Disclaimer: I do not own Attack on Titan. It belongs to the rightful owner Hajime Isayama.

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EreHisu Discord invite: : discord .gg/csQFFUC ( delete the space right after the "discord", no need for the triple 'w', it should automatically give you the h.t.t.p.s.:././ or if not then type that in at the front without the full stops!)

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So... First attempted here after several encouragements from various great people from all over the place, so to you, thank you for your encouragement!

Season 3 has started, and although it's set itself on the right tracks again... SERIOUSLY THEY GOT RID OF THE WINDOW SCENE! That was literally the start of everything EreHisu with the light/shading and the tree leaves stolen from the tree by the winds, in the sunset and just argh! Wit Studio I beg you, do not downplay Erehisu, just please? But really, some of the fanwork I have read/seen inspired on that moment is just beautiful! Just... uh... why... why, that was such an important moment. So with that, I in essence decided to give EreHisu a go especially considering the point the manga is at right now!

TIMELINE: Just to make things clear, seasons 1/2 cover the story so far pretty much exactly and events which occur differently from the anime will be introduced by the memories of the characters. The story will take elements from both the anime version of seasons 3 and onwards (likely at least) and the manga equivalent chapters and so in essence its an AU that comes into effect from the Uprising Arc onwards... if that makes sense? To summarise quickly instead of being taken into Trost like in season 3 episode 1, Eren and Historia have been put in their rendezvous safehouse so they are not at risk in Trost while the rest of the Levi Squad follows the kidnappers who took Armin and Jean in disguise. Eren and Historia have had their conversation from the manga version just before (which I will replay fully later on in a future chapter anyway!) But yeah, this starts at basically ~ 1/2 hour after their first (well 2nd in the manga) proper conversation.

NOTE ON SPOILERS: Given that I'd imagine (hope) that a few more anime-onlies might get into this ship, I'll recount any manga events not covered once the anime progresses so that I don't spoil anything right now for anime-onlies. You will not be spoiled for season 3 provided that you are up to date with the anime. Also... it was only after I had written everything that I then realise the last section is manga only... damn. But yeah... I have separated the section away so you won't get spoiled so do not read past that unless you are up to date with the manga or just wanna risk it anyway (not that I recommend it!) - not that you will be able to understand everything if you haven't but it will result in spoilers for season 4.

The last part was supposed to be an ending scene of sorts and it wasn't supposed to be this long either, and I promise at least they won't be in the future! The ending scene doesn't impact the present storyline only builds on it for the future chapters a while later on, but yeah that's that!

"speech"

'thoughts'

Chapter 1 - Ursprung

"One hour left before sunset..."

"You're just normal. Just a normal girl who is absurdly honest."

'...'

"There's something I like about you now."

'But Krista... Krista, not Historia, is a girl who everyone likes... But you... Why?'

"It felt like you always had a forced expression on your face. It was unnatural. A little creepy honestly."

'But... Everyone else thought... Except you two... No... It was ...'

"No. I totally understand."

'It was just you..."

"So... What do you want to do?"

'Is this... Is this how I might come to understand myself? No... I don't know... I don't know what I want to do, and that's why I envy you... Ymir, she understood Historia. She helped me understand who I am... Didn't she?'

"I'm sorry I failed."

'But she chose her path. A path different from mine, her path. The same path I had just began to walk with her... Because... We were the same... So going down the same path beside her would have allowed me to continue understanding myself even if I couldn't see where the path went itself... Didn't it? That was... Who I —'

" — A dream I once had. It was like it went on forever. It's gone now... What was it about?"

'That happens to me a lot as well. I feel like I had an important dream... but I can't remember a thing about it...'

"Whose memories are these?"

'Huh? Wh—"

"See you later, Eren..."

Early Fall of the Year 850

The sun was fading. The head of the young blonde shot up out of her sleeping daze. She had still been leaning on the wooden table, head resting on her stretched out arm. Her vision returned and she realised she was now staring outside the window into the orange tinted skies. A feeling of déjà vu at the scene threatened to overwhelm her as she let herself be absorbed into her surroundings. She looked back around the room. An empty wooden chair in front of her, an empty bed adjacent to it, an empty room of partially refined construction. Empty, just like the girl.

Historia had always been empty. From the day she was born, to the day Krista was born, Historia had remained empty. From the day Krista lived to the day she died, Historia had been empty. But when Krista died, Historia was reborn. But she had found someone that could guide her. So she followed her. She followed the nameless woman who kept hold of a name forced onto her. She followed Ymir, believing she could guide her. Krista and the Ymir that deceived herself had been the same by nature. So Historia thought she could follow the real Ymir to a place where she no longer felt empty. But Ymir left her, and Historia was empty again.

She was empty and she was lost. She felt an uncomfortable sensation on her cheeks and moved to wipe away her tears before anyone came back. 'Why..am I... oh that's right,' Historia came to a realisation. It wasn't that she was crying because she was still empty after Ymir left. She had accepted Ymir's decision since then. Ymir had decided to leave her, following her own advice which Historia had thrown back at her in that battle. Ymir made her own choice and Historia had come to accept the emptiness she was left with. But — 'Did we... was that scene just something my imagination made up to comfort Historia...'

The words which reverberated within her. Telling her to discover for herself who she is. To climb out of the emptiness by her own way, not relying on anyone else to tell her what to do. 'Was that even real?' She embraced herself and looked around again. The room was just as empty and the scene seemed to match what her memories told her. Except that Eren wasn't there, and the scene only felt more of a fabrication than before.

She leaned down on the table again but this time crossed her arms around her head hiding her face. She lightly banged her head against the table as her tears subsided. She made sure there was no sign of tears before remembering that she was alone. She focuses on the wind, listening how it beat the window lightly and emitted an incredibly gentle howl. It was better than being left in emptiness, but not exactly a soothing companion either. So the wind continued as the water dried.

"Hey you alright?" Eren walked in on her with an inquisitive look. She shot up to face him again. He had silently entered through the door. The door had been left open all the while since she awoke back from her nap just moments ago, yet she had not been able to notice or consider it when faced with the emptiness around her.

"...Eren?"

Historia looked almost disbelievingly at him as if she was unable to tell whether he was real or a dream.

"Yeah, that's me," he said, flashing a good-natured smile, he continued walking over to her. "You sure fell asleep again quickly."

"Yeah... um, how long was I asleep for...?" she questioned hesitantly.

She regained her thoughts and receded back to her empty shell. An almost empty shell. Historia was unable to return to her emptiness self who had existed only that morning. She didn't want to. She wanted to hold onto the words to which she had resounded within to.

"Not long. Anyway, here." He handed her the wooden bowl and placed it on the table. Field rations were still the typical source of nourishment as qualified soldiers, however with Levi Ackerman as the captain of their squad, the food was of far better quality as well as treatment throughout the regiment. Cadets in their trainee days were put on rotational kitchen duty and so they had all been forced to learn how to cook, with varying degrees of skill amongst all of them. From personal experience in the past, Historia knew that Eren's cooking while not being excellent, was above average and found that she had no complaints at the appetising appearance of the broth.

She stared at it. 'Should I be saying thank you? That's something Krista did — everyday.' Eren had moved to the bed already again before she could offer any reply. He laid back in the bed and stretched himself out, staring at the ceiling. She turned to the food in front of her and picked up the wooden spoon and took a mouthful. 'Ach, it's still hot...' She realised that Eren had gone out of his way to take his time to start a fire and heat it up for her properly.

She dropped her hand down hard, causing the table to shake, and her companion to look at her. 'What am I, ah just ask him... I have to ask him... I have to.' Historia resolved herself and faced him, and the path in front of her.

"That... conversation, the one we had, by the window. That... That was real... Wasn't it?!"

She began panicking. She wanted it to be real. It had to be. The words that told her she was just a normal girl who's just absurdly honest. The words of someone who had judged her without realising that was what she wanted. Someone to tell her what she was worth. Someone to encourage her to do something which she did not she wanted to do. Someone who could show her, how to follow the path for her.

She needed that scene to be real. She needed it, because it was echoing out to her. It was telling her something.

Eren stared at her, having sat back up again. He studied her and tried to work out what she might be trying to get at, finding her question very odd and noticing the tumbling emotions mixed in.

"Yes. If you mean the one we had earlier just before you feel asleep again then yeah. That was real."

Truth. Historia had never heard anything in her life that she could be so sure was the truth than Eren's words then. She calmed herself. Strength seemed to course through her body. A deep and powerful sensation which made her pulsate, making her feel as if those words were keeping her alive.

She heard Eren chuckling. "You seem awfully pleased to hear that when I bored you to sleep with that talk."

"No," she shook her head and straightened herself with certainty, "thank you Eren. What you said cleared my head and... made me feel... just a bit less..."

She got distracted and left her sentence unfinished as she looked outside, uncertain of what to say to him.

"It's sunset..." she commented offhandedly. She remembered now. She hadn't noticed it before but the sky on the horizon had turned red now whereas it had been merely shades of yellow and gold an hour ago. Of course that was real. She had just panicked and feared she dreamed everything because she had not been able to notice the obvious details around her that should have led her to the obvious conclusion. But she hadn't been able to do that. And that was because...

"Yeah that's right." Eren responded as he walked over to the window pushing the chair aside and stared as the last signs of gold disappeared into the horizon. He leaned away from the window and sat down next to her.

Again.

"Are you sure that you're alright?" She only nodded in reply and begin to eat the food which Eren had brought her.

'That's right... What Eren said... I remember... I've avoided everyone and skipped lunch with everyone earlier so he must have left after that... And he left me after saying such words... Just like Ymir... And... Her... Who was she... After that... I...'

"Eren... You said that you've had a dream you couldn't remember before..." She calmly swallowed and made eye contact with him again. Entrapped again in his... nostalgically familiar emerald eyes.

"Yeah that's right. What about it?" Eren said, interested in what the girl in front of him had to say.

"No...nothing..." He gave her a weird look, unsatisfied with her trying to wave away the question.

"Huh?"

"It's just that... I thought the things you said then we're part of it... That's just why I asked if it was real... That's all... they weren't boring at all!" In that moment, instead of pulling up a face of seriousness like Krista would for such an occasion, Historia was able to give her first natural expression of reassurance. Her first genuine act of comradeship.

"Oh right, you know I was only joking right?" He awkwardly scratched his head.

"...oh," she let out a sigh of relief yet felt slightly disappointed that she had no better way to answer him and create an opening to show how genuine she was in her gratitude.

"Aha... Sorry my jokes could use a little work. But in any event, we're going to be fighting alongside each other in the future, so I'm bound to improve right? So long as we got each other's backs... We'll do it. We can... do it" He shrugged half-heartily and assumed a comfortable silence between them. The feeling of camaraderie. He was...

"You're... being really kind... again... so... thank you..." She hesitated upon calling him by such a word. The implication was different from the last time she had called him that. Still, she was hesitant to use such words given how he reacted last time. But... she felt so comforted by Eren's attempts to open up. To properly open up herself. As Historia.

"Perhaps... We are all members of the Scout Regiment and of the same squad, so we have to value each other and work together... " He shrugged it off. He implied that he would treat anyone of his other comrades the same way.

'It's different from being Krista... But, I don't think I understand... We're comrades from the 104th Trainee Corps... So does that mean we should be kind to each other because of that... I don't understand, no Krista was the comrade they had fought alongside together, not Historia. Historia, has no reason to get along with people she has only recen-'

Her thought process was broken when Eren got up and after stretching, he began to leave. Again.

"Where are you going?" She was going to be left alone again. Even if it was only a brief moment, she felt something when Eren was with her. She didn't want it to be lost.

"Just outside for a bit. You can come with, if you want that is."

"But... the Captain said not to take a step outside of here. We are being hunted by the Military Police after all."

"Well... if they are searching for us around here, then they would have caught wind of this place and come to check it out anyway." He stumbled out a poor excuse clearly off the top of his head, which felt flat on the actual logic behind it. "And, besides, they said if they are not back before sunrise, that we should expect them same time tomorrow before proceeding to our next hideout by the river if they haven't arrived by then. Same if this place is actually found out by the MPs."

Eren stood before her, trying to adopt an easy pose, trying to suggest that there was no harm in it.

"And... if we are caught by the Captain returning late?" Historia replied, raising her right brow inquisitively in curiosity at his carefreeness. 'The captain seems pretty strict... and he's just acting as he likes without fearing any punishments he might get.'

"Well, I'm still going to step outside anyway."

He turned away from her without waiting for a further reply nor bothering to put up another half-hearted excuse.

Historia did not move to follow him. She heard the footsteps disappear as he left, closing the door lightly. She was left alone. Again. She stared back down at the table and decided to continue eating. She was hungry. Much hungrier than she thought, and found herself scraping at the empty bowl in a few moments. She was still hungry.

Historia sighed, and stretched out her arms again, positioned her head on them once more. She didn't know what else to do but didn't understand the point in risking the captain's anger for acting carelessly. 'Perhaps... I might remember what that dream was again if I go to sleep now...' was the line of thought that went through her head.

But she found that she couldn't sleep right now. Eren's words kept her mind solely on contemplating the meaning behind what he said, and refused to allow her any more rest. One and a half weeks have passed since she had last been left alone like that. She could sit there and wait as per her orders. Alone. She also had an alternative. Time was running short in the oncoming days, but Historia knew at least something which she wanted to do right now.

2 years ago...

Early Summer of the Year 848

"Nah, I'm not suited to be a leader. Jean's more suited for the job." Eren took a sip from the cup of the black tea as he considered Marco's words and instantly spoke his mind.

"Jean?! Leave me out then." Eren expressed his disheartened mood.

The older boy chuckled softly, seeing Eren's disappointed expression. "You'll understand someday."

"I wonder about that..." Eren said, leaning onto the rail after taking another sip.

The beverage had cooled down considerably, partly due to the lack of a proper equipment unlike that which the nobles in the interior likely had. There was a kitchen where particular cadets would each have to prepare the meals for the others however at this time in the morning, no-one was permitted to enter, mainly due to the instructors noticing someone had been entering the stores at night, but had been unable to pick up the trail to Sasha just yet. An assistant instructor would no doubt be patrolling the area so Marco had sneaked in and brought the beverages himself, perhaps as an apology for the predicament their group had ended up in yesterday. That thought combined with the still lukewarm drink made the cold breeze of the morning fade away from Eren's body.

"I wonder what kind of soldiers everyone will become." Following Marco's gaze into the sunrise, likewise wondering when it would be time for him to fight the Titans. Another day to take a one or two steps forward in their training. Or none at all. He smiled gently as the gentle breeze passed through his hair and making him turn to his fellow cadet.

"Hey Marco, you're planning to join the military police along with Jean aren't you?" His smile dropped as he returned his gaze into the horizon where the sunlight was not as glaring.

"Mn, yeah that's right. I know that your dead set on joining the scouts and... you also don't have the best opinion of the MPs." He took another drink of his beverage while Eren scoffed.

"Yeah you could say that... Do you really want the honour of serving the king or something like that so much?" Eren asked him. Feeling that Eren was not going to criticize him like he would with Jean, Marco eased himself and continued staring into the sky.

"Well, more or less. I guess it's just a weight off my shoulders, knowing that my parents to be proud with me following their wishes. They told me that I should just aim to join the military police and just have a better life than they did, but they always assured me that it won't be the end of the road if I can't, so I shouldn't be worrying myself too much. But if I do make it to the MPs, one day I will be able to afford to bring them into the interior just like they always dreamed of. I feel... like that is the true honour of joining the MPs. I guess, all that I really want is for my parents to be proud."

Marco leaned on the rail alongside the unusually emotionless Eren and pondered his next choice of words. Eren had no intention to reprimand him, nor did he have any reason to. He could not accept nor chastise a genuine intention like that even if he didn't agree with him.

"I know that you must have been heartbroken when your mother died." His fellow trainee stiffened next to him but nodded slightly nonetheless to signal Marco to continue. "I'm truly sorry you had to go through that. And I think... it's a pretty noble act itself to join the Survey Corps. But... unfortunately Jean doesn't know what it's like, and he's had things he has had to go through."

"Yeah... I know, but I can't accept someone cowardly like that who just plays the government bastard's game when the walls can one day be destroyed again," Eren said frowning. He rested his head in his hand again as he thought back to what the elders told him, Mikasa and Armin when they were tilling the wastelands after becoming refugees from the fall of wall Maria.

"I think you two could get along really well if you talked to each other about your differences." Marco smiled after he said that.

"Ugh... if he wasn't such an ass then I could at least pay him no mind. Uh, as if, you can wish all you want, but there's no way we could get along." Eren huffed in denial, not being able to picture a world where Jean wasn't being a douche to him. "Hey, Marco..."

Noticing Eren faltering at his words, Marco urged him on. "Yeah?"

"Would you... ever consider joining the Survey Corps?" The last thing his mother would want would be to join the Survey Corps. She would likely in no way be proud of him in wanting to risk his life even if she were alive now.

"Ah... I don't know... Maybe if... things were different, then maybe."

"Different? How?"

"Well, if perhaps... my parents' circumstances were different, then I guess... I might want to do something which would help humanity more directly..."

Sensing Marco's discomfort, Eren immediately regretted asking such a question. He knew what his answer was going to be before he asked. Marco was always friendly and polite with everyone and so had given him a response which he would accept without confining him by a promise. Marco wanted to join the military police. Eren just wanted... to break free of the walls alongside everyone else who he got along with in the 104th cadet corps. The silence continued for a while and Eren started to feel bad for putting Marco in the spot no matter how much he had hoped Marco might give a sign he might consider it.

"Hey Marco, hey Eren!" chirped the voice of an overly cheerful young blonde. They both jumped and turned towards the unexpected presence behind them, neither noticing her approaching at all until she had climbed the stairs to the sentry tower completely.

"Ah! Krista, how long have you been standing there?!" Marco yelped, managing to not spill the contents of his drink... the same could not be said for Eren. Although he managed to grab hold of the handle before it was too late, half of the drink in the cup had splashed out and over the rail. Thankfully there was nobody below who might have got hit by the falling liquid. He could only dread what would have happened if an instructor had been there.

"Oh! I'm so sorry about that Eren!" The lively and kind-hearted girl squeaked an earnest apology for what she had caused. Too lively and kind-hearted.

"It's alright, Krista. Don't worry about it, there's still some left." Eren was a little annoyed. Not that he had wasted his cup but because he noticed how the girl was behaving.

Krista crept forward on the squeaking wooden boards and turned back to Marco.

"Oh I just got here now." She had been listening in on their conversation for the past couple minutes almost, although at first unintentionally she had ended up eavesdropping on what should have been a relatively private talk while pondering how to make her entrance.

"Aha, looks like we need to be more vigilant when we are on duty," chucked Marco. It was the early morning duty which Eren had been assigned to alone. His period lasted from 4 to 7 in the morning and it was the last of the night watches for that day. There were 5 sentry towers around the training camp and night watch was split into 4 three-hour periods for which 20 cadets were chosen every night. Sentry watching was supposed to be taken seriously even though it didn't count towards their grading, though the only things the cadets had to look out for were the instructors.

Although the cadets had no way to tell the exact time as they could not afford timepieces, the bell would chime at the 3 hour intervals to signal the change. The sun had risen a while ago however Eren estimated that he likely had just over an hour more to go. Messages were sometimes relayed to those on duty in the case of training starting earlier than usual, but beyond that Eren had no clue as to what Krista might be here for.

"Sorry for scaring you guys like that," she made what most would see as a completely genuine smile. "I just wanted to properly thank you, Eren."

Seeing the direction the conversation was going Marco gave a tender smile and excused himself. "Well, I'll see you guy later."

"Huh? Oh yeah... later Marco." Eren rubbed his hair oddly, uncertain as to what to reply. Marco and Krista shared a nod and a smile respectively as Marco went past and left the two of them alone. Krista had approached both Marco and Jean just before after all three along with several others from their 2 groups had woken up early and gathered to spend time together, restless from the events which had recently transpired. Jean had been left with a slight blush after the encounter with the kind words of the "goddess" Krista as he hurriedly began bragging to Marco on his ODM gear skills a short while before.

"Um yeah, I heard from the rest of our group that when those thieves took me, you were the one that insisted everyone would leave at once to come save me." Resuming her beaming face, Krista initiated the conversation again.

"Oh, yeah," he shrugged uncertain of how to respond to the grateful girl. Uncertain, because of how forced he found the words, as if recited from a memorised script, "well... it's thanks to everyone as well."

She walked over to the rail where Marco had stood moments before. She leaned against the rail and looked into the same direction where Eren and Marco had been gazing. But unlike them, he realised she wasn't looking for something at all. Just staring into space. She turned and made eye contact with him again. He had been staring at her for the whole time, unmoving. Waiting for what the girl in front of him was about to say.

"You're really kind-hearted you know?"

"Huh?" The statement completely caught Eren off guard. He was not used to compliments like that at all. Especially when most people just saw him as a hot-headed kid out for revenge. "Ah, well... it was Armin in the end who saved you really. And Mikasa of course as well."

"I know." Krista rolled her eyes and nodded, resting her head on her right hand she continued "but Armin told me that you were one that convinced Jean and everyone else to follow after me. If you hadn't done that, then you wouldn't have been able to catch up to the gang of thieves. You wouldn't have been able to procure the ODM gear necessary. And you wouldn't have been able to capture the first carriage without your and Jean's skill."

"Ah, well I guess," he returned to his position and went to lean against the rail alongside Krista. Krista had to stretch herself slightly as she leaned, her short pressing against her body and exposing her curves. Eren quickly realised what he was doing and averted his eyes before he was caught. He wasn't like Jean, wanting to satisfy his perverse thoughts mostly directed at Mikasa, no he was captivated by her peculiar behaviour rather than her apparent cuteness which he heard the other cadets bragging about. And so he had unintentionally been staring at her, simply uncertain of how to have a conversation with the odd girl.

"Armin even told me how you had this determined gaze in your eyes. He said that you would never back down when you had that look. He told me how you said you were going to save me even if it was alone. So really thank you, Eren. Truly, you're a really kind-hearted guy who is nice to everybody. Thank you." Her words oozed sweetness. Just about any other person would have accepted them with fondness combined with the angelic smile they would perceive.

"Err, yeah..." Not Eren.

He was met with a soft giggle. The giggle of a gentle young girl who was thanking the person who had saved her yet her saviour was brushing it off as if it was nothing in modest. How could she not giggle. If someone was being modest after risking his life for her, then the sweet Krista had to respond with showing how heartfelt his acts were. And so their eyes met with the girl's expression meaning to radiate happiness and gratitude. An expression that was meant to receive words of 'you're welcome' as a response.

Eren gave no such response. He made no kind smile. So she stopped giggling. She kept looking at him, expecting some sort of response. Some sort of acknowledgment.

"Is... something wrong?" Krista was puzzled. Uncertain of the inquisitive look she was being given, she tried to tempt him to give her the words of welcome that she was looking for and accustomed to. "Did I... say something wrong."

The silence had started to grow awkward. 'Kind-hearted,' Eren pondered the words she had called him, 'Kind-hearted... a kind-hearted person who is nice to everybody... like you?'

He glared at her. Unable to conceal his emotions, Eren glared at Krista. The unpleasant silence had grown tense. Krista's eyes shot up wide in surprise, not expecting this display of hostility. She stopped leaning and put a hand to her chest as if to protect herself from his glare and took a step back.

"Kind-hearted..." Eren repeated the word that had been constantly echoing through his head, "You're wrong. I'm not kind-hearted in the slightest."

"A-ah well, I mean, that w-was... that was a really kind thing you did back there for me, a-and I know you fight with others and Jean especially but... um, so... I think you're a kind person..." She stammered but regained herself quickly and shifted away from him.

Bloodied knife and cold corpses. He shook the memory from his head. 'No, I don't mean... that.' He realised that he had let his emotions get the better of him for the second time that morning already. He reeled himself in and broke away from her gaze, staring into the sunrise again. Looking forward towards something, unlike the girl next to him who would stare into nothingness. She looked afraid. Not hurt or confused by his words simply scared about something.

"I'm not like you." The girl was trying to relate to him Eren thought. He didn't know why, but he could easily see what she was trying to do through her clearly lying character. She described him by the very words which everyone around the camp would describe her with. "I... did what any other comrade in training should have done. We're all in this together. Our territory had been snatched away by the Titans and it's because of them that we've been forced to enlist in the military to get by with food and shelter to the next day. So... we're in this together. If it were some fat noble sitting on his wealth and possessions or some cowardly field worker who doesn't have the will to fight then I wouldn't bother showing any kindness to someone like that..."

Eren was not someone who was kind to just everybody. A hero or a messiah would be someone who thought about everybody and fit the description of who Krista was trying to portray him to be. He was neither a hero nor a messiah. In the world which they lived in, it was impossible for either to exist. No-one could ever fit that sort of role. No-one like that could ever possibly exist. And he knew, as sure as he's ever been of anything, that the girl next to him... was leading a fake lie.

"... oh..." was all the blonde was able to mutter. Krista had been dumbstruck by the intensity behind his words. This was not what she had expected when coming here. "well... I'm still thankful nonetheless... and... you're still kind to think about your comrades at least..."

"Whatever. You're welcome I guess... I'd do it again if you or any of our comrades were in danger... but it's not because I care about everybody... it's just that... we need to fight against the Titan together..." He finally gave her the words she had been after, despite trying to conceal his bitterness, she noticed an edge it carried. The signal of finality.

Eren was only saying the words she wanted to hear, one of the very few moment in his life so far in which he was not being honest with speaking his mind. But the real message could easily be picked up on through his previous words.

"Well... I will see you at training..." was all she could say. Unable to say anything else, she picked herself up slowly and crept away, feeling she had failed as Krista for the first time since Krista had been created. No, she knew she had failed. For the first time.

She couldn't bear the silence any longer. But more than that, her thoughts were still shaken. She had thought to get closer to Eren as she was truly grateful. She thought she could become friends with someone who she thought was truly kind. Someone like Krista. Someone she could look up to and copy as she pursued with the only character she could think she could follow. A character from somewhere she could not remember.

A character which she thought Eren might be similar to. A role model. Someone with whom Krista can walk the path alongside to rid her of her loneliness and make her not feel like she was different from everyone else who sought safety and prosperity behind the walls.

But she was wrong. Eren was not like she thought he would be. But... he had still saved her. He had been the first person in all her life who had risked their own life for hers. Many of the trainees were kind to her and would respond with kind things because of how she treated others. But no-one had ever risked their own life for hers until he did. And so she... Krista was grateful. But Historia did not know what to feel. Historia was locked up, suppressed by Krista. If she was Historia then she would have no future. So she had to be Krista.

It was lonely being Krista. It would likely continue being lonely as Krista. But... there could be someone one day who might be the same as Krista. Someone who walked the same path. She couldn't return to being Historia. So Krista held onto that one wish. She would continue down her path just as she was instructed to... until...

"Oh... Eren?" He turned to her. Krista had stopped just before she made her descent and turned back to him.

"Yeah?" He had regained himself and assumed a neutral stance, pushing aside his previous thoughts.

"I'm going to join the Survey Corps as well... just so you know." He blinked at the small girl's words. There was no determination to join the fight against the Titans and help mankind. None. Eren knew her kindness was fake. An obvious, feeble façade which everyone else seemed unaware of. But he chose not to call her out for it.

"So you were listening in earlier?" he accused her.

She had obviously been listening in for longer than she claimed. Just another lie which Krista had made. She had always chosen the response which had made everyone happy for the past 3 years. Eren knew. So she gave him the response she wanted. A response given with the intention of acting kind. But it was the first honest reply which Krista had made.

"Yes... I'm sorry... I didn't mean to. But I think you are right in choosing the scouts, and that... I guess we'll fight alongside each other one day." Until the day she died. Just as planned. But she was no less scared of the future which faced her.

"I see... why... why do you want..." He halted his words. He already knew the answer the fake girl in front of him would give. She would want to help others for the sake of appearing like a kind-hearted girl. She wouldn't give him the truth as to why she wanted to join the Survey Corps. But... he at least felt she wasn't lying in this moment when she said that she would join alongside him. He changed his words quickly, "well... I feel you should put all your efforts into training then..."

"Ah, yeah..." He hadn't asked the question she was expecting. It was no mystery to anyone why Eren wanted to join the Survey Corps. But she could not reveal the truth. She had nothing more to say. Aside from trying to clean this encounter. One last shot to clear this mess. "Well... I guess we can train together sometime?"

"Yeah, I guess we can do that..." Eren didn't mind. Perhaps he would learn why the girl was living a fake life. But it wasn't something he was that interested in. Krista offered a parting smile to which Eren turned away. Again. Her kindness had been rejected by this boy. She would not get the response she had expected. So she left. Descending down the stairs of the tower.

Krista continued her path. Searching for someone to join her one day on her path. She found no-one. But she did find a clue on the snowy mountain later. And she found her answer at Utgard castle. Ymir showed her a different path. But Ymir then left. Krista had been destroyed. She became Historia then once again. And she became lost. The only things that have her a semblance of direction was in memories like these. Moments which made Historia happy as well. She remembered how she left him like that.

Eren had been left there alone. He didn't like her. He didn't like her at all. In truth he utterly hated the act she was putting up with. A façade to cover whatever she didn't want to reveal. He hated her. But... he had no reason to pry into her history. It didn't intrigue him all that much. But he always remembered how much he hated Krista.

Early Fall of the Year 850 - At the Dawn of Night

"Wuh, er captain! I was ju-" Instead of the stern face of his superior, Eren an apathetic face devoid of emotion. "Oh, it's you... Historia."

She said nothing in reply and simply wandered closer to him, observing what he was doing. Her light footsteps made her go unnoticed until she was close behind him. 'Why is she always sneaking up on me, I swear...'

After looking back at her uncertainly, Eren returned his gaze to the sunset, sitting down on the dry ground with his arms supporting his leaning form from behind. The golden circle in the sky had sunk halfway into the hills to the east. The sky nearer to it still held a red tint which blended into the deeper purple colours and then into the dark night sky overhead.

The scene felt still yet both tender and powerful, unlike the girl. It suited the boy much better, so the girl just stood there, watching the boy and reminiscing as to how out of place she felt. She considered going back in side, but denied the thought instantly.

"Historia, you can sit down you know." Growing slightly uncomfortable with the her staring at him silently, he decided to speak up and try to do something to get rid of the awkward behaviour of the blonde girl. Once more, Historia made no reply but came over close to him and took a spot a foot away from him and began imitating his posture beneath the tree which Eren himself was sitting. 'Damn, I can still feel her looking at me from the corner of her eyes, honestly what she doing just staring at me so intently, it's already been a couple of minutes nonst-'

"AGH?!" Historia promptly let out a small squeak as her hands slipped and her back fell onto the ground unexpectedly. She had ended up leaning backwards more and more and thus having to keep shuffling her arms backwards to keep them roughly perpendicular to the ground, yet lost in thought and focusing on her companion, she had ended up not paying attention and somehow slipped on a fallen leaf.

Eren looked at with his eyebrow raised before turning away to hide his smirk and contain his laughter at the clumsiness.

"The ground was just muddy here! That's all!" Embarrassed by her display she tried to put the blame elsewhere which only resulted in Eren openly chuckling as he examined the ground around her. It hadn't rained for a whole week, although there were signs it would drop any day now, no rain had come yet and the earth was still dry from the lingering summer heat. Upon realising this Historia looked away from her annoying companion and folded her arms, embarrassment boiling up.

"There's a leaf stuck on your hand," he responded after suppressing his amusement. She jumped at his comment and hurriedly realised that he was right. Peeling it off her, she turned and tried to pin the blame on the leaf this time but she stopped upon seeing the smirk he gave her.

"You need to be more aware, as a sol—" He stopped his words upon remembering who it was that taught him those exact words. His former amusement subsided and was replaced by cold resentment. Historia watched him as his body buckled up before he calmed himself and looked back at her. He leaned over to her and stretched his hand towards her.

Before she could question what he was doing, Eren's hand reached into her hair quickly and pulled back, holding another leaf that had fallen into her hair just moment before. Around her, she noticed that many leaves of dark red and brown shade were falling from the tree above them and around the small portion of woods which was composed of seemingly the same sort of tree. The thought of 'Its... Pretty...' carried itself through her head and made her eyes widen in appreciation of what she was seeing.

And within her, Historia felt something. Seeing the dyed leaves fall from trees in early preparation for the season to come, just like the skin shedding itself of a snake which they had found I their trainee days. She felt something bumbling from within her. A gentle beat which suggested Historia was still alive after ridding herself of Krista.

"Eren." Her slightly red cheeks still visible, which she internally hoped would be disguised by the scarcely remaining hue of the sunset.

"Yeah?" He turned his attention to her again.

"Did you come out here to watch the dying leaves fall?" Instead of asking the question she so longed to ask, she instead decided to ask something that could give her another sign.

It was peaceful to her. She felt as if it held such importance within her. A sign. This was yet another sign, and she wanted another.

"No actually, I had no idea it's their time to fall, I mean it's awfully early, Fall has only recently began," he then gestured his head side wards to the East, where the sun had since disappeared yet still left behind an array of colours similar in tone to the colour of the leaves falling around them. "It's just that, a long time ago, I spent my days just looking up at the sky. And... with everything that's happened recently, I just felt like coming to watch the sky again... just like before it all began on that day..."

'Reiner and Bertholdt... I remember that aside from Mikasa and Armin, he often stuck around them, and Annie... Secrets behind his back... Just like Ymir...' They sat in there, in content silence for a while. Both had eventually relaxed and no longer felt the awkwardness between each other. The leaves were still falling albeit on a much slower rate around them, littering the ground with the same shade it was along with covering the few patches of ground in a contrasting colour. After a while, Eren glanced over to Historia to see that she was gazing upwards.

Up to the sky in which a few stars have revealed their glow to the sky. They sat there, as time passed and more stars began to appear as the night came to seize away the lingering colours of the remaining light from the since departed sun.

"In any case, it seems like the rest of the squad will not be back tonight." Eren got up and dusted himself off the dirt. "This isn't the a good sign but I'm sure with Armin, Mikasa and the Captain there, they can handle it."

"We should probably head back inside now, and take turns keeping watch." Eren said to her and Historia nodded in response but didn't move from her spot where she was kneeling on the spot. "Historia?"

"I'm coming, just..." She gave one last look at the shining lights of the stars and the moon.

'I've made my choice... I'll follow my own path... so please Eren, could you maybe... help me to find my way. I know... It's selfish to just ask for something like that, but I promise I won't be just dependent on you... It's just that you were the first sign so far that made me feel something right... And just now, you have given me yet another sign of that. I don't understand it... I don't understand what I should be doing as Historia... So please, keep showing me signs that make me feel that Historia is doing something right...'

She made her absolute choice. She began to walk that path. Though she still didn't understand who Historia was up to this point, she decided she would embrace her, that she would come to understand Historia with the signs that she was being given and she wanted to make Historia into something more. She could only hope this was the path to such a thing. Maybe she would only lose the sight of Historia she has found so far just like before. But it was the only path presented to Historia's eyes. And she knew, that she'd never know where it goes, unless she continued on it.

So she began to walk that path. The path to —

Welp please give me any feedback on any particular feature you liked/disliked so that I can improve, please point out any grammar/spelling errors or any cringe and it'll help me a lot to get better! Also in case you ask, no it's not an error that the sun is setting in the East... Genuinely not, unless they change it in the anime... Then it might be an error?

Ending Scene: WARNING MANGA SPOILERS - CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR SEASON 4 (OR WHAT WILL BE SEASON 4 AT LEAST)

The wind was quite strong on that day. The messy dark-brown hair of the one legged soldier was swaying in the breezes as his seated form stared ahead onto various wounded men and women struggling to move, talk or see in some cases. Soldiers who have fought in the recent 4 year long war and returned home to nothing but struggle. Struggling to pick themselves back up and find a find a reason to keep moving forward. But regaining lost pieces of the body was something that only a few were able to do in this world, and for the rest, they could never regain their past forms. Such was the price of being pushed into hell and managing to crawl back out of it.

The wind was becoming colder. Workers from the hospital were tending to those starting to shiver from the cheap clothing they donned, helping them inside one by one to provide better comfort than what the brick walls could provide. A rectangular wall surrounded the building yet it was not particularly tall and the wind was blowing over and down it into the area that enclosed the hospital building.

The one legged soldier was seated on a bench which rested near to one of the walls and so he could feel much of the oncoming cold. A crutch was nestled in his hands, its wood starting to decay at the corners which held it together. It would only last at most another 2 months. But neither the cold nor the cheap support was of a concern to the black haired man. His shoulder length hair was swayed to his left, causing the bandage, which covered his left eye completely along with the rest of his forehead, become ever more visible to any onlooker.

"Ah! Mr Kruger!"

A young blond boy, around the age of 12, came rushing from the open entrance to the hospital. He slowed down as he came to sit next to the one legged soldier who returned a nod in greeting. Only about half a dozen patients were still around, all except a couple were proceeding inside the hospital doors, seeking shelter from the ever growing cold.

"Falco, any progress so far?" The two had met around 2 weeks ago and first spoke at the very spot they were now.

"Ah, I've yet to close the gab between me and Gabi yet but I feel I've had some growth at least." His military uniform was disheveled from constant exposure to the warrior trainee program, but his wounds were just as numerous as when they first met. "We had the usual drills today of course, but we focused more on marksmanship today. Gabi is of course still the best at it but I am about equal to Udo now."

"I see. I'd imagine today would make things more difficult than usual." Thee older man spoke as if he was kindly making conversation with a younger child but in truth, he truly was interested in Falco's investments.

"Yes... for me at least... but not so much for Gabi. She's a natural at it all."

The wounded soldier looked up to the clouded sky, remembering similar spoken words from his past. Along with the words of his mentor in this field, but also with his own beliefs.

"My old comrade acted as a mentor to me for marksmanship. Concentration and calmness of mind. Properly maintained equipment. Read the direction of the wind and never fire too early. It's better to forgot about making a shot than to waste a single shot..." The young boy looked up at the older man gazing upwards into the clouds and followed his gaze to a particularly darker spot in the clouds for a moment.

"Yes it's as you say, I just need to focus everything into it. I just need to reach her level by doing just that." The wind started to enter a pattern in which it would suddenly pick up before calming for a moment and then picking up again. The clouds hinted that rain might be on its way.

"Thank you again Mr Kruger, I'll just try again tomorrow and the day after and keep trying. Was... your mentor talented then?"

A very tall man with a gentle smile and a kind yet timid personality. Somewhat reclusive as well yet the wounded soldier had once appealed to the tall man for help until he accepted to teach him despite his habit of not getting involved.

"Yes... although he certainly had a fair deal of experience as well. But he was certainly talented."

A severed bond that would remain severed just like a missing limb of a battle hardened soldier. The boy looked around the compound again, they were the last two people left now although the hospital doors were yet to close.

"Thank you again, its thanks to your encouragement that I have even gotten partway forwards. It might rain soon, do you want me to help you inside?" Even if the wounded solder was able to walk with the support, having someone support him inside would surely be easier on him.

"It's fine, thank you Falco. And I can guarantee that the rain won't be falling today. I think... I will stay out here a bit longer." He lifted his left hand in front of him, feeling the strength of the wind blowing to his left. "I wonder how far this might be traveling from?"

"Huh?" He stared at the worn out hand unfazed by the wind. "I'm not certain but... I'm guess the wind must be traveling from a place far away..."

"I see... So in a way, that would mean wind can carry things across the skies. Perhaps this wind might be traveling from one hand to another, perhaps even trying to carry the wishes from one person to another. Wishes of yearning, curses or desires."

The eyes of the young boy felt as if they were alight by the words of the wounded soldier, moved by the feeling of his words and how alive it made him feel.

"Do you... is that what you think you are feeling right now? Someone's wishes right now?" The wounded soldier was so mysterious to the young boy. He felt that he had a long story that would take a lot of time to share. But the young boy felt like he could understand what the words of the older man meant. His family perhaps who he is uncertain of seeing again, or maybe a comrade from his past who the wounded soldier is wishing to feel some sort of reply from.

"Yes... I think I can imagine what she might want to tell me right now..." The older man almost appeared genuinely sorrowful but his voice betrayed nothing.

' "Is that candidate... a girl?" is what he asked immediately at that time... did Mr Kruger... understand what I meant because he has someone he thinks of as well?' thought the young boy as he continued gazing at the older man's unmoved hand, still feeling the wind — searching for a sign.

"The circumstances are very different from yours." Their gazes meet, understanding and empathy. "But like you, I want to keep her safe from a certain fate."

The movements of the clouds had become clearer by their outlines yet they showed no signs of clearing and the sky remained grey. A nurse had just come out from the building and was approaching them at a steady pace.

"It's Mr Kruger, isn't it? We'll be locking the doors soon in a few minutes. It's best to come in side now. Do you require assistance" The nurse bore look of curiosity as to why the man was still out here alone with a young boy in such weather.

"Yes, I understand. Please give me a few more minutes, I feel as if this will help me." The wounded soldier had not revealed that he had lied about his amnesia to the hospital and neither had the young boy told anyone of it.

"Oh, well, I guess then if that's the case, I guess a few more moments won't hurt, but please don't stay out here too long and I'll come back just before we officially close." The somewhat experienced nurse understood that this could certainly help her patient and so retreated back inside, accepting his request in the hope his condition might improve.

The young boy, still sitting next to the older man throughout the exchange with the nurse, had began to feel the effects of the cold. It was likely nearing evening and his brother would want his help in the house later.

"I'm going to get going now. I hope you return to your family... and that she will be safe when you do. I'll see you tomorrow, Mr Kruger." He got up and began his way to the exit.

"Yes... I'll see you tomorrow." The wounded soldier was left alone after he bode farewell to the boy.

Alone in the cold and the wind. Perhaps the wind was carrying a message from her, but the wounded soldier lacked the ability to decipher its exact contents. However... he could sense her feelings even if they were separated by the ocean and the walls. She was probably staring outside from that cabin right now.

Perhaps she was holding her hand and feeling the wind as well right now, appearing as if they were imitating a child. Perhaps it would be just a bit too cold for her and so she would likely soon head inside and sit by the hearth if she was not already.

But she was definitely at least looking out into the horizon for a sign of his return. Wishing for him to return. And her wish was carried by the winds to the wounded soldier. He would return to her soon. But the wind was only blowing on one direction, and so his message could not be carried back to her.

"I promise I will return to you. I know I promised you many things, half of which I have broken. But please wait for me. I'm taking the path to a place where I can no longer break any promises. So please... wait for me." The man spoke to the wind, but the wind did not listen. He was alone. Completely alone right now. The wounded soldier makes an oath clad in unbreakable and ceaseless wind. A lone flame, dimmed yet undefeated by the strength of the wind. Alone but not empty.

"Even if I have to fight a million soldiers and the rest of the world alone for you."

He was not empty like she was back then. But in that moment he was alone.