The Assassin (Shingeki no Kyojin/ Attack on Titan)

Negotiation

The sun was setting as we arrived at a stream in the forest. The place looked very familiar and I remembered a time when I was really young and some of the older guys took me hunting. That memory made me miss them.

Commander Irvin and his squad had found a few sets of busted maneuver gear by the stream, which had to be a sign that Reiner, Bertholdt, Ymir, and Historia passed though. but there were no giant Titan footprints around which meant that they couldn't have gotten too far in these woods on foot.

And so all of the soldiers were regrouped. Irvin and Levi led one squad on a search, hoping to intercept the four and bring them back. Hanji was stationed to stay by the stream where many soldiers were resting and tending to each other's wounds. The members of the 104th Training Division and I were on the look-out. our job was to alert Hanji and he others if any Titans were coming.

Eren wasn't too happy about it.

"This is so STUPID!" His voices echoed through the woods. We were about 20 feet up in the trees. "We should be out looking for them, no sitting around DOING NOTHING!!"

"Eren..." Mikasa started.

"He's right, though," Connie said, sounding exhausted.

"Yeah. This is boring, and I'm starving," Sasha whined. 

I sat down on my tree branch with my back against the trunk. I, too, was struggling with boredom. And homesickness, another feeling I was unfamiliar with. When I joined the Scouting Legion, which was only a few days ago, I didn't expect my own feelings to change. But, still, I sat there thinking about the guys back home and what they were doing and if I'd ever have to guts to return to them after all of this. I wondered if they were worried about me. Two days ago, I had a sent a letter to Dominic, explaining the situation and for him to meet me in these woods with something important. It was only for a last resort, and Dominc was one of the only few left of the Brotherhood that I trusted. He didn't reply. 

Hopefully Levi and Irvin would have no trouble intercepting our fugitives.

Minutes passed by. Sasha was still complaining and Connie was trying to cheer her up, but failing. Eren was still antsy and Mikasa and Armin kept trying to remind him of our duties and to trust Irvin and Levi. 

"The last time I did that, all of Levi's squad were killed," Eren's said shakily.

"But, Eren--" Armin began.

"You don't get it, Armin. I have to trust my own instincts or more people are going to die."

"Trusting your own instincts doesn't make you a hero," Jean cut in, "It makes you reckless and selfish and you're undermining the intentions of your superiors. So cut it out."

His comment led to another argument. All of the tension that this mission caused was ridiculous. Or maybe it was just that they had spent a mere three years together, and not spending every waking moment of their lives together, that made them this dysfunctional. They either barely understood anything about each other or they understood each other so well that it caused constant altercations. Whatever it was, I wanted it to end.

I stood up abruptly, lowering my hood and raising my voice, "You guys are a--"

My instincts made me duck just in time for me to assure that my head wouldn't have been cut clean off. 

"What was that!?" Jean proclaimed.

After recovering, I looked to see a hooded figure, my attacker standing in front me. I couldn't see his face, but I knew all too well exactly who he was.

"Kairen," I muttered angrily. 

"Well, hello to you too, Baringer," Kairen greeted, swinging his arms around. "You wanna tell me what the hell it is you're doing here? And why you're wearing that?" He gestured at my uniform.