A/N: Shit's about to go down and go down HARD! I'm sorry that I had to do this to you all but it's been so long since Levi let loose a little. I'm sorry for any future scarring this my impose upon you after this chapter. Good luck though! Please don't forget to favorite and follow the story if you like it.
CELICA'S POV
"What do you mean, Heichou?" I asked even though I already knew where this was going.
He slipped his own jacket off and tossed it onto the edge where he was previously sitting. The look I saw in his eyes said everything without him needing to speak. He explained regardless.
"You still have one more opponent." He stated and everyone else's face instantly paled. "Me." He loosened his cravat by a hair before moving to stand before me. Was he expecting me to back down? Oh, hell no. I was not about to pass up this golden opportunity.
"Do the same rules apply?" I asked, feeling my hands clench into loose fists.
"No. I decide when you will tap." He stated, his expression never changing. I didn't like this one bit. Was this him getting back at me for last night? It had to be. Otherwise I doubt he would involve himself like this.
"Understood, Heichou. However..." He narrowed his eyes at me. "What if you happen to get dirty in the process?" I asked, glancing at the various layers of dirt that had collected on the others' clothing.
"Then you will scrub every one of uniforms as punishment." Yep, definitely payback for last night.
If I backed down, he would label me as a coward. If I didn't I would be forced to fight him and risk ruining his uniform. Either way, I was caught between a rock and a hard place. It also didn't help that he had just watched my fighting style and I knew nothing of his hand to hand abilities. Judging from his record though with titans, it wasn't too far fetched to believe that he was equally skilled in hand to hand as well.
"Understood." I said, coiling my body tight. I truly didn't have a choice in this matter and there was no point in arguing.
I took a few steps back and brought up my defense, wondering how in the hell I was supposed to fight this man. He had psyched me out already with the fear of the unknown and if I couldn't think of something soon then I would be toast. I hesitated, unsure where to even begin. He would see a punch coming a mile away. Maybe I could get him with speed. No, I already know how unnaturally fast he is. This was not going to end well for me regardless.
"Oi. Aren't you going to strike?" He questioned, a dark look entering his eyes. "If you aren't, then I will."
He moved forward at almost break-neck speed. I barely had time to block by the time his fist connected with my body. Luckily, he only caught my arm and not my torso. He pulled back to strike again but I was able to dodge this time.
Just watch him. Anticipate his moves. Wait for an opening. All these things kept repeating in my head as I struggled to avoid his fists. It seemed like he was only getting faster with every movement. He was starting to push me back and it was getting more difficult to focus than it already was. I felt a sharp pain in my ribs and realized that I had left my side completely unguarded. My breath labored as the pain spread and my legs shook under my own weight. He swept a leg under me and I fell to the ground. Standing at my feet, he looked down at me with disappointed eyes.
"He who strikes first wins." He stated plainly. This was my chance. I hooked my feet around his ankle and pulled him down to the ground with me.
"That's not always true, Heichou." I retorted as I watched him fall.
He landed hard on his side and I briefly saw the look of shock in eyes. I used this opportunity to regain some of my lost distance, popping my leg over my head and flipping backwards until I was content with the amount of ground between us. However, he collected himself faster than I expected and quickly chased me down. He pulled back a fist and I managed to catch his wrist as he followed through. Snapping his arm down without lessening my grip, I quickly threw an elbow into between his shoulder blades.
He gasped at the impact and I let go of his wrist only to reach for the front of his shirt, snapping him back upright in a burst of movement and landing a fist in his face. My first blood against him.
He stumbled back, gathering himself and standing upright. He ran a hand gently across his face, an evil gleam reaching his eyes. I paled when I saw his mouth contort into an equally menacing tight lipped smile.
Holy shit. What the fuck have I just done? I must a death wish at this point because he was surely about to kill me.
He chuckled darkly after seeing my inner panic reach my eyes.
"Cheeky little shit." He spat. "It's been a while since anyone has been able to hit me like that." He tugged hard at his cravat, pulling it roughly from around his neck, tossing it into the dirt. Undoing the first few buttons of his shirt and rolling up his sleeves, he pulled out a knife from his back pocket.
"Playtime's over, brat." He opened the knife and took up a protective stance. "Let's see how you do when your life is on the line." He threatened, his voice lowering dangerously. He sprang forward, the edge of the blade facing me as he swung it along with his punches.
I could see the visible amount of anger in his eyes and knew I was truly and irrefutably fucked. I had nothing to use in defense against him and it would only be a matter of time before he nailed me. I had to think of something and fast.
I felt my feet trip up under me and I fell back, missing the blade as it swung above my face by a fraction of an inch. I pushed off backwards with my hands as they touched the ground, swinging my legs with me. I caught his knife wielding hand with my foot and saw him lose his grip on it. As my feet touched soft dirt once more, I lunged myself at him before he could reach for the knife once more. His fingertips grazed the handle as I tackled him, pushing him back to the ground with me.
In an instant, I was on top of him and sent my fist flying forward and he caught my hand in a crushing grip. I went to strike with my free hand and he caught that one as well. It was stand off now as my arms threatened to buckle against his strength. I couldn't help but notice though the shimmer in his eyes as we stared each other down. He looked like he was thoroughly enjoying this. Sadistic bastard.
He suddenly released one my hands and leaned up to grab my shirt, pulling me to the side violently and turning his body with mine. He hovered over me as I placed a boot to his chest, trying to maintain at least some distance from him even though he clearly had the upper hand still.
An idea popped into my head as I grasped his shoulders, still pushing against his chest as I forced him over my head. I shoved him off and made a break for the forgotten knife. I gripped it tightly in my hand, turning back around on the balls of my feet to face the captain as he charged head first at me. I swung for him and watched carefully as he dodged each of my strikes, the blade shining brightly in the mid morning sun.
I kicked out at him as he tried dodging around me and I felt my leg connect with the back of his knees, sending him tumbling down to the ground. I couldn't hesitate any longer. I had to force him to end this one way or another. I turned my body full circle, changing legs and connecting another kick with his back and forced him back down. Quickly I placed my boot into the center of his back as I knelt over him and held the sharp blade to his throat.
"Got you." I stated as I felt his body stiffen under me. He quickly popped the wrist holding the blade with his own, hitting a main nerve, making me lose grip on it. The knife a safe distance away from his neck, he reached back, grabbing my shirt, and pulled me over him and onto my back. He had used my own move against me, as to be expected, in his own crazy fashion. My back hadn't hit the ground properly when I felt a elbow hit my solar pelxis hard. I felt my chest cave in from the impact for a moment, retching a wet cough from me in the process. I felt him reach for the knife but I secured it once more before I slashed upward, catching his cheek.
In a moment, he was off of me and had moved a suitable distance away. I sat up as he wiped the blood from his face. He chuckled darkly to himself and his eyes had turned to black as coal, hints of red showing as his anger manifested.
"You'll regret that." He stated. I felt my legs began to tremble and I gripped the knife tighter, pulling it across my body to reinforce my other hand behind it.
I was not about to back down yet. It wasn't just about proving myself to him anymore. It wasn't about taking a well deserved beating for what had happened the night before. He had broken the calm and strong mask that I had worn up until the day I had first spoken with him and it infuriated me. I had to prove a point to myself in this moment. That I was still me. That nothing about me had changed since I had made my decision to fight back against the cruel world I was living in. I was not weak. I did not let petty ideas of friendship and attachment hold me down. And sure as hell was not scared of any bull headed captain of mine.
I forced my body forward, feeling my anger and frustration translate into action and charged head first. He stood there watching me for a moment as I drew closer, his side facing me. I saw him clench a fist, looking away from me suddenly, and brought his arm out forward. Having only a second to react, I tried dodging behind him but his fist caught my shoulder and I lost balance. He pulled the same arm back around my neck, turning his body slightly, and shoved a boot under me. He sent me down on my back and the knife flew in the air for a moment before he quickly caught it and bored down on top of me, the tip of the blade training on my neck.
I pushed back against his arms with my own as he held the knife only a inch from my skin and I struggled under his strength. He forced the blade down a little harder and I felt the tip touch the hollow of my throat. He looked down at me, the coldness returning to his face after a moment and set it straight.
"You lose." He stated. I felt a drop of his blood fall onto my face before he pulled away and stood up off of me. I laid there for a moment in shock and exhaustion as reality set in. "Get up." He ordered.
I sat up slowly, leaning back on my hands to keep myself upright. I saw him walk over to his forgotten cravat and picked it off the ground. It was covered in a fine layer in dust and dirt. I heard him make a sound of annoyance, briefly wiping away the trailing blood on his face before turning to gather his jacket off the edge of the corral. I followed him with my eyes before looking to the other four and saw the shaken looks on their faces. Standing slowly, I could feel the adrenaline fading from my system as I willed my legs to still their trembling.
"I'm absolutely filthy thank you shithead." The captain spoke and he threw his jacket and now blood stained cravat at me. "You will wash those until they good as new as commanded earlier. I'll drop off the rest to you later." He stated. I nodded shyly and walked over, kneeling down to gather the garments in my arms.
"All of you go back and wash up. We're done for the day. Get some rest before tomorrow. We're leaving mid morning for the expedition so be prepared." We each gave him a salute before he hopped over the ledge of the corral and headed back towards HQ. I felt my legs give way once more and Petra rushed over to me.
"Are you okay?" She asked worriedly. I nodded.
"Yeah, just worn out." I explained. I hadn't expected to win but that didn't mean that I was any less happy about the outcome.
"That's was so scary to watch." She said. "I've never seen that look on Heichou's face before."
"Me either." Eld commented. "It was... unsettling. Seeing him crack like that." Auruo and Gunter both nodded in response to his words, apparently still absorbing what had just occurred in front of them.
"I thought I was a goner." I stated as I went to stand, Petra helping me to my feet and throwing my arm over her shoulder.
"Let's get you back." She said, dismissing my comment for another time. I nodded in agreement before we all head back.
