Chapter One: Annie Loves Armin

She had initially heard that horrific chant as a first-grader.

She remembered people she had considered more than just acquaintances gathering around her and repeating those three words over and over. "Annie loves Armin! Annie loves Armin!" Just thinking about it made her shudder. Kids were so cruel. Not only just to her but also to the boy she was said to have loved.

Armin Arlert was a bright kid and the star-student of every classroom. Teachers adored his intelligence and the bullies adored the fact that he was weak and unable to separate himself from fights. They would often corner him, first throwing the worst insults any six-year-old could come up with. Some got creative and added physical harm. Of course, they would do all this during recess and out of sight of their instructor. As recess would conclude and the children lined back up, Armin would slowly join them, his nose bleeding and tears streaming down his cheeks. Their teacher was immediately concerned, but in a quivering voice tainted with tears, he'd assure her that he fell during a game of tag with his friends. It was obvious their teacher didn't believe him, but she couldn't intervene if he chose not to tell her the truth. (A flaw in the education system, Annie concluded.)

It was spring time when Annie first heard the chants she had grown to despise throughout her elementary years. Their teacher had released them for an extended recess while she prepared a science lab for them later that morning. Eren and Mikasa were both home sick with a nasty virus that had taken out most of their class earlier that week, so Armin quietly lurked around the playground, a picture book in hand. Annie stood next to her friends, Reiner, Bertholdt, Mina, and Ymir. The four were immersed in a conversation about a television program Annie had no interest in, so her mind wandered to the blond boy walking around the premises of the playground.

He finally found a quiet place near the corner of their school building and sat in the grass, opening the book and munching on the carrots his grandfather had provided as a snack. Perhaps that's why the others treated him so differently; he had a grandfather instead of a mother or father. Annie didn't quite know if that was the reason, but it was certainly plausible.

It wasn't long after when his bullies began to approach. She could see Armin tense, but his attention remained on his book. There were three of them, all towering over the tiny genius. Kent, the leader of the trio, grinned maliciously towards his target. He began to speak, but Annie couldn't decipher what he was saying. Garret, the obvious muscle of the group, made a snide remark and the three laughed, turning towards Armin to see if he had also heard what had been said. Armin ignored them and turned a page. He reached for another carrot and that's when the third, a boy named Bryan, struck.

He seized Armin's wrist and yanked him upwards. The boy yelped in pain and tried to free himself, but to no avail. Kent got up in his face, spewing words of hatred no doubt. Even though he was quite far away from her, Annie could see Armin begin to cry. He clenched his eyes shut and turned away. Kent began talking louder and this time, Annie caught two words. "...Worthless orphan!" Garret kicked Armin's shins, causing him to collapse. His wrist was released, but now he was curled up, covering his head with his arms. The bullies continued to lay blows upon the smaller child and with each successful hit, Armin let out a cry of pain.

Annie didn't know what convinced her to act the way she did. She didn't know Armin, aside from his brilliant remarks in class. She didn't care about the other times he had gotten assaulted by these three. Maybe, due to the lack of his comrades, she believed she had to do something. Anything to at least cease the beating until Mikasa and Eren came back. No matter what excuse she tried to come up with, it didn't change the fact that she was striding over to the four boys. She clenched her fist and stood upright. She heard Bertholdt call out her name, but her friends made no attempt at following her.

"Hey," she called out to Kent, Bryan, and Garret. Kent faced her as the other two ceased their brutal attacks on Armin.

"What do you want?" he growled, glaring at her.

"Leave Armin alone," she responded harshly. She saw Armin briefly glance up at her, his eyes red and snot dripping from his nose. Aside from looking pathetic, he also looked incredibly embarrassed. She didn't blame him; in their society, the men were supposed to be stronger than the girls.

"Or what?" Bryan mocked. "You'll tell Teacher?"

Annie shook her head. "No. I'll do this." She drew her fist back and knocked Kent right in his stupid face. She heard the crack of his nose as her fist made contact and, though it might have been frowned upon, she felt satisfied. The leader stumbled onto the ground, cupping his nose, and looking up at her in horror. She faced the other two and they backed away. Bryan and Garret pulled Kent up and they darted away, like terrified dogs with their tails between their legs. She heard Kent break out into tears as they ran and she turned towards Armin, attempting to hide her satisfaction.

She stretched out her hand and he reluctantly took it. "Are you okay?" she asked, her voice lightly lined with worry.

Armin winced as he stood straight, but nodded. Annie looked back down and picked up his books and the mangled bag of carrots. Shyly, she presented the items to him and he slowly took them. "Th-thank you," he said and Annie shrugged. He didn't deserve the bullying and everyone knew that. She wondered, however, if Armin understood that as well. He was always so submissive around them.

Rushed footsteps approached them. Armin's face blanched and Annie turned around, anxious to see what continued to ail the genius before her. Their teacher stood above them. Annie felt her stomach drop and knew exactly why Ms. Harrow had been summoned. She cursed Kent and his stupid friends in her mind before their teacher made a grab for their hands.

"You two are coming with me," she announced and led them across the playground and back into the school building. Annie glanced to Armin, still bleeding and crying, but quieter. He had never gotten in trouble and maybe he was fearing for the worst. Annie wondered what they did for good kids who had gone bad. Were their punishments far more severe? She rarely got into trouble herself, but her record wasn't as clean as Armin's. The boy was practically a saint.

They entered the principal's office. Ms. Ral looked baffled when she saw the children and her face contorted in worry when she saw the extent of Armin's injuries. She jumped from her desk. "Ms. Harrow, what's going on?"

"Three of my students came to me and told me that Annie had been beating them and Mr. Arlert up," Ms. Harrow informed. Annie had never heard her teacher sound so disappointed, but her own rage inside of her was boiling over. Those rats, she thought. They accused me of hurting Armin.

Ms. Ral walked around her desk and knelt to Armin's height. He refused to make eye contact. She gently turned his head to look at his injuries. Bruises were starting to become apparent in his pale skin and she sighed heavily. "Oh Armin," she whispered softly, like a mother tending to her injured child. "I'll call your grandfather." She stood back up and looked towards Annie-a look so filled with disappointment Annie felt her face burn in embarrassment. "And I'll be in contact with your father as well, Annie." She returned to her seat and nodded towards Ms. Harrow. "Take Armin to the nurse's office. I'm going to talk with Annie."

Annie looked back at Armin expectantly. Wasn't he going to defend her? She had saved him, not attacked him. Yet, he remained silent as Ms. Harrow led him out of Ms. Ral's office, avoiding Annie's piercing gaze. She felt even more anger boil up within her tiny body. That traitor. That's the last time I'm saving his stupid face from any danger.

"Miss Leonhardt," Ms. Ral spoke up and Annie faced her principal. "What were you thinking?"

"Kent, Bryan, and Garret were beating Armin up!" she supplied quickly. "I didn't hurt Armin! I promise!"

"Even if that is true, you still hurt another student. Kent's going to have to go to the hospital to get his nose fixed."

Annie hadn't considered that, but it didn't matter. They had been targeting Armin the whole year and when they finally got what was coming to them, they were being babied, as if they were nothing but angelic students who had a run in with a she-devil, which to be fair wasn't entirely false.

"And I doubt your father is going to be happy when I tell him what you did," Ms. Ral continued and Annie shook her head. He wasn't exactly father of the year when it came to conflicts like this. The moment she screwed up this bad, he made sure she was punished accordingly. It was no secret that Annie's father was particularly hard on her when she got in trouble. She wouldn't consider it abuse; she knew he still loved her. He was just trying to shape her into the best woman she could be, even if his methods were a little...Rough.

Ms. Ral picked up her office phone and began to make the call. Annie sighed and took a seat in front of her desk. She heard her father pick up and answer in his gruff voice.

"This is the Leonhardt residence," he greeted and Ms. Ral immediately put on her "nice-voice", which continued to frustrate Annie.

"Mr. Leonhardt," she responded, "it's Ms. Ral, from Garrison Elementary."

"Well this is a surprise," Mr. Leonhardt sighed. "Is Annie alright?"

"Actually, Sir, we have had a little incident at the school involving Annie and a few other students..."

Annie later learned she would be suspended for three days. When her father came to pick her up, he was absolutely furious. Annie tried to explain what had happened, and surprisingly, he believed that she didn't harm Armin. He reminded her, however, that she was still responsible for hurting Kent and that he was going to have to pay for the boy's hospital expenses. He grounded her for two weeks.

When Annie returned to school on a rainy Friday, she was greeted by low whispers and hushed giggling. As she placed her belongings into her assigned cubby, Reiner approached her. She gave him a side-glance before pulling out her pencil box.

"So," he began, his voice light with amusement, "when are you and Armin getting married?"

She felt her cheeks burn. What was he talking about? All she did was save the poor fool, and he didn't even defend her when she was accused of hurting him. The last thing on her mind was becoming his companion. She faced her friend trying to maintain an expression of fury, but her obvious blush made the taller one smile.

"ANNIE LOVES ARMIN!" he began to chant and skipped away from her oncoming fist. She growled in frustration as he continued to prance about the class, repeating himself over and over. Thankfully, many of the students had yet to arrive and their teacher had momentarily discarded the classroom to discuss matters of the utmost importance with Ms. Ral. Annie charged towards Reiner and punched his arm. He stopped immediately and grasped his throbbing bicep. "Ow! Hey! That hurts! I'm telling Ms. Harrow!"

Great...Another case of violence. Her father would surely be thrilled with the new report. "I don't love Armin," Annie spat out. "All I did was save him from the bullies! And if you know what's good for you, you'll stop saying that stupid thing!"

Reiner's lips cracked into another smile. "What...THAT YOU LOVE ARMIN!"

If Bertholdt hadn't entered at that moment, Reiner would have been force-fed Play-Doh. Their lanky and nervous friend approached, smiling at the sight of Annie.

"You're back!" he exclaimed. "It felt like a bajillion years! I missed you!"

Though it was painfully obvious how much Bertholdt admired her, Annie accepted his kind words. Bertholdt never meant any harm. Reiner, on the other hand...

"Did you hear the news?" Reiner began quickly, grabbing his friend's arm. "Annie and Armin are going to get married!"

Bertholdt looked surprised but broke out into a smile. "You are?" he asked Annie, who clenched her fists tightly. It took everything she had to not assault Reiner.

"No," she growled. "I'm not marrying Armin! I DON'T LOVE ARMIN ARLERT!"

Ms. Harrow entered the classroom looking puzzled. "Annie," she started, "inside-voice, please!" Annie huffed and broke away from Bertholdt and Reiner, taking a seat at her assigned table that she shared with Sasha, Mikasa, and Jean. Reiner was about to make another approach, but Bertholdt stopped him. She was grateful he had more common sense than the blond, and even more so that those stupid chants would stop.

During lunchtime, the students had to stay inside due to the poor weather conditions. Annie liked eating lunch in their classroom, rather than in a large gym; it felt more personal. That and Ms. Harrow usually dug into her stash of candy and gave each student a piece. As Annie joined her friends in a separate corner, she caught sight of Armin moving towards Ms. Harrow's desk, Mikasa and Eren flanking his sides. His bruises were still prominent, but they showed signs of fading. His lip, that had been split during the ordeal, was beginning to seal. He looked like a mess, but the smile on his face said otherwise.

He mentioned something about a story he had been reading and Ms. Harrow grinned. He presented the book to her and she accepted it, turning the pages briefly as Armin summarized. Eren added his input and Mikasa nodded, confirming her adoptive brother's opinion.

So lost in her thoughts, Annie didn't notice Mina calling out to her. Reiner waved his hand in front of her face and she jolted back into reality. "What?" she snapped and Mina, taken aback by the sudden rudeness, quietly repeated herself.

"Ymir said she wants to play a board game and I wanted to know if you wanted to be on my team."

Feeling bad for having snapped at her, Annie felt obligated to agree. She nodded briefly and Ymir stood to retrieve the game. As she did so, Bertholdt asked Annie if she was feeling alright. She nodded once more and Bertholdt gave her a reassuring smile. Ymir returned shortly after and analyzed her group. "The teams are uneven," she declared.

"Two against three is fine," Annie muttered, but Reiner shook his head.

"No, it's not fair. Ymir, Bert and I have the advantage. You need one more person on your team." Annie was growing more and more frustrated. She saw no point in adding another player. She and Mina made a pretty great team, and Reiner knew that.

"Maybe we should ask Armin to play," Reiner added with a thin smile. Annie shot him a look that clearly read, "Don't you dare", but the stupid blond was already on his feet. He approached Armin and his friends and began explaining their crisis. Annie hid her face. There was no way he'd accept. After all, they needed one person, and Mikasa, Eren, and Armin were a package deal. Everyone knew that. If anything, they'd only mess up the teams even more.

But to her surprise, the trio followed Reiner over. Mikasa sent a glare towards Armin's former protector, and she returned a similar gesture. "Mikasa and Eren are going to join too," he announced. "So the new teams are me, Ymir, Bertholdt, and Eren. Then it's Armin, Annie, Mina, and Mikasa." Armin looked alarmed and sent a worried glance towards Eren. Their lack of oral communication baffled Annie. They often had deep conversations without even saying a word. It was incredible. Eren nodded towards his timid friend and he sighed deeply before plopping next to Annie. Surprised by this, Annie scooted an inch further and the game began.

It was a simple board game. Teams rolled a dice to advance and they were asked questions depending on the colored square they landed on. Whoever made it to the end and answered a series of questions correctly became the winner. A paper crown accompanied the game long ago, but because so many previous students fought about who got to wear it after their victory, Ms. Harrow tore it up.

Ymir's team went first. She rolled a three and landed on a green square: the literature category. Mina pulled a trivia card from a deck and began to slowly sound out the words.

"What is always at the...the..." she leaned over to ask Annie what the proceeding word was.

"Beginning," Annie corrected and Mina continued, thanking her.

"What is always at the beginning of a sentence?" she concluded and Ymir looked towards the guys. Annie could feel Armin tense up; this was his kind of subject. She hoped he had played this game before and knew that shouting out the answer would penalize them. Thankfully, he kept quiet but continued to fidget as if trying to keep the answer from flying out of his mouth.

"A...'W'?" Reiner stated cautiously and Mina shook her head.

"Sorry Reiner," she said, "it's a...Capital letter!"

Reiner cursed lightly and Bertholdt assured him that it was only the first question and that they would get the next one.

Mikasa rolled the dice for her team and moved five spaces. They landed on a purple square: the science category.

Eren reached over and picked a card. "What tool is used to...Measure temp...Temper..."

"Temperature?" Armin queried and Eren nodded.

"Yeah! That!" He shielded the card and nodded towards the opposing team. Annie cursed herself for forgetting this simple item. They had just learned about the weather last week. Ms. Harrow even let them use said device to see how cold it was outside this morning. She looked to her other teammates who seemed to be struggling just as much as she was. All, except Armin of course.

"A thermominator!" he called out and Eren nodded enthusiastically.

Their game continued. Occasionally they would get into ties, but Armin's intellect usually brought his team ahead. By the end of lunch, Annie's team reigned with ten points and Ymir's team fell behind with eight points. Ms. Harrow called for the students to put the games away and get ready for their math lecture. As Annie stood up and started moving towards her desk, a hand caught her. She looked back cautiously and into the eyes of Armin. He looked nervous but smiled anyway.

"I never got to really thank you for saving me," he informed and Annie jerked away.

"I still got in trouble because you didn't tell Ms. Ral that I didn't hurt you," she hissed.

Armin looked a little confused at first, and then his eyes grew wide. "Oh! No, I told Ms. Ral when my grandpa picked me up," he said quickly.

She felt horrible now. Her defensive stance slowly crumbled and she muttered an "okay" before returning to her desk. Armin looked like he wanted to say something else, but Eren was already leading him towards their table. Though he had rightfully avenged her, Annie was still upset and resolved to never speak to Armin again.

Until the sixth grade, that is.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed reading the first part of this fic! It's been sitting in my Documents folder for two years now and I thought I'd dust it off and share it with you all. Please leave feedback! I have yet to write the next chapter, but I'm hopeful that through posting this story before it's finished, I can obtain the motivation necessary to complete this story. Thanks for reading and I'll see you soon with the next chapter!