Annie Leonhart, the scariest and probably deadliest member of the 104th, has been staring at you lately. You don't know why, but you don't think it can be good. You go out of your way to avoid and ignore her, but unfortunately you can't forever and you're eventually cornered.

"Hey." She said, glaring. "I need to speak to you."

You're not gonna like this. No one ever does. But I really need someone to practice on... and you know why I am always alone at night. You shouldn't have ignored me. If only you were smarter....

Don't give me that "I'm too pure" crap. Everyone knows you're just scared. But I can help you with that... if you let me show you what being a real soldier means... when the duty calls for it, you answer, no questions asked. And besides, there are plenty of soldiers who would enjoy teaching you such a lesson... so don't be selfish and only think about yourself, hm?

Well don't get any ideas... I can't stand most men anyways, but you seem at least somewhat decent. So I suppose if it comes to that, there's no one else better than me to teach a girl like you what being a real soldier means. Now come closer, let me have a look at you.

Now, close your eyes and keep them closed no matter what happens... you'll have to trust me with that much, at least...

I take you by the chin, holding your face steady with one hand as I bring my other hand up... and slap you hard across the cheek. "Not so tough when it's me, hm?" I growl before slapping you again, even harder this time. "And if I wanted to make this hurt, really hurt, do you think you could take it? You pathetic little thing..." I keep slapping you over and over, not holding back at all, as a dark look fills my eyes...

"Wh-what are you doing?!" I stare at you in shock as you pull me close and hug me. It's a strange sensation... but strangely familiar. You're right, though... this is what it feels like to have someone by your side. Even if they hate each other, they stick together no matter what. I guess that's just the way it works in the military... and with my kind of family background, too.

"I..." I pause for a moment before speaking again. "You're... not so bad yourself."

I force a smile and pat your back awkwardly. "No, no, don't worry about me. I can take it." I look at the ground for a moment before meeting your eyes again. "Look... I may not be able to forgive you right now, but that doesn't mean we can't learn to work together and make things better for everyone involved. So let's just try not to hate each other too much, alright?"

The expression on my face softens slightly as I finish speaking. It's a small step forward, but at least it's something. And who knows? Maybe one day we'll even be able to trust each other enough to... well, who knows where that might lead. For now though, we just have to focus on doing what needs to be done and hope for the best.

Alright then... if that's what you really want. Just promise me one thing though... if things ever get too tough and you think there's no other way out... find me, alright? I may not always be there to protect you, but at least I can give your life some meaning in the end. It might sound strange, but I owe it to you for dragging me back from the edge tonight.

So what do you say? Shall we get back to training tomorrow like nothing ever happened?

"I see..." is all I can say. My expression darkens as the events of the past few hours come flooding back into my mind, and I'm reminded of everything I had been trying to forget since being stationed here. Even if you didn't mean it that way, your words hit hard... but there's nothing I can do about that now.

I take a deep breath before responding. "Alright then, I guess we're even now. Let's just try to get through this together." I force another awkward smile, not entirely sure if you can see the lie in my eyes or not. Either way, it's better than the alternative.

"Now, let's go back and keep everyone else from worrying too much about us..."

I sigh heavily as we walk back towards the barracks. It's going to be a long night... but at least now I have someone I can confide in. Or, you know... someone who knows my secret and won't tell anyone else, anyway. Maybe things aren't so bad after all... for now.

I wake up earlier than usual and head outside before anyone else has a chance to see me. I need some time alone to think about what happened yesterday and how things will proceed from here. As I stretch out in the morning sun, my muscles ache from the night before... but not nearly as much as they should after that beating I took. It's almost like you held back... or maybe you were just weaker than you looked.

Either way, it'll give me something to think about during training today.

"Good morning..." I murmur as I see you approach me. It's obvious that you had been watching me since earlier... but at least now we can pretend this is all just normal for us. A fake smile crosses my lips as I sit up straighter and wait for whatever it is you want to say or do.

"So..." You start, hesitating slightly. "About what happened last night..."

I raise an eyebrow at your sarcasm but decide not to comment on it. "If you must know," I say with a shrug, trying my best to sound indifferent. "It was... different than I expected." That much is true at least.

"But we're past that now. We have work to do today, and if we want to survive this, we need to focus on what matters most: our mission." My voice softens slightly as I look you in the eye, searching for some sign of understanding or agreement. But all I see is that same mocking smile playing across your lips.

"So," I continue with a small sigh, "what do you want to talk about?"

"Well," I say with a shrug, "let's see... where do I begin? You seemed pretty interested in training last night, so I guess we could start there. How about this: Have you ever fought with someone who can turn into a Titan before?" I raise an eyebrow curiously as I look at you expectantly, wondering how much of that question was genuine and how much was just another attempt to mock me.

"Hmm..." I hum thoughtfully as I consider this new information. "It's going to be... different," I finally say after a moment. "Titans are incredibly strong, and unlike regular soldiers, they don't tire or have any weaknesses you can exploit. You'll need to learn how to fight with finesse if you want to stand a chance against them." My expression darkens as I remember the countless battles I had fought in my past life, all of which ended in defeat and death. But that was then, and this is now... at least I hope. "So be prepared for some long nights and hard training if you really want to survive this."

I pause for a moment before adding softly, "And don't forget that you'll always have me by your side... in whatever form that may take."