Saph's PoV

My vision wobbled while I blearily blinked my eyes open. Rubbing my aching jaw, straw dropped away from my cheek. I tentatively touched the bloody seeping wound at the back of my skull. We'd been attacked and vastly outnumbered. The trio had gotten away, but someone must have snuck up behind and knocked me out. My breath stalled as I noticed Levi leaning across the wall from mine watching me.

"I understand how I got taken, but how were they able to drag your ass here?" I pushed myself up to sit up. "You're Levi, Humanity's Greatest Soldier. You can't go around getting kidnapped. Brings down morale."

Levi snorted. "I'm not immune to drugs. Looks like you were the one you couldn't outrun them. Did they get Eren?"

"They had the castle surrounded! I was able to get all three of them out."

"I'm sure Mikasa contributed to that fact."

"She sure can fight," I admitted. "Do we know who we are up against anyways? I didn't get a look."

Levi sighed before looking out of the bars. "No. Nobody has come here since I woke up. I already walked around and besides being putrid, there's nothing here. There's a hole in that corner," he pointed with his finger, "if you want to take a shit."

Tucking my legs underneath me, I tried to get comfortable. "Do you have a plan?"

"No."

It took me a second to realize that my heart was trying to claw out of my chest. The remnants and memories of my time with Kenny came back in sharp shards that impaired the physical reality around me. Stillness flooded my limbs even as a cacophony of fear flooded my senses. Trapped. Once again. Being at the complete mercy of a sadistic human, the mere threat of existing in such a situation again sent me into a panicked frenzy.

"Do you think it's Kenny again?" I gritted my teeth when I locked eyes with Levi.

His gaze never strayed from mine. "Wouldn't put it past that fucker, but if you didn't see him when the attack happened then I would suspect not. You'd know more than me about his whereabouts."

I licked my lips at the thought of how many people I've cut down in my quest to hunt that man to make him pay. A certain craving for his death caused my body to tense in anticipation. From wanting to fight instead of flee. "All I know is that he's working closely with the Military police at the moment." I peered outside the bars of our shared jail. All sources of light in the room were torches lining the walls. "I don't feel like we traveled far enough to be in the innermost wall."

Levi nodded in agreement.

His less threatening and aggressive demeanor towards my presence confused me, but I didn't want to ruin it by questioning it.

It was like he heard my trail of thoughts though because Levi tilted his head back until it rested on the slab of stone behind him. Eye contact broken, he stared unblinkingly at the ceiling. "I don't blame you for any of their deaths."

"That's not what it sounded like before."

He sighed. "Hanji talked to me."

"I miss her too," I said choking on a small sob. There hadn't been a moment to grieve, but Petra was gone. "She never stopped being nice to me even when I treated her like shit."

The entire squad gone. Oluo might have survived but he'd never be able to fight another Titan. While the Survey Corps did have room for people whose injuries prevented them from more rigorous physical positions, but Oluo would never want to stay around with memories of Petra staining his entire environment.

Levi's head dropped. "I know you do." I thought that was going to be the end of it until he whispered, "we are both very different people than the ones who reached the surface that day."

I never wanted to tell him that I was in love with him more than that moment. The heavyweight of grief in my chest, however, kept my words still in my heart. "There's a lot we have now that we didn't have back then."

"And a lot we have lost along the way." An edge of tiredness filled Levi's voice making him sound ancient. His body slumped against the wall as his rough hands rested upon his knees.

It broke me to see him covered in filth and yet accepting it. As if the empty sadness hollowing out his bones drained him of all energy of caring. Wearily, I stood up. I hobbled forward as my sore body cried softly in protest to its own jarring movements. As I settled down next to the man, I couldn't help but remember how I used to put my sleeping bag next to his. We have both lost everyone who gave us happiness and hope when we lived Underground. Only a handful of people had been in the Survey Corps longer than us. The cycle of new recruits joining and concurrent rash of deaths that inevitably follow an expedition isn't one that leaves much joy in life.

"Even if I die in this crusty old cell, I'm glad I got out of the Underground. I'm glad I joined the Survey Corps," I nudged Levi in encouragement.

"You don't have any regrets?"

My dry lip bled when I nibbled on it, the taste of copper trickled onto my tongue. "There are things I would do differently, yes, but…"

"What about your brother?" Levi interrupted me. His eyes finally regaining interest as he turned to bore them into my soul.

Nose wrinkling, I considered my next words. "I wish I hadn't killed him. I don't wish you were the one who died instead," I answered honestly. My brother had been with me for the first half of my life with Levi here for the latter half. Even more inconceivable was the thought of Levi not being a face I saw every day. Scowling, bored, or angry, teasing out a conversation with him was always something I tried to achieve in the mornings. It made me feel awful as someone who loved Suzu and his designated protector, knowing I wouldn't change protecting Levi made the rare taste of guilt flood my mouth.

"I'm sorry," Levi whispered.

"I'm sorry too."

The only door in the room creaked open as a man hurriedly walked out. He had dark eyes and a mustache that covered his upper lip. There was a nervous energy about him even though he would've towered over me if we were standing next to each other. A moment that if given the chance, I would use to rip out his throat with my teeth. His eyes darted between the two of us, measuring us up with intrigue and fear. "Which one of you guys is the manipulator?"

I'd never felt fatter in my life. Whoever kidnapped Levi and I only asked questions, never tortured us, leaving me flummoxed on what they wanted. They gave us only a little food, but without any exercise, Levi and I would work out in our respective corners.

"I'm surprised they haven't executed us at this point," I commented after we'd done s long set of push-ups. Neither of us had an idea on how long we'd been held. Most of the time was spent in silence, contemplating how to escape.

"They think we could be useful to them somehow. They act as if they aren't confident in their own information. I wonder how they got it in the first place."

"A spy?"

"I wouldn't be surprised after Annie."

"Do you think Annie could've been the spy?" Before she froze herself into an impenetrable circle?

"That'd make sense. She could have given them information about Kenny with her being in the Military Police."

Grinding my teeth together, I tried to dispel the instant frustration at the thought of the blonde. So many people she killed with no repercussions. So many questions that she left unresolved in the wake of her self-destructive entombment. My own helplessness made me want to weep. Leaning against the wall of our small shared jail cell, I felt defeated. Who knew what was happening outside of these four walls? The manipulator. It had to be Eren who they wanted, but they had also asked about us being from the Underground. Their questions were met with silence from Levi, but I never found any harm in answering most of them. A lot of them held words I didn't understand and they weren't willing to explain. The conversations had drifted off from there leaving only food time to be the period of interaction.

"I miss the sun."

Levi scraped the ground with his foot, a futile attempt to create a clean spot to sit down. "I miss being clean."

"The first thing you're going to do is take a shower when you get out, aren't you?"

"What else is there?"

"Get drunk."

"Is that your plan?"

I laughed, "when we get out, I'm sure I'll have to wash up as well. They don't usually allow people covered in blood to attend bars."

My mind turned to Bells with that statement. Who I wouldn't kill to be sleeping in her luxurious bed while nibbling on sweets. Not that I wanted to stop sleeping next to Levi or anything either. He'd allow me to sleep next to him even though there was a good bit of space between us to act as a barrier. The temptation to run my fingers through his hair or to press the back of my palm against his back.

Stiffening, the sound of the door opening could be heard behind me. A click of a gun soon followed. Whirling around, I prepared to drop to the floor. The man with the mustache and three others followed him into the room. Each with their own gun loaded and pointed at me.

"Both of you, get out of the cell. Any sudden movements, and I will blow her head off." While they'd made the same threats before, the air held a new tension this time. A decision had been made even if no additional clarity had come in. Desperation clung to every forced action lending to the idea that they had run out of time. Their fingers trembled as they hovered over the trigger, making me think I could be shot if one got spooked. Levi glowered at the men but moved obediently. If we could just disarm them, they'd be quick to kill. The only reason Levi got captured in the first place was because they knocked him out with some substance. None of them would be able to match him in a fight. Hell. He'd probably be able to take them on now if we didn't have all their weapons targeting me.

After Levi got out of the cell, one of the men lowered his gun slightly. "Put your arms behind your back, turn around, and get on your knees."

I growled low in my throat as he wrapped a rope around Levi's wrist. The shotgun shifted closer to my ear. "Shut up and get on your knees as well," I obeyed as I glared at the two men now pointing their shotgun at Levi. After they bound me, we were dragged outside. The rush of unfiltered sunlight hitting my eyes after so long with only the low dim of torch blinded me. Stumbling forward, I tried to recover my bearings in order to see our environment. I could only assume they meant to execute us in a ditch out here.

A hand shoved me on my lower back causing me to fall forward. Landing on my knees before collapsing onto my stomach, I saw the field stretched in front of me before tasting the dirt. Men on horses warily observed us with guns on their laps. Towering above my fallen body as a boot came to rest on my back.

"Stay down."

My mouth let a grunt escape as the hard thud forward knocked the wind out of me. Tears creeped out of the corner of my eye as I desperately scanned for Levi. Finding his figure not to far away, I sighed a small amount of relief. I may have had no idea where I might be, but at least Levi hadn't left my sight.

The men on their horses circled around us yet left a large swath of space around the people in the middle. A young blonde-haired boy, not much older than 12, stood next to the man who seemed to be in charge. His fingers drifted over his mustache as he scowled at both Levi and I. "Neither of you are aware of the true war happening. The knowledge of the people, weapons, and your own history has been erased from your collective consciousness. We are here to once again align God's weapon with a disciple. Correct the universal humanity by reckoning the world with his word."

Fuck. I didn't understand a word said, but it sounded like they were with the church. Those religious pigs had their snouts deep into the shit of the government. Everyone had ties everywhere with only an ever more expanding network of information. What I found to be of the utmost value, information and knowledge. But, I was clueless here, and all I could do is look everywhere for something that could prevent what seemed to be death for both of us. The man's word held truth in that the word history meant nothing to Levi and me.

"Mmmmph," I unconsciously let out a groan as the man pressed his foot harder into my spine, the gun clicking as if to warn Levi not to prevent his impending doom. I bit my tongue filling my taste buds with copper as my eyes didn't stop glimmering over all surroundings with an edge of hope. There had to be something. When I caught Levi's eyes, ours both stilled for a second.

A bright glint caught my attention after a second. Leaving a shiver of terror to make my web of nerves cringe away involuntarily. Kenny filled the seeds of fear and glimpses of my memories flooded over me. Fractured and uneven. Holding neither a secure time or place. But I knew one thing, allowing that child to be given the shot would lead to a much worse fate for Levi than death.

"NOOO AHWGGHHHH" The brightness that had accompanied the moment we'd left the dungeon rudely barged back in again as my shout morphed into an animalistic howl. Stumbling, I tried to grasp how everything existed so far below me. Instinctively, I held my hands closer to my face, stilling when I recognized that Levi clutched the inside of one. Next, I noticed that long claws grew out of the tips of my fingers like claws. I'd never seen a Titan with weaponlike nails or just long limbs for that matter.

A Titan. Here I was. Like Eren. Annie. And any others who were human and Titan. Levi's mouth moved but I couldn't hear the words. Slowly, I brought him up closer to my ear, wary that he thought I'd try to hurt him for a reason.

"We have to get out of here! Move!" He demanded, gaining his footing to jump onto my shoulder. He grasped tufts of my hair by my ear. "We need to find how to get closer to the inner walls."

I landed on all fours and began to sprint forward, my claws scooping into the dirt to propel me forward. Only too late did I realize that I didn't know the direction of the inner wall.

"Turn around!"

Only 2 sounds seemed to be filtering into my brain at the moment, my thoughts and Levi's voice. I could only trust that he knew where to go.

Yet, after viewing the carnage of buildings and people I'd stepped on in my hurry, I realized a Titan stood not too far with a broken pillar of wood. Stumbling, I dove to the right as the beast threw the makeshift weapon at me. I wanted to run. Runaway as far as possible. Fighting in an unknown body? With Levi in such a vulnerable position?

Getting tangled up in the length of my arms and legs, I felt like a newborn horse as I scrambled to get out of the way of the figure beelining for me. The smell of scorched earth partnered with the smoke rolling off of the glowing black coating on their skin. It reminded me of the shiny cold crystal that shielded Annie's Titan when we'd attacked her with our blades. Realizing that her outstretched fingers were directly headed for the crevice of my neck that Levi rooted himself on, I lurched forward and swiped at their arm. Blood squirted onto my face as I cut to the bone.

Screaming, the Titan smashed their hand into my cheek in a desperate attempt to push me away so I wouldn't cut the limb off.

I cried in pain as chunks of the right side of my face dripped onto the field below us. There would be no way of me getting close to this Titan with that sort of capabilities. Armor, crystal, and fire? What other abilities existed within the secrets embedded within Titans? The heat inflicted on my face didn't let up even as I created more distance between the Titan and me.

Assessing my worn state, I double-checked to make sure Levi still had a hold on me. "There's another one coming over here," he shouted at me. Whirling around, I caught sight of the monstrosity approaching us. While my own limbs were longer than most, this Titan had its hand dragging in the mud and grass. Fur covered most of its body, reminding me more of an animal than a nightmare resembling a human.

Snarling, I glared between the two Titans on either side of me. I'd been struggling to fight one, there's no way I'd be able to fight off two that clearly knew what they were doing better than I and didn't have to protect anyone. However, the one with fast healing gash in its harm had yet to make a move since it caught sight of the hairy Titan. With a gaping mouth and wide eyes, the Titan's expression gave away the same surprise we'd felt seeing. Not wanting to stay around to see if they were friends or not, I dashed past the Titan, stretching my arms and legs to eat up the ground underneath me.

Hello everybody! Long time no see. I hope you guys enjoy the chapter! Thank you for the continuous support even though I don't post as often as I used to. Reading reviews really does inspire me to continue this work.