Author's Notes:

Enjoy!


Indebted

Freedom

"When will you tell me?"

Levi's step faltered, his eyes shooting to her own.

His naked torso was damp and flushed with heat from the springs, a white towel riding low on his hips.

He'd offered to carry her, but she had chosen to walk—even though she was just as naked with only a towel hiding her modesty.

I was alive.

The sooner her body remembered how to move, the better.

Even though hate had killed her, love had revived her.

Levi had saved her and brought her back.

He'd done more than bring her back.

He'd given her a new home—inside his heart.

She's alive because of him.

The Second Debt had taken everything from her.

But Levi had given it back a hundred-fold.

They came to a stop outside her bedroom door. Levi was the perfect admirer, walking her home after the strangest day of all. His hand came up to cup her cheek, a sigh escaping his lips. "I will tell you, but it's not a simple matter of blurting it out."

Mikasa turned her head and kissed his palm, never breaking eye contact. "Whatever it is, I'll understand."

He smiled sadly. "That's the thing; you probably won't. To tell you what I am means I'll have to tell you everything. About the debts, the reasoning, my role." He hung his head. "It's a lot."

She shuffled closer, wrapping her arms around his warm body. "Tomorrow. Meet me after breakfast and take me somewhere far from here. Tell me then."

His nostrils flared. "You want to go off the villa? Away from Smithsridge?"

The thought excited her. Mikasa didn't want to go back or seek out her old life—not anymore, but it would be nice to go somewhere just the two of them.

A date.

"You can trust me, Levi. You know that. I wouldn't run if you took me somewhere public."

A painful shadow crossed his face. "I know you wouldn't. And that's what fucking kills me."

Mikasa's heart stuttered. "Why?"

He slouched, pushing her against her door so her back caressed the wood and his lips kissed her own. The kiss was fleeting and soft, but the emotion behind it squeezed her chest with an agonizing weight.

Mikasa didn't know what the weight was. But the pressure built and built with words dying to leap free.

I.

Love.

You.

After what had just happened between them, it was all she could think about. Mikasa wanted to scream about them. Shout about them. Let him know that her caring for him wasn't conditional or cruel.

I loved him. For him. For his soul.

His lips glided over hers again making it the sweetest connection.

"Levi," Mikasa breathed. "I…I lo—"

He froze, slamming his hands over her mouth. "Don't say it." Dropping his touch, he shook his head. "Don't say it. Please, Mikasa."

"But why shouldn't I…when it's the truth." The weight on her heart grew deeper, stronger. She had no choice but to tell him. The words physically suffocated her, needing to be said. "You mean everything to me." Placing her hand over his heart, Mikasa whispered. "Levi…I'm in love with you. It doesn't come with conditions or commands. I can't hate you for what you did today or what you might do in the future. I'm scared and lost and absolutely terrified that I'm doing the wrong thing by choosing you over my own life—but…I have no choice."

He sucked in the sharpest breath.

Her heart bottomed out. She crashed deeper into love. Her feelings for Levi were real.

He's mine.

His eyes squeezed closed, pressing his forehead on her own. "Mikasa…you… you don't know what you're doing to me." He trembled in her arms, his hands bracing himself on the door. "Take it back. I… I can't take so much from you."

"I can't take back something that already belongs to you."

Tears.

She wanted to cry.

She wanted to free her terror at falling in love. She wanted to beg him to be strong enough to choose her after stealing everything that she was.

Mikasa couldn't compete with what he did to her in the spring. He'd reached inside her and ripped her heart from her chest. She didn't fight it. In fact, she'd carved it out for him.

Her hands were bloody from presenting it to him with open arms.

I.

Love.

Him.

Before, she was in a cage.

She wasn't any more.

I could see. I was free. I believed.

"Tomorrow." He exhaled shakily. He clasped her jaw, running his thumbs over her cheeks. "You're mine. You deserve to know the man you've chosen… the man you've saved."

A shooting star sliced through her soul. "I saved you?"

A soft smile tugged his lips. "You have no idea, do you?" He kissed her forehead, filling it with overwhelming feeling. "No idea what you've done to me."

His delectable smell wisped around them. She wanted to fall into him and never let go.

He whispered, "Tomorrow, everything that I am becomes yours."

Mikasa shivered at the truth in his eyes, the echoing affection. "Tomorrow."

With a barely-there kiss, he transmitted every emotion he couldn't say and backed into the shadows of the corridor. "Tomorrow, I'm taking you away from here. I'll give you what you've selflessly given me. I'll tell you…everything."

~o~


Overnight, she'd turned from a flexible young woman to arthritic old hag.

Mikasa didn't sleep. She doubted she'd ever be able to sleep again with the excitement of what today would bring.

Levi will tell her.

Finally, I would know.

Last night, she'd thought about reading the Ackerman Journal to see how her mother and grandmother felt paying the Second Debt. Had they made note of it? Or were they like her and saw what the Journal was—a way to monitor their hearts and minds? She wanted to see if they'd done what she did: fall for their tormentors.

But despite her active mind and infectious energy, her body grew stiffer by the moment.

It ached, it screamed, it needed to rest.

I'd returned from the dead.

Relearning to live again wasn't easy.

Mikasa would have days of recovering ahead and it became painfully obvious when she went to stand. Her shoulders cried from the simple motion of shoving her sheets away. Her legs right on que went on strike as they touched the thick carpet.

She remained vertical for a moment, before face planting instead.

She didn't walk anymore, she hobbled.

She didn't talk, she croaked.

She wore bracelets of bruising around her wrists and ankles, and her skin retained its ghostly white, as if she hadn't quite shed death's grip.

No matter how alive she'd been with Levi last night…today, she was paying for it.

Mikasa hadn't wanted him to leave—not when he was blistering open and profound. She would've preferred to fall asleep in his embrace. But she knew that, regardless of their alliance to one another, his family was still in charge. Things had to go on as if nothing had changed—even though everything had.

Her stomach rumbled, adding another discomfort on top of all the rest.

She couldn't remember the last time she had eaten.

After a slow shower and an even slower time of getting dressed, Mikasa headed to the door, taking a sharp breath between her teeth with every step.

She wouldn't permit her body to derail her plans for today. Levi was taking her away from this place even if it's for a few hours. He would talk to her on a personal level. Nothing would destroy that opportunity.

Perhaps it could wait until tomorrow.

The thought of returning to the softness of her mattress almost made her turn around.

No!

Mikasa was just stiff—that was all. If she got on with life, she would heal faster.

Gritting her teeth, she forced her aching muscles to slowly propel her toward the dining room.

As Mikasa pushed open the double doors and entered the echoing space with its dripping blood-red walls and excessively big portraits of past Smiths, her attention swooped to the armory and the empty place that had held her dagger.

That same dagger was now tucked into the waistband of her yoga pants.

The scents of freshly brewed coffee and intoxicating aroma of buttery pastries turned her hunger into a sharp pang.

Erwin looked up from his newspaper, a large grin splitting his face. "Ah, Mikasa! You're awake from the dead." He laughed at his tasteless joke. Folding the paper, he waved to a few free chairs.

The dining room was a busy place this morning. Brotherhood members were scattered around the twenty seated table, eating an array of full course breakfast.

Tugging on the cuffs of her long sleeve baby-blue jumper, Mikasa drifted forward, cursing the pain in her joints.

She second-guessed her need for breakfast and hovered by a chair. If she didn't sit down soon, she will fall, but she didn't think she could tolerate eating with her murderous enemies.

Where is he?

Mikasa needed to make sure Levi hadn't had second thoughts. That they were still together—still true.

"I see Levi revived you."

Reiner's voice made her head snap up. He sat between other men of the Brotherhood, gnawing on a sausage.

Crap, she hadn't seen him. If she'd known he was here, she would've avoided an entire day of food.

Reiner sneered. "He's such a soft-hearted prick. If it were me, I would've just let you drown."

Mikasa's fingers curled around the back of a chair. "Lucky for me, you're not the firstborn.

Reiner lost his smirk. His face grew dark. "Not lucky for you, though, little Ackerman."

What did he mean by that?

Then the doors swung wide, and Levi appeared.

The man who orchestrated her drugging, kidnapping, and had stolen her heart strode quickly to her side and took her elbow.

Every fiber of her being wanted to sway into his support. Every nerve demanded she turn and kiss him.

But she couldn't.

Mikasa couldn't let Erwin see what would happen.

It was one thing to be blatant in her hate for Levi at the beginning, but now it proved a hard task to pretend. She had to openly despise him, all while suffocating her heart from showing the truth.

It took all her willpower, but she sidestepped out of Levi's hold. "Don't you think you did enough yesterday? Don't touch me."

Levi sucked in a harsh breath.

Reiner chuckled, smacking his lips. "Seems you're as hated as us now, brother. Congratulations."

Levi's eyebrows knitted together, his gaze flaring with hurt.

Mikasa willed him to understand.

The tightness suddenly faded around his mouth, his forehead smoothing into a perfect mask.

He knows.

His gaze met hers. With a barely noticeable nod, he agreed to their deception. A second later, a cold shield slammed over his face as effortlessly as breathing. He glittered with ice, so pure, so sharp.

If she didn't bear the marks of his teeth and fingertips from loving her so roughly last night, she would've doubted what was real.

Mikasa swallowed hard.

It's only a trick.

It's what needs to happen.

It was them against the other Smiths now. This was the biggest secret of all.

Her attention dropped to what he held in his left hand.

The Tally Box.

The room had been fairly silent since she entered, but now hushed anticipation filled the space.

"Glad to see you remembered," Erwin said, taking a sip of his coffee.

Levi nodded at his father, pulling out a chair for her. "Sit, Ms. Ackerman. There's something we need to do."

Unable to hide her flinch from bending sore joints, Mikasa settled into the offered chair.

Only once she sat did Levi take the seat beside her.

Folding his legs beneath the table, he shuffled closer. His aftershave and natural scent of woods and fresh clean linen trickled into her lungs, causing her heart to squeeze.

Her mouth slightly open as something pressed against her knee.

Levi refused to meet her eyes, but she knew it was him, touching her…comforting her, granting her strength.

Mikasa sucked in a breath as he nudged her harder. The pressure sent explosive lust fizzing through her blood.

The heavy weight from last night settled on her chest. Words she wanted to spill gathered thickly, drowning her. She wanted to talk to him. She wanted to ask questions and hear his answers.

I want to know him.

Every inch.

Levi continued to lean his leg against her own. He did it so calmly, all the while pretending nothing was different.

"Get on with it, Levi," Erwin ordered, his attention locked on them.

Levi nodded rudely. "Of course. Don't rush me. I think I've proven I'm more than capable of doing what needs to be done."

Erwin pressed his lips together.

Levi's eyes narrowed as he opened the Tally Box.

Her heartbeat sped up as he lifted out the apparatus he would need. Keeping her attention on the needle and ink, Mikasa rubbed her foot against his ankle.

He tensed but continued as if everything was fine.

Last night, he'd given her power over him in the form of his life.

She knew things no one else did.

And after today, she would know everything.

Levi was hers, and she would help save him, just like he said. They could change their fates from the plague of his family.

"Hold out your hand," Levi murmured, ignoring the table of onlookers.

Her heart raced as he held up the tattoo gun.

Pressing her knuckles against the wood of the table, she bit her lip as he turned on the gun.

His hair had grown longer, it usually fell by the corners of his eyes, however they were brushing the sides of his cheeks. Her fingers itched to brush it away, to press below his chin and bring his mouth to her own.

The air glistened between them, growing thicker with lust.

Her pussy ached from him taking her so roughly last night, but she wanted more. She wanted it harder, deeper, faster. She doubted she would ever have enough.

Levi stiffened, fighting against the building heat buzzing where they touched. When it came to touching in public, they had no shield to hide against the truth.

Mikasa's gaze shot to Erwin. Her feelings were far too obvious—he would see…he would know. However, his attention zeroed in on his son, his hands steeled before him.

She gasped as the sharp needle bit into her skin. She endured the tiny teeth as they stained her with ink. The burn this time was faintly familiar, filling with memories—becoming part of the design as much as his initials.

It only took a moment.

Levi reclined, eyeing up his penmanship. There, on the pad of her middle finger, he'd completed another.

A debt for a debt.

A tally for a tally.

The residual pain couldn't compete with her other aches and bruises. It was rather refreshing to have a wound that was sharp, rather than bone-deep and throbbing.

Levi turned off the gun and handed it to her.

Wordlessly, he splayed his beautiful long fingers and never stopping to look at her as she inked her ownership on his mirroring finger.

Her lines were straighter this time, more confident. Mikasa had embraced the marks because now it only bound them tighter together, rather than a recorded new debt.

When she'd finished, he had two branded fingers.

Levi nudged her foot again, keeping his face blank and almost cruel. Mikasa pressed back, never looking up as she turned off the gun and placed it back in its box.

Awareness scattered over her forearms. She couldn't stop a gentle sigh as Levi deliberately brushed her pinky with his, tucking away the discarded vial and locking the lid.

Erwin muttered, "Good to see you learned from your past mistake and things are following accordingly." Waving at the sideboard blaring with food, he added, "Eat, both of you. You both have a large schedule."

Mikasa's throat closed at the thought of what that could mean.

Erwin narrowed his eyes. "Levi, you're in charge of the next shipment. The stones arrive in a few hours. You know what to do." Turning his cold glare on her, he smiled. "And Mikasa, you've been summoned by my mother, Elena, for tea in her chambers."

Her heart raced.

Levi threw her a look.

What about our plans?

He glared at his father. "Ms. Ackerman was subjected to enough yesterday." His voice lowered as he spoke through clenched teeth. "Give her a few days, for fuck's sake."

Knives and forks screeched across cutlery as the Smith men turned to see Erwin's reaction.

Erwin fisted his hands on the table. "Don't you—"

"Um, sir?"

All heads turned to the youngest member of the Brotherhood; a twenty-year-old man named Connie. His shaved head and kind hazel eyes were a direct contradiction to the leader he now addressed.

Erwin's forehead furrowed. Dark anger covered his face. "What? What is so fucking important you interrupt me mid-sentence?"

Connie shifted awkwardly. "Sorry, sir. Won't happen again. But, eh…we have company." His eyes flew around the room, looking for someone to help bear the impact of his leader.

No one moved.

The young man sucked in a breath, reluctantly delivering his news. "I tried to stop them from entering the grounds. We did what you said. But they ignored us." Sweat shined on his upper lip. "Even the gatekeeper at the lock house couldn't stop them."

"What the hell are you talking about, boy?!" Erwin exploded.

Connie jumped. "They have a warrant, sir. They… they barged past, regardless of our warnings. We reminded them that we own their department… that our brotherhood is beyond their reach." He hung his head. "It didn't do any good."

The entire table sucked in a breath.

Warrant?

Could it be?

Levi went deathly still beside her. Every connection they shared froze, no longer a two-way street of togetherness and affection. A roadblock slammed into place, masking his every thought.

Mikasa glanced at him from the corner of her eye. Her heart squeezed as he stared fiercely at the opposite wall, refusing to look at her.

"Levi…" she breathed.

His jaw locked; snowflakes flurried around him as he pulled more and more away from her. Goosebumps ran over her flesh.

Erwin roared, "Tell those fucking pigs to get off my land. Their warrant means jack-shit."

"Sir, I've told them. But they won't listen. They said… they said they're here for—"

Levi burst out laughing—a cold, cynical chuckle. "That low life piece of shit. He did this. They're here for her." He looked at the ceiling, his face twisting into nightmares. "Of course, they fucking are."

A warrant could mean many things. It might not have anything to do with her. Yet a screeching, tearing noise echoed in her ears. It's her soul. The awful ripping sound was her soul splitting in two. If they had come for her…that meant…

I'm saved.

She had wished for this very thing to happen.

She had prayed for this. She had begged for this.

Escape.

So, why—if it was true—did she wish to run to her room and hide?

I don't want to leave him.

I can't leave him.

Not after last night.

Levi balled his hands, his eyes sharp and deadly. He snarled at Connie, "Tell them they can't fucking have her."

Mikasa's heart squeezed. Pain burned through her with more agony than she thought possible. He wouldn't give her up. He couldn't give her up.

They were now one. It'd been written in the stars and on their very skin.

Escape.

The word slithered through her brain, bringing forth thoughts of home. Mikasa shook her head, trying to dislodge the steadily building allure.

You could go home.

No, my home is here now.

But you'd be safe again…

Her steadfast promise to stay and steal Levi from his heritage faded…she became confused…

Mikasa swallowed, lubricating her throat. "Levi…please…"

She needed him to fight for her. To prove that this was her place, her destiny.

Levi clenched his jaw, shoving his chair back and standing. "Quiet!" Pointing a finger at Connie, he raged. "Do they, or do they not, have a fucking warrant for what's mine?"

Connie swallowed. "Yes."

"How?" Mikasa blurted, causing every man to look in her direction. "How do they have a warrant?"

Connie's mouth fell open, looking to Erwin to see if he should reply.

Erwin glared at her as if she had brought the apocalypse to his door.

No one spoke.

What did Eren do?

How did Eren find a way to free me?

Mikasa's heart fluttered thinking of her brother. He'd promised he would protect her no matter what. She should've trusted him even if it was a childhood promise.

She should be more grateful.

She wanted to kill him.

He'd ruined it. He'd taken everything she had worked for and torn it away from her.

I'm alive and going home.

I'm alive and going home.

The words repeated in her head.

Mikasa wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for Levi.

I'm in love with him.

He'd infected her, and no matter how much distance was between them, that would never change. She was his. And he was hers.

Levi's eyes locked with hers—the steel grey depths burned with despair and scorching agony. "I warned him. I tried to stop…"

He showed too much.

He felt too much.

Her diamond collar grew heavier, colder.

You said you'd be the last.

You promised you'd end this.

Her stomach somersaulted.

If they're here for you. Leave.

You have no choice.

Mikasa ached.

"Warned who? What's happened? Levi…I'm not leaving. Even if they are here for me."

Levi didn't move. He looked as if the light in his soul had been snuffed out. The peace and openness of last night was gone. Disappeared.

"I'll kill him for this," he muttered.

Unfolding her hands, Mikasa looked at her inked finger. She needed him to know that what happened last night wasn't a trick. He needed to know that she intended to stay—even though it might be the worst decision in the world.

Her stomach clenched at the thought of leaving.

Connie blurted, "Sir, they're here to take Mikasa Ackerman home."

The words fell like bombs, detonating her last hope.

It's true then.

Erwin stood up. He spoke slowly and with the darkest temper she had ever seen. "You're mistaken, boy. I suggest you get out of my sight. Tell whoever threatened you to get off my fucking land."

"They're… they're in the annex, sir. They said if we don't deliver the girl within five minutes, they'll tear apart the place looking for her."

Levi fisted his hands. "Tell them she's mine and she's not going anywhere."

Reiner stood. "She's our Ackerman now."

In a sick twisted way, the men imprisoning her were now on her side. She was no longer just a betrayer to her ancestors but a betrayer to her brother, too.

You would rather stay here than go home.

I would rather love and die young than be empty forever.

"What is the meaning of this screeching inside my house?"

All eyes turned to the raspy voice of Elena Smith as she appeared in the doorway.

Connie moved sideways, giving up his audience to the matriarch of this insane family.

"I see the plot has thickened." Elena crooked a finger in her direction, a large ruby glinting in the light. "How did you do this?"

"Me?" Mikasa glanced from Elena to Levi. "I didn't do it. I wouldn't."

"It wasn't her," Levi snapped. "Get rid of the police. She's not leaving."

Her arms craved to wrap around him. To thank him for keeping her.

Elena shuffled closer, her long skirt dragging on the carpet. Her white hair was curled and immaculate. "She's brought scorn and blasphemy to our name." Her eyes bored into Mikasa's. "I've seen what you do, little girl. I know what you want. And you won't get it." Pointing at the door, she ordered, "Get out."

Erwin punched the table. "No fucking—"

"She's leaving this house." Elena interrupted. "Now."

Levi moved to stand in front of her, blocking her body with his. "She's staying."

Elena smiled coldly. "There is no other way. They're here for her. She's going with them." Her eyes narrowed. "Don't make me repeat myself, boy. You know as well as I do what your obligations are."

Mikasa grabbed Levi's arm, unable to hide her emotions. If she hated the Smiths as much as Erwin believed, she should've sprinted out the door, skipping with happiness. Instead, Erwin would see that something deeper had happened—something that would be severely punished.

But Mikasa didn't care.

Because if she didn't fight, this was over. Here and now.

"Let me talk to them—"

Levi spun to face her, his temper blazing. "You want to talk to them? To tell them what, exactly? The truth?"

"Enough!" Erwin yelled. Looking at Elena, he frowned. "You want her gone?"

Elena nodded; her red lipstick smeared on thin lips. "Immediately."

Erwin sighed, his leather jacket creaking as anger wisped off him. "Fine," he said sharply. "Mikasa Ackerman, get the fuck out of my house."

Her heart crumbled.

Levi crossed his arms, still shielding her. His ice slid back into place turning him impenetrable. "I'm the firstborn, and I say she isn't fucking leaving."

Erwin moved around the table, his fists clenching. "You dare do this here, son? You know you'll lose—"

"Wait!"

A feminine voice whipped through the aching tension in the room.

"Mina? What the hell are you doing in here?" Levi asked, his mask slipping as he looked at his wheelchair bound sister.

She rolled into the dining room with the aid of a blonde maid Krista. Mina's grey eyes met Erwin's. "She can't go, Father. It's not finished."

Erwin breathed hard through his nose, his temper throbbing beneath his tattered self-control. "Don't speak of things you don't understand. Levi didn't control the situation. This is his mess. He's failed." Erwin looked piercingly at Levi, sending goosebumps and terror down Mikasa's spine. "It's over. He's done."

The way he spoke…it sounded like a death sentence.

Levi gasped, true fear coating his face. "It's not over—"

"Shut. Up." Erwin sliced the air with his arm, silencing him. Looking at Mikasa, he snapped, "Leave, Ms. Ackerman. Your time is up. I won't tell you again."

Mina's gaze shot to Levi's. "Don't let her go, Rivaille."

Rivaille.

Mikasa's soul splintered.

Elena shuffled forward. "I see what you're doing, girl. Your little adoptive family have been clever with their tricks and treachery, but I won't let you spin any more of your filth." Her wrinkly skin furrowed deeper with rage. "Get. Out. Now."

"Was this always your plan, Father?" Levi looked at Erwin, panic and rage twisted his face. "You set me up to fail?" The depth of confusion and agony in his voice broke her heart.

Mikasa's eyes widen. She didn't understand.

"Levi…he doesn't matter. None of them do." She squeezed his arm. "Believe in us. Believe in me."

"Hush, stupid girl," Elena snapped. "You're the same as all the rest. Get out." Pointing at the door, she hissed, "Go!"

The other Smiths didn't do a thing. Just sat and watched.

Levi never tore his eyes off his father—they were clouded and strained. He was a missile straining to release his tension.

"Don't do this," Mikasa whispered. "Don't let them ruin what we have."

They were damned to their fates, brought together by a ridiculous vendetta. Yet…something right had come out of something so wrong. They had somehow found the one person they were meant to find.

I can't go.

"You don't understand, Mikasa. It's not that easy." Levi looked at her, running his newly inked finger along the inside of her wrist. "Go, before it's too late."

Memories of the way he had thrust inside her the night before had filled her mind. She had meant what she said—she felt him—not just inside her, but what he hid inside him.

It was more than truth.

It had been gospel in its legitimacy.

"Levi…it's too late already. I'm meant to stay. With you."

"She's right, Rivaille. Tell the police to leave. Find a way," Mina said.

Mikasa looked at Levi's sister in her navy wool dress and white shawl in her lap. Her face was pinched and full of concern.

What did she know? Why was she fighting on my side?

Erwin slammed his fist onto the table with a resounding thump. "Get your hands off my son and get the fuck out!"

Levi's face darkened. His gaze sent a brutally painful message.

Leave…at least one of us will be free.

Mikasa's body wound tighter and tighter.

Tears clogged her throat. "I can't. I won't."

I won't be free without you.

Erwin suddenly barked, "Reiner, seeing as Ms. Ackerman refuses to leave, escort her off the premises."

Reiner chuckled, his eyes glittering as he moved quickly around the table. "With pleasure, Pop."

"Stop! All of you!" Mina shouted, but it didn't do any good.

In a flash, Reiner grabbed Mikasa's elbow, hauling her away from Levi, from their bond, from the only existence she ever wanted.

"No!"

Reiner's voice overcame into her ear. "Fight me and I'll do something un-fucking-forgivable. Do you want me to do that?"

Mikasa tried to stomp on his foot. "You're a bastard."

"Thanks for the compliment."

Levi lunged, grabbing her and punching Reiner in the jaw. "Get your fucking hands off her." Whipping her behind his body, he glared at Erwin. "I'll get rid of her."

Erwin breathed hard. "Good. Then I can deal with you."

Levi jolted, every inch tight and breaking.

Without a word, he dragged Mikasa toward the exit. He trembled as if he'd shatter at any moment, buckling under the weight.

Mikasa squirmed, fighting her aching body. "Let me go! I'm not going anywhere."

"You're leaving. If it's the last thing I do, at least I can keep you safe."

She struggled harder. "Safe? I don't want to be safe. I want to be with you."

"Quiet," he choked, his face pale. "It's better this way."

"You're choosing them over me!" Mikasa tried to punch him. "Stand up to them. Leave with me. Don't stay here, Levi."

He clenched his jaw and didn't reply.

He wasn't strong enough to fight for what they had.

He's choosing his family over me.

Mikasa rolled her arm, twisting out of his hold. Scurrying from his hands, she turned to face Erwin. "I don't know what power you hold over him, but it isn't enough. He's mine, not yours."

"Mikasa—don't!" Levi grabbed her, dragging her backward. "You don't know what you're doing. For fuck's sake, don't make this worse than it already is."

Erwin grinned broadly. "Congratulations, Mikasa. You've successfully just changed the future." His eyes landed icy and evil on Levi. "I thought there was hope. But you were just too fucking weak."

The men shifted in their seats. Erwin never moved. "Get rid of the girl, Levi. You and I have something we need to discuss."

Life seemed to siphon from Levi's limbs, growing colder by the second.

"No!" Mina screeched, rolling forward. "You can't. You promised!" Tears slid from her eyes, looking at her brother. "Stop this, Rivaille. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for making you change, for causing—" She stopped, unable to speak through her sobs.

The worst horror Mikasa had ever felt slithered through her blood.

I'm hollow. I'm hurting. What the hell is happening?

Something darker was at work. This wasn't about her anymore. This was about Levi. His father.

What would they do to him the moment I leave?

I wouldn't leave him behind.

Linking her fingers with his, Mikasa pulled. "Levi, come with me."

But he just stood there, rooted to the spot. His eyes wild, lips parted.

Mikasa hovered…waiting. Waiting for one tiny sign that he was still alive beneath whatever fear had struck him mute.

Elena crept up to her, bringing the sickening scent of iron and heavy perfume. "Goodbye, Ms. Ackerman. You've earned your freedom today at the cost of another." Leaning closer, she whispered, "You're free, but this is far from over, girl. Mark my words; you'll pay for what your family has done."

Mikasa stood taller, ready to fight even if Levi wouldn't. "Stop it, I'm stay—"

Levi suddenly yelled, "Go! Just fucking go."

The room froze, all eyes pinned on him.

He pointed at the door, shattering her heart into dust. "Leave."

His eyes screamed the truth.

If you love me at all, you'll go.

I need you to go.

"You can't ask me to do this," Mikasa said, wiping away a fallen tear.

"I can and I will." Striding forward, he grabbed her face and kissed her in front of everyone. His hands shook, his lips trembled.

He broke her completely.

"Please, Mikasa. Do this for me. Let me make this right."

Pushing her gently to the door, he commanded, "Go and don't look back."

Her world crumbled.

Her legs didn't want to move.

Her heart didn't want to beat.

His eyes begged her to obey.

Please…go.

Stumbling, she did the impossible.

She didn't look at Mina.

She didn't look at Levi.

Mikasa kept moving.

She would honor him.

She would obey him.

Even though every inch of her bled.

Even though every part of her was dead.

I would go home.

I would find a way to fix this.

It wasn't over.

Two seconds later…

Mikasa was gone.

To Be Continued…