One man lay across the forest floor, staring up in hopes of seeing the sky one last time. If it weren't for the towering tree tops distorting his view, he might have been able to see the clouds hanging in the vast blue expanse above him. As it were, all he could see was a menagerie of insects forming a buzzing cloud of static in his vision.
"Since we're both about to die here anyway..." He started, bringing the girl collapsed by his side back into consciousness again. "Will you give me some answers?" She stirred, feeling a warmth spread across her stomach as she moved. Her t-shirt was now more crimson than chalk-white, and more torn than whole.
"Since we're about to die anyway, what difference will it make?" She mocked him in her usual monotonous tone. He found the strength to turn his head, glaring directly into her blue eyes with his own ashen iris'. He forced air shakily into his lungs in an attempt to catch the breath he was slowly losing. She too rotated her neck, closing the remaining distance between her cheek and the muddy forest floor.
"I suppose it makes no difference in the end." He sighed, simultaneously coughing and convulsing in pain. "Shit, you'd think God would at least spare me pain in death." He muttered.
"I'll tell you one thing." The girl whispered. "I'm... sorry." She closed her eyes, physically unable to look away and emotionally unable to face the judgemental eyes upon her. He watched her, absorbing her remorseful expression and retaliating with a bitter one.
"Sorry for what?" He spat. "Killing my squad? Killing innocent people? Being a traitor to humanity? Spare me your bullshit; if I could move I'd beat you into a faster death."
"Haven't you beaten me enough?" She opened her eyes and looked through the stray blonde bangs blocking her view; she hadn't the strength to move them. "That's why we're both in this position. On death's doors."
"It pisses me off to say it, but that titan form of yours packs a powerful punch." The man admitted, reminiscing on their fight moments before. It had lasted hours; neither was going to let the other escape. She wanted what he was desperate to protect in order to save humanity. In the end, neither of them were going to win. In fact, they were both the losers in this equation.
"You too." She complimented back. "You caused me a hell of a lot of problems. If it weren't for you, I'd have gotten what I needed a while ago."
"I regret that I couldn't have caused you an even bigger problem." There was no reply, and the man wondered if her time had come. He blinked black dots from his vision, trying to hold on despite how futile his position appeared. Finally, she responded.
"It's nearly over for us."
"I don't know about you, but I'm not dying here."
"That gaping wound in your abdomen says different. What have you got: broken rib? Punctured lung?"
"Both." He admitted, wheezing a few more breaths past the pain. "What about you? I dealt your organs a fair bashing, too." There was another silence and all the man could hear was his own irregular breathing. "Kicked the bucket already?" He sniffed. She forced her eyes open once more.
"I'm... s-sorry..." Her lips parted, forming soft words before closing again for the final time. Her already pale face turned sallow and her eyes didn't close, but remained staring lifelessly at the same spot. He turned his head away again, searching for the sky once more. He didn't want to face the woman in his last moments- she looked more human to him than ever before, as death left her cold and still on the forest floor. The treetops rattled as a bird disrupted the silence and flew into the air. In seconds, it was out of sight and the man began to hear the sound of wires screeching.
"So they hadn't retreated already..." He mused to himself. The sounds drew closer and words became audible.
"There's bodies on the floor there!" Someone shouted. "Squad leader Hanji!"
"Well spotted, Eren. Any sign of Levi yet?!"
"No, sir!"
"Wait!" Eren's voice re-emerged and someone landed close by, running over to them. "It's Levi! He's one of the people down here!"
"Levi!" Hanji yelled, and a second pair of footsteps dashed towards him.
"So... fucking noisy." He grunted.
"He's alive! Wait, is that Annie?!" Eren and Hanji dropped by his side and gasped at his wounds. They began interrogating him, uncaring for Annie's fallen form beside him. "Heichou, can you hear us?"
"Loud and clear... unfortunately." He couldn't see them though, despite the fact his eyes were open.
"Levi, what happened?" Hanji was thinking pragmatically; information preceded grieving. Her voice shook nethertheless.
"I fought... with the female titan." He forced the words through frozen lips and a throat like sandpaper. "She's dead. And I haven't got much longer. Pierced lung." He kept his words short, coughing up blood and internally cursing at the state of his clean, white shirt. Hanji's eyes were downcast and distraught. Eren's eyes were wide.
"Hang in there, heichou! We need you!"
I'm trying. The man thought, squinting his eyes and trying to drag oxygen into his lungs. But it's hard when my body won't listen to me... any more...
His eyes lost their glint and the fight left his muscles for the last time. He lay, limp and cold.
"Special Operations Squad..." Hanji began, muttering shakily. She rose her voice as others began to land nearby. Erwin pulled his horse to a stop and dismounted. "Corporal Levi... has fulfilled his duty to humanity... and died a heroic death in battle."