These chapters are just alternative perspectives on Eren and the Reaper. Purely optional save for the second one.
Let me know what you think.
If you want to see more or them or not.
One week before the goblins appeared:
10:30 PM:
Within Kaname high school, a small group of teenagers sat. The lights of phones, dimly lighting the faces of five individuals.
"Fuck... Mr. Hearts' a badass." Sora muttered. A young teenager, of short stature and a boyish face, with bleached blonde hair, massaging his sore shoulders. Training had left its mark on the boys. Sore arms, sore legs, and even more so, a sore ego.
"Oi... Shut it, we don't wanna attract attention." Yuri snapped. He was the shortest of the group, but also one of the strongest. A spiky black-haired head, with a face of a troublemaker.
"What. You scared of the dark?" Said Dai. His duck tail his most identifiable feature. To which he combed regularly.
"No..." Yuri's voice went soft, but, a slight tremble of fear betrayed the façade.
"Just what's in it?" Renji asked, with hair that more resembled a curly mop than the head of a boy.
"Whoooo. The Reaper is gonna get ya." Dai mocked his smaller counterpart. A toothy grin, like an amused hyena.
"Shut up..." Yuri tried to hide it, but even the idea of the Reaper; a man of monster and mystery. The idea of this creature stalking the streets, a demon that wielded indiscriminate justice was terrifying.
Was he next?
"I've seen him..." Toshiro said, a boy built like an ox. The biggest and often the most steadfast of the group. With a buzzcut and a stone-cold expression.
"What... No way." Sora said, the others leaning forward. What was this monster that stalked the streets of ward 4 like a demon of vengeance and justice.
"Yeah... I was walking from the train station. Coming home late from a bandits training session." The boys leaned in closer. Their hearts racing, eyes going wide and their breathing intensifying.
"Then I saw it. Two Azure eyes in the darkness." Toshiro continued.
The others were silent. Not a word was uttered.
"I was frozen in fear. Then the reaper emerged, dressed in black, and wearing a white mask. Like a ghost. He walked right up to me. I was frozen, everything was telling me to run or fight. But I just… Couldn't move."
"What happened? Is the Reaper a monster?" Sora asked. A ghost story was a thrill for any teenager, they weren't any different.
One said the Reaper was 'The' grim reaper, a literal embodiment of death that stalked the streets of ward 4. Others say the Reaper was a demon, a creature that was brought into the world from the other side of the gates.
"He looked down at me... Then left." Toshiro replied.
The group were shocked. They all heard about the retribution on their former masters. But, to meet a man of such terrifying power, and then be spared. Toshiro felt he used all his luck for that encounter.
"Enough. I'm tired and I wanna get some sleep." Yuri yawned, laying down and turning to face the wall. This room had been the boy's accommodation for some time. No family to support them. No roof to claim as their own. Just a small, dingy classroom.
"What do you think of the new teacher?" Sora asked, the topic of the night seemed to be to keep each other from sleeping. It wasn't like they had anywhere else to be.
"He's... Strict. But, better than Mr. Hattori..." Renji replied with a yawn.
"At least he doesn't treat us like dogs." Dai spoke up.
"At least he doesn't beat us for being late." Toshiro replied, a faint smile crossing their lips.
"Shut up..." Yuri tried to interrupt.
"He doesn't smile though. Would it kill the man to crack a grin?" Renji added, trying to get comfortable on a wooden floor.
"Yeah... Mr. Heart needs to lighten up a little. Besides, I bet it would scare the life out of you if Mr. Heart smiled. He'd probably suck the soul out with a grin." Dai teased. It was a good point, with such a sour demeanour, it would be a terrifying thing to see such a serious man grin. "Mr. Heart is pretty badass though."
"I said shut up!" Yuri groaned. His irritation looked to be of them speaking whilst he tried to sleep.
He didn't want another Hattori. He didn't want to be hurt by another adult, betrayed by another authority figure.
The boys shut up. Slowly letting the silence settle in. They would fall asleep in their own time, in a room that had long been their only safe space.
*Creak* *Step* *Step*
The sound of footsteps, the door creaking open. Then a bright light filled the darkness. A figure loomed over them. A shadow of a man was all they could see.
"You idiots." A piercing tone, the gruff voice of a stern teacher.
"Mr. Heart!" They all jumped up.
His grumpy demeanour cast into a sharp silhouette by the bright light of his phone. A small frown on the chiselled features, and a brow that furrowed as sharply as an arrow in flight.
"We... um. We..." Dai tried to speak, but words failed. Mr. Heart looked down on them all. Like a silent mountain. Yet there was something in the expression that softened. There was something about the boys laying on the cold wooden floor.
"Dai. What have I been teaching you these past weeks?"
"Um... To fight?"
"No."
"To ask for... help when needed?" Sora asked.
"Yes." A sharp tone, one that made the boys flinch. "Grab all your belongings." Eren left the room, sleepy boys followed behind.
"Mr. Heart. W-where are we going?"
"Somewhere warm and with beds."
A winters night is not one to be stuck outside, and neither a classroom. A chilly breeze cuts through the streets of Tokyo, the moon hangs high in the sky. It was a clear night, but a cold one.
Eventually they came upon the tower that was the Silvermane guilds HQ.
Entering the barracks section; not a single light was on. Eren led the boys to an array of doors.
Inside; a modest but cozy bed with a warm duvet and a soft mattress. A small desk, closet to keep their clothes, and a little fridge stocked with food and water. Even an A/C and heater. More than the boys had in a long time, it was a welcome change to sleeping in a cold room on a hard floor.
"Renji. Your room is 3B. Sora is 7C. Yuri, 3C. Dai 6B. Toshiro, 5A. Don't cause trouble. Now go to bed."
"Wait... That's it? No conditions or anything else?" Dai was the first to speak up.
"Yes, now go to bed." The boys looked at each other, the man was a strange one. Surely there were ulterior motives?
Eventually, they all went to their beds. Each one sinking into a mattress that was soft as a cloud. A roof over their heads that was warm and welcoming. No cold howling of a winters breeze. It was perfect. It was a home for now.
"Why?" Yuri the last to part to his own room. A question that held a weight that would be an anchor to the mind.
"No one should suffer through a cold night. Especially when you have a guild to support you."
"But-"
"If I have to repeat it. You will run extra laps tomorrow."
"Goodnight... sir."
"Goodnight, Yuri. Rest well."
The boys were safe. But, tomorrow would be a new day for a new life. One that they could call home.