𝚈/𝚗'𝚜 𝙿𝙾𝚅

On this sortie, the mission handed down to us, the 104th Cadet Company, was to split each squad into two detachments.

Retrieve the object that had been planted in a specified location, and return to base with it.

A simple task covering a distance of roughly 80 km in total. This is called the Wasteland Navigation Exercise.

It's a field exercise in which the cadets are split into two detachments and make a trip through a wasteland.

Both groups depart at the same hour and travel along two different routes, retrieve the planted object, then return to base.

The target of this exercise is to find out how well one can stay ert in a non-critical situation.

Marco took the helm of our detachment. Armin was made the scribe, tasked with recording every event.

I was assigned as the lookout, tasked to make sure that everyone is under control and there are no quarrels.

The second detachment was led by Thomas Wagner, with Mikasa as their scribe, and Reiner as their lookout.

Both groups left the training camp at the same time and took separate paths encircling the massive forest.

After exchanging information at our destination, we were to return to the training camp via the other group's route.

The point of the exercise was to see how alert we could remain in peacetime. Most of us don't seem interested, to be honest.

Eren became impatient with the slow pace, but Jean argued there is no point rushing as putting in the extra effort will not better his chances of entering the Military Police.

Sasha and Connie, meanwhile, complain of the lack of excitement with Jean agreeing.

Spotting a lizard, Jean decided to try hunting it, stating that securing food is also part of their mission.

Eren intervened, demanding Jean to stop fooling around but Jean insisted there is no point in taking things seriously.

"Stop this!" Marco had to get off his horse.

"Stop acting like children." Connie shouted from his horse.

"You're one to talk!" Jean shouted back at Connie.

So this is why they needed a lookout. It's because of troublesome children like Eren and Jean that I have more work to do.

Marco reprimanded Jean, telling him disturbing the formation will be documented.

"Armin, don't record any of this yet." I demanded, getting off of my horse with my blades drawn.

"S-Sure thing." Armin nodded, putting down the scribe.

"Just put down that Jean Kirstein was obstructed by Eren Jaegar while he was hunting for food." Jean suggested.

"What did you say?!" Eren angrily yelled.

"Hey, shut it, you two." Y/n commanded. Eren and Jean immediately shut their mouths after glaring at each other for the last time.

We decided to move on. Nightfall then arrived, engulfing us in darkness. We had to camp in one place for a while.

We then ate our rations around the campfire, with Sasha stating the lizard would have been tastier.

Eren and Jean get into another argument, criticizing each other's reasons for joining the military.

"Did seeing the Titans in person turn you into a try-hard for these dumb training exercises? Congr-" Jean got interrupted.

"Shut the heck up!" Eren yelled, grabbing Jean by the collar. I could hear the commotion from the pond.

"Guys, Y/n's gonna come back soon!" Connie warned, knowing very well that the two of them are afraid of me.

"Oh, Y/n's here!" Christa announced as I approached them. Jean and Eren sat back down and pretended to act as if nothing happened at all.

"I saw and heard everything. Nice try." I smacked both of them at the back of their heads.

They whined and rubbed the part that I had hit. I sighed and took a seat next to Armin.

Armin considered recording the incident, but I told him to stop. He did as I ordered.

We were sleeping in our sleeping bags when we heard a scream, which immediately woke me up.

Before I could move, a gun was pointed at my head. They told me not to move or else they'll shoot.

They seem to have some kind of bag around their head, covering their face to avoid exposing their identity.

"Gather up all the ODM gears and make it snappy." they demanded. I can't move.

If I move, that'll risk the chance of me getting shot in the end. If I do move, it might also get the others in danger.

"What are you going to do with them?" Eren questioned. Uh oh, here comes troublemaker number 1.

"Gonna sell 'em to our contacts. It's not as if you're gonna rid the world of Titans. So what's wrong with putting useless equipment to better use?" he asked.

Eren seized the thief's rifle and ordered us to attack the masked thieves. The others were in shock.

"Eren!" Armin exclaimed, surprised and terrified of what Eren had started. I swear, he always finds a way to get us into trouble.

I'm supposed to be the lookout, it's my job to make sure nothing bad happens. I have to fight.

Just as I was about to attack the person pointing their gun at me, a gun was pointed at Armin's head, making me halt.

Jean tried to make a break for it, but during Eren's struggle, the rifle accidentally discharged.

"Jean-Boy!" I exclaimed. The bullet grazed Jean's cheek and paralyzed him with fear. He was so terrified, he didn't even glare at me.

Seizing his gun back, the masked thief knocked Eren to the ground, repeating to not move if we value our lives.

The thieves round up the mobility gear and also take Christa hostage, stating they will release her once they are safely away, but only if we don't pursue them.

As the thieves ride away, Eren angrily shouted at us, saying that they could have been stopped if we had all fought together.

Jean, however, rebuked that Eren's reckless actions could have gotten them all killed. I agree with Jean this time.

"Listen, Eren. Those guys were serious. We would've been dead by now." I hit him on the back.

"We'll call off the exercise." Marco announced. Armin stated that it was for the best.

"Are we just going to abandon Christa?" Eren inquired.

"That's not it at all. We can't do anything by ourselves. We have to wait for the instructor's orders." Marco argued.

"And if it's too late by then? I'm not letting this go! I'm going to save her! I'll go alone if I have to!" Eren yelled.

Furious, Eren stormed off to rescue Christa even if he goes alone, but he is stopped by Jean who insisted on coming too.

The rest of them joined in, all of them determined to stop the thieves even though they were mere cadets.

"How about you, Y/n? Are you coming with us as well?" Marco asked. I stared at him blankly.

"Do I have a choice?" I scoffed, walking ahead of their little group. They followed behind me.

"How are we going to track them?" Connie questioned. Carolina suggested splitting up, but there's a limit to how much ground we can cover.

"At times like these, we should get a higher vantage point!" Sasha mentioned. For once, Sasha isn't being dumb.

"If you get lost on a mountain, climb it. If you get lost in a forest, climb a tall tree." Sasha quoted as we climbed a mountain.

"Those are the sayings my father taught me." Sasha stated as I carried Armin on my back since he got tired halfway.

"Y/n, I'm fine. I can walk now." Armin retorted from behind me, not liking the fact that a girl was carrying him.

"Shut up and deal with it. As if I'd let you fall off the mountain due to exhaustion." I argued.

"You sound so rude when saying kind things. I like that about you." Armin complimented, smiling at me.

"Oh, is that so?" I mumbled, my cheeks heating up. How could you like something like that? That's weird.

"I hear the sound of fire crackling." I mentioned, looking around. Jean pointed to smoke rising to the sky. That must be their campsite.

Armin deduced that the thieves will use a road to leave the forest and sell their stolen wares to the town of Odel.

He wants us to make a beeline and ambush them there. He wants us to beta them without horses and our ODM gear.

"Odel? Shouldn't be a problem. We can cut through the forest." Sasha stated. This is too dangerous and reckless, but I'm in.

𝟹𝚛𝚍 𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝙿𝙾𝚅

Connie and Sasha blocked off a road using foliage, forcing the thieves to funnel into a narrower path.

To know which wagon Christa and the ODM gear are in, Marco wanted Yn to figure that out using her sharp hearing.

She'll inform Marco on which wagon Christa and the ODM gear are in. Each wagon differs depending on what's in it.

If the gear is in the front wagon, one ring. In the rear wagon, two rings. If it's in both, Marco will ring it three times.

Y/n closed her eyes and focused on the sound. She could hear the leaves rustling, the sound of breathing, and the sound of a river nearby.

What overpowered those sounds was the approaching wagon. She heard no sound of metal clinking, so she waited for the other wagon to come.

"It's in the rear." Y/n whispered. Marco nodded and rang it two times as Armin watched.

Lying in wait on the narrower road, Eren and Jean ambushed the caravan holding the mobility gear and successfully subdue the men on the carts.

"I'll get going." Y/n announced before running and jumping on the wagon, even though it was already moving.

Y/n swiped one of the men off their feet, making him fall to the ground as she kicked him off of the wagon.

"Why you-" the man got interrupted when Y/n covered his mouth and made him pass out by putting him in a chokehold.

In the other cart, a man aimed the gun at a cadet who wasn't looking in his direction to catch them off guard.

He fired it and missed, thanks to Y/n slightly tilting her head to the side. She didn't know it was coming, her body just forced her to dodge.

Y/n turned around and stared at the man who had fired the gun at her. She was about to jump on the other wagon until the wagon bounced due to a rock in their way.

Y/n stumbled and Eren caught her before she could even fall to the ground. She thanked him and got back up on her feet.

Christa managed to protect them from gunfire, but a stray shot took out their cart's wheel, causing it to swerve and crash.

Eren and Jean emerged from the wreckage unharmed as Marco and the others catch up.

"Huh? Where's Y/n?" Sasha questioned. Eren stood up and looked around to find no traces of his friend.

"I saw something fall off the wagon earlier. I dismissed it as something else..." Connie realized what had happened.

"Do you think she fell off the mountain?" Carolina's eyes widened in shock at the sudden realization.

"Y/n!" Eren called out as he began to climb down the mountain. Armin didn't want to think of the worst-case scenario.

"I'm sure Y/n's fine. Maybe she went back to get something from camp." Armin thought of an excuse to keep him sane.

"Y-Yeah, Y/n would never get hurt in the dumbest way possible." Jean agreed, knowing very well how strong Y/n was.

"Let's go. Knowing Y/n, she's definitely already chasing after the bandits." Marco cheered them up.

Equipping their mobility gear, the cadets continue their pursuit. Before joining, Armin fired a green signal flare.

Having lost the mobility gear and down to only one cart, the three remaining thieves decide to sell Christa instead.

Their escape is cut short by the arrival of Eren and Jean who set loose the carriage's horse using their blades.

The cart crashed and the three remaining thieves hold Christa at knifepoint, ordering the cadets to surrender their gear and back down.

Suddenly, Mikasa, Annie, and Y/n emerged from the trees and disarm the three remaining thieves.

Mikasa pointed her sword to the thief's throat, but Christa ordered her to spare him, having heard that the thief has a daughter.

Y/n, having no blades, kicked down the thief and used his own gun to point at his head. Y/n got ready to pull the trigger.

"Y/n, you're safe!" Armin sighed in relief. If Y/n ended up dying back there, Armin would quit his dream of seeing the ocean.

"Yeah." Y/n muttered, stopping herself from pulling the trigger. She kicked the guy in the stomach one last time.

Once she kicked the man until he was unconscious, she left him there and noticed Armin running over to her with his arms spread out.

"Y/n, you're bleeding." Annie pointed out, holding her handkerchief towards Y/n's face to wipe it off.

Suddenly, Annie was pushed by Mikasa. She held a handkerchief that was soaked with water.

"You must clean the wound first." Mikasa argued. Armin was just standing behind them.

He wanted to give Y/n a big hug, but now, she's surrounded by two, strong, young ladies, who want to make sure Y/n isn't hurt.

Armin sighed and sulked behind a tree. Sasha and Connie had to cheer him up to get him back on his feet.

"I don't need any of those. I'll deal with the wound myself." Y/n stated, shoving the shotgun towards Annie and the sword towards Mikasa.

The rest of Thomas's squad catches up, having followed Armin's flare that he borrowed from Y/n's gear.

"Y/n!" Armin finally cheered up and ran towards Y/n with his arms spread out to give her a big hug.

"Hey, you scared me to death!" Eren yelled, stomping his way over to Y/n with Jean behind him.

"I nearly wet my pants when you weren't with us when the wagon crashed!" Jean admitted.

Armin went back to his tree to sulk there. Connie and Sasha ended up having to comfort him again.

"Gross." Y/n commented on what Jean just said about nearly wetting his pants. She walked past them.

From behind her, you could see Annie and Mikasa glaring at each other while Eren made fun of the fact that Jean nearly wet his pants.

"Y/n!" Armin called out as he ran towards her with his arms spread out. This time, Y/n got surrounded by Connie and Sasha themselves.

"Man, you really scared us back there? Were you hopping from tree to tree like Tarzan?" Connie patted Y/n's back.

"No." Y/n retorted, but this was ignored by both Connie and Sasha. Sasha dramatically gasped when she thought of something.

"You traitors..." Armin whimpered. To think that the people comforting him earlier are gonna do him like that is just sad.

"Were you perhaps finding something for me to eat on the way back?! Y/n, you shouldn't have!" Sasha flattered herself.

"I wasn't." Y/n sighed before brushing past them. Armin gave up on trying to hug Y/n at this point.

He just awkwardly stood in front of Y/n. He decided to just stand there and wait for everyone to talk to Y/n.

Once she was alone, he could finally talk to her. That's right. That is Armin Arlert's plan to talking to Y/n after being bombarded by fellow cadets.

Instead, Y/n walked in front of Armin and collapsed in his arms. Armin got flustered as his cheeks turned red.

"You must be tired. Thanks for saving us." Armin said, wrapping his arms around her. Y/n replied with a nod.

Armin smiled gently as Y/n just allowed herself to rest on top of his chest. Yes, that rhymed, isn't that the best?

He cleaned up her wound, following the correct procedure to cleaning one, much to Mikasa and Annie's dismay.

In the end, the bandits were picked up by the Military Police and the incident came to a close without a single casualty.

The exercise was called off, but a record of events had to be handed in. The report contained the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

The guardian, Y/n, had to be there as well to fill in the commandant on everything that had happened and to make sure that Armin wasn't lying.

"May I ask...a question?" Armin requested.

He questioned if they were right to pursue the thieves or if it would have been a better decision to turn around and ask for help.

He replied that the only right action was doing what was most important to them. Y/n just remained silent.

"Voland, is everything in the scribe the truth? Or was something there made up?" he asked.

"Everything written is the truth." Y/n confirmed. He nodded and dismissed the two of them.

"Perhaps everything that happened in the forest was all part of the exercises, after all." Armin wondered.

"I don't think so." Y/n retorted. If it was an exercise, the bandits wouldn't have taken it too seriously.

"I guess I can see why you would think that." Armin shrugged. They then separated with Armin heading back to his dorm and Y/n buying donuts.

She arrived back to the dorm and saw Sasha tied up to a post. Y/n raised a brow and turned to Christa for an answer.

"She smelled some food, so we found out that you were coming back after reporting about the exercise." Christa explained.

"We saw you coming back with a paper bag, so we assumed it was food, thanks to what Sasha smelled." Carolina added.

"We ended up tying her up before she could cause a rampage around here." Ymir elaborated.

"I see. Anyways, I brought some food. Eat them. I already ate one on the way here." Y/n offered, placing the paper bag on a table.

"What did you bring back?" Annie questioned, pointing to the paper bag she had placed down on the table.

"Just try them. They're tasty." Y/n ushered. Annie asked what were they called and she stated that they were called, 'donuts'.

"I've never seen anything like it. It looks good, though." Annie remarked, taking a bite out of her donut.

"You only ate one, right? Have a bite." Annie offered her donut to Y/n. Y/n shrugged and was about to bite into it until a donut was shoved in her mouth.

"Eating one donut is not enough for what you have done for us. Eat more." Mikasa ushered, forcing Y/n to eat a donut.

That was the year 848. Two years before their first deployment and the death of many comrades.

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