JDthebeast's Beauty and the King

Chapter 8: My Past

Year 852

- Five years after joining the army.

The rain pelted down hard. The 104th Cadet Corps were currently running a drill through the forest. They had to run with all their equipment and extra baggage for miles in the rain. It was a tough drill, and Armin was falling behind.

Keith: Pick up the pace, you lead-heeled laggards! (Riding beside the struggling blonde boy) Your boots water-logged, Arlert? Let's see some hustle! Gear too heavy for you, son? Hell, drop it! Leave it in the mud! The Titans will have easier work digesting you without all the excess baggage.

Armin: (Struggling) Dammit.

Reiner: Seriously?

Reiner ran up beside Armin, grabbed his heavy bag and slung it over his other shoulder.

Reiner: Here. Focus on staying upright. We are being graded on this; you know?

Armin: Thanks, but uh. Won't they demerit you for helping?

Reiner: Yeah, if they find out. Just make the cut, and we're even, alright?

Keith: (Thoughts) Reiner Braun. The mind and constitution of a grass-fed ox. Respected by his comrades. 

Armin: I'm no one's burden, you hear me?

Armin grabbed his bag from Reiner's shoulder and ran ahead, struggling but determined to do it independently.

Keith: (Thoughts) Armin Arlert. Built like a daffodil, but academically brilliant.

Next was Titan killing. In the same forest, fake Titan cut-outs were erected. The goal, slice as many neck pads as possible. They had to cut a V shape in the pads that simulated Titan flesh. If the V didn"t reach the base, it wouldn't count.

Y/n, along with the other Cadets, were all using their ODM gear to swing through the trees, desperately searching for their targets. As Y/n, Mikasa, and Eren headed off to the right, Annie, Bertolt, and Jaune went left.

Annie's group managed to slice many "Titans." With Annie doing the best out of all of them.

Keith: (Thoughts) Annie Leonhart. Gifted with a sword but does not exactly play well with others. Bertolt Hoover. Heaps of native talent, but too mild-mannered. Jean Kirschein. Second only to Y/n with the ODM; also, an insufferable smartass with a hair-trigger temper.
Jean separated from the others and headed off on his own.

Jean: Think those showoffs can slice and dice. Best hope you see a Titan before I do! Military Police. Save a place for Jean!

Jean then spotted another cut-out and smirked. But before he could go for the kill, a voice called out.

Connie: Way to lead the charge! You don't care if I steal your thunder, right?

Connie appeared from above, leaping off of tree trunks, heading straight for the "Titan." But before he could land a blow, the nape was already cut.

Connie: (Shocked) Huh?!

Sasha was the one to score, falling backwards, beaming with joy.

Sasha: Yeah-ah! Woo Hoo!

Keith: (Thoughts) Sasha Braus. Unusually fine instincts. Rarely shares them with her teammates. But seems to have a close and strong bond with Cadet Springer and Cadet Smith. Now, Connie Springer. Agile on the switchbacks. Few sandwiches shy of a picnic.

Further away, two Military soldiers hoisted up three more "Titan" cut-outs. Y/n, Eren, and Mikasa swung through the forest, heading straight for the fake Titans. Mikasa went first. With speed, agility, and power, the dark-haired girl managed to perfectly cut all the Titan's necks. Y/n smiled and followed suit, doing the same, with a bit less of an impact as Mikasa had. But with the grip his Uncle Levi showed him, he had no problem cutting to the base. The underhand style Levi uses is unique. Only Y/n and his uncle know how to use it properly. Eren was last, only managing to cut the "flesh" halfway. 

Eren: (Thoughts) Damn it! Still not deep enough!

Keith: (Thoughts) Mikasa Ackerman. Model cadet. Excels in everything. In fact, it's no overstatement to call the girl a genius. Y/n Smith, his skill is on par with Ackerman but lacks the former's unorthodox natural talent. But his many years of training with the best of the best has paid off. I can see Levi and Erwin in the boy. He has Levi's strength and skill while also carrying his father's intelligence and fast thinking. Eren Jaeger. Lackluster in the classroom, marginally better in the field. But. Driven by a sense of purpose that's almost terrifying.

Y/n cut down five more, smiling. He zipped next to Eren and called out to him.

Y/n: How many this time?

Eren: Five!

Y/n: Five?! (Laugh) Really?

Eren gritted his teeth and growled softly.

Eren: Oh yeah!? How many did you score this time, Hotshot?!

Y/n: (Grinning) Fifteen perfect cuts!

Eren: (Gaping) Fifteen!? B-But how!?

Y/n: (Zipping ahead) It's time for you to catch up, Jaeger!

Eren growled and glared at the H/c haired boy.
***

Hand-to-hand combat training. A course most Cadets fool around in due to it not contributing to the overall score. But Y/n knew how important it was. Hell, Levi had thrown him around enough for Y/n to know that it was extremely important. He couldn't recall how many broken bones he received from his uncle's hardcore learning technique. But in the end, he became a capable fighter.

Y/n swung forward with his wooden dagger, keeping it close to his body, just like his uncle taught him. The target ducked and dodged out the way with incredible speed.

Y/n: (Thoughts) No matter. I have plenty of tricks up my sleeve.

Y/n twirled the wooden dagger around, so it was now in a backwards grip in his hand. He roared and went to "stab" his target. His opponent had no chance. The speed was too great. The only person who would be able to dodge it would be his uncle Levi. And no one matched him in terms of skill.

But as his wooden blade was about to hit. The target grabbed Y/n's wrist, twisted her body, used her free hand and struck under his jaw, and with incredible power, flip the boy over her hip and drove the back of his head into the hard dirt below.
Y/n twitched on the ground as his grip went limp, and the blade fell from his hand.

Y/n: Ow. . . M-Mikasa.

Mikasa, who was his combat partner, was currently on top of him. Her knee jabbed deep into his gut, one hand clutching his arm that previously held the dagger, and the other hand pushed his head into the dirt.

Mikasa: Do you yield?

Y/n: (Struggling against her grip) What sorta question is that!? Of course, I yield!

Mikasa: (Releasing her grip) Sorry.

Mikasa stood up while Y/n slowly recovered from the blow.

Y/n: (Thoughts) Damn, she's strong. And fast. She must be on par with Levi. . . how?

Mikasa's soft hand then came into his view. Y/n accepted the hand and got to his feet, ignoring the pain that was echoing through his whole body.

Y/n: (Stretching his sore muscles) Are you sure you're not superhuman, Mika?

Mikasa: (Watching Eren and Reiner) Yes, I am sure. And I told you not to call me that. I hate nicknames.

Y/n: Sorry. (Following the deadly women's gaze)

Y/n watched as Eren flipped Reiner over onto his back.
Y/n: (Whistling softly) Eren seems to be good at this sort of thing.

Mikasa quickly looked away and back to Y/n, blushing slightly.

Mikasa: Y-Yeah.

Y/n: It's strange. That seems to be the only thing he excels at. There must be a reason, right?

He looked to Mikasa, who was staring at the ground, a look of deep sad thought present on her face.

Y/n: Mikasa?

Mikasa blinked and wiped the depressed expression from her beautiful face. She bent down and scooped up the knife from up off the ground. She then got into a fighting stance a few paces away from Y/n.

Mikasa: Alright, I'm the attacker now.

Y/n: Wait, Mika, Is- (Mikasa glared at him) -sorry, Mikasa. Is there something wrong? You seemed sad.

Mikasa: Does it matter?

Y/n: Of course, it matters. If it's something I can help with, then-

Mikasa: You can't help with this, Y/n. It's in the past. Now can we just drop this? We still have half-an-hour left of this drill.

Y/n: Right.

Y/n got into a defensive stance and prepared for the attack. She was fast and concentrated. As she closed the distance and started to swing and slice, Y/n thought back to the first time he saw her. He was about to get killed by a bully with a knife, but by the grace of God, she came. An angel- not a goddess, draped in a red scarf. Y/n couldn't help but be infatuated by her. She was intense, scary, strong, and gorgeous. But all these years in training camp, he couldn't tell her how he really felt. How could he?