Part 17
Chasing the Answers

(The upcoming events will be revolved around 'Ilse's Notebook'. And as much as we love Hange, roles within this OVA will be changed to be based around Fury for the purpose of the fanfiction.)

"I'm tired of waiting for the Gates to rise…" Fury complained as she tugged on her horse's reins. The latest expedition was upon them. It had been a year since the last one. She was thankful that Erwin revealed this current one to her only days before. Leading them was of course Commander Erwin himself and this time, Fury had been placed at the centre of the formation, next to Levi and his new squad. She looked over to him, seeing him in his same composure as he readied himself.

"Hey, Levi…"

"No." He swiftly responded as he frowned.

"I… haven't even said anything to you yet." Fury muttered with a slight pout.

"You're about to pester me about helping you find some answers to your questions, right?" Levi guessed from the reaction upon Fury's face. "It's a waste of time if they're beyond the walls and I'll have no part of it."

Fury rolled her eyes to then turn her head to her comrade who remained mounted beside her. She had come to know these men and women well. "What about you, Miche?" But the man averted his gaze from her, giving Fury his obvious reply as she sighed. Even she knew it would be suicide to go out of bounds alone.

"The same old boring answers from the same old boring men!" Came the voice of Hange, who was more interested in capturing Titans instead of killing them as of late. She looked behind her towards Fury and gave the young woman a wink.

"The 24th Expedition beyond the walls starts now!" Roared the voice of Erwin as the Scouts became rallied as usual.

The small amount of what Erwin had called upon then charged their horses forward, following Erwin's lead as they had always done.
But not for Fury. Not today. She hurried her horse onward, soon passing Erwin himself who was not only shocked at this but also slightly offended.

"Fury!" He called out to her in a distasteful tone. But the girl ignored her Commander. She hated to admit it but she knew she could get away with it, seeing as how she and Erwin had become close as of late.

"All of my answers are out here!" Fury spoke to herself among her thoughts, her focus unbreakable. "And I'm on my way to retrieve you."


"Please think on it, Erwin!" Begged Fury from within a tent that had been set in place for the Commander. The Scouts had come to a halt half way so that Erwin himself could determine where it is they needed to expand upon today.

The supplies had been unpacked and the horses were gaining their rest. "I understand that setting up supplies should take priority over much else, but I've these questions on my mind since the day I was able to think for myself! Hange has asked me to remind you that uncovering the true nature of the things around us has always been the Scouts main objective! If I can help her capture a Titan, alive that is, two birds can be killed with this one stone!" Fury lowered her head, her fists clenched as Erwin simply continued to shuffle through his documents. "I know it's a lot to ask for… Hange told me the last time you tried to capture one alive was more than fifteen years ago. Plenty of people died in the process of doing so. But if we're afraid of sacrifices, we'll never learn anything!"

"Do we have to go through this again?" Erwin asked Fury, though his tone was light and somewhat affectionate towards her. "We don't have the man power. Nor can I allow one of our best soldiers go off on their own in search for answers that may or may not exist. Getting us here at this point right now cost us 10 men earlier, Fury. I can't lose any more, especially you." Fury, with her head still lowered, gave the sound of taking in a deep breath. "Therefore I must reject these proposals."

As much as the man wanted to offer more than just those words to Fury, it would be unprofessional to do so, therefore he left the vacancy of his tent to allow his attentions be needed else where.

"Wait, Erwin!" Fury called after him as she too left the tent, but the man did not stop.

"It's no use, woman." Came the voice of Olou. One of the men Levi had took on for his new squad. She never did like this one. He imitated Levi too much and they were never any good either. "We put our lives on the line just trying to kill those damn animals. There's no way I'd help you and Hange take one alive either."

Fury grabbed a hold of Olou's shirt collar, almost lifting him from the ground as her eyes were frowned and her teeth were gritted. He was annoying her, and she felt that familiar surge almost overpower her again. She hadn't felt this since back down in the Underground. Would it take over her again?
"Think about this, Olou!" She hissed as she glared into his eyes. The man, though his skills were almost parallel to her own, showed genuine worry in his own eyes. "Let's say Levi's coming and he's dead set on killing you. What would you do?"

The young woman by the name of Petra stood to her feet, as she held out her hand in a way to ask Fury to stop, but she could not bring herself to say the words.

"Could you fight him and survive?" Fury continued. What was she getting at?

"O-of course not!" Olou struggled as he was almost gasping for air.

"Want me to tell you how you'd win that fight?" Fury then went on to reveal. Had she been sussing Levi out all this time of knowing him? "You do your damn homework. The places he goes, the food he hates, his taste in women, how many times a day he takes a piss! You find out everything you can about your target. Once you truly know him, you can find a weakness and exploit it! If you don't do that before a fight, you die."

"Fury, come on now, you're going too far!" Pleaded Eld. Another Levi member. Fury knew she was referring to what Kenny put her through when he trained her. He practically uttered the same words to her when it came to observing your targets. As much as she wanted to go on, somewhat proving she's no push over, she let go of Olou's collar as he plummeted to the ground. He held his throat as he gasped for air and Petra consoled him.

"I hope I made my point…" Fury muttered as she strolled away. "Grow some balls though. You just got held up by a woman."

"Fuck, she damn near killed me!" Yelled Olou as he shook his fist at the departing Fury, who had seemingly managed to control her next outburst this time. "That bitch has always been insane. It's no surprise our Captain removed himself from her! She belongs back in the shit hole she crawled out of."

Petra placed her hands over her hips and she did not appear to be pleased right now. "You're part of the Scouting Legion. So could you do something about that barbaric way of speaking? You imitate the Captain but even he wouldn't go off on one like a sour child."

"Why do I get the lecture?!" Olou asked, throwing his hands into the air from being confused.

Miche, being upon the rooftop of an abandoned house that the Scouts were camping by had been watching the whole ordeal that played out below him. Such trivial matters were never a concern for him, but he did find it amusing seeing a man such as Olou have it handed to him.

But Miche's gaze soon looked out to the open area. The land was bare and only a small forest stood before him. However, there was one thing Miche was well known for and that was having a good sense of smell. He began sniffing the air in a panic almost. Although the land was still untouched by the stain of death, Miche then hurried his gaze down towards Erwin.

"Movement in the forest ahead!" He informed. The Scouts then began to hurry around one another, all preparing their ODM's for Titan contact.

"No, stop, you can't go out there alone!" Pleaded a stable boy. It was directed at Fury and Erwin's attention was on her at this current time. She mounted the unready horse and commanded it forward towards the forest. She rode past Erwin with speed and his eyes showed pain almost.

"No, Fury! Stop!" He commanded her but she continued on. The Commander then turned to the only person Fury may now listen to. "Levi?!"

Levi sat mounted upon his own horse already and he nodded at his Commander. "The hell has gotten into her?" Levi asked himself as he now chased after the agitated Fury. Hange also followed them both. Her initial plan was to use Fury to convince a smitten Erwin to capture a Titan, but this moment was just as good for the Squad Leader.

For Fury herself, she rode on through the never changing forest. She was focused but yet heavily burdened. This was her first expedition since losing Isabel and Farlan. Was it still too soon for her? She looked around her, doing her best to spot any unnatural movement that wasn't just the wildlife. Her horse began to show its own agitation as a small Titan soon came into Fury's view. It stood there among the tress, barely reacting to the Fury who now rode on towards it.

The girl began to taunt the beast, riding around it in a circle which caused it to become aware of her. It viewed Fury as nothing more than a meal and it soon began to follow her deeper into the forest.

"Say, once we're done with our date, may I bring you back into the walls and allow Hange to dissect you?" Fury mocked the beast as it was giving chase for her. The Titan, like it was reacting to her mockery, swiftly attempted to grab Fury from her horse, but the girl tilted her horse on instinct to avoid being caught. Even she knew that was close. But Fury laughed at the Titan, although the laugh itself was fake. She was taunting the beast more and it began to walk into trees as it continued to focus on Fury instead of being aware of its surroundings.

"Will you hurry up already?!" She called out to it as the Titan crashed through small trees that blocked its way as Fury had managed to lead it out into the open. She smirked. She knew she was playing with the Titan and she felt cocky for it. As Fury was to play out her next move, a trail of red smoke dashed past the ensuing Titan, causing it to halt as it became infatuated with the smoke the flare had left behind.

"This way, moron." Instructed Levi as he had caught up to Fury, though his gaze was fixed upon the Titan.

"Stay out of this, you bastard!" Fury called out to him in anger. This definitely was starting sound like the Fury that once threatened Erwin. Even Levi became distasteful of her response to him.

The Titan, who had initially halted, looked over towards Fury once more. It heard the anger emitted from her voice and its head began to twitch as he noticed Fury was glaring at it. Her eyes were darkened, and what seemed to be against its own will, the Titan once again took pursuit of her.

"This way, you fuck…" Fury muttered to herself, her eyes fixed upon the Titan. It twitched more and roared. It was soon becoming obvious that it did not want to follow Fury. The white of Fury's eyes began to turn blood red as her concentration peaked. She was… controlling the Titan to follow her and she didn't even realise this yet.

"Fury, stop being a goddamn idiot!" Came the desperation of Levi's voice as he kept his eyes fixed upon Fury herself now, unaware of what she was doing to the Titan. Fury blinked a few times, the red of her eyes going back to white. Levi's voice was enough to pull her out of her concentration and the Titan began slowing down in its following of Fury. The girl halted her horse as she noticed the Titan stopped fully itself. Still, she watched, as the beast looked from left to right in confusion. Seeing Fury, the Titan then soon began to run in the opposite direction to everyone's shock.

Being intrigued, it was now Fury who pursued the Titan as it continued to run in a state of panic.

"Tsk, what the hell is she up to, Captain?" Asked Olou as Levi's Squad had caught up themselves.

"What is she up to, what is that Titan doing?" Eld then asked. "Since when do they run away?"

"Even if it's an abnormal, there's something off about this!" Petra added, all of them riding behind Levi.

"Its movement patterns are like nothing that's ever been reported." Revealed Gunther, the last member to Levi's squad.

"They're called 'abnormal's' because they don't behave normally!" Hange interrupted, almost mocking them.

"I couldn't care less!" Hissed Levi, drawing both of his cutters out as he rode onward after Fury. "We're taking it down!"


"What did I do back there?" Fury asked herself, keeping her eye on the Titan who intellectually manoeuvred its way through the forest. "Did this Titan turn and run because of me? Even if it's an abnormal, can a Titan be smart enough to run away from their death?"

Fury harshly pulled back on her horses reins. The Titan had stopped before a singular tree among a small oasis within the forest. The Titan then began to bang its head off the tree itself, as it was suffering from confusion of what Fury had done to control it, though only for a brief moment.

"What are you doing that for?" Fury asked as she hopped of her horse and seemingly began to walk towards the clearly stressed Titan as it continued hitting the tree with its head. "Is this the place you wanted to run back to?"

Swiftly and with lightning speed, the Titan swung its arm around at Fury and she was lucky enough to fire out her ODM anchors that latched on to nearby trees so that they could pull her away. It was clear over time that this Titan was getting more and more agitated with the presence of Fury. She had practically forced it to follow her moments before. Was it now showing fear of her?

"I've got this!" Olou called out as his ODM anchor latched onto the distressed Titan's neck. He was to dive down and slice through the beast's nape.

"Olou, you idiot! Don't!" Begged Fury as she reached out her hand as she was in the safety of a tree.

Olou became distracted from Fury's plea, enough so that the Titan grabbed a hold of Olou, who was now screaming in fear as he was lifted towards the Titan's opened mouth. But with speed on side, Levi tore through the Titan's arm, removing it from its body and saving Olou as the arm dropped to the ground with him still gripped by the hand. Levi then swung back around and swiftly tore through the nape of the Titan, killing it instantly. He wasn't just saving Olou in this moment, but he had hurried to this Titan more so to protect Fury. But this was Levi and he'd never admit to overly caring for others.

He pulled out a clean piece of cloth which he always carried with him and he began to clean his bloodied cutters.

"Are you okay?" He asked Olou, who still remained laid within the Titan's hand. He couldn't move his body just yet from his initial panic and he nodded at Levi to give him a response.

"I'll…" Olou then released an onslaught of manly tears. "I'll follow your orders forever, Captain!"

Fury was then seen falling to her knees, her body shaken. "This Titan could've given me answers…" She muttered, barely even caring she nearly got Olou killed. "If Hange could've captured it, humanity could've taken a step forward… and I might have been rid of this guilt…"

Levi, walking over to Fury, then pulled her up from the ground by the scruff of her neck, causing her to gaze up at him in fear. The man was not amused by her stupidity this day. "Shut up, you stupid bitch!" He yelled at her, still holding her by the scruff of her shirt, just like she had done earlier that day with Olou. "If you want to end up as Titan Chow, then be my guest! But don't dare ever endanger the lives of my men again!"

She could see it in Levi's eyes. He was protective over his new squad and he'd do all he can to keep them from death because it was something he wasn't able to do with Isabel and Farlan. But from Levi's point of view, though he spoke the truth about not wanting his squad to be endangered, he was somewhat indirectly telling Fury that he didn't have it in him to lose anyone else, including her. The male then shoved Fury away from him as he let go of her, and she referred back to her original way of sitting with her knees on the ground. She had no response for Levi. Even she knew she had been more than an issue for others today.

"Uhm… Captain…" Came the soft voice of Petra as her eyes were fixed upon the tree that the Titan had initially been banging its head off.

Levi looked over at the stunned girl. "What is it now?"

Petra pointed towards the tree. "Did the Titan do that? No… It couldn't have…"

Levi frowned. He really wasn't in the best of moods right now. "What are you talking about?" He then averted his own eyes over at the tree and they soon widened. There was an opening to it within the tree itself… Gasps were soon emitted as they all realised that a decapitated body sat within the hole. It had been placed there, evidently, and the body was made into a shrine almost.

Hange ran over to inspect the body, checking the insignia on the body's arm to see which Regiment they may have belonged too. It was clear from the smell that the body had been here for quite some time, but not too long as decomposing had only just begun.

"They were from the last expedition." Hange revealed, lifting up her glasses. "They died last year!" Hange continued further investigation. "They were called… Let's see… Ilse Langnar."

Though mutters began among the others, something caught the attention of Levi's eye at the bottom of the tree. Being cautious, he picked it up realising it was just a notebook. A diary.

"Levi… What's that?" Fury quietly asked, as the others, including Hange, gave him their attention as he was now turning the pages of the diary with care, skimming through what words he could read.

"It's the details of this Scout's encounters out here." He revealed. He then goes on to read the events.


"My name is Ilse Langnar. I am part of the 23rd expedition beyond the walls. Second battalion, in charge of perimeter defence. On our way back, we encountered some Titans. I lost everyone in my squad, including my horse. My ODM was damaged, so I had to leave it behind. I am now running due north. I have lost all that can keep me alive in the land ruled by Titans. No human can outrun a Titan on foot. I have no comrades to rely on. My chances of returning alive are slim. However, if I can avoid contact with Titans, I may be able to make it back to the wall. Right now, I must not give into fear. I have been prepared for scenarios like this since the day I joined the Survey Corps. I am the wings of humanity, making a last stand. I will fight on, even if I end up dying. I will record my experiences among the pages."

"It's staring at me! … I can't give up… I can't give up. I've encountered a Titan! It's a seven- no, six-meter class. It didn't attack me right away… Is it abnormal? This is the end of the line, for that I am sure. This is as far as I can go! I have lived a whimsical life! I haven't done anything for my parents yet… I feel sick! The end..."

"Bloodborns… Ymir… returned…"

"That's what it just spoke to me! The Titan… Just spoke to me… No way…"

"Ymir… deliver us…"

"The Titan is now bowing at me! It's speaking words that I can understand! I am writing everything it is capable of saying to me… There's no doubt of it either…. The Titan is showing facial expressions. It appears to be almost respecting me. For the first time in the history of humanity, a Titan is conversing with a human!

"What are you?" I asked it. But instead of replying, it's now moaning in discomfort.

"Where did you come from?" I then asked. It still has not responded. Its discomfort is growing.

"Why do you eat us?" I press on for an answer.

"What is a Bloodborn?! Who is Ymir?!" I yell at it. The Titan has covered its eyes. Is it crying? No, its pulling the skin from its face! Why is it doing that?! I have to run!

No! It's got me!

It now has my head between its teeth! I can feel the pressure pressed against my skull! All I want to know was what a Bloodb-…"


Levi slowly closed the diary. It had come to its sudden end for it was obvious what happened next. Much confusion was among them, however, Fury and only Fury stood with widened eyes. And there was a pain in those eyes.

She heard that word again as Levi read out the scriptures of Ilse. She heard the word Bloodborn. Was it possible that Ilse had conjured up her final words out of fear of knowing she was about to die? No. Impossible. Bloodborn is not passed around like an STD. Not many have ever heard the word before.

Erwin's childhood story came back to Fury from when he told her of it. He told her of how they could almost control Titans if given reason to… Wasn't that something she did herself earlier? If Fury had questions before, she certainly has just had a lot more added to her list. Was it possible this Titan may have once been human? A human who respected Bloodborn's for keeping them safe? Hange had always suspected that Titans were once that of humans. Though without proof, it was never looked into. Was this diary the proof she needed? Was it enough to now convince Fury that Erwin and Levi were right? That she wasn't normal. She knew once Erwin reads these words himself, he too will be forever more now suspicious of Fury herself. She'd be questioned, interrogated. But it all came back to wanting answers for Fury. Could this be the start to her finding out who and what she is?