Chapter One

Rivaille's P.O.V.

"Rivaille, you're going to have to pick a new squad," Commander Erwin glanced at the said person. "Mikasa Ackerman would be a good choice. Eren Jaeger will be automatically selected into your squad due to your responsibility over him. I gave you two months to heal, and during that time I expected you to look around for new squad members."

"Fine," The dark corporal glared at his superior. "I want a month to select new members."

"Don't think that you won't be working during that month. I've assigned you to accompany a group traveling outside the walls. Ackerman will be notified and she and Jaegar shall report to your office after your return." Erwin returned to reading his papers. " That is all. You're dismissed."

Aer's P.O.V.

Step one, step three, jump, then curtsy. I was surprised I had remembered ballet, much less the dance steps to Swan Lake. Dancing wasn't really my priority. I glanced outside, where a seven-meter class was walking around, looking for humans to prey on.

I sighed and looked at my stack of gas tanks I had saved. The day the Shiganshina District fell, I had managed to gather roughly six gas tanks, each half-filled. The process in which I had used to get them however, was enough for me to lose my appetite for three days. I hadn't escaped to the refugee boats, though I guessed they would have let me into the boat due to my young age at that time. It had been a few years after the Wall fell, but I had lost track counting the minutes that turned into hours, that turned into days, and eventually, years.

"What do you think?" I whispered to a tiny black bird. "Should I go and kill the Titan? I'm running low on food anyway." I had built up a collection of nuts and berries that I knew by mind were edible.

Surviving in Titan territory wasn't easy. I hadn't taken training for the 3D Maneuver Gear so I was unprepared when I had successfully managed to steal a harness, gear, and a few gas tanks from dead soldiers. It sickened me to steal from the deceased, but I had resolved to live on for the purpose of killing Titans.

Revenge drove me on and I was still alive. The Survey Corps occasionally passed by, but I had always hid. In my childhood, they were known as brave heroes who had enough courage to go out and kill Titans for humanity's sake.

I now knew that almost half of the Survey Corps die.

They hadn't been in exact danger when they passed by so I didn't risk it to come out. Only if someone was dying. It was my rule these days, never come out unless one's life is in danger.

I had been eaten and had survived. The Titan that caught me was a three-meter class and not a chewer. It swallowed me whole, and I landed in what I presumed was its stomach. I found a soldier that was alive as well. His right arm had been bitten off, but he recognized me. And I recognized him.

He was part of the Garrison, my father's friend. He gave me his harness, set of gear, and his gas tanks. Then he sank below the putrid waters, dead. I was horrified, but his death encouraged me to live on.

I cut myself out of the Titan's stomach. It was thick, and one would have to scrape away at it, breaking so many of my mother's ladylike rules. When I got out, I cut the Titan's neck. By then, the refugee boats had left.

I had grown accustomed to using 3D Maneuver Gear on flat land with few trees. I was quite small for my age, and due to my rich upbringing, I had taken gymnastics. I took advantage of my agility, weight, and height and reduced the amount of gas I used each day as well as making it a daily habit of killing five Titans per day. There were probably a lot more than that, but starting small would be my best option.

"I'll go kill it, okay?" I tapped the bird on its small, feathered head. "Wait here for me." I brushed my hair through with a comb and tied it up into a ponytail. Taking two blades, I set out. The Titan immediately spotted me and came running toward me.

I swung toward a normal-sized tree and waited. Once the Titan was only a few meters away and reaching for me, I jumped toward the ground. Running around the Titan's feet away from the tree, I hooked the gear into one of his eyes, blinding it. I unhooked and ran to the side of his injured eye. Swinging myself back up onto the tree, I cut his neck, as it was right in front of me due to him turning around when I had ran onto the ground.

The blood burned and I wiped it onto my already-bloody clothes. There was no time for normal things, like laundry or cooking, but I still dearly missed it. I turned and plucked an apple from the tree, biting into the red fruit. The blackbird flew back, landing on my right shoulder. I reached behind me and pulled the ribbon holding my hair together. It fell in gentle waves that framed my small face.

"I reached my goal today too." I smiled. The sun was setting, meaning I should probably head back. I stayed in a small country village, with little to no houses, making normal combat with smaller Titans harder, but around it, there were many fruit orchards and plants that could enable my survival in this God forsaken world.

The next morning I was awake when I heard the horses. They were close, and I cursed myself. I had killed a fifteen-meter class not even five minutes before. The corpse was still steaming, and I heard someone curse.

"One three-meter Deviant type!" Someone, probably a male, yelled. "Six o'clock!" I heard the thumping of horses and a scream. There was a giant crash, and more screaming. I automatically reached for a blade then paused halfway.

Another scream and I was out the door with my two fullest gas tanks, and a full set of blades. The Survey Corps were doing their mission again and I wondered why they didn't use the gear to spirit themselves away. I then noticed that they were in the area with no trees or obstacles to hook onto whatsoever.

I began running toward the Titan, blades out. The horses were circling the Titan. "Use the gear!" I yelled as I neared. They were still running and I saw a man on a brown horse look at me. Judging by his glare, he was most likely the leader.

"This is flatland! We can't use our gear!" He yelled back and scowled at me. "What squad are you from, Cadet? I don't recognize you." Ignoring him, I swung into the Titans reach, landing on its shoulder. The head slowly turned toward me and I took the opportunity to swing down, and landed on the wrist a few feet away from where the soldier was held.

"Calm down," I ordered. "You're making me panic." With a clean slice, I severed the Titan's hand from its arm. I took another blade and threw it directly at the eyes. It met its mark and the Titan reared back. I hooked myself onto the shoulder and cut a chunk of flesh from its neck out.

It came crashing down and I lightly hopped off. "I'm Aer." I introduced myself to the bad-tempered squad leader. "But why can't you use gear on flatland? I mean, I use it all the time and nothing's bad. Does it malfunction out in the country or something?"

"Cadet, state your squad leader." The guy replied stiffly. "You will be punished for sneaking away and joining this mission. Come think of it, where is your horse?" He made a tsk sound and looked around.

"Never mind." I gave up all hopes of joining the Survey Corps. If they were this formal, I would rather stay in my little abandoned town. "Just saying, but one: I don't have a horse. Two: I'm not part of the Survey Corps. Three: I did not sneak away. In fact if normal laws still existed, I could fine you for destruction of property!"

He raised his eyebrows at me. "Aer, was it? I'm Corporal Rivaille. Welcome to my squad." It took me a minute to process his words and another minute to realize the definition of that last sentence.

"This is your squad?" I asked skeptically. They seemed like beginners, but the name Rivaille was well-known in my former village. "This is the Special Operations Squad?" I had heard they were an elite team, known for performing many solo and team kills. I also heard Lance Corporal Rivaille was 'Humanity's Strongest Warrior.' When my mother spoke of him, I could hear the capital letters in her voice.

A squad member handed me the reins to a lone horse, most likely an extra they brought along. "This isn't my squad," Rivaille said. I noticed dark shadows under his eyes from lack of sleep. "They all died in the last mission."

I didn't really know what to say. The ride back was silent. "I would say I'm sorry," I muttered, "But saying that doesn't help. So this is what I'll say. I hope it doesn't happen again." I didn't think he heard me, but he raised his head, a gesture that meant he had heard.

Rivaille's P.O.V.

Damn. I couldn't believe the girl. She wasn't even in the proper uniform and the harness she wore was too loose on her small frame. "How old are you?" I was pretty sure she was a trainee who snuck away, thinking she could rise to fame by killing a Titan. It wouldn't be the first story I had heard from many others.

"I'm turning seventeen soon. Or maybe I already did turn seventeen." She pondered and I had the urge to smack her. How could someone not know their age? "Let's say my age is estimated around the seventeen-twenty five range. I lost track."

She was pretty enough to compensate for her height. Unlike other trainees, her thick black hair was loose and she had crystal blue eyes. I couldn't help taking peaks at her, but when she looked in my direction, I kept my face turned toward the front.

"You're really emotionless, aren't you?" She tilted her head at me. Somehow, she managed to urge her horse forward so she and I were riding side by side.

"Shut up the hell up." I replied, keeping my head straight.

"And cold. And uncaring it seems. The list of adjectives to describe you can trail on forever…" When she noticed my cold glare, she quieted. However, she still hummed a small tune to herself, making me annoyed.

"Think you can stop it with the humming?"

"Why are you so negative?" Aer complained. "Look at them!" She pointed at the rest of the small squad. "They're half freaked out to death and you're worrying about a small tune. We need some happiness here."

"I wish you would be half-freaked out to death," I quietly muttered, then raised my voice. "Why are you so annoying?" She had the nerve to sneak away from her training and to raise her voice against a superior? Her future wasn't looking too bright by any means.

Aer's P.O.V.

When we arrived at the gates, I let out a huge sigh of relief. Rivaille and I had bickered back and forth, making the rest of the squad uncomfortable. He was just so disagreeable! My parents even told me it was my second nature to prove my point. That guy just needed to relax.

"Cadet Aer…what is your last name?" A tall man stood in front of me. "Where is your uniform?" He didn't wear the cloak of the Survey Corps nor did he seem like someone of lower rank from a military commander.

"It's just Aer." I glared at Rivaille who was standing aside, leaning against the wall and smirking at me. "I'm not in the military. I never applied, never went through training, and never even glance at the sheet-thing you have to fill to get into training in the first place. I'm a plain girl who happens to have a very intellectual mind to survive in Titan territory as well as having a excellent childhood. Do you know where my father is? He's in the military too. I'm sure he can explain everything."

"Very well." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rivaille stand up, about to walk away. "Who is your father?"

"Mike Zakarius." Rivaille paused and slowly turned around. I saw a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Where is he? I haven't seen him in a year! I'm sure he can explain this and clear my little situation."

"Zakarius died on a mission." The tall man intoned. "He sacrificed himself to allow his squad to escape. His body was never found nor did anyone see his death. It is presumed he most likely died."

My knees buckled out from under me. "So he's dead? Really?" My voice ended in a squeak. "But Mom…she told me to find Dad. She told me that before getting eaten by a Titan. Along the way, I was separated from my older brother, Onyx, and my younger sister, Lilli."

"I'm sorry." The man said softly. "But I'm afraid we'll have to send you to the farms to raise crops for the food shortage." His gruff exterior had softened. "Unless you want to apply for the army."

I was about to shake my head when I heard Rivaille. "I'll accept her into my squad." He clapped a hand onto my shoulder. I was about to speak when he glared at me, his eyes boring into mine, silencing me. "She has decent skill in 3D Maneuver Gear and saved one of the trainees today."

"Corporal." The tall man addressed him respectfully. "She hasn't received proper training."

"She will," he said, smiling in a way that made me inch away from him. "And I'll be the one to teach her."