A/N

When you the new person shows up, start playing "Everyday Life" a SAO OST. I felt so peaceful while writing it, it was really an experience :) I linked the video I was listening to so that if you want, listen to it while you're reading it. I would also recommend listening to the guitar covers of "A Tender Feeling" also from SAO (SAO has some beautiful soundtracks).

Happy Reading!

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I woke up earlier than everyone else in my house. I stared at Felix who slept in the bed next to me. He looked so peaceful when he was asleep. I was sure that he didn't mean what he said when he talked about the military. I knew that if he joined, he would join the Scouts in going outside the wall. I was scared for him no matter how capable he was. He was still my younger brother and I still felt like I should protect him. I was too afraid of his death to let him join. If he went, I'd go with him and protect him and make sure that he got into the top 10 so that we could join the MP together. Even if he wanted to join the scouts now, I'd show him that the MP was better and that he could still avenge Alex's Dad's death without killing himself in the process.

I stopped staring at him in fear of his waking up. I grabbed my teal cloak and my slip-ons, shut the door silently behind me, and went to the forest. I found the tree Felix and I had been sitting on yesterday and climbed it as far as I could go, silently listening to the sounds of the morning forest as I went. I was pretty high up and the branches were getting thinner, so I decided it was time to stop and go back down, but there was a problem. I couldn't.

I started to panic. I was at least 15m off the ground by now and there was no way I was jumping. I swore to myself silently as I assessed the situation and tried to find a safe way down, without completely losing my composure. I better be good in life or death situations if I'm joining the military, I thought to myself. I decided that I was going to try and use the branches I had climbed up with and started to gently step my foot down towards the branch. I got a couple of meters closer to the ground smoothly before things started to get a little bumpy. The branch I was standing on wasn't the sturdiest. Better be quick then, and as soon as I moved from the spot I was standing on, the branch snapped.

I was completely shocked as I fell. There was no thinking about how to land, I was confused and couldn't get a hold on myself or my rushing mind. I braced for impact before suddenly I was swinging. Swinging, not falling, and I opened my eyes as soon as I realized this fact. Someone was carrying me and was using 3DM gear. What the hell..., I thought to myself. I couldn't twist around to see who had caught me.

Was I supposed to say something? "Uh, thank you!" It was all I could get out without having the air sucked out of my lungs. By the feel of things, it was a boy that wasn't much bigger than I. Why would someone my age have 3DM gear?

I couldn't do anything as we soared high above the trees. I couldn't help but smile. I'd always wanted to use these, it was something that I looked forward to when/if I joined the military. For the moment, I decided to trust in the fact that he wouldn't let me fall, and enjoyed the sensation of flying like a bird. "WOOHOO!!!!" I yelled several times. I could hear the boy laugh sometimes. I didn't know who he was, or what he looked like, but I assumed that he was nice from the fact he saved me from getting seriously injured.

Finally I see the ground coming into view. I didn't know if I should get ready to land or let him do it. I heard the boy shout, "Get ready! Rough landing!" Great...

We landed and we spiraled over and over, doing somersaults over each other. My back really hurt when we finally stopped tumbling and I landed on top of him. I just layed there for a while and finally looked up to see the person who'd saved me.

He had his eyes closed and his arm over his eyes with his head tilted up towards the sun. He had dirty-blonde hair that was surprisingly long, it almost touched his shoulders. I knew boys sometimes did that, but I hadn't really seen it. He was wearing a brown vest over his white collar shirt and he had a red cloak that went down to about his knees.

Realizing the position I was in, I rolled off of him and went into the same position with my hand covering my closed eyes. "So... if you didn't hear it, thanks," and I sounded a lot more chipper than when I woke up this morning. I'd taken off my serious face and replaced it with a genuine smile.

"Ow," and he chuckled. He had to be my age or somewhere around there. "You're welcome by the way," he sighed. "You should be more careful when you're climbing trees."

I uncovered my eyes and looked over at him, "Hey! I was trying to be careful, sometimes it just doesn't turn out right."

"No kidding. You're lucky I was there to keep you from a 10 meter fall."

"I said thanks didn't I? I really do mean it by the way, I would've been completely useless like that," and I laid back onto the cool grass and listened to the birds chirping and felt the warm sun shining down on me. I could almost hear the guitars playing the background. I did this often: putting my own soundtrack to life.

"You're pretty smart still, because not every plan can always go accordingly," I listened to what he was saying. "I was watching you before I caught you, and you were doing things correctly."

"You were..."

He seemed to realize what he'd said. "Wait! I-I just happened to be in the forest this morning and I saw you, not like I've been watching you!" He opened his eyes under his hands and then he covered his face entirely. I knew he was probably blushing under his hands.

I laughed a little. "I know what you meant, and I've decided I believe you. Be more careful next time," and I smirked even though he couldn't see it. It occurred to me then to ask about the most interesting thing about this whole ordeal, "So, where and why do you have 3DM gear?" I saw him shift uncomfortably. "You didn't steal it did you?"

"Absolutely not!" He sat straight up and finally took his hands away from his face, so I could see his eyes. They were sea green, and I couldn't help but stare into them. "I'm no thief!"

"I don't know, stalking a girl in the woods seems like something a thief would do," I teased. I saw his face get redder and I knew it was working. "So sir, what's your name? Mine's Rose," and I extended my hand out towards him.

He shook it tentatively and said, "My name's Aiden."

"Nice to meet you Aiden. So are you going to answer my question?"

He looked at me for a second with an unreadable expression before he answered, "I got it off my Mom; she was in the military."

"Was, huh. I'm so sorry."

"Apologies do nothing to help me, you couldn't possibly understand the pain I've had to go through."

I hated it when people thought that no one understood, because out of all the people in the world, there was absolutely someone who understood and could relate. "I may not have lost one of my parents, but a good man died yesterday that I wish hadn't. Now because of it I may have to join the military."

His eyes sparked with curiosity, "Why would you have to join the military?"

"To protect my brother. I know it sounds like a stupid reason and I should just let him live his life and make his own decisions, it's just, I don't know what I would do without him. He wants to join the Scout Regiment see, so he can get revenge on the titans for killing his best friend's Dad. If I join, it's so that I can persuade him to join the Military Police, and not practically commit suicide."

He was silent for a moment and then he said while he looked ahead and not straight at me, "You shouldn't try to change his mind. It takes a lot of determination to want to join the Scouts. It's not gonna be easy to change his mind. You should just let him choose and if you really want to protect him, you'll follow him anywhere he goes. Including the Scout Regiment."

"Thanks for the advice, but I wasn't asking for any. I already know what my plan is when he decides he wants to join and that's just how they're gonna be."

He looked back at me, "Plans don't always go accordingly."

"This one will," I said looking him straight in the eyes.

We had a staring contest for a long time before he said with a tinge of annoyance in his voice, "How can you say that!? How can you say that when people are dying outside those walls right now and you want to be a coward and join the MP?! You want to have a comfy life in the interior and leave everyone else to do the dirty work of actually helping humanity! When I join the military, I won't work hard just so that my skills can be wasted while I grow old and fat inside Wall Sina!"

I'd known this guy for all of half an hour and he thinks he has the right to go questioning my motives like that! "You don't get it! I don't want to do that! I'm doing this to protect my brother!"

"Figure out a better way to do it rather than just being a coward! There are more people that need protection than just your brother!" He launched his 3DM gear and started to fly away.

"HEY!" I call out to him, but he couldn't hear me as he zoomed away. I didn't know who he was besides his name, and the fact that he was good with the 3DM gear was incredible because where would he have learned? The words he said to me still bubbled in blood. I was absolutely sure of what I was going to do when I came into this forest, but now I wasn't so sure. He made good points and the last thing I wanted to do was be a coward. One thing was for sure though, I was joining the military. I didn't know where I would be going yet, but I would be joining no matter if my brother came with me or not. I've always wanted to make a difference and he opened my eyes to see that I could just by joining. No matter which branch I ended up in, I could make a difference.