Here is the second chapter with the Christmas Special! I'm a little worried that I made Levi OOC because he talks so much in this one, but I think all of you guys will like it. I've been getting a lot of feedback that you guys like Levi/Saph interactions and having Hanji in there, so I hope I didn't disappoint with this one. Enjoy and please leave a review!

Saph's PoV

Leon's laugh rang out loud and clear as yet another Titan was brought down to its knees. Eld and Ruby both threw him an irritated glance before they moved onto the next one. With a sharp turn, Ruby had cut deep into its ankle, making the monster began to fall forward. While Leon was cutting off its outstretched arm, Eld was giving the death blow. His own mark just a little below where mine had been made and missed.

I was trailing behind Levi, attacking all the small Titans as he aimed for the 15 meter classes in the vicinity. It had become our usual regiment. Me, killing all the small ones that could easily sneak up on our teammates to devour them, and Levi, slaughtering the large ones that were sometimes difficult to take down. It wasn't exactly what Erwin had planned, two smaller teams instead of one large one, but as the number of kills grows, he had no reason to complain.

After the last one had been taken to the ground, Leon jogged over to us. "I'm famished! We are heading back now right?"

"The gates are just up ahead," I responded, pointing at the entrance to Wall Rose.

Levi was busy wiping his blades down with his handkerchief, nobody was willing to disturb him and his cleaning time. Ruby instead approached me.

"I'm thankful that we haven't lost anyone on this expedition."

A smile quirked the edges of my lips up a little bit. "It's nice not to see your comrades dying. Makes being outside the walls a whole lot more enjoyable."

"Someday, we will reclaim back this land."

"You mean Wall Maria?"

"No," Ruby paused as she tilted her head up to look at the bright blue sky. "I mean everything. Whatever is out there will be ours."

My smile vanished as I tried to imagine a world without Titans. Without danger shadowing me at every step. It was to difficult. Not knowing what to say, I walked off to find Lucifer. There was no reason to dash her hope no matter how fanciful it was.

The dumb horse was flirting with a pretty little chestnut mare. Her rider was a girl that seemed a little older than me whose hair matched her horse's coat. Instead of getting annoyed at Lucifer, she was giggling as he pranced around her and her steed.

"Sorry about that," I said as I tried to capture the dangling reins. Swishing his tail, I got a mouthful of it with a single swish.

Thankfully, Lucifer had gotten close enough to the irritated mare for the girl to grab his reins. "It's no problem. I got a good laugh watching him show off."

"Saph! We are going to head out soon! Levi wants you to head over," Leon called out as he rode past. "I"m going to go get Ruby."

With wide brown eyes, the girl turned to me with an excited look on her face. "You're Saph?"

"Yep. You've heard of me?"

"Who hasn't? Second in command for Levi in the Special Operations Squad. One of the youngest soldiers in the legion and the youngest in Levi's squad. What is it like to work so closely with Humanity's Strongest?"

A complete pain in my ass? That answer wouldn't do it for her, so I decided to change the topic. "So I"m guessing you admire Levi?"

The girl nodded, her childish joy now washing away to reveal eyes of pure determination. "Of course. He is an outstanding soldier who has saved multiple of my peer's lives."

"Maybe you'll join our squad someday then," I casually remarked as I swung my leg over Lucifer's back. This girl had so much hope and so filled with dreams that it amazed me. While she didn't contain a hint of naivety, there wasn't the usual hardness that was common for a soldier in the Survey Corps.

"Yes! That would be so exciting! Oh. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Petra Ral."

"It's nice to meet you, Petra. Well, I should return to my own squad now. Goodbye."

"Bye."

Kicking Lucifer into a trot, I put him near Levi. After settling down into the saddle, I awaited my orders. However, I noticed that Levi was giving me a level gaze. HIs eyebrows were slightly raised in contemplation as he stared at me. Uncomfortable, I straightened my back as I addressed him.

"What is it?"

"That girl's name is…"

"Petra."

"Petra?" Levi paused as he glanced over to her figure. "I pictured her differently."

"Why do you say that? How do you know her?"

Levi grumbled, "Erwin wants another person to join the Special Operations Squad, and he wants me to pick them out."

"Do you think she would fit in? She was a pretty big fan of yours so she would definitely be delighted to work with you," I teased.

He rolled his eyes at me. "I would never let her become part of the team for just that reason. She also has a pretty high kill record for someone who finished training not even a year ago."

"Not just for that reason? So you want to have a groupie around?" I snickered as he glared at me. Levi couldn't reach me, and nobody else heard our conversation so I was safe from being punished for insubordination. "Never thought you were one to seek praise and compliments. Oh Levi how strong you are! How brave you are to face those Titans even though you're so tiny!" I said in a high pitch. Cackling at my own joke, my body shook with laughter. Suddenly, I was unseated from my spot as Lucifer swung his neck and nipped at my leg.

It was surprising to find myself on the dirt ground, watching my monster trot away, neighing all the while. Levi, ever so amused by the situation, walked his horse over to me. "I must admit, I like that horse of yours."

"Don't get attached because it's going to become horse meat soon."

"Are you okay, Saph?" Leon cried out as he jumped out of his saddle to run to me. Offering his hand, Leon inspected my body for wounds. "You really need to get a new one. That evil horse is going to get you killed someday."

"He takes after his owner," Levi said in a deadpan voice.

Wrinkling my nose, I let out a dry chuckle. Leon had to think Levi was just being funny. Not serious at all. I would have usually thrown in a snarky comeback, but I wasn't feeling it. Leon was there and I felt a bit of sorrow at that moment. Sometimes I wondered if Levi didn't get me a new horse because he was hoping that Lucifer would somehow get me killed. It wasn't a pleasant thought.

"That's a rude thing to say," Ruby said as she approached us. A stern frown on her face as she glared at her superior. While most people feared Levi, Ruby wasn't intimidated by him at all. "What if she gets put into a dangerous situation because of him?"

"Stop nagging. I'll just save her ass like I've done before."

The three of us stared, bewildered, at him. The sentiment seemed sincere, but I wasn't so sure he was being serious. Irritated, I threw my hands up. "If you just let me trade out my horse then I wouldn't need to be saved at all!"

"You so sure about that? You're a moron that I"ve had to keep from getting killed even before you had that horse."

Gritting my teeth, I snarled, "I wouldn't be acting so high and mighty Humanity's Strongest Soldier. I've saved you too."

"That was once. It doesn't make us even since for over the twenty times I've saved you. Now stop whining like a brat, get on your dam horse, and follow my orders." With a swish of the wings on his back, Levi turned away and begin to calmly walk his horse in position.

Angry, I wasn't thinking about the consequences as I picked up a clod of dirt. and threw it at Levi's back. Four gasps of pure horror sucked the air out of my lungs as Leon, Eld, and Ruby all watched it hit Levi. When the dirt made impact, it broke apart, crumbling into little pieces. He just stopped. We all stopped. Slowly, Levi twisted his body to face me. The look in his eyes made facing a horde of Titans more appealing than dealing with him.

"Eep!" I shrieked before sprinting off to find Lucifer. A pounding sound of hooves could be heard behind me, and I knew that if I was caught, I would wish that I was dead. Just the thought of being captured sent another wave of adrenaline pumping into my legs.

My grey stallion could be seen grazing just a little bit away. His tail swishing as he enjoyed himself, not knowing that I was hurtling towards him.

"Move out!" The familiar command made Lucifer jerk his head up as Erwin's voice rang out. Ears pricked, he turned to face me with his teeth bared.

Avoiding his snaps, I harshly yanked on the reins to pull him towards the direction of the Walls as I clambered up onto the saddle. Without glancing behind me, I gave a few sharp kicks to get Lucifer going. It was one of the few times I was thankful that I had the fastest horse in the legion. Nothing nor nobody was going to catch me as I got into position and sprinted off.

With the coast clear, the gate rose up to greet us as we galloped down the hill. Ducking, I went underneath the structure, Lucifer slowed down considerably as his hooves met with the stone streets. Breathing hard, I resisted the urge to escape as the sound of clopping resounded behind me. Keeping Lucifer at a trot, I led the way back to the headquarters. Afraid for my life the entire time.

"I'm sorry," I whimpered out, my body trembling as I stood in front of Levi's desk. Palms moist with trepidation. While his sharp eyes weren't trained on me, I held no hope that the rage he had shown earlier this day had dimmed at all.

Leon had told me at dinner that Levi hadn't said anything as the rest of the squad made their way to the gates. Ruby had mentioned that she was impressed that I had held my position even when I had been completely terrified. She was never one for disrespecting a superior, but I had shown considerable courage to "risk my life in such a stupid way." It was easy to tell that for all her scolding, she was just concerned. Eld had comfortingly patted me on the back when I finally went out of hiding to go to dinner. They were all treating me as if I was going to die soon.

Right after dinner, I had approached Levi's bedroom. Each knock on the door was soft while his 'come in' had been forceful. He made no move to stand up as I approached the desk. With his focus on the paper in front of him, I had made my apology.

"And what are you sorry for?"

I mumbled out, "For hitting you with dirt."

"I can't hear you."

"For hitting you with dirt," I said, this time louder. My vision was consumed with the black bangs hiding steel grey eyes. It was the hard riding we had done earlier today that had made his neatly done hair become messy enough to cast a dark shadow on his cheekbones.

Setting the pencil down, Levi folded his arms as he leaned back into his chair. "What do you think your punishment should be for getting me dirty?"

He didn't even care about the whole part of me being disrespectful. It was all about the filth. Well, I was usually disrespectful so I guess that part wasn't odd. I had never taken it so far as to throw mud at him though. "I'll wash your cloak for you," I offered.

"That pitiful look of yours isn't going to make me lessen the punishment, so stop pouting."

I hated it when he talked down to me. Levi wasn't that much older. He always treated the other members as if they were equals. Never acting as if he was better though his status was higher and he carried the title of Humanity's Strongest Soldier. All the fear seeped away as I stuck out my bottom lip further to irritate him further.

Rolling his eyes at my antics, Levi put his face in his hands. "You're so fucking aggravating."

"Then how do you want me to act? Worship the ground that you walk on? Kiss your feet? Act as if you're the savior of the human race just because of your abilities like almost everyone not just in the Survey Corps but everywhere else too? Just because they see you as god-like doesn't mean you're anything else but human."

His puzzlement was understandable. I didn't know where that had come from either. The haughty attitude he was having towards me must have been getting deeper under my skin than I had thought.

"If you're trying to lessen your punishment, it's backfiring."

I shrugged my shoulders. "I was just informing you that I'm probably not going to change. I'll be aggravating to you until one of us croaks."

Levi quirked an eyebrow at me. "Or until your brother gets back and you finally leave."

"I don't know. If you took away the chances of getting devoured by a Titan, this life wouldn't be too bad," I jocked. The annoyed look on his face made me want to squish his cheeks into a smile like I would sometimes do for Suzu when he was upset. That would most likely get my hands cut off though. "You're being surprisingly talkative considering how mad I thought you were going to be. I think Eld, Ruby, and Leon are placing bets right now to see how long it'll take for you to slit my throat."

Ignoring the first comment, he replied, "It would take less than a second."

"But you haven't done it yet." There was an unasked question in that statement. Why? Levi claimed to hate me, blamed me for his friend's death, and knew that I wasn't willing to risk myself for the duty he regarded so highly.

If he had noticed the pregnant sentence, he made no indication of it. "Killing is messy work. I wouldn't want your blood staining my clothes. Though it seems keeping you alive isn't preventing you from dirtying my things either."

"I'll wash all your clothes! That'll be my punishment."

"It doesn't make up for it. You ruined my favorite cloak."

"They all look the same!"

HIs eyes glinted with something akin to amusement. Did Levi just make a joke that didn't revolve around pooping? What a day to be alive. "Fine. What do you want me to do then?"

"You'll wash everyone's clothes. Not just for the people who are in the Special Operation Squad but everyone who is in the Survey Corps. You'll spend you day doing that tomorrow instead of training."

I groaned. My fingers were going to be dead by the time I was finished washing every article. Training days were one of my favorite days too. Stretching my muscles as I flew around was always enjoyable. I'm sure Levi knew how much I looked forward to those days too.

"You're excused now," Levi dismissed me as he turned back to the papers to his desk.

Cussing him out in my head, I left.

For the Survey Corps being the smallest military unit, it sure did have a shit ton of clothes to wash. Lunch time had gone and passed, with me still washing while everyone else ate. That was a part of my punishment too, apparently. Levi had rudely waken me up well before our usual time, so I could get ahead start in hopes of eating dinner. That wasn't looking likely with the way things were going.

Leon had offered to sneak me some food when he returned, but when I mentioned that if he got caught the punishment would be worse, he didn't seem as willing as before. Ruby had also tried to convince Levi to let me take a break. Her argument was that I would be able to work faster if I had food in my stomach. Of course Levi hadn't relented. At least Hanji had heard their conversation and offered to keep me company. That seemed to appease Ruby some. Levi had threatened that if he saw her helping me, he was going to cut off all her fingers. The crazy woman had just laughed.

Right as they left, Hanji turned to me. "Sorry, Saph. I would help but if I didn't have these fingers, it would be harder to do experiments!"

"That's fine," I said, beginning to scrub once again. "I know how much you love science."

"What do you love?"

My movements stopped as I considered her question. "I love to run."

"Well you're good at it."

I laughed. "And you are good at science."

"What do you love about it?"

Licking my lips, memories of the dark Underground were brought back. Fleeing from men who I had pickpocketed from. Women who had daggers in their short dresses as they chased me away from their stores. "I never feel as free as when I'm running in the grass underneath an open sky. Not even using the 3DMG gives me the same sensation as when my own leg muscles are moving."

Getting back to the task at hand, I could feel my skin beginning to get rubbed raw. If I wasn't careful, I was going to begin to bleed into the dirty water of the basin. Squeezing the water out of the shirt, I tilted my head in contemplation.

"Whatcha thinking about?"

"Lots."

"Care to share?"

Hanging the article of clothing up, I asked the question on my mind. "What made you join the Survey Corps?"

"Mostly curiosity."

Snickering, I faced her. "Not some deep desire to free humanity from the chains imposed on us by the Titans? Not a want to experience the outside world that is rightfully ours?"

I had apparently picked her interest. "I've never heard you speak in such a mocking tone before. I knew that you were just pretending before!"

Sputtering, I tried to justify myself, "I'm just worn out. Anybody would be after doing for hours upon end."

"Can't fool me! I knew that whole pure, shy, sweet, little girl was an act."

Seeing the fierce glare I was giving her, Hanji raised her hands. "It's not my business. You couldn't have survived in the Underground for so long if that's how you really behaved. Anyways, why are you so bitter about that?"

"Most humans are too entitled already. I want to see the outside world as much as anyone else, but I'm sure we were the ones who caused this destruction in the first place."

"You believe humans created the Titans?"

I bark of laughter escaped. "There isn't any other monster out in the world who could create such an evil thing such as a Titan."

"God?"

"I wouldn't think a science nerd like you would believe in God."

Hanji became silent. No outrageous displays of actions or words at the moment which was abnormal for her. The wide brown eyes had darkened as she considered my words.

What broke the calm was a loud scream of horror. The two of us immediately began running towards the training area where the sound had come from. Leon met us halfway, his eyes were wide in terror. "Ruby fell!"