If you're curious: so far, this story is canon and takes place where Chapter 82 left off. Next month, I'm sure it will no longer be canon. Alas.

Also, I don't own Shingeki no Kyojin (if I did, Armin would not have died, which I am still not over). I do, however, own Saskia.

Chapter One

Above the peaceful forest –

above the dark, dark sky –

above the limits of the earth –

a star was dying.

Saskia forced her eyes to watch until its glow faded from sight. No one stirred in the crop of tents surrounding them, mostly because everyone was resting for Tomorrow. Only a few unlucky ones, like Saskia, would remain behind.

They were special in other ways, the Warchief said. Just different, so they had to stay.

But she didn't want to stay. She wanted the chance to risk life and limb.

"Stargazing or avoiding?" mocked her only companion, if you could call her that. She casually draped one leg over the other, as if she couldn't care less, though everyone knew she did.

Saskia eyed the restraints keeping the girl fastened to the tree. She said nothing. Since she'd arrived in the Hometown, and now on this journey, the sadistic girl seemed to enjoy interrupting her few moments of peace.

"You don't have to allow this, you know," pointed out the girl.

"You know we do."

"You know, I really don't." The girl rolled her eyes. "You sit out here night after night and pretend you have no feelings of your own, hoping your good behavior will convince him to save your precious sister, but you're too stupid or scared to realize he doesn't care about anyone."

Saskia's face pinched. She wasn't stupid. She was the smartest one here. That was why she was here.

"You're a coward if you think rushing into battle is going to save anything. All of you here, you're cowards," spat the girl.

Saskia knelt by the prisoner, glared into her eyes. Rage coursed through her, and in that moment, she wished once again she was a titan. "I don't think you're qualified to condemn anyone."

"Maybe no one is," said the girl with a grin.

How disturbing. Saskia backed away.

"You're just as bad as anyone," the girl called after her, laughing with fear. She should never have come here. No, she had to. It was best. "You think your guilt can save you? It can't!"

Saskia slipped back into the tent, strategically located in the center of their circles. Just like the Hometown. In case an accident occurred, the unimportant shifters and warriors would die, but he and she would survive.

She used to live there. On the outer edge. She and her sister both, and their father. Mother had died long ago in just such an accident, eaten alive shortly after Annie's birth. Now just their father lived there, and maybe some day he would die too, and it almost served him right.

Saskia shrugged out of her plain dress and lay down besides her husband. Half asleep, his heavy arm closed around her. She felt too warm already, but then, no one refused him, not even his wife.

Tomorrow, he would win. Tomorrow, he would be closer to saving Annie.

She settled against her husband's body, craving the self-assurance he possessed.

No –

Not again –

The day had changed too quickly –

He struggled on the ground, clutching the gaping hole in his side. His arm – if only he had a second arm!

Then his horse – innocent – crashed atop him as a dozen titans emerged in his peripheral vision. Visions of the dead, bloody and chewed apart, shot to his eyes. And Erwin Smith, Thirteenth Commander of the Survey Corp, finally wished to give up.

"Did you see how many titans marched off? Not all of them were shifters. They'll probably return and eat us alive," said the girl.

Now Saskia wanted to punch her right in her freckled nose. For some reason, she'd grown fond of mocking Saskia in particular. "The coordinate will keep them away from us."

"You sound so bored. Does anything excite you? Not your husband, that's for sure."

"Lady Ymir, you are lucky you are alive right now. Do you want that to change?" Saskia asked icily.

Ymir straightened up. "I tell the truth. The people in the walls don't deserve to die."

"You don't deserve to make that call. You gave up that right," growled Saskia.

Ymir didn't flinch. "Yes, we're all damned, I know that. Especially your sister. Do you know what they'll do to her if she emerges? I don't much like to think about it; do you?"

Saskia stalked away. Don't let her upset you. Obey. You're not a shifter. You'll probably die.

"Don't walk away!" hollered Ymir. "You're supposed to follow me."

Saskia whirled around. Follow her? She wouldn't dare – they'd made a deal.

Ymir was standing, her shackles clearly broken.

"Hi." She beamed. "I don't much expect Zeke to keep his word to save Historia, so why should I keep mine? Why should I stay locked up when my friends are killing each other, all for a silly word that means nothing?"

"Don't you dare hurt anyone," growled Saskia. Not Father. Not any of the normal Warriors waiting here. Her hands itched. How could she warn them?

"Pfft." Ymir cut her off with a wave of her hand. "Did you think I requested to accompany you simply to calm my anxiety? Oops."

Her mouth caught her hand. Saskia saw her teeth bite down and her eyes flash, and then, with an explosion of heat, a 6-meter Titan emerged.

"You bitch!" shrieked Saskia, lunging forward. Her hands scrambled for the dagger Zeke had given her. She might not have undergone the training Annie had, but Saskia was no easy kill.

And kill she must. For safety. No one should die here.

Finally, I'll know what it's like to kill –

The Titan huffed. Saskia feinted right before diving left, desperate to reach Ymir's neck. She scrambled forward, leapt up – and its gnarly hand closed around her, pinning her arms against her sides.

Saskia cried out, more from anger than pain. She expected teeth to rip her apart – no, she shouldn't give up – but she always gave up –

A dozen Warriors poured out of their tents, but Ymir had already taken off with Saskia in its grasp.

Everyone was dying and Levi was facing over a dozen lumbering oafs hell bent on eating him.

Marvelous.

But Levi couldn't die. He had to kill the Beast Titan. And he had the serum; he had to save Erwin. The Survey Corps were nothing without Erwin.

I am nothing without him.

Levi gripped the hilt of his sword. Why were the shitty tress not nearby. They could all burn.

He was quick. Humanity's strongest.

He thought of the cheers, the feast of meet just before they'd rode off. And now, most of them dead, Hange vanished, Erwin bleeding out on the ground.

We're not strong at all.

I have to fight.

A Titan swept its hand towards him, and without hesitating – this time – Levi ducked, then clamored up its arm. One swipe was all it took to send the beast falling towards the earth, but Levi had already leapt to the next Titan.

For Erwin! For Hange! For Isabel and Farlan and everyone who deserved better!

He'd slashed his way through five Titans when one caught his cape in its mouth.

Levi twisted around to face it when it suddenly lurched forward. A smaller Titan had leapt atop it, ripped into its eyes with only one hand, only one arm wrapped around the neck of its foe.

The other hand hurled something that looked disturbingly like a corpse towards the fallen Survey Corps.

More shifters? Oh, who gave a shit. Levi turned his attention towards the remaining titans. If the smaller one tried to kill him, he'd kill it, but for now let it be.

As he approached a bloody Bertolt, Eren felt completely numb, completely mechanical, a feeling he'd never felt before in his entire life.

Tears sprang to Bertolt's eyes. His face was a mixture of pain, fear, anguish.

"You – you'll never win," spat Bertolt. He may be the one missing limbs, but his thoughts flitted to Reiner, lying there, lying just helpless to the likes of Mikasa.

"Neither will you." A bloody Hange soared over to them. You killed my squad. "Though you're in better shape than your friend, hmm."

Reiner.

No, he couldn't try to save Reiner. Not when he'd just killed his former friend. There was no return.

For once in his life, Eren said nothing. He couldn't look at Armin again. Armin? Right now, Armin couldn't exist, because if he thought about Armin, if he thought about the ocean, he would die.

And then.

"Where's Armin?" Hange scowled. "His analysis might be worthwhile."

"Where do you think?" Bertolt hissed.

The blackened, crumpled mess in Hange's peripheral vision suddenly overtook her vision. Just like her squad.

She drew her sword. "Levi was right. You're too dangerous to live."

"So are you," wheezed Bertolt. Just end it.

"We have to make sure he's dead this time!" Mikasa brandished her sword towards Reiner's twisted, broken, vulnerable body. "Get out of my way."

Connie whimpered in response, continuing to alternatively cuddle and shake the unconscious Sasha.

"Wait, we need to know why he's doing this!" argued Jean, refusing to move. Crossing Mikasa was always a dangerous move, but he had to. Despite the enormous energy it took just to stand.

Weakness. You're a good leader because you're weak. Weakness, that's it.

"Reiner cares about his comrades, don't you remember?" Jean rushed. He was no Armin, but he had to substitute for now. Think like Armin. "That's his weakness. Maybe if we try to kill Bertolt, we can get information from Reiner!"

"Doubtful." Mikasa cocked an eyebrow. Her fingers itched.

Yet the houses around them, her former city, was decimated. Who knew if the basement remained – and she wasn't sure she ever wanted to see the past again –

"He has to wake up first, and if he kills us, I'll kill you before he does," Mikasa snapped, positioning her blade behind Reiner's neck. "Connie, leave Sasha – we've got her – and go after Hange. Fetch Eren and Bertolt."

Saskia didn't even bother screaming as the bones in her toes snapped. She tumbled to the side, her entire body jarred from Ymir's throw.

A quick glance behind showed Ymir teaming up with a short enemy against far too many Titans.

Titans that could easily eat her. Maybe that was Ymir's plan.

Zeke, where are you? she screamed silently.

Saskia whipped her head around to the scene before her –

And collapsed back to the earth.

So many bodies, young people, Annie's age – heads smashed and brains splattered under boulders, horses whimpering and struggling to rise on broken legs.

What? Only a Titan could have thrown those boulders – had Zeke really done this?

She had no illusions. She knew she'd married a ruthless, driven man. Even a cruel one. But a heartless slaughterer?

Saskia clamored forward, desperately scanning the faces of these children, of Annie's peers. She couldn't see the Colossal Titan above the distant Walls; did that mean Bertolt and Reiner were dead, too?

A man squirmed ahead, lying facedown on the grass with a dead horse atop his legs.

Oh. He's alive.

She wanted to help him. She shouldn't. But she wanted to.

With a gasp, Saskia tried to drag the man free by his arms, but he only had one. How many Titans had he faced?

The man gasped. Well, that was expected; she was surprised by her presence, too.

"It's no use…hel…help Levi," commanded the man. His voice may have been faint, but he still spoke with authority.

"You've lost too much blood to think clearly," Saskia argued, ripping his cloak and pressing it against a monstrous wound in his side. "What happened?"

There was no point in hiding where she'd come from. He was going to die, anyhow.

"You look like a ghost," murmured the man. "But, I don't remember you…"

"I'm not Survey Corp. I'm your enemy, or I'm supposed to be, but actually, I don't know what I am. Tell me what happened." Saskia shook him, but his eyes were growing dimmer by the second. She had to know, she had to write it down no matter what Zeke would say, and he was sure as hell going to tell her before he died.

"He's dead, isn't he?" sobbed a voice.

Saskia glared at the soldier standing, the only one standing – how had she missed him before? – among the bodies. "Not yet. Tell me what happened!"

"Survivors! There have to be more." The young man wiped his tousled, sandy hair from his eyes and began combing through the bodies.

Saskia sighed impatiently. She wanted information more than anything, and these people had to die anyhow – but there were so many of them, and they all had faces and lives and now they were extinguished and was it really necessary?

Zeke, Zeke, what if you are wrong?

What if he was right? And yet, she was still applying pressure to this man's side.

Below her, the man's eyes regained their focus. On her, specifically. Was he not dying?

His hand latched onto her wrist, now soaked with his blood. "You're not a soldier."

"We all are," Saskia replied bitterly. She just fought with books and memories he could never have.

"I can't find anyone else," gasped the standing soldier, stumbling back up to Saskia. "What do we do?"

She should kill him. Zeke would approve. She could kill someone at last. She'd always wondered how it felt.

"Keep looking! Put effort into it!"

Why was she saying this? Why did she care? She wasn't on their side.

"Who are you?" rasped the injured man.

Saskia watched the titans falling in the distance – Ymir and the man apparently called Levi had them down to two now. Levi, human though he was, seemed stronger than Ymir. Interesting.

"I'm your hostage," she decided.