Chapter 21: Sun

The Scouts were in chaos from the sudden assault. With forests so near the town, it had given the titans a chance to sneak up on them before being spotted by their lookouts. Running across the muddy earth, she leapt into Pikale's saddle, urging her horse towards the edge of the town. Others were scrambling to gather supplies, but she knew where her talents could best be used—slicing up titans.

"Anderson, Edwin, with me," she shouted at the pair as she rode by. Her team members were quick to fall in line behind her as they galloped out towards the threat. Taking in the sight of the multiple titans, Amelia tried to assess the situation. Off to the side she saw Levi racing out, beginning to deal with the variants to their left. Amelia set her sights on a 6-meter class titan ahead of them, her mind whirling.

"I'll distract it. Anderson, you go for the kill. Edwin, you're rearguard and lookout," she relayed her instructions, riding straight towards the titan. It turned a brutish smiling face down on her, making a clumsy swipe in her direction when she rode towards its legs. Extending her knives to either side of her, Amelia slashed at both ankles while she rode under it. With an enraged roar, it bent down to try to reach her which was exactly the opening Anderson needed to swing in and cut through its nape.

"Nice job," Edwin called in a celebratory whoop before his face paled. "Incoming!"

Amelia and Anderson looked around to see two more titans heading their direction. One, a 5-meter class and the other almost 9 meters. She and Anderson scattered in opposite directions as the two came charging towards them.

"Lieutenant," Edwin shouted, his line connecting with the titan heading in her direction. As he reeled himself in, the titan spun and caught him.

"Shit," Amelia muttered, hopping up onto Pikale's saddle and leaping into the air. She could see Edwin struggling against the titan, but she couldn't see Anderson or the titan that had been following him anywhere. Shooting her line into the titan's neck, she came in fast, clicking the control to release her belt and spinning to deliver a deadly blow to its nape.

It happened so fast that she wasn't entirely sure what happened. All she knew was that in one moment she was spinning, and in the next her momentum came to a sudden stop. Trying to swivel her hips, Amelia found that her belt had jammed up, and she was now facing backwards. It was all she had time to process because in the next moment, her back impacted the titan's shoulder. She saw stars as her head snapped backwards, and she began to slide down, swinging free of the creature's body to dangle in space.

The first thing that broke through her daze was sudden pain. The titan's hand closed around her left leg and yanked her free of the line embedded in its neck. Amelia screamed when she felt her leg pop out of its socket. It held her by her leg, dangling her in front of its face and blinking at her stupidly. Amelia could see the blood smeared across its lips, all that remained of Edwin's body sticking between its teeth. She felt nauseous as she processed this—it must have happened fast. She hadn't heard him scream.

Twisting herself up, she stabbed her knives into the titan's hand, gasping when it roared and dropped her. Amelia tried her best to roll when she landed, but still felt several of her ribs snap from the impact. Coughing, she spat a mouthful of blood onto the damp grass, noticing for the first time that it had stopped raining.

It was as if the world had slowed down. Amelia began to drag herself across the ground, feeling the futility of the act even while doing so. Reaching for her knives, she had just grasped the hilts when the titan's hand closed around her torso. Struggling, she couldn't pull her arms free. Amelia felt tears begin to slide down her face when the titan crouched down and looked at her. She kicked her legs as best she could, shouting angry words and syllables in the hopes of driving the titan away. It just cocked its head at her curiously, before lifting her to its mouth.

Amelia struggled more desperately as she watched her legs disappear inside the titan's gaping maw. She could smell the wretched stench of its breath and the humidity of its saliva. She screamed in agony when the titan's jaw closed, and its teeth began to tear into the soft flesh of her abdomen. The only thought that penetrated the excruciating pain was the sudden realization that she was going to die.

The sudden hiss of 3DMG and a spray of blood broke through her terror, and Amelia saw a blur of motion out of the corner of her eye. Suddenly, the titan's jaw slackened. Wrenching her arms free of its grasp, she smashed her way out of its grip. Activating her gear, she managed to swing to the ground several meters away, crashing into the damp grass.

Dragging herself to her knees, she managed to roll over and lean back against a boulder. Only then did she have the courage to look down at her wound. 'Fuck.' Breathing in ragged gasps through her broken ribs, she coughed, tasting the metallic tang of blood. Closing her eyes, she tried not to be sick.

"AMELIA!" Levi shouted, running towards her from the titan's corpse and dropping to his knees at her side. When he'd heard her screams, he'd come as quickly as he could, slicing the titan holding her into pieces. Amelia's eyes flickered open when he caressed her cheek with trembling fingers, and she gave him a tired smile. He felt his heart clench in his chest at the expression. Her face was so pale, and there was blood trickling down the side of her mouth. Her hands were clutched tightly over her gut.

"Let me look," he ordered, pulling her hands away. When he saw the wound, he froze. Through the ragged mixture of torn uniform and flesh, he could see the pale slickness of her organs. Levi knew what a mortal wound looked like. He'd seen them before.

He shook his head to clear it. Fuck that. He was not going to let her die.

"We need to stop the bleeding," he said, tearing a strip of green fabric from his uniform and wrapping it around her gut. She moaned in pain at the touch.

"Le… vi…," she managed to pant through pale lips. She lifted a bloody hand, and he caught it in his, holding on tight. The knowing look she gave him broke his heart. Clenching his teeth together, he felt tears begin to run down his normally stoic face.

"Goddammit Mia, don't you fucking die," he told her, squeezing her hand tighter.

"Heh," she let out a breathy chuckle that turned into a wince. "Don't think… I… get to… decide."

Levi squeezed his eyes shut, pressing her fingertips to his lips. He could feel desperation filling him. It was a feeling he'd experienced since his earliest days in the Underground when he'd watched his mother slowly grow sick and die. That familiar desire to do something—anything—to save the person he loved. But it is a harsh truth of the world that people don't live just because one wants them to.

"Don't leave," he said, his voice hollow. He watched her blood soaking through the fabric he'd used to staunch her wound, feeling more powerless than he had in a long time.

Looking up as several more flares were shot into the air, Levi wiped his face on his sleeve. Three more titans were lumbering in their direction. Levi looked back down at Amelia, taking the time to memorize every freckle on her face and the exact look of understanding in her warm brown eyes.

"Go…," she said, her voice regaining some of its strength. Gripping his hand tightly, she said the last word as fiercely as she could manage. "Fight."

Taking her face in his hands he pressed a kiss to her bloody lips. Even beneath the blood and viscera, the smell of flowers wafted up from her hair. It was almost enough to break his resolve. But then he was on his feet, his legs carrying him with an iron will that felt like it came from somewhere outside of himself. Unsheathing his blades, he looked up at the nearest titan, his lips curled back in a snarl.

Amelia stared up at the cloudy sky. The sounds of battle still raged around her, but they were growing fainter as if she were hearing their echoes from the opposite end of a long tunnel. She could feel tears slipping down her cheeks—the pain that had been so intense began to recede to a numb ache. She couldn't feel much of her body anymore. God, she didn't want to die. She wanted to live a long, happy life. But fate, it seemed, had other plans in store for her.

As she lay there, watching the clouds beginning to part, she thought of Levi. Amelia recalled the first day she'd met him—the day he'd saved her from certain death in Shiganshina. He'd given her four more years of life. Four more years in which to fight. To laugh, make friends, and most especially and unexpectedly—to find love. His love. There was still so much she wanted to do, regrets she had, things she wished she could say. In the end, it wasn't fair. But there was nothing to be done about it now. She couldn't change anything. This had been her life… and this, well… this it seemed, was going to be her death.

The wind hurried the clouds on their journey across the sky, and she felt sunlight fall on her pale face as the expanse above her became a vibrant blue. As the rays of the sun warmed her quickly numbing body, Amelia closed her eyes and smiled.

…

Levi breathed heavily from a mixture of exertion and grief. The heat of titan blood was hot against his skin—he was practically dripping in it. The last of their mutilated corpses lay in a smoking pile before him. Detaching his blunted blades, he let the hilts retract back to their place at his hips. Turning, he began making his way back to the grassy hill where he'd left Amelia. His legs felt leaden, and each step took more and more effort. Even from a distance he could see that she wasn't moving.

By the time he reached her body, he was completely numb. His gray eyes wandered across her still form—brown hair mussed and slipping out of her usually immaculate braid, the midsection of her uniform soaked through with blood. Her head was craned back as though she'd died staring at the sky, but her eyes were closed, and her expression peaceful.

Kneeling beside her, Levi carefully cut her wings of freedom insignia from the sleeve of her uniform with his utility knife. He'd done this hundreds of times over the years—this time was the hardest. Clenching it tightly in his fist, he slammed his other one against the ground in silent rage. Taking three steadying breaths, he put the fabric in his jacket pocket and looked back at the still face of the woman he loved. Reaching out a hand, he brushed the loose strands of hair back from her forehead. Even kneeling there, touching her skin, he couldn't believe she was gone.

"Captain," a voice called from behind him as he lifted Amelia's body into his arms. Turning, his eyes met Petra's. A gasp escaped her lips at the sight of her friend's lifeless corpse, and he watched tears begin to pool in her eyes.

"What are our orders," he asked, walking across the field towards the wagons.

"C-Commander Erwin is having us retreat to the walls," she replied through a strangled sob.

"Tch." Levi's lips curled back at these words. He didn't want to retreat. He wanted to butcher every last titan he could get his knives into.

"Levi, Amelia," Hange's voice shouted—the squad leader running towards them. Levi looked at his fellow Scout hollowly, seeing the exact moment they realized the woman in his arms was dead. Hange's face crumpled into a look of pained disbelief.

"No…" Hange breathed, reaching out a hand and touching Amelia's lifeless cheek. Levi's jaw clenched so tightly that he thought he'd never speak again.

"Let's get her on the wagon," they said, reaching out for their subordinate. The aggressiveness with which he recoiled when Hange tried to take Mia out of his arms surprised even him.

"I can do it," he said quietly, unable to meet Hange's gaze.

"Yes… of course."

…

Hange sat in their office, Amelia's file open on the desk. It contained a summary of her life as a soldier from the date she'd enrolled including all her various accomplishments and promotions. Now it would also carry the details of her death. With numb movements, they added the certificate of death and closed the folder. Hange couldn't bring themself to look at the file any longer than necessary. Funny what one's life could be reduced to with some paper and ink.

The death of every fellow Scout weighed heavily on Hange's heart, but Amelia… Amelia had been a friend.

"Major Hange!" An enraged voice interrupted the melancholy silence. Hange looked up to see an irate woman storming into the office.

"Doctor Romero," Hange managed to get out before the woman's palm struck them hard across the face.

"How could you let Lieutenant Amelia go into the field in her condition," Romero demanded. Hange sat there in numb disbelief, lifting a hand to their throbbing cheek.

"In her… condition?" Hange asked, her body filling with dread.

"Didn't she… didn't she tell you…" Romero said, her irate tone fading into one of horror. "Major… Amelia was pregnant."

"She was…" Hange grimaced, tugging their glasses from their face and dropping them to the desk. Digging their fingertips into their eyes, Hange felt suddenly exhausted. "No. She didn't tell me."

Shock stole across Gracie Romero's face, and she fell heavily into a seat on the other side of Hange's desk.

"I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assumed," she began, but Hange waved away her apology, slowly replacing their glasses. "Do you… know who the father was? He should be informed of her death."

"He knows," Hange replied immediately. With a sigh, Romero slowly stood from the chair, looking uncertainly at the Major.

"Did he know about…" she trailed off, grimacing. Hange steepled their fingers in front of their face.

"I don't think so."

"Are you… going to tell him?"

Hange was silent for several long seconds, their eyes narrowed consideringly.

"No."

…

Hange walked through the rows of headstones, trying not to look too hard at the names inscribed on them. The military cemetery contained too many of their fallen comrades. Hange was getting sick of coming here. The funeral had been a quiet affair, Amelia had no family to mourn her death. But it had been attended by her fellow Scouts. Her friends who had loved her—who knew what she had given for them and for humanity.

A dark figure sat on the grass in front of the freshly turned earth. Levi looked even smaller than usual, as if his grief had shrunken him. He didn't look up when Hange approached but continued to stare numbly at the grave.

"Hey, Levi," Hange said. "It's going to get dark soon. Everyone else has left already."

"Tch," was his only response.

"You can't stay here."

"What are you, my damn babysitter?"

Hange fell silent, looking down at the stoic man.

"Amelia wouldn't have wanted you to—"

"We'll never know what she'd have wanted," he snapped at them, his dark eyes finally meeting their own in obvious anger. "She's dead, four eyes. Dead."

"I know…. I miss her too," Hange replied, setting a hand on Levi's shoulder. Surprisingly, he didn't shove it away. Instead, he just sat there for several more minutes.

"Why did I let her go out there thinking I hated her," he asked quietly.

"I'm sure she didn't think that," Hange replied. "Amelia could always see through your bullshit."

A sad smile flickered across Levi's face at this statement. Slowly, he pulled himself to his feet, brushing his dark trousers of dirt and grass. His body felt unaccountably heavy.

"Let's get out of here," he said with a sigh, and the pair started back towards their horses.

Amelia's voice echoed in his mind while they walked.

'You poor man… you're going to outlive all of us. That's the price you'll pay for being humanity's strongest.'

Levi felt his chest tighten at the memory.

"How many more, Hange?"

"Hmm?"

"How many more will I have to watch die before this is over," he asked impassively. Hange looked at him grimly but didn't answer.

Walking up to their horses, Levi rubbed the nose of the chestnut stallion. Leaning his head against the horse's neck in a momentary display of affection, he took a deep, steadying breath. Swinging up into the saddle, he turned them towards the Survey Corps' HQ.

"Let's get you an apple, Pikale."

~ Fin ~

AN: It has been a wild ride writing this fic guys. Sorry it took so long to finish. I hope that those of you who stuck with it till the end are not disappointed, and if you liked it, I'd love to hear from you. Reviews are life. Tell me which part of this story was your favorite or most meaningful to you. If you like my writing, feel free to follow me as an author. I do have another Levi x OC fic in the works which will be very different from this one. I'm going to try to get more of it written before posting it. Love you all! - Mak