Are you sure you want to do this again?" I ask, as I trudge along behind my twin brother, Armin.

He looks at me over his shoulder and nods. "Yes! I want to share the wonders of the world outside these walls to other people!"

I run up beside him. "I do too and you know how much I want to explore the outside with you, but..." I hang my head. "You know what those boys do to us when we try to tell them..."

He holds the thick book, that tells of all the interesting things out the outside world, closer to his chest. "I know. I know that we get hurt just because they don't believe us, but that doesn't mean we still can't try to tell them, right? I'm sure we're close to getting them to believe us."

I bring my head up and look over at him. "Yeah. They should want to know. Don't worry, Armin. We'll make them want to see the outside world someday!"

Grandpa allowed Armin and I to stroll around town today, as he normally does, and just like any other day, it's the same here in Shiganshina. All of the merchants calling out to people passing by, their customers complaining about something being too expensive, and all the children running after each other laughing and playing.

Although, something deep down in my gut tells me that all of this peacefulness with pass away any day now. I mean, we are inside a wall, being protected from Titans. They could break in one day.

I shouldn't worry too much, and Armin shouldn't either. We have the Scouts out killing Titans, so we can be safe. I've never dreamed of being apart of the Scouts, in fact, I'll probably just stay home, where I'll be safe or maybe join the Military Police. I'll be safe in Wall Sina, if I join the Military Police Regiment.

"Look!" Armin exclaims, wrecking my train of thoughts. "There they are! Come on, Y/n! Let's go!" He started running toward the three boys.

"Armin!" I run after him. "Wait for me!" As I'm running after him, I almost trip on my long skirt, so I pick it up a little.

Armin and I...we're not very athletically inclined to say the least. Our running looks strange and we're just not very physically strong. That's why it's so hard to do anything against these boys when they start bullying us.

We like using our minds better than our muscles. It's a brains over brawn situation. We've been told on multiple occasions that we're really smart for our age. Our grandpa always says: 'You two have the mind of your father and looks of your mother.'

Armin got our mother's blonde hair and father's deep blue eyes, while I got our mother's blonde hair and hazel eyes. (I'm sorry if you don't have blond hair and/or hazel eyes, but for the purpose of the story, pretend you do :p)

Our parents were killed while trying to retake Wall Maria, at least, that's what Armin and I have been told. I hope to find out how our parents actually died one day. They might've actually been killed while trying to retake Wall Maria, but I still wonder sometimes...

The time I finally reached Armin, one of the boys have already grabbed him by his shirt and is holding a fist back. It took me a little bit to reach him, because a lot of people got in my way.

"Stop!" I exclaim and start panting. "Please...don't hurt him. We're just trying to tell you about the outside wor-"

Another one of the boys grabs me by my hair. "Do you really believe all the bullsh*t in that book? How dumb can you be?"

"Well, our father told us that everything in this book is real." Armin defends, as the boys drag us away from the crowds of people.

The boy tugs on my hair a little harder, making me let out a small grunt of discomfort. "If you'd just look at the book and see all the descriptions and pictures, you'd believe us. Our father wouldn't-"

"Where is your dad? Huh?" The last boy asks, with his arms crossed. "Nevermind. I remember now...he's dead."

Armin is thrown against a short wall, then I'm thrown down beside him. "You idiots should stop reading that book. It makes you dumber and dumber each day."

A sudden wave of courage ran through me. I push myself off the ground. "You're wrong! If we ever get to see the outside of these walls, we'll know what everything is because of this book!"

"It's not like you two are even going to live to see the outside." One boy teased and shoved me down again. "Look at how skinny you two sh*ts are! You're just bones!"

I kick the boy's shin. "We will see the outside one day! We will see the sea before we-" I get kicked really hard in the stomach.

"Y/n!" Armin shrieks, then gets kicked too.

"Shut up about this d*mn 'sea!'" The boy who kicked me yelled, then kicked me in the stomach again. "It's not real!"

"But-" Armin starts, but all three boy started kicking and punching both of us.

It's clear to see that their parents never taught them manners. They shouldn't be treating us this way just because of what we believe in.

I can feel a small trail of blood running down my chin, as my lip has now started bleeding. It'll probably be bruised for a few days, maybe a week.

"Come on, guys." One of the boys call out and the other two leave us alone and run to catch up with the other boy.

"Are you okay?" We both ask the other, simultaneously. It's a thing we do a lot, and I will never get tired of it.

"Ah! Your lip!" He exclaims. "It's already swelling up!"

I lightly feel of my lip and sure enough, it is swollen. I sigh and lean against the wall, holding my stomach. "My stomach hurts..."

"I know it does, and I should've done something to stop them kicking you..." He rests his head on his knees and starts crying.

I move away from the wall and sit down in front of him. Tears were already threatening to spill from my eyes. "Please don't cry or I'll start cry-"

"Hey..." A soft voice calls out. "Why don't either of you put up a fight?"

I look over at the owner of the voice and see a brown-haired and turquoise-eyed boy about our age, peeking around the corner of this short wall.

"They pick on you two, because neither of you hit back. Are you fine with losing forever?" He asked.

I don't think he's been watching us from the beginning. If he was, then he would've seen that I at least attempted to stand up for us both, but I failed. I also kicked one of the boys in the shin.

I look over at the three figures, as they fade in the distance, before looking back at the boy. "You're wrong. We're not losing..."

He looks at me with a strange look. "Huh?"

Armin stopped crying, but was still sniffling. "We're not losing, because...because we don't run away."

I stand up, looking over Armin. "They're the ones that are losing. They don't want to know anything about the outside world..."

"I see..." The boy comes into full view. "So, what are your names?" Armin and I both look over at the boy, who seemed to be interested in us.

"I'm Armin. Armin Arlert." He introduced, now standing up beside me.

"And I'm Y/n." I added onto Armin's introduction.

The boy nodded. "I'm Eren Jaeger." He studies both of us carefully. "Are you two brother and sister? You two look a lot alike."

We both nod. "We're twins."

Eren hums softly. "That makes sense."

"Hey, Eren?" I ask, as I pick the book off the ground.

"What?" He replied.

I swipe the cover of the book off and hand it to Armin, who now has a bright smile. "Do you want to hear about the world outside of these walls?"

"I guess, but isn't that book illegal?" He asks. "Anything about the outside world is illegal."

"Our grandpa keeps this book hidden. We look at it all the time!" Armin walks over beside his side.

"Aren't you ever afraid those three boys will turn you in?" He questions. "They might be doing that right now."

I join Armin's side. "No. We're not scared. They're too scared to talk to a member of the Garrison anyways."

"Here it is!" Armin exclaims and shows the page to Eren. "Look! According to this book, the world is mostly covered in salty water so deep that you can't even reach the bottom!"

Eren scrunches up his nose in disgust. "Salty water? For real? No way. You just made that up."

"No, he didn't." I defend and gently take the book from Armin and walk over to Eren's side and point in the book. "This salty water is called the sea! It would take many years for men to get all the salt from it, since it never runs out!"

Armin and I are very excited that someone actually wants to listen to us and learn about the outside world.

"There's even water that glows like fire and large fields of ice!" Armin informs, once we sat on the ground.

"Don't forget about the giant rocks that take days to climb!" I add. "The outside world has to be huge!"

Eren stares at the book in amazement. "Yeah. It all does sound pretty neat."

Armin looks down at the book. "Our parents...they were going to try and escape to see it all themselves, but...they were killed."

"Yeah..." I confirm sadly, but perk up and sling my arms around Armin and Eren's shoulders. "Let's all go and explore it together one day!"

In order for me to explore the outside world, I'd have to either escape these walls, or...become a Scout myself. If I became a Scout, I wouldn't last a day. I'm too weak to be a Scout.

"The outside world..." Eren mumbles. "I wonder what it's like seeing it first-hand..."

"We'll find out someday, but for now...we just have this book." Armin replies.

Ever since that day, when Eren spoke to us after being bullied, we've all been the best of friends and we intend to go out and see the outside world...together.

⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡

"Y/n." Grandpa calls out for me.

I was sitting at the kitchen table, reading a book. "Yes?"

He walks over to me, takes my hand into his, and places a few coins into my hand. "Will you go get some bread for us? We need some for dinner."

I nod and close my book. "Yeah. I'll be right back."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Armin asks from the chair beside where I was sitting.

I shake my head. "I'll be fine on my own, but thank you for offering."

Armin smiles and nods at me, before looking back down at his book.

"Get going, dear. It'll be getting dark soon." Grandpa insists.

I quickly slip my shoes on and run out the door. There's a bakery not too far from our house, but I'm still going to run there. It wasn't long before I began to slow down. My respiratory system needs to build up a better tolerance.

Eventually, I got to the bakery and bought the bread. It smells so good and feels so warm. I couldn't wait to eat some, once dinner was-

"Ah!" I trip over something and fall onto my knees. I was about to hit the ground with my face, but I quickly used one of my hands to stable myself, while I still held the bread in my other hand.

I look up behind me and see the three boys that always bully Armin and I. So, I can't possibly be in a good spot right now, especially since I'm by myself.

One boy yanked the bread out of my grasp. "What do we have here?"

I glare at him, unimpressed. "That's fresh baked bread, and I'd like it back. I need it for dinner." I know they're not going to give it back, but it doesn't hurt to try, right?

"I think we'll keep it for ourselves." Another boy replies and was about to take a huge bite out of it, but he got punched directly in the face.

In bewilderment and awe, I watch as the boy falls to the ground. I look at the owner of the punch in shock. "Eren!"

"Give my friend her bread back...or else." Eren threatens, curling both his hands into white-knuckled fists.

The boy holding the bread visibly sweatdrops and drops the bread onto my lap. "It's not like I wanted it after she touched it anyways. Come on, fellas."

They picked up the boy Eren punched to the ground and ran away like three little dogs with their tails in between their legs.

"Are you alright?" Eren asks, offering a hand out to me.

Armin and I have already been friends with Eren for about a month now. He's scared those boys off many times now. I'm just waiting for them to not be scared of him anymore, though.

I pick the bread up off of my lap and grab his hand and he pulls me up. "Yeah. I'm fine. I wish they'd stop bullying us. I've read in many books that, sometimes, when a boy likes a girl, they'll tease them, but I don't think that's the case here, since they kick and punch me too..."

He starts rubbing his knuckles, as he looks in the direction the boys ran in. "I promise, Y/n. No matter what kind of trouble you're in, I'll be their to save you. Always."

"Always?" I repeat. "But...what if it's a life or death situation?"

He shakes his head. "It won't ever come to that. Not with me around."

"Ok. I promise the same to you too!" I nod firmly. "Anyways, I need to get back home, before this bread gets too cold."

"Alright. You and Armin are coming out tomorrow, right?" He asks.

I shrug. "Probably. Armin's going to want to try to tell those boys about the outside world again. I mean, I do too. I feel like we're getting through to them."

"I'll see you two tomorrow then. I've got to get home too. Bye!" He ran away from me, waving.

"Bye..." I reply quietly and turn to walk back to the house with certain words on my mind:

"I promise, Y/n. No matter what kind of trouble you're in, I'll be their to save you. Always."

A/N: Hey, cadets! That brings us to the end of the first chapter, which was mainly of how Armin and Y/n became friends with Eren. In the next chapter, I shall bring Mikasa into play, which will be fun. I hope you all enjoyed! Bye, cadets!

Where's the sacrilege now, huh?" A boy asks, as he roughly shoves Armin against a wall. "Or does your philosophy say it's wrong for you two to fight back, too?"

I was currently being held back by the other two boys, and since I'm so weak, I can't escape their grasps, meaning I can't attempt to help Armin out.

"You know what? It actually does say that." I reply. "We weren't going to fight back anyways, because then we'd be bullies t-"

"Oh, shove it up your pretty little a*s!" One of the boys holding me interrupted me and covered my mouth.

It's been about two years, since we first met Eren and, of course, we've been bullied even more, but I started getting less punches and kicks and more bruised up wrists.

I guess their parents finally told them a little of how they should treat a lady, which they still suck at, but that doesn't help me in helping Armin from getting punched and kicked.

"She's not lying!" Armin exclaims. "We'd rather take a few lumps than brawl like a couple of beasts!"

"Oh? So, now I'm a beast?!" The boy holding Armin against the wall asks.

I nod vigorously. "Mhm!" I muffle out.

"Take a good hard look at yourself and tell us you're not acting like one. You always resort to violence, because your brain's the size of a walnut!" Armin replies.

I guess we've gotten a little better at standing up for ourselves. I mean, take for example of what Armin just said. Neither of us would've said anything like that two years ago.

"Yeah!" I shout. The boy had removed his hand from my mouth.

"You can pummel us all you want! No, you can pummel me all you want! We've already won!" Armin exclaims.

"Yeah? Well, you know what? I'm a sore loser!" The boy admits and pulls his fist back.

"Stop! Please don't do this!" I beg. I don't want to see Armin get punched.

"Back off!" A familiar voice shouts.

I look over in that direction, as the boys let go of me and I fall to my knees. "Eren!"

These boys are not scared of Eren anymore, just like I knew they would grow to be. Even though they're not scared of him anymore and he always gets into fights with them, we are always rescued.

"Well, lookie here! He's back for more?" One of the boys that were holding me back asks.

"You think he would've learned his lesson by now." The boy that was holding Armin back stickers.

"Give this one to me." The another boy that was holding me back says, before gasping. "Oh sh*t! She's with him."

By she, they mean Mikasa. She became Eren's adopted sister about a week after we had known Eren himself. I'll admit. When Eren first introduced her to Armin and I, I was a little scared. She was quite intimidating and still is a little bit, but once I got to know her, she's actually really kind and has become another friend of mine.

"Run!" One calls out. "Just run!" So, they all ran away scared to death of Mikasa.

I get up and walk over to Armin and sit beside him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah..." He nods stiffly. "Are you okay?"

I shrug. "My wrists hurt, but that's about it."

"Heh-heh." Eren chuckles, once him and Mikasa reach us. "That's all it takes. One look. I'm just that scary."

Armin and I look at each other, before looking at Eren. "Well, at least one of you are."

I walk over beside Eren and give him a gentle slap on his shoulder. "I don't mean to be rude, but I think Mikasa is the threat to them." I look back at her. "Thank you, by the way."

She nods, hiding her face in Eren's old scarf. "You're welcome..."

"Come on, Y/n. Do you seriously have to break me down like that?" Eren asks, slumping his shoulders a bit.

"I did say I didn't mean to be rude." I recall.

Armin nods. "Yeah. Y/n would never be mean on purpose, unless she absolutely had to be." He tries to stand up, but grunts in discomfort.

"Uh-" Eren walks over to him and offers him a hand to stand up. "Where'd they get you, Armin?"

I walk over in front of my brother. "I knew something was off when you said you were okay...why didn't you tell me what was wrong?"

He looks down. "It's alright. I'm okay now. I promise." He stands up on his own and leans against the wall. "See?"

"Alright then. Let's go sit by the water." I suggest, so we all walk to the steps that lead down into the nearby water.

"So, what happened this time?" Eren asks, once we had all taken a seat.

"Oh, they just heard us rattling on about how mankind's future lay beyond the walls." Armin answers.

I sat making a circle in the water with my foot. "With their walnut brains, as Armin put it, I doubt they even understood half of what we were saying, but still...that's what happened. We weren't even talking to them this time."

"Idiots!" Eren exclaims softly and throws a rock into the water, splashing very tiny droplets onto my skin. "Why's it got to be like this? Why can't people just let us dream?"

"The walls are a powerful idea..." Armin starts, making me look back at him. "We've survived for a hundred years because of them. No one's keen on tempting fate."

I get up and walk over to him. "You're not saying you agree with that sentiment, right?"

Armin waves his hands out in front of him. "No. Of course not. I can see where they're coming from, though." He looks down. "It's human nature. When all's said and done, the government's policies are a reflection of our fear."

"Yeah?" Eren looks out into the water. "Maybe the rest of the herd is, but I say to h*ll with them!"

"Eren." Mikasa warns. "Someone's going to hear you...keep it down."

"Why would I care?!" Eren asks. "You'll rat me out either way!"

"What?" Armin asks, looking up at Eren.

"Hold on." I climb onto the wall and sit next to him. "So, your parents know that you want to join the Scouts now?"

He nods. "Basically. They're not too pleased about it either."

Armin sighs. "Yeah. Big shock."

Eren looks out into the water again. "It's sad. What most people here are willing to settle for in exchange for some fleeting sense of security, you know?"

"And make no mistake..." Armin starts.

"It absolutely is fleeting...the walls won't hold forever...it's only a matter of time, before they break in." I finish. "I've felt that way for many ye-"

Suddenly, a very large vibration in the ground throws the four of us from our spots we were sitting.

I sit up and hold my head, since it hit the ground pretty hard. What on earth could that have been? Could our nightmares be becoming reality?

"Here. Take my hand." Mikasa instructs, holding her hand out to me.

I grab her hand and stand up. "Thank you, Mikasa."

She nods. "No problem."

"What do you suppose that was?" Armin asks, also holding his head.

"I don't know." Eren replies, looking down an alleyway.

There were men and women running toward the center of town, saying that the sound had come from where they were running.

Armin starts running down the alleyway to follow where all the other people were running.

"Armin!" I run after him.

"Hey!" Eren yells. "What are you two doing?!" I just assumed that him and Mikasa started running after us.

It wasn't long until Armin and I reached the town square and saw the horrifying sight that everyone else here was seeing.

"Talk to me!" Eren exclaims, now arriving beside us. "What's going on?! Some kind of explosion or-" I'm guessing he finally saw what we were seeing.

On top of the wall, there is the hand of a Titan just resting there with smoke emitting from it. I'm so scared right now. I don't think I'll be able to run away, if anything else were to happen.

"No! That's impossible!" Armin exclaims. "That wall's fifty meters high!"

"I-It's obviously possible, seeing as there is a hand resting there!" I reply.

"Oh God..." Eren gasps, as the Titan's face appeared above the wall. "It's a Titan..."

Suddenly, giants rocks, which are practically boulders, begin dropping all over town, crushing houses and...people.

I stumble back, falling onto the ground, where Armin is too. "T-This can't be happening. I-I mean, we were just talking about it and now...it's actually happening..."

"It...it blasted a hole." Armin notes. "As if it were kicking a rock..."

Titans begin flooding the area, causing people to start screaming and running like their lives depended on it, which it does now.

Armin helps me off the ground. "Come on! We have to get out of here!"

I see Eren walking towards the Titans. "Eren! No! What are you doing?!"

I can't even hear what Eren is saying because of all the screaming that's going on around us. Soon, Mikasa runs after Eren.

Armin reaches out to her. "Mikasa!" His hand starts shaking, so he pushes it down with his other hand. "This...this is the end. We-" He gulps. "Every last one us are going to be devoured!"

I let out a shaky breath. "Armin, we can't worry about getting eaten right now! Our first priority is that we need to find Grandpa and get to the boats like all these Garrison Cadets are ordering us to do!"

I grab him by his shoulders. "You hear me?! If we do that, we could make it out of this alive! No...we will make it out of this alive!"

He nods shakily. "Yeah...yeah, you're right. Let's go find Grandpa and go get on a boat!"

So, we started running toward our Grandpa's house, which was thankfully the opposite way from where the titans were coming in at. After we find Grandpa, we're getting on a boat with him. I can only pray that Eren and Mikasa will be able to join us on the boat or be able to get on another one.

⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡

"Armin, Y/n. You two best have a seat." Grandpa suggests.

Thankfully, we found Grandpa and he was safe, so we all made our way to the boats and are now sitting on one. It's really crowed, because of all the people they're loading on here.

"We will." Armin replies. "We're just keeping an eye out for our friends."

"I hope they're okay..." I look back out at the crowd of people trying to get on the boat and once I do, I see Eren and Mikasa about to get on. "Armin, they're right there!"

Armin whips his head around and starts to call out to them, but I bring his hand down. Eren looked as though he'd seen death up close...he probably had.

The smile on my face quickly turned into a frown. "Eren..."

"I wouldn't try calling out right now." Grandpa suggests. "Give 'em their space. God only knows what they've just seen..."

"Ok, Grandpa..." I step down off my seat and sit down next to Armin, who was still standing.

I gently tug on Armin's sleeve, making him look down at me. "Just sit down. We'll go find Eren and Mikasa later..."

He nods. "Right..." He steps down and sits down in between Grandpa and I.

I'm guessing that Eren and Mikasa ran back to their house and they saw their mother get eaten. I doubt Dr. Jaeger was there, since he probably left to go to someone's house to treat them. I mean, he is a doctor.

Suddenly, the people that are not on the boat start yelling and shouting, asking why they're not letting anyone else on.

"I'm sorry!" A member of the Garrison apologizes. "This boat is at full capacity! Roll out!" The boat starts moving along the cable lines above us.

I turn around in my seat and sit on my knees to view the town that was once Shiganshina. There's smoke emitting from all over and there's fire in multiple places. We have no home anymore, and there's no way we can save it either.

Out of no where, a Titan comes bursting through the wall. It looks different from other Titans. It looks like it has armor on. That's very terrifying to know.

I bring my hands to my head. "Our home...it's gone. We're never going to be able to go home again..."

"Don't dwell on that thought. "Armin gets out of his seat and drags me out of my seat and gently pulls me behind him. "Let's go talk to Eren and Mikasa."

I walk to keep up with him. "Ok."

They weren't far from us. It took no time for us to spot the two of them. Eren seems upset, as he's now walking towards the side of the boat.

Armin is quick to grab his shoulder. "What's wrong? Do you see something?"

Eren roughly shoves Armin's hand off his shoulder and grips the railing of the boat.

"Eren-" I start.

"I'm going to put a stop to this!" Eren exclaims in a scary tone. "I'll kill them all! Every last one!"

"Eren..." Armin says softly.

Now that Eren has definitely made up his mind in wanting to kill every living titan, there's no way anyone is going to talk him out of becoming a Scout.

A/N: Hey, cadets! So...Bertolt and Rei- I mean, the Colossal Titan and Armored Titan have broken into Wall Maria and has caused panic throughout Shiganshina.

Anyways, I love writing them as kids, but I want to get to when they join the Training Camp. I can't wait until I get there. I hope you all enjoyed. Bye, cadets!

Here." Grandpa handed Armin four bread rations. "Go find your friends and give them a piece."

"Thanks, Grandpa!" I look at Armin. "I saw Mikasa go inside the storage building, so she's probably getting Eren. Let's go."

Grandpa has sort of taken Eren and Mikasa under his care, seeing as neither of their parents are here. I'm beginning to wonder if Dr. Jaeger is still alive. He would've come to make sure his son and daughter were okay, wouldn't he?

"Y/n, slow down!" Armin calls out. "You're going to bump into someone!"

"Don't worry! We're almost at the storage building!" I yell over my shoulder.

We've almost been inside Wall Rose for a day now. The boat arrived here at the warehouse really early in the morning.

Armin and I were informed by Mikasa that instead of sleeping on the boat, like the three of us, Eren stayed up the entire night, so Mikasa has to wake him up in the storage building.

I stop, once I'm in a clear opening and the storage building is in front of us. I immediately spot Eren and Mikasa walking out of the building. "Hey, guys!"

They both look over in mine and Armin's direction, as we both run over to them. Armin is being very careful to not drop the bread rations.

"Y/n...Armin..." Eren says, noticing us.

We both stop, as we reach them. "I'm glad we found you." Armin nods down toward the rations. "Here. Grandpa was able to scrounge up a little extra by telling the powers that he had kids."

I grab three bread rations from Armin's arms and hand one to Mikasa and Eren, then I keep the last one for myself.

"That was nice of him." Mikasa notes quietly.

"He wasn't lying when he said he had kids either." I take a really small bite out of my bread and quickly swallow it. "I mean, he's looking over four of them."

Someone clicks their tounge, sounding annoyed from behind Armin and I. I look behind me and see a Garrison member walking away from us.

"What's his deal?" Eren asks, looking at the Garrison member funny.

I start shaking my head. "Just ignore him, Eren. There's a shortage on food here right now."

Armin nods. "Yeah. The poor man's probably hungry." He then looks at the bread in Eren's hand. "By the way, I'd make that last. They had already been dealing with famine before we got here, so it's an ugly situation."

I sigh. "Not to mention that this far in there's greater disparity of what people have or don't have..."

"There's nothing more gratifying then seeing your rations go to animals." That terrible statement came from the Garrison member from earlier. "I guess we've got to beef up the herd, though. Hey! Eat up! The Titans like a little meat on their bones!

I'll admit. I'm shocked and a little angry because of what he just said, but I'm not going to do anything about it, because I don't want to get beaten up by a trained member of the Garrison.

Eren starts stomping toward the man, looking very mad. I grab his sleeve, but he just yanks his arm out of my grasp. "Eren, wait! You're thinking irrationally!"

"We might as well keep you in cages." The man continues. "Shove all of you out to the frontlines as a buffer."

Eren kicks the man really hard in his shin, making him groan. "Ow! D*mn it! You picked the wrong man, a*shole!" He punches Eren and the other man with him kicks Eren to the ground, making me gasp.

Eren just glares up at the two men. "You're spineless cowards! All of you! You don't...you don't know what it's like! Have you seen one?! Have you seen what they can do?!"

"Huh?" The mam only grimaces at him and walks toward him again. "Why, you little piece of sh-"

I was already running toward them with a sudden burst of courage and jumped in between Eren and the man. "He's sorry, sir!" I hang my head and pant a little. "It's just...he's gets like this when he's hungry..."

"We all get that way, right?" Armin asks, laying a hand on my shoulder. "We speak our minds out of turn sometimes?"

I drop to my knees and look up at the man. "Please...will you forgive him?"

The man scoffs. "Yeah? Well, keep in mind who's giving up their share, so you can eat." He walks away from us. "In case you hadn't noticed, we're all hungry. Tell your buddy a little gratitude goes a long way."

"Sure!" Armin and I exclaim in unison, as Armin helps me off the ground.

"B*st*rds..." Eren mutters. "I'm not about to show gratitude to a coward!" He gets off the ground and walks over to a wall that is apart of the storage building and sits on it.

Wanting to stick together, Armin, Mikasa, and I walk over to the wall with him, but stay standing on the ground in front of him.

He shakes his head. "I can't do this. I'm going back to Wall Maria. The Titans have to pay for what they've done to us."

"Hey, now." Armin starts. "You're not serious. That's your stomach talking."

I lay a hand on Armin's shoulder. "I don't think it is, Armin. He is being serious. The Titans destroyed our homes."

"Exactly!" Eren exclaims, looking up at us. "Wake up! The guys standing between them and us are just a bunch of talk!" He looks at his bread and snarls at it. "To h*ll with all of them! Here! I'm going back!"

He throws the bread at Armin, who bounces it from hand to hand with it, before finally catching it.

I take the bread out of Armin's hand and shove it into Eren's chest "Eren. Don't starve yourself. Eat this."

"I don't want it!" He aggressively shoves it back at me. "When are you going to get sick of their charity? Too much is handed to us! We have to stand on our own two feet!"

Armin pulls me back. "To do what? Get killed by a Titan? I don't know about Y/n, but I used to think our future was beyond the walls, but it's like you told that man. I'd never seen what they could do to us!"

"So, that's it?!" Eren asks. "This is just the way life is?! We run away and take what we're given?!"

"Eren!" I shout, gaining a few eyes from the crowd behind him. "Look at us! Remember what happened to our homes! What other choice do we have here?!"

I hate arguing. I especially don't like that we're now arguing for the first time with our friend. Mikasa needs to step in and stop us now. I would, but...Eren is being irrational again.

"We can d*mn-well leave!" Eren replies. "If you two want to scrape by on the charity of cowards, then that's both of your things! I'm not a parasite!" That sent a sudden pang through my heart.

Suddenly, Eren is punched to the ground, courtesy of Mikasa, who just stands there with her fist still up in the air. I knew she'd stop us soon and I'm glad she did.

"Mikasa..." Armin says softly and looks down at Eren.

"Have you looked in the mirror lately?" Mikasa asks Eren, now lowering her fist. "All of us are parasites. We couldn't run from certain death without help. Tell me differently. Don't take your shortcomings out on them. For God's sake, we can't even find food on our own. We're parasites. We're cowards. Titans are at the top of the food chain. Period." Eren growls and looks away from her.

She continues. "Pride be d*mned. We do what we must to live. Your mom didn't ask us to be brave." Then, she walks besides me and takes the bread out of my hand and forcefully shoves it in Eren's mouth.

"Mikasa!" Armin and I exclaim softly.

"Eat it!" Mikasa demands. "She asked us to stay alive! I'm not about to let her down."

Eren begins speaking, but it's muffled because of the bread, so he just gives up and starts crying. He's probably been storing up all his emotions, so that makes sense as to why he's crying now.

⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡

"Armin, Y/n. Don't worry about me." Grandpa instructs. "You just worry about using those sharp minds of yours to keep you alive."

It had been a year, since we'd been brought into Wall Rose and we've had the most terrible luck. Months ago, many of us refugees, including Grandpa, Armin, Eren, Mikasa, and I were put on a field to plant crops, but absolutely nothing grew.

As of right now, they're sending everyone off that's old enough to join the military to try and reclaim Wall Maria. Grandpa is currently saying goodbye to Armin and I. With his age, I'm afraid...he's not going to last long, so...this may be the last time we see him.

"I want to give both of you something, before I go." He informs.

I keep my head hanging, as I sniffle and rub at my eyes. "W-What is it, G-Grandpa?"

"For Armin..." He starts and says nothing, but places his straw hat on top of Armin's head. I start bursting into more tears and begin sobbing softly.

"Y/n..." He lifts my head up and wipes away my tears. "Don't waste your tears on me."

I open my mouth to say something, but I couldn't even speak, because of how much my lip was trembling.

He takes a chain off from around his neck and puts it over my head. I look down to see two rings.

"Those were your mother and father's rings." He informs. "I get the feeling that they would've wanted me to give them to you, and so I wouldn't forget, I always wore them around my neck."

"Thanks, Grandpa..." Armin thanks, his voice wavering.

I nod and grip the rings in my hand, still crying a little. "T-Thank you..."

"Now..." He lays a hand on both of our heads. "I'd best be off now, kids." We both nod and watch, as he walks away from us, probably to never be seen again.

⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡

Armin and I are now sitting against a wall. He's holding Grandpa's hat out in front of him, crying. I'm staring at the wall with no emotion, fumbling with the rings that hang around my neck.

Just as we had suspected, Grandpa never made it back. Over 250,000 people were sent and not even 200 came back. The Titans are killing too many people, and they need to be stopped.

"We have to find a way to stop them." Eren remarks. "Our lives will never be our own until we do..."

With the same emotionless look, I look up at him, since he's still standing beside me. "This world will never feel like home again..."

He slides down the wall, sitting down by me. "That's it. Next year, I'll be applying to join the Survey Corps, so I can become a Scout. To become strong enough to fight back."

"Then..." I stare at him, before looking at the rings. "Then I'm going to join too..."

"What?" Armin asks, looking at me in bewilderment. "I thought you said if you joined you were going to join the Military Police."

I glare at the wall, as if it had done something wrong to me. "Not anymore. I want to become a Scout and try to retake Wall Maria. Sure, I'll be scared out of my mind, but I'm joining, even if it means I'll die! They took all of our homes and families. They deserve to die."

Armin's hand touches my shoulder. "I'm with you. I'm not leaving your side. Ever."

"I'm joining too." Mikasa adds, making me nod at her.

"D*mn it!" Eren exclaims. "I'm not trying to drag you three in. Look. There's no point in following me to my death!"

"Yeah, and if I can help it, then it won't be your death." Mikasa replies.

"Eren." I get his attention. "We might not show our hate for the Titans as verbally as you do, but we hate them with a burning passion as well. You can't change our minds. We are joining the Scouts with you."

He stands up and nods firmly. "Alright. Together then."

Now, I'm a little scared for the next year to come. I'm scared, because the Scouting Regiment is the riskiest regiment to join, because of all the deaths, but I will get revenge on those d*mn Titans for taking our homes and families.

I know that I'll at least have three people looking out for me. Armin: He's my twin brother. He's always looked out for me. Mikasa: I'm sure she's going to become even more intimidating and protective, as we grow older. And Eren: He's kept our promise, since we've made it and I don't think he's going to break it anytime soon.

A/N: Hey, cadets! I'm excited for the next chapter, because they're going to start their training!

Anyways, if you can't tell, I'm trying to building Y/n's confidence up little by little. Please let me know how I'm doing. I hope you all enjoyed. Bye, cadets!