Intrigue

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Spark's P.O.V

Kaiden had won the fight. Mikasa lost. I shared a quick look of disbelief with Rachel as we departed from the cheering crowd surrounding Mikasa and Kaiden.

"Could he be an enemy?" I asked Rachel as soon as we were out of earshot.

"I'm unsure. All I am aware of are his abilities as a fighter– he is incredibly skilled in fighting Titans, as well as hand-to-hand." Rachel glanced back over her shoulder. "Though I see he doesn't like the blades used for the 3D Maneuvering Gear."

Taking her example, I turned and saw Kaiden shaking his head at another new Corps member. He almost seemed... disgusted? by the flat blade, and I wondered for a moment if perhaps he had some other weapon in mind for combat. Shaking my head, I turned back to Rachel.

"In any case, we must remain vigilant. If the boy beat Mikasa, he stands a chance against Levi in combat as well." Rachel nodded, agreeing with me as we made our way to the roof, sitting and staring out across the city. "So, I hear Pastor Nicholas knows about the Titans in the wall."

   "Oh, yes– apparently other people involved in that line of work have the same knowledge."  Rachel replied absently, glancing over to our right to see Kaiden surrounded by other new recruits.  I followed her gaze to see that, again, Kaiden was blushing and I could tell that he felt uncomfortable in such a large crowd.  After a while of compatible silence, we descended the roof and met up with Armin and Eren.

   "Where did Levi and Erwin go?"  I asked, suddenly realizing that I hadn't seen them since the last meeting.

   "They went back to the capital."  Armin shook his head.  "Ever since Annie was contained, they've been struggling for custody over Eren.  The Survey Corps are winning the battle, and have no intention of handing him over to the Military Police."

   "We don't know how long they'll be gone– sometimes their visits have lasted for a week." Eren spoke up.

   "Hey, where are Sasha and the others?"  Rachel suddenly asked.

   "Well, she, Connie, and some of the others were transported to a small base in Wall Sina, close to Wall Rose."  Armin replied, and I nodded in understanding.

   "Bertoldt and Reiner have been missing since shortly after I was imprisoned, correct?"  I asked, and Eren visibly winced at the mention of their names as Armin nodded.

"Indeed. We hope that they don't plan another attack on the wall– we don't have the resources to defend the city at the moment." I nodded, understating his point. Eren still seemed a bit uncomfortable with the subject, and was relieved when Rachel abruptly changed the topic.

"So Eren, I am aware of your newly developed control over your Titan form. However, I don't believe Spark has gotten the chance to see you in action." I smirked.

"Think you can beat me in a sparring match?" I asked, to which Eren chuckled.

"Bring it on."

~~~~

Hoping to avoid attracting a large crowd, Eren, Rachel, Armin, and I snuck into the woods a far distance from the Survey Corps headquarters. Armin had alerted the soldiers to not be frightened by the loud crash and bright flash of light that would occur when Eren and I transformed.

Smiling lightly as I rotated my limbs as the Guardian, I glanced over at Eren, who seemed to be excited for a match against someone he knew as a Titan. At least this way, there won't be any casualties when one of us loses.  I was well aware of Eren's increased strength and durability– and though I was confident in my own abilities, I knew I would have to remain on guard when fighting the older teen.

The first minute of the fight consisted of Eren and I trading light blows and jabs– but soon enough, Eren got impatient. His attacks became more powerful and frequent, and surprise pooled in my gut as I was pushed backwards with every blow. Time to step it up, Spark.  Inhaling deeply, I ensured my injuries were healed before beginning my counter-attack.

Flashing back to all of my previous fights with other Titans, I sent a series of lightening-fast punches and kicks at Eren, whose reflexes were too unpracticed to keep up. Ending my attack with a sweeping move that knocked Eren off his feet, I huffed in laughter as the teen groaned.

"Better luck next time, Eren." Now back in our human forms, I glanced over at Armin as Eren glared at the blond.

"Thanks for the support, Armin!" Rachel and I exchanged a glance as we chuckled, and I spoke to Eren after regaining my composure.

"You are certainly more skilled than the last time I saw you fight." I admitted, smiling at him. "Before long, I believe we will be evenly matched with the proper training." Eren's eyes lit up for a second before he cleared his throat.

"Yeah, yeah. I knew that." Rolling her eyes, Rachel chuckled before turning back the way they had come.

"We should return to base before dark. Well done, Eren." Smiling, I watched as the three strode away together, and walked forward to join them.

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