Life of a Soldier
Bruises come with the territory.
Bloodstains were just patterns on clothes.
Comrades were here one minute, and gone the next. Sometimes the only thing left of them was their memory.
Fear was a part of life.
Bravery gone, in the face of a maneater.
Screams filled the air like a macabre music.
The faces of your friends and squadmates flashed through your dreams; you wake up with a scream dying on your lips a sheen of sweat covers your body. You try to take deep breaths to try and slow your racing heart, once it slows you close your eyes only to open them immediately. All you can see are the after effects of the days expedition; you bolt upright in the bed and try to hold back the tears that threaten to break free. You decide that sleep is out of the question and get out of bed and throw on a sweater and slowly made your way to the dining hall.
Once you arrive you grab a cup and start to heat some water, you scrounge around trying to find the tea and groan in frustration; you jump when a voice asks "looking for something?"
You turn and see Capt. Levi, you are quite surprised and cannot utter a response. You stare blankly at him until he says "Well?"
"Tea" you finally stammer out. He motions for you to sit down across from him and once you take your place at the table he slides a cup in front of you. You stare vacantly at the steam as it rises from the hot liquid. Levi watches you as you stare into your cup.
"You should drink that before it gets cold" he says as he sips from his own cup. You nod and wrap your hands around your mug. You raise it to your lips and gaze at the liquid, suddenly the color changes from brown to blood red and you drop the cup and scream as it shatters.
Levi sets down his cup and appears in front of you in an instant. He placed his hand on your shoulder but you don't respond. he grabs you by your shoulders and shakes you, you snap back to reality and see his gray eyes peering into yours burning into your soul. He doesn't utter a sound, instead he grasps your hand and begins to lead you out of the kitchen. The hallway passes by in a blur and suddenly you find yourself in the middle of his bedroom.
Levi closes the door and steps towards you. You wrap your arms around yourself and try to speak but he places a hand on your lips. he wraps you in his arms and you let out a sigh and visibly relax. He holds you close, until you suddenly pulled away; his brows furrowed in confusion but then he noticed a tear running down your cheek. He wipes away the tear and slowly moves you towards his bed, where he lays you down gently he then lays down next to you. Your body starts to shudder as the tears begin to flow freely. He pulls your body closer and envelopes you in his warmth, your body continues to shudder until you feel him press his lips to your forehead. Tears stop flowing the instant his lips meet your forehead.
He waits until your body has stopped shaking and whispers "Whatever you do, whatever the circumstances… just do your damnedest to stay alive. We owe that much to our fallen comrades."
You don't say a word, you just sigh and look up at him. He gazes at you and brushes the hair from your face and gently says "sleep."
You take his advice and close your eyes, you soon fall into a deep dreamless slumber. Levi watches you until you fall asleep, only then does he close his eyes and drop into sleep. You awake the next morning to the sun shining through the window onto your face. You sit up rub the sleep from your eyes and look around the room and are confused. You jump when you hear a deep voice say "So, you're finally awake."
You immediately jump out of the bed and start to stutter. You can't believe you are in Capt. Levi's quarters, you start to salute but he stops you by saying "Cadet, relax." Your shoulder relax and you stand in front of him fidgeting. He smirks and says "Don't worry cadet, I didn't do anything naughty to you in your sleep."
You let out a strange laugh and begin to speak but stop when he makes his way towards you, you stand frozen in place. Finally he stops in front of you and you hold your breath. He pushes some stray hair away from your face; your eyes widen and your face begins to flush. He immediately notices and opens his mouth to tease you when a knock sounds at the door. He goes to the door to answer, you notice he opens the door only enough so he can speak to the person on the other side. You hear him say something but don't know what it was, he salutes and then shuts the door swiftly.
He turns back to you and says "Cadet, go and make yourself presentable, it's time for drills."
You salute him and quickly make your way to the door, you open it and peek out to make sure no one is coming. You quickly dart into the hallway and run to your room. When you get there you throw the open the door and rush inside. You press your back against the door once it closes and heave a sigh of relief. You think back to the night before and are in shock. You couldn't believe you ended up spending the night in the Captain's room. You stand there dazed for a moment until you hear a knock on your door, you open it and see a few female cadets standing there, and one says "_, you're not dressed yet? Hurry up or Capt. Levi will kill us!" and with that they leave.
You close the door and quickly begin to put on your uniform. Once you are properly attired you make your way to the courtyard and file into line. You catch a glimpse of Levi and a blush crosses your cheeks. You shake your head as if to get rid of the thoughts of him and snap back to reality. You never expected that kind of comfort from Capt. Levi but it was exactly what you needed and you will forever be grateful. His words helped you understand why you fight and why you soldier on in the face of neverending fear and death.