A/N: So this has been on my mind the last few days, so I finally just wrote it. FYI, this is probably the most depressing chapter so far, since I finally got over my reluctance to write Petra's death, but here it is. Please leave a review!

Chapter 10: One Last Request

He knew it was hopeless from the moment he saw how many soldiers sacrificed their lives in attempt to stop the female Titan. The expedition was a disaster; it was just as he had secretly predicted. Levi tried not to be a pessimist all the time, but there was no way that he could immediately put all his faith in the Jaeger boy so easily. As his closest comrades had learned over the years, it took a lot of patience, hard work, and diligence to gain his trust. Still, he had given the boy the choice to fight for himself or trust his squad mates. It had been a chance he had been reluctant to give, but he did it anyway. Now, looking down at his fallen comrades, he deeply regretted it.

Gunter, Auruo, Erd, then…Petra. Levi stopped and gazed down at her from atop a tree branch, his breath getting caught in his throat. He could shed any tears or display any outward emotion. As soldiers, they had all prepared for this day many years before. They had all long been numbed at the sight of seeing dead comrades and friends. Even lovers. Letting his eyes slide slowly shut, Levi tried to push the image of her broken body away. Now was not the time to be grieving, not when there was a rampant Titan on the loose.

It was a reckless move, but Levi didn't bother to hold back as he zipped through the endless forest of towering trees. The bitch had killed his entire squad in cold blood. She had left Petra crushed like a broken doll against a tree. No, he couldn't think about her right now. He couldn't let his personal feelings interfere with his duty as a soldier. Images of her golden hair and amber eyes flashed through his mind; her warm smile, her embracing arms, her sweet kisses… Levi gritted his teeth, mentally blocking away all of them. He couldn't face that now.

It wasn't long before he ran into the Ackerman girl. He didn't say much; his mind was still too distracted. But when he saw the female Titan running ahead of them, he couldn't help but let out the pent up rage and frustration that had begun to bubble up from within him. A harsh growl emanated from deep in his throat as he dove straight at her, cutting through her tough sinewy muscles. His body completely went on automatic as he slashed at her again and again, the images of Petra returning to him once again. This time he didn't push her out, instead using them as more motivation to stoke the fire that blazed and roared from the bottom of his black heart.

Levi finally was shocked back to reality as soon as Mikasa flew towards the female Titan in hopes of getting an opening. He inwardly cursed when he felt his ankle crack as he pushed back against the Titan's hand that came up, nearly smashing her into a nearby tree. When he looked at her, about to chastise her for her stupidity, he saw something that deeply frightened him. Her eyes burned with a fiery passion of emotion for the Jaeger boy. Part of him broke at that moment, wondering if he too had that same look in his eyes. Showing emotion made you weak, and he could be anything but weak. It was part of the reasons why they had kept their relationship so tightly under wraps. If it had gotten out that the stone-cold captain of the Survey Corps held affections for one of his subordinates…well of course there was a plethora of other, direr reasons it would be bad for such a fact to get out, but either way people respected him for his inhuman reputation. He was often portrayed as humanity's greatest hope, and it would be better if he remained as an untouchable figure. Because humans made mistakes, and humanity's strongest couldn't afford to make a mistake. The fate of mankind rested on his shoulders.

Levi did, however, allow himself a moment of weakness when they returned to gather all of those that had fallen in battle. The others gave him his space as he stood in the same clearing where his squad had been hopelessly killed. He didn't say anything, but inwardly he grieved, hoping with his entire being that wherever they all went, it was a much better place. He lingered before Petra's body, staring down at her, trying to soak in all of her one last time before they wrapped her up. His heart leapt into his throat when he realized she was indeed still breathing, albeit barely. Only the slightly rise in her throat gave it away. Levi quickly knelt down before her, outstretching his arms to embrace her but then restraining himself, not wanting to harm her any more than she already was. It wouldn't be long before she slipped from his grasp.

"Petra," he choked out, his entire body shaking. He dropped his head against his chest, covering his eyes with his raven hair.

"L-Levi," she whispered back. Tears glazed over her eyes, threatening to pour out from among her eyelashes.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I couldn't even protect you. I failed you, the entire squad, I –"

Petra stopped him from his rant by breathing out his name once more. Already she had turned deathly pale, her cheeks nearly completely drained of their usual pink.

"I know," she said, blinking away her tears. "But Captain, I have one last request, if you can bear it."

Levi's head shot up, his eyes red and his brow more furrowed than usual as he tried holding back the storm of emotions pent up in his chest. "Anything. Anything for you, Petra."

The warmest of smiles curled her lips, flooding him with memories of the little moments they had shared together. "Can you kiss me?"

Levi was taken aback at her statement, although all strain in his face faded away in a second. He leaned closer to her, cupping her cheek in his palm. He had restrained himself all this time, never getting closer to her than what was hardly permitted, only ever embracing briefly before expedition or times of strife; brushes of skin, just little gestures of affection. Levi allowed himself a genuine smile, the tiniest lift to the corner of his mouth, something he only ever allowed her to see, the weak side of him.

"Only for you," he murmured into her ear before gently pressing his lips against hers. Levi felt as if his heart could burst right that moment. He wished more than anything that they could stay like this, together, for the rest of eternity. He wanted to turn his blade around and run it through his body, just so he could join her wherever it was that she went. He wanted more, more than what the life they were living in could ever offer.

They separated a few seconds later, the kiss being brief but filled with more love and emotion than either could attempt to describe. Tears stained her cheeks, mixing with the blood that was splattered across the right side of her face. Levi held her until she left him, not a minute after. It was then that he let his tears finally come, a lonely stream that fell against the front of his jacket. This was what they had dedicated their lives to, and he intended to hold his promise to fight for humanity until the Titans were eradicated. Then he would soon join her.

"I'll always love you, Petra."