SIX, HAPPY GRADUATION

THE SUN BEAT down on the little girl as she laid exhausted on the grass outside of her home. Sweat dripped from her forehead, heavy pants left her mouth, and her heart was going faster than usual. One would think she'd been running from a murderer but oh no, this was way worse in Fleur's opinion. Hours and hours spent learning and practicing how to use a knife during hand-to-hand combat for almost a week now. Hours she could've spent doing absolutely nothing.

However, Dean insisted that this would be helpful. Maybe not now but in the future when someday she'd have to fight someone bigger and stronger than herself. So Fleur finally gave in and let her father teach her how to play dirty and win against her opponent, foe, enemy.

At first, none of it made sense. Everything he said was confusing especially when he used big words to try to explain the different techniques to her. It bothered Fleur that she wasn't understanding, so much that she just quit. Completely gave up in the middle of him talking. But of course, she never really quits at anything. She grows frustrated, yes, and throws a minor tantrum- but never does she quit. This is why Dean didn't believe that she was tired so early in his lesson. He raised her for god sake.

He started to talk about the body's weak points like the eyes, throat, nose, and so on. This is when the little girl's ears perked at the intriguing information her father had laid out for her, if she could learn how to use it to her advantage then she would be unbeatable, right?- she thought.

"Fleur, are you ready to try again? And this time actually aim for my arm, yeah? And remember the element of surprise is your best friend." He says in a taunting manner to provoke her.

"Yeah yeah." She replies, her tiny hand grabbing the fake sharp dagger from him. It had a wooden haft with two silver edges that could easily cut through the skin if it were real.

"Now listen up because this part is very important if you want to beat your attacker. It doesn't matter if you see it coming or not, it only matters of your reaction time- you'll always win." He told his daughter who appeared to be listening attentively or was she? Dean didn't give Fleur a warning before he swung at her with a dagger of his own, the sharp object grazed the side of her neck as she took a step back swiftly in shock.

"That's not fair you cheater!" She said loudly with an angry expression. An adorable pout taking her features.

"Had to make you were paying attention, kid." Fleur gave him a blank stare, baffled by his logic.

"Ask me next time, ok?"

Ignoring her words once again Dean swung without warning and the girl took another step back but this time she didn't waste a second to swing her weapon at his forearm. She remembered him explaining the importance of muscles in one's arm so if she targeted that area of it, the tendons would loosen therefore his grip on the dagger would too resulting in Dean dropping his weapon. However, the man predicted her movements which didn't surprise Fleur at all.

The young girl redirected her swing towards his tricep in hopes of preventing him from extending his elbow again to attempt another hit and limiting his mobility. That surprisingly caught the man off guard as he tried to gain his movement back but Fleur had a hold on his arm forcing his body to shift to where he longer could be a threat to her.

Fleur was not done yet, she wanted to win fair and square. Although she wasn't as strong as him, she had him in a position where it was easy for her to make him lose his balance. With one swift motion, the girl gripped her father's collared shirt and pulled him closer then with her leg she tripped Dean slamming him onto the ground- a hard thud following after.

The shock on the man's face brought the girl pure satisfaction. "I win!" She announced happily, "you underestimated me, Papa. You're lucky I didn't have a real dagger on me."

A light chuckle left his mouth as he laid there. For a moment in his mind, he imagined Leonie being present as her daughter grew stronger and stronger as the years passed, to able to watch Fleur grow up into beautiful young women and see how proud she'd be. His little dream of the three of them living peacefully on the outskirts of nowhere was instantly crushed the second he realized Leonie was never returning to the island but of course, he knew that. She told him there'd be a slight chance she would even make it back into her home and if she did there was no telling what they'd do to her.

The woman told him to not wait on her for only he'd be disappointed in the end. Dean held onto the tiny bit of hope that she'd return for so long until one day he finally let it go.

When curiosity picked at Fleur she would often ask about her mother, the girl would watch other kids with theirs and wonder where was hers. What was her name? Is she ever coming back? Does she love me? Dean couldn't answer any of them no matter how badly he wanted to and she gave up.

It was for her own good, he frequently told himself knowing the secrets would soon unfold and cause havoc whether he wanted them to or not. How long could Dean Beaumont keep Fleur in the dark? In the end, how will this affect her? All to protect his promise to his unrequited lover.

"How could I ever? Besides, you didn't even give me time to think. You were so fast." Dean responds, finally snapping out of his thoughts.

"Mhm, that's right! I'm better than you and you're a loser." She says sticking her tongue out at him, "that's for starting without a warning."

"Loser? I was going easy on you, kid." The man lies in a playful offended tone knowing he couldn't accept defeat.

"Yeah right-" Fleur suddenly pauses as she smelled the delicious aroma of freshly baked goods coming from her favorite store. It filled the air making her stomach grumble at the scent. The girl quickly took the man's hand pulling him with her to the bakery because she knew the food would be gone if they didn't there early.

The overly excited child pointed to which pastry she wanted as she looked back at him with puppy eyes. The man was unsure at first but he gave in almost buying the whole market. Fleur looked so happy as she ate, a bright smile on her face, and sugar powder smeared all around her mouth.

Dean ruffled her red hair in a fatherly manner as he smiled as well. If anything seeing her happy made him feel satisfied with himself- her happiness was his top priority. Always. Since the beginning, that's always been his main concern and it'll continue to be until he longer can be her source of joy.

When did being a father stop being an act?

It had been two years since the enlistment. Fleur Beaumont being one of the top soldiers in the 104th corps with her strong-willed personality and fierce attitude, there was no telling what she was capable of. Shadis realized that the moment the girl dominated the ODM gear the instant she put it on, she soared effortlessly as the long blades sliced deeply into the nape of the Titan dummies. It was as if it were made specifically for her. Not only did she master the gear in such a short time but she also scored higher on the written exam than her father which certainly amazed the instructor.

He had high hopes for the young girl and knew she would exceed them.

But at this moment as he watched over his trainees as he'd been doing for some time now, he noticed Fleur being hesitant to attack Marco Bodt with the fake weapon in her hands. For what reason he did not know, he only hoped she'd shape up soon because so far the girl had impressed him, and if all that work had gone to waste it would truly be a shame.

Fleur couldn't recall the last time she held a blade in her hand, it seemed like forever ago when her father taught her all the different methods of fighting with a dagger and winning. The weapon felt weird to hold, to swing, to anything because the girl couldn't get it together- every single thing she had learned years ago was all coming back to her in a second causing her brain to be jumbled up.

To her it was rather silly that she was feeling this way- it wasn't. After his passing Fleur had no time to grieve, Mary never gave her the opportunity to. She'd constantly be put to work whether it was washing, cleaning the house, or even cooking for the guests the woman would bring over now and then. Never a chance to just breathe. To be a kid.

One would think she could've fought back against the woman with what Dean taught her but back then she'd never seen Mary as an opponent, she was family and she couldn't hurt family. That's how her little brain operated.

"Hey, you okay?" The boy asked concerned taking a step closer, he'd been waiting for her to strike at him but Fleur didn't or she couldn't? He was worried that something was wrong with her. She seemed lost in thought. In truth, Fleur didn't quite know herself either. She just knew she was taught to hurt those who hurt her and Marco wasn't one of those people. He was nice. Yes, she understood that this was for training and that it wasn't real but something held her back for some reason.

"Sorry um-"

"There's no need for apologies just tell me when you're ready." He reassured her.

Suddenly, the toy knife in her hand stopped trembling as an idea popped into Fleur's head. From what she observed she knew Marco was kind inside-out, there was not a single bad bone in his body, no trace of wickedness tainted his soul. Opposite from her. It baffled her how he hung around Jean Kirstein- the bootlicker. So when this nasty thought invaded her mind to use his kindness against him the girl cringed not knowing why she had the urge to give into it.

Fleur's grip on the weapon tightened as she abruptly swung the wooden-shaped blade at him. The shock written on his face was priceless. She remembered what her father said to her, "unexpected attacks are the best advantage, use them", and that's exactly what she's exercising right now. She'll admit it was awful of her but hey, it's just training.

"Woah, Fleur, a warning next time?" He says as he tried to make some distance between them, however, that was quickly shut down when the girl approached him swinging her arm at his neck again with no sign of hesitation.

"Always stay on high alert, Bodt." She attempted to grab his shirt to slam him on the ground but he caught her wrist before she could even think of her next move. He pushed her back causing the girl to trip over her own feet.

The objective of the activity was to see who could retain the other's weapon first and Fleur was sure she could win. At first glance, Marco didn't seem like the type to be good at hand-to-hand combat- oh, how wrong she was. The boy taller than her and much stronger compared to her, not that it mattered to her.

This was a challenge she wasn't expecting at all. It made her body tug with excitement. If she had gotten partnered with someone like Sasha or Connie nothing would get done. Absolutely nothing. Their childish behavior was on another level but still very entertaining to watch Shadis scold them for swaying off track. Despite the two being immature characters, they were still top soldiers in their rank, and if Fleur's being honest she was shocked, to say the least.

She would say she didn't take a liking to them but she'd be lying. She would never admit it out loud.

Averting her eyes back to her opponent the girl waited for him to get closer to secure the knife because she knew that he thought he'd won. She laid there pretending to be exhausted. And as he reached for it Fleur's left hand grabbed onto his wrist and with her leg she made him lose balance, twisting his body causing the boy to fall over, his grip on his weapon loosening. The girl didn't waste a second before catching the dagger.

"Marco, did you learn nothing? Reaction time is everything." A smug smirk appeared on her face as she pointed the knife to his chest, "I win." As always.

"How are you good at this already?" He grunted, staring at the girl in awe, "I thought we were all terrible at this kinda thing but I was wrong apparently."

"My old man taught me some tricks when I was little, truthfully I didn't think I'd ever need to use them but here we are." She told him, returning the knife to him as she pushed herself off of him. It was one of the many things they'd bonded over. She remembered how persistent he was about it, never giving her time to breathe, always pushing her to do better.

"That's really cool I wish someone had taught me."

"It's nothing special, Marco, you just need the element of surprise. Similar to how I used it on you. Seriously how did you fall for it twice?" She teased to which he laughed. "But let me remind you It doesn't always work and now that I think about it, it's kinda pointless."

"No way! I mean it's quite obvious that we won't be using hand-to-hand combat against Titans, however, I think it's important to learn how to fight for yourself just in case anything happens that doesn't involve Titans." Marco tells her.

"Like what? When we all turn against each other." She responded sarcastically, a frown fell upon Fleur's face, she honestly couldn't see any situation where she would need to use combat. Pointless.

"Could you show me some tricks? I want to learn how to kick Jean's ass. " He asks, "If that's okay with you and maybe one day I could take you on."

"Sorry, no amount of tricks could help you beat me, Bodt." She says cockily, walking past him, in a way where it came off as a joke. The sun was burning into her skin through the uniform, she needed water before finding her next opponent.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"To rest but I'll be watching you get your ass handed to you from a distance, good luck."

As Fleur went to get herself hydrated far away from everyone, someone was watching her with angered eyes and a scowl. This repressed hatred toward her was bound to implode someday, maybe it was today. The boy couldn't comprehend how easily Mikasa had forgiven the freckled girl. It just didn't make sense and when observing and listening from a distance it'd become clear to him that they were more similar than he liked for them to be. It left a bad taste in his mouth at the thought. He'd grown so frustrated over the years and just looking at her made his anger overflow.

It boggled his mind how his best friend could take a strange liking to her. It only pissed him off more. So without thinking his feet took him to her unconsciously. No rationality behind his actions.

Unknowingly to the boy, Fleur did feel guilty and she continued to carry the burden of not helping them on that day despite of Mikasa's reassuring words. Perhaps she wasn't allowing herself to find forgiveness within. She felt as if she didn't deserve it but the front she put up convinced others around her that was fine. That she wasn't suffering. Maybe that's what irritated Eren the most.

"Hey Fleur, teach me." A voice interrupted her thoughts making her freeze, it sounded so low and coarse, similar to the one person she hadn't said a word to since her being here. His words came off as a demand than a question which she didn't like. At all. Facing the owner of said voice the girl raised an eyebrow at the shorter male, Eren, with a cold stare. She didn't care if he was indeed angry at her still, the tone he used to get her attention did not sit right with her- although part of her knew she deserved it. Or did she?

"I'm taking a break, sorry. Besides Annie seemed to be teaching you well, no?" She quipped watching his scowl deepen which quickly changed to a fake smile.

"But your moves are so much more interesting and better than hers." He says passive-aggressively, "teach me."

To his surprise, Fleur ignored the boy, proceeding to drink the last bit of water she had left. If he didn't want to be truthful about his intentions for coming over to her then she wasn't going to listen to whatever nonsense that came out of his mouth. The girl didn't spare him a single glance before beginning to walk away from him planning to return to Marco or anyone else.

Suddenly, Eren roughly placed the toy knife on her chest waiting for her to grab it. She gave him a confused look before taking it. "Seriously Yeager, what do you want? And don't say you want to learn a few mediocre tricks because I know that's a load of bullshit, so why?" She bit, completely done with him.

"Did you feel guilty for idling watching like a coward as Mikasa and I tried to free my mother?" He asked, the hold on his knife tightening from anger.

Of course you idiot, that is what she wanted to say to him. Of course, she felt horrible for her old actions, however, she was just a kid that couldn't have changed the outcome of the situation even if she wanted to- that's what Eren failed to realize. Maybe in some alternative universe, she could have been their aid but it wasn't this one.

"Yes." She replied sadly, staring down at the dagger in her hand, "that feeling never goes away, Eren. It's been stuck to me ever since I ran past you guys and left." His dreadful emerald eyes burned into her memory as she talked to him.

"I don't believe you." The boy raised his voice in disagreement swinging at Fleur with full intentions of knocking her off her feet. The girl dodged easily grabbing onto his wrist and wrenching it so his grip would loosen.

"You think Mikasa would forgive me if I was lying? No. But I think deep down you know that. So tell me Eren, are you really angry at me? Or do you just need someone else to blame for your weakness?" She questioned twisting his arm behind his back. As he groaned in pain, Fleur cringed loathing the way she reacted.

"Screw you. You don't know anything about me."

The girl pushed him to the ground along with his wooden weapon. She took a moment to look at him and think about the way he must be feeling, why his passion for joining the Survey Corps was so intense, how he would stop at nothing to attain his goal because even when his belt malfunctioned during the ODM gear test, he still managed to maintain his balance. It was amazing and the girl couldn't deny it. His willingness to save humanity was the same as hers.

"I don't wanna fight you especially when I can feel Mikasa's eyes burning into the back of my head." Fleur said feeling the other girl's stare, "you're angry, and trust me I get it. I am too."

He scoffed before replying, "Trust you? Please. And no, you don't."

So Fleur took it upon herself to try to understand him. To put herself in his shoes to possibly help her see his hatred toward her. Even if the girl already had an idea as to why but she wanted to hear it from his mouth. She sighed sitting down next to him on the warm surface.

"Ok so tell me. Help me understand." She offered a listening ear. The boy sat quietly without saying anything as his mind wondered about all the things he wanted to say to her yet he couldn't find a response. Fleur noticed his head lowering with a frown on his face and she decided to speak first.

"Listen, you might think I don't care because of the way I walk around and put on a mask to hide what I'm really feeling but like I said I do feel extremely guilty for what I did... Or what I could've done." She says trying to explain herself, "but you have to realize I didn't have a choice, Eren. And you can hate me all you want I won't hold it against you. I honestly don't know how Mikasa doesn't hate me."

The boy lifted his head meeting her eyes tinted with immense regret. Her words were genuine. No hint of sarcasm like she'd usually speak to others with. At this moment she there were no walls built to block away anyone.

Then, a realization hit Eren, he didn't know why it took so long but the cause for the boiling feeling inside him wasn't Fleur's fault. It had nothing to do with her, in fact, it had everything to do with the monsters outside the stone barriers. So why spend so much energy hating her? Because at the time it'd been easier to blame the girl. The possibility that his mother could've been freed with her help was the only thing that made sense to him.

When Hannes took him and Mikasa away from his mother and he had to witness her death all he saw was red. Her fault. But He was wrong, if the walls had never been broken then he would've never seen Fleur running for her life and completely dismissing him. And even then if the little girl hadn't chosen that path and the Titan still ate his mom, who would he blame then? The girl was not at fault, he realized.

"You're right, Fleur, I don't hate you. I've been so caught up with wanting revenge and blamed you for something you had no control over." He finally acknowledges, making the girl glance hopefully at him as she waited for his next words, "and you know I am weak- actually now that I think about it, I can't imagine the stress you must've had weighing you down. It wasn't my intention, we already have a ton on our plate, bigger problems to think about than my grudge against you. I don't know what I was thinking."

"No, you're not weak, I chose my words wrong, you're just strongly driven by your emotions because if you were weak you wouldn't have it in you to continue to fight. And it's good that you understand my side of the story but before you make your mind up about me I want you to listen, " Fleur tells him, "A few months ago I would've apologized and begged for your forgiveness. But with time to think about my past actions, the reason I ran and didn't think to look back wasn't because of the guiltiness I had felt- though it did play a part. Can you guess why?"

Eren nodded his head with a confused look on his face.

"It's because I was being selfish for once in my life, Eren. I chose to save myself and I'd do it all over again." The girl admits without feeling sorry as she watched his lips part, "it's kinda harsh but it's the truth. Sometimes being selfish is good. Necessary."

"It's never okay to be selfish and neither is it necessary, seriously? and here I thought you were about to say something righteous." Eren scoffed again looking away from Fleur, the scowl returning to his features.

"I never said I was virtuous. I'm just saying that putting your needs before others isn't bad sometimes, Eren, because there will come a time where you'll have to be selfish at least once in your life. Whether it be for your own desires or for those dear to you." Fleur said as she watched the boy's frown fading away at her words. Silence took over as the two sat there with no idea as to what to say to each other.

They were consumed by their thoughts. One was having trouble deciphering a viewpoint different from his, while the other simply observed the gears in the boy's head spin.

The girl stands up dusting the dirt off. Side-eyeing the boy who continued to sit there, no inkling of what to do with himself. She rolled her eyes before extending a hand to him but halfway through the action she quickly retracted it, surprising herself as she remembered she still had difficulty physical contact. Which she was working on, hand-to-hand combat had helped quite a bit with it. The physical contact of it.

"Get up. You look stupid sitting there staring at nothing. It's kinda creepy, Yeager. Or is that your natural face?" She smirked, poking fun at him as if he were her little brother to loosen the tension between them.

The humor-filled remark pulled the boy out of his thoughts as he glanced up at the girl with a blank stare. "Ha-ha. Very funny."

Fleur simply shrugged in contentment.

"And could you stop calling me by my last name? You sound like the instructor. 'Eren' is just fine." He says pushing himself off the ground as well.

"Oh but I like the way 'Yeager' sounds, " The girl lowers her voice when saying the surname. "See, when I say it like that it adds to your intense character. It's funny, no?" The boy raises an eyebrow at her not being impressed with her jokes. In his opinion, they weren't even laughable- not worth giggle. He completely ignores the girl, walking past her.

"Hey, we're okay now, yeah?"

The two stood facing opposite from each other, a small distance between them. Even though Fleur told herself that it didn't matter if he chose to forgive her or not, something tugged at her, she wanted- no she needed his forgiveness so she could free herself from the burden that weighed on her shoulders. It had been exhausting to carry such responsibility for a tragedy that occurred years ago. It wasn't fair. But when the quietness she loathed so much filled the air once again, she knew what his answer would be.

Unknowingly to Fleur, after hearing her speak to him and listening to her side of the story, the boy found himself letting go of any hostility toward her. Though he was uncertain of Fleur and what type of person she is because of the way she talked about how being selfish was okay, that was the only thing he couldn't understand. But he believed her. Her eyes were honest when she spoke to him. All this time hating her was for nothing. It had been wasted energy just like Mikasa said.

"Sure. Whatever. But this doesn't make us friends." He finally replies and then continues to walk away.

Unconsciously, Fleur's shoulders relaxed, and everything around her as well. She couldn't quite explain this feeling that washed over her. It'd been a mixture of relief and somewhat elated. The freckled girl hadn't realized how much his forgiveness meant to him until now. Her grey hues glanced up and looked heavenward as she exhaled lightly.

A single tear fell from her eye which she quickly wiped away before anyone could see. She hadn't felt at ease for a while. And she knew this moment wouldn't last long so she didn't waste any time to enjoy it before heading back to training.

The time arrived when Fleur had to choose a regiment. After ending her training within the top 10, she could pick where she'd spend the rest of her life serving humanity. The choice was easy, join the Survey Corps, and kill every last Titan. Die if necessary and Fleur was willing to take that risk. Unlike most, the girl had already made up her mind before enlisting. Though sometimes her psyche would wander and make her question her choice but it'd been a thought ignored completely- once she set on doing something there was no changing her mind.

To even be sitting here with the people she'd spent so much time with put the girl in a particular mood. It wasn't bad per se, it was more of a cozy feeling as she watched everyone holding conversations with each other, drinking, and just unwinding like herself. However, Fleur sat separated from them like always.

"Hey, freckles, you're joining the military, right?" Suddenly, Jean sat down next to her which made the girl jump. "Ain't no way you're going to throw your life away like that suicidal maniac." The boy glared at Eren who was surrounded by Armin and Mikasa and some other people.

"Is that your nickname for him? It's fitting." She reframes from grinning. She never understood the boy's disliking toward Eren, she guesses it had to do with their different stances on which regiment was best, it's silly, then again she hadn't paid much attention to their little quarrels.

"I've just never seen someone so willing to toss their life away."

"Why do you care so much about what he chooses to do with his life? At least he's fighting for something instead of hiding behind the walls licking the king's boots." Fleur argues, "I mean I guess it is the easier route to take considering our crisis." Jean stares as the girl takes a sip from her cup. Her features remaining calm but her tone was insulting as if his choice to conceal himself inside the walls were coward-like behavior. And it was, at least to Fleur.

"What's your problem? Don't tell me you're going, too? You ranked higher than me, seriously? You could live peacefully by the king's side with me and Marco." He says pinching his eyebrows together in confusion.

"I couldn't think of anything more embarrassing." The girl replies cringing at the thought, "what about me tells you I'd be ecstatic to work for the king?"

"Oh, c'mon don't tell me that maniac influenced your mind with his crazy ideas."

"Believe or not I've been set on it since I enlisted. This might be difficult for you to understand but I don't want to live in fear all my life-Imagine the misery." The girl continues as she glances at Jean giving him a cold stare, "I want to fight and not continue to exist and die inside these damn barriers. If there is even a small possibility that humanity can be restored just by killing a few hundred Titans then I'm going to be apart of the group of soldiers that actually did something to push our people in that direction."

The male simply gazed at the girl in awe but quickly changed to an unimpressed look as he scoffed, "Yeah, sounds like a noble way of saying you're willing to die even if you don't know the outcome of your idiotic choice."

"I won't die, have a little faith in me. But you seem incredibly worried for me, don't tell me you care for little old me, Jeanie." She teases him with a faint playful smirk watching as he turns away flustered by the nickname. How can she have so much confidence in her words? Was she not scared?

"You're annoying, you know." The girl shrugs unbothered by his comment toward her jesting.

"Why are you here then? Did you want to start a fan club by bonding over your Eren hatred with me? I'm sorry but I'll have to decline." She teases again. Jean's frown deepens, he turns to face her wanting to spit back a witty remark but his head was blank.

Abruptly, Eren's voice rang throughout the large room. It caused the two individuals to snap their necks at the sudden disturbance. "I'm going to exterminate all of the Titans, and escape these cramped walls! That is my dream. Humanity isn't finished yet." He yelled with a puddle of tears filling in his eyes. Fleur stared from her seat as she listened to the intensity, the zeal, in his voice. It was shocking, not to her, but to those who've failed to acknowledge the great determination he possessed because the girl had already recognized it the day they had a proper conversation.

Eren stormed off drying the tears away, Armin and Mikasa quickly followed behind their friend. She hadn't heard much of his conversation with the other soldiers, however, it must've been pretty serious for him to get riled up like that.

Fleur pursed her lips, she began to think for a moment as her silver eyes trailed the door the three had exited from. A strange feeling took over her wanting to go follow them. And before she knew it her body reacted before her brain could process herself getting ready to go outside.

"Where are you going?" Jean asked.

The girl ignored him purposely as she headed towards the door. Why was she following them? She didn't know. It's not like she'd grown close with any of them these past years besides a few conversations she's shared with them, which were short. It wasn't like her to chase people she'd barely spoken to, but the small portion of Eren's speech that she heard she agreed with it. And she wanted to let him know that, because everyone seems to think he's crazy for having such ambitions. The same as hers.

A slight breeze caressed Fleur's rosy cheeks as she took a step outside, it took one look at the sky for her to feel at ease. Her eyes glanced over at the three who were sitting in silence admiring the luminous stars. Well, at least two of them were.

Armin was the only one to notice the sound of the door opening and closing even though the freckled girl had tried her best to keep quiet.

"Fleur? Are you alright? What are you doing here?" He says, making Eren and Mikasa turn their heads at her. The girl flushed as she stood there without an inkling of what to do with herself. She should've thought this through more clearly, now they might think she's a weirdo for following them out here.

"Humanity isn't finished yet." She repeated Eren's words back to them to break the silence, their expressions changing to a confused one. "I agree. Everyone seems to be so afraid... So shocked by the thought of someone choosing to fight instead of submitting to fear. They think life will magically get better with time but we all know that isn't true."

The three gazed at her, not sure where her uplifting was coming from since most of the time Fleur was seen as well... Not the friendliest usually. She spent so much training and avoided everyone, only spoke when spoken to, and even then she wouldn't answer if whatever you said didn't interest her.

"And they make you and I feel stupid for wanting more than just to exist within these walls." She continues as she approaches them cautiously, Armin caught her unusual timid behavior.

"Here, sit next to me." He offered in a sweet tone and the girl accepted it as she sat on the concrete stairs.

"Where is this coming from? I don't need your pity. Go back inside." Eren tells her, looking away from Fleur.

"Oh, It's not pity, Eren. Remember when I told you I understood how you felt?" She asked, watching as he dug into his memories. "That hasn't changed. You want to fight and so do I- and I'm sure Mikasa and blondie here want to as well, right beside you." Fleur nudges Armin gently.

"Don't get so worked up with what others have to say about your final decision. It can be frustrating, yes, but if anything you're the one aiming to make a difference. Not them." The words just spewed out of the freckled girl's mouth as she admired the beautiful sky above her- her arms crossed and chin resting on them. She counted each star, connected each constellation there was, the moon reflecting itself onto her gray hues.

Sapphire stones gawked involuntarily as a shooting star fell across the sea of stars.

"Eren," Mikasa speaks up causing the boy to look at her. "It's only a matter of time before we all permanently choose our branch and without me, you'll be sent to your grave early. So if you go join the Survey Corps so will I."

"But you're valedictorian! Join the Military Police!"

"I'm joining the Survey Corps, too," Armin announces also, causing Eren to gasp in shock that they were willing to endanger their lives just like him or for him, Fleur couldn't really tell.

"You're lucky to have people like them, Jeager." The red-haired girl says, "anyway, my purpose for coming out here was just to let you know that you aren't crazy for having courage. Who knows you might've inspired some with your speech."

Eren lips part as he looked at her appreciating her understanding of him, "Thanks-"

"For an idiot." She interrupts him. The boy huffs in annoyance, seeing the faint smirk appear on Fleur's face. The remark caused Armin and Mikasa to stifle a smile.

The four stayed outside in comfortable silence for a little while longer. Fleur had never been this open especially since she wasted her duration of training isolated but recently that mentality of avoiding people she would soon have to team up with had vanished. Though she was still uncertain of what might happen in the future, and it terrified her. It always will.

Silver eyes peeked at the other three through her peripheral view. It hadn't been spoken out loud but there was definitely some sort of bond forming between them.

On top of the massive stone walls stood a girl peeking carefully over them cherishing the view from high up as she pretended to clean the metal canons with a rag. It seemed almost like a dream to Fleur, so surreal, to have made it this far. All of the hard work had paid off and she was proud of herself for making it this far but she knew that it was just the beginning. There were still monsters plaguing her home and that it wasn't going to be easy to rid of them- it'd probably take her whole lifespan to eliminate every single one of them.

She sometimes wondered what was the history of the Titans? Where had exactly did they come from? Were they solely put on this earth to just eat people? To traumatize humanity? She wondered if this rank of soldiers would finally bring peace within the walls, or would it just be another round of false hope to feed their people? A million questions with no answers. Yet, somehow she didn't have an ounce of self-doubt. Not anymore at least.

What she did know was that she couldn't die, she wasn't going to allow herself to get the free ticket out of this world without making some sort of change. She shouldn't be so cocky to think that she'd survive longer than those who she now calls her comrades, the same people on the path of self-sacrifice, she knows, however, she believed she could. If the universe wanted her dead then she would've been rotting away next to her grandmother, right?

There was no doubt in her mind she could outlive most because if she let herself drown in doubt and become miserable and second guess her every move then what's the point of even being here? and she's sure many would challenge her and the way she thinks so certain about her fate but she didn't care. Perhaps the universe might make a fool out of her for having such high hopes.

The girl took a glance around, everyone had been attending to their duties as they were told to. Unlike the day they were all introduced to each other, they all seemed calm instead of nervous which created a nice atmosphere. It was one the freckled girl enjoyed most- though no one could tell by the resting bitch face spread across her features. Maybe that'd been why none of them spoken to her.

Fleur frowned at the thought, unmindfully she fixed her face to appear nicer.

Approaching soles sounded against the concrete causing her to lift her head and look in the direction of whoever was coming. It was Sasha, who strangely had red cheeks with drool dripping from her mouth. Fleur's eyebrows pinch together as she looked at the Braus girl perplexed.

"Um, everyone..." She says getting their attention, "I brought meat from the officers' storehouse." The girl reveals the meat she stole that was hiding in her jacket to them, their expressions changing into a scared one in fear of Shadis finding out.

Fleur watched holding in a chuckle at the girl's bravery for stealing. Or was she just stupid? Both, the red-haired girl decided.

"Sasha, do you want to end up in jail?!" Eren dramatically asks.

"Idiots are crazy..." Connie adds.

"That makes the two of you." Fleur jabbed as she entered the conversation, the boy simply huffed and looked away. "Sasha, you realize we only have little to live on since we lost so much land, right?"

Sasha dismissed her words, her mouth-frothing over the tasty food she could make after she was done with her chores. It was amusing.

"It's fine! Once we retake our land, we can raise cows and sheep again." She reassured her worried comrades, hiding the meat in one of the wooden crates. It was silent for a moment before one boy, who Fleur couldn't remember the name of, spoke up and said he wanted meat then Connie, then Mina.

"You guys are morons..." She says rolling her eyes. The freckled girl wasn't surprised by their childishness, her arms uncrossed as took her rag and began to clean again. How could they be so ignorant? Though if Shadis didn't find out it'd be alright? At the corner of her vision, she saw the Braus girl still packing her stolen goods away, her stomach began to grumble and without a second thought Fleur gave in.

A clearing of a voice caught Sasha's attention. "If you could save me some that be cool I guess..."

"Of course!" The upbeat girl replied with no hesitation, "but you know that'd make you a moron, too." Fleur couldn't respond quick enough before Sasha smiled at her as she got up and walked away.

She watched the others return to their tasks as she did the same. However, unlike them, she continued to pretend to scrub the metal weapon that didn't need cleaning, to begin with. It quite stupid the more she thought about why the instructor wanted these spotless- it was pointless. Why don't the veterans do the job instead? But she'll admit that maybe she was being a tad bit dramatic. She signed up for this so she'll have to deal with whatever meaningless side jobs they give her. No matter how much she hated it.

Unmindfully, the plains of grassland grabbed Fleur's attention. It had been a habit she noticed herself doing a lot and it bothered her to know that somewhere far down there was her home, it was invaded, stolen, and everyone was dead. As she stared into the fields with no life left a feeling pulled at her heart in the most torturing way. The girl bit her lip continuing to look at the skyline beyond her.

Suddenly, A flash of yellow lightning made Fleur go numb. The thumping of her heart was going at a rapid speed as the monster appeared before her striking unbearable fear throughout her entire body that felt as if it were jello. She became motionless, the hairs on her neck rising as the rag in her hand started to tremble along with her. Dryness took over her mouth, the girl's pulse beat so loudly in her ears drowning out any other sound.

It took one look into the eyes of the Colossal beast for Fleur to immediately feel herself grow cold and unconscious. They were so human-like, it didn't make sense.

Everyone stood immobilized in pure shock. The same fear rushing through Fleur surged through them as well. They didn't think they would see the Titan in person so early or ever. No one knew what to do in a state of terror they just gazed with wide eyes, their minds completely blank. The creature blew a hole into the wall and there was nothing they could do about it.

At the same time the hot steam it released from its body burned her skin, so hot, it took her back to when the hot metal was pressed onto her hands. The gas was powerful enough to blow away each and every one of them off the walls and it did. Effortlessly.

It was so sudden, everything went in slow motion as Fleur's senseless body got shot back with an incredible amount of force. She didn't have the strength to push the trigger on her gear to keep her from free-falling to her impending doom. She thought she was prepared to face it, to finally fight back. She'd been so confident in herself for so long about this specific scenario to only be defeated in seconds.

Not only was it was unfortunate she'd been forced to eat her words so quick in the game of survival but also humiliating. She talked such a big game to end up being entirely useless as Eren went to kill the Colossal Titan without a hint of fear.

Bits and pieces of wood, cobble, and fixed cannons were knocked off the walls. Why was it after the Cannons?

Still falling Fleur's eyes flutter open regaining consciousness. The wind breezed up her clothing, her long hair now loose and out of the tie that kept it tamed. The blue sky was becoming farther and farther from reach unlike before when she could almost touch with a single stretch of her hand.

She wasn't dying. No way! Not so early in the game.

"Fleur! Hold on." A fearful voice rang in the girl's ears. It was slightly inaudible. Sasha Braus was running hastily on the concrete barriers almost defying gravity, no, she was. It was amazing how she reacted instantly in time of trouble but her friend was in danger so she had to act fast if she was going to save her. She's sure Fleur would do the same- she'd be correct.

A pain shot up the freckled girl's leg as Sasha shot the end of the metal hook into Fleur's leg to keep her from hitting the hard ground. The injury throbbed causing a cry to leave her mouth.

Hanging upside down Fleur glanced to her left and saw the giant hole created to let in the Abnormals. The anger that flooded in her veins was indescribable, her jaw clenched, and a blazing inferno that craved to burn her from the inside out was birthed in that very moment.

Do the heavens have no compassion? Did it dare test Fleur's sanity? Her stance on her own future? Oh, It did. Merciless and it was prepared to spill blood.