A collective gasp went up from the tribunal room as Levi rained blow upon blow over Eren's restrained body. Blood few from his mouth. Boots pounded on his head and drove into his ribs. The captain was going to kill Eren – or else, Eren would shift and kill everyone in the room.
Mikasa couldn't take it any longer. Jumping quickly from her standing position near the railing, she maneuvered away from Armin's grasp and vaulted effortlessly over the barrier.
"Mikasa, wait!" came Armin's cry from somewhere behind her.
She paid no attention. All of her energy was focused on Captain Levi and his heavy boots that had driven Eren – her Eren – to near unconsciousness. She flashed back to the day Eren had driven back her attackers to save her life. Today, she repaid that debt.
"Enough!" she shouted as she reached the captain, forcefully wrenching his shoulders back and throwing his body away from Eren's bleeding form.
The captain stumbled backward, clearly not expecting any attack on his person, then raised his eyes to the attacker. Mikasa cringed, inwardly shrinking away from his gaze, yet she firmly positioned herself between Eren and the captain. Levi's gaze was cold and unfeeling, yet blazing with some hidden rage that Mikasa knew she had unleashed. He stalked slowly over and raised a single hand, prepared to rain down blows upon this new protector of Eren.
"Stop!" came a voice from the crowd.
Mikasa did not hear the rest of the exchange. She only knew that Levi's hand had faltered and fallen, and that Eren was unchained behind her and dragged from the room, bleeding and unconscious. Levi remained stoic and dangerously still, staring at her through the entire proceeding. He raised a hand. Immediately, two members of his regiment were at his side.
"Take her to my chambers," he said quietly.
Suddenly, strong arms wrapped around Mikasa's elbows, locking them behind her as the two men dragged her forcibly from the tribunal room. She saw a tall, blond haired man rush over to Levi and whisper rapidly in his ear, but the captain waved him off and stalked away. It was the last thing she saw before the men threw her into a small room and closed the door, leaving her in total darkness.
Hours passed – or perhaps days, she did not know. Hunger gnawed at her stomach, and her mind knew no sense of time as she passed in and out of moments, falling asleep then jolting awake with no sense of place. But none of it mattered because Eren was safe.
The door suddenly flew open. Bright rays of light blinded Mikasa's eyes, and she cried out and covered them with her forearm. Heavy boots sounded on the cold stone floor, and Mikasa heard the door slam shut. She ventured to open her eyes.
A single candle lit the room, illuminating the face of Captain Levi. His eyes still burned, dancing with rage in the candlelight. Mikasa wanted to hide away in the corner, but she rose to her feet to meet his gaze. They stood staring for several moments, and then Levi sighed and placed the candle on a nearby desk.
Mikasa barely had time to register his movements before a stinging blow spread across her face, and she fell to the ground, clutching her cheek in pain. Strong fingers wrenched her jaw up to unforgiving eyes.
"I've always believed that pain is the most effective form of punishment," the captain said softly. "And for questioning my authority before the entire military leadership, that is your sentence. Pain."
He stood, wrenching her up with him by the shoulders, and threw her again to the ground. Mikasa landed painfully on her side, and barely caught her breath before Levi began raining heavy kicks on her sides and stomach. Blood came threw her mouth, and she coughed heavily, spitting it out on the stone floor.
Blow upon blow, kick upon kick, slap upon slap, rained down on her body. She knew she couldn't take much more before the damage was physically irreversible.
But she refused to cry out. She would remain strong - for herself, for Eren, for every one of those damn soldiers who was everyday abused and ordered to their death by their superiors.
Suddenly, Levi's boots moved away. Mikasa dared to steal a heavy glance at the captain as he snatched the candle from the desk and moved to the door, refusing to look back at her as he left the room. Mikasa collapsed into sobs that wracked her broken body as she drifted off into restless dreams.