We finally made it to a patch of Giant Trees and the formation scattered inside. Majority of the Corps had to tie up their horses and gain eyes in the branches. Cadets were to remain on the outer perimeter, keeping Titans occupied and away from the middle forest. A portion of squads were to act as defense, taking out Titans that had made their way in or were already in the forest. Most others were to aid in setting up the Titan traps. My squad was in defense and were spread throughout the trees. Grinning, I sat on my branch comfortably, listening to the echoes of Hanji's orders from deeper inside.

"Don't you think it's a little inappropriate to smile at a time like this, Hazura?"

I simply grinned wider at the voice. Talking was good progress. Him starting it was even better.

"No, Ackerman. Smiling is a medicine you will never understand." I teased. He sat down beside me in silence and we took in the view.

"You're not hurt, are you?"

I hardly caught the whisper but replied like a jerk nevertheless.

"Worried, Ackerman?"

"In your dreams, Hazura." He shot back. I chuckled as we fell into silence again. He was fidgety, I could tell.

"No."

He looked up at me.

"I'm not hurt." I clarified. "Just unlucky to have been forced to encounter and take down 2 Aberrants in a row."

"That's good. That you're not hurt, that is." He coughed, uncomfortable.

Despite the situation, I was highly amused. Levi was never good with feelings and mushy compliments. It was kind of entertaining to watch him squirm. With the quiet period and just the two of us, I decided to hit the nail on the head.

"Levi…about the Water Gate incident…" I turned my face away from him. I myself wasn't that comfortable with mushy stuff either. Out of the corner of my eye, the Captain stiffened.

"I'm sorry." I cleared my throat and summoned up a bit more courage. "I should've approached that situation with a bit more courtesy than I did that day. I know how you felt about Petra and I should have been more-"

"-you don't have to apologize."

The rest of the words stuck in my throat at the statement and so I waited for Levi to finish.

"I should have acted more professionally. I knew that you were only doing it for the good of Humanity."

I knew that was the closest I was going to get as an apology and finally smiled. I shifted on the branch so I was now facing him. He glanced sideways at me as I held out a hand.

"Let's start fresh, shall we?" I offered. He moved his gaze away again.

"I can't."

The smile on my face dropped. I thought we just cleared out the disagreement. Bastard. I stood up, my anger flaring.

"What the hell, Ackerman? Why cant you effing be nice for once? What did you just-"

"I can't start all over again with you." He clarified. "I cant think of you as a stranger, then an acquaintance, then a colleague and all that shit. I still think of you as my best friend. Brat." He ended, also standing.

I faltered and the edges of my mouth tilted up. I couldn't help myself as I jumped forward and smothered him into a bear hug. He immediately stiffened at the sudden contact.

"And you will always be my best friend. Don't forget that." I murmured. After a few awkward seconds, warm arms gently encircled me.

"I won't."

Clearing my throat, I stepped out of the embrace and broke the awkward tension, holding out my hand again.

"Care to start again as best friends then, Ackerman?"

He smirked and took my hand firmly. "Don't mind if I do, Hazura."

"Free Titans!" screeched a voice, breaking the atmosphere. Levi and I turned to spot three giant bodies moving through the nearby treeline.

"Feel like a little friendly competition, Levi?" I challenged, sheathing my blades and raising an eyebrow. He scoffed.

"With you, there is no competition."

"How about you say that again after I hand you your ass on a silver plate?" laughing, I launched off the branch, Levi following close behind.

I quickly weaved through the trees and honed in on the first. Fortunately, it was a small one, a 5 metre class Titan. Making quick work of it, I moved onto the second, a little larger 7-metre class. This one was a little smarter, keeping its giant arms waving around in random patterns. How could I get close enough to take it out without knocking myself unconscious?

"Tch."

And I propelled myself forward, deciding to take a risk. I drove my cables into its arms, and reeled myself in close. The Titan continued to wave, its movements exerting a huge force on me, jerking me every which way. Gritting my teeth, I held on and waited until the momentum had me rounding on the back of its neck. I instantly dove towards the target and sliced. The Titan died, its final movements winded down.

There was a grunt as I spied Levi getting hit with the unexpected hand and he flew towards his 15-metre class. The giant predator noticed Levi's unrestrained path towards it and flicked out a hand, intending to slap him dead. I felt as if the world slowed down as I screamed, jumped and soared towards the Captain. Triggering both canisters of gas, I rocketed towards Levi, colliding strongly into him and sent him flying in a different direction.

My eyes looked up and registered the fleshy backhand before the world sped up again. I felt as if a solid building slammed into me, followed by a brief rush of air. Another hard force abruptly stopped my motion, sending an explosion of pain through my spine. My head leaned backwards, knocking against what felt like a tree trunk. More pain erupted from my head and my vision blackened.

A muffled yell managed to seep into my brain before it shut down.