This carried on for the recruit's years of training and well into their days at the Survey Corps.

Along the way, they lost friends, and gained commanding officers. Yet, no matter what the stories stayed the same, ranging between Armin's old storybook to books he picked up from the rumble over the years. When he picked up the books out of the destruction that surrounded him, he always felt a sense of sadness, knowing that their previous owners would never be able to read them again. Armin silently vowed to read them, taking time to look over each page as if he was looking at the hope of humanity. For books were meant to be read, and if they were not, then the knowledge that had been put in the books is wasted.

Which is why the day when he and Eren returned to their hometown he snuck away. Only briefly, as Eren fell to his knee in front of the rumble that was once his home. When Eren held back tears as his eyes stared at the spot where Hannes had pulled him away from his mother, as if he could kill a titan with his stare. Armin snuck away to the half-standing structure where his grandfather raised him. Where he had last said goodnight to his parents before they left and never came back.

He choked back his own sobs as he stepped over the splinters that once was the front door, and into the house. As he entered, memories of his childhood hit him like Levi's foot when he was unable to keep up in practice.

Times when Eren stood wearily behind him as they walked into the house to clean Armin's cuts and look at his bruises from when the older kids had hurt him, or when Eren slept over after begging his parents and they would read Armin's grandfather's illegal book on the outside world.

A cruel laugh bubbled in his chest. The book that started them on the crazy path that lead to here. The book that filled them with wonder and longing to see the outside world, with all its new sights and wonders.

Life is cruel, he thought as he moved towards his grandfather's room. It is cruel and unfair, that it takes what it gives. To step forward, one must be prepare to lose everything.

His grandfather's room was practically untouched, excepted for the fallen bookshelf and broken window. Armin walked further into the room and knelt beside the fallen bookshelf.

"Since we're already fugitives what harm is an illegal book?" Armin questioned aloud to the empty air around him. He gripped the sides and flipped the shelf onto its back, off the books.

Then he began his search for the familiar reddish-brown cover he would read in the candle light when the sunlight was completely void from the sky. He suspected it would be the bottom most book from the shelf, but in the end was wrong. He searched every book that was on the shelf, until he stopped and rested his head in his hands.

Armin abruptly stood and walked over the corner where a single cot was tucked. He then fell to his knees and reached under to retrieve a folded blanket.

How could I have forgotten?

He unfolded the blanket and there it sat, untouched by dust and destruction. Armin ran his fingers over the cover and he felt the tears well up. Despite all his happiness that the book was fine, that a piece of himself remained intake, a part of him wishes it had been destroyed, either burnt or unable to read because of water or dirt.

It should have been destroyed. His mind screamed

Armin sighed, no longer he feeling rushed to get back to his squad as he clutched the book to his chest, rested his head on the cot, and cried.

In the end, Jean found him. Kneeling in his grandfather's room, book clutched closely to him. Hs tears gone.

"Armin? Are you in here?" Jean's voice whispered as loud as he dare as he entered the once cozy home. "Armin?"

Eren, unable to get away from his basement, as he had to gather his father's research, had noticed Armin's absence and had a good guess at where he may be. He gave Jean the directions to where Armin used to live.

He stopped and looked around calling out Armin's name.

"I'm in here."

Immediately, Jean's head whipped towards Armin's voice and traced it back to the room. He knelt beside Armin when he saw him.

"Hey, are you okay?" Jean asked him, obviously concerned.

Armin nodded slightly and rose to his feet, mentioning they should return to Eren's house.

Jean, catching that Armin did not want to talk about it, agreed and they left the house.

"Armin, what is that?" Jean asked as they walked down the empty, torn up streets of a once busy city.

"A book." Armin said without much emotion as he tucked it into his jacket. Jean went silent yet again and Armin sighed. "I'm sorry Jean; it's just something personal from my childhood. From before, our lives changed."

And did they ever change.