A/N: Hello, readers! Welcome to another chapter! Enjoy!

edited on april 6th, 2022 @ 3:56am

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𝓒𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝚃𝙷𝙸𝚁𝚃𝚈-𝙵𝙾𝚄𝚁,
𝓝𝙸𝙶𝙷𝚃 𝙾𝙵 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙱𝙰𝚃𝚃𝙻𝙴 𝚃𝙾 𝚁𝙴𝚃𝙰𝙺𝙴 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚆𝙰𝙻𝙻.

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The Scout Regiment hurry their preparations for retaking Wall Maria. There came another... One more thing to shape their fate had been found.

JOSIAH HAD CHANGED INTO A black hoodie with a white tank top underneath and black jeans as he was sitting in the mess hall. A plate of meat was set on the tables.

"This may be a special night, but... let's not let the public find out! Behave like soldiers without causing a ruckus!"

"Eh? Meat?" Connie questioned.

Sasha placed her hands on her head. "What? Is this... meat?" She asked.

"Am I dreaming? Tonight's the night before we retake Wall Maria!"

Everyone bolted towards the meat and tried taking as much as possible, arguments broke out and the whole mess hall had turned chaotic in a matter of minutes.

Sasha was biting into the meat. "Don't you start pulling that shit, potato girl!" Jean shouted. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Cut it out, Sasha! I... I don't wanna have to kill you!" Connie yelled.

Jean then tried to release the meat from her mouth as Sasha yelled at him. "You can't eat the whole thing alone!" He argued.

Sasha bites onto his hand as Jean yelled in pain. "You're eating me! Eating me! Eating me!" Jean exclaimed.

"Sasha! That meat is Jean! Have you lost your mind?!" Connie shouted.

"Do the Scouts never get fed any meat? Pathetic." Marlo commented as Sasha punched him in the face, causing his nose to bleed.

"Connie, would you knock Sasha out already?" Mikasa asked.

"I'm trying!" Connie replied. "She should be unconscious, but she's still moving!"

Eventually, Sasha was knocked out and tied to a pole. "That should do it." Eren informed.

"She finally ran out of energy. Can you believe this freak?" Connie asked. "And to think she once offered to share meat with everyone."

"Huh? When?" Eren asked.

"Four months ago, when we were servicing the cannons." Josiah reminded him. He noticed that Eren seemed to have zone out.

"Hey." Connie said, grabbing onto Eren's shoulder and snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Only four months have passed since then?" Eren questioned.

"Only four months. But think, in just four months, we're in Squad Levi. We climbed the ranks in a flash." Connie stated.

Eren placed his hand on Connie's head. "It's 'cuz you're a genius." He commented.

Connie lightly punched his stomach. "Damn straight I am." He agreed. "Let's eat before our food gets cold."

All of them were sitting down. "Don't you see? You're the rear guard, 'cuz you've got no experience." Jean was saying.

"I understand that I may be weak, but... Isn't the vanguard the best place to learn how the enemy moves?" Marlo asked.

"What's this? Trying to act all tough talking about self-sacrifice?" Jean questioned.

"But if we're all not of that mentality, how will we be effective as a unit?"

"Listen here... Everyone starts out as a recruit. If we throw recruits into battle like cannon fodder, they'll all be too dead to learn. Which is why it's your job to sit in the back and study, so you can come home in one piece." Jean explained.

Marlo then looked down. "But the most useless of all is the suicidal maniac who only knows how to charge in. Right?" Jean continued, looking over at Eren.

"Jean... Who do you mean by that?" Eren asked.

"Who else but you? You suicidal maniac." Jean replied.

"Actually, I found something out recently. I'm quite a normal person, you know? So if you're saying that to me, that just makes you a coward, Jean."

That's when Eren and Jean began fighting.

"You're so full of yourself, you pig shit!"

"You trying to grow out the hair on your mane, horse face?!"

"Hey, what the—?"

"Just don't hit the face."

They then started throwing punches at each other. "But seriously... If you didn't have Titan powers, you'd be dead ten times over. And every time, Mikasa or Josiah would swoop in to save your ass."

"If you insist on being suicidal..." Jean began. "...I'll just have to kill you!"

"That's something I'll have to take to heart!" Eren exclaimed as he punched Jean. "You should start showing your mom some respect, Jean-boy!"

"Would you forget that?!" Jean shouted, punching him back.

"Shouldn't we stop them?" Armin asked.

"No... I think it's fine." Mikasa replied.

"Who knows if we'll ever see them like this again." Josiah added on.

Eren and Jean had worn each other out but kept trying to punch each other.

"Hey."

Levi swooped in and kicked Eren before punching Jean in the guts.

"You're all too damn rowdy. Go to sleep." Levi informed as Jean then vomited. "And clean that up."

"Yes, sir!"

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It was dark out as Josiah was with Armin, Mikasa, and Eren. "Ouch... It's weird when I say it, but... Shouldn't you guys watch out for me more?" Eren asked.

"I knew if you got hurt it would heal up quick, so I just watched." Armin admitted.

The four of them sat on the steps. "That's so cruel." Eren commented.

"You're the one who incited it." Mikasa reminded him.

"But... at least your spunky again." Armin pointed out.

There was a moment of silence. "I'm glad we met the commandant. I... It doesn't... Whether I'm spunky or not, I'll do what I have to do. But, yeah... it's easier now. Kept thinking about stuff I can't change. And wondering why I can't be strong like Mikasa and Levi... or even you, 'Siah. I was jealous." Eren ranted on before looking away.

"But you two and the captain... alone, you can't do much. Which is why we've all gotta find the things we can do. And by joining together, that's what makes us powerful." Eren glanced over at Armin. "Every person is different. And it's all for times like this."

Armin seemed to be lost in thought. "Yeah..." He agreed. "I think you're right."

They then looked forward as if they saw someone, but nothing was there when Josiah looked. Just a Garrison soldier talking to a civilian.

"Once we retake Wall Maria... and defeat all of the enemies coming for us... will they come back?" Mikasa asked. "Those days..."

Josiah thought back to Clayton, Soren, and his mother.

"We'll bring it back. But some things are forever changed." Eren replied. "We'll make them pay for that."

"Yeah." Mikasa agreed.

"It's not like the lives that were lost can come back." Josiah started to say as the three turned to him. "The best we can do is make sure they didn't die in vain."

"But there's more than that." Armin added on as Josiah, Eren, and Mikasa turned to him. "The sea... A salt lake so big that merchants could spend their whole lives and still not get all the salt. There's more than just Titans outside the walls. Fiery water, lands of ice, sandy snowfields... I joined the Scouts so I could see all that."

"Y-Yeah. You sure did." Eren agreed.

Armin then stood up. "Right?! Let's start by seeing the sea! You still doubt that it's real, Eren! You'll see! It does exist!" He exclaimed.

"All right then." Eren told him. "Guess we'll have to go see."

"It's a promise, then! You have to!" Armin said.

"Yet another conversation only you two get." Mikasa commented.

"Let them enjoy this, Mika." Josiah chuckled a little.

"We can explore the outside world! It's gotta be way bigger than inside the walls!"

"Okay, I get it." Eren stated.

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The sun was rising up, shining on the walls as Josiah was in his Scout uniform with his green hooded cloak over it. The Scouts were getting ready to go on their mission to retake Wall Maria.

"Just before sunset... It's finally time." Eren announced.

The rest of the Scouts then stood on top of the wall.

"You all come back in one piece, all right?!"

"But go and reclaim our territory!"

"Someone's got a big mouth." Levi commented.

"Well, with the commotion we've made, of course they'd find out." Hange stated.

"The thing is, all the meat we ordered was from the Reeves Company."

"Damn that Flegel."

"Yeah!" Sasha shouted.

"You can count on us!" Jean promised.

"You know we will!" Connie exclaimed.

"How long's it been since the Scouts got a send-off like this?"

"Who knows? I don't think we've ever..."

"As far as I'm aware, this is the first." Erwin said before raising his arm and letting out a battle cry.

Erwin then extended his sword. "The final operation to retake Wall Maria... will now commence!" He shouted.

The soldiers got their horses and the ground as they gathered.

"Advance!" Erwin shouted as the Scouts headed towards Wall Maria.

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A/N: Another chapter is finished! Thanks for reading!

Word Count: 1505 words.