Wings of Freedom - BSD x AOT

Chapter 1

“Atsushi… stretch out your arm…!”

“Why? I don't want this!”

“Atsushi, listen to me…! Atsushi…!”

“… Atsushi? Atsushi!”

“Huh?” Startled, the white-haired boy opened his eyes, the invasive stare of a familiar female figure greeting him. Instantly, he shot upright, blinking several times and looking into every direction before staring back at his adoptive sister again.

“What happened?”

Kyouka sighed before retreating a few steps, her gaze not leaving his. “You must have fallen into a deep slumber.”

At that, Atsushi couldn't help but let out a yawn, getting up from his sleeping position.

“Yeah, I guess so. I'm still feeling a bit tired. And I feel like I had a really long dream, though I can’t remember anything…”

A gush of wind swayed through the field, which caused the boy to shiver slightly whereas the girl stood still, a red scarf tightly wrapped around her throat. Suddenly, her eyes widened.

“Atsushi… are you crying?”

“What?” Confused, Atsushi brought a hand to the corner of his eye, surprise visible in his heterochromatic eyes as he felt the strange wetness. They were indeed tears.

“I… I don't know why,” he stuttered, finding himself at a loss for words.

Kyouka looked worried, but decided to change the topic nevertheless. She turned around, taking steps forward into the direction of their city. “Let's return now with the wood we've collected. We have to earn our meals, after all.”

Still slightly in a daze, Atsushi simply nodded before he remembered that Kyouka had his back turned to him, so he quickly caught up next to her, clearing his throat. “Yes.”

As they walked through the gate, Atsushi leaned down towards Kyouka, his cheeks a tad reddened, and whispered timidly:

“Please, don't tell anyone that I cried–“

At that very moment, a hand hit the young boy on his shoulder, causing him to yelp with surprise – and turning around to see none other than Minoura, a Garrison soldier with short black hair and a friendly expression.

“What did I hear? Atsushi-kun cried?”

“I didn't cry!” The eleven-year-old promptly lied in return, embarrassment scribbled all across his face.

“Of course you didn't,” Minoura replied sarcastically, his gaze then shifting towards the wood the two children were carrying on their backs. “I see you collected a lot of firewood today. Good job!”

“Thank you,” Atsushi replied with a shy smile. Then, his expression changed as he inspected Minoura and his fellow Garrison soldiers that were playing cards in the back. “What about your job, though? Are you sure that's how you protect the wall?”

Minoura reacted with an indignant expression. “Today, we are supposed to guard the gate. As there's not much going on, we have to pass the time somehow without getting bored to no end.”

“But what if there's a serious situation? Like a sudden titan invasion? Will you be ready then?”

The black haired man appeared to be puzzled by Atsushi's questions. Even Kyouka seemed a bit shocked. Long time ago, the titans had exterminated almost all humans, the only remaining ones building three walls to protect themselves and their land from the titans – Wall Maria, Wall Rose, and Wall Sina. Ever since then, not a single titan had invaded their territory.