Konoha's Chef (Gaara Love Story)

19: Wall Friends

Author's POV

Although the sun had not arrived, Akimi and Kosuke were already preparing her journey. Traveling to the Walls took twenty hours to reach, nonstop. Akimi would be traveling alone, since she wanted it to be part of her training. Food, supplies, and water were packed, and Akimi left Konoha for a week's worth of intense training.

As soon as she stepped outside, Akimi began running towards her destination. She maintained strong stamina throughout the first three hours. After that, she slowed down to a walk and ate some onigiri to satisfy her stomach. One hour after eating, she began slowly jogging again, careful not to disrupt her digestive system. One hour afterwards, she picked up the pace again to full speed.

Akimi was tired out completely when she finally spotted a enormous circular wall in view. By now, she had reached the border. Thankfully, the Survey Corps had killed every last Titan, well, save for--

"AKIMI'S HERE!" The girl whipped her head up to see a couple of people outside on the top of the walls with a campfire.

"Hi!" Akimi yelled, but she knew they couldn't hear her. She was too far away.

"It's our little ninja girl!" A cry from the group yells exuberantly. The person leaps to their feet and flies down to the ground towards Akimi. Instantly, Hanji Zoe, the former squad leader of the Survey Corps, had grabbed Akimi in a hug. "I love you so, so, so much! I love you just as much as I love my Titans!" She screeches, running back to the group with Akimi in her arms.

Once they had reached the top of the wall, Akimi lit up, seeing so many faces she recognized. "Hi, everyone!"

The cadets no longer had their crisp white uniforms and jackets; instead, they donned shirts and pants, their 3DMG straps still on. Their gear and equipment were stacked away to the side, while they gathered around the fire, the light showing the faces of so many teenagers who survived.

"Welcome, Akimi-san," Eren said warmly. "Did you notice?" He gestured to the dark empty field outside the walls.

"You've defeated the Titans!"

"Yeah!"

"So, tell me what's up with everything now," Akimi said eagerly, plopping not the ground.

"Well, you know there's no more Survey Corps, right?" Hanji asked, adjusting her glasses. "Me, Commander Eyebrows, Mike, and Short Stack here all decided to keep these guys around as our kids--OWW!"

"You mean, you didn't let them go after the Survey Corps was officially disbanded," Captain Levi corrects menacingly. He had just smashed Hanji right into the ground again with his boot.

"Hello, Captain Levi!" Akimi salutes him.

"Tch. I'm no longer captain. All of you brats wouldn't shut up about it," he snarls, sneaking back to his makeshift chair behind Eren.

"Also, it's because we're all family, right?" Connie pipes up. "We don't really have a home to got back to."

"Oh," Akimi said, nodding. "What else? Did anybody try to kill the Titan Shifters?"

"You bet!" Hanji snorts, slapping her knee. "But little Shorty, who was too attached to our Rogue Titan, wasn't about to let the Military Police take the poor kids, and Commander Eyebrows had something to say about it, so we decided to keep them as well as their friends!"

"You're treating them like pets," Levi grunts from his spot.

"Anyways, welcome to the Survey Corps Family!"

"Good to be here," their guest said, yawning. "Goodnight." Akimi promptly fell asleep.

"Huh? But we're not done yet! We just got started!" Hanji yells.

"Four-Eyes. Shut up."