Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin or any SnK characters portrayed in this fic.

A/N: My sincerest apologies for the long hiatus, work and life caught up to me . . . Here is the latest update! This is an AU, deviating from canon after the last episode of the anime. I am, however, aware of incidents in the manga thus far, so will be taking precautions to not give anything away. Spoilers for this fic include: everything up to episode 25 of the anime, including the identity of the female titan.

DEATH STRAIT

Chapter 6: The Crossing

The search for new materials was hasty and rather clumsy, Sasha yelping more than once when she stubbed her toe on the stray edge of a crate. Armin soon found a vat of oil and hastily filled a few small canisters with a supply that would easily fit in the bottom of the boat. The viscous liquid was thick and smelt musty, but he tested its flamability and it seemed to catch alight just fine, if a trifle slowly. Jean, Connie and Sasha piled the materials they had collected on the canvas beside the boat, careful with the few tools they had managed to scrounge.

Standing back, hands on hips, Jean uttered a short sigh of satisfaction.

"This looks like all we'll need for now. Let's turn her over."

He and Connie grasped the edges of the boat, grunting with effort as their fingers purchased hold and tipped it as slowly as their strength would allow while Sasha and Armin applied leverage from behind, steadying the groaning vessel as it landed with a soft, muffled thud at an angle. Armin raised his lantern, carefully inspecting the interior.

"Looks sound enough." He brushed away a layer of dust and grime that had settled on the inner surface, blowing on his fingers. "Sasha, hold your lantern up on the other side. If they're any holes or cracks, they should show up in the dark."

She complied and Connie joined him in searching out any imperfections. Finding none, they stood back and examined what needed to be done.

Connie whistled. "Now that's good workmanship."

"Yeah." Jean tossed him a few planks. "Let's just reinforce the sides and the bench. Be careful with that hammer."

Sasha proved surprisingly adept at woodcraft and they eventually stood back and watched, Armin with admiration and Connie and Jean with a slight touch of jealousy. She grinned when the modifications were made, dragging her sleeve across her forehead.

"That should do it."

Armin nodded. "I guess we're ready to test her lake-worthiness."

They looked at each other, then. Now that the labour was over, the action that had put off the necessity of thinking too much about their predicament, a small shadow fell over their spirits. Sasha hefted the hammer in her hand, while Connie's smile looked more like a grimace. Armin glanced at the floor, then at the boat, concern clear in his open gaze. Jean 'tsked' loudly, striding over to the vessel.

"Come on. I don't know about you lot, but I'm kind of sick of being stuck down here."

"Yeah." Sasha smiled softly. "The sun would be welcome."

Connie grunted, snapping out of his stupor. "Really? Do we have to? I was starting to feel safe down here."

"Oi. Boat. Now."

"Yes, Captain."

"I like the sound of that."

Connie found a few small, sturdy rollers in a barrel and they lifted the boat onto it with a well-timed heave. Armin steadied the front, occasionally calling out instructions and adding a new roller.

There was an almighty creaking and groaning as the wooden vessel teetered on the edge of the ledge before overbalancing, the young recruits leaping back as it slipped forward and hit the water. The prow bobbed and scraped against the ledge while Connie fastened the rope extending from the breasthook to one of the small metal columns nailed into the side of the ledge and tugged slightly to make sure it would hold fast. Satisfied, he nodded to the others.

Jean gestured to their small pile of supplies. "Let's load her up."

Each wore their own pack in case of an emergency while the oil cans, rope, spare lanterns and other equipment were coiled and stacked carefully on the floorboards in the stern. Armin had managed to find oars and these Sasha inspected with great attention before deeming them worthy.

Connie cleared his throat. "So . . . which way?"

Armin pointed out, along the left wall of the cavern. "We do a circuit. Find all exits, if there're more than one, and decide on which to take. I doubt whichever route we follow will lead us back the way we came, but at least we'll find a way back to the surface."

Jean nodded. "Makes sense. Let's eat before we go. Don't know when . . . "

He trailed off, but each of them finished the thought in his or her mind. There would be no telling where this subterranean waterway would take them, or when they would get an opportunity to rest and gather their strength once more. Armin handed around the rations and they munched quietly and mechanically, Sasha, surprisingly, not asking for more than the meagre share she had been given.

When they were done, Jean stood, leading the way over to the boat and taking a short leap in. He held out his arms as Sasha followed, grabbing hold momentarily to steady herself. Armin came last, hands gripping the gunwale firmly as the boat bobbed and swayed under their combined weight. They stayed as motionless as possible for a moment, all eyes on the bottom boards, tension rife in the air as they watched for any leaks or loose fittings. When nothing materialised, Connie breathed out heavily, hands unclenching from the sides of the boat.

"She'll take us."

Armin nodded, a small relieved grin breaking out across his face.

"Get into positions, everyone."

Jean and Sasha took the oars while Connie awkwardly maneuvered over them, holding the lantern steady in the prow. Armin remained where he was, eyes drinking in the cave walls looming ahead with steady determination. Starting slowly at first, they moved over the water, Jean and Sasha reaching an unspoken tandem in their strokes, keeping the pace at such a speed that they could inspect the cave wall thoroughly. The lantern in Connie's grasp cast dancing, golden warmth on the glistening walls, the shadows of their small group cast in monstrous relief where they were magnified. Every now and again, Armin would call a halt as he stood unsteadily and raised his own lantern to give more light to a dark alcove or niche that could house a potential exit point. The fourth time this occurred, he remained standing, eyes straining in the gloom.

"I think . . . I think that might be it."

"What?"

Jean motioned to Sasha and she hastily complied, drawing them in closer to the place Armin indicated. Sure enough, hidden slightly between two pointed rocks that jutted from the sleek, rippling lake surface like the teeth of a large beast, was the yawning emptiness of a tunnel. Connie uttered a low whoop, but Jean hissed at him to be quiet.

"Shut up, moron. We don't know what's down there."

Connie turned rather pale, leaning back from the front of the boat. "Oh. Right. What about the light? Should we turn the lanterns out for now?"

"No." Armin shook his head. "We need to get close enough to see something, maybe a marker that might tell us if we're going the right way."

"If you say so."

With a soft splash, the two rowers' oars re-entered the water and drew them closer, the faint light cast by the lantern spilling over into the dark mouth of the tunnel.

Mounted along with the rest of the patrol, Eren urged his horse on slightly ahead of the others, eyes trained on the forest. Afternoon was turning the large, rustling leaves russet and gold, the growing breeze stirring the branches in patterns that made him tense in the saddle every now and then. The animal beneath him, as if sensing his uneasiness, snorted and tossed its head, forcing him to tighten his grip on the reins.

He shot a glance over to the outermost line of trees, where the second group had taken up position that morning. Levi had returned to them and remained there since his conversation with Hange. Eren wondered what the Corporal's thoughts on this strange, almost ominous lack of titan activity were. According to Hange's analysis, titans were instinctually drawn to any large gathering of humans, following some kind of macabre sonar that let them know exactly where their prey could be encountered. This, thus far, had been one of their longest expeditions outside the walls, and they would be remaining here until some sign of the missing recruits could be found. And yet . . . Eren frowned in consternation. Apart from the chance encounter with the titans last night, there had been no further sightings.

Suddenly recalling something from that morning, he slowed his pace to match that of Diederik and turned slightly in the saddle. The Captain nodded to him, eyes still trained on the forest.

"What is it, Jaeger?"

"Captain, this morning when we set out, you said something about a pack of titans not far from here."

The bearded man nodded, meeting Eren's gaze. "So you noticed?"

"Uh . . . yes, sir. There haven't been any sightings, even after the warning you gave."

"That's correct. Which leads to the conclusion that something drew them away from here. And so, we remain in the clear, for now."

"Something drew them away . . . " Eren turned very pale, head slowly turning to the north. "Can it be that . . . the whole pack of them? They went after Armin and the rest?"

"It's possible. Even likely." Diederik's eyes were grim and heavy. "We may need to cut the search short, given the small chance of their escape."

Biting his lip to stay the torrent of bitterness and fury that threatened to spill from him, Eren dropped his gaze sharply to the saddle before him. There was silence for a while as Diederik wisely left him to his thoughts. After a time, the boy spoke again, almost hesitantly.

"But we're the larger group, aren't we?"

He looked up at Diederik who was watching him impassively.

"If we're the larger group, how come they went after just four people? Especially if it was a pack of titans, like you said, Captain?"

He received a shrug in response, but noted that the older man's brow was furrowed slightly. "There's no accounting for their behaviour, you know that, Jaeger. If they were a pack of abnormals, there can be no reasoning as to what they do and why. Although . . . it is strange, I admit. It won't do any good to speculate further, you know. When we're given word, we will search for them. But remember, soldier, beyond a certain point, there's not much we can do. Don't go and do something you might regret."

With a steady, meaningful look in his direction, the Captain picked up the pace to a light canter and moved past him. Eren glanced back to where the others were still grouped around the symbols. Mikasa was far away enough that he couldn't see her expression, but her red scarf was distinctive. She had just risen from her knees and was standing, looking in his direction. Biting his lip, Eren turned away and rode on.

"There it is."

Connie's voice was a hushed whisper, more out of reverence than the urge to remain quiet. Pointing, he leaned out as far as the boat would allow, indicating the white arrow painted onto the cave wall beside the opening.

Sasha breathed out in soft wonder. "This is the way out."

Armin was quiet, considering. Jean turned back to him. "It sure looks that way. But don't you think we should do a circuit of the other side of the cave first?"

"No!" Connie hissed. "Why waste time? Here's the way out, plain as day! What more could we want?"

Armin shook his head regretfully. "I'm afraid Jean's right. Once we enter, there's a good chance we won't be able to return to this point. At least this way, we'll know for sure if there's an alternative route out of here if we double back on the surface."

Despite the impatience clear in Connie and Sasha's protests, they turned the boat and eased it along the right wall of the cavern. Halfway back to the ledge, Armin called a halt.

"Stop. Let's go back to the exit."

"You sure?"

Sasha moaned. "Of course he is. Aren't you, Armin? This is a terrible waste of precious time!"

The blonde boy smiled. "Not a waste, no. It's just that from here, I can see the rest of the cave wall, all the way to the end. There's no other exit."

"Oh, I see." Chastened, Sasha bent her back to the oar again, Jean rolling his eyes at her.

They soon found themselves back at the exit, a nervous tightening creeping into their chests once again. Jean took a breath, briefly pausing to slip off his jacket and roll up his sleeves to make movement easier. His oar dipped briefly underwater, ripples passing in smooth echoes when he lifted it.

"All right, here goes. Someone re-fill the lantern. Connie, you take Sasha'a place at the oars. Sasha, I want you up front, where you can call out anything you see. You see something, don't hesitate. Understand, potato girl?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Armin, you stay where you are in the rear. I need you there as look out. You'll take my place rowing in a while."

"Of course."

With a small, sideways glance at Connie, the brown-haired boy nodded and they slipped forward, keeping a measured pace. The darkness of the aperture in the cave wall swallowed them, the small lantern at the front flickering fitfully in Sasha'a hand. The girl herself was crouched, hands gripping the gunwale, eyes trained ahead fixedly. Armin looked back as their light receded from the cavern behind them, the gleaming arcs that danced across the stalactites slowly dying to faint embers.

Looking around at the small space they were in, he deduced that they were in some kind of tunnel, one of the many that wormholed their way through this rock formation. Dipping his hand briefly into the water, his suspicion was confirmed when he rubbed his fingers vigorously together, feeling the slightly gritty residue of dissolved limestone cake. The darkness on all sides of their small, brightly burning lantern helped to focus his thoughts as he brought to mind their path thus far, trying to gain some degree of understanding of the direction in which they were heading.

The niche in the mountainside where they had taken shelter intially had been directly north of the camp. Taking into account the size of the underground cavern and the current direction of the waterway they were following, they were now heading approximately north west, even further away from the camp with no way of looping back while they were underground.

Worrying at his lower lip, Armin reached into his pack and drew out a small case which he always carried with him. It contained pens, pencils and some coloured chalks. The carrying of this case and a miniature leather bound book with blank pages on expeditions was a habit for him. It had always been a particular dream of his to start a journal on things he would experience outside the walls, complete with diagrams, descriptions and his own voice speaking of wonders through the pages.

After their first expedition, however, he had nearly thrown the book away. Alone, in their sleeping quarters, he had flung it at a wall, hands clasped tightly in his hair, gripping and tugging at the roots with a despair he would let none of his companions see. Despite his will to stay discrete, however, Eren had walked in. His friend had said nothing and Armin had stood, smiling in desperation to reassure him that everything was all right. Eren stared right at him, into him, those green eyes shadowed, yet brighter than ever. For a moment, Armin had imagined the dead crowded behind him, the Levi squad, brave, fierce and kind, his comrades. Still silent, Eren had walked over to the book, picked it up and gently dusted off the cover, depositing it back into his shaking hands. His words were soft.

"Armin. They sacrificed everything for our dreams. So will we. Don't let go."

And he hadn't. His fingers brushed over the faded leather of his trusty journal, still empty, and he gave a small, sad smile. Opening the case of writing materials, he produced a stick of white chalk, dragging it along a wall they passed and hastily sketching out a small arrow. Wherever this dark river took them, in whatever situation they eventually found themselves, they would never give up their lives and dreams so easily.