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

edited on august 27th, 2021 @ 11:56am

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𝓒𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝚃𝙷𝚁𝙴𝙴,
𝓢𝚃𝙸𝙻𝙻 𝙲𝙰𝙽'𝚃 𝚂𝙴𝙴, 𝙽𝙸𝙶𝙷𝚃 𝙱𝙴𝙵𝙾𝚁𝙴 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙲𝙾𝚄𝙽𝚃𝙴𝚁𝙾𝙵𝙵𝙴𝙽𝚂𝙸𝚅𝙴, 𝙿𝙰𝚁𝚃 𝙾𝙽𝙴.

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IT SOON BECAME THE DAY of the trial, and it was intense. "Simon~" Hange skipped inside his office. "Come with me to pick up Eren~"

"Do I have a choice?" Simon asked, looking up from the papers he was working on.

"No." Hange responded.

Simon groaned and pushed himself up off his desk. He got up from the chair and sighed loudly as he walked to the door.

"Don't complain, Simon." Levi called out from down the hallway.

"I wasn't complaining, shorty!" Simon shouted back as Levi poked his head from his office.

"What'd you call me?"

"Grow some height! Maybe you'll hear me better!"

Hange laughed. "Only you could get away with making fun of Levi's height." They commented.

"When you're his childhood friend and married to him, you get away with a lot of things." Simon mumbled as they walked over to Wall Sina. Miche soon joined the walk.

"I can't wait to meet this boy~" Hange said with a big smile. "I never knew someone could turn into a Titan within their will, this is so cool!"

"You're talking to one." Simon thought. "Especially since I've talked to the kid. Never knew he had that kind of power." He said out loud.

"What kind of kid is he?" Hange questioned with curiosity in their eyes.

"Well..." Simon huffed out. "...He seems pretty determined to be in the Survey Corps—"

"Ahh, admirable." Hange interrupted. "We need people like that in the Survey Corps, ya know?"

"Tell me about it." Simon sighed. "I feel like less and less people are joining while we keep losing soldiers. Though, it's unavoidable."

"I know, it's pretty bad." Hange stated. "But I have a big feeling that things will soon turn around..."

"So do I." Simon agreed.

They had reached the doorway of the underground dungeon. "This is it~" Hange clasped their hands together and walked down the stairs with confidence and excitement. Simon was beginning to feel bad for Eren for what's to come.

And he was right.

Hange ran to the cell where Eren was and stared at him with wide eyes. Simon heard a gasp from within the cell and felt instant pity.

"So you're Eren, huh?" Hange asked with a close eyed smile. "Are you okay? Anything new? Sorry to keep you waiting. But it seems you're finally getting out."

Simon peeked in to see Eren relieved. "But..." Hange sighed and pulled out handcuffs. "...you'll have to wear these."

The handcuffs were then put on. Simon stared at Miche with pure shock as he sniffed Eren's neck.

"I'm Hange Zoë, a Section Commander in the Survey Corps, and who's sniffing you right now is Miche Zacharius, who is also a Section Commander." Hange explained.

"U-Uhm—" Eren seemed uncomfortable with what Miche was doing.

"Don't worry about that, he does that to people whom he meets. He has a habit of laughing through his nose." Hange reassured him as Miche let out a satisfied look.

"Also has a fetish for sniffing—" Simon muttered as he felt a punch to the arm. "Ouch, sorry."

"Oh, and that's Simon Laurent, you know him right?" Hange interrupted him and smiled at Eren, who nodded.

"Oh, sorry! Too much chit-chat. We're already here." Hange said. "Don't worry. It's actually better not to get any explanation in advance."

Eren then looked scared as the guards escorted him inside.

"W-Wait!" Eren called out to Hange in pure fear.

"I know it's selfish, but we have no choice but to blindly trust you." Hange said. "Good luck!" They closed the doors shut and sighed.

"...You think he'll make it?" Simon asked.

"Pretty sure he will... hopefully. You know how stubborn and naïve the Military Police can be." Hange responded as Simon narrowed his eyes.

"Unfortunately..." He nodded and sighed.

"C'mon, let's go up and watch the trial." Hange said.

Simon, Hange, and Miche walked up the stairs and into a room where they got the top view of the trial. Simon rested his arms on the rails and looked down at Eren.

"As anticipated, concealing your existence has proved impossible. We must make your existence public in some form, or a threat to humanity other than Titans may arise." The Commander in Chief, Darius Zackly, spoke.

"What I will decide today is which force will have custody of you. The Military Police? Or the Survey Corps? Then, I ask the Military Police for their proposal."

"Yes, sir." Nile spoke and read from his paper. "I, Commander of the Military Police, Nile Dawk, will present my proposal. After a thorough investigation of Eren's body, we believe he should be eliminated immediately."

Silence.

Nile's eyes soon turned to Eren. "It's certainly true that his Titan power overcame our previous peril. However, now his existence threatens to spark a civil war. So we ask him to die for humanity's sake, leaving behind all the information he can." He continued.

"There is no need for that!" Someone stated. Simon's eyes fell upon a priest from a church. Ah, he looked familiar.

"He is an invasive pest! He has deceived the walls that embody God's wisdom! He must be killed at once!"

"Pastor Nick. Order, please. " Darius looked at the man. "We'll hear the Survey Corps's proposal next."

"Yes, sir." Erwin stood up. "I, 13th Commander of the Survey Corps, Erwin Smith, will present my proposal. We would welcome Eren as an official member of our forces, and use his power to retake Wall Maria. That is all."

"That's all?" Darius questioned.

"Yes, sir. With his power, we can retake Wall Maria. We believe it is clear what our priorities should be."

"I see. And where do you plan to begin this mission?" Darius asked, then turned to Commander Pixis of the Garrison Regiment. "Pixis, the Trost wall has been completely sealed, correct?"

"Yes." Pixis replied. "It can never be opened again."

"We would like to set out from Karanes, in the east." Erwin explained. "From there, we will proceed to Shiganshina. We will determine the route as we go."

"Wait a minute!" A merchant came in. "Shouldn't we seal all the wall gates once and for all? The Colossal Titan can only destroy the gates. If we strengthen them, we needn't endure further attacks!"

"Shut up merchant dog! With that Titan's power, we can return to Wall Maria!"

"We can no longer indulge your delusions of grandeur!"

"You talk a lot, pig." Levi spoke. Simon's attention moved over to Levi, since this was the first time he spoke. Everyone looked at him with shock.

"Where is your proof that the Titans will wait while we seal the gates? The "we" you speak of are only those you wish to protect, your "friends" who help line your pockets. The people who starve because their isn't enough land to sow don't even figure into the thoughts of you pigs." Levi stated.

This made Simon smirk. "Levi's always calling people out on their bullshit, it's one of the many traits I love about him." He thought.

"We just thought that we could survive by sealing the wall gates—" The merchant began.

"Silence! Impious traitor!" Pastor Nick came in with a glare. "Mere humans altering Wall Rose, walls that were a gift from God? Can you truly see those walls, God's work far beyond human capabilities, and not understand? Humanity is not fit to lay a single finger on those walls!"

The two of them kept on shouting until Darius silenced them. "Silence. You may discuss your personal philosophies and opinions elsewhere. Yeager, I wish to confirm something. Can you continue to serve as a soldier, using your Titan powers to benefit humanity?" He questioned.

"Yes, I can!" Eren replied with confidence.

"Oh? But in the report on Trost's defense says this... Immediately after turning into a Titan, he swung his fist at Mikasa Ackerman." Darius read from the paper. "Is Mikasa Ackerman present?"

"Yes, that's me." Mikasa answered.

"You are Ackerman?" Darius questioned. "Is it true that, as a Titan, Yeager attacked you?"

Mikasa looked up at Simon, who just nodded at her. "Lying isn't going to help Eren in this situation. It's best if she tells the truth." Simon thinks to himself.

"Yes, it's true." Mikasa replied as gasps and whispers came from the court room. Simon could see that Eren also had a shocked look.

"It's clear that Eren didn't know about it either..." Simon noted, looking at Eren's reaction.

"But on two previous occasions, Eren saved my life in his Titan form. The first time, mere seconds before a Titan would have had me in his grasp, he stood between us, protecting me." Mikasa explained. "The second time, he saved Armin and me from an HE shell. I would like these facts to be considered, as well."

"I object. I believe these comments are greatly colored by her personal feelings. At an early age, Mikasa Ackerman lost her parents, and was taken in by the Yeager household." Nile spoke.

"Our investigation has also revealed a surprising fact about the underlying events." Nile continued as he read from the paper once more. "At age nine, Eren Yeager and Mikasa Ackerman killed three robbers who tried to kidnap her."

Gasps ran throughout the room. "I just had about enough of this." Simon thinks to himself.

"For someone who's supposed to be smart, you're pretty dumb in the head." Simon spoke up, gaining the court room's attention. "What this pig won't tell you is that it was self-defense. Mikasa was going to be sold in human trafficking and they were just kids. Tell me, Nile, what would you do in that situation?"

More gasps were heard. "Hmm? Gone quiet now? Thought so." Simon said. Mikasa shot Simon a grateful look to which he smiled in return.

"Even if it was self-defense, I must question their fundamental humanity. Is it right to entrust humanity's fate, resources, and lives to him?" Nile continued.

Silence.

Soon, everyone began to mumble amongst themselves.

"That's right!"

"He's just a Titan that infiltrated us by pretending to be a child!"

"Now, that is just ridiculous." Simon thinks to himself.

"So is she!" Someone pointed at Mikasa. "Do we know that she's human?"

"That's right! Just to be safe, we should dissect her!"

"And him too!" Someone else pointed to Simon. "We have no idea what that Section Commander could be hiding!"

Simon's heart was beating rapidly as he looked over to Levi who had a darkened gaze.

"Wait! I may be a monster, but those two have nothing to do with it! Nothing at all!" Eren screamed.

"We can't trust that!"

"It's true!" Eren pleaded.

"If you're covering for them, it means they're both one of you!"

"No!" Eren screamed and it went silent in the court room.

"I mean... You are wrong. But you're simply coming up with theories that fit whatever it suits you to think. Besides, all of you people... You've never even seen a Titan! What are you so afraid of? What is the point if those with the means and power do not fight? If you're afraid to fight for survival, then help me! You... cowards!" Eren shouted. Simon caught Levi leaving his post.

"Just shut up! And bet everything you have on me!" Eren screamed.

"Weapons ready!" Nile ordered as a soldier took his rifle and aimed it at Eren.

It all happened in a flash, one second a rifle was aimed at Eren and the next Eren's tooth came out of his mouth.

Levi strained Eren's neck and kicked him over and over again until he placed his foot on his head.

"This is a personal opinion. But I believe pain to be the best way to train someone. What you need is to be trained like a dog, not a man. It's easier to kick you while you're kneeling, too." Levi said and continued to kick him down.

"Wait, Levi..." Nile spoke up.

"What is it?" Levi questioned with his foot against Eren's face and then dropping his foot down.

"That's dangerous... What if he gets angry and turns into a Titan?" Nile asked as Levi kicked him once more.

"What are you saying?" Levi countered before grabbing his hair. "Aren't you going to dissect him?"

"When he turned into a Titan last time, he killed twenty other Titans before collapsing. If he is an enemy, his intelligence makes him a more formidable foe. Still no match for me, of course. But what will you do? Anyone persecuting him should also consider that fact. Do you really think you can kill him?" Levi asked.

Erwin then raised his hand. "Sir, I have a proposal." He informed.

"What is it?"

"The details of Eren's Titan power remain uncertain. Making it dangerous. Thus, I propose to have Captain Levi take responsibility for Eren's control, and embark on an expedition outside the walls."

"With Eren in tow?"

"Yes, sir. Based on the expedition's results, I'd like you to judge whether Eren can control his Titan power and whether he is a boom or bane to humanity."

"Control Eren Yeager... Can you do it, Levi?" Darius looked at Levi.

"I'm certain I can kill him. The only problem is I doubt I can do any less." Levi answered.

"Then my decision is made." Darius concluded.

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When Simon and Levi walked into the lounge. Simon glanced on the couch to find Eren sitting and wiping his injured face with a napkin. The gray haired male sat beside Eren and pat his back.

"I pity you, Eren. You got the worst of the worse." Simon sighed as Eren looked at him. "Levi didn't show any mercy when he kicked you around."

"Right? That was really harsh." Hange kneeled in front of Eren and pulled out a q-tip with alcohol. They gently patted Eren's wounds and watched him wince. "It hurts, right?"

"A little..." Eren nodded.

"So, how does it hurt?" Hange asked with excitement in their voice.

"I'm sorry. But thanks to that, we had you turned over to us." Erwin gently pushed Hange and kneeled in front of him with his hand raised to Eren.

"Yes, sir."

"The pain you endured allowed me to play my cards at the right moment. You have my respect. Eren, I look forward to working with you." Erwin spoke with a smile as Eren's emerald eyes lit up with excitement.

"Yes, sir! Thank you!" Eren squeaked out and took his hand within seconds. Levi walked around and sat beside Eren, who flinched when he saw him.

"Look what you did, Levi. You scarred the poor kid for life." Simon glanced at Levi then back at Eren.

"Oh shut up, Simon." Levi scoffed at him and crossed his leg. "Hey, Eren... do you resent me?" He questioned.

"N-No... I understand why it was necessary." Eren answered and crossed his arms with his eyes to the ground. Levi's face lifted a little, showing some signs of relief.

"That's good."

"But you took it a little too far." Simon frowned while ruffling Eren's hair.

"He's right, Levi." Hange knelt down once more. "You lost a tooth. See?" They pulled out a closed napkin and revealed a tooth with blood on it.

"Don't pick that up... It's creepy." Levi scoffed and averted his gaze away from the bloody napkin.

"I'm not even surprised at this point." Simon sighed.

"Even this is an important sample." Hange looked at Levi.

"Eren, it's still better than getting dissected by people like Hange, right?" Levi looked at Eren.

"I'm not like them... I wouldn't kill him." Hange looked offended and looked back at Eren with excitement. "Hey, Eren... Let me see the inside of your mouth."

Hange watched Eren opened his mouth slightly. They immediately looked into his mouth and was taken aback.

"The tooth... It's already grown back." Hange blinked.

"Well, Titan abilities are remarkable, aren't they?" Simon thought, smirking at Eren.

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A/N: Another chapter is done! Hope you enjoyed!

Word Count: 2769 words.