I finally managed to get another chapter done. Sorry for the wait. Just so you know we are back to current times. I will admit right now that I will try to stick to timeline found in the story, but I will make very minor changes. Nothing to do with the big events, just minor things. I appreciate everyone that has come along for the ride and for any reviews that have been left. Hopefully I can get another chapter out soon with some more Levi interactions.
As I have stated before I don't own any characters from Shingeki no Kyojin, they all belong to the lovely Hajime Isayama. The only characters I own are the ones I made up. Also, I did not make the image I am using. That image was found online and all rights belong to original designer.
Alise watched as Maya ran back towards their base from her daily morning exercise. Maya was determined to be better and Alise respected her for that. Running around was not going to do her any good. Maya needed better training and Alise had a few ideas in mind. Those ideas were going to have to wait for when she returned from seeing Hange. Xevera had insisted that she look at the Titans that they had caught. While she wanted to tell her no, after the other day, she figured it was best if she just went along with it all.
"What is so special about these Titans?"
Alise held a rather bored expression on her face as they rode towards where Hange was housing her new experiments.
"Nothing truly special about them. Hange is so excited about Sonny and Bean, that it is hard not to watch her."
"Why am I not shocked that she actually named them."
It was Hange after all, she had named the other Titans before them. Unlike her first experiment, these Titans were actually lasting a lot longer. Since they had not died, then maybe it was time for her to look them over. It would have been amusing if Hange found another weak point, but that was highly unlikely. A bit of her wondered if Hange would find anything interesting at all. They had been dealing with Titans for a while and she doubted there would be anything new.
The sudden sound of screaming forced the pair to move faster. It was not until they had reached the testing grounds that Alise noticed what was going on. Hange was the one inflicting pain to the male Titan and while he was screaming so was she. It was an odd sight to witness and she did not know what to say. Instead of asking Hange directly, Alise turned her attention towards Moblit. Out of her entire squad, Moblit was one of the ones she could tolerate.
"Moblit what is going on?"
"Our Squad Leader is looking for any additional weakness."
Alise made a quick grunting sound before she noticed Hange moving over towards the female Titan. She noted the tears flowing down Hange's face and shook her head. That woman could be a weirdo some days. Why anyone would cry over inflicting pain on a Titan was beyond her knowledge. If anything, Hange should have been smiling. When the female did not scream, Alise stood there just watching it.
During her time outside of the Walls, she had encountered a few Titans that screamed and ones that ignored any type of pain. As much as she hated to admit it, she was curious as to why some screamed and others did not. Pain was a human trait and these Titans were far from being like humans. They might have shared some similar features, but there were way too many differences. With all these differences and their lack of needing vital nutrients, why then did some of them have the audacity to feel pain.
The question had been bouncing around her head when she noticed the female tried to bite Hange. Moblit's quick response saved Hange's life yet again. One of these days, Hange's careless nature would get her killed. With Moblit around she doubted death would come any time soon.
"Hange you are acting reckless again."
Despite her nagging tone, Xevera had a smile on her face.
"I got lost in the moment."
"You are always getting lost in the moment. Anyway, did you discover anything new."
Where this eagerness from her sister came from was beyond her knowledge. Instead of interrupting, Alise followed the two inside of Hange's tent.
"The night experiment was a bit of a success. Bean remained active for three hours in the dark while Sonny was lethargic just after one hour."
"Bean was the one screaming his head off when you stabbed him in the eye."
Hange started to tear up when Xevera mentioned her harming Bean. Before the water works could start Xevera quickly placed her hand on Hange's shoulder.
"Don't cry, I am sure he understood it was for scientific reasons only. I bet he even knows you care about him. After all, you have been nothing but nice, up until today."
"I have been doing a better job than the past experiments. After the trial is over with tomorrow, Bean will have forgiven me."
Hange had perked up the moment she spoke about the trial. Alise had been told that the fate of Eren was going to be determined by Commander in Chief Dhalis Zachary. Alise had no problem with Dhalis and in some ways she admired him. He was a wise man and she was sure that he would make the right decision tomorrow.
"Since I am being dragged into the courtroom tomorrow, can I finally hear the plan. I have heard bits and pieces of it, but I need to see the big picture."
Alise had expected Xevera to speak up, but Hange jumped right in. It was something she should have seen coming since Hange looked rather excited.
"Commander Erwin wants the Survey Corps to be in charge of Eren. Us in charge of a Titan. Can you picture the amount of experiments I can conduct? There is no telling what we could learn from Eren. We may even be able to finally successfully communicate with a Titan."
Hange had clasped onto Alise's hands rather quickly. The pressure from Hange's grip caused Alise to wince. That woman held some inhuman like strength at times.
"Hange, you are getting off track. Focus on the trial right now."
Alise pulled her hands out of Hange's grip and began shaking them. Feeling was starting to return, and she was not going to allow Hange to get close again.
"If we are successful then Eren will belong to us. We can use him to turn the tide. Commander Erwin has this all thought out."
"Will Eren be a part of your squad?"
"I wish. Dhalis will not side with us, if I was placed in charge of him. Erwin is going to place Eren under Levi's watch. To ensure that no one is harmed, Levi squad will be given their own base. One that is equipped with a dungeon for just in case things get out of hand."
It made sense that Levi would be placed in charge of Eren. He was the captain of an elite squad and he could deal with someone like Eren. She could not help, but to think that it would have been nice to have Eren in their squad. Less people would surely die but controlling him would have been a bit tricky. Keeping him alive would have also been a problem since their squad members would be jumpy.
"It sounds like tomorrow is going to be interesting. While I want to sit here and listen to more about your future plans, I need to go."
Alise nodded to her sister before she made her way back towards their base. On her way out of the camp she noticed Moblit staring at her. She had noticed it before in the past, but she never chose to say anything to him. As far as she was concerned, Moblit seemed to have a higher interest in his Squad Leader.
"Moblit, are you still beating yourself up over almost losing Hange?"
"No, that tends to happen often when she is doing experiments."
"It is a good thing she has you around to protect her. You are very good at what you do. I doubted I would ever meet anyone that could do what you do with her."
Alise patted him on the back and stopped when she noticed him smiling.
"Are you getting ready to leave?"
"This whole experiment thing is not really my cup of tea."
"You are not curious about what can be discovered?"
"I am curious about some things, just not as curious as Hange is. If you all find out anything interesting, I will seek you out. I doubt you will break my hand while talking about any discoveries."
Alise flashed him a quick smile before she mounted her horse. If she could get back to her base in time, then she was certain she could catch Maya before she finished her daily training. Even if Maya was exhausted Alise was going to move forward with her plan. Tomorrow would mark the start of a new day for the Survey Corps and everyone had to be at their finest. There was no telling what would be asked of them if Eren joined their ranks. The ideas that filled Alise's mind caused a smile to spread across her face.
Maya was starting to head in when Alise finally arrived back at their base. She looked exhausted, but that meant nothing to Alise. Her training was nowhere near over and it was time to step things up.
"Maya, run in and fetch our ODM gear."
"Is everything okay?"
"More training of course. This time I will be joining you."
The excited look on Maya's face was hard to ignore. When the woman shifted from fearing her to appreciating her was hard to determine. It could have been Alise's little speech that changed her opinion, but she doubted that was the case. Her words had never moved anyone before and she doubted it would start now. All that mattered was that Maya did not have any fear in her eyes when she looked at her.
Upon Maya's return, Alise motioned for them to get moving. The sun was not going to be up for long and with everything going on, she wanted to get a good night's rest. Reese and Izo were on cooking duty, which meant there was going to be a nice size meal tonight. She did not mind the two competing, especially when it came to cooking. The benefits tended to outweigh the negative factors surrounding it all.
"Why have you been pushing yourself? You are up training before anyone else and then some nights you go out when you should be relaxing. Is the family member thing still bothering you?"
Even if it was still bothering Maya, that was something Alise was not going to apologize for. She meant what she said, and she would never take it back.
"I may never be a great family member. I just believe that I can make up for my actions by being a lousy vice captain."
"Suddenly aiming for my title I see. Well I won't make it easy for you."
Alise could not help but to laugh. While some people would feel threatened it was a bit of a compliment in its own way. There was no way Maya would ever take her position. As long as Maya had something to work for, she would be able to survive in this crazy world.
The ODM training course tended to be empty around this time. A lot of squads like to relax before dinner and she did not blame them. Captains tended to have their squads running drills in the morning. Even if a squad had come here, they were usually gone by now. The horses at the stables told her that someone had either just arrived or was going to be leaving soon. No matter the outcome, Alise was determined to get her training in today.
Standing at the base of a tree was Squad Levi. There captain was nowhere to be seen, but Eld was dictating their orders. Alise stood back and waited for the appropriate time to speak up.
"You all are just getting here. I was really hoping that you all would be leaving soon."
"Captain Levi wants us to do a few more hours of training."
Eld's words did not shock her. Levi was a demanding guy and what he said goes. He was in charge of the elite squad and he knew what they needed to stay on top.
"Do you mind if we run the course for a bit? It looks like you all have been out here for a while."
Alise had just finished talking when Oluo decided to speak up.
"We are using the course tonight. There is no way we would allow people from the Grim Squad to interrupt our time. It is best if you just stand back and observe."
"Oluo, you should stop trying to imitate him."
Petra was right to scold Oluo. While Levi could be arrogant he would not have insulted them in such a long fashion. Levi's insults tended to be short and packed a damaging ego punch. The only thing Oluo's words did was piss her off.
"Observing someone like you Oluo would teach me nothing."
"We are Squad Levi. There are a lot of things you could learn."
"Highly doubtful. Since you are rather full of yourself, then allow me to extend this offer to all of you. I have a rookie that I need to train today. The best way to train is from a hands on approach. How about the two of us take on the four of you."
"Are you trying to teach her how to lose?"
Alise waved off Oluo's comment. He was the one that clearly had a lot to learn.
"A lesson in humility is the only I will be teaching to day. Eld you should ready your squad, or do I have to tell the other squads that the elite squad is full of chickens."
"Eld, we don't have time for this childish game."
Gunther was known to be serious, but his words did nothing to change what would happen. Once Eld began speaking to the squad again, Alise turned her attention towards Maya. Maya looked a bit pale and it was easy to understand. Levi's squad was a bit intimidating. They fought in perfect sync without having to say a word. They had killed numerous Titans while her squad had a high death rate. The two squads were exact opposites of each other and yet Alise was not running from the challenge.
"Just think of them as ordinary people. There is nothing special about them."
"Oluo has close to forty solo Titan kills. The others may be lower in solo kills compared to him, but they all have a high assist."
"They may have that, but what does it matter. Right now, the kills don't matter, it is about moving faster and cutting deeper than them."
"I don't think I can do it."
"You can do it. I saw the way you moved through that town when the Titan was chasing you. You are faster than at least two of them. Besides this matter is not up for debate. You are going to out maneuver two of them. If you cannot do that, then how do you expect to become vice captain one day."
Alise turned away from Maya when Eld spoke up.
"We are ready. We will start at on the ground and then move from there. The first person to clear all ten targets will be the winner."
"Sounds like a good plan. Just give me one more second."
Alise ignored Oluo's comment and looked back towards Maya.
"Just be faster than two of them and then everything will be fine."
Alise wanted to tell her to pass up Gunther and Petra, but she figured Maya would figure that out. The main person she really wanted her to pass was Petra. Petra and Gunther were not a threat to Alise. The only ones she cared about where Oluo and Eld.
When they reached the starting mark, Alise gave Maya a quick thumbs up before the match started. She noticed that everyone around her had taken off quickly, but she did not rush like them. They could soar high above the ground, Alise preferred taking things from a different angle. With all the people up high, gliding through them would be difficult. If she stood any chance of winning, she had to strike from below. Without giving the matter another though, Alise aimed for the mid sections of the trees and began moving towards her first target.
It did not take long to pass up Gunther. Maya was close on Gunther's tail and she was certain that Maya could pass him up before the third target. With the way Petra was moving, it would take Maya until the sixth or seventh target to even get close to passing her up. While it would take Maya a nice time to reach Petra, Alise had shot by her before she could strike her third target. Taunting Petra had not crossed her mind. The only person she cared to taunt was Oluo. Even though she had passed up three people, Alise was determined to stay in the middle of the trees.
The fifth target was coming into sight when she noticed Oluo going for the strike. There was no way she was going to allow him to strike before she did. Just as he was going in, Alise shot up from beneath him and ran her blade through the target.
"How did you ma…"
Seeing blood squirt out of Oluo's mouth caused her to shake her head. When was he going to learn that when it came to talking and working, he was terrible.
"Don't talk if you cannot avoid bleeding."
Childish as it was, Alise could not help but to stick her tongue out at him. He had learned his lesson, but if she was going to be a good teacher, she needed to catch up to Eld. The whole point was to take down Levi's squad. Coming in second place was out of the question. If anything, it would have made her look like she did not know what she was doing.
Before Eld could reach the eighth target, Alise closed in on him. She had allowed herself to drop low only so that she could propel herself forward better. It was a technique that she had seen in the past and added her own touch to it. Instead of using gas to move herself forward, Alise flung herself forward as if she was in a sling shot. The gliding felt nice and when she reached a certain meter, she used her gear once more. A kick of gas helped give her the edge she needed, and she founded herself cutting into the target and few seconds before Eld.
The only thing that mattered now was maintaining the lead. Eld had tried to get a head of her a few times, but Alise was not allowing him the pleasure. She altered techniques to give herself a better edge until she finally secured her victory. Once the last target was cut into, Alise landed on the ground. The group had ended up back at the starting line, but her victory was not important. Alise's eyes stayed glue on the tree tops in search of Maya. Oluo had landed not too long after Eld. The battle for fourth was a tight race. Maya and Petra were neck and neck, but Maya was not backing down. At the last second, she managed to land on the ground right before Petra did.
"Good job Maya."
"Captain I didn't do that well. She beat me to the last target."
"In that matter you came in fifth. I never said you had to beat her in that regards. I just said be faster than two of them. You passed her up when it mattered the most."
Just as she finished complimenting Maya, an unexpected comment caused her to turn around.
"Pathetic."
Levi's comment was to the point. While she had thought he was speaking badly about Maya, she noticed that his attention was on his squad.
"Sorry."
Petra had been the first to speak up and the woman did not look happy that she had disappointed him.
"Squad Leader Levi, your squad was tired. We just took advantage of their weakness. Any other day I am sure they would have passed the two of us up."
Why she was suddenly taking up for them was beyond her knowledge. Some of her just did not want to see them getting yelled at. No one could be perfect all of the time.
"I am sure if we do it again, we will pass them up. I have more energy now."
Alise listened to Oluo's words and let out a low grunt. Even if he was fully energized he would not be able to pass her up. Her pride would not allow her to fall to him, and her skill would always guarantee her victory.
Even though she wanted to walk away, Alise could not allow herself to leave on this note. She had to do something to boost his squad's ego. After all, they were the elite squad and Alise did not need them second guessing themselves.
"Here I thought you said Xevera's squad was full of worthless people. All I am hearing is excuses from your squad. I wonder if this stems from their captain."
The look Levi gave her sent a chill through her body. While she should have felt intimidated she could not help but to smile. She had experienced his looks in the past and they were not going to make her take back her words.
"That does nothing to me. If you want me to change my opinion then let's run the course. If you lose then maybe I will tell Commander Erwin that Xevera is a better fit for Eren."
That was the final insult that pushed Levi a bit over the edge. The only positive side that she saw was that she was not about to spar with him. With what she had said, she was certain he would have broken her nose or even her ribs. While he would have done some damage to her, she would not let him walk away unharmed. Time on the streets had made her tough and the Training Corps only added to her technique.
Once they were at the starting line, Alise did not allow Levi to get a head of her. She stayed close at his heels until they had vanished into the trees. When she was certain that they were out of sight, she began to slow up. It was best if he won this for his squad. Maya would not think any different of her and even if she did, Alise did not care.
After the third target, she had lost sight of Levi and figured that he was far in the lead. Only when she was certain that she would not see him, did she allow herself to speed up. Before she could reach the fifth target, she noticed Levi was perched on the side of a tree with an unamused look on his face. His expression forced her to perch on a tree across from him to hear what was going through his mind.
"You are actions and shameful. What do you think you are doing?"
"I am allowing you to win. Your squad needs their ego to be boosted if they are going to continue to perform well."
"Throwing a race won't boost anyone's ego."
"I didn't say I was trying to boost your ego. I am just looking out for your squad."
"My squad is for me to worry about. Their loss is their own fault. If you want to do anything for them, allow them to learn from their mistakes."
She was babying his squad in a sense. Throwing a race would not make them better people. While she hoped it would, she should have known better. The best lessons sometimes came from being defeated.
"Fine, I will give you a race."
"Stop holding back. I want to see why Commander Erwin gave you a high recommendation."
Alise knew what Levi was talking about. Commander Erwin had spoken to her a while back about joining Squad Levi. It was a high honor, but she could not bring herself to leave Xevera. She needed to protect her sister all the time. On top of that, she doubted her nerves would even allow her to be that close to him. This mild race had caused her to feel a bit nervous and she was not even close to him. Hearing that Levi wanted to see what she had to offer, meant that she could not disappoint him.
"I won't go easy on you Squad Leader."
Instead of allowing Levi to move first, Alise took off. It came as no surprise that Levi had managed to catch up to her. She had only maintained the lead for one of the Titans. Whenever she felt like she would strike first, Levi was there. The techniques she had used earlier were not helping her get ahead. With the challenge he had offered her, Alise was not going down easily. Levi had beaten her to the last target, but she was determined to land at the finish line first. Matching his speed was not that hard of a challenge, getting in front of him was the true challenge.
A sudden opening forced Alise to give it her all. She had been on her way to land on the ground first when Levi suddenly appeared in front of her. There was enough time for her to maneuver out of the way. Levi's sudden move caught her off guard to the point that she forgot to move. Levi's feet had just touched the ground when she found herself slamming into the side of him.
"Alise!"
"Captain!"
Their bodies had begun to roll on impact and when they finally stopped, Alise found herself on top. This was the last time she figured that she would ever be on top. As she moved to sit up, she noticed that she was straddling him. Her eyes moved over his body and then up to his face. Levi did not look please, but she was certain that he could have looked angrier.
"This is your own fault."
Alise had not moved to get off of him. This position was not all that bad. From here she felt like she was in control. Finally, she was able to dominate Levi, even if it was by sheer accident.
"Don't blame your mistake on me."
"It is not a mistake if I am on top."
No sooner had the words left her mouth, Alise found herself being tossed onto her back. Her eyes looked up towards Levi and she got the message. It was clear that he did not like being dominated. Even if she did manage to dominate him, it would be because he allowed it.
"Captain are you okay?"
Petra had not bothered to hide the concern in her eyes. His other squad members did not seem all that worried and she wondered if she was missing something. Instead of reflecting on the matter, Alise turned towards Maya who offered her a hand up.
"Thanks Maya."
"That was pretty cool Alise. Not a lot of people have been able to knock Levi onto his back."
"I doubt something like that will ever happen again. Always remember that someone from our worthless squad was able to put him on his back. Since your training is done, I think it is best if we head back to base. I am really hungry, and you need to shower."
As Alise parted from the training area, she took one last look at Levi. She didn't know when he started watching her and she did not care. Her decision to not join his squad was wise. Xevera was right, she had not gotten over her crush. The minor contact reminded her that she still liked him. More than anything she had learned that his body actually felt nice. While her mind wanted to wonder back to being on top, she stopped herself. It was better to remember that she was one of the few people that managed to get him on his back. Mistake or not, it was an achievement that not many people had. If she really wanted to brag about it, she needed to do it during a sparring match. Despite the damage he would do, dominating him again was too tempting to pass up.
