When Gohan first began to wake up, he couldn't help but notice just how soft and comfortable his bed was. It reminded him of his home, his actual home, not the barracks of his basic training or even the Jaegers house when he'd first arrived. It was a premium quality mattress, no cheap stuffing of any kind or awkwardly stiff springs. It was nice.
What wasn't so nice was the immediate feeling of being watched as his senses naturally stretched out. Three were close enough as to be in the room with him at a guess, another two were a little further away, probably waiting outside the room maybe. Guards? That didn't make sense. He didn't recognise their Ki, but there shouldn't be any reason for there to be guards around him. Well, there was, his Ki usage…
Really he should have thought a little more about what the consequences would be before so blatantly showing off the power of Ki. Sure he'd shown it to his fellow cadets, but not in so spectacular a fashion. A side effect of growing up with Ki being so normal he supposed. Bulma had been the closest 'normal' person he'd known growing up, and even she was familiar with seeing Ki used in combat. Maybe if he'd gone to public instead of being home-schooled…
"Wow, it's bigger than I thought it would be." It was a womans' voice, one he didn't recognise.
"I know right? Couldn't tear my eyes away when I saw it." A mans this time. What were they talking about? If only he wasn't so tired, then he could actually open his eyes and see who it was that was talking about him.
"What do you think would happen if I touched it?" Light began to pierce into his eyes as he tried to open them, struggling against his own exhausted body.
"You can't touch something like that when someone's sleeping!" A third voice, this one tickled his mind as he felt a familiarity with it. He forced his eyes open as he raised an arm to block out the light, catching briefly the ceiling of an unfamiliar room.
"Oh, he's awake."
And then suddenly a face was in front of his. A brown haired woman with wide eyes that bore into his own, and a terrifyingly happy smile.
"Can I touch your tail?"
Gohan was silent at that, too stunned by the strangeness of the question, the strangeness of her as she leaned in closer, hot and heavy breaths hitting his face as he felt himself awkwardly leaning back into the mattress as best as he could.
"Hange get out of the kids face." A pair of hands grabbed the strange womans shoulders and gently but firmly pulled her back, and Gohan flicked his eyes over to notice the silver hair that belonged to the voice he recognised.
"Captain Rico?"
"Welcome back cadet, you knocked yourself out after that crazy stunt you pulled." Her voice was level, firm even, but there was the slight hint of a smile that mixed in with her questioning eyes.
"Hehe… well, I did say I'd give you something to believe in didn't I?" His chuckle was weak but got the job done as rolled her eyes with an amused expression, though he was sure he was still going to get an earful later from someone up top. He'd saved a lot of lives doing what he did, but disobeying orders in battle was going to bite him back one for sure. That was, if he lived long enough to face the consequences… A loud rumbling tore through the silence of the room, like the wailing of a wounded behemoth, and all eyes were firmly on him in worry.
"So hungry…"
"Alright then, let's sit you up and get you something to eat." He felt Rico's hands on him again and he was pulled upwards and turned so he was sat against the wall by his bed, and finally had a clear look around the room.
It was a nice room, almost too nice actually, looking more like an office rather than a hospital room or even a bedroom. Smaller cabinets and a wardrobe dotted the other side of the wall, looking bizarrely out of place as though they'd been brought in from elsewhere and simply pushed together with no regard for decoration. If he had to guess then it truly hadn't, a glance to his side showed him the door, but no people, meaning the other two Ki's he felt were outside the room and most likely were guards.
'Guards outside my room but giving me somewhere nice to rest up. No, making somewhere nice to rest up.'
He could still only hazard a guess as to their actual intentions, but he had a feeling he knew what was truly going on. That feeling had to wait however as a small table was placed in front of him and a metal cart was wheeled over. There was a white sheet over it but Gohan could already smell the delicious food underneath, and his mouth started to salivate at just the mere thought of it.
"There's nothing quite like a good meal to get your strength back, and word is you have quite the appetite." Rico pulled the sheet off with a flourish and revealed tray after tray of meals ready for him. Still sizzling meat covered in sauce, bowls of noodles with a different seasoning in every one, soups and stews and skewers awaited him as Rico moved them one by one onto the table in front of him, and there was even a tray of small cakes and cookies placed at the end.
"Well? Dig in."
Gohan had been attempting to be polite about it, and resist devouring every last scrap as soon as it was placed in front of him, but as soon as he had the slightest encouragement he broke and began to eat. He quickly began to rend meat from the bone of everything he could grab, switching between soft succulent pork, to slurping up bowls of noodles, then crunchy pastry wrapped beef, it was all so… so…
"Oh it's so gooooood." He moaned, having enough care not to speak with his mouth full as he celebrated. The others all watched in a mix of amazement and horror at the devastation.
"I heard that you eat a lot but I honestly didn't expect this much. Is that a side-effect of your tail?" Gohan paused mid-slurp, a bowl of soup still pressed to his lips as he looked over at the creepy woman who'd asked him. He put the bowl back down and wiped his mouth quickly before he answered.
"Uh, well sort of I suppose. It's related but I don't know if I'd say it's the cause, since my dad was way worse than me."
"Oh?" He saw a notepad and pencil appear in her hand without breaking eye contact, if anything she leaned closer. "And did your dad have a tail as well?"
"He was born with one, but he had it cut off when he was a little younger than I am now." He smiled as he thought about the size of the meals he and his dad used to eat together. "Even without his tail though, he still ate more than me. I'm not as bad as him since my mom wasn't born like him."
Mom. Dad. The memories couldn't help but sting. He still wondered what had happened to them since he'd last seen them. Were they looking for him? Had Cell returned again and finished off the Earth? Was his father still dead…? The reminder cast a dour mood on Gohan, and he hid his face with another bowl of soup. Taking extra care to slurp it all and give him a few extra moments to constrain his emotions and clear his face of any visible sadness.
"And your father now… I take it he has passed away?"
Gohan nodded wordlessly. The fact that it was his own fault was bellowing in his mind but he kept it to himself. That was his crime, and he would never forget it. "I filed a report to the military police with Grisha Jaeger a few years ago. The details should all be there."
He looked away, and Hange respectfully didn't ask him anything, instead turning a questioning look to Rico who helped fill her in. "Lieutenant Hannes was also present at the time, I can get a report from him as well if you so wish."
"That would be appreciated, thank you."
"Wait, Lieutenant Hannes? I thought he was a Captain?" The confused tone held no malice, yet Rico still found herself looking away guiltily.
"He was demoted due to several…actions he took during the battle of Trost." It was clear there was more to it, and Gohan wanted to ask for more details before she swiftly changed topic. "Anyway, I'm sure you're wondering just where exactly you are?"
"Oh uh, I am actually. This doesn't really look like a hospital, or any barracks I've ever seen."
Rico chuckled, happy that he hadn't resisted the change in topic. "You wouldn't have. We're in the Wall Rose Garrison divisional Headquarters. Only the top ranking officers in charge of districts in Wall Rose work here. Sometimes the even higher ups do as well, but mostly they're in Wall Sina at the Garrison Regimental Headquarters. This is the most important Garrison base in Sina, and the second most overall."
"Wow. I remember hearing a little about this place in basic but I never thought I'd actually be brought here. But uh, I guess the question is, why was I?" Rico shifted uncomfortably against the wall, no doubt working out the best way to explain things. So instead, it was the lone man in the room who spoke up, who had previously been sat waiting patiently on a chair.
"Word has spread pretty quickly of your… 'skills'. Your passing out was pretty dramatic but the doctors said you simply needed time to rest, even gave us a good idea of when you would be waking up. A very good idea actually since it seems we timed your meals right." He chuckled, and Gohan chuckled back, taking it as a prompt to help himself to another plate of food, this one layered with skewers of juicy pork, beef, and various kinds of vegetables as well.
"Since you were fine physically but looked worse than that, it was decided to keep you out of sight as we pulled you out of Trost lest people begin to needlessly worry." Feeling more relaxed, the man stood up and pulled his char closer to the table, grabbing himself a fresh red apple from the feast that still remained before him. "I don't believe we've actually been introduced yet, my name is Kai Maurer, I was part of Captain Ians' team in the field. I got a frontline seat to watch you in action, as did a bunch of others. There were several other teams that were going to be sent in during that last push to protect Jaeger, but as soon as you set to work they could all pull back. You saved a lot of lives that day, not only ours but those of your friends as well, a lot of the cadets from the 104th were part of those other teams."
The man gave him a respectful smile, before taking a hearty bite into the apple in his hands. If he'd been part of the Garrison elite, then no doubt he was used to better rations than most, but he had a feeling that he still wasn't eating as good as Gohan was right now. Something the man had said however sparked something in Gohans mind.
"What did happen after I passed out? With Eren I mean." Now it was the man's turn to look uncomfortable, this time turning his attention to the strange woman who had been taking notes about something or other the entire time he'd been eating.
"After all soldiers were pulled back from Trost, the Garrison cannons bombarded the Titans from the walls, and the scout regiment reinforcements finished off what was left. As for your friend Eren, he was taken to a secret holding cell underground to be questioned."
"Wait, what!?" The woman looked apologetic, but didn't change her posture at all.
"Eren Jaeger showed the ability to turn create and control a Titan body, that combined with his initial actions during the battle of Trost has some people concerned about him. But don't worry, Captain Levi and Commander Erwin are looking after him themselves!" With her exclamation she did move, standing up to spread her arms wide in encouragement. It didn't really help, as Gohan stared blankly back at her, unsure of just what that meant. "Oh that's right, you haven't actually met them have you? Well, my name is Hange Zoe and I'm one of the section commanders of the scouts, so you can take my word for it that they're trustworthy."
"You're with the scouts? Um, no offence but why are you in the Garrison headquarters?" His doubts about her only prompted her to smile as if she was suddenly hiding a secret and waiting for him to guess what.
"Why, I'm here to study you of course. As well as being a section commander, I'm something of a scientist too, and those powers you showed were like nothing we've ever seen before! In your case, that actually makes you less of a concern since it's so hard to believe. Someone turning into humanity's greatest enemy? Scary. Someone using magic to save other soldiers? Clearly you are the manifestation of the love of the walls. Did you know you have your own followers now?"
As she'd been talking she'd stood up and taken step after step closer to him, punctuating her final question by leaning right into his face once again, making Gohan lean further back into the wall behind him.
"I- what? Followers?"
"That's right. Full on worship and everything. People are saying you got your powers from the walls, so is it true? Do you actually have magic? Rumour has it you tried to teach it during basic, can other people learn it? How long have you had magic?" Her breath was steaming up her own glasses with her excitement.
"Um, no I didn't, it's Ki not magic, everyone can use Ki, and I started learning when I was about five."
She squealed, suddenly furiously writing in her notebook. Each stroke looked more like a slash as cackling laughter escaped her lips, the people around her leaning away no matter how far they already were from her. She bolted forwards, more questions ready to break free before the door suddenly opened and a man stepped in with a polite smile.
"Ah Cadet Son, it's good to see you up and eating."
"Commander Pixis sir." Gohan fumbled a salute into place, almost knocking over a plate of food in the process.
The man laughed good naturedly as he walked in, waving a hand to signal Kai and Rico to stand at ease. "You can continue your study later Miss Zoe, for now I wish to speak with the young cadet myself. If you wish, I have been informed that young Cadet Jaeger is awake."
He teased the final word and the womans eyes went wide with anticipation. Truly the only thing more exciting to her than possible magic, was Titan related magic, a point proven as she promptly darted out the room with a wild laugh, followed by a desperate beg to slow down from a man who ran after her.
"Hm. Now then Cadet Son, it truly is good to see you in fine health. You gave us quite the start."
That was…overly kind. True, the man had never struck Gohan as rude or any particular stickler for conduct, but this felt like he was being buttered up a suspicious amount.
"Uh, thank you sir. It's good to be in good health."
"Ha ha, right you are. But, as much as I am pleased to see you are well, I must confess that is not the reason why I came to visit you." He left the reason absent, but Gohan could already tell what it was. He held out a hand obligingly, and a small speck of light hovered above it.
"My powers sir."
"So it is true." He leaned in close to inspect it, the others sneaking subtle glances towards it as well. "I've read the reports and heard the rumours, but some things you have to truly see to believe." He leaned back and reached into his jacket pocket, a hand resting on his flask before he hesitated and decided against it. He probably wanted to be sober to hear Gohans explanation. "These powers, were they something you were born with?"
"Uh, no sir. Well actually, I suppose I was. You see this energy is called Ki, it's the body's own energy, everyone has it within them to use, it just takes special training to do so." He let the light disappear, relieved to feel his body wasn't too tired from it. It was only a simple demonstration, but after exhausting himself so much it was possible he could have still not been up to stuff.
"I see, and this Ki is what allows you to perform such abilities?"
"Yeah. There's lots of different ways it can be used, but in a basic sense the more Ki you have the better you are overall. You're faster, stronger, more durable uh-, do any of you have something sharp?"
It sounded like a ridiculous question to ask Garrison soldiers, given the gear they so frequently used, but as no-one present was geared up he was surprised when Rico pulled a small utility knife from her pocket. She passed it over and Gohan took it in one hand. Placing the blade in the palm of the other, he promptly gave it a squeeze with a fair amount of strength, waiting a few seconds before he relaxed again.
When he held it up, his hand was uncut and the knife had the slightest of bends to it. "Uh, sorry about that Captain Rico. I'll get you a new one."
"No need." Interjected Pixis, holding out a hand for Gohan to pass him the knife. When he did so, Pixis tapped his finger against the edge in wonder. "I'll have a replacement sent to you. Truly impressive, with powers such as yours we could truly halt the flow of Titans at any breach. And the other recorded abilities?" He passed the knife over his shoulder to Rico, who likewise inspected the knife, only with a much more obvious awe.
"The more Ki you have, the greater your physical abilities. But the more in tune with your Ki you are, the more you can do with it. The most obvious and simplest is the Ki blast, that was the beam of light I used on the final Titan. There're lots of different ways of performing it, and each way has different benefits, but the principle is the same. Then there are other more complicated techniques. The solar flare to blind. The afterimage to deceive. Ki sensing is probably the most useful, since you can never be ambushed."
"You can sense the life force of other people?" Pixis looked more intrigued than ever, a light appearing in his eye when Gohan nodded in affirmation.
"There are two people standing outside the door. Down the hall are another three, one separate from the others, I'm guessing they must be in another room. There's eight people downstairs all moving around busily…" Gohan stopped as he saw Pixis nodding along, not in reassurance to continue, but rather understanding and wanting to ask a question.
"Most impressive. Tell me, can this be used for sensing Titan energy as well?"
The other two were watching him far more intently than before, realising the possibility that lay before them. "I can. It's…different, it feels wrong somehow, almost like it's… dirty…"
"Even to their very core those creatures are rotten…" Muttered Kai, his eyes looking away and lost in thought.
"Incredible, truly incredible. Cadet Son, I must ask you to teach the rest of us these abilities. With Ki sensing we'll be able to track Titan movements from safety and prevent a breach before it begins. We can blind the Titans, outmanoeuvre them, survive their attacks, such powers would be invaluable to humanity." Pixis reached forwards, clasping his hands on Gohans shoulders. "Cadet Son, I would like to ask you to join the Garrison regiment as a teacher, and educate us on how to use Ki."
Silence followed as the half-Saiyan processed the request. It was an incredible opportunity to help, and he knew he could achieve great things by saying yes, but… "Sir, may I ask for some time to think on this? I don't mean to sound ungrateful but, this is a big decision to make."
The man's expression was unreadable as he remained quiet, his hands pulling back from his shoulders to rest on his lap. It was obvious that the man had been preparing to offer Gohan a position from the start. The fine meal, the cozy room, the compliments and familiar faces, but while Gohan appreciated all those things it didn't change the fact that Gohan couldn't be sure of how best to use his powers.
Should he help the scouts to push on? Aid the people most likely to lead the way to the recovery of Wall Maria? It sounded obvious in his head, no victory could be won through defence only. Yet, what if the wall was breached while the Scouts were on an expedition again? That had been exactly what had happened in Shiganshina, and just look at the damage that had been wrought from a successful defence, let alone what would happen if the Garrison weren't able to stop a breach? They'd only been able to thanks to Eren, and if they couldn't repeat that then an entire wall would be lost again, as well as thousands upon thousands of lives. Then there was the other, selfish factor, of just wanting to know where his friends were going so he could protect them as well.
To his credit, the commander didn't let his disappointment show too much. A slight frown appearing before he wiped it away with an understanding smile. "That's certainly acceptable Cadet Son. There is still a while to go until the other cadets choose their future, I see no reason to deny you the same time. Meanwhile, feel free to explore the countryside and rest. There are a great many facilities here that you may find yourself enjoying."
The man stood, Gohan and the others smartly snapping off a salute as he left without a further word. Shame reddened his cheeks as Gohan watched him go, the embarrassment at having to if not out rightly reject the man's offer, then at least put it on hold. When the silence that followed began to feel heavy, Gohan opened his mouth again.
"Captain Rico? Would it be possible for me to take a walk?"
She was taken off guard by the question briefly, pausing to think before she finally answered. "I don't see why not. Your jacket and headband are just in the wardrobe if you want them. Be back before dark and don't get lost obviously, don't need to be arranging a search party for the hero of Trost."
She joked the last line, but stood up and moved regardless, Kai likewise following. With a final goodbye they left him alone with his thoughts, until he stood up and collected his things, making a reassuring squeeze of his jacket pocket before leaving the room.
He didn't know how long he'd actually been walking for before he decided to stop. Leaving the garrison headquarters he'd essentially just picked a point and started to walk towards it, with no real destination in mind. Eventually he'd found himself walking towards some woods by a field. Not the giant trees of which he'd spent those years outside the walls, these were more familiar in size.
The wide open plains of grass, the mighty trees filled with creatures scurrying around amongst the leaves. He could sense them even if he couldn't see them, life was active all around him in all sizes of animals. It was truly peaceful. It was here that he finally sat down and took a deep breath, bracing for what he'd decided to do next.
Reaching in to his pocket, he pulled out the five envelopes that had been waiting for him inside. Each one was neatly adorned with a single, full name.
Michael Anton.
Hans Suhren.
Emilia Kottmann.
Annika Metternich.
Alexander Kahl.
These were the names of just five of the Vanguard whose personal will he'd been able to recover. So many more who had died violently that day, their bodies devoured and desecrated. But not their memories. Their families would live because of their sacrifice, their comrades would live as well. And for these five people, Gohan would remember them. He hadn't gotten the chance to truly know them, and their messages to their families were stored elsewhere.
These messages, these contained the final goodbyes to whoever it was that found them. Their final chance to be remembered and tell their story of who they were as people. There was no way Gohan would or even could deny them that, and so he picked up the first envelope, stained by splotches of blood in a way he recognised.
Emilia Kottmann.
The woman who had begged to be saved, and he had arrived too late to do it.
My name is Emilia Kottman.
If you're reading this then I must be dead. Either that, or you're totally snooping through my stuff, not cool buddy. It feels weird to write this though, since assuming I am dead, I kind of don't really know what to say here. Captain Lehmann told me to write this up by tonight, even though it's only my first day. First day! Don't get me wrong I'm excited and more than a little proud of myself to be here, but it's my first day and the guy is this intense? Geez.
I wonder how long it'll be until someone reads this? Hopefully never. Maybe I'll keep this for old me to read when I've retired, try for a little nostalgia trip or something… maybe this is Amelia reading this when I'm gone, or Leo reading it to her. I hope not. I hope if you find this Amelia then it's when you're older. I hope I gave you everything I could. Your dad and I may fight about this sometimes but I hope you understand that I didn't take this because of anything you ever did. You're little as I'm writing this, but I already know I'm going to be proud of you.
Will you be proud of me? I hope I can give you that. A mummy to be proud of. Ha, even writing that makes me feel old already. When did I start calling myself a mummy? Thought I was gonna be a cool mom when the doctor told me. I'll be that flying badass you can point to and make all your school friends jealous. But I suppose life changes things.
God look at me, rambling on to you as if you must be my daughter. Almost feel embarrassed already. Why should I be embarrassed, you're the one reading this. Could have stopped any time you wanted but nooo you want to read the new mom go all lovey dovey. But what else can I write here? Should I just tell you who I am?
I'm a mother of one, married for… well I guess I don't know how long it would have been by the time you see this. I like to run through the woods before the sunset, have a picnic as I watch it set. I used to climb trees and watch the sun set behind the wall when I was a kid. My dad used to give me a lift when I was really young, but he couldn't do it so much as he got older. When the plague came it got him pretty bad, he died quicker than most. I suppose that was peaceful at least. He looked peaceful when he passed.
I'll never forget that moment. Will that be how I go? Probably not, not after what happened to Shiganshina and wall Maria. Maybe I'll see dad after I'm dead though, who knows? Whatever happens, I want you to know that I don't regret joining the Vanguard. I know where it might lead, I know that Amelia might hate me for it, for dying and leaving her alone. But I can't stand by. Not when it might mean others might die. Not when it could mean my family.
I hope that when I do die, that it meant something. To whoever is reading this, please know that I died knowing what could be awaiting me, and that I accept that. I hope that it helped you in the end somehow.
Emilia Kottmann, 21st Vanguard Platoon, 83rd Cadet Corps.
A woman of hopes and dreams, who'd died willing to sacrifice it all for her family. Gohan let the tears begin to fall freely. He remembered her face, one of agony and desperation, but now he knew that she was more than those final moments. The rest of the vanguard had known who she truly was, as had her family.
And she wasn't the only parent who had made up the Vanguard. The elites had been made up of some of the best the Garrison had, and with that experience came age.
Alexander Kahl had been a twice married man. His first wife and he divorcing somewhat amicably, though he still dwelled and regretted the impact it must have had on his son. He'd had children again with his second wife, a boy and girl born as happy and healthy twins. He wrote continually about how he wished he could improve the relationship between his first son and his step-siblings, but it seemed that would never come to pass.
Hans Suhren had had children young with a childhood friend. Being one of the older soldiers in the Vanguard his children had already grown up and moved away from home. A daughter who'd moved to the interior as a painter, doing portraits for the wealthy and elite. Two sons who'd stayed in wall Rose, starting a logging company that had a small but loyal clientele. He'd been proud of his children, but content to see them go, ready to live out his twilight years with his sweetheart whom he still passionately loved.
Annika Metternich had been unmarried and as far as he could tell, happily single. She'd told stories of happily partying with friends into the late night, and doting on her niece. Her sister's daughter, born to a man that Annika had clearly mixed feelings on, but whom her sister seemed to love. Unlike the others she had continually updated her final goodbye, almost treating it as a diary as she recorded down each exciting thing that had happened. From first steps to a new drinking record, which had earned her a date set for the night of the attack.
Michael Anton, the captain who'd died in Gohans arms. He'd left his until last, reading a story of a quiet man who liked to read. He had a somewhat distant relationship with his parents through no fault of their own, he had simply grown up and moved apart from them. He had a girlfriend who he'd been together with for years, but had never married. The two of them finding a shared peace in the relaxed nature of their relationship, even having their own homes which they stayed over at regularly.
By the time he finished he'd had no more tears to cry. Only a sense of exhaustion, and one of comfort. In paper, with thoughts written in safety, they'd been happy people. He supposed that was enough to say that they had all lived good lives.
When the sound of rustling caught his ears he didn't make the effort to look up, listening as the footsteps drew closer and closer until a form sat down next to him.
"Hey Sasha."
"Hey Gohan."
The two of them enjoyed the relative quiet for a moment, silent but for the chirping of birds and wind blowing through tree tops.
"What brings you out here?" His curiosity got the better of him, and he was the first to interrupt the peace.
"After Trost was declared clear we were told to help with the clean-up. Then as a reward we were given the day to ourselves… Most people decided to go visit their families. Mikasa and Armin went to Mrs Jaeger, Jeans mom was one of those evacuated out of Trost." Her voice was soft, almost distant as she watched the field in front of them.
Gohan glanced over his shoulder, spotting the horse waiting patiently a short distance away. "Are you going to see your family too?"
"No. They're too far away to visit and go back in a day, and things are… I grew up in wilds like this. I think I just needed a reminder of home."
"I know what you mean." He watched a squirrel poke his head out from behind a tree branch, the furry critter watching them with idle curiosity. "I used to live with my family in somewhere like here. Out in wall Maria anyway…"
"…do you miss it?" There was an unspoken meaning there, one that Gohan understood immediately.
"I do." He missed his home. The hours he could spend fishing with his father, the mountains he could fly through with Iccarus, the simplicity of it all. His father had raised him to do right and protect people, since when had life become so complicated?
"I…I don't know if I do…"
His hand reached out instinctively, resting on her shoulder. "Do you want to talk about something?"
She paused, hesitating before shaking her head, her brown ponytail bouncing side to side. Her head was low, but she put her hand on his, keeping it there for comfort. "What brings you out here? Apparently you're a big hero now have you heard?"
He laughed and filled her in on what had happened to him. He paused before relenting and telling her about the offer Commander Pixis had made to him. She listened in silence, her hand on his eventually returning the comfort as he felt his struggles boil to the surface.
"I just…I don't know what to do Sasha. I-…I need to find a way to protect people, to keep people safe, but no matter what choice I make, it'll never be enough." He swallowed hard, and a lull in the conversation followed. For the first time since she sat down, Sasha turned and faced him.
"Gohan… cleaning up Trost, I had to look at the bodies of our fallen brethren. It was, horrifying. The pain on their faces, the smell… and that could have been me. You saved my life in the supply HQ from that Titan. If it hadn't been for you I would have been… dead. Like them." He made to interrupt her, to tell her that she needn't be grateful, he had just been doing what anyone else would have done, but she spoke before he could. "And it's not just me. There are so many others who you've saved already. Whatever you choose to do, you will be saving lives, I trust you… I owe you my life."
Their eyes locked, and Gohan sat absorbing her kind words. She trusted him, as did so many others. In a way, he knew that already, it was part of what was weighing on him. So what should he do? Sasha's words though…they give him something to think about. Perhaps that was why he didn't see Sasha lean closer until her lips were on his.
It was his first kiss, so he didn't know if it was supposed to be as mind boggling amazing as it was. The warmth, the sudden intimacy, the taste of…strawberry? And then it was gone. As quick as a lightning flash, and as shocking as one too.
Sasha leaned back, greeted by the stunned face of a bewildered Gohan. She couldn't help but giggle at the site, turning away to avoid breaking out into full laughter. It was only that which managed to snap monkey tailed boy back to the real world, who then had to look away as well with a blush. One hand scratching at the back of his head in embarrassment, the other touching his lips in disbelief.
"So… consider that a thank you."
"Eh, hehe, uh well I mean, s-sure, no problem. Anytime. I mean uh, I'll save you anytime, not that you have to thank me any time, not that you don't have to, you can thank me if you want to, that's fine, w-whatever it is that you want to do…"
He was babbling now, and it was all too much for Sasha who let out a full belly laugh at the site of it all. Humanity's possible new strongest soldier, awkwardly fumbling after a simple thank you kiss. The laugh helped him as well however, who felt his nervous body relax as she did, and soon enough the two were once again in a peaceful silence, if not quite as comfortable as before.
When a horse neigh sounded behind them, the two of them were somewhat thankful for the distraction. A man wearing a Garrison regiment outfit stopped only a short distance away, likely having noticed Sashas' own horse.
"Are you Cadet Gohan Son?" His tone was brusque, and immediately had Gohan on edge.
"I am. What's going on?"
"I need you to come with me back to Garrison headquarters, you're being requested to act as witness for the trial of Eren Jaeger."