A/N: Hope you enjoy this chapter! :D Manga spoilers in this chapter, be warned. Replies to guest review will be at bottom from now on! This chapter has some heavy violence, but well, it's SnK, what else do you expect? :3
Humanity's Strongest Woman by xDollfie
Chapter 18 – Escape
"AAAARRGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
She whistled out loud when she heard the agonizing phantom cry that erupted from the basement. Over the table, the newly composed squad winched at the horrific sound, knowing very well what was going on in the basement below.
"Damn. The sound of a wailing pig. Now that is a sound that I missed." Ida commented without the necessary filter and continued chewing on her sweets, completely unfazed.
She noticed the horrified looks on her squad mates faces. "What? People get tortured all the time in the underground. Not that I am fond of it, it's too messy and complicated." She spoke flatly. "Hanji and Levi are probably having a swell time though, those sadistic assholes."
When she said this, Sasha took a moment to spare an uneasy glance at Connie, who flinched subtly at the Ida's words while he uncomfortably readjusted himself on the chair. It was clear in his reaction that he too was disturbed with her brutally realistic words.
"It finally started huh?" Jean rubbed his forehead, wondering how he had gotten into this complicated mess. "Jeez, I was set against the Titans but I don't know who the enemy was anymore. Why are we staining our hands with something like this?"
"Can't be helped. We are pulling a Coup D'eat under the Commander's orders. This probably just the beginning." Eren replied calmly, but despite this, it was obvious in his eyes that he too was unsettled.
"That's right. We are rebels now." Ida stated rigidly just as another piercing cry flowed into the room. "Better start getting use to getting your hands dirty. If we fail, we would probably have our pretty little heads hanged in the town plaza."
Armin dejected his gaze to the ground, his heart clearly disturbed at the cruelty of everything. He was frustrated but he was also doing all that he could to compose himself. "We are already criminals... We aren't fighting the Titans… We are fighting our enemies because our ways of thought are differently. Simply because our allegiance differ and from now on because of that, we might have to take the lives of others... We aren't the good guys anymore."
"Tch." Ida scoffed at his plain superficial words. "Good guys? Depending on how this plays out, we might actually be the heroes. Your way of thinking will get you nowhere. After all, justice in this world is just a bunch of shitty principles made by those with power to suit themselves. So who is to judge by saying we are the 'bad' guys here? If you are going to survive in this shitty world, you need to understand that only two kind of people exist in the world; those who steal and those who are stolen from."
Popping another hard candy into her mouth, she continued on with her ramble. "In a world like this, no one really thinks of others, you will lose every thing if you can't keep up. People die all the time, so just deal with it. Someday, you might have to steal from others. It could be their lives or something else, but it doesn't matter. It's either you steal or get stolen from, so which one will be it be? Make your choice."
The recruits gulped disturbingly at her ultimatum and Mikasa couldn't help but frown in disdain when she saw how her words affected her classmates. "Don't you think you are being a bit too harsh here?" She snapped, taking offense.
"Harsh?" Ida raised a brow almost incredulously. "It's better that you learn this earlier, your lives might depend on it in the future seeing where we are headed." She lifted a finger and pointed to Eren to make her point. "People are coming for this Titan brat that you care so much about, would you allow him to be stolen from you, Ackerman? Or will you fight?"
Mikasa bit her lips at her question, and looked away guilty. Her scarf was covering her mouth, but Ida could still see her face darken ever so slightly. Truth was, she would gladly kill, Titan or man if it meant saving Eren, and this disturbing revelation only bought truth to what the Ida had said.
Ida smirked knowingly when she saw her expected reaction. "I thought so. But this time the stakes are higher than just making it out alive or saving your friends. The future of Humanity depends on us, so I suggest that you drill my words into your brain and be prepared to get your hands dirty."
The chair squeaked in protest, showing sign of age as she stood up. "Tell me when the pig downstairs decide to talk, seeing how his torturers are that lunatic and that midget, it shouldn't take very long."
It was when she was finally away from the recruits, did she feel the dread indignantly percolated in her stomach. Unbeknownst to her, she released the breath that was holding.
In order to defeat a monster, you have to become one.
That was the mantra that her guilt insisted on droning. That was the only thought pervading her mind exited their new hide out. She planted her feet firmly to the grass, cursing her mind for being such a persistent prick. A sharp exhalation on her part echoed loudly against the slight abrasiveness of the breeze as she used the cool night wind to unclog her mind.
Erwin had decided that the Survey Corps were going to rebel against Monarchy and it didn't take long for Levi to hatch a plan and successfully convince a wealthy merchant in Trost district to be on their side. Dimo Reeves had kidnapped a fake Eren and Historia as they had planned, and after a brief exchange of words with Levi - the Corporal had found out that Dimo was actually threatened into follow orders, not bribed.
This made it much easier to convince Reeves to switch sides. Ida had to give Levi props for pointing out that if Reeve's business vanishes, Trost will stop functioning and many would suffer – he really did know how to manipulate people into doing what he wants. With the help of Reeves, they had managed to capture two Military Police officers involved in the issuing the orders to Reeves.
The luckless officers Sane and Ralph were graced with a fine welcome 'courtesy' of a fanatical Hanji and a ruthless Levi once they stirred awake. Ida just didn't like the painful sounds that emitted from the brutal torture session going on in the basement, but she knew it was inevitable and it was the only way they could extract information out from him.
But the hard truth was, she was secretly disturbed despite her cool composure in front of the recruits. As much as she wanted to shudder in displeasure at the inhumane torture going on in the basement, Ida composed herself and took the role of being a guiding figure to the younger scouts. She knew what the future had in stall for her ever since Erwin had revealed his plans to her, and instead of rebuffing it like she use it, Ida was determined to carry out his orders.
She made a resolve to no longer be afraid.
Ida had placed her trust and every thing that she had into accomplishing what she had set her mind onto, no matter how dirty it was. A year ago, she would have protested heavily on it, but now, Ida understood that it was necessary - every thing was for the betterment of mankind.
Levi expected much from her. This was peril times, and she knew imminently that she had to step up and guide the scouts. This was realism, the disgusting twisted world that she lived in. Her petty emotions didn't matter anymore and neither could she afford to act so spoilt.
She knew that she always had it easy – Erwin excusing her petty naïve behavior, Levi guiding her and doing most of the work. This time, she wanted to be of use.
As she brooded over her thoughts, Ida found herself rubbing on the bracelet on her wrist and she glanced fondly at the little charms. Just like Mikasa, Ida realized that if it were for him, she would have gladly dirty her hands any day.
-x{O}x-
Ida crouched down in front of a still trembling Historia and sighed when she scrutinized her mental well-being. Levi had practically intimidated the poor girl into submission and she was frightened shitless. Awhile Ida understood that it was crucial that Historia followed with Erwin's plans and ascended the throne as queen, she still did not approve of Levi's methods. However she knew it all from his pent up frustration and his crankiness.
It was as if a typhoon of mixed emotions had struck the blonde paralyzed, and Levi's violent actions had left the entire squad at an unrest state.
Now that they had proof from Sanes that the true Royal Family was indeed Reiss Family, Erwin had plans crowning her queen in place of the Rod Reiss. Ida knew that it was no easy feat - suddenly being asked to be the most authoritative figure within the Walls at such a young age was daunting even to her, so she didn't really blame Historia for rejecting it.
"I apologize on the behalf of Levi." Ida suddenly said, standing up from the ground."...He went a little overboard."
"A little? He practically strangled Historia into obeying!" Jean as usual, held no restraint when it comes to speaking his mind. Even when he knew it could potentially spark conflict with Ida, he was greatly angered at how Levi had treated his classmate. "Doesn't she have the right to choose?"
"Like I said, I apologize for his behavior. You should have known this by now, but Levi isn't exactly... great at phrasing how he feels. " Ida reasoned. She understood the reason for his abrasive demeanor, which was the reason why she simply ignored his scathingly sarcastic or angry words most of the time.
"That is still no reason for him to do that!" Connie retorted, rage anchoring his tone. "Captain Levi is probably going to use physical force to get anyone to do things his way!"
"I understand but-"
"Even though he was so accommodating towards the Reeves Company, what he did scared the life out of Historia! He must have want for her to do the same once she becomes queen so that she will still obey his every command!" Sasha cut in, speeding through her words in pent up frustration.
The accusing tone of Sasha's statement forced Ida to turn around sharply. She looked at the brunette with disdain, her gaze turning cold in displeasure of her words. But that look didn't last long. She was exhausted and her head were full of unanswered questions. Ida's fist clenched and something inside of her just didn't felt right, she felt insanely offended that her squad mates thought so little of their Captain.
"Look." Ida's voice was suddenly firm and stern. "Just because I don't condone his shitty behavior doesn't mean that I don't understand why he is doing this. You guys are being a bunch of brats and are only acting this way because you don't understand the severity of our situation now."
"I agree with your lady officer." Dimo Reeves piped up in an effort to cool the situation from the side chairs. "Honestly given the situation and Trost District fate hanging on a thin thread, there are a number of ways he could have gone about. He is definitely someone who clawed his way up. Still, even if your boss is a scary man, he isn't such a bad guy."
She sighed, raking her hands through her hand when her squad mates still looked unconvinced. "It's at crucial times like this that we need to stick together. Our fates, no... Humanity's fate depends on whether we can pull this off." Ida deepened the severity of her hard glare as she continued, "Like Levi had said, do you think that the person beside you will be still be here tomorrow? Who's to say that hell wouldn't be unleashed tomorrow? Time is of the essence and neither Titans nor our enemy would wait."
"So are you saying it's fine to kill, torture and threaten people now?" Jean bit back in pure livid anger, venom dripping from his tone.
"Yes."
When she saw their crest fallen faces, she exhaled loudly.
"I... honestly do not like killing as much as you do." Ida bit onto her lips, her tone softer as she looked away. She ignored the revolting feeling at the pit of her stomach and went on. "But I would gladly take down any one in my way, man, woman or even a damn child if it meant preventing the entire down fall of Humanity. In fact, I would take pride in doing so. You lot chose to be soldiers and this hazardous profession requires sacrifices, so I expect all of you to perform your duties well."
"I want to sacrifice myself for Humanity, not some for some violent cause!" Jean argued back, rage anchoring his tone.
Her gaze softened at that, and she realized how similar she had acted in the past. How secretly afraid she was, how much she detest seeing people die, how inexperience and naive she was with all her idealistic reasons. But she was different now, she had Levi to guide her and now, she would do the same for her inexperienced squad mates.
With profound experience in this area, Ida stared straight back at the ash-blonde male. "If you really want to sacrifice yourself for Humanity, sorry to burst your bubble and drag you back to reality. This is only way."
-x{O}x-
Frustrated.
Levi had to admit; he felt a little hint of regret after he had forcibly threatened Historia into agreeing to become the queen. He had allowed his suppressed aggravation to get the better of him, and he snapped under the pressure and stress.
But his frustration didn't only come from worrying about fate of Humanity though.
It bothered him endlessly at how he couldn't forget that kiss. It was affecting his mind and judgment to remember how her body and lips felt against his. She was soft curves and warm flesh. She smelt wild flowers and tasted like some warm sugary treat.
These thoughts were filling his mind but he was quick to realize that someone was knocking on the door.
"Oi. I bought you tea." Ida swung open the door, placing the steaming hot cup of tea on a nearby table. She turned around and saw his back still facing her. "I thought you needed some time to cool off after every thing. Have you calmed down a little?"
"Stop fussing over stupid things like this," came his monotone reply.
She sat on the adjacent bed beside his, facing him. "Well, why don't you stop worrying so much then? You're going to get wrinkles if you continue." Ida told him lightly, poking the space between his furrowed brows in a light jest. "Try relaxing a little."
Awhile Levi may be stoic, Ida knew well that he is capable of incredible depth of feeling. He's simply too emotionally jaded from his life as a criminal and years in the Scouting Legion that he's developed a veneer of stoicism. He was probably troubled, and despite Levi's protective wall of abrasive words and violent outburst - it couldn't fool Ida.
She knew him better then that.
"Tch." He hissed in annoyance and jerked away from her touch.
Her eyes flashed with concern when she saw his dark eye bags. "You should get some sleep, you didn't sleep all night."
"Speak for yourself, last that I remembered, you didn't even sleep last night as well." Levi deadpanned, suddenly looking very serious as he deadlocked his gaze with her.
"You shouldn't over work yourself." Ida allowed her chest to rise and fall a little more slowly as she sighed. Her concern expression suddenly dissipated into a disapproving frown. "And really... Did you have to handle Historia that way? She's practically still a baby in her diapers, can't you be a little less harsh?"
Levi scowled at her words in cold displeasure. "She needs to understand our situation, we have no time to think of idiotic things like that."
"I understand what you are trying to say." Ida replied smoothly. "But you could have phrase things a little nicer, not every one can tolerate your rudeness you know?"
"They have to learn to deal with it and grow up." Levi gritted his teeth, his expression an equal mixture of irritation and impatience.
She rolled her eyes, she had expected of him to conjure up that reply. It was just like him to say something like that. "Just do as I say and try to be a little nicer."
"So, I have to take orders from you now?" His eyebrow arched with amusement and a pinch of rage.
Ida smirked mockingly. "I'm your partner." At that, his thin eyebrow almost hit his hairline. "A woman is always smarter than a man. It's common knowledge," she added with humor and triumph. She had won this little game of theirs and he had to admit it.
"So… Did you find out anything...? About my family I mean…?"
The frustration in his eyes darkens at that inquiry. "It seemed that the damned Starkes are more low profile than we had thought, Sanes didn't even know anything. Even after he revealed that the Reiss family was the true royal family, his knowledge only extended up to there."
"Nothing, huh?" Ida murmured dejectedly, nodding her head. It was no surprise to her that Sanes knew nothing about her family. She had expected it.
He observed her in a raw, but companionable silence when her gaze dejected the ground. "…Still no change, eh?"
"What?" She looked up.
"I noticed it. It's not in your nature to give up this easily." Levi pointed out, knowingly very well that she was clearly affected by some thing but she was just bottling it up. "Having problems with hearing me torture someone now?"
Ida knew Levi well enough to not take any offense to his words. "No." She denied flatly, squeezing on her kneecaps. "I'm… just worried... Handing Eren and Historia over to the Military Police to lure Rod Reiss out is extremely risky task… Not only that, if it comes to a battle, our squad might…"
"Die?"
Her squeeze on her kneecaps got tighter and she looked away with glistening marble like eyes that seem to have reflected everything she was feeling. Fear, Levi could tell, she was afraid of losing her squad again.
"If that happens, then it happens. Grieving over a senseless death will only make you angry and frustrated, and you'll lose yourself in that rage. Sulking is bad for morale, and it hinders your judgment, making you useless as a solider."
"I guess I still have a lot of growing up to do at that sense." Ida mumbled softly. She quickly chuckled awkwardly when she saw his eyes narrowing. "Haha. I'm suppose to be comforting you now, but I guess you always have to babysit me in the end, huh?"
Her chest felt warm when she thought back to the first time Levi complained angrily about 'babysitting a brat like her' when they first met. Things hadn't really changed much since then. He was still her supporting pillar and guiding figure now.
"In comparison to you, the prized Lance Corporal… Humanity's strongest, you would never lose control on your emotions. No one has ever seen you weep and making a fuss... Not like me…" She continued on, with hooded hazy eyes. "But… even someone like you should grieve a little at times instead of holding everything in, it's tiresome and you get cranky-"
She stopped midway when Levi's face came extremely close to hers, they locked eyes for a moment and immediately Ida felt her heart beat stop in response. She didn't blink, her breathing hitched, she was rendered completely paralyzed.
Levi didn't understand what came over him – she looked so vulnerable, so fragile at that point. Nothing like the hardheaded strong woman he knew. Her emerald eyes… Those haunting pairs were what enraptured him. They were like glistening green marbles, a reflection of pure water, hiding nothing, showing everything she was feeling. Honest eyes.
Why… Why didn't she try to hide anything she was feeling?
Ida Starke didn't use to be like this, she used to hide everything; she was good at hiding her emotions. But truthfully, Levi preferred the Ida now who wore her heart on her sleeves.
She felt his head tilt slightly as he leaned in closer to her, closer, and closer, until she could feel his hot breath barely inches away from her slightly parted lips. Then, she jerked away slightly and moved her head like it was a nature reaction.
"…D – don't scare me like that..." She stuttered helplessly, blood rushing up to her cheeks and tainting them pink. Was he…
Silence. She wished there was a ticking clock somewhere to distract her from the quietness. It was unbearable to her. From the corner of her eyes, she watched him surreptitiously in pure raw tensed silence.
He was no longer leaning forward and his expression contorted to his infamous annoyed expression that had never failed to make someone nervous – until now. Ida found her heart fluttering at that, and she anchored herself inwardly, disturbed at her reaction.
She had to be the only one in the world whose heart made a somersault every time her Captain made that intimidating frown. Something had to be wrong with her. Ida tried desperately to compose herself, but it was futile. Her hands were clammy, her breathing was shallow and her heartbeat was pumping crazily fast.
Young. Levi thought, Too young.
She's too young for him, too pure, too naive... She deserves someone better than him. He felt hesitant on touching her again. His hands were far too tainted. Ida was just like a flower, but if he were to touch her, wouldn't she be tainted as well?
He was too old, too old to be thinking about things like this now.
He had lived most of his life without her and he was so sure that he could very well get on with his life without her. Ida deserves to be with someone better than him, she'd so much more potential in her life - she could resign from the military, free from worries and danger and live happily, comfortably. He dedicated his life to Humanity, there was no way he could leave the Survey Corps. But somehow as he said those words, he felt a surge of anger and frustration race through him.
What if she really did leave? What if she stopped coming to him whenever she felt down? What if she stopped depending on him?
What will he do then?
At that, the thoughts in his head seem to disappear one by one, as if the very thought of Ida not beside him was enough for him to forgo all his worries.
Will it be alright? To just let go for once, to forget about his responsibility, age difference and every thing else. To just hold her with his tainted hands, to just sin her and condemn her into a life with him on the front lines, to gamble with everything he had painstaking achieved in the past years, to break their trusted friendship and forget about the danger of losing their life any time, to just fall into the clutches attachment even though it was a hazardous to people like them.
Was the strongest really going to allow him self to fall? Was he really going to allow her to enrapture him like this?
What if he were to die tomorrow? What if she were to die tomorrow?
Was it ok to just lay a wager now then?
Was he really willing to risk it all, to lose him self into his emotions, to just submerge into warmness for once? Was he really going to break the outer shell that he always painstaking honed for years?
...Was he, the man who always displayed little emotions, who lost his humanity and kills ruthless, who had witnessed and touched death, really capable of love?
Ida felt his calloused thumb snaked under her chin and gently tilt her face until she was faced him again. Levi was standing up now, hovering over her as she sat completely rigid on the edge of the bed.
The eye contact lasted for what seemed to be like eternity.
His touch felt like electricity, like rolls of thunder generating from his tips of his fingers that transferred to chin. Yet it was gentle, light, soothing even – nothing that she had ever expected to come from such a violent, intimidating and strong man like Levi.
Then when he lowered his head, his nose bumped into hers slightly, before he tilted his head. The brief contact enhanced the thrill. She knew he was going to kiss her. There was no doubt. By now, it wasn't a choice for either of them. It was as simple and necessary as breathing.
This time, she didn't jerk away.
How she wanted this… How much she wanted him, if Ida was honest with her self. She felt a sliver of anticipation shoot through her veins. Her fingertips tingled as if aching to touch him. She was intrigued, mesmerized, sucked in. Levi was so close to her now, she could almost feel his lips on her. Her veins were surging with anticipation.
"Corporal? Are you in there?" A loud voice interrupted them.
Simultaneously, they froze when a string of soft knocks echoed after the Eren's voice. "I've done cleaning the stables as you ordered, so you can inspect it now!"
As quick as Levi had eliminated the distance between them, they were separated as rapidly. He was an indescribable expression on his face, a clash of extreme irritation, anger and frustration.
Ida looked away red-faced, and cleared her dry throat. "…You better go..."
The Corporal gritted his teeth, stalking towards the door in the purest form of irritation. "Go and get some sleep." He told her flatly on his determined march towards the door.
"Y – yeah…" Ida mumbled just loud enough for him to hear, but before he could swing the wooden door open, she called out to him. "Levi…"
"What would happen if I suddenly disappeared from the world? Like, what if I died?"
He paused at her question, turning around to see that her back was now facing him as if to hide her expression. It was an odd question indeed, funny thing was just how he was thinking about it just a minute ago. Levi couldn't help but feel that there was a underlying meaning behind her question, it just didn't sit well with him.
But despite his brimming suspicion and the answer already installed in his head, his lips betrayed him and uttered a simplistic monotone reply. "Humanity would lose another valuable solider."
Her fist clenched the bedspreads beneath her, somehow she felt disappointed and lonely at his reply, but she wasn't going to let it show. "I see…"
Though her tone was dismissive, Levi could have sworn that he heard some form sadness in it as well. But another knock from the door prevented him from asking inquiring the questions on the tip of his tongue. "Corporal? Are you there?"
Without sparing another glance at her, he left the room, his teeth tightly gritted and his roguishly handsome features contorting into a highly annoyed expression.
When she heard the door close behind her, she released the breath that she was holding in. She tilted her head downwards and her fingers move to gently touch her slightly parted lips. She almost kissed him…
"I need you to do something. Something that only you can do."
The bedspreads furrowed further under her rigid clutch on it, her chest was rising and falling with each heavy breath as she contemplated over his words, highly unsettled as Erwin's words came thrashing back into her mind.
"Oi, Eren…" Levi called out in deadpan, his hands tucked in his pockets as the young boy trailed behind him enthusiastically on their march to the stables.
Eren was so confident that he did a good job this time, he made sure he was extremely precise and thorough in his work, knowing that it would please his Captain. "Yes, sir?"
"You're sleeping in the stables tonight and you're cleaning the entire place by yourself tomorrow."
The Titan shifter gasped loudly in shock. "Eh?! W – what? Did I do something wrong again?!"
But Levi was adamant on not hearing his protest. "Shut up, and listen. It's an order."
"B – but!" Eren stuttered.
"I said, do it, brat." Levi repeated, much more sternly this time. His order was absolute.
Damn it, he could always count on the stinking Titan brat to ruin the mood.
-x{O}x-
"The carriage containing Eren and Historia should have passed by now… What's taking them so long?" Ida murmured as her boots planted on the tree branch. Her gears clanked nosily when she turned around, growing increasingly impatient by the lack of response. "The plan was to get Reeves to hand Eren and Historia to the Military Police and we trail the carriage leading to Rod Reiss… Do you think that Reeves have been found out?"
Levi mirrored the exact opposite of the redhead, still holding strongly onto his collected and cool composure as he leaned his back on the bark of the tree. "No idea." He stated flatly, taking notice of how anxiousness anchored her tone. "You are usually calm and composed during missions…"
"…It's nothing." Ida murmured distractedly, studying the silent mountain road. "Why? Do you think something is bothering me?
Her sharp rebuff sparked Levi's suspicion. In fact, the redhead had been acting distant and oddly these past few days, though subtle he could sense it. "Even if I ask, will you answer? It's your damn problem, and I have no right to know. So, I'll just wait for you come clean. When you want to talk, then talk."
Ida scoffed, but somehow her chest felt warm at the fact that Levi was always there for her. "…Since when are you so considerate? I thought you were disagreeable asshole."
"Don't be ridiculous. I'm always this way." Levi replied dismissively, frowning at her comment.
She changed the subject of the conversation. "This is the only road that leads to the town… They are taking too long." Hissing, she breathed loudly; awhile her eyes began to wander aimlessly throughout her rocky road. She caught sight of the funeral carriage appearing. "Damn, it's only a funeral carriage."
"What?" Levi instantly straightened himself, startled. He scowled deeply when he saw the carriage, getting on his feet before saying conclusively. "Dimo Reeves have been found out."
"What?" Ida blinked, wondering how Levi could discern that.
"That shitty funeral carriage most likely contains Historia and Eren." He explained. "If the enemy has taken the precaution to use such a disguise, it would only mean that they suspected that Reeves would conspire with us."
"Fuck!" She cursed through a row of gritted clenched teeth, she plugged her blades to her handgrips immediately, ready to attack, but Levi stopped her.
"Don't. This doesn't change our initial plans." Levi stated calmly, albeit he look a tad bit frustrated that their plans had been foiled. "We need to regroup with the rest first."
"Squad leader!" Connie shouted on top of his horse the moment he spotted the Levi and Ida streaming through the forest, as skilled with their gears maneuvers as ever. The rest of the squad looked up at the approaching soldiers with anticipation for orders.
"Our plans have been seen through." Levi informed them in a monotone, planting his feet on the ground in an effortless landing. "We need to alter our plans slightly."
"What?!" Mikasa gasped loudly, her blood ran cold at the news. She was extremely worried about Eren. What was going to happen to the boy now?
Nifa lips tightened in a worrisome line. "We'd expected this…"
"We will split into two groups." Levi told them flatly in a composed manner, grabbing onto his horse's reins that Sasha had handed him. "Those bastards are probably heading for Stohess district since it's the nearest town from here before they move to the Wall Sina. My group will be trailing them nearby, using our 3DMG to cross over Wall. The other group will be stationed in Wall Sina, ready with horses for everyone. Using the carriage, you will trail the casket wagon until every one had joined up again."
"My team will consist of Hanji's squad. Ida, I leave you in charge of the group operating in Wall Sina." Levi told her flatly, mounting on his horse.
"Yes, Sir." The recruits echoed in compliance.
"No, I'm going with you." Ida retorted defiantly, mounting on top of her horse with ease as well. Taking the reins, she tugged on them as the horse trotted impatiently underneath her. "Your group is the most vulnerable in getting discovered, you will need all the help you can get if a battle were to occur."
"No, do as you are told." Levi shot her down immediately, scowling at her defiance as his jaw tightened.
But Ida was persistent; she knew why Levi had assigned her with the recruits – he feared that she wouldn't be able to wield her blade if a battle were to take place considering she had the tendency to be softhearted at times. A simple hesitation could end your life in crucial times and Levi wasn't about to play that gamble.
Understanding her flaws and the source of his concern well, Ida moved forward with a air of determination. While she is capable of great kindness and cares deeply about comrades, on the flip side, she knew she could be as violent, sadistic and equally capable of great cruelty.
"You think too little of me, Levi." Ida defended in a measured tone. She matches his glare with her own, determined to not look like a fool. "You forget what kind of a person I use to be, I have no qualms in killing humans."
The acid sarcasm in her voice was light, but very evident. Levi stared into the depths of her eyes – her eyes that held unwavering authority and determination as she gazed into him. Their glares engaged in a silent clashing battle of two strong wills.
After several seconds of tense silence, Levi scoffed. "Fine. I'm counting on you."
Ida nodded, the shadows of his hood covering her triumphant smirk.
-x{O}x-
"Damn this really…" Ida cursed softly, sarcasm prominent in her voice. The piece of newspaper furrowed in her rigid clasp when she saw her badly drawn picture of her and Levi plastered on it as fugitives. "From criminal, to a Survey Corps solider and back to a runaway fugitive again, well that fucking escalated quickly, and what the hell, I do not look like that! Who's the damn artist who drew this? I look hideous! The nose is humongous!"
"Quit complaining." Levi chided her harshly, his bored expression scanning her face. "I don't need a whining brat on my team."
Rolling her eyes, she crumpled the paper into a ball and tossed it away. She focused her attention back on Nifa who was busy watching the men outside funeral home. "So, how is the situation like?"
"The two coffins are being transferred into the carriage." Nifa reported. "I'm certain that our assumptions are correct. Eren and Historia must be within the coffins. We almost lost track of them before, it's a good thing you were a step ahead in finding this spot Captain."
"…But it's some what strange." Levi deadpanned, a slight disturb expression flashing on his face. "This is different from what the Military Police Brigade usually does. They knew immediately Reeves would conspire with us."
Ida nodded in agreement. "I get you, it's funny how those slacking Police Pigs with a pea size brain could actually come up with something so clever, much less see through our plans."
"The enemy trains of thoughts are very similar to mine…" At this, Levi's features contorted as he contemplated over the possibilities. "You can even say it's identical… Could it be him?"
"Him?" Ida and Nifa echoed in unison.
"Do you know 'Throat-Slasher' Kenny?"
Ida's questioning expression fell when she heard that name and in its place a disturbed expression took over, but Nifa remained oblivious. "The serial-killer from within the Capital? I heard that countless of Military Police men had their throats slashed trying to capture him. Isn't that just a legend though?"
Levi met his gaze with Ida, acknowledging her recognition at the name. "There is such a person. I lived with him when I was younger."
"What?" Ida echoed, stunned. "…I heard of him in the underground, but he disappeared a decade ago…"
She waited for a reply, but silence hung in the air as a new tensed stillness surrounded them. Levi looked as if he was contemplating over something disturbing and she watched him in anticipatory silence.
Suddenly, Levi snapped his head around, his eyes widening in realization. "Watch-"
The drastic sound of gunfire ripped the condensing air into two, Levi managed to evade unscathed as he pushed Ida out of the way, but the same couldn't be said for Nifa as the bullet drilled through her head.
"Ida!" He shouted in panic, instantly moving behind the chimney of the rooftop for shelter.
She had already taken cover behind the chimney, but she was panting and grunting in pain. Levi eyes widen in horror when he saw the blood seeping through her cloak over her arm. Ida felt the furious blood gushing out of her system, draining her.
Fury as hot as raging fire plagued his eyes when he saw the wound. Ida pressed her palm onto her arm, trying to stop the bleeding. "I am fine, it only grazed part of my skin." She sped through her words quickly, winching as the wound throbbed in agonizing pain.
"Yo, Levi." A mocking sinister voice came from behind them. "You grew up."
The sounds of grapples piercing the brick chimney flooded the vicinity.
Gears.
It couldn't be, it was impossible. Using guns awhile using gears?!
As if on cue to answer their questions, a tall man with short, coarse looking dark hair and a thin beard propelled himself mid air, turning his guns at the stunned pair as he gave a vile smirk. "This part of you hasn't changed much!"
"Kenny!" Levi hissed in vengeance, grabbing his cloak and covering him self as an effort to disarray the aim of the impending bullets. Despite the occurring pain in her arm, Ida forced herself to roll away just in time to miss a rain of lethal bullets.
Levi clenched his jaw, luckily surviving the attack. He glimpsed at the bloodied corpse of Nifa nearby with a mixed look of horror and grief, before shouting as he sprinted to the other side of the roof. "Ida! Go!"
She understood what Levi was trying to do immediately and ran towards the edge of the roof to split up. Ida plunged herself mid air as she steered away with the steel wire of her gears. Her heartbeat elevated as she heard the bullets firing madly on her deafened ears.
"Ran away after all huh?" Kenny smirked wickedly like he was enjoying the hunt. He dropped the empty bullet cartilage to the ground, taking pure amusement from their horrified alarmed looks.
She found herself looking back and gasped when she saw Kenny going after Levi instead of her, a part of her wanted to go with him but she knew that that she would only serve as a nuisance and cloud Levi's judgment – he couldn't possibly worry about her and fight at the same time.
Please… be safe.
Ida panted heavily as she made her escape, zipping through the air. I need to regroup with the rest of our team, she told herself, but it wasn't for long when the sounds of gunfire echoed within Wall Sina again, bringing forth another round of horrified screams from the civilians.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
"Fuck!" A bullet simply hit the air as Ida made a swift dodge to the left, barely escaping. She whirled mid air, cursing when she saw a group of Military Police wearing the same modified gears as Kenny approaching for an ambush. Not only was she heavily outnumbered, but her enemies had an eagle's accuracy as well.
Damn it! An ambush, those damn bastards!
"I found the girl!" She heard someone call out in amidst the chaotic frenzy. "Secure her alive! Aim for her legs or arms to subdue her!"
Ida was dismayed when she saw their shining gun burning for a desire to fire, fear of the highest form consuming her and slowing her movements. It didn't make any sense. They killed Nifa – why did they want her alive?
Why?
As she made a sharp turn on corner, the Military Police came towards her, pointing their guns threateningly at her. Ida was much quicker than them, she was able to make the first move even before the enemy could pull the trigger – but she didn't.
She couldn't.
Ida gasped upon perceiving the strength and speed of her foes. They were well-trained soldiers that did not know the meaning of 'exhaustion'. They chased her almost endlessly. She was confident that she had the strength, the mind, the eye, and the skills a leading solider ought to have in order to get out of this alive. But she had trained herself out of repentance for her weakness in the past, she vowed never to use this strength unless necessary.
What was missing was her resolve.
Killing humans was nothing new to her, she had done it plenty of times in her past in the underground, but her sentiment just wouldn't allow her to do it now – she didn't want to go back to living with a burdensome heavy pile of regrets and guilt. Despite all the big talk, Ida realized at that moment that she was too over confident. She couldn't do it. She was still weak. She was still the same after all those years.
With her every evasion came successive rounds of blood hungry bullets propelled to every direction possible. Shit! I can't just shake them off. They can easily tail me with their gears!
The fear of killing someone again gripped her and crippled her judgment – she couldn't bring herself to unsheathe her blade. All she could do was run, flee, escape like a cowardly fool that she was.
She was going to be captured. She was going to die here and that that realization she began to hyperventilate, her movements sluggish and predictable.
Pathetic.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
"Ugh!" She grunted in agonizing pain when she barely made another dodge. The fiery bullets thirsty for blood had managed grazed her thigh. Though she was swift and quick, bullets were much faster.
Upon receiving another wound, Ida felt the candy charm bracelet on her left wrist getting heavier as if to remind her that Levi wouldn't be here to save her now, she couldn't depend on him forever. She needed to do something. She was going to die if she didn't.
Weak, helpless and crippled. Frighten, cowardly, anxiety.
All these while she had depended on Levi to steer her in the right direction, to guide her on the right path - with him gone, she was nothing more than a lost cowardly fool.
I am sorry Levi. You can't count on me after all.
She knew well that she was captured it would serve only as an inconvenience to her squad. Not only that, her attackers would most likely turn their guns towards Levi and the rest of her team – but despite knowing all of that, Ida just couldn't bring herself to fight back. Her mind was telling her to do it, but her body simply wouldn't listen.
How spoilt she had been... Ida had always depended on Levi, he had always did the dirty work for her, he has always protected her, shield her, guided her. Erwin too, there was no doubt he was much more lenient towards her. Everyone was so tolerant towards her. She was such a brat back then... So unappreciative, so cocky, so foolish.
But, didn't she make the resolve to fight? To be of use?
Why am I running? Is this all that I can do? Is the extent of my determination? Is this all I am good for? Didn't I want to help Humanity?
"Capture her at all cost!"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Disgusting!
Helpless!
Coward!
She made another sharp turn at the corner and her eyes widen in horror when she saw the gruesome corpse, warm fresh blood still oozing out of the fatal bullet wound on the head. The image seemed to have been secured in her mind forever, slowly playing out on replay.
It was the corpse of her subordinate, the corpse of a dead Survey Corps solider, Hanji's squad mate...
They killed him.
What if it had been one of the newer recruits instead? What if it had been Armin, or Jean, or even... Levi?
Something died within her that very moment the cruel imagery plagued her mind as something sinister and triumphant revived in its wake. Her wide eyes were plagued with terror; terror and satisfaction as she looked at the ghastly corpse.
"Fine. I'm counting on you."
Ida reminded herself on the promises she had made and her responsibility. People were depending on her, her team depended on her, Levi depended on her – she couldn't afford to die here! Not yet!
A surge of power throbbed through her veins, and along with the new found strength came a tsunami of vindictive malicious thoughts – so sadistic and terrifying that it even frightened Ida herself, but instead of rejecting it, this time, she embraced it with anticipation and urgency, allowing it to consume her whole.
Emotions... Hatred, disgust, vengeance... She will channel it all into her slashes.
Her pursuers had noticed something different in Ida too when her lips curved into a taunting smirk, all traces of the weak girl gone and replaced with something more… sinister.
She plugged her hand grips to the blades and extended the blades to full length as the men approached her. Halting her approach to flee, she angled her hips for the air, speeding towards her pursuers. She was so fluid in her movements that the men panicked at her sudden attack and fired aimless rounds.
SlASH!
She swished, slashed, and sped like a furious bloodthirsty hurricane. Ida was nowhere as fast as the Levi, but she was indeed as strong and brutal as he was with it came to the arts of the blades. A pool of blood, a mound of lacerated flesh, amputated limbs, and that intoxicating smell of death...
Thirsty. She was too thirsty for spilled blood.
"You fucking bitch!" A horror filled curse sounded above her as Ida ran her bloodied blade across the body of one of his subordinates, shearing his flesh and efficiently ending his life.
BANG!
"Shit!"
Ida hissed when another bullet sped through the edge of her hips, taking off a chunk of her flesh and opening a new wound. She was too reckless and impetuous in battle, Levi had reprimanded on this before, she needed to strategize. Ida glared at her pursuers in vindictive rage, her expression as composed like a bronze mask, but tough like a malevolent formidable warrior.
Five… Five more to go…
But, Ida knew she couldn't take them all out at once. Guns against blades, it was common knowledge to which weapon held the advantage. She needed to retreat for now, she couldn't possibly kill them all without obtaining more wounds. It was far too dangerous, too risky. Back up would be arriving any moment if she delayed any further.
Kicking the wind for momentum, she gritted her teeth at her peril circumstances as she made a quick sharp turn towards the gate of Wall Sina, pushing as herself as fast as possible against the thrashing current of the wind in hopes of shaking off her pursuers.
Ida gasped when she caught sight of the familiar figure in front her, her eyes wide when she saw him twirling in a vicious lethal blur as the splendors of blood splattered around him like crimson rain.
"Levi!" She cried out, relief washing over her.
He was safe, he was alive, and he was still fighting.
Thank the gods.
"Wait until she is within range!" A panicked voice echoed from behind her, reminding her of her that the enemy was still nearby. "Kill her if you can't capture her!"
Her jaw clenched, and her grips on her handles tightened in the purest form of rage. Noticing how a metal wires from one of her pursuer's gears was within her range, she gripped the wire and pulled him towards her, angling her blades directly for his stomach.
"ARGH!"
Her razor blades effortlessly slid through her victim's body like butter; humans' bodies were much softer than Titans and the past year of fighting off those Titans had honed her slashes into lethal vicious cuts. Twirling around, she released the gas from her gears and propelled away from the scene before she was within her pursuers firing range. Ida sped her way to join up with Levi from the front.
Passing through the gates of Wall Sina, she moved with agility towards the side just as another round of bullets fired at her direction. Damn it, if this keeps up, she could very well be dead. Ida knew for a fact that she couldn't dodge every single round of bullets, exhaustion would chase after her – she could very much lose her life here.
"You just don't know when to quit, you damn bastards!"
With newfound aggravation, she turned her towards her pursuers as her wires reeled her towards the front and with a click, released two of blood-drenched blades towards the enemy. "ARGH!" Her aim hit one of her pursuers directly at the head, but the other was left unscathed as he dodged with precision at the incoming blade.
"Levi!" She cried out, and this time, he turned to acknowledge her.
A flash of relief masked his emotionless expression briefly. "We need to regroup immediately!"
"Go! I will cover you!" Ida screeched back in response, gritting her teeth as she looked back at their pursuers, twisting her hips and leading them away from Levi. Plugging in fresh blades, she made a quick dodge and stamped her boot to a nearby roof.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
"Shit!" Ida cursed, running across the roof as a rain of bullets hit the roof tiles behind her. Noticing how there was a taller tower on the left, she aimed her grapple towards it and used her gear mechanism to fly toward it. A bullet zoomed past her and crashed towards the roof, cracking into fragments.
Using her picked up momentum, it was just her luck that one of her pursuers was within her blades lethal vicinity and she wasted no time in slashing him completely in half. The crimson blood splattered from the ripped body, bathing her in raining crimson blood.
"She killed him…" Jean uttered in pure horror when he watched Ida gracefully swirled around the air, like a vicious roaring hurricane, killing every thing in her path with vengeance. His throat had grown unbearably dry over the horrific sight, not believing what he was seeing.
"Squad leader?!"
Levi plopped down with ease shortly after, scowling as blood covered half of his face. "Stop following after the casket wagon, our movements had been seen through. Let's give up on Historia and Eren for now. Their aim is to use the two of them to lure out the remaining Survey Corps members and kill them here."
"What?!" Mikasa gasped out in shock.
"I'm sure there are enemies lying in wait ahead as well, the other three had already been killed."
The vicious sounds of gunshots echoed through Wall Sina again, reminding Levi of the urgency of the situation. "Armin, aim for the closet level ground from the left. Sasha and Connie, lead the horses. Jean, return gunfire from the roof racks. Mikasa, Ida and I will support the escape with 3DMG."
"Yes!"
"U – understood!"
"What do you plan to do with Eren and Historia?" Mikasa questioned.
"We'll have to find them by other means, of course that's if we're able to leave this place alive. When you can kill the enemy, kill. Understood?" Levi sped through his words quickly.
"Understood!"
"Squad leader! They are coming several from the right side! They are turning!"
"Shit!" Levi and Mikasa immediately shot themselves airborne, running to support the the lone Ida and aid with the escape. The redhead heaved out heavily, exhaustion spreading it's fevers to her legs, her eyes were getting cloudy, her wounds ached so badly but she pushed herself and made a sharp turn at the corner, running towards the approaching pursuers.
"DON'T!"
BANG!
Thanks for reading! Also thank you to all those who favorite and followed, and of course to the lovely reviewers!
Regarding my previous question (thanks to those who gave me suggestions): I realized a lot of people preferred different pairing, some even disliked the idea of adding another one. So... I'm torn. I multi-ship alot! TwT. I guess maybe I could include small fluff scenes on some of pairings in future chapters, the pairings will be different though. The scenes are not really romantic or really implies love, it would be funny/cute/friendship scenes focusing of close bonds of the characters! That way, you guys can imagine what goes on behind after the scene has ended, it's up to your imagination on who likes who! LOL, just an idea. What do you guys think about this? LET ME KNOW PLEASE!
Thank you all for leaving reviews/suggestions! Can't tell you how much I appreciate it! You guys are the best!
ArrowsIronJr: Thanks for the suggestion! I don't really think Ida would rant to Levi though, her pride comes first. Even if she is jealous, she was probably hint in a very subtle angry way. xD
SNKrista: Ida would probably shake it off awkwardly and walk away with a lame excuse like "I'm going to eat sweets" or smt. Thanks for the suggestion! Don't worry, I will find a way to implicate things! Holy, a distressed Levi would be a ball to watch. I'm blushing so hard as I read your review. Well, I can picture it in my head... Since they are both like to be in the authoritative position... So... *hides face*
Zita: I laughed out loud when I read your review! Oh god. I wish I could write that too, but knowing Levi character, I had to do it really subtly. HAHA, I bet Ida would spike his drink with laxatives so she could see him shit himself as a prank, and the house would probably be messy, so Levi has to do all the cleaning. So I can't say that she would be a 'perfect' housewife. She likes to be active, so I can't really see her as true house wife material. :O
Guest1: Pfft, oh god. I've been blushing so hard from all the scandalous reviews cos my mind is going crazy on picturing how I'm going to write those *coughs* scenes. LOL. I laughed so hard at your suggestion! That would be so awkward for Levi. Thanks for the suggestion, I really appreciate it!
Guest: Thanks for the suggestion! Glad you like this chapter.
Jazmine: That is such a great suggestion! Adorable! I'd probably tweak it a little to fit into future scenes and to maintain Levi's character, thank you so much! Glad you like my fic!
Guest: Well, not really. I can't say much without spoiling, but it would be a jarring plot twist! :X You'd have to wait for the next chapter. xD Thank you for your suggestion! It's really appreciated. Many see Mikasa as that type of girl as well actually from what I've read in forums. Your English is not poor at all!
Chandler: Yes, she is that oblivious. *sighs* Well, she knows it secretly at heart, but she doesn't want to believe it. Sure, I'll definitely consider it! Thanks for your suggestion. An overprotective Levi would be fun to watch, I'm dying to type that as well.
Guest: Glad you like it! Hehe, don't worry, they will, soon enough...
Karly: I agree! Levi knows since he's more rational, Ida is denying it since she's more idealistic/irrational. Yes! I'll definitely write Jazmine's suggestion! Ah... About the 'screwing' *cough* part, it'll come... Jeez, I'm really blushing at the reviews on this chapter awhile grinning like an idiot. So glad that you like this chapter!
Nina: I'm so happy you loved it! I can't envision him as a hopeless romantic too. HAHA, I might do it! Well, not really that graphic, we'll see... Yes! So many people are asking for Levi and Ida to get on with the 'dirty business' and babies & I'm blushing so hard cause my mind is going crazy on thinking of how I'm going to write that. *coughs* Well, at least I guess I'm doing something right since I want to display Levi as a sexy ass. LOL. Don't worry I don't think you're the only one who wants a lemon. :P
Jenna: First of all I'm so happy you like this fic! HAHA, I can kind of see that happening since Levi is... well, Levi.. *smirks*. HAHA, well I need to give Levi some forth of 'man-pride' LOL.
Lenaa: Of course I don't mind reading suggestions! I love them! Well, I'd have to find a way to incorporate it into my plot. Somehow, somewhat, either way, I will include something similar (actually I've already something planned like that)! Look out for it in future chapters! :3
AoT: I taken your suggestion in his chapter, thank you for your help! Hope you liked it.
jamieSNK: That sounds, so awesome. Oh god, thank you for leaving a suggestion! I will in future chapters, don't worry! xD
Thank you all for taking the time to write reviews!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT SO FAR! IT'S MAKE ME SO HAPPY :D
Have an awesome day ahead of you! DO R&R and fav/follow! Constructive reviews, suggestions are very much appreciated.