Levi lay on the ground, his bones crushed and his lifeblood dripping away. When his small team was attacked unexpectedly, he'd fought an abnormal titan and had won, but at a great cost - he may not live through the day. The battle was so hard and fast that he was sure that humans with regular speed wouldn't even know where his location was.
Gritting his teeth, he tried to pry himself up, but it was no use. His ribs were broken; his legs were crushed.
He noticed that his thoughts were becoming more scattered. At least this way, he'd have a peaceful death, if you could call every part of his body screaming at him 'peaceful'. But it was peaceful to him, considering he'd consistently and willingly endure physical pain - he just didn't want to be devoured by a titan, even if it would be a quicker kill.
Hearing a sound behind him, he resigned himself to the fact that even his simple last wish would go unfulfilled.
To his surprise, it was the Ackerman girl, who'd held a grudge against him for beating Eren severely at the tribunal, even though it had undoubtedly saved his life.
She was gazing at him coolly as he lost consciousness.
Drawing air in quickly, he tried to make sense of his surroundings. Eventually, he realised that he was being whizzed through the trees, carried by Mikasa. His head was uncontrollably spinning, no doubt because of the extent of his injuries.
Panting, she stopped at the base of the tree, clutching at it. It was obvious she'd been pushed beyond her limits by carrying him for whoever knows how long.
Her eyes widened as she saw him gazing at her.
She saluted, then picked him up, trying but failing to hide her struggle.
"You could have gotten your revenge by leaving me there."
Mikasa's eyes snapped to his. "If you haven't noticed, I'm carrying you bridal style." Levi's eyes widened. "Well, you're too big for my shoulder and you were unconscious so you couldn't hold onto my back," she added, trying to make her tone more reverent as would be appropriate for his position.
"Don't feel guilty if you have to leave me behind," he said gently.
"I won't," she replied coldly.
Mikasa's eyes widened as Levi smiled at her response, obviously delighted that she'd pushed past her personal dislikes of him and honoured her role by saving a teammate.
The swirling in his head became too much, and he fell into unconsciousness again.
About two weeks had passed. Although not entrusted with missions, Levi had recovered remarkably quickly.
Wandering around the training fields, he came across Mikasa practicing her skills alone.
Seeing him, she saluted, albeit with a frown. "Heichou."
"Mikasa. Thank you for what you did. To return the favour, I'd like to hone your skills to become a proper Ackerman fighter, since I am currently much faster than you."
She stood staring at him wordlessly, intrigued yet not liking the imbalance of power between them.
He continued to walk. "It is good that I'm not entirely well yet, since my movements will be slower. I challenge you to grab my cravat around my neck. But even in my weakened state, I am sure you won't even be able to touch it."
Sprinting forward, she launched into an attack.
For the next half hour, Levi dodged and parried, showing her advanced techniques. He even let her come within a millimetre of his cravat before sending her flying away with a spiral kick, such was his precision.
"You must use your surroundings to plan for unexpected attacks," he commanded.
Mikasa was panting, having been fighting at full strength for too long. Her stance was wavering, her arms shaking.
"I'm disappointed," Levi said, glaring at her. "You've given up already. What if you had something important to protect? What if… Eren was involved? What if… I made him my own lover if you don't win this fight? That wild hair, those determined eyes, that strong body… hm, maybe I will."
Mikasa's eyes widened. Then she stood up straight. "Fine. You can do all that," she said with a frown.
"Eh?" Levi said, a bit startled. Instinctively, he glanced back to see Eren standing there, gaping at him. He had a scared expression.
Levi stood rooted to the spot. The next thing he knew, his cravat was being ripped off. Whirling around, he saw Mikasa standing there triumphantly.
He grabbed it back. "You won on a technicality, but it certainly wasn't a victory of which you should be proud."
"But Heichou, I'm just using the surroundings for an unexpected attack, like you said," she said smugly.
Levi narrowed his eyes. "Don't get smart with me, Ackerman. Psychological methods can work on humans. But it hasn't escaped your grasp that I'm preparing you to fight titans, I hope?"
Mikasa nodded, chastised yet still a bit elated from her victory.
Eren approached. "You… want my body, Heichou?" he asked gingerly, wanting to be sensitive with Levi's feelings.
Levi's eye twitched. "Lesson is over for today," he said icily, then strode away, completely ignoring Eren, leaving no doubt his actions contrasted with his previous statements.
When he was gone, Mikasa started to laugh. "I think we make an excellent team, Eren."
"Aa," he replied, smiling and nodding, unsure of what exactly had happened, but his instinct telling him that it was all for the good.