So, this is my first fanfiction. I call it, "I Tried."

Sorry if it sucks xD I had the urge to write Levihan... because they are my new OTP... but you know *shrugs*.

I don't own Shingeki no Kyojin, nor do I own the location, characters, blah blah blah.

He found her there, fastening her 3D maneuver gear in the yard, hitching the saddle over her horse. He noticed the horse seemed a bit uncomfortable with a bag it was carrying on its rear end, and one flap of the bag opened revealed there to be rope and some gas chambers. He didn't want to know, but he couldn't just let it go by.

"What on earth are you doing?" Levi asked with a sigh, and Zoe whirled around, light on her feet, smile present on her face - as usual. "I'm going to go out and catch another titan. After Sawney and Bean... Well, we just can't have that! I promised Eren we'd research them together for a bit!"

His eyes widened a infinitesmall fraction in surprise. "... And your back up troops?"

"None today. I figure there's less chance of somebody getting hurt if I go myself. I'll just lead one into the trap I set up the other day - What are you doing?"

Levi had already begun taking his horse out of the nearby stall, hitching on the bridle. "Don't be an idiot and get yourself killed. I'll go with you."

Zoe blinked at him for a moment, before she grinned. "Alright. Just try to keep up," She remarked with a wink, hopping onto her horse. He followed suit and a few seconds later they were flying down the path, headed straight for the nearest wall gate.

Zoe hadn't really been planning for anyone to come along. However, she knew Levi Rivaille, and if anyone could take care of themselves in the middle of a titan war zone, it was him. They had survived this long in the survey corps for a reason.

Even now, with her bright smile and cheery attitude, she was hyper aware of her surroundings. She knew not to get caught off guard by the titans, no matter how cool they looked or how interesting they were. And yet, she didn't take it as a personal insult when Levi decided to tag along with that little comment.

The Survey Corps - especially the older members of it - were like one big family. Going out alone was to be viewed as a suicide mission. It was to be expected that someone would try to tag along. Hanji was just glad that no one else had noticed her.

"So what's your plan, Hanji?" Levi spoke up from beside her, and she tossed him a glance before bringing her eyes back to the road. "I'm going to lure a titan into a trap i've set near the outer side of Wall Rose."

"That's it?"

"Well, i'm going to be luring him on horseback."

"And what if the likely chance of more than one titan attacking you occurs?"

"I s'pose you could chase them off?" She tossed an expression towards Levi with a small smile. He had agreed to tag along; now he'd deal with the consequences. However, instead of objecting, he merely gave a small nod.

Wall Rose soon loomed ahead of then, and Zoe let out a breath, eyes alight and excited. The guards greeted them, seeming confused, but did not question it when Hanji requested them to kindly let them through the gate.

The streets were eerily silent. Which was surprising, considering they'd entered one of the most titan filled sections within the first wall. "Hm, I never got out much to this area before the Colossal titan opened it up to all these others. I wonder if we'll see the Colossal or Armored? Ooh, maybe we'll catch an abnormal~!" She was already growing starry eyed thinking about it.

She heard an exhale of breath - slightly hitched, which sounded suspiciously like a chuckle. "We don't need to catch one, Four eyes, you're abnormal enough for everyone." Hanji whipped her head towards him, eyes practically sparkling. "Oh? Was that a - laugh? Levi Rivaille, of all people, laughing? I feel honored," She teased.

"What are you rambling about now, woman? Wasn't there a mission you were supposed to be doing?" If anything, her remark seemed to have annoyed him. His face showed no hint of what she'd thought she'd heard. Not like she'd expected it to. Levi was a master at remaining stoic.

"Hm? Oh~! Listen, Levi, we have guests~!" She exclaimed, eyes alight and turning her horse slightly in the direction she needed to go in case of a quick escape. She lifted her head up, trying to gaze over the rooftops for the source of the earths shaking. Only a few seconds later, a 14 meter class titan came into view, finding them easily, jaw gaped open in a sick sort of smile, large eyes slanted slightly outwards.

"Well aren't you a beauty!" She called towards the titan. In response, it faced her, each step jiggling it's swollen belly. She heard movement beside her, watching as Levi moved his horse in a different direction - away from the titan - as it fixed its attention on here. "Don't do anything stupid," He called.

"Would you like to play a game, handsome?" She called out, laughing as the titan moved more quickly towards her. Her horse started at a slow trot, but as the titan got closer and closer, she sped up. She wanted the titan close, but not too close. She also had to keep an eye out for things like broken houses, other titans...

A large crashing filled her left ear and her horse reared to the right, nearly tossing her off in an attempt to get away from the titan chasing them, and now, destroying houses to do so. "Woah!" She shrieked as her horse's hesitation led her to get dangerously close to the titan's outreached arm.

She urged her horse to run faster - they had about forty meters before she got to the trap she'd set... anything could happen in that time. As if to prove her point, a crash in front of her led her horse to rear back once more, throwing her to the ground. The dust settled, revealing a large eyed, skinny 6 meter class titan crouched in front of the path she'd been about to take. Her horse had dashed at the first chance it got, but Hanji wasn't ready to give up just yet.

"I don't think so~!" She called in a sing song voice, pulling the lever to activate her 3D maneuver gear, and the next thing she knew, she was sailing through the air, away from both titans. She turned her head to the right - scanning for where she'd last seen Levi, but he was nowhere in sight. She shook the thoughts from her mind; he was probably fine. He had survived tighter situations than this.

Zoe tried not to think about the fact that her back up gas capsules were still in the bag on the horse. She was sailing, whirling over the heads of two more titans, narrowly avoiding their jaws and grabby fingers. It didn't matter which one got caught in the trap, so long as one did.
At long last, she spotted it in sight; at first glance, it appeared to be a broken temple. What one didn't know was that once a heavy weight slid inside the large building ruins, thick netting would fall to the ground, pickets pinning the target to the ground in a tangled mass of netting and nails. And all she had to do was go through the large building opening first, in hopes one followed suit.

Fifty feet away - one last press of her 3D maneuver gear and she'd be there. Her hands tightened around the level, and she squeezed - or, at least, tried to. It refused to budge. "What?" Was all she was able to say before a roof came rushing up at her. Zoe tried the lever once more before she curled her body in on itself and braced for impact.

He pulled the lever on his 3D maneuver gear just as the Titan he'd slain crashed to the ground. His eyes scanned the rooftops. The titans all seemed to be heading to one area - It didn't take a genius to guess why.

Levi cursed under his breath. Was he just invisible to them now? Hanji was a survivor, but nobody could take on that many titans at once. He'd known the mission was a stupid idea the minute it left Zoe's lips. She, however, clearly had sniffed a bit too much titan shit that day. Either she was completely oblivious to the amount of danger this mission prevented, or she was being extremely risky and stupid.

He came upon the scene fairly quickly, as he hadn't been too far away in the first place. His gaze darkened; he didn't bother to stop and observe the surroundings. All he had to see was Hanji's violent crash into a roof to know she needed help.

Crashing... That's not like her. Something must have gone wrong with her equipment, he mused to himself as he flew by one of the larger titans that got too close, slicing at that weak spot that would end that particular titan's pathetic life for good.

Another glance towards his companion did not reveal the unconscious woman he'd expected. Rather, the woman was bringing herself to her feet, clothing tattered and spotted with blood - the sight of it made him sick - and instead of retreating, continuing forward, jumping off the roof and making a run for a large ruined building. Either she was running for cover, or that was her 'trap'.

He looked away from the scene, just long enough to avoid the reach of a smaller titan. He pulled the trigger of his equipment, sending him sailing around the assailant, allowing him to get a clean cut across the back of it's neck. The offending titan staggered on its feet before crashing sideways into another titan and pinning it to the ground.

A large crash and clang led a sharp look in the direction of Zoe - and he was able to see a large, struggling titan beneath a netting and partially collapsed building. Hanji was nowhere in sight. She didn't expect that to hold it, did she?! Already it was trying to worm its way out, and he could hear its jaws snapping from where he was.

He circled the building, bringing himself to the ground when he spotted Hanji caught in the grip of the captured titan. It was pinned down, so it couldn't quite get her into its mouth, but if she didn't get out soon, it would. Rivaille sighed, running quickly towards the titan, and stabbing one of his swords into the side of its palm, snapping off that portion of his blade, and slicing again down the middle of the creatures fingers. The titan's grip loosened a moment; just long enough for Levi to grab Hanji by the arms and pull her out from the titan's hold.

"Aha! Look, Levi, we did it!" She exclaimed in triumph, eyes alight as she looked towards the captured titan. In response, he shoved her shoulder a bit, standing up and dusting himself off. "I wouldn't be so sure. You almost got yourself killed, and that 'trap' of yours isn't going to hold him for long..."

In the corner of his eye, he saw it. His mind just didn't make sense of it, the only thing it processed was the immediate danger of the quickly erupting explosion - not what had caused it.

Zoe had her back faced away from the explosion, and it was as if time slowed. Her smiling face, still watchful of the nearby titans, as her drawn swords showed. Speaking of the titans, Levi had enough time to wonder, briefly, why they had stopped their attack. The roar of the flames reached his ears, and he was moving before he could think of how to react.

He whirled her around and covered her body in an embrace, using his body as a shield the best he could, before everything faded to fire and pain and burning flesh.

She was flying. That's what it seemed like. The breath was pushed out of her lungs, everything felt hot, and she was quickly caught in a collision of limbs, bricks, and everything else they happened to be thrown at by the blast.

Her mind was in a flurry of chaos, and she must have blacked out, for a minute at least, for the next thing she knew, she was choking over ragged breaths, every movement a slice of pain in her chest. But that was nothing; she may have broken a rib and perhaps some other bones - her arm felt numb and hung limply there as if it weren't even a part of her body - but she'd felt worse.

She coughed, watching the dust particles settle. It was mildly dark. Sunlight peeked in through cracks in the wood; they had crashed into a house. Part of it was on fire, but no where near them at the moment. She was leaning against the remains of a wall - the wall had been pushed backwards, into a diagonal slant during the blast.

She blinked the dust from her eyes, scanning the room despite the black dots swarming over her eyelids. "Levi?" She called tentatively, each breath painful as a knife jabbed into her chest. Looking down at herself, however, she was able to count herself mildly lucky; instead of being pushed in, there was a bump under her skin; one of her ribs had broken and pushed out. At least she didn't have to worry about something piercing her heart...

A shuddered gasp caught her attention, and her gaze traveled to a slumped figure several feet away from her. She staggered on her feet, pushing herself towards Levi, hands reaching out almost blindly. His hands were clutched to his chest, his face a contorted mask of pain. He was propped up, leaning forward in a kneeling position, and his whole back was covered in bruising, singed skin, and cuts. Nothing too serious. It wasn't until she was by his side that she registered just what the true problem was.

Her blade was embedded in his chest, poking out of his backside. It was obvious he was trying not to move too much. "Are... you okay?" He asked with a gasp, body shuddering as he did so. Her eyes wide, she pressed her hands in closed fists to her mouth, trying to hold back the scream that wanted to escape at the sight of it. Not like she hadn't seen things like this before - but the fact that this was Levi, of all people, in that position, on her blade - she vaguely remembered holding it out before the crash - something about it made it completely different.

Tears were streaming down her face before she had a chance to stop them. "Cut that out, four eyes... Break... the ends..." He made a horrid choking sound, and she responded with an inhuman squeak, hands shaking as she placed one hand on his chest, the other on the end of the sword nearest to his chest that could be broken. She snapped it off, leaving an inch or so, in case they needed to pull it out later, and then snapped off the part on his back. Her hands shook as his body shuddered with each movement.

"Levi..." She whispered, eyes wide and streaming tears, one hand at some point having caught his hand, the other gently leaning him back. His eyes were closed. Was he dead already? Dear God, don't let him be dead, please, please... She found herself uselessly praying. No one survived a wound like that.

And just like that, she felt her heart break, as if it had been pierced by her sword, and not Levi. All her hidden feelings swamped over her in a rush of painful emotion that was too chaotic to make sense out of. She was only able to make sense of a few of the thoughts that ran through her head. So much time wasted... and It can't end like this. And last but not least, this is all my fault. Tears welled in her eyes, as memories of them training together pressed her mind. They'd always been close.

"Zoe." With a start, she looked down at the young man, his familiar gaze, always so serious - it occurred to her, she wasn't sure if she'd ever seen him smile. Sure, a smirk and a chuckle now and again, but a smile? "God dammit Levi, don't do this. You're too strong to be taken out by a stupid hero attempt. We need you," She said, trying to match his authorative tone, but it cracked in the middle of it.

In response, he squeezed her hand, the one that held his. "Quit crying." He said, voice growing thin, and she could tell it was an effort for him to just speak.

On her part, she tried. She really did. But no matter how much she wiped at her sleeve, the tears kept falling. So much in fact that Levi let out an irritated sigh, which frightened her nearly to death, for she at first thought it to be his last breath. "This filthy ground..." He muttered, eyes hazing over a minute, before he focused on his blubbering friend once more.

"Filthy, abnormal girl," He murmured, but instead of it sounding harsh, it sounded loving, gentle. With all his will, Levi lifted his hand, catching her in the back of the head and drawing her close, placing her head on his chest. Surprised, Zoe let out a squeak, but after a moment she relaxed into him, closing her eyes.

"Could you... look at me a... moment... Zoe?" She opened her eyes, hearing the uneven beat of his heart. She lifted her head, expecting to find him staring back at her, but his eyes were closed. Her heart stopped for a moment, started up again, then stopped again. "Rivaille..?" She started, body trembling. She leaned a bit closer to his face, a bloodied hand hovering above his cheek. He hated being dirty... he'd hate for her to touch him with her dirty hand...

Suddenly, that hand on the back of her head pulled her close once more, and he arched up, just a bit to close the distance, lips connecting with hers. Her hesitant hand found its way to the back of his neck, her other hand still locked with his.

They stayed like that... Zoe didn't know how long... but she did know when his grip became loose, when his body began to lean back of its own accord, and she leaned with it, unwilling to let go just yet. Unwilling to accept the truth.

When she finally did pull away, it took all of her willpower to stop from screaming out in agony, in mournful sound for her companion. He'd asked her not to. She'd be strong, even if this pain felt far worse... a million times worse than the loss of Sawney and Bean.
She should have never let him come with. But then, maybe she'd be the dead one.

Maybe that would be for the best.

She pushed these thoughts aside, straightening herself, eyes going towards his bag attached to his belt. Two flares. Black.

Several minutes later, one stream of black would rocket into the sky, alerting those by the wall. Even when help arrived, she hadn't moved from her spot by his side, fingers still locked with his. When they came, they had to tear her away - she fought and thrashed, tears threatening to spill over, but she wouldn't cry anymore. He'd told her not to.

Things passed by in a blur. The titan hadn't escaped after all, and it was taken as a prisoner, tied up where it couldn't hurt anyone. But Zoe didn't have her heart in it. Shocked faces, occasional accusing glances, she tuned it all out. When she finally was allowed back to her room, she found herself locking her fingers together, trying to replicate the way his had fit with hers. He was gone, and she'd broken a part of herself she didn't even know she had.

So, I hope you guys liked it... Sorry if it was a bit OOC :P But everyone in Levihan fanfics always wants to kill Hanji, so I turned the tables for once, you know? There will be another chapter. Possible three. In the next chapter there will be plot development and more Levihan, don't ask how, sorry for the small amount in this chapter xD

Reviews welcome. Thanks for reading, fellow Levihan shippers!