"NO! PLEASE, I DON'T WANT TO DIE! P-PETRAAAA!"
Petra covered her ears as a blood-curdling scream pierced the air and then was interrupted by loud, sickening crunch. She bit back a sob as she imagined Axel's legs limply hanging from the grinning maws of the male Titan just a little ways behind her. Petra felt tears spill out of her eyes, and she girt her teeth, trying to make them stop falling.
Breathe, Petra, she thought to herself, bringing her hands down and pinching the back of her hand. One… Two… Three…
Petra's hand flew to her mouth as a sickening sense of nausea washed over her. She pressed her back against the wall behind her and took in deep, heavy breaths.
… Four… Five… Six…
She couldn't make it to ten. Petra leaned to her right, turned her head to the side, and proceeded to empty whatever food remained in her stomach. Her bright orange hair dangled in front of her, catching a few droplets of whatever came out of Petra's mouth.
The young girl wretched for a short while, wiped her mouth, then grabbed the edges of her forest-green cloak and buried herself in the silky fabric.
Petra didn't want to make a lot of noise. The Titans would know of her whereabouts if she did anything too drastic. She knew she would need to go out and face the music eventually. She knew she'd need to see Axel's blood splattered across the ground.
Axel's tousled blonde hair and bright brown eyes sent her mind reeling once more. He had called her name just before he…
Petra hugged her knees. She should have been there. She should have been there. She imagined her blades slicing through the nape of the Titan's neck just before Axel reached its mouth. She imagined him running to her and hugging her. She imagined the two of them continuing their mission. She imagined reuniting with the rest of the Scout Regiment.
Petra really hated her imagination sometimes. She cried softly into her knees.
When she had finally calmed down, when she had reminded herself for the billionth time that she needed to keep moving, that Axel would want her to keep going, and that she needed to rendezvous with her squad again, Petra turned and glanced out the window beside her.
Outside, she saw the enormous feet of what was undoubtedly a Titan. From the size of the feet and ankles, Petra mentally estimated it to be a five-to-seven meter class Titan. She glanced around, seeing blood all across the ground as well as what appeared to be whatever remained of 3D-Manuever gear. Petra immediately turned away.
She was not going to go that way.
Glancing around the house where she had been hiding for a while, she noticed a door in the back of the house. A tiny window was built into the top-center of the dark, shiny wood. Rising from her sitting position into a squat, Petra timidly began to move towards the back door. When she reached the door, she rose to her feet and peered out through the messy glass.
The area seemed pretty clear.
Taking a deep breath, Petra pulled the door open and slowly stepped out into the light. She looked to the sky. The sun was setting, setting the sky to be purple-orange in color with tiny dots of starlight beginning to peek into the world.
Petra listened carefully, looked around carefully, and finally began to steadily jog down the rows and rows of abandoned houses that lay just outside of Wall Rose.
Petra had accompanied the Scout Regiment, a branch of the military dedicated to discovering more about the Titans by venturing outside of the walls, on a mission to clear a path outside of Rose and farther into Wall Maria, towards the gaping hole in the wall that was allowing the Titans to flood into mankind's former territory.
Part of the mission was not only to clear away the Titans in Maria and work towards the hole in the wall, but also to hone the abilities of the newer recruits. Petra had had combat experience, but she had only faced off a couple of Titans—with help of course—and had only been on one other Scout Regiment mission. She wished she skipped today's mission. It had caused the separation from Petra's division as well as the death of her partner.
Petra bit back a bout of tears and began to jog faster. She had been thrown from her horse during an encounter with a seven-meter class Titan—she and Axel had been separated from their squad and were trying to stealthily move further towards the back of the formation, where they had been told that the left-flank squads would meet if they were to be separated.
As she quietly moved through the rows and rows of old houses, Petra's delicate hands slithered across the gas tanks attached to her 3D-manuever gear. She was pretty sure her tanks were near-full, but she really couldn't tell. She estimated that she should have enough to fight a Titan or two and make her way towards the first squad she saw.
Petra's train of thought was interrupted by a sudden bout of dizziness and nausea washing over her.
Before she could stop herself, Petra was against one of the walls of a house and throwing up. Her stomach contents had little else inside of them due to her last bout of vomiting, so for a while the rookie of the Scout Regiment wretched and cough her heart out.
When she was finished, she wondered if her last vomiting fit was from the surprise of Axel's sickening death or something else.
She was still a bit dizzy when she began to turn away. She was still dizzy when she met the eyes of the five-meter class that she and Axel had met only a few minutes before.
The girl stopped in her tracks, gazing up at the Titan in pure fear. Its face gazed down on her like she was a fresh piece of meat and it was a rabid animal. Blood—Axel's blood—stained its lips and teeth. It was smiling at her, its bangs falling down in matted locks all along its face.
Petra's shaking hands quickly found the 3D-manuever handles, and she quickly swung them down to her sides. She felt the blades by her side click into place, and she quickly whipped the swords out and smashed her fingers into the buttons just as the Titan began reaching for her. Iron wire shot out of the large boxes at Petra's side and stuck a small tower atop one of the houses. Petra was pulled out of her place moments before the Titan's hand smashed down into the ground where she stood moments before.
Petra shifted her weight as she catapulted through the air and hit the buttons on one of the swords again, this time detaching herself from the tower and sending a grapple hook into the Titan's neck.
These things are too slow, Petra thought. The iron wire began to quickly pull the girl towards the Titan's nape. With a loud battle cry, Petra pulled her blades back and—just before she collided with the Titan's neck, swung the swords in a swift motion.
Blood spattered across Petra's face and cloak. The blood felt hot—too hot to be human blood. Her feet gently touched the Titan's neck, and she noticed that her cut had been deep enough. She felt the creature began to fall forward, and with a press of a button she began flying through the air at a high speed once more. She saw Titans off in the distance—lots of them—and she reminded herself that she needed to find any member of the Scout Regiment as quickly as she could.
Petra felt the wind whistle past her ears, carrying with it the sad lullabies of her fallen comrades. She was no idiot; she knew that many of the members of the Scout Regiment had fallen today. Not just Axel. Many others. The faces of Axel and the leader of their squad flashed across the girl's mind and she gnawed on the inside of her cheek. There would be time to mourn; but now was not that time.
Petra narrowly swung past the ground and up into the air. Glancing to her right, she noticed a bright green signal flare far off in the distance.
Commander Erwin's squad must be in that direction.
Petra's heart leapt in her chest with joy. Surely the Commander would know what to do! Night was closing in; he would have to call all the troops back to the wall soon.
The girl shot one of her grapple hooks at one of the rooftops a little ways off and began flying through the air towards the green smoke. She had survived her second Scout Regiment mission. A grin spread across her face. Perhaps the rest of her squad was there! Maybe the squad leader had gotten away from the Titan that had separated them. Perhaps they even learned something special about the Titans! Petra sent a grappling hook into a bell tower and flew higher into the air. Or maybe-
Petra stopped midair just as a fifteen-meter class Titan grabbed onto the iron wire that was supposed to be returning to Petra's side. She had no time to react.
The Titan pulled hard on the wire, pulling Petra along towards it. Petra let out a scream, her eyes not leaving the wire clinging to the bell tower. Before Petra reached the Titan, however, she felt resistance on her hip and noticed that the wire leading to the bell tower had reached its limit.
Petra thanked whatever god was above and craned her neck to look at the Titan. It was very round and silly-looking; almost like a plump child. Short, tousled black hair was atop its head. It grinned wildly just like many of the other Titans.
It, however, continued to pull on the wire in its hand.
Let go of the wire so it can pull me to the tower. Please let go of the wire. Please, please, please…
The opposite of what Petra wanted happened.
SNAP!
The wire that led to the bell tower suddenly snapped in half, something iron wire was not supposed to do. Petra began flying towards the Titan. Swinging her blades behind her shoulders, Petra turned towards the Titan and, just as she whizzed past its cheek, sliced her blades across his face.
She did not, however, get much farther than that in her plan. One of the things Petra did not consider was landing.
Before she could brace herself, Petra slammed hard into the a shingled roof of some abandoned house. Her right side met the hard materials first, and she bounced across the roof painfully until she came to a sliding stop near the very top. Petra didn't even notice the stabbing pain in her forehead, her leg, and her side until she had stopped moving.
The golden-haired girl let out a groan of agony, tenderly opening her eyes to the world once more.
Dizziness had hit her again.
Petra began to push herself up using one hand, but before she could get very far something pulled hard at her side and she was yanked from the roof and into the air. Before she knew it, Petra was hanging upside-down, gazing into the salivated jaws of the fifteen-meter class Titan.
She felt tired, oh so tired… Petra's eyelids began to flutter. She was dizzy, and as she stared into the Titan's jaws, the world began to sway a little.
So this is how it ends? Petra sighed and shut her eyes. I don't want to die.
Suddenly, Petra heard a noise. Almost like a slicing noise. In fact, it was a slicing noise. She opened her eyes again, and suddenly felt the pull on her side release. Air began to rush past her face as she fell, but she was no longer falling towards the Titan's maw. The Titan was leaning forward for some reason.
Before she could wonder why, Petra felt something wrap around her waist and before she knew it she was flying through the air again, her head hanging limply towards the ground. Someone was carrying her, she could tell that much.
The pair of legs attached to whoever was carrying her finally touched down on another shingled rooftop, landing so smoothly that Petra was quite jealous. Her eyelids suddenly felt heavy, and she released a sigh as she shut her eyes again.
"You recruits are morons, you know," a deep voice suddenly said.
Petra knew that voice. A hand suddenly found her shoulder and she was lifted from the hip of her rescuer and set into a sitting position on the rooftop.
"You aren't dead, are you?"
Petra tiredly opened her eyes. Two dark irises stared into her golden ones. She knew those eyes. She recognized the short black bangs that fell across the face and suddenly realization hit her like a hammer.
Petra's eyes shot open.
"C-Captain Levi!" the girl cried, straightening up in her place, ignoring the pain shooting up her side. The Captain stared at her coldly.
"D-Did you rescue me, sir?" Petra asked timidly. Crap, that sounded really damsel-in-distress-ish. Petra mentally kicked herself.
Levi didn't seem to care at all.
"I didn't seem to have a choice," the Captain replied in his usual deadpan tone. "Where's your squad? You're assigned to the 3rd left flank, right?"
Petra drew in a sharp breath. Tears suddenly filled her eyes and her heart dropped down into her stomach. She and Axel had broken away as their squad leader had been lifted towards the jaws of a Titan. The other four members had broken off in different directions. Axel was dead.
Petra stared down at the shingles in the roof. They were red; like a maroon color. Sort of like blood.
"The… The 3rd left flank squad was separated, Captain," Petra murmured. "S-Squad Leader Dierk Leonhard, a-and Axel Konrad…" Petra grit her teeth. "Th… They graciously performed their duties. Until the very end."
The Captain was silent for a moment.
"And the other members?" he asked.
"Their whereabouts are unknown to me… I saw a green flare in the distance and was headed for that."
"Which direction was it in?"
Petra thought for a moment. "The south, I think."
Levi was silent another moment, then heaved a sigh.
"I can tell you right now that wasn't the Commander's flare," Levi responded. "The Commander's squad is farther out there last time I checked." Levi pointed a slender finger towards the area behind him. "At least, that's where they're supposed to be."
Petra blinked. "T-Then who…?"
"I assume it was a rookie who got his flares mixed up," Levi growled. "It's happened before, and if you saw it then most likely the whole system is in ruins." Levi sighed. "The message was probably relayed by other soldiers." Levi rose to his feet and stared down at Petra. "I surely hope you at least know your flare colors."
Petra couldn't take her eyes off of him. She had rarely spoken to the Captain before; and during all of her encounters with him, Levi had been mysterious and almost emotionless. He was a little taller than she, with a very small build and petite features. Yet, Captain Levi was one of the strongest soldiers in the entire Regiment, revered and feared by all soldiers.
Petra had always found Levi to be very intriguing, like a riddle she just couldn't figure out. She didn't really trust Levi; there had been rumors that he used to be a wanted serial killer before joining the military. Some even said he once decapitated a kitten and used the head as a good-luck charm. Petra didn't really believe the stories… Still, she was hesitant to place her life in the Captain's hands. He was crafty, and she didn't know what hands he would play should he ever need to.
But Levi intrigued Petra.
"You're bleeding," Levi stated nonchalantly.
Petra looked down and noticed the frightening amount of blood pulsing from her thigh to her knee down, as well as a large splotch of blood staining her blouse where from her ribs to her stomach.
Petra gasped. Her fall across the roof must have done more damage than she thought.
"Can you stand?" Levi asked again.
"I-I think so," Petra stammered. Leaving forward onto her arms, she planted her feet onto the roof and began to rise to her feet.
Pain shot up her leg and side.
Petra cried out and fell down onto her knees. The pain was searing, burning. It was almost unbearable. Petra had never felt a pain this painful.
"Tsk… This won't do," Levi deadpanned. "Cover your ears."
"W… Why do I need to-" Petra began.
"That's an order."
Petra widened her eyes, but did as she was told. When her hands were over her ears, Levi pulled back his cloak, popped open a box strapped to his side, assembled something Petra did not see, and raised one arm into the air.
With a loud BANG a flare shot into the darkening sky, leaving a long trail of purple behind it.
"I can't guarantee anyone saw that," Levi said after a moment. "It's getting dark, and it is rather hard to see a purple flare at night."
Petra connected the dots in her mind. Each signal flare color had a meaning. When a flare was red, that meant a Titan had been sighted. When a flare was green, that meant that the direction of the charge was being changed. When a flare was purple, an emergency of some kind had taken place.
"I have a wounded recruit who's unable to use her 3D gear," Levi sighed. "I didn't expect this to happen."
Petra blinked. "Sir, how did you know I couldn't-"
"I saw the chord snap." Levi squatted down in front of Petra. "How much gas do you have left?"
Petra glanced down at the gas tanks attacked to her gear. "I… I don't know."
"You don't know?" Levi asked. He sounded slightly annoyed. "When was the last time you refilled your tank?"
Petra began to blush. "Yesterday afternoon."
"And how many times have you used it since?"
"W-Well… I was thrown from my horse, so I used it to get away from a Titan… I used it to fight a Titan… and I was using it a lot when I was going towards the green flare… So…"
"How fast were you going?"
"… Pretty fast."
Levi's hand suddenly grabbed the sword that was in Petra's hand. His fingertips brushed across her knuckles, and on instinct Petra pulled her hand away. Levi gave her a cold stare and then turned his attention back to her sword.
The Captain hit one of the buttons on the handle. A puff of gas reluctantly came out of the gear, and then another, and then another.
"You have some, but you certainly won't last long," Levi sighed. "You need to conserve your gas."
"Y-Yes, sir."
Levi turned his gaze off towards the distance.
"My own gas is low," Levi deadpanned. "I was going to borrow yours and just carry you back, but I don't think we have enough to make it too far… Besides, I don't know the exact whereabouts of the Commander's squad."
Petra furrowed her brow. "But you said-"
"I said that he was there last time I checked," Levi interrupted. "That was towards the beginning of this mission. He has only sent off two green flares since then, all in different directions from the one you saw. And I've been pretty far off from all of them." Levi rose to his feet. "Even if I did know, we wouldn't have enough gas to get there." Levi reached one hand down towards Petra, offering to help her to her feet.
Petra hesitated, but eventually took his hand. Pulling herself to her feet, she grimaced at the pain that shot up her side and her knees threatened to buckled beneath her.
Levi's hand grabbed Petra's shoulder, steadying her. Petra's face felt hot as bundles of red gathered on her cheeks. His hand was cold and he had grabbed her shoulder roughly. His thumb glided over her jacket for a moment before he pulled his hand away nonchalantly.
"Th-Thanks," Petra mumbled.
"We need to get someplace safe for the night," Levi said. "Someplace on the ground or below; where we won't be killed."
"Sir," Petra inquired, "Titans are less active during the night. Why don't we hide out in a house until dark and use what's left of the gas to-"
"Do you have a lantern?" Levi interrupted. His gray eyes studied her with a sort of bored curiosity in them. Was it curiosity? Was it boredom? Petra couldn't quite read Levi. She couldn't really read anyone. People were not open books, like Petra preferred them to be. Perhaps that's why she was hesitant to put her faith in Levi.
Or anyone for that matter.
"Uh, n-no, sir," Petra finally responded. "Most of my supplies was tied onto my horse."
"Nor do I." Levi turned his back to Petra and stared down at the ground below. "It would be very hard to see around here after dark. Some of the Titans may be less active. But that doesn't mean that they all are going to be asleep. And it's worse when we can't see what might lie ahead of us."
Petra blinked. She hadn't thought of that at all.
"Come on," Levi ordered, stepping back and staring at Petra. "We need to get on the ground."
"Oh, sir, I don't know if I-" Petra couldn't even finish her sentence. With a speed that Petra doubted was even possible for a human being, Levi's arm was around her waist and was holding her to his hip again. Petra felt her heart racing and her face turn red with surprise.
She didn't like it, but at the same time enjoyed the tightness of his arm around her that provided security.
"C-Captain! I-" Petra still couldn't finish. Levi leapt from the roof with Petra held tightly in his iron grip. Petra felt her stomach drop as the solid rooftop left her sight and the stone ground grew closer and closer. The nausea from before flooded her stomach.
Levi landed on his feet. However, he had made a hard landing. Petra's head snapped back painfully when they landed.
"We'll find a house on the ground as quickly as we can," Levi said, releasing his grip on Petra and pretty much dropping her onto the ground again. Petra squeaked in surprise as she fell onto the ground painfully.
"We should stay near the area. If someone saw the flare then they'll be headed this way," Levi continued.
Petra rose to her knees, an angry expression on her face.
"Captain Levi! You need to warn me when-"
Petra really could not get a sentence in at all today. Terrible, terrible nausea hit her hard at that moment.
No, no, no, not in front of the Captain, not in front of the Captain…
Oh, yes in front of the Captain.
Petra puked right on the stone ground. Right in front of Levi.
Levi stepped back in surprise. Petra could feel his eyes boring into her neck. She felt dizzy. Her head really hurt. Everything hurt.
Petra leaned down on her arms and pressed her cheek to the cold stone next to the mess she made. She hadn't realized how hot she was until she felt the coolness of the rock spread across her cheek. Petra released a sigh of bliss between her heavy breaths. It felt really good.
"Petra."
Petra looked up towards Levi, remembering that he was there. She pushed herself back up onto her knees and wiped her mouth with her sleeve.
"I-I'm sorry, sir," Petra murmured.
"Are you afraid of heights?" Levi asked.
Petra shook her head. "I think it's the shock of today that got me," she replied.
Levi didn't look convinced.
"Are you alright?" the Captain deadpanned.
"Mhmm… I think… Just give me a second." Petra coughed twice, trying to get the caustic feeling out of her throat.
"We don't have a second." Levi knelt down in front of Petra again. "Can you stand on your own again?"
Petra drew in another breath. "I-I think so-"
"Get on my back."
There was a silence.
Petra had gotten a lot of vibes from Levi. She'd also heard many things about him. Not all were true, she understood, but she picked up a lot of things about Levi. She knew he was no-nonsense, that he was emotionless and cold, and if he wanted to he would kill you in a heartbeat.
Captain Levi was certainly not the type who gave piggyback rides.
"S-Sir!" Petra gasped. "I-I can stand on my own! There's no need to-"
"Then stand on your own." Levi rose to his feet. "I don't have all day."
What exactly do you need to do today?! Petra bit her tongue and pressed her bloody hands down into the ground, trying to bring her knees to her chest.
Pain, worse than before, shot up Petra's leg and chest. Searing. Burning. Unbearable.
Petra let out a shriek of pain. Her hands flew to the affected areas, tears piled up in her eyes. She was able to get up before. How come she was unable to now?! She looked down once at her leg and was surprised at the amount of blood flowing from it.
Petra took in several deep breaths and pinched her hand again. She just needed to breathe. Breathe, and everything would be okay.
One… Two… Three… Four…
Levi stared down at her with the same emotionless expression. Petra dug her nails down harder into her hand.
Five… Six… Seven…
Levi stepped forward.
Eight… Nine…
Petra's world suddenly turned black.
"RAL!"
Petra jumped at the sound of her surname, biting her lip as the drill sergeant stormed in front of her and stared at her with dark, sunken eyes. She pulled her fist to her chest in a nervous salute.
"Y-Yes, sir?" Petra murmured.
"What was that?!" the sergeant demanded. "Your teamwork back there was laughable! Had there been real Titans you would have killed your teammates!"
Petra glanced down the line of people in her training squad. They all watched her get chewed out by the sergeant. Those jerks. Either they were all with her or against her, and she couldn't tell who was who just by a glance.
Petra wished people were like open books.
"What do you have to say for yourself, Ral?!" The sergeant demanded.
Petra tightened her fist. "I… I… um…"
"Well?!"
"I-I just have trouble working on a team, sir," Petra mumbled.
"Well, fix it, princess! You need to have more faith in your squad! Without a team, you'll be Titan food!"
Petra stared at the ground as the sergeant's footsteps faded away. Petra had trouble putting her faith in others. There was nothing depressing in her past about it; nothing at all. She played well on teams during games when she was little, and she once worked with her friend to make a really nice-looking paper doll chain.
But Petra was hesitant to put her life in the hands of strangers.
Axel's scream entered Petra's mind.
Petra's eyes shot open, and she gasped in shock as she awoke from the prison of her own mind. Her cheek was pressed against something soft and silky. It was dark. She was moving for some reason, even though she was pretty sure she wasn't walking.
"Good, you're awake."
Petra took in a deep breath. The soft thing against her cheek smelled sweet. Like honey. Yes, exactly like honey. Petra took another deep whiff and smiled, her tiredness wrapping her in its embrace again. She shut her eyes and pressed her cheek further into the honey-scented softness.
"It's looked down upon to sniff other people's hair, you know."
Petra furrowed her brow and opened her eyes. Rolling her head to the side, she was met with a pair of small, dark eyes.
Realization came down on her again.
"C-C-Captain!" Petra snapped out of her reverie, snapping her head back and trying to grasp the situation.
"Calm down," Levi said. "You don't want to attract another Titan, do you?"
"C-Captain, I said I cou-" Wait. "Another Titan?"
"Your scream back there attracted a five-meter class," Levi responded. "I took care of it, but we had to get out of the area. We'll shoot another purple flare when it gets lighter out."
Petra felt guilt pull at her stomach.
"I… I am sorry, sir."
"We never know what's going to happen. It's best that you let go of the things you can't help."
"Yes, sir." Petra looked down and noticed that Levi's arms were wrapped around her knees, that her arms were slung over Levi's shoulders, and that he was leaning forward ever so slightly.
"Captain Levi," Petra went on. "Did you… Did you carry me?"
"What did you think I did? Left you to die?" Levi sighed. "You're really light, you know. I may be smaller but I'm not weak."
"T-That's not what I meant, sir! You're the strongest soldier in the regiment! I-I just meant... I mean, I guess I was just surprised that- well, I mean-"
"Do you trust me?"
Petra was taken aback.
"I… I'm sorry?"
"Do you trust me?" Levi looked back at her with his usual cold stare. But there was something more to the look he gave her. It was odd. Petra couldn't quite put her finger on it.
"I… Of course I trust you." Lies.
Levi grunted and turned his head back to the road ahead of him.
"We'll stake out in that house over there. It's almost nighttime."
Petra wasn't even listening. She wanted to trust Levi. But she had doubt. Such a man who had such power and authority should be trustworthy. But Petra was hesitant to set aside her doubt. Levi could not face a defeat in battle, that was for sure.
But the qualms in Petra's heart held her back.
The door to one of the abandoned houses creaked as Levi swung it open. It was dark inside. Petra couldn't see very well at all. Only the light of twilight streaming through the windows gave the pair some sort of visual of their surroundings.
Levi stepped inside and, using his foot, closed the door again. Petra studied what could be seen of the abandoned household. They appeared to be in a kitchen; a table with old, molded food and spotted silverware on top of it sat in the center of the room. It was surrounded by old, wooden chairs. Papers were scattered across a counter farther back in the room. A staircase led to a hallway a little ways upstairs.
It was almost like the residents had just taken a long vacation. Not that they were evacuated to the inner walls. Or devoured.
Levi walked over to one of the walls and slid Petra gently off of his back. Petra's rump hit the floor lightly, though it did send shivers of pain up her side.
"I put pressure on your leg," Levi stated, "but I never bandaged anything."
Sweeping his cloak aside, Levi opened up another box strapped to his side and took out a roll of white bandages.
"S-Sir, I can do it on my own," Petra argued.
Levi regarded her with that same odd look from before. But he did not respond.
He knelt down beside Petra and unrolled strips of the tape, bandaging Petra's thigh. He took one look at her chest and side area, and Petra assumed he graciously decided to leave that area up to Petra.
Levi's hands moved to Petra's head, which she didn't even realize was wounded. She remembered hitting it hard when she landed on the roof, but not much else.
"Did you kill any?"
Petra blinked. "I'm sorry, sir?"
Levi cut the bandage and tucked it into place.
"Did you kill any Titans while you were out there?"
Petra looked down towards the ground.
"Axel and I killed one when we were separated from our squad and I…" Petra hesitated. "… I killed the one that ate him."
"How many kills is that?" Levi asked. "Five?"
"Five single kills, thirty-five assisted." Petra blushed as she said it.
Levi didn't respond to this.
The Captain rose to his feet and tossed the bandage roll beside Petra.
"I'll explore the upper floor. You stay here. Don't do anything stupid."
Petra nodded. "Yes, sir."
Levi turned and began to walk towards the staircase, when suddenly he stopped.
"Having faith in someone doesn't necessarily mean not having any doubts in that person."
Petra stared at Levi, confusion in her expression.
"Captain, what do you-"
Levi disappeared as he walked up the staircase.
Petra waited for his footfalls to fade away before she unclipped her cloak from her neck and slowly began unbuttoning her blouse.
Levi was certainly strange, Petra concluded. He was an enigma all on his own. Petra scolded herself. She desperately wanted to know more about him; to figure out Levi's puzzle. Petra couldn't understand why; her encounters with him had been few, but despite her hesitance to trust the Captain, she realized that he had always fascinated her.
The way he walked, how he conveyed little to no emotion in his voice and facial expressions… As much as Petra wanted to read Levi like a book, she sort of enjoyed his mysterious nature. He was graceful, almost majestic even. He was small and lithe; yet somehow he was able to retain a great amount of strength and agility.
Petra mentally kicked herself as she buttoned her blouse over the newly-bound bandages around her chest and side. She shouldn't even think of Levi in any way aside from looking up to his authority. Superiors certainly didn't mingle much with new recruits.
Though, Petra was in one of the top ten graduates of her training squad. She had made number four, and even in the Scout Regiment she had been told that her skills were exceptional. Perhaps she wasn't so below Levi as she thought.
No, you are not going down that road, Petra.
Petra was pulling her jacket over her shoulders when the dizziness returned. Everything seemed fine at first, then suddenly the room began to sway and Petra felt sick again.
Even sitting down, Petra found it hard to get herself oriented again. Her stomach twisted in painful knots and her brain pulsed with a painful lightheadedness that made her feel like the room was about to turn over onto its side.
Something lurched up her esophagus and Petra's hand flew to her mouth. She swallowed hard twice. She didn't throw up but the acidic feeling in her throat was there.
"Petra."
Petra jerked around to find Levi standing there in his forest-green cloak. He was eyeing her again with his same expression. Yet, something was different about his eyes. Some emotion in them Petra couldn't put her finger on again.
"Petra," Levi repeated. "When was the last time you checked your temperature?"
He asked a lot of questions.
Petra, still lightheaded, leaned back against the wall and sighed.
"The last time I got sick," Petra responded.
"And when was that?"
Petra thought for a moment. "A year ago, I think."
Petra suddenly felt something soft and cold press against her hot forehead. Levi suddenly brought his face close into hers.
Petra felt her face heat up a little, and her eyes widened a little, but for some reason she didn't really react. Perhaps it was the pulsing in her head confusing her, but she didn't show too much of a reaction to Levi's nose almost touching hers.
"You have a fever," Levi stated. "That was a little stupid of you to go on the mission when you were ill, Petra."
"… I'm sorry, sir." Petra felt guilty for troubling Levi. She should have stayed back and rested. She knew that this morning she was running a slight fever, but did she care? No, she wanted to go on the mission.
And because she did, Axel was dead. Axel was no one in particular; he was someone Petra knew in her Training Squad. He joined the Scout Regiment with her and not many others from their squad. When they had been separated from the group…
Petra didn't realize that she was crying until she noticed Levi was still kneeling beside her, watching her intently with that same emotionless expression. His hand was still pressed to her forehead, but Petra didn't care.
"I… Axel's dead because of me," Petra whispered, her voice shaking. "H-He wanted me to help him take down one Titan when we were surrounded by two… I told him that was a stupid idea, and that we should just each take out one. For some stupid reason he agreed. I didn't do it because it was more efficient, though…" Petra wiped her eyes. "I did it because… because I didn't want to trust him with my life. I didn't want to work together with him… And when I had brought down one I turned around and he was hanging from his grapple-wire in that thing's hand." Petra began to sob harder. "I-I could have saved him! H-He called my name… hic… he called my name j-j-just before he died… hic… I saw him there, i-i-in the hands of the Titan and…" Petra inhaled deeply. "… I ran. I hid in one of the houses… hic… A-Axel's dead b-because I… I couldn't… hic… I couldn't trust him…"
Levi watched her sob her heart out for a while. Petra's heart felt like it was shattered to pieces. She wanted the world to eat her up and never let her out again.
She wanted to die. She wished that she hadn't joined the Scout Regiment. She wished that she was home, with her father.
God, did she wish. And Levi saw just how much she wished.
"Go to sleep, Petra."
Petra felt Levi's hand leave her forehead.
"W-Wha…?" Petra sniffled.
Levi unclipped his cloak and, in one swift motion, pulled it from his back and in front of him. Carefully, he laid the cloak on Petra's body as if it were a blanket.
"Your forehead is burning," Levi deadpanned. "You need to rest. The beds upstairs are filthy. We're better off down here."
Petra blinked. "S-Sir…"
"I'll keep watch."
Before Petra could stop him, Levi had positioned himself beside the window, staring out into the dark night beyond.
Petra stared at him, half-blinded by her tears, and suddenly was wrapped in sleep.
When Petra opened her eyes, Levi was in the same place as before. He appeared to not have moved an inch, and his eyes remained fiercely trained on the outside world as the sun slowly set on the horizon, bathing the world in early blue light.
Petra yawned once, still tired and a little feverish. She snuggled further into the silky cloak she had been using as a blanket. It was warm and smelled like honey. Just like Levi.
"Petra."
Petra looked over towards Levi. He had turned towards her, his back towards the window. The sun daubed his hair with early morning light. Petra felt happy looking at him. He looked angelic.
"Levi?" the ginger-haired girl whispered.
"Part of having faith in someone means having doubts in them," Levi went on. "That's normal. But having faith means taking a risk despite whatever doubts you have. Having faith means taking a chance."
Petra blinked a couple of times.
"Then… I guess I can't take risks," Petra mumbled.
"No. You can take risks. You take risks every time you go on one of these missions, Petra. You just need to choose which risks to take." Levi furrowed his brow. "You can either believe in yourself or you can believe in your teammates. Either way, you're taking a chance. And that's how it should be."
Petra looked down. "But those risks…" She felt tears well in her eyes. "I'm taking a gamble on my life. What if my team fails me? What if… What if I fail the team? What if we all needlessly die?" Petra hugged her chest underneath Levi's cloak. "What if it's all for nothing?"
Levi watched her for a moment.
"If I can help it, Petra," Levi responded, "and that's only if I can help it, then I won't let anything happen to you."
Levi said a lot of things, but he certainly didn't say things like that.
"Y… You what?" Petra asked in disbelief.
"If I'm around, and there is danger afoot, I'll do my best to try and keep you safe. But that's only if you're willing to take a chance with me." He stared down at her. "You're hesitant to take that chance. It's your choice. Make it now."
Petra felt tears spill over her eyes.
"You… You'll protect me?"
"If I can help it, nothing will happen to you."
Petra stared at Levi with wide, golden eyes. He was like a riddle she just couldn't solve. Yet, as much as she wanted to solve it, she craved the mystery behind him. The way he walked wasn't enough; Levi was a strong, efficient, and intelligent commander.
Petra had only had a few other encounters with Levi before, and now she knew exactly what she loved about him.
"Do you trust me?" Petra finally said.
"I have doubts," Levi replied. "But like I said, having doubts is a part of having faith… So yes." Levi pulled something from one of the boxes at his side and ordered, "Go back to sleep."
As Petra slowly began to drift off, she heard the distinct fire of a flare gun, and saw Levi enter the building yet again.
"Captain," Petra mumbled groggily. "You… You smell like honey…" Petra fell into the depths of sleep.
He was staring at her as she drifted into dreamland. And in the early morning light, just a few hours before the pair was found by Commander Erwin and the scout regiment, a few days before Petra was selected by Levi himself to be on the Special Operations Squad, Levi confessed to himself that Petra really did look beautiful.
Petra dreamed of honey.