A/N Hey, leaving an author's note after a long time. I just wanted to thank those who are still reading this and for all the favs and follows!


Eren immediately hugged Lyla but frowned when she didn't hug him back. He pulled back and looked at her. Her eyes were blank as if she didn't see anything. She had this hollow feeling surrounding her. Eren tilted his head. Well, she was out for about three days so she must be somewhat dazed.

"Well Lyla, you had me so worried. I'll go call Captain." He then exited the room after quickly hugging her one more time. She didn't give any reaction.


"Captain! Lyla's awake!"

Levi bolted up from his chair. He calmly walked towards Lyla's room although he wanted to run with all his might. Everybody else followed him. Levi stopped himself from bursting in and instead gently opened the door with a knock. Levi almost forgot breathing.

There she sat in her bed with the morning sunshine draping around her. At that moment she looked like an angel.

"Levi…" Lyla said in a raspy voice. Levi was by her side in a second. Something wasn't right. Levi looked at her and the empty look in her eyes sent a chill down his spine. The others were huddled outside the door, not daring to go in. Lyla then gasped in realization. She slowly got out of bed and ghosted over to the Captain's office.

"Lyla!?" Levi called in surprise and concern as he followed her in. Lyla took hold of a paper and pen as she scribbled something. It was the address the woman showed her in her dream. She then proceeded in copying the weird thing the woman carved in the cupboard door. After that, she slumped in Levi's chair behind the desk. Levi was by her side once again.

"What's this?" He looked at the paper.

Lyla did not answer. Instead, she said in a hollow voice, "I couldn't save anyone. How pathetic."

"What?" Levi asked in utter confusion though he masked it well. She didn't bump her head or something, did she?

"My vocation is to protect those of my people as the heir of the Peltner household," Lyla quietly said as if chanting to herself.

"Ha?" Levi was now even more confused. What was she talking about? He then turned to Eren.

"Eren, go get Hange,"

Eren obeyed with no further questions as the others just stared at their Captain and Lyla. Mikasa bit her lip worriedly. Something was wrong with her.

...


...

Hange sat in Levi's office that evening after checking up on Lyla. She sipped her tea before speaking.

"She's physically fine,"

Levi kept pacing around the room restlessly, "What about mentally? Did she injure her head? Will she recover? Is it fatal enough to endanger her life?"

Hange waved both of her hands as if to calm him, "Whoa whoa whoa, Levi, calm down. No, she is not mentally stable yet but she will recover in a day or two and no, it is not fatal." Hange took another sip of tea.

Levi sighed and sat opposite from Hange. "What's the cause of her state?"

"I think it's just a trauma, you know, Mr. Hannes from the Garrison was a close friend of hers. And I think she remembered something from her past. You know, before she came to live with the Jaegers."

Levi raised his eyebrows. Hange continued,

"Lyla said she had a dream while she was out, or that's what I think. She mentioned a woman in her dreams and said that she told her 'to live, fight, and remember'."

"Huh?" Levi quirked an eyebrow.

"I know, weird isn't it? But the part that I can't understand more is the next line. 'Your vocation is to protect those of our people as the heir of the Peltner household'. Could she be a noble or something?"

Levi slightly shook his head, showing that he had no idea. Hange seemed to think for a moment then grinned,

"She also mentioned you."

Levi lifted his head with slightly wide eyes. Hange continued, the grin never leaving her face.

"She talked about you, said something about cookies. Say, could she be someone you met before?"

A little girl with raven hair flashed through Levi's mind but he shook his head. It was impossible. She was likely dead right now. His Little Bird no longer existed, and she certainly wouldn't be above the grounds. Hange tilted her head and hummed, "Hm… weird. Whenever Lyla spoke about you she spoke as if she was talking about some old friend." She finished her tea and stood up. Levi stood up as well, startled.

"Wait, that's it?"

"What more were you thinking?" Hange asked in turn. Levi narrowed his eyes.

"I don't know, perhaps a solution maybe?"

Hange sighed as she stopped herself from rolling her eyes. "Levi, there's pretty much nothing I can do. I'm a scientist, not a psychiatrist. I can try and run a few talk out sessions but she's barely talking and not very coherently either. The story I told you now is all I got pieced together."

"So basically you only found out about some kind of shitty dream this whole day?" Levi huffed out.

"It could be a fragment of her past you know."

Levi just slumped in his chair –something he rarely does. It's been four days since the mission. Three days Lyla was unconscious and now for a day Lyla was like a living doll. Levi couldn't decide which one was worse.

Hange said before leaving, "She'll come around, just give her some time. I'll come as often as possible. Meanwhile make sure she gets proper treatment, food, rest and all. But don't force anything. If she doesn't feel like eating or anything don't push her to. I don't know what will trigger her. But if it becomes too serious, then intervene. We don't want Lyla getting sicker or anything."

Levi gave a nod without looking at her. Hange sighed and exited the room.

...


...

The next day Levi made the point in taking care of Lyla himself, saying that he couldn't trust 'shitty brats' in taking care of his Second in Command. Levi dished up lunch for Lyla and ordered.

"Now clean up the kitchen while I'm gone." He then went up-stairs. Sasha picked up a broom and started sweeping.

"I never knew that Humanity's Strongest Soldier could be that caring."

Connie nodded in agreement. Then he added as a suggestion, "Maybe they're a thing?"

"A thing?" Eren asked in confusion.

"You know, like going out together or in a relation- owe!" Connie rubbed the back of his head as the brush Mikasa threw fell to the ground. Eren shook his head.

"That's the stupidest idea I've ever heard."

"Why? He's quite protective of her," Connie protested.

"Well, he does seem constantly worried about her. And he seemed pretty terrified that day we returned from the mission," Armin added. Eren looked at them in disbelief.

"Is it weird to be worried about you comrade or subordinate? You guys are all worried about Lyla and Armin you looked quite terrified when you showed up with an unconscious Jean," he exclaimed. Connie shook his head.

"It's normal to be worried about your friends, but it's Captain Levi we're talking about right now. Humanity's Strongest Soldier."

Eren rolled his eyes, "Humanity's Strongest Soldier, who also happens to be human with emotions. Captain Levi always took care of his squad and comrades and considering that Lyla is his Second in Command, I think it's normal for him to be worried about her like that."

"I don't know. I think there's more than comradeship between the two," Sasha said as she leaned on the broomstick. She was munching on a slice of bread she sneaked.

...


Levi stepped in Lyla's room with a knock. He looked at the breakfast tray. She'd eaten two or three bites of her food, barely anything. Levi frowned but remembered Hange's advice and said nothing. Instead, he looked at Lyla who sat up in her bed and was gazing out the window absentmindedly.

"Lyla," Levi gently called. Lyla looked up at Levi.

"Levi…" Lyla whispered. She didn't say anymore as she continued to stare out. Levi placed the tray in her lap. Lyla didn't notice it as she kept staring out the window. Levi just sighed and sat in the chair beside her bed. He stayed like that until Hange came for the session. She stayed for dinner and later the session turned out to be her just talking about all sorts of things for Lyla never talked.

"I wonder what's going on in her head," Hange said. Levi sighed that day for the hundredth time. Hange finished her cup of tea and stood up.

"Well, we'll just have to wait and see I guess." She gave out a sigh. She hated waiting games like this and she knew that Levi was all but crumbling down inside.

Levi saw off Hange and went right to Lyla's room. She was still staring out the window. Levi stayed there until Lyla fell asleep.


...

The next morning Levi took up Lyla's tray of breakfast as usual only to be greeted by a bleeding Lyla. She had a knife in her right hand and her left wrist was bleeding. Where Lyla got hold of a knife was a mystery. Levi almost dropped the tray as he quickly put it on the bed and rushed to her. He took hold of her wrist. Luckily it wasn't cut deeply. Levi pulled out a handkerchief and quickly wrapped it around her wrist. When he finished he looked at Lyla with angry eyes and shouted,

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?"

Lyla just merely blinked, then said in a barely audible whisper.

"My vocation is to protect those of my people as the heir of the Peltner household."

Levi just stared at her.

"Yet I failed to save any. My parents, Carla, the squad and even Mr. Hannes. I have failed. I have failed my parents, my ancestors, my family. Yet I am still alive. I still have warm blood flowing in my veins," Lyla lifted her now patched up wrist.

"Why me? Do I deserve it? I'm supposed to protect my people yet they died and I live in their place. I'm tired of losing everyone. What is the meaning of living if I cannot protect those who I love?"

Levi stared at Lyla for a moment then said, "You do realize that there are people who care for you?"

Lyla gave no answer.

"There's Eren, Mikasa, Armin and all of the 104ths. And there's Hange and…" Levi stopped for a moment. "And… I care about you. If you die I would be quite... lost." Levi cursed inside. He sounded ridiculous and sappy.

Lyla's eyes widened and Levi saw the usual spark it had, but it soon turned back hallow.

"But my vocation is to protect those-"

"If you think that's your vocation, I'll give you a new one," Levi cut in. "Don't die. And when I say that it doesn't mean to live like this, I mean to be happy and smile. Don't die, be happy. That's an order. And remember this, whatever happens, it's not your fault."

Lyla's eyes again widened, but this time they started brimming with tears. A few drops strayed down her cheeks and soon she was sobbing into Levi's shoulder.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" Lyla kept repeatedly apologizing, but for what, neither of them knew. Levi stood there awkwardly. He then carefully stroked Lyla's back, hushing her.

The whole squad came rushing up to check what the commotion was and Mikasa shot Levi a murderous glare when she saw the crying Lyla.

After about ten minutes Lyla stopped crying and to everyone's relief and delight, she returned to her old self, smiling and radiant.

"Now if you will all excuse me I need to change," Lyla chirped. Everyone cleared out except Levi. Lyla turned around from her wardrobe and quipped, "That means you too Captain."

Levi sighed, "Just don't do anything stupid."

Lyla raised an eyebrow but said, "I won't."


When Lyla finished changing she went to Levi's office and was greeted with a bone-crushing hug from Hange.

"You're finally okay! We were so worried. For three days you were unconscious and when you woke up you were no good than an empty doll for like two days."

Lyla tilted her head, "Really? I mean, I guess I woke up at some point because I remember scribbling something down in Captain's office but after that is… blank."

Levi and Hange stared at Lyla. Hange slowly started, "So you don't remember about the last two days?"

Lyla nodded, "The memory is a bit hazy as if I've awoken from a trance."

"So you don't know what 'my vocation is to protect those of my people as the heir of the Peltner household' means and all?"

Lyla shook her head, "I do remember a woman saying that from the dream I had but I don't know if that's a dream or a memory sir."