Kapitel 8: Chapter 8: Not the same

The training for the army finally ended, two hundred and twenty recruits managed to graduate from the 104th recruit corp.

The top three had some of the best recruits they ever trained, at least that was what the instructor thought.

First place stood Klemens Ackerman, not really full of motivation, but he more than managed to compensate for that reaching the first place with his insanely strong body and his speed that could barely be registered by the human eye once he was in the air, he was second only in hand to hand combat.

Second place was taken by Liesl Stark, her physical ability was inferior to the first and third place and no one else, but her instinct were completely inhuman, she somehow knew what would happen before it happened, in hand to hand combat she was the absolute best, both in technique and battle sense even against those who were far stronger in physique.

The instructor himself dreaded the possibility of fighting against her in a one on one, therefore always had her fight against first and third place, Mikasa Ackerman, or the sixth place, Annie Leonhart as they were the only ones who could make her sweat, even if barely.

The last place in the top ten was taken by Connie Springer against all odds, even with his smaller stature he made up for that with sheer effort.

"Offer your heart!" shouted the representative of the corps, it was night, every recruit who managed to graduate was brought in a square to introduce them to the possibile corps they could chose now that they graduated.

"Yes sir!" they all replied as they took the military stance with their right fist on their heart and the other hand behind their back.

"Now in front of you, there are three possible choices: the Garrison which deals in the strengthening of the walls and the protection of the cities, the Survey corps which fights the titans in their own domain, finally the Military Police which controls the population and maintains order, as all of you know, the Military Police is prerogative of the top ten"

The official finished his speech and they let the recruits retire to eat their dinner and celebrate their achievement.

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As Connie was currently happy about having barely made it, a brown haired girl was sulking at the table drinking away her sorrow.

"Eleventh, how could I get eleventh place, how could that idiot, Connie, get in the Military Police while I cannot, its unfair" mumbled the brown haired girl as her friend was patting her back.

"Oh, no need to be so sulky, you can still join the Survey corps like me and Klemens, we will not be separated like that, why, you wanted to leave for Wall Sheena while we where out there fighting titans?" it was a red haired girl with mesmerizing sapphire blue eyes that showed wisdom beyond her years, except that this wisdom was never used for productive purposes.

She was now fifteen years old and the few years that she spent doing the harsh military training left no blemish on her beauty.

"You already decided that I'll follow you to the Survey corps, huh?" replied a black haired man, with deep emerald green eyes from the other side of the table, he was calmly sipping on his beverage as he thought about nothing in particular, just enjoying the festive atmosphere.

"Why, you have different plans? I assumed that you would keep following me forever, but it seems that the high and mighty Klemens has decided that he's too cool for little old me" jokingly replied the girl with a small grin on her face.

She still remembered the terror she felt when she first saw them, how she could do nothing while the person in front of her fearlessly hacked their heads off while seemingly barely exerting himself.

She remembered how she almost shut off when she saw what remained of her parents and her friends father being eaten alive.

She almost shivered every time she remembered the scene, but how could she accept go back on her dream?

'A life imprisoned inside this cage is not worth living' or at least that is what she thought, she had no intention at all of living her remaining live in fear of titans only because they were slightly taller and stronger than her.

'I didn't train all these years for nothing'

She really don't want him to go with her, she hated nothing more than the idea of him dying eaten alive just because he followed her, but she knew that telling him that would push him to follow her regardless, he was as stubborn as a mule on certain things.

She was terribly scared, but she would never admit it, she had too much pride for that.

"No other plans, who else will save you every time some random titans decides that you would be a nice meal?" he put it in a jovial way, but what he really thought was that if she died, it would be because he wasn't there to protect her, just like his and her parents.

For that reason he would stick with her regardless of the danger, she was his last family member after all.

Every single day he kept thinking how things would be different if only that day he were there with his parents instead of out and about doing something he didn't even remember anymore.

He was strong, even then he had enough strength to kill titans, he was the strongest, that's what he thought and he had no reason to doubt that.

If only he were there his parents would still be alive, they would still be able to laugh happily together 'If only my damned luck worked'

That's what he thought every single day, but there was no way he could tell her that, he had to be strong, so he had to put on a mask to hide all his insecurities to keep her safe.

"You're too good for me Kle, but it seems we're not the only ones who will join the Survey corps among the top ten, look at that" she said as she pointed at that.

That, as she called it, was the fool too eager to die with anger issues Eren Yeager talking discussing with another cadet.

"You know full well how many people they have already killed, we lost more than twenty percent of the population, ranking can't win" the cadet talking was Thomas Wagner, a blond kid who wasn't too high in the rankings.

The hall was now silent, all were remembering that damned day five years before, not many of them saw them personally, but all of them had al least heard of the horror that they brought upon humanity.

But all of a sudden, a feminine voice they all could recognize was heard "So fucking what? I should live the remainder of my life in fear of some mindless titan too stupid to even distinguish me from any of you? Like some rat locked behind bars fifty meters tall waiting for the day that fucking colossal titan decides that he doesn't like Wall Rose and comes to destroy it too?

From what we know that thing could come tomorrow and we would lose another chunk of territory. So answer me, should I stay safe behind the wall giving free rein to some asshole titan to waltz around and eat me when I don't expect it?" it was Liesl, one of the few that had personally seen a titan and lived to tell the tale, although none knew how exactly as they hadn't told anyone.

Silence once again claimed the hall as they digested those words.

Then Eren started with his own speech "What she says is right, it true, up to this point we only collected losses, but that is because we knew next to nothing about titans, we can't win counting only on our strength, but all the information we obtained in our fight bring us to have hope for the future.

I'll never give up, on the contrary, I'll kill them all and them I'll abandon these walls, this is my dream, mankind still hasn't lost its hope for survival"

Then, with glistening eyes, the boy left the place, followed by his two friends, Armin and Mikasa.

"He's a lot like you, isn't he?" quietly asked Klemens to his companion short later, he was amused by the expression she had on her face every time he said those words.

To his great amusement, her expression scrunched up in an ugly scowl.

"Stop saying that or I'll punch you" she replied mumbling.

"Nobody likes violent girls Lie and why do you hate being compared to him so much? Your dreams are basically the same" he said, taking another sip of his beverage, he rather liked it.

"I'm only violent with you and what do you mean our dreams are the same, they're completely different" the girl pouted.

"Elaborate" he said briefly before taking another sip.

"He wants to kill all titans, I want to freedom from the walls" she replied looking at him as if he was dumb, it's obvious, said her expression.

He took a long sip, before pondering and eventually asking "Both reach the same result, no titans outside the walls meaning the walls are no longer needed and humanity is free to roam the outside world, how are they different?"

"They are, shut up, you don't get it, anyway don't compare me to him, I don't like it" she replied with a pout on her face.

Her annoyed expression amused him, but he knew when to tease and when not to, he was also devising a plan to annoy her, so going all out right now would be counterproductive.

He ate the last piece of his bread and took a sip of his beverage, by now it was almost finished "Why do you hate it so much anyway? It's not like he did anything to you and you like both Mikasa and Armin, so why not Eren?"

"It's that feeling, the same as Ymir, Reiner, Bertholdt and Annie, but much stronger, it makes me really uncomfortable, Annie is different tho" se said trowing a glance in the mentioned girl's direction.

"How is she different? I often saw you two talking, but it didn't seem like she's much interested in being friendly with you" he asked.

"We had many matches in close quarter combat, given that our fighting styles are very similar, different from you and Mikasa's, we use throws and articular levers to pin our enemy to the ground, while I'm more skilled and lethal she has a peculiar way of looking at battles..." she started digressing.

"Get to the point" he said to remember her and stop her from going down the rabbit hole that was fighting styles for the girl.

"As if you have anything better to do, anyway, as I was saying, she gives off the feeling of a lonely girl who wants nothing more than going home, to her family, she said that her father is alive, but when she talks about him something just feels weird, I don't get it, but I think that she's just a lonely girl in need of friends" saying that she puffed her cheeks proudly "And I'm that friend!"

"If you say so, I don't know the girl enough to make such judgements, but I'll trust you" replied the boy, taking the last sip of his drink 'It's time to start my plan' he thought.

The girl stood up and sat on the opposite side of the bench, just by his side as she whispered her next words to his ear, to not let anyone else hear them "But those other two guys, Reiner and Bertholdt, something is really, really wrong with them..." but he interrupted her.

"Wait a second" he then turned to look at Sasha "Hey Sasha, I'll give you a loaf of bread if you refill my drink" he asked, he knew that there was no way that THE Potato Girl would refuse free food, which was spot on, as she took his mug and left at full speed.

'Phase one completed'

"But you have finished your bread?" asked the girl by his side.

"Don't worry about it" he replied dismissing her worries.

A minute later Sasha came back with his mug full "Here you go"

"Thanks Sasha" he then looked at Liesl's loaf of bread that had been left unattended when the girl shifted place, he snatched it and gave it to Sasha, who didn't spare a second to take the bread and put it in her mouth.

Liesl was speechless, but she recovered soon and narrowed her eyes looking at her supposed best friend.

"Don't think that I'll forget about this, I haven't forgotten about the fart thing either, this makes it two revenges I owe you" she said before starting to chuckle maniacally.

'Really, how bad could it possibly be?' he eventually came to understand that this girl's rage could never be extinguished, only temporary restrained.