AN Sincerest apologies for the delay! School got the best of me (not to the improvement of my grades). I will do my best to be more consistent! This chapter took a bit out of me and required some commitment. Choppy waters ahead, be prepared. The story picks up here and won't settle down for a while, i hope you guys like it. Please Please Please let me know what you think. This chapter is special- you'll see. Thank you again for your continued support, you guys are awesome. i hope you enjoy!

How the time flew! Most people hadn't picked up on it yet, but the smell was in the air. Autumn. Rachel's favorite season, was well on its way. However, there wasn't much time for dwelling on the seasons, or her new home, or the migratory patterns of her feathered friends. But she made do. Most of the daylight hours not spent patrolling the castle were spent in conferences and discussions with the higher-ups, both from the Scouting Legion and the Imperial Government. They certainly had their work cut out for them.

The unexpected always happened in the evenings, especially when Levi was involved.

There was a crisp chill atop a secluded corner of the castle's rooftop; the breeze rustled the soft leaves and caused the brilliant starlight to dance. He loved it more than anything, the light from those stars. Though, he would never admit it. As a child, he had only heard stories of these strange celestial entities, and now he could come up here to his heart's content to awe at their splendor. Tonight, though, his heart was far from serene. He tried his best to suppress the mess of ambiguous emotions before he began pacing along the interior ledge of the rooftop.

She was sitting in the grass, dew just beginning to form on the tips of the unmanaged blades. The moon flowers she had been observing were stunning in the gentle glow of their namesake. This particular flower was special to her because it only bloomed in the evenings, making its appearance easy to neglect unless it's the object of one's focus. She sympathized with the little white flowers, their beauty masked by the darkness of the past and only revealed by the moon which waned and waxed as it pleased. Sometimes it even disappeared altogether. Where was the light in her life? Only one face was coming to mind. That man had been dead for years. Now she had to continue, forcing herself through day after day only to stumble through the darkness.

The sight of a person in the corridor at this hour surprised her and interrupted her rhythmic stride.

"G-good evening, Heichou." Her tone was more inquisitive than formal. Levi stood with his back against the wall and his arms propped against his chest. His eyes were fixed on the concrete floor of the corridor and completely failed to acknowledge Rachel. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

He must've realized he could only ignore her for so long.

"Erwin gives you permission, but you shouldn't stay out this late… It's unbecoming."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Heichou…" She seemed genuinely surprised as she lowered her forehead apologetically.

"See to it that doesn't happen again." His eyes never moved from their burrowing stare. He decided he couldn't do what he had planned and opted for a gritty 'tch' before propelling himself from the wall and storming down the corridor, making Rachel's deep brunette locks flutter as he passed by. She turned and stood, shoulders slumped and completely dumbfounded for a few minutes. Her eyes blinked curiously before she decided to try and focus on her proposition reports for an upcoming meeting with the King's council.

She sat at her desk and her eyes scanned the words of the reports she was tasked with condensing. None of the information made it through. She knew Levi was up to something, and she was going to get to the bottom of it.

She knew it would look poorly if she was found speaking to her superior regarding personal matters at this hour, but it couldn't be helped. It was distracting her. Besides, he did it to her all the time—it was only fair. Three gentle raps.

"Come in." His voice was particularly icy and Rachel wondered if she had made the wrong decision. He was at his desk, temples propped onto his index and thumb and eyes wearily peering over a set of readers he detested letting people see him in. He ripped them off with one motion of his hand and leaned back in his chair. She hesitantly stepped forward, stopping just before she reached two chairs that sat opposite the desk and fidgeted slightly with their backing.

"Um… I'm sorry to bother you… but I was just wondering if there was anything I could do… You seem a bit…" She searched for the words, but more for him to interrupt her so she didn't have to continue.

"Go on."

"You just seem really cold, if I may say so." Her cheeks were flushing red and she shifted her weight nervously. "But, I mean, I understand that you're busy and everything… it's just that it's unlike you to be taking things so seriously and…." She stopped as Levi pushed himself up from his seat. His head was lowered, concealing a slight smirk.

He slinked around to the front of his desk and leaned against the solid wood, his hands gripping the edge of the mahogany and supporting most of his weight. His head raised to reveal a smug glaze in his eyes. His lips were contorted into a sadistic sneer. He slightly motioned with his head for her to have a seat in the chair before him.

Her eyes prodded him in disbelief that bordered on disrespect, but his piercing stare was unrelenting. She complied to his non-verbal request. She wasn't breathing and the room seemed so much smaller than it had just yesterday. The candles must've been fading too, she thought, for she was having trouble seeing clearly.

The movement was instantaneous. In one swift motion, Levi had propelled himself from the desk and ricocheted himself above her. His right boot was planted upon the arm of the chair and the other remained outstretched, keeping him grounded. He was leaned into his folded knee, his left arm supporting a portion of his weight on the back of the chair.

Rachel's eyes were sealed shut and she tried with all of her might to dissolve into the fabric of the tattered old chair. What the hell is he doing? She wondered after a few moments if she would have to open her eyes.

"Look at me." His face was only inches from hers and his breath was hot against her skin. She slowly unclenched her eyelids. His complexion was completely illegible. No different than any other time. The brows still furrowed, eyes still cold, jaw still set in an unpleasant frown. She could smell something sweet and she accounted it to being his aftershave.

"It's your fault I'm like this." She wanted to scoff or laugh or do anything to relieve the tension. She began, but stopped as soon as she realized just how serious he was. His unmoving eyes pierced through her. This was as honest as a man like Levi could ever be.

"Heichou…" Her voice was hardly audible, not even a hoarse whisper. Her lips moved but no sound would escape. Her attempt at speaking only spurred him on.

"I spent my whole life coming to terms with everything after what happened… " His words were completely mono. There was no anger nor volume nor remorse. It was simply matter-of-fact. "You came along and took all of that away. And now I have nothing. I have no fucking idea what I did or who I was down there. I don't know who I can trust. I don't know how to trust or how to cope with anything. Everything got turned on its ear and I don't even know who I am anymore…" All Rachel could manage was an attempt to remove the lump in her throat that was suffocating her. The candlelight shimmered off the tears that had streamed down her face. Her eyes fell and she shook her head softly. She clasped her hands around his arm that was stretched out beside her and pressed the side of her face into his forearm. She closed her eyes and let her tears fall.

"Stop crying. You'll get it on my shirt." He leaned back only slightly and removed his arm from her grasp. He then placed his hand under her chin and pulled her head up towards the light. "You remind me of every other pathetic brat from that shithole when your like this."

Before she could formulate a response, he revealed the faintest smirk. An airy chuckle escaped his parted lips as he tilted her narrow chin closer. He took his time. His lips confidently lingered on hers as they trembled. He was bemused by her startled moans of protest and her half-hearted attempt at pushing him away. After a few long seconds, he decided it was best to end the kiss and pull away in lieu of her fainting, if women actually did that sort of thing. He smirked again before kicking himself off the chair and resuming his seat behind the desk. He picked up the glasses and slowly spun them by the frames as he leaned back and crossed his legs.

Rachel sat wide-eyed, sputtering broken syllables that never did manage to formulate words. Her attempts at eye contact were unsuccessful and she eventually decided it was just best to leave. She made it to the door and, without turning around, managed to speak sensible English.

"…What was that, Heichou?"

"Payback."