It'd been five years since that day, the day (f/n) (l/m) joined the Survey Corps. And right now, you couldn't believe what was happening. To say that was a lot, considering you were slicing several feet creatures that killed mostly every human being that dared to cross their path. Given that scenario, was quite a lot to say. Moreover, the scent of death was something that in your first missions used to transform your blood into ice daggers that seemed to pass through your heart within every diastole and systole, every breathing. But right now this was quite a thing.

The voice of Levi brought you back to the present time as a cold splash of rain.

"I'm sorry" He said sternly "but that's the only choice you've got, so far" Answered the Captain.

Let me start with the beginning, if you could say there was one.

Five years ago (f/n), I, was a trainee into the Survey Corps, at the beginning, I joined because of the money, I was living in a very dangerous part of the district and it was that, or die out of hunger, disease, robbery or worse. And, let me get it straight, worse meaning that, out there in the city, was where the real beasts were living, not outside the walls.

As a young woman, you almost got kidnapped into slavery and prostitution, so the army wasn't that of a big deal at that time "If I'm going to die, I rather do it in the foul fauces of a Titan than by the hand of my own kind."

The payment was so much better in Survey Corps than in any other sector, you could only live off with the salary of the Military Police if you had an accommodated family, in other words, if you were of an aristocrat and had the possibility due to your bloodline to climb yourself into the institution. But, for a poor woman like you, there wasn't that much of chance. The survey corps were the only real option for you. It was that or prostitution. Oh, the irony.

During your training you didn't shine for your brawn, but rather for your ability to predict scenarios with very little information, that, alongside with good reflexes seemed to be your ticket to victory, with a little help of course. You've got lucky that the Captain in that very first expedition was a man named Levi, instead of Erwing. As this "Levi" person wasn't that much of a strategy maker or a good team worker he took your suggestion. That, alongside the fact that you did outstanding work in your training and that Hanje seemed to have a sympathy towards you because of some long "intellectually challenging" as she used to say, conversations. In other words, the scientist saw something in you, and as her trusting comrade and a veteran, Levi took her word on your skills.

During that first expedition, and, you wouldn't lie, you couldn't sleep the slightest the night before parting outside the walls.

"This could be the last time I see the stars" you thought to yourself as you contemplated the graveyard of pale stars that seemed at display in the black cloth that was the sky. That thought alone was enough fuel for you to go a little further and wanted to see the sun go up one last time.

However, when the morning came racing, it didn't took you long to get ready, prepare your 3DMG, get dressed to face what could be your last breath before kissing Hades you felt... An odd tranquility, maybe it was because you already accepted your destiny, because you joined the Survey Corps to survive and not be left to die in the streets or by the hand of some depraved mind, and this was no different. Yet, that morning not only you were lacking of sleep but also you didn't have an appetite.

"Fuck, this could be my last meal, and I can't seem to eat not even a crumble of bread" Life was hard inside the walls, it wouldn't give you a rest, it actually was such a harsh place that you had to choose between getting killed by the hand of your own or getting killed by the hand of a beast.

You started to remember...Why did it turn out like this? The answer was simple, you had no one, no family at all and try to make it out on the streets by yourself, the fact that you were a young woman didn't help. Au contraire of what many would think, that condition only seemed to make her life more complicated, she watched the fellow homeless being able to sleep at peace in the streets, while she herself had this Cain sign, beautiful eyes; enlarged and feline, a fiery mane that shined in the sun and even thought she wasn't exactly the most beautiful around or the better looking or have any expensive clothes, it seemed that everywhere you went...Someone seemed to get an interest and not in the good sense of the word, so that's how the offerings started.

I can still remember that night, the night I decided I would become a soldier. The disgusting sound of the voice of that man like it was yesterdays business.

"Hey, sweet lass, why don't you work for me? You could make some coins with that beautiful body of yours, you can pay me a little for protection and maybe give me some services in exchange. What do you think? "

"I'm sorry I don't do bestiality, I wouldn't fuck a pig like you."

The man looked like he got spat on, and proceed to charge against you with a rusty and dirty knife he had been hiding in his pocket. "Lady luck, I would have payed you, but I rather take you by force then, you filthy slut!."

After the startle he gave you, you grabbed a bottle of the street and broke it through the man's head, you both started to brawl on the cold alley, they stones that composed it stained with an inked dark blood.

That night you survived, not without a scratch, you had a terrible bruise in your face a twisted wrist due to the fighting. So exhausted...I'm going to pass out...He's going to kill me or worse.

At that time an officer passed by and asked the man what was going on.

The man scared, afraid of getting beaten by the police and released you.

She is a witch! She has weird powers! SHE MADE ME DO IT, SHE PROVOKED ME, THAT VAPID SKANK!

The officer threw a punch at him and threatened with the reglamentary blade, after that the so called policeman revealed himself to be a blonde lady with uniform and a calming monotone voice.

"Are you ok?" Where the only words that left her mouth in an automaton mannerism.

You looked at her, she had boring looking eyes, jaded expression was petite but well endowed, had a long, roman and elegant nose. She didn't seem afraid of being there by night, or by the man that that she just knocked out cold.

"Of course she's not, you idiot, she's trained!" You thought to yourself.

She's trained...Of course, the army. That's it.

"Yes!" The police lady seemed a little surprised of your sudden boost of energy.
-You need to eat something, and you will tell us what happened once you eat.
She was like an angel, she brought the solution to your problems.
You smiled at her and replied with very teary eyes.

"You saved me, thank you!" The small woman gave you a sad looking smile before replying "I'm glad I could serve you." before taking you to a shelter, that was the last time you saw her before she disappeared in the night. Little would you know what it was like when you went outside the walls, you couldn't immediately see the imminent hell that was upon your heads with the other recruits, you just seemed to enjoy the sight of a virgin perenne beauty that was the untouched nature. That until the colossal beasts came along to devour you, mind you. Yeah, that.

"But, where I was? Oh, the first expedition."

You heard rumors about the Captain Levi dexterity in the battlefield, he was very well known in all the districts for his bravery, courageous and very cold decision making, a true soldier everybody talked about. Men wanted to be him, everybody made a scandal out of his persona. So, being the veteran he was you never thought he was one to accept subordinates or Cadets suggestions. But he was a better leader than you thought he would be back when he introduced himself. That. And he was shorter than you thought he would be, you were quite taller, yet he seemed heavier and muscular, his lithe body was capable of extreme agility and his bored eyes held an odd enchant...That when he wasn't beating the shit out of a kid in a middle of a trial. I bring that into the story, because well, it has a point. I will tell more about it later. His reputation of been a complete cold sadist held an advantage in your current predicament but, let's get back to the first mission and when the Titans approached.

You had a thought as you watched the immense beings try to capture and devour your fellow comrades.

"CAPTAIN!" you screamed over the roaring deafening sounds of the scared horses and the screams of terror. As you've got the attention of steely eyed man, you wasted no time. "We shouldn't fight them head on they are too much of them, I have an idea!"

The captain slowed his horse.

"I need your dexterity, and the rest of your squad, get the cords of the maneuvering gear around those trees, the titans are fast and big but they act on instinct on the most part, if we manage to tangle them and make them fall towards the river before trying a frontal attack, we will have more chances to succed in capturing one!"

The eyes of the Captain seemed to lit at that moment, you later learned that was a very rare expression in his face.

"But, F/n, if we do that we will have to leave some of the blades and pretty much the whole equipment in the way. "

"Yes, but, it will improove our chances of returning without a single corpse" you looked at him sternly in the eye. Now both horses running side to side in the middle of the long grass and the pale cold sky, the whole moment you two looked at each other seemed like and eternity.

And then his eyes lit that fire again, you couldn't forget the shine, it was equally eerie as the sound of the blade he was holding in his calloused hands, rough for the years out of ripping his skin off killing in the fields.
"Where do I have to tie the cords of the 3DMG." He replied sternly over the battle that was being fought back in that Eden of grass.

"Over the bark on that tree, that rock and finally around the first Titan ankles, I would do it but I cannot go that fast around them just yet."

"Distract them while I'm on it. Can you do that?" He asked in a defiant way.

"Yes, sir!" If you are putting your life on my words, hell yes that I will put mine too. You thought as your horse accelerated towards a group of deformed and vicious looking human beings "Don't worry" you whispered him as the poor animal distressed under your legs, the instinct of the horse telling him this was getting both of you killed "we are together in this, I will bring you home safely." The animal regained his composure and turned into you.

At that exact time you heard a scream "OI, BRAT, CAREFUL!" as you guided them towards the trap.

"CAPTAIN, RELEASE YOUR HARNESS I WILL PICK YOU!" The horse made a violent and ungraceful turn before you released your 3DMG to make the cord appropriate for other human being to grab on it, with an outstanding speed the captain did a very graceful turn over the neck of the horse "Bloody hell, he is not called humanity's strongest for nothing, that was quite an impressive move" you thought as you watched how he mounted on a full speed horse with giants collapsing behind you both.

The same thing seemed to be going on the other cadets and squads minds as they watched mouth agape the scene.
"What are you waiting, KILL THEM" you heard the captain yell making them snap out of their induced trance and yours of course.

The titans that had fell one after another were easy preys for the trained corps, even new recruits got their first kills on that move. You didn't realized the impact this seemed to have on the mission as you were riding with the captain having a firm yet relaxed grip on your waist.

"Take my 3DMG. " you said while riding away from the collapsing and ungraceful bodies of the titans.

"You idiot, that would leave you as an easy target."

"Sir, I don't see anymore Titans ahead. Besides, if someone has to die, I think it would be a greater loss if you died. You are a more valuable human being. Your life is objectively more valuable than mine."

He looked at you with an odd face, you couldn't quite read at that time, the silence fell heavy.

"Tsk, don't start with that bullshit, F/N." Was a simple answer. He wasn't exactly an ace of conversation. Yet, it was impressive that he seemed to remember all of his Cadets names (including yours) recruits, members of his Squad, the smaller task forces and pretty much everybody in the Survey Corps.

It held an ominous comforting feeling to know that even thought you died someone would remember you. "I shouldn't worry about that, I'm going to be dead after all..."

- HEY, SHORTY, L/N, I'VE GOT MY SAMPLE, LET'S FLEE! - An over excited Hanje seemed to interrupt your conversation with her cheerful tone.

"God, how can she be holding such a big smile in a time like this?" Of course, at that time you couldn't understand the Corps contentment, this was the first mission they've returned with the historical record of zero human kills by the hands of the titans.

Today was a victory for humanity.