Skeleton Flowers [Shingeki no Kyojin]

✾ Chapter 1 ✾

Two years had passed since the day Izanami had watched the outer gate of Shiganshina District fall on the hands of what they now called the Colossal Titan, the day she watched the Armoured Titan make sure that Wall Maria was forced into Mall Rose, the day that life once again ended for her just as she found herself settling into it, and the day she found the resolution to do something about it.

Minamoto Izanami was now two years older than she was then, and had grown remarkably since the day that life had dealt the latest card to her. She stood taller than most people her age, losing all her baby fat to well-defined facial features and bearing long, glossy black hair that curtained her dark eyes.

Since they had no one to look out for them, the group of four preteens had to work for themselves to receive what they were given. They had slaved away at whatever they were thrown with and received only enough food to survive. Izanami, despite being the youngest, had helped out a lot.

Whatever there would be from stitching, sewing or embroidering the dresses of the Wall Rose women, earning as much as she could for the sake of them having something more substantial.

But all of that was now behind them, and Izanami now stood amongst her friends as part of the trainees for the 104th Cadet Corps' Southern Division under the tutelage of Keith Sadies.

"You there!" shouted Keith Sadies as he came upon Armin, who stood at the front of his line.

"Yes, sir!" responded Armin in a voice louder than he could manage.

"Who the hell are you?!" questioned Keith.

"Armin Arlert, sir!" Armin answered. "I'm from Shiganshina, sir!"

"Sure you are!" said Keith. "That's a stupid name. Your parents give you that?"

"My grandfather, sir!" replied Armin.

"Arlert, what are you doing here?" questioned Keith.

"Trying to aid humanity's victory!" Armin answered.

"That is indeed wonderful..." Keith responded. "Then, you'll make excellent feed for Titans!" He grabbed the blond's head, turning him around. "Row three, about face!"

From what Izanami understood, their commander was using this method to psychologically break down the new cadet trainees as a rite of passage – to break them down so they can rebuild them as soldiers. That had been clear, after all Izanami had read about such methods in the library.

Izanami was standing still in her place, her back straight and focused solely on what awaited her. But her turn never came. However, she was not the only one who had been. Several others had been skipped as well, all of them bearing the same strange expression on their faces. She had personally never learned that look – yet she was completely ignored.

Still, Keith's sharp eyes continued to browse through the cadet trainees, taking in their appearance closely until he found his next victim, speaking loudly, "Who are you?"

"Thomas Wagner, from Trost!" answered the boy with blond hair with rather prominent sideburns and surprisingly light brown eyes.

"I can't hear you!" Keith retorted, getting into his face to overwhelm the clearly taken aback boy.

"Thomas Wagner," repeated Thomas. "From –"

"Too soft!" Keith interjected, cutting through his words with a shout. "Go practice in the cattle shed!" He turned to the girl standing right next to him. "You, next!"

"Mina Karolina, from Karanes!" replied the girl thick and loose black pigtails and grey eyes.

"Wrong!" shouted Keith. "You are from the pig shed, worth less than cattle!"