Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Attack on Titan

Rated M for gore violence, language, and sexual content

Enjoy

Garrison Headquarters, Trost District, Wall Rose, 850...

Hange screamed at the steaming copses of her test subjects. She pulled at her hair and fell to her knees. "Sawney! Beane! How could this happen?!"

Moblit tried to calm her down, but Hange was too distraught. Her screams echoed over the courtyard. Raisa scanned the crowd. Everyone looked confused and irritated over Hange's despair, but no one looked suspicious. She walked over to Erwin, surrounded by his personal squad. Once she approached, he nodded for them to back off. Raisa folded her arms under her chest as she moved to stand beside him. "What a shit show."

"Yes," he agreed. "The Military Police will begin their investigation shortly."

Raisa hummed. She was still scanning the courtyard, watching everyone, searching. "You ready to talk about what I've found so far?"

He glanced down at her. "Yes. When Hange calms down, bring her and Mike to my office."

"Yes, sir." Raisa glanced over at the still screaming Hange before leaving the courtyard.

Erwin noticed Eren and Vanessa standing a few yards in front of him. Only Eren had his hood up. Erwin walked up behind him, placed his hands on the boy's shoulders, and leaned in. "What is it you think you see? Who do you think the real enemy is here?"

Despite Erwin's low tone, Vanessa heard him perfectly. Eren processed Erwin's words, trying to understand his questions. Vanessa studied the look on Erwin's face. There was a hidden meaning behind his question. Something he wanted them to realize. When Eren didn't answer, Erwin backed off. "Ignore me. Loaded question."

He let go of Eren and headed towards the exit. Vanessa watched his retreating back. His questions replayed over and over in her head. She suddenly gasped and ran off after him. "Hey! Vanessa, where're you going?"

"Commander!" Vanessa called.

Erwin stopped before entering the building. Vanessa skidded to a halt and saluted. "Sir, may I talk to you about what you asked Eren? I know I shouldn't have eavesdropped, but..."

"It's alright," he said. He gestured for her to step away with him. His squad waited patiently out of earshot. "Do you have an answer to my questions?"

"Sort of, sir," she confessed. "When you asked who the real enemy is...were you maybe...are you asking if its possible that there's others like Eren?"

"Others like Eren? You'll need to elaborate."

"Well...I think it's a correct assumption that the Colossal Titan and the Armored Titan are intelligent." Vanessa habitually rubbed her scar. "They both vanished after breaking Wall Maria, and the Colossal vanished after breaking the outer gate of Wall Rose. It's a pretty safe bet to say they're shifters like Eren. Question is, what happened to them after?"

"And? What did happen after?"

Vanessa blinked. "I don't know, sir. It seems like their goal was to create chaos and let the titans invade to destroy humanity. But, if that was the case, why did they wait five years to do it again?"

"That's an excellent question. Why wait?"

Vanessa thought hard. She knew Erwin was goading her along, trying to get her to figure out whatever it was he already had. Why? Why wait five years? Why attack at all? To kill us? To infiltrate? Why? What do they want? What's their goal? She sighed in frustration. "I...I don't know, sir."

Erwin noted her self-disappointment. He noticed Levi waiting with his squad at the eastern side of the courtyard. "You don't need to have all the answers now. It's impressive you were able to determine this much. If you think of any other questions or answers on this matter, I want you to report them directly to Captain Levi. No one else. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" she assured him. No one else? Erwin dismissed her and returned to his squad. Vanessa frowned at his back in confusion. Is there something I'm still not seeing?

Old Scouts Headquarters, Wall Rose, the next day...

Vanessa absentmindedly fed the horses. She was on one end of the stables and worked her way right, while Eren was at the other end working his way left. Gunther and Eld were sitting by the steps, drinking tea and talking. "Hey, guys!" Gunther shouted. "You know if anyone in your class is thinking about joining us?"

"Yeah, there's a few," Eren answered. "At least, there were."

"Eren, you're overfeeding Pascal."

He frowned at Vanessa. "What? No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are. The horses have a strict diet," she insisted. "They're only supposed to eat half a buck-"

"I only filled the bucket half way," he argued. "That way I know they don't overeat."

"That's pointless. That just means more work as you move down the line," she pointed out.

"What does it matter? The horses are gonna eat either way."

She rolled her eyes. "Great. Now half the horses are gonna be fat."

"Would you lay off?" he growled.

"Captain Levi's gonna lay you off for fattening up his horse," she muttered.

"You little-"

"Fall in!" Gunther shouted.

Captain Levi rode in, steering his horse to a stop, Eren and Vanessa set their buckets down and ran over. "Make ready, people! We're going on patrol."

"Yes, sir!" Gunther and Eld saluted.

Levi turned to the teens. "Eren, you will stay within ten meters of me at all times. The only reason that you're out of your cell is because I'm keeping an eye on you. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" Eren said.

"Let's ride!"

Southern Cadet Corps Headquarters, Wall Rose...

The 218 cadets gathered before the platform. The sun was setting and the instructors lit a few torches. Erwin took to the stage first. He stood in the center, facing the cadets alone. "Good evening. I am Erwin Smith, Commander of the Survey Corp, also known as the Scout Regiment."

Raisa stood off to the side with Mike and Hange, listening as Erwin unveiled his recruitment speech. He told them about Eren Jaeger and the goal of reaching the basement of the Jaeger home in Shiganshina. As he talked, Raisa scanned the cadets facing, studying and analyzing each reaction. Petra and Mike walked onto the stage to hold up a map showing the route from Calaneth to Shiganshina. Raisa continued scanning the faces, a few stood out to her. Mike and Petra left the stage as Erwin continued his speech. "...we've incurred losses in excess of sixty-percent. Sixty-percent in four years. That's a horrifying figure."

Raisa leaned in to Hange. "Did they ever find the cadets responsible?"

"For killing my test subjects?" she grumbled. "No."

Skilled enough to not get caught, and to remain undetected. Raisa hummed. "Interesting. Must've been someone who feared what you'd discover."

"I can't discover anything now," Hange groaned.

"...most will be dead," Erwin informed the cadets. "But those who endure will be amongst the most capable soldiers alive. Now having heard this dismal state of affairs, whoever still wishes to put their life on the line and join us remain here. But first ask yourself: can you give your heart? Can you give everything for humanity? That is all. Those wanting to join other regiments are dismissed."

Darius leaned down to eye level with Raisa. "Is this a good idea? At this rate, we won't have any recruits."

"His intimidation is necessary," she pointed out. "These cadets need to know what they'll be facing. No lies, no sugar-coating. The truth. We have no room for cowards."

Darius furred his brows at her answer, but accepted it nonetheless. The cadets began to leave. A lot of them. Something stood out to Raisa. The tallest of the cadets watched a petite, blond girl walk away. Even after all the cadets who didn't want to join had left, he still watched her leave. It wasn't longing or love on his face. The look beguiled Raisa. Erwin waited a few moments longer. "I ask you...if you were ordered to die, could you do it?"

"We don't wanna die, sir!" shouted a cadet which caused Erwin to smirk.

"Of course. Let us hope that you don't then. You who stayed, you are now one of us. Allow me to welcome you to the Scout Regiment. This a genuine salute, soldiers!" Erwin saluted them. "Together, we give our hearts!"

All 21 remaining cadets saluted him in return. "Sir!"

Old Scouts Headquarters, a week later...

Vanessa finished shoveling the hay into the corner while Eren scooped up horse poop. She put away the tools, hanging them on the wall. She grabbed the empty water buckets and walked out of the stables. Oruo was sitting at the entrance, enjoying his cup of tea. The castle was bustling with energy as many Scouts were visiting, working on special training for the upcoming mission. Vanessa happened to glance at the group of soldiers walking by and her eyes widened in surprise. "Hey, guys! Armin!"

Armin stopped and turned around. Mikasa, who was walking beside him, did as well. Vanessa ran up to them, and Armin greeted her warmly. "Vanessa! Hey! It's great to see you."

"You guys, too," she mimicked his smile.

"Is Eren here?" Mikasa asked.

"Yeah, he is. Hold on." She turned around. "Hey, Oruo! Can Eren come say hi to our friends?"

Oruo made a face at her as Eren came running out of the stables. His gaze fell on Mikasa and Armin and his eyes lit up. Oruo groaned. "Fine, but don't take too long! Either of you!"

"Hey, guys," Eren greeted as he approached. "Man, am I glad to see you."

Mikasa suddenly grabbed Eren's hand. "Have they mistreated you in any way? Like subjecting you to any cruel experiments or some sort of mental anguish?"

Vanessa snorted then thought about Hange. "...I wouldn't say 'cruel' experiments."

"Shut up," Eren urged through gritted teeth.

"Make me."

"Hey! Vanessa! Eren!" Conny's voice drew everyone's attention. He, Ymir, Sasha, Bertholdt, Reiner, and Christa approached from behind Armin and Mikasa. "Long time no see!"

Vanessa locked eyes with Christa, and she pushed past Armin. She latched onto Christa, almost causing them both to topple over. Christa laughed as she rubbed Vanessa's back. "I guess you missed me."

"Where's my hug?" Ymir asked.

Vanessa suddenly detached from Christa, and grabbed her shoulders. "Wait...did all of you really join the Scouts?"

"Yeah," Conny answered. "Why else would we be here?"

"So did Jean, Annie, and Marco join the Military Police?" Eren asked. He noticed everyone's gaze moved to someone approaching behind him. Eren turned around and gasped. "You joined, too?"

"Marco's dead," Jean said.

Vanessa's hands slipped off of Christa. Marco's dead. Marco's dead. Marco's dead. Eren asked Jean if he was joking, but the look on his face revealed he wasn't. Vanessa listened with shock as she thought about the last time she saw Marco. "I wish I could tell you he died nobly or heroically," Jean confessed. "Truth is, I don't even know how he went out. He died alone...and there was no on there to see it happen."

Trost District, Wall Rose, 2 weeks ago...

Vanessa yelled as she sliced a 12-meter titan's nape. She silently cursed herself. The titan had managed to eat a Garrison Lieutenant before she could kill it. Another titan picked up two Cadets in one swoop, and Vanessa attacked. Her anger and hope fueled her as Eren marched towards the broken gate, still holding up the massive boulder. Vanessa killed the titan, freeing the cadets. She flew up and landed on a nearby roof. She slipped on the blood splattered on the shingles and nearly fell. "Careful!"

Marco caught Vanessa's arm and pulled her back. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she insisted. "Come on. We have to keep fighting."

"I know, but...you're exhausted." Marco noticed Jean leading the others in distracting a 5-meter titan. "Look, you don't have to push so hard. We can figure out a plan to-"

"Marco, look at Eren!" She grabbed his collar and pulled him down to her eye level. "He's close! So close! We don't have time to rest. We need to...go..."

"Huh? What's wrong? What're you looking at?" He followed her gaze. About a block away, Reiner and Bertholdt were standing away from the battle, watching.

"Those cowards." She released Marco and motioned to fly off towards them, but he stopped her.

"Whoa, wait. Stop," he insisted. "I'll go get them. Re-group with Jean. You're right. We need to keep fighting. Eren's close. But you need to be out there. You're one of our best fighters."

Vanessa nodded in determination. "Go smack those assholes for me, okay?"

"You got it." He smiled and ran off, flying between the buildings towards Reiner and Bertholdt. Vanessa took a deep breath, and jumped off the building, aiming her blades for the titans in front of her.

Old Scouts Headquarters, present day...

"Marco's...dead," Eren said in disbelief.

Vanessa glanced over at Reiner and Bertholdt out of the corner of her eye. Reiner didn't notice, but Bertholdt did. And he looked worried. "Alright, rookies! Form up!" Ness shouted. "Your uniforms are here!"

Ness and Luke Cis waited across the courtyard with the green cloaks depicting the Scouts' sigil. Vanessa noticed Oruo's annoyed attempts to get their attention. She went over to Eren. "Hey, we gotta go. Oruo's gonna lose it."

"Oh...okay," he said. "See you guys later."

Eren walked over towards Oruo. Vanessa said goodbye to Christa and the others as they walked over towards Ness and Cis. As she began to walk away, she felt a familiar hand on her arm. "Hey, Vanessa."

"Hey." She turned to face Reiner.

"I haven't really seen you since the mop-up," he said. "You seem good."

"Oh, I'm better than good," she said with a cocky smile. "I mean, here I am, a brand new recruit on Squad Levi. Squad Levi! The most elite squad ever. He handpicked me himself, you know."

He blinked. "Yeah, that's impressive. Look, we never got a chance to talk after everything that happened."

Vanessa's smile faltered and her heart sunk. "We didn't really have time. We worked basically seventy-two hours straight cleaning up Trost and then I got pulled for Squad Levi."

"I know, but...I never apologized for how I handled the break up. Plus, I was such an ass to you after." He shook his head. "You didn't deserve that."

"Reiner," she waved him off, "you don't have to do this-"

"Yes, I do," he insisted. He reached down and grabbed her hand, rubbing her knuckles with his thumb. "Seeing you get swallowed by a titan...it made me re-evaluate things. I thought you were gone. For good. Suddenly, I had so many regrets, and I realized I was never fair to you. I meant it when I said I wanted to tell you everything. To tell you the truth."

Something flashed across his face. Something like...desperation. "I...don't know if we can salvage what we had. At this point, I don't even know if we should. I wouldn't blame you if you told me to go to hell."

"It's tempting," she confessed. "You did break my heart. Granted, our relationship wasn't exactly normal."

"I'm so sorry for that. Really." He squeezed her hand gently. Vanessa studied the sincerity in his eyes. "Believe me. I'm sorry."

She squeezed his hand before slipping hers free. She felt a sort of peace blooming in her chest. "Thank you. And...I'm sorry, too."

"For what?" he asked.

"You were right about me biting your head off any time you asked about personal stuff. That wasn't fair." She rubbed her scar. "Honestly, I was ready to...start telling you things about my past. It's hard to open up when your secrets could get someone k..."

Reiner furred his brows in confusion. "...? Get someone what? Vanessa?"

The image of Reiner suddenly dead at the hands of the man in black flashed through her mind. Vanessa quickly shook it off, and lowered her gaze to Reiner's upper abdomen. It was the only part of him at eye level. "Huh...I think I've gotten taller."

"What're you talking...! Are you seriously trying to change the subject?" He frowned in annoyance as he rubbed his forehead. "Damn it. I thought you were about to actually tell me something about yourself."

"Tough shit," she teased. "Not even Christa knows my deepest, darkest secrets. Just try to penetrate the enigma that is me."

"Haven't I already done that?" he asked, smirking.

Vanessa's confident expression suddenly fell, and her face turned bright red. She raised her hand to hit him, but the sound of Eren calling her name caught their attention. She waved at him in response. He was waiting with a very impatient Oruo. She turned back to Reiner. "Well, the elite Levi Squad calls. See ya."

"Yeah. See ya."

Vanessa gave him a friendly smile before running off to Eren and Oruo. Eren had a tired, annoyed look on his face. "Damn it! I said not to take so long," Oruo complained. "How am I supposed to do my job if you don't listen to me? Huh?"

Vanessa furred her brows. She assumed Eren had already heard an earful. "I'm sorry, sir."

"You know what, I have an idea," Oruo said with an evil smirk. "You can help stock supplies. It should take all night. Have fun stacking a shit ton of boxes, snivel-drops!"

Eren and Vanessa exchanged unamused glances before saluting. "Yes, sir."

Later...

Unbeknownst to Oruo, the fresh recruits were also tasked with stocking the new supplies. Eren went to help Mikasa and Armin with loading the large crates while Vanessa went with Christa and Ymir to load the gas and weapons supplies. Christa helped Vanessa stack the boxes in a tight column as high as they could reach. "So, uh, you're on Squad Levi?"

"Yeah. It's crazy," Vanessa said. "Guess my skills are just that impressive."

"It sounds like you're doing better," she said with a smile. "You seemed like you were still depressed about Reiner for awhile."

Vanessa shrugged, sneaking a glance at where Reiner was talking and working with Conny and Bertholdt. "I'm less angry."

"Can I ask what you guys were talking about earlier?"

Vanessa turned to look at her. "He wanted to apologize. Get some closure...at least, I think. Who knows, maybe we can actually become friends."

She sighed in relief. "That's good to hear."

Vanessa narrowed her eyes at Christa, growing extremely suspicious. "Why? What'd you do?"

"I-I don't know what you mean," she said, smiling innocently. Vanessa stared at her, and Christa began to sweat. She leaned in close, almost pressing her forehead against Christa's. Christa struggled to maintain her sweet smile, but she broke. "Okay! I'm sorry. I talked to Reiner."

"God damn it," Vanessa growled as she leaned back. "Seriously? You didn't need to get involved."

"I know. I know. But, he hurt you," she whined. "I was just trying to get him to realize what he did. I'm sorry for meddling. I'm not sorry for caring about you and your feelings."

Vanessa blushed ever so slightly. She touched Christa's arm. "I know. Thank you."

Ymir appeared and draped her arms around both them, pulling them into a hug. "What's going on over here? Seems serious. Is my ultimate fantasy coming to life?"

Vanessa shrugged Ymir off. "As if. We were just arguing about stupid stuff."

"What, like Reiner?"

"Ymir!" Christa warned.

"What?"

Vanessa groaned loudly and dramatically as she leaned against the stack of boxes. She ignored the curious stares she was getting from the others. "What's your problem?" Jean asked. "Aren't you in the elite Levi Squad? What in the world do you have to be so upset about?"

"Is that jealousy I hear?" Ymir teased.

"Jealous of spending every day with that suicidal maniac? Hell no," he retorted. "Let me guess, all you do is babysit him to make sure he doesn't kill himself or kill you."

Eren's ears perked up. Vanessa opened her mouth to argue with Jean, but then changed her mind. "Well, you're not wrong."

Eren walked over, frowning. "Hey, are you guys talking about me?"

"We are, actually," Jean confessed bluntly, turning around to face Eren. "Hey, I heard that while you were in your titan form, you initially tried to crush Mikasa. You mind telling us what that's all about?"

"You're wrong!" Mikasa insisted, hurrying over. "He was just swatting a fly-"

"I wasn't asking you." Jean tilted his head and tapped his cheek. "Oh, by the way, that cut on your cheek looks pretty deep. Just how did you get that, again?"

Mikasa turned away, covering her cheek. Eren lowered his gaze in shame. "Apparently, it's all true. When I was a tired, I-I tried to kill Mikasa."

"Apparently? As in you don't remember whether you did or not?" Jean snapped. "So, basically, you can transform into a fifteen-meter tall monster at will, but when you do, you don't actually have full control over it."

"Not yet," he mumbled.

"That's right," Vanessa said, folding her arms under her chest. "Eren doesn't have control."

Jean threw his hands up. "Do you hear that everyone? What a fine situation this is. Our lives and the fate of all mankind rest on his shoulders. I'm guessing we'll probably all end up like Marco, dead well before Eren even knows it."

"Stop it," Mikasa demanded. "What's the point in chastising him now? Just give it a rest."

"Listen, Mikasa. Unlike you, the rest of us aren't willing to just throw our lives away for him on a whim," Jean argued. "We need a reason. The truth. We want to know what we're laying our lives down for. Otherwise, we might hesitate when the time is at hand."

Everyone else had stopped what they were doing to listen in. "What we want is a guarantee from Eren," Jean continued. He marched right up to Eren and grabbed his shoulders. "Show us what you're worth. Prove it to us. We're asking you to make us believe that you're worth dying for. You think you can do that? If you can, then we're with you...all the way!"

Eren studied the fierce look in Jean's eyes. He opened his mouth to answer, but the sound of an officer drew their attention. "Hey, rookies! We're calling it a night! Head to the sleeping quarters!"

Jean took a deep breath and let go of Eren. The others began to walk towards the exit. Mikasa steered Eren along, away from Jean. He swallowed back his jealousy and began to walk with the others. Vanessa grabbed his arm, stopping him. "Jean, got a second?"

"Sure. Whatever."

The others continued on. Bertholdt walked alongside Reiner. For whatever reason, he happened to glance back. He hadn't realized Jean and Vanessa stayed behind to talk. He couldn't tell what they were talking about, but Jean looked horrified. Vanessa looked sad, and the more they talked the gloomier Jean became. "Bertholdt," Reiner said. "You coming or what?"

Bertholdt continued watching them. He remembered the way Vanessa looked over at him when Jean revealed Marco's death to Eren. Suddenly, Vanessa and Jean looked over and met his gaze. Vanessa raised her arm and waved. "Hey, Bertholdt! Reiner! Come here for a sec!"

"Huh? I wonder what's going on," Reiner said, heading back over.

Bertholdt said nothing as he followed Reiner back over to them. Jean looked pale and he stared at them both in silent shock. Vanessa didn't smile when they approached. "So, uh...this is kinda out of the blue, but I was telling Jean about the last time I saw Marco."

"Like, saw him before he died?" Reiner asked.

"Yeah," Jean said. "She said he ran off to get you guys back into the fight. You two were standing off somewhere away from the battle."

Reiner's eyes widened ever so slightly, and Bertholdt remained stoic despite his sweating. "Did...you see?" Jean almost whispered. "Did you see what happened to him?"

Reiner reluctantly shook his head. "No, I'm sorry. He did come us get, though. Told us we needed to fight. We were both feeling kinda hopeless, to be honest. That day was pure hell."

"Yeah," Bertholdt said with a nod. "It was hard to find the courage, but Marco...he convinced us to help keep Eren safe. That he'd plug up the wall and save the city. We didn't see what happened after we flew off. We joined with Conny, Annie, and some of the others. I just assumed he followed us or joined another group."

"Was he wearing his ODM gear?" Vanessa asked.

"Of course he was," Reiner answered. "Why're you asking?"

"When I found his body, he wasn't wearing it," Jean revealed, remembering Marco's corpse. "Half of his body was gone...I doubt someone would've been able to steal it. I can't think of a reason why he would take it off."

"I don't know," Reiner said with a small shrug. "I'm sorry, man."

"I wish I did know," Bertholdt said softly. "At least then, we could be more help."

Jean closed his eyes and clenched his fists. After a moment, he relaxed his hands. "Thanks for telling me. I promise I'm not mad or anything. I'll, uh, I'll see you around."

Jean gave Vanessa a sorrowful look, but she could see the gratitude in his eyes. He walked around Reiner and headed for the exit. Reiner eyed Vanessa suspiciously. "You saw Marco come after us during the battle?"

"Yeah, I saw you two standing away like cowards. I was gonna get you guys myself, but Marco said he'd do it." She slumped her shoulders. "He told me to help Jean and the others. Can't help but wonder if I should've gone with him."

Reiner and Bertholdt exchanged glances. Vanessa sighed and patted their chests. "Don't worry. Jean doesn't blame you guys for Marco. I don't either."

"Uh, thanks." Bertholdt furred his brows at her hand on his chest.

"Well, goodnight." Vanessa lowered her hands and slipped in-between them.

"W-Wait." Reiner grabbed her arm. "I was hoping we could talk."

Vanessa glanced over at Bertholdt who was frowning at Reiner disapprovingly. She wiggled her arm free. "Pass. Not interested in being a third wheel."

"Third...?" Reiner turned to Bertholdt and saw the look on his face. "Stop it, man. Just go. I'll catch up."

"You know what?" Vanessa asked before Bertholdt could reply. "Yeah. I do wanna talk to you."

The both frowned at Bertholdt. He sighed uncomfortably and left. Vanessa watched him walk off, making sure he wasn't lingering. Reiner relaxed. "So, we never got to finish our-"

"You seriously only apologized because Christa told you to?"

Reiner was taken aback. "Wha...? Christa? What're you talking about?"

"She told me that she's been talking to you," Vanessa revealed, placing her hands on her hips. "She said she had to convince you to apologize to me."

"No, she didn't. I did that all on my own." Reiner gestured for her to calm down, sensing her rising anger. "Yes, we've been talking, but not about our relationship. Just about stuff in general. To be honest, it's kinda weird and...I think she might, you know, like me or something. I don't know how you feel about me being with someone else. She's really nice, though."

Vanessa squinted her eyes at him. "She's with Ymir."

He nodded. "Yeah, they're friends."

"No, Reiner. Christa is g-"

"Vanessa!" Eren called from the door. "It's almost time to leave! Hurry up!"

"Shit," Vanessa huffed. "I gotta go. Reiner, let's just move forward, okay? I want to be friends. And in order to do that, we need to accept what happened in the past. Wipe the slate clean."

"O...okay, but-"

"Sorry. We can talk more later." Vanessa ran off.

She sprinted to the door and ran alongside Eren towards the stables. Eren frowned at her as they ran. "What took you so long? Captain Levi is gonna chew us out."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "I'll blame it all on you."

"You're a little shit, you know that?"

"You're a suicidal shit," she snapped.

They finally reached the stables, expecting to see Squad Levi waiting and extremely angry. However, only Petra was inside, and she was putting her saddle away. "Oh, my. What're you two running in here like that for?"

Vanessa took a deep breath, steadying herself. "It's time to go, right? I assume we're not staying here because of this guy."

She pointed at Eren with her thumb, and he smacked her hand away. Petra laughed. "You guys are adorable. Captain Levi changed his orders at the last minute. We're staying tonight, but we're leaving first thing in the morning."

"Why's that?" Eren asked. "I mean, did something happen?"

Petra shifted her weight from foot to foot as a faint blush appeared on his cheeks. "His, uh, wife is here. She showed up rather unexpectedly, so..."

Eren and Vanessa widened their eyes in surprise. "He's married?"

"That's crazy that she's even here," Vanessa said. "I thought civilians weren't allowed."

"Oh, his wife isn't a civilian," Petra informed. Her blush disappeared as she saw the confusion on their faces. "You kids don't know? Captain Levi's wife is Section Commander Raisa."

"What?" Vanessa breathed in bewilderment. "Oh, my God. Tell me everything. There has to be a story behind it. How did they meet? Like, what? How?"

"Man, I had no idea," Eren said as folded his arms over his chest. "They don't act like they're together."

"Well, they're both respectable, high-ranking officers. And they're professional," Petra pointed out. "But, that's enough gossiping for one night. Come on, Eren, you need to get to your room. I'm on guard duty first."

Petra walked around them, expecting them to follow. They both lingered for a moment, but then followed her out into the courtyard. Eren leaned and whispered to Vanessa. "What do you think they're doing? Why'd she come here out of the blue?"

She rolled her eyes and threw her head back dramatically. "Why don't you use your imagination, Eren? They're married and it's the dead of night. What else could they be doing?"

Officers' Quarters...

Levi stood by the window and looked down at the courtyard below. Petra was leading Eren and Vanessa who seemed to be bickering about something. Across the room, Raisa sat on the couch and unpacked a bag, placing jars on the coffee table. "I've brought some tea my mother made. She's been experimenting with verbena, but she also made the stuff you like."

"Are you trying to bribe me, now?" he asked.

She chuckled. "Ah, yes. Your one weakness: black tea."

Levi snorted and walked over to sit beside her. He plopped down, and grabbed one of the jars. "How's the preparation for the expedition going?"

"Fine," she answered. She leaned back against the couch, and rested her head on her hand. "Everything's going according to schedule. We might actually finish early. Has Zoe begun the experiments yet?"

"Tomorrow," he said, setting the jar down. He leaned back against the couch and draped and arm across the top of the backrest. "Is that why you came all the way up here? Running errands for Erwin again?"

Raisa stared at him patiently. "Maybe. I know I could've just sent Harold to gather an update, but I wanted to see you."

"Breaking the rules for a personal matter," he noted. "That's not like you. Especially since I report to Hange. Moblit would've been the one to get the report."

She lowered her gaze to the jars on the table as she thought. Levi noticed her uneasiness. "What's wrong?"

"I'm...not pregnant."

Levi blinked in subtle surprise. "Are you sure?" She nodded with a sigh, and he slid his arm off the top of the couch. "I gotta admit...I'm disappointed."

She scooted closer to him and placed her hand on his arm. "Maybe we're just trying too hard. We know I'm not barren. Remi is a proof of that."

"I was hoping for more. A big family like we talked about."

Raisa grabbed his hand, entwining her fingers with his. "We don't have to rush this, Levi." She gestured to one of the jars. "My mother made this special tea for us. It's supposed to help with fertility."

"Fertility?" Levi frowned, unimpressed. "I'm not drinking that shit."

"Calm down. It's just herbal tea." She grabbed the jar and held it out to him.

"I don't need help knocking you up." He took it from her and set it back down on the table. "Take off your clothes."

Raisa blinked, then raised an eyebrow. "That was romantic."

Levi removed his cravat. "Would you rather I rip them off?"

Raisa chuckled as she stood up. She straddled him and sat on his lap. Levi placed his hands on her hips then slid them around to her belt. Raisa undid the belt on his chest and began undoing the buttons on his shirt. Levi leaned in to kiss her, but she didn't let him. She smirked as he tried again, but she kept her lips from his. Levi growled and forcibly pulled her jacket off. She struggled against him. "Don't you fucking rip my clothes, Levi."

He managed to shove her jacket off despite her still warning him against ripping her clothes. Her warnings turned into laughter as she enjoyed his roughness. He moved to lay her down on the couch and pinned her hands above her head. He kissed her hungrily, and she let him. She pushed her pelvis against his, grinding. Levi suddenly sat back and finished undoing her pants. He pulled them off, boots and all. He quickly unbuckled his belt and unzipped his pants while Raisa waited. She smiled as she watched him, rubbing her leg against his thigh.

Levi licked his fingers, and Raisa's heart race quickened in excitement. But instead of entering her, he slid his fingers down between her folds. Raisa furred her brows, but still enjoyed his touch. He watched with dark eyes, teasing as he slid two fingers inside of her. She squirmed, wanting more than what he was giving. She humphed and pushed herself up on one elbow, scooting herself closer to him as she grabbed his erection. She motioned to guide herself onto him, but Levi stopped her. Sliding back out of her reach. Raisa whimpered. "Please," she whispered. "I want you inside of me."

He leaned forward, kissing her as he stroked the sweet spot inside. "Say it again."

Raisa moaned into his mouth. "I want you inside of me."

Levi smirked and kissed her once more. He removed his hand, coating himself in her fluid. Grabbing hold of her thighs, he entered her slowly. He preferred it this way, enjoying her reaction. The way she moaned softly, pushing into him as if her body needed him inside. He loved every second of it. Levi thrusted gently and lovingly, his eyes locked onto hers. Raisa grabbed onto the back of his neck and pulled him down to her, kissing him feverishly. "I love you."

He thrusted harder, her words fueling him. "I love you, too."

Calaneth District, Wall Rose, two weeks later...

The Scout Regiment waited patiently in front of the gates. The Garrison was atop the wall. They shouted to Erwin, signaling the all-clear. "Open the gate!"

Erwin was the front of the regiment, with his three Section Commanders behind him. Farther back, behind the wagons, Eren waited. He was surrounded by Levi Squad. The horses snorted and stomped impatiently, expecting the full sprint ahead of them. The gate groaned as it opened all the way. "Forward!" Erwin shouted, his voice echoing across the regiment. "It's officially begun! The fifty-seventh recon mission!"

His horse whinnied as it took off, leading the regiment through into titan country. "Scouts, move out!"

End of Chapter 9