Author's Note: 'Sup ~Dreamers! So I've had a bit of a brain blast (Jimmy Neutron? anyone? well it use to be in Nickelodean back in the day, for those of you out there who didn't grow up with that channel) and when I started typing up the plot for one new chapter, I couldn't find a good stopping point, and pretty soon one chapter flowed into to, which then became three. Go figure. *in head: I wish Beyond the Horizon, my other story, would flow this easily -_-'* I guess I'll just post this one for now. The other two could be up as early as tomorrow, and as late as the day after that. You're welcome!
I still don't and probably never will own something as amazing as AOT/SNK, though it would be crazy awesome if I did ('cuz I'd be rolling in it!) so all rights reserved, yada yada.
Enjoy ~Dreamers! And don't forget to review!
It was at the end of the second week when Levi finally declared that they would finally return to the city, convinced that Petra could make the journey without passing out, as long as they took their time. The weather was getting considerably colder, and Levi knew that the arrival of the season's first snowfall was not far away. Truthfully, he had wanted to give Petra another couple of days to recover, but didn't want to make the journey should it start to snow, even if a member of their gangs wasn't injured.
Levi had told everyone over breakfast that they would be leaving for the city the next day, and to make preparations to set out at dawn. No one complained, a small part of them secretly happy to be able to return home to their friends, but Levi could clearly see everyone's reluctance to return to the district, and all the enemy gangs that surely awaited them there.
Petra tried to appear optimistic, but it was obvious she was nervous, and she had good reason to be.
A new place to call home, new people she would have to learn to trust, and an entirely new lifestyle. Now Petra would have even more people to be wary of, before they could earn her trust, and earn theirs as well. Now she would not be alone to fend for herself, but be around others who would - hopefully - have her back when all hell breaks loose, as long as she was willing to do the same for them in return. Now she would return to the life of odd jobs, stealing, and smuggling, anything necessary to get by, even if it meant taking the life of another, so that she might sustain the life of an ally.
Petra knew she wouldn't hesitate to kill if it was to save a friend when the time came. The fact that Isabel was still with them was proof of that. Still, she didn't want to think about all of the lives she was sure to take upon joining up with the Corps gang, if their name and reputation were anything to go by.
The day went by uneventfully, each member making their own preparations to return to the city.
Farlan made one final trip to the greenhouse to be sure the plants would be set for a few days, and to stock up on a little extra food before they left. He returned around noon, in order to join Hanji on a supply run, as they had again been running low on gauze and alcohol.
Petra had recommended a block of apartments she had yet to check out, warning them that the Titan population in that particular area of the city was particularly dense, hence the reason Petra had always avoided the area. She pulled out her map of the city from the supply room, and drew them a route they could easily free run, to keep them off of the streets below.
When Levi had heard of the operation, he too decided to join Farlan and Hanji, deciding the task may prove to be too difficult for only two people. Petra and Isabel would remain at the gym, readying the weapons and ammo already in their possession.
Petra grabbed her black backpack, and began to pack her things. She rolled up two pairs of jeans, and three pairs of black leggings, as well as a few long sleeved shirts, some underwear, and some sports bras. She packed an extra pairs of boots, should anything happen to her first pair, and some socks, as well as some body spray, deodorant, a toothbrush, and toothpaste she had found in during one of her supply raids in town. Petra also made sure to pack her more feminine hygiene products, not knowing when she would be returning to her home at the gym.
Next she loaded all of the handguns in her possession with ammo, checking and double checking that the safety was switched on each of them, before laying them out in a line on the table in the supply room, so that the others could choose from them later. Petra did the same with her hunting knives after polishing each one, as well as her bow and arrows.
She turned her attention to her bag, lifting it up off the table with one arm, testing its weight. While still mostly empty, Petra knew that she needed to be careful not to overstuff it, doubting she could handle much extra weight until she recovered a little more. However, she also didn't want to make it look as if she wasn't doing her part, and pulling her share of the work.
Reluctantly, she continued packing necessities, including the first aid kit she had found at the gym, now devoid of bandages, thanks to her.
After another hour of organizing, Petra had to sit down, feeling slightly winded, having not been on her feet for so long in the two weeks she had been bedridden. If just standing made her this tired, then would she really be able to travel? Petra could only hope.
Once satisfied with their preparations, Petra decided to take a shower, hoping that if she fell that Isabel would be enough to catch her. Luckily, Petra was able to remain upright, hardly needing Isabel to do little more than wash what she could not reach herself, which only included her back, a region Petra could barely clean even without a broken collarbone.
Once both of the girls were scrubbed and clean, Isabel still not use to the frigid water, they decided to eat a little something for lunch, warming up by the dwindling fire, which Isabel threw another log on, while they waited for the others to return. But after another hour of waiting, Petra grew increasingly worried, though Isabel assured her that there was nothing to worry about, because Levi was with them. At first, Petra had secretly doubted the girl's faith in her comrades, knowing that anything could happen in the hell of this new world, but then realized some.
Petra had never seen either of them fight. Sure, the older members seemed to have damn good aim, a skill that had already saved her once before from the bandits, but still. In a world with so much uncertainty, having great aim is not always enough. But as Petra thought about Levi's steely eyes and his air of confidence and power, something in her started to believe in Isabel's words.
It was just as Petra and Isabel were cleaning up after their meal that the others finally returned. Hanji and Farlan sported a few bruises and were slightly out of breath, while Levi looked unperturbed.
"What happened?" Petra asked concernedly, standing up, while Isabel ran up to them to welcome them back.
"…Free running," Hanji panted dramatically, "…takes a lot out of you."
"Yeah, and I thought I was pretty fit," Farlan breathed, though not as hard as Hanji, but probably just because of her dramatization.
"You didn't run into any Titans, did you?" Petra asked, ignoring Levi's gaze, which was trained on her.
"No, but Farlan and I fell a couple of times," Hanji admitted.
"You two are just clumsy," Levi stated plainly, as if the supply run had been little more than a work out for him, if that.
"You're just not human," Hanji complained, chugging a bottle of water. Once her thirst had been quenched, she dropped her pack in the supply room, and sat down by the fire to thaw out her limbs, which had long gone numb from the cold outside.
"But seriously, the route you mapped out for us took us directly where we wanted to go, and kept us safe from the Titans on the streets," Farlan thanked Petra, smiling gratefully while he and Levi also dumped their packs, before joining the others by the fire as well.
"Yeah, even if it was next to impossible to do," Hanji continued.
"Actually, I tried mapping you out the easiest route I could think of," Petra told Hanji, fighting back a laugh at the woman's antics. "There are plenty of shorter routes you could have taken, but a lot of them have steeper jumps and more leaping and climbing."
"You mentioned that, but really, it gets worse?" Farlan asked her, remembering Petra mention that the route would be the simplest before they had left.
"Oh god yeah," Petra admitted. "But once you get the hang of it it's a walk in the park, trust me. Even I had some trouble when I first started out."
"Did you get everything ready?" Levi asked her suddenly, changing the subject to more important matters as he began to unpack their bags of the supplies they had found in town, not bothering to sit by the fire just yet.
Petra nodded, turning serious, and informed him of everything they had accomplished that day. Levi listened intently, nodding when he was satisfied with their contributions. Petra took in his calm appearance, and thought that he must be a lot more in shape than the others, not even looking winded.
She watched as he unzipped his pack, pulling out something dark and fluffy, before chucking it at her head.
"Hey!" she protested, startled, pulling the material off of her face. When she noticed the thing was a jacket, which was a deep brown, she looked up at him, confused.
"For the winter," Levi answered her questioning expression.
"But I already have a coat," Petra told him, still confused.
"Yours is too thin, and this looks like it'll fit you fine," he told her plainly. "Just take it. It shouldn't be too difficult for you to run in."
Blushing slightly, Petra unfolded the jacket, before reluctantly throwing it over the one she already wore, and zipping it up.
The inside was furry and soft, and the sleeves stopped a little down her hands, covering them a bit, but weren't too long that they would get in the way. The jacket had a hood, and many pockets, both inside it, and out. In the larger pockets at each of her sides, where her hands were supposed to go, Petra found a matching pair of gloves. She tried them on too, glad that they were fingerless, which would make shooting a gun and pulling back an arrow that much easier.
Falling just a few inches past her hips, the coat fit her perfectly, as Levi said it would, and didn't appear to hinder her movements at all.
"Thank you," Petra said after another moment of speculation, blushing uncomfortably when she noticed she was locked in steely glare, looking her over. When his gaze met hers again, he nodded once, seemingly pleased with her appearance, before returning his attention to unpacking the rest of the days spoils from his bag. He divided everything up evenly among each individual in the group, being sure each of them had rope, a lighter should they need to make a sudden fire, a first aid kit, food, as well as ample weapons and ammo.
He left the bow and arrows for Petra, having seen that she use them well.
Even Isabel was allowed to carry a small hand gun, but not after receiving a harsh lecture from Levi about the huge responsibility required to handle such a deadly item. Petra watched as he showed her how to switch the safety on and off, as well as how to reload it, and she listened as he told Isabel to always shoot for keeps, and that once she pulls the trigger, that she needs to be prepared for the repercussions.
Once satisfied that he had scared the poor girl half to death, he switched the safety back on, and handed her the weapon, holding it with the chamber pointing out to the side.
Isabel gulped audibly, before nodding, eying the gun warily, and shakily took it by the handle.
The entire exchange greatly amused Petra, and as she watched them, Levi started to remind her of a concerned dad, or 'big bro,' as Isabel liked to call him. Now she knew why.