Chapter 1 – When He's Gone

It was freezing that night. The type of freezing that made every cell of your body shake and shivers ran up and down your spine like ants. Levi stood with his team, his usual stoic expression remained unchanged, despite the weather and his breath came out in puffs of warm vapor, then disappearing into the impending, black sky.

"Heichou…" Petra whispered, her voice quivering slightly in impending fear, "Should we move in?" She approached him from behind, concern and terror equally noticeable in her hazel colored eyes.

Levi didn't do so much as glance at her, his eyes dead set on the huge shadows moving across the field clumsily. He let out a deep sigh and gripped his horse's reigns tighter.

"With caution," he responding in his routine, uninterested tone and then with a flick of his feet, he commanded the horse to move foreword. The team jumped to follow him out into the field. The night sky tumbled out before him and stars splattered the sky. The scene was so beautiful, it almost took the squad's mind off of the pressing hand at matter. If it wasn't for the huge, looming titans running through the tall grasses with ease, they would have forgotten where they were and lost themselves in the beautiful night.

Levi glanced slightly to his right, spotting him easily. His dark brown hair was whisked back from him forehead with the biting wind, his green eyes almost illuminating the darkness.

"Jeager" Levi thought to himself, almost in a fond tone. His heartbeat raced and he quickly glanced away, managing to maintain his disinterested face. He paced his horse, leading the group in the far front. The wail of a titan erupted through the quiet night, shattering the peaceful quiet. Levi grimaced and gripped the reigns tightly.

"Petra, Hanji, take the north. Olou and Eld head for the west, and Gunter, I trust you can handle the east on your own for now," Levi commanded quickly. He turned to Eren.

"Jeager, you're coming with me," he said and the group dispersed. Levi turned his horse around quickly, Eren matching his movements nervously. Levi charged forward, seeing an approaching titan and dismounted the horse and in mid air shot the grapple hook over to the titan, swinging around the giant. Eren followed his lead, except around the creature's legs, entangling him with the grapple chord. The titan cried out and fell, almost in slow motion to the ground with a deafening thud. Levi quickly sprinted up its bony back to the vulnerable spot on the back of its neck and sank the blade into the thick skin. With one more earsplitting growl, the titan fell dead. Levi pulled the sword out with a sickening slurping noise and continued on.

"Keep up Jaeger!" he shouted as a 15 meter titan approached quickly. Eren sped up just as the creature brought down its fist to the earth, throwing the two men off their feet. Eren tumbled on his side, grunting and grabbing his waist, immediately getting up to stand again. The titan swept down and grabbed Eren, Levi's eyes widening. Everything was muted out, his own heartbeat pounding like symbols in his ears. He shot forward and spun, slicing the titans hand open and reached in, taking hold of the younger boy and yanking him out of the titans grasp. He jumped to the ground, landing roughly and rolling to the side. When the world stopped spinning, Eren opened his eyes to see Levi hovering above him.

"Damn you shitty brat, don't scare me like that," he shouted at him, and much to Eren's surprise, he was shaking violently. Eren gulped in fear,"S-sor…" he could finish as Levi got to his feet quickly and shot up the side to slay the titan. Hatred burned in his eyes. How dare this creature put his filthy hands on Eren. His subconscious took over and Levi hardly knew what he was thinking as he slammed his blades down into the target point. Levi pulled them out only to slam them back in, the titan already crying in pain and falling to the ground, Levi coming down with him.

Eren watched in fear, eyes widening at the rage of his commander. Levi wouldn't stop and Eren ran over, crying his name.

"Levi Heichou, please stop!" he shouted, reaching him, "Levi it's dead!"

But Levi wouldn't let up, in some sort of an angry trance. Eren looked up to see a titan approaching quickly. 'It's an aberrant!' He thought in a panic, standing up and running towards the creature, swords ready. He unleashed the grappling hook, the clasp gleaming in the moonlight as it stuck into the nauseating, yellow tinted skin of the titan. Eren pulled himself forward and sliced toward its neck. However, it threw its head to the side, almost knocking Eren to ground.

Levi snapped out of it, looking down at his bloody and steaming hands and cursing himself for allowing himself to be distracted. He glanced around, and his heart stopped for a moment, watching Eren fight the huge titan. 'That dumbass!' He thought angrily and started to run over "JAEGER WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" he shouted, knowing that Eren wasn't strong enough to face the aberrant alone.

He fell.

With one swipe of the titan's hand, Eren was knocked out of the way and toward the trees, landing with a slam onto the compact dirt. Levi's face flashed with rage and he ran to the titan, swinging to the top and taking a jab to its face. The titan fought back, taking a swing to Levi. The skilled fighter dodged the attack and pressed on to take another hit at the giant. The aberrant reached out its hand quickly and hit Levi in the face, the man gasping in pain. He gripped his right eye and repositioning himself to face the back of the aberrant. He finally managed to slice at the titans neck and jumped off as it fell. He turned toward the trees and ran, struggling to find air to breathe and clutching his right eye.

"Eren!" he called, not noticing that his voice was shaking, he struggled to maintain his calm composure. His eyes caught on the metallic shine of the maneuver gear and he rushed over. As he ran over he yelled, "Get up Eren, Petra needs backu-" he stopped talking at the sight before him.

Eren's face was pinched in pain, paled from loss of breath. His pink lips were parted, gasping for air and clutching his chest. Through the right side of his torso was what looked like a tree branch, and it was now caked with Eren's bright red blood.

Levi sank to the boys side, not saying a word, looking at him with internal shock. Eren wheezed for air and reached out slightly.

"H-heichou…" he began but Levi simply pulled the taller boy into his grasp, holding his head against his chest.

"Don't talk Eren" Levi said as his head ran out of words and it filled with random letters, unable to form into sentences that could explain the agony he was feeling.

"Heichou…I'm sorry…" he said, trailing off to cough up blood into Levi's shirt. Levi gritted his teeth at the sound of his voice.

"God damn it brat I told you not to speak," he said as the world started to spin, his head swimming with unthinkable emotions.

Eren's eyes grew foggier, "Levi…Heichou…I'm so sorry," he said again and Levi did all but slap him. He gritted his teeth.

"Eren, shut up!" he shouted into his cooling skin, "Shut up and start breathing again, get up and keep living," he commanded. Tears started to trickle out of Eren's eyes and he gazed up at Levi's blurry figure, barely managing to make out his bold features and his soulful eyes. Eren reached up to touch his cheek with the last bit of strength he had left.

"Eren, listen to me," Levi said severely, "You are going to stand up and walk out of this forest, you will live." He was in denial, but he knew the truth, the truth of Eren's fate. Eren gave a small hint of a smile.

"Thank you…for everything…for everything you've taught me..." he choked out. Levi stared down at him, pain showing through his normally passive expression. Levi stared into Eren's eyes, watching the life slowly slip out of them. Eren's had slipped down and his eyes fluttered to a close, only to have the older man grip his hand tightly.

"Eren…don't leave me you brat…" he said breathily, shaking with fear and anger He held him tightly, letting out a small anguished choke and huddling the boy's body. Levi stayed quiet for a moment, pulling himself together then getting to his feet. He slowly looked down and saw that Eren's chest struggled to rise and fall slowly and took off his jacket, covering the boy. Levi stood up, looking down at the boy he had grown so fond of for the past year. With his hands and clothes, stained with Eren's fresh blood, he let out the grapple hook and went to get help, leaving behind the only person he had ever loved. Halfway there he collapsed, everything suddenly falling to a world of darkness.