One Month
"That's a good girl," Rain said while stroking Flame down with a wet rag. "You love your baths, don't you?"
Flame bobbed her head up and down as if she was saying yes.
"You're so funny." Rain giggled.
"Geez! Do you always talk to those horses like that?" Isabel asked.
"Huh?" Rain turned her eyes to find that Isabel and Farlan had walked up to the barn without her hearing them.
"You sure get distracted when you're taking care of the horse," Farlan said. "It's like you're obsessed with them or something."
Rain opened her mouth to reply but was stopped when Isabel said, "Of course she is obsessed with them. They're her only friends after all."
Rain gritted her teeth. The horses were her friends but she did have others.
"Isabel," Farlan said.
"Don't Isabel me," Isabel said. "You know it's true."
"Well, yeah…sort of," Farlan said.
"I have friends," Rain said. "They're just not soldiers. So you never see them around here."
"Sure whatever," Isabel said.
"Where's Levi?" Rain asked before she could stop herself.
"What do you care?" Isabel crossed her arms. "You better not try anything with him. He'll kill you if you do."
"I wasn't going to do anything like that," Rain said, dipping her rag into the water bucket. "I was just asking a question. I don't really care where he is."
"If you don't care then you should have asked," Isabel said.
"Look!" Rain spun and stomped over to the girl. "I just asked, okay?! There's nothing wrong with that at all! What is your problem?!"
"My problem is you!" Isabel snapped. "I don't want you having anything to do with my brother! I don't want you interested in him!"
"I'm not interested in him!" Rain said.
"Then why did you asked about him?! And why do you keep looking at him?!" Isabel demanded. "I know you are! I see you all the time glancing at him!"
"Oh, I don't know," Rain said, crossing her arms to match Isabel's stance. "Maybe because we're on the same team here? We have to know each other at least a little bit."
"We might be on the same team, but we're not the same!" Isabel said. "We got forced into doing this! You're getting pampered all the way through!"
"I am not being pamper!" Rain said, dropping her clenched fists to her sides. Anger flooded through her, heating her chest like a bonfire. She was getting so sick of being accused of being pampered. She was anything but pampered. And if people really knew her dad they would know that. "I work far harder than anyone else here!"
"Yeah right!" Isabel said. "We have seen what your dad does! He baby's you all the time!"
"You haven't seen anything!" Rain said. "My dad trains me harder than anyone else because I'm diff-his daughter!"
Isabel scoffed. "If he really trains you that hard then let us watch you."
"You can't," Rain said.
"Why not? What are you hiding?" Isabel asked.
"I'm not hiding anything," Rain lied.
"If you weren't hiding anything then your training shouldn't be a secret," Isabel said. "So show us."
"No," Rain said flatly.
"Adam's right," Isabel said. "You do think you're better than anyone else."
"Adam doesn't know anything about me." Tears stung Rain's eyes. "I do not think I'm better than anyone else! I'm just different! And if you only knew why you wouldn't be saying that! So you just shut up! You don't know anything!"
"I know enough!" Isabel took a step forward. "You're nothing but a spoiled, good for nothing-"
"All right! That is enough!" Farlan stepped between the girls before punches could be thrown. "Isabel, you are going way too far!"
"Me?!" Isabel looked stung.
"You started this stupid fight over a simple question," Farlan said.
"She had no right to ask about Levi!" Isabel said.
"She has every right!" Farlan said. "I know how we got into this mess but Rain does have a point! We're soldiers together in the some Corps! We have to at least get along well enough to do our jobs! It's only a few more months before we have to go out behind the walls! If you two are going to bicker like this when we go beyond that walls we might as well throw ourselves directly to the titans to be eaten!"
Isabel relaxed. "But…"
"It's enough, Isabel," Farlan said. "We all have our missions here. So just stop this senseless argument. I don't like her anymore than you do, but that doesn't change the fact we're on the same team. Let's just get our horses and get to training before we get yelled at by our superior."
"Fine." Isabel pushed passed Farlan and entered the barn.
Rain closed her eyes. Her fists trembled by her sides. Ignoring the young man still standing beside her, she whispered, "Why can't I just be normal? Why does this keep happening?"
Several seconds passed before Farlan finally said, "Look, I'm sorry about all of that. Isabel can just be very protective of me and Levi."
"Whatever," Rain said, turning back to her horse. "Just leave me alone."
She heard Farlan sigh before his footsteps faded away into the barn. She placed her hand on her face with a sigh of her own. "Stupid. You got too emotional over something so stupid. Dad wouldn't be pleased when he hears about this."
Flame brushed her head against Rain's shoulder as if telling the girl that it was all right. The simple move made her feel a little better. She stroked the mare gently. "Thanks, Flame. You can always make me feel better."
…
"Isabel, getting into a fight with Erwin Smith's daughter is the last thing we need," Levi said after Farlan had told him what had happened.
"Tattletale." Isabel glared at Farlan.
Levi growled at her. Before speaking again he waited for a couple soldiers to pass by them. He then scanned his eyes out over the training ground. Some soldiers were up in the trees while others were doing hand to hand combat training. With the distance between them and the sounds they were making they shouldn't be heard by any of them. "I don't care what she said or asked of you. Do not engage in a fight with her."
"It's not like I can't handle myself," Isabel said.
"You think that because you haven't fought her yet," Levi said.
"What's that suppose to mean?!" Isabel demanded. "Are you saying she's stronger than I am?!"
"That's exactly what I'm saying," Levi said.
"You're so mean!" Tears gathered at the corner of Isabel's eyes.
"It's the truth. There will always be someone stronger than you are," Levi said. "It's just a fact of life. Don't let your own strength go to your head. You're just as capable of dying or making a mistake as anyone else."
"Fine," Isabel said as she stomped away from them. "I'm going back to training."
"That girl is going to get us into trouble," Levi said, watching Isabel mount her horse.
"Levi," Farlan said, earning the man's attention. "I think there's something else you should know."
"What's that?" Levi asked.
"Right after the fight, I heard Rain saying she wished she was normal," Farlan said. "What do you think she meant by that?"
Levi kneaded his eyebrows. "How should I know? Maybe she doesn't want to be a soldier?"
"If that was the case she should be able to just tell her dad that," Farlan said. "Becoming a member of the Survey Corps isn't mandatory. People come here because they want to."
"Then I don't have a clue at all," Levi said. "Can anyone really tell what's on a girl's mind?"
"Maybe not," Farlan said. "I don't know why it's bothering me that I heard her say that."
"You don't care about her, do you?" Levi asked.
"Of course not," Farlan said. "I mean not in the way you might think. I only care that she doesn't find out what we're up to. Isabel could have slipped up and told her our plans."
"She won't do that again," Levi said. "Just ignore Rain completely if you have to."
"Right." Farlan nodded. "We might as well get back to work as then."
Levi nodded in agreement. Firing his gear, he took off into the trees to get some practice in killing titans in. He spent a few hours doing that before noticing Rain had shown up with Mike and Hange with her. He hung from the tree for a few minutes, watching the trio, before lowing back down to the ground where he leaned back against the tree with his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes were locked onto Rain. The girl was now standing in the middle of another training session with thirty soldiers fighting her. He watched as she stepped up on a soldier's bent knee to launch herself into the air. With her wooden swords in her hands, she spun like a top knocking down at least ten men before wildly striking out at those still standing.
"Wow," Farlan said, walking over to Levi with Isabel. "She really is amazing. We've been here a month and she seems to just keep getting better and better."
"She's annoying," Isabel said.
Levi cast a glance at his friends. "She's nothing but reckless."
"What do you mean?" Isabel asked.
"Just look at her." Levi turned his eyes back to Rain. "Her moves are really erratic. So much so it's nearly impossible to tell what she's going to do next."
"So?" Isabel prompted.
"I highly doubt that Erwin would teach her to be so reckless," Levi said. "Such recklessness can cause problems when we're out in the fields and fighting titans."
"This is odd coming from you," Farlan said.
"I don't take risks like this," Levi said. "And I have no intention of taking risks that will get you two killed. If she pulls this kind of stunts beyond the walls she's liable to get people killed."
"Perhaps," Farlan said. "Or perhaps this type of recklessness is what this troop needs."
"What?! Are you defending her?!" Isabel asked.
"Of course not!" Farlan replied. "I'm just saying that she might be able to help keep us live while we're out there! And maybe we can get her to tell us something about the documents her dad has!"
"Keep it down," Levi said. "Someone's going to hear you. And we've already discussed this. You know Erwin isn't going to let her just be friends with whoever she wants."
"I'm still confused as to why he's so protective of her and why you know who is so interested in her," Isabel said. "She's nothing special."
"Or maybe we just haven't seen what's special about her," Farlan said.
"What do you mean?" Isabel asked.
"Haven't you noticed that we've only seen her with buns on her head and her straw hat?" Farlan asked.
"So?" Isabel narrowed her eyebrows.
"Haven't you ever asked why she keeps doing that with her hair?" Farlan asked.
"Not really. Is there a point to this?" Isabel asked.
"Don't you think she might be hiding something?" Farlan asked.
"Under her hair and a hat?" Isabel frowned. "Are you kidding?"
"It's possible," Farlan said.
"You're a moron," Isabel said. "What could she possible be hiding? Horns? Maybe a tail? Maybe a couple more eyes or ears?"
"I don't know," Farlan said with an exasperated groan. "I just find it odd."
"It's just a hat and some hair," Isabel said. "Let it go."
"Hey! Guys!" Adam called as he ran up to them.
"What's going on?" Farlan asked.
"Some of us were thinking about having a small picnic down by the river after training today," Adam said. "What do you think? You want to come with us?"
"A picnic sounds great!" Isabel cheered, earning a look of disapproval from Farlan. "What? We're going to have to eat after this anyway."
"Levi?" Farlan looked to their leader.
"You can do what you wish," Levi said before walking off.
"We'll be there then!" Isabel said.
A couple hours later, the younger members of the Survey Corps had left their home and headed for the river. Isabel stretched out her arms before dropping onto her back. The grass was still warm from the sun. "Now this feels so great! Much better than having Rain around! If only Big Bro came with us instead of heading back to the room!"
"Isabel," Farlan warned.
"What?! I'm just saying the truth!" Isabel said.
"What happened?" Adam asked, sitting down on the blanket one of the female soldiers threw out.
"We got into a bit of a fight," Isabel said. "She really is a brat."
"Told you so," Adam said.
"She's not a brat because you don't like her," a female soldier said.
"And your name is?" Isabel asked.
"Lena," she replied.
"That's right," Isabel said. "I've heard your name before."
"We've occasionally been out on the training field together," Lena said. "But we don't get much time to talk when we're training."
"Nice to meet you." Isabel nodded.
"Do you like Rain or something?" Farlan asked.
"I don't really know her," Lena said. "She's not the easiest to get to know. But I don't believe she's spoiled. Captain Erwin isn't the type of man to do that to his child. Rain works really hard. I've seen her coming back from her training sessions with him really worn out." She opened a basket and handed out sandwiches. "I just think we shouldn't judge her became we only know part of her story."
Adam scoffed and swiped his sandwich away from her. "You're just too soft. She is a brat. Plain and simple."
"Can we just not talk about her?" Farlan asked.
"This sandwich is so good despite not having meat in it!" Isabel mumbled around the bite in her mouth. "These vegetables are really fresh!"
"Swallow before you speak," Farlan said.
"But it is good!" Isabel said.
"Thanks," Lena said. "My mom really loves too cook. I learned it from her."
"You can cook for me any time," Isabel said.
"Maybe I can," Lena said. "We can go to my parents house and I can cook you all a real meal."
"Count me out if you're going to invite Rain," Adam said, leaning back on the ground with his sandwich still in hand.
"I agree," Isabel said.
Lena sighed. "I was just trying to be nice."
"Well, it's your offer so you can do what you want," Farlan said.
"She probably won't come anyway," Adam said, taking a bite of his sandwich.
"Well, there's no hurry in deciding," Lena said. "It's probably going to be a while before we can do that anyway. I at least hope to do it before we go out beyond the walls."
"Last Supper kind of thing, huh?" Adam laughed.
"Just shut up!" Lena said, tears gathering in her eyes. "We're not going to die!"
"There's a high chance of it," Adam said with another laugh. "You knew that went you signed up."
"You're such a jerk!" Lena shouted.
"Don't worry, Lena," Isabel said. "We have Big Bro with us. No one's going to die."
"Wishful thinking will get you no where," Adam said. "We'll see how many we lose on this mission. Just a couple more months."
The group looked up at the wall, all wondering who was going to return and who was going to die on their first time out.
…
Rain panted as she continued to strike out repetitively at the training post. Being out in the field, she shot up into the air before dive bombing one of the posts. The grey clouds above scattered rain down upon her, soaking her hair and clothes. It fit her gloomy mood. She was still upset about the fight she had gotten into with Isabel a couple days ago. Mostly she was upset at how she had almost told them why she was different. But also because her dad gotten a little upset with her for a while. She had admitted everything to him. And he had given her a warning to just stay away from them and had her do extra training as a punishment then head to bed without seeing Flame.
Angry with herself for letting Isabel get to her like that, she sliced the top half of a post off and kicked it into the air. Aiming her swords down towards the ground, she continued to kick the post piece up and down in the air. After twenty kicks, she launched it into the air, followed it, and then sliced it into multiple pieces before it sprinkled down to the ground below.
"All right, Rain," Erwin called up to her. "That'll be enough for today."
Rain lowered herself down to the ground. Her chest heaving up and down, rain mixed with her sweat.
"You all right, Rain?" Erwin asked, examining her slightly red face. "You look a little red."
"I'm all right," Rain said. "Just a bit tired. It's nothing a hot shower and a hot cup of tea won't cure. Possibly a nap as well."
"Then let's get back to the headquarters," Erwin said. "This rain doesn't look like it's going to stop any time soon. And it's possible it's going to develop into a storm."
"Okay." Rain nodded. Putting up her swords and her wings, she followed her dad over to their horses. They swung up on the saddles and headed back to the barn.
"Hey, you two," Ross said upon their return. The sound of the hooves on the concrete stopped as they did. "How did training go today?"
"It went well," Erwin said, climbing off his horse.
Rain followed suit. But in her tired state she slipped and half fell off.
"Whoa, easy there," Ross said, grabbing Rain's arm. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Rain said. "Just a little tired. Could you take care of Flame for me?"
"Sure thing," Ross said. "I'll take care of the horses."
"Thanks, Ross," Rain said.
"Thank you," Erwin said. Father and daughter then headed for the headquarters. Luckily, the rain had lightened up, giving them more of a dry walk, not that it mattered since they were already soaked. Once inside the building they went straight up to their room. He headed for his room to change out of his wet clothes, while Rain headed for her room for clothes to take a shower.
When she had her clothes, Rain went into the bathroom. Just as she was about to disrobe a knock came on their door. She stepped out of the bathroom in time to see Erwin opening the main door. It was a couple soldiers her dad frequently associated with. One said, "Hey, Erwin! We're heading out for a drink. Would you like to join us? We're all off duty right now."
"Go ahead, daddy," Rain said when he glanced back at her. "You don't get to hang out with the guys all that much."
"You sure?" Erwin asked.
"I'm sure." Rain nodded. "You need to relax sometimes too."
"All right," Erwin said. "I'll be back later. Hange should be in her room if you need anything."
Rain nodded again and waved. She waited until her dad was gone before going back to her shower. The hot water felt relaxing on her skin. Six minutes had passed before she finally grabbed the shampoo and actually took her shower. Stepping out of the bathroom she headed for her dad's room, her body heavy with tiredness. A strong desire to wear one of her dad's shirt had filled her chest. So she pulled out one of his white button up shirts and put it on and left it untucked. She then left the room in search for a hot cup of tea. That led her down to the dinning hall where hot coffee was thick in the room. Looking around she found several soldiers sitting around drinking coffee and tea. When it rained this typically happened. The soldiers flocked to the dinning hall for the hot beverages. So she moved to the line to get her own. As she passed by the soldiers they, like always, spoke about her.
"Look at her," one said. "She's wearing her dad's shirt again."
"Just ignore her," another said. "She's nothing but a freak. What normal girl wears men's clothing?"
"You're right."
"How can her Captain Erwin allow her to be like that?"
Rain sighed. Her dad didn't mind her at all wearing his shirts. Ignoring them, she poured herself a cup of steaming hot tea and took a seat in the corner of the room. There she let the steam rush over her already hot face. A light tickle settled in around her eyes. She could tell from that feeling she was getting sick. "Just great. That's all I need."
She took a small gulp of the tea. The hot liquid warmed her chest as it slid down to her stomach. It made her feel a little better, but she still wanted to go back to her room and curl under the blanket. While finishing her tea, she listened to the rain pinging off the window nearby. And for a second she thought she heard the distant rumble of thunder. She looked out the window for sighs of lightning but never saw any. Still, she finished up her tea, returned the cup, and headed back towards her room.
Walking down the hall, Rain felt her body become heavier. She had to place her hand on the wall to steady herself. Her legs became noodles. She slid down the wall and sat there, pressing her hot forehead against the cool surface. People walked by her. She could feel their presence and see their blurry bodies passing her by. It was typical. Not a single one of them cared. The jerks. Then one person did stop. Looking up at them she saw it was Levi. She panted, watching as he bent down to her level. "What do you-"
Rain flinched when Levi's hand appeared on her forehead. She tensed, expecting…well, she didn't know what to expect exactly. Part of her thought he was going to hit her while another part of her thought no way he could be that heartless.
"You have a fever," he said.
"Good observation," Rain said, pushing his hand away. "What next? You going to tell me my hair is red?" She pushed herself to her feet, only to stumbled forward into a strong chest. It was Levi again. "I'm fine. Let go."
"Technically, I'm not touching you," Levi said. "You're the one who leaned into me."
"I didn't lean into you at all," Rain said. She pushed away from him and braced herself against the wall.
"Fine. You stumbled into me," Levi said. "Either way, it's your fault."
"Well, excuse me for being sick," Rain said. Frowning, she pushed off the wall and walked around him. Her head spun, as did the world around her. Dropping her knees, she heaved.
"Pathetic," Levi said.
"Shut up," Rain said. "Just go-Hey!" She felt her body becoming suddenly light when strong arms appeared around her. Turning to her right, she found Levi's face right beside hers. Her head spun again. Only this time she didn't know if it was because she was sick or this close to Levi. She tired to free herself but she barely managed a small push against him. "Let…me go."
"Just shut up." Levi started walking. "You can barely walk. There's no way you're going to make it up the stairs to your room."
"What do you care?" Rain asked. The desire to fight back quickly vanished and she found herself resting her head on his shoulder. "You're not my friend."
Levi didn't answer. He didn't know why he was doing this. He was trying to kill her dad and find information on her. Casually, he scanned the hallways for other people. They really didn't need to be seen like this. As far as anyone knew Levi and his friends didn't like Rain anymore than anyone else here. Still, he continued to take her to her room.
"You really don't have to do this," Rain said just as they reached the stairs. She breathed in his scent. He smelt of horses so she figured he must have been with one at some point. But had no idea when that would have been since she and her dad just came back from the stables about thirty minutes ago. His hair and clothes didn't appear wet but he could have changed them too.
"Just shut up," Levi said. "I'm already half way up the stairs. No point in leaving you here now."
Rain couldn't argue with that. Plus she was too tired to. So she resigned herself to let him carrying her to her room.
"Which one is it?" Levi asked.
"That one." Rain pointed down to the corner of the hall to the last door. "It's unlocked."
Once there Levi didn't hesitate to enter into the room. He followed her directions when she pointed to the door on the right side of the room. The door was open so he went right inside. He then paused.
"What is it?" Rain looked up to see him looking out her window.
"I'm not surprised to see that you can see the stables from your room," Levi said.
"Yeah, well," Rain placed her head back on his shoulder as her eyes started falling closed, "you can thank dad for that. He moved us up here when I got old enough for my own room." She chuckled. "I can't believe I told you…that."
Levi looked down to see that she had fallen asleep. Her cheeks were a redder than they were downstairs. Pulling his attention away from her, he moved over to her bed and laid her down. He debated on whether or not to cover her up. She didn't appear to have the chills. He did it anyway. Carefully, he pulled her blanket out from underneath her and placed it over her body. He then glanced up at Rain's hair.
Farlan's words came rushing back to him. His friend did have a point. Rain is the first girl he's ever seen to always have her hair up in buns if she wasn't wearing her straw hat. So was she hiding something? He wasn't sure. But he figured this was his only chance to figure it out. Without realizing it, his hand started reaching up for her buns. He looked at his hand then back down at her sleeping face and then back at her buns. Slowly he reached for her. His fingertips were just about to touch her hair when her hand snapped around his wrist. His eyes widened as his heart raced in his chest. She had caught him. What could he say to brush this off? That he thought she would be more comfortable with her hair down? That had to work. It had to.
Rain sat up and looked at him, her hand tight around his wrist. "What…what are you doing?"
"I was just going to take your hair down. I thought you would be more comfortable with it down," Levi said.
"Don't," Rain said. Her breath came in short, raspy breaths. "You…don't have…to…I don't…want it anymore. Just stop."
"Stop what?" Levi asked, getting the feeling she wasn't very coherent at the moment.
"I don't know," Rain said, her grip loosening. "I'm not myself. I'm…I don't feel very good."
"You're sick," Levi said. "Training in that rain didn't help anything either. You should lay back down now."
"Shut up," Rain said. She swayed before catching herself. "Why are you here?"
"I'm returning you to your room," Levi said.
"No, I…I mean in the Survey Corps," Rain said. "You don't really belong here."
"You know as well as I do that your dad forced us in here," Levi said.
"You're so stupid," Rain said. With her free hand, she placed it on Levi's chest, feeling his muscles through the fabric. "You're strong. You could have escaped."
"I think you're delirious," Levi said. "Lie down and get some rest."
Thunder boomed, rattling the window.
Rain jumped and tucked herself into his chest. Her fingers dug into his shirt and skin.
Levi tensed at her closeness. He tired to push her away from him but her hold tightened. "You're a lot stronger than you look."
More thunder caused her to jump and shiver against him.
"Or maybe it's just the thunder," Levi said, glancing over at the window. Lightning was flashing outside. He knew fears could make people do some amazing things. Before he could do anything else to try and get her off of him, thundering feet entered the room.
"What the heck are you doing to her?!"
Levi turned to see Hange standing in the doorway. The woman's hair was a mess, he wondered how it got that way for a split second before pushing it aside. "I'm not doing anything to her. She's the one who grabbed me."
"You shouldn't be in here!" Hange stomped closer to the bed. "And you certainly shouldn't be hugging her! Do you have any idea what Erwin will do to you if he sees you in his daughter's bed?! Get out! Now!"
"For starters, I'm not in her bed. I'm just sitting on the edge." Levi tried to push Rain away but she still refused to let him go. "And second, she's clinging to me and won't let go."
"Well, it's thundering," Hange said, crossing her arms. "She hates thunder."
"And third, I wouldn't have been in here at all if she didn't practically pass out downstairs," Levi said.
"She almost passed out?" Hange asked. Her eyes turned to Rain, arms dropping to her sides. Then she noticed how flushed her favorite girl looked. She stepped closer to the bed and placed her hand on Rain's forehead. "She has a fever."
"I've been trying to tell you that," Levi said. "I only meant to put her in bed and leave. Then the thunder came and she's refusing to let me go."
"Yeah, she does that," Hange said.
"What happened to her for her to be so afraid of thunder?" Levi asked.
"I don't know," Hange said. "As I'm sure you've already heard, Erwin found and adopted Rain when she was just a child."
"I have heard that." Levi nodded.
"It's possible that she might have a bad experience that occurred during a storm. She was found during a storm and she was injured. That might have something to do with it. But we'll never really know for sure," Hange said, placing her hand on Rain's shoulder. "Rain, let go of him."
"H-Hange." Rain turned her eyes to the woman.
"I'm right here," Hange said. "You can let him go now. You're not going to be alone."
"O-okay," Rain said, finally letting him go then clung to Hange when the woman sat down on the bed. "I don't…feel good."
"I know," Hange said, stroking the girl's hair. "You'll be all right. I'll take care of you from now on."
Levi stood and headed for the door.
"Thank you for taking care of her," Hange said.
Levi stopped in the doorway. He glanced back at the two women then left without a word.
…
Levi stepped out into the hallway and made his way back downstairs. There he saw some of his fellow soldiers chatting just down the hall. They spotted him. Not wanting to explain why he was coming down from the officers' quarters, he turned and walked away before they could say anything. He then ducked down another hall that led to his own quarters. Luckily no one was currently inside. So he made his way to his bunk, took off his shoes, and laid down. Staring up at the underside of the top bunk with his hands behind his head, he thought about his current interaction with Rain. He cast his eyes towards the door when it opened.
"Hey, Big Bro, you in here?" Isabel called.
Levi didn't say anything. He just remained in his bunk and listed to two sets of boots come towards him.
"We've been looking all over for you," Farlan said.
"Where were you?" Isabel asked.
"With Rain," Levi said.
"What?! Why were you with her?!" Isabel asked.
"She was sick. I just helped her to her room," Levi said. "That's all."
"Why?! She's the enemy here!" Isabel said.
"She might be right," Farlan said. "We don't need to get too close to her."
"I only took her to her room," Levi said. "I didn't sit down and discuss the reason we're here. Besides, she most likely won't remember the words we did say to each other."
"She that sick?" Farlan asked.
"Possibly," Levi said. "But even if she does remember it won't matter. It was normal everyday exchange."
"Well, it had better been," Isabel said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"You sound jealous," Farlan said.
"Well, I'm not!" Isabel snapped. "I have no reason to be jealous of her!"
"If you say so." Farlan shrugged.
"It's the truth!" Isabel snapped.
Levi sighed and turned his back to his friends. He stared at the wall, his mind still locked onto to Rain.
…
Rain opened her eyes to her sunlit room. A couple birds sang somewhere not far from her halfway open window. Pushing herself up, she swayed a bit but steadied herself by placing her hand on her bed. Her body weighed heavy on her. She was about to lay back down when her door opened.
"You're awake!" Hange said. "I was so worried!"
"What?" Rain asked as she and her dad walked into her room.
"You've been asleep for a week," Erwin said, sitting down on the bed, his hand immediately when to her forehead. "You're still a bit warm but your fever has come down quiet a bit."
"Fever?" Rain asked, kneading her eyebrows in confusion.
"You've been sick for an entire week," Hange said.
"I was?" Rain asked.
"You sure were," Hange said. The woman placed her thumb carefully near Rain's eye and lifted up her eyelid. "Your eyes are a lot clearer now. That's a good sign. I didn't know what was wrong with you. You were complaining about your ribs hurting when you breathed."
"I don't remember," Rain said.
"We're not sure if you were actually in pain or not," Erwin said.
"Why?" Rain asked.
"You were a bit delirious," Hange added. "You also kept talking about monsters crawling over your walls and ceiling."
"I did?" Rain tilted her head.
"I think all it was just the fever talking," Hange said. "We cooled you off in the shower and you stopped saying things like that." Tears gathered in her eyes. "I really was so worried about you! Don't ever scare me like that again!"
"I guess training in the rain like we did didn't help with much either," Erwin said. "Hange believes you might have been getting a sick a little before that day and then getting wet didn't help anything."
"I see. So when are we going to get back to training?" Rain asked.
"You are not training for at least another two weeks, young lady," Hange said.
"But I'm fine n-" Rain swayed.
"Sure you're fine," Hange said as Erwin grabbed Rain's shoulders and laid her back down on the bed. "You're not moving from this bed until your fever is completely gone. And you're not going to train for at least two weeks."
"But," Rain started.
"No buts," Erwin said. "You're doing to do as Hange says. I don't want you getting sick again."
"Yes, sir," Rain said.
"You should eat something," Hange said, heading for the door. "I'll go see what I can rummage up."
"Don't you ever make us worry like that again," Erwin said.
"Sorry," Rain replied. "It's not like I did it on purpose."
"Hange told me that Levi brought you up here," Erwin said.
"Oh." Rain blinked slowly. "I kind of remember that."
"Do you remember anything else?" Erwin asked.
"Not really," Rain said. "We spoke but I can't remember what we said. Has he said something? Did I reveal anything?"
"I believe you didn't," Erwin said. "Hange came in just in time. You had your hair still up and you were clinging to him."
Rain's face flushed hot. "I did what?"
"It started thundering and you grabbed on to him," Erwin said.
Rain groaned and covered her face with her hands. "I can't believe I did that!"
"Don't worry about it. Hange told him you hate storms," Erwin said.
"I know! But still! It's so embarrassing! He hates me!" Rain said.
Erwin chuckled. "I'm sure he won't mind. You were sick."
Rain responded with a groan.
"You just get some rest," Erwin said. He patted her leg then left her room.
Rain let her hands drop down to her stomach. She had no clue what she was going to do or say to Levi when she saw him. Should she apologize for what she did? Should she pretend it didn't happen? Should she say she forgot because of her fever?
She ended up running over those questions again and again over the next two weeks she was still recovering from her illness. She tired distracting herself with books and going over tactics on dealing with titans that her dad brought to her, but her mind always came around to Levi. Far too soon the two weeks were up and she finally headed out of her room for the first time since being sick. Making her way down to the dinning hall, she cautiously looked around for Levi. He appeared to be nowhere around. She entered into the dinning hall, gaining a few looks before getting her food. A few minutes after sitting down, her dad, Mike and Hange joined her.
"You're looking good, Rain," Mike said. "It's good to see you up and about again."
"Thanks, Mike," Rain said.
"So what are you planning on doing today?" Hange asked. "I don't want you to put a lot of strain on your body today."
"I figured I'd just go for a ride on Flame," Rain said. "I'm sure she misses me."
"Don't wonder too far from the headquarters," Erwin ordered.
"I won't," Rain said. She finished her breakfast before they did and left without them. Excited to get back to Flame she ran out of the dinning hall and bumped into someone. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking-Levi?" Heat rushed to her cheeks. "I…um…sorry. I didn't mean to run into you like that."
"It's fine," Levi said.
"And I, uh…" Rain bit the inside of her cheek. Her heartbeat rose. "About before…"
"You're looking a lot better than the last time I saw you," Levi said as he walked passed her and into the dinning hall.
"Uh, okay." Rain watched him go before slowly pulling herself away from the door. She definitely wasn't expecting him to saw something like that.
…
Author's Notes: Thought I'd never get this one finished. I just couldn't focus on writing this week. It's kind of choppy. And if it wasn't clear, Rain just had a high fever, most likely due to some infection. I wanted to put more details in on that, but I'm not sure exactly how advanced they are where illnesses are concerned.
Mina135: If you didn't see my comment on my other updated story, nope. Never even heard of that movie until you mentioned it. Neo and Law's bond really isn't inspired by anything. I just got the idea and rolled with it. Glad you like it now.