy it. Horses are nice."

"Tell me about it. You can talk to them and they won't tell your
secrets."
At that, Eren paused grooming Haruto. "I… uh, was actually
thinking."

"About? Please tell me it wasn't about titans." Though she hadn't had
high hopes that she would inspire her charges to find hobbies that
were not completely involved with titans, she at least expected some
willingness to try it out.

"It was about titans," he answered sheepishly. At her unimpressed

look, he said, "Hey! It's not my fault my life revolves around them."

"You could make an effort to find something else," she said. "But
fine. What is it about them?"

His expression suddenly became uncomfortable. "I'm not sure how

much I can say."

"I'm a squad leader, Eren," Sakura said, trying to not feel offended by
his hesitance. "Chances are I have access to whatever information-"

"No, not about clearance. I don't care about that."

"Then what is it?"

"You… you don't have your memories, right?"

Her eyebrows went up. "Are your memories gone?"

Eren gave a small nod. "Not nearly as much as yours, but there are
pieces missing. Big pieces that come and go, and the implications
scare me. I'm not sure if you've read this yet, but the titan power is
transferred by eating a titan-shifter."

Sakura sighed. "Yes I heard about this but I haven't had the chance
to truly digest the information."

"It's all I've been able to think about," Eren whispered. "Who did I eat
to gain this power? Sometimes, I see this girl with black hair staring
at me when I look into the mirror. Did I murder her to gain this titan?
I've done it before, so why do I have this awful feeling in my gut?
Why can't I remember? What is going on wi-"

She placed both her hands on his shoulders and squeezed him
gently. "Eren, Eren, listen to me," she said softly. She didn't know
how much time she could spend in the stables before a trip, but it
certainly wasn't enough to fully calm down her brother. "I also have a
lot of questions, but they won't be answered by losing your cool."

"I feel that these questions are going to get in the way of my titan
training. I can barely focus as it is."

She thought about the offer Rod Reiss and the Cult of the True King
had made. It seemed these questions were locked away and
controlled in a similar way hers had been by Obito. Could there be a
sort of connection? Could Rod Reiss then help her unlock her
memories?

No, she needed to focus on Eren first. His knowledge of past events
was more important than her life in another world, at the moment.
Even if her memories had information about what a Vessel was-

Probably not, Son Goku boomed within her mind. Even I don't know
what a Vessel is, and I'm a being older than these ninja villages you
hail from. I would've told you by now if I knew.

You have been able read more of my thoughts than before, she
replied in his mind, trying to sound accusing to the Ape King.

Our chakra has been mixing more and more with each passing day,
but I can't say I have had this connection with any previous
jinchuuriki, Son Goku noted. Whatever Seal Obito used to imprison
me within you is probably allowing a stronger mental connection, and
it definitely isn't one I've ever heard about. Our enemy seems to
have a lot mysterious knowledge even I lack.

"Sakura?"
She snapped away from her thoughts. "I'm sorry, what were you
saying?"

Eren frowned. "You seem to be doing that more often."

She hummed in agreement. "Funnily enough, that's exactly what

Son Goku and I were talking about."

"I forget I'm not the only one going through weird stuff at the
moment."

"You aren't, but your 'stuff' have very strong implications for our
world. I might have an idea on how to deal with this whole memory
issue, but just give me time to work out the kinks."

"Sakura, I don't really care about the kinks. We're on a limited

timeframe."

"It involves Rod Reiss and Historia. We can't trust him to-"

"Still don't care. Rod Reiss lost. Historia is queen now; we won. I
needed to know this yesterday, Sakura." Eren took her hands off his
shoulders and paced around the stable. "Take me with you to Mitras.
That's where Rod and Historia are. I should go to them."

"Eren. You know I can't do that."

"Why not? You and me can take on any threat that comes our way."

"Oh, like how stupendously we handled Kenny Ackerman? And

before you say anything, your duty is to train your titan hardening
powers to plug the wall, not to go on a merry chase for your past
memories." She would know of that duty better than anyone.

"How can I concentrate on plugging the wall when I know there are
other things I need to be doing?"

"Even if I wanted to take you with me, it's too short of a notice.
Neither Hange nor Erwin will consent to you coming on this trip.
Even Amina was apprehensive about bringing you to the capital." Or
Historia and Rod Reiss outside of Mitras, but Sakura wasn't going to
give Eren ammunition to use against him.

He stopped his pacing and looked at her with such fierce eyes that
she forgot this was the little boy she had taught taijutsu to. "Sakura, I
know when something is important, and this is one of those things.
Annie, Reiner, and Bert have so much information over us. I think
there's a bigger enemy than just them."

"Of course there's a bigger enemy than them, Eren. No one has ever
doubted that." It was a terrifying thought knowing they weren't the
last humans left on the planet, and even more terrifying that they
wanted to kill them for an unknown reason. "But you must remember
you are our only titan-shifter. If we were to lose you-"

Eren shook his head. "Then don't. Listen, one way or another I'm
going to go to Mitras. So either I can do it with your help and
succeed or without your help and we'll see how we lose."

"Eren Jaeger, are you blackmailing me?"

"Yes. Absolutely. And you'll do it because you know I'm right." He

took out the key he carried underneath his shirt. "This key wasn't
with me the day we left Shiganshina, Sakura. This key was given to
me, and I don't remember when or why. Maybe we can save
ourselves the grief of going to Shiganshina if we knew what this key
is meant to open."

I don't remember your brother being so pushy, Son Goku noted with
mirth. I can see some character traits transcend blood.

Sakura didn't deign them with a response.

Eren stared at her with those bright green eyes of his. He didn't
betray any weakness or doubt. His will was set on finding the
memories whose absence were plaguing him. She could relate to
the feeling, but she couldn't relate to the knowledge that Eren had
eaten someone to gain his power. She supposed if such secret was
behind the acquisition of Son Goku she would go mad trying to find
out who she had killed to gain the Ape King.

And if she had done it willingly or not.

She sighed and shook her head. "And just when I was cleared from
being a traitor, you drag me back into treasonous territory."

Eren beamed. "Thank you! You're the best!"

Sakura glared at him. "Don't try to sweet-talk me after you just

blackmailed me. Here, this is what we'll do…"

Levi wasn't ecstatic about heading to the capital so soon after finally
settling in their new base. He supposed he needed to make an
appearance as the Survey Corps second in command, but he had to
oversee Eren's training. Erwin had convinced Zackley to let Hange
stay, citing that she was crucial to Eren's training and that couldn't be
delayed for even one day. Even though Hange tried to convince him
she would do fine by herself, Levi knew he needed to help the boy.
Hange didn't know when to stop, and Eren had this unfortunate trait
of always pushing himself to please his superiors. It was not a good
combination.

Sakura and Nanaba didn't share the same luck Hange had. There
was no excuse to save them from the hours of debate and
bureaucracy that lay in their future. Nanaba was used to the
occasion, but Sakura looked uncomfortable in her formal military
wear. This was the first time she donned the clothing, and though
she normally was the definition of confidence, it was finally dawning
on her that she was a leader now and couldn't afford to be reckless.

The carriage jumped when it hit a rather large stone. Levi tried not to
let his displeasure show, since it was a small thing, but the ride was
bumpier than usual.
"Are you looking forward to the meeting, Sakura?" Nanaba said. She
had finished her book a while now, and she tired from the silence.

"Can't say I have. No one looks excited about it."

Though Erwin and he were still looking over the reports and plans
they had written, Levi tried to concentrate on the conversation.

"On any normal occasion, you'd be right," Erwin piped up. "But from
my conversation with Commander Talman yesterday, it seems our
presence in Mitras is two-fold. Besides the obvious reason, Historia's
coronation will be within the week. We're to do the finishing touches,
attend the ceremony, then be back."

Even Levi hadn't heard the news until now. If it was going to be such
a public event, why the need for secrecy? He would need to ask
Erwin in the future what his plans were, or what he suspected
everyone else's plans were.

"A week in Mitras," Sakura repeated. "That's… delightful."

Levi held back a smirk. "You don't sound delighted."

Instead of rising to his comment, Sakura remained strangely lost in

thought.

"Wouldn't Historia like to have her friends with her?" Nanaba asked.

Erwin finally looked up from his papers and smiled at her. "They will
be sent for soon enough. I wanted them to come with us to Mitras,
but Hange was right: the quicker Eren can start his training the
better."

"Shouldn't we leave him alone, then?" Sakura asked. "It wouldn't do

him good to be interrupted."

"He hasn't had any rest for as long as he's been in the Survey
Corps," Levi noted. How peculiar of her to not fight for some
relaxation for her brother. "Two days of rest won't change the fate of
humanity."

The carriage jumped again, and this time all four of them slid from
their seats in the carriage.

Nanaba sighed in annoyance. "Sakura, if I had known the new

soldier you requested to drive us was this horrid I would've denied
you and would've drove us myself."

"I'm sorry," Sakura said sheepishly. "Kenny told me this man was
good, but clearly he was mistaken."

At the sound of his uncle's name, Levi felt the hairs in the back of his
neck stand up. " That's one of Kenny's men? Pink freak, what are
you thinking? You want to kill us that bad?"

" My man, Levi, my man," she replied coldly. Levi tried to avoid
dwelling on the weird feeling that phrase caused him. "He's a part of
my squad now."

"You mean Kenny's squad," he grumbled. He avoided Sakura's

offended gaze by shifting his attention to his papers. "Those men
only follow you because for some reason that shit stain has taken a
liking to you."

"Levi," Nanaba said in warning. "Your attitude isn't helping."

"It usually never does," Sakura muttered.

"Next time he screws up, I'm kicking him out and doing this myself,"
Levi said after the carriage hit another bump.

"No, I'm gonna do it. He's part of my team, I'll take responsibility for
him."

He scoffed. He supposed he should be glad that she was willing to

take responsibility for her soldiers, but he said before he could help
himself, "I highly doubt you can do a better job."
Erwin finally seemed to grow tired of their quarreling, because he
sighed and replied, "Levi, the road has always been less than ideal.
Sakura, next time you make a last minute decision, run it by me first.
I would at least like to vet the man."

"Yes, sir."

He had to hold in a snort at Sakura's reply. Still so deferential

towards Eyebrows, even as a Squad Leader. Levi sneaked a glance
at Erwin and noticed even the blond had trouble holding in a smile.

Though the rest of the trip still had their bumps, they became fewer
and farther in between. Levi and Erwin continued reading over their
paperwork while Sakura and Nanaba devoured another book. Or, at
least, Nanaba was reading a new book. Every time Levi peeked at
Sakura from his paperwork, he noticed she was deep in thought, not
even bothering turning the pages to pretend she was still reading.

Her comments from the day before came back to him, unbidden.
She was planning something, and though he wanted to give her the
benefit of the doubt, her plans usually didn't take him into account.
Her world revolved around a select few people, and though he had
noticed the strides she had made to include the Survey Corps, he
highly doubted that she had a huge change of heart in the last
couple of weeks.

What was interesting (and concerning) was her newfound

appreciation of Kenny. For the life of him, Levi couldn't figure out
what was it about Kenny that drew Sakura to him. The man had
threatened to kill her not even two weeks ago, and now they were
bonding over meditation and her magic. Levi knew he couldn't
expect her to have the same grudge he had for his uncle, but Sakura
wasn't exactly the forgiving type, so what was going on between her
and Kenny? Did he have anything to do with this new plan of hers?

The next time he checked on Sakura, she appeared to be reading

her book again, whatever had troubled her mind apparently
forgotten.
As soon as the carriage arrived at its destination hours later, every
Squad Leader quickly disappeared to do their own thing. Though
Levi was curious as to why Sakura had left before even saying a
peep, Levi had his own agenda.

Namely, to hide from anyone that could possibly interrupt him with
stupid requests.

Though he could get away with finding secluded spots in the Survey
Corps headquarters, he didn't have as much luck in the capital. He
didn't know the layout as well as he should have, since most trips to
Mitras consisted of going to report their budgets then heading back
the next morning.

Besides, he hated the place. The stench of wealth was just a

reminder that while everyone here dined in their fancy clothes and
spoke in their stuck-up manner, hundreds of people were starving
underneath them in the Underground. It would be so easy to allow
people from the Underground back into the surface. They didn't even
have to live in Mitras, they could just go wherever they wanted.

His hatred of the capital consumed him so that he almost walked into
someone. He was about to growl at the idiot, but luckily stopped
when he noticed the uniform. He looked up slightly and was
surprised to see amused dark eyes staring back at him.

"Captain Levi," the Commander of the Royal Guard said. "What a

surprise. What brings you to the shopping district of Mitras?"

Shopping district? Levi looked around and noticed the disgusting

amount of stores displaying various dresses and accessories. His
past self would be so disappointed to find out his skills had dulled.
He would be killed in a second if he were randomly dropped back
into the Underground.

"Browsing," he said automatically. No need to let her know he was

an idiot. "What about you? Don't you have a queen to guard?"
Amina motioned him to follow, and for some reason he did. It's not
like he had anything better to do. "Well, that is the problem. She isn't
queen yet, even though people assume she already is. I'm here to
find her something suitable to wear at a short time notice. I'm sure
you know about her upcoming coronation already?"

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Yes. Would have been nice to
know before coming that we were being drafted into some political
nonsense."

She giggled, which he found rather strange since he hadn't meant to

sound funny. To add to his bewilderment, she glanced at him fondly.
"Unfortunately, the coronation has to be secret. Survey Corps
soldiers are still mixed with Garrison and MPs after Eren's rescue
attempt, yes? I couldn't take the risk in having anyone not meant to
be there overhear."

"I thought a coronation had to be public. Isn't that the point?" To let
the peasants know there's a new overlord?

"You just called Historia a queen a moment ago," Amina pointed out.
"Most people think she's already in charge. At this point, the
coronation is just a formality for the nobles, one that they insist in if
Historia wants their cooperation."

"Why am I not surprised."

"Your hatred of the nobility is refreshing. I heard rumors that you

were born in the Underground."

"Not sure why they're rumors. It's not like I hide my origins. Unlike
some other people."

Amina gasped in delight. "Is that a barb aimed at me? Or! Better yet!
Sakura?"

He shrugged, a bit unsure as to why his insult made her excited.

"Take it as you will."
"I'm getting sidetracked. Anyway, I think that you and our new queen
have more in common than you think."

"How so?" He wasn't very sure how their backgrounds were similar,
unless she was about to tell him he was some sort of long-lost prince
or something.

"What do you think is the biggest hurdle to getting everyone from the
Underground out of there?"

Now that was surprising. "We didn't just casually meet just now did
we?"

"No. There is no way I could've ever guessed you would wander to

the Mitras shopping district. But just indulge me. What is the biggest
hurdle to getting everyone out of the Underground?"

"We don't have citizenship papers," he recited, almost from memory.

It was how he joined the Survey Corps to begin with. "Those born
there are the children of the unwanted."

"Well, yes, that is the story you all have been told for a while. But if
it's a matter of citizenship, then it should be easy to grant everyone a
piece of paper that says you're subjects of the queen."

"If it's so easy, why hasn't it been done then?"

Amina hummed in agreement. "Now that is the question! The simple

answer is that there are powerful people that benefit from the
oppression those in the Underground face. Everyone there is forced
to deal with the black market. The nobles depend on those
Underground do to their dirty bidding."

Levi thought back on his own circumstances, on the noble who

wanted to get dirt on Erwin. Had he never been in the Underground,
he wouldn't have felt the need to join that crazy mission that
ultimately cost the lives of Isabel and Farlan.
"Historia and I have a problem. Zackley and the nobility are currently
warring with each other over who has the power over Historia. The
Merchant Families aren't making it any better."

"I don't see how that's my problem exactly." If Amina was hoping to
recruit him to do his bidding, she had another thing coming. Historia
actually being in power didn't concern him.

Amina rolled her eyes at him. "If you would let me finish. There is
something interesting about power. If it is a matter of strength, then
you should be the one everyone hears around here. If it is a matter
of cunning, then Erwin would be calling the shots. If it is about
money, then the nobility by all means would be running the show
instead of having their heads incarcerated for being traitors.
Connections? Then Merchant Families."

"Zackley is calling the shots here," Levi said. "He may not be the
strongest man, but he is the leader of the military. It seems strength
is the best."

Amina shook her head. "See, that is what I thought too. Until a week
ago. Here, read this."

She handed him a letter. Levi noticed that the lettering was delicate,
and the envelope sealed with wax bearing the royal insignia.

Dear Historia,

I hope you haven't forgotten the offer I made you. This is more than
just about you and me. This is about our people, and the world. You
need to understand the truth of the world. I know I have kept you in
the dark, both hidden away from people and ignorant of your destiny,
but I understand this was a mistake. You must confront your destiny.
You must inherit The Founding Titan. Bring Eren, and I'll show you
the whole truth. He stole your birthright from you, and it is time to get
it back.
Tonight, I will give you a chance to come to me. You will know when
the time is right.

With love,

Rod

"This asshole is still going on with this?" Levi asked in disgust. "Just
like a cockroach. I hope you're not considering doing this. It's
obviously a trap." Especially since Eren had some power they
couldn't risk losing to anyone.

"But I am intrigued, and so is Historia. We can't make any moves

until we know that it is safe, though, and we can only guarantee that
if the Cult changes allegiance to her . The Cult could even tell us
what Rod wants, even."

"And you think getting the cult over to Historia's side will give her
power?"

"The true power isn't in the cult, Levi. It's in the Founding Titan."

"You can't be serious."

"Getting that into Historia's hands might be the best way to even the
odds right now."

Levi frowned. Though this was the first time he had ever heard about
the Founder, having it in the hands of the fifteen-year-old girl didn't
seem like the most sound idea at the moment. "Rod wants Historia
to eat Eren," he pointed out. According to Sakura's report, royal
blood was needed to make full use of the Founding Titan's power.
That meant Eren was incompatible with it. "That's never going to
happen."

"Who are the people who know that prerequisite?" Amina asked.

Levi blinked. The people who had been present at the Crystal Cave.
Him. Amina. Erwin. Hange. Nanaba. The Wallists. Too many people,
for his count. "Enough that your plan won't work."

"All the people you thought about, except Rod, are involved with the
Survey Corps in one way or another, right? Once Rod is dead, the
Wallists will inevitably put their weight behind Historia. They
supported Rod even though Eren had the Founding Titan all along,
after all. So, even if she can't use it, does that really matter if people
believe it?"

Levi took a moment to look around the city of Mitras. Here he was,
an Underground rat, discussing keeping the people ignorant with a
noble woman. It seemed that as much as Amina had changed, her
currency was still deceit and manipulation. He wanted to outright
refuse such an offer, and he felt his skin crawl at even discussing
this in broad daylight, but something kept him from leaving right
there and then.

"You mentioned the Underground before. It's how we got here."

"I will free the Underground if you help me convince Erwin it is for the
best that the people believe Historia holds the power of the Founding
Titan. Eren can keep the power, that was never my intention. Sakura
would skin me alive, after all. I just want Historia to have a seat at
the table."

Levi growled. So that's where she was going. Was he so weak that
she zeroed in on him to get him to help? "How are you going to get
around Zackley knowing? He knows Eren is a titan, and that Historia
isn't."

"Erwin owed me a favor. I simply asked him to refrain from

submitting the report for a couple of weeks. Zackley doesn't know
the intricacies behind the Founding Titan. To be honest, neither do
we. Rod still knows too much. Look, you don't have to make a
decision right now. I understand that you have your reservations
about nobles, and rightfully so. However, I don't trust one person
having too much power, and you shouldn't either."
"So I should put everything behind Historia, a girl you can easily
manipulate?"

Amina giggled at that. "You really think Historia is easily

manipulated? The girl doesn't trust me, and me giving her this gift
might even worsen our working relationship. We may have not
known each other very well while I was in the Survey Corps, but
Hange was my mentor, and Sakura is my dearest friend. The only
thing I truly serve is humanity. You can at least trust that."

Only idiots and people with savior complexes joined the Survey
Corps. He couldn't deny that part of her heritage, at least. Though
his logic told him that she was just showing him her true colors as a
deceitful noble, his gut knew that one of his comrades wouldn't do
something like that. Especially since she was well-acquainted with
the enemies they had on the outside.

"Does Sakura know about your scheming?"

She shook her head. "Not at the moment, no. She's not the best at
playing politics. All that raw power of hers makes her incapable of
reaching compromises with others when she believes she can just
force change herself. Besides, we must learn to rely less on her."

Levi tried not to show his surprise at that. Had something happened
between the two? Not that it was any of his business; their friendship
was a strange one.

"I'm not expecting a response right at this second, Levi. However, I

don't have unlimited amount of time. How about you give me an
answer before you leave back to headquarters?"

Though he wanted to outright say no right now, the memories of

Isabel and Farlan gave him a pause. There were brats suffocating
beneath his feet at the moment, and he would be remiss to dismiss
the opportunity just because he didn't completely trust Amina.

"Fine, but don't get your hopes up."

Amina bowed her head slightly at him and took her leave. The
crowds of Mitras had just witnessed something almost positively
treasonous, and yet none were the wiser.

"Tsk," he muttered. To think that not even ten years ago he was
fighting for his life, and now he was embroiled in politics and nobility.
Just what would Farlan and Isabel think about him?

Sakura didn't even consider how suspicious she looked as she

darted out of the carriage and went looking for her adopted brother.
The carriage driver was as stiff as a stone, as if the simple act of
breathing would draw the wrath of gods upon him.

It wasn't the wrath of gods he earned, but rather the wrath of a pink-
haired ninja.

She jumped next to him and hissed, "What was that ?"

Eren winced, but managed to adopt an annoyed expression. "It's not

like you could've done a better job," he muttered. His wig had been
itchy the entire trip, and he had been paranoid that Erwin was going
to request to stop at every other town on their way to Mitras.

"I'm sorry, Eren. You're right. This was just the easiest way I could
think of to sneak you into the capital."

"Were they suspicious?"

"No. They all chalked it up to my inexperience," Sakura said. "The

concerning part is that Historia is going to be crowned this week."

"So it'll be hard to catch her by herself."

"And Erwin is thinking of inviting Historia's friends to the coronation.

Which includes you."
"So I was going to be summoned anyway," Eren said, annoyed. "I
suppose I could learn to be patient."

She shook her head. "You wouldn't have been here long enough to
allow for any meaningful conversation with Historia. You probably
wouldn't be able to even mutter the name Rod Reiss."

"Right," he agreed.

"The plan is still on. We must find Historia now so we can go tonight
for Rod. I can't guarantee how long it'll take before Hange figures out
the fake-Eren cannot titan-shift."

"So our deadline is tonight. Got it."

"Let's find a relatively empty room for you to hide in. I'll bring Historia
there for you two to meet. Act normal and let me do all the talking if
someone stops us."

Eren nodded and started following her, though a bit stiffly. It couldn't
be helped. This was Eren's first infiltration mission.

However, finding Historia in the building would be difficult. Since

Eren's request had been such short notice, she hadn't been able to
do enough recon about the layout, security, or Historia's schedule. To
start, she wasn't even sure in what building she was staying. They
had parked in front of the military headquarters, but she was sure
that she would be housed in her castle, which was nearby but had
the same intelligence problems as the military headquarters.

The MPs left them relatively alone, steering clear from them
whenever they saw them. Unbeknownst to Sakura, she had gained
notoriety in the last month. Word of her exploits at Stohess, and her
subsequent treason charge, had spread like wildfire in the interior.
Though not nearly as famous as Eren, her origins were a topic of
mystery and speculation which would follow her wherever she went.
Though Sakura was unaware of the reason behind the stares and
avoidance, she knew that her pink hair was attracting too much
attention and would make her infiltration harder than usual. As soon
as they found a simple storeroom, Sakura cast a simple henge over
her face, adopting the face of a nondescript soldier she saw earlier. It
was a gamble, of course, because while she found her
unmemorable, there were others out there who didn't, but she didn't
want to run the risk of making an entirely new face from her
imagination only for it to fail.

The area was small, with only one oil lamp that had little fuel left. It
reassured Sakura that the state of the room meant that upkeep was
a low priority, meaning less chances for Eren to be found out.

"How do I look?"

She had to enhance her eyesight with chakra to be able to catch

Eren's perturbed look. "It still freaks me out how you do all of that.
When are you going to teach us your technique?"

"Probably not anytime soon. I don't have enough time before our
operation to teach you how to be ninjas. Only some fundamentals of
fighting." She would be ecstatic if everyone was talented enough to
enhance their movements and senses with chakra. That, combined
with their 3DMG, might give them a chance to face off the titan-
shifters in their human forms. She didn't think anyone would be able
to attack them one-on-one, but they outnumbered the titan-shifters to
begin with.

"All right, you stay here. If I'm not back in an hour, two hours top, you
should go to my rooms. This means the mission would have failed,
but at least I would be able to bring you back to the training area
before Hange finds out about your fake."

"I rather not think about failure," Eren said, "but I understand. I'll
meditate while you're gone."
Sakura's eyes lit up and she searched the storeroom for any pieces
of blank paper. Though the area was used more for weapons
storage, she found some old documents with old reports that no one
would miss or look for.

She ripped a small piece and handed it to him. "If you want to try
something other than meditating, try to stick this into your forehead
and keep it there with chakra."

Eren took the paper and frowned. "How should I do that?"

Sakura shrugged. "How do you move a finger? It's just something

you have to learn how to do. Now that you are aware of your chakra,
you need to focus your chakra to your forehead to make sure it
doesn't fall. Concentration is one of the fundamentals for any
technique. If you can't learn that, then you won't be able to
manipulate your chakra in the future."

You should demonstrate for him, Son Goku said.

She struggled to keep the frown from her face. Very funny, Son
Goku. I wonder why it is that I lost my fine chakra control.

All in due time, foolish jinchuuriki. However, if you keep wasting your
time with foolish requests, maybe that time won't come at all.

This time Sakura did roll her eyes. Her tailed beast disapproving of
her attachment to this world and its inhabitants was nothing new.

"Fine. This should keep me occupied, at the very least."

Sakura glanced at him and felt a wave of affection wash over her.
His frustrated look was still the same one he sported when he was
ten-years old. Though he had grown up so much in the last five
years, he was still her adopted little brother, one of the few people
she could call family. She knew he had her wrapped around his little
finger, and she didn't mind.
She planted a kiss on his forehead. "If you can't get it, it's okay. You'll
be ahead regardless."

He stared at her, wide-eyed, and nodded dumbly. "Y-yeah."

The ninja left without a second glance. There weren't that many
times she and Eren spent time alone, and though she would love to
stay in that room coaching him through the exercise, she needed to
find Historia before the sun set.

Luckily for Sakura, Historia had a particular chakra signature. It

wasn't small like the Ackerman family's or Amina's, and not nearly as
plentiful as Eren's. Maybe it had something to do with her royal
blood? At any rate, when she "kidnapped" Historia, her chakra
signature became ingrained in Sakura's memory. Locating her would
mean she would just have to be within the same range as her.

That is how she knew Historia wasn't in the military headquarters. It

wasn't too surprising. Historia had left the Survey Corps when she
had stopped being Krista. That meant she would have to go to the
castle.

She searched for secluded spots to body-flicker to and from. Though

she had snuck around Mitras not too long ago when she left the
Burgeis, she had only used her powers when she was in the
outskirts of the capital, and only after she had been found out.
Though she would like to do this mission on the safer side, she was
on a limited time frame to not only find Historia, but also sneak out
with the queen.

The queen's manor was surprisingly less opulent than what she
expected. Oh, it was furnished with the finest wood, the walls
adorned with beautiful artwork, and the floors had the most luxurious
rugs, but there wasn't anything in the castle that she could think
would be worth a fortune. But maybe her commoner background just
made her incapable of appreciating the value of the things she was
seeing.
The castle was more heavily guarded than Sakura anticipated.
Though she entered easily because she was military, she noticed the
guards eyed the civilians with either interest or distrust. It would
make sense for the military to keep tabs on the comings and goings
of the queen's guests. Sakura felt a pang of sadness for the blonde
girl. She truly lived in a gilded cage. She also didn't know how to feel
about Zackley being the true head of government. Sure, it was better
than the nobles and Rod, but at least the power seemed more
decentralized that way. Now…

Your old village was like that, Son piped up as Sakura walked
around the castle. You had a Hokage that was both the leader of the
ninjas and leader of the city. My past jinchuuriki's leader was the
Tsuchikage. Every village has their own ninja leader.

She spotted a male servant walking around the hallways and

changed her henge to match him once she found a secluded corner.
Did we like that? Now that she wore a normal attire, she relaxed her
shoulders and started walking around the castle hallways. Historia
was near, however she had never trained to find people in buildings.
It was hard to tell the minute differences of when her chakra
signature was getting closer.

I'm honestly surprised you haven't asked for a military government

here, they said. The ninja villages start indoctrinating their children
before they are even old enough to count. And these children, even
if they don't grow up to become ninjas themselves, are devout
believers in the legitimacy of the system and its figurehead, the
kage. It's truly a great system.

You sound bitter. She could understand, in a way. The only reason
why jinchuuriki existed was because they were powerful tools of
battle. Ever since Son Goku had awoken, she felt so much more
chakra she was afraid it was all getting to her head. However, this
power came at the cost of her companions freedom. It wasn't a fair
deal.
It is a system that breeds war because it is sustained by it, Son Goku
said, their deep voice particularly grave. I wouldn't be surprised if
something similar happens within your walls, now that you have a
kage of your own at the helm.

Son-

A palace servant gave her a confused look, and she sped up before
she could be stopped.

I've said enough, they cut her, though there was no annoyance or
frustration in their voice. We can talk about this at a later time. Focus
on your mission for now.

Promise?

Son Goku was quiet for a while. Sakura thought that they had gone
back to slumber before they said, I'll summon you to your mental
plane while you sleep. This is where we first met. I'll tell you what I
think then.

Thank you. I look forward to it.

Sakura grew weary of trying to find Historia on her own. Plus it

wouldn't take long before someone started asking questions. She
approached another servant, a petite brunette that barely looked
older than Mikasa. As soon as she was in her line of vision, she gave
out a squeak and put her face down. Oh, great, so she knew the
person she was pretending to be.

"H-Harold! I d-didn't think I would find you here."

"That's because I shouldn't be," Sakura responded. She was unsure

if she pitched him correctly, since she had never heard Harold speak
in her life. Henge wasn't good at copying vocal cords if she had
never heard them. "I'm trying to find Queen Historia, but it seems the
schedule I was given is wrong."
The girl gave "him" a quizzical stare. "Are you all r-right? You sound
funny."

Sakura gave her an unimpressed look. She was hoping Harold was
an intimidating man to cause her to stutter so much. It was either
that or a crush.

"S-sorry!" she squeaked. "Queen Historia got called to an urgent

meeting with Lady Heike. I think they're having tea in her private
wing." Either the girl was new or the palace staff was atrocious at
keeping such delicate information private. No wonder the Cult of the
King was able to deliver letters personally to Historia.

"Right. Thanks. I'll see you around."

She left before the girl could even formulate a response. Sakura
found a secluded spot and changed her henge to match the girl she
had just met. Harold asking anyone where the private wing of the
queen was would be too suspicious, but a girl as nervous (or new)
as the one she had just met wouldn't.

As a finishing touch to her illusion, she grabbed a nearby vase and

made it look like a tray with two tea cups. It was not the best henge
she had made (the tea cups weren't even filled with liquid!), but it
would be enough to get her into the chamber. Her control was poor,
and she needed most of her attention on her appearance.

Sakura searched for a guard and was concerned it took her more
than five minutes to find one. This palace should be better guarded!
Where was the security? The soldier she found was a blonde woman
standing by a corner at the end of a hallway. She carried a single
rifle and the insignia on her jacket was a golden crown. Huh, so one
of Amina's.

"Excuse me," she said in a perfect imitation of the girl. "I was a-
asked to deliver tea to the Queen and Lady Heike in her private
quarters, but I keep getting lost. Could you take me there?"
"Girl, the Queensguard has more pressing things to do than escort
some maid. Ask your superiors."

"Like Commander Amina?" Sakura asked innocently. The soldier

stiffened and her brown eyes narrowed. "She just asked me on my
way here to deliver this and left before I could say anything. Please, I
really don't want to make her mad."

The soldier blew a puff of air and grumbled something at her side.
"Fine. I wouldn't wish her anger on you. You barely look like you can
make it a month here."

"Thank you!" Sakura said with more cheer than she really felt. So
Amina had a reputation already.

Sakura followed behind the soldier, trying to think of a way to get rid
of her and this Heike so she and Historia could have a private talk.
Her chakra signature was getting stronger, meaning she was getting
close and didn't have much time to concoct such a plan. Maybe she
could knock her out and apologize later?

Historia's private wing felt more homely than the rest of the castle. It
was definitely staffed with more guards and less servants. Perhaps
her earlier assessment had been wrong and they were protective
over their queen?

They reached a door that had two tall guards stationed next to them.
Now that would be more difficult than expected. She would have to
give Amina a big apology in addition to the ones to the soldiers.

"We have some black tea for the Queen and her guest," the soldier
said.

Immediately her escort and one of the soldiers drew their rifles at
her. The other opened the door and yelled, "We found one, Queen
Historia!"
The blonde growled at her, "What did they do to you, Lisa! Are you
even her?"

Ah, crap. Well, it would've been a stroke of good luck if the mission
went without a hitch without gathering any sort of background
information.

Historia appeared at the door followed by a stone-faced elderly

woman. Sakura didn't need to know Historia very well to know she
was enraged.

"You and your comrades sure are-"

Sakura dropped the henge on both her body and the vase. "Hey!
Queen Historia! It's me!"

"S-Sakura!" Historia exclaimed. The Queensguard and the

noblewoman voiced their surprises, not expecting a pink-haired
woman to appear from a poof of smoke. Still, they kept their rifles
trained on her.

Good.

"What are you doing here?" she continued, her anger forgotten and
replaced by pure confusion. "Val, Gatz, Fred, you can lower your
weapons, please."

"But-" Val said, not following her command just yet. "She's a-"

"She's a friend."

The three didn't hide their doubt. Her short stint as traitor to humanity
had not endeared her to everyone, it seems. Still, Val ended putting
her rifle down, though not before shooting Sakura a cold look.

"What brings you here in such secrecy? Surely I could've granted

you an audience if you had just asked," Historia said.
Sakura looked around her. There were four people too many in this
conversation. "I came in secrecy because the less people know I'm
here meeting with you, the better."

"If this is about the Cult," the elderly lady (Heike?) began, "then you
need not worry. We are also searching for them."

"Close, but not exactly. Please, Queen Historia. We don't have much
time."

The queen stared at her with earnest blue eyes. The air was charged
with tension and wariness, but it seemed Historia truly wanted to
believe. "This is the second time you come to me telling me to trust
you."

"And what happened in the first time?" she prodded. "This time, I'll
explain more."

"Right. Guards, please grant us some privacy."

The guards saluted their queen and filed away. Val turned back to
give Historia a concerned glance and Sakura a heated glare.

"Lady Heike…"

Heike gave a curtsy, though it took some effort from her body.
"Please keep me updated, Queen Historia. Lady Ella."

Sakura stiffened at the name. Ella had been what the Burgeis had
called her since her name was too foreign. That Heike had made the
connection already meant that she knew about her connection to the
Burgeis, and was probably more aware of Sakura than just simply a
"traitor."

Historia gave her a questioning glance, to which Sakura shook her

head. "It's not important."

The ninja stepped inside the tea room and closed the door. A tall
window allowed sunlight to completely illuminate a large room
surrounded by bookcases. The centerpiece was a small, white table
adorned with gold and two matching chairs. The drapes on the
window were a deep blue, which contrasted nicely with the bright red
rugs.

"I am going to guess we don't have time for a drink," Historia said.

"I'm afraid not. I think you need to meet Rod Reiss."

"I agree," she responded, much to her surprise. Amina had made it
sound as if Historia would be disgusted to see him. "In fact, we
initially thought you were going to be my escort to him. You see, I
was invited for an event tonight, and I needed all the information I
could get from one of the Wallists."

"Wait, tonight?" Could it be a coincidence, or had Rod planned it this

way? No, there was no way he could've known Eren was going to
request to come here on this particular day. She was becoming too
paranoid.

"I suppose he's becoming desperate, since my coronation is

approaching. However, I believe it is too early to meet with him.
Perhaps in a year-"

"I'm afraid we can't wait that long. The reason why I'm here right now
is because I brought Eren with me to Mitras to meet with you and
Rod tonight."

"Eren is here?" Historia exclaimed. "Sakura, why!"

She winced. It was idiotic, but her adopted brother needed to know, it
seems. "He begged me to come here, and I couldn't say no. He says
he can't concentrate on plugging the wall until he regains memories
he has lost." And makes sense of the memories he has gained.

"And he thinks that meeting my father will solve those issues?

Whoever gave him the idea?" Historia eyed her suspiciously. Sakura
only knew about this because Amina told her, and she wasn't sure
that Amina had been at liberty to mention the letters the Queen had
been receiving.

She opted for honesty. "I'm sorry, my Queen." She bowed on one
knee, aware that this was how the nobility formally asked for
forgiveness. "I gave him the idea because Amina previously asked
me to infiltrate your father's group to find out what they were doing. It
accidentally slipped my tongue when Eren was asking for ideas."

Historia sighed.

"I understand this plan is not the most thought-out and for that I
apologize. I'm not asking to put you and Eren in danger. If anything,
I'm against either of you touching Eren, since we have no idea what
that could cause. I just want the three of you to meet properly."

"And without any of the military command knowing?"

Sakura frowned, unsure if this was a trap Historia was laying for her
to walk in. Expressing such thoughts were treasonous. Not so long
ago, Historia had made her charges disappear, but Sakura was
unsure if this was because she truly believed in her innocence or
because she had to do it. "Unfortunately, none of them would be in
favor of this meeting." Even Amina, her closest ally, would balk at
what she was doing. "It is understandable. You two are very
important figures for us in our fight against the titan-shifters.

"But I trust my adopted brother's instincts. If he says gaining this

information is important in our fight against the titan-shifters, then I
believe him. And I would never let anything happen to either of you
two, which means the meeting would take place in our turf."

Historia frowned, and Sakura's heart sank. "You know, Sakura, I've
never truly thought about whose side you're on. Ever since I took this
position, I've been aware that everyone is using me to further their
agenda, but what truly angers and frightens me is that I am unaware
of their agenda or end-goal. However, I think I have figured yours
out: you would do anything for your family. All your actions start
making sense with that frame in mind, especially this poorly-thought
plan. You knew Eren would join the Survey Corps, so you joined in
advance to pave the way. Titan-shifters are your enemy, but not
because they threaten humanity, but because they threaten Eren
and Mikasa.

"I know Eren will be safe if we meet my father. However, how can
you guarantee mine? I am of no use for you or your family. Once
Eren gets what he wants from our meeting, why would I think that
you care about my safety?"

Sakura tried hard not to think about how derailed their conversation
had gotten. At this point, Eren might be heading to her rooms soon,
thinking the mission was a failure. However, convincing Historia to
come willingly with her was not an option this time, and forcing her to
come would just not work.

And, just because Eren had changed locations didn't mean that their
meeting wouldn't go as planned. It would just take an extra step.
Having Historia come of her own volition was more important than
keeping a tight schedule.

"Maybe a year ago your assessment would have been right, Historia.
I understand why my background would give you pause. I haven't
been the most honest soldier, and I have been experiencing the
consequences of those decisions these last few months. I've learned
that I can't do everything by myself. The inside of the walls are the
only home I've ever known, and you're their ruler. I will protect you
because you're our queen, but also because you're a good kid.

"My brief time with the nobles taught me they're not the kindest nor
most truthful of people. You also have to juggle the merchants and
military, which I'm sure they're all ruthless. You accepted this position
for a greater good, and I admire that selflessness of yours. I think
you can teach me a couple of things about duty to our people."

Sakura panicked when she saw Historia's eyes tear up. Had she
offended her?
"Can I trust Amina? I know you two are friends, and you are biased,
but please tell me I can trust her? Tell me the truth, and I'll go with
you."

"Uh, um," she began, unsure how to proceed. Sakura had entrusted
Amina with all her secrets, but they were best friends. She wasn't
sure what her relationship was to Historia. Sakura tried to remember
the conversation they had two days ago. "She said that Zackley may
be her superior, but you are her queen. You should trust her. I think
she has a soft spot for you."

Historia nodded, as if she had confirmed something for her. "Oh, I

hope she forgives me earlier harshness and my future indiscretion.
Take me to Eren, please. We need to plan for our meeting tonight.
But first I need to change. I cannot walk around the capital in this
dress. Can you please call Val inside? I must tell her that I have
been called to an urgent meeting."

Sakura agreed. It would be much easier for them to sneak around if

Historia wasn't wearing such a well-tailored and beautiful pale green
dress. "Can you also tell her not to mention my appearance to
Amina? She'll figure out what we're planning if she knew I was here."

"Right. We can tell about this meeting after the fact."

Sakura only hoped that her friend would forgive her after she heard
what a success it had been.

The fight had barely started and Zeke had already body-flickered
behind her. He wrapped a long hairy arm around her titan, swept her
legs beneath her, and took her down. Annie winced from the inside
of her titan as she struggled and clawed at him, but Zeke was more
powerful than her. What would Itachi-sensei say if she saw her like
this?

She struggled against his hold, hoping to find a weak point against
him, but Zeke simply tightened those long arms around her neck.
Annie gritted her teeth and tapped the ground next to her.

The Beast Titan let her go and Annie rolled away from him. She
removed her real body from the nape of her titan, the steam from her
titan warming her skin. Zeke did the same, a blonde man appearing
from the nape of the hairy titan.

"Give it up, Annie. You're not strong enough to go back in by

yourself."

Annie grit her teeth and landed on the ground. Bertolt was
immediately at her side, observing her for any injuries. "Annie, are
you-"

"Warchief, that was unfair and you know it," she said. Unlike her and
her fellow titan-shifters, Zeke was special and could use chakra in
his titan-form. He couldn't use it very much, since his chakra
reserves didn't multiply and a giant titan required more chakra than a
human one to do the same feats, but he really only needed to use it
once to gain the advantage over her.

He was still a rarity that had not been seen since the The One-Eyed
Boy had graced Marley with his presence.

Zeke jumped out of his titan and body-flickered to her side. "Unfair?
You think Sakura will play with you fairly? Or that she will come
willingly?"

Reiner and Pieck also approached them from the sidelines. Reiner
was being considerate and walking slower for the sake of Pieck, who
was still not completely used to walking on two feet.

"The intel we received was wrong, Annie," Pieck said. "Your

teachers' request could even be considered void, since it is
borderline impossible to achieve."

"Annie, my friend has been lost. Please try be patient with her. She
might be scared and maybe act wrong, but she's very kind. Tell her
who you are, she will come. She will come back to us."

She always had trouble keeping the smile off her face when she
heard her teacher speak in broken Marleyan. "If you say so, Itachi-
sensei."

Reiner shook his head. "It's not honorable to go back on our word."

"Honor has nothing to do with it," Zeke said. "Our alliance with those
three will surely pay off in the future, but we can't go about risking
our true goals because we were impatient. Don't worry, you three will
summon them again, but when the time is right."

"Maybe if I hadn't killed her squad…"

"Your primary objective was Eren Jaeger, remember that," Zeke said
with a warning hidden in his voice. "Remember they're allies, but
they're not our friends, and they certainly can't ever be more than
that, Annie ."

It seemed that perhaps her little crush on Itachi hadn't gone

unnoticed, if Zeke's words and Bertolt's annoyed frown were
anything to go by. Neither him nor Reiner had approved of her plan
to get Sakura arrested after killing those titans the Survey Corps had
been studying. Annie was about to sneak and speak with Sakura,
explaining why she was there before taking her to a favorable
location for retrieval, but Sakura's superiors had gotten her out and
instead kept her hidden along with Eren. In hindsight, too many stars
had to align for her to have a chance to explain herself.

And it would've failed, she now realized. The Sakura that Itachi had
spoken so fondly about didn't exist. Her memories were gone, and
she only saw them as enemies. But perhaps things would've gone
differently had they spoken before their fight in the forest of giant
trees.

Now the only way Sakura would go back was with a fight.
"We sent the Jaw Titan back to Marley, so that should buy us some
more time in here," Zeke continued. "We wait here for the Survey
Corps to come. I am sure your teachers won't mind if we take some
more time than what was originally predicted."

"Time moves more slowly in their world than ours, so this should only
be a minor setback," Bertolt noted. "I am more concerned about
Eren. His hatred for us won't make it easy to kidnap. And if he dies,
all our efforts would have been for nothing."

"He does sound like he'll be a problem," Pieck agreed. "However, we

have the advantage of time and layout."

"And me," Zeke added with a chuckle. "I have increased my jutsu
usage from one to two in my titan form. I surely hope for the sake of
Eren's friends that he comes willingly with us."

Annie believed herself to be a monster unworthy of any affection, but

the glint Zeke got in his eyes just then reminded her that there were
always bigger fish in the ocean.

Thank you to everyone that has reviewed. Even though I can't

respond to all the messages, your words of kindness fill me
with a lot of motivation to finish this story. I'm also really
grateful to everyone for being so patient with me.

T his last year was the busiest year of my life. I am sure the
pandemic has affected all of you, so I don't need to go into too
much detail on how my life has changed. I will finish The
Vessel, but unfortunately I have new responsibilities that take
precedent.

The SnK manga got all weird too, and the implications from
what I read stayed my hand. I know I mean to go into AU
territory, but I want to go AU while keeping some powers canon
compliant. Unfortunately, I don't think the manga will have a
satisfying conclusion (not as bad as GOT, but it definitely won't
end up the masterpiece I've felt hyped about), so changing the
ending won't be too bad. At least SnK doesn't have a sequel
that is destroying the legacy of the original…

I am starting rotations soon, meaning I barely will have enough

time for myself and even less for a fanfic. Unfortunately I can't
promise any updates until early 2022. However, I think I might
be able to work something out if I have a beta. If you're
interested in beta-ing for The Vessel, PM me to have a chat! I'm
not looking for experience, more for time commitment. I'm also
editing the story for AO3, so that would be helpful!

With much love,

White Ink Penpal