Black. Red. White. The black was cool, calm and invitingly painless. The white pierced through the background, warm and also inviting. Red was harsh, pain radiated from it and I did not want to go there. However, it had something the other two colours didn't. Levi's voice distantly called from it and beckoned me to approach it. I hesitated but I didn't get time to choose. The red light grew closer, bigger, brighter before it completely enclosed me. Searing pain flared in my head and my back. I screamed in agony.

A strong slap to my face had my eyes snapping open and something else other than pain flared up. Annoyance. My right fist automatically struck out, connecting with something fleshy. There was another exclamation of pain and I groaned in response as my pain slowly subsided into an unpleasant throb. I focused on my surroundings, blinking rapidly. Green. Brown. Specks of blue. Black. Then gray. More specifically, annoyed gray eyes stared at me. Levi.

"I know you're hurt but why the fuck did you punch me?" he growled.

"Force of habit." I rasped and slowly tried to sit up, which just pulled a painful groan from me. Levi hurried forward and gently pushed me back onto the branch.

"Careful, I don't know how severe your injuries are."

The word injuries sparked another train of thought and I quickly ran an eye over my friend.

"Are you hurt?"

"No, thanks to your stupidity. What were you thinking, shoving me like that? Scrap that, you weren't bloody thinking."

"I was thinking that your precious face was ugly enough as it was without the extra bruises." I bantered back and tried sitting up again. This time, my back only throbbed gently in retaliation and I sighed in relief. Levi quickly supported my back with an arm. I reached up and softly prodded the back of my head, wincing when I felt wet blood come in contact with my fingers.

"It doesn't look serious." Levi answered my unasked question.

"It sure feels serious." I grimaced, imagining a giant cut on my scalp.

"You scared me to death."

I glanced up at Levi, who knelt beside me and was looking away.

"When I saw you drop to the branch and that you weren't moving, I almost lost it."

I placed a hand on his bent knee and patted it gently.

"I could say the same thing when I saw that Titan hand coming at you."

"That's different, you did lose it." He shot back, glaring at me. "You didn't have to save me."

I rolled my eyes. "You're wrong on both accounts. I didn't lose it and I had to. I don't think I could forgive myself if you got hurt on my account. And don't you dare think that it was your fault that I got hurt, Ackerman." I fiercely continued. "It was my choice to save your ass."

We fell silent.

"I won't."

We exchanged glances and I smiled when I could see that he meant it.

"Good. Now help me up, I need to get my head checked out before I head back into battle."

Levi scoffed at my dramatic speech but nevertheless, aided me over to the Doc.

"You again? I thought I told you to stay out of trouble, Officer Hazura." The doctor simply stated as he took in my state. I hobbled towards him, Levi gripping my arm in case I fell. I sent the doc a wry grin.

"Just because you told me, doesn't mean it'll happen." I replied. He simply sighed and returned to his current patient.

"Hold on, I'll be just a second."

"Take your time, I'm not going anywhere." I gingerly sat on the concealed cart, minding my back. Levi continued to watch me closely, crossing his arms over his chest. I looked up at him.

"Thanks for the help, but you can go now." I made shooing movements with my hands. The Captain raised a single eyebrow down at me.

"I leave you for two minutes and you almost kill yourself. I'm not going anywhere."

I rolled my eyes and copied him, crossing my arms. "The Defence need a Captain, Levi. I'll be fine, the Doc here will watch over me."

"No guarantees that she'll actually stay put though, Captain Levi." The smart-ass medical called. I shot the man a look over my shoulder but unfortunately his eyes were fixed on his patient.

"Rina, I'm not going without you."

I turned a full-blown smile at my friend. "Aw, how romantic, Levi. However, that stuff doesn't work on me." I finished in a dead tone, dropping the mushy act. "Defense needs you to help them out keeping the Titans at bay. Just go. I'll join you the second I'm done here. Promise." just to tease him a little more, I held out my pinky finger. He glanced at the finger, simply scoffed and finally took his leave, disappearing into the trees. I dropped my hand, grinning.

"Seems like you have quite a bit of influence over our good Captain there, Officer Hazura." The doctor came over and gently began probing my back. I winced and arched instinctively when he touched a tender spot.

"You're wrong, Doc. I'd say the influence I have on him is almost non-existent. I simply state the obvious and he considers the logic in them. Despite being incredibly athletic and smart, he can be thick sometimes."

"Your ability to mix a compliment and an insult together never ceases to amaze me."

"It's a gift."

I stretched my arms over my head once more, before swinging them back down. The pain had subsided to a faint throb. The doctor nodded.

"I've patched up your head wound and it seems secure enough for fight. Your back doesn't hurt?"

I shook my head and gave him a thumbs up. "Nope. I'm good to go?"

With another pause, the medical nodded and left to treat others.

"This time, actually try to stay out of trouble."

"No promises!" I called back, grinning. With that, I leapt from the cart, simultaneously attaching a line to the trees and took off. Just in time too, as a messenger flew past.

"Phase 1 ready! Take your positions!"

I shivered and ran over the plan. The cadet groups on the perimeter would choose two Titans and lure the predators into the middle of the forest. There waited Hanji and her massive traps. The rest of the Titans were to be kept from the forest as they posed potential problems should the trap be damaged or the capture unsuccessful. I was designated as a squad leader, to keep an eye on the cadets that acted as bait. If anything were to go astray, another squad leader and myself would have to prevent their deaths. No pressure.

Soon, I reached the perimeter, joining the other squad leader, Nick, on the tree. He flicked his head down to the blonde and brunette Titans below.

"Those are the fish." He then flicked his head up and I followed the movement to see two younger cadets. "Those are the bait. And we are the fisherman."

I grimaced. I didn't like the idea of using cadets as bait but…

"I never liked fishing."

So now I flew beside cadet Bridget, luring the blonde Titan into the forest. Nick and his cadet were a couple of metres away, keeping the brunette Titan on them.

"Do all cadets want to place themselves in harm's way just for the fun of it?" I asked lithely as we once again dodged the flailing arms.

"Not fun, more like volunteering. I'm confident in my abilities and wanted to test them out."

We fell in a comfortable silence as I pondered her answer.

"You've got guts, Bridget."

"And you, Squad leader? What's your reason for joining the Survey Corps? From what I hear, you could have joined the Military Police."

"Pfft." A sound of annoyance left my lips. "Most of them don't even know the dangers Titans pose, let alone what they look like. To me, joining the MP would be a waste of my time training."

"So why not the Garrison then, if not the MP?"

My mind flashed back to a vision of a devastated Levi kneeling in front of the body of his friend, a motionless Titan dead behind him.

"I have someone that I have to protect."

"Understood."