Saph's PoV

Levi grabbed my arm, pulling me away from him. Trepidation stilled me as I recognized a look of complete alarm. "What have you done!" His voice wavering with both disbelief and anger.

At first I couldn't comprehend where his words were coming from. The actions leading up to this or the kiss? However, I followed his line of sight until I ended up glancing behind the two of us, I could clearly see my trail of destruction. Squished bodies littered the roads and sidewalks. Their blood painted the outline of Stohess's canvas red. The color spilled into all the empty spaces. The place smelled of death, eerily similar to the Underground. Dust and decay.

A few Military Police soldiers could be seen flying off into the distance. Their numbers significantly thinned out from Levi and I's efforts. One laid every dozen feet or so, stretched out across the street as if stepping stones. Some made noises as they groaned out their last breaths. Partially crushed, they painfully waited for the sweet relief of the end.

"I couldn't let them kill you!" I growled out staring at my two reconstructed hands. Nothing looked different even though one had been shot off only minutes earlier. " Gritting my teeth, I felt frustration building. "Had Kenny right in my grasp."

He looked tortured. Turmoil twisted his features into ones of anguish and anger. "That doesn't mean you can just sacrifice other people who were completely uninvolved. Innocent bystanders to this entire mess."

Confused, I tilted my head as I considered what he meant. "How are they innocent? They wouldn't care if either of us died. No shit given while we were kids in the Underground or here now with us trying to save the human race. People don't care about anyone but themselves." I paused before walking forward a few feet. "Except you. That's what makes you different. We need to go back to our hiding spot. I need to give you medical attention for your gunshot wound. You're not invincible even though you like to pretend to be."

We hobbled along to the destination of the young recruits. Nestled deep in the woods, the cabin appeared to be a heaven sent sanctuary for us to regroup and plan our next move. The silence soothed my soul and I enjoyed the smell of lush plant life. Interrupting to the peaceful atmosphere, Armin could be heard puking not too far away. Entering the surrounding clearing, we could see his body bent near a tree as he sobbed, tears gushing down. Rubbing his back, Mikasa encouraged him to breathe.

Neither of us needed to ask. Everyone reacted to killing someone for the first time differently. I recalled feeling icky and sad. I'd been younger than 10. A teenager had cornered Suzu and I in an alleyway after he'd seen us with some scraps of food. Suzu distracted him by throwing stones at his face, so I could get in close with my knife to stab him in the chest. I aimed for the heart.

My grief didn't overwhelm like Armin. After entering the house, I turned to look at the rest of them. "What happened with Armin?"

Levi took off his shirt and hopped onto the table causing my mind to blank for a second before I realized Jean started to answer my question. "Mikasa knocked someone from the Military Police into our wagon. Armin shot them because I hesitated and they were about to murder me," Jean whimpered out.

Not surprising based off of his comments he said previously on the roof. However, I felt no need to make the situation worse by reminding him that I told him he'd die if he didn't become decisive. Never would've put his friend in that position if he'd listened to me. Getting out the first aide, I finally got a closer look at the horrid wound. The blood flowed more heavily due to our traveling. Thankfully, the blast only partially pierced his side. A few inches more towards the center, the hole in him might've been too big. Fixated on cleaning it up, I startled when Armin stumbled in. Face red and puffy.

"Jean," Armin said, wiping his mouth with the edge of his sleeve, "there's something I don't understand. Honestly, when I pulled the gun… I thought I'd be too late. I'm sorry, but she already had her gun pointed at you. That's why, I can't stop wondering how I was able to shoot first?"

Not saying anything, Jean only looked down. I continued to dab cleaner on the flesh, causing Levi to wince and hiss. "Because she hesitated for a moment. Right?" Levi answered for him. The same one that sat on my tongue.

Jean grimaced. "I'm sorry. I should've fired, but I couldn't."

"So that's why," Armin sighed. "The woman I killed must have been a kind person. She was much more human than me."

"Armin," Levi interrupted, " your hands are already dirty. You can't go back to the way you were. Accept who you've become because if your hands were still clean… Jean most likely wouldn't be here." Everyone gaped at him. "You were able to pull the trigger like that because your friend was about to die. You're smart. You understood that there was no room for hesitation or compromise. You knew we couldn't afford to lose anything if we wanted to keep hope alive...goods, horses, comrades. You saved us by getting your hands dirty. I'm grateful, thankfully."

After a moment of contemplation, Jean spoke up. "Captain Levi, I thought your methods were wrong, but I just wanted to think that I was afraid of having to hurt others. You weren't wrong though. I was. I promise I'll fire next time."

"That's right. It was your hesitation that put us in danger," Levi interjected.

"I'm sorry," Jean said.

"But that was then and there. That's it. I'm not telling you what is right or wrong. I certainly don't know what it is. Were you really wrong?" Levi inquired, his voice soft. Regrets weighing heavy on his voice causing it to go hush. Whispers of doubt creeped into his voice.

The burden of his words left them too uncomfortable to sit with. Awkwardly they all glanced at each other before exiting towards their own bedrooms to talk.

Focused on doing a nice job, I felt little joy that I could finally show off my healing skills. I spent months learning skills that could help me out in a medical emergency. The only person I wanted to display them to had been Levi. Now he didn't want to talk to or face me apparently. "They cleared out fast."

"We scare them. You really did today since they've never seen Saph the Slaughterer in action before."

I sighed. That didn't sit right with me. I saw the looks on their faces when we arrived. Nervous and tired as if small little animals are constantly being hunted. Except for poor Armin. Ridden with remorse, I hoped Levi made him feel better even if a little. "You said Armin was smart because he knew we couldn't lose anything if we wanted to keep hope. That doesn't include Humanity's Strongest Soldier?"

Levi glared at me, suddenly all I saw was fierce grey. "Don't let your feelings get in the way."

My heart squeezed in pain, I felt sick to my stomach. Get in the way? Of what? Being a Survey Corps member? Doing my duty for humanity? If that didn't include Levi than the rest of the race could just fuck off and die. "It's not just mine. You're more important than anyone in that village and everyone here. Including me. I'm worthless."

"You're not worthless, Saph. Why did you say that none of them would care if you died? You don't know that. You didn't even know them," Levi said exasperated.

"Because that's how it's been my entire life. When my parents died a friend of theirs took us in, but she got sick shortly after. Nobody helped her. Nobody helped us when she passed away from her illness. Nobody cared when the two of us kids had to go to the Underground. Nobody helped me when Suzu got kidnapped." I looked away. "Suzu loved me and he needed me. I couldn't protect that one person against this world. It's too cruel. Everyone who I care about gets taken away from me. I have to protect what little I have because no one else will."

Levi placed a hand on my knuckles, "Petra cared about you. Isabel cared about you. Hanji wants the best for you. There's always been people who want to see you happy."

"And I've watched almost all of them die in front of me while I could do nothing."

"We have to continue though, continue to give their deaths meaning by fighting for the cause. We can't just pretend it's okay for all these people to be sacrificed in the pursuit of our goal. There's no point in pushing forward to save humanity if everyone is killed in the process."

"What if that's not my goal?" I whispered.

"There's no other one you should have," he roughly stated as he removed his warm touch. "We don't have time for anything else, and certainly not right now."

Feeling crushed, I stepped away from him. "I'm done patching you up," I said with my voice devoid of emotion.

"Thank you. I'm going to go on watch and switch with whoever is outside."

He just wanted to not be near me right now. Anxiety attacked my senses and I felt a huge headache coming on. Filled with worry, my thoughts tangled themselves into a jumbled mess of what ifs. All ending badly. What if he doesn't want me near him anymore? What if he stops talking to me? Each left an impression of agony behind everytime they circled around again and again to the forefront of my mind. Pulling my attention towards my physical state, I realized that my mouth felt dry. Getting a glass of water, I sat down at the dining room table. I wanted some time to steady myself before we headed out to find Eren and Historia. Realizing that dried blood still coated the upper half of my clothes, I decided that a brief shower would be a good idea too.

In a stroke of luck, two young Military police recruits patrolled past us. After capturing them, we not only got them to reveal where the location of the Internal Military Police compound hid, but they also declared to join the Survey Corps instead.

Levi made me wait outside of the fort. He said they aimed to not kill anyone but to injure which meant I would be more useful as a lookout. When I went to follow him through the brush, he'd turned and told me to stay. A command I didn't particularly want to follow due to Kenny potentially occupying the formidable building. Thankfully, I didn't have to wait in anticipation for long as they finally returned a few minutes later with a man. His dark hair coated in sweat, matched the sticky black mustache perched above his lip.

Spittle flew from his mouth as he snarled at us, "You think you're something special? You think cutting down a bunch of unarmed mps makes you a hero? I think you should know...some of the men and women in there were just servants, but you cut them all down with no mercy or remorse."

"I see…what a horrible thing we've done," Levi causally commented as he shoved the front of his boot into the jabbering hole of the man. Hands tied behind his back, the man could only narrow his eyes into little slits in response. "I feel awful for all of you too, and I feel especially bad about your mouth. I'd suggest using it while you're still able to speak. Where are Eren and Historia?" Levi let him choke on the accessory for a second before he set his foot down.

"It's useless! No matter what you try to do, the only option the Survey Corps has left is to stay on the run inside the walls. You're nothing more than a pack of filthy rats! Now you'll just be lucky to survive! You've even abandoned your comrades. If you don't surrender, the captured soldiers are all going to hang! Why shouldn't they? Considering what you've done, who is going to object? The first one to the gallows will be the one most responsible for all of this, your precious leader… Erwin Smith." Breathing heavily, the man paused for a moment before continuing, "Of course, you should admit to acting on your own. If you give yourselves up, the lives of your comrades could be spared at least."

"I'll pass."

I snorted at Levi's short retort to the long winded and hysterical blubbering of the frightened man. "Just tell us where Eren and Historia are."

"Huh? So you're going to watch your comrades be killed just to live a few days longer? What a strong bond you have with each other," he finished sarcastically.

"Well," Levi glanced at me for a second, "some Survey Corp's lives are worth more than others. Only those dumb enough to agree to that join us." He dragged the man up and twisted him around so he could shove him against the tree. "Anyway, I doubt the crown would spare the others and throw away this perfect opportunity to exterminate the Survey Corps." He yanked at his arm, breaking the bone. "This is for not answering my question by the way."

The man yowled in pain, but Levi didn't relent. He applied more pressure to the limb, moving it in ways it shouldn't be stretched. "Shut up. Tell me where Eren and Krista are."

"I-I don't know! They barely tell us anything. I promise! Kenny Ackerman is extremely tight lipped."

Looking into the distance, Levi seemed lost in memories. "I suppose he doesn't give out many details… especially the important ones, but you must have an inkling, right? Maybe I can jog your memory. You still have a lot of bones left."

"You're a madman," the soilder groaned out, tears rolling down his cheeks.

Sasha suddenly raised her bow, an arrow at the ready. "Someone's coming from that way! It's a group."

We all ducked down and stilled our actions. Only the man spoke, "Didn't I tell you? It's hopeless. It all is. The time has come for you to pay for what you've done. This is the end for the Survey Corps."

Instead of guns being pointed our way, Hanji peeked out with a grin on her face. She held up a newspaper for us to read. "It's a special addition! Everything is in it. The Interior Police killed the head of Reeve's company. Them framing the Survey Corps. The king on the throne being a pretender. Control has been given to Zackly, and the false charges against the Survey Corps are gone. We acted in legitimate self-defense. We're free now!"

Everyone jumped up and whooped in sheer hoy. Fist raised in the air and feet off of the ground. It felt like we finally had a win, something quite rare for the Survey Corps. Losing happened to be more of our habit.

"I'm sorry, Hanji," Levi began, in quite a sorrowful voice. A change from the celebratory atmosphere, "those three you entrusted me with, they died."

Hanji's smile dropped. "Well… at least you neutralized those gun-toting bastards, right?"

"Not all of them. The leader and his team are off somewhere with Eren and Historia. If we don't find them soon, this revolution will be derailed."

She raised an envelope. "About that. I just might know where Eren and Historia are. I'm not absolutely certain, but I think our only choice is to take our chances with this. We'll end this battle here at the Reiss estate. I'll explain as we move." We saddled up and began to head out. All huddled around Hanji as she gave us explosive information. "Based on speculation surrounding Reiner and Bertholdt's words and actions, we believe Eren might be eaten. This would be a way for someone to gain Eren's power. Saph also found information regarding that night the family got massacred. There are murmurings that a Titan attack happened instead of bandits. It's right after that incident Rod contacted Historia. That must have something to do with why they wanted her."

"Blood ties," Levi wondered out loud, "is there something special about that bloodline?"

Hanji looked up at me. "Can you recall anything like that?"

"I don't remember eating anyone," I shrugged my shoulders. I didn't want to consider that for too long. It didn't leave a very pleasant taste in my mouth. "They drugged me and forced me into unconsciousness multiple times, so many things could've been done to me that I can't recall."

We continued to plod along. Strategizing and discussing what laid ahead.

"Kenny the Ripper. He'll be the biggest obstacle, if he's there. Think of him as someone like me but on the enemy's side," Levi stopped and shook his head. "No. With those weapons, he'll be even harder to deal with."

"Then we can't possibly beat him," Sasha groaned.

"Not even Saph could land a hit as a Titan," Connie added.

I pursed my lips at his remark. No need to rub salt into the wound. Besides, it's not like he landed a hit on a single Military Police soldier. Most of them just ran around scared shitless.

Armin spoke up. "But, based on what the Captain's said, it doesn't sound like Kenny is invincible."

"How is it that you don't know more about him, Levi? Didn't you live with him?" Hanji asked.

"Sorry," Levi hunched over to rest his elbows on his thighs. "I don't know anything. Saph would know more."

All pairs of eyes landed on me. I coughed, feeling warm underneath the unusual amount of attention. "He kidnapped my brother while we lived in the Underground. I've been hunting him down since. He works underneath the Reiss family, first Uri now Rod. Which is interesting because the royal family hunted the Ackerman family for generations before. This forced some of them to go Underground, including Levi's mother. Kenny did slaughter many Military Police before he joined. Some say it's a hundred, others say more. He's lethal and ruthless." I brought my focus to Mikasa. "Another part of the family went deep into the forest. That's where Mikasa's father met her Asian mother. They were also persecuted for generations. I couldn't find any information on why this might have been."

"When my parents were still alive," Mikasa pulled her knees into her chest, "they told me they'd been persecuted inside the cities, but they never told me why."

Levi kneeled down next to her. "Mikasa? Did you ever experience a moment in your life when it felt as though a power suddenly awoke inside of you?"

After thinking for a moment, a light of recognition perked her up. "Yes, I did," she said in amazement.

"Kenny told me he had a moment like that too. One day, all at once. He felt a stupid amount of strength surge through his body, and he knew exactly what to do. I had a moment like that too."

Astounded, I appreciated that Levi chose to use that strength to help the less fortunate. Mikasa also devoted all her energy towards protecting Eren. Both very different individuals from Kenny.

"We need to think about what the layout is going to be and what the plan of attack," Hanji pulled out a sheet of paper.

I half-listened to her instructions. This would be it. The ultimate battle for Eren and Historia. All our hard work to go against the government would be for naught if we lost the two of them. The future of humanity rested on their shoulders. I also refused to let Kenny escape again. He won't be able to ever hurt Levi again if I destroy him first. A moment to rest didn't make itself available to me before and I decided to take the opportunity to conserve my strength. Drooping forward slightly, I let myself drift off into a light slumber while on top of Lucifer. His slow plodding along rocking me to a fretful sleep.

Hanji held open the secret entrance. All of us held our breaths as we peered inside, certain that a trap awaited before us. "I hope I estimated well their number and position. It certainly sounds like you two did a number on them already."

"We could just send Levi, Mikasa, and Saph in. Even with Kenny, I'm not so sure they'd be able to beat them," Jean commented.

"You're not ready to get your hands dirty?" Levi inquired. The looks of determination weighing down their features said otherwise. Each one seemed to be gathering the courage to not just face death but to impose it onto their enemy. "Guess you are then."

Hanji rolled numerous barrels over the numerous glistening steps. The oil sloshing in the container could clearly be heard as it bounced downwards as gas from the canisters perfumed above. Sasha took aim with her bow, waiting for the right moment to let it loose. Levi, Mikasa, and I crouched down on either side of the doorframe. A stir of voices announced that it was time.

With the arrow let loose, one after another followed as they hit their targets. Exploding and cracking with fire, the explosions obscured our location. Darting around them, we counted while passing by. I started to struggle once the numbers got in the mid 20's.

"There are 40 of them! Kenny is nowhere in sight," Levi announced loudly.

The rest of the Survey Corps skirted inside. Armin and Sasha hung slightly back as one continued to fire her arrows and the other a smoke gun. The trails of black clouds made it difficult for the Military Police to aim at us if we stayed within their paths. I struggled not to cough as the thick colorful vapor filled my lungs.

"You monster!" one screamed as they let loose two bullets at me. Remembering Hanji's words in regards to their weaknesses, I knew that it'd be a perfect time to strike. Since they could only shoot twice before having to reload, I'd have a short period where he's vulnerable. Rushing forward, I impaled him with my blade. Another body, almost always dead before they hit the ground.

None of them were who I wanted though. I needed to find Kenny and end his life. Impatient, I swung from pillar to pillar executing everyone in my way with casual efficiency. They began dropping like flies, and I easily pushed deeper into the cavern.

"Shit!" hearing Levi curse, I whipped around. Speeding back, I saw Hanji crumpled onto the ground. "Take care of her Armin," he ordered before the rest of them caught up to me.

Mikasa threw herself ahead of the group, anxious to recover Eren. She'd be more busy with him than gunning for Kenny. I wanted it to be my sword he tastes last, no one else's. Before I could glimpse inside to see if the bastard resided there, a blast of hot air and blinding light filled the place. We flew down to Historia trying to unchain Eren. She began to tumble backwards, thankfully Mikasa landed near the wall to catch her head. Jean, Conne, and Levi began to fumble with the keys instead now. Seeing the ceiling began to collapse underneath the pressure of the morphing Titan in front of us. Kenny? Rod? I couldn't imagine who else. Hard to tell since it only grew larger as time passed. No distinguishing features to be seen.

I helped yank Eren back, tugging on Levi as I did so with my other hand. Levi groaned, raising a hand to shield his eyes from the glare. "Really? Just how shitty can this day get? This thing looks bigger than the Colossus Titan."

"There's no way out!" Jean yelled.

Looking back and forth, I considered my options. Would turning into a Titan be able to protect both Levi and I?

Eren began to sob, the deep cut across his forehead causing blood to mix with the tears. They spilled all over his shirtless body, causing him to look like an absolute mess. "I'm sorry everyone. I was useless… I've always been from the very beginning. I was never Humanity's Hope.

Glaring at him, Jean appeared irritated. "What, now you want to play the tragic hero? You've been able to settle everything on your own before, haven't you?"

"Quit sobbin! This isn't the first time it's been this bad," Connie said. I had to agree with him.

"Not saying I'd like to get used to it, of course!" Sasha cried out. That's very true as well.

Levi turned to Eren. "I'm sorry for always doing this to you, Eren, but you have to make a choice."

Without saying a word, Eren sprung ahead. An even greater white sphere of brightness and energy engulfed the place and I gripped Levi instinctively.

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