Humanity's War {AoT FanFic}

That Day: The Fall of Shiganshina, Part 2

-Flashback-

"Daddy," an eight year old Kyou laid in bed, her mother tucking her in, "what are titans?"

Elizabeth d'Arc just sighed and looked her husband, Arthur d'Arc. A tall, thin, man with ginger hair and blue eyes stood up from leaning on the door and towards his daughter.

"Well sweetie," he began, "they first appeared over a hundred years ago, giant, humanoid, creatures with the taste for our blood. The brute strength of these apparitions triumphed an average persons many times over, we were shoved to the brink of extinction almost overnight. The survivors erected the walls Maria, Rose, and Sina, withdrawing in frightened huddles for what is soon to be a century of uneasy peace."

Kyou shook in fear, hiding underneath the covers. Her father noticed and rubbed his daughter's back.

"It's alright Kyou," he cooed, "I'll be here to protect you, always, even if you can't see me or if I'm gone."

Kyou hugged her mother and father, not knowing that it would be the last hug she ever got from her father.

-End Flashback-

A pair of hands grabbed Kyou's arm and lifted her up her feet. Kyou wiped away her tears and looked at the person who picked her up. It was a boy her age with blonde hair and blue eyes showing fear and concern.

"Are you alright?" The boy asked, fear lacing his words.

Kyou only started to sob again and hugged the boy. His body was trembling and tense but he loosened up and hugged her back all the while guided her to the evacuation boats. Kyou silently allowed the boy to take her away from the chaos and gripped his tighter as she heard the screams of people being eaten and murdered by the titans. She was so focused on listening to poor innocent souls that she didn't notice that the boy lead her unto a ferry. Carefully and gently, he guided her to sit and down and she sat with a thump, more tears falling.

"What's your name?" He asked, wiping her tears away.

"Kyou d'Arc." she hiccuped.

"I'm Armin Arlet," the boy smiled again, a light blush on his cheeks, "are you okay?"

Kyou shook her head. Suddenly, she thought of her mother and started crying again.

"Where's mom?" Kyou sobbed.

"I don't know," Armin rubbed her back, "I'm positive she made it safely."

Kyou started to stop crying but shook in fear again as she heard more screaming.

"Can I stay with you?" Kyou asked, gripping Armin's jacket sleeve.

"Of course."

Kyou stayed near him at all times, even if he started moving, she never let go of his sleeve. Armin didn't stop her, due to her bloody clothes and hands she must have seen terrible things. They both watched as people shoved to get onto a ferry, the sentry men throwing personal items and bags into the river or ground if people tried to sneak them on. Kyou saw as the ferry in front of them started to move away, filled to the brim with people. Kyou looked back at Shiganshina and remembered what her father said:

-Flashback-

A seven year old Kyou looked over a map about the walls, her father rubbing his bandaged arm and smiled fondly at his daughter.

"Daddy, can you explain something random about the walls and cities?" Kyou asked innocently.

"Of course sweetie," Arthur took a moment to think of a subject, snapping his fingers when he got one, "the outlier districts like Shiganshina stick out like thorns at vital spots along Wall Maria," he began to explain, Kyou closely paid attention, "their basic function is to streamline troop dispersal and keep security cost down by keeping titans into specific areas. The calculated design flaw for outlier districts is that they only have a signal gate to which its citizens can retreat deeper inwards if the need arrives."