Here is the next chapter! Not much to say, but I should be saying on my profile again when the next update is. Please leave a comment or criticism! They are always much appreciated!
It took me a few days to realize how that even though Levi and I hated each other, everyone associated each us together. Throughout the day people asked me where the 'strong midget' was or 'was Levi willing to tell everyone his secret to strength yet?'. What was weird was that I almost always had the answer, usually a 'he's cleaning and no he isn't talking'. After we had come back from the expedition, our spots for sleeping were combined. I took the top bunk, him, the bottom. We even ate our meals together usually. Eating with Isabel and Farlan had been full of laughter with small antics. Meal time had become one where silence descended upon us, neither one speaking or making a sound. I had thought of moving somewhere else, but the idea of going to a different spot made the deaths of Isabel and Farlan so much more permanent. I would never find myself grabbing an extra tray for the piggy tailed girl ever again if I wasn't headed for the same exact destination every time. So I stayed. Levi and I ate together for no other reason than we were too stubborn to move.
Another thing that had changed was that we finally seemed like we had some respect from the other cadets. We survived our first outing, that meant something here. That didn't mean we were liked or anything. Levi's attitude kept everyone else at a distance besides the crazy lady with glasses and me. Erwin seemed to make a point of talking to each of us every once in awhile but never for long. He was too busy being groomed for the Commander's position to have any time to do something else. With Flagon's death, both Levi and I had been put into Mike's squad. Mike seemed to be a pretty decent guy that didn't talk a lot and sniffed everything. He might have just been made a squad leader but his Titan killing skills were top notch. Though it seemed like his position as the best might be overtaken by Levi. That was probably the reason we were put in the spot in the first place, Levi's potential made it so that only the best could try and lead him. I was just a tag-along.
It was one of the few days we had off. I had chosen to take the time to go into town and check up on some of the leads Agni had given me. Sometimes I would sneak off in the middle of the night to check the more shady areas, but my destination was a bakery. It was written down that the husband who worked there had said that a young boy close to my description of Suzu had been coming by to buy bread. Running my thumb over the coin in my pocket, I was oddly distracted by the thick scent of goods wafting in the air. The food at the military base was good compared to what I had to scrounge up in the Underground but this smelled heavenly.
"Can I help you?" A plump lady with a gigantic smile on her face greeted me as I walked into the building. I could only guess that this was his wife.
It was weird not to be hit with instant hostility when they first see me. While I wasn't dressed in my uniform, my simple black shorts and tanktop was clean without any holes or tears. I looked like I wasn't a thief. That I could actually buy something. What a new experience.
Taking on an excited demeanor, I peered at the baked goods. "Can I have a chocolate cookie?"
Her grin widened as she turned around to grab the goody. Placing my money on the counter, I watched her put the cookie in a small sack. "Is chocolate your favorite flavor?"
Now was my chance to bring up my brother. Sniffling a little, I grabbed the bag to look into it with a sad expression plastered on my face. "No, but I eat it because it was my brothers favorite. I miss him so much."
Eyes wide, the lady stared at me for a second before giving me a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. What a great way to use my innocence persona. I had even once been told that my face looked too sweet to be the one of a murderer. That was before I stabbed a man before he could take Suzu and I's food. Though I still don't know if I killed him since we ran away afterwards. Guess the man could have been correct.
"I really love my brother, but he disappeared one day. Do you think I'll ever see him again?"
The woman began to frown as she patted my shoulder. "I'm not sure sweetie, but if you definetly keep looking for him, you might."
"Maybe you have seen him?" Tears steadily began to drip down my cheeks as I take a small nibble on my cookie after posing the question. It had to sound natural, not like her answering that question had been my objective in the first place. I could tell that she wasn't convinced, but with the crying young girl in front of her, she decided to play along.
"Well, sweetheart, what does he look like?"
The words began to rush out of my mouth before I could consider them. "He has brown curly hair like me that's cut short. He also has brown eyes and would look around 11 right now. My brother tans really easily and he always has a smile. I think he is about this tall now and would be pretty skinny."
"Nope. The only regular that sounds similar to that is a boy with black hair. I've also never seen him smile, so I don't think I have seen your brother come to my bakery, sweetie. I'm sorry."
I huffed with a little more irritation than necessary. This lead had been one of the last few I had, and the next Survey Corps expedition was coming up soon. Using my last day off here was a waste of time. Now if I wanted to check up on any of the other places, I was going to have to sneak out at night.
"Thanks for your help," I mumbled before turning around to head out. At least the cookie I was munching on was good. It had been forever since I had chocolate and I barely had time to enjoy it. I wonder if Isabel would have liked chocolate. We had talked about all the different foods we were going to try once we got the chance, but a moment to go to town had never came. That was Erwin's fault. A part of me hated him for how he used us to obtain his goals, but another side said that was what I would've done in his situation. Did I not just use Farlan, Isabel and Levi to get a chance to find my brother? Am I not using the Survey Corps for that same reason as well? They are all people who would sacrifice themselves for humanity, but it was all in vain. Not one of there name's will be remembered and to what end? A miserable horrific death in the jaws of the monsters they so desperately fight? No thanks. The Survey Corps will never get any gratitude for their hard work, so I see no reason to waste my life there.
While it was getting dark outside, I decided to take the longer route. Tomorrow would be another day of training which was something I was not looking forward to at all. If I thought I had been in top physical strength down in the Underground, I was wrong. Meals and sleep did wonders to improve my health and Levi's. While the guy still had sharp edges, he was beginning to fill out. If we ever fought hand to hand again, I was going to have to make sure to stay out of his grasp. Levi was going to probably be able to break me in two with his bare hands soon.
"Saph, I presume?" a gravely voice whispered in a corner.
Stiffening, I turned my head slowly to face the man who had spoke. The fast approaching night and the shadows of the building he was standing beside did enough to hide his threatening figure from most passersbys. I might not have noticed him if he hadn't said anything. I kept quiet and watched him curiously. The man had a stocky build and seemed to be strong, but he wasn't in a fighting stance.
"Agni sent me," he finally uttered.
That got my attention. After sending a quick glance around me, I approached the alley. "Do you have something for me?"
His eyes flicked to my outstretched hand before finding the ground. "Just some information."
Retracting my hand, I leaned against the wall with a sigh. It couldn't be the area where my brother is then, Agni would have had to write the address down for me. What information could be valuable enough for her to send me a messenger?
"She said that due to unforeseen circumstances, there will be no more inquiring on her part for the location of your brother.
Apparently, the man who has your brother is dangerous. Dangerous enough that she doesn't want to risk her business being involved. This man had already killed a few of Agni's informants."
I frowned. "This is what I paid for? I thought Agni did better business than this. If that's so then maybe I should slit your throat to see how she takes my warning."
A grin twisted the man's features into a malicious one. His laugh contained a few short barks before he turned to spit on the ground. "Now I see what Agni was talking about when she said I had be careful about getting killed. I didn't know if you had any of the instinct in you when I saw you in that bakery, but I guess you are from the Underground."
Scowling at the knowledge of being watched, I glared at him. My fingers crept downwards towards the knife in my boot.
"Watch it little girl. I'm well aware of your fighting abilities and that weapon. While Agni did say that she is stopping the investigation, your money isn't going to waste. Your brother was taken by a man named Kenny Ackerman."
"Kenny the Ripper? I've heard of him."
The man nodded. "Yes the Underground is ripe of legends about the man. Turns out that the Military Corps still hasn't killed the bastard, and he has actually joined them. Became a bodyguard for a Uri Reiss or something. Nobody knows what he had done with your brother or why he has him."
My mind turned over this new information. The Reiss family, a nobility family. Why would Kenny protect them? He seemed like a man who would hate the privileged. Something was up and I had no way of knowing what had happened. I dipped my chin and then took off, running back to the headquarters. All that searching had led up to the truth of the matter. Agni was a resource I no longer had, so I was going to have to gather the information. Charging headfirst would only lead to my death. No matter how large the rumors had grown about Kenny the Ripper, one thing was for sure, that man had the power to easily kill me. Maybe there was a way for me to utilize my position as a Survey Corps member?
This was going to take me a moment to figure out. To bad there wasn't much I could do before the next expedition. It hadn't even felt like a month and a half since Farlan and Isabel were killed. All expeditions couldn't be that bad, right? Second time to be trying the new formation, and everyone just prayed that it was going to go well. There wasn't a way for me to not go, so I would just have to follow orders like everyone else.
Even though the sleeping quarters weren't too far away, I could already feel my body beginning to drag. Four days until the next time I left the safety of these walls. Now it was just going to be light training filled with preparations. Since I was just a low ranked soldier, there wasn't much I had to do besides move stuff. Erwin and the commander were the ones who had people breathing down their necks about the success of this thing. Not only did they have to make sure not to die, they also had to make sure not to many other people died. Wouldn't want to have to give their families any money for the loss now.
"Clean up the mess you made," Levi growled as soon as I stepped into the building.
I glanced behind me. Dirty footprints could be seen against the outline of the wood. "I'll do it tomorrow," I yawned out as I removed my boots. Might as well make sure not any more mud gets on the floor.
"I didn't say 'tomorrow.'"
"You also didn't say tonight." I swung a leg over to rest on the mattress. Just as I was beginning to move the other one, Levi grabbed my ankle. I tried to shake his grip off. "If it bothers you so much, why don't you do it? I just want to get some sleep!" I hissed out, careful not to wake up any of the other members slumbering inside.
Apparently, Levi didn't care about that. He gave a sharp tug and I was sent to the floor. My butt hit the hardwood with a thump. "Don't be so mean," I whined out, childishly. I'm too tired to deal with this!
A hand began to rustle the hair on the top of my head. "Just shut up and clean it," Levi mumbled.
With wide eyes, I stared at him. What in the world was he doing? His fingers were deftly untangling the few clumps with ease. Too stunned to get away, I stared at him with an open mouth.
Noticing that something was amiss. Levi lazily opened his eyes. Slowly blinking at me, it took a moment for him to focus. When he did, Levi retracted his hand so fast that he pulled a few strands of my brown hair with him. Looking at his hand with disgust, he seemed to contemplate wiping it on the blanket.
Wide awake now, I awkwardly got up. "I'll go clean it up right now."
After getting the supplies, it didn't take me long to wash off the dirt. I took my time doing it, making it so that it would probably even fulfill Levi's standards. That had been weird. Seeing Levi doing something with emotions behind it was unheard of. Not since Isabel and Farlan had died had I seen him do or say anything that wasn't anger, disgust, hate, or complete indifference. I knew he blamed me, at least partially, for Farlan's death so to see a kind gesture directed towards me was even stranger.
Slipping a blanket over me after I got into bed, my fingertips drifted to the crown of my head. A gentle, physical comfort such as that hasn't been given to me for years. Not even Isabel's roughness could equate to what I had just felt. Confused by the pain radiating out of my chest, I struggled to get to sleep that night.