Previously: Sakura starts laying the foundations of a support system for her wards and is promoted to Squad Leader, tasked with teaching a group of soldiers chakra. Soon-to-be Queen Historia starts feeling the pressure of her stature and receives a mysterious letter telling her to touch Eren's skin.

Sakura was not sure what to expect during her first Squad meeting, but she should have foreseen the unenthusiastic faces that were staring back at her.

"As of today, your transfer from the Interior Police to my Squad in the Survey Corps has been finalized. To make the transition easier, I have elected Kenny Ackerman as my second-in-command. However, I hope you all remember who calls the shots at the end of the day.

"We will start ninja training tomorrow, so enjoy your last free day. It will be grueling work, but we're tasked with going against enemies that can not only turn into titans but have magical powers you all have never seen. I will be harsh, but only because I want you all to live. You're all dismissed."

All of her new subordinates saluted her as they had all been instructed since their days as trainees, but she couldn't identify anyone in the crowd who seemed passionate about it.

Sakura wondered about the wisdom in assigning her, a novice Squad Leader, a team whose majority had been at odds with the Survey Corps and whose minority had just suffered the death of their previous Squad Leader, Mike, not even a month ago.

It just seemed like a recipe for disaster, one she was excellent at cooking.

To make matters worse, there was one soldier who did not leave her side.

Kenny whistled and tipped his stupid hat at her. "Well, that went well."

She bristled and glared at him. "Why are you saying that sarcastically?"

"Because it did not go well. I have seen more cheer at a Wall cult meeting," Kenny responded.

She rolled her eyes and started heading to the training grounds. Though their name had been cleared of any wrongdoing by the monarchy, the Survey Corps had decided to stay in the outskirts of Wall Rose, near Trost in preparation to their expedition to Maria.

"Should I be jumping up and down to get their mood up?"

"If that's what it takes, yeah," Kenny said, easily keeping up with her speed. "You took too many leadership cues from my nephew, little lady."

"What's the problem with that?" Sakura grouched. "And don't call me little lady."

"He's not the most charismatic chum in the block. He's got a loyal group of soldiers, I'll give him that, but he's not the most endearing person in the world, is he?"

Sakura thought back to her first few interactions with Levi and was annoyed at how right Kenny was. For the longest time she couldn't even stand being in the same room as him.

But she also wasn't the easiest person to work with. Her track record of friends was plenty evidence.

"I have to compete with you for leadership," Sakura pointed out and slowed down a bit. She could afford to delay her training for a bit. "They will rather have a serial killer than me as a Squad Leader."

"Exactly," Kenny said in a drawl. "They rather have a murderer than you. That puts you in an embarrassing position doesn't it?"

"You're also forgetting some of my squad is made from Mike's old one. He was an amazing soldier. I am sure they feel betrayed to now be with a bunch of Interior Police scu— soldiers."

Kenny chuckled. "I am sure my team would be overjoyed to hear how their new Squad Leader is referring to them."

Sakura frowned. "But it's the—"

"Whether it's true or not, it doesn't matter. Your blond commander put them in your team so now they're your people."

"Your people, you mean."

"Sure. They will keep being my people if you keep referring to them as such. Look, for some reason I still don't understand you accepted me as a family member. Those soldiers didn't do anything but follow my orders. It shouldn't be that bad to extend some courtesy, right?"

Sakura groaned. To hear something reasonable coming from Kenny's mouth was comical, but Sakura had never been one to get the humor right away. She knew that she accepted Kenny out of necessity rather than want, but she could see how it could be misconstrued from an outsider's perspective.

"Fine, I'll think about changing how I talk to my team." They finally reached the training grounds, a nice secluded forest full of titans, and Kenny still gave no indication of going on his own. "Now, will you leave me alone?"

"No can do. Remember, I can't leave your side."

"I order you to leave my side."

"Your blond's orders override yours."

"Commander Erwin is not my blond. And fine, just sit there and watch me meditate."

Kenny raised an eyebrow. "You came all the way here to sleep?"

Sakura considered ignoring his comment, but quickly realized that she would have to teach an entire group of people like him how to meditate the next day. She might as well teach him and hope he helps her out tomorrow.

She found a nice secluded spot away from any soldiers and sat down on the soft grass. She made a motion for Kenny to sit down, which he surprisingly followed without a fuss.

"Meditation is not sleeping. It is about allowing your mind a moment to relax and connect with something. Since I already learned how to use chakra, I focus on my breathing pattern. Whenever I feel my thoughts straying, I always go back to my breath."

Kenny just stared at her. "So meditation is just counting your breaths? That sounds like a waste of time."

Her lips twitched upwards for a second. If Sakura's body didn't naturally remember the act of meditation, she would've thought the same. And even though she knew about meditating and how it helped control chakra, it still took her a while to hone her proficiency.

In a way, she was learning again, now that she had the enormous amount of chakra from Son Goku to worry about. At the moment, it was almost wishful thinking to expect her healing to come back within the year.

"After a while of breathing, your mind will empty, and in that emptiness, you will feel the chakra that flows through your body."

If she hadn't met the titan-shifters, she would've assumed that Erwin's request to teach the Survey Corps to use chakra was impossible. Her own identity of being a ninja was so ingrained in her that her body just remembered to do things instinctively. She remembered the exercise of keeping a leaf on her forehead, but even that required being able to feel chakra.

None of the people in this world could feel the chakra running through their veins. They didn't even know of its existence until a few months ago. They couldn't harness the power of something they had never felt.

But everyone could feel chakra if they cleared their mind. It was impossible not to, just as impossible as choosing when to hear or not.

"And how long will that take?"

"I don't know."

Kenny narrowed his eyes. "You don't know?"

"Everyone is different, Kenny. Some people's minds are overactive and it takes a long time for them to clear. Others are more attuned with their own bodies and can achieve this state faster. The only way to find out is to try. I will guide you through this session, but it will require you to try very hard."

Another thing he had against him was his faint chakra presence. Sakura worried that it meant that he couldn't use chakra the way someone like Eren would, but maybe this meant he would just have low reserves but high control.

"What about distractions?"

"I usually came to this spot to meditate before. I have scared off enough people that they know not to use this part of the field."

Kenny smirked. "Why am I not surprised?"

She waved at him. "Now, find a comfortable sitting position."

Kenny slouched and extended his legs slightly.

"I will need you to sit with your back straight, but not to an uncomfortable degree." If he was surprised by how soft her voice became, he did not show it. "This will allow your chest to expand more naturally. Now, try to focus on something you see in front of you. It can be anything, but let it be a soft focus. This object should just help narrow, but not dominate, your attention.

"Now, breathe deeply through your nose, and exhale through your mouth. Continue this until you find a natural rhythm. This rhythm is going to be what you go back to whenever you get distracted."

Sakura stopped talking, quietly observing Kenny working through the exercise. He seemed to be following her instructions completely, focusing on what she thought was a tree. His body expanded on a natural rhythm, and Sakura was almost ashamed to interrupt him, but she needed to continue to guide him.

"Now that you have attained a rhythm, start closing your eyes." To her surprise, he didn't immediately close them, instead allowing his lids to do so at their own pace. Once his eyes were closed, she continued, "Notice the weight or weightlessness of your body on the grass. Notice the firmness of the ground holding you. The sun on your skin. Acknowledge these sensations. Acknowledge any distractions. Your mind will wander. You will have many intrusive thoughts. Some will be pleasant, others will not. Try not to get too frustrated if your mind wanders. It is natural. You cannot stop the thoughts. Instead, acknowledge them like you just acknowledged the ground, the wind, or the sun. Acknowledge them and then focus on your breath.

"Start counting your breaths. Each inhale and exhale counts as a full breath. Whenever your mind is distracted, go back and start over. Whenever the mind is ready, it will empty, and… well, you'll see what happens then."

And so, the student becomes the master, Son Goku quipped.

Sakura frowned. I wouldn't say I'm the master yet. I'm trying to teach a lot of people something I don't remember learning.

I am a being made out of chakra. I would've told you if your technique was incorrect, Son Goku pointed out. I will admit it is bewildering to be surrounded by so many people with the potential to be ninja, and yet not one of them knew of the existence of chakra until you and those titan-shifters used it.

It is strange… Do you think the information has been kept secret from all these people?

The people of our own world wouldn't know how to use chakra had my father not taught humans how to use it. I'm not wholly surprised this world doesn't know about its existence.

Your father? Sakura asked, surprised.

Maybe a story for another time, Son Goku grouched after a moment of silence. Perhaps you will be to these people what my father was to yours. Though I can't imagine my father would be happy to see the world as it is.

What did he want from them? Us, I mean.

Son Goku chuckled sardonically. Peace. He was a man of peace, but humans can only thrive through power and war. They took something as beautiful as ninshu and made ninjutsu out of it. Even you are teaching these people ninjutsu to wage war.

To protect ourselves, Sakura clarified. Even you must see how uneven we are in power.

For now, yes, your enemies have the upper hand. Son Goku admitted. But what happens if you win this war? Do you think all of these people will be content with living inside these three walls? Even if your friends are happy with protecting their land, their descendants will only look to expand and wage war against those who resist their conquest.

Sakura grimaced. She wanted to refute Son Goku's statement, but she knew that all of her friends and comrades were bred for war. Titans were their enemies, but soon they would shift their focus to something, or someone, else.

She shook her head. No, I cannot sit and philosophize about how their descendants are going to use ninjutsu when extinction is staring at us in the face. It is a luxury I… We don't—

"Sakura," Kenny's voice startled her out of her own thoughts. So embroiled she had been with Son Goku she had completely forgotten where she had been. There was an odd quality to his voice, almost breathless even though he had just been breathing this entire time. "I… I felt something."

"What did you feel?" Sakura asked, her heart pounding.

"A feeling of… something being alive. I'm not sure how to describe it. It's just another feeling, like hunger, or fear, or tiredness. Except this feels… whole?"

Sakura grinned and she resisted the urge to launch herself at him. "Kenny, you just felt your own chakra. You were finally able to mold the physical and spiritual energies within you."

"Just like that?"

"The body and spirit naturally want to mould together, but the mind always keeps them separate. Achieving the first feeling is the hardest and most important aspect of learning ninjutsu. I'm not saying things are going to be easy from now on, but the instructions won't be as vague as 'emptying your mind'."

Kenny just sat there, his face somewhat glazed.

"Kenny? Is something wrong?"

"I… I ignored a lot of thoughts on my way to feeling chakra."

Sakura cocked her head to the side, confused as to why he sounded defeated. "Yes, that's what I told you to do."

He turned to look at her, his face serious and devoid of the sardonic touch she had come to associate him with. "There were some thoughts that need to be… explored."

"Such as?"

He frowned. "I don't want to talk about them. But they're important. You said this field is empty most of the time?"

"Uh, yeah," she said, taken off guard. "But, Kenny—"

He got up and dusted himself. "I'll see you tomorrow, little lady."

Sakura thought about calling after him, but the man's steps were quick and resolute.

What had gotten into him?

She shook her head. It seemed that Ackermans were impossible to decipher.

Yourself included?

Sakura smiled sardonically. I am not an Ackerman. It's… it's very obvious now.

Would you like to know your last name?

She perked up immediately. How would you know?

Obito called you by your full name before you were sent here. Would you like to know?

Would knowing her name mean she would have no more excuses to hold on to the Ackerman name? Ackerman meant something to her, meanwhile whatever name she had beforehand might as well belong to a stranger. Other people shared that last name, meanwhile her original last name belonged to another world.

No. I am Sakura Ackerman. Whoever Obito called in your world doesn't exist anymore.

She heard Son Goku sigh. Very well. But eventually you won't be able to run away. Obito is coming.

He had talked to her while she had been drugged and under the Interior Police's watch. He had taunted her with the deaths of her loved ones, and had mentioned that they had given up in trying to save her. She should feel bitter that her supposed "friends" were so quick to give up on her, but she couldn't find it within herself to care.

At least now she wouldn't have to listen to their stupid talk about gaining her friendship back.

Then we no longer only have to worry about Obito it seems, Son Goku said, peering deeper into her thoughts that he ever had before. A part of her worried about the lack of privacy, but she tried to be empathetic. She literally was Son Goku's living prison. It means you must train.

Yeah, I need my healing back.

No, you need to accept my power now. The healing is a thing of the past. You won't regain it in time for whatever trials are coming to us. You need to master my Lava Release.

"Squad Leader Sakura! Squad Leader Sakura!" a young soldier called. She recognized him from her own squad, but she had never been good with names. He had dark blond hair and earnest brown eyes, which made her guess he had been part of Mike's squad.

"At ease," she said, standing up.

Our conversation will have to wait.

Son Goku yawned. I'm going back to sleep. You know where to find me.

"Commander Amina is in your office here to see you."

She perked up at that. With how quickly things were moving in Mitras and the Survey Corps, she hadn't had a chance to see her friend since the day she got kidnapped, even though that day hadn't been that long ago anyway.

"Thank you, soldier. Remind me, what is your name?"

"Jung Mann, sir," he responded.

Jung… Now that was a name she hadn't heard for a while. Jung had showed her incredible kindness when she had first joined Levi's Squad, and she had let him and Liesel die because she wanted to keep a secret everyone knew now anyway.

What a waste.

"Squad Leader?" Jung asked when he noticed her grim smile.

"Sorry, Jung. I just… never mind, thank you for delivering the message. Were you one of the chosen to learn how to use chakra?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "And I am very honored, Squad Leader."

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow then."

He saluted and excused himself, going the opposite direction Sakura was going.

Sakura had complained about the idea of getting an office. To her, it symbolized the transition from being a soldier who just had to worry about fighting to someone involved in bureaucracy and administration. If she didn't have an office, then she just had absolutely no way of getting work done, right?

Unfortunately for her, Levi had personally seen to getting her an office as soon as she became Squad Leader. There was an almost glee-like light to his eyes as he explained all the procedures and paperwork she was now in charge of. Transfer requests, budget reports, team logistics, supply allocation…

She had never seen him as happy as when she looked over her first transfer request and groaned at all the signature requirements.

The silver lining was entering her office and seeing Amina already sitting at her desk, across from her own seat. She had gone to so many offices and either she was standing, giving a report or receiving orders, but now here she was, on the other side of that story.

Amina, from her end, looked even more regal than what she remembered. Besides a different uniform and a yellow bolo tie, her hair was now up in an intricate bun and she carried a sabre instead of the usual titan-killing swords they had.

"Commander Talman," Sakura greeted in a voice of faux respect.

"Squad Leader Ackerman. It is good to see you in one piece."

Both women held their deadpan expressions for as long as they could before they burst into laughter. They hugged each other tightly, and Sakura felt a sudden wave of pride at how far they had gotten.

Amina let her go first and sat down at her original seat, with Sakura sitting on the chair adjacent to her.

"Seriously, though, it is good to see you. It seems you and your adopted brother have a competition for who can get kidnapped the most."

Sakura snorted, but was a bit irked to realize how true that was.

"I gotta win at everything, it seems. You, however, successfully toppled a government while I was sleeping."

Amina waved a hand. "Oh, that? Well, I think you're overestimating my role in the entire thing."

"From what I hear, Zackly wanted to feed the nobles their own shit. If you hadn't been there…"

"You heard correctly, unfortunately. It seems my new commander is as crazy as they come."

"But seriously, I hear you're a big reason why the nobility backed up the military in installing Historia as the new queen. That's not a small feat."

"Once I showed them the inevitability of their downfall, their tune changed." Amina raised a finger. "Mind you, the coronation still hasn't happened yet. There are still some things we have to iron out before we can crown hair, but so far she has already talked to the Noble Houses and Merchant Families, and they don't seem to hate her. However, we still have some problems."

"Like? You really are the only source of knowledge I have about Mitras right now. You'll have to take it easy with me."

"Public opinion of the crown is rather low," Amina confessed. "When the newspapers cleared the Survey Corps's name, they uncovered the conspiracy the nobles had used to keep the people subjugated and ignorant. Some very vocal voices in the public are calling for the death of the nobles, and I have a sneaking suspicion the Merchant Families are fanning those flames.

"It doesn't help that the new queen we're trying to install is from the same lineage as the oppressors. They just see Historia as a new face with the same old ideas."

Sakura frowned. "She's a hero from the Battle of Trost. She was instrumental in the capture of her father."

"A father a large portion of the people want dead."

"Wouldn't be such a bad thing," Sakura muttered.

"Except he knows things about Eren that even we don't," Amina said darkly.

"What do you mean?"

"The few supporters that he has made this cult, the Cult of the True King—"

"They named themselves a cult?"

"No, they call themselves Followers of the True King, but I am hoping that calling them a cult will shift opinion and make them sound crazy. Which they are. Anyway, they sent Historia a letter ordering her to release her father and telling her that she and Rod Reiss needed to touch Eren's skin."

"Touch Eren's skin? Whatever for?"

"That's what we're wondering too. I don't know if they are being truthful or this is a ploy to mind control Historia or something weird as that, but we can't kill Rod Reiss yet and close that door forever."

"So you have to keep Rod Reiss alive and sacrifice Historia's popularity to do so," Sakura surmised.

Amina nodded. "And it was made that way. It's a really powerful ploy from Zackly if you think about it. Rod Reiss is under the control of the Military Police right now. Even if Historia wanted to hang him, Zackly could still say no. But the military is riding a wave of popularity right now after they 'liberated' us from the nobles. Refusing to hang Rod Reiss would damage that popularity."

"But by making it seem as if Historia is just another spoiled daughter protecting her father, the military keeps the goodwill of the people."

"And put Historia in an awkward position where the military could get rid of her if she doesn't do what they want and nobody would fight for her."

Sakura clicked her tongue. "That poor girl. She's only fifteen. Does she know about all of this?"

"No. She already has confessed to not trusting me fully because I am a noble. The only reason she trusts me is because I am a soldier and was from the same branch as her. If she finds out my boss wants her in this vulnerable position she won't ever tell me anything."

"And you don't agree with what Zackly is doing?"

Amina shook her head. "The man is brilliant, but I don't like him. He is just like the nobles he says he hates; give him just a little bit of power and he's uncontrollable. At least I know how to deal with the nobility and subjugate them. I don't know how to deal with a beast like Zackly.

"He may be my superior, but Historia is my queen."

Sakura sighed. "And that is the crux of the matter for you. It seems you have made your decision though. Is that why you came here, to ask me to support Historia?"

"No, the optics of you supporting Historia would just reinforce the narrative of power and opppression," Amina explained. "Yeah, icky, I know, considering the threat of the titan-shifters, but people have this amazing focus for the short-term in Mitras. I was wondering if you, or one of your clones, could infilitrate the Cult and find out what Rod is planning."

"I wish I could, but Erwin asked me to teach a small portion of soldiers how to use chakra. I'll be stationed here for a while."

"Oh, I can't ask you to pause that," Amina said. "The priority will always be training to defeat the threat from outside. Still, I have to find a way to make sure the future that awaits us after that is a prosperous one."

"What if I give you a task force? Mike's team is a part of mine." Even if the Interior Police is more stealthy, she had just fought them not even a week ago. She couldn't in good conscious give them an assignment as important as protecting Historia.

"Are they stealthy?"

"I don't know. I just got this team less than a week ago."

Amina shook her head. "No, it's too risky. I need people you know are good."

Sakura nodded in don't you let Historia and Rod touch Eren's hand under our supervision? If something were to happen, I'm very sure we could control the outcome."

"Sneaking Historia and Rod Reiss out of Mitras is harder than that," Amina said. "But I guess it's not impossible. Makes me mad that I have to spring Rod's trap to find out what he's planning."

"Don't think that way. We won. Rod Reiss is sitting in some dump, eating shit, while we're out here planning on winning some more." Sakura stood up and placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "You're Commander Amina now. And you're always going to have me to support you."

Amina smiled and placed a hand on top of hers. "It is reassuring to hear the famed ninja Sakura Ackerman talk with such confidence."

She wasn't even sure if she was going to be here in a month. She should stop talking so brazenly about ideas that might not even happen.

"Oh, no."

"What?"

"You. You have that face."

"What face?"

"The face you make when you're hiding something awful."

Sakura dropped her hand from Amina's shoulder. "Why would you say that?"

"Cut the shit, Sakura. I've known you for long enough. What's wrong? You can trust me. Is your team giving you problems? Is it Kenny? I knew it was a bad idea when Erwin said—"

"No, no, it's nothing like that."

She sat back again, boneless. Should she say something? Amina had kept her secret before, so she didn't doubt her discretion. Did she want to burden her with this information? She already had a lot on her plate.

"Then what is it?"

"You promise not to say anything?"

"I'm offended you even have to ask."

Sakura extended her senses to feel for any chakra signatures, just in case. She focused more to feel for the faint presences of Mikasa, Levi, and Kenny, but luckily they were past her range.

"The ninjas that wanted to take me back to my original world... They're not dead."

"What?" Amina exclaimed. "But the report—"

"I lied about that so Erwin wouldn't think I was a traitor," she admitted. "Also so that I wouldn't worry anyone."

"Oh, Sakura. You idiot. How long do you have?"

"I don't know. It could be a week, a month, a year. I have no way of knowing or communicating with them to find out."

"So your every day is just a limbo?"

"Well, not exactly. I do have some clues. There are two... factions, I guess, that want to get me back, and for different reasons. One of the factions has this very powerful man, Obito, who has visited me twice in the last month. He's the one I am most concerned about, since I think he can appear whenever he wants. He says he has to finish preparing something before he is ready to bring me back, though I don't know how long it will take.

"The other group, well, is an actual group, and they claim to be friends of mine. However, Obito told me that their superiors gave up on trying to bring me back and now want to kill me."

"What wonderful friends," Amina muttered.

"Yes, I know," Sakura agreed darkly. "Their group is larger, so they're harder to fight, but I don't think they can just appear whenever or wherever they want, like Obito. I think the titan-shifters have something to do with their appearances, which is why I have only seen them once, when they were together."

"Why do they want to kill you?"

"Apparently I am a Vessel. I don't know what it means, but one group say that I am extremely dangerous if Obito gets to do what he wants with me."

"Dangerous in what sense?"

"World-ending danger both to my original world and this world," Sakura confessed. "Before you say anything, yes, I know it sounds bad. In fact, I... I briefly considered ending the threat myself but Obito quickly dissuaded me from doing so."

"How?"

"By killing anyone who had ever met me," she said.

Amina grimaced. "Well, I'm glad he talked you out of it. Killing yourself wouldn't have solved anything." Sakura privately disagreed, but she wasn't about to voice that to Amina. "That guy could've found someone else to take your spot, right? Besides, what if the other group wanted you to think you were a danger to worlds just so you would go with them? Then it would've been a complete waste if you had killed yourself."

"Still," Sakura continued, "let's assume they were telling the truth. It's not fair that my continued existence puts so many people in danger."

"So what do you think you should do?"

"I don't know. Get stronger? Strong enough to kill Obito? Kill the titan-shifters so they have no way of contacting the other world?"

"So killing all your enemies," Amina surmised with a frown. "You know, you can't solve every problem by killing, Sakura."

And that was the crux of the problem. Killing wouldn't solve her problems, and it wasn't as if she could kill her pursuers anyway. They were too powerful for her.

"Oh, but I wish I could. But you're right. I have been ignoring the problem for far too long. It seems my destiny calls me back to my original world in one way or another, and it won't let me rest until it's finally solved."

So you'll leave? Son Goku chirped.

"So you're going to leave us?"

"And I'll come back," she said, to both Son Goku and Amina. "I don't know how yet, but I will. This world is all I know and care about. My family is here."

"And do you have a plan about how you want things to happen here?"

"First, you'll have to explain all of this when I disappear. People are going to be mad, but that comes with finding out you've been lied to."

"Leaving the dirty work to me, huh. Not surprised."

Sakura hoped she looked apologetic enough. "I can't trust anyone else to do that. I have recruited Kenny, and I hope he'll help look out after Mikasa, Eren, and maybe even Armin, but if he doesn't I need you to handle him."

"Not a problem. I have a lot of things I can hold over his head. What if they take you before we fight the titan-shifters?"

"That is a possibility I haven't considered, which is why I'm very happy Erwin is entrusting me to teach his soldiers how to use chakra. They're adults and very fit, which means they should be easier to teach than children. They should be able to take on the titan-shifters in their human form."

"What if Obito takes you before that?"

Sakura chuckled darkly. "Truly going for the worst scenario here, are you? The same we could say about the titan-shifters attacking us tomorrow. I can't plan for everything, Amina."

She sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Well, this means we need to get you to lay with someone soon."

Sakura squawked, "What?"

Amina stared at her as if she was an idiot. "Do you really want to leave this world without feeling any carnal pleasures?"

"I'm not dying!"

"That you know of. You know, now I understand why you were never involved in the Survey Corps sex culture. You didn't have to worry about dying every time you went on an expedition. But this time it's different! Come on, Sakura! It's not like you can wait for someone."

Sakura ignored Son Goku's booming laugh. "Amina, this isn't what we should be focusing on."

"Wow, I can't believe you're fine dying a virgin."

She grunted and crossed her arms. "Oh, a fate worse than death? Dying a virgin?"

"Not exactly," Amina admitted sheepishly.

"Besides, I rather not get even more attached to someone. It would just make things harder for both of us."

Amina raised her eyebrows. "Oh, you have someone in mind?"

"A hypothetical us," she muttered.

"But you are thinking about someone."

"Amina."

"Though I hear there's another Ackerman that was recently unaccounted for. What did you say? You would marry an Ackerman for the last name?"

Oh, no, Sakura really hoped she wasn't going to say anything. "Amina," Sakura repeated, more as a warning.

"I gotta admit, Captain Levi is certainly a step up from Kenny Ackerman," she said coyly.

"By the Walls! I don't think of Levi like that! Nothing is going to happen between us. Besides... He's Petra's."

Her friend sobered immediately. "Petra is dead, Sakura."

"I know that."

"You know she wouldn't want her memory to restrict anything from you. Not about Levi, exactly. Just in general. She adored you. Besides, they were never a couple. I don't think Levi even knows she had feelings for him."

"Doesn't matter. There are thousands of men out there. I'm sure I don't have to pick the one our dead best friend was borderline in love with. Regardless, the point is moot. I don't feel that way about him and I don't think I ever will. We're incompatible."

Much to her surprise, Amina made a face that screamed "I disagree with you," but she chose not to say anything.

"Anyway, I'm sure we should discuss more pressing matters than my love life."

"Oh, please, Sakura. Most of the conversations we have are about doom or death. Can't we have something lighthearted sometimes?"

"Sex is lighthearted?"

"Compared to everything else? As light as a feather."

Sakura chuckled. "I suppose that's right. How about this? If there's any advancements, you'll be the first to know. I expect the same from you, though!"

"Wouldn't have it any other way. Phew, this conversation was heavier than what I expected. And I still haven't solved the original issue."

"You know, why don't you bring Historia out here?"

"Here? As in, here, middle-of-nowhere here? What reason could she have for coming this far out from Mitras, especially before her coronation?"

"I don't know, to meet her people? I'm sure you can come up with something."

"What about Rod Reiss?"

"Does he have to be here?" Sakura wondered.

"That cult made it sound in the letter as if he was a significant part of the ritual."

"Could be a lie they told you just to get him out. Even if nothing happens, it's not like we'll lose anything in trying."

Amina nodded. "Good point. I'll run the idea by her. I'll send a letter ahead of our departure if I convince her."

Amina got up from her chair and stretched. "Well, it was amazing to see you, but now I need to go see Erwin to run these ideas by him. Oh, I almost forgot. You and the other squad leaders have been summoned to Mitras this week."

"Why?"

"Budget, I think, and some plans for the future. Anyway, can you show me where Erwin's office is?"

Sakura sprung up, not at all minding leaving her office. And if it bought her a couple of more minutes with her friend, she wouldn't complain.

Levi tried not to roll his eyes at the group gathered with him at the moment. Erwin, Hange, Nanaba, and himself had spent the some time thinking of the first batch of soldiers that would learn magic first. Much to his annoyance, Kenny was in that list since he was technically Sakura's second-in-command. They had chosen twenty people from all five teams, though he requested having his entire team learn at the expense of having less soldiers from Sakura's own squad. She didn't seem to mind, however, since she agreed with their final list.

"Welcome, everyone, to our first lesson on how to manipulate chakra. This will be the hardest lesson of them all, so please do not feel frustrated if you don't get it right away. In fact, our next session will be in a three days since I have to leave tonight.

"The first exercise will be meditation."

Everyone groaned. Now it made sense why Sakura had chosen a training field so far away from the headquarters.

"You're joking," Levi said without inflection. He always had a doubt that Sakura was qualified to teach them her magic. Not because she wasn't good, because her strength was undeniable, but because it came too naturally for her. It was a problem he himself had when teaching others. They didn't have the same starting level of talent, and that was a big gap to overcome.

And now she was saying that meditation was what would help them?

Sakura glared at everyone. "Can anyone here tell me what chakra feels like?" His asshole uncle raised the only hand, making Sakura smile. "Yes, Kenny. Please explain to everyone how you got to feel chakra?"

"Meditation," he answered simply.

"Perfect."

"Wait a minute," Eren said. "How come he already knows?"

"Eren, now's not the time."

"No, I think it's a perfect time," Levi continued. How come the asshole was already ahead? Was Sakura seriously considering treating him well, giving him an advantage, after everything he had done? "Why does that shit-stain know how to meditate?"

"You know, I might just decide you're all incapable of learning and get a new group."

"Wait! The rest of us didn't do anything!" Hange exclaimed. Everyone else nodded with different levels of enthusiasm.

"Then tell Levi to shut up."

"Levi, shut up. Now, Sakura, please continue, this is fascinating."

He glowered at her, but years of working with him made her immune to his glare. She blissfully continued with her lesson, though Kenny pitched in for some borderline helpful comments every once in a while.

For a long time he thought everything was a waste of time until Eren claimed to have felt chakra after an hour. He was less convinced it was bullshit as more people revealed that they were feeling chakra, including Hange. He trusted her the most, and if she said that she felt something, then he believed it.

Much to his frustration, he was the last one left on the field. Sakura dismissed the soldiers that felt magic since she felt that they could meditate on their own now, and they didn't need her help anymore. Mikasa had also been on the same situation as him, but she eventually felt the magic too, leaving him alone with Sakura.

She finally sat down in front of him. "Ah, that feels nice. I haven't had a chance to sit since this started."

Levi crossed his arms. "This is a waste of time. I don't need to learn how to do this."

"We both know that's a lie. Tell me, what skill is the one you had to work hardest to achieve?"

"Nothing," he answered quickly.

Sakura nodded in understanding. "That explains a lot. This isn't something that can be achieved with physical skill. It's a completely different world. So don't feel bad. This is the hardest lesson because it's the most conceptual. I promise it'll get better."

"Conceptual is putting it lightly," he grouched. "I can't get my head to shut up."

She shook her head. "Your head won't shut up if you force it. You gotta let it talk, but ignore it. Kinda how when an annoying person is just yapping away. You ignore them and hope they'll get the hint and leave you alone. Some people are just more... uh, dense than others."

He grunted. Of course his mind would be the most annoying one. Still, he had to get this eventually. He couldn't let Kenny beat him at something. "Don't you have tips?"

Sakura hummed. "Well, to be honest, I have been teaching everyone meditation because I know it works. Maybe there's another way that could help you? Oh, wait, Son Goku is saying something."

Levi had a hard time wrapping his head around the idea that Sakura had another being living inside of her. If he didn't know better, he would've chalked it up to Sakura being eccentric and being hit too many times in the head. Though he had never met this Son Goku, she mentioned him enough that he felt he should be more curious about the creature.

Then again, life had changed a lot in the past couple of months. He didn't even know titan-shifters existed a year ago, and now he had helped overthrow a monarchy.

"Son Goku said there's another way, but it's more invasive."

"Invasive?"

"They said that if you can feel my chakra, your body will learn to recognize your own."

Levi raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you do that with everyone?"

Much to his surprise, Sakura blushed. "It's not something you do with just everyone."

"Hm. Is it like seeing someone naked?"

Her cheeks reddened further. "No! No, nothing like that! It's just more intimate than simple instruction. Kind of like sharing a drink. Nothing too bad, you just don't do it with strangers."

Levi rolled his eyes. She would blow this out of proportion. "Right, yes, sharing drink. Now, can you start doing this so that I can get back to work? There are budget expense reports we must present to the nobles and merchants and Zackley."

Was it too late to overthrow the nobility?

"Fine."

Sakura took his hand in hers before he could protest. Her hand was coarse, just like his own, but her fingers were thinner and smaller. It made Levi realize that he usually didn't touch people's hands, and he now understood Sakura's initial unwillingness to teach him this way.

"Try to empty your mind like we've been doing before. It'll help you feel my chakra."

He closed his eyes and started counting his breaths, hoping to clear his mind, but for some reason he found Sakura's hand extremely distracting. His mind was hyper-focused on her warmth, her skin, even the shape of her fingers. It was a simple holding of hands, and yet his mind was registering every new sensation.

It was maddening.

He opened his eyes and narrowed them at her. "Sakura. This isn't working."

Sakura frowned. "You didn't even try to meditate, of course it isn't working."

"Can we continue this another day?" They would be traveling together to Mitras. He didn't understand the urgency to master the technique at the present moment.

Levi attempted to remove his hand from hers, but she gripped it more tightly. Though her strength didn't hurt, he found it alarming that he couldn't break her hold.

"No," she said. "You need to learn this today."

"Why?"

"I can't have you lagging behind. It's all of us or none of us," she said. "Please, Levi. I'm just asking you to try."

Levi sighed and relaxed his hand in hers. "Honestly, something about your hand is distracting."

"Because people usually don't hold hands. Believe me, it'll feel weirder once you feel my chakra."

"That's not very reassuring."

Sakura shot him an impatient look. "Just concentrate. Inhale, exhale, and add one to the breath count."

Though he had half a mind to continue arguing with her, he closed his eyes and tried to empty his mind once more by counting his breaths.

One, two, three, four, five-

Her hand was nice.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight-

Why was he focusing so much on her hand?

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven-

How had Kenny done this when he couldn't even focus past Sakura's hand?

"Breathe, Levi. Go back to the breath," she whispered.

Why did she have to say his name like that?

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen...

The warmth in her hand morphed into something that felt... Different. In a way, he was no longer just touching the skin but also something that was both warm and cold. Something that hummed with life in the back of his head, something that he was starting to feel that he had as well. Though he had never felt it within himself, it didn't feel completely foreign.

It felt like a part of him.

What was that?

"What are you doing?" Levi asked quietly without opening his eyes.

"I'm not doing anything," she answered. "I think you discovered something you didn't know you had."

"You mean that's chakra?"

Levi opened his eyes and was surprised at how... normal everything looked. He wasn't sure why he had expected a fundamental shift in his way of viewing the world. Things were the same, but at the same time, they were different. He had a new sense he didn't have before, but it was an inward one rather than an outward one.

Sakura slowly let go of his hand. He tried not to notice its absence too much, but was surprised to still feel her presence in his mind, as if she had been branded and his body now recognized her chakra instinctively.

"That's chakra. For now I'm sure it's weird feeling your own, but you'll get used to it. The next step will be to manipulate it to get you to perform some physical feats."

"I can sense your chakra still."

That seemed to catch her attention. "You can? That's interesting. No one else has mentioned being able to sense other people's chakra. Is it just me, or if you focus can you feel other people too?"

Levi tried to focus on trying to find a similar feeling Sakura was emanating, but he failed. "No, just you."

"Son Goku says that my help shouldn't have done anything to you. Maybe you're a natural chakra sensor like me. Though that's annoying. Now you'll know where I am."

"That could come in handy in future expeditions," he said. "Is this another skill that needs to be trained?"

"Yes, but luckily for you I started with a similar level of skill as you. I'll coach you privately to broaden your range. Your chakra stores are also on the lower side so I'll help you as well as Mikasa and Kenny."

"Lower side?"

Sakura shrugged. "Must be an Ackerman thing. Still, so far it hasn't hindered any of your abilities to feel chakra and you're even a sensor, so I don't expect it has bad implications."

He hummed. "You sure you're not taking too many responsibilities here? You were just made squad leader."

Sakura smirked at him. "I have a clone currently doing my paperwork and another one packing for tomorrow's trip." Of course she would have an unfair advantage even in that department. "So don't worry about me."

"How do I know you're not a clone?"

"Would it bother you if I were?"

Yes. "No. It's just a curiosity."

"Well, I'm not. I wouldn't send a clone in to do something as important as teach my first batch of students. You will all help me in the future, after all."

It warmed his heart slightly to hear how invested she was in helping the Survey Corps. If only she had had that enthusiasm two years ago. "You know, we would be so much farther ahead if you had come clean in the beginning."

Sakura looked down. "I know. He reminded me of that yesterday."

"Who?"

"Jung Mann."

So he hadn't been the only one that had been taken down memory lane after hearing that name. For as much shit as he gave her, she had recently taken it gracefully and had not made excuses for her actions as she usually had while she was his second-in-command. It was impressive to see how much she had matured in such a short amount of time.

And she wasn't afraid to make amends, which he really appreciated.

"They were a good team, but as I said before, they made their choice to save you, and you allowed yourself to be saved by them. Would life be different had you revealed yourself back then? Yeah. But there's no use in wondering about that now. You just have to be fine with the choice you made."

"That's the problem though," she said. "I regret it every day. I could've saved them."

Just like he could've saved Farlan and Isabel had he not roped them into joining the Survey Corps. Oh, how much misery he had caused them. And it all had been his fault. "I'd like to think the people we failed understand that we didn't mean to fail them. We can only carry the mistakes we made and hope to not make them again."

"What do you think was my mistake?"

"Lying," he said without even thinking about it. "We all have our secrets, but some are more damning than others. Yours was one of those. And the lengths you went to keep it didn't help."

"And if I told you I was doing that again, what would you say?"

Just like he had suspected. Some things never change. "I would say, 'I hope it's worth it.'"

"It's worth it," she replied with a small smile. "My reasons are different this time, too. I'm not looking after myself this time."

"Who is it for?"

"The people inside the Walls. Us. I just hope once the moment comes, you'll see it the way I did."

Levi shook his head and tried to hold back a smile. "You know, you're a dramatic piece of shit. Always have to blow everything out of proportion."

Sakura stuck her tongue out at him. "You wouldn't have me any other way."

No, he wouldn't, he admitted to himself privately.

"Keep thinking that."

Welcome back to The Vessel! I know it has been a long time, and for that I apologize.

For those of you that don't know, I started medical school in the fall and it has been a rollercoaster. To say I have never worked as hard as I have in the last year is an understatement.

As I've said before, I will never abandon this story, so don't worry about that. However, I can't have it as my priority, since I don't earn any money from this while I am going in debt for school.

So please be patient with me and leave comments of encouragement. My chapterly reviewers are awesome and I love y'all. But considering the amount of hours I put into writing this, it's discouraging to not hear much besides getting emails saying there's followers/favorites. So I'd like to hear from new people!

I can't make any promises about when the next chapter is going to be updated. If I'm being honest, I am delaying some things that happened in the manga because I want to get the full lore of SnK before I make my changes. Since I think the manga is ending this year, I'll have all the information I need.

If there are any grammar mistakes please let me know!