The first day of training was brief. It was mostly the commander screaming orders, and destroying peoples confidence. He did such a great job, considering that a quarter of the trainees quit immediately after.

Mikasa stood outside of the girls cabin, watching the wagon bring a group of failures back to the Trost district. The sun was setting on the valley, and she surveyed her surroundings.

She had never been this far away from her parents before, and she truly missed them.

They made her promise them that she would frequently send letters, even when she wasn't in the mood. She giggled at their desperate remarks and promised that she would write.

She softly smiled at the memory, and watched the sun fully set behind a hill.

"Wow... It's so pretty!" Mikasa heard a girl chirp. She looked over to see a short blonde girl standing next to a taller brunette. The brunette nodded at the blonde's remark, before yawning. "How can you pay attention to the sunset when there's food to be eaten? C'mon Christa." The brunette said, walking away. The blonde girl giggled and chased after her.

Mikasa realized she didn't know anyone here, not that she expected too. She just thought it might be nice to have small talk with someone during meals and breaks. She shrugged it off and made her way to the cafeteria.

...

She ate her soup quietly at an empty table, it couldn't compare to the delicious soup her mom used to make.

There was lively chatter echoing throughout the room, and everyone seemed to be familiar with one another. She paid close attention to people's expressions, trying to interpret what their personalities were like.

The blonde girl from earlier had kind eyes, and gentle movements. Mikasa assumed that she was friendly, but could be easily taken advantage of. Her friend seemed to be the opposite. The brunette had poor posture and table manners, and she had more boyish features. Mikasa assumed that she didnt care what other people thought, and she probably had a sense of humor.

Mikasa's attention was brought to two boys arguing at the table next to her.

"What did you say to me!?" a boy with ash brown hair shouted while standing from his seat.

"I said YOU'RE A COWARD!" a boy with coffee brown hair barked back, standing from his seat as well.

There was a blonde boy sitting at the table with them, and he simply rolled his eyes and stood up. The blonde boy walked away from the fight that was about to erupt, and towards Mikasa's table.

He stopped in front of Mikasa's table and awkwardly chuckled, "Can I sit here?"

Mikasa nodded, and scooted over. "Thanks." he beamed, sitting down beside her.

"I'm Armin by the way."

She gave him a soft smile, "Im Mikasa. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to-" but before he could finish his sentence, a loud bang interrupted him. Armin jerked his head around to see the two boys at each other throats, muttering empty threats.

Armin let out an exaggerated sigh, and turned his attention back to Mikasa. "Sorry about them..." he muttered, truly embarrassed by his friends' outbursts.

Mikasa shook her head, "It's not bothering me, are they your friends?" she asked.

Armin looked back at the fight and shook his head, "The one with darker hair is. Eren." Armin explained, pointing to the boy with the coffee brown hair. Mikasa watched the scene, studying their movements. It was obvious to her that neither of them had any experience in fighting, their form was horrible.

"What about the tall one?" she asked Armin.

"I just met him today. His name is... Jean I think?" Armin answered.

He turned his attention back to Mikasa once again, "And you? Who do you know here?" he asked.

"No one... You're the first person I've talked to." she answered honestly.

Armin smiled, "Well... Now you know me!" he chimed. She smiled back at him, "I guess so."

"Well. If they didn't scare you away, do you want to be friends?" he asked.

Mikasa's eyes widened, as she studied the genuine smile painted across this boy's face. He had sapphire eyes, and his blonde bangs hung in front of them. He had a great smile, which meant he had an optimistic personality.

Mikasa never had a friend before... She never had the time or reason to. But she had to admit, the thought of a friend always intrigued her.

She gave him a nod, "Sure, that sounds nice." Her voice was soft, yet her tone was stern. Armin thought it was pleasant, and he looked forward to future conversations with her.

"The commander is gonna be back any minute..." someone muttered. Armin looked back at Jean and Eren, who were still viciously arguing, and sighed.

"I need to get Eren out of here before he gets in trouble..." he glanced at her, "Wanna come?"

Mikasa hesitated, but realized she had nothing better to do. She nodded, and followed Armin to Eren's table.

"I'm gonna kill-" "Eren." Armin snapped at him.

Eren jerked his head back to Armin, an indescribable rage building in his eyes. It gave Mikasa instant chills, but she couldn't look away.

"Bye Jean, we'll be off." Armin said, taking Eren's arm. Eren didn't put up much of a fight, but he still showed Armin attitude.

Jean glared at the back of Eren's head, but his thoughts were immediately altered as he watched Mikasa pass him. Jean was flustered at first, but collected himself before she left the cafeteria.

"Hey!" Jean called out, catching not only Mikasa's attention, but Eren and Armin's as well. Jean dismissed them, and walked towards Mikasa. "You just... You have really beautiful black hair." he stammered.

She tilted her head in confusion, but took the compliment anyway. "Thank you." she said with a small smile. He stared at her speechless, confused on what a gorgeous girl was doing in the survey corps.

She assumed the conversation was over due to his silence, so she turned around and followed Armin out the door. Armin raised an eyebrow at her, but she simply shrugged.

"I thought you didn't know Jean?" Armin said. "I don't." she answered. Eren scoffed, and they both turned their attention to the angry boy walking with them.

"I'm not surprised. Scum like him tend to bother any girl they can find." he grumbled.

"He's not that bad Eren, you just to pick a fight with him." Armin answered.

Eren glared at Armin, "And I would've if you didn't interfere." he sneered.

"No you wouldn't have." Mikasa stated honestly.

Eren's glare fixated on Mikasa, and his brows furrowed. "How would you know? And who even are you?" he asked harshly.

"This is Mikasa-" "You're form is awful. So was his, but he had a height advantage." she explained.

Armin and Eren gazed at her in shock, but Eren's eyes soon returned to a glare.

"Alright then, Mikasa. You wanna fight?" he hissed.

Armin waved his hands and shook his head, "No!"

"It wouldn't be fair." she answered plainly.

Eren chuckled, "At least you're aware-" "I'd win"

Eren scowled at her, and sucked his teeth.

"I'd like to see you try." "If you insist." "Ok enough!" Armin shouted, separating the two.

"Armin, why would you actually befriend this idiot!" Eren exclaimed, before storming off to the boys cabin. Armin shook his head, and brought his gaze back to Mikasa. "I'm sorry." he muttered. He was obviously embarrassed, so she wasn't going to tell him how much of a brat she thought Eren was.

"It's not your fault." she assured him. "See you tomorrow?" he asked, as if he was unsure she still wanted to be friends. She gave him a reassuring smile and nodded.

He took off after Eren, and she could tell he was lecturing him when he caught up. She chuckled at the sight, What an odd friendship. She wondered how a well collected and intelligent boy befriended such a delinquent.

'I'll have to ask sometime.' She thought, as she strolled back to her cabin.