A Fight For Humanity

Chapter 5: Hang In There

"If you can't handle the pressure, you gotta leave. That's just the way it is."
-Eren Jaeger

The next day we got straight into training.

"It's aptitude test time, so listen up! There is no place for you if you cannot perform!Fail, and be shipped to the fields!" Keith Shadis yelled at all of us as we put on our harnesses. There were a few instructors helping those in need, as the belts were quite challenging.

"This looks like fun." I whispered to Armin, as the first few people were hoisted up. Eren had urged to the front of the line, and of course Mikasa had followed him. Marco was standing with that horse-faced guy that got into an argument with Eren the previous night.

"I dunno. I'm nervous." Armin admitted. I looked over to see he was shaking slightly.

"Armin." I began. "This is about balance. Even an idiot could do this. You've got this, okay?" I reassured him. He nodded.

"Look, Mikasa's going up!" He exclaimed, pointing towards the other end of the row, seeing Mikasa being hoisted up. She wavered a bit, but recollected her balance easily. She made it look so easy. Effortless. But then again, she was like that with everything.

We had barely been here a day, and she'd already changed a lot. Last night while everyone was asleep, she somehow snuck away and cut her hair shorter. She says it was because it would get caught in the gear. But how? Couldn't she just tie it up? My hair came down to my waist, so I just braided it. If she'd asked, I'd have been willing to braid her's too.

"Wait, what's going on with Eren?" I asked, pointing a few down. Eren was upside down, looking horrified as everyone sniggered at him.

"I-I don't know. Maybe he just slipped up." Armin tried to suggest. We were both filled with anxieties. If you couldn't complete the aptitude test, you were back to the fields. The first part of being a soldier was learning how to use the 3DMG. If you couldn't do that, you were pretty much pointless to any regiment.

"Arlert! You're up!" Shadis shouted, making both of us jump.

"Y-Yes sir!" He stuttered, before running over to be attached to the thing that held us up. He looked panicked, as if everything in his world was coming to an end.

"Armin, you've got this." I assured him with a gentle smile. Slowly he was lifted up, and he managed not to fall. Well, not for a few seconds anyway. He started shaking, and fell backwards.

I ran forward, ready to help flip Armin back around. I saw tears threatening to spill from his eyes. "Hey, hey, it's okay, you can do it." I said gently, pulling him back round so he was upright. I slowly backed away, leaving him to try and balance. This time, he had got it. He had to move around a bit to ensure he wouldn't fall, but he did it. After a minute or so, he was lowered to the ground.

"You did it!" I cheered once he had been taken off of it. He beamed a grin at me.

"Thanks Aria." He grinned.

"Guess I'm up now." I said, trying to sound calm. The nerves were starting to hit me.

"You'll do great. And if you fall, I'll help you back up, just like you helped me." He vowed.

"Thanks Ar." I smiled. Ar was my nickname for him, short for Armin. Or I guess it could also be short for Arlert too, depends how you wanna look at it.

I walked over to the equipment, allowing myself to be attached and hoisted up. It was a lot more difficult than I'd imagined, but somehow I managed to do it without falling.

It felt amazing. I felt taller. It gave me a somewhat meaning of strength. It reminded me of all those times I'd seen Hannes and the other Garrison's back in Shiganshina, and had envied the trust they'd been entitled to once they received their gear. To become a soldier, that was an honour.